Chapter 47
SOLDIER
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. All OC's are mine, thank you
SOLDIER:
For several months Daitona stayed with her father and Lucrecia, everyday was spent training with Dezeray. He was good, far better than Daitona had ever been and not being in shape didn't help her too much, but that was in the beginning. Her form and agility came back quick enough but never seemed to be enough against her dad. He was always faster and stronger than her.
Daitona growled viciously as she landed silently some distance away from her dad. He straightened then fell into a new line of defense. She had managed to get on the offense for a bit and nearly got her head taken off.
"Well, at least you can attack now. That's an improvement from three months ago," Dezeray taunted, though he meant no harm.
Daitona's eyes blazed with fury, she was close to tears her anger was so high. She didn't like being beaten but she'd never been a sore looser until she spared with Dezeray.
"Yeah, right." Daitona glared at him and her voice, as she spoke he noticed was dull.
Dezeray relented his stance and stood up straight letting the tip of his sword rest on the cave's dirt floor before him. "What's wrong?" His voice held concern, he did care how his daughter felt; she'd had small bouts of depression that had him worried at times.
"I can never beat you. I can train all I want but you'll always be better than me…and I miss Sephiroth." Daitona sighed heavily while shaking her head.
"Don't worry about it. I am much older than you Daitona and I have trained myself in combat long before you were ever born. A Divinian becomes stronger as they get older; you are quite strong for being so young. To our race you are still yet a baby. I…" Dezeray chucked softly then swept back the few white strands of hair that fell into his face. "I, in terms on this planet, am only a young adult myself. You could compare me to an 18 or 19 year olds stature on this planet."
"Uh-huh…" Daitona frowned, her eyes holding a questioning gaze.
"Ok, maybe this will help you. On Divine you'd be thought as a toddler would on this planet. Understand?" Dezeray asked.
"No, not really. But then again I really don't care. I'm tired of this training…"
"I know," her Divinian father interrupted. "You'll go back to Sephiroth soon. I promise, but not like you are now. You'll have to change your appearance somehow and find some way to get to him without being too obvious. You know people fear him now?" The black stripes on his light skin seemed to take on a red tent as he spoke.
"Daitona," Lucrecia called from the entrance of the cavern. "I'll help you change your looks so that you can leave tomorrow. Is that ok?"
"Yes!" Daitona responded brightly then quickly sprinted to where the older woman was walking away.
"So, you're hair's always been long right?" Lucrecia questioned as she lead Dezeray's daughter through the maze of passages…
****
Sephiroth stalked down a hall toward his officer's apartment seething to himself. The sooner he made it to the privacy of his room the better. Using his key card he slipped it into the slot and the door to his room unlocked. He shoved it open, stepped in then slammed the heavy door shut with a careless kick.
He was past ticked off with the president and really didn't care about anything at the moment. He threw his Masamune into a corner. He was the General of an entire army! How had he gotten stuck with a desk job grading tests from cadets hoping to get into SOLDIER?!
He stormed into the kitchen and quickly threw a sandwich together and took large bites to finish it off quickly. He hadn't eaten all day but really wasn't that hungry. He'd have to leave soon; new orders required him back in Junon. Grading more test but at least he'd get to train them in the process, though he really didn't find that all entertaining anymore.
"Anything to get out of Midgar though," he growled as he lay on his back on the bed in his room. His hand behind his head he stared up at the ceiling for a long while. The room became dark and his eyes glowed against the threatening darkness.
At about 7:30 a knock came at his door, he already knew it was a SOLDIER there to report that his chocobo and escort were ready. He stood up fluidly, his silver hair flowing behind him; it caught unseen light making it look like it glowed and shimmered in the darkness.
Sephiroth swept up his sword, easily attaching it to the harness that held it to his back then went to the door. He opened it and stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. As he predicted, there was a SOLDIER there waiting for him.
"Sir, are you read to depart?" he asked nervously.
Idiot "I am," Sephiroth stated coolly and swept past the SOLDER without any further words. One such as he was not to have any more time than necessary spent on.
He'd leave Midgar tonight and arrive at Junon by tomorrow morning.
