Cheating Destiny

Midgar

A/N: In some capacity, "you" have been to Midgar before. If Zack or Cloud is your boy of choice, then obviously you used to live there. For everyone else, it's not improbable that at some point you'd visit since during the past year you've kept as least minimal ties to SOLDIER and/or its members. So the world isn't totally foreign to [Name]

Also I haven't played Crisis Core/FFVII in like AGES so I'm going off of memory on Midgar/Shinra. If I'm mistaken on anything... apologies D:

Midgar was just as depressing as you remembered. The city is dark, since it's the middle of the night, and rain is gently falling on your and Angeal's figures. Dim lights stream across the streets from the surrounding buildings and distant light posts, revealing jagged shadows and dancing figures in their wake.

Resting in the distance in the center of the city is the impossibly large Shinra Building, overlooking all who call Midgar home. You always assumed that SOLDIER was kind of like a group of rag-tag renegades. How wrong you were! Its ranks aren't huge, but SOLDIER consists of an elite group of heavily-trained killing machines (for lack of a better word). The Shinra Building is where they call home, safely concealed from the rest of the city. Something about the building made you very uneasy, but Zack and Cloud always insisted emphatically that nothing was amiss with Shinra. Who knows?

"So, we're just walking in?" you ask, glancing around the empty streets.

It felt strange, just walking around as if nothing is wrong. After all – you're wanted by the Organization, with a rather large bounty on your head.

"This world is blocked off to the Organization," Angeal tells you, noticing your worried looks up and down the street. "So yes, we're just going to walk in."

"Oh," you reply, looking down at your hands.

Your fingers are clasped together in an attempt to get them to stop shaking. It had only been a few days since Vanitas had taken you, but it felt like forever. You have no idea what you're about to walk in to.

"There's a few things you should know," Angeal speaks up, glancing down at you.

You return his gaze, secretly grateful he's breaking the silence. Angeal's wearing the typical SOLDIER First Class uniform – all black. It brought you back to last year seeing that uniform again, though you still remember how itchy its material is. You, on the other hand, are still wearing the white dress you cannot wait to burn to a crisp.

"What?" you ask.

"No one besides Sephiroth knows I brought you here. In case something went wrong... well, it just wouldn't have been smart to tell them. It's a rather rowdy crew you run along with I hear."

You can't help but smile, imagining Axel burning Shinra to the ground in blind fury if he found out you had been re-captured.

"I prefer 'passionate' to rowdy," you finally respond quietly, biting back a grin.

You glance up at the fast-approaching Shinra Building before coming to a stop, holding out a hand and grabbing Angeal's wrist. He stops as well, shooting you a confused look.

"Thank you, Angeal," you tell him, squeezing his wrist. "For saving my life, for bringing me back here, to my friends and to..."

"Don't mention it," he interrupts, patting the top of your head with a small smile. "We shouldn't stay out here much longer though. You never know who's watching."

You nod, releasing his wrist as he leads you towards the large entrance to the Shinra Building.

[RESULTS] ♥