Chapter 25: Chosen One
Something was different.
Kairi's eyes hung sharply on Genesis as he laid down on the examination table, his wing propped up on a cart pushed next to the slab as an extension of it. The protective ire and anger she felt spiked as Hojo stripped off the man's coat and began to poke and prod, attaching sensors, taking samples, it all reminded her of her own time here. Yet the feeling is worse, its so much worse than even her experiences, despite Hojo being 'gentle' again. Not gentle like he was in Wutai with the Empress, but gentle as in cautious and curious, not wanting to break his new specimen until he understood it. She felt the same possessive belonging she had for her children for Genesis, and she knew how dangerous Hojo was. If that bastard stepped even an inch out of line, she'd do more than the Turks did by blowing away his knee. She'd tear his spine out his throat if he DARED harmed what was HERS.
Yet somehow... it wasn't the same as her children, and she didn't understand why. He was a separate, different awareness. She was hyperaware of her cells, each little pulse, rippling and replicating within him. Spreading HER within HIM and making him more hers by the second until there would be nothing left in him that was not part of her. The euphoria of it was beyond bliss, heading into territory that covered the dirty words she'd hear in the cafeteria. She felt complete, whole, and despite how little sense it made, she reveled in it.
Mother was of course being pissy and not explaining anything. But that was alright, she had given up the right to have Genesis when she did nothing to help him. Kairi had earned this. So she'd figure it out herself...
She tensed when Genesis hissed.
"Oh do stop complaining," scolded Hojo, a scalpel in his hand as he made an incision into Genesis's shoulder under the wing, "You are exposed to far greater pain than this during training and on missions."
Genesis glared and Kairi joined in, a warning growl escaping her lips. Both of which the mad bastard ignored.
"Do you believe the mutation can be safely removed?" inquired Sephiroth from the doorway.
Hojo didn't immediately reply, poking and prodding, a line of blood slowly seeping down the table into a small puddle. When he did, his voice was curious, "Not without quite a bit of preparation and careful surgery if it were to be fully removed. Which would be counterproductive to his chosen profession, as I would have to take most of the shoulder muscle out with it, disabling the arm."
"Why?" asked Sephiroth.
"I don't believe this was actual caused by Specimen K," admitted Hojo, "All things considered, it is seamlessly merged with the rest of his shoulder muscles as if it is a natural part of his body. I suspect, this is a side effect of Hollander's work, and has grown with him his entire life until the stress of the moment caused it to become exposed."
There is hesitation on Genesis's face, for a moment, his eyes flicker to Kairi for some reason. "No longer term side effects if you just rip the wing off?"
"Aside that it may bleed all over my workstation?" inquired Hojo flatly, "We have no concept of what nerves it may be connected to. All things considered, since you are now infused with Specimen K's cells, it will likely just grow back unless it is completely and surgically removed, which, as I stated, will disable you. I suggest you best resign yourself to your new appendix and once you are medically cleared, learn to manage it."
Genesis sneered. "Oh yes, because walking around in broad daylight with a wing wont cause any issues."
"That, is not my problem," sniffed Hojo, "Besides, you can most likely learn to compact it and keep it under your shirt and coat."
Genesis wrinkled his nose, muttering to himself. Hojo continued to poke and prod for a few minutes, taking a few samples from the wing; feathers, muscle, fleshy samples, and then left the table to go to his equipment and began examining them.
"Not even going to close me up?" drawled Genesis.
Hojo waved a dismissive hand. "You have Specimen K's cells, you will heal on your own quickly enough."
"Was he like this with you?" asked Genesis sourly, looking at Kairi.
"Yes," she answered thinly, tone clipped.
"Right, right," he muttered before scowling, "One of you call Angeal and tell him to bring me a copy of LOVELESS in addition to the food down to read while we wait for the, 'good doctor', to finish."
That... made Kairi relax a bit. There was the LOVELESS loving Genesis that had been missing. She heard a sigh from Sephiroth, eyes flickering to the man as he fished out his phone and stepped into the hallway. Her eyes lingered on the door, the silver haired man's phantom grip on her throat. She had been... in an odd state while Genesis was integrating her cells, not taking him as seriously as she should have. Looking back... she ought to have been out of her mind terrified. Still though... she's pleased Sephiroth would kill for his friend. They are all family here, and family looks after their own.
She smiled a little, wondering about days long past: Would Sora or Riku have killed to save her?
Well, all things considered, back then all three of them would have been horrified by the thought of it.
But she hasn't been that little schoolgirl for a long while now.
She'd kill for her children.
She'd kill for Genesis.
Perhaps for Angeal and Sephiroth too.
Sometimes she missed those old days of innocence.
Other times she could only marvel at the family she had gained in exchange.
Both Angeal and Sephiroth walked in a minute later, the first carrying a bag of takeout; Genesis exclaimed, "Angeal my savior! You brought me actual food and not the cafeteria rubbish!"
Angeal snorted and walked over. "Well, you're in a fine mood."
"I feel better than I have in months," whined Genesis, fishing out the takeout and shoveling it down his throat.
"Yeah, because you fucking hid your wound the entire damn time," snarled Kairi.
Genesis winced, swallowing before answering, "Ah... I suppose that's true."
"You 'suppose'?" said Kairi thinly.
"Alright, I fucked up, are you happy apprentice?"
"Not even close."
