Chapter 10
Dinner Disaster? Part 2
He'd started off the evening fairly normally, going through the constant flood of paperwork in his office. The clock reached 4 and his spine locked up in a perfect straight backed position as soon as he got up from his desk and began to make his way down to Hojo's personal office. As he rode the clear glass elevator on the outside of the building he looked out at the city in an attempt to distract himself. He crossed his arms, fingers tapping against his arm in what would have looked like an impatient gesture. But for him, it was as close to showing his dread as he would get.
As the elevator stopped he slid his security card through a reader near the doors. The doors slid open and he stepped onto floor 69, the headquarters of the Science Department. He ignored everything around him as he made his way to the far left corner of the floor. He passed cells and several tubes of Mako. He tried hard not to look at the things floating in the tubes, and the fact that some of them looked human. He ignored the lab tables where scientists clustered around specimens or mixed tubs of unrecognizable chemicals. He finally came to Hojo's office and knocked politely.
"Come in." Hojo called sharply.
After taking a deep breath, Sephiroth entered the room. Hojo smiled widely and stood from his desk.
"Excellent, I was wondering where you were. You're a bit late."
"There were things that required my immediate attention." Sephiroth smoothly lied, his face a cold mask. He had really just taken his time getting there in order to rebel in some small way.
Hojo pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Well, you're here now. That's what's important."
Sephiroth quickly and unobtrusively took in the too familiar room, finding himself more interested in watching Hojo. Something was different with the man and he suspected it had to do with the recent 'vacation' he'd taken.
The office was of a fairly large size, with walls that gleamed a bright white. The floor was a polished stone grey. Running the length of the left wall was a vast bookcase filled haphazardly with binders, folders, books and notebooks. The right wall contained various pieces of medical equipment, almost everything necessary to run a hospital clinic shoved onto one wall. In front of Sephiroth was Hojo's desk which was stacked with a mess of papers. And behind was the cold metal examination table he had come to hate so much.
"What will it be today?" He drawled. His body nearly twitched at the memory of the last experiment, a test of his current electro-shock resistance. Apparently his body was more capable of resisting such things for some unexplainable reason. At random times Hojo seemed fond of retesting that fact 'to see if it changed'.
Hojo gestured to the examination table on the right side of room.
"Sit down. Today we're taking some samples and I have a small injection for you." He began putting on a set of gloves and seemed engrossed examining various instruments on a metal tray.
Sephiroth sat down obediently, green eyes staring at the wall ahead of him. Another Mako injection. He shuddered internally. Why did his body have to absorb Mako so easily? He assumed the injections would stop the day his body stopped accepting them, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
"I take it that you mean things like blood samples? Don't you already have enough of those?" His tone was detached and revealed none of his true interest in the matter.
Hojo turned to him sharply and the glazed, feverish look in his narrowed eyes caught Sephiroth's attention immediately.
"I decided I wanted fresh samples to compare with the last ones. I have to look after your health after all." He lied and Sephiroth knew immediately that he wasn't telling him the truth.
He'd gotten very good at knowing when Hojo was lying to him. The question became why was he lying? Unfortunately he had no real reason to protest and so was forced to sit still as he was poked, scraped and stabbed for new samples.
And then came the part he'd been dreading. The mako injection. He winced as the large needle pierced the vein on his neck. He knew that Hojo didn't have to pierce such a delicate area; he just did it to hurt him. And as he pushed the syringe's contents into his blood, Sephiroth closed his eyes and cringed. Fire spread from his neck and through his veins, burning him from the inside out. He opened his eyes and his vision was blurry from the tears he would never shed. He felt his body curl in on itself against his will. A cotton ball was pressed to his neck as the needle was removed. It was held there only for a few seconds before being removed, his advanced healing having sealed the small wound easily. He sat there for a long time until the pain became manageable enough to move.
He stood up sharply, almost falling over due to his unsteady limbs. His entire body still burned, making each movement agonizing, not that he allowed himself to show it physically.
"If that is all; there's paperwork that needs attending to."
Hojo waved a hand dismissively and bent over the samples he had taken. Sephiroth left as swiftly as he could, grateful it had been only one injection this time.
And so he retreated to his office to do what he always did when he was trying to distract his mind from the pain. And then Angeal appeared, smiling knowingly at him from the doorway.
"Hey." He said softly.
Sephiroth tore his eyes from a report requesting more cots for wounded SOLDIERS and narrowed his eyes at the smiling man.
"Is there something of actual importance you needed or are you simply here to pester me?" He asked, returning his gaze to the paper in his hand.
Angeal huffed playfully.
"I didn't come here to pester you, you know. I'm here with a dinner invitation."
Sephiroth paused thoughtfully, looking up.
"Where?"
"Your favorite, of course." Angeal grinned. "Xī méi." White Rose.
Sephiroth sighed, remaining silent for a minute.
"I suppose I could spare some time to eat. After all, you and Genesis are always reminding me that it's such an important activity."
Angeal rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.
"Yes, it's generally considered important to provide your body with enough nutrition to allow it to continue functioning on a day to day basis."
Sephiroth scoffed and began rearranging the papers on his desk, once satisfied he stood up. He bit back a wince as his legs trembled beneath him.
