A/N: You will notice that there is no chapter #13 in this story. Call me superstitious... Anyhow I am back from my hiatus and ready to roll. Thank you to all who left feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy this fic.

Peace

Chapter #14

Breakfast

Cloud looked like he really regretted asking Sephiroth to tell him everything. Tifa certainly did. Everything meant four hours of the ex-SOLDIER growing increasingly irritated and uncomfortable. Cloud, who really didn't know Sephiroth at all, was completely oblivious to the man's discomfort, but Tifa knew him well enough now to see his distress as he talked about waking up in Hojo's lab in Icicle. From his camaraderie with Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley to the wonders of the lifestream and the knowledge he had absorbed from it- Sephiroth talked about it all. And more. Tifa didn't know what to think. He'd summed up his entire adult life, and it wasn't much. His life consisted of being in SOLDIER. And being lost in the lifestream. That pretty much covered everything. And the whole attempting to destroy the planet thing.

"I did not want to get involved with Hojo or with Shinra. I despise that fool. Scientist," Sephiroth spat out bitterly. "Father or not, the man is a second-rate quack." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I thought it would be best for me to disappear," he finished quietly. "But I was concerned for Tifa. And so I paid her a visit. Genesis got involved... and here we are."

"Here we are," Cloud echoed. He'd listened attentively, absorbed in Sephiroth's tale, and now he slumped back into the sofa and turned to Tifa. "Here we are."

She rubbed her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "I'm hungry. What about you?" she asked her childhood friend. Breakfast sounded like a wonderful idea. She wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to ask Sephiroth if he was hungry. As of yet all she'd seen him eat was one measly apple. And only because Genesis requested it. She wasn't sure if he even needed to eat. Or maybe he did it in secret. Who knew?

"Starving," Cloud admitted, studying Sephiroth with unnerving intensity.

Tifa got to her feet and made for the bathroom. She half-turned, hand on the doorknob, and addressed the two men. "Don't do anything crazy. I just need to freshen up." She meant it to be funny, but Cloud gave her a haunted look. Sephiroth, though, managed a small smile. She smiled back at him and went into the bathroom to examine herself in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked pale and drawn. Stress and lack of sleep always did terrible things to her looks. A splash of cold water and a quick combing of her hair had her feeling almost human- coffee and food would do wonders.

Maybe she shouldn't have used the word crazy. Considering both men had been just that at some point in their respective lives. Cloud and his identity crisis. Sephiroth and his total lunacy. Tifa stepped back into the room and regarded the two men. "Could you give us a minute, Cloud?"

He shook his head, his haunted mako eyes fixing on her. "I'm not leaving you alone with him."

That statement seemed to push Sephiroth to his limit. "I have succumbed to your demands for the past four hours, boy. I have reached the end of my patience. I will not tolerate you insinuating that I would ever hurt her, in any way." His voice had taken on that icy tone he used to use with her.

"Hey," she said, alarmed by the sudden anger. "Come on, guys. No fighting. Please... you're both handling this really well. Cloud, please. Just give us one minute, okay?"

He scratched his head, his eyes taking on that stubborn gleam she knew all too well. He was going to hold his ground. "Tifa..."

She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows, giving him her best intimidating woman look. To her amazement, it worked; he got to his feet with a sigh, shooting Sephiroth a reproachful glare, as though the man was fully responsible for Tifa's stubborn demand to have a private moment with him. "Fine," Cloud muttered. "I'll be right outside. You hurt a hair on her head..."

Sephiroth's expression became one of murderous irritation.

"All right!" Cloud threw his hands up. "Jeez... How do you deal with his temper, Tifa?"

"I'm used to temperamental ex-SOLDIERs," she said lightly. "You could say they're my specialty."

Cloud shook his head. It seemed he just could not bring himself to find any humour whatsoever in the situation, which Tifa thought was unfortunate. If you couldn't laugh at the insanity of life, you were bound to eventually snap under the pressure of it all. At least, that's how she'd always looked at it. Cloud stepped out of the room, not before throwing Sephiroth a parting scowl of warning. Tifa immediately relaxed. She hadn't expected it to go so smoothly between the two of them. Not even a punch had been thrown.

Yet.

Sephiroth let out a heavy sigh, and she turned her attention back to her friend. "You okay?" she asked him softly.

"Yes."

He said it too quickly. Tifa knelt down in front of him and took one of his large hands in hers. She studied their hands, palms pressed together; his fingers were very long, almost delicate. He would make an amazing pianist. "You ever play the piano?" she asked.

"No. My mother played," he said softly, his eyes on their hands. Slowly he lifted his gaze to stare at her. "You play."

