"Please tell me you at least know where he the lab is." Genesis scrunched up his face in an ugly grimace, no doubt donning a massive headache after showing up drunk at his office the previous evening. Sephiroth had no sympathy for the other man. He had suffered the consequences of drinking multiple times, and yet chose to indulge himself.
"I don't know." Sephiroth replied, his gaze never leaving the scenery passing them by in a haze.
"You really didn't think to ask where it was when you were threatening information out of a bunch of interns?"
"They weren't interns." These weren't some innocent children who didn't know what they were doing. "And no, I figured I couldn't miss it once I had a look around." Before Genesis managed to scoff Angeal sounded out from the front.
"Nebelheim is a small village, I'm sure we'll have no trouble finding a Shinra lab if we ask around." He pitched in from the driverseat of the jeep.
They'd taken the first car they'd seen in the garage of the Shinra tower. Unable to requisition a driver, and they were certainly not going to drag the Turks into this just for a helicopter ride. So they settled on driving to Nibelheim.
They had somehow managed to avoid the official roads where Shinra had people stationed to toll anyone driving in and out of the city, no doubt keeping a record in the process. They took the ferry across the ocean. And easily drove past Costa Del Sol, though not without having to stop for gas. Luckily no one seemed to recognise them (or cared enough to make a grand debacle of it.) Unlike the citizens on the upper plate of Midgar it appears people around here has something other than celebrity gossip to focus their energy on.
"Ugh, and who's idea was it to not stop for water and food?" Genesis placed his hand in front of his eyes and asked in a muffled voice.
"We unanimously voted against a pit stop."
"Maybe next time don't vote on that while I'm asleep?" Sephiroth could hear irritation coating the redhead's voice, but couldn't see his face through his hands that were simultaneously covering him from the light and massaging his temples.
Angeal let out a huffed laugh. "We're gonna be there soon- Just hold on for 15 more minutes."
"Ugh." Was his only reply. Sephiroth suspected it was the only he could manage without considerably worsening his hangover.
The only benefit from a drunk Genesis is the fact that his argumentative side is cut down about 50%. Though Sephiroth isn't sure how much of a win it is, seeing as how he had to spend the whole process in a cramped car with him.
The car finally quieted down enough for him to try to remember more of the blond who'd looked after him as a child and their brief meeting years later. Since he… left the man in Hojo's care, he'd gotten flashes of some of the memories. Sometimes he remembers a warm smile and kind eyes. But mostly he remembers feeling safe in the other man's presence, like, as long as he was by his side nothing bad could happen to him.
Of course Sephiroth realizes this probably was nothing more than a child's ungrounded admiration. But he still couldn't help himself from remembering the blond's small back as Sephiroth had deliberately let him slip through his fingers. The thought made his throat tighten and he had to clench his teeth to not let the emotion of absolute despair show on his face.
He first thought had been mixing memories, new with old ones. Maybe because the specimen hojo was looking for was human he couldn't treat it like the throwaway fact he first figured it was.
But then he'd remember a kind voice speaking to him, or a big hand on his back, thoroughly warming him up after being cold for so long, and he'd forget all about his speculations.
He focused his eyes back on the scenery, and tried desperately not to think about it. Once he had the other man back by his side he'd make sure to tighten his hold on him so he couldn't slip away a second time.
"So, hey, I know this sounds crazy, but I really do hope you have a plan." The sarcasm in the redhead's voice was hard to miss.
Sephiroth chose to ignore him. He could barely deal with the other man when he was sober. Throw in irritable, sarcastic and bratty, and you'd have a full set of things to keep away from Sephiroth at all times.
"I'm with Genesis on this-" Sephiroth lightly turned his head to the man beside him, waiting for him to continue. "Have you at all though about what you're going to do once you find him?"
Sephiroth had. But to be fair Genesis and Angeal's worry was warranted because his plan mostly consist of one; get the blond back and two; cut down anyone trying to stop him.
Angeal must have read him like an open book because he put one hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "Whatever you decide on, we're with you."
Sephiroth gave him a smile in gratitude.
The car pulled into a small dirt road, which they definitely would have missed had there not been a sign on the side that read 'NIBELHEIM' in big white letters.
"Ok, first thing, I suggest we find the inn in this village and rent a room. We don't know how long we'll be here, it's getting late and I don't want to end up sleeping in the car tonight." Angeal said as he got out of the car and headed towards the cluster of houses.
"I concur." Genesis replied with a grunt.
