Sephiroth: Back so soon are we?
Raiken: It would bring more readers if we updated a lot faster.
Sephiroth: And it hasn't even been more than a day since you uploaded chapter 1. May the reason be for the fast updates be becuase you only have 1 week left of college for the semester?
Raiken: Damn straight! I'm about ready to put a fork in myself.
Sephiroth: Call me when you're done.
Raiken: Oh ha ha, very funny with the whole 'put a fork in me, i'm done' joke. And before I forget; you must check out this awesome Sephiroth tribute.
Sephiroth: Indeed; if I could sponsor this video for representing my character, I would. I wonder why Square Enix hasn't come to him for his superior editing skills in making videos for them.
Raiken: But still, check this out! It's on my profile near the top.
Raiken: He has made other Sephiroth related videos, but this blows them all out of the water. He's constantly remaking some of the videos to better fit his editing skills now.
Sephiroth: I; Sephiroth, command you to watch them.
Raiken: On with chapter 2! I'll try to make this as long as I possibly can!
Thanks to my new beta: Lexicer!
I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY VII OR SEPHIROTH, but Axil is MINE!
The frantic nurse eventually found a doctor and Sephiroth was led into an empty hospital room. Gently setting the girl on the bed, he stared at her as though he would find an answer if he looked hard enough. The blood from her clothes slowly seeped through the crisp white sheets, causing the doctor and two nurses to quickly shoo him out.
"Sorry General, but you can wait outside if you like?" one of the nurses suggested timidly, subtly ushering him out of the room.
Many of his comrades had been injured in battle, but he had never remained by their sides, always confident that the doctors could handle the situation; he stayed this time. Something pulled at him, forcing him to sit in a chair just outside the room. He wanted answers. At least, that's what he tried to convince himself. Crossing his legs and gently sweeping his hair out of his face, he smirked and mused, At least this gives me an excuse for turning my paperwork in late.
"Yo Seph, what's up!"
Sephiroth closed his eyes in attempt to restrain a heavy sigh that always arose whenever he heard that voice.
Not wanting to irritate the man, which would only make him more annoying, Sephiroth drawled, "Fine, and you Reno?"
Gracing Reno with a glance, Sephiroth found that he was not alone, but accompanied by Tseng, Rude, Director Lazard, and his two friends, Angeal and Genesis. Sephiroth was surprised to see the Director out of his office, but upon seeing the Turks, he already knew why they were here.
"Director Lazard," Sephiroth greeted. "You were informed of our mission report by the 2nd Class SOLDIER that accompanied me?"
Lazard made his way to the front, hands behind his back and a slight smirk to match. "Yes, I was," he answered, sitting down next to Sephiroth. He was about to continue when he noticed Sephiroth's bloodied chest. "Am I to assume that the girl you brought back is the cause of this?" he asked coolly.
Reno bent down to inspect Sephiroth's chest, raising his eyebrows accordingly. "Woah! She must've been through hell and back to cause this!" he exclaimed, pointing at the his bloodied front.
Having not looked at his chest since the incident, Sephiroth glanced down to see his painted blood coat, the liquid starting to harden in some areas.
Genesis chuckled and announced, "You look like you've committed a homicide!"
Before Sephiroth could retort, Lazard continued, "The SOLDIER reported that, upon arrival, the monsters were brutally slain, and that you didn't notice the girl until you were about to leave."
"She was covered in blood," he explained, "as was the boulder she was lying on and the rest of her surroundings. If I had not seen her, no doubt she would still be out there." Lazard nodded curtly, deep in thought. "Why are you and the Turks down here anyway?" Sephiroth asked skeptically.
Everyone was silent.
Angeal eventually took it upon himself to answer. "We were curious about her condition. She could tell us how she came upon those monsters." After a slight pause, he continued, "And, she could enlighten us on how she managed to live through such an onslaught."
Sephiroth knew all too well what he was implying. If she is the cause of the monsters' deaths, he concluded, the Turks will undoubtedly wish to recruit her.
