Disclaimer:

– I do not own Final Fantasy VII or its characters. 'Cause if I did… teheee… XD

Warnings:

– Although I like pervy things this is just a little friendship story with a weird Female OC thanks to Akia.

– Also it's the first time I'm writing something in English (Akia don't understand Portuguese and I know nothing in her idiom as well) and I have no English BETA, so I hope you can forgive me for all the mistakes I'll probably make. And if any of you could help me pointing them please do. Thank you! =D

Pairings:

– No pairings…maybe on another fanfic my friends! =)

Sumary:

– A weird Turk and a serious Soldier 1º Class were sent to collect samples inside a mysterious and dangerous place. But as long as he follows her instructions they'll be alright.

…

…

After leaving the small town they walked in a normal pace for about 30 minutes following the mountains path. The trees started to grow in number although not as much as to say it was already the forest. Little animals on the ground were moving everywhere hunting their food or running to their hideouts.

The Soldier was warned to keep his eyes alert after leaving the village. Every little red glow should be examined and if confirmed it was a piece of Mako Cristal should be collected. Minami had told him they had to collect from as many different places as possible. And they found little pieces on the way though their glows were almost imperceptive on intensity.

"Have you taken a good look at the village inhabitants?" She suddenly asked while still walking a little ahead. "Few adults… Fewer kids… But a whole lot of old people."

Sephiroth frowned a little at that. Indeed he had noticed something similar as he got there.

"You know…" She continued wondering a little. "I've been here a lot before. Even got acquaintance with some of the older ones…" Then she just stopped and turned to look at him. "Did you know that the oldest person alive there is exactly 197 years old?"

The soldier simply stopped in his tracks a little astounded. "How is that possible?" He asked. A small interest tickling his mind.

"I have no idea." She calmly answered returning to the walk. "But I've already been invited to his 200 years commemoration they'll hold in 3 years… They look quite sure he'll get there."

'How can a human live that long?' The young man thought quietly amazed.

"Most part of them is above 100…" Minami said thoughtfully. "They've seen so many things to happen here… Things most people can't even wonder."

And then she silenced leading their steps for at least 20 minutes further till they get to an opening, or rather, a passage between two enormous rocks at the foot of the mountain.

There the girl stopped looking into the trail with distant eyes and concentrated ears. Sephiroth felt that that place gave away a peculiar kind of energy. But not in a menacing way. However it felt strange.

"From here on things will look odd." She spoke not taking her eyes away from the same point of focus. "The deeper you get into that place the weirder things get around you." And then she finally looked at the Soldier. A new glimmer in those fluorescent blue orbs. "But as long as you follow my instructions we'll be fine."

Minami started to step into the rock with Sephiroth following closely. They said that was a Red Area so he better stay alert to every possible danger around them.

"After two visits in this place" She started again. "I could figure it out. In fact, the secret not to enrage any kind of beast walking around there, is to stay neutral. Do not think, do not feel and you'll be alright." And already imagining the other was thinking it was completely senseless she only continued. "If anything for any reason start moving your way, pretend it doesn't exist and get out of its trail. Never try to cross their nests or hideouts. If an animal appears threatening to you step back slowly and move out of its eyesight."

Then again she stopped looking back at him studying his features for a little moment. The girls eyes darkened again making her face promptly appear like a lifeless doll.

"This is serious." The tone was now quite somber. "Whatever you may find alive in there has an inexplicable different way to sense your presence. And it's not always that you'll be able to feel theirs till they're already over you. If you get angry or fearful they'll get irritated. And if you inspire any kind of danger to them, they'll come after you."

Once more Minami returned her way leaving the soldier to think for a while. That indeed was totally making no sense. No wonder anybody followed her instructions.

"Also" The girl spoke in what seemed to be her normal tone. "This is a good place for training how to hide your own presence from the enemies… Although if you give a false step, you may end up dead."

And perhaps she was telling the truth. The soldier hasn't felt her presence a couple of times that same day. He even got a little worried over the fact he might had become rather distracted.

"But the real danger, at least in my opinion, is in the Mako Caves." She wondered a little before continuing. "But if you keep your mind under control you'll be fine."

As they reached the other side of the rock's path little by little the scenario started to form inside the light fog covering the end of the trail. Soon the ground turned from hard to smooth as their feet met soft grass. And as the haze turned thinner the soldier could finally see where they were.

