2025-07-11, 05:03 PM
Memories
An ambulance drove along the streets to the hospital with its blue light flashing and siren wailing. The ambulance reached the hospital within minutes.
Of course, the ambulance was already expected by a few doctors and nurses. The paramedics opened the back door of the ambulance and pulled a young woman, who was lying on a gurney, out of the ambulance.
After that, a man with a worried face also got out. The woman was in terrible pain, groaning repeatedly with each new contraction.
The woman was taken by the hospital staff and immediately wheeled into the operating room, while the husband was asked for his personal details.
“Um, yes, my wife's name is, um, can't we do that later? I have to see my wife, please?” the man pleaded, looking agitated and somewhat desperate, his head glistening with sweat.
“Please, there is nothing you can do for your wife right now and we need to have your personal information. Please be reasonable,” the receptionist spoke calmly to this man.
The man nodded and then said, ‘My wife's name is Fabienne Lymand and my name is Randir Lymand,’ he then gave more or less willingly.
After that, the nurse asked him to take a seat in the waiting room. Bathed in sweat and very nervous, he waited and waited and waited?
Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours, and these almost became an eternity.
Meanwhile, in the operating room, doctors and nurses were trying to save the lives of Fabienne and the unborn child.
Unfortunately, only Fabienne's life could be saved. The child was stillborn.
The child died during the cesarean section to deliver it.
Since Fabienne had been put under general anesthesia, she was naturally unaware of what had happened. She only found out about the death of her child later and collapsed from it. The death of her child, whom she had been looking forward to so much and had waited for so long, had been very difficult for her. She had a hard time coping with the funeral of her child and had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a while.
*-*-*
All this happened about a year ago. Everyday life had been largely restored, but Fabienne, understandably, never quite got over the death of her child – her little son Toby, whom she had nevertheless given a name to.
To make matters worse, Fabienne was unable to have any more children, which intensified her grief even more. She constantly visited Toby's little grave and spoke to him. Day after day she was here with him and Randir, who had thrown himself into his work, only went with her at the weekend.
All of this had hit him very hard, too, but he tried everything to suppress the death of his son, which of course was very difficult for him.
Once again, Fabienne was in the cemetery, talking to Toby. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining down from the sky and it was as if Toby himself had painted the sun in the sky. Nevertheless, it was bitterly cold because it was winter and there was snow on the ground.
As Fabienne spoke, as always, about Toby's grave, she suddenly heard a soft whimper. Was she just imagining things? Was she already having hallucinations? But as she continued speaking, she heard the whimper again. Now it was getting too eerie for her and she went to find out where the whimper was coming from.
She knew that the whimpering could not have come from the grave.
Just a few meters from her son's grave, she found a small carrier bag. She bent down and looked inside. What she saw shocked her deeply. Inside was a small baby, who was surely only a few days old, crying and whimpering heart-wrenchingly. It was almost frozen blue.
What kind of monster, what kind of woman, or whatever, could have the heart to abandon such a small baby here in the cemetery in this freezing cold???, Fabienne wondered and shook her head.
Fabienne took the baby in her arms. She opened her coat, held the child against her body and carefully closed the coat again. The child immediately snuggled up against Fabienne and was instantly quiet. She also took the carrier bag with her and went to her car by the quickest route.
She sat down on the back seat and looked at the little bundle of warmth. It's so cute, she thought. She was very taken with the baby from the first moment. While she was warming the baby, she looked again into the carrycot and found a note inside.
*-*-*
Hello, the one who found the baby, please take good care of him.
It's a little boy and I named him Sephiroth.
He's only three days old, but I can't keep him, I'm sorry.
My parents beat me. They beat me because I gave birth. They didn't understand.
I beg you, take care of Sephiroth and please give him a good and loving home.
Thank you and I wish you all the best and good luck with the little one.
Best regards,
the unknown mother.
*-*-*
Fabienne didn't let go of the little one and put the note in her coat pocket. With the little one under her coat, she sat down at the wheel and drove home as quickly as possible?
*-*-*
From a safe distance, the unknown mother had seen everything. And she was happy for her little boy, because she knew that he would have a good home and a happy childhood with this woman, who came to this cemetery and visited this child's grave every day?
*-*-*
Soon Fabienne arrived home, parked the car and ran into the house after removing the carrier bag from the car.
