A/N: Sorry it took so long! Work kept me busy and the chapter wouldn't cooperate with me. Thank you, Koi, for all your help! I'm gonna stay up in the mountains for a little while longer since I think I'm still gonna get yelled at for this. Enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I wish I owned it.
Chapter 7
One year, one month ago
Zack carefully held back Sephiroth's hair as the man braced one arm above his head on the tree in front of him, the other wrapped tightly around his stomach as he dry heaved. Thick black fluid dripped from Sephiroth's nose and chin, joining the growing puddle at their feet. The trembling in Sephiroth's back began to ease, the dry heaves tapering off until Sephiroth was able to spit out some of the sludge. Zack was ready with the canteen; wordlessly handing it to Sephiroth and retrieving a scrap of cloth form his pocket. With a quite word of thanks, the silver haired man began to rinse his mouth out, careful not to swallow and spit several times until the water came out clear. While he did that, Zack took a potion vial from his pocket and dampened the rag, casting a low level fire spell and handing it to Sephiroth. The silver haired man took the rag and wiped his face off, dropping it into the puddle afterwards. Zack cast a fire spell and directed it to the puddle, watching with no small amount of satisfaction as it quickly caught and burst into flames. They'd wait here until all the black was gone then cast an ice spell so the fire didn't get out of control.
"You ok, Seph?" he asked quietly, keeping a close eye on the man as he leaned against another tree and took a few cautious sips of water. He looked like hell. His skin was waxy looking and now truly did look unhealthy, his eyes were slightly unfocused, it looked like every movement hurt and the only thing he was able to keep down was water and that was only half the time.
"I will be fine, Zack," he said softly, voice rough. Zack nodded and leaned against the tree next to him, watching the flames devour the thick toxin. They were maybe two to two and half weeks away from Nibelheim and this was honestly the healthiest Sephiroth had been in a long time. He was still a long way off from being able to take out a red dragon in a single hit but at least he was doing better than before.
"We will head towards Midgar," Sephiroth said, sitting down at the base of the tree.
"What? Why do we need to go back there?" He already knew why and Sephiroth knew he knew but he explained anyway.
"Hojo is there and you and I both know that Hojo and Shinra have been around for far too long. They are not needed." Sighing, Zack sat next to him and took the canteen back, screwing on the cap.
"We're gonna take it slow though. We're not gonna attack until you're feeling better and don't say you're fine because that's bullshit and we both know it." Sephiroth wisely snapped his mouth shut.
"Very well then," he said after a minute. "Let's go. The smoke will attract monsters." Zack nodded and quickly cast two ice spells to put out the fire, kicking dirt over the spot to smother the last few flickers. Sephiroth stood with help from the tree and allowed Zack to place his arm around his shoulders, thankful that nothing was said when he placed more weight than normal on him. Wrapping an arm around Sephiroth's waist, Zack gripped his wrist tightly and began a slow but steady pace towards the nearby river.
~*~
The ding of the elevator arriving at the top floor forced Zack to actually pay attention. Allowing Genesis to go first, he stepped out of the elevator and walked over to Sephiroth's apartment door, digging around in his pockets for the key. He heard Genesis's door unlock and watched out of the corner of his eye as the man stepped through, Cloud cradled carefully in his arms. After another moment of searching, he pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door, stepping inside. He walked through the living room, wincing internally at the blandness of the room and made his way towards Sephiroth's bedroom at the back of the apartment. Quickly, he grabbed a duffel bag and began digging through the meager amount of Clothes Sephiroth had.
He made a mental note to go shopping for the man, stuffing a pair of jeans and a white button down shirt into the bag, not caring about the fact that Sephiroth wasn't overly fond of the items in the first place. Stuffing a pair of socks, underwear, boots his training clothes, sneakers, brush and other toiletries into the bag, Zack raided the book shelf and packed some of those away too before zipping the bag up. Running a quick mental checklist, he slung the bag over his shoulder and made his way out the door, carefully relocking the apartment and pocketing the key.
"You know as well as I do that there is nothing that you can do right now," Genesis said from the doorway of his own apartment.
"You just worry about Cloud. I'll take care of Sephiroth." Zack walked down the hallway towards the elevator, mashing the down button a few times.
"It's going to be a while before you're allowed near him."
"I know that."
"Then get in here, Fair. Sephiroth is in good hands," Tseng interrupted from behind Genesis. Zack scowled and hefted the bag higher up on his shoulder.
"That wasn't a suggestion."
"Well, I'm taking it as one so bite me."
"McNeil is already heading to the medical wing and Carson is heading hear to pick up his things. They know to call you if things get bad. Now get in here, Fair or—"
"You'll miss hearing about what's wrong with Cloud." The elevator doors opened with a soft ding admitting another SOLDIER to the floor. He was tall and lanky, thick dirty blonde bangs hanging in his grey eyes. With a hesitant smile at Zack, he reached out for the bag.
