Accompaniment: Not Alone
The building seemed hollow, empty, devoid even of the echoes from room to room. Nothing bounded on the walls, nothing even began to breath. Save the blinking of the constant security cameras, even the lights hung dead.
He didn't care, slumping down in the holding cell. He couldn't care less about himself. Not after loosing her, not after dropping the plate on so many people. Lives that had no use other then to be lived, lives like his used to be. But now he was worth far less than those dead men, women, and children. He was a puppet, nothing more. She had called him out, a whore, a coward, and now, a mass murderer.
The gun wasn't heavy in his big hands. His fingers closed around it with practiced ease despite their shaking. Blue eyes closed tightly, the barrel of the gun found its way under his chin. Still shaking, he clicked back the safety, pulling back on the trigger.
Trigg… Suddenly the young man flung the weapon across the room. It fired, pitching the bullet meant to kill him around the room like a rubber ball. He wrapped his arms around his bent knees, shoulders moving in sobs and his head against his legs.
The moment the gun went off, people flooded the room, a blonde woman slid in front of him, putting her hands on his chin. Three men followed on her heels, the Wutain regarded the gun with his dark eyes.
The blonde wrapped her arms around the young man's shoulders; he returned the gesture, gripping her jacket so roughly it creased. "Reno, are you ok, oh god, don't do this to us please…"
Reno's eyes were still closed tightly. "I-I can't do this anymore, I can't…"
"So you just give up? After ALL of this? After everything you just went through and lived, you give up now?" The Wutain had turned from the gun, his voice thick with held back emotions. "What about your daughter?"
Reno pushed the woman back, glaring up at the Wutain. "Tseng, she would be better off without me."
The man with the slight limp spoke up. "You don't believe that do you? Trigger loves you, you have any idea what losing you would do to her? She idolizes you."
"Because she doesn't know any better. What about when this is all over? What about then? When people know everything I just did. What good will being the daughter of some monster do her, Reeve?"
He looked at each of his fellow Turks in turn. "Any of you even think about that? I sure as hell do. When this is over what are we? Cowards? Murderers? Whores? Worse than that? And what about everyone attached to us?"
"But Reno, that's not the truth." The woman responded.
"No one cares about the truth Scarlet, they just want to blame." Reno pushed a red bang out of his face and studied his shoes. When he looked up again, his last companion's hand was extended to him.
"We know the truth Reno, but we can't walk with you if you are gone."
Reno studied the dark man's hand, looking its owner up and down. He took it, at last, pulling up to his feet. "Thanks, Rude. So then what?"
"When this is over?" Tseng asked.
"Yeah." Reno began to follow them out.
Reeve put his arm around Scarlet's shoulder. "I don't know what to tell you, but at least we won't be alone."
Reno fell in step beside Rude, behind Tseng and in front of Reeve and Scarlet. He took a deep breath under the dead lights. Reeve was right. No matter what happened now, or later, even though she was gone, even though the company may take more lives. They would never be alone.
A/N: Kind of sappy, I know, but unlike the title, this idea just wouldn't leave me alone.