Destined to be Together
FIVE
Hojo watched Sephiroth’s stony face as the doctor pried a bullet out of his leg.
“There we are,” said the doctor, lifting up the slug with his pliers. “Now I’m going to sew you up, you sure you don’t want some anesthesia?”
“He’s sure,” snapped Hojo, “I said I wanted this done fast, you’ve taken fifteen minutes already, hurry up!”
“You also said you didn’t want a noticeable scar nor limping, so you’ll wait,” said the doctor, “I am President Shinra’s personal doctor, if you want to boss me around, you and I will have words.”
Hojo glowered at the doctor but said nothing. He wasn’t really that mad anymore about Sephiroth. He’d seen what the boy could do, even injured. After hacking off the leg on one soldier, Sephiroth had proceeded to kill at least twenty men with either random weapons that he picked up or simply his bare hands, not once did he fire a shot with any of the guns. The pain and anger of being shot seemed to throw him into a berserk mode. Hojo had stood back to avoid Sephiroth turning on him and watched with glee while five soldiers jumped him at once, one of them managing to crack him across the head with the butt of his gun.
What Hojo was mad about was that Aeris had gotten away and he had no idea as to where. Not only that, but one of the soldiers had jumped the gun… literally and given the command for a shot to be taken which had no doubt killed Infalna. Someone would adopt the child, no doubt, and then he wouldn’t be able to get her back without arousing the suspicions of the public. Didn’t matter, he hadn’t lost his first experiment, both the soldier that had given the order to shoot Infalna and the one that had fired had been executed, the world was at peace for the time being. Aeris would grow up, Hojo would find her, and then he could begin his experiments in creating a master race, a combination of Cetra and JENOVA.
“All done then, you shouldn’t even have a scar,” the doctor said, snipping off the thread ends, “No heavy training until the stitches are out or you’ll tear them early and you will scar.”
The doctor turned to Hojo, “Is that understood, Professor?”
Hojo nodded, waving the doctor’s dismissal, who glared but left.
“Sephiroth, Sephiroth, Sephiroth…” Hojo paced back and forth in front of the boy, “What am I going to do with you? You want to know something funny? I am not angry with you for helping them.”
The boy stared at him in disbelief, “You’re not?”
“No, in fact, I should have been expecting it, Infalna was like a mother to you and I know you loved her.”
Sephiroth stayed quiet, wondering where all this was leading… there had to be a catch with Hojo. Sephiroth had been knocked out so he wasn’t sure whether or not Infalna and Aeris had gotten away. If they hadn’t then anything Sephiroth said could double Infalna’s punishment, or become something for Hojo to punish Sephiroth with.
“What bothers me is that no only did you help them escape, but you were planning on going with them.”
Sephiroth remained silent.
“Well?”
“Yes.”
“Yes what, Sephiroth?”
“Yes, I was planning to go with them.”
“Why?”
Sephiroth looked down; he’d talked himself into a corner.
Hojo walked to his desk and sat down, “You are not leaving this room until you answer me.”
Sephiroth thought carefully before answering, “Infalna asked me if I wanted to go with them, since I would probably get in trouble for helping them, I might as well go with them so that I wouldn’t be punished.”
“Ah…” Hojo said, pointing to the chair on the other side of his desk, “Sit.”
Sephiroth gently lowered himself off of the examination table and tried to walk as normal as possible.
“That man that helped them escape was killed on sight,” Hojo said blankly.
Sephiroth nodded, “I figured that was what the gunshots were.”
“Ah, yes, but you missed the second round of shots that took place after you were knocked out, the ones that killed the girl and her mother.”
Sephiroth paled noticeably and went utterly still.
“I really was quite upset, had the soldier that gave the order killed, of course, and the one that shot.” Hojo pretended to file through some papers on his desk.
The room was silent except for the rustle of paper.
“What does that make you feel, Sephiroth?”
“Disbelief.”
“And?”
“Fear.”
“Might I ask what of?”
“That I’m alone in the world.”
“You are," he smiled, "They were the only other Special people. What else do you feel?” Hojo pried.
“Sad.”
“That you’ll never see them again?”
“Yes, and angry.”
“Like you want to kill someone?” asked Hojo.
“No.”
“No?”
“No, I don’t feel angry.”
“Oh, what do you feel then?”
“Fire.”
“That’s not an emotion.”
“Yes, it is.”
Sephiroth stood with great difficulty, “I’m going to my room.”
“Not so fast, you are going to the solitary confinement cell, no windows, nothing but a small food slot in the bottom of the triple-bolted door. Oh, and a can to shit in, you remember that, right?”
“I haven’t been in there since I was four and you broke me of crying.”
“But you remember it.”
“Yes.”
“Good,” Hojo chuckled, “One month. Guards!”
Sephiroth waited until the door had been bolted and the guards’ footsteps had faded before he curled up into a little ball in the corner of the cell. Not for the first time, he wished he could cry, “Infalna, Aeris… I’m alone.”
