A Hymn of Hope and Memory: Soldier's Poem

**Chapter One**

**Another Day, Another Destiny**

"Hello, there," said the black-haired woman behind the bar. "Welcome to the 7th Heaven bar. I don't think I've seen you before."

The man sat and leaned his crimson sword against the countertop.

"You haven't," he replied. "I haven't been back to the city in…" He shut his eyes, trying to remember just how long he had been away. "Well, let's call it a while. Can I have a scotch, please?"

"Oh, you're from here?" she asked, ducking down behind the bar to retrieve a bottle.

"I like to think so," the man replied. "I spent my childhood in Banora, but I grew up here."

"Grew up?"

"Learned who I was, what I could do, what I thought I wanted out of life…" He accepted the glass of scotch. "Thank you."

"Sure thing," she said. "Enjoy."

"Oh, I doubt that," the man replied. "I've never been one for alcohol."

He downed his drink, which left a painful burning in his throat. Coughing, he set the glass down upon the bar. The woman laughed.

"Not sure what you expected there."

The muscles in the man's face screamed as he smiled; clearly, he had not exercised them for quite some time.

"Neither was I." He coughed again.

"Another?"

"Please."

"Coming right up, sir."

"Sir," the man repeated. "I haven't been called 'sir' in a very long time, I think."

"I take it you worked in the city?"

"You catch on quickly."

She shrugged.

"It comes with the job. Here you go."

"Thank you." The drink went down a bit more smoothly this time. "And while we're on the subject of the city, I seem to have missed out on quite a few things."

"What do you mean?"

"Midgar was a shining metropolis the last time I was here."

"Shining?" The woman's brows furrowed in confusion. "Sir, the last time anything in this city shined was before Sephiroth brought Meteor down on our heads almost six years ago."

The man leaned forward on his barstool.

"I've been away for a very long time."

"Clearly!" the woman exclaimed.

"I'm sorry if I've offended."

"No," the woman said. She took a deep breath. "No, you haven't. I just… It wasn't pleasant."

"What's your name?"

"Tifa."

"Tifa. I'm Genesis."

"Hello."

"Tifa, I realize that it's difficult, but I'm afraid I am ignorant of everything that's happened. Would you do me a favor and bring me up to speed?"

"Everything okay, Tifa?"

A tall, blond man stood in the doorway."

"Yeah," she replied. "Everything's fine, Cloud."

"Okay, good."

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," Genesis said. "You're probably very busy, but did I hear your name correctly?"

"If you heard 'Cloud,' then yeah."

"As in Cloud Strife?"

"That's me."

"Wait," said Tifa. "You said you didn't know anything about what went on here."

"I've merely heard the name," Genesis stated. That was, of course, a false statement; he knew much more about Cloud Strife than most. But Cloud had not attacked him, which very likely meant he did not recognize him. Genesis intended to keep it that way. "Please, Tifa: continue."

Much had transpired since Genesis had disappeared from the world. According to Cloud, Zack Fair had met his end at the hands of Shinra, Inc., and Cloud had reacted by essentially becoming the deceased, walking through life with Zack's mental processes. From there, he and Tifa had joined AVALANCHE, which strove to destroy the company through raids and terrorist acts, but Sephiroth beat them to it, and nearly destroyed the planet in the process.

His madness, of course, had been Genesis' own doing. His wounded pride had driven his friend insane and caused a world to burn.

Cloud defeated Sephiroth at the planet's very core; Genesis was not surprised by this, given his knowledge of Cloud's DNA, but he was certainly impressed. Sephiroth had been SOLDIER's top agent, an experiment in genetics who had trained since childhood to defend Shinra's interests. Cloud had only been a mercenary.

Sephiroth resurfaced two years later at the height of the Geostigma epidemic, and Cloud put him down again, managing to cure the disease in the process. A year after that, a man named Vincent Valentine disappeared in the last battle against Shinra and its Omega weapon.

"If you look at the sky when it gets dark," Tifa said, "you can still see it floating near the moon."

"And what happened next?" asked Genesis.

"That's it," replied Cloud. "We've been rebuilding for the last four years, trying to pick up where Shinra left off and make the world a bit better."

"A noble endeavor," Genesis replied. "I think Zack would be proud."

"You say it like you knew him," Cloud stated.

Genesis wondered if he could afford to tell this bit of truth.

"I did know him," Genesis admitted, "though not as well as I might have liked."

"What do you mean?"

"We were in SOLDIER together, though he bested me at swordplay on a number of occasions. You probably could too, now that I think about it."

"Were you loyal to them?"

"I was at first, yes."

"But…" Tifa hinted.

Genesis smiled grimly.

"But they betrayed me, like they betrayed Zack, like they betrayed you." Genesis bowed his head. "It saddens me to learn that Zack is no longer among us."

Cloud laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," he said. "I'll show you where he's buried."

"I'd like that," Genesis replied genuinely. "But first, I must pay for my drinks."

"Don't even worry about it," Tifa said. "Friends drink free."

Tears stung Genesis' eyes for the first time in years. He was responsible for so much destruction, and here were two people whom he had hurt, calling him a friend.

"Then," he said, holding back his emotions, "may I first use your restroom?"

* * *

The man staring back at him looked much older than he had expected. He had wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and bags beneath them; his auburn hair was longer and now contained strands of silver; and his face, formerly clean, now sported a beard.

As he stared into the mirror, his memory wandered to an old story he had read, in which a man was given eternal youth and beauty, but he could not look into a mirror, for his reflection showed the many sins he had committed. Or maybe it was a painting. Either way, the premise was the same, and Genesis wondered if he saw his own soul reflected in the mirror.

He splashed water over his face and ran a hand through his hair to keep it out of his eyes, and then dusted off his crimson jacket. It was old and tattered, but it had been cold outside, and he was not about to let appearance get in the way of functionality. Content with his condition, he stepped back into the bar.

"All set?" Cloud asked.

"Most of me, I suppose," Genesis joked.

Cloud smiled knowingly.

"I know the feeling."

Genesis nodded.

"Where is Tifa?"

"She had to run a few errands. Why?"

"I wanted to thank her."

"I'll let her know when she comes back."

"Alright."

"Don't forget your sword."

"Ah, yes!" Genesis retrieved his blade from its leaning position. "Thank you."

"Come on," Cloud said. "It'll be dark soon."

"Of course," replied Genesis. "Zack was very much a daytime person, anyway."

Cloud clapped a hand on his shoulder as they exited the bar.

"I think you could stand a bit more sun."

Genesis smiled.

"Maybe."


End file.
