Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy VII: Reverie ❯ The End Of An Era(Part 2) Rest In Peace Mr. President ( Chapter 46 )

Lieandra sat in the dark. The guardhouse wasn't small but there was very little light to work by during the evening hours. She had grown fond of listening to the waves crash outside. Another type of wave could suddenly be heard. "Son of a bitch!" she spat as she tried to find the radio. Incoming messages were scrambled and were to be decoded by the highest-ranking officer. She fought to try and find a pen and paper. "Hang on, hang on!" she muttered as the shrill series of beeps and hisses came over the speakers.

Leira smacked her head on the table as she finally found her pen. She looked around quickly and said a small chant. A tiny flame appeared in the corner of the room making the radio visible. She pushed a button and tossed the pen aside. "Just talk to me!" she spat as she grabbed the microphone.

A voice quickly answered hers. "Ahem. Who am I talking to?"

"TE: 65996: Midgar." She replied.

"This is a message for the Vice President."

"Who am I speaking with?" Leira asked.

"Leira, It's Tseng." Said the head of the Turks.

"What the hell do you want?"

There was a slight pause.

"Hello, Tseng…?"

"I'm here. Listen, tell Rufus that the Ancient has been captured." Her former boss answered.

Leira raised an eyebrow. "Ancient? You mean Sephiroth?" Leira had heard rumors about the former Shinra general being a possible Ancient.

"That's only a theory." Said Tseng. "No, I mean the girl. Aeris Gainsborough."

"Oh, you found her. Rufus will be pleased when I tell him tomorrow."

"What are you talking about, TE: Midgar?!" Tseng was aghast.

Leira put her feet up on the desk. "You should know as well as I do that he doesn't like to be waken in the middle of his sleep. The kid really hates to be bothered."

Silence again. Tseng sighed over the speakers. "Fine. Just be aware that the President thinks it a good idea for his son to join him over here in Midgar."

"Understood. Leira out." She reached over to turn off the radio but Tseng interrupted.

"Leira?"

"Yes, Tseng." She was beginning to get cross.

"It will be good to see you again. It's been a few years." His voice was so gentle it confused her. She straightened in her chair. "Good night, Tseng."

Resident Turk Elite 65996 finally turned off the radio and flagged out the tiny fire. She removed her boots and slipped off the long yellow, blue, black, and white silk robe the president had chosen for her. Underneath the body concealing robe Leira had on a tight white short sleeved shirt and tight fitting blue pants. She absolutely hated anything that felt like a dress. As she walked along the edge of the guardhouse she laughed to herself about how much darker it was inside the room set aside for her compared to the starlight that was supplied by the sky outdoors. The Elite sat on the ground and listened to the waves again. This was one of the few times that she was able to feel at peace.

Leira wondered if there was ever a time when she disliked her location. She pulled her knees up into her chest and rested her head on her hands. She had done the majority of her calendar shots on the very same beach she was sitting at. She remembered being with Reno. Leira undid her long braid and let her hair sway in the breeze. One of the house guards had lit up a cigarette. She could smell the smoke. It was the same brand that Reno smoked.

For some reason she began to feel an incredible loneliness. This feeling didn't seem to stem from her thoughts of Reno. She tried to search her memory for thoughts of her past. It was rare for her to feel this sentimental. Her past seemed to be moving farther and farther away from her. She was tired of giving herself a headache when trying to remember details from long ago.

At least a couple hours had passed by when the radio started buzzing again. Leira had jumped to her feet and started back towards the interior of the guardhouse. "Hold on!" she bellowed.

She flicked the switch. A small red light came on. "That's unusual." She mused. Whenever radio messages came in, the light on the radio served as a means to identify who was calling. It helped to provide the officer on duty with an idea of who had business, whose business was important and who was just playing around. When Tseng had called the light was yellow indicating that it was not an emergency but should still be treated as being important. Leira had guessed that the red light was for emergency situations. She'd never answered one before and was confused on how to handle it. She quickly flicked another switch that was located to the right of the flashing red light. This switch carried the message to all officers on that same frequency.

"TE: 65996: Midgar: Thompson, Lieandra, Jonah. State your business." She said calmly.

"Palmer…Palmer!" Crackled a voice over the speaker.

Leira rolled her eyes and started to turn off the all channels switch. "This had better be good, fat man. Rufus told you that he wanted nothing to do with you or your recipes for lard tea."

Ever since she had joined the Shinra military she had hated dealing with the head of the Shinra Space Administration. Palmer was indeed a fat man. He always liked to wear brown clothing and his skin was always unusually pink. Leira had figured that it was due to his clogged veins and arteries calling out for air. He was a man of very little intelligence and even fewer hairs. She always thought his style of dress was tacky too because he would always dye what hair he did have the same color as his clothing.

Palmer was one of the reasons why the radio signal color channels had been developed in the first place. He liked to call and plead for the rebuilding of the Space Administration. Rufus had become tired of dealing with Palmer and left any and all incoming messages for Leira to answer.

"I'm here with the President!" Palmer yelped. Leira turned off the switch for all channels. At one point in time Palmer had called on the President's behalf to talk to the Vice President. To the best of her knowledge Palmer was only serving as a go between to try and ease past tensions between the father and son team up. Rufus hated talking to his father and absolutely abhorred talking to Palmer.

"Turn the switch back on! Turn it on!" Palmer squealed as he pleaded to the Elite.

"Okay, fat man." She turned the switch back on. "What do you want?"

A squealing sound came over the radio followed by cries of "he's here, he's here!"

Leira leaned in as the house guards joined her. The Resident SOLDIER leaned over her shoulder. "What's going on, Leira?" he asked in Wutai.

The Elite blinked at him and looked back at the radio. Still more cries rang out. It sounded like there was a war going on inside the Shinra building.

Resident SOLDIER First Class Timal Klefmon removed his helmet and scratched his head.

Resident Pilot Navig Benton took out another of his cigarettes and lit it. "What do you suppose is going on?" he whispered into his cousin's ear.

The Elite turned the volume up. "There's someone else there." She said to them in Wutai.

The two men leaned in. Sure enough a voice could be heard among the screaming Shinra employees. A male voice could be heard yelling, "The Promised Land will not be had by you! Stay away!"

