Disclaimer: As always, I don't own anything FF7. Square Enix does. I just write these weird stories.

Warning: eventual yaoi. Language, blood, etc, etc. This fiction is not up to M yet, but it will be eventually. Just watch out for it.

Author's Note: I think that if Gast had any say in things, Sephiroth would have ended up quite different, so here it is, what I think would have happened. Don't hurt me? My muse just won't let go of this. It's like it was with The Memory of Falling, and now I can't get free. Oh yeah, Leo Elstair is also part of another of my fics, if any of you remember. Mwahaha. I have officially proof-read and edited this now.

A SOUL SEEKING HOLY

Chapter I: Duty

The SOLDIER floor was a welcome haven to return to, with its familiar metal halls and wide, glass windows looking out over the twinkling lights of Midgar. He paused next to the glass, pale nose hovering just moments away from it as he stared out over the view. Normally he was too busy to appreciate it, or too tired by this time of night to. His wide, mako green eyes took in the sight. It made him think about the starry night skies outside of Midgar, where the sky could actually be seen rather than just smog. That star-lit sky was reflected on the ground here, showing across the upper plate.

A black gloved hand trailed over the glass for a moment, before he brought his slit-pupil eyes back into the hall, the present, keen gaze focusing on a clock. It was well past his usual stay out, and everyone not on the midnight shift was already away in bed. Right now it was just him on the floor, but it didn't feel empty. It was calm, relaxed.

Sephiroth knew it would not feel the same way if there was a war.

He moved away from the glass, walking with swift, long strides down the hall, to the Materia Room. His stay in there was brief, Sephiroth returning the materia he had borrowed before going to the elevator, ascending to the Science level. It was his usual routine to check in with Professor Gast whenever he returned from any extended mission, like he was currently, and despite the hour, he did not want to do anything different.

The light was on in Gast's office, and Sephiroth could not help but smile, if faintly. He let his long, gliding steps take him over, and he rapped on the door, twice, softly, as was his signature in this manner. In a moment the door was flung open, aging scientist giving him a look over before nodding.

"You've made it back in one piece."

"Of course." His low voice was barely above a whisper, but carried well, rolling and rich. People were often transfixed by his voice; they said it was calming. That was good, considering it relaxed the other SOLDIERs when he spoke with them, especially before missions. SOLDIERs at ease were SOLDIERs who performed better. In fact, since Sephiroth had ascended to First Class, the success rates on missions had gone up.

It was something Sephiroth took great pride in.

"Are you sure you want to attend the drills tomorrow? If you're just getting home…" the man looked down at his wrist watch with slanted lips, brows furrowing inward. He was concerned, as always. Sometimes Sephiroth felt like Gast was a mother hen. That thought almost made him chuckle aloud. "They're starting at five tomorrow, remember?"

"It won't be an issue." Sephiroth continued standing in the doorway, green eyes scanning the room beyond Gast. There was a desk lamp on, a few books open beneath it. They did not look like lab notes. Personal reading? It looked like Gast had been up and waiting for Sephiroth's return. "I have a duty to my fellow SOLDIERs."

When speaking with Gast, Sephiroth was less guarded, though he was still a man of few words. His statements were to the point, and he tried not flowering up his sentences. That was a waste of breath. Though Gast was a warm and caring guardian, Sephiroth was still part of ShinRa, still had high expectations put upon him. The title of Hero had to be earned, Sephiroth felt, and he was striving every day to live up to it. He had to conserve his energy for things other than weighty speech.

"Then head off to bed!" Gast gave him a pat on the arm, giving a jerk with his head to signal that Sephiroth really needed to head off. With a nod and a curt wave, Sephiroth did just that, making quickly back to the elevator and to the private apartments for the ShinRa elite. Sephiroth did not feel like he fit in there. He was a fighter. He didn't wear suits. He didn't go to board meetings and talk with foreign dignitaries and make life altering decisions for thousands. That wasn't him, but there he was, down the far left hallway, at the end of it, in fact.

