Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is owned by Square Enix and not myself.
A/N: I hate poetry, I hate it. I don't want to write another paper about it ever again. My revised Dracula paper, however, is beautiful. I needed a break though. This was kind of my attempt at angst (which I suck at) so there's not as much fluff beyond here. Sorry.
"I'm not going to work with you anymore," Tseng said.
"Psht," Cass said, "You say that every time I insult you. It wasn't even that mean. All I said was that this mission would come naturally to you. What with your tendency for stalking and all." Tseng sent her a glare that she ignored with practiced ease.
"At least I didn't call you my bitch," she said, "Reno still hasn't gotten over that, he hides behind Rude."
"Because you snap his goggles against his head," Tseng said.
"He should take them off then," Cass said, "And tuck in his shirt maybe."
"It doesn't 'affect his work' as you so started with your shoes," Tseng said.
"Can't a woman wear a comfortable set of shoes without raising interest?" Cass said defensively, "What is it about a pair of Keds that is a threat to our operation? I mean, it's not like I'm wearing a set of stripper heels like Scarlet does." She paused a moment. "Is it just me, or does anyone else imagine her trying to run in those things?" Tseng snickered.
"Just me then," Cass said, "good to know." Tseng stopped driving a few blocks away from where they were supposed to begin their surveillance mission. Cass scowled at the smog above them. This was not how she imagined her floating city when she had designed it. It was supposed to be brighter at least. But no, ShinRa wouldn't waste his fucking money lighting the underside. He'd rather just bury the undesirables beneath a metal plate. She followed behind Tseng, blending into the shadows remarkably well despite the uniform.
They were supposed to watch some girl int he slums. They didn't have a proper name for her yet. Cass wasn't sure why they were watching, but certainly hoped it wouldn't turn into another assassination or kidnapping. Veld hadn't made her do one of those yet. At least not on purpose. That might have had something to do with Rufus requesting her presence more often than Tseng's. Rufus really liked target practice, that was for sure.
"It should be the house across the alleyway," Tseng said. Cass nodded, knowing it was time to be silent until the mission was over. It didn't take long for a little girl in dress to come out. She was cute. Cass would give her that. She looked familiar though, Cass couldn't quite place it. She talked to some flowers clinging to life near the window sill. They probably weren't long for this world, but hey, optimism was not a crime.
Two things happened at once. An older woman came out and called the girl's name and the girl turned around. It was a seemingly innocent and everyday occurrence. Cass would have preferred to have been shot.
"Aerith," the woman said. The girl turned around to reveal bright green eyes and a face that looked just like Professor Gast.
"No," she said and started backing away. Tseng turned around.
"Cass?" he said. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. Tseng didn't realize how close to the truth that was. She shook her head.
"No," she said, "I can't do this. I can't. I can't."
"Cass we have to," Tseng said, "It's the job, we have to do this."
"No," Cass said. The word came out nearly as a sob. "I can't Tseng. Don't make me do this."
"It's okay Cass," Tseng said, "It's just a surveillance mission. You had at least a dozen done on yourself."
"I can't," Cass said covering her face and shaking her head, "I can't." Tseng's mind blanked out as his partner, the woman who laughed when she broke her arm, who walked on a twisted angle with a determined grin, broke down into tears. He did something he had never done before. He turned his back on the objective and focused on Cass. She backed away as he approached and he pushed her gently inside of the building, to be out of sight.
"Cass?" Tseng asked. She stopped her sobbing, but the tears still ran down.
"I knew her family before...before I joined the Turks," Cass said, her voice detached and metallic, "Her father got me the job in the labs before Hojo took over. He left when I found a Cetra named Ifalna and introduced them. Hojo killed him the same night he tried to kill me." Tseng didn't need to hear the rest of the story. The girl was obviously half Cetra, thus the reason for the surveillance.
"Cass," he said, "I'm sorry, but...it's our job."
"No," Cass said. She wiped her face. "I can't do it. I can't." Tseng looked at her sadly. He didn't know what to say. Sorry your old friend died and you have to watch his orphaned daughter, seemed too cold and callous.
