Title: Three Wishes
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Warnings: Childishness, Reno abuse, Sunglasses Theft, Self Insert
Link:
http://piratesboard.net/fiction/viewstory.php?sid=311&chapter=2Summary: Despite the revenge business, despite the killing personas, somewhere deep down, our mechanical hearts beat as one. When nothing goes right, we simply have to take what we think we deserve. Just because we’re older doesn’t mean we’re any more mature.
Notes:
We're supposed to be super cool. But I think we're all just a bit childish. Do we grant wishes? Not so much as we cause trouble.
Three Wishes
It’s going to take more than the smiles and well wishes of a butterfly to make any difference for a hummingbird. We still try to be cordial; when the sun sets she’s one of the few who is really going to understand my point of view. I’m one of the few who is going to understand hers, and it’s been a long time since we were cursed with such precise actions and logical choices. I do not pretend to understand what she is going through, but I see her reactions becoming slower as the world weighs her down. When the entire world is against you, I can’t imagine it would be easy to put on such a strong face.
I stand somewhere on the border line of neutrality as per my orders. But this is not where I want to be. I know that Mikari sees it; I’m not sure if it’s because I allow her too or because she knows me so well. Regardless, I know she stands in about the same place I do, waiting for something fun to occupy her time. She reminds me of a wind up toy that was made for only one thing - only her energy never dies out. I don’t know who even turned the key, but, I do know I’m probably better off because she’s ultimately on my side.
Conversation is casual because we already know the answers to the questions the other will ask.
“Have you seen Hikou today?” Mikari inquires somewhat dryly. I shake my head, so she continues, “I think she’s avoiding us! You know, we did a pretty good thing on her birthday last year. But we’re pretty much out of ideas without repeating each other’s somehow.”
“If we assume we’re always trying to get back at each other, then yeah. We already had one stripper cake this year.” I intend to grimace, even though I was quite pleased with the results. “And Rude’s avoiding us too. There’s really no way we could get him into a cake anyways.” I sigh looking up to the plain ceiling of my office, “Got any ideas?”
I look back down to her to see a terrible grin. And perhaps she’s not so much a wind up toy as she is a cat who loves her prey. I’m not sure whether I feel as devious as she does, or terrified for the Soldier who is about to be on the other end of our “wrath”. I should probably try to talk Mikari out of whatever it is. But I can’t bring myself to do it. Whatever it is I think it might not be so bad. She’s not to the point she’d tear down her friends.
“Do you still have all that Time Materia from a couple of Christmases ago?”
“Of course I do, I never throw out materia.” At first, I can’t follow her train of thought. “Mikari, I’m not sure I could actually stop time. It’s one thing to haste or slow down a person. The world’s energy, time’s energy is much larger than my own.”
“Well maybe you can’t do it for yourself. But I’m asking you to do it for Hikou.” Mikari’s face is solemn for a moment before it turns back to her more devious demeanor, “Yesterday I heard her say she wished she could stop time for just a minute. She needs a break. You could easily do one minute, right?”
“I…suppose I could, if I tried.” I half concede, “I don’t think Hikou meant literally.”
“Then she shouldn’t say things that can be taken more than one way!” Mikari playfully hisses, “Besides, that’s one wish. We have two more to grant.”
“Mikari, I’m not sure I follow. I’m pretty sure we’ve never been in the ‘wish granting businesses.” I cross my arms because I’m trying to understand. Somehow I like to pretend it’s going to help my thought process.
“What?” Mikari seems genuinely confused by my words, “We’re Turks, we make things happen all the time.”
She makes an odd amount of sense for a woman who thinks that the world is nothing but a giant battery, today it’s looking more like a playground.
“If we caught her I could stop time.” I offer.
“Then,” Mikari adds in, “We could make her tell us her other two wishes. It’d be really hard for her to avoid us then.”
“What if she just wants us to leave her alone?”
Mikari shakes her head scoffing, “You can’t be serious. No one wants to really be alone on their birthday. I like the quiet but I still like some company.”
“We’re borderline meddling.” I try to defend.
Mikari shrugs, “So? Hikou won’t mind!”
I half agree because it’s what we’re used too. I stand so that we can leave, because Shinohara must be found. When she wants too, she can disappear and it’s hard for even us to find her. I lean down to open the bottom desk drawer, pulling out the box of time materia. When I look up Hikou’s standing on the other side where Mikari should be. Mikari’s standing next to me, and I can’t imagine what could have transpired in the two whole seconds I looked away.
“Whatever you’re planning,” Hikou starts, “Just stop. I don’t want anything for my birthday. I just want a nice quiet day. I want it to go on as though there’s nothing spectacular about it.” There’s a small pause, “I’m tired and I don’t have the energy to fight back.”
I start to nod my understanding of her words, thinking it might be best to simply let it go. At the same time Mikari rips the box lid opened and shoves four orbs into my hand. She seizes Hikou’s wrist and shouts out “Now!”
