Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII.

The copy could barely remember what it had been before, before Genesis had twisted it into a perversion, a thing made in Genesis' own image. Before, as Genesis had said, it had been made perfect.

Now, all it could truly think of was its master's wishes and desires. Its thoughts were focused simply on pleasing Genesis, anything to make Genesis happy. Once it would have been disgusted, even nauseated, at the servitude that it had been forced into, but now it slaved over Genesis, even the simplest word of praise causing inordinate amounts of happiness within its heart.

After all, it is natural for the creature to revel in praise from its creator . . .

The copy knew, deep within itself, that Genesis did not care about it, but it still clung to the illusion that its god loved it, cared for it, needed it.

And Genesis took advantage of this blind devotion, ordering it to do impossibly dangerous things that no sane human would even consider. And the copy obeyed, obeyed mindlessly, wanting only to please Genesis.

So when Genesis told it to kill a SOLDIER, a man named Zack, it didn't even think twice about it. Instead, it simply flew off, mind focused on Genesis, and Genesis alone.

The fight lasted only a few seconds; the copy's torso was sliced open and it was thrown into the air with one swing of the man's enormous sword. And with the blow, the copy knew. It realized something it had been incapable of realizing before: Genesis had betrayed it, Genesis had never cared, and Genesis thought it was worthless, completely without value, except for the fact that it bore his own face, the copy's one redeeming feature.

And the copy remembered, as well: once it had been a SOLDIER, it had had a family, and it had a name. A name, as the copy remembered Genesis telling it, was for a person, names separated men from monsters, and names gave you a sense of identity. A name was one of the many things Genesis had taken away from it.

And it hadn't cared, the copy realized, a nauseous feeling sweeping over it. It hadn't cared about itself; its existence had completely revolved around Genesis.

A sense of hopelessness rushing over it, the copy expired.

Far away, Genesis raised his head and looked around, feeling an extension of himself die. He shrugged it off in a few moments, though; the sensation had become quite commonplace nowadays, with Shinra fully mobilizing its immense army against him and his forces.

The ex-SOLDIER resumed his previous activity: reading Loveless. He thought no more of the feeling of death; it was meaningless to him.

A.N.: Reviews, please? :D