Chapter 12 finally done, and its a long one! Would have been polished earlier if not for me getting distracted by FFX and...Seymour 3 mmm yum yum. But eventually I was pulled back to this thanks to my bf playing the Gen & Ang vs Sephiroth fight over an over. Thanks again to all who have read up to this point ^^
All orginal FF7 characters, places and other doo-dads do not belong to me, they belong to Squaresoft. All i own is Meia & my twisted sence of imagination.
Chapter 12
It had been a month since that night. Sephiroth had resolved to taking one day at a time. And although Meia hadn't officially came to him to talk or sent him any messages, he took her smiles when they did pass each other as encouragement. He noticed however, it was getting harder to maintain his usual response of a simple nod. He'd already broken into a smile or two the last few times it had happened.
Genesis had noticed a change too. Sadly, he wasn't as gentle as Angeal…
"So. Our little Sephiroth is in love?" He randomly blurted on a mission once. Sephiroth was initially shocked; was he? He didn't know what to make of it. It was true his feelings for Meia were different from the feelings he had for his two friends. But was it love? Maybe they were different simply because she was a woman…Anyway, he was certain none of the infantry that were with them heard what Genesis had said, so Sephiroth calmly warned his mouthy friend to keep the matter quiet or there would be consequences.
Still, no matter how he looked at it, Sephiroth had to admit; he had a soft spot for her. And he was secretly delighted several weeks afterwards when a new assignment came their way.
Briefing room 49th floor
"Good morning gentlemen," Lazard began with his usual greeting and smile, "As you are well aware, the war with Wutai has calmed somewhat lately thanks to the continued efforts of certain individuals…" Most of the eyes in the room looked at Sephiroth. Lazard continued,
"So we are taking this opportunity to assess our new third's for rank evaluations"
Some of the assembled first classes groaned. Rank evaluations usually meant babysitting the thirds in the field and taking notes for Lazard to look over.
"Now now, evaluation is necessary. You all know that. I am assigning three recruits to each of you to take out on your next missions. Half of them have had their in house evaluations," Lazard clicked a few buttons and all the Third's appeared on the large projector screen at the end of the V shaped table, "So they are ready to leave. The other half are still on-going and will need a day or so"
Lazard started handing out the groupings so Sephiroth looked at the screen. He assumed the ones with green borders were ready to go and the reds weren't. He looked for Meia and found her face, framed in red,
"…And Angeal, you will take Lee Farmer, Kain Ang and Zack Fair" Lazard finished. Three firsts, including Angeal, nodded and began scrutinising their mission briefs on the screens in front of them.
"The rest of you will get your assignments shortly, a group of six are currently being tested in the training room now" Lazard stood up and exited the room. Sephiroth and Genesis left Angeal to his work and made their way to the training room, wanting to see how the rookies were coping with their assessments. Upon entering, a few scientists, trainers and second classes were watching from the control section. The scientists were no doubt keeping an eye on their respective bosses subjects. The trainers and seconds stood to attention as the first class pair entered the room. Genesis waved to them to stand at ease as he and Sephiroth stood at the glass to watch.
The thirds were being put through a standard all round test that assessed their stamina and reflexes. The holographic room emitted a simple black façade with a luminescent grid adorning the walls. The test subjects stood in the middle, armed only with a simple stave. The concept was simple; they would be pitted against ghosts of various ranking members, asked only to defend against attacks, until one beat them. The difficulty got progressively harder of course and 'beaten' was reached after a fatal blow had been registered. The thirds wore headsets to make the program interface with them smoothly and accurately, though people on the outside could still see the ghost.
At the moment a small, timid looking SOLDIER wasn't doing very well against a Third class rank 1 ghost. The holographic display flickering behind him showed he had sustained crippling leg damage and the headset was currently telling his brain that his leg was in agony. Accordingly, the small teen couldn't place any weight on is left leg and eventually was cracked over the head, taking a 'fatal' blow. Of course the program stops before the killing takes place to avoid any unnecessary trauma. The third staggered to his feet, gingerly placing weight on his 'injured' leg, but was relieved to find it pain free. He re-joined his squad members, shaking his head and being consoled with pats on the back.