Sephiroth cleared his throat. "I find myself in agreement. What exactly were you thinking at the time, Genesis? You know better than to let a wound go untreated like that. Degradation, from the brief description Hollander gave, worsens over time, not immediately, so a damaged thought process is not an excuse. If you had brought it immediately to our attention, and we discovered that it didn't heal even with a transfusion then and not only a month ago, this might have been dealt with without unnecessary complications."
Genesis looked uncomfortable, his wing curling a little off the examination table and to his side. He kept his silence, much to Sephiroth's irritation. "I asked you a question, SOLDIER."
"Its none of your damn business," snapped Genesis, sitting up, shoving away his uncomfortableness.
"Considering this almost delved into treason, from one of my SOLDIERs, regardless of illness, yes, it is my business," countered Sephiroth, eyes narrowing.
"I fucked up, alright? I kept it a secret because I know you, you'd whittle every single blasted detail out of me, and how I got the wound is too mortifying to even admit," spat Genesis.
Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose. "Pride Genesis?"
"Gods Gen," groaned Angeal.
Kairi says nothing because... something feels off about Genesis's answer. Its strange, with the connection to him, that she can feel the deception. There is some truth in it, but there is something far more important he's holding back. She keeps the thought to herself. She'll consider confronting him over it later, but... she's not sure he'll spill the beans to her.
"I didn't expect it to go this far!" exclaimed Genesis, "Everything just... just started going out of control after Hollander explained degradation to me, I didn't know about it at first!"
Sephiroth shakes his head. "You should have come to one of us, Genesis. This entire crisis to be was completely unnecessary, and is going to cause problems. I can argue with the President about the mental affects of degradation and hopefully get some leeway, but this is going to hang like a specter over you for quite some time. Not to mention the 'conversion' of SOLDIER processes is yet another issue from Kairi tacked onto the rest."
Kairi lifts her chin. "I saved him."
Sephiroth turns and narrows his eyes at her. "You took a dangerous risk with his life."
"There was no danger," she snapped back.
"Mmm, so you say," butted in Hojo, "But of the people here, I alone am the scientist with far more understanding of genetics and the SOLDIER process than anyone else, and as such, I agree that with my current knowledge and understanding, Sephiroth is right, there was a risk."
He adjusted his glasses. "However, it is more than apparent my current understanding is lacking. As I said earlier, your cells should not be able to do this. That was not part of your enhancement process. Unlike Hollander's reckless foolishness, I made sure there were no unwanted side effects with what was introduced to you."
Kairi frowns at him, head tilted when she hears Jenova's mocking laughter in the back of her mind.
"I do believe, Specimen K, that you owe an explanation," stated Hojo.
"Kairi," stressed Kairi, she's had years of this shit and its really, really grating, "My NAME is Kairi, NOT Specimen K."
Hojo says nothing, so Kairi merely crosses her arms and tilts her head up in defiance. She is DONE with this shit. "Which is more important to you, belittling and demeaning me, or getting information?"
"Sephiroth can order you to..."
"Sephiroth can go to hell," said Kairi flatly, eyes narrowing at the man in question.
Sephiroth just looked exasperated. "Professor Hojo, is a name truly that difficult to say?"
"She's not earned the right to one yet," snubbed Hojo.
"Keep it up you freak," said Kairi darkly, hate dripping off her tongue, "And we will see if Sephiroth is capable of stopping me from killing you."
Sephiroth's head turned sharply, eyes boring into her in warning.
Hojo doesn't particularly seem impressed by the threat. "My vote of confidence is towards my greater creation."
The annoyed exasperated look that Sephiroth gets is almost worth the stress of the moment. But not quite. "Sometimes, I really wonder why HE hasn't killed you."
"He's not worth the paperwork and the mess it would create," answered Sephiroth dryly, earning a huff from Hojo.
"Fine, Kairi," spat Hojo, "I can be generous and gift you acknowledgement just this once to sate my curiosity, how not only did your cells integrate with Hollander's failure, but overwrite the enhancement process used."
Kairi's head tilted down, a dark look crossed her features as the tilt of her head cast a shadow across part of her face. "Because I willed it."
There is silence for a moment before Sephiroth sounded out, "You, 'willed', it?"
"That's impossible," snapped out Hojo, "You are not capable of that, I made sure of this."
"When I first woke up here in a cage," spat Kairi, hostile, "Didn't you say my DNA was different then most people's? Wouldn't that mean what you introduced to me might react differently?"
Hojo paused, blinking a few times. "Hmm."
"Professor," began Sephiroth slowly, "You said that you 'made sure of this', that whatever subject you are dancing around that was introduced to her shouldn't grant her this ability, are you saying that it could have normally if you hadn't done so?"
There is sudden and intense focus from Mother in the back of Kairi's mind, a heavy tension. "My Son is far too intelligent for his own good."
Well... that's an odd reaction. She files the thought away with the rest of its kind.
Hojo's face becomes a mask. "Yes."
"What exactly is it that you enhanced us with?" posed Sephiroth.
"That, is above your clearance grade," cut off Hojo simply.
Sephiroth scowled. "Of course it is."
Hojo regarded Kairi for a long moment before moving to a drawer and pulling out a syringe. "I'm going to require more of Specimen K's blood to test. While I do so, please explain how you 'willed it'."
Kairi rolled her eyes and let him take a sample before focusing. "I felt that it would help him, I... I'm not sure how to explain it. When the thought of putting my blood in him to help him crossed my mind, I knew, surely and utterly, that I could fix the damage..." her voice changed, almost feverish, "That I could take him, mold him, make him like me, make him better..."
Make him mine...
Mine mine mine mine MINE, MAKE HIM MINE!
