Another chapter! Hope you like this one, guys.
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The room they stood within was cool and dark, the lights hummed softly above them before the very display turned from cold metal into a lush world before them. The sun to the side was setting softly, or perhaps rising, forever stuck in its looming position of unknown possibilities. The grasses about them gave off a fresh scent hinted with the wildflowers. Birds sang in the surrounding trees and furry animals bound around happily in the lull of a new day.
Genesis let the world pour deeply into his eyes and he took it into his soul, feeling like the place was truly real and truly tangible. He closed his eyes for a moment to take in the chorus of natural sounds and felt his muscles relax into his surroundings. Upon opening them he found Angeal attentively taking in the world laid out before them. Sephiroth was the only figure that seemed to stand out, as if an unnatural stroke upon the flawless canvas. His eyes did not see the world around him, only the two opponents he had asked for.
"As much as I'd like to let you gawk…I want to get to our fight." Sephiroth's blade hummed as he moved it into view. Its shine from the sun made Genesis on edge. This irregular creature in this normal world seemed so ill-fitted. What made Sephiroth so oddly different to these surroundings?
"Hopefully we can satisfy your hunger for fighting. It isn't normal for someone like yourself to have a challenge, I assume," Angeal replied casually as he hoisted forth his large blade and touched it to his temple before landing it onto his back. He pulled forth the standard blade he used and gave it a good twirl before sliding into position.
Genesis looked at his crimson rapier and he touched the engravings with a gloved finger before arriving into a fencing position. "Indeed, I cannot imagine we'll be much of a match."
"We'll see. You might be surprised at your own strength," Sephiroth supported them. Then he flicked his blade and came forth to Angeal first. The blades struck loudly and sent Angeal jumping back to regain himself from the close encounter. Next came Genesis onto Sephiroth, blade pursuing a spot for the back of Sephiroth's ribs. Yet, the silver-haired man whipped around and struck him off before lunging forth to battle him backwards.
Genesis felt the pounding of his heart increase at how quick the Masamune tried to strike into his abdomen. He wasn't sure how he blocked all of it, nor dodged the shots, but he was glad that Angeal had arrived to help.
At a distance the animals watched curiously before scurrying into their shelters finding the noises as possible threats to their lives. The birds stopped singing and the world grew quiet except for the clashing of metal on metal. The sun blazed upon the figures and created long shadows into the plains, the beautiful dance displayed for the world to take in with a keen eye. Each motion was absorbed into it, filling with a new energy from these young men, creating a memory that would imprint their dance forever in its beaten earth from their fancy footwork.
Genesis knew the best way to get Sephiroth off guard was to fight on close grounds, but each time he tried to get closer he found that Sephiroth's power was far greater than his own. When they locked blades he could feel the way Sephiroth lashed harder to force him back. His arms ached when he did those thrusts, and he allowed Angeal to get his best shot in before attempting again.
"Try harder, Genesis," Sephiroth tempted him. "You're not giving me your all."
"Yeah?" Genesis replied, "Neither are you, but I'm thankful for that."
Sephiroth smirked and kicked Genesis back while striking Angeal's blade, the singing of their metal was the only sound after the strike. Sephiroth straightened himself and got back into his beginning position, flicking the blade again as he waited for his opponent to come forth to him.
Angeal was first and smashed his blade against Sephiroth's sending the Masamune's long end to point to the skies. This was Genesis's chance. He rushed forth with his blade and saw Sephiroth catch him in the act. He easily shifted his Masamune to take the impact of Genesis's strike, but that wasn't what he cared about. Genesis slid down and hooked his fingers on Sephiroth's armor before sliding between the guy's legs. It surprised the 1st class SOLDIER as he was flipped onto his back. Angeal's blade then came down and he rolled out of the way before striking against Angeal again as the figure was on the offensive.
Genesis rushed over and bashed his blade down onto both of theirs before whirling around to strike against Sephiroth. The man had ducked and swiped his long leg out, causing Genesis to fall flat.
"Stupid legs," Genesis grumbled and snatched onto Sephiroth's ankle while trying to fight with one hand. Sephiroth tried to get Genesis to let go, but he was also doing his best to fight off Angeal and Genesis and defend his vulnerable leg. Sephiroth blasted magic right at Angeal and grabbed Genesis's sword-wielding hand. He yanked him off by throwing him to the side as if he weighed nothing.
"You fight dirty," Sephiroth commented to Genesis as he dusted his coat off. "But you shouldn't assume I won't do the same."
"I wasn't," Genesis replied as he got up and brushed himself off as well. "In fact, I was hoping you would." He ran toward him and struck blades once again, but kept moving forth. Genesis snaked beneath the blades and found himself up against Sephiroth. His elbow went for Sephiroth's jaw in hopes to jar him a bit.
Sephiroth's eyes picked up on the motion as if it was all slowed down. He moved to the side and brought his leg up behind Genesis, then over the guy's head, and against the figure's throat. He twisted and watched as Genesis flipped backward in the air before landing painfully on the ground. Sephiroth had flipped backward toward a safer spot and brought his eyes from Genesis's splayed body toward Angeal.
Where was he?
His eyes shot upward as Angeal was coming from the heavens to descend his blade into his chest. Sephiroth took no time in defending against the blow and could feel the sparks coming off the blades onto his skin. Together they danced around a bit slamming their weapons here and there, a stalemate of power between them until Genesis entered the battle again. He had grabbed Sephiroth's hair and flipped over the man, bringing forth the mane to block Sephiroth's view completely.
"Let go," Sephiroth growled and stumbled in blocking a shot from Angeal, ramming his hip into the blunt side of the blade.
"Careful," Angeal warned as Sephiroth's Masamune almost sliced off his head.
But Genesis didn't let go, "I'm just prepping you for a good battle. You'll have to learn how to get out of this one." Though Genesis thought he was being quite the thinker, he hadn't expected the swiftness of Sephiroth's moves or to feel like his body had imploded with the impacts the man landed on him. He hadn't seen it happen, but he had felt all of it occur at once, as if several people were hitting him at the same time. He had let go and hissed in agony as he tried to figure out which part of his body hurt the most. "Ouch, damn! That was a bit overkill."
"Well don't yank on my hair and that wouldn't be such a problem."
Genesis stared at him prepared to make a spiteful comment back when Angeal butted in. "Children, let's play nice."
"Yeah. We should kiss and make up," Genesis joked just to see Sephiroth's reaction.
"I don't think so. Those lips have been all over Lazard, I wouldn't want to get contaminated."
Angeal snorted while Genesis laughed heartily at the words. He hadn't expected that! "Don't worry, I don't do oral."
"Doesn't make you anymore kissable."
"Perhaps? You know…doesn't mean I didn't get some."
Angeal frowned, "Please don't brag that the Director sucked your cock. We don't want to know."
"Oh it wasn't Lazard that got a taste."
Sephiroth winced, "Rufus Shinra. I didn't want to think about him like that, Genesis."
"Too bad. Getting any good images?"
"About as good as being mauled by chocobos."
Genesis stretched slightly and looked about the world again. So odd that it was just a hologram. Not that he cared, it was still a beautiful place. "You're just jealous."
"I'm far from it."
"You're secretly turned on."
"About as turned on as a broken light bulb."
Angeal gave another snort before twirling his blade. "Sounds like you might have a dilemma here, Genesis. Sephiroth doesn't sound as excited as you're hoping for."
Genesis shrugged, "That's okay, I already know his dick doesn't work. It's just fun to taunt."
"Doesn't work? You should get that checked out," Angeal remarked to Sephiroth.
He found no joy in the subject at all, but considering it was the three of them together in the loneliness of a virtual world, Sephiroth decided that he could allow the taunting to go on. "Sorry. Redheads don't excite me that much."
Genesis frowned. "I'm clearly a brunette."
"You're as brown as I am black. And besides, it doesn't matter. The only rise you'll get out of me is through my temper, not my nether regions."
For a minute there Genesis wanted to say that something did happen, but he knew that nothing clearly ever did. Sephiroth did have some great control. He, on the other hand, got off all the time. He didn't want the subject to turn onto him, as he assumed Sephiroth might do. "I could fix that."
"I doubt it."
"Maybe you just need a really good hand job to start off? My hands are pretty talented."
Sephiroth looked away and tried to keep a straight face but he couldn't. He shook his head and sighed before giving Genesis an odd look. "Disgusting."
"Yeah, I know. I'm talented in that region."
Angeal rolled his eyes, "Enough. Genesis, we know that you want in his pants."
"I've already been there, and I'm only joking. It's clear to me that for the safety of our friendship that going anywhere near his pants would be the wrong thing to do. If my jokes bother you that badly I'll try to refrain from talking, but then whenever I'm quiet you always assume I'm upset."
