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Date: December 11

Location: Midgar: Sector 6

The air was saturated with dust, so thick and choking that Genesis found breathing to be a tremendous effort. He coughed, blinking his eyes repeatedly in an attempt to rid himself of the grit that had found its way beneath his lids.

It was quiet. Too quiet. The rumbling, clattering, and screaming had died down now, leaving only the flapping of his wing as he circled the area, trying to find a landmark that would tell him where he was.

"Marlene! Marlene!"

Barret.

It was much less difficult to locate the remnants of AVALANCHE through the haze with Barret bellowing his daughter's name at the top of his lungs. Clearly, Tifa hadn't told him Marlene was safe yet.

Genesis swooped in closer to the ground as his wing flapping repeatedly to keep him in the air. There were no wind urrents below the Plate to use to his advantage, and flight was a tiring effort, especially with Jessie's additional weight.

Genesis stumbled as he landed outside the Sector 6 park but regained his footing quickly enough to avoid dropping Jessie. To think he and Aerith had been in this very park earlier under entirely different circumstances. Now, Barret was emptying his remaining ammo into the rubble of Sector 7 while Tifa was futilely hollering in an attempt to gain his attention.

Genesis hissed as his bullet wound was strained by Jessie's body. Adrenaline was not enough to block out the pain – that was dissolving with alarming speed anyway. He hated guns. He really did.

His wing dissipated as he stalked forward into the park. Nausea unsettled his stomach as he set his eyes past the Sector 6 gate. All that remained of Sector 7 were blocks of cement and twisted lumps of metal. How many more innocents was Shinra willing to slaughter? He was no saint, but he'd never harmed anyone without a connection to Shinra. Not until now. It was AVALANCHE's – his actions that cause this retaliation.

Enough.

This would end. Not the way he had hoped, but his fight with Shinra was drawing to a close. There was no other choice short of abandoning his promise and his healer. But first, there were some loose ends to tie up.

"Adam!" Tifa waved at him, and her yell finally drew Barret from his blind raging.

"Jessie!" Barret thundered towards him and Jessie, kicking a chunk of smoldering wood out of his way.

"She'll be fine. As will your daughter." Dear Shiva, he needed to set this woman down; his injury was already burning like Ifirit's fire without the extra stress.

"What?" Barret's eyes narrowed into his usual scowl before softening, and then the scowl returned.

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Tifa set a hand on his bicep "Aerith. I asked her to get Marlene out of Sector 7, and right before they took her she said, 'Don't worry, she's all right'."

"That girl? What's up with her?"

So Tifa had left that out of her debrief with the rest of AVALANCHE. Genesis would have applauded her for that if didn't mean more work for him now.

How to simplify? "She's incredibly valuable to Shinra."

Barret narrowed his eyes. "She with dem Wutai friends of yours?"

Close enough. Thank Gaia he wasn't spouting off some nonsense about Aerith really being a Turk. "Something like that." There was a flood of wet warmth flowing down his arm, trapped against his skin by his jacket's sleeve.

Tifa wiped a smudge of grime from her face with her forearm. "Adam, do you have any idea where Aerith would have taken Marlene?"

He inclined his head. "Yes." He shifted Jessie again, holding her up to Barret. "Would you mind?" Barret responded better if he instead of ordered, and he had no desire to bicker with the grouch at the moment.

Barret grunted, accepting Jessie's limp form with his good hand and sliding his gun-arm under her knees to balance her between his arms. Some of the strain on Genesis' wound was finally relieved, and he instantly cast a Curaga on himself. He was fortunate the bullet had gone through, lest Tifa – she was the only one he trusted with such a task – would be digging it out of his shoulder at Mrs. Gainsborough's dining room table.

"This way." He purposefully started walking before Barret could hand Jessie back to him. If Barret wanted to be leader, he could carry his own team members. Genesis had another female he placed a higher priority on at the moment. Once he'd gotten AVALANCHE to safety, he wouldn't be seeing them again.

Genesis shook his head. Now was not the time.

He set a brisk pace towards Aerith's house, trusting that they would follow as he navigated his way through the mess that sat between them and their destination.

