I own nothing from this story. Only Jeanne, Jena, Sienna, Renee/Yuie, Zeke and Claire are mine. Unfortunately.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I won't give up
~"Dumbapples only grow in Banora." Lazard spoke.
"But why?" Zack asked.
"Something to do with the soil." Jeanne answered. ~
Zack brought the bike to a stop. "Genesis always carries a dumbapple around. I should have caught on quicker." He turned the bike off.
"Don't feel bad, Zack. I didn't catch on either and I'm the smart one." Jeanne smiled.
Zack chuckled as she stood up and then he clutched her hand. Jeanne glanced around Banora, memories flashing. This was where she was caught in the explosion. No wonder Zack had a death grip on her.
"It's so different now…" She mumbled. It was now just a large pit, sparkling green from the lifestream of the planet with parts of the crumbled buildings around it.
Lazard skidded to a halt behind them, clutching his right side as a look of pain flooded his face. Jeanne pulled a look and quickly though.
"Could you watch the twins for us?" She asked.
He gave her a small, relieved smiled. "Certainly." He replied.
"Thanks."
"What's that?" Zack's question turned their attention to the right of them, over a few hills. It looked like a little of the lifestream was reaching out of the ground over there, too.
"Let's go find out." Jeanne responded, moving around the pit towards the light.
"Be careful." Lazard called after her.
"Don't worry," Zack was the one that replied this time. "I'll keep the future Mrs. Zack Fair safe. Have no doubt about that."
Jeanne smiled as Lazard's laughter followed her and her partner. "Mrs. Zack
Fair, hmm? Why is it that the women have to take the man's name? Why can't you be renamed ass Mr. Jeanne Rush?"
Zack pulled a horrified face. "Well, I uh… It's just always happened this way." He looked at her face for a moment. "You're really not going to make me do that, are you?" He asked.
Jeanne thought for a moment. "I don't know yet. Ask me again after all this is over."
"What? Come on, Jeanne!"
She giggled and turned back to a path just to stop as they arrived at their destination. It was another pit, just not as large as the other one. It was deeper, though. Zack knelt down and looked down.
"If we go down, we won't be able to come back up." He stated.
Jeanne shrugged. "We'll find another way out."
Zack nodded and began to climb down the pit. Jeanne followed. It was a hard descent but they both got down safely. They were now standing at the base of a large building, a large hole in the side of it. A tunnel continued the path.
Jeanne instantly put two and two together.
Genesis.
"Was this…here before?" Zack asked. "Where does it lead?" He wondered.
"Let's find out. It shouldn't lead too far away. So, men first." She pushed Zack into the hole in the wall and moved in after him.
The path diverted off in two separate ways. A short path to the right and then a long one that curved to the left. Making a choice, she moved to the right. At the end of the small path were a lamp, a chair, and a desk.
The desk held pictures, Banora White Juice Cans, photos and awards. She could see younger Genesis' and Angeal's in them. She smiled and then listened to Zack read from the book he had picked up.
"First Prize: Banora White juice.
Processed foods Category, National Agriculture Awards.
The Idea to make this juice came from a Banora youth named Genesis.
Genesis' comments: I am very honored. Banora White Juice tastes great, but the fruit itself is quite tasty as well. My dream is for my parents and me to serve the heroes Sephiroth and Sienna our apples one day. Since we are close in age, I would like to show them what I've accomplished in my life."
"Genesis…" Zack had a small smile as he put the book back down. "Is there anything I can do to save him…?"
Jeanne wondered what had turned Genesis into a rival with Sephiroth…she was sure she knew the answer to that. The moment he saw Sienna in person. Women can do that to men without meaning to.
Most of the time anyway.
They continued back the previous way and down the other path until they reached the large room that had several other holes in the walls that led somewhere else.
"Eenie, meanie, minie, mo, let's go tell Genesis that we said 'Yo'!" Jeanne quickly jumped off of the small floor they were on to the one below them and took off through the hole to the right. Zack, unable to call after her to stop her, just sighed and followed.
There was a large, slightly winding slope that led down to an elevator. Everything was covered in grass as they followed the path down. Jeanne smirked at Zack as he walked to the Podium in the center of the place.
"Told you we'd find another way out."
"Yeah, yeah. Come look at this." She walked over to him. The Object was set in front of another large set of doors.
Brushing some of the grass away, Jeanne got a better look at the carvings. There was a picture of a lady, her arms spread out, with 7 indentions littered across her body with strange symbols around the edges. Jeanne could read them, though.
"Give forth the Goddess Materia. The path shall be made clear. "She read.