The trainer looked at the pad in his hand and requested the next combatant to step forwards. The marked difference in grace as well as softer body curves gave away who it was. They took their position in the centre of the room and the display flickered to life behind them, the words 'LeSait' confirming the SOLDIER's identity. Sephiroth felt a gentle dig in the ribs from Genesis but he ignored him. He noticed that behind them, the scientists seemed to have taken a marked interest in her and they moved forwards to better observe.
They watched as Meia sailed through the ranks of SOLDIER third class, managing ranks 7 to 1 without breaking a sweat. Next up was an infantry Captain in their distinct red uniforms. Again, it was defended against with ease. Next was a wave of infantrymen that all rushed her at once. They watched her gracefully guard and dodge most of their attacks, only suffering a glancing blow to her back which registered as a dull stinging pain. Everyone was interested now; even the cocky thirds still in the training room had stopped jeering or messing about to watch,
"She's been the best so far. There's just something about her…" The trainer addressed the room, talking to no one in particular. Now she was defending against a Second class, and although she had to exert noticeably more effort, she was still doing well for someone of her class. The ghost ended, new wounds were registering but again, they were minor and could be ignored. Genesis shook his head as the ghost of the newest member to be promoted to First Class was loaded. He was a big man, built like an Ox but because of his modified body, could move like a panther. Seemingly Meia knew that getting hit by this guy would tire her fast, so she was evading all she could, parrying anything that she couldn't dodge. After a while, the trainer stopped the ghost,
"Honestly, she's already testing at Second class standard. There's little point carrying on…she passed along time ago" His statement was met with murmurs of agreement, but one of the scientists was receiving a phone call. He nodded to himself and hung up,
"We have just received a request. Pit her against the top ranking ghost"
The group couldn't believe what they were hearing. Some of the Seconds protested but were silenced by the trainer,
"She may be doing well but the top ghost would annihilate her…what's the point of all this?"
"Hojo has requested it personally and he suggests you do as he says…" the scientists replied, not backing down. The trainer couldn't argue. He knew if he didn't his job may well be in danger. Genesis whispered to Sephiroth,
"What do you think the old creep is up too?" But he didn't reply. Sephiroth was currently wearing a mask of fury. His previous feeling of elation replaced with confusion and anger. He looked at Meia's display. She had semi-serious wounds to her legs and back and her heart rate and breathing was up. She was tired.
"LeSait, keep your headset on. I'm sorry about this…" The trainer informed her. She dropped her stance slightly, seemingly confused. She quickly re-composed however when a new program began loading. The spectators watched helplessly as her heart rate increased sharply, reacting to the sight in front of her. The holographic form of Sephiroth stepped slowly to its mark, standing ready, masamune already dangerously close to her. She backed off. The display showed she was verging on panic; and what happened next only made things worse,
"LeSait, listen carefully. Defend well…the safety protocols have been removed for this particular assessment" The scientist stated calmly. Inside the room, panic broke out. The other thirds had no desire to be locked in a room with an un-bridled hologram of Shinra's best on the loose and they scrambled to get out, piling through the door in a stampeding mass. The control room was now quite full and they heard Meia asking the trainer to stop, her plea's becoming more desperate.
Without warning the hologram made a move; Meia barely avoided it. The spectators watched in horror as she dodged and wove her way around the attacks thrown at her, the hologram gradually becoming more aggressive as it failed to hit its mark. By now she was terrified, the monitor showed her body struggling to keep up but she kept going. She knew if she didn't, the trauma caused by a fatal blow may well kill her.
Sephiroth turned to the scientist,
"Stop this. Now" He stated firmly. Although visibly disturbed, the man in the white coat shook his head. Clearly the inner conflict of facing Hojo vs. facing Sephiroth now was raging within him. A despairing scream snapped Sephiroth's head round. The display showed Meia's right leg had been virtually severed just above the knee. Her headset cut of all nerve impulses too it, registering only severe pain and it hung limply. Genesis now faced the scientist as Sephiroth decided to take action.
