A/N: Okay, wow! Long time, no update. Sorry guys… but be happy! This one is one and a half times longer than normal! Nearly 4000 words…wow… -faint- Anyway, do enjoy! I LOVE THIS CHAPTER. -squeals and bounces off- (And yes…I am including dates now. Check previous chapters for dates soon, I need to add them… :3)
Disclaimer: Anything to do with Genesis Rhapsodos, Cissnei, Reno or Final Fantasy VII belongs entirely to Square Enix. Kyle is mine. |D
'Imaginings of You' - Chapter 10
Eve
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27th of December
1999
An office somewhere within the restricted levels of the ShinRa building.
- - -
Paper, paper, oh, wait, that's a card…paper, oops - a pen…paper…more paper…ooh, my boarding room keys, a paperclip, ah, more paper…
This, unfortunately, was the colourful first day back for all employees under the contract of ShinRa Electric Power Company, and most suffered from copious amounts of paperwork - and this did not exclude the Investigation Division of the Department of General Affairs, more commonly known as the Turks. This division, coinciding with the SOLDIER department, were so lucky enough to be on their lunchbreaks at the present time - well, most were.
Cissnei, on the other hand, found herself beyond help as she tried to sort through the unnecessary folders, sleeves and piles of various forms, notices and letters that had been set out in preparation for the new year. Ten minutes had already elapsed in her designated lunch break and she was therefore quite alone on the floor reserved for the Turks, the only sound breaking the silence and shuffling of paper being the clock situated on the wall. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
All other Turk members had decided to be easy on themselves for the first day and had gradually departed, but never Cissnei - she was always trying to stay ahead of everyone else. After all, she was the youngest Turk currently in their division and she wanted to keep a good impression going. However, the term 'workaholic' edged into her mind as the suspicion most were contemplating. She wasn't terribly sure if she approved of such a stereotype.
Please don't tell me that's anoth- yuck. Spoke too soon, another OHS form… and what's that? 'Rules regarding the use of the company elevators'? Reno will never learn his lesson - I would have thought Rude would have been a better influence…
A hesitant knock came from the other end of the room where the door to the office was located.
"Not now…" Cissnei hissed underneath her breath, shifting another form aside - aha! I knew my desk was hiding under here somewhere…
"…Cissnei?"
The voice should have registered bells of elation inside her brain at that very second, but in her concentration the tone was muffled and distorted beyond her current recognition abilities.
"I'm busy!" She hollered across the room in annoyance, just wishing for peace so she could finish the job and still have some time for lunch - maybe they'd have some lasagne left…
Left to her thoughts again as the weary Turk sifted through the dwindling pile, relief beginning to tingle through her as she began to sort the last few forms. Oh…a form for a new training program? Sounds interesting, I wonder-
"Cissnei…"
Tender arms slowly wrapped around her shoulders from behind, the touch warm and gentle as fingers danced about the russet waves of hair in front of her ears. Cissnei felt her breath leave her in a rush as she tilted her head upwards slightly, the presence behind her all too familiar.
"Surely you can spare a moment?" Genesis murmured, pressing his lips down in a kiss on the top of her head.
"Y-yes, of course I can," she stammered in reply, a giddy joy rushing through her as he hugged her tighter in response.
"Wonderful," he whispered in her ear, breathing softly down her neck.
As a natural response to these antics Cissnei blushed, secretly glad that it was just the two of them - otherwise they could never share such a close…and breathtaking proximity.
Genesis, sensing her heightened emotions, chuckled lightly and stepped backwards, untwining his arms from her shoulders.
"Here." The SOLDIER slipped a hand into his pocket, closing his hand around a piece of A4 paper that was folded into thirds. Removing said parchment from the recesses of his red leather coat, Genesis gently took hold of Cissnei's right hand and pressed the document into her palm. "It's for you."
Her curiosity flared up at the sight of the quality paper, and so she quickly proceeded to unfold the parchment and read the contents.
"Genesis…" she gasped, looking up at him with wonder. "Are you…I can't really have this, can I?"