"How can you read that?" Zack asked.
She shrugged. "Sienna taught me and my sister both the Ancient language. It's really not that hard."
"He nodded. "You gotta teach me that one day."
"For you, I think it will be hard."
"Hey! Come on, Jeanne!" She laughed at him for a moment before he turned back to the podium, thinking. "So, if we set this 'Goddess Materia' in there indentions, then maybe those doors will open! " Zack said.
"Maybe." Jeanne nodded.
"Then let's go find them!"
The Materia weren't hard to find. Jeanne had offered up separating to find them, but Zack put a stop to that right away and didn't let her out of his sight for a moment.
"All right. We have Light," Jeanne began to list the 7 Materia off as Zack placed them in the Podium. "Star, Life, Being, Ground, Heaven, and Sabbath. Sounds so…Good, doesn't it?" She asked.
"A bit too good, but then again, Genesis is always talking about a Goddess, so it's a bit normal."
"Yeah, especially after he beats it into her head." She giggled. "So, after this what are we-"
The Podium lit up with a bright blue light. The large doors opened up and another creature, much like the one that had eaten Zack's hair, just bigger, was standing there as if waiting on them.
"Is that…the one that ate my hair?" Jeanne whispered in shock. The Copy flipped over their heads and landed behind them.
Jeanne moved quickly while Zack charged his Rush Assault, she took care of the Copy. Her Ice stabbed through its hands and feet; it splintered its wings. It made it howl in pain. For some reason, it made her feel like a monster doing this to the Copy.
~Zack, please hurry!~
It wasn't too much longer before Zack rushed forward with his attack and took care of it. Jeanne turned he head away, but Zack wasn't going to waste anymore time on waiting.
"Genesis is waiting up ahead. I'm sure of it." Zack glared at the light ahead of them.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jeanne asked.
Zack took her hand and they walked forward.
They seemed to be in a cave again with spikes and whatnot. In the center of the place was a large, vine-like rock that held a large red orb with a statue at its base. Genesis, his hair now fully white, was staring up at the statue.
"My soul, corrupted by vengeance," Genesis was saying. "Hath endured torment, to find the end of the Journey in my own Salvation." He turned to Zack and Jeanne with a serious look. "You're late."
"'Loveless' again?" Zack asked as he took a few more steps forward. Jeanne's eyes caught Sienna's leather bag at his feet and she followed her partner.
"You have succeeded Angeal's Spirit," Genesis called out to Zack. "And carry a part of Sephiroth within you as you," His gaze landed on Jeanne now. "Carry Sienna." His voice was soft when he said her name. "Thus the three friends and the Goddess are reunited once again…and 'Loveless' is reenacted." He turned to face the statue again.
"No!" Zack shook his head. "Open your eyes, Genesis!"
Genesis turned to him again before pacing slowly. "When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end…"
"We've come here to help you, Genesis!" Jeanne called to the man. "Let us!"
"The Goddess descends from the sky," He continued without hearing her as he faced them. "Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."
The lifestream began to twirl up around the large objects behind Genesis. "What is that?" Zack asked.
Genesis smiled. "The gift of the Goddess…a heavenly boon found only in Banora."
"But, aren't the cells the Gift?" Jeanne asked in surprised confusion.
"There are various interpretations." He simply said.
"…I don't understand," Zack shook his head.
The look now on Genesis' face seemed to be soft as he answered Zack. "To ponder the mystery is in itself a gift…" He slowly moved in front of the statue, watching the green stream of light. "We will all…join the lifestream…" He stated as the red Orb sucked the stream in and began to glow. "You two…are no exception. The planet…" Genesis faced them again, slowly raising his blade. "Has became my guardian." Leveling the blade with his face he then thrusted it up towards the red orb. He began to yell as he sucked the energy in.
"Genesis! No!" Jeanne went to run forward, but Zack grabbed her.
"Keep talking to us!" He then called out. "Don't let it take over! You're not a monster!" He continued,.
"You're one of us!" Jeanne and Zack cried out but a 3rd voice seemed to join them, Zack glanced around for a moment but found no one. Jeanne recognized the voice, but…how?
Genesis' yells grew monstrous and his eyes began to glow a yellowish red.
Unable to let it continue, Zack drew his sword and rushed forward. "Damn you!"
Jeanne followed him but then came to a stop as Genesis' new form was revealed. He was now large and encased in red armor sticking out of the ground with spikes and what looked like a wheel on his back, his sword had also grown. Sienna's bag was hanging on one of his shoulder spikes.
