A/N: There aren't enough Sephiroth/Tifa fics out there, so I decided to write my own. Warning! There is graphic sex in this story. If you don't like it, don't read it.

I've been fiddling with this lately, doing some editing. Here's a more polished copy, if you will. With a title change!

Blood and Bruises

I won't lie, it frustrates me. Having him come and go as he so pleases, uncommitted and free.

Free. That's what Cloud is. Free to do whatever he wants. Relieved of the responsibilities that the rest of the planet is shouldering. Cloud would rather have his memories. They mean more to him than the present, and the future.

He left me again tonight. He packed a bag, slung it on his broad back, and went to the garage to start Fenrir without a word. Not even goodbye. Of course, he didn't have to say it. I knew where he was going. Well, I knew he was leaving. Where Cloud went when he decided to take off, I could only speculate.

Two hours after the roar of Fenrir had faded, I closed the bar and began a frenzy of cleaning. I'd always found cleaning to be very therapeutic; wiping away the day's dirt and grime, polishing a worn old surface until it might pass as new. I was scrubbing at a particularly spiteful stain on the counter when I sensed it. Or him.

Years of training had heightened my senses, but it was more than that. It wasn't a particular scent or physical sensation; it was in my mind. A burgeoning sense of dread. I spun on my heel, my heart springing up into my throat, and stared into a pair of piercing emerald eyes.

Cloud, I thought wildly, you promised. You promised, Cloud.

"Tifa. You remember me, don't you?" Sephiroth asked, then laughed. The sound was harsh and menacing. "Of course you do. Who would dare forget?" He stepped closer. I realized he had me cornered; I was pressed against the wall with nowhere to turn. Cloud...he would be gone all night, if not all week.

What would he find when he came back? My entrails splattered across the room? I thought of Denzel and Marlene- my eyes flickered to the stairway that led upstairs and into the apartment.

Sephiroth noticed, and chuckled darkly.

"You're concerned for the children? Don't be," he moved even closer, his body tensed like a cat stalking prey, "what do I need from them? No, the person I want something from is you." He raised his hand and pointed at me, then lowered it and laughed once more.

I shifted my weight around and stepped into a fighting stance. There was no way I would beat him, but possibly I'd get in a few good hits. Maybe break his nose.

"Yes, of course you would fight me. Did you know," Sephiroth continued, "I always admired that particular quality of yours. That spark. Not even I could put out that fire." With this he laughed even harder, then unsheathed his sword; the long, glimmering masamune.

I froze, and then dropped my fists. There was no way, no way in hell I would even get near him. He was going to cut me in two. He was going to finish what he'd started in Nibelheim. My whole body began to tremble.

"I...you...bastard," I choked, hating the effect he was having on me. He was terrifying me into silence. My throat was closing up and constricting. My heart began to pound in my chest, and I tried to say something coherent. "What could you want from me? You've already taken everything!" The last came out as a scream, which startled me. I hadn't realized that I'd raised my voice.

Sephiroth didn't reply. Instead he lunged at me, striking my face with his free hand in an open-palm blow. A slap.

I fell to the rough wooden floor from the force of his attack, banging my head and yelping in pain. I stared straight ahead, and saw his heavy military boots step closer to me.

"Have I taken everything, my dear? I confess," he murmured, pushing his blade against my throat, "I'm surprised. Everything?"

He bent down and studied me, his gaze sending my body into tremors. Working up the courage, I spat in his face.

Sephiroth did not move. He continued to watch me as my saliva dripped off of his cheek and splattered onto the floor.

"What do I want from you?" he whispered, his eyes dancing with mirth. "A beautiful woman like you?"

It was then that I realized. It wasn't mirth or malice in his eyes. It was lust.

No. Surely no. He couldn't want that. The trembling that racked my body grew worse.

"No," I whimpered. Sephiroth smiled lazily.

"You will do as I say, girl." He reached over and seized my arm, dragging me to my feet whilst keeping his sword pressed against my throat. I was trapped. He would kill me if I tried to fight him. He was going to kill me even if I didn't fight...

