Isolation Chamber

by GoogelehGoo

Sephiroth was raised in an isolated room where he knew nothing of the outside world. The only person he knew was Hojo...until the President orders Genesis and Angeal to watch over and record information on 'Project S.' FINISHED

3. Chapter 3

Another chapter for my dear readers. It's very filled with mush. Well, what I call mush. No like 'wooo exploding plot!' stuff. So I made it a bit longer, and I'm sure I'll gradually continue to make my chapters long.

Hope you enjoy!

OoOoOoOoOoO

OoOoOoOoOoO

The day had started as it normally did, people rising and preparing for their usual duties. Angeal and Genesis both knew that today was still going to be different than the rest. Sephiroth was their main concern, his curious predicament catching both of their attention on whether or not he was to be released. In some cases Genesis was excited, and in others he felt worried. Would releasing him cause something terrible to happen or were they blowing this all out of proportion? Sephiroth didn't know how to hurt things, did he? Would he even bother with trying to destroy the planet? Was it even possible for him to do so?

"Genesis?" Angeal questioned as the boy had spaced out for the tenth time that morning. "Would you stop with the thinking for a minute? We're going to be here all day if you're going to eat your breakfast that slowly." They were sitting within their room eating warmed up waffles. They didn't taste that good but it was better than nothing.

"Sorry, I can't help it." He jabbed the waffles with his fork a few times before putting the utensil down. "I'm just not hungry."

"Eat it anyway."

Genesis shook his head, "I don't want to throw up because I ate too much."

Angeal raised an eyebrow. Throw up by eating too much? "Genesis, you haven't touched a piece of your breakfast. Eat your damn food before I shove it down your throat."

Quickly Genesis picked his fork back up at the threat. Angeal probably would kill him by the use of waffles. "Fine, I'll eat. I want to see Sephiroth soon, though."

"You do realize we'll have to see him at 2. Aside from that, we have some important issues to handle, Genesis. We're not in SOLDIER to babysit caged aliens."

"Stop saying those things."

"What, aliens?"

"Yes, I find it offensive."

Angeal rolled his eyes and rose, putting his paper plate in the garbage. "I think you're becoming too soft."

"Whatever." He sliced his waffles up in a rush and started to shove his mouth full. The faster he ate the faster they could leave.

Angeal picked up his camera and took a picture of Genesis's full face, "Nice, this one is for blackmail."

Genesis tried to rebel but the only thing that came out was muffled words. After a minute of chewing he swallowed and sighed, pointing at Angeal in anger. "Don't think I don't have evidence on you, big boy."

"Gee, I'm so scared."

"You….you….should be!"

"Oh?" Angeal moved for the door, "I'm shaking in my boots."

"You would be…Angela!"

Angeal stopped in his spot. That name. He had condoned that name. "I'm going to break your spine in five places if you ever utter that name ever again. It's Angeal, got it? You know better than to cross such lines, Genesis Rhapsodos."

Ah, so Angeal still cursed his nickname the schoolyard lowlifes had given him. Genesis had found it rather funny when it had happened, and even now he still found some humor in seeing Angeal get angry over such a mishap of his name. But he knew when it was time to back off, especially when Angeal used his last name. "Sorry, it won't happen again. Can we go see him now?" Genesis rose and threw what was left of his meal into the garbage. "I'm curious to see if he's upset with me. I did tell him no, but I never went back to explain the new situation."

"All right, Genesis, we'll go see your boyfriend."

Genesis glared at the comment. Boyfriend? Did Angeal always have to be crude? "He's not my boyfriend. That would make it really awkward for us to do anything, anyway."

"With you I wouldn't be surprised at what you could pull off through a glass window."

Genesis dwelled on the thought and cringed. He could hardly imagine himself trying to kiss anyone through a glass window, let alone it being Sephiroth. "Some of us don't dwell on such thoughts because we're straight."

"You're the one cringing, I bet you thought of some wonderful images."

"Would you like to hear them? I can be very detailed when it comes to sexual pleasures."

This only made Angeal laugh at him, shaking his head at the thought, "No thank you."

Together they made it back through the Science Department. Within Sephiroth's chamber was Hojo working away at a computer and taking detailed notes on something. A lab table was pulled out, one that Genesis hadn't noticed before. Other things were dangling here and there and the feel of the room seemed…livelier than yesterday.

"Good morning, you two. Sephiroth is wide awake if you're here to see him." Hojo hissed with a wide grin on his face, finishing up a few notes before quitting out of his computer.

"Of course," Genesis muttered his response and moved over to the glass. As he looked in he did not see a trace of Sephiroth within. Angeal jabbed him and nodded at the corner he was in when they first met him, his feet sticking out just enough for them to spot him. "Sephiroth!"

At first there was no response. Sephiroth continued to sit there in his own thoughts that it caused Genesis to wonder if the boy was actually upset with him. Though, after a minute had passed Sephiroth moved from his seat and arrived at the window, eyes blazing down upon Genesis and Angeal.

"Uh…hello." Genesis remarked at his final appearance. He didn't get a response in return, only the empty looks that Sephiroth normally had on his face. "Uh…are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Genesis." His response was cool and collected, not a tinge of hate or warmth coming from his words.

"Oh…well, you didn't say hello."

"Yesterday you told me to stop, if I recollect correctly. What would you like me to do, say hello or not say hello? I can't read your mind."

What a response! It reminded him of his conversation with the President. Sephiroth couldn't read minds…but in a way he somehow read something on people. "I meant say hello to me the first time you see me in a day, you don't have to keep saying it each time I show up."

"Hello, Genesis."

Angeal smirked at Sephiroth's remark. He almost thought the guy was mocking Genesis, but that was his own interpretation. "Genesis told me he fed you chocolate yesterday. How'd you like it?" Yeah, lighten up the conversation.

"It tasted good."

"Just good? Not great?"

"I didn't know great was also a flavor. If it is, may I assume that great is better than good, as it normally is used in context?"

Ha, this guy cracked Angeal up. "Yeah, of course. It's better than good, it's the best. That's what great is compared to good."

"Hmm, based on what I've eaten then I suppose chocolate is great."

"You did a few tests, too, didn't you?"

Sephiroth gave a small nod, "Yes. Genesis says I have a minimal basic education, and that I wouldn't even be in kindergarten."

Angeal shook his head and looked at Genesis, "That's rather rude of you to say to him. I'm sure once Sephiroth learns he can excel pretty quickly."

"I wasn't saying that he'd never reach the correct grade level," Genesis defended himself. "Besides, we don't even know if the President would want that."

"Don't be such a negative Nancy," Angeal joked. It was comical since he was the one refusing the idea of having anything to do with Sephiroth, and here they were switching roles practically.

"What's a Nancy?" Sephiroth asked as he finally took a seat at the bench, the other two figures following his example.

"It's a girl's name," Genesis replied. He couldn't believe Angeal sometimes.

"What's a girl?"

The question not only caused Angeal and Genesis to fall silent, but it gave them a terrible time trying to think of how to explain what a girl was. How did they not let Sephiroth see what a girl was? Wasn't that just…odd?

"Uh…well…it's a female…and we're males. Um. There's always two sexes for every…species…" Genesis started out, fumbling over his words.

"Why two?"

"Uh…because two is a good number?"

"It's not a great number?"

Angeal smirked, "There are only two because that is all you need to create more people. A male and a female match up and have kids."

"A male and a male cannot do that?"

"No," Genesis quickly replied, "There's different anatomy and organs. It's a really complicated and yet simple process."

"You said they have kids. How does that happen?" Sephiroth posed another question at Angeal. The two outside stared at each other. It seemed Sephiroth knew a lot less than just basic elementary.

"You know, if you get out we can…probably show you on the television. It'll make more sense that way." Genesis quickly replied. This subject was embarrassing him to death, and he didn't like being in such a position that he had to explain what sex was to a clueless guy that was his age!

"What are we going to do, show him porn?" Angeal joked.

