As the flat side of the gigantic sword once again smacked Nanaki across the head, the red lion came to a chilling realization.
He might have bit off more than he could chew.
The young warrior should have been able to beat the Soldier! Not easily, but at least decisively. Then he should have been on his merry way to find a new hiding spot, to regroup himself before any backup from Shinra could be alerted.
But as the minutes ticked by, that was becoming less and less likely.
In the last couple of moments since his failed ambush, Nanki had been engaged in a life and death struggle against one of Shinra's elite! Only… the blonde did not seem to reciprocate his urgency. If anything, the bastard seemed like he was distracted the whole fight! Hesitating at odd moments, turning his blade so that the sharp edge never struck his fur. Playing nothing but defense after their initial clash. Only taking an initiative when the lion got too close. Occasionally glancing off to the side and mumbling nonsensical words to himself! As if someone was speaking to him and the young warrior was just a nuisance to be swatted away.
A feint to the left had the blonde Soldier kicking him in the ribs.
Maybe it was a listening device? Calling for backup and using some Shinra lingo? But no, if it was then he should have been able to pick up static from any receiver the Soldier had on him. Speaking to the empty air like some crazy person, more like.
Which meant only one thing… this madman was playing with him! No doubt enjoying his pain, as he took another hard swipe to the left shoulder.
Or maybe he was under strict order to only capture and not kill? Perhaps another person in the company who shared Hojo's sick obsession and wanted Nanaki back under lock and key? Truthfully, the warrior wasn't too surprised to see that Shinra had already cast their net wide in order to look for him, especially after killing the professor. However, he thought they would try to kill him on sight rather than trying to recapture the guardian. Well, whatever the reason, the young warrior was in the thick of it and had no other recourse but to fight!
But as he mistimed his lounged and took another glancing blow to the foreleg, whimpering at the pain, Nanaki was beginning to regret not just staying in hiding.
But he didn't have a choice!
When the Soldier and his companion had first stumbled across his oasis, he had initially been content to let the little search party pass. It did surprise him that they managed to get the drop on him though, barely giving him time to scramble behind a crevice. But considering his smelling ability had been on the fritz since Hojo's experiments, and the junkyard was infested with monsters overwhelming the rest of his senses… maybe he was lucky it didn't happen sooner. He should have kept his one eye peeled instead of bemoaning his temporary living situation, no matter how terrible and gross it was. He was trying to escape notice, after all. But the red lion had made accidental eye contact with that blonde female. A one-in-a-million chance that her gaze happened to look towards the spot he was observing them from.
She seemed to not have understood what she was looking at, the lack of recognition apparent in her blue eyes. But eventually, she would realize he was the thing she was looking for and alert her Soldier. The confrontation would bring about an inevitable fight, which in turn could draw even more of Shinra's drones on the red lion's head. He had to act! Nananki would not let himself be captured again!
Resolve hardened, the red lion struck, hoping to end the encounter in one decisive blow… only to go sailing over the blondes when they ducked.
Killing strike missed. Opportunity wasted. And now Nanaki was getting his ass beat in a fight!
What a terrible morning he's been having.
Trying to gain himself a moment to breathe, the young warrior shot a quick burst of fire magic, followed by two more in opposite directions to distract his opponent… only for the man to immediately blast the first with ice magic. A reasonable counter measure, all things considered. Ice versus fire. Opposite types did cancel each other out, after all.
And then, against reason, he swung at the other fireballs. Sweeping the flames out of the air with a horizontal slash of his blade.
This man might not be human, the red lion thought a little hypocritically.
In any other situation Nanaki would have admired the sheer audacity of the Soldier to try and combat magic with brute strength. It was stupid, it was reckless, but damn did that look cool. And it would have been cooler, if the Soldier didn't immediately follow up the motion with an upward strike. The blow caught the guardian in the chest even as he attempted to jump away, sending him flying head over tail a dozen feet away and into a pile of wet garbage. The force of the launch knocking some of the towering stacks of refuge to the ground, bits of it even landing on his person.
Gods, he hated this city!
The silver lining was that the blonde still seemed to be still hesitating, as if unsure if he should follow up on his attack. Commit to the finishing blow. The man was still looking at Nanaki with a confused gaze, lips still silently moving as if having a one person conversation. By the Ancient Gods of Cosmo Canyon, he really was fighting an insane person! And what a blow to the lion's ego that he was, to be losing to a lunatic.