Sephiroth felt surprised at Genesis's declaration. The man didn't look upset or angered at their words toward him, he was only informing them of what he was doing. In fact, Sephiroth felt somewhat sad that he had to suppress Genesis so much. Just for their friendship. It was pathetic that it had come down to that. They had to stop being themselves to get everything to work out correctly…But really, he didn't know how to have it any other way. "I don't mind the jokes, just as long as they're kept private. In public, perhaps it would be best if you were silent."
"I'll keep that in mind," Genesis murmured before his phone went off. Damn. Please don't be Lazard. Please don't be Lazard… He heard Sephiroth's and Angeal's phones go off as well. Mass message? That's a good thing, right? He checked to see what it said and found the usual generic message within. A mission's prepared for me. I suppose I'll have to go, won't I? "Missions."
Sephiroth was surprised he even got one considering yesterday Lazard bitched at him and said he couldn't. What made today any different? He put his phone away and watched the world diminish into the bleak metal area they had been before. They had gotten up early enough to train thinking that Lazard wouldn't catch them, let alone anyone else. Seemed that idea had failed. "He'll probably send you two off and yell at me for the remainder of the day. No surprise."
Angeal glanced at the figure before putting his own phone away, "Why's that?"
"Because it's Lazard. I bothered him yesterday about holding me back, he probably wants to get his own opinion out before he allows me to do anything." Sephiroth touched the bandage on his neck for a minute and then let his hand drop, as if the very touch of it was something he couldn't bare. "Let's go."
The triad headed to the office and Genesis wished to hang in the back, but Angeal had shoved him forth when he had lost speed. So there he was, standing before the man he had slept with, and stuck between Sephiroth and Angeal. He felt out of place, or perhaps just really short, one of the two.
Lazard acted normal, as if anything that happened between him and Genesis hadn't happened at all. "Good, all three of you came. I wasn't sure if you would."
"What do you need, Director?" Angeal asked gently.
"The three of you are going on a mission together. The President and Vice President think it'd be worth a try to see how the media reacts to Sephiroth changing up his mission strategy. Besides, we have some great news for one of you." When he noticed the three of them looked somewhat interested he smiled and spilled. "Angeal, you've been promoted to 2nd class successfully."
Genesis was the one who had the biggest reaction to it. Angeal had watched him as Genesis had hugged him and muttered something into his shoulder. "You're more excited than I am," Angeal remarked to Genesis.
"Why aren't you happy? I'd be partying if I was you."
Angeal laughed, "I'll be sure to overreact when you get promoted, how's that sound?"
"Sounds fine to me," Genesis replied.
Lazard waited for them to calm down before he held out the clipboard. "Here's the information for your mission. It'll be a long one, so prepare accordingly. Angeal, your new rank means a new color. So, you can head over to the clothing area and get everything changed."
Sephiroth looked at their mission carefully when he noticed Lazard wasn't finished. His eyes went over to the blonde to figure out what else he needed to say.
"Sephiroth," the man warned. "I need you to behave. I'm not sure what's gotten into you lately but please straighten it out before going on this mission. Also, if anyone asks about the bandages please tell them something believable, and make it good."
Sephiroth felt miffed. The other two didn't get to be badgered and told to be good, but he did! It felt rather unfair. He didn't appreciate being put on the spot like that, either. "Whatever."
Lazard hesitated wondering if he should reinstate what he had said about his behavior but realized that it'd only make Sephiroth angrier. He gave a small sigh before waving his hand, "You can go now. You three be careful, and don't die on us."
They moved from the room and Sephiroth read through the mission objective before giving it to Genesis once the boy had finished preparing. When Angeal returned as well, looking spiffy in his new outfit, he looked at what the objective was over Genesis's shoulder and he snorted.
"A stealth mission, huh?"
"We get to go undercover and kill people," Genesis whispered as if the whole thing was a secret. "Isn't that great or what?"
"We have to gather information first," Sephiroth remarked. "That's the most important part of our mission. The killing is a last minute objective."
"What exactly are we trying to gather?"
"Any information on their tactics and where their other groups might be at. Also, see if they have any spies here in Midgar. It's quite possible that they do, but we can fish it out of them."
"Doesn't sound too hard. How long do you think we'll be undercover?"
Sephiroth pointed at the clipboard, "Few months. We'll be initiated into a Wutai group. We'll have to make up backgrounds, names, etc."
Genesis smiled, "Awesome. Can I make everything up?"
Sephiroth stared at Genesis wondering what he had in mind. "And what exactly would you say our background is?"
Genesis thought it over before he grabbed Sephiroth's and Angeal's arms. "I got it. Our village was exploited by Shinra for mako. At first we had to accept the consequences, but after unexplained events, most of the villagers began to die. Those that survived have been trying to join Wutai troops or taking care of the sick." Genesis nodded, "Yeah. If they ask about why our eyes are different it'll be our excuse. Mako got into our water system and that's what killed most of them."
Sephiroth felt very skeptical at first, but then realized that the story itself wasn't too bad to use. "What's the village name? They might know it."
"We should pick one that's been destroyed. Or just make one up."
"It'd be safer to pick one that exists," Angeal rationalized. "That way if they're suspicious of us they can check to make sure such a thing happened."
Genesis nodded before turning his eyes to Sephiroth. "What are we going to do about your eyes, though? Or your looks. They know who you are."
Sephiroth didn't have an answer for that. He knew that they would have to get in, but he wasn't sure how he would pull it off. Why was he on this mission anyway? "Good question."
"They wouldn't make you take it off, the attire. If you keep yourself fully clothed you should be fine," Angeal commented.
"We could say you're blind!" Genesis announced. "Just get weird contacts or something so you can see but they won't know you can."
Sephiroth nodded, "It could work. But if I'm blind why would they allow me into the squad?"
"Because you're an amazing fighter, that's why. Just because you don't have eyes doesn't mean your other senses suck. It's almost as if you can see without seeing. You know?"
"Understandable."
"It would at least keep one of us with you at all times, in case they split us up," Angeal noted. "I doubt they'd make a blind person go into different units by themselves."
Sephiroth agreed before turning to Genesis, "Thought of anything else for our background?"
Genesis shrugged. "Does Wutai have weird standards? Like…needing tribal tattoos or something weird like that?"
"I don't think so."
"Then we should be good. We just need names."
"Go by your last names, I doubt they'd pick up on them."
Genesis thought it over before he shook his head, "I don't know if I could. My name could be recognized."
"What's so recognizable about you?"
"Apple juice. And my dad's wealthy."
Sephiroth chuckled before smiling, "Then we can call you Jennifer. How's that?"
Genesis punched Sephiroth's arm, "Not funny."
"I don't know, I kind of think it fits," Angeal joked.
"Oh yeah? I think Angela fits for you," Genesis fired back. He felt victorious when he saw Angeal glare at him.
"That's doubtful. We should think of one for Sephiroth, anyway," Angeal mumbled. "He's the famous one."
Genesis glanced at Sephiroth and tried to think of a good name for him. "Sephiroth, do you have a last name? I don't think I've ever heard it."
"No, I don't. Last names are derived from parents, remember? I don't have any, so I don't have a last name."
"That sucks." And still didn't help their situation. He then started and grabbed Sephiroth's head abruptly causing the SOLDIER to instinctively snatch onto Genesis's arms. "I've got it! How's about Chrysanthemum?"
Sephiroth slowly raised an eyebrow, "You want to call me a flower?"
Genesis kept staring at him before nodding, "Yeah, you're right. Too close to your real name anyway. How's about Emerald?"
"What do you mean too close—and that's just as dumb."
"Don't be picky, it's just for a few months."
Angeal pulled Genesis back from Sephiroth, "Calm down, Genesis. Sounds like you're just describing his eyes."
"They are very pretty."
Sephiroth looked away at the compliment finding it rather embarrassing. "Just remember we don't want to stand out too much. We can't raise suspicions."
"That's okay. You can have the pretty name and Angeal and I can have normal names."
Sephiroth sighed, "Whatever. Are you prepared? We can discuss this on our trip there."
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When they said we were going to get dropped off I hadn't expected it'd be in such a remote area. The place is just dead! But what's worse is the fact that we have to get into our acts and change ourselves to prepare for our undercover mission. I'm excited and scared all at the same time, but I can't tell what will happen to us. Wandering into enemy territory like the way we are seems very dangerous. Hopefully they will not discover who we are…or at least…Sephiroth. He is the most recognizable out of the three of us. If he's caught I cannot imagine what will happen to him.
Genesis glanced between the two as they walked onward toward their unknown destination. His eyes went to Angeal who was wearing some scruffy garb. He looked like a weird street peddler than anything else. Genesis was wearing a ripped shirt and vest with some crazy pants and odd bandana around his neck, but it was Sephiroth that seemed the most ridiculous and least recognizable. They had braided his hair and stuck it to his head, then wrapped him up so that only his face showed. But to make sure he looked even more discernable, they dirtied him up and made him cover his nose and mouth, so the eyes were all they saw. They were clouded over, a serum that Hojo concocted for him that wouldn't damage his eyes and wouldn't wear off as long as he applied the drops to his eyes at night.
