Hello everyone! We hope you had a nice Easter? Sorry for the delay of this chapter, my best rl-friend died and I had to take some time off.
But here it is now, betaed by the wonderful and uber patient danslalune, enjoy!
Chapter 12
"What are you supposed to be? The official Sephiroth fan club? This is low even for you, Brad." Genesis retorted, his muscles tensing as he tried to take in what weapons they carried. Most of them (seemed to count only on their sheer physical strength), which was good because Genesis was a hundred percent sure that he could not compete with swords or the like, no matter how agile or fast he was. (He was also sure as hell that they did not want to murder him, not even they would dare to do that, but beating him into a bloody pulp was certainly an option. He winced inwardly at the thought of again going to hospital. He'd already spent way too much time there. "Would you think about the shit you are talking about for only a minute?"
Brad clenched his teeth, because yes, he was a member of the official fan club. But that didn't matter. "Shut your damn trap, you have spouted enough shit already." He gave a firm nod into the direction of the others and they came closer, circling Genesis. The guy with the stick let it fall against his palm again and again. "We'll teach you a lesson that will make you think twice about what you say in the future," Brad whispered menacingly as the others moved in and began to attack.
Genesis managed to dodge most of the blows for he was a full head smaller than most of the guys in the mob. They were bulky, making them slow and easy to elude, but they were also many and that alone prevented the redhead from escaping. He took a hit to the face with something that tasted like wood , the smell and taste of it lingering on his lips. One guy managed to land a punch to his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs for several seconds before he could finally draw a ragged breath again.
"So…" he said slightly wheezing, trying to blink away the tears of agony from his eyes without shedding them. Oh he would not give them this gratification. "What's your plan, smart ass? Beating the living shit out of me and then? You really think I won't go running to Lazard to badmouth you?"
One of the shadows seized his chance and knocked Genesis off his feet. Swiftly another lunged forward to punch him in the stomach. A third guy straddled Genesis' chest, holding him down on the muddy ground. "No one will believe a lying scumbag like you. Besides, we all have alibis. We were together all night, playing cards." Brad stared at Genesis' face from above. It was starting to swell slowly. He gave another nod and one of the guys kicked Genesis in the side, while the one atop of the redhead clasped a hand over Genesis' mouth and pulled at his hair violently.
On impulse the auburn haired man bit the hand that covered his mouth as hard as possible, mostly just to channel the pain that was induced on him in some other way than crying and growling. His arms were rendered immobile by the weight that was nearly crushing his ribcage, his hip screamed in pain from the assault on it, as did his stomach and his head. These guys were nuts, completely nuts! But what Brad had said held some truth. Nobody would believe him if they backed each other up, as he knew they would. This thought pained him nearly as much as the guy who was continuously kicking his side.
Meanwhile, Sephiroth lay on his bed, re-reading his report. He had called his brothers successfully and confirmed that they were doing fine. Next week he would file in for a vacation, he needed to be home again and get some much needed rest... His eyes drifted to his watch and his brows furrowed. Genesis was awfully late and they had class early tomorrow. He didn't want to appear like a mother hen though, so he dismissed it. Genesis surely wouldn't appreciate Sephiroth's concerns anyway.
A few hundred meters outside, Brad had crouched down, grasping a strand of crimson hair and pulling Genesis' head up. "What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" He shook the youth's head. It had to hurt. "You can end this. I will let you off the hook. Just tell the truth."
Genesis coughed slightly, his lungs filling only slowly with much needed air, thanks to the guy sitting on his chest and nearly breaking him in two. "Tell the truth about what?" He asked sharply, though he couldn't contain a faint whimper. His whole body was ablaze with the fire of hurt, his veins rushing with adrenaline that remained pent up. He could do nothing, he was completely at their mercy.
At the dorms, a firm knock caught Sephiroth's attention.
"Hey, Gen?" A deep voice said, as the door was opened to revealAngeal, obviously freshly showered from the towel that hung over his shoulders. "Oh hello, Sephiroth." He greeted the other soldier with a small but honest smile. His gaze drifted to the empty bed that belonged to Genesis. "Did Genesis leave again?"
"He left a few hours ago," Sephiroth said, putting his report aside. The alarmed look in Angeal's eyes fueled his own worries.
"A few hours…?" Angeal querried. "That was when we went out together but I mean afterwards. Did he come back here? He told me that he was coming here when we parted." A frown settled on his angular features while he considered all possible options. "He would not lie to me, he did not have any reason." He stated firmly, looking at Sephiroth with a determined gaze.
Outside, Brad gritted his teeth. "Tell us the truth about that mission, what else. Tell us what really happened; that Sephiroth saved your sorry ass even though I don't have any idea why he would bother. You are so beneath his level."
