Here's chapter 21, finally! Plot is beginning to pick back up. I was just overwhelmed by the response from the last chapter. I figured you'd guys would all hate me. And while I did have a few negative responses to the changes, they were an overwhelming minority. Most of you just seemed happy I was continuing the story and I love you all for that! *hugs* I received a lot of inspiring comments, and I think I replied to all of them I could. If I didn't I'm sorry, but know they all meant a lot to me.
This chapter is unbeta'd. fenhuang has the chapter, but school has been picking up, and I figured you'd all waited enough. As always I'll replace the chapter as soon as it gets to me.
And random note I was listening to the Frozen soundtrack the entire time while writing this. I love that movie don't be surprised if you at least see some kind of one shot involving it from me at some point.
Anyway as always please leave a review- they really are my drug- DHT.
Aerith sat in one of the small side rooms with Tifa, it seemed like the two of them had been paired together often, no that it was a surprise given their age and gender. The flower girl though the other was nice enough, if a not bit grudge ridden concerning Zack, but she at least seemed to be warming up to him. Well as far as Aerith could tell anyway. Currently however, they were both attempting. An attempt thwarted by what teenage girls were stereotypically know to do best- talk about boys.
A giggle fell from Tifa's lips, "I don't know much about Genesis, but it's easy to tell him and Cloud are brothers. Genesis's ears get red when he gets embarrassed just like Cloud!"
Aerith just let out a small petite laugh and shook her head. "You really know a lot about him don't you? Where you close?"
The martial artist in training just shrugged. "I don't know him as well as I want too. He always seemed nice, and he had that mysterious air about him. You know, dad always told me to stay away from him, he wasn't safe. Never told me why. I got curious. I hate to say it, but I only tried to be friends with him because my dad told me not too. But then he turned out to be a really sweet guy. I didn't really know how much that was worth until he'd gone to Midgar. I regretted not standing up to my dad and getting closer to him. Especially with the boys left in town. All they cared about was the fact that I was the mayor's daughter, and which one of them could convince me to marry them so they could take over the town. It was just atrocious. With Cloud I never felt like he cared who I was. I had wanted to leave Nibelheim and follow him to Midgar, but I couldn't legally go until I turn 16. I got excited when he came home, but well you know how that turned out." she sighed.
"So that's why you came with them to save Cloud?" Aerith asked, watching the other girl. Her life had been so up and down, she'd never really gotten close to someone else her age. Growing up in the lab, then going into hiding with her adoptive mother hadn't left much time for socializing. It wasn't until she'd joined this little adventure that she'd started to realize how much she'd missed.
Tifa nodded, a thoughtful look upon her face. "He tried to save me when we were younger, and got into a lot of trouble for it when I wouldn't listen. I really owe him a lot. "
Aerith managed to smile, but her stomach twisted a bit, and she desperately hoped her ideas about Jenova weren't right. With the way the planet seemed to react to just her name she feared it was true however. The flower girl wasn't sure if Tifa was actually in love with Cloud, but he was a dear friend, and seemed to mean a lot to everyone else here. If he really had become a second Calamity, then Aerith wasn't sure how any of this could end well.
Gun was on her way to Elle with the papers in hand when her PHS rang. The Turk paused, they had agreed to 'radio silence' since the mission she was currently on was very off the record. Carefully she pulled it out, examining the device. It wasn't Tseng's normal phone calling her. The first sign that something would have been off with the contact. No it was an internal number not even the president knew of. Quickly she answered the call.
"Gun." Tseng's voice filtered through the phone's speakers but it was full of static. "What's your status? "
The blonde Turk though she could hear fighting in the background, but she knew she had to answer her superior's questions before she could ask her own. Calmly she paused, sliding the documents into her coat before answering Tseng. "We are fine. It was rather unconventional, but Legend was able to retrieve his son. It appears he's under gone some kind of radical scientific experiment but he should be fine. I unfortunately wasn't there during the encounter. Legend took General Sephiroth, Commander Rhapsodos, and Commander Hewley to retrieve the boy. There was a battle between them and Professor Hollander, in which he transformed into some kind of abomination. He apparently wanted to take on Shinra, and everyone else. Commander Hewley was severely injured, but was treated by Miss Strife and is expected to make a full recovery. Professor Hollander's status is currently unknown."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, before gun heard an explosion, and Tseng continued. "Given what you just told me, I think I know of the Professor's location. I want you to remain with Aerith and any other civilians at your safe location. I must request Legend's return along with General Sephiroth and Commander Rhapsodos, and Zackary Fair to return to Shinra." his voice was calm but the woman could hear more shots being fired from the other end of the line. "The President was found dead in his office this morning around nine hundred, and since then we've been facing an assault from these unknown creatures. I can only conclude Hollander is behind it. Rufus Shinra, the president's on is on his way to take command, and he is willing to make amends with the rogue SOLDIERs. He is willing to speak with them personally if needed."
