Happy Birthday Jediempress! I hope you like this…and if you don't, then just accept it in the spirit in which it was given, okay?
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Kingdom Hearts.
Pairings: Sephiroth/Hilargi (OC) & Zack/Aerith
Setting: Radiant Garden; Pre-KH
"You know, you didn't have to stay and help me," Hilargi commented as she handed Zack another wall sticker for the nursery.
"Are you kidding? Seph would kill me if I knew you were doing this by yourself and left you to it," replied the raven-haired teen. "Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy? You're due to pop any day now…"
The claret-haired woman arched an eyebrow and grinned, "Let's not refer to it as 'popping'…and thank you, Zack. I just wanted to surprise Sephiroth by having this finished when he arrives tonight. He's been working so hard; trying to fit all of this into his life hasn't been easy."
"No, it isn't…but it's what he wants." The violet-eyed young man finished applying the decoration to the wall and backed up to look at it. Then, he turned to Hilargi with a grin. "He loves you and the baby and if anyone can pull this off, it's Seph."
"He does love the idea of being a father," Hilargi agreed with a smile as she rubbed her swollen stomach; "And this little one definitely knows who his dad is…he- Ooh."
Zack's attention immediately snapped back to the blue-eyed woman. She wore a peculiar expression on her face and continued to hold her stomach as a large wet spot grew between her legs.
The violet-eyed man grinned and walked over to her, addressing her stomach. "Bad Ku…no pressing mommy's bladder; that-"
"I didn't just wet myself, Zack," interrupted Hilargi.
The raven-haired teen smiled easily at the woman; "Uh, Hil…I know it's probably embarrassing and all, but it's not like it's your fault-"
Again, the claret-haired scientist interrupted him, only this time she spoke mollifyingly, as though speaking to a child. "No, sweetie, my water just broke."
"Oh…Oh...!" Violet eyes widened, then blinked, and before Hilargi could say anything else, the young man had clearly entered SOLDIER mode. He swept the Claret-haired woman into a chair and was moving across the room within seconds. "I'll get the baby bag and call Dr. Sid to let him know he needs to get here. Can you page Seph with the code or-"
Zack was interrupted again, this time by his cell phone ringing. He glanced at the phone and then at Hilargi; "Its Ienzo's office…Seph is with him." He answered the phone as he pulled the duffel bag Hilargi had set up from the nursery closet, "Hello? …Yeah, but he's ready to come out now. …She's fine; her water just broke. …Damn, he's good. …No, I'm going to call the doctor over now. Just tell him to come as soon as he can. …Uh, I don't know; does it usually take more than one doctor? …Heh, yeah, me either. …Okay, thanks Ienzo."
"Is everything all right?" questioned Hilargi as she tried to stand from the rocking chair Zack had deposited her in a moment before.
"Yeah," the violet-eyed teen stepped over and offered her a hand. "Since you were due this week, Ienzo arranged it so he was doing the physical part of whatever project he and that huge apprentice are working on and Seph volunteered to guard the little guy as usual. That way he'd been more likely to be able to leave when Ku came."
Zack continued to help her through the hallway as he explained; "I guess Seph could tell as soon as Riku was ready…man that kid isn't going to be able to get away with anything. Anyway, he's coming here now. Oh, if anyone asks, Ienzo let Seph go early and we were all getting together tonight anyway. Come on…let me help you to bed."
Hilargi smiled, "We're very lucky to have such good friends…this would have been impossible without you guys."
"Thanks but now is not the time to get hormonal," replied Zack with a smirk. "Godfather duties come first, so let's get Dr. Sid over here. Of course, I've been trained for emergency procedures, so if all else fails; I can deliver Ku with a bottle of water, my t-shirt, and a pocket knife."
Icy blue eyes blinked. "You're right, let's call Dr. Sid."
The raven-haired SOLDIER helped Hilargi settle on her bed as he left a message for the doctor; using a code they had setup beforehand. Dr. Sid arrived within ten minutes.
The older man smiled as Zack hurried him to the bedroom. "Hello, my dear," he commented as he saw Hilargi, who smiled in return. "You know we haven't delivered babies at home like this since I was born, but I think there's a certain charm to it, don't you?"
"Well, I don't have much of a choice, but when you put that way, it will be nice to tell him he was born right here when he's older," replied the claret-haired woman.
"So you're still convinced the baby's a boy?" questioned the doctor as he set up the equipment Zack had brought over from the nursery closet. "The ultrasounds seem to suggest otherwise."
