The metal that takes the place of my leg is lightweight, though I'm not sure what it is. It feels strange to stand on. Why doesn't it hurt that bad? I shiver when my bare foot touches the cold floor, turning to the folded uniform to my left. It's the same one I've been wearing since we were taken, though it looks like it was cleaned. I shed my loose gown and pull on the uniform slowly, giving my aching body time to heal and my apathetic mind something to focus on. Even my shoes are here, but I'm not entirely sure how the end of my leg is supposed to fill them out.
I leave them off and carry them, turning to leave the room. There's a strange shadow on the ground that I can't quite place, so I blink until I realize it's a puddle. I gasp, startled by the lifeless body slouched on the floor in a pool of blood. Marx's head is a mess, slumped to the side, and his hand is still loosely curled around a handgun. Couldn't live with it?
I want to feel bad, but I can't be sorry for the man that singlehandedly turned my suffering into a self-righteous quest for greatness. I should take the gun, but I don't want to touch him. I don't want to breathe the air he's poisoning. So, perhaps a bit heartlessly, I pull the door open, pushing his leg aside, and leave, still clinging to my shoes.
The man that helped me is in the caves when I hobble across the rocks and head toward my room with Rufus. His face breaks out in a smile and he stands.
"Kat. You're alright."
"Yeah." I'm gonna be sick. I nod toward the woman on the ground, turning attention away from my aching heart. "How's she?"
"Not well. I gave her my medicine to go with hers because we've had to cut doses. It's not doing anything."
"Shit, sorry. Is Kilmister here?"
"He's been gone a few days, but I think he'll have a good haul." He forces cheerfulness. "One can certainly hope, can't they?"
"Yeah…"
I hobble my way into my section, nodding toward Rufus when he looks at me. He sits up, frowning.
"Hey, Rufus."
"You've been gone for days."
"Did you miss me?" I ask dryly, dropping my shoes onto the floor. Without waiting for his answer, I jerk my pantleg upward and force him to look at a piece of my pain. He blinks at my leg for a moment, lost for words, but he regains himself quickly.
"They took your leg?"
"They?" I wrestle with the lump in my throat and plop onto the edge of the bed beside him. He doesn't say anything, his omnipresent frown deepening. "It was Marx. Said it would stop it from spreading and killing me."
"And from killing—"
"He killed it."
Rufus goes still and silent. I almost think I can hear his heart skip a beat before continuing as always. "… I see."
I bite down on my cheek, wishing anything could take away the pain of feeling nothing, shaking my head. My breath shudders when I speak again. "And he killed himself. Shot himself through the head."
"… Are you alright?" I shake my head, feeling a frustrated tear slip free before I turn and bury my face in his dingy suit, trying to stifle the rest. "I didn't think so."
Four days passed and Kilmister still hadn't returned. Rufus told me it was supposed to be a three-day trip. He was to bring the note to the Turks and tell them that Rufus needed the things that were listed. The Turks were then supposed to hand it over and follow him here. It was a long shot, but it seemed so hopeful. I really thought Rufus saved us.
On the fourth day, the water came. It was raining nonstop outside; we could hear the droplets hitting the angry ocean waves in the distance. Water poured through hundreds of holes in the cave, making everything uncomfortably wet. Three days in, the water was deep enough to completely hide my foot.
The end of the week marks the day Rufus was supposed to free us. Left with little to do, we take a walk to the ledge we climbed down to get here months ago.
"This is the least I can do," Rufus murmurs, peering up at the faint light coming from the mouth of the cave.
"What is?"
"Helping them get out." He turns his eyes to me, dead serious. "We can't leave them. There're only three left."
"Five people, huh?" Since when does Rufus Shinra care about other people? I shift my weight against the pipe Rufus gave me a few days ago, using in an attempt to ease the pressure on my knee, which still has yet to heal properly. I guess he always did care for me, didn't he?
"I'm getting them away from the flooding," he announces, turning tail.
"Need help?"
"No. Rest your leg."
"Okay." I watch as he hauls two men and a woman to the highest point we can access, genuinely impressed by his determination to save these people. We haven't eaten in a very long time, and we're both still recovering. I can't help but feel weak. "What now?"
"Come with me."
We head to the closest room and, with great effort and a lot of shaking muscles, we manage to drag the mattress off the bed. Then, working efficiently, we sit in the rising water and pull the wooden frame apart piece by piece. It takes a long time, and a few hours later, we have wooden planks for everyone to float on. The wood floats well on the water as it swells up from the depths of the cave, making it hard for me to keep my chin over the angry little waves.
"Those of you who can swim, swim. If you can't, hold onto these frames. One person per plank," Rufus calls over the crashing water. The ocean has finally reached the cave, gushing water in with each round of crashing waves. The freezing water makes my body go numb quickly as I cling to a plank of wood. Rufus gets his own, raising an eyebrow when I make a face.
