Nibelheim had burned, a hero had been misplaced, and a villain was born, but all of this trouble was unimaginable and unknown to a young flower girl of the slums. These days Aerith was more concerned with the fact that Zack had stopped replying to her letters, more concerned that perhaps he had lost interest, or grown tired of a meaningless friendship, never did the thought occur that he was in some sort of danger. And what of Genesis, her thoughts were always stormy when she thought of the scarlet clad warrior, the new letters she wrote had gone unread by the windowsill till inevitably, she stopped writing.
Life went on in Midgar, rumours flew about the deaths of first class SOLDIERS and the possible end of Shinra's SOLDIER department, all this went unheard or ignored by the young girl. Her attention was now focused on her flowers and her small "unofficial" business. Elmyra's attention was now solely on the heightened presence of Turks in their district, she swore that every flash of black behind her vision was one of the deadly spies, and that paranoia had kept her daughter locked inside on many an occasion.
Aerith could care less about the looming shadows around her, sometimes to herself she wished Tseng would kidnap her and haul her off to the Shinra, perhaps then she might see Genesis along the way. The thought of the redhead trapped and beaten in some prison cell tortured her to the core, almost as much as the thought of herself being locked in a lab somewhere, she shuddered imagining the burning smell of antiseptic and the sting of cold bars on her bare skin. She retracted her statement, she truly hoped Tseng or any of the Turks would never catch her.
Speaking of the devil, Aerith knew he was here today. Tseng was never stealth about his presence, although she knew he definitely could be, it was almost an unspoken code between the two that he wouldn't watch her without first making himself known. Of course he never showed himself directly, it was always small things, the squeaking of a rotten floorboard, the quick murmur of a camera, sometimes the shadow of a navy suit if she was lucky.
It was his aftershave that gave him away today, the smell was unforgettable, saved in her senses from an early childhood of crying into his shoulder, a subtle smell that was strong with musk and orelander.
"Hello again."
Her own voice echoed back to her from the stained glass windows, the squeak of leather was the only reply.
"It's nice to see you again, Tseng."
He appeared from behind an old stone column, straight and professional with an unreadable mask, she almost gasped, he never revealed himself to her.
"You've been meddling."
She tilted her head to the side, confused and curious and oh so naive, it was that expression that always made his breath hitch.
"Sorry?"
He moved closer to her sitting frame, his footfalls made no sound and Aerith was briefly jealous of this trait.
"I wish you didn't, you've made things very complicated at Shinra."
Rosy pink lips frowned only slightly, "I'm really not sure what you mean."
"Genesis."
The girl's eyes went wide, mouth suddenly dry she felt a colour rising to her cheeks. She prayed for it to go unnoticed, least she give away their secret, but Tseng was a vulture in disguise and his eyes never missed a sign of weakness.
"His betrayal was bad enough for the company, but now Sephiroth's dead and our company is faced with its worst loss yet. What could possibly pull Shinra out of ruin now? The Ancients, of course."
Black brows pulled together in a condescending way, "How unfortunate that you're the only one left, even more unfortunate that we know where you are."
This was it, this moment was the one she was supposed to fear for the rest of her life, the day Shinra finally came for her. Something churned in her stomach, dread perhaps but certainly not fear. Her face softened, "So you've finally come to take me away?"
Tseng nodded slowly, almost black eyes drinking in her expression.
"They'll experiment on me again hmm? Exploit me for their greedy purposes."
A split second of some mysterious ache crossed the Turk's face, she caught it and smiled.
"Then I'm sorry you had to be the one to bring me in."
Arms enveloped her in a grip, strong, fast, and deadly. Aerith closed her eyes and held her breath waiting for the cold metal of a gun. Nothing came just a strength that kept her pinned to his chest, the starchy fabric of his pressed suit scratched at her cheek.
"My sincerest apologies, Aerith."
She believed him too.
OOOO
She stayed pressed to his side the whole way there, the train ride to the upper plate had been done in absolute silence. Aerith remembered a time not so long ago, when she had sat in this very tram with her mother on her birthday. Nausea swept her instantly and she turned to the Wutai native beside her.
"M-my mother, she doesn't know."
"All will be explained to her soon, one of my associates will see to it."
His voice was clipped, almost strained, face pale in the fluorescent light. Aerith wanted to cry but she held it in, she was getting too old for that anyhow.
"Will I ever see her again?"
"Maybe."
