"I know it is very quick, but I have a mission for you, Eloise."

After Genesis left, Eloise had gotten a call from Lazard. He sounded very enthusiastic for some reason. There were big chances he had a few secret plans for her if he figured she hid the file containing the Jenova Project.

Or, there were slim chances for it to be a normal mission. She didn't know and didn't want to know.

"It's simple, really. After what happened to your team the last time, I decided to pair you up with a higher ranked SOLDIER." He started as he pushed a few buttons, the screen in his office rolling down.

"You're giving me a mission? Only me?" Eloise asked, underlining what was strange to her.

"And a higher ranked SOLDIER." He repeated, a bright smile on his face.

She was ready to question her boss more, but the door opened and Lazard's attention shifted.

"Angeal! I am very pleased you accepted this mission!"

It might have been childish, but Eloise sighed in relief. When she heard the words high ranked SOLIDER she only thought about what was worse and forgot about Angeal. It was such a relief.

Angeal stopped right beside her and gave her a soft smile. It looked completely different from Genesis' or Sephiroth's. Those two were so uptight all the time, hiding their emotions behind cold eyes. Angeal wasn't like that. He was warm and friendly.

"Like I said, the mission is simple. You have to recover a package from Sector 8. I know it's on the other side of Midgar, that's why I chose you two. Shinra needs this package. I'm counting on you two." Lazard finished, his eyes looking specifically at Eloise.

Angeal nodded and grabbed the files from Lazard. He saluted his boss and walked out. Eloise was ready to exit as well, but Lazard stopped her.

"What is it, sir?" She asked expectantly.

He smirked, knowing exactly how her mission was going to degenerate.

"I want that package as quick as possible. I don't care what happens. Take it at any cost."

Eloise nodded and walked into the hall with no commentaries left.


"Isn't this exciting, Eloise?"

Like always, Zack was tagging around his mentor. When he heard Angeal and Eloise were going on a mission together, his excitement only grew.

"Can you stop following me? Go follow Angeal, or something..."

He shook his head and placed his hands into his pockets. As they were walking side by side, their familiar black hair, blue eyes and behavior were so alike. It was unbelievable how much they looked alike but at the same time, they didn't.

"You are my beloved sister whom I haven't seen in a long time. You became a SOLDIER and we live in the same building. I want us to become closer, not grow further apart."

His sincerity and emotion were overwhelming. Eloise actually felt sorry for always forgetting about her older brother. It seemed she was spending more time with people she just met instead of spending bonding time with her brother.

"I promise we will get family time, Zack. After this mission, we'll spend time together." She smiled widely and hugged him from the side.

In the end, Zack followed Eloise to her room and even in the bathroom. She pushed him outside laughing but he was confused. It never seemed to be a problem when they were children, but they were older now. She needed her space and she made it very clear that she was a growing woman. Zack pouted after she explained her point and groggily walked towards her bed.

She was ready in a matter of minutes before she grabbed her sword and jacket and met Angeal in the lounge.

"Good luck. Try not to fall asleep!"

Eloise narrowed her eyes in confusion. What did Zack mean by that?

Since the mission was in Midgar, the helicopter wasn't needed so Reno's chance to meet Eloise was slim.

On the other side, the silence between her and Angeal was serene. He was a man of few words and she loved that. It was a good break from her complicated life; there was nothing to be discussed about scientific projects or fussy human beings.

"Do you know what we must retrieve?" She asked the older man.

Angeal glanced at the young SOLDIER and noticed just how different she was in missions compared to Zack. As far as he was concerned, he liked her best. She wasn't trying to animate the atmosphere but she wasn't awkward either.

"It is a crystal. There are rumors about a new way to heal. Shinra needs the crystal in order to experiment."

"Do you know why we were teamed up?"

Angeal's lips curved into a teasing smirk.

"Are you disappointed?"

"No! No! Really. I just never got the chance to talk to you properly. It's always-" Eloise stopped before saying anything that could put her in an awkward position.

Angeal raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. His intense blue eyes were making her feel nervous. Since she wasn't speaking anymore, Angeal walked closer to her and ruffled her hair.

"I know what you mean. But, Eloise, we don't have to talk much in order to understand our intentions."

"It's overwhelming. I found so many new things about me in these few weeks. Too many..." She mumbled, frowning. Just the quick remind of what she had gone through in the last few days was making her blood boil.

"Relax. Stop worrying about anything but this mission."

Eloise sighed and rubbed her hands together, getting very anxious.

"Do you know what happened in my last mission?" The girl asked, feeling regret and disappointment. "It was a trap. I tried to take the role of the leader but it didn't go well."

"So I have heard..." His monotone voice didn't ease her worries. "You worried your mentor. It was the first time in years that I had the pleasure to see Sephiroth and Genesis worried for the same reason." He added, smirking bemusedly.

"Sephiroth seems like a busy man. He must have a lot of work to do."

Angeal knew where she was leading to. She was thinking of herself as unworthy and burdensome for her mentor.

"He does but he likes to train in his spare time. He also likes to train you." Angeal assured her softly.

Sephiroth was a great inspiration. He was a true hero, from every aspect, perfect and even though she knew how unstable perfection was, she couldn't care less. For Eloise, Sephiroth was just so precious.


