Hi guys and gals!
Not much to say but thanks to my reviewers.
Chrono- I am surprised but honoured that the Genesis comedy made you laugh so hard. You HAVE to link me the Sephiroth bohemian rhapsody though, I cracked up just reading about it.
Ocena Strex- Yay! Someone thought the mako stuff was clever! I was hoping someone would hahaha. Thanks mane!
Moosh- I love you, I don't feel anymore needs to be said here! :D
ThE 4SsAsSiN 21- An awesome sweep of reviews! I love it when I get those! I hope that you are no less engrossed in the story as you were at chapter 1, if you are I'd love to hear any constructive criticism you might have :)
On with the fic!
Aerith exhaled slowly in exasperation and slumped the side of her face into her hand, the tutors voice holding the seminar becoming a wordless drone in the background as the women whispering at the back of the auditorium continued to fail at whispering. They were supposed to be the grown adults here and she the baby of the class and yet she was the one wanting to tear her hair out at as they gossiped away three rows back as if she couldn't hear them.
"I'm telling you, in two years I've never even seen him near a girl... well other than the little one. But that doesn't count, that's his sister"
"You know I heard a rumour that they aren't really related at all"
"Kinda figures, what with the silver hair an all"
"What I wouldn't give to be his fake little sister, the things I'd…"
"Sam!"
"God he's so hot"
Aerith gripped the glitzy lilac pen in her hand almost as hard as she grit her teeth. It wasn't anything new, for years Seph had had his share of girls drooling after him but for some reason, lately, it had really started getting to her. Aerith looked at the clock, she couldn't wait to get out of here.
"Midnight Kalm are playing next week, I'm gonna ask him to go with me"
Yeah good luck with that one Sam
"You know he's going to be general one day, there's no way he'll be seen in a place like sector 3"
Bingo Rias!
"We'll see"
Just so you can make him your one millionth boyfriend this year? Over my dead body
"Hey you should ask the little one to persuade him to go with you, he listens to her"
No… please don't do that
"Oh my god I love you!"
Oh my god I hate you
"Can you three can it! That's her brother, have some respect!"
Thank you Lacey, you're the best dorm room neighbour in the world
"And that is why we do not junction 'all' and 'cure' materia together in a warded environment. That's a wrap ladies"
Books closed, bags rustled and around fifty pairs of legs climbing to their feet interrupted Aerith from snapping her pen and the uncharacteristic anger that was building up inside of her fizzled away.
"Remember girls! Practical's on Friday so be sure you bring your ethers! Don't forget! That means you Claire!"
Standing up and slinging the single strap of her heavy side bag onto her shoulder, the hall emptied out in double file and Aerith joined the flowing crowd. Descending the manic corridor she walked alone as usual, ready to turn left while the rest of the crowd turned right with only the odd passing pleasantry being exchanged with a few of the girls she got on amicably with. It wasn't that the other women were hostile or excluded her because of her unnatural abilities or age, it was her own fault that she chose to hang around with SOLDIER's all the time and didn't get to know them any better.
Splitting off towards the direction of the canteen in the SOLDIER barracks, Aerith made it about fifteen paces before grimacing at the sound of her name being yelled out.
"Aerith! Wait up!"
For a second she considered carrying on walking but took a deep breath instead and turned.
"What do you want Sam?"
Aerith didn't mean to be rude, it just made her feel uncomfortable to think about Sephiroth and dating let alone to be asked to arrange it.
"I want to speak to you about your brother"
The stylish chesty brunette with bright pale hazel eyes came jogging over, surprisingly alone.
"What about him?" Aerith played dumb.
"You know I noticed that in your hair earlier in class, it's really pretty"
The undeniably gorgeous women indicated at the white materia Aerith often kept threaded in her curls as a hair accessory making the teenage girl reach up and finger it absently.
"Oh umm, thanks" she smiled unsurely, thoroughly taken off guard at the entirely unexpected and random compliment.
"So yeah anyway, by any chance do you know if Sephiroth's free next Saturday? I want to ask him out on a date"
Wow… at least she was honest and upfront.
"I uhh… I don't really think that I'm the person to…"
"Oh he's not away doing his crazy super-SOLDIER manly stuff again is he? I thought they got back from a mission just a few weeks ago?"
"No… no he's still here" Aerith began to flounder.
Come on! You've done this before! Stick to the script!
