Ooooh, a long one! I would have had this up sooner, but my partner has been off work with a bad back & I find it very hard to concentrate unless I'm writing in utter seclusion, lol! Again, I went over and over this one as there was a 'mood' I wanted to capture. There was several moods actually u__u Apologies for any errors or what-not but...it IS 01:40 at the moment lol I may have missed some ^^;
As usual, thank you to my regular readers & a big thank you to the people who take the time to review and leave me feedback, I love you guys! *sniff*
I do not own any orginal characters or plot, they are property of Square Enix & this is a work of fandom, not for profit. All i own is Meia
Chapter 20
Bright orange dust stung her eyes and invaded her nostrils as she struggled to see through the vicious sandstorm that was currently ripping over the high cliff top. The currents only got worse as she secured a high tensile dynamic rope to a well rooted tree. Almost there. Only one more objective to complete and I'm clear. She gave the end of the rope attached to her waist one last tug and left the rest up to good faith. The lone SOLDIER sucked in one last, steadying breath of dusty air before leaping off into a dead sprint. As she approached the cliff face, her heart exploded with a rush of adrenaline and her legs carried her off the precipice. She spread her arms, flying gracefully outwards. She felt free, she felt alive. Performing a mid-air twist, she braced herself for the jolt that would signal the end of her line. It came, accompanied by a forced groan from the SOLDIER and she saw her objective; an access tunnel in the cliff face. The momentum of her fall saw her land on target, the length of rope calculated perfectly.
Meia unhooked herself from the line and cast it aside. She looked back over the cliff; the usual ladder that allowed access to the fair sized hole she was currently standing in was broken. If she had tried using that route, she would have wasted valuable time. She smiled to herself, just the reactor left to fix and her assessment would be over.
….
After arriving home with Sephiroth, it had taken almost a month for Lazard to assess Meia for promotion. Apparently, bypassing ranks wasn't something you usually saw, and he had a lot of paperwork to do before he could give the green light to proceed.
1 week earlier…
"This is incredible. I envy her so much…"
"I know Clee, I know. But hey! We should be proud, she's come a long way, ya know?"
"Yea, defiantly…..woah! when do I learn that?" Clee pressed his nose against the glass separating the control space from the live area in the VR room. A bright flash was currently dissipating, having originated from the occupants on the other side of the protective window. Zack dropped his arm after using it to shield his eyes from the light. Even through tinted glasses and the protective shield separating the two areas the flash was blinding,
"How can you look at that stuff?" He asked his small companion, who was still pressed to the glass. Zack watched him jot rushed notes down on his pad before looking up again as a small fireball was deflected, striking the other side of the window not far from where they stood. He stepped a little closer and folded his arms. Materia lectures were cancelled this week due to their instructor being ill. Most of the training group saw this as an opportunity to slack off. But Meia suggested they came with her to the 49th floor to watch her lessons. Something Clee leapt all over as soon as she said it. Zack was merely curious, but he figured that showing willingness to learn, rather than slack off, would look better on his record.
Let's see how you handle this one…
Clee almost audibly squeaked at the sound of Sephiroth's voice inside the room. The boy was hanging on everything the First class SOLDIER was doing. It was practically orgasmic to the materia obsessed rookie and he chewed his bottom lip in anticipation…
"Calm down there Clee…you might wet yourself…" Zack started to joke, but soon stalled when an orange glow from inside the room began to get brighter. They saw Sephiroth hold a hand to his face and close his eyes and in the next instant, the entire room was engulfed in fire. The sight was terrifying yet awesome all at once. The fire licked and peeled upwards, pooling like liquid over the ceiling. Maelstroms of pure flames were flowing all around and even the safety glass was beginning to get hot. Clee gasped and pulled away, his mouth agape. Then Sephiroth spread his arms and the flames grew brighter still, the sheer force of the magic was now beginning to tug his hair and coat upwards. Yet his face remained that of pure concentration. More impressive still was Meia. She stood opposite him, staring unblinking into his eyes. Her body was unharmed; she showed no signs of exertion or distress. She simply stood in the midst of the fiery tempest and took it in her stride. Sephiroth let his arms fall and in an instant, the fire was gone. Clee touched the glass gingerly, it was still hot. Hotter than it was when he pulled away…
Very good. What did you feel?
Nothing. I felt nothing…
Truly?
Yes. Was I meant too?
I would have expected your skin to have warmed at least…
You intended to harm me?
Not to harm, to show. Give me your wrist…impressive. You felt no fear? No panic?
Not at all…but…
Hmmm?
