Title: Opals
Summary: A single gemstone holds a lot of memories for Sephiroth. No pairings.
Zack sighed loudly as he tapped his pen against the desk.
"Something wrong, Zachary?"
The lieutenant glanced over at Sephiroth, who was busy signing reports. "Yeah. I'm bored."
Sephiroth rolled his eyes and continued finishing up the reports about the new SOLDIERs. Zack fell silent for several minutes before finally speaking again.
"Hey, Seph?"
The general paused and grunted to show that he was listening.
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while. Why do you have that pendant?"
Sephiroth slowly put down the report and looked over at the pendant in question. It sat on his desk next to his paperwork, opal center gleaming in the dull light.
"It belonged to a friend of mine. I suppose I never told you about her." he said, gently picking it up.
Zack grinned teasingly. "Her?"
"Not like that." Sephiroth responded, giving him a look. Zack laughed.
"Tell me more about her." Zack mock ordered. Sephiroth rolled his eyes again and nodded.
"Fine."
:Flashback:
Sephiroth sighed softly to himself as he walked down the hallway. While it was typical for members of SOLDIER to go to a monthly doctor's appointment, it didn't mean that he had to like it. Up until today, Hojo was the one that did the examination. However, he was far too busy with other experiments for him to play doctor. Sephiroth was a bit leery, seeing as most of the Shin-Ra doctors were scientists. Shin-Ra scientists were very odd, to say the least.
The lieutenant bit back a groan when he reached the door that lead to the waiting room. Upon opening the door, Sephiroth was pleasantly surprised.
The room was normally dull and colorless, had uncomfortable chairs, and had no decorations. The new doctor had added more comfortable chairs, paintings of forests, waterfalls, and mountains, and a stereo that was playing soft, soothing music. The only thing that had remained unchanged was the ancient nurse that had probably been here ever since before Sephiroth's birth. Signing in on the chart next to her, Sephiroth decided to lean against the wall. Much to his relief, the room was empty.
The nurse left to get the doctor and Sephiroth was left alone to his own devices. The lieutenant looked up at the ceiling and raised an eyebrow. Somebody had placed pictures with funny sayings on them on the ceiling. Shaking his head, the lieutenant looked back down when a glimmer caught his attention.
Sitting on the coffee table across the room was a giant gemstone. It was very pretty and everytime Sephiroth moved his head, the gemstone changed colors. Since he was not one that was normally interested in gemstones, he had no idea what to call it.
"That's an opal." an unfamiliar voice cheerily announced. Sephiroth hid his surprise and turned around.
Standing in front of him was a scrawny stick of a woman. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and she opted for a lilac tee-shirt and denim jeans instead of a traditional doctor's coat. She wore a pendant made out of the same gemstone and a friendly grin on her face.
Quite frankly, Sephiroth did not know what to make of this stranger.
"Aren't they pretty? I love opals. Anyways, I'm the new doctor here, so come with me?" she asked. The woman didn't seem nervous at all, despite the appraising look Sephiroth was giving her. He nodded and reluctantly followed her into the examination room.
It too was changed. The same soothing music was playing and there was a giant mural of a misty river on one side of the room. On the other side was a mural of a mount during the winter. Several diplomas hung on the only mural-free wall in the room.
"Well then, how are ya?" the doctor asked as Sephiroth seated himself.
"Fine, thank you." he replied dully. How he hated small talk.
"Jolly good." she said, skimming over his chart. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow once more. This doctor was definitely different from the typical unfriendly kind that Shin-Ra normally employed. He could get used to this. At least this woman was making a sincere attempt to be nice. He supposed he should return the favor.
"And you?" he asked.
"I'm good. Uh, just to let you know, this is my first time working at Shin-Ra. What was your previous doctor like?" she asked. Sephiroth shook his head.
"You won't be well liked if you follow his footsteps." the lieutenant replied.