"Both Sephiroth and Zack are convinced," replied the younger scientist. "That's all the proof I need. Besides, Riku is an androgynous name, so it'll work either way."
Dr Sid nodded as he attached a blood pressure monitor to the blue-eyed woman. "Those young men have been very supportive throughout this…you choose your friends well, dear. I also hear that young Mr. Fair here is the godfather?"
"Of course," replied Hilargi, starting to look as though she were in pain, "Who else?"
"True, I really couldn't see General Sephiroth raising a child," stated Dr. Sid with an agreeable nod.
"Hey, I think Seph would be fine with a kid," interjected Zack. "He gets on well with that creepy little apprentice and he's what, nine?"
"I believe Ienzo is ten and he is certainly not a normal child," stated Dr. Sid, now attaching an IV to Hilargi's hand. "Besides, he does not have a child-adult relationship with General Sephiroth…they seem to treat each other as equals. Ansem says they have become good friends. In any case, I did not mean to insult your friend. It's just hard seeing anyone who was raised as a SOLDIER in such a position."
"Well, since he's such a good to friend to Hilargi and me, I'm sure he'll be spending plenty of time with her son and my godson," replied the violet-eyed teen. "So you'll get see how well it works."
"I look forward to being proven wrong," stated the elder scientist. "In the meantime, I need to focus on my patient now."
Zack had already been watching Hilargi with a look on concern, as she appeared to be in a lot of pain. "Don't worry, son," added the doctor. "She'll be fine…this is normal."
Before the violet-eyed man could respond, he heard the front door open. "That must be Seph-" Zack glanced at Dr. Sid, who looked surprised by the statement. "He was supposed to come over about now…I'll let him know what's going on."
Zack quickly left the room and met Sephiroth just as the silvered man was entering the hallway.
"How is she?" The FIRST CLASS asked without preamble.
"Good, it looks like it's starting to hurt now, but the doctor said that's normal." Zack rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced back toward the bedroom and then looked at his friend again. "I told the doctor you were due here anyway…he seemed to think it was odd that you showed up right now."
The General sighed, "This would be so much simpler if we didn't have to hide the fact that I'm the father…I should have taken Ienzo up on his offer."
"Well, it's too late to worry about that now," interjected Zack. "Besides, you would have had to be certain that other apprentice would keep anything he heard from their master too. Dr. Sid is almost as widely known as Dr. Hojo, only he isn't loyal to Shin-Ra or Ansem the Wise…we're lucky to have him."
"That's true," commented the green-eyed man. He also glanced at the bedroom. "I'm going to see Hilargi now. You're welcome to join me."
"I'll be in in a minute," stated Zack. "I'm gonna call Aerith and let her know I'm going to be here for a while."
Sephiroth glanced back at the young man, "If you had plans-"
"Don't even suggest it," interrupted the raven-haired teen. "There's no way I'm missing this."
The silver-haired man nodded appreciatively before turning and heading into the bedroom. Hilargi smiled when she saw him enter and Sephiroth returned the gesture as he approached the bed.
"Impeccable timing," commented the claret-haired woman. "I'm glad you're here."
"As am I," replied the silvered man, stopping beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"It isn't so bad now." The blue-eyed woman rubbed her stomach and offered her husband a thankful smile.
Sephiroth immediately recalled the way his child always kicked and thrashed when he felt him approaching and then calmed when he was finally near. "Is he calm now?"
"Much more than he was a moment ago," Hilargi reached out for one of the SOLDIER's hands. "Here, feel him."
Sure enough, the soon-to-be father felt his son pat against his hand the moment he touched his wife's stomach. That in itself was normal, however this time, there was a franticness that the baby did not usually possess. Sephiroth wondered if the child somehow realised that he was soon going to be free of the barrier between them…or if the child was confused and frightened by what was happening.
As he focused on the frantic pats, Sephiroth suddenly felt something in him lurch as though it was being pulled to the baby. Part of him knew that he should be concerned and even wary of this, but another part simply wanted to reach out to the child.
"Sephiroth...?" Feline-like eyes darted to Hilargi and then blinked until they were able to focus. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," the silvered man had never heard his own voice sound so distant. He could still feel that strange pull. "I was simply lost in thought. I hope I didn't concern you."
"No," Hilargi was watching the SOLDIER with an unreadable expression. "You just seemed to drift away for a moment. I can't blame you though…it is pretty amazing, isn't it?"
