Chaos Cursed

Two days had passed - Tseng and Rude were still fearing for the life of the woman that was currently, as of the past two hours, officially comatose in the hospital, and there were no signs of the illness relenting. Aerith still came by every day at the same time, always arriving with fresh flowers from the church. Each day, there were more and more flowers in the room. The yellow rose had appeared first, followed by a bouquet of yellow and white roses, which had been followed by orchids and then a blend of Siroi Lilies and lotus blossoms. Today, however, was the first time she had entered to find not a single new flower in sight. This confused her slightly, until she saw the sunlight glinting from a spot at Seraphina’s collarbone. There, attached at the very tip to a thin strand of black silk, lay a marquise cut mako crystal.

Aerith noticed that Seraphina seemed to be in a great deal less pain than she had been the previous day - she shook her head slightly, moving to replace the wilted flowers from the church. She knew that the other flowers in the room had been replaced each day, as her own were always beginning to wilt after only twenty four hours in the room. Aerith had realized that Seraphina was not kidding when she said she would suck the life out of her - she was draining what energy remained in the cut flowers that were brought into the room. Emptying the vase, she refilled it and placed the fresh flowers into it, before setting it across the room on the window sill.

Turning back, she smiled softly at her friend, though seeing the I.V. in her arm and the machine to check her pulse made the smile falter, and left Aerith leaning back against the window in a sudden bout of fighting her tears.

“Seraphina…you were supposed to tell us…” Aerith whispered, hugging herself as she turned to look out the window at the setting sun. “You were supposed to tell us how to save you, before this happened…why didn’t you say anything?”

Even as she spoke, she never turned away from that window, keeping her gaze on the sunlight as it began to fade. “Zack called today…there’s still no sign of Genesis…and worse, Angeal has disappeared now, too. They’ve been recalled to Midgar awaiting further orders - Sephiroth requested it, since Sanura seems to have gone nearly hysterical after Angeal’s disappearance. I’m sure at least in your presence she’ll recover enough to speak normally again…if only to you…”

As the room slowly grew darker and full night fell, she turned back to find the little mako crystal glowing faintly, flickering in time with Seraphina’s heartbeat. The sight of that crystal, that tiny crystal, struggling in time with Seraphina’s heart was too much. Unable to stand it, Aerith slipped out of the room with the murmured assurance that she would be back in a moment, and let herself fall back into one of the walls outside, hands over her face as she struggled to keep her tears at bay.

Seraphina was dying. The sight of that crystal’s light spoke far more clearly than the numbers on that hospital’s machine. It whispered that she was fighting to stay alive, but it was a fight she was not even close to being able to win. This sudden, final revelation of that truth was almost too much for Aerith, who remained prone in the silent, sterile hospital hall for a full twenty minutes. Only when she heard the crash from within the hospital room, followed by the blaring of the alarms of the machines that had once been attached to Serphina, did she snap out of her moment of sadness and rush back into the room, not knowing what she would find.

She was left in shock at the sight of an empty bed, the room itself in complete chaos - flowers lay all over the room, the shards of glass from the vases and windows on the floor. As she stepped fully into the room in a measure of silent horror, a nurse came running in after her. Once she had realized what had happened, the nurse turned off the alarms before rushing back out to call Tseng and Rude. Aerith was alone in the room when the wind stirred the blankets, making her jump and glance over - to find a single black feather lying on the hospital bed.

“…Genesis.” She whispered, reaching out to pick the feather up, tucking it away into her pocket even as she heard footsteps - slow footsteps, a sure sign that it wasn’t Tseng or Rude. Only when she heard the click of a gun taken off safety behind her did she turn, and as she did, she was left staring past the barrel of a gun into a pair of emotionless blue eyes.

“Where is she?” Unable to speak, recognizing the one who stood before her and remembering everything she had ever heard of him. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe - much less answer his question - slowly backing away. “I said, where is she?!”

“Boss?!” The sharp tone had Rufus sliding deeper into the room and to the side, gaze and gun never leaving the girl who seemed relieved to hear Rude’s voice.

“Sir, what are you doing here?” Tseng questioned, even as he followed Rude into the room. “And why are you threatening her?”

“The girl is gone, and I found her-” Rufus gestured slightly with his gun to Aerith, who was torn between fury at the accusation and fainting from the near-death status she was in, “in the room. Now, where is she?”

“Sir, Aerith had nothing to do with the disappearance.” Tseng began, but before he could continue, Rude noticed the bouquet of primrose and azalea flowers that Rufus held in his free hand, and actually choked at the realization. “Rude?”

“…you’re the one who’s been here?” Rude managed, and as that sunk into Tseng’s head, Rufus was shocked to find his employee beginning to growl and stalk towards him.

“…you were…trying to seduce…Seraphina…” Tseng began, words measured carefully for effect as he ignored the gun that Rufus held and all else in the world but for the fact that Rufus ShinRa had been bringing flowers to the girl he held as a sister.

“At least she had someone coming to see her who didn’t treat her like an invalid.” Rufus snapped in response, fist clenching around the flowers that, in any other circumstances, would have left him inwardly horrified for being caught bringing to a woman.

“She was an invalid!” Tseng’s roar had Aerith looking to Rude in worry, only to find Rude cracking his knuckles as he waited for Tseng to take a swing. I’m sorry, Sera. But some things I can’t allow. Not even for your sake. He thought, stalking towards Tseng to grab his arm and jerk him away.

“She wasn’t so much one that you had to treat her like one.” Rufus had gone very, very quiet, a sure sign that he was not pleased in any way, shape, or form. The gun was slid back into the holster hidden beneath his coat, and with a last glance at the room, he threw the bouquet onto the empty bed.

When he had gone, as silently as he had entered, Aerith glanced to Tseng and Rude, one looking apologetic, the other ashamed. Only when they realized she was still present, and looked to her to see if she was still alright, did she turn her gaze from them to the bouquet. “Primroses for a deep love…a strong love…and the azalea…for patience…”

“What?” Tseng’s voice was quiet now, blinking as Aerith looked to him in near tears.

“…He loved her…”