Title: Wutai

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: y-gallery. net, fanfiction. net

Summary: Racism is a breeding ground for all types of problems when on a mission.

Rating: T

Pairings: None

Author Notes: I have not had the time to watch/play anything in the Final Fantasy VII universe beyond the original game and Advent Children. Therefore, I am certain there are inconsistencies between my writing and newer games or movies.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

...

The mission should have been simple. There was a power surge at the reactor in Wutai; it was a standard procedure and the technicians brought out were all top-rank. Yes, many soldiers were sent as a precaution, but the General fully suspected that it wasn't really anything but a show of force. His own presence was nothing more than salt in an open sore for the people of a country ground down by a monolith. Nevertheless, open hostilities were rare in the streets regardless of any anti-Shin-Ra organizations afoot. As was standard, Lord Godo hosted the SOLDIER upon his arrival, graciously offering unnecessary amenities that the silver warrior respectfully accepted so he would not appear rude. The higher powers of Wutai treated him well, aware of how personally affronted he became when any military personnel behaved poorly. When soldiers came here en masse, however, it always spelled trouble due to propaganda and general disrespect for other cultures. SOLDIERs were trained out of such behavior by the General's own hand, but he could not directly oversee everyone.

Thus, it was unfortunately unsurprising to be interrupted during his evening meal at the fierce Lord of Wutai's estate due to undisclosed "issues." Following the Wutanese messenger, his dinner companions Lord Godo and Lord Tsubashi behind him, Sephiroth came to witness the worst indiscretion of his career. Lady Yuffie, trailing further behind, made a sound of shocked horror before rushing to the side of a little girl who was crying over her injured mother. The woman had been shot. Twice. She was still alive, but the extent of her injuries needed to be assessed. Very near her was a trooper poised with his gun cocked and pointed directly at a group of four other troopers. Those opposing him also had their weapons drawn, mocking the lone trooper for protecting a "dirty chink" and threatening to shoot him as well.

Coldly furious, Sephiroth swept forward with all of the grace of a hunting panther, swiping Masamune clean through all four guns and rendering them useless. Standing before the group, Mako eyes harshly glaring, the SOLDIER all but hissed that he should revoke their rights and status as Shin-Ra soldiers right here and leave them in this country without assistance. However, they wouldn't last an hour, let alone long enough to feel any real consequences for their actions, and so they would be relieved of duty here, but carted back and dishonorably discharged at home. There, it would rapidly become apparent just what kind of consequence their actions had wrought.

Properly dressed down, the soldiers were sent away with Sephiroth's personal "escort" unit, imprisoned as treasonous. With the immediate threat dealt with, Sephiroth turned to assist the woman, only to be met with a curious scene. The other trooper was down on the ground, his pack open and showing quite a few medical supplies. It was considered inappropriate for a man to touch a woman's naked skin here, but the mother was bleeding out in front of her daughter and Lady Yuffie, at least, seemed willing to ignore rules of propriety.

The trooper worked quickly, utilizing his makeshift assistant and handing off a set of potions as he felt the areas around the bullet wounds, keeping up a stream of quiet words. The wounds were through-and-through, and at least the one in her arm had missed bone and would heal cleanly. The one to her abdomen had more than likely pierced intestine and he was going to cast ensuna to make absolutely certain there would be no infection – if she would please drink the potions to help the healing process? The woman acquiesced only due to Lady Yuffie asking her to drink and the ensuna glowed prettily for a moment. Three potions were consumed before the woman sat up, wincing. Sephiroth stepped forward as the soldier – obviously trained for support duties with special attention to those of a medic – handed her another set of three small containers and told her to take those if she felt any pain. Hushing her crying child, the woman accepted the potions with a distrustful expression.

Bowing to both lords, the silver warrior expressed his deepest apologies for the inexcusable behavior of soldiers sent here with him, accepting full blame for their actions. Both Lord Godo and Lord Tsubashi were displeased, but the first words spoken were actually those of thanks. There might be four worthless men with him hiding behind Sephiroth's name and their own false bravado, but there was also one man with a true sense of honor and responsibility. One soldier acted quickly, preventing a troubling situation from becoming far worse, and did not hesitate for a moment when given the opportunity to save a life. This one soldier was worth more than twenty spineless men. For that reason, they desired to praise the silver warrior and reward the good deed.

Lady Yuffie helped the woman stand, facing the trooper and asking him to stand soon after. It was obvious that the soldier did not know what kind of protocol to use here, so he fell back on his military training and the simple rule of respecting the orders of acknowledged superiors and stood quickly. He was… short. Sephiroth hadn't known there was anybody serving who was that size. The Lady gestured toward his face and both gloved hands reached up, taking the standard helmet off and placing it on top of his bag. Bright golden hair fell around a face still soft and boyish, azure eyes lowered so that he was not looking anyone directly in the eye. She asked his name and that same soft, calm voice responded with "Strife Cloud, sir." Feeling some sympathy for the one who had earned the respect of her leader, the injured woman lightly corrected him so that he would honor the Lady properly. Amusingly, the blonde thanked the woman with another "sir" tacked on the end. As it was obvious that insults were the last thing on his mind, the topic was unceremoniously dropped.

Lord Tsubashi expressed uncertainty as to why Sephiroth was allowing the four honorless soldiers to return to their families, but Lord Godo, who had spent much time with the silver warrior whenever he visited, held up his hand for silence. Locking eyes with the General, the leader of Wutai responded, knowing just how disgraced the soldiers were. The burden placed on their families would be greater, no one willing to associate with those unemployable to the Shin-Ra. Sephiroth's discipline was more severe than the immediate death those soldiers faced in Wutai. The General nodded his acceptance of the explanation, mildly surprised that he had received no harsh reprimand.

The Lady asked Strife to join them back to the Emperor's pagoda, receiving a stiff bow and a short stutter about not wanted to be a burden for them. Laughing, Lady Yuffie waved the comment off and grabbed the blonde's hand, dragging him after her. Strife made a noise not unlike disbelief, trailing behind her, while Lord Godo shook his head in exasperation of his daughter's antics. Knowing something about the Lady's persistence, the General retrieved the bag and helmet that the boy had been unable to recover before nodding to the young woman hushing her little daughter and telling her that any potions she needed in the future would be on Sephiroth's gil.

After that, the General and both lords returned to the Emperor's pagoda to finish their meal and spend some time conversing. The silver warrior made a mental note to assign that young medic more missions in Wutai now that Lord Godo and Lady Yuffie – notoriously picky about foreigners – had given him their blessings. Strife would need a bit of etiquette training first, and a promotion was in order after this ordeal; for what political mines the teen had diffused on his own, Sephiroth was inclined to get the blonde special training in whatever field he desired as a reward. There was no such thing as a simple mission to Wutai with so much ignorance breeding in the standard ranks. People like Strife were rare and important allies in the long run.