PART 3
A pair of red eyes opened in a Mako tank to the friendly face of Norman Osimmier. She knew nothing of the parents Hojo had stolen her from or even Sephiroth. It had been a dream. Except for it really wasn't. It was someone's life. A black-haired man stood not far away with his hair tied behind his back. And yes it was black. The twenty-four-year-old girl floated in the tank with her tail curled around her feet.
"My, you finally awoke Anima. It's nice to see you. Seth look! She's awake!" Seth turned and looked at the black-haired girl in the tank. He looked at the red-eyed gaze that now fixed itself upon him. Her hand raised to the glass and she somehow came closer to see him. She put her forehead on the glass as Seth stepped closer. He was curious too. Norman smirked at the man he had adopted as his son and the girl he had been trying to save for nineteen years.
"Please, can we let her out?" Seth looked at him. Norman nodded and went to the control panel and punched in some numbers and the tank began to drain of the Cryo-Mako. When the tank was drained she was trying to hold herself upright and Seth opened the tank, removed the tubes and oxygen mask, and picked up the shivering wet mass of Anima and carried her to the washroom. Norman followed and ran a hot tub of water. He had never encountered this before and he was going to try to do it right the first time. He put her in the bath and held her up. She blinked at him from under her black hair. Norman left to call someone. Seth helped her wash herself off the Cryo-Mako, and then he washed her long hair as she watched him warily. He gave her a reassuring gentle smile to comfort and calm her. She wondered if all she had seen before was a dream. Norman wandered in.
"Her father is on his way Seth." Seth nodded to Norman and brought Anima from the bath and wrapped her in a towel, he carried her out and set her in an armchair to let her rest as she had fallen asleep on him. Vincent wandered in soon afterward. Vincent looked at Seth and looked to Norman.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
"How is my daughter?"
"She's fine. She is sleeping right there."
"Does she know about Mecha?"
"No, should we tell her?" Vincent shook his head.
"No, she need not know."
"Is Mecha still in the pool in the ancient city?" Vincent shook his head.
"I checked yesterday and her body is nowhere to be found. I was going to resurrect her." Seth looked at Vincent a little. He looked back at Seth. "How did you make him younger Norman?"
"It's his doing. He spent all that time in the northern crater. The Mako had that affect on him." Seth was stroking the girl's hair gently.
"The crew is going to think she is Mecha."
"I know what you mean. But isn't there a way to change the way she styles herself to keep the crew from thinking that?" Anima began to yawn and looked up at the green-eyed gaze of Seth. Her eyes changed by getting orange flecks in them. Her curiosity. Seth called to the others and she turned her orange flecked red eyes at them.
"What's this?" Vincent asked. Then the orange began to change and gather blue flecks. She was happy to get all the attention at the point.
"I saw the orange when she awoke Mr. Valentine." Vincent nodded and pushed a package into the hands of Norman.
"I brought these for her. They were Mecha's. All of it. Teach her how to dress herself and such things a twenty-four year old should know by now, I will be back for her when you have gotten that done." Norman nodded to Vincent. Norman helped her stand and changed her into the black tank top and black jeans provided by Vincent. The rest included a lavender dress almost like Aeris's, the red cloth and cloak her father once owned, a lavender ribbon, the bag of Shinra SOLDIER armor, a black leather trenchcoat, and the black fingerless gloves Mecha always wore. Norman put the clothes in a company locker and closed it as Vincent left.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
A few months later Seth was helping the girl sit on her own and Norman was working on a computer. When Norman turned Anima was leaning on a wall and very proud of herself. She made a rather happy squeal as Norman grinned.
"She is learning quickly my son."
"That she is." Seth ruffed her hair a little and wandered off to get her something to eat. Norman wandered to a desk with a computer and began to type on it. Mecha had observed them walking and was going to try it for herself. She turned and began to stand slowly. Once on her feet she wobbled a little and walked the few steps towards Norman to see what he was up to. She watched him peck at the keys to form curious markings on the screen.