"Oh my God." Jeanne's voice trembled.
"Jeanne, concentrate!" A voice shouted to her. She smiled. There it was again.
"All right…Mom." She pulled out her sword and hurried forward to help Zack.
She growled as Genesis summoned up the 4 Shadow Scythes and he kept doing it, too. So she and Zack switched turns and destroying those while the other took on Genesis. It was a long ass battle (And boy, I do mean long. Took me half an hour, lol) but a bright light shone and they were back in the cave.
The Red Orb was now gone. Jeanne wanted to fall to her knees, breathing hard, but she fought it.
"Are you all right?" She glanced over to see Zack was breathing hard as well.
"Yeah, I'm fine," His arm wrapped around her shoulders and brought her to him. His touch calmed him down and she was regaining some of her strength back.
"My soul, corrupted by vengeance," Genesis gasped as he stumbled forward. He was back to normal size, his wing was nowhere to be seen, his hair was red again, and Sienna's back was over his shoulder. "Jeanne was hoping that it meant he was normal again, but something told her otherwise. "Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey in my own salvation." He straightened and looked to the ceiling, his hand on his chest. "And your eternal slumber."
Zack gave a soft gasp. "Does this mean…you knew…for the beginning?"
Genesis closed his eyes, lowered his head, and then pointed his blade at the two of them. He rushed, but they dodged. Genesis flew by them and stumbled to a halt. He slowly turned. "Stand and fight, SOLDIER 1st Class!" He growled at them.
Jeanne shook her head. "I…" ~I can't lose all 4 of them.~ Pictures of Angeal and Sephiroth and Sienna fluttered through her mind. "I…"
"Why is everyone…always pushing things on us?" Zack asked sadly as he pulled out his sword again.
Jeanne couldn't move. She could only watch as Zack and Genesis continued to fight. She had to stop them. She wasn't going to let them fight like she had in Nibelheim. She had to move quickly.
Mumbling under her breath, she concentrated. The ground beneath her cracked and a single, large chain came shooting out. It wrapped around Genesis' wrist and yanked him back as Zack slashed out at him. His sword went flying from his hand and Jeannne hurried forward to catch it as Genesis fell to the ground. The chain disappeared again. Jeanne looked at Zack, expecting a comment or a question, but it seemed that Zack understood.
When Genesis opened his eyes he was no longer in the cave. Je was surrounded b the lifestream again, the large statue standing before him. The orb in the woman's hand began to glow red and Genesis began to move towards it, shading his eyes. The closer he got, the brighter the light. He soon had to close his eyes. When he opened them again, a blond woman stood there in magnificent white and yellow armor with a shield and a lance in her hands.
Genesis felt his breath catch. As he stepped forward, he reached his hands out to her. The woman closed her eyes and the lifestream flared up around her. He watched in fear as the lifestream grabbed him as well, pulling him down. He could feel it, dragging him apart. He closed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't fight it. He was ready for his fate but…
"Genesis!"
~That voice…~
He opened his eyes again and gasped. It…it was Sienna! The woman of his dreams was reaching out for him. She seemed to be just floating above, holding her hand out for him. Her face was full of worry; worry for him.
"Genesis!" She called again. "Grab my hand! You can't die! Not here!" She told him.
"Sienna…" He still looked at her in shock. He had read the diary that she had left in that leather bag he had given to her years ago when he had taken it from Jeanne. Everything that he learned…that she had thought…was clear to him. She wanted Sephiroth. She had gotten Sephiroth.
But he still loved her.
Needed her.
He was never going to stop fighting for her. He didn't care if he had to be the third wing on her and Sephiroth's little group; he refused to give her up.
"Genesis! Please!" She cried out to him as more strands of the lifestream were reaching for him. "For me!"
With that, Genesis struggled against the strands, reaching for her hand. The lifestream fought back, trying to pull him further and further away, but it was strong enough. Not against him. Not while he was fighting to reach her.
With a final grunt, Genesis grasped Sienna's hand and she pulled him up with a tear infested smile. Clutching her to him as they floated in the dark abyss for the next few moments, he began to whisper to her.
"I refuse to give up," He told her. "No matter what."
Knowing what the man holding her meant, she couldn't help but smile. "I know you won't."
Genesis, despite the thoughts in the back of his mind, reached down to kiss her when a bright light went off and Sienna slipped from his arms.
The statue cracked in half and Genesis fell to his back. Calling out his name, Jeanne ran to the man in red, dropping both their swords. He didn't move and Zack stepped forward. He picked the man up in silence and began to carry him away.
