Chapter 4 - The Revelation
There was one thing Sephiroth was entirely convinced of : firstly, a SOLDIER did not bandage their chest under their uniform ; and secondly, if they did for any reason, there certainly shouldn't be two blatant protrusions under said bandages !
To say he was shocked was an understatement, given the immense wave of disbelief that washed over him as he lifted the high-necked sweater to assess the severity of his teammate's wounds.
When he saw the latter collapse under the hail of bullets, his blood boiled. A few fluid maneuvers, and he had immediately disposed of the remaining enemies before rushing to his subordinate, lying there and gradually slipping into unconsciousness.
Three bullets had pierced the SOLDIER's chest, and the blood was staining his uniform at an alarming rate. He had tried to call out to the boy, while struggling not to succumb to panic himself :
"Arèth ! Arèth ! Stay with me ! Damn it ! Arèth ! "
After using his Healing Materia, which had stopped the bleeding, Sephiroth wanted to know precisely where the bullets had lodged.
He grabbed his cell phone, wedged it between his shoulder and ear to keep his hands free, then unfastened the leather harness strap, lifted the garment, and...
" Yo ! Reno here ! What's going on ? Do you need backup ? "
Sephiroth remained silent. In a fraction of a second, his thoughts raced through his mind. He knew he had to react, and quickly. If "the" SOLDIER was brought back to Midgar, at best, she would be revived to be interrogated, before being promised an orderly execution. In the worst-case scenario, thrown to the wolves in the scientific department under the supposedly benevolent guidance of Professor Hojo. Shinra didn't appreciate traitors, and deceiving the company by pretending to be what one was not was reason enough in their eyes to dispose of a suspicious element.
" Sephiroth ? " reiterated the voice of the little redhead on the other end of the line.
In his mind, the memory of the gentle smile and azure gaze as she twirled her cards before him resurfaced. To think he had briefly feared succumbing to the charm of this young man, to the point where it had led him to question his potential sexual orientation !
A slight sigh escaped his lips. He had just made his decision :
" Yes, we stumbled upon Wutai troops, he replied without any emotion betraying his voice. They managed to snatch the mega-Materia before fleeing. Second Class Klein and I are pursuing them northward. Come to the mines, they shot down our two guards. You need to come pick up their bodies. Over. "
He hung up and put away the device. It was too late to change his mind.
The Wutai warriors must have left a vehicle or Chocobos at the cave entrance. Consequently, it would only take him a few hours to reach Icicle Lodge. All that was left was to pray to Gaia that the tourist village nestled in the heart of the snowy mountains harbored a doctor with surgical skills.
He retrieved the precious Materia, fastened his sword to his belt, and, with a delicacy he was not accustomed to, lifted the bloodied body to cradle it in his arms. The young woman's pallor was worrying, as was her breathing, laborious and wheezing. The projectiles had fortunately missed her heart. However, they had hit her right lung. She would need a fair bit of luck.
The additional weight he carried posed little problem for him, so he quickly reached the exit of the mines and thus avoided encountering the two TURKs. How much could she weigh? Fifty kilograms at most, he judged.
Relieved, he spotted the flock of birds waiting patiently for their riders to return, their reins tied to the branches of the surrounding fir trees. Two of these colossal creatures stood out from their peers with their jet-black plumage and larger harnesses. It was a safe bet that they had belonged to the warlords he had faced in the cave.
Sephiroth had never felt any particular affection for these huge birds. Like everyone else, he had learned to ride them from a young age, but he had always preferred other means of transportation, preferably less odorous, when possible.
He approached the largest specimen, guessing it was the sturdiest. The bird emitted a shrill "Kweh !" that prompted him to take some precautions before mounting the animal, which seemed reluctant. Holding the unconscious young woman with one arm, he rummaged through the voluminous leather pouch suspended from the saddle of the beast to extract a large, foul-smelling vegetable, a Gysahl Green, a treat appreciated by Chocobos. The bird cried out in joy upon recognizing the treat and devoured it in one peck. These animals, far too greedy, were undoubtedly too easy to please !
Once in the saddle, Sephiroth gave a vigorous tug on the reins, and the mount raced at full speed across the frozen plains. He had been right, this black Chocobo showed incredible agility.
As he sped toward the village, darkness gradually enveloped the region. Despite the summer season, temperatures in this part of the globe always dropped below zero when night fell. At that moment, a deep gratitude toward his mount and its plumage, which provided them with precious additional warmth, engulfed the warrior. Worried that the young woman might fall victim to hypothermia, he tightened his embrace even more to protect her from the cold.
The lights of the cottages grew more numerous. They cast a warm glow in this icy night. As they drew nearer, Sephiroth distinguished with relief the picturesque village of Icicle Lodge unfolding before him.
