Loveless

Part 6

After the misunderstanding involving Sephiroth and Eloise, Genesis chose to leave. The girl irritated him far more than he cared to admit, and he could not understand why Sephiroth had taken her under his wing so quickly. To Genesis, she was nothing but trouble, and he had always despised people who brought unnecessary complications into his carefully controlled world.

He wandered aimlessly around the perimeter of the Shinra building, his thoughts spiraling despite his efforts to focus. Lately, his body had been behaving in ways he couldn't fully explain, reacting on its own as if it were slipping beyond his control, and the realization gnawed at him. He knew he would have to speak with Hollander again, whether he wanted to or not.

"You're taking this too far, Genesis."

He didn't need to turn around to recognize Angeal's voice in the darkness.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Genesis replied, irritation lacing his tone.

Angeal stepped closer and rested a steady hand on his shoulder, the familiar gesture meant to ground him.

"You're getting worked up over a young girl," Angeal said calmly. "Why are you overthinking Sephiroth's relationship with his student? Let him train her. Let her improve."

Genesis scoffed and shrugged off the hand before taking a few steps forward, lifting his gaze toward the sky.

"Do you know what her dream is?" he asked with a hollow laugh. "She wants to become a hero, just like her brother. But she won't. That dream will only break her."

Angeal frowned. "Why do you think that?"

Genesis glanced back at him, his expression darkening. "Because no monster can become a hero," he said flatly. "The energy flowing through her body is pure mako. That's why she can't control it, and that's why she glows."

When Genesis had told Eloise she was glowing, he hadn't been mocking her. He had seen it clearly, the faint blue light clinging to her skin after training.

"But her body rejected mako," Angeal countered. "That's what Sephiroth told us."

Genesis nodded. "Exactly. And the surgeon responsible was Hollander. Tell me, Angeal, why would one of Shinra's most ruthless scientists suddenly show compassion for a new recruit?"

Angeal exhaled slowly. Genesis wasn't wrong. Hollander was not known for kindness or second chances.

⸻

Elsewhere in the building, Sephiroth found himself watching Eloise more closely than he intended. Genesis's words had clearly affected her, and her confidence was beginning to erode under the weight of doubt. When she entered her room, Sephiroth followed without hesitation.

"I'm fine," she said coldly, refusing to look at him. "The training wasn't that bad. I'm not going to die."

Sephiroth chuckled quietly but didn't leave, instead sitting on the edge of her bed.

Eloise sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Or you can stay. That's fine too," she muttered.

"What's bothering you?" he asked. "Genesis?"

She stiffened, and if he hadn't raised an eyebrow and crossed one leg over the other with infuriating composure, she might not have flushed so deeply.

"He hates me," she blurted out. "Every time we meet, he annoys me, confuses me, and makes me feel like I don't belong. I don't even know if I should be offended or just angry."

Sephiroth watched her pace the room, recognizing the pressure weighing on her.

"You shouldn't pay attention to him," he said. "You are his newest source of entertainment. That's all this is."

"That's exactly the problem," she snapped. "I don't want to be his toy. I want him to take me seriously. I'm a SOLDIER too."

Sephiroth understood then. She hadn't joined Shinra merely to fight; she wanted recognition, respect, and to be seen as more than a child following in her brother's shadow. Genesis had noticed that need and exploited it, deliberately pushing her buttons.

"He won't stop," Sephiroth said evenly, "until you prove yourself to him."

"So all I have to do is beat him?" she asked bluntly.

Sephiroth chuckled, but he nodded.

⸻

That night, Eloise couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her future spiraled endlessly, her insecurities sharpening with every comparison to Zack. No reassurance could ease the fear that she wasn't enough.

Unable to stay in her room, she wandered the Shinra building again, slipping quietly through the corridors. Eventually, she found herself at the elevator and decided to explore the lower levels, stopping on the fifth floor. She knew the structure well enough: administrative levels below, military operations above.

As she moved deeper into the building, her curiosity led her to a sealed steel door on the upper floors, stark and ominous compared to the others. She reached for the access panel, ready to break the code, when a hand seized her wrist and spun her around.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She tilted her head and bit her lip. "Looking for the bathroom?"

Genesis studied her, then released her wrist with a sigh. "That area is forbidden. It's Hojo's laboratory."

She brushed him off, unimpressed. "Curiosity never killed anyone."

"Let's go," he said sharply, dragging her away. "Before someone finds you."

Moments later, they were in the elevator again. When it stopped on the SOLDIER floor, he pulled her out and led her down a silent corridor she had never seen before, unlocking a door and pushing her inside before locking it behind them.

His room looked nothing like she expected, more like a teenager's space than a First Class SOLDIER's quarters.

"You weren't going back to your room," he said. "You're always looking for trouble."

She crossed her arms, unimpressed. He set his sword aside and removed his jacket, tossing it onto the bed. When he reached for his shirt, she shouted.

"Wait!"

He paused and looked at her, tired and irritated.

"You shouldn't undress like that with me here. I'm a girl."

Genesis raised an eyebrow and smirked, lifting his shirt slowly just to watch her reaction before dropping it back into place.

"That wasn't funny," she muttered. "What if it's true? What if Sephiroth and I really are close?"

His demeanor shifted instantly, his gaze hardening even as his smile remained.

"There is no hate," he recited coolly. "Only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess."

She blinked. "How did you even reach the conclusion that I might have a crush on him just because he is my mentor? Is that what you do with your pupils?"

Genesis turned away, lifting his hand thoughtfully.

"Don't you want to become a hero, Eloise?"

Hearing her name from his lips startled her.

"I don't care about being a hero," she said firmly. "I want to change the world. Fame doesn't matter."

After a pause, he spoke again. "Do you know why you glow? Hollander infused you with mako."

Her breath caught. "That's impossible. I would've died."

"There was one way to survive," Genesis replied quietly. "The same way I did."

When she pushed him away in shock, energy crackled from her hands, her control slipping.

"I'm not a test subject," she said desperately.

Genesis steadied himself against the wall, his expression unreadable.

"That's what I wanted to believe, too," he said softly. "But my body tells me otherwise."