"It's confidential." Genesis spat out. Inwardly he was eager to tell them exactly what had happened, even though he knew he was neither allowed to, nor would they believe a single word he said anyway. But the feeling of superiority would still flood his body, he knew that. "And for a damn good reason too." He couldn't restrain himself from adding it.
"Confidential my ass!" one of the guys spat, kicking Genesis in the side.
"You are lying again," Brad stated, shaking his head in resignation. Then he crashed Genesis' head down into the ground and lifted him up again. "Now let's try that again. Apologize."
Still in their room Sephiroth got up, the worry now evident in his face. He reached for his jacket. "He has not come back since then. We should go search for him. Did you try his cell?" It was best to appear calm; Angeal may not know about the incident with the bridge and Sephiroth's suspicion of a failed assassination. What if Genesis had been targeted again?
Angeal shook his head, grabbing his cell and dialing Genesis' number. He had just wanted to drop by to spend at least the rest of the evening with him, since he had the feeling that he should not leave him alone – with Sephiroth – now. He knew that Genesis most likely would tell him off, smiling and pretending everything was alright, but he was able to see through this façade. The mobile dialed and rang, but nobody picked up.
Meanwhile the said auburn haired man groaned lowly, his head swimming from the unpleasant date with the unforgiving, stony ground. He felt the soft trickle of warm liquid in the harmed area, probably blood. It was no severe injury, of that he was sure.
"Apologize for what? For telling the truth? It is confidential." Genesis persisted weakly, the power to struggle against them slowly leaving his body as his adrenaline wore thin.
Brad's little torture session was interrupted by the shrill ringing of a cell phone. The name on it showed 'Angeal' as he fetched it from the redhead's pocket. He cursed silently under his breath. This wasn't good, if Angeal was searching for Genesis they didn't have much time left. But they were almost done anyway. Quickly he typed in a message. 'Busy. Leave me alone.' Then he crushed the phone with his boot, telling the others to not worry and keep going. "Now where were we? We can keep going like this all night, you know..." he threatened. In all truth this was making him sick and he wished for it to be over rather sooner than later. But Brad was set on getting that confession...
Now what little hope the red-head had felt a moment ago was crushed like the phone under Brad's boot. A small voice told him not to worry, because someone was already looking for him, trying to reach him, and that if Angeal, or even Sephiroth, just stepped out of the door they would notice him immediately. "There is nothing to tell, it's confidential and the Turks will be hot on your heels if I speak even one word about it." He breathed out, his vision blurring in and out of focus as he tried to blink it away. He could not feel his sides or his hip anymore, his ribcage had numbed to a point where he no longer knew if someone still sat on him or not.
On the other end of the phone, Angeal frowned at the message he had just received, again trying to call Genesis with increasing worry, but this time a voice told him that the other was currently not available. This was totally unlike his life-long friend and now he really felt worried. "There's something up, let's search for him."
"I will go back to the entrance and you will search the other side of the barracks." Within a second Sephiroth had conducted the most efficient search plan. He didn't wait for Angeal to respond but went directly down the hallway.
"You don't get it, do you? I don't want to hear that crap anymore. Just say that you are sorry and it will be over." Brad shook Genesis' head a little to keep him from fainting. It had become critical and the others had started to get unnerved, kicking and beating the downed man as Brad felt his control over them slipping.
"Just say it," he hissed.
The barely conscious man did not respond anymore, flexing his fingers he tried to make out if he still had them. His attention was drawn to everything and nothing, his head pounding as the blood in his veins did. "You won't hear anything from me, little prick." He whispered, a smirk plastered onto his lips. He couldn't help it, the situation was so alien, so unreal, that he didn't even think about which answer would be helpful and which not. He was thinking nothing at all really.
One of the guys sneered and drew his leg back to get a really nasty kick into Genesis' conceited face, but he didn't get to it, because an all too familiar, deep voice boomed through the night.
"What's going on here?"
"Shit!" the shadows panicked and quickly made a run for it. Brad got up, shocked and terrified, frozen to the spot for a moment, uncertain if he should stay or leave, a moment later he had bolted.
Sephiroth came through the bushes and saw them running away. He would have followed if Genesis, lying on the ground bleeding, hadn't been a more acute problem. Kneeling beside him he gently lifted the young man up. "Are you all right? What happened?"
The redhead coughed roughly when finally he felt his chest again and desperately needed air reached his lungs. Moaning lowly afterwards he pressed his fingers flatly against his stomach and side, not yet able to comprehend that he had just been rescued by Sephiroth – of all people. "W-what?" He mumbled, blinking slowly to recover his vision and finally notice the silver-haired man leaning over him. He had never been happier to see him.
