It had been a month since the battle of Fort Tamblin, and things had not been the same. Sephiroth had begun taking only monster-slaying missions and declining missions possibly related to Genesis or Angeal. He even refused to lead an investigation at Banora village, Genesis and Angeal's hometown. Sara wasn't given tasks related to her friends, but at the same time, she wished she could help out somehow. So she decided to do her own investigation.

Sara had started to search through the company archives with the help of Domino to look for anything related to Genesis or Angeal. She had no idea what to look for but had to try. Yet, she came up empty-handed when looking through the company archives. There was only one place or a specific person that could tell her what she wanted to know; her father, Darius.

She hadn't seen her father in well over two years since she became the president's bodyguard. Though they had been keeping in touch through emails, that was it.

So Sara decided to go and visit her father. She heads out of the Shinra building to her father's house. It was dusk, but she wasn't worried, for she had to get answers one way or another, and it didn't matter what time of the day it would be. The lights were on when she arrived at the house; she walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. The door opened, and behind the door was Darius, who looked at Sara in surprise.

"Hey, Dad," Sara smiled sheepishly.

Darius pulled her into a hug as the door closed behind them. The familiar warmth of family brought tears to Sara's eyes. She had missed her father so much, but she missed her mother even more. However, she tried not to think much about it.

Darius looks at her with a smile and says, "I'm glad you are safe, and I heard what you and Sephiroth did at Fort Tamblin. I'm glad that the war is close to being over."

While Sara wished she could tell her father everything, she wanted to get down to business.

"Dad, there's something that I want to ask you. Do you think we could have a chat?" Sara wondered.

Darius looked at her curiously and nodded, then headed to the kitchen to go brew some coffee. There was a plate of donuts, and Sara helped herself to one as Darius handed her a cup of coffee.

"What is it you want to know?" Darius asked.

Sara stared at the coffee mug and began to ponder, "Dad, you've been a scientist for a long time, right?"

Darius nodded, and Sara continued, "Do you know Hollander, by any chance?"

Darius frowned, "Yeah, as if I couldn't forget a guy like him."

Sara could tell that Darius didn't seem fond of Hollander, but she continued to ask questions, "Is Hollander a good scientist? Like, does he do well in healing SOLDIERs?"

"Saraphina, you need to explain to me why are you asking about Hollander. Where is this coming from?" Darius questioned.

Sara knew that she couldn't hide her motive, so she began to explain all the events that occurred when Genesis was wounded. She even described the Genesis clones she found in Wutai and Sephiroth's theory. Darius began to listen as he nodded his head. When Sara finished, she let out a long sigh.

"So what's your opinion, or do you know something about Hollander that could be related to Genesis's desertion?" Sara asked.

Darius didn't say anything but kept running the back of his head and took a few sips of his coffee before putting the mug down and sighing heavily.

"Hollander was always a man with ambition," Darius continued, "He always wanted to prove that he could do better than Hojo. But even when I was working with Hojo, I could tell the difference quickly between Hojo and Hollander when it comes to the work of science. Hojo would know the limits of his subjects, while Hollander would push the subjects beyond their abilities, which is why his projects always fail. Yet, he had always dreamed of being the head of the research department. But it was obvious who would earn the job, and that was none other than Hojo."

"I bet Hollander wasn't too thrilled when he heard about Hojo's promotion," Sara chuckled.

Darius shook his head, "Hollander was furious when he heard about Hojo's promotion and started to develop a grudge against Hojo."

"So, is it possible that Hollander is out for revenge?" Sara wondered.

Darius shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, but if he is out for vengeance, then I wouldn't be surprised that he's using Genesis and Angeal to do his bidding."

"But it doesn't make sense; why would Genesis be allying with Hollander," Sara felt confused.

But Darius raised his index finger and said, "There is only one thing that Hollander can get Genesis's attention."

"And that is?" Sara bites her bottom lip nervously.

"Is to find a cure for Genesis," Darius answered.

"What?" Sara blinked, "Find a cure? But why would Genesis need a cure?"

