Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Goodness, so many über-mega kind reviews! Thanks a LOT for making my heart swoon and melt, guys!
This time, the late update was caused by two things:
Thing 1: Eerrrh... School work (which was delayed by Thing 2).
Thing 2: The epic manga One Piece, which I've started reading all over again. It's awesome enough to make people faint, especially the newest chapters.

Family

The minute Paige got home (after she discarded her rusty bike in the tall grass in the overgrown garden), she strode determinedly into the combined living room and kitchen. She immediately found the one she was looking for. Sitting in one end of the black three-seat couch, with off-white walls behind him and the old, dark wooden table in front of him, Sephiroth looked back at her inquiringly. He seemed to have been expecting her to waltz in like this.

"Children unda' the sun, watch out, we comin' for ya," rapped John Smoth.

"Please be quiet while I question my teacher," said Paige monotonously, not looking away from Sephiroth, who was partially illuminated by the late sunlight. Curse the windows for that. The silver-haired elf (who was not an elf after all) smirked with something akin to dark amusement.

"I have only two questions," she continued. "Why've you become a teacher, and how? Please answer me." The last sentence she only added as an afterthought. Sephiroth's amusement waned.

"...With Shinra out of my way, I can spend my time as I wish. I found that educating the students about discipline would keep me entertained, if only for a while. They should consider the good training a bonus."

Paige looked at him, questioning. In the background, John Smoth made particularly annoying parrot sounds.

"So you saw their total lack of discipline, and it annoyed you. Or was it the teachers inability to do something about it that bothered you? ...No, is this punishment? Because I haven't returned your sword yet?" asked Paige.

"Your house and its noise bothered me," Sephiroth claimed, not answering her question. "And I was curious to see if your school was indeed as dreadful as your descriptions implied." Paige stared, keeping her face in check. So this was her fault, and John Smoth's. Sephiroth glanced at the squawking bird.

"In any case, your school is better than Shinra," he added and looked her straight in the eye.

Sephiroth watched carefully as Paige's face twitched.

"...You'll have to wait a while before you say something like that. Next P.E. lesson, I bet half the class will skip." At that, Sephiroth smirked again.

"If that's true, I will search for them and find them before the lesson starts," he replied, already looking forward to it. "You should be grateful, though, seeing as I successfully managed to distract your admirer throughout both the P.E. lessons earlier today."

"What? ...On purpose? You kept Solomon away?" she asked, confusion flashing briefly in her eyes. "Will you continue doing it?" She was restraining herself, he could see it – she was holding back her hope, afraid he would disappoint. This, he could use to his advantage – if the need ever arose.

"That depends," sounded his reply. Paige had asked him why he'd chosen to become a teacher. Sephiroth found himself asking the opposite question – why should he not become a teacher, with so many interesting situations and challenges within his reach?

Paige scowled openly, but it was not a fierce scowl – more of a frown.

"But Solomon never stops bothering me. In class, you're the only one who's ever managed to keep him away from me for that long," she said, her frown weakening.

"What did you do to interest him so strongly?" Sephiroth questioned. What did Solomon see in Paige, who was terrified of him, when apparently he had a dozen other girls he could choose from? Her face darkened so fast Sephiroth revisited his question in his mind. If anything, Paige's sinister expression made him more interested in her answer.

"It's a long story." She forced the words out, as if speaking them aloud left a poisonously bad nausea in her gut.

Do tell, he thought, watching as Paige slumped down onto the two-seat couch, still wearing her gym clothes – a yellow t-shirt and black workout pants. If she had planned to have a shower as soon as she returned home, she had now forgotten about it. He too wore the black and white clothes he'd put on before class, though since he hadn't taken part in any of the physical activities, his were still clean. The clothes were only some of the ones he had bought in London.

"If you want to know... It started when we were freshmen." She already looked like she was at death's door. "On a school trip, or more accurately hiking trip, in the mountains," she continued, quietly. She bent forward so much her pale, light brown hair hid her face - her straight, bobbed fringes shielded her icy eyes. "The teacher had no control, so we just put up our tents and settled down in the first clearing we found. Below us was a big river, so we had plenty of water. The next day we were startled out of our sleep by heavy rain and wind."

She paused, surprisingly flashing a grumpy expression at Sephiroth, who arched an eyebrow in annoyance and almost scowled back darkly. But then he realized she was looking through him – thinking of someone or something else. Either the story or Solomon, he wagered.

