"Though her time with us was short, Alexia's life was a full one. She was loved by all who knew her. She traveled the world with the Shinra company. She saw lands and people that some of us may not see in all of our eighty odd years. We should not allow ourselves to feel sad for her passing. Instead, we should celebrate the amazing life that she was able to lead..."

A line of dark suits stood at the back of the crowd that had gathered around a casket situated over an open grave. Only the varying sizes of their bodies and differing hairstyles identified the intimidating line of Turks, each in long black coats over their suits, each wearing dark sunglasses. At the end of the line stood the General of SOLDIER, wearing his full dress black uniform, black visor cap pulled just to the top of his eyes. Next to him, the only Turk to wear a gold bar pin on the coat's lapel. Both looked straight ahead, half listening to the service, half predicting the oncoming rain.
"Let us take comfort in the fact that Alexia is too well loved to ever be forgotten," announced the hired clergyman, who had never met the woman who now lay in the coffin. Sephiroth and the Legend next to him rolled their eyes simultaneously at the string of cliches that had poured from the man's mouth.

As the service came to a close, the crowd dissipated. The Turks congregated near a line of black cars while their highest ranking member watched the casket lower into the ground.

"This was senseless. She was not ready for that assignment. He knew that," she said bitterly to no one.

"Who is to blame for her ill-preparedness?" asked Sephiroth.

"You're not going to convince me that she's responsible. She was just a kid."

"She had no business at your side, then."

His words met no response, sinking beneath her skin with a sting of undeniable truth.

"They blame me," she said, glancing back at the group of Turks on the street.

"Would they feel the same if she had been five years older? It's a natural protectiveness of youth. That's why you feel worse for her than you would for the redhead, or Tseng. I don't understand it. Why worry so much over the loss of an inexperienced youth, and not over more productive members of society?"

She looked up at him through dark lenses. "That's why I like you," she said, turning toward the cars, "There's nothing natural about you."

He exhaled a chuckle. "I can't argue. I assume they are not returning to work."

"No. PTO for a funeral. We have to get all of our mourning out in the next sixteen hours so we can be productive tomorrow."

"And you?" he asked without even looking at her.

"Drown my sorrows in paperwork. Like the dutiful Officer I am."

"I have a better idea. Be more human, take the time off."

"You're telling me to be more human? Look in the mirror."

He ignored the jab.

"A raise of your hand, and all of those Turks will get into those cars and disappear. You do not have to go with them."

Her eyes narrowed on his face, still turned toward the grave. "And where will I go?"

"You must commit before I tell you."

She sighed, and after a moment of silent deliberation, raised her hand in a single wave to the line of Turks. Immediately, they divided amongst the vehicles and drove away, leaving the cemetery empty, save for the men covering the casket, two forlorn mourners, and the highest ranking officers of Shinra's two branches. A single black car waited behind for Sephiroth, its driver leaning against its side.

"So? Where do I go?" she asked impatiently.

He nodded for her to follow him as he headed toward his car. The driver held the door open for her as she ducked into the back seat, faintly hearing Sephiroth give the order for their destination. Just as the driver closed the door behind Sephiroth, rain poured from the dark clouds overhead.

.

"It's as though Gaia herself is mourning that poor girl..." she said quietly, watching buildings fly past through the heavy rain.

Sephiroth removed his hat and placed it on the seat between them. "She's not. People die every day. One way or another, you will too."

"And you," she shot back.

He tilted his head in agreement. "Working for the Shinra empire simply propels us toward our fates faster than most."

She thought about his words carefully and, upon realizing that she knew of only four people on the Shinra payroll over age 40, had no reply.

"They make our short lives more comfortable to make up for the time we'll lose. I'll give them that," he said, finishing his thought. She considered this idea as well, as it brought up images of the brand new company cars, lush offices, penthouse apartments, and lavish parties she had enjoyed as a Turk.

"I think they make it more comfortable for us than for you," she admitted lightly.

"Your recruits come in far more intelligent than mine. And you're trusted with the company secrets. They keep you happy to keep you quiet."

The car came to a stop in the middle of the city.

"You're awfully down on Shinra today," she noted, as the driver opened her door underneath an umbrella. Upon exiting the car, she looked up at the ornate building and grinned. Sephiroth stepped out and stood beside her, nodding his driver on.

