Hello,
After years and years of love for the characters in Crisis Core, here's a tribute to my favourite poet. I own no rights to Final Fantasy or the characters, they are borrowed and will be returned once I'm finished with them. I do however own the plot and my original characters (Even, etc.).
Enjoy.

Chapter I:

Trying to steady her breath, a brunette woman stood motionless in front of the double doors behind which her destiny awaited her arrival. She looked down at her uniform and tucked an imaginary wrinkle to soothe her nervousness. Director Lazard's office. She had only been through those doors once before, two years ago, when she had been accepted into the SOLDIER programme and made 3rd class. The corner of her lip curled upwards ever so slightly at the memory.

It hadn't just been a memorable day for herself but for the entire squadron. Never before had a woman entered the ranks and made it through the harsh initiation training unscratched. Even when half of the recruits had dropped out, she had fought her way through the trial period, progressing to full duty as one of the best in her squad. She had faced some problems along the way, but what else could be expected as a female in a man's world. Her comrades had been reluctant to accept her, to say the least. She had been hazed beyond what was considered normal but she had never wavered. She had managed, much to her commanding officer's astonishment, to ignore the remarks, and her temper had proven useful. She had earned her respect, she had fought for it and defended it. Her physique however, had been her biggest problem. She had had to work twice as hard as her comrades, never ceasing to stop at her limit, to achieve results. Combat training had been her biggest challenge and her superiors had reluctantly allowed her to deviate from the usual weaponry, as she couldn't wield the broadswords properly due to her less robust frame. The two shorter blades strapped to her back had served her ever since.

It hadn't been an easy journey, nor was the path she had chosen, but she had achieved success. Through blood, sweat and the occasional tear, but she had prevailed. Despite her efforts and achievements, there was one essential part of the SOLDIER life that she had been denied for the past two years. While all of her male comrades had long ago received their mako-treatments, she remained purely human. Repeatedly she had inquired as to what reasons were behind the decision to keep her unenhanced but all she had been given for an answer, was that the science department were working on it. On what exactly, she never knew.

She placed a gloved hand on the metal doorhandle and took a deep breath.
"Stop fidgeting, you're SOLDIER, not some nervous school girl," she told herself and pushed down the handle, entering the office, to find not only Lazard waiting inside. She winced slightly as she took in the scary reality of the company she was in. The powerful three. SOLDIER's 1st class, Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos were leaning against the wall, looking at her with curious faces, and across the room, Sephiroth himself stood, cool and calm as ever. She had only ever seen short glimpses of these fabled three before, but never actually been in their presence. They were the elite, the most revered within the ranks and they kept to them selves. And despite their rumored closeness, they looked so very different from one another. Angeal was the only one she knew more about, since Zack wouldn't shut up about him. They had become friends shortly after her initiation. He was a giddy, cheery person and he always managed to make her feel less awkward among the men.

She quickly snapped from her thoughts and closed the door behind her. She took a couple of steps into the room and came to stand at attention.
"Even Cherith, nice of you to join us," Lazard spoke.

The director was seated behind his desk, his friendly face turned towards her.
"Sir. SOLDIER 2nd class Kunsel requested me to come see you."
"Yes, there was something I'd like to talk to you about Even. You may be at ease," he added as she remained straight as an arrow in front of his desk.
At this remark, she nodded and fell into a less formal stance, her blue eyes sometimes drifting off to look at her superiors, whose presence made her wonder even more, why she had been summoned.
"As you're seemingly aware, our meeting isn't private but we'll get to that. First, I would like to ask you a question."
"Of course, Sir," she replied curiously.
"How would you like to finally receive mako-treatments?"

At the mention of the enhancement, the woman's dark blue eyes beamed. She had been yearning to finally becoming a full fledged operative of the programme and being able to rival her comrade's speed and power. She swallowed and tried to hide her obvious excitement.
"I would like that very, very much, Sir," she finally managed to say.
The director smiled at her, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses.
"Splendid. I know that you have been kept waiting extraordinarily long, but since you are the first and only woman in the force, the science department had some problems finding the right formula. This is another reason why I needed to see you personally before receive your doses," he paused slightly, "There is a risk, that you might react slightly differently to the treatment than your comrades. I don't know the exact scientific details but I needed to ascertain that you were aware that your mako-enhancements might deviate from the norm."
She nodded. It made sense that there was a difference but to her, it made none, she was too eager to receive the treatments, despite the pain she knew she was in for.
"I understand Sir. Nevertheless, I would like to receive it."
Angeal laughed silently at her eagerness, while Genesis continued to silently witness the scene, in his hand his copy of LOVELESS.
"Don't be so eager kid, it's no cake walk. Man or woman, it's painful either way," the black haired man spoke.
She turned to face him and nodded respectfully.
"I'm aware of that Sir, but I am SOLDIER and it is part of the path I've chosen."
"A very SOLDIER answer, Even. Well then, Angeal will take you to the labs and accompany you to the infirmary after you receive your first treatment. He will report your status to me and once you're back to fighting shape, the three of them will assess your enhanced abilities and then we'll take it from there," the executive spoke, looking at both her and Angeal as he did.
Then he nodded and waved them off.
"Off you go. Genesis, Sephiroth, stay behind."
On that note, Angeal stepped towards her, gesturing towards the door.