Behind those huge rocks where Sephiroth though there was a way continuing to go up the mountains in reality had a vast canyon descending to meet a massive valley with the tallest trees he had ever seen in his life. Water was falling everywhere into and out of the stones and earth fissures forming from mini cascades to violent gorgeous waterfalls so huge they where in size and height. And that explosion of colors seemed to be enhancing even more the picture people would usually describe in fairy tails or fantasy books.

'Can such a place really exist in this world?' He thought absorbing every detail.

"Welcome to Chloch Aois." Minami said as if into some kind of a spell. "This is the real Oldstone."

As they proceeded to go down another trail the Turk took advantage of the time spent to elucidate even more her travel companion. She told him there were innumerous paths leading to the Valley but not always the quickest ones were better. Some of them usually come across monsters nests hidden into the canyon's walls. And although they were rarely used by the inhabitants it was safer not to trust too much.

The longer way slowly descended into the place but at least it was in an open area. Easier to catch a better sight of anything alive around. They could perfectly see the animals and their movements.

And what animals those were… Bizarre wasn't a word strong enough to describe them. They appeared to be something that came out really wrong from a scientific experience. Some seemed a forced mixture of many different animals in the same species. Others had features Sephiroth could hardly imagine their purpose.

"I dare to say that something in this place made it possible for an animal to get strangely influenced by their survival needs or even other life forms' genes trying to enhance themselves and evolve over time and miserably failing." The girl said as if she was already pretty accustomed to those creepy visions. "But Evolution tends to erase its own mistakes as time moves on. So one must wonder how it is possible such creatures could survive and even procreate in these abnormal genetical conditions."

She stopped and thought for a little bit while observing a couple of six-footed beings covered in scales with oversized snipers sticking out of their backs calmly passing by about 20 meters away. The Soldier also took his time to observe the two meters tall beasts. They had stopped to drink from a small pond made by a cascade nearby.

Retaking their journey Sephiroth perceived that there were no specific patterns that could help in classifying such individuals. Even the ones gathered into groups had distinct anatomical anomalies that in most part of the time seemed to difficult their own movements. The only thing all of them had in common were a faint red glow into their irises.

Every now and then both explorers would stop, collect, take notes and move on. Sometimes they would step aside of the way so another beast could continue its uninterested walk. Some would look at them and stop but as long as they never showed a hint of reaction those beings would simply move away.

The entrance to the valley was finally under their feet. The vegetation was quite different and exuberant in colors. Again a little white thin fog was there to welcome them. And at their first steps into that ground the Soldier couldn't help startling a bit at the sudden feeling of his body being lighter. He then turned Minami's way. A composed confusion revealed on a frown.

"Sudden Gravity loss." She quietly said stepping ahead. "Odd, isn't it?"

Not only odd. That was simply impossible. The young man never heard of a single place in the world where gravity would differ so radically from a point to another in such small distance. One step at that. He was used to read about everything and Shinra's library was known to be the most complete in the country. That kind of thing would surely make news somewhere. But even testifying the event was a little hard to digest.

They walked through sinuous trails into a weirdly bent trees forest finding new queer looking life forms moving around. Some were trying to reach for the trees' fruits, others hunting those fruit eaters. However none really paid attention to the two human forms passing by. Not until a huge beast disgusting in appearance crossed their way out of nowhere. For a brief moment it growled staring at them and even turned their way getting a little closer.

Minami quickly signed for Sephiroth not to move. Then to lightly step back. As they where side by side, he saw that the girl had her head bowed and was intently looking at the ground. Observing her attitude somehow took his mind off of the slow repulsive thing ahead. And soon enough the beast appeared to have lost sight of them even though they were few meters away.

The Turk sighed in relief as the animal chose to continue his previous tracks.

"Sorry…" She swiftly said. "I've never seen that thing before… I found myself wanting to take it to the lab…" She turned his way and continued. "I think it felt how pleased I was with the idea… My bad."

Indeed that person really thought as a scientist. To feel excited about studying something that strange proved it all. To people like those, the weirder the better.

"Good thing you don't get surprised so easily." The Turk chucked starting to lead the way again.