It was easy to fall asleep once he got to his usual nighttime state of undress and slid between the sheets on his bed. No dreams nor nightmares riddled his sleep, just rest.

The sun hadn't even come up over the ridge yet, the new SOLDIER Third Classes facing the direction of that horizon, standing at attention in the early morning darkness. It was cold out, bare arms not helping, but it kept them awake, alert. They were all waiting for it. The prestigious SOLDIER First Class Sephiroth was supposed to be there, an inspiration and morale boost, to witness their training rounds and march.

The anticipation was killing him.

Ever since Leo had first heard about ShinRa, about SOLDIER, he had wanted to be part of it, even before he heard about Sephiroth. They were the same age. Actually, Leo was two years older, maybe three, if he heard right. But the shining star had risen quick, and being raised in ShinRa, had a natural advantage. Leo had to travel all the way from Nibelheim in order to join, and he wasn't regretting it one bit.

Some day, he would be able to return home, a hero. It made him smile wide, that grin all that was visible of his face because of the metal slab they called a SOLDIER helmet. From what Leo understood, the elite ranks of First did not even need helmets, as nothing could touch them. Though at first it had sounded much like an Urban Legend put out there by ShinRa, the more Leo saw of SOLDIER, the more he believed it.

"SOLDIER Third Class Leo Elstair."

Leo stood up at further attention than he already was, giving a quickly snapped, perfected salute. Their commander kept working down the line, making sure everyone was there, in proper place. The commander was being graded as much as they, the performing SOLDIERs, were. Leo knew this, and had even been early despite the chill. He wanted to do this perfect.

Light began to show on the horizon, sky streaked with soft violets and pinks and blues and yellows. Just as the big orb of the sun started peeking over, a silhouette stood before it. Six foot and one inch tall. Leo watched, unblinkingly through his visor, anticipation fluttering in his heart, just as he saw the streaming silver hair flutter in the breeze. It was the Sephiroth.

The man walked with confident, comfortable strides down the hill, sun hanging like a halo behind his head for a few moments before continuing its trek up into the sky.

Roll was finally done, and the drills began. Leo caught himself holding his breath a few times. The silver haired SOLDIER zigzagged his way through their lines, correcting a posture here, a stride there. A warm smile, barely twitching up at the corners of his pale, small lips, gave reassurance.

"What is your name, SOLDIER?"

Leo almost jumped out of his own skin, head staying in line with his march by some miracle as Sephiroth walked beside him. He managed a weak answer, stating his name, trying to keep his stride perfect.

"You have the makings of a First in you. Keep it up."

That made his heart swell, and with a new smile plastered across his face, he finished the drills.

Now he could understand, first hand, why all of SOLDIER was so loyal to the man. He really was the hero—the inspiration, worthy of admiration— ShinRa said he was. Leo was proud to be part of SOLDIER.

It was not often one got to go outside ShinRa, though Banora wasn't too far a stretch. Almost all of the residents were ShinRa employees, so the little hamlet was a disguised extension of the company, another of its invisible arms. That didn't matter. The rolling green hills and arcing white trees seemed far, far away from the cracked wasteland of Midgar, and it was a welcome relief. Tension was mounting in ShinRa, specifically the Science Department, and Hollander had to get away.

A large metal case in one hand, stack of files tucked under another, he made his way up the last ridge, pausing under the wide loop of Banora's largest dumbapple tree, taking a deep whiff. They were blooming right now. He looked upward, seeing the blue fruit hanging from it, ready to be picked. It was still early in the morning. A group would probably be sent out in a few hours to harvest all the fruit, take it to the refinery he had just passed.

Calling ahead had its advantages.

Both boys were waiting for him in the Rhapsodos house, in the library, where they could work in nice, quiet conditions, and not be disturbed at all. None of the local children came to the Rhapsodos house to pester them about letting the sole child, Genesis, come out to play. Angeal's house was a different matter all together. Everyone wanted to play with Angeal. Everyone just wanted to be in his presence. From what Hollander heard, Angeal had been serving as the entire village's moral compass since he hit puberty. It was a humoring thought, to say the least.