But before Nanaki could regain his bearing and gather himself for another round, a gunshot rang through the clearing.
"Cloud!"
Soldier and Warrior both turned their attention to the source… it was the blonde girl, the man's companion who had stayed out of the fight. Only now she was frantically waving her left hand, which was holding an smoking handgun, and pointing off into the distance with her right. From his position, he tried following her line of sight. But Nanaki only saw endless piles of broken machinery as far as the eye could see. The Soldier, Cloud, seemed to come to a realization before the red lion did. The blonde's enhanced sight and taller stature gave him an advantage at spotting whatever was heading their way.
"Nellie, get behind me!"
The blonde girl quickly scrambled to obey, running as if death was dogging her steps.
Confusion and then recognition as he heard it… the harsh and damn near deafening buzz of an approaching swarm of bug fiends. And barely a second later they made their grand appearance, a veritable black wall of swarming creatures approaching over the clearing. And Nanaki realized it was not just any monsters, but Kimara Bugs.
All the fighting had attracted a hive.
Four feet tall on average, sharp manables, and scythes for hands– they were troublesome individually to the unsuspecting, dangerous in small groups even but still manageable.
These were worse.
Bigger at nearly six feet in length, multiple arms that ended in scythes instead of the usual two, black carapasses that looked as hard as stone, and freaking wings. Nanaki recognized them on sight as one of Hojo's experiments into monster DNA. An attempt by the mad man to push the creature's genome into the next stage of evolution. Sometimes even splicing them with others just to see what stuck. And unfortunately, one of the many opponents that the doctor forced the young warrior to fight during his captivation. But at the time he only had to fight a few per bout… what was in front of him was a small army.
"Fucking Hojo." Nanaki whispered harshly under his breath, his usual aversion to foul language breaking under the stress.
Spirits! It made him want to kill the man again.
From the corner of his eye, he said the Soldier give him a startled look. Damn, he forgot that Soldiers had enhanced hearing as well as sight. Nanaki had inadvertently given them another reason to hunt him down! Grandpa was not going to like this. But now was not the time to cry over spilled milk, he needed a plan!
Run or fight?
As much as he might want to stand his ground, Nanaki could not fight Cloud and the Kimara swarm at the same time. It would essentially be suicide by stupidity if he did. Sure, the blonde might see common sense and team up with the red lion to confront this new threat... but considering the man had been talking to himself during the whole fight… this warrior wasn't going to gamble his coins on the man thinking straight.
But running away not only left a bad taste in his mouth, it also flew in the face his sacred duty as a guardian and protector! Of course, he only swore that oath to the people of Cosmo Canyon… but the principle of it still applied for all innocents. Which included the vulnerable people of the lower sectors, no matter how much Nanaki may hate Midgar. The lives of those who walked the path of light, were sacred in the eyes of Cosmos. And from what little he knew during his imprisonment with the electric company… he was not going to leave it in the hands of Shinra and hope they stepped up.
He needed to make a decision fast! Every second he wasted narrowed the window of opportunity. One by one the Kimara Bugs were crawling over the scrapyard en masse, headed straight at their little group.
Survival or responsibility?
Thankfully, the decision was made for him.
"Hey cat!" Cloud yelled over at him, eyes shining with mako even under the bright artificial light of the plate. "I know you can understand me! So listen up!" Wave his blade towards the fiends, then with his off hand at the two of them in turn. "Them first, us later?"
Not the most eloquent way of asking for an alliance against a common enemy... but the offer was made. But could Nanaki trust him? Truly, what was to stop the blonde man from attacking him the moment he let his guard down? While the warrior hadn't exactly been winning their encounter earlier, there was a rather extreme difference between facing a weaker opponent head on versus striking at their unsuspecting back.
The answer laid in the smaller blonde behind him. Even as she held her pistol in a death grip, eye grimly determined, Nanaki didn't not fancy her chances of survival should he and the Soldier fall. And from the way the man angled his body in front of her, as if to physically shield her from the imminent danger, the swordsman at least believed he had more to lose should things go south.
Was the girl his sister maybe? They did smell the same.
But it didn't matter much "the why", because the instinct and motivation to protect someone was something Nanaki could trust in. The young warrior looked the Soldier in the eyes and nodded, growling his response.
"Them first."
000
"I'm fi~ine mom." Aerith drawled out over her PHS, stepping out onto the patio of the bar to hear her mother better. "I was just drinking with some new friends of mine and was too out of it to go home last night. That's all. I even texted you where I was ma'am!" She giggled a little at the huff over the phone. "We're just eating right now, but might do something later."
