Holaaaa! This isn't as late as I feared it would be (thank goodness!) But oh boy was it a hair puller...transition chapters are so tough to write D:! But the end half of it was...very nice to get down :) I enjoyed writing it in the end. Plus I worked out most of my plot problems, so i think I'm back on track!
My usual thanks to my regulars and new readers, and as usual my biggest thanks to my reviewers ^^ I'd give you all cookies but I think they would get smooshed in the mail D:!
No music this time Gismo, sorry! u_u
Disclaimer: Sephiroth and all original characters and content are copyright to Square Enix. All i own is Meia and this is a work of fandom, not for profit.
Chapter 27
Executive floor, Shinra building – 10:04
Lazard drummed his fingers on the conference table impatiently. The president was late for his own meeting again. He desperately wanted to have this affair wrapped up and finished with in time to welcome his missing SOLDIER's home. They would be arriving soon by helicopter after a three day trip from the western continent. He was eager to find out what happened to them…
"Lazard, you look bored" A silky voice addressed him from the other side of the table. Lazard's lips flickered into a smile,
"I'm simply anxious to get this over with, that's all Scarlet" He replied politely. The woman who addressed him leant back in her chair and crossed her legs, exposing most of them through the ample split in her dress that extended all the way to her upper thigh. Lazard was glad the table hid her below the waist. Palmer wasn't so lucky though. Or was he? Lazard mused. The fidgeting he was doing next to her betrayed the workings of his mind. Lazard smirked to himself.
A short while later, President Shinra strode into the meeting room, apparently unfazed he was almost ten minutes late. He took his position at the head of the table just as another figure joined the room's population. Professor Hojo seated himself next to Lazard and removed his glasses to clean them,
"Good morning Gentlemen, Scarlet, I'm glad you all here on time" Lazard cocked an eyebrow at this statement.
"First things first; Lazard, when will the helicopter carrying Sephiroth arrive?"
Lazard cleared his throat; "Their Eta is approximately eleven hundred hours, Sir" Lazard took in the look of relief that crossed the face of president Shinra when he confirmed this. The man relied on Sephiroth for his own personal security, calling on him like a prized dog whenever his life was threatened. Since Sephiroth had been absent for almost five weeks now, the man had been visibly jumpy. He didn't even acknowledge another member of SOLDIER went missing along with Sephiroth.
Meia's expression completely sank as the chopper approached the Midgar area of the continent. The sky gradually began to darken and the greenery was quickly fading from the landscape below. She sighed and leant back in her seat, averting her eyes from the perpetual gloom that was starting to surround them. She crossed her legs and ran through the scenario she and Sephiroth had formulated five days ago. It was essential their reports matched, as well as any spoken testimonies. They had used all the time they had to make sure everything was lining up right.
Genesis, who was seated beside Meia, stretched his legs before crossing them at the knees again. He was reading, as usual. But not Loveless which was astonishing. But he was reading 'Loveless – a collective theory'. Meia beheld the heavily annotated and labelled pages and shook her head, noting Angeal giving her a smirk from where he sat opposite,
"You know, I hadn't noticed it before" He began quietly, "But your eyes seem to be really bright, Meia"
Meia blinked at him and scratched her chin, "You sure it's not because it's getting darker now?" She questioned him, attempting to avoid his prying. Only one thing made SOLDIER's eyes glow, everyone in their right mind knew that. She, and Sephiroth, both hoped they wouldn't pry too hard. Angeal frowned and looked out the window he was sitting next too,
"You're probably right. I haven't seen you in a while either" He concluded, though his thoughtful expression hinted he hadn't dismissed the thought from his mind entirely. Meia exhaled slowly and cast a glance at Sephiroth, sitting next to Angeal. He had his eyes closed, a common sight for him. She wondered whether he was dozing, meditating or thinking. Probably all three, knowing what he was like. He was back in his usual attire, plus another black cotton roll neck to provide some warmth. His regular thin coat wasn't enough to ward of winter chills by itself. She smirked, remembering what he said when she questioned him about it. Apparently, although he didn't feel the cold, he would rather be pleasantly warm than put up with the discomfort of a chill. Meia on the other hand, hadn't been quite so lucky. Junon apparently was all out of second class uniforms in extra small. She was currently being swamped by a roll neck far too large for her and a pair of baggy pants held up only by a belt, with a long, dull brown coat for warmth. Angeal and Genesis teased her no end for it. Still, it was better than a pink tracksuit…
