Our Generation
By:
Mystwalker
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII.
A/N: And we're past the introduction! Thank you, CupofTeaforAliceandHatter for your review!
XxXxX
Arielle Fair woke with the sudden, inexplicable feeling that something was terribly wrong.
She opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling of the command tent and listening for any alarms. The night was still, the only sounds coming from outside the usual sounds of soft conversation and booted feet-sounds she had learned to tune out. Beside her, Aidan slept peacefully, one arm draped loosely around her waist. Ari frowned, glancing at him. It was rare that she woke before him, especially during an emergency. Aidan was always wary out on the front, even in sleep.
She turned her head to the side, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. 3:19. Well before any sort of shift change or activity in the camp. Was it just a nightmare? Whatever it was, the uneasy feeling deep in her gut wasn't going to let her go back to sleep. She sighed, disentangling herself from the covers and the warm presence beside her and sitting up to reach for her clothes. She was just gathering them up in her hands when Aidan stirred, looking over at her. His green eyes shone in the dim light coming in from under the tent flaps. There was no trace of sleep in them. Aidan tended to wake all at once, more so now than before. It made her frown slightly as she thought about how this war was affecting him—affecting both of them.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She shrugged, smiling slightly as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and reached for her shirt. Her own uniform was the standard WRO uniform, but in black instead of white and cream. To contrast Aidan's, Ari thought, smiling at the memory of how that had come about. "I can't sleep," she said.
"Neither can I." She felt warm hands settle onto her waist, his eyes flashing in the dark. "Come back to bed?"
The tone of his voice and the promise in it sent a shiver down her spine, and for a moment, she was tempted, but the feeling quelled those thoughts. She shook her head, pulling her shirt on. "I think something's wrong," she said. "I'm going to go check it out."
Aidan's expression shifted, and he went from amorous lover to battlefield commander in an instant. "Something wrong?" he asked. "There's been an incident?"
"I don't know," Ari replied. "I just...I don't know. Something feels off. It's probably nothing though." She got up, pulling on her shorts and reaching for her boots. She heard the sheets rustle behind her as Aidan started to sit up.
"I should come with you," he said.
Ari shook her head, a little too quickly. "No," she said. "No. Like I said, it's probably nothing. You need sleep." You've been getting so little of it lately. She got up, tossing her hair over one shoulder and fastening the leather harness that allowed her sword to strap onto her back. "If anything's going on, I can handle it."
Aidan frowned at her. "You're sure?" he asked.
"I'm sure," said Ari, working her hair into a quick braid. After two years in the WRO's service, dressing in the dark had become almost second nature. She reached for her broadsword, the one propped up beside the bed, and hefted it in one hand easily. Ari slung it over her back, snapping it against the magnetic sheath. The familiar weight reassured her, and her hand lingered on the hilt before it fell back against her side. She looked over her shoulder, flashing him a smile. "Really, go back to sleep," she said. "I shouldn't take too long."
Aidan seemed reluctant, but he nodded, laying back against the pillow. "You'll be careful?" he asked.
"Always," she said, turning away from him and walking towards the tent flap. She pushed it open with her forearm, stepping into the main portion of the tent. Ari walked past the map table with its charts, the writing desk with paperwork piled high, and stepped out into the cool night air. Outside, the camp was still. She caught sight of lights from the watchtowers that surrounded it and heard the sounds of the soldiers on duty, but beyond that, most people were asleep. Barring an attack, the camp wouldn't burst into activity until dawn, when someone on watch would send out a signal to wake the sleepers. She glanced around, but other than the odd sense of wrongness she felt, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Was it just paranoia, or something else? A warning from the Planet? Ari walked through the camp, counting the hours in her head. Three in the morning out here was around nine, Midgar Standard Time. Enough time for something to go wrong at headquarters. A chill ran through her. Were her brothers okay? Kieran...he was on assignment, wasn't he? While she didn't know much about what her brother did as a Turk, she knew he led a dangerous life. And Caden—working for WRO Intel wasn't without its own risks. She couldn't even imagine what she would do if something happened to her brothers. And her parents—they weren't as young as they used to be. If Edge had suffered some sort of attack—.
