Rufus Shinra's Reputation Plummets Amid New Wutai Revelations

Midgar – The reputation of Rufus Shinra, President of the Shinra Electric Power Company, has taken another significant hit following shocking revelations about the company's conduct in the ongoing conflict in Wutai. Reports have surfaced that Shinra's Junon command, under orders from the president, fired on their own troops during a critical battle in the longstanding war.

Multiple sources confirmed the Junon cannon's unannounced activation. Now, reporting confirms a major military operation in the target area at the same time the Mako cannon fired. Anonymous sources within Shinra's military ranks have confirmed that Rufus himself presided over the first time the Mako cannon was fired in this war.

Furthermore, multiple people close to the matter have also disclosed that the renewed hostilities in Wutai may have been initiated under false pretenses. The latest mobilization, including Shinra's famed Soldier units, was initially framed as a necessary response to Wutai's supposed role in assassinating the former president. However, new allegations suggest that the Wutai did not play a role in stoking new violence in Midgar, and some events may have been manufactured to allow Rufus Shinra to consolidate power. Indeed, soon after his ascent, key Shinra executives were quickly removed.

The revelations added to the already souring relationship between Shinra and the general public. Protests erupted in Midgar and other major cities, with thousands taking to the streets demanding accountability. Demonstrators have called for Rufus Shinra's immediate resignation and an end to the war.

XXI. Deescalating Tensions

Tseng startled only slightly when Rufus's fist slammed down on the polished desk. Several reports were scattered in disarray in front of him, and on the screen was a transmission from Wutai detailing the treaty.

His usually neatly coiffed hair was unusually disheveled from the many times Rufus ran his hand through the strands. His lips were drawn tight, as were his brows as he read the communique.

The preceding board meeting had gone so poorly Rufus stormed out in cold fury in the middle of Heidegger's stuttering excuses. He hadn't known about the Soldier operations nor that Sephiroth had gone rogue and cut a deal with Kisaragi. Hojo's strident chastisements about risking his best subject were layered between the nervous statements. The entire room was still in uproar.

To add insult to injury, Genesis confronted Rufus the moment he got off the boat from Wutai. It almost went…ugly. Tseng wasn't confident the Turks would have been enough to stop Genesis if the man actually did any of the violence he threatened, even if he had looked sickly (Tseng hadn't heard that Genesis was injured in Wutai. It bared further investigation. When he had the time and wasn't acting Director.) In the end, it was Heidegger's stuttering explanations and Angeal's cooler head that got Genesis to stand down.

Worse still was the note that stared Rufus in the face from Kisaragi when he finally returned to Wutai.

"Be careful with your weapon and how you wield it, Shinra. It's not about size but skill." Even Tseng winced at the phrasing. "Our gods watch over Wutai, and we still have more defenses than you know. How much more will you gamble?"

Tseng was suspicious about what happened at Mount Tamblin. Everything pointed to a particularly powerful spell. The media dubbed it the Miracle of Mount Tamblin and further speculated on Wutai's secret defenses. Did the Wutaians finally show their hand? Kisaragi's note intimated as much. Yet, if that nation had it, why didn't they use it for so many years of the war? Why wait until things were desperate?

Kisaragi was playing them like a fiddle.

With a sigh, Rufus closed the screen before him. He opened his drawer and withdrew more medicine pills, popping them in dry. He leaned back in his chair. Turning to Tseng, he examined Tseng in silence for a while, long enough that Tseng could observe the dark shadows under his piercing bright blue eyes. Finally, he asked, "Any news about Veld?"

Tseng shook his head.

Veld's sudden request for leave caught the entire department off guard. But Rufus approved it without question. Radio silence since. It was so unexpected that Tseng hadn't even transitioned from his post next to Rufus while he tried to sort through Veld's responsibilities simultaneously.

"I see," Rufus said. He turned his chair to look thoughtfully out the window.

Tseng's phone vibrated in his pocket. He scanned through the message, and he bit his lip.

