"Reeve, for Shiva's sake!" I kick at his door, frustrated. I know he's in there. I can hear him rustling around like a rat. Finally, he unlocks the door and lets me in. "I've been knocking for ten minutes, asshole!"

"Apologize, Kat." He pauses halfway through closing the door. "Is that short for Katherine by any chance?"

"No." I frown, resting against his desk and crossing my arms.

"Strange name for a child… Nevermind. Did you need something?"

"No, I've just been harassing you for no goddamn reason," I retort. "I needed to see how Aerith's mom and Marlene are."

"They're fine," he assures me, pulling up their camera footage. Elmyra sits by the window, staring outside while Marlene colors a paper at the coffee table.

"How's stuff with Avalanche?"

"They still don't trust me," he sighs, shaking his head.

"Can you blame them?"

"No."

"We've almost caught up to Aerith. That's why I took so long."

"Can I watch? I'm bored out of my mind."

"Don't young people have anything to do on Friday evenings?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and smiling faintly. I shake my head, smiling back.

"I've got plans for later, but not for now."

"With Reno?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. You're good for each other." He turns his monitor back on and unplugs his headphones so that I can hear too. On the screen, I see Cid Highwind step back from Cait Sith's camera's, his forehead wrinkled into a frown and his teeth gripping a half-burned cigarette.

"There, Brat. Fuckin' cat bot's workin' again."

"You didn't even do anything, you old fart!"

The Forgotten City is like nothing I've ever seen before. The sky looks like the ocean, swirling with all different shades of deep blues and grays. Buildings are spaced apart enough to look like they're floating, and maybe they are. I don't see any paths to them. A shimmering, steep staircase appears, carrying Avalanche from the peak of the city to the base. Water laps at the base of a stone altar where Aerith kneels, hands clasped together in earnest prayer.

Cloud runs forward only to wrestle with someone no one can see, struggling against himself. Reeve and I exchange looks, confused. He lets his sword clatter to the ground, breathless.

"No!" Tifa cries, running forward.

I'm sure Reeve tried to move his switches fast enough. I'm sure Cloud would have run if he could. I'm sure I squeaked. But none of that makes a difference. Aerith dangles off the end of Sephiroth's blade, lifeless. Reeve stares in disbelief, frozen in place. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. Poor Elmyra.

A few minutes later, after watching Cait Sith trudge back through the city and power off in the corner, I stand, taking a deep breath and swinging my arms. My chest aches with guilt.

"What do we tell Elmyra?" I ask finally. Reeve leans back in his seat, quiet.

"The truth."

"I'll fly out tomorrow," I sigh, rubbing the back of my sore neck as I head toward the door. What a bummer.

"No, I think should wait and think of the right way to tell her."

"Suit yourself."

"How can you walk away like that?" he demands. I let my hand rest on the doorknob, turning to watch him vent. "Such a horrific, bloody murder of an innocent woman and you can just carry on?"

"I'm getting numb to it, I guess."

"Tseng's passing affected you."

"But yours won't."

"... I'm sorry."

I huff, heading for the elevator and thanking the gods that it's empty. Bored, my mind turns from Reeve to Rufus. I haven't seen him since that night. I haven't heard from him since that night. No one has. We know he's in his office, but no one knows what he's up to. Heidegger is threatening to storm his office and demand answers. I can't help but worry. Is he okay?

"Hey, bitch," Reno greets, grinning.

"Hey, dickhead." I step into his apartment, resting my hands on my hips. Trash litters the counters and somehow laundry has spilled from his room into the hallway.

"Yeah, I know," he huffs "Rude's making me clean it up." Rude looks up from his seat at the counter, nodding to me in greeting.

"Well, clean it," I retort.

"I will eventually."

"You will now," Rude argues. I laugh, watching Reno as he rolls his eyes and starts dumping shit into the trash.

"So, guess what just happened?" I ask, propping my head up on the counter. Both men glance in my direction. "Nothing? Wow, okay. The Ancient died."

"Whoa, what?" Reno stops, shaking his head. "Wasn't expecting that."

"What happened?" Rude asks, frowning.

"Same thing as Tseng."

"Damn shame," Reno huffs, pushing down on the garbage pile in an attempt to fit more. "Tseng really had a thing for her, y'know."