The three looked at each other. Navig's cigarette dropped out of his mouth. "Do you know who that was?!" he stammered as he quickly stomped out the small fire that had begun to burn on his foot from the fallen cigarette.

"I'm back! I'm back!" squealed Palmer. "It's Sephiroth!" he and Navig had managed to say in unison. "President Shinra!" Palmer squealed out.

The President's voice could be heard in the background along with some gunfire. "Stay away! Stay away!" bellowed the President.

Leira jumped up. "Navig get transportation set up. Klefmon keep the radio pegged. I'm going to get Vice President Rufus."

"Gotcha!" SOLDIER First Class Klefmon yelled.

"Yes, sir!" said Navig in Wutai as he followed the Elite out the door before he ran off towards the helipad.

When Leira had entered the villa Rufus was already pulling on the rest of his clothes. "Dark Nation's antsy tonight." he said as he pulled on his black turtle neck." He smiled and handed Leira her black thigh high stiletto heeled boots. "He found these near your station. They go well with your current attire." he said smoothly.

The Elite blushed as she put her boots on in front of him.

"I'm glad to see that you didn't adhere to all of my father's warnings." He continued.

She blushed even brighter as she saw her reflection in his green eyes. "Yeah, well…" she stammered as she put her hands behind her head.

A bark broke the silence as the black Guard Hound carried Rufus' white trench coat and blazer in his powerful jaws. Rufus took them and tossed his blazer to Leira and began to put on the trench coat. She caught it as Dark Nation ran back into Rufus' room to get his sawed off shotgun.

The Guard Hound was up to Leira's hips. It amazed her how ferocious a creature could be made from genetic tinkering. It had thick armored skin but still had a furry overcoat. Leira had a Guard Hound assigned to her during her army days. It was nowhere near the size of Rufus' pet and was crimson in color.

The Vice President ran his hands through his red orange hair. "What's the situation?" he asked as Leira handed the blazer to him.

"I have Resident Pilot Benton readying the short range helicopter. Resident SOLDIER First Class Klefmon is trying to listen in on Shinra Tower's activities as we speak.

Rufus' eyes squinted. "Who called from Shinra Tower?"

Leira looked down at the ground and twisted her booted foot. "Palmer…" she said in a small voice.

The Vice President rolled his eyes and began to remove his blazer. Dark Nation, who had just arrived set the shotgun down and stretched out on the ground. The massive Guard Hound covered his head with his front paws.

"Who?" asked Rufus.

"…Palmer." Said Leira.

A red light flickered on Leira's beeper. "You might want to answer it." Said Rufus pointedly. "He might want to share another lard tea recipe with me."

The boy king put his hands on his hips as Leira pushed the call button. "Yeah." She said.

"Leira, it's Klefmon. Get the Vice President out of here, now!"

Rufus seemed to do a double take. "What's going on?"

Dark Nation jumped to his feet and took up position in front of the Vice President.

"Sir, we've got to move you now!" said the Elite.

Rufus ran his left hand through his short hair. "I'm sure that recipe isn't that important."

"No recipe, sir!" barked Klefmon over Leira's pager. "Sephiroth's back and he's offing everyone at Shinra Tower Midgar."

Leira nodded. "He might be after the Ancient, too." added Leira.

"Ancient?" Rufus showed a hint of confusion.

"Aeris Gainsborough was caught a couple hours ago."

"Where is she being held?"

Leira suddenly felt like she should have told him about the capture of the Ancient sooner. "Tseng's got her at the Shinra Tower."

"The short range copter is ready?" asked Rufus.

Leira nodded. Rufus put his white blazer back on and grabbed the shotgun from Dark Nation. "Let's be off, then."

The Vice President, Dark Nation and the Turk Elite sprinted across the moonlit beach. Timal Klefmon joined them. He was dressed in full SOLDIER attire.

"What's going on?" asked Rufus in Wutai.

"Sephiroth's infiltrated the Shinra Tower in Midgar. Palmer says everyone's down. Little piggy's hiding under a desk right now." Said Klefmon back in Wutai. Klefmon like his cousin Navig liked to go between languages. They were both fluent in basic and Wutai as well as several other world dialects. Both men were proven to be invaluable for recruiting as well as translating for missions that required world travel. The two had taught Leira how to speak their native tongue weeks after she first entered the military. Leira was surprised that the knowledge of the Wutai language had stayed with her for so long while she forgot almost everything else.

"What about President Shinra?" asked Lieandra.

"Not sure." Said Klefmon. "I heard someone scream but I don't know if anyone else was still alive there or not, besides Palmer."

The roar of the short-range helicopter could be heard. Navig had decided to go ahead and pick everyone up on the beach. Resident Pilot Navig Benton was always a big fan of time management. He landed the helicopter a few feet away but kept the blue, black and white craft running.

Resident SOLDIER First Class Timal Klefmon, Resident Turk Elite TE: 65996: Midgar, and Vice President Rufus Shinra boarded followed closely by the black Guard Hound, Dark Nation.

Leira picked up her helmet and put it on when she sat down in the pilot seat.

"Fly us to Midgar." Sang Navig as the craft began to lift off.

Once in the air Leira typed in the coordinates to Midgar as Navig read them off. Resident Pilot Navig Benton paused after his reading. "I can't believe Sephiroth's back." He said finally.

Resident SOLDIER Timal Klefmon shook his head as he handed the Vice President a headset. Rufus nodded as he accepted it and put it on. "Can we get a signal from Midgar in the helicopter?" the boy asked.

"Sure thing." Said Navig as he hit the craft's radio.

"Is it on?" asked Klefmon after a couple seconds.

There was nothing but silence coming through. The screaming and gunfire that could be heard earlier had been silenced.

"Do you think we got him?" asked Leira.

Navig giggled. "Not hardly. The way things sounded before…it would be a miracle."

"You realize, sir, that Palmer and the President are probably dead too." Said Klefmon slowly. He wasn't sure what the father and son relationship between Rufus and President Shinra was like but he didn't want to upset anyone.

"If the old man is dead, that just means that I'll have a chance at the Presidency." Said Rufus bluntly.

They flew over the ocean for a couple seconds and than over Junon. Leira loved the look of the cliffside city all lit up at night. So many surface lights lighted up the large Mako cannon known as the Sister Ray. The elaborate lighting arrangements illuminated the entire cannon alerting air traffic of it's presence as well as sending a warning out to all those that would want to attack the large city it guarded.

