The Nightingale Three

Chapter Four.

It hadn’t taken us very long to get to the spot where Rude and Reno were waiting for us, asking us how it had gone and we replied that we would tell them at 7th Heaven. So we were off, I remained quiet for the most part, feeling Professor Sephiroth's eyes still on me and I had to look behind us to actually make sure that he wasn’t. Nothing. Apart of me began to worry if we were being tailed as the feeling intensified then I recalled something that went wrong on the mission.

“Lyna, what the hell were you thinking?” I looked over at her, her eyes widening and she looked down realizing what I was talking about. “Poisoning him whilst we are in the vicinity is a one way trip to getting us caught. Don’t ever pull that shit again.”

It wasn’t every mission that led to me yelling or scolding one of them for something they have done. It was my job as their leader to point it out though, making sure they learn from their mistakes and gross to be smarter and stronger than them.

“I am...I’m sorry Jezzine, it won’t happen again.” she stated before not saying another word the rest of the way to the bar. Rude parked the car and we all got out, getting greeted by Denzel who was getting chased by Cid, the chain smoking blond with goggles on his head.

“Damn it boy, I’m going to show you not to mess with people.” he called after him as Denzel hid behind me, causing me to jump about a foot in the air. I was anything but used to children, sure the new recruits were that exactly, but these were normal kids.

Normal.

Human.

Kids.

“Protect me Jezzine!” he exclaims, causing me to become even more bewildered as the argued around me.

“This...what is happening?” I asked, feeling myself starting to freak out and the dark haired man from earlier came out, leaning against the doorway.

“You two, she isn’t used to this.” His voice bringing back memories, that I had buried so long ago.

Flashback.

“Jezzy, wait for me!” a boy with short black hair exclaimed, coming up and tackling me into the soft snow.

“Vince, it’s too cold outside.” A younger version of myself whined, pouting as I looked up at him seeing his dark red eyes begin to sparkle. “You aren’t like the other boys.”

“What do you mean?” he asked as he stood, helping me up with him and we shook the snow out of our hair. I felt my cheeks heat up from blushing, but thankfully my cheeks were already red from the cold. We were about nine years old at this time and one of the last few times I would ever see him.

“Everyone else thinks I’m...strange, but you treat me like I’m normal.” I explained, going over to a little bench that was on my porch so it wasn’t covered in snow. He sat down next to me, his face almost as red as his eyes.

“You’re anything but normal, but compared to everyone else...you’re my best friend.” He says shyly and I glance over at him shocked through my red hair. “Promise that we will always be best friends?” he asked, holding out his pinky. I hooked mine to his and grinned at him.

“Promise.”

End of Flashback.

“Give the woman some space, you guys!” Mylene’s voice called out as my eyes began to flutter open and I had multiple pairs of eyes staring down at me. I backed up even further into the bed, looking down at my body and noticing that I was stripped naked.

“What...Why…Where are my clothes?” I questioned, looking around as I sat up more, bringing the blanket with me.

“They are in the bathroom.” Vincent spoke up, causing me to look over at him and a blush crossed my cheeks.

“C-Could you grab them for me?” I asked quietly, seeing him nod as he leaves the room.

“Do you faint often?” Rude asked, handing me a glass of water and I shook my head no as I downed it.

“No...I hadn’t realized I had fainted until I woke up naked just now...why am I naked?”

“I undressed you so your body could cool down, you were like sitting next to a furnace or the sun…” Tifa explained, worry clouded over her aura which I could see plain as day, in fact I could see everyones… That is new.

“I thank you then...I can get dressed and come downstairs to explain what is going on...with the mission I mean.” I state, seeing Vincent come back into the room. He handled my clothes as though they were going to bite him if he wasn’t careful. Was he remembering or did he hate me?

“You need to drink more water and eat something, not wear heavy clo...where were your shoes?” Marlene asked and I thought for a moment, before it had finally hit me. We had left our shoes outside the manor! It was such a stupid and rookie mistake!

“Shit.” Mylene and Lyna both breathed out as we looked at one another.

“What? What’s the big deal?” Barrett asked, looking at all of us.

“Meet us downstairs...there is something you all need to know.” Lyna said, once I gave her the nod to continue. They all nodded and left us alone, I noticed that Vincent was the last to leave and every part of me wanted to call out to him. To hug him and tell him that I remembered who he was. Gah, what the hell was up with my emotions?!

