Unconditional (Sephiroth x OC)

Chapter 10 - In Search of The Flower Girl

Sector five could only be described as pure chaos.

The company had dispatched their infantry troops as well as the Turks - a special unit inside the public security division - to assist in the search for Aerith Gainsborough. Confused citizens looked out the window from everywhere while others stood outside, patiently answering questions about where and when they had last seen the girl who was known for her bubbly personality and the beautiful flowers she grew inside the abandoned church.

In the midst of all, Mona had been tasked by Sephiroth to try and reach Zack while he would have a word with a man named Tseng - the leader of the Turks, apparently.

"Come on, Zack. Please pick up." Mona mumbled to herself, pressing the cellphone against her ear for the umpteenth time.

But Zack was not answering. Sighing, Mona put the device back inside the pocket of her coat.

"It appears that you were not able to reach him." Sephiroth said, approaching her.

She shook her head. "I tried so many times but no."

"Hm. I am not surprised." Sephiroth said. "Undoubtedly talented in combat but his emotions tend to hamper his judgement at times."

"It's understandable though. Aerith is obviously very important to him." Mona trailed off.

"Both the Turks and the infantries have searched the whole area. But there is no trace of the girl. They are thinking of expanding the search to the nearby sectors six and four."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Mona said, concerned. "I don't know Aerith personally but I find it unlikely that a young woman would willingly leave her mother, her boyfriend and her home behind like this with no notice whatsoever."

"We don't know whether or not it was without reason." Sephiroth said, averting his eyes. "She might have kept it to herself."

Mona said nothing and followed Sephiroth's line of sight.

Shinra's infantry men could be seen checking every house, every nook and cranny. It was odd. The company had not moved an inch to investigate the mass desertion in SOLDIER but they were moving heaven and earth to find one of their proposita.

Apparently it was never a question of whether Shinra could, only if they wanted to ...

"Sephiroth?"

He looked at her.

"That ... That long-term study Aerith takes part in -"

However before Mona could finish her sentence, Sephiroth's phone rang.

"Yes? Understood."

"Anything new?"

"The mother of the girl wants to have a word with Zack."

"But we don't know where-"

"Exactly. That is why we will have to go in his stead." Sephiroth paused. "Time for you to - what was it? - fight the bad feelings."

Dear God.

It sounded so corny in hindsight that Mona wanted to be swallowed by a giant hole. Sephiroth - on the other hand - looked clearly amused judging by the slight twitch of the corner of his lips.

"A-Ah right." Mona chuckled awkwardly. "Let's go."

"Wrong direction."

She spun on her heels and looked at him puzzled. Sephiroth lowered his head to hide the traces of a grin that started to form on his handsome face and slowly stepped behind Mona's shorter figure.

She felt how two large palms placed themselves on her shoulders, his touch sending electricity through her spine. Sephiroth gently turned her body to a certain direction until Mona's eyes caught an alleyway she had not noticed before.

"That way." She more felt than heard him say before he let go of her and started to lead the way.

Mona perplexedly followed him while her heart beat like crazy.

And he could have not just ... told me this?

The alleyway led them both to a stunning place - stunning in the sense, that all one could see were flowers over flowers everywhere.

"What a beautiful place." Mona said while looking around.

In the midst of all that beauty stood Aerith's house. Two men in suits - one bald and with sunglasses while the other had flaming red hair - were standing on each side of the door like guards.

Mona watched as the two men cowered slightly when Sephiroth approached them.

"We are here to speak with the girl's mother." He stated curtly.

The red-haired man nodded. "Yeah, yeah. The Boss has already informed us. But uhm-"

Sephiroth followed the Turk's line of sight and locked his gaze on Mona.

"She is part of the SOLDIER team."

The redhead exchanged a funny look with his partner, then shrugged and mumbled something incomprehensible before opening the door.

Mona tried to not find it weird that the company had free access to Aerith's house and brushed it off as a security measure.

Sephiroth stepped aside to let Mona enter first after the Turk had already made his way inside.

The inside of Aerith's home gave off the same peaceful vibes as its surroundings. It was a small but cozy home where the scent of fresh flowers and freshly baked cookies lingered in the air.

A home filled with love and warmth - Mona could tell.

A middle-aged woman with blonde hair sat at a table in the middle of the room, looking utterly distressed and lost in thoughts.

"Yo." The red-haired Turk said and harshly knocked on the surface of the table, effectively pulling the woman out of her thoughts. "The SOLDIER people are here."

The woman straightened up in her seat and looked between Mona and Sephiroth. "Is ... Is a young man named Zack Fair with you?"

Mona bit her lip. "Unfortunately not, ma'am. We have been trying to get a hold of him as well. But he left to look for Aerith as soon as he learned about her disappearance."

"I see." Elmyra said and sighed. "I was hoping he would know where she is since my daughter spends so much time with him. But it looks like he is just as clueless as everyone else."

Mona stepped forward and took a seat next to Elmyra. "I can ensure you that the whole company is doing its best to find Aerith. This includes Zack as well as the rest of the SOLDIER department." She paused, then carefully placed her hand on Elmyra's. "It must have been so hard for you as a mother - I am so sorry. But please put your faith in us."

Elmyra looked at the hand on top of hers and Mona could see that her eyes were becoming glassy.

"It's okay to cry in such a situation." She said quietly and squeezed the woman's hand.

That was when Elmyra started shaking and Mona did the best thing she could in that situation: She wrapped her arms around her and let her cry.

It briefly reminded her of how she used to comfort her own mother when she cried after another fight with her father - only that her arms were much smaller and shorter at that time.

Her gaze met with Sephiroth's who watched the scene with an unreadable expression. Mona smiled and mouthed a silent "It's okay." to him to which he nodded.

He then turned around and walked outside, the red-haired Turk following him.