I do not own Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core, nor any of the characters mentioned in this fic!
"People talking"
'People thinking'
Fair talking
-xXXXx-
"How positive are you that this will work?" Zack asked uncomfortably.
It can't not work, Fair replied, sounding like he was grinning. It's so simple it won't matter if it fails.
"Yea, but I'm not even supposed to know about this stuff," Zack bemoaned. "I'll be so screwed if we get caught. What would Angeal say?"
You won't get caught, Fair assured. That part of the library can't be seen on the security cameras, and before you ask, yes, I'm positive.
"Isn't he still hurt badly though? Why is he still going to Wutai?"
Because Genesis Rhapsodos is a stubborn sonovabitch who just won't stay down. Now, come on! We're running out of time. Hurry up and get to the SOLDIER floor! We still have to get to the library,too.
"Alright, alright," Zack muttered.
-xXx-
Commander Genesis Rhapsodos was not in a good mood.
His shoulder hurt, it still wouldn't fucking heal, and he was so goddamned busy he felt lightheaded. Which, in light of his most recent wound, was probably not a good thing.
He had several stacks of folders and binders with him, with his beloved Loveless sat neatly on top, quickly walking to the conference room to go over the campaign with several of the company's officials and military leaders. His book was out if it's normal spot in the left pocket of his coat because he was trying to keep as much weight off his left shoulder as he possibly could, an his right pocket was filled with materia.
As he rounded a corner, a secretary stumbled right into the Commander, having tripped over his own feet and sending several of Genesis' documents scattering.
"Damnit!" Genesis snapped, much to the terror of the secretary. He leaned down to pick up the papers that had fallen, barely managing to hold a wince when the movement pulled at his wound painfully. He snatched his papers the continuously apologizing secretary had picked up with an impatient growl and continued on his way, not noticing his missing Loveless book.
-xXx-
"It worked," Zack gaped disbelievingly, feeling rather evil at the moment as he hid behind the corner Genesis had just passed.
Told ya, Fair boasted. Contrary to popular belief, I can actually use my head.
"How did you know they would cross each others paths right there?"
I was keeping watch. The secretary was running errands to and from the SOLDIER floor all day, so he was bound to run into Genesis at some time. Add a little trip wire in the right place, and boom! Perfect opportunity to get Loveless.
"I... Wow."
Yes, I know, I'm amazing~ Now hurry up, we still have to get to the library!
-xXx-
Genesis growled when he realized his book was nowhere to be found, checking the floor of the conference room and double-checking his pockets. How had he lasted the whole meeting without noticing his book, which he kept on his person at almost all times, was missing?
"Genesis?" Angeal asked with a raised brow at his harried friend.
"I can't find Loveless," Genesis scowled. "The secretary that ran into me must have picked it up."
"Are you sure you just didn't leave it behind?" Angeal questioned.
Genesis shook his head with a frown. "The floor was bare when I walked away." He only had two copies of Loveless. The one he carried around always, and a special edition he wouldn't dare take out of his rooms. The problem is, he was about to leave for Wutai, and he would go absolutely crazy if he didn't have any reading material to keep him distracted.
"The library has a copy," Angeal suggested. "You could borrow that one and buy another when you return."
Genesis sneered at the thought of having to wait until he got back from Wutai to get a new copy, but grudgingly accepted that he would rather have a book he could hardly call his own than going without Loveless for several weeks.
"I have a few hours before I leave," Genesis sighed angrily. "I guess I'll go check it out."
Angeal rose an eyebrow and smirked slightly, "If it bothers you that much, I could get you a copy and send it to you."
Genesis sighed in relief. "You're a saint, Angeal."
Like usual, Shinra's library was almost empty, save for the librarian and the occasional reader. Genesis easily made his way to where the library's copy of Loveless was, spotting the book in less than a few seconds and quickly plucking it off the shelf. He had the book checked out in less than ten minutes and then was heading to his apartment to make sure he had everything he needed.
When he arrived, he had just tossed the book onto the couch when a flash of white caught his eye. A piece of folded paper, about the size of a note card, was sticking out of the book. Curiosity getting the better of him, he picked it up and quickly scanned the note.
To Genesis-
The cure for your degradation is at Shinra.
The note, though vague and extremely short, made Genesis freeze in alarm. Someone, he knew it was not one of the only three people that should know about his degradation since he could recognize their handwriting, knew.
-xXx-
"Is he staying?" Zack asked, shutting the door to his apartment.
We're not trying to make him stay, Fair replied. And he's reading it right now.
"Wait, if we're not trying to make him stay, what was the whole point of that?" Zack complained.
To make him interested. He knows that someone here, someone he doesn't know, knows about his condition and might know the cure. He won't go MIA when he knows that someone might either use this knowledge against him or help him.
"I guess that's the most we can do?" Zack sighed.
For now, Fair confirmed.
-xXx-
Short
Whicket's Adventure:
Whicket was bored.
That was an understatement, actually.
But, yes, he was bored to the Northern Crater and back and he missed. His. Papa!
The baby dragon made a pleading noise at the door, hoping his Papa would hear him and come back. He had left some time ago, setting Whicket down in the living room and giving him some very stern words that Whicket, being the rather intelligent creature he was, understood as a warning to behave.