Lazard had rushed to the helipad as soon as the meeting was over and now stood in the freezing winter air, awaiting the arrival of most of his first class SOLDIER's and Meia. He hitched his scarf up around his neck before crossing his arms, his hands underneath them for warmth. The meeting had frustrated him. Conflicts were on the rise with Wutai again and Shinra was being ever pressured to bring an end to the war with the nation. Heidegger had sent his troops in to help deal with the situation, along with a sizable chunk of SOLDIER. But in the last few weeks, Lazard had been reduced to a mere four first classes. He'd asked about them in the meeting, of course he had. But all he was told was they were killed. The blond director found that hard to believe; his SOLDIER's weren't fragile, vulnerable infantrymen. Still, there was no denying that now, the helicopter fast approaching the city held three quarters of his most elite men.
Meia stretched her legs and arms as the chopper approached the green glow of Midgar. The light was completely gone now, replaced with the gloom of the city and winter. She pulled a face of discontent as they began their approach to the helipad high atop the Shinra building. The air up there would be freezing…
"Wakey wakey, Seph. Were almost home, just in time for dinner!"
"Lies…its lunchtime. And I wasn't asleep, Angeal"
The gruff man laughed, "Just yanking you. Hey, is Lazard waiting for us on the pad? He really must have missed you two…"
All the SOLDIER's peered out the windows on Meia's side, who cast a look at Sephiroth while the others were distracted. He gave her a reassuring nod before stretching his own limbs. Lying to their Director; she didn't want to do it, but for now, there wasn't a lot of choice.
Lazard smiled as the chopper set down, kicking up dirt and sending it into his eyes despite his glasses. He winced and rubbed at them as the four occupants hopped out, clutching coats close to their bodies. The choppers engine slowed and the roar subsided, Lazard made his way forward to welcome them home,
"Meia, Sephiroth! I'm so relieved to find you safe" He said, grasping Meia's hands which made her slightly uncomfortable, "Thank Gaia, well done you two" He continued, turning to Angeal and Genesis. They nodded their acknowledgment before heading inside out of the cold. As they descended the stairs, Lazard informed Genesis and Angeal that their 'suspension' was lifted. Meia and Sephiroth continued to descend after they reached the SOLDIER floor, having been given permission to change into their own clothes.
Meia stood outside Sephiroth's door and pressed her finger to the pad. A moment later, the door was unlocked and she stepped through, kicking off her simple shoes as it hissed closed again behind her. She was glad to be back in her own clothing; the oversized, slightly musty smelling clothes were beginning to make her queasy. So she had chosen comfortable company branded exercise wear over her uniform. She confidently made her way to the living area, having been allowed in to Sephiroth's apartment more than once by now, she no longer felt intimidated by the surroundings. Especially as the two of them were now closer than they had ever been.
Having taken a seat on the luxurious cream leather couch, she looked up when Sephiroth emerged from his bathroom, in the process of pulling a tight black shirt on. Meia couldn't help but smirk as she caught the tiniest glimpse of his well-toned body before it was covered by soft cotton,
"Are you confident you can do this, Meia?" He asked as he descended the steps to the main apartment area. She looked at him before nodding,
"I believe so" She replied, though not managing to hide her nerves. She still couldn't quite fathom she was about to lie to her director. She turned her head as her host let out a soft grunt at the sight of his open fridge, and she rose to be nosy. As she rested on the breakfast bar separating the living area from the kitchen, he passed her a post-it-note before grabbing two glasses. Meia smiled,
"Hey, at least she cleaned it out for you. There could be living things growing in there by now, thanks" She smiled at him as he passed her a glass of water, "At least you get a cleaning lady…" She added as an afterthought. Sephiroth smirked and watched her gulp at her water; her hesitation was still plain to see,
"Are you sure you're up to this? We can ask to sleep on it. Lazard would understand…"
Meia shook her head slowly, "No, then I'll have all night to worry about it. Let's just get it over with and see what happens"
Sephiroth nodded and finished his water.
