Chapter 1 - Beloved by the Goddess

Sorry and all, but this was written for an editor that supports HTML, so instead of italics you'll get word. My bad.
Completely un-beta'd, so expect mistypes.

Genesis (C) Square Enix and...probably Gackt, too...



A first, they said. Nothing like it had ever happened before. Maybe in the Turks, yes, but no woman had ever joined the ranks of SOLDIER before.
It had its ups and downs, being the subject of so much publicity. On the upside, you were being recognised for the first time in your life. On the downside, you had to double-bolt your door at night to keep the men out of your room. After all, you were probably the only woman they could get near at night. The receptionists were lucky; they could go home after dark. You, however, were stuck in the ShinRa building with a bunch of horny guys.
You rolled on to your side to look at the door of your room. The usually light keyhole was no longer visible in the darkness, meaning that, yet again, someone was watching you sleep.
"Shoo!" You yelled indignantly, pulling the sheets up to cover your chest. The returning of light to the keyhole was accompanied by hurried footsteps, rushing away and up the stairs. You were in half a mind to chase after their owner, but Kunsel's promise stopped your from doing so. ______, he had said, I'm on security tonight, so I'll keep a special eye on your room, okay? Anyone that goes near it is gonna get a beating from me!
Safe in the knowledge that if anyone tried to undress you with their eyes again they'd be mauled to within an inch of their life, you turned away from the door and drifted off.

A loud knock on the door woke you up. You blinked a few times before finding the energy to get up and unlock said door. Behind it stood another anonymous infantryman, this one holding a message.
"Strange," You mumbled, "Usually they don't have a message."
The infantryman laughed. "I'm not as much of a perv as most of the others," He said, pulling off his helmet to reveal a shock of messy blonde spikes. "I'm Cloud, by the way." He held out his hand to you, meaning for you to shake it. You glanced at his eyes before taking the hand, shaking it lightly. He didn't say anything when you pulled your hand from his and slammed the door in his face.
"Thanks, Cloud!" You called out to him.
"No problem!" He shouted back, and you listened to his retreating footsteps.
On the way back to your bed you tore open the letter the infantryman had given you. In slanting script, it read;
Miss ______,
The 3rds are being given a pep-talk from one of our legendary 1sts later today. Although you are not officially a member of SOLDIER until next week, I wish for you to attend the talk. After all, the 1st is eager to meet such a pioneering woman.
Signed, Director Lazard.
You screwed the note up and threw it at the waste paper bin on the opposite wall. It bounced off of the rim and back at you, rolling under the edge of the bed. You groaned and led on the edge, reaching underneath the bed in an attempt to pull the ruined paper out. You pulled your hands up with a gasp upon nicking your finger on a nail. You placed the finger in your mouth, sucking the blood off before getting up, deciding to ignore the paper and concentrating instead on rousing yourself.
Didn't even tell me a time, you reflected as you picked up a clean towel from the dresser and made your way in to the bathroom. Despite the cool Midgar air, you were fond of cold showers, finding that they helped to wake you up, and more importantly keep you alert. That in combination with a mug of coffee, and you were ready to face the day's trials, challenges and perverts.

