Life Finds a Way

Chapter 45

When Sephiroth left, Genesis caught her attention again. "What would you say to a spar with me in the VR room?" He smiled as her eyes lit up for the first time that afternoon.

"That would be amazing! I still haven't had the chance to go."

"Grab your things then." He watched as she grabbed everything quickly and was back by his side in less than a minute.

When they got to the room he turned to her. "Would you prefer to spar with me or should we run one of the programs?"

She could barely contain her glee. "You know I enjoy sparring with you, but could we please run a program?" She clasped her hands in front of her chest in a pleading gesture.

He chuckled at her response. He had expected it. "Of course. I will set it for one of the Wutai regimens." He didn't wait before pulling out his phone and entering a request. It was only moments before a forest sprang to life around them. When he turned back to Clarissa, she already had her kōdachi out and was looking around. The only thing that gave away her excitement at being there was the smile she couldn't seem to lose.

It didn't last long though, not even for her. The first wave of enemies came rushing out from the dense forest around them and had her concentrating on staying alive instead. It wasn't long before the two of them moved back to back and became a single fighting unit. They had sparred with each other enough that it only took minimal motions from either of them to convey their next moves. In a surprisingly short time they had the first wave decimated.

Genesis was just about to turn back to her to suggest moving so they would not be such easy targets for the next wave when he heard her scream out. He whipped around to see her collapse where she stood. Instantly he was by her side, while trying to abort the program at the same time. He searched frantically for a wound and found none. He started to pick her up and head for the infirmary when he heard her groan. He looked down to see her open her eyes and wince.

She pushed away from him and grabbed her head. "Dear god that is always such a bitch." It was at that point that she finally looked up to him with near panic. She grabbed his arms and nearly yelled at him. "You can't go tonight! Please!"

He wasn't sure what she was talking about exactly, but he tried to calm her down. "What happened? Were you injured before I shut the program down?"

She looked confused for a moment. Her face finally cleared before she responded again, only slightly less panicked than before. "No, I'm fine. Look, can you please not go with Sephiroth and Angeal this evening?"

At her words, he finally understood what she was asking, but it instantly brought his guard up. "I am not sure who told you about our spars, but it is something we do at least once a month whenever we are all at headquarters. It's a tradition that we can't break. Besides, it is high time that I finally defeat him."

The last part was in an aside, but Clarissa paid it no mind. She had finally calmed completely. "Fine, I understand. Will you at least let me go watch? I promise I will not get in the way. It's just very important to me."

He wasn't sure where this was coming from and it bothered him that she was so insistent. "Why are you so adamant for this time? There will be others. Besides, it is something we do while the Seconds are out."

She tried to smile at him, even if it came out stiff. "I know. It's just... well, we never know when something might happen that will keep one of you away for an extended amount of time. You saw how it can affect those left behind. I know you three are pretty much undefeatable, but I'd like to see it before any of you get sent to Wutai or something." She knew she was being slightly underhanded as she tried to pull at his emotional strings, but she was desperate. The pounding from Minerva's sudden intrusion was still echoing through her head, but she ignored it as she tried to get him to agree. She almost sighed in relief when his eyes finally softened.