Arriving at the central square of the village, he stopped his mount right in the middle of it and dismounted. A couple of rather curious villagers, alerted by the noise of the approaching Chocobo, headed toward him:
" By the Planet! But... you... you're from SOLDIER ! " exclaimed a man a little younger than him, all bundled up in a thick, brightly colored down jacket.
" You're the one everyone's talking about ! The Hero Sephiroth ! " his companion chimed in.
Equally warmly dressed and wearing a burlesque hat with Mog's effigy, she had recognized his long silver hair and uniform. For anyone reading the newspapers, his portrait was impossible to ignore.
"But... and your comrade ! she continued, alarmed upon finally seeing the injured body in the warrior's arms. What happened to him ? Is he dead ?
"No, he's not dead. He needs a doctor urgently..."
"Follow us! The village doctor is right nearby ! "
The two individuals, somewhat alarmed, led the warrior who followed them hastily to a small cross street, just off the square, just behind the inn. There, they stopped on the porch of a large wooden chalet, a little more upscale than the others, where a plaque was hanging :
Doctor Ernest Müller
General Medicine
The girl in the beanie, anxious, murmured :
" I hope he's not already asleep ! "
" You're kidding ! He's probably up there smoking his pipe, I bet ! " reassured her friend.
A few minutes later, a gruff voice emanated from the other side of the door :
" It better be urgent ! Otherwise, the bastard who's bothering me at this hour will regret it ! "
The door swung open to reveal a man in his sixties, holding a still-smoking pipe in his hand. Despite his small stature and evident plumpness, which betrayed his love for doughnuts, he exuded undeniable charisma. Draped in an old gray sweater, he wore small rectangular glasses perched on his round nose and sported a white, curly, and somewhat wild mane of hair still relatively lush for his age. He epitomized the image one might have of an old country doctor. His stern expression instantly softened when his eyes fell upon the unconscious body :
" Oh. This is an emergency. Well, come in ! he gestured to the warrior. And you two, you rascals, go fetch Brigitte ! And hurry up ! Otherwise, your fathers will hear about this ! " he bellowed.
While the two young people promptly obeyed and raced down the steps, nearly slipping in the snow, the sixty-year-old ushered the SOLDIER inside and closed the door behind him.
Chairs arranged along the walls in the vestibule suggested that the room served as a waiting area.
" You, follow me ! My office is down the hall to the right ! " the old man added in a firm and authoritative tone.
Sephiroth complied without protest. Ordinarily, the 1st Class didn't like medical offices. Nor doctors. Nor lab coats. Nor scalpels or syringes. In fact, he disliked everything about that antiseptic-smelling environment.
However, this particular office gave him a completely different impression. The walls adorned with dark pine gave the room a warm and comforting ambiance despite its somewhat old-fashioned appearance. In the center of the room, a large examination table was covered with a pristine white sheet. Beside it were neatly arranged wooden cabinets containing medicines, bandages, and other medical supplies. A large window let in light during the day.
On the desk, there was a computer and a landline phone. Photo frames on the shelves displayed snapshots of family and former patients, adding a personal touch to the place.
The office exuded experience and kindness, creating a space where patients felt comfortable and confident sharing their concerns with the old mountain doctor.
While the latter hurried to put on his lab coat, hanging near the door, and washed and disinfected his hands over the small sink wedged between two shelves, Sephiroth laid his precious burden on the examination table.
" You're from SOLDIER, aren't you ? What are you doing in this corner of the world at this hour ? And, by Gaia, what happened to her ? " the doctor asked, still gruff, pointing to Theia.
" We were on a mission, not far from the Modeoheim mines, Sephiroth replied with a hint of hesitation. We stumbled upon enemy troops. My teammate, he…I mean she didn't manage to dodge the last bullets. From what I could ascertain, they lodged in her right lung..."
" She, you say? A woman? I thought SOLDIER only accepted men ! " the physician added, catching the warrior off guard.
Sephiroth remained silent, unable to find an adequate response to the latter remark. Attempting to conceal the troubling truth from the doctor would have been futile. The latter gave the young man a perplexed look. Faced with the embarrassment caused by his question, he simply shrugged before quickly returning to the preparation of his instruments, carefully laid out in a stainless steel tray. He then donned a pair of disposable latex gloves and a mask before approaching the patient.
" Well. I suppose Shinra has other uniforms in stock ! "
Without further ado, a well-aimed snip of the scissors finished freeing the young woman from her poor sweater. And her bandages...
Sephiroth averted his gaze.
" You're lucky, with all the accidents in the mountains, I've ended up being quite well-equipped and have some experience in surgery " boasted the old doctor.
He began by cleaning the wounds with a damp cloth, then examined them while muttering :
" Mmh. That's right, three bullets. Did you have a Healing Materia ? "
" Yes. "
" You did well to use it. It cauterized the affected arteries..." he continued meticulously disinfecting the wounds.