You cursed under your breath; waiting for the elevator had not been part of your battle plan. Thoughts of lateness filled your head, soon followed by thoughts of punishments at the hands of a 1st. You shivered, pummelling once more at the control panel beside the elevator doors. Much to your surprise, the doors slid smoothly open and the faces of a pair of Turks greeted your death glare with raised eyebrows. You ignored them and shoved your way in to the elevator, hammering the button reading '35' and directing your glare at the controls when they proved too slow.
"You okay, kid?" One of the Turks asked. This one was tall and skinny, his hair long and flame-red. You noticed two distinctive tattoos under his eyes before the doors opened again and you were sprinting off to the meeting room.
It didn't take long for a fast runner such as yourself to reach your destination. You were safe, but only just; the last of the SOLDIERs were lined up outside the door, waiting to enter. You slunk over to them, joining on the back of the line just in time. As soon as you were in place, the men moved forwards and in to the dimly lit meeting room.
Inside, the rest of the men stood in rows, facing a projector screen at the front of the room. You expected to be stood behind the rest, being one of the last in - the last, actually - so you were slightly surprised when you ended up on the end of the front row, furthest away from the door.
The room waited silently, breath bated and chins held high. Impressively, the whole of the room was managing to continue pulling the standard ShinRa salute, even while they were so...what were they? Nervous? Excited? Terrified? Awed?
And...what were you? You thought over the question in your mind and settled on one answer; curious. Who would the 'legend' that was to be lecturing you be? What would he be like? Would he...hate you?
Your thoughts were overrun by nerves when the door opened on well-oiled hinges and a youngish man entered the room. He was still too far away for you to see his face, or even determine his hair colour, but you could identify two things; one, he wore a long red coat, probably leather, over the standard SOLDIER uniform, and two, he carried on his back a sword with a flame-red blade. The metal shimmered and twinkled as he made his way along the ranks, inspecting all he passed.
As he neared you, you were able to pick out more and more details; his hair was not quite red, more of an auburn colour, and he was definitely young. Probably no older than twenty-two or twenty-three. Only a year or two older than me, and yet look what he's accomplished. And then look at me...
You only realised that the man had stopped in front of you when you heard the footsteps stop. You allowed your eyes, which had been firmly focussed on your own feet, travel to his, and then up his body until they reached his chest, where they ground to a halt.
"You must be ______," He said, his voice like silk. "I've heard so much about you. My name is Genesis Rhapsodus. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." The man held a gloved hand out to you, and you took it. Somehow, the gesture gave you the mental strength to look up at Genesis's face; you were shocked speechless.
Pale, but not unnaturally so. Neatly brushed hair, chin length, which framed his face perfectly. Pearly white teeth revealed themselves when he flashed you a smile. But best of all were his eyes.
Although you knew that every SOLDIER had to go through a process of mako fusion, never had you seen such clear blue eyes. Never had you seen eyes which suited the face of their owner so well. His eyes enhanced his beauty, rather than having the effect they had on most others; making him look monstrous.
"Thank you, sir," You said quietly, allowing your eyes to slip back down to your feet. Reluctantly, you removed your hand from Genesis's and linked in with your other, hoping to replicate the feeling that he had sparked in you. You had no such luck.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to find out more about you," Genesis continued, and you weren't sure if he was blind to your sudden feelings for him, or if he was a good enough actor to hide his recognition. "The first female SOLDIER would make an interesting friend, I'm sure. Good day, ______." And with that he was gone, striding back down to the centre of the line and the projector. He began flicking through slides of a recent mission, talking about the hardships he'd have to overcome to complete it and the problems the men before him would face, but you didn't listen in any great detail. You couldn't help but think about the brief conversation you'd held with him, if you could really call it a conversation.
He wants to be my friend? you asked yourself, silently pleading that this was real, not a dream, please not another dream. No...it couldn't be a dream. Your mind could never dream up one as beautiful, as powerful, as perfect as Genesis Rhapsodus.

The meeting passed slowly. Although he glanced at you once, it was with the air of one looking for miscreants rather than one seeking friendship. Even afterwards, when the slideshow was over and the pep-talk complete, he didn't make any attempt to talk to you. He merely departed as quickly as he had appeared, out of the door in seconds.
"Alright, you lot! Of you go!" One of the 2nds called from the far end of the room, and gradually the men began to disperse. You looked back once more, wishing that Genesis would return, but saw only the empty stage.
Wait.
No, not quite empty.
On the very edge of the platform, as near to the dead centre as it was possible to be, lay a single black feather. You snuck through the last group of SOLDIERs without receiving one suggestive comment - a new record, perhaps - and took the feather from the stage.
Slipping it in to your pocket, you made your way back out of the room and to the dorms, thoughts filled entirely with Genesis.

You tied the final knot and admired your handiwork. Ah, the things one could achieve with a simple hair tie and some ribbon. And, of course, a certain special feather.
The hair band, once plain black, was now adorned with a black silk bow. The bow, embroidered with tiny silver stars, was in turn adorned with the feather. It was simple, yet elegant, and completely gorgeous.
You ran the brush once more through your hair before reaching for the band and tying your hair in to a loose ponytail. As soon as it was done, you felt somehow more refreshed, more alive. Probably something to do with that feather...
It was strange, but ever since you'd picked the thing up off of the stage five days ago, your been more energised. Far less negative, too. Even though it only looked like a feather, you couldn't help but think that there was something more to it.
You shrugged to yourself and picked up a coat, ready for your first mission as a SOLDIER.