"Good so he's free then? Can you ask him if he would like to go see Midnight Kalm play? They're performing at this really awesome bar in sector 3. It's real classy, not like any of these crappy run down hovels the perverts hang around in, he'd love it"
The thought of Seph being in a bar AND listening to the set of one of her favourite bands would have been hilariously amusing to her if she was in any other situation than the one she was currently in.
"The thing is it's not really his kind of thing…"
"What? Midnight Kalm? Has he heard them play before?"
Aerith started feeling panicky under her persistent fellow nurse-in-trainings interrogation.
"No.. no he hasn't"
"Great! I can introduce him to them then"
"No you can't!" she blurted out hastily.
A look of surprise flicked over Samantha's face and then to offended suspicion as the older voluptuous women placed her hands on her hips.
"And why not?"
The teenage girl felt her face begin to flush as she struggled to think up a believable reason as to why he might be busy but she was legitimately the world's worst liar.
"Because he's already going… and… and he can't go twice"
What!? That didn't even make sense! Aerith wanted to repeatedly bang her head against the nearby wall.
"Really? With who!?" Sam demanded challengingly and Aerith felt her temperament suddenly switch as the woman's possessive tone of voice made her feel defensive.
"With me" she stated firmly and stubbornly placed her hands on her hips as well.
The brunettes expression dropped slightly and Aerith refrained from smirking victoriously.
"With you? But you have to be 16…"
"Yes! Yes and I'm 16 next week. That's why we're going, he's taking me for my birthday"
Her story came together almost too perfectly and it felt good to be able to stand her ground like a woman for once without feeling like a little girl.
"Oh… I see" Samantha mumbled with a look of disappointment at first but then she gave her a friendly and genuine smile that immediately made Aerith begin to feel guilty. "Thanks anyway"
"I'm sorry Sam"
Her twenty-one year old colleague shouldered her bag and waved a prettily manicured hand dismissively.
"Pfff sorry for what? It's your birthday" Aerith was quite taken aback when the women leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Look at you, all growing up. Happy birthday for next week babe"
Turning into a beetroot of shame Aerith looked down at her feet, she had acted like such a snappy bitch when all Sam had wanted to do is ask Seph out on a date. Why did she even oppose it? It wasn't like she didn't want him to be happy and find a nice girlfriend… though perhaps not one who had such a reputation with relationships.
"Thank you Sam"
She gave her classmate a broad smile and light hazel eyes twinkled back kindly before leaving to hurry away to catch up with whatever friends it was she spent her lunch with.
The Cetra brunette turned to leave also, smiling at the ground until Sam must have looked back and called out to her at the last-minute.
"Hey Aerith! When I see you there we should have a dance together and you have to let me buy you a drink!"
Aerith was glad her back was turned or else Samantha would have seen the smile as it was wiped from her face.
What had she done!? She wouldn't be allowed down to sector 3! Aerith didn't usually care what the other junior nurses thought of her but this would be so humiliating when she didn't show up and it was found out that she had lied.
She wanted to go! She wanted to get out of this damn building for once, especially if it meant to go see Midnight Kalm play. Why wasn't she allowed out anyway? Was it really because the science department were scared for her safety? What if they knew one of the most skilled swordsman in all of Gaia was with her?
What if she really did go with Sephiroth!?
Aerith rapidly picked up her pace towards the SOLDIER's canteen.
Staring absently into space, Sephiroth joylessly shovelled his mid-day meal into his mouth, chewed robotically and swallowed. It seemed that science had come a long way in twenty years but not in its abilities to season heavily supplemented artificial super-foods. It wasn't the slushy bowl of wall paper paste that was bothering him however, it was the surprisingly calm and diplomatic discussion he'd had with the president yesterday that was at the forefront of his mind.
Not only had the gradually fattening man confirmed that it was true and they were indeed lowering the enhancement age brackets like Scarlett had said but also that plans to send troops to Wutai were in motion and he was expected to play a key role in the upcoming campaign. What was worse was that now he knew, the science department was being given the green light to begin the process of preparing his body to receive fresh mako with a plan to recieve the brutal injections in as early as three weeks from now.
Sephiroth looked down at his bowl and sighed to see that it was still half full.
He had always known this chapter of his life was coming, he just hadn't expected it to be so soon. What made it worse was that he was firmly obligated to hold everything the president had told him to the strictest of confidentiality so he couldn't even tell Angeal or Genesis about it yet.
How the hell was he ever going to tell Aerith?
Speak of the devil.