"Okay. I'll do it my way then." she said, shutting his chart and placing it on the counter. Glancing over at him, she grinned.
"Don't look too nervous. I won't kill you." she teased. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. He was not used to people teasing him. Most of the scientists didn't even speak to him out of fear.
"I'm sure you won't, Doctor." Sephiroth dryly replied.
"Oh, my name's Charlene, but my friends call me Charlie. At least they would if I had friends." the doctor said.
"You do not wish for me to call you, 'Doctor'?" Sephiroth asked. Charlene shrugged.
"Call me whatever you want. I don't care." she said, sitting down on the swivel chair. "How have you been feeling lately?"
Sephiroth sighed. "Fine."
"Any trouble sleeping?" the doctor asked, scribbling something down on a pad of paper that she had somehow conjured up.
"No." he answered. It was mandatory to have her go through basic questions about his health, seeing as mako prevented SOLDIERs from getting most illnesses. However, these questions were rather boring.
"How's your stress level? I understand that your job is stressful, but are you under any more stress than usual?" Charlene asked. Sephiroth stifled a yawn and shook his head.
"No more than usual." he replied. Charlene wrote down his response.
"How's your appetite been?" she asked.
"Normal." Sephiroth sighed, holding out his arm so she could take his blood pressure. Charlene recorded it and nodded.
"Healthy as a horse." she announced. "Um, this Hojo dude says you need a mako shot?"
"Correct." Sephiroth said, managing not to grimace. Charlene shuddered as she filled one of the syringes with the glowing liquid.
"I hate needles." she muttered, squirting some of the liquid in the air to test it. Sephiroth blinked.
"And you chose a doctor as your profession?"
Charlene laughed. "I know what it's like to hate the things a doctor does, so I figured I'd make a good one, since I understand the patients nervousness better than most. I was so horrible about going to my appointments. I usually hid. One time, I hid in the attic and my mom spent two hours looking for me. Boy, did I get in trouble that time."
Sephiroth smiled slightly at the doctor's grimace. "I bet you did."
"My mom could scare you, Mr. Lieutenant." Charlene said, adding a note to her report and throwing out the syringe. Sephiroth was about to say something when he noticed the foggy feeling he got whenever he had a mako shot.
"You already delivered the shot?" he asked, slightly astonished.
Charlene nodded and grinned. "Yup. Gotcha in the wrist when you were listening to my story. I'm just that good."
Sephiroth shook his head to clear it and got up. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Have a good day." she replied, filing her report.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Later in the day, Sephiroth had a meeting with the President. The President was jabbering about how Wutai was becoming irrational in their negotiations. He wanted Sephiroth to start training the recruits harder and to start studying the terrain, in case war was declared. Sephiroth dutifully listened to the twenty minute tirade and assured the President that he would do so.
The minute the elevator doors shut, Sephiroth heaved a loud sigh and rubbed his temple. He now had a splitting headache. The elevator dinged several floors down and Sephiroth looked up to see Charlene. She waved cheerfully and walked into the elevator, slightly headbanging to whatever music was playing her head. Choosing to ignore this, Sephiroth resumed massaging his temple.
"Hang upside down if you have a headache. It really does work." Charlene suggested, earning a look from Sephiroth.
"Thank you for your advice." he muttered. Like he would ever hang upside down like a monkey. Charlene either missed his sarcasm or ignored it.
"Let me know when you do, okay? I want pictures." she said, grinning. Sephiroth gave her another look. Charlene snickered at him. "Relax, Chuckles."
This caused Sephiroth to stare at her with an expression of disbelief. Did she just call him 'Chuckles'?
"You'll give yourself an ulcer one day." the doctor continued, ignoring the look she was receiving.
Sephiroth remained silent, unable to formulate a response. He had never been called that before in his life. Charlene noticed this and gently prodded him.
"Dude? What's wrong?" she asked. Now he had just been called, 'dude'. When will the nicknames end?