Don't be silly, she told herself, shaking her head. Edge was oceans away from the Rift, and leagues away from the last place where any sort of Rift-related activity had occurred. It had the WRO base within spitting distance, including the hangar that housed the airship fleet, and headquarters right in the middle of the city. And it was home to a good chunk of AVALANCHE's former members. They might not be young, but that didn't mean they were useless. It was probably the most secure place on the Planet right now. If anything, her parents should have been worried about her. She nodded at a pair of patrolling soldiers as they saluted her, scanning the horizon. She was tempted to go to the garage and fire up her motorcycle, just to make sure that everything was alright between camp and the Rift, but the moment she thought it, she realized it was a bad idea. Riding out towards the Rift alone was a risky proposition, even for her, and the darkness presented its own hazards. Besides, her precious Valkyrie was still undergoing repairs from the last sortie.
Her feet carried her in that direction anyway, her mind flashing back to the first time she had ridden Valkyrie out into the field. The motorcycle came from the same line as Cloud Strife's Fenrir and Raine's Sleipnir, a swift dark machine that had earned her her nickname. Cloud had had it modified for her to allow her to carry her broadsword, as well as a smaller blade for her off-hand. Valkyrie had been with her since her first stationing at Nibelheim, well before she had joined Aidan out here.
Ari stopped in front of the garage, making a quick circuit around the building and looking out at the rest of the camp. Aside from the way the sky darkened and shimmered, blocking out the stars in the direction of the Rift, the camp seemed fairly normal. She paused, resting one hand on her waist as she studied the surrounding area. Maybe it was just a dream after all. She could stand to go back to bed, perhaps get a few more hours of sleep. Or, she mused as she set out in that direction, if Aidan was still awake when she got back, a few hours less.
She was thinking that through when the attack came.
Ari turned, jumping back and out of the way as two golden blades cut through the night, heading towards her. The blades missed her, slamming point down into the ground where she had just been a few moments ago. Her sword was in her hand before she could even process what was happening, her eyes drawn towards a sudden streak of movement in the dark. The blades shimmered in the ground, and Ari felt her eyes drawn towards them as they began to break apart, pieces glowing brightly before fading away.
Light...?
A figure rushed out of the darkness, shooting towards her. Ari jumped back, raising her sword up to protect herself. She caught the attack with the flat of her blade, the force behind it pushing her back. Light flared up where the two connected, allowing her to see her opponent clearly for an instant. It was a man, young, with fine features. His hair was a dark brown, cut short and falling into his eyes, and he was dressed in garb she had never seen before-a pair of loose trousers and a dark shirt, with a cloak fastened around his shoulders. His eyes were the most remarkable thing about him. They were of different colors, one gold and one blue, both glowing.
He jumped back, and three blades of light rushed towards her. Ari got her sword up in time to block two, ducking her head to dodge the third. She swept her blade through the air, gripping it in both hands and jumping up. Ari raised it, prepared to bring it down over his head, but he moved more quickly than she could have predicted, and her sword sliced through empty air. He held both of his hands out in front of him, and she saw him smirk out of the corner of his eye, his palms raised towards her. Light flared up in his hands, and she was forced to turn in mid-air, raising her sword to block him as multiple small blades of light shot out from his palms. The force behind it threw her back onto the ground. She quickly jumped up, flipping over and getting back to her feet. Ari ran forward, her blade slicing through the air as she cut at his waist.
He jumped backwards and out of the way, flipping over in the air. One of his hands flung out towards her, and she quickly twisted aside, avoiding another blade of light. He turned like a dancer, his cloak fluttering behind him as he brought another hand down. Light gathered in that hand, sending a crescent-shaped blade towards her. She grit her teeth, raising her sword. The blade struck the edge of her sword, parting in two, and Ari charged forward, her sword raised high above her head. The man raised his right hand, light forming in it in the shape of a sword. It blocked hers, holding her blade still above his head. Ari's eyes widened.
