Penance

©®™ Lt. Commander Richie

((Penultimate! PEEEENUUUULLLLTIIIIMMMAAAATTTTE! Actually, no. NOT Penultimate. Two chapters to go. I swear. Kinda. The next chapter might be the last.))

Chapter 24

"No! He's my Fluffy, and you can't have him!" Abby, Abvalia, was having a fit. To her chest she clutched a large stuffed cat, its gloved and booted limbs limp without power. Marlene sat across from her at a small table, a plastic tea set that looked as though it had seen better days laid out between them with less than a little accuracy.

"I just want to hold him. I don't want to keep him." Marlene lied levelly, taking a sip of imaginary tea. Abvalia still kept the powered-down AI clutched tightly, her head at a funny angle to see around the cat that was nearly as large as she was.

"You still can't have him. Fluffy's mine." She reiterated, glaring heatedly around messy black curls that fell in her face with a vengeance for being shoved into pigtails. The unfortunate Cait Sith's body was bent at a funny angle, one of his circuit boards sticking from his side in a square-shaped figure of fluffy skin.

"Can I fix him?" The question was innocent, and Abby nearly considered it for a moment before holding the hapless cat even closer.

"There's nothing wrong, so no!" She protested, making a face that tried desperately to be scary and utterly failed.

"Just give her the damn cat, Abvalia." The girl's older sister, Tarren, said in passing. The older girl's hair was pulled back into a ponytail that folded back on itself and tied again, making two ear-like loops on the back of her head. Her magenta streak fell in her face, and she leaned on the door frame with a less-than-enthused look. With a surly look, the youngest of the three siblings handed the limp AI cat over the table and upset several of the teacups full of imaginary tea for the stuffed Chickobo and its long and fuzzy Zolom companion.

"Fine!" The little girl huffed, and Marlene drug the stuffed toy-looking AVALANCHE member all the way across the table and into her lap. She pressed a few times on the cat's stomach, a zipper unveiling itself after some careful digging in the fur of the doll. With a quick movement, all of Cait Sith's circuit boards lay open before her, and she peered down into the maze of green traced by gold and black squares to look for an 'on' switch. Tarren was at Marlene's side in an instant, carefully lifting the cat onto her own lap.

"Wow, this is advanced. How'd you know all this was in here?" The teenager asked, her magenta streak flopping in her face as she turned to face Marlene. Abvalia crossed her arms incorrectly and sulked, trying her hardest to look downtrodden and uninterested.

"B'cause that's Cait Sith. I know the guy who made him." The girl said, proud of herself. Tarren smiled widely, laughing softly.

"Yeah right. If you know Reeve Tuesti, head of the WRO..." She paused, looking at Marlene's serious face. "You're not kidding, huh?" The teen asked, and Marlene shook her head wildly. "Alright... So, what's wrong with this little guy?"

"He won't turn back on, and I can't find his 'on' switch." The girl said, and with a sigh Tarren blew on the open circuit boards. Crumbs flew every which way, and as soon as she did this she turned the plush upside-down and dumped out what was left of the mess. Fish crackers fell out from behind the circuit boards, crunching on the floor and bouncing off the table.

"Freak!" Tarren suddenly yelled, and Abvalia screamed and ducked under the table. "You put all those in there on purpose! You knew this was somebody else's!" She accused, and the littler girl made a run for it. The teen quickly handed Cait Sith back to Marlene, and then grabbed her little sister by the back of her dress and one arm.

"Lemme go!" Abby wailed, turning and making a face she assumed would be intimidating at her sister.

"Ma! Abby's stealing again!" Tarren screamed, and behind the two warring parties Marlene slowly zipped the plush back up his stomach and turned the cat onto his stomach.

"Then tell her to stop!" Came the answer, as though either way their mother didn't care as long as blood wasn't involved.

"She stole from AVALANCHE!" Tarren screamed, stomping on her sister's foot as the little girl bit her hand. Both girls glared at each other as though they were trying to assassinate the other, and heavy stomps came down the hall in the form of an angry mother. Tarren let go of her sister, shoving her to said angry mother. She took her by the hand, dragging her along down the hall.