"Did Genesis mention that he was fully healed after Hollander attended to him?" Darius questioned.

Sara shook her head, and Darius explained, "If there was one thing that Hollander is good at, it is to manipulate others. If Genesis wasn't healing properly, that could be only one thing."

"Which is?" Sara had a foreboding feeling.

"His body has started to degrade," Darius answered.

Sara's heart stopped briefly; she had heard about the rumor of the bodies of SOLDIER going to degradation. It was a tragedy that no one wouldn't want to fall or experience. But she had heard very little about it, and there was still much she didn't know.

"How?" Sara could only form one question.

Darius explained, "It varies from different subjects or SOLDIER members. But one of the first signs is that if a wound from a SOLDIER refuses to heal, that is one of the common signs of degradation. All SOLDIERs have cells of Jenova in their bodies. How Jenova's cells are put in a SOLIDER's body also varies. As for a cure for degradation, none has been found."

"And what does this have to do with Genesis?" Sara asked.

"Hollander knows that degradation is an uncurable phenomenon," Darius answered, "Yet, he always looks for ways to have his revenge against Hojo."

Sara gasped as she covered her mouth, "You mean Hollander tricked Genesis into believing he can cure Genesis's degradation?!"

Darius nodded, "I strongly feel that might be the case."

"Then why would Angeal have to do with any of this?" Sara questioned.

Darius took a few sips of his coffee, "I do not know why Angeal would be of any part of this. However, Hollander has always hated Hojo since they both took on a specific project that sealed the promotion for Hojo."

"Hojo succeeded in that project, and Hollander failed?" Sara asked; her father responded with a nod.

"What kind of project was it?" Sara wondered.

Darius answered, "A project that was related to Jenova."

"Were you a part of that project?" Sara asked curiously.

Darius paused as his brows frowned before answering, "Yes, but that is all I can tell you. Any project related to Jenova is highly classified, so don't go poking your nose in the company's archives or asking scientists."

Sara knew from judging her father's reaction that he knew something more. But she decided not to press it any further. At least, she got information, but she wished she could get more. As her father said, if you dig too deep, you may lose your life regarding Shinra.

Yet, Sara had begun to wonder how far she could dig deep to discover the truth or secrets within the company.

It was nighttime when Sara returned to her quarters and walked in; she found Sephiroth waiting for her. He stood up from the couch, and he looked at her.

"You were gone for a long time," Sephiroth spoke curiously.

"I was visiting my dad," Sara explained as she takes off her coat before walking towards her boyfriend.

Sephiroth pulls her close and asks, "Were the two of you catching up?"

"Yeah," Sara nodded, "But more than that, Dad actually told me something that might be a clue about Genesis."

Sephiroth raised a brow and listened as Sara recounted what Darius told her. After explaining her story, Sephiroth looked in deep thought for a moment before he spoke.

"Degradation, huh? And Hollander's revenge?"

Sara nodded and wondered, "What do you think?"

"From what your father said," Sephiroth answered, "That does seem like a possibility. Yet it also leads to many more questions."

Sara agreed. If only she could find Angeal or Genesis and ask them in person. Why did they leave?

Sara shook her head and decided to think about something else. She looked at Sephiroth curiously, "So when's your next mission?"

"My next one is tomorrow," Sephiroth answered, "Just a simple mission; a behemoth has been killing livestock near Junon, and I've decided to go and deal with it."

"Near Junon?" Sara wondered, "Isn't the president having a news conference over there as an official declaration that the war is over?"

"Yes," Sephiroth nodded, "I doubt the president would need his favorite bodyguard to protect him."

Sara scowled, "Hmph! Let the Turks deal with that old fart! I've had enough of that old fart's schemes."

Sephiroth chuckled and then pulled Sara into a hug. Sara wrapped her arms around his back, holding him close. She felt his hand pulling the back of her head and bringing her to a kiss. Sara leaned back as they both fell on the couch; Sephiroth continued to kiss her more ravenous than ever. His actions startled Sara, but she didn't want to stop for some reason. Sara felt an unsatisfied craving for more of Sephiroth's touch as if what was happening wasn't enough.