"What's porn?"

"It's what every man likes to watch." Angeal simply replied, not giving anymore thought into it.

"Oh. You watch it on the television?" Sephiroth questioned.

"Yeah. It's a great way to pass the time."

Sephiroth looked over at Genesis carefully, green eyes piercing into his bright blue ones, "Do you watch a lot of porn?"

"Uh. No." Genesis quickly replied. That was such a weird question, why was Angeal tainting his mind?

"Oh. Does that mean you're not a man? Are you a female? I didn't know you were a female."

"N-No! I'm a boy just like you, I just…have better taste in what I watch on the television than what Angeal does."

Sephiroth shook his head, "I don't understand, he said every man likes to watch it, is that not true or are you not a man?"

Ugh, Angeal was terrible. "I like it a little bit, just not as much as others. See? I'm a man." That was pretty pathetic that he had to say that to Sephiroth. It was a good thing Sephiroth didn't have much of a mind or else Genesis would want to smash his skull into the desk.

There discussion continued until the President arrived. He looked intrigued at all of the items lying about the area when he saw Genesis and Angeal sitting at a window, a silver-haired figure behind the glass. "Ha! That must be Project S. Let me get a better look at him." He strode up and stood between Angeal and Genesis, his eyes scanning over Sephiroth completely.

"Hello. My name is Sephiroth."

"I'm the President of Shinra Headquarters."

"Yes, Genesis told me about you. Are you a male?"

That took him somewhat off guard but he gently replied, "Yes, I am."

"Genesis told me about girls today. I wanted to see one."

"Girls…a mighty fine thing! Without girls a man doesn't have much reason to live…aside from holding power and riches beyond their wildest dreams. So you've never seen a girl, hmm? Quite a pity. Enough about them, though, I'm sure you'll see one sooner or later. Tell me about yourself, Sephiroth. I'm curious, I want to know what you know."

Sephiroth thought the words over. The President wants to know what I know…but in reality, what do I know? "I know nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I failed all of the tests. I must be lacking in knowledge."

"You could know other things." He spotted the things on his desk. "Do you draw? Write? Paint?"

"I know how to draw."

"Yeah? Show me a few samples, then. Don't be shy!"

"What is shy?" Sephiroth asked as he rose from his seat, his tall stature beating the President's.

"Remarkable," he muttered to himself before replying to the simple question. "It's when you're uncomfortable around others."

"I'm not around anyone, how can I be shy when there is no one in here?" Sephiroth picked up the sketch pad and came back over. "Here are the drawings I did."

He was once again astonished at the drawings and how detailed they were. A smirk grew across his face before he nodded a few times. "Sephiroth, do you want to leave your room? I noticed a lot of your drawings are similar. Out here…you could find a lot of things to draw."

"Would I?" I almost forgot about that. How nice it would be to maybe…have someone sit and let me draw them, or to see the outside world and to draw its every detail. I think that would be so much fun…but then again. I have my own anxiety about such a thought. I'm starting to feel something inside me…something that tells me I should be scared. That it might not all be what it seems… "I think I have no say in what happens to me."

"No say at all?"

"Experiments are displays, not a part of the thought process." Sephiroth set the sketch pad down, green eyes striking back into the President's. It sent a chill down his spine, almost made him outright shudder. That figure, he was so mystical and different. He had never seen such a being before, nothing so remarkable as this. And the way he presented himself made it even more appealing to have him around rather than sheltered. It was a pity that the President had hardly seen this boy before.

"If that's what you think, than I suppose I must fill you in on the details of what I have planned for you. I have determined that you shall be released under a few circumstances. If, at any point in time you feel it necessary to return to this room, you may. Hojo is allowed to construct needed tests on you for aiding matters in his projects or for your beneficial need. Aside from that, you're under Genesis and Angeal's jurisdiction and will live with them under their care. I believe they are capable enough to take care of you and teach you proper essentials of the matters at hand."

Genesis gapped at his words. Sephiroth was going to be released? It was…a miracle, "Sir, when do you plan on doing this?"

"Once Hojo is prepared, of course," the President replied simply and glanced over at the professor who was scribbling things down. He knew how to look busy when he really wasn't, huh?

"Live with us…sir, I don't think we're able to provide for an extra person, what with our pay." Angeal wanted to reason this all out. The President was asking a bit too much from him. Besides, the entire ordeal seemed a bit fishy.

"Nonsense, I'll raise your pay for all the matters, how does that sound? Whatever you buy for Sephiroth will be covered by Shinra Headquarters, don't you worry a bit about that."

Genesis got an even bigger smile, but suddenly realized that something wasn't right. "Wait, did you discuss this with Hojo? Is that what the extra stuff around here is for?"

"We discussed relative possibilities on Project S and came to the correct conclusion. Are you not happy with the outcome? I can always change my mind."

"No…it's…fine." Except didn't the President tell him to not speak a word? Ugh. Well, at least it turned out for the better, right?

Hojo rose from his spot and joined the small group. "I will be prepared for him tonight. His extensive tests will take a week, what with vaccinations needed, check-ups, physicals, the entire ordeal. It takes awhile for a body to adjust to being pricked by so many needles. I also need to test for any food allergies or possible medical problems, but once I'm finished you boys can readily take him home…much like a new puppy."

Angeal let his eyes fall onto Sephiroth. A new puppy? How great. He hoped Sephiroth knew how to use the toilet properly. "How are you going to get him out without completely destroying the room? You did say he could return inside when he wanted to."

"I'm sure we can cut out a chunk of the wall without causing too much damage. That's what hired professionals are for. Now, if this is all settled I have other meetings to go to. It was nice meeting you, Sephiroth, and I'm certain we'll meet again…except next time we won't have a piece of glass between us."

Sephiroth nodded, too frightened to even speak on the matter. I'll get to see them up close, see how they react, copy their attributes, see how they live…it will be horrifying and exciting all at once.

OoOoOoOoO

"Ready? One…two…three!"

A loud thunderous crash jolted Sephiroth's mind, tightened a knot in his stomach, and made him cover his ears with his hands. With his own eyes he witnessed the wall begin to bend and shudder at the pressure of their force. Creaking of the wall's structure made him cringe, and soon another loud crash made him jump. I don't understand, didn't Hojo explain that we're supposed to be quiet down here? Look at them, throwing the wall about like it's nothing. The intercom is gone and destroyed with the bits and pieces of white wall, and I can see the particles of white floating delicately in the air. It's a new experience. A loud one, at that, one I'd rather not have to witness ever again.

"Excellent, a perfect opening! Clear away this rubble so the boy can get out, hmm?"

I can hear Hojo out there, his voice clearer…louder than before. Is he shouting at them? Is he angry? He's normally not that angered when it comes to giving orders…

Figures could be seen as the smoke settled completely. The men had shovels in their hands, scooping up the rubble and carrying it off, only to return and do it over and over again. Sephiroth was completely entranced by the figures, staring at the features and how they walked, how they used their equipment and seemed uninterested in what they were doing. Such precision, such elegance to their work. I cannot believe at how different everyone looks, though. No one seems to be the same…at all. Here I thought they would all blend in but…it's impossible to blend in with their features.

The pieces of wall were finally gone, the floor was swept up neatly and quickly with brooms, and soon Hojo was standing in the newly made hole. "Come here, Sephiroth, don't be frightened."

I can see much more now, the wrinkles on him seem deeper, the voice has more fluctuation, that smile…almost seems bigger now. And the way he holds himself. I've never noticed…then again, I've never seen all of him entirely. The window limits it mostly the waist and up. Here…it's everything. "Professor…" Sephiroth whispered before rising from his spot, walking over slowly to stand a few feet in front of Hojo.

"Follow me, don't be shy. This way. We have much to prepare you for."

The subject followed the scientist out of the room and down a small hallway to a lab table. The dark features of the lab were frightening to him, but he followed nonetheless.