"Abvalia, I'm ashamed of you!" Their mother lectured, the voices growing fainter as they continued down the hall. "After all they did for us, they saved the world, you know! You went and you stole from them?" With a smile, Tarren acted as though nothing had happened, gently taking Cait Sith from Marlene and laying him on the playroom table. With a zip, the cat was reopened and shining on the table before them, and the teenager took a look at the green and golden innards with a careful eye.

"Is it always like that here?" Marlene was quiet, and for a moment it was like Tarren hadn't heard her. Then the teen blew her magenta streak from her face again and answered.

"Huh? Oh, that." She thought for a moment. "Yeah, basically. Hey, you know what? I have something in my room I can fix this guy with." She was only gone for a second, coming back with a small plastic box full of electrical equipment. From this she extracted an unbent paperclip and a small soldering gun, flicking a switch on the gun and touching one end of that and the paperclip together over two broken wires that looked as though they had attached to something at some point. With the circuit closed, a few sparks jumped from the hastily-repaired wire. Marlene quickly zipped Cait Sith up, just in time for the cat to begin hacking as though he had a hairball.

"You fixed him!" Marlene crowed, smiling wildly. The stuffed cat shook his head, adjusting his golden crown with one mittened paw.

"Marlene! Wot's a gel like yesself doin'n'na place like this?" Earnestly, the cat jumped to his feet and looked around, his lamp-lit eyes falling on Tarren. "An' who's this p'ticulahly pretty gel?" Tarren reacted on impulse as the talking cat toy grabbed her hand and went to lick it, smacking him as hard as she could with her now closed plastic box of equipment. With a startled yowl, Cait flew into the adjacent wall and crumpled to the floor.

"Talking cat!" Tarren screamed, pointing fiercely at Cait Sith. Marlene rolled her eyes and walked over to the stunned AI, picking him up and setting him back on his feet. The plush cat shook his head a few times, a comical sound of bolts rattling in a can playing from one of his many small speakers.

"You just fixed him. You know he's not real." Marlene reasoned, cautiously picking up Cait and hugging him tightly to her chest much like a little girl carrying a real cat. His arms flopped over her own, booted feet nearly brushing the ground.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it would talk!" Tarren paused for a moment, setting down her box on the play table and sitting back down on a chair that was at least half of the size of a normal chair.

"Och, nae, wit' a gatherin'o people like AVALANCHE, y'best expect some'tin along'th lines'o me." Cait Sith interjected, his gloved hands waving about.

"I suppose." The teen muttered, leaning back in the little plastic chair as far as the cheap make would allow without breaking. "But it's still weird."

The storm was quickening its pace, heavy gray clouds threatening to let loose their downpour in a deluge of water that would be no better for the low-grounds community than Meteor was for the Planet. Mira looked up at the swirling gray clouds with wide and glowing blue eyes, her mouth open and waiting for whatever it would be that fell from the sky.

"C'mon!" Yuffie called from down the street, one hand cupping her mouth like a megaphone and the other waving in the air. She snapped from her reverie, breaking into a run so as to follow the Ninja. The two walked aimlessly, pausing only for Yuffie to lift Mira onto her shoulders and then continue on their way. A few rain drops splattered onto the ground, turning not enough to get anyone wet, but to the regular person it was at least annoying. Both girls whipped around as something crashed in an alley, one of the metal trash bins falling over onto the ground with a mighty clatter.

"Lil' Kitty!" Mira called, hopeful. Yuffie set the girl down on the ground, and together the two of them advanced into the alleyway.

"Cait!" The ninja called, looking around at the piles of rubbish. "Cait Sith!"

"Yuffie!" The seven-year-old called, waving from over by a pile of cardboard boxes. Next to her foot was a single pale hand, retreating underneath the boxes in a black cloak. "There's someone under here!" Curious, the little girl leaned closer to the hand. Several letters in black were tattooed onto the appendage, FXII. Suddenly, the hand shot forward and grabbed her ankle. Mira screamed in surprise, using her strength to stomp on the wrist and make the person let go. But they didn't, and slowly the cardboard boxes were peeled away as the person stood up. A rat's nest of silver hair streaked with grime fell from the hood, the person's other arm falling limply to their side.