Zack watched Meia open her mouth to respond, but she hesitated and looked towards the control room. She removed Sephiroth's hand from her wrist and strode over to the heads up control panel on the safety glass. With a small shrug and smile, she muted the audio and blacked the windows completely, cutting the spectators out…
"But…I can't fear you, Sephiroth. I trust you completely. I know even in the midst of all that, if anything went wrong I wouldn't get hurt" She finally replied, her back still turned.
"I see…" Sephiroth folded his arms loosely about his waist and watched her, "Then perhaps…" He trailed off. Meia, slightly confused, approached him again,
"Perhaps…?" She questioned. Sephiroth shook his head,
"I can't say, Meia. Lazard wouldn't be happy…" He watched her pout in frustration, "Come now. If you trust me, you know there isn't anything to worry about. What I will say is this, though…whatever may happen to you in the next few weeks, I ask for your understanding…"
"Sephiroth…you're scaring me a little, what's with all the ominous doom and gloom?" She laughed nervously,
"Just understand…" He said softly, "That I have your best interests at heart"
…
..
.
Meia's face scrunched up as she felt dirt grinding between her teeth. She probably had sand everywhere and she cursed softly, spitting out a mouthful of saliva and grit. Quickly she made her way deeper into the tunnel, her boots making dull metallic thuds ring out and bounce off the rusting metal walls. This far in, the gloom was unsettling. The dull red glow of the lamps on the walls stretched into the distance, they seemed to go on forever. Still she pressed onwards until finally she saw them stop and a dull green glow marked the other end of the corridor. As she approached, the familiar burning scent of mako invaded her nostrils. She emerged into the main reactor core and looked down over the guard railing. Her heart jolted slightly. The design, the layout…was the same as the reactor on Howl's summit. She peered down into the mako pool several levels below her. This was unsettling, she needed to go to the bottom and inspect the controls at the core.
Meia swallowed thickly and composed herself. This wasn't Howl's summit, this was a different reactor. The past was the past, she told herself, as she descended the ladders and made her way to the bottom. Once there, the control panel was waiting for her over a long gangplank that crossed the mako pool. She hurried, past memories or no, this was still eerie. She didn't like it. She jogged over to the instrument panel and inspected the display. The problem was relatively simple, but she could only restore temporary function according to what was in front of her. Working quickly, she tapped a few commands that would seal a valve deep within the core. She smirked to herself and remembered Sephiroth telling her most things could be fixed by simply turning a valve somewhere, but engineers liked to keep that secret. She looked up as the sound of said valve met her ears, grinding and clunking away somewhere deep beneath her in the bowels of the reactor. Finally, she downloaded the error data onto a small memory stick and stored it away again in her uniform. All she needed to do now was get out and hand it to the team waiting back at the base camp.
Meia turned to head out. This wasn't actually so bad, but somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that this was a little too easy. Why send a SOLDIER in for such a simple job? Granted, the usual access routes were blocked but a team of infantry would be more than enough to accompany a group of engineers. She slowed as she reached the middle of the gangway, her sixth sense tingling somewhere in her stomach. She looked up as a new set of footsteps began to meet her ears, the same metallic clank which meant someone else was approaching her. Through the clouds of mako vapour she could make out a tall figure, striding confidently towards her. A flash of silver, a flutter of leather. Meia exhaled,
"Sephiroth…is it over already?" She questioned as her tension drained away. But he didn't answer her. He simply maintained his approach, his eyes cool and calculating. Meia pursed her lips and started towards him, perhaps he hadn't heard? But that wasn't right. He could hear a pin drop in a busy room…
Suddenly a bright silver flash streaked across her vision, causing her to leap back. He'd swung at her? Maybe this was her last obstacle. Alright, if it's a test…Meia drew her SOLDIER sword and stood ready to fight him. She tightened her grip on the hilt; she'd never actually faced him, not properly. She'd only defended for her life against a hologram. Another slash but she summersaulted neatly away. She'd improved since then, her body now perfectly capable of avoiding his advances. Attacking would be another challenge though. She dived under another perfectly aimed attack and slashed with her own weapon. But with a neat twist of his wrist, he flicked his sword in position to block her attack. She gasped as in the same instant he sent her flying backwards with a forceful push of his blade. She stood and looked into his eyes. He was still advancing. Something didn't feel right. He was different…
At the same time Meia was defending herself against the First class SOLDIER, she was being observed. Lazard drummed his fingers against his arm and watched her dodge another attack. He was curious though, she'd given up trying to retaliate. He turned his head towards the companion in the room with him,
"Do you think she's figured it out yet?" He said quietly,
"Yes. She knows something isn't right. She has learned to calm herself and focus. Before she would have been hesitant but now…well, she's simply testing her opponent. Looking for weakness…"
"Even if her opponent is you?"
Sephiroth flicked his hair out of his eyes and took a step towards the glass in front of him, "She needs to learn…"
"Agreed, but…is this the best way? Aren't you afraid this will affect your relationship?"