The two walked in silence for the rest of the way. Sector 8 was small but it was known as a dangerous zone. No one knew what kinds of monsters were lurking in the dark and just what kind of people were moving in the shadows.

Unfortunately, it was already dark when they got there. The feeling of paranoia came back and Eloise felt entrapped. Angeal wasn't content with their situation either and would look every so often over his shoulder, just in case.

"Are you alright?" Angeal asked when he noticed how tight she was gripping her sword.

It was silent but it didn't seem right, like before. It was the silence before the storm. Both SOLDIERs could feel the tension rising in the air. They were turning a corner when something touched Eloise's ankle. She brushed it off as some garbage or something but a few minutes later she felt it again. the girl swallowed nervously and tried not to look down at her legs. It felt like a ghost was playing mind tricks on her.

"Angeal, I think something is terribly wrong in this sec-"

When she raised her head, she found no Angeal. Instead, heavy fog appeared out of nowhere, so thick that she could hardly see beyond it. What if there were real ghosts? How was she going to fight that?

Eloise froze when she heard a loud growl coming from behind her. She turned, very slowly, and faced a pair of red eyes. Her reflexes helped greatly when the creature launched at her, forcing her to block its ferocious fangs with her sword. From what she could see, it looked like a big creature with fangs that were bigger than his mouth and eyes poking out of their sockets. The creature jumped back and vanished right before her eyes before she felt a cold hand touch her shoulder.

"Eloise, are you alright?"

She spun around only to face Angeal's worried face. The fog cleared up and she found herself back on the street.

"What did just happen?" She mumbled, looking around in confusion.

"What do you mean? Have you been attacked?"

After the fog cleared up completely, they hurried to the nearest bar. It looked horrible and torn apart but it was in use. After such an experience, Eloise needed alcohol. She drank three beers until she calmed down. Angeal was surprised.

"Are you even allowed to drink?"

He wasn't sure what to do since she drank so fast and so many. He didn't need her drunk. They had a mission.

"I am fine. I'm not as young as you think."

Angeal grew curious. Exactly how old she was? He knew she was a few years younger than Zack but that depended. Was she 18? Or maybe 20? He wasn't sure.

"What happened back there? One minute you were behind me and in the next, you were gone."

"You didn't see the fog?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "It just came out of thin air. And that creature looked rabid, whatever it was. Its eyes were glowing red. It was scary." She tried to give him details but she didn't have the time to look at it closely. "I am not crazy." Eloise added, just in case.

"I believe you."

She doubted that. He didn't see what she saw.


They still had to get the crystal from the intermediate person and hurry back to Shinra. Surprisingly, nothing really happened afterwards and unlike what Eloise expected, the person was already there when they arrived. Angeal took the box and Eloise followed him closely, not once looking behind. They got back to Shinra suspiciously fast.

Lazard was excited to see the two. He grabbed the box from Angeal and opened it, uncovering the crystal. Eloise's eyes widened when she saw the gem: the crystal was exactly the same color as the creature's eyes. It was intense and she felt drawn to it. When she leaned a little bit closer she heard that dangerous growl again.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lazard asked, proud.

Eloise didn't respond, only stared ahead blankly. Angeal was watching from behind; he had many questions but he was sure Eloise will act nonchalantly and prefer to keep it to herself.


After they have been enthusiastically shooed out of Lazard's office, Eloise walked to the elevator in a trance. She was sure that no one was going to believe her but she knew what she felt. That creature felt very real.

She jumped when someone touched her and almost hit the pretty face of Genesis.

"Have you felt the need to hit me for long?" He asked in that certain smart ass manner of his.

She scoffed and turned her back on him.

"I don't feel like seeing your face today."

The redhead chuckled and took his rightful seat beside her.

The elevator arrived shortly after Genesis made his appearance. They entered in silence and he hit the button for her floor.

"Did something happen in this mission, as well?" He asked with a cocky smirk.

She bit her lip, trying to keep silent. Genesis wasn't going to accept that as an answer.

"I take-"

"It was fine. Nothing happened. It went well." Eloise responded coldly.

Genesis watched bewildered as the young girl walked out of the elevator once the doors opened. She responded quickly and walked away even faster.

Once inside her room, Eloise jumped on the bed and covered her face with the pillow. She closed her eyes and hoped for a dreamless sleep.

Red eyes.

Everything she could see in the dark was that pair of intense red eyes. She tried to move but her arms and legs were restrained; she was chained to a wall.

That familiar growl resonated through the void. Eloise didn't feel scared but she was anxious. The creature appeared in front of her, moving closer slowly, like it was enjoying every second of it. Suddenly, someone forced her head to the side and she couldn't have a clear view of the wolf.

"Take care what eyes you trust, Eloise."

She tried desperately to turn her head but the force keeping her there was too strong. From the corner of her eye, she only saw the shadow of a wolf morphing into a person. Her eyes widened. The anonymous person turned her head back to him and she gasped.

"Eloise, wake up!"

She woke up with a jolt, scaring the hell out of Zack and almost hitting him in the face. She was gasping and her hands were tingling. As she calmed down and realized it was nothing but a dream, her eyes met the beautiful pair of blue eyes watching her from the door. Leaning against the frame was Genesis and for a moment, Eloise had the feeling she knew what that dream was about.