#pre-strofesodos

Genesis was sure that the company would not be happy to see him again. And he didn’t want to chance either of them being captured once again; Shinra had never been kind to those that they believed had wronged them, he doubted that whatever had occurred here had changed that attitude.

But Weiss was only getting worse as the days passed; Genesis was quickly running out of time if he wanted to save this brother. He needed to do something, he was quickly running out of options.

Weiss started coughing again, the rasping, rattling sound breaking Genesis from his thoughts. Turning his gaze towards where he had settled the other, a nest of old, tattered blankets and pillows on an old mattress he’d found amongst the nearby ruins, he’d elevated the sleeping man’s head once the coughing had started, fearing he would end up choking himself on phlegm while Genesis was away.

The sounds were too much for Genesis to stand and he fled their shelter, escaping into the ruins until even his enhanced hearing couldn’t hear the hacking any more.

He didn’t know where he had ended up; the destroyed city was too similar, the topmost plate had dropped onto the slums, leaving nothing but indistinguishable rubble surrounding him. The only way to properly navigate Midgar now was from the air, else one was reduced to wandering aimlessly through the once great city, senses trained on your surroundings to avoid being ambushed by the monsters that now roamed here.

He took a few moments to simply breath, filling his lungs with the scent of rust, dust and decay, slowly forcing himself to calm down from the panic that had driven him from their shelter. He shouldn’t have allowed himself to be so influenced by his own uselessness, enough so that the mere sound of coughing had caused him to flee their place of safety.

He really had become useless hadn’t he?

The muted sounds of monsters fighting somewhere in the ruins reached his ears, soft, distant noises floating on the breeze and grabbing his attention. He welcomed the distraction, focusing on the far-off sounds, most likely monsters fighting over some newly-discovered scrap of food.

He froze suddenly when a foreign sound reached his ears, the telltale sounds of sparking lightning. His wing materialized within a moment and he shot himself into the air, turning towards the sounds of combat some distance away.

He recognized the sounds of Thundaga anywhere; someone else was within the ruins of Midgar.

Lightning singed the air a few miles away from where Genesis hovered and he turned towards it immediately, covering the distance within a few moments and diving down towards the figure standing alone amongst the remains of a battle. He dropped onto the stranger, sending them both to the ground, his chest heaved with his laboured breath, hope and anxiety warring in his chest as he lifted his head to meet the other’s gaze.

The sight of glowing mako-blue eyes nearly brought tears to his eyes; a SOLDIER! Could he get anymore unlucky? The man under him would surely inform Shinra of his presence ehre, leading to an inevitable capture…

But Weiss needed help and Genesis just couldn’t do it.

“Help me,” he begged, voice scratchy and hoarse from disuse, having not spoken to anyone other than Weiss’ unconscious form for quite some time. He tightened his grip on the man’s jacket, forcing himself to continue speaking despite the shame that threatened to choke him. “Please, help me. He’s sick and I can’t -” his voice cut off, the words suddenly becoming stuck in his throat. He swallowed heavily, forcing the words out. “And I can’t do anything!”

Then there was quiet, the stranger just stared up at him with wide blue eyes. He grit his teeth, frustration and wounded pride combining to create wetness in his eyes, moisture he desperately tried, and failed, to hold back.

Oh, how he had fallen. Reduced to tears and begging a stranger, someone who was most definitely beneath him. His parents would have been so disappointed in him, but then again, when weren’t they?

He had been about to open his mouth and say something more, beg the other once again, but the man stopped him, a single word freezing him in place.

“Ok.”

What? No, it, it couldn’t have been that easy… There was no way it was that easy!

But, he couldn’t afford to second-guess the kindness offered to him, not when Weiss needed it.

“Thank you,” he breathed, lifting himself from the other’s chest and standing on shaky legs. The stranger followed, standing shorter than any SOLDIER Genesis had ever seen, even shorter than he himself was barefoot; Shinra certainly must have been desperate after the mass desertion if they had diverged so much from their preferred body type.

He let the stranger pick up his oversized weapon, at least Shinra kept that particular stereotype, before he moved, wing appearing in a flurry of ruffled and damaged feathers as he grasped the man’s sword harness tightly, lifting them both into the air. The stranger shouted, a shocked, panicked sound, his instincts causing him to struggle in Genesis’ grasp as he lifted them further from the stability of the solid ground below. His struggles quickly turned to white knuckles fisted in the tattered remains of Genesis’ clothing, holding onto him for dear life as he turned towards where he and Weiss had taken shelter.

The SOLDIER’s panic would only aid them in remaining safe, if he was too focused on keeping a hold of Genesis to memorize their surroundings then he wouldn’t be able to lead others back to them.

They landed at the rubble that acted as his shelter only a few minutes later, the stranger dropped to his knees, spiky blond hair falling into his face as he took several deep breaths, relieved and disorientated. Genesis allowed him a moment to compose himself before grabbing him once more and dragging him bodily into the barely standing makeshift shelter, into the muggy heat trapped by the twisted metal and concrete.

Weiss had thankfully stopped coughing while Genesis had been away though his breathing was still laboured and uneven, chest heaving as he struggled to get air into his lungs. Each breath was audible in Genesis’ ears, a continuous rattling that set his nerves on edge.

