The young women had been so enamored with the new guest all evening that they had almost forgotten whom they had come to see in the first place. Zachary had completely charmed the girls, specifically the one he really wanted. Angeal wasn't insulted that he was all but ignored for his actual third guest in his home by his original guest as he knew this meant a lot to him. He did take in the small changes Zach had did to hide his Fae origins. Somehow that made him a little sad but he understood until things were better between humans and Fae, if they ever improved, relationships like his and Sephiroth's and Zachary's and Tifa's if it was successful would have to remain out of the light.

As if they suddenly became aware of their surroundings they looked at the sky line out the window and realized they had talked all that time…purely to Zachary! Aerith and Tifa looked embarrassed, with Aerith blushing slightly, Tifa worrying her plush lower lip, and Zach looking also nervous even afraid as if he did something wrong as he absently scratched at the back of his neck and smiled at Angeal.

"Sorry 'Geal. I didn't mean to take all the limelight. I can see the ladies down the path if you like since I am certain they need to be getting home" Zach asked hopeful.

"Sure, if the ladies are okay with it, I see no problems. You know I trust you" Angeal said with a smile at his friend's eagerness. Besides the quicker they were gone, he could see where Sephiroth had gone. He had been staying with him for the last couple of nights since he refused to go to the castle yet. He had a good idea of where he might have been.

The women gave their happy, giddy agreement at their new escort down the path and with exchanged hugs, Zach and co. started down the porch and down the path.

After the crew was out of sight, he closed the door and headed in the direction he took to get to his cave.

Sephiroth had went into the cave briefly to take stock of what all was inside should other provisions be needed. He still couldn't shake his edginess. As soon as he was fully in the cave, it occurred to him the cave… was permeated with Angeal's natural musk scent which oddly seemed to calm him some and take the edge off. He surmised he just missed the man's company. He quickly lit all of torches and found some of the necessary bathing items likened to what he would use at his own palace. Once that was done, he was walking back to the lake not far from the cave to become refreshed from his earlier battle. Never one to have been ashamed of his form, he retracted his "hide" in the form of clothing leaving him bare to the world in the slightly warmer weather for Nibelheim.

With faster than normal steps, Sephiroth found himself at the edge of the water. Slowly and with purpose, he waded deeper into the water, his long silver hair trailing behind him like a veil upon the surface as the now the moon was beginning to rise. As he took a comfortable position, he went about warming the water around him as he went with his fire magic coming from his palms under the surface. Still being charged from his previous battle, his true elfin form was displayed. Antlers perched high atop his now drenched hair as several strands were tucked behind sharpened, pointed ears. Sephiroth's eyes showed as lit beacons in the dark as well, showing his power within and excellent night vision.

What made Sephiroth the most unique was simply his overall beauty and the fact that he was not conceited in the least about it. Oftentimes he seemed as if he were oblivious of how beautiful he really was. As he came up from a dip under the water truly enjoying the feel, he wasn't aware of the guest he had.

Angeal had first thought to check his cave and had not been incorrect in his assumption that Sephiroth had stopped off there for the night as the torches had been all lit. What piqued his interest was that some of his toiletries were gone for bathing…and Sephiroth's clothes laid at his feet. The thought that the man was without shield of clothing made Angeal temporarily dizzy at the thought. He quickly reined in his thoughts before they quickly plummeted somewhere very base since he had been so long and the man's appeal couldn't be denied.

He then started to go over all the pros and cons to staying in the cave for Sephiroth. If the man was indeed naked, that would mean he would have to come in naked and Angeal didn't think he was strong enough to deal with in such a small area. He might end up getting himself killed for not being able to control his own hands he thought to his own shame. He then thought about returning to the house and that also didn't sit well with him as he felt that Sephiroth would feel as though he didn't care enough to come after him after they were suddenly separated this afternoon by guest that didn't even pay attention to him, to which he chuckled to himself. That only left the plan of going and looking for a bathing Sephiroth…who would be naked, lathered up, and in a compromising position. He didn't know how sensitive the man was about his nudity but he figured it wasn't that much if he'd left his clothing here and walked to where he was certain he was as it was a close body of water from the cave.

When Angeal made it to the tree line surrounding the lake, he froze on the image before him.

There almost to the center of the lake, which Angeal knew to be deep enough you needed to swim in, was a very nude Sephiroth in all his glory. He'd pulled his hair long now gunmetal gray with water, hair over his left shoulder exposing an expanse of pure perfection.

