I'm sorry. I got a smart phone and have not been on my actual computer in weeks. That and I also had no idea how to finish this chapter. I thought it was a great idea to split them up and go on with the events on the game but I now realize that's a tall order. Anywho, it'll continue that way at least until the Forgotten Capitol. (That chapter is already written because I love spoilers... yes, I can have spoilers for a story that I'm writing.) This is a little on the shorter side and as usual nothing has been edited before posting. If anyone has any suggestions for a beta, I desperately need one.

As usual, I don't own anything and make no money from this. My only payment comes from your reads and reviews.


"There are two freighters leaving for Costa del Sol; one is leaving this evening and the other tomorrow," Tifa said pulling her boots on. She had left early that morning to gather that intelligence and returned promptly. Other matters had arisen and the information had slipped her mind for a few hours. Fully dressed in her new favorite outfit, and Sephiroth's too, she was preparing to leave their safe-house. "It would be better for you to go ahead tonight. With that Avalanche group here as well Shinra will have to divide their attention in three. Since you, Jenova, and I do not exist they will be forced to focus the majority of their visible troupes on Avalanche giving you the chance to get Jenova out of here without any problems. I might catch up with you."

Tifa began to pack her things, unsure if she would ever see Sephiroth again. Her chest felt hollow. It was an odd sensation, making her wish that she would take back all the words she had just said and continue to travel at his side. That was not an option, she had given the command and that was the end of it. There were other things she had to do as well. Hojo had to be taken care of and then there was the Cloud character. He seemed to be the only person not affiliated with Shinra who knew who she was and claimed to have known her when... Well, when she was not with Shinra. Did she need to know more about that, did she want to know? Since Hojo was not in Junon and Cloud was, she figured she could find him tonight. First she would see Sephiroth off. The freighter was due to leave harbor at 7PM so there would be no Turks for him to deal with.

"Don't die Lockheart," Sephiroth said as she passed through the doorway, causing her to pause.

"Not until God himself says so," she replied smiling back at him. Sephiroth watched her walk out the door. He still had not moved from his reclined position on his back. A wave of anger roiled through him, disappearing as quickly has it had shown up.

"Worry not my son, she is not gone. We shall see her again," a high pitched voice whispered through his head. "We must focus now, there is much work to be done."

"Yes, Mother," Sephiroth replied smiling. He knew that as long as Mother were with him, things would work out according to plan. He had absolute faith in her when she said that Tifa would return. Ever since their reawakening and journey out of the Lifestream, Sephiroth had begun to see Tifa as a constant in his life. She and Mother were the only two who he would allow to stand at his side and take orders from. They were his constants in a world in constant flux. At least he still had Mother at his side.

Slowly, he sat up, feeling each protesting muscle. Tifa proved to be a rough bedmate, the teeth and nail marks on his back and chest testified to that. A small debate waged in his head on whether or not to use a potion to prevent her marks from becoming scars. He decided against it, they would serve as his reminder that he had possessed Tifa for even a brief moment in time. Was he getting sentimental? No, at least he would never admit it to himself. Pants were pulled on, followed by boots and his cloak. Tifa had offered to find Sephiroth another disguise, since the first one had been destroyed by a "spoiled" fire materia casting itself. He had declined and opted to tie is hair back and wear a cloak. He had nothing to hide from, only Shinra would bother with him. The rest of the world had accepted that he had gone missing and forgot about him. Had not he been a hero and butcher to many of them? Did they give up on their heroes so quickly? Soon they would be forced to remember him, if only briefly before their destruction.

He had been to Junon to many times, to be impressed with the town. It was the same slightly run down military base that he remembered. Teal eyes were kept sharp for any sign of Shinra patrolmen or Turks, none were around. The fanfare must have been over. No doubt there would be more later on, as Rufus Shinra was always known for being a megalomaniac. In truth, Shinra was a company whose cornerstone was extreme egomania. They also had the power to back that up as well. The dock was not far from the dilapidated hotel and it was almost time for the ship to leave. Sneaking onto a cargo ship was not a difficult task, even for someone with no stealth training. It was going to be a long trip across the ocean to Costa del Sol. Mother had quieted down during the journey and was trying to locate the Keystone that they needed to enter the Temple of the Ancients.

Xoxoxoxo

"Who are you," Tifa demanded from her spot hidden amongst the cargo. She had watched the blonde named Cloud and his Avalanche companions board the freighter that she was on and stalked them for a few hours. Curiosity had gotten the better of her and watching from the shadows was not enough. The blonde had claimed to know her from her previous life. What did she hope to find out though? She had been a child, weren't all children the same? Tifa rarely interacted with children, only on fanfare missions with Zack and Sephiroth. Confused eyes looked around, searching for the source of the question. Tifa had chosen a location that would echo, making it more difficult for them to find her. There was the blonde, Cloud, a large black man with a gun for an arm, a brunette in a pink dress, and a reddish-orange lion-type creature.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked after hushing the others. They wanted to know what was going on and where the voice came from. "It's me, Cloud Strife from Nibelhiem, we grew up together. We're not your enemies."