The Rhapsodos parents greeted him warmly at the door, chuckling at the yellow, Banora Juice shirt he had on beneath his open fronted lab coat. He was like a walking billboard at the ShinRa tower in Midgar, a suggestion of Genesis, who made the juice enterprise himself, but Hollander hardly minded. It meant he got free Banora Juice quarterly, so it was worth it.

As soon as the first greetings were over, he forged on up the stairs, going straight to the library. He had been around enough to know the layout of the whole house, the whole village. The fruits of his own research and development in the Jenova Project, the first two children born of it, lived here, in Banora. He had to know the terrain like the back of his hand.

Genesis was sitting comfortably in a plush leather chair by a lamp, a thin, cream hued book open under the light, as he read aloud with his smooth, rolling voice. He was wearing a crimson dress shirt, not buttoned all the way, not tucked in with the sleeves rolled up. His black pant encased legs were crossed, in a dainty sort of way. Hollander noticed a silver earring dangling from Genesis' right ear, a new addition since Hollander's last visit. Everything about the boy screamed gay, though it was technically not any of Hollander's business what Genesis decided to do with his body in his free time, so long as it didn't involve dipping into mako springs or getting injured somehow.

Angeal wore a plain black t-shirt and ratty jeans. He was barefoot, to no surprise. He sat straight backed on a stiff, minimalist chair which looked totally out of place in the rich, dark, overstuffed nature of the Rhapsodos library, but that was Angeal. His black hair was worn long, and he kept pushing it back. Though he tried seeming attentive, there was unmistakable boredom in his eyes.

Well, this certainly was going to be interesting.

Not saying a word yet, Hollander started unpacking his case, setting up the small machine he needed on the table that housed Genesis' lamp, taking out the vials of mako and being sure none had broken on the jerky helicopter ride over. Sometimes Hollander wondered if the standards really were that high for the Turks, considering. The redhead pilot had been nervous, and he kept snickering in said nervousness. Hollander had never seen him before, though he recognized the bald man next to him with the sunglasses, Rude. At least Rude's copiloting had stabilized the craft somewhat.

That redhead would learn quickly or be eliminated. That was how things worked in ShinRa. In fact, that was one of the things Gast had used to strong-arm Hojo into giving up his experiment, or at least give up the raising of it. From what Hollander heard, Hojo was threatened with being fired, and they all knew what happened when ShinRa scientists were fired. They were killed, plain and simple.

Hollander started the tests, Genesis not even putting down his book or blinking as Hollander put a needle in his arm. This particular redhead had gotten used to it. There was even a slight mako sheen to his dusty blue eyes. Angeal's brown eyes were starting to look more like a dark blue, the only sign of the mako in him. It was interesting. Hollander remembered when Sephiroth was just a child, how he had had violet eyes, such a rich, startling shade of purple. And now, they were completely a light, mako green. It was a testament to the treatments he underwent, and just how long he had been treated, which was considerably longer than this duo.

It made Hollander feel like he was behind the curve, and he had to say something.

"So… have either of you thought about moving away? From Banora?"

"And why would I want to do that?" Genesis' voice was far, far away. He turned the page, eyes still locked on the words, recrossing his legs over the other side. There was disinterest in Genesis' voice, which bothered him the most. Genesis had made quite the comfortable life for himself here in Banora, one where he didn't have to do anything to acquire wealth and recognition. He was the head of a Banora White harvesting empire. Genesis had the world to lose, if he stepped out of the safe shelter of his accomplishments in Banora.

Angeal, on the other hand, had everything to gain. He wasn't from a well off family. Gillian had been chosen because she, much like Lucrecia, was a scientist for ShinRa, only Lucrecia hadn't survived where Gillian had the strength to. Technically, genetically, speaking she was the mother of both of them. However, since Genesis had grown in another womb, and been conceived of two different people (the Rhapsodos couple), even with the genetic grafting he came out quite different in appearance. Such was the ins and outs of a science none of them truly understood, but tried playing God with anyway.