"We packed our things fast and sloppily, and tent pieces were threatening to fly away every second. I'm not sure what happened, exactly, but I think somebody turned around a little too fast while carrying some tent poles. The poles hit Solomon and sent him staggering backwards, towards the river."

The story was almost exciting. What ruined it was its predictability. Paige had saved Solomon?

"I reached out to stop him from falling, but he was too heavy for me, so I lost hold of him. He plunged over the edge and started slipping down towards the river below."

That was slightly less expected. Still predictable, though. He had obviously survived, because he was still around.

"But then, in the most cliché way imaginable, I threw myself after him and grabbed hold of the freshest, largest root I could see with one hand and reached for him with my other. I only managed to catch hold of the wrist of his jacket. And he was heavy like lead and anvils and metal and other things that are intolerably heavy." Now she was starting to look disgusted with what she was saying. Sephiroth listened intently.

"Then I told him not to let go and blah blah, and that I wouldn't let him go even if this and that. At that he pulled himself up some and grabbed hold of my wrist more firmly than necessary, smiling and saying okay with complete trust. The others pulled us up after that. I felt like all the joints in my arms were out of their sockets, and Solomon and I were both soaked and covered in mud. Then, true to all the Hollywood action movies, he thanked me thoroughly for saving his life and asked for my name. He was so clingy I just told him. After that disastrous mistake, he's never let me forget all the stupid, brainless things I said to him before we were pulled up. And he's never going to let me forget that I practically jumped after him."

"...Do you wish you hadn't saved him?" Sephiroth inquired. She looked at him, her mask-like expression hiding her initial shock.

"If I hadn't, he'd have been dead. Guess how many times he's told me that. But I wouldn't want a death on my consciousness. I do wish I'd stayed silent during the whole thing, though, and I never should've told him my name."

Now that he had heard her story, it seemed oddly boring – already old.

"I've tried telling him to leave me alone, and I've tried insulting him, but nothing works. I can't tell him I hate him, because I don't hate him, I just strongly dislike his company and behavior. Maybe I even fear him a little. I've told him all of that, only with stronger words, but he says those feelings'll wear off and that I'll grow used to him. I don't want that." Her voice was slightly sulky – enough to make Sephiroth grow annoyed and turn on the television. He left the sound off, however.

"And if I try to hurt him in any way, physically or verbally, I'm in for more trouble than I can survive. The school princess will make sure of that." With that finishing line, Paige rose to her feet and strode out of the room, just like she had entered. Maybe she had suddenly remembered she was wearing gym clothes and wanted to take a shower.

After a quick shower, Paige put on some slightly less moody clothes (white jeans and a short-sleeved gray shirt) and went downstairs. She poured some bird food in a small bowl, then put in in the window sill closest to John Smoth. He picked at the seeds and started eating while she watched. The colorful bird was a little rounder and lazier than other parrots she'd seen, and very rude, very often, but he was a good guy. Not always that smart, but a good pet.

"Does it taste good?" she asked absently.
"I once got busy in a Burger King bathroom."

"Okay, I get it, be quiet."
"Disrespect hip-hop and I'll spit in your face," he retorted.

What was she thinking saying John Smoth was a good guy? She must get her ears checked.

"Paige," sounded another voice, and she turned to see Sephiroth come into the living room. "A car is coming."

...Car?

She was quiet and listened. Sure enough – there was the sound of an engine. When she turned and looked out the window, she could see nothing, so she waited. Sephiroth walked closer and stopped next to her, a little too close, and she leaned away. The car sound sounded oddly familiar. Dangerously familiar.

Then, under the heavy, green branches that hung over the old road leading to her house, an old minivan appeared.

Paige paled as all the air left her lungs.

"Oh no." The words were a breathless whisper.

Her family's van.

The thing was large and bulky, its surface gray and its windows even darker. The thing made so much noise everyone within the radius of a mile no doubt knew exactly who were coming and where they were going. Through the dark, dirty windows she saw four heads and one small, crazy dog wagging its furry tail. Its currently soundless barks drowned in the sound of the car engine.

"Is it your family?"

She could only nod.

"Shake it and move it outta' here," said John Smoth and took to his wings and flew up onto the dark wooden shelf that stood behind his T-stand. It had been a while since he'd flown around, but in a case of emergency such as this, it was totally understandable.

Sephiroth briefly considered leaving. Apparently, both Paige and John Smoth considered the arrival of their family to be something of a threat to their existence – if he judged from their sudden rigidness. The bird was on its toes, wings half extended, feathers rustling. Before Sephiroth left, however, he wanted to at least see the guests. If it became unbearable he would leave. Surely they were not staying for long?