Sephiroth's skin was almost as pale as the snow that blanketed the floor. He saw the antlers aloft Sephiroth's head as before, the long, smooth skinned neck connecting to strong and broad shoulders, the blades moving under the skin as the long and medium muscular arms rang out the water from Sephiroth's hair and began to plait the mass so that it could be loosely draped in his antlers to dry naturally. The sleek back continued down to what looked to be…a deer's tail. It made sense since that was what type of Fae Sephiroth was. Angeal wasn't concern about the tail as so much what lie right below it. Below the cottony and hide tail rest a nice and firm buttock of medium build that gently sloped giving a lifted, shapely look as the water level gently lapped at its gently cushioned cheeks. Firm thighs could be seen attached to the torso from the sides but nothing more.

Angeal seemed to choke on nothing but the air he breathed as his mouth was surely dry.

Sephiroth had realized it was Angeal that had found him and made no move to rush or to panic in his state of undress and turned around once his hair was as he wanted it to be.

Angeal could not breath. The front of his counterpart was just as stimulating as the back. Sephiroth simply smirked.

Much like his back, Sephiroth's chest and abdomen was also with medium musculature. He simply was neither to large and bulky in his mass nor was his wiry or waifish in his build. He truly was evenly matched in his proportions all over to match his androgynous features that were beautiful and handsome truly at the same time. Well, that was until looking down at his manhood. There Sephiroth was not a small or medium sized male. He was-large, on par for Angeal himself even in his more stockier ways.

Sephiroth's smirk had transformed into an all-out devilish smile at this point.

Angeal looked at his boots as if they were the most interesting things in the world from his embarrassment from his sheer gawking. He couldn't help it. How could Sephiroth expect him to help it looking…looking like that! Of all the females and males, he'd laid with, which were not many in the first place, Sephiroth had not one that could hold a candle to him.

"Have you had your fill of me?" Sephiroth said cocky with that infuriating smile on his face as he crossed his arms along his chest with a devil may care attitude for his blatant nudity and Angeal's current heart attack he was having from it.

"Hnn, I don't know much about human courting but wouldn't it only be fair if I were to see you as well? Besides, surely you need to bathe. I promise to leave you to your peace" Sephiroth said with a slightly mischievous grin.

Did Angeal hear him correctly? He wanted him to bathe with him for seeing him nude as well? Angeal was panicking. He didn't want to make a fool of himself. It just had been so long for him and well…Sephiroth was a God, no pun intended. He didn't even know if he was going up against other suitors or ex-lovers…did Sephiroth have any ex-lovers? He was so young even for being old. Could he truly be a virgin?

Sephiroth began to frown in concern that he'd did something wrong. Angeal had not responded favorably to his request, if anything the man looked beyond scared at the request to swim with him. Was he scarred beneath his clothing? Could he be even a eunuch? Did humans do that?

"You do not have to if you do not feel comfortable. I only thought with us becoming closer and with us striving to make this a bonding- "Sephiroth said but Angeal interrupted.

"No, no its not you. I want to, and I am, it's just…I am not a virgin and I am struggling because I am afraid I will do the wrong thing. It has been a long time for me and you are so, so beautiful and I don't really think you know it. I am trying to be a gentleman. Are there any suitors I have to worry about in "vying for your affections" as you worded it?" Angeal said looking genuine at Sephiroth.

"There are no others as I have never been touched. I have never felt the need to take or be taken" the until now was left hanging in the air.

"Very well then I understand. I know you are not a female so I will not treat you as such but I will be conscious of your status and what that means that you would even think of that being a possibility…with me" Angeal said as he began removing his own clothing, satisfied with Sephiroth's answer.

It was Sephiroth's time to be amazed at carefully shorn clothing revealing tan skin and rippling muscles as it went.

Though Angeal was only about two inches shorter than Sephiroth, his sheer body mass made up for it. Large, broad shoulders rotated working out small kinks out of his thick neck and shoulders.

Sephiroth's eyes were everywhere on his torso.

Angeal was a stunning specimen in his own right. His arms were long but thickly muscled so that they were proportioned to him. From his breast bone, down to his abdominal muscles, everything was pronounced and defined, showing the man's active life of farm and hunting life that kept him in top shape. His Adonis belt was pronounced in the now remaining underwear that Sephiroth had not realized was all that was left…until too they were now gone as well. Now Angeal stood before him on the water's edge looking like he was carved from the mountainside for all the strength his body spoke of. Slowly the eyes travelled along the powerful looking thighs and legs then veered over to its ultimate prize.

Angeal looked at Sephiroth's focus immediately was all for him at first whisper of removal of clothing. He watched all the innocence of such a powerful and old creature play out in those unique eyes as they roamed his body. He even had the immense pleasure of seeing his effect on Sephiroth before getting to him in those eyes as the lids slightly lowered and whether the other was aware or not, he'd dipped the tip of a very pink tongue out to slightly moisten his lower lip, eyes hazy with some released emotion. Yes, now was also very aware of his effect on him…as he eyed his very generous and very bare erection.

