Chapter 4: The One Not Chosen

Note: This has been edited yet again and quite extensively.

A chilled round object was dropped into my hands. It was firm with a smooth, waxy surface, and had a stem protruding from the top. There was a faintly sweet aroma about it, and a touch of tartness.

My lips formed a dry smirk. "Apples, Sephiroth?" I echoed lazily and weighed the fruit in my hand with secret longing.

"Bravo." He responded from across an unvarnished wooden table. His chair creaked as he sat back, maybe to clasp his hands behind his head.

There was a long pause when neither of us made a sound, I subdued within my depressive thoughts, and he watching me. I wondered what went through his mind to see my like this, so bitter and pathetic. I'm sure he would agree with my own assessment.

Vision was irreplaceable at this moment in time. The irrational and hopeless endeavor I'd set out on was now a suicidal impossibility. I was breaching the edge of a break down; there was no hope at all for anything.

His cold laughter invaded the little servants' kitchen like a plague, suffocating the air and leaving me with a paralyzing emptiness. "Such a suspicious little thing you are. I thought we've been over this before; I have better things to do then kill you, Precious."

My jaw clenched angrily at his term of address, speaking to me as if I were a child. "You could've fooled me." I muttered, "However, I was not questioning whether it was safe to eat, but rather where you got it. Sorry if it seems a little farfetched for apples to be growing in the dead of winter."

Sephiroth shifted his weight and stood up. "I have connections." He answered and strode slowly past. The faint breeze left in his wake stirred my hair and tickled my skin. He hesitated behind my chair, "I suppose it would be too much to assume that your latest encounter will have taught you anything about acting against my wishes?"

Now it was my turn to laugh sarcastically. "If what you mean by that is, will I stay here by your command, then you'd be right in guessing that, no, I won't." I answered and bit into the apple. It exploded in my mouth with a moist sweetness that I hungered for. Whoever those connections were, they were obviously of quality. I should've expected no less from the likes of Sephiroth.

The light scuff of his boots against the stone floor indicated that he had gone to the door. "What will it take to keep you in line then?"

My teeth sank reflexively into my bottom lip. I bolted upright, scraping my chair across the floor, and grasped at the table for balance as I spun to face him. "Don't treat me like a child, Sephiroth." I retorted heatedly. "Blind I might be, but helpless I'm not. I don't need a damn chauffeur. If that's how it is, than maybe I don't care if the world lives or dies."

"That's for you to decide, but you can bet your life that I'm not going to act as your chauffeur." He snapped. "I have work to do. Stay here, or go and die if you so choose, but don't go calling for help if you should change your mind when it's too late to turn back. Because I won't come." The door slammed shut behind him so hard that pieces of plaster fell from the walls.

"Bastard." I managed through spilling tears. It hurt, my eyes still tender and throbbing from the damage. My nails dug into the thin skin of the apple furiously, but I resisted the urge to hurl it against a wall. I was too hungry to waste it, so I slumped back into my chair and resumed eating in silence.

My mind cleared itself little my little as my body's need for sustainment was satisfied. One thing that always seemed to hold true with an apple was its unwavering ability to quench hunger, and they kept forever. Unfortunately, a clear mind only revealed the present cirumstances for what they truly were, and that was hopeless.

I leaned forward, folding my arms across the table, and rested my head against them. A shiver went up my spine and a sob escaped my throat. I tried not to feel the despair that was creeping into my thoughts, but it was so cold and lonely, and dark here. I was afraid to ever move again.

What would become of the world now? I couldn't fight in this condition, let alone save anything. I could barely walk without stumbling into something. The earlier incident was a stroke of luck that I wouldn't dare trust to save me again, which left me with only one option that I refused to take; it wasn't much of one anyway.

He wanted as little to do with me as I him. A feeling of disgust seemed to radiate mutually between us whenver we faced off. All I could see anymore was Papa lying in a pool of blood.

In any other situation, I wouldn't have cared what Sephiroth thought about me - I should hate him without pause, but things had changed. He was the only companionship that I had, and I needed someone to say things would be ok. Even if I had to hear him say it, I think it would've made me feel better.

He had inherited more than he bargained for, but even Sephiroth seemed to have his own twisted sense of honor, and felt obligated to keep his word. I wasn't going to play a damsel and grovel at his feet though, and he certainly wasn't a knight in shining armor. There was no chance of us ever succeeding at anything but getting on each other's nerves.

At our current rate, we were going to tear each other apart long before the threat to the planet reared its head. It was so ludicrous that the whole thing was starting to look awfully deliberate. No one in their right minds would've thrown the two of us together into a mission to save the world, not if they had any concern for the world.

A prophecy made in hell - that's what this all was. We had a faceless enemy and a doomed existence to save, and it wasn't clear whether the two went hand in hand, or if they were two seperate issues that both required solving. I was beginning to have suspicions. Maybe we all were just puppets in a much greater and complicated scheme.

