The Day After

Morning at the Shinra Institution, Tifa awoke from her sleep and tried to sit up from the bed. Unconsciously, she looked at their wedding photo that was situated by the table beside a pastel colored lampshade.

"You'll come back, you promised"

She unknowingly talked to the picture as if Sephiroth could answer. She took the frame and inspected it; she smiled at the memory of it, how surreal it was that day. How Sephiroth looked at her tenderly as if they were the only people that time.

She laughed a bit when she recalled how Sephiroth was tongue-tied to say his vows, all the attendees were immersing at the humor of it, Sephiroth quickly recovered without even realizing the blush that painted his cheeks.

"All is well" she whispered in his ear at the reception. Sephiroth retaliated by capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.

"I thought I was gonna flip out my stomach, that was so embarrassing, thank you for saving me back there" he said.

Then Tifa recalled the fight they had before he had gone out on his dangerous mission to Wutai.

"Why wasn't I invited at the meeting?"She spat as she stormed out in their room after the General's meeting. Sephiroth followed suit.

"They should have informed me otherwise I'm still a renowned battle tactics specialist" Tifa added her voice laced with seething anger and frustration.

"Tifa let me explain," Sephiroth started, he would always have the calmest of mind in their relationship. In a stern voice he said "I did, I was the one who bargained to Shinra to not include you in this mission I cannot afford to let anything happen to you" Tifa was not listening and Sephiroth knew that.

"You need to be here when I come home, promise me that" he said in a gentler voice this time.

"So you're saying that I married you to keep me safe? Seph I'm a soldier too it's an occupational hazard to die in my job!" she quipped still fuming with anger.

"That's what I don't want!" Sephiroth said losing his calm after he heard her say "occupational hazard" Tifa looked at him as tears starts to accumulate in her eyes, Sephiroth was looking dead straight at her that she could almost make out tears from his eyes.

"That's what I don't want" he repeated as he slowly advanced toward her. Sephiroth reached her ran his hands in her shoulders in an attempt of an apology for shouting at her; she closed her eyes tight as the tears flowed freely through her cheeks. She still couldn't see his purpose so she said,

"This is just another way of degrading me and my ability as a soldier, belittling me because I'm a woman is that it?" She said looking blankly out the window.

"No, no" Sephiroth said "it's nothing close to that" as he took her face to look at him.

"Then what is it?" she said in a whisper as she asked eager for an answer.

Sephiroth could only show the calm on his face, as he desperately searched for an answer, for the first time he could not formulate one, being the General that he is, this is one thing he could not easily solve. Tifa took to rest her head at his chest, she wrapped her arms in his neck as she sobbed openly. Sephiroth hold her close and soothed her back. He closed his eyes as he could hear her cries, and he let her. She knew that this impending war was going to happen, Sephiroth had gone out to many difficult missions before, but this time, this, was different. She was preparing herself to do her job when the boiling war between the Wutai Government and Shinra Corporation broke out, reactors were bombed, soldier camps were invaded and raided, hostages were taken and tortured for information. There was one time that week when they hacked into their system and broadcast a live torturing of a young first class soldier, everyone witnessed it including his family, all they could only do was watch helplessly as nails, and knives went through his body, he was electrocuted and spat on, his cries of pain embedded in the minds of those who watched through the end. Seeing that they could not get anything, someone from their group grabbed a sword and sliced his head off. At the end they were laughing manically as they tossed his head around. That was just a grueling taste of how this war was going to commence.

She was not prepared when she found out that they already strategized the plan without her knowing. She was not prepared for Sephiroth to leave like this. That fuelled her anger and learned to despise everyone who agreed to this plan, including Rufus.

But after all she was the one who said the inevitability to lose one's life in this dangerous job so she formulated a resolve to Sephiroth.

"Okay I will stay, but promise me this, you will come back safe and sound you hear me?"

"I promise"

"And that…that you will call me every 10 am in the morning because you know I don't wake up that early"

"Okay…" he laughed "I will" he said reassuringly.

She could never take being mad at him for long not like this, not when he is doing his job. He grew up here; at such a young age, he had learned in many ways, mostly in hard ones, how a soldier's life must be. To everyone that knew him, he was incapable of having to love anyone other than himself. He was feared, he was praised. Put on a pedestal as if for display.

Sephiroth the Guardian of Shinra, the only person seemed untouchable.

To his friends he has closed ties to even say that it was sometimes impossible for them to understand his being. It took them a very long time to partially comprehend and accept him for he really was. No one completely understood, no one dared to say the real things to him.