Then Paige spun around with a rigorous move and dashed out of the room.

He heard the entrance door open and close and glanced out the window. Paige, still keeping her face utterly devoid of emotion, ran towards the gray minivan, which had now stopped. As the engine was turned off, he heard barking – the shrill sound obviously came from the small dog he'd caught a glimpse of earlier.

One by one they left the vehicle. First Paige's tall, skinny father, whose mustache bobbed up and down as he spoke to one of the others. Then emerged the small, light brown dog – it jumped out the window and raced into the garden, straight past Paige and to the entrance door. There it scratched at the door and continued its endless barking. Sephiroth looked out of the window in time to see two kids get out of the van. One a lanky boy, younger than Paige, with dark hair, two headsets around his neck, bandages covering an elbow, and one hand holding around a cellphone and a music player. His pockets were full of something that looked suspiciously like wires and fuses, and when the boy put his hand into one of them, Sephiroth thought he saw a match fall out. The boy nodded briefly to Paige and flashed a white grin that only made his soot-covered face look dirtier.

The other child was a very young, brown-haired girl who barely reached up to Paige's waist. She was dressed entirely in pink – a great contrast to her brother's mix of brown, black, white, red, yellow and other, indiscernibly colored, untidy clothes. She carried a doll almost half her size – also dressed in pink. Even from where he was standing, Sephiroth could see that she was nervous – perhaps afraid. As if on cue, Paige's mother emerged from the gray van and her young daughter turned around to hug her knees. Sephiroth felt his eyes narrow. Of all the family members, the mother resembled Paige the most. They were almost as tall as each other. Her light, auburn hair was wavy and came down to her shoulders, her clothes were neater than that of the others, and she wore glasses. Like her youngest daughter, she seemed somewhat nervous.

Perhaps Paige's father, Aaron, had told the others that Sephiroth was here.

Sephiroth's train of thoughts was disturbed by the dog, who was still barking furiously.

Outside greetings were exchanged. Then they carried some shopping bags from the car and went inside. The second they opened the door, the small, enraged dog sprinted into the living room and came to a very sudden stop only a couple of feet in front of Sephiroth. The little chihuahua stared him down to the very best of its ability – staying completely quiet while doing so. Sephiroth, who realized this was the second animal (the other being John Smoth) who dared put him to the test, scowled darkly at the dog, whose eyes were disproportionately large and whose anger was disproportionately strong. The dog quickly decided against picking a fight: it left Sephiroth and contented itself by running over to the shelf on which John Smoth sat perched. There, it started barking again.

When he turned back to look into the small entryway, the others were all inside. All at the same time, they discarded their shoes (except Paige, who wasn't wearing any). The shopping bags, full of food, were dropped to the floor and each of the family members repeatedly bumped into one another by accident. Paige walked into the living room and stood by Sephiroth, glancing briefly at the dog. It was still barking.

The others entered slowly.

"Guys, this is Sephiroth. He's renting a room here, and he's also a P.E. teacher at my school." How could she say that in a way that didn't sound suspicious? Her parents nodded briefly in acknowledgement, though.

"Sephiroth, you've already met my dad, Aaron. He's a ranger in the area, and a priest," she started, her voice as even as usual. "And my mum's name is Angela. She's a doctor. Both names start with an A, so you should be able to remember." Sephiroth felt his jaws tighten. If Paige didn't expect him to be able to recall their names, he would take that as an insult.

The dog was still barking. John Smoth squawked occasionally.

"My brother's name's Benjamin. Sooner or later you'll notice he's interested in paintball, motors, music and homemade bombs." Her voice was still flat – and the little dog was still barking like mad.
"And my sister," Paige started, and her little sister swung around and hid behind the other three. "Her name's Bell. She's the kindest and purest person I know."

A silence ensued, only interrupted once every two seconds by the dog.

"...The dog is Chilli. We gave her the name after realizing mum and dad's names started with an A and Benjamin and Bell's names started with a B. It was all by chance, really. About Chilli's mad barking, we can't tell if she's constantly furious with John Smoth, or if she's dangerously interested in him. That's why I took John Smoth with me here."

"I got my eye on you," said John Smoth, and Chilli's barks grew twice as frequent.

Aaron, Angela, Benjamin, Bell... Chilli. And lastly, Paige.

Paige glanced around uncomfortably. Her own name started with a P. Alphabetically speaking, she was a deviant.

