Crimson Demons (FF7)

23) Reflecting

I stop pulling Tseng behind me to take a short break. His dark blood stains my gloves where they've been worn down, a there's a splatter or two on my golden sabatons. Elena's already tucked away safely away from sight, her wounds haphazardly cared for because I had to slow her bleeding and worry about retrieving her partner before he bled out. Shaking my head, I start pulling him again.

This not sleeping thing is starting to wear you down.

I'll manage.

Ever since the day we went to save the citizens of Midgar, I can't stop seeing him on the backs of my eyelids. Nightmares of his return, they're silly, really. I'm not afraid, I'm just... He should be dead. I saw Hojo did with my own two eyes, I killed him. He shouldn't have been there. Of course I didn't tell Violet, I didn't want her to come up with crazy schemes for hunting him down. I'm too convinced that I was seeing things. But Yuffie saw him too...

I stopped dragging the beaten Turk when we reach his partner, curing his wounds as well as I can with my weakening materia. Then I wrap them a little better than Elena's, returning to the woman to fix her gauze. I then leave behind two potions and another roll of bandages for when they wake up. If they wake up. I did what I could, but, well, we'll see.

I stand and start walking, where to I have no idea. I've got nothing better to do, though I'd rather not be trapped in thoughts of Hojo and Violet. Violet's the better choice, I suppose. I'm certain she's in Midgar somewhere with Tifa right now. Or at least, that's where I left her...

~2 years ago~

"I don't know, Mr. Highwind," the doctor shakes his head. "She's in a fragile state. Whatever you were involved in for her heavily injured. Who knows how long she'll be asleep? I suppose you could just keep her the way you have been, but it's been three weeks since that incident, and nothing's changed. Maybe you should consider..."

"I ain't considerin' anything," Cid snaps, flicking the ash off the end of his cigarette. "I've heard of people wakin' up after six years and bein' alright. Six #-%++#- years. That's how long I'll keep her if she'll wake up. Longer, if that's what it takes."

"I understand that you care about her, sir, but wouldn't it be more humane to put her down?"

"She ain't an animal, Bill."

"Captain," Shera pokes her head in. "Did you still want your tea?"

"Yeah, just wait for this moron to leave," he brushes her off. The doctor frowns.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you. Let me know if any complications arise." With that, the coated man leaves. I sigh and turn away from the bruised and thin body of Lucrecia's younger sister, her mind locked away in some dark abyss. Cid scowls at me.

"Don't you be losin' h.."

"I'm not," I shake my head. "Shera's waiting downstairs."

"Vin," he rolls his eyes, clapping a hand down on my shoudler. "You're not a robot, as much as you'd probably like to be. Put the #-$+ wall down and act like a normal human for once."

"I'm not a normal human," I raise an eyebrow.

"And? Yer not invincible. You can't just let her go like that."

"I'm not," I huff. "If Bill made a move to 'put her down', he'd be on the floor with a bullet in his head."

"I don't doubt that," he chuckles, stepping past on me. "Come on down, Vin. Sher's makin' dinner." With one last silent gaze toward Violet, I follow him down the creaky wooden stairs of his house. At the table, Shera and Cid sit in silence, eating their evening meal. I stand in silence, thinking back to my return to Midgar three weeks ago. That was Hojo. I'm certain of it.