"Fine." he sighed, slightly exasperated. Charlene grinned at him again when the elevated dinged. In walked Scarlet, head of the Weapons Department. Scarlet gave Sephiroth a seductive stare and edged closer to him.
"How are we doing today?" she cooed. Sephiroth sighed when the smell of alcohol hit him. Apparently there had been another meeting. Thankfully, he had missed that one.
"Fine, thank you." he ground out. Charlene was staring at Scarlet with faint disgust. After several minutes, the drunken woman noticed her.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" she slurred. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. While Charlene looked young, she did look old enough to have a job. Charlene gave her an insulted glare.
"I'm torn between two professions." she said, surprisingly polite. Sephiroth began to edge away from the two women inconspicuously. Sephiroth was proud of his intuition and right now it was telling him that he wanted to be far away.
"What are they?" Scarlet asked. Charlene glanced at the floor number when the elevator dinged.
"Your floor?" she asked, ignoring the previous question. Scarlet nodded and was about to totter out when Charlene caught her attention.
"The first profession is a doctor. The other is a prostitute. You look like a seasoned one, so tell me, is the pay any good?" the doctor asked, a slight smirk on her face. Scarlet looked flabbergasted as the elevator doors shut. Charlene let out a whoop of laughter.
"I've wanted to say that for years!" she cackled. Sephiroth managed to suppress his laughter. People often called Scarlet a whore behind her back, but this was the first time somebody had the guts to say it to her face. The lieutenant would remember this day for the rest of his life.
"Interesting remark." he finally said. Charlene shrugged.
"Well, she gave womenkind a bad name by hanging all over you like that. It was disgusting. Honestly, have some decency." she ranted. Sephiroth shook his head.
"You two should stay far away from each other then." he murmured.
"I'll do that. Hey, do you have anything planned tonight?" she asked suddenly. Sephiroth blinked at the sudden change of topic and glared suspiciously at her.
"No." he reluctantly replied. Charlene snorted at the look on his face.
"Wow. Somebody needs a happy pill." she said, ignoring the look that comment earned her. "Like I said, I'm new here. Could you show me around?"
Sephiroth sighed. "Very well."
"Thanks! I appreciate it!" Charlene said, looking slightly relieved. Sephiroth nodded in response. At least she wasn't that annoying.
And she wasn't afraid of him.
Sephiroth had given Charlene a tour of most of the Shin-Ra building by the time seven o'clock rolled in. She had brought along her notepad to write down notes as she had admitted to being horrible with directions. The building was mostly empty, seeing as when the tour began, it was five o'clock.
"Thanks for the tour! This will help me get around." Charlene said when the tour ended.
"You are welcome. Though, I highly doubt your sense of direction is as bad as you say it is." Sephiroth remarked, earning a sheepish grin from Charlene.
"I admit that I once got lost in a parking lot." she said, rubbing the back of her neck. Sephiroth shook his head, slightly amused. The woman sighed and looked at her watch. She squawked upon seeing the time.
"Oh shit! I've gotta get home! I promised Mom I'd be home in time for dinner! Thanks for the tour!" she called out, already heading out the door. Sephiroth waved in response and reluctantly trudged back to his office. He had a giant stack of paperwork waiting for him to fill out. The joys of being a lieutenant never ended.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Charlene must have been made a permanent doctor to SOLDIER. The next day, she was dragged over to the gym so she could learn more about the mako enhanced SOLDIERs. As the scientist grumpily explained everything, she amused everybody by making faces at him behind his back. Surprisingly, she could make faces and pay attention at the same time. Charlene asked the appropriate questions whenever she need clarification on something, listened to his explanation, then returned to making fun of him. When he finally turned around, Charlene was simply nodding her head.
"Great. I understand." she grinned. The scientist grunted and shuffled off to the hole he had crawled out of, otherwise known as his lab. Sephiroth tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.