"What would you do if I died and your job was to watch Sephiroth?" she said, "Professor Gast was my friend, my only friend, for five years. I can't look at his daughter and not think of him." Tseng's face fell further.
"You can't do this," he said. He pulled out his PHS and started to turn it back on. Protocol stated that they be turned off during surveillance. Than Cass's started going off loudly. Tseng looked up. That would only happen if...if Veld dialed for an emergency. But if that were the case his should be going off too. Cass sniffed once and wiped her face.
"Durmont," she said.
"You need to get back here. Now. Leave Tseng, He will finish the job on his own this time." Veld hung up. Cass's grief shifted into confusion. Tseng nodded and turned back out as Cass went the other way. He settled down for the waiting game. He waited until Cass would be about halfway back before dialing Veld.
"She can't do this mission again," he began before Veld had a chance to speak.
Aerith Gainsborough could feel the man watching her, but she knew he wasn't a bad man. He was just watching. Her Mama told her that sometimes the planet would tell her things and that it was always a good thing to listen. She missed Mama, but Mama and the planet said it was supposed to be.
Mama Elmyra was nice though. She found them a long time ago and brought them here safe and sound. Then Mama got sick with something and went to the Lifestream and Mama Elmyra took care of her. She took very good care of her. Mama Elmyra was scared that someone would take her and Mama away, but no one did. Only now were people starting to watch her, but no one would take her, the planet said. The planet wasn't wrong often.
So Aerith sat with her flowers and talked to them. She told them the funny story about her name. Mama was so sick and scared that when Mama Elmyra first found them she misheard her name. She thought it was Aerith instead of Aeris. Mama was so scared that she never fixed the mistake until Aerith started calling herself the wrong name.
"But Mama liked the sound of Aerith better," she said to the flowers, "it sounds the same if you're not careful. I'm happy having two names: One's for friends and one's for secrets, but you can have both." She waved at Mama Elmyra through the window and stood back up.
"I wonder if the sad lady will come back," she said, "she left her friend all alone. Maybe I can give her a flower if she comes back."
Veld was waiting in the parking garage as Cass pulled in. She jumped from the car.
"I received a call from one of the drill sergeants downstairs," he said, "Sephiroth was taken down for a mako treatment."
"Those aren't until..." Cass trailed off and her face turned dark. "I'm going to kill him this time," she said.
"No," Veld said, "you are taking Sephiroth and leaving. I will handle Hojo myself." Cass glared at him, but said nothing. She followed him with clenched fists. Today was looking just fucking perfect.
"I am also removing you from surveillance," Veld said, "Rufus snuck out yesterday. He requires extra hours." Cass didn't let her relief show. "Tseng will handle it solo," Veld continued, "He did it well enough with you. Reno and Rude will act as backup as needed." She nodded. She couldn't look at Aeris and not think about how things should have turned out. How she shouldn't have made Gast come back...
The elevator surged to a halt and the doors opened. Veld led the way, keeping a sharp eye on Cass. He'd prefer to have another Turk do this with him, but Sephiroth didn't trust anyone else. It wasn't worth the risk.
And he also wished Hojo would just up and die.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Hojo's voice called.
"Ah," Veld said, "Professor Hojo. I do believe you neglected to do something when you pulled Sephiroth from drill." He saw Cass clench her jaw. She was baring her teeth beneath her lips. She wanted to lunge badly, but was holding back.
"I don't follow military protocol," Hojo said languidly.
"He does," Veld said, "his trainers were so unhappy about it they felt the need to enlist my help. Where is he?"
"Down the hall," Hojo said, "he's in no shape to move."
"I'll be the judge of that," Cass said as she left. Good girl, Veld thought silently. Hojo followed her with angry eyes. Veld was going to enjoy this lecture.
"The President also asked me to deliver some new...etiquette for your experimentation with Sephiroth..." Veld began.
Sephiroth was dying. He had to be. That was the only explanation for how much pain he was in. Everything hurt. Everything burned. There was nothing he could do but lie there. He heard someone come in.
"No," he said knowing that opening his eyes would bring a whole new world of pain. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't handle another test, another injection, another...
