Making of A Sword

For Sephiroth

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII

[Chapter 7]

It seemed to me that the fight in the training room was a prologue to an upcoming break. During the next two months, a large number of 2nd and 3rd class SOLDIERs disappeared, followed by Genesis. No one knew why he left and where he went. In order to put the Wutai war to an end, the Turks had to go around the world to recruit new members for SOLDIER, and the rest of the troops stayed to train.

This sudden change disoriented everyone. The Public Safety Department went into complete chaos. Budget and development stage for our department were affected too. But since I was not involved in any large-scale project, I didn't know the details. I only needed to adjust my schedule to check on standard weapon manufacture.

In October, Angeal, Sephiroth and the 1st class nominee Zack were going to lead a elite troop to Wutai to send the last bit of pressure on that city. The day before they left, Angeal came to me for the first time for maintenance for his buster sword.

Obviously he was depressed. In the past he would talk to me about gardening or cooking, but today he was silent as a stone.

Of course I knew Genesis was the reason. Something must have happened that day they went into the training room, something much more serious than going "too wild". Or else why would he leave? But I didn't think Angeal would tell me. I wanted to offer some consolation, but I didn't know what to say. So I only cleaned the buster sword wordlessly.

Angeal was sitting in a chair opposite to me, looking around aimlessly. Suddenly his whole body tightened. I paused my work and followed his view. He was staring at a Monthly Gardening on the other table. I just bought it so I remember what was on it. It had a Banora apple tree on its over - everyone knew that Banora was their hometown. Genesis loved the dumb apple so much that he always had Loveless on one hand and the apple on the other hand. Undoubtedly, Angeal was reminded of his friend.

He picked up the magazine and flipped through the pages. I could tell he was not really reading at all. Shortly after, he put it done again and dropped his head, still didn't say anything. I couldn't take this heavy air anymore, so I asked,

"Sir, what…what happened to Mr. Rhapsodos? "

"…"

Instead of an answer, he just sighed with sadness in his eyes. A ominous feeling raised up in my heart as if something bad was going to happen. Then he finally spoke,

"Everyone said he betrayed Shinra. What do you think?"

"Well.." I murmured, "I…I don't know. I don't know very well."

Angeal gave me a look as if my response was unexpected. I then said,

"But, you must know him well, because he is your friend. If he is your friend, he definitely is not a bad person. So…he must have his reasons for leaving the company."

Angeal's gloomy face lighted up slightly, but the grief in his eyes did not go away. After a long silence, he asked again,

"What would you think if I leave Shinra one day?"

The sense of obnoxiousness exploded in my chest. I raised my head immediately, trying to catch him in the eyes. Though he had his eyes down, I still noticed that they were not typical mako-blue, but had a soft, natural grayish blue. It meant that he didn't receive as much mako bath to strengthen himself. I thought of the look on his face whenever he cleaned buster sword, his lectures about dreams and honor, how he took care of plants on floor 49, and how warmly he treated everyone younger as a mentor and sometimes, like a father…those memories crammed my head and stirred my feelings. I couldn't help but stopped the work on hand and rushed all the words out of my mind,

"Mr. Hewley, if, if you leave too, I believe you also have your reasons. But…but, how bad do things have to be that even you would choose to leave?"

"…"

He froze again, and didn't reply. I knew I wouldn't get a answer this time. I cleaned the sword and went through all the repairing process before giving it back. Then I walked him out of the lab. As always, he held up the sword vertically in front with both hands and pressed his forehead against the wide blade, as if he was praying. The only thing different was that this time the prayer lasted longer than usual. After a few seconds, he put it on his back, turned around, and gave me a smile. That was the first smile I received from him today.

"Anlila," he asked in his usual tone, "being a weapon specialist…is this your dream?"

I shook my head in bewilderment.

"No…not really."

"What is your dream, then?"

He spoke very softly, in the same way a mentor instructing an innocent apprentice. To make him feel better, I didn't speak of all the crazy fantasies I had before joining Shinra Academy, but picked something that sounded almost stupid.

"I…I want to quit my job before forty years old, and start a bakery in Midgar, with my own pastries and coffees. The customers might hear about my past from here and there. So they will talk about my identity secretly when they visit my store, speak of things like…she used to work for Shinra, she was a weapon specialist, why would she start a bakery, that's so mysterious…or something like that…"

"Ha!"

Angeal finally laughed. Then he gave me an encouraging look full of meaning which I couldn't fully grasp, and patted me on the shoulder.

"Then…hold on to your dreams, and no matter what happens, never let go of your honor as a…"

He paused, as he searched through all the equipments behind me, and his eyes finally settled on the work station, forge and quench tank. Then he continued,

"…never let go of your honor as a sword maker."

Then he walked away without looking back. I stared at his departing figure and another apprehension occurred to me at this moment - this would probably be the last time I ever see him.

—TBC—