Sephiroth nodded.
They knocked on a few doors as they made their way down, most of them took a quick glance out the window, then decided to pretend not to be home. Sephiroth could feel Genesis' agitation reach its peak when the third house decided they weren't home. Sephiroth thought about placating the other man, but ultimately decided against it. He was also in a rush and if he'd have to threaten information out of people (again) he'd do it.
When they finally found someone that were willing to talk to them, it was not what they were expecting, or rather, not what Sephiroth expected.
He froze in place as he laid his eyes on the familiar blue color.
A woman, with meek wrinkles lining her face and a few gray streaks running through her otherwise blond hair, stood before them at about two heads shorter than Sephiroth. She had eyes with a slight sheen to them and heavy bags hanging under. She looked tired, the kind of tired that didn't go away with 8 hours of sleep. He deduced she'd have to be about 50 or so years old.
She stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes moving from Angeal to Genesis then finally landing on Sephiroth. Her meek face contorted into one filled with rage.
"You people are Shinra?"
Sephiroth promptly cut off the barrage of demands of answers that was at the tip of his tongue. He swallowed once then turned to answer.
Only to be cut off by Angeal this time. "Yes, sorry to bother you ma'am, but we were wondering if you happened to know where the inn in this village is located?" His voice was nothing but polite as always.
But the woman continued to glare at them. "What are you doing here?" She hissed in a low voice. As if their being here was a dirty secret.
Sephiroth could see Genesis raise his brows in surprise. Angeal on the other hand didn't miss a beat. "We're here on a routine reactor check on behalf of Shinra."
"Well, I suggest you be quick about it. Shinra has caused enough trouble in this village." She sneered and want to slam the door in their face.
Genesis was about to step forward, his stance the same as when he tells people off. Sephiroth took hold of the other man's upper arm to stop him in his tracks. He let the door close and lead the redhead in front of him as he walked further into the village.
"Seph?" Angeal asked while keeping up.
"They look alike." He had to huff out with a breath because normal words wouldn't leave his mouth for some reason.
Genesis gave him a confused look as he walked in front of them.
"She looks like- I suppose it'd be him that looks like her…" Sephiroth continued once he got his breath back
"The man we're looking for?"
Sephiroth quietly nodded and turned to his thoughts. No wonder she seemed furious once she found out who they were. Losing a family member couldn't have been easy for her. But no matter how hostile she acted they'd have to question her again, there was no doubt that she'd be the one to know the most on Shinra in this village.
They eventually found the inn, through luck said Angeal, Genesis answered that it was merely through a process of elimination. Sephiroth agreed. They then proceeded to rent three rooms, one for each because Genesis 'would rather run himself trough with Masamune than listen to Angeal's snoring ever again'. Angeal looked sheepish then swiftly agreed.
Sephiroth had been alone for all of 3 minutes before Genesis speedily barged into his room an apologetic Angeal following behind.
"Genesis-"
"Yes, yes, the knocking. I remember." He said as he picked up the chair in the corner of the room and briskly sat down. "But under current circumstances I feel my barging is warranted."
Sephiroth suppressed a sigh.
Angeal followed suit and sat down at the edge of the bed. "So that woman must be a relative…"
Sephiroth leaned against the closest wall and nodded. "Yes, she'd have to be with such a close resemblance."
"...Maybe this at least solves the problem of where he can stay-?"
"That can impossibly be safe." Genesis scoffed. And Sephiroth found himself agreeing with him a second time in one day. What's his world come to.
"If the man disappears from the Nibelheim lab this village will probably be the first place they'll search." He continued.
There was a silence sweeping the room before Angeal spoke again. "Have you at least thought about what's gonna happen once we find him?"
Sephiroth's original plan was to bring him with him to Midgar, maybe rent a room in a discreet hotel in the slums until further notice. Though he figured it couldn't be healthy to leave him to his own devices considering he'd found the blond man having a staring contest with a piece of grilled street meat the last time he'd seen him.
So basically that left him with only one choice. The only people Sephiroth currently trusted was Angeal and Genesis, and since they're basically in the same boat as Sephiroth they can't help in the matter more than they currently are. So he can't ask anybody else to look out for the blond, it will have to be him. He would have to somehow sneak the man into his apartment without anyone noticing. It wouldn't be easy, but it's doable.