"…And," Lazard finished, "You'll be going with Genesis."
Your heart leapt with joy, although you didn't let it show. Genesis! He really must have been serious about wanting to get to know me! "Yes, sir!" You saluted, allowing a hint of excitement to creep on to your face.
The Director smiled warmly at you and began to explain the procedures of the mission. Meet Genesis in the training room in quarter of an hour. Take a chopper to Kalm. Infiltrate the anti-ShinRa troops' base there and take out the commander. Simple, right?
You nodded in what you assumed were the right places, trying and failing to remember all the instructions you were being fed. Lazard seemed to pick up on your struggle, for as soon as he was finished he added, "I can write that down if you need me to." You nodded gratefully and watched him as he scribbled a few hurried notes on a scrap of paper.
When he was finished, Lazard folded the paper and placed it in your hand, closing your fingers around it as if he thought you were going to drop it. "Fare well," He said formally, although the tone of his voice was softened by another kind smile. You returned the gesture and marched out of the room, head filled with thoughts of your first mission.
A quick check of your watch told you that you had only five minutes until you were due to leave. You muttered a string of curses under your breath and began to jog over to the elevator. One glance and you'd decided that there was no point waiting for it and risking lateness; instead, the best policy was to sprint down the stairs. You only needed a few things from your room - a hair brush, some spare bullets and a knife. Even if it seemed like the whole ShinRa building was against you, not much could go wrong with that.
You were right. In fact, only a minute after jumping down the steps three at a time you were running back up, hair brush in hand. Hell, you'd need it as soon as you reached the top.
You slowed your pace when the stairs ended, concentrating instead on running the brush through your hair in a sad attempt to neaten things up. You tucked in to your pocket when you reached the training room, not wishing to look pathetic in front of such a famous (and good-looking) SOLDIER.
The door was opened by a mildly irritated looking Genesis before you could even reach for the handle. He glanced at you before brushing past you and in to the hall. "Ah, ______," He snapped, "I was just going to look for you. You should be more punctual, or people could get the wrong idea."
Inside you wilted with shame, but you managed to keep your voice flat. "Sorry, Sir. Won’t happen again, sir."
"I should hope not!" He said, this time with a little less venom. "Come. We have to leave or we'll miss our ride." Genesis grabbed your wrist and practically dragged you to the elevators and from them to the roof. On top of a raised platform sat a helicopter emblazoned with the ShinRa logo, and from what you could see being driven by a Turk. The man in the cockpit turned around to face you and you saw that it was the redhead who had tried to talk to you when you were late for the lecture with Genesis. He stuck his tongue out playfully at the pair of you and you giggled. Genesis, however, only rolled his eyes, even though the corners of his mouth were slightly turned up.
You pulled out the notes Lazard had given you and read over them again as you took a seat. Kalm…. You thought, I've heard of it… But as hard as you tried to think of the town, all you could manage was a vague recollection of the name.
"Ten minutes!" A voice - presumably the redhead's - called from the cockpit.
"Thank you, Reno," Genesis replied, so quietly that you didn't think the pilot would be able to hear him.
No matter how hard you tried to think of something to say to the SOLDIER, your mind remained blank, so instead you settled back in your seat and watched the clouds fly past out of the open door. The wind, strong due to your speed, was entering the chopper through the door and buffeting Genesis's coat, making it flap gently against your legs.
"I'm sorry that I was so harsh with you earlier," Genesis said suddenly, shocking you out of your daze.
"No need to apologise, sir. I should have been there on time," You replied.
"There is a need. I didn't allow you enough time to prepare yourself, and for that I apologise. Besides, you're new," He added as an afterthought, "You weren't to know what to expect."
"Thank you, sir," You said quietly, glancing quickly at Genesis's face. He was looking over to the cockpit, obviously waiting for the pilot - Reno..? - to land the helicopter so he could get the mission over with.
On cue, the redhead shouted an incomprehensible order from the front and Genesis rose, walking to the edge of the floor and beckoning for you to follow. In a matter of seconds you were beside him, looking down at the ground below.
"I can't help but notice," You began a little sarcastically, "That that ground is still a good twenty metres away. Are we going to land?"
Genesis shook his head with a small smile. "No. We are going to jump."
He said nothing more, only meeting your eyes with a reassuring look before leaping gracefully out of the door.
I can't make it, you thought as you watched the SOLDIER descent gracefully to earth, spinning and flipping as he went. And plus I'm sure he's showing off…
"Hurry up!" Reno called.
"But I'll die!" You yelled back indignantly.
You could practically sense Reno rolling his eyes. "He'll catch you, no worries!"
You closed your eyes, moved your lips in silent prayer and tumbled out of the chopper.

