Part 4: A Sister Betrayed

The degradation of Genesis, Serenity and her father's argument, mysterious photographs, Angeal's mother Gillian, Xehanort and his mother, Tragic past of a family, the destruction of Banora

Part 4: A Sister Betrayed

 

(“Until”- Swan Dive) An accident occurred. Genesis was injured while training; Angeal and Hollander were trying to heal him. I remember being so mad at Sephiroth, I blamed him. I regret that still to this day, he was already distraught like I when we found out he was degrading. Not long after that, Genesis was M.I.A. I was so angry. I didn’t talk to Sephiroth for weeks. He was trying to figure out what was happening though. He was more clueless than I was, but I was the one not doing anything. He had a mission to go to Banora, but refused. A 2^nd named, Zack went instead. When he and Tseng returned from Banora and reported their findings to Lazard and Sephiroth, only more sorrow awaited. Sephiroth told me how Banora was blown up and that Genesis had killed our parents. Our children were still living with them; no one was brought back though.”

 “Serenity…I’m so sorry.” Vincent says with remorse.

“No, it’s okay, Vincent. Luckily I remembered that there was an underground bunker below the mansion. I went to Banora and found them there. They said that Genesis had placed them there because an air raid was coming. In an unfortunate way he was right, but fortunately they were okay. I brought them back to Midgar and they stayed in Sephiroth’s apartment within the Shinra building. Everyone admired Sephiroth even more for being such a gentleman; he was just being a father though, but they didn’t know that. To keep my mind off of all the craziness, I focused on my research more than ever before. I was given a special project called, Project “A”. Project Ancients; I had to learn as much about the Ancients as I could. I kind of took over Gast’s research without knowing it and didn’t mind because I wanted to learn more about myself. During this time was my first encounter with a vision of the past.” She walks over to a picture of her mother and father. (End)

(“Finding Beauty”-Craig Armstrong) “I saw Hojo come to our house one day. My mother Genesis and I were out at the time. I think we went somewhere with Angeal and his mother actually. Anyway, Hojo threatened to take me if my father didn’t tell him where Ifalna and Gast were. It was either I or her he would use in his experiments. My father told him that he didn’t know, but Hollander might and that he knows where he is. Hojo knew Hollander wouldn’t tell him and took his gun out and threatened him further. He finally gave in and told him their location- the icicle inn. Hollander had told him just days before. Surpringly, Hojo kept his word and when he had Ifalna and Aeris in his possession he didn’t bother us. He was satisfied for the time being I guess.” She thinks back to the day she left her children with her parents:

Arriving by helicopter; Sephiroth, Serenity, Riku, Sakuya, Genesis and Angeal land in the field behind the wealthy landowner’s house. Sitting on their back porch, they wave from their chairs as they land. Riku and Sakuya rush over to them, getting their hugs before anyone else did. Surprisingly, they recognized them from the pictures. This is the first time Serenity, Genesis and Angeal had been home since they left. Serenity introduces Sephiroth and her children to her parents. Sakuya is three years old at the time, making Riku four. Her mother was thrilled to have grandchildren already and wondered when Genesis would give her some. Her father was more concerned about her choices; who she had children with and the age she had them. While Angeal visited his mom and Sephiroth and Genesis showed the kids around the grounds- the others talked.

“Your children are beautiful. Sakuya looks just like you, but she has my family's trademark purple eyes. I thought that only the girls inherited the eyes but your cousin got them too as you know. Speaking of him, your cousin, Dilan wrote a letter to you. He says he hopes to visit us soon, but he's pretty busy with work."

"Dilan! Wow, I haven't heard from him in years. Is he still in Radiant Garden?"

"I believe so, but I don't know where that is or how to get there though. He never said. There isn't a return address either."

"That's weird. I guess he doesn't want to be found and maybe there are some places on Gaia I don't know about."

"Maybe. I contacted my sister and brother-in-law but neither know where he is either. And don't think you are off the hook. Why did you wait so long to bring your children to us? Your aunt, Chila and uncle Dang want to see them too.”

 

“I’m sorry mom, but a lot was going on…a lot is still going on to be honest. This is the first break any of us has had in awhile.”

“Oh sweetie, don’t work yourself too hard; when you become a mother that is an even greater job than any other one.”

“I know. Although I was hoping you two could watch them for awhile.”

“Of course they can stay, we have much catching up to do. But, seeing who your husband is would make it an easy transition for you to be a housewife.”

“I think that is the last thing she wants to be.” Her father states. “And on that subject, I’m surprised that he is your husband. What happened to you and Angeal?”

