A/N: Spreading the love around to all of you!

Nightsky & Esme: You'll find out in the next set of chapters ;P

Reese: I know, I know, I was one of those people actually too, and I understand. I haven't let it get me that far down. Especially since NightSky has been my crutch more or less. The way I looked at it is if nobody else responds, I'll just pretend I'm writing for her lol and also more for myself. It's a whole new experience writing about this stuff as opposed to just daydreaming about it. I've noticed that while writing I feel myself immersed into the story, especially when writing as Sephiroth I get goosebumps. His mind is seriously all over the place.

And here it is! the chapter you've all been waiting for (for about a day lol) is here! What the hell is going on in Sephiroth's mind? So much turmoil, Sam can see it, but can only guess. My heart was racing the whole time typing this. Got it all in an hour before having to leave work, whoo!

Disclaimer: I only own Sam. Everything else belongs to Square


When I heard that gasp, saw those eyes, everything in my being reacted in a way that was all too foreign to me...but I wanted it. I wanted her. I couldn't say how, or even why. There were memories, buried deep but no matter how hard I tried, I could not access them fully. And something told me, my instinct said that a good majority of my missing memories involved this human right here, sitting on this very bed, in this very room we both occupied, telling me that we needed to talk. Talk about what? The memories that are eluding me? Why I share this connection with her? Why those eyes were so different from any I've seen? So many questions...and all I could do was stare at her, take in every detail that my mind would allow.

When I sat down in front of her, she merely stared at me. I couldn't read her expression. Perhaps she was analyzing me as well? Taking in every detail of my own form. Perhaps to someone like her I was something to behold, but I wasn't about to let my ego make my decisions for me. I remained focused, never breaking eye contact, giving her the chance to speak. But when she didn't, I decided to start. I had questions, too, after all.

"Who"What"are"do"you?"know?" It seemed she decided to speak the same time as myself, but I could not hear her question over my own. I merely held out a hand to her, gesturing her to continue. Ladies first. I watched her inhale before asking her question, "What do you know? Of your past I mean?" In what regards is she talking about? My past with her that I cannot seem to recall? Or the past that I have learned, and has put me in the state that I am now?...and if it were the latter, why does she want to know?

I straightened myself up in the chair, uncomfortable with the previous informality. I didn't like where this could possibly have headed, so I decided to bargain instead, "I will answer your question, if you'll answer mine first." She nodded in response so I continued, "Who are you?"

"Sam."

"Sam..." I repeated her answer as I looked away from her. Her eyes distracted my thoughts, and I needed to think. Have I heard he name before? As I sifted through what memories I could access, and what little I could see from those that were hidden, I could find nothing. That name resonated with nothing within myself. Perhaps, it's coincidence then?...No, she's knows me, why else would I be here talking to her. Why else would she ask such a question. And I do know her..."Sam...why do I know you?" I looked back at her and she merely shrugged. I knew what the gesture meant, but that answer was far from satisfactory. Perhaps she needed more, "I have memories of you," I closed my eyes, envisioning what I could of those memories, "but they are fragmented. For some reason, I cannot hold onto a single one of them when I try to remember. It's as if you were nothing more than a fleeting dream, completely forgotten once I open my eyes." I opened my eyes once more to gauge her reaction. Instead I just saw her, as she was. "Yet here you are, not a dream at all."

"I'm sorry..." I watched as she lowered her eyes, as if in defeat. The sincerity was very clear in her apology. Perhaps she couldn't answer my questions, or explain my loss of memory? I suppose I expected too much from a simple human.

I let out a small sigh from that revelation, not happy with this turn. "No matter...Why did you want to know my past?" If she had no answers for me, then how could she ask such a question? Was she alluding to some other topic I had not considered?

"I...wanted to know how much you knew." She stated simply, taking me by surprise. She does know something of my past. I looked at her warily, placing my chin in my hands, scrutinizing her.

