Hello everyone!

I'm sorry that I haven't written anything in such a long time.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy reading this!

DISCLAIMER: Only Ceri belongs to me. Every other mentioned character belongs to Square Enix.

I watched the sun as it rose from behind the distant horizon. Slowly, the sky turned from the dusty pink-and-yellow dawn to the pale cerulean of early morning. A small figure made its way to my splendid palace. Gradually, the silhouette changed from a dot, to a blob, to a person, to a young and beautiful woman. I smirked. She would make a wonderful addition to my precious collection.

"Aerith!" I shouted as I pressed a hidden bell in the wall. "Hurry!"

Aerith soon arrived. "Yes, what can I do for you today, sir?"

She looked down as she spoke. I reached out, cradling her cheek in the flat of my hand.

"We have a visitor coming. Make sure that the gates are open."

Hesitantly, the girl nodded. "Yes sir."

She turned to leave. She was such a nervous little thing. It was such a shame really.

"Oh, and Aerith," she spun to face me. "And when you're done, go make me something to eat."

"Yes sir."

By noontide, there was a new member of my beloved harem. Her name was Tifa Lockhart. A girl from Nibelheim, she'd fallen for my spell and had travelled far to feel my love. Well then, I couldn't just leave her empty and disappointed, now could I?

As night set, the beautiful world that I had made for my seraglio and I began to engulf us all in a veil of distortion and lust.

I kissed the pretty girl who stood next to me. She was my childhood friend. No, she was someone who had once made fun of me. Now, she begged for my touches. Now, she begged for my love.

As the night dragged on, the room became more and more heated with the passion of our 'love-making'. As I watched the cute girl writhe under me and squirm from my caresses, I smirked mirthlessly. Oh, to think that those who once mocked me now throw themselves at me. As we pleasured one another, I began to remember things I had hidden deep in my mind before.

The day I made my pact with the devil came back to me. It had been a painful night, one filled with tears and betrayal.

"If you truly want my gift, I want you to do something for me," a sinister voice spoke from behind me. "If you succeed in your task, I will be assured of your loyalty to me and you will receive my magic."

I gulped and nodded. "What will I have to do for you?"

The dismembered cloaked head leaned closer to my ear and whispered.

"Ok," I said. I was determined that I would do it. Nothing would stand between me and this power. Nothing would stop me from receiving it. Nothing. Nothing at all.

I had snuck into his house in the dead of night, careful not to wake anyone up in the process. Silently, I tiptoed to the bed, the dagger in my hand poised to kill.

"Genesis?" a tired voice came from the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

I turned, hiding the blade behind my back and painting a well-practised smile on my face.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Angeal."

He stood there, carefully assessing me with those sapphire eyes of his. His hands had been on his hips, and his legs panted firmly on either side of his body.

"Yeah, I totally believe you. Gen, come on, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong, Angeal. Nothing at all."

He came closer, that ever-infuriating smile plastered on his face. "Come on, we both know that's not true. What are you hiding behind your back?"

He closed the distance between us, and I began to mentally curse. I couldn't do this! This was my best friend we were talking about! Yet somehow, the knife found its way into Angeal's chest. There had been so much blood that I wondered whether I was bleeding too.

"Congratulations, Genesis Rhapsodos," the floating head gave me little time to ponder. "I give to you my gift."

The head then disappeared into thin air, leaving me to deal with what I had done.

"Sir, are you ok?" Aerith gently wiped a tear from my cheek. She was such a beautiful, innocent little thing. I felt something stab at my heart. Guilt?

I smiled at her. "I'm fine."

She seemed unsure, but pursued the matter no further.

The first thing I had done after I received the magic, I recalled, was destroy every portrait of me and order new ones to take their stead. It was then when the first of my dolls had come to me. Ceri Losian. The girl who had once ridiculed me. It felt good, being wanted by someone. It made me feel like a god. A god of lust.

I awoke to the scent of breakfast cooking.

"Good morning, Sir," Aerith bowed when she saw that I was awake. "If you don't mind waiting, breakfast should be ready soon."

I nodded my acknowledgement before walking into the bathroom.

Later, as I ate my morning meal, Tifa nervously interrupted my dining.

"Ahem, Sir, there's someone at the door for you."

"A girl?"

She nodded her affirmation. All the other girls stood, waiting their orders.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go open the gates! I shall go and welcome our guest myself."

There was a chorus of 'yes sir's as everyone scrambled to their task.

At the gate stood a young lady of around sixteen. She had the strangest hair. It was spiky enough to make her look like a chocobo, yet could be braided too.

"Welcome to my humble home," I opened the door. "My name is Genesis Rhapsodos. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

A faint blush tinted the pale cheeks – a sight I was sure I would enjoy the moment the sun set.

"My name is… Alethea Hydan…" she stammered. Her blush darkened as she spoke. She was so cute! As she walked closer to me, I leaned to whisper in her ear.

"No need to be so shy…" I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her warmth against me. I felt her jump a little as I embraced her. I ran my hands up and down her back, leisurely calming her.

"See? No need to be so scared."

Her eyes, the colour of the sky, rose to meet mine. She smiled. Did I mention how cute she was? Suddenly, I felt a stab of sharp pain in my chest. I looked down, and saw a long katana sticking out of me.

"Why…?" I collapsed to the ground. There…. Had to be poison on that blade. I could almost feel it racing through my body. It was so nostalgic. Wasn't this the way I had taken the life of my best friend?

"Because you stole my lover from me. I am here to take her back," the braids had been removed, revealing that what I had previously thought to have been a cute girl had in fact been a young man. His cold blue eyes glared at me angrily.

"May you rot in hell for everything that you have done," he spat.

My spell was broken. As my life seeped away from me and ran freely on the cold stone, the girls who I had once captured with my love escaped my mad world. The last girl to leave was that girl from my childhood. She turned to give me one last hard glance, before she too, fled my mansion. As she left, I reached out for me disappearing silhouette. Wait, Ceri! I still haven't told you that I love you!

Fin.

Origin of names

Ceri – Welsh name meaning 'love'

Losian – Old English word for 'perish' or 'destroy'. Also meaning 'become unable to find'. 'Losian' is the base word for the English word 'lost' or 'lose'.

Ceri Losian = 'lost love' (She left before Genesis could tell her he loved her)

Alethea – Greek name meaning 'truth'.

Hydan – The Old English word 'hydan' is the origin of the word 'hidden'.

Alethea Hydan = 'hidden truth' (Cloud was in fact a boy)

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! It keeps my muses happy!