The Dawn of our twilight
Chapter 3
For about an hour, the helicopter had been soaring over the majestic crests of the mountains that separated the plains of Midgar from the lands surrounding the coastal city of Junon. Lost in the grand landscape intermittently revealed through the cottony clouds, Genesis listened absentmindedly as his two comrades seated behind him discussed their upcoming mission:
"How many victims were there again?" he heard Angeal ask.
"Twenty-eight," Sephiroth replied.
The previous day, the three men had been summoned to Lazard's office. He had then detailed their roles in this "special delegation."
Despite the fierce conflicts still raging on the other side of the continent, the three top SOLDIER operatives had been dispatched to this cursed mission. All because it was a request from the mayor of Junon himself, and the mayor had the favor of President Shinra!
"…Some were alone in enclosed rooms, right?"
"Some. Not all. About ten guards were found in one of the corridors…"
These two had clearly taken a particular interest in this case and couldn't stop reading and rereading the reports, while pondering how and why such events could have occurred. It was indeed quite unusual: for several weeks, strange murders had been committed within the company's buildings. All the victims had died from a single stab wound, and while some had been found in the middle of a corridor, others had been discovered in offices locked from the inside. There was no connection between the victims, and the grim fate had befallen both guards and office employees, regardless of age.
Initially assigned to the Turks, the investigation had seen their ranks reduced by four members, prompting the terrified mayor of Junon to request the best operatives that could be sent his way.
With his chin resting on his fist and his elbow casually resting on his crossed legs, Genesis let out a sigh of boredom. Another three long hours of flight separated them from their destination, and he was far from enthusiastic about embarking on the hunt for some killer through the vast metropolis.
To top it all off, the events of the other night kept swirling in his mind whenever he happened to glance at his comrade, promising complicated days ahead. Oh, he wasn't fooling himself! The fact that his fellow soldier was carefully avoiding his gaze was clear evidence that he wasn't perfectly at ease either!
"Did your little game amuse you, I hope…"
What kind of retort was that? And what was with that desperate puppy-dog look he thought he had caught a glimpse of? Or maybe it was just his half-drunk imagination playing tricks on him? And one shouldn't have lips so soft and emit such an intoxicating fragrance even after hours of training!
"…Did you understand, Gén'? Genesis!"
"Mmmh?"
Snapped out of his reverie, he turned to his best friend:
"You haven't been listening, have you?" the latter resumed.
"You've been blabbering about these reports for hours! We don't need to spend the whole day on it!" the redhead grumbled.
"Without spending the whole day, knowing the details of what happened there will help us better understand this operation. Even you should understand that," Sephiroth scolded disdainfully, not even looking up from the file he held.
"And even you should understand that it's stupid to spend so much time on it! It's just another psychopath! We arrive, patrol, apprehend him, and leave! It's as simple as that!" Genesis retorted, annoyed by his rival's behavior.
"If it were that simple, Turks wouldn't have succumbed to a single stab wound!" Sephiroth retorted sharply.
"Maybe he was poisoned?" Angeal intervened, cutting short the brewing argument between his two friends.
"The autopsies didn't reveal anything like that," Sephiroth noted, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Genesis sighed. He knew that this mission wasn't as straightforward as it might seem, but he also disliked getting bogged down in endless discussions. He preferred action, going out into the field, and showcasing his extraordinary abilities.
"Alright, we can go over all the details as much as we want, but it won't get us closer to the answer. We should be arriving in Junon soon, so let's focus on our upcoming objective," Angeal suggested calmly, seeking to ease tensions.
Sephiroth nodded with a slight smile, appreciating his friend's wisdom. The redhead, on the other hand, remained silent, but his expression indicated that he was on board with the idea. The hours of flight seemed shorter as the crew mentally prepared for the operation ahead.
