A/n: Hattress: Heh, Hare pretty much took the wheel with chapter. I've been up to my neck in distractions lately and we had a late start with it. Well, nonetheless here's this week's chapter.

Hare: Yeah, this chapter was such a pain in the … anyway, here it is. It's up, obviously, and shorter than normal, I know, but I've been hit with a fit of writer's block, but I'm trying. Enjoy.

D/c: Hare: Aradia belongs to Hattress, Square Enix has FFVII, and I have NOTHING! Isn't my life grand?

Chapter 10

Aradia frowned as she made her way through their Modeoheim hideout. Genesis was planning to invade Midgar. They now had the units to do so and it was only a matter of time before they set out. The trip to Midgar would be a pain, but they would make it. Now, it was all a matter of finalizing the plans.

She stepped into the room that Genesis had turned into his office. She Saw Hollander and Angeal there as well. It was time. She moved and leaned against the side of Genesis' desk and crossed her arms, waiting for them to start.

"So, what are we going to do?" Angeal asked.

"I need to get at Mako Reactor 5 and Hojo." Hollander said. "There's something there that I need to get and I want him out of the way."

Genesis nodded. "I have no doubt that once we get there, they'll send out both Turks and SOLDIERs to try and stop us."

"The forces we've amassed will keep them busy." Aradia told him. "They really aren't much of a threat if they can't get to us."

"You underestimate Sephiroth." Angeal told her. "As long as he's loyal to ShinRa and SOLDIER, he will push the clones off on the Turks and head straight for us."

Genesis nodded. "Yes, we'll see him. Undoubtedly. Recent reports are that there's now a mark on all our heads. Angeal and I are set to be assassinated. Aradia is to be captured. I'm not sure if they're aware that Hollander is with us or not. The point to this is to get what Hollander needs out of the Reactor. That's it. Once that's done, we move out."

Aradia and Angeal nodded. Hollander was moving nervously. Aradia didn't trust him for shit. She merely the only reason that she allowed him near her is when she had to take her injections.

"What are you going to be doing?" Angeal asked, looking at Aradia. "Genesis and I can get around with ease, so we'll be protecting Hollander, But what about you?"

Aradia allowed a slow grin to spread across her lips as she smiled at him. "I have a bone to pick with some Turks. Genesis has so generously allowed me the chance to deal with them while you're all off at the Reactor. I'll be in Sector 8, with the clones, dealing with Reno and Rude." Her voice had gone soft, cold. More and more the Tsviet was coming out in her.

Angeal stared at her as she continued to smile. "And what if you're captured?"

"They'll send me back to Deep Ground." Aradia told him, tilting her head and looking at him. "They put my Restrictor Chip back in, and I'll be a puppet again. But they wont kill me. I'm far to valuable to them. Too much time and money was put into me. Of course, if that happens, I'll refuse my injection, and it'll all be over anyway. I don't care how painful the death is."

Genesis rested his hand on her hip and squeezed her to show his support. They weren't very open about their relationship around the others, even though they knew. Aradia and Genesis both favored discretion over obvious displays of affection. "It won't come down to that." he said. "Because if all goes as planned, we'll be in and out before anyone realizes we're actually there."

Angeal scoffed. "Since when does anything go as planned?"

"Good point." Aradia said, giving him a cheerful smile, degrees different from the one that she had given him earlier.

Genesis rose from his seat. "Alright, lets go. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

Aradia followed Genesis out and they started to prepare for the flight to Midgar. Between the clones and the robots, it was quite the process.

Aradia smirked as she and Genesis landed on one of the spires in Sector 8 "Ah, beautiful Chaos." she murmured, wrapping her arms around him.

Genesis smirked. "Hollander wants to go deal with this right away. Angeal took him over but I have to go as well. Hojo is top priority. Why don't you go wreak some havoc in the city? The Turks should be hanging around Sector 8, as usual."

Aradia smirked. "Don't you know, Tsviets were created to be absolute Cold blooded killers. It would be my pleasure. The more I take out, the less there are to stand in our way." She looked up at him. "We'll heal you, Genesis. You know this. Personally, I think Hollander's whims should come last to that."

