A/N: The soundtrack for this chapter is 'I Just Want to Love You' by The Strange Familiar
Chapter 46
Angeal had started off facing the young female Tsviet, and Genesis was fighting the boy. However, that had changed quickly. The battle became instant chaos when the boy screamed at something behind them. Angeal forced himself not to look. He trusted Sephiroth with his life and knew that the man loved Alex. He would have to stay focused and ensure that whatever plan the man had come up with would end all right as long as they all did their part.
He was shocked at how fast the girl was. Her hits were not as strong as many he had received, but her speed more than made up for her lack of strength. While he kept her busy, he noticed the boy bolt down the pipe with the gunman right behind him. Genesis must have seen something because he let them go. Instead, he turned his eyes to the tank.
As soon as the being within the mako was exposed, both Genesis and Nanaki started to rain fire on it. When that began, the girl fought even more ferociously. At least for a short while. An explosion sounded from the tank that temporarily distracted both fighters, but the girl fell screaming right after.
Angeal watched with growing horror as the girl thrashed around on the ground for a moment before she fell limp. He then looked up to see the tank was still in blazes, but the body within was already mostly consumed. Once the girl was quiet, the silence seemed to spread until the only sound was the flickering of the flames as they started to die down.
The whole thing had only taken a matter of a few minutes. Angeal looked across to see Genesis and Nanaki had already left the fire to burn on its own. However, the somber moment was shattered as soon as Genesis turned around. Angeal had not seen the man move so fast outside of a battlefield as he jumped down and yelled, "What have you done!"
Angeal's head whipped around, and he nearly fell when he finally saw Sephiroth cradling Alex's body to him. Blood covered her back and pooled on the floor around them, but the general did not seem to notice anything. He hadn't answered Genesis either.
Angeal jumped down to join them and wasn't sure what he felt. He could tell at a glance that Alex was limp in Sephiroth's hold, and he could well guess why. The idea brought pain, unlike anything he had ever known. Part of him wanted to rip his twin from the man's grip and scream in anguish. The only thing that kept him from it, was that he did not want to mar Alex more than she already was.
His voice was low and cold when he called out as well. "Sephiroth, what happened?"
Whatever reaction he was expecting, it was not the expression Sephiroth showed them. He finally looked up from where he had buried his face in the crook of her neck, and even Genesis must have seen something. The fiery commander let Rapier disappear, and he took a few steps back to join Nanaki and Vincent.
Sephiroth's eye went to where Angeal was standing, but they were hollow. He was merely a shell of the man he usually was. The general's voice was broken and barely audible when he said, "She thanked me. Why would she thank me for this."
Angeal felt his breath leave him in a rush. The way his commanding officer looked at that moment was like a physical blow. Any anger that he held when he first saw his sister left him at that moment. What could he possibly do to punish the man when he was already dying on the inside.
Angeal was never one for tears—none of them were, but that did not keep them from pooling along his lashes as he crouched down in front of the couple and saw the tracks that trailed through the blood on the general's face. Angeal took a deep breath before he gently said, "Let me have her. We need to head back and figure out the rest."
Sephiroth didn't move at first. Angeal could tell that it wasn't because he didn't hear, but more like he couldn't comprehend. It wasn't until Vincent came over and put a hand on the general's shoulder as he said, "Let her go. This part is finished, but we have much to do."
Something in those words must have done the trick, as Sephiroth finally loosened his grip enough that Angeal could take Alex. However, before she was fully transferred, Sephiroth looked up with wide eyes. "I promised that I would never let her go."
Angeal was at a loss for words. He recognized that look, as he was sure the same one was on his own face. What was he supposed to say? Part of him could still not let go of his resentment, even if he understood. Yet another part realized that the man in front of him, the one he had called friend ever since they first met in training, that man was never going to be the same.
Thankfully, he did not need to find the words. Vincent once again stepped in and said, "You aren't letting her go. You are allowing her brother to carry her back. Help me with the other two, and then you can join her."
Sephiroth let out a wavering breath but finally allowed Angeal to take Alex before he stood. A shadow of who he had been managed to fill his eyes as he looked around at the rest of the destruction. Rage passed across his expression when he caught sight of the tank, but that passed quickly, and only the despair remained. Still, he nodded before he went and picked up the body that had been lying a few feet away.
He didn't even check to see if the boy was breathing before he turned to Angeal and said, "We can take one of the helicopters to return. We will likely need Bugenhagen's assistance with Alex."