"Don't speak." It looked worse now than it had first seemed, but Sephiroth summoned a healing materia that he had taken with him as a precaution. If it was applied quickly it would undo most of the damage, hopefully. The small shiny ball easily slid into Genesis' body where it cast a gentle, warm light and then the external and internal wounds healed.
The feeling of skin knitting together, bones recovering and wounds healing was a strange one and Genesis knew he would never get used to it. It didn't exactly hurt, but it itched and tingled and felt overall just annoyingly unnatural. He was thankful for the materia though, it spared him another visit to the hospital.
"Thank you." He breathed out, relieved that he could take in and let out air without his lungs hurting like someone had stabbed them.
"Can you sit up?" Sephiroth was relieved that the materia had worked. He hesitated to help Genesis up because he was half expecting to be shoved away. "What happened?" he asked again, his eyes drifting back into the direction where the men had run after he had confronted them. They were amateurs, bullies, that much was clear. Had it been a serious assassination attempt Genesis would be dead by now.
The redhead just solemnly nodded, gingerly getting to his feet. His body did not hurt but he couldn't know what the materia had healed and what was still injured. When he finally stood he cautiously shifted, moving his limbs to check up on what was intact and what needed special care. Eventually he came to the conclusion that no… nothing needed a doctor or a hospital.
"Your freaking fanclub was after me because of the incident with the Zolom. I didn't know they could be so resentful." He answered, following Sephiroth's gaze that led into only utter darkness.
"What fanclub," Sephiroth asked blankly. He had absolutely no clue what was going on, but he was glad to see that Genesis was back to his old self. It could only mean that he must be fine.
"You know, people who worship you, idolize you and as of late try to defend the honor they think I've befouled. One of them was a friend of Angeal's that we met tonight… He made it clear that he did not exactly like me... for whatever silly reason there might be in his head." Genesis answered evenly, his face and eyes not betraying the raging heart in his chest, the anxiety in his veins and the racing of his thoughts.
"Tell me his name. I will take care of it. I had no idea that such ridiculous things were going on." Sephiroth clenched his jaw, trying to remain calm. This was what they were getting from stylizing Sephiroth's persona into an uber idol! He didn't want any of it and he certainly needed no one to defend his honor. Were those kids crazy? "Who were the others?"
Genesis waved a hand dismissively ."I told them so too, but that one guy said they had each others backs."He said and flashed Sephiroth a serious gaze. "Let's just drop it okay? Nothing happened and I would appreciate it if we could just leave it at that. I do not want to give them even more reason to hate me, they already seem to do enough." He started walking back towards the barracks, leaving the silver-haired man standing where he was.
Sephiroth watched after the redhead. His hands were balled into pale, bloodless fists. He was furious beyond reason. His whole form shook with anger and he was NOT going to let it slide. Genesis was not cooperative but Sephiroth wouldn't need him to find out who it had been and then the goddess help them.
On the way back to their room, Genesis accidentally ran into Angeal, who immediately fussed over him like a mother hen, pestering him as to why he hadn't answered his phone and what the silly text message was supposed to have meant. The auburn haired man absently recalled Brad typing something before smashing his phone and he now somehow managed to calm his over-protective friend, telling him that he really had been busy and unable to answer at that exact moment. He was not fond of the idea of telling Angeal that one of his new friends had beaten the living daylights out of him – him, Genesis, of all people; this was embarrassing to say the least.
Sephiroth entered the room an hour later, after making a detour to the training rooms to vent off some ire. Exhausted, he fell onto the bed, wordlessly. His muscles ached but he felt pleasantly numb, in body and mind. Besides, he had worked out a solution.
The other was sitting on his bed, looking up just briefly before returning to the papers that lay in front of him, probably his report. When he had finally been released by Angeal, he had gone back to the bathroom, searching his face for any bruises or cuts from the assault. He saw nothing there, just a faintly blueish glow on the side of his forehead. Compared to how he must have looked before Sephiroth had applied the materia, he could live with it. It annoyed him to no end that he hadn't been able to take down even one of Brad's gang. He was a SOLDIER for the goddess' sake, he was supposed to be strong and able to endure pain. But instead of that he had nearly fainted like a bloody amateur.
Shaking off the unpleasant memory, Genesis focused on the task at hand – his almost finished report – and then he would go to sleep and forget this whole incident.