And either way, I knew he would get what he wanted. "Now," he purred into my ear, "you can give me what I want, or I can take it." His grip on my arm tightened into a painful squeeze. I shuddered and looked away, my mind racing, trying to produce a solution to the situation.

"I...please," I whimpered, hanging my head in self-disgust. He was going to make me beg. I didn't want to think about how painful he would make my death if I defied him.

"Hmm? What's this?" Sephiroth smiled. "Please? Tifa." He spun me around and pulled me against him, his arm wrapped around my waist and his sword pressed firmly against my throat. I froze in horror when I felt him push against my back. He was noticeably aroused. "I didn't think you had it in you. But since you've asked so politely," he murmured in my ear, then laid a kiss on my exposed neck. I shivered; his mouth was burning-hot against my clammy, cold skin.

"No...don't...anything. Anything but this..."

He ignored me, trailing kisses along both sides of my neck and running his free hand between my breasts, his finger following the scar he'd given me years ago.

"You will survive, as you always do," he answered. His voice was cold, logical. As though he'd solved a mathematical equation. "Will you fight me, Tifa? It will be painful if you do."

"Leave me alone...please just leave me alone," I begged. Hot, panicked tears formed in my eyes and spilled out onto my cheeks in a torrent.

"Oh my, reduced to begging? Cloud would be ashamed." He laughed. "You want this, Tifa."

His words stung me, worse than his slap.

"You're insane," I sobbed.

"Think about it. Do you not want a man with power? Not that weak little puppet, but a man such as I?" His voice had become soft, almost gentle. I blinked to clear my vision. "You want to be controlled. You want to be taken care of. Aren't you sick of taking care of everyone, Tifa? Wouldn't it be such sweet relief if somebody took care of you?"

I struggled with his words. I knew I should have ignored them; he was Sephiroth, master at manipulating those around him. Yet...he had hit a soft spot in me, and he knew it. He was right. How I longed to relax, to be swallowed up by the will of someone else. To have things be out of my control. Because knowing I couldn't do anything was better than knowing I could.

Sephiroth must have noticed my sudden contemplation, for his next words shook me to the core.

"I would be that man, Tifa."

"Liar!" I sobbed. "You...you don't have the heart to care for anybody! You killed my papa! My hometown...my friends! You killed them all!"

"Ah, that I did." Sephiroth's voice remained gentle. "Enough talk, though." With one hand he savagely pulled my shirt off. The sound of fabric ripping open echoed in the bar. He followed suit by tearing off my bra.

His hand groped my left breast and played with my nipple, pinching and rubbing and squeezing until it stood perked. He fondled my right breast as well. I closed my eyes tight and tried to ignore the arousal he stirred in me with his rough, calloused hand.

"So," he murmured, amused. "You do want me, don't you? It's alright Tifa, you can admit it." He squeezed my breast, then thrust his hand up my skirt. "At least admit it to yourself."

I gasped at the sudden intrusion as his fingers roughly prodded me through my underwear. Sephiroth laughed once more, then pushed my underwear aside and slid one of his fingers up inside me without warning.

Burning pain throbbed somewhere in my belly; I let out a little squeal as he withdrew his finger only to thrust two in at once.

"Does it hurt?" he whispered. I nodded, dazed. This was not happening. I closed my eyes and told myself that it was fake. Maybe even one of his illusions. But his laughter in my ear was too real. It cut through the haze and kept me glued to reality. "Don't fight me, Tifa."

His sword was pulled away from my throat. I heard a thud as he dropped it onto the floor. His freed hand began to explore my breasts, but gentler this time. I wondered if this was my chance. He'd put his sword down...no. Even without his blade, he would be rid of me in seconds. It was then that I decided to obey him. What choice did I really have?

Slowly I turned around, wincing as his fingers pushed and prodded my unused insides. Sephiroth watched me, his mako eyes burning.

"I...I won't. I won't fight you," I stuttered. Sephiroth chuckled.