"Little... Little sister." Yuffie threw several shuriken at the figure, afraid to get too close for fear of Mira getting hurt. The stars bounced from the limp right arm as it suddenly lashed out and deflected them, a metallic ping sounding at each impact. From her vantage point upside-down and hanging in the air by her one ankle, Mira had a perfect view of her attacker's face. Streaked with grime, the woman's face had once been beautiful if not for the puckered and warped scar all across it. Her eyes were blue-green, the pupils slitted.

"Get away!" Mira screamed, nearly paralyzed at the sight of the eyes she had so feared. They had taken her best friend, and now they were going to do the same to her.

"What is... Wrong... Little sister?" The woman asked slowly, her disfigured face showing something akin to concern. "Do you miss... Our Mother?"

Mira, in a burst of courage, kicked as hard as she could at the woman's hand. She dropped the seven-year-old, and she landed on her back. "You're not my sister!" She screamed, fumbling quickly for one of her pockets. Yuffie rushed at the woman, jumping at her in a flying kick as she wall-jumped over her head. The failed Remnant lashed out with her limp right arm, throwing the Ninja into one of the brick walls. She bounced off, falling into a pile of trash cans.

"Stay away from her..." She commanded weakly, attempting to pull herself from the cans and failing. Mira, in her haste, finally found her pocket and pulled it contents out in one hand. She kept a firm grasp on the wire lily on the end of the Heal Bell, but her Summon Materia fell from her grasp and bounced several times. It rolled to a stop at the feet of the Remnant, and the woman reached down with her left hand and picked it up. The Materia began to smoke and melt into the disfigured woman's hand, and she dropped it quickly. Mira lunged for the little grayish black ball of Lifestream, catching it in both hands and sliding along the floor of the alleyway. The seven-year-old rolled to a stop, her elbows surprisingly bleeding.

"C'mon..." She muttered, holding her Summon in both hands. The Materia began to glow darkly, and the little girl squeezed her large eyes shut in an attempt to focus. "Where's my friend?" She asked under her breath, wishing that the wolf that had saved her once would save her once again from the Remnant. The silver-haired woman turned slowly, advancing with shuffling footsteps and leaning slightly to her right as she advanced.

"Little... Sister. Why do you... Fight?" She asked, reaching out her one hand and leaving her apparently metal right one at her side. Slowly, words began to form in the seven-year-old's mind, just as she began to hear the fluttering of what she knew unmistakably to be Vincent's red cloak. F-O-R-G...

"Mira!" Vincent was yelling, but it was almost like the little girl couldn't hear him. O-T-T-E-N... The Remnant lunged, a wicked-looking blade extending from her right sleeve where her metal arm was. Several shots fired, but the woman was too fast. G-U-A-R-D.

"Forgotten Guard!" Mira screamed, holding her Summon the Dead Materia out in front of her body like a shield. There was a brilliant white flash, a gust of wind that smelt like lilies blowing through the alleyway. Multi-colored strings of light circled around everyone except the still-advancing Remnant, until finally it all centered into one place. A sword formed, large and powerful with a golden hilt. A mane of unruly black hair that fell like Nanaki's own mane whipped about the swordsman's shoulders as he struck forward at the Remnant. The woman was deflected, her weapon-arm flying from her body in a shower of sparks. She hit the very end of the alleyway, sliding down the brickwork before finally falling to the ground in a nearly liquid heap. Mira stood in awe, her Materia now dull and somewhat lifeless between white-knuckled fingers. The impressively large sword was thrust into the muddy ground, the rain beginning to fall harder in the alleyway.

"Yuffie!" Vincent was like a red blur of fluttering tattered cape, arms wrapping soundly around the Ninja's body as he pulled her from the trash bins. The Summon leaned on his sword, and with a cry Mira ran forward and wrapped her arms around his torso. He jumped, looking down and only seeing two arms clasped about his waist. He twisted around, looking down over his shoulder at the little girl clutching at him.

"Thank you." Mira's voice was quiet as she hugged her savior, and the Summon smiled. He turned and reached down, picking the seven-year-old up off the ground and setting her on his shoulder. Transfixed, the little girl flicked the spike of bangs jutting forward from the man's forehead. They bounced, and she giggled.

