I was waiting for that twentieth review, but since it didn't seem to come, I gave up. I know that this chapter is very short, but it's more filler-like. I know I write terribly slowly, but I do update unlike some authors that give out a new chapter avery other year (some do have good excuses, but I know how annoying it is to wait endlessly for something that doesn't come). I want to thank my reviewers, Aerith The Evenstar, LunasDarkSpirit (sorry for the wait, Sary dear) and MegaKiraraLover (I really appreciate the fact that you correct me when needed! Thank you so much).

I'm done with chapter seven and as soon as I'm done with chapter eigth it shall be posted. Promise!

Thank you all again, my dear readers!

Blessed be.

Chapter Six: The Monster and His Father

Zack's arrival in Modeoheim was swift, and he slew the blue ostriches in the way that he just knew wanted to peck him to death. He marched on to the only open place in the deserted and broken down village, the bath house. He was surprised to see that the others had already moved on and gone further in the small building. He frowned, wondering why they had not waited for him. He had not taken that much time to come, had he?

While he listened to the old messages still saved on the phone (how it was could still work was a miracle in itself), he took a good look around. Objects and furniture cluttered the floor, the paint was peeling off of the walls and a stale and moldy odor was floating around. Surprisingly, the place was still warm, the engines that heated up the water probably still working, even if no one was there to tend to them.

After finding the hidden packet described in the messages, he made his way to find the others, sniffing around for small useful things.

---

He carefully entered the steaming room and had to jump back to avoid being hit by a mutated griffin. He stared horrified at the very alike-looking face of Angeal fastened under the griffin's beak.

He swore. "Shit, this cannot be happening…!" Jumping to the side and avoiding the deadly looking claws, he slashed at the beast before him. He turned, rolled, jumped and slashed, alternately using his magick and his brute strength. Finally it collapsed on the dirty floor, leaving him slightly breathless.

The battle against Genesis had taken a toll on his body, and he had forgotten to take some potions and remedies to restore his health. Cursing at his own stupidity, he searched for them in his pockets. Finding two within everything he had amassed during the mission (he never did understand how so much could be stored at once in his pants without breaking the fabric, but since Squeenix made it possible, he wasn't going to be the one to contest them and their rights. Not that he knew any).

Wiping his brow, he trudged more slowly to the broken staircase, careful not to walk in the puddles of burning hot water littering the floor near the walk-in bath. What he saw when he went up the stairs did not please him at all.

"Cloud!"

He was lying out of breath on his stomach, unconscious. Turning him over with much care, he quickly checked for any injuries. Finding none, he kissed the blonde lightly on the forehead and pushed him against the wall so he would not fall on his face again.

He murmured softly to deaf ears, "I'll be back soon," and went to check on Ren.

She was in a worse state, her right arm sporting a long gash going from her elbow to her shoulder. Gripping her cutlass in her right hand tightly, the other was trying to keep the blood from overflowing. Her face was sweaty from pain and nervousness, and her whole body shook.

He knew by what she had told them that she was not used to fighting (the only fight she had ever been in was when she had been six years old and had punched her cousin in the face for insulting her rather small stature) and the sight of blood repulsed her. To see so much coming from herself must really make her nauseous and sick.

Not saying a word, he ripped a piece of her pants to bandage her arm as good as he could. Her uniform was already dirty, matted with sweat and torn up so it didn't really matter. He could have used the Cure2 materia he had with him, but he didn't know how her body would react to the magick and he preferred the solution where he was sure that the both of them would stay alive.

With his sharpened eyes he could already see the wounds closing up, rather slowly, yes, but much faster than any normal human not subjected to mako; he frowned, but said nothing. Ren's breathing, before quick and shallow, was calming down to become regular again. He felt her imperceptibly shift lightly her body in a more comfortable position.

"He wants to see you."

Zack looked up from his work to watch her face intently. She stared back, seemingly completely unperturbed, though he could see her flinching from time to time. Her grey-ish blue eyes had lost some of their shine and seemed bizarrely empty. He knew just who he was going to see when he continued on his way, and it troubled him greatly.

Ren looked up at him and opened her mouth, before closing it. She seemed hesitant to ask whatever was on her mind. Coming to some mental conclusion, she addressed him again.

"And Genesis?"

Zack flinched somewhat, and shook his head in a negative way. "I did what had to be done." And seeing her distressed face, he quickly added, not really knowing why, "Sorry." Ren just laughed under her breath, "Ah, well, I guess that enemies must remain enemies." She fixed her sad stare on an invisible speck on the wall, ignoring him.

Done with the make-shift bandage, he rose up, "It should hold until we go back." Ren just nodded at him, waving her unhurt hand at the door. Giving her a tight-lipped smile, he went to talk to Tseng.

"Be careful, we don't know on which side he is." Tseng told him.

