The young girl eyed Makoto curiously.
"But Mommy, I thought he was-"
"I'm fine," Makoto spoke briskly with a sigh.
"Oh…" Yuuki stepped towards Makoto tentatively. With a youthful softness Makoto seemed to lack, she held out her arms.
Taking the cue, Makoto crouched down to the girl's level and hugged her gently.
"Aww," Yuffie cooed, watching her two children with a bit of forlorn fondness.
For that instant in his younger sister's arms, Makoto didn't pay attention to the strife and peril he had faced in his lifetime; he was only focused on what was taking place at the moment.
--
It was nighttime. Makoto was sitting alone in a dark room. He closed his garnet hues sleepily, yet slumber wasn't his goal.
A light flipped on, Makoto's eyes snapping open in unison.
"Hey," a female voice spoke casually, her aqua eyes glancing at the boy in the room.
Makoto gave an acknowledging nod. "What do you want?"
"Mm, you're happy to see me, I can tell." The girl giggled. "I um… I don't know. I just… wanted to talk to you, that's all. Do a little catch up, ya know?"
Makoto turned away sulkily.
"…or not…" The girl sighed. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, Makoto."
"No, Aeris, it's not that… it's just…." Gloom tinged Makoto's words and Aeris could see the dismal, faraway look in his eyes.
Aeris sat next to him worriedly. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Makoto turned his head to face the girl, his expression that of a kicked puppy.
"No."
The word left his lips as a choked sob, the ex-Shinra employee finally reaching his breaking point. A salty droplet of materialized melancholy flowed down his porcelain cheek.
"I…" Makoto sniffled, his head pounding with the sense of his weakness. "I wasn't allowed to cry."
Aeris gave a sympathetic 'ah,' she trying her best to comfort the broken boy.
When he was finished with his bout of emotions, Makoto attempted to compose himself as best he could.
"Thank you," Makoto spoke gratefully, arising and leaving the room.
Watching the boy leave, Aeris faced a muddled confusion of thoughts, but she still managed to give a slight smile.
He trusts me.
--
Nine years ago… Makoto was in the midst of a dream. Shinra…
Nine years ago, Shinra had burned Wutai to the ground. Their motive was because Wutai hadn't surrendered to them.
"They shame this land with defeat, and then they expect to rule us? Absurd!" The words spoken by the ruler of Wutai, Lord Godo.
Grandpa…
Shinra was attempting to take control of every town on the Planet. World domination was the goal of the power company. A town that didn't surrender to Shinra faced the same fate as Wutai.
Makoto winced in his sleep, recollecting the intense flames.
Everything was completely engulfed in the fiery anger. Hope was merely a fantasy.
I lived because… Makoto gave a 'tch,' in his slumber. Shinra had me. I watched my memories die from the outside. No wonder everyone believed me as dead. I wouldn't have survived it. It's not their fault. Makoto's dream consciousness was calming. It's Shinra's fault.
--
Makoto sat alone upon a roof, his thoughts colliding. The disarray of his thoughts had him choose the easiest subject to think about: nothing.
"Hmm…" He crossed his arms sternly.
"Brother," voiced a small girl.
Makoto gave a slight flinch. She's sneaky, he thought to himself with an internal smile. "What are you doing, Yuuki-chan?"
Yuuki plopped herself next to Makoto comfortably. "Oh, nothing, just trying to figure out what you're doing!" She gave a cute giggle, her red eyes sparkling.
Makoto grinned, yet his eyes were blank. "I'm just attempting to get away from everything. Just have a little quiet time."
"I see," Yuuki said softly, but her expression soon turned anxious. "O-oh, am I bothering you?"
"You're fine."
"Goody," Yuuki replied with a childish, bright smile.
A moment passed as the two siblings sat beside each other, both reveling in the wonders of silence.
"Makoto?" Yuuki's young voice shattered the silence with a query.
"Mm?" Makoto turned to his younger sister, stoic, albeit curious.
"You're the best big brother ever." With that, Yuuki giggled and disappeared as elusively as she appeared.
Makoto knitted his brows in confusion, wondering what had prompted the girl to say that. He felt he was nowhere near deserving of that title.
Makoto gave a bit of a pout, and decided to leave his safe haven of silence.
--
"Oh, look, the boy's back from his lair," Cid Highwind joked, looking to the dark boy in the corner.
"Amusing," Makoto spoke flatly, not bothering to catch the pilot's glance.