"Sir, trouble in the undercity. The Avalanche contact is dead." Rufus didn't react as he continued to look outwards. Then he sighed and held his hand out for the phone.

"Forces south-" Kunsel stopped mid-report when Sephiroth's head snapped away from him to look at the bed. Kunsel also looked to see the minute movement that drew Sephiroth's attention.

Eyes lined with gold fluttered open, dark pupils blown wide and disoriented, ringed by bright blue. Sephiroth reached out a leather-clad hand but let it hover hesitantly.

Since Cloud was brought in, Sephiroth hadn't left other than when he could not avoid duty anymore. In fact, Kunsel was in the infirmary because it was simply more efficient to find the General at Cloud's bedside and report there. After Cloud's disappearing act, security was tightened, but Sephiroth still left little to chance.

And it had been rough.

For days, Cloud thrashed in his sleep and screamed out unintelligible words. Trying to calm him was impossible, but Sephiroth wouldn't allow them to restrain him. No one could stomach the thought anyway, not after what they found in the ruined cave. Even so, the times when Cloud was silent were perhaps worse than when he was screaming.

Thus, despite being interrupted in the middle of his update, Kunsel could barely muster any annoyance at the cause.

He had never seen Sephiroth with even a hair out of place, not after all the battles in Midgar, not through the Wutai campaign. Yet, though the man looked as put together as always, there was an air of anxiety that Kunsel could feel just by being present in the room. There was a tightness around the man's eyes that wasn't present even against the most dangerous monsters.

That air shifted again to something Kunsel couldn't put a word to when Cloud's glowing eyes met his, then settled on Sephiroth. It felt like there was a jolt of current through the room, through Kunsel, but neither of the other occupants seemed to react. The circuit was broken when the gloved hand finally lowered to rest gently on Cloud's upper arm.

"Cloud."

It took a while for Cloud's eyes to focus on Sephiroth. Kunsel could see his pupils contract, making the glow that suffused his irises more obvious.

"W-W-" His voice was hoarse. Kunsel reached for the pitcher of water by the bed. The blond flinched at the sudden movement. Sephiroth's hand tightened on his shoulder and caught his attention again.

He asked in a hushed tone, "Do you…remember me?"

"Yes," Cloud croaked out. His brows were drawn as he looked at Sephiroth, then darted around him, then at Kunsel, peering over Sephiroth's shoulder, and then down to the hand on his arm (Kunsel noted that his eyes began to dim the longer he was awake. The current in the room felt lighter somehow. And something about Cloud just…felt different). After a pause, Cloud shivered and tried to push himself up from the bed. Sephiroth's other hand came up to hover, hesitating for a moment.

"Don't move," he coaxed instead of trying to push Cloud back down. "You had severe mako poisoning."

Kunsel shook his head. Severe was a massive understatement. They weren't sure Cloud would wake up again. Finding him battling it out with mutated beasts in the wilderness was a shock, no matter how out of mind the blond acted. Kunsel finished pouring the water, which Sephiroth accepted for Cloud with a grateful nod.

"You… saved me," Cloud muttered as he lay back on the bed. Sephiroth blinked but didn't say anything else. Cloud stared at Sephiroth intently. They were the only ones to exist in a separate space. Never had Kunsel felt more like a voyeur, not even when he shared the barracks as a cadet and heard everything his bunkmates got up to. He felt out of place.

As if realizing it too, Sephiroth turned to Kunsel. "Report later, please." Kunsel appreciated the dismissal and jumped up to leave.

Cloud stared at Sephiroth as if trying to unravel a puzzle. Sephiroth, in turn, bent over Cloud next to his hospital bed, almost leaning over with the glass of water in hand. Not lingering, Kunsel fled the ward.

It wasn't until later that Kunsel finally put his finger on what was different. Cloud lost some of his country twang.

