Lightning´s memories of the first few days after her mako injection were hazy.
She remembered waking up feeling slightly sick, the icy surface of the opertion table still pressing into her back, the white tiled walls of examination room 2 zooming in and out of focus.
It took her some time to realize where she was and to remember what had happened.
That mako shot, it had knocked her out for good.
Feeling dizzy and tired and incredibly exhausted, like she was coming down with a terrible flu, Lightning was urged onto her weak feet and escorted back to her quarters by some white clad nurse.
Once there, she found she still felt terrible.
All she wanted to do was to go straight back to sleep.
And sleep she did.
It was the early morning of the next day that she woke up feeling surprisingly restored, awake and energized. Something she hadn´t had felt like for at least a month. Her muscles and joints weren´t aching anymore and now that the pain that had constantly been present in the background for the last four weeks had left her body, her mind felt stable and clear.
The remainder of the week was all about shedules and mission instructions and getting her equipment together, from her shoulder armor and helmet to the SOLDIER longsword with the curved guard and the small SOLDIER logo engraved in the middle.
Now that she had successfully finished her SOLDIER basic´s training, the pink haired third class was assigned minor missions together with Zack Fair and Cloud Strife, mainly consisting of guarding HQ, patroling the streets of the plate and the underlying slums as well as fending off smaller beasts that had somehow managed to sneak their way into Midgar through the city gates and the sewage systems.
When she wasn´t on one of her missions or in private training with her sensei Sephiroth, Lightning went to the gym to keep herself in shape and sometimes, when her tight shedule would allow, she wandered the vast streets of Midgar together with Zack and Cloud to grant herself a change of scenery.
She didn´t know much about how mako affected the human body.
All the pink haired soldier knew was that a few days after her injection, she felt fitter and stronger than she had ever felt in her entire life. Ever thought she would, in fact.
But it wasn´t until that one evening in the SOLDIER gym, that Claire Farron realized just how much the mako had affected her.
The First Class´s had rearranged their private training lessons to a joined gym session that day, a text message from her sensei had informed.
It wasn't something that had ever happened before, and the pink haired third class was already interested to find out what it was all about.
It was full of anticipation therefore that she entered the gym to find the others already gathered. And she immediately had to fight the urge to smile at the picture she was presented with.
Zack Fair was showing off his skills at bench-pressing, making Angeal proud, while poor Cloud was struggling not to get himself crushed by his forty kilos, much to Genesis´ great dismay.
Sometimes Lightning wondered how Cloud had made it into SOLDIER exactly.
Not only once had she had the feeling that he had problems doing the simplest things. Forgetting to bring his sword. Lagging behind in missions. It was almost as if he was trying to evade battle.
It was weird somehow.
Almost as though he didn't want to be there.
Her eyes taking in the scene, Claire Farron found her sensei beckoning her over to the unoccupied bench next to where Cloud was struggling with his weights and suddenly she couldn´t help but groan.
Oh no...
Somehow she hadn't expected him to make her bench press too.
And suddenly she knew exactly how this was going to turn out.
Being a girl she naturally was much weaker than her comrades. And it was in horror that she rememberd how much she´d struggled with the 25 kgs that last time they´d made her try during her SOLDIER basic training.
This was going to be emberassing.
Her silver haired sensei greeting her with a tiny smirk, Lightning had the slight feeling that the whole purpose of this session was to humiliate her infront of the others.
Great.
Having no choice but to play along, she obediently lay down to position herself on the bench.
There was no way to evade it anyway.
If General Sephiroth Crescent had decided to humiliate her via bench pressing, she would humiliate herself at bench pressing.
No matter what, he always got his way.
There was no use in fighting him.
That much she had learned. The hard way.
It was kinda like the 11th commandment.
You shall not defy Sephiroth.
Like Newton's 4th axiom.
General Sephiroth Crescent always won.
This was going to be emberassing alright.
Her gaze fixing on a spot on the ceiling Lightning forced her lungs to take deep focusing breaths, tried to gather the strenght in her muscles, the last few moments before the torture would begin.