Soon, the port city of Junon emerged on the horizon. Built on a massive floating platform, this flourishing city overlooked the tumultuous waves of the ocean. Massive pillars supported the platform, giving the city a colossal and undeniably impressive appearance, enhanced by the gigantic cannon perched above the waters.
Upon their arrival, the three SOLDIERs were personally welcomed by the mayor. He was a small, stout man, partially balding. Did he, by any chance, have some kinship with Palmer? He was accompanied by several guards, as well as the lead investigator and the medical examiner. After briefly greeting them all, they all headed towards the entrance of the building for a quick debriefing.
The small group was ready for action, suspense, and the unknown awaiting them in Junon. They needed to focus on the mission ahead, as the challenges awaiting them were certainly not as simple as they might think!
No, Genesis wasn't bored. Not at all. It was much worse than that! Three days! Three endless days they had been wandering all over that damn Shinra building in the city, searching high and low, and... nothing! Nada! Zilch! The last murder had been reported two days before their arrival, which meant that for nearly five days, not a single psychopath had made an appearance. No leads, no tangible clues, except for the corpses waiting to be buried at the morgue. And as for that infamous dagger, it remained elusive.
So, there he was, in the middle of the night, patrolling the deserted corridors of the section dedicated to the company's scientific and medical department, on the lookout for anything suspicious, and with the certain expectation that he would find nothing!
Well, he hadn't lost everything! With his two charming comrades not watching over him, he discreetly took out his PHS and immersed himself in the latest mini-game he had downloaded onto the device! A quite enjoyable little app, not at all addictive, where the goal of the game was to align colorful candies to create combos and advance levels. The engineers in Shinra's computer and network development section sometimes had surprising talents!
"Genesis? Sephiroth? Can you hear me? Any progress on your end?" inquired Angeal's voice through the earpiece they all had, which they used to communicate when necessary.
"Nothing," Sephiroth replied in a calm voice.
"Genesis? Genesis!"
And there it was, because of Angeal's interruption, he had just lost his level. Bravo!
"And damn it!" he grumbled.
"Is everything okay?" Angeal asked, concerned.
"Yeah, crystal clear! Nothing to report!" Genesis replied, all the while trying to mask his frustration.
He was fed up; all this fuss was pointless! Resolute in going beyond his friends' recommendations to stay within the floors they had assigned to watch over, Genesis took the emergency staircase to go further down. He found himself in a series of more inviting corridors, adorned with carpets and decorated with paintings depicting the city's maritime landscapes, far from the austere marble and sterile tiles of the scientific floors. And most importantly, at the end of this labyrinth...
... the vending machine for drinks and food!
Without hesitation, the secretary floors were much more pleasant!
Approaching the coveted machine, he took out a few Gils from his trench coat pocket and allowed himself a brief moment of reflection before making his choice. At the same time, he heard faint footsteps approaching:
"Do I have to remind you that you were supposed to stay patrolling on the upper floors?" reprimanded Sephiroth.
"Yes, but just so you know, the coffee machine is here! Not up there! And do I have to remind you that unlike some who don't need to drink, eat, or sleep for several days, we ordinary humans need to nourish ourselves from time to time to function properly! And we haven't had anything to eat for two days!" he scolded without bothering to turn around.
He slid his coins into the machine's slot and entered the code for his order on the small digital keypad. The machine emitted a low hum before dropping a small cardboard cup into the beverage slot and filling it with steaming liquid, producing a characteristic "Tssschhhhhh!" sound.
"Why do you always take everything like a game?" Sephiroth asked, ennoyed.
"And you, why do you always take everything so seriously!" Genesis retorted tit for tat, finally turning around. "Not because, honestly, you..."
Suddenly, Sephiroth interrupted him:
"Wait, hush!"
"And stop giving me orders!"
"Genesis, be quiet!"
"You're not my superior, I remind you!"
