4

To her friends Kaci seemed normal to her friends, but in her room she was a different story. She could be depressed as the sky is blue, but she found that writing using her laptop significantly helped that. But only for an hour or two, and now Kaci was dreading going to sleep.

"Come in," she called to whoever had just knocked at the door.

Genesis entered the room almost nervously. Kaci turned her head from the screen and saw him looking very surprised, "Yes?"

"I didn't know you had glasses," was all he could manage.

It was true, Kaci had always worn her contacts, but today she decided to wear her glasses for a while. Her glasses her were long almost rectangles with copper brown wire frames. "Yup," her hands went back to clicking rapidly at the keyboard. "I've had them permanently since I was sixteen. But I chose to wear contacts. Actually mostly I just use Mako as a makeshift contact lens, and it does it automatically now, so I don't really notice."

"Yeah, well. I came down here to say that Lazard wanted to see us all." Kaci said something incoherent and swung her legs over the bed and jogged to the bathroom. She came out a minute later wearing her uniform and not her glasses. She went over to the computer and shut the lid.

Genesis and Kaci entered the office as the others were all waiting. "There you are. We we're about to send out a search party for you, again."

"Hey, her room's on the other side of the floor don't blame me."

"Anyway, why are we here?"

"Right," Lazard pulled up a window on the screen. A man's profile appeared. "This is Stefan Pierce, and he's a Shinra worker in Alira. And we have information that he's been selling our information to other companies. Normally, we would send Turks to do something like this, but we've decided to send to SOLDIERS."

"What makes this mission different from a Turk mission?" Lazard sighed, Kaci had seen through, the one catch. Turks would have been given this mission if they hadn't decided to take this approach.

"You're too smart for your own good sometimes, Kaci. The reason we're sending you is that it's going to be a long term mission. We don't have enough info for Turks to go in, and we can't send them out on a long term mission. And it doesn't matter which two of you we send, because the press hasn't published your pictures in Alira, and Pierce doesn't know what you look like either. So we have to send two of you." The SOLDIERS looked from one to another asking each other who would go. "And Kaci has to go."

"What?!"

"We need a female along, because if we sent the others he might not respond as we would like to them. And they can be quite intimidating, not that you can't be, but you can change that better than they can."

"So you're saying that I'm bait for this guy?"

Lazard sighed, "Kaci, Kaci, Kaci, what am I going to do with you?"

"Send me." She muttered.

"Right, now who's going with her?"

"I'll go," Sephiroth stepped forward.

"Very good. Dismissed, except Kaci." The others turned to leave and Kaci stood in the room. "I have a few things that I don't think you should read in a file, like Sephiroth will have to. For this mission it will be a month of close surveillance work, and not make it look suspicious, we have to have you in some sort of relationship."

"Wait, a minute. Sephiroth and I have to act like we're in a relationship? What kind of relationship?"

"An engaged couple."

"I have to be his fiancée?!"

By this time Kaci was pacing the room, "Just around people, Kaci."

"But still! Why did he have to go? I mean it would've been better than Angeal going by far!

"If Angeal had volunteered I would've said, 'no.'"

"And you can't wear you uniform so I suggest that you go shopping, Kaci. Tell Sephiroth that too. Dismissed Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir," Kaci stood at attention and turned on her heel, leaving the room.

Sephiroth was fairly easy to find, he was in the break room reading a book. "Sephiroth."

"Yes, Kaci?"

"Lazard said that we can't wear our uniforms so we have to bring other ones."

"You're nervous Kaci, what's wrong?" he set the book down and looked at her with concern filled eyes.

A light deceiving blush crept on her cheeks and she avoided her gaze. "I'm fine," she hurriedly left the room and just about ran through random hallway after random hallway.

She leaned against a wall and let her breath regulate, what was that, Kaci? Being nervous about something like that? Calm down, girl!

"Kaci?" she looked up and saw Genesis looking at her curiously.

"Hey, Gen."

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"About what?" wishing you had volunteered.

"This and that. The mission, being away from you."

Kaci and Genesis hadn't really been pursuing their relationship, but Kaci was letting a few things slip through. Genesis smirked, "How about an early goodbye present then?" he lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers. Kaci kissed back slowly wanted to never separate from this one moment when she felt whole.

When Genesis pulled away Kaci pecked his lips once hoping he would come back to her, but he didn't. "See you later, Kaci," his voice was unusually deep. He turned and walked away from her. Kaci wanted to run after him, but she wanted something else, too. So Kaci ignored everything she wanted, and grabbed her wallet from her room and went shopping.

An hour later Kaci was stuffing clothes and other things she bought into a suitcase and duffle bag. Put on a tank top and shorts and went out to the balcony. She leaned her forearms on the railing and watched the city lights from the tallest building in Midgar. And if you looked up from the ground you probably wouldn't have been able to see the SOLDIER leaning over the railing, but if you were higher up or right across from her you could see the fresh tears that strained her cheeks. Kaci was sad, I can't say it any way else. She wanted so many things, but they all rolled up into one- two things. She wanted love, and she wanted to break.

She wanted someone who could break her mask. She had been in a masquerade for years, long years, that she had spent wishing and bleeding. Why couldn't someone break her mask? Because I've pushed them away. Why can't someone come along who decides they want to see under the mask? Am I ready to give up the mask, I don't know. And Kaci fell asleep with those thoughts, in her cold bed, under her cold comforter, with equally cold thoughts.