"Indeed," Sephiroth smiled lightly at his wife and then glanced at her bulging stomach again. Suddenly the pats increased, as did that inexplicable tension, and then Hilargi gasped and grabbed his arm tightly.
Feline-like eyes moved to a machine on the other side of the bed, which began beeping rapidly and then to the doctor, who looked over the device much too calmly for Sephiroth's liking.
When Dr. Sid noticed the young man glaring at him slightly, he blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry…I forgot that young men tend to worry about this sort of thing. This is all quite normal, I assure you. It's just a contraction. Unfortunately, she will have many of them and I can't do anything to help the pain."
The contraction passed, and Hilargi rubbed Sephiroth's arm, where she has squeezed tightly. "Sorry about that…"
The silvered man merely shook his head. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Could you bring some crushed ice?" The claret-haired woman's smile returned. "My mother said that helped her."
"Of course;" The silvered man left the room, and soon heard Zack talking on his phone in the sitting room. It sounded as though the girl he was speaking to were giggling on her end.
"So, I'm sorry, but can we postpone our date tonight?" The raven-haired teen said with a large grin on his face. "I know, but I heard this can take a really long time and I want to be here when the little guy arrives…plus, I'd like to hang around for Seph. If I'm this nervous than he must be even worse, he just hides it better."
There was what sounded like a positive reply through the small phone, and then Zack's grin bloomed into a broad smile. "Thanks Angel, you're the best."
The silvered man nodded to the younger SOLDIER as he crossed to the kitchen. Zack followed, "So how is everything going in there?"
"It seems fine," replied the general as he filled a large cup with ice before turning to return to the bedroom.
"Aren't you forgetting the drink?" questioned Zack as he followed his friend again.
"She didn't want a drink, just some ice," replied Sephiroth.
"Why? Does she have a fever?"
"No, she said it was something her mother recommended."
Zack shrugged and neither man questioned the request any further as they entered the bedroom. Sephiroth returned to Hilargi's side and Zack moved to stand on the other side of the bed. Dr Sid smiled kindly and shook his head at the two males.
The claret-haired woman was breathless and perspiring slightly. The violet-eyed teen frowned. "Are you okay?"
Hilargi gave a weak chuckle as she glanced between the two obviously concerned males. "You both need to relax. From what I've heard, this is actually going very well. It will hurt but it will be worth it."
Sephiroth held the cup of ice toward her, and then placed it on the bedside table after she had taken a mouthful. He brushed back a few stray strands of hair that were sticking to her forehead. She groaned and grabbed one of each of the males' arms.
Zack's attention jumped from Hilargi to Dr. Sid, who simply nodded and offered the teen a reassuring smile.
Sephiroth kept his attention on his wife as his free hand instinctively moved over her stomach, he felt some turbulence for a moment before his son seemed to calm. That pull within him lurched again, this time he did not think, but simply remained calm and continued to focus on his son. The silvered man felt an odd sensation in his mind, followed by tension and fear, but there was also an odd soothing presence…it was all very distant and it took him a moment to figure out what it all meant.
He the realised that he was actually feeling an echo of what Riku was feeling, although he was fairly certain that such a thing was abnormal for fathers but then, he had been abnormal with everything else. A small smile graced his lips when he realised the soothing presence he felt was his own, as his son felt it.
Hilargi was still clinging to their hands, but she was quiet now and her face was no longer contorted. Dr. Sid looked curiously from the monitor to Hilargi, and then Sephiroth's hand and face. "That's unusual…"
"Damn, woman," Zack stated with a grin, bringing everyone's attention to him; He was looking at some crescent-shaped wounds on his hand that were bleeding freely. Clearly, Hilargi's fingernails caused them; "And to think Shin-Ra used to have you escorted back to your home if you worked a late night. I almost pity any mugger dumb enough to take you on…"
Hilargi chuckled lightly, "Sorry about that. That one was worse and it came sooner than I expected. I guess this isn't going to take as long as we thought…is that right, Dr. Sid?"
The elder scientist had been looking over the woman's vitals and progress. "Yes, it looks as though you lucked out…this is going to be a quick one. In fact, I'd say this little one is dying to get out." The man chuckled warmly.
As Zack asked the doctor a few questions, Hilargi glanced at Sephiroth questioningly and the silvered man nodded discreetly. He stroked her stomach gently, feeling his child in many ways now. "He definitely wants to join us out here," he commented quietly.