“Sephiroth and I haven’t got married yet. And Angeal and I are just really good friends, dad. We like it that way.”

“You like it that way, you mean.”               

“Oh stop it, honey. She chose the man she really wanted.”

“Yeah, dad. I did.” He shakes his head in disappointment and walks away. Serenity follows him telling her mother that they need to speak in private.

“Dad, what’s on your mind?” He turns to her and puts his hands on her shoulders.

“Why him?”

“Why him…because I loved him the moment I set eyes on him.”

“Hojo had nothing to do with it?”

“What, Hojo? No, why?”

“…Nevermind.”

“Tell me! Or are you just gonna keep hiding things from me!”

“What are you talking about?” She removes his hands from her shoulders ad walks behind him.

“I know about your sister and how she wanted to protect us. I know we are all Cetra or Ancients and I know that you sacrificed her safety for ours!”

“It is what she wanted. She didn’t have a daughter to worry about like I do!”

“Oh, so now you claim me! And you know what, she did have a daughter who is motherless now, lives in the slums and is being monitored by Shinra 24/7!” He is silent for a moment.

“God, this is why I wanted to keep you here! Can’t you see what Shinra is setting you up for?”

“Them setting me up for or was it you? How could you betray your own sister like that? How can you not care about her child and her family?”

“Serenity…”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

“But Hojo is…”

“Urr, shut up, I’m done listening to you.” Serenity shields her ears as she walks away. Her father grips her shirt where his heart is; he is overwhelmed by grief and regret. Tears pour from his eyes and he leans against a Banora tree; mournfully staring at the sky. (End)

(“Dark”-Greg Maroney) Meanwhile, Sephiroth and Genesis wander the grounds with Sakuya and Riku. The kids hide in the field of towering corn stalks; it’s their father’s and uncle’s task to find them. It isn’t an easy task for the wind is blowing and the stalks are even taller than them. While they look they talk.

“Did you and Serenity hide in these fields, often?”

“No, not I. I loved reading poetry under my apple tree. Angeal and Serenity used to come out here often though. They never wanted to go inside; couldn’t really run around the house without breaking something. Our parents didn’t really want us inside either; they were always working from home since we are so far from civilization.”

“Oh,”

“Put your mind at ease, they were too young to do any of that…but then again we still are and I am an uncle already.”

“So, what did they do?”

“Normal things kids do; go on adventures. They would pretend to be their favorite characters from stories they’ve read and reenact them.”

“Normal kids…” He stops mid stride for a second and then continues to walk. “Did Angeal ever pretend to be me?”

“What do you think?” They see one of the cornstalks move out of sync with the wind a faint giggles.

“Hmm, how flattering. I wonder how many kids are like that now?”

“Too many.” They approach the cornstalk one of the children is hiding in. They pretend they don’t know one of them is there.

“They must be hiding really well; I have yet to see them.” Genesis purposely talks loud enough so they can hear. Sephiroth follows lead, “Yeah, they could be miles ahead of us. We should keep walking.” They walk around in circles making the sound of their feet hitting the ground quieter with each step. Sakuya quietly leaves her hiding spot and heads to the house; within a few steps Genesis grabs her and she lets out a blood curdling cry, “Ahhhhhh, help me…” She sees that it is her uncle.
“Got cha.” He pinches her cheek. She pouts, angry that she lost.

“Now, Sakuya, it’s just a game, no harm done.” Sephiroth coddles her.

“She’s three, she can handle a little scare. Quit babying her.” Sakuya sticks her tongue out at him. “See what I mean, she’s going to be a little brat. Nip it in the bud.”

“I don’t need your advice. Talk to me when you have some of your own.”

“I don’t need one to know…that’s what parents are for.” Genesis walks off in search of Riku. Sephiroth sets Sakuya on the ground and makes her walk with him.

It doesn’t take them long to find Riku because they knew he would hide in the darkest place he could find; inside an old barn. It is filled with farming tools and vehicles. A work bench has a bunch of medical books on it and a picture of Genesis and Serenity when they were about four years old.

“How cute.”

“Whatever.”

“Not you, Serenity. Sakuya looks just like her. Wish I could find some of me at that age.”

“You probably broke every camera they tried using.” Genesis heads to the upper level of the barn.