After passing other Shinra sites the lights of Midgar at night came into view. "Midgar, right on schedule." Said the Elite as Navig tried to radio in for landing coordinates. "I hope they've at least been evacuated." He said.

"We'll try for a roof landing." Said Leira. The Elite brought the helicopter down till it was suspended several feet above the closest ledge.

Timal Klefmon walked over to the rope ladder and kicked it out. He climbed down onto the building and held the bottom for the Vice President. The SOLDIER glanced around. Leira had "landed" the helicopter right next to the President's office.

From where he stood the dead body of the President was visible through the glass. He could also see people inside talking to Palmer. There was a red lion shaped creature, two girls, he guessed one of the girls was the Ancient, a blonde haired boy dressed in a SOLDIER uniform, and a big black man. Suddenly everyone in the room turned to look out the window.

Palmer dashed through the group and ran outside. Rufus had just come down the ladder when Palmer approached. "You're still alive." Said the new President flatly.

"Y…yeah!" said Palmer.

"Is Sephiroth still inside?" asked Klefmon.

Palmer's eyes went wide with horror. "He headed downstairs." He shrieked.

Klefmon swung his rifle into his hands as he stepped forward to enter the office. Rufus held out his hand to stop him. "Get back to the helicopter. There's nothing to do here. In fact, I think I'll be talking to some of the citizens of this city very soon."

The SOLDIER shrugged and returned his weapon to its place on his shoulder. He than climbed back up the ladder.

"Palmer." Said Rufus. "You go ahead in too."

Palmer grabbed the new President's hands. "Thank you, sir. Thank you!"

Before Palmer entered the helicopter the others from inside the dead Presidents office had come out and began to gather. Rufus yelled to him as he pushed his hair aside, "Tell the pilot to lift off. Tell her to stay within range, though. This meeting won't take too long."

The fat man jumped in and relayed his message to Leira. The Elite shrugged and lifted off. Palmer grabbed the rope ladder and pulled it inside. She wondered if any one else in the helicopter had wanted to kick the Head of the Space Department out as much as she did.

"Oh, dear." Said Navig. Klefmon and Palmer had run to the front of the copter. "Looks like everyone's running away."

The two girls, the black man and the red lion had run back into the office leaving the blonde haired boy outside with Rufus.

"Do you think they're going to fight?" asked Klefmon as he leaned further between the pilot and co pilot.

Dark Nation put his head up and jumped out of the helicopter. "Guess so." said Leira as the Guard Hound landed beside his master.

"This should be good!" hollered Klefmon.

Leira shook her head. A sharp pain seared behind her eyes as she got another glimpse of the blonde haired boy. "Do you know who that kid in the SOLDIER togs is?"

Klefmon and Navig looked at each other. "That's not little Cloud Strife is it?" asked Klefmon.

Navig turned in his seat. "Don't you mean little WANTED Cloud Strife, cousin?"

"Poor kid. Rufus'll cut him in half!" said Klefmon as he grabbed a cigarette from a pocket in Benton's uniform.

Leira caught brief flashes of her past. She remembered Cloud as well. She was surprised to see him wearing a SOLDIER uniform, for some reason. Suddenly Leira's headache got worse. She took her hands off the control panel to hold her throbbing forehead inadvertently sending the craft into a downward arch.

Palmer's massive girth hit the back of Navig's seat. The fat man bounced backward as he smacked the floor.

Navig wrenched his head to face Leira. "What's wrong, girl?!" he shouted.

"OH-MY-GOD!!" Klefmon yelled as he grabbed the back of the Elite's seat with his right hand and pointed towards the front with his left.

Leira shook her head and looked where the SOLDIER was pointing. A man wearing a long black coat was walking away from the Shinra Tower. The man had long flowing silver hair that went down past his thighs.

"That's Sephiroth!!" said Palmer and Navig together.

Klefmon shook his head in disbelief. "I thought he was long dead."

"Guess not." said Leira as she managed to grab the controls again.

Sephiroth had stopped in his tracks and was now staring straight into the helicopter. A smile was clearly visible on his face. He started to raise his hand but soon lowered it.

"What's he doing?" asked Navig.

"I think he was going to shoot us down." Klefmon answered. "I wonder what made him stop."

The man in black stood there for a couple more seconds staring at them. "Do you think he's still got all that materia?" asked Navig.

SOLDIER First Class Timal Klefmon raised his sleeve and looked at his own materia. The materia in his bracelet was typical of SOLDIER materia. It contained one of almost every elemental materia. None of the little gems had been mastered. There was ice, fire, and lightning held in the little piece of jewelry. During Sephiroth's time in SOLDIER, he heard that the ex general had received Life and Poison materia, as well as the other elementals. Klefmon had also heard a rumor about Sephiroth having mastered them all in a span of days. "I'm pretty sure he's still got it all with him." Klefmon said at last.

"Shouldn't we get back to the Vice President?" asked Palmer.

Leira agreed and maneuvered the helicopter back towards Shinra Tower. Sephiroth watched as the craft turned around than returned to his trek.

As the helicopter flew away the Elite could hear a voice in her head. "The three of us together again. Just like old times." It said.

"Did you say something?" she asked Navig.

"No why? You okay, girl?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

A shrill signal came over the ships radio. "I guess that's our queue to head back." Said Klefmon.

Rufus was standing at the ledge with Dark Nation between him and Cloud. As the helicopter swung in, the new President reached out and grabbed the landing skid. The SOLDIER positioned himself by the hatch and pulled the boy king in.

Leira watched as the blonde boy ran back into the building. She quickly swung back around to pick up Dark Nation.

"Are you okay, sir?" asked Klefmon.

Rufus nodded his head. "TE: Midgar. Is everything alright?"

Leira lowered her head. "I'm okay. I…we…"

"We saw Sephiroth, sir!" said Navig quickly.

Rufus looked at the co pilot. "So he did make it out alive."

"Where are we heading to next?" asked Palmer.

The new President looked around at everyone. "It might be a good idea to head back to Junon. I have some arrangements to make while we are there. Plus I need to consult with Heideger."

The helicopter circled the Shinra Towers for a couple minutes than headed in the direction of the cliffside city. The five were silent as they made their approach. Navig had called in to let Junon's military know that the new President was on his way.