"We'll make sure the General is ok, Zack," he said. Zack bit his lip and hesitantly handed the bag over. Carson, he knew, was a good man. He'd been a First Class for about a year or so when Zack had been promoted to First and apparently had been one of Sephiroth's more loyal Firsts. Not to say that not all of the Firsts were loyal, just that out of the already extremely close knit group, there were a few who were even closer to the beloved General than others. McNeil was another of the closer SOLDIERS, the older man being one of the instructors in the SOLDIER program and a veteran of the early years of the Wutai War. He knew he could trust them both to look after Sephiroth yet long habit of looking after the man himself had him hesitating. With an understanding smile, Carson took the bag from Zack's hand, prying off his tight grip and swung it over his own shoulder.
"Hourly reports as always," he said. Zack nodded in agreement and stepped back from the doors, watching as they closed and wishing he was on the other side of them. After a few moments he turned and walked into Genesis's apartment, ignoring Tseng by the door and sitting on one of the barstools at the counter. Tseng shut the door, staying near it so he could watch all of the occupants of the room. Reno was leaning against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling while Rude stood close to the intact window. He'd already sent Elena down to the medical wing to make sure no one got hurt if the General woke up delirious as he usually did. Rufus looked anything but pleased with the situation, his eyes boring into the top of Genesis's head as the red head leaned over the back of the arm chair to place a gentle kiss on the unconscious blonde's forehead. A shifting black drew his attention the wings on Genesis's back, one coming forward to rest on top of Cloud like a makeshift blanket.
"What's wrong with Sephiroth?" Genesis asked as Rufus opened his mouth to ask his own question. Rufus scowled and motioned for Tseng to answer.
"The Jenova cells in his body are being rejected and purged," he said. "The reason why is unclear at this point as we have yet to get a straight answer." Genesis nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face, fingers carding through Cloud's hair.
"Perhaps, Mr. Rhapsodos, you could now tell us what just happened." Genesis sent Rufus an amused look.
"I hadn't realized your eye sight was that bad, Mr. President. Perhaps you should look into getting glasses."
"This is no time for jokes, Rhapsodos. What the hell just happened?"
"You mean why did Cloud attack Sephiroth? Who knows?"
"You do apparently, yo." Genesis snorted at that.
"I assure you, I don't. It could honestly be any number of things."
"So, he isn't awake then?"
"I don't know. He could be. Or it could be that he's starting to wake up and that stronger emotions woke up first and took control or it's a sign that the good doctor's plan back fired again and he'll have to start over… again. Any real number of things."
"Why would he attack Sephiroth?" Genesis paused and turned slightly to look at Zack. He was staring off into space, fingers tapping idly on the countertop, eyes narrowed and brow furrowed in barely anxiety. Letting out a sigh, Genesis stared down at the top of Cloud's head.
"Perhaps," he started. "He remembers something he believes Sephiroth had forgotten."
"And what would that be?"
"He promised me," Cloud whimpered, clutching the pillow of his bed to his chest in a rare moment of weakness. Genesis didn't glance away from his examination of the ceiling, fingers still tapping against the back of his hand.
"Who promised what?" he asked quietly, the sniffling of his roommate causing his heart to lurch strangely with each sound. Cloud bit his lip, arm scrubbing across his face in an attempt to stave off the tears. He cautiously glanced at the other man, red hair streaked with fading grey, brown eyes sharp and uninterested. Regardless, he felt compelled to answer him, as though he might understand.
"Sephiroth," he whispered. "He promised me... that he wouldn't go crazy." Genesis glanced at the little blonde, watching as he buried his face in the pillow to hide his tears. He turned back to the ceiling, leaving the boy to his grief. Mentally, he added another tally to the count he had of broken promises. Strike two. Sephiroth's perfect track record was broken again.
"I'm afraid I don't know."
"That's bullshit!" Zack leapt to his feet and glared at Genesis's back. "You know exactly what the fuck is going on here! You're just being an ass and not telling us! What? You make a deal with Langley that if he stops your degrading then you'll do everything in your power to stop us or something? That's not even Cloud is it?!"
"Zack—"
"I would rather degrade than be under that monster's 'care' again, Fair," Genesis interrupted, turning to level his own glare at the black haired First. "And of course it's Cloud. Langley couldn't even clone a fly. All he knew how to do was take something apart and put it back together, throwing in a few little 'extras' along the way to 'improve' what he was working on."
"Is that why you have the second wing?" Tseng asked. Genesis sent him a condescending smile.
"Well, now we can all see why you're in the Turks. Congratulations! Ten points to you," he said.
"What do you mean extras? What was Langley trying to do?"
"Your scientists haven't figured that out yet?"
"Stop fucking around!" Zack grabbed the back of Genesis's and yanked him back, hurling him towards the breakfast counter. Genesis stumbled a few steps and caught himself, meeting Zack's furious gaze with his own rising irritation.
"You know what the fuck is going on here now spit it out! Stop playing all these god damn games and tell us what we want to fucking know!"The two stared at each other for a long moment, Zack's eyes slowly turning green as the mako rose in his blood. Genesis remained mostly calm, the only sign of his own irritation being the narrowing of his eyes and the clenching of his fists. The others in the room felt the tension slowly ratcheting higher and were careful not to move lest they be the match that lit the trail of gunpowder leading to the powder keg.