“Hmm, maybe I did. I did have a temper.” He picks up the picture frame and notices the back is broken. He removes the back and two more picture fall out. The one picture is of a woman and a child. On the back it says: “Watch over him for me- H”. He looks at the other picture to see Professor Gast holding a baby in his arms. On the back of this photo it says: “We have a new addition to the family. I’ll do my best to watch over him, I know that He can’t- G.” This one leaves him confused. What ‘family’ and who is the baby? How is Gast family to the Rhapsodos and when did Gast have a child? Or was this child someone else’s- this “He’?” Sephiroth puts the photos back and follows Genesis upstairs.

“Hey, Genesis, did your father or mother know Professor Gast?”

“Not that I know of; if they knew any of the scientists from Shinra it would be Hollander, why?”

“Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

“You’re so random. Where did that come from?”

“A memory, maybe…”

“What?”

“Who is ‘He’?”

“What are you rambling about?”

“Sorry, all this talk about family just has me thinking.”

“About what?”

“How lucky you are. You three are lucky for your families and having homes like you had, where you can be wild and free. As for I, I stayed inside and kept to myself. No one disturbed me unless they needed me for something. I could only go to certain floors in the Shinra building and wasn’t allowed to leave unless I had supervision. All the time, I played with me, myself and I. No parents, no friends.”

“Is that why you were so eager to have one of your own?”

“Maybe…” A faint shuffle of hay is heard.

“I see, well we’re your friends; we have to stick together.”

“A strange friendship we do have.”

“Stay open, Sephiroth. You need to trust someone or paranoia will get the better of you.”

“I don’t let much get to me.”

“Can’t argue with that, Mr. Stoic.” Sephiroth digs through the hay until Riku jumps out at him.

“You found me, dad!”

“I sure did.”

They exit the barn. Outside, in the distance they can hear Serenity yelling to them,

“I’m leaving, so I suggest you guys get out of there before you get left!” Sephiorth can hear the anger in her voice. Genesis knows she got into a fight with their parents and they knew who it was about. Their visit is cut short and they leave the next day; they all stayed at Angeal’s house for the night which is much too small for all of them to sleep there comfortably, but they managed to anyways. Angeal hears a bunch of footsteps coming to his door. He opens it to see his traveling companions. Seeing the mad expression on Serenity’s face, he lets them in without question.

“This is my mother, Gillian. Mother this is the great Sephiroth.” Angeal was excited about introducing her to him.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sephiroth. Angeal has looked up to you for a long time.”

“Mom,”

“I don’t know, Angeal is pretty inspirational too. I admire his honor, myself.”Angeal smiles at him.

“A single mother did a pretty good job, huh?” She pinches his cheek.
“Hey quit it!” He pulls himself out of her grip. She looks behind him to see Serenity holding two kids.

“And who are these lovely childen?’ She puts her hands over her mouth in excitement, “Am I a grandmother!?” Sephiroth lowers his head as Serenity puts her hand on her forehead, annoyed.

“No mother, those are Serenity’s and Sephiroth’s children, Riku and Sakuya.

“Oh, oh I am sorry, I just thought…oh never mind.”

“It’s okay, Gillian. My parents said the same thing.” Serenity heads to the backroom to put them to bed. Gillian sits at the table with Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth to catch up on their lives and get to know her son’s friends more.  After seeing Angeal’s mother, Sephiroth identifies the child in the first photo as Angeal. He doesn’t know who “H” is though, but he has a feeling it may be Hollander. As for the baby Gast was holding; the baby’s identity remains a mystery. (End)

It’s a stormy night and a teenage Xehanort is packing his bags. He doesn’t pack much, just a few key items to get him through the days it will take to reach the next town. He doesn’t know where he wants to go; all he knows is that he doesn’t want to stay in this small town forever. His commotion causes his mother to awaken. She stands in the doorway to his room and looks around to see how empty it is. Xehanort feels her presence and says, “Will you convince me to stay?”

(“The Last Meeting”-Bliss) “No, you’re old enough. If you want to leave, go ahead.” He sets his bag on the ground next to his bed.

“Will you be okay, staying here all alone?”

“Yes, son. Since your father and I divorced and you have a life of your own, I’ve come accustomed.”

“Maybe, you could try again. I’m sure he’ll let you stay with him. My little brother is getting older too and soon he’ll have a life of his own. Father will be lonely too.”

“He’s too busy with his work, which is why I left him. I’m sure he isn’t too lonely. I do pray he is giving your brother the attention he never gave you or I though.” Xehanort looks away and for a brief moment feels that he should stay with his mother longer. He knows the loneliness she feels and doesn’t want her to fall into a depression again. He picks up his bag and starts to unpack but his mother stops him and takes his hands in hers.

“Xehanort, don’t let me keep you here. Your dream is to travel the world. Do that, and when you’re ready to settle down and have a family of your own, make sure you are ready for that commitment.”