"Aerith, your attempts to sneak up on me are often futile but that was nothing short of diabolical. You must be in a rush"
The cheery vision of bubbly joy appeared over his left shoulder, smelling as pleasant as ever and greeting him with the same soft affectionate kiss to the cheek that he had given up on trying to object to many years ago.
"No I'm not"
Aerith slid into the empty seat opposite him and set her far more appetizing lunch tray down with a coy smile, knowing she wasn't a very good liar.
"Soooo... how's your day been Sephy?"
He on the other was rather good at it.
"Sufficiently uneventful"
Aerith tilted her head onto a slant, beaming at him with her famous pouty bright-eyed curiosity face.
"Do I have something on my face?"
"No I was just thinking"
"About?"
"About how much I'd like to climb into that head of yours and find out exactly what goes on in there"
"Lots of scary stuff" he quipped and she giggled, looking down at her tray and taking the large blueberry muffin in hand.
"I can only imagine"
She glanced around and then slid the cake across to him in an extremely over-cautionate and secretive manner. He nearly smiled, he could always tell what day of the week it was simply from the confectionary item that Aerith smuggled him that day alone. Sephiroth inclined his head in gratitude and absorbed in the happy glow the young Cetra teenager shone with because of it.
He wasn't a huge fan of sweet things but he accepted the treats from her against nutritional policy because it made Aerith feel better and seemed to bring her comfort. For some bizarre reason it used to upset her greatly that his strict dietary routine meant that he ate differently to everyone else and did not allow for him to indulge in sugary products. When she was 9 she had actually cried tears about it and it had taken accepting her desert every lunch time to appease the situation. It simply became tradition after that.
Internally he saddened. They had grown so many traditions together, it was distressing to think after listening to Angeal's and the presidents words that they could all change or disappear entirely.
"So how did your SOLDIER's do in the quarterlies?" Aerith queried assertively as she began delicately stabbing at her plate of rice and Duel-horn steak.
"Twelve tier passes" he replied despite being able to tell that a very different topic of discussion was waiting to burst out of the girl.
"What all of them?"
"Of course"
Aerith sat further upright and reached out with her forkless free hand to squeeze his excitedly. "Oh Seph that's great! You must be so proud!"
He nodded and fixed her with a distinct gaze, "I am proud of all my students"
His words sparked a strong reaction from her and the green-eyed girls hand retreated to her lap beneath the table and her cheeks flushed.
"I'm glad, I like hearing you say that"
"Mmm, I will make a point to say it more regularly then. I do feel at times that I am inadequate at giving proper praise"
"You're better than you think Seph… when you're not being a big bossy drill sergeant with a huge scary sword that is"
Even though Aerith lowered her voice, the cheeky off the cuff comment at the end didn't fail to reach his ears and she squirmed laughingly as he raised his frost coloured eyebrows at her.
"I'm only joking, you know I love the Masamune"
"You... 'love' it? Aerith are you sure you haven't been touching my sword?"
"I haven't! Well, not other than the times you let me try to pick it up"
Sephiroth chuckled at the memories.
"Hey! Why are you laughing? I got it like three feet off the ground last time you bully!"
"My apologies, my amusement was not directed at your physical competency I assure you. You're really very strong for a female of your size and build"
"My size and build!? And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
Sephiroth who was just about to bite into the muffin and get some eating done around here paused at the demanding tone of Aerith's voice and scalding expression.
"Uh… You're physical stature?"
"Small! You were going to say small weren't you?"
Firmly squaring her shoulders he couldn't help but notice Aerith's chest as it puffed up, creating tension against the third button of her plain white blouse and making his head go into an awkward tail spin for noticing.
"No... no I... I mean I wasn't implying... I don't think that you are..."
Suddenly she blew up into an explosion of giggles as she dropped her fork back into her tray of food that looked like it was never going to get eaten.
"Oh Seph I'm only teasing!".she continued creasing up and if it had been anyone else he would have grumbled, he didn't like being teased. "Your face! It was so adorable!"
"My face fits no such description" he replied aloofly.
"It totally does. You looked more embarrassed than the time Angeal tried to sit me down and explain about the birds and the bees two years too late"
"He did that?"
She nodded while wiping a falling tear away, composed herself and finally began eating.
"What did he say?"
"Too mush" came the muffled amused response as she placed a polite hand over her mouth while chewing.
Sephiroth felt slightly disturbed that Aerith was already aware of such things now at fifteen, let alone since she was thirteen. Though He should have guessed it sooner with the type of older women she was exposed to on a daily basis.