"Like I said," Genesis smirked, leaning his head down and planting a soft kiss on her cheek, "it's for you."
Cissnei, lost in disbelief, stared at the gorgeous, carefully handwritten summary of the contents of LOVELESS, Act IV - the flowing words almost looked like professional calligraphy.
"Don't worry yourself," he smiled, "it's all up here regardless." Genesis playfully tapped an index finger to his temple. "Besides, I knew you were too close to slumber to properly understand my explanation…"
At this, the Turk reddened further.
Genesis chuckled. "It's between us - don't stress. It seems like you've been doing enough of that as it is." He motioned to the papers neatly divided into piles on her desk.
"You have no idea…" she murmured, rolling her eyes.
"We at SOLDIER have our fair share too, sadly," the redhead sighed, fingering a strand of Cissnei's hair.
"Seems to be the bane of about everyone's existence at the dawn of the new year," Cissnei contemplated, having gathered this from bits and pieces of gossip from other fellow Turks and employees.
"Well, perhaps a few end of year celebrations may lighten the load?" He inquired, contemplating how to word the rest of his request.
"Maybe…" Cissnei trailed off, confusion invading her mind at what Genesis was implying.
"How about," the SOLDIER began with hesitation, "you and I…why don't we meet to watch the fireworks for New Years Eve? I don't know, maybe we could have dinner first, then…"
"You mean…on a date?" Cissnei confirmed, trying to suppress the joy she was feeling - a date! The very thought was enough to send her into inner spasms of happiness at the mere romantic implications it had.
"That's one word for it," Genesis smiled, his expression one of hope as he gazed down at her. "You aren't busy, are you?"
"Oh no, not me," Cissnei giggled, "I never have been on New Years Eve."
"So you can?" He pushed gently, desperate to spend more time with her.
"I would love to, Genesis."
That was when she stood up, gently kicked the chair away and kissed him again, right on the lips.
"Gen…I- I really can't let you pay for all of-"
"Ah-" Genesis interrupted, intentionally cutting her off.
"No, I really mean it-"
"Cissnei." He touched two fingers to her lips, silencing her with care. "You are too concerned with the monetary issues here, hmm? It would be my honour to take ownership of the cost."
The Turk narrowed her eyes in a glare, despite her cheeks turning a shade of embarrassed pink.
Unfortunately, the expression produced was quite cute in the SOLDIER's opinion.
"Relax." Genesis soothed, sliding his fingers from her lips and trailing them over her delicate cheeks, quite enjoying the sensation of her smooth skin underneath his hand. He was undoubtedly sure Cissnei would be thinking the same.
He was right, of course - Cissnei's expression softened to one of temporary bliss.
"Now," he murmured, "what would you, Cissnei, like for dessert?"
Cissnei, meanwhile, was busy trying to restart her mind, feeling as if her own synapses were shorting out at his ever so careful touch to her face. The best response she could give at the present time was along the lines of 'umm.'
"Last of the great decision makers, hey?" Genesis chuckled.
"I'm thinking," she retorted, giving him a playful nudge, "let me see that menu."
"Of course." Genesis slipped the list of desserts into her hand.
Yes! Some stalling time! Cissnei was eternally thankful for the minute in which she had to gather her wits again. All evening, that Genesis had been rather, although unknowingly, distracting - first he had to go to the trouble of looking even more gorgeous than normal, even dressed up in a casual wear of jeans, boots, belts and a red leather jacket to complete the attire. Then he had to take her to one of the more upmarket restaurants located in Sector 7, specialising in the cuisine of the Mideel region - she had deduced he had chosen this simply because it shared culture with his hometown, Banora. The childish delight she had seen spread across his face as he scanned the menu was something that seemed a little uncharacteristic for such a well established militant, but it was…rather cute, actually.
Cissnei gave herself a mental slap - you're sorting out your emotions right now, don't go elaborating on them all over again. If at all, do that later.
Then, for the rest of the evening, he had subtly romanced her in numerous ways - take for example, kissing her cheek when they first sat down. Or sliding an arm around her shoulder in their brief conversations. Or playing with her hair. She inwardly smiled - the list went on.
