Crimson Demons (FF7)

21) WEAPON

THIS ONE'S KINDA SHORT, SORRY :)

"So you're just going to leave?!" She demands, watching me descend. I ignore her, continuing down and my walk across the plains begins. I hear her drop to the ground somewhere behind me, but I pay it no mind until she grabs the back of my collar and jerks me backward, her newfound strength overpowering mine. "What's your problem?!"

"My problem?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes! What about that whole thing that's been going on between us?! Was that just part of atoning too?" I was desperate... I can't bring anymore harm to you.

"Violet," I force, clenching my jaw and looking away from her pained and angry eyes. "You were weak and helpless. I could never stand to see Lucrecia that way..."

That was low...

"You were correct when you said I saw you as another Lucrecia."

"Don't..." She whispers.

"It was nothing," I grit my last sentence, pulling out of her hold roughly. Then she straightens, lifting her chin in a weak effort to seem unbothered.

"Fine, I'll forget about it then. Just know that atoning for your past includes removing everything that stops you from moving forward." That's what I'm doing. "You will never be fully atoned until Sephiroth is dead. Even if he is, you'll be alone for eternity." She spins on her heel and runs back to the airship. I turn away and start heading back toward the Nibel Mountains.

"I know."

After an hour of walking, the rain starts. Thunder rumbles in the sky, lightning flashing across the dark sky occasionally. My bangs drop in front of my face as I stop in front of the Nibel Mountains, stepping into a cave for the night and shaking the water from my clothes and hair. I then collect the driest wood I can and struggle to light it for nearly two hours, taking short breaks in between thinking of methods.

Finally, I get a small flame, gradually building it and settling down beside the heat. I ignore my growling stomach and push away all memories of nights by the fire with Avalanche. Of course, with thoughts of Avalanche come thoughts of Violet, the betrayal clear in her eyes that last time I looked. Broken and abandoned. I huff and pull Cerberus out, pouring the water out of the barrel and fiddling with the new weapon mindlessly but cautiously. I was wrong about her.

The pain in her eyes... I was misreading her the whole time. Something on our journey had made her whole again, and I just ripped her to pieces and threw her into the wind. Heartlessly and pretending that I couldn't care less about what anyone felt about my abandonment. I'm not abandoning them, I've finished what I came for. I have no reason to fight Sephiroth.

What happened to protecting Violet because you couldn't protect Lucrecia?

Violet can take care of herself.

What happens if she gets killed during that battle? We both know that you wouldn't be as indifferent as you pretend to be.

I sigh and stare at the captivating flickering of the flames. It would probably be wise for me not to return after what Violet said, that would only feed her fire. She would count that as a victory. The idea of loneliness doesn't sound as horrible as she tries to make it seem, and whether anyone believes me or not, I can certainly live without her. But if she died... Would it be another item on my list of things to atone for? Knowing her, she will definitely get in some trouble that she can't get out of, and then what? Will no one come to her rescue? I'm not taking her for a fool, I'm pulling her personality and tendencies into the picture. Like a child, she can't be left alone for too long with destroying something or harming herself.