The air carried with it the smell of smoke. Clay didn't think he'd get the smell out any time soon. But he had other things to worry about. And it wasn't ever pleasant. The group of them stood in formation. With the supplies limited, some men were still wearing soot-stained uniforms. Before them lay rows of bodies wrapped in a tarp, protecting them from the rain. Each with a name pinned to the top. Each contained the remains of a fallen comrade—the ones they could find in the aftermath. Clay tried not to think about the list of the missing.

In a terrible way, they were lucky. With the Wutaians standing down and licking their own wounds, they were finally getting supply flights in again and transporting out the bodies. These would be the first boys they can send home.

"We stand here today to honor our brothers…" he spoke now familiar words. They never stopped tasting bitter on his tongue.

Around him, the troops stood at attention, faces grim. Toward the back, Ramirez was seated. His wounds were serious enough that a cure didn't heal all the damage. He'd be on the first helicopter out but insisted on staying for the ceremony. His eyes were fixed on a bundle toward the side. Jensen. They pulled the body out, in bad shape but still recognizable despite whatever Strife unleashed on the hidden lab. At Strife's insistence, he would be honored, too.

"...These men fought with courage, with honor, and they deserve to be remembered…" After he finished his brief eulogy (he knew better than to think platitudes would pull anyone out of their grief right now), he nodded to another trooper holding the list of names. It began with the ones whose bodies they recovered and then moved to those missing.

Clay knew the list could have been a lot longer.

The trooper began to read the names, his voice cracking at names he knew. Shoulders shook. Helmets downturned, hiding eyes. Each name blended with the rain.

They carried Shinra military can openers, pocket knives, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, shit that masqueraded as rations, and canteens of water that had the red company logo emblazoned on it. They carried tools for digging foxholes and olive-colored rainproof tarps. Now, they would trade all these burdens. They would carry the bodies of their brethren home.

Fall was the wet season in Wutai, but the weather gentled as they reached the depth of winter. Torrential rain lightened to an occasional drizzle.

The cool mist gently brushed Godo's face as he walked with Sephiroth, his guard trailing behind and still cautious of Shinra's General.

A common enemy, Godo mused, made for strange bedfellows. Armies that previously opposed each other now fought for a common goal, even as they eyed each other suspiciously. While negotiations with Midgar continued, Soldiers under Sephiroth's command set about clearing the surrounding forest of Avalanche's presence.

It was a task Sephiroth seemed to be taking on with relish and executing with extreme prejudice.

"I am pleased to hear about Strife's recovery," Godo offered, genuinely glad. After all, Cloud Strife saved them all. Rather than fete him in the open, instead they were using it as a bluff against Rufus Shinra. Implying Wutai had more up its sleeve. Implying Wutai's god intervened (and perhaps he did). A move that Sephiroth himself condoned.

"We are, too," Sephiroth said and quickly changed the subject. "How have negotiations proceeded with Rufus?"

Godo shook his head. "Stubborn youth. But I need to thank you. The bluff is working."

What truly happened at Mount Tamblin will be a secret. That as part of their agreement. The general ordered the men who witnessed the feat to keep it from all reports. Godo suspected the action was motivated by more than a simple desire to help Wutai negotiate.

They kept walking in companionable silence until they reached their destination. The general greeted one of the Soldiers at the cave entrance.

"My lord…" Shake warned nervously behind him, but Godo shook his head and followed the Shinra men into the cave.

The acrid smell hit him right away. Though this was the fourth of these caves that had been raided, Godo still could not be used to the sight or smell. Beyond that, each cave was imbued with an oppressive aura. The souls of the wrong lingered. Once it was safe, Wutaian priests would need to be summoned to exorcise the tormented.

"Sir," a trooper reported, scarf pulled up to hide his nose, "No survivors this time."

Godo sighed.

After Sephiroth explained his suspicions about Avalanche and their connected operations near Junon, they began to uncover more and more hidden labs in the hills around Wutai. Until Shinra officially agreed to the ceasefire, both sides in Wutai stayed in an uneasy truth. The Shinra army could not let Wutai fighters behind their lines even if it were to clear out Avalanche, and Wutai wouldn't let Shinra take another step toward the capital. And thus, as they cleared out the snake in the grass, they watched each other suspiciously.