"Everyone is an enemy," she stated walking out from her hiding spot. She made sure to keep them all within her line of sight, no telling who would try to attack her. If they did, she would kill them on the spot and dump their bodies in the ocean. The lion sniffed the air, catching her scent. He recognized her from Hojo's labs. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and a low growl trickled from his snarling lips. The man with the gun arm eyed her warily, trying to place her face.

"Wait, you're Tifa? Tifa Lockheart?" the woman in pink asked. Tifa, who had dropped into a fighting stance, only inclined her head an inch. "You were in Soldier? Then surely you must have known a fried on mine, his name was Zack Fair." Every muscle in Tifa's body froze. Zack Fair, it had been so long. How did this girl know Zack? Could she have been the girlfriend that Zack had always wanted to introduce her to? Tifa kept her face blank because she knew what would come next if she let them know that she had known Zack. The woman, Aeris, would want to know what happened to him and Tifa did not have all the answers. Most of what had occurred in Nibelheim was a mystery to both she and Sephiroth. All either of them remembered was waking up after being spit out of the Lifestream with rage and revenge dominating their thoughts.

"There are a lot of Soldiers," was her cold reply.

"You murderin' bitch," Barret shouted, raising his gun. "All them people!" Aeris stepped in front of him, blocking his shot. Tifa might not have known Zack or her, but Aeris knew of Tifa. From what Zack had told her Tifa was a mixed up person, who didn't have any long term memory. Also her short term memory was terrible to things not related to training or her missions. He had explained that Tifa was prone to forgetting any outings that she would go on in her free time, which was rare to begin with. Something was not right about the female Soldier.

"Tifa," the blond known as Cloud began as Aeris tried to soothe Barret. "Is what Reno said true? You don't have any memories?"

"I have memories and you are in none of them. Now tell me who you are, all of you," she demanded.

"I'm Cloud Strife, we grew up together. That's Red XIII, Barret's over there, and Aeris."

"You may not have known Zack but he knew you," Aeris smiled. She would tell the others all that she knew about Tifa at a later time. "He considered you a friend." Tifa had nothing to say, there was nothing she could have said.

"We have the same objective, to see Shinra destroyed. I have more information on them then you do," she stated. Tifa was the sum of her breeding. "Where are you headed?"

"Right now, we're just on the run and trying to regroup," Cloud answered.

"Ya' too damn trustin'" Barret snarled at Cloud. "She's Shinra." Tifa laughed, she could not help it.

"I haven't been Shinra in a long time. Did you think you had some magic power to blow up reactors in Midgar?" She asked glaring back. She could not blame him for holding so much hate for her, she had been Shinra, once upon a life.

"While you do not smell entirely innocent, I can smell that you bear no malice towards us," Red said lowering his guard to sit on his haunches. He still kept an eye on Tifa because he had not forgotten his quarrel with her. It appeared that she did not know any of their small group, which he found to be quite odd. Cloud had told them that Reno had said that Tifa had no memories of her youth. Either the young woman had chosen to forget or Shinra had taken them from her. It was no uncommon and he had learned of a number of test subjects that Hojo had done that to. Perhaps Tifa had been one of them. "We are headed to Cosmo Canyon, my home. They contain the most extensive records of the Planet."

"I will join you," Tifa said. She knew that Hojo had a few secret labs in that area, perhaps she would be able t find the madman there.

Xoxoxoxoxo

The Corel region was a waste land. Sephiroth looked down at the ramshackle settlement of survivors. He had not been assigned to deal with the town, but he knew what had happened. It had been Tifa's first solo mission after making 1st Class. She had been sent out with the Turks to eliminate the town as they had been deemed hostile by Shinra after the destruction of the reactor. There was nothing left, not even materials with which to rebuild. The town had been burned down and most of the townspeople killed. He had not seen such destruction since Wutai. He had assumed that Nibelheim had been worse but, his memory was all but gone from that event. The only thought that ran through his mind was of how Shinra had truly created something that rivaled him. Tifa had been an experiment and she must have exceeded expectations.

"Why dwell on such things," Jenova whispered through his mind. Sephiroth had no answers. He had his mission but Tifa continued to seep into his thoughts. A part of him wanted to know why she did not hate him as she hated the rest of Shinra. He had not denied knowing the reason for her being placed in the Soldier program. He had been present for all the meeting regarding her progress, he had known, yet she did not blame him.

"Sephiroth, my son, she knows you are to be a god. Why would she cross you when she could kneel at your feet?"

"We must get the black materia," Sephiroth stated, forcing himself to focus on his objective rather than Tifa. He would see her again, Mother had promised that much but for now he had Mother and a mission.


Shorter than I had planned but still done. More Sephiroth and Jenova to come. I also have another Seph/Ti fanfiction in the works but I believe it's going to be a one shot, more like an alternative way of looking at Sephiroth's madness.

Loveless