Kairi swallows back the words and crushes the urge to shudder in pleasure at the thoughts, shaking her head and clearing her throat. "It was..."
"Instinctual?" posed Hojo cautiously.
"Yeah, I guess," answered Kairi, "I cut my hand, let the blood flow into his wound, and I felt it. The same sensation I feel when my children are brought into the fold. But it was sickly, so I focused on what I felt, on the vileness inside Genesis, I just... willed my cells to multiply, spread, destroy the sickness and change him..."
"Are you saying," said Angeal with unease, distress, "That you can mentally control genetic manipulation, instinctively?"
"I guess...?" said Kairi, shrugging, "I don't have to focus when my daughters are enhanced, that just happens on its own. This felt... different."
"It would if you were consciously doing it," mused Hojo thoughtfully, "Well, I can't deny it I suppose. You shouldn't be able to, but you can. Most interesting."
"Most alarming," corrects Sephiroth thinly, holding up a finger at Kairi, "I will say this once, and only once, you are never to do this again. To 'infect' someone against their will..."
"I did not 'infect' anything," she snarled back, "I SAVED him! He agreed to it!"
"HE WASN'T MENTALLY SOUND ENOUGH TO MAKE THAT KIND OF AGREEMENT!" bellowed Sephiroth, making Kairi take a startled step back.
Oh man... he was pissed.
"Perhaps not then, but I am now," said Genesis, his voice irritable.
"Really?" said Sephiroth dryly, "And how do we know she isn't influencing you to say that? She's admitted to being mentally connected to her 'children'. Who is to say she can't control them? Control you?"
Genesis narrowed his eyes, a dangerous tone entering his voice, "Are you implying that I would allow someone to puppet me?"
Sephiroth raised a single eyebrow. "Hollander."
Genesis scowled. "That's not fair!"
"Life is unfair."
"Genesis," stressed Angeal, "I want to give you and her the benefit of the doubt, I really do, but are you sure you are not being influenced, even subconsciously?"
Genesis rolled his eyes and pointed upwards. "I feel more of the others than I do of Kairi. Its not that I don't feel her at all, and believe me, the sensation of being, 'connected', to others in the back of my head is startling and foreign enough as it is that I would know when it enters unwanted. From what I do feel of Kairi... I get a sense of... restraint."
"Restraint?" posed Sephiroth.
"A desire to reach out, I think," said Genesis, frowning, "Its hard to explain. I have a whiff of her... emotions I guess, and she is practically mentally bouncing like Angeal's puppy to 'connect' I guess."
Mine mine mine mine mine...
"She wont be able to control him against his will," interrupted Hojo, "Because the original testing of the... enhancement process, even before SOLDIER became a recognized program, showed that anyone with a powerful will would be able to at least struggle against any mental influence. If he were fighting for control of his mind, it would be readily apparent."
Sephiroth gives Hojo a distinctly uneasy look, and Kairi kind of agrees, what kind of sick and twisted experiments did Hojo DO to create SOLDIER? "I am not sure I ever wish to know the details of the origins of the SOLDIER program. There are far to many unsavory things you've implied since we've entered this room."
Hojo scoffs and moves to set up a microscope on a countertop, sliding in a sample of her blood with tender adoring care. "Morality has little place in the world of science, some sacrifices and lines must be crossed in the name of progress."
Kairi grumbled, a growl in the back of her throat. She hated when Hojo did that, treated her blood like it was some prized possession. She didn't want him to have it... she blinked when she felt an impulse in the back of her mind, gave into it, and let out a startled gasp as her blood literally jumped off the microscope, stretching like a bloody string. She reflexively raised a hand, and the blood compacted, yanking itself to her an absorbing into her skin. The entire room was silent, eyes wide in stupor.
"What the fuck, apprentice!" exclaimed Genesis.
Hojo whispered an awed, "Oh."
A maniacal grin spread across his face. "Hee hee hee haww. I was wrong. Wrong! It's not Reunion Theory OR Replication Theory. Its Reunion Theory AND Replication Theory!"
Kairi stared at him blankly, just a tad creeped out by that look.
He looked at Sephiroth, and then at Kairi. "Not just one perfection, but two!"
He smiled a twisted smile and practically rushed for a notepad on the countertop, furiously writing in it, dead to the outside world.
Mother sighed. "Idiot. Only now does he even begin to attain an inkling of what I made you."
"On speaking terms again are we mother dearest?" jabbed Kairi.
"I do believe the human phrase is 'no use crying of spilled milk'," mused Mother, "He is your Chosen One in far more than name now, I suppose I'll have to see what you make of him."
Kairi frowned a little, not certain what exactly she meant. Mother has never been particularly clear on what that phrased implied.
"Hojo's ramblings aside, what I said still stands, 2nd Class Kairi," said Sephiroth crossly, "You do not do this ever again without express permission, all other options considered beforehand. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir," she answered flatly.
They both turned when Genesis groaned with dismay. "Do they truly use this 'mental connection' to talk about 'boys'? Really?"
Kairi snickered. "Among other things."
Genesis shook his head before he froze, eyes widening, and then sinister delight crossed his face. "Kairi, my dearest apprentice, how do I use this connection to communicate? Perhaps I should 'enlighten' your children about LOVELESS's divine words. Nonestop. For hours on end. Every. Single. Day."
"Genesis, don't do that," said Kairi, trying to hold back a laugh, "You're going to make them all want to throttle you."
"No, wait, I think I've got it," said Genesis, eyes half closing.