Meia scrambled away just in time to avoid another lethal strike. She was utterly terrified. A façade of her friend was trying to kill her. His face showed no remorse, no anger, and no joy. Only a confident smirk. She realized with a sickening jolt, that smirk was the last thing people saw if they were unlucky enough to be killed by him. He had her backed into a corner and brought his arm up…time slowed down and braced herself. She didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Her body was utterly exhausted and shaking uncontrollably. She only hoped that was able to handle the distress this deathblow would cause her.
She expected pain, but instead a strong arm pressed her against a warm chest, something soft and fragrant fell about her face and shoulders and she sensed a large presence shield her from the hologram. A second later that presence was jolted by a loud crash of metal meeting metal. She heard two swords singing in unison and she knew she was safe. Only one sword she knew of made that sound.
Sephiroth easily deflected his ghost's attacks until it calmly stopped, stepped back and began to dissipate. The room reverted back to its usual self and Sephiroth saw Genesis holding the scientist over the control panel. Seemingly he had succeeded in forcing the man to stop the program. Sephiroth gently set Meia against the wall of the room and helped her remove the headset she was wearing. Her face was white as snow and drenched in sweat. She struggled to get her breathing under control, having to take massive gulps of air to satisfy her body's demand for oxygen. Sephiroth hesitated before removing a glove and feeling her neck for a pulse; it was still racing. She needed medical attention. Gently he gathered her up and lifted her to his chest, her body weight barely registering to him. She felt so fragile, so small. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as he carried her out,
"Saving my life again…..huh sir?" She said weakly, he glanced down at her for a moment before hushing her and telling her to lie still. Again…she didn't argue.
****
…….you…i.k…….isted……ard!!!
……..ow….dare….u…..
...sy …ephi..roth. i…thin..ou….ould…leave…ojo…
No…til I have finished taking a sample. Now stand aside BOY
Sephiroth…hey, calm down.
"Get. Out." Sephiroth growled. He was livid and honestly contemplating breaking the man's neck. Hojo however, didn't leave.
"I mean it. Get out. If you really have to take a sample I'll do it. But I swear if you lay a finger on her ill snap it off"
"Tch, so violent child. I couldn't trust you to do it, only someone who knows what they are doing should take samples" He pushed his glasses up his nose. Eventually, with the help of Angeal and Genesis, Hojo was convinced to allow Sephiroth to take his wretched sample and he left. They sat by the window of the hospital room and let him cool off.
Sephiroth constantly told himself, after every encounter, that he couldn't possibly hate the man any more than he already did. But he was surprised to learn the depth of that hatred kept getting deeper. He sighed and looked at the ceiling, calming himself, before turning to face the bed that Meia was lying in. He was required to take blood from her, so he secured her arm in a tourniquet carefully. But as he reached for a fresh needle he noticed she was awake and watching him,
"What was all the shouting about…?" She asked quietly, watching Sephiroth prepare the needle and syringe. He didn't say anything. Usually he didn't allow himself to get so worked up and if he did, only Angeal and Genesis had ever seen it. He was slightly ashamed to learn Meia had heard him defending her. Ashamed…or embarrassed?
"Sephiroth was threatening to kill the guy that did this to you. Don't blame him to be honest…" Genesis said from the window after noticing Sephiroth had clammed up. Meia nodded and winced as he inserted the needle into her arm,
"Sorry. Hojo was going to take it but…" he trailed off. Angeal sighed,
"But Sephiroth wouldn't let him near you" He finished for his friend. Meia sighed and laid back,
"Thank you. Again…"
****
Meia was discharged in the evening. Although shaken, she'd suffered no actual damage and was deemed fit enough to go. She sat on her bed, reading the contents of a package that arrived for her earlier. It was a mission brief, stating she was to accompany a first class SOLDIER on a mission that would complete her assessment. She was to report to the helipad at 07:00, geared and ready to go. Meia turned in early, she was exhausted. And more afraid of SOLDIER than ever.