The silver-haired man glanced down, and started scratching away the crusted blood from his bare chest. Knowing that he would say no more on the matter, Reno sat down with Rude, Lazard, and Tseng, deep in conversation, while Angeal and Gensesis sat on either side of Sephiroth, watching him expectantly.
Of course, Sephiroth knew what they wanted. While normally his two friends were mildly composed, they became two gossiping old women if the Director left his office.
"How old did the girl look?" Genesis questioned, folding arms behind his head in attempt to camouflage his curiosity.
Sephiroth, although his eyes downcast, kept a vigilant eye on the door of the room the girl resided in. "At least thirteen. But, she could easily be mistaken for someone younger if not closely examined."
Genesis gently shook his head. "The poor girl," he stated softly. "To have injuries like that at such a young age!"
"She must be in critical condition to have caused that," Angeal worried, pointing to his friend's bloodied front.
"Don't play stupid, Angeal," I countered. "You already know that she has steady vitals."
"Why so serious, old friend?" the red-headed general mused, leaning forward to rest his head on the tops of his hands while watching Sephiroth. "Of course the Turks are going to be interested in the girl," he announced before continuing. "On the other hand, Lazard, being that type of man, is simply concerned about her welfare."
"That's exactly what I'm worried about. The Turks will try to recruit her and she'll never be able to see her family again," Sephiroth spat, trying to control his voice.
Genesis stared at him, shock widening his features. "Since when have you cared about something like this?" he asked, bewildered. Angeal shot him a look. "Oh, don't give me that look. You know it's true, Angeal," Genesis defended.
Angeal sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Genesis, you really need to learn when to shut your mouth."
Sephiroth chuckled lightly at their banter, knowing that Angeal's attempts were fruitless. Genesis never kept his mouth shut. Never has, never will.
Just then, door finally opened after what felt like hours.
Although, it's hardly been an hour, Sephiroth mused, standing up from his chair.
The doctor approached Sephiroth while everyone gathered around behind him, ease-dropping on what the verdict was.
"General Sephiroth," the doctor greeted, momentarily confused by the cluster of men lingering behind Sephiroth. The doctor was in his mid to late thirties with a terse yet kind face and short light brown hair with gray flecks which was slicked back out of his face. "I'm Doctor Anderson," he announced with a crinkly smile. "We just finished cleaning up and taking care of any wounds on the girl." He paused for a moment, scratching his head carefully, before continuing. "She has some kind of brace on her arms that we were incapable of removing, so we simply worked around them," he informed us. "But, strangely enough, there weren't many wounds to heal in the first place. After disposing of her bloody clothes and cleaning off the blood, we found that she--"
"Had no serious wounds?" Sephiroth guessed.
Slightly annoyed having been interrupted, Anderson continued, "Yes. Although, she does have some small cuts on her arms, there were no such injuries that could cause that much bleeding." He briefly paused in order for us to absorb this new information. "Most of blood, if not all of it, was not her own, but the monsters'."
Sephiroth was slightly shocked, but he had assumed that was the case long ago. Genesis eyebrows shot up. Angeal let out a sigh of relief paired with a bewildered look. Lazard stood, perplexed and even more curious. Rude nodded curtly. Tseng looked like he was about to snatch the girl away for investigation and, eventually, recruitment. Reno was...well, Reno.
"Are you freaking kidding me, Doc?" he exclaimed, catching the startled attention of some passing nurses. "A girl like that had no injuries, except some pathetic cuts, after being attacked by a pack of prestige monsters? DO YOU SEE HOW MUCH BLOOD IS ON HIS CHEST?" Reno shouted, pointing to Sephiroth's injuries.
I wonder if it would look bad on my record if I killed this idiotic red-head for not keeping his over-sized mouth shut? Sephiroth wondered, menacingly, glaring at the aforementioned Turk.