Prophecies were never complete without a carefully concealed fine print, which often revealed the true purpose of the prophecy to be something entirely different from what everyone was led to believe.

At this point though, nothing mattered. We were all going to die apparently. I was losing the battle against despair quite readily, so the world would get no help from me.

Tears spread down my cheeks in thickening streams, gradually moistening the table. I needed my friends, but they were the one thing I couldn't have. Yet even if they were here, what could I tell them? That Sephiroth was a good guy now? It sounded stupid to me, and certainly not convincing. I shuddered to think how they would react.

I wonder what papa would say? The very thought made me want to crawl into a hole and die.

I collapsed into a fit of hysterics. It was ridiculous, all of it, and entirely my fault. But how could I have known? Called to the far off reaches of the earth by a summon spirit to be forced into cooperation with an enemy I've passionately hated, and who should've been dead, so that we can save the world from a nameless, faceless threat. And as if that weren't enough, now I'm blind and trapped in a castle whose master is probably less hospitable than the fiends that roam his halls.

It was just one bad coincident after another, or maybe not. Maybe it was all contrived by something or someone. The question then would have to be, who and why?

I hoped to Gods that the others had found my trail and were coming to rescue me. They didn't deserve this, and the guilt of wanting it would be another sin to add onto my rapidly building stack, but I didn't care.

I was beginning to understand how Vincent felt.

The skittering of tiny clawed feet across the floor jarred me from my reverie. A gentle squeak resonated from below, just around my ankles, and then more movement. A mouse, I presumed, and a hungry one most likely. For a fleeting moment, my world brightened to have the unexpected company, however small. I permitted myself a broken smile.

"Hello." I murmured quietly, tilting my head downwards, and carefully set my apple core on the floor. My hearing was becoming far more acute than I ever imagined it could be. I fancied I could even hear a draft in the room, maybe from a hole in the wall, or a passageway hidden somewhere beyond it. Or perhaps I was only imagining things to comfort myself.

The mouse vanished abruptly, dragging the apple core behind him, and my hopes along with it. I wished that Sephiroth hadn't left me here. Even though I thought I loathed him, he wasn't near so frightening as the thought of wandering blindly through a foreign place with no one to hold onto.

Death had a certain appeal - the kind that would induce me to throw caution to the wind and just leave. Maybe I would get lucky in the process, like before, and find something out. Or maybe I'd find a way to put my miserable existence to an end.

The notion snapped omething snapped inside of me. I stood up with trembling legs and went to the door, tripping on an invisible step. My hands braced for the fall, but I landed against the wall instead. It was filthy with cobwebs and dust.

I felt along until I grasped the brass doorknob, and flung it open. My feet immediately stumbled across stairs. I climbed clumsily to the top where there was another door, and movement in the room beyond, but I was delirious and didn't think to wonder why or how I knew.

My hand jerked the handle, only to discover it locked, and the strain sent a mild shock of pain up my wrist. I slammed my fists against the wood, crying out angrily, but my voice was muted. As my frustration grew I resorted to throwing my body against it instead, until I was so exhausted I could barely stand.

I paused for breath and hunched over with hands braced against my knees. Another pulse of rage was coming though, and with it a final burst of power. I led with my elbow - my last effort to break the barrier that held me within my prison, and charged.

The force of impact as I hit the door rattled my bones. Wood splintered in every direction as I stumbled through to the other side, blood trickling down my arms where I'd been scraped. The scar across my stomach was throbbing with an intensity I'd never felt before.

Everything grew deathly still as I came into the entrance hall, and I stopped when met by a frigid breeze. It sifted through my hair and ruffled my loose-hanging, worn clothes.

My fingers absentmindedly toyed with the thick fabric of the pants that Sephiroth had given me. Like the shirt, they we too big, having belonged to a male stable hand, or someone who had worked outside. There were patches over the knees, the shirt was missing a few buttons, and the sleeves were rolled up passed the elbows. A pair of suspenders, similar to my own, kept the britches from falling.

Tifa...

A strange yet familiar entity suddenly stirred inside of me, like a voice beckoning from the darkest depths of my subconsciousness. It had called my name, sinking its icy fingertips into my soul to force me upon the truth. I could see it all again, as if it were happening, me standing amidst the heat of the burning houses while the flames lapped high into night and the smell of blood lingered in the air.

It was here that everything began.

My hand drifted to the line across my abdomen, tracing the tender skin gingerly, and my chest tightened. There was a burning sensation growing in my back. I felt my legs give way beneath me and a startled groan pass over my lips as I hit the floor.

I held my breath; there was a large creature in the room. I could feel the heat radiating from it as it roamed to and fro, focusing intently on me. My heart ceased to beat, fearing the painful rake of sharp fangs and claws that was surely close at hand.