Lightning didn´t have to wait long.
A moment after, Sephiroth handed her her first weights.
She couldn't see how heavy they were.
Her first thought was that he was going to hand her something he knew she couldn´t possible handle.
That he was going to crush her, just to make fun of her.
But to her great surprise she stood up to the challenge easily.
Hmpf...
He must have given her about five kilos.
Now he was making fun of her the other way.
Fine.
She was just going to get this over with.
She knew complaining wouldn´t get her anywere she wanted to be.
Yes.
Complaining would just make things worse.
So Claire Farron lifted her weights wordlessly.
Again and again. The silver haired general handed her the lightest weights that he could find it seemed.
After some time Lightning couldn´t help but feel bored.
'Any problems?' the first class asked after some time.
'No.' She replied honestly. 'It´s fine.'
She didn´t even sound out of breath.
Her silver haired mentor just nodded as he took the weight away from her.
'Good... Let´s try this one then.' he said before carefully he handed her another.
His voice was full of approval. Somehting Lightning had never heard there before.
It made her feel irritated and embarassed still.
He had to be mocking her.
Making fun of her infront of the others, it wasn´t fair.
But yeah... General Sephiroth Crescent was anything but fair. She had learned that the hard way too.
The next weight he gave her was definitely heavier.
It wasn´t easy, but focusing on the task, Lightning found that she could handle it without much trouble.
There was an audible gasp coming from Cloud´s direction and when Sephiroth finally took the weight away from her, the pink haired soldier looked up to find the others staring at her, the blond haired boy´s eyes glistening in awe.
Lightning couldn´t help but notice her sensei´s smug expression too.
A smirk was spreading on his thin pale lips as challegingly he looked at his comrade Genesis, who himself just shook his head to then gaze over at Cloud in what could only be described as a very disappointed way.
It was a few more moments before Claire Farron realized that she had liftet at least 80 kg.
She couldn´t believe what she had just accomplished.
She caught Zack smiling at her approvingly, while Cloud was still staring at her, looking slightly crestfallen.
Angeal Hewley´s expression was mildly curious.
Was this the mako´s doing?
It had to be!
But why hadn´t the mako injection worked for Cloud?
Lightning didn´t understand.
How could she have fathomed that her mako treatment had been different, special?
Well... That was just it. She couldn´t.
Feeling confused and slightly startled she looked over at her sensei again.
Their gazes meeting for a tiny moment, she found the silver haired first class nodding in acknowledgement.
The tiny triumphant smirk, it didn´t leave his face for the rest of the week.
The next few months passed fast. With the aid of her Mako treatment Lightning finally had enough energy to go on missions as well as productively use some of her spare time, which she mostly spent in the gym, getting stronger.
She made good money too and she sent about three quarters of her salary to Serah every month so she could pay for her tuition fees, accomodations and food and have everything she needed and more. Lightning wanted her not to have to worry about money. She wanted her sister to concentrate on her education and to grow up protected and happy and whole. So very much unlike herself.
Over the weeks Claire Farron had managed to built a close friendship with Zack Fair and she´d also became somewhat friendly with Cloud, with whome she shared most of her assignments and mission.
However, as it turned out more and more Cloud was not very talented. And more often than not Lightning wondered how he´d actually made it into SOLDIER.
Something inside her told her that Genesis might have had a hand in it.
Although most of their missions were rather fun than exhausting, more ofthen than not she found Cloud struggle hard. And she pittied him. She really did.
She had no idea why the mako injection hadn´t worked for him, he must have had four already, while she'd had only one. Four shots that didn't seem to have made much of a difference.
Zack had told them that sometimes the effect had to built up. That it had worked for him that way. And that it wasn´t common for people to react to the first mako shot as strongly as Lightning had.
Because really the effects were rather remarkable.