"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess," began Genesis in the back of her head, drawing a startled yelp from many of Kairi's children.
Kairi facepalms. "Oh gods..."
Angeal snorts. "You brought it on yourself."
"Mooooom! Why and how is Genesis Rhapsodos preaching at us through the web?"
"Seriously, make him stop!"
"Can we blast music through the web somehow? That sounds like a good counter."
"Not if its your god awful country shit."
"Hey! Take that back, country is god's gift to humanity."
"No way, heavy metal or bust."
"If you find a way to blare that head banging garbage into our heads, I'm going to go to your room and strangle you."
Kairi cant stop herself from snickering. "Genesis, go easy on them."
"Fine, I'll compromise" answers Genesis before mentally challenging, "Every single time I hear you girls prattling about 'boys' I will read a verse. Don't want to hear LOVELESS? Don't burden me with your girlish fancies."
"Piss off asshat, this was a girl's only connection first!"
"Excuse me? Is that how you address a superior officer?" threatened Genesis.
"Rank doesn't matter here, mom's law. Since Kairi leads us, we go by her word far before we go by yours."
Genesis raised an eyebrow at Kairi. "Really?"
Kairi crossed her arms and raised her chin. "I like familiarity with my girls."
Genesis shakes his head. "You spoil them."
"Mother's prerogative," teased Kairi.
Genesis scoffed. "Really. And that doesn't bleed into the physical?"
"I've called out the girls the few times it does in public," admitted Kairi, "But they've learned that appearances have to be kept."
"Appearances on what?" asked Angeal, baffled.
"Kairi lets her girls get away with not going by rank to a superior office mentally," snitched Genesis.
"Tattle tale," chided Kairi.
"Well...," said Angeal slowly, gaze going back and forth between the two, "I kind of let Zack get away with that."
"Your puppy would do that anyway, even if you tried to discipline him," said Genesis, deadpan.
Angeal smiled sheepishly. "Maybe."
"If you all are done making a mockery of my lab...?" posed Hojo sourly, "Begone."
"Nope," said Kairi, "So long as Genesis is in here, I'm not going anywhere. Everyone here knows better than to leave someone alone with you."
Hojo scoffed. "You would feel if I did anything."
"Don't care," answered Kairi cheerfully.
Sephiroth made a clicking noise with his tongue. "Is there anything in particular you require from any of us, Professor? Or that you do, Genesis?"
"My spare coat, and some spare clothes," answered Genesis immediately, "My shoulder is sticky with blood and puss, I want to shower and change."
"Noted," said Sephiroth, glancing at Hojo.
Hojo frowned a little. "Fine fine, the boy can get cleaned off, there is a station to wash in further down the hall to the right. As for necessity, I may wish to have Specimen K test a few things with the connection."
Kairi narrowed her eyes. "Such as?"
"What happens if you do actually reach out to him mentally," answered Hojo, "Have you done so with the others?"
"I've offered feelings before," answered Kairi, not quite sure she understands, "Amusement for jokes, comfort if they're having a hard time, that kind of thing."
Hojo shakes his head. "That is mere trappings, I am talking about what happens if you brush your mind against his, or attempt to actually enter."
Kairi frowns intently. "Why would I do that?"
"Why wouldn't you?"
"I try to give my daughters what privacy I can through the mental web," said Kairi, "And I've never even thought of trying to go in one of their heads, couldn't that be dangerous?"
Hojo didn't seem to care. "Your point? You have plenty of spares."
Kairi narrowed her eyes, teeth bared, possessive protectiveness flaring dangerously, hate filling her so deeply and fully, her hands itching for her blade, lightning from her bolt materia cackling down her arm, a growl deep in her throat before she bit out, "Unlike you, you sick psychopathic freak, I am not careless with life, especially my family. I'm not going to risk their lives to sate your mad curiosity. If you ever threaten my family, if any of them ever go missing, I will hunt you down and rip your spine out through your throat."
Hojo went still and silent, no fear on his face, but due caution.
Sephiroth cleared his throat. "Angeal, help Genesis to the showers, Kairi, you're with me. Hojo, think before you speak and get your throat torn out."
Kairi eyed Hojo with predatory intent, a snarl on her face and a growl of warning in her throat before she turned and followed Sephiroth out. They remained silent until they reached the elevator and punched in the SOLDIER floor.
Sephiroth crossed his arms, leaning against the elevator to stare at her intently. "I am going to make my thoughts and intentions clear, Kairi. I think you are dangerous and unstable. If it were up to me, your half of the SOLDIER program would never have gone forward, and if it were not for Genesis and the President, I would have you removed from the program, either permanently whether it be death or allowed retirement, or temporarily for extreme psychiatric help."
Kairi narrowed her eyes at him.
He didn't give her a chance to respond. "I do not entirely blame you, I grew up in Hojo's labs," he said with distaste, "I know what they are like, even worse if you were not previously prepared and conditioned to experience them as I was. This whole issue would never have come about had Shinra had a speck of decency and morality as to not pluck a schoolgirl of all things off the street to give to the mad scientist to experiment on. Which is realistically small on the scale of atrocities Shinra has committed."
Kairi held her tongue and her fury back for a long minute, considering how to respond. He kept his silence to her of his opinion up until Genesis had been 'endangered' as he believed. Perhaps that then was the point to be used in her favor. "What would have happened, Sephiroth, if I hadn't been here to heal him? If I hadn't been here to rescue him from Hollander's schemes? He sure as hell wasn't going to go to either you or Angeal, so what would have happened?"