I needed to pay attention to every tick, every reflex, every muscle movement. She's hiding something. "Why would that matter to you?"

I watched as she shifted positions, taking a seat at the edge of the bed, mimicking the formal position I had before. Confidence. Control. Those were certainly aspects I admired. "You said you'd answer mine after answering yours. You asked who I was and why you knew me. It's your turn to answer my questions." Despite her assertion, her eye contact with mine remained unwavering. She was avoiding my question. So, if this is the game she wished to play, then I will play.

"Very well then. I know almost everything about my past." I knew plenty, but there were still many unanswered questions. However, I wasn't about to lay down my hand just yet. Not until I better understood what she had. "Next question."

She let out a sigh, clearly annoyed with my answer. I merely smirked, though I would not let her see it. Her exasperation was amusing. I watched her look around the room, as if trying to find another question. If you word things correctly, I may have a more informed answer for you. Though I must admit, I am enjoying this game of cat and mouse, even if you think that you might be the cat at the moment. You'll learn soon enough who you're playing with. "Would you travel with me somewhere...that contains something of your past?"

These questions are so strange. Do you have any method or are you just throwing at random inquiries? "That depends, where is it?" My turn.

"In the middle of the Western Continent." Quick answer. Good. Where could she be trying to take me?

"So...not far from here then."

"Not far from here?" I watched as she began to look around the room, puzzled, and eventually out the window just behind me. She seemed lost. I suppose that's to be expected having been unconscious for as long as she was. "Where am I?"

"Costa Del Sol. I dropped you off at this room while you were unconscious." I answered. Her reaction was not one I'd expected. She looked flustered and unsure by my answer. Does she think me incapable of common decency?...I suppose I wouldn't be if she were anybody else.

I don't even understand why I did what I did.

However, I was quite glad that I had helped her in the end. I watched as her mind processed this information. I could only guess where her mind went, how her train of thought progressed. It turned out to be in a simple enough direction, "Where is the boat we were on?"

Her reactions to her surroundings, to me, to this information was quite enjoyable to witness. The flush of her cheeks, the way her eyes looked around, taking in every detail of the room we were in, and of me. It's as if I could visibly see the gears turning in her mind right through those eyes. I could stare at those eyes for the rest of my life, and never know any other contentment than to just be engulfed in the depth of them. I decided I didn't want this game to end. Not yet. "I believe it's my turn to ask the questions."

Her gaze finally rested on mine, and I watched the color drain from her face. I couldn't help but laugh inwardly, again, showing her nothing. What do you think I would ask? 'Might I slaughter your whole family?'

...

...

I may already have for all I know.

I saw her face had not changed as she waiting for my next words. I sat up straight and gave her the smirk I had hidden earlier, calming the anxiety she couldn't seem to hide. "The boat is still out at sea. It will reach port later on in the day." I watched her expression calm as she breathed a sigh of relief and the color returned to her cheeks. Something told me I was going to have fun with this individual. Hm, fun. That's a word I'd never associated with myself. "So, shall we go?"

"Go?"

I got up from my seat and walked towards her. "To that place you spoke of. There are holes in my memories, and I've had visions that cannot be explained yet. If what you say is true, then I would like to see it with my own eyes." I held out my hand to her, to help her off the bed. My explanation I had given her, of course, spoke of my dreams from when I was younger. Strange recollections that I could not place, and Gast's notes could not answer. I instinctively reached my hand to one of my pockets, feeling for my journal. That's right...I don't have it anymore. I felt my stomach drop slightly. I had left it behind when I found Mother. She was all that mattered to me once she made herself known...

...she still does.

My thought process was halted when I felt her hand take a hold of mine. Her hand was so small compared to my own, so fragile. She seemed fragile, at least compared to myself. but so beautiful. I couldn't help my thoughts as we stood so close. I watched as her cheeks took on a color much darker than I'd ever seen. My heart reacted to the sight of her. If she hadn't asked how long she was asleep, I might have done something to close that space between us. "About two days." I answered her simply, but I did not move, my gaze remained upon her.