"We're going to do a few tests. Sit down on the table over there." Hojo directed him before he moved over and put gloves on, their plastic snapping as he stretched them on. "Prepare the injections, boys. You, get the mask ready." His orders made the other assistants move around quickly to get ready. Hojo strode up beside Sephiroth, "I want you to put your head down here and just relax for awhile."

Sephiroth looked at the spot for a minute before obeying orders. What are they doing? I've never seen such things before! Why do I have lay here? Are they going to…do something to me?

"Strap him in," Hojo ordered. His eyes went down to Sephiroth's frightened ones, "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you. This is just part of the procedure." I can trust Hojo, so he must mean it that they're not going to hurt me. I'm still scared, though. I don't know these other people. I don't know if I can let them do this to me.

The assistants pulled the first strap across his middle, tightening it to the point that Sephiroth didn't believe this wasn't going to hurt. He began to struggle. For the first time in his life he felt someone else's touch, and it was harsh, strong, and unloving. His legs were being pinned down by their body weight, someone was trying to withhold his hands, and Hojo was yelling about gassing him. A mask was pushed onto his face, covering his mouth and nose. The more he panicked the harder he breathed, the gas strongly pulling itself into him. I'm starting to feel dizzy, everything is blurring! What are they doing??

"You'll feel better when you wake up," Hojo hissed at him. It was the last thing he remembered hearing before he felt everything go black.

OoOoOoOoO

A blur of images came through Sephiroth's mind, his eyes slowly opening and closing as he tried to wake up and register his surroundings. He tried to sit up but couldn't and found that the binds were still holding him down. A hand touched his forehead and his eyes began to focus on who it was. Something sharp entered into his arm and it felt extremely sore. Sephiroth winced at the new pain he was experiencing before the hand lifted itself from his forehead.

"All better, huh? You should be fully awake any minute now."

How long have I been asleep? Did I miss something? I…remember something. A lot of pain and weird thoughts…but I don't recollect specific things. I..think I saw Hojo at some point. What was he doing? Sephiroth felt his awareness come back to him, the feeling of the binds starting to loosen as the assistants started to undo him. He slowly sat up and touched his arm. It hurts…

"Your arm might be sore, we had to give you quite a few shots. Don't worry, you won't need anymore for quite awhile."

His eyes didn't meet the assistant's, only the marks on his arm that he had. Slowly his fingers touched the blue-gray spot and pulled his hand back quickly when he felt pain. They did that to me? Hojo said…it wouldn't hurt. This touch, Genesis must be insane. Their hands, their touch…it's painful and hurts me. I don't see any type of 'love' in this.

"Genesis and Angeal are waiting for you, are you able to walk?" the assistant was still talking to him, trying to get words from him.

"Where's Hojo?" Sephiroth finally questioned, though he did not pull his eyes from the marks.

"He's in a meeting right now but he said we could release you."

Sephiroth gently stood up, "Okay." The assistant nodded and waved his hand for Sephiroth to follow him out of the room. They exited into the room where he once lived and walked past it. At first he stopped and looked in. It looks different from this side…

"Sephiroth? This way."

He looked away and followed him out and into a new room. It was so large and different, he had never imagined the place like this before.

Genesis saw him and smirked at the appearance of Sephiroth. They had an entire week to prepare for a Sephiroth, which involved a lot of cleaning and preparing things, but things had finally come together and they were ready for the man. At least they thought they were ready for him. Genesis had gone over tons of things for them to think about while Angeal told him to cool it to the point he said they weren't planning for parenthood, just a special roommate. "Sephiroth! There you are, how do you feel?"

Sephiroth shook his head, "I do not feel well."

Genesis frowned, "Oh, I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

"My arm hurts…and you lied."

"What do you mean?"

Sephiroth pointed at the assistant, "Their touch does not feel very nice."

The assistant gave a slight apologetic smile to them, "It's part of procedure to give him shots. He panicked when we first started so we had to restrain him for the entire time. The bruises will heal, though, and I'm certain the shyness from contact will wear off the more you interact with him. Hojo has specifically set out a list that says what you should be careful of and things he might do that might surprise you. If there are any problems it's recommended you contact us or bring him here." The man handed over the list and a card, "Hope everything works out as planned."

Genesis nodded, "Right." Carefully he held his hand out, "Come on, we'll show you our room, it's where you'll be staying."

Should I touch him? It normally hurts…is he going to give me pain, too? I don't want that… Sephiroth retracted at the outstretched hand, "I'll follow."

Angeal and Genesis exchanged looks before Genesis took up the lead while Angeal took up the rear just in case. The Science Department opened up into a busy hallway with people walking around with suitcases and talking to others, their chatter echoing throughout the halls. Sephiroth stopped at the noises trying to figure out who was talking and why it was happening, but Angeal came up beside him to get him walking again. "Don't worry, nothing to be spooked about out here."

The ceiling is so high, the span of this hallway…bigger than my own room. Those people, they're dressed so oddly! What are they holding? What are they saying? Do they know me? Do they know that I'm new? What will happen if they know? Will they hurt me like the scientists? I don't want that… "I don't like this place."

Genesis looked back, "It's okay, our room will be less scary. Just keep following, you'll be fine."

"Hojo said that..and he hurt me. How can I trust you?"

Genesis stepped near an elevator, "If you get hurt out here I'll let you hurt me, how's that sound?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Payback?"

"What's pay?" Sephiroth asked and jumped as the doors opened, "What is this?"

"An elevator. Come on, it won't hurt you." Genesis fanned for him to hurry on. Sephiroth stepped in slowly, unsure of the odd looking room.

"Is this your room?" Sephiroth asked softly. It was so…small.

"No, it's a way of transporting us to our room."

The doors closed and Angeal hit the floor they were going to, "Hold on."

Sephiroth didn't and felt it jerk. He latched himself onto the handles, "What's going on?? Why is it doing that?? Are we falling??"

Genesis shook his head, "Elevators transport you from one floor to the other. We're not falling, we're going up. It's perfectly safe, trust me."

"I don't like this."

Angeal smirked, "Looks like we're taking the stairs next time around, huh?" The doors opened and they removed themselves, Sephiroth quickly moving out of the moving room. "It's over here, Sephiroth."

This place doesn't look any different than where we were at. I don't understand why we had to go into that stupid room if it makes us come to the place we just came from. But to Sephiroth's amazement it was completely different.

Genesis unlocked the door with a key and opened it up for them to go in. Sephiroth looked around at the interesting place. What is that? What are those? Why is the floor covered in…this odd material? His eyes spotted the window and he quickly went over. A window? It's like mine but—His eyes caught the outside world and he let out a surprised noise. "What are those? And those? Is that the sky? Are we really this far up? Are those people?"

Genesis walked over, "Not so many questions, I can't explain that fast. Those are people walking around, and yes that is the sky. Those things you see moving around are vehicles for transportation, and that right there moving on the tracks is a train. That over there is a building, which is what we're in, too. We are pretty high up but don't worry, buildings are constructed so they won't topple. We are perfectly safe here."

Angeal came up to his other side, "The window opens, too."

Sephiroth watched him curiously as Angeal flipped a latch and pushed the window out. A rush of wind hit Sephiroth and he felt his heart race. What is this? It's so…different. I'm frightened of this window, why would it open like that? And that noise! It's loud! Sephiroth backed away from the window and covered his ears, "That's terrifying! Close it!"

Angeal pulled it closed, "Terrifying? I guess you're just not used to the racket. Wait until you go outside."

"I don't want to, it's too…" Sephiroth dropped what he was saying. It's too much. Everything hurts my eyes, as if it's too bright…and everything is colored oddly. I thought Genesis and Angeal dressed funny, but…out there…it's worse. And the noise, if it is loud here it will be worse out there. Why would I want to go to all the trouble of getting outside if it's so obnoxious?

"It's okay, Sephiroth, maybe when you get used to your surroundings we'll take you out? You won't want to stay cooped up in this room for very long." Genesis tried to calm him, hand reaching out to comfort him. Sephiroth pulled back from the advancement.

