In The Beginning

Chapter SIX. Proof of humanity.

"Skylar?" Oh no! God no! "This is NOT happening!" Genesis was beginning to freak out. She had been there just a minute ago! He stood in the middle of the battlefield, covered in blood, surrounded by dead people, but Sky was nowhere to be seen. Genesis didn't know if he should laugh, or start crying. For the last week, his only wish had been to get rid of her, but now - when his wish finally had been fulfilled he didn't feel happy at all. The girl had been kidnapped or maybe even killed on her very first mission in Wutai, and if he didn't find her, Lazard, Angeal, Zack and Sephiroth – would cut off his head, that's for sure. Besides, looking after her, was supposed to be as easy as babysitting.

Genesis was totally freaked out… How could he let this happen?

He had to call Angeal.

"It's me, something went … terribly wrong… What? No she's not dead, not yet anyway, well I don't know actually – I don't think so. Okay! Calm down Angeal! I did not get her killed! What? Yes of course I'm aware of this is Wutai! Yes, I know that! Okay, okay relax for a minute, will you? Thanks! Listen, we got attacked, we took them out, but now…-" Genesis swallowed, Angeal would go absolutely nuts.

"She's gone"

Genesis removed the phone from his ear, when his friend began to shout. "Please don't tell Lazard, Angeal! I promise I'll find her"

This isn't going to destroy my career!

Angeal told him, he and Zack, would be there in a couple of hours, and that he better go search for Sky, if he didn't want to end up dead.

Why are things like these, ALWAYS happening to me? Didn't I tell her to be careful and watch herself? Yes I did. This can in no way, ever be my fault!

But it was. He was the mentor, the teacher, it was him, who had the responsibility. And when a thing like a kidnapping happened, the one to blame, was the mentor. He hadn't look out properly for his student – and if he didn't find Skylar in time, he would loose his job. And get killed. Well, and so would she.

Shit! Shitshitshitshit…

Genesis didn't bother to pack up their things. He just grabbed some weapons and materia and hurried off. The faster he found Sky, the better.

Genesis had heard about kidnappings like these, before. The enemy kidnapped a soldier, to get information. This was not good. If the victims didn't answer, they'd end up getting killed. If the victims did answer – well, they'd end up dead too. Right there, Skylar Williams' life, was badly in danger and, not only because she was a SOLDIER – but because she was a female SOLDIER, and a particularly pretty one.
Genesis did not want to think about what those bastards could do to his young student. He ran through the forest, while the sun rose above the mountains.

It was dark. Very dark.

Everything was quiet, except from Sky's uneven breathing and fast heartbeat. She couldn't see at all, and it felt like the darkness was going to strangle her. It felt like she couldn't breath.

Sky was afraid of the dark. Very afraid. Her head hurt, and her wrists were bound behind her back, and she was tied to a cold metal pillar. She was freezing. Sky looked down at herself. She knew most of her uniform had been removed, and she only was wearing her pants and a top.

What had happened? She had been out there, with Genesis, fighting with him. She had killed man after man but… But she hadn't been careful enough. She felt the back of her head hurt. Maybe she had been knocked out?
Suddenly she heard footsteps and someone turned the lights on. Sky had to close her eyes for a while. In front of her stood a man. He was tall, had dark, cold eyes and he was cladded in black.

She was going to die now! She didn't want to die; she was only 19, and not even a 1st class SOLDIER. She wasn't ready to die yet. She panicked.

Calm down Sky! You are not going to die; you'll kill the asshole and then get out of here!

The man just walked around in the little room for a while, just watching her. He had a sadistic look in his eyes. He finally spoke:

"Let me introduce myself. I am the general of the Wutaian army", his voice was as cold as his eyes.

The general looked at her. "What is you name?" he asked in his icy voice. Sky didn't answer. She just stared back, with a hard look.

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" He shouted.

She still didn't answer. The man came closer and an evil, sardonic smile played on his lips. Suddenly and very unwillingly, she got a flashback. An evil smile and cold eyes.

A little girl, around 8 years old, were trembling and crying in silence. Her mom wasn't home, but "he" was. She was hiding from him. Hiding herself under her bed. She could hear his footsteps, and his voice. "Where are you, Skylie? Where are you hiding this time, sweetheart?" So, so disgusting. The little girl curled up some more, and begged to the Goddess, that he wouldn't find her this time. But he always did. Every single time, they were home alone; he found her and did bad and hurting things to her. She never understood the game. He called it a game, a secret game, and if she ever told anyone, he would do bad things to her mom, too.

Suddenly the door to her room was opened. She could see his feet. "Are you in here?" He asked and opened the closet. "No, maybe in the bed?" The little girl could hear how he ripped off the sheets and threw them on the floor. And then – suddenly he was there, on his knees, looking under the bed. A wide smile grew on his face when he saw her, an inhumanly, cold smile – a smile that didn't reach his inhumanly, cold eyes. "Oh, there you are, little Skylie, why are you hiding from me honey? You know daddy won't hurt you, no need to cry…"

The Wutaian general reminded her of him. "Don't play games, little girl!"

Sky spitted on his shoes, and saw the anger rise within him, before he hit her in the face.

Augh! That didn't feel good

The general considered her for a moment, before opening a metal cabinet that was standing along the stonewall. He brought out a big knife. He laughed.