Something brushed lightly against my fingertips, soft and weightless, and drifted to the floor without a sound. My hand reached out cautiously towards it and grasped the thing carefully. A feather.

It must burn... Said the voice, eager in anticipation of release. Blue flames circled around an indescript figure before me, and as I watched she unfolded her wings - something spraing from my shoulders, shooting sparks of pain through my back and arms. The image drew suddenly close and I saw shadows of grief in her blazing, white gaze.

I gasped and blanched in horror then, for it was my own reflection that looked back at me. Then it was gone.

My fingers closed around the feather slowly, crushing it. "No." I spoke defiantly. "It's not possible."

A dreadful feeling swelled up inside me though, and I already knew that it was true, what the feather stood for, and why. The darkness expanded to swallow me. My chest began to ache, and my head pounded with the surge of power in my body.

No, I shook the disconcerting thought away... It couldn't be. I'm not...I'm not like him.

You are the one not chosen, impure and fallen. It is not who you are when it begins, but what remains when it is over.

A deep throated growl startled me back to alertness. The creature was not far away when it had made the sound and I could hear the click of its talons upon the floor as it approached.

Hot, foul breath plummeted into my face and I sucked in sharply, staying still. It stalked me slowly, its tongue sliding along its lips grotesquely. Something thrust itself into my hair behind my neck - a snout - and inhaled deeply. I clenched my eyes shut and willed myself to focus.

This is it.

In one fluent motion I my elbow and launched it backwards. It caught him on the side of the face and he reeled back with a startled snarl. There was only a second's chance for me to get away, and I took it.

The rapid beat of my heart was instantly lost in the thundering footsteps of the beast as it pursued. He would have me at any moment now. Yet something strange happened, like weightlessness, and for a brief time I was no longer running, but soaring on wings.

A clawed foot dug into my leg suddenly, and I was pitched forward with a strangled groan. The beast in turn tripped over me and we both went sprawling across the floor grunting in pain. When I got control of my momentum, I planted my hands and sprang to my feet again. A fierce burning sensation erupted from my injured calf and I cried out through clenched teeth, standing my ground.

Command me, the entity spoke with a ill-desposed calmness.

The beast roared from not far away and charged. I hesitated, the silent words a strong temptation when faced with certain death. But the power was enormous and sinister, and I feared it almost as much as I feared what was about to come.

Almost.

Survival instinct had the last word. I sighed deeply as my restraint gave way, and a great warmth erupted from my chest. It spread through my body rapidly, setting my veins on fire all the way to my finger tips, and then it burst. A shockwave launched into the atmosphere and hurled the creature back with brutal force. My teeth rattled in my head at the concussion.

I felt myself lift off the floor as more energy gathered itself from by body for another blast. When there was none left to take, I spread my hands towards the sky beyond the ceiling to draw from that. The current of energy held within my grasp felt enormous, and I could scarcely control it.

An invisible force guided my hand towards the injured beast and the power released itself. A deafening crack resounded off the walls as the spell struck, and the castle's foundations trembled.

Good, good, The voice boomed so loudly that my skull began to throb.

A fierce thirst for devastation ensnared me as the awful stench of singed fur and burning flesh hung heavily in the air. I was caving to its will, my body too weak to withstand it. I built up more strength, fueled by an irrational thirst for destruction and death. The power was terrifying and exhilerating, and it begged to devour me and the world.

I screamed.

In my effort to deny it, pain erupted through both my body and mind. It threatening to tear me apart, but still I wouldn't let go. I exerted every ounce of my will upon it, and when it seemed that I had nothing more to give and that I would surely die, the mysterious force vanished.

I collapsed in an exhausted heap, and a burst of feathers rained down around me. Exhausted and frightened, I curled up on the floor and breathed deeply. What's happening to me? I began to cry.

Panic set in. I crawled to my feet and tried to run, but could only limp. I could still feel traces of the power, and with it a potential to destroy everything; I could call it freely if I chose.

Consumed by fear and confusion, I had not heard the approach of another. Strong hands from out of nowhere grasped my wrists tightly and halted my aimless wandering. I stiffened and tried to pull away, but he held strong. My throat seized in a hopeless and angry sob, which then led to more sobbing.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Sephiroth demanded after a moment.. His voice drew me back to realty as he took me by the shoulders and pushed me to arms length. "What happened?"

I gasped for air, choking on hiccups, and shrank down the floor at his feet. "I don't know." I spoke hoarsely and shivered. "I killed it. I killed it." Or whatever it was lingering inside me did.

An unsettling thought surfaced. Am I the one? Am I the real threat to the planet?

"I gathered that by the burning corpse. I'm asking how it happened." Sephiroth reiterated impatiently.