Unfortunately, they couldn't bring their usual blades with them. Any fancy weapon would more than likely be confiscated, so they opted for sticks, daggers, guns, and a plain blade. Only Sephiroth had requested to have a katana, it was a normal length one and didn't seem to have any significance about it.
"I feel ridiculous," Genesis murmured to them as they walked along the long plains.
"Ridiculous is part of our job description," Angeal mumbled back. "Now stop complaining in case someone hears you."
"Who? No one is out here."
"That's what you think," Sephiroth hissed. "Remember not to speak our names or who we work for."
Genesis nodded, "Yeah yeah. We're just from a piddly ass town that was overexploited and destroyed. We're seeking revenge together. We just left a nearby village that we've been staying in to try and heal our parents, but due to the events, they're dead."
"Glad you remembered it," Angeal replied. "You can be our spokesperson."
"Whoopee," Genesis mocked happiness. "How long do you think until we find someone or something?"
Sephiroth let his clouded eyes search the horizon carefully. There was a moment of silence between the three before he responded with an educated guess. "Three days."
"What? You can't be serious."
"I am. Considering our location and the terrain, plus the fact that you can't see anything in the distance, I've concurred that it'll be 3 days until we can find anything. That, of course, doesn't mean we'll actually meet them or find a place to rest. That's merely where we'll spot something useful, and then can guess how long it'll take for us to get there."
"The shit we do for—"
Sephiroth hissed and Genesis shut up. "What did I say?"
"Sorry."
"Stop complaining. Get into character. You're in grievance, but you should also be headstrong, and angered for the death of your parents. Think of something that upsets you and apply it now. We'll need to keep up this complex for a long time, and preparing yourselves is the best way to do it."
"I'm on it."
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Sephiroth was quite right about it taking three days just to find anything. The plains were so flat and the area they were in was so hot, but it slowly started to get colder the further they went. By now it was a mild wind with a beautiful springtime. Genesis absolutely loved it, but he could tell that he should pay less attention to the world around him and more on the mission.
So, when they spotted something in the distance Genesis had smacked Sephiroth's arm. "Hey, look! I see something!"
Sephiroth glared at him, "I'm blind, remember? And yes, I see it."
Angeal glanced over at them. "Remember, no speaking our names."
"Okay, Angel Eyes," Genesis joked as he moved ahead of them.
Angeal glared at Genesis but found that Sephiroth had grabbed his arm. "No point in getting upset."
"I'm not. I just wished he'd take this a bit more seriously."
"He will once we meet the en—er…our comrades."
"By then I hope it isn't too late," Angeal muttered.
The place they were heading towards didn't feel like it was getting much closer, but after half a day of traveling it seemed they had reached some type of base the Wutai men were using. It seemed quite strange to be traveling and not be approached, but Sephiroth had deduced that they must have assumed they weren't going to be a problem. What kind of enemy would walk right up to the front door so casually as they had? Exactly.
"Someone's heading our way," Genesis mumbled as a group of men started to come forth to them dressed in the Wutai operative garb.
Sephiroth tensed slightly at seeing them, pretending not to see, and he instinctively put his hand on the hilt of his sword. As the two groups met face to face things had gone rather silent and the three SOLDIER operatives had grown sullen at their bad situation.
"We've been watching you for quite awhile. Who are you and why are you heading here?"
"We're from a village. We travelled here because we seek revenge against what has happened to our people," Genesis replied.
The enemy looked at each other before turning their eyes back to Genesis, the one who seemed to be talkative enough to say what they wanted. "Tell us."
Genesis gave their story, about the way Shinra ravaged through their homeland and had caused many problems for them until they couldn't stand it any longer. It seemed to darken the spirits of those they were talking to, but also give off a brotherly vibe.
"You've come to the correct place. I'm assuming you want to join in order to kill off Shinra scum, correct?"
Genesis nodded his head, "Yes. We won't rest until we've killed those bastards."
The leader laughed and nodded, "Good! We like that kind of spirit. We'll have to see how you fair in battle, though, before we can assign you anywhere. This is just a lookout base." The man strode forward. "Follow me." The three of them went into the building and found it dark and gloomy, but after going through a few doors they arrived back outside into a small court area where a few people were training. "What's your names?"
"Andy," Angeal remarked. Dumb name, but easy to remember thanks to Genesis.
"Jean," Genesis said next. He didn't like it at all, but he could deal with it for a few months.
Sephiroth hadn't been paying attention. His eyes were fixed onto the people battling like a man stuck in a trance.
Genesis looked at him and coughed a bit, "Um. And this is Emerald." They would have gone with Seth, because it was close to Sephiroth's name, but they concluded that having his code name too close to his real name would cause people to notice how similar he was to the 1st class SOLDIER, and that was the last thing they needed problems with.
The leader stared hard at Sephiroth before finally commenting on his behavior, "Is he just a part of your group or is he an actual fighter?"
"I'm an excellent fighter," Sephiroth finally replied.
"I wonder if you'll be a good warrior, though. You seem to be easily distracted."
"I was merely listening to the battles going on."
"Listening…" The man finally caught sight of Sephiroth's eyes. "You're blind?"
"Yes."
"And yet you're a good fighter?"
"One of the best."
He chuckled before losing his smile, "We'll see about that." He whistled and three men came bumbling over. "These boys want to get into our squad. Test them."
Genesis directed Sephiroth into position before settling beside him, Angeal on his other side. "Here goes nothing," Genesis muttered as he pulled forth the long stick he had sometimes used for walking.
The battle commenced quickly and flawlessly. Genesis was surprised at how fast Angeal and he had downed their opponents after several blows. Yet, their attention was all drawn toward Sephiroth. The man hadn't moved at all from his position and it seemed his opponent hadn't either. It was as if there was a stare down going on instead, but it was hard to win against the blind…
After several moments of silence the Wutai man had ran forth with his weapon high. Sephiroth stood confidently in his spot without grasping for any of his weapons yet. It wasn't until he was merely a foot away that Sephiroth had moved, and so quickly only Angeal and Genesis seemed to have picked up on it. He had crushed the hilt of his sword into the man's abdomen, dodged the weapon that was coming down on him and twisted himself to arrive behind the confused and hurt boy. When they all had caught up on seeing his appearance there the leader had called the fight off.
"You move…very quickly…for being disabled."
Sephiroth sheathed his katana and turned toward the voice. "One mustn't always trust the eyes to give them the advantage."
"I could hardly see him move," muttered one of the other lackeys that had been watching instead of doing his training. Another agreed with him.
The leader took note on the subject before he came forth and grabbed Sephiroth's arms. "You are magnificent. You…you three have definitely passed the test. I haven't seen anyone battle like that besides those bastard mako induced men they use against us. Such a disgrace…to be fighting something enhanced like that." His eyes caught onto Genesis's and Angeal's eyes. Though they weren't very bright, the hint of glow was there. "But…do tell that you aren't enhanced…are you?"
Genesis came forward, "Unfortunately we are, but against our wishes. The water in our village was filled with mako once Shinra brought his men in. We couldn't find water anywhere else, and so most of our people either adapted to it or were poisoned by it." Genesis shook his head before covering his eyes as if ashamed by the way he looked, and he stifled some tears. "Those who were poisoned…usually died."
It had struck the leader once again and he fed into the emotions Genesis was feeling. He grabbed Genesis's arm to comfort him. "We've all lost someone close to us. This planet is dying because of Shinra's greedy interests. They are sucking the resources and the very life out from it, and smothering us in his dirty hands. If we don't win this war then everyone on this world will die. That's because the planet will die, too."
Genesis felt so struck by those words. He had never really thought about what they were doing. Was Shinra wrong all this time?
He felt odd and had noticed Sephiroth had been staring at him very heavily, those clouded eyes giving him the chills as they seemed deadly set upon him. Genesis recovered from the impact of the words and gave a slight nod. "Right. So you said we've passed. Now what?"
The man quickly dropped his depressed state and straightened up. "I'll have my men take you over to the actual base. They'll get you suited up and put into some basic training, though I imagine you won't need much of it. From there you'll listen to the squad leader."
"Is the squad leader the head of the entire units, or is there a high ranking member at the base we're going to?" Sephiroth's question was casual enough that the man hadn't noticed the intentions on why he wanted to know.
"Oh yes, there's a higher leader of course. He's not in very often, at least to talk to the warriors unless we're going into battle. He's the main strategist, after all, it's important to keep him safe. Besides, he's also negotiating with all the other bases. I always thought it'd be best to divide up the information, but he thinks it's best that we believe in him holding it all. That isn't a problem, though, considering we haven't done battle in a long time."
Sephiroth nodded grimly. "I understand. Could it be arranged to meet him, though?"