He was sometimes associated with the word 'Perfect' yes he was, perfect in stature and build, and in his flawless records in Soldier. Before, he was greatly renowned for having a wit mind and sharp tongue, but only because of his reputation for being merciless in battle, excellent battle strategies that couldn't be compromised was embedded in his forehead, but maybe because he is just misunderstood.

She thought bitterly if she could have known him when they were young, she could have been there to tell him the things he needed to hear. Things like encouragement and understanding; he could have been a lot happier and content.

'But I guess it was actually destiny that lead us to each other' she thought.

By then when they were married she had let him see many incredible things life could offer, yes he was the man who had his hands stained with blood of countless Wutai enemies and many others. But seeing him in his most vulnerable times, in which she herself could not even think he has, reminded her that he was still human. That even the untouchable ones had fallen from grace once, just like any one of us. These times she would not dare say to anyone even her own father. She could not let them know about this.

The sensual, passionate nights they shared together were indescribable, some nights he would be just like an animal fighting over patriarch dominance, the rebel that she was she would sometimes take charge and take turn in dominating him. This gives her some kind of ego boost surge through her. The way his lips tasted, the sweet musky smell of his skin that frayed her senses, his muscles tense at every soft kisses she gave him satiated her lust of him. Sephiroth's guttural growl emanated from his throat when she straddles him and the way he slumps back after climaxing into her in short breaths.

There were rough times, she would just glare him as if to bore holes into his being. She thrashed and called names when there were women who associate themselves with him but with no evidence whatsoever. She would cry for hours, sometimes not even talk to him at some point. But then she always remembers her father's words when she came to Nebelhiem to clear her mind.

"The course of true love has never been smooth" he said.

That made an astounding wake up call for her. That very day she went back to Midgar, strolled into his office and relieved that he was alone reading a report. Seeing her in his office at this time gave him a surprised look. She went over to him and kissed him passionately. She cried and sobbed as she apologized for being selfish, for being so stupid. He held her lovingly in his arms as she clung to him like a child to a father.

They said their apologies to each other and all was forgotten.

Back to their moments of laughter, Sephiroth took on a serious note "There's something I need to tell you"

"What is it?"

"Stay away from Shinra or anyone associated with him, I didn't expect him to agree easily with me, anything he say's do not believe him"

"Like I'm gonna believe him" she said teasingly.

"I'm serious, Okay? Look this is my serious face see?" making a serious look on his face, Tifa only laughed at his attempt to humor her, he just had this dry sense of humor. Then they laughed again.

Tifa was now at the kitchen making breakfast, she took out two eggs, mushrooms and cheese from the fridge. She parboiled the eggs and prepared the rest of her breakfast. It was still 5 am when she woke up, an oddly early time for her. The sun was starting to shine through their apartment, illuminating the rest of it by the soft neutral paint of the walls. The kitchen was filled with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and sizzling bacon. She became a breakfast person when she married Sephiroth, although she always sleep in, he would gently call her name to wake her up. Breakfast was a big part of Seph's life. This was his power meal of the day. So from then on she would wake up when he wakes up, help prepare breakfast and see him off to work.

She silently ate her breakfast alone, as she sweeps her phone with emails. There was nothing interesting to look at; some of them were just spams. If Sephiroth was there, he would have taken her phone out. He never really liked it when she was fumbling with her phone while they eating especially in the morning.

She painted a smile on her face as she was recalling their childish rants together. Chasing each other in their apartment was just too cute to avoid.

After breakfast she went on and cleaned up the table, washed the dishes and did some little cleaning up around the apartment. She was about to take the vacuum out of the closet when she heard the doorbell rang. She went to answer it and was not utterly surprised to see a first class soldier standing outside.

"Miss Lockheart, your presence is requested by the Councilors, I will be the one to escort you there" he said as though it were a recorded message.

She was a little reluctant because she was waiting for a call from her husband at 10 am, it was still 8:45 that morning. It had only been yesterday since Sephiroth left. But since it was the councilors who needed to see her, she figured that maybe they are considering her to have a part in the war. That way she could be with her husband maybe not entirely with her but she will also be there to help decrease and eliminate the war.

"Of course, I will be out shortly" she said as she still needed to change clothes as well. She can't go out in her pajamas. She didn't take much time in changing. Tifa took out her card key and purse, and they were on their way. They went to the nearest elevator but she became uneasy. The soldier noticed it and asked.

"What is it Ma'am?"

"Oh it's okay I just forgot my phone" she spared a small smile at him.

" Do you want to go back and take it?"

"No its okay I don't mind, It's in my room"

It took them five minutes in the elevator due to the vastness of the Shinra Buildings. The elevator is a multi-directed carrier that lets the soldiers and staff travel faster and safer. It was also secured with cameras and emergency latches to heighten the security and safety further. When they arrived at Sector 5, they trailed a long hallway that took them 5 minutes to navigate.

