"I still can't believe you killed Ursula," Reno says for what has to be the twentieth time as you, he, Cloud, Leon, and Genesis make your way into the elevator at Shinra.
"Why do you sound you surprised?" you ask with a small laugh, narrowing your eyes at the redhead. "Maybe my training is kicking in."
"I'm sure it is," Genesis agrees, smiling down at you (though you swear you can hear some hesitation in his voice).
"Either way, we're grateful," Leon points out just as the elevator doors open with a soft ding.
"Why?" you ask, glancing around at them.
"Saved us from having to fight," Cloud explains with a grin.
You roll your eyes, glancing forward as you start to walk. You almost immediately come to a stop, however, as you realize everyone is standing just outside the elevators.
"What's going on?" Leon asks, sounding slightly worried.
"We just wanted to tell [Name] congrats," Noctis says as Sora pulls you into a hug, a goofy grin on his face.
"It's not every day our delicate little flower kills an evil sea witch," Yuffie adds, pinching your cheeks as Sora releases you.
"Stop," you laugh, shooing her hands away. "Have you guys forgotten I DIED before?!"
"For, like, an hour," Zack points out, rolling his eyes.
"You could use some toughening up," Terra adds matter-of-factly.
"And this is step one!" Aqua quickly adds as you shoot Terra a glare.
"Whatever. Where's Angeal?" you ask eagerly, glancing around the group. "I owe him a huge thank you, for all of his help..."
Everyone who didn't go to Atlantica starts to exchange silent looks. Your eyes narrow once more.
"What aren't you telling us?" Cloud asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
They all sigh, clearly unsure what to say. You feel your heart start to race. Was Angeal okay? So far, he's the only person who knows what you witnessed with Sephiroth. Frankly, he's become the only person you can be truly open with about everything. Your hopes, your fears, your doubts...
"He's gone, on a mission," Riku finally tells your smaller group with a heavy sigh.
"Gone?!" you repeat, eyes widening.
"We're really sorry, [Name]. He just couldn't wait to say bye," Ven adds, clapping a hand on your shoulder.
You take a step back, shaking your head. A sinking feeling hits your gut as Ven's hand slowly falls off your shoulder. Had Sephiroth somehow found out what you told Angeal? Were you in danger? Or those you love?
Without a word you brush past Roxas and Xion as you charge down the hallway, ignoring a few calls out after you. You make a right when you reach the bedrooms, almost moving on autopilot as you run down the hall. You skid to a stop outside of Angeal's room, frantically knocking on the door.
No one answers.
Quickly, you press your palm to the door, running in as it slides open. Angeal's room is empty, his bed neatly made and his closet without a single item of clothing. It looks like no one has lived there. The doors close behind you, but you barely notice it. Your eyes are instead locked on a lone piece of paper resting on his desk.
Slowly, you walk towards the desk, gingerly picking up the paper in your hands. You sit on the swivel chair in front of the desk, leaning back as your eyes scan the page.
"[Name],
I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you goodbye in person. Don't worry – I haven't told anyone what you told me. I'll be back before you know it. Until then, you'll be left in very capable hands. Keep what you saw to yourself until I return. The fewer people know, the better.
Stay safe.
Angeal"
You're not sure how long you sat there staring at the letter, reading and re-reading his words. After awhile, everything bleeds together into an unintelligible mess. What does this mean? Are you in danger, stuck here with Sephiroth? Vanitas' words also run through your head, his warning of Shinra...
With a sigh, you drop your head. This secret clearly can't stay a secret much longer.
[♥]
"You okay?"
With a jump you sit up straight in your seat, glancing up at the sudden intruder to your thoughts. Standing before you is a beaming Yuffie, a bright red apple clutched in her hands as she stares down at you.
"Of course! Why?" you ask, picking at your eggs as she leans a palm on the cafeteria table.
"You look all depressed," she points out with a scrunch of her nose. "I figured you'd be happy! You've been trying to get more action since the moment I've met you. Now look at you – a genuine fighter!"
You roll your eyes, though you can't hold back a small laugh.
"I guess. Felt more like dumb luck," you admit, shrugging lazily. "I mean... I defeated a sea creature while she was away from the ocean. Not really anything too glamorous," you add with a smirk.
Yuffie grins, slinking into the seat in front of you as he takes a comically large bite out of her apple. She munches loudly, watching you carefully.
"What, is there something on my face?" you finally ask, patting around your cheeks and mouth.
Yuffie shakes her head, swallowing the bite.
"No, no. You've just been so secretive since coming to Shinra."
She leans forward a bit, resting a hand over yours. Her dark eyes are watching you carefully, eyebrows raised in silent reassurance. You release a pent-up sigh, dropping your head slightly as you break her gaze.
