Don't Play With Fire (Turks FFVII)

XXIII) Young

"Reeve, for Shiva's sake!" I kick at his door, frustrated. I know he's in there. I can hear him rustling around like a rat. Finally, he unlocks the door and lets me in. "I've been knocking for ten minutes!"

"Apologize, Kat." He pauses halfway through closing the door. "Is that short for Katherine by any chance?"

"No." I frown, resting against his desk and crossing my arms.

"Strange name for a child... Nevermind. Did you need something?"

"No, I've just been harassing you for no reason," I retort. "I needed to see how Aerith's mom and Marlene are."

"They're fine," he assures me, pulling up their camera footage. Elmyra sits by the window, staring outside while Marlene colors a paper at the coffee table.

"How's stuff with Avalanche?"

"They still don't trust me," he sighs, shaking his head.

"Can you blame them?"

"No."

"We've almost caught up to Aerith. That's why I took so long."

"Can I watch? I'm bored out of my mind."

"Don't young people have anything to do on Friday evenings?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and smiling faintly. I shake my head, smiling back.

"I've got plans for later, but not for now."

"With Reno?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. You're good for each other." He turns his monitor back on and unplugs his headphones so that I can hear too. On the screen, I see Cid Highwind step back from Cait Sith's camera's, his forehead wrinkled into a frown and his teeth gripping a half-burned cigarette.

"There, Brat. Cat bot's workin' again."

"You didn't even do anything, you old fart!"

The Forgotten City is like nothing I've ever seen before. The sky looks like the ocean, swirling with all different shades of deep blues and grays. Buildings are spaced apart enough to look like they're floating, and maybe they are. I don't see any paths to them. A shimmering, steep staircase appears, carrying Avalanche from the peak of the city to the base. Water laps at the base of a stone altar where Aerith kneels, hands clasped together in earnest prayer.

Cloud runs forward only to wrestle with someone no one can see, struggling against himself. Reeve and I exchange looks, confused. He lets his sword clatter to the ground, breathless.

"No!" Tifa cries, running forward.

I'm sure Reeve tried to move his switches fast enough. I'm sure Cloud would have run if he could. I'm sure I squeaked. But none of that makes a difference. Aerith dangles off the end of Sephiroth's blade, lifeless. Reeve stares in disbelief, frozen in place. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. Poor Elmyra.

A few minutes later, after watching Cait Sith trudge back through the city and power off in the corner, I stand, taking a deep breath and swinging my arms. My chest aches with guilt.

"What do we tell Elmyra?" I ask finally. Reeve leans back in his seat, quiet.

"The truth."

"I'll fly out tomorrow," I sigh, rubbing the back of my sore neck as I head toward the door. What a bummer.

"No, I think should wait and think of the right way to tell her."

"Suit yourself."

"How can you walk away like that?" he demands. I let my hand rest on the doorknob, turning to watch him vent. "Such a horrific, bloody murder of an innocent woman and you can just carry on?"