"Did you want to hear a secret?"
"Mom?" Sephiroth said hopefully. She shouldn't be here.
"I heard somewhere that when little black rain clouds get swept out of the sky they get picked up by pretty girls with sneakers," Mom's voice said. He pried open his eyes because he had to be sure. It was her. She came down here for him.
"Mom," he said as reached out despite how much it hurt to try.
"I'll get you out of here," she said, "What did he do to you?" Sephiroth didn't reply, Mom looked upset. What had he done to make her sad this time?
"You just have to walk out of the lab," she said, "I'll take care of the rest." Easier said then done, but Sephiroth was desperate enough to give it a try. She had to hold him up, but he was on his feet. He could move his legs in some semblance of walking. It was close enough.
Veld and Hojo paused as they watched Cass drag Sephiroth to the exit, but neither party said a word. Hojo's minions had started a line at the elevator.
"Fuck you all," Cass said and carried Sephiroth to the stairs.
They made it three flights before Cass collapsed out of exhaustion.
"I'm sorry," Sephiroth said.
"It's alright," Cass said, panting heavily. Sephiroth didn't remember what happened after that, but Cass would never forget. Sephiroth started convulsing. Cass feared he was seizing. She acted quickly and held him down so he wouldn't hurt himself. He almost threw her off twice, but she held on. When he settled down, she pulled him into her lap. She couldn't carry him any further, but she would let him go over her dead body.
"I've got you," she said.
"Mom," Sephiroth murmured as he started coming around again.
It was Angeal who found them first. There was real paranoia within the ranks that Sephiroth had been pulled out without permission on a bogus "mako treatment". They thought he was being held up at the labs. Angeal had been sent to check, since he was part of Sephiroth's squad. He took the stairs.
Sephiroth had just finished a second round of spasms. Cass was saying soft assurances as Sephiroth wavered between alert and unconscious. She looked up at Angeal as he came closer, then returned to the boy in her lap.
"Mom?" Sephiroth asked.
"I'm here," she said. He nodded and went lax again.
"I don't feel good," he said.
"I know," she said, "There's not much I can do right now."
"It's okay," Sephiroth said. He wrapped an arm around her neck and rested his head on her shoulder. It reminded Angeal of the picture of the much younger Sephiroth after an injection. He made up his mind and started back upstairs.
He came back with the rest of the squad. Each man bearing some item. A few murmured at the sight. They all feel silent when Sephiroth hissed and stiffened. He quivered with what could only be agony and the woman below him started talking again in a soothing tone. It was universally understood then that what Sephiroth went through was at least twenty times worse than their regular treatments. Sephiroth may be the Mama's boy they whispered about behind his back, but he sure as hell had bigger balls then they ever would. The first stepped up.
"Cold, sir?" he asked, "ma'am?" Sephiroth said nothing, but the woman looked up.
"He will be soon enough," she said, "thank you." He laid a blanket over both of them. One by one, they stepped up with their own offerings. A bit of food, a book, one even relinquished what looked like a worn teddy bear. The young man grinned as he stepped back.
"My sister sent it out to protect me," he said, "I think you need it more than I do." Cass smiled as she thanked him. Quiet conversations started. They all fell silent with every move Sephiroth made, but they were quick to restart. Each one was less severe than the previous. Finally Sephiroth seemed to gain some sort of clarity.
"Mom?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm here," she replied. He looked around.
"What?" he said, obviously confused, "Why are all of you out of the barracks?"
"Just a mild excursion while one of our men was laid up," Genesis said standing up from where he was talking to Angeal, "It felt wrong to be training while he was in agony in a godforsaken stairwell." Sephiroth looked at him no less confused.
"Do you think you can move?" Cass asked. He nodded and stood up slowly. There was a collective sigh of relief. The first boy with the blanket stepped towards the stairs again.
"It was a pleasure to meet you ma'am," he said and began his ascent up the stairs. The rest followed suit until it was only Angeal, Genesis, and Cass helping Sephiroth get back up the stairs and into his bedroom in Cass's apartment. He slept for over a day and, for the first and only time, was properly excused from training.