Summary: Time has passed since Sephiroth was defeated once again, and the world that was so torn is working to become whole. However, not everyone is able to piece their lives together so easily.
Warning: Some language so far, but nothing else.
Disclaimer: Of course I don't own AC or characters! I do own the plot and my OC, of course.
This is not my first FF story, but definitely my first AC one. It begins a little dark, but I believe the mood will generally be a lighter one. I'm trying something different with this story as well. I don't know if it's any good or not, but I certainly try hard on all my work.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
Nothing seemed particularly alarming as he strode through the deserted forest. Of course, actually nothing much bothered him anymore. It was devoid of nature's usual tunes, as was par for the course, in a place like this, but something seemed out of the ordinary to him as he strode through the glowing trees. Not wrong, exactly.
But something was calling him.
"No, that's not the right phrase. Almost like I need to be there," he thought, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He quickened his steps slightly, though he hardly ever seemed to walk fast.
But something seemed to become more urgent as time passed.
"It probably isn't anything," he told himself sternly, but was unable to rid himself of the same feeling as before. He didn't know why he chose to come here at this particular time – perhaps it was fate or whatever people called it. But something was for certain.
He was supposed to be here, at this exact time.
Pausing in his strides, he looked around briefly, but still saw nothing unusual to his eyes. His instinct, however, told him a different story altogether. A presence was growing stronger in the Forgotten City, but didn't seem to be malevolent. At least, it wasn't yet.
He turned his head, and began to go in the direction of the spring, where Kadaj had gathered the children in what seemed like years before. It was actually only a year, but time passed differently for him. Narrowing his eyes, he moved closer to the small island, seeing ripples in the normally-stagnant and crystal-clear water. Arriving at the bank, he took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the gleaming brightness of the strange building that seemed to guard the spot before inspecting the pond itself.
To his surprise, he didn't find anything that unusual before him. Everything seemed perfectly in place, as if it was supposed to be like this.
As if there was supposed to be a young woman floating on her back in the water.
"This is a waste of time," he complained, following his partner through the tress. "Kadaj and those other guys are long gone. What's the point of coming here anyway?"
"Because we were told to make sure nothing else is in here, that's why."
"I think he just wants to keep us busy while they get to do something interesting," he snorted.
The other man only rolled his shaded eyes and continued his way forward. He abruptly stopped a moment later, however, causing the shorter young man to slam into his back.
"Hey!" he said indignantly, and looked over the broad shoulders to see what the matter was. Upon seeing a familiar figure before them carrying something that most definitely wasn't familiar, his eyes widened in surprise. "It's you!"
"You called – again?" he asked dryly, arriving at the home in the mountains.
"Glad you could make it, buddy!" Reno greeted him with a slap on the back, which he shrugged off. "Oh, I'm hurt," the Turk said sarcastically, following the blond inside. "Anyway, the boss actually wanted to see you, not me."
"Good to see you again, Cloud," Rufus Shinra said calmly, and met Cloud's suspicious gaze with a smile.
"What do you want now?"
"I thought the situation required someone else to have a look," the man replied, still coolly, and Rude appeared from a nearby room.
"What about?"
"Come look for yourself," Shinra invited him, and led him to the door Rude had just left. Reno followed them casually, with Rude closing the door behind him.
The first thing Cloud noticed was a young woman sleeping on a bed, apparently almost comatose. Her hair was a shiny dark chestnut and loose around her shoulders, but everything else was obscured by a blanket.
"Who's this?" he demanded, and Shinra looked at with a small smile.
"I was hoping you could tell me."
"What is going on?" Cloud asked, becoming angry. "I'm not in the mood for more games!"
"Well, we found – he found her – in the Forgotten City," Reno informed him, wincing a little at correcting himself with a gesture. Cloud followed his gaze, and his eyes met Vincent's red ones in surprise.
"Vincent?"
"I found her floating on her back, in the spring where Kadaj had brought the children," the vampire told him emotionlessly. "I felt something was different, and came upon her. And then these two found me, so I accompanied them here," he added, glancing at the two Turks near the door.
"So?" Cloud persisted, and narrowed his eyes when Shinra strode over to the bed.
"See this?" the man asked, lifting the girl's arm up from under the covers. "This is the geostigma." The warrior's eyes widened once more at seeing the marred skin on her forearm, and his met Shinra's accusingly.
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know," he replied simply, placing her arm back where it had been. "The water in the church didn't seem to have any effect – we tried it. And then she said something in her sleep – something which we thought would interest you."
"She's asleep?"
"Almost comatose," Vincent answered. "But sleeping. She moves around every once in a while, though, as if dreaming. But she hasn't woken up since I found her last night."
"What did she say that's so important?" Cloud asked, and Shinra again smiled thinly.
"Sephiroth."
"What?"
"You heard the boss," Reno shrugged.
"I was under the impression that all of the Jenova remnants had either been purified by that water, or killed," Shinra said, but Cloud sensed a tenseness underneath the man's apparent calm surface. "However, this girl appears to have the geostigma as bad as anyone had it – and she appeared out of nowhere."
