Chapter 86

It was just past dawn when Tseng walked into Rufus Shinra's office, knowing that the younger man would be there. Rufus looked up and raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for Tseng to speak and Tseng seated himself in the chair opposite the desk before he did so.

"Elena saw someone cured."

Rufus' pale eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but Tseng had been trained to notice such things. "…tell me."

"Here…" Tseng handed the President Elena's phone with the footage that had been filmed. "She got in with a bunch of woman and was undetected by anyone, it seems. This happened right in front of her, and apparently the group frequent the establishment…"

"Yes, I see…" Rufus handed the phone back when he was done. "We will need to procure a sample."

"I thought as much. I'll have Rude watching the place during the day in case opportunity presents… And then…"

"Wait for Reno."

"…Sir?"

"I want both Aura and Zena getting a look at that stuff in action." Rufus leaned back in his chair and Tseng fought to keep his face set in his perfectly neutral mask.

"Sir, are you sure?" He asked carefully, "After what happened to them…"

"Send Elena with them."

Releasing a slow breath, Tseng shook his head. "Reno won't…"

"He'll do as he's told."

Tseng wasn't so sure about that. "Yes, Sir."

"He's due back in two days."

Slipping Elena's phone into his jacket pocket, Tseng fiddled with his button. He knew when Reno was due back, and he was really hoping that Rufus was going to be the one to want to have that conversation with the redhead. There was no way that Reno was going to accept what the President was wanting. He didn't like the idea himself. Especially if Caden was present this time. What Zena had gone through when they had been taken from the town earlier was more than she should have had to endure, and he was under no illusions that Caden wouldn't try to kill Aura the next time he got his hands on her. He'd seen the bruising on the girl from the last time. "Perhaps if Reno and I were to also…" Tseng didn't get to finish his sentence before Rufus had waved his hand dismissively.

"Whatever you think best."

Steepling his hands together, Tseng thought. He knew that Reno would go off when told, but if he was ready with a plan for the younger man, then perhaps they would be able to pull it together enough for the whole thing to be successful. "Yes, Sir."

The sun was well and truly high in the sky when Aura awoke. Reno was still asleep beside her and she tried her hardest to keep quiet as she slipped out of bed and picked up her robe from where she had draped it over a chair nearby the night before. Smiling at the silky material as it slid over her naked skin, Aura cast one more glance at Reno, her eyes moving over him as he lay sprawled on his stomach with the sheet bunched low at his hips and his red hair splayed out across his pillow. Aura bit her lip, considering sinking back into the bed and tracing her fingers over his pale skin, joining each of the freckles she could see in the bright morning light. Turning away, however, she decided to let him sleep. If she was awake before him, she supposed that he was in need of the rest. Reno had always awoken well before she.

Finding her way down to the kitchen, Aura collected herself some tea and took it out on to the balcony with a book she had picked up off the bookshelf by the door. The tea was gone within ten minutes and she grew tired of the book soon after, setting it aside in favour of the view. Aura got to her feet and made her way to the rail, leaning against it as she looked out at the ocean, enjoying the cool breeze that swirled around her, lifting her hair and snaking its way beneath the light robe. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the sound of the waves and knowing that someday she truly did want to live somewhere like this.

"A stunning sight to wake up to, ain't it?"

Aura smiled, not needing to turn around to know that Reno was grinning behind her. "Yes…"

"'course…" She felt his heat as he pressed up behind her, his hands coming down on the railing either side of Aura's own, "it isn't the only sight I like waking up to, yo."

"I didn't notice a mirror by the bed…" She grinned when she felt his laugh hot against the back of her neck.

"Funny…"

She turned her head then, smiling at Reno when she met his eyes before he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Hmm… or, perhaps you meant me…"

"It's true though." He murmured, his lips moving to Aura's throat as she looked back out across the ocean, "Waking to find you beside me is something I have become accustomed to, and I was kinda disappointed when I awoke by myself, yo…"

"Were you?"

"Yes…" he whispered, and Aura's eyes closed when Reno's hands moved to her waist, sliding across her as he pressed himself to her from behind. "I want you there every day…" One of his hands slid up Aura's stomach to her ribs, "Aur… what if we were… to live together… again… like we used to…"

"Like we used to?" Aura wondered for a fleeting moment if he had visions of them living in freezing little one room shacks with ratty mattresses on the floor.

"Well, together…"

"And where would we do this?" She could feel her heartrate quicken, and knew that it was due to more than the fact that Reno continued to press hot kisses to her skin as he gave his reply.

