It's your typical, cliché chance encounter that changes their lives forever. But it's not that their cliché makes it that awkward. In fact, the way it happened was too ironic to be mere coincidence. To her it was perfect timing, to him… It was fate.
You see, these two people worked for the same company with different occupations that just so happened to take them to the same town at the same time.
She, being Syria, worked undercover for Shinra, acting as a traveler that would visit the different towns of Gaia, to promote the further use of Shinra's technology. She's one of the biggest assets to the company that's completely behind the scenes.
He, being Angeal, is a First Class SOLDIER. Enough said.
So the story begins like this. Syria was one of the last off the boat in Junon Bay. Because of her… eccentric personality, she wore long pencil skirts and formal dress shirts with fake thick rimmed glassed to conceal her emerald eyes and accentuate her burgundy hair. With the pencil skirt she wore long, form fitting leather stiletto boots that went up her thigh. She was walking up the stairs, which were grated, and her heel got caught in one of the holes. In trying to get her foot out she twisted her ankle, and then carefully made it completely worse. Now this woman, being the way she is, starts cursing under her breath from the annoying pain shooting up her leg. As she's using both hands to pull out her indefinitely stuck foot. A man comes up the stairs and sees her struggling.
Now to him this is slightly amusing. But, being the person he is, he offers help. "If you touch me," she snarled through clenched teeth, "I'll rip off your sex organ!"
"Ma'am, why don't you take off your boot?" Now it seemed obvious but she sighed and shook her head.
"You can only take them off a certain way without ruining them and these are 2000 gil limited edition designer boots. I am NOT taking it off and ruining it." From this explanation Angeal sighs and shakes his head.
"Then I'll have to break your foot to get the heel out."
"So do it," she barks. He's looking at her foot and thinking, 'Don't do it Angeal'. But she repeats herself and he decided to go ahead and break her foot. They both hear the bone make an awful crack as he pulls the front of her foot up, but the heel comes out. Syria is not stable, she's not getting much air on inhales and cannot stand on her foot. Stray tears fall out of her eyes.
"Let's get you to an infirmary."
"No! Hell no!" She hisses, "I'm fine."
"So walk," Angeal dares her. Her eyes throw insults at him through a disgusted glare.
"Ladies first," she gestures to the stairs and swallows hard as a cold sweat breaks out on her skin.
"Stubborn woman," he says under his breath. He can't really do his job if she's going to be this way. So Angeal, being Angeal, picks up the girl bridal style and carries her to the infirmary.
Now Syria, being Syria, is annoyed but thinks it's very sweet and somehow very kinky. She likes "assertive" men. When they're in the room she looks at him and says, "Can you take off my boots for me?" He thinks this is a very awkward request but agrees. After a brief explanation on how to take these boots off his hands are hiked far up her pencil skirt. When he's finally taking it off of her foot she's hissing, "Good god! This hurts worse than losing my virginity!" This turns the pink tint in his cheeks to a further red hue, but he puts his hands up her skirt again and proceeds to take the other off.
"There," he sat down on a chair adjacent to the examining table.
"Thank you."
"Yes… well…" he pauses, "If there's any other way I can injure you further just let me know." To this sarcastic statement she chuckles.
"I didn't catch your name." His eyes look at her with a hint of annoyance.
"Angeal," he says briskly.
"Angeal?"
"Hewley."
"Oh, I'm Syria Winds." She smiles. He gives a nod. His eyes are averting hers and this makes her mad. "You're a SOLDIER?"
"First Class."
"Oh! You're THAT Angeal!" She gasps. "I work for Shinra myself."
"I see."
"I'm not that valuable to the company, but I make good money."
"Enough to buy 2000 gil boots that can only be taken off a certain way?" She looks down at her swelling foot and nods. "Well then I can say that if you make that much you are valuable. Unless you're sleeping around to get your money."
"Oh please, I'm not like SOME people for Shinra." She's listing off people in her head that she knows have slept their way up the ranks of Shinra.
"Do you like sex?" He asked awkwardly.
"Only with people I can trust with my life. I'd have to know them for a very long time before I even think about it." She swings her right leg off the edge of the bed and smiles. "Guess I was stupid for having sex in the first place." She takes down her long dark hair and hides her face. Just then the doctor walks in.
"I apologize for the delay Ms. Winds," the doctor sits in a rolling stool and comes to the end of the bed. The doctor has long, slicked back blond hair with hazel eyes.
"That's fine," she smiles. Her work persona is in place. "I'm in no hurry."
"Well let's look at this horridly swollen foot of yours." He begins to move the foot and decides to take X-rays. Angeal sighs and puts his head in his hands. The doctor is pushing her leg up to get a better look at her "foot" and Syria gets a queasy feeling in her stomach but doesn't say anything. It happens to her all the time. "If you could follow me to the room I'll begin X-rays on your foot." Angeal stands with the boots in his hands. After placing them in Syria's lap he picks her up and carefully carries her to the room. He notices tears on her face that she wipes away. She takes off her glasses and hangs them on his shirt. There's no reluctance from him, he just sits her down and rubs her back in an assuring manner.
This is why she hates men. They're too worried about sex and "manly" things to care about women. They're all pigs in her eyes. It's why if she does have sex it's meaningless in her eyes. Take her and Reno for example. They have sex every once in a while, but that's because they've been friends all her life. Okay… Bad example but you get the picture, right?