She shrugged. "It's been years. My mom taught me how to play. Once she died... I stopped learning. I just played what I knew. Eventually I lost the heart for it, I guess."

He tilted his head and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I see. You associate playing piano with your mother, and you no longer have her in your life. But Tifa, don't you think you might be doing your mother's memory a disservice by neglecting something she wanted you to do?"

Something about the thoughtful and heartfelt response dealt out in his cool, logical tone, coupled with the tender gesture of tucking her hair back, made Tifa grin. "I guess... you have a point," she conceded.

His answering smile brought butterflies to her stomach. She liked the way it lit up his eyes- he had such beautiful eyes.

Oh... don't start that...

"Perhaps you can teach me how to play," he added softly. "I have no creative endeavours in my life. It might be therapeutic for me."

She realized he was making a stab at lightening the mood, and mentally gave him points for the effort. "I think it'll take more than some piano lessons to improve your mental health," she said with a grin.

He shrugged his burly shoulders and smiled back at her, that smile she found oddly charming. The novelty of it still hadn't worn off. It probably never would, she reflected. His smile made her feel like a fourteen-year old girl running to check the newspapers, the latest update on the famous war hero.

"You're concerned," he said. "Don't be. I'm fine."

She smiled, recognizing what he was trying to do. Deflect. He didn't want her worrying about him. She blurted out the question that had been lurking in the back of her mind sine her little discussion with Genesis yesterday. "You're sick, aren't you?"

Again he shrugged dismissively. "I am fine, Tifa. Really, you needn't concern yourself with my well-being."

Tifa mimicked his casual movement, shrugging her own shoulders. "You handled that really well."

He tilted his head, amused. "I suppose you expected another massacre."

"No, of course I didn't. I trust you. I know you're not a bad person." She sat on the arm of the chair he was occupying, settling her legs in his lap. He raised his eyes to meet hers. Tifa realized with a rather sudden jolt that they were very close now, physically- his face was inches from her own. She could smell him. He smelled like smoke and metal.

Did he really believe her opinion of him was that low?

His own opinion of her, she couldn't begin to guess at. She hadn't missed the subtle up-and-down eye movements he'd directed at her earlier. She thought at first she'd imagined it. But no. He was checking her out. She knew that action all too well. She'd been given that look too many times to count. Part of her dismissed it as yet another man simply admiring her figure. Another part of her, a quiet, unassuming, whispering part of her, suggested otherwise.

She smiled and sank into his lap, throwing her legs over the arm of the chair. They had a baffling relationship, to be sure.

Do you love him?

Genesis. The devil's advocate. She couldn't answer that question without raising a host of others. What kind of love? Where did love come from, anyway? She enjoyed his company, even more than she enjoyed Cloud's company. Being alone with him now, she realized there really was no place she'd rather be. But they didn't even know each other, really. They never had. Their mutual past was marked with misunderstandings, mistakes, misconceptions, crimes. Only recently did she feel like she knew him, and still she felt as though she'd only scratched the surface.

Sephiroth raised one fine eyebrow. "I doubt Cloud would appreciate finding you in such a position."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes like a petulant teenage girl and made to get off of him, but he settled one muscular arm around her shoulders, a show of affection. He seemed nervous, suddenly. It was an odd thing, seeing Sephiroth nervous. Almost as odd as seeing him awkward.

Why am I sitting in his lap? Have I completely lost my mind? Must be a side-effect of spending too much time with him... he smells good...

"Thank you," he said. "For your friendship."

Tifa couldn't help it. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips. Nobody, as far as she could remember, had ever thanked her for being their friend. It would have sounded strange coming from somebody else. In fact, it sounded even stranger coming from him. "Thank you," she said with a smile, "for keeping that temper in check."

"I really don't see what the fuss is about concerning this temper problem that I in fact do not have." He said it with a serious tone, but she saw a muscle jump in his cheek and knew he was teasing her. "It seems to me that Cloud has a more volatile temper than I do."

Taking a shot at her childhood friend? She shook her head, smiled again. This sudden casualness, the lightness in his voice and the ease with which they could laugh and smile and joke with each other, had her feeling bolder towards him than she usually felt. She decided now was as good a time as any to venture into his dietary needs. "Are you hungry?"

His eyebrow went up again. "I suppose I might be."

What sort of answer was that? "You might be? You mean... you don't know?"

Sephiroth shrugged his massive shoulders. "I have never required the same nutrition as... normal people."

Tifa made a silent vow to ensure he started eating regularly. "Let's get some breakfast. Do you drink coffee?" She hauled herself out of his lap rather reluctantly without waiting for an answer, and headed for the door.