The morning was cold, but still. Perfect flying conditions, she thought to herself. She stood in line with two of her fellow third classes plus two regular infantrymen, waiting on the arrival of their first class commander.
"Tch, they tell us to be here at 07:00 but the commander is always late…" A tall man with cropped brown hair muttered under his breath.
"Shhh…don't say things like that" Replied the SOLDIER to his right, shorter and lighter built, "especially since this is an assessment mission"
They snapped to attention as a tall, instantly recognisable figure approached them and Meia had to supress her feelings of relief.
"Let's get going" Sephiroth addressed them, motioning the group into the helicopter.
Once in the air, he advised them they were to be conducting a routine scouting mission at a site in the mountains near the chocobo farm area. The area was being assessed by a team of geologists and engineers as a possible reactor site. Reports also showed unusually high deposits of mako in the caves that ran throughout the mountain range.
The reason they were being flown in, was due to the growing safety concerns of the science team posted there. At least two members had gone missing. The theory was they had disturbed a colony of local fauna in the cave systems and were being attacked by the angered beasts.
The sun had risen on the flight out to the town of Kalm, and they were now traveling on the road the rest of the way. Meia watched the sunrise out of a window. She wondered if she'd get a chance to talk to Sephiroth at any point during the mission. She probably shouldn't, as it was an assessment. But the previous day haunted her, and she wanted to ask him about it. She removed her helmet and set it down at her feet. Sephiroth sat opposite her with the infantrymen, but he was seemingly resting his eyes. The small third class sat next to her, the impatient one next to him. Everyone sure seemed nervous for a routine mission. It was because of Sephiroth, she concluded, and couldn't help a smirk.
They arrived at the settlement towards the evening. Meia was surprised to find a small village there; she was under the impression it would be a few tents and a rock table. As the party moved in, she noted a small Inn, a grocery store and a few quaint houses. Vegetables were growing the fields and the meadows were dotted with little patches of wildflowers. Ah, such a welcome contrast to Midgar she thought to herself. A pair of harassed looking individuals emerged from the Inn to greet them. They exchanged hurried words with Sephiroth, before gesturing to a field next to a chocobo pen. Sephiroth stared at it for a moment before nodding and the two men hurried off back to the Inn. He turned to the group,
"Well, it seems there is no room at the Inn for us, so you will sleeping in tents" No one moved,
"I trust this isn't a problem?" Sephiroth challenged. Normally, he wouldn't care what they thought as long as they did what they were told. But he had to 'assess' he reminded himself. Still, no one said anything but it was clear the mouthy Third wanted to speak,
"S-sir?" He managed at last, Sephiroth nodded for him to continue, "You said 'we'. Where are you going to stay?"
Sephiroth simply stared at him, before speaking again, "There are three tents in the chocobo stables. May I suggest you practice good decency and allow Miss LeSait her privacy. They are big enough to share between the rest of you. The meadow beside the chocobo's is an adequate site" And with that, he turned to leave, heading for the Inn.
The big brunette turned to face Meia once the commander was out of earshot,
"Privacy. Special treatment more like" He spat and stormed off to the stables. She sighed; the Third's name was Tristan Glover. Seemingly he was referring to the training room incident. He was arrogant and spoiled, a rich man's kid from the upper plates of Midgar. No doubt the concept of sleeping in a bag on a tarp floor was abhorrent to him. Meia usually paid him no heed, but on a mission…his attitude would get old fast.
She stayed in the main village. It made no sense for all the SOLDIER's to be in-disposed putting up tents, leaving the guard duty to the infantry. She'd suggested that two of them set up their tents along with Tristan and Clee, the other Third, while the last infantryman remained with her. She would put hers up when they were done.
By now the suns lingering light was fast fading. Lamps were coming on in the village; the fuel generator could be heard humming away now it was slightly quieter. Still there was no sign of her companions, even though the two infantrymen had returned. They were pleasant; seemingly they were trained to follow orders to the letter and not to question. They wouldn't be any trouble. SOLDIER's on the other hand had a tendency to believe that because they were part of the Shinra elite, they could be cocky and flippant. Meia's patience was running out, so she strode out towards the meadow.