"Trapped underground? For that amount of time? How did you survive?"
Sephiroth crossed his arms and feigned a look of humiliation, "However we could. After the entrance collapsed due to the scuffle with the creature, we had little choice" He lifted his gaze, "And breaking out wasn't an option or we may have been crushed to death…"
"What did you eat…" Lazard couldn't help his turn of stomach show in his voice…
Sephiroth let out a grimace of a laugh, "Although the things living down there were frightful at best, they were edible" He said, adding a look of slight disgust for emphasis. Lazard nodded and turned to Meia, who was doing well so far. Neither of them had slipped up, though Meia knew Sephiroth wouldn't be their problem…
"Meia, how did you find it?" He asked her. She kept her gaze averted as she replied,
"I…don't want to go through something like that again, Sir. The water we had to drink made me sick, the things we consumed made me sick…the darkness, the cramped conditions…I've never experienced anything like it"
Lazard acknowledged her with a sympathetic nod, "Still, your very lucky there was a system of caves or, well…you may still be down there" Both SOLDIER's nodded to this statement. Their director turned his gaze to the screen on his desk and he called up a statement made by the doctor who had treated them both. Neither friend dared look at each other, in case a worried glance gave them away,
"The doctor here reports finding you both collapsed on a mountain path not too far from the town, and that you had lifestream exposure"
Sephiroth looked up, breathing an internal sigh of relief. The doctor had helped them after all… "Something like that. We must have used everything we had to escape the caves" he began, spinning the next part of their deception, "and I had to wade both of us through a lifestream river…Meia wouldn't have survived direct exposure for as long as me. Still, she couldn't avoid coming into contact with it entirely"
Lazard nodded, seemingly for now, content with his SOLDIER's report. He continued scanning the medical report,
"And both of you are fine now?" They both acknowledged him, "Good. Then I'll tell Hojo there is no need for an examination"
In the same instant, Meia's blood both ran cold with fear and then warm again with elation. Being examined by that man was frankly the last thing she wanted. Lazard didn't say anything else, so she cleared her throat,
"Sir? What happened to Clydia in the end?" She asked carefully. Lazard sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose,
"After receiving Sephiroth's preliminary report yesterday morning, the decision has been made to…eradicate any evidence of what the terrorist were doing there"
Meia swallowed. Eradicate…that meant an airstrike. Her blood ran cold again as she remembered the children and she struggled to contain the sudden panic. Sephiroth shot her a stern look and she let out a shuddering sigh, barely managing to contain herself,
"Are you ok, Meia?" Lazard asked. She swallowed and gave a shaky smile,
"Yes Sir, sorry. Just a little queasy…lack of food I think"
"Well you can head off, go get something. Sephiroth, I'd like you to stay please"
Meia hesitated slightly, before saluting and striding out the office. She prayed she'd done enough.
As she stepped onto the SOLDIER floor, she was straight away assaulted by an eager Zack, who pulled her into a bone crushing hug,
"Ugh, Zack…no so tight please" She managed to croak out. The tall teen laughed nervously as he released her, scratching the back of his head,
"Hey, sorry, but I've missed you, y'know? The last thing I heard was you were away on a mission and then bam…nothing for five weeks."
Meia smiled and crossed her arms, "Sorry about that, but the sightseeing tour was something else, y'know?" She said mockingly. Zack took a moment to click, before laughing heartily.