He decided to change the subject.
"So are you going to come out and tell me what it is that is really on your mind?"
Aerith took extra effort to swallow her food early and set her cutlery down with a deep breath.
"Ok... I've decided I want to ask for something from you for my birthday"
Sephiroth's attention was gripped, she was actually going to specifically tell him what she wanted? Perfect.
"Go on"
"I want to be allowed out to go watch this band I really like play on Saturday"
Now that he wasn't expecting.
"Play? Play where?"
"At this bar that everyone raves about down in sector 3"
His body minutely flinched all over.
"It would only be for a few hours and I won't drink any alcohol, even though I'd be old enough"
He shook his head on reflex.
"Bars are dangerous and full of people with un-honourable intentions"
Great, now he was starting to sound like Angeal.
"I understand that... but you know I wouldn't be going for that reason. I would never do anything like that and besides, I hear it's really really nice and not like the horrible ones with the perverts"
"Still, I would not be comfortable with it and even if I was, you know the science department would not allow you to go"
"For my safety right? You see I thought about that and I figured you could come with me! They'd probably be wayyyy more open to the idea if they knew you was there and that way you wouldn't have to worry either. We could have so much fun together and if anything was to happen you could protect me"
The mere thought of being in a crowded public place was unpleasant enough but being in one that was also highly intoxicated? It made him physically cringe.
"No. I do not think this would be wise"
Aerith leaned forward imploringly, the excitement dying from her voice and eyes.
"But please Seph!"
"Aerith it is not in my control. So even if I were to agree, I do not believe the science department would permit it even with my presence"
He watched his Cetra sister struggle to think of further ways to object and when she couldn't Sephiroth clenched his hand as the upset visibly mounted in her expression.
"This is all Genesis' bloody fault, he is the one who put these kind of ideas into your head"
"No it wasn't!"
"Then who did?"
"It hasn't just popped into my head all of a sudden you know! This isn't the first time I've wanted to get out of here and see the world outside of this building. But if you must know Samantha was the one who mentioned the band. She came to me because she wanted to ask..."
"Ask? Ask what?" he pushed sternly when Aerith fell silent at the mention of that infernal hussy.
"It doesn't matter! She told me she was going and I said I was to and now I'm going to be completely humiliated when I don't show up!"
A damp glimmer of tears began to pool in the corners of her globe-sized emerald eyes, alarming him that going to see a group of musicians had meant this much to her.
"You said you were going? Why?"
"Because for once I didn't want to feel like an immature little girl and I didn't want a woman who is prettier and sexier than me taking what's mine!"
"Taking what's yours?"
Aerith had worked herself up into quite a state by this point and stood up to leave.
"Just forget about it! forget I ever asked!"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not hungry anymore!"
Sephiroth considered following or calling out to her but neither of the actions came to fruition and instead he watched as Aerith left without responding.
Once she was gone and silence fell around him, Sephiroth looked out of the large canteen window beside him regretfully, staring down at the topside of the plate that suffocated the sectors below where Aerith wanted to go.
It would seem that Angeal was bang on the money, she was changing and didn't want to be treated like a child anymore, she even said it herself.
How could he have not seen this for himself sooner? How could he have expected that she would remain content being cooped up in this place for so long? How was he going to deal with all of this if they shipped him off to Wutai?
It felt like the whole world was changing lately and if Sephiroth was honest with himself, it was not something he was entirely ready for.
Moving through the sterile hallways of the prosthetics wing, the sound of Genesis' footsteps reverberated loudly through the sparsely populated corridors as he moved through them swiftly. The place disturbed him and he was grateful that he only had to encounter a dozen or so patients and doctors along the way. There was something about seeing a person with an artificial limb that freaked him out something fierce or worse still, no limb at all. Even seeing a normal person was just as bad because then it was all his brain could do but suspiciously wonder whether they had a part of them that was missing and if so, where?
Genesis made a note to avoid this place in the future, no doubt if the war in Wutai did happen (which he greeted whole heartedly), this place would end up becoming insanely busy and they would probably try to get him, the hero of Wutai, to pay all the cripples a visit. Genesis would be sure that he was 'sadly otherwise preoccupied' on that particular day, maybe with polishing all the medals and awards that SOLDIER would have showered upon him for his acts of valor in battle.
He sniggered to himself, his mind could be such an asshole at times.