"If there's something you knew, something really important... something no one else knew... something that could change the course of this war... Would you tell anyone?"
You're greeted by silence. You slowly peek up, your heart sinking when you realize Yuffie's frowning. Almost immediately she breaks out in a grin, leaning back in her seat after gently patting your hand.
"Well, you know my motto – there's no secrets between friends!"
You hum a bit as you raise a fork-full of eggs to your mouth. Nodding, your gaze darts over to her.
"Yeah," you agree between chews of egg, "friends. Huh."
A knowing smile grows on Yuffie's face as she places her half-eaten apple on your plate. Something about her expression is making you nervous. Nothing good can come of a prying Yuffie.
"You're pregnant, aren't you?" she guesses with a sigh.
"What?!" you ask with a laugh, quickly shaking your head. "Are you serious, Yuff? No way!!"
"Good," she sighs, playfully pretending to wipe sweat from her forehead, "because I am not ready to be an Aunt!"
From the look on her face, you know she's kidding. And for a moment, you truly forgot the secret weighing on your heart. You smile, taking another bite of eggs.
"So what's the secret?" she asks coyly, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Oh, didn't you hear? Xemnas and I are engaged. We're eloping in the Fall."
The two of you burst out laughing, earning many confused stares from the SOLDIERs sitting around the dining hall.
It felt good acting like yourself again. Besides, it's what Angeal would want you to do.
[♥]
"So, what are you doing today?" Yuffie asks as you toss your plate amongst the dirty dishes piled at the exit of the dining hall.
You glance down at your blue SOLDIER outfit.
"Training. You couldn't guess?" you ask in amusement.
"Eh, I thought maybe the uniform grew on you," she decides with a shrug. "I'm jealous! I don't have any plans today..."
"Poor you," you mutter with a smile. "This is me."
You thumb backwards, towards the training halls, and Yuffie releases an exasperated groan.
"Fine. I see how it is!" she huffs, sticking her nose up in the air before waving goodbye and starting to march away. "Have fun for me!"
"Have fun relaxing," you call out after her, watching her skip away for a moment before sighing and making your way down the hall.
You can't help but wonder just what your training will entail. Maybe Angeal will be back? No, not this soon. You've already trained with Aqua, Terra, and Ven – and they're likely too busy to help you at this point. All questions come to a stop as you arrive at your training room, standing in front of the blurred glass doors. They gracefully slide open, revealing a lone figure standing inside. Your eyes narrow as Genesis glances up, watching you emotionlessly.
"You're late," Genesis states, pointing to the clock.
You follow his finger; sure enough, you're almost 5 minutes late.
"Sorry, you know Yuffie. She can talk for hours," you tell him with a nervous smile, stepping inside the room.
The doors spring shut behind you, causing you to jump a bit in surprise.
"What's going on?" you add, glancing at the 1st Class.
"Angeal left me in charge today, to help you," Genesis explains simply. "We grew up and trained together. I know him inside and out."
"Um... no," you laugh, shaking your head. "I'm not fighting you. You're basically genetically modified to kill."
"I've also been trained not to kill," Genesis points out, gracefully pulling his red sword from the sheath connected to his pants.
With his other hand he tosses you a pair of goggles, which you just barely manage to catch. You start to chew on your bottom lip in nervousness, staring down at the eyewear.
"If you feel safer starting out slow, I have back-up."
You narrow your eyes at him before you hear the doors open behind you. Peering over your shoulder, you can't help but smile when you spot Sora standing in the doorway, waving with a huge grin.
"Hiya, [Name]!" Sora greets, swinging his Keyblade over his shoulder as he walks towards you.
You frown when you realize he's wearing all black.
"Oh, damn it, Sora's been promoted too?!" you exclaim, pointing back at the cheery brunet as you stare forward at Genesis.
"He didn't complain about having to fight me," Genesis points out.
"I even defeated him once!" Sora adds with a laugh, earning a glare from the auburn-haired male.
With a sigh you turn around, facing Sora as he drops his arm to his side. The tip of his Keyblade is just grazing the ground as he watches you, his smile almost immediately wiped from his face as his entire demeanor transforms. In an instant, you're reminded why he's the Keybearer.
"Don't take it too easy on her, Sora," Genesis instructs as he starts to pace around the room like a lion. "With each defeat comes the resolve to succeed."
"Did you get that off of a fortune cookie?" you ask with a laugh, glancing over your shoulder at the 1st Class.
You can feel a whoosh of air hit you, and you quickly snap your head around to see a flash of silver coming right towards you. With a yelp you just barely manage to hop out of the way, pulling your sword from its sheath as you dart to the side.
"Faster!" Genesis barks, and with a smile Sora grips his Keyblade in both hands and charges towards you.