"What?"
"Can't swim, Shinra?"
"Not with my foot, no."
"Well, that guy's struggling," I point out, nodding toward a man that's frantically paddling to stay afloat. "Can't we share?"
"It'll sink." Rufus eyes my board. "You can't swim?"
"Not with this leg, and even with it, I couldn't. Never learned."
"So hypothetically I could use water to end your disrespect?"
"I'd rather you didn't, but if fantasizing about my death gets you through this, do more of it," I retort, tilting my head back. The water's so close that we can almost reach the ledge. And then it stops rising altogether.
"What's happening?" a man calls.
"It stopped." Rufus and I exchange a look, dreading the wait. If help never comes, how long with it take for us to die off, frozen and starved? Rufus turns to me abruptly and I frown. "What?"
"What do you mean 'what?'"
"I thought I heard you say something." He shakes his head.
I close my eyes, tired, and rest my chin on the board. How long until we waste away to nothing? I jump when Rufus splashes at something, struggling. "Rufus?" He lifts his head, squeezing his eyes shut. And then he goes under, limp and sinking into the black water. I splash toward his board, my knees screaming in pain. I just barely reach the back of his jacket, using all my remaining strength to haul the president back onto his plank. What the hell? I head back to my board once I check that he's still breathing, but I stay close in hopes that it'll keep us warm.
An eternity later, I hear something outside and recognize Kilmister's voice. He steps up to the edge, recognizing Rufus as he starts to lower his ladder.
"Mr. President!" he calls, his voice echoing. Rufus stirs, blinking up at the man looming over the edge of the water. "The flood was most unfortunate. I'm sorry I'm late."
Rufus breaks away from me, paddling toward the ladder and starting to climb. Then he stops. "Hey, are you two alright?"
One of the men looks up, looking drowsy. He turns to the woman beside him, but she doesn't move. My heart begins to hurt, pitying him. A gunshot startles all of us and the woman falls into the water, leaving a dark trail of blood.
"Pamela!" the man cries, starting to dive after her.
Rufus grabs his elbow, hanging on tight and dragging him toward the ladder. "Get up."
"But—"
"You must think of nothing but survival."
The man stares at Pamela's board a moment longer before glaring up at Kilmister. The scientist shrugs, lifting his nose into the air.
"Nothing could be done. I was simply easing her pain. Pamela won't hold a grudge against me for it."
Rufus shakes the man's arm to regain his attention. "What's your name?"
"Judd."
"Judd, now isn't the time. Leave Kilmister to me."
Judd nods, heading up the ladder silently and Rufus turns to me. I force myself to kick my way over, gritting my teeth until my cold hand reaches his. Thank you for being strong. My legs scream for an end as I drag myself upward, but I keep going. At least, until Rufus starts hacking, pulling his sleeve away from his face to reveal black spotting.
My heart skips a beat. Not you, too. His neck snaps backward when his body trembles and he groans. Scared he'll fall into the water. I slide back down and grab his arm. Determined to get him out alive (it's the least I can do after he's saved us all), I force him to climb ahead of me. He continues coughing until he stops climbing abruptly. Kilmister's gun falls past my head and hits the water. Shit, am I gonna have to catch him?
"You're late," he snaps, tilting his head back to scowl at a muggy silhouette I can't quite make out.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Re?!" I can't stop his name from slipping out.
He doesn't answer, bending down to pull the president up alongside Tseng, who I recognize from the shadow of his hair. I drag myself upward, overwhelmingly happy to see them. It's Tseng who pulls me up, grunting when I throw my arms around him and squeeze him into a cold, soggy hug. I missed him, but also the end of my new leg slid against the stone and I didn't want to crack my head open after all that.
"Sorry," I mutter, pulling away and scrubbing my face. Before Tseng can react, Reno jerks me forward, crushing me against his chest. I can't form words, wrapping my hands around his back and squeezing him as hard as I can. It feels surreal, seeing him after all this time. Feeling that he's here.
"Fuck, I miss you, Kitty," he says quietly, his head pressed against my ear.
"Missed you, too."
"If your reunion is finished, we have important things to do," Rufus cuts in, irritable.
"Right." I step back, unsteady without Rufus's pipe, and force a smile. There's so much I have to tell them, but I can't yet. There's still time for me to prepare myself a little. It's gonna be hard as hell. Reno presses a kiss to the top of my head and points to the stars.
"Out for the first time in days, just for you."
"Did you ask them to?" I tease, resting my head on his shoulder. He hums, smiling.
"Yeah. Just for you."
"Thanks, Re."
"Anything for you, Kitty Kat."