"Quite possibly." He grew suspicious. "Why?"
"Part of tradition. It is good luck to pay respects to the highest ranking member. To do otherwise is asking for a bad omen to fall upon everyone. I wouldn't want that to happen."
"Oh, I see. Well, you'd have to ask around back at the base. I'm sure if you ask the right person they'd be able to arrange something for you. Would you boys like to eat first before you go? We have some food prepared that we wouldn't mind sharing."
Angeal nodded, "We wouldn't mind at all."
The meal they went to was rather pleasant and cheerful with the other men there. It seemed after they warmed up to the thought of the three men being on their side it was uplifting to imagine powerful people on their side for once. Everyone talked about their families and worries, thoughts and contemplations about the future, informing each other of the possibility of upcoming battles and what not. For Genesis it made him feel strangely unaware of his surroundings. The battle for him wasn't on his home turf. Thankfully Banora was on an island far away from Wutai. Yet these people were experiencing daily problems with the thought of their families getting hurt, or not returning to their loved ones. One man had been quite happy to show off his family photos, brandishing his little boy and girl that were snuggled up with his beautiful wife in his arms. Genesis couldn't believe how guilty he was feeling for these men. They didn't seem like the enemy…they didn't talk like it.
"I'm sorry, it's rather rude of me to show these photos when one of you can't see."
It had pulled Genesis from his gloomy thoughts to stare at the owner of the photos. At first he wanted to ask what he meant, but remembered Sephiroth's fake condition. His eyes turned up to Sephiroth before bringing themselves back to the figure before them. "It happens. Though, just because he can't see doesn't mean he doesn't understand."
"True."
The boy beside him looked young and inexperienced to the entire ordeal, just as much as Genesis was he could imagine. But his joyous look did make him smile. He watched him carefully as he seemed hesitant to say anything to them, as if shy on any subject. "And what's your story?"
The boy seemed a bit flustered at the question before smiling happily at being asked. "Mine? I. Well. I joined because my older brother did. We've been split up, but…it seemed like the right thing to do, right?"
Angeal shrugged at the words. "Depends. How's your parents?"
"Oh. My mother lives in Wutai with my younger brother and she is doing well."
"You realize as a warrior here you must be very careful, yes? Your life is important to your mother. But you must be extra cautious…to die in battle would mean your brother must be the one to be careful. You wouldn't want to put anymore pressure on him, I imagine. And for both of you to die would mean too much grief for your mother. Think wisely on each step you take, you don't want it to be your last," Angeal calmly consoled him.
"Th-Thanks."
"Don't scare him to death," Genesis replied back.
"I'm not scaring, merely cautioning him."
"He might not do anything with the way you worded it. And taking no action at all is just as bad as taking too much action."
Sephiroth chuckled, "You two contradict each other."
"It's what we do best," Genesis joked. "I don't hear you speaking up to help him out."
"What's there to say? Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're not."
The boy wasn't sure whether to feel glad about that or not. The three of them had such strange personalities. "Fate…can be pretty cruel I guess?"
Sephiroth nodded, "It's very cruel."
Genesis felt so chilled by those words. Fate was cruel. Sephiroth was cruel, because he'd be the reason why everyone would die.
Their time with the soldiers had ended not long after that and their ride over to the real base was very quiet between them all. They decided to take chocobos, something that Genesis found to be rather fun besides having to share it with Sephiroth. The man seemed the least excited about the animals and had remarked under his breath about walking almost being more preferable. He didn't know why Sephiroth felt so hated toward the creatures, but he decided not to comment on it.
It was very late in the night when they reached the base. Genesis's legs felt like they were permanently stuck in the wide legged sitting position, but after straightening up and stretching he did feel better. He could hear Sephiroth grumbling to himself, which he could only imagine as curses toward the feathery animal. He instinctively grabbed Sephiroth's arm and started to lead the way after the others.
They were greeted by one of the squad leaders who seemed cheerful enough to receive more members. He blabbed on and on about their expectations, the rules, and the goal that they would achieve. They were shown a room to settle in that they unfortunately had to share with several other Wutai members. Luckily with Sephiroth's disability it meant they could spend time together. The first thing they got were their uniforms and other clothing to wear at night, then they were allowed to go bathe and fix themselves up. Genesis acted like he was helping Sephiroth and was glad to find that the bath areas were all separated with walls between each one, though it still didn't seem private.
Sephiroth was very cautious, but once he got into the bath and started to wash he felt rushed to finish. No one could see his hair or body or else they'd know. He put in a few drops of the odd concoction into his eyes to keep them clouded and then turned his attention to Genesis. "We must be very careful. This might be the only time we'll get to talk to each other."
"Okay," Genesis replied softly. "Now that we're in what's our main objective?"
"The information. We'll have to find a way to get it out of everyone. The squad leader seemed talkative. We can easily make friends with some of the boys around here as well. But it's important that we find a way to get in contact with the highest ranking person here. We can gather the most information out of them. But we'll want to do that last, understand?"
"Why last?"
"Because we'll have to kill him after we get the information out. We need to win everyone's trust here and slowly move our way up."
"I see." Genesis watched as Sephiroth washed his hair roughly and then looked away to check and make sure they were alone. No one else had seemed to enter. His eyes went back to Sephiroth and he kept on watching him wash.
The 1st class SOLDIER had noticed Genesis's eyes weren't leaving his body and he felt uncomfortable. A few months of allowing Genesis or Angeal to watch him bathe seemed like more than he had bargained for. "Do you mind?"
Genesis continued to stare as if Sephiroth's words weren't made toward him. "I'm helping you." His whisper was rather soft and hadn't been echoed throughout the bathhouse. Still, his words nerved Sephiroth.
"You don't have to stare."
"Sorry." Yet Genesis didn't stop staring at him.
"You're getting on my nerves."
"I know."
"Would you stop?"
"I'm not doing anything."
"Yes you are!"
"Are you embarrassed? Did you want some alone time? I didn't know you did those things while bathing…although I guess it'll wash away readily enough."
Sephiroth felt perplexed at those words. "What? No! You…whatever. I'm not going to fight with you right now."
"No shit, I wouldn't either. You're naked, after all."
Sephiroth huffily squeezed the water out of his hair, "Well I'm finished." He almost rose before he pointed at Genesis. "Turn around."
"Why? I've already seen you naked before."
"So?"
"I can watch you dry off."
Sephiroth couldn't believe he had to argue about this. "I don't want you watching."
"Okay…I'm turned around," Genesis replied though he didn't move.
"You're an ass," Sephiroth remarked.
"What? I'm totally turned around."
"You…" It wasn't like Sephiroth could speak anything about seeing that he wasn't. He felt so pathetic. "I hate you."
"Just get your clothes on, sugar, so I can do your hair."
Sephiroth got up and started to dry off while Genesis watched him. He wasn't sure what he felt about all of this. Embarrassed? Angered? Flustered? A combination of all of them it seemed. But what really got to him was actually seeing that Genesis was enjoying the show. He would have made a snappy comment but saw Angeal come up behind the boy to spin him around.
"Hey, quit gawking. Go bathe, I'll keep watch here, you perv. You can do his hair when you're done. Don't give me that look, go do it."
Genesis had walked off and Sephiroth felt rather relieved that Angeal had stepped in, though he also still felt that burning embarrassment in having to deal with that situation. Pitiful he couldn't do anything about it!
"Don't let him get under your skin."
Sephiroth finished dressing and shook his head, "He doesn't bother me."
"Right," Angeal replied doubtfully.
"Okay, it bothers me but I don't have the patience to care."
"Not doing anything about it only encourages him."
"Doing something about it also encourages him. There is no 'off' button on him."
"Very true. You just have to keep him occupied with other things. Anyway, if we keep him focused on…family and goals…I think it'll be best for him."
Sephiroth caught the words and he nodded, "Right. We're not here to be…selfish, we're here to revenge what we've lost. What everyone's lost."
"Precisely. No room for games."
"Indeed."
It didn't take Genesis long to bathe and get dressed. He came over to the other two who had been whispering softly and he grabbed up Sephiroth's long hair, working his fingers through it. "It's still wet."
"Put it up anyway. It'll dry later."
Genesis let his fingers work away at the mass of hair, moving it this way and that until he got it all pinned up and helped Sephiroth put on another head cover. He let Sephiroth adjust the face mask before looking at Angeal. "How's he look?"
"Gorgeous."
Sephiroth sighed and waved his hand, "Lead me out of here."
"All right, beautiful."
When they crawled into bed all three of them had been thoroughly exhausted. It seemed as if they were so constantly on guard that by now they could actually relax since no one had any suspicions on them. They respected that Sephiroth seemed to have some odd family tradition, that Genesis was the talker, and that Angeal kept to himself. For being in enemy territory, it almost felt like home.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The first week of living in the base had been nerve-wracking. They all were constantly on each other's tails making sure no one screwed up or did anything in front of the enemy. Yet, as the week had come down to an end they started to feel more relaxed in their different identities. It was easier to start accepting that they were these alternate beings that had no relation to the person they once were.
