Super-dense Coding
The Crimson General woke to the sound of the main door of the church opening and the faint shush of approaching sandalled footsteps. The renegade SOLDIER waited patiently until the interloper was close enough to notice both his young charges ‒which happened when she was practically level with his chosen spot‒ then rose silently to his feet and coughed politely.
The girl whirled around and squeaked in surprise to see him standing so close, placing a hand over her heart. "Goodness you startled me!"
Genesis did not respond, staring at her with wide eyes. Never in his life had he ever seen such an adorable young woman. She had long, thick, red-brown hair in a braid and emerald green eyes, wore a blue and white sun-dress with sandals and looked about sixteen, possible a little older. She hummed on his Mako-sense, a faint croon of life, light and joy that was unlike anything he'd ever felt before and made him slightly giddy.
"Er, hello!" she said brightly.
"Hello angel," Genesis said, totally captivated by her aura of gentleness and generosity.
"No, I'm Aerith, not an angel," the girl corrected him. "What happened to your friends over there?"
"We fell through the roof," Genesis told her. "I'm Genesis, by the way, and you are an angel."
Aerith pinked slightly but didn't seem to recognise his name. That was good: it meant he could spend time with her with less of a risk of being found out. Genesis firmly quashed the voice ‒that sounded suspiciously like Angeal‒ which protested that Aerith was the same age as his little sister; she was an angel and completely perfect, so he had no intention of letting her get away.
"I hope you don't mind us staying the night in your church," the incognito fugitive added.
"No, not at all," his angel replied with a sweet smile.
"That's very kind of you," Genesis told her warmly. "Will you let my repay your generosity, angel?"
"There's no need to really," Aerith protested, "and I'm Aerith, not Angel."
"Nonsense; no-one as lovely as you could be anything but an angel," Genesis said firmly. "Infinite in mystery is the Gift of the Goddess. I have to do something for you in return." He paused. "Might I offer you lunch, angel Aerith?"
"You're being silly!" the teen protested, cheeks still pink. Genesis took the lack of refusal as a good sign and laid on the charm, stepping a little closer.
"Please? I couldn't possible take advantage of someone as generous and pretty as you."
Aerith shuffled slightly, then looked up sharply as he moved closer again. "Stop! Don't tread on the flowers!"
Genesis looked down: he'd almost trodden on the pretty yellow blossoms.
"People should be careful around flowers," Aerith scolded him.
"I sincerely apologise for my inattentiveness," the Crimson General responded with a sweeping bow. "In my defence, you are much prettier." He paused to enjoy her renewed blush. "How did you get them to grow? Flowers are rare in Midgar, even on the Plate."
"They only grow here," Aerith said, face coming alive as she started on what was clearly a favourite subject. "The ones I planted are thriving as well," she wandered sideways a little and waved at the white flowers, "see?"
"Flowers should be appreciated by as many people as possible," Genesis mused. "Perhaps you could sell them? Everyone in Midgar would pay for pretty flowers."
"Everyone in Midgar would pay for pretty flowers?" Aerith repeated thoughtfully. "I've never thought about it like that before."
"Then why don't you accompany me to lunch so we can talk more?" Genesis suggested with a smile. Charming innocent teenage girls was much more of a challenge than seducing adult women and he really didn't want to push his adorable little angel too hard. "Rosso?"
"Hm?" his little sister mumbled, rolling into a sitting position and blinking up at him blearily.
"Stay here with Zack until he wakes up and keep an eye out; I'm taking our generous host out to lunch," he told her. "If the puppy has to leave make your way out to the chocobo stables and wait for me there."
"Enjoy your date!" the Crimson General's Mako-enhanced hearing caught his sister calling after him. Thankfully Aerith had normal human hearing and so missed Rosso's teasing.
After wandering around the market area for a bit Genesis bought takeout for a picnic, caught a boy trying to pick his pockets and then allowed himself to be persuaded to kill the monster that had eaten the young thief's wallet. That done, he convinced Aerith to sit and eat the food in the park with him and tied the pink ribbon he'd bought her in her hair.
Once the meal was over their conversation turned to ShinRa and the SOLDIER program.
"Have you ever met a SOLDIER?" Aerith asked.
"It's hard to avoid them in Midgar," Genesis replied easily. His sweet angel clearly didn't have a clue what SOLDIERs looked like or she'd have recognised Zack's uniform or taken more notice of the faint luminescence in the Crimson General's eyes.
"I wonder if that's a good thing," the teen mused quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, children all like stories of heroes who protect the world," Aerith said sadly, "but they aren't really normal, are they? I'm not entirely sure but I think SOLDIERs have to go through some kind of special medical procedure, right?"
"Apparently," Genesis hedged.
"I think it would be better to be normal," Aerith concluded firmly. "The whole idea of SOLDIERs seems strange to me."
"Strange, hm?" Genesis was a little hurt. He wasn't strange! He was a hero and he was helping people!
"Yes, and scary," she added quietly. "They all like fighting so much."
That hurt more. Yes, Genesis did like fighting but he felt that was a universal guy thing rather than a specific SOLDIER thing. And he was not scary, at least not to cute girls he really wanted to kiss.
"I was in SOLDIER once," he told her softly.
Aerith gasped, her head jerking up to meet his pale blue-grey eyes with her brilliant emerald ones. "I'm sorry!"
"Well, you said you'd never met a SOLDIER before, so perhaps you shouldn't judge on rumour," the Crimson General said carefully. He rather hoped they'd be able to patch this up and didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"I am so sorry," Aerith whispered.
They sat side by side in silence for awhile, Aerith sneaking peeks at him under her eyelashes. "So pretty," she sighed eventually.
"Who, me?" Genesis had never been called pretty before.
She giggled. "No, silly; your eyes."
"You really think so?" Genesis asked, voice low and a little rough as he tilted up her chin with a finger. "Look at them all you like then."
Aerith met his eyes tentatively.
"The slight glow is from the Mako; all SOLDIERs have that," Genesis murmured gently as she continued to stare into his eyes. "You have pretty eyes too, you know: they shine even without Mako."
Aerith looked away and shoved him playfully. "Don't be silly!"
"I do have nice eyes though don't I?" the Crimson General said teasingly, resolving then and there to complement her as often as possible so she would get more comfortable with it. "Like the dawn sky, an impossibly pale blue."
"I've never seen the sky," Aerith said pensively."I always thought it would be scary, all that emptiness overhead, but if it's like your eyes I'll have nothing to fear."
"You are partly right though: I'm not in the slightest bit normal," Genesis said wistfully. "That doesn't bother you does it, Aerith?"
She smiled. "I thought today would be normal and then I met a SOLDIER who fell from the sky."
"It wasn't bad at all then, was it angel?"
"Not at all."
Then Genesis' PHS rang. "Hello?"
"We've been discovered," came Weiss' brisk, sharp tones. "SOLDIER has been summoned and Nero is unconscious."
"I'll be right there," Genesis promised. The phone went dead and he turned to look at the pretty young woman he's managed to take out on a date. "Aerith? Something came up and my family need me."
"Okay. I'll just be going, then," she said softly as she rose to her feet. "I will see you again, won't I?"
"Nothing shall forestall my return; I wouldn't dream of staying away," Genesis replied fervently.
"Then go help your family," Aerith said warmly. The Crimson General rose smoothly from the bench and kissed her hand.
"Your wish, angel mine, is my command."
Genesis meets Aerith and is completely besotted. I think she likes him back just as much, to be honest.
I'm going on a camping holiday with my family for a week so it will be at least that long before I update again.