"I've never seen you smile like that," commented Hilargi softly with a smile of her own. "It's definitely worth any pains this little guy puts me through today to see that."
"Wait, you want to me to do what now?" Zack asked the doctor as though the man had asked something unbelievable of him.
Both Hilargi and Sephiroth returned their attention to the other two people in the room. Dr. Sid looked like he was fighting not to laugh. "Well, you seem so interested and you said you were trained in emergency medical procedures, so I wouldn't imagine blood will be an issue. In addition, as General Sephiroth seems to have a strong rapport with both the infant and Dr. Akeru, I think it's fitting that you assist me while he tends to them. All you have to do is hand me the tools as I ask for them and hold one of her legs out of the way."
"But, uh, won't that require me to be looking at," the violet-eyed teen motioned toward Hilargi's thighs; "…Areas that women generally don't like any guy without a medical doctorate looking?" He glanced back at Hilargi and Sephiroth.
"I'm sure Dr. Akeru is confident that you will not be doing or thinking anything inappropriate at this time," stated Dr. Sid. "If anything, I think you will be more focused on your godchild, as you seem quite concerned for him anyway." The doctor also turned, but he was looking at Hilargi only.
The claret-haired woman noticed the torn expression on the young SODLIER's face. She then glanced at Sephiroth, who was clearly keeping his amusement in check as his friend squirmed under both the excitement of possibly helping the baby he had been looking forward to meeting for several months now into the world and nerves at seeing a rather intimate part of his best friend's wife…
"I think Dr. Sid has a few good points there," stated Hilargi, grinning at the confused teenager; "And naturally anything that helps get Riku out quickly and safely works for me. Would you mind, Zack?"
One look at Hilargi and Sephiroth's faces and the Zack they knew and loved was back. He grinned at them, "Of course not. Hey, does this mean I'll be the first or second person to hold him?"
All three nodded and the teen's grin broadened. "Oh, wait until I tell Aerith this one…and Ku when he's bigger. I'll even get to hold him before his dad, ha!"
Dr. Sid frowned slightly, "Oh? I wasn't aware that the father was going to be involved." He turned to Hilargi with a small smile. "Has he had a change of heart?"
"Oh, no," stated the blue-eyed woman. "Zack just doesn't know much about him." She glanced as Zack, who was looking as apologetic as a kicked puppy behind the elder scientist. "The dad is going to stay in Esthar Capitol and we've decide it will be better for Riku if he didn't get involved."
"Oh, okay," replied the raven-haired teen. His eyes flickered between Hilargi and Sephiroth, who watching him with a hard but overall unreadable expression. "Sorry…"
As Hilargi assured the young SOLDIER, Sephiroth suddenly felt that pull again, this time the emotions that echoed through it were closer to his own feelings, and he came to his second unbelievable epiphany that day. Riku could feel him too…and the child was reacting to his emotions. Sephiroth calmed himself immediately and languidly rubbed directly over his son as he tried to send soothing thoughts and feelings to the baby somehow.
The child responded quickly, which surprised the FIRST CLASS, but then he seemed to panic and the reason why soon became clear. Hilargi gripped Sephiroth's arm tightly again, her nails digging into his thankfully thick leather sleeve as Zack was motioned to join Dr. Sid at the end of the bed, where he went over the various tools he would be needing.
The silver-haired man continued to stroke his wife's stomach as he squeezed one of her hands back lightly. "You're doing well," he said quietly, still trying to maintain a sense of calm for the child as well. "It's almost over…and then you'll meet your son."
Hilargi smiled tightly through the pain, and squeezed his hand back. Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes.
"Hey, remember that Zen-focus-breathing thing over there," commented Zack as he began pulling on some latex gloves while listening to Dr. Sid's instructions as the older man did the same. He looked at the doctor, "Isn't there some spinal tap thing you can do to make it hurt less? My girlfriend said something about it…"
Dr. Sid smiled but shook his head apologetically, "That is called an epidural, and I'm afraid it's too late for one. In any case, Dr. Akeru had stated that she did not want one. They can cause some damage to the child, especially in unusual cases and she believes there may be some kemonomimi blood in the father's background. That's exceedingly rare these days, and completely unheard of in the cities, so there hasn't been any testing to see how such drugs might affect a baby with kemonomimi blood. We both agreed it was not worth the risks."