"Yo, Adam!" Barret called from behind him as Genesis used a slanted, thick plank of wood to change to a lower level. The Sector 5 slums were still standing, but only just with all the stagnant construction and disjointed ground.

"What?" He wasn't carrying Jessie. He refused.

"Where'd you get dat SOLDIER uniform?"

Genesis groaned inwardly. Barret may have not noticed his eyes yet, but the uniform was hard to miss. With all that had happened in the last hour, he had forgotten he'd need to have this conversation. It appeared Barret hadn't put the pieces together, but now it no longer mattered if they trusted him, and he'd fed them more than enough lies.

He stopped walking, waiting for them to catch up. "It was awarded to me." Stray chunks of gravel scraped against the cement beneath his heel as he turned to face Barret and Tifa. "When I was promoted to SOLDIER 1st Class."

Barret remained absolutely still.

One, two, three, four, fi–

"When you were what?"

"Before I realized their true nature, I was a part of Shinra." He kept his tone neutral. There was no reason to defend himself for this: Shinra had been less corrupt when he'd joined and nearly everyone had trusted them back then.

Barret skin was ten different shades darker than usual. "All this damned time you've been lying to us–"

"You never would have trusted me if you had known!"

"Damn straight I wouldn't have! First, you let some Wutai fool in on our plans, and then–"

"Barret!" Tifa stepped between the two of them. "Why don't you give him a chance to explain?"

Barret was literally growling, but he didn't say anything as he glared at Genesis as though he'd suddenly become the scum of Gaia. At least he hadn't broken any of Jessie's bones in his rage as of yet.

Genesis bowed his head at Tifa, silently thanking her. "I joined Shinra at a very young age. It wasn't until many years later that I came to see what they really were, and after I did, I left. I have been fighting them ever since. After living under their radar for an extended period of time, I returned here at the request of a dying friend to ensure the safety of the woman he loved: Aerith." Talk about abbreviation. To think that his life could be summed up in such a few short sentence. "Luxiere and his elder brother sought me out not long after I arrived. They were hoping to strengthen their numbers, and thus, I was sent to make contact with you."

Barret was still huffing like a mother chocobo, but he looked less likely to combust, so Genesis took that as a positive sign. Barret's lips pulled back into a position where Genesis braced himself for another bout of yelling–

Genesis flinched – no, he did not jump – as the eternally shrill ringtone belonging to his PHS shattered the illusion of the world consisting entirely of the four of them. Whoever it was, Genesis was forever grateful to them. He didn't hesitate to yank the shrieking device from his coat pocket. Barret could wait whether he liked it or not. Genesis didn't get calls that weren't important anymore.

"What the hell, man? I left for four days!"

Kunsel. Genesis had been wondering how long the news would take to reach his ears. "Evidently, some very unfortunate timing." He stared walking again, assuming Barret and Tifa would follow.

"Yeah, no kidding! I'm on my way back. Once I get there, we can figure out a way to pull Aerith out–"

"I already have a plan." He glanced behind him to make sure Barret and Tifa wouldn't hear anything else he said.

"Oh? Good. What is it?"

Insane. Horrible. A truly dreadful idea.

Genesis paused for a moment, licking his lips. "I need Tseng's number."

The silence between them was heavier than the growing weight in the center of Genesis' chest.

"…Why?"

"Papa!"

"Marlene!" Barret's yell of relief was so loud that Genesis suspected it could be heard all the way back at HQ.

Mrs. Gainsborough's eyes went directly to Genesis. "Adam–"

He held up his hand, mouthing "one moment" as he drifted away from the rest of the group with his PHS still pressed to his ear. The stairs were his only option for solitude in this house, so he began to ascend them.

"This is suicide! They'll never go through with it!"

"Which is why your brother will be there to ensure that they will." His tone was hushed, but no less firm. He entered the guest room he'd stayed in before and shoved the door shut behind him.

"I can't let you do this!"

"It isn't your decision to make!" Genesis snapped. "I will be going through with this with or without your help, though I would prefer to have it for Aerith's sake."

