Flight Through Darkness

Threat To Yourself

Genesis' POV

"What happened to her?"

"No clue..."

"Maybe she took Aerith's passing too hard..."

"I wouldn't be surprised. She, Aerith and I have been friends since we were born."

"Which is why I'll always come second to them in your eyes, eh Tifa?"

"Cloud, this is no time to make jokes. Seriously."

"Angeal's got a fair point."

"All right, I know, but really, it's not like she's the only one mourning Aerith."

"Yes, but Aerith was, what, her oldest friend? Cut her some slack."

"The thing is...I'm not sure she should be left alone right now..."

Everyone falls quiet, all eyes turn to me. "Genesis," Zack begins, "what are you saying, exactly?"

I struggle to find the right words for what my suspicions hint at. "It's just...look, she blames herself for A-Aerith's death because she supposedly shoved her into the bear. But it was a mistake. Yet she clearly doesn't seem to think so." Tifa cocks her head to the side, eyebrows furrowing as she puts together the meaning behind my words. "So, you're saying she might do something stupid like...?" "Cut herself, maybe. People do things like that a lot for even more trifling reasons than death. You did notice that here and there she acts as if there's someone speaking to her, but we're not saying anything that matches up with her replies?" I prompt, setting them all to thinking backwards. I get a few nods and "oh"s. That's good. They remember. Maybe they'll understand what I'm trying to say.

Angeal clears his throat. "Let me get to straight, Lilly is possibly contemplating self-harm and," he shudders, "suicide, even?" I silently thank Gaia that he understood so quickly.

"Think about it. Lilly's the kind of person who bottles herself up. Tifa, you and Aerith are the ones who help her release that pressure. But now Aerith is gone, and I'm betting that she doesn't want to talk to you, Tifa, because she's afraid of placing more pressure on you. She's also feeling guilty because she believes that if she hadn't done what she'd done, Aerith would still be alive. Not just that, but remember the incident when Sephiroth left the first time? She withdrew into herself and shut us out. Her body language then screamed 'LEAVE ME ALONE, I'M IN PAIN'. It's the same now. Not meeting our eyes, keeping a minimal distance from any of us, constantly blaming herself, all signs of inner guilt. Therefore, the voices in her head, which my guess are the voices of her own subconscious blaming herself for Aerith's death. Now she's running away because she can't face us with her 'guilt'."

I finish with a final flourish of my arms and turn around to find my audience slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "What? I took a psychology course last term." I explain, rolling my eyes. Really, these people. It's almost as if they never expected me to have that level of body language analysis. I'm not as shallow as I may seem. Please!

There's a mute silence for a few minutes.

Cloud speaks for us all. "So she's in danger of herself."

I nod.

As one, we all slowly turn in the direction of the bathroom that Lilly ran into. The door is slightly see-through with the light flooding it from inside. Lilly's silhouette is outlined vaguely, standing with something in her hand that none of us can make out.

"Come on, let's get her back out, she needs some love." Tifa briskly says,marching towards the bathroom, prepared to drag her best friend out if necessary. Cloud exchange glances with me,then moves in the same direction with Angeal and a trailing Zack on our heels.

"Stop! Give her some space! Just Tifa and myself. The rest of you should wait outside." I exclaim, with added emphasis on the word 'outside'. When nobody moves, I sigh exasperatedly. "Fine, do it your own way, don't blame me if she freaks out again." I call, crossing my arms and huffing. Angeal rolls his eyes at my dramatics, but does move back outside, this time to the backyard instead of the living room. The other two reluctantly shuffle out, glancing back inside, towards the bathroom door where Tifa and I stand.

With that settled, our attention turns back to the door and her silhouette, whose wrist is shaking rather badly. Tentatively, Tifa knocks on the door and calls, "Lilly? Come out, you can't possibly coop yourself up in there till the day you die."

There is a brief pause.

"Watch me."

The silhouette slices something across her wrist.

"What?!"

"Goodbye."