A/N: HOMG CHAPTER TWOOO ~ I know one of my reviewers, septasonicxx (Dani) will be celebrating when she discover it's up. :3 In this chapter I promise there'll be stuff to squeal over, too! Go on and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Genesis Rhapsodos, Cissnei or anything to do with Final Fantasy VII belongs to Square Enix.

Rex and Davis the infantrymen, as mentioned further down, are completely and totally OWNED by septasonicxx on both this website and deviantART. They can be found with a much larger role in her story titled 'Roy Peters.'

'Imaginings of you' - Chapter 2

Arrival
------------------------------------------------------

White.

It was all like a blanket of creamy velvet, stretching far into the distance, even beyond the mountains.

…it was beautiful.

Of course, Cissnei tried her best to keep her reaction to herself as she surveyed the cozy town of Icicle Inn, watching a few young children rugged up to the neck in scarves, gloves and thick jumpers playing about in the snow. Slinging her shuriken over one shoulder and a small bag over the other, she began to trek through the snow towards their temporary place of residence, closely following behind Genesis and the two infantrymen.

"Over here," Genesis motioned, gently pulling on the thick wooden door that lead to the fabled inn that helped the town obtain it's name. The Turk sighed in utter relief as she stepped in through the doorway, embracing the warmth of the fireplace that was across the room. Moments later she realised that Genesis had indeed been holding the door for her again. What's this all about…?

"Thanks…again," Cissnei said shyly, setting her pack down on the floor beside herself.

"Welcome." Genesis said silkily, brushing past her as he stepped over to the reception area.

"Ah," the elderly inn receptionist said, "we've been expecting you, SOLDIER. These are the men sent to deal with our fiend problems?"

"…and woman, ma'am." Genesis motioned behind himself to a rather embarrassed Cissnei.

"My goodness!" the receptionist said quickly, squinting at the Turk. "Why on earth send the poor girl on such a hard job?"

"I agreed to it." Cissnei said curtly, the side of her mouth quirking. "I'm a qualified member of ShinRa staff and have been trained in this area."

Shaking her head, the elderly woman stood up slowly, pointing a finger in the direction of their quarters for the next few nights.

"Follow me, then," she said gruffly, shuffling down a hallway. Straightening her shoulders, Cissnei retrieved her belongings and was about to follow the receptionists' lead before a shadow leaning over her caused her to pause.

"You alright?" Genesis inquired, a tone of concern in his voice.

"Fine." Cissnei said quickly, stepping past Genesis. The SOLDIER wasn't completely convinced, especially after seeing her respond with such steel in her voice earlier. He shrugged it off as he motioned for the two ShinRa army troops to follow her as he took up the rear. Cissnei…she's tougher than she looks.

"Alright then," Genesis said briskly, rubbing his hands together. The four ShinRa personnel were sitting at a small, enclosed café not too far from the inn they were staying at, the setting sun filtering orange light through the small windows running along the edge of the little building. Though Cissnei brought her gaze to him, the two infantrymen were appearing to have a little bit of a hushed argument over something trivial.

Typical.

"Hey!" Genesis said in annoyance, raising his poetic voice slightly. "Pay attention, you two. And take those helmets off - I don't think I've even seen your faces today once."

Not to mention that wearing hats or helmets inside is considered rude by most… Genesis pondered, watching the two underlings reveal their heads of messy hair.

"…did I even catch your names, men?" Genesis said curiously, seeing them looking at him with slight irritation.

"That idiot's Davis," the other said, flicking some of his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes. "I'm Rex."

The one named Davis gave Rex a small shove, poking his tongue out. Genesis just rolled his eyes, turning to face Cissnei who was just watching in amusement.

"I'm Cissnei, for anyone who didn't know…" she said sweetly. Rex started making eyes at her, whilst Davis promptly whacked him upside the head.

"Rex! Davis! Where on Gaia has your dignity gone?" Genesis growled, giving them a serious glare. Cissnei felt her face flush from the attention and shrunk back into her chair a little bit.

"Anyway," the SOLDIER hissed, resting his head in his hands, "I was about to review tomorrow's task. With your attention span you'll probably forget by then, but I'll try my hardest to make you remember."

"…was that a threat?" Rex whispered to Davis quietly, who merely shrugged and actually started to pay attention.

"At dawn," Genesis began, ignoring the small protest given by the two army members, "we'll make for the abandoned mako excavation facility at Modeoheim. Come well prepared, as it's likely to be cold, and there are definitely going to be monsters. Get a good night's rest and don't go wandering outside past dark. Understood?"

"Apart from sounding like my mum," Davis said, "I get it."

"Good," Genesis replied tersely, running a hand through his hair. "Dismissed."

The two infantrymen were out of there in seconds, probably glad to get away from their duties for a little while.

"Remember, this isn't a holiday!" Genesis called out after them, though it was probably too late for them to hear. Cissnei, meanwhile, was biting her lip in order not to laugh, considering she was around the age that Rex and Davis were. She quickly covered up her amusement with a wide yawn, letting the day's travel finally catch up with her.