She stopped looking at me, "I need a shower." I shifted my gaze from her face to the rest of her. The sailor uniform had definitely seen better days, but there was nothing gross about her. Nevertheless, there were certain things that were necessary to some people, and I could wait. I'd waited this long, what's a few more minutes?

"I can step out of the room." Offering her the privacy she'd need. She walked away from me, taking her hand out of my own. I felt the emptiness that the action left there, but I ignored it. She began rummaging through the room, a look of frustration upon her face. "What are you doing?"

"Where's my bag? I had another set of clothes in there."

I thought back a moment. There was a bag slung over her shoulders back on the ship, "The bag with the materia?" She nodded at me as she stopped looking around, "I left it on the ship." Her face turned to one of incredulousness. It had fallen off of her, and I had no time to think about it. I just grabbed her and jumped. I watched her sit back down on the bed as she tried thinking of her options. "Go wash. I'll grab something from one of the vendors outside for you." There's that incredulous look again. I'm not that terrible...

...yes I was. In a human's eyes, I should be. That was my intent. All I could do was hope that her eyes never looked at me the way the rest of my victim's had, the way they already had before she collapsed. So filled with fear of the monster that I am. No, I am Cetra. I belong here. I have more right than any human could ever hope to have. But when I look at her, my first thought was not human, but an afterthought. I had no idea what my first thought was.

I got tired of her stare. Annoyed that she hadn't moved yet, I approached her and bent down until I was eye level with her. "Go wash. I don't even want to smell you." When her cheeks darkened further, she got up and nearly ran to the bathroom. I smirked and repeated my previous thought. This was going to be fun.


Costa Del Sol didn't carry much by way of clothing. I walked from vendor to vendor selling everything under the sun from bathing suits to lingerie. While I did have some fun picturing Sam in some of these choices, none of them were practical. I had managed to find one store that sold regular clothes, some leggings, boots, long sleeved tees, sweaters, etc. Their stock was limited, however, due to the weather. I grabbed whatever would fit and at least looked appropriate for travel. The boots were a must, having no appropriate footwear from what I had gathered.

When I returned to the hotel, I passed by the concierge. He stood at the front counter of the lobby, trying to avoid eye contact with me. "I, uhm, I cleaned the room while you were out. The missus was in the bathroom when I cleaned." Missus, did he think she was my wife?...he was in there? I stopped in my tracks and turned back towards him, approaching the counter. With both hands on the counter surface, I leaned over it and glared darkly, while she showered? "n-n-n-no charge!" Did he really think that was my worry?


When I reached the room, I laid the clothing out onto the bed. I stood by the bed for a while longer, listening to the fall of the water on the other side of the bathroom door. I stared at the bed, at the spot where she slept, and for a moment my mind wandered. A brief image of her asleep in that bed flashed by. No, that was my bed...

I walked away from the bed and towards the window on the other side of the room, staring out at the sky, brows furrowed. I hadn't spent much time in that room back at Shinra, always being on the move, specifically in the Wutai area, but I remembered every moment that I was in there. I was always alone. That room was my escape from the world, my private sanctuary where I could read, write, or just collect my thoughts without the disruption of the outside world. There had never been another person...had there? Was this more of a memory that I had forgotten? Or was it a figment of my imagination?

I remained lost in thought, never hearing the shower turning off, or the bathroom door opening. It wasn't until I heard her voice make a comment on the clothes I had brought her. I swear that voice could pull me out of the deepest recesses of any darkness that could be thrown at me. "I figured they would be better than those broken and worn sneakers that you've been wearing. They wouldn't do well to protect or aid you should we run into any monsters on the way." I answered her question regarding the boots that I had picked out for her.