Once inside, she ran into the living room and found, to her surprise, her husband Randir there.
“Randy, my darling,” she greeted him and beamed, ‘Look what I found.’ She began, unbuttoning her coat and showing her husband the baby she was holding under her coat, beaming with joy.
She told him the story of how she had found the little one, then, completely euphoric, she asked Randir:
“Dearest, could you please go buy baby food and everything else we need?”
She wrote him a list of everything she needed for Sephiroth.
“Stop! Stop! No, that's not how it's done. Dear, you can't just keep the little one like that. We have to notify the youth welfare office and the child has to be examined by a doctor,” Randir explained to his wife, in his very matter-of-fact manner.
Startled, Fabienne looked at her husband and with tears in her eyes she shook her head.
“NO, I won't give Sephiroth away. You can forget that. I'll keep this little bundle of joy and give him a wonderful home. And if you won't go buy the needed things, I will,” she replied, holding the baby protectively in front of her.
“All right, all right, you can keep him for all I care,” Randir finally agreed.
He took a closer look at the little one. He nodded and smiled, saying,
“I can see why you're upset. He really is cute. We'll keep him and raise him as we would our own son.”
He couldn't do his wife any harm by taking the child away from her. She suddenly seemed so completely different, full of joie de vivre, and he was sure that she would be a wonderful mother to the little one.
Beaming with joy, Fabienne kissed her sweetheart, then he took the note from his wife, left the house and went shopping.
Meanwhile, Fabienne took care of the little one. She climbed the stairs with the baby – “her baby” – and went first to the nursery, which had not been changed since then, and undressed the baby.
After wrapping him in a soft bath towel, she took him in her arms again and entered the bathroom with him. She ran pleasantly warm water into a small children's bathtub and then bathed the little one.
Afterwards, she took the little one to the children's room, where she dressed him and spoke lovingly to him.
“Well, my little one? You're so cute. Who could have brought you here? But I promise you, my little one, that I will always protect you from now on, no matter from whom, and you will have a good home here. I love you so much, my little prince?” and almost adored him.
Eventually, Randir came home as well and brought everything they had asked for.
With Sephiroth in her arms, she went to meet her lover.
“Look, darling, isn't he adorable?” Fabienne beamed, delightedly, and placed Sephiroth in Randir's arms.
It almost looked as if the baby was smiling slightly at his 'father' Randir, which of course wasn't the case, but it looked that way. Of course Randir was also very fond of the little one.
*-*-*
Both kept little Sephiroth and officially adopted him only a short time later. From the first moment, the little boy was treated like a prince by the two. There was nothing they denied him. No wish remained unfulfilled. It didn't matter if it was just a bedtime story, walks, trips, or material things?but the loving care that Fabienne and Randir gave Sephiroth was at the top of the list. In short, Sephiroth lacked for nothing?
Of course, Fabienne and Randir never forgot their first child? Toby. But now they only went to Toby's grave once a week, and soon even less often than that.
Of course, Fabienne always took Sephiroth with her. Fabienne never left her young son alone. Every time, Fabienne placed a few fresh flowers on Toby's grave and said a few words to the grave...
*-*-*
The years passed much too quickly and soon Sephiroth had reached the age of sixteen.
Sephiroth had been very much spoiled by his parents and he liked to show it a little to those around him. He was something better. However, he never let his parents feel this. He adored and loved his parents very much, although he knew that he was “only” adopted. Both had told him at some point that they had adopted him and also told him the story of how Fabienne had found him in the cemetery.
Fabienne and Randir were the only parents he ever had and would ever have, Sephiroth was sure of that.
His biological mother never got to know Sephiroth, because she had taken her own life at some point.
She saw Fabienne again and again when she went to the cemetery with Sephiroth. She was pleased to see that her little son was doing well. The unknown mother also saw Sephiroth learning to walk. And she saw how cute and pretty her little son was. However, she could no longer bear it. It hurt her too much that she could not take care of the little one herself, and so she ended her own life at some point.
*-*-*
Sephiroth had the most modern, expensive and best things ever. At school, only selected students were among his friends. Of course, he was the leader of the clique that HE had founded.
His academic performance was excellent, so he occasionally gave tutoring – but only when it suited HIM.