I quickly dressed and sat on the edge of the bed as the other two stared at me like I was sick.

“I got my memories back...the ones they locked away…” I whispered, holding my head in my hands as I realize what this meant. It meant I would have to be put back through the process...and if it didn’t give them the results they wanted, I was as good as dead.

“That is not good news...maybe we can keep that from them, the organization I mean.” Mylene stated, Lyna just nodded along with her and I shook my head as I stood up.

“No use, they know better and once they get the scent, they will prod til these damn emotions come up.” I remind them, finding it hard to keep my eyes from leaking. This life was all I had ever known...how could a genetic freak like myself live in a world like this? I was better off dead anyways. Two hands were placed on my shoulders and I looked up to see them staring at me.

“If they take you down, we will fall in line right behind you.” Lyna stated and they brought me into a hug, “It’s what family does for one another.”

“She is absolutely right, now lets go downstairs and come out to everyone about what we are and what Professor Sephiroth is up to.” Mylene stated, pulling away from the hug and we followed her downstairs. Everyone practically forced me to sit down and eat, which was absolutely fine because it was some kind of noodles and sauce with chicken pieces in it. I practically devoured it, barely chewing...something else I wasn’t used to was actually sitting down and eating.

“You act like you haven’t eaten a meal in ages.” Nanaki said, watching me in shock and I nodded at him.

“It feels like ages, though it’s only been,what?” I looked over to Lyna and Mylene, who were sitting at a table. They didn’t have their memories back like I did, solitude was their go to. “Six months since my last actual meal, not counting the snacks here or there.”

“That’s just not possible…” Yuffie said quietly and my eyes flickered over to her, tingling slightly and I knew they were glowing blood red. I’m glad I could still control that and everyone gasped in shock, Vincent was even taken aback. “W-what are you?”

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me...I guess I should start at the beginning.” I state as I bite down on my lip, looking around as the tingling stopped. “We were taken from our homes by the age of ten, brought into recruitment for The NightinGale Organization. They based their training on SOLDIERS and the Turks, but they were extremists…” I finished my food, going back to chewing on my lip. I could feel emotions and see auras, some were scared and I didn’t blame them while others wanted to protect in case I blacked out and attacked someone. “The girls were injected with a special serum every year on the day they were brought in and every year, the ones who couldn’t handle it...died. We had normal training and one we made it through the process, our training got more intense. We weren’t allowed to drink or eat for long periods of time, kept away from not only society, but from everyone else in the organization. Our first mission we had to kill and devour our target in order to complete the transition or we would die...we were seventeen. Our bodies came into full maturity at the age of twenty-four and that is how old we have been for… a long time. Our physical age is twenty-four but...we are actually in our sixties.” I looked at one of the others to take over, unable to talk anymore with all the memories that kept coming back to me.

“Our rules are much stricter than most,” Mylene began, “We aren’t allowed to ask questions about our past before it all. After a ten years, it all fades to black...think of it like a wall around the first ten years of your life and the moment you scratch at that wall is when you get these tremendous headaches. Not to mention, we couldn’t have se…” she realized there were children in the room. “Abstinent.” She said and all the guys opened their mouth except Vincent, though his eyes were full of shock once more.

“That is bloody insane!” Cait Sith exclaimed, throwing his little paws in the air and Lyna scoffed.

“No insane is the fact that Jezzine has her memories back and is basically a dead girl walking.” Mylene and I both sent her a glare, her mouth sometimes just didn’t know when to stop. Everyone looked at me, their eyes filling with sympathy and I could feel them, causing me to stand up.

“My fate is my own, I’m of no real concern...Cloud, Vincent, Nanaki your lives are in grave danger. Professor Sephiroth has a plan to combine the three of you in some odd way and make you one being. Chaos XIII Strife… He is bound and determined to make this work but his research was lost when he died. I will do what I can to save you all, even if it means my own life.”

“Jezzine…” Cloud spoke up and I shook my head, holding up my hand to him and the others.

“Don’t worry about me...there are scarier things to me than dying.” I stated, leaving the building and walking wherever my feet would take me.

I was lying to them and myself. I was beyond terrified of death and where it would lead me.