Sephiroth's lips tighten, the leather of his gloves crinkling as he clenched his fists.
"I tell you what would have happened," said Kairi thinly, jabbing a finger at him, "Genesis would have left Shinra and caused who knows what kind of damage, and you would have been put to the test, to see if you truly meant what you said in Wutai."
"I meant every word," snapped Sephiroth.
"Then Shinra would have kept sending people to their deaths against Genesis, or until his degradation got to the point where someone could kill him," she snapped right back, "I saved him Sephrioth, in more ways than one. I never, not once, had any intention of harming him."
Sephiroth nostrils before he closed his eyes, letting out a frustrated breath, and opened them. "Intention is not my concern. Kairi, both you and Genesis have the tendency to act without thinking of any repercussions or consequences, leaping before you look. Pairing you two together as Master and Apprentice only enlarged this issue. You should have come to me before you did this, we should have looked at every possible angle..."
Kairi let out a sharp laugh. "Sephiroth, you know Genesis. How long do you think he would have allowed himself to be poked and prodded in a lab with his mind slowly deteriorating?"
"He wouldn't be the first to have been confined for his own safety and others."
"Unless you specifically sat on him twenty-four-seven, all it would have taken would be one lapse and he would have blown his way out of Shinra," she chided, "And he sure as hell wouldn't have forgiven any of us for keeping him in the labs as a science experiment for Hojo to toy with, one way or another we would have lost him."
"I had already made it clear to Hojo," said Sephiroth thinly, "That if he had overstepped his bounds with Genesis, I would kill him."
That stops Kairi short for a moment, eyes widening with surprise and then pure delight, she instantly forgives his earlier words in favor of these words. "I think you and Genesis really need to sit down and actually talk, Sephiroth, like you said you would after Wutai. Because I don't think Genesis knows you'd do that for him. Refuse a mission to kill him, maybe, but defy the company and kill Hojo to protect him? No."
Sephiroth closed his eyes for a long moment, a sigh escaping his lips. "I find that letting Genesis know such things tends to make him more reckless, and for the record, I have been defying the company for Genesis for a very long time. Well before you arrived. Do you have any concept of the amount of trouble Genesis causes? How much Angeal and I have to smooth over?"
Kairi smiled fondly. "I can guess."
Sephiroth rubs his face tiredly as the elevator dings open. He levels his gaze at her, and then surprises her. "Will you protect him and look out for him as you would your 'daughters'?"
"I'd die for him, I'd die for any of them," said Kairi without hesitation before jabbing, "That includes you and Angeal too, you dolt."
That gets a raised eyebrow out of him. "Why the two of us?"
"I've... always felt something, a connection of sorts, a pull, towards you, Angeal, and Genesis, I've been able to feel your presence at a distance," admitted Kairi, "You are family, not as my daughters are, but still family."
She peers at him, wondering if he will answer honestly. "Do you feel it as well?"
Sephiroth frowns, saying nothing for a long moment, considering her, before he nods. "I do, to you, Genesis, and Angeal."
He sighs. "I've never particularly given what Hojo did to me any serious consideration outside of being 'enhanced', but, both what he's done to you, and his rant down in the labs makes me rather concerned that what he did is something far more than simple 'enhancement'. This connection is not natural."
He looked away for a long moment, down the hall, his voice quiet, "I'm not sure either of us are quite human. Because I won't deny that I do feel some possessiveness to my SOLDIERs, and my friends, though not nearly at the level you do."
Kairi is... surprised and touched that he'd admit that to her, but still, she's been okay with not being exactly human for awhile now. She's not conflicted anymore, as she was on the ship to Wutai. She's 'mostly' human, hopefully, she seems that way anyway, so she merely shrugged. "Humanity is in actions, not genetics. Can you look me in the eye and say Hojo is human? He's more a monster than anything and anyone I've ever met."
Sephiroth huffed, shoulders relaxing, a twitch of a smile on his lips. "Fair point. Come, we should fetch Genesis's garments, can't have him fretting about like a wet cat."
Kairi grins at that. "Perish the thought."
They make it down the hall before one of Kairi's children rounds the corner and spots them; Jessie gives Sephiroth a brief salute before looking at Kairi. "Mom, are we going to get a real explanation anytime soon on why Genesis fricken Rhapsodos is preaching Loveless down the web? I'm pretty sure he's singing Loveless in a shower right now."
Kairi snickers briefly when she should be scolding her for the familiarity in front of a superior office, but lets it drop. "In a day or two hopefully, the whole thing is... a mess at the moment."
She glances briefly at Sephiroth, the man nods in agreement. "Ideally this wouldn't have gone beyond those directly involved, but since he is now... mentally entwined... something will be given as an explanation."
Jessie looks a bit impatient, bouncing on the soles of her feet like a... well, like the impatient teenager she is.
"If that is all...?" ventures Sephiroth.
Jessie steps aside, and the pair passes.
Sephiroth sighs once they reach and enter Genesis's apartment. "Your mental web makes 'Need to Know' and 'Classified Material' an extreme irritation to manage."
"Well, Genesis did kind of announce himself to the web," said Kairi cheekily.
"My point exactly from earlier," said Sephiroth, exasperated yet fond, "Another mess of Genesis's. He should have kept his presence quiet until a decision could be reached on how to handle it."
"Mmm, well, you can't really hide your presence in the web, they kinda felt him the moment it happened, they just didn't know who exactly it was at first," said Kairi.
He shakes his head and moves to grab what they need. However, a question comes to Kairi's mind just before Sephiroth can open the door. "You, me, and Genesis were experimented on, but what about Angeal?"