"I understand caffeine is not good for a person." He trailed after her, moving in absolute silence. He was really rather frightening, if she was honest with herself. But only on the surface. Under that cool exterior lay a confused, troubled soul with as much emotional scarring as anyone else. Only he had a facade that rivalled even hers at times.

I'm fine. Don't worry about me.

They were alike in many ways, she decided as they made their way down to the Shildra Inn. "True, but I'm exhausted, and I have a feeling it's going to be a long day," she said, laying her hand on his upper arm and allowing him to escort her down the last flight of stairs.

"Self-medicating? I expected better from you, Tifa."

She pinched his inner arm, but it didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. No fun. "I would have gotten more sleep if somebody didn't wake me up at 3:00 A.M," she shot back. "By the way, I'm happy to report that not a drop of blood was spilled. But Genesis was the one who made things worse."

"He does that, often enough," Sephiroth said, amused. "Though in his defence, he does clean up the messes that he makes."

They went into the small, crowded Inn, the smell of breakfast food and strong coffee perking Tifa up immediately. Cloud, Nanaki, and Cid sat at one table, Vincent and Genesis at another. Nanaki sat on his haunches on a chair, resting his chin on the table. His ears drooped slightly and his tail was absolutely still. Exhausted. Cid was going to town on a fry-up breakfast: bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, sausages, toast smothered in butter. Cloud's plate of food was untouched, and his eyes fixed on Tifa's hand resting against Sephiroth's arm the moment they walked into the room.

"Hey, you two," Cid said, bits of scrambled egg flying out of his mouth and landing in Nanaki's fiery red mane. "Oops..." He reached over and picked some of the egg out of the creature's fur. Nanaki growled half-heartedly, apparently too tired to talk. "How was your... uhh... conversation?"

"Intense," Tifa said, grabbing Sephiroth's hand and pulling him towards the table where Genesis and Vincent sat. He gave in without resistance, sitting next to his old friend, who clapped him on the shoulder merrily. He brushed the gesture of affection away.

"I dislike you at the moment, Genesis."

The words didn't seem to faze the redhead. Tifa suspected he was doing laps around the others in the number-of-coffee-cups-consumed department. He seemed incredibly alert and chipper, as opposed to Cloud, Cid, Nanaki, and herself. Sephiroth and Vincent, of course, didn't appear to be suffering in the slightest from lack of sleep.

"Ah, well. Do let me know when you like me again." Genesis grabbed his coffee cup and filled it, added two heaping spoonfuls of sugar, and sat down once more. "Breakfast, my dear?" he asked Tifa politely.

"Yeah," she said, stifling a yawn and slumping down in a chair between Vincent and Sephiroth. Genesis went off to harass the Innkeeper about another two plates of food, and came back with two steaming cups of coffee. He set one in front of Tifa, and the other in front of Sephiroth.

"It's damn good coffee," he said.

Tifa watched Sephiroth slowly raise the cup to his mouth and take a sip. She wasn't the only one staring at him. Everyone in the room, barring Nanaki, watched him as he tasted his coffee. He set the cup down as slowly as he'd picked it up, his eyes on Genesis. "Not enough sugar," he said finally.

Tifa bit back a smile and gulped down a quarter of her own coffee, ignoring how steaming-hot it was; the liquid scorched a trail down her throat, and she winced slightly. "Perfect."

Vincent took out his gun and began to polish it with the edge of his cape. Nanaki began to snore quietly. An awkward, unsettled silence fell over the unusual group of people, punctured only by the soft, dog-like snoring. Tifa happily tucked into her breakfast, gobbling down her heavily buttered toast, spearing potatoes onto her fork and chewing them with relish. She glanced at Sephiroth, saw that he was simply staring into his cup of coffee, and elbowed him in the ribs. He turned his head very slowly to fix her with a piercing stare that others might have found intimidating, even frightening. She grinned at him and pointed down at his plate. "Have some breakfast."

He picked up a strip of bacon and examined it very closely. "This is hardly nutritious fare."

"Just eat your bacon."

He nibbled at the strip of meat, to appease her. She avoided looking at him, mostly because she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. But he seemed unconcerned with the fact that he had the attention of almost everyone in the room. He ate his bacon very slowly, then started on his toast. Tifa felt a surge of slightly giddy triumph. If she could ease him into normalcy, into being more human, doing more human things, she felt it would make a difference in his life. Maybe not a big difference, but a difference all the same. To him it might be a simple meal, but to her it felt like something more.

You're being silly...

