Here's the next mission lined up for you, Strife. Don't mess it up.

Those words rang like melody in my ears. Ever since I joined the SOLDIER program a few years back not once have I been acknowledged by any of the seniors. Now was different. Now, General Angeal personally briefed me about my mission objectives. Though it was strange for a general to talk to a lower class SOLDIER like myself, I was still honoured to be in his presence. There was a powerful strength emanating from him that made me cringe to the bone. I will not mess this up! If this mission is successful, he may recommend me to a higher rank. Being a mere SOLDIER is not enough anymore. I aspire to be like General Angeal. Respected and feared…

With those thoughts I drifted off to sleep, lulled by the vibrations of the government vehicle that will take me to my future.

.-+-.

"Looks like it's gonna rain, huh?" Looking down, I smiled. Multi-colored flowers seemed to smile back at me as dark clouds started to form in the sky. "I'd better get the laundry inside and make some hot chocolate."

I gathered my garden tools and placed them in the shed before turning to the white cloths that were suspended in the air by nylon lines. The strings were so thin that if you'd watch them from afar the cloths would appear akin to ghosts dancing to the rhythm of the wind. Humming to myself, I started to pull, fold and place the blankets in a wood-strewn basket. When I was about to finish my chore, raindrops came crashing down the dusty ground almost soaking me and my laundry. I ran towards the back door of my home with the basket in hand as though my life depended on it. Laughing at my foolishness, I placed the laundry basket inside the walk-in closet and hung the semi-wet cloths to dry. I walked out of the closet, snatching a dry towel on the way, and draped my damp head with it. Refreshed and cold, I quickly filled a kettle with water and cocoa, and then placed it on a blazing stove. There was nothing like drinking hot cocoa in front of a fireplace during a rainy afternoon. Speaking of which, I knelt in front of the hearth, placed a few logs and started a fire.

"Ah, that's more like it," I sighed dreamily as the warmth of the fire melted the chill in my fingertips. I've always hated the cold. I love ice cream and cold desserts, but if it gets too chilly I always find ways to get warm. If I had to choose a season for myself, I'd choose fall; not too cold and not too warm. Perfect… Just like what I feel now, being surrounded by cosy walls in a warm home. I'd want nothing else in the whole world.

As I was about to check on my hot cocoa, loud honking was heard from the road a few meters from my house. I took a quick glance in the window and there standing alone underneath my blossoming plum tree was a man drenched in the rain.

"Oh my," escaped my lips as I took out an umbrella and ran towards the door.

.-+-.

Damn it… Why does it have to rain? I thought to myself as I stood counting the seconds until a woman came running to my direction. Behind her was a two-storey inn that looked like it stood for centuries. There were flower and vegetable patches surrounding the building with a few fruit trees here and there. Beyond that, I saw a glimpse of the sea. I stared at the empty road that stretched for miles at my side. The truck that delivered me had already taken off with not much of a word from the driver. What the hell do they expect me to do in this deserted place?

I tried to search again at the back of my mind the words left to me by the general. There has to be something important in this wasteland that I had to do. Sure I'm a low class SOLDIER but what kind of mission do they have in store for me? Grow dandelions? I shook that thought off and dived deep inside my brain.

"You are to search and retrieve a valuable asset for our Science Department," he said as he handed me an envelope. "Open it in secrecy when you arrive at the designated location. Further instructions are enclosed within."

"Yes Sir," I replied most enthusiastically before turning my back to the exit.

"Oh, and Strife…" He looked at me like a hawk about to devour an unsuspecting prey. "You have 15 days to complete this mission. I have high expectations from you. Fail and you will be permanently eliminated from the institution. Don't let that happen."

I merely nodded in submission to his hawk-like eyes. But, I found myself wondering. Why does it have to be 15 days? Is the mission so explicitly difficult that it will take that long?

"Are you ok, Mister?"

Waking me from my reverie was a woman shorter than me by a few inches. Her face was covered by an umbrella but was later revealed when she sheltered me within her thin parasol. She had emerald green eyes, rosy cheeks and full, pink lips. Her chestnut brown hair was beginning to darken as the rain came hard on us, impelling us—her to drag me to a much more dry place which would be her house—inn. The place was generally warm and homey, like the one I stayed in once, but was now covered in dust and soot…the consequence of war.

"Sit by the hearth, and I'll get you a fresh towel. What were you doing out there in this weather? You should have called. Do you have any clothe—" Looking at my bare hands, she nodded and disappeared behind a door. "I think I still have… Ah! Here they are. You can use this."

She shoved fresh, crisp clothes to me and smiled. I looked at her dumbly and started to take off my wet clothes.

"Oh! I, ummm…" She stammered as she began to walk away from me with her face red as a ripe tomato. "I'll get you something to warm drink."

I sighed as I began to change into the clothes that she has given me. They were a perfect fit, though the pants were a bit longer than my legs. I sat on the floor, directly in front of the hearth and laid my head to rest on the seat of a white sofa. Watching the fire dance in my eyes, I sighed again.

Great, I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere with a weirdo.I closed my eyes as the firewood gave off a rich cinnamon aroma that made my eyelids droop voluntarily.It doesn't get any better than this.