With only one shot the pink haired female felt equal to Zack, power wise. And he must have had a dozen mako jabs already. Maybe that was why she was spared the next few mako treatments. At least that was what she thought. She hadn´t been sent up to the science deparment again after all.
This way or the other, Lightning and Zack helped their blond haired comrade out whererver they could.
They weren´t sure wether they did it out of pitty or because they didn´t want to loose their friend as a colleague, but sometimes they´d even take over parts of Cloud´s mission. The untalented third class keeping to the background, watching in defeat.
But it wasn´t until an especially humiliating incident where Lightning had to save Cloud from a weird slug-like creature that had managed to sneak up on him from behind, that the both of them sat down to talk.
Trying to rid her blade from the ugly slug thing´s slime, Claire Farron watched the spiky haired boy climb out from under the creature´s stinking flesh she had just cut in half with one well aimed blow of her SOLDIER longsword.
'Are you okay?' she asked her clumsy friend before looking up she found his eyes swimming in tears.
'Hey, are you hurt?!' she added quickly as throwing away her sword she hurried over to carefully help him up.
'No... No I´m fine.' the boy replied, shaking her off with a tiny shrug.
'It´s just... I... I just can´t do it.'
Looking into his huge sad eyes Lightning found resignation there. Resignation and regret.
'I simply am no good as a soldier...'
Well. It wasn't exactly a secret.
'Cloud... Why is it that you did join SOLDIER in the first place?' the female third class asked carefully as slowly she sat down next to him.
The young man only shook his head.
'Come on, you can tell me.' she cooed.
Next to her Cloud Strife gave a defeated sigh.
'I wanted to become a hero. Just like Sephiroth.' the youth finally revealed.
Well...
They both knew that was not going to happen.
Cloud Stife would have to be very lucky to even make it into second class.
Zack was sent to a mission in Wutai with Angeal Hewley and came home with a recommendation for first class. And from then on Light was stuck with Cloud alone, their black haired friend assigned far more important mission then, he was now allowed to accompany the first classes on a regular basis.
Sephiroth had never taken Lightning along on any of his missions. Something she wasn´t exactly sorry for. But still. She couldn´t help but feel curious about what the first class´ missions were about.
Zack didn´t let on much. Of course most of their missions were top secret. But she knew it had something to do with the Wutai war and the construction of new mako reactors.
Eventhough they rarely had the chance to work together those days, Lightning, Zack and Cloud still spent their evenings together whenever their tight shedules would allow.
'Well, you get access to the materia room and you'll get equipment with materia slots too. They are quite expensive though.'
Zack was explaining his second class priviledges as they were riding the Midgar train down to the lower city.
It was the night before they left for her first Wutai mission, a mission they were all going to attend together, with Zack, Cloud and Lightning accompanying their trainers, and the three of them had gotten out together to have some fun.
'And of course there's the simulation training room. You can go there to train you know, go through various mission and stuff. It's really cool'
'Simulation training? Is that dangerous?' Cloud Strife looked sick at the very thought of it.
'Well, no it isn't.' Zack assured. 'Well... Technically.'
'Technically?' Cloud asked warily.
'Well there was this wutai simulation once where you were out on a field. To get the feel of a real battlefield you know. Vast empty plains full of enemies. And Kunsel... He...'
'He what?' Cloud asked, eyes huge.
'Well, he got weak knees, turned around and bolted.'
There was expectant silence.
'And then?' Cloud finally asked.
'Well... He forgot he was actually in a room. Crashed into a wall. Broke his nose.'
Cloud Strife looked aghast.
Claire Farron couldn't help but grin.
'Who's Kunsel?' she asked in an amused voice.
'Fellow second class, you know, that guy who's always lingering around the SOLDIER floor.'
'Never heard of him.' Lightning replied.
Zack Fair only shrugged his shoulders.
'Where are we heading anyway? We should decide, we're almost at the station.' the dark haired male threw in.
'Hey let's go over to men's hall!' Cloud suggested excitedly.
'Men's hall?' Lightning asked, rising her brows at Cloud in alarm. 'That's in wall market isn't it?'
