Song of Angels
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor did I have anything to do with its creation, and all content referring to Final Fantasy VII belongs to Squaresoft/SquareEnix. Also any characters that do not appear in the original Final Fantasy VII have nothing to do with the game, and strictly appear for the purpose of this story.
Her youthful face filled his mind, as it always did when he allowed his mind to drift from the current situation at hand. Her gentle green eyes, set in soft, cream skin and framed by delicate waves of luscious golden brown hair, the image stole his breath, a reaction that took place each and every time he allowed his mind to delve that deep.
He looked back on the day he had first met her, not knowing then that their lives would be forever intertwined, from the moment he set eyes on her. She was young, just over half a decade younger, but she had looked at him out of everyone, he was the one she had chosen.
~*~
He had been out, buying a few things for his family, when he had come across a young girl, lost within Wall Market, located at the Sector: 6 slums.
"Hi…are you okay?" he had asked, unaware of her situation. She turned at the sound of his voice, and seemed taken aback by his sudden appearance, as though she had not realised that someone would have noticed her. He blinked as he realised that he had seen her around before, but had never really spoken to her. "Are you lost?" he queried, holding his bag of goods before him in both hands, while she continued to look about uneasily.
"Y-yes…I'm fine," she replied, her tone frail. He could tell that she was near tears, but didn't know how to approach her without worrying her.
"Listen…I know this is the first time I've spoken to you, but please if you're in trouble, tell me…I can help, since I've lived here all my life," he said, his tone gentle and careful so as not to worry her further. She sniffed, and looked about again, the tears threatening to escape from her, "okay…if you don't need my help, I guess I'll see you around," he stated, in the same gentle tones. He turned his own back, preparing to leave, when a sudden hand reached out and took hold of the end of his shirt.
"Wait…" came her tiny voice; he turned to face her, her eyes glistening. He drew his eyebrows together, sorrow and pity washing into him, the poor child was definitely lost. "Don't leave me…I need to get home…" she whispered, her voice betraying the tears that were held back. He felt something collapse within, and blinked back tears of his own as he knelt, and released one hand from the bag he carried, placing it on her head.
"I promise I won't leave you…" he whispered back to her, stroking the soft hair that covered her head. A small smile broke onto her face, and he smiled in return, drawing her close into a small hug, "come on, tell me whereabouts you live and I'll take you home, okay," he said, pulling away and looking into her eyes. She smiled and chewed on her lower lip, as she blinked back tears of happiness.
~*~
Since that day, she had seen him as an older brother figure, although he often wondered if she ever viewed him as something else, but reminded herself of the age gap between them. He had definitely felt something strong for, always he had felt a strong emotion that made his heart beat faster than it normally did, when he was ever around her or thought about her. He vowed silently to be there for her, and to protect her with his life, although fate had defied and forced him to break his promise, to an extent. Having known that their lives would be entwined, it was cruel for them to be on opposing side, he the hunter and she the hunted.
~*~
He was relaxing in the lounge, reading over the days headlines, when he looked up at the sound of his name being called, as a man, who was his superior, leaned in against the doorframe.
"You have an assignment, which you are to carry out with two others," he announced, and then walked over to hand the envelope containing the necessary papers. He gave his superior a questioning look, and received a shrug in reply, and saw that the envelope had not been opened, meaning that it had not been reviewed by anyone working in his line of work. He set the newspaper aside and opened the gummed envelope, his hand shaking slightly for an unknown reason as he reached for the white, paper-clipped documents. He drew in a deep breath, had he known that laying his eyes on those documents would have resulted in this, he would have handed them back and asked for someone else to head the assignment, but he lacked the ability to trust his intuition, and looked at the documents, the picture accompanying them taking his breath away.
He stared in disbelief, and thought for a moment that this was a different person, but checking the name typed in bold across the top denied his wish, and slammed that cruel fate into him. He swallowed back the rise of bile in the back of his throat, he couldn't do this, but by opening the envelope and looking at the documents, he had sealed his approval for taking the job. He hastily shoved the papers back into the envelope, and took them with him as he rushed past his surprised superior and into the men's toilets, where he barged into an open cubicle and began to retch violently, the contents of his stomach rising up and splashing into the water. He drew in a deep breath as soon as a break was available, and leaned back against the one of the walls of the cubicle. Tears streamed down his face as he thought about the times he had spent with his new assignment, he retched again, then slid onto the ground, titling his head back and looking at the sickening shade of white cast by the light overhead.
"I'm so sorry…" he whispered, his voice croaking with the raw feeling that lined his throat. He turned his head and laid his eyes upon the opened envelope, then reached for it. He took out the documents again, and tears welled up and forced their way out as he scanned her face, tracing each curve and sweep, his heart felt heavy and he no longer had anything else to allow to resurface from his stomach, and so wept silently, angered at the hand fate had dealt him.
That day had changed everything for a second time, the second main event in his life that ensured their lives to be connected. He had seen her that night, and apologised while giving her a head start on escaping, hoping that they would not be able to track her down, but they had, and so began the chase that continued. He had been promoted through the chase and overlapping assignments, nominated as the successor to his superior. Over the years, he had watched her grow and become the wonderful woman she was now. He had been a part of her life, sharing in her tears, her joys and still, even during the chase, witnessing her loves, each time wishing that he had been one of them.
She had been hurt at what had happened, but still dared to meet him now and then, he was after all her childhood friend, and a major part of her life. It had hurt him to see the betrayal in her eyes, as one night they had planned to meet, he had been followed by one of his subordinates, the redhead, his name flitting through his mind momentarily, but unable to stay long enough for him to grasp it. They had waited until he was with the girl, and listened in for a short while. That night, he had planned on telling her the bare truth, that they could no longer meet like this anymore, especially since members of his line of work were becoming suspicious with his activities. The redhead had leaped out of the shadows, gun at the ready and aimed upon the assignment, congratulating his superior on his work. That had been the first time she had been taken into captivity, and he had been too ashamed to ever lay eyes on her again.
Months later, she had escaped, according to his well thought out plan. He couldn't bear to stand what they intended to do with her when he found out, and so took covert action, keeping his tracks well hidden and covered up, he hadn't been given the highest rank for nothing. He hadn't met her gaze when she had left, but she had forced his head up and planted a swift kiss on his cheek, tears flooding through her eyes and streaming down her face, as she left his presence to go into hiding.
~*~
And now here he was, leaning against the wall that led to a room further down the hall, possibly a transportation area, that sent people to the next area of this Temple. His eyes pricked with tears as these memories washed through him, the unfairness of his fate with her, why had the Angels dealt him this hand. His body heaved as he sobbed, a hand covered the wound that bled profusely, that blasted clone had landed a killing blow, and he knew he would not be able to live long.
"I'm sorry I broke my promise…I guess fate wanted me to leave your side," he whispered, as he leant his head back and looked into the earth coloured ceiling above him. He felt his last breath leave his body, feeling the muscles relax; the last thing he saw was the memory of her smile, warm and gentle, and forever etched within his mind. The words 'I love you' resounding through his mind, unspoken as all systems slowly shut down, allowing his spirit to pass on.
~*~
Aeris paused as she felt something within her break, and a sense of loss filled within her. She turned to look back the way they had come, a door looming behind her leading to the next part of the Temple, leaving this labyrinth of arches and passageways. She felt alone deep within, but knew that blue eyes had turned to face her still form, offering some emotional support, but she knew that nothing could replace the void that had opened up within her. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she turned to face those questioning eyes, then nodded, forcing a smile for their sake, 'We will meet again, Tseng…I promise you,'