A/N: Here it is, another chapter. Personally, I haven't played Crisis Core, so I had to watch the cutscenes of it. Also, Serra and Sephiroth will get to know each other better in the next episode. And I'm also planning on giving Jenova and President Shinra new roles in this as it is an A.U. story. In this story, Jenova will be voiced by Maureen Price while President Shinra will be voiced by Lance Henriksen. That's all I'm willing to say for now, though. See you next time. :)

Chapter 1: Tortures of Memories

Banora

Later, in the forest near a house with a windmill blowing in the distance, Sephiroth and Serra were walking by themselves as they entered the seemingly vacant area while Tseng and Zack investigated another area of Banora elsewhere. Their assignment was to go in search of a deserter in SOLDIER by the name of none other than Genesis Rhapsodos. As far as she was told, he was once a 1st class SOLDIER member. But a little over a month ago, they lost contact with him in Wutai. When Zack and Sephiroth got there, however, the Wutai troops that they fought turned out to be copies of Genesis. And not only that, another desertion was made by the part of Angeal. Though he didn't show it, it worried him.

He never told Serra this, not that she cared about his business, but Angeal and Genesis were his closest friends. Not a day went by that he didn't think about the time they spent together. Through the good times, and the bad, they were always a team. But with the desertion from the two of them, he felt conflicted. If it came down to it, Sephiroth would be forced to terminate them for deserting SOLDIER. And he never wanted that, ever.

How this mission would end aside, Sephiroth knew that the best bet would be to track down the one whose genes created them. And she happened to be all the way in Banora. If anyone knew where they were, Gillian would. So, he had Zack and Tseng go look for her to find out where he is while he and Serra attend to other matters. Of course, being a rookie in the ranks of SOLDIER, Serra had no idea about that as she spoke to him.

"So, Sephiroth? How come we're not going with the others? Aren't we looking for Genesis?"

"We're not, but Zack and Tseng are. His genes were created by Gillian. If anyone knew where he was, she would."

"Oh. Right. But... how did this place get so abandoned?"

"You can thank Genesis for that. He and his copies must've cleared out the town."

As they continued walking towards Banora, Serra still wondered how she'd be able to get some decent training on an assignment like this, short of engaging Sephiroth herself, and she knew how well she'd do against him. So, rather than employ that option, Serra decided to take the less higher risk of speaking to him about it.

"Still... even if we do find out where he is, how can you expect me to just go after this Genesis without any training?"

To answer, Sephiroth stopped his walking, making Serra conscious about it as she turned around to him before he spoke.

"You won't."

As Sephiroth said this, Serra was confused.

"Huh? Why not?"

"The assignment isn't time limited. So we have all the time we need to train."

As Serra was told the answer, she knew it'd make sense. Even though it wasn't time-limited, Serra felt it to be a relief that she'd be training before taking the assignment on herself. Although, the training generator would've been a preferable option in her opinion.

"Oh. Okay. But... why couldn't we train in the company's training room? That's what it's for, isn't it?"

As Serra said this, it made Sephiroth widen his eyes in terror as the thought about entering the simulator actually made him scared. When Serra took notice, she was getting the impression that she said something offensive to him. And in a way, she did. Because her words triggered a memory he'd rather forget. And that memory was what made him stay away from the simulator. It was when he, Angeal, and Genesis were sparring.

Back when they were together, Genesis was always aiming to be the hero. And in his ferocious fight with Sephiroth, Genesis was going too far, forcing Angeal to step in and interfere. However, when he tried to retaliate, Angeal's sword broke off and cut a wound in his shoulder just as Genesis' orb based off of Mako energy seeped into the wound. It brought great pain to him and made his cells degrade in the process due to his genes' diffusion by Mako energy. Worst of all, Sephiroth was told that he can't be the donor as he wasn't viable. Since then, he's sworn never to use it again, lest he remember the pain he caused to a friend, the pain that can't be healed. As Sephiroth dwelled on this, Serra's voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Hey! Sephiroth. Are you okay?"

Knowing how concerned she is, Sephiroth shook his head, not willing to disclose his memories to her as he spoke.

"I'm fine. But the simulator is off-limits."

"What? But why?"

"You've had too many onlookers when you first entered Shinra. If you train with that many people staring at you, you'll lose focus and end up hindering yourself."

As Sephiroth explained this to Serra, she could easily recall countless faces looking down on her and how they made her self-esteem shrink as she spoke.