The young man did not know if that was said in a sarcastic way or if that was something she really believed about him. It was quite wrong to consider she was the only one at fault that time. But how could the girl know he seriously thought about reaching for his sword on pure instinct.

As they found a clearing in the woods the vision of part of the Valley met their eyes as a wonders painting. Looking down at the distance groups of those individuals were slowly moving inside the forests. There were thin rivers running to a larger one disappearing under the dense vegetation downward.

In an upper flat looking ground, still inside the valley, an unexpected vision took the Soldier's attention. There were ruins. No doubt those were ruins of a possible human civilization.

"Those are scattered around a great portion of the place." Minami told him noting the Soldier's interest. "We'll get there in due time. But not today. We have to go back before sunset." She said striding for an open area at the opposite side. "I assure you things here are not amusing at night."

Sephiroth followed not understanding why she was in a way where there was a several meters high stone wall blocking it. Looking up he calculated about 800 meters till its top. That was a part of the Canyon's inner sides. It went all the way up in a normal rock layers' pattern.

"Well…" The uncommon female voice sounded way thoughtful while staring up the ravine. "Now we go about three and a half to four hundred meters up…"

For a moment it seemed that the only things capable of making any sound in that place were the trees leaves being blown by the wind and the animals' grunts. It took the young man a few seconds to perceive bothered blue eyes turned his way.

"…You…" Minami hesitantly started. "…can do that, right?"

"I suppose." He slowly answered.

Of course he could. But the real question was: Could she?

"Good." The Turk sounded relieved. "The first Mako cavern we'll get into goes deep inside this crag. But its only opening is somewhere up there." She pointed out the direction approximately.

Sephiroth kept still only observing as the girl started walking against the rocks and then began a long stridden running pace for a few meters to lightly hop onto a separated stone where she used her legs to gather a strong propulsion force and then jump ascending several meters in space. She seemed to be flying up at a great velocity for a few seconds before slowing down and utilizing the moment of inertia to place her feet on a new salient portion of rocks and rise once more at full speed in the air. And the Turk repeated the process many times before disappearing from the Soldier's sight.

Few little stones fell from the places she had stepped producing cracking sounds warning the young man of his climbing turn. And as expected he hadn't have to work up any sweat to do the same. Also the slight gravity loss of the area made the action a lot easier.

A clear view of a large dark hole on the way up let him perfectly know when to stop getting impulses and soon enough he found himself landing safely on an almost straight surface before the cave entering. And looking around for the one he was appointed to work with the Soldier came across an unexpected not to mention awkward scene.

At an isolated spot not too far from the entrance he saw Minami on her knees, left hand was resting against the rock, head bent down and seeming to hold her upper stomach. She was obviously throwing up.

"Are you alright?" The silver haired asked without thinking for the first time in years. Why such a useless question had to drop from his mouth? Of course she wasn't all right for the cough and gasping sounds.

Deciding to quickly walk to her and do anything to help, he suddenly stopped as her right hand rose up appearing to gesture something like 'Wait' or 'Stay back'. Then a new load of fluids seemed to spill out of her lips making cough and gasp noises to fill up the air again. Some time later, as she calmed down, the girl weakly signed 'OK' before giving a little breathing pause followed by an unsuccessful attempted to get up.

Snapping out of his place the Soldier determined it wasn't the time for that person to be stubborn finally getting closer to help raising the Turk on her feet and lead the way to a stone nearby were she limply sat waiting for the nausea to subside. Soon after she took a bottle of water out from a knapsack and filled her mouth rinsing it and spitting aside getting rid of that bitter taste.

"Sorry for the bother. Thanks for the help." Minami said taking another deep breath later. "I thought I could stop with the milk drinking already but… all that exercise made me sick again." She explained looking out into the landscape. "That's shameful."

The last words spoken sounded more like a common statement given the fact that her features weren't showing even the small hint of embarrassment. It seemed she was quite used to those occurrences.

"Feeling better?" The voice sounded softer than it usually was when answering his superiors' commands at Shinra. Her sudden helpless state probably tickled his concealed human side a bit.

"Yes… and no." And she didn't have to look his side to know the Soldier was frowning at that reply. The girl was used to the feeling of Tseng's eyes weighting on her back every time she would comment about confusing or impossible topics. "Yes because the nausea is gone." She said slowly rising from her seat. "No because I simply hate milk."

