A/N: I have made you all wait a RIDICULOUS and UNFORGIVABLE amount of time for this. Please accept my sincerest apologies. Life has been most unpredictable and frustrating. Jobs have been lost and homes threatened among other things in my life. Though I didn't spend an incredible amount of time on this chapter please be assured another will be following soon, very soon. But I thought the note I ended this chapter on was perfect. I hope there aren't too many errors (I am comma happy and I believe I have a tendency to add too many commas or semicolons). Please, enjoy, read and review. If you liked it, let me know. If you didn't enjoy it PLEASE tell me why so I may take it into consideration for future chapters. Now I will begin chapter 3. Salut!
How long had she been kneeling in that snow? Tifa couldn't feel the frigid air anymore, the shock of seeing him there had made her numb to all but her own fear. She fought her panic, forcing it to finally subside enough to look around for Masamune. Without the intimidating sword she might stand a chance if he were to awaken. If he's alive, she reminded herself. He appeared to have been out in the snow for a while though his lips weren't quite the blue shade of frostbite just yet. The sword remained absent; a small wave of relief went through her.
Slowly and quietly, Tifa rose from her position to walk backwards into the bar. This had to be a dream or a really sick joke; there was no possible way that Sephiroth could be here at her bar. He'd been… well, whatever happened with he and Cloud in the ruins of Midgar had definitely resulted in some sort of defeat. However Sephiroth did have a habit of showing up repeatedly at the moment the planet felt safe. It would be only fitting that he would appear here and now to Tifa.
She reached the door; she could feel the warm air flowing out of the bar against her back. Turning to retreat back into the asylum of her little bar, she wagered a look back at the enemy. Something deep in her heart stirred, urging her to rethink leaving him for dead. He would have done the same to me, left me out here to die. In fact, he probably would have sped the process up and enjoyed it. She nodded, agreeing with her brain. But… why do I feel sick in the pit of my stomach? Frustrated, she raised her fists to her face, wanting to hit something. Tifa desperately desired to leave this monster to his death more than anything in her life. However, she couldn't; something in her was not going to allow her.
Back into the snow she trudged, wondering why she ever listened to her conscience. Tifa squatted next to Sephiroth, noticing he was breathing though very shallow. Sighing, she pulled on his arm, forcing the limp body to slouch over further until his head landed on the ground with a soft thud, making Tifa wince. Onward she dragged the near-corpse into the bar, striving not to bang his head too many more times on the way to the small room near the stairs. Pulling him onto the couch was more difficult than she had originally anticipated to the point she gave great thought to just leaving him on the floor. Yet the floor was chilly and so once again her conscience won, damn it. Using the remainder of her strength, she gave a great heave to throw him most unceremoniously onto the sofa.
Tifa slumped against the couch; he was significantly heavier than she gave him credit for and he definitely owed her for bringing his sorry butt in the bar. Although what was to say he wouldn't wake up and slaughter her in her sleep? "Didn't think of that," she whispered to herself. Nodding silently, she stood to make herself some tea. After filling the kettle up and setting it to boil on the stove, Tifa eyed the phone. Maybe she should call someone and let them know what she had found. She reached for the phone that hung on the wall yet hesitated. Who could she call? Vincent wasn't far; he preferred staying in Kalm rather than Edge but still remained close by. He would definitely be at her bar faster than anyone else could manage but what would he do? Shoot him, probably. Tifa snorted then hung the phone up. No, calling anyone would be foolish. She brought him into her bar for whatever preposterous reason; she may as well deal with the consequences of it. There was no sense in dragging someone else into this folly. Tifa collected two tea cups from her cabinet and began assembling other tea necessities on a tray to bring for Sephiroth.
She hovered at the doorway, unsure if this was wise. Bringing a monster into your house was never the best decision but to serve him tea? She almost wanted to scream at her naïveté; nevertheless she was determined to see this through regardless of the results. Sephiroth was still passed out, that worried her a bit. She had expected him to have regained consciousness by now. Setting the tray down on the coffee table she went to rouse him. Her imagined image of a poke in the side resulting in him comically jumping into the air went unfulfilled. Dumping cold water on him may help wake him though it probably wouldn't help his health. Irked that her ideas were no good she decided to just shout at him. "Hey!" Tifa yelled into his face. She was rewarded by furrowed brows and slowly opening eyes. Fear once again crept up her spine, chilling her. Instinctively she took a small step backward, jamming her calf into the coffee table, knocking the tea cups into each other and making a ridiculous squeaking noise from her throat. Cursing herself for making an absolute fool of herself, she chanced a glance down at Sephiroth. This was wonderful; she not only saved him but made herself looking like the biggest clod ever in the presence of Sephiroth, putting her at the immediate disadvantage in the situation. She had intended on coming off as rough and stern, like a wall. Not this dumbfounded kitten who can't even master its own paws.
He seemed to be fighting his eyes to open. Tifa supposed that made sense, she should have expected him to be disoriented. She pushed the coffee table back a few feet to kneel down near the sofa. With a gulp she swallowed her fear and placed what she prayed would be a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She spoke much softer this time. "Um... I uh, found you outside in the cold. So I… I brought you in here." She certainly didn't sound as brave as she had hoped. His eyes, seemingly less confused as before, finally met hers. Tifa unwittingly blushed; completely unaware until now that he had such lovely eyes. Idiot.
"I see," he answered, an unusual air about him. He glanced around the room he was now resting in. Tifa couldn't place it but something definitely didn't seem right about this Sephiroth before her. It was almost as though he didn't recognize her. She cleared her throat, his attention returned to her face.
"Do you have any idea what you were doing out there? Or how long you were out there?"
Shaking his head, he sighed. "Miss… I don't… I didn't catch your name?"
Resisting the urge to unleash her rage, Tifa regained her composure. "Tifa Lockhart."
Sephiroth blinked, cocked his head and furrowed his brow again. "Tifa, you say? Why… why is that so familiar?"
She choked, "You don't remember me?!"
"I'm sorry… the last thing I remember was a very bright light and soft singing. Was that you, the singing?" She shook her head. "I see. I apologize again; your face is so familiar and your name, I can almost see something in my memory but I can't quite grasp it." He sat up slowly, rubbing his temple.
"S-so, you say a bright light?" He nodded. "And singing?" Again, he nodded. "That's… wow. I'm just…" she chuckled. "Sorry, sorry, I'm not laughing at your plight but this whole situation is ridiculous. And yet," she sighed heavily, looking at the floor, "none of this surprises me."
He touched her hand, noting that she flinched slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sure this is all very incredible to believe, a man appearing outside your home with no memory. If I were you I wouldn't believe it either."
"Oh, no, I believe you. Without a doubt in my heart I believe your story." She nodded vigorously.
"Why is that, Miss Tifa?" Sephiroth was thoroughly confused. What young woman would believe the ludicrous story he just laid on her?
She grinned at him, "The Sephiroth I know would have killed me the moment he saw me. You are, quite obviously, not the Sephiroth I know."