There was a glint in Angeal's dark eyes. Hollander could see it. Also, the boy leaned forward a little, earnestly. He was eager to know where Hollander was going with this, so with a smile, Hollander kept running his test on the older of the two, speaking as he plugged along.

"There are so many chances for greatness outside this little speck on the countryside. Like SOLDIER, for instance. What do you two think about SOLDIER?"

Genesis snorted, rolling his eyes as he turned another page. Surely he had that damn epic poem memorized by now? Hollander sighed. Angeal looked interested, still, but he was the less gifted of the two. Yes, he was still gifted, but it was Genesis that Hollander wanted to do something with. Why was the genius of the two being such a pain?

"Well?"

"The men of SOLDIER have the strength and will in order to help people, all around the world. It is their duty to protect people. It is an honor to be accepted in." Angeal smiled wistfully. From the sound Genesis made, Hollander knew they both could tell what was coming. "I've always dreamed of something like that. Being able to do so much more, but I'm needed here."

That was a bubble buster. Hollander had been hoping that Angeal would help him convince Genesis to go along. But no. Angeal felt like he was needed here. His father was always off working, hard labor that aged him far advanced of his years. His mother was weak. Hollander could not tell if it was natural in her family, or a direct result of the experimentation. He hoped neither, that it was just a passing thing. A phase.

This was more than a little frustrating. His two great creations, the labors of his life, were not interested in the glory they were made for. For a moment there, it felt like Hojo was going to win.

But then a plan started hatching. Hollander kept working away, taking all the measurements he needed, injecting a new dose of mako before moving on to Angeal, repeating the process. There were more important things to take care of, like getting the boys more interested in SOLDIER. Hollander had the perfect way to do that.

Finishing up, he stepped out into the hall, phone open, pudgy fingers dialing the number he needed before pressing the phone up to his face. He spoke quietly, not wanting to leave the Rhapsodos house because it actually had reception, but not wanting them to hear his plot all the same.

"Hello Director. I've got a question for you. Ever been to Banora?"

Everyone was waiting in breathless anticipation, milling in the little valley created by the village proper, staring up at the bright arc of the massive Banora White tree for any sign. It was coming soon. Genesis' mako enhanced ears had heard the motorcade approaching, and doors slamming as people got out. It was not often that executives came to visit Banora, to give their good will, though it did happen now and then. It happened enough that Genesis had grown used to it.

The roof of Angeal's house was the perfect vantage point for watching it all. From there, they could see everything, and not have to deal with the press of people milling about, with all the sweat from so much body heat, and heads getting in the way. Nope. Genesis was much happier sitting comfortably up on the roof, with a basket of Banora White apples and Angeal beside him.

As the first of the forms emerged over the hill, Genesis sat up straight. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the glaring sun. The sky was bright blue and clear, a perfect day for an event like this, but it made it hard to see when looking towards the sun. That first form had a long leather coat, from what Genesis could see, with gleaming metal pauldrons over his shoulders. Who wouldn't know who that was?

A beeping noise awakened him from his staring, Genesis jumping, pulling the pager off his belt and reading the message. Get up here now. I'm not presenting this pie for you. Giving a chuckle, Genesis bid Angeal a brief farewell, hopping down from the roof and onto a large stack of wood at the house's side, and then to the ground from there. It was easy for him. He was strong already, lean, and could move almost like a blur. Mako only enhanced that. Genesis only used it for fending off the local kids from his Banora White tree, though. That was hardly a test of his skills.

With a natural confidence, oozing from his stride like an aroma, or aura, Genesis made an easy, straight line through the path, the people parting for the Mayor's son quickly. Genesis held a lot of respect in the village. His business ideas had raised the living standard in Banora for all of them, created new jobs, and given the place a name on the map. They were all proud of him like they were proud of their village now.