"Has the almighty Turk made up her mind yet?" Genesis pondered with an element of drama in his voice, smirking as Cissnei dutifully scanned the menu. And, unknowingly to him, sorted her brain.
With barely enough time to rein in her emotions, Cissnei was wrenched from her own thoughts back into reality. She really needed to get a better handle on her adaptations to romantic life. Stop analysing everything and just - go with it. Enjoy it. Take the risk, for crying out loud!
"An iced chocolate." She at last concluded, a hint of finality in her voice. "Oh, with cream."
"Can't forget the cream," Genesis nodded in a mocking solemn tone, smirking shortly thereafter.
"And what is the almighty SOLDIER having, pray tell?" Cissnei probed.
"Apple pie." Genesis smiled, reminiscing his childhood. "Oh, and with cream." He turned his head, winking at her.
Impulsively the blood rushed to her cheeks. Cissnei cringed inwardly, wishing it wasn't such an automatic response to his romantic tactics, however aware of them he was.
"Stop that," Genesis grinned, "…it makes you look too cute."
"And is that a bad thing?" She pressed, trying out her own playful responses.
"Of course not," he smirked, resisting the opportunity to kiss her, as much as he would've liked. Besides, she had been blushing an awful lot, and as adorable that was, he didn't want to push the situation of their feelings further right now.
An impatient cough to their left made both Genesis and Cissnei look upwards, subtly dampening their flirtatious banter.
"Anything else tonight?" The waiter mumbled, obviously not trying hard to put on a warm expression.
Genesis supposed he was disappointed being stuck at work when he wanted to be drinking in the local pub with his friends, ending up so drunk the evening would be a blur and he wouldn't even remember the experience anyway.
But that was just an assumption.
"Yes, thankyou…Kyle," Genesis replied curtly, reading his name tag, "we'll take an iced chocolate and a slice of the apple pie. I trust it was made using authentic Banora Whites?"
"Yes," the waiter - Kyle - muttered with slight irritation - some people were just too picky. "Is that all?"
"No, wait - don't forget the cream with both orders," Genesis added, glancing at Cissnei with an obvious sheepish expression on his handsome face.
"It'll be a few minutes." Kyle mumbled, scribbling down their orders on his handy pad and trudging away.
"Wasn't he cheerful?" Genesis grumbled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Maybe he was jealous." Cissnei giggled, happy to say whatever she felt - just go with it, right?
"Perhaps he was," the SOLDIER smirked, "after all, seeing such a pretty girl like yourself already taken…"
"Now you stop that," Cissnei laughed, unfortunately feeling her cheeks flaring up, "or I'll be stuck with a beetroot face for the rest of my existence."
"Oh," Genesis winced, "but couldn't you use a more eloquent word to describe it? I'll need some kind of nicer way to illustrate the effect since I'm going to see it everyday. What about, 'rosy?' Or-"
"Oh you," Cissnei gave his arm a playful slap, smiling widely.
"You know you love it," the SOLDIER smirked, twining his arm around her shoulders in a side hug.
"Need I interrupt you lovebirds again?" The familiar voice of Kyle, yet for another time, was hanging over their heads like a cloud, discouraging their mood. "Order's up." The waiter first took the iced chocolate, which was topped with sweet whipped cream, and set it down in front of Cissnei. He proceeded the same way with the apple pie, this time placing the dish under Genesis' attentive nose.
As Kyle stepped away to the kitchens, Genesis was in bliss, inhaling the sweet aroma of the homemade apple pie before him, inner child rejoicing.
"Smell good?" Cissnei giggled, interrupting the SOLDIER's short-lived pleasure.
"Wonderful," he breathed, before taking hold of his spoon and digging in with care. "Bit skimpy on the cream here…thanks Kyle…"
The Turk's mouth quirked in a smile as she sampled her own dessert, enjoying the pleasant flavour of chocolate mixed in with sweet notes of vanilla ice cream through her straw. She leaned her head down a little, completely oblivious to the fact that her nose had dipped slightly into the high mountain of whipped cream atop her glass.
