Everyone, my mother is in the hospital with a large ulcer. Please pray for her at this time. Thank You.

"I'm sorry miss, but I'm afraid it's impossible to accept your application without a sponsor from an established member of the department. Unless you wish to try your luck in the cadet program, but the applications for that have already ended. You would have to wait six months."

Prue frowned.

"Are there any positions in the company currently open?"

"Well there's always the janitorial department, or you can try for secretary," he offered. "However neither of them would give you much of a chance to prove yourself Turk material."

"Depends on how I use my free time," she replied. "Where do I apply for a secretary position?"

Once she had the directions, she inwardly seethed.

It did not escape her notice that he didn't mention the infantry, which would accept practically anyone so long as they could follow orders and knew which end of the rifle to shoot. And with the situation Wutai, they needed all the 'volunteers' they could get.

Fortunately she had seen the sheet detailing dates for when one could apply and the next one was a week away. She did not come to Midgard to be a glorified paper pusher, and considering her looks it would be just her luck if the President himself took an interest in turning her into his bed partner!

Vincent had been quite clear on the number of times he got called in to deal with the man's little...indiscretions.

Well... let's see how long it took for the Turks to take notice of her from Wutai.

Prue's heart broke when she finally saw Sephiroth after ten years of being apart. Hojo had taken the happily little toddler she remembered and turned him into a soldier who didn't know how to relax and have fun. She just wanted to run up and hug her little brother and tell him everything would be okay, but she couldn't.

One, because the odds of him recognizing her were pretty small, and two because they were in an active warzone. Besides, she was a new recruit. It wouldn't be acceptable.

So she watched and observed her little brother.

He had filled out, though it didn't help that he was somewhat gangly. He'd likely reach the same height as her father once he was done growing. His hair was just as long, but oddly enough it suited him as well as the sword he carried. Though what was with the leather? It wasn't remotely practical in keeping you warm or safe!

Sephiroth POV

It had started with the latest influx of infantry. He had dismissed it at first, but now he knew something was up. It seemed he had another stalker, though this one was far more 'friendly' than the last one he had. For one thing, they understood the concept of 'personal space'. The few presents he found were tasteful and far more practical than anything...outside the chocolate. He didn't know where or how they got the chocolate, but he was developing an addiction to it.

It sparked memories of a time before he was all alone. He couldn't really remember most of it, but every time he bit into a chocolate bar he would recall warm arms wrapped around him, soothing him with a forgotten lullaby after another round of tests. Of knowing he was safe and loved...two things he missed dearly during all the tests he was forced to put up with.

Hojo couldn't stop his chocolate addiction out here. So Sephiroth hoarded it as best he could and did his best to make it last for the really bad days.

"Oh, chocolate," said Genesis.

He backed off when Sephiroth growled at him.

"Mine."

"Where did you get it?" asked Angeal... out of 'professional' interest of course.

"If I told you, then knowing him it would be gone by the end of the week," said Sephiroth flatly, glaring at Genesis. The red head smirked at that.

Angeal took a closer look at the brand.

"Seriously, where did you get that? I thought they only sold that in Junon."

Sephiroth blinked, and looked at the wrapper.

"You mean it wasn't from the recent shipment of supplies?"

"Trust me, if they had chocolate I would have sniffed it out already," said Genesis.

Sephiroth was very confused. He had found this buried in his secret stash and assumed it was one that had managed to get lost. So when he inspected the stash again, he found two more bars...and the expiration dates were too recent to be from his private hoard of chocolate.

"Someone has been in my tent," he told the others.

"So let me get this straight...someone broke into your tent, found your stash...and left chocolate?" said Genesis slowly.

"The expiration date is too recent to be from my actual stash," said Sephiroth.

"I think you're being paranoid, if you know the date they go bad that well," said Genesis...before attempting to swipe the bar in Sephiroth's hand.

So imagine the shock on Genesis and Angeal's faces when the next morning they found chocolate bars on their bedside table. Something that hadn't been there when they went to sleep, and meant that someone had gotten into their tents while they were sleeping and managed to put it there without waking them up at all.

"Okay, let's change that from overly paranoid to justifiably paranoid," said Genesis. He still ate the chocolate though.

"I want to know where they got this brand. Or better yet, how they managed to sneak it here," said Angeal.

"Who cares? If they have a way to bring chocolate here, then all the better for us!" said Genesis. The expression in his eyes showed a different opinion though.

The mystery chocolate made a second appearance, this time they didn't bother hiding what they were doing and openly left it on the table for Sephiroth to find. It was really disturbing, because he had been put through hell in order to avoid such scenarios.

They did know one thing...whoever was doing it wasn't out to kill them. The chocolate was completely untainted...if slightly melted... and they never did anything other than leave the treat behind.

Two months later...

Sephiroth hated his mandatory injections. Because he was Hojo's "special project" he got a unique cocktail that left him feeling like hell for days.

He laid on his small pallet and just wished the pain would go down long enough for him to at least attempt to sleep through it.

He barely registered the presence of another in the tent, though he definitely took notice when they gently maneuvered his head into their lap.

By this point he had managed to at least catch the scent of whoever was leaving the chocolate for him and the others to find. It was only them though.

He leaned into the warmth the other body was providing, and just breathed in the gentle scent coming off them. It was comforting...and oddly enough familiar. And not because he had been trying to track down who kept leaving sweets for him, Genesis and Angeal.

