Chapter 36
Less than an hour later, I was startled awake as my phone rang. Mixed emotions exploded in my chest when I saw it was Sephiroth.
"What is it, what's wrong?"
"I...don't know where to start. We'll be returning immediately."
"You found them?"
"I did. I will fill you in when we return. There's no need for worry."
"Screw that, I'm worried."
"Sleep, I'll be there in the morning." with that, he hung up.
"What the hell is wrong with you, telling me not to worry after saying something like that!?" I scolded my phone.
I sat up all night, even when I knew the journey was long and he wouldn't be returning before first light of dawn.
By the time he did, I was sitting on my sofa, my knees folded under my chin, impatiently rocking back and forth.
When he opened the door, I fell off the couch in my haste to make it to him. I glanced up at him from the floor while he looked around the room, as if he was wondering what I was doing up.
"Really?" I asked him. "You actually need to wonder why I'm up?" I sprung up from the floor and attacked him. "You had me worried sick, you bastard!" I tried to punch his chest, but he simply held my wrists.
"I'm fine." he calmly replied.
"My world isn't all about you." I kicked him in the knee, continuing my assault.
"Eden, stop it. Stop it."
I calmed down a little, but I was still angry.
"Do you wish to know, or would you like to keep fighting me?"
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Speak" I demanded.
"Zack and Angeal did what they were meant to do. Overall, their mission was a succes."
"Overall?"
Zack got seperated from Angeal. I found Zack being attacked, so I stepped in. They were strong, perhaps too strong for him. When I removed their masks, I knew why."
He paused.
"Don't be dramatic, tell me."
"They were...Genesis copies."
"They were what now?"
"I realise it sounds crazy. You can ask Zack, if you want."
"Copies? As in, clones?"
"Or the like. I believe Genesis had been there not long before. Angeal...he has gone missing."
My anger was subsiding fast with this news and my eyes grew wide with panic. "Do you think Genesis killed him?"
"No. I believe Angeal has joined him and betrayed us as well."
I said nothing for a while, unable to comprehend why he would say such a ridiculous thing. At first, I thought he was joking, but his face remained the same.
"You're wrong, Angeal is our friend, he would never betray us!"
"That's what Zack said."
"Then he's right!"
"Eden..." Sephiroth sighed.
"How would you know? Maybe, yes, maybe, he deserted us, but turn against us? He would never."
"You once spoke of the labs below, of Hollander's lab and the things you saw in there. You said Genesis must have seen too, but he said nothing. What if...what if something happened to him down there, something that changed him. Something so incomprehensible he has chosen to betray Shinra itself? What if he told Angeal and he has chosen to do the same? Don't you think it is possible?"
I didn't answer, I couldn't answer. I sank down on the sofa and tried to keep my breathing under control.
"I don't understand..." I whispered. "What went wrong? Where did it go wrong?"
"The day Genesis got cut."
"So, by definition, the day I walked into the picture." I closed my eyes and burried my face in my hands.
"Don't cry, Eden."
"I'm not crying!" I snapped.
I could feel his discomfort radiating, he had no idea what to do. It wasn't my intention to make him feel like that, but this was all too much to take in. I took a deep breath and pushed down the tears that were forming in my eyes. If I would start crying, I would make this worse for Sephiroth. This wasn't his fault, he had tried, he came to me to tell me. But I realised something else. He probably came for help, for support and for comfort, and I sat here yelling at him. I wasn't being fair to him, he didn't deserve this. I sighed in defeat.
"Well, this is fucked up to say the least."
Sephiroth was staring at the floor somewhere around my feet, still unsure of what to say. I admired him for not running from the room.
"I'm sorry." I said to him and his eyes met mine.
I walked over to him slowly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell." I softly grabbed his arms.
"I understand." he said.
"Do you?"
He brought his arms up and wrapped them around my back. I lay my head against him, instantly feeling comforted, and hoping he was too.
"I seem to have a record of doing the same to you. Though, I don't yell."
I actually laughed at this, though dryly. "That wouldn't suit you at all. Do you have somewhere to be?"
"Not this morning."
"Can we please go to bed then? I'm really tired."
Now that the adrenaline was waning, I realised how tired I was. Then I thought I was being inconsiderate. Sephiroth had travelled for nearly twenty-four hours, had gotten into battle, and had lost one of his best friends in the same amount of time. On top of that, he came to me first, to tell me what had happened and to comfort me. And here I was, being a total selfish bitch.
"Sephiroth?"
"Hm"
"Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
"Not really."
"Are you sure?"
"You're not a housewife, Eden."
I chuckled softly. "You don't think I could be?"
He kissed my forehead softly. "I have no doubt. I appeciate the offer, but a warm bed is all I need now."
"Tell me if you want something."
"I'll make sure to let you know. Now, get to my bed."
"It's my bed." I threw myself down on it.
"It's our bed. Move"
I scooted over and was almost sleeping by the time he joined me. I felt him inspect my wound again before he pulled me to him and fell asleep even before I did.