Author's Note :: And thus, the plot thickens…enjoy!

Chapter Four

~Friend

Kadaj was relieved when the SOLDIER left the edge of his bed. He didn't know why, but his 'room mate's' constant energy and questioning made him uncomfortable. He got up, crossing the room in long strides, hoping to get to the door before Zack could say anything to him. He was almost that lucky.

"Hey, were are you go—" Kadaj shut the door behind him, cutting Zack's question off – seemed the other man had woken up from his light sleep when Kadaj had stood up. He walked down the stairs and outside, sitting on a bench by the door. He really didn't sleep much. He had never really had to. That was something he never understood about himself. He knew that everyone had to sleep, and yet he didn't. It bothered him because it almost made him feel less human than everyone else.

"Can't sleep?"

It wasn't the question that ripped him from his thoughts so much as the voice. "Not really. I don't think I've ever slept," Kadaj replied, attempting humour but finding only regret and irritation in his tone. "I suppose I'm just one of the lucky few who doesn't need to."

"It's true, there aren't many of us, but I wouldn't say lucky." Kadaj glanced at Sephiroth, who was staring at the sky, lost in his own thoughts.

"So," Kadaj asked hesitantly, "the rumours are true? You really don't sleep? What do you do, then?" Even was the last question left his lips, he wished he could take it back. He knew very little about Sephiroth, like everyone else, and the fact that the SOLDIER had confided in him he didn't sleep was monumental. He knew that asking such a personal question was pushing it, especially since he was a Turk. "I'm sorry, sometimes my mouth runs away with me. I suppose that's why Reno and I can't seem to get along. Please forgive me."

Kadaj stood and made his way back inside and up to his room. He kicked himself mentally the whole way, not wanting to believe he had just let his mouth take over his mind in front of the man he admired the most.

"You're still up?" he asked as he entered his room, surprised to see Zack still awake.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one with things on your mind, you know," the SOLDIER replied, not unkindly.

"Oh?" Kadaj asked, curious to know what could possibly bother the other man. "What could possibly be bothering you?"

"Well, it's the whole Genesis thing…"

Kadaj rolled his eyes, half expecting that response. "Of course that bothers you. He's clearly someone you revere as a hero. I would be a bit surprised too if m hero turned out to be one of the bad guys – and not just one of them, either, but the man in charge." He sat on the edge of Zack's bed, copying the SOLDIER's earlier action.

"It's not so much his involvement as Sephiroth's reaction."

"You said he normally took things in that manner."

"Yeah, but you said so yourself – you would react at least a bit of someone you were close to was trying to kill you."

"Actually," corrected Kadaj, "he's trying to get Sephiroth to join their cause. So don't worry, they just want to kill the rest of us. Sleep well! I'm sure morning will come sooner than either of us would like." With that, Kadaj crossed over to his own bed once more.

He placed his sword beside him, cradling Velvet Nightmare in his arms. He never rested without his weapons either on him, or close enough to grab without having to reach more than a few inches.

He lay awake, listening as Zack's breathing became slower and deeper as he fell asleep once more. Kadaj looked up at the now dark ceiling. Thoughts raced through his mind so quickly half went unrecognized and forgotten.

Sephiroth sat under the stars for a while, pondering the events of the day. He thought about Genesis' warning, and wondered if that was what it even was. The longer he went over the message in his mind, the more it seemed like a promise or an invitation. This worried him more than a threat or a warning.

He could not help but wonder what Genesis knew that he did not. This was what worried him the most. He knew that it would have to be something truly significant to turn his fellow SOLDIER against the company that supported them. He spent the night pondering many things, all of them making him realize how serious the situation really was.

"What time did you get up?" Reno asked, an amazed look on his face when he found Sephiroth already downstairs in the morning.

"Early," he replied, giving Kadaj a small smile that the young Turk returned uncertainly. Sephiroth turned back to Reno, "I've asked them to add more art and such to our room to accommodate your short attention span. Now, once you have all had something to eat, meet me outside. We need to get started and finished with all of this madness." He turned and left, leaving a sputtering Reno, chuckling Zack, and smirking Kadaj in his wake.