But all it did was make Genesis far more curious. Sephiroth had kept strictly to a strong family association, linking heavily toward a religious aspect practically to who he was. His identity seemed the most drastic compared to who he really was, but his words made people feel eased that he was 'one of those' guys. Yet, even if Sephiroth was just saying it as a different person, was it true for the real identity?
Genesis had to know…was it all a lie?
The three of them had realized that they did have quite a lot of time to be off on their own and it was accepted just as everything else was. No one seemed to think twice about them. And so late at night they'd take long walks outside where they could easily discuss things and know that not a single Wutai soldier could hear them.
It was one of these nights that Genesis decided to inquire about Sephiroth's past.
They had been slowly walking and admiring the starlit sky when Genesis had decided to speak up. It took him awhile to think of the right way to ask it, but after checking around them he let it spill. "Your…stories about your past. The family stuff. Is…any of it true?"
Sephiroth glanced around as well before he shook his head, "You know I have no family, of course it isn't real."
"I see. I…just feel like I'm in the same boat as everyone else, here. I don't know much about your past…though I wish I did. I could just believe what you say to these people and accept that it's all I'll ever get out of you."
Sephiroth slowed down and took a seat on a makeshift bench that someone had made in their spare time. He felt uncomfortable about Genesis asking him these things. They were supposed to stay undercover, not throw off their masks once the moon struck the sky. "What is there to know? You know where I grew up and that I turned out fine. Isn't that all you need?"
"I wanted to know about your relationship with….the Professor. The night I was with Rufus. He mentioned you were hulled up in the labs a lot. Why is that? What did he want with you?"
"I…don't want to discuss that."
Genesis stared at Sephiroth's face, but watched as he looked away. "Seph—"
"Quiet."
"Please…"
"Please, what?" Sephiroth glared at him. "I don't want to talk about him."
Gently Genesis put his hand on Sephiroth's arm and was glad that he didn't retract from the touch. He wished he could calm him, let him break from the shell he had created over all these years. "You…don't have to keep everything a secret. I'm your friend. What bothers you bothers me. I can tell that you hold back a lot of things because you're unsure of what may happen if they ever got out. But…you can trust me."
Sephiroth shook his head, "How do I know I can trust you?"
"Because…" Genesis felt the emotions build up in him but he did his best to keep it down. Slowly he let his hand slide down Sephiroth's arm and he tightly grasped his hand. At first he couldn't speak any words, but knew he'd have to. "I don't know. You might just…say it's a dumb reason. But…you can trust me because….I love you. And I wouldn't want to cause you any pain, so I would find no reason to tell anyone else anything you tell me unless you said it was okay."
Sephiroth tugged his hand away from Genesis's grasp and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't understand why you like me that way after what's happened. You know the feelings will never be returned."
"I know," Genesis quickly cut in. "Seeing you is a constant reminder of that fact. And I feel…" Genesis shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like the pain is unbearable but…something I want to live with."
"Why would you cause yourself that kind of misery?"
"Because you're worth it. Because…anything else I've tried I've only made things worse. You'll always hate me and I'll always love you. It's how it'll always be."
"I don't hate you," Sephiroth defended himself.
"Yes you do."
"No, I don't. Don't say things like that."
"It's true." Genesis kept his eyes on the ground before him. "I can tell you do. It's just the way you act."
"And what do I do that makes you think I hate you?"
Genesis let the silence fill in the gap for awhile before speaking again, his voice was low so that only Sephiroth would be able to hear. "You don't like being around me. You prefer Angeal as a helper than me. And when you're stuck with me you're really reluctant. For being a friend you don't act like much of one toward me. It's like you're…constantly annoyed that I'm around, like I don't matter. And if I ever put you on the spot you either deny it or put it back on me. You're always trying to mislead me or push me away whenever we talk." Genesis rubbed his brow and gave a small sigh. "I feel like after our fight…when we tried to make things better we only made things worse. I guess not for you, but I don't feel like…" He choked up a bit but swallowed and continued. "I don't feel like anything got any better for me."
"It's because you want something you can't have—"
"No, it's not even that. I can live with that. I've been living with that. Every day and every night has been like that for me since the beginning. But it's the fact that you wanted just a friendship. I want to be your friend…but you treat me like I'm something far from that. Sometimes I wonder if you meant you wanted a friendship with someone other than me. You've obviously obtained Angeal after going through me—"
"That's not what I meant at all, and don't even think that's what happened or is happening. I do want to be friends with you, but I still feel uncomfortable around you. You don't even realize half the things you do that make you hard to be around. You're constantly flirting. I don't want to give you ideas that it's acceptable that you do that. I don't mean to hurt you but I'm not going to let it continue to happen."
"I don't even mean anything when I flirt."
"You just admitted you loved me, how could that not mean anything?"
"Because I know that you're opposed to me. It's not like I'm trying anything. I always flirt with everyone. You're no different."
"How am I supposed to know that?"
"Because I just told you. And because after you caused me enough agony I know there's no point in ever hoping or thinking that you'll ever like me. I know you never will. Does that mean I have to act differently around you then everyone else?"
"Perhaps you should take it into consideration."
Genesis glared and then looked away again, the bitter feeling turning into the aching sensation of his heart. "Fine. I'll work on stopping." He felt like all his complaints meant nothing…and now he was being punished. He always felt that way. "I don't even know why I bothered trying to talk to you." Genesis got up. "Let's go back. Your friend must be missing you."
Sephiroth felt the sting of his words. "You're upset."
"If you don't get up I'm going to leave without you and you'll have to bullshit your way back."
"Don't act like this right now, not here—"
Genesis sighed and stared at him. "Act like what? We can't stay out all night. We have things to do tomorrow."
"You're acting hurt that I told you to stop flirting."
Genesis shook his head, "No. I am hurt, but I'm not acting it out. I'm telling you that it's time to go to bed."
"I don't want to pretend things are okay if they're not."
Genesis gave a small laugh before losing the smile he had. "God, nothing has ever been okay, Sephiroth. I wake up miserable, I go to bed miserable. You make me feel like shit. I've felt like this ever since you told me you were toying with me out of pity. And it gets worse the more I'm around you. You ask me to do all of these stupid ridiculous things. Stop staring, stop asking, stop flirting, stop talking, stop everything. You just…hate me. This mission just made me realize that you tell more stories to these people then you'd ever dare to tell me. And you want me as a friend. What kind of friend am I if you can't even stand me? I'm not a friend at all. I'm an obstacle to you. I feel like one. I keep trying and you reject me as harshly as you did before. I thought I was emotionally stable when we started the trip…but I feel as if I just lied to myself and I've finally realized the problem is still apparent and getting worse. I'm a nuisance. That's all I am. It's all I've ever amounted to." Genesis looked over at the base and felt as if the building itself was taunting him. "Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm going to do anything. I just…wanted to make you happy. But…the only thing that makes you happy is not having me around."
Sephiroth felt sick about all of it. He hadn't meant to cause this much of a rift between them. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry about what? It's not your fault you don't like me. It's always going to be my fault somehow. It always is."
"Please don't say that." Sephiroth had to think quickly, though his mind felt muddled with all the information he was getting. "Sit down for a minute. We can leave in a little while." He waited for Genesis to sit before he spoke to him. "I don't hate you. Don't say that I do. You are my friend…I just…never had one before, so…I suppose this is why you have to go through so much. I didn't mean for it to get this emotional or this detrimental for you. I…apologize for that. As for the…reactions toward you. I've been really uncomfortable with you because you love me, that is true. But you're getting the reason wrong. I don't mind…that you like me. I suppose I find it silly but I won't ask you to change your mind or anything. But I've always felt as if I should be on my guard. Since our previous fights we've had I've been trying to…to keep myself from letting that happen again. I thought if I let you act the way you usually do toward me that it'd fall back in the same rut. I don't want to go through that again. Do you understand what I mean?" He stared at Genesis but noticed he didn't signal yes or no. "I was doing what I thought best. I had no idea that though you act the same you think differently. It's not something I'm used to. So when I hurt you…it's always an accident. I can never tell until it's too late, and I have a hard time trying to fix it. I know it might sound obvious or stupid, but you should tell me if I'm upsetting you. It'd…cause less problems like this."
Genesis took it all in before turning his eyes to Sephiroth's. Though they were clouded he could tell the man was looking at him. "Why didn't you have friends before?"
"Because of Hojo."
There was silence before Genesis gave a slight laugh, "God…we made a full circle. Will you tell me or…should we just head in? I don't want to start another fight."
Sephiroth wasn't sure what to say. If he said head in, would Genesis take that as him being closed off? But it was late… "Tomorrow…remind me. We can talk then."