"There has to be another way–"

"I am certainly open to suggestions, but unless you have another plan we can use within the next few hours, this is our only option." Shiva, did he think this was easy? That he actually wanted to take this road? He had no choice.

A squeal from Aerith's room had Genesis snapping his head around to check the shared wall between the rooms, but he relaxed as he realized someone was just opening a drawer – likely Aerith's mother.

Kunsel was still silent, so Genesis pressed further. "Now, Tseng's number, if you please."

An angry sigh rattled the speaker. "Fine. Sending it now. I'll call Luxiere." The line cut, and Genesis clenched the phone tightly. He rubbed his forehead, slumping back on the bed as he inhaled and then exhaled deeply.

Perhaps he couldn't save the world from Shinra's rule, but he would save Aerith.

Tifa stared into her mug of steadily cooling tea, her mind reeling as she took in the day's events. Sector 7 was gone, Biggs and Wedge were dead, Adam was a SOLDIER – ex-SOLDIER, she corrected herself – and now Aerith apparently was the last of the Ancients. Tifa scratched at the collar of the borrowed pink shirt Elmyra had given her, gaze flickering to the stairs momentary before returning to her beverage. She hadn't seen Adam for over an hour now since he disappeared upstairs when they'd first arrived, and thus he had missed Elmyra's story about how she'd come to adopt Aerith fifteen years ago. Not that he would care, if she was honest with herself. Jessie was the one who would be the most confused when she woke up from her slumber in Aerith's room.

Marlene was also asleep in the same room, since Adam had commandeered the guest room, leaving Barret, Elmyra, and Tifa seated at the table in the dining room. Tifa's heart skipped a beat, her train of thought shattered as Barret slammed his fist on the table, which also caused Elmyra to jump.

"We're gettin' Aerith back! She saved Marlene, and I ain't sittin' here while she's in Shinra hands because of it!"

Tifa bobbed her head. "She'll be in Shinra Headquarters. We'll need a way in and out."

Barret grunted. "Maybe SOLDIER boy can help with dat."

"I can."

All gazes snapped to the stairs, which Adam was descending with the grace and silence of a cat. Gaia, his presence was so much larger now that he wasn't hiding behind fake contacts and a cover story.

"Well, about damned time you joined the rest of us!"

Adam's eyes were fixed on where his hand skimmed along the railing. "Kunsel and I have devised a plan."

"Good!" Tifa felt a small amount of relief wash over her. They were bound to have a better chance of success if they had a plan thought up by two men who knew Shinra as well as those who actually worked for them. "What is it?"

Adam shook his head. "We are all in need of rest this night. I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow when you are alert and focused."

"What?" Barret rose his voice, and Tifa held a hand to her ear. "Yo expect us to just–"

"Tell me, Barret, have you ever been in a war?" Adam set a glare on Barret, taking precise steps towards him. "Fought on the front lines, perhaps? Because I have, and I know the condition in which men operate the best." Although Barret had a couple inches on him, Adam toward over him while he was sitting down. "Right now, you need my expertise, and I am giving it. Get some rest."

The fire in his bright eyes had Tifa transfixed, and even Barret was speechless. Shiva, Tifa knew he'd seen horrors, but she hadn't consider that he had worked for Shinra during the war. The weight he carried was engraved on his face, woven into his skin so tightly there was no way to separate the ailment from him. He'd seemed cold and distant before, but now all she could see was that he was… tired.

Elmyra cleared her throat, breaking the spell. "I'll get some extra bedding set up for you all."

Sleep. Who was Adam kidding? How could anyone sleep after a day so horrible?

A snore escaped Barret's lungs from across the room as he slept soundly on the couch in the guest room. Tifa shifted for what felt like the hundredth time, rolling onto her other side. All right, so maybe it was just her. After all, Marlene was safe, so Barret was probably just relieved his daughter was alive. But her? Once again, Shinra had stolen the lives of her family. Never again would she hear Wedge's over-the-top compliments on her cooking, or watch Biggs tease Jessie about how his bandana was much cooler than hers. They were gone, and she'd been in such a rush up the pillar that she hadn't even had the chance to bid them a proper farewell.