The problem was whether or not the infamously-always-informed Turks are surveying his apartment. He'd never actually cared about the fact, Sephiroth had always been loyal to Shinra to a fault. He believed he had no valuable information to 'accidentally' convey. But at the end of the day the Turks are an organisation of spies, so some information was always better than none. And Sephiroth was currently bordering on the very fine line of treason… He supposed he'd at least be able to protect the blond better if worse came to worse.
"He's coming with me to Midgar." He finally stated firmly.
Genesis put his face in the crook of his arm and leaned back into the chair. Sephiroth deduced it meant he disagreed with his decision. Angeal only glanced to the floor as if deep in thought, no doubt trying to find a better solution for his problem. Helpfulness really was in nature.
"What about his family?" Genesis questioned from behind his elbow. "I'm sure she'd love to seem her whatever again." He sat up straight and glanced between Angeal and him.
"When I last met him he looked so confused and he could barely walk straight. I'm pretty sure he'd been standing still in the same spot for at least an hour before I found him." He slowly started. "He couldn't even remember his own name or where he lived."
"Still, you can't just go around kidnapping people like that." Genesis raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm not," Sephiroth sighed. "Kidnapping him…" Sephiroth clenched his hand. "I just want him to be safe as he recuperates. Maybe, after he's well again, his memory will get better. Maybe he'll start remembering m- his life." Sephiroth cursed himself in his mind at his slipup.
"Ok, so it's decided, the- guy'll come with us to Midgar." He gave Sephiroth an assured smiled.
"Right, then I suggest we get to a more prominent matter at hand."
"Hojo's lab." Angeal stated with a serious look.
"No. Loveless: A New Horizon, I really feel-"
"Genesis!" Angeal scolded at the other man.
"Joke! It's a joke, calm down." Genesis quickly said. "Just wanted to lighten the mood, jeez." He put his hands in front of him in surrender.
Sephiroth's frankly astounded that he'd managed to avoid discussing the theater play with the other man for so long. He had quietly been counting his days. And he's certainly very grateful for Angeal's hard earned skill of managing to shove away the subject everytime Genesis feel it necessary to fill the void of silence with headless blathering.
"We should question the woman we met." Sephiroth swiftly moved the discussion forward.
"You really think she's willing to give us information?"
"I'm willing to try." He replied grimly.
"Though I agree with you, It's already quite late. We should probably wait until tomorrow to ask for answers."
Genesis hopped up from his chair with grace earned through years of practice. "Great, I'm off to get me some much earned sleep. See you in a few." Angeal gave Sephiroth a small smile before soundlessly closing the door behind him.
Sephiroth let out a small breath as he prepared for bed. Taking off his coat and belts to hang on the back of the chair Genesis had recently vacated. He was about to lay down in bed when he heard a slight movement beyond his window. He promptly got up, summoned Masamune and lept out the window all in a swift motion. He quickly located the person, that'd no doubt just arrived to spy on him, and brought the business end of his sword to their throat.
The person fell to the ground with a loud yelp. A very high pitched one… Sephiroth unsummoned Masamune and took a good look down at the perpetrator.
"Woah, that was so cool! Was that magic?" The high shrill voice, belonging to a young girl around the age of 10 years old, asked.
The young girl had short black hair reaching just above her shoulders, her brown eyes twinkling with wonder, not at all seeming to care that the sharpest object known to mankind was inches away from piercing her throat. The girl was shook out of her awe when she realized Sephiroth wouldn't answer her question anytime soon. She got up to her feet and brushed her clothes until a small dust cloud appeared.
"Say, you're that famous guy that works as a Soldier, right?" She questioned him as if she actually expected him to answer.
"What're you doing here anyway, dad said you're here to finally tear down the haunted house. Is that true?" She tilted her head and continued to stare fearlessly into his eyes. "Usually I like exploring creepy places like that, but that house is way too scary. So it's about time you took it down if you ask me." She took a pause to breath and continued to speak at a speed even Angeal's puppy probably would admire.
"My friend Lila said her brother once walked inside on a dare and he keeps swearing he saw a ghost. But Lila says he lies all the time so I don't know what to believe." The girl looked genuinely confused as if the conundrum made her head hurt. "Then again most of the adults say that he only saw a monster that had taken residence in the house through the winter." She drawled as if she's repeating something off a script."Well everyone except for Mrs. Strife, she insists the whole darn place is cursed and will kill anyone who enters it. People say she's crazy, but dad said that she lost her son in that house so I shouldn't say bad things about her."
Sephiroth was about to walk away from the girl. Jump into the window and firmly close it so to not hear the girl's almost incoherent rambling. But stopped the second he heard the latest sentence frivolously falling out of her mouth.