"Oh. Right."

With that, Sephiroth got out his Masamune and held it out before speaking to Serra.

"Draw our your sword. We'll begin your first lesson."

As Sephiroth pointed his sword at Serra, she was more than willing to do so. Knowing how much of a chance she had with her fists was one thing, but with a sword, at least she got a level playing field.

"Okay. What's the lesson?"

As an answer, Sephiroth darted towards her and prepared to attack her, forcing her to block as she didn't want to get hit. However, that attempt was in vain as her sword was flying in the air before it stabbed itself on the ground as she herself landed hard on the ground with her back before Sephiroth stood up and spoke.

"The best offense is a good defense. Sadly, you couldn't manage that. Your grip was too lightly on the sword, almost like you wanted me to push you down."

This earned a groan from Serra as she stood up and picked up her sword again as she conversed with Sephiroth.

"Right. Any ideas how to fix that, o wise one?"

"Obviously, you should keep your grip tight. Do that, and you won't go down as easy as last time."

With that, keeping his advice in mind, Serra looked down to her hands holding her sword and made sure she was holding tight enough on it as she clenched her hands before looking up to him, more than certain that she'd stand a better chance, her odds of winning increasing with his advice lending her a hand.

"I'm ready."

At her cue, Sephiroth lunged at Serra with her holding the sword steady as she could. Fortunately, she was able to keep him from knocking her down. However, Serra was beginning to be pushed down by Sephiroth's sword. And while she tried with all her might to push back, he was pushing down just as smoothly, using little of his muscles to keep it steady. As his sword drew near her face, Serra tried to find hat reserve of strength she had left to push it back, but couldn't. And so, she could only roll away from it, making his sword hit the ground before Serra flipped out about what could've happened.

"What's the big idea?! Are you trying to kill me?!"

As an answer, Sephiroth ran swiftly at her and tripped her with the blunt side of his sword, making her fall to the floor face first as she groaned before he replied.

"There's a time for talking and a time to fight. You can't have both."

As she understood the context of what he was saying, Serra spoke with her voice muffled by the ground.

"So, basically, keep my mouth shut when I fight?"

"If you want to win, yes."

Knowing the trouble Serra got herself into for shouting at him when the lesson was still going on, she only sighed and replied as she sat up.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Your grip was much better. But your lack of arm strength in that clash made you sink like quicksand."

This earned a confused look from Serra as she looked at her arms. She didn't think of them as weak, considering the climbing she did on Mt. Nibel when she snuck in to Shinra Manor. Although, she only climbed it once, so it didn't quite boost her arm strength as much as she expected. As she began to be disappointed in her arms for not holding up, Sephiroth spoke up again as he walked closer to her, making Serra turn to him.

"There's a way to fix that."

"There is?"

"Yes. And it involves your swings."

Later, Serra was now standing with her sword on her right side at a 45 degree angle with her left hand clenched to a fist as Sephiroth spoke to her while holding his Masamune close by his side.

"First, you need to find your balance. And when you swing, swing with your body. With swords, it's about momentum, not just arm strength."

"But I thought you said we're gonna work on arm strength."

"We are. Supposedly, the momentum will help build it up as you swing."

As Serra held her sword up horizontally, she had her personal doubts about that as she spoke to Sephiroth.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course."

"Well... okay."

With that, Serra took a step back and drew her sword behind her before she swung it at the air diagonally downwards. Afterwards, Serra began to lurch a bit as the momentum of the swing caused her to stumble some before tripping on the floor, making Sephiroth shake his head before he spoke.

"You were fighting your momentum. And dropping your guard. Work with it to attack again before the enemy reacts."

"Work with it? How could I when it's what made me trip in the first place?"

"That's what this training is for. Now try again, but this time, follow the first swing with another until I say."

As Serra got up, she was beginning to get tired of the drill very quickly as she spoke to Sephiroth.

"Right. How long are we doing this for?"

"As long as we need to."

"Which is what?"

"In your case... a full month, at least."

"A full month?!"

As Serra shouted this, not willing to endure those slip ups for a whole month, she grew exasperated and spoke to him. As far as she saw it, her current skills wouldn't do any good if they kept lousing up for a month.

"We can't be doing this for a month! What about the mission?!"

Hearing her ask about it, Sephiroth was surprised, considering she didn't want to be SOLDIER in the first place.