"Don't, you'll hurt me."

"Sorry. Maybe I can get you something for your arm?"

He caressed his arm and stared at Genesis, "Like what?"

"Some salve, it won't hurt. It'll make your arm less sore."

Should I accept his offer? He stared into Genesis's eyes wondering if he was hiding something, if he was lying the way Hojo did….But the more he stared at him the more he didn't see a threat. Though, how would he even know by looking at someone? He could never tell if someone was lying to him before… "Okay…"

Genesis moved off to the bathroom and came back out with something. Sephiroth saw the odd-looking object and he pulled it out of Genesis's hands quickly, not even touching him with the snatching movement. It surprised Genesis completely since he wasn't expecting Sephiroth to take it from him like that. "Do you…know how to open it?"

Sephiroth stared at him before trying to pry the lid off. It didn't come off. He turned it upside down to see if it was the wrong way, but he didn't find anything on the bottom. He up-righted it again and gave it a small shake.

Angeal and Genesis both smirked at his attempts. Genesis moved closer and pointed at his hands, "Hold that end like this, and then take your other hand and turn the lid. See?" Genesis made a motion with his hands. Sephiroth watched carefully and then followed the movements. The lid slid and came off, the smell of the salve hitting Sephiroth's noise.

"It smells funny."

"It's kind of minty. Do you want me to put it on you or do you want to do it yourself?"

Sephiroth shook the contents slightly, "You want to put this odd stuff on me?"

"Yeah…it'll make your arm feel better."

Sephiroth stared at the goop in the jar before handing it to Genesis. "Here."

Genesis took it, almost excited that Sephiroth was allowing him to do something. It felt like Sephiroth was avoiding them and all he wanted to do was to help out. "Where does it hurt on your arm?" He dipped his hand into the salve and looked up at Sephiroth. The man had been watching his every movement, those bright green eyes not leaving him.

"It hurts all over."

"Oh. Roll up your sleeve as far up as you can."

Sephiroth hesitated before doing as he was told. Genesis watched him carefully before reaching his other hand out to hold onto him, "It might be a little cold." Sephiroth tensed at the touch but slowly relaxed his muscles. It doesn't hurt. Why did the scientists hurt me and not Genesis? Maybe…they couldn't help it. I did overreact, that's what they said…They must have done it on accident. He was surprised at the tenderness and gentleness Genesis's touch was, how it hardly felt like touching, but more of…something soft gliding across his skin. After a few minutes Genesis was done and put the lid back on the salve, "There, how's that feel? Let it dry a bit and then you can roll your sleeve back down." He rose without Sephiroth's reply and put it back into the bathroom, washing his hands off before coming back out. "Well?"

"I like your touch." Sephiroth watched the glisten of his arm begin to dry, feeling it go from cold to a slight warmness, almost…like a sting, but then it went cold again. Angeal smirked at his words, how wrong they sounded in a normal being's mind. He had noticed the look Genesis had on his face, how embarrassed the boy was at the comment.

"Are you hungry, Sephiroth?" Angeal asked before Genesis could say anything back.

Sephiroth looked away from his arm, "I'm not sure."

"When was the last time you ate?" Genesis offered, thinking that if it was too long it would be worth feeding him.

"I haven't eaten from what I know. I just woke up."

"Oh. Well, we can give you food then so you can eat."

Sephiroth looked up at Genesis, "Like chocolate?"

"Well, things like it." He moved to the small fridge and looked about, "Hmm, what to feed you." Sephiroth inched closer to the small fridge. What an odd contraption, I've never seen such a thing. And look what's inside! So many things in those weird containers. And what's that? It looks weird… Sephiroth picked up the pickles.

"What are these?"

"Pickles."

Sephiroth opened the jar with some difficulty, but was surprised at the new smell. It was nothing like the salve! He pulled a spear out and stared at it for a minute before taking a bite out of it. The taste was powerful but very good, and he quickly finished it off. "Pickles taste good."

"Yeah? I'm glad you like them. Here, try some of these." Genesis pulled out a bowl and felt it be pulled from his grasp. "Pull the lid off."

Sephiroth pulled it off and there inside was fruit. I wonder what these are. Such odd shapes and sizes. Sephiroth picked one up curiously, seeing some pinkish red juice ooze onto his fingers. "What is this?"

"A strawberry. This is kiwi, pineapple, cantaloupe, and honeydew."

Gently Sephiroth started to eat a piece of each, picking out the strong or bland flavors they had when he finally tasted pineapple. He winced at the taste and shook his head, "I don't like pineapple."

"What's wrong with it?" Angeal asked curiously.

"It hurts my mouth."

Genesis snorted at the words. It either hurt him or didn't it seemed. At least this would make it easier to tell what Sephiroth liked and disliked. "It might be too citrusy for you. Like a…sour taste."

"Sour?" Sephiroth questioned as he went back to the pickles, picking out another one to eat.

"Yeah…um…" Genesis looked in the fridge again and pulled out a bottle, "This is lemon juice. It's sour."

Sephiroth finished his second pickle before taking it from Genesis's grasp and tried to pull off the lid. He then tried twisting it and the lid came off. "Why is everything so difficult?" He growled before sniffing the contents. It smelled interesting. Without hesitating he went to pour it into his mouth when Genesis stopped him.

"Whoa whoa! You don't want to drink it, you'll probably gag. Here, let me pour you a little." Genesis let the liquid go into the lid before offering the lid to Sephiroth, watching the man take it hesitantly before emptying it all into his mouth. At first there was no sign of being affected before he shuddered and frowned.

"Ew, that tastes bad."

"Yeah. That's what sour things normally taste like."

Angeal smirked, "Depends on your perspective, really. Give him something else to eat before he devours all of the pickles." He had noticed that Sephiroth was already on his third one.

Genesis pulled out a few more things, "Here, take a bite of this apple."

Sephiroth took up the purple and white apple, glancing at its interesting shape before taking a bite out of it. The flavor was very sweet and juicy. But it didn't seem to satisfy what he really wanted. "Not as good as chocolate."

Genesis felt slightly offended. He thought Banora Whites were better than anything else he had ever tasted, but to each his own, right? He took the apple from Sephiroth and handed him a can of olives. "Try these." He wanted to see how Sephiroth would try and open it.

At first he tried twisting and then pulling. He turned it over and over several times until he noticed that there was no way to open it. Sephiroth gave it a good shake or two and heard some sloshing noise. What are these things? Why can't I open it? Slowly he wondered if…he was supposed to eat it like that. That looks like it wouldn't taste good at all. I don't think I'm supposed to try and eat the container. Or is this a container? He chewed on the edge until Genesis began to laugh. "Okay okay, let me help you. For these types of containers you need a can opener. See?" Genesis pulled up the item that Sephiroth had never seen before. "Watch carefully." He set it on the edge and pressed down. A popping noise caused the silver-haired boy to jump, and he leaned closer as Genesis twisted the handle and the lid started to come off. He emptied the fluid into the sink and handed the can back to Sephiroth. Inside were black olives.

"Ooh…these look odd." Sephiroth poked one and it stuck on his finger. Curiously he stared at its geometry before eating it. He stuck another one on his finger and ate it.

"They're black olives."

"I like it." Sephiroth stuck a few more and devoured them with satisfaction.

"I wonder if you'll like cake." Genesis pulled up the piece that was on the plate, "It's a piece of chocolate cake. I hope it tastes good, I'm not exactly a great cook."

Sephiroth saw the cake and heard the word 'chocolate'. He took it up and wiped the frosting off, licking it curiously. It was really good! "Mmm, I like it."

Genesis laughed, "That's the frosting on the cake. Eat them together, it'll taste even better."

Sephiroth broke off of a chunk quickly and shoved it in his mouth. The cake was moist and soft, cool from staying in the fridge, and definitely chocolate-y. After a few more bites he decided the frosting tasted better without the cake, and dutifully began to eat the rest of the frosting on his piece.