"Were you really listening to him?" he asked. The other SOLDIERs barely contained their snickers. Charlene almost looked offended.
"Yeah, I was. I'm an expert on multitasking." she replied, folding her arms. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Then repeat one sentence he used." the lieutenant said. Charlene thought for a moment.
"Mako enhances everything about the soldier, including strength and intelligence." the doctor finally said, even copying the grumpy scientist's tone of voice and gestures.
"I see." Sephiroth muttered, signaling for his squadron to be dismissed. Charlene watched him pick up the gym for several minutes. Annoyed, he stared back at her.
"Yes?"
"I was just curious on something." she murmured. Sephiroth began walking out of the gym, signaling her to follow him.
"About what?" he asked. The doctor remained silent for a while, apparently trying to figure out how to ask her question. Finally she spoke.
"Does mako really enhance everything?" she asked. Sephiroth glanced at her until he finally realized what she meant. His face felt unusually hot and he slightly groaned. Charlene grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"Never mind." she said, noting his embarrassment. "I was just curious."
The lieutenant chose not to speak until Charlene started rambling about the weather and cows. What cows had to do with the weather escaped Sephiroth, but he listened to her ramble anyway until she remembered she had a meeting with several patients and scurried off.
As he watched her leave, Sephiroth had forgotten what embarrassed him in the first place. Then he remembered and another blush appeared. As he began heading toward his office, a thought entered his mind. Either Charlene was insane or she had intentionally rambled about cows and weather so he would no longer be embarrassed. He would have to check into that.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Several weeks had passed since Sephiroth had met Charlene. They often saw each other, seeing as the Shin-Ra higher ups wanted a doctor available during all training sessions. She was very good during these sessions, never interrupting them. She was quite popular with the other SOLDIERs, often amusing them by mocking the cranky scientists. Sephiroth himself was amused by her as well, though he occasionally doubted her sanity. All in all, she was one of the few Shin-Ra employees that he could tolerate.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was a fine, sunny, Sunday morning when Charlene came barging into the gym, looking nervous. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her. He was the only one training, since it was still part of the weekend. Normally, Charlene would let him be, understanding that Sephiroth liked to be alone for several hours.
"Yes?" he asked, walking over to her. Charlene showed him an official looking letter. Sephiroth took it and briefly scanned it. He grimaced slightly upon completing it.
"Do I have to come? I mean, I'm only one doctor." the doctor whimpered. Sephiroth sighed and handed her the letter. Well, actually forced her to take it. She was acting like it would bite her.
"Yes. This is a mandatory party." he explained. Charlene groaned and walked over to a wall. She immediately began banging her head against it. Sighing again, the lieutenant gently dragged her away from it before she could hurt herself.
"I don't have a dress. You gotta help me!" she groaned. Sephiroth frowned, somewhat confused.
"I have no idea where to get a dress." he said slowly. Charlene nodded.
"Me neither." she grinned. The lieutenant rolled his eyes.
"You have no formal wear?" he asked. The doctor miserably nodded.
"I don't do parties!" she grumbled. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.
"I dislike them as well." he sighed. Charlene sat down on the floor and thought for several minutes. Looking up at him, she finally proposed an idea.
"How about we go... uh what's that phrase? AWOL?"
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "They'd notice."
"Damn." Charlene scowled and flopped over onto her back. "You know, the ceiling paint is cracking."
"I don't spend time looking at the ceiling, so no, I don't." Sephiroth calmly replied. He had gotten used to rapidly changing conversation topics. Charlene sighed loudly.
"I passed away, so I don't have to go." she finally said, bringing the topic back to the dreaded party. Sephiroth shook his head, hiding his smile from her.
"Really? Then what are you doing talking to me?" he asked. There was silence as Charlene considered his question.
"Uh... you can talk to dead people. Congratulations." she mumbled. Sephiroth rolled his eyes.