"I do this because of that relationship. I just…" He stopped himself. He wasn't willing to discuss it with his director. Instead he brought his hand to his face and watched Meia as she tried to find a way to get away from his artificial counterpart. Lazard nodded. He understood Sephiroth was reserved and knew full well his personal feelings weren't up for discussion. The both watched as Meia was engulfed in flames, being on the receiving end of a high level maelstrom summoned by the fake Sephiroth…
Meia easily shielded herself from the fire and strained to look through it. This wasn't her friend. She understood that now. His expression hadn't changed. Aloof confidence. Unshakable pride. This was Sephiroth at his most deadly. Heartless and cruel. This wasn't the side he exposed her too. This was some sort of hologram or training dummy. Worryingly, she knew that this Sephiroth wouldn't hesitate to harm her and keep harming her until she was seriously injured. Or worse… She had to find a way around him. Aside from scaling the core, there was no other way out of the reactor. She deflected another attack, but the force took a chunk out of her standard issue sword. It wouldn't last much longer and then she would be unarmed and almost defenceless. She really didn't want to have to find out this way if her barrier was skilled enough to deflect an all-out assault from the fearsome masamune.
He was creeping ever closer. She would have to do something soon. She looked up and spied a cluster of low hanging cables dangling from another gangplank above. The distance was pretty high but perhaps…Meia had an idea, but it was risky. Still, it was preferable to being forced into a corner by him. It was now or never…
Lazard and Sephiroth stepped closer to the one way glass they were observing behind and watched Meia take off at a run towards her opponent. Before she was within range of the deadly masamune, she hopped up on the railing to her right and leapt with all her strength over him…
"Oh dear…that was a little desperate…" Lazard said through his gloved hand. Although he was the director of the most skilled and brutal fighting force Shinra had to offer, his personality still retained an essence of fragility. Sephiroth's lip simply curled up in amusement,
"Desperate yes. Foolish? Not quite…" He addressed Lazard. In the next instance, he understood what Sephiroth meant. They watched as, predictably, the fake Sephiroth performed a wide upwards swing to meet Meia. But she was ready for it, indeed, she was hoping for it. Deflecting the impact with the flat of her sword, she used the sheer strength of Sephiroth's attack to propel her upwards where she was able to grasp the cables that were now just within her reach. Lazard clapped his gloved hands together in delight and relief. Sephiroth turned away from the glass and spoke over his shoulder,
"We should move upstairs again. We'll lose sight of her very soon" And he made his way to a stairwell at the back of the room they were standing in and began climbing them. Lazard acknowledged and hurried after him.
From the outside, a long panel of blackened, grimy windows extended all the way from the top of the reactor to the lowest floor. To the unknowing eye, they were merely dark, filthy windows to control rooms that were sealed and marked as 'highly dangerous, no admittance without proper clearance'. But in fact they hid high tech control rooms sporting one way glass windows. The reactor Meia had been sent too served a different purpose. An old first generation contraption that was de-commissioned roughly ten years ago. But at Lazard's request, it hadn't been dismantled and was now used as a SOLDIER field training facility.
Only Meia didn't know that. She clung to the thick dirty cables and watched the last remnants of her sword glitter to the floor, the impact shattering it like glass. Then she looked at the expression of her opponent. It was wearing a dark mask of apparent frustration. It turned calmly and began walking to the ladder that would grant it access to the walkway Meia was currently dangling from. She knew Sephiroth carried an arrogance that wouldn't allow him to rush and kill her. As far as it was concerned, she wasn't enough of a threat. He would catch her eventually, whether he ran or walked. She would use that to her advantage.
Securely tangling her legs in the plethora of cables suspending her, Meia unhooked her pauldrons and armour, letting them fall to the ground below. She saw, as she righted herself, the sound had made her opponent stop and turn. She steeled herself; she needed to be as fast as possible to get away from him. She clambered up on to the walkway and looked around for an air vent opening. She knew they were there, she'd seen some as she came in. Finally she spotted one, a level above and some way to her left. Meia sprinted off towards the outer wall, noting the fake Sephiroth had already made it to his ladder and was steadily ascending to her position. She gritted her teeth and ran faster, leaping to the ladder in front of her and climbing furiously. She reached the walkway just as her opponent set his hand on the first rung of the ladder she had just cleared. Seemingly, he had quickened his pace, acknowledging now that she was faster than predicted. She cast a look down and inhaled sharply. There was no time to drop the ladder, he would be in range by the time she'd worked the rusted mechanism loose. She turned and fled again; focusing everything she had to reach the air duct in time.