****
"I want to register for SOLDIER."
The secretary at the military base's front desk looked up at the sound of the voice. A female? She was a little late, most of the other cadets had registered and been settling in over half an hour ago.
"Are you sure?" The woman had a real nasally voice that was very irritating.
Bright aqua-green eyes narrowed dangerously at the slight secretary. "Yes, quite."
The girls voice was like ice and the secretary gulped. "Umm…do you have your registration papers filled out?" She received a dull look in response. "H-here." She slid a packet of papers to the cadet to fill out.
The girl took them then a pen to fill out the required information…
SHINRA MILITAR ACADAMY
SOLDIER TRANEE REGISTRATION
FORM: 099834-CADET GP. 9 SC.4
First Name: Dayten .
Last Name: Aramose .
Age: 16 .
DOB: May 4 .
Parent/Guardian: none .
Home Address: none .
Home Phone: none .
Blood Type: unknown .
Eye Color: aqua-green .
Hair Color: Brownish-blonde .
Height: 5'2 ½" .
"Useless, do I really have to fill out the rest of this? All it wants is history and I have none to speak of."
The secretary took the registration packet and looked over the information the young girl had provided. "No, I guess this will do well enough. I am required to ask about your education though. Have you been to school?"
"I was home schooled. Graduated with a 4.0 G.P.A. I have had martial arts training as well for some time. Anymore useless questions?"
"No, I need you to wait there while I get the data put into the computer and get your military I.D card made."
With a sigh the girl, 'Dayton', went and sat down to wait. 'God I hate people sometimes.' It had been necessary for Daitona to lie about her name though the last name…it was her father thus her true last name. Lucrecia had cut her golden hair to her shoulders and she wore a new attire of clothes. She had really baggy karate like pants, which were really long shorts, which were black; a regular white t-shirt, military style black boots, and a heavy weighted training belt was tightly bound around her waist. Her shortened hair was worn tightly pulled back into a ponytail.
"Miss Aramose," the secretary called.
Daitona stood and went back to the desk.
"Here is your I.D/key card. Welcome to the SOLDIER training unit. You'll be sharing a room while in training with three others. You're in section C-23, group 24-A. You're commanding officer will introduce himself to you and your group later today. I believe there are 24 others in your group. Group positions will be decided when your officer arrives." She handed a slip of paper to the cadet with the information on it.
Daitona nodded then went the way the secretary had instructed her. She'd been to Junon before so she knew she really wouldn't have a problem finding her to her assigned room. She walked through many long halls, passing a few others and turning every now and then. She happened around a corner just in time to hear a grunt in pain.
Aqua-green eyes surveyed to see where the noise had come from. There was a gang of guys dressed in blue uniforms beating up another. He was a blonde guy and had spiky hair. Noiselessly, Daitona approached the one-sided fight and took her turn punching the guy who looked to be the leader in the nose.
The group was surprised by the sudden attack and stared at the new person is shock.
"Who taught you all how to fight?! You should know when a person has had enough!" Her mood was quickly turning stormy, she hated people who fought dirty. "You all will leave him alone or you'll have to deal with me."
"Lucky punch!" the guy she had punch, and most likely broke his nose, yelled.
"You want to find out first hand if it was only luck?!"
The entire group took an unconscious step back.
Daitona smirked. "I thought not."
"You'll regret this!" one of them yelled as they left.
"Oh really? Who's going to make me regret it? You?" She almost laughed. "And who's army?"
"Cloud?! Are you ok?" an all too familiar voice called as a man taller than the blonde walked into view. Daitona would never forget those amber eyes of his.
"Yeah, I'm ok Zack," Cloud answered rubbing the sore muscle of his stomach where he'd been hit several times.
Daitona smiled inwardly as she began to walk away, so he'd made it, she knew he would. 'See ya."
"Wait!" It was Zack's voice stopping her now. "Who are you? I haven't seen you here before." But I've seen you somewhere…but where? I know I should now you some how but I just can't put my finger on it…
"I'm Dayten. I just signed up for SOLDIER training today. I was on my way to locating my room," Daitona answered smoothly.
"Let me see where your rooms at," Zack offered.