"As for us…" Genesis said more gently, "we'll be going inside the facility itself once we reach it and finding the source of the problem that's causing the mutations."

Cissnei nodded in understanding, fingering some of her wavy hair.

"Also, just as a tip," Genesis said quietly, "equip your best materia, alright? Preferably those that are fire based, like that fira you handled before. If you have any access to ice-resistant accessories, wear those as well."

"Okay," she nodded quickly, taking note of the SOLDIER's advice. With a brief smile, the redhead stood up from his chair and gently pushed it in.

"See you back at the inn in about two hours, okay?" Genesis said softly, turning around and heading for the door.

"Y-yeah…" Cissnei said, finding an unexpected warmth tinge her cheeks as she watched his slender figure exit the small café.

"Time to get up…" a voice murmured quietly, a hand gently rubbing her shoulder.

Cissnei shifted inside the small, cozy bed, hardly aware of being conscious until she heard footsteps leaving her room. Sleepily blinking her eyes open, she saw the dim light of her lamp being the only source of illumination within the room at all. It…must be still dark outside…

"Mmm…" she groaned, stretching her hands high above her head. Who was that earlier…?

Bringing herself up into a sitting position, the young Turk yawned as she brushed some hair off her face. She paused in her actions, her mind searching for the person who'd decided to wake her up.

Cissnei gasped quietly, her brown eyes trying to blink their way into a more alert state.

"…that wasn't…him was it? Genesis?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she pushed some of the covers away, shivering at the lack of warm blankets over herself. Not sure what to make of that…coming into my room and all…

"Well…if that's all he did…" she mumbled, stumbling over towards the door and gently closing it. "I guess…I might have overslept anyway…"

Stifling another the yawn, Cissnei grabbed her suit from where it was hanging up on the wall and quickly began getting changed as fast as she could to avoid the chilly air. Within five minutes she had pulled out a comb and was dragging it through her tangled curls, complaining at the occasional knot.

"Ow…ow…" she mumbled, frustrated as she tried to make her way through another severe tangle. Sometimes having curly hair sucked.

A sharp knocking at her door interrupted her struggle, causing her to immediately cast her gaze upon the doorway.

"Breakfast in five," Genesis called, his footsteps already fading down the hallway.

"…yeah, yeah," Cissnei grumbled, finally releasing her comb from her chestnut hair.

It was going to be a long day.

It must be below freezing out here…

Cissnei's teeth chattered together as the party of SOLDIER, Turk and infantrymen continued down the snow covered path, the bitterly cold wind swirling little bits of snow about their faces. She'd done exactly what she'd been told in regards to materia and equipment - even had a minute to sharpen her shuriken blades before coming.

But that didn't stop how cold she was feeling. Everyone else, on the other hand, seemed to be fairing okay, despite the harsh conditions. At least she was managing to keep up with Genesis as both Rex and Davis travelled at the rear.

Hiding her suffering to herself, Cissnei forced herself not to clutch her sides and make it obvious she was shivering - that crazy inn lady would never let the others live it down. So far, the journey had been without complications, with any monster encounters over in mere minutes since both she and the SOLDIER were more than prepared. The closer they seemed to get, however, the more mutated and horrible did each batch of creatures look - there must have been some serious problems with that old facility.

Or so she was thinking, anyway.

Genesis mostly kept to himself during their journey to the abandoned mako excavation site, occasionally checking on the status of his fellow ShinRa employees. Cissnei noted the little bits of snow that had stranded in his chestnut locks, almost tempted to giggle before realising she probably looked the same way. At least Davis and Rex have helmets…

But to no avail, as Davis nearly tripped on a rock protruding from the ground.

"Win some, lose some…" she mumbled underneath her visible breath. Just as the group rounded a crest in the mountain side, Genesis put a hand up to indicate for them to stop. He leaned his head forward, as if intently listening for something.

"Might be some monsters further along," he announced, obviously having picked up their cries long before Cissnei and the ShinRa troops did. A particularly frigid blast of cold wind swept through the party, blowing right into Cissnei as she let out an audible gasp at the freezing temperatures. Davis and Rex had fallen behind a bit now, both of them fighting against the icy winds.

"Here." Genesis said simply, shrugging his red leather coat off his broad yet slender shoulders and placing it in Cissnei's arms.

"No, wait! Genesis!" She called, seeing him already purposely taking bigger strides to distance himself from her so she couldn't argue. Feeling a furious heat flush her cheeks, the embarrassed Turk slipped her arms through the sleeves of the coat, feeling it already nice and warm from its previous wearer. The sleeves draped over her hands slightly and she had to try her best from letting it drag in the snow due to their height difference, feeling rather silly in the SOLDIER's coat.

Turning her head behind herself, she saw that both Davis and Rex were approaching, and immediately she threw herself into a jog to avoid being noticed by the two unkempt infantrymen. Gosh…what the heck is wrong with him!?

