Darkness... Fear... Insanity... Chaos...

Corruption.

All of it was his to charish; and nothing more. Genesis felt as if he were caught in a void... Ever since birth. All he had ever felt were shadows... Things that were barely there. Only the faint whisperings of happiness, of love, of friendship, touched his mind... Not the true emotion.

It was only now he found himself experiencing true feeling. But he only knew rage and deep hatred, coupled with a jealousy coiling around him, slithering through his mind and controlling his actions.

His mind was corrupted. His mind... Was it gone yet? Was it ever there...?

He didn't know.

***

All Angeal could think of was the past... All that went through his mind were thoughts of Genesis. Everything else was clouded; gone. He recalled so many things... Their promise to always be together, their promise to make First Class together, their promise to always be true to each other... So far, all three of those promises were broken; Angeal had achieved First Class before Genesis.

Promises... What a pitiful word. Promises, Angeal now knew, were naiive dreams... Wishful thinking and dreaming of a far-off future.

And what were dreams but only disappointments when you failed to achieve them...?

But at least he had his memories. Perhaps he could live in them until his time came.
And perhaps... He could fantasize about a made-up future that would never come.
A future where one day... It would only be Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos. A future where no one else mattered; a future where they weren't monsters for having wings. A future where nothing could hurt Genesis anymore... Where Angeal was there to protect him and wipe away his tears.

But in the back of his mind he knew this future would never come.

A few months later...

He didn't turn around; he didn't need to. He already knew who was there, doing nothing to show his acknowledgement of the presence behind him, only conitinuing on to stare at his reflection in the full-length mirror in front of him.

"You sure? They seem pretty tight to me," Genesis grinned, eyeing his friend's crotch. "My my Angeal! I never knew you were gay!"

"Yeah, well, I never knew you were a whore! You're just asking to be-"

"Ladies, please," Sephiroth smoothly interjected, "let's take it oustide, shall we? Or at least back to one of your rooms. I have enough to clean up as it is."

"Genesis..."

"What is in the past remains part of the past. It is only the future that matters, as it is yet undecided."

"Sephiroth." Genesis sighed, running one finger down a crack in the glass. "So... Angeal..."

"Angeal!"

"You said you didn't want to see..."

"Oh come now Angeal. I'm sure you've played with him enough for one day."

"Is gone." Sephiroth glared at the self-proclaimed monster.

"Hah. I'd like to see you use that." Triumphantly dropping the two forks onto the table, he smirked at Genesis's disgusted expression, laughing when his friend timidly picked one of them up, groaning again upon seeing a string of saliva connecting it to the table.

"Good Shiva! What did the forks ever do to you?!"

"Ah." Despite his cold disposition and lack of outward reaction, Genesis's heart felt like it was being ripped out from his chest. He started shaking, the hand that was previously tracing the crack now pressed against the mirror to keep himself from falling.

"Oh god, Genesis!"

"You did deserve it."

"Shut it Seph!" Genesis's thin lips pulled back into a smirk once again before his tongue began swirling around the tip. Slightly pulling back, he then licked the length of Angeal's finger, cleaning it completely of any frosting whatsoever before moving on to the next finger. "Having fun?!" Genesis looked up at him innocently then withdrew, slowly licking his lips.

The redhead's smile widened into a grin. "Angeal... Close your mouth, would you? It's impolite to drool..."

"'Ah'? Is that all you can say?" When Genesis didn't reply, Sephiroth pressed on. "Genesis... He's dead because of your selfishness."

Angeal bared his teeth, a low growl rising in his throat. "I don't care if you are the General himself... I will not abandon him!"

"And you think I don't know...?" Genesis shut his eyes tight, leaning his forehead against the mirror. As tears began to stream down his cheeks silently, he muttered, "I wonder... If my time is up yet... So I can join him."

They had remembered his birthday... They had baked him a cake, they had even decorated Sephiroth's quarters... So why was he crying? Why was he crying when Angeal's warmth pressed against him? Why was he crying when he had Sephiroth's reassuring grip? Both of those things used to comfort him... And they still did. So... Why did the tears continue to stream down his face? Why did sobs threaten to escape from beneath his gloved hand? Why...?

Sephiroth clenched his jaw, glaring at the man who was once his friend. A long silence ensued before Genesis began violently shaking. "If you want..."

Sephiroth sheathed Masamune, walking over to the boy and catching him before he could fall, laying him carefully onto the ground beside the creature. The General held his shoulder gently as he coughed up blood, red hair sticking to his sweaty brow, face covered in ashes. Clear blue eyes fluttered open as he panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Please. Please... Do." Sephiroth nodded.

Genesis smiled, a few stray tears threatening to leak through his eye lashes. It was the first real smile he had given in such a long time... "Thank you." There weren't enough words existing to express how he truly felt, but his two childhood friends seemed to already know...

"Good bye, Genesis..." Sephiroth drew his sword, knowing full well in his heart, that just as much as it would hurt him to do so, it would set Genesis free.

"There is no such thing as a friend. The only true desire is to obtain power and most will do whatever they can to take it, even if it means manipulating and using others."

