"PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!"

"WE CAN'T CONTROL IT ANY LONGER, GET THEM OUT!"

"MY CHILDREN... MY CHILDREN ARE IN THERE!"

Screams resounded, desperate pleas for mercy and falling debris crashing chaotically everywhere. The heat was unbearable, suffocating smoke and ash engulfed the room.

"Hello?" Nothing but the sound of crackling fires burning away the room she once called her own, floorboards creaked, threatening to give way at any given moment. She blinked with bleary unfocused eyes, ebbing in and out of consciousness. Raising a hand and gripping onto anything she could find that didn't threaten to burn her to the bone, she landed on the broken edge of a bookcase, tentatively she tapped before gripping it tightly with both hands and pulling herself upwards with sudden determination. She had snapped out of her semi-conscious state and flew desperately into blind panic and adrenaline, her self-preservation mode had kicked in. She dragged herself to a crouched position, she couldn't stand, there was too much debris looming over her.

"Is anyone there?" She coughed and spluttered, seeking any momentary respite from the cloud of smoke and ash that dove straight for her lungs. She cautiously crawled across heat-blistered and charred flooring, continuously calling to someone, anyone who could hear her.

"Please... someone help... I can't get out... please..."

She fought her way through the upper floor and the staircase was in sight before it began to crumble before her. Her eyes welled, what could she do now? There was no other way to escape. She span wildly, looking for even a glimpse of freedom. This was her home, she had lived there her entire life, there had to be an unblocked path.

There was nothing.

No way out.

This was the end to her short life.

The heat and smoke began to enshroud her once more in her stillness. Her consciousness ebbed again; she couldn't fight anymore. She could hear heavy thuds and faint screams from outside.

A heavy thunk sounded as did laboured footsteps. A flash of navy blue and silver fell in front of her.

"Hey, stay with..."

Silence.

Soft taps batted against her cheek accompanied by the sound of sniffling which was her morning wake-up call. She blinked lightly to cast off the morning haze and looked up into the eyes of the most adorable little hellspawn. She raised her arm to softly grasp the child's hand, ceasing his continuous assault on her cheek.

"Good morning Avo."

"Goo monnin Awia"

"Thank you for waking me up. Shall we go to see what mother has made for breakfast?"

Avo nodded enthusiastically in response, so much so that he knocked himself off balance and fell heavy, boulder-like head first into the cheek he had only moments ago stopped batting.

"Aaaaahh Avo!" She lifted him up and held her other hand against her cheek to fruitlessly calm the pain.

"Am sowwy Awia." His lip quivered, threatening tears as he fumbled with his small hands in upset.

Arianelle sat upright before sighing and smiling down at her younger brother.

"It's okay. Ah Avo if you weren't so cute, I'd sell you to the Turks."

The tears that threatened to spill from his eyes gushed forth with red-faced sorrow.

"Nooooo!" He wailed as Aria hushed and held him in a tight hug to calm him down before...

"ARIA WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"NOTHING, HE FELL AND HURT HIMSELF, THAT'S ALL." Aria called down to her mother and as Avo has calmed to a hiccupping sniffle, she let him down off her bed.

"Go and save me a chocobo pancake, okay?"

Avo wiped his sleeve across his snotty nose, smiled and shuffled off downstairs.

Aria ran her hand through her hair and in her silent moment she remembered what day it was. With a beaming grin that stretched from ear to ear, she pushed her hands against the edge of her bed and with a slight thud she hopped off to get dressed.

This was her day, finally, she was old enough to take her first steps towards her goal. She put on her cadet uniform and looked herself up and down in the mirror, posing with an air of confidence, she imagined how her first day would go.

"What's that General? Make me first class? Me? But I only joined today! I'm just that amazing you say?" She chuckled lightly to herself, spinning around and losing her balance ever so slightly when her eyes landed on the figure stood in her bedroom doorway.

"Wow, you might want the doors in your house to be stretched to accommodate that big head of yours." Cloud laughed heartily as Aria's face dropped into a frown, she glared holes into the blond boy's head and grabbed her bag. He was her best friend but that didn't stop her from punching him in the shoulder.