Genesis nodded before he rose again and helped Sephiroth back to the base, exhausted but relieved at their fight. For some reason…he felt as if he needed the quarrel to better understand Sephiroth. And hopefully Sephiroth would be able to understand him in return.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"So….Hojo," Genesis remarked. It was the next night and they had returned to their spot on the bench. For some reason Genesis felt like it was more déjà vu than anything else. Hopefully it was different this time around…
"Right. Hojo was…a scientist, as he's always been. Science is just something he does…always experimenting and always looking for something to experiment on. As a parentless child, I come under no restrictions. What happens to me was to be covered up if ever found out. I don't know the details on why the President allowed for me to stay in his building, or why no one had asked about me, but…I lived nonetheless. Scarlet, the one you're obsessed over, she was an acting mother in some senses. Hojo, in that case, was somewhat of a father. Scarlet made sure I stayed out of the public's eye, or that if I did I looked presentable, while Hojo…" Sephiroth dropped the subject. He uncomfortably shifted himself so that he didn't have to see Genesis's expression. "Hojo…did what he did best."
"Science. On you?"
"On me."
"What…did he do?"
"He…always told me he never did a thing to me. He claims he never tampered with me…that he merely pushed me to realize who I am and what I'm capable of. But it's him. His words are never clear…they never make complete sense. I can't trust him but I have to. He's good at misleading people…but he's good at making you believe it's the right path." Sephiroth tried to think of specific examples, but he wished not to remember. "It's hard to talk about."
"I…see. Was it anything…physical?"
"Of course. He's done a lot of tests on me that I probably shouldn't have allowed to happen. But those are the easier ones to bear with. It's the psychological ones that really mess everything up."
"Mind games…"
"Yes. Hojo's good at those." Sephiroth sighed and rubbed his temple before remembering something. "He's why I don't have friends. I said that last night, but I can explain what I meant. You see, I was introduced to Rufus around the age of five. I had never interacted with someone my age before, so I was cautious but glad to find someone my size. But after our first meeting, Hojo had told me that although it's fine to get to know people, I should never let anyone near me. Supposedly friends are…people who want to cause you problems, make you unhappy…" He shook his head. "I believed everything he said. Even if I was around Rufus I did my best to stay as mysterious as I was to him the first day we met."
"It…must have been hard to see that it's the opposite, right?"
"I don't know. My experiences have never put me under the circumstance of needing friends, or at least the resources weren't available. Rufus was being educated by the finest and he had other kids to be around. As for me, a person stuck in a building and shielded for a good portion of it, all I remember are adults. Kids aren't friends with adults. I've always known there was a separation between those around me and myself. So…even at this age, when people around me could be candidates, I've been so used to dealing with things by myself that I found no use in gaining friends now. Why bother…when what I was doing seemed to be working?"
"But…now you have friends."
"It's still…trial and error for me. I don't quite understand how to act let alone how people should act toward me."
"But you're learning, and that's good."
Sephiroth agreed with a gentle nod. There was still more that Genesis didn't know. "He'd…humiliate me daily. I don't know what he was trying to do. I just remember that his remarks were never kind to me. Actually, I remember…once that he had given me something that caused me to vomit all over myself, and I couldn't stop. He told me to clean it up. It was…at that time that Rufus had entered the lab areas looking for me. I begged Hojo not to let him see me like that, but he had done the opposite. There were so many emotions going through me at that moment, but the strongest one I felt was shame."
"You felt ashamed of yourself? But you couldn't help what happened to you."
"It didn't matter."
"That seems…pretty harsh that he'd treat you like that."
"Well…you wondered why I was so different. There's your answer."
Genesis felt bad for making him speak up about Hojo. It was obvious it was extremely personal for Sephiroth. He knew he should have allowed the man to keep to himself, but then again…look at why he had been doing so in the first place! Hojo had made him that way. "Did you ever really think of Hojo as a…father?"
Sephiroth gave a bitter laugh, "No. Far from it. He was just the only person that said more than a few words to me. I've known some operatives when I was growing up, but most died. You can't cling onto someone that is in this line of work."
"So…you stuck with the mad scientist instead."
"He wasn't going to die anytime soon, it seemed like a good idea."
"Could have exploded chemicals all over himself," Genesis rationalized.
Sephiroth smiled, "I always wished he would. Just so I could be the one laughing instead of him."
"Maybe you should ignore him. You'd do better hanging around us instead. Who needs scientists anyway?"
Sephiroth thought it over and wanted to reason with Genesis but knew it'd be pointless. Genesis was trying to show him that he cared. It…was starting to make a lot more sense. "Well, I won't need him as long as you two don't die on me."
Genesis smiled at that. He had expected Sephiroth would disagree with him, but for once they were on the same plane. "Don't worry…we won't die. Not now, anyway."
"I'll hold you to that," Sephiroth replied before glancing toward the base. He noticed someone coming their way and realized it was Angeal. He waited for the man to get closer before calling out to him. "Andy."
"Emerald," Angeal remarked and glanced at Genesis, "Jean."
"What brings you out here?" Genesis asked casually.
"Just making sure you're not trying to have children."
Genesis shook his head, "Emerald needs ovaries for that."
Sephiroth glared, "What makes me the woman in this?"
Angeal replied, "Your inexperience," while Genesis said, "Your hips." Either way, Sephiroth didn't like the answer.
"Sorry I'm not a whore like some people."
Genesis snorted at his words. Was he calling him a whore? "Oh please, it's not like I do it on purpose."
"Your dick just happens to wind up in other men?" Angeal asked quizzically. "That sounds like a bad nightmare."
"You know…there's one person I wouldn't mind experiencing that with," Genesis pondered before grabbing onto Sephiroth's thigh.
Sephiroth's eyes widened before he slapped Genesis's hand away. "Do you mind?"
Genesis almost made a flirty joke when he remembered the conversation they had yesterday. He dropped the smile and kept his hands to himself. "I was just joking. Anyway…should probably get back into character. Don't want anyone noticing us acting weird."
"Genesis, you're always weird," Angeal commented.
"You're just jealous."
"Of what? You grabbing up other guys? Not so much."
Sephiroth had to interrupt the conversation. But it was still relevant to the topic, "I heard the leader at this base is returning soon."
"That's cool," Genesis muttered. "What's our plan?"
"Well…from what I gathered from the others, he's got an interest in men. We could use that to our advantage."
Angeal knew what Sephiroth was going to suggest and he had a really bad feeling about that. "Dare I ask your plan of attack?"
"Jean can get the information from him."
Genesis's face went a ghastly white. "What? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No. You flirt all the time, you could do it the easiest."
"If he likes guys he'd take my advances for granted and will bend me over a table."
"Well that's a risk we'll have to take."
"Fuck you, I'm not going to do that! Why don't you risk your ass instead?"
"Because you pull it off better. Besides, you just have to act stupid. Mention that you're curious about the bases surrounding us, what he does…you know, the basics. Don't ask too much but enough that we can gather some information on it all and send it back to Lazard."
"How the heck do you expect me to do that without getting hurt?"
"If he likes you enough I'm sure he can wait."
"Right. Some grunt going up to the high command and somehow persuading him to 'hold off' until the wedding day sounds like a great plan," Genesis remarked sarcastically.
"Seduce him. Entice him. Do something! Make him interested but keep him guessing on if you're available. We have to get this information. If we don't, we're fucked. I don't know how long he'll be here and we can't waste time. Once we get enough information we'll have to wipe out this entire base. Do you understand that? We're in a dangerous place and we can't stay here any longer than expected or else someone is going to notice something about us."
Genesis had a really bad feeling about it all. What was he to do, though? He had to finish the mission…and he didn't want Sephiroth telling Lazard that he had done a bad job. He'd have to go through with it… "Fine. If something happens the blame is going on you."
Sephiroth quietly nodded. He just hoped that whatever happened…it'd go smoothly.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
The day that the base leader arrived everyone was in a celebrating mood. Everyone had the day off from training and working to relax and catch up on the news of the other bases. The man had talked for a good hour or so about his recent updates, and the trio listened carefully and made mental notes for later use. But once the partying started the leader had gone off to his own chambers. Sephiroth nudged Genesis to head after him and the redhead felt his heart start to pound in his chest.
The things I do for Shinra. I don't know how I'll pull this off. I only flirt with good looking people, not people like him. Jeez, he looked like he had enough muscle on him to kill someone by flexing. And Sephiroth thinks I'm good at this. Pah. He's such an ass sometimes…
Genesis had wormed through the crowd and made his way after the leader. He was surprised that no one was protecting him, but as he thought it over it did make sense. Wasn't like a base leader was that important…
He stepped into the room and coughed slightly to announce his presence. His heart sunk to the pits of his stomach upon seeing him up close. He had scars on his face and had a missing tooth. Genesis didn't feel attracted at all, but it might have been because he felt intimidated being in the room with him. The man definitely had bulging muscles that could snap Genesis in half. "Um...sir."