" Here ! Pass me the compresses behind you ! My nurse should be comi— "
" Ernest ? Are you there ? " suddenly interrupted a feminine voice from the entrance.
" Ah ! Speak of the devil ! In the office, Brigitte ! "
Immediately, a little old lady hurried over. In the same age bracket as her colleague, her small bun and round glasses gave her the appearance of a kindly grandmother.
" Oh my ! Ernie ! You're bothering me at this hour ! You know Friday is my bridge night and... Oh ! By the Planet ! What's happening here ! " she exclaimed as her eyes fell on the examination table.
"A mission gone wrong, her colleague summed up. She has three bullets in her right lung. While you prepare the oxygen mask, I'll take a look at her with an X-ray to see if the bullets aren't too deep."
He turned to the SOLDIER and gently urged him :
" Well, now get out of here, my boy ! Go wait next door and let us work ! "
Sephiroth wisely left the doctor and nurse to return to sit in the vestibule. There, he let his mind wander, awaiting news of his... um, teammate.
He sighed deeply. Why had no one suspected anything ? Not even him. She didn't really have anything masculine about her ! However, recruits with a fragile or even effeminate appearance weren't so rare. She had blended in.
Why had she taken so many risks ? Deceiving Shinra was a dangerous endeavor. One that almost always ended in a grim conclusion.
And what had possessed him, himself, to flee across the Northern continent like this ! All for avoiding the death penalty for this girl he barely knew ! Lately, he had a tendency to increasingly go against his employer's interests. If the TURKs stuck their dirty noses in, he would need a good excuse to justify his actions. Something a bit more credible than :
" I liked this girl because she showed me some magic tricks and I just wanted to help her ! "
Sighing again, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Being the Golden Boy had its perks, but he shouldn't push the envelope too far...
After two hours of what seemed like endless waiting, Sephiroth finally heard the door of the office open. He straightened up, and the doctor entered the vestibule, his coat spotted with scarlet and his expression somber:
" I'll be honest with you, young man : I don't think she'll make it through the night, he confessed bluntly. Brigitte and I did what we could. We managed to remove those damned bullets and neatly sew up the tissues. But she lost a lot of blood... far too much, actually " he confided, disheartened.
A deep sense of disappointment flooded the warrior inwardly. So, he had failed, once again. Had he been right not to bring her back to Midgar ? Doubts assailed him. There, she would have received the necessary care. If the reasons for her cross-dressing turned out to be trivial, would she really have been sentenced to death ?
" She would have needed an emergency transfusion. Do you know her blood type ? " the doctor continued.
The young man shook his head.
" Mmh, that's what I thought. And by the time I find a universal donor in this town, I doubt she'll..."
The response burst from the SOLDIER's lips without him thinking :
" Take mine. "
" You ? You're..."
" O positive."
For a brief moment, Sephiroth grotesquely thought the doctor would decline his offer. Like Professor Hollander once did. So he was stupidly surprised when his interlocutor repeated :
" You're sure ? "
" Positive," he confirmed.
The old man nodded :
" Well, in that case, come on. No time to waste..."
He hastily guided Sephiroth into the office, hastily transformed into an operating room. There, the redhead still lay unconscious.
" Brigitte ! I've found our donor ! "
The aforementioned stopped sharpening her scalpels and looked up, relieved, at her colleague :
" Oh ! So he's "O" then ! What luck ! I'll prepare all the equipment right away ! "
Soon, the hero, half-naked on an old wooden chair, found himself connected to the young woman via a long intravenous tube.
Minutes seemed to stretch on endlessly, leaving him to question the correctness of his decision.
Slowly, his blood began to flow into his partner's vein.
Suddenly, a thought surfaced in the SOLDIER's mind : what if Professor Hollander had previously refused his offer of a transfusion for Genesis for fear that his own blood might pose a danger ? And if, by this act, he was condemning the young woman ?
" If all goes well, her vital functions should start to improve within a few hours, " the doctor explained as he finished washing his hands.
It was then that the little nurse, glancing at the cardiac monitoring monitor, froze :
" Oh my Planet ! Erny ! Look at this ! " she exclaimed, astonished.
Indeed, the patient's vital signs had improved, but not in a matter of hours. Almost instantly, her pale complexion regained its color, her breathing became regular, and the small machine to which she was connected now recorded entirely normal readings.
" Well ! Would you look at that ! " exclaimed the doctor, approaching as well.
Astounded, he grabbed his stethoscope and examined the redhead's heart before adding:
" But what do they put in your injections, you SOLDIERs ! It's astounding ! "
The hero, bewildered, silently contemplated his partner's rapid recovery. No, his blood posed no danger. Apparently, it was quite the opposite.
The doctor observed with fascination the spectacular progress of his patient.