Gun took in a deep breath. This wasn't the time to argue, though she figured her partner would have some choice words for the assignment. Her only response was "Yes sir, I'll make sure they return." She didn't even get a good bye as the line went dead. Whether Tseng had hung up, or his phone had been destroyed. Dwelling on it wouldn't help. Right now she needed to get the men back to Midgar. Hopefully for once in his life, Legend wouldn't be his normal irritating self, then again Gun never seemed to be that lucky.
Genesis was making his way back through the lab to Cloud, when he noticed Sephiroth standing one of the side rooms. The ginger paused for a moment trying to decide what to do, but then realized he'd been making a lot of mistakes involving his friends lately. Genesis would never have dreamed that Sephiroth would have walked away from Shinra so easily, yet here he was. Granted there had been revelations about his own involvement in the experiments that had lead to Genesis almost dying. Maybe there had been other things he's gotten wrong about the man.
Either way he cracked the door, making sure not to startle the former General. The ginger paused as Sephiroth looked up at him, there was an odd look in the other man's eyes before it disappear behind the smile the General offered him. "Is everything alright Genesis?"
The ginger just shook his head, before moving further into the room. "Everything's fine. I just left Angeal, and he's going to be alright, and I we're going to be alright too. It was nice to actually get to sit down and talk to him. We worked few a couple of things. It didn't go like I expected but I think it went for the best." Genesis explained before letting out a sigh. "Anyway I was going to check on Cloud when I saw you, and decided to see if you wanted to join me."
Sephiroth eyed the former first for a moment, though what he was actually thinking stayed locked up tight within his mind. It was good that Genesis and Angeal seemed to have worked through the conflict they'd been experiencing. Honestly it had been odd for the man to watch, as it was usually Angeal stepping in between altercations between Genesis and himself, and those had been born more out of Sephiroth desire to see the fire in the ginger's eyes more then to actually have a true argument with him. The accident in the training room that seemed like a life time ago, had been the first time Sephiroth honestly thought something serious had happened. In the end he'd been right.
The former General let his eyes slide past Genesis into the direction he knew Cloud was resting. "Are you sure?" He asked tilting his head to the side. While he was starting to feel like a part of the family he had no desire to anger the other man by taking more from him then he already had. That included time with his brother. It was odd feeling like he actually owed Genesis something, at least of this magnitude. Part of Sephiroth wasn't even sure how he should act around the man now.
Genesis however just got an odd look on his face. "Sure? Why wouldn't I want you to see Cloud? You were honestly worried about him, and I'm sure he'd be glad to see you." he ran through his mind to see if he'd said something off to make Sephiroth think he would get offended for him spending time with his brother. It wouldn't have been the first time the ginger had ran his mouth and caused a misunderstand between himself and the other man. He however could come up with nothing.
Sephiroth looked at him a moment more before nodding. "it would be good to see him and your mother. "
Genesis eyed him once again before a notion struck him. "You know I don't mind right?" he asked his friend. "I know how much the idea of having a family means to you. My mother already cares a lot about you, and Cloud simply adores you. It's nice thinking you'll be with us for a while."
Sephiroth just took a few steps towards Genesis, and the ginger swore he saw what looked like relief in the other mans eyes. More proof in his mind that his assumption was correct. The former General had come a long way socially since Genesis had first met him, he often times forgot there were a lot of things he simply didn't know. The ginger just smiled and placed a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder urging him towards the door.
Sephiroth still hadn't said anything, but he easily went were Genesis was trying to guide him. He was so used to the man's fury over what he felt was his was his, that it was almost surreal to having him so calm and accepting of the General's place amongst his family. Silver hair settled against his back as Sephiroth smiled as the pair made their way towards were Cloud was resting. The ginger's hand never leaving the other man's shoulder.
Ellen Strife was a very practical person. Despite how the company had treated her, she had a deep rooted belief in science. Finding out about Genesis's passion for Loveless, and his devotion to the goddess Minvera within its pages had been amusing to say the least. She hadn't ridiculed him for it. Forging a bond between the two of them meant she could overlook his more passionate and less then scientific views on life. And realizing that she had no proof that he wouldn't have ended up this way had she had the chance to raise him herself also helped her steady her tongue. After all the man's father had been more interest in faith then science even if she did have proof the man was insane.
Now however as she stood, listening to the blonde Turk she'd become fond of, Miss Strife was beginning to question whether this goddess or some other deity did exist, and whether or not they had brought such things down on their head for forsaking her.
