AN: It's been a while. You may wish to refresh yourselves :) Happy reading.

~ Watch Me ~

360 To Hell

The flight from Wutai to Midgar was not an enjoyable one. Her own worst enemy, Rose spent the majority of her travel time worrying what terrors awaited her once she landed. Each concern added to the pit of dread that was steadily building in her stomach, and she fought the urge to simply gather her powers, and shift herself into oblivion.

She was definitely fired.

They would label her a freak.

They'd arrest her.

Or worse still… they'd give her to Hojo.

That last thought was really playing on her mind. That was his job after all, studying oddities, in order to broaden Shinra's horizons. What was more odd than a girl who could disappear at will, and talk to Summons?

No, none of her outcomes were good ones, but Rose reassured herself that the last was simply a reflection of her fears. She was still a person after all, odd on not. Shinra had a moral obligation to live up to. Of course they did…

But what if they didn't?

"Hey, you okay?"

She felt Zack nudge her, but Rose barely looked up.

"Sorry, yeah, good." She muttered quickly, falling silent when her attempt to make conversation failed her.

It didn't help that she could feel the eyes of the aircraft on her. People who had seen what she'd done on the battlefield, others who had been told of the incident. They all suddenly regarded her with a new sense of unease. Angeal's eyes often flickered to her with concern, and Rose made an active effort not to meet them, her own worry enough to burden. Sephiroth would sometimes regard her with some quiet thoughtful look, but offered nothing in the way of an explanation, and beside her Kunsel slept.

Rose was grateful to be saved one pair of eyes at least.

It was funny, she realised. She was so scared of what waited for her on the ground, flying no longer bothered her.

[-]

They landed on Shinra's east tower, the Troops filing out seamlessly, as they quickly moved to get Sarah to safety. Her injuries were stable, but she would need treatment soon if she was going to make it through the night.

Rose stepped out into the late afternoon air with some relief. No armed unit stood waiting for her return, no Directors or Hojo to shout reprimands or threats. For now she remained free, but as requested by Angeal she remained close to him, her senses primed for any kind of attack, as Sephiroth and the others gathered round.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving!" Zack grinned, stretching his arms high above his head. "You reckon the cafeteria's serving dinner yet?"

Kunsel shrugged. "Probably, it's Friday. The office guys normally file out early."

"Yes!" Zack grinned. "Anyone wanna join me? We can debrief in the morning."

Sephiroth politely refused, but Kunsel nodded, clapping his friend hard on the shoulder.

"Sure, you can regale me with the story of how you managed not to die today." He looked around, ensuring no one else wanted to take up the invite. "It'll be entertaining at the very least. Rose, sure you don't wanna come?"

Rose began to shake her head, but before she could answer properly, Angeal cut in.

"Rose has a meeting she needs to attend." He looked at her pointedly, and indicated his phone. "We had better get going."

Rose nodded, though her gaze briefly met Sephiroth's, a child-like urge to cling to his side swiftly suppressed before it caused her any issues. Again he didn't question her brother's demure, Sephiroth simply watched her and Angeal leave, a small frown the only indication that something troubled him. Rose continued to glance back over her shoulder, but soon Shinra's cold walls robbed her of him, and she focused on the path ahead.

"Have you said anything to Sephiroth about the Directors?" Rose questioned quietly, moving swiftly through the advancing corridors.

Angeal shook his head.

"No. There was no time." He looked down at her curiously, a strange expression on his familiar features. "Why? Should I have?"

Feeling her cheeks redden, Rose kept her eyes to the ground. "Well, he is my trainer. He's going to know something's up."

"You'll be able to fill him in after we get this sorted." Angeal replied smoothly, finally reaching the elevator. The doors pinged open, and he quickly urged her in. "C'mon, Lazard's just messaged, he's waiting for us in his office."

{-}

"I have had, the meeting of all meetings!" Lazard sighed, shaking his head as if the weight of the world hung on his shoulders. "When you go out to make an impression, Rose, you really don't do things by halves."