"This is incredible," he murmured, both perplexed and admiring. "I've never seen anything like it!"
The nurse nodded in agreement:
"SOLDIERs are truly exceptional."
Exceptional, yes. But what had been done to them exactly, to achieve such physical feats ? Was it the Mako, which allowed them to have such constitution ? No. Her own blood would have sufficed then to get her back on her feet, since as a SOLDIER she had benefited from the same injections. The glint embedded in the polar blue of her eyes didn't lie about that.
So... was it his blood, then ? Was it different ? Was that why he hadn't been able to be the donor for his friend in the past...? Could he have reversed the degeneration process that had struck Genesis ? Why had Hollander refused in that case ?
Behind his stoic expression, he concealed as best he could his distress.
Was he normal ? Was he... human ?
"My boy, you've just saved her life ! exclaimed the old nurse, pulling him from his dark thoughts. We're going to remove the catheter, a few centiliters of your precious hemoglobin apparently did the trick ! "
" We have a rest room upstairs. We'll take your friend up there. You can rest there too if you like. I'll come by in the morning to see if she's regained consciousness and examine her."
The SOLDIER nodded silently, then assisted the doctor in transferring the young woman onto a stretcher and guiding her to the room reserved for recovering patients.
A few hours later, the first light of dawn gradually filtered into the room, illuminating the space. A pair of long lashes finally fluttered. A long yawn escaped the lips of the young woman as she slowly sat up, stretching like a cat. A strange sensation enveloped her. She rarely felt so invigorated upon waking. What had happened ? And where was she ? A quick glance revealed that she wasn't at home, nor in any familiar place.
"You're finally awake," declared a masculine voice, making her jump. Leaning against the wall near the window, arms crossed, stood Sephiroth.
"What happened ? We were in the cave and..." she began before being interrupted by the SOLDIER.
"You were hit by several bullets. You were unconscious. And dying."
She realized that she was half-naked, and the clean bandages wrapped around her chest no longer concealed her true identity. Instinctively, she pulled the sheet up to her shoulders and lowered her gaze, frozen with fear. Memories of the cave, the battle, and the sharp pain of the projectiles flooded back to her.
Mortified and worried about the consequences of this revelation, she preferred to remain silent. Perhaps she could discreetly find a way to escape the First Class's vigilance when he brought her back to Midgar ?
He couldn't help but add with a hint of humor :
"You apparently weren't hiding just cards under your clothes..."
Blushing with embarrassment, she pitifully lowered her gaze, saying nothing.
He continued, curious :
" Pretending to be a man to join SOLDIER took some nerve. Why did you do it ? "
She had to come up with a coherent answer. And fast.
" Money ," she finally replied.
" Money ? " he repeated.
" Of course ! What do you think ! We're not all born with a silver spoon in our mouths ! If young people want to join SOLDIER, it's not just to be like you ! " she exclaimed.
Aware that her bad temper had taken over and that she had been a bit too vehement, she continued more calmly :
"It's... it's a rather lucrative job. And I didn't want to end up like those poor girls from the slums. Where the only way to earn a decent living is to end up in Cornéo's brothels. I've been fighting since I was a child. I knew I had the skills to join you..."
Theia still dared not raise her face. If she managed to play on his pity, perhaps he would spare her a more lenient fate ?
" We're not in Midgar, are we ? "
" No. We're at Icicle Lodge."
"Why didn't you bring me back there ?"
"Would you have preferred that ?"
She shook her head.
"The village doctor treated you. He and his nurse were particularly skilled. He'll come by in the morning to check on you."
Saying this, he straightened up and took a few steps towards the door, intending to leave her alone. Seeing her regain consciousness had reassured him, and it was no longer necessary for him to stay and watch over her.
"Wait! she suddenly stopped him. What... what are you going to do... with me ? " she asked, worried.
Hand on the handle, his back turned, he calmly explained :
"As soon as you're on your feet, I'll arrange for a helicopter to take us back. I won't report anything that might seem abnormal in my report. I'll stick to the version I gave the TURKs when we left the mines : Wutai warriors stole the mega-Materia from under our noses. We pursued them over a long distance to retrieve it. Then we stopped here to rest. End of the mission."
The petite redhead couldn't believe her ears. He had just told her... that he would act as if nothing had happened there, right ? Or had she misunderstood ? But if she asked him to repeat, maybe he would change his mind ? Well, in doubt, it was better to change the subject:
" The... the mega-Materia… ? "
He took the glowing orb out of his inner pocket :
"It's here," he confirmed.
He opened the door of the room.
"Seph... Sephiroth…, she whispered, interrupting him before he crossed the threshold of the room. Thank you..."
He then returned her a faint smile.
And the door closed.
Unbeknownst to him, the young hero had just seized something far more precious than the mega-Materia. He had captured her heart.
End of chapter