Rufus sat down in the far corner of the craft. He wrapped his arms around himself. No one had noticed the fact that he was bleeding. A little blood had begun to trickle from his mouth and forehead and he could tell that bruises were starting to form around his abdomen. If it hadn't been for Dark Nation's built in level three materia, Barrier, Rufus realized that he might not have lived through his experience with the blonde haired SOLDIER.

The Guard Hound wandered over to Leira and put his head in her lap. "Go on." Leira said trying to hide her annoyance. Ever since Rufus had shared his feelings with her the cat-like hound never left her alone. She did, however, pride herself on the fact that it didn't try to bite her head off since she had denied his master her love.

Navig looked over at Leira and smiled underneath his helmet. He wondered how his fellow Wutai native, Tseng, was doing. From what he understood, the Head of the Shinra Manufacturing and Distribution section was still in Midgar. True, he didn't know the man very well but he always seemed to feel a certain kinship with people from his homeland. Benton had hoped that Tseng was able to make it out of the Shinra Tower alive. He sighed to himself as he thought about Leira and her feelings for the Turk head as well.

SOLDIER First Class Timal Klefmon removed his helmet and lit his cigarette. He stood near the open hatch gazing out at the black land below. He took a puff of the cigarette and thought about what the return trip to Junon would be like. When he first arrived there, it was during the end of the war. He had come across with his cousin and a handful of other defectors. He was a teenager when he first set foot on the dry Shinra land. It always amazed him how fast the Shinra government accepted him and some of the others into their society.

Klefmon never regretted leaving his homeland. He and his cousin, Navig Benton, were orphaned during the war. Both men firmly believed that they left nothing behind. They were paid well to serve under the Shinra and were able to live their lives without the prejudice of their homeland. Outsiders and trade were unacceptable back in Wutai.

Timal looked over at the boy king. He saw the red orange glow of his hair in the early morning light. Even youth can achieve greatness here, he thought to himself as he took a drag off the cigarette.

"We see you on radar." Came the voice of the air traffic controller. "You're set to land right next to the Highwind."

Leira's eyes suddenly dashed around as the helicopter approached the landing strip. There in all its glory was the famed Highwind. The large metal airship had a large semi rectangular body with two wing-like protrusions that housed two massive propeller driven engines. She admired the huge craft not only for it's design but also for the legendary pilot the plane was named for. She had served under the tutelage of Cid Highwind back in her military days when she was learning to become a pilot. Cid Highwind was a driven man who took great pride in his work. True, he wasn't fond of a female wanting to become a pilot but he respected her nonetheless. Leira also admired the fact that he was a dreamer. It came as a shock to her when she was told that Master Pilot Cid Highwind had quit the Shinra organization and moved away.

"Will you look at that!" said Klefmon as he saw the Highwind come into view.

"Yep." Said Navig. "Gentlemen and <ahem>gentle lady here before us lies the bikini goddess.

The Highwind had also been used as a troop and weapons carrier during wartime. It sported a picture of a red headed woman in a black bikini and a pair of red high heels. The ship had been maintained very well during its years of service and the painting on its side had also been well kept. Leira often found herself admiring the huge picture as well as the airship itself. She had at one time been part of the Highwind restoration group. It was because of the huge aircraft, and Cid Highwind himself, that made her want to become a pilot in the first place.

As the helicopter touched down Rufus got to his feet and fell face first against the metal floor. Klefmon put his helmet back on and was on his way out first when he heard the new President hit. He whipped around at the same time as the others did.

Navig ran over to the fallen boy and turned him over. "Uhmm…this isn't good is it?" he asked stupidly.

Leira pushed Benton aside and grabbed Rufus' wrist. "No it's not!" she yelled. "Palmer make yourself useful and radio for help!"

"Uhmm." Timal glanced around the helicopter. "I don't see the fat man."

Palmer had snuck out while the short-range crew had their backs turned.

"It figures, Palmer, you damn coward!" Leira growled. "Don't let me see your ugly fat face or I'll be sure to rearrange it!"

Rufus turned his head slightly. "I'm okay." He whispered. "Just help me stand."

Klefmon and Navig grabbed Rufus and helped him up. "Tough kid." Whispered the SOLDIER.

"Leira, you and the other Residents go on ahead and get some rest. Dark Nation and I will be fine." With those words Rufus brushed himself off waved the two men away and gingerly made his way out of the helicopter.

"That's a tough kid." Said Navig in Wutai. The three stood there for a couple seconds and watched the new President limp away. It wasn't long before a couple of Junon's resident security intercepted him and carried him to infirmary.

Leira shook her head and started off towards the airstrip locker rooms. The two men followed close behind her.

Leira pushed open the door to the locker room and glanced inside. She had been hoping to find showers located in the tiny locker room. In disgust, she let the door slam shut.

"I'm going to run along and find out what the boy king's up too. I'll meet up later." Said Navig as he ran in the direction the officers had taken Rufus.

Leira nodded. "How about you?" she asked the tall Wutai SOLDIER.

Klefmon took off his helmet and let his medium length hair fall around his face. He smiled at her. "I'm going to hang around you for awhile."

The Elite punched him in the shoulder and walked through the huge reinforced doors of the main city. She had known him and his cousin for five years. It was hard for her to believe that they were indeed related somehow. She forced Navig to show her a copy of their family heritage. Navig was a couple years older than Klefmon and was very conservative and proper even though he liked to smoke cigarettes. Benton had short black hair and hazel eyes while his cousin had dyed his hair a deep crimson color. Timal kept his hair one length but had the sides underneath shaved down to the skin. Navig had remarked to Leira one time about how his hair reminded him of a circus clown.

"Maybe it's a good thing the old President's dead." Said Klefmon.

"Why?" asked Leira.

"Oh, I don't know…" the tall SOLDIER said jokingly. "It could be because of you're love for the tight fitting and sharp."

The Elite blushed as he pointed out her attire.

As they walked a small group of people suddenly appeared wearing blue dress suits. "Aren't those Turks?" asked the SOLDIER.

"Looks like." Said Leira. Lieandra ran over to small grouping. She was hoping that Tseng would be with them. She immediately recognized Reno and Rude.