"Seems it doesn't taste better with the cake," Angeal commented. Genesis shrugged. He did say that the cake might not be good.

Sephiroth finished and pointed at the television, "What's that?"

"The television I told you about. See?" Genesis turned it on and a show was going on.

Sephiroth put his food down and got closer to the object, staring closely at the screen. He touched it for a minute and found it was glass. "Those people are stuck behind the glass."

"No, it's just pictures. They're actors who perform in front of cameras and then they put them together and it comes out like this on our television screens."

Sephiroth looked back at Genesis oddly before looking back at it, "Oh." Contently he continued to watch what was going on rather entranced. It was at that point that the man and woman kissed. He pointed at the screen, "What are they doing?"

"That's called kissing," Angeal informed him.

"Kissing?"

"Uh. Yeah. It's when a man and a woman show affection toward each other." Genesis tried to fill in.

"Woman? Where??" Sephiroth got excited. He had never seen one before.

"That one is the girl."

"How can you tell?"

Oh god, why did Genesis have to go through this? "Well…there are certain things on a man and a woman that are very different. We've been through this before…"

"But they're right there, I don't see the difference."

"Hairstyles, voices, body structure…there are quite a lot of things that make a woman different from a man," Angeal added. "A woman has a higher voice than a man. She is slender, has a soft touch, very beautiful….a man has a deep voice, normally rough and strong, and they're built differently."

Sephiroth looked at Angeal over to Genesis. He pointed at Genesis, "Are you sure you're not a girl? You're rather soft."

Genesis felt embarrassed beyond believe. Even the guy who had no brains about him had just smothered his honor in the dirt. "If you think I'm soft girls are far softer."

"Wow, they must be like….pillows."

"Yes. A lot like that."

"Can you sleep with them?"

Another question that just about killed Genesis. "Uh. Well yes, you can sleep with a girl. When you develop a relationship with one that's what you normally do."

"Does it have to be a girl?" Sephiroth asked as his eyes went back to the television.

"Um. No. Well. I'm not sure how to explain it all." He didn't know whether teaching Sephiroth certain things would be good right about now. It wasn't like he needed to know about homosexuality…

He dug around in his pocket and found the list the assistant had given him. He forgot to read that over. As he skimmed the note he saw, "May mimic what is seen," near the top. Oh god, what if he tries to mimic—Genesis then saw what they were doing on screen. They were in bed having sex. It wasn't showing anything too graphic, but Genesis knew what was going on.

"That's interesting, is that kissing, too?" Sephiroth questioned.

"No, that's sex," Angeal put in.

"Can only a man and a woman do that?"

"No. It's usual for those two to do it because that's what's normal. But I think Genesis can teach you all about the other type of sex."

Genesis felt his heart sink. What? What was he even supposed to say to that? Sephiroth turned to him quickly, "Two boys can have sex? Even girls? So they can kiss, too, right?"

"Uh…well…people have sex to have kids. So two boys wouldn't want to do that, because you need to have a girl to have a child. And two girls together won't work because you need a man somewhere in there to uh…start the process."

"Huh. What if you didn't want kids?"

"Then there's no point in having sex…" Ugh. He totally just lied. Maybe it would keep the awkward questions down?

"Why is she making those noises?"

And the awkwardness was back.

"It's called 'pleasure'. It's when you feel good. And that particular type of pleasure they're showing is called an orgasm." Angeal was just so informative. The television changed time and the couple was just lying there in bed, it was almost morning.

"What happened? It's morning? But it was just night!" Sephiroth exclaimed completely confused.

"They're not going to show you the entire thing, Sephiroth. They show you bits and pieces of their lives as a plot interest." Genesis mumbled.

"I was interested in what they were doing they should go back to it." Sephiroth replied before letting his attention leave the screen to look at Genesis. "Though, we could do that, couldn't we?"

Genesis died again. Isolated people were weird. "No. I mean. We could, but we're not going to. It's wrong. On so many levels."

"There are levels?" Sephiroth questioned, "I didn't know…"

"Yes, there is. Uh. When you get a girlfriend I'm sure you and her can do that all the time."

"A girlfriend?"

"Yes. When you meet a girl and you get into a relationship."

"Oh! So I can sleep with her."

"There's more to a relationship than that."

"Like sex?"

"Uh. And commitment, and having kids, and getting married…" Genesis listed them off. "When you fall in love with a girl that's normally what you aim for."

"You can't have those things with a boy?"

"No. You can't." Genesis remarked, "It's strictly a boy and girl thing. No other type of pairing."

Angeal thought this was humorous. Whether Genesis was just trying to protect himself or he was trying to teach Sephiroth the way society thought, it was entertaining nonetheless. "Now Genesis, careful what you say to him. He's very impressionable."

"Yes, I know. We both need to think things out before we say too much."

What are they talking about? Is…Genesis lying to me? Does Angeal know more? Sephiroth looked down at his hands tracing the lines for a minute before looking at Genesis. "What else can you show me? I want to know more."

Genesis was thankful for the change in subject, it had gotten rather awkward and uncomfortable for him and he didn't want to bring it up ever again. "Um. Well, there's music." He turned the television off and turned the radio on. "See?"

Sephiroth rose and got closer to the radio hearing the new noises coming from it. So strange, so new! I've never heard of such a thing before. It's…almost nice.

"There are more stations, too." Genesis changed it to a different one, louder music playing, and then another to a softer one with a symphony.

"How do they get their voices in the box?" Sephiroth questioned, picking the radio up to see underneath it.

"They record their singing in studios, and then they give it to radio stations, which broadcast it through radio waves…which reach our ears when this antenna gets the signal."

"Can you…do that with anything voice related?"

"Yeah. They can do commercials, or walkie-talkies work that way. And cell phones and regular telephones work that way in a sense."

Sephiroth looked at him, "What's a telephone…or a cell phone?"

Genesis pulled his cell phone out, handing it to Sephiroth. "You call people on it, or have it ring when you need an alarm. Um. Text messaging, and mail. A lot of important things are on cell phones."

Sephiroth stared at the odd device, opening it up to stare at the buttons. "What are these?"

"Numbers. It's what you click to talk to someone. I'll teach you what each number means and all the letters on there, and then I'll teach you my number and Angeal's number in case you ever get lost from both of us."

"Lost?" Sephiroth whispered as he looked up from the phone. "How would that happen?"

"If you walked away from us, or we accidentally walked away from you. Outside, out in the open…there are a lot of places to get lost in."

"I…don't want to go out. I don't want to get lost."

"Just because you go out doesn't mean you'll get lost. It's a rare thing to have happen to people. Besides, I'll always be by your side, or Angeal will be. So you shouldn't have any problems!" Genesis wanted to assure him. He didn't think that letting Sephiroth out of the isolation chamber and cooping him up inside as satisfactory.

Sephiroth handed the phone back to Genesis, "Thank you."

At first Genesis wasn't sure why he was thanking him…but he came to understand that Sephiroth wanted the protection and comfort that he had missed out on. At least, the kind that came from other humans. "Yeah." He picked up a book, "I'll teach you how to read books, too. It'll be surprising how much you'll want to read once you learn how!"

Sephiroth opened the book curiously, "Is it hard to do?"

"No, it's easy. It'll take quite some time, but…you'll get the hang of it."

Sephiroth looked over at the other books and noticed the one that was out on the nightstand. He picked it up and opened it without hesitation, looking down at the odd formation of symbols.

"Careful of that one, it's my favorite."

"What's it about?"

"The play LOVELESS. It's kind of a…romantic tragedy. There are three friends who go into battle. One is capture, one flies away, and the one that's left becomes a hero. Though he falls in love at some point and he has to make certain decisions which dictate whether he'll ever see the person he loves ever again."

"That sounds sad."

"I guess it's supposed to be. Then again, the title does say loveless, so it makes sense it would be sad."

Sephiroth looked back at the pages, "Since I cannot read, will you read it to me?"