Hikou is immediately on the defensive, she steps back pulling Mikari forward. She turns to me knowing that whatever is going to happen is going to happen from my end. Her fist pulls back but she doesn’t aim for my face. I barely move but it’s so quick that we’re all a bit shocked by the reaction of Mikari righting herself. Hikou quickly catches herself and turns to counter an attack that is not coming. The orbs in my hand glow a pale green in unison with the twenty some odd in the box. I have to take slow and shallow breaths to keep my concentration. It feels like the world around me has halted. I wouldn’t believe it if not for the stationary paper that flew off the desk in Hikou’s punch. Hikou pushes them out of the way to try and discern what’s going on.
“You can make two more wishes.” Mikari announces her fingers held out in a V.
Hikou’s just as clueless as I am. “What?”
“You said you wanted a moment. This is it.” Mikari seems awful proud, but I think at this rate I’m going to pass out. “Two more wishes. You can’t wish for more wishes, and, you do have to make them.”
“You really don’t have to do anything.” Hikou reiterates. Her attempts are futile.
“Snow already stopped time; let’s just keep things moving - okay?”
I haven’t really stopped time; at least I don’t feel like I have. I think, I’ve stopped the moment, I’ve stopped the office and that’s about it. I can’t account for what might happen if someone new enters. I can’t account for the energy that’s moving towards us. The door flies opened, Reno’s mouth hangs open to speak. His arm looks like it’s about to grab his night stick and insist we need to do something for Hikou’s birthday. Rude’s halfway through straightening his tie.
I find it ironic Mikari wants me to stop time and wants us to keep things moving.
A grin curves at Hikou’s lips and her face settles into a certain mischief. “How long can she hold that?”
Mikari shrugs, “As long as we need her too.”
Hikou looks at me an eyebrow quirked as though she’s trying to figure out if that’s my pride or Mikari’s.
“I’ll do what I can.” I offer between a breath and a blink, “But if you’re going to do it, you better do it now.”
The first thing she does is removes Rude’s sunglasses and puts them on herself. She then removes the two sets of spares he has and hands them to us. I can’t take the glasses myself; I barely dare to blink unless I should break this. Mikari puts them on me with a grin.
Hikou starts to rummage through my desk for odds and ends. Mikari takes the pens and permanent markers. Hikou finds the scissors and grins almost childishly. Mikari starts to draw on Reno’s face, talking to him as though he’s able to speak back. Hikou cuts his belt in half before cutting different shapes and designs into his suit. We reason that it’s already a mess. About halfway through their respective ideas they switch tools.
Hikou begins to write on Reno’s half bare arms - Messy, childish, egocentric, has no idea what he’s talking about, fool, Rufus’ dog, likes broccoli, Mikari’s toy, beat by a girl - these are the only ones I can read, but I know there are several more.
Mikari decides shorts are in.
I let out a small chuckle.
Rude’s eyes dart from left to right. I take a deep breath and hold it. But it’s not enough and I can’t say anything about it. They’ve finished with Reno. They turn to Rude but he’s already parried the attacks, he’s taken aback by the brightness of the room. He dodges to try and fish out a spare set of glasses only to be surprised they’re not there at all.
Reno starts scolding me immediately, “its Shinohara’s birthday. Make sure you do something nice for her leader, it’s your job. When you do, make sure to include our names too.” It’s like he hasn’t missed a beat at all. He sees Rude dodge but not quite what, “What are you doing?”
Rude’s boot sets down and he rights himself as though nothing has happened. “Attempting to prevent disa-“ Rude’s mouth closes promptly, he clears his throat and looks away.
I reach to the desk for support. That took more out of me than I want to show.
Reno is oblivious to details that should be easy to spot.
“You still have two wishes,” Mikari whispers to Hikou.
She shakes her head, flipping her PHS opened to snap a picture. “This makes one. Can I save the other for a later date?”
“Depends on what it is.” Mikari tries to negotiate.
“Rude.” I feel like I’ve been running a marathon. My initial reaction is to send everyone away so they don’t see me in such a weak state. “Take Shinohara home. She deserves to take the day off.”
Hikou gives a wry grin, “Never mind.”
Rude usually isn’t one to argue orders. “Why do I have too?”
Mikari smacks him in the back of the head, “Don’t be an idiot. We all know. Now just go home and give her what she wants. Birthday sex is a must.”
It’s nice to see the surprise rise on Rude’s face. We normally don’t get such a lovely show of earnest eyes. We don’t get to see the eyes of the statue. And today he looks a little more human than perfect.
“You know leader can’t give you that kind of order. So be a good little Turk and take Hikou home.” Mikari sits on my desk as though she has some power over everything that now happens.
She wouldn’t like being leader, there is too much to deal with. But she has no problem speaking for me when she thinks it suits us all just fine.
“You’re impossible.” Hikou sighs, “But it’ll do just fine. If you guys always have a set plan why do you stray from it?”
“That’s easy.” Mikari smiles.
“It’s more fun this way.” I finish.
It’s going to take more than smiles and well wishes. But we can’t really do anything creative. We don’t know the first thing about being productive. And it just works out that we have guys like Rude to push around for the benefit of a friend. I can’t say it works, but, she does deserve a break. One better than I can give her.
Happy Birthday Hikou, take the day off.