Edit: 4/22/10

(a/n): Pointless filler chapter ensues. –head desk- I wrote this when I was just about to give up on this story. I was planning on writing twenty five chapters for the entire story and ending abruptly. But that would be quite heartless. Thanks be to PSPGamerGirl, that will never happen. So you can imagine the amount of inspiration I had while I wrote this out. (answer: none)

Sorry, no Genesis. Version 1 of this chapter was tragic; unfortunately, there was quite a bit of Genesis in it, followed by intoxicating fluff, OOC-ness, and Mary-Sue characteristics that was implied by Nikki. That will not happen again. Thanks to my reviewers, they so nicely let me know that fact. So I rewrote the chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Nein. Nicht.

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Guardian Angel

Chapter 21: A Trust Unknown

-:-

It was the day after their first kiss when Nikki paced down the corridor to the training room. The sound of her heels clicking against the tile floor echoed off of the clean walls as she neared the room. That day she seemed to be hurrying to get to the training room instead of the usual manner of slowly walking. Nikki had to admit to herself that she was nervous; the last time she saw her teacher was when they had departed the previous day. So, of course, she did not know how he would act towards her that day. Would it seem like nothing happened? Would he pay her no mind? Or would he still love her? All of these questions rushed through her mind as she stopped in front of the sliding glass door. She had arrived at this moment. She swallowed thickly as she pressed in the password on the keypad next to the door, her fingers fumbling clumsily. The door slid open and her breath caught in her throat.

Instead of Genesis, Tseng stood in the center of the training room facing her with a determined, emotionless expression. This took the Turk in Training by surprise. Usually her trainer would be standing there, not the Wutainese Turk. Nikki only took a single step forward, halting immediately and crossing her arms casually as she tilted her head to the side. Curiously she glanced at him before slinging off her shoulder bag and placing it on the metal bench next to her. She cautiously looked over at him again; Tseng was still staring at her blandly. What could he want? Why was he here? More questions, but still, none of them answered. She took her time standing by the bench, thinking. Yesterday was the last day of her punishment…But was it her last day of training? Whirling around to meet Tseng's gaze, she hesitated.

If her training had ended, that would mean that she was a Turk now! That was absolutely wonderful news to her. She would not be looked down upon as the weakling. It would mean that she had actually succeeded something for once in her life. A Turk…how strange it was for her to grasp the concept of that idea. For three months she had misfortunes, even emotional breakdowns at one point, but now she was a Turk! She would have to toughen up, though. No more crying for every petty little reason. She felt honored deep inside. Nikki kept her eyes on the ground as she thought…That would be the reason Tseng was there instead, correct? What other reason was there? What if something happened to Genesis, though? That would be another reason why Tseng would be there instead of Nikki's trainer. Realization struck her; if she was a Turk, she wouldn't need a trainer. She bit her lip as she carefully raised her eyes to meet deep brown ones.

"Sir, permission to ask a question, sir?" she clearly spoke. No more mumbling either, now that she was, supposedly, a Turk, but Tseng surprised her by shaking his head once. Nikki was taken aback. Usually when she asked to…ask a question, she was granted freedom to do so. What if she was in trouble? What if someone had found out about her and Genesis? That would be awful for her reputation. She grimaced before Tseng spoke.

"I am here to inform you that you no longer need training from Mr. Rhapsodos," he stated bluntly. Hmm, so her suspicions were proved to be affirmative. Well, only one of her suspicions. She now knew that Genesis wasn't going to be training her anymore…now what?

"You will train under me, Ms. Hirome, for as long as it will take you to be a Turk. Hopefully, it will not take long," Tseng raised an eyebrow as he awaited Nikki's answer. So that suspicion was incorrect. She was not a Turk yet. Why would she have to train under him now? Well, she would ask Genesis next time she sees him. When would she see him, though?

"I understand, sir, but where is Mr. Rhapsodos, sir?" she managed to ask in a quiet tone. Tseng sent her a piercing glare.

