Forgotten Memories
Chapter 3
By FallenAngelOfSalvation
Memory sequence
The night air was cool crisp as the moon shone brightly at its fullest in the starlit sky, crickets chirping in the nearby shrubs, and birds cawing and chirping their goodnights to each other. It was a beautiful night for a contemplative walk, which is exactly what Selena decided to do. It was about 8pm, and hour before lights out and Selena had crept out of the dormitories on the far left of the campus and started her brisk walk for the evening. It had been a long, tiring day, so this was considered as her 'me time'.
The young girl wore simple grey slacks and shirt along with white running shoes, the generic outfit all of the recruits are required to wear during their training, and she had her shoulder length black hair tied into a sloppy ponytail. Selena wasn't a very attractive girl. She was below average, as she considered herself. Her ocean blue eyes looked dark and mysterious in the dim lamplights along the footpath circling the campus.
As Selena walked down the winding path, relishing in the soft breeze tickling her bare arms softly, raising the hairs slightly and sending a chill down her back, she pondered. She pondered about many things. Many things had been playing her mind ever since she heard the news, well two lots of news, and both of them were very awful, tear-jerking news.
Her best friend has passed the mid year examinations into becoming 1st class SOLDIER, and she had been urged to leave the academy. Horrible, depressing, devastating news. She had been pulled aside by her best friend at lunchtime with the dire news, well, excellent news for him, but for her…she may never see her best friend ever again. If that's not enough for the day, before dinnertime, she was pulled aside by the general and told that she failed her mid year examinations and it would look better on her record if she leaves rather than gets kicked out.
The one main issue plaguing her is that she hasn't told her best friend yet, for he was celebrating with the rest of the recruits whom had passed their tests, and Selena wouldn't be surprised if he never noticed her absence. She had spent most of her evening mulling over all the possibilities that they could keep in touch. She had thought about applying for a job with Shin-Ra hoping that one day she might see him again, something administrative, or maybe they could write and call each other often, to stay friends.
The thought saddened Selena, because with the unlimited potential her best friend had, she may never get a chance to speak with him, and he may never have the time to write to her, ever. Selena felt depressed, and utterly, utterly hopeless with this situation. Selena heaved a sigh and flopped herself down on a nearby bench, one that overlooked the extraordinary garden in the courtyard of the campus. She studied some of the yellow, blue, red, pink, orange, purple and all sorts of coloured flowers that bloomed in the garden before her, revelling in their independent beauty.
"Mind if I join you?"
Selena almost jumped out of her skin with the sudden spoken presence of someone close to her, and brought a hand to her chest as she turned to see the intruder. He heart slowed steadily when she realised the person was none other than her best friend, Sephiroth. She smiled awkwardly and patted the empty space next to her. Sephiroth smiled back at her and took the offered position next to his friend, absently flipping his long, silver locks behind his shoulders. Sephiroth looked deeply into her eyes with his beautiful green ones, searching for something, and answer of some sort.
"Don't think I didn't see you leave," Sephiroth almost whispered. Selena blushed softly, and looked down.
"I needed some time to myself for a while," she said softly. She wanted to say more, she wanted to blurt everything out to him that was on her mind, but for once she was reeling over the consequences, she didn't want to be reduced to a wet, blubbering, crying mess right now, not in front of her best friend, on his special night too.
"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked, his eyes pleading for a truthful answer. She looked up at him sorrowfully and so solemn.
"I'm leaving SOLDIER," she uttered. "They are making me leave; otherwise I'll be kicked out."
"They can't do that!" Sephiroth exclaimed. "What did you do to deserve getting kicked out? I don't think they can do that to you."
"They can, and they have," Selena dropped her head into her arms, resting on her knees, and fought back tears that were begging to run free down her cheeks.
"I failed my exam. I'm useless!" Selena cried. "I can't do anything right. Why would they keep me here if I can't learn anything or get stronger? I can't even shoot a rifle properly!"