"... And these new "friends" didn't pressure you into anything, did they?" Elmyra asked, obviously trying not to let her concern bleed too much into her tone. "They didn't force you to stay at the apartment when you wanted to leave? Make you drink more than you could handle? No inappropriate touching of any kind?"
"Well, they might have been some kissing." Aerith answered sarcastically, enjoying stirring the pot with her mother a little. "But in their defense, I was the aggressor and wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Aerith Gainsborough!"
"I'm kidding!" The mage laughed, but tried to keep it down when she saw a few curious looks sent her way. Even Kyrie was shooting a few not-so subtle once over's from their table. The hat girl actually seemed a little put out to be sitting by herself. After Tifa served them, she had followed Jessie into the back of the kitchen to talk to Barret. The loneliness didn't stop tomboy from wolfing down her breakfast with enthusiasm, though. "Everyone was a perfect gentleman to me, I'll have you know." After a moment of consideration, she added, "If it helps any, it was all girls I was hanging out with."
"It doesn't." Her mom said, quick with an answer. "Women can be predators too, young lady. A hunter in plain view, just like any man, only less obvious. And your new friends are still strangers, no matter how much fun you had. With all types of wants and urges that they might be more than happy to indulge in with an innocent girl. No telling what their intentions are, till it's too late. You have to keep your guard up! "
The flower girl could only roll her eyes at the lecture. Not because of what was being said. It was good advice, especially since their little family lived so close to Wall Market in sector 6, and all the mischief that entailed. No, it was because this was perhaps the sixth time Aerith had heard the warning this month alone! A new record for her worry-wart of a mother.
But more importantly, Tifa and Kyrie weren't like that! The barmaid had a boyfriend and the former troublemaker hadn't even had her first kiss. Not exactly the kind of girls that go out prowling for the naive and gullible to get their jollies off of.
Not that she would have been opposed to some romantic interest.
As happy as Aerith was for the busty brunette… she could admit to being a little disappointed that Tifa was already hitched. That was one path she wouldn't have minded taking if it was possible. Not to sound shallow, but that was one very attractive body and face. Bu~ut it made sense that such a gorgeous woman was already in a relationship, no matter how… unusual that romance was. And it seemed to be going strong too, if how much she gushed about him was any indication. Not that she would ever want them to break up just so she could fulfill her own selfish desires!
It's just… Aerith doubts she'll ever get a chance to kiss those pouty lips now.
Oh, well.
As for Jessie… well, the pretty redhead did have a bit of a wandering gaze at times. It wasn't completely unreciprocated, if she was being honest with herself. But if Aerith interpreted the redhead's stories about her past activities last night correctly, then the mechanic was definitely someone you needed to keep their defenses primed around. Although the mage was sure the other girl would do anything unwanted towards her, so… it was more flattering than anything really. Still, it was for this reason, and to make her mom happy, that she begrudgingly listened and agreed.
"I'll make sure my legs are crossed at all times."
"Hmph!" Elmyra responded, not sounding very impressed by Aerith's crass reassurance. "See that you do." After a beat, her tone softened. "I don't mean to harp on you sweetie. Especially since it sounded like you had a fun time. And I'm sure that they're wonderful girls… I just worry. Even now that you're an adult, I can't help but be concerned that my little girl is being treated right."
"I know mom." Aerith whispered gently, fuzzy warmth spreading in her chest from her mom's love, even as it warred with a tinge of embarrassment at being babied. "They're good people, trust me. Even Kyrie was being pretty cool towards me last night, although 90% of that might have been because she was drunk. Heh."
"Kyrie Kanaan?! Mirelle's granddaughter?"
Oh, did she not already tell her mother that tidbit? Oops.
"Oh Minerva! My daughter got herself mixed up with some gang!" Elymry bemoaned. "Of all the girls you could have been making friends with–"
"Hey, my food's getting kind of cold." Aerith cut in with a rush, fobbing an excuse before her mother could get going and demand that she get her butt home this instance. "Don't worry I'll stay out of trouble and call you later! Okay, I love you, bye!"
"Love you!" Her mother managed to bite out at the last second, just before the Cetran snapped her phone shut. A woman intimately aware and used to Aerith's usual tricks. Still, can't do anything about it but bite your tongue when you're in a whole other sector. Grinning a little at the device, she popped it back into her jacket, making her way back into the bar and the occupied table.