The next day they started class with a training session. Sephiroth leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, watching the ongoing fights listlessly. He'd had his fight with the teacher already, for demonstration purposes. This was no challenge for him, he was above their level so he did not participate in the practice. He had his own training plans. A short break was called in and the sweating students grabbed their towels and water bottles. Before the lot of them could attack Sephiroth with questions and requests for personal advice the silver haired man pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Angeal. "Do you have a minute?"
The other raised his eyebrow at Sephiroth for a brief moment, then finished his water and sighed. He was sweaty, but relaxed from training, but what could the silver-haired man possibly want? Angeal did not hold a grudge against him, but normally Genesis was the one Sephiroth… well, kind of socialized with, not he.
"Sure, what's on your mind?" He asked with a tiny smile, all the while trying to get his sore shoulders to relax.
Aware of the curious looks they got from the other students, Sephiroth casually walked Angeal out of the hall for some privacy. "It is about a friend of yours," he said noncommittally, his smile disguising his actual feelings. "I heard that amongst them there is someone who is trying especially hard, citing me as his role model. Since I want to encourage hard work, I would like to meet him and help him improve his swordsmanship. We've got to identify all promising new SOLDIER material."
Angeal's disbelief rose even further at that. "Is that so?" He asked, noting that the dangerous glint in Sephiroth's cat-like eyes betrayed his voice, but he chose to let it go. "You might probably mean Brad then." He said, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and eyeing the other warily. He was not sure whether Genesis might have mentioned a word or two about yesterday's incident at the pub, yet he could not think of any other possible reason why Sephiroth might have come up with this topic now. "He's also Third Class and is living in the barracks opposite from ours. I do not know his room number, but he's most likely having his theory class right now."
"I see. Do you know his last name by chance? Brad is a common name," Sephiroth queried casually.
Angeal thought for a moment at that , trying to recall Brad's last name because he had introduced himself with it the first time they had met. "It was something with M… Miller I think, yeah I'm quite sure."
"Thanks." Sephiroth managed another cool smile. "I don't want to steal any more of your time." He turned and walked down the hallway. There was going to be a one hour lunch break in which the students had time to prepare their afternoon classes. Sephiroth got to a public computer and easily accessed the files of all new Third Class SOLDIERs, finding Brad's room number and some useless information about his background. It didn't matter to Sephiroth where he came from, if he had family, what he was doing. The only important thing he needed to know was what the brat had done last night and he was going to find out. Raising his hand he knocked against the boy's door, hearing obnoxiously cheerful voices from inside.
Inside, it got quiet immediately. Brad looked over to where Mike, a rather bulky little boy with short black hair, was laying on his bed, asking him quietly if he was expecting a visitor. Mike just shrugged, turning back to the book he was reading for his next class.
"It's open." Brad called loudly, curious as to who was visiting them now. Greg, Michael and the rest of the fanclub wouldn't be dropping by for an hour or so.
Following the invitation, Sephiroth opened the door, schooling his expression into a calm, friendly one. He didn't want to scare the boy. Yet.
The first thing he became aware of when he entered was a giant poster of himself plastered to the wall, making him inwardly groan and twist. "Brad Miller?" he asked, looking between the two boys. Both of them stared at him with huge, wide eyes that seemed as if they would pop out of their sockets any minute.
Gaping at the figure in the door frame, Brad couldn't comprehend that the man, that Sephiroth, had just called his name, addressing him, a nameless Third Class, not even worth his attention.
He hurriedly got up from his bed, gathering his last pieces of courage. "Yes, sir!" He saluted, feeling absolutely proud of it.
"May I have a minute with you?" he asked, but the guy's saluting was getting on his nerves. "Relax," he ordered. His eyes scanned the youth. He was beautiful, his eyes clear and straight forward. Not something Sephiroth had expected, but he wasn't fooled by outward appearance.
"Sure, sure." The boy answered with gleaming eyes, beaming with happiness and eagerness. He threw Mike a fast glance, to shoo him out of the room quickly and the black-haired boy complied just as hurriedly.
Meanwhile, Sephiroth had time to inspect more of the room. It was tidy and clean, as was expected of a SOLDIER. There was more merchandise of him. Sephiroth spotted a coffee mug, several buttons, news paper magazines... this was crazy. He'd never thought anyone would really buy that crap or give a damn about all the boasting ShinRa did with his name and face, but apparently he had been wrong.
After closing the door, Brad tried to catch his rapidly beating heart, catch a breath as well. But it was hard with his idol, his secret crush just mere meters away from him. He turned finally, looking up at Sephiroth with timid eyes, not daring to speak to him before he was spoken to.
"So, you are Brad Miller, I assume?" Sephiroth casually sat down on the chair beside the desk, crossing his legs. The boy seemed nervous as hell. "I have heard a lot about you. Your grades are impressive."
