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year 5, quarter 3
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Truthfully, Genesis wasn’t expecting much out of a blind dating event thrown together by some gaudy tourist company, but the distraction had been too much to resist. Sephiroth had been busy enough lately that he scarcely ever made it back home to their shared apartment. The silver-haired man was throwing everything into his search for Angeal, and while he didn’t seem to understand Genesis’ hesitance to join him, he mostly left him alone to his thoughts. Too alone. Genesis was sick of thinking. Maybe the company tonight would do him some good, even if they paired him with an absolute bore. Worst case scenario, the festival wine was cheap.
The Botanical Gardens that Genesis had been sent to in order to meet his partner were actually breath-taking enough to give even him pause, though he had never been one for the outdoors after being raised in the orchards of Banora. Flowers that he vaguely remembered seeing throughout his time in Zephon lined the path up to the lighthouse, and the entire scene was lit by the soft glow of dim lanterns and moonlight. It might have actually been romantic to come here with someone other than another desperate stranger.
Angeal would have loved it. He would have spent the entire time examining the flowers to see if there were any he could grow in their apartment while Genesis languished on a bench, drinking wine and bemoaning the bugs that the new plants would bring.
Now that was a thought that needed banished immediately.
Genesis didn’t particularly feel like putting much effort into finding his match. There was a wooden bench along the path that was currently unoccupied, and he dropped into it after making sure that his bright blue badge would be clearly visible to passerby. Blue wasn’t a color he particularly liked, but he wasn’t the type to stand up a date after all.
“Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return,” he mused to himself as he watched the stars shimmer overhead. “To become the dew that quenches the land. To spare the sands, the seas, the skies. I offer thee this silent sacrifice.”
He couldn’t say what drew him to such a strange event. The Tsviet was not one for just any love. No, he could and would only love Weiss, until the moment that he ceased to truly exist for all of eternity. Yet, as the people of Torensten spoke about the upcoming event with a certain fervor and anticipation, Nero couldn’t help but feel the familiar cold he constantly experienced without the comfort of his brother. He was a man capable of love, and he loved deeply, and endlessly. But, to exist somewhere without the object of his affection for so long it … hurt.
It hurt so much, so much, make it stop, make it --
It was a completely ridiculous notion to sign up for an event about finding love. Nero knew this. Logically, this would bring him nothing but frustration, pain, and anger. Yet, he found himself grabbing one of the cards from the tourist company hosting the event, and filling it out best he could. Supposedly, they paired people based on compatibility, so, perhaps he’d at least meet someone he could talk to without completely scaring them off. He could behave for one evening.
Right? Right. He would simply think of all the times Weiss had calmed him at his worst, and rely on that to keep his cool.
But, what kind of person could he possibly meet? Love wasn’t something that was supposed to be easy, right? Nero nervously bit his thumb while he picked up his badge, and began his search for his assigned location and partner. He’d managed to procure an outfit for the event, to at least blend in and appear normal. Normal, normal, this date would be expecting a normal person and instead they would get him, unhinged, unstable, crazy, bad, bad, bad--.
Nero swallowed his anxiety and made his way to the botanical gardens and … Oh. Oh, he’d never seen something so mysteriously beautiful. The area was dimly lit, which brought him some comfort. People were sparse as they explored the garden, some alone still looking for their date, others in pairs. Nero clipped his bright blue badge to his front pocket, somewhat annoyed that it didn’t match his red shirt. But, the color did remind him of Weiss’s eyes--- no, no, none of that now!
With a childlike curiosity, Nero approached the flowers. So many shapes, sizes, colors. He’d never seen so many in one place before! They smelled pleasant, but not overwhelming. He reached forward, delicately touching the petal of a white, lily-like flower. Even in the dim light, it seemed to shine a spectacular radiance. Cautiously, the Tsviet allowed a small smile to his face as he lowered his hand. He liked new things. Nature was beautiful and still exciting for a man who grew up locked underground. Nero turned his glowing, red gaze to the moon in the sky, allowing himself to simply soak up the rays for a moment.
Perhaps things wouldn’t be bad. Maybe he could … make friendly conversation with someone. Spend a night with his thoughts elsewhere, other than the deep, darkness where they usually lie.
Nero followed the path through the gardens, curious eyes searching for a similarly colored badge to his own. The area was fairly large, and there was plenty to explore. Maybe his match was admiring something as much as he was. The Tsviet nervously tucked a wild lock of black hair back behind his ear as he turned a corner on the path and finally, finally caught sight of the errant blue color.