She scanned his face, daring him to make eye contact with the heartbroken girl beside him, he didn't and she took his answer as a definite no. Suddenly bitter Aerith scanned her feet hotly, noticing the dirty smudges on the pink bows.
"I hope they kill me."
Tseng's head snapped to her, pencil thin lips almost turning in surprise, "Why?"
"Killing me would be the nicest thing those scientists could do to me."
The rest of the trip Aerith tried to distance herself from the Turk, feeling an undeserved hatred for the man who was delivering her to her execution. Tseng could turn around, could even let her go, but he was no rebel. He'd turn her in out of loyalty to his company, not daring to raise resistance, Tseng was no Genesis.
The further she pushed from the man's suited frame the closer he got, by the time they reached the Shinra building he was gripping her tightly by the arm. The pressure was tense, and once or twice she could swear she saw his arm shake with desperation.
OOOO
Inside the lobby Aerith was stunned, emerald eyes moved in a trance while watching the display around her. Pretty secretaries and pencil pushers moved in a blur from elevator to elevator, the massive glass contraptions looked interesting yet frightening. Everything was white, the sheer pristine floors and walls assaulted her eyes, even the assembly of lounge chairs for the waiting public were white. No one glanced at the obvious Turk or the young lady beside him, even if she made a scene here she doubted it would go noticed amongst the alternating mass.
As if reading her thoughts Tseng jerked her arm, "Behave."
She followed his lead without question, leaving behind the busy lobby for a quiet corridor, her eyes couldn't make out the scenery before, they passed an innumerable amount of doors, and must have darted through a dozen hallways before it hit her.
She smelt the bleach firstly, a strong potent odour that masked what surely was death or evasive science. The white walls had changed into a dull grey, her footfalls echoed in her ears and there wasn't a soul insight. This was the science department surely, a lump formed in her throat and she slowed her pace. Tseng didn't push her forward, the ominous shadow merely matched her gait pace for pace. The tears came now, fast and heavy, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop them. She stopped in her tracks and held fast to the sleeves of the Turk.
"Please, let me go! I beg you!"
His face blurred before her with her tears, he drew closer, aftershave masking the waiting death. His expression was torn, a hand clasped her neck softly and she leaned into the comforting weight.
"I'm sorry, it is beyond my power."
A syringe was pushed into the column of her bony neck, a quick sting and the soft gasp of sick surprise. The hallway darkened instantly as the girl felt her limbs go numb, she remembered falling into his embrace lastly.
OOOO
Voices murmured to her in the depths of her sub-conscience, too many to count and almost deafening with their urgent pleas. Somewhere far away Aerith thought she heard laughter, nasally and cruel. Then the voices stopped and only one spoke loud and clear, "Wake up, my love."
Her mother.
"Mom?"
"Don't be afraid, little one."
Someone or something poked the flesh of her stomach painfully, green eyes opened instantly and were blinded by white lights.
"Aha! The specimen is awake!"
A man looked down on her, wire-rimmed glasses reflecting the light, his facial features were jagged and sharp, his nose more prominently so. She winced when her eyes were unable to adjust to the surgical lamp hanging above her head. Her body still felt numb, arms and legs too heavy to move, and she found it hard to focus her mind on the rather dire situation.
Tseng, that terribly clever man. It made sense now, he had injected her with a heavy pain tranquilizer, the last parting gift of a former friend.
"Her name is Aerith."
A second voice interrupted her thoughts, it sounded strangely familiar but she couldn't quite place it.
"Bah! A terribly human name! I shall change it, she is an Ancient after all."
A figure moved closer in the line of her peripheral vision, still too far for her to recognize.
"I cannot wait to start the experiment!" The grotesque man in the white lab coat stated, long fingers dragging across his chin.
"Let her rest, Hojo. She's been through a lot today."
This man Hojo, frowned darkly and it was a frightening sight, "Do not tell me what to do Turk!"
A navy figure shifted uncomfortably, "You might further damage the specimen, she is only an adolescent by her race's standards."
Black eyebrows peppered with grey seemed to slacken, "Hmm, maybe your right. Put her back in the holding cell for now."
The examination table she was on moved out from under her, wheels squeaking dully in her ears.
"Thank you, Tseng."
xxxxxxx
Note: Enter Tseng. Hahaha, where am I going with this? Wait and see my loveys. No worries though, Genesis will still be making an appearance.