Sephiroth was unaware how long he'd been locked on that specific spot or even why he was so filled with all these emotions suddenly. They were overwhelming as they were wanted. They were frightening as they were needed. He felt he was a living paradox. Above all else, he wanted Angeal…and in that way.

Angeal had started to wade through the water, surprised that it held warmth as he knew it was not a natural hot spring and had bathe he a many of time before. As he neared Sephiroth, he noticed the depth was getting so one would have to wade. Any further out to say where Sephiroth currently was, and it would be a swimming situation.

"How are you doing that, you know what I know you are powerful so- "and Sephiroth interrupted him coming back to himself.

"I have heated the water as much as I could with my power and I am levitating. I can fly" he said gliding through the water to the edge of where Angeal knew it to be the dropping off point, allowing him to come closer to the other safely and without having to employ the dogpaddle.

Angeal knew that the other man was full of so many surprises. He was now painfully erect and it seemed no relief for it until he was out of Sephiroth's presence or he could be alone for a time, maybe after Sephiroth had fallen asleep. He just couldn't will it away in his presence and something inside him fiercely wanted to take that innocence away from Sephiroth with his body and his body alone. But he meant what he said in that he would be a gentleman, even if it almost killed him.

Instinctively, Sephiroth looked down at Angeal's awaiting mouth drawn by some unknown force. He knew what Angeal had said about him being hard to deny since he was experienced. He saw the proof of how much he affected him on his own. He had politely taken his warning and stored it. What if he decided he didn't want him to stop? How would he ever know unless they truly behaved as lovers do in the first place and that was Sephiroth's sound reasoning on the matter.

Angeal had turned and found the remaining cleaning supplies and began bathing thoroughly, enjoying the feel of the heated water even as Sephiroth moved along him plotted and schemed to enact a plan he'd created in that short time span.

Zachary was about to break through the forest line leading to the main road to the town when there was a howl nearby the group. Zachary took up a defensive stance, quickly unsheathing his Broadsword from his back. No sooner than he had and the girls moved in closer to him did a pack of a dozen Nibel Wolves come from the shadows of the trees. The obvious alpha male and leader of the pack was out front had a wicked scratch down its right eye, leaving it with only one reflective yellow eye in the moonlight along with its brethren. Zach knew this wolf…and it knew him from a previous scrap.

He had cost it it's eye.

He sorely wanted to transform but he knew that Sephiroth would have his head for too many more infractions on their rules and way of life. Zach squared his shoulders and prepared to take them with his full power. He quickly lifted the spelled areas of his body to release his power fully. It was dark enough that that would not be seen plus he was hoping and praying that the fight alone would side attract them enough. Aerith, as before did feel the shift in power but again did not know exactly from where it came but knew enough to hang back and provide potions for healing if need be. Tifa was a total different case as she had martial arts training. In that moment, the band jumped forth and it was all out pandemonium of fur, teeth, and claws.

After a grueling battle, Zach had been victorious but was gravely injured in the process. With the last of his magic for now, he spelled his non-human traits and tried to stumble along to get the girls home as he had downed seven of the beast and the other five had turned away and ran. He walked with great difficulty bracing on his sword that was sheath again like a crutch.

As they made it into town, finally Zach lost consciousness. Unbeknownst to them all, one of those wolves had followed. When it saw that Zack would no longer pose a threat, it leapt with all it might at the pink clad girl…only to meet a face full of gloved fist and a firm and solid kick in the ribs that shattered with the impact and had the wolf skittering across the square limp. Tifa walked over to the beast, the same with the scarred eye, and with one well-placed stomp on its head in her steel toe boots, put the creature out of its misery.

"Hurry Aerith, let's try to get him into the house" Tifa stated running back up to Aerith, startling her from the previous scene and into action as one took him under the arms and the other took his legs and they half carried, half dragged him into their home.

Their house was a nice little flat with three rooms; one room was a guest room. Zach was quickly placed in the bed. Clothing was removed from him and after cleaning supplies were gathered, his wounds were assessed. He had a large bite in his side, two others on his right leg and one on his left arm. For how grievous they were, strangely he wasn't profusely bleeding. In fact, it looked to be already healing. The biggest concern was that he was running a very high temperature. They quickly cleaned and bandaged him, mindful as could be of his modesty though what they could both see he was attractive all over. Tifa kept trying to advert her eyes and get the job done as soon as possible. With an ice pack placed along his head, they promised to take shifts to check on him throughout the night.

Zach tossed and turned initially, sweating profusely from the healing fever that was normal of his body when healing at fast pace. The reason it was slowed is he fought not to transform subconsciously. But he was weak and tired and he couldn't do this anymore. It was affecting the Lifestream in his body that naturally occurred. His conscious finally conceded and with it so did his form…leaving an overly large black dire wolf curled into a ball on its side in the bed.