"I don't know!" I shouted in frustration. "I don't know." I drew my knees slowly to my chest as I sat upon the floor, thinking. "Something is wrong with me. I'm not...I'm not normal." I trailed off for a second before taking a quick breath. "I almost did something terrible." My head tilted back, as if to look up at him. "Maybe it is me. I'll be just like you...won't I? I'll destroy everything and everyone - all the people I care about will have to fight me."

Sephiroth yanked me roughly to my feet by the collar of my shirt. "Pull yourself together. This is foolish." He exasperated.

"I can't." I murmured softly, bowing my head. At that moment in time I didn't dare even move out of fear of that feeling coming back and taking control of me again. I was hysterical. "I...I-I couldn't control it and I don't even know what it was. But there was so much power!" I shook my head grimly. "I don't understand..."

My hand lifted suddenly, remembering what was still crushed beneath my fingers. I uncurled them slowly and held up the broken feather.

"What is that?" Sephiroth queried sharply.

"A feather. There are more of them back there." I murmured, gesturing effortlessly behind me. "It's black, isn't it."

"It is." Sephiroth confirmed. He stood back in subdued silence for a time, mulling something in his mind.

I lifted my empty gaze towards his after a while, wondering what interested him so. Did he know something I didn't? "What do you suppose it means?" I asked softly.

"I don't know." He replied and sighed. His clothing rustled as he shifted position and I felt his shadow fall across my face. "Hold still."

Something warm touched the area of my scar and I flinched, surprised. The warmth of his hand sparked my skin with eletricity as he felt along the old wound with his fingertips. My heart began fluttering in my chest and I squirmed uncomfortably.

Too close for comfort there, pal.

"St-top that." I stammered, blushing. "What are you doing?"

Sephiroth pulled away abruptly. "Nothing." He replied. "Your leg needs to be tended to. I'll help you to your room."

"Yeah. Ok." I agreed, taken aback by the sudden dismissal.

He braced my arm over his shoulders and wrapped his own securely around my waist, and together we began the arduous journey back to my room. The stairs took extra care and time, and I had to clench my teeth the entire way, wincing with each jarring stumble, but we made it.

In memory of my recent breakdown I was glad to have somewhat alleviated my embarrassment by showing a little poise on the way up. I never made a sound of pain.

When Sephiroth led me to a hault, I assumed we had come to my room so I reached out for one of the statues that sat on either side ofthe door, only to find nothing but air. I frowned deeply. "Where's the statue?"

"What statue?" Sephiroth muttered absently. "There's nothing there." The hinges whined as he opened the door.

My brow furrowed in a scowl. "But I know there were two statues on either side of the door earlier." I maintained. "I felt them there so that I'd have a land mark to return to. Are you sure this is the right room?"

Sephiroth grunted. "You are asking me if I'm sure? Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the one who is blind?" He inquired coolly.

I took my most imposing step forward, ignoring the jibe, "If this is the same room, then why are the statues gone?"

"I don't remember there being any statues." Sephiroth attested.

My knuckles paled as I tightened my fists. "Just what are you insinuating? I told you I touched them. They were there earlier before I left the room!"

He expelled a capitulating sigh. "Alright. But I don't know what you want me to do about it."

I placed my hands on my hips, shaking my head in disbelief. "Maybe you should do a bit more investigating. You don't pay much attention for someone whose supposed to live here. I'll probably be murdered in my sleep."

"One could only hope." Sephiroth droned under his breath.

"I heard that." I said loudly as I lumbered reluctantly into the cold, drafty room.

Sephiroth followed me inside, his boots brushing upon the carpeted floor with barely a sound. I waited, holding my hand out for something to steady myself with. He came up beside me, hesitating briefly before taking my arm and leading me to the bed.

"Lay down." He ordered. "I'll be back with something to bind that."

I mumbled incoherently into the pillows where I had thrown myself, something to do with fates worse than death and silver haired men rotting in hell for eternity.

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Sephiroth said lazily and exited the room.

It was sometime later when I finally awoke and realized that I'd fallen asleep. The pain in my leg had subsided considerably I noted. It was already mended and bandaged in fact, though I had no recollection of Sephiroth doing it.

I leaned back and pondered what to do. Dreadful things were happening, everything was falling apart, and I didn't know what to do, or if there was anything I could do. I didn't want to be here!

The dam blew after a few moments of digesting the truth, and I buried my face in the pillows, crying without restraint. No comforting voice would come, no friend to tap my shoulder or listen to my grief - just myself and the darkness. I could let it all out and no one would hear or care.

A few hundred sobs or so later and I still couldn't choke down the dreadful feeling of failure sinking into my bones. My life was continually spiralling into disaster. Or so I'd always thought, until now, when I realized what true disaster felt like.

"Miss Lockhart, whatever did that pillow do to you to deserve such a thorough drenching by your self-pitying tears?" Sephiroth's voice sang out smoothly with a touch of amusement in his tone. Where he had come from I couldn't fathom.