In her now heated embarrassment Cissnei quickly caught up to Genesis, who apparently wasn't feeling the cold on his bare arms and shoulders as he kept on walking. She tried not to gawk at him striding through the snow like that with hardly any warm clothing on, keeping her head down to avoid making eye contact.

But it was probably a bit late for that.

"Feeling better?" He asked playfully, a knowing smirk creeping onto his face.

"Yeah," Cissnei mumbled, still feeling quite self-conscious, "…t-thanks."

Genesis tentatively patted her shoulder, which was covered by the shoulder guard that was normally seen on him. He held back a snort but still accidentally let some laugher escape at the way she looked, dressed in a coat that was quite plainly too big for her.

Cissnei looked up at him, an embarrassed sensation washing over her all over again.

"What?" She spat, seeing the SOLDIER's shoulders shaking slightly in his chuckling. He turned to face her, a cheeky smile forming on his lips as much as he tried to suppress it.

"It's j-just…" he breathed, trying his best to stop laughing, "it makes you look so…c-cute…"

Cissnei stopped dead in her tracks, eyeing the SOLDIER with great suspicion as he also paused in his walking.

"Look, don't worry…" Genesis said, feeling more like himself again, "I'm not singling you out. I have called a girl cute before, so relax."

Pfft…like that's going to help me feel better…Cissnei thought sarcastically, though her expression betrayed her thoughts as she found herself smiling a little.

"Whatever you say, SOLDIER." She mumbled, lifting her head up to see where they were heading. "U-um, actually, you might want to turn around…"

Just as those words left her mouth Genesis had already spun on his heel, an intense heat forming around his hand as he met with said monster from earlier. A hideous, mutated animal of some kind was snarling at him, already concentrating to form a level 3 ice spell rapidly above the SOLDIER's figure.

Swift as a cheetah, Genesis let fly an incredibly powerful firaga and quickly dodged the razor sharp icicles that sliced through the air, falling where he'd been moments ago. The creature was incinerated as it hobbled away, covered in flames as it crashed to the snowy ground.

Dusting his hand on his pants, the SOLDIER quickly continued onward, leaving Cissnei to hurry along behind him.

A few minutes later, Genesis took a glance behind himself, narrowing his mako infused eyes as he focused into the distance, not catching sight or either Davis or Rex anywhere.

"Seen the infantrymen?" He asked quietly, bringing up a hand to block off some of the glare that came with the surrounding snow. Cissnei shook her head, feeling a slight sense of worry edge into her feelings as she glanced around.

"No…" she trailed off, bringing the SOLDIER's crimson coat closer around her shoulders to block out the chilly wind.

Genesis put a hand to his temple, clearly frustrated with the two of them. Is this how Angeal feels looking after all those recruits he trains?

"Yo!"

Snapping his head up again, Genesis quickly zoomed in on the two figures…in front of him, further down the path.

"What in Minerva's name are you two playing at?" He yelled towards them, hoping his voice would carry the distance. "This is no time for games, you know!"

"You're one to talk!" Rex called back, motioning at Cissnei.

Ignoring him, Genesis broke into a fast lope in order to catch up to the two, briefly looking behind himself to see a Cissnei furtively removing his red leather coat from her shoulders as she followed.

About thirty seconds later the SOLDIER and Turk intercepted Davis and Rex further down the path, with Cissnei handing him his coat back into Genesis' spare hand. Slipping it back on, Genesis gave the two infantrymen a hard glare that he'd taken the time to learn off Sephiroth.

"Never, ever abandon the party you've been assigned to. Especially in conditions like these." Genesis said fiercely, steel in his normally calm, smooth voice. "This is going on your reports, boys."

Rex winced a little bit, but Davis stood tall and squared his shoulders.

"Sir, we found a much faster route that we discovered along the way - we didn't even think monsters could-"

"While you may have thought," Genesis interrupted him, "you didn't know. That puts both your lives, ShinRa's and my reputation in danger. I never want to see such reckless actions from you two again. Stay within good behaviour for the rest of this trip, and I might, just might reduce the harshness towards both of you when it comes to report time."

By this time and Genesis' forceful words, both Rex and Davis had taken their minds off what they seen Cissnei involved in, far too put out by their discipline.

"Now come on," Genesis said tersely, motioning for everyone to follow. Both Davis and Rex started trudging along behind the SOLDIER, with Cissnei deciding to take the rear to make sure they didn't stray off the main pathway again.

Despite the constant wind biting at her face, Cissnei didn't feel the slightest bit too cold anymore. As she watched everyone else moving forward in front of her, she couldn't help but wonder…

Genesis…who are you, really?

A/N: -dances- A second chapter! All in the same day, too! -feels proud- Yes, I'm known for terrible procrastination, but never fear! I think I'll be able to update faster, as I'm addicted to writing romance ~ -giggle- It'll serve as a nice escape from school, which happens to commence again for me in a week… -gag- Anyway, until then, I shall leave you all hanging!

Reviews are greatly appreciated, as I really need feedback! o___o

- Lioneh