He stopped them both once they were inside, jerking the SOLDIER to a halt before releasing him, continuing to Weiss’ side on his own. He knelt next to the nest of pillows and blankets he’d left his brother on, sweeping limp, filthy white hair away from his face, forcing his frayed nerves into compliance before addressing the stranger.

“He’s been like this for weeks,” he informed the man behind him, voice low and hollow. “And he’s only been getting worse. I, I can’t do anything to help.”

There was silence, the sound of Weiss’ breathing providing an unsettling backdrop to the tension slowly growing with Genesis. He didn’t know what he would do it the man refused him now, he sincerely doubted anyone else would be foolish enough to wander into the ruins and that was only if the blond didn’t report them to Shinra

“I’ll see what I can do,” the SOLDIER promised, approaching them hesitantly and seating himself directly across from Genesis. He could see the subtle glow of materia under the other’s clothing and could taste the Cure being cast over Weiss’ form, mingling with his brother’s energies to encourage his body to heal.

His eyes remained focused upon his brother’s form, watching the magic seep into his skin and spread out inside of him, the tendrils of soft green reminding him of his own healing several years previous.

He relaxed, a deep sigh of relief leaving his mouth as Weiss’ breathing began to even out and the horrid noises he was making ceased, leaving the man between them breathing easier than he had since DEEPGROUND fell. He could still sense that the other wasn’t completely healed but the stranger had done something for him, which was far more than Genesis had been able to manage.

“I can’t do much more here,” the quiet voice broke Genesis from his thoughts, causing him to turn his gaze away from the easy rise and fall of his brother’s chest to the man across from him. The blond was watching him with soft blue eyes, imploring with Genesis to see how sincere he was being. “He needs to be taken to Edge, at least to get away from here.”

“What is ‘Edge’?” He asked instead of answering the man’s veiled question, it had the added bonus of giving him a moment to quell the panic that threatened to rise in his own throat at the suggestion. He knew that Weiss needed more than he could provide him here, he needed actual food and someone that could heal him; things that the ruins, that Genesis, lacked.

“It’s the settlement of Midgar’s survivors,” the other explained calmly, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Genesis didn’t know that little bit of most likely obvious knowledge. “It’s a few miles from here, but I can have a friend bring a truck around in about two maybe three hours? If they ignore the speed limit.”

“There’s no speed limit in the wastes,” Genesis mused weakly, barely paying attention to what he was saying as his own thoughts consumed his attention. There were so many things that could go wrong for them if he allowed the SOLDIER to take them to this ‘Edge’; they could be captured, they could be separated, they could be executed. But Weiss was guaranteed to continued to deteriorate if he didn’t get the help he needed, help he could only get if he took the chance the man offered.

He heard the surprised chuckle from the other man but he missed most of what came after, only focusing back on his voice as he finished speaking. “ -hing like that.” Genesis blinked slowly, emerging from the haze of his thoughts, giving the other what he could only assume was a blank, unimpressed look, par for the course with him really. “Right. Well… Do you want me to call them? Or would you rather stay here?”

“I do,” he answered steadily, forcing himself to remain calm and focused. It would not help Weiss if he panicked, it would not help him if he panicked, panicking was the worst thing he could do in this scenario. He just needed to get his brother help, he could figure things out from there, but first; “what has become of Shinra?”

He needed to know, to prepare as best as he could.

“Pretty much gone,” the other answered, pulling out his PHS and manipulating it until he opened his contacts, or so Genesis assumed. “There’s Rufus and four Turks left now. But they’re not really effective at much of anything anymore, the WRO keeps him in check.”

“That is good to hear,” he replied, the words acknowledged but not responded to. The stranger moved away from him and Weiss to make his call, though Genesis could hear him as clearly as if he were standing next to him. Rufus had never been impressive and Genesis was confident in his ability to dispose of four Turks, even without being able to use Matiera.

They’d both be fine. If Weiss was able to pull through whatever was affecting him.

He kept an ear on the PHS conversation going on a few feet from them, ensuring that the other was trying anything despite evidence pointing towards the contrary. Whoever the SOLDIER, well ex-SOLDIER if Shinra truly wasn’t a thing anymore, was speaking to called him Cloud, presumably a nickname if not his actual one; he couldn’t judge if it was, his own name was rather exotic.

Weiss’ breath stuttered in his chest, drawing his attention back to the unconscious form lying before him. He reached out and shifted the pillows behind his brother’s head so he was propped up a bit more, hoping to alleviate whatever was causing the difficulties in Weiss breathing.

Cloud had helped quite a bit but Weiss was still ailing, he’d only deteriorate even more if they remained. Leaving was the best option for them, was the best option was Weiss. He couldn’t doom his brother simply because he was worried about the last vestiges of Shinra or this new organisation ‘the WRO’, that would be selfish of him, and he’d already hurt too many he cared about with his selfishness.

Cloud returned to them soon after, having finished his call and alerted his friend to needing their assistance. He dropped down across from Genesis once again, inspecting Weiss as he addressed him. “A friend’s coming with her truck,” he said, materia starting to glow as he swept it over Weiss’ form once again. “We’ll need to get him out of the city and somewhere she’ll be able to find us.”

“Of course,” taking Weiss from the safety of their shelter filled him with trepidation, anything could happen to him out there and there was no guarantee that he’d he safe out there. “It’ll be difficult to carry the both of you.”

