(Author's Note: Hello! It might start to take me 2 days to get a new chapter up now since I got the new Harry Potter book…I'll try to keep up with one a day but yeah…it might not work…here's chapter 11!)
Disclaimer: Don't own FF7 or Squaresoft. Cassandra I do.
Chapter 11
5 days later…
Cassandra sighed as she sat down on the edge of her bed in her room within the soldier's quarters of the Shinra complex. She was finally free of that hospital. The only downside of this was that she wouldn't be able to practice any drills for a while longer…the next month to be exact. All she could really do was walk around and watch the drills being practiced. Oh well…the new recruits were arriving today. Sephiroth or Zack would inspect them and then for the next 2 years they would go through basic training…and she was one of the SOLDIERs who would be instructing them.
"Oh joy," she said aloud dully. There was a knock on the door to her room. "Enter," she called.
Sephiroth came in and closed the door behind him. "How are you doing today?" he asked.
"Better. What brings you here?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I guess I came to warn you," he said.
"Warn me? Of what?"
"Hojo."
"That pushover?"
"Yes him…the day you woke up…just before you did he tried to kill you," he said.
"So?"
"He said you were ruining his experiments…I just came to warn you that he's still watching you're every move even though I threatened him while telling him not to. You'll have to watch yourself," he said.
"I can handle Hojo," she said not really worried about it.
"You're still injured. You'll have to be careful…he'll do anything to get rid of you if he starts to think you're causing a problem," he said.
"Big deal."
"Cassandra…"
"Fine! I'll watch my back," she said.
"It would be best if you just stayed away from me."
She just looked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.
"He said you were ruining his experiments with me…"
"Don't worry. I can handle myself in a fight," she said.
"I know. Just a warning," he said.
"I listened," she said.
"Well I need to be going," he said and turned to the door.
"Yeah. Thanks I guess," she said as he left.
****
"So…what's your name?" Zack asked.
"I'm Cloud," the spiky blonde haired 14 year old boy said.
"Well Cloud. You want to be a SOLDIER?" Zack asked.
"Yep! I wanna be just like Sephiroth!" Cloud said.
"Why just like him?"
"Uhh…you see…back home…"
"Oohhhhh…you wanna impress a lady," Zack said with a wink.
"Yeah," Cloud said with a faint blush.
"Well don't you worry! I can give you some tips on that," Zack winked again.
"Really?" Cloud asked.
"Sure thing."
"Thanks!" Cloud said as he followed Zack down the hall.
****
She dove into a shadow in a nearby alley. The men in blue suits, Turks as they were called, ran past her hiding spot. When she was sure they were gone she crept out of her hiding place and made her way back to the old church. Once there she walked to the center of the old run down building. She knelt down in a patch of soil that was bathed in sunlight.
She sighed and let the familiar presence fill her thoughts. "Planet…why are they after me?" she asked.
'You'll know in time my child,' came the response.
Aeris sighed again. "Very well then," she said as she stood and looked at her flowers.
It was time to meet Zack. Should she tell him of her troubles? The planet's presence left her.
No…she wouldn't tell him. If she did he would only worry more…especially on the day she would be caught…and she knew that day was coming. It was only a matter of time.
****
2 months later…
"You're fully healed now," the doctor said.
"Good. Now I can get back to doing what I'm supposed to be doing besides teach basic training," Cassandra said.
"Just keep in mind that the wound on your side could open again if you are under too much stress. At least for the next month or so with that," he said.
"Oh well. See ya," she said as she left the room. She walked back to the training center. It was time to yell at the new recruits…again.
****
2 years later…
Sephiroth sighed and dropped his pen.
"What's up?" Zack asked.
"This…Cloud Strife? Anyway. He hasn't passed a single test yet," Sephiroth said.
"Oh him. He seems like he should be doing good but…he's got a little too much energy. But he's cool. Hangs out with me a lot," Zack said.
"I noticed," Sephiroth said dryly.
"But I take it that he'll have to go through the basics again?" Zack asked.
"Until he passes the tests yes," Sephiroth said.
"Poor Cloud," Zack said with a slow shake of his head.
"Don't worry. We'll put him in the bunch that Cassandra instructs," Sephiroth said.
"What about my bunch?" They both looked to the door of the office. Cassandra stood in the door way leaning against it with her arms folded and a raised eye brow.
"Oh we're just talking about one of the recruits from 2 years ago. Hasn't passed any tests yet," Sephiroth said.
"Oh I'm sure you are," she said walking into the room and setting another packet of papers in front of him.
"What's that?" Zack asked.
"More tests for you 2 to look over," she said with an evil grin as she walked back towards the door.
"Oh joy. More headaches," Sephiroth said sarcastically. She just smiled and started to leave. "Cassandra wait. Stay and talk for awhile," he said.
"But you said Hojo…"
"Who cares? We haven't had a decent conversation for awhile now," he said.
"Oh…fine," she said and walked back into the room to take a seat in front of the desk next to Zack.
****