Now their bodies were gone forever, crushed beneath tons of metal and–

Tifa threw the covers from her body, feet touching the floor silently as to not wake Barret. She'd seen a staircase leading to the roof earlier, and she needed some fresh air. The pink – Aerith really had a lot of pink – fleece pajamas she was borrowing would protect her from the light chill of the night just fine.

She tiptoed down the shadowed hallway, hesitating only when the first stair creaked a bit under her weight. It wasn't loud enough to wake anyone, so she moved on to the door at the top. She took extra precaution in turning the doorknob since she had no idea to what degree Adam's hearing was enhanced.

Just as she was releasing the breath she'd unnecessarily held, it caught in her throat again. A man's silhouette was already occupying the room-size, balcony-roof.

Adam, she realized after the initial startle he'd given her had worn off. What was he doing up here? He was on one knee, facing away from her at an angle with his head bowed and eyes closed as what little light there was caused his bangs to cast wisp-like shadows across his pale skin.

Was he… Gaia, he was praying. She backed up, gently pushing a large leaf from one of the planted flowers beside her out of the way. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude on such a private moment. He hadn't twitched, so maybe he hadn't noticed her yet. Too deep in thought? She could still leave without disturbing him.

"I appreciate your discretion, Miss Lockhart, but your footsteps are of no matter." His eyes flickered open, and although she still found herself expecting them to be grey, this color did fit him better – a kind azure shade completely unlike the eerie, cruel green of Sephiroth's gaze. "I can hear your breathing."

Crap. She hadn't thought about that. How strong were his senses? Could he hear her heartbeat too? It wouldn't surprise her with how hard it was slamming in her chest.

"I… sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you." Her hands folded behind her back as she shuffled her feet.

"It's quite all right." He stood smoothly, his long coat swaying as it settled around his calves.

"I, um, didn't realize you were religious." What was she doing? That was a horrible attempt to dispel the awkwardness between them.

He didn't seem to mind, though, and he nodded faintly as he settled into a leaning position against the railing. "It is one of the few flickers of light amidst the ocean of darkness that has become my life."

Shiva, he looked exhausted. Not physically, but those glowing eyes carried so much sorrow. How much of what he'd told her was part of his cover? "When we first talked – really talked – in the Reactor, you said that Shinra had killed people you cared about. That wasn't part of your act, was it?"

"No." He shook his head, crossing his arms.

The glow in his eyes seemed dimmer than it had in Corneo's mansion, and his eyelids drooped over more than half of his pupils. His defensive posture told her he was more uncomfortable with this topic than the last. Vulnerable. Somehow, the roaring fire that always lit his soul seemed to have been quelled to a delicate ember in the last few hours. What had changed? Surely not the dropping of the Plate? No, it was a more personal shift.

He voice was just above a mutter when he next spoke. "You really should be getting some rest." His gaze was lifted now, as though he was trying to see the stars through the metal above them.

"What about you?" Her toes flexed as she tried to avoid the uncomfortable wooden planks against her bare feet.

"I don't need it."

That wasn't him being suborn – she could tell by his tone – he'd said it as a fact. He probably meant his enhancements, then. But why did he seem so distant? It was like his mind was somewhere else, and her hearted ached to bring him back. Was it Aerith's capture? The fall of the Plate? Or did he just need some time alone?

She cleared her throat. "Well… I guess I'll head back in." She turned, her fingers wrapping around the chilled metal doorknob. "Goodnight, Adam."

"Genesis."

She stopped, glancing over her shoulder to find him looking at her for the first time tonight. "What?"

"My name."

Oh… Oh. Yes, she had been wondering since Corneo's mansion. The connection between his last name and his favorite fruit had not gone unnoticed by her, but she'd shaken it off at the time. That was, until she'd learned of his ties to Shinra and started thinking things over. She'd basically had confirmation once Tseng had addressed him by another surname, but she still hadn't known about his first.

"Genesis," she repeated quietly, the name flowing off her tongue. "Genesis… Rhapsodos?"

A frown flickered across his face for a moment, but then he nodded.

"Hm." She cocked her head. "Yeah, suits you much better."

