Disclaimer: Anything to do with Final Fantasy VII, Genesis Rhapsodos or Sephiroth is owned by Square Enix.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Panting heavily, a SOLDIER in his late teenage years stood among the wreckage of the slums of Midgar, making an attempt to catch his breath. A sudden vibration in the pocket of his coat indicated that his phone was ringing, forcing him to blindly fumble his left hand around in the pocket to find it. Once retrieved, he flicked his wrist and opened the flip phone with a snap, putting it up to his ear.
"…hello?" He mumbled between breaths, impatiently waiting for a response.
'I've just received word from Sephiroth that all Wutai troops have been eliminated. Secure the area and check for casualties. I'll give you the all clear shortly." An ever patient and calm Lazard Deusericus spoke clearly, speaking as the director of ShinRa's elite fighting force, SOLDIER.
"Got it." Genesis Rhapsodos muttered, flipping his phone shut and returning it to his coat. A surprise attack from a group of elite Wutai soldiers had caught ShinRa off guard that day, making one load of a task for the array of SOLDIERs to take care of. The 1st Classes were among the first few sent down to investigate, finding themselves thrown into armed combat as soon as they arrived.
Genesis picked his way through the heaps of scrap metal that were left over from the construction of the plate, making his way over towards a clearer section of ground. A few 2nd Class SOLDIERs were standing about, recovering from the rush of adrenaline that came with battle.
"Hey!" The redheaded SOLDIER hollered, "Get a move on! Start securing!"
They nodded in recognition, and began blocking off the area to ordinary civilians to stop them coming in. Genesis sighed, slightly thankful that he had the authority of a top ranking SOLDIER now. He stepped over once last scrap of metal and a piece of wood, making his way towards the area where the majority of combat had taken place. Out of the corner of his eyes, he managed to spot a crumpled figure that lay at the edge of the battlefield. Squinting with his enhanced vision, he identified the person to be a female civilian, and she wasn't looking in a very good shape. Gently, the SOLDIER made his way over towards her, identifying several nasty wounds that would certainly make saving her life difficult. With care, Genesis kneeled down beside the young woman and looked her over, seeing several gunshot wounds to the chest. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes were closed, tainted with teardrops that she had cried.
Genesis' mako infused eyes widened with concern as he gently rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to get her attention, trying his best to make her conscious again.
"Hey…" he said softly, seeing her eyes opening slightly. They were a deep brown, filled with pain and yet…they were so…beautiful.
She coughed, trying her best to see the figure that was hunched over her. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of the sword that lay in Genesis' right hand.
"Don't worry. I'm with SOLDIER." Genesis spoke gently, placing his Rapier down beside himself in order to reduce the girl's fear. The distress left her eyes as she eased, clearly succumbing to the welcoming realm of unconsciousness again. "Hey, hey! You've got to stay awake, or I…I won't be able to help you."
"You…can't…" she whispered, struggling to come to terms with her agonizing injuries. Genesis shook his head, refusing to believe that he wasn't able to save the girl.
"What's your name?" He asked quietly, keeping a hand on the shoulder of the quivering female.
"…Cara." She whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as she winced in pain. Genesis felt a pang of sympathy from within himself as he tried his best to comfort the dying girl, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
"Sshh…" Genesis whispered, moving some of the girl's dark brown hair out of her eyes. He hated to think about it, but the extent of this girl's injuries meant that even if he did carry her, she wouldn't make it. "…I'm Genesis."
Cara barely managed a nod, feeling her eyes well up with tears as the pain increased. The SOLDIER's expression changed to one of sadness as he saw the distress the young woman was in, feeling so helpless that he wasn't able to save her. He brought his left hand to his face, gripping the glove with his teeth so he was able to take it off without removing his other arm from the Cara's shoulders. The red leather glove landed in his lap as he moved his hand to gently wipe the tears from the girl's cheeks, murmuring to her comforting words.
"It's okay…it's alright…" he said softly, stroking her cheek with a shaky hand. She lifted her right hand up slowly, taking hold of the SOLDIER's fingers weakly. Genesis responded by taking hold of Cara's hand, holding it securely as she gripped tightly, struggling with the pain. She cried out through her still falling tears, finding it hard to keep her gaze with the redhead. She just wanted to look at him while she died; he was the only thing keeping her clinging onto life.
"Ssshh…it's okay…" Genesis faltered, beginning to lose hold on his emotions as Cara looked up at him, an almost pleading look showing in her brown eyes.
"Th…thank…you…" she whispered, finally accepting what was happening. Her grip fell limp in Genesis' left hand, letting him know that her time had come. Unable to help himself, the SOLDIER let his own tears fall, his eyes squeezed shut as he still held on to Cara's hand. He shuddered as he tried to contain his distress, trying not to let the sobs continue. He leaned his head downward, giving her cheek a gentle kiss as his final goodbye.
Genesis looked at her face, seeing her cheeks now tainted with the teardrops he had cried.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: Oh…man. I feel really depressed now. I really must stop with the angst-filled one shots, shouldn't I? Especially the bittersweet ones. Anyway, this idea came to me rather suddenly…I was lying in bed this morning, and it just hit me. I was like…wow. o.o' So yeah…Gen's about 19 to 20 here, 1st Class SOLDIER, you know the drill. I hope you found this one interesting, I can say it messed with my emotions when I was writing it. Oh, and let me know if you spot any typos/errors. I make those a lot. -sweatdrop-
By the way, I own Cara. Finally, something that I own in my stories.
Hope you liked it!
- Lioneh the cheetion