"Oh, Selena," Sephiroth murmured weakly, bringing a hand up to rest on her shoulder, hesitant but trying to comfort his friend. Underneath his hand he felt her tremble with unshed tears, so he pulled her closer, grabbed her other shoulder with his free hand and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Selena gasped in surprise and suddenly let her tears escape, along with subtle sobs and tremors wracking through her body.
"I'm never going to see you again!" Selena wailed between sobs and gasps. She pulled away from the warmth of her friend's arms and wiped her face with her hands and her shirt, trying to stop crying like a baby. The first time Sephiroth had ever seen her cry. Ever. Sephiroth seized her hands in his and closed them together, and then he brought them between their chests, their close proximity allowing them contact with each other.
"I promise you Selena, I will never forget you, and I will see you again, as you I." he looked intensely into her misty eyes, a seriousness that Selena had never seen on his usual cheeky, playful and mischievous person. With Sephiroth's promise, Selena smiled the most beautiful smile that he had ever seen on her face, which contagiously made him smile.
"Do you really mean that, Sephiroth?" Selena asked, awkwardly pulling her hands away, unsure about the sudden surge of emotions the embrace was giving her. Sephiroth brought his hands up to her face and delicately held her cheeks as he leaned down and placed a feather soft kiss upon her lips. Sephiroth pulled away from the kiss, looked deep into her eyes again, a smile appearing briefly before he leaned in for another kiss, this time a little bit harder, deeper and meaningful.
The kiss was utter bliss. It was the most pleasurable moment Selena had ever experienced, and she loved every lingering second of it, pushing to the back of her mind the fact that it was her best friend that was kissing her. Half the pent up emotions that didn't stream out before with the rest burst out of her again, and Selena broke off the kiss abruptly, choking on sobs and tears running down her flushed cheeks.
"I'm sorry Selena," Sephiroth quickly said as he pulled her into a tight embrace, hugging her closely to his person, allowing her to cry and blubber against his shoulder. "I shouldn't have done that, with all that you've been through."
"It's okay…" Selena mumbled between soft sobs, trying to calm herself while breathing in the sweet scent of her friend. He smelled just like peaches. He always did.
"I'm going to miss you, Selena, you truly are a great friend," Sephiroth muttered against her neck, secretly wishing that he had kissed her long ago, and not on the eve of her leaving.
End memory sequence
As Selena lay on her sleeping bag in the dim light of the campfire and the quiet, lonely deadness of the night, her long since dismissed memories came flooding back to her. Ever since her childhood friend appeared in her life again, obviously had forgotten his promise so many years ago, all that she could think about were her wonderful memories of him.
Sephiroth was sitting on the other side of the campfire, gazing into the crackling flames, lost in deep thought. His mysterious tour guide, Selena, had sparked long lost emotions within him, and he can't seem to understand why. It was frustrating him the fact that he couldn't remember his days as a recruit in SOLDIER. Maybe they were friends back then? Or even talked a little and Selena was a bit sensitive that he doesn't remember her. No. If so, she would've told him already. Right?
Dean and Sara had fallen asleep long ago shortly after their evening meal. Nick had tragically lost his life in their last battle of the day. They were ambushed from behind by four large bird like beasts; one of them snatched him up in its large beak and bashed and shook him with all its might until finally throwing him against a wall and left him to endure a slow and painful death with internal bleeding. They had to leave him behind otherwise his lifeless body would slow them down significantly, which would be almost fatal considering where they are.
They had all been travelling for 3 days and were on their way back from the Mako reactor. I turned out that all Sephiroth was sent for was to gather some 'top secret' files and research for Shin-Ra. Apparently even the three Soldiers weren't allowed to know. They had about a half a days trek back to Selena's home, which she was itching to drop dead into her warm bed.
Selena lay still as the dead, sating up at the starry sky, lost in thought, leading Sephiroth to believe she was asleep to avoid awkward conversation. She was still upset about the accident where Nick lost his life, and confused about the dark, silent, seemingly emotionless man whom was once a young, cheeky teenager in love so many years ago. Oh how Selena wanted to tell him so much, she wanted to tell Sephiroth that they used to be best friends, and if they were together longer, they may have been more than friends.