Genesis was surprised, "You want me to read LOVELESS to you?" He felt skeptical at the task, as if Sephiroth wouldn't have the attention span for such an in-depth play.

"Yes. You don't have to. I've never read a book so I'm curious what is inside."

"Oh. Well, I think you should learn a few things first before I read you books. I mean…a lot of words you don't or didn't know about. LOVELESS isn't exactly….an easy read, since a lot of it is in verse."

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Sephiroth asked calmly.

"No! I'm just saying it's not…easy. I had to read it a few times to understand any of it!"

"I see." Sephiroth shut the book and put it back in its place, exactly the way it was before. "I guess you'll have to keep reading it to me until I understand it, hmm?"

Angeal laughed, "Do you really want to hear Genesis talk that much? You'd get bored with the way he reads out loud."

Genesis glared, "Not funny, I don't read that badly."

"That's what they all say," Angeal commented as he rose. "I need something to wake me up, do you want anything since Sephiroth doesn't want to go outside?"

"Coffee sounds good," Genesis commented and looked at Sephiroth, "Would you like something to drink or eat? Angeal can pick you up anything."

Sephiroth looked over at Angeal, "I don't know what I want. Get me anything."

Angeal smirked, "Okay. I'll be back…10-20 minutes tops." He left the room and it grew silent as Genesis and Sephiroth were alone.

"Here…watch more tantalizing stuff." Genesis turned the television back on and it was showing a shampoo commercial, advertising how wonderful it smelled and how it made hair become filled with volume and shine.

"Do you use that?" Sephiroth asked as he pointed at the screen.

"No, I use a different brand."

"I didn't know there was more…"

"Oh yeah, there's millions of everything everywhere."

Sephiroth continued to watch, a perfume commercial went on. After awhile he looked at Genesis and wondered if he did those things. Was it normal to use perfume and cologne, shampoo and conditioner, different types of soaps and everything to be imagined? Does he…smell as good as the commercials advertise? He must, right? If they do it he must do it…he looks like he might…Genesis caught the odd looks from Sephiroth. "What?"

Sephiroth grabbed onto Genesis's hair and sniffed it curiously, hardly noticing the weird look he was receiving since Genesis's face was practically in his chest.

"Uh…yeah, that's my hair."

"It smells good."

"Oh…yeah. Thanks."

Sephiroth grabbed Genesis's shirt and took in the scent, "That smells good, too."

Genesis almost replied but Sephiroth had lifted up his shirt. "W-What are you doing?" Genesis tried to push his shirt back down, not sure what had gotten into Sephiroth.

"I wanted to see if you were like the man in the commercial."

"Uh…well I'm not."

Sephiroth looked over and saw a happy couple hugging and smiling. "What are they doing?"

"Hugging."

"Why?"

"They're showing affection for each other. It's kind of like kissing, except hugging is more acceptable in public."

Sephiroth continued to watch until the commercial changed, "Only a man and a woman can do that, right? Since it's like kissing…"

Genesis shook his head, "No. Hugging is different. It's something everyone can do with each other."

Sephiroth pointed at himself, "I can hug people even if it's not my girlfriend?"

"Yeah. A hug is more like a…friendship thing!" He was terrible at explaining any of this to him. Sephiroth was just going to be dumb for the rest of his life if he kept it up.

"Oh. Are we friends?"

"Yeah. Uh, I'll hug you if you want one.." Angeal wasn't here to make remarks, it would okay to just give him a hug and show how awkward it was. Besides, he felt somewhat bad that Sephiroth didn't know what a hug was. That meant he probably never got one before. And not to sound dumb, but Genesis actually…liked hugs. Even after all the teenage angst he had toward his parents, it was one thing he found acceptable. Talking to them? No. Hugging? Yes.

"Okay. Does it hurt?"

"Of course not." Genesis sat down on the floor beside Sephiroth and wrapped his arms around him. "See?"

Sephiroth stared at him. This feels weird. Though…I almost…feel like I've done this before. As if someone in my life has hugged me and held me… Genesis's heartbeat against his chest made him reach his hand up to touch the spot, letting his fingers press into Genesis's chest. "Your heart."

"Yes, that's my heart."

"It's…familiar to me." Sephiroth put his ear against Genesis's chest, listening to it beat softly. There. That's what I remember. That noise. Where have I heard it from?

His answer struck him hard as the memory awakened in his mind. There it was, how he knew the heartbeat was familiar.

~Sephiroth was in someone's arms, the heartbeat calming him gently, a soothing voice was talking. No, it wasn't talking, it was singing. He felt the motions of being rocked, the movement making him more tired, falling deeper into the comfort of sleep.

Then it ended, the rocking and the singing stopped. His eyes widened as someone stood before him, faceless and cold.

"She—" the voice cut out, coming back in choppily, "be—eased."

He saw the person that had been holding him, their face shadowed completely, but the details of their clothing familiar. A lab coat. And the body, it must have been a woman. She did not reach out for him as he was pulled away, only sat there in the chair. He thought he heard himself crying, but it kept cutting in and out, much like when the man had tried speaking to them…~

Sephiroth pulled from Genesis, breathing hard at what he had remembered. I've never experienced that before, where did it come from? Those thoughts, those people, that feeling…the comfort. Why? Why have I never remembered it before until now? Did I, at one point in time, know everything like Genesis? The stars, the planet, the sky, the outside world…was it all there before? Did I…just forget? But I never forget, I've never forgotten anything before. Everything I have been shown I have remembered! He held up his hands, mentally counting his fingers. There all there, I remembered that! But why not this? Why??

"Sephiroth…are you okay?" Genesis asked softly, seeing the look on his face. He seemed frightened, as if he had seen a ghost. Well, if Sephiroth knew what ghosts were.

The man shook his head, "No…"

"You can tell me anything…"

Tell him anything? He wouldn't know about the memory… "You wouldn't know…"

"Well, if you tell me what's on your mind I might be able to help…interpret what's going on?" And now he sounded unsure of himself. What wouldn't he know about? If it was coming from Sephiroth…probably a lot of things.

How could he explain it? Sephiroth reached out and touched Genesis's chest again, the heartbeat greeting his fingertips. "It was a girl."

"A…girl?"

"She….was singing…" He pulled his hand back slowly, "I think…she was singing to me."

Genesis nodded for him to go on, "What else?"

"He came and took me away." Sephiroth put it so simply, not sure how else to describe the memory. "I…don't know how I forgot that…."

"Wait, who took you away?"

"I don't know…I couldn't see his face."

"So…you were with a woman…and some man came and took you from her?"

"I…suppose."

Genesis thought over Sephiroth's past. The first report did initially say he was cared for a few times before being put into isolation. That was confirmed with the President… Maybe Sephiroth didn't remember since he had been so young, and the impression wore off after the long days of living in isolation? "Well…maybe she was your…"

"Mother." Sephiroth replied before letting his eyes strike into Genesis's.

"JENOVA? You…told me you didn't know what family or parents were!"

"I don't know what those are…but I know my mother's name."

Genesis sighed, "Yes, that's your parent. How do you know about her?" They told Sephiroth what he was? And he was fine with it?

"Hojo told me…once. He said my mother's name is JENOVA. I don't remember her…unless that was her."

"It couldn't be."

Sephiroth turned his attention to him, "What do you mean? Why not?"

Genesis felt trapped. He didn't mean for it to come out that way. "Uh…I don't know…what did she look like?"

"She…was wearing a lab coat…."

"Your mom wasn't a scientist…"

"How do you know?"

"The reports that Hojo kept on you said so."

"Oh." Sephiroth looked down at his feet, almost downtrodden at the thought that it wasn't his mother. Though, would it have mattered if it was? "Would you read the reports to me?"

"No, I don't think I have jurisdiction to do that."

"Why not? They're about me. Shouldn't I know?"

"The reports are about how they used you as an experiment. I think if you found out how you were…treated you might not feel very friendly towards Hojo anymore."

"But Hojo has always been nice to me."