Somewhere deep in Midgar, a train pulled up into the Sector Seven train station as the day began slowly.
Elmyra ran out of her house, green dress flaring out around her. She’d lost herself while cleaning the house and for the first time she’d be late to the station to, maybe, meet her husband. She went to the station every day, hoping. Something had told her that today was the day he’d be coming home, and the fool she was had been daydreaming! As she ran through Sector Six people stopped and stared. Everyone knew her and where she was going, what were they staring at? Looking down Elmyra realized she’d left on her apron.
‘Oh well,” she thought.
At the train station there seemed to be happy couples everywhere on every other day, but today the station seemed empty. Empty except for a little girl and a woman in the pink laying on the stairs with a red sash… wait, that wasn’t a sash, it was…!
“Oh my god!”
Elmyra ran to Infalna’s side, “You’re bleeding!”
Infalna looked up at the woman leaning over her and Elmyra was struck by the color of her eyes and the pain that filled them.
“Please take Aeris somewhere safe,” Infalna whispered, cupping the sobbing girl’s face with one hand before her entire body went limp.
“Mommy!” screamed Aeris.
“Shhh,” Elmyra put her arms around Aeris, “that’s right just cry it all out.”
Elmyra found herself crying with the girl, crying for the girl and herself, because her husband had not shown up with the train.
The mortuary in Sector Four was nice enough to make the trip to get Infalna’s body. Aeris insisted upon going so she and Elmyra waited until Infalna was cremated before making their way home.
Later, the little girl sat quietly in her kitchen, her small hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate, staring at the table.
Elmyra sat down across from her, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” Aeris said through clenched teeth.
“Is there anything you want to talk about?”
“No.”
“Do you want something to eat?”
“No.”
“Do you want to go to sleep, I prepared the second bedroom for you, it can be your room from now on… that’s what your mother meant, I think…”
“I’m not sleepy.”
“Ok.”
Elmyra stood and began doing the dishes.
“Are you married?”
She jumped and turned, “Oh! Yes…”
“Where is he?”
Elmyra dried her hands nervously on her apron, “He’s in the military, there was war going on, but I’m expecting him home any day now that it’s ending…”
“Oh.”
Elmyra stared at the strange little girl and for the first time noticed her eyes, they were identical to her mother’s. Bright sea foam green and glowing.
Aeris sighed and looked away from Elmyra, noticed a vase on the end table and sat up strait, “What are those?”
“What, the flowers?”
“Flowers? Real flowers?” Aeris’s face lit up and she walked over to them, “Can I touch them?”
“Yes…”
Elmyra watched the girl fawn over the little flowers in the vase and had an idea, “Did you see my yard? There are a few patches of flowers; I’ve had to struggle to keep them alive.”
“Really?”
Once outside, Aeris ran over the hard dirt to the patch of white/lavender flowers, “Pretty.”
“Yeah, I found them one morning, and they were dying. I found some really healthy flowers in a church nearby, so I brought some of that soil here and they’ve stayed alive.”
“Will you show me the church?”
“Yes.”
“Ok.”
“Would you like some breakfast now?”
“Yes.”
Elmyra held her hand out to Aeris and the little girl took it.
Aeris looked up at Elmyra, “Will you pretend to be my mommy? For always, even if someone tries to take me?”
“Why would someone want to take you?”
Aeris reached down and picked two flowers, “Mommy used to tell me stories about animals running through fields of flowers. She said outside of here is the world, a big whole world with trees and flowers and a sky.”
“You’ve never seen the sky?”
Aeris stuck the flowers in Elmyra’s apron pocket, “I’m ready to tell you everything now.”
Aeris seemed to grow quickly, happily enough, but she didn’t forget anything… or anyone. Occasionally, she would hear gossip from neighbors about the Great Sephiroth. She never let on about her past, the only one that knew was Elmyra and she wasn’t going to tell anyone anything.
Aeris was fourteen when she was visited by Shinra after several years of peaceful living. Elmyra was washing the breakfast dishes when someone knocked on the front door.
Wiping her hands on her apron, she crossed the living room, “Who could that be?”
A tall dark man stood on the porch. His long black hair was slicked back from his face and his dark blue suit was spotless.
“Can I help…” she narrowed her eyes as she recognized the suit, “what do you want?”
“I need to speak with Aeris.”
“No, you need to speak with me.”
“Look, I understand you must feel protective, taking her in the way you did. But surely you must see how Special she is. She would be better suited to a different environment, one where she can thrive and be taught about her race,” he said.
“She didn’t want anything to do with the Turk that came here after I took her in and she won’t want anything to do with you now.”
Elmyra began closing the door but the Turk had his foot in the doorway, “You don’t want to slam this door in my face.”
Her eyes widened and he smiled apologetically.
