Before I tell you what happens to Aerith and Sephiroth, and of course Zahi and his sister, I would like to take the time to thank all of you who read and review my story. I don't think you realize how much it means to me to have someone leave me a message informing me how much they like my story, or someone guessing what might happen next, or even a simple note demanding I hurry up with the next chapter! Your words are what keep me writing!
I love you all, no joke.
And special thanks to my darling Tishannia, who especially deserves a cookie (because I say so! Go read her fan fiction!!!)
GET ON WITH IT!
Unspoken
By mihoyonagi
Chapter 29: Conspire
Hunger wasn't something that had troubled Sephiroth. It did seem to, however, trouble the boy Sephiroth shared the small crate with. Though Zahi said nothing while confined in the crate, Sephiroth could feel his discomfort. He could, in fact, hear the boy's stomach growl.
Fishing in his pocket, Sephiroth managed to find a small bar of chocolate in which he pressed against the boy in the dark. Zahi, apparently assuming that it was food right away, tore at the wrapper and consumed the bar in what Sephiroth could have only guessed was three bites.
It wouldn't be much longer, however, before they reached port. Common logic told Sephiroth this. The girls in the crates had been drugged, but even unconscious the body of a human still craves nourishment. Too long in sleep and the girls would begin to wither away and become sick.
Though he had worked that much out in his head, Sephiroth was stuck with a problem; he had only begun to contemplate getting out of the crates when they reached port. It wasn't as though he and Zahi could jump out of their box, shout "surprise!" and begin attacking the dock guards left and right. Despite lacking an escape plan, however, Sephiroth tired to close his eyes and let the gentle rocking of the boat lull him to sleep. What was meant to be done would be done, even though Sephiroth hadn't the slightest idea what it was. He quietly hoped that an idea or a solution would present itself in his dreams, but before he could do more than relax slightly and ready his body for a slight nap the boat give a jerking lurch and came to a slow stop.
Though most was quiet around the boat, Sephiroth could still hear the scuffling of feet on the floors above.
"How are we going to get out?" Zahi's voice was so quiet Sephiroth nearly tuned it out with the waves of the sea outside. Reaching out a hand and placing it upon the boy's head, Sephiroth tired to quietly reassure him that everything would be alright. The general, however, never was able to figure out if Zahi had taken the gesture to heart; the cargo hold doors swung open and a loud clattering echoed through the freight room of the boat.
Sephiroth tuned everything out and concentrated on who, or what, was coming. Based off floor vibrations and the steady sounds of rubber meeting metal, Sephiroth was able to rightly guess that only two guards were present.
"Do we have to unload all these damn boxes right now?"
"The boat is early- we just have to count them and make sure they are all here. Dock two has to unload them later; we are just checking to see that everything is in order."
"Hey, want to go catch a drink down at Turtle's Paradise after our shift is over?"
"Sounds good."
A sly idea popped into Sephiroth head, an idea in which he quickly stored away for future use. Getting out of the damned crate was his first necessity.
"Eight in this room, twelve in the next. Twenty in total. Looks like we can report this in, then head to the bar. When does the second dock unload these damn things?"
"Um, last time I heard they were running late. It's going to be at least another hour or two."
"Damn idiots. Boss is going to be mad he has to pay them overtime because they can't get their asses together and get their damn jobs done."
The conversation Sephiroth was eavesdropping on left him relieved at heart. It seemed that lady luck, the fickle mistress she was, decided to smile upon the general and cut him a short break. When the cargo doors were shut again and the boat rocked in silence, waves hitting metal the only noise that ruined the quiet, Sephiroth slowly shifted his weight in the crate. Reaching out a hand and placing it on Zahi's head, he quietly instructed the boy to lower his body. Zahi did as he was bade and lowered his head and pressed his body against the side of the crate, apparently knowing full well what Sephiroth was about to do.
Kneeling inside the crate, Sephiroth readied himself. With one great push of his legs his back collided with the wooden lid of the crate. His eyes, so accustomed to the dark, began to water profusely when the sun peeked through the edges of the open crate and lit the inside. Kneeling down once again, Sephiroth forced his legs upward in another motion. This time, however, the entire lid came off and he and Zahi were at last free.
His eyes, still watering abundantly, squinted against the bright light of the early morning sun. Though his vision remained blurry, Sephiroth noticed Zahi rubbing his eyes in an attempt to ease the soreness. Sephiroth's eyes adjusted far quicker than that of the boys, but that was to be expected- his body was used to far worse circumstances that a simple change of light. He, however, still waited for Zahi to regain full and proper usage of his eyes. In order to sneak off the boat, they both needed to be alert in all senses.
Tugging at Zahi's shoulder, Sephiroth bid him to follow. Together, the two sank into the shadows of the boat. Sephiroth was lucky, it seemed, to have been paired with Zahi as a companion. The boy seemed no stranger to the art of stealth, and nearly matched Sephiroth's own ninja-like movements in and out of shadows. The general would have to ask the boy where he learned such skills once their ordeal was over with and the flower girl was freed.
First thing, however, was first. Sneaking off the ship hadn't proved to be as terrible of a chore as Sephiroth had first assumed it might have been. Guards, due to the early morning shift he supposed, were either sleeping on the job, or not there at all. Not a single man proved to be a challenge to pass, but what was to be expected of low-paid dock guards and kidnappers?
Once off the boat and far enough away from the dock to not be seen, Zahi and Sephiroth emerged from the shadows and melted in with the hustle and bustle of the early morning market of Wutai. The already hot sun beat down upon the face of the general, though he tired to keep his head down and his appearance hidden.