But, Sephiroth stopped the kiss as he lifted himself up, only hovering over Sara as he used his hands to brace himself.

Sara looked at him confused, asking, "What's wrong?"

Sephiroth began to stroke her long hair that was cascade off to the side of the couch. Then he took a handful of her hair, bringing it to his lips then answered, "What's wrong? Is that I'm holding myself back."

"H-Holding y-yourself back," Sara stuttered.

Sephiroth leaned closer to her left ear and whispered, "That kiss is not enough for me."

Feeling his hot breath on her ear, Sara shivered not from being cold but by his breath that tickled her ear. Sara didn't know what to do after being told something like that. She had heard of what couples do privately but only read it from romance novels. So she had an idea of what making love would be, but experiencing it was entirely out of her knowledge and skill.

Expecting Sephiroth to continue where he left off, he surprised her by moving away and sitting at the edge of the couch hunched over. His silver hair blocked her view from seeing what kind of expression he was making.

"I'm not going to force you into doing that," Sephiroth said, "Just know that I have my own limitations, and I don't want to do something that will make you afraid of me."

"I-I understand," Sara acknowledged.

Sephiroth got up and began to head for the door, not before saying, "I shall see you tomorrow. I'll be leaving at 10:00, so if you want to do breakfast together. Meet me at the recreational floor at 8:00 in the morning."

"See you then. Goodnight, Sephiroth," Sara smiled.

"You too, Saraphina," Sephiroth smirked.

After hearing the door close, Sara sighed before plopping down on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. Hearing Sephrioth's feelings, he most likely felt the same thing she was. It was enough to make her heart flutter. After all, she could only imagine his bare body pressed against hers, feeling those muscles all around and the thought of his lips kissing every inch of her. It was enough to make her feel fuzzy, and at the same time, she wanted it.

Sara immediately got up and took a cold shower to calm her thoughts. She had to get her mind out of the gutter while she knew that her body craved Sephiroth's touch. She also had to consider the possible consequences of what could happen when they decided to go all the way.

What would happen if she became pregnant? Would the child inherit the Jenova cells that are from its parents? What would the future hold for that child if that were to happen? Would Sara and Sephiroth be able to raise it? Or will Shinra take custody of the child since SOLDIER members are the property of Shinra?

Sara didn't have the answers, yet those questions made her think twice before going deeper. She knew that if she were to ask her Dad about such things. Undoubtedly, he would also begin questioning Sephiroth, and Sara didn't want to go that route. But she also needed to know what ways she could protect herself. If only she could talk to her mom, that would greatly help. Yet, Shinra has tried to keep Sara and her mother away. Therefore, it was hopeless to go to her mother for advice. The only thing that Sara could do was to seek her own advice and make a decision.

After Sara took her shower, her phone started to ring. Sara quickly grabbed it and pressed the button, then brought the phone to her ear.

"Saraphina, I have a mission for you tomorrow," Director Lazard spoke.

"Tomorrow?" Sara wondered, "What is it?"

"Apparently, more monster attacks are reported near Junon," Director Lazard explained, "I need you to take care of it."

"Doesn't Sephiroth also have a similar mission near Junon?" Sara asked.

"Yes, but these attacks are at different locations," Director Lazard answered, "Instead of Sephiroth going to both locations, having you working near Junon will make things easy."

"Okay, I'll leave with Sephiroth tomorrow," Sara acknowledged.

"Good," Director Lazard sounded pleased, "Have a goodnight."

The director hung up, and Sara let out a tiring sigh. Things were just different with Genesis and Angeal. If only Sara knew what made those two abandon Shinra.

The following day Sara ate breakfast with Sephiroth before they departed for Junon. The morning sunrise gave off an air of tranquility as Sara sat near the window while riding in the helicopter. Though the view of the sunrise was lovely to look at, Sara had her thoughts elsewhere.