"I guess Rufus Shinra will be in touch with us before long," Cid spoke up into the awkward silence.

"Does Reeve know about these two?" Cloud asked, watching Sephiroth and Genesis drink their respective coffees.

"He does not," Vincent said. "I imagine the President will inform him."

"I would like to go to Nibelheim," Genesis said casually. "I believe these missing people have been subjected to Professor Hojo's experiments. That would be what the Turks encountered in Mt. Nibel. Mako-infected monsters."

"Perhaps he is attempting something new with mako infusions," Sephiroth said, stabbing at the potatoes on his plate so violently that both Cloud and Cid jumped in their chairs. "Or perhaps... he is doing more to these monsters than simply infusing them with mako."

"We can do away with them," Genesis said dismissively.

Sephiroth inclined his head in agreement and took another sip of coffee.

"You're going to Nibelheim?" Cloud asked in alarm. "You can't go to Nibelheim."

Tifa looked over at him. He was watching Sephiroth with a mixture of suspicion and fascination. She glanced back at Sephiroth. He stared at Cloud, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "I can't go to Nibelheim? Enlighten me, Cloud. Why can I not go to Nibelheim?" he asked, coffee cup halfway to his mouth. His tone was calm, nonjudgmental, but she sensed a sort of aggravation coming from him.

"Well... because." Cloud scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean... you've done enough to Nibelheim."

"I'm coming with you," Tifa said to Sephiroth, ignoring Cloud's rather ridiculous sentiment.

Sephiroth set his coffee cup down and frowned at her. "I think not."

"You're not going anywhere with him," Cloud said sharply. "No way."

"Oh it's up to you, is it?" she answered, her tone of voice coming off a bit snippier than she meant it to.

"I agree with Cloud."

That sentiment earned the ex-SOLDIER shocked looks from almost everyone in the room, including Tifa. Genesis and Vincent were the only ones who didn't express surprise, but then, Tifa had never known Vincent to ever look surprised, never mind shocked. The gunman merely stared at Cloud with one perfectly shaped raven eyebrow quirked up slightly.

"You do?" Cloud asked in amazement. "You agree with me?"

"Yes. Tifa should stay here."

She felt oddly like a scolded child, and tried to brush the feeling off. Whether Sephiroth's intent on keeping her safe was because of his affection for her, or because she was a woman, didn't matter. It rubbed against a very sensitive part of her. She wasn't used to being excluded. As a child she'd been a bit of a ringleader, accustomed to having a gaggle of boys following her around, Cloud included. When she first moved to Midgar, she'd jumped right into bartending, and the role fit her well. She'd been a confidant, a shoulder to cry on, and emotional support for numerous residents of the Sector Seven slums who chased their problems away by looking for the bottom of the bottle. It wasn't that she liked being the centre of attention- far from it. She preferred the sideline, really. But not a stagnant sideline.

"I am not staying here. Don't be ridiculous," she said to him fiercely. "If you're going to Nibelheim, I'm coming with you. Don't forget, that creep tied me down to an operating table and came very close to..." she hesitated, then finished rather weakly, "you know."

"I know," Sephiroth answered, his expression softening as he met her gaze over his cup of coffee. "I imagine you would rather not end up back in that position."

"Not really," she agreed. "Besides, it's dangerous in the mountains. You'll need a guide."

Cloud groaned. Vincent snorted- coming from him, the sound was oddly elegant. Genesis let out a guffaw, and Sephiroth allowed a wry smile. "And where would I find this guide?"

She smiled back at him, aware that Cloud was observing their interaction. She snuck a glance at her childhood friend- he had a queer expression on his face, as though somebody had pinched him. She supposed the whole thing had to be pretty surreal from somebody else's perspective. What had become normal for her- being around Sephiroth, talking to him, being his friend- was still bizarre by the standards of anyone else. Except Genesis, but he was in a class of his own. "I haven't forgotten how to get through the mountains," she said. "You don't want to get lost. Look at what happened to the Turks."

Genesis scoffed quietly. "Plainly they had no idea what they were doing. Idiots."

"Particularly that redhead."

"Don't be so petty."

Sephiroth gave Genesis a cutting look, then stared down at his coffee. He was giving something serious consideration. Tifa could tell by the way his eyes grew distant and his expression became blank. She gave him time to think things over, and turned to Genesis with full intentions of berating him for being such a shit-disturber. But he flashed her a roguish smile so charming that she couldn't resist grinning back at him. "You're terrible."

He sipped at his coffee. "I know."

"You really are."

Vincent pulled out his phone and began punching in a text message, the soft beep of each button amplified in the sudden quiet.