He blocked me with one hand...
Her thought was cut off as the man swiped out with his left hand, another blade forming in it. Ari jumped back, breaking the block between them as the second blade passed inches from her belly. He charged towards her, swiping out with his right hand blade. Ari quickly raised her sword to block it, but the moment the blade connected with hers it dispersed, forming several smaller blades that zoomed around her sword, cutting into her arms and her side. She let out a cry of pain and surprise, jumping back to put distance between them as he charged in, one blade in hand.
She held her ground, holding her sword in a defensive position as she looked down at her body. The cuts were shallow but present, thin cuts along her arms and her side. Ari grit her teeth, glaring at him as he rushed towards her. This time, she swatted away his blade when he came to attack, cutting diagonally across with her own blade. He pulled back just in time to avoid getting cut, and she quickly reversed direction, manipulating the heavy sword so that it cut up instead of down. He stepped back again, blocking that with a new sword of light in his right hand. His mismatched eyes gleamed as he stabbed at her shoulder with his left hand sword. She blocked it, but didn't give him time to make it disperse, taking a step forward and stabbing at his torso. He took a step back, and she turned, using the motion to give her power as she slashed at his chest.
He stepped back, but the tip of her blade caught the clasp of his cloak. The cloak tore, fluttering to the ground behind him. She heard the rustle of wings, saw feathers fall.
Ari's eyes widened. The man had wings. Not just the one wing that she had seen General Sephiroth and Ella Crescent summon, but a full pair, a single black wing on each side of his body. The wings were slightly outstretched, feathers swirling in the wind between the two of them. Her grip on her sword faltered. "Who...are you?" she asked.
"Uriel," said the man, his eyes narrowing at her. "Of the Angels." He held out his hand.
Ari managed to get her sword in time as light shot towards her, golden light slamming into the flat of her sword and knocking her back. The beam slipped through her defenses, cutting a long gash down her left side. She let out a gasp of pain, stumbling back and falling to her knees.
When the light cleared, the man was gone, leaving only feathers where he had once been.
She stared at the space where he had once been standing, her sword in both hands. Behind her, she heard the sound of running feet. The battle had alerted the sentries, she assumed. She shifted her sword to one hand, trying to get up, but her side screamed in pain, and she grit her teeth, stumbling to one knee as she grabbed at it with her free hand. When she looked down at her hand, it came away red with blood.
A hand closed around her arm, helping her to her feet. Ari looked, recognizing the man as Garis, a member of her old squad.
"Colonel Fair!" said another man, running towards them. He had another with him, his sword in his hand. His eyes widened as he saw your injury.
"You're hurt," he said.
"I'm fine," she said, pulling away from Garis. She managed to stay on her feet, but didn't risk trying to replace her sword at her back, instead keeping it in her hand with the tip pointed towards the ground. She looked around. There were more of them, about three or four. All of the ones on watch. She caught sight of Ryosuke standing by one of the tents, his own curved katana in hand.
"Your orders?" asked Garis from beside her.
Ari took a deep breath. "Sound the alarm," she said. "There was an intruder in the camp."
XxXxX
The WRO's medical wing looked like any hospital at first glance, except it was smaller, and in this part of the world, didn't see entirely that much use. In his bed at the end of the hall, Raine Strife looked almost as though he could have been sleeping, if it wasn't for the bandages wrapped around his chest and the bloodied clothes that no one had yet had time to clean up. His mother sat in a chair next to him, smoothing his dark hair out of his eyes with a worried expression on her face, his father was in the hall outside, talking to Reeve and the Vice-Commissioner. Standing in the corner of the room with her eyes fixed on the scene in front of her, Victoria felt very much like an outsider.
I should get back to work, she thought, but her feet wouldn't move. She couldn't look away. Her mind kept replaying the same images over and over again. The wounds—.
