Chapter 3: The Trigger
Midgar
President Shinra impatiently scanned the reports from North Corel, his feet resting on the surface of his spotlessly neat desk. He was not pleased. He sank a bit further into his overstuffed office chair and gnawed on a cigar that was almost as fat as he was. His beady blue eyes gleamed with anger, and his shaggy yellow mustache began to twitch. His son, a small reedy boy of about sixteen with the same yellow hair and blue eyes as his father, stood behind him. The President glanced up suddenly, addressing the three men standing before him.
"These stupid people! I can't even believe this! This is what, the fourth vote they've had? For Christ's sake!" fumed President Shinra.
The three men did not respond. They continued to stand perfectly straight and still, looking more like mannequins than live people. They were clad in matching navy blue suits, and matching dark glasses that hid their eyes from view. The largest of the three stepped forward. Unlike the other two, his head was shaven, and he was quite heavily built.
"Shall we request another vote, Mr. President?" asked the clean-shaven man.
"No, Rude, we won't. I'm sick of voting. I'm sick of all this 'let the people decide for themselves' crap. From the outcome of these votes, it is clear that 'the people' don't even know what's good for them. That's why I'm here to make up their minds", answered the President.
The second man was very tall and gaunt, and his white face was covered in scars. He had flaming red hair that hung past his shoulders and was pulled back into a neat ponytail.
"What are we to do then, Mr. President?" asked the tall scar-faced man.
"Destroy the town, Reno. I'm sick of their resistance. A Mako reactor needs to be built in that mountain. To hell with their coal mining crap", bellowed President Shinra.
The third man had darker skin and black hair worn in the same style as Reno's.
"With all due respect, Mr. President, doesn't that seem a bit drastic? What about the people in the town?" asked the dark-haired man.
President Shinra's blubbery face began to quiver.
"Who cares about the people in the town, Tseng! They're the ones causing all the problems. Burn them to ashes along with their miserable little town. Rude and Reno, get to it. Take some of the Soldier trainees along, too. It'll be a good first mission for them. Toughen 'em up a bit. Tseng, you'll be back here monitoring the whole operation. Let's move, people! I want this done quickly, I want it done quietly. I intend to blame the town's destruction on a construction accident, so there better not be any witnesses!", barked the President.
"Yes, sir", Reno, Rude, and Tseng replied and slipped out of the room.
* * *
Wutai
Night had completely fallen on Da-Chao Peak. It was even colder now that the sun had set, and a cold wind whipped across the plateau and rushed down the side of the peak. The rumble of tanks had obliterated normal forest sounds and the clanking of artillery as the Shinra army positioned itself for the attack. Cody, Martino and Galen led their troops to the top of the plateau, where there was a clearing in the forest. The Soldiers assembled as quietly as possible, shuffling around trying to keep warm. No one wore gloves or extra clothing for fear that it would impede their ability to operate weapons. In Wutai below, exterior lighting of houses glittered softly and complete silence prevailed. If the Gelnika spy planes hadn't provided evidence otherwise, no one would have guessed that a large army was amassed there.
A row of Soldiers lay on their bellies near the edge of the cliff, their sniper rifles trained on the sleeping city. Behind them, row upon row of artillery was lined, each manned by several Soldiers. Cody, Martino and Galen wandered through the sea of weapons, making sure everything was positioned correctly.
"Everything looks good, Cody", whispered Martino, his breath crystallizing in the air.
Cody nodded. "Now we just wait for the General's word to begin the attack."
"When he does, I'll fire the first shot to signal to the rest of the troops that the attack's starting", Galen said, rubbing his hands together vigorously.
The three Admirals jumped in place to keep warm, and fought down sudden twinges of fear and nervousness.
Lower down on the slope, a brigade of tanks and the remainder of the Soldiers lay amidst the scattered pine trees, anxiously waiting for the attack to begin. Laeryn stood with her eyes squinted against the wind. She was not wearing her black officer's coat, and the red tube top she wore didn't offer much warmth. The coat was too big for her, and the sleeves hung down past her fingertips, which she found very annoying. Her hands flexed continually to keep her fingers loose enough to use her handgun. As she jogged in place to stay warm, Laeryn felt something heavy drape around her shoulders. She glanced sideways to see that Sephiroth's trench coat had appeared there. It was warm from his body heat, and she pulled it around herself like a cloak. Laeryn looked around for Sephiroth, and saw him speaking with Zack a short distance away. Her eyes widened at the site of him, his torso bare without the trench coat, and rippling with muscles. In his left hand he held his sword, the Masamune, which was as tall as he was. It had been forged by Ancients, countless thousands of years ago. It was said to have mystical properties, which allowed it to remain intact for such a long time. Other than the person who made it, Sephiroth was the only one in history who had the strength and skill to wield the six foot long sword.