"You should have been more careful earlier," Genesis scolded yet again as soon as he was comfortable, lounging in one of the armchairs in your hotel room with a copy of LOVELESS in his hand.
"I was scared," You snapped, but quickly realised that your tone was probably inappropriate and corrected yourself. "I mean," You ground out, "Sorry, sir."
"I told you earlier, no need to apologise. You have much left to learn." The man paused for thought for a second. "Also, you don't need to be so formal. Even if purely for the duration of this mission, I'd like to think that we could be friends."
"I'd like that!" You said a little too quickly, at which Genesis snorted in to his book. You were grateful that he didn't say anything, but still, you were also more than a little embarrassed.
"Now sleep," Genesis ordered, "We have to begin our mission tomorrow."

You collapsed on to one knee, clutching the sword you'd been given tightly to your chest. The assassin was still approaching, his gaze never wavering. Your breath came in shallow gasps, and already you were shaking with fear.
You tried to stand, to lash out, to move, but nothing happened, and then you realised; you were going to die, here and now. The slimy little man in the pinstripe suit stood before you was going to destroy you.
"Goodbye," The man said, pulling a gun out of his pocket and aiming it at your head.
You clamped your eyes shut, not wishing to see his eyes as he pulled the trigger. With your eyes shut, you only heard the blade as it sliced through the air - and the man - in front of you.
You risked cracking one eye open, although you kept it aimed at the floor. A foot in front of you laid the body of the assassin, although his head was nowhere to be seen. You slowly looked up, and were comforted by what you saw; Genesis stood in front of you, still re-sheathing his sword.
"Thank you," You croaked, getting shakily to your feet. As soon as you were stood up straight, you felt your right leg give out on you and you were back on the floor again. From your new position you could see the worried look on Genesis's face as he saw you fall.
"Don't push yourself," He cautioned you. You nodded mutely and watched him draw closer, eventually coming to a stop right next to you. The SOLDIER knelt down and slipped an arm around your shoulders, hauling you to your feet.
"Don't put any weight through that leg," Genesis warned you as he began to walk, "I think it may be broken."
You winced as his words sunk in but nodded, seeing the sense in his advice. You wrapped your arm around his waist - purely for support, of course - and leaned in to his shoulder. You felt his muscles tense for a second and nearly let go of him completely, but he quickly relaxed again and started to move faster.

You opened your eyes and looked around. This wasn't the hotel room…
Now, you were led on a bed in a bright white room. You couldn't see a door or a window, but you most certainly could see the tray of sharp implements that was perched beside your head.
You tried to sit up, but to no avail. Although you couldn't tell exactly, the strong reaction your body was having with nearby mako suggested that you were being held by mako bonds, which suggested ShinRa technology.
"Ah, you're awake!"
You gasped and looked around frantically, trying to detect the source of the voice. As you looked, a face appeared above your head. It was that of a man, middle-aged but appearing older. His lank, greasy hair fell over his face and tickled yours in a way which was most revolting.
"Where--" You asked, and he answered before you could even finish the question.
"My name is Hojo. I'm ShinRa's head scientist. And this is my operating theatre." On 'this', Hojo stood up and spread his arms, gesturing vaguely to the room.
"Why--"
"Since you needed surgery to fix you leg, I decided that this would be a good time to perform the mako infusion operation," Hojo stated blandly, again cutting you off.
You didn’t say anything this time, neither did you move. You were sure, however, that if you had been able to move you would have recoiled in horror. Since you couldn't, you settled for allowing your eyes to widen almost comically.
"However, I had to wait for you to wake up. So now . . ."
Your eyes widened more - if possible - as Hojo picked up one of the needles from the tray and filled it with blue-green liquid. Giving it one squirt for dramatic effect, the scientist plunged the metal in to your neck.

Pure mako liquid was not a pleasant substance to be in. No, it slowed your movements, your breathing and even your thoughts. It was like the liquid was sucking your life out, slowly but surely.
Hojo was stood outside the tank again, this time making notes on a clipboard. You mouthed a curse at him, but thanks to the mako liquid it was so slow that he probably couldn't understand it.
Hojo waved a hand at one of his assistants, and the boy scurried over to a keyboard. He tapped in a few letters and you saw a bubble of gas enter the tube in which you were being held.
You managed half a sigh before the bubble reached your mouth and you passed out.

