Don't Play with Fire (Turks FF7)

7) Invaded

"Um... Who the @-+% is she?"

"Kat, th..."

"I'm Elena!" The chipper blonde says a little too cheerfully, sticking out her hand for me to shake. "Here to replace Reno!"

"Replace Reno?!" My eyes shoot up to Tseng's. He shakes his head.

"She's here while his leg is healing."

"But..."

"Kat." His tone is inlaid with warning that shuts me up, but that doesn't keep me from glaring at the perky woman in annoyance as he leaves her beside me in the cafeteria. I ran out of food at my house, so I'm stuck eating this crap until tomorrow. To be honest, it's not that bad. What's bad is that the stupid woman sits beside me.

"So, is he cute or what?" I simply stare at her for a moment, hoping I misheard her.

"Excuse me?"

"Tseng. I think he's pretty good looking," she sighs dreamily, staring after the man as he leaves, making a quick exit and leaving me with this idiot. "You agree?"

".... I think I'd get sick if I tried to imagine him as 'cute'."

"Huh?" Then her honey brown eyes widen. "Ooohh. Yeah, he mentioned something about that."

"Why?"

"I dunno," she shrugs. "Just said he's in charge of you more than Rufus is. I didn't know he was into redheads."

What was once a drink of water sprays everywhere, me hacking loudly as I choke on the liquid. "What?!" Her confused look into gives me more space to be, well, really weirded out. "You honestly think..!? What the @-$$!"

With that, I stomp out of the room. Sure, she didn't know, much less understand what he meant, but I hate being reminded of the guilt, of how messed up my family used to be. No, it used to be perfect. When Tseng came over, even he would smile. I screwed with it all, ruined the one good thing he and I had in our lives. That's why he left me out on the streets for so long. Something made him change his mind. A plan to finally kill me maybe? But why go through all this trouble when he could just shoot me in the head?

"I always seem to run into you when you're lost in thought." I jump and look up from my floor glaring to see Rufus slowly meandering by.

"And you always seem to take walks down this hall."

"Sitting still for so long gives me a headache," he admits, pristine suit almost glowing in contrast to my nearly black one. He raises an eyebrow at my said uniform. "Not one to follow dressed code?"

"Oh least I'm wearing the stinking tie," I huff, glancing down at the loosely hung demon.

"While that is true, I'd prefer it to look neater."

"Where's Dark Nation?" I change the subject. I really really don't like ties.

"..." He turns his solid gaze over to his office door's approximate location. "Sleeping."

"Right." When his piercing eyes turn to me, suddenly ice again, I shift uncomfortably and walk away. "I gotta, um, go check on Reno."

"Yes... You do that." A shudder racks down my spine. Weirdo.

Back down in the infirmary, Reno talks nonstop, cursing Cloud and Tifa and me for all being @$--%(+-s that got him hurt. The sun slowly fades behind the mountains outside of Midgar and darkness takes over, though the glow of the mako reactors still remains to ignite the night in a wash of bright green.