And what a snake in the grass it was.

As Sephiroth predicted, multiple locations held vast inventories of mutated monsters—the same ones that harassed Wutaian villages for years. Godo had thought they were Shinra's beasts, turned loose to pillage at will, until more recently, when they turned to attack Shinra's camps. Vincent was right again.

Also, as predicted, they found prisoners. Missing villagers, missing troops. People lost and overlooked because of the war.

People turned into experiments.

Godo could not fathom the depravity even as he witnessed the aftermath with his own eyes.

Burnt monster corpses were scattered inside the cave. Most were still inside their cocoonlike capsules, where their metamorphosis had ended. Further in, painfully clean steel tables stood in rows. Their spotless surface belied their sinister purpose.

Godo turned to Shake.

"It's time to clear out the rot."

"Alright there, spike?" Zack's voice stirred Cloud from his thoughts. Head up in the clouds. Ha.

He squinted as he peered around the mess hall. Cloud found grounding in an unfamiliar tableau. When things became too similar, conflicting images started to coalesce. The present was overwritten.

Who am I?

Cloud nodded after what seemed too long, staring at his friend. But Zack seemed to accept the response. With a grin, he continued to chat with the other Soldiers, one arm still slung around Cloud. Cloud was grateful. He sat at the end of the bench, where he could watch the conversation but not need to join in. He couldn't help but lean against Zack a little as he stared at the colorless pile in his tray. With a metal fork, he pushed the mush around, and around, and around, letting the tines scrape lightly against the bare metal tray.

Cloud was confused.

It felt like he always was these days.

It felt like something was wrong with his brain. He would be in the present one moment, then suddenly, something familiar unfamiliar would trigger another set of memories, all jumbled and tinged with regret.

New memories would appear like copied text pasted haphazardly into a half-written essay. New faces. Some he knew but different. Others were strangers.

These new memories painted a painful future. Was this the future? Was this the remainder of the glimpses he had gotten from the mako pool of his youth, half-forgotten now and blurred by time?

Who am I?

Doubt. Endless doubt.

The new memories didn't match up. Tifa's mother died, but she didn't. She didn't. She didn't. Mom. Aeris's father died, but Cloud just talked to Clay that day. Cloud met Vincent after Nibelheim burned, but it didn't. It's home. It wasn't home. Vincent taught Cloud what he knew and had already left Nibelheim. Intact. Vincent was-

Who am I?

And Sephiroth. Sephiroth, he-

"May I join you?" He appeared.

The sudden hush in the mess hall was loud. It was enough to garner the attention of others, who looked at the source and then looked away. Cloud nodded and shifted in his seat closer to Zack to make space. His friend's warmth permeated his entire side as he pressed closer to a welcomed presence and tried to brush against Sephiroth as little as possible.

Slowly, the conversation picked back up as Sephiroth settled at the end of the Soldier's table, back straight. He didn't have a tray. Instead, he leaned forward and folded his hands in front of him.

"How did the raid go, sir?" Sebastian asked from across Sephiroth. Cloud looked up when Sephiroth responded to Sebastian, his gaze still on Cloud.

"Well. The Wutaians completely cleared out the encampment to the east."

"Any…signs?" Cloud asked. The general's face turned stony, and he shook his head. Fuhito escaped, then. Again.

"They've been covering their tracks well. With the surveillance net being…porous at best, they could be anywhere."

Cloud shivered.

So then, what is this ragtag group of misfits I see before me?

Avalanche. Avalanche.

Zack stilled minutely beside him but then resumed his rowdy conversation with Luxiere.

They sat in silence for long enough that Sebastian was pulled into the conversation at the other side of the table. Unexpectedly, Sephiroth spoke again. The words were said softly so that even if the other Soldiers could hear, he was clearly speaking only to Cloud.