'It's not what you think it is.' the lanky blond assured her quickly. 'It's a gym.'
'But we have a gym at HQ.' Lightning said confusedly.
'Oh please... You only want to ogle Beautiful Bro again.' Zack threw in with a snicker.
'Bautiful Bro?' Claire Farron only stared while Cloud attempted to smack his comrade's head, failing miserably, as Zack chose to lean back lazily, blondie's hand hitting only empty air.
She knew Cloud was kind of a pussy, had seen proof of it on several occassions. But this?
Could Cloud Strife be gay?
Their conversation ceased as the train entered checkpoint.
It wasn't that she cared exactly. Cloud was nothing but a comrade, was her friend. But still. Lightning wouldn't have pictured him as that kind of guy.
Then again, she had never seen him in a dress.
Her confusion must have shown on her face.
'It's not only Beautiful Bro, I've heard he's spending his evenings off in the Honey Bee Inn's group room.' Zack leaned in to whisper in her ear.
'They have a whirl pool there.'
Though Lightning couldn't see her comrade's face, she could hear a repressed snigger in his voice.
'I also heard that president Shin-Ra - '
'You know an aweful lot about the Honey Bee Inn, Zack Fair.' Claire Farron interrupted, arching her brows at him inquiringly, a stern expression creeping it's way onto her features.
'Well... Uhm... It's nothing... Someone told me... Some kind of contact. Shin-Ra informant, you know. Second Class stuff. Top secret. I can't tell you. Sorry.' he babbled, before quickly he turned away to consult the Midgar City map.
Claire Farron only rolled her eyes.
After a few months of missions, of shared dinners, strolls around the city and nursing each others wounds, Claire Farron found that those two had grown to her heart. Found she didn´t feel lonely anymore at all, found that she´d managed to settle into this strange world that was so very different than the one she´d once called home.
Still. Those two, Zack and Cloud, they never ceased to surprise her.
'Let's go back. I'm starving.' Lightning suggested to swiftly change the subject and to hopefully avoid going down to wall market after all.
That was no place for a girl, that much was for sure.
Besides, she still wanted to hit the gym for real.
Although the mako treatment made her stronger, her private lessons with Sephiroth didn´t seem to be gettting any easier.
And this was something she was trying to change.
Still. Sometimes she wasn't sure training really was the answer.
She didn´t understand how he had become like he was, but for some to her unknown reason the man who´d become her sensei was incredibly strong. Inhumanly so. The mako shot not making any difference against him, Lightning knew whatever Shin-Ra had done to him, it must have been far advanced to everything they´d done on her and her colleagues.
Inspired by her instructor's skills, the pink haired third class spent time in the training room more often these days.
Honing her skills.
Lerning new moves and techniques.
Perfecting them.
She knew it was important that she learned. That she learned fast.
Knew she needed to be prepared.
For they were going to leave for Wutai soon.
In about twelve hours to be exact.
Yes. She was nervous. There was no use in denying it.
It was her first real mission in the war. Her first real mission with the first classes.
She didn´t feel prepared at all. Didn´t know what would await her.
She had hoped on spending the night in the gym therefor in order to clear her restless mind, but Zack and Cloud were not going to give in that easily it seemed.
'Oh come on, we might as well die tomorrow!' Zack was trying very hard to convince her, she could tell, big puppy eyes pleading her to come along wherever it was that he was planning to go.
Lightning knew it was not supposed to be funny.
As members of SOLDIER the possibility of a sudden death was constantly dangling over their heads.
But she found she couldn´t help it.
It started with a small giggle and before she even knew it, she found herself laughing out loud.
It was something she hadn´t done in ages and attracted funny stares from the other commuters.
Oh, how were they going to help Cloud out this time?
Maybe a common garden rat would threaten to kill him!
She laughed even harder at the thought of it.
Her nerves had to be getting the better of her.
The other two just watched her antics in bemusement.
'Okay, okay! You´ve got me convinced!' the pink haired female managed in between her giggles.