"I'll indulge him for now." Genesis told her. "But if he doesn't get a move on soon, we're going to be having a talk."

Aradia snorted. "Sure, sure. Put me down in Sector 8, I have a bone to pick with a few Turks. More specifically, the ones that packed me away to Midgar and ShinRa."

Genesis took off before dropping her down in the middle of the courtyard. He kissed her hard before he took off into the air, intent on his own mission.

Aradia smirked as she locked her fingers in the triggers of her arm blades. This would be fun.

She made her way through the city and found Zack talking to a couple of Turks in the middle of one of the other courtyards. She didn't let herself be known. She couldn't hurt Zack anymore than she had. Judging by his uniform, he finally had been made First. Good for him.

Aradia watched with a smirk as a couple of Turks came her way. She backed out of her hiding place and into the center of the area as they came at her. She held her arms at her side as they stopped.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the red haired one asked. She recognized him as Reno, the one who'd introduced himself when they picked her up outside of Midgar. She smirked. "Rude, it looks like we've found one of our missing SODLIER members. How are you doin', Sweetheart? You ready to come home?"

Aradia smirked. "Not by a long shot. I've got things to do and ShinRa isn't in the plans." She flexed her fingers, ready for a fight.

"Awe, come on, baby. You and me, we could have a night on the town if you came back." Reno said with a roguish smile.

Aradia rolled her eyes. "Honey, you ain't got nothing I want." She clenched her fist and her arm blades shot out. "Except blood to spill."

Both Turks stared at her in shock for a second before taking a defensive stance. "You can't take us, Girl." Rude said with a deadpan and a straight face.

"That's what you think?" Aradia snarled as they charged her. All those years working with Rosso and Nero, Weiss, she knew how to fight multiple opponents. "Perhaps its time to teach you boys that the submissive little girl you met isn't the one that's standing in front of you and that you big bad Turks aren't even a match for me."

Reno charged her first, predictably. He was the more outgoing personality, so naturally he would be the hothead. She blocked his baton easily. Rude came at her from the other side and she took a swipe at him, recognizing the diversion tactics immediately. She'd trained for too long not to notice. Didn't these idiots know anything?

She threw them both away from her with a strength that stunned them both. Rude came in from behind her after a split second. She blocked his attacks and launched her own as she realized that he fought, not with a weapon, with his fists. She unlocked the trigger on her right fingers and as the blade slid back into her sleeve, she punched him in the face, breaking his sunglasses and throwing him into a building. While she was distracted she felt a severe shock go through her system and heard Reno laughing behind her.

She relocked her fingers in the triggers out of sheer reflex and clenched her fist, launching the blade and spinning, not only to get away from the Electro-Mag Rod that Reno was using, but also to take a swipe at him. She caught his shoulder as she sliced at him and danced back a few steps. She had both eyes on both of her opponents. She couldn't afford an injury. Genesis would be pissed as it was that she'd been shocked.

She smirked as her bloodlust kicked in, smelling Reno's blood in the air. "You have no idea what that scent does to me." She murmured in a cold, seductive voice. "Just the scent of blood in the air sends me into a frenzy."

Reno stared at her for a moment before rising his baton at her. Rude walked up beside his partner. Reno had a hand on his shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding. Aradia smirked at him. They couldn't possibly understand, but it kept them busy so that Genesis could do what he needed to do.

Then, she was on the attack again, laughing as she moved. This time. She held nothing back. She wanted to see their blood. She wanted to taste it. Her bloodlust had fully engaged. She wanted more. She needed more.

Aradia stepped back as Reno took another stab with his rod. She hadn't landed many more hits. Once they realized that she was serious, out for blood, they'd taken her more seriously and started dodging her blades. Reno had one more cut down his arm, and Rude had taken a hit across the chest. They were tiring out and were worse for wear. They would take some time to heel, but in Araida's haze, she wanted them dead.