Sephiroth's hand freezes on the doorknob.
"We feel connected to him too," pointed out Kairi.
"There is a possibility," said Sephiroth, a deep frown spreading across his face, "While Hollander did not mention Angeal when questioned, Hojo has distastefully called both Angeal and Genesis 'Hollander's Failures' before."
Sephiroth lets go of the doorknob and turns to give Kairi a look of warning. "Do not discuss this with Angeal."
She crosses her arms. "Its bound to occur to him sooner or later."
"And I agree, he's not stupid, just focused on Genesis," said Sephiroth, "But I need to handle this in a careful manner. Angeal is carrying on strong for Genesis at the moment, but once this situation winds down, he will not be in a pleasant state over what was done to his friend. Another blow on top of this..."
He shakes his head and levels his gaze firmly on her. "I will say it again, let me manage Angeal. Especially if he also suffers from degradation, that will be dealt with through..."
"I never felt it in him," she cuts in.
Sephiroth closes his eyes, a level of tension fleeing his shoulders. "Good."
"I won't speak of it to Angeal, for the moment," she said, watching his eyes narrow, "But don't hide this from him for to long, the more time this is given to fester, the worse it may get."
"Time to see how Genesis settles, time to do a bit of digging and perhaps interrogating Hollander, then time to formulate a strategy of how to approach and disclose it to Angeal," agreed Sephiroth.
Kairi nodded in agreement, and they left to return to the labs. They went to the showers first, Angeal pausing his soft talks through the door before taking the clothing, shoving them through, Genesis exclaiming "Finally! What took you two so long?"
"The elevator took its time," answered Sephiroth smoothly.
Genesis huffed through the door and emerged a minute later, making a face of distaste. "Must I remain in the labs? The unpleasantness of the healing have mostly faded."
"For a night at least," shot down Sephiroth, "Hojo will need to look for unfortunate side effects, and you need to learn how to manage your... new limb."
Genesis rolled his eyes and flex his wing, and Kairi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at how fricken huge it was compared to Genesis. "I swear that things longer than you are tall."
Genesis hums and glances back. "I suppose it would have to be in order to actually fly with."
Angeal scoffed. "With only one wing?"
Genesis grinned. "I think I can counterbalance it with a bit of magic, not to mention a float materia. Airborne combat will certainly be interesting."
Sephiroth points a finger at him. "No."
"Why not?!" whines Genesis.
"Publicity," answered Sephiroth, "Were you not complaining to Hojo about issues with the public?"
Genesis shrugged, compacting his wing, and strolled pass, not-so-subtly waking Sephiroth with it as he went. "I suppose."
"He's enjoying himself to much," said Kairi.
"He certainly bounced back quick," said Angeal with a stressed chuckle.
"Better than not at all," says Kairi as she moves to follow.
They re-enter the labs, and Genesis goes to sit on the table, crossing his arms and glancing at Hojo who has his nose looking down at microscope. "So, good doctor... any news?"
"You left the room less than half an hour ago," answered Hojo dryly, "I am the best in my field, but I'm not that quick."
He does break away though, turning to look at Genesis in consideration, and then Kairi. "I still believe we should test what happens if you brush minds."
Kairi gave him an annoyed look. "Why?"
"Better it happen in a controlled environment than elsewhere, hmm?" he poses.
"I haven't had any 'accidents' with my daughters," she countered.
Hojo smiles. Its creepy as fuck. "Its merely a matter of time."
Kairi crosses her arms, lips pursed, eyes narrowed. "And you're merely suggesting this so we learn to 'control what happens' if anything at all does? No secret purposes?"
"Oh no, far from it," answered Hojo, "I have several theories ridding off of what happens, I cannot say which however, that would bias the experiment."
Kairi exhales through her nose. "No..."
"Fine."
She blinks at Genesis. "Why would you go along with this?"
He looks at her with an awkward hesitance. "Well... I do not wish to bring up a... unpleasant memory, but... while you have not had any further episodes, if by chance you do I would not like to be effected."
Kairi closes her eyes and grinds her teeth. Was she never going to be free of that madness stigma? Dammit Mother...
Speaking of which. "Mother, is there anything about this I should know?"
She frowns when Mother does not respond. She can feel her watching... but she frustratingly keeps her silence; Kairi opens her eyes and snaps out, "Fine."
Hojo has his notebook out in a split second. "If you would please elaborate and describe upon how you go about doing so...? You've never particularly described your mental web to me before."
"I don't have any interest in doing so," she snubbed, "The less you know about it, the better."
Hojo narrows his eyes at her.
Kairi raised a mocking eyebrow.
"Connect then," said Hojo thinly.
Kairi sighs and glances at Genesis, who shrugs at her, so she reaches out to touch his mind...
"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?"
"Could be, we'll never know by staying here."
"But how far could a raft take us?"
"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."
"So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?"
"Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So... we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"
"I don't know."
"Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."
"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?"
"Thanks to you."
"If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks."
"Heh... you're welcome."
"So Angeal, how long do you think it will take us to reach the top? If we had to make bets."
"Bit ahead of yourself there Gen, we haven't even entered the Cadet Program yet."
"Oh please, we're the best and the brightest. We'll show up the rest, climb the ladder, and prove ourselves the hero!"
"If you say so Gen."
"Pah, yee of little faith."
"Genesis, we're not even leaving Banora for another year until we hit the age requirement."
"Spoiler of dreams! Ruination by cruel harsh truths!"