"And here I thought you didn't care for those."

"I don't. It's just that the sooner I finish it, the sooner I get to go back home."

As Serra said this, Sephiroth swiftly planted his Masamune to the ground, making her tense up as she figured out the hard way that she made him angry with her remark before he spoke with a hint of fury in his voice.

"Do you really think it's that easy? That finishing a mission for SOLDIER gives you a free pass?"

As Serra was stuck in a petrified pause, Sephiroth turned to her and spoke again.

"Once you're in SOLDIER, you cannot go back. There is a grave consequence for desertion. Given our mission, you should know exactly what that is."

And she did. Thanks to his words, Serra recalled about a certain deserter named Genesis and what they came here to do. As she thought about this, she became worried as to what would happen if she left before Sephiroth spoke onwards.

"It'll be gradual, but trust me. You will not survive it. I'm not letting you take that risk. Not with your level."

As a long silence ensued, Serra considered this an empty gesture at this point. Back home at Nibelheim, it was a long time since she took any risk. And then he came along. If he had wanted her not to take risks, he should've left her alone... He should've let her stay with her family and friends to leave an uneventful and peaceful life. But he robbed her of that by making her his recruit. And she didn't hesitate to show that as she glared at him as she spoke lividly.

"Then why bring me into this at all?"

As her words hung in the air, Sephiroth maintained his stern gaze before Serra spoke again. This time, she had no intention to hold back her frustration and her anger on him.

"If you didn't want me to take that risk, you should've left me alone! I was fine before you ever took me in! I never asked to be SOLDIER! I never asked to be taken away from my home! And I never asked for what happened to my sister!"

As Serra said this, she realized that in her utterance of fury, she brought up something she personally didn't want to discuss and gasped at what just occurred before looking up, only to see Sephiroth as stoic as ever. Honestly, this made her more infuriated that he didn't care more than if he'd asked about her.

"Why am I even talking to you? You don't know what it's like to lose someone you cared about, or to be taken away from home. You probably don't even know what home is. And I don't care what you have to say anymore. I just want to go home..."

As Serra's words hung again in the atmosphere, she began walking towards the house nearby. Unbeknownst to her, though, Sephiroth did know how that felt. He lost Genesis one month ago when he deserted SOLDIER. Since then, he tried thinking of any way to get his friend back. He'd hoped Serra was the key to bringing him back, but she's made it clear she wanted nothing to do with SOLDIER, least of all, him. All she wanted was to go back home. It seemed as though he made a mistake after all...

"I understand. Stay here until I come back."

With that, Sephiroth began walking away from her and towards a nearby bridge as she took notice. Although she didn't care about what he had to say as she claimed, she did care about him staying with her. After all, he was more skilled compared to her.

"Where are you going?"

"After Genesis. Once I'm done, you'll go back home."

Hearing this, Serra widened her eyes at the thought of seeing her family and friends again. And yet... somehow... it didn't make her any happier than her first day at Shinra. Remembering what Sephiroth told her, Serra must think it was because of the penalty for leaving SOLDIER as she spoke.

"But... didn't you say there was a penalty for deserting SOLDIER?"

As he heard Serra ask this, Sephiroth stopped short of walking away before speaking as he turned to her.

"It's not really a desertion... if you never belonged there anyway."

As Serra heard this, she felt those words sting her heart as Sephiroth walked away before Serra made a comeback.

"Well... fine!"

With that, Serra stormed off inside the nearby house and slammed the door shut. With the door closed, Sephiroth closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking under his breath.

"I'm sorry for bringing you into this."

After having said those words, Sephiroth began walking into the forest as Serra looked on from the window. Once he was out of view, Serra looked around the house, trying to figure out what to do until Sephiroth comes back before she walked to where a full-body mirror was. From there, Serra could still feel the pain from Sephiroth's words, almost as if they cut into her heart like a dagger. Why would it hurt her so much if she didn't want to be in SOLDIER to begin with? Then, as she looked at herself, realizing how pathetic she looked compared to the other members, and recalled how her sister passed away, Serra figured out why: because she'd heard it before.

She'd heard it from her own haunting memory which began to flash in her mind. It involved her dear sister, Katie. That fateful day, Serra and Katie were climbing on the trail of Mt. Nibel. It was expressly forbidden because of how young the two of them were back then, with Serra being 12 while Katie was about two years younger, but they did it anyway. Serra did so for the risk of finding out what's really going on in Shinra Manor. And she had to rope Katie into it because she would've tattled on her if Serra didn't bring the little girl with her. But that turned out to be a grave mistake.