Rose gulped comically, but there was nothing funny about the situation. She could tell from Lazard's face that whatever he'd had to deal with had been bad, and if it was bad for him, what horrors awaited her? She glanced up at Angeal, the expression on his face wasn't exactly a source of comfort. Clearly he thought the same.

"What did the President and the Directors say?" He asked bluntly, his arms folding firmly across his chest.

Sensing her brother's protective nature, Lazard calmly waved him down.

"Look, it's going to be okay. I've managed to subdue them… for now." He added pointedly, fixing them both with a look of warning over his half spectacles."But you have to understand, if it had been down to Heidegger and Scarlet, Rose would have been taken off for questioning, if not worse. Of course, Hojo was circling like the vulture that he is, but…" Lazard paused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Rose, what the hell happened out there? What was that? What did you do to that Summon?"

Rose felt her lips part, but no sound offered any assistance. She had never seen Lazard so emotional, but how could she explain something she didn't understand herself?

She shrugged heavy shoulders. "I don't know."

Tittering, he looked incredulous. "You don't know? Rose, I've just spent the last eight hours defending your character. I told the President that I would have some answers for him. How can you not know?"

"Because I don't!" She cried, a little exasperated. "I know about as much as anyone. I don't understand why all these things are suddenly happening to me!"

Around them the electrics flickered warningly, and Rose took a breath to compose herself, noting the new look of concern on Lazard's face.

"Look, I wish I did. But I don't." She said quietly, running a hand over her own tired profile, though relieved that the lights and screens had returned to normal. She slumped back against a table. "So. What happens now?"

"The President is happy - for the time being- for you to continue in your role as a SOLDIER. But. We can't keep it out of the papers, Rose. Soon, everybody is going to know, and because of that he has some conditions."

She shared a worried look with Angeal. "What?"

Lazard managed to look at least professionally apologetic. "He wants to use you as a poster girl for the war. Much like Shinra has with Sephiroth. He wants to ensure Wutai knows where the true power lies."

Rose scoffed. Seriously? "I'm guessing from your tone, you think he's being as much of an ass, as I do."

"Rose." Angeal cut in disprovingly, his eyes quickly snapping back to his superior. "Apologies, Sir."

Lazard waved him off. "No, no, she's right. He's being a complete ass, but there's nothing we can do about it. There was another thing…" The Director trailed off, and his hesitation caused Rose's stomach to drop.

She swallowed hard. "What?"

Lazard shook his head, his mouth set in a firm grim line. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I honestly did what I could."

"What!" She pressed, the delay causing all sorts of messed up images to come to mind.

Lazard sighed. "As part of the deal of your ongoing release, you're to have regular supervised appointments with Hojo. I did stress that last part when I agreed. He isn't to see you alone, not after what happened last time."

"Right." There it was. The thing she knew was coming. She nodded stiffly, trying to remain composed. "Why?"

A stress induced laugh trickled from Lazard's lips. "Really, Rose? You think the President's just going to let you swan around the building without full understanding of what exactly is going on with you? What you're capable of? He needs to know whether you're an asset or a risk."

"He's happy enough to use me for his war efforts." She replied darkly, instantly reprimanding herself for her tone. She sighed. "When?"

"I'm to send you down as soon as we're done here. Angeal can accompany you."

Beside her, Angeal shifted uncomfortably, and she laid a silencing hand on his forearm.

She nodded. "And if I say no?"

"You will be arrested, and they will do with you what they want regardless." Lazard confessed, not too unkindly. Stepping forward, he placed what he clearly hoped was a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, Rose. For now, this is the better option."

She somehow managed to laugh. "No, Sir, Costa Del Sol is the better option. This is an absolute shit-show." She gave him a small smile. "But I appreciate you vouching for me."

He patted her shoulder. "Anytime. I've never been wrong about a person yet. You show great promise."

Rose's smile widened gratefully, and she privately wondered whether shattering Hojo into a million tiny pieces, would ruin her boss' view of her.

R&R!

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