Sephiroth and Lazard were watching once more, having climbed several levels to keep up with her,
"Very clever," Lazard huffed, slightly out of breath, "She's going the one way she knows the masamune will be handicapped. He won't be able to swing it effectively climbing through the ducts…"
Sephiroth murmured his agreement and crossed his arms. In the next instant, Meia tore straight past the observation window they were behind. She'd reached the duct, which was only a few meters to the right of the room they stood in. But the fake Sephiroth had by now reached the walkway also. The two men watched as she kicked furiously at the vent covering the hole. It was budging, but not fast enough. The ominous sound of footsteps was slowly approaching her. Lazard covered his mouth anxiously again as Meia let out a howl of frustration, still kicking the cover in, ever aware of her opponent closing in. Lazard visibly swallowed as the fake Sephiroth stepped in front of him. His hard, cold stare was terrifying, especially when it flicked sideways to meet the directors blue eyes through the dark glass. Lazard jumped and staggered back slightly. The fake had seen him?
"Don't worry director. He is only programmed to pursue Meia. He sees you, but he won't attack" Sephiroth said calmly. Lazard pushed his glasses up his nose with barely trembling fingers and nodded,
"I…understand. But, how can he see us?"
"Come now, Director, you know my eyesight better than that" Sephiroth replied, a hint of amusement playing into his voice.
With an almighty roar, Meia finally succeeded in kicking in the air vent and dived inside, just in time to avoid the tip of the masamune as it sung its deadly song behind her. She scrambled through the vent, not looking back. Not daring too. She knew he was unable to swing at her in here, but he was still deadly. At least without her armour, she was lighter and slimmer than him. His heavy shoulder pauldrons scraped at the walls of the vent some way behind her. Her plan was working. She risked a glance back, but to her utter horror he was now removing his pauldrons. He was copying her? He even discarded his coat which was tripping him slightly. Her heart sank and her blood ran cold. Most of her advantage was gone. All she could do now was scramble for her life and pray she had enough of a lead and was faster than her pursuer.
She tore round a corner, not caring where she was going. Not caring for the bruises that were manifesting on her knees and hands. She could hear him behind her, stalking her. Hunting her. She was terrified of him all over again. The training room incident kept flashing through her mind. She remembered, curled up in a ball trembling from fear and utter exhaustion. She remembered fearing for her life when that beautiful long sword was raised, ready to crash down on her. Except this time, there would be no rescue. She kept going, round another corner. Her heart leapt. Light! She would make it, she would get out and then she could run again.
But in that same moment of elation, the sickening feeling of a hand clamped around her ankle. His grip was fierce and she kicked out in an effort to dislodge him, but she couldn't even make him falter. She looked back again. Green, cold eyes glowed back at her and a twisted smile. He'd got her. Meia cried out in fear, she had to get away, she had too! She summoned a glistening assault of icy shards and sent them into his face with all the force she could muster. His grip faltered slightly and she managed to launch herself forwards. Just a little more, just a little!
She only managed to get a few more feet before he was on her again, but the outside was almost at her fingertips and she struggled onwards. She managed to curl her fingers around the lip of the vent's exit but try as she might, she couldn't pull herself free. He was too strong. A second hand was clamped around her thigh and used to restrain her. No…no! Why? Meia tried to roll but as soon as her shoulder was in the air, His impossibly strong arm had seized it and she was roughly slammed onto her back. Her eyes were wide with panic as Sephiroth drew himself up over her body and pinned her down. His legs were spread and then clamped around her knees, trapping and crushing them together, disabling them temporarily. The pain was nauseating. She tried to claw at his face with her free hand but it was seized and forced to her side. He drew himself up and knelt on both her arms and let his body weight sit on her stomach, halting any further struggling. She kicked and kneed him in the back but it was futile, he shrugged her attacks off like they were nothing. Then as fast as lightning, he clamped his left hand over her mouth and nostrils. He was going to suffocate her. And she couldn't stop him. She tried. She twisted her head furiously. She tried biting him but his glove protected his fingers and her head was pressed down into the cold metal underneath her with sickening strength. She stared at him with widened eyes…This isn't you she told herself over and over, this isn't…my friend. He would never do this to me…never! His expression was still steadfast as he gazed down at her, like a god handing down divine punishment. He was at once beautiful…and utterly demonic. Meia squeezed her eyes shut, This…isn't…you…I have to get free, I can't die…I can't!