You raise your sword, blocking Sora's blade. Sparks fly at the contact, and your knee buckles as Sora presses all of his weight against you. You reach out, kicking at his shin. He stumbles forward with a grunt, and you laugh in success before quickly gasping as Sora swipes you across the back with his blade. You fall forward, catching yourself on the wall.
"You're sloppy!" Genesis roars, and you glance over at him. He's clearly different in his teaching style than Angeal. Angeal is, relatively, patient. Genesis is brutal, unforgiving. It's almost scary. "Is this really all you've learned these past few weeks?!"
"No!" you yell back, pushing yourself off of the wall and turning around to face a charging Sora.
You point your sword towards the Keybearer, closing your eyes. All of your energy is focused on ice, bitter coldness. It consumes you, chilling you to the bone. As you feel Sora within inches of you, you open your eyes and slash your sword towards him. It collides with his Keyblade, and you hear a small gasp of pain emit from Sora as he stumbles back. He holds onto his shoulder, dropping his arm to his side. The skin of his arm, from his fingers to his shoulder, is becoming encased in light blue ice. Sora's blue eyes dart to your in a glare, and he hops back as you swing your sword towards him, just barely missing his chest.
For the first time all day, a flicker of a smile appears on Genesis' face.
[♥]
"Get up," Zack complains, kicking at your shoe.
You tilt your head to the side, glaring at the raven-haired male as he stands in front of your lounging position on the couch. Everyone has slowly filed into the lounge area, done with training for the day. You're currently sprawled face-down on the beat up couch, drowning out the exhausting day with some propaganda on the local news.
"You're blocking the TV," you complain, shooing him out of the way with your hand as you desperately try to peer around his body.
"You're taking up the whole couch!" Reno complains, throwing his hands up in the air as he appears at Zack's side. "That's my couch..."
"I don't see your name on it," you retort with a small smile, glancing up at the redhead.
With a sigh Zack leans down, hoisting you up in the air. Reno chuckles loudly as he hops onto the couch, snuggling into a pillow as you're placed on your feet and Zack throws himself down onto the middle portion of the couch. With a grin he pats the seat next to him, and you roll your eyes and sit down, grumbling to yourself.
"So rude," you mutter, glaring at the two laughing males before focusing your attention on the TV.
"I'm glad to see you're alive, [Name]," Ven speaks up, poking his head up from his spot on a cushy chair closer to the TV.
"Why's that?" you ask, resting an elbow on the side of the couch.
"Genesis. He's... great," Ven corrects himself with a smile when he realizes the auburn-haired male is glaring over at him from across the room.
"You might hate training, Ventus, but it's beneficial to anyone looking to fight in battle," Genesis tells him boredly, turning his attention back to a game of cards he's playing with Noctis and Riku.
"... It's Ven," Ven corrects quietly, causing you to crack a grin as he slinks down in his seat and turns his attention to the TV.
"We have breaking news!" the female announcer on the television states loudly, a stern expression on her face as the camera zooms out.
Behind her a picture of you appears on the screen, and you feel your heart sink into your stomach as you sit up straight.
"What'd you do this time?" Axel asks with a laugh, earning glares from the whole room.
"We have reason to believe the escaped fugitive, traitor, and attempted assassinator [Name] [Last Name] is being hidden in Midgar. Our sources tell us that she has been spotted around Shinra Headquarters. This has not been officially confirmed, but everyone is warned to keep their eyes open for a potential sighting. She is believed to be armed and dangerous, and is not to be approached."
"Turn it off," Leon snaps, charging towards Cloud and ripping the remote from his hands.
"Hey," the blond protests, narrowing his eyes at Leon as he changes the channel to some sports network. "What if something important was about to come up?"
"It's all propaganda," Roxas points out, resting his hands on the back of the couch, behind you. "What I want to know is, how Xemnas tracked you down. You haven't been allowed out on the streets in weeks."
"Maybe an inside source?" Sora suggests with a shrug.
You feel your breath catch in your throat as you glance towards the doorway just in time to see Sephiroth watching you closely. The second your eyes meet his, he turns on his heel and marches away.
Your hands rise to your head, your fingers digging into your scalp as your head falls slightly.
'Don't wander off alone anymore. Even at Shinra.'
Was Vanitas right?
And if he is right... then is Angeal in danger?
You force a smile, dropping your hands as you lift your head up, glancing around the room. Everyone's watching you with worried expressions.
"Eh, it's probably just Xemnas taking a wild guess that I'm here. The guy's not exactly savvy," you point out with a laugh.
"That is true," Noctis hums, and everyone starts to nod along in agreement.
The scariest part is, your lying is starting to become convincing.