"I knew you wouldn't." He drew me close and stared into my eyes. "Kiss me," he demanded. I complied, hesitantly pressing my lips against his. I was surprised; they were soft, gentle lips. Lips made for kissing.

He returned the kiss hungrily, a starved man. But it was gentle. How to explain it? I felt his desire, his will- it swamped me. I was lost, I was drowning in his shadow, but it was good. It was the feeling I'd craved all my life. Accompanied by it was a wave of horror. Would I allow myself to actually enjoy this?

"I..." Damn, he had turned me into a stuttering idiot.

"You're doing very well, Tifa," he murmured. "Very well indeed." His fingers continued their exploration between my legs, but the pain had subsided. I felt little bolts of pleasure as he stroked and caressed me.

"I'm scared," I replied honestly, raising my hands and tangling them in his thick mane of silver hair.

Sephiroth shrugged.

"As you should be. But," he added, and looked at me with an expression that was almost kind," don't be."

I trembled lightly as I removed my hands from his hair and started to unbutton his heavy black trench coat.

"I admire your tenacity, Tifa." He withdrew his fingers from me and held them up to his lips. A very thin film of blood coated them. "You're delicious," he added, licking his fingers clean.

"I...oh.." I whispered, staring at his mouth.

"You're a virgin, I see. Well done." He stroked my cheek gently. "You've not given yourself to some blind fool. You've waited for me, haven't you?"

I stared at him, dazed. It was true, I was a virgin. I'd never considered having sex with anyone other than...Cloud.

I carefully pushed his trench coat off of him; it fell to the floor in a heap.

"It was never the right time," I whispered dully.

"Is it now?" His normally cold voice seemed warm, husky.

"I..."

He didn't give me time to respond; he pulled my skirt off and followed suit with my plain white underwear. I was naked before him, completely exposed.

"You will enjoy this," he murmured in my ear. "You will see, Tifa. You will know what it is like, to be subject to my desires. It is not an idle task, dear Tifa. It will hurt. You will scream." His hands moved to my waist, and he lifted me up, setting me on the edge of the counter.

I watched as he unbuckled his pants. I was mesmerized. He was huge...maybe it was just the fact that I had nothing else to compare him to. But his member was thick, and lengthy. I felt another violent shiver run up my spine.

"Don't be afraid, Tifa," Sephiroth whispered, positioning himself between my legs. I gasped as his member brushed against me. Gently he stroked my entrance with it.

"It's going to hurt," I sighed.

"Yes."

Without warning, he plunged into me, his hands grabbing my hips for support. His thrust was hard and deep; I would have been pushed back if he wasn't holding onto my hips.

I screamed as he tore through me, breaking me open. Slowly Sephiroth drew himself back, then thrust into me again.

"Oh," I whimpered thickly, "god..."

"Tifa," Sephiroth murmured. He grabbed my chin with one hand. "Look at me." Slowly I brought my eyes up to meet his piercing, haunted gaze.

He hammered into me again, and again, and pain blossomed in my lower abdomen.

"It hurts," I sobbed, sinking my nails into the flesh of his shoulders. "Oh god, it hurts..."

"You're doing well, Tifa," he gasped, picking up a rather slow rhythm with his hips. "You're doing very well."

I thought I would pass out from the pain. He was filling me, I felt as though he'd punctured every part of my body and was seeping into my veins.

"Sephiroth." I whimpered his name unwillingly. Sephiroth laughed. He drilled into me harder, pounding his hips against mine with brutal force.

I lowered my head, trying to cover my face with my hair, but he raised his hands and yanked my head backwards savagely, eliciting another shriek. Tears trickled down my face as he continued his assault. He withdrew from me suddenly, and studied the damage he'd inflicted.

"You're bleeding, Tifa. I like that," Sephiroth murmured huskily.

"Please...I can't...I can't take it," I begged, staring into his swirling emerald eyes. For a brief second, I saw a flicker of guilt across his face.

"You can. You're breathtaking, Tifa. I confess, you amaze me." He pulled me off of the counter; I staggered into his arms, and was surprised when he caught me and held me up. With a gentleness I never knew he could posses, he held me to him. "I would like it very much if you took over," he purred in my ear, and pulled me to the floor.