"Exactly…you might misinterpret what it says?" He still sounded unsure of himself… Genesis needed to stop second-guessing himself or else Sephiroth would keep questioning everything he said. "They're rather boring, too. It's just…a bunch of big words put together to say 'we did this and this happened' really."

"Oh….I didn't know…" Sephiroth watched the television go back to a show. "Who was she, then?"

"Who?"

"The woman…that I was with…"

"The girl singing to you? Probably an assistant that works with children. She couldn't be too important." Genesis hadn't even realized that the woman was Sephiroth's human mother. He hadn't put two and two together.

"If she's not important why do I remember her?"

Good question. "The heartbeat."

"Then if I had experienced hearing a heartbeat before, I would have remembered that instead of her. So, in actuality, she must be important."

Good point. "Oh…well…she could have been your nurse or something for the time that you weren't in isolation."

"When I wasn't?"

"Yes. When you're in contact with people you're not in isolation."

"Did he put me there?"

"Quite possibly…the man that carried you away. I'm…wondering if it was Hojo."

"Hojo…" Sephiroth didn't understand. Why would Hojo take him away from the woman? "He's not mean, he wouldn't have done it. Besides, it didn't look like him."

"You said you couldn't tell who it was."

So true, I know nothing of what that figure looks like. In fact, the more I think about his figure the more it distorts. Could it have been Hojo? I thought he wanted to keep me from harm…was she a threat? "I just don't see the reason why he would do it."

"Yes…there's why…but there's also why not."

Sephiroth looked at him one more time before looking at the screen, "I don't want to think about it."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't implore that Hojo is a terrible person. I guess my morals are different than his, but that's because he has a different job than I do."

"I said I don't want to think about it."

Such attitude, it almost made Genesis want to tell Sephiroth not to act like that. Then again, why hold him from his opinion? The man just felt uncomfortable about the situation. "Right, sorry."

They sat in silence, watching the television until Angeal returned. "Bored already?" He asked, handing Genesis his coffee and setting his own on top of the fridge. "Here, Sephiroth, this is for you." He held out a sack to Sephiroth and the boy gently took it from his grasp. Upon opening it he was greeted by a new scent.

"What is it?"

"Cheese balls and fries." Angeal took a seat on his bed and looked over to Genesis, "I passed up on the sugary stuff, I don't want to see him on a sugar high."

Genesis nodded, "Yeah…we should be careful about that."

"Sugar?" Sephiroth asked as he pulled out a few fries and began to eat them one by one.

"Yeah…it's what you put into sweet foods to make them…sweet. Remember what chocolate tastes like? That's all thanks to sugar." Not necessarily, but Sephiroth didn't need to know the details.

"Oh."

Angeal and Genesis made eye contact again, this time Angeal could see that Genesis wanted to talk where Sephiroth couldn't hear them. He rose up and nodded his heard toward the bathroom. "Hey, Sephiroth, wait here. We'll be back in a minute."

Sephiroth stopped eating, "You're leaving me?"

"We'll just be in the bathroom. We won't take long."

Sephiroth didn't respond, just watched as the two went in. Did I do something wrong?

Together they went in and gently pushed the door close. Angeal crossed his arms over his chest, nodding at Genesis to start up the conversation first.

"He asked me for a hug…" Genesis started out. He hesitated. "Well, okay. First he saw it on the T.V. and then he asked me, which I thought 'yeah okay, it's a hug…nothing special'. But then he said he…remembered it…something really weird." Genesis touched his hand to his chest, "Supposedly my heartbeat sounded familiar, but it really upset him."

Angeal tried to connect it all before nodding, "Okay. So he remembered something prior to isolation because of your heartbeat."

"Yeah! Exactly. But he thought it was his mom that he was hugging, and I told him it wasn't possible…"

"And he asked why."

"Yeah. And I couldn't really back myself up, I just said she wasn't a scientist."

"Okay." Angeal waited for more of an explanation but Genesis continued to stare at him. He waved his hand, "What exactly did he remember?"

"A girl singing to him and holding him. She was wearing a lab coat. Then some guy came up and took him away."

Angeal nodded, "Now it makes sense why it couldn't be his mother." He hadn't thought about the woman who gave birth to Sephiroth, either. "How did he handle the situation?"

"He was fine until I said the man that took him away could have possibly been Hojo. He got really upset and said he didn't want to talk about it. Now I feel—"

"Stupid."

"I was going to say bad."

"Of course you would. Just forget about it and cheer him up. Say…that reminds me." Angeal dug around in his pocket and produced a piece of paper, "That girl was off work so she wanted you to have this."

Genesis went from frowning to completely red, "Angeal! You're ridiculous! I don't have time to think about dating now!"

"Why, because you have an overgrown baby living in your room? Worry about it." Angeal said sarcastically, shoving the piece of paper down Genesis's shirt. "Call her, take her out on a date, enjoy life."

"Does that mean you're volunteering to take care of Sephiroth when I'm gone?"

"You make it sound like he's incapable of sitting in here by himself."

"I don't want him to be bored or sad or anything because we're not around him!"

Angeal laughed slightly until he saw the look on Genesis's face. He was serious, wasn't he? Oh boy. "Maybe ask for a double date and take Sephiroth with you? That way he can get outside and touch a girl all at once."

Genesis felt embarrassed again. Sephiroth hardly knew anything, he didn't need to be exposed to such things already. "Maybe in a year when he's passed basic elementary."

"Ooh, are you giving him a curfew on how late he stays up and how many sweets he can eat? Aren't you just the loving parent."

"Angeal!"

The man opened the door, "Great chat. So how do you like your food, Seph—" he paused when he noticed Sephiroth was no longer in the room. "Sephiroth?"

Genesis pushed past him and noticed the room was empty, the television was still on and the boy's food was sitting out nicely on the carpet. "Sephiroth!"

Sephiroth, on the other hand, was out in the hallway looking out the window. Someone else had joined him at some point and they had started to talk.

"Are you new around here? I've only been around for awhile…I don't know much." The guy commented as he stared at the workings of the outside world.

"I don't know. I've never been here before," Sephiroth pointed at the spot they were standing, "Then again..I haven't been out there, either."

"Outside? It's not too bad in Loveless Avenue, plenty of hot chicks to look at."

"Hot chicks?" Sephiroth questioned before looking up. "What is that?"

The man looked up, "Helicopter. Have you never seen one before?"

"No…never."

"You must be from the country, then. Which one?"

What's a country? Maybe he is talking about my room? Is that what they call it? "I live here."

"I kind of figured if you're here right now. I meant previously to living here."

"In a room in this building."

After awhile the guy raised an eyebrow, "Uh…okay." Maybe there was something wrong with the kid. "What did you say your name was?"

To answer for him was Genesis's yell. They turned to see the redhead coming over to him looking really angry. "Sephiroth! Don't leave the room without asking…my God." His eyes went to the other guy, "Sorry if he bothered you."

Sephiroth gave a small smile, "Hello, Genesis."

"Don't you 'hello' me. Come on, back to the room."

The guy wondered what this was all about, "Uh…not to intrude…but is there something wrong with him?"

Genesis nodded, "Yeah…quite a few things…sorry for the inconvenience." He pushed Sephiroth, "Now come on, Sephiroth."

The guy watched them leave before shrugging and watching the world again.

Sephiroth came back into the room, "What's wrong with me?"

"Eat your food." Genesis ordered.

"Did I do something bad?" Sephiroth asked as he was pushed to sit down. I wish Genesis would explain things to me and not avoid the subject. It's really hard to understand what I've done wrong if he won't say anything.

"Yes, you left the room without having Angeal or myself be with you. You don't want to get lost in this place, Sephiroth, it'd be hard trying to find you."

Well that explained it. "I did not mean to make you angry. I was curious and wasn't going to go very far."

