Faithless Memories

Letting Go

Chapter 48

The euphoria Kris felt after she and Genesis had made up faded over the next few weeks. They didn't fight again, though they did come close, but she hardly saw him. She had known it was a probability, but somehow, she hoped that it would have been better than it was. Not to mention that she had a nagging feeling there was something important he wasn't telling her.

On the day he had to leave, Kris made a point of going to headquarters early to see him off. It was bittersweet, as they had no privacy and very little time. She stood and watched the truck trundle away from her with a growing pit in her stomach. She didn't move to go upstairs even after they were out of sight. It was a long time before she felt safe to face another person.

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Genesis stayed in contact with Kris every day as they traveled to the far western continent of Wutai. It took them nearly two weeks to get there, and every day they got closer, Kris felt that something was weighing her down. Despite his constant assurances that everything would be fine in the end, she couldn't help but think that there was something she was missing.

She wasn't sure if it was because of the constant worry or something else, but she started having nightmares again. However, these were different. Some were easy enough to understand, like the ones where Genesis was walking away from her, and she could never catch him. Others were more abstract and far more terrifying. She saw flashes of Genesis totally devoid of color. She also saw images of him flying away without looking back. When she tried to think about them while she was awake, her fears seemed ridiculous. Still, there was a feeling that always accompanied the dreams that was more than the images could account for.

Once they made it to Wutai, it took them several more days to rendezvous with the troops already stationed there and then move to the newly appointed location. They were going to be pushing the Wutainese as much as possible.

It was two days after they had settled into the new encampment that Genesis didn't call her for the first time. Kris stayed wrapped in her blankets on the couch all night with the phone in her lap. The feeling that she had been trying to explain away would no longer be ignored.

Zack found her huddled up and sleeping the next morning with still damp tear trails. A feeling of impotent rage burned through him. He knew she was more worried than she ever had been before, and he was among the many that reassured her daily. Despite his personal feelings toward the man, the Commander was one of the best. He knew that valid circumstances could have prevented Genesis from calling, and it had only been one day. That didn't mean he had to like what it was doing to his sister. She never acted this way, and part of him worried that there was more he wasn't seeing.

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Three more days passed, and Kris was finding it hard to concentrate on either of her jobs. Mr. Alexandros was understanding and made a point of staying most of the day to help her. Kris appreciated it more than she could describe. Not only did it help things get done, but it ensured that she didn't focus on the lack of communication while he was there.

Working with the Soldiers was more difficult. They were a daily reminder of Genesis and the fact that he had not been in contact with anyone. As bad as she felt about it, that was the only thing that kept her going. It wasn't that he had decided to forsake her. She was still overcome with worry. He would never abandon his post. He took too much pride in the fact that he was one of the elite. When she found out that not even Angeal or Sephiroth had heard from him, she nearly broke down. She didn't know how much longer she could handle things before it finally happened.