"You really want to know?" Genesis asked softly, bland smirk curling the corners of his lips upwards. With a short laugh, he moved backwards and leaned against the counter, needing the solid structure beneath his elbows as whispers of the past began to dance in his ears.
"Have any of you ever heard of the Eyes of Gaia?" The assembled group slowly shook their heads or raised their eyebrows in question.
"Eyes of Gaia?" Zack asked. Genesis let out a long breath and turned his gaze towards the ceiling, tracing random patterns across the blank surface with his eyes.
"It is said that long ago, there were people that could see the life stream and communicate with those inside of it. Some, so the legend goes, could even bring the dead back to life."
"What does—"
"If you want the answers, keep your mouth shut, Fair." Zack obediently snapped his jaw shut, crossing his arms over his chest.
"According to legend, those that could see the life stream and communicate with those within were very close to the life stream itself. Perhaps from birth or circumstances later in life. Regardless, all those with varying degrees of that power were very close to the life stream."
"They were favored by Gaia?" asked Rufus, prickling a little at the indulgent smirk Genesis shot him.
"If some were so lucky. Here's a question that should be easy to answer. How does one enter the life stream?"
He was so small and shaking. Dripping wet, his spikes drooped onto his forehead. His breathing was erratic, body curled tightly to try and preserve what body heat he still had. Genesis quickly grabbed the sheets from the blonde's bed and began to dry him off, swearing at the frigid temperature of his pasty skin. Wide blue eyes stared up at him, uncomprehending, lips stained blue. His limbs were stiff when Genesis moved them, removing the wet clothes carefully from his body. Ignoring the sight of numerous burn scars and bullet wounds, things that would be gone in a few days, he used the sheets and dried off the rest of the little blonde, pulling off his own shirt and gathering him to his chest afterwards. Grabbing the second comforter from the blonde's bed, he burrowed under the covers on his own and tucked Cloud under him, knowing that his skin pressed against Cloud's felt like a furnace. Thin arms wrapped around his waist, legs tangling together, the first few tears splashing against Genesis's shoulder the only warmth the blonde had in him.
"…You die?" Reno asked. He did not like where this was going and couldn't help glancing at the sleeping blonde in the arm chair.
"Yes. To enter the life stream, one's life must end. Therefore, those 'gifted' with the Eyes of Gaia had either encountered death from birth or encountered it any number of times in their life without actually dying and entering the life stream."
His fingers tapped out an erratic tempo on his arm, his head twitching against his shoulder, breath quaking in his lungs and bursting in small puffs against his neck. The muscles under his arms were slowly settling, his legs twitching occasionally against him and the floor, toes curling and uncurling as sporadically as his fingers' tempo. Genesis, his arms wrapped tightly around him, listened to Cloud's heart beat, the irregular rhythm slowing and speeding up with breaks in between. Each of those breaks lasted longer than before, each one causing Genesis to send a silent prayer to Gaia.
'Please,' he prayed. 'Please, take him. Take him this time. Don't let his heart keep beating. Gaia, take him.' His heart kept restarting.
"What the hell does all of this have to do with Cloud?" Zack growled, eyes narrowed at Genesis. Genesis sighed and looked away from the ceiling. He knew Zack wouldn't connect the dots though he hoped the others in the room would figure it out. He had explained as much as he could for the moment, the rage lying just under his skin prickling closer and closer to the surface, his control over it slipping through his fingers like grains of sand the more he remembered the details of that project.
"The Eyes of Gaia project," Tseng said after a long moment of silence. Turning his dark eyes towards Genesis, he watched as the man brushed past Zack and leaned over Cloud again, fingers gently twining in his hair again.
"Isn't that that file they're having a hard time decoding?" Reno asked. At Tseng's brief nod, his mind began to work through the possibilities.
"Will you stop talking in fucking riddles?!" Zack shouted, nearly tearing his hair out. While everyone else seemed to be coming to the same conclusion, he couldn't get around the fact that no one was giving him a straight answer. Some legend wasn't important. All he needed to know was why Cloud went crazy and tried to kill his lover. Sure, the man had gone insane, but that was all thanks to the ever so wonderful alien psycho Jenova and her playmate Hojo. Once Cloud woke up he'd—
"He wants to play god," Rufus spoke up. His gaze was focused on the floor, elbows resting on his knees with his fingers woven together between them. Genesis's fingers stilled in Cloud's hair, a humorless, bitter smirk curling his lips. Leaning further over the back of the arm chair, he pressed a gentle kiss to Cloud's forehead.
"I guess that's why they made you president," he said. With a sigh, he moved around the chair and knelt by Cloud's feet, taking one slim wrist in hand and pressing his fingers to the pulse, taking comfort in its steady rhythm.
"Yes," he said after a moment. "The good doctor used Cloud in his experiment to control life and death."
"And you?" Reno asked, voice hushed. Again, the smirk curled across his face. Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead against Cloud's hand, fingers still pressed against the pulse in his wrist.
"A guardian angel can't have just one wing, can it?"