"Right." he responded sarcastically. After picking up the gym, Sephiroth gently helped her up and began steering her out. Walking out of the gym, he headed toward the elevator. Only once the doors were safely shut did he let go of her arms.
"Where are we going?" Charlene asked dazedly.
"To a dress store. I am already prepared for the party." he replied, leaning against the wall. Charlene gave him a look of pure terror and whimpered.
"Why? Why'd you turn to the dark side!" she cried out dramatically. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her.
"It's just a dress." he muttered, confused. Wrong answer. Charlene glowered at her companion and began pacing.
"No, no, no! It is not just a dress!" she ranted. "It's an embodiment of evil! A dress leads to heels. Heels lead to makeup. Makeup leads to a fancy hairdo. And a fancy hairdo leads to the devil coming to take your soul!"
Sephiroth blinked several times. He opened his mouth, then shut it. He then stopped trying to understand her reasoning. Sometimes, Charlene could come up with completely insane ideas. The doctor watched him for several minutes before speaking again.
"You look like a fish outta water." she finally said. Sephiroth glowered at her and she shrugged. "Well, you do."
"Silence." he grunted, massaging his temple. Charlene stuck her tongue out at him and began sulking.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sephiroth was quite thankful for his quick reflexes when the elevator doors opened. Charlene attempted to make a break for it, but the SOLDIER simply grabbed her. The doctor squawked loudly from protest, but did not struggle. She knew it was useless, but it didn't stop her from giving him a wounded look. Sephiroth cordially ignored her and proceeded to drag her out of the building.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Upon finding a proper shop, Sephiroth had to pry Charlene off a lamppost and push her into the shop. A short, squat woman who smelled like mothballs came scurrying in from a back room. She grinned widely upon spotting Charlene, who held onto Sephiroth's arm for support. The lieutenant patiently tolerated this as the squat woman scurried over to her.
"Hello, my dearie! Looking for a dress?" she asked, the wide grin not leaving her face. Charlene made a whimpering noise in response. Sephiroth shook her off his arm and smiled as the woman began to drag her off. However, Charlene managed to grab him again.
"You are NOT leaving me alone with this woman!" she hissed at him through gritted teeth. Sephiroth sighed and followed the two women through the store, knowing that Charlene would give him hell if he did not. Suddenly, he found himself wondering why he cared if she gave him hell.
While the poor doctor was forced to try on different dresses of all shapes and sizes, Sephiroth began thinking.
Normally, he didn't care what people did. Normally, they ignored him, or were intimidated by him. Normally, he felt different from everybody else. Like he never really belonged.
Charlene didn't make him feel like that. Rather, she made him feel like he was her older brother. As he thought harder, he realized that he often saw her as a younger sister. Charlene didn't care one whit about how strong he was. She didn't see him as an experiment or a member of the military. She probably saw him as her friend. Sephiroth was surprised to realize, that he saw her as his.
In a mere month, she had managed to break through his barriers and befriend him.
Sephiroth's musing was interrupted when Charlene poked him. He blinked in surprise upon noticing her in a light purple dress. It was simple and elegant at the same time. The doctor looked grumpy and she folded her arms, tapping a sneakered foot.
"Well?" she asked. Sephiroth shrugged, earning a glare from the woman.
"You... look nice?" he offered, completely bewildered. Charlene sighed and nodded at the woman, who was still grinning.
"I'll take it, thanks." she said, walking back into the changing room while the woman rang it up. After paying for it, Charlene dragged Sephiroth out of the shop. Once out, she shuddered.
"Did you see that horrid dress she tried to make me wear! It was pink and lacy and frilly and it had ruffles!" the doctor wailed. Sephiroth bit back a smile and gently patted her on the back.
"At least you didn't have to buy it." he consoled. Charlene nodded miserably and sighed.