"He what?" I grimace. "Wasn't he a little too old for her?"

"You tell me. I have zero guesses of his age."

"He was."

"I don't think it was an attraction," Rude corrects. "A soft spot, more like."

"Yeah, well, fuck your accuracy. Romance is always more fun."

"Elena likes him," I shrug. "Liked."

"Yeah, and everyone knew about it, too. Even Tseng."

"She wasn't good at hiding it." I take Rude's water glass to steal a sip, ignoring his frown.

Reno snickers, glancing up at his partner. "Rude likes Tifa."

"You do?!" I grin, nudging Rude playfully. "She's a cutie!"

"… Yeah." He stands, pushing his water glass over for me to finish.

"Fear of backwash?"

"Something like that."

I empty the glass and lean over the counter to set it in the sink before tugging Reno's garbage bag out of the bin. Gonna get stuck if it overflows. Reno tosses his dishes into the dishwasher carelessly and I rinse out the empty bottles that line the counters. When he starts to head to the couch, I stand in his way, hands planted firmly on my hips.

"Not until you thank me for my services."

"What'd you do, blow me?" he scoffs. I raise my eyebrows, refusing to smile. "I'm not thanking you for taking my garbage out of the trash can and putting it on the floor, Kat."

"I replaced the liner."

"Well #$%^, let me bow down, then." He tries to move around me and I step back into his path.

"No."

"You're a tough one," he laughs. I can't help but cry out surprise when he ducks down and grabs me around the hips to throw me over his shoulder. "Good thing you're so small, huh?"

"Reno!" I give up trying to kick and look up at Rude for help. He shakes his head. "Dude, let go!"

"Right here? Okay." I scream when he lets go of my legs, clutching his pants. He cackles when he catches me again, throwing his head back. "Kat—"

Wheezing, he hauls me to the couch to pick up a pair of cups, wrapping a single arm around my knees to keep me hanging over his back.

"Not funny!" I snap, slapping his ass. He laughs again, shaking his head.

"Careful. I can do it back."

"With what free hands?"

"I'm fully capable of setting these down." He hoists me up higher on his shoulder, shaking me. The blood rushing to my head is starting to make it throb.

"Reno, please put me down."

"No can do, Sweetheart."

"Why?" I whine, letting my arms hang limp. Like a body.

"I'm enjoying my view of this sweet ass."

"Re…" I sigh, shaking my head. "I'm not enjoying my view of yours."

"No?" I look up at the floor, realizing that we're heading down the hallway.

"Dude, where are we going?"

"Where do you think?"

"To drown me in the bathtub?"

"I wish."

"Tyler!" I squeal, clinging to the back of his shirt as he spins, draping over his shoulders. "Put me down!"

"Not a chance!"

"Don't drop me!"

"Trust me," he laughs, pausing to spin in the other direction. "I won't." After a few more moments, he sets me onto my feet. "See?" I shake my head, standing on my toes to press a kiss to his lips. The apartment smells like trees, not like the chemicals of the hospital.

"It's so nice here. Thanks, Ty."

"Of course." He holds me close to his side, running a hand over my hair. "Anything else you need?"

"No, this is perfect."

"You don't mind being so close?" he frowns, looking down at me. I laugh, reaching up to push his hair out of his eyes.

"That's the best part, silly."

Startled, I cry out again when he flings me back forward. My back hits his mattress and I grunt, not expecting the impact. He laughs, planting his hands on either side of my head and grinning down at me.

"Sup?"

"Fuck off," I scoff, pushing him off me and sitting up. "Gods, Reno, it's so messy."

"Expect anything less?" he asks, gathering his clothes and shoving them into a basket across the room.

"No." I sit up to watch him pick up his dirty laundry, bored. "This is what you invited me over for?"

"Just wanted to see you," he shrugs. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, I think it's sweet." He scoffs, rolling his eyes, and I smile, crossing my legs.

"Yeah, well…" Reno finishes his laundry gathering, dusting his hands off and turning to face me. "Rude said you needed to tell me something."

"Do I?" I frown. Does he mean about Rufus? But he doesn't know about… I shiver, shaking my head. "I mean, we always have shit to talk about. I have no idea what he wants me to say, though."