Tentative excitement gripped his heart…
… Until the rest of the person came into focus. A red leather coat. Auburn hair. Glowing, blue eyes.
The Sable froze in his approach, his own red eyes wide with shock, his mouth slipping open in errant awe. It … It couldn’t be who he thought it was, surely, right? Nero swallowed, feeling his hands begin to tremble as he took a step forward and ---
No, no, no, it was him, the betrayer, the man who could have saved them and he turned his back on them, he hurt them, HE--
“You!” Nero snarled, raising an accusing finger at Genesis, “You -- You, of all possible people!”
He quickly closed the gap between them, his face contorted into an angry snarl as he shoved his finger against Genesis’ chest.
“Genesis Rhapsodos,” Nero spat angrily, grinding his teeth for a moment, “Or, should I call you brother?”
Despite his initial depressive thoughts, Genesis found that something about the dim lighting and the vague floral scents wafting around his bench was relaxing. It was a more peaceful moment than he’d had in a long time, and he took in the half-moon overhead surrounded by a sprinkling of stars until someone yelling shattered the silence.
Well, that fleeting moment was ruined. Scowling, Genesis glanced over to see which couple was arguing, only to be taken aback when he saw that a lone man was pointing at him accusingly, hatred and betrayal laced through his glowing-red eyes. Now that didn’t seem fair. Genesis didn’t think that he’d done anything to warrant a stranger screaming at him. At least not lately.
The man stalked towards him, and Genesis for once was too startled to say anything, so he took the time to look him over instead. The blue badge on his chest stood out as a match to Genesis’ own, though it didn’t exactly look like the man was interested in romance so much as in taking a swing at him. Other than that, he wasn’t bad-looking by any means, though his dark shaggy hair could have used a trim. His outfit was actually rather nice with his red shirt complimenting his eyes and contrasting against his black tie and jacket, but this looked like a date best left quickly. Genesis didn’t make it a habit of hanging out with people who were looser cannons than he was.
The man poked him hard in the chest as he loomed over where Genesis was seated on the bench, and Genesis groaned dramatically to himself when he used his full name without being asked. “You’re joking. They paired me with someone from Midgar?” He oozed down further on the bench to contemplate his bad-luck until he was laying with one leg propped up on the bench and the other sprawled off to the side. “I suppose you’re mad about the copies then? Terribly sorry, that. What a mid-life crisis, am I right?”
Maybe he was antagonizing the man by being flippant, but Genesis couldn’t bring himself to care, especially when the man’s last words finally caught up to him.
...Brother?
Genesis squinted up at the angry man. Then he squinted some more.
“I’m not into that,” he informed him bluntly. It was always best to lay down boundaries quickly when it came to blind dates. Shrugging his shoulders, Genesis finally hopped off the bench in one smooth motion, doing his best to side-step the stranger so that he was no longer caught between him and a wooden bench. That didn’t exactly feel like the safest place to be at the moment.
“When the war of the beasts brings about the world’s end, the goddess descends from the sky,” Genesis informed him, stretching out his arms while his lips twitched faintly upwards. “I suppose my wish was granted when I asked for anything other than a boring night. Going to tell me your name since you seem to know mine?”
Oh whoops, I meant for this to be funny and then it ended up being not funny xDD
Nero’s angry glare was quickly contorted into a mixture of confusion and fury. The man in the red coat before him hardly seemed that bothered that it was a Tsviet in front of him. Instead, Genesis merely rolled his eyes and laid back on the bench, propping his leg up as if to become more comfortable. Nero withdrew his finger, clutching his fist to his chest instead, watching the former-Soldier with wary eyes as he mentioned being angry about the copies.
… What?
The Sable narrowed his eyes. Perhaps this was some sort of trick? Nero didn’t appear that differently now in a suit and tie than he did in that Soldier get-up from years ago. Finally, Genesis appeared to chew over some of Nero’s fury, and there was some hope that maybe he realized---
“I’m not into that.”
Nero quietly hissed a what!? as Genesis hopped off of the bench and easily side-stepped him. Not into what? It was bad enough that the idiot ex-Soldier was pretending he didn’t know the Tsviet in front of him, but that he was purposefully being confusing was enough to make Nero want to scream. Which he almost did! Instead, he threw his hands into his dark, fussy hair and pulled, trying to get a grip. Seriously, what the hell was happening!?