Jeanne grabbed the swords again and followed. Sunlight was shining down from the cracked ceiling. The elevator had finally arrived by the time they made it back outside the room and the trip up it was silent.
By the last Banora tree, Claire and Cloud now sat in a set of wooden chairs with Lazard leaning against one and the motorcycle not to be seen.
Zack set Genesis against Claire's chair as Jeanne checked Lazard. He was bleeding.
"Shinra…attacked us." He gasped.
"Save your strength," Zack told him.
"I got some help…from him…over there." He pointed across the way.
It was the Angeal Copy that had been down with them in Aerith's Church. What was he doing here?
Zack moved forward and gasped. "It's you." He threw his hand over his mouth as Jeanne bit her lip. She went to stand and comfort Zack when Lazard's hand fell limp.
"Director!" She cried. Zack turned in shock and knelt beside her. She continued to hold the tears back as she stood and turned away. This was all Shinra's fault. All of it!
None of this would have happened if they hadn't tried to create stronger beings. They were already practically in control of the world, so why did they have to do what they did to Angeal and Genesis and Sienna and Sephiroth? Then nothing would have happened. None of the deaths, none of the village destructions, and certainly nothing that involved testing.
As she screamed inside her head, she moved to sit beside Genesis, his blade in the grass beside him. He still held Sienna's leather bag around his shoulders, but she didn't try to take it. Right now, she didn't want to read about some of the other horrible things that Shinra had done to her 'Mother' and 'Father' figures.
Zack had walked off to the tree and returned to place a dumbapple in the Strife Twins and Genesis' hands before handing another one to Jeanne. "Okay, let's eat!" He told them. "Sorry I'm not the real thing, but…" He sighed and took a bite.
"Is it good?" Jeanne looked at the man beside her with a small smile. He was okay!
Zack seemed surprised. "Yeah."
Jeanne turned to her own dumbapple and took a bite as well. The sweet juice that filled her mouth made her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed before chowing down some more. That apple was gone in moments.
"The gift of the Goddess…" Genesis chuckled at her.
"This apple?" Zack looked at it. Genesis shook his head with a small silent laugh. "Huh?"
"Angeal…the dream…came true." The man in red slowly said.
Wondering what he meant, Jeanne watched as Lazard's body faded into the lifestream. Zack was silent; watching as the other Angeal Copy dispersed was well. A letter was left behind and Jeanne scowled as Zack picked it up. She didn't need to be smart to know who it was from.
Aerith.
She sighed and shook her head though, trying to ignore the thoughts, and turned to Genesis. "Are you…going to be okay?" She asked him. He just gazed at her in silence, thinking. "Don't worry. We'll be leaving soon, and we'll get you to somewhere they can take care of you."
He shook his head. "No."
"What?" She asked in surprise.
"I…I don't think I'll be leaving Banora…anytime soon." He told her. Jeanne bit her lip, fighting more tears again. He watched her with a small, sad smile before pulling Sienna's bag off his shoulders. "Take it." Genesis held Sienna's bag out to her. "And my sword."
"Yo-your sword?" Jeanne asked in surprise.
He nodded. "Yes. I won't be needing it any longer."
"But, Genesis…" She sighed and took the bag before she opened it. jostling through the books, she pulled out an envelope and reached inside. She pulled one of the medallions out that Angeal had left behind for Sienna, and dropped the chair around Genesis' neck. He looked at her in surprise. "Sienna…Sienna would want you to have it." He smiled and reached an arm forward to pull her into a hug.
"Thank you." She hugged him back and then pulled away as Zack moved forward and picked Cloud up.
"Are you sure…that you want to stay here?" Jeannne asked him a final time as she stood.
"Yes. I…"
He didn't need to say anymore. She understood, and with that she picked up his red blade, pulled Claire to her feet, and the two of them moved after Zack, leaving their goodbyes in silence.
"This must be an important matter if they're sending the two of us."
"Hmph. Apparently the subject will become our new brother."
The Shinra helicopter landed in Banora later that night. Genesis still sat there in his spot against the chair. "Is that so?" Sienna's Medallion still hung around his neck. "But will he…accept his fate willingly?"
One of the men, young but with white hair, picked the man in red up carefully before heading back to the helicopter. The wind from the blades blew a sheet of paper by.
~Even if the Morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return ~
The Paper landed on the chair. Lifestream cords reached to it, writing more words on the half-filled sheet.
~To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies,
I offer thee this silent Sacrifice. ~
A black feather fluttered across the bottom of it, leaving one word.
~LOVELESS~