As they traveled up on Mt. Nibel, Serra and Katie encountered a sudden ambush of monsters all around them. Immediately, in their panic, they tried to take off from them, but as they ran, a monster used a blast of Mako energy to knock them to the ground. And when they tried to get up, a monster was preparing to fire at Serra again. As it did so, Katie took notice of it and ran off to shield her from the blast. When the blast connected, it instantly pushed her back, her gentle, green eyes becoming thinner and transparent as she fell to the floor unmoving. All Serra could do was crawl over to Katie and cradle her lifeless body as she sobbed amidst the members of SOLDIER trying to protect them. But regrettably, they were too late to save her...

After the incident, Serra returned to her parents, her eyes red with tears as a lifeless Katie was held in her arms. Distraught by this news, they took their turn mourning their youngest child's death. However, that mourning didn't last long. Eventually, they found out Serra and Katie snuck to Mt. Nibel. And once Serra told them about what happened in precise detail, they harbored no mercy for her and began to physically and mentally abuse her all at once as her mother's shriek of anger towards her echoed...

"You don't belong in this house anymore! Don't ever let me see you set one foot in this house again!"

As Serra heard this cruel shriek growing louder in her head, remembering how broken they made her, she tensed her fist and yelled out in anger at the creator who made her suffer this fate as she swiftly smashed her hand on the mirror, causing the glass to reverberate and split apart, slicing through her hand as she began to weep not from the current physical pain of laceration, but from the scars her parents gave her and shouted her faithless query.

"Why...?! Why does it have to be me that gets to suffer like this?! WHY?!"

As the blood on her hand leaked out profusely, Serra could only weep at her sorrowful situation before seeing the blood trickle on the broken glass in front of her before she saw her sorrowful reflection. Amidst the drops of blood, what she saw was her younger self that endured the bitter torment of her so-called parents. Upon looking at that sad image, Serra turned her head away from the sight and began to feel the pain of her bleeding hand as she winced before looking around desperately for anything to cover it up, or at the very least, clot out the bleeding. All that she could find was a curtain hanging by the window. So, she had to tear a piece of it out and wrap it around her hand as she recalled how weak she was when she was caught by Sephiroth.

Although joining SOLDIER wasn't what she had in mind, Serra always wanted to be better than the person her parents made her out to be: a weak coward who would let others die for her. She's hated that part of herself for those five years since. But her tragedy also inflicted a fear of taking fatal risks, which is what put Katie in that position in the first place. That was the ultimate roadblock for her achieving that change. But then, he came. Maybe he tried to help her somehow... did he have pity on her? If he did, then he must have a heart after all...

But on the other hand, all that pity ever did was tell her how weak she was. And she's had enough of it for five years. It was time for her to forget about home. Whether she liked it or not, SOLDIER is her home now. And as far as she's been treated, Serra would choose that over her home. However, Serra recalled what Sephiroth would do once he took care of Genesis. But with her short traumatic tantrum over her memory inadvertently invoked by his mouth, Serra won't take the weak road ever again. Her mind was made up. And no amount of limits she had will ever convince her otherwise ever again.

"You're not taking me back to that hell. I won't let you..."

Just then, Serra took notice of Zack and Tseng going up to the house from the forest as she looked out the window. Upon seeing them, she was confused. Weren't they supposed to be in another area? To add to her confusion, Serra heard Zack shouting for her.

"Serra! Serra! Where are you?!"

At that moment, Serra only responded as she shouted.

"Over here!"

In response to Serra's shout, Zack and Tseng looked over to where it came from before only finding a lone house. They presumed she was inside, the assumption that was correct as she opened the door and revealed herself to them. As they took notice of her, Zack took a sigh of relief before he spoke.

"Phew! Thank goodness. I thought you guys were—"

Before Zack could finish, he stopped himself short, confusing her before he spoke again.

"You know what? Never mind."

Suddenly, he took notice of a broken mirror with blood and broken glass next to it from far away, making Zack curious as he spoke.

"Whoa. What happened here?"

As an answer, Serra tensed her hand, still hurting from the laceration it caused her before she spoke.

"Sephiroth told me to wait here until he dealt with Genesis."