"Seth? Will you give me that blue syringe over there?" She walked to the table and picked up the syringe. She walked over and handed it to Norman and went back to the wall and sat down. She watched him fill the syringe with a little Mako. Just enough to keep her alive and help her get stronger. He walked to her and she held out her arm obediently. At least he wasn't mean like the other man who had run the lab before. She heard Hojo's scream rip through the building and shuddered a little. Norman slid the needle into her arm so that she hardly noticed. Then the slow injection. He knew she hated this so he tried to make it as painless as possible for her. When he was finished he stroked the girls hair for a moment. It was to let her know he didn't want to hurt her. Seth wandered in shortly after and sat next to Anima speaking softly to her. He held out a plate with something on it and Anima picked it up. She eyed the food a moment before eating it down quickly. Afterward she moved towards her bed, without letting them know she knew how to walk. Kind of the scooting across the floor she had down. She began to climb onto the bed and Seth came over to help her. She shook her head at him and finished climbing up. Seth sat down next to her and pushed back her hair. She looked exactly like Mecha in almost every way except the scar that Mecha had. Soon Seth patted her hand gently and he and Norman left for the night. After they left, she wandered to the filing cabinet and pulled out the Jenova and Sephiroth files. She was trying to read them. She sat on the floor and began to try to decipher the files.
"And I in... inject... injected into him three thousand gr-grams of Mako. He shook vio... violent... violently and... after twenty minutes, lay still..." she paused to scratch her head. Then resumed reading. "He lay like that for several days before awake... awakening. My dear son has per... performed my wildest expectations..." she read for a long time as she had been listening to them long enough, but she had taught herself how to read. She put away the file and climbed into her bed.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
Seth shook her awake the next morning. She stirred before opening an eye and looking at him. She squealed and jumped onto the metal grate above her and clung to it as she stared at Seth.
"Seth? What did you do?" Seth turned a look of total surprise at the girl.
"Nothing honest! I just woke her up."
"Sephiroth!" she squealed at the two males and pointed at Seth. They both glanced at each other for a moment.
"She must have gotten into the files. What a clever girl," Norman stated and Seth nodded. Anima dropped down and stared at them. Both sat on either side of her and she looked back and forth between them.
"Anima. I adopted Seth as my son. He's not dangerous to you or anyone... What you read was the past of a very troubled man." She looked at Norman as Vincent walked into the lab.
"She's doing well I hope." Vincent said cutting off the conversation. Norman went to Vincent to talk.
"Why yes Vincent. She leapt onto the grate above her bed this morning." Vincent looked at the girl and she knew she couldn't fool him.
"Up Anima. You're going to see your mother now." She stood and wandered across the floor to Norman and Seth's amazement. Both stared wide-eyed as she put on her boots and Vincent led her out of the building. She gave a glance to Seth as she wandered out the door.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
Anima found herself face to face with Aeris and blinked. Aeris seemed very happy to see she still had a daughter.
"You revived Mecha!" Anima blinked and Vincent got the anime sweatdrop look.
"No... not exactly Aeris. You see this is Anima." Aeris blinked at him in confusion. Then she looked at Anima, who held a look of confusion. Her eyes were flecked with green. Aeris sighed.
"I don't understand Vincent..." Vincent put his good arm around Aeris.
"Remember when you passed out giving birth to Mecha?" Aeris nodded. "Well you gave birth to Anima after you passed out. Of course Anima had barely a chance of survival, so I put her in the care of Cloud and Shinra, until Hojo had gotten to her. There wasn't anyway I could have broken it to you... so for this long it has been my sin."
"Vincent," Aeris sighed. Vincent turned his red-eyed gaze at the girl who stood blinking her red eyes, which now held brown flecks at them. She turned to wander away holding her tail low. Vincent had a feeling that he should say tail rule to the girl who had never heard it before.
"Anima," he said. Anima glanced at him over her right shoulder, eyes flecked orange. "Tail rule." Anima curled her tail around her waist obediently, much to her parents' surprise. She wandered onto the porch of the mansion quietly and sat on the porch swing they had set up.
"You hid a child from me!" Aeris stared at Vincent.
"Aeris, I had to."
"No! You didn't!" Anima sighed heavily and moved away from the house quietly. She was going to leave Midgar and go elsewhere. One glare from Vincent caused her to turn around and move back towards the house. Once inside she moved to Mecha's bedroom. She looked about at the various weapons on the walls Mecha had collected while she was alive. She found a picture of a girl on the dresser and picked it up. She studied it and found herself to be the same except the blue eye that seemed very happy.
