Genesis lifted up his head and groaned that he had fallen asleep while sitting up on his couch fully dressed while holding onto his cellphone and waiting long into the night for Aerith to acknowledge his text. Okay it hadn't been much of a text, he just conveyed his apologies for leaving so abruptly as he had, said he was sorry for her loss and for her to take as much time off as she needed.

He rubbed his sore neck and silently cursed that he had sunk so low where he was acting like a teenaged girl waiting for her crush to call as she stared at her cellphone. Of course Aerith wouldn't get in touch with him, her fiancée had just died, she had much more important things to worry about than Genesis.

He got up and removed his rumpled clothes and took a shower. He got into a pair of lounge pant, expecting to hear the tap of Aerith's shoes as she let herself into his house and moved around the kitchen while softly humming to herself, then he remembered, she wasn't coming over. This thought made him feel a little lonely and he cursed himself for this. He was perfectly capable of taking care of his own self, he was a grown man after all. He brewed himself coffee and opened his cupboard to get his favourite mug out and frowned that it was beside the teacup she drank from when they ate together. He opened the fridge to find it well stocked with fruit and could see her apron hanging on its usual hook. Was the woman haunting his life? He sighed and decided to have some toast and go workout seeing how it was so early. He had to deal with his frustration some way and that seemed like the best option.

He paused when he looked at the flowers in the middle of table. Aerith brought them from her garden once a week, the first time she had done so, he had asked her why. Certainly he wasn't a woman who needed to be romanced. She had just explained that she noticed he liked beautiful things and what was more beautiful then flowers? Somehow she had found a cut glass vase amongst his possessions and filled it with sweet smelling blooms once a week that seem to last a long time. The ones in the vase were some sort of lily as far he could tell, their delicate looking furled petals suddenly reminded him of Aerith.

He sighed that all of his thoughts seemed to lead back to her. So many little things she did for him. Then he smiled in memory when he had asked her what sort of flower he would be if he were one, he had expected her to say a rose. But she had said a poppy. He had felt rather insulted to be thought of as a common red weed. But she had explained they are hardy and beautiful and deadly if not used correctly because they contain opiates that could be used in a beneficial way, but were terribly addictive.

He quickly ate, got ready for his day and grabbed his gym bag.

He decided against the virtual reality room in favour of using the actual gym and got into a t-shirt and shorts, he grabbed a towel and went to the cardio room and began climbing on the elliptical machine. There seemed to be only one other person there, a woman wearing a shorts and a sports cami who seemed to be aggressively practicing martial arts with a practice dummy. He found his eyes scanning he slender but curvy figure. He long, light brown ponytail whipped as she pounded at the dummy with her arms and legs in an erratic fashion as if her life depended on it. She seemed really angry as she attempted to pulverize the wooden dummy. He found himself growing rather apprehensive about her behaviour, not that he feared her but she was acting like a mad woman. Then he caught sight of her bleeding knuckles and felt he had to intervene before she hurt herself further.

He turned off the machine "Miss, are you okay?" He asked her and she whipped around and he flinched back to find himself staring at Aerith, her eyes were wild. "Aerith what are you doing here? You should be at home" he said.

"Not you too, why does everyone feel they need to control me? Just let me work out" she insisted and turned back to face the dummy.

But he seized her slender wrist and turned her around. "You have to stop, you could break your knuckles" he insisted and caught her other hand as it struck out at him and she snarled at him like a trapped animal and started struggling against him and then burst into tears. He didn't know what to do at first, having never comforted a woman before and then pulled her against him. She sobbed against him as her hands fisted into his t-shirt, getting blood on it and he didn't care as he stroked her back and hair.

"What are you doing?" He finally asked her when she leaned back from his embrace.

"Why did the Goddess take him and not me?" She said in a hoarse voice.

"I don't know" he said, "go get changed, we'll put something on your knuckles and then I'll take you home" he said.

It was a numb girl that he took to his office wearing one of her usual outfit. She didn't even seem to notice as he gently washed the blood from her split knuckles, sitting her down on his couch he meticulously applied the ointment they had given him at the gym.

"Do you want to call your mother?" He asked her.

"No she will just tell me what to do. I just want to live my own life. Fuck the Goddess" she sneered. "I loved him and now he's dead. Do you hear me? I loved him, not..." she snapped and blanched and went silent. Genesis could only wonder why she said that to him and then she started weeping again, "lost, I'm so lost" she moaned. He gathered her to him and then wondered why she went silent in his arms and realized she was asleep. He gently arranged her on his couch so she was lying down and took off his trench and draped it over her.