Brad could barely contain a gasp at that. Sephiroth was here because he wanted to praise him? To congratulate him? Perhaps to even offer him something. He knew that he was good at what he was doing, but this good? Today must be his lucky day, even though he had almost shitted his pants yesterday when Sephiroth caught them beating up that little red-haired pile of scum. He had feared that his idol had seen them – and would probably be disapproving of their actions because he was an honorable man. And even if he wanted Genesis to pay for his lies, Sephiroth would not do anything. But Brad was there to do it for him.
"T-thank you, sir." He stuttered, flustered.
"Have a seat," Sephiroth offered graciously with a small smile. "Tell me a bit about yourself."
"Y-yes, thank you." Brad said, sitting down. He briefly thought about what he could tell Sephiroth, what would possibly interest the man. He talked about how he had come here and also his past, pointing out that he had only come here because of his idol – Sephiroth - and telling him that he really liked it here.
"That is good, we need young men with ambition like you. And I can see that you are made of leader material. Isn't that so?" Sephiroth tilted his head, his smile becoming secretive and knowing, waiting for Brad to take the bait.
"I am." Brad told him excitedly. "You know, there is this … club with people who feel the same about SOLDIER and… how to become a good one... and I launched it." He practically beamed at his counterpart, having disguised their little fanclub as something less fanboyish.
"Really?" Sephiroth made a surprised, but pleased face. "What kinds of activities do you do?"
"Well, we…" And the boy now had to be creative here because they mostly talked about what had happened to Sephiroth recently, dreaming about being like him and being with him for a while. "We train together to get better in the program and we help each other with the theory classes and during missions of course. We mostly get paired, so it's quite handy to know the people you are working with. And we help each other with… general stuff, like reports and such." He ranted, pausing continuously to make something new up.
"That sounds very good," Sephiroth praised, nodding with feigned interest. He didn't believe a word, as it was obvious that Brad was lying. It only fueled Sephiroth's suspicions. He sighed. "I wished all the recruits were as serious and professional about their training as you are. Sadly there are always black sheep too."
That was when Brad could no longer contain his curiosity. "Is something wrong, sir? Something I can help you with perhaps? Not that I assume you need my help… but still." He asked carefully, his eyes gleaming at the mere thought of helping the Great Sephiroth.
"Well..." Sephiroth paused, scrutinizing Brad again, before his attitude turned serious. "What I am about to say now is confidential. Can I trust you to keep it to yourself?"
The other nodded frantically, putting on an earnest expression. "I swear I will not tell anybody, sir."
"I am experiencing an unpleasant situation with a certain someone at the moment. That person is spreading... rumors of no foundation. Under normal circumstances I would ignore it but it seems that he managed to impress quite a few people who believe his statements."
Brad sat up straight at that, a flash of anger in his eyes. "Could you possibly mean that worthless, red-headed prick? The one that is sharing a room with you? I heard the rumors that he was spreading before he had to take them back, because even Director Lazard did not believe them. Did anything else happen with him?"
"I see we understand each other," Sephiroth said slowly, instead of directly confirming Brad's statement. "He is an annoyance. Someone was kind enough to... remind him of his place but I am afraid it was not... vehement enough. In any case, I am searching for someone competent in skills of persuasion that would, well ... convince him to leave me alone. I thought you might be someone who would know who I could contact."
The other grunted at the mention of Genesis' crimes, then he smirked. He had known that Sephiroth would appreciate their actions. "How did you come to me, if I may ask, sir?" He asked finally. "I'm definitely honored to receive this trust… and what should I do?"
"I will be straight with you," Sephiroth said, taking a chance. He could not be 100% sure that Brad had been the culprit of last night, but his instincts told him the boy was the one he was looking for. "You strike me as a man of action. I can see it in your eyes; you are no one to sit back when injustice is done. Am I right or not?" He narrowed his eyes, lifting his chin a bit.
Brad nodded seriously at that. "I am. I cannot stand people who go around and dirty other people's hard work because of their selfishness and their jealousy. They need to be shown their place." He agreed keenly. "And I…" He was so eager to tell him. "I was the one who put Genesis in his place last night, with some friends, of course. He wouldn't take the shit back he was talking about you, saying it was confidential or something." He let out a tsking sound at that. "As if… he was only lying. Unfortunately … you dropped by…" He laughed ashamedly at that. "We panicked because we thought we might be in trouble but now I'm happy to hear you think the same about this as we do."
It was only due to Sephiroth's iron will that he didn't crash the smug smile of the brat into the next wall. Instead he smiled thinly. "I am happy too. But please, tell me who your friends are so I can thank them properly too. Then we can work out a plan together to take care of this matter, once and for all." To encourage Brad he laid a hand on the young man's shoulder, capturing his gaze with his intense green eyes.