Once they got started, the 'terrorist' group was easy enough to find. They were a short distance from the town, clearly not involving those who were blindly loyal to ShinRa. The four spent the morning observing their camp. Clearly the rebels were well equipped, and had a knowledgeable leader. Though they could see no such leader, the way the camp moved and was organized made it obvious it was run by someone with military experience. Though Sephiroth's face was held in an expression of calm, and though the rest tried to hide it, their worry filled the air around them.

After what seemed like days, even if it was only a few hours, Sephiroth stood and began to walk determinedly towards the 'entrance' of the camp. As they knocked the guards out of the way, it seemed every head turned in their direction. About halfway through the camp they stopped, turning to face a structure surrounded by armed men – armed soldiers to be exact. At seeing Sephiroth in the company of Turks, their eyebrows raised, but they stood a litter straighter none the less.

"Let me speak with Genesis. Don't worry, he's expecting me, since I am here on his invitation," Sephiroth stated.

"I'm sorry sir, but he's not here," replied the young soldier, clearly still an infantryman.

"Not here?" Sephiroth asked, his voice calm but infused with menace.

"N-n-no, sir," the man stuttered.

"Then where is he?" Kadaj asked, slowly walking forward, gun in hand. "He told me to bring Sephiroth here. He knew we would come, he said it himself."

"Yes, he knew you would come, but he had to return to Midgar. Keeping up the appearance that he is loyal is essential to success."

"Yet you stay here?"

"We are but infantrymen. There are so many of us that a few won't be missed."

Kadaj let out a low hiss and walked away, leaving the others to deal with things. He knew that if he allowed the conversation to continue he would do something rash. He didn't feel opening a battle with the rebels would be the best way to impress Sephiroth. After calming down for a few moments, he returned to the other three.

"Then we shall wait. Spread the word we are not to be attacked. I don't think Genesis would be too pleased to return to a dead camp." Several of the men around them chuckled, clearly taking Sephiroth's command as a joke. They stopped abruptly as the four drew their weapons and went to an open area to sit and wait.

They were an odd quartet. Reno was lounging quite comfortably while his fellow Turk paced, his mind clearly working rapidly. Zack sat almost uneasily on the edge of a crate. However, Sephiroth, like Reno, did not seem to be too bothered by their situation. He stood a short distance from the others, his back to everything as he stared out across the land.

"I wonder what he makes of this whole situation," Kadaj wondered aloud.

"Like he would tell you," Reno said, "He never lets anyone in on his thoughts. Even if it is important, he always tells you at the last second."

"That's not true!" Zack half-yelled, "If it was important, he would let us know. He just doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve like some other people."

"Pfft. Wearing your heart on your sleeve requires having a heart," Reno said, shifting to a more comfortable position.

"Which I take means you are speaking from personal experience. I mean, everyone knows Turks have no heart, or soul..."

"That's enough. I suggest the three of you start to get along. Somehow I get the feeling we're going to be stuck together for quite a while," Sephiroth turned his back to them once more, this time facing the entrance of the camp.

"I'm sorry sir. I shouldn't have ris—" Sephiroth held up his hand, cutting Zack off before he got started on a long self-abusing apology. Then he noticed the commotion at the entrance.

"Genesis is back." He couldn't help but smile as he saw the younger SOLDIER jump to his feet out of the corner of his eye.

"You came," Genesis' soft voice interrupted his amusement. "Let's talk. Please, all of you, come with me."

~Me (because I love Genesis, heh)

Once the four had entered the main structure following Genesis, he halted, holding up a gloved hand to have everyone do the same. Genesis then glanced slightly back over his shoulder, a hint of a smirk on his face, before speaking. "Such odd company you keep these days, Sephiroth," he said, his voice low. "I never imagined to find you with two Turks and Angeal's puppy."

As Zack's mouth immediately flew open to protest in some way, Reno had his hand over it, clearly anticipating the boy's reaction. He gave Sephiroth a knowing look, as if to say something along the lines of, 'See? Not only am I at least paying attention somewhat, I can be quite useful when absolutely necessary.' Sephiroth's expression did not change, however, as his eyes remained focused on Genesis. "Had your little band of infidels not acted as they did you would not have found me like this."