As predicted, she found the two in their tent playing cards under an oil lamp,
"What do you two think you're doing?"
"Playing cards" Tristan grunted.
"Oh, well that's nice. What happened to relieving me so I could put my tent up?" She said, crouching down and lifting up the opening. Tristan was trying hard to keep a grin off his face. Clee looked slightly worried. Poor little Clee. Whether he liked it or not, he was along for the ride.
"Well?"
"Ah yea…sorry 'bout that. Guess we forgot"
She stood up with a huff, "well might I suggest you get up and stand guard with the others so I can sort my tent out?"
"Yea in a minute"
Meia stormed off back into the town. She just hoped those two wouldn't drag her score down. Although, she wondered, if she hated SOLDIER so much…why was she trying hard to advance up the ranks? She shook her head; something told her even if she wanted to leave, she wouldn't be allowed. Something about yesterday made her feel like a lab rat. A test subject. From what Angeal was saying to her in the hospital room, it sounded like Hojo had her pushed to the brink on purpose. This terrified her, though as usual, she did her best not to show it.
It was night-time now and still no sign of relief from either of her two 'classmates' She sighed; I can sleep on a straw bale for tonight I guess she thought to herself, perching on the edge of a large well and looking at the stars. They were so beautiful. Clusters of scintillating jewels winked at her, liberally scattered across the deep blue canvas. There was no way you could see this from Midgar; she followed the powdery trail of tightly clustered, distant stars, as they dipped to the horizon line. It was the simple things…
A clumsy, rustling sound followed by several thuds and what sounded like a raised voice drew her head back towards the meadow. A chocobo began to wark, startled by the ruckus. At first she thought something was wrong and she drew her sword, but the heavy form of Tristan accompanied by Clee emerged from behind the scattering of small tree's that partially blocked the view of the meadow. He lumbered towards her as she sheathed her sword again,
"Were here to relive you" He mumbled, looking at the ground. She looked at Clee, who scratched the back of his head and donned his helmet. Meia simply nodded and left them there, wondering what had prompted their sudden change of heart.
As the moon was full, she figured there would be enough light to put her tent up even now it was way into the night. But when she went to the small stable barn to get her tent, she found it locked. No tent. No straw. No nothing. She banged her helmeted head against the door gently, trying to reassure herself that it really wasn't that bad. Something flashed faintly to her right and she straightened up. She smiled as she got closer; she hadn't noticed it before, but behind a barrel a little way off the door was a large bag that she assumed contained a tent. But that wasn't what caught her eye. Floating gently in the breeze was a couple of very long silver threads, snagged on a rough plank of wood protruding from the barns wall. She took her gloves off and pocketed them, before gently releasing the delicate looking strands from their holding. Human hair. His hair. She ran her fingers along them; so smooth and incredibly strong. Finally she let them go and they fluttered to the ground gently. She set off to find a good spot to erect her accommodation.
The following morning she was up and dressed while the sun was still low on the horizon. The Dewey grass was frozen and crunchy beneath her bare feet as she stretched and loosened up. Several of the chocobo's were watching her closely. She's chosen a spot under a tree close to the big birds; partly for shelter, partly because they would serve as an excellent alarm system. Those were her official reasons anyway. Chocobo's were incredibly cute to her and she cooed and said 'good morning' to a rather large male that had wandered to the fence to get a better look at her.
While she yearned to go for a run, wandering off too far wouldn't be in her best interests. Especially if something happened while she was gone. Unlikely, but you never know. Instead she wandered back into the main village quietly. The morning was turning out to be quite mild, though she mused, her tolerance for lower temperatures had increased somewhat. She wondered what else the 'treatment' had done to her.