Brad nearly fainted at that. His idol was touching him, praising him, even speaking to him. Internally he was hyperventilating by now. He eagerly gave him their names, adding a few details about the incident as well, while he was almost bursting with pride.
Sephiroth noticed with disgust the boy's glistening eyes and feverish color. It wouldn't have surprised him if there was something solid poking between his legs. If he hadn't known about the incident with Genesis he may have considered a one-night-stand. But now he was just repulsed. "All right, I will get back to you. Keep a low profile for now, we wouldn't want to draw unnecessary attention." He stood, taking his hand from Brad's shoulder.
He nodded frantically again, beaming up at his idol with awe. He would call his sister immediately and tell her about it. She'd be so jealous. "Thank you, sir. This is a great honor for me!" He followed Sephiroth to the door and waited until he was out of hearing range before he started squealing like a dying hamster.
Sephiroth's next stop was Lazard's office. The Director had agreed to meet him since Sephiroth had emphasized that it was important. He sat in the man's office, stating his case with the usual precision. "I think you are agreeing with me that the matter should be taken care of. We cannot tolerate such childish bickering amongst the lower classes, it will fester and disturb the working atmosphere."
Lazard adjusted his glasses, his gaze boring into Sephiroth's. "I know you would not approach me with redundant issues, so I do agree with you. Measures have to be taken against trouble spots like this. We cannot have SOLDIERs beating each other when what we want to teach them is cohesion and team spirit." He agreed icily. "We should summon both parties and hear what they have to say."
Sephiroth nodded and waited for Lazard to give the orders. One by one they came into the office, being offered a chair. Brad looked confused when he entered but Sephiroth gave him only a cool look, waiting for Genesis to arrive.
Sighing, said red-head was on his way to Lazard's office, again. He was spending too much time there, just as at the hospital. He wondered what the Director would want from him, perhaps something about their failed mission. Arriving at his office, he announced himself at the secretary's desk, but she just waved him in without looking up or acknowledging him in any way. He raised an eyebrow at that but shrugged it off and entered Lazard's office, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw not only Lazard, but also Sephiroth and Brad – of all people. Suddenly he knew what this was about.
"Have a seat please. You are the last one to complete this meeting," Lazard beckoned, adjusting his glasses and gesturing towards an empty chair beside Sephiroth. Then he folded his hands on his desk. "Do you have any idea why you are here?" He wanted to give them a chance to explain themselves before any accusations were made. Brad threw an unsure look at Sephiroth, feeling the bottom of his stomach drop, but he didn't dare speak..
Reluctantly the redhead sat down next to the man who had caused all this trouble. Count on Sephiroth to run to Lazard after you tell him to 'Forget about it'. He was giving him headaches of the worst kind.
"I have no idea." He replied smoothly, crossing his arms and his legs in a defensive stance, not deigning to throw Brad even one gaze.
"Is that so," Lazard said tentatively, his eyes drifting over to the other boys. Half of them looked guilty, the others petulant. One of them had crossed his arms over his chest defensively, hiding his knuckles that were sore from the beating last night. "Well then, allow me to fill you in. It has come to my attention that there was an incident last night. The five of you," he looked at the group of young men over the rim of his glasses, "apparently ganged up against Mr. Rhapsodos here."
Genesis shot Sephiroth an angry look, before turning his attention back to his superior, eyeing him with indifference. He did not reply. He did not feel the courage to lie to the man but he did not want to confirm his story, even though it was quite true.
He felt Brad, who sat about a meter away from him, gasp and shift uneasily, and saw him throwing confused glances over to where Sephiroth was sitting.
"Well?" Lazard laid his fingertips against each other, getting impatient. He didn't have all day and right now he felt more like a principal lecturing impudent students than the director of a deadly army.
"What proof do you have?" One of the bratty guys finally demanded to know. Brad held his breath.
"Me," Sephiroth said simply, looking straight at the runt. "I saw you."
The boy shifted, averting his eyes and staring at his feet. He couldn't talk back to his idol, could he now? "Well, it was dark, maybe you confused us with someone else. We all have alibis, we were playing cards in Brad's room," another one of them tried uncertainly, hoping that sticking to their original plan might work.
"Mr Rhapsodos?" Lazard asked.
Nibbling at his bottom lip, Genesis kept quiet at first, but he could not hold his tongue in front of Lazard forever. "It wasn't as bad as you make it sound." He finally said, his voice cool and leveled. He had not wanted to talk this over again, but he didn't see a way out now. Lying to the Director was not an option, but he could at least save some of his dignity by talking it down. "It's not like I have any severe injuries or bruises…"
"Yeah," one of the boys added eagerly. "It wasn't serious, just a practical joke we were playing on him. He's fine. No hard feelings." His eyes darted over to Sephiroth and he licked his lips.
