A/N: Sorry for the long delay...school...boxing...work...family bereavement...supposed studying...sleep XP

"I've read his file. He tends to act before thinking the situation through, but still promising."

Genesis snapped his eyes away from Christi and one of the older cadets, only then realising he had been staring straight at them. He was the guy who had almost knocked him over. And the one who had come down from the bleachers to stand behind Christi when he had been questionaing her about Alex's chains. It also looked like he was more than a fellow student. But who was he to judge? He could still be standing in a graveyard, mourning his wife and daughter; ignoring the world around him as it was torn apart.

Christi was eighteen, he and Alex had not been much older than her when she had been born. He would read the blond guy's file later on, maybe on the way back to Edge. Just to inform himself better. From first glimpse, he was roughly six foot, possibly a little more, had a solid frame and a noticeable scar running across his forehead and nose. Genesis wondered how a person so young could gain such prominant injuries. He had trained and worked under SOLDIER for most of his teenage years, he'd been involved in more fights than he'd cared to count. He was sure ShinRa had them on file somewhere, but that was beside the point. Genesis knew what injuries he had picked up along the road of SOLDIER, none of them were as black and white as the young man's scar.

Maybe it stood testiment to the training level of the cadets at Balamb Garden. He found himself thinking back to the two cadets who had greeted them and led them into the Garden, the girl had been wearing an eye-patch over one of her eyes. Genesis looked over the canteen quickly, spotting another young cadet with a facial scar, almost mirroring the one on Christi's boyfriend.

"You decided to make a reappearance?"

Christi startled, jumping forward a little before relaxing agian as an arm drapped around her waist; Seifer. She hadn't meant to disappear for so long, but with her Dad, then falling asleep, running into Rufus and then finding Rufus, she had lost track of time. She knew it was night again, that meant they were leaving in the morning. She needed to tell him that. She dind't want him to go to Edge just because she did. Of course she would prefer if he came too, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to, she wanted it to be his decision. Christi turned around, Seifer's arm still around her waist, she looked up the inches seperating their heights, suddenly reminded of just how short she was.

"I want to go to Edge."

"I kno-"

"But I don't want you to think you have to go too."

"I wan-"

"And I want you to go."

"So d-"

"But I don't want you to feel you have t-"

When all else fails, go romantic. Seifer smiled inwards as he felt her lips relax against his. He was hardly going to turn around and say he'd changed his mind about going to Edge. He wasn't going to leave her go on her own either. He wasn't willing to lose her to ShinRa or that man. He was her Dad, okay. But he wasn't the person who'd been here all along. It might not have been his fault, but it didn't matter. He wasn't willing to leave her walk away on her own. Seifer pulled back slowly, still smirking as he spoke lowly, acutely aware of the people watching them.

"I'm going Brighteyes, you know that."

Christi smiled, kissing him back before turning back around and leaning against his chest, his arm still around her waist. She looked around the canteen slowly, taking note of the people within. More people in black suits stood around Tseng, she guessed they were Turks too. A smaller group of young men stood nearby Angeal, they wore SOLDIER uniforms also, but coloured a more bluish hue; third class. More were walking back and forth between the different groups, she noticed a two young children with AVALANCHE also. Along with a solitary figure passing the open door of the canteen.

Christi did a double take. There shouldn't be anyone in the corridor. Not unless one of the younger cadets were awake. Christi weighed up her options, most of the newest young cadets were listed under her, if any of them were awake, and Aki caught them, it would come straight back on top of her. Christi groaned, cursing as she slipped out of Seifer's grip, shaking her head as he tried to pull her back.

"Christi, c'mon babe, d'you have to go running around?"

"I have to check on some of my cadets, if they're awake, I'll get the stick over it...won't be long, promise."

Seifer watched his girlfriend slip out the door unnoticed. He shook his head and turned back to the full canteen. He doubted any of the younger cadets were awake, it was pretty late, and they weren't generally that bad when it came to getting up after curfew. Then again, things were still up in a heap after Sephiroth's visit, most of the older cadets had been woken and were now assigned to different watch duties, a few of the younger cadets could have been woken in the process.

She looked a lot like him. The same coloured hair. The same pale skin. Her eyes were Alex's though. The same slate-grey colour, a slight angle gave away her Wutai blood. But it was the eerie shimmer of her eeys which gave away her SOLDIER blood. She didn't want to do this, but she had been left with no choice.

She shoudln't have been able to get into this school. She had been aware of its' reputation and standing within the combat world; a school, specialising in training and honning the skills of talented youths, vearing them towards the careers of mercenaries. But the Garden's security was currenly recovering from Sephiroth's earlier visit. He was another face she had not seen with year and one she had hoped to never see again.

Alex had been a friend. A close friend. This girl was her daughter, but Alex had died, along with Genesis' conscience. Her friend was dead, therefore so was their friendship. She had no further responsibility to this girl. All ties had been severed years before. She held no bad will towards this girl either, but hurting her would hurt Genesis. She was simply unlucky as to who her father was.

The woman paused, considering what option would be best. Considering the girl's standing as a senior and almost qualified SeeD, people would be fast to react if anything happened to her. She knew the girl was in a relationship with the head of the Garden's Disciplinary Committee, he would be first to know if anything happened to her. She would also need a relatively easy escape route. Both Genesis and Angeal, not to mention Zack and Cloud, would easily sense her Jenova Cells if she stayed around for much longer.

The girl should have been able to sense her cells, certainly from this distance. She could clearly sense the girl's cells. But her lack of experience and SOLDIER-sheltered life at Balamb had stopped her from developing what she may have inherited from Genesis.

"Rika..."

Christi turned on her heels as a woman's voice whispered in her ear. She had expected to see an instructor or older cadet standing near by, but there was no one else in the corridor. Just her. Rika? She knew that name from somewhere...it rant distant bells of recognition. So did the woman's voice. Christi shook her head, realising how much she'd managed to freak herself out, she was tired, the last twenty four hours had been the most stressful of her whole eighteen years and she was now stressing over going to Edge. There was no one else in the corridor, she'd imagined it...right?

"H-hello?"

Christi frowned, she took a few hesitant steps forward. She stopped, suddenly feeling rather stupid for following voices that were probably only in her head to start with. She felt vulnerable, maybe walking away from the crowd and into an empty corridor hadn't been her brightest of ideas...the SeeD cadet decided against drawing one of her handguns as she began walking back towards the canteen. If she pulled one of her handguns, Instructor Aki was guaranteed to pop around the corner and slam down the punishments, and what good was drawing a weapon against a voice she thought she heard?

She fell back as the teenager turned around, heading back towards the crowded canteen, it could wait for now. She turned around, intent on heading in the opposite way of the girl, but stopped abruptly as she came face to face with a woman. She knew her, but it wasn't possible; long black tresses, steel grey eyes, tanned skin and a noticably petite frame...Alex.

"Y-"

"Blame Genesis – if your sense of reality is actually that warped, Rika. But leave Christi out of your twisted vendetta. I'm warning you."

A/N: I'm sorry if it's short - my laptop is currently three quarters dead, one quarter alive :'( And this is the last update I'll have up for about a month - Leaving Cert...again :'( Wish me luck!