I stopped abruptly, hastily blinking away the soreness in my eyes, and without a conscious thought I hurled said pillow in the direction I'd heard him. "You're a bastard." I accused and rolled away from him. "Is there something you find fascinating about misery?"

"No." Sephiroth answered bluntly. "On the contrary, such behavior makes me ill."

A bitter laugh came forth from the back of my throat. "Then go away." I mumbled morosely. "You probably don't even know how to cry. Maybe you never did."

The room fell eerily silent and a chill run up my spine unexpectedly, and then I felt a choking pain that I knew was not my own. My lower lip caught between my teeth and I bit down as another stream of tears escaped. That was wrong, horribly wrong, to say.

I sighed, shaking, and curled up into a protective ball. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, you needn't offer a weightless apology to me for the sake of propriety." He said stoically. "Please don't, in fact. We both know it's a lie."

His words stung more than I cared to admit, because I was being honest.

It shed a new light on the situation however. How can anyone hope to heal a man so deeply wounded by the world? I certainly couldn't, and I didn't want to either. "I really hate you." I spoke softly, almost inaudibly, and wrapped myself around another pillow.

"Good. Then things are as they should be." Sephiroth retorted. "You can stay here. It would make my life easier. Either that or you can go out as I told you not to, and maybe this time the local wild life will finish the job so that I can be on with my life."

"Get out." I cried furiously.

And he complied, but I could feel the triumph resonating in his wake as he departed, and I felt sick to my stomach at the thought. He was so good at finding a weakness and stabbing with his owrds.

My heart shrank within my chest and I wept well into the night. I fell asleep again by some great miracle, and then I had dreams. It was the only solace I could find, but it was strange.

"Music can tame the most feral of beasts, or so I've heard."

Who are you?

"You should play, Tifa. Your mother loved to hear you play." Papa said again.

He had said it once every month, as if he'd forgotten that last time he mentioned it, or that I existed at all beyond his dreams.

"You can do this, Tifa. You can."

I know your voice, but why can't I place it?

My eye lids drifted open groggily. They were sore and puffy from the hours of stressful weeping. Goose bumps prickled my bare skin and I shivered involuntarily. The wind was filtering in through an open window and the temperature had dropped drastically.

I slid out from under the covers with reluctance, hesitating to put weight on the bandaged leg. It ached only a little, to my pleasant surprise, and I was able to feel my way to the window without incident.

I latched it tightly shut and turned back at the room. My ears pricked out the distinct sound of whispering outside my door. I stiffened apprehensively and strained to listen, but I didn't dare move closer yet.

"...piano...?"

"-probably doesn't know how..."

"...it's worth a try."

The bits and pieces that I was able to decipher from the deep, baritone speech of the two speakers left me more befuddled than anything. It seemed like an odd conversation to be holding outside one's door, but they obviously didn't know I was awake. I held my breath and crept towards the door till I could press my ear against it.

Silence. Looks like they knew now.

My hand shifted instantly to the door handle and I yanked it open forcefully.

One of the two jumped with a loud yelp while the second remained quiet and motionless. I found myself sandwiched between them. It finally occurred to me, as I waited for the worst, that perhaps jumping two mysterious strangers that you couldn't see was a bad idea.

"At last." Someone said, sounding quite pleased.

My fingers flexed uncertainly and I shifted my stance in anticipation of a fight. "Who are you?" I demanded. The quiver in my voice was an unfortunate give away to the terror I was feeling at the time.

"I'm Kahn." The one to my left announced. "My brother is Athos."

"Hello." Athos applied cheerfully from my right.

I glanced back and forth between them apprehensively. My hand reached out after a time, searching for something solid to inspect, and was met by another, hard and as cold as stone. He was not human I realized. "What are you?" I blundered.

"We're gargoyles." Athos piped in.

Kahn groaned inwardly as I stiffened in recognition. "It was you then." I stated frigidly. "You were the ones that attacked us."

"Well actually it-"

"Shut up, Athos." Kahn barked irritably. "You're not helping."

There was a short silence followed by blank, "oh", from behind me. Athos made a pouting sound and seemed to sit down on the floor. "Sure, bro." He said quietly.

I felt a pang of sympathy for him, though I knew that it was against all logistics. He seemed too innocent and harmless to be considered an enemy, and yet they had to be.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, sighing.

Kahn inhaled deeply, "We are not your enemy." He said with utmost sincerity. "It was necessary that we protect you from him."

"Necessary?" I practically shrieked. "You abducted me, blinded me, and then just disappeared. Why should I believe you!"

Movement from behind startled me and I turned my head inquisitvely. Athos had stood back up and walked to my side.

"If we wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't be bothering to talk to you, would we?" The brother said. "We're just doing what we were told."

"It's as he says." Kahn put in steadily. "We're acting on another's orders."

"Whose orders?" I pressed.