Laeryn turned her head again, and noticed that Sephiroth was standing right next to her.
"Jesus, Sephiroth, you must be freezing. Take your coat", she demanded.
"The cold does not bother me", Sephiroth replied, almost in monotone.
"Well, I can't wear it into battle. It'll get lost", she insisted.
"I have others. Your troops should be in position by now. I'm going to signal to the Admirals to begin the attack", he answered, changing the subject.
He unclipped a handheld radio from his belt.
"Admiral Salo, do you copy? This is the General", he said quietly into the radio.
"Yes sir! Shall we begin the attack?" Cody's voice crackled through the radio.
"Fire at will, Admiral", replied Sephiroth before putting the radio away.
* * *
Moments after firing the first rocket, Galen looked over the edge of the peak and saw one of structures below blossom into glowing flames. The rest of the troops immediately launched their first salvo, and paused to reload. In the city, panic had arisen as people began milling about in the streets and the army sprang to life. It began setting up artillery of its own, and soon there were rockets, tank shells and sniper bullets flying both ways. The red light from flames danced eerily across the giant stone faces on Da-Chao peak, making them look amused in a demented sort of way, as if they enjoyed the bloody spectacle unfolding before them.
On the plateau, the Admirals threw themselves low to avoid a shower of debris from a rocket impact.
"Martino, you've been an Admiral the longest right?" asked Galen through clenched teeth.
"Yeah why? This is no time for idle chit chat!" snapped Martino.
"We need to take out their artillery. All of it! We're losing troops. Do you have your materia?" Galen demanded urgently.
Martino's eyes widened momentarily. Martino drew his sword and looked at the hilt, which was set with four green stones, each the size of a large marble.
"Of course I have my materia! It's in my sword, retard", snapped Martino, suddenly very nervous at the idea of having to use materia in a real battle. The only person alive who had complete command of materia was the General, who was elsewhere.
"Well, use that electricity one and fry the circuits on those launchers!" yelled Galen, raising his voice over the racket of the battle.
Martino signaled to a nearby group of Soldiers. "Cover me!"
He approached the edge of the cliff and gripped his sword handle, swallowing his nervousness. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, which he found rather difficult due to the deafening noise of the battle.
"Bolt", he said softly.
Tails of lightning shot from Martino's hands and sword and hurtled toward Wutai's defense line. Martino flew backwards from the force of the spell. As he rose shakily to his feet, Cody came running up.
"Martino! Something's wrong! Only half of Wutai's army is in the city!" he gasped.
"Did you see that, Cody?! I just took out almost that entire artillery line! Wait....what did you just say?" Martino said breathlessly.
"I said, only half of Wutai's army is in the city!" Cody screamed.
"Oh, crap."
* * *
"We should be hearing from Salo and the others soon now", Sephiroth randomly remarked. He, Laeryn, and Zack and been positioned on slope for nearly two hours, and were becoming rather jumpy.
Almost immediately, Sephiroth's radio beeped, and he picked it up. Martino's frantic voice could be heard through the thin haze of static.
"General Sephiroth sir! This Martino Valdez! I hope you're prepared for an attack, because there's one its way! Only half of the Wutai army is in the city; the rest is headed your way!
"You heard him! Wutai is on its way here. Get to your posts and prepare your troops. Now!!" commanded Sephiroth.
Laeryn and Zack jumped up, quickly forgetting the cold. They reached their respective squadrons, which immediately moved behind the tanks and began to load their weapons. Laeryn swapped her handgun in for a fully automatic weapon.
Laeryn had just finish delivering her commands when a shrill whistle rang out. She looked up to see a glowing ball followed by a white smoke trail snake across the night sky. The rocket collided with a tree and burst into flames.
"Move forward! Now! The attack has begun!" Laeryn screamed.
The tanks began to rumble, plowing over the thin pine trees. Laeryn ran ahead with the front lines.
They reached Wutai's front lines, and combat began instantly. Projectiles continued to fly through the air, hitting the ground and throwing up showers of dirt and gore. Burning trees and the flash of gunfire provided the only lighting for the scene. The heat of the flames was debilitating, and Laeryn was glad she hadn't worn her coat.