"That's quite all right. I've been here before, I can find it." That said, she turned the corner and was gone from sight.
****
Daitona easily passed all the test of SOLDIER and was quickly promoted to SOLDIER. It was just in time for another group of trainee's to graduate so she was present at the ceremony with them.
Many of Shinra's high officers were there, a lot of them Daitona knew because they had been under her command at one point in time.
"Dayten." Daitona stood and approached the officer that was addressing her. "You have passes all requirements for SOLDIER, and with flying colors I might add. You are here by passed from cadet to second class SOLDIER. I have but in a recommendation for you to take an officers training course, I believe you have a lot of potential to succeed."
"Thank you sir." She saluted then joined the rest of the crowd.
She knew Sephiroth was there because he'd assigned two new officers and she'd seen him. She spotted him out in the crowd but then faced the dilemma of getting his attention; she couldn't just approach him.
Zack seemed to appear out of nowhere and cut Daitona's view off from Sephiroth. "Congratulations! I've never seen anyone pass into SOLDIER so quickly and second class too! It only took you two months, wow! It's just amazing, I wish you the best of luck." He shook her hand then left before she had a chance to say a single word.
'Man, the only reason I came here was to see…' she stopped in mid-thought. "Sephiroth…" she said out loud in a breath she barely released.
Sephiroth had come close while she'd listened to Zack and now stood about six feet away talking with Zack.
'I have to get his attention somehow but…'From out of nowhere someone punched her in the mouth and she fell to the carpeted floor, a bit stunned. She looked up at the idiot who had hit her and recognized them as the gang she had meat the first day she had come to Junon.
Then her fighting nature kicked in and she struck back by twisting her feet around the closest members and forced him down. She dodged his fall and rolled to her feet expertly. As soon as her feet met the ground she ducked under another attack and came up sharply with an uppercut to another's stomach.
"Ok, just as long as you all know you started this, you threw the first punch." Daitona knew she had Sephiroth's attention now, but she couldn't talk with him just yet.
She crouched in a low fighting stance she had picked up from her dad then did another uppercut successfully breaking another member of the gangs jaw.
Without warning, she was bear hugged from behind and picked up off her feet, the gang backed off.
"Get them out of here!" Zack ordered.
Daitona didn't know who had grabbed her but she knew she wasn't going to just let those idiots get away after one of them had hit her.
"Let me go!" Daitona growled through clenched teeth as she worked to free herself. 'Dang! Wow's holding me? I can't get…there!' Daitona managed to get one of her arms fee and as soon as she did she elbowed the one who was holding her as hard as she could.
A hiss of pain came from the one how had been holding her then she was released. She whirled around on the one who had let the cadet get away with angry eyes but that was quickly gone as she realized how'd she just hit. 'SEPHIROTH!'
Daitona instantly shook off any other thought and came to attention and saluted though she wore a guilt look on her face. "Sorry sir," she apologized.
"Who are you…man you can hit hard." Sephiroth winced as he rubbed his ribs where she had elbowed him.
"I am called Aramose sir. Dayten Aramose," she answered.
Sephiroth looked at her closely, he had that same feeling as Zack had had but… "You came back," he whispered to where no one could hear.
Daitona stood silently waiting for him to speak, she hadn't heard his recognition so she was a bit unsure of what to expect.
"Dayten, for hitting a superior you are assigned to confined discipline for an hour and a half because this is your first offence," Sephiroth spoke, but his voice no longer held that cold ring to it that everyone had come to be accustom to hearing.
"I understand sir…it'll never happen again." Daitona started to turn to go fulfill his orders but was stopped by his hand on her shoulder.
"I shall accompany you to be sure you carry out my orders." He narrowed his eyes at her telling her it was not something she could argue about. Daitona nodded and followed Sephiroth from the large room. Once out in the hall he led the way for some time, Daitona wasn't sure where the discipline room was so she followed him without question until she'd had enough. She knew for sure that there were no military things in this particular section of the building; she stopped dead in her tracks after rounding a corner after Sephiroth and found him stopped and facing her.
His eyes softened at looking at her for some time, he was sure it was her. "Daitona…you came back," he whispered and reached out his gloved hand to touch her cheek.
