Final Hikari: Okay! This story started out as the kiriban for Dark Queen Come To Krynn for when she caught my 1,000th hit on DeviantART and was either going to be the longest oneshot that every was or a short story. I took the second option, and now we have the first chapter of the story known as "Remember My Name." :D
Genesis: -absent-mindedly reading LOVELESS-
Final Hikari: -looks around, groans- -pokes Genesis- Hey, where are Angeal and Cissnei?
Genesis: -glances up, squints suspiciously- Not my library, I hope…
Final Hikari: -face palm- Genesis, that doesn't make any sense yet. They haven't read the chapter!
Genesis: I should care why?
Final Hikari: -sigh- Seriously, where are they? The story is about them! It's only right one of them does the disclaimer. Go find them or else you're doing it.
Genesis: Fine…-closes LOVELESS- Where do you want me to look first?
Final Hikari: Oh, I don't know. Why not just fly around town until you spot them?
Genesis: …Fly around an American town? Have you lost it?
Final Hikari: Not at all. -epitome of innocence- It's an American town in New Jersey. If you take your coat off, so you're dressed in all black, they'll just think you're the Jersey Devil that went blind and can't find its way back to the pine barrens. :D My family is a strange clash of tourist-entertaining-pirates and pinies.
Genesis: …The…Jersey…Devil…?
Final Hikari: :D Yep! It's cold and all the shoebies are gone. That means half the neighborhood is empty. The rest of the residents are either drunkards too stoned to notice, old people, or pinies, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.
Genesis: What IS the Jersey Devil?!
Final Hikari: Look it up on Wikipedia. Wiki knows all.
Genesis: …The Final Hikari doesn't own anything Final Fantasy VII.
Final Hikari: HA, I knew a rant would make you disclaim yourself and every--ahh, the chapter title's coming! -dives to avoid being hit-
Remember My Name
Chapter I
The Mission
Cissnei, a young and fairly new member of the Turks, straightened her collar then tightened her tie. She examined her reflection in the mirror, making sure her uniform was in order before grabbed the keycard off her desk and heading toward the door.
I don't have any terribly important assignments today…just submitting the reports from my last mission. That won't take very long…I wonder how everyone who stayed in Midgar is doing. They've probably been on dozens of missions on every corner of the continent. I wonder if anybody missed me…
Though some members paid little to no attention to the dress code, Reno at the forefront of that list, she liked the maintain the appearance of a sensible, level-headed combatant. She smiled slightly despite herself as she locked the door to her room behind her, remembering the time Reno had shown up with a suit identical to the one issued to Turks, but with bright green and orange spots. Tseng had yelled at him, but Reno had attempted dismissing it as some trouble regarding washing, bleach, and needing more uniforms without paying full price for them.
Ah well…at least I'm back in Midgar. Spending all that time in Wutai was becoming tiresome. They sent me over there so quickly…I've only been part of the organization a few months. I suppose it's only to be expected though.
It was still early in the morning and the hall leading to the elevator on the Turks' private floor was vacant. Lower levels would be populated by members of the Science Department, SOLDIER, and Shin-Ra's other divisions that didn't have business outside the building. She was headed to the semi-public information computer on the floor of President Shinra's office. It was updated with mission schedules every morning and went further in advance than the messages sent to Turks' cell phones.
She suppressed a yawn as she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the according floor. Her shot trip was uneventful, and when she reached the information terminal two other members of the Turks were going over the information displayed and entering it in their phones.
Rude, expression as serious as ever, looking like he was going to crush the small cell phone though he pressed the buttons as gently as he could. A girl with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail stood waiting behind him and yawned with boredom. She heard the elevator doors open and instantly brightened at the sight of Cissnei.
"Cissnei!" she called, waving cheerfully as she hurried over.
"Good morning," Cissnei greeted, "you're up early."
She wrinkled her nose in reply. "I know, I hurried just to wait…I don't think I have any interesting missions coming up, anyway. You're lucky you're getting to leave Midgar again…"
Cissnei blinked. "I am?"
Her friend stared a moment then groaned. "God! You're sent out so often you don't even pay attention to when you get to go to cool places with good looking SOLDIER dudes!"
"No, really," she said, frowning slightly, "I have a mission out of Midgar already?"
"You forgot to turn your cell phone back on after letting it run dead again, didn't you?" she asked dryly as Cissnei reached into her pockets and felt them vacant. "Just as I thought…"
"But am I late?" Cissnei asked quickly.