"You are so a melodrama."
"Am not!"
"And so whiny too..."
"Angeal! You wound me!"
"Just... don't get your hopes up to high Gen."
"...do you really not think we'll do well?"
"Its not that, its just... the higher you leap, the more you have to fall. If we have to high expectations and it all falls flat... I remember that meltdown when you got snubbed for the lead role in that play..."
"That was years ago, Angeal! I was eight! A child!"
"Hmm..."
"Whats with that look?"
"You're kind of still a child..."
"Hey!"
"Hahahahah."
"Wait till I get my hands on you... GET BACK HERE ANGEAL!"
They looked out through twin eyes at eachother, taking in duel perspective as their minds tumbled together, memories starting to spill and slide together, holding their hands up to their face in mirrored motions, and screamed.
"Gods!" exclaimed Angeal, startling and tensing.
Sephiroth had a hand instinctively to his blade, his-her foolish brother always ready to whet his blade on someon-because he cared and was afraid for them.
He-she raised their shaking hands to their heads, trembling in confusion as they stared at one another.
"What the fuck?"
The words came from both mouths at the same time, in the same tone, but from two different voices.
Sephiroth stared wide eyed at the female body. "...Genesis?"
Both heads turned to stare at him. "This is the last time I ever agree to do anything that freak tells me to."
It sends a shudder down their spines as the words spill from both of their mouths. Its terrifying... but so exhilarating... it feels... good... the connection... its starting to spill together... to become... become something...
Become One.
They shiver again.
"Break it, now," snaps Sephiroth, "This connection, break it, now."
They blink at him. Do they want to?
They frown and think. Examining themselves for a moment, the duel touch, the echo of two-as-one, the presence of two different bodies but one mind-not one-two-becoming-one...
"NOW!"
They huff and cross their arms. "Come now Sephiroth, you always try to hold yourself to such exacting and controlled standards. Having a fit is hardly becoming of you."
Sephiroth narrows his eyes and makes to point an accusing finger before blinking, his finger wavering back and forth between their bodies before a pinched expression crosses his face. "Don't you start Genesis, you both just screamed bloody murder and are speaking out of eachother's bodies."
"Well I... we... I..."
They falter, confusion rippling between them. Were they an I or a we?
"Gods Gen, please," stressed Angeal, real fear in his voice, "You are freaking me out."
That makes them falter more. They like this... but not at their brother's expense.
"We're... not sure how," they admit.
Sephiroth took in a deep breath and let it out. "Kairi, you initiated it, did you not? I imagine you have to end it."
K... Kairi?
They blink at him in confusion. "We're... I'm not... I am..."
They were... Kairi, but... Genesis... they weren't... he certainly wasn't a girl...
They twitched, feeling a drift in their presence, a sudden nonalignment, their bodies not moving quite in sink. "We..."
Their voices not quite matching...
"I..."
Kairi yelped and jolted, collapsing to her knees, hugging her arms to her chest and taking in deep, ragged breaths. "H... holy... fuck..."
Genesis groaned, collapsing backwards onto the examination table. "Well... that was an experience."
He wrinkles his nose and glances at Kairi. "That Riku boy needed his ass kick."
Kairi lets out a startled laugh before it registers just what he meant. "Y...you saw..."
"You didn't?"
She snickers, glancing at Angeal. "He is such a melodrama, that episode when he was eight..."
"HEY!" shouts Genesis, sitting upright and glaring at her, "None of that!"
Angeal just gapes at the both of them before looking at Sephiroth. "...are the two of them real?"
Sephiroth sighs heavily. "Unfortunately."
Kairi snickers again before glaring, "And hey! Riku was my friend!"
"Still didn't mean he wasn't an arrogant little shit," said Genesis, wrinkling his nose, "Could be a lot better if he pulled the arrogance-stick out of his ass."
Kairi huffed. "It only really started the last year or so."
Genesis flapped his hands. "Teenage drama, ugh. At least that Sora boy was a little better, even if he was an absolute dork."
Kairi doesn't exactly deny that, just cools her glare. "It's wrong to speak ill of the dead."
That makes him wince. "Right, sorry."
Hojo clears his throat. "If we could get back on track...? I want you to detail..."
"Nope," interrupts Genesis in deadly-cheer, "Because I got a first hand taste of some of her time in your tender-loving-care, and if you ask me to play anymore nice with you than I am right now, I will gut you with a smile on my face."
The room goes intensely silent, and Kairi's face pales. Oh no... no no no... she didn't want anyone to know any of that... let alone experience it through her...
"If you ever lay a hand on my apprentice again for your sick experiments," whispers Genesis menacingly, "May the Goddess have mercy on your soul because you will die."
Hojo hums, not particularly threatened. "Specimen K had been threatening to kill me since months into her testing."
"And you just keep pushing it, don't you?" snapped Genesis.
"Enough!" ordered Sephiroth.
They go silent.
Sephiroth gives a very tired sigh. "We will return here in the morning. For now, Kairi and Genesis will be returning to their respective rooms..."
"He has to stay for observation!" exclaimed Hojo.
Sephiroth glared at him. "Professor, do not push this more than you already have. You should have left it rather than press for this... 'mental connection test'. They are returning to their rooms to rest and recover, for their own safety, and yours."
Hojo scoffed and waved a hand. "Get out then, I have much to think upon and theorize."
Kairi needs no second nudge, she's the first out the damn door. She does wait to grab Genesis's arm when he walks out. "Don't."
He pauses to look at her. "Don't what?"