As he examined the broken glass and blood carefully, Tseng could already tell there's more to her story than that.

"And what else?"

"After that... he said he'd take me back home."

As her head hung down while answering as such, she remembered how she used to think going back home was all she ever wanted. But she didn't think about what'd happen after. Even if she won't be hunted down, her parents would still torture her if they ever saw her. Her being able to evade them for this long was all thanks to Tifa and her family. Since Katie's death, they were more of a family than her own ever was. She wanted to see them again, but if she came back with no chance of making it by herself, what then? Just then, Tseng spoke up to her again.

"So... do you want to go back?"

As she looked at the Turk, Serra made up her mind and answered.

"He'll have to drag me kicking and screaming."

As Serra said this, Zack became a little nervous. From how she sounded, it didn't sound like she and him got along well together at all as he tried to calm her down.

"Hey, let's not get crazy, now..."

However, Tseng has a different reaction to Serra's answer as he smirked before he replied.

"I see. Sephiroth hoped you'd say that."

Hearing this, Zack and Serra became surprised as they spoke in unison before the former spoke up to Tseng before he explained.

"What?"

"Sephiroth said what?"

"Sephiroth spoke to me about almost five minutes ago. He told us to check up on you, and to see if you still wanted to go back."

This confused Serra for a moment, remembering how he took her in before she shook her head and replied to Tseng.

"He can keep his pity to himself. I've had enough of it already. Where is he?"

"Sephiroth saw a factory on the outskirts of town. He saw a Genesis copy go inside."

This piqued Serra's curiosity as she widened her eyes before she spoke to him again.

"You think that's where their headquarters is?"

"Most likely. A frontal attack would be inadvisable, though. We'll have to go in from above."

Hearing this, Serra became determined to meet with him again, if only because she had some choice words to say to him for what she went through as she spoke up to Tseng.

"Did he say where to meet him?"

"Yes. Last we heard, he's currently waiting at the cliff overlooking the factory."

"Then that's where we're headed. Let's go."

With that, Serra walked outside of the house quickly, remembering the direction Sephiroth exited the town as Zack became surprised by her sudden determination.

"Whoa. Did we miss anything back there?"

With that, the trio walked to the bridge and saw two paths in front of them. One leading to the factory itself, and the other to a cliff overlooking it. As Serra recalled, Sephiroth wanted to meet them at the cliff, so it was obvious where they should go. And so, they climbed up on the right path, noticing Sephiroth at the cliff by himself before Serra, Zack, and Tseng took notice of him. When they got to him, Serra didn't want her words to go to waste as she spoke up, not noticing the smile on his lips.

"Sephiroth, I don't know what you really want with me, but if you think for one second—"

"You don't have to worry. I expected as much, seeing you here."

As he looked at her, he took notice of the cuts on her hand before he tried to check on them, making Serra cautious. With the amount of time he's been gone, Sephiroth was surprised that she ended up having wounds so soon.

"What happened to you?"

As he looked at them, though, his touch inadvertently caused a sharp feeling of pain as she helped before wincing.

"Hey! Easy. It was just... some broken glass."

"I see. Can you be able to use your sword?"

"As if I'd let a little pain stop me like before."

As Sephiroth noticed how quickly she'd changed, even he had to admit he was a little surprised. Who knows what she went through all alone? Regardless, the mission is what mattered at the moment so he smiled before he spoke to Tseng.

"Right. Tseng. What did you and Zach find out?"

"Before you called, we saw a graveyard a while ago. Genesis's parents were in that grave."

Hearing this, Serra became startled. She never saw any graveyard when she got here, let alone his parents being the corpses for them.

"What? A grave? And his parents?"

Noticing her shock, Zack rubbed the back of his head as he spoke.

"Yeah. I was surprised by that, too."

With that, Sephiroth spoke up to Zack about another person who deserted SOLDIER.

"What about Angeal?"

"He wasn't at the house. But please, give me time!"

With how desperate Zack said it, it made Serra confused. Almost as if Angeal was his best friend. She needed to know for sure as she spoke to Zack.

"Wait. Who's Angeal?"

"He's my mentor. And... my best friend."

As Zack confirmed it, Serra made a light gasp before she spoke up.

"Well, what happened?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out. If I find Angeal, I can talk to him. If I can convince Angeal, maybe Genesis will come back, too."

As Zack said this, Sephiroth made a light smile before he spoke.