Laeryn signaled a retreat to the first wave of troops, and the second wave immediately rushed in. Laeryn headed for the back lines, helping to carry the wounded. She was breathing hard from the heat and exertion and determination, her swords crusted with blood, every one of her bullets fired into Wutai soldiers. The blood was one her body too, covering her forearms and making it look as if she were wearing red satin gloves.
She saw Zack near the row of ambulance trucks, gathering more ammunition.
"Zack! How are we doing?" she asked, recovering her breath.
"I'm all right, for the time being" he replied shakily, "There were a number of casualties in the initial charge. I went in with the second line. We're doing well now, I think. We should be hearing from the General shortly. You look like you did pretty well yourself, not a scratch on you that I can see."
Laeryn nodded, and lowered her sunglasses over her eyes to shield them from the glare of the fire.
"Speaking of Sephiroth, where is he?" inquired Laeryn.
Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Wherever you see the most people dying, that's probably where he is."
Laeryn grabbed another round for her gun and headed back into the fray.
The Wutai soldiers turned and began to run, trampling over each other as they desperately tried to escape, leaving a trail of tattered corpses and churned reddish mud in their wake. Laeryn watched as they ran, and began running in the opposite direction. It didn't take her long to see why they were fleeing.
Sephiroth was chasing them, and the unlucky few at the rear turned to face him. The glow of his green eyes overpowered the firelight. Laeryn watched as he wielded the Masamune with grace and skill, as if it were an extension of his arm. Another set of Wutai troops turned on him, and with a flick of his wrist the Masamune snarled and sliced through their bodies like wet red paper. Some of the troops deeper into the line pulled out their guns and took aim at Sephiroth. Laeryn bolted toward him. Even though he was the greatest swordsman in history, swords couldn't defend against bullets. Laeryn soon saw they didn't have to. The soldiers fired. Laeryn screamed, expecting to see a hail of bullets tear through Sephiroth's body. But it never happened. Sephiroth continued his pursuit, bits of red pouring down on him and anyone nearby as the Masamune made it rain blood. The soldiers lost their nerve, threw down their guns and ran for their lives. Laeryn just stood there, her eyebrows raised in confusion. She had just seen at least a dozen men fire at Sephiroth, and not one bullet had hit him. He can't be entirely human, Laeryn thought. No human could possibly survive that, and fight that good. Or look that good, she added as an afterthought.
Laeryn focused and continued running toward him, pulling out her swords in preparation for hand to hand combat. She gave Sephiroth his space, not wanting to get too close to a battle-crazed warrior with a six-foot-long sword. Tanks were plodding along behind them, firing into the middle of Wutai's army.
Laeryn focused hard on the task at hand, taking on groups of three or four at a time. She was aware of her surroundings, glancing upward from time to time to watch for incoming rockets, and watching her footing to avoid tripping over chunks of bodies. Laeryn encountered a gap in the line, and she paused a moment to catch her breath, wiping the blood from her hands onto her black pants. Sephiroth was a short ways off to one side, still single-handedly sending an entire army into a chaotic retreat. The tanks continued their steady advance behind him.
Laeryn glanced at the night sky again. It was glowing ashen gray now instead of black, its typical darkness obscured by smoke from burning trees and flying rockets, which continued to sail overhead. Most of the rockets were aimed into the troops, but Laeryn noticed one with a slightly different trajectory. It was set to strike one of the tanks. The tanks were not far behind Sephiroth. They can't kill him with their weapons, so they're trying to kill him with an explosion, Laeryn realized.
* * *
The city of Wutai was not faring well. Many of the buildings had been leveled, but the army was still putting up a fight, determined to fend off the invaders. Much to the dismay of Martino, Galen, and Cody, the Shinra Soldiers had taken much heavier losses than expected. Even after Martino's impressive lightning bolts, enough artillery remained to cause damage to the troops on the plateau.
"The city's gone, Galen. There's not really anything left of it", sighed Cody, "And there have been too many injuries. I think we're done here."
Cody looked at the girl stretched out in front of him, a victim of sniper bullets from Wutai. The girl couldn't have been any older than twelve or thirteen. At seventeen, Cody was one of the oldest Soldiers. Laeryn and Sephiroth were his only seniors.
Galen returned the sigh as he set the girl's shattered arm into a splint. "The General has his hands full further down the mountain, but I doubt he's forgotten us. I bet he'll signal a withdrawal at any moment."
Cody shrugged. "I hope so. I'm going to go see what Martino's up to."