What would Weiss have done, if he’d been here? Decked Genesis Rhapsodos already? No, no, Weiss was much more patient. He’d probably have been amused! Nero growled and forced his hands back to his sides. As much as he wanted to launch himself at the ex-Soldier and shake the life out of him, Nero knew that he was outmatched, alone. Genesis was one of the most powerful Soldiers Shinra had to offer, and Nero was … well, such a reject that even this reject before him had refused him any help.
“You … You’re joking,” Nero let the words fall in disbelief as he stared back into the glowing eyes of a man he detested. A man who had listened to his story, his life of absolute horrors and torture, all the people living underground who were forced to fight and kill one another, who had looked at dear, dear Weiss and left them to ROT.
Suddenly his tie felt too tight. The suit, much too warm and constricting.
“My brother and I,” Nero started in at Genesis again, keeping his hands to himself this time, but closing the small gap between them with a couple of quick-paced steps, “Collected your sorry, defeated ass off of that stupid cliffside in Banora -- and you essentially told us to kick rocks and left us to rot!”
Nero’s hand came up to his own chest, his eyes wide and crazed, “And you’re saying you don’t remember me!? I died because of you!”
[attr=class,lyric1]infinite in mystery is the gift of
[attr=class,lyric2]the goddess
[attr=class,bulk] Genesis thought that he had been downright courteous all things considered. He could have tried to remove the finger that the man had stabbed into his chest, but something about the stranger’s red eyes and nonsensical words screamed danger, so Genesis had tried to take things in stride. He had at least asked the man’s name, but apparently that had been the wrong thing to say as well.
The dark-haired man stalked towards him again, and Genesis raised his hands defensively. He suddenly wished that he’d brought his sword along, but he did at least have most of his materia on-hand if the unstable man decided to attack him. His screaming left plenty for Genesis to unpack even without a fight though, and his head spun a little as he stared at the crazed stranger in front of him. Cliffside in Banora? What could that have been if not for after his climactic battle with Zack? And yet...Genesis remembered slipping into unconsciousness and then immediately waking up here in Zephon. He’d never had any memory problems like some of the others seemed to have, but everything that the man was yelling called that into question. He could be lying of course, but then how would he have known that Genesis was in Banora?
Genesis felt caught off-guard and vulnerable at the revelation that there were pieces missing, so he couldn’t respond in any way other than flippant. “You’ll have to be more specific,” he said dryly in response to the accusation that he had caused the man’s death. And then, because he half expected the man to take a swing at him, he hopped away and landed lightly on his feet on top of the bench. Anything to keep a few feet between them.
“What are you then? A SOLDIER? You don’t have the mako eyes,” he pointed out, weighing his options as he stared down at the angry man. Maybe it wouldn’t do to antagonize the only person who could answer his questions about what had happened after Zack had left him, so after a moment, Genesis hopped back down from his bench and tried to look repentant. If only that was a look he knew how to wear.
“I wouldn’t take it personally. Apparently my memories around that time are hazier than I thought,” he said a tad bitterly as he tucked a strand of red hair behind one ear. “Ripples form on the water’s surface, the wandering soul knows no rest.”
Perhaps it was a tad dramatic, but he extended a hand to the dark-haired man anyway. If only he had an apple to offer him. “What do you say we take a walk and discuss?” And then, because he couldn’t resist at least a small dig at his expense. “We are on a date, after all.”
Poor Nero, he starts to believe in hope again, only for it to be squished xD
Genesis’s flippant comment sent another surge of rage through Nero. However, the redhead stepped away gracefully, slipping through any physical range of the Tsviet. Not that Nero would have done much damage with a hit from his hand -- he was trained as a Soldier as much as anyone else in Deepground, but his specialty remained in long distance fights. It would be easy to summon his guns from the darkness and take a shot at the fabled G, but honestly, it held little appeal.
Years ago, the man before him had denied Nero and Weiss any help, but they didn’t resist or fight him when he left. It was Weiss’s cool words that had stilled Nero’s anger that day, but without his brother around, the Sable found his emotional state nearly impossible to conquer. He wanted to slap Genesis. Or shake him. Anything, really, just to get the point across that he hated him.