It was a start, but Genesis wanted a wider limelight than just that within Banora. Yes, he had some international recognition for his pie, which was absolutely amazing, and his genius, which was equally as great. Genesis had never been modest. Why start now? He was wearing red again, a v-necked top with long sleeves, said sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and black pants again, with boots over them, laced up to his knees. He liked those boots. He had worn them in enough that they were beyond comfortable and maneuverable, which counted when he and Angeal horsed around with some of the local monsters, which wasn't all that often, considering Hollander would probably castrate them if he found out.

That would be a fate worse than death (at least for Genesis, as he doubted Angeal even used them).

Soon enough he was at the front of the crowd, just a stride back and to the left of his father. A coil of steam wound its way up from the pie, the rich, spiced aroma of it catching Genesis' nose and drawing a wicked grin from him. If Genesis' minorly mako enhanced senses found the pie that damn appealing and intoxicating, he wondered what ShinRa's Hero would feel about it, considering he was supposedly that much more tampered with scientifically. Would it drive him up a wall?

It would be an interesting social experiment, to say the least.

Oh Goddess, he was starting to sound like Hollander. That almost made Genesis gag, though he hid it behind his smirk and his eyes, which twinkled with a challenge. Genesis was always challenging people with his eyes. The weak shied away immediately, leaving Genesis with only the interesting sorts, whom wouldn't be too daunted just by his presence. It sure made his love-life interesting.

The group was finally almost to the table, the great Sephiroth at the head of them. Genesis had read about Sephiroth, many times. The silver haired teen made Genesis think of the hero in Loveless, and because of that, he couldn't help but admire the man. He was a bit… more effeminate than he had been expecting. Silver hair framed his chiseled face, about at chin length, while the rest of his hair fell in molten streams down his back, just past his waist. He was thinner than Genesis expected too, though still much more muscled than Genesis, which he could see from the fact that Sephiroth did not wear a shirt, only that long leather coat, which did not hide all his chest. That looked like a marketing scheme if ever Genesis had seen one.

'Join SOLDIER and you'll be build like THIS!!' Just imagining it made Genesis smile a bit more, having to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

The SOLDIER stopped just before the table, before the pie, and Genesis could see those strange, slit-pupil eyes shut, and hear the intake of air through the man's nose. A soft smile touched his lips, completely unexpected from such an angular, defined face, such sharp eyes, which reopened and focused on him.

"A taste of Banora?" Genesis leaned forward on the table, both hands splayed on it, that smirk only tugging one side of his lips up. He looked down at the pie before looking back up into Sephiroth's eyes, locking with them. The teen, just a little younger than Genesis (so Hollander constantly told him), did not look away from him, nor did that smile fall.

"I'll be back for it."

That voice. It was low, with barely a thread of emotion laced through it. It was just above a whisper, but Genesis could feel it so clearly, it was almost as though it was spoken in his ear, or in his mind for that matter. A chill ran up his arms.

Not waiting for the introductions from the Mayor, Sephiroth continued down the line, giving short nods to those who greeted him, waiting patiently off to the side as President ShinRa had a few words with Genesis' father, the head of the Turks hovering ever at his shoulder. There were no scientists in the group, much to Genesis' surprise. He was expecting to at least see Hojo or Gast, considering Sephiroth was there, or Hollander, since this was Banora, Hollander's stomping grounds. Guess not.

The newly promoted Director of SOLDIER was there, giving a warm smile, shaking Genesis' hand. The man looked off, considering he had long blond hair, wavy, and a pinstripe suit that showed he was nowhere near as built as Sephiroth and probably would never be. How did such a priss get the position as Director of SOLDIER? There had to be blackmail involved somewhere, Genesis was sure. That was how things worked in ShinRa.

The welcoming party went off without a hitch. The people from ShinRa seemed very happy about it all, besides Sephiroth, who was out of the main crowd, watching in silence. He was as much a guard to President ShinRa and his pretty blond son (in a few years time, Genesis was sure he'd hit that) as was the head of the Turks, whom Genesis heard the name Tseng associated with. Wutaian? Working for ShinRa? Blackmail. Genesis was absolutely, 100 percent positive now.