He stepped out in the hallway to explain to her mother that she was with him and he would bring her home when she woke up. He got back into his office and rubbed his bare arms, feeling exposed now that he wasn't wearing his trench. He hadn't had his arms bare at Shinra since he was a SOLDIER 3rd class and didn't like it. He had fought tooth and nail to get where he was but no matter what he did, Sephiroth always seemed to do better then him.

Yes he knew his uniform was purely symbolic and protected against so little but he felt better when he wore it. Yet he couldn't take his jacket from Aerith, she needed what little he could give her or would be allowed to.

He tried to distract himself with paperwork but found his eyes drifting back to her like he was a nanny and she his young charge. She moaned in her sleep and suddenly he found himself beside her and stroking her face in a way he never had before, he was much more used to sexual touches. She nuzzled her cheek into his fingers and said his name.

Aerith could only lie on her bed after the funeral while her head spun from confusion and lack of sleep, she was only able to sleep in fits and would wake up to the knowledge that Zack was gone. She would never gaze on his smile again, never touch him and never kiss him. Why had the Goddess allowed this to happen? Zack was a decent man who had never hurt anyone. She was angry most of all, the same anger that had driven her to the gym that day. She was angry at the Goddess for testing her, she was angry at herself for allowing religion to dictate how she live and she was angry at Zack for putting himself in danger so much.

They had met through Vincent and Tifa, who had felt they would get along perfectly together as they were the same faith and he was looking for a wife. Sparks had flown between them the second they met and Aerith knew in her heart that Zack was the soul mate the Goddess had intended for her.

Although they both followed the same religion, her sect. The Church of the Goddess was more strict when it came to the teachings of the Goddess, her body had been pledged to the Goddess to be given only to the husband she had blessed her with.

Zack's sect was more elementary based, The Reformed Church of the Goddess and relaxed where members were allowed to have physical relations with a person as long as you were in love with them, their members could date and even live together outside of holy wedlock.

She and Zack had gone on many chaperoned dates before being left partially alone in another room by her mother so they could physically express themselves in harmless ways, like kissing.

It wasn't long before Zack gave her an engagement ring and told her he was willing to wait until marriage because he was in love with her. So waited she had while he went from one assignment to the next, endlessly taking personal risks that made her beg him to stop when she saw him only about three to four times a year and only for a few days at a time.

"Don't worry about me, the Goddess will always protect me because I have you to come home to" he promised her and kissed her worries away. Yet she did worry, she wanted Zack to come home, to set a date and take a permanent job close to them. He could have taken his pick when it came to job offers, but loved being in the dangerous fields his work put him into. He was fearless and seemed to thrive when his life was in danger. He would be home soon, he would promise in his various emails, texts and phone calls. Soon he would come home and they would marry; but there was always another assignment to cover.

One year turned into three and Tifa and Vincent moved into together, deciding to marry after Tifa was finished getting her nursing degree. Aerith knew that there was no religious barrier to prevent them doing this and supported them in their decision, while she was so alone in her own relationship.

However, now Zack was dead and she was neither a bride nor a widow or had ever made love to him. Suddenly she hated the Goddess and all that she had been taught since a young child. "Why did you take Zack? There are so many awful people in the world? I hate you, from now on I shall do whatever I like" she shouted at the ceiling and then buried her head in her pillow to weep for what never was and never would be.

She sat up and removed her engagement ring and realized that at the age of twenty two, she hadn't done half the stuff women her age had done, she had never dated a bad boy, she had never flirted to her knowledge, she had never worn a sexy outfit or even had a drink of alcohol. Her mother was also a believer of the Goddess but didn't practice the more orthodox religion Aerith and her mother had. She worship the Reformed Church Zack had.

Elymra had never tried to change Aerith upbringing in any way after adopting her, she took her to the same church she had always attended and tried to make her life as normal as before. However, she did caution her that twelve was too young to pledge herself to the Goddess, that she should wait until she was more mature to make that decision, but Aerith hadn't listened. She had gone ahead and done it and the man she had been waiting for was dead! She had never questioned the teachings of her church, revealing clothing was forbidden, people were warned not to discuss sex with members, kissing only allowed when supervised. The list was endless! And now she had had no life but a highly sheltered one, she was only allowed to attend sex education class in school because it was mandatory. She couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't go back to being that repressed person again and wait for the Goddess to send her another soul mate. No she was still young but was eager for life. She didn't know if it meant she would have to turn her back on the Goddess but would have to find out.