"Shut it." She mumbled under her breath as she shoved past him to make her way downstairs.

"Aw come on, I'm excited too... if a little nauseous, we'll be fine."

Aria pulled out a stool to perch on as she tucked into a hearty breakfast of pancakes in the shape of chocobos with chocolate chip eyes.

"Good morning my little first-class SOLDIERs to be. Are you both ready for today? Cloud did you remember to pack everything because we can't make a pit stop along the way." Aria's mother beamed at them both as she busied herself with cleaning up.

"Yeah, ish heeyah." He sputtered through a mouthful of pancakes before swallowing in a strained gulp, letting out a gasp for air and banging against his chest with his fist.

"I checked it four times before I left." He coughed.

"Wonderful, here have a drink, they aren't real chocobos you know, they won't run away if you eat slower." She chuckled lightly whilst handing a glass of juice to Cloud.

With a clatter of metal against ceramic, Aria had finished her food and wrenched her overstuffed bag up over her shoulder.

"Done! Can we go?"

"Yes, yes, so eager. Go and get in the truck, I'll just go and get your brother." Aria's mother sauntered off in search of Avo.

Grabbing the keys Aria and Cloud made their way through the door, threw their bags into the back of the truck, and hauled themselves into their seats, impatient for their first day of joining SOLDIER.

"Do you think he'll be there?" Cloud shifted in his seat, looking slightly nervous.

"Who?" Aria pulled her seatbelt across herself and glanced out of the window to see her mother finally leaving the house with Avo in tow.

"Sephiroth."

"Ah... I don't know, I suppose he could be. He could be their 'aspire to greatness' example. He's probably too busy for formalities like this though. It'd be far too trivial for the great leather-clad General to grace us, mere peasants, with his presence." She snorted in laughter as Cloud scoffed in return.

"What would you do if he was there miss overconfident?"

"Me? I'd look him dead in the eye and say, 'one day I will beat you and take your place as the number one SOLDIER." She raised a fist in a power pose as Cloud cried with laughter, clutching his ribs, gasping for air.

"And after he kicks you to the ground and you are dragged off for insubordination?"

"Okay... then I'll salute in quiet admiration knowing that I will work as hard as I can to be the best." Aria shifted in her seat and reached over to clip Avo's seatbelt in place.

They spoke relentlessly about everything they were anticipating upon arrival, from the possibility of fighting behemoths in the training facilities to exotic cuisines in the canteens.

Aria was so excited; it had been her dream to join SOLDIER from the moment she had been saved as a little girl. She didn't find out the name of the SOLDIER who rescued her from her house as it burned to the ground, but she knew from then on that she would do anything and everything to be like them. She aspired to join SOLDIER and train her way through the ranks until she was as strong as she possibly could be. She wanted to be that hero, be the one who gave inspiration and hope to everyone. This drive only intensified when Sephiroth came to their village a few years before, he was so incredibly regal in his manner, strong but humble.

She had sneaked out on the eve of his visit and spotted him walking towards Shinra mansion, she followed him and watched as he drew his impossibly long sword for a private practice away from prying eyes, or so he had thought.

She had thought herself to be quite stealthy but, of course, he knew she was there. He disappeared when she had been distracted momentarily by a noise from outside; when she returned her gaze, he was gone. Brief though it was, the memory of his intensity, elegance, and strength stuck with her.

"Well, here we are." Aria's mother announced.

Aria poked her head out of the window as they drew closer to the front of the building. It looked breathtaking, it was daunting in so many ways as she saw the groups of cadets and their families saying their last goodbyes, but she was ready for this.

"This is it; I can do this." Aria pensively built up her courage and as the truck stopped, she didn't hesitate in wrenching the door open and jumping out to drag her bag off the rear. She forgot everything else around her as she went to launch herself starry-eyed toward the entrance before being dragged back to her surroundings.

"Aria..." her mother choked back her sobs as much as she could, she was proud, there was no doubt, but she had, more than justified, worries.