"My mom's going to have a heart attack. I actually went into a dress shop." she said, suspiciously eying the bag that held the dress. Sephiroth chuckled in response.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After coercing Charlene to buy some heels and some makeup to go with her dress, Sephiroth allowed her to go back home. Charlene sighed gratefully when he said so.
"Finally! Mercy at last!" she sighed. Sephiroth rolled his eyes, but did not bother hiding his smile. The doctor grinned at him.
"The party's when now?" she asked. Sephiroth thought for a moment.
"Tuesday." he replied. She shuddered.
"At least they don't torture you with long waiting dates." she sighed.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On the night of the party, Sephiroth was rather amused by Charlene when she finally appeared.
The doctor had finally emerged, looking irritated. She was wearing the purple dress, high heels, light makeup and her hair was up in a bun. The second Charlene spotted him, she swiftly walked over.
"Why in the hell do you get to wear just a tuxedo, but I have to spend an hour putting on makeup and putting my hair up!" she snapped. Sephiroth simply shrugged. The doctor made a weird hissing noise and folded her arms. Sephiroth smirked and shook his head.
"I'm being promoted." he offered in an attempt to calm her down. The doctor squeaked and gave him a giant hug. For such a scrawny thing, she could give a bone crushing hug. Sephiroth grunted, surprised. Nobody had ever hugged him before. Finally, Charlene let him go.
"That's terrific!" she chirped happily. "Should I get you something?"
"No, no." Sephiroth murmured, slightly bemused. Charlene shrugged.
"Okay. So, what's gonna happen?" she asked, gesturing at the party. Sephiroth sighed and thought for a moment.
"Nothing that would probably interest you." he finally spoke. The doctor tilted her head at him.
"Trying to get rid of me?" she asked, suspicious. The new general rolled his eyes.
"No." he sighed. Charlene grinned, amused.
"Says you." she mumbled, earning another groan from her companion. "Well, time to suck up to the bosses and get drunk on champagne."
Sephiroth grabbed her arm. "You are not getting drunk. Are you even old enough to drink?"
"Only illegal by five months." she replied, grinning at the look on his face.
"No." he responded. Charlene pouted.
"You're no fun." she mumbled. Sephiroth sighed.
"You're a doctor. You should know that drinking is bad." he sighed, massaging his temple. Charlene grinned.
"But red wine is good for your heart!" she chirped, scampering off toward a hapless waiter. Sephiroth felt his eye twitch slightly as he walked after her.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After the party, in which he managed to convince Charlene to wait until she was of age to try alcohol, Sephiroth turned around when somebody called his name. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Startled, he blinked his eyes rapidly. When the little spots cleared from his vision, he saw Charlene, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Raising an eyebrow, he folded his arms.
"Charlene," he began. "What are you up to?"
The doctor gave him an innocent look, which did not fool him for a second. "Why, I am up to nothing!"
"Charlene." Sephiroth sighed, holding his hand out. "Give me the picture."
"Nope!" she said, waving it around teasingly.
"Give." he ground out. He was not getting drawn into an argument with her. He was not!
"Nope!" Charlene repeated, skipping away from him. The new general rolled his eyes and stalked after her.
"Charlene! Come here and give that to me!" he barked out. The doctor laughed.
"Aw, what's wrong with having a picture of my friend?" she asked.
"You'll use it for blackmail. I know you." Sephiroth responded, looking stern. The doctor gave him a dirty look.
"Damn. You know me too well." she sighed. "But I'm not handing it over."
"Where exactly are you going to hide it?" he demanded. Charlene thought for several moments before cheerfully responding.
"I'll give it to Mom!"
Sephiroth arched an eyebrow. "I could just knock on the door and have her give it to me."
"Naw, Mom will make copies. Dozens of them. Here." Charlene handed him the camera. "Take my picture."
Bemused, Sephiroth stared at her. The doctor rolled her eyes.
"Blackmail you moron! It's not everyday I'm in a dress!" she said, waving her arms. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and snapped a photo of her.