She would be different, she would like life on her own terms and break all the rules.

She picked up her cell phone and texted to Genesis that she would be returning to work the next day and would meet him at his place.

He texted back right away, asking if she needed more time off.

"No, I'll see you tomorrow morning" she typed back.

She silently let herself into his place and placed his coffee in kitchen and all but crept into his bedroom. She stood and gently watched him sleep, he looked so young while he was with his hair softly framing his face and devoid of it's usual gelled feathered points. She felt calm to be in his presence again, to be out of the house with everyone attempting to cater to her and worrying about her. She reached down and took a lock of his flame bright hair in his hand, enjoying the soft, yet weighty texture of it and then released it. His blankets exposed one wide shoulder and the arch of one breast. His long dark eyelashes kissed the high cheekbones of his oval, alabaster face. Gently her hand moved down to stoke the smooth skin there and his glowing blue eyes blinked open.

He looked up and realized that he wasn't alone. "Aerith, is that you?" he said in a groggy voice and started to sit up when she suddenly all but collapsed on top of him and her mouth frantically covered his own. "What are you doing? I'm all for being greeted by kisses but can't you wait until I brush my teeth at least?" He asked her, gently pushing her away and sitting up. Only for her to kiss attack him again, it was like having a whirlwind with five tongues attack him and they all seemed to be trying to pry his lips open.

"What's gotten into you?" He said and then froze when he realized her hand was. "Let go of my...ouch" he cried when she tugged on him with all the tender care as if she was trying to start a lawnmower or squeeze the final drop of ketchup from a bottle, having no skills or finesse as a lover. "Aerith, what the hell you think you're doing?" He demanded as he leapt from the bed and then covered his genitals with his hands as his neglected organ swelled up with hope after a month's abstinence, glad for any touch, even if being roughly manhandled.

"I want you to...fuck me" she forced out, freezing the ginger in place

"What? No, this is not what you want" he said going to his bureau and hastily tugging on a pair of lounge pants.

"I want this and you're the man I lo-trust" she corrected herself and to his horror, reached under her skirt and took off her panties, laying these aside, she lay on his bed and squeezed her eyes tightly shut "please fuck me" she requested. Genesis's eyebrow shot up in shock as he witnessed the worst attempt of seduction he had ever viewed in his life.

He pushed his hair back and sighed, "Aerith what you are you doing?" He asked her.

She opened one eye and frowned, "I'm bracing myself, aren't you going to lift my skirt and have your way with me?" She asked him.

"Stand up" he said helping her up and handing her panties back to her and turning his back when she got back into them. "That is not how people normally have sex, the women isn't expected to lie there passively. I like my bed partners to enjoy themselves just as much as I do. Furthermore, I like my women naked, as in skin on skin. Also, I don't just have my way with woman; I prepare them properly to excite them so they are ready for penetration as any considerate lover should. But that brings us to my question; why do you want me to fuck you as you so eloquently put it when I told you do not seduce innocent virgin? Though they certainly seem to want to seduce me" he said with irony in his voice

"I want to...get it over with" she explained in a small voice.

"So you wish to use me as a tool to remove your virginity? Now I'm starting to understand. However, I must decline" he said.

"Decline?" She asked him.

"Aerith, I have the morals of an alley cat in heat and we both know that, but I would be a reprobate to take advantage of you in so vulnerable a state, the man you were going to marry is barely in the ground. I may be unscrupulous, but even I have some standards left. I know that tragic events can cause people to behave out of character, but you don't want this. You need to grieve and you need to heal and make peace with the Goddess" he said.

"Don't talk to me about the Goddess, she murdered Zack" she all but spat with contempt.

"I know you're angry" he said placing a brotherly arm around her. "But it wasn't her that ended his life. I've been where you are you, worshipped the Goddess as well and decided I didn't need the church, I can worship her how I want on my terms. Losing someone is horrible but it isn't her will" he said to her.

"Some worshipper, you fuck everything that moves, expect me" she spat and pulled away.

"You're not like other women, I care about you" he said. "I wanted to be there for you through all of this, but it isn't my place. I didn't want to be an interloper in your life. Did you get my flowers?" He asked her.