"But... Let me ask one thing."

"We have reason to believe Lieutenant Rhapsodos betrayed SOLDIER."

"Depends on what it is, Genesis."

He was a monster. His pride was gone... His dreams were shattered. What did he have left to him, anyways? Even his Humanity was slipping away... Everything was gone. And soon, so would his life.

"Sephiroth... Did he..."

"Let's do something that does not involve guessing sexualities. Like, watching a movie, perhaps?"

"Sephy, you are lame."

"Can it Gen."

"Shut up gay!"

"Seeeeph, he called me gay again!"

Sephiroth tightened his grip on Masamune. "No. He was eaten alive by monsters he summoned. Or so I heard from Zack."

"That's pretty sexy- Hey wait..." Angeal laughed at him. "That is NOT funny!"

"I see. So... Only Zack... Was..."

"Closer. Come closer you little bitch... Daddy wants... Daddy wants something only you can give him..."

"He died by his own choice, Genesis. Neither you nor I was there, and I believe that was what he wanted."

"Genesis, you are going to enjoy tonight even if it means that I have to break the rules and get you completely and utterly stoned." Genesis swallowed. Both Angeal and Sephiroth knew very well he had no tolerance for alchohal. "So you better start having fun. Understood?" Genesis could only nod in response. "Good. Angeal, you can release him now." Angeal grinned sheepishly before doing as his superior had asked.

"Another one of our promises broken..."

"Promises are only empty words."

"What do you mean...?"

"If spoken to a friend, they retain meaning!"

"We promised each other... We wouldn't let each other die alone."

"Angie! You're back! I missed you so much!"

"Angeal had Zack with him." Sephiroth looked away as soon as the words left his mouth, regretting them already as Genesis flinched like he had been hit. After another long silence, he added, "I won't let you die alone."

"I believe I said no one was home."

"And you're right. No one of any importance anyways..." He smirked when Genesis rolled his eyes. "Of course... Since there's no one home... That means I can take what I want and get away with it..."  Angeal eyed a hand crafted red blade as he spoke, taking a few, deliberatly slow steps towards it.

Genesis shook, trying desperately to control his breathing. As Sephiroth lifted his Masamue and struck, the once vibrant red-head muttered, "thank you."

"Yeah. We're both First Class now. He's awake if you want to see him..."

"I really shouldn't. He doesn't know who I am."

"Neither do I." Angeal crossed his arms and snorted. "But I think he'd want to know who it was that saved his life."

Genesis's eyes widened, staring intently at the mirror as his life slipped away...

"Nope..." The black-haired First Class pulled out a strip of fabric from his back pocket. "Do you know what this is, dear Genesis?"

"I don't think I want to know... 'Dear Angeal.' " The redhead scowled, crossing both his legs and his arms in a hilariously feminine pout.

"This... Is a blind-fold." Angeal paused, grin widening when he saw Genesis's breath hitch. "I can't take you where I'm going unless you're wearing this..."

"This is rape!"

"You wish. Keep guessing," Angeal teased.

"You rapist!"

"If you really want to believe that..."

"No I don't!"

"I can make it happen..."

"NO!"

"You sure...?"

"YES!"

"Your blush says otherwise..."

Genesis groaned. "Just give me the damned blindfold!"

He could've sworn... For just a second...

"Since when were you awake?!"

"Since you started whimpering and muttering my name..."

Genesis's face flamed red. He, whimper?! "And when was that?!"

Angeal grinned and rolled them over, now stradling the redheads back. "You were dreaming about me, weren't you...?"

Genesis folded his arms, resting his chin on his wrists, pouting. "Why would I want to do that? I already see enough of you during the day..."

Angeal. He knew he saw him... Standing right beside him.

"I am a monster, Angeal. I am only acting how I am supposed to..."

And his hair... Although it may have just been his own blood on the mirror...

"Don't leave me!"

"Never..."

"Angie... I'm... Scared..."

"Don't be. I'm here for you. I won't let anything hurt you anymore... Never again."

"Angeal..." Gently Angeal grasped Genesis's chin and tilted his face up, staring into frantic, pleading eyes.

While placing a chaste kiss on his forehead, the older 14-year-old whispered, "I promise."

He would have liked to think, in his final moments...

But something was different about this time... This time... He wasn't alone. Rapid, heavy footsteps ran towards him, speeding up when its owner was close enough to see the now sobbing, broken soul. "Gen!" Strong, muscled arms wrapped around him tightly and the young boy burried his face into the newcomers' chest, small, lithe arms wrapping around his waist, almost afraid that if he didn't hold on strong enough, his last connection to sanity would slip away from him just as everything else had. "Genesis... It's ok. I'm here. I'm here! Don't cry... Please don't cry..."

That Angeal had put his arms around him.

"Lieutenant Hewley..." Genesis sighed and rolled onto his back, staring into the familliar face of the first person who had ever cared.

And...

"I promised I'd never leave him."

That his hair... Was reflected red.

"I... I think I... I lo-"

"I love you too... Angeal..."