"Quiet, Reno. You draw too much attention," Rude commented, approaching his partner from behind and placing a hand on his shoulder. Reno followed his friend's advice and calmed down.
"Thank you, Rude," Tseng remarked.
Sephiroth returned his attention back to Dr. Anderson and was about to ask the doctor a certain question, but Genesis beat him to it.
"Can we see her?" he asked, already twisting the doorknob open, daring the doctor to say no to three generals, the director of SOLDIER, and a few Turks.
Anderson briefly glanced at the aforementioned men when Sephiroth glared daggers at the poor man."Um," the doctor began, "sure! Go on ahead."
Nodding curtly at Anderson, Sephiroth proceeded into the room with the others not far behind and Genesis already in the room.
Upon entering the brightly lit room, the remaining nurses and doctor quickly scurried out, now wanting to disturb the superiors. Sephiroth wrinkled his nose at the room: no decor whatsoever. The color scheme a blindingly bright stark white.
Genesis pulled up a chair next to girl's bedside table; he smiled at Sephiroth quickly before studying the girl's face. Sephiroth sauntered to other side and stared down at her.
Now that her skin had been cleaned of the blood, her small, round face revealed smooth, chocolate skin and long dark, raven hair haloing her head. She would have looked like a normal, sleeping girl had it not been for the braces the doctor spoke of tangled around her arms; they appeared to be silver fighting braces. He noticed that she was awfully small for her age, but figured that she would grow in time. Everything about her was small (save her chest), right down to her small, yet full, pink lips.
"So this is her," Genesis mused. "She's cute...for her age," he added quickly after seeing Sephiroth's dark expression. "Hard to believe she killed all those monsters by herself."
"She really is young," Angeal added. "Maybe some passing stranger saved her?" he proposed. It was a possible explanation.
"If so, they would have at least dropped the girl off in Midgar if they truly cared for her well-being," Lazard countered.
"Yeah," Reno drawled. And, you would think that they'd at least have the decency to move her so she wouldn't be drenched in monster blood!" he exclaimed. "The stranger could have offered some kind of coverage."
"Maybe they didn't have time to do so. They were being attacked," Tseng argued.
While everyone pondered these different scenarios, Sephiroth spotted something out of the corner of his eye.
More specifically, he saw the girl twitch, slowly beginning to stir awake.
Raiken: Ohhh, cliff-hanger!
Sephiroth: Hardly, depends on how you read it. You make it sound as if she was dangerous and had been knocked unconscious and upon awakening, she would kill us all.
Raiken: Oh please, were you expecting that to happen?
Sephiroth: ……you never know.
Raiken: Oh come on! You weren't actually thinking of her attacking you.
Sephiroth: You have to be ready for anything in those type of situations.
Raiken: But I-
Sephiroth: Anything.
Raiken: Fine, just admit you were scared of her already.
Sephiroth: Who wouldn't expect her to be dangerous after speculating that she fought those monsters by herself?
Raiken: Anyway, we finally hear from Axil for the first time in next chapter.
Sephiroth: Please remember to read and review. And also I implore you to watch the afore-mentioned video at the beginning of this chapter.
Raiken: Yes! It really is awesome.
Sephiroth: If any who are interested in this story that have artistic talent and a deviantart account, or a way for us to see a picture; please send in your fanart of Axil. If you need description, please see the prologue chapter.
Raiken: You really want a picture of her, don't you?
Sephiroth: Since I know for a fact that you can't draw, we are forced to rely on the fans of this fic for art.
Raiken: That's just a fancy way of saying I suck at drawing.
Sephiroth: ……yes.
Raiken: ………………………..
Sephiroth: …………………
Raiken: That's it! In the Yaoi pit you go! (gets up, walks over to Sephiroth and begins to drag his office chair with wheels with him still in it.)
Sephiroth: No wait, I was joking. (sounding a little panicked)
Raiken: Please R&R!
Yours truly,
Raiken
Sephiroth: Help me.