Genesis responded by laughing very drying before replying with, "Oh, Sephiroth – for once, you only see the cover of what is in reality quite a thick book." He paused, and then slowly turned to face the group fully. "If you wish to discover more of the plot, then come and speak to me alone. It is not the business of these ShinRa lapdogs, nor the young SOLDIER."

Although Reno took the comment casually, still doing nothing but standing with a smug expression on his face and absently twirling his EMR, Zack and Kadaj both looked personally offended – but for once, remained silent. "You speak as though I have a choice," Sephiroth was the one to reply, his voice still level as he took a few steps closer to Genesis to show he planned to take the other man's offer. As he began to follow Genesis away from the group, he looked over his shoulder for a moment.

Reno read the subtle expression on his face and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, I'll watch the kids," he replied, not even trying to mask the annoyance in his tone – not because he wanted to hear what was going on so much as because he once again felt like he was baby-sitting or something. "Go play with your friend or whatever." He waved his hand dismissively before dropping to sit on the ground – a movement that Zack and Kadaj soon mimicked, though with much more disappointment.

Genesis led Sephiroth away from the others, to the upper level of the structure, completely silent until they arrived. It ended up being Sephiroth that broke the silence. "I think you have much to tell me, my old friend," Sephiroth stated calmly, his gaze fixed on Genesis' back, "Even for you this is all rather outlandish."

"Perhaps not as much as you believe it to be," Genesis replied, his voice just as calm and steady as the other man's. "We have been so…naïve, Sephiroth. Blind to the truth – all these years."

"The truth?" Sephiroth prompted – he knew if he did not engage the conversation himself Genesis would either remain silent, or speak a lot without making any real point anyone but himself could ever decipher, which was even worse in Sephiroth's opinion.

Genesis responded by laughing a bit dryly once more, shaking his head as though what he said should have been obvious. He walked slowly away from Sephiroth towards a small window, stopping before it with his hands folded behind his back. "What do you remember about your parents?" he finally asked, still not turning to face the other man.

Sephiroth scowled darkly at his back, taking a few threatening steps forward. "I fail to see how that is connected," he stated, quickly pushing aside the name that had flashed in his mind before he could stop it at Genesis' words.

"I remember mine," Genesis spoke as though Sephiroth had said nothing, leaning his forehead gently against the glass of the window. "Or rather, I remember the people that raised me. They were wealthy land owners in Banora – the man was highly respected by ShinRa. But they were…not my parents. I was not a product of the woman I called my mother. They were…stand-ins, I suppose you could call them. And I believed their lies and cover-ups all these years," Genesis stopped, placing one of his hands against the window near his head, and closed his eyes.

There was another long silence between them in which Genesis seemed lost in his own thoughts and Sephiroth stared at his back, unamused. He did not see what any of this had to do with a full revolt against an organization as large and powerful as ShinRa – especially from someone like Genesis. "…and?" he then prompted again, a twinge of impatience creeping into his voice – Sephiroth hated wasting time for anything.

Genesis remained silent for a few moments longer before taking the other man's cue. "You probably do not know this," he began again, his voice now sounding somewhat amused, "but ShinRa has been suspicious of me for a little while now, though they are trying to be subtle about it and not cause any…chaos."

Sephiroth let out an audible deep breath, crossing his arms irritably. It seemed that, as usual, Genesis was going to bring up as many small, irrelevant points as he wanted before making the big point that was the reason a conversation had been initiated. Sephiroth knew that there was no real rushing the other man, and he would just have to listen.

"As I expected," Genesis continued, ignoring Sephiroth's sigh completely, "They went to my parents to ask questions about me." Sephiroth was impressed that Genesis had related the two subjects together so quickly that he remained respectfully silent when Genesis paused again. "They claimed to have said nothing, but why should I believe that? All they ever did was lie to me," Genesis said, his voice low as he opened his eyes once more, though his gaze was averted downwards. "They are much more loyal to ShinRa. I was certain they betrayed me."

With his last words, Genesis pulled away the hand he had placed on the window for only a moment before slamming it back o the glass with a rare display of violent emotion. He then took a deep breath, clearly calming himself down again, before finally turning to face Sephiroth – though his eyes remained averted. "Ripples form on the water's surface," he then said in a soft voice, "The wandering soul knows no rest."

"Genesis," Sephiroth simply said the other man's name, but his tone showed it was in a threatening way. He did not want another answer in the form of a quote from LOVELESS – that was satisfying to Genesis alone.