After a while she was joined by Sephiroth, who was a little startled to see her up so early,
"I thought you'd be lying in a little after last night" he mentioned after he bade her a good morning. She was still standing to attention. He sighed and led her towards the mountain path, where no guards were posted,
"You don't have to stand like that with me Meia" He watched her flinch, but still she stood straight,
"Sir, I am under the impression I'm being assessed. Therefore I wish to do all I can to pass sir!" She replied firmly.
"Then I am ordering you to relax. And stop calling me 'sir'" He lent on a large rock and folded his arms. Meia seemed to hesitate, before exhaling and bringing a hand up to scratch her neck,
"If you insist" She muttered, removing her stuffy helmet. She jumped up on the rock and sat next to him, watching the sun climb lazily into the sky.
"Hey, thanks for what you did for me the other day. I appreciate it" she said after some time. Sephiroth smiled,
"Don't mention it. I wasn't going to just let that thing injure you; it would have been a waste…"
"A waste huh…" she said quietly. Sephiroth pursed his lips; probably not the best thing to say; now he thought about it.
"You know what I mean…" he said. She looked at him, staring, until he was forced to meet her gaze. Eventually she shook her head and smiled,
"You're hopeless" she told him, which provoked a low laugh from the tall man.
"Meia, are you still afraid of SOLDIER?" he asked a short while later. She inhaled deeply,
"Honestly? Yes…more than ever. I was so angry with you back in the hospital I could have…" she paused and looked away, "…well, I could have quite easily hated you forever. If I had the strength. You said I was your friend up in the mountains. I trusted you; I told you I was afraid of SOLDIER. And then I wake up and you tell me you let them change me…" she looked at her feet. Sephiroth contained a look of anguish. At least she was talking to him about it though.
"I know. And I'm sorry. But if you want me to be honest? I would have done it many times over if it meant saving a friends life" he said calmly, looking at the sky. She nodded,
"I guess when it comes down to it; it's not that simple. Being forced to choose…I guess you think I'm an ungrateful cow"
"Not at all. I just…" he struggled to think of something to say, "I'm just glad you're well now" he finished. That would have to do.
"Sephiroth?"
"hmmm?"
"Why…did Hojo try to kill me yesterday" she asked, very quietly. This Meia was different; he heard it in her voice. This was the frightened Meia that she fought so hard to supress; the Meia he met huddled around the burner in the cabin that day. Sadistically, for now, this was the Meia he liked the most. It meant she trusted him enough to let her guard down. He took a deep breath before replying,
"SOLDIER's to Hojo…are like test subjects. He was part of the team that perfected the genetic modifications to be applied to individuals, and he developed the mako infusion technique. Every human that goes through his procedure he views as an experiment" He looked at her, "You shouldn't take it personally"
"That's a little hard to do when you're lying on the floor wondering if you're going to die…" She replied quietly. He had to give her that one.
"We're all treated the same" he lied…"and you know the three of us are here if you need anything"
She said nothing. Finally she looked at him, the golden morning sun illuminating his face and eyes and she had to look away before her stomach lurched. She smiled and nodded.
"If you'll excuse me, sir…" She said, sliding off the rock and reaching for her headgear, "I'm going to return to watch duty. Certain…individuals already think I'm getting special treatment so I don't really want to be seen with you out here…sir"
Sephiroth chuckled and shook his head, "Very good SOLDIER, carry on" And he watched her secure her helmet, salute and jog off back down the path to the village.
***
All in all, they were at the village for just under a week. The caves and surrounding land was checked for hostiles but nothing showed up. Only when the scientists went out with their instruments and gear, were they attacked. Meia made a remark about the local wildlife protecting their property and driving out anything that caused them harm, a remark that earned her some funny looks. Especially from Tristan, but Meia got her revenge, in-directly at least. A whole pack of beasts set upon the three SOLDIER's towards the end of the week when they were guarding the science team. Apparently the large man was under the impression Sephiroth would handle them but when one started savaging his arm, he was forced to re-consider.