Sephiroth quietly bowed his head after noting his mouth corners had slightly turned up. Weird as it was the situation also had its comical percentage after such explanation. And he was thankful the Turk seemed to be interested in tapping the dust off from her knees not paying attention to him at that moment.

They went into the cavern right after Minami had drunk several milk vials to ease an angry stomach at the cost of a tortured tongue. At first there was an inevitable darkness as the entrance grew distant from them though it didn't last for too long. Slowly Mako Crystals started to appear here and there encrusted on the walls providing enough light to illuminate their way down. And the more they descended into the cave the brighter it became given the fact that the pieces started to grow in number. But still those were the blue types of radiance the explorers weren't looking for.

Little animals were slowly moving around and between the crystals nonstop appearing to be enraptured by the blue lights. Their shadows were lazily dancing on the walls sometimes making it seem to be alive as well. Tinkling sounds were coming from everywhere as the many little pointy feet randomly touched the glowing stones surfaces.

When the first red rocks started to appear the place turned into a shy purple color soon after changing to the full red light gaining ground over the blue Mako.

Long before they found the first ones Sephiroth was already feeling the same strange energy which previously assaulted him before getting to the Canyon. And as the whole red light closed around both of them the young man could finally define how it felt like.

Affection.

It felt like an unknown force was peacefully calling for him. Telling him to come closer trustfully, so it could wrap around his body and protect him till the end of the world. And for a second he felt like all the problems in the universe were gone forever.

"I know how it feels…" Minami calmly said noting the Soldier too quiet not seeming to even breathe. "The first time I came to this point I thought I was loosing my mind." She lightly chuckled. "The magnetism it gives away seems to confuse our brains sense of reality." Then she started to take out the collecting materials. "But always in a convenient way according to our state of mind, feelings or even unknown desires we keep deep inside our soul." The girl smiled seeming to remember funny things experienced. "This is the eleventh time I've been to this cave… but started to take notes after the fifth when I realized my change in moods always got in the way of observing."

This time the Soldier started to move also taking out his materials to start working on a wall nearby. After the interruption that weird feeling subsided a little. However it didn't stop to bother him.

"Once I had arrived from a little mission that turned out to be a total failure." She continued. "It wasn't really something important. Either way, I did not want to see Tseng so ashamed I was… and decided to take some days off as advised by another Turk." She moved a little away and started to dig around a Crystal of her interest. "I came here to try and understand this cave's mystery… but the thought of facing Tseng was humiliating to the point I desired to die… Next thing I remember is that I was totally depressed and trying to suicide."

Sephiroth kind of froze in his place once hearing the last part of the case. But after having a taste of that influencing magnetism he could quite understand. He knew what he sensed couldn't be truth, but it felt so right and comfy the young man found himself wanting it to ever last.

The Turk continued talking the whole way deeper into the cavern. She told her co-worker other stories experienced there, her theories over the matter, that she found two Mako caves on that valley, how much time she took to realize there wasn't a single animal capable of flying in the place, described some ruins details and so on. Minami spilled out everything she could onto the Soldier's ears as the time passed by till she thought the amount of samples were enough to take back.

Sephiroth found some parts interesting, others with no point of telling him, some others he doubted he had paid attention… The girl had become a chatter box that part of the collecting, totally different from before. However he said nothing as always and continued his work as silent as ever. And as they were leaving, again that same feeling started to trouble him making the young man suddenly stop in his track.

That force... Alluring and trustworthy. That wasn't real… though it felt even touchable. He frowned regretfully as it seemed to call him back and shut his eyes tightly at the energy's forgiving embrace. That insistent tinkling sound seemed to turn into a peaceful lullaby.

"Sephiroth!"

The sound of that voice was so strong and commanding that his eyes flew wide with the shock. His name firmly said snapped him out of that trance connecting the Soldier again to this world. And for a split second he felt the power of those dark blue eyes weight on him as if cleaning the atmosphere around his mind. And as soon as he felt his thoughts going back to normal the Turk's irises became bright and soothing fluorescent orbs.

"It's not real." She said. Eyes friendly warm for a second. "Though I know how tempting it can be at times..." Then she turned starting to lead the way out again. "It's much safer outside..."

...

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Uh?... o.o