Martino was about to signal a withdrawal himself. His troops were getting tired, and with the city of Wutai in ruins, there was nothing to do but fire aimlessly into the enemy lines. He raised his hands in the air and opened his mouth to shout, but he was cut off when he felt himself knocked sideways.
"Martino!" screamed Cody as he ran toward the explosion that had erupted near his friend.
Martino saw Cody running toward him and tried to stand, but found that he was unable to.
"Good news, Martino! Wutai's retreating and we.... Oh my god! Galen, get out here now! And bring a stretcher", yelled Cody.
"Don't try and move; you're losing a lot of blood, but you'll live", he reassured Martino, whose face widened in terror at the sight of his injury. Galen arrived just then.
"It's all right, Martino. Just be still. Wutai's retreated; there's nothing left for them to defend. We'll report to the General and get you to a hospital right away" said Galen. Martino nodded dumbly, fighting for consciousness against the pain.
* * *
Laeryn had never moved so fast in her entire life. She was only dimly aware of what she was doing, all her attention was directed toward Sephiroth. She felt her feet leave the ground, and the site and sound of a nearby explosion filled her senses. There was an impact as she collided with Sephiroth, coiling her arms around his waist and knocking him to the ground. A sudden agonizing pain in her lower back sharpened her senses again, and she looked down to see Sephiroth's very surprised face looking up at her. Laeryn felt darkness seeping into her vision. If I'm going to die, she thought, at least I'll die happy looking at him. With her last vestige of consciousness, Laeryn softly ran her fingers across Sephiroth's cheek, leaving a smear of blood where she had touched him.
Sephiroth felt Laeryn go limp. He squirmed out from under her, trying to move her as little as possible. He looked down at her, and saw the dark red stain seeping through the back of her shirt and forming a small puddle around her.
"Page!" Sephiroth grabbed Zack's arm as he ran by.
"Sir?"
"Get an ambulance! Fast! Don't just stand there looking confused, this is urgent!" Sephiroth yelled at the top of his lungs. Zack saw Laeryn laying in a pool of her own blood and lit off so fast he almost tripped over his own feet.
Sephiroth watched the Wutai army continue its helter-skelter retreat, and knelt beside Laeryn. He tried to stop the bleeding from her back, but his hand scraped over metal instead of the cloth of her shirt. Sephiroth gasped when he realized there was a good sized piece of shrapnel imbedded in Laeryn's back. Which would have been imbedded in my stomach if she hadn't tackled me, Sephiroth thought bitterly.
Zack and a younger boy rushed back to the scene. They laid a stretcher on the ground next to Laeryn, and Sephiroth cautiously shifted her onto it, being careful not move her too much or roll her onto her back.
"Thank god there's an ambulance here, Zack! Martino just passed out; look what happened to him", panted Galen, who looked like he was on the verge of tears.
Zack bit his lip and turned away. Two of his best friends were unconscious and badly wounded. I can't deal with this, he thought, if had known it was going to be like this...
Feeling numb, Zack helped lift Martino and Laeryn into the ambulance. The younger boy who helped him with the stretcher sat down next to him as they watched the ambulance drive away.
"You knew them, huh? You gonna be okay?" he asked.
Zack nodded. "They will live. And I can't lose it now. Since Laeryn's hurt and Sephiroth stayed with her, I'm one of the commanding officers of this army."
The boy saluted. "Yes sir! And I hope you don't mind me saying so, but I suggest that we regroup and get the hell out of here."
"I couldn't agree more. Thanks for your help with the stretchers back there, too. What's your name?"
"Cloud Strife, sir! Number 2856, squadron B, commanding officer Galen Rance, sir!"
Zack couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm. "C'mon, let's head back to camp."
* * *
A Week Later
Shinra Headquarters, Midgar
Sephiroth stared at the ceiling, aimlessly drumming his fingers on the arm rest of the chair he was sitting in. He was sitting in the waiting room of Shinra Hospital, and he hated it. Hospitals reminded him of Hojo. The clean, overly sanitized smell in the air made his skin crawl. He wanted to leave, but his nervousness kept him pinned to the chair. Laeryn was somewhere in the winding corridors of this building, and he had to know if she survived.
Sephiroth heard someone coming down the hall, and turned to see who it was. He watched silently as Galen and Cody walked slowly past him, pushing a partially awakened Martino in a wheelchair. Martino's legs had been blown off during the battle. Although he had quickly recovered from the surgery and treatment, he would obviously never walk again. He would be honorably discharged from service. And then there were Cody, Galen, and Zack. Despite years of training and simulation, nothing could fully prepare them for their first real battle. Even though they had performed well, they hadn't understood what war was all about. So few people do, thought Sephiroth, to them it's just a chance for honor and glory. And so it had been for Zack, Cody, Martino and Galen. But now they have seen what it's really like. They have killed real people. I don't know if they will ever recover. Sephiroth leaned his face on his hand. Their best friend had been terribly wounded. It would be hard for them to go on. He knew there was nothing he could say to them.