She down cast her eyes. "So you knew it was me?"
"No, not until you hit me and I really got a good look at you."
"I meant it, I am sorry."
"It's ok. I'm just glad to see you again. I though I'd never see you again and that you were dead." He stepped forward and brought Daitona to him in a tight hug. "God I've missed you…I never thought I'd feel so alone without you."
Daitona wrapped her arms around him, she'd been waiting far to long to be with him again. She had a pang of guilt and regret in her heart…she knew she had to tell him. "Sephiroth…I nearly died…I met my dad, he saved my life. I was in a coma for six and a half months…I lost him…I know I did."
Sephiroth closed his eyes tightly and hugged her closer. "It's ok."
"But…"
"Hush. It's not your fault." Sephiroth knew he'd hold that regret for the rest of his life. He'd nearly lost his wife because he'd made a bad decision and the price had been their first child's life.
When he finally let go of her he stepped back so that he could see her fully. She looked well enough but he knew better than that. "I'm sorry Daitona." Sephiroth bowed his head. "This is all my fault, I made a bad decision…are you really ok?" He looked back up at her.
"I'm fine. My dad knew the mako energy would help me to heal so I was submerged in it for some time. I don't think I have any scars either…only memories. And it wasn't your fault…did you ever go back for my swords?"
"I did, I have them back in my apartment if you'd like them back," the silver-haired warrior offered.
"No, keep them for me for now. I came back to because I really missed you. And I had to tell you…well…you know." Daitona bent her own head this time.
"Hey." Sephiroth cupped her small face in his hands and fisted it so that she'd look at him. "I've missed you too. You have no clue how much," he whispered, his lips scat inches from hers then he kissed her.
It was sweet undemanding kiss, one that they had both longed for since they last saw each other. After several minutes Sephiroth slowly pulled back to allow Daitona to breath; he instead turned his head and rested his chin on her shoulder and hugged her once more. It had been so long since he had last held her and he savored these few moments he had alone with her after almost a year.
Then an idea came to mind. "Hey…would you like to go to the presidents ball with me next Friday? I'm required to go because I AM his general and he's always trying to show me off. I'd really like it if you'd go with me."
"Yes, I wouldn't be a good wife to say no…plus," Daitona grinned looking up at him. "I don't want anyone else thinking they can take you as their own. You're stuck with me and I'm not planning on giving you up anytime soon." She ended with a nod of her head.
Sephiroth smiled at her, that natural child like nature of hers always seemed to amuse him. "I would never dream of it. You're stuck with me…until death do we part. And hopefully that won't be for a long time yet."
"Sounds good to me."
Sephiroth suddenly frowned. "…where have you been sleeping?" he questioned.
"In the cadets rooms, why?" Daitona asked.
"Well…I am living here for the time…and now that I know you're here…" Sephiroth let his words trail off.
"You want to share your room with me?" Daitona inquired. "Sure, that'll give us some time to catch up on the past 11 months we haven't seen each other. I want to know about these rumors I've been hearing about you." Daitona's glowing eyes narrowed almost as dangerously as they had when she had last spoke to the secretary at the front desk. "I've hear that you've become a cold heartless bastard who'd kill anyone that'd dared to cross you?"
"Ah-ha…" Sephiroth backed away a few steps. "Now don't be like that Dai."
"It's MS. DAI to you buster! Oh, and that reminds me…did you ever have a last name?" Daitona completely changed the subject and Sephiroth was thankful.
"None to speak of, why?"
"Well, I think it may be kind of important at some point in time…and so…what would you say to taking my dad's last name? It's Divinian…and I think it is of some importance on his home planet," Daitona explained. She knew it was customary for a girl to take her husbands last name…but he didn't have one and then she found out she did.
"Well, I guess if you think it's important…which I guess it really is." Sephiroth nodded his head then absently swatted at the few stray strands of silver that fell into his face.
"Good. SO we are Daitona and Sephiroth Aramose. Now that we have that settled…I want an explanation on your actions while I was gone Mr. Aramose," Daitona chided him with the new last name…it was kind of scary…
-End Chapter 47-