"My I look like you..." she said very quietly. She sat the picture down and looked at the bed. She moved to it and sat down. She then removed her boots and lay down on her back. After a while she fell asleep.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
Anima found herself face to face with herself. Or what seemed to be her. The other laughed evilly in this dream. Tentacles rolled from her back and her face became more evil as she laughed. Anima found herself very scared and trying to run. A couple tentacles wrapped around her and lifted her from the ground and began to squeeze.
"Meet your maker imposter!" Anima began to cry out in pain as the tentacles squeezed tighter and tighter.
Anima sat strait up and breathed heavily. She rubbed her head and wandered outside. It was dawn and the sun was peeking from behind the houses. Someone was standing alone in the grass just outside a home not too far from her. It was Seth. He turned his Mako-green eyed gaze upon her and grinned. He began to walk over and she sat on the porch swing watching him. He stepped onto the porch his boots thumping on the wood lightly.
"Hey," he said quietly. She turned her eyes upon him and they had yellow flecks in them. "You ok Anima?"
She wasn't going to tell him that she was afraid and nodded.
"Can I sit with you?"
She cast a gaze at the house.
"It's alright. Vincent trusts me."
She blinked and pointed at the spot next to her shrugging. He sat down and ruffed her hair. She began to straiten her hair as she looked at him, red eyes flecked with many different colors.
"I got something for you Anima." She blinked at him and he pushed the stack of Jenova files into her hands. "I know you were reading these." She grinned and carried them back in the house. Vincent wandered out and smirked at Seth.
"You are right I do trust you. I've grown to trust you." Seth smirked as well.
"I am glad you all trust me now."
"Yes, and now I see you are making friends with Anima. Seems like you are finally letting go of Mecha." Seth rubbed his head.
"I still don't know why you guys had me dye my hair..."
"It was so that you don't look like your old self and scare away the new people who don't understand like Anima."
"I see." Anima padded back out and looked at Vincent quietly. Vincent looked back at her and smirked.
"Seems she has taken a liking to you as well Seth. Be careful." Anima plopped into the swing seat and Seth pushed it with his feet for her in the slightest bit. Vincent looked at the girl and nodded. She curled up next to Seth and yawned sleepily. Seth watched her close her eyes and sleep. He leaned back in the swing seat and closed his eyes too, pulling Anima into his lap, who promptly re-curled herself and stayed asleep. After a while Aeris came outside and covered them with a blanket. She wandered inside to talk to Vincent who was eating breakfast and reading the paper. If not mentioned earlier in PART 2 both of their hair had turned white in the years after Mecha's death. They weren't really but maybe 45-50 years of age.
"They look so cute out there asleep." Vincent looked at Aeris.
"Are you sure my dear?" Aeris nodded. Vincent cut his red eyes back to the paper. "Anima and Mecha are alike in every way compared to looks. He may only want to be around her because of her looks."
"Oh Vincent! Have a sense of romance! He may have gotten over Mecha by now. You know I heard she had come back long enough to tell Sephiroth to forget her and fall in love with another." Vincent looked at his wife.
"What! Are you serious!" Aeris cut her eyes first left, then right.
"Um... Yes, but it's only a rumor honey. Don't tell either of them."
"Tell either of who what?" Anima stated from the kitchen doorway. It was the first time she had spoken around anyone.
Aeris walked to Anima and ushered her from the room saying, "Nothing sweetie. Don't you worry about a thing." Anima squealed at being pushed from the room. Seth wandered in yawning after that.
"Hey where's Anima?" he asked.
Vincent only pointed to Aeris who was holding the girl out of the room. "Excuse me Miss Valentine..."
Aeris stepped aside and Seth walked through the door to the waiting Anima. He led her outside through the other way.
"I think they need to be alone Anima." Anima looked at him.
"Seems they are hiding something..." Seth eyed Anima who had spoken.
"You spoke Anima."
"Um... yeah. I've listened in enough..."
"How long?"