A blonde haired girl started to walk towards her. "Can I help you people?" she asked.

"Who are you?" asked Leira.

The girl ran her left hand through her hair. "I'm Elena, the newest Turk."

"Aren't you lovely?" The Elite spat.

Elena folded her hands in front of her.

"Leira, is that you?" asked Reno.

The Resident Elite removed her helmet.

"Haven't seen you in years, Wren." Said Klefmon spitefully.

"Timal, my man!" said Reno as he held his hand out to the SOLDIER.

"I wouldn't do that." Leira mumbled as the tall man from Wutai slammed a hard fist into the side of Reno's face.

Rude stepped in between the two men before a brawl could happen.

"What was that for?!" Elena spat.

"It's because she and the SOLDIER have become friends." Said a familiar voice.

Klefmon and Thompson looked up. Coming out of an alleyway was Tseng. The head of the Turks went right up the two Residents. "Timal Klefmon and I are from Wutai. No matter how strong the woman is she is still respected." He said turning to face Elena. "I would have done the same in his position. Actually…" he paused and turned toward to Elena. "I'm surprised he didn't greet me the same way."

Timal gritted his teeth. "The lady here was worried about you."

"Timal, it's okay." Leira patted him on the arm. "Tseng, it's good to see you made it here."

"Is Rufus here?" her former boss asked quickly.

"He's in the infirmary. We met with little resistance but it was just enough to injure him." Said the SOLDIER coldly.

"Let's go." Said Tseng to the other three Turks.

"Tseng's from Wutai?" asked Elena. Rude shook his head at her as they walked away.

Reno slowly walked back to Leira and Timal. "Leira, it is good to see you again. I'd like to meet up with you a little later."

Klefmon took the Elite by the hand and pulled her away. "The showers should be this way." He barked.

Leira shook her head, as she was somehow able to keep pace. She waved at Reno.

The Turk did nothing. He put his hands in his pockets and walked off after the others.

"I can't believe you did that." Leira said cautiously.

Timal ran his other hand through his multicolored hair. "I can't believe he treated you like that in the first place. He and I were friends for the longest time. I thought you two would have been perfect for each other. I can't believe he never even bothered to answer your calls or make any attempts at contacting you."

"I'm sorry." She said as she lowered her head.

"We're here." said Timal ignoring her.

Leira walked over to a locker and opened it. She sat down on one of the benches lining the shower room and slowly removed her boots. Klefmon had already removed his Shinra issue boots and was working on taking off the rest of his gear. She watched him for a couple seconds as he removed his heavy blue armor plated jacket.

He noticed her looking and grinned. The sleeveless turtleneck and baggy pants were consistent throughout the many generations of SOLDIER. Cloud, Zack, and her mother and father had worn the same uniforms during their tour with SOLDIER.

The Elite waited until Timal had started to pull his shirt over his head before she removed the rest of her clothes. Naked, she proceeded to the nearest stall and turned on the water. Leira had a strange feeling and turned to look back at the SOLDIER. Her jaw dropped as she saw his naked chest for the first time. "What is that?!" she blurted out.

"I thought only the stupid questions were reserved for the newest Turk." He smiled. Decorating a portion of his back, left arm and chest was a large tattoo. It was a picture of some kind of long serpent with crimson, blue and black scales. "If you must know, it's Wutai's sacred seal. This is Leviathan, my countries water god."

Leira gave him a shy smile and turned back towards the warm shower water. She picked up a bar of soap and began to lather her arms. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Timal had entered the stall behind her.

"Y'know…There's no use in me wasting anymore water." He said slyly. "The other tattoo…twenty nine, that was a number that Hojo assigned me. I've got no idea why. I'm only twenty-seven. I wasn't even in my twenties when I first joined SOLDIER."

Leira looked at his left arm and noticed the black-stenciled number just underneath the midsection of Leviathan. She hadn't noticed it before. She blushed as her eyes had wandered down his arm to his naked hips.

Timal put his left hand up to her chin. "Hey you." He said gently. He leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

Lieandra Thompson was awash with emotion. After he kissed her, the Elite dropped her head. She had so many thoughts roaming through her head she started to cry. Klefmon's smile never left his face. "What's this? What's this?" he asked.

Tears mixing with the shower water, she managed to look into his deep blue mako enhanced eyes. There were no words she could think of to answer him. All she had the power to do was lower her head again and cover it with her hands. The SOLDIER let his smile drop and moved her hands away.

"I don't want to be seen like this." She whispered.

"I know." He whispered back. Klefmon put his hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her around so she was facing away from him. He slowly moved his arms down and held her close to him. He than rested his head on her shoulder and kissed her neck. "You can cry all you want. I know a lot has happened to you."

Leira turned back towards him. She looked back into his eyes. "Thank you."

"That's why I'm here." He replied completing his embrace. "You looked like you needed a hug back there."

The Elite slowly wrapped her arms around him as the tears continued to flow.

Several minutes had passed when a call came over the intercom. "Attention all Residents of Junon." Klefmon looked up to face the speaker high above the showerhead. "This is a very special announcement. The Shinra Power Electric Company has a new President. There will be a coronation ceremony for the new President Rufus Shinra."

The Resident Elite looked up at the loud speaker and smiled.

"You see." Said Klefmon. "Everything's going to be fine."

"This just in, " the voice from the loudspeaker continued, "it seems that all Shinra military are required to meet at the airstrip immediately. The new President requests that all Shinra and Turk Elite appear along with all Turks, army and SOLDIER groupings."

Klefmon began to shake his head. "I hope this isn't a formal function. I hate monkey suits.

"It probably does." Said Leira smiling.

The two ran over to their lockers and put their Costa del Sol uniforms on. "Do you think they're going to supply us with new clothes?" Timal asked.

After they got dressed Leira and Timal ran over to the Highwind. There were thousands of people gathered around the huge metal airship. Leira pointed out a couple of SOLDIERs who were half dressed and were obviously interrupted in the middle of shaving. Klefmon put his hands to his face and felt around for stubble. Concerned he looked down at her. The last thing he had wanted to do was leave a bad impression with all of Junon's military.

"You're beautiful." She said in Wutai looking up into his blue eyes.

Klefmon grabbed her and lifted her off her feet in a bear hug.