"I know."

And with that, he was gone.

---

Ren didn't know what to think. A man she had only just met had died and she felt as if Hel herself had come to get her, taking her to the deepest parts of the freezing halls in Niflheimr and leaving her to despair and misery. Which was completely stupid, since she had only seen him for five minutes at most in her entire life.

But she knew that, somehow, that man was important to her, in one way or another. And that scared her, since she did not know why.

She laughed hollowly. Gods, she was pathetic. Here she was, pining for a dead guy who hadn't even known her name, and she knew half of his.

Genesis, Genesis, Genesis. It all floated around that one word.

Well, she thought morosely, at least she knew his first name. Sighing, knowing that trying to make her feel better was without hope, she rested her head back against the warm and smooth stone of the wall. She hoped that Zack would be all right, dealing with that man and the fat one (she was very bad at remembering things that did not seem important to her, and managed to forget it under five seconds. She counted).

"Ah, well…" She smiled up at the ceiling, seeing through it and up at the stars. "Wonder if you're all laughing up there at me, huh? Bastards, the lot of you." She sniffed, before humming out a tune, a silly smile perched upon her dry and chapped lips, "It's a beautiful life, hm hmhm… I just wanna be here, beside you…"

She giggled, seemingly completely lost in her thoughts.

Tseng looked at her wearily, 'I'll never understand women.'

"Hey, wanna play 'I Spy'? You'd pro'ly win since you're a Turk an' all."

Even her speech was becoming impaired.

---

When Zack came back, he was drenched in rain and shivering. His black hair still managed to stay up, but drooped slightly and his mako-ed purple eyes were pained and glazed. In his hand was a gigantic sword, seemingly barely used and well taken care of. His body reeked of newly used healing magick, but a single, reddish wound forming an 'X' was still present on his left cheek.

He stared silently at his sleeping friends, and let a small smile appear on his face. Taking care as not to wake up Cloud and Ren, he shook Tseng awake. Murmuring a few words in his ear, Zack picked up Cloud while Tseng picked Ren up.

They quietly went out of the bath house, going up the hills to the waiting Shin-Ra helicopter that was going to take them back.

---

"Aww, man! This is great!"

Ren laughed at the image Zack made, wriggling his body into the warm sand of the beach in Costa del Sol. The sun was shining brightly upon them and the water was of the nicest blue she had ever seen.

She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit of a creamy color with an earthy brown flower decorating her left breast. Her black hair was being held back in a bun, and some rebellious strands swayed with the wind in front of her face. Her slightly chubby body and peach-like skin were aglow in the rays of the sun, bathing her in a golden light.

Meanwhile, Zack was wearing bathing trunks that went to his knees colored with green and blue hues. If Ren's skin was like a peach, his was of a honey-like color. They were both near the cool water, taking pleasure in the warm sand and the wind that reached them to tease their hair and skin.

Both of them were currently enjoying a vacation – well, Zack was, she had been given a leave of undetermined time after being deemed non useful (but she really couldn't care less), and had decided to accompany him since Cloud had a mission at the same time and couldn't come.

"Zack! Look out!"

Both turned around to see who had shouted, and were surprised to see a woman with ginger-brown hair, warm chocolate eyes and clad in a light blue bikini. She was pointing wildly somewhere behind them. Once more turning around, they came face to face with at least a dozen masked men in diving suits.

Zack pushed Ren behind him and in the woman's arms, "I'll take care of these guys. Cissnei, could you watch over her?" The previously anonymous woman nodded and dragged her towards the shade near the white, plastic lounging chairs laid out.

Meanwhile, Zack was battling ferociously the men with (Ren nearly died of laughter at the incredibly funny picture he made) a parasol. Slashing away with it as if it were a real sword, Zack finished the men off in a few minutes. As the last one finally keeled over, dead, they all watched them disappear in the LifeStream's green light.

"Were they…?" Zack began.

"Genesis copies? Yes. Many have started to appear all around the world." Cissnei said, crossing her arms in a resigned manner.

Zack frowned, "But I killed Genesis! Didn't I...?" He saw clearly images of Genesis falling down in the darkness flashing by quickly in his mind. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Cissnei spoke again. "I'm sorry to say this, but your vacation is cut short. You are needed in Junon." She shot a glance at Ren who was staring at the distant horizon, "She can't come."

Ren just nodded, already knowing that she was not needed there and would just have caused problems. She smiled at Zack, "Hey, you'll probably get to see Cloud again. Didn't he say he was part of the squad that was going to keep Fatty under surveillance?"

Zack nodded once, smiling back at her.

"Well," He said. "Let's mosey!"

Again, sorry for the shortness, the next one will longer. Please review, just a "i like it" is fine, just so I know what you think about it. If no one says what's wrong with my fic, I can't really make it better, ne?