[TheSix]

I won't speak for Aura, but I'm not talking about authorial intent myself: I'm of the conviction that when you send art to the public, you're communicating a message, and this message can be interpreted like any other: If you're message is interpreted in ways it wasn't intended to be but is still supported by the text, then that interpretation is still valid. What I am saying, however, is that the interpretation of these character's relationships as romantic is something I /don't/ feel is supported by the text over it being non-romantic. If the portrayal was meant to be a romantic one, then that aspect of it definitely didn't appear to me, and I don't see any evidence as to how it's supported over an unromantic friendship.