"Moron. How can you be assessed if he takes care of everything? This is a mission not a guided tour…" Meia hissed under her breath as Tristan was tossed to the ground beside her. She un-sheathed her sword and stood ready. She still wasn't altogether comfortable using a blade, but at least she'd improved enough to be a little more confident. Still…this was the field, not a holo-room. Wounds out here were real. Tristan scrambled away as one of the large feline beasts rounded on her and pounced. She brought her sword up and shoved it away when it made contact with the flat of her blade. She hated the thought of having to harm them. It was circling her now, swiping with its paws which she parried with relative ease. Tristan, thinking this was a good window to attack, attempted to strike the creature from behind, but it was faster than him and delivered a powerful buck, both hind paws ramming into the big man's torso which sent him reeling. Meia shook her head; such a professional. Clee had managed to shepherd the scientists away down the path, leaving her and Tristan to take care of the animals. One tried to give chase, but was startled away by a well-aimed bolt from the small SOLDIER, who was for some reason very adept with materia. Three were now circling the two SOLDIERS', growling and snapping at them. Tristan's arm had stopped bleeding so heavily but it was clearly giving him some bother. Still, he decided that rushing and charging again was the best thing to do so, with a hefty over dramatic bellow, he ran at the closest beast. Meia watched as he hacked and slashed with no great accuracy or technique. But at least he formed a diversion; the three large cats were now completely ignoring her. One tried to leap cleanly over her head to attack him but Meia quickly and precisely jabbed upwards with her blade, ending the beast's life instantly. It crashed into a lifeless heap behind Tristan who leapt away in shock. Now she had their attention. One of the remaining two snarled hideously at her and prepared to pounce. As it sprang forward, she gracefully sidestepped and beheaded it, almost faster than she realized what happened. She turned to face the last one, which was in the process of shaking Tristan's helmet in its mouth, crushing it like a tin can.
"You gonna kill that Mr Glover, or would you like a hand?" She remarked flippantly.
"Screw you! I can kill it…watch me!" He yelled in reply, brandishing his sword and charging again. Meia shook her head. He dealt a few blows, but most of them glanced off and only served to aggravate the beast further. Tristan's foot snagged on a tree root and he dove forwards, somehow managing to cling to the monsters back. He cried in triumph but his face quickly changed to horror as the powerful animal reared up in anger and frustration, crashing right over onto its back, knocking Tristan out. Before it could recover and finish him off, Meia drove her sword into its ribcage through its heart and back out again. It slumped to the ground and Meia observed the carnage, muttering a solemn apology quietly. Replacing her sword on her back, she felt Tristan's neck for a pulse. He was alive so she hoisted him up on her shoulder, not caring if her pauldrons would leave bruises or not. She was surprised at how easy it was to carry a full grown man like this now, but still…she made the ride as bumpy as possible as she jogged and skipped back down the path.
When she was far enough away, Sephiroth deftly jumped down from the tree he was perched in. He'd watched the whole fight from his leafy vantage point. He checked the animals to make sure they were terminated and found, as he knew, that to be the case. All taken out with one swing, admirable. He noted that even though she was afraid and hesitant, when it was required of her, she could defiantly deliver. Almost as if she was programed and reacting out of instinct. He dragged the bodies all into a pile before incinerating them.
A villager's scream sounded out from down the path and he turned towards the sound. Another yell and he descended the path to find out what was happening. What appeared to be some sort of alpha pack leader with two subordinates was in the town centre. No civilians appeared to be hurt; indeed all of them had fled to the relative safety of their houses. He decided watching this time wasn't an option. The pack leader was a lot larger than its flunkies and seemingly a lot more vicious. Before he could act however, an infantryman who had succeeded in killing one of the smaller animals was set upon by its furious leader. The man screamed in terror as the beast clamped its jaws about his torso and squeezed. By now Meia and Clee had killed the last of the small animals and watched helplessly as the doomed infantryman was torn to pieces, blood and gore raining to the ground below. The huge beast stood tall and let out an almighty roar before turning to leave; its message delivered clearly for all to see. Sephiroth knew allowing it to live would count as a fail on his mission report, which wasn't something he tolerated. Summoning his sword he took off in pursuit, closing the distance between them effortlessly, and killed the thing before it realised it was being followed. He walked back to the village, where some of the braver inhabitants came out to observe the grizzly scene. The two remaining infantrymen stood with their heads bowed in silent grief. Meia was patting a vomiting Clee on the back; it looked as though he'd never witnessed anything like that before. Tristan was regaining consciousness under the tree he was dumped at.