As she sat down, she was a bit mesmerized by how much food Tifa had managed to whip up on one trip to the kitchen.
"How was the phone call with your mom?" Kyrie asked around a mouthful of toast when Aerith a little forward in her seat. "Do you need to go home soon or something?"
"About as well as I expected. And no, I'm here all day." Aerith said with a grin, laying a napkin over her lap and she dug into some eggs. Slicing into a bit of her sunnyside and chewing for a moment, she asked, "You sure you don't want to call your grandma too? I really don't mind you borrowing my phone."
"I'm good. Appreciate it though." Kyrie said, waving the offer aways as she downed her water. Smacking her lips a little in satisfaction, she looked ready to dig right back into their meal. But seeing Aerith's concerned look, she elaborated. "You know my grandma… she's got eyes and ears all over the place! I have no doubt someone already ratted out my location to her and said I'm alive and kicking. What's more to tell?"
"Sure, but wouldn't she want to hear how you are too? You know… something a little more concrete than the fact that you're breathing and not in a ditch somewhere?"
"Aerith, Aerith." Kyrie said a little condescending, waving a piece of bacon to emphasize her words. "We're adults! We don't always need to be checking in with our family for every little thing. It's sweet that you do with Ms. Gainsborough, but you gotta be careful." She chomped a bit on the pig meat, her next words a little muffled. "You give them an inch and they'll take a mile. That's how guardians are! And next thing you know you'll be spending your saturday nights at home, playing puzzles and being in bed by ten! Your freedom gone forever!"
The mage honestly didn't know whether to laugh at the dramatics or be offended by the scenario the other girl just painted. Aerith happened to like puzzle nights with her mom. And if it was sometimes on a saturday… so what!
Besides, sleeping at an early hour was just good common sense.
Unaware of the thoughts going through her head, Kyrie finished off her strip of meat and licked her fingers a little as she added in a conspiratorial whisper. "Plus you know how old people are… allergic to technology, the whole lot of them. Especially if it comes from Shinra. And grandma Mirelle is not an exception to that rule. Doubly so, really." Grabbing another strip for herself, she shrugged a shoulder, adding, "There… just wouldn't be anybody to call, even if I wanted to."
"Oh." Aerith said, not really sure how else to respond.
While she was sure loved her granddaughter, the amount of times the woman came to Kyrie's rescue being the stuff of legends in sector 5… the younger girl's explanation painted a rather uncomfortable picture. While it wasn't too unusual of a relationship down in the slums, where even among family members you had to look after your own interests first… it did make Aerith feel a little guilty with how close she was with her own mother. The mage had been blessed to get adopted by such a loving woman, even if it did sometimes teeter towards overbearing.
But as much as Aerith wanted to say something, maybe offer words of comfort at the very least, it probably wasn't her place to interfere.
No, she wouldn't stick her nose into the former delinquent's personal affairs, especially since their new friendship was still so fragile.
Admittedly, the Cetra had more or less crossed that line with Tifa, after only an hour of meeting each other. But the two of them had gotten on like a bush on fire. That particular bond already felt as strong as mithril from the get-go, like they had been friends for years! Would have even boldly declared them best friends any other time... if Jessie wasn't there. Not that she didn't absolutely love the redhead too, because she certainly did! It was just… there was such a weirdly profound connection between the two brunettes, even beyond attraction. Like she could trust Tifa with her life. Honestly, it felt like the planet had engineered her run-in with the barmaid, as if to say sorry for making her social life so difficult growing up.
Maybe Aerith was just getting lost in her own head and over thinking things.
She felt a poke in her ribs.
"You okay?" Kyrie asked, looking uncomfortable, as if she was about to step on a landmine. "You were…ah, kind of muttering to yourself for a bit there and staring off into space." Swallowing a little as she glanced around, the teenager added quietly, "Were you… talking to the voices in your head again?"
"Oh no, nothing like that! I was just, uh…" Aerith trailed off, not sure how to explain herself. But she needed to say something! Her sort-of friend was giving her that painfully familiar look that had haunted the flower girl's childhood. Before she learned not to spout every little thing that popped into her head from Gaia. The one that said "This girl is weird and it might be contagious". Frantically looking around, her eyes landed on a yellow lily in a vase behind the bar. She blinked in confusion. Was that one of her flowers? When did the fighter have time to pot it? "Just checking out the bar and seeing how many flowers Tifa might order. I gotta start figuring out how many I should harvest and how I'm gonna bring over, you know?"