"Monsters?" Was she not expecting to run into any on our way there? Was she sheltered?

"Yes. There will be monsters of all kinds outside the walls of any city, town, or village. None of them are friendly." It was as if I were talking to a child who wanted to play outside of the town walls, explaining the dangers of the world without proper preparation and training. I turned towards her and gestured the clothing, wishing to change the topic. I doubted she was that ignorant of this planet, "I apologize that it is not fancy. I hope it will do?"

Her eyes brightened at my question, "Absolutely. Practical, easy to move around in." She smiled at me, "I'm not really one to wear heels except for when I absolutely have to." More traits I could respect. Her emotions seemed a little erratic, but she seemed to be able to take things in stride, react appropriately regardless of what's thrown at her. Her outside very much matched her inside. I couldn't help but smile back at her in response to her expression towards me. I don't want this feeling to end. Not if I can help it. I looked at her for a while longer, taking in details again, of everything, her face, her hair, her body...when I noticed that she was wearing nothing but a towel draped around her. The image imprinted upon my brain like a photograph and my facial features betrayed me as she reacted to my change in mood. I quickly looked back to her face, but she had already turned her head away from me, understandably embarrassed.

"I'll be out in the hall..." I stated as I quickly turned away and headed out the door. Once I closed the door behind me I sidestepped and leaned up against the wall. I'm not sure where I stared after that as my mind kept returning to the image it had decided to snap without my intending to do so. Every minute detail of her features swirled throughout my brain. I tried to focus on something else, but failed at each attempt. I'd try to think of my sword, something simple, but instead I thought of her hair, dripping from the shower. I'd attempt to think about the clone I had met at North Corel, but instead all I saw was her bare shoulders, glistening in the soft light from the windows. I tried like hell to think of my goals, my plans, everything, the reason for my rebirth, but all that I could see, smell, was her. No matter what I did, everything went back to her, to that moment. How I wanted to approach her, to touch her. How I longed to have the chance to feel what that one drop of water felt. The one that fell from her chin, down her neck, then chest, and then, ever so slowly, disappearing behind the towel just between her breasts. My breathing quickened, and if I remained this way, I couldn't promise my control to anybody at this point.

"See anything interesting?" If only you knew...I turned to look at her, fully clothed. I can't say that I wasn't slightly disappointed, but what could I have honestly expected? I took in a deep breath, not being able to say anything to her at this point, afraid my voice, any waver that may appear, might betray my previous thoughts. Instead I merely turned away from her and headed towards the entrance to the hotel.

I glanced just to the left of me, before reaching the door. The concierge was right where I had left him, tucked away behind the counter, out of sight. If he had the audacity to look, to see what I just witnessed in that room...no traces left behind. I heard her follow behind me, taking no notice to my work. Good...you've witnessed enough from me.


When we'd reached the outskirts of Costa Del Sol, we had a brief exchange of direction and travel. Tired of the lack of results, and impatient with her slow stride, I decided to take it upon myself to take us to where we needed to go. I approached her, leaving very little space between us. Again, I wanted to act upon this closeness, but my pride would not allow me to touch her in such a way. Instead, I wrapped my arms around her body and without warning, I jumped us both into the air. I heard her gasp into my chest, felt her breath on my skin, by my sudden movement. Focus...

I felt her latch onto my jacket as she wrapped her own arms around my torso. "God I forgot you could fly..." She whispered, but I heard it. "I normally don't like to as much in this body." I explained, "It is broken, and so I'm only able to use so much energy before I have to stop to rest. I try to only use what I can, and only when I must." After I finished my explanation, my mind went somewhere else. "...you forgot?" But she did not answer. I looked down at her as she fought hyperventilation, unsure of whether it is due to the height, or me. Either way, how would she have known in the first place? Before I died, I could jump, very high by normal standards certainly. But it wasn't until I obtained Mother's body that I was able to make this a form of travel. And I know I haven't met with you until now since I had woken up at the Shinra Tower. I pushed the thought aside for now, making a note to ask her about it later when she was in a better state of mind.