“You don’t need to carry the both of us,” Cloud suggested softly, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. “We should be able to carry him out between the two of us.”

“No, we’re far too deep into the city,” he stated, shaking his head in a sharp jerk. They were miles away from the edge of the ruins; they’d have to go too far in order to get somewhere Cloud’s friend could reach them, around mountains of rubble and past numerous monster nests. The way would be near impossible if they had to carry Weiss’ dead weight between them.

“It’ll be too far to fly with the two of us.” Cloud insisted, turning to face him full on.

“You underestimate me,” he scoffed, mind already racing with figuring out the best way to carry both Cloud and Weiss while he was in the air. He’d have to hold onto Weiss to ensure he didn’t fall, but Cloud would be able to keep a hold of him in the air so he didn’t have to worry about the SOLDIER meeting an untimely end viat dropping from a great height onto the rubble below. “I’m far superior to your expectations.”

His words caused Cloud to chuckle, a deep, pleasant sound that resonated in Genesis’ ears. It’d been so long since he’d heard such a sound, even longer since he’d been the cause of it, there hadn’t been much of a reason for laughter when he had been on the run from Shinra and dying from Degradation.

“Just, don’t get us killed, then.” The amused words drew Genesis from his thoughts and back to the situation at hand. Cloud’s laughter lit up his face, brightening his eyes immensely and soothing something in Genesis’ chest; it was all too similar to when his SOLDIERs had accepted hi hair-brain schemes in order to achieve victory over a seemingly unbeatable enemy.

It was beyond reassuring, achingly familiar in a way he hadn’t realized he’d missed.

“I will do my best not to,” he responded, making himself sound as confident and unaffected as he could. He lifted himself to a crouch, sliding his arms securely under his brother’s form before standing to his full height, cradling the heavy, unconscious body against himself. “You’ll have to hold onto my back, unfortunately.”

Cloud nodded, noticeably nervous at the notion, but trusting him and his abilities all the same. He followed him out of the shelter, into the open air of the ruined city surrounding them.

From there it was just a moment’s pause for his large, hideous, double-jointed wing to emerge from his shoulder with a single strong beat, the feathers fluffing under Cloud’s heavy gaze. He wasn’t used to his wing being inspected so intently, he’d never given it more than a second’s glance and knew that anyone else who’d seen it was only able to bare a moment’s look before becoming sickened by the sight of the monstrous limb.

“Up you go,” he coaxed, crouching enough for the other to climb upon his back. His wing extended, the muscles stretching until the limb was spread nearly flat, as he waited for Cloud to move.

The first touch against his shoulder was obvious in how hesitant it was, barely there at first but slowly growing more confident as Genesis remained still under his touch. Cloud was soon pressed to his back, though clear of his wing so it could move unencumbered, clinging to him tightly with his knees against Genesis’ waist and arms crossed over his chest. He lifted himself to his full standing height once Cloud was holding him securely, feeling the other tighten his grip as he shifted.

“Ok,” Cloud said, the words brushing against Genesis’ ear and nearly causing him to shiver. He contained himself though, this was neither the time nor the place for him to focus upon the man clinging to his back. “I think we’re ready to go.”

“Good,” Genesis said, wing beating at the air a number of times as he prepared himself to take to the air. “Hold on tightly,” he reminded the other, tightening his own grip around Weiss where he cradled him safely to his chest.

Cloud may have said something, but Genesis didn’t hear him as he took to the sky with a leap and a final strong beat of his wing. The rush of wind covered all sounds other than that of his inhuman limb cutting through the air, muscles working in tandem to keep them airborne.

He turned back towards where he had discovered Cloud fighting the monster, hoping to find the vehicle the other had travelled to Midgar upon, believing that to be as good a place to wait for the other’s friend to arrive. It was a quick journey, his wind easily carrying them over from their shelter towards the remains of the battlefield.

He touched down upon the lightning scorched ground a few moments later, wing folding in on itself as he landed in a crouch. Cloud stepped onto the ground heavily, stumbling a few steps as he put a bit of distance between himself and Genesis. He ignored the sting of disappointment at the action, focusing instead on dismissing his wing as he stood ot his full height.

Weiss groaned within his grasp, the first real response he’d gotten from him in a number of weeks, and shifted within his hold. He shifted his hold on his brother to ensure that he didn’t drop him, keeping his hold tight and secure until Weiss settled.

He relaxed once Weiss had finished moving, turning towards Cloud, who was watching them with a concerned expression of his own. “My bike’s this way,” he informed him, gesturing towards an area where the rubble and ruin opened up to the dead, empty wastes.

Genesis nodded, following Cloud out of the destroyed city for the first time, emerging from the dust and rust into the fresh, open air. Cloud’s bike rested, untouched, mere feet from where they stood, a large, looming display of sleek, grey metal.

The wastes around them were still as dead as they had been when Midgar had been whole and complete, the Reactor’s impact lingering even after they’d been destroyed. The drab, emptiness allowed him to see for miles, and the beginning of civilisation that Cloud had called ‘Edge’.

“And now we wait,” Genesis muttered, striding forward until he could set Weiss down next to the bike, propping him up against the vehicle. He swept filthy, dirt-stained white hair away from the other’s forehead, watching the gentle rise and fall of the other’s chest.