Caused by multiple blades. Projectiles. She knew the doctor's report, and yet something about that felt wrong. Projectiles were bound by gravity in some manner. She used them herself. Some of the cuts on Raine earlier had almost looked like the weapon was moving up. This shouldn't have happened, she thought, watching as a nurse came in and spoke to Tifa in a soft voice. Tifa nodded, sitting up. The bartender's face was lined with worry, but she was strong. She didn't break down or start crying. Instead, she simply held her son's hand as the nurse walked away, then got up to go reach for her phone.
Probably calling Zeke...Victoria thought. She wondered if the youngest Strife would have to be pulled out of school for this. If it were Arisa...
If it were Arisa, it would be a national emergency and international incident. Victoria knew she shouldn't think that way.
Down in the hallway, someone was cursing. Victoria recognized the voice and the tone. Raine had been brought in by an airship of the WRO's fleet, Sweet Sara. It was captained by Sara Highwind, the only one of Cid's daughters that had shown any interest in flight. And unlike her ship name, she wasn't typically considered sweet. She winced inwardly, listening as Sara yelled at some poor unfortunate soul to hurry and find out who had done this before certain spears made contact with certain body parts, but on some level, she agreed. A part of her wanted to run out and find who had done this herself, to unleash hell on them. Her hand fingered the pouch where she kept her shurikens, her eyes fixed on the scene in front of her.
You don't take the field, she reminded herself. You work in cyber security. Remember?
Tifa's eyes met hers as the older woman left the room, and she nodded, lowering her eyes and making for the door. It opened and closed with a hiss, sliding shut to mark the Strife matron's passing.
And then they were alone.
Victoria hesitated, then walked up to the bed, unsure what she was going to say. Up close, Raine looked less like he was sleeping. His face was pale, his eyes closed, and although he was breathing smoothly, the heart monitors reminded her that that might change at any moment. A part of her wanted to reach out as Tifa had done, but she kept her hands at her sides, looking down at him. This shouldn't have happened...she thought again. "You were supposed to come home..." she said, her voice soft even to her own ears. "You were on your way home."
You were on your way home to me.
Her throat closed up. If things had been different—if Raine had made it home whole and unhurt, would she have been saying anything else? Would she have finally told him what she'd been meaning to say all these years?
She couldn't say. And now wasn't the time anymore. Her hand curled at her side, her eyes fixed on him.
She was gone before Tifa came back again.
XxXxX
PROFILE 004: Aidan
Name: Aidan Crescent
Age: 24
Birthday: March 22
Blood Type: AB
Hometown: Edge
Hair Color: Silver
Eye Color: Green (Mako)
Mother: Cissnei
Father: Sephiroth
Siblings: Ella (18)
Occupation: WRO Military Division, Field General
Notable: Known as the White Dragon, Aidan Crescent has been making waves in the WRO military division since first joining it at age 18. As he works directly under his father, who is the WRO's military head, the similarities between the two of them have been noted. However, unlike Sephiroth, who in the height of his popularity was mostly aloof, Aidan is personable and charismatic, and has been known to spend time boosting the morale of his troops, leading his father to compare him to Angeal in that regard. Like his mother, Aidan longs for the freedom of the sky, and has been noted to say that he wishes he also shared his father and sister's ability to grow wings.
He uses twin katanas, leading some to draw comparison between him and Weiss the Immaculate, however, the resemblance is usually dispelled after talking to him. Aidan has modified the standard WRO uniform to include a longer white coat and allowances for his swords, part of what earned him his nickname.
Aidan dotes on his younger sister, Ella, and is very protective of her. His relationship with his subordinate, Arielle Fair, is an open secret among the troops in their camp, especially among the members of Arielle's former squad, however, because of their differences in rank, their relationship has never been acknowledged publicly. Their relationship goes back four years, even before Ari entered basic training. The couple would often meet in the Sector 5 church under the pretext of sparring (which, in fairness, did actually happen most of the time).
Zack still doesn't know.