Dazed, I straddled him and slowly lowered myself down, letting him slip into me once more.

"Gentle, Tifa," he whispered, brushing my hair out of my eyes. I slowly began to rock against him, clenching my teeth as his member glided in and out of me, stretching me even further.

"Like that?" I asked softly. Sephiroth chuckled.

"Like that, my dear. Just like that," he murmured. I placed my hands on his broad shoulders and continued to rock, lulled by the gentle motions we were engaged in. "Enough," he whispered eventually, hauling me to my feet once more. Gently he turned me around. "Put your hands on the counter, Tifa."

I obeyed him, grasping the counter so hard my knuckles turned white. Sephiroth reached forward and pushed on my back, making me bend over. I felt him press against my buttocks before sliding into me once more.

The pain was subsiding; it was being replaced by pleasure. I moaned as he set a pace, drilling into me once more. His hand reached around and found that most intimate place, the little bud of nerves that I was well-acquainted with, and he swirled his fingers against it gently.

"Oh...god," I gasped. It was pleasure like I'd never known; I felt myself clench around him, and Sephiroth moaned as well, a low, feral growl that only heightened my own desire. I wanted him. This was what I needed. He was filling me, completing me. "Harder," I whimpered.

Sephiroth laughed.

"Much obliged," he growled in my ear, and began to slam into me with a force he hadn't used yet. With every thrust I squealed, but it was from gratification rather than pain.

I felt Sephiroth tense suddenly, and he strained up against me, pushing himself even deeper. His fingers pressed hard against my bud, and I screamed as a shattering orgasm seized my body.

Then we collapsed into each other. His heavy frame slumped against mine, and slowly we lowered ourselves to the floor. I was panting heavily, trying to get my breath back. Sephiroth's broad chest rose and fell in a steady, calm rhythm. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his pounding heart.

Sephiroth smiled at me. It was such a strange action; I'd never seen him genuinely smile. I felt my knees tremble and go weak.

"Tifa," he murmured, running his hands through my hair. We were coated in sweat; his smelled musky, male. I decided I liked that smell.

"Are you going to kill me now?" I asked quietly. Sephiroth frowned and shook his head.

"Now why would I do that, Tifa? Unless," he paused dangerously, "you do something stupid. Strife can never know. Nobody can know. Do you understand?"

I nodded quickly. Yes, I understood. This was to be our secret.

"Yes." I found myself hoping he would stay a while. He smelled so good...I must have gone delirious, wanting Sephiroth to stay rather than leave.

"Unfortunately, I must go." Sephiroth untangled himself from me and stood, offering his hand for me to get up as well. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. "You've unhinged me, Tifa Lockhart." He pulled me into his arms and stared into my eyes. "Tonight I've been reminded that I'm very much still a human. I thank you for that."

He kissed me, gentler than I could ever imagine him being.

"You'll come back?" I asked quickly. Sephiroth allowed a smile.

"I believe I will." He buckled his pants back up and put his coat on. "Until then, Tifa." He reached his hand out; it was clenched into a fist. Curious, I held out my own hand, and he dropped into it a single black feather. My eyes widened in surprise, but when I looked up, he was gone.

I gathered myself and headed straight for the bathroom to have a shower. I was still naked, but my mind was hazy and I didn't really care. When I flicked the bathroom light on, I gasped in shock.

Bruises. Bruises and blood. My thighs were sticky with blood; there was so much of it. Too much. And already dark shadows were beginning to form on my hips, on my arms and stomach. He'd left a hickey on my neck as well.

I stepped into the steaming hot shower and let the water pour over me. Blood trickled down the drain as I cleaned my thighs and bottom. When I was finished, I stepped out and wiped myself dry with a towel, then looked in the mirror.

He had left his mark all over me. Claiming me, possessing me.

I thought about his words.

"You want to be controlled. You want to be taken care of. Aren't you sick of taking care of everyone, Tifa? Wouldn't it be such sweet relief if somebody took care of you?"

I knew the answer.