Sephiroth simply stood and watched. And wondered; if he was fast enough, he could have saved that man. But he didn't. He'd simply stood and watched it destroy him. It reminded him of the mako reactor at Howl's summit except this time he didn't feel grief. He didn't feel regret or frustration at himself. He could accept this time it was just part of the job. He looked at Meia, who was reassuring some of the village folk. Why did she invoke such feelings from him? Had that been her in the beast's mouth…he was willing to bet he would have moved to save her. He realized just how much he did care about her and he shook his head.
Later that day they departed, the scientists went with them as their jobs were done. For now. On the way back, Meia had sat next to her friend, not wanting the company of Tristan again. She had a headache and sitting as far away from him as possible was preferable. She'd even made sure she sat on the edge of the seat closest to the back door, forcing Sephiroth to block him from her.
It wasn't enough.
The large oaf assumed that only he and Meia were present at the scuffle with the beasts up the path. He was now telling Clee how well he fought, how his bravery formed the backbone of their assault. She tried to block him out. She didn't care that he was trying to claim the fame. She knew Sephiroth was there, she'd peeked at his mission report he'd left 'lying' around on his personal pad. She knew the right version was on file. But his voice was getting annoying and her headache was getting worse. She'd tried to cure it with materia but the force of having to concentrate to use it counter-acted its effects and it just ended up slightly worse than before. She wasn't very good with materia yet.
Tristan kept talking for a few hours, about useless crap mostly after he'd exhausted his original material source. Meia removed her helmet again and massaged her temples. By her reckoning they were still three hours out from Kalm and her patience wearing thin.
Sephiroth's eyes opened slightly, sensing her movement and he watched her. She looked tired; the attack before they left must have been trying. Losing an infantryman was a harsh reality they all had to face. Tristan seemed to only be interested in himself. Clee was notably shaken and not paying any attention to his blabbering colleague. The remaining infantrymen were shaken too, but they had more experience and were coping. Meia was holding her head in her hands now so he asked her quietly if she was feeling alright,
"I just have a splitting headache…" she replied in a whisper. Sephiroth watched her, hesitating, before removing a glove and gently resting his naked hand on her crown. Ah yes, he felt the throbbing ache pulsing away somewhere at the front of her head and he used his own materia to calm and soothe it. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice her hair; soft and smooth with a gentle warmth coming from her scalp.
He rarely touched anyone without his gloves on, he'd worn them for as long as he could remember and he simply didn't have anyone around when he took them off. After meeting Angeal and Genesis that changed and sometimes during off time when they were doing something together he'd touch one of them. A brush of fingers while passing objects to one another was most common and he didn't have a problem with them touching him. But his own fingertips had grown to be far too intimate and he avoided touching people with bare skin if he could help it. It wasn't a level of intimacy he was comfortable with. But he had discovered he had no problem with Meia. He didn't have to remove his glove, but he chose too. Something he wouldn't usually do. Feeling her life under his fingertips a week ago in the training room was almost thrilling for him and he was half glad he was angry at Hojo, or people may have been able to see an altogether different flush on his face.
He removed his hand and re-gloved it. It was only a momentary heal, but at least he'd eased it for her. He sat and reflected for a moment; that was quite unlike him. He'd been doing a lot of things that were unlike him lately. Meia straightened and blinked, mostly pain free and she looked at him, smiling a 'thank you'. It would come back, but hopefully they would be at Kalm by then and he could help her in peace. He nodded slightly and rested his head on the side of the truck again,
"Mr Glover kindly shut up now, before we all have headaches" He stated firmly before closing his eyes again. Tristan was silent for the remainder of the trip.