"Now I know you're all here to see the new President." A voice said from a platform located underneath the painting on the Highwind. "First you will be given the details of what's going to be happening in the next several days."

Navig pushed his way through the crowd until he spotted his cousin and Leira. "Isn't that you're aunt?" he asked.

Leira tried to stand on her toes to look over at the platform but it was no use. There were too many people. Timal and Navig eyed each other and nodded in unison. They grabbed Leira by the waist and hoisted her up onto Klefmon's shoulders. "Can you see now?" they shouted mockingly at her. Timal was a tall man at six feet four inches tall. He managed to tower over most of his fellow SOLDIERs.

The Elite had the best view in the house atop the SOLDIER's shoulders. She saw so many different uniforms and different ranks. The last time she had seen anything like this was back in her army days when she was made a general. She wondered if any of her old unit was in the large crowd before her. She wondered if any of them would remember her. She felt like a kid in a candy shop. She noticed the many different weapons adorned by all the different ranks too. Being a Resident anything in Costa del Sol automatically made her a black sheep. There were only two other Residents beside herself and their jobs were to pretty much baby-sit Rufus. They weren't going out and fighting in any battles or stopping the next terrorist attack.

"As you know Sephiroth has been spotted in Midgar and has killed the first President." The voice continued.

Leira had almost forgotten why she was sitting on her friend's shoulders in the first place. She glanced around furiously in an attempt to find the owner of the voice. There standing on the platform surrounded by other Shinra higher ups was her aunt Scarlett. She was dressed in her trademark v-necked red silk dress with open sides that revealed her long black stockings and the garters that held them up. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a bun. She looked so young to Leira. Scarlett had served in her mothers military unit before she was born. She and Leira's mother had become inseparable and had always referred to herself as aunt when in Leira's presence.

"We are going to continue ahead and seek out the Promised Land. It has been brought to our attention that Sephiroth has the same goal and might try to stop us. We plan to follow him. Because of his connections to the Ancients he is our best bet in finding the Promised Land and all the mako energy that is contained inside it. For all those that are wondering if the rumor is true, it has been confirmed that Hojo has resigned as head of the Shinra Science Department. He has also destroyed all his experiments and any information on his studies of the Promised Land. Anyone that has any information on his where abouts is to report to me immediately."

Leira scowled. She could almost guess what were her next mission was going to be. Her body began to shake violently. She looked down at Timal just in time to see someone dressed in a tattered black cloak push him and his cousin aside. Klefmon cursed in Wutai as he tried to keep Leira from falling off his shoulders.

Navig looked up at her high atop her perch. "Are you okay?"

The Elite ignored him. She stared after the man. There was something funny about him. As she looked for a reason to pursue him she noticed something silver sticking out from underneath the person's hood.

Leira put her hands on top of Klefmon's head and pushed herself off of his shoulders. As she vaulted herself off of him the poor SOLDIER fought to stay on his feet. He fell forward against the man in front of him causing them both to crash to the ground.

The Elite landed on her feet and pushed through all the Shinra ranks as she tried to identify the cloaked man. She realized that his pace hadn't broken any. Even though he was moving swiftly towards the podium he had not slowed any to glance behind him. Leira took pride in knowing that she had been able to follow him undetected. The figure stopped in his tracks and stood still. Another glint of silver poked out from underneath the person's cloak. It looked metallic could it possibly be a weapon?

The figure cast aside his cloak. It was indeed a weapon. The long sword known as Masamune was now in full view. It was held in the gloved hands of the only man that could wield such an awesome weapon, the Great Sephiroth himself.

Leira ran even faster now. Her heart was pumping faster and faster now as she tried to close the gap between them. After killing the former President, Leira knew that Sephiroth meant to kill Rufus and the other Shinra executives too. She wasn't about to let that happen. She leapt high into the air and fell against Sephiroth knocking them both down. Sephiroth's arms were thrown out to his sides as he began his fall. It was almost poetic as she watched his hair swing out behind him. Leira had caused enough of a shock to Sephiroth to make him drop his sword.

Upon impact Leira rolled off of him and got to her feet. Sephiroth was face down on the ground his hair and coat were sprawled out around him and his arms were held out in front. Slowly he rolled over so he could look at his attacker. "Now why did you do that?" His tone of voice didn't seem to carry anger in it. The Elite stood above him in a fighting stance.

The exgeneral put his hands beneath his chest and pushed himself to his feet. He stood before the Shinra gathering and looked around.

Everything was quiet. Scarlett had stopped her speech as soon as she noticed the scuffle take place.

Sephiroth dusted himself off and turned his attention to Leira. He smiled and looked her up and down. "My, my. What have we here?"

"Sephiroth you are under arrest!" Leira barked.

"That's funny." The man said as he bent down to pick up Masamune.

"I assure you sir that this is no joke. As a Turk Elite I have been granted the power to arrest anyone who violates the law."

Sephiroth just smiled at her and pushed his hair behind him. "You were the last person I expected to see in a place like this, Miss Thompson."

Leira tried to hide her surprise at hearing her name uttered by him. She had her helmet on and the only means to identify her was her unit number on her uniform and helmet. "That's TE: 65996: Midgar! Now drop your weapon!" She reached over and grabbed a sidearm from a SOLDIER who was standing close to her and pointed it at the exShinra general.

Sephiroth lowered his head to study his black boots. "It's a pity that you are still one of those Shinra bastards. I really didn't want any harm to come to you. If you walk away now, I will personally see to it that mother will welcome you into her flock. You will become part of a family again." His catlike eyes focused on her again. "We will be family again."

The Elite pondered his words for a second. For some reason unbeknownst to Leira her captured handgun began to shake. Her grip was tight on the handle but it was as if the weapon was fighting to escape. Leira blinked distracted by what was going on. The weapon suddenly flew out of her hands and landed several feet away. She turned her head briefly to see where the weapon had landed. This was all the distraction Sephiroth needed. He ran for her. Leira looked up just in time to see him come at her. It was too late. The silver haired man kneed her in the stomach and brought an elbow down on the center of her back. "Forgive me." He whispered as she crashed to the ground holding herself.

A couple Shinra military ran over to the fallen girl. Navig and Klefmon had pushed their way over to her too. Klefmon had his weapon aimed at Sephiroth. "That's enough!" the SOLDIER barked. "Like the lady said, you're under arrest."