"Anyways if you need a guide in the house I can show you around-" She paused and slightly shrunk back when she noticed Sephiroth's cold eyes locking onto her's.
"Strife. The woman with blond hair?" He slowly questioned. Going for as menacing as possible so the girl wouldn't get side tracked like she's apparently very prone to. But It didn't seemed to have worked.
"There are a lot of blond women in Nibelheim!" Unfortunately she quickly recovered from her fear of Sephiroth and started listing off different names of 'blond women' in the village, names just continually falling out of her mouth like a waterfall. "Oh, and there's also Agnes, but she's seven so I don't think she counts as a woman yet-"
"The woman in the house near the forest." He said with a slight hiss as he stepped closer to the child.
"O-oh, that woman." She stuttered. "Yes, that's Mrs. Strife…" She looked around as if just now realizing she'd been goating a dangerous person without any witnesses around.
Sephiroth decided to let up on the intensity, in case the girl decided to run away, he couldn't very well set to chase after her like some madman. He took a step back and continued. "She had a son." He stated, indicating for the child to continue.
The girl apparently didn't get his subtle hint like the Soldiers under his command had learned to do. She just stood there and stared up at him with big eyes. Sephiroth suppressed a sigh and pushed down his frustration.
"Would you mind sharing what you know of the boy?"
"The boy? You mean Mrs. Strife's son? I only know that he died a long time ago and that Mrs. Strife turned crazy- I mean, got really sad after he was gone." She quickly corrected herself with furrowed brows.
He nodded and turned to leave. He had all the information he needed. There was a slight connection to… Strife and the mansion at the edge of the village so that'd be the first place they need to search. There was no need to stay the night if they found what they wanted in the mansion, and if they didn't, they already had a backup plan concerning Mrs. Strife.
He leaped into the window without looking back at the girl, closed it then locked it just to be safe. Taking his coat and belts in hand and put them on as he made his way to his fellow
First's rooms to wake them up.
The process of waking them both up, getting them out of bed and out in the village was shorter than he'd expected, which he would be grateful for had it not been for Genesis' constant whining.
"What do you mean you got some new information to look into? Did you go out to threaten people again? You know that's gonna get you in trouble sooner or later." Genesis squinted his eyes as he brushed his hair away from his face with his fingers.
"Sephiroth are you sure about this? Who was the informant." Angeal asked as he straightened his clothes and sword.
Sephiroth ignored them both as he continued leading the way out of the village. They shared a perplexed look before shrugging and quietly following him into the estate.
Weirdly enough the doors weren't locked as he'd expected them to be, but there definitely was the familiar sound of buzzing electricity coming from inside the house. There was therefore not the slightest doubt in his mind that this was the place they had been looking for. At the other side of the room there were three giant windows next to each other, letting the moonlight seep into the rundown mansion and over the moss-filled walls. The floorboards were old and visibly rotten, they'd have to watch where they step lest they end up with a foot through the boards. There were two doors on either side of them and a long half-spiral staircase leading to the second floor.
Sephiroth turned to the other men and pointed out with two fingers, the Firsts that have fought with him in countless mission, and also through a war, immediately nodded before they spread out to search seperate rooms.
Sephiroth went to the room on the far left and was met with grand piano standing right by the door. He walked over and gently ran his fingers over the keys. Brushing his hands when his gloved fingers came away dust filled. He frowned, no matter how he looked at it this manor looked like a normal abandoned home, strewn with mold and cracks on every surface. But still he heard the faint buzzing sound of electricity, there should no doubt be some live cables running through this manor. He thoroughly searched the room then went to the next one over to search through that as well, but found nothing of importance.
His frown deepened, and he was about to find Genesis or Angeal to ask of their finds, when he heard Angeal exclaim from the second floor.
"Uh, guys? Pretty sure I found something."
Sephiroth went up the stairs two steps at a time and met up with the two other men. They turned around to face him and stepped aside. A construction of brick came into view in the corner of the room, he'd call it a fireplace but there was no… well, place for a fire. He cautiously walked over it, took off a glove and ran his hand over the bricks. He could feel a slight draft sweeping past his gloveless fingers, and hear a soft buzzing growing stronger. A secret passage?
"There might be a hidden mechanism in the bricks." Genesis stepped up beside him. "Maybe a certain order one has to press them?" He pondered out loud.