Nice save Aerith.
"Yeah… yeah! That makes sense, I guess." Kyrie said in relief, her shoulders untensing as she picked a little at her plate. "If you're going back to the Fives later, then maybe I can help you carry some back? I need to pick up some of my stuff from my old place and get it to Stargazer." Grinning a little, she added, "For a fee of course."
"But of course." Aerith said exasperatedly, smiling a little as she rolled her eyes good naturedly.
Fidgeting a little, Kyrie of course, had to ruin the good mood.
"Sorry for freaking out." The tomboy apologized, rubbing her neck in embarrassment, as she promptly inserted her foot into her mouth. "Kind of thought you were having another episode… like that time with my parents."
At those words, Aerith took a sharp intake of breath. Kyrie's jaw snapped with a click, realizing that was a bit of childhood trauma neither one of them were ready to confront.
Shit, now that was a torpedo of bad memories.
They grinned weakly at each other, a blanket of discomfort around them now, before they looked down at the table. Kyrie idly playing with the crumbs of her food, making patterns. Aerith fiddling with her napkin and glancing around for a lifeline. Gods, it had gone from 0 to 100 real fast with them. It was a cold reminder that despite their drunken camaraderie, the two of them never actually hung out as adults.
There was a bit of an awkward silence before the hat girl perked up.
"Soooo~, do you think you might say yes, if they ask you to join?" Kyrie asked with a grin, shooting a glance at the bar's backroom door. Aerith could only tilt her head in confusion as the younger girl continued on, not waiting for an answer. "I think I'm gonna! I mean, it is a little weird to be giving my first time to a stranger… or joining a pseudo-harem. But if half the things I've see–uh, heard is true, then I'm going to be in for one hell of an experience!"
"First time for what? Join who?" Aerith asked in bewilderment. Did Tifa and Jessie have some type of members-only club or something?
"Well, you know… don't make me spell it out!" Kyrie said in mock indignation, uncharacteristically giggling a little. The mirth died real quick when saw the healer's blank expression. The tomboy looked at her in surprise, before narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Are you serious? You're… not trying to pull my leg are you? Getting back at me for that one time I threw a water balloon at your head, when we were kids? Well get over it, because I was trying to have a real conversation here you jerk."
"I… have no idea what you're talking about." Aerith said honestly, shaking her head a little in emphasis. Although that water balloon tidbit needed to be filed for later, she had forgotten that incident. "Believe me, I don't mean to be dense or anything. I just genuinely don't know what you mean. Maybe just tell me?"
Kyrie searched the mage's eyes, as if to catch her in a lie. And seeing that there was none, the half Wutain girl seemed conflicted. Unsure, now that it looked like they weren't on the same page. Taking a beat to consider her words, Aerith's childhood acquaintance answered her in a hushed voice.
"I'm talking about us … having sex with Cloud."
"WHAT!?"
000
As Nellie lobbed another homemade grenade at a batch of fiends, taking a quick breath to enjoy the sight of the bugs flying from the concussive force. It didn't kill them like she wanted, but it did seem to at least daze them as one of her companions went in for a kill. At the sight of one dead monster after the other, she felt a bit of hope rising in her chest.
Maybe, just maybe… today wasn't the day she was going to die.
What a great thought.
Also a pretty unusual thought, considering she was at the heart of a monster horde that was defying conventional fiend behavior. While creatures that gathered together in groups weren't unheard of in the slums, they were far and few. And typically they tended to be stationary, usually marking territories to control. Better for hunting and protection. Almost like real animals to a point. Only forced out of those homes or dens if they encountered a bigger threat. But the danger to them were usually other pack minded fiends, apex monsters that had the power to do whatever the fuck they wanted, or Shinra personale who came down from the plate to do who knows what.
But considering the size and numbers of the overgrown creatures? All of the above threats didn't seem very likely.
So, just rotten luck on her part.
And even worse, they were not just any friends… although any creature of that size would have been terrible. No… it had to be Kimara bugs of all Gaia's cursed creations. Vicious man eaters, who loved to swarm their victims and gradually pick away at the flesh. Practically a slow death sentence for anyone stupid enough to get caught during one of their feeding frenzies, which unfortunately her small group was. Even worse, these particular ones looked especially big and ugly. Like they were nursed on steroids and decided to live in the gym, to maximize their gains. Which meant they, or possibly their parents, were failed experiments from the electric company who got dumped into the slums.