Once they had exited the office, Even sighed in relief. Finally, the day had come.
"So excited when you know nothing of what lies ahead," Angeal said, sounding amused above everything else.
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, don't underestimate the pain, especially the first treatment is very...harsh, on your system."
She nodded, her excitement seeping away slightly, replaced with a tinge of fear.
"Sir...I wonder if you might enlighten me? What is it like? What does the mako do exactly?"
Taken aback, he pondered her question for a couple of minutes as he lead her through the endless corridors of the building. Every one in the programme knew about the strength and speed one gained after the formula had been injected to the bloodstream. But most new recruits blacked out during the first shot and hardly remembered anything but pain and blackness.
"Well, for starters, it hurts. I'm not going to tell you that it doesn't. When you merge with the mako on a cellular level, you'll feel as though your every fiber is on fire. You'll run a fever and probably lose consciousness at some point, I did at least," at her shocked expression, he chuckled, "Don't worry, even though it's an intense experience, focusing on your reasons to be here and remembering your dreams will get you through. And once you cool back down, you'll see why it's all worth it. And since you're a special girl, the director and the generals will all be there to see what happens once you see the world with your new eyes."
"Why are you all so determined that I'll be any different from all of the other goons around here once I'm through, Sir?"
Her voice was laced with curiosity and she frowned. Sure she was a woman, and everyone around the facility made sure to remind her of that on a daily basis.
"Because you are."

He didn't elaborate and so they continued in silence towards an elevator. Angeal hit some digits on the keypad and the doors slid open and they entered, descending to the subterranean levels of the building. What was it with scary scientists and basements anyway? ShinRa scientists had the worst reputations imaginable after all, so building the department underground only added to it.
Even followed the black haired 1st through another few corridors until they reached a set of lab doors. The tag read 'Lab 17-a'. She wondered if the first class' received his first treatment down here as well. They were greeted by a woman in a lab coat with a pair of rimless glasses and blonde hair, pulled back strictly. Despite her serious attire however, she looked friendly.
"SOLDIER 3rd Class Even Cherith? Right on time. I'm Dr. Fawne, assistant to Professor Hojo. Follow me please."

Even shot a look at Angeal who looked at her encouragingly and nodded. Then, without hesitation, she stepped through the doorway and the doors slid closed behind her. She was asked to strip down to her undergarments and take place on a stretcher in the middle of the room. Then, Dr. Fawne disappeared through a side door. Even froze, but ignored the cold, surveying the room. It was a sterile and plain as she had imagined, with a clipboard holder on the wall and a cupboard on the opposite side of the room. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves. She had been waiting for so long and now, her nervousness was nearly getting the best of her.

Before she had a chance to relax, the door opened and a man in a labcoat stepped through, followed by the woman from before. He had a pony-tail and looked as unpleasant as could be, mumbling to himself as he scanned over his clipboard. The woman carried several syringes and vials, placing them on the small table next to the stretcher.
"Let's get it on with, I don't have all day. I'm most impatient to see the outcome of this particular procedure!" Hojo snapped at his assistant, who had just finished attaching electrodes to Even's chest and temples to monitor her vitals. The brunette third gulped. The man was horrid. No wonder everyone was scared of him. He seemed detached, as though human life meant nothing more to him than a chance to experiment. She was all too eager to get it over and done with, longing for her bunk and some light hazing from her comrades. It seemed like a treat compared to this man's insane ramblings.

The woman spoke, causing Even to wince slightly, inwardly cursing herself for being startled.
"You'll receive three shots; one of them to make your chromosomes susceptible to the treatment, one to bind them and the last one, finally the mako. As you're unprecedented, you will be kept under surveillance here for a few hours following the procedure and then the nurses will collect you and take you to the SOLDIER medical bay for check-up and recovery."
During this explanation, Even's legs and arms were strapped down, to prevent her from hurting herself or anyone else, apparently.
She bit her lip in anticipation, for a split second she let fear claim her senses. This was it, the point of no return. After this, she would be considered ShinRa property, a mako-infused instrument to be used at will. But she wanted this, she thought. It was what she had worked so hard to achieve and she wouldn't let it be spoiled by fear.

Hojo wordlessly grabbed the first syringe, the liquid inside a clear blue colour and jabbed it into her arm, not caring if he hurt her in the process.
Even felt the cold liquid course through her veins, and shivered as she felt every muscle in her body tense. The second shot followed, turning the cold to pain as her cells contracted, she was paralyzed, unable to move or breathe. She didn't feel the third syringe pierce her skin at the jugular but soon felt the icy stasis turn to hot searing pain. She felt her veins dialate and the fire shooting through her extremities. Her pulse ringed in her ears, submerging all other noise. Her back arched and her body tensed yet again, shaking vigorously against the stretcher. A scream of anguish escaped her throat and echoed through the entire section, as she convulsed again, the seizures taking hold of her. The blonde woman struggled to keep her pinned down, clashing into the wall as another seizure hit the third class. Her eyes were widened as she struggled to breathe, the heat to much to bear. Suddenly, all noise and vision was gone from the world as she fell silent and limp, allowing the darkness to claim her.

First chapter, quite chuffed with it. Let me know if you love it or hate it if you wish, if not...well...don't ;)