They arrived through a hallway that was lined up with numerous soldiers all the way through a door.

One of the soldiers standing in the doorway opened the door for her. She gave a small nod in response.

Inside there were council officials, a few elite branches of SOLDIER, the two generals, Genesis and Angeal, and President Shinra and son Rufus.

They had this somber, dismayed look in their faces when she arrived, or she just made it up. Rufus stood up and went to greet her, sparing a small haunted smile at her.

"Tifa there is something you need to see," he started, " This clip was taken today at the outskirts of Wutai, 50 miles away from the capital where Sephiroth and his troops were situated."

Tifa didn't say a word as she was anticipating what he would say next.

Rufus took the remote and raised it to the monitor.

The first part of the video were very warped due to the unsteady hold of the camera, there were inaudible shouts of commands, deafening sounds of countless bombs going off. The steady array of bullets raining from every direction, the camera man stumbles but managed to get back on his feet. He ran and took cover from a pile of rocks. From there the could see Sephiroth fending his enemies away with a mere swipe of his seven foot katana, he easily dodge the bullets that were aimed at him, credited by his hyped sense of his surroundings due to his mako-enhanced body. Even though the clip was not that of good quality, they could all make-out the sheer fire that held the General's eyes, his intimidating presence is enough to fend the enemies back.

It wasn't that long when a sound of what would be a missile, could be heard from the background. The camera filmed the missile, it was a thermal missile considering the distinct red streaks from it, Tifa widened her eyes in horror but she remained silent, Sephiroth saw what it was and immediately darted into the air in an attempt to stray the bomb away from the rest of his troops, by this time his single black wing appeared, indicating something that he is pushed to his partial limitation.

She walked closer to the monitor as if too see more vividly.

The bomb followed him wherever he went; he struggled to find a crashing spot for the bomb to go off and at the same time away from his troops.

The camera could not keep up with both the speed of Sephiroth and the trailing bomb. Sephiroth flew to a nearby cliff that leads to a steep, rocky coast. There was a tower of rock besides a small gathering of trees, he guided the bomb through it using himself as a decoy, it was a dangerous risk of course but he had to do it. The bomb followed him, he had just enough time to change his course of direction the and bomb went off, but then another bomb was released milliseconds after the first bomb, it was just after he changed direction, with no absolutely time left to fend away, he used his wing as a shield, the second bomb exploded.

The camera man was utterly in shock.

"Oh my God, oh, oh my God!" he could be heard saying.

His camera focused on the ruble far away, trying hard to get a better view. They could hear his heavy breathing and panic could be heard from his voice.

But then another barrage of bullets rained in his direction, from now he was rescued by two other soldiers, they fired at the opponent and he pointed his camera down, ending the video.

Tifa went to nearby table to support herself; it was unclear if whether Sephiroth could still be able to survive.

"The camera didn't catch everything, He is still out there. You need to find and rescue him" she said in a calm and pleading tone.

"Tifa there are evidences that he may have not survived," Tseng said as he switched on the monitor again, he displayed a couple of pictures from the site where the General was.

Tifa watched in disbelief, there were not yet tears from her eyes as she herself could not bring to accept this tragic event.

They took a picture of what would be Sephiroth's wing or what might be bits of it, blood splatters and a few singed silver hairs.

She swallowed, as her hands trembled. Voices of the people around her were muffled, inaudible sounds. Tears weren't there she thought oddly. Tifa stared down at the table she was in as if she could find the answer from it. Then she thought of her phone. Sephiroth was going to call her soon! She looked up from the table to a clock monitor.

She can still make it to their apartment, Sephiroth would call her, with renewed vigor, but still lingered with dread she helped herself out of the room running.

A few of the officials called out, but Rufus told them to let her go for now. He could understand the rage and grief Tifa was feeling right now.

Tifa ran to the nearest elevator and punched her floor number. The way back felt like a thousand years as she could not wait to hear from Sephiroth. To reassure her that he was safe and sound.

Tifa hurriedly got out as soon as the elevator doors opened before her. She stuck out her card key, went past the living room to their bedroom and grabbed her phone that was on the bedside table.

She waited, there was still two minutes or so, she bit her lip, and was breathing fast.

Five minutes past, still there was no call from her husband.

She breathed hard, clutched her phone in her hands as if someone might take it away from her. He should call, he should, Sephiroth promised her.

Tifa kneeled down on the soft carpet, still staring at her phone, it was a surprise how can one single gadget could engulf her whole being, especially when you are waiting desperately for someone to call.

Then realization hit her like a million needles through her heart, she couldn't bear to say it. Sephiroth is gone.