Dislcaimer: I don't own FFVII. Only Kaci.
Kaci watched the skylights of Midgar, against the inky blackness. The cooling air from her balcony always had a soothing effect on her anyways. A knock on her door brought her back to reality, "Come in."
The door open and she heard sound footsteps come up behind her, "Not mad at me, are you, love?" Genesis kissed her cheek.
"No," she leaned back into his chest. "Just tired."
"Then you should get some sleep," he carefully removed the tie from her hair and watched as her hair fell from its bun and over her should in wavy curls.
"Why?" she asked as he ran his gloved hand through her hair.
"Why what, goddess?" he planted another kiss upon her head.
"Why the change in demeanor?" her voice was barely a whisper.
"You haven't said you wanted anyone to know about us," he replied smoothly.
She didn't say anything, but cast a wistful look outside; remembering those nights she spent with Sephiroth just like this: her in his arms, just talking, or listening to each other's breathing. She pulled away from Genesis and leaned against the railing. "Genesis, I am tired, I'd like to get some sleep."
Genesis sighed, she had been acting so mysterious lately, but then again she had been gone for two weeks, "I'll see you later, Kaci."
Kaci cringed when the door was closed.
Kaci Shinra dropped her head to her desk. She hated working in her office. She normally did most of her after-mission paperwork on her bed, but no, today, Lazard decided to give each of them more on the Wutai war crisis. And since, I've been gone. I get twice as much! She thought before the door opened and the First Class SOLDIER's secretary, Lucy, came in. "Ma'am, do you need anything?" her voice was small. Truthfully, Kaci didn't even know how she was the secretary. Seph, Gen, and Geal, had picked her out before Kaci had become a First. Apparently she was the only one who wasn't an absolute fangirl. Lucy actually seemed scared of them; well Sephiroth and Genesis could be kind of scary.
"No thanks, Lucy," Kaci's voice was muffled by the desk.
"Oh, all right," the door was closed so softly, Kaci didn't even think she heard it. Kaci didn't even know why the secretary bothered with her, Kaci never had her do anything. Lazard always sent papers down, Kaci typed her own reports, (unlike Sephiroth who couldn't figure out what Word was.) she took her stuff up to the office herself, she didn't need a secretary unless it was to schedule meetings (which she didn't have!).
Kaci threw her pen against the wall, and sat behind her desk. She glared at the computer screen before resuming her typing.
"Kaci," Angeal poked his head around her door.
"Yes?" she asked not looking up from her work.
"Are you about done?"
"Now," she put the last file onto the about foot high stack of manila envelopes and papers.
Angeal nodded wearily. "Lazard wants to talk to us." Kaci sighed; it was too early for all this. She grabbed half the stack, shoved it at Angeal, and lugged her half to the Director's office.
"About time you got here," Genesis commented as the two came in.
Kaci sent him a slightly devil-ish smirk, "Catch," and in one swift motion she tossed the stack of files to him. Genesis lunged for them and caught them, glaring at Kaci who only shrugged before leaning against the wall.
"You two," Lazard only shook his head, unknown to the real relationship of them. "Sephiroth and Kaci, you both have had time to catch up on missed info, I see," he gestured to the stack of paper work. "Good. You both are to be sent out to Wutai, to lead a small platoon of seconds. Angeal and Genesis will be sent out to lead a group of thirds and cadets. Kaci and Sephiroth, you are going to a small outpost in Wutai, with war now a reality, we can finally attack."
So this is what it's come to, Kaci thought. "Yes, sir," it was Kaci who broke the thickening silence. She pushed off the wall, stood at attention and left the room with all the grace and elegance that befitted a person of her name.
Moments later found her sitting on a chair in her Father's office. He was looking out the window down to his empire. "I almost didn't sign for you to go." Kaci looked up. She had never expected to hear her Father say that. Kaci smiled slightly, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm glad you did," and she then left without her Father ever really saying anything else.
Kaci walked down the empty hallway of the forty-ninth floor of the Shinra building. "Kaci," she looked up to see Sephiroth standing in the stairwell door.
"Yeah?" she took a few steps towards him.
"Come with me," he reached out for her hand and he gently pulled her up the stairs with him. Six flights of stairs later he pulled her out into an empty corridor.
"Why are on the fifty-first floor?" she asked as he began walking away.
"How'd you know what floor?" he asked. Truthfully, he was only trying to make up time. Time before she would find out why he brought her up on the unused floor.
"Three flights make a floor. I only spent my childhood here. We went up six flights and, assuming I can do arithmetic, two floors."
Sephiroth smiled, she was so intricate. "I see." She followed him to a room on the right. An empty room, with only a wall window.
"Figures the empty floor would be filled with empty rooms." The fifty-first floor actually had most of the stimulator rooms; other than that it was empty.
"Hmm," Sephiroth wrapped his arms around her waist. For the first time in a long time he realized just how small Kaci was. "What is it?" her voice was caring, as though she could tell he had something to tell her.
"I don't know. I don't know how I ever lived without you, Kaci Shinra."
He felt her tense beneath his grip and she pulled away from him. "Is that all I am?"
He looked at her, not comprehending her meaning. "I pour my heart out to you about not wanting to be seen as that, and what do you do! Why am I always 'Kaci Shinra'?! Why can't I just be Kaci?" her voice had given up at the end. She had always been seen as Kaci Shinra, never as just plain Kaci. No one had ever looked at her and forgotten who her Father was; except for her two best friends in high school.