They needed to find a clothing shop, and fast.
Sephiroth, since losing his voice, had taken in observing what people did and what they wore. Not being able to talk left quiet a bit of free time on his hands, what with Aerith always chatting with the people of the markets of Mideel, and he had to occupy it with something. Though he would never admit it out loud, Sephiroth on more than one occasion would flip through one of the many gossip and fashion magazines Aerith would leave on the counter of the kitchen back in their cottage. Though he never bothered himself with any of the articles, he would simply skim over what people were wearing and what part of the world they were in. It was honestly something that should have been taught in military academy.
Not fashion of course, but rather the importance of fitting in while on a mission.
Still garbed in simple dark denim jeans and a black shirt, Sephiroth's appearance simply screamed tourist. Take in the fact that he was also over six feet tall with long silver hair and a giant katana resting upon his hip, Sephiroth stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the masses of Wutianese locals and tourists alike. It seemed that even the occasional sightseer was giving him a look up and down.
Zahi close at his heels, Sephiroth entered one of the local shops.
Wutainese styled dresses and accessories lined the walls of the store. Trinkets for hair and strange souvenirs littered the counter at the front of the shop, while the racks of clothing took up the floor.
An elderly looking woman bowed deeply in greeting, a fake smile plastered to her aging features. "Welcome, welcome! What can I do for you this fine day?"
Zahi spoke up without hesitation, knowing full well Sephiroth would not answer the woman. "Just browsing, thanks." Zahi took off in one direction of the store, pretending to brows several racks of clothing.
"Well, if there is anything at all I can help you with please do not hesitate to ask." The woman bowed again and shuffled her way to the counter near the back of the store.
Sephiroth, too, pretended to browse several racks of clothing before a gruff voice called out from back counter. Sephiroth glanced up to watch the woman at the counter bark back something in Wutainese through the curtain behind her. Another call from behind the back curtain was bellowed, and the woman answered again in Wutainese. Luckily enough, Sephiroth knew enough Wutainese to be able to pick up large pieces of the conversation.
"What do you want?"
"Hey! There's something else on the news about the girls disappearing from the pub again. Make sure to tell Maki not to go out after midnight! She's so pretty, they'll snatch her right up!"
"Maki knows better than to go where she is not safe. Any reports of findings? They need to catch whoever is taking those girls! It could be a killer!"
Forcing himself out of the conversation and back to reality, knowing full well that he if continued to daydream his flower girl was likely to be lost forever, Sephiroth watched as the elderly women once more disappeared behind the counter. For the split second the curtain was opened, he could see the flashing lights of the television brighten the room though he could not hear the telecaster's report.
Sephiroth formulated an idea in his head.
Taking his chance, Sephiroth neared Zahi and handed him his notebook. While pretending to browse, Sephiroth had cleverly written a note where the woman couldn't have seen him do such an action.
Zahi took the notebook and wandered off away from the general just in time for the woman to return from behind the curtain. "Finding everything alright, dears?"
Sephiroth nodded absentmindedly, pretending to be interested in a shirt he had picked off a random rack.
"Just let me know if you need anything." She, once again, disappeared into the back.
Zahi, with an extremely aggravated expression upon his face, literally threw Sephiroth's notebook back at him. Had Sephiroth not trained nearly two decades of he might have fumbled the notebook. However, with once swift, fluid-like motion of his arm Sephiroth caught the notebook and gave Zahi a blank stare, as if challenging him to throw something else his way. Zahi's ears flamed pink in color and he slunk back to browsing through clothing once more, trying his best to force his ears back to their normal color all the while ignoring Sephiroth.
Looking down at his notebook, Sephiroth re-read his own message.
'I have a bad feeling the women are being sold as slaves for purposes most dishonorable, but in order to free them I will need your cooperation to the fullest. We cannot screw this up else we will never see either your sister or my companion again.'
Zahi's handwriting proved slightly difficult to decipher, but Sephiroth was able to read it after a few moments of looking the note over carefully.
'Grownups are disgusting. Tell me what I need to do.'
Smiling just slightly, Sephiroth realized that Zahi was not angry over Sephiroth's demand for perfection of a plan that he had yet to hear. The boy was angry that someone might touch his sister in a way most disgusting. While Sephiroth had never witnessed the two siblings together, he had a feeling that both were extremely close. It seemed that she was all Zahi had, much like Aerith was all Sephiroth had, which meant that both of them were willing to do whatever they would need to in order to free them.
Sephiroth wrote another message and passed it again to the boy before the woman returned to the front counter.
'Purchase a kimono from the woman at the counter with the measurements I have written below. Also buy a set of straw sandals, a hair ribbon, and face and eye makeup. If the woman asks anything, tell her it is for your large mother who is sick from a boat ride and cannot make it. Make it up as you go along, I don't care- just make sure she believes you.'
One of Zahi's eyebrows was raised, but he didn't look to the general for an answer. He merely sauntered up to the counter and smiled sweetly to the elderly woman.
"I think I need your help after all. See, my mom is sick back in our hotel room, and she wanted me to get her some things so she can bring back with her. I've got her measurements right here."
The woman smiled as Zahi relayed the numbers, though one of her eyebrows raised slightly.
"Your mother seems to be very tall, young man. Are you sure you wrote that down right?"
Zahi scratched the back of his head and smiled. "My mom's really tall, but my sister is even taller. All of the girls in my family are."
The woman, again, smiled. "Well, I suppose it's not something we ourselves choose. If you'll follow me to the other side of the store, I'll help you pick out all you need."
Sephiroth smiled. Though he was not particularly fond of the idea he had concocted, he had thought of no other way.