The blindly roaming SOLDIER eventually found what he was looking for with relief, a pathetically small junior doctor's office with Shalua Rui's name on the front which he wasted no time in attempting entry to. When he grabbed the door handle and found that it was unlocked, Genesis fully expected to walk in on the woman so he was surprised when he found that it was vacant. Even more surprising was how neat the place was, immaculate in fact with a well-kept office plant in the corner of the room, everything in its proper assigned place and no clutter in sight of any kind. Even the pot of pens on her desk was neatly arranged and color coordinated without a single lid missing, who ever heard of a full pot of pens that didn't have at least a lid or two missing?
It was all rather inexcusable considering she was supposed to be having a mental breakdown and using her grief for her missing sister as an excuse for her sloppy physical presentation.
Looking at the files in his hand Genesis wondered what to do now, he hadn't actually come here to return them, they were merely a prop so he could come here and put the woman in her place after she had verbally beaten him down yesterday afternoon. Deciding against putting the files on her desk and leaving he stepped into the tastefully furnished room, he had dragged his perfectly sculpted ass all the way down here, the least he deserved was a bit of a snoop around.
The auburn haired SOLDIER idly paced the room, closely inspecting a number of items on display such as boring medical books, crystal ornaments, two small hand painted Chocobo figurines, framed qualification certificates that could be found in nearly every medical geeks office and a photo of the doctor herself next to a young girl. Genesis picked the frame of the shelf and looked at the picture of the two females smiling with cheeks pressed together in the living room of an unfurnished apartment, brown moving boxes scattered about in the background.
Besides having a much darker shade of strawberry blond hair, the girl Shelke was a spitting image of her older sister and from simple deduction of the scene in front of him, it also looked like the attractive (in this picture) doctor had played the role of parent as well as sister. Genesis quickly set the frame back down in its original place before he could begin feeling guilty about coming here to give Miss Rui a grilling.
Making the already powered up computer the next victim of his noseying about, Genesis slid into the doctor's rigidly positioned chair and took a hold of the mouse but to his disappointment the machine, unlike the door, was locked. Fingers tapped against the keyboard.
P-a-s-s-w-o-r-d
-Enter-
'Incorrect password please try again'
Damn... worth a try.
Looking behind the desk itself three drawers presented themselves to him, the bottom of which had a keyhole but Genesis decided to try it anyway. There was an odd crunch sound, signalling that inhuman strength and crappy quality furniture locks did not go well together.
Shit, now she would know someone was here. Oh well, there would be nothing linking him to the scene of the crime.
Eagerly grabbing the thick black folder that sat alone at the bottom of the drawer he pulled the file into his lap, flicked a quick glance at the doorway again and began skim reading the pages with a speed that only a person as cultured and well-read as he could achieve.
The first handful of pages were nothing special, snippets from newspapers, police reports and extensively detailed notes of Shelke's disappearance. After that however it got far more interesting and Genesis slowed his reading down as he became more focused and engrossed in the contents. There were medical reports on Shelke, tons of them and far too complex and numerous to be for any normal healthy 9-year-old child.
Now Genesis had no disillusions that he was well-educated and just about the most intelligent individual around the place. So he felt no shame in admitting that his superior intellect did not extend to analysing blood reports, interpreting brain scan charts or understanding 'electroencephalography' test results. What he did know on the other hand from the notes that were being made was that most of these tests were being conducted by Shalua herself and most of which she had been keeping a secret from the company. Genesis licked his lips and delved deeper into the pages, he loved a good scandal.
After five more minutes of reading all he could discern was that the girl apparently had some sort of rare mental gift to process knowledge and a whole bunch of other stuff he couldn't quite get his head around about 'Synaptic Net Drives'.
By the time the decently mind fucked Genesis reached the end of the enormous file, he was hurrying his way through the rest, knowing he had overstayed long enough and was becoming more and more at risk of getting caught. He was in such a hurry in fact that he nearly missed off a chunk of papers at the end all together but the image of a logo he distinctly recognized stopped him from doing so and his grip on the folder tightened.
Page after page of extensive research on the radical organisation AVALANCHE flicked through his palms and evidence that the doctor herself had been in communications with them about the disappearance of her sister sobered the second class SOLDIER.
His adrenaline spiked and his eyes flashed with mako intensity at the picture of the harmless looking doctor sitting on the shelf across from him.
A fun little snoop had just turned into something serious, he had stumbled across an employee of Shinra that was working with terrorists.