The idea was rendered irrelevant how as soon as she realized that her son's own prayers had done nothing to soften his experience. A deep sigh escaped her lips when Gun finished and she looked at the other woman shaking her head.
"So Shinra's under attack, by Hollander, and they want us to help them, after everything else. And you want me to convince my husband, who I can't begin to control, to agree to this?' Ellen rubbed her temples a bit before taking a seat.
"Miss Strife, I know what happened to your family, and you have every right to demand retribution. If someone had done this to my family, to my father, my sister, I'd want their heads too. But the truth is the people responsible for your pain are dead. All but Hollander who is some sick monster. Tseng on the other hand is a good man, and while the president's son is a bit of a brat, he's had to live life under that man's thumb. The people who Tseng is asking to be saved are the good people who have families, who work for Shinra to get by and have nothing to do with what happened to you." Gun pleaded. Ellen was her best chance and she knew it.
Miss Strife let out another sigh as her hand fell to the counter next to her. "Alright, I'm a woman that can listen to reason, and you're right. Taking my anger out on these people isn't right. I'll talk to him. I'm sure Genesis will go, Sephiroth too. I'd like to be the mom and keep them safe, but I lost that opportunity a long time ago. Hollander needs to pay too."
"Thank you." Gun replied giving the woman a bow. She was about to pull the paper's from her pocket, realizing Miss Strife still needed to know about them when she was interrupted.
"Thank you for what?" Genesis asked with a curious look as he and Sephiroth entered the lab, his hand falling from the other's shoulder. Though the former General gave a small glance at the loss of contact, he too stood wanting to hear the answer.
Ellen just sighed once more, looking her son in the eye. "I suppose telling you before your father is best." she shook her head, but if Genesis and Sephiroth were set to go, the Legend would have to if nothing else then to keep an eye on the pair. "Gun here has just told me she's been contacted by her superior, Tseng if the name means anything to you."
"I know of Tseng." Sephiroth stated as all eyes flashed to him. "Vice-Director of the Turks, and the man who sent the girl with us. His tactics leave a bitter taste in my mouth, but he can be trusted as much as any Turk can. No offense."
"None taken Sir." Gun replied, feigning offense when they both knew how the Turks operated was just ridiculous in her opinion. But she let Miss Strife continue with the rest of the explanation.
"Anyway, apparently Shinra is under attack. The president is dead, and Tseng believes Hollander is behind the attack. He's requested that the two of you and your father return to Shinra and assist them. Apparently the president's son is willing to make amends for what's happened, whatever that means." Miss Strife explained looking between the two she considered 'her boys"
Genesis grip tightened. "We'll go, Shinra can burn for all I care, but Hollander needs to be dealt with." he hadn't even waited for Sephiroth response, rightfully assuming the man would be willing to go, his head moved to the door. "Where is he?" it was obvious who he meant, and that the ginger was still unsure about calling Legend his father.
"He went to talk to your friend Angeal." Miss Strife stated before putting a hand on Genesis's shoulder as her son went to leave. "Wait, in all this I don't think anyone's been able to tell you. "
Genesis turned to face his mother once more, wondering what would cause her to keep him from the current mission. "When he went to talk with Gillian, she was missing. He has no idea what happened to her. He'd gone to talk to Angeal about it."
The ginger felt a bit numb as the words washed over him. While he'd had trouble coming to terms with her involvement in his upbringing, she had still been the closest adult to him, and Angeal's mother. Shaking feelings like that were not easy. Genesis wanted answers, not for the woman to disappear, to be in trouble. "We'll deal with Hollander, then we'll find her." he insisted.
With the look on her son's face, Miss Strife took a step towards her son before pulling him into a hug. "I know you will, Genesis, I believe in you sweetheart. Just be safe. I've finally got you again, I don't want to lose you. Everything will be alright. I won't let anything tear us apart again."
Genesis closed his eyes, before returning the hug. This is what he had always wanted, and as his mother held him he rested his head on her shoulder. "Thank you."
When they parted however, it seemed Miss Strife wasn't yet finished. With another stride, she was at Sephiroth's side who had been doing his best not to interfere with the family moment. Next thing he knew, Ellen Strife's arms were around him too. "That goes for you too. You both be safe. Take care of each other." she stated, as Sephiroth stood in shock for a moment, before awkwardly attempting to return the gesture as Genesis had.
For the ginger's part he just smiled, as his mother pulled away from the former General. Sephiroth looked like he wanted to try hugging her again, but didn't make a move. Instead he just looked at her and gave firm nod. "I'll make sure the mission is successful." with that he turned and left with all the dignity of a First Class SOLDIER. On the inside however he wanted to do nothing more the run back and stay in her arms.
Genesis offered her another smile before he turned and went after his friend. They were going to collect his father, head to Midgar, and make Hollander pay for everything he had done.