"What are you seeing?" It felt like green eyes were piercing through the fog in Cloud's mind. Cloud stared back from where he sat at the bottom of a well. There was another him looking back. Older. Tired.

Rain started falling. It started filling the well. The other Cloud reached out with a gloved hand.

Cloud reached for it as water rose around his neck. Water got into his eyes, and he blinked. When he looked again, Sephiroth looked back with his hand outreached as water began to slosh into his eyes.

Cloud snapped out of his mind. Sephiroth was still examining him. His hands were both still and visible on the table. The hairs on Cloud's skin stood on end.

Who am I?

"My past," Cloud answered simply, pushing down his confusion.

"General!" a Soldier dashed to their table, "News from Midgar. Rufus agreed."

The announcement started a shockwave that radiated through the mess. Sephiroth stood from the table in response.

"Then that means we need to clear out as soon as possible. It isn't good manners to leave a mess."

"Yes, sir!"

Sephiroth turned to Cloud and the other Soldiers.

"Big day tomorrow. We'll leave early to take care of the last Avalanche den. You should get some rest."

"All right, will do!" Zack responded with a smile and a wave as Cloud shifted back to where he sat before. The bench underneath was still warm.

"This is not working," Genesis said as he ripped the needle out himself, ignoring Hollander's protest. Angeal frowned but didn't stop Genesis from flipping himself up from the examination table and lowering his sleeve as he stood.

Angeal sighed and followed, also sitting up from his chair. He picked unconsciously at the bandage that stuck to the inside of his elbow. By the time they left the lab, the small mark left by the needle would have healed.

"You need to give it more time! I-" Genesis's glare silenced Hollander. Hollander sighed, exasperated.

"I am limited by the equipment here. Let's go back to Midgar where-"

"No."

Genesis had been vehement about heading back to Wutai, but after Angeal's own misadventures with Sephiroth and his student in tow, they locked the docks down tightly. Rufus was not relenting.

Partly in protest and partly out of concern, Genesis refused to leave Junon and return to Midgar.

Angeal was a little bit proud and did nothing to rein in the rebellion. Angeal knew many thought of him as the one Genesis listened to. Most didn't know he was also guilty as Genesis's biggest enabler.

"You're being obstinate, and it's making you worse," Hollander crossed his arms disapprovingly.

"I've had transfusions in worse-" mid-sentence, Genesis paused. Throwing his trench coat over his shoulders, he instead said, "Never mind."

Hollander, however, looked very interested.

"Transfusions? When?" Refusing to answer the scientist, Genesis swept out with Angeal in tow. Genesis's stride slowed from irritation to thoughtfulness. Angeal, adept at reading Genesis's moods, let the man lead the way in silence, trailing less than half a step behind. It wasn't until they boarded a hanger elevator that Angeal voiced his thoughts.

"We'll find a way," Angeal reassured. Seeing Genesis falling slowly apart before him with every failed treatment pained him. Genesis simply shook his head in response. Instead, he steered them out of the hangar and onto Upper Junon's main thoroughfare.

"You know," Genesis mused as they strolled unhurriedly along the walkway that overlooked the harbor below, "I've trusted Hollander as much as you can trust any Shinra scientist."

Angeal looked at Genesis. His profile remained inscrutable.

"He had treated us since birth," Angeal replied instead. "And he had always cared about our wellbeing." He hadn't seen the contemplative mood from his friend in a while, not without Loveless being mentioned, at least. When Genesis got this way, it was better to let him work it out.

"And yet, nothing he says lines up," Genesis paused and looked up. They had walked beneath the shadow cast by the canon. Looking at its dormant state now, it was hard to believe it was fired a few weeks before. Angeal would never forget the anchor of dread that sank in his stomach for the remainder of their journey back. The weight only lifted when they received that first message from Sephiroth after arriving in Junon.