"The mistress of this castle of course." Athos beamed. "Although, she isn't anymore." He added sadly. "She hasn't been for a long time."

Kahn made a grunting sound and I imagine he gave his brother an icy stare as well. "The mistress was a Cetra." He explained. "She's been dead for many centuries, but her spirit sometimes roams the Northern Region as an arctic fox. We served her while she was alive, and still do now."

That rings a bell.

I nodded absentmindedly as I recalled the fox which had led me to the mouth of the ice cave and then disappeared shortly afterwards. A hundred questions were raised as I attempted to sort everything out into more coherent thoughts. If things hadn't been difficult enough, life was throwing me a few more hurtles just incase.

However, there was still one alarm bell ringing in the back of my head that had yet to be fully answered. "That doesn't explain why you destroyed my sight."

"You misunderstand." Kahn conveyed quickly. "Here," A light appeared - a light that I could see.

My lips parted in a tiny gasp. "What is that?" I breathed and reached out towards it tentatively. That light had led me into the castle earlier, or whenever it was. I'd lost track of time.

"It's a stone of blinding." He replied and pressed it firmly into my outstretched hand. "Keep it safe and it will restore your sight when this is over."

I froze, certain that I'd misheard him. "What?"

Kahn grasped my wrists gently. "It cannot be allowed to break." He insisted urgently. "You will lose your sight forever if it does. And he mustn't find it."

The stone felt warm as I closed my hand around it. It still glowed, but only faintly beneath my fingers. I stared down at it in awe. "What does it do?"

"It guides you." He replied. "And locks away your mind's secrets from the prying eyes of others."

Even as he said it I could feel a strange sort of awareness of my surroundings while grasping the stone. I knew where the staircase was and that there was a potted plant on either side of it. Athos stood three feet off to my right, and Kahn was only a step in front of me. If I'd wanted to do, I could've struck him easily and exactly on target. And if I held it up to him, I could make out the dim outline of his face, and then his eyes.

He smiled faintly beneath my scrutiny.

"And who is he?" I looked at him steadily, searching for signs of deceit.

Athos shuddered nearby. "Evil, evil man."

"Yes." Kahn agreed gravely, nodding his head. "A skeleton in the Cetra's closet."

My expression turned blank. "What do you mean?"

"Kryth - that's his name - is one of their own." He explained. "He was not so willing to abide by the rules of his race. Like all people and things, there were both good and bad among them."

A still silence crept upon us as I pondered the news. Maybe they could help me, I thought suddenly. I'd learned more from them in the span of a minute than I ever would have tripping around the halls of this blasted castle. If they'd served the old master, then they knew their way around. Everything was within my grasp, if they were willing to help.

I was already fabricating plans before my lips had parted to inquire. "Kahn," I began quickly, biting my lip, "Can you...woudl you be willing to help me?"

"We are at your service." He answered immediately. "Our mistress has already requested that we assist you."

"Yeah." Athos said, trailing of for a moment. "I think she's worried about something."

"What would you have us do?" Kahn asked.

I mulled over this for a moment, and then something clicked in my mind. My friends were looking for me and, if I knew them, someone would undoubtedly have found my trail by now. That someone would most assuredly be Vincent. In fact, I was almost certain that if the others had found a way to contact him with the news, he would know exactly where I was. He had a way of knowing that sort of thing that made him down right creepy at times.

"There's someone who might come looking for me." I began.

"You mean the guy in the red cape?" Athos interrupted cheerily. "We saw him."

My jaw slackened in astonishment. "What? Already?" I gasped. "Where?"

Kahn cleared his throat. "On his way here I imagine. He was prancing through the forest last time I saw him."

I moaned softly, grasping my head. "That'll be a disaster if he comes."

"Indeed." Kahn agreed. "We'll try and deter him if you like, but I'll warn you in advance that we've been rather unsuccessful so far."

"Well, just try." I said. "If I had to choose who would find me first of all my friends, it would be Vincent. He is the most likely to maintain a cool head about the situation and not jump to any conclusions. So even if you fail, it could still work to our advantage."

"Right then." Kahn said sternly. "It should only take one of us to do the job. Athos could give you a tour of the castle if you like."

"Of course." Athos burst out excitedly. "And that way you can avoid the silver haired pretty boy if you want to. It'll be good fun."

My lips curved into a wry smile. "Sounds like a plan." I stopped suddenly, remembering. "There's just one other thing I'd like to know."

"Yes?" It was Kahn who spoke.

"When can I get my vision back?"

There was a short pause before he responded. "When Kryth is dead and sealed in the Promise Land."

I nodded solemnly, though still somewhat skeptical. "Ok."

Kahn departed then with a brief goodbye, leaving just Athos and I in the hall. I turned towards him, holding out the stone. The dim light illuminated a widely grinning and youthful looking face. He seemed almost human, but for the gray complexion and horns protruding from his head. His eyes were pure white.

