A/n: This is the revised version of Chapter Six, and I recommend you reread it since a major turning point is changed.
~(Chapter Six)~
Zack gasped for air as he leaned on a pew, keeping an eye on the MPs scattered on the floor. Occasionally, one would groan or twitch, but otherwise they stayed down. Still, Cissnei and Tseng had gotten past him with Ifalna in tow. He had tried his best to go after them, but the MPs had blocked his path until the two Turks got away. He sighed before shouldering his sword and made his way towards the door, wincing at the sharp pain in his side where a few bullets had nicked him. However, his mind was on more important things. Where was Aerith? He had to find her before the Turks did!
Then again, if he didn't tell Sephiroth what had happened, and the General found out, it didn't matter if both girls were safe or not, he was going to kill him. The thought made him pause at the door, fishing his phone out of his pocket. There were a few dents in it, but still in working order.
"What Fair?" Sephiroth answered after a few rings.
"I know you're going to kill me," Zack started, "but the Turks have Ifalna. I think Aerith got away, but I'm not sure."
There was silence on the line for a few minutes, and Zack could only imagine the murderous thoughts Sephiroth was entertaining before he sighed quietly. "Check Elmyra's, Aerith would have headed there. If she is, stay with her."
"Yes sir!" Zack sighed as Sephiroth hung up. Well, it was better than him yelling, though he was sure that would come later.
( )
Genesis didn't bother to knock on the apartment door before barging in. If Sephiroth actually asked him to check up on Kagome, chances were something was seriously wrong.
"AHH!" SOLDIER reflexes kicked in at the scream, Genesis went for his sword, unsheathing it the same time he summoned a single fireball to hang in the air
"Do you always barge in!" Kagome yelled when she recognized the intruder, pausing for a second before throwing her makeshift weapon. Genesis side-stepped the pillow, and switched on the light before letting the fire magic fade away. His annoyed expression disappeared shortly before a satisfied smile appeared.
"Nice Pjs," Genesis commented, his smile becoming a grin as Kagome blushed and looked down at her makeshift sleeping clothes, which was just one of Sephiroth's black sweaters, long enough to cover her backside, and little of her legs. "I have to say," the SOLDIER continued, "I've never seen a girl pull off that look better than you…"
He barely dodged the next pillow, and was still grinning as he watched her shimmy into her jeans. Maybe if Sephiroth wasn't interested in her, he should make a move. Wutai spy or crazy; either was she was beautiful, and he had to admit, it was refreshing she wasn't blinded by the limelight that surrounded him, or the others.
"So?" Kagome asked after she finished buttoning her jeans, crossing her arms as she continued to glare at Genesis. "What's so important that you have to wake me up?"
The grin disappeared instantly, causing Kagome to worry. "Sephiroth wanted someone to check on you since Hojo's back," Genesis answered as he marched towards the windows, pulling the long black curtains back just enough to peek out of them. To anyone else, the city street and the building would look deserted, but with the Mako-enhanced sight, he could see the faint green gleam off a night scope, and the dull red light of a lit cigarette in a 3rd story window in the building across the street.
He put on a smile as he turned back towards Kagome, "So," he continued, "you get to hang out with me until further notice. Aren't you lucky?"
Kagome sighed as she flopped back onto the couch, grabbing the plush blanket to cover herself. "Hojo…" It seemed so strange to hear that name and not have it mean the sweet man she knew back home. She looked back up to Genesis, who was once again glancing carefully out the window, a serious look on his face she wasn't used to. Of course, she hadn't known him for long, but he seemed to be more easy going, with little to worry about. "Why is Sephiroth worried about Hojo?" She asked, interrupting his concentration.
"Sephiroth and Hojo have never gotten along," he replied, turning from the window, but not moving from his post. "However, Hojo is unpredictable, and not the best of characters." He didn't tell her about the rumors that were circulating, partly because you couldn't trust the Shinra rumor mill at all, but also because he didn't want to cause the young girl any unneeded worry.
He didn't believe she was a Wutai spy, he had dealt with dozens of spies over the years, and none of them acted as Kagome did. And there was no way she was from another world, that was outlandish, even for the imaginative secretaries. He did have to admit, however, she wasn't acting as panicked as an amnesiac would. Maybe she was just naturally accepting, but she didn't seemed concerned about finding out exactly who she was, and where she came from.
Kagome sat in silence as she thought. President Shinra had told her that Hojo had contacted other worlds, what if he had unknowingly brought her here? Could he help her return to her world? Would he, even if he could? Sephiroth, and now Genesis, didn't seem to trust him, but could she trust the two's judgment, after all Sephiroth didn't believe her true story.
( )
Sephiroth tapped his fingers lightly on his leg, the only sign of his impatience as he stood in the center of the elevator as it descended to the lobby. The day could not become any worse, Hojo had returned from Wutai and everything went downhill from there. Ifalna had been captured, Aerith was missing, and Genesis had confirmed his suspicion, Turks were watching Kagome.
His first concern was finding Aerith, he had promised Professor Gast before his death he would watch out of the young girl. It was the least he could do for the late professor for giving him some semblance of a normal life for five years. He only wished he had been able to protect professor Gast from the Shinra Troops when they stormed the small house in Icicle inn years ago.
The elevator doors opened, and Sephiroth waited no time storming across the marble lobby floor, ignoring the startled civilians staring at him. However, he didn't ignore his phone as usual when it beeped quietly. He didn't bother looking at the caller ID before answering with a snap, "What?"