"Another one." Sephiroth murmured. A look of confusion became visible in his eyes. "I can't guarantee your safety though." He put a hand to his chin. "Mother isn't strong enough yet. I will take my leave now. Be warned. Stay away from the Promised Land!"

SOLDIER First Class Timal Klefmon advanced toward Sephiroth. A puff of smoke suddenly surrounded them both. Even though Klefmon was wearing his helmet his vision became obscured and he wasn't able to get a lock on Sephiroth.

When the smoke had cleared Sephiroth was gone. Klefmon held his weapon in one hand and adjusted the sights on his helmet. He was almost certain that Sephiroth hadn't disappeared completely.

"He's gone, Timal." Leira said as she tried to shake off the pain she was feeling.

Klefmon wrenched his helmet off and ran toward her. "You okay?! You had me scared!" He wrapped his arms around her and held her head against his shoulder. "One of these days you're going to be the death of me."

For some reason his words scared her but she didn't want to say anything. "Are the higher ups okay?" she coughed.

"We're fine!" yelled Scarlett as she made her way through the crowd.

"Oh, wow!" whispered Klefmon as the Head of The Weapons Development Department stood before him. For the longest time he had had a crush on her. He quickly replaced his helmet to hide the fact that he was beginning to blush.

"Leira, long time no see! Are you okay child?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm fine." Leira replied.

"Come with me. Reeve and the others want to see you. Besides," she smiled, "the Vice President wants to see you too, I think he's still got a crush on you." Scarlett took Leira by the hand and pulled her away leaving Klefmon and Navig behind.

"She's a hottie!" Navig said as he punched his cousin in the shoulder.

"…Yah…" Klefmon replied stupidly.

Scarlett led Leira passed the Highwind and was now taking her toward the infirmary. "Rufus is still getting taped up. He saw everything on the vid screen. I've never seen him so concerned about anyone in my life. The doctor said he was on his feet and almost out the door to be by your side."

Leira looked at her aunt and noticed a tiny green gem attached to a strap on her dress. "Is that a two way comlink?" Leira asked.

"Yes. Why?" she asked.

"Rufus is listening in right now." She replied.

Before Scarlett could answer Leira had already begun to give her report. "That was Sephiroth, Mr. President. He is in Junon. It appears that he is indeed looking for the Promised Land. You're not safe here any more, sir."

"I'm not worried, TE: Midgar. I won't be staying here too long anyway." Said Rufus over the comlink.

Scarlett's jaw dropped.

"Just what do you mean?" asked Leira.

Rufus yawned over the little radio. "All will be revealed at the coronation."

Leira stopped in her tracks and waited for Scarlett to get a few feet ahead of her. "Damn it!!" She hollered, "That kid has such a hard head! A falling Gelnika couldn't crack open that thick skull!"

The tall blonde haired woman turned in her tracks and smiled at Leira. "Let's go." She said as she grabbed her hands again.

All of the Shinra executives were inside the infirmary when Scarlett and Leira entered. Reeve, Heideger, Palmer, and Rufus had already begun to discuss their next move.

Reeve looked up and ran over to his niece. "Lieandra, child, are you okay?" He threw his arms around her. "It's so good to see you again."

"I'm fine, uncle." She said back to him. "I'm glad you all made it here safely."

Heideger pushed his way over to Reeve and Leira. "That's a Midgar uniform. You're helmet says Costa del Sol. Who are you?"

Scarlett pushed him away. "Relax. She's one of us. She was the one that stopped Sephiroth from getting near us."

"Don't you mean she's the one that got trampled by Sephiroth?" Said Palmer.

Leira turned to face him. "Palmer, my old friend. Have you already forgotten the fact that while I was getting 'trampled by Sephiroth' you were the one that abandoned the President in his time of need."

Palmer became uneasy and started to back away as all eyes were focused on him.

"Oh, and don't think I forgot about the little promise I made back in the helicopter. Watch your back, fat man." She said harshly.

Palmer emitted a shrill cry and ran out the door.

"What's the plan?" asked Scarlett.

Rufus was sitting on a table while a doctor was taping his ribs. He looked down at his feet for a second. "We're going to go on with the coronation. After the coronation I will be going on ahead with the search for the Promised Land. I am not going to let a trivial little thing like Sephiroth stand in the way of this company. I want you, Scarlett, Heideger and his Turks to begin construction of a new weapon. I want it to be powerful enough to crush Sephiroth. I trust you will think of something clever."

Scarlett glared at Heideger. She hated working with him, but when weapons were concerned she didn't mind so much. She enjoyed building new weapons. If it wasn't for her and Hojo, there wouldn't be any SOLDIER.

"What about Midgar?" asked Reeve slowly.

Rufus looked at Reeve. "What about it? I thought my old man had told you that we were going to move on with the Neo-Midgar project."

Reeve lowered his head and walked out the door. Leira felt bad watching him leave. She knew how much he loved that city and how bad it made him feel to see it falling apart. Deep in her heart she wanted to run after him and offer him words of support but she was still the President's protector and couldn't leave until she was dismissed.

"He'll be okay." said Scarlett as she rested a hand on Leira's shoulder. "You'll be able to talk to him at the party." She looked back at Heideger. "Let's go."

After Scarlett and Heideger left Rufus jumped down from the table. He pushed the doctor aside and approached Leira. "There will be a party in my honor tomorrow evening, the day before the big parade. Everyone is required to show. I would like to see you there."

Leira cocked her head to the side. She didn't know what to say to him.

The new President reached up and undid the security latches that held her helmet in place. He slowly removed it and set it down on the table behind him. His eyes searched hers. "I know you're shaken by what just happened. I was told that you were concerned about my welfare. I thank you."

"It was all in the line of duty, sir." Came her reply.

Rufus let out a laugh. All the serious issues that weighed down on him had left. A small tear formed in his eye. He embraced Leira. "You were trained so well by Sephiroth, it's unbelievable!"

"Sir?" asked Leira as Rufus stepped back from her to wipe away his tear. "You seem to know some things that I don't. You keep mentioning Sephiroth and my training and…" she continued.

"You'll learn more about your past in due time." Rufus interrupted. "The way things are going it won't be up to me to fill you in." The young President turned and grabbed his black turtleneck.