Aria turned back round to see her mother, the one who had raised her and gotten her through so much, had always been her rock in times of need. Aria smiled softly before embracing her mother tightly.

"Please don't worry, I'll be back to visit in a few months, I'll write each week." Aria kissed her mother on the cheek and beamed widely.

"Be careful and know that I am so very proud of you, no matter what."

Avo screeched from the car desperately wanting a hug too. Aria leaned into the truck and kissed him lightly on the head and hugged him.

"Don't cause too much trouble, okay?"

"Okay, love you Awia."

Cloud gave his thanks to Aria's mother and said goodbye to Avo before joining Aria to walk proudly towards the entrance, mingling with the other cadets they both signed in and took their steps towards the building's entrance, towards their destinies.

"Where do you think you're going?" A deep, commanding voice resounded behind them before they could open the doors.

They turned around swiftly to face the owner of the voice, their vigour began to drain from them as they peered upon their superior, SOLDIER first-class Angeal Hewley. Known to be meticulous, righteous, and intimidating, he was the epitome of what SOLDIER stood for, however, he looked displeased right now, so they were less awed and more startled.

"New cadets are to report to the research facility to undergo tests. You need to go to the building to the left for orientation and then you will be escorted to the research facility. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Aria sheepishly dragged Cloud by his arm over to the building Angeal had indicated.

"First ten minutes and we've already done something wrong." Cloud mumbled under his breath with a slightly defeated sigh. "Great first impression huh?!"

"Don't worry, we can do this." Aria reassured Cloud and they both lined up behind the other massing cadets.

As the orientation began, Aria listened intently to Kunsel, the SOLDIER giving them their inspirational speech, but all the attention Aria had given immediately dwindled the moment that The Elite walked forward, ready for their own contributions. In the history of cadet orientation, as she understood it, there was usually at least one of the elite available to introduce SOLDIER life to the new recruits. To have all three stood before them was unheard of and most welcomed. Aria felt the excitement rising in her, it was all she could do not to screech in a fangirl manner.

Out stepped Angeal, in her earlier embarrassment she hadn't looked at him properly, he towered over Kunsel, a huge sword attached to his back. The look in his eyes, under what seemed to be a permanently furrowed brow, was determination, pride, and loyalty. He appeared as if he would be the most poignant mentor that a cadet could ever ask for. To be under his guidance would be to succeed.

Next was Genesis, he didn't walk so much as he appeared to glide gracefully, like poetry in motion, clutching his famed favourite, 'Loveless'. He was magnificent to observe, he was passion personified, his seductive allure sang from him like nothing Aria had ever witnessed before. He was someone that could rip you apart and almost make you feel grateful for the experience.

Aria's breath caught in her throat as the final elite member stepped out. He was everything she remembered and more. He scanned the active audience with piercing almost luminous eyes, the colour of the lifestream itself. Lips held in stern, unwavering judgement, capable of leading legions and commanding chaos if he so chose. He towered above everyone, his seemingly endless silver hair stretching behind him. He sported his usual black leather, his proud and flawless chest peering through the straps that crossed it. Aria stared so intensely at him to take in every bit of detail she could. When her eyes looked upon his face once more, she felt frozen to the spot, he was looking in her direction, whether he even saw her specifically she could not say but, in her vision, his fleeting glance bore into her very soul.

Eventually, she tore her attention away from Sephiroth to tune back into the final words that Angeal spoke.

"... and we will endeavour to defend."

At the end of his speech, the audience clapped in appreciation and saluted before the elite left. Immediately after, the cadets were being herded to their next stop.

The Research Facility.

The pride and joy of Shinra, run by Professor Hojo. He made no secret of his intense devotion to the progress of his research. He was famed for his devout lack of compassion and his more than evident adoration for inflicting any number of experiments upon cadets. The best any cadet could hope for was that they did not stand out to him. Aria knew all of this was a part of the SOLDIER process, but she didn't mind, she was still determined to ensure that she would be standing next to the elite as a kindred spirit one day, worthy of being named a first-class SOLDIER.