It was just another normal day at school – crowds in the hallways and chaos in the classrooms. Sephiroth was still chatting with his clique when a twelfth-grade student suddenly bumped into him.
“Excuse me,” the student said hastily, and continued on his way – or rather, he wanted to continue on his way?
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Sephiroth shouted after the student.
He grabbed the bastard, as he called him, in a flash and held him by the arm.
“Listen up, you little creep. You can't just bump into me and say ‘excuse me’. Who do you think you are and who do you think you're dealing with? Sephiroth hissed at the guy in front of him.
The guy just grinned and didn't let himself be intimidated by the other guy.
Oh, I'm sorry, little guy. Did I hurt you? You're the little spoiled brat. I've heard a lot about you at school. You're Sephiroth, aren't you? You're easily recognized with your long silver hair. Go home to your mommy and get a decent haircut, little Sephiroth, who isn't even a man yet. The other guy laughed at him, freed himself from the silver-haired boy's grip, and continued on his way.
Sephiroth was furious and swore revenge, and his boys agreed with him, of course. They all stuck by him and during the next breaks they planned their next move.
In one of the longer breaks, the four of them were sitting in their usual spot, against a tree in the schoolyard.
“Hey Seph, how about we waylay Damien, that's the guy's name who bumped into you, after school and give him a good punch in the face,” suggested Zack.
But Sephiroth was somewhere else with his thoughts. He wanted to pay back this guy alone. He wanted to get rid of him, destroy him, eliminate him. Although it was only an accident, Sephiroth felt that his honor had been violated, that the guy had offended him.
There was no way Sephiroth could let that go.
Seph??, Zack asked, nudging his buddy lightly.
Uh? Yeah? What is it then?, Sephiroth asked, pulled out of his thoughts.
Were you listening to me?, Zack asked, grinning slightly.
No, sorry, please, what were you saying?, Sephiroth replied.
Zack told him everything again, but Sephiroth just waved it away.
“No, I'll take on Damien alone and I'll destroy him, you can count on it. And don't any of you dare interfere?” Sephiroth threatened, looking at his friends with threatening glances and a slightly raised fist.
His friends looked at him and nodded: “It's okay,” Genesis said.
“Do you already have a plan how you want to accomplish that?“ Angeal wanted to know.
“Yes, of course, but that's and remains my secret,” Sephiroth replied, quietly? threateningly?
*-*-*
School was over and the friends went home, each on his own. Sephiroth walked along the street, lost in thought. He was still preoccupied with the matter of Damien and was already hatching a plan.
“Well, if it isn't little nerd Sephiroth,” it said, after Sephiroth had bumped into something because he hadn't looked and paid attention.
He looked up and saw someone standing in front of him – exactly the one he hated with a passion, whom he wanted to destroy – Damien!
Clear the way, Damien, or you'll curse the day you were born, I swear to you!“ Sephiroth warned Damien, looking menacing as the wind played with his long silver hair.
“Oh, really? Is that supposed to be a threat, little guy?” Damien grinned, taking a closer look at Sephiroth.
Grinning, he looked at the other, but thought his part.
“I don't associate with scum,” Sephiroth turned away.
Sephiroth went in the opposite direction, because he could also get to his parents' estate in the other direction. He would and wanted to deal with Damien later, when the time was right.
But if Sephiroth now thought that he had lost Damien, he was far from it. Damien followed him. Damien was above Sephiroth's threats, he was used to that. Gently, Damien took Sephiroth by the arm and turned him around.
“What's the matter, Sephiroth? A moment ago, you swore revenge on me, and just now you even threatened me. You haven't changed your mind, have you, my little nerd?”, Damien said provocatively to Sephiroth.
“First of all, don't call me 'my' little nerd, because I'm not, and secondly, let go of me immediately?” Sephiroth replied, with the friendliness of a full-grown king cobra and? there was coldness in his voice – icy coldness.
His eyes also radiated a coldness that would freeze even hell.
“No, I won't let you go, Sephiroth. What's the matter? Are you uncomfortable when I touch you?” Damien wanted to know provocatively.
Yes, Sephiroth was very uncomfortable when he was touched. Even his friends kept more or less distance to him, they knew that Sephiroth didn't like it. So they left it alone if they could. The only ones allowed to touch him were his parents. Sephiroth himself did not know why that was.
