©Blood of Sephiroth

Chapter Eight: Never-ending Story, Peoples!!

The group arrived back at the complex as the sky was growing dark. Sephiroth dropped the stuttering bike where it was, lifting Gabe up and running with her in his arms to the hospital wing. Zack and Cloud ran after him, through crowded halls, nodding every now and again to staring, wide-eyed people as Sephiroth tore down the corridor. He burst through the doors, Gabe still limp in his arms, and gently he laid her down on an unoccupied bed. Zack and Cloud came and stood next to the bed as the doctor came over.

'Knife wound....looks pretty nasty....I'll see what I can do.' He muttered, gesturing to two of his assistants to wheel the bed into the theatre. Sephiroth sank into a seat, his head in his hands.

Zack came and sat beside him, taking off his sword and leaning it against the wall.

'She'll be okay, Sephiroth. Honest.'

Sephiroth looked up at his old friend, tears filling his eyes again. He nodded and wiped them away.

Half an hour passed when the doctor came back out, peeling off a pair of bloody gloves.

'Sephiroth, sir? Xavier's going to be fine.' Sephiroth breathed a shuddering sigh of relief, moving out of the way as the bed was wheeled out, Gabe still unconscious. Sephiroth followed them into the main ward, Zack and Cloud trailing him. Just at that point, Hojo walked in.

'Where the hell were you, Sephiroth! We were meant to be testing the two new First Class SOLDIERs you claim to have! And yet we find you gone!'

Sephiroth whirled to him. 'We kinda had to, Hojo! And we can't test them now. Gabe's hurt pretty badly.' Sephiroth's voice trailed off as he glanced back in the direction that the bed had been taken in.

'So? We can test Strife now. Xavier can be tested later I'm sure.' Hojo waved a hand dismissively. Zack laid a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder as the big man went to decapitate Hojo.

'Hojo, NEITHER student will be tested. We do not care about your schedule. Xavier will be in no shape to take the exam, and Strife needs rest. Now, unless there was something else, I suggest you leave. NOW!' Zack barked as Hojo made to argue. The scientist took one terrified look at Zack and Sephiroth, then all but bolted from the hospital. Zack turned to see Cloud convulsing with silent laughter. Zack grinned, but Sephiroth strode into the ward, spotting Gabe's bed and pulling a chair up, prepared to sit for as long as it took for her to regain consciousness.

He didn't have to wait long. About fifteen minutes later, as Cloud was just starting to drop off, Gabe opened her eyes.

'Seph?' She asked, when she saw his face. 'Are you okay?'

Sephiroth smiled and nodded. Gabe sat up slowly, looking around her. 'Where are we? Last I remember is the tomb....then things went kinda fuzzy....'

Sephiroth sat down again. 'You're in the hospital wing at the SOLDIER training institute. You passed out halfway here.'

Gabe's eyes widened. 'My bike! It's still stuck on the mountain! Oh, that cold is not going to do anything for the hydraulics....'

Zack laughed and Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle. Trust Gabe to be more mortified about her bike then about herself.

'We'll get you a new one, sis.' Zack said, pulling up another chair for himself and Cloud. Gabe grinned at him.

'Thanks, bro. Jeez, I never realised I had family.' Gabe said. Zack grinned at his little sister.

'Neither did I, till I researched it.'

Gabe looked over to Sephiroth, and took hold of his hand.

'Seph? You okay?' She asked, concerned. Sephiroth nodded, smiling. His face was filthy from the tomb, and he had a trickle of dried blood down his throat, but he didn't notice it.

Two days later found Sephiroth walking Gabe into the gym, where she was to be tested to see if she could continue training as a SOLDIER. He registered her with the examiners, then withdrew to the viewing area above the gym.

Zack was waiting there, along with Cloud who'd already been. Sephiroth watched as Gabe went through the first fluid motion of her exercise, her eyes shut in concentration as she imagined her enemy.

'She'll do fine.' Zack said, also watching. Sephiroth grinned.

'Of course she will.'

A further two days passed as the examiners graded the two hopefuls. Gabe was in her room, posing in front of the mirror in her dress uniform, Sephiroth leaning against the doorway.

'Do I look okay?' She asked, suddenly turning to him. She was nervous. Today they were going to find out if they had a place in the rigid SOLDIER training program.

Sephiroth nodded. 'You look fine.' Then he glanced at his watch. 'Geez, you're nearly late! Go!'

Gabe snatched up her Nadzimun blades and slipped them into their ornamental scabbards on her back. As she went out, Sephiroth caught her in his arms and they shared a good-luck kiss, Sephiroth standing there and watching Gabe's rapidly-retreating back. He smiled. He knew what the results were already, of course.

But that is another story.....

To be continued....

©Blood of Sephiroth 2002.