Meia managed to free the small tanto she always carried with her from its restraints at her right hip and with no hesitation, plunged it with all her might into Sephiroth's thigh. He visibly winced and removed his hand from her face slightly,
"That had to hurt, you son of a bitch!" Meia yelled through his gloved hand and withdrew the knife. Only to drive it mercilessly into him again and again. Eventually, he was forced to move his heavily bleeding leg away from the danger she was presenting him. But this allowed her to free her right arm where, with a bellow of rage, she slashed him across his bare chest. The fake Sephiroth growled slightly in frustration but now he was unbalanced and Meia was desperate. She hacked at whatever she could as she scrambled from underneath him. Big, heavy droplets of his blood rained down on her, flowing down her right arm as it blossomed from his pale skin. Finally she managed to free herself. She turned again and threw herself out the vent and onto the dusty ground outside. She picked herself up fast and took off at a run again. The pain in her crushed limbs was throbbing but she kept going. Her oxygen starved lungs burned but she ignored them. Her uniform was slick with Sephiroth's blood. But it didn't smell like blood. Indeed, no scent emanated from him at all. She slowed and checked behind her. Her assailant was nowhere in sight. The camp was visible now in the distance so she held a steady pace to reach it.
At the same time, Lazard and the real Sephiroth were also out in the open again and making their way to the camp. Sephiroth marched on, slightly ahead of the director. He was looking at the playback transmitted from the holographic version of himself on a personal pad. He'd never admit it, but he found it almost impossible to watch. He forced himself to observe as his holographic copy tried everything in its power to kill Meia. He clenched his jaw. He was painfully aware of the closeness of their bodies. Trapped in the vent and pressed so close together, she must have been terrified. That was not how he envisioned her first experience of his personal intimacy. He had no idea what action Meia was planning to take to get away from him and his heart sank when she went for the vent. She would be angry at him. Very angry…
"Sephiroth…" Lazard said after clearing his throat, "Why did you allow it to go that far? He could have killed her…"
Sephiroth looked up and fixed his eyes on the camp in the distance, "I needed to see if she had it in her to survive"
"I see. So…this was not just a test for her, but for you as well" The director carried on,
"…"
"You needed to know that you believed in her enough, to allow her to save herself…"
Sephiroth said nothing and carried on towards base camp. His copy had done exactly what he would have in that situation, with one exception. That he DID have to stop. Once she was restrained, he would have throttled his target. His grip was much too powerful for a delicate, female neck to withstand. Even a SOLDIER's. She would have been killed the moment he squeezed. He closed his eyes; even after all that, he still couldn't stop himself from helping her. He cared too much.
.
…
…..
Meia slowed to a walk as she lifted the tarp of the tent and stepped inside. She took a deep breath to steady herself as she approached the engineer sitting at a table in the centre of the large space.
"Ah! Back so soon LeSait," He beamed up at her, "Well I guess this ends your field assessment. Well done, you can take it easy"
The 'engineer' was in fact her trainer and she saluted him, before sitting down heavily on a camp bed. She rubbed her dust filled eyes and brushed the orange powder from her arms and chest, noting the sheer amount of blood that also covered her uniform. She looked at her hands, it was still wet and despite knowing it wasn't quite real, it made her stomach turn none the less.
And it still came from her friend. She recalled the sick feeling she had when she drove her blade into him again and again. It wasn't easy to do. Despite knowing he wasn't real. But what if he was? What if she'd made a grave mistake? Her stomach lurched. She didn't want to think about it. The sound of flapping fabric made her look up. Lazard stepped into the tent; his usually pristine suit was yellow and dusty. And following him was Sephiroth. Perfectly unharmed. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Thank Gaia…
Lazard exchanged some words with the trainer before approaching her. Meia stood and saluted him,
"Well, Miss LeSait. I think it's safe to say you passed. As soon as we get home I'll make it official, Ill also go through the whole assessment with you properly" He smiled at her and held his hand out to shake,
"Thank you Sir, I am honoured" She replied, grasping his hand firmly. Her eye twitched as he withdrew, his glove now stained with blood. She'd used her bloody hand…
"I'm sorry Sir…" She began, but was cut off,
"Oh, pay no heed to this. I think it's time we shut it off anyway. Sephiroth?" Lazard turned to his tall companion, who looked up and nodded. Meia watched, puzzled, as Sephiroth tapped away on his personal pad. In the next instant she watched as the blood on Lazard's glove faded and vanished, not unlike a hologram in the training room did,
"There! All gone. The dust however sadly…won't be so easy…" Lazard trailed off and began to brush himself down. Meia asked permission to be dismissed and strode out the tent again. Seeing Sephiroth shut the hologram off had made her begin to seethe with anger. He was controlling the fake version of himself. He had made it almost kill her. She stormed outside and kept walking. Why would he do that to her? After everything they'd been through? After all she trusted him with. She became aware that she was being followed and she marched faster, heading for a patch of wind bent trees and bushes,
"Meia…"
"What is it?" She snapped, not bothering to turn.
"Is that any way to address your superior?"
Now she was livid, "Permission to drop ranks a moment, sir…"
"…..granted but..." A well-aimed slap across the face shocked him into silence. It didn't hurt, but the message was clear. Meia had rounded on him and she was furious.