Zack, although confused, nodded. He glanced at Sephiroth, who was speaking calmly to Hilargi as she repeated what she had learned in Lamaze class. The raven-haired teen had asked Sephiroth about his family once, and had not been told anything about the possibility of kemonomimi blood being present…in fact, the man had only known a name for his mother and nothing of his father. However, the man's ears were normal enough and Zack had yet to see any signs of a tail.
The young SOLDIER decided that Hilargi had either lied for some unknown reason, or mentioned the possibility as a precaution due to her husband's feline-like eyes. He decided to focus on the task at hand and wonder about his friend's unusual eyes another time.
Sephiroth gave Hilargi some more ice once the contraction passed, and brushed some more of her hair out of her face. Once she looked at him, he arched an eyebrow and smirked slightly, "Kimo blood?"
"Yeah," the claret-haired woman replied weakly. She glanced at Dr. Sid and saw that Zack had engaged him in another conversation before looking at Sephiroth again and lowering her voice. "I couldn't risk mentioning the Mako…he was already suspicious that this had something to do with Hojo and SOLDIER."
The silver-aired man frowned and whispered as well, "He thought what? That you and Hojo had actually bred some kind of SOLDIER…? That's preposterous…"
Hilargi bit her lip and took a breath before squeezing Sephiroth's hand lightly, "Yes…it is."
Sephiroth frowned slightly. "What-" He stopped speaking and looked down at his other hand, for Riku began thrashing violently. At the same time, the silvered man felt several pangs of absolute fear stab through the echo of feeling that he knew was his child. There was also another feeling, but it was too faint for him to make anything of it. He looked at Hilargi again, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," she replied, placing a hand on her stomach as well. "I'm not having a contraction; he just started acting up."
Sephiroth knew he could not mention the connection yet, but something was clearly amiss. He turned to the doctor, "Is everything all right?"
Zack frowned and placed a hand on Hilargi's stomach as well, "Whoa…he's going nuts. It's okay, Ku…" He rubbed gently and looked at Hilargi in concern, "You okay?"
The claret-haired woman nodded and Dr. Sid checked her over curiously. "Nothing seems to be out of sorts…perhaps the child is simply getting impatient. Remember that this is an awfully big ordeal to him as well."
"That's probably it," Hilargi agreed before smirking as she took in both Sephiroth and Zack's renewed concern. Her husband also had that slightly distant look to him as he stared at her bulging stomach and stroked it. Zack was still rubbing her stomach as well, while he leaned over slightly to talk to his godchild in a soothing tone. "You two…it's fine. It's not as though the baby has never moved before. Just relax and back off a bit, all right?"
Sephiroth nodded but said nothing and still looked somewhat puzzled. Zack apologised and released the blue-eyed woman's stomach, moving to help Dr. Sid set up.
Hilargi barely had time to notice that Sephiroth grabbed her hand just before her next contraction started, but was distracted by the increased pain before she could ponder the fact.
The next several hours passed frantically. Hilargi was aware of Sephiroth holding her hand, rubbing her stomach, and alternating between speaking to her soothingly and seeming lost in concentration. Zack would pat her knee reassuringly from time to time and speak words of encouragement. Meanwhile, Dr. Sid assured her that everything was moving along well and told her when to push and when to relax. Finally, she heard Sephiroth gasp softly just before she heard a baby cry out and Zack speaking quietly.
Sephiroth gasped and nearly stumbled when his child was finally born. The strange echo he had been feeling before was nothing compared to the connection he felt once the boy was breathing and functioning on his own. For a moment, the silvered man felt overwhelmed, as the baby's emotions were raw and had no thought process to guide them.
He pulled himself together quickly and looked down at Hilargi, brushing her sweat-soaked bangs away from her face as he smiled at her. "How do you feel?"
The claret-haired woman smiled back. "Happy…tired, but happy. Go see him. I'm going to need a moment and I want to hear all about his first moments later."
Sephiroth nodded and squeezed her hand lightly before turning to see that Zack had moved into the master bathroom with the baby. He followed quietly as Dr. Sid finished up with Hilargi.
The raven-haired teen looked a bit nervous at handling the tiny being, but was smiling and speaking gently to him as he wiped the baby down the way Dr. Sid had instructed him to. Violet eyes turned to Sephiroth as soon as he entered the room. "Congratulations…I was right. He's a boy and he has the best of both his parents' looks. Here, he's all de-gunked now…"
Sephiroth carefully took the baby from his friend and could not help but smile as he looked at his son for the first time. The child had Hilargi's bone structure and skin tone, with Sephiroth's hair and it appeared that they would be of similar builds when the boy was older. What impressed Sephiroth the most were the child's eyes, which were a bright turquoise. They were shaped like Sephiroth's only with his mother's round pupils, something for which the silvered man was thankful.