"Huh? No, no, I don't think you're leaving for a day or so. It's some sort of investigation in a little town south of Midgar. I hear they're sending you with quite a few cute First Class SOLDIERs!" she added, emphasis on the final sentence.
"You know, if you're so enamored with SOLDIER, you can just go down a couple floors and talk to some of their operatives…," Cissnei replied dryly.
"Yeah, but then they might figure out I record what goes on in their training room to sell to the fan clubs…," her young friend muttered quietly.
"What?" Cissnei asked, smirking slightly.
"Nothing, nothing…anyway, the info is probably on your phone," she lowered her voice a second time adding, "you could probably wait for the elevator and go back to your room to know before you-know-who is done over there."
"Mmm, probably…," Cissnei agreed, glancing over at Rude. "I'm fine with waiting though, it doesn't bother me…,"
"That makes one of us…"
"What kind of investigation is it?"
"I don't know, it's a town called Banora…they could be sending you to pick apples. That's about all that region produces."
"I doubt they'd send a Turk and SOLDIER operatives to pick apples," Cissnei said, bemused with the reply.
"That was my guess. Take it or leave it."
Cissnei chuckled and shook her head. "So…what was that was about selling video footage to the fan clubs? You do know that's against company policy, don't you?"
"Really though, all I ever see is Banora White apples and Banora White apple juice. Stuff's expensive, too. I saw a can of it in a vending machine one and it was double-"
"Don't get distracted," Cissnei said sternly, "you might get in trouble for that."
"Yeah, yeah, everything is against company policy…," she retorted, waving her hand dismissively.
"As long as that's all you're recording."
"And what might you be getting at?" the younger girl asked with a cackle. "Or do you have a request?"
Cissnei shook her head with exasperation. "I'd rather not be involved in that."
"Ah well, more footage for the fangirls and me…it sells for more than even the fanciest Banora White!" she added in a quiet but cheerful tone.
"You do know the price is high because it's far away, right?" Cissnei asked, crossing her arms unconsciously.
"If it strains my big, fat Turk pay check the demand isn't that immense."
--
Angeal Hewley's cell phone beeped and vibrated in his pocket as he neared the entrance to the room containing the breakfast area provided exclusively for First Class SOLDIERs that stayed on Shin-Ra premises. He scanned the content of the mission alert as he pushed the door open. He flipped his phone closed as his eyes settled on Genesis.
Unsurprisingly, he was sitting sideways to a table reading LOVELESS while absent mindedly eating a muffin. He shook his head slightly and after getting his own breakfast sat down across from his childhood friend.
"Good morning."
"Mornin'," Genesis replied, still reading.
"Did you get the notice too?"
"What notice?"
"There's going to be an investigation conducted in the old mako mine in Banora," Angeal said conversationally, "I just got the message and it mentioned a Turk and a few low-class SOLDIERs getting sent along too. It might be a good mission for Zack to come on, don't you agree?"
"Mmm. That's nice," he said, hardly looking as though he were listening.
"I asked you a question."
"If it's about the lack of salt this morning, I complained too," Genesis said, flipping a page in LOVELESS. "They said they were out, and even though I threatened to have them fired, they wouldn't go get any from the Turks' breakfast buffet…overpaid bastards with high-sodium…"
Angeal shook his head slightly. He wasn't even going to attempt making sense of Genesis' mumbled insult. "It also said your parents were going to be providing lodging for everyone who's sent."
That finally drew Genesis' attention. He lowered LOVELESS, expression gradually becoming a frown. "There are going to be a bunch of unintelligent, foul-smelling, thoughtless, and arrogant grunts in my house?" Angeal nodded.
"In my attic? In my room?" Genesis continued to question, his frown deepening. Angeal continued to nod uninterestedly, though as Genesis' list continued a bemused smirk crept over his features.
"In my bathroom…? In my library?!" Genesis finished, sounding most aghast at the thought of having Third Class SOLDIERs in his library. "They'll destroy all my books in a matter of days! Such fragile sources of knowledge can't be left in reach of mere Shin-Ra lapdogs! They'll open all the blinds so the pages fade! Little white lines will be all over the spines of the soft covers!"
Angeal leaned back and enjoyed his breakfast while his childhood friend continued to rant. "They'll all be in there! They'll completely destroying the millions of gil worth of literature I've collected! Half those books are antiques or manuscripts! My parents have only gotten more flighty since I left…there's no way they would have enough sense to stay in Banora the entire time…"
"Haven't they started using that mansion as a summer home?"