She smirked and ran at them throwing her blades forward, trying to reach them. She shot backwards as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and a giant shuriken went whizzing in front of her. She spun and saw a little redhead female standing there to catch the giant throwing star as it returned to her. Behind her was Tseng. She growled as they started to move in on her.

"SOLDIER Second Class Aradia Maynard, you are to return to ShinRa immediately." Tseng said. "We have orders to take you back in one piece."

Aradia threw her head back and laugh as her vision clouded red and she started to move, bouncing on her toes as she prepared for an attack. "The only way you're taking me back to ShinRa is as a corpse, Tseng. I will NEVER go back willingly." She snarled at him. She brought up one of her blades and licked the blood off of it. She closed her eyes as a pleasurable shudder went down her spine. "However, I'll gladly rid you of your life."

She charged him before she moved to the others, dodging the bullets that whizzed past her. "You have no idea what I'm capable of." She snarled, swinging at him. "You have no idea what that company has put me through. You'll never understand."

"Mako Injections are standard for all SOLDIER operatives." The female said, jumping into the fray. "I can't see someone getting bent out of shape about that."

"This has nothing to do with SOLDIER." Aradia snarled at her, taking a swing at her and cutting through her left shoulder.

"Cissnei!" Reno yelled, coming at Aradia with his Rod. Aradia managed to graze him in the stomach and kick him back into the stone fountain, knocking him unconscious.

Cissnei snapped at Aradia with her Shuriken and Aradia jumped out of the way. The second swing was blocked with an arm blade as Aradia smirked and thrust the second blade towards Cissnei. She caught the girl in the side and threw her into the wall behind her. Aradia spun in the same moment and kicked rude in the chest, winding him and sending him backwards. She turned to take a swing at Tseng and found herself with a gun to the head.

"I don't want to do this, Aradia. President Shinra will be extremely upset if we can't take you in alive." He relaxed his finger but didn't pull it away from the trigger.

"I don't care." Aradia told him, her voice dark and husky. "You'll never understand. I can't go back."

"Then I'm sorry." Tseng said. Aradia took that moment to drop and kick out, to knock him over. Tseng jumped back and pulled the trigger, causing Aradia to release the trigger on her blade and use her hand to support herself as she flipped away from him. She landed with her right hand out and her left on the ground with her legs spread behind her on her toes. She smirked at him, watching him like a fiend on it's prey.

"You'll never be on my level, Tseng." She taunted. She heard a groan to her right and saw that Reno and Rude were coming to. She frowned. This could be potentially bad. She needed to wrap this up and get somewhere to meet Genesis when he was done. These guys were serious, and playing with them was getting boring. They were able to at least counter her attacks, and while it proved interesting, she was getting tired of them fending her off. She wanted them to bleed.

"Reno, Rude, are you alright?" Tseng asked.

"We're alright." Rude said, helping Reno to his feet. They turned to Aradia, who was moving to her feet, backing away from them.

Aradia saw it then, an angel in red, coming her way. The vision snapped her out of her trance and she smirked. "Well, I must say, Turks, it's been fun, but unfortunately, I'm going to have to cut this party short." she still had that same seductively cold voice. She wasn't completely sane. "What a pity. You wouldn't believe how much someone bleeds when they're cut in the throat."

They looked at her in shock as she started dancing backwards. "Just where do you think you're going?" Reno asked, moving to chase her.

Aradia smirked at him. "With an angel." She told him simply as Genesis flew over their heads. Aradia reached up her hand and Genesis caught it as he flew by, picking her up as he went. "I guess I'll have to taste your blood later, Reno." She cackled.

She unlocked the triggers on her fingers and Genesis pulled her up against him. "What was that about?" He asked.

"Hmm, it's a Tsviet thing, Genesis. Don't worry." Aradia told him. He held her close as he flew off into the sky, Angeal hot on his heels. "Where are we going?"

"Modeoheim." Genesis told her. "Sephiroth and SOLDIER First Class Zack interfered with our plans, though we got some of what Hollander was after. Hojo, unfortunately, got away. Angeal has Hollander and is moving with the troops that weren't killed. We're taking a detour before we meet up with them."