Kairi doesn't care that much about him knowing her time in the Experiment Room fighting monsters, even as terrifying as it was and embarrassing as her early blunders were. No, she's much more worried that he might have caught glimpses of Hojo's... other specific testing. There are things that happened in that one year she does not ever want to think about again. That she keeps pushed down deep and tries to forget-forget-forget. That make the Experiment Room the safe room, because kill or be killed is preferred compared too... too...
"Don't ever... d-dont you ever speak of what you saw," she says, swallowing thickly, "And whatever you saw when I... when I was his experiment, I don't want to know."
She is aware of Angeal and Sephiroth staring at them pensively. Genesis shows nothing in his gaze, and she feels a complete stillness in the emotions from him in the web. Perfect control. He gives a slow nod, and turns away, walking down the hall as if they hadn't stopped at all, topic dropped instantly and hopefully never brought up again. She lets out a shaky breath, feels tears that she hasn't had for so long now ready to run down her face. She holds them back though, she wont let them fall here. She wont let them fall at all until she's sure it wont spell into the mental web.
A web that is rather quiet now that she thinks about it. There is a sense of confusion and unease spread throughout all of her children. She doesn't know if they saw anything, they weren't directly connected as she and Genesis had been, but... whatever happened must have caused some kind of reaction down the web. She doesn't want to know, because she is never doing that again. It may have been blissful when it was happening, but she is never inflicting what she experienced on someone again. Never violating the sanctity of sense-of-self, because...
She swallows back the thought until she is alone in her room.
...because there hadn't been a Genesis or a Kairi anymore for those few moments, if they hadn't managed to pull apart, they'd have been gone, consumed into one another, become something... else...
Review Responses:
Jimbo: I've never played any Fire Emblem game, can't write fanfiction for it.
CrazyQuilava: Daw'', thanks. I 'try' to go for unique, unused stories, not that these ideas haven't been done before in some way-shape-form, but in the how and the who and method of it. There are dozens of different Cloud Time Travel fanfiction for example, but none for Aerith as the main character that I had read before I started A Flower's Touch. And for crossovers, Final Fantasy crossovers with Kingdom Hearts tends to stick to the KH universe, some other setting, or its just follow the script with KH-inserts along for the ride to my knowledge.
Unplanner: Mmm... not sure how much you want me to spoil or not, your guess is pretty accurate to be fair in regards to your Chapter 18 response. They are in essence the same kind of being now, Jenova directly admits this. But there are some big key differences: One is experience, Jenova is MUCH more experienced in what it means to be a Calamity, while Kairi is basically stumbling into it. Two, Jenova has eaten entire worlds, consumed countless souls into herself, her collective, Kairi has not. Kairi's children still exist as separate but connected entities, not as a part of herself.
Kairi's self-illusion of humanity is less about all of those cells being in her/other's body, and more about her not having been forced to shed that form yet. Jenova has the potential to recreate herself from a single cell, Kairi hasn't been driven close to that state. She'd never been 'reduced to cells', to adopt a full-fledged network rather than based off of her core body. She might never be considering her hyper-regeneration. Kairi has almost no understanding of what she is. Jenova is HEAVILY taking advantage of that. Jenova has no intention of 'corrupting' Kairi, not in the way you are thinking. Jenova limits Kairi's understanding, because if Kairi understood exactly what she was, then she would be a rival. Jenova wants to eat her. Consume her soul and mind, and take Kairi's body for her own. She already tried once, but Minerva intervened. There is also the point of Kairi being from a different reality/realm, plus being a Princess of Heart, she is the same type of being as Jenova now, but with very key differences...
To the chapter 4 response: The funny, sad, and dangerous thing is, Jenova is currently the only character in the story that has any real clue about Kairi's power of light. Kairi has no real idea, just a few offhand mentions Jenova gave her. Genesis got a blunt front row seat to it when he fought Jenova-Kairi, but he doesn't truely understand the significance of the power.
SnowTrue: These Final Fantasy Characters are not the same as their KH counterparts. I have my own darker headcannon thoughts on how and why cannon-wise Kingdom Hearts could be explained to have those characters, but... the worlds nearly all died and fell into darkness at the end of the Keyblade War, so if the Realm of Kingdom Hearts needed to be a little parasitical and leech from other realities to prop itself up... well... that's my own view on it. The KH-FF characters are recreations of them, their own beings.
OmegusXIII: You are free to write what you want. I can't claim Kairi & Jenova anymore than any single fanfiction writer can claim Cloud & Timetravel. So long as its not a carbon copy anyway. I'm aware about KHIII, I own it, played a bit... but stopped before I finished and consider it a waste for buying the PS4 just for this. I admit that I outright lost interest in it, KHIII was kind of a let down to me. Not to mention charging 30$ for a DLC to clean up their own story? Meh... I'll youtube a playthrough of it if I can find the interest.
Grima0912: Genesis is to Kairi as Sephiroth is to Jenova, technically. But Kairi has no idea what a Chosen One is to a Calamity, their prime 'tool', and Kairi does not her children or those with her cells as Tools. Kairi also doesn't have the personality of a manipulative/malicious/parasitical/psychopathic/sociopathic Cosmic Horror. She has the potential to become one, but she is not one as of the moment. Their connection will be deeper, and will slowly draw them closer, (there is a reason the tags are [Kairi, Genesis] after all), but that wont come up in full until the end of Book 1, into Book two. Genesis is actually not that old, he's only a few years older than her, but yeah, not a son.
Everyone else, thanks for the reviews.