"Hello." He chirped.

"Hi." I managed faintly and turned away again. "So, what do you want to show me first?"

Athos made a humming sound as he pondered. "I know." He announced. "The ballroom. You wanted to go there, didn't you?"

My brow darted upwards suspiciously, "How did you know that?"

"Oh we hear everything that goes on in the castle." He chirped idly. "Do you play piano by any chance?"

"No." I stopped short with an uncertain frown. "I mean, yes, but it's been a long time. Why?"

"Oh the mistress has a wonderful grand piano. She used to play it all the time." He babbled happily. "Come on, I'll fly you down the stairs."

My lips parted in the midst of a protest, but I was cut off by the sudden sensation of being swept off the ground. I swallowed nervously as the air rushed swiftly past, holding my breath, and then my boots touched solid ground again.

"This way." Athos called and started off ahead of me.

The stone in my hand reacted immediately, gliding into the air in front of me. I followed hesitantly at first, not entirely trusting of the stone's magic. It didn't seem to lead me astray though, so I quickened pace a little.

We passed through the door that I'd broken the day before, and into the hall where i'd ecountered the zombie. I lingered there briefly to examine what I could of the scene. It was mostly shadow even with the stone's power. "Where does this door lead to?" I called out.

"The guest rooms. There's another stair case at the end of it too." Athos explained. "There are a lot of intercepting hallways around here. It's kind of a big maze."

"Great." I trailed after him liesurely for a ways before asking, "Is the piano still in tune?"

Hinges groaned as a heavy door was opened just in front of me. "As far as I know. Mistress always said it was enchanted."

"Enchanted?" I echoed. That could mean anything.

"It still shines like new, even at 1000 years of age." Athos answered, awe-stricken. "It plays like any other piano, although I bet it sounds a tad nicer than most. The enchantment just keeps it young."

I nodded idly as I passed into the ballroom. "That's convenient." I said and lifted my head slightly, sniffing the air. It felt silly, but it helped somewhat to identify certain things, mostly age and decay here. "What does the ballroom look like?" The power of the stone was no where near enough to show me.

Athos hesitated at first, groping about for a description with a nervous grunt. "Well, its kind of roundish and really big with lots of tapestries, and carved wood trimming that could use some new varnish. There's an open patio too, but it's a bit chilly out there right now. In the summer it leads out into the gardens. Although, we're getting pretty close to spring now. Maybe there will be flowers in a month?"

I chuckled lightly. "I doubt that, but it sounds wonderful."

"I don't know. Mistress liked her flowers. Maybe they're enchanted too? We're always the first to thaw in the spring." Athos indicated. "You never know."

"Where's the piano?" I asked.

"Oh, it's across the way." Athos said and stalked off.

I walked along slowly, absorbing all the different scents and sounds. There was vegetation in this room, probably potted plants or tropical tress. It did seem abnormally warm for a castle in winter. There were hints of moldy fabric and dust floating in the air too.

It was a few minutes before I reached the piano. The room was large, that was obvious. My boot bumped into a step as I was creeping along and I had to climb up onto a small platform on which the piano was stationed.

My hands reached out tentatively, searching the air. Then I felt the smooth, polished surface beneath my fingertips as I slid them along the edge of the piano. I found the stool after a moment and carefully took a seat, pocketing the stone for the time being.

"Do you like it?" Athos asked eagerly. "Mistress loved it so dearly."

I found the lid and lifted it gently, revealing the keys underneath, and glided my hands across them nostalgically. It had been so long since I had played, and without sight to read the music, how could I remember? There was the stone...

I pulled it back out and held it up, but there was nothing there. My heart sank a fraction. "I can't play."

"Why not?" He blurted out incredulously.

"No music." I murmured softly, pressing a single key. A crisp, clean 'A' sounded out loudly and carried exceptionally well through the room, like a theater. My fingerS felt along, picking out the black keys from the white until my hands were in correct position.

Oddly, my memory seemed to serve me better without seeing. I had to rely on my hands, and they knew the music more than anything. As I started to play the music simply came.

It was rough in spots, and I had to stop now and then when I slipped on a bad note, but as my fingers loosened up, playing got easier. By the time I'd finished the first piece I was already onto the second without a moment's hesitation. The tension in my shoulders eased up and I sat up straighter, as a smile toyed at my lips.

Not much time had passed when I reached the final piece that was committed to memory. There were only three. I saved this one for last subconsciously, knowing that it had always been a favorite of my mother's, and mine too.

The sound was melancholy. When I was a child and my mother had played it, I always cried. It felt tragic, at times hinting happiness, but always ending sorrowfully. Grief seemed to draw the most intense emotion from me though; Perhaps that is why I loved it.

