Final Fantasy VII: Reflections - Book 1: Descent

TWENTY

The hell house crumpled as we pressed the attack, and between my bullets and Aerith's magic, we forced it back. I hadn't known she could cast spells, but after seeing her use her abilities to help heal my injuries almost two weeks ago, nothing about her really surprised me anymore. A blast of fire seared the mech as she unloaded with her materia again. And while Aerith did that, the green orb shining brightly on her staff, I took out one of my special new grenades.

After buying another batch of regular pineapples from the weapon store the day after I'd finished creating my new outfit, I had taken them to my little work area near the edge of town and had spent a few hours tweaking them. I'd taken them apart and rewired them, adjusting their components and increasing their explosive yield by about four times. It had been slow and delicate work, but I'd been determined to do it. And I did. It was my first new weapon design in years.

On a whim, I'd also gone and bought some paint, red and purple. It hadn't been necessary, but I had decided to give my newest creations a more personal touch. So I had colored the grenades purple, aside from the handles, which I'd made red. And as I had done that, I'd decided to give them their own special name—the raspberry. After me, of course. That's also what they looked like. Purple raspberries.

I took one out. "Aerith, back up!"

She nodded and fell back. "You got this, Jessie!"

My eyes fixed on the damaged hell house, I pulled out the pin and hurled the raspberry at it, then dove for cover. The explosion was huge, tearing the mech apart and filling the abandoned junkyard with a blast of thunder. Aerith and I lay sprawled flat upon the ground as shrapnel and debris flew in all directions. When the dust settled a few moments later, we slowly stood up again.

"Nailed it!" Aerith cheered.

"Yeah," I smiled grimly. "We sure did."

Walking back over to me, she lifted her hand above her head, palm outward, and grinned. "Jessie! Up top!"

I gave her a high five. "How many is that now?"

"Let's see..." Aerith thought for a moment. "Nine, not counting the first one you took out."

That sounded about right. "So, ten altogether."

She brushed off her dress. "Yep. Not bad for only a few days' work! I bet we've lost a little weight, too!"

"Probably," I chuckled.

"Ready to head back?" Aerith asked.

I tugged at my gloves. "Sure. It'll be dark soon anyway."

"Then let's get going. We'll head home and grab a bite to eat. Then I'll go on up to the plate. Business has been a little slow with the theater closed, but I should still make a few sales."

"It'll pick up once the show's back on," I sighed.

I'd heard about LOVELESS Theater closing down after I'd escaped to the slums. My unexpected disappearance must've caught everybody off guard up there. I missed my friends, I missed being on stage under the lights, performing in front of the audience. But there was no going back. I couldn't. Not for a long time, at least.

Aerith gently took my shoulder. "Maybe, but whoever gets the role won't be half as good as you."

"Thanks," I said. "You sure about that?"

"Absolutely! They still talk about you up there, you know. People in Sector 8. All over Midgar, in fact. They loved seeing you bring that old story to life. And they hope you'll come back someday."

I wiped a tear from my eye. "Really?"

"They won't forget you, Jessie," Aerith promised.

"I hope you're right," I said.