After some time of flight, she relaxed in my arms, though she still held onto the back of my jacket. I watched as she began to look at our surroundings. I saw a look a recognition upon her face as she pointed out a circular lake surrounded by mountains, sure enough, right in the middle of the continent as she had suggested. "The cave is there." She said, pointing to the northern end of the lake.

"I've travelled this world over and again a lot during my life, but never once have I seen that. I always assumed that whole space to be purely mountainous." I began my descent, "How did you find this place?"

"I...happened upon it from an airship." I heard her stutter as we landed upon the rocks below. I watched as the waves splashes up on their sides and took in the environment. She had already walked towards the cave but I stayed where I was surveying the landscape. There was no flat land anywhere within this cove, only mountains and massively rocky shores, no place to land an airship. I gave her another suspicious look, Is she lying to me? But before I could make an inquiry about it, she held out a hand to me and said, "I need you to keep an open mind."

In the past few hours I have seen her tired, exasperated, embarrassed, anxious, scared, content, worried, and now serious. Her expressions will one day betray her. For now though, I think I will just enjoy it. I clasped her hand, clearing my mind of all preconceived notions to prepare for something that I may or may not already know. That was easier said than done so long as her hand remained in mine.

As she led me into the cave, she kept her gaze ahead, while mine remained on her. It wasn't until we reached the inside that I shifted my gaze to this large crystal, formed entirely from floor to ceiling in the very center of the cave. Within it was a woman. I did not recognize her, the sight of her resonated with noting in my memory. What did Sam wish me to see? "Who is she? And what does she have to do with me?"

"Look more closely." I heard her say, but I couldn't understand the purpose of it. I could see fine from where I stood, every detail of hers easily examined from the distance I was currently. Nevertheless, I heeded her suggestion and stepped a few paces forward, bringing my gaze back to the woman. "Closer." I heard the next command. I merely cocked an eyebrow as I moved a few inches forward. "All the way please, and then look." I could hear the annoyance in her voice. I could share her annoyance. I looked at her with narrowed eyes so she knew she wasn't the only one less than content. But I did as she said, I moved as close as I could until my face was merely inches away.

I could certainly see the details of the woman's face with more clarity at this distance. I still couldn't understand what I would be looking for, that is, until I noticed my own face reflecting off the crystal's surface. My face, though transparent, was placed perfectly in front of the woman's face, matching hers almost identically. What...I brought my hand up to my face, tracing my jawline, watching my hand in the reflection trace hers simultaneously. My face, my nose, my brow...my hands reach my cheekbones, everything matched hers. "Who is she?" My voice betraying my emotions I directed at Sam.

"Her name is Dr. Lucrecia Crescent. She was an assistant to Professor Gast during the Jenova Project before he left Shinra."

"Gast..." I couldn't believe my ears. How did she know the Professor? She looks younger than myself, yet she knows more than I do? No..."I read all of Gast's reports, nowhere was her name listed in any of them."

She just shook her head at my statement, "They wouldn't be. His reports were focused on Jenova and the Ancients, nothing more. Besides, after Gast left, she stayed and became Hojo's assistant instead." Hearing that man's name made me cringe. No, he was no man, he was a worm. A spineless, brainless, pathetic pest who's been a thorn in my side since the day I was born. Hearing his name come out of her mouth was the last thing I needed.

If what she said was true though, it might make sense...perhaps, "So she was part of Project S...the Project that created me?" She confirmed again with a nod. I closed my eyes, sorting out these thoughts. What importance could this Dr. Crescent possibly have had in my creation if she had never once been mentioned to me?

I'm sorry...