"If you care about me so much, you would take me to bed and give me what I need" she said with contempt in her voice.

"That's the last thing you need, what you need is a friend" he said.

"What I need is for you to be my friend and fuck me" she said.

"That is exactly why I won't do it" he said finality in his voice.

"Then it appears I have enough friends, Commander Rhapsodos. I don't need another person telling me what to do and what is right for me, I have enough people in my life doing that. I'm not a child, only a virgin and I know what I want. From now on we're only employee and employer, nothing else because you failed me when I needed you the most" she explained and went and prepared his food, ignoring his suggestions that she join him and attempts to be friendly and continued to do that throughout the week. Genesis could only watch the coolly professional woman and mourn the closeness they had previously shared.

Angeal was getting sick of how snappish Genesis had been, something was clearly bothering him if his behaviour was more boorish then usual to the point that even the oblivious Sephiroth noticed. "So what are your plans tonight Sephiroth?" He asked him as all three friends left their meeting.

"Rent" he replied.

"So you have your leather jacket and candle ready?" Angeal asked him.

"Always" Sephiroth said with a smirk.

"What are you two talking about?" Genesis snapped.

"It's confidential and on a need to know basis only...and you don't need to know it. I'll see you both later. There is an extended version of Singing in the Rain on DVD that's being released today and I want to make sure I get a copy" he explained and departed.

"He certainly likes to be closed mouthed about certain topics" the redheaded loudmouth complained.

Angeal walked him to his office, Aerith politely nodded to both and closed the door to her own even though it was unnecessary, all the Commanders offices were soundproof. "What's going on?" He asked him crossing his arms over his chest.

"There's nothing going on" he insisted.

"Gen for weeks now, you're been on edge and really pissing us off. It's not hard to see that you're trying celibacy for a while and I think that's commendable and I'm proud that you have lasted as long as you have" he said.

"It's been more than a few weeks" he admitted.

"How long?" Angeal said and then it was suddenly like his eyes were glowing marbles about to roll onto the floor when Genesis admitted it had been over a month. "Does this have something to do with the PA who is currently barely speaking to you? What did you do?" He asked him.

"Nothing, it was because of her I stopped sleeping around, at first it was just because I didn't like other women being there when she would meet me each morning. Then other women just didn't interest me anymore. I don't know why" he said with a sigh.

"Because you're in love with Aerith and only want to be with her" Angeal explained to him.

"Don't be preposterous, I don't believe in love. It isn't real" he hotly denied.

"Yet you're in it. Her fiancé's recently dead. You know you can't press your suit" he said with sympathy in his voice.

"She asked me to...sleep with her. I didn't" He said.

"Grief does strange things to be people, you were right to say no. It shows you're growing as a person. Give her time, perhaps someday..." Angeal said.

"No, I'm not what she needs" he said and Angeal frowned at this.

"Why don't we go to the Officers club tonight and have some drinks? It'll be just the two of us. Come on, you need to have some fun" Angeal suggested.

"Okay, I suppose I could use a night out" Genesis agreed.

"Great put your party shoes cause the fellas are going out tonight" Angeal said. "See you at the officer's club" he said as he departed, something that got overheard by Aerith.

At Sephiroth's Place That Night

Sephiroth wore a leather jacket and danced around his place while swishing his hips provocatively and singing in a falsetto "Let's go out tonight/Have to go out tonight/You're sweet/Wanna hit the street?/Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in heat?/Just take me out tonight" he sang and then added a very convincing meow to it, throwing his head dramatically back and shaking it so his silver hair swirled around his body.

Um, Okay. At the Officer's Club

Genesis was enjoying his friend's calm presence as they drank and shared old stories and razed each other in a gentle ways as long time friends tend to do. Although Genesis didn't have the heart to try and take anyone home, however he was evaluating the women in the crowd out of habit. It being the official bar hosting the SOLDIERS officers, the women who were there all appeared to be taken except for a girl with long wavy light brown hair. She was surrounded by admirers but didn't seem to be with anyone in particular. She was wearing a revealing dress that clung to her every curve. The neckline plunged low, almost to her navel and only a few bands of cloth between her breasts kept the dress from separating and it appeared very short. Allowing him a nice glimpse of long legs from where her dress rode up as she sat at the bar. Once in a while someone would say something funny and she would laugh just a little too loud.

