Loveless

Chapter 15

When Genesis woke up, he got perplexed by his surroundings. He got up groggily and stretched; his back still hurt and his face felt tingly. The redhead rubbed his chin, trying to calm down his facial muscles. As he was getting acquainted to the room, he felt something hard under the blanket. He lifted it up and found a familiar book placed securely on the right side of the bed. Surprisingly, there were a lot of bookmarks and some passages were outlined. Genesis was impressed.

"So you found it, huh?"

Genesis didn't take his eyes off the book. He could feel her gaze but didn't feel like seeing her face. For the first time, he felt like someone was actually trying to get to know him. It was only a book that she read thoughtfully but it meant a lot for him.

"I wondered where I left it..." He trailed.

Eloise sighed. It was her fault that Genesis was in that poor state. She hit him badly and electrocuted him moreover, she wasn't even conscious when she did it. The brunette pulled a chair in front of the drawer, sat down and stared at the redhead. He looked quite innocent for someone with such a bad temper.

"I'm sorry."

It was the first time she ever apologized to him and it sounded weird for both of them.

"I lost control for a minute and you ended up unconscious. I'm really sorry." Eloise continued.

Genesis raised an eyebrow and moved on the edge of the bed so they were facing each other. One had a sorrowful expression while the other one was just sleepy.

"You've been craving for a long time to beat me up, haven't you?" The redhead asked her, slightly bemused.

She bit the inside of her cheek and looked at him innocently.

"Maybe, but not with these consequences."

Genesis stared at her for a few more minutes before he got on his feet and grabbed his jacket. The rapier was leaning against the wall next to her sword. Now that he had the chance, he took a closer look at her sword- it looked like something Sephiroth would use. It was a present from her mentor, he knew that, but it probably meant more than just a sword.

Eloise remained seated on the chair, watching him closely. He was soft one minute and became fussy in the next, just like a child.

On the other hand, Genesis didn't go to his room nor somewhere to relax. He could still remember her face in the moment she electrocuted him; he could swear her pupils dilated and changed colours. Her facial expression was blank and she looked very pale. It was a big change for two or three minutes.

The SOLDIER went back into the simulation room and walked upstairs to the control station. He was surprised to meet his two friends already there, watching the footage from his and Eloise's battle. Angeal was the first to notice the redhead.

"I thought you had to rest."

Genesis scoffed and ignored that statement. He was old enough to take care of himself. Besides, he couldn't rest in the lab or her room. As he walked closer to the panel, his eyes traveled over Sephiroth's figure and his eyes narrowed unconsciously. Sephiroth wasn't known as a generous man towards his pupils- his pupils usually wouldn't last long, actually- but there was something different about Eloise and he was sure Sephiroth had bigger plans for her than he let out.

"Have you seen it?" Genesis asked, his eyes already on the screen.

Angeal nodded while Sephiroth pushed a few buttons to rewind the video.

It was there. It seemed like something triggered a memory because she became anxious. While Genesis was preparing to launch his attack, Eloise relaxed visibly and her face became blank. She stopped blinking whatsoever and her eyes became cold. Even weirder was the colour of her eyes.

"They're your colour. Her eyes resemble yours, Sephiroth."

Saying that Genesis was pissed was an underestimation. Angeal was shocked and Sephiroth was silently watching the rest of the video. Her pupils dilated only to make her eyes seem more like a snake's and the pale blue colour of her iris became turquoise, exactly like Sephiroth's.

"Is that an anomaly to mako?" Angeal asked his friends with worry.

Maybe it was because of her body's reaction to mako energy but they all knew that wasn't possible. Something in her body changed.

While people were panicking or meditating about her problem, Eloise decided to take the rest of the day off. She didn't expect to see Zack since he was always around Angeal so it was quite a surprise when the two siblings met in the cafeteria, both having the same expression.

"Why are you sulking? I thought Zack Fair never sulks."

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her.

"I have a mission tomorrow. It's in Wutai."

"Oh."

They knew there were big chances for Wutai to start a war. If there was a war, they'd have to act like soldiers and protect their land. That also meant some people were going to die.

"Well, I hope it's going to end nicely. You only have to infiltrate, right?" She asked and he nodded. "Then it won't be much."

Zack looked at her and smiled widely, squishing his little sister in his arms.

"You really know what to say to make me feel better, huh?"

She squirmed in his grasp until he let her go. After she got out of his embrace, she smiled and placed a hand over Zack's.

"I am your sister, you know. If you aren't happy, then how can someone else be?"

That was how the next few months passed. Eloise was either around Sephiroth, either going into the city with Zack. Her dates with Reno were usually in the weekends, if they were free. Reno had more time to spare than Eloise because Lazard was finding it funny to send her in different missions. There were mission that ended smoothly, but when he sent her into the desert to find a missing politician and kill him, she knew it might already be a failure.

"It's cold at night. Did you bring pillows?"

That was only the beginning of Genesis' tormenting. It just so happened that Lazard found Genesis to be most suitable for the same mission.

Truthfully, after the redhead witnessed the change in her body, he decided to keep his distance from her. His situation wasn't going well at all and he didn't want to feel responsible for her too. Eloise was always training, trying to become better at controlling the energy, she was growing stronger and Sephiroth knew it. He was rather proud of her perseverance but Genesis was getting engulfed into his own issues.

"Did you bring enough water?" He continued in an authoritarian tone.

"Yes, master."

Genesis scowled. It's been a while since they got the chance to be left alone together and it ticked him off. It wasn't necessarily because of her connection to Sephiroth; he didn't care how close they became over the last few months. No. Not at all.

"Can you do something right?!" He snapped randomly.

She was trying to set up a tent. It wasn't even his but he found it vital to scream at her.

"Why don't you go take a piss on someone else, Genesis? What's your problem anyway? We only have to find the man and kill him. After that, we won't have to see each other's faces anymore."

He felt offended. Genesis didn't know why but he wanted to shoot fireballs at something.