Angeal's heart skipped a beat. There would only be one reason for the general to make such a suggestion. He looked down at the woman in his arms closely until his thoughts were verified. He nearly felt like falling on the spot, but Vincent called out to get their attention. "I will stay behind with the other helo and investigate what happened here. I'll return once I have more information."
Angeal barely paused long enough to agree with the suggestion before he was out and rushing to the helicopter. The long day was far from over.
Alex drifted in darkness. It wasn't cold and frightening, but it wasn't exactly warm and welcoming either. She could occasionally hear the sound of voices, but they were muffled and sounded far away. The only thing that ever came through sporadically was her name. She thought the voice was familiar, but any time she tried to concentrate, it would slip away, and she started drifting again.
She had no idea of the passage of time, but her isolation ended when she finally felt something. Her hand was covered and warm. There was a tenderness to the touch that made her yearn for something, even if she didn't know what. Finally, she forced her mind to still so she could concentrate on that feeling. It took several tries, but she somehow managed to get her eyes to open.
It was still dark around her, but this was the darkness of night with the promise of moon and stars—not the darkness of the oblivion she had been in. Now that her brain was waking up, she turned her head both ways to see if she recognized where she was. It seemed to be familiar, but that recognition was irrelevant beside what else she saw.
A silver head was laid on the side of the bed near her hand. Two large, warm, and gloveless hands covered hers. She watched the steady rise and fall of the man's back as he breathed gently in his sleep and marveled at the feeling of his breath as it crossed her skin.
Alex almost didn't want to disturb him, but her memories of what had happened in the reactor were starting to come back, and she knew they all had questions that could not be put off for long.
She rolled onto her side without moving her hand. She then used the other to push Sephiroth's hair off his face. He flinched and sat up immediately, though his eyes widened when they landed on her. She managed a smile when she said, "You know, as much as I love to wake up and have your face be the first thing I see, I think it needs to stop happening like this."
Sephiroth looked startled by her first words, but not for long. He quickly had her in a crushing embrace and held her like that long enough that she was afraid she was going to pass out. She pushed against his shoulder until he finally sat back. There was worry in his eyes, but she had one question before anything else was said. "I hate to say this, but honestly, I didn't expect to wake up again."
Sephiroth's jaw clenched several times, but his palm was gentle against her cheek as he said, "How many times must I tell you. I never sacrifice my queen. There is always another way."
Alex felt a rush of many different emotions when Sephiroth made that declaration. Fear and despair were the first to pass through as she remembered what happened, but they quickly made way for an overwhelming feeling of warmth. He didn't need to say more about how he felt. She could see it in his eyes, and the depth of it shocked her. They had gone so long in denial that this grew between them without her even noticing.
Alex threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She felt tears prick her eyes, but they weren't sad. She felt too full for that. When she finally sat back, she grasped his face in both her hands as she smiled at him and said, "I didn't get to finish telling you then, but I still want to say it. I lo—"
The door opened, cutting Alex off and earning a glare for the person that walked in without knocking first. However, her ire turned to confusion when she saw it was Genesis, and Sephiroth disentangled himself. She frowned at the general as he stood and nodded at both of them before he said, "I will leave the two of you to speak."
A frown crossed Alex's face, and she was about to tell him not to bother. Her eyes widened, and she stared in shock as Genesis did it for her. He sighed and gestured to the seat the general had just stood from. "You should stay for this. We all need to talk."
Sephiroth sat back slowly while Genesis pulled a chair to the other side of the bed. Even though he had been the one to suggest that the general stay, he all but ignored him when he took Alex's hand. He hesitated uncharacteristically before he said, "I am glad to see you awake and well. Angeal is still asleep, but I will be sure to wake him once I leave."
Alex felt her confusion only growing. This was the same man that had done nothing but shout at either her or Sephiroth for weeks, right? He certainly didn't seem it. Still, she held her tongue while he gathered his thoughts. When he looked up finally, he gave her a sad smile before he said, "I thought you had died. We all did. It was a miracle that Sephiroth managed to wait long enough for that monster to be destroyed and still pull you back from the abyss at the last moment."
Alex swallowed thickly at the reminder that she should have been dead. Even though she had been the one to ask for it, she wasn't upset that it didn't happen. Genesis continued without giving her a chance to comment. "When I saw him holding your body, I found something that I truly never expected to see. I saw a broken man grieving for something precious. I saw a person that had lost the very will to live."
Alex felt a sudden stabbing pain as she considered for the first time how her request might have hurt Sephiroth. She looked over at him and could see the discomfort at the words, but also the shadow of the truth still lingering in his gaze. The sight of it caused her tears to spill over, and she grabbed his hand.
