Loveless

Part 2

As the long day unfolded, Eloise drifted through the halls of Shinra Headquarters with a kind of restless, electric vitality. She felt as though the air itself hummed around her. Becoming a SOLDIER had already seemed like the edge of an impossible dream; being assigned to Sephiroth—Sephiroth—as her mentor was so unreal she kept expecting someone to shake her awake. The knowledge sharpened her steps, lit up her eyes, and wrapped her in the buoyant confidence she had fought so long to earn.

Zack, meanwhile, was a walking thundercloud of nerves.

He kept stealing glances at her as they stepped into the elevator. Pride radiated from him. He had seen how rarely women managed to break into SOLDIER and how hard Eloise had had to push. But beneath that pride lurked a quiet, tangled knot of dread. Zack had watched Sephiroth fight, and he had watched him train recruits. The man was a storm. 

Was this good news? Was Eloise truly ready for someone like him? Or was this the beginning of a disaster?

He sighed and jabbed the button for the 49th floor. Eloise practically radiated excitement, shimmering off her like mako-light.

Stay positive, Zack, he told himself. 

Her new room was clean, modern, and surprisingly comfortable for a Third Class dorm—sleek surfaces, soft lights, neutral tones. It felt closer to a discreet hotel suite than the spartan barracks she'd endured in the infantry. Eloise wandered through it with the awe of someone seeing a new world, running her fingers along curtains, the desk, even the mattress. She looked almost luminous with satisfaction.

Zack rubbed the back of his neck, gathering courage.

"You know... if you want, I can talk to Angeal. Maybe—"

A pillow hit him square in the face.

"Zack," she groaned, "it's fine. Really. I want Sephiroth as my mentor. He's a legend, isn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Then he'll help me improve." She crossed her arms, chin lifted. "I didn't join SOLDIER for fun. I want to do something meaningful. I want to be strong enough to build something better than this."

Zack inhaled slowly.

"Are you sure SOLDIER is the best place for that?"

"Yes." She said with no hesitation. "If it makes me stronger—yes." She flopped onto the bed, stretching out. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Zack could have provided a list long enough to fill an entire report.

Sleep evaded Eloise like an enemy she couldn't track. She twisted, turned, threw herself from one side of the mattress to the other. By four in the morning she surrendered, dragging herself out into the cold, sterile hallways.

Shinra Headquarters at night felt different. The metallic echo of the floors seemed louder; the lights seemed colder, as if the building were exhaling in its sleep. She trudged toward the elevator, rubbing her eyes, barely awake.

Footsteps echoed behind her and they stopped right next to her.

"And who might you be?"

The voice was smooth, touched with amusement that suggested danger rather than warmth.

Eloise didn't answer. She didn't trust herself to form coherent words.

"Not going to respond?" he pressed lightly. "That's rude, newbie."

She rolled her eyes and turned. Eloise' eyes widened at the sight.

He stood there with the effortless presence of someone who had never once needed to posture. Tall. Striking. Sharp-featured. Red hair fell to his shoulders in loose, unruly waves. He held a half-open book in one hand, as if she had interrupted him mid-sentence. Mako glimmered faintly in his eyes.