"He is trying to help, Genesis," Angeal sighed. It was frustrating to see unsuccessful treatment after unsuccessful treatment. But Angeal knew. Genesis's body was failing. Angeal would do anything to stop that, even subject himself to more of Hollander's tests than all the Soldier treatments he endured combined.

"I don't trust what he tells me Angeal," Genesis said as he leaned against the railing, overlooking the city below. "I don't feel in control of my emotions. At my worst, I feel like a monster wearing human skin."

Angeal sighed.

"Genesis…"

"Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost, wings stripped away-"

"Stop quoting that damn poem and speak to me," Angeal growled. Genesis looked down and turned quiet.

"...I feel worse when the transfusions happen."

Angeal leaned against the railing, mirroring Genesis's pose. They stood side by side with very little space in between so Angeal could hear every whispered truth.

"Hollander said that was normal," Angeal reminded Genesis, "He said my genetics were the most compatible-"

"Except that's not true." Genesis had said something when they left the lab.

"You received a transfusion before," Angeal realized, "in Wutai." Genesis nodded and crossed his arms as he recounted the memory.

"I was badly wounded. Wasn't healing." Angeal clenched his fists at the thought of Genesis being alone, even amongst all his men. But he continued listening. "It was a field operation. Messy. They used the first person the transfusion kit tested as compatible."

"And you got better," Angeal said with wonder. Countless tests. Sleepless nights. And Hollander failed. "Who is it? Are they still in Wutai?" Angeal straightened, ready to request an assignment back despite countless demands since landing in Junon being denied.

Genesis watched his reaction, a small, wry smile on his face.

"Come with me," Genesis said. They walked out of the shadow into the bright sun, crossing the street to enter the shaded alley at the top of a set of stairs.

Angeal looked at the sign above him with confusion. "This is a book store."

"Very astute," Genesis teased, then confidently sauntered in. He first paused in the classics section, running his fingers along the spines with an air of familiarity, pausing on a new edition of Loveless, then past it. Then he steered them instead to the mythology section.

Angeal raised a brow, "Fairy tales? Really?"

Genesis rolled his eyes.

"Uncultured swine," he muttered, but his tone was fond. He then grabbed Angeal by the wrist, pulling him further through the aisle. How Genesis knew what to pick continued to be a mystery to Angeal, but he went along with the unexpected detour all the same. Genesis scanned the spines of different books and picked one out with unerring accuracy. He flipped it open to inspect it before closing it with a decisive snap. Angeal patiently followed Genesis as he made his purchase and then down the block, where he booked a hotel room.

It wasn't until the doors closed on them that Angeal finally reminded Genesis, "You know we have quarters here."

Genesis gave Angeal a look, and Angeal conceded. Genesis plopped on the bed without bothering to kick off his boots or remove his jacket, leaning back on the pillows and gesturing for Angeal to join him. Shaking his head helplessly, Angeal removed his shoes (as was proper, Genesis) and sat beside his exasperating friend.

Leaning back half against the headboard and half against Genesis, Angeal was reminded of their childhood. Genesis was an avid reader even when they were young. Angeal was always in awe of the books that lined the shelves at the Rhapsodos residence. Really, given the financial situation of the Hewleys', Angeal was in awe of the Rhapsodos residence in general.

There were countless nights spent like this, Angeal keeping Genesis company as his friend read random passages from his famous books. Sometimes, Angeal would fall asleep listening to Genesis's prepubescent voice, stumbling over archaic words.

Presently, Genesis was already flipping through his new book, his eyes darting along the page as he looked for whatever he wanted to show Angeal. Genesis stopped at a full-page image.

"The hunt," Genesis explained. "This is a set of famous tapestries that told the tale of the hunt for a legendary creature that heals the wounded and purifies toxins."

Angeal looked at the page. The scenery was amazingly detailed. Men in archaic attire carried spears. Around them were white dogs on leashes, some with noses down, looking for a scent trail.

"What creature is that?" Genesis flipped to the next page.