'Great, I know just the place!'
She had no idea where they were going to take her but soon she found herself following her comrades off the train and onto the sector 7 platform.
Oh please.. Not the slums...
Although Lightning had been there before on various missions, somehow the sector 7 slums still made her feel uneasy. She had the feeling that some people there weren´t exactly well-disposed towards Shin-Ra and therefore SOLDIER. And roaming the streets by night completely without their weapons... Well... It wasn´t exactly a very comforting thought.
Suddenly she felt extra aware of Zack and Cloud's presence beside her. Felt thankful for it.
It wasn't that she needed protection exactly. But still. She'd rather not walk those streets alone. Not by nighttime at least.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of walking, they made it to a three story wooden building somewhere in the heart of sector 7 and Lightning realized they must have reached their destination when she noticed a giant sign fixed to the wall, reading 'TEXAS COWBOY CLUB', bright yellow neon letters spelling the words 'TYLER BAR' right above the western style swinging doors.
'Welcome to 7th heaven!' Zack Fair announced while gentlemanly opening the door for her to enter the run down, but well-visited bar.
'This place´s an insider tip' Cloud assured as both of them joined her and they squeezed their way through the crowd of people to get themselves some drinks.
It was crowded. Terribly so. And Lightning sucked in her stomach as they fought their way over to the alc stained bar.
Zack and Cloud ordered strong drinks immediately and despite the pink haired females protests insisted on buying her some too.
Claire Farron didn´t consider drinking a very good idea.
She had no desire of heading for her first Wutai mission with a hangover.
No.
It was essential to keep a clear head.
That much she did know.
They toasted `to Wutai!´ and Claire Farron took a burning sip of her toxic beverage, if only just to please her friends, making a mental note to get rid of the poison as soon as possible.
It was only five minutes later that Zack excused himself to hastily make his way over to a brunette girl in a pink dress, eagerly calling out her name „Aerith!" as quickly he approached her.
The two of them met in a tight embrace and to Lightning´s horror started making out right there and then.
Ugh, she thought as she quickly turned her head away.
That wasn´t what she´d come to witness.
Zack Fair hadn't even told them he had a girlfriend.
Well. Now she knew where her comrade had been so eager to come here.
Reminding herself not to look that way again anytime soon, she turned to her other side to check how Cloud was feeling about their comrade´s public display of affection, just to realize that he had started flirting with the big boobed bar keeper.
Well...
Now she knew why they called it 7th heaven alright.
Seizing the opportunity Claire Farron got up from her bar stool and made her way over to a large flower pot where carefully to shield her actions from the other visitors´ view she discreetly emptied half of her glass´s contents.
She didn´t dare get rid of all of it. She had a feeling one of her comrades would be only too eager to pay her next round.
Resuming her place at the bar, Lightning found she hadn´t been missed at all.
Her blonde haired colleague deep in conversation with the bar girl, he probably hadn´t even noticed that she'd been absent.
She spent the next ten minutes waiting for Cloud to talk to her or for Zack to return from his make out session but nothing of those things happened and Claire Farron started to get bored.
Oh, why had she agreed to come along in the first place?
Suddenly she couldn´t remember anymore.
What a waste of time.
If only she were back at HQ...
But with the prospect of making it back up to the plate all by herself not appealing to her in the slightest it seemed she was stuck here for quite some time.
Time utterly wasted, she thought bitterly.
If only she could do something useful...
It was the weird feeling of being watched that made her turn around again.
She saw that Zack and Aerith had vanished.
But in their stead she found a guy, a member of the turks by the looks of him, leaning against the wall next to the flipper where a certain bald headed colleague of his was engaged in heavy battle.
He was sipping at a giant long drink, a purple paper umbrella sticking to a piece of pineapple protruding out of it. The dark suit jacket of his uniform was unbuttoned to show an untucked dress shirt and his unkempt red hair tangled wildly on his shoulders.