"Sephiroth!" The broken voice made the SOLDIER stop instantly in his tracks. "They-they have mom! I couldn't do anything! And Zack! They 'd probably kill him and-and…"
"Calm down," Sephiroth commanded, but in a softer tone than anyone would guess he was capable of using. He continued to walk away from the Shinra building towards Sector 1, where the pedestrians crowding the sidewalk slowly thinned out. The caller gave a few deep breaths along with a small hiccup before a sigh. "Are you safe?" He asked as he sidestepped into a darkened alleyway.
"Y-yeah," Aerith answered with a small sniffle. "I'm…"
"Don't tell me," he interrupted. "This cellphone is more than likely bugged. Wait, and I will call you."
"Yes sir," she said quietly, taking a slight pause before asking, "Do you… can you find out if mom is okay?"
Sephiroth scowled for a moment, "The Turks won't hurt her. Your safety is most important at the moment."
"Alright," Aerith sighed. "I guess I'll see you in a bit. Be careful Seph."
"Hn," Sephiroth ended the call, memorizing the phone number that flashed a few times. At least she was safe, for the moment. He quickly navigated to the contacts list and dialed Zack. There was only a few rings before the young SOLDIER answered. "Aerith's safe. Stay with Elmyra until further notice."
"I'll make sure to pass that on to Zack," Elmyra's voice answered, slightly bemused. "Aerith's safe…, are you sure?"
"Yes," he answered tersely. "Where's Fair?"
"Taking care of some Shinra officers that followed him. I hope you were ready for this." Her suspicion was still evident in her voice, but Sephiroth was used to it. The mid-aged woman was among the many slum dwellers that hated Shinra, and anyone associated with it.
"I will handle it," he vowed, and was unsurprised that Elmyra hung up first. He pocket his phone before continuing towards his apartment, reviewing his choices. As he had told Aerith, her safety was his primary concern, but so was Kagome. He wasn't sure why Hojo wanted her, but he was determined to keep her out of his hands.
After assuring their safety, rescuing Ifalna was next. That would prove to be extremely difficult. They had managed it years ago, but Hojo had increased security since then. Still he was the best of SOLDIER, and was willing to resort to storming Shinra HQ, a little too willing.
( )
Kagome had just fallen back to sleep when a quiet 'click' echoed through the apartment. She was on her feet before she could think, her fluffy pillow ready to be thrown with a surprise extra kick of Miko power. Both Sephiroth and Genesis gave her a curious look as she groaned and flopped down on her makeshift bed, covering her face with her pillow.
"She's a bit edgy," Genesis explained as he returned to his book, not noticing the look on Sephiroth's face as he crossed the living room. However, Kagome did. She had been prepared to defend herself, she had never been able to completely relax in a strange place, but her words had died in her throat as he wordlessly passed her and headed towards his bedroom.
She paused, torn between leaving him alone, or following to see why he had a murderous look on his face. She looked over at Genesis, who was sitting in the straight chair, his feet propped up on the small breakfast table. He was completely enthralled in his book, a large white-covered book titled 'Loveless'. He didn't seemed bothered by his friend's behavior, if he even had noticed it at all.
Really, she rationalized, it wasn't her problem. She didn't know him well enough really. For all she knew, this could just be normal behavior for him.
She followed him anyways, pausing at the bedroom doorway to watch him search through the bottom drawer of his dresser, which was full of miscellaneous items, more honors, medals, but mostly Materia of various colors. He found what he was looking for at the way back, tucked into the corner. To Kagome's surprise, it was just a plain black phone, identical to the one she had seen before.
"Seph…" She began, but was silence by a quick gesture. She bit her lip, easily telling he was agitated about something by the way he hurriedly dialed a number, twitching his free hand as he waited for someone to answer.
"Where are you?" he asked a bit harshly, and Kagome watched as some of the tension left his body. "… Stay there, and try to keep unnoticed. I will be there as soon as I can." Sephiroth paused for a moment before closing the phone. He gave a small sigh of relief, looking worn and tired, before regaining his composure and turning towards Kagome.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"It's complicated," he said, brushing her concern off as he knelt down to the drawer again, this time to sort through the Materia. He had expected her to drop the subject, as so many had done in the past when treated coldly, but Kagome crouched down beside him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. He looked up, and was further surprised by the warm but concerned expression.
"Okay then, how can I help?" she asked with a sincere smile.
He paused, unsure how to react, but pushed his worries away. Whatever part she was playing, spy or amnesiac, there was little chance she was in league with Shinra. "Can you fight?" Kagome was surprised, but nodded her head. "Aerith is waiting for us in the Sector 7 slums. We have to reach her before the Turks or the Shinra army."
"So, it's not just Kagome they're after," Genesis said, appearing in the doorway, still focused on his book. "You always attract the problematic women." He snapped the book shut and look straight at Sephiroth. "You won't be able to leave together without an entourage."
"Wait, someone's after me?" Needless to say, Kagome was startled with the news, but quickly chastened herself. Why else would Sephiroth send Genesis, who was acting a little paranoid by occasionally peeking out the window with a frown on his face.
Neither man answered her, but Sephiroth stood up and walked towards his window. Early morning light peeked inside the bare apartment as he opened the curtain slightly, a scowl appearing on his face before he let the thick curtain return to its previous place. He turned back to them, calculating a plan in his head. After a moment, he turned his attention to Genesis, a small smile forming on his lips, "how would you like to meet one of your fans?"