"Sounds about right." Reno falls onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head. We sit in silence for a few minutes before he breaks it. "What're you thinking about?"

"Shinra." I pick at a loose thread in his blanket.

"What about it?"

"We're falling apart without Tseng." I sigh, shaking my head. "Feels like I got here just to sit on my butt all day."

"Feels that way for everyone," he admits. "Even Elena." His expression sours. "And I'm workin' on finding us something."

"That wasn't a jab at you." I laugh at his face. Then I the smiles fade and I go back to being serious. "It's just… He and Marx are the only ones who know what's wrong with me. I've got the bad one left."

"I get it." He props himself up on his elbows. "Listen, not to be a downer, but I gotta know."

"Okay?"

"Why're you so sad? Just Tseng or what?"

"Sad?" I huff, shaking my head. "I guess. It's only been a few days. Give it a few more and maybe I'll be happy again."

"Again?" he repeats, frowning. "Haven't really seen you happy in a long time."

"I know."

"Why is that?"

"Stuff keeps coming up." I poke his cheek, smiling when he catches my hand and refuses to let go. "But look who's talking." He cracks a smile.

"What do you want then? Just Tseng?"

"…" Rufus. I want to know that he's alright and if he hates me. He's the one that should've sent me home, but I told him—"I don't know. It's just lonely and confusing."

"Hm." Reno pushes his goggles higher up on his forehead and lowers his gaze to the fingers he toys with absently. "He loved you, you know." My heart stings and I shake my head. "Kinda like a dad might've."

"He didn't, Reno."

"But what if he did?" He looks back up.

"He only brought me here because he was low on help."

"There were tons of trainees like Elena that would've killed to be here, Princess, you know that." He shrugs. "He knew you were havin' a hard time and took you in. Don't think he realized how much he asked about you." A faint smile traces his lips. "He tried to act like he hated you, but he worried a lot."

"I wasn't having a hard time," I mutter, but I don't have the heart to fight.

"You're too stubborn."

"So are you."

"Yeah." He huffs a short laugh and looks back up at me. "Kat, something's still bothering you."

"And?"

"I'm your best friend?" he reminds me, grinning. I shake my head, my heart warming at the sight. How do I do that to you? You're always so temperamental around others, but here it's safe.

"Fine. I don't know if you want to hear it, though."

"Depends. What's it about?"

"Rufus."

"What about him?"

"Some hot tea." I laugh nervously when he sits upright, giving me his full attention.

"I'm ready."

"So, about, oh, a week ago Rufus brought me to his office to lecture me. It was weird, though. He wasn't being mean." I look down, twisting my fingers through the fabric of his unmade sheets. "I had one of those… attacks, I guess, where I lose my mind. I almost killed him. But he stopped me." I take a deep breath, feeling my heart flutter when I look back. "And then… we kissed."

"You what?" Reno reaches forward, pressing his fingers to my neck. I flinch.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you're actually still alive."

"Oh, stop." I brush his hand away. "Anyway, after I stopped him from killing you the other day—you're welcome—it happened again."

"Gods, you're lucky," he huffs, but he's grown distant. I shouldn't tell him… but he'll be upset if he learns somewhere else.

"Yeah, well, just you wait. After I found out about Tseng, I started hearing those voices again, so naturally, I got shitfaced."

"That why you came to work so hungover?"

"Yeah. Problem is between those two points I went to Rufus's place to try and find my rod because he took it from me in the hall earlier. Things didn't, uh, go as planned and I wound up leaving at around four in the morning." Reno's eyebrows almost reach his hairline.

"You fucked Rufus Shinra?"

"Yeah…?" My face gets bright red and he blinks at the wall, shocked.

"Not what I was expecting, to be honest."

"Yeah, well, that's what's been on my mind," I huff, shaking my head. "Big, big mistake. Probably the biggest of my lifetime."

"Not everyone gets the bragging rights, though," he teases, trying to lighten the mood. I smile for his sake. "Wanna watch something? I'm bored."

"Sure."

We head to the couch, noticing Rude's absence almost immediately. A neat note on the counter tells us that he was summoned by Rufus. Reno makes a joke about Rude's new duties now that the president doesn't see me and I roll my eyes, flipping through the channels until I come across a true-crime documentary.