"I'm going to get some food after I've updated my details, I'm starving. Feel free to tag along" Meia stated, moving past him to the briefing room. Zack nodded and followed behind, proceeding to tell her literally everything that had happened while she was away. While Zack carried on, Meia couldn't help but be distracted. They were going to airstrike Clydia. And unless Meia and Sephiroth admitted they were lying, they couldn't do a thing about it. She felt sick; the children. She hoped desperately that they would be okay, but she knew there was a possibility the strike could collapse the mine. The cavern they lived in was natural, but still…would it be able to stand up to the shockwaves a strike would cause? Meia had a feeling the guilt she felt wouldn't leave her so easily…
Sephiroth stared at the bookshelf opposite him; letting the look of indignity he felt show on his face. Lazard knew his last piece of news wouldn't impress the man…
"What was your reply?" Sephiroth asked sharply, a little too sharp now he thought about it. But he was wound up…
"I simply wrote 'professional only' and left it at that. I haven't heard anything else, but apparently Genesis, Angeal and Zack Fair were asked the same questions"
"What did they say?"
"The same. Still, it wouldn't pay to get too…" Lazard began but was cut short by Sephiroth's sudden movement,
"My relationship with Miss LeSait is professional only. Nothing more, I don't care for feelings of intimacy" He said sternly, standing up to his full, intimidating height, "We are merely colleagues, just the same as Angeal or Genesis" He concluded, hoping his deception was good enough…
Lazard observed him a moment before replying, "Very well, remember I'm on your side here…" Sephiroth's eyes flicked to Lazard and he beheld him down his nose, "In the future though, a reaction like that may raise more questions than your usual cold glare…that's all I'm saying"
Sephiroth, although trying his best not to show it, was taken aback. Lazard was right; he'd reacted out of sheer defence and displayed behaviour that was quite unlike him. A dead giveaway…he sighed,
"You're right. My apologies, Director" He said, the tension gone from his voice.
"Nothing to worry about. The only other thing I need to inform you is we are now down to four First Class members"
Sephiroth frowned and tilted his head, "Only four? We lost two while we were missing?"
Lazard nodded solemnly, "Yes. It's hard to believe, but apparently they were killed in action…"
"But you suspect otherwise?"
"Yes. We aren't talking simple army personnel here…the men who went missing are enhanced SOLDIER members. I even inspected the field myself but found no traces of their bodies…"
Sephiroth folded his arms and cast his eyes down. Was someone targeting SOLDIER members? Or was Shinra involved somehow and keeping Lazard in the dark…
"Please be wary in the field, Sephiroth. A few seconds and thirds went missing as well. You may want to pass this on to your colleagues"
Sephiroth nodded and dismissed himself. He had some thinking to do.
Later that day, Sephiroth informed Meia that the science department were prying into their private life. She sighed in frustration and rubbed her eyes,
"Isn't it enough that they treat us like their school projects as it is?" She stated exasperation playing heavily on her voice. Sephiroth stared up at the smoggy sky and crossed his legs,
"I know Meia, but we have to be careful. Hojo is a twisted man…if…well, if anything were to emerge from a relationship that I was…" His words failed him and his gaze dropped, staring straight ahead. He knew what he wanted to say, so why couldn't he say it? He knew he was speaking hypothetically but…
Meia took a swallow of coffee and looked at him, "What you mean is; If Hojo knew there was a possibility of you procreating he would be interested in the offspring" she stated simply. Sephiroth couldn't help but wince; she could still see right through him, though he appreciated her textbook style answer. He didn't know why he bothered hesitating in the first place,
"Exactly" He looked at her, well aware of his warm cheeks. She smiled faintly and shook her head,
"It's sickening to think of. Would he really be that twisted? To take a new born and…and…well, treat it as an experiment?"
Sephiroth observed her a moment, "So far, he hasn't done anything like that but" He paused, a look of mild disgust appearing on his face, "…well, I'll just say it wouldn't surprise me if he did"
Meia nodded and swallowed some more coffee. The two of them had taken the rest of the day off, Lazard not minding in the least. It seemed their department head was still overly pleased to have them back. Meia had headed straight for the train station, stating that if she didn't get a decent cup of coffee soon she would collapse into a vegative state. Sephiroth couldn't help but tease that she already had after she got lost for the third time. But eventually, after Sephiroth was persuaded to put Meia out of her misery, they made it to Calcifur's den and settled into the homely outdoor seating area, away from the main stream of public. And potentially prying eyes. Business wouldn't pick up until late evening now so they had ample time to themselves.