“Now we wait,” Cloud parroted, joining him at the bike. He could feel the man’s gaze upon him, but kept his own on his brother, needing to reassure himself that the other was alright. “Is there, something I can call you?”

That stunned him for a moment, his eyes snapping to meet Cloud’s own. How, didn’t he know him? He had been one of Shinra First Class SOLDIERs, standing next to Sephiroth, how didn’t the younger know who he was?! Had Shinra swept him under the rug like all their other failures? Wiped him from existence and records so they didn’t have to admit as to what had occured?!

He forced himself to take a deep breath, not wanting to jeopardize Weiss’ health by snapping at Cloud in his anger and frustration. “My name’s Genesis,” he answered, voice void of emotion. “Genesis Rhapsodos.”

“Genesis?” Cloud repeated, sounding out the name on his tongue. His anger dulled at the sound of his on the younger’s tongue, enjoying it perhaps a bit more than he should have. “That sounds, familiar.”

“It should,” he forced emotion back into his voice, clearing his throat a bit. “I was one of the best of SOLDIER, once.”

“I’m sorry,” the apology caught Genesis off guard, more so how genuine it sounded and Cloud’s slumped posture. “I, can’t remember much before four years ago.”

Oh, well that explained why Cloud didn’t know him. “Mako Poisoning?” He asked softly, remembering a number of his own SOLDIERs who’d suffered similar side effects from their own treatments. It had been a sad fate, losing years of memories, some had even been left as fresh slates, missing their entire lives and having to build from the bottom up once again.

“Something like that,” Cloud’s eyes dropped away form his own, lips tightening into a thin line and arms crossing tightly across his chest.

Genesis nodded silently, letting the subject drop as it was obviously making Cloud uncomfortable. Instead he searched his thoughts for another topic, not wanting to pass the long wait in silence and waste his first opportunity to speak with someone since he’d awakened. Questioning what had actually occurred within Midgar to put it in such a state, seemed too big for the current point of time, so he settled for something a bit easier.

“What happened to SOLDIER? To the rest of us?”

Cloud relaxed, but not very much, shoulders slumping as the smallest amount of tension drained from his frame. “SOLDIER disbanded when Shinra did,” he said, shifting awkwardly on his feet. “What was left mostly scattered to the winds, trying to find somewhere new to belong.”

“”But, not you?” The words had escaped him before he could stop himself, curiosity over the man who had decided to help them beating out his self-control. He decided to continue with his tactless question, having already given it voice. “Why did you remain in Edge?”

“I’ve got a reason,” Cloud answered, avoiding the question as Genesis thought he would. Silence passed between them, an extended moment of nothing before Cloud decided to break the silence with a question of his own. “What about you? Why were you two in Midgar?”

“I didn’t know where else to go,” he admitted softly, the words quiet and barely audible. “It was the safest option after,” he stopped himself before he could utter that name, aware of the horrors the former prisoners had wrought upon the surface and that there was a definitely possibility that Cloud would not treat them kindly if he knew they were affiliated. “The world has changed since the last time I knew it.”

He felt Cloud’s heavy gaze upon him but the other didn’t respond, remaining a silent presence at his side as they waited.

Cloud must have underestimated his friend’s concern for him when he gave his guess as to how long it would take them to arrive, as a vehicle sped towards them at a breakneck speed less than two tense hours later. A woman exited the truck, obviously a fighter from her defined form and confident stance amongst the monster infested wastes.

Her confidence flickered when she turned her gaze to them, the poorly disguised pity twisting something unpleasant in Genesis’ chest. He didn’t care for her pity, not at all and having it focused upon him rankled his already frayed nerves.

Thankfully, she quickly turned her gaze onto Cloud and addressed him, giving Genesis a moment to collect himself and calm his nerves.

“I got your room ready for them,” she said, though her tone implied that she wasn’t saying everything she wanted to. “It’ll do the job.”

“Good,” Cloud said, standing from where he’d been feeding healing magic into Weiss’ form. “I’ll ride with you, then.”

The woman’s brow furrowed at the words, confirming Genesis’ thought that this was an unusual offer from the blond, but she nodded slowly, choosing not to comment on the odd occurrence. “Alright then,” she said instead, cautiously moving around the truck towards them. “We better get moving then.”

Genesis dropped to his knees next to Weiss’ form before picking up the man and cradling him to his chest, feeling his steady breath fan across his neck as he stood to his full height. The woman was watching him again, gaze trained on how he held his brother to his chest, expression still softer than he wished to acknowledge.

He kept Cloud between the woman and himself; while it was unlikely that she would attack him, it didn’t hurt to be wary of her. Neither commented upon his behaviour if they noticed it and he soon had Weiss in the truck, held securely to his chest and head resting against his shoulder.

Genesis forced himself to take steady, even breaths as he waited for Cloud and his friend to join them. He hated being so enclosed, especially without the use of his magic, he wouldn’t be able to escape the vehicle with Weiss safely if the two did turn against them. But, Weiss needed their help, so he had to trust that they wouldn’t turn against them.

The woman, to his irritation, pitied them, making it more unlikely for her to act on any prior plans to do them harm. And Cloud had only been kind to the two of them, causing his fears to seem even less likely to occur.

His rational and logic didn’t cause his fears to fade though, they lingered and kept him stiff and tense as the two others entered the vehicle and the woman started the engine.