"Why do you think I brought you along?"

Hearing this from Sephiroth, Zack looked to him out of surprise before Serra piped up out of confusion just as he explained.

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Genesis and Angeal. They were my only friends."

As Serra heard this from Sephiroth, she became surprised. She never knew that he had friends to begin with. But the more she thought of that, the more it made sense. That must've been why he sent them after Genesis instead of going after him himself. But what she couldn't understand is why he left to find Genesis himself. Did that have anything to do with her experience in combat? Regardless, she still felt sorry for the position the mission put him in.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

With that, Zack took his turn to speak up to Sephiroth. After all, Angeal was just as important to him.

"But Angeal is my friend, too!"

"Exactly. I'm counting on you to bring them both back."

As Zack heard this from Sephiroth, it made him sigh from this before he spoke to himself.

"Why is everyone always pushing things on me?"

As Serra heard this, she tried to help Zack feel better before Sephiroth spoke up.

"Don't worry. You won't do it alone. Serra will go with you and Tseng."

As Serra ended up placed on the spot, she looked at him with a shocked expression before she spoke.

"What?! But—!"

"Don't worry. If you fall short, Zack and Tseng will cover you."

As she tried to counter, Serra realized what he meant. Although she did get some training, odds are, she'll end up being killed. Before that could happen, though, Zack and Tseng will be there for her. Maybe that's why he left her alone at the house. Because they'd look after her whenever he wasn't. At least he wasn't blind to her experience, she can say that much.

"Oh. Okay. But, what about you?"

As an answer, Sephiroth drew out his Masamune before he replied, concerning Zack.

"I'll find Angeal myself."

"To do what?"

As Sephiroth held his tongue for a moment, he made a deep sigh before he spoke to him.

"I don't know..."

With that, he proceeded to jump off of the cliff and through the glass before Serra looked down, surprised at what he did. Although, she shouldn't be surprised that a 1st class SOLDIER would do that. As she sighed, Tseng spoke up to her and Zack.

"Time is short. Let's go."

With that, Zack got ready to jump before he spoke.

"You may want to hold on."

Taking his advice, Serra held onto Zack's neck with her arms before he jumped off through the glass before landing on his feet, securing it to be safe for Serra to jump off of him before Zack shouted to Tseng above him.

"Infiltration successful!"

Suddenly, three men with red SOLDIER outfits and helmets wielding two machetes, one for each hand, appeared in front of them. As they took notice of the group, Sephiroth held his Masamune at the ready before slicing diagonally at them, knocking them out as Serra looked on in surprise before he spoke to the trio.

"You go look for Genesis in the meantime. I'll meet you there."

With that, Sephiroth walked forward before jumping off of the platform as Tseng noticed another way next to them as he spoke.

"Everyone, this way. And keep an eye out for enemies."

Heeding Tseng's warning, Zack and Serra nodded before going down that way and to the ground floor of the factory. Once they got there, though, they noticed two more soldiers as well as a flying machine gun with a red eye as Serra and Zack got their swords out and entered their stances as he spoke, worried about how her hand would hold up.

"You sure you can hold your sword like that?"

"Don't worry, Zack. I'll be fine."

"If you say so."

From there, Serra and Zack went after the soldiers while Tseng went after the robot as they ran before clashing with them as the first two clashed their swords against the machetes while Tseng got his guns out and fired at the machine. Amidst the clash, Serra was forced back before the assassin attacked again with his machetes, forcing her back before she tried to swing her sword at him, but once again, she ended up fighting the momentum before tripping and was forced to block his blades with her sword as he pushed down on her. As her right hand began to tingle from the earlier wounds of her temper, Serra heard Sephiroth's voice echoing in her mind regarding her training before she heeded it.

"First, you need to find your balance. And when you swing, swing with your body. With swords, it's about momentum, not just arm strength."

"I hope it can stick with me."

With that, Serra let her body slip to the ground while moving her sword away, making the assassin fall to the ground before using the momentum of the dodge to swing her sword at his back, hitting him before his shocked gasp came from him as he fell to the floor. As she noticed this, Serra widened her eyes at what she'd done. She would've been petrified if she didn't hear a groan from him, instantly relieving her as she sighed. If he didn't breathe after that, she would've been a killer. Strong as she wanted to be, Serra did not wish to be a killer. And so, Serra heard another groan before noticing Zack pushing his opponent back and knocking him out as he noticed Serra's handiwork and became impressed.