"There! We're even. See ya tomorrow!" she grinned, trotting off. Sephiroth blinked and sighed. Really, she was too much.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Several months had passed by with rather alarming speed. The relations with Wutai were growing more and more strained. Sephiroth was soon drilling troops and studying maps of Wutai's terrain. Unsurprisingly, Charlene never allowed him to stay up too late. He had grown accustomed to the scrawny doctor barging into his office at one o'clock in the morning to yell at him for staying up too late.
One chilly, fall morning, Sephiroth was surprised to find a new doctor waiting for him when he arrived at the gym. Frowning, the general walked over.
"Who are you?" he demanded. The doctor glanced over at him.
"Dr. Maurice." came the dry response. "Dr. Josceline is ill today."
It took Sephiroth a moment to realize the newcomer was talking about Charlene. He had rarely heard her last name. Charlene said that it made her feel old.
"Oh." the general grunted, glaring at him. The few early recruits that were entering also gave the stranger a double take, but chose not to comment.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The second Sephiroth was done training the recruits, he promptly stormed into the doctor's office. The ancient nurse spoke without him even opening his mouth.
"Relax. Your girlfriend just has the flu." she said, not looking up from her magazine. Sephiroth blinked several times, then frowned.
"She's not my girlfriend." he snapped. The nurse shrugged.
"Whatever you say, honey." she mumbled. Sephiroth gave her an acidic glower before turning on his heel and leaving. The nerve of some people.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
At the end of the week, Charlene finally came back. Since it was a Sunday, Sephiroth was alone in the gym. However, he was almost knocked off his feet when Charlene glomped him. Startled, Sephiroth spun around in a complete circle before realizing who it was.
"You're back and in good health apparently." the general said drily as the doctor cheerfully grinned at him.
"Yup. Didya miss me?" Charlene queried. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, but remained mute. The doctor glowered evilly at him and he shook his head.
"You are amusing." he murmured, picking up his sword. Charlene grinned.
"It's my job." she chirped. Sephiroth gave her a tiny smile, before returning to his training. Charlene happily sat down on the tile floor, watching him. There was silence for several minutes before Charlene broke it.
"I wouldn't mind training with a sword, but I'm not allowed near sharp objects after that last accident. Whoops. Shouldn't of mentioned that." she mumbled, smacking her forehead with her hand. Sephiroth glanced over at her.
"Who did you maim?" he queried innocently. Charlene scowled at him.
"Screw you. I didn't maim anybody. I cut my hand open... while..." the rest of the sentence trailed off into an unintelligible murmur. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow.
"Speak louder." he said, staring at her. Charlene rolled her eyes.
"I cut my hand open when I was chopping up carrots for a stew!" she said, a faint blush appearing. Sephiroth snorted from amusement and returned to his training.
"Shut up! My nephew scared the crap outta me! It was his fault. He's lucky I didn't chase him around with the damn knife... Oh. Wait, I did." she grinned, clearly amused by the memory. Sephiroth rolled his eyes, finishing up with his training.
"A kind aunt you are." he murmured, passing by her. Charlene scowled and tugged lightly on his hair.
"Shut it! It's not like I killed him or anything. I only traumatized him somewhat. Besides, he was being a whiny little bitch all day." she retorted. Sephiroth lightly swatted her hand away from his hair. Charlene tugged on it again in response, earning a whack on the head. The little doctor tagged after him, complaining about how 'abusive' he was, while he tuned her out.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A good two weeks had passed since Charlene had returned. The doctor, however, seemed to be preoccupied with something. She often made several phone calls during the day. Finally, after three days of this strange behavior, Sephiroth decided to ask about it.
"What is going on?" he asked her as the finally found seats in the cafeteria. The doctor glanced up from her tea and sighed softly.
"My mom's getting real sick. Her lungs are weak. We're thinking... of moving to my uncle's house in Kalm." she mumbled. Sephiroth nodded his head, taking a sip of coffee.