"Shut up, you fool!" the warrior exclaimed, pressing his leather-gloved hand over the redhead's mouth, who, caught off guard, dared not make a move. Trapped between the coffee machine and his rival's arm, this forced silence compelled him to strain his ears as well.
That's when he understood. Sephiroth had perceived that almost imperceptible sound before him. A strange echo, still distant, but approaching inexorably: Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
Very light footsteps. Too light to be human.
Having finally achieved the silence he desired, the warrior removed his hand.
"What is it?" Genesis asked in a barely audible voice, as if fearing that the slightest sound would reveal their position.
"I don't know," Sephiroth replied calmly, but the glint in his eyes also betrayed a hint of apprehension.
"It's coming from..." Genesis began, leaving his sentence hanging.
"From inside the walls..." his friend finished in a slightly grave tone.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
In the surrounding silence, the faint tapping quickly became more distinct as it drew closer.
"It's coming from the ducts in the walls!"
Hardly had Genesis drawn this conclusion when the small air vent hatch at the bottom of the wall in front of them suddenly popped out of its frame. A mixture of astonishment, surprise, and fear overwhelmed them suddenly at this most unexpected discovery:
An adorable little creature, covered in green scales and fixing its enemies with its large, glowing yellow eyes, emerged from the hatch. It stood on its small legs, wearing a brown burlap cape that added an unusual touch to its already mysterious nature, equipped with a small lantern that emitted a dim light... and a perfectly deadly sharp blade!
"A... a Tonberry!" Genesis exclaimed, revealing the nature of the gentle little creature.
The cute little monster approached them with calm ease. Following behind it, another Tonberry appeared, then another, and yet another. Soon, a multitude of these little creatures gradually emerged from the wall ducts, creating a scene as strange as it was unsettling.
Faced with this unexpected horde of creatures, the two men felt their faces pale, while anxiety grew within them. Another air vent suddenly opened from the ceiling behind them, releasing more Tonberries that joined their fellows with unsettling determination.
"We won't be able to defeat them! We need to get out of this corridor immediately!" declared Sephiroth.
"What! Are you kidding me? We're not going to run away, are we!" retorted the redhead, showing a hint of obstinacy.
"Call it 'taking cover to come up with an effective strategy' if you prefer!"
"But if we're fast enough..."
"Genesis, these creatures are formidable, even for us!" insisted the younger one, a hint of worry in his eyes. "And they're far too numerous! Our materia is useless against them! And the corridors are too narrow for us to fight them effectively with your sword or my saber! We'll never succeed without at least one of them touching us!"
Determined to act, Genesis grabbed his weapon, which he had been carrying in the harness on his back, ready to fight his way through the enemy. A dagger strike narrowly missed his ankle, deflected by Sephiroth's abrupt movement, pulling him forcefully backward.
The latter then grabbed Genesis's arm firmly and asserted with a stern tone: "I won't let you risk our lives once again!"
The coffee machine was in a corridor forming a "T" shape. The passage leading to the emergency staircase was blocked by the formidable monsters, as was the second corridor that led to the meeting rooms. Faced with this dead end, they had no choice but to take the path leading to the elevator.
The coffee machine was in a corridor forming a "T" shape. The passage leading to the emergency staircase was blocked by the formidable monsters, as was the second corridor that led to the meeting rooms. Faced with this dead end, they had no choice but to escape through the last corridor, the one that led to the elevator.
Upon reaching the elevator, Genesis noticed with frustration, "It's out of order! Those damn things must have chewed through the cables," Sephiroth immediately deduced.
Realizing the elevator was no longer an option, Sephiroth understood they needed to find a closed room, devoid of ducts or any openings leading to the rest of the building, to avoid a confrontation with the creatures prowling the corridors. The situation had become critical. "Over here! Follow me," he said.
Spotting a door not far from them, he rushed to it, pulling his comrade along. His comrade, who was finding it increasingly difficult to believe what their misadventure had imposed upon them, exclaimed once inside and the door closed behind them :
"Seriously! A broom closet!"