Seemingly calm, Sephiroth stood there and looked at Damien with his cold eyes narrowed to small slits.
“So, you won't let go of me, then I'll have to teach you a lesson,” Sephiroth whispered with a threateningly calm voice, looking like a cobra about to attack.
Then, as if he had missed something, Sephiroth brought Damien back down to earth. With a quick and very skillful move, he had thrown him to the ground, where Damien remained for the time being, very bewildered and somewhat shocked. This was not what Damien had expected. Then maybe Sephiroth wasn't the mama's boy and a nerd after all, as Damien had thought.
Finally, Sephiroth kicked Damien with his right foot, standing on Damien's chest. Then he spoke triumphantly:
“Let me tell you one thing: I don't like it when I'm touched – only my parents are allowed to do that. And another thing, I'm neither a coward nor a nerd – I'm a perfectionist. What I do will never be half measures. I'll finish you off one day, be aware of that. And Damien? Don't you dare come too close to me again, got it!? Then Sephiroth took his foot off Damien, smiled maliciously and deviously, then went home?
Damien quickly stood up and watched Sephiroth go. He really wasn't who Damien had thought he was. Sephiroth had much more to offer than what he was usually willing to show. He was much stronger than he appeared. But you couldn't tell by looking at him.
Slowly, Damien began to admire Sephiroth. From now on, he would leave him alone. Well, at least that's what he decided. Besides, this little lesson from Sephiroth was a lesson to Damien. He would certainly not mess with him again. And yet, there was something about this boy that... Wait a minute, what was he thinking?!
After Sephiroth had arrived home, he was greeted warmly by his mother Fabienne, as always.
“Sephi, my angel. There you are again. Well, how was your day? Dinner will be ready soon, dear,” she said, giving him a loving embrace and a kiss on the cheek.
He didn't particularly like it, but he let his mother have her way. However, he rolled his eyes and looked up. Of course Fabienne knew that her son didn't like it when she kissed him on the cheek. But she couldn't help it? she loved her son too much.
“My day was okay, thanks,” Sephiroth replied with a grin, and then continued, ‘Mom, I'd like to be alone for a bit, okay. I can eat later, right?”
“That's okay, sweetheart. I'll leave you alone,’ Fabienne respected her son's wish.
Sephiroth went up to his room, closed the door and sat down at his desk, which was right in front of his window. Thoughtfully, he looked out. Then he saw Damien! What was he doing here? He hadn't followed him, had he? Didn't he live in a completely different part of town? But maybe one of his friends lived nearby.
But why hadn't he seen him around then? Questions upon questions went through Sephiroth's mind, but for every answer he found, another question arose.
Was that a doorbell ringing? Not that it mattered, but it was too late to think about it now.
“Sephiroth?” His mother called up from downstairs. ‘Could you come down, please?’ she asked him.
Sephiroth went to his door, opened it a crack and called down.
“What's the matter, Mom?”
“There's someone here who wants to see you, shall I send him up?“ Fabienne asked.
“No, Mom, I already told you I want to be left alone,” Sephiroth refused the question, consistently.
“It's all right, Sephi,“ his mother agreed, and then there was silence.
“I'm sorry, Damien, but if Sephiroth wants to be left alone, then I accept that. Please come back another time,” Fabienne asked, and she was about to accompany Damien to the door when he said,
“You know what, I think your son is a little spoiled and pampered mama's boy, someone should really tell him that and wean him off it.” With those words, he walked past Fabienne and up the stairs without saying another word.
Then he opened the door to Sephiroth's room without knocking first. After all, he had been able to see where Sephiroth's room was when the latter had opened the door a little.
Damien found Sephiroth on a soft sofa, where he seemed to be resting.
So, so, the little one rests and lets himself be pampered. Get up, Sephiroth!” Damien spoke loudly and stood next to the sofa.
Sephiroth turned away: “Leave me alone. And get out of here, once and for all.” What the? Sephiroth stood up and stood right in front of Damien.
Then he asked, “What the hell do you want from me?”, and glared at Damien.
“You're not really asking me that, are you? I want you to get off your sofa, get moving and stop letting people take care of you all the time. Who do you think you are, anyway? You're no 'prince', just a spoiled little brat! You need
An ambulance drove along the streets to the hospital with its blue light flashing and siren wailing. The ambulance reached the hospital within minutes.