"I know you've made a home…" Reno's lips brushed her ear, "Worked on that garden…" Aura nodded as he continued, "Know you wouldn't wanna leave it…"

"Yes…"

"Well, then."

Aura leaned back into him, "Yes…?"

"Is that your answer?"

"Yes."

"…A word I do like to hear."

"I know." She closed her eyes, lifting her face to the warm sun as Reno's hands continued to move over her. He held her there, pinned to the railing with his hips while he swept her hair over her right shoulder before his lips pressed carefully to the back of her neck. Aura smiled into the sun, her eyes still closed as she felt his hands move down her body and slip inside the robe she still wore. Her eyes flew open as she let out a gasp followed by a low groan when one of his hands went between her legs. "Reno… what are you doing?"

"What do you think?" The smirk was evident in his voice as he whispered into her ear and Aura shook her head.

"People can see us…"

"Only above the railing…"

"…Reno…"

"You don't like it?" he breathed, hot kisses moving down the side of her neck again and Aura's hands tightened on the railing. "Or you do like it…?"

"I do…"

"I thought so."

"…if people see…" Aura looked around and, although she couldn't see anyone at all, let alone anyone looking their way, she couldn't shake the thought that someone could be watching them.

"Keep your eyes on the ocean…"

Aura shifted her stance slightly, feeling Reno adjust himself behind her, and she did as he said, keeping her gaze fixed upon the ocean. She supposed that he was right in that anybody who did happen to glance up at them would only see two people standing at their balcony looking out at the view. That brought a light smirk to her lips for a moment, before she tried to arrange her features into a more neutral expression. "Ah…" Her hands tightened on the railing when Reno's fingers pushed into her and she leaned back into him. "Really?" she breathed, "Here?"

"Would you prefer I stopped…?" Reno's voice held his amusement, but Aura could also hear the slight roughness to his tone and knew that he wasn't as cool and unaffected as he was trying to make out.

"No…"

His free hand snaked around her waist, pressing her further back into himself with a hand against her stomach. "You sure?"

"I… ah… yes…" Panting, Aura could barely manage to think of the words she needed, widening her stance to allow him better access to what he was doing. Her eyes closed again when Reno's hand left her stomach and instead came to rest on one of her own on the railing, holding it there as he pressed himself firmly up against her once more.

Leaning into him, Aura closed her eyes once again as Reno's lips brushed her ear. "…how daring." He breathed, as he bent to drag the hem of Aura's robe up her thighs.

"Mm… Maybe you're…" Aura opened her eyes, looking out across the ocean once more, "… you're just a bad influence."

"I don't doubt that, yo."

"And you like it, don't you?"

"Being a corrupting influence?" his lips pressed gently to the side of her throat, "Oh, yeah."

"Mmm… And here I was thinking that you liked how innocent I was…" she tried to turn to him, but he held her where she was against the railing.

"I do… Keep your eyes on the ocean…"

Aura bit her lip, drawing one deep breath after another. Reno had pulled her robe up to her hips and she felt him fiddling behind her. She looked out at the horizon, bracing herself as he pressed himself against her. One of his hands came up to Aura's shoulder and she let him bend her slightly until she was leaning on her elbows on the railing, and then his hand had returned to her hip before he'd pushed himself inside of her and Aura let her head fall forward with a soft groan. "Uh…"

"Look up…" Reno's voice was low as he slid a hand into her hair and pulled gently until Aura lifted her head once again.

"Why?" she breathed, her eyes going back to the ocean.

"People below…" Reno continued to move inside her as Aura flicked a glance down at the beach. Her breath caught as a family of four wandered past chatting and laughing loudly and she tried to keep her face as serene as she could as if she were just enjoying the view from the balcony and not standing with her robe up around her hips while Reno fucked her from behind.

"Sweet Shiva…" Aura lifted her gaze back to the ocean, "They can see…"

"Nah, they can't yo."

Aura jumped and gave a small gasp when one of the kids on the beach waved in their direction. "Fuck, Reno…"

"They can't see what we're doing…"

Aura looked to the horizon once more, trying to focus on the blues and greys of the sky and the green hues of the ocean as it shimmered golden here and there in the morning sun. She could feel her blood begin to race in her veins and a hot blush began to fill her cheeks and trace its way down to her chest. Her hands clutched tightly to the railing as she sought to steady herself, and Aura couldn't help but reach back with one, trying to find some part of Reno to hold on to. He met her hand with one of his own and she linked her fingers through his, holding them together as she gave a soft groan, biting her lip to stifle the sound as Reno continued to thrust into her body while and Aura kept her eyes on the ocean all the while.