"That would probably be best." he mildly agreed. Charlene gave him a guilty look.
"I'm sorry." she said, bowing her head. The general gave her an odd look.
"Whatever for?"
"Because, if I moved, you'd be stuck with some asshole scientist." the doctor replied, fiddling with her napkin. Sephiroth nodded.
"True. I don't care however." he said, shrugging. Charlene gave him a look.
"You're just saying that so I won't feel guilty, huh?" she drily asked. The general faintly smiled and shook his head.
"No. We can write. Maybe even visit occasionally." he explained. Charlene perked up.
"Yeah, you're right. Kalm really isn't that far, especially with Phillipe." she smiled. Sephiroth blinked.
"Phillipe?" he asked softly. Charlene grinned.
"My uncle's chocobo. He's a sweetie."" she explained. "They almost named him Penelope, but realized that 'she' was a he."
Sephiroth lightly chuckled. "It can be difficult to tell the gender of a chocobo."
Charlene nodded, stirring some more sugar into her tea. "So, you're not upset?"
"No. Kalm is not that far away." he replied, calmly. Charlene looked slightly relieved.
"True, true." she murmured, finishing her tea. Sephiroth stood up and watched, amused, as Charlene almost fell out of her chair. She glared at him.
"Say something and you will regret it." she threatened, throwing her cup out and walking out. Sephiroth shook his head, following her.
"I would never let anybody know how klutzy you were. You do a fine job of that yourself." he replied. The doctor gave him an outraged glower and promptly began berating him. Sephiroth cordially ignored her and continued walking to the gym.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As fate would have it, Shin-Ra declared war on Wutai on the same day Charlene was leaving. Sephiroth and several squadrons were leaving that very day. The general was double-checking all the equipment when the doctor hurriedly ran in. Before he could say anything, the doctor unhooked her opal pendant and gave it to him.
"Look, I know you're busy, so I'll make this quick. This is my good luck charm. So you won't get blown up or anything. If you die, I'll kill you!" she barked out. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at her.
"Right." he said. Charlene rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean!" she said, quickly hugging him before racing off. Sephiroth waved slightly before returning to the equipment. He would miss working with her.
:End Flashback:
Zack tilted his head. Then he started laughing hysterically. Sephiroth sighed, knowing full well what was going to happen as soon as the lieutenant caught his breath.
"She... called you Chuckles!" Zack wheezed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Sephiroth shook his head.
"She was... different." he finally said. It took several moments for Zack to stop laughing. Wiping his tears of mirth away, Zack finally caught his breath.
"Man, I wish I could have met her." he said wistfully. Sephiroth had an odd look on his face.
"No. You two combined? That's enough to give any sane person nightmares." he commented, signing the final document. He was finally done with paperwork. Zack grinned evilly and threw a pen at his general. Sephiroth caught it without looking up and placed it to one side. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter!" Sephiroth barked out. A timid looking secretary handed him a letter and darted out. Frowning, the general opened it up. Zack arched an eyebrow.
"Who's it from?" he asked. Sephiroth blinked when he finished reading it.
"Charlene. She says she's coming in for a visit tomorrow. Looks like you got your wish." he said. The look in Zack's eye suddenly made the general feel nervous.
"Zack?" he muttered softly. Zack grinned evilly once more.
"I can't wait to meet her." he smirked. Sephiroth groaned and put his head in his hands.
"You two are going to give me an ulcer. I know it." he mumbled. Zack laughed.
"I hope you'll name it after us!" he smirked, dodging the pen that Sephiroth threw at him.
End
Notes: Originally, Charlene was going to die of cystic fibrosis. However, I grew too attached to her to kill her off. Phillipe the chocobo was named after Phillipe the horse from Beauty and the Beast. The name Penelope is that of the cat in Looney Toons. Pepé Le Pew always chases after her. I only realized that after looking up the name.Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this!