"Who are you texting?" Cloud asked, his voice weary but curious.

"That thieving little girl." Vincent lowered his phone and stared at Cloud. "In this method of communication I do not actually have to speak to her. I prefer it."

Poor Vincent. Why was it so difficult for him to admit that he was actually quite fond of Yuffie? True, Yuffie was young and a bundle of barely-contained energy, and Vincent seemed ancient at times, with about as much enthusiasm for life as a rock, but Tifa thought they made a good team. "What are you saying to her?"

Vincent held up his phone so she could see the screen.

Call Reeve

"That's it?"

He shrugged indifferently. "That's all that is necessary."

"I'm amazed that you get service out here," Genesis said.

Sephiroth broke out of his silent reverie and turned to the redhead. "I am not petty. Reno the Turk is quite obviously a complete dunce. Ask anyone in this room and I'm sure they will agree. My comment had no hidden connotations. I was merely agreeing that the Turks were idiots."

"You had fifteen minutes to come up with an argument and that's all you've got?" Cloud asked.

Vincent's phone began to ring. He stared at it as though it was evil incarnate. "Damn."

"Answer it," Genesis prompted.

"I'm above such silliness," Sephiroth continued, "and on the subject of being petty, Genesis, was it not you who-"

Tifa pressed a finger against his mouth, shushing him, and was surprised by the softness of his lips. He turned to her and she shook her head, leaning towards him to whisper in his ear. "Don't let him get to you. That's what he wants."

"Answer the damned phone," Genesis said.

Vincent breathed out a long-suffering sigh and flipped his phone open. "This is not Reeve's number."

On the other end of the line, Yuffie's girlish voice was going off about something loud enough for all of them to hear. Poor Vincent, Tifa thought with a little grin. She caught Sephiroth's eye and her grin grew wider.

"If you want an update on the situation... I would rather not, Yuffie. No. No, I am not going to give you an explanation, I have a certain allotment of free minutes each moth and I am not going to waste them. I'm on a contract, Yuffie. I'm... I can't. Call Reeve. Goodbye. Goodbye, I said. This conversation is o- what are you insinuating?" Vincent growled and snapped his phone shut, banging it on the table.

"Oh my," Genesis said. "I must get myself one of those. Where can I buy a phone?"

"I recommend you don't." Vincent glared at the offending device. "Not if you value your sanity."

"I shall never get a phone," Sephiroth said, taking a long, pondering sip of coffee. He glanced at Tifa and tried to hide his smile behind the coffee mug.

"Alright." Cloud stood up and banged his hand down on the table, rousing Nanaki from his slumber. "We're going to Nibelheim. Vincent, Cid... Cid, wake up."

"...mmph.."

"Nanaki..."

"Thinks he's a leader," Genesis muttered.

Tifa frowned at him. Cloud was a leader, and a good one at that. He never balked when something needed done. She opened her mouth to defend her friend, but Sephiroth beat her to the punch.

"Genesis, you might consider that we are here solely by Tifa's invitation. This situation will be much easier to deal with if we cooperate. Now that may require you to swallow your pride, but such as it goes."

"I'm not taking orders from a boy. And you don't take orders from anyone. Oh!" A wicked smile flashed across the redhead's handsome face, and he glanced at Tifa slyly. "Except for the lovely Miss Lockhart."

"Tifa," Cloud continued, ignoring both of the ex-SOLDIERs, "you know your way around that area better than anyone." He turned to Sephiroth. "You want to come with us?"

"I'm confused. Was it not you and I who decided to go to Nibelheim?" Genesis asked Sephiroth.

Vincent's phone began to ring once more. He pointedly ignored it. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow quizzically and pushed the phone towards its owner. "I'm no expert in the field of communication, but I believe she wants to have a word with you," he said before turning his attention back to Cloud. "Yes, we will be coming with you."

"No dirty tricks," Cloud warned uneasily. "No mind games, Sephiroth."

"I'm afraid I've lost my zest for mind games." Sephiroth stood up- Cloud's unease visibly grew- and motioned for Genesis. "Come, we have things to discuss."

"I take it you don't dislike me anymore?"

"On the contrary, I still dislike you." Sephiroth's hand fell on Tifa's shoulder and he gave her a gentle squeeze. Genesis chuckled to himself, slapped Sephiroth on the back, and the two men left unceremoniously.

Cloud let out a loud sigh, relief mixed with agitation. "This is crazy."

Tifa blanched at the word. "Don't say that, Cloud."

He raised his eyebrows, regarding her with faint confusion. "Say what?"

"That word. Crazy. Don't say it."