Faithless Memories

Classroom

Chapter 37

After nearly twenty minutes, Kris finally called the match. She was sweaty and breathing hard. She looked at Zack with envy. He was a little winded, but otherwise showed no signs of being affected. She realized that part of it was the fact that she was out of practice. Still, she gave him a sardonic look once she stood. He grinned at her, but she ignored it.

Instead, she turned to look out at the circle of men that surrounded them. She was shocked to see most of them were looking at her with either confusion or awe. A good part of her surprise was the reminder that their spar had been for a purpose. That thought had her clearing her throat so she could address the men. "So, now that you have seen what a properly trained hand-to-hand fighter can accomplish, even against an enhanced Soldier, do any of you have questions?"

There was a pregnant pause, but finally, one of the Soldiers rose. He immediately stood at attention before he spoke. "Ma'am, pardon me if this sounds disrespectful, but-" He paused and took a quick peek at her face before he stood straight again. "Ma'am, are you sure you aren't enhanced?"

She stared at him in shock as his question caused a wave of murmurs. Part of her reasoned that it wasn't surprising considering the fact that she could keep up with a Second, mostly, but she had been faster than him before. It was all due to hard work.

She didn't get a chance to respond before Zack laughed and flung an arm around her shoulder. "Nope. Trust me when I say that it is only my enhancements that let me even stand a chance. There is a reason the upper ranks felt it was okay to have her train you guys. You're in great hands."

Kris tried not to glare at her brother as she pushed his arm off her shoulders. She straightened to her full 5'2'' and tried to recompose herself. "Despite his ease, Soldier Fair is correct. I am not enhanced, but I have spent most of my life honing my skills. It is a matter of dedication and perseverance." She paused and looked around again. She had to smother a smile at the mostly speechless men.

She had a feeling swell inside that made her feel like she could take on the world at the way they were looking at her. She tamped it down, as she knew it would only lead to trouble before she cleared her throat and continued. "These are the skills that I am here to teach you."

She shot Zack a glare from the side of her eyes, and he got the hint. He put the staff away and moved to stand beside the door so she could focus on her students. Once he was out of the picture, more of the men stepped forward. It wasn't long until Kris was nearly overwhelmed with questions that ranged from the martial arts styles she knew, to how many years it took her to hone her skills.

After the first wave of questions passed, Kris divided the men into small groups and had them demonstrate their skills. She needed a baseline to advise Sephiroth on how the classes should be divided. She wanted to have the men put into classes with others of similar skill levels. It was a few hours later that she finally dismissed them. By that time, she was satisfied that she had made the right choice.

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Kris had been a little disappointed that Genesis had not checked on her class. It wasn't until later that she found out he had come in several times to watch but had not announced himself. He reasoned that he didn't want to undermine her authority. As unexpected as that had been, Kris had to admit that it was appreciated. She hadn't had any problems yet, but she knew that it was probable that she would have to deal with something at some point.

Sephiroth had taken her advice when he divided the Thirds into their classes, with only a couple of exceptions. He explained that some of the men would cause trouble if put together. That was something that Kris didn't have insight into yet, so she didn't challenge his decisions. By the end of her second week of teaching, she was glad to see that it worked out for the best.

Sephiroth had been correct. The Thirds were rigid, and for the first few weeks, Kris' focus was on making them learn to read their opponent and think on their feet. Too many of them were cocky to the point of thinking they didn't need to worry about anyone that wasn't enhanced. Kris constantly challenged that viewpoint, much to their chagrin. Not much was taught about the physical part, but that would come later.

Kris was so busy that she had almost forgotten about the special showing of Loveless that Genesis had invited her to. It wasn't that she didn't see him often, but it wasn't until he brought it up the week before that she realized she had not done any shopping.

Since Monday and Wednesday were her only days off, and Monday's were usually for recovery, Kris decided to take Wednesday to find something to wear. It wasn't until that morning that she realized she had no female friends to ask for advice. As much as the idea embarrassed her, she decided to reach out to Genesis to see if he would be free during lunch. He was more than happy to accommodate and even had suggestions for where she should shop. Kris wasn't sure what to think of the fact that he was on top of women's fashion. She did know that he liked to be dashing, so it wasn't such a stretch if she thought about it.

Their trip was tense at first because Kris refused to pick out a dress. She would not budge on that fact, so Genesis relented and helped her pick out a soft pantsuit with flowing bottoms and a soft top. It was a compromise that he was pleased with after he finally saw it on her. The fabric accentuated her slim curves and showed her athletic body off to perfection. Part of him wished that no one else would see her in the outfit, though a more substantial part would be pleased to be seen with her.

Kris was glad that she had been forced to finish so quickly. Genesis had to get back, and she hated shopping. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't have female friends to get mired with at stores. She chuckled as she waved goodbye to her boyfriend as she realized that she was definitely different from any other woman he might know. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

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It was the following Wednesday that the show was scheduled. Since it was an invite-only showing, the weeknight was not a problem. Genesis picked Kris up a little early so they could have a light meal. He explained that they would serve small items throughout the show as well, so a full meal was not necessary.

Kris had put in more effort than usual since it was going to be a formal environment, and was nervous about it. She was slightly out of her comfort level and hoped she hadn't gone so far as to be garish. She almost felt that way, but Zack had assured her that wasn't the case. It wasn't until Genesis laid eyes on her and froze that she realized, maybe her brother wasn't entirely biased. It wasn't just his silence, but his eyes had raked over her in a possessive way. She felt her cheeks heat under that gaze for the first time in weeks.

Kris couldn't make her feet move, so it was Genesis that finally composed himself and swiftly moved to take her hands. He looked her over for several more seconds before he leaned and lightly kissed her cheek before he whispered. "There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess. You are lovely enough to steal my breath away." Kris grinned despite herself and squeezed his hands. That was the reaction she had been hoping for, and it boosted her confidence that she had managed it. She violently pushed aside her worries that it was superficial and temporary.

She had every intention of making the most of their night out. She had already had to deal with his crazy fans, but luckily, it wasn't often. They hadn't figured out where she worked yet, so it was only a problem when they were together in public. Usually, a well-placed glare by Genesis was enough to dissuade the worst of them. Being able to enjoy the time she had with him was the thing that made it worthwhile.