Sephiroth had always looked at other people's lives the same way they looked at his; like he was a statistic, or an interesting specimen, certainly not something that was capable of complex emotion or higher thought. The Admirals turned and looked at him, their eyes red with tears. Sephiroth continued staring into space, unable to comprehend what they were experiencing. Maybe there were people out there who had shed tears and sympathy for them, which is why they were able to feel that way for Martino. Sephiroth cracked his knuckles and realized how stupid he sounded to himself. Why did it matter if they were crying over someone? It happens. People get hurt, they die, life goes on. Apparently he had been mistaken in his decision to promote Galen, Cody, and Zack. Such weakness was not keeping with an officer in his army. That is correct, he told himself, which leaves no justification for why I have been torturing myself by sitting in this room for the past week. Sephiroth stood up to leave. As his hand rested on the door, the thought crossed his mind, what if she died and I never saw her again? No! So what if she dies? People die all the time, I've seen them die, I've made them die. And I have never cared, never felt. But now... Sephiroth stood in a state of complete confusion, his long-neglected emotions suddenly rising to the surface and conflicting with his cold, brutally logical mind.
* * *
Laeryn could feel consciousness creeping back into her mind, but she didn't open her eyes. She heard people moving around her, and voices, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. A dull ache in her back was a background for what little else she was aware of. Laeryn knew she must have been captured, though. The last thing she remembered was Sephiroth's startled face. She knew she had passed out after that. Since she was a high ranking officer, she figured that Wutai soldiers would have leapt at the chance to capture her, to use as a bargaining tool, or bait for some sort of trap, perhaps. And it wasn't like Sephiroth to dash off into battle and save her. Laeryn tensed as she heard someone approach her. Feigning sleep until the last moment, Laeryn lashed out with her fist and heard a satisfying crack as it connected with someone's face. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly. Brutal pain shot through her back, and she couldn't suppress a scream of agony. She lay back down, gritting her teeth, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened.
Sephiroth smiled as he saw one of the doctors dash past him, clutching a broken nose. Moments later, a nurse emerged, and stated, "Sephiroth? Er, I mean, sir...I mean.... Laeryn has regained consciousness. You may see her if you like."
"I heard", he replied, and entered Laeryn's room. Laeryn was lying on her side, with her back towards him. She had a sheet pulled up to her hips, and Sephiroth could see the mass of stitches and surgical staples that held her lower back together. Looking at a small steel table nearby he saw a chunk of metal the size of his fist, which had been removed from her back. Her skin looked almost as white as the sheets on which she lay, and her plume of hair flowed like a jagged ribbon of ink down her back. The drape of the sheets called attention to the point of her hips, which was usually hidden by her baggy uniform pants. Sephiroth noticed that, for the first time since he had seen her, she looked...vulnerable.
"Laeryn?" he called softly, not really sure if she was awake or not.
A muffled grunt was the only verbal response from Laeryn, but she slowly, painfully, turned herself over so that she was facing him. She looked at Sephiroth, and noticed that his eyebrows were raised ever so slightly. Laeryn abruptly remembered that she had no shirt on, and hastily pulled the sheet up to cover her chest. Sephiroth awkwardly cleared his throat, his face almost as red as hers.
"Where am I, and how did I get here", Laeryn demanded, to break up the embarrassment.
"You're in the military hospital in Shinra Headquarters in Midgar. You were brought here right at the end of the battle, which we won, of course. You have been here for about a week. If you are also wondering what happened to you, just look that table over there. See that chunk of metal? That was lodged in your back", Sephiroth answered.
Laeryn's eyes widened momentarily at the piece of metal. She was lucky she wasn't paralyzed, or worse, dead.
"And what were you thinking, anyway?" Sephiroth continued, his tone decidedly irritable now, "You were nearly killed. You easily could have avoided that blast, but for some reason you insisted on running right towards it. And then you threw me to the ground in the middle of the battle! It's even luckier that one of us wasn't skewered by Masamune, or run over by tanks as we were lying there. I'm familiar with your skill as a Soldier, and I know that you're capable of logical thought and wise decision making. That little episode, however, was not an example of either of those traits, and I certainly expect that it will never be repeated."