"If you are not willing to cooperate, I'll make sure you will be!"

He led the blade of the knife to her throat and stepped closer to her, and closer until his face was just an inch away. "You are very pretty, but for how long", he whispered. Sky closed her eyes. She didn't want him to be that close to her.

The general slid the knife against her collarbone, and as the blood drops began to fall, the pain began to rise. She looked down and saw the thin, red line. The bastard had cut off one of the straps of her top.

That sneaky son of a bitch!

"Again, what is you name?"

She still didn't answer and the general looked furious. He did another cut on the opposite collarbone, this one a little deeper, than the first.

Sky was nervous as hell. Now both of the straps were destroyed. The general just had to pull in her shirt, and he would have full access to her chest. She didn't want that to happen.

"What is you name?" He practically yelled.

"Skylar Williams", Sky said. Her voice only trembled a little.

The general smiled even more, happy his evil methods were working.

"Skylar, that's a pretty name", again, he began to walk around in the little cold room. "What's the name of the man you are travelling with?"

What? I can't tell him about Genesis!

Sky just looked at him, defiantly. "I'm not telling you", she said. The general sighed dramatic.

"Well, I have heard about him. This Genesis Rhapsodos, born in Banora, has a temper like the fire itself. He needs to die, all of you… you SOLDIERs have to die. Soon or later." He cocked his head to the side, he almost sounded sad, but Sky decided it was a fake sadness.

Even if Sky didn't Genesis, she didn't like the general talking about her mentor, that way. She didn't like the way he pronounced his name, like if it was poison.

She had to keep her head clear now. No more flashbacks, no emotions. Her life was at stake here.

"Tell me, Skylar – how many of you have invaded Wutai?"

She didn't answer and got hit in the face again. Her head smacked back against the metal pillar. Not good. She could feel the warm blood running down her neck and make her hair wet and sticky.

"HOW MANY?"

"I don't know!"

The general stepped closer and ran the knife down her arm, with the flat side. His lips were almost touching her ear. "Do you think, your red cladded friend, will come for you?"

Sky held back her tears. Genesis hated her. Why should he rescue her? He didn't even know where she was. He didn't like female SOLDIERs, he didn't want to deal with them, and this was the perfect chance for him to save a lot of energy and just let her die. He didn't even have to do it himself. Sky thought on their last conversation, just before they got attacked. She had showed too much weakness.

"No", she said. "He won't come". The general smiled his sadistic smile, "I see, then I'm afraid your chances aren't that good,"

Genesis had searched the forest for hours. The secret base of the Wutaian ninjas was nowhere to be found. He knew it was just a matter of time, before Sky would get killed, if she hadn't been already.

He needed Angeal's help, and he needed it now. And then, suddenly someone jumped out from a bush and knocked him to the ground and sat across his stomach, while punching in it.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SKY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

"Zack Fair?"

"IF SHE'S DEAD WHEN WE FIND HER, THEN YOU BETTER…"

"Zack, Calm down for Gaia's sake!"
"I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU..."

"…- "

"That's enough Zack". Angeal dragged his apprentice off of Genesis, who stumbled to his legs.

"Tell your puppy, it's not nice to jump strangers", he said. "No time for jokes, Genesis". Angeal stared at his friend without any trace of… Well, his eyes were cold. "What happened?"

Genesis removed some dirt from his coat before talking. "We got attacked, as I've already told you on the phone. They were many. They knew I was the one to be afraid of, so most of them went on me", Genesis looked his oldest friend in the eyes. "There were nothing I could have done, Angeal – I didn't even see the guy, who probably knocked her out".

"Are you telling me, that you weren't looking out for her?"

"No! Believe me, I watched her fight – and she was doing pretty well, Angeal. I'm serious… really, I have no idea of how this happened."

Like he would ever admit, that she had done more than well, she had been excellent.

"But anyway, some jerk managed to knock her out and kidnap her, without you noticing?" Suspicion was written all over Angeal's face. Genesis rolled his eyes, "Yes, I've made a mistake, but who doesn't? And maybe we should go find her, before that "jerk" kills her".

The three SOLDIERs began their walk, with Zack as their scout.

"I swear, Genesis! If you've let this happen on purpose, I'll rip off you head, and then I'll tell Lazard, what you've done".

Wow! Angeal are never threatening anyone

"It was not my intentions to get her kidnapped, let alone killed, and it actually surprises me you haven't told Lazard yet."

"Well, you asked me not to, and I think you deserve to tell him, yourself"

Even if we find Skylar in time, Lazard is going to kill me, brutally and slowly.

"Why do you even want to save her? I mean, you hate her", Angeal's words caught Genesis completely off guard. He blinked a few times. "I beg you pardon?"

The black haired 1st just rolled his eyes.

"I don't mean, that you should let her die, I mean… Why? I know you Genesis, you hate when things doesn't turns out the way you like. You didn't want a female student, and now you are having the chance to just… win the battle, what is changed? And don't tell me your "noble morality" has finally kicked in."

Genesis thought of the conversation he and Skylar had had, last night.

"I think she might deserves a real chance, after all."

I hope you enjoyed! Will Genesis be able to find her in time? ;-)
Please let me know what you think! Criticism and praise is being received with pleasure! (-:

xx