Riku's emotions had been frantic when Sephiroth entered the room, but as soon as the FIRST CLASS held him, a feeling of comfort and safety overrode the others.
"How does it feel?" asked Zack, grinning broadly, as he watched his best friend and his godson.
"Wonderful," replied the elder SOLDIER, "Better than I imagined, even. He's perfect."
"No arguments there, I even counted all his little digits." The raven-haired teen smiled warmly. "I have never seen your face soften like that…and you're smiling like an idiot. This is awesome."
The feline-eyed man nodded, still looking at his child. "It is."
Zack chuckled as he leaned forward to see the baby as well. He then spoke quietly, as though afraid if disturbing his godson. "If anyone had told me a year ago that one little person would turn us into a couple of saps without even saying a word, I would have said they were nuts."
Sephiroth arched an eyebrow at the awed expression Zack was watching the child with, and his smile deepened even further; "Riku is going to wear you around his little finger if you aren't careful."
"Yeah, and he'll have you on the one right next to mine," commented the violet-eyed young man. "Fortunately, Hilargi will probably keep him in line."
"No doubt," replied the General, gazing at his child again.
"Hey, I'll go check on Hilargi and keep Dr. Sid occupied for a bit so you can have a minute with your son." Zack commented, smiling warmly at the last two words, as did Sephiroth. "You can show him to Hilargi in a bit, okay?"
"Thank you Zachary," the silver-haired man looked up before his friend could leave, "For everything."
The teenager grinned, "I like his influence on you already. That kid and I are definitely going to get along well." With a small nod, the young man left Sephiroth with Riku.
As Sephiroth looked down, he moved one hand to stroke his son's hair and was surprised when the boy reached up to grasp one of his fingers lightly. Tiny turquoise eyes stared up at him and he began to feel that pulling in his mind again.
"You've figured out who I am, haven't you?" the silvered man whispered to the small child. The emotions echoing though him were warm and comfortable. Sephiroth smiled at the child in a way he had never smiled before.
Suddenly that odd feeling he could not name before returned, and it felt quite similar to the way Riku had months before. However, this feeling was not as natural and had a cold edge to it. Before the silver-haired man could think of what this might mean, he felt his son's echoing emotions fill with that same fear from before and then it seemed that the child was trying to pull his presence away.
Hating the thought of losing this new bond, as well as the foreign presence that was clearly frightening his child, the SOLDIER held the tiny body close and tried his hardest to push away the unwelcome echo. He had no idea where this other presence was coming from or how exactly he was forcing it away, but he felt a protectiveness as strong as he felt for Hilargi, Zack, and Ienzo at the thought of something harming his child.
After a brief moment, the other presence receded as Riku's strengthened. Sephiroth looked down at the child, who was watching him more closely than he thought a baby was capable of doing. The child's feelings seemed to be everywhere.
"I don't know what that was, little one," stated Sephiroth quietly; "But I don't think we're finished with it. Don't worry…I won't let it hurt you." As he stroked his son's hair, the silvered man felt the same comfort and peace from before settle into the baby. He smiled at the boy.
"For now, let's keep this between us," he turned toward the door. "It's time to meet your mother."
Zack entered the bedroom several minutes later with a bouquet of some strange flowers, a baby blanket that looked home-made, a box of bubble-gum cigars that read 'it's a boy', and a camera. "Okay, the doctor's finally gone! Time for presents and the first family photos…"
Hilargi and Sephiroth grinned at the smiling teenager. "I think you mean 'time for our first family photos'," stated the claret-haired woman. "I'm definitely going to need a photo of all my boys for my desk."
Sephiroth sat on the bed with his child cradled in one arm and the other wrapped loosely around his wife's shoulders as his friend made silly faces in an attempt to get Riku to smile, despite Hiargi's protest that the child was too young to do so. At that moment, he knew that whatever was to come, this was all more than worth it.
…Seventeen years later, a small Nobody who was once a friend and would be again approached a monster that was once a great man, with only the heart he was not supposed to have and a small worn photo as his weapons. That was all that was needed to make the One-Winged Angel remember a time when he knew it what was worth fighting for, and old bonds began to be forged anew.