The proceedings were fairly standard in the research facility, everything was geared around a physical, medical tests to make sure that each cadet could withstand the necessary pressures of SOLDIER life as well as the mako.

The injection was as bad as she had heard, there was no denying that, but Aria told herself it was all a small price to pay for her goal. Cloud seemed to handle it all fine, Aria was a little knocked, but she could cope with it. The first one was bad, but she had been told that the next few would be worse until the shock to her system would wear off and her body could deal with it.

They were guided to their sleeping quarters, shown around the facilities, and assigned to a mentor, the mentors were a mixture of higher 2nd class and 1st class SOLDIERs. Aria and Cloud were separated into different groups, but they could still train together, outside of usual daily training, and eat their meals together.

"It'll do us good to get out of our comfort zones and meet new people, that's the SOLDIER life." Cloud said with a less than believable smile on his face, they were nervous there was no doubt, but they would get there in time.

Several weeks had passed and Aria had made a few acquaintances, many didn't like to associate with her because she was one of very few females in SOLDIER, many still believed in the older traditions and saw her as a hindrance. They didn't feel that a woman could be capable of any real strength, she even overheard that some had a bet about how she would react when it came to the famed worst dose of mako (namely the fourth). SOLDIER life was as she expected but she couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed in some respects. She had her moment to pity herself but soon became even more determined to succeed.

Aria spent most of her spare time in the training room, she would spend hours battling virtual reality monsters, working her way up slowly. She was there so often that the staff knew her well, they enjoyed watching her progress. She had worked her way up to fighting and defeating Ifrit on her own within a matter of 3 months. This was no easy feat; many cadets were miles behind her by that point.

After 6 months she had worked her way up to facing Sephiroth, albeit a virtual version but it had most of his patterns and strength encompassed in its programming. Understandably, she was knocked on her backside a lot but slowly she got better, got used to his patterns, challenged his strength, she was so incredibly driven, and it hadn't gone unnoticed.

A swift clash of metal against metal resounded against the cavern walls, sidestepping a particularly intricate attack, Aria bounded against the rock and launched herself towards the incoming onslaught. Speed and agility were key, but strength and resilience were necessary for defeating him. With a slice of her sword and raw pressure directed at Sephiroth's torso, protruding stalactites crashed to the ground as Aria dropped down with a slide of her boot against the dirt, creating a cloud of dust in her wake. The noise was overpowering, and she missed her cue, leaving herself open to attack. With unwarranted speed, Sephiroth flew through the debris and launched her up against the rock wall with a sickening crunch. She let out a gasp of pain, struggling to breathe against the pressure of his body pressing on hers, his hand inching around her throat as she coughed out spatters of blood. She kicked at him, missing with each energy-deficient movement before she coughed out a heavily strained "END SIMULATION!"

She dropped to the ground and wiped the sweat from her brow with another spluttered cough and gasp for air. Giving herself a bit of time to recuperate she staggered to the exit and was greeted by the smile of Jael.

"How did I do?" Aria mumbled.

"Better, you managed to inflict more damage, sustained a lot less damage for much of the battle, and surprisingly managed to last 11 minutes longer. You're improving, he's not easy, wouldn't be a goal if he was." Jael stated reassuringly.

"Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow." Whilst Aria felt good about the progress, she also felt the usual sting of defeat, it was taking a long time, she knew it would, she knew Jael was right, but it still annoyed her, nonetheless.

Walking down the corridor towards the sleeping quarters, she redirected and went the long way round. There was a certain part that allowed her to glance into the elites' offices; when she needed inspiration, she walked that way. They were very rarely in but that reminder of them helped, she mostly saw Angeal as he was mentoring, he would sometimes speak with her, they had become sort of acquainted with one another. She never saw Genesis because he refused an office environment, she did see him around the outer gardens on occasion, reading Loveless, of course, she never spoke to him though, how could she? She did, however, catch a very rare glimpse of Sephiroth completing paperwork in his office 2 weeks prior, she couldn't study him for long before she was noticed but his brooding concentration was exhilarating.