Genesis questioned his being, and Nero sneered at the once-famous Soldier. Right, his eyes didn’t glow like Weiss’s and the others did, but they were certainly bizarre even by that standard. Nero huffed, crossing his arms as to no longer present himself as a physical danger to a man who could easily snap him in half, “I’m a non-traditional experiment from Shinra. We might as well leave it at that, if you can’t be bothered to remember what I’ve already explained to you once before.”
Nero’s gaze turned wary as Genesis hopped away from the safety of his high ground, and the look in his eyes shifted. The Tsviet wasn’t one for reading people easily -- it was a difficult talent to hone when everyone around you was crazy in one way or another -- but if anything the redhead appeared less … flippant. Nero kept his arms tucked to his body, shifting his weight from one foot to another as Genesis approached him.
His memories were hazy? That was the man’s excuse for not remembering Nero? The Sable resisted the urge to get back in the Soldier’s face and tell him off, but only because something did click. There was no benefit to Genesis not remembering Weiss and Nero, and their request about Deepground. He had nothing to gain by feigning ignorance about their meeting years ago. After all, Genesis hardly gave them an explanation for refusing to help them at the time. Nero chewed over the thought as he ignored the man’s strange poetry, wondering to himself … What would Weiss have done, were their positions switched? Well, other than attempting to bait G into a fight.
Weiss, Weiss, if only you were here … You would know what to do about this horrid man.
A hand appeared in front of him, breaking Nero from his train of thought that certainly would have only derailed itself into lamenting about Weiss. The Tsviet relaxed his shoulders with a sigh, his eyes following the line from gloved digits to a familiar, red-leather coat. For a moment, he could faintly recall the hope that had been stored secretly in his heart when Weiss explained who G was, and how he could help free them. The first time Nero had ever laid eyes on Genesis, there was no hate; only the dreams and wishes of a damned man who longed for freedom.
Perhaps, he could stop being a petulant brat and simply walk with the Soldier. Fill in the gaps in his memory. This time, maybe, speaking to Genesis would lead to a better outcome than it had once before. Hope wasn’t always a bad thing to--
“We are on a date, after all.”
Nero felt the angry shiver curl all the way up his spine before he practically hissed at Genesis and smacked his hand away. Mind, without his weapons, suit, and terrifying darkness whispering about, he likely appeared more like an angry cat than a horrifying, experimental super soldier.
“We can talk,” Nero muttered, an upset frown on his face as he turned and began to stalk down one of the beautifully lit, flowery paths, “But this is no date. I still think you’re an ass.”
[attr=class,lyric1]infinite in mystery is the gift of
[attr=class,lyric2]the goddess
[attr=class,bulk] The man referred to him as a non-traditional experiment. What did that make a traditional Shinra experiment? The monsters roaming around the various mako reactors, or Genesis himself perhaps? He scowled at the thought but chose not to pursue the question. There was no good answer to it, and regardless the man was correct that his red eyes weren’t exactly normal. Perhaps that put him in the same category as Sephiroth when it came to SOLDIERs with odd traits.
Genesis had the impression that his words had actually made somewhat of an impact on the angry stranger, but then his last sentence seemed to ruin the effect as the man slapped his hand away. Well, he hadn’t been able to resist needling him at least a little.
“Everyone always does that,” Genesis sighed as he fell into step behind the dark-haired man with a teasing smirk at the corners of his lips. “And I certainly never said I wasn’t an ass.” He liked to think that being a Shinra experiment who was betrayed by his “parents” and left to slowly rot to death for four years was a pretty good excuse. But then he supposed that his personality had been basically the same before that too. Oh well. Genesis enjoyed running his mouth too much to ever really change, though his friends would probably appreciate it if he learned some restraint.
Genesis trailed up next to the brooding man, deciding that the disparity between the beautiful floral pathways and his current company was almost laughable. It was something to drink over later at least. At that moment, he would have rather been paired with almost anyone else. Even Sephiroth might have made for better company, and that was one of the lowest bars to clear.
“Well? Going to tell me your name finally?” Genesis asked, side-eyeing his companion before considering the moon pinned overhead amongst the scattering of stars. “When the war of the beasts brings about the world’s end, the goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting.”
He thought that part of Loveless fit the current situation rather well, but since the man seemed a tad uncultured, he chimed in with another question. “You claim to have rescued me from Banora, but from what exactly? The last thing I remember is losing consciousness there after an encounter with First-Class SOLDIER Zack Fair.” His lip curled a bit on the name, but it was more for show than anything. His feelings on Zack were complicated, and best not discussed with this stranger of all people.