"When they no longer sense our presence, they'll turn back on their own," Sephiroth justified. "We need to find a way to lure them out of the building. Once outside, the three of us shouldn't have any trouble eliminating them."
"What are they doing here? Tonberries never venture into cities! And certainly not into air ducts!"
"Someone must have put them there."
"There are at least a dozen of them! How do you expect anyone..."
"By putting them to sleep. They were probably sedated before being placed in the building's ducts. It's revenge against Shinra, or the mayor..."
Whoever it was, it was rather clever. But I'm surprised no one has spotted them before.
"Not that surprising. They're extremely discreet creatures."
Footsteps of the tonberries were still audible behind the door.
"We need to contact Angeal," Sephiroth resumed.
"I lost my earpiece when you pulled me back earlier..."
"And mine doesn't get a signal in here..."
Silence settled for a brief moment. Before Genesis burst into laughter:
"Sorry! It's just that," he articulated between two bursts, "it's just that imagining the Great Hero Sephiroth, hiding in a broom closet from tonberries! It's... Ah! Ah! It's too funny!"
Far from being touched in his ego, his comrade's hilarity elicited a slight smile from the warrior. Yes, all of this was ridiculous. And there was indeed much to laugh about. Trapped in this tiny closet of barely two or three square meters, two of the greatest warriors on the planet were hiding from these small creatures, as deadly as they were cute, forced to wait for them to leave. And at the pace they were moving, it might take a while.
Having managed to calm his tremors, Genesis gradually regained his breath after this sudden and nervous fit of laughter. The only source of light came from a small blue neon light just above the door, and he deeply regretted not having the same visual abilities as his comrade. From what he managed to distinguish once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Sephiroth's pupils, usually very sharp, had dilated to capture the maximum amount of light. He, on the other hand, could probably see as if it were broad daylight. If there was one thing that had always fascinated him, it was this enchanting feline gaze of the man. Unable to take his eyes off him, he remembered with brutal acuity the sensation that had overcome him the other night, just before he captured his junior's lips. Except this time, he wasn't drunk, and he was fully aware of his emotions.
"That wasn't a game...," he suddenly murmured seriously.
"What are you talking about?" Sephiroth asked, troubled.
"You know very well."
The two men were standing a few tens of centimeters apart due to the closeness of the place.
"I'm not playing," Genesis continued with a calm voice. "Not with you. Never with you."
His counterpart looked away, and he then sensed the discomfort and embarrassment that his sincerity and the subject he had brought up had plunged him into. This also led him to another thought: had Sephiroth ever had any romantic experience? Not to his knowledge. As far as he could remember, he had never known him to be in any romantic relationship. Even during the social events organized by Shinra, where their presence was highly required, if Genesis was mingling effortlessly among the guests, taking full advantage of these opportunities to enrich his conquests, his comrade merely politely responded to the calls of various journalists or somewhat daring groupies who circled around him. Yet, with his looks and notoriety, he had the world at his feet! It only took a snap of his fingers to find himself surrounded by the most beautiful women, or men depending on his preference! What a waste!
Or maybe not...
Well, after all, Genesis thought, there weren't fifteen ways to know:
"Was it your first kiss?" he openly questioned.
"No..."
The answer was straightforward. And, although he suspected it, it made him feel a slight pang of jealousy and clear disappointment.
"Oh? Then who...," he continued with curiosity.
"You," Sephiroth admitted.
What? This one, he didn't expect!
"Me?" he repeated, bewildered.
"The day I retrieved you from the Wutai fortress. You were unconscious, and I had to give you the elixir by giving you mouth-to-mouth..."
