"Mr. Nevada, look at the stars!"
"I see 'em, miss."
"Aren't they beautiful?" A younger Aphrodite beamed up at the SOLDIER sitting on the dewy grass beside her. It was a starry eve; Ares was snoozing nearby, and the three were about a mile away from Nibelheim. The water of the nearby stream gently rushed by.
"Yes, they are…"
"Look, Mr. Nevada. Do you see that star? It looks so lonely…"
The SOLDIER turned his head to her. She looked so small and fragile. How did that young girl feel, having Jenova inside of her? She'd lost her home, her family, everything. All she had was Ares. She was lucky to have such a protective, caring man for a brother. "Lonely?"
The girl nodded, and though she has smiling, her gray-green eyes reflected a somber shine. "I don't think it has a name. Why don't we name it, Mr. Nevada?"
He stared down at her, surprised. "Why would you wanna name a star? It won't do any good."
She shook her head wildly, her light ash-brown curls flicking about. Her eyes widened. "Don't say that! Never say it won't do any good."
"But it's just a star," he said, shifting his weight.
"To you; it's just a star, but to me, it's my little light of hope. Maybe it's just one star, Mr. Nevada, but all of these distant, tiny stars in the sky are what give us light at night, when the sun is on the other side of Planet." She paused and looked up at him briefly before staring back at the sky.
He was silent, waiting for her to continue.
"Without these stars and the moon, Mr. Nevada, we'd all be living in darkness. That star up there is lonely and nameless, Mr. Nevada," she pointed up at the star that seemed to flash a myriad of colors: white, red, blue, green, indigo… "So let's give it a name and make it our friend, so it doesn't die before its time."
What an odd girl…
"All right, we'll name it," he said at last, leaning back on the grass. She was so persistent!
"What do you think would make a pretty name for it, Mr. Nevada?" She asked, tilting her head up at the SOLDIER. "I think Coloura is a nice name, because of all the colors."
He furrowed his brow for a moment under his SOLDIER mask. "Tura, maybe."
"Tura? Why?"
"I dunno."
She grinned suddenly. "I know! Colouratura!"
He was a bit surprised, and his eyebrows cocked up. The Travere girl seemed so childish, yet so mature. She surprised him. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Colouratura. Not bad."
Her grin widened. "So! This star, hereby and forth, is now called Colouratura." She clapped her hands together, and her eyes were like lamplights: so bright…
"I'll try to remember that," he said, adjusting his SOLDIER helmet.
Suddenly she tilted her head of thick, disheveled curls at him. She was a mess. "Mr. Nevada, you don't sound so old. Why don't you take off that helmet? I'd like to see your face, just once."
He drew back a little and shook his head. "No. Can't be doin' that."
He didn't want to show her his face. He'd be leaving tomorrow; it would be better for the both of them if the young SOLDIER remained physically anonymous. Truthfully, he didn't want her to remember him.
"Aw…" murmured the girl, pouting. "Is that a rule for SOLDIERs?"
He glanced about the peaceful plain shiftily, unsure of what to say. "…Yeah."
The mess of a girl frowned, and blew a stray curl from her sooty face. "Well, if you say so…" She yawned. "I'm so tired… I think I'm going to sleep. Good night, Mr. Nevada. Thank you for everything."
Once the girl was finally asleep, the SOLDIER stood up, holstering his rifle. As he began to leave, he took one last look at the sleeping survivors of the Travere family. They looked so fragile…
He paused for a moment. They would need to equip themselves for the dangers of the world. They were in for a long journey, and perhaps something would help comfort the girl on lonely nights. He removed his helmet and his silver watch from his wrist, perusing its four materia slots. Another pause.
"This'll protect you," he whispered, strapping the watch around the girl's wrist. He set his helmet between them on the grass. "Good night."
Those were his last words to them until the next five years, and with a final, lingering glance, Reno Joseph Nevada made his way back to Nibelheim.
.-.-.-.-.-.
Aphrodite sat up.