"I trusted you, how could you do that to me?" She growled at him. Sephiroth sighed and shut his eyes,
"Because Meia. I needed to show you something…"
"What? You needed to show me what a cruel, cold, heartless bastard you are! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is being stalked by you?" There was murder in her voice. He was afraid of this. She stormed off again and disappeared behind a cluster of boulders and tree's, her words still ringing in his ears. He followed her slowly; she was standing by a small cliff, staring into a quarry below.
"Meia…Please, at least let me explain why I did it…" He said gently. She had every right to be angry with him, he knew this. But he was desperate to be forgiven. This shocked him a little, was he afraid of losing her…?
"Get on with it then…" She spat, her back still turned.
He took a steadying breath, "I did it because of what you said during your materia lesson last week. You said you trusted me. You said you knew you would never be in danger with me. I had to teach you that I won't always be there to protect you. And that things…are not always as they seem, that nothing should be taken for granted…" He explained as steadily as he could. She choked and quickly recomposed. She was crying…
"You think I don't know that! Why did you have to use you…I trust you…yet you send a demon to kill me…" She turned to face him, tears mixed with dust marked muddy trails down her cheeks, "And he was wearing your face" She finished, shaking her head. Sephiroth clenched his jaw. His heart ached unbearably. He knew this decision was going to be a hard one, but he had no idea just how hard…
"I'm sorry, Meia. But the message had to be clear…Originally, Lazard wanted me to face you but after what you said to me, I couldn't"
"How can I trust you now? I got the message all right…" She didn't seem to have heard him…
"No. you're wrong…" Sephiroth was beginning to anger now, "You can always trust me. I asked for your understanding, yet you're doing a poor job right now. As hard as this is, Meia, you have to understand. I did this to make you stronger, you managed to repel me. Do you know how many people can do that? Very few…you should be proud…"
"Proud! Proud that I can defeat the almighty Sephiroth...?"
"That's not fair Meia, If I faced you, I wouldn't have been able hurt you. How is that a test of your abilities? How does that show me you're capable of taking care of yourself?"
"So you force me to stab you? I should be proud that I can drive a blade into my friend! Will you shut up and listen to yourself!" She screamed at him, the sound of her voice bounced around the quarry behind her. He was stunned to silence. She did understand. It wasn't that which was upsetting her. He realized what he'd done to her now. And he felt ashamed…
"I…Meia …." He shook his head. He didn't know what to say, he felt ill suddenly, the feeling confusing him... "I'm so sorry. I just wanted to help you"
"I do understand, Sephiroth…I know why you did what you did," Meia recognized he'd finally understood, "But your blood, the sight of it…plunging the knife into you over and over again…into the only person I trust…" She babbled quietly, wiping at her tears, "And your eyes, there was no remorse. No compassion. Can't you understand how much that hurt me? After everything I've told you about my past?"
He looked at her. She was pleading with him. Trying to appeal to the side of him that was kind. The side that he only seemed to show her. He'd hurt her. How could he fix it? He closed his eyes and rubbed them with his hand. He was so sure he was right, so sure that what he did was for the best that he'd treated Meia like a regular member of SOLDIER. But she was so much more than that. He realised being her mentor would be tougher than he hoped. It may be easy for him to separate his feelings and emotions, but it wasn't easy for Meia. And now he'd hurt her. He felt awful, and so soon after the incident in Kalm…
"I promise. I'll never do anything like that to you again…" He said softly, sitting on a dusty boulder and holding his head. She took a step towards him and sniffed,
"I don't want to lose any more people I care about, Sephiroth, especially not by my own hands…I was so frightened" She told him quietly, most of the anger now gone from her voice. Replaced with sadness…
He nodded and looked away, shame still swimming in the pit of his stomach. How could he? He felt her place a hand on his head and he looked up into her eyes. She was smiling,
"Please don't angst over this, Sephiroth. I forgive you" She told him gently, rubbing his hair with the lightest touch. He blinked and raised his fingers to her face hesitantly and wiped at the muddy tears on her cheeks,
"I'm not sure I deserve your forgiveness," He began softly, "I think I made a terrible mistake…"
"Of course you deserve it. Mistakes happen, it's only human. But humans can also give the gift of forgiveness. And I can't think of anyone I'd rather give it too" She stepped back from him and wiped the rest of her tears away roughly. He nodded and smiled at her,
"We should get back. And think of a small lie to tell in case they ask where we've been…" He mused out loud. Meia agreed and they began to walk back.