Before she could even begin to dwell on them, Sara felt her hand being held and her fingers intertwine with someone's hand. She didn't need to look because she knew who was holding her hand, and that was none other than Sephiroth.

"Something on your mind?" Sephiroth asked curiously.

"Eh?" Sara looked at him with a surprised look.

Sephiroth smirked, "Normally, you wouldn't be this quiet, so something tells me you're thinking about something."

Though Sara could tell by those serpent eyes that Sephiroth was teasing her simultaneously, he wanted to know her thoughts. But she couldn't tell him what she was thinking, for she was thinking about what happened last night when they made out. Sara had a hard time not thinking about it, but the way he held her last night was enough to make her have weird thoughts.

"We have arrived at our first stop and are about to descend!" The pilot announced.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed in annoyance, and he looked away while looking out the window next to him. Sara quietly let out a sigh of relief, but she gently squeezed her hand that was intertwined with the man next to her.

The helicopter landed near the edge of Junon; the area had nothing but beautiful plains with hardly any trees. Sephiroth opened the side door of the aircraft as Sara jumped out, but he did not go after her.

"Stay safe," Sephiroth said, Sara smiled at him before walking away as the helicopter started to lift from the ground.

Sara looked back and waved at the aircraft before heading out to find the monsters terrorizing the area.

It didn't take long for Sara to find and eliminate the monsters, which were nothing more than hellhounds. It only lasted an hour because the hellhounds formed packs, and Sara had to track and destroy them. Though the mission was too easy for her, it was better than being held back at headquarters.

Sara let out a sigh and said, "Guess, I better head my way to Junon then. I'm sure Sephiroth is done with his and may already be there."

"So the female SOLDIER has finally come out of the cage."

A familiar voice made Sara's heart stopped for a second, before she turned around a black feather fell in front of her. She reached her hand out and let the feather land on her hand. Sara felt someone standing behind her; she didn't want to turn around; she felt afraid.

"Not going to say anything to me? I thought you'd be happy to see me or at least be glad that I'm still alive."

Finally, Sara turned around, and standing before her was Genesis; this time, she knew this was the real one, not a clone. Though he wore the same SOLDIER outfit as before, the only difference was his black wing on the right side of his back. Even though he had on his typical smirk, Sara could tell that there was something different about him. However, so many thoughts twirled in her mind as she saw him, she could only form the one question she wanted to ask the most.

"Why..." Sara mumbled.

Genesis tilted his head in confused, "Huh?"

"Why did you leave us?" Sara spoke loudly almost as if she was about to cry, "I don't understand; why did you and Angeal leave us?!"

Genesis's eyes narrowed thinly, and spoke, "Saraphina, do you not know that members of SOLDIER are nothing more than monsters?"

The question threw Sara off; she hadn't expected Genesis to ask her a question that seemed foreign.

"Monsters?" Sara wondered, "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"The only reason why you don't understand is because you've been too sheltered," Genesis responded with an almost dangerous tone, "By Shinra nonetheless."

Sara was still confused, before she had time to even ask; Genesis switched topics.

"In case you've not been informed," Genesis said, "The president was almost assassinated before the conference in Junon."

Sara blinked, "What?"

"Not by me, of course, or any of my clones, "Genesis continued, "It was a group of eco-terrorists called AVALANCHE. The terrorists almost attempted to assassinate the president. Still, they failed and used the Sister Ray to destroy Midgar, yet they failed on that too, since Sephiroth did come to Junon by the president's orders and was able to stop the terrorists. But their leader escaped."

Although Sara was relieved that Sephiroth stopped the terrorists and the president was safe, she still had many questions for Genesis.

"Genesis, please tell me the truth. Are you perhaps degrading?"

Sara's voice sounded almost childlike, but she had to know Genesis's true intentions. Genesis said nothing at first, only walking over to her slowly but confidently.

He stopped in front of her almost at arm's length before he gave her an answer, "Yes, my body is degrading, and you know what that means."