A few minutes passed in silence as the two happily enjoyed their sweet desserts, simply taking the time to feel pleasure in the company of each other. All was going smoothly in this process until Genesis pointed out something quite embarrassing.
"There's cream on your nose."
"What?"
Cissnei's eyes crossed in curiosity as she tried to focus on the tip of her nose, seeing a blurry tuft of white in the middle of her vision. "Oh."
Just as she reached a finger to wipe it away, Genesis gently closed his hand around her wrist, preventing her from continuing. "Hold on."
"Why?"
"Stay still."
Leaning forward, Genesis tilted his head downwards, pressing his lips delicately in a kiss, right on the tip of her nose. In that moment Cissnei let out a surprised gasp, at a loss for words.
"There." Genesis stated simply, leaning back and licking the cream off his lips with a knowing smile.
Cissnei stared at him for a moment, giving him a quizzical blink.
Both then proceeded to lose themselves to fits of hushed giggles and laughter.
"Here, allow me."
Genesis laced his delicate hand around her wrist, enabling her to scramble up the ledge with his pulling efforts. Once on top the SOLDIER then helped Cissnei to her feet, smirking to himself as she turned to take a look at the view.
"W-wow," she breathed, seeing the heights of the ShinRa building sprawling up into the sky above, the entire building visible at their distance from the premises. "How did you know about-"
"Here?" Genesis finished for her, a smile playing on his face. "Me and Angeal, when we were in our younger SOLDIER years…well, we enjoyed exploring when we were children, and it didn't wear off even when we were teenagers. So you can image once we arrived in Midgar, we were itching to look into every nook and cranny the city had to offer. Thus," he paused, surveying the view before him, "we discovered this particular spot."
"On a group of inconspicuous rooftops in Sector 8." Cissnei mused, "how unlikely."
"Indeed it was, but when time was in our hands we couldn't resist," he replied, his lips pulling into a smirk.
"Clearly, since it took at least fifteen minutes to climb the pathways, stairs and ledges to arrive here," the Turk feigned annoyance, giggling shortly after to assure him she didn't mean it.
"Well, if you happen to be tired, you're more than welcome to sit down," he offered politely, lowering himself down and swinging his legs over the brink of the ledge they had just arrived from.
"Oh alright, 'oh mako-enhanced one'," Cissnei teased, slipping down into a sitting position beside him and placing one leg over the other. "Quite a distance up, aren't we?"
"About four storeys." Genesis replied casually, as if were a simple step to the ground.
Cissnei went quiet.
"Don't worry. I can jump five."
"W…what? I wasn't worrying about…" she trailed off, seeing the smug expression radiating from his features. "…oh, you show-off," she nudged him, laughing.
"Never mind you, youngest of the Turks," Genesis retorted, smirking. "And did I catch the term 'workaholic' from your colleagues?"
Cissnei froze. "They really do call me that, don't they?" She emitted a groan.
Genesis chuckled lightly, his arm twining around her narrow shoulders. "Don't worry. I've been called worse, believe me."
She managed a smile, her eyes reaching his. "I won't, then."
"That's better," he flashed her a grin, giving her shoulder a light squeeze.
Cissnei gave a shy nod, gazing into his eyes momentarily before she slipped her body lower and slowly nestled into his warm chest. His strong heart pulsed gently in her ear, increasing in tempo as she closed her eyes. Wait…it's faster…
Genesis curved his lips upwards in a gentle smile, cradling her with his left arm as she shifted her weight and snuggled below his shoulder. His mind wandered as he held her, eyes searching the skies above as the occasional star winked in the inky heavens.
On the outside she seemed…so fragile, docile, quiet - like a baby bird, vulnerable to the hostile world beyond. But beneath that she was strong, spirited and determined; she could handle almost any situation with skill and maturity - and to him, all that was…beautiful. About the only thing she was overwhelmed by were her feelings towards him, and even then she was reining them quite well by now. Or so he thought.
"Gen…"
Startled from his own personal imaginings, Genesis quickly brought his attention back to Cissnei.
"Mm?" He murmured.
"You're comfy."