The men surrounded a fountain. Before it, a creature resembling a white deer bent down toward the water. Instead of antlers, it had a single horn that touched the water's surface. Gathered around it were all manner of beasts and monsters, yet the scene was peaceful. The only things that disturbed the scene were the men who looked upon the fountain covetously.

"Old texts call it a unicorn. Most modern scholars don't think it existed, and certainly, no summon creature resembles it," Genesis explained, then flipped the page, "And if it did, it would have been hunted to extinction."

The next scene showed the hunters surrounding the animal, spears pointed inward, trapping it as hunting dogs darted around its legs, one rearing to snap its jaws at the creature's hindquarters. The unicorn fought back, but the following panels showed it tricked and finally pierced with a lance.

In the final panel, the hunters re-emerged victorious, presenting the dead unicorn at the feet of a lord and lady. One hunter grasped the horn tightly. A majestic animal turned into a trophy for the rich.

"A unicorn horn is said to cure all ills," Genesis explained, "But to use it for their selfish ends, humanity captured that power for themselves, leaving none to nature."

"And…. you think that's what would heal you?" Angeal asked, still not understanding at all.

Genesis laughed.

"I think it's already healing me," Genesis said, "But what do you think would happen if Shinra caught wind of it?"

Angeal stared at the panel depicting a corpse amid the hunters' triumphant celebration.

"They can't know," Angeal concluded. Shinra's researchers would lay waste to their new fascination. In this, they weren't any better than those eco-terrorists Zack fought in Junon. Genesis closed the book and turned to Angeal.

Suddenly Angeal realized they were leaning in close. So close Genesis's hair brushed lightly along his cheek. Genesis gazed deeply into his eyes. There was a warmth there that Angeal didn't recognize.

"There's something else I realized after Wutai," Genesis admitted, "Do you want to know what it is?"

Angeal had to remember to breathe. Instead of pulling away, Genesis leaned in more.

"What?" Angeal responded almost absently. He was distracted by the feel of Genesis's body, now pressed against the entire length of his own. This close, Angeal could see specks of amber around Genesis's pupil, usually hidden by mako blue.

"Since we were children, you have been there for me," Genesis said. "Even when I didn't want you, when I needed you, you would appear. Thank you."

When Genesis leaned in further this time, Angeal met him. Genesis's breath on his cheek sent a shiver down Angeal's spine, then their lips touched, and Angeal's eyes fluttered close on their own.

Godo ignored Yuffie's sniffling and turned to the taciturn foreigner before him.

"You're leaving, then?"

Vincent shuffled, revealing the single bag under his cloak encompassing the man's sparse belongings.

"It is time."

Godo nodded. "We owe you our gratitude."

It was less than Godo wished for and more than Vincent would take to offer anything more. Vincent nodded. The man was gone in the space between comforting Yuffie and looking up again.

Clay packed his meager personal belongings into his bag. The small but private quarters were now bare around him. Slinging his pack across his shoulder, he exited the tent into the bustle of the camp. He looked around Nanzen village. Tents were being disassembled. Supplies were being crated up again.

He would be boarding a flight to Crescent Bay in a few hours.

After that, he would catch the last sight of Wutai as his ship sailed back east. The company offered Clay a promotion and a generous posting in Junon, but Clay said no.

It was time to go home.

A/N:

Poor Kunsel keeps ending up seeing things that he's not comfortable seeing.

Genesis decided to go totally off-script here. I didn't plan too much A/G, but guess what happened? Genesis took matters into his own hands.

Also, if you are curious, the unicorn tapestries are real. You can see them in person at The Cloisters in NYC, or online at the Met website. https/primer/met-cloisters/unicorn-tapestries-story

These next few chapters are a mini arc? Arc inside an arc? Kind of like decompression after Wutai to close out Arc 2.

Also, this fic hit 100k words. Holy mog and chocobo, thanks for sticking with me through this story!

Finally- FFN keeps wiping out formating. If you want to see some minor formatting differences, check out AO3 but it won't be a big difference in meaning.