Genesis picked up his coffee and took a few sips of it, watching Sephiroth intently. Didn't mean to? Well…he wouldn't think that Sephiroth would purposefully try to make him angry. If he was it would have made Genesis less forgiving. "You're fine, it's just a warning for the future." He was curious was all, he wanted to find things on his own and not be scared of them. Now he felt like a party pooper, as if he ripped the joy of leaving the room from Sephiroth's grasp. Oh great.

Sephiroth, although, went back to watching the television and eating the rest of the food he was given. There were so many different things going on and he had so many questions, but he wasn't sure if he should bother asking. He thought that Genesis was upset with him and he normally found it best to be quiet whenever someone was angry at him. It often worked with Hojo.

"How's your arm?" Genesis finally asked breaking their small moment of silence. Sephiroth hadn't noticed his arm until he brought it up, though.

"It's better."

"Good." Now what? "Um. When you get tired just tell me, okay?"

Sephiroth's eyes moved from the screen, "What do you mean?"

"When you want to sleep you should tell me."

"I want to sleep when the lights go out." Sephiroth returned his attention to the screen. "When that happens I will go to bed."

"The lights don't turn off magically, Sephiroth. They kind of…fade. You might not even notice it's dark out unless someone points it out to you."

Sephiroth didn't respond, only continued to watch television. Angeal sat back on his bed and drank away, "Wonderful, he's hooked."

"He won't be once he gets outside," Genesis commented, getting a few odd looks from Sephiroth. "What? You're going to go outside at some point in time." Sephiroth didn't reply, only continued to watch the plot fold out. Genesis glanced at Angeal before reaching over and grabbing Sephiroth's hair, letting the long strands cascade from his fingers, "Maybe get you a haircut, if you want." There still was no reply. "Or get you a job with a hair modeling industry."

"I'm sure ShinRa Headquarters owns one of those. He could be the poster boy." Angeal got in on it, too, finding it funny that Sephiroth wasn't paying attention to them.

Genesis got closer, flipping Sephiroth's hair into the guy's face, "Whoa, sorry, I just can't stop myself," he continued to rub Sephiroth's hair in the poor kid's face, laughing as Sephiroth struggled a bit before releasing himself from the hairy grasps of danger. He pushed Genesis back and straightened his hair.

"Stop."

Genesis laughed. What a weak threat! "Stop? That's it? Nothing else?" He saw almost a pout come from Sephiroth. How priceless. "It's called roughhousing. It's like beating each other up…but you don't want to actually hurt each other too much."

Sephiroth shook his head, "So…you pretend to hurt someone?"

"Yes. It's a rather fun game. It'd be better if you participated."

"What if I do hurt you?"

"Well, I'll just hurt you back and we'll be even."

Sephiroth slowly turned his attention back to the commercials. Does he think I'm an idiot? I'm going to wait until he hurts me, and then I'll get him back. Genesis noticed the lack of interest. Maybe he just didn't understand what he was saying? Genesis grabbed his hair and pulled on it, "The television isn't that great!" Sephiroth tried to get him to let go, but he wouldn't. Instead of fighting he leaned back and stared up at him, elbows propped against the floor.

"My hair."

"It's mine now." Sephiroth grabbed Genesis's leg, applying pressure with his thumb. The man yelped and dropped to his knees, "Ouch!! That hurt!"

"No it didn't." Sephiroth grabbed Genesis's hair and messed it up, "What's the matter, Genesis, are you not enjoying it anymore now that I'm participating?"

Genesis laughed and elbowed him in the chest, "Bring it on!"

Angeal sighed, "Be careful."

Sephiroth rose, "Careful?" Genesis tackled Sephiroth on the bed.

"We won't break anything."

Angeal snorted a few times. Right, as if. He glanced at the time and slowly got up, "I told Director Lazard I'd talk to him today; I'm going out on a few missions. I'll try to make it back before midnight."

"I can't believe you scheduled missions the first day we—" Genesis was put into a headlock, "Guh!"

"Yeah, well you seem to have Sephiroth under control. If anything terrible happens just call."

Genesis snorted and pulled himself out of the position, slamming Sephiroth down and pinning him, "Yeah. Like I said, we won't break anything." As Angeal went out Sephiroth got the advantage and rolled on top of Genesis. "Your ribs are stabbing into me."

"Do you like it?"

"Not…really…" Genesis tried to say in a normal tone, but was out of breath from the crushing power.

Sephiroth gently repositioned so he wasn't killing the man. "Genesis, where am I sleeping tonight?"

That was random, but he supposed it was because Sephiroth was in bed right now. "Um. With me in my bed."

Didn't he say that meant people were in a relationship? And people who are in relationships kiss. Does that mean we can kiss? Sephiroth grabbed Genesis gently, leaning in closer to kiss him. The one about to receive the gift, of course, freaked out.

"Whoa whoa!! Sephiroth, slow down!"

Sephiroth stared at him, "Yes?"

"We're not kissing. At all. Ever. Okay? We're just friends. You understand that, right? Friends don't kiss each other."

Sephiroth shook his head. That didn't make sense at all. "You said we're sleeping together, so that means we're in a relationship. And—"

Genesis laughed as he pushed the man off of him, "No no, there's exceptions, that's what I said. When you're friends you can share a bed and not have to be in…you know…a relationship like that. And I did tell you that it's strictly one boy and one girl…"

Sephiroth nodded, "Okay. I'm sorry for being stupid."

Genesis smirked, "No, it's okay, it was my mistake for not explaining it all very well." At least he was just going to take the blame. It really bothered him when Sephiroth just admitted that he wasn't smart…it was like admitting defeat and deciding it wasn't worth trying to change anything. "Uh…anyway. Tomorrow I'll start teaching you the alphabet and how to write, how does that sound? Then you'll be able to read and learn faster."

The ability to read and write, to actually know what those books say…that would be wonderful. "Really? I hope tomorrow comes quickly, I want to learn how to read!"

"I'm sure you'll pick up on it very quickly…" He was pretty good at the memory game…

As the day continued onward Sephiroth began to feel more comfortable in the new room and seemed less fearful of the window. Genesis was right about how the light faded into darkness, he never noticed it until Genesis had pointed it out to him. And looking out the window when it was dark…was actually rather beautiful. The lights from all the buildings and vehicles made it seem like a whole new place at night.

"It's…very nice…" Sephiroth commented as they stood near the window together.

"Yeah. It's different from my hometown. When it's dark out there are no lights. The entire village goes to sleep, and the only thing that lights your way are the moon and the stars. It's…pretty, if you think about it…but it's nice here, too." Genesis smiled at the memory. He wanted to take Sephiroth home with him. Maybe…he could arrange for that to happen in the future?

"I'm…still scared of the world out there…but…you'll be with me when I do go outside."

"Of course."

"So…maybe I'm only scared that one day you won't be there…"

"I'll always be here. Promise."

Sephiroth looked into the bright blue eyes. He'll always be here for me? I've…never known of someone being that dedicated before. I always assumed Hojo would come back…but here Genesis is promising me that he will always be here. Always. I…hope I can trust him. No. I know I can trust him. "Thank you."

Genesis nodded and turned him away from the window, "Get ready for bed, tomorrow's another big day."

Sephiroth understood that command and prepared for bed. He watched as Genesis got in and he slowly did the same. "Why are your beds up off of the ground?"

"It's more comfortable and more convenient."

Sephiroth thought about it. Comfortable? Maybe, he'd have to wait until he woke up tomorrow to see if it was better than what he was used to.

"Good night, Sephiroth." Genesis muttered as he reached over to turn the light off.

"What's so good about it?"

He paused and looked back at him. "It's just a saying. As in…sweet dreams. Or how people say 'good morning' when you see them in the morning."

"Oh. Good night."

Genesis turned the light off and rested back into bed. So far things were going better than he expected…now it just had to stay that way.

OoOoOoOoOoO

OoOoOoOoOoO

More chapters to come in the future. Hope you enjoyed this one. Oh, and if Genesis ever said anything or explained something wrong…he's supposed to. Genesis isn't bound to know everything.

Leave comments if you like!