That was soon forgotten, though, because before she knew it, her mother had invaded the kitchen. Bell was at her feet, glancing fearfully in Sephiroth's direction at times. Her mother was abnormally nervous as well. It was unlike her to make so much noise when she cooked – clattering pans, pots, lids and running water. The news were on, and although Sephiroth was watching intently, Paige's father tried starting a conversation – mostly about school, but also about Sephiroth's background. Paige thought she could see Sephiroth's mouth turning down at the edges. Chilli was still barking, though now the chihuahua was growing hoarse. At some point somebody had left a bowl of water at her feet, so the dog could soothe its throat.

Just when Paige was about to ask about the whereabouts of Benjamin, her brother, the shrill sound of several connected firecrackers were heard from outside, and smoke flew by the windows. Chilli started barking, full throttle, again.

Turning her attention to herself, she realized her brain felt like it was being tugged at from all sides. The strain was unbearable.

"Mum, how long are you guys staying?" she asked over the noise. Benjamin came inside at that moment.

"Paige, do you have any matches?" he asked.

"No. How long're you staying?"

"What?" asked their mum.

"I don't know," said Benjamin.

"I can't hear you," said their mum. "Chilli. Quiet down." The dog shut up and looked at her.

"How long are you staying?" asked Paige, her head threatening to split. Her mother glanced at Sephiroth uncertainly. Something about him genuinely frightened her – more than just his long silver hair and muscular build. Had she seen his eyes? His burning, green irises; the slits that were his pupils?

"... Until this weekend? I don't know." It was only Tuesday.

"I'm sorry, mum, but one of you guys usually use the guest room, right? Sephiroth lives in there now. I only have one extra mattress. Even if you guys use both the sofas, as usual, and the single mattress, there won't be enough room for you all to sleep over."

In a way that relieved her – even though she was happy to see her family again. And didn't Benjamin have school? Perhaps it didn't start before next week, like Bell's kindergarten. That was a little unfair.

Her mum's shoulders sagged a little, and she glanced at the silver-haired man once more.

"Paige... You seem so strained," she said. Benjamin, who'd been looking back and forth between the two of them, sighed in a bored manner and headed outside. Bell peeked out from behind her mother's knees, clutching her baby doll. Her large, chocolate eyes were so warm Paige looked away - fearing her mask would explode into a huge smile at the sight of her precious sister. She wouldn't let that happen while Sephiroth was still here. It was a matter of pride - in a way it was stupid, but in another way it wasn't at all.

"I'm strained now because, before you guys came, it was quiet. You could've left Chilli with a neighbor or something. You should've warned me," Paige stated, her voice level.

"Paige, I'm sorry... But you look... Well, you don't look happy. Are things really all right, with – with your teacher living here?"

How embarrassing. She could feel the embarrassment in the deepest pit of her stomach. Why was that?

"I'm happy, John Smoth's happy, and I think Sephiroth is searching for somewhere else to live already. We're all fine. I'm unharmed. You just surprised me by visiting today." If Sephiroth hadn't been there, maybe she had managed to smile, but she couldn't. She was too used to lock up her expressions in his presence. If she smiled now, it would look incredibly forced – and that would make her mother worry ten times more.

After Paige's reassurances, her mother made food for all of them and served it warm. The two leather couches (one with two seats and the other with three) could only room five people in all, and thus Paige ended up next to Sephiroth. They hadn't been this close since the very unfortunate and mentally painful bed sheet incident (when he'd landed on top of her). Needless to say, she felt like she was sitting on needles, and that she was sending imaginary, hostile sparks in his direction as protection. He was seemingly aware of this – to some degree – because just like her, he was leaning away a little.

After the longest dinner she could remember (and the best meal she had tasted in a very long time), things were a single, large blur. Dishes were cleaned, Chilli continued barking, Benjamin wanted to go home (to fill his arsenal – his pockets – with fireworks), and Bell avoided her because her face was so cold, which made her feel even more worse. Sephiroth had left at some point.

And the moment he disappeared, there were questions.

"Why does he look like that?" and "Where's he from?" and "Don't you think he seems suspicious, or a bit dangerous, even?" and "Why can't he just find another place to live?" This left Paige thinking about Sephiroth's silver hair, his longsword and even Shinra – his previous 'home'.

Before Sephiroth left, she had to give him his sword. Or the other way around – she had to give him the sword for him to leave at all.

But if she gave it to him, he might vanish from her life altogether.

R.R.

Not much action dis tiem? (-gasp-) Wat abut next tiem? Can I make up for it then?