So when she...and there was no doubt in his mind that the mystery person was a female...started humming, he just relaxed.

It was strange... he had been trained to keep his guard up at all times, to never let anyone in. And yet this woman managed to get past all his defenses so easily.

The pain in his body dwindled into warmth and safety, and he drifted off to sleep. The hand in his hair felt really nice, and he didn't mind it at all. There wasn't anything 'romantic' in the gesture...more like someone was doing what they could to ease his pain.

As he slept, he dreamed of a time when he had felt that way before. Of arms wrapped around him, humming a lullaby he felt he should remember and sharing secret bits of chocolate under the covers whenever he had a really bad day. He remembered the warmth, and the familiar color of red and black.

It was why he had gravitated to Genesis the first time. Because of the fact he favored red so much. It wasn't him though... Sephiroth had hidden his disappointment when he realized it wasn't the same person.

When he woke up the next morning, he was still sore. However he felt far better than he usually did after one of his injections.

He did know one thing for certain.

The person he vaguely remembered from his memories was here. And they definitely remembered him.

Six weeks later...

Sephiroth moved through the battlefield, with only a single infantry at his side. The rest had been disabled by food poisoning and some form of sickness that left them unable to move from their beds without falling over. With his enhancements, he was one of the rare few who hadn't succumbed.

Unfortunately, this meant he had to do the bulk of the fighting to keep the enemy from reaching his men. He appreciated the fact that the only other person with him generally preferred silence.

He felt them tackle him to the ground, narrowly avoiding what could have been a nasty hit.

However his mind immediately focused on the familiar scent and the fact that the infantry he was fighting with was a woman.

He wanted so desperately to ask who she was, but this wasn't the time. They were in the middle of a drawn out fight.

He could only hope she didn't vanish once everyone was up to fighting strength again.

He wanted to know who she was, why she felt so familiar, and what the lullaby he kept hearing sounded like properly.

He got up and did his best to fight back the enemy. Eventually they retreated, but not before he was utterly exhausted. Today had been a long day.

Sephiroth knew his suspicion was confirmed when he felt the infantry slip a familiar bar of chocolate in his pocket. She didn't even try to hide it that well.

"Who are you?"

"I'll tell you later," she promised, before disappearing.

Sephiroth memorized the number on her gun. He wouldn't lose track of her that easily.

Prue was in a good mood. She had noticed that there were a few Turks in the camp giving her speculative looks. She could only hope her skills had actually been noticed and she would soon receive an 'invitation' to join them.

She couldn't wait.

Sadly her night wasn't meant to end in a good way. The second she saw the SOLDIER in the tent, she froze.

She didn't need to be a mind reader to guess he was up to something he shouldn't be. She had almost made it out of the tent when he surged forward and grabbed her arm with a leer.

"Let go of me," she snarled.

"Not happening," he said.

"You really won't like the consequences if you don't unhand me right now."

"There's no need to play hard to get. I got something you'll really enjoy," he leered.

Her limited patience for the oaf snapped. He might be enhanced, but she was better trained. And that made all the difference.

She let out a snarl, before sending the SOLDIER flying...right outside the tent.

Needless to say she had everyone's attention the second she stepped out.

"Just because I'm infantry doesn't give you the right to barge into my personal space," she growled. Her tone made it clear she was pissed.

"What is going on?" asked Angeal.

"What's going on is this arrogant bastard came into the tent, and proceeded to sexually harass me simply because he's a SOLDIER and I'm one of the few female infantry in the camp," she snapped at him. "I'm not here because I actually care about this stupid war, I only joined because it was the fastest way into the Turks!"

Dead silence. It took her a moment to register the fact that the few Turks actually there had a surprised look on their face. As if it had never occurred to them someone would willingly join the infantry and the war just so they had an easier time getting into their group.

Either that or it was because Prue was obviously a teenage girl who actually wanted to be a Turk right off the bat and had chosen a sensible option to being noticed.

No one noticed the expression Sephiroth had upon seeing her face. Or the recognition that was held within his eyes.

"Barlow, did you enter the tent uninvited?" asked Angeal seriously.

Third Class Barlow shot him an incredulous look.

"Oh please, everyone knows she flirts with any man she sees!"

"Really?" deadpanned Prue. "Show of hands, how many of you save for the other people who shared the tent with me knew I was a woman?"

No one raised their hand.

"Okay, let's try another question. If I invited you to the tent, then what's my name?" she shot the SOLDIER. "After all, according to you I flirt with 'any man I see'."

Barlow was sweating big time now. Angeal was giving the man a cold look as he waited for the answer.

"It's Claire!" he said quickly, trying to escape the inevitable reprimand.

"Try again," said Prue.

"Rachel?" he asked weakly.

"I think we've seen enough," said Genesis with a drawl.

"Miss, if you want to file an official complaint against him then you'll have to come to the command tent," said Angeal.

Prue followed Angeal without a word. She didn't bother to hide her face, though she shared a Look with Sephiroth.

She was happy that there was some flicker of recognition in his eyes. Though she was truly pleased when a few days later, she was visited by a Turk offering a place in their department once she was transferred out. She would have to be trained, of course, but if she could survive as a member of infantry, there was no doubt she would be able to handle it.