Sara let out a small gasp as she covered her mouth with her hands. Yet Genesis gave her a reassuring smile and spoke, "Which is why Hollander is working on finding a cure, but there are things that need to be done, and Hollander needs my help to do those things."

Sara had already guessed at what Genesis was talking about. Hollander may already be planning his revenge and using Genesis for personal gain.

"And Angeal?" Sara asked.

Genesis glazed up into the open, clear sky and replied, "Angeal has still remained undecided. He still upholds his SOLDIER honor, which, in my opinion, is pointless, but it's his choice."

Though Sara could tell that Genesis seemed a bit upset or perhaps annoyed about Angeal yet, there was still that respect in those eyes.

"So why are you here, Genesis?" Sara questioned.

Genesis looked back at her and said, "Came to see you of course, despite the circumstances. Now that we've chatted, what are you planning to do next?"

Sara knew that she had every right to turn Genesis in or at least try to convince him to come back to Shinra. Yet she knew that there was no stopping him once Genesis set his mind on something. But she didn't want her friend to die and wanted her friend to be cured.

"You planning to head to Junon, right?" Genesis asked, Sara nodded in response.

"Then let me carry you there," Genesis smirked.

"Huh?" Sara blinked.

Before Sara had time to process what he meant, Genesis flapped his only black wing and scooped up Sara, carrying her bridal style. Genesis's actions made Sara surprised, and yet, at the same time, she found her position a bit awkward. Just as she was about to push away, she quickly noticed they were already 100 feet in the air. So she held back her actions and looked at Genesis with unsuring eyes.

"You know, flying feels good," Genesis said with a smirk, "Even though I feel free, this degrading body bounds me, and I plan to help Hollander find a cure no matter the costs."

At that moment, Sara realized that no matter what she said, she couldn't convince Genesis to return with that thought; it weighed heavy on her heart.

Genesis said nothing else, and he flapped his wing, heading toward Junon. Sara slightly shivered from the cold breeze, but seeing the breathtaking view made the cold wind bearable.

"Saraphina, this will be my only chance to say this to you as a friend," Genesis spoke, "Once I bring you to Junon and leave you, we're enemies."

Sara knew she could only reply with a simple nod as Genesis continued.

"I still think you're one of a kind, and I want you to live out your best life not as a SOLDIER but as yourself. Shinra is nothing more than a place full of lies and greed. I hate for you to continue to live with those monsters. You deserve better."

It almost sounded like Genesis was pouring out his feelings towards Sara, yet she could tell he drew a line between them.

"While things couldn't work between us," He continued, "I knew you've had your eyes on Sephiroth, and I hope things work out between you two."

Sara saw the massive city of Junon not far from view, and she knew their time was coming to a close. Genesis began to descend not near the city's gates but only five miles from the nearest entrance to the town. Genesis put Sara down, and before Sara could even walk away, he hugged her. The hug was more of a farewell gesture, and Sara couldn't stop the tears from forming.

"I don't regret meeting you, Saraphina," Genesis spoke tenderly as he rubbed her back, "If I had the chance, I would take you from Shinra with my own hands. But Sephiroth will come chasing and snatch you back. So I won't do such a thing."

Sara couldn't help but chuckle since she knew that Sephiroth would do that.

"I hope you find happiness and freedom."

After saying that, Genesis finally released Sara from his arms. Sara looked at him with glassy eyes while Genesis still had on that tender smile. He wiped a few tears from Sara's eyes with his thumb before stepping back and stretching his wing out.

"Farewell, Saraphina, I do hope that we do not cross our paths again. Take care."

Genesis leaped into the air and began to fly away as several black feathers fell from the sky. Sara reached her hand out as she caught one of the feathers. She clasped her hand that held the feather and brought it to her heart. She had so many things to say, but she couldn't find the right words, only to call out his name in a weak voice.

"Genesis..."

That was the last time Sara saw Genesis, and a few days later. Shinra publically announced that Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley were killed in action. But Sara knew that it was a lie by Shinra; her two friends were still alive. It was only a matter of time before that lie could become reality. Sara could only hope that she wouldn't be the one to kill them.