Chaos Cursed

“Sephiroth.” The line crackled faintly over the radio, Sephiroth turning to dive into the truck and grab the handset.

“Tseng? What’s going on? How did you get this line?”

“I’m in headquarters, they patched me through. Sephiroth, Seraphina’s taken a turn for the worse. Any signs of Genesis?”

“No. Things have gotten worse - Angeal’s disappeared as well.” He could hear the other man groan, and in his mind’s eye he saw Tseng rubbing his temples with one hand. “I’d appreciate it if no one told Sanura about Seraphina, we’re barely keeping her going now.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Aerith is the only one who keeps in contact with someone other than you, and she hasn’t told Zack anything about Seraphina.”

“Good.”

“I need to go now, before the boss hears I came in - I asked for today off.”

“For her?”

“Of course. Be safe, Sephiroth. It’d kill them both, if something happened to you - when she’s lucid, all she wants to know is how things are going for you three…”

“I’ll be careful.” As the radio disconnected, Tseng got to his feet and slid out of the building quickly, never noticing the blonde that followed silently in the distance, never glancing back, never expecting anyone to be following him in the first place.

Rufus frowned slightly as he looked up at the building Tseng had entered - it was one of ShinRa’s best and most exclusive hospitals. This both drove the curiosity he held, and worried him. It had not occurred to him that Tseng could be ill. As he slid in after the typically professional Turk and followed him up the stairs, he became certain that Tseng himself was not ill - he had not checked himself in. Sliding behind one of the plants on the top floor, he watched as Rude exited a hospital room, meeting the other man. After a few moments of whispering, Tseng went inside, and the bald man left the building. It was a good three hours later before Tseng left, and Rufus calmly walked into the room, expecting an injured SOLDIER or something of the sort. As the door closed behind him and his eyes adjusted to the darkened room, he was startled to see a beautiful young woman lying as though asleep. Her hands were folded at her waist, and her breathing was slow and steady. The scene would have been peaceful, but for the lines of pain etched around her eyes.

“…Tseng? …Really, I told you…I’ll be fine for one night without you or Rude-” The voice was faint, but as eyes opened to see a man she did not know standing by her bedside, her words ended abruptly. “…Who are you?”

“…I am Rufus ShinRa.” His voice was quiet, easing into the chair that remained pulled up to the bedside, fingertips pressing together as he looked calmly at the young woman who weakly turned her head to meet his gaze. Those eyes were beautiful, such a unique mixture of mako and earth, even as recognition dawned in them. “You know of me.”

“You’re…Tseng and Rude’s boss.” She whispered, attempting to sit up only to hiss in agony and lay back with a soft sigh. “I take it you’ve…been wondering where they…keep disappearing to…”

“I have. I did not expect to find a young woman in a hospital as their reason…” He murmured softly, watching as she shrugged slightly.

“I apologize…I’ve tried to tell them…that they can’t…just abandon…” She started to drift, gasping in sudden pain and focusing her gaze on him again. “…abandon their work for me…”

“You should rest…” Rufus looked worried, and his usually blank façade snapped into worry as she tried to sit up and instead started to fall. He leapt to his feet to catch her, easing her back to lay down and pulling the blankets up over her even as she shook her head.

“I…apologize…for my…weakness…” She whispered, before her eyes slid shut. Rufus sat in silence, contemplating her closed eyes. As the light of dawn slipped through the windows, it slid across the smooth skin of her face, still tensed with pain. When the room brightened a bit more, he noticed a copy of LOVELESS on the bedside table, a bookmark sticking out the top. Picking it up, he slid it open and began to read aloud, softly, to the woman lying in the bed before him. When he glanced up between sentences, he noticed her face seemed less etched with pain, and there was even a smile on her face. Glancing at the bookmark, he noticed a schedule on the back.

“Obviously you intend for them to quit neglecting their jobs.” Rufus murmured, chuckling as he noticed that Rude and Tseng were only given slots when they would not be working or sleeping. The name Aerith was not given much more time to visit her, he noticed, leaving her alone for a decent amount of the day, and all night. “I believe I will remember this…and visit you, myself.”