Aria doubted that any of them were around on that evening, she knew that Angeal was training. Genesis had taken a leave of absence (conveniently at the same time of the opening of Midgar theatre's latest rendition of Loveless) and Sephiroth was rumoured to have had business in Junon. She didn't mind though, it gave her a chance to study their environments for longer, it was usually quiet at that time of night so she wouldn't be disturbed.

Peering through Angeal's office, she noted that everything was meticulously placed, gleaming and pristine. She aspires to be that professionally presented but she could be a bit lax in that area really. Genesis' office was, as usual, untouched as if everything were brand new. Her heart skipped a little on her arrival at Sephiroth's office though, she knew he wouldn't be there, but she could easily picture him sat there even from the one glimpse, he had comfortably housed himself in her mind. Craning her neck round the window, she could see neat piles of paperwork on his desk, he had little in there of significance, but the appearance just screamed 'SEPHIROTH' from the leather-bound books to the plush black seat, the silver pens neatly aligned and the...

"May I help you?" An all too familiar husk of a voice sounded directly behind her.

She had been so engrossed in her observations that she hadn't even noticed the booted steps approaching her. Any air in her body had trapped itself so that she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast that it had found itself in her throat.

He held no discernible expression on his face, he was as unreadable as ever, she needed to make an excuse and escape, preferably with little punishment but she was frozen to the spot, her brain had all but evacuated her head.

Suddenly, he was scrutinising her, he raised a brow and tilted his head ever so slightly to the side to consider her. She seemed familiar to him; she was clearly a cadet, but her image had come up in a recent review meeting.

"Are you the cadet who has been training against me regularly in the simulated training room?"

She had faced him so many times, had this conversation in her head and dreams on many an occasion, she had pinpointed her exact script in this situation, navigated combatting him (in simulation of course) yet couldn't utter a sound and instead offered a mechanical nod in response. The rouge of her cheeks flushing ever brighter. She was already incredibly fatigued; she was wavering before he arrived but now it was all she could do to stay upright.

"Interesting. What is your name?" He held her gaze without fault and was surprisingly patient.

"A... Aria ... sir. SOLDIER third class ... sir." She stumbled over her words in nervousness but managed a reasonably coherent response, she thought so at least.

"Is there a reason you were peeking into my office cadet Aria? Did you wish to speak with me?"

She couldn't tell him the truth, but she found herself incapable of a valid excuse.

"I... I was ..." It hit her; he knew about her training so it would stand to reason that she would seek him out for advice.

"I was ... I wanted to ask for your advice sir."

"This was advice you couldn't receive from your mentor?" He asked bemusedly.

"It was advice about your personal fighting style sir. I... I am improving but still having trouble with fighting you in simulation. I wondered if you could help me improve further... sir." Aria fidgeted in her stance a little but looked him in the eye as she spoke.

"Verbal advice without practical references are not the best way in my experience. With that said, I believe a spar with me would be the most help I can offer at your stage."

"A spar... with you... sir?" She was taken aback, had he actually said that? He doesn't spar with anyone other than the other elite.

"I am not on mission for a week or so and if you are currently at a level where you can hold your own against my simulation for, 40 minutes I believe I was told..."

"51 minutes in today's training," she interrupted almost regretting her sudden confidence, "sorry for interrupting sir."

He didn't appear annoyed at this, in fact, there was an ever so slight hint of him being almost impressed. "51 minutes, I stand corrected, then I believe that you could hold your own to a certain extent for some real advice and experience in battle."

"That would be amazing, thank you so much, sir." Aria's exhaustion was a blessing at that moment at aiding her in containing her unprofessional level of excitement, she didn't want to seem an idiot in front of her hero.

"Thursday at 1800 hours, meet me at the simulation room." With that, he made a motion for her to move out of his way with his eyes and in her stupor, she took a moment to comprehend but then swiftly moved aside.

"Yes sir, thank you, I will be there." She smiled, saluted, and walked down the corridor towards her room after he walked inside his office and closed the door behind him.