Aradia hissed. Zack. Of course. "We'll get him, my love, don't worry." She pressed a hand to his cheek as a show of affection.

Genesis shook his head and buried his nose in her shoulder for a moment before he took vigil over where they were. "He's unimportant." He told her. "For now. I just want to focus on us for a few hours. Watching you with those imbeciles was intoxicating."

Aradia grinned. "You've seen me fight before." She murmured. "It didn't affect you then."

"You have no idea how much it affected me." Genesis told her, descending to the ground. "Why don't I show you?"

Aradia smirked. "If you must."

They arrived back in Modeoheim to find Hollander pacing his labs like a nutcase. Aradia generally avoided this area because of her injections, but she wasn't concerned with this time. Genesis rarely came down here with her, though he would eventually show up to support her through her injection.

"Hollander?" Genesis asked. "What are you doing?"

"Working." Hollander said, moving in and out between tables, stations, and the Mako cells in the back that Aradia would rather not think about. "It took you two long enough, getting back."

"We were busy." Aradia snapped at him. "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet, but I think I'm close." Hollander said. "I just have a few more experiments to run on the clones to see."

Aradia bristled. "You've been using the clones?"

"Hold your steam, Aradia." Hollander said. "The clones are little more than an empty shell, designed to follow orders. They don't think or feel anything."

Aradia turned to look at Genesis to see that he was impassive. She stared between the two of them for a moment before she turned and stormed out of the room. Before she stopped moving, she was sitting on the rooftop, crying.

She heard someone come out, and looked up to see Angeal watching her. "Dia?"

"I didn't know they were using the clones to test the Degradation." Aradia told him. "I though Genesis would have told me … that someone would have told me."

"This is why you weren't told, Dia." Angeal told her, sitting down next to her. "Because we knew that you would react like this. You're so vehement about what you went through in Deep Ground, but you know that it's a necessary evil. There's no other way to tell if the cures would work if not to test on Genesis' clones. If something bad happened to Genesis because of one of those 'cures', what would you do?"

"Kill Hollander." Aradia said, resting her chin on her crossed arms as the covered her knees. "Not just bodily harm, I'm talking no heartbeat, no blood."

Angeal nodded. "I understand. Do you see why we're doing it this way?"

Aradia sighed. "I understand." She murmured. "I'll put up with it, for now."

Angeal smiled at her and got back up to his feet. He held out his hand to her, which she accepted, and pulled her to her feet. He then, unexpectedly, pulled her into a hug. "It'll be okay, Dia. We'll heal Genesis and myself, and we'll move on with our lives. Explain to ShinRa what happened."

Aradia smiled and pulled away. "Good luck with all that. I doubt the president is going to be very forgiving."

"Perhaps, but if that's the case, then we'll get out of Midgar. Get away from ShinRa."

Aradia sighed. "No matter what I do, I'll be hard pressed to get away from them. Not unless they start producing Mako for the general public. I have to have my injections, Angeal. I just don't know what I'm going to do later."

Angeal nodded. "Lets get back inside. Genesis was looking for you."

"How did you find me?" Aradia asked as they stepped through the door.

"I watched you head for the roof stairs. I figured I'd give you some time to process a bit before I intruded."

Aradia smiled at him. "Thank you, Angeal."

"You're welcome." Angeal said, moving to his own room.

"Angeal." Aradia called after him. "I don't care what you think. You're not a monster, and you haven't lost your honor."

Angeal smiled at her and ducked into his room. Aradia set off in search of Genesis.

It wasn't just days later that Aradia made her way through the factory at a run. "Move you ignorant shells. I need to get to Genesis." She was pushing her way through the throngs of clones that were preparing to move out, Genesis and Angeal clones alike. "I said MOVE!"

She skidded to a halt in the hall and slammed through the door. "Genesis, we have a problem."

A/n: Hare: This was something of a rush job, so let me know how it went. We'll see you all in the next chapter.

The Hattress and her Faithful Hare.

Insanity is more abstract than Sanity, as it takes so many different forms.