I thought I had heard a voice, but Sam had not spoken, nor was it Mother's voice. What I wouldn't give to hear it right now, though. My mind was like a swirling vortex of more questions. I took a breath and calmed my thoughts, and thought this through rationally. "So when they made me, they made me in her image? A copy? Like Genesis was with Gillian?" No...that makes no sense. I was told I was perfect, back then, that I could not be copied. So how could I, myself, be a copy?

When I looked back at Sam, I saw her shake her head again, as if mirroring my thoughts. She then explained to me, "No, you were not made in her image...you were born in her image."

Born...

...born...men are born from women, through, in most cases, the mutual agreement between her and another to reproduce offspring, generally accepted through forms of 'love.' So, did this woman love?...and from that love...

My eyes widened, "She's my-" I couldn't finish the sentence. I couldn't even finish the thought that preceded the statement. Again, Sam said nothing, only nodded. But why? Why hide her from me? "Why was I told that Jenova was my mother?"

"Because it was Jenova's cells that they had injected into you during your fetal stages." Her knowledge of my birth was very vast it seemed, but that I already knew. Mother's cells flow within me, and it's through her I'm able to be here as I am now...Mother.

"But why not her?" I asked, gesturing to the woman in the crystal behind me. Sam merely shrugged, giving me an uninformative answer explaining how she was not one of the scientists that had constructed me. Of course she wasn't, she was too young. I had established this already. Again, I needed new information.

So I stood there, waiting in silence until she spoke again, "I mean, I have a theory, but it's really just a guess and nothing more." I didn't move, displayed no emotion to her, just remained silent. "Ok, my thoughts are, now please don't quote me, I don't know the validity of it, but perhaps they hid your mother from you so that you'd be more likely to develop the powers of the Ancients more easily. Whereas if you were told that your parents were human, and you knew them, the likelihood of your powers developing at all would diminish because of a preconceived notion that you were no more special than any other child on this planet." I closed my eyes, listening to everything she said, every word, every emotion behind each sentence. Thinking back on my childhood, attempting to match it with what she assumed, "Mind over matter basically is my assumption."

"But I had no such powers growing up." I knew I was special, and when I discovered Mother, it only confirmed my suspicions. But still, no powers of the Cetra did I ever once possess. Even now, I cannot hear the Planet, while I reside in Mother's body.

"No, and you never were going to. You were seen as a failed experiment, that is until they learned that Jenova was not an Ancient at all. So instead, Shinra used you as a super soldier, an icon if you will. A face to trust alongside his own for the company that would be the world's ruler and 'savior'." I could hear the distaste in her voice. She also bore a hatred for the company. Is that hatred for me? Hatred towards the men who created me? Or hatred towards me for being created? I didn't know then, but I hoped it would be the former.

It wasn't until I heard a small chuckle escape her lips did my mind revert to the latter thought, and my blood boiled. I immediately raised my hand, called upon the masamune and rested the tip of it upon her throat. "You think this is funny?"

"No, I'm sorry, it was an ironic laugh. What they did to you was horrible!" She pleaded or mercy from beneath my blade. What happened to the stoic little girl I saw before? The one who held her own underneath pressure, failing only when her own body had no choice but to betray her. The one who stood before me, made demands, shared no anxiety about what I could do to her, knowing full well of my capabilities. That frightened girl from the ship returned, and I swore that I would never see that face again, that I would never cause that face again. But I needed answers, and if she was not going to give them to me, then what use was she?

"Then tell me, you say my moth-..that Jenova is not an Ancient. Yet in all of Gast's reports they say she was. When did this change?" She inched backwards, but I followed her, blade never once leaving her neck.

"After you were born, when Gast left, when neither you, nor Genesis or Angeal could hear the Planet. When you all couldn't use magic without materia. When they learned that despite Jenova's cells you were all still just human. Powerful, but human." She answered me, another quick answer. Amazing the amount of information you could get from someone when you instill a bit of fear into their hearts.

"Then if she is not a Cetra, what is she?"

