Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII, Crisis Core, or anything from the Final Fantasy franchise.
Author's Note: My first fanfiction ever being posted up for public viewing. Sorry that that first chapter is so short, but they do become longer later on. Feel free to review and leave nice comments. This fic is meant to be multi-paring but the overlying pairing is Genesis/Cloud. Other pairings are: Angeal/Sephy, Zack/Cloud, and mild Genesis/Sephy. And sorry for those who saved the original. There was an editting error in it and my word processor was beig stupid, so I deleted the original story.
Warning: Yaoi, rape, general pain
I sat, backed against the wall, staring down at my mother's body. I tried nudging her gently with my foot, but she wouldn't wake. I then tried shaking her roughly, but she still wouldn't wake.
"Mommy, please wake up," I said weakly, my throat tightening up as I fought back tears. I was hungry, and it was cold outside. The Plague had spread all around the city of Midgar. Those in Midgar Proper could afford to be treated, but we in the slums…We were probably better off dead anyway.
"She won't wake. You know that, don't you?" an older boy stood at the front of the alley that my other and I had chosen as a home. I couldn't tell exactly how much older than me he was, but I could tell he was a teenager. His raven black hair hung tangled down to his shoulders and his deep blue eyes shone with a strange kind of power and authority.
"Do you want to come live with me?" he went on, "There are a bunch of kids just like you who have lost their parents. We all take care of each other."
I stood and walked over to him, leaving my mother's body in the alley. It would get taken care of eventually.
"I will come with you, "I said softly.
He held out his hand (some three times bigger than my own) and I took it, "My name is Angeal," his voice was that of a boy who had been forced into a position of responsibility. He sounded tired and I had a feeling it was not from a lack of sleep. He smiled down at me and I could feel the corners of my mouth twitch upward.
"Angel…It is very nice to meet you. My name is Sephiroth," I forced a smile. My insides were burning with the acid of grief and with hunger, but I knew brooding would do no good for me. That was what mother had told me after father left: "Thinking of the past will get you shit," she was always one for words. That was perhaps the best advice she could ever have given to me.
_-o_-o_-o_-o_-o
He was the strangest little boy I had ever met, and trust me; I'd met quite a few. His hair had lost all of its color due to his illness, but the milky sheen it had was alluring. It looked almost silver in the pale lamplight. He took things so calmly, which was more than I could say for most kids. To top it all off, he had the most intriguing name.
"Sephiroth, that's a very unusual name," I noted, "How did your parents come across that name?"
He looked up at me and I got the impression that his wide azure eyes were judging me, sizing me up and seeing if I was worth the effort of speech, "The name comes from the word Sephirot, meaning the attributes of God. It's part of Judaism; my mother was a very religious woman," he sounded as if that were a bad thing, "Your name comes from the word angel, no doubt," the faintest hint of a cocky grin played across his face.
"How old are you?" I questioned with a small chuckle. He was so small, his hand fit entirely within my own with room to spare. He couldn't be older than five by my reckoning.
"I'll be four in a few weeks," his tiny hand balled up within my own and I could see he was fighting off his anguish.
"You have a very old soul then. Let's hope you can grow into it someday," I smoothed his hair as he looked up at me once more.
"What do you mean by that?" there was a small pout on his face as his eyebrows furrowed together. At that instant he really looked his age; I couldn't help but chuckle again.
"Forget it, we're almost there," I hoped the change in subject would go over unnoticed. My little prodigy only quirked an eyebrow at me as he followed.
"How many are there? Children, I mean,"
"About twenty; I try to keep count but some come and go as they please," one particularly troublesome boy came to mind, "You'll be one of the youngest though." As we neared the movie theatre that was our Eden, I picked Sephiroth up into my arms. He made a soft whining noise but no other objection was made. I carried him to the door, pushing it open with my shoulder. No sooner had I entered than I was greeted by small, excited faces and hands hugging me around the waist.
"Angeal, Angeal! Look who's come back!" one of the young girls pointed to the corner. I followed her outstretched arm and saw a familiar auburn-haired boy sitting in one of the theatre seats like it was his throne.
"Ah, Genesis, how very nice to see you again."