Gradually the already dismal light in Midgar began to drop and the chills were beginning to set in. When Meia came back with their second round of drinks, she couldn't help but sit closer to her companion. Sephiroth smiled, he didn't mind in the least. He was glad they were home in one piece, even if home was Midgar. He held his cup of green tea close and casually observed Meia kick her shoes off and curl up on the sofa beside him. His mind wandered back to the last moments before he lost consciousness in the lifestream. How he had regretted losing Meia so soon. But now, his desperate bravado had left him. And he kicked himself for it, why couldn't he let her know how he felt? But he mused to himself, were words necessary…why worry? Why did he need her verbal acknowledgment? But he needed to know…he was confusing himself again…
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought about how she was with him, how she showed him affection. He reminded himself that the affection she'd given him in the short time they had known each other was infinitely more than the accumulation of his life. Logically, he was certain she cared for him in the same way. But emotionally…that was the problem. His emotions. They had tripped him up earlier with Lazard and now they were screwing with him again. He could feel a headache coming on…
"Hey, Sephiroth…are you in or shall I leave a message?"
Sephiroth felt a small pressure on his thigh followed by a tiny squeeze. He opened his eyes and blinked several times, finding yet again he had drifted off. If Meia had been trying to talk to him, he hadn't a clue what she said…
"You're not worrying over the whole 'procreation' conversation, are you?" Meia continued quietly. He looked at her; by now he was almost certain she was psychic…
"It's not the conversation, just…what the conversation implied…" He replied slowly. Meia's face softened and she smiled, shifting her position on the sofa so she was comfortably facing him,
"Whatever it may have implied, it doesn't matter. Whatever is going to happen between us… will happen…and" She looked down at her coffee cup, a serene smile widening her mouth, "And I'm perfectly ok with it. As long as you are…" She finished quietly. He stared, was that a confession? It was slightly cryptic but his logical mind kicked his emotional one yet again; of course it was, idiot. He cast his eyes about quickly; they were still relatively alone. Anyone who was within sight was too busy to care about them…and he decided to act on the always baffling surge of instinct that had once again swelled within him,
At first, Meia didn't know what was going on. Akin to those few seconds when something totally new was happening to you and your brain tried and failed to make sense of it, before finally clicking. Hers clicked sometime after her chin was lifted gently by pale fingers to meet the gaze of a beautiful set of green eyes. She opened her mouth to instinctively ask what he was doing, but it was a mere reaction. She knew full well what he was going to do, a well-deserved 'shhh' from Sephiroth stopping the question before it formed on her lips. And in the next instant, he pressed his surprisingly warm lips to hers gently. Meia's heart skipped several beats in a row, before allowing her to relax again. It was just a small kiss, but Meia could almost feel the sudden rise in temperature between their close faces as Sephiroth's cheeks flushed as deep crimson as his porcelain skin would allow. But Meia didn't want him to feel rejected in any way; what he did took a lot of courage, especially for him. And she realised her sudden shock may come across wrong. Before he could withdraw completely, she leant forward and repaid him in kind, giving him a reassuring gift in return.
Sephiroth was just about to accept what he'd done was wrong before Meia was kissing him again, stopping him from backing away. They shouldn't be doing this, they were in public. He'd just warned her about this, the way they were behaving... But this time, his logical mind was being kidney punched repeatedly by his emotional side and he couldn't for the life of him stop what was happening. It felt wonderful, her lips were so soft; she smelt amazing. Her clothes, her hair, the fresh fragrance that she used sparingly, mixed with the distinctive smell of ground coffee all accumulated and drifted up his nose, marking the sent into his brain as Her. He felt Meia's gentle touch reach up and stroke the silver hair resting against his cheek, before settling there, leaving only her thumb to carry on the gesture.