Sephiroth on the other hand didn't pay attention to the other man at all. He summoned Masamune with a flourish and swiftly slashed at the brick contraption, reducing it to rubble in a few cuts.
"...Or you could do that." The other man humphed.
Behind the secret door was a long, unsteady spiral starecase that lead them underground. They walked into the cave following the sound of humming electricity coming from the end. There was a light on seeping through the bottom of the door.
"A library?"
Angeal walked up to the rows and rows of books and files, picked up something random and started reading, but Sephiroth opted to ignore them and continue into the big room. Past the second door was a long hallway lined with florecent light and pipes running along the walls. The place, for a moment, made Sephiroth feel a slight sense of melancholy, though he's not sure why.
Angeal noticed Sephiroth and Genesis disappearing into the back, so he quickly put down the book he was browsing on the desk in the middle of the room, and hurried after them.
The long hallways they walked through was lined with doors of different sizes, some grand but locked (not that that was any problem for Masamune), other small, ordinary doors were open, but both were empty of what they are after. The rooms filled with medical equipment and metal slabs made Sephiroth almost shudder at the sight.
The corridor split into separate paths, and Sephiroth debated the merits of splitting up, but ultimately decided against it. Since the lab doesn't seem to be occupied by anyone except for them and, hopefully, the person he is looking for, they aren't short on time.
They arrived in a room with rows of Mako tanks stacked next to each other. All tree of the First recognized them for what they are the second they laid their eyes on them. After all it would do one good to know what kind of treatment was necessary to undergo to become a Soldier since they did command most of, if not, the whole division between the tree of them (and seeing as they underwent the treatment themselves, albeit not conscious).
They walked past the tanks containing green Mako, Sephiroth had a hard time looking away from the monstrosity that sometimes occupied the containers. Angeal and Genesis seemed to be under the same predicament. Every tank they passed they gave a sidelong look which then made their face turn in disgust. Hojo really was a damn maniac.
They had walked into the second row when Sephiroth froze in his step and his heart with him.
He slowly turned his face, his breath coming to a halt as his green eyes were met with sky blue ones. He stepped up to the container, his hand subconsciously brushing the smooth glass.
Strife was awake and looking at him with an impassive expression, as if he was unaware of his surroundings. His eyes had the slightest shift back and forth, as if dreaming, but never focusing on Sephiroth or anything conclusive. The Mako made them look dim, they were a far cry from when Sephiroth met him in the slums. His long hair flowed freely around his head, making it look like a halo gracing him. The man's body was stiff, other than the occasional few Mako bubbles making his limbs move by proxy, there was no other movement. There were scars of different sizes and degrees littered around his body, some of them looking more recent than others. Needle punctures, slits and cuts; they were all clearly made with surgical precision.
Sephiroth could feel his hatred for Hojo seep deep into his bones, and, at this moment, he wanted nothing more than rip the greasy, insane man limb from limb
"This is who we're looking for?" Angeal softly asked. As if afraid of breaking the trance the blond man had put on Sephiroth.
"Hold on, you said he took care of you when you were a kid? How old is this guy?" Genesis questioned.
"He doesn't look older than 25…" Angeal helpfully replied.
They then both turned to look at Sephiroth- who had not moved his eyes an inch away from the man, then looked back at the form in the Mako tank.
"Gaia below, his body…"
The outraged voice of his raven haired friend was what finally snapped him out of his daze. He barely managed to avert his eyes from the dimly lit blue ones, to look around for some kind of control panel to drain the Mako. His companions interpreted his actions, and split up to search the room.
He was about to follow their lead when he was stopped by a light tapping sound. He turned to the man in the tank, and found dimmed, but still endless-blue, eyes focusing solely on him. Sephiroth could feel his heart in his throat. He swallowed lightly, and put his hand over the other man's. The blond seemed to be exerting as much force as he could to tap the glass of the tank with his knuckles. Sephiroth's gloved hand tightened into a fist over the surface of the container.
"I'll get you out of here in a moment." He felt he needed to assure the other man, no matter if he could hear him through the Mako or not, that he wouldn't abandon him again.
It was a split second, when Sephiroth blinked it was gone, but he's sure he saw a small, warm smile on Strife's face.
He suspects he would have fallen into another trance had it not been for Genesis' voice pulling him out of it.
"I found it! B12, right?" He didn't wait for confirmation from the other two men, and quickly pressed a couple of buttons on the panel in the middle of the room. Sephiroth stepped away from the blond man. Waiting for the Mako to disappear.