As she reached her room, she threw herself onto her bed face first, despite her exhaustion from training she felt a new vigour, she would be quite incapable of sleep but knew she should try regardless. Rest was a privilege that she needed to take advantage of in preparation. Eventually, the euphoria calmed, and she drifted into sleep.

She stood in all too familiar grounds, the dust clouds drifted across the land and she squinted into the horizon. She adorned her training clothes, her sword in hand. As she peered, a glint of silver lined the edge of an overlong blade, speeding towards her. The familiar haze of luminous green caught her eye as he flew towards her rapidly. She froze at that moment, he grasped her with ease and pushed her against the cliff face, blade against her throat. She gasped for air, pushing with little relief against his body. She found herself mesmerised by his lips as he leaned ever closer to her, brushing past her cheek, and closing in on her ear she heard the faint whisper of his husky voice.

"You are mine." He ran his lips down her throat, sliding his tongue against the blood that had begun to trickle from beneath Masamune. She gasped with the sensation of warmth and the sting.

He ran his free hand down the length of her torso before resting on her hip, with sensuous strength he pulled her lower half against him, she emitted another breathy gasp as she felt...

She awoke to the drench of sunlight seeping through her window across her eyes. Sweat trailed down her brow as she felt her heart thunder in her chest.

"What the..." she rested the palm of her hand against her forehead and closed her eyes briefly, the image of his intense gaze burned behind her lids.

It took her some time to return to her senses, that dream had certainly housed itself in her mind, she couldn't escape it. Anytime his name was mentioned, any glimpse of his image on the Shinra posters, any time she paused for a moment, it seeped in. She was to fight him in two days, there was no way she could face him when thinking like that.

That dream... the sight of his jewel-like eyes, the softness of his lips as they whispered sweet nothings into her ear and ran sensually down her neck, the way his tongue...

"Nope! That's enough of that." She announced in the middle of a rather crowded canteen, a few confused stares were transfixed on her before she sheepishly made her way out.

"Aria" Cloud's kindly familiar voice echoed down the corridors, it had felt like an age since she had actually spoken to him if she could tell anyone about this situation, it would be her best buddy.

"Hi there stranger, it's been weeks, I thought your mission was only supposed to last a week, are you okay?" Aria rather ungracefully pounced at him and hugged him tight, she may have been focussed on progress for months, but she had missed him so much.

"Ah... haha yeah, it was but Angeal seemed to believe that I had a bit of potential and took me over to the plains for some extra training. He even said that if I keep this up that I could be promoted soon. I don't know if I'm ready though." He flushed a little bit and his gaze dropped to face the floor a little after Aria released him from her bear grip.

Aria blinked in disbelief several times before slapping him across his arm.

"Ow what was that for? I forgot how strong you are ouch." Cloud whimpered as he rubbed the quickly forming red mark.

"You have an opportunity to progress staring you right in the face, you have been training relentlessly for months and have dreamed of this for years and you are doubting yourself now?! Cloud I swear if you don't..." Aria's temper rose, she cared for him so much, he was like her brother, she knew he had the amazing potential to rise through the ranks, but he couldn't afford a moment of hesitation, that opportunity would disappear if he did.

"Okay, okay... okay, I get it, you're right, I know, it's just quicker than I expected, it's a lot to take in. Let me have my mini panic." His eyes crinkled as his heart-warming grin spread across his cheeks with a light chuckle as he spoke.

Aria calmed down and smiled in return.

"I've missed your aggressive level of support haha. So have I missed anything big while I was gone?" Cloud put his arm around Aria's shoulder and guided her down the corridor. The temporary distraction had lifted, and it all came flooding back into Aria's mind, she needed to ask Cloud about all of this, in private.

"Something did happen but ... let's go to my room, I don't want to talk about it out here." Aria tentatively looked around her to see far too many people who could listen in, the last thing she needed was rumours. Cloud's cheery expression slowly dropped into concern, if Aria wanted to talk in private then it must be something bad.