They were by now shamelessly lost in each other, sinking low into the soft leather of the sofa together and carrying on as if they had done this a hundred times before. Gently and carefully, their lips danced and caressed each other; Meia couldn't believe how silky the skin on his pale rose lips was. He was a powerful, battle hardened SOLDIER, yet his skin was velvety smooth. She was further convinced he was on another level to normal people, like a dream.
Unfortunately for them, in the midst of their new found feelings and passions, they had lost track of time. As well as forgetting about a certain invitation they'd sent earlier in the day. Now these two misfortunes had converged to form an embarrassing situation…that had come to a sudden halt after rounding the corner to the courtyard,
"Oh my…did you ever think we would catch Him doing that?" Genesis hissed to Angeal, emphasizing his shock with an elbow to his friend's ribs. Angeal simply stared at Sephiroth and Meia, his jaw ever so slightly slack. Clearly, although mostly hidden by the back of the sofa they were sitting on; the two of them were engaged in a loving kiss,
"Remember your tact, Genesis…" Angeal said eventually, taking in a deep breath. The two friends approached slowly; both were astonished Sephiroth hadn't heard them. Then again, they concluded, he was probably experiencing some kind of emotional melt down right now. Angeal cleared his throat, the noise having an immediate effect,
"Let me guess…you both had cold lips and could see no other options" He smirked. The couple broke away like two magnets repelling, each party's cheeks were deeply flushed and they observed one another, before going through the usual motions of a couple caught out doing something scandalous. Meia rose shakily and mumbled something about needing the toilet, before rushing into the coffee shop, still sans shoes. Sephiroth stared after her for a moment, before turning his head to observe his two friends,
"Not…a…word…" He growled softly, "To anyone, understand?" He stated slowly, emphasising each word carefully. Angeal and Genesis smiled and nodded before taking up seats for themselves in the rest of the worn furniture around them. The pale man brought a shaky hand to his head, his heart was only just returning to its normal rhythm and his whole body felt very strange. He concluded that for now, that couldn't happen again in public. He was beginning to feel like he did in the training room back when he was teaching Meia to dance; not entirely in control. But a little voice kept telling him…he enjoyed the feeling. It thrilled him…and not in the same way battle and fighting did. Instinctively he glanced inside the coffee shop, looking for Meia but she hadn't emerged from the bathroom yet. He excused himself and went inside to wait for her. She appeared a few minutes later, looking very sheepish as she spotted him leaning against a decorative wooden pillar. He smiled warmly and prayed she hadn't been scared off,
"Are you okay, Meia?" He asked her quietly. It would appear his usual calmly confident, commanding manor was back in place, though he had a hunch she would appreciate him that way for now. She nodded quickly, running a trembling hand through her hair,
"We…we shouldn't have…kissing I mean, we shouldn't…" She stammered, worry and mild panic showing through her usually confident voice. Sephiroth approached her and placed his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them gently. He bent his head so he could talk to her quietly,
"I don't regret what I did. You're right, we shouldn't have been careless…but what I feel for you, Meia, is so strong I needed to let you know somehow" He lifted his head slightly as she looked up at him, "Thank you, for everything you do for me"
Meia smiled up through the curtains of silver hair and let out a small laugh, "You don't need to say that, but you're welcome none the less" She hesitated, a hint of a worried frown appearing on her face, "Our relationship…will it change now?"
"Do you want it too?"
She shook her head, "No…I think for the time being, it's perfect. We both know how we feel about each other…"
"Then consider that kiss an early festival present. Nothing has to change if you don't want it too. Just know this…" He squeezed her arms ever so gently and bent to whisper in her ear…
My heart belongs to you…
...
.
Haha, I can just imagine Sephiroths logical side duking it out with his emotional side XD The emotional side clearly won with his choice in footwear...
Next chapter - Meia is sent on a mission led by the only other First class SOLDIER left, Callo, but an inconvenient influence leads the party of SOLDIER's into danger...Is Meia confident enough to lead the remaining group to safety?
Please reveiw if you have a spare few minutes, I really appreciate it :)