"Is there something you need?"
"I…actually am new here. I would have asked someone else, but I didn't want to ruin everyone's celebration with questions. I noticed you left…so would it be okay if I asked you instead?"
The man smirked and showed off the gaping hole. "Depends on the question, newbie. What would you like to know?"
"I…suppose the basics. You…the bases…how everything works. I wasn't told much."
The leader sized up Genesis before he strode over to him, towering over the poor figure. "Well…I don't like to relay information without a little payment. And it's been awhile since I've had a taste of redhead…" His hand brushed Genesis's cheek and played through his hair. Genesis was utterly frozen. This was what he didn't want to happen, but he knew he couldn't dodge out of it. If he refused it meant no answers, and if he obliged he'd hate his life forever.
"I-I…I don't understand?"
"You will soon enough. Take your clothes off. Get in bed."
Genesis felt his body become covered in goosebumps. At first he didn't do anything and could feel the impatience of the leader. Then he started to take off his clothes, slowly, but at a good enough pace that it soothed the leader's anger.
Meanwhile, back at the celebration, Angeal and Sephiroth were being treated to drinks and hearing stories from their comrades about odd battles they've been to and fascinating survival stories. Sephiroth tried to get any information out of them in hopes of having matching information as Genesis's, if the man could get anything out of the leader.
"So some of you have been to other bases? How many are there?"
"Oh quite a few, really," one man replied as he sat across from Sephiroth and sloppily downed his drink. "There's a cluster of them surrounding Wutai itself, and the island itself. Mostly on the coastlines. Safest that way, supposedly. But the rest of us, just like ourselves, are bordering the coasts of the rest of the western continent. You know, near Rocket Town and such. It's so that we have protection against any other problems Shinra might ship at us."
"Of course, that's understandable. But just the coastlines?"
"We've got a few others inland, but none too far from the rest. We try to keep at least within 10 miles of each other. It's safest to have a place to retreat to if you're attacked."
"Oh, I see. I heard that you have spies everywhere. Is that even true?"
"A little bit. We've slipped some into Midgar, right at Shinra's footsteps, you know? Got guys dressed up as infantrymen and everything. Not SOLDIER, though. None of us have been able to match up to those mako induced freaks." The man stared at their eyes for a minute and then frowned. "Sorry. I forgot what happened to you guys. Though you're different. It was an accident that you got tainted. And anyway, maybe it's fate that it happened to you? I imagine the Planet is pissed at Shinra for abusing it, so it's giving us some people to fight back. Right?"
"That's quite possible…never thought of it that way," Angeal murmured. It was a good enough way to cover up their lies.
"Why are we here and not fighting?"
The man's eyes landed back on Sephiroth and he shrugged, then remembered Sephiroth couldn't see. "Don't know. I suppose we're not fighting the world, we're mostly fighting Shinra. We wait for them to arrive and then we attack. Besides, Shinra hasn't set up many bases. Yes, he occupies all the cities you could shake a stick at, but we're not about to go in and try to bust through all of them. Everyone would be bombarding us by then."
"Do you know how many people are in each base?"
"Aha! If I knew that I'd be the leader. I haven't the slightest clue. We're spread out pretty evenly, but one base we have is the strongest."
"Which one?"
"Fort Tamblin. It's on the island. If that's taken we're all toast. Not that Shinra will ever get on the island without us noticing. They'd have to drive through all of us to do that."
Sephiroth nodded his head, "You're right. I doubt they'd be able to kill all of us."
"The only person in Shinra we're scared to meet is Sephiroth. Heard he's a real brute. Survivor stories hardly ever happen when someone meets him. Oh, but I know just the person for that." The man turned and shouted for someone to come over to them. Sephiroth and Angeal tensed wondering how this would go. If someone had actually met Sephiroth before they could be in danger. They might recognize his voice, or see through his clouded eyes… "Here we are. Tell them about your encounter with the super SOLDIER."
The man's eyes widened as he sat down and he took a long drink before sighing. "Where to begin? It was one of our bases near Nibelheim. The place was colder than shit, absolutely miserable. It was nighttime and we had gotten information that Shinra operatives were coming our way. No big deal, right? We've combated those bastards for months, we were prepared. And we thought we had the advantage, what with knowing the terrain. But then we had people rushing in all over, shouting that something was wrong. Completely chaotic, no one had their minds set straight. I tried to order them to fight, to keep going, but I looked out the window and saw the bastard standing there. We had all heard stories about him. Cold-blooded murderer. He'd wipe out bases in seconds flat no matter who was inside. I even heard stories that he raped one of the base leader's wives, then chopped off her head and killed the husband by using her skull as a weapon. Anyway, I had only spotted him for a second. He had already entered into the base and everyone was trying to escape, grabbing all the weapons they could to prepare themselves for the worst. I don't even remember who died or when, but my God…when he entered into our room it felt like it was too quick to even comprehend. He sliced through them all like butter, their blood spraying everywhere and all over him but it was as if bathing in the life blood of them somehow energized him to go on. And then it was my turn to die, but I didn't want to. Hell, no one wants to die at his hands. Yet there he was, blazing green eyes meeting mine. He had the queerest smile on his face…half crazed and half joyous that he was ending a human's life. He struck me in the stomach and ripped me upwards, but I had moved slightly to the right and he missed my vitals. I dropped down like I had been killed because I was too terrified to fight and prepared to die right then and there. But I didn't." The man lifted his shirt and showed the scar. It looked terrible, but it was definitely a clean cut. Whoever had stitched it seemed to be new at doing it, so it had healed improperly, looking worse than it should have been. "He left without checking to see if any of us were breathing. I think it's because he wants us to lie there in agony, slowly dying and knowing that we're going to die, causing you to go…mad. I've seen kids break down when it happens. Terrible thing…" He shook his head and grabbed another drink, taking several thirsty swallows from it before returning to the story. "I didn't have anyone with me to help. I stitched it up and bandaged myself in the clothes of people surrounding me, then had to go and call in the boss about what happened. Of course, calling in for us meant walking to the nearest village and sending snail mail." He gave a deep sigh before taking one last drink. "I hope to God I never see him again. I cheated death once, I won't be able to do it again."
Sephiroth was entranced at the story the man had told them. He never knew what anyone thought of him, but hearing this one survivor enlightened him greatly. They all thought him some kind of monster. It was scary and fascinating all at the same time. Yet, he couldn't believe they had made up stories of him raping women. He supposed that was normal for 'villains' though.
"Well…I'm sure we're safe for now," Angeal assured him.
"Yeah. I'm going to head, see you guys later," the man remarked and he got up.
The one they were previously talking to smiled at them. "See what I mean? If that son of a bitch comes here we're toast."
"It'd be unfortunate if that happened," Sephiroth replied.
"You know what really gets me? We had him once. The whole of Shinra was squirming when we had him. It was great…the stories we heard about what they did to him… No one survived in that area, but word had slipped out previously to their deaths. The fucker was tortured to death. Supposedly was fucked 'til he couldn't see straight. Then somehow he got away. I don't know how. No one does. Shinra never released information on it and since no one survived…" the man shrugged. "It's a mystery. I'm guessing the guy boning him wanted more action and cut him loose, thinking the guy was so lifeless he wouldn't do anything. Though, that's just my guess."
Sephiroth felt sick to his stomach about the subject. Remembering how he was handled there made him lose interest in trying to get information out of them. "Well, though I'd like to stay and chat, I want to go out and stretch my legs. Andy…"
Angeal stood up, "Right. Thanks for the talk."
The man nodded, "Yeah, no problem."
When they got outside Angeal kept his eyes on Sephiroth, wondering what was going on in his head. The tortures, more than likely. Was any of it true? "Were you…?"
"No, I wasn't. And I don't rape women either. They don't know what happened there."
"I see. Neither does Shinra."
"They don't need to know."
"If it bothers you and makes you weak…they do need to know."
"I'm fine," Sephiroth hissed under his breath. "Forget about it."
"Okay…" Angeal knew to drop the subject, but now his mind was set on something different. "So…why send in Genesis to the leader if we could easily get all the information from these people?"
"I'm double checking the information. The leader will know the most and the best information. If Genesis is successful, we'll be able to relay it all to Lazard and get out of here by the end of the week."
"This was supposed to take months, though."
"We have to stop at other bases. We get information, we destroy the people here. We know where the other bases are because Lazard will have them picked out for us. We infiltrate and destroy a few more before we pull back. We can't do too many at once or else their guard will be up at everything."
"How is this a three man job?" Angeal questioned the logic in it all.
"You heard the story. I can kill people faster than you can imagine."
"Yeah, and you can beat husbands with their wives' skulls apparently."
Sephiroth cracked a small smile, "I suppose you'll have to see for yourself how fast I work."