Genesis’s admittance that he was an ass should have soothed Nero in some way, and yet, it didn’t. On the upside, it didn’t stroke the flames of his annoyance any higher. He merely stalked along the sidewalk, hands shoved deep into his coat pockets so as not to wrap them around the red-head’s throat, shoulders hunched unpleasantly. Genesis fell in step next to him, and Nero spared him a glance. He looked the same as he had all those years ago in Deepground, after regaining consciousness. After denying the Tsviets their dreams of freedom.
The atmosphere around them was truly laughable. Nero wanted nothing more than to shake himself for believing that any good could come of his meager attempt to find solace in another lonely soul. For him, there truly only ever was Weiss, and the universe was eagerly punishing him as much as it possibly could for his imprudence. To throw G at him, of all people.
On top of that, an amnesiac as it were.
Genesis inquired about his name, and the Tsviet grumbled it out in response, “Nero.” That was it, anymore. No forced Shinra titles, no last name. He’d never had one of those. He was simply Nero now; a broken yin-yang, a dark without it’s light. The following Loveless quote was less grinding than the Tsviet wanted it to be. He wanted to hate it, like the man it came from.
Instead, it made a comfy home in his mind. Something familiar. So little in this world held the comfort of familiarity, and strangely, Loveless was one of those things in his life. It’s popularity on the surface drove a few copies of the text down into Deepground. The poetic waxing wasn’t much Weiss’s style, but Nero hadn’t minded it. God forbid, there were even a few lines he actively liked.
Nero stopped as Genesis asked about what happened in Banora. However, instead of turning his attention to the former Soldier, he instead turned it to the nearby flowers. The large white bloom with barely-there blue stripes in the center was certainly much easier on the eyes, and wouldn’t drudge up the familiar hate Rhapsodos did. Nero stared at the blooms for a moment in silence, his shoulders relaxing as he released a held breath.
He hated this story.
“Shinra was aware of your location,” the Sable stated, as if he were reading from a soldier’s document more than recalling a memory, “They had been tracking both you and that other runaway -- Fair, I suppose. You couldn’t be used in the Soldier program any longer, considering your … track record.”
Nero withdrew his hands from his pockets, reaching out to gently touch the soft, white bloom in front of him, “But, you were still considered of some use to a particular higher up in the science department. It was decided that my brother and I would be sent to collect you, and bring you to Deepground.”
He plucked a white petal from the flower, turning it over between his fingers.
“Deepground was Shinra’s covered up, bastard child of the scientific world. A place for experiments far worse than you,” Nero finally turned his gaze to Genesis, his red eyes more stoic than they had ever been in this meeting; reliving a world that no longer existed, “They wished to use your cells for some purpose. I can’t say what -- they weren’t used on me, and I don’t believe they had any effect on my brother.”
He dropped the petal in his fingers, watching it fall to the ground as he continued, “Weiss and I did as we were directed, picking up your body from that cliff. My brother knew, with your help, we could finally overthrow our captors and Shinra, we could finally be free. When you awoke, we used what little time we had with you to ask for help and you denied us.”
Nero had felt a lot of pains in his life. Physical, mental, emotional. It was the one and only time in his pathetic life that he’d ever had hope for an escape from Shinra, from Deepground. The man before him was a shining beacon of unattainable light at one point; their potential savior. It hurt, having the hope snatched from him, dreams dashed in an instant. But, it hurt much more when he turned, and saw the look in his brother’s eyes.
Pain. Followed by a familiar resignation and fury.
“You were able to escape Deepground. We’d only just arrived -- they hadn’t had a chance to shackle you yet. And I suppose the rest doesn’t matter anymore.”
The Tsviet felt tired. He’d relived these memories a thousand times and more, spending most of his time drugged into a stupor and physically shackled to things to keep him from going on a murderous rampage. How many times had he turned over Genesis’s refusal in his mind, realizing it meant that Weiss would have to kill the Restrictor, that Weiss would die in order to free them? The initial shock of seeing Genesis had waned, and the fire of his fury was dimming. Chucking Rhapsodos into a void wouldn’t make him any happier.
Unless G happened to know where Weiss was, nothing would.
“‘All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow’,” Nero quoted the familiar words, ones he’d read in a worn playbook many times, ones that had been quoted to him, “That’s what you told us, before you left.”