"And you're beautiful," he whispered in her ear, bringing her closer.
Cissnei breathed in deeply, heat flooding her cheeks as a reaction to his close, wonderful proximity. But he really was comfy - she couldn't deny that one bit. Especially since it was rather cold in their location…
"I'm not keeping you up…am I?" Genesis inquired, his voice soft.
Cissnei giggled, her shoulders shaking slightly. "No, you're not."
"Well, let me know if you get tired," he replied calmly, "it's only just before ten o'clock."
"I won't," she murmured, just as peaceful, "because I want to stay awake, to be with you."
Genesis gave a smile at her quiet determination, then gently rested his head on hers, inhaling the sweet aroma of her hair.
"I have made an interesting discovery," he breathed.
"Which may be?" Cissnei whispered, clueless.
"Your hair smells very nice, you know." Genesis buried his nose in her soft hair again, breathing in. Not surprisingly, he heard her giggle.
"Hey, Gen, that tickles…" she laughed.
The SOLDIER dropped a kiss on her head. "That better?"
To his surprise, the young Turk wriggled herself upwards so she was able to look at him directly in the eyes, a playful smile dancing on her lips. Then, she reached forward, inching her neck as she gave him a soft peck on the lips.
"That might be."
"As you wish," Genesis whispered calmly, touching two fingers beneath her chin and tilting her head upwards. Instinctively Cissnei brought her eyelids down, closing her eyes as the SOLDIER lowered his handsome face to her level. He gently touched his delicate lips against her own, softly caressing her cheek with his fingertips as he slowly moved his mouth with hers.
Following her heart instead of her mind, Cissnei slipped a hand around the back of his neck, hardly feeling his silky tresses trailing over her skin through the overwhelming feelings of kissing. She was absolutely lost in him, never to be found again as their passionate contact continued, kisses slow and meaningful. Time became nothing to the pair of them, everything seemed endless - and neither was ready to stop any time soon.
As Genesis cupped her chin more securely, caressing her lips with his own - an untimely interruption was at hand.
A phone was ringing, but the sound was far off, as if it were out of place in their enclosed space of attraction. Mine…or hers?
Much to his displeasure Cissnei was the first to ease up, breathing accelerated as she paused in their kiss, her hand still weaving through his soft hair behind his neck. Looking regretful she used that same hand to retrieve her PHS, slipping it back from his head and shoving it into a pocket, pulling out a sleek black phone. Wordlessly she snapped it open and put the device to her ear.
"What?" She mumbled nervously into the receiver, her mind a complete mess after- after kissing him.
"Hoooww ya doin'?" A raucous voice slurred back, obviously that idiot Reno. "Howsa that date goin'?"
Cissnei felt her already pink face redden further. "Fine."
"Got 'ny goss'?" He abbreviated poorly, an unseen dopey grin on his face.
"No."
"Aww, you suck, Cissneii…" he mumbled, clearly drunk to the eyeballs.
"I'll talk to you later," she fumbled, quickly disconnecting the call and turning her phone off. Just to be safe…
"You alright?" Genesis murmured quietly, his arm still entwined around her shoulder. He had heard everything that drunken Turk had blurted regardless.
"I couldn't…quite…say that, really…I'm a lot of things," she breathed, heart racing. "Genesis, I…"
"…yeah?" He encouraged softly, massaging her tense shoulders.
"…I don't know," she sighed emphatically, sliding downwards and resting her head in his lap, looking fatigued. "It's just you."
"Me?" Genesis gave her a quizzical glance, a half smile curving his lips.
"You," she concluded, turning her head to enable herself to view his rather pretty eyes from below. She crossed her arms and swung a leg over the other, sinking her head back into his comforting lap. "Oh, and me."
"Us," Genesis murmured, trailing a hand over her soft cheek, "and most certainly not Reno."
"That idiot," she muttered, irritated yet amused at his unfortunately impeccable timing - perhaps it was for the better, though.. 'Don't worry, Gen…I'm okay."
His smile broadened as he gazed down at her, glad at her confirmation that they could share a level of intimacy like that now.
