Chapter Thirteen: First Home
Aralyn remained silent throughout the examination, letting them test her in whatever way they saw fit. She honestly had no idea what they were doing, and there was too much to think about to truly care.
She didn't look at Hojo because now she knew the truth. He was a monster.
Perhaps that was too light a term. Sephiroth's attitude towards the professor certainly told her that he thought the same. Unlike her, however, he had the courage to stare daggers at the Hojo's back while she couldn't even muster the will to meet his eyes.
"It doesn't hurt, does it?" Joyce asked, putting something cold and metallic near her elbow.
Aralyn shook her head.
"Her body seems to have accepted it," Joyce continued, speaking to Hojo. "How long do you think it will be before we can test?"
"Before the week is over," the professor said casually. "She's recovering at a remarkable rate, really. If all my subjects were like this I might get more experiments done instead of having such a line up…"
Sephiroth's expression could have killed, and his tightly clenched fists were quivering with rage.
After they had verified that she was quite all right, Joyce helped her to stand. Hojo exited and the nurse led her to a corner that could be blocked off by curtains. "Here," she said as she offered Aralyn a pair of light pink sweatpants and a white, long-sleeved shirt. "It's not much, but it's better than that gown."
Aralyn smiled in gratitude and retreated behind the curtain to change. She found a bin in the corner and threw the old clothes in, glad to be rid of it. When she emerged, she found Joyce looking over Sephiroth's shoulder. The boy held the clipboard, and he ran his fingers along it as he scanned the information. His eyes were intent, and Aralyn soon realized why. Her name was on the back. He was getting to the bottom of what they were doing to her.
"You can understand all this medical jargon?" Joyce asked, amazed. "And you're how old?"
He didn't reply, and handed the board back to her. "I'll walk with her to her room."
Joyce smiled and ruffled his hair. "I'm glad you have a friend, Sephiroth. You need the company." She left without further comment.
"Joyce doesn't seem too bad," Aralyn offered once she had left.
"She isn't," Sephiroth replied. "Except when she's mad at you she scolds you like a child."
"It could be worse."
Sephiroth laughed bitterly. "Yeah. If I get Hojo mad he-"
Aralyn grimaced. Sephiroth realized he was making her uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject. "But some of the Turks are great! Like Jack! You can get away with doing anything to him! He makes some really great sounds when he's startled too…"
The conversation continued on that much lighter note as the pair went down the hallway and into the elevator. After a short venture, they came to two doors, one marked with Sephiroth's name and the other blank.
"They said you could have that one," he said, gesturing to the unmarked door. "It's a great location, almost as good as mine! The vents go almost anywhere in the building, so it's easy to get around. You get an open window, which I might have to make use of sometime because mine was barred after I got caught sneaking out."
"Don't they block your vents too?" she asked.
"I haven't been caught yet. Don't you dare tell!" Aralyn chuckled and pressed a finger to her lips in an unspoken vow of secrecy. He nodded in approval.
"I'll teach you the routes sometime after you're settled in." He went to her door, grasping the silver knob that was at the level of his eyes.
He leapt inside, Aralyn following timidly after. The room was bare, the harsh lighting making the white walls blinding. Like the offices and the labs, everything was either white or steel. A small bed was in the corner, dressed in white sheets, and at its foot was a small desk. There were closet doors opposite her bed that were adorned with only plain, dark knobs. The floor was the predictable, white and gray streaked tile. And, true to Sephiroth's description, an unbarred window granted her a view of Midgar, though currently rough white curtains held the sunlight aloof.
"It's…nice," Aralyn said halfheartedly, dismayed by the lack of color and the arrangement that reminded her of the rest of the building.
Sephiroth frowned. "No it's not. It's horrible." He shrugged as he pulled open the curtains. "Mine's not much better, to be honest."
"You miss the color too?"
"I tried coloring my walls with some crayons Joyce gave me for my birthday one year, but Hojo said I ruined the 'professional atmosphere' or something and made me clean it up."
"Maybe we could sneak something in!" Aralyn suggested.
Sephiroth smirked. "I like the way you think! And I know just the lady to ask, too."
"Who is it?"
"Dr. Crescent. She's really nice, but she's always so sad when I show up. Hojo doesn't like me seeing her though. I think it's because she has a really soft spot for me."
"Why's she so sad?" Aralyn asked, climbing onto her bed and gesturing for Sephiroth to sit beside her.
"I don't know," he said, climbing up beside her. "Gast said she wasn't always like that." His expression turned from pensive to scheming. "But I just have to find a time to talk to her when Hojo's not around. She'll get us some paints!"
Aralyn smiled and sighed contently. She really liked this unfamiliar side of Sephiroth. He was lighter, and a lot less tense, although still not as carefree as your average seven-year-old. "I'd like that," she said. But she knew that even if it fell through, she could call this home if he was always just next door.
That was the first day, and she prayed that it wasn't the last, that Aralyn saw Sephiroth's true smile.