"I am afraid that I cannot answer that question. He is busy at the moment, but that is all I can inform you. For future references, you will not jump forward with questions, especially when I did not give you permission. Do I make myself clear?" Tseng was stern, but she did not detect any sign of bitterness in his voice. He was just doing his job. Smiling softly, she nodded, but that question still prodded the back of her mind. It bothered her greatly. She felt a sinking feeling gradually come upon her inside of her chest. Why must secrets be kept from her? She felt stupid, useless and pathetic. Why didn't they trust her? What if something had happened to Genesis? Of course they wouldn't tell Nikki. ShinRa was a careful company. They were very skeptical about trusting others. She respected their choices, but still wanted to be part of them. Maybe if she became a fully fledged Turk, they would tell her everything, explain everything. All it would cost her was patience and hard work. Becoming a Turk was her dream; she would not fail.

She came back to the Planet from her thoughts and noticed Tseng was now at the other side of the room, at the computer that was attached to the wall. She never really noticed it until now. Curiously, she picked up her gun blade from the bench before making her way over to the center of the room. Tseng typed in a few keys on the keyboard and then turned around to face her. Again, a monotone expression. Why on earth did her cherished sister love him? Maybe Elena liked the type of men who didn't show emotions. Whatever the reasons, Nikki had to admit to herself that she didn't like him. Sure, he seemed nice at first, but why did he seem as if he held a grudge against her? Hmm…curious. But that wasn't what was important. What was important was that her trainer was somewhere…and he wasn't her trainer anymore, which was actually quite upsetting. How else would she be able to see him? Already she was missing him as an aching sensation enveloped her soul.

Tseng stepped towards her with something odd in his hands. It was what appeared to be a helmet of some sort. There was an eye shield on it and it was rather bulky. In a swift movement, he handed it to the seventeen year old.

"Put this on," he bluntly stated. Nikki arched an eyebrow.

"What-"

"No questions," he gritted his teeth and turned on his heel when she accepted it. Clueless, she stared at his back as he worked at the computer. No…he didn't like her at all. Oh well. She wasn't there for popularity. But it still hurt that he would treat her that way. Was that how Turks were usually treated? She would have to talk to Elena and Reno about this. This was just strange. She didn't recall Tseng acting this way before. Without another thought, Nikki glanced at the helmet in her right hand and placed it on her head, gripping onto her gun blade with her free hand.

Her eyes fluttered as she adjusted her sight to the darkness of the shades. It was constricting on her head and there was pressure against her forehead. Immediately, she was overcome with a headache. What…the hell was this thing for? She never heard of 'Torture by Headgear' before. Again, this was odd. Questions began to arise in her mind as she turned with her gun blade in both hands. But she stopped suddenly. In her vision, the world became blacker as it faded into what seemed to be a computer-generated world.

How could one explain how it felt to plunge into a computer screen? Painful would be a way to describe it. Indeed, Nikki was shrouded in pain as she clutched her face and squinted her eyes shut. She bit her lip so that she wouldn't scream from the pounding, shrilling sound that erupted in her mind. She couldn't stop it. She couldn't prevent it from entering her ears. What was that? Though, this thought subsided as the sound stopped as abruptly as it had started. Frozen in fear, Nikki blinked slowly before completely opening her eyes. Her mouth fell slightly open as her grey orbs widened in wonder at the new place that lay in front of her.

It was Midgar. So, technically, it wasn't 'new', per se…But it was so…different. It was the main train station that was at the ShinRa sector. Full of curiosity, the teenage girl took a few steps and wobbled before trying to balance herself. What was so different was the feel of this place. It was if she wasn't there, yet she was. How was she supposed to get used to this place? And where was-

"It'll get easier as you go along," his quiet voice was next to her, causing her to flinch and grasp her gun blade tighter as she whirled around to see none other than Tseng. Raising her eyebrows expectantly, Nikki tilted her head to the side and frowned.

"What will?" she dared to inquire. To her shock, Tseng smirked.

"This place, of course," he answered. "This is your first computer generated mission. You will go on ten missions that are similar to this to complete your Turk course. Then, at the end of that, you will be assigned to your first assassination mission. You will be an official Turk after that and you will be treated just as such." Nikki couldn't help but allowed a smile to appear. So her chance had finally come. It was her time to prove herself! But she didn't think that she could ever get used to this place…How was she supposed to fight when she couldn't even move?