"When I found her, in the water, the way the water moved it suggested she had fallen into it," the vampire supplied. "The ripples only moved out from her, not from the bank or anywhere else like it should if she had gone into the water."
"Are you suggesting she fell from the sky?" Cloud asked in disbelief, and Shinra laughed shortly.
"Nothing of the sort – however, there is something unusual about her, you must admit."
"If she has the stigma, of course," he agreed reluctantly, and moved closer to inspect the stranger. She appeared in her early twenties and her skin appeared a normal tone. "So, she hasn't woken up…"
"There's no indication she will, either," Shinra added with a sigh. "Unfortunately, we can't do anything with her in the meantime."
"So…you called me why again?"
"Well, she said Sephiroth," the former company leader explained. "I was hoping you would recognize her from SOLDIER, or as a remnant, or something like that."
"I've never seen her before," Cloud said, shaking his head. "Sor–" He stopped when she suddenly rolled onto her side and murmured something, but he was unable to understand what she said.
"We told you, she does that," Reno said, crossing his arms impatiently.
"I suppose there's no further reason for you to be here, if you aren't able to help us at the moment," Shinra decided, as Cloud headed toward the door. "We'll contact you if anything happens."
"I'm sure you will," Cloud replied, before closing the door behind him.
"Now what?" Reno asked. "If he doesn't know who she is, what do we do with her now?"
"We keep her here until she wakes up," their boss announced. "I have a feeling about her, for whatever reason. Let's observe her and see what happens."
"Can someone get her to let go?" Vincent asked patiently, as she grabbed a corner of his cloak firmly in her grip.
"Looks like she's gotten attached to you," Reno grinned, but quickly scuttled further away when the vampire glared at him. "All right, all right," the Turk muttered, and wrested with her fingers for a few moments before managing to release the vampire's cloak. "There, all better."
"I'll be going now," Vincent announced, sweeping out of the room and disappearing from view instantly.
"Reno, you keep an eye on her," Shinra ordered, and the Turk gaped at his boss pleadingly.
"Why me?" he squeaked, and Rude ignored his pleading gaze.
"Because you're the only one with free time," his boss explained, and Reno dropped in a chair with a grunt.
"Yeah, I bet I have free time," he muttered, shooting the still-sleeping girl a dirty look before sighing and closing his eyes, preparing to go to sleep.
Several hours later, Reno was startled awake when Rude strode into the room, and almost fell out of his chair as he tried to wake up.
"Hey!" he greeted his friend, and Rude only gazed calmly at him through the ever-present shades. "I was…resting," he said defensively.
"I was just here to see if you needed anything."
"Uh…some food'd be nice," Reno grinned, leaning back in the chair. "I'm starving."
"I'll be back with it, then," the other man nodded, and glanced at the sleeping girl. "Has she shown any signs of waking up?"
"I don't think," the red-head shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head. "I would've woken up."
"Hm," Rude eyed him for a moment before shrugging and leaving the room, returning a few moments later with some food for the guard. "Here you go. Just leave it by the door and someone will get it later," he told him, and Reno looked at him in surprise.
"What's with the service all of a sudden?" he asked suspiciously.
"Since you're the one guarding her, Sir told us to make sure you didn't need anything so you didn't have an excuse to take off," Rude told him dryly, and Reno chuckled ruefully.
"Oh well, too bad. Thanks, buddy."
"See you later," Rude agreed, leaving Reno once more alone with the young woman. Once he finished his food, Reno shifted around to gaze at her curiously, still wondering if she had managed to fake her sleep this entire time.
"Wonder who you are," he muttered, peering at her. He jumped when she muttered something in her sleep and stretched her arm out, grabbing hold of his jacket.
"Hey!" he yelped, and his eyes widened when he caught sight of a bare shoulder. It took a moment to register in the Turk's mind before he realized something, and pulled away from her with a yell.
"Now what's the matter, Reno?" Shinra asked calmly, surprising his lackey further.
"Si-sir!" Reno stammered, trying to regain his composure. "Sh-she's naked under there!"
"I had Elena remove her clothing when she arrived to check for any further signs of the geostigma or any other markings," Shinra informed him smoothly, and Reno stared at him. "However, it would be too difficult for Elena to dress a limp young woman by herself, so I decided to leave her for the time being. I trust you didn't do anything?"
"Of course not!" Reno replied hotly, annoyed at his boss' quirked eyebrow. "I mean – no, sir," he added hastily, and the other man shook his head in amusement.
"I just came by to see what was the matter. No more yelling, Reno," he said calmly. "Unless something happens, of course. Contact someone when she wakes up – until then, try to keep a low profile."
"Sure…but why?" the Turk asked, unable to curb the curiousity his boss' orders roused in him.
"Until we're sure who this girl is, and what, there is no need to draw unwanted attention to ourselves," Shinra said. "I would rather not have involved Cloud or Vincent, but there was no helping it, considering the circumstances."
"I understand, sir," Reno nodded, sitting back down.
"All right, then," Shinra smiled thinly as he left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Damn," the Turk muttered, crossing his legs and folding his arms stubbornly. "Now I'm really stuck here." Reno closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned his head back, deciding the best way to pass the time was another nap.