"It seems someone needs to get hosed down" Angeal said.

"The men or the woman?" Genesis deadpanned.

"Take your pick" Angeal said with a shrug. They glanced over again when she suddenly laughed at something her suitors had said.

"I think I'm almost ready to call it a night" Genesis said.

"Come on it's early yet and you're buying. Are you saying I'm a boring date?" The large man said and pouted and fluttered his eyelashes at Genesis, this caused the redhead to chuckle.

"Sorry I like my ladies with a lot less muscles" he said.

"You don't know what you're missing, Genny" Angeal said giving him a flirtatious wink and blowing him a kiss.

"Considering how you're a gay as I am, I'm pretty sure I do. I guess I'm just not too much in the mood for company" Genesis said with a sigh and then looked up at the loud peal of laughter the unidentified woman emitted.

"I guess if you backslide, you can always take home the village bicycle over there" Angeal said with disapproval in his voice.

"I'll go pay" he said, taking out his wallet.

He went to walk by the woman and glanced at her and then stopped when he realized who he was looking at "Aerith?" He questioningly said. Her dress was nothing less than scandalous and dark makeup and red lipstick stood starkly out against her pale unblemished complexion. Her feet were shod in red high heel open toed shoes. "What are you doing here, why are you dressed that way?" He demanded.

"I wanted a drink and all of these nice gentlemen were offering to buy them for me. Don't you like my new look?" She said.

"I'm taking you home, no I can't let your mother see you looking like this. You're staying at my place tonight" he said.

"I'm not going anywhere with you" she declared.

"Get your one of your own Rhapsodos, the lady wants to stay with us" a large man threatened.

"Sorry but the lady's coming with me" he said slipping off his trench and pulling her to her feet.

"What the hell Gen?" She cried as he draped his trench around her.

"Cover yourself up and say goodbye to your friends" he said. "Put our drinks on my tab, bye Angeal" he said as he towed her so she stumbled coltishly in her high heels and protested over being forced to leave.

"You can't force me to go with you" she said, flinging off his trench when they reached his car.

He just picked it up and draped it over her again after giving it a shake. "I can't leave you here either, do you think all those guys want to buy you a drink because they think you're a great conservationist? They think you're something you're not and all you will find at the end of the night is a bunch of pissed off guys who might violate you for offering what you're not willing to give and possibly impregnate you if they don't give you sexually transmitted diseases. You don't even drink, why start now?" He demanded.

"I want nothing to do with you" she said.

"That's fine with me; after you come back to my place and call your mother to say you're staying at Tifa's and sleep off whatever your drank. You can get into the car of your own free will or I will drag you" he said.

He could feel her anger as she got in beside him, he and Angeal hadn't really drank very much, they didn't ever drink to the excess so he was fine to drive. "What do you think you were doing?" He softly asked her.

"Like you care" she said.

"You know I do" he softly said.

"You're yet another person treating me like a little kid. I'm a full grown woman" she complained.

They were silent the rest of the way and he let them in and flipped on the lights then he leaned against his kitchen counter and glared at her and she took off his jacket and crossed her own arms and glared back at him .

"You like my new look?" She asked him, as she kicked off her heels.

"No as a matter of fact, I don't. I don't like when woman try so hard to make themselves look cheap, I don't like slutty clothes and I don't care for garish makeup. Call your mother while I get you something to wear to bed and then you're cleaning that crap off your face. You'll find facial cleanser in the shower" he called over his shoulder. "Here's some boxer shorts and a t-shirt, I don't have anything more feminine around" he said, noticing that her complexion had been returned to normal.

"I thought you liked girls who looked this way?" She said.

"Just because I'm a garish whore myself doesn't mean I enjoy the company of others" he said. "Now go change in the guest bedroom while I go get changed myself" he said pushing her in that direction.

"I've never seen you like that, a whore that is. You're a lot more like Sephiroth then you think; he guards himself and allows no one to touch him to protect himself but you allow many into your bed because you need human contact like anyone else but reject all in case they get to know the real you and reject you. They wouldn't, I like the real you" she called after him. "That doesn't make you a whore, it makes you lonely, there is much you conceal behind your bright colours and boastful, strutting ways."

"Just go get changed, make yourself ready for bed and go to sleep" he softly said to the most frighteningly accurate observation anyone had ever made about him.

"Will you tuck me into bed?" She asked him.

"That I can do" he said.