For a while reality was put to rest, and I was alone and content with the music. The only thing missing was the orchestra to fill in the gaps. It was powerful nonetheless, and easy to emmerse one's self in. There was sympothy in the notes for my bitter circumstance, and they wrapped me in a comforting embrace for this moment.

The melody's finale resounded through out the great hall, and my lips parted in an empty sigh. I dared not make a sound for fear of breaking the spell. If I moved I would find myself back in the nightmare, and I wasn't ready.

I folded my arms over the music stand cautiously and rested my head against them. "I'm sorry mother." I murmured softly. She had loved the piano, but I had only played in passing. It would've made her so happy if I'd grown up to be a famous pianist, although I doubt she could complain that I'd become a reknown hero instead.

"You play well." Came a voice that I was not expecting to hear, nor very pleased to discover within spitting distance of me. Athos had evidently vacated the premise at Sephiroth's unbidden arrival.

"No. Not really." I attested, though it was more out of the desire to argue with him than anything.

Sephiroth ignored me dutifully. "That is an unusual gift, committing so much to memory."

I sat up slowly, my fingers absentmindedly fiddling with my clothes again. I must look really awful. A bath would be nice. Do they even have baths around here?

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. After a time I grew restless of it and decided to pose the million dollar question with as little feeling as I could muster, "What do you want?" On the contrary, I was quite curious to know.

After a short pause he clipped, "Nothing." He pivoted on his heel and started to go. "Pardon the interruption."

I bolted up off the stool and after him, remembering just in time to stop before racing off the edge of the platform. "Wait." I hollered.

"What?" He called impatiently, stopping. He was not as far away as I thought.

"Come here." I said.

"Why would I do that?" He asked drearily.

"Oh just come here." I insisted irritably.

Sephiroth stifled a groan as he none too quickly approached the platform. He leaned his body against it, probably witha bored expression on his face, "Well?"

I knelt down cautiously, not really knowing what I was doing, and reached out. My fingertips brushed against his cheek unexpectedly and felt him flinch, but not retreat. His skin was warm and smooth - except for a jagged scar across the length of his face -, his bones well defined, and he had a prominant brow that gave way to a perfectly straight nose. Long, thick locks of hair swept the sides of his cheeks and descended down to his shoulders.

He didn't move for the longest time, didn't even breath, until it suddnely dawned on us both that we were behaving out of character.

We jerked away all at once.

I cleared my throat and turned my head, thankful that I couldn't see his face. "Want to make sure." I mumbled under my breath.

"Of what?" He snapped edgily.

"That it's you, I guess." I replied and shrugged. "One can never be sure."

"Don't be ridiculous." He scoffed.

I smirked dryly. An idea sprang to mind and I tilted my head at him, contemplating, "Can you read music?"

Sephiroth paused for a second, mulling over whether or not he divulge such personal pieces of information regarding himself. "Yes."

"Good." I smiled. I can put you to good use.

If I could've seen him, I'm certain his eyes must have narrowed suspiciously. "I sense you are up to something that is bound to cause me intense displeasure."

I reached down and took his hand. "Come on." I said, pulling on his arm.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, resisting. "Shouldn't you eat something?'

My forehead wrinkled in a scowl. "Eat?" What was with this man and food?

"Yes." He intoned flatly. "We can fiddle with the piano later."

"Really?" I exclaimed, baffled. "You'll read for me then? We'll have to find some music of course, but I'm sure that you know where to find that."

"Oh why not?" He growled. "I have nothing better to do in this godforsaken place. It would be entertaining at the least."

I smiled and squeezed his hand, "Thank you." I don't know what came over me to do what I did after that - perhaps I did not hate him after all. A strange euphoria captured me in the moment and I leaned forward to embrace him, not too quickly . Sephiroth stiffened at first, then staggered back, as if he had received a blow. I let go of course to avoid falling, and sat back on my heels, chiding myself for the foolish act.

It is a slow process getting down to so carefully guarded a heart. Music clearly had an effect on him though, and in a way I thought beyond his feeling. It would be difficult at first, but I was discovering motivation in this new task: motivation and hope. He didn't need to know that I possessed the stone, not when I could use the excuse of blindness to my advantage.

"What's gotten into you." He muttered, "The last thing I need is another female fawning over me."

I glared towards him. "Don't kid yourself. I'd rather die."

"You'd be surprised what some woman would to for-"

"Oh shut up." I interrupted, shaking my head in disgust. "You're awful."

"And you need a bath." Sephiroth responded. "Are we done here?"

I lifted my hand towards him, waiting. "You're the one who knows where to get a bath, not I."

Sephiroth grunted and took it rather forcefully, but he had the forsight to help me down off the platform before storming off on his way with me in tow.

Author's Notes: I have re-edited this, 6/08/06 so that it reads a little smoother and makes more sense. I would advise that people look through it again because there are some changes made that may minorly affect the course of the story.

Take care,

Faerlyte