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FFVII Sephiroth
Jan. 24th, 2013 06:20 pm“Go back to sleep, Sephiroth. We’ll be beginning treatment shortly. You’ll feel much better soon.”
Stay awake. Stay awake.
Warmth against his forehead – what was she doing?
Stay – awake.
A hand took his and squeezed. He didn’t understand why she did it. It felt nice.
Stay –
He needed to ask why, but his eyes wouldn’t obey him. He tried to speak, but a croaked sound was all he could make.
- Awake.
He tried to hold onto her hand even as sleep dragged him under and his eyes fluttered closed without his consent.
Don’t leave me.
When he dreamed a woman sang to him. The words eluded him, but for as long as she sang, the pain didn’t reach him so badly. When she stopped he wondered – floating somewhere between dreams and reality – why he ached.
***
Sephiroth. She called him by his name and not Project Sephiroth, designation Sephiroth, or in Professor Hojo’s case, specimen. He blinked at her.
“Hello.” Then she came closer and he tried to puzzle out where he’d heard her voice before. In his dreams he thought and it was nice. He didn’t understand. Why was she being nice to him? Didn’t she know that it wasn’t necessary? Sephiroth wasn’t like other children, he didn’t need to be smiled at or treated differently.
Oh, but she was speaking again. Habit kicked in and Sephiroth straightened up to listen.
“Better. I don’t think I have a fever anymore.” He did feel better. Getting sick wasn’t new to him. In fact it was strange to not be as sick as he remembered being a year ago. This time had been bad – very bad in fact. Sephiroth had wondered in the throes of his fever if he might die.
“Good. Do you might if I check you over?” He almost gaped at her. No one asked that question. No one ever asked him questions unless it was to gauge his response to the treatments. So why was she? He nodded and tried to not let his sudden wariness show. Kindness wasn’t to be trusted. The one technician who had ever been nice to him had been fired when Professor Hojo found out she’d been sneaking him sweets after his treatments.
He expected pain or something. He did not expect her infinite patience in looking him over. First his eyes then down his throat. She took his temperature, pressed places on his body and asked if it hurt. He never flinched, but answered her honestly even when it did. Then, then, she ruffled his hair when they were done and he reacted swiftly and withdrew.
“You shouldn’t do that, Doctor Crescent. It won’t please the Professor.” Sephiroth looked away when he thought he saw sadness in her eyes. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t mean to be rude. Sephiroth wanted to tell her that the only reason he said anything at all was because he wanted her to stay with him. Even if she stopped touching him, he liked her voice and that she looked at him with a real smile.
“How long will you be here?” He thought she might be a new assistant or an intern maybe; one that would be swiftly moved to another area of research once her time here was done. It would explain why she didn’t know about how he was to be treated by the staff. Professor Hojo had left for a while and the others probably wouldn’t have cared enough to explain when she had arrived.
Ah, that was it wasn’t it?
“You don’t have to be this way. I know how to act.” Sit still. Don’t flinch. No fidgeting. Answer the questions don’t ask them.
Stay awake. Stay awake.
Warmth against his forehead – what was she doing?
Stay – awake.
A hand took his and squeezed. He didn’t understand why she did it. It felt nice.
Stay –
He needed to ask why, but his eyes wouldn’t obey him. He tried to speak, but a croaked sound was all he could make.
- Awake.
He tried to hold onto her hand even as sleep dragged him under and his eyes fluttered closed without his consent.
Don’t leave me.
When he dreamed a woman sang to him. The words eluded him, but for as long as she sang, the pain didn’t reach him so badly. When she stopped he wondered – floating somewhere between dreams and reality – why he ached.
***
Sephiroth. She called him by his name and not Project Sephiroth, designation Sephiroth, or in Professor Hojo’s case, specimen. He blinked at her.
“Hello.” Then she came closer and he tried to puzzle out where he’d heard her voice before. In his dreams he thought and it was nice. He didn’t understand. Why was she being nice to him? Didn’t she know that it wasn’t necessary? Sephiroth wasn’t like other children, he didn’t need to be smiled at or treated differently.
Oh, but she was speaking again. Habit kicked in and Sephiroth straightened up to listen.
“Better. I don’t think I have a fever anymore.” He did feel better. Getting sick wasn’t new to him. In fact it was strange to not be as sick as he remembered being a year ago. This time had been bad – very bad in fact. Sephiroth had wondered in the throes of his fever if he might die.
“Good. Do you might if I check you over?” He almost gaped at her. No one asked that question. No one ever asked him questions unless it was to gauge his response to the treatments. So why was she? He nodded and tried to not let his sudden wariness show. Kindness wasn’t to be trusted. The one technician who had ever been nice to him had been fired when Professor Hojo found out she’d been sneaking him sweets after his treatments.
He expected pain or something. He did not expect her infinite patience in looking him over. First his eyes then down his throat. She took his temperature, pressed places on his body and asked if it hurt. He never flinched, but answered her honestly even when it did. Then, then, she ruffled his hair when they were done and he reacted swiftly and withdrew.
“You shouldn’t do that, Doctor Crescent. It won’t please the Professor.” Sephiroth looked away when he thought he saw sadness in her eyes. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t mean to be rude. Sephiroth wanted to tell her that the only reason he said anything at all was because he wanted her to stay with him. Even if she stopped touching him, he liked her voice and that she looked at him with a real smile.
“How long will you be here?” He thought she might be a new assistant or an intern maybe; one that would be swiftly moved to another area of research once her time here was done. It would explain why she didn’t know about how he was to be treated by the staff. Professor Hojo had left for a while and the others probably wouldn’t have cared enough to explain when she had arrived.
Ah, that was it wasn’t it?
“You don’t have to be this way. I know how to act.” Sit still. Don’t flinch. No fidgeting. Answer the questions don’t ask them.