"So you're seven now, huh?" He asked, looking up at her with a smile. Mira nodded, wide and glowing blue eyes peering back at eyes of the same color and luminescence. There was a flutter behind them, as the amorphous tattered cloak that was both Vincent and Yuffie bounced away into the storm.

"You're not dang'rous. You won't hurt me." The seven-year-old said, stowing her Materia and the Heal Bell back into her pocket. The Summon wrenched his sword from the ground, securing it in place on his back in a fluid motion.

"How're you so sure?" He smiled, looking at the little girl situated on his shoulder pauldron with a mockingly questioning gaze.

"Mr. Vins'nt just left, and he wouldn't leave me here alone if he thought that you were dang'rous." Mira smiled, awkwardly hugging the side of the Summon's head as he struggled to keep her from unbalancing and falling down. He walked out onto the sidewalk, looking around at the little town of Nibelheim with a smile on his face.

"What day's your birthday?" The question was random at first, but Mira still answered.

"Nove'ber 29th." She said, looking down at her ride. He looked up at her, breaking into a smile that made the cross-shaped scar on his cheek crinkle up. The rain began to fall harder, small bubbles appearing on the still puddles left over from all the other storms that had hit the cobblestone street with such force.

"You look just like your mother." The Summon's hair lost none of its spike, gravity still failing to have an effect on it even though the rain was falling down fast and hard. Mira pulled her ribbon from her eyes, jumping down from his shoulder and looking up at him with inquisitive eyes. She studied him for a moment, then turned around and looked at her rippling form in the puddle in the clogged storm drain a few feet away.

"No..." The seven-year-old trailed off, looking back up at her savior. "I look more like you." Silence reigned over the two, a wide grin slowly spreading over the swordsman's face as he reached down and scooped his daughter up. She giggled as he placed a kiss on her forehead, clasping her arms around his neck.

"Smart girl." He laughed, giving her a small squeeze. With his strength, it was more powerful than normal, but to pay him back the seven-year-old latched about his neck squeezed just as hard. From the haze created by the rain, a long figure began to approach the two. A spear was held to the side and occasionally making sparks fly from the walls, it was no doubt that it was Cid. The pilot slowed, the spear being thrown over his shoulders as he came to a stop on the misty sidewalk.

"Yer dead." The swordsman laughed, shifting Mira's weight to one of his arms so he could salute to the captain. The old pilot faltered for a moment but saluted back, something that was so rusted and so forgotten that he did it terribly wrong.

"I'm a Summon." Cid nodded, chewing idly on the burnt-out cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

"S'pose tha' makes th' kid yers, m'I right?" The swordsman nodded once more, setting Mira down on the sidewalk and tousling her wet hair. Her choppy hair stood up as much as it had before when he drew his hand away, and he laughed and bent down to her level.

"I'm almost out of Magic, so I'm gonna have to make this fast, alright?" The seven-year-old seemed to realize what her father was saying, and latched tightly onto his neck.

"Don't go!" She cried, feeling her arms being pried off his neck by hands stronger than her own.

"Get your Magic up and I'll be able to stay longer." The swordsman held his daughter's hands in front of her, looking at her with the same glowing blue eyes that she stared at the wet ground with. "Hey. I'll always be with you. Here," he directed her caught hands to the area over her heart, and then let go and pulled the dull and grayish black Summon the Dead Materia from her pocket. "And right here. You're not getting rid of me." He handed her back her Materia, and she took it in trembling fingers. With an almost loving gaze, the swordsman looked to the rainy sky. "We're a family."

"Mumma had a picture of you on the wall." The seven-year-old seemed forlorn, looking down at the Materia with sad eyes. "She always said that one day you'd come back for us." She looked up again, but this time her eyes met nothing but the rain. A soft and reassuring glow came from the Materia in her hands, and with a small sob she held it tightly to her chest. Cid walked to her side and put a hand on her shoulder, and the little girl looked up with eyes filled with tears.

"C'mon, leh's go git dry." She nodded, her hands falling to her side and her Materia placed gently in her pocket.

Wow. I finished this on Tuesday, for ONCE. On to chapter twenty-five!

... Odd how this is going to be a good ten or so chapters longer than my longest fiction, and it's more canon than the last freakin' thing I wrote.

Two-Hunderedth review gets a cameo in the sequel if I write it.