"I know you're awake over there," Sephiroth broke the silence between them all of a sudden, which caused Selena turn her head sharply towards the man on the other side of the small campfire. When she met his eyes she sat up into a sitting position, brushing her hair behind her shoulders casually.
"Oh?" Selena queried, standing slowly to stretch her legs, a smile creeping onto her lips. "You were watching me?"
"It doesn't take much to open your ears and listen," Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly. "I can hear anything up to ten metres away."
"Wow, that's amazing," Selena exclaimed as she walked over to take a seat next to the general.
Sephiroth edged over slightly in the other direction as Selena took a seat next to him on his sleeping bag. Obviously him talking aloud had been an invitation in her books for her to come over and join him, which wasn't Sephiroth's motive at all.
Selena looked into the fire in front of her, her smile still plastered on her features at the pure fact that she was sitting next to Sephiroth again, something she had only dreamed of for over five years now. Sephiroth sat with his legs crossed and hands resting in his lap, looking at the side of Selena's face, drinking up her soft features, trying to search his memories for a trace of her, even if so little. But to no avail. Sephiroth sighed in frustration and looked away from Selena, causing her to glance over at him.
"Is there something the matter?" she asked tentatively, trying to catch his eyes in hers. He looked over at her and hesitated for a moment, but then decided to speak.
"Back in SOLDIER…were we in the same battalion? Did we actually know each other? I know it must sound like a silly question…" he trailed off but kept eye contact with her. Selena looked over at the two sleeping soldiers, then back at Sephiroth and decided to let the cat out of the bag.
"Sephiroth…I think that maybe it might do you good if I told you the truth," Selena said slowly, observing his reaction, but didn't get much of one. She continued slowly, thinking over her words as she spoke. "We were friends, you and I. We were practically inseparable, and you were a good friend too."
The look on Sephiroth's face was priceless. He raised his eyebrows and his mouth opened slightly, and he was desperately searching Selena's eyes for any sign of a joke, but she looked so serious. When Sephiroth finally found his words, what he said made Selena blush and look away swiftly.
"Were…were we together?" he asked. Selena's cheeks flushed hot red as her memory of the kisses he gave her flashed through her mind. She opened her mouth to say no when he continued talking. "That would explain the strange feelings I've been having since I first saw you. I mean, I felt like I knew you, but it felt like I was trying to remember the taste of something…"
Selena just kept quiet and let him talk. Deep inside her she was overwhelmed with joy that he was remembering at least something. After a long and awkward silence, Sephiroth broke the tension.
"Selena?"
'Selena,'
He said her name the way he used to, it made her heart clench with pain and hurt more as it started hammering in her chest. She wouldn't cry. She tried so hard not to let herself cry. She barely knew Sephiroth anymore; she doesn't know how he'd react or what he'd say. It's been five years, and appearance and demeanour wise he has changed a lot. He used to be bouncy, energetic, cheeky and mischievous, and now he's quiet, reserved, dark and powerful.
"I'm sorry Selena," Sephiroth said. Selena looked up at him with sad eyes, questioning his apology. "I know this must be hard on you."
The smile that Selena have to Sephiroth struck a chord somewhere deep inside of him, and it made him feel gloom as well. 'There's more to it than that…' Sephiroth wanted to say, but couldn't find himself to make the words come out of his mouth.
"I'm going to get some sleep," Selena stood up and hurriedly walked back to her sleeping bag on the other side of the fire, laying down on it and closed her eyes with her back to the fire. She quickly added before dozing off. "We leave at dawn."
A/N: Boy I write things slowly. Sorry it took a little while. I've been very busy with things lately. I get writer's block a lot and don't get much inspiration anymore. I haven't even played Crisis Core so I don't know too much about Sephiroth's personality except for FFVII and Advent Children, oh, and of course other fanfiction too. I'm sure he's not really a sourpuss all the time. Well, working on my next chapter now. I'm not that good at action sequences and I don't have too much of a good imagination so I just concentrate on the romance and angst angst angst. Anyway, I hope you leave me yummy reviews!