-:-

Nikki gritted her teeth as she poured black coffee into her favorite blue mug that she brought from home. She set the coffee pitcher back down and picked up a single low fat creamer package and peeled back the lid, emptying its contents into the steaming liquid. Cream merged into black and transformed into a deep brown substance. A tablespoon of sugar was added, creating a bittersweet beverage that was suitable for the seventeen year old in the mornings, especially after a day of hard-core training in a computer program she had never heard of before. Her muscles ached, and she desperately longed for the relaxation coffee brought to her. She would have preferred hot chocolate, but the kitchen had unfortunately run out of it. She groaned inwardly when she moved her arm to raise the cup to her lips. Heck, even a simple movement pained her.

And there she was, trying her best to survive through the morning in the Turk office. True, there was a coffee counter in the room, which made it easier for the team. Beside her stood her beloved sister and their mischievous friend, Reno. Shockingly, he was tired as well. Portraying this fact, he rolled his shoulders and let out a loud yawn as he used a coffee straw to stir his drink, which, not to Nikki's surprise, had a shot of liquor in it. The girl had cringed her nose when the thought of vodka mingled with coffee entered her thoughts. To her it was disgusting, but to the red-headed Turk it was delicious.

"So Mr. Tseng showed you the newest model of our little training program," Reno drawled lazily as he leaned against the countertop and glanced meaningfully at the blonde girl. Nikki let out a small groan and nodded. He let out a small laugh as a response.

"Well, first time is always the hardest," Elena reassured, hoping to make her little sister feel better. All of the Turks had been through the program. SOLDIERs were put through the same thing when they were in 2nd class. Of course, they could use it whenever they pleased, but it was specially ordered by the president that 2nd class SOLDIERs, T.I.T.'s and Turks specifically went through with it. Nikki arched an eyebrow as she glared at Elena.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better about myself?" she inquired thoughtfully. Swallowing a sip of her juice, Elena shook her head.

"No. Now, stop beating yourself up. I don't know what's wrong with Tseng lately. Something's been bugging him lately…he's giving us a tough time as well. Heck, ask Rude! He could tell you," she scowled at her stubborn sibling, who let out a sigh. Earlier, Nikki had come to them and complained about Tseng acting abnormally strict and actually rather cruel towards her. It wasn't anything that they haven't heard; for the past few days he had been treating the rest of the team the same way. They suspected that it had something to do with the Wutai war that broke out just a mere week ago. He was Wutainese himself and he had family there, so it didn't help that he was called to try to negotiate with them that very night. Elena couldn't help but feel pity for him. It was a crime to refuse Turk orders, but when family came into the picture… Though, it was possible that he didn't care anymore. It was possible that he thought his job was more important. They weren't entirely sure. But they knew that something had to be bothering him as of late.

"Pssh, yeah, go ahead; ask Rude. Like you could get any answer from him," Reno mumbled as he guzzled down his drink. Elena allowed a small frown to creep upon her quirky features. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and confusion.

"Hmm, strange, and I thought you two were friends," she quipped with a certain tone, rubbing her cheek thoughtfully as she held her cup of orange juice in the other hand. Reno narrowed his bright blue eyes at her and sniffed once.

"We are."

"Then why are you talking about him that way?"

"I'm just stating a natural known fact in life! Rude. Doesn't. Talk. Got it?"

As they continued bickering, Nikki slumped her shoulders and stared into her coffee as she traced the edge of the cup with her index finger. The Wutai war news had come to her early that morning and was still on her mind. She was still growing used to the idea that most of the 1st class SOLDIERs would be going away to battle. The building wouldn't feel the same without the young men. No, she didn't really know anyone from 1st class, but she knew that half of the SOLDIERs belonged in that regiment. Therefore it would feel empty. A small twinge tugged sharply at her heart as she thought about her trainer. Would he be called away to war as well? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she hadn't seen him since two days ago, not knowing where he was, or what he was doing. Why was Tseng so…secretive?