“Mother, when I find my purpose in life I will return and for now this will be my only commitment.”

“I’ll be here when you return.” He hugs his mother and finishes packing his things.

They head outside and his mother, Maria gives him their Chocobo and carriage and tells him to wait for the rain to subside. She heads back inside and Xehanort stares at the sky from his carriage. He sees faint stars through the thinning clouds; a shooting star glides across the night sky and he decides that he will journey in that direction. In the early morning before his mother wakes up, he departs in search of something; something to smell, something to see, something to hear, something to feel, something new, something not of this world. With a blessing from his mother, he feels optimistic that he will find what he’s looking for.

Many years later, he returns home with his girlfriend. He wants to tell his mother that she will be a grandmother soon. But when he arrived, he finds out that his mother had passed away.  His father and brother had buried her and left flowers on her grave. Xehanort was hoping that having a grandchild to care for would keep her going, but she had already given up. Resentful towards his father, he decides that he’ll allow anyone other than him raise his child. Around this time, he hears about a man in need of a child and decides that this man will give his child more purpose in life than he would. He and his pregnant girlfriend head to Banora. (End)

 Since they were children, three siblings were tormented. Their mother is a raging alcoholic-drug addict and their father is mentally unstable. Child abuse is common both physical and verbal. They never looked forward to going home and stayed at school for as long as they could. They never told anyone about their home situation even when many became concerned about the persistent bruises on their bodies.

(“What Have I Done”-Anna Ternheim) The children had to fend for themselves. Their mother, Valeria, would pay her children no mind. She doesn’t cook for them, help them with homework, buy them essentials; she doesn’t talk to them or even look at them. She drinks and when one of the children tries to approach her she throws her beer bottle at them. If a lot of alcohol was wasted on them, she would beat them until someone returned with a replacement. If she’s not home she’s finding trouble somewhere or trouble would find her. She ran her own drug lab in the basement of their house; calling her concoctions medicine and ability enhancers. 

As for their father, Heise, he has an array of mental illnesses; Schizophrenia, Bipolar, OCD, Insomnia…the list goes on. The children thought it was normal as children and inherited some of his eccentrics.  They would latch onto every word he said, believing in the nonsense and the sense but not really knowing which was what. He would always tell his children about extraterrestrial beings and how they want to destroy the human race. He hears voices and claims he can see the dead and talks to them. He told them to never trust authority and that mankind was naturally evil and weak. Particular habits were also learned by the kids due to his OCD and despite the mother’s rage putting damage on the house, otherwise it was very orderly.

A mixture of their parents, the children turned out to be highly skeptical-insomniac-neat-freaks that are obsessive with obtaining knowledge and gained the skills to work around a lab quite easily. The oldest, a boy became very extreme with his emotions, thoughts and feelings towards the world. He became very detached from reality and the feelings of empathy and sympathy; this apathy for humans stuck with him for the rest of his life.

When they are teenagers, they leave home. Now the children are in a life or death situation, one trapped inside their bedroom, their house on fire. The oldest one is in their parent’s room. The gun he used to kill his mother is thrown on her lifeless face. His father is the one who started the fire. He wants to end all their lives believing that the end of the world will happen if his children are allowed to live. The boy leaves the room and allows his father to burn to death. The younger brother goes looking for his siblings in the mayhem. The fire spreads quickly, much quicker than he thought it would. He hears one of them crying from the bedroom and looks for anything he can use to break down the door. He grabs the doorknob so he can slam his body into the door but it is too hot. Hand slightly burned, he runs down the stairs and leaves the house. Outside he finds a pile of rocks and carries them to the side of the house where the bedroom window is. He chucks the rocks as hard as he can at the window but the glass was too thick and the rock too small.

“Leave her.” The older brother demands.

“No, I won’t! Vanessa, you need to break the window from your side and jump!” He calls to his sister. The older brother walks away and heads down the dirt road. The girl throws her dresser at the window and uses a drawer to clear the glass away. She jumps out the window and lands in a bush on the side of the house. Her brother helps her get out of the bush and carries her away from the house.

Seconds later, the house collapses and debris flies in every direction. The boy and girl cover their mouths as they make their way through the dust. As they make it out, they see their brother; eyes glowing orange from the flames, and ominous smirk on his face and a glare on his glasses that hides his burning ambitions.

“And so, may we head to Midgar; the center of authority, the center of scientific discovery. Let our minds not rest and let us seek the truth.” Free from their physical captivity, they begin their lives still trapped in the mental captivity of their childhood. (End)