"Up, up! I have no space for you now!"
You groaned and sat up. A flustered Hojo stood beside you, directing people around the room. When you had managed to clamber clumsily to your feet, Hojo shoved you towards the door and muttered something about you being waste of space.
You leaned on the wall outside as the door slammed behind you, wiggling your fingers in an attempt to regain feeling in them.
"That always happens after exposure to mako," A voice said from around the corner, "It's nothing to worry about."
That's… You began to think, and as soon as you'd said his name in your head Genesis rounded the corner.
"I'll help you back to your room," He said, picking you up bridal style and cradling you to his chest. Your arms automatically snaked around the man's neck, pulling yourself closer to him.
You ignored the shocked whispers of the secretaries and SOLDIERs alike as Genesis carried you through reception and to the elevators, which he obviously preferred to the stairs. He didn't even reach out and press the call button, merely waited for the lift to be called by someone else.
"Hey, are you two..?" One of the nearby SOLDIERs asked Genesis.
"Perhaps," He replied, and right then you were glad that your face has hidden by Genesis's body; he was hiding your blush.
The SOLDIER laughed manically and you were sure you heard the click of a camera shutter before he meandered off - from the sounds of it, to sell that photo to the press.
The cheerful ping signalled that the elevator had finally reached the ground floor. The doors slid open, revealing a pair of young girls, probably secretaries as well. One - a young blonde-haired girl - giggled manically and dragged the other, who was trying to leave, back inside, mattering words to the effect of, 'Stay, look, he's hot!'
Genesis rolled his eyes but told one of the girls to press the '48' button. She complied, and as soon as she had Genesis turned his back on the two secretaries and stared at the door. You could both hear the girls muttering again, so you occupied yourself with thoughts of Genesis and soon, you were in the hall being carried to your room.
A couple of the SOLDIERs wolf-whistled at you, but a single glare from Genesis and they lapsed in to silence. All too soon, he was placing you deftly on the floor outside your room.
"Snog 'er!" Called one of the men, of whom you'd developed a tail of sorts. By that, I mean that a long line of them were trailing you. Naturally.
Genesis paused in thought for a second. "Perhaps I will . . ." He said slowly, leaning gradually closer.
"Whoo, go Genesis!" Was the last thing you heard before his lips pressed against yours. From that moment, you were lost in him. You stepped closer to him, pressing yourself against his chest, and he in turn placed one hand on the back of your neck and the other in the small of your back, holding you even closer, were that possible.
You ignored the wolf whistles when he broke away and pulled Genesis down for one more heated kiss before you finally let him go. You were both flushed and, much to your surprise, he was smiling like a giddy schoolgirl.
"Good fer you, mate!" The SOLDIER member who had unwittingly initiated the kiss yelled.
"Genesis . . ." You whispered, catching his eyes.
"I've always loved things that are different," He said quietly, brushing his hand against your own. "There is no hate, only joy; for you are beloved by the goddess," He quoted dreamily. "It seems that I am beloved, to have found someone like you."
You blushed bright red and waved to him despite your dream-like state, closing the door on the catcalls of the SOLDIERs to contemplate your future.

"D-deserted?!" For the first time in your life, you stuttered.
"It would appear so," Lazard confirmed with a sad shake of his head. "Somewhere near Wutai."
"Genesis . . . deserted?" You asked again. For now, you reused to believe it.
Lazard sighed with exasperation. "Yes. Genesis. Has. Deserted."
"He wouldn't . . . why?"
Lazard shrugged and tapped a few keys on the keyboard in front of him. On the screen at the end of the room, a picture of Genesis's face popped up, the legend 'M.I.A.' covering the bottom of the picture.
"This is everything we have," Lazard said, hovering the cursor over a small box in the bottom right of the screen. In it was a list of places, dates and times relating to the SOLDIER 1st Class's disappearance. Because that was what it was - a disappearance. Definitely not a desertion. Genesis wouldn't desert . . .
"Wutai, three days ago?" You pondered aloud. Lazard nodded and glanced at you, probably wondering what you were thinking.
If only he knew . . .
You spared the picture on the screen a final longing glance before sprinting out the door. Yet again, you chose to take the stairs, five at a time, and you reached the ground floor and the exit in record time. A glance at the clock in the lobby told you everything you needed to know - five minutes until the next train to Wutai left. If you ran as fast as you could, you could just make it.
I'll find you, Genesis. No matter what.

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