Sephiroth sighed, "Kaci. I'm sorry. I don't see you like that. I love you." The heartfelt tone of his voice caused her to look up.
"What?"
He looked her straight in the eye, "I love you, Kaci."
A thousand emotions and memories all welled up at the same time. She recalled all the times someone had told her that. The last time was a little over two years ago. Her best friends had said that to her at her graduation. A few tears welled up in eyes and she looked away from him. "What is it?"
"Leave me alone, okay," she hated people seeing her cry. She was crying because she felt loved. Kaci had always had a strange emotional pattern; she cried when she felt loved.
"No." the one word that sent her spinning. The word that said, "I care too much to leave you." The work that sent her into his arms.
"Thank you, for telling me 'no.'" All of those times she had told Genesis to leave, she had been begging herself to say "stay."
"I couldn't leave a crying woman alone, Kaci."
She laughed at his honesty, "I'm not upset. I." she stopped. Kaci couldn't say she loved him. She didn't even know what love was. "Sephiroth," she pulled away from him and sat against the wall, "I'm sorry. I can't do this. I care about you so much, but I need closure in another matter. I can't be in a relationship right now. I'm so messed up! I have so many little things that are driving me crazy! I can't do this!" her hands gripped the side of her head in frustration; frustration at feeling so unorganized. Kaci usually knew what she had to do, or at least the basics. She was at a loss now.
He didn't say anything. "I need to settle something. When I do, I'll talk to you."
Kaci pulled away from the wall, "We have a mission soon." Sephiroth smiled as he watched her walk away. she seemed so confident, yet he knew she was falling apart.
As she walked back to her room she could only think about one thing: Genesis. How would she ever end what they had? She did care for him, but it couldn't work. She couldn't keep a relationship if she tried. I would end up pushing him away.
"Kaci," she turned and Genesis pulled her into his room. He kissed her, but stopped when she didn't return the request. "What is it?"
"This won't work, Genesis," she sighed.
Genesis blinked for a moment, "What are you talking about?"
"You, me, us! I can't do this. Genesis, I can't continue this relationship now."
Anger built up in him. Anger at her, for saying this out of the blue, "What is it? Is it someone else? Have you found someone else and now I'm nothing?!"
"No." but her word went un heard.
"Am I nothing to you!? Are you do high and mighty that I'm just a toy you pick up for a minute and then throw out when you've found something better?!"
"I said no!" Genesis stopped. He had never heard her so angry.
"Shut up, just shut up!" she screamed at him. Before he fully registered what she had said she was gone.
An hour later she stood outside an old base. The Wutai troops had reportedly been hiding there and she, Sephiroth, and a group of seconds were to flush them out. "You okay?" Kaci faked a smile and nodded to the general. He addressed the troops and before she knew it they were attacking.
Kaci killed Wutai troop after troop, while her mind was clearing of the hurt it had experienced. I'm a SOLDIER. What SOLDIER acts like this? The motivational words sparked something inside of her. She felt renewed, as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The feeling that she could conquer anything.
"Lieutenant!" she looked over and followed where the second was pointing for her to follow after she had chased a stray Wutaian. She barely registered the sun on her face as her sword slashed through two more troops when she made it out in the back. She found strength in doing her work. It would only last until this mission was done, but she could carry out the mission.
"Kaci!" Kaci barely registered what was going on. As she fought with one Wutaian she was suddenly stabbed by another. Her hands acted faster than her mind. Two lightning bolts killed the two. She was suddenly outside of herself; watching the scene play out in slow motion. Watching herself fall to the ground, blood on her jacket; hearing her cry of pain.
Suddenly she impacted the ground and time resumed. She barely heard her friends kill their remaining opponents. All three were over her in a matter of minutes. "You'll be okay, Kaci," it was Angeal who told her this. She glanced down and found his hands pressing against her stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Hold on," Sephiroth's hand found hers. "Damn it, the bleeding won't stop!" Angeal yelled as his hands were covered in her blood.
Her breathing was coming in short gasps. "Stay with me, Kaci," Genesis put his hand to her cheek. All the previous anger had vanished in him. "We love you, Kaci."
"I love you, too," she met the eyes of her friends.
"Thanks, Rhapsodos," she met Genesis's eyes. Remembering their love-hate relationship, she smiled.
She looked up at Angeal, "Angeal, I don't know where I'd be without you."
"And you still have a ways to go, Kaci," but he knew that was a lie. Tears were in his eyes as he looked down at her and smiled.
She next met Sephiroth's eyes, "Thank you, Sephiroth. For not letting go," she gave his hand a squeeze with all the strength she could muster. Sephiroth smiled to her.
He remembered his promise to himself; he would never let go again. "I don't break a promise, Kaci."
Kaci sighed, "Angeal," she met his eyes, but she suddenly was looking at something past him. A face that she wished to see. "Tell my Father, that I love him." That was what she needed closure of. She needed to tell her Father that. She needed her Father to love her before she could love anyone. She was the text book example of a 'Daddy's girl.'
Kaci's eyes drifted closed, she went limp, and she was with her mother in the Life Stream.
For the three men who were around her; her last words echoed around them, "Tell my father, that I love him."
A/N: And there you have it. This came much sooner than i expected, but I don't care. I almost cried while writing it. I hope you all have a happy life; I will once i find another fanfiction where I can make a character as well as I made Kaci. She was my favorite. I love you, Kaci. I love you, Kaci Shinra. Face it, no one can forget who you are. Or what you're last name is. Bye, Everybody.
The End