Author's Note: Red XIII/Nanaki just doesn't get enough love.
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII or Red XIII/Nanaki. I don't even know what he is.
I am the tiger.
I am fire and silence, rippling muscle and parted teeth. I am stalking and striking, alone in the hunt. I am swift, I am efficient. I am a killer.
I am the wolf.
I am shadow and moonlight, twisted snarls and snapping jaws. I am chasing and I am calling, forever a part of the group. I am kind, I am loyal. I am a friend.
I am Nanaki, son of Seto, grandson of Bugenhagen, protector of Cosmo Canyon.
I am Red XIII, member of AVALANCHE, experiment of Hojo, savior of the planet.
I have walked more years on this planet than many humans, and I will continue to walk for far longer. I live to protect my home, and I live to love and care for it like those before me. I have taken bullets and biting blades in the defense of a friend, and I have comforted children who can't even be called that any more. I have known loss, but I have known love. I have had my eyes opened more than once, and I am still, on occasion, surprised. I know that I'm not flawless, and I know that someday I might hurt those I care about.
I know that no matter how much I wait, my father is never coming back, and I know that no matter how much we miss her, Aeris wants us to move on.
I wear my tattoos, even the XIII, and a pink ribbon with pride, but I try to remember that I am not invincible. I am lonely, sometimes, but then I remember that there is still hope, and I let myself relax and smile. I remember that I am safe, that my friends are safe, that the planet is safe. I remember that I'm a hero, though I don't feel like one, and I remember that sometimes remembering is the most important thing.
"Forget the past, and you doom the future," Grandfather always used to say. I make sure to hide the materia when Yuffie visits, and I make sure to tell my story, our story, because it will be mine to tell for a very long time.
And when I am gone, I will make sure the legacy goes on.