Laeryn lowered her head against her pillow, not wanting to look at him. Sephiroth was right, she hadn't thought about what she had done. She had acted on impulse, on instinct, on something else altogether. She didn't even try to explain it to him, she knew he wouldn't understand. A muffled apology was all she could manage for a response.
Sephiroth continued to glare at Laeryn, but he stopped a short while later when he realized that she wasn't looking at him. He sighed softly. "Apology accepted. Although I would still like to know what compelled you to do something so senseless."
Laeryn shifted nervously under the sheets. What was she supposed to say to him now? If she told him she had risked her life to protect him, he would probably become even more unhappy. He won't understand, he couldn't comprehend what a person must feel to be willing to die for another, Laeryn thought miserably, and remained quiet.
"So how was the celebration?" Laeryn asked, desperate to start any conversation since the awkward silence bothered her so much.
Sephiroth looked puzzled. "What celebration?"
"Well, doesn't Shinra usually have some sort of victory celebration whenever they win a war?"
"Yes, but I told them to postpone it."
"Why?"
Now Sephiroth was at a loss for a response. He studied the ceiling for a few moments before answering, "Because I wasn't sure if you had survived."
"Oh....well, I'm alive", Laeryn answered. She knew her response sounded completely vapid, but she was unable to think of anything better to say, so stunned was she by the knowledge that Sephiroth actually cared whether she lived or died.
Sephiroth nodded. "You will be released from the hospital in five days. That is when we will have the celebration. You will also receive your leave then, and you may visit your family."
Laeryn's heart leapt at the thought of seeing her parents again. Six months had passed since her last visit to her hometown of North Corel, and she missed her mom and dad terribly. She called them and wrote to them whenever she could, but she seldom had time for such communications.
Laeryn smiled, looking Sephiroth in the eyes once again.
"Why are you here, Sephiroth?" she asked suddenly, accidentally vocalizing the question that had been running through her mind since he showed up. A look of surprise crossed his face; the question had caught him completely off guard. He quickly recovered, though.
"I apologize if I'm bothering you. I'll go now", he replied, dodging the question.
"No!" Laeryn said a bit too eagerly, blushing, "I...I didn't meant that. I don't even know why I just said that. Just ignore me....." She trailed off mumbling.
"Speaking of questions", Sephiroth suddenly continued, "You never answered mine." Why was he being so insistent on knowing the reason she had saved him? That thought traveled through both their minds as Laeryn fished around for a reasonable answer.
Laeryn sighed, trying to give an impression of casualness, like throwing him to the ground and nearly giving her life for him was part of her daily duty, her obligation as a Soldier.
"I did it so you wouldn't get hurt," she answered quickly.
Sephiroth looked utterly baffled. She could tell that he wanted to keep asking her why, but was too confused to even formulate a question.
"I should go now, President Shinra will want to hear of your recovery. And you need to rest, Laeryn. I'll see you in five days then, at the celebration." He turned to leave the room, and Laeryn didn't stop him this time. She knew she had made him uneasy, and that he was in a situation that he could neither understand nor deal with.
"Goodbye, Sephiroth," she replied softly as he left.
Laeryn leaned her head back into the pillow and closed her eyes. Now that Sephiroth was gone, she felt the pain in her back again. She had completely forgotten about the pain when she had heard his voice. In fact, she had been so caught up with him that she'd forgotten she wasn't wearing a shirt.... Laeryn felt her face burn at the memory, and hoped that Sephiroth would forget. Despite her initial embarrassment, Laeryn felt happy. Sephiroth had done something he had never done before, which was to show concern for another person's well being. Her well being. He came to visit her in the hospital, when surely there were more important things he needed to attend to. He had even postponed the victory celebration until she would be able to attend... Laeryn smiled.
If only Sephiroth realized how sweet he's being, she thought, and even though he can't really handle his emotions, he's so cute when he tries to hide them... Cute? Laeryn shook her head. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd described anything as "cute", but somehow it seemed so fitting for Sephiroth's little emotionally awkward moments. Who knows what's come over me. Maybe I'll wake up and feel the urge to prance around in a pink dress sprinkling flower petals around. God forbid! Laeryn laughed to herself at this thought, and continued smiling until she fell asleep.


***Sister Ray's Notes***
Finally, some action! Hopefully all of you people that were falling asleep reading the first two chapters can wakie up now ^_^ Nah, I don't really think it was that boring. I'm just hard on myself sometimes. Anyways, I thought this chapter turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.