Sephiroth managed a tiny smile and squeezed her fingers before he nodded toward Genesis and said, "I do not believe he has finished."
Alex had to take a deep breath before she could look at Genesis. She didn't know what to think when she turned back and saw he was still wearing that same sad smile. He gave Sephiroth a grateful look before he continued. "I do not mean to bring you pain with this observation, but it is integral to the point I need to make."
He paused and pulled something from the inside pocket of his duster. He then turned her palm up and placed it into her hand. Alex looked down at the ring he had once given her with utter confusion. Thankfully, he was quick to explain. "I still care, Alexandra. I probably always will. But I understand now. When you told me, you loved me and wanted me to be happy, but we weren't meant to be. I want the same for you. That ring is yours, and I ask that you keep it as a reminder of something beautiful that we once shared instead of a symbol of pain."
"I cannot say that we will be able to fall back into the friendship we once enjoyed, and that pains me, but it also gives me hope that it will one day overcome this barrier between us. In the meantime, my only wish is for you to be safe and happy. If your happiness comes from Sephiroth, so be it. At least I now know that you will be loved unconditionally."
Tears were already flowing down Alex's face by the time he was finished, and she wrapped her fingers tightly around the little piece of metal and stone. For the first time in ages, she hugged Genesis and did not feel stressed about it.
When he pulled back, he cupped her cheek gently and wiped away a stray tear with his thumb before he shook his head and stood. He gave them both a respectful nod before he said, "I will let Angeal know you are awake. I'm sure the others will be pleased to hear as well." With that, he turned to leave and shut the door behind himself.
Once he was gone, silence settled across the two remaining people. It was a little awkward, but there was much still unsaid. Finally, Alex worked up the nerve to look at Sephiroth. He had been watching her hand, which only tangled her emotions further. Still, they needed to clear the air between them, and it wasn't going to get done with silence.
The first thing Alex did, was take Sephiroth's hand in her empty one and waited until he was looking into her eyes before she said, "I apologize for asking that of you. It was the only thing I could think of to get her out of me and keep her from getting to one of you. But that doesn't make it right. I didn't mean to cause you pain."
Sephiroth looked away with a sigh, and it was several seconds before he looked back and focused on the hand that still held the ring. Alex wasn't entirely shocked by his next question, even if she hadn't wanted to hear it. "You still love him, don't you."
It was Alex's turn to sigh. How in the world could she possibly explain how she felt to him when she barely understood herself. Still, he deserved an honest answer. "Yes, and I likely always will, but it isn't in the way you may think. We grew up together, and before anything else, he was my best friend. I know that isn't likely what you wanted to hear, but I can assure you that anything I feel for him does not keep me from loving you. Nor will it be the kind that will tempt me back. That chapter of my life is closed. It has happy memories, but that is all it will ever be."
She then placed the ring on the table next to the bed before she got on her knees and scooted so that they were facing each other. She took his face in both her hands and smiled at him, despite her renewed tears. "Whatever the future holds, I can guarantee it won't be easy—not for us—but I promise that I will be by your side as long as you'll let me. I love you."
Alex felt her heart racing in her chest as the silence stretched. Sephiroth had not moved her hands from his face, but he had also not responded. She was beginning to wonder if it was too much when he shocked her by wrapping his arms around her waist. He lifted her from the bed and pulled her into his lap before he leaned in and kissed her. The action was so sudden that she gasped, but she didn't think about it for long. There was so much passion and feeling in that one kiss that she felt like her racing heart was about to burst.
When he finally pulled back, he rested his forehead on hers as he said, "I never expected to be shown what love is. It was nothing more than an abstract concept to me. However, I believe I have figured it out."
He then raised his head so he could look into her eyes as he continued, "I hope your promise to stand by me is strong. If I have my way, you will never leave. I—I love you too."
As tangled as everything else was in Alex's head, this one thing was easy for her heart. She smiled brighter than she had in a long time as she leaned in and kissed him again. It was a long time before either of them moved from that spot as they both basked in the light of their mutual revelation.
A/N: There's nothing like almost dying to really put things in perspective. As I said before, this is a major turning point in the story, and things will start moving toward the end now. We still have a lot to do, but they'll be set on getting it done. I hope you enjoyed this little interlude in the meantime. In other news, now that we are no longer sitting on the edge of a horrendous cliff, I think I will be working on some of my other stories as well. This one has held me hostage for longer than usual, but I have a lot of inspiration across the board. That being said, this one will not be left like this for long either. I'll just be going back to my usual update what inspires me mode lol. Thank you all for reading and cheers. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!