Of course, the ambulance was already expected by a few doctors and nurses. The paramedics opened the back door of the ambulance and pulled a young woman, who was lying on a gurney, out of the ambulance.
After that, a man with a worried face also got out. The woman was in terrible pain, groaning repeatedly with each new contraction.
The woman was taken by the hospital staff and immediately wheeled into the operating room, while the husband was asked for his personal details.
“Um, yes, my wife's name is, um, can't we do that later? I have to see my wife, please?” the man pleaded, looking agitated and somewhat desperate, his head glistening with sweat.
“Please, there is nothing you can do for your wife right now and we need to have your personal information. Please be reasonable,” the receptionist spoke calmly to this man.
The man nodded and then said, ‘My wife's name is Fabienne Lymand and my name is Randir Lymand,’ he then gave more or less willingly.
After that, the nurse asked him to take a seat in the waiting room. Bathed in sweat and very nervous, he waited and waited and waited?
Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours, and these almost became an eternity.
Meanwhile, in the operating room, doctors and nurses were trying to save the lives of Fabienne and the unborn child.
Unfortunately, only Fabienne's life could be saved. The child was stillborn.
The child died during the cesarean section to deliver it.
Since Fabienne had been put under general anesthesia, she was naturally unaware of what had happened. She only found out about the death of her child later and collapsed from it. The death of her child, whom she had been looking forward to so much and had waited for so long, had been very difficult for her. She had a hard time coping with the funeral of her child and had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a while.
*-*-*
All this happened about a year ago. Everyday life had been largely restored, but Fabienne, understandably, never quite got over the death of her child – her little son Toby, whom she had nevertheless given a name to.
To make matters worse, Fabienne was unable to have any more children, which intensified her grief even more. She constantly visited Toby's little grave and spoke to him. Day after day she was here with him and Randir, who had thrown himself into his work, only went with her at the weekend.
All of this had hit him very hard, too, but he tried everything to suppress the death of his son, which of course was very difficult for him.
Once again, Fabienne was in the cemetery, talking to Toby. The day was beautiful, the sun was shining down from the sky and it was as if Toby himself had painted the sun in the sky. Nevertheless, it was bitterly cold because it was winter and there was snow on the ground.
As Fabienne spoke, as always, about Toby's grave, she suddenly heard a soft whimper. Was she just imagining things? Was she already having hallucinations? But as she continued speaking, she heard the whimper again. Now it was getting too eerie for her and she went to find out where the whimper was coming from.
She knew that the whimpering could not have come from the grave.
Just a few meters from her son's grave, she found a small carrier bag. She bent down and looked inside. What she saw shocked her deeply. Inside was a small baby, who was surely only a few days old, crying and whimpering heart-wrenchingly. It was almost frozen blue.
What kind of monster, what kind of woman, or whatever, could have the heart to abandon such a small baby here in the cemetery in this freezing cold???, Fabienne wondered and shook her head.
Fabienne took the baby in her arms. She opened her coat, held the child against her body and carefully closed the coat again. The child immediately snuggled up against Fabienne and was instantly quiet. She also took the carrier bag with her and went to her car by the quickest route.
She sat down on the back seat and looked at the little bundle of warmth. It's so cute, she thought. She was very taken with the baby from the first moment. While she was warming the baby, she looked again into the carrycot and found a note inside.
*-*-*
Hello, the one who found the baby, please take good care of him.
It's a little boy and I named him Sephiroth.
He's only three days old, but I can't keep him, I'm sorry.
My parents beat me. They beat me because I gave birth. They didn't understand.
I beg you, take care of Sephiroth and please give him a good and loving home.
Thank you and I wish you all the best and good luck with the little one.
Best regards,
the unknown mother.
*-*-*
Fabienne didn't let go of the little one and put the note in her coat pocket. With the little one under her coat, she sat down at the wheel and drove home as quickly as possible?
*-*-*
From a safe distance, the unknown mother had seen everything. And she was happy for her little boy, because she knew that he would have a good home and a happy childhood with this woman, who came to this cemetery and visited this child's grave every day?
*-*-*
Soon Fabienne arrived home, parked the car and ran into the house after removing the carrier bag from the car.