Maybe he was preparing for the war. Maybe he was going to Wutai to fight. Maybe…maybe he forgot about her. A sinking feeling engulfed her soul as she bowed her head and clutched her cup delicately. It didn't seem fair… They both had apparently showed each other what they felt. And then the next day, he's disappeared without a word. Should she be treated better than that? It was hard to admit, but she thought so. She couldn't help but feel slightly used. Though, it could be that she was jumping to conclusions and he was just extremely tight on schedule. Yes, that could be it. But how could she be sure? How could she find out what she longed to know?

"Something on your mind?" a voice chirped in her ear. Nikki jumped, causing coffee to splash out of the mug and onto the front of her blouse. The liquid scorched her stomach and she cringed, freezing in shock and frustration. She clenched her teeth as she set the cup down on the countertop and sent a piercing glare at Reno, who tried to hide an amused smile.

"Nothing…" she murmured. "I'm going to change," she said as she examined her shirt and noted how incredibly stained it would be if she let the coffee sit in. Pivoting on her heel, she brushed past the red head and walked calmly towards the door and exited the office, not looking back at the other two.

Reno blinked, astonished.

"What's her problem?" he scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest, waiting for Elena's answer. But she was in deep thought, wondering the same thing herself. Her young sister never acted that way. Never. There had to be a reason for her behavior, and it couldn't be just the training. Nikki was put under that pressure before. She was usually so soft and sweet and patient, unless she was extremely enraged and felt as if she should express her emotions. But was she so uptight about something else? Finally, Elena replied.

"I don't know…"

In the hallway, Nikki was pacing towards the elevator in long strides, hoping to reach her room without anyone catching her. She always seemed accident-prone. Ugh, she inwardly sneered at herself, you're so clumsy…That may have been so, but she wouldn't let it cause her to go into manic depression. It was only a coffee stain, for the planet's sake! No. The reason for her attitude was an entirely different matter. It was consuming her mind, and she suddenly felt like lying in bed the whole day, not thinking or doing anything. But she had to get back to work. Her hours had changed. Instead of training from seven to eleven in the morning, she would train two hours a day from 2:00pm to four. It seemed strange to have a new layout for her days, but she had to get used to it.

Reaching the elevator, Nikki hurriedly punched in a button for the floor she was on and eagerly tapped her foot against the tile floor. Luckily, the bell dinged just mere seconds after, and it opened to an empty space. Thanking whatever god was out there that she was alone, she stepped into the elevator and punched her floor button, watching the metal doors closing. Letting out a contented sigh, she leaned against the back wall and closed her eyes. Why was she feeling this way? Why couldn't she just overcome her emotions? She scowled at herself; she had weaknesses that would be difficult to take care off. She couldn't merely change overnight.

Before she knew it, the elevator door rang and opened, causing Nikki to be slightly surprised; did it really take that short of time to reach her level? Time seemed to fly by those days as she became more preoccupied with her thoughts and her work. Shrugging it off, she walked out, making her way towards her room. All she had to do was find another blouse and change into it, and then treat her other shirt's stain. She would probably have to take a visit to the laundry room to wash it quickly. She didn't know much about linens. All she knew was how to wash, dry, and fold clothes. Stain treatment was a subject she was naïve about.

Rolling her eyes, she stopped in front of her room and slipped her keycard in the slot on her door. When the light flashed green, she pushed her way through and shut the door behind her. Unbuttoning her shirt, she bit her lip when she caught a glimpse of the stain again. It was already beginning to dry. She cringed when she touched her stomach; it felt sticky. Would she have time to take a shower? Maybe not…Hurriedly, she went to her dresser with the dirty blouse hanging in the crook of her arm. Nikki opened the top drawer where she kept her shirts. Her eyes searched the pieces of clothing and she frowned.

There was not a single white blouse in the midst of her casual tees and tanks. Letting out a groan, Nikki snatched a red tank top and pulled it over herself. It would have to do at that time…it wasn't her fault that the laundry wasn't finished. Sure, it was her fault that all of her blouses were dirty, but still…Glancing around suspiciously, Nikki searched the room with her keen eyes, trying to spot the navy blue hoodie she threw across the room that morning. It was cold last night, and the only thing comfortable enough to sleep in was her warm jacket. Finally, she noticed it hanging off of a lamp. Hmm…well, she was in a hurry that morning to get to the office in time. Shaking off that thought, Nikki grabbed the jacket and shrugged into it, hoping to appear modest when she went down to the laundry room. She didn't want to get caught showing more skin than she usually did. The building was busy, and SOLDIERs were walking around everywhere in the building. Getting caught in a tank top was not the top thing on her priority list.