"Every time I awoke in that tank I heard voices. I listened and listened. But when I began to read I began to understand how the words worked. Don't tell my parents ok?" Seth looked confused so she continued. "They didn't pay attention..." Seth nodded and guided her to the old sector 6 park and Anima climbed on top of the old slide that Aeris and Cloud once sat on. Seth began to follow her, but thought a minute.
"Hey Anima." He finally climbed up onto the old slide; "Can I talk to you?" Anima looked at him.
"Sure." Anima stepped to the side to make room, but lost her balance. Seth saw this and quickly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back up.
"Be careful. Your parents don't want to lose you." He sat down after he picked her up. She looked a little confused, by the green colored flecks in her eyes. "You are here so you don't fall." Anima nodded.
"What do you want to talk about Seth?"
"The girl I met before you..." Anima looked at him quietly. "Her name was Mecha. She lived with your parents in Nibelheim. Over four years ago..." Anima got a look of thoughtfulness, and her eyes became colored by violet flecks.
"That name. It reminds me of a dream I was having..." Seth looked at her and she began to tell her dream which was Mecha's life. His eyes went wide.
"That was no dream my dear girl. That was your sisters life."
"My sister?" she jumped up and toppled off the slide. "I have to find him!"
"Find who?" Seth jumped down and looked at her.
"Sephiroth." Seth reached for Anima, who darted off.
"Anima!" he chased after her, but she was gone. "I'm Sephiroth," he said to the air around him.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
That night as Anima lay on the hard cold ground, Seth was worrying himself. Anima began to wish she had packed a few supplies before she left. Even learned how to use a weapon. She got up and walked to the closest tree, where she found a pack hanging a few feet over her head on a branch. She jumped up and snatched the pack quickly. Once she had it she sat on the ground and began to investigate it. It held two strange materia. One black, the other white. She eyed them a moment before pocketing them. They would hold great significance at another time. She looked through the pack once more finding one of every materia in the world. Plus another. She eyed this multi-colored materia and wondered what it was. It was red, black, and purple. She checked the pack once more and found an X-potion and a turbo ether. She also found several thousand Gil.
"Not much for items..." she dug around not noticing a dark cloaked creature wander up.
"Gee. The battle with the Spiketar depleted my reserves. I never made it to the next town." Anima looked up at the dark cloaked figure.
"Never made it? Why are you here then?"
"Yes, I died in the city of the Ancients. I may be dead, but that doesn't keep me from wandering the planet." The dark cloaked figure shifted its weight. "I came to see my sister."
"Who's your sister?" The dark cloaked figure removed its hood revealing Mecha.
"You are." Anima stared at Mecha.
"You're the one mom and dad talk about all the time." Mecha chuckled.
"You should hear Sephiroth." Anima blinked. "He never would shut up about me." Mecha sat down.
"Why wouldn't he shut up about you?" Mecha sighed.
"He loved me... I want to give you a power. Don't abuse it."
"What power?" Mecha said nothing and held out her hand. It began to glow.
"Take my hand Anima." Anima did so reluctantly. Mecha closed her eyes and the glow left her hand and transferred to Anima's. Then Mecha disappeared.
"Mecha?"
Silence followed. Anima wondered where her sister had gone. She stood and wandered back home.
Seth was waiting just outside Midgar. When he saw her approaching, he thought at first it was Mecha.
"Mecha!" he cried to Anima who really did look like Mecha this time. Anima looked at him. He immediately stopped him from the next yell and looked at the tired girl. He ran to her and caught her just as she fell. "Anima..." he picked her up and carried her to his house.
Anima awoke to find a cool cloth upon her head. She glanced about after opening her eyes. She looked at Seth who was sleeping beside the bed in a chair.
Then she heard a female voice say to her, 'Take care of Sephiroth for me Anima.'
"I'll try to..."Anima said in a low voice. "Where is he?"
The voice replied, 'You'll know when the time comes.' Anima reached to the cloth on her head. It was very cold. She wondered why and began to try to find out why the cloth was so cold when a hand stopped her, by holding onto her wrist.