"Really?" Reno whines, holding a bag of tortilla chips and munching away. He falls beside me on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

"Yes, really."

"Alright." Sighing, he offers me the bag. "Want some? One of the only things left that's not expired."

"I'm still scared of it."

"You're an idiot," he huffs, resting his arm on the cushions behind me so I can scoot closer.

"I'm the idiot," I scoff, jabbing his ribs. "Shut up and eat your tortillas."

"Whatever, Kitty Kat." You're mine.

I push the thought away, hating the way it still makes me shiver. We spend a good hour arguing over who the killer is before the show ends and we fall into a comfortable silence while the credits roll. Well, comfortable for me. Reno's wiggling never ends. His foot's been tapping the floor for at least forty minutes and he keeps touching his hair. Finally, he speaks.

"So, you 'n the boss… Are you guys a thing, or…?"

"Me and Rufus?" I sit up, turning to face him. "No. I don't think I ever want to touch the guy again."

"That bad?" He laughs, but he's staring at his legs. Something's up. "What's he think?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him."

"He didn't say anything after?"

"Rolled over and went to sleep," I huff, shaking my head. He snorts.

"Seems like the type."

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," he shrugs, looking at the open window. "Like, if you were to be with someone else, he wouldn't care?"

"I don't know," I repeat, frowning. "He seemed more invested than I was, to be honest."

"Huh. Wouldn't expect that from him."

"He's probably just not used to being bossed around by an inferior specimen such as myself."

"Specimen?" He raises his eyebrows, finally glancing up at me. "So he would care?"

"Probably. But what can he do? Exercise his right to whatever woman he touches? Shinra's fucked up, but I don't think that's a rule he can enforce." Something's wrong. "Reno, what's up?"

"Nothing." He shakes his head. "It's stupid."

"I don't care. I want to know."

"Nah, I'm no good at this sort of thing."

"Reno." I grab the remote and turn off the TV. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Reno, I'm going to stab you."

"That's not gonna help." I sigh, waiting for a real answer. He takes a deep breath. "Fine. I just don't think he's a good guy for you, that's all. Didn't want you getting all tied up the fucker's lies."

"That's all?" He nods. "There's really nothing else?"

Can't you see it?

"Nothin'."

"Why don't I believe you?" I twitch my head toward my shoulder involuntarily upon hearing the voice.

Do it.

Do what?

"I don't know. Trust is important, Sweetheart."

"Why do you care if Rufus has claimed me? I'm not a fossil, Re." I demand, sitting straighter.

He shakes his head. "Already told you."

"You told me some of it."

"I don't wanna tell you the rest."

"Why?"

"Because," he huffs, exasperated. "It'll ruin everything."

You were right.

Do it.

Do. It.

I chew on my cheek a little longer before the urge becomes too much. Move. Say something. Just don't touch him. Naturally, I disobey, giving in to the temptation all too easily. I was expecting it to be like when we were kids—gross and messy and embarrassing. But… It's not. It's soft and deliberate and real. I close the gap between us, turning fully toward the couch and sliding a leg over his lap, hands folded against his chest. He smiles against my lips, and when we pull away, forehead to forehead, he's grinning. His hand traces up the side of my hip, gentle.

"Scared yet, Princess? Don't see you running for the hills."

Hot, heavy air. That's all I can breathe in, but I can't pull away for a moment because it might end there. I refuse to pull away when he reaches up to undo the buttons on my shirt, when my head hits his goggles, and when I pull his hair a little too hard and he laughs. We're addicted to the sparks that soar when we touch. Part of me fears I'm just another distraction for the weekend; the other part relishes in the feeling of running my fingers down his stomach, in smiling when he shivers despite the sweat breaking out across his skin. I pull away only to get us off the couch, committing his flushed cheeks to memory.

The room is dark and cold, but it's the perfect temperature beneath his messy blankets, my back pressed to his despite all the space we have to spread up. I don't let my mind wander to the future or to the past. When I pull the blankets higher, Reno turns over, throwing his leg over mine and pulling me closer. Sleepily, he presses a kiss to the top of my head before going still again. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and pray that, for once, he's not going commando.