They approached her dorm room and she watched as the last of the crowds died down into silence on the corridor outside. With a click she locked her door and jumped with a thud onto her bed, Cloud sat beside her, chewing the inside of his lip in worry.

"Will you stop looking so 'protective mother', I'm fine, it's not anything bad... well I don't think so but some of it is a little..." Aria mumbled towards the end of her sentence and whilst she had meant to reassure Cloud, it had the opposite effect, he couldn't take the dawdling anymore.

"Oh, for the love of ... just tell me, the suspense is killing me."

Aria jumped a little at his outburst but set about telling him everything, the training, the snooping, the interaction, and the dream. She stumbled over some parts feeling a little awkward about voicing it, but she felt better for having it out in the open.

Cloud sat staring blankly, dumbfounded at what he had just heard.

"So, let me get this right in my head. Sephiroth, THE Sephiroth asked to spar with you in two days to give you some tips but you had a sex dream about him and now that's all you can think about and you're worried that it will affect you in the fight. Is that about right?"

"It wasn't a sex dream... it didn't go that far it was just a bit... aaah am I just being stupid?" Aria blushed a little in embarrassment and twiddled her fingers.

Cloud reached over and held his hand under her chin before slowly lifting her face to greet his.

"You're an idiot." He pulled his hand away and gently tapped her cheek. Aria frowned in response.

"You're going to get the chance of a lifetime, to get proper advice from your hero and you're worried that you of all people are going to melt in his presence like a love-struck schoolgirl?! You've lost your damn mind while I've been gone. Good thing I came back when I did." Cloud went from serious berating to clutching his ribs in laughter at the ridiculousness of it all.

Aria pursed her lips and shoved him so that he almost fell but as he caught himself, he fell back-first onto the bed, still laughing.

"I see your stupid point; I am thinking about it too much. Thanks, I needed that." Aria sighed heavily and fell back against her pillow. "So, second-class SOLDIER huh?"

Cloud calmed down his laughter and gave a heavy sigh in return.

After her conversation with Cloud, Aria had developed a new lease of determination, she would continue her training and hold her own against Sephiroth in the spar. She toiled away in the simulation training room, focusing on his movements, his speed, his strength and his defence in different environments. Her time didn't improve but her condition at the end of the fight did.

She still couldn't quite push away the butterflies she felt when he was near her, even in simulation but then she was only human after all, well, mako aside of course. There was no denying a certain level of attraction, but she would push that back and see it simply as a strand of admiration for his greatness.

The time had come for their meeting and she could barely contain her excitement. As she feigned confidence, strolling towards the simulation room she saw him, stood there waiting for her. He had his back to her, she could see the light dance against his impossibly long silver locks, he almost sparkled. Aria approached him and announced her presence with a clearing of her throat and delivered a greeting.

"Good evening sir."

Sephiroth turned to face her, his hair swished behind him, his scent floating towards her in the soft breeze he created; he smelt like expensive cologne and mint, it was intoxicating. He towered high above her smaller stature, looking down to be able to meet her gaze. Those eyes again, they were as bright as ever and fairly hypnotising. His expression was unreadable, he rarely showed emotion unless in battle. Her eyes dropped briefly to his lips, she couldn't help it, it was almost ritual now, they were pale pink, they looked soft and inviting. Aria widened her eyes at her wandering mind and internally reprimanded herself, screaming 'GET IT TOGETHER DAMNIT'.

"Good evening cadet. Are you ready?" His voice was like silk, the butterflies were ravaging her stomach at its sound, but she fought back the thoughts and willed herself to picture him as the simulation, pixels, and technology, not human.

"Yes sir." Aria replied.

"Good. Let us begin then."

Sephiroth motioned for Jael to open the room and passed the VR helmet to Aria. He proceeded to remove his coat and was bare-chested in front of her, she gulped and willed her mind to shut up again. Once they were set up with their tech, he motioned once more for the simulation to start. Aria breathed deeply as the pixels rolled across her vision to form the canyon she saw in her dream.

'Crap!'