A smile slowly crept across his face, one so gentle and unguarded it was difficult to believe it belonged to him. Neither of them said anything for a few moments. She didn't know what stilled his voice, but she didn't want to ruin the first true bit of happiness she'd ever seen him display.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head again. "Don't ever lose your optimism, Miss Lockhart." He uncrossed his arms, standing straight again. "Thank you."

Thank her? What had she done? "For what?"

He drew close to her, but didn't invade her personal space. "For making me think… about someone I once knew."

A dead someone, obviously. The pain had returned to his voice. What could she possibly say to that? "Oh?"

"He made me a better man." He swallowed, he eyes evading hers as they darted unseeingly around the floorboards. "And I destroyed him."

Tifa's heart lurched, and her hand found his shoulder, but he flinched at the contact, pulling away and focusing on her as though he'd just remembered she was there. "I don't deserve your comfort. Get some sleep."

"Ada– Genesis, I–"

"Go on." He jerked his head at the open door and turned away from her, gripping the railing with both hands.

She hesitated. How could she possibly leave him like this? He needed someone, but it was clear that he wanted to be alone at the moment. Her presence seemed to only be making things worse. Right now, the only thing she could give him was solitude, and so she did.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Genesis rested his forehead on the railing, his breathing shaky.

Goodnight. He truly meant goodbye, but couldn't tell her that. He couldn't tell her he was on the roof because he didn't want to spend his last hours sleeping. He couldn't tell her how much he longed to see the sky one last time; to stretch his wing and taste fresh air.

Get ahold of yourself, you misery-addled mess! You're SOLDIER, for Gaia's sake, so act like one!

He drew himself to his full height, running a hand through his hair. He would not face his end like some sniveling child. He fumbled with his PHS, opening it to check the hour.

He swallowed. It was time.

Escaping the house without waking anyone was an easy feat when none of them were Mako enhanced so long as he stepped over the bottom step of the staircase leading to the roof. Once he was in the dinning room, he removed all but one of his materia, setting the small glowing orbs on the table. He wouldn't need them where he was going, but perhaps his allies could put them to use. Lastly, he slid Heike Soul off his left ring finger, where it had sat since Zack's death, and placed it in front of the materia – he certainly wasn't letting Shinra get that.

"Farewell, my friends."

No going back.

Date: December 12

Location: Midgar: Sector 6

They had Aerith surrounded when he arrived at the park – Tseng, the bald Turk from earlier, and ayoung blonde woman he didn't recognize. Genesis squinted from his distant position. No… she was familiar.

Rosalind. He'd received many reports about that feisty Turk. It wasn't her, but the resemblance was unmistakable. If he had to guess, he'd say the woman here was her younger sister.

Whatever the case, they'd formed a triangle around Aerith with their weapons drawn – probably for fear of him trying to fly off with her. A wise move. There were several infantrymen scattered behind the playground's attractions that would function as cover if needed, and two 2nd Class SOLDIERs flanked Tseng and the bald Turk. Genesis' gaze flickered between them. One of those men was Luxiere, but which?

Ah. The SOLDIER on the left drummed his fingers on the hilt of his sword, drawing Genesis' attention to the short leather bracer on his wrist with the Wutainess symbols for Live Strong engraved on it.

Good. Knowing Shinra, Aerith would need him.

Every instinct he had screamed at him not to take the steps forward into park, but he shoved them back, putting one foot in front of the other until he was at the center of the park with every weapon trained on his head.

Aerith's eyes were blown wide, staring at him as he approached. They hadn't told her, then. Probably for the best. She'd kick and scream if she knew. She'd never want another life traded for hers, but that didn't matter.

He rose his hands, palms facing out.

It was his life to give.

NOTE: Rosalind is from Before Crisis. Now, all the player characters in that game can be named want you want (with the default being their weapon). The English script I read had Elena's older sister named Rosalind, and I'm sticking with it.

Question for you guys: Do you like the update day as Saturday? Is there another day you'd rather it be?

Also… IS IT FREAKING WUTAIN, WUTIAN, WUNTIAIN, OR WUTAINESE?