Leira suddenly felt like an old woman. She was beginning to feel like she belonged in a history book.

"AAARRRGGGHH!!"

Leira shook her thoughts out of her head and looked at Rufus. His face was red and he was clearly in pain. She took his shirt from him. "Let me help you."

She stretched the shirt to fit it over his head and arms.

"Here I was beginning to think you didn't care." He said playfully.

"Does your head hurt?" Leira asked.

Rufus looked at her. "No. Why?"

"Don't worry it will!" She reached forward and ran her fist through his hair.

"Hey!" he laughed as he grabbed her hand. "It's nice to see that you're able to experience a new freedom with my father out of the way."

"Do you want me to help you with your coats?" she said letting his comment slip past her.

"No. I'll carry them. I've got to get some rest before the party. I'll be seeing you later." He turned to exit the room and stopped. "Miss Thompson?"

"Sir?" asked Leira.

Rufus looked back at her. "Don't tell anyone about what just happened here. Apparently I've got a reputation to maintain."

His words took her by surprise than she remembered what she had heard from other officers and SOLDIERs alike. She had heard that Rufus was cold blooded and ruthless and was incapable of showing emotion. She couldn't understand for the life of her why he chose to treat her differently from the others.

The Elite watched as he exited the room. "I won't." she whispered. As she stood there she saw two SOLDIERs appear. She hadn't noticed them before. At least he had some protection, she thought to herself. When Rufus was out of sight she headed back towards the dorm area with her helmet cradled in her arms.

Navig was sitting outside with a cigarette. He was bare chested and wearing the bottom half of his flight suit "Have a seat. Watch the stars with me."

Leira had no idea that she and the others had been in Junon for so long. She sat down next to Navig. It was clear that there was something on his mind. He wasn't the type of person to sit outside and gaze out the stars. It was true that he was laid back and easy going but lately he seemed to be troubled. Leira decided to take advantage of the fact that she was friends with him and his cousin to find out what was bothering him.

"Nice evening." She said flatly.

She heard him sigh.

Navig took a drag off of his cigarette and blew a smoke ring. "Yeah."

She was beginning to feel depressed so she reached over and grabbed his pack of cigarettes. She pulled one out and lit with her fire materia.

"I guess I got you smoking now." He said staring at the stars.

"What's wrong with you today?" asked Leira in his native tongue.

Navig focused his eyes on her. "Something bad's going to happen. It's not a coincidence that Sephiroth's back from the dead." He said matching Leira's use of his language.

Leira took a puff of her cigarette and pushed the pack back into his pocket.

"I think the three of us are in for some trouble along with Rufus and everybody else in this crazy mixed up organization." He continued.

"Let's not get back on this me being bad luck subject." She said lazily. "Does Timal feel the same way?"

Navig shook his head. "No. He's happy to be here. I kind of am too, don't get me wrong. Has anyone told you that we're not Resident's anymore?"

"No." said Leira.

"No." said Navig. "In fact, I heard you and Timal are going to be moving along with the boy king as floaters."

"And what about you?" She asked.

"Me? I'll be piloting alongside the Junon military. We'll be seeing each other again though, my friend."

"Who told you all this?" she was becoming curious.

"Your aunt did." He said smiling.

Leira noticed his beautiful smile and chose not to pursue whatever it was that was making him depressed.

"Is Timal inside?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll be heading inside in a little bit. You go on ahead." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.

Leira got up and ascended the stairs. She asked the guard inside the dorm lobby about where she would be staying.

"You're going to be on the sixty fifth floor, room thirty six B with SOLDIER First Class Timal Klefmon." The officer said.

The Elite walked over to the elevator and rode it to her floor. She opened the door to the dorm room and gently closed it behind her. The room was dark so she figured that Timal might be asleep. In the shadows she noticed what looked to be the shape of two beds. She couldn't tell if either of them was being occupied so she decided to leave it to trial and error. She slid her stiletto-heeled boots off and removed all other articles of clothing.

In the darkness she stood naked while she folded her uniform up and put it in a corner of the room with her helmet. She folded her arms over her chest and started towards the bed closest to where she set her uniform.

Leira heard a rustling and a small masculine groan. Klefmon was definitely in the room with her. Which bed the sound was coming from she couldn't tell. She lifted the covers and crawled in. It had been a long time before she was able to rest her head. All the excitement. The Ancient getting captured, the death of the first President, Rufus taking over, Rufus proposing to her, everything crashed together. She couldn't count how many nightmares she'd had in the past five years.

Leira rolled over and felt around to make sure she was the only one in the bed. Another rustling sound interrupted the silence. Klefmon had gotten out of his bed and was now climbing into her's.

"Timal?!" she whispered.

The SOLDIER put his naked arms around her. She could feel him smiling against her neck. "It's okay." He whispered back. "I don't want to sleep alone, tonight."

She felt his breath against her skin as he sucked at her neck. His arms were like steel beams as he held her.

When he felt her start to turn over he released his grip. She was puzzled by his actions. His tongue parted her lips as his met hers. He puckered and kissed her slowly.

"Timal?" she withdrew.

He put his right index finger to her lips. He pushed himself against her to get her on her back. His head turned to stare down the length of his own body. His left leg lifted from its position outside her thighs and parted her legs.

Leira did not fight him.

The right leg was next. She felt his hardness against her.

His deep blue eyes were back on her. They still shimmered in the faint light provided by the opened blinds. He lightly rubbed her cheek. His eyes probed her face with concern but his smile never faded. "I never let you in on that secret of mine." Another light kiss was delivered as he put his forehead against her's. He pushed his hands up and down her arm. After a brief pause he backed down her body. He licked the area between her breasts. With a firm grip he pushed them to his face. Timal slid back up and kissed her on the lips again before returning to her chest. He circled her nipples with his tongue alternating from left to right. The wetness of his teasing began to cool, causing them to become erect.

Leira put her hands to the back of his head and rubbed at the coarse sandpaper feel of his shaved hair. He began to suck on her left breast earnestly while keeping an eye on her expressions.

She closed her eyes and groaned as she felt his light suction. He nibbled the hardened tissue and repeated the same actions on her right.

The Wutai man gently removed her hands and laid them at her sides. Slowly he stuck his tongue out and traced line from her chest to navel.

Somehow in bed with him she was able to find peace enough to sleep.