"There are no injuries because of the materia I gave him," Sephiroth retorted gravely, making the youth flinch and shut up. "And had I not come you would have continued."
Again, Genesis flashed him a look that definitely said something like 'Get lost', before turning back to Lazard. "Yeah, well, he's right and I'm so grateful that he rescued me when I was in danger, yada, yada, are we done now?" He hissed coldly, the pressing feeling of indignity rising in the pitt of his stomach. Sephiroth had what he wanted, he had successfully exposed Genesis in front of the Director again, great.
"No, we are not. I want to know why you attacked your class mate. What reason could you possibly have to justify such impious actions?" Lazard's hard gaze bore into their heads and finally one of them crumbled.
"It was all Brad's idea! He said that we had to teach the guy a lesson, because he was spreading lies about Sephiroth! He claimed that he had saved Sephiroth and all, and we wanted him to apologize and admit that he had lied! Brad made us do it, he said we had to kick him and scare him!"
"You wanted it just as much as I did, it was not utterly my fault." Brad barked angrily, completely shell-shocked that they would be backstabbing him so soon. He knew they were not as strong willed as he wanted them to be, but that they would pull this treasonous act on him was unbelievable. "We only wanted to pay this guy back for spreading lies, that was all. We would have stopped if he had just admitted it."
"I said about a hundred times that the information you wanted was confidential." Genesis retorted deadpan and snorted.
"Gentlemen!" Lazard interrupted their bickering sharply. He was getting a headache. "I think we can agree on the fact that you five attacked Rhapsodos for unsubstantiated and petty reasons. It is not up to you to 'punish' anyone, I do not want to see a mob of crazy brats lynching one of their fellow SOLDIERs because of ridiculous fanboyism! I am the only one who punishes anyone," he boomed, his voice getting louder and scarier with every word as he slowly rose from his chair, towering above them. "This time I will leave the punishing to SOLDIER Second Class Sephiroth, seeing as he is the one this is all about essentially. He will make an example as he sees fit to avoid further incidents of similar nature."
"Great." Genesis breathed out, hoping silently that Lazard hadn't heard it even though he didn't give a damn at the moment. He simply ignored Sephiroth, not wanting to have anything to do with whatever punishment he would dole out to them. His foot started to twitch impatiently.
"But…" Brad started, but was silenced immediately by the look the Director was giving him, sinking deeper into his chair in a futile attempt to disappear.
"You will be dismissed from the program. Go pack your stuff and never appear before me or any SOLDIER, you are a disgrace." Sephiroth's words were hard and clipped and they petrified the boys.
They had expected a lot, but this... this was unbearable. "But... but we did it for you!" one of them whispered tonelessly, utterly crestfallen and close to tears.
Sephiroth was not impressed. "Don't you dare suggest that this was in any way associated with my wishes," he growled, eyes blazing. "You are scum, of the worst kind and you do not deserve to remain here a second longer. Get out of my sight."
Genesis was shocked. He had thought that perhaps some extra training or whatever would give them something to do beside meeting and talking about their idol, but throwing them out of the program was just… too harsh.
"Don't you think that this is a little over the top, Sephiroth?" Genesis asked, eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. "It's not as if they tried to kill President ShinRa or anything like that.
Brad blinked rapidly. This was so surreal. Sephiroth wanted to get rid of them, smashing their dreams into tiny little pieces, and Genesis – the red haired prick of all people – was coming to their rescue. Something was seriously wrong here.
"I don't think so. SOLDIER does not need fanatics who can't tell right from wrong. But since you seem to be so wise why don't you deal with your own bullies. Go ahead, I will accept your decision," Sephiroth said coldly. Five pairs of frightened eyes shifted towards Genesis.
The auburn haired youth shook his head at that, disbelieving that Sephiroth was really that… ignorant to the problem. "Don't you think they learned their lesson with this already? And if they do something like this again, they can go to hell or where ever. Drown them in paper work or extra training, I don't care, but don't crash their hopes of becoming a SOLDIER just because you can't stand being idolized." Genesis sighed. He did not want to impose any harsh work on them personally, he couldn't care less, but having them kicked out would do no good. Angeal had told him that Brad was indeed promising. Good with the weapons he was given, good in hand to hand combat and smart when it came to tactics. Throwing him out because of a silly act of puberty would be a waste of talent, and even Genesis saw that.