Thank you, Eiren. Yes! Here we are at the grand central plaza of Sector 1, the venue for the fifth tri-annual Shinra awards gala, which is set to take place a mere four nights from now. Every three years, President Shinra holds this magnificent event to honour and recognise outstanding individuals that have contributed to the economy and general wellbeing of our city and company. The guest list this year is set to be as extensive as the last, boasting A list celebrity guests, department heads and many other famous faces. This event will surely be the highlight of 1998. Back to you Eiren…
Meia continued to absentmindedly stir her cup of coffee as the reporter handed back to the anchor man at the studio. The awards gala, she remembered the last one, just about. It was a year after she'd joined the Turks, but she forgot to watch it for some reason she couldn't recall. She shrugged to herself and licked her stirring spoon, before curling up on her small bed and enjoying the beverage she'd made herself.
She had been promoted as soon as they arrived home the previous day and was currently enjoying the beginning of a week off. Lazard had been kind enough to grant it to her as a reward. Technically, she was still on emergency call but other than that she was free to do as she pleased. Zack had stopped by earlier in the day and congratulated her with a small bunch of flowers, which he tried to insist weren't very expensive. But she knew better. Midgar's environment wasn't up to supporting flowers normally. Certain places, at great expense, were designed to support greenery but other than that, flowers were ordered in from towns outside of Midgar. And they were very costly.
Sephiroth had stopped by quickly in the afternoon to congratulate her 'official' promotion. He was still acting very sheepishly around her. For him, anyway. To the untrained eye he was simply himself. Quiet and reserved. But she knew better. She had to tell him again to stop worrying, to which he hid a blush and said something about a pile of paperwork to catch up with and left. She smiled and let him go. She had really yelled at him after her mission. So much so she was afraid it was too much. But he had hurt her and he needed to know. Somehow, she knew he wanted to be forgiven but she wouldn't do it until she was sure he knew what he'd done. Thankfully, his intelligence let him catch on quick.
49th floor, Training room. 19:21
"Have you been ordered to go again?"
"Yes. It's non-negotiable…" Sephiroth emphasized the frustration he felt with a vicious throw, the stone in his hand sailing in a perfect line before hitting a dumbapple balanced on a fence across the room. Angeal sighed. Even without his sword he was still beating them.
Genesis turned the page he had just finished reading and crossed his legs, drumming the heel of his foot against the barrel he was sitting on, "At least this time you have a viable date option" He drawled, pouring through his trusty Loveless script. Sephiroth snorted softly and leant against a telegraph pole, arms crossed and looking annoyed,
"Please, I'm not that cruel…"
"You sure about that?" Genesis replied, glancing at him over his book. Sephiroth fixed him with a cold scowl. He wasn't in the mood to joke about that at the moment.
"Now now, Genesis. He has a point though, Sephiroth. Maybe it will be more bearable this time round" Angeal added. Sephiroth shook his head and kicked a stone with his booted foot.
He hated the awards gala. He was forced to go every three years and each time the president showed him off like a blue ribbon chocobo. He had to endure countless people shaking his hand and engaging him in pointless small talk. Then there was the women. Even when he was still a teenager, some of them had no shame. They would buy him drinks, give him things and even stroke his hair whenever they had a chance. He hated it. The irritating minute tug of a few strands being plucked from his head, and the sickly sweet, fake 'oh sorry! Did I catch you?' when he turned to confront them. He couldn't stand it. And each time he requested to be allowed to skip the event, he was turned down. He looked up at the projected sky and let out a heavy sigh.
"Honestly, Sephiroth. Ask her. You never know, she might enjoy herself and she can keep you sane" Angeal said after he'd taken his shot at the apple. Genesis agreed with his friend and handed Sephiroth a blindfold,
"Seriously, we're sick and tired of your crap" He commented jovially. Sephiroth pursed his lips and reluctantly tied the cloth over his eyes. Maybe he should ask Meia to be his partner for the event. Angeal had a valid point after all. And he'd get a chance to spend time with her away from work on a personal level. Something he yearned for, despite his attempts at denial … A small stone was placed in his hand after being spun several times buy Angeal and Genesis. As Sephiroth took his bearings, he made his mind up. He would ask her tonight. His two friends groaned as he hesitated a moment, then threw with a perfect aim, hitting his dumbapple dead centre again.
"This just isn't fair…" Angeal moaned.
Nestled within a pile of pillows and cushions, currently enjoying an extra thick hazelnut latte, was Meia. After showering she had popped out, grabbed dinner and taken her favourite beverage home with her. At the moment she was watching the night time movie, for lack of anything better to do. She yawned and stretched her legs out. It really was quite boring. So she got up and put one of her own movies on, changing into a well-worn set of pyjamas as well. Was it really appropriate for a woman of her age to be wearing self-modified pink pants adorned with ice-cream cones and unicorns? Of course it was, she smirked to herself, sitting back down on her bed.