And he had behaved! He had even protected the house from the terrible screeching machine on the table beside his Papa's bed! He knew it was evil, with the way Sephiroth glared at it when it woke him up.
Well. Whicket's chest puffed out proudly. It had been evil. Now it was just a piece of twisted and chewed-on scrap metal.
A sudden pounding outside the door his Papa left through made him start and puff a small flame at the metal door.
"How many times has this damn mutt gotten loose now, yo? And why are we the ones getting it again? I swear, this thing is more trouble than it's worth! And it's a pure-bred! So that's a lot!"
"If the Vice-President heard you saying that..."
"Eh, so what? He freaking owes us, yo..."
"He signs our checks, Reno."
"No, Veld signs our checks."
Whicket growled warningly at the voices before scuttling into the kitchen for his food.
You see, the thing about dragons is you can't exactly buy food for them at the store. So Sephiroth was stuck going into the shadier parts of the plate and retrieving some of the overgrown rats there. Fortunately, they were the perfect size for Whicket. Unfortunately, sooner or later Whicket would be needing larger meals. Like a cow or two.
So as he scarfed down his last rat, something flicking past the window above the sink caught his attention. Curiously, he turned and stared at the window in hopes of seeing it again. Just when he thought he had imagined it, he saw it again. Some kind of long, black-ish blue object was whipping past the window.
He quickly scurried on to the table with the help of the chair and leapt across the expanse of space between the table and the counter. Climbing up onto the window sill, he curiously looked down at the odd creature he saw sitting on the narrow ledge. It looked like a dog, though of course Whicket didn't know what a dog was, with very dark skin and a tail-like projection jutting out of the back of its neck.
It turned and saw Whicket, and, almost disinterestedly, raised its muzzle in a half-hearted attempt to smell the dragon. But the movement startled Whicket, who fell back into the sink with a squeak. He quickly jumped up, looking around wildly as if to ask if anyone saw that! The creature had threatened him! How dare he!
So, being the valiant warrior that he is, Whicket charged at the window in hopes of headbutting the stupid thing of the building!
And, of course, the window was flung open, and Whicket tumbled past Dark Nation and off the ledge the fall to the one ten or so feet below it.
He just about freaked out when he realized where he was, hundreds of feet above the ground. He looked around, seeing that he had about four feet of space. Oh, no!
He turned his head towards the window he had fallen from and started up a cacophony of sounds in hope that his Papa would hear him. A movement in the side of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see several bewildered human faces pressed against the glass. He spat a small fireball at them, because they were unimportant and because he just could. When he looked back up at the window, he saw the Guard Hound perched lazily on the edge. He started growling at the devious monster. He had led him into a trap!
Dark Nation just looked down at him as if asking if he really thought he was intimidating. Whicket shot a flame at him in indignation. With a shrug, Dark Nation lumbered to his feet and easily leapt down to a hissing Whicket's ledge. The faces in the window were gawking now, but Whicket still paid them no attention because they were still unimportant.
Dark Nation stared at the small dragon for a while, who had quieted and was watching him warily, before he seemed to shrug again and knelt down so that he was eye-level with Whicket. Some sort of understanding seemed to pass between them as the dragon nodded and he climbed onto Dark Nation's back, clinging tightly as the Guard Hound jumped from the ledge, much to the bewilderment of the office workers.
-xXx-
I guess you could say one Private Cloud Strife was understandably confused when he walked out of the Shinra building. He didn't expect to see the Vice President making 'come here' motions to something beyond Cloud's sight, as well as Reno attempting to scale the building and Rude standing there stoically. Curiosity getting the better of him, he turned around and backed up until he could see what they were trying to reach.
"Whicket!" he immediately scolded. "What are you doing outside!"
The tiny dragon looked over the lowest ledge curiously, perched beside a Guard Hound, of all things. Dark Nation looked boredly, with some amusement, but mostly boredom, at the red-headed Turk not five feet from him attempting the retrieve him. He let the foolish human think he could win for a few seconds before using his tail to knock him to the ground.
"Bitch!"
Rufus Shinra sighed angrily and looked down at the private with narrowed eyes. "Is this your doing?"
"No, sir," Cloud replied with a grimace, resisting the urge to snap at the man. He was wearing a cadet uniform, for Shiva's sake, did he look like security would let him anywhere near the building with a Gaia-damned dragon? "I just know him, that's all."
Whicket let out a coo when he recognized the blond human. He was nice! Maybe he would take him to his Papa! With that, he leapt from the ledge and glided easily until he landed on Cloud's outstretched arm.
"Sir," Cloud nodded to Rufus before turning and walking back into the building with his phone already up to his ear.
Whicket was feeling pretty good about himself and the adventure he had that day, but the stern green eyes looking at him later made him think that maybe he could have behaved a little more.
-xXXXx-
Lol, idk where that came from. I just wrote it and decided I'd post it. You like?
What makes me sad is that as I was typing this my brother was playing Skyrim and killing dragons. :(
But on a happier note, I am making Valentine's chocolates this weekend! And I've got friends coming over to help, so I'm super excited. And craving chocolate.
Woah. I just realized spell check changed 'themselves' into 'Themistocles' a few chapters back. What does that even mean? Oh, it's a person. Athenian, apparently. Excuse me while I go fix things!
You guys are awesome, just saying. :)