"Paper work and extra training it is then," Lazard interjected. He was not pleased to see Genesis aggressively challenging Sephiroth's authority like that. The point had been made and whatever discussion they had to have would not be in front of either him or the bullies. "You are all dismissed. I do not want to have to deal with anything like this again, do you understand? If something like this ever occurs again you will be dismissed, permanently. Now leave. I will let you know about the specifics of your tasks through your superiors."
Brad and his friends left first, eager to get out and thank whatever goddess that they were still a part of SOLDIER. Genesis did not wait for the silver-haired man, as he was still furious with him for bringing the issue up – and then even in front of Lazarad. He saluted and then left as well, wanting to just hide in his bed for the rest of the day. It couldn't possibly get any worse. Well it could, since his side had been hurting all day long, most likely because of the training and it was annoying the living shit out of him.
Sephiroth left the Director's office after they had exchanged a few more formal words. Then he left, pushing the button of the elevator with more force than would have been necessary. He didn't want to go back to his room because Genesis would be there and he didn't want to see him right now. Sephiroth was still very angry. Technically he still had classes, so he went there, sitting in a room full of rookies and not listening to the things the teacher recited, because Sephiroth knew them inside out anyways.
Genesis, on the other hand, did not have classes anymore that day and he was glad for it. Flopping down on his bed and ignoring the persisting sting in his side, he cuddled into the soft cushion.
This was ridiculous. No one – not even Sephiroth – had the permission to show him up like this in front of the Director, when he had pointed out that he should just forget about it. The boys needed someone to bring them back to their senses, but when he had heard Sephiroth speak those words – those ominous little words ... a chill had shot through his whole body and reminded him all too clearly that the man was his superior. He was most likely only here because Sephiroth wasn't as cold-hearted as most people thought he was. Lazard had given the silver-haired man the power to kick out nearly anybody he wanted; not that Genesis ultimately feared it, but it was an unsettling feeling. And he was still furious that the other had so openly ignored his wishes.
It was almost 6 p.m. when Sephiroth left the class room. Usually he fled right after the lectures were finished but today he let himself be cornered by excited classmates and answered their questions resignedly. He was honest, maybe a bit discouraging. He didn't want anything like last night happening again, so he needed to show them that he was just another guy before they started idolizing him. It was uncertain yet whether he had succeeded or not. After he had gotten something to eat from the canteen he went to his room, tired. (and) He had intended to go to bed early but the moment he opened the door and met Genesis' hostile glare he knew that this wasn't going to happen.
The redhead had given up on trying to get some rest hours ago and had settled for reading Loveless – again. Upon hearing the creak of their door, he only needed to look up briefly, oblivious to the fact that it was no friendly gaze, before he turned back to the poem, deliberately ignoring Sephiroth as he strode through the room. Everything about him was annoying him – to put it nicely.
Since he wasn't attacked by a flood of accusations Sephiroth closed the door behind him and walked over to his desk where he prepared to eat. The indefinable mush on his plate was warm and tasted bland, but Sephiroth didn't care. He sat down and ate it, wordlessly.
Genesis observed him the whole time, waiting for something, perhaps an apology that he knew would not come. Finally drawing his eyes back to his book he tried to comprehend the loose words he saw there, but they did not make any sense.
"You would have kicked them out, wouldn't you?" He asked eventually, not even noticing that it was his voice that had broken the silence.
tbc
Review replies (Mary/BMIK)
fantasi88:
Well, who could that certain someone possibly be? *hint hint* hihi xD But you are right. Even if he was a SOLDIER first class, being outnumbered by almost equally skilled enemies is never easy to handle. Plus he does not have a weapon! Lazard it would be I guess xD As far as I understood it, he's in charge of the SOLDIERs as a whole, righty? :o Never really got their hierachy anyways ~ Thanks for the comment :D I always love hearing what people think while reading the story, it makes everything more lively, in my opinion : You are right, poor Genesis was horribly outnumbered, but the knight with shining hair came to his rescue ;) Well, and I think Brad and his friends thought they were invincible, giving each others alibis... but apparently that didn't work too well XD
hypnoticaa:
I'm glad you like it! As I said some chaps ago, I guess we had to get used to each other's style. When I re-read the beginning again, I think quite the same. The start was not as good as it eventually turned out, but I'm glad about that :D Thanks for the comment! Yay, happy you like this! We won't leave it unfinished, I promise, I just need to make time for regular updates ^^'
Shadow Haloed Angel:
Oh they will eventually :D But who wouldn't love some Drama? : On we go! Hope you have fun! Love to you too, darling! Sorry for the delay, the next chapter will be up hopefully soon-ish XD
As usual comments and criticism is very much appreciated^^