"You're about as interesting as your old man." Cid sighed. "And I'll be damned, get out of that Shinra outfit. Ya traitorous brat."
"Stop knocking the boy, Pop," a blonde, pigtailed girl remarked. She turned to the boy with a familiar grin. "Hey, Makoto. Long time no see, eh? I hear you've been around for a bit, why didn't cha bother saying hey?" The girl laced her words with mock sadness masking her playfulness.
"I'm sorry, Ronnie," Makoto spoke sincerely. "My apologies."
"Haha, the cutie remembers me!" Veronica stated triumphantly. She gave a bit of a victory spin, smiling a toothy grin at her old friend.
"I remember everyone," Makoto spoke in his matter-of-fact manner.
"So ya tryin' to say I shouldn't feel special?" Veronica's lower lip quivered.
"No, no, feel as special as you'd like." Makoto grinned slyly, matching Veronica.
"Ah, I see how you are, ya little hottie!" She grinned at him flirtatiously. "Hey, Makoto, why don't me and you go out for a bit, yanno?" Veronica's eyes twinkled.
"Sounds… fun," Makoto answered, the word 'fun' foreign to him.
"Yea, buddy, you seem like you need a bit more fun in your life. Weird, I always thought them hot guys were the shit when it comes to having fun." Veronica laughed. "Mmhm, we can getcha a new outfit so Daddy can stop his whinin', though ya know he'll just find something else."
Makoto nodded his trademark solemn nod.
"Ey, so it's a date!" Veronica grabbed Makoto's arm and led him off.
--
"Mm, I love shopping!" Veronica exclaimed joyously. "Don't you, cutie?"
"…I suppose," Makoto responded, his answer delayed by a short pause.
"Well, c'mon then, we're gonna have so much fun!" Veronica led Makoto to a clothing shop. "Hmm, I think I got the perfect look for ya."
Veronica picked out a tight-fitting black tee screened with a red rose dripping blood.
"Elegant and dark. So you," Veronica spoke affectionately. She continued looking through the clothes, finding black drainpipe jeans. "There's only a handful of guys on this Planet who can pull off drainpipes, and I got a feelin' that you're one of 'em." She continued looking and found a black cape, black fingerless leather gloves, and black boots. "Perfect." Veronica surveyed her finds with satisfied eyes.
As she was heading to the checkout, she caught notice of a black chain necklace with a crimson cross. Her eyes lit up instantly. "Even more perfect!"
"Ronnie?" Makoto asked timidly. "Are you buying all this?"
"Yea, boy, and it ain't a problem. Daddy gives me lotsa gil." Veronica laughed. "Just to get outta his hair, yanno? It's great, man."
"I see," Makoto said with a tinge of amusement in his voice.
Veronica paid for the items and immediately had Makoto head back to the dressing room and change.
When the boy was done and had stepped out of the room, Veronica gazed at him. "Stunning," she mouthed.
Makoto gave a modest smile.
"Makoto, I could fall in love with you," Veronica sighed. Makoto passed her a confused glance. "I could, but I would never let myself. You're Aeris' property."
"Huh?" Makoto asked, taken aback.
"C'mon, I know what's up with you two. You guys were like, destined for each other or something." Veronica gave a dreamy sigh. "You guys are so lucky."
"Really," Makoto stated skeptically.
"Yea, really!" Veronica looked to him sharply. "Don't you go breaking her heart now. Ya do that and dayum, I be breaking somethin' of yours."
"…" Makoto could only reply with silence and a confused expression.
--
"I had fun, did you, buddy?" Veronica asked Makoto as they walked back to the hideout.
"Sure," Makoto replied lamely.
"I'm not convinced." Veronica rolled her eyes at the boy and then laughed. "But goddamn, you scored some wicked threads."
Makoto opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly a wild monster appeared, thrashing uncontrollably and knocking Veronica to the ground.
"Ronnie!" Makoto shouted, startled to realize that his double pistols weren't on him. "Damn!"
The monster cast a damaging magic on Veronica, Makoto merely trying to fend it off with brute strength. Eventually the monster was killed, and as soon as that fact took place, Makoto rushed off to help Veronica.
To his surprise, a young man with short, spiky black hair and stunning green eyes was at Veronica's eyes, the girl completely healed of all wounds.
The new boy looked to Makoto with a grin. "This your friend?"
Makoto nodded. "Who are you?"
"I'm… I guess you could call me Holy."