But she hadn't even managed to get comfortable before there was a knock on her door. Sighing, she got up and asked who it was, scratching her stomach lazily,
"It's me. May I come in?"
Meia's heart jumped slightly. Suddenly she was drastically aware that pink Pyjamas were not appropriate, neither was looking like you'd only just crawled out of bed after a wild night partying…
"Meia? Are you in?" Sephiroth said again with another soft knock.
"Ah, just a moment…" She replied, frantically trying to smooth her hair down and looking around for something to cover up with. But to her horror, she realised her usual silk gown was still at the cleaners. She let out a small groan and reached for the door,
"Please don't hold this against me…" She sighed at him through the door,
"Hold what aga-…Oh, I see…" Sephiroth couldn't help himself. His lips curled up into a smile as Meia rubbed her head and looked away, clearly embarrassed. He took in the sight before him. Despite looking scruffy and so casual she was almost a different person, Meia still had something that was very alluring to him. Like the evening she was curled up on his sofa. His strange, frankly baffling instincts were surfacing again.
"Hmm…I feel overdressed all of a sudden…" He taunted her finally, pulling on the collar of the cream shirt he was wearing. She crossed her arms with a huff,
"Come on in. I warn you though…it's a mess in here. I'm not uh…a very tidy person really…" She mumbled and stepped aside, allowing him in. Sephiroth shook off his feeling of nostalgia from seeing the small standard issue room again. The smell of coffee and sweet shower gel met his nose straight away though, managing to banish any old memories from his mind. Which he was glad for…
"I'm a bit embarrassed; I wish I knew you were coming…" Meia was currently bustling about, scooping up as much of her clutter as she could and muttering things to herself. Sephiroth smiled, in a funny way, he was actually flattered she'd let him in. She was allowing him to see a glimpse of her personal life. Now he thought about it, all he knew about her on a personal level, aside from her painful past, was that she loved coffee.
"Meia…" He chuckled gently and stopped her, a large pile of clothes in her arms. She blinked at him, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment, as he took the pile from her, and casually threw them back on the floor,
"That's better" He crossed his arms and cocked his head, amusement painted all over his face, "It's fascinating in here. I like it…"
Meia flopped down on her bed and took a long swig of her coffee, "You must be joking…" She said sulkily. Sephiroth gave a soft low laugh and insisted he wasn't. Meia sighed and smiled up at him,
"It's nice to see you happy again" She told him, to which he snorted softly,
"I wouldn't say happy exactly…" He replied, sitting down on the small chair at Meia's desk.
"Happy-er, then. So, what brings you here? Do you actually have a reason, or did you just decide to pop in and have a laugh…" She leant forwards. He crossed his leg over a knee and let out a long sigh,
"I do, but…"
"But?"
He looked at her. She was still leaning towards him, half full coffee cup clutched in her hands. He smiled faintly; she reminded him of when they'd met as children. Scruffy, haphazard, warm and kind. Especially as she was dressed in a lemon yellow top that resembled the dress she wore back then. He could remember it as clear as anything. He was thankful that somewhere in his vivid memory, full of morbid, frankly disturbing material, there resided a comforting, kind vision. A vision of a little girl placing a plaster on his knees. And from that memory, countless more now spiraling from it thanks to the woman she had become sitting in front of him. His childhood may not have been as much fun as 'normal' kids, but at least now he had something to hold on too.
His stomach lurched, remembering what he'd done to her a few days ago. He didn't like how he felt, not one bit. It was a strange sensation and not one he wanted to hang on too. But to his dismay, he couldn't stop thinking about it. How she'd yelled at him. The anger and hurt in her eyes. He simply couldn't let it go and it festered at the back of his mind. He only hoped that eventually, the pain would fade. He sighed softly and blinked. In his momentary mind wander he had chosen the worst place to let his eyes linger without even knowing it. Meia was nervously checking the buttons on her top…
"Sorry…uh…but…"He looked up again into her eyes, "I'm not sure how to go about it…"
"You're not going to find the answer staring at my chest…" Meia sat up again and crossed her legs under her, giving a lopsided grin when Sephiroth covered his eyes in embarrassment and rubbed at his eyebrows,
"I really didn't know where I was looking Meia, sorry…"
She laughed at him and rocked back slightly, "Only playing with you, I knew you were zoned out. Just say it, what's on your mind?"
Sephiroth took his hand away from his face and looked at her again, well aware of the pinkness still lingering on his cheeks,
"Alright. I'm here, Miss LeSait, to ask you out for an evening"
Haha, poor Lazard xD Although in all fairness, I'd poop my pants if I got that look too D:!
Next chapter - The terrifying awards gala, made worse by a friends jelousy. How much more of it can Sephiroth take?
Please reveiw if you have a spare minute, I enjoy the feedback =)