"Yes," Genesis replied grimly, "Those dullards will think they're on vacation and start partying! Angeal, they'll be in my library with their stenches, horrible modern music, damaging light rays, and…and…," Angeal waited as Genesis' expression became increasingly horrified. "Their greasy snacks, alcoholic beverages, and women, touching all my books and rifling through the pages with fingers coated in ten inches of goddess knows what, and-"
"Genesis," Angeal said with a smirk, attempting to interrupt. "Genesis."
"Throwing them on the floor and out the windows, all while Shin-Ra keeps me here, robbed of my voice, blinded of my sight, all while lying about the misfortune and untimely fates my books are meeting!"
"Genesis!" Angeal interjected loudly.
"What?!" The other SOLDIER demanded sharply.
"You're getting sent too," Angeal said calmly.
"Oh," Genesis said flatly, picking LOVELESS up. Angeal decided not to point out having LOVELESS near a cinnamon bun was nearly as bad as the greasy snacks he spoke of.
"You'll be able to defend your millions of gil worth of books in person with your voice and sight intact."
"They'd better have enough sense not to be destroying my parent's house while I'm there… No one shall take greasy snacks or girls into my library but me…"
"Wasn't it 'your house' and not 'your parents' house' just a moment ago?"
"Whatever," Genesis retorted, reopening LOVELESS. "Who are we getting sent with? If you're going to bring Zack, keep him on a leash, and do not let him near-"
"Your library, I know."
"And my room…," Genesis grumbled, then squinted suspiciously. "Doesn't he have the habit of taking in stray animals? If one of those blasted squirrels--"
"Don't worry, I won't let squirrels nibble the corners of LOVELESS again."
Genesis shuddered at the memory. "He's housetrained, right?"
"Genesis," Angeal groaned, already feeling exhausted.
Genesis ignored it. "Who's the Turk that's supposed to be coming?"
"I believe it said her name was Cissnei."
"Don't sneeze on my breakfast," Genesis snapped, pulling his plate to the edge of the table. "Or at least cover your mouth…"
"Genesis," Angeal groaned a second time, "you dumbapple. Cissnei is her name."
Genesis stared blankly. "Are you sure you're saying it properly?"
"Yes, Genesis, I'm perfectly sure my pronunciation is correct," Angeal said dryly.
"Don't talk to me like you do the Puppy."
"You've never heard of her, have you?"
"Nope. Not once," Genesis replied, removing his gloves and placing them atop LOVELESS before touching the sticky cinnamon bun on his plate.
"She's the youngest person ever to be admitted into the Turks.
"Well, aren't you well-informed? Did your little cell phone notice contain all this information or has someone been doing research?"
Angeal had to remind himself not to roll his eyes. "Supposedly, they let her in before she was fifteen simply because she was raised within Shin-Ra and has been trained all her life. Seems a bit unorthodox though, they don't do that often."
"Oh joy, the female Sephiroth of the Turks. Your taste is slipping, fraternizing with girls with egos larger than your own always spells disaster."
Angeal winced. "What have you been reading recently?"
"There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, healer of worlds," Genesis quoted as he stood and headed back to the buffet table.
"Hey! You didn't answer my question!"
"Though the prisoner escapes, he is gravely wounded. His life is saved, however, by a woman of the opposing nation. He begins a life of seclusion with her, which seems to hold the promise of eternal bliss."
How much of that act is he going to quote…? Angeal wondered, shaking his head. "Where are you off to?"
"Somebody has to complain enough to get salt in this dining room," Genesis retorted loudly from across the room, "Unless, of course," Genesis continued sarcastically, turning around suddenly, "your Turk friend can provide some. Why don't you call her and ask?"
Angeal felt like banging his head against a wall. It was going to be a long mission.
--
Final Hikari: Bwahaha, first chapter of Krynn's kiriban is done! Woo! Now it's time to start on the 1,500 kiriban. XP And second chapter…
Angeal: Didn't you have an update policy to announce?
Final Hikari: Mmm, I did. I shall update one of my stories once a week. I'll pick them at random until I get a better grasp on my schedule and can get two or more updates out a week again. Next week will probably be Xenosaga IV and some of my older work, then hopefully Popularity's Down or All That's Left Behind. Genesis, now thank the readers for reading! And tell them to review!
Genesis: You made me do the disclaimer! I'm hardly a main character in this one!
Final Hikari: Mmm, very true. Cissnei! Thanks the readers then make Genesis tell them to review because he has a larger fan base and is more intimidating. -manical laughter-
Genesis: -.-
Cissnei: Final Hikari would like to thank you for reading her newest short story.
Genesis: And get the fire under your ass and review!
Final Hikari: …That could have been nicer. -sweat drop-