.-+-.

"Oh my… oh my, oh my, oh my."

I could feel colour rising up my cheeks and my heart pounding erratically in my chest as I paced back and forth in the kitchen. The picture of his bare back was still etched in my mind and, unfortunately, may remain there for a long time. I thought this day would be like any other day. I've had a fair share of strange things happen in my life and I have no wish to be surprised ever again.

Like that time…

My eyes deepened in color as I thought about him. I remembered how he thundered into my life like a flash of lightning, and leaving just as fast.

"Za…"

The sound of the kettle whistling stopped me from whispering his name. It's not as painful anymore, because I know and accepted that he had already found someone else, somewhere. If he didn't, he'd be back right?

I sighed as I poured hot chocolate in two separate cups. For a moment, my thoughts went back to the strange man that was in the living room right now. There weren't many people that strayed into my inn. The last guest I had was 6 months ago. Having an inn in the middle of nowhere was bad business but I'm still striving hard to make it through. After all, it's what's left of my family's belongings. I couldn't bear to part with it.

"He should be finished by now," I mused as I walked past the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room.

Truthfully, the man was still there sitting on the floor with his head resting on the sofa. I slowly walked towards him as not to disturb his, what seemed to be, comfortable posture. Placing his cup on his side of the coffee table, I sat at a safe distance beside him and took a sip of my hot chocolate. Heavenly, simply heavenly. A smile graced my lips as the warm, tasty chocolate ran down my thirsty throat. Noticing his cup untouched, I glanced to the side to see what he's doing.

"Oh, he's asleep," I whispered as I turned to look at him closely.

Surprise got a hold of me when I noticed that his blonde hair was spiked up. When I first saw his locks, it was slicked back like all life had been drained from it. Now, it was alert, lively and it glowed a golden sheen. I peered in closer to his face, trying to see if it was familiar in any way. His lashes were very long, his nose refined. Almost every angle of his face was perfect. I wouldn't mind watching him forever. Then, suddenly, his eyes shot open revealing two cerulean blue orbs, the color of the sky. One moment they were calm and the next they turned bloodshot. He swiftly stood up and looked at me, gravely… dangerously.

.-+-.

What was I doing? Did I fall asleep? Damn… I'm in enemy territory and I let my guard down. My eyes wandered to the bewildered woman who was sitting on the floor, watching me with her curious green eyes. She is not the type to handle a weapon. She poses no threat to me. I had better look at the mission envelope to end all of this.

"This is an inn, correct?"

The woman nodded her head like a mesmerized puppy. Who'd blame her? Living off alone in an old house in a deserted place with no human being within a 5-mile radius can do things to the mind.

"I need a room to stay in. Do you have an available one?" I paused and mentally kicked myself. Gaia, do I have to ask the obvious?

At that moment, her eyes sparkled and she looked at me adoringly like I was some kind of god or hero. She nodded briskly, ran to the shadows and gave me a key that had the number 7 on it. I whispered a silent 'thank you' and took off to my room fast for I was sick of talking with the deranged woman. If I have to stay here another day, I'm gonna go crazy. That's not acceptable! I have a brighter future in the institution, and this mission will give me that opportunity. No living thing could stop me from reaching my dream. Failure is never an option.

As if I already knew the place, I walked up the stairs with the woman trailing behind. She must be wondering why I knew number 7 is upstairs. I didn't know too. I just wanted to get away from her. A wave of relief washed over me as I found the room that I'm to rest in, but there was this presence behind me that threatened my isolation.

"Do you want something?" I asked with a hint of irritation as I faced her head on. I hated people who follow me everywhere I go. I've always set a wide protective circle around my whole being. Anybody who'd get close would really wish they had not been born.

She shook her head, smiled and handed me a cup that was filled with a brownish fluid; then she said something like 'hot chocolate' and 'heaven' before she bade me goodnight and running off. Weird. Truly weird. I opened the door that had the number 7 on it and swiftly closed it as I entered the premises. Like any SOLDIER would do, I checked for any mechanical equipment that may have been installed in the room like hidden cameras, microphones, and bugs. When I declared it clean, I sat on the bed and turned the lamp on. Inside my damp clothes was the plastic envelope that was given to me by General Angeal. With secrecy, I finally opened the envelope and took out its contents. The first thing I saw was a letter addressed to me by the general.

If you are reading this, you have reached your destination. Your mission is to capture Miss Aerith Gainsborough and return her to the institution unscathed. Enclosed are files containing her data. Study them well and good luck.

When I turned the letter, my eyes widened as they fell upon two familiar emerald green orbs.

You must be shitting me!

.-+-.

I raised my hand to knock on the door with the number 7 painted on it but stopped halfway. In my excitement of having a guest, I forgot to clean up the dining room and cook dinner. I bit my lower lip as I debated with myself whether to knock or just let the blonde man have his rest. Apparently he went a long way to get here and he was no mere villager from the looks of his clothes. Having made up my mind, I sidestepped and walked away from the room to the kitchen.

This inn is not a 'meals and bed' anyways, I hummed to myself as I disappeared down the stairs.