After the X-rays are developed and they're back in the room the doctor puts her foot in a splint and give her a solution to drink for two weeks.
"It should heal it by then, if not come back." He smiles. "Also, the SOLDIERS have taken all the crutches and wheelchairs there are. You'll have to find some elsewhere."
"I think we'll be fine, thank you." Angeal says as he stands to take Syria in his arms again.
Two weeks pass in Junon Bay, they're staying in the lower city for both of their benefit. Angeal runs errands she's supposed to. Not that it's a problem, she's temporarily handicapped. They don't talk much. Finally her foot heals and they're going back to Midgar.
"Why exactly were you sticking around me when you could have left?" She asked on the ride back.
"I was assigned by Shinra to follow you on your assignments."
"Why?" She's baffled.
"They think because of the recent fiend activity that it's way too dangerous for you out there." She crosses her arms and legs and leans back into the seat of the car they're in.
"They think I'm a pathetic, defenseless woman…" 'Typical men.'
"Yes," he affirms. Just as they're entering the city she gets a phone call from her little sister back in her hometown. Angeal watches the way her hand covers her mouth and tears fall from her eyes.
"I understand, how long has he been sick?" She asks. A pause, tears fall faster down her face and she hides it behind her hair again. "Shit," she's really crying now. "Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can… Love you too. Bye sweetie." They're getting out and she throws her phone against the building they're next too. Somehow it doesn't break or malfunction in any way. She falls to her knees and begins to sob with her face in her hands. Reno's just turned the corner and sees her mess of long burgundy hair. He runs to her.
"Syria!" He yells as he stops in front of her and kneels down. "Baby, what's wrong?" He asks.
"D-" she can't get it out. He takes her into his arms. Somehow she always finds comfort there. "Dad died." She finally says through a strained, horribly unattractive voice. She sniffs hard to keep her nose from running. The driver hands her a pack of tissues and continues to unpack the car.
"I'm so sorry."
"Can you go back with me?" She asks. He shakes his head and sighs.
"I've got a job to do for the next few days. Angeal's your new bodyguard right? Maybe he can go with you."
"How'd you know?"
"I overheard someone mention it." He shrugs with a smile and tucks her hair behind her ear. "You're gonna be alright." He assures her. After Reno's gone she stands. She checks her phone as Angeal is picking up some of her luggage.
"Third floor," she mumbles as she grabs the rest of the bags and makes her way up to her room. He follows her as she hurries to the elevator. They're waiting awkwardly as she taps her foot to the tempo of the lobby song playing. Somehow, Angeal is watching her and notices her lightly humming to the song, tapping her foot to the tempo. A very precise ring lets them know the elevator has reached the ground floor and as the doors open to an empty elevator they walk on. He presses three and she begins to sing softly to the lyrics from the station playing. He watches her lips move to the jazz song. For some reason he never imagined her liking that kind of music. One… Two… Three… Ding! She's rushing out of the elevator and opening a door diagonal from it. She throws down her bag, picks up the letters and bills, and opening one she reads aloud to herself.
"We regret to inform you that your father is in the hospital and doesn't have long to live. He's been suffering from a brain tumor only recently discovered. Please come at the earliest convenience, for he wishes to be with his family one last time." She screams and throws the letter down. "Damn this job!" She kicks off her shoes, picks up a pillow on the couch and sobs again into it. Angeal can see that it's painful so he sits down next to her.
"Syria," his voice is low and calm. Much unlike hers that's shaky and unintentionally loud.
"What?" She asks as she looks over at him. She blows her nose into a tissue and takes her glasses off.
"I'm very sorry, if you need me to go with you to your hometown I'd gladly tell Lazard that it's for the best that I go with you even though it's a personal affair."
"I don't want you to involve yourself because of something I said to Reno. Reno and I grew up together, he knows and loves my father even though the bastard left my mother for a stripper and left her lovesick fending for three children." She'd said too much and the room became quiet and awkward. There was a knock at the door. It was her neighbor, Cissnei from the Turks.
"Hi Cissnei," Syria smiled.
"Oh, poor thing, Reno called to tell me what had happened. He said that if we get done early he'd come see you all. That and I heard you scream so I decided to check on you. Hello Angeal."
"Hi, you better get going."
"Right, bye!" She ran off to the elevator.
"It's not because of that. I think you're going to need some help. There are a lot of fiends and I'm not questioning your ability. I'm just saying that because of the circumstances you're going to need someone with you at all times to make sure you're okay." This explanation replays in her head a few times before she realizes what he's saying.
"Really?" She asks. He smiles softly and rubs her back as he nods.
Now Angeal doesn't know how to comfort people very well. Maybe that's because he spends more time hurting people than he does comforting. That and he never really grew up in that manner either. But, he was trying so kudos to him.
Syria stood and began to unpack her suitcase and fill it with different clothes. Angeal went back to Shinra and talked to Lazard about going to her hometown with her because he felt she wasn't strong enough to go alone.
Lazard understands on a level people think he's not capable. "We could really use you here, but your first and foremost mission is to make sure she's fine. She is the backbone of the company and people don't even realize it. You go with her, keep her safe. We need her. No one is more qualified than she is."