"Don't Anima. Dad had a hard enough time stabilizing your condition. You've been out for a few days." She glanced at Seth. Something was different about him. He didn't have his hair tied back. And it looked like something familiar. She blinked slowly as Norman wandered in with Vincent behind. Vincent strode to the girl and looked at her. She looked back and the mind speaking began.
'Lets talk here Anima.'
'Alright. But why though?'
'So that I can speak to you without interference.'
'Ok.'
'Now, why did you run off alone and unprepared?'
'I felt an urgency like no other...'
'Mecha...'
'I know about Mecha now father. Why did you keep it from me?'
'I didn't see the need for you to know.' Anima made a face at him.
'So not telling me that I had a twin... that wasn't needed to know? Everyone calls me Mecha... I'm beginning to believe I am Mecha.' And that was the end of it. Anima got up and flung the cloth aside. She snatched up the first available weapon, which was Mecha's old sword. All went wide-eyed as Anima hefted the sword and lay it on her shoulder and picked up the peg belt and stalked out. All three looked at each other.
"I have a feeling she's going to Nibelheim..." Vincent stated. Seth paled.
"She's gone to look for someone no doubt," Norman said, "she had that look." Seth got up and grabbed the weapon he used now. A rifle with a scope and a silencer on the end. He carried it into his room and began to get dressed. He pulled on a tank top and pulled on the old trenchcoat. He dressed almost like his old ways, but some things were different. He picked up his gun and walked from the house. He looked up to find Anima standing atop the Shinra HQ wearing a trenchcoat herself. A wind stirred the coat bottom making it flap in the wind at the same time her hair lifted and flapped as well. She turned and looked in the general direction of Seth, before jumping into the air and disappearing into the night. Seth raced through the slums to get to her, but she proved much to quick. Much quicker than Mecha. Not long after he heard a cry of pain. He went towards it and found a woman being beaten by some thugs. He fired a round into the air, watched as the thugs looked up, and lay the gun aside. Then they advanced towards him. They thought they could overpower him. He smirked and waited for them to get close before he caught the first one in the gut with a kick. The next he flipped into a raised section of road. He soon dispatched most of the thugs before flipping his gun into his hand from the ground and shooting the remaining few as a warning. He leaned his gun on his shoulder and grinned. The woman was grateful and latched to him. She was younger than he was. She ran her fingers in his hair. And he gently dislodged her from himself.
"Madam please refrain from this action!"
"What's wrong? You saved me... can't I show my gratitude?"
"Not this way!" he edged away from the woman when he heard a snickering laugh from nearby. Anima had heard the scream as well and had come back to help, but seeing Seth save her and being so shy afterwards was funny. Seth reached into the place Anima was hiding and snatched her out. He glared at her
"I'm sorry," She said, "it was just so funny. Saving that lady and then being so... shy..."
"That was not funny Anima... I bet you set this up."
"No, I heard the scream from Kalm. And I raced back to help. I obviously caught the end of your wonderful battle skills." She blinked at him. Then looked to the woman, who was glaring at her for being there. "And ma'am you shouldn't have come onto my friend like that."
"I wanted to thank him in the way most men would want." She caught the tone of the woman's voice and glared at her, now recognizing her.
"What!" Anima struggled to get free of Seth's grasp. "You mean you wanted to seduce him!"
"Oh my, why would I do that?" the lady acted surprised while Seth was looking. When Seth turned around, she mouthed 'You're dead.' That got Anima really steamed.
"YOU HAVE SOME NERVE! IF HE WASN'T HOLDING ME I'D GUT YOU LIKE A MIDGAR ZOLOM!" Seth dragged her away as the lady smirked. The lady had staged the beating. She really did want to seduce Seth. And Anima had figured it out.
Once out of Midgar, Seth put Anima down. He looked at her and tried to read her expression.
"Anima that was uncalled for." Anima looked at him.
"I heard of her. The woman who stages beatings to lure the nice males into her bedroom!"
"What?"
"She acts so innocent until someone stumbles onto her plan. Watch. I'm on her to kill list. But guess what. I'm not going to be here."
"Where are you going?"
"Doesn't matter." She turned from him and began to walk off. Seth blinked and began to run after her.
"Anima! Wait! She stopped and looked at him.
"Why should I wait?" Seth blinked at her.