She kept the truck moving at a steady speed, fast though nowhere near the break neck speed she’d used to reach them, keeping her attention focused upon the road before them. Genesis did notice her shooting glances at them in the mirror but didn’t bring attention to it, no, he kept his senses trained on Cloud’s purposefully steady breaths; the other’s breathe was audible in the quiet of the car, deep  and even in a way that was obviously unnatural.

It was almost soothing, in a way; the other man was as uncomfortable in this situation as Genesis himself was, though he was certain it was for a different reason than he himself was.

He allowed his mind to quiet itself as the trip continued, letting Cloud’s and Weiss’ breathing consume his senses and blanket his awareness. He was blind to the passing of time and the majority of the journey, only coming back to himself when the sounds of civilisation reached his ears and pulled him from the state he had found himself falling into.

He blinked and the muted noises grew in volume and clarity, filling his ears with the sounds of a thriving town; the indistinguishable sounds of people talking to each other and the rumble of engines a familiar mix of noise after so long without it. He found that he’d missed the sounds of the city, odd, considering he hadn’t missed Banora at all once he left; even now he couldn’t bring himself to feel much in regards to his destroyed hometown.

The truck came to a stop before he could fall too deep into his thoughts, parking in front of a simple two-story building. This, couldn’t have been the new organizations headquarters, he didn’t know where they’d taken them but it wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

Cloud removed himself from the truck within moments of it stopping, taking a few deep breaths before opening the door to the backseat and addressing him. “Do you need help getting him out?”

Genesis swallowed, hands tensing where he’d been holding Weiss to himself. He did need the assistance, as much as he wished otherwise, so he nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“It’s alright.” Cloud reached into the backseat with steady, gradual movements, allowing Genesis to see and judge each shift as it was made until he could take a hold of Weiss and lift him from the vehicle.

Cloud looked awkward, holding his brother’s much large form in his arms. Weiss’ frame dwarfed Cloud’s own, dwarfed them both really, the image would have been amusing to him in a different time and place.

As it was, he was more concerned with removing himself from the vehicle and taking his brother from the smaller man, holding him securely to his chest.

The woman was already within the building, leaving the door open for their own entry. Genesis followed Cloud inside, senses trained for any abnormal sound and ready to escape if he needed to.

The interior of the building revealed a bar, simple and plain but obviously well maintained. The wooden floor and counter was clean, though they showed signs of wear and tear, reminding him acutely of Gillian’s kitchen and dining room, a place he’d spent a majority of his time during his childhood.

Cloud lead him through the bar towards a set of stairs that lead up to the second story, ushering him into a small sparsely furnished room. Genesis gently lowered Weiss onto the plain sheets before beginning to fidget with the pillows behind his head, elevating his head in an effort to make breathing easier for the unconscious man.

Cloud had entered the room behind him, crossing to the bare desk near the window and opening one of the draws to retrieve something from within. When his hands reemerged holding a few pieces of materia, Genesis found irritation rising in his chest once again. He should have been able to identify exactly what they were especially from this distance, but he was unable to gleam anything from the orbs, even as Cloud drew closer.

Cloud sat himself next to Weiss, placing the materia he had retrieved on the side table by the bed and focusing on the unconscious man. He picked up a green orb and Genesis was forced to stop him before he could feed any energy into the orb, reaching out and grasping the other’s wrist in a tight grip.

“Wait,” he said, holding Cloud still as he forced himself to continue. “What is that?”

Cloud didn’t act like the question was an odd one, just handed him the materia as he answered him. “It’s Heal,” he gestured towards the other piece resting on the table, naming it for him. “I’ve also got my Mastered Cure.”

Genesis nodded, hair shifting to fall into his face as he released Cloud’s wrist and pulled his hand back to his chest. He watched intently as Cloud activated the ‘Heal’, prepared to launch himself at the other if the magic that escaped the materia proved to be anything else.

Thankfully, there wasn’t any need to attack Cloud as the bitter tang of Poisona blanketed his tongue.

He breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing as he watched the noticeable glow from the magic as it covered Weiss’ form. The glow diminished within seconds though, indicating that whatever was afflicting the unconscious man, it wasn’t a poison of any kind.

Next came the sweet-sour zest of Esuna, the magic practically dancing on his taste buds as it was cast. Unfortunately, it lasted as long as the Poisona before it had, leaving Genesis despairing Weiss’ chances to recover.

Cloud’s eyes furrowed in confusion at the results, standing up and grabbing a yellow piece of materia from the desk drawer before returning to the bed. Sense was a subtle citrusy taste, the magic moving over Weiss and hopefully informing Cloud as to what exactly was affecting his brother. The look on the other’s face told him otherwise.

“You can’t tell what’s wrong with him.” Genesis said, the words dull and hollow even to his own ears.

“No.” Cloud agreed, voice dripping with honest guilt and frustration. The man didn’t know what was affecting his brother, and nothing was telling him either, leaving whatever was wrong with him to be something natural.

But that left the question as to what could affect an enhanced person in this way? This wasn’t anything like the Degradation that Genesis had suffered through himself, nor was it anything like what had happened when Angeal began taking on the genes of monsters into himself.

Shinra would have known, but Shinra was dead and gone and even if they weren’t Genesis wouldn’t trust them with his brother’s health. No, as painful as it was to watch Weiss waste away and be unable to do anything to help him, it was far better than handing him over to Shinra and allowing them to do as they wished with him.