At long last, Genesis' blue eyes finally met and locked on to Sephiroth's green ones. The very corners of Genesis' mouth were turned up in a slight smile, though his eyes flashed, betraying the strength of the inner emotions he was mostly hiding. "I killed my parents, Sephiroth," Genesis then replied – his words could not have been more precise, "And two Turks that were with them. All ShinRa lapdogs – and they all deserved to die."

"Genesis!" This time, the name was an exclamation by Sephiroth, and he quickly closed the short distance between the two men, leaving mere centimetres between them. "Even if you were raised by people other than your biological parents, and even if they were connected to ShinRa, you have little excuse for that rash action – or what you are doing here, for that matter!"

Genesis laughed dryly for the third time at Sephiroth's words. "My friend, you still see only the cover of the book. The real plot has yet to reveal itself."

"Then keep talking," Sephiroth replied, and though he was calm once more on the outside, there was no mistaking the anger behind his bright eyes.

Genesis' somewhat satisfied expression faded, and he broke his gaze with the other man once more. "We are…monsters, Sephiroth. You are. I am. And even—"

Genesis' words were cut off as the door to the room was suddenly flung open, and Zack came rushing inside. Both of the older men looked less than pleased as his 'timely' entrance, but Zack did not seem to notice. "Sephiroth!" he exclaimed, running up to the silver-haired man, "Kalm is under attack!" He flailed his arms a bit before finally pointing in the general direction of the town rather unnecessarily.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he turned back to Genesis. "This had better not be your doing, Genesis," he said darkly, drawing his Masumane and pointing it threateningly at the other man.

"Or what, Sephiroth?" Genesis asked calmly, his gaze staring down the length of the blade, "Are you going to kill me?" He then backed up a few steps, moving a safe distance away from the weapon and the man wielding it before continuing. "I know nothing about this attack. But you still have much to discover, Sephiroth. Search for the truth rather than blindly following ShinRa's lies."

"This is not over, Genesis," Sephiroth replied, ignoring Zack who stood beside him impatiently and restlessly twitching.

"It is for now. I will find you when you are ready to understand more," Genesis replied, turning his back and gazing out another window in the direction of Kalm. "Wings of light and darkness spread afar…"

Sephiroth and Zack did not stay to hear any more, instead exiting the room and heading down the stairwell. "Reno went outside for a bit and discovered the attack," Zack excitedly filled Sephiroth in on the situation as he ran after the older SOLDIER, "He and Kadaj went on ahead, but I had to come and get you. Reno said that he did not see anyone from the camp leave, so if they are connected, then the attacking group was not here, and—"

Sephiroth suddenly stopped, spinning around to face Zack, who almost physically ran into him. "Zack, focus," he said calmly, though his tone was very serious. "This is not a game." With that, he turned and swiftly set off once more, satisfied to hear only silence behind him.

As Reno and Kadaj ran across the flat land back towards Kalm, the distinct sound of gunshots ringing in the air, suddenly the sound of a mobile phone ring added to the chaotic noise. Kadaj glanced at Reno, who had a very annoyed look as he pulled the device from his pocket, flipping it open and holding it to his ear. "No offense, but this is pretty bad timing," he said in the mobile.

"What is the situation in Kalm?" Reno hated how Tseng always managed to sound so unenthused.

"Not good, but we're on our way to stabilize things now," Reno replied, matching Tseng's tone with his own disinterested one.

"All of you?" Tseng asked after a short silence.

"Kadaj and I," Reno corrected, glancing at the other Turk for a moment before continuing, "The SOLDIERs got wrapped up in SOLDIER business, but we can handle it."

"Reno, don't—"

"Sorry boss, gotta take care of business," Reno cut off Tseng as they arrived at the town, gratefully snapping the mobile shut. He glanced at the general state of chaos the town was in before letting out a heavy sigh. "I knew I should have called off sick yesterday…let's just get this over with."

Author's Note :: For the record – I love writing as Genesis. It's only a matter of time before I write an entire story centred just on him. Anyway, one more chapter left after this one – I'm getting lots of hits, which is awesome, but I love reviews too! Have to keep my Zack-sized ego inflated somehow, after all…