"Because I'm coming too."
"I'm going to find my sister." With that she began to walk away again.
"But your sister is dead." Anima stopped.
"I know that.." a voice cut into her head.
(Anima!)
Anima blinked at the sickly sweet voice that had interjected into her head. Another yelled at the voice. It was Mecha.
'Mecha? What are you doing in my head?'
-Protecting you from the other obviously.-
'Where is Sephiroth?'
-Look for him. He may be in front of your face.-
Anima blinked a few times and looked at Seth. 'Does that tell me anything?'
-I cannot help you. This is your mission.-
With that Anima wandered off, leaving Seth confused at all 3 voices that had come into his head.
'Anima. Mecha. And Jenova is back!' he thought to himself. 'This isn't good at all.'
-You silly man... go after my sister!- Seth jumped and ran after Anima, his trenchcoat flapping behind him.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
Several days later Anima stepped into Junon. She carried the Mura-Masa on her back as she walked about and down to the beach of lower Junon to find the girl whom Cloud had saved long ago sitting wistfully. She moved closer to hear the girl sigh. She edged closer to hear the low spoken words.
"Cloud, my love, why must you choose her over me? Why can't you give up this charade and come to me?"
Anima stopped.
"Oh Cloud, come back to me..."
Anima blinked a moment trying to figure out who Cloud was, when Mecha's voice cut into her head, 'Cloud is the president of Midgar. You saw him not too long ago standing with his wife and 3 young children. The little girl twins and their older brother.' Anima blinked and began to answer when Jenova's yawn erupted in her head. She now fled the beach and left the woman to her musings. She flattened herself against a house while the townsfolk stared at her.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
Seth stood at the path leading into Fort Condor. He promptly walked inside and climbed the rope to find information about anyone who had passed by. They gave him what he wanted and left him to his searches. He soon found what he wanted and left the place heading towards Junon. He hoped to make it before the next ship arrived, which would take him 2 days. Well a day and a half if he didn't rest for too long.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
Anima had spent the days and nights hidden near the docks waiting for the ship to come when at last it did she almost darted for it, when she saw a man walk by in a black trenchcoat, black pants, and a pair of really tall black boots. She peered after the man and found that it was Seth. She followed him as he walked up the ramp matching his steps exactly in time so he didn't even know she was there. After they both had boarded the ship she made for the lower deck to find a disguise. It wasn't that hard as there were extra uniforms for the deck hands and officers guarding the ship. She picked up one of each and decided on the officers' uniform. She quickly dressed in it and walked to the upper deck. She took atop the cabin of the ship and stood at attention. Of course by nightfall she would be tired. She saw Sephiroth walk down below deck and wanted to follow, but couldn't for the risk of being found out. She had done a good job on disguising herself, but wasn't the greatest on keeping awake for the disguise she had chosen.
After a moment a hand tapped her on the shoulder and a voice roughly told her, "Get down below deck officer! We are not to be sleeping at our post!" she almost let a squeal, but saluted and scrambled off the cabin top to get below deck. She hopped behind some boxes and began to take a nap.
0XXXXX;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;/
She awoke just as the ship docked in Costa Del Sol. She then scrambled off the ship as quickly as possible. Seth had spotted her once he disembarked, but he figured her for a Shinra soldier guard looking for a bit of action. She then moved towards the Inn, where Seth was spending the night. She waited until he had gotten his room before wandering to the innkeeper and getting one herself. She wandered up the stairs and into her room where she spent the night laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. The very place she would be going was not Nibelheim, but the city of the ancients. Vincent had guessed wrong. Maybe eventually she would be going to Nibelheim, but not quite. The next morning she donned the uniform again and walked outside. She stared out over the ocean and tried to keep her tail in check. She soon would go to the souvenir shop and look around. Seth was there, looking for information. She looked at a rack full of wide-brimmed hats. Most of which were black or red. She began to reach for a black one, when Seth looked in her general direction.
"Hey you!" he called out. Anima looked at him, still hidden in the Shinra guard uniform. "You seen a girl with red eyes and a tail?"
She shook her head in reply. Seth grumbled to himself as she chose a red wide brimmed hat and a cloak of the same color.
To Be Continued...