She appeared very shabby with her casual top, hoodie, her dress pants and boots. And her feathery hair was over her eyes, blocking her vision and making her lazy look even more careless. It bothered her greatly. Raising her eyebrows, Nikki made her way into the bathroom and opened her hair supply box, hoping to find a headband of some sorts. Instead she found two hair barrettes, so she used them in place of a headband. Pinning her bangs back, she paced out of her room and checked the lock on the door, and then made her way towards the elevator with her blouse in her arms.

The walk to the laundry room held no adventure or great event that was important enough to observe for the seventeen year old. She simply traveled from her room, to the elevator, straight to level P2. There was not a soul in sight of the laundry room. Grateful for the utter fact of the absence of humans, Nikki noted one of the washing machines humming quietly. Next to it, a dryer was creating the same noise. Interested, she plopped the shirt onto the table in the center of the room and explored the area of the activity. There was a pile of folded clothes in a basket positioned on the floor next to the dryer. Raising her eyebrows, she leaned forward and began picking her way through the layers of fabric, searching for any sign of a silky white blouse. All of the clothes were either black, grey, or navy. How positively wonderful.

There wasn't a white blouse in sight. Her mouth twitched as she glanced up at the dryer. Without another thought, she quickly turned off the dryer, ceasing the process of some unfortunate SOLIDER's duty. Carefully, she opened the lid of the machine and fished through the tangled semi-dried fabric, blacks mixed with whites. A soft smirk played at her lips as her brow creased with concern at the same time. It was humorous that some poor helpless SOLDIER had no clue how to do laundry, yet worrisome that her blouse was possibly, and most likely, to be in the bundle of mixed shades. Her eyes caught the lapel of a white blouse that had a T.I.T pin that was attached askew. Her fingers clung onto the cloth and she tugged at it. Damn the time; she had to hurry to get back to work, and she could live through the fact that she would be wearing a damp shirt. When the shirt escaped the mess of clothes, her pools of grey noticed the once-pure fabric stained with grayish blotches. She grimaced painfully and growled under her breath. One thought was in her mind at the moment; she was going to kill the person who was idiotic enough to have no sense to-

"Hey!"

In surprise, her shoulders jerked, and her knees smacked into the washing machine's front panel and the lid fell, slamming against her blonde head with full force. Excruciating pain entered her skull and enveloped her mind in a surge of mental enragement as a sudden headache spread throughout the interior of her brain. Wildly, she pulled away from the machine and whirled around in rage until her gaze rested upon the countenance of Zack, his eyes shimmering in amusement of the situation.

"Did I come at a bad time?" he grinned sheepishly as his arms crossed over his chest, his dark blue orbs dancing in the dim lighting of the room. Nikki bashfully rubbed her temples with her soaked blouse rested at her feet, which occurred when she had been sent into the stage of shock, therefore releasing her grip on her clothing. She nodded without a word, knowing that if she said anything it would be curt and unlike her usual good-mannered dialogue. He smiled at her in response.

"Well, it's funny because I was looking for you anyway, and here you are! Sephiroth wants to speak to you…something about punishment or something…" his gaze drifted off to the side as he scratched his chin, whilst the girl before him leaned over and scooped up her ruined blouse. As the words hit her, she emitted a gasp of horrification.

"Um…when?" Zack arched an eyebrow.

"Erm, immediately…"

-

(a/n): Whoo. Hurrah for Zack's suckish abilities to complete a simple task such as laundry. That's what makes him all the more lovable. –swoons over his adorability- Reviews will be loved! Sadly, this is the last chapter that has been written. I am currently working on chapter 22, and after I post that up, I will be working ever so hard to write a few more chapters- I have inspiration, and I intend to carry out my promise I made to PSPGamerGirl.

Tschuss!

-Shibi