Lightning could not help but notice how he seemed to study her intently over the rim of his glass.
She took a second short glimpse to make sure.
And indeed.
The man was downright staring at her.
A futile attempt at establishing eye contact, Lightning thought.
Was he trying to flirt with her?!
Oh please, not that... she thought as she sensed the guy pushing away from the wall and making his way over to her place at the bar.
She wasn´t in the mood to take this bullshit right now.
She so wasn´t!
Mustering her courage, the pink haired female turned around to look the stranger dead in the eye. Her brow furrowing angrily, she knew her fiercest SOLDIER expression had to have shown on her face.
It didn't intimidate her suitor in the slightest.
One corner of his lips rising in amusement, determination plastered all over his features, he crossed the room in a few quick strides and it was only a few moments later that he stood right infront of her.
He was so close Lightning could see the fire in his turquoise eyes despite the dimness of the room, could smell the drink on his tongue the second that he spoke.
'It's Reno. Reno Sinclair. From the Turks. But I think you already guessed that, yo.' he said in a weird slurry accent.
'I know who you are of course. Claire Farron. Lightning. First female to be accepted into SOLDIER ever and General Sephiroth Cresecent's apprentice. Our new celebrity, yo.'
Lightning wasn't sure whether it was the effect of the alcohol or just the way he talked.
It didn't matter either way.
'I'm not interested.' she replied coldly, forcing her facial mask into one of utter indifference.
Although her comrades seemed to have come to this place for a very specific reason, Claire Farron didn´t share any of their dubious ambitions. She wasn´t looking for a boyfriend. And definitely not for a one night stand. It wasn´t that she hadn't any interest in men alltogether. She just couldn´t be bothered.
Love. A man. Relationships. Her life was complicated enough as it was.
She didn´t need another factor of uncertainty in her life.
Didn´t need another responsibility.
Couldn´t allow herself a distraction.
She was on a mission after all.
The mission to keep Serah safe.
It was her top priority mission.
It was all she focused on. Was really all that counted.
And this guy... Reno.. She wasn't even sure of his intentions.
Well... It couldn't be anything good she assumed. Surely, no honourable man would stoop as low as to hang out in a place like this.
If her sensei could see her now. Spending her night before her first ever wutai mission in a place like that, drinking with some turks...
Oh, she'd die of shame, she thought.
'Is that what he's been teaching you? Playing hard to get?' the turk infront of her asked somewhat mockingly, the red marks under his cheeks flashing boldy against the light skin of his face.
'Or do you spread your legs for him exclusively?'
Little did our three heroes know that upon entering that bar, their actions had been closely monitored by their three favourite First Classes.
Hidden away in the corner farthermost from the bar and right next to the door, their gazes followed their every move.
'Having an important mission like this coming up, you´d expect them to prepare themselves instead of celebrating.' General Sephiroth Crescent pointed out in disapproval.
'Oh come on. Let them have some fun guys...' came Genesis Rhapsodos´ melodic voice.
'You don´t think they´ve realized we´re here, right?' first class Angeal Hewley asked, sounding slightly embarrassed himself, as he let his body slump down his seat as if trying to hide his bulk beneath the table.
'No way.' his silver haired friend assured.
'You know, I´m kind of disappointed with Zack´s actions... Actually I thought he had a thing for Lightning...' Genesis suggested as he watched the second class in question hurriedly leading a petite brunette girl over to the restrooms.
General Sephiroth Crescent only raised an eyebrow in response.
'He knows better than to try anything.' came Angeal's ready defense.
'Yeah, she´d probably cut off his balls.' the redhead laughed.
The silver haired General couldn´t hide a smirk.
Yes. She probably would.
Not that he'd shown her that particular move yet...
Maybe he should put it on her shedule sometime soon. One could never be careful enough.
The world was full of villians. Monsters. Sex predators. Lunatics. Infantry men. Turks...
'If I were you, I´d worry about my own apprentice.' Sephiroth told Genesis, who seemed greatly displeased with the path the conversation was taking and promptly looked away.