It was early that morning, even before the sky began to lighten, when Reno was roused from his sleep by unfamiliar noises nearby.
"Wha…huh…?" he mumbled, groggily looking around. He caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye, and he realized that the girl was struggling to sit up. "Hey, you're awake!" he noticed, and her head snapped to see him in shock.
"Who–" she began, before snatching the sheets and pulling them around her in embarrassment.
"I'm Reno," he introduced himself, looking around for his communicator. "Damn, now where'd it go?" he wondered, unaware of the girl watching him intently.
"What are you?" she asked, and he looked at her in surprise, finally finding his device.
"Huh? I'm a Turk," he said proudly, and turned his attention to his communicator. The girl remained silent as Reno reported to Rude, absently brushing her hair out of her face and looking around curiously. "Now…what's your name?" he asked, returning to her once he was finished.
"Mm?" she blinked, and he got back to his feet from under the desk, where his communicator had fallen.
"I asked, what's your name?" he repeated, and they both looked in surprise at the door as Shinra entered the room.
"Now, Reno, no interrogating her without someone else present," he admonished lightly, followed by the three other Turks. The girl looked more than a little intimidated, and pulled the sheets closer to her, as if in protection. Rufus seemed to notice her reaction and turned to her, giving her his best charming smile and bow. "My name is Rufus Shinra, and I'm the president of the Shinra corporation. These are my…employees, the Turks – Tseng, Elena, Rude, and you've already met Reno here," he introduced them, straightening with another smile. His attitude didn't seem to do anything to calm her, and her eyes continued to dart around nervously.
"Where am I?" she demanded, appearing slightly soothed by the presence of another woman, even if the blond didn't seem very friendly.
"At our current residence outside of Midgar," he replied, and a look of confusion crossed her face.
"Mid…gar?" she repeated. "Where's that?"
Reno openly gaped in surprise, and Shinra only barely managed to hide his own shock at her reaction.
"It's a city on our planet," he told her soothingly, and gestured to Elena. "Now, before we continue our conversation, Elena will bring you your clothes and you can get dressed."
"Th-thank you," she said quietly, turning bright red and staring down at her lap as the Turks began to file out, while Elena remained near the door. Reno turned to glance at the girl briefly before leaving himself, and noticed her muddy-green eyes watching after him curiously.
"I'm sure that's much better, isn't it?" Shinra asked conversationally, as the young woman followed Elena into the main room once she was done dressing herself.
"Yes, thank you," she nodded, appearing scared to raise her gaze above the floor. She wore a black vest that skimmed the floor with heeled boots, snug low-rise denim indigo pants, a black belt, a blue-gray shirt with a scoop neck and loose sleeves to her wrists, and a slim black choker on her throat. Any traces of the geostigma was covered by her outfit, and her slender figure was accentuated even more than the sheets had done.
"I'm sure you're hungry," he continued, beginning to walk into another room. "If you will, you can eat something here and I'll explain what we know as you do so."
"Thank you," she repeated, and followed the Turks and their boss into the kitchen, which doubled as a dining room in the mountain building. Reno noticed that her figure seemed to hide a lot of self-confidence and pride, but the way she carried herself seemed to suggest nothing better than a whipped dog.
"I've already introduced myself and my men," Shinra began, as they sat down at the table and Elena silently brought something over for the girl to eat before moving to her place beside Tseng. "I believe it's only appropriate you tell us your own name."
"It's Xoe," she said quietly, quickly swallowing the bite she had just taken.
"Xoe," Shinra repeated, gazing calmly at her, only making her more nervous. "That's an unusual name."
"I know."
"What do you know of Sephiroth and Jenova?" he asked abruptly, deciding to get right down to the matter. She looked at him in surprise, and the Turks stared at their commander, amazed he would be so blunt with a stranger.
"Wh-who?" she stammered, recovering from her surprise. "I've never heard the names before."
"Really," he said, and peered at her. "Then why did you react the way you did?"
"When you said the names – it seemed familiar for a second, but then it went away," she shrugged, finishing her meal. "I don't know why."
"Where did you come from?" he asked. Xoe remained silent, staring down at the table, and Shinra narrowed his eyes but decided not to pursue that topic further for the moment. "Do you know what happened that you were found in the Forgotten City?"
"Huh?" she blinked, and then seemed to recover some of her lost composure and eyed Shinra. "I think you might as well tell me who you are and how I came to be here before you try to get any more answers out of me."
"Hm," he smirked, and leaned back in his chair with a nod. "Deal. An acquaintance of mine found you floating in a pond in the Forgotten City, a place no one has been in for almost two years. I'll get to that later. But Reno and Rude here found him, and brought you both here. You've been in a deep sleep, almost comatose, for about three days now. And the marred areas of your skin bear what we call the geostigma, a disease that has been cured for almost two years."
"What happened two years ago?" she pressed suddenly, leaning forward in her chair intently. Shinra smirked slightly at her question and gazed at her in self-satisfaction.
Good? Bad?I'd appreciate any feedback on this. Please review.