Genesis didn’t realize that his form was shaking with ugly, heaving sobs until Cloud’s hand on his arm pulled him from his spiralling thoughts. He was pulled against the other’s chest, ducking his head down to hide the tears that were streaking down his dust and dirt stained face, finally breaking from the sheer overload of the past few weeks.

Cloud remained quiet, letting him grieve against him, until he was leaning against him in exhaustion, utterly drained and slumped against the solid chest in front of him. He tried to steady his breathing from the rapid, rise and fall it had become from his release of emotion, pulling away from Cloud’s chest once he felt he was controlled enough.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed, clearing his throat at the roughness of his voice. “Thank you for all you’ve done for us, it means quite a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” Cloud offered, looking him over with concerned eyes. “You two can stay as long as you need to, there a shower down the hall if you want it.”

“I believe I’ll have to accept your offer,” Genesis answered after a moment’s pause, turning away from Cloud and picking up Weiss’ limp hand in his own. “But I might wait a bit for that shower.”

“Alright,” Cloud said from behind him, his weight lifting from the mattress. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

He nodded, listening to Cloud leave the room. He kept his gaze focused upon Weiss, mind already racing as he forced himself to come to terms with the fact that he wouldn’t be able to save this brother either.

Eventually, the layers of filth on his skin drove him into the shower, where he spent just enough time to rinse the dirt, dust and stench from his skin and hair before getting out. He was rubbing the water from his skin when he realized that he had nothing else to change into and the very idea of putting on his own clothes was one he didn’t wish to consider, thankfully, a knock at the door saved him from having to make a decision.

“Hey,” it was the woman’s voice that called through the door, soft and quiet. “I’m leaving some things for you out here, ok?”

“Thank you,” he returned, ears now focused upon her movements on the other side of the door. He opened it once he felt she was far enough away, picking up the bundle of clothing and bringing it into the bathroom with him.

They were large on his frame, obviously belonging to a man both taller and broader than Genesis himself was. But, they did the job and he emerged from the bathroom garbed in the items he’d been given, attempting to towel his long, matted hair dry.

As focused as he was on his brother’s unconscious form, he almost missed the fold out bed that had been set up in the middle of the long wall. But he did notice it, along with the pillows and blankets that were folded on top of the frame, waiting for him to use.

They looked to be of good quality, thick, warm and well-made, not something he’d expected to be offered. There was even one folded next to the foot of Weiss’ bed, ready for him to cover his brother with, how kind of them to try to make them comfortable.

He listened to the sounds of life on the lower levels, the sounds of footsteps and of soft, ineligible words as Cloud conversed with his friend. He ducked out of the room again, returning with a wet cloth in the hopes of washing most of the dust and dirt from his brother’s skin before tucking the blanket around him. With that done, he relaxed a bit, allowing himself to take a few breaths and just bask in the calm of the moment.

He didn’t realize that he’d fallen asleep until he awoke hours later, thankfully unmoved from his position by Weiss’ side, the soft taste of Curaga upon his tongue. His head shot up and his gaze landed on Cloud sitting across from him, directing a flow of curative magic over his brother’s form.

He relaxed at the sight of Cloud, turning his gaze to Weiss to see how the magic was affecting him. It wasn’t a good sight, the green glow of the magic painted Weiss’ skin a sickly colour in the light of the dimly lit room and his chest was rising and failing in uneven bursts.

Genesis forcefully turned his attention away from his brother, to the man casting the magic, focusing on him instead. “Evening,” he greeted, voice rough with sleep. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours,” Cloud answered, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. “You looked like you needed it, so I didn’t wake you.”

“How kind,” Genesis muttered, rubbing at the crust that had built up in his eyes. He still felt exhausted, even after his nap, countless days of snatched moments of rest had left him with a bone-deep weariness that wasn’t likely to fade anytime soon. “Truly, it was very kind of you to allow us to rest here.”

“You needed the help,” Cloud explained and Genesis could have sworn he saw colour flush the young man’s cheeks.

“Yes, but many wouldn’t have given it,” Genesis knew that well enough, the world was a cruel and cold place to those that needed kindness. And he was not proud to admit that once, in his most desperate moment, he’d been just as cruel.

“I’ll just be special then,” Cloud said in return, the glow of magic fading from Weiss’ form as Cloud moved to stand. He turned to him with a soft, kind smile, a light sheen of perspiration on his skin. “Try to get a bit more sleep, alright?”

Genesis nodded, watching Cloud leave the room before turning his attention to the fold-out cot he’d been given. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but next to the ground it was as soft as feather-down.

He awoke late the next day, closer to midday than morning, some of his previous exhaustion freed from his form. Weiss was still resting undisturbed, though Genesis noticed that his breathing had changed from its steadiness of the previous night.

It seemed that Weiss was already beginning to deteriorate, despite Cloud’s best attempts otherwise. His heart ached at the realization, falling to the pit of his stomach and remaining there as he continued to stare at the unconscious man, lingering under the comforts of his blanket for a moment.

He lifted himself from the cot, folding it and setting it to the side for later, before pausing, lingering by the other’s beside. He forced himself to continue past the bed and out of the room, cautiously making his way downstairs and towards the soft, muted voices he heard below.