"She- It is the calamity. Jenova was the thing that fell from the skies that threatened the Planet! It was the reason for the Cetra's mass suicide, to entrap it into a geological stratum for 2000 years before Shinra unearthed it!"

"I don't believe you! How do you know this?" There was nowhere left for her to go. Nowhere to turn. I had her cornered. I would get my answers whether she liked it or not. I pushed my blade against her skin ever so slightly, so that she'd get my message.

"Because I'm not from this planet either! You, Jenova, Shinra, the Ancients, everything, on Earth you're all just stories!" I stopped. What...? The thoughts of her foreign nature, her eyes, her cellular structure, why she knew so much and yet so little, made sense...did it though? Could she be from another Planet? If so, how did she get here? What could she possibly know of this Planet if she lived her life lightyears away from this place, only setting foot upon this ground a mere week ago?

I watched as she closed her eyes, anticipating my reaction, but I made none. Instead I removed my blade from her neck, sending it away once more. I stared at her. More questions, always with the questions. One gets an answer, and two more come into play. "Stories...Then, if I'm just a part of a story, would you by any chance know the ending?" I watched as she nodded her head only slightly, sensing the fear of sudden movements. "Then what is my ending?" She looked away from me, why? Then I saw it, a tear ran down her cheek, and then another. I had no happy ending...did I?

I began to pace as my heart rate accelerated, running my hands through my hair, my mind abuzz with information and questions. Mother's not a Cetra, then I truly am a monster.

I'm no human, humans did this to me.

How do I lose? What do I do to reach such an ending?

Do I consider Jenova my Mother anymore?

How does she know as much as she does, and how is she connected to me?

Who are you?

Who am I?

Why?

With that last thought I was pulled out of my tornado of thoughts from a high pitched scream. I opened my eyes slightly to see Sam's face centimeters from my own. Her face held fear, but a hint of something else as her eyes never wavered from my own. I took in the rest of face, she was breathing heavily, matching my own. Her cheeks were still stained slightly from the earlier tears, her face flushed. I looked slightly to the left to see that my fist had created a hole in the rocky wall, too close to her head. I rest my right forearm on the wall on the other side of her, pulling my hand out of the rock and examined it. No scratches, but so close. I know I didn't want to see that scared face, but I wanted less to see a lifeless one.

I immediately moved my hand from the fist it was in, opening it to rest upon her hand, twining my fingers in her hair. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. You're the one person who fills me a feeling unlike anything I've felt before.

...because of you, I was able to feel again, when I thought I was gone. I would like to stay this way...forever.

"with you." I whispered, but apparently too low for her to hear. All I could do was take in her details, until finally my gaze rested on her lips. How I longed to taste them again

again?

I was so close, just a little further, and I could claim her, and she could have me completely. No more destruction, nor death. We could leave, go some place far away and forget the past. I didn't want it to matter anymore.

Do not lost focus in my absence. The memory of Mother's voice filled my mind, at the one moment I wished it hadn't. I squeezed my eyes shot, trying to forget what I had just heard. I didn't want this. Or did I?

Before I could answer my question, I felt fingers touch my cheek. Sam's fingers, and with it came a flash, an image of two bodies, naked, intertwined in the dark. Heavy breathing, my name whispered with surprise, and with love and pleasure filling the void.

Too much.

I quickly pushed off the wall away from her. My body couldn't handle the onslaught of emotion. I felt intense love, pleasure, gratefulness, but also betrayal, like I had lost my way, that something was missing. Only one person came to fill that void. It wasn't her. I thought, taking one last look at the woman in the crystal as I stood just outside of the cave. I needed to leave, I needed to find what I missed. I heard Sam calling my name, but I could not take her with me. I almost hurt her this time, I wouldn't make that mistake again. I wouldn't be able to control myself. I wouldn't be able to focus. Don't lose focus in my absence. There it was again. I have my goal, I've had it all this time. I mustn't stray.