"Yeah, that'd be nice to know in case I ever have to face off with you. I'll throw Genesis in the way to distract you with his flirting and I'll stab you in the back."
"I hope that he's normal after he's done with the leader."
"What do you mean? You said that if he acted correctly he'd be able to get out without getting hurt."
Sephiroth fell silent for awhile and Angeal could tell he was holding something back. "I lied. The rumors I heard were that he nabbed you if you were dumb enough to go near him."
"My God, Sephiroth!"
"Shhh," Sephiroth hissed at him and looked around to make sure they were still alone.
"Don't you shush me, you just sent my friend to go get raped by some guy! What were you thinking? That he'd just go with it?"
"He'll recover, it won't be that bad. He's done it before."
"With people he knows and likes. This is completely different. Against his will. You forced him to go in there!"
Sephiroth looked at Angeal and noticed how irritated he was. It wasn't what he was expecting. "The mission—"
"Can fuck itself. I'm going in to get him."
"You can't!" Sephiroth snapped at him.
"I'm going to kill the bastard, then kill everyone else. They're all drunk and fucked over anyway."
"Wait, he might not have the information yet—"
"I don't really care!" Angeal shoved Sephiroth back. "He's my friend and I'm going to protect him from severe psychological problems." Angeal moved back for the entrance and Sephiroth caught his arm.
"You can't do it alone, I'm coming with."
"Then hurry it up."
They slinked back into the busy place and made their way casually to the hallway that Genesis had gone down. Once they were out of sight of everyone else they rushed toward the end door and busted through it. The leader glanced over curiously at such noise. "What's going on, boys?"
Angeal ran forth and let his sword cut into the throat of the man who was completely defenseless. He hadn't expected to actually cut through his neck, but he had, and the head went right off. Blood squirted from the stump left of the neck all over Genesis who was underneath the dead body. Angeal had yanked the corpse off of him and grabbed his friend's shoulders. "Genesis, are you okay?"
"No," Genesis mumbled. He wasn't even sure what he felt right now.
Sephiroth picked up Genesis's clothes and set them beside the boy. "We're ending this tonight. Once you're ready we're taking them all out."
Genesis glared at Sephiroth before settling his eyes back on the floor. "I see."
"Did you get anything from him?"
"Later…" Genesis replied.
Angeal stood up and nodded. "Take your time."
Sephiroth pulled off the face and head garments and let his hair loose. His bangs did their usual jut into the air while the rest of his hair was wavy from the braid it had been in. "Hopefully everything goes according to plan."
Genesis put his clothes on silently and fixed his outfit once it was on. He threw the face mask on top of the dead body and quietly picked up his weapon. "Let's go."
Angeal looked at the other two before he nodded. This was going to be an interesting battle…
The crowd of Wutai warriors had been jolly and fine. They drank to their families, to the war, to their very lives. It was a glorious sight, a bonding between every man in the group. But a whisper rustled through them. Happy faces turned to the words of worry, and then lost their jovialness. All eyes set on the figures standing on the stairs. A redhead, a black-haired man, and the legendary silver-haired SOLDIER were before them. The long hair wasn't as neat as always pictured, but even with its cascading waves it still had its smoothness about it.
The place quieted down as the burning image of these three entered into their minds.
And then…the silence was broken by their screams.
The blood of their comrades splattered all over them as each twisted and turned to grab weapons, to escape, to do anything but die. The crowd moved in a wild mass, scattering like frightened mice for a place to hide. But the bodies were piling before the doors and windows and they'd reel back in terror. And once they tried to go back to fight they'd be cut down with no mercy.
The bloodbath was enormous. There was hardly a spot on the floor that wasn't covered with a body or with blood. The screams soon turned into a lulled silence as the remaining lot that lived had stopped in their tracks and begged for mercy. Amongst them was the man with the survivor story.
Sephiroth stepped forward and smiled down at him. "You were right…meeting me again will be your demise. You shouldn't have lived in the first place. But your story had some inaccuracies. I am human…." He brought his sword up into position. "Not a monster that you painted me as. And I'll let you die knowing that." He sliced him through and this time made sure he was dead before looking at the few others remaining. "Say goodbye."
The boys all closed their eyes and were run through with Angeal and Genesis's blades. By now the great hall was silent except for the heavy breathing coming from Genesis. After it was all done the redhead finally let loose. He grabbed onto Angeal and buried his face into his friend.
"It's over…" Angeal assured him as his eyes spotted the faces of the dead. "We'll leave now."
Genesis pulled from Angeal and let his eyes settle on Sephiroth before the hatred came flying back. "You sent me in there and fed me to a fucking lion!"
"Genesis, calm down."
"Calm down? After what he did to me? I didn't even stand a chance! And you think I should just forget it and move on. You're a real bastard, I hope you know that. Not everyone is as heartless or emotionally deprived as you are."
Angeal sighed as the fight started. Thank God everyone else was dead, he would feel ashamed if anyone else had to see this.
"Genesis, please don't act like this. I know what you went through is terrible. I'm not going to deny you to feel pissed off about it all. But using your anger out on me isn't going to solve the situation."
"You have no idea what I'm feeling right now. How would you like it if you got raped? I'm sure you'd feel great afterwards."
Sephiroth knew this wasn't going to get any better. "The mission is over. I'm contacting Lazard and we're getting back to Midgar."
Angeal frowned at that decision, "But that's not what we had planned."
"I know, but Genesis is emotionally compromised. We can't go on."
"I know Genesis isn't feeling great, but if we pull out because of this there's going to be a lot of explaining to do and it's going to get real messy. Sephiroth, they'll find out. Why is Genesis upset? Rape? Why was he raped? Because of your orders? Why did you order that onto him? Do you understand what I'm saying? You're going to send yourself into a shithole of problems."
Sephiroth snapped at him, "I know that! But it'll happen anyway whether we end the mission now or if we go on and finish in a few months. It's not like Genesis is going to keep quiet about what happened! You even said he'd be psychologically damaged, he won't be able to pretend for the rest of his life."
Genesis stepped in and glared at the two of them. "Just stop. We'll continue with the mission."
"Genesis," Sephiroth responded.
"No. I'm not going to send you into more problems with Lazard. You and I have fight too much. They're going to end up doing something to one of the two of us if it continues, and I have a feeling it's going to be me that they'll cut. I don't want you bogged down with all that crap. Whatever happened never…gets out. Okay?"
"You can't be serious," Angeal butted in. "Genesis, you can't hide what happened."
"I won't. I'll talk to you two and I'll get over it. You're my friends, right? Then this will stay between us and I'll eventually get over the shock. Call Lazard, tell him about what we've done."
"We got some information," Sephiroth replied finally. "What did you get?"
"I…didn't get much. He mentioned that all the officials usually meet at some…Fort. Tamblin, I think. At least, he said it was temporary. They didn't want to run the risk of meeting inside Wutai."
Sephiroth perked at the information. That was something they needed. If Tamblin was that important… "What of their ruler?"
"Godo Kisaragi. He didn't mention much about him, he just asked if I knew who he was and I said yes."
"Nothing about location or anything?"
"No."
"Anything else?"
"He…said something about problems with contacting the bases. Supposedly Shinra's been cutting their lines so they have to travel more often then they want to. But he did mention that if a base somewhere close to Rocket Town was destroyed it'd be painful for Wutai."
"Hmm…"
"That was…the most he really told me." Genesis turned his eyes away from his friends and pretended to look interested in something on the wall, though there was nothing there but blood splatter.
Sephiroth dug through the folds of his Wutai garb and finally pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open and went through the contacts but stopped before calling Lazard. His eyes went back to Genesis and noticed his uneasiness. He had caused all of that. Man…he felt so stupid for focusing on the mission so much that he never bothered to think about anything else. He had done it again. Screwed up royally. Why was he in 1st class again? "Genesis, are you sure…you're going to be all right?"
Genesis turned his attention to Sephiroth and could tell that his friend was seriously considering cancelling the mission. In some ways…Genesis wished he would so that he could get it all out of his system. But…he didn't want to dwell on it. It was painful…but was it worth the problems that would ensue if they got back to Headquarters?
I should be angry at him for causing this to happen to me…but I can't be. I keep dwelling on the conversation we had about how he doesn't know what he's doing. He's completely helpless about this whole friend thing. Can I…really hold this against him? Perhaps it was a bad decision for the mission, but I can't exactly blame him for it all. He's just as human as I am…
Genesis had taken awhile to nod his head and he gave a slight smile to him. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Tell Lazard what we know so we can head out. We can't stay in this place for long."
Sephiroth stared back into those blue eyes before he finally looked to his phone. He clicked the call button and put it to his ear. The mission was on.
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Please review! I love hearing from you guys. And another chapter will be arriving at some point. I've got a convention to go to sometime this month, but that shouldn't interfere too much.
Until then!