He saw Cloud speaking to his friend at the bar’s counter, steam wafting gently into their faces from the mugs between them. He forced himself to continue moving into the bar proper, keeping himself calm as the woman’s gaze shifted over to his approaching form.

Cloud, following the other’s gaze, turned towards him. Genesis found himself freezing under the other’s gaze for a moment, breath stuttering in his chest in a manner he hadn’t experienced for years. The spell was seemingly broken, though he would need to consider his reaction later, when Cloud offered him a kind smile.

“You’re up,” Cloud stated, turning more fully towards him as his friend placed another mug on the counter before turning to grasp the pot of coffee. “How do you like your coffee?”

He blinked slowly, still slowed from his initial reaction to the other ex-SOLDIER, responding after a moment of stillness. “With milk, no sugar.”

The woman behind Cloud nodded, fixing his mug as he continued to approach them and setting it before him with a soft, welcoming smile of her own. Now that he wasn’t moments away from a panic attack, he noticed that she was indeed a beautiful woman, and the muscles on her frame confirmed her as a fighter.

“You’re looking better today,” she noted, gaze sweeping over him in a searching manner. “I’m glad the rest did you some good.”

“It did,” he agreed, wrapping his hands around the warmth of the mug in front of him, not drinking from it quite yet. He was savouring the heat seeping from the mug to his hands, the comforting heat giving him something to focus on as he conversed with the two. “Thank you…” He trailed off purposefully, reminding them that they had yet to be properly introduced.

“Tifa,” she offered, holding out one of her hands towards him. “Tifa Lockhart.”

“Genesis Rhapsodos,” he returned, shaking her hand within his own. Her fingers was calloused beneath his own, telling him that she was used to working with her hands. She also hadn’t seemed to recognize his name, something he’d have to get used to now; he didn’t doubt that Shinra had done all they could to sweep his existence under the rug like the rest of their mistakes.

“Welcome to Seventh Heaven, Genesis,” her words were genuine in his ears, lacking any lies or hesitations. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

“I’ll try not to be a burden upon you,” he replied, practically feeling the contentment coming from Cloud, who’d been standing next to him and listening to their exchange quietly.

Tifa grinned at him, a wide, bright thing that warmed her wine-coloured eyes. “Oh, I’ll make sure of it.” There was promise in her voice and he heard Cloud chuckle beside him, Genesis found himself pleased at the suggestion he’d be put to work; looking forward to distracting himself with whatever task she provided him.

Days passed quickly from there; Tifa kept him occupied and though it wasn’t anything like what he was used to, he appreciated how busy the work kept him and the opportunity to interact with other people again. The civilians were nervous around him but they were also nervous around Cloud, a result, he assumed, of Shinra’s influence. Afterwards, he’d retire to the room he was sharing with Weiss, which turned out to be Cloud’s room, the other was bunking in Tifa’s son’s room while he was traveling with her partner on a trip to his hometown of Corel, and spend some time conversing with Cloud before retiring for the night.

At first, they spoke only of small matters; how Genesis was handling his new occupation and Cloud’s own delivery service, the man’s custom made bike and his very unusual set of swords, which, of course, lead to questions about Genesis’ own peculiar weapon. First Tsurugi and Rapier were beautiful examples of craftsmanship, tailored to fit their individual fighting styles and capitalize on their strengths, though Genesis couldn’t use Rapier properly at the moment due to still being unable to call upon his magic. The late night conversations were a lovely way to avoid thinking about Weiss’ steady decline in health, something that wasn’t likely to change if the doctor Cloud had managed to find was right, and how useless he felt being unable to do anything about it.

But he had something else planned for tonight, he’d been living in Seventh Heaven for a week and felt that he was finally ready to hear about what had happened while he’d been asleep. He wasn’t going to mention anything about what had happened to him, he didn’t want Cloud to think differently of him, but he wanted to know how Midgar fell.

“It’s not the best story,” Cloud warned him, frowning down at the glass in his hands. They were out on the roof, which probably wasn’t the best idea considering they were both drinking, away from the bustle of the open bar and the stench of decay that clung to Weiss’ skin more and more as days passed. “You’re not going to like it.”

“Perhaps not,” he agreed, pressed closer to Cloud’s side than he would have been if he’d been sober. The alcohol in his veins making him bubbly and affectionate, not helped by how long it’d been since he’d been with literally anyone else. “But I wish to hear it, all the same.”

“Ok,” Cloud said, shifting next to him and staring up at the bright stars above them. “We’re gonna be here a while then.”

“Good thing we’ve got more drinks then.”

Cloud snorted, shoulder shaking with his amusement. “You’re right, there,” he said, turning to grin at him. Genesis felt warmth flare in his chest at the expression, returning the grin with a soft smile of his own as he tucked the feeling away for the moment to revisit later.

Cloud was right about his story being a sad one, Genesis almost regretted asking him to tell it, his thoughts ran wild in his mind as he processed everything that Cloud had told him. Seems even his detainment in DEEPGROUND hadn’t stopped him from ruining the world further, and he’d driven his last remaining friend into insanity in his desperation and insanity.

How ironic that he was the one to survive the whole ordeal. It should have been either of the others; they were far more deserving of being here, alive and free to choose what to do with their life now.

Cloud must have noticed the turn his thoughts had taken, as a warm hand landed on his shoulder, turning him to face the other’s concerned expression. “Hey, it’s ok. Let it out if you need to.”

