[author note: this was written at around 3am, so don't expect any miracles or excitement]
I can't breathe...
...why...why can't....
...I can't breathe..?
...experiment..?
..my own good....
...research...save the lives of...
I can't breathe...
...sacrifices..?
but why can't...
...why can't I breathe?
"Anything?"
"Well...yes. I suppose. He said that you could talk about anything since it'll all be recorded."
"Wow, how exciting!!" a young girl cheered. "I get to have my conquest of learning recorded so I can watch it later!!"
"The Good Doctor *did* mention that only he would be viewing the videocassettes..."
"...awwww....."
"Besides, you kids need to focous on your studies. We all have high hopes for the group of you, so please try to do your best."
"Yes, sensei," the small group replied. They had been assembled, together, inside this small room. A learning environment? no, not looking like this. An experiment, the Doctor had called it. But what could he have in mind for something like this? This place...this room...this teacher...this chill in the air...Sephiroth would rather he had no part in it. He didn't much like the looks of this new teacher, despite his cheery, formal attitude. Sephiroth could feel something coming off this man, something like what it felt like around the Doctor. Yes, the same clammy feel in the air. It made him cold, edgy. He didn't like this. No, not at all. Why was he there? What happened to his old teacher?
"Now, please take out the History textbook from your desks and turn to page fourteen. Today we will be learning about..."
Page fourteen? Child's play, he thought. Simple busy work. He's not here to educate us. I know more than he does, I guarantee...
"Hey!"
Sephiroth turned to the girl seated near him. "It's not polite to think rude things about Sensei! Just do as he says, or the Doctor will get upset!"
"But...but how? How did you...?!"
"You two in the back, what's so funny?" the teacher called, annoyed at their interruption.
"This boy...he...haha...he says he...he can't hear peoples' thoughts!!"
A girl to the right of him whispered to Sephiroth: "Don't mind her. She thinks she's so speeciaal... The Doctor accidentally made her able to understand the thoughts of the living instead of the dead."
"The DEAD?!" Sephiroth jumped slightly and stiffened in his chair.
"What? You can't HEAR them?!" the girl asked, humor in her tone. "You must be joking..."
"Students, I don't think this is the type of research Doctor Hojo had in mind. Please restrain yourselves and keep to your studies."
Feel the flame inside me...summon the inferno... Sephiroth thought boredly as he read the first part of Chapter Thirteen of the Summons book. Why don't they challenge us here? Why are they giving us such simple work?
The girl seated near him took the opportunity to speak to him once more, being that their teacher was dismissed for lunch. The students themselves were not permitted food until class ended two hours later. The girl stood, walked over to his desk, and introduced herself.
"I'm Erika." She smiled slightly. "What's your name?"
"Sephiroth."
Erika grinned. "Wow! You thought up a great one! I just took the name of one of those Shin-Ra employees. I could always hear someone calling for an Erika, so, I don't know, I just started liking that name."
The girl seated to the right of him grinned. "I've heard of Erika, too! Hey, maybe we live near each other!"
"I'm in room B37!"
"Really? I'm in B42!! My name's Rose. I picked that name because I can see roses from my window."
"Ooo. Those roses sure are pretty..."
Sephiroth dazed off while staring at the chalkboard ahead of him. He thought, So they didn't give any of us names? Why am I not surprised.
"Sephiroth," Erika said as she shook his shoulder with her right hand. "Where did you get your name from?"
"Sensei."
"Our Sensei? He doesn't really say anything.."
"No. My old Sensei. He was a smart man, much unlike this bumbling oaf."
"Ah, so what did this smart man tell you about your name?" Rose asked anxiously. "Such a strange name...tell us what it means!!"
Sephiroth sighed and closed his eyes. "That's for me to keep to myself. Ask Sensei if you wanna know that badly."
As if on cue, the teacher entered the room, clearing his throat and wiping crumbs from his collar as the two girls scrambled for their desks. "So, I trust you children were well-behaved while I was gone."
Rose and Erika grinned and nodded while Sephiroth and the few other students remained motionless.
Bored!!!
"Now, please study chapter three of your Summons text. There will be a test on it later this week."
Sephiroth burned inside.
"Now, I know you all will do very well on this test, just like the last ones, right? You wanna make teacher happy, right?"
Wanna make students go homocidal, right? you annoying pudgy bastard...
Erika chuckled barely below a whisper, avoiding the attention of their teacher.
"...So study as much as you can so you can do well. That's all I ask. I'm going to go take my lunch now, so behave until I return."
...Bored!!
"I'll be back in 35 minutes."
The teacher promptly grabbed a satchel from behind his desk and shuffled out the door, locking it behind him. The students rose from their seats and began to socialize. Sephiroth bowed his head, dreading the next 35 minutes of absolute boredom and annoyance.
"Well you wouldn't be so bored if you would talk to us instead of thinking to yourself!" Erika sounded in annoyance.
"I would talk to everyone if they had something worthwhile to talk about," he replied with equal annoyance.
"Well, then, what would YOU like to talk about?!" Rose chirped. "You seem to have all the bright ideas, so go ahead! What's the topic?!"
Sephiroth shook his head. "Nevermind."
Rose and Erika snorted in disapproval and disappointment. Akito, a boy who sat in the front of the room, called to Sephiroth, "You know, I think you made the right choice to stay out of it. Once they start going...well..you saw what happened the other day!"
Rose cackled. "It wouldn't have been so bad if you had let me see what you were writing!! All that work just to find out you were scribbling some juvenille equation?"
Sephiroth stood and walked toward the back of the room.
Erika shrieked, "IT MOVES!!" then burst into laughter, soon joined by Rose.
Sephiroth studied the small object hanging from the roof. It turned to face him and he tapped on the front of it. "Doctor, I know you're watching. I'm bored stiff!! Get me outta here and I'll do whatever you want. Just, PLEASE no more of this mindless--"
The door to the room opened, and a man in a black suit marched in. He was followed by another dressed similarly, and another who stood at the door. The first picked up Sephiroth, threw him over his shoulder, and was followed out of the room by the second man. They left as suddenly as they had come, and left the other students speechless.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Final Fantasy Seven. If I did, I would be filthy rich and not have to worry about being sued. So don't sue me, okies?