Once inside, she ran into the living room and found, to her surprise, her husband Randir there.
“Randy, my darling,” she greeted him and beamed, ‘Look what I found.’ She began, unbuttoning her coat and showing her husband the baby she was holding under her coat, beaming with joy.
She told him the story of how she had found the little one, then, completely euphoric, she asked Randir:
“Dearest, could you please go buy baby food and everything else we need?”
She wrote him a list of everything she needed for Sephiroth.
“Stop! Stop! No, that's not how it's done. Dear, you can't just keep the little one like that. We have to notify the youth welfare office and the child has to be examined by a doctor,” Randir explained to his wife, in his very matter-of-fact manner.
Startled, Fabienne looked at her husband and with tears in her eyes she shook her head.
“NO, I won't give Sephiroth away. You can forget that. I'll keep this little bundle of joy and give him a wonderful home. And if you won't go buy the needed things, I will,” she replied, holding the baby protectively in front of her.
“All right, all right, you can keep him for all I care,” Randir finally agreed.
He took a closer look at the little one. He nodded and smiled, saying,
“I can see why you're upset. He really is cute. We'll keep him and raise him as we would our own son.”
He couldn't do his wife any harm by taking the child away from her. She suddenly seemed so completely different, full of joie de vivre, and he was sure that she would be a wonderful mother to the little one.
Beaming with joy, Fabienne kissed her sweetheart, then he took the note from his wife, left the house and went shopping.
Meanwhile, Fabienne took care of the little one. She climbed the stairs with the baby – “her baby” – and went first to the nursery, which had not been changed since then, and undressed the baby.
After wrapping him in a soft bath towel, she took him in her arms again and entered the bathroom with him. She ran pleasantly warm water into a small children's bathtub and then bathed the little one.
Afterwards, she took the little one to the children's room, where she dressed him and spoke lovingly to him.
“Well, my little one? You're so cute. Who could have brought you here? But I promise you, my little one, that I will always protect you from now on, no matter from whom, and you will have a good home here. I love you so much, my little prince?” and almost adored him.
Eventually, Randir came home as well and brought everything they had asked for.
With Sephiroth in her arms, she went to meet her lover.
“Look, darling, isn't he adorable?” Fabienne beamed, delightedly, and placed Sephiroth in Randir's arms.
It almost looked as if the baby was smiling slightly at his 'father' Randir, which of course wasn't the case, but it looked that way. Of course Randir was also very fond of the little one.
*-*-*
Both kept little Sephiroth and officially adopted him only a short time later. From the first moment, the little boy was treated like a prince by the two. There was nothing they denied him. No wish remained unfulfilled. It didn't matter if it was just a bedtime story, walks, trips, or material things?but the loving care that Fabienne and Randir gave Sephiroth was at the top of the list. In short, Sephiroth lacked for nothing?
Of course, Fabienne and Randir never forgot their first child? Toby. But now they only went to Toby's grave once a week, and soon even less often than that.
Of course, Fabienne always took Sephiroth with her. Fabienne never left her young son alone. Every time, Fabienne placed a few fresh flowers on Toby's grave and said a few words to the grave...
*-*-*
The years passed much too quickly and soon Sephiroth had reached the age of sixteen.
Sephiroth had been very much spoiled by his parents and he liked to show it a little to those around him. He was something better. However, he never let his parents feel this. He adored and loved his parents very much, although he knew that he was “only” adopted. Both had told him at some point that they had adopted him and also told him the story of how Fabienne had found him in the cemetery.
Fabienne and Randir were the only parents he ever had and would ever have, Sephiroth was sure of that.
His biological mother never got to know Sephiroth, because she had taken her own life at some point.
She saw Fabienne again and again when she went to the cemetery with Sephiroth. She was pleased to see that her little son was doing well. The unknown mother also saw Sephiroth learning to walk. And she saw how cute and pretty her little son was. However, she could no longer bear it. It hurt her too much that she could not take care of the little one herself, and so she ended her own life at some point.
*-*-*
Sephiroth had the most modern, expensive and best things ever. At school, only selected students were among his friends. Of course, he was the leader of the clique that HE had founded.
His academic performance was excellent, so he occasionally gave tutoring – but only when it suited HIM.