Genesis hadn’t realized there had been tears leaking from his eyes until Cloud’s thumbs brushing them from his cheeks brought attention to them, causing him to drop his gaze from the other’s concerned blue eyes and focus upon the ground below them. Dammit, he hadn’t wanted to dissolve into tears in front of the other, he wasn’t usually such an emotional mess!

But, how else was he supposed to react? Knowing that he was at fault for the death of so many people at the hands of what had become of his friend, that it was his actions that had lead to the horrors that Cloud had had to face the the friend he’d lost to save the world?

He couldn’t give voice to those thoughts, Cloud would certainly hate him if he did and Genesis certainly wouldn’t blame him if he choose to throw both Weiss and himself out on the street. That only added to his distress though, his tears continuing to leak from his eyes in an ugly show of emotion, that Cloud reacted to by winding an arm around his shoulders and drawing him closer to his form until he could rest his chin upon Genesis’ head.

Neither of them spoke afterwards, they simply remained silent as the weight of everything that had happened, and the role he’d played in it, crushed down upon Genesis’ shoulders.

The next week found Genesis back in the wastes of Midgar, perched upon a pile of rubble and staring unseeingly at the death and ruin before him. His mind was eerily silent, a fog had descended upon his thoughts and left him thankfully blank for the moment.

He’d been here for the last hour at the least, ever since his brother had drawn his last pained, laboured breath, the wet, gasping sound echoing in Genesis’ ears. Cloud had tried to ease Weiss’ final few hours but Genesis doubted he’d even been aware enough to know he was free of pain at all, the actions more to ease Genesis’ mind than whatever they did for his brother.

He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten out here, the familiar ache of his shoulder told him he’d flown but he didn’t know if he’d flown straight from Seventh Heaven or if he’d had enough foresight to wait until he’d cleared the city to reveal his inhuman nature. Either way, he was here now, the corpses of the monsters that had thought him fair game littering the surrounding area.

He remained still and unaware until a hand grasped his shoulder, pulling him from his empty haze. He snapped towards the person touching him, focused on nothing else but them, and had his weapon knocked out of his hand as if it was nothing but an afterthought.

His reaction was as instinctive as it had ever been, palm thrusting forward uselessly without the flames that would’ve once curled around it, only to be gripped by a strong hand. He snarled at the man holding him in place, trying to jerk himself free of the other’s grip but finding himself unable too.

He slumped after struggling for a few moments, curling into himself as frustration coiled in his chest. First, he couldn’t save his brother and now he couldn’t even free himself from the hold on him, some First Class he was.

“Let go of me.” He demanded, form trembling now that he’d been pulled from the comforting silence that he’d descended into. He didn’t want to deal with this now, he wanted to not think, he wanted his magic back and, most of all, he wanted to go back to before he’d started to degrade.

He wanted his brother back.

He wanted…

He wanted Angeal and Sephiroth back.

“No.” That was Cloud’s voice, come to his aid like the hero so many thought of him. No wonder he couldn’t break the other’s grip; this was the person who’d defeated Sephiroth, a feat Genesis had tried and failed for years to achieve, he couldn’t match up to that.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He insisted, jerking himself away from the other again and failing once more. He kept his gaze focused below them, adamantly not looking Cloud in the face. He didn’t deserve the other’s attention, nor his kindness, nor after what he’d caused to happen to him.

“I don’t want you to be alone,” Cloud said, causing him to freeze in place. “Nobody deserves that.”

Cloud wouldn’t say that if he knew what he’d done, he wouldn’t. He needed to tell him so it wouldn’t hurt as much as it would when Cloud left him later on, he needed to save himself that small amount of pain. “You’d hate me if you knew what I’d done.”

“I don’t think so,” Cloud disagreed softly, loosening his grip on his arms now that Genesis wasn’t actively trying to attack him. “I think things have been pretty hard for you and that you’re doing your best to keep things together even though you’ve been through a lot, and that you’ve made mistakes, just like everyone else has. I don’t hate you for that.”

“But it’s my fault!” Genesis finally exclaimed, snapping his gaze up to meet Cloud’s warm and forgiving eyes. “All of this! All the lives ruined by Meteor, by Sephiroth, were my fault! I couldn’t help anyone! I couldn’t even save my brothers!”

“I know.” That froze Genesis to the core; those two quiet, confident words were too much for him to comprehend.

Cloud knew?

How did he know? How long had he known?

How could he still stand to be around him if he knew?

“Tifa remembers you,” Cloud explained, shoulder moving in a shrug. “She told me about what happened at the Reactor and the rest filled in on its own, I’ve known everything since the night I met you.”

Genesis shook his head weakly, not knowing how to react to the fact that Cloud had known everything and still wanted to spend time around him, still felt some kind of affection towards him if the previous few days were anything to go by. It was too good to be true, he didn’t deserve it.

“Then why…?”

“Because we both deserve to be happy after everything that’s happened to us.” Cloud answered, filling in the blank of his trailed off question. “And I don’t want you to be alone anymore.”

“How noble,” Genesis muttered, the words wet and heavy. He slumped against Cloud, all his energies drained from the day. There were things he needed to do back at Edge but for now, he was tired and wanted to rest.

He’d let Cloud support him while he needed it.