'I´m not sure yet whether it was your lack of judgment that led you to that poor choice when you picked this boy as your apprentice, or your incapability as a trainer that made him turn out this weak.'
Oh yes. The silver haired man had always been quick to rub salt into the redhead's open wounds.
There was silence for a bit, with Genesis sulking over his drink and Angeal busy trying to make himself appear as small as possible and throwing anxious glances around the room.
'Guys... I've done some serious thinking.' Genesis began after some time.
'And well... You know... I've beeen wondering... Why do you recon is it that Shin-Ra wanted us to take apprentices in the first place huh?' he asked from behind his half empty tankard of something, nibbling at a decorative slice of pineapple. His forhead wrinkled in confusion, he looked like a child trying to figure out an especially tricky puzzle.
'They're scared we'll snuff it without them having anyone to replace us.' came General Sephiroth Crescent's swift reply.
Genesis looked up in horror.
The pineapple slipped from his lips and hit the tabletop with a comical splash.
'What?! They think we'll die?'
Sephiroth only gave one of his dry chuckles.
'What? Scared of dying Rhapsodos?'
'I... Well... I've just never looked at it from that side you know.' the redhead replied somewhat resignedly.
'Well it does come with the job you know... Someone's gotta prepare for the eventuality.' Sephiroth explained as though talking to a third year.
'Wait! They'll replace me with Cloud then?!'
The silver haired general gave one of his trademark smirks.
Making to get up from the table, his mako eyes were shining with repressed mirth.
'I think I need another drink.'
He was shoved back into his seat by Angeal Hewley.
'What do you think you're doing?!' the burly first class started, his cheeks pink with agitation.
'Are you mad? They'll recognize you! Then they know we're here!'
'But Angeal. We are here.' The general countered somewhat incredulously.
'We are their superiors. If anyone should be embaressed it should be them. We could reprimand them, you know?'
Angeal Hewley quickly looked away, mumuring something about responsibility and role models under his breath.
'Hey guys, Is that Reno from the turks?' Genesis asked as if to change the subject.
'What are you talking about?' Sephiroth quickly turned his attention back to the scene, where he found the turk in question striding up to his third class apprentice appearently intent on engaging her in conversation.
He couldn't help but feel bile rising in his throat.
Please... Not that guy...
He could have lived with Zack, he guessed. With some other soldier. An infantryman maybe. But a turk. No way.
'You know what? It is Reno...' Angeal confimed not without interest.
'Uhhh! She does favour redheads after all!' Genesis chimed in.
'What are you-' Sephiroth began but there was a sudden smacking sound that reverberated through the whole bar and made the whole crowd stop and stare at the new formed center of attention.
'Ouch! Now, that hit home!' Genesis whistled as a few meters away from them a tiny purple paper umbrella dropped to the ground and Reno Sinclair turned away with a third mark on his cheeks, this one blazing even more agressively than the others.
It made a triumphant smirk appear on the silver haired general's lips.
'I knew it.'
'Well... She did not cut off his balls, did she?' Genesis corrected.
'Quiet guys, she´s approaching!' Angeal Hewley squealed, obviously alarmed.
'We can't let any of them see us in a place like this! What kind of example would it make...'
'Why not, actually?! It's as Sephiroth said. We are here after all, are we not? We've been here before they'd ever held a sword.' Genesis threw in.
Angeal silenced him with one of his stern expressions that forebode an evening of endless lectures about honour and what not.
The three of them held their breaths as they watched the pink haired third class make her way in their direction with a deep frown on her face and were more than relieved to find that she was actually aiming for the exit, not even once looking over at their booth, hidden in their corner.
'She´s leaving.' Genesis commented, disappointment evident in his melodic voice.
'She´d better. I´d prefer her to get prepared for the Wutai mission...' Sephiroth stated calmly.
'Unlike yours´, my apprentice is mature enough to take responsibility, focusing on her duty, not messing around like an idiot.'
That silenced the other two.