"Love you," he whispered, gently touching some hair away from her forehead.
"You too," she replied kindly, reaching his free hand and lacing her fingers through his momentarily, then letting go.
Carefully, the esteemed SOLDIER then lowered his head, his locks of chestnut hair brushing her features as he touched his lips to her forehead in a kiss. Cissnei smiled deeply in response, warmth streaking her cheeks as she closed her eyes, entranced by his pleasant company. She would freely spend the rest of her days like this forever, were it not for the duties of life that busied her so…
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
"Genesis?"
"Mm?"
"Did it hurt?"
"Did…what hurt?"
"When you became a SOLDIER. Was it painful?" Cissnei pondered quietly, curious. It wasn't a question she had been sitting on…it just occurred to her, thinking about their jobs, their dedications in life.
"How sudden," Genesis chuckled, turning his head to the heavens. "Well…you understand that we are enhanced with mako, don't you?"
"Of course."
"Alongside that we also get a series of injections, including many physical examinations and tests. It's difficult to say…" He trailed off in thought, a distant look in his faintly glowing eyes.
"The needles may have been, but the endurance trials were quite tiresome to the body," he mused. "The mako showers weren't exactly 'painful', but - well, they messed with your mind, your consciousness. Candidates who couldn't cope with that…didn't usually make it into our ranks. My experience…well…" he chuckled, turning to look down at her again, "I hallucinated, to put it simply."
"Hallucinated what?" She smirked, suspicion rising.
"I'll give you one insight, okay?" He held up a finger, "just one. While undergoing my mako exposure, I was convinced my supervising scientists were not what they seemed - I imagined they were…they were…"
Cissnei rolled her eyes as the SOLDIER lost himself to laughter. "I'm waiting," she said pointedly.
"Of course, of course," he smirked, "I was convinced they were, in fact, deranged chocobos. That's all you'll get."
"…deranged…chocobos?" She gawked, struggling not to giggle.
"I was fifteen," Genesis replied defensively, narrowing his eyes. "It was the mako talking, not me."
"Oh, sure it was, Gen. You've convinced me," Cissnei smirked, her shoulders hunched as she retained more laughter.
"But, to cut to your inquiry - becoming a SOLDIER wasn't terribly agonizing at all. It was more likely to be embarrassing." The redhead smiled wryly, absently rubbing her shoulder.
"Alright then," Cissnei trailed off, her mind searching for another random question to ask him, "have you ever seen a dolphin?"
"What?" He laughed.
"I mean it," she pouted, staring up at him.
"Well, yes - Banora is a coastal village. Not directly along the beach, but on a cliff side next to the ocean."
"I never have." Cissnei stated simply, "so I was just curious."
"Are there…" Genesis trailed off, wondering whether he was allowed to touch on personal ground yet, "a lot of things…you haven't seen?"
The Turk remained quiet for a minute, shifting her body so that she was leaning next to him again.
"Yes."
Genesis let his expression turn sympathetic, his facial features softening. "I'm sorry."
"Well, I'm still young," she murmured, her eyes not meeting his.
"But…does not knowing…scare you?" He murmured, his gaze soft.
"No…wait-" she cut herself off, obviously reminding herself that 'no' wasn't true - until now she believed the outside world beyond Midgar was nothing to fear, but what she didn't realise was that emotions could hold a lot more trepidation. "Yes."
"Mm…"
"Love scared me."
Genesis blinked, suddenly feeling like all his contact was too much for her.
"You changed that, Genesis."
Or not.
"Look at me now," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "By delving into the unknown, I found happiness. I found you."
At her touching words a blushed tinted his cheeks. "Cissnei-"
"And I think I could do it again," she smiled, "knowing that you'll be here."
A warm smile touched Genesis' face. "I shall always be, my Cissnei."
"Always."
A/N: -melts- Isn't he so romantic? WAAAAH. Lovelovelove.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while…I had this chapter sitting here for a week or so and I thought I ought to post it. So I did.
And now I'm happy.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT! 8D
And don't worry, I do have plans for the next one…kinda…
- Lioneh