"Hey. Nice moves."

"Thanks."

Meanwhile, Tseng has already shot down the machine before he spoke to them, pointing to an open room on his right.

"Everyone, this way."

As they looked over that direction, they noticed an open door before Serra sighed.

"Well, If you say so."

As they went in, they took notice of a computer in the room before Tseng looked into it, noticing a string of files concerning Genesis copies as he spoke.

"Looks like the copies are being made here."

This made Serra widen her eyes as she spoke to Zack.

"Copies? Here?"

"Yeah. And they all looked like Genesis."

As Serra became frightened at the thought, it was also... somewhat comforting. If those were copies, then they couldn't have been real. With that in mind, Serra spoke to Tseng on the important matter.

"But if those were copies, then where's the real one?"

"Check the second floor. Genesis may be there."

As Zack and Serra looked to the door, they nodded to Tseng as she spoke.

"Okay."

As they got in through the door, Zack and Serra slowly walked towards the light as they heard a young voice speaking.

Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess. We seek it thus, and take to the sky. Ripples form on the water's surface. The wandering soul knows no rest.

As Zack and Serra got close to him, they became cautious upon seeing a young man with blue-green eyes and brown hair going over the right side of his face, as well as a red jacket with black shoulder pads and a black shirt in it before he raised his hand with a smirk and spoke.

"Settle down... Zack the Puppy."

As she heard Zack's nickname, Serra became confused as Zack growled. Then, the young man took his turn to speak to Serra.

"And you. I've never seen you before. Are you a flower girl, by chance?"

Hearing this, Serra felt about as offended as Zack was before she spoke.

"No. I'm a soldier. I think..."

Hearing her hesitation, the youth smirked before he spoke again.

"You're neither. You're just an errand girl sent by grocery clerks... to collect a bill."

As Genesis said this to Serra, she tensed cautiously just as Tseng arrived and looked in a tank of Mako energy nearby them before seeing a soldier inside it. Upon seeing this, Tseng spoke to Genesis next as he looked to him.

"The grave at the house... We found the remains of our people there as well."

With that, Genesis set down the book he held in his hand before looking to Tseng with a smirk as he spoke.

"It didn't take much to have them send false reports. Just some mild threats..."

Hearing this, Tseng grew furious as Zack spoke to him next.

"They would have done that anyway. At least your parents would have."

Upon hearing their mention, Genesis got up before he spoke with his anger gradually rising.

"My 'parents' betrayed me. They had always betrayed me, from the very beginning."

Speaking of parents, Serra gasped as she realized something: Genesis must've had just as difficult a time with her family as he did with his. Though she can't say for sure what happened between them, Serra still felt as though she knew what it was like to be treated like a monster. And so, she tried to reason with him.

"So what? That's no excuse to kill them, or anyone else for that matter!"

As she raised her voice at Genesis, he became intrigued with her spirit. Yet, at the same time, because she worked with SOLDIER, it irritated him.

"What do you know?"

As an answer, Serra took another step forward as she spoke.

"I know what it's like... to be treated like a monster. To be rejected when you couldn't do one thing right."

As Genesis heard this, he raised his eyes in surprise. How on Gaia could she know about his pain?

"I don't know what's happened between you and your family, I can admit that. But... that's no reason to view yourself as a monster, let alone act like one."

As she said this, however, Genesis's look of surprise was instantly replaced with that of anger as he summoned a green orb in his hand while he spoke.

"How could I not when you've made me this way... SHINRA LAPDOGS!"

Swiftly, Genesis thrusted it at Serra, knocking her back before its remains seeped into the wounds on her hand, making her wince in pain as she groaned while Zack prepared himself as Genesis walked closer to her.

"Are you joking? No defense against a blast like that? You really are a rookie."

As Serra looked at him, she couldn't help but glare at him as Genesis took notice of the open wounds on her right hand before he spoke again while drawing out his crimson-colored rapier.

"And even more bad news. Looks like your day as SOLDIER will be your first... and your last!"

As he tried to do away with her, Serra could only close her eyes, turn away, and brace herself for the end, only for Masamune to interfere as it stopped the rapier short of slicing her in half.

Play FFVII Remake Fanmade Music: "Those Chosen by the Planet"

When Serra opened her eyes, she took notice of that before seeing Sephiroth holding him back from a far distance with a raven-haired man holding a big sword on his back by his side as Serra and Zack spoke up.