It was just another normal day at school – crowds in the hallways and chaos in the classrooms. Sephiroth was still chatting with his clique when a twelfth-grade student suddenly bumped into him.
“Excuse me,” the student said hastily, and continued on his way – or rather, he wanted to continue on his way?
“WAIT A MINUTE!” Sephiroth shouted after the student.
He grabbed the bastard, as he called him, in a flash and held him by the arm.
“Listen up, you little creep. You can't just bump into me and say ‘excuse me’. Who do you think you are and who do you think you're dealing with? Sephiroth hissed at the guy in front of him.
The guy just grinned and didn't let himself be intimidated by the other guy.
Oh, I'm sorry, little guy. Did I hurt you? You're the little spoiled brat. I've heard a lot about you at school. You're Sephiroth, aren't you? You're easily recognized with your long silver hair. Go home to your mommy and get a decent haircut, little Sephiroth, who isn't even a man yet. The other guy laughed at him, freed himself from the silver-haired boy's grip, and continued on his way.
Sephiroth was furious and swore revenge, and his boys agreed with him, of course. They all stuck by him and during the next breaks they planned their next move.
In one of the longer breaks, the four of them were sitting in their usual spot, against a tree in the schoolyard.
“Hey Seph, how about we waylay Damien, that's the guy's name who bumped into you, after school and give him a good punch in the face,” suggested Zack.
But Sephiroth was somewhere else with his thoughts. He wanted to pay back this guy alone. He wanted to get rid of him, destroy him, eliminate him. Although it was only an accident, Sephiroth felt that his honor had been violated, that the guy had offended him.
There was no way Sephiroth could let that go.
Seph??, Zack asked, nudging his buddy lightly.
Uh? Yeah? What is it then?, Sephiroth asked, pulled out of his thoughts.
Were you listening to me?, Zack asked, grinning slightly.
No, sorry, please, what were you saying?, Sephiroth replied.
Zack told him everything again, but Sephiroth just waved it away.
“No, I'll take on Damien alone and I'll destroy him, you can count on it. And don't any of you dare interfere?” Sephiroth threatened, looking at his friends with threatening glances and a slightly raised fist.
His friends looked at him and nodded: “It's okay,” Genesis said.
“Do you already have a plan how you want to accomplish that?“ Angeal wanted to know.
“Yes, of course, but that's and remains my secret,” Sephiroth replied, quietly? threateningly?
*-*-*
School was over and the friends went home, each on his own. Sephiroth walked along the street, lost in thought. He was still preoccupied with the matter of Damien and was already hatching a plan.
“Well, if it isn't little nerd Sephiroth,” it said, after Sephiroth had bumped into something because he hadn't looked and paid attention.
He looked up and saw someone standing in front of him – exactly the one he hated with a passion, whom he wanted to destroy – Damien!
Clear the way, Damien, or you'll curse the day you were born, I swear to you!“ Sephiroth warned Damien, looking menacing as the wind played with his long silver hair.
“Oh, really? Is that supposed to be a threat, little guy?” Damien grinned, taking a closer look at Sephiroth.
Grinning, he looked at the other, but thought his part.
“I don't associate with scum,” Sephiroth turned away.
Sephiroth went in the opposite direction, because he could also get to his parents' estate in the other direction. He would and wanted to deal with Damien later, when the time was right.
But if Sephiroth now thought that he had lost Damien, he was far from it. Damien followed him. Damien was above Sephiroth's threats, he was used to that. Gently, Damien took Sephiroth by the arm and turned him around.
“What's the matter, Sephiroth? A moment ago, you swore revenge on me, and just now you even threatened me. You haven't changed your mind, have you, my little nerd?”, Damien said provocatively to Sephiroth.
“First of all, don't call me 'my' little nerd, because I'm not, and secondly, let go of me immediately?” Sephiroth replied, with the friendliness of a full-grown king cobra and? there was coldness in his voice – icy coldness.
His eyes also radiated a coldness that would freeze even hell.
“No, I won't let you go, Sephiroth. What's the matter? Are you uncomfortable when I touch you?” Damien wanted to know provocatively.
Yes, Sephiroth was very uncomfortable when he was touched. Even his friends kept more or less distance to him, they knew that Sephiroth didn't like it. So they left it alone if they could. The only ones allowed to touch him were his parents. Sephiroth himself did not know why that was.