As he glanced to the clock, he realized Rude would soon return, and closed the book, replacing it on the bedside table to slip out, heading to the office for a few hours. At least today he knew Tseng would not be calling in. He, however, made sure to slip out for lunch in between Rude and Tseng’s visits to the hospital, grabbing two meals and a rose, and heading up to the woman’s hospital room. He found her staring silently out the window, though as the door opened, she turned to the window as though irritated.

“Tseng, if you called in because of me again-” Again, her words ended abruptly at the sight of the other man standing in the doorway, though this time more in confusion at the objects he carried than at his return. “…what is that?”

“Lunch.” He told her easily, setting the bags down on a table and grabbing an empty vase from the windowsill. He turned to the bathroom, filling the vase, and placed the rose within it. That vase was set down on her bedside table near her copy of LOVELESS, leaving him to turn to her, smirking at her confusion. “What, can’t you eat?”

“How would you know what I like?”

“Obviously you feel a bit more rested today.” He chuckled, pulling a bowl from the bag to place it before her, along with a spoon. “Vegetable soup.”

“…ugh not you too.” He grinned at the weary tone of her voice, taking the bowl back and putting it back in the first bag, setting it off to the side as he dumped the second bag onto the rolling table. No less than ten wrapped tacos slid out of the bag, making her blink at him.

“…What?”

“You…like tacos?” He grinned as he handed her one, before taking a bite out of one himself, nodding slightly.

“Who doesn’t?” Was the only response he gave, between massive bites of taco. She managed to eat two, as he had expected. Seraphina couldn’t help but laugh as he downed the other eight in less than fifteen minutes. He tossed the remains into the bag, throwing it away and sliding the table out of the way so he could pull the chair up closer to her bedside. “Are you getting tired again?”

“No…not right now.” She told him easily, though she did lay back down, attempting to conserve energy. She had such a limited supply of it lately, she had to be careful or she wouldn’t be able to warn her visitors before she slept. “Why did you come back?”

“…You seemed like you’d enjoy company that wasn’t trying to mother you.” He commented quietly, earning a laugh for his effort. “Besides…you intrigued me.”

“I managed that? I’m flattered.” She murmured, shaking her head slightly.

“You should be. At any rate…I take it Rude came to see you before he came in to work today?”

“Yes…” Noticing the way her hearing was starting to drift, she forced herself to focus on him for a moment. “…I’m…about to fade out again…I apologize…I…”

“Rest.” He murmured, reaching out to pull the blankets more firmly over her shoulder. As she drifted into sleep again, he picked up the book on her bedside table and began to read aloud, and was nearly three chapters in when he glanced up to the clock to realize that Tseng would be arriving soon - as would Rude, his lunch break occurring just as Tseng got off work. He slid the bookmark into the book, closing it quietly and getting to his feet. He took care to put the bowl of soup and spoon on the table, and slid it near the bed so Seraphina would not have to get up for it if she woke hungry before the others arrived, before he tucked the blanket around her and slid out the doorway with the bags in one hand, throwing them in a trashcan outside the hospital before he headed back to the office.

When Rude and Tseng entered the room, it was to find Seraphina still unconscious, but as they realized that things had been moved, they looked to each other in utter confusion. Aerith wasn’t coming until this evening, and neither of them had brought the flower or the food. This left them wondering what mysterious admirer not only knew her favorite flower was the yellow rose, but also that her favorite soup - the only one she would eat anymore - was vegetable.

“Who the hell could know that? Sephiroth doesn’t even know that!” Tseng hissed, pointing first to the flower, then to the bowl of soup. As Seraphina stirred momentarily, and looked to the two in confusion, Rude glared at him for waking her.

“…maybe it was a lucky guess…” She whispered. To their shock, she fell straight back into sleep, as opposed to staying awake even a few minutes longer. It was only getting worse, and Sephiroth and the others weren’t due to return to Midgar for another week. Seraphina still had not told them the final measure to be taken when she slipped into a coma, and they knew they were running out of time. Neither man were certain just how much longer she could live like this, and neither really wanted to find out - but she still refused to reveal the key to returning her to full health.