Sleepless

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy names, characters and locations belong to Square Enix. I own nothing that you recognize.

It Reminds Me Of Mother part 1

The rains began early in the evening, drumming out a steady rhythm on the rooftops. Slivers of moonlight could be seen through a thin scattering of clouds, the city lights reflected in puddles that formed on the streets. By the time midnight approached, the clouds had thickened enough to obscure the moon, darkening the skies as a lone figure lay in his bed, listening to the rain outside his window.

Zack was unable to sleep and had spent the past hour lying on his back, gazing up at the ceiling. Every now and then he heard an odd crinkling sound coming from the bed on the other side of the room. Other times it sounded like dry beans rattling against the inside of an empty soup can. It was puzzling, and after a while he sat up in bed, looking around and wondering what was making that strange sound.

The noise grew louder, mingling with the squeak of bedsprings as Sephiroth rolled over, his long, silvery hair spilling past his shoulders and trailing over the side of the bed. Then all at once silence returned to the room, with nothing but the sound of rain filling the late hours of the night.

Curious, Zack cocked his head to the side, and saw that Sephiroth was holding something against his chest. Though it was too dark to make out what he was seeing, he thought that maybe he could get a better look if he moved a little closer, perhaps using his sense of touch to identify the mystery object. Not that sneaking up on Sephiroth was a good idea. But maybe the first class SOLDIER wouldn't notice. Maybe he'd continue sleeping and everything would be fine. Or at least he hoped it would be.

He slowly crept across the room, trying not to make a sound. He was able to make it halfway across the room when suddenly the floorboard creaked, and Zack nearly wet himself as Sephiroth snorted, snuffling and mumbling before rolling over and continuing to sleep.

For a moment he felt sure his heart was going to leap out of his chest. Why was he doing this anyway? Surely, whatever Sephiroth had wasn't any of his business.

"Ha, curiosity killed the cat," he muttered, taking another step forward, then another, until he was crouched beside Sephiroth's bed.

He was just able to make out the shape of a small animal nestled in Sephiroth's arms, its dark, furry little head poking out from beneath the covers. Zack reached for it, giving it a gentle poke with his index finger, and heard the familiar crinkling noise coming from the animal's left ear.

"What is that?" he whispered, his pale eyes shining faintly in the dark. He looked from Sephiroth to the stuffed animal then back again, then gave the plush toy another poke.

Sephiroth's eyes opened wide, his fierce glare causing the SOLDIER to wilt under the intensity of his gaze. The next thing he knew Zack was sitting on the floor beside the bed, the tip of Sephiroth's sword against his throat, threatening to pierce his windpipe.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sephiroth snarled, one hand clutching the hilt of his sword, the other holding his stuffed animal against his chest.

Zack held up his hands, showing that he was unarmed. "Sephiroth, it's only me. Relax, buddy. I was just..." His voice trailed off into silence as he realized that Sephiroth was holding a plush bear. "Is that a teddy bear?" he asked, pointing at the furry object.

Sephiroth visibly relaxed, his shoulders sinking as he sheathed his sword and set it aside. "Yes," he said simply, the toy rattling as he adjusted his hold on the furry creature.

Good heavens, this thing had a rattle in it like some kind of baby toy. And if that weren't enough, its ears were filled with a crinkly material that made noise every time Sephiroth rolled over in bed.

"Why do you have a teddy bear?" asked Zack, who was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea of Sephiroth sleeping with a stuffed animal.

A small smile formed on Sephiroth's lips. "It reminds me of mother," he said, giving the bear a gentle squeeze.

Zack fell over backwards when he heard the bear squeak in response to Sephiroth squeezing it. Not that Sephiroth seemed to care. He simply rolled over and went back to sleep.