Seemingly calm, Sephiroth stood there and looked at Damien with his cold eyes narrowed to small slits.
“So, you won't let go of me, then I'll have to teach you a lesson,” Sephiroth whispered with a threateningly calm voice, looking like a cobra about to attack.
Then, as if he had missed something, Sephiroth brought Damien back down to earth. With a quick and very skillful move, he had thrown him to the ground, where Damien remained for the time being, very bewildered and somewhat shocked. This was not what Damien had expected. Then maybe Sephiroth wasn't the mama's boy and a nerd after all, as Damien had thought.
Finally, Sephiroth kicked Damien with his right foot, standing on Damien's chest. Then he spoke triumphantly:
“Let me tell you one thing: I don't like it when I'm touched – only my parents are allowed to do that. And another thing, I'm neither a coward nor a nerd – I'm a perfectionist. What I do will never be half measures. I'll finish you off one day, be aware of that. And Damien? Don't you dare come too close to me again, got it!? Then Sephiroth took his foot off Damien, smiled maliciously and deviously, then went home?
Damien quickly stood up and watched Sephiroth go. He really wasn't who Damien had thought he was. Sephiroth had much more to offer than what he was usually willing to show. He was much stronger than he appeared. But you couldn't tell by looking at him.
Slowly, Damien began to admire Sephiroth. From now on, he would leave him alone. Well, at least that's what he decided. Besides, this little lesson from Sephiroth was a lesson to Damien. He would certainly not mess with him again. And yet, there was something about this boy that... Wait a minute, what was he thinking?!
After Sephiroth had arrived home, he was greeted warmly by his mother Fabienne, as always.
“Sephi, my angel. There you are again. Well, how was your day? Dinner will be ready soon, dear,” she said, giving him a loving embrace and a kiss on the cheek.
He didn't particularly like it, but he let his mother have her way. However, he rolled his eyes and looked up. Of course Fabienne knew that her son didn't like it when she kissed him on the cheek. But she couldn't help it? she loved her son too much.
“My day was okay, thanks,” Sephiroth replied with a grin, and then continued, ‘Mom, I'd like to be alone for a bit, okay. I can eat later, right?”
“That's okay, sweetheart. I'll leave you alone,’ Fabienne respected her son's wish.
Sephiroth went up to his room, closed the door and sat down at his desk, which was right in front of his window. Thoughtfully, he looked out. Then he saw Damien! What was he doing here? He hadn't followed him, had he? Didn't he live in a completely different part of town? But maybe one of his friends lived nearby.
But why hadn't he seen him around then? Questions upon questions went through Sephiroth's mind, but for every answer he found, another question arose.
Was that a doorbell ringing? Not that it mattered, but it was too late to think about it now.
“Sephiroth?” His mother called up from downstairs. ‘Could you come down, please?’ she asked him.
Sephiroth went to his door, opened it a crack and called down.
“What's the matter, Mom?”
“There's someone here who wants to see you, shall I send him up?“ Fabienne asked.
“No, Mom, I already told you I want to be left alone,” Sephiroth refused the question, consistently.
“It's all right, Sephi,“ his mother agreed, and then there was silence.
“I'm sorry, Damien, but if Sephiroth wants to be left alone, then I accept that. Please come back another time,” Fabienne asked, and she was about to accompany Damien to the door when he said,
“You know what, I think your son is a little spoiled and pampered mama's boy, someone should really tell him that and wean him off it.” With those words, he walked past Fabienne and up the stairs without saying another word.
Then he opened the door to Sephiroth's room without knocking first. After all, he had been able to see where Sephiroth's room was when the latter had opened the door a little.
Damien found Sephiroth on a soft sofa, where he seemed to be resting.
So, so, the little one rests and lets himself be pampered. Get up, Sephiroth!” Damien spoke loudly and stood next to the sofa.
Sephiroth turned away: “Leave me alone. And get out of here, once and for all.” What the? Sephiroth stood up and stood right in front of Damien.
Then he asked, “What the hell do you want from me?”, and glared at Damien.
“You're not really asking me that, are you? I want you to get off your sofa, get moving and stop letting people take care of you all the time. Who do you think you are, anyway? You're no 'prince', just a spoiled little brat! You need