"Sephiroth...?"

"Angeal..."

When Genesis noticed this, he was livid towards them as he spoke, particularly to Angeal.

"Welcome, old friend."

When he received no answer from either one, Genesis drew his rapier back before Serra was allowed to stand up again while he spoke to Angeal.

"I see... you've finally made your decision. I'll respect your wishes, old friend. However..."

With that, Genesis began to walk away briskly as he set his rapier by his side before stopping near Angeal as he spoke.

"Can you really live on that side?"

Having said his words to Angeal, Genesis began to walk away again before Sephiroth used his sword to block his path as he spoke.

"Stop!"

As Sephiroth cornered him, Genesis only made a smirk as he spoke callously to his old friend.

"And here I thought you're a hero."

"What are you talking about?"

"Didn't you notice? The Mako energy I used entered her bloodstream."

As Serra overheard this, Sephiroth's eyes widened in fear as it was a dead ringer for what happened at the training room before Serra spoke to him.

"So? What does that mean?"

"Monster or not, Mako energy will have dire consequences for the body... meaning her body will suffer them as mine did."

As the group heard this, Sephiroth was stunned by this development. On one hand, he could capture Genesis and bring him under custody. But on the other, Serra could feel the devastating effects of her gene's diffusion, or worse. Worse yet, Genesis was still his friend, no matter what he did. So, he can't bring himself to attack him. Genesis must've played his cards well on the spot, because he didn't dare make a move. Just then, Serra began to feel her body changing, and not for the better as she felt an intense burning everywhere inside her, as if she was being burned alive as she held her head and began whimpering with tears beginning to escape her eyes as Tseng looked to her.

"Serra? Are you alright?"

"I-I don't know...! My body... it's burning up! Like I'm being—!"

Before she could finish, Serra let out a pain-induced shriek as Zack and Sephiroth grew worried as they spoke in unison with Genesis smiling sinisterly.

"Serra!"

"Oh, my. It's happening already."

As Sephiroth glared at him, Genesis made the ultimatum clear.

"The clock is ticking, Sephiroth. It's time for you to decide who's more important. Your old friend... or some lowly errand girl."

With that, Genesis walked away briskly as Angeal tried to follow him with Zack trying to go after him.

"Angeal!"

When he tried to do so, Angeal took notice of it and stopped him in his tracks with a smaller sword, making Zack freeze in his tracks as he spoke.

"Genesis is my problem. I can't let him leave like this. Besides, someone else needs you."

As Angeal pointed to her, Zack took notice of her cringing in pain from the devastating effect on her body as Sephiroth went over to her and held her bridal style while looking over to Angeal as he nodded before his old friend did the same and walked out as Zack tensed at this, only for Sephiroth to notice this as he spoke.

"Go after him, Zack."

"Huh?"

"Don't lose sight of him. Tseng and I will bring her to the helicopter."

Understanding what he's getting at, which is to let Zack try to reach out to his mentor as Sephiroth still counted on him, he nodded and ran outside as Serra cringed while her tears flowed slowly on her cheeks as he stared at her broken and burning state.

End FFVII Remake Fanmade Music: "Those Chosen by the Planet"

"Please... just kill me now... it hurts so much..."

At that moment, he began to feel burdened with another life to lose, except he didn't want to lose her. Like she said, she had a family waiting at home for her. While he cannot imagine what they're like, he knew that the people who loved her would be broken without her in it. And her death would be on his head, even if Genesis made the blow. So now, he was faced with the critical blow of two losses in his life as Tseng spoke to him.

"This happened before, didn't it?"

"Yes."

"You know what the doctor would say about this."

Indeed, he did. Sephiroth could recall that denial as if it were yesterday. He let that go because Genesis was a 1st class SOLDIER, but with a little girl at risk of dying... he could care less about his approval. He won't let her die because of the risk he took to get his friends back, that much he knew.

"The doctor can shoot himself dead for all I care."

With that, Sephiroth walked out of the house as he carried the girl with him, each step he took putting him further from Tseng as he spoke to him.

"So what now then?"

Upon hearing his question, Sephiroth stopped himself short. What was the plan for how to save this rookie? It's obvious that Hollander said no. But he could think of another scientist who was always eager for experimentation. And that man, unfortunately, happened to be the one person he resented the most.

"Now... I'll go to my father."