.

The black door slowly swung closed as she collapsed into a plush, red velvet chair. He smoothly slid into a large black leather one across the private room. A smirk crossed his features as he watched her crane her long neck to look over the bronze detailed balcony. Two floors below, on the main stage, the Central Midgar Orchestra prepared for an afternoon rehearsal.

"This is where you hide, huh?" she concluded, settling back into her chair.

"The rehearsals are more enjoyable than the performances. There is something so...human about the imperfections in the music."

"All this talk of humanity. I think you've gone soft."

He smiled darkly while reaching toward a glass table in the back corner of the room. His fingers closed around a crystal decanter of green liquid. Her eyes widened.

"Shall I make you a drink?" he offered, setting the crystal bottle and two ornate silver spoons on the dark wooden table between them.

"I can hardly stop you," she said, amused.

A quick stretch back to the table produced two decorated glass goblets and a small bowl of sugar cubes. With practiced fingers, he methodically poured the green spirit into each glass, and arranged the spoons, topped with a cube of sugar, atop each glass.

"Fire or ice?" he asked.

She smiled, shaking her head. "You know."

He did know, and simultaneously, they silently recalled the last time they had enjoyed this beverage together. He dropped her sugar cube into the reservoir of liquid while playing back visions of her dancing with a civilian on a bar in Junon, arm-wrestling a local weightlifter and losing horribly, and breathing fire to the amusement of her fellow barflies.

Her recollection consisted of looking down at Sephiroth from atop a bar and noticing him wink back at her, balancing on a stranger's shoulders, and making the General genuinely, wholeheartedly laugh. The sound still played in her ears.

While they thought back on the events of nights passed, he retrieved the cube from her drink and replaced it on the spoon.

"Do you have a lighter?" he asked out of courtesy. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Come on."

A deep laugh both warmed her and set her on edge. She could not force her eyes away as he closed his own and held his breath. His fierce green eyes flashed open, and the tiny sugar cube set alight. The unchecked tension in her body caused her to physically jerk in response. Embarrassed, she flashed a playful smile. His face remained emotionless.

"Penelope, I'm sorry for your pain over the loss of your partner." The words came from his lips as though they were simply phrases he had heard said before but did not understand. He continued preparing his drink, retrieving a bottle of water from a glass cooler underneath the table. Carefully, he poured a thin stream of icy water over his own sugar. She watched his fingers while trying to find a motive for his sudden uncharacteristic sympathy.

"...but I hope you learn from it." Ah, she thought. There it is...

"And what, pray tell, should I learn from the death of a nineteen year-old girl?"

"You are alone."

She shook her head, not wanting to follow him.

"You are the best of your breed. And no one will be able to catch up. I saw it the moment you removed your helmet in training."

"No, you sexist. You saw it before that. You just saw me when I took off the headgear," she retorted, an unexpected edge to her voice. He shook his head with a smirk.

"You're wrong. You were strong and capable, anyone could see that. But when you showed your face, you were in no way apologetic for who you were. You did not care that you had disarmed me to humanely kill your fellow recruit."

She grimaced slightly and turned her head from the memory.

"I saw the same look not so long ago, when you decided not to care that the Vice President had tried to have you killed. You survived, and turned a profit. And finally, you are trusted to carry out missions that are still beneath your ability. You should not have had a partner in Wutai. She died because she could not keep up. She died because she was unnecessary."

"Alright. You've made me feel so much better," she spat, interrupting his train of thought.

"I'm disappointed. You were a frightening force only months ago. And now, you are brought to such sorrow over the death of a faceless recruit? Because she happened to stand next to you? I'm not trying to comfort you. I'm trying to push you."

"Toward?" she asked, watching her flame die out, the last of the melted sugar dripping into her glass.

Sephiroth went silent for a long moment, watching his glass thoughtfully. Finally, his eyes snapped upward, meeting hers in an intense stare.

"Taking over the company. The military. Everything."

A tense moment of silence passed between them. Then, she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

He smiled slightly as she caught her breath in between tear-inducing laughter.

"Oh my god..." she sighed, running her fingers underneath her eyes, "I needed that."

He nodded and raised his glass. "To ending the Shinra reign," he toasted. She let out another small laugh before raising her own glass and sipping the fiery green spirit.

Never once did his eyes leave her face.