“No, it’s alright Mom, you can let Tseng in, I would very much like to speak with him,” Aeris’s voice startled them both.
Elmyra stepped back to allow Tseng in and shut the door behind him. She gave Aeris a look that said, ‘are you sure?’ Aeris nodded and motioned to the kitchen, “Elmyra makes wonderful tea, Tseng, would you like a cup?”
Tseng was staring at Aeris, a look of complete bewilderment passed through his eyes before he smiled and nodded.
Aeris was almost as tall as Elmyra and would obviously grow to be taller than her adopted mother. Her hair was twisted up in the same complicated way that Infalna had shown her long ago. She was well on her way to becoming a young woman and had obviously gained her mother’s ethereal beauty. Tseng only hesitated a moment, but felt even that was too long, ‘Get a hold of yourself man, she was your friend, now she’s… astonishing… I mean she’s an assignment. Stupid mind!’
He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat at the kitchen table while Elmyra scurried around the kitchen shooting him reproachful glances as she made tea.
Aeris did not sit with him but stood in the doorway, “How have you been, Tseng?”
“Oh, good. Really good.”
She smiled, “I am happy to hear that. And you are a Turk… at 17. How ever did you manage that?”
Tseng nearly blushed, “I was training to be a Turk when I was 11 years old, you know that. I finished my training last year.”
“And Sephiroth?”
Elmyra whirled around to look at Aeris like she’d never seen her before. Aeris hadn’t said that name in six years.
Tseng looked at Elmyra and decided the conversation had taken a bad turn, “He is… fine.”
“Just fine? I hear rumors of a 16-year-old boy monster that Hojo will make head of Soldier before his 18th birthday,” Aeris smiled when she said it.
Warning bells went off in Tseng’s head, “Our topic appears to be making Elmyra uncomfortable. Perhaps we could discuss why I’m really here—”
“Not until you tell me the truth.”
Tseng glanced at Elmyra, but she had turned back to the stove. Aeris was looking at him calmly, but he could feel the air vibrating.
He nodded, “All right… You want to know why Sephiroth hasn’t tried to contact you, is that correct?”
Aeris inclined her head.
“He doesn’t know you’re alive.”
She sighed and turned to the cupboard that held Elmyra’s spring tea set. When she turned back, her eyes were hooded. She set a pink flowered cup on a saucer in front of Tseng and sighed again, “I thought as much.”
She set out one other set and sat down across from him.
“Aeris…” Tseng wanted to reach across the table and take her hand but doubted the action would be appreciated. “Hojo told him that you and your mother were killed.”
“Told him half of the truth.”
“Yes.”
Elmyra poured tea into their cups and left the room, sniffling noticeably.
Tseng didn’t know what to say, so he took a sip, “This is good tea.”
“No.”
“No, it’s not good tea?”
“No I will not go back to the laboratory for that vile man to experiment on me and ask me the same questions he asked my mother. If she didn’t know, how can I?”
Tseng stared at her, “I… I have been authorized to offer you your own apartment, in the Shinra Headquarters of course. You will have privacy in this apartment and be paid for your work as a research assistant.”
Aeris stood, “Research assistant for…?”
“Professor Hojo.”
“The man who had my mother killed.”
“No,” Tseng stood as well, “He had the soldier that shot your mother killed, they were not supposed to open fire.”
“No? Then why did he send armed guards after us, to ask us nicely to return?”
He studied her eyes. She smiled sweetly, no anger, no sarcasm. Tseng raised his eyebrows, she was so good at that… where was the sweet little girl he’d fallen in love with long ago?
“It really wouldn’t be like that this time.”
“Oh, really? Are you going to guarantee that? Because I am never going to allow myself to be a prisoner ever again. Ever.”
She smiled again when she said it, but this time the words were frosted.
“It was that terrible? So terrible you just left, no word, no warning?”
Aeris’s smile disappeared and she moved toward him, “What are you talking about? No warning?”
Tseng frowned at her; he hadn’t meant to say that. He walked toward the front door and she followed.
“You’re talking about you? You, we gave you no word, no warning.”
Tseng was furious, not really with her, more with himself, “I noticed your mother invited Sephiroth along with you guys.”
Aeris gaped, it was the first uncontrolled expression he’d seen, “You weren’t experimented on. You weren’t injected with odd compositions or held prisoner.”
“Training was excruciating sometimes. I never said anything because my trainer said it was a sign of weakness. I was forced to grow up too soon.”
She’d regained her neutral expression, “And I wasn’t?”
Tseng shook his head, “Doesn’t matter now. You know what will happen if you do not come voluntarily.”
“I’ll be arrested and the public will be told some stupid lie about me committing a crime so no one will question my absence.”
His eyebrow twitched, “You can’t be arrested and put in jail until you are 18.”
“Well, then I guess I have four more years, then?”
“Yes… enjoy them.” He nodded to her and left.