A bunch of goddamn, genetically engineered super monsters! What was the point in making these things?
Fucking Shinra!
And double fuck them for making the bugs bigger then her too! Like Nellie didn't already have a complex about her height!
Close to a hundred mutated Kimara bugs, their black shells flashing as they tried to flank her and make her squishy self into their next dinner. It was a nightmarish sight, enough to give a normal person a heart attack. Only the combined efforts of Cloud and the red cat kept them at bay. A desperate battle where life and death hung in the balance! Where one wrong move, one misstep would send your ass back to the Lifestream!
Only… Tifa's Soldier and his new monster friend weren't just playing defense, because holy fuckin Odin! Those bugs were running headlong into a meat grinder!
Cloud and the talking cat were fighting like a well oiled killing machine. Practically turning the whole clearing into a graveyard of bugs! As if they've been working together for years. Sword and claw, ice and fire magic. A bit of lighting to strafe anyone monster stupid enough to try and fly over them. Frozen and burnt bodies, mixing in with the sliced ones. At one point the merc launched the feline upwards to tear into a cluster. The two unlikely companions were a maelstrom of death and violence, the butchered remains of the Kimara bugs piling high around them.
The sight of them honestly made her feel a little inept, her bullets barely cracking the carapaces of the bugs.
One by one, a monster horde that should have been considered a walking calamity by anyone's reckoning… had a scant few dozen remaining. less than half. What remained all buzzed in almost human-like fury, seemingly resolved to at least kill Cloud or the red cat in vengeance, even if it meant losing whatever few they had left.
Nellie almost wanted to snort in disdain, feeling a little braver at the sight of the Soldier and big cat practically frothing with battle rage, most of the monsters dead by one of them.
Though, she kind of hated how useless she had been during the fight.
In the last ten minutes, she had killed maybe two of them? Even then, it was just the blonde finishing of the injured fiends who hadn't been cut deep enough. And each of them took at least a full magazine before they stopped moving completely. Why on Gaia did she leave her machine gun at home? Her training knives? Or her specialized bullets?! What was the point of spending all her time making these things, if she never used it when it counted the most?
'That was so stupid of you Nellie! You let a pretty smile and hormones scramble your brain! Years of hard earned knowledge and instincts from living in the slums, out the fucking window because you got distracted by some bare arms? All the guy did was ask if you wanted to get some breakfast you horndog. What did you expect him to do? Bend you over a goddamn table!?'
But could anyone blame her for being interested in sex?!
The racket from Nayo's room last night that kept her up, all those dirty rumors about Cloud, and the fact that despite being with Tifa… he was allowed to sleep around. With her blessing to boot! Hell, she was ninety percent sure Jessie skipping their weekly hang out was somehow connected too. All of it… had given the blonde hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe … she hadn't missed her shot with the Soldier. And it had left her… well distracted when he talked to her .
Was it petty of her to be attracted to a cute face and hard body? Absolutely.
Was it shallow of her to want him in bed despite never having a real conversation with him till today? Probably.
Was it weird and egotistical that she thought he kind of looked like her? That wasn't a question she was quite ready to answer.
But if all her friends were having sex with him… well why not her?
And the freshly fucked look he had been sporting today had done nothing to curve her craving.
Thankfully… the knowledge that she was going to survive this monster deathfest helped to kick her out of her pity party. She didn't need to lambast herself about her libido getting her in trouble. Trully, it was crazy how much this second chance of life gave her a boost in morale, hardening her resolve to not let her shyness get in the way of living her life. She doubted she'd ever be as free spirited as Jessie, but she'd be damned if she kept spending all her time in her room or at work. When this shit was over, the world was going to experience a whole new Nellie who took what she wanted!
With Tifa's permission of course.
And the sight of Cloud's muscles pulling taunt, veins popping under the skin from stress as he cut the head off another bug, only strengthened her conviction. This terrorist had goals and aspirations that she was going to accomplish, no matter what. Like a mantra, only one thought burned through her mind as she aimed her pistol at another Kimara.
She was NOT gonna die a goddamn virgin.
00000000000000000000000000000000
A bit more actiony then usual, but the plot is moving fast, so that good.
Fun fact: As children, Aerith apparently had a vision of Kyrie's parent dying in a fire and tried to warn her. Kyrie ran home... and lets just say she's been scared of fires ever since.