Vincent's eyes track something behind me, but he doesn't look concerned, so I ignore it and keep working on the bike.

"What would you do if your sister attacked you?" he asks.

"Depends: if she's armed, I'd unarm her as gently as I could. If she's unarmed, I'd probably let her hit me a few times before restraining her. Why?"

"Incoming," he says. I turn quickly, and see Shera running toward us, a wrench in hand. Cid is right behind her, trying to catch or stop her, but she keeps slipping out of his grasp.

"What did you do, Vincent?"

"I spoke to Cid; we agreed that the two of you needed to talk it out."

"Looks like that didn't go well for him." I unequip my Materia and hand the Electro-Mag Rod to him. Being without a weapon isn't really an obstacle to an ex-Turk, but I'll just have to hold back my reflexes as well.

She charges at me, swinging the wrench right at my head. I step to the left and knock the weapon from her hands. That doesn't stop her; she kicks and slaps, connecting with a punch to the jaw, and aims for my crotch with her trailing foot.

"Trust me, Vincent," I squeak as I dance around, deflecting more blows. I hear a scuffle between Vincent and Cid.

"Trust him, Cid, I guarantee he won't harm her." I wish I was so sure.

We might be twins, but she is much smaller than me. I put my shoulder into hers and push her against the wall, I grabbed both her swinging hands, and hold them in one of mine above her head. Luckily, she is shorter than me by almost six inches, so when she kicks me in the upper thigh I gasp, but she misses my junk. I pin her feet by stepping on them. We both pant, glaring at each other. I chance a look back, and see Cid is on his stomach, face smooshed into the floor, and his left arm rotated to hold him down.

"I'm sorry, Cid, this has to happen in order for them to move on. Promise me you won't interfere and I'll let you up."

While I'm distracted, Shera spits in my face. "You think you're the first one ta spit on me? I've had worse."

"At least I'm not payin' for the service," she sneers.

"Spit, cum, piss, shit," I growl, "I've had it all done, you spittin' is nothin' to me." We're both descending into slum speech, despite the long journey we've had from our humble beginnings. It's like we are twelve years old again, playing out the argument we should have had back then.

"You lousy whore, why did ya have ta come back!? Why couldn't ya just stay away?"

"You made it out, Sher, why don't I get the same right?"

"You selfish son of a bitch," she yells in my face, beginning to struggle again.

"I was so selfish, I made sure you were safe first," I say, but there is no volume left in me.

"You made all the decisions without me. If I was so smart, why didn't ya trust me ta do what was right? I coulda figured out another way. No twelve-year-old should have been told she was the one who had ta save everyone. Who could live up ta that?"

"Twelve?" Vincent and Cid both say.

"I thought you were fourteen?" Vincent says.

"He's a fuckin' liar, Vincent, or haven't ya figured that out yet? At twelve he took the easy way out and started whorin' and left it to me to be smart enough to save him, to save us all," she screams herself hoarse, then begins to cry in great gulping sobs.

"Have you heard this story before?" Cid asks Vincent.

"No, this is all new to me." Vincent helps Cid off the floor, but neither one comes near us. It's like we're suddenly toxic. I can't look at Vincent. I don't want to see… I can't look at her either.

"You promised me we'd get out together, that we'd never sell our souls ta Shin-ra like they did, you lied, you lied, you lied…" she accuses, her sobs dissolving into silence. She goes slack and I step back just a little, taking the my toes off her boots. She kicks, but has no energy behind it. I let go of her hands.

"I was always a liar, Sher, you knew that." I put my hands on either side of her face, leaning forward until our foreheads touch.

"But you never lied to me." She sniffles, rubbing her hand across her nose. Something in her comes back to the Shera of right now. We aren't kids anymore.

"I lied to you all the time, you were just too innocent to know it. I had to do it, to protect that innocence." She slaps my hands and pushes me away. Like always, I give her whatever she needs: space, time, my pain.

"What about your own?"

"Taken from me by Gus when I was nine. I lost a shipment; he made me blow him to make up for it. It just got worse from there."

"Who's Gus?" Cid asks.

"Mom's pimp," I say.

"Her boyfriend," she corrects.

"The two weren't mutually exclusive."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asks.

"Because you never performed well under pressure. I wanted you to save us, no doubt you're right, but you wouldn't have been able to if you were worrying about me."

"I could have done it too, it would have been fair."

"You would have been dead by the end of the year."

"You think I'm weak because I'm a girl; well I wouldn't have taken the coward's way out like Karina." There is so much hate in her voice, but at least for a second it is only half aimed at me.

"She didn't kill herself." I rub my jaw and the bruise I know will be there in the morning. "That's just another lie I told you. Gus found out she was pregnant, she refused to let him root around in her with a hanger to kill it. They fought; he blew her brains out."

She loses all color in her face and she slides down the wall, all fight gone out of her.

"Even though you were secretive about it, I knew you'd just started menstruating. I could smell the difference in you. You were suddenly a young woman instead of a child. You wouldn't have let him kill your baby either; you were too good of a person. I was so afraid of being left alone with them that I took away your decision – you're a hundred percent correct – and I'd do it again, every day for the rest of my damned life, if I could make sure you were safe. So hate me, go ahead and hate me, because I kept you alive and whole, because I went to work for Shin-ra even though they ruined our lives, but I wouldn't change a fuckin' thing."

After a while Vincent and Cid move away, giving us privacy.

"I still don't forgive you," she says, "but at least it is for other reasons now."

"It's a start, at least you're talking to me. It's been lonely without you."

She looks like she wants to smile, but she bites the inside of her cheek. "I'm going to need some time to think about this. I wish you'd just…"

"I know, I'm scum, but that's why I need you back, Sher."

"Let me think about all this. You dropped a lot of shit on me today, and hell, I still don't know what to believe. Let's meet at the 7th Heaven next week – say Saturday for lunch."

"Ok, it's a date."

She stands, wipes her hands on the back of her jumpsuit and motions to Cid. As they walk away, Vincent steps up beside me.

"Well," I say. "I guess it's over then, right?"

"Closure is a good thing." His human arm is crossed over the gauntlet. There is no emotion on his face. It's not far from what I imagined. When he is in control, nothing passes his features, but I wish he were angry –

"Something new can begin now."

"It really is all my fault. I shouldn't have lied," I sigh, "Would it make any difference if I apologize?"

"I don't know. You could try."

I take two steps away, clearing my thoughts, and turn back. I try to say something, but I can't. He's still watching them walk away, ignoring my angst. I spin away again and marshal my thoughts better. "I shouldn't have lied to you, Vincent. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

His head swivels sharply to stare at me. "I think we are having two separate conversations. Why are you apologizing? I knew you were lying to me about some of the facts – although I did not understand the extent – but I was a stranger, interrogating you. I had very low expectations of our interview, but for some reason I was nonetheless fascinated by you."

"Wait? You're not mad at me? I thought –"

"What? That the closure I spoke of was between us?"

"Well… yeah."

"You are bizarrely arrogant, Reno. I don't start something lightly, and I am obstinate, as you will see. I also take hints very poorly. Either way, I'm hungry. What do you want for dinner tonight? My treat."

"Um, ok. How about Wutainese tonight?"

"Sounds good. Let's go to that place over on Silence Street you've been wanting to try. They have something called an Avalanche Roll."

He starts down the street without looking to see if I'm following, but of course I am.

A/N: Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. The further adventures of Reno & Vincent continue in my new story "Phoenix Down," which will begin posting next Tuesday (and is already completed). If you want to be alerted when it comes out, make sure you follow me. I would really appreciate any reviews of this story, and I promise, I always reply (unless they are guest reviews).