"Where am I…?" she questioned the air, arching a dark eyebrow. She was sitting in a small bed in what seemed to be an infirmary. The cold air smelt of rubber, and she shivered from the sensation of that freezing air on her bare arms and shoulders, which were covered only by the thin, lacy straps of her white nightgown. More beds with milk-white sheets lined the wall. Sitting on the bed beside her, with his right arm in a sling, and bruises and bandages all over his body, was…
"Reno!" Aphrodite beamed at the redhead. She moved to jump and embrace him, but a sharp pain in her abdomen pushed her back.
"Hey, 'Dite," said the Turk, smiling weakly back. He looked worn and almost leathery. Aphrodite had difficulty recognizing him. "It looks like your black eye is healing; it looks better than it did before."
She blinked and touched her face, finding her bruised and swollen right eye. She had forgotten about the black eye that the AVALANCHE cronies had given her.
"We just can't keep ourselves out of danger, eh?" Reno joked dryly, glancing at his broken right arm. "Sucks that I'm right-handed. Now I gotta learn to use my left hand, so we'll both be lefties now."
She rolled over, gazing up at Reno. "What's wrong? You sound so sarcastic."
He shrugged, his blue-green eyes dull. "You didn't leave Sector 7 like I told you to."
Aphrodite lowered her eyes and chewed her lower lip. "I'm sorry…" She hadn't realized before how her actions would have affected him. She scolded herself mentally for being so irrational and foolish.
"What are you, suicidal?" he asked bitterly, his worn, youthful face tightening. "Why didn't you listen to me, Aphrodite?"
The word "suicidal" hurt her deeply. She shivered with the suicidal thoughts she had had right before Reno rescued her from the plate support tower. Aphrodite had wanted to die! She had just committed heartless murder, and had thought death would be her only salvation from the difficulties of life. She couldn't keep running away from the life she must live… She buried her face in her pillow, trying to hide the tears she felt coming. "I…I thought you'd get yourself hurt… I wanted to help…"
Reno shook his head, holding it in his hands. "'Dite, you can't just rush in like that if you want to help! You almost got yourself killed yesterday…"
"And what about you, Reno?" whimpered Aphrodite. She buried her face deeper into her pillow, rolling over so he could only see her back. She didn't want to face him. She knew her action was reckless and foolhardy, but… "What if you got yourself killed?"
She didn't see him roll his eyes. "'Dite, I had all the Shin-Ra with me! I would've been fine if you hadn't come and complicated things! Thanks to you and your sobbing bulk, my arm is broken!"
Aphrodite's sobs began, her tears streaming down her face like a river. "That's all I can do, is it…? I can only complicate things; never make them better… I shouldn't have gotten into the Turks…"
He heaved a sigh behind her. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself."
"Reno…" she whispered, her voice choked by her tears. "I killed two AVALANCHE members yesterday… I'm a murderer… How could I have…?"
Yet another sigh. "Stop it, 'Dite. Stop moping." His feet shuffled as he stood up. "You're not the only one who's sad around here."
Aphrodite mustered up her last ounce of courage and rolled over to gaze at him. His compelling eyes… those turquoise orbs were full of sorrow.
And suddenly…she remembered that woman…
"Reno," she murmured, gazing into his eyes thoughtfully. She swallowed her tears. "I met a woman in Sector 7 yesterday…with your eyes…"
Reno looked a bit confused, but then he lowered his eyes for a brief moment. "What'd she say?" He clenched his left fist and sat down on the edge of Aphrodite's bed.
She paused for a few seconds as he just looked at her with remorse in his eyes. What was he thinking…? "She said… 'Take care of my son'…"
And when Reno began to chew his lower lip and slump so low that now he lay on the edge of her bed, Aphrodite knew at once.
That woman…
She was…
"My mom."
His voice was rock-solid, but she knew that deep inside, he was crumbling. She reached out to him, her tears flooding her eyes again… His figure was a blur. "Oh, Reno…" She took his hand, her voice a soft murmur. "I'm sorry…so sorry…"
He made a strange noise. Was that a sob?
Aphrodite half-expected him to shove her away, but he accepted her touch, squeezing her hand. He was silent.
She nodded with mutual understanding. Reno had been there for her; now it was her turn to be there for him. She knew what it was like to lose something dear, even if Reno didn't seem to love his mother. Her voice was soft:
"It's okay to cry, Reno… I don't mind…"