Nero scowled, leering at Genesis with a renewed, bratty energy, “I was 19 and could count on one hand how many times I’d seen the world outside of Shinra’s basement. Of all the lines of Loveless to quote at me, you chose the most devastating one. So much for a savior.”
[attr=class,lyric1]infinite in mystery is the gift of
[attr=class,lyric2]the goddess
[attr=class,bulk] Genesis made an amused sound at the abrupt way that the man introduced himself, but he decided to leave it at that. He didn’t need to antagonize Nero anymore than he already had, even if his name was as dramatic as he’d expected. Typical Shinra. They weren’t much for subtlety when it came to their experimental SOLDIERs.
Surprisingly, Nero chose to answer his question on how they’d met, and Genesis quickly scowled as he explained that the science department had wanted him back. “You’re joking.” A short laugh escaped him. “They spent years calling me a failure, and as soon as I cure my degradation without any of their help, they decide I’m of some use again?” He could have fumed about that for the rest of the night--not to mention spouted off a dozen Loveless quotes about it--but Nero continued his story, and Genesis was inclined to listen closely for once.
“Deepground?” A frown touched his lips at the name. Of everything that Hollander had told him, a secret underground lab seemed like a particularly large thing to omit. Then again, why anyone trusted Hollander with anything still amazed Genesis. Perhaps something that secretive had been limited to Hojo. That wouldn’t be terribly surprising.
The reason for Nero’s animosity finally came to light, and Genesis slowed to a stop along the path. “Ah...well, that certainly sounds like something I’d say.” Frowning slightly, he turned his gaze towards a patch of pale blue flowers as he wondered what had compelled this alternate version of himself to turn down their pleas for help. They were crazy, there was no doubt about that, but he would have previously jumped on help from other SOLDIERs in his quest to take down Shinra.
Then again...if Nero was to be believed, then they had taken him from just after his encounter with Zack. And he...hadn’t been in the best state of mind then. Angeal dead. Sephiroth dead. His life spared by Minerva and pity shown to him by Zack of all people. Genesis might believe now that taking down Shinra was still the best thing to do, but for a while after having his degradation cured, he hadn’t been sure. The entire concept had made him uneasy because it was still painted in the shame of what he’d done. Genesis had no intention of ever making another copy of himself again. Not even to oppose Shinra.
“Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return.” He hesitated a moment before glancing over to meet the man’s narrowed red eyes. “...I don’t think my refusal had much to do with you.” It wasn’t quite an apology. He didn’t owe Nero or his brother anything after all. Even if they were prisoners, Genesis certainly hadn’t been the one to put them there. But the man’s accusing stare still made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t quite explain.
“I was never the hero of our world’s story. But for what it’s worth, you seem to have your freedom now.”
Nero expected his expression to drag yet more of that familiar, smug behavior out of Genesis. Perhaps a Loveless quote thrown in his face, a taunt, anything. Something to feed the fire that burned, weak, blazing, weak, blazing, in his troubled heart.
Yet, he was given nothing. The Soldier’s words were quiet, his expression unreadable. Nero stared at Genesis, waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting to be mocked … But, it never came.
The Tsviet slowly deflated, his gaze flickering to the ground at his feet as the tension slowly left his shoulders. He was too tired to keep finding the energy to lash out at Genesis. What was once an endless void of hate had suddenly become limited and difficult to generate. Perhaps a part of him knew that it had merely been his destiny to die as he had. That it had little to do with Genesis. Or, a part of him simply wanted the chance to blow up and get it out of his system.
It hadn’t gone like he’d pictured in his head all those years of captivity, but then, when did anything ever go according to plan?
“Right … I do have my freedom,” Nero admitted quietly, turning his gaze back to the beautiful flowers that surrounded the two of them. He reached out, picking one of the white blooms by the stem with his slender fingers. The Sable Tsviet could recall the first time he’d ever seen a flower. Nature, growing wild and free under his boots.
New experiences warmed his heart in a wonderful and uncontrollable way. But oh, how quickly that excitement faded when one had no one else to share it with.
“It’s lonely,” Nero mused, cradling the flower between his fingers before offering it in Genesis’s direction. A peace offering, maybe. He couldn’t say why he suddenly felt more … accepting of his once-failed-savior, but Nero knew now that hating the man was a dead end. It was no grand romantic gesture, despite their laughable surroundings, but one of potential, mutual understanding, “That’s something you understand, yes? I can’t imagine the great enemy of Shinra had many friends left in the end.”