This confession unintentionally drew a smile from him. Goodbye, jealousy! Goodbye, disappointment! Because it provided him with valuable insight into his previous speculations. If Sephiroth considered their meeting in the dark dungeons of the Wutai fortress, which happened just last month, as his first kiss, it was unlikely that anyone had ever shared his intimacy before. And what possessed him to confess this so openly? He had practically told him he was a virgin! Ordinarily, Genesis would have immediately seized the opportunity to hit back with a few well-placed jabs! For once, he had the upper hand over his rival! Yet, the vulnerability he thought he detected in the jade gaze prevented any snarky retort from leaving his lips.
The slow footsteps of the tonberries seemed to be moving away slowly, a sign that their plan had worked. However, the two men remained motionless, lost in their silent exchange.
Breaking the silence, Genesis whispered with palpable emotion in his voice:
"The gift of the goddess is an infinite mystery. To reach it, we take flight..."
"You can't help yourself, can you?" Sephiroth interrupted, amused.
"Help myself from what?"
"Reciting poetry."
"It helps me not be too nervous..."
Without further ado, the fiery warrior let his instincts guide him and sealed their lips for the second time. This time, it was different, deeper, charged with a passion he had long suppressed. Their breaths intertwined, and the world seemed to fade around them.
After all those long years of fantasies, Genesis finally slid his hand through the curtain of silk formed by the long silver hair, interweaving the incredibly smooth strands between his slender fingers. His other palm delicately rested just beside the leather straps, where his partner's heart beat intensely. At that moment, he wished he didn't have gloves on!
As he sensually deepened the kiss they shared, he savored every moment, filled with excitement that had been contained for far too long. Nothing held him back now, and he intended to fully enjoy this passionate embrace. He languidly intertwined their lips, giving free rein to a desire that had tormented him for too many years. A dream. A teenage dream, becoming a reality.
However, the shyness he still sensed in his partner encouraged him not to rush things. The lips of the young man had come to life beneath his, responding to the kiss with discreet sensuality. He felt one of his hands resting on his own arm, and he deduced from his gestures a restraint stemming from his lack of romantic experience. The redhead knew he had to be patient, that he couldn't rush things. Moreover, he knew Sephiroth well enough to understand that any gesture that was too daring would make him react coldly, causing him to retreat like a hermit crab into his shell.
After a few minutes, Genesis pulled away, somewhat reluctantly. Their slightly panting breaths mingled in the now electric air. Sephiroth's intense gaze troubled him, revealing emotions he had rarely seen in him.
"You've never been with anyone, have you?" he finally dared to ask.
Only the sound of his friend's still slightly panting breathing answered him. That's what he thought.
About this man, what exactly did he know? Not as much as he thought, in truth. Sephiroth's past remained largely a mystery, his origins kept secret by Shinra itself. Official records only revealed scattered fragments of a life veiled in secrecy. He knew nothing about his childhood, and what he knew about his adolescence only concerned his feats of arms and combat prowess. As a friend, he himself had confided that he had no mother, that she had died at his birth. That he had been raised by his "father," although this term could hardly be attributed to that unfriendly fellow. He assumed that he had probably grown up in Shinra's sinister laboratories. Before being trained, by whomever, actually, and thrown onto the battlefield at a young age.
Beneath his cold, distant, and haughty demeanor, he knew full well that the warrior was trying to hide his true feelings and emotions.
Even after these few years as brothers-in-arms, and then as friends, the Great Hero remained an enigma, even to him. An enigma that he was determined to unravel. Yes, this man was going to be his; his and no one else's.
"The tonberries are gone..."
"Haha! You say that because you're afraid I'll steal your virtue in this closet!"
In the dim light, it seemed like the young man had blushed, but he wasn't sure. Nonchalantly, he leaned his elbow on the door, declaring proudly, "I'm not as depraved as I look, you know! And even if I want to, know that I'm a most considerate lover and that... Ahaahhhh!"
With a girlish scream, Genesis had just fallen to the ground. Angeal, who had opened the door, looked at him amused.
"Well, you'll have to explain to me how I found both of you locked in there!"
End og chapter