Angeal narrowed his eyes and he knew that he'd noticed.
"Mako injections again?" The raven haired SOLDIER questioned softly.
Sephiroth nodded ever so slightly.
"Food would be a welcome…distraction."
Angeal smiled brightly.
"Then let's go!"
Sephiroth let out a small hiss of pain, as he wouldn't in the company of anyone else, as he slowly slid into the large booth reserved for them. He sighed with just a hint of exasperation tingeing it, no hint of the brief flash of pain on his face.
"And who else will be joining us for dinner?" He asked, Mako green eyes narrowed suspiciously on his dark-haired friend.
"Just Genesis." Angeal defended, "…And Zach of course….along with his newest friend."
Sephiroth sighed again. Of course he couldn't get a moments peace, not even to eat dinner. No doubt this friend of Zach's would be just as annoying, loud and impulsive as the SOLDIER himself. He glared at his friend and waited patiently in silence for the rest of their company to arrive.
And when Zach and his companion finally appeared his eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. He knew that strange spiky blonde hair and those wide blue eyes. He observed a flash of fear followed by anger then a stubborn wariness along with an unidentifiable emotion come from the boy and he wondered why. It didn't strike him the same way the cadets were normally afraid of him. It reminded him of the eyes of his enemies on the battle field. He felt his curiosity pique at the sight.
"Cadet Strife." He drawled. He raised an eyebrow as he took in his dress. "Promoted to First so soon?"
Strife blushed deeply and then turned to glare at Zach.
"It's his fault." He accused. "He said a cadet wouldn't be welcome in a place like this."
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the SOLDIER. "Oh?" There was a tense moment of silence where Zach looked at him with a stricken expression, clearly floundering for an answer. It was apparent that Zach had not anticipated a negative reaction from him. "Well, I suppose you're right." He said, at last "They do tend to look down on the cadets with much suspicion. I suspect it's because a cadet couldn't normally afford to be here on the small allowance that they're given."
Zach sagged in relief. Angeal snorted.
"Regardless, it suits you." Angeal drawled, "I'm sure you will care to show proper honor to such a high ranking appearance."
Strife's blush seemed to darken further and he ducked his head.
"Yes, sir."
Zach grinned and ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Relax Cloud! You're here to relax and enjoy yourself! Don't let Angeal and Seph tease you. And enough with all of this 'sir' business. You don't have to address them that way, you know. I'm sure they won't mind."
Strife shook his head.
"Unlike some people that I know, I know to properly treat those above my station." Strife muttered, seeming to forget that those around him had enhanced hearing.
Well, at least the boy understands the concept of respect. Sephiroth mused. If he's lucky, Zach won't break him of that.
"Cadet Strife is acting the way he is expected to act." Angeal interjected, "Not everyone considers themselves above the rules, Zach."
Angeal and Zach chatted amiably for awhile about the basic training Strife was going through and Sephiroth felt his eyes inexplicably drawn to the strange cadet that had caught Zach's attention. He was small and scrawny, not looking at all like any suitable candidate for SOLDIER should. The tiny, whimsical part of him that he rarely acknowledged was fondly reminded of a yellow feathered, blue eyed chocobo he'd had in his late teenage years, a gift from Angeal and Genesis for a six month mission.
He noticed with some curiosity how the blonde avoided looking directly at him, but seemed to always be watching him from the corner of his eyes. And every time he noticed his observations his fingers gripped the edge of the table and his back would stiffen slightly. He tested him by glaring at him with all the detached coldness he reserved for Hojo and was rewarded with a visible convulsion as the blonde reached for some phantom weapon near his shoulder. A sword perhaps? His cheeks flushed brightly as he grasped nothing and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. He could easily see the boy's paranoia. When Strife wasn't watching him his eyes scanned the restaurant critically, eyeing and cataloging all the exits.
Part of him was also unwillingly reminded of himself. Growing up as he did taught him to mistrust others, to always be ready for anything. But why did Strife seem to focus almost solely on him. Perhaps because he was deemed as the biggest 'threat'? Though that logic seemed flawed as Angeal was also dangerous to someone as weak as Strife. And where was this boy from that he had such an ingrained instinct for fight or flight?
He was at a loss for answers, which is something that didn't happen often. He didn't like that. It irritated him. Was this what had captured Zach's attention? This puzzling little blonde? Well, he reasoned, he would figure him out and then move on as he did with all things in life that caught his interest. The only exceptions to that were Angeal, Genesis, and Zach and that was mostly because they had refused to go away when he had first deemed himself 'done' with them.
"If my presence makes you uncomfortable Cadet Strife, you are welcome to leave." He offered coolly. The unexpected sound of his voice startled the blonde, making him jump.
"N-no sir, it's not that. I'm just...not used to such a nice place." He gave a false sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. Sephiroth resisted the undignified urge to roll his eyes and glanced down at his menu. Why did anyone bother lying to him anymore? He could always tell when they were. His thoughts were finally turned from the blonde briefly as the waiter arrived.
First off, anyone who reviews gets a snippet of an upcoming chapter. And it was kind of a crappy ending, I know. Sorry. Had to cut it off or it would just keep going without end. So, love it? Hate it? Review!