Soon enough the main population was gone home, dealing with their own dinners, while the executives and their entourage were in the Banora White processing factory, the only place with a big room that had a giant, long table in it. That was where everyone was seated now, most of which just sitting there, discussing things here and there, relaxing in the dimly lit room. Most notably, Genesis saw to his pleasure, was Sephiroth, sitting on the other side of the room from him with a plate, and a good sized piece of pie.

When he took a bite, he would slowly pull it into his mouth, closing his eyes to savor it as he ate. It was obvious, from that alone, that the SOLDIER did not get such delicacies, or anything even close, back in the ShinRa tower of Midgar. This was a special treat. Genesis was very happy to have been the one to provide such enjoyment for the SOLDIER. He was the hero, after all. Why not let him rest for a moment? Why not let him enjoy a moment?

Before their meetings were over, Genesis got up and left, dismissing himself quietly. Those suits were just about to the point of either boring Genesis to tears, or to sleep, neither of which he wanted to do at this point. He was absolutely wired. When Angeal suggested he make the pie for Sephiroth, Genesis had laughed. What would Mister Definition of Badass want to do with a pie? But Genesis was wrong, and he was glad he had done it now.

The moonlight played softly against the green grasses, against the fluttering leaves of arched Banora Whites. The sky was still completely clear, blue-ish stars twinkling up there. The cool breeze was relaxing, to say the least, Genesis breathing it in, letting his steps be slow and rambling. He would take the long way home, meandering this way and that. It was a good way to unwind, otherwise he would never be getting to sleep.

There were mako caves not far from his house. They were hard to get down to. That was supposed to deter people from randomly wandering in there. The mako springs within incubated all sorts of crazy critters which would prove no walk in the park, if ever Genesis ran into one. He didn't want to. Hollander warned him against it, so when Genesis came to the lip of the cave system, he merely cast a glance towards the faint green glow before continuing on past.

A growl stopped him in his tracks.

A cold shiver, the bad sort, went crawling up his spine, fine auburn hairs standing up on the back of his neck. His faintly glowing blue eyes widened, and he turned slowly, seeing it, or at least the light glinting off its sharp fangs.

Gulping, Genesis took a step back, its taking a prowling step forward. The most he and Angeal had dealt with before was animated plants, which were near harmless. There was nothing with fangs, nothing with claws. They could just hit things with their fists and feet and be fine. But this, this had fangs and claws and rippling, thick muscles and was snarling, saliva oozing from its maw. This was a whole different story.

Perhaps he should have taken the faster route home…

With a rumbling growl, it lunged, Genesis dropping into a roll, springing back up to his feet, circling. All he could do was dodge. Could he run back to the facility? It could probably run much faster than him, with its four powerful limbs. Genesis saw another claw filled jump, rolling out of the way.

A flash of metal tore through the air, followed by a yelp. The beast took a staggered step back, still growling, but on the defensive now. The end of that thin, curved sword gleamed with blood, dark red, though the rest of the blade was lit up by the moon. He followed the hand-forged edge of the blade up and up and up and up until it finally met with a small tsuba, and a black gloved hand. That blade was massive!

In a snap, Genesis looked up all together, seeing the narrowed, mako green eyes, which were focusing intently on the creature, so harsh and cold it didn't look like the same person as before. With a few more flashes, so fast they were barely even blurs in Genesis' sight, the creature was limping, badly injured, back into its hole, and Genesis was breathing a sigh.

"Why'd you do that?"

"It's my duty as a SOLDIER." That faint smile returned, along with a touch of warmth to those sharp eyes. With a flick of his wrist, the mighty Sephiroth cleared the blood from the blade, leaving it clean and gleaming. In a flash of green, like the radiance of the mako cave, the massive sword was gone, leaving the silver haired teen's hand empty.

So, that was why he was a hero. Genesis leaned against the rocks nearest to him, breathing out a shaky sigh. That had been close. Too close. But he knew one thing for sure. He wanted— no, needed— to be in SOLDIER. Hollander was right.