Crimson Demons (FF7)

7) Through the Caves

Yuffie shivers, moving closer to Tifa unconsciously. Violet looks at her with a frown, as if the freezing temperatures shouldn't be bothering anyone. Not that they're bothering me all too much, but cloud's of air still pass my face every time I exhale.

"He said through the snow fields?" She asks Cloud. He nods.

"Yeah. I wish it wasn't so dark around here though."

"I can see a ladder," she points ahead. She's completely unaffected, just as she was with her sister. I frown and stop listening to their conversation, Nanaki's tail the only thing lighting our path aside from the advanced sight of we mako-infused people. Violet tried to lighten the mood by joking with me earlier, and I replied with something about Aeris and Lucrecia that I can't even remember by now. Whatever I said worked, because she hasn't talked to me since.

"Be prepared for any attacks," Cloud calls back. Yuffie shudders and she and Tifa huddle together as they walk. Barret casts a long glance toward Violet before joining Cid with Cait close behind the two of them. Violet falls back to walk in front of me beside Nanaki. I ignore them and look up to study the room. He let her die, just as I did. And he still continues to charge forth with her burden, determined to live in honor of her life that she cannot bear anymore.

Maybe you could learn a thing or two.

No. I'm not learning anything from him.

"This place is so c-cold," Tifa stutters, teeth chattering. Violet rolls her eyes and Yuffie shivers.

"I kn-know."

"Hurry up, y'all, it can't be less than twenty in here," Cid tries to hush them.

"D-does that keep you w-warm?" Yuffie asks, eyeing his cigarette.

"Ya ain't borrowing it."

"Sh-shoot."

We reach the ladder that Violet mentioned earlier, the metal heavily rusted and rickety. It goes up so high that I can't tell where it goes, though I can tell that it twists at some point. Tifa shakes terribly, looking up at our untrustworthy escape.

"I d-don't think this will supppppport much w-weight." Violet scowls at her and I'm left wondering why she hates women so much.

"Yuffie?" Cloud looks toward the ninja. The implied message sent is enough to make the girl shake her head wildly.

"N-no way! It's not safe!" With a sigh, Cloud looks at Violet. She rolls her blazing eyes and wraps her bare fingers around the first bars she'll climb.

This isn't safe.

I reach out and grab her shoulder, stopping her. She shouldn't have to go first... I brush the thought away. "Be careful."

"I will," she answers back quietly, something uncharacteristic of her. Maybe Aeris's death has affected her more than I thought... Perhaps I was a bit too harsh earlier. She pulls herself up after a deep breath, her boots following her lean body up the ladder. Her cloak hangs out behind her, flapping and fluttering with each movement. We haven't seen her for awhile when Tifa calls up to her.

"Violet? How's it going up there?"

"It's strong enough, but Barret should go last. I'm not sure how much higher it goes." Hardly half a minute later, I hear a clang and a loud yelp, both echoing around us.

"Violet?!" Tifa calls up again. There's no reply and I frown, looking up to see if I can find her. "Violet!" Again we're answered by silence.

"Is she d-dead?" Yuffie whispers. Cloud glares at her. The ninja looks up at me. "If she's d-dead, can I be your new b-best friend?" I scowl down at her. There's a small noise that we can't translate and Tifa panics.