The tank was emptied, the Mako carrying the blond to stand on his unstable feet. Then the contraption opened up. The man took one step, then two steps out of the container with his head hanging and his hair dripping green. Sephiroth lightly turned his head in disdain at the strong smell of the green liquid. The three frozen in place were unable to get to him in time before he slumped down to his knees, head bowed and hands supported between his legs. He looked almost to be praying.
Angeal quickly took off his jacket and placed it on the small blond's still-wet shoulders, he remained unresponsive. The raven haired man slowly crouched down next to the blond, hands hovering over his back and shoulder, but not touching, as looked up at the Genesis and Sephiroth.
Sephiroth's sight had been zeroed in on the slumped form on the floor, recalling a certain uneasy smile accompanied with a shaky voice telling him everything was going to be 'ok'. The blond was smiling but his face looked one second away from breaking into tears. Sephirot felt himself slowly gulp and clench then unclench his hands a few times
"Seph?" Genesis touched his shoulder in concern this was probably not the best time to have a recollection of forgotten memories.
He shook himself out of his thought. "Strife?" He asked with a slight hoarse voice, taking a step closer to the men on the floor. "Dr. Strife?" He asked a bit louder. Sephiroth only caught the slip of his tongue after the fact, his eyes widening slightly in confusion/remembrance. But it seemed to get a rouse out of the blond, seeing as his fingers twitched, so he continued. "Dr. Strife. Can you hear me?" He crouched down in front of the blond and moved a few Mako-soaked strands of hair away from his face. His eyes were open but unfocused. "Dr. Strife…?"
"...oud…" The slumped man suddenly croaked out in a raspy voice, his eyes still hazy.
"What did he say?" Genesis sounded up from behind him.
Sephiroth's brows furrowed as he shook his head, not having caught that either. He observed the blond for a few more seconds, before standing up.
The electricity running through this underground lab was apparently for powering the Mako tanks, the lights and nothing more. The room was cold, even Sephiroth had to admit. The blond was not only soaked in liquid Mako but also only wearing the jacket Angeal had provided. He was probably freezing, but unable to tell them. Sephiroth cursed himself for not thinking about it and brought a spare change. The man had clearly not been granted any clothes the last time he had met him, so why would this time be any different. He turned around and began searching through the drawers and shelves for something the blond could wear. After searching for a while he finally found 'patient' garbs crammed into a metal alcove drawer on the far end of the room. Sephiroth didn't know if the clothes already had been used, but they'd have to make do.
He grabbed one more robe out of the drawer and went on to dry the crumbled mans body with it then throwing it to the side.
Angeal assisted him in supporting and maneuvering the blond's limp limbs as he put on the robe. Sephiroth would feel weary of the fact that the Strife didn't even seem to notice anyone was touching him, but felt only relief, knowing that exposure to such a high concentration of Mako when you're not a Soldier would undoubtedly cause pain and discomfort.
"Ok, so we've got your guy. Now we leave right?" Genesis paced, looking anywhere but the blond man on the floor.
Sephiroth nodded and turned to Angeal. "Get the car around and wait for us outside the gate. We can't risk anyone seeing us." Angeal nodded then stepped up to leave. Sephiroth quickly took his place in supporting the blond so he didn't fall over.
He picked Strife up. Feeling his light weight in his arms, he could feel his hatred for Hojo rekindle a hundred times over. He watched his hands so not to clenche and hurt the blond in his grip as he followed through the door Angeal had exited, Genesis not far behind him.
"...Is he ok?" Sephiroth could feel the hesitancy the the other man's voice.
"I don't know." He answered truthfully.
They made the rest of the trip in silence. Sephiroth could feel the tension seeping out of the redhead, but currently had his hands full so couldn't placate the other First. They walked out of the house and towards the gate, his eyes never leaving the blond's face. Still not the slightest sound after the one murmur down in the lab. The sun had long ago set and the moon was hung high in the sky above Nibelheim. Sephiroth's brows lightly knitted as he hurried his stride towards the jeep parked on the other side of the gate. Angeal had left the car running, good. He couldn't wait to get out of here and away from the mansion. He considered lighting the manor on fire for a few seconds, but quickly reconsidered once his eyes landed on the blond in his arms again.
Sephiroth put the blond in the back seat, secured him with the belt and sat down next to him.
Genesis entered the passenger seat and turned to Angeal. "You need me to drive?"
Angeal gave him a taxed smile then shook his head. "I'm good." He said as he set off toward Midgar.