Broken Wings - Chapter Six
She met Professors Hojo and Gast for the first time that day. The latter arrived first, moving to her. "Glad to see you up. I'm Professor Gast." He held out his hand and she timidly shook it. His grip was firm and confident, she noticed, and his voice was brisk, but not unkind. "And that…is Hojo," he continued. He leaned close to her ear, whispering so the other man wouldn't hear. "He's a necessary evil. You'll get used to him." She didn't know what he was talking about, but she filed the advice away for a later time.
The man he gestured to had his back turned, a slick and thin ponytail of black hair tracing his spine, contrasting to the white of his lab coat. He was bent over a clipboard, thin and bony hands furiously scribbling away. "Hurry up and do your job, Gast."
Unlike Gast's voice, Hojo's was high and nasal, clearly accented with a tint of impatience and cruelty. When he spoke, he had not looked up nor paused his writings. He did not acknowledge her or Sephiroth at all.
Sephiroth sent murderous glares in Hojo's direction. She was almost frightened by his fierce expression.
"And do you like having a friend, Sephiroth?" Gast turned to the boy, who had remained faithfully at her side.
Sephiroth didn't answer, but turned to Gast with a worried expression on his face. Gast's kind expression softened. "Don't worry," he mouthed in reply to the boy's silent question.
He unhooked a cloth band from the wall, wrapping it around her arm. Pressure began to build as the band inflated, and Gast's gaze turned to a meter on the wall. Humming his approval after studying it for a matter of seconds, he removed the restraint and returned it. "You're normal," he said.
Hojo turned around at this. His glasses were perched at the tip of his nose, and he pushed them up. The harsh light of the room caught the glass, and a wave of light enveloped the lenses for only a moment before revealing cold, cruel and calculating eyes. Gast stepped aside to allow him to approach her; Sephiroth simultaneously moved closer.
"Would you be kind enough to move, Sephiroth?" Hojo's tone was anything but polite.
Sephiroth's eyes flashed, but he scooted over a foot or so.
Hojo seized her arm and she winced as she felt his cold and clammy skin. He smelled strongly of chemicals, mixed with that stale smell of nothingness that seemed to be predominant in this building. She didn't understand why, but he took painstaking care in examining her arm, checking everything from her finger joints to the way her shoulder rotated. Something about the way he handled her told her that he would take no questions, and when she looked to Gast for help, he only shook his head and held up his hands in a clear gesture of defeat. Sephiroth's tense and threatening gaze did not leave the doctor, and he followed every movement he made.
He released her after a rather lengthy examination, turning again to the clipboard. "Very good. I think she's ready. Now, Number 46, if you will come with me…"
"Aralyn."
Hojo turned and looked at Sephiroth, disapproval clearly etched on his face. "What did you say?"
"Her name is Aralyn. Not 'number 46'. Aralyn," he insisted. His voice was strong, but was still that of a young boy's. Any anger or power that his words might have held was dimmed by this fact. All the same, he stared at Hojo and showed no sign of apology or repentance to his elder.
"Aralyn." Hojo said it slowly, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Amusing, Sephiroth, but I will call her what I will."
The girl, or Aralyn, as she was now called, returned to Sephiroth. "Why Aralyn?" she whispered to him.
"Because it's pretty," he said simply. "And it's better than Number 46. If you don't like it though—"
"No," she breathed, blushing scarlet. "It's beautiful. Thank you."
Gast intervened at this point. "Come along, Aralyn." He lifted the blankets from her body and helped her to her feet. The tile on the floor numbed her bare feet, and she shivered.
"I'll get you some slippers, and more comfortable attire," Gast promised. "It does get chilly in here."
"Gast?"
Hojo waited at the door, holding it open in a clear indication that they should be leaving. Sephiroth's timid voice, however, had made Gast turn. "Yes, Sephiroth?"
"Can you promise me…?"
"Yes. Yes, I can." Gast finished quickly, not wanting the last words to be spoken. "Her quarters will be next to yours, and you may wait for her there if you wish."
Hojo scoffed. "Next to him? And contaminate my prize specimen? She may take the empty room on the fifth floor."
"I'm terribly sorry, Hojo," Gast said firmly, looking his fellow scientist in the eye. "But arrangements have been made. She is roomed next to Sephiroth."
"The last thing he needs is a meddlesome girl."
"I think that is the first thing he needs, Hojo. But I can see why you of the heartless sort might not understand this."
The insult rang in the air. Hojo's face showed no change, even his eyes remaining devoid of emotion. "There are places she must be," Hojo insisted. He turned and briskly walked away.
Gast took Aralyn's hand and gently led her. "Come along," he said distractedly.
Aralyn looked back at Sephiroth, who was still perched on her bed, staring at her with an unnamable emotion in his eyes. She waved her free hand, but he didn't respond, still in his daze.
A/N: Now would be a good time to mention that I have not actually played FFVII, as much as I would love to. GASP Okay, I don't even own a Playstation. All of this info was generously donated from Advent Children (I DO own a DVD player), Wikipedia, and friends who are blessed enough to have completed the game. What I'm trying to say is this: if any information is not consistent with the storyline, I tried. This is fanfiction, and I do have a little freedom. If you'd like to tell me something useful, I would welcome it.
You will notice that the rating has gone up. This is because of the next chapter. As before mentioned, it will be very dark and very violent. This is about Sephiroth, and seeing how I'm trying my hardest to keep him in character, it is kind of unavoidable. If you could handle Lord of the Rings, you should be okay. It won't be too bad, but definately not deserving of a K+ anymore.
And thank you for hanging with me! The next chapter is written and will be up (hopefully!) within the next 24 hours.