My Dark Angel

by Sarahbeth Lazic - Author

Kayna was not pleased that she was having to analyze Shinra's Soldiers, but she did her job with professional expertise. Then Sephiroth entered her office, and his imposing aura and impressive power filled her with respect and fear. He had no intention of giving her an inch to slip into his mind. Instead, he slipped into her soul to capture her heart and avenge her pain.

My Dark Angel A FF7 Romance S. Lazic

My Dark Angel

A Sephiroth Romance

(This story contains adult language and sexual situations. Reader discretion is advised.)

Kayna looked up from her tablet where she had jotted down her last notes. One she had circled - nightmares. She sighed softly as her pale amber eyes peeked through the thin glasses resting on the bridge of her dainty nose to look toward the large, full length glass windows of her office. There he was, standing as formidable as ever with his hands locked behind his back and his focus locked upon the outside world.

He had fallen silent...again...as was usual in their weekly meetings. Going on seven months and Kayna had grown accustomed to sitting back and letting him ponder over their conversations. Sometimes, he would go silent for half an hour and simply stare out the windows. She had learned that, when he did so, it meant he was contemplating on something that she had said to him. This evening, what he was thinking had to do with the nightmares that kept plaguing his dreams - repeatedly.

Tapping her fingers to the tabletop, the young psychologist gazed at the 1st class Soldier, the infamous Sephiroth. He was never delighted to enter her office but put up with their meetings like the soldier he was. His visitations were an order after all, and he never disobeyed an order. All 1st class Soldiers were to meet with her weekly to discuss any "issues" they may be facing. The meetings were a way for Shinra executives to keep the psychological health of their weapons in check. Most, if not all Soldiers, were not keen on having some shrink plow their brain and emotions for warning signs that would be sent as a red-flag report to the higher-ups. Kayna was a security measure just in case a Soldier decided to step off the right path and snap.

Nobody wanted a Soldier to snap - nobody.

Sighing again, Kayna slowly licked her lips as she let her slender frame shift upon the leather of her deep-seated chair. She watched Sephiroth's posture for any signs of discomfort. That was hard to do considering he always stood in a rigid and regal pose with his chin slightly lifted and his hands locked behind his back. Even his off-duty clothing choice was made based on his pressed and perfect image. This day, Sephiroth wore a pair of white slacks, white loafers of leather, a pale red and buttoned shirt tucked neatly into his slacks and finished off with a black belt. He was always professional looking when he came to their meetings, and that spoke a lot about the man. Sephiroth enjoyed his control, he enjoyed his orderly life, and he enjoyed the power that he held within Shinra. Perhaps a bit too much. They had often spoken about him relaxing occasionally so he could take a steady breath, but the Soldier chuckled at the silly notion.

"You do realize,' Kayna said softly and with a touch of play to her voice as she tipped her head letting a stray coil of mahogany cascade down against an alabaster cheek, 'that I am not getting paid for you to stare out my windows. One of these days, those who write my paychecks may just catch on."

In his reflection, Sephiroth's lips touched into a slight smile. He did not say anything as he took a step back then crossed the large and comfortable office. However, he did not return to his chair that was left empty just across from hers. Instead, he strolled casually to the large bookcase of thick chestnut that held shelf after shelf of psychological books of cognitive mumble-jumbo. How many times in the past months had he scanned the titles or drawn one out to finger through during one of their silent moments? Too many to count, and once again he scanned those titles. He was fascinated that Kayna was so intrigued with the human mind and the psychological aspects that made up the human psyche. He found her interesting, once he had gotten to know her. At first glance, he wasn't too impressed with her. That first meeting had been uncomfortable for them both. Too many questions asked and too much paperwork had been filled out at the beginning, but then their doctor/patient relationship eased into a comfortable rhythm that left him feeling more secure with the entire process.

Yes. Sephiroth had trust issues, and that Kayna had well documented as a point of interest to her.

Kayna shifted her eyes to the grandfather clock that ticked quietly in a corner of her office. The old metal hands were just reaching six forty-five in the evening. In fifteen minutes, their session would end, and she would have achieved nothing. Sephiroth had only hinted at the nightmares, yet still he refused to allow her close enough to chip away at the top layer of the surface. She could tell that they bothered him. No man who held such powerful self-control, as he did, would ever admit that a silly dream had unnerved him. How long would he be able to keep his dreams from eating away at him?

"Our session is almost over, Sephiroth," she said calmly as she continued to tap her finger. The tapping was sort of a tick with her when silent moments were drawn out too long.

The Soldier didn't acknowledge her statement. He continued to walk past the bookcases, examining the artifacts that she had on display, mostly antique daggers and other fascinating and unique weapons. Yes, this psychologist was a remarkably interesting woman.

He could be so taxing at times, yet Kayna had the sense that Sephiroth presented himself as being a drain on an individual's patience and energy on purpose. It was a form of passive avoidance. Though she was trained on how to deal with such a game, the continual play did get under her skin after the umpteenth time. With a silent groan, she glanced down to her notes, turning back a few pages.

"Tell me, Doctor..."

Kayna glanced up with a look of surprise to her eyes. He spoke. "Tell you what?" she asked in clarification.

Pausing, Sephiroth ran a fingertip slowly over the pewter etched handle of a sheathed dirk; one of his favorites in her collection. He enjoyed how the metal work flowed smoothly and intricately from one coil of pewter to the next to make a hollow yet strong hilt. "Don't you get tired of playing about in my mind?" he asked her.

Up went a slender eyebrow, and leaning back, she set her elbows to the plush arms of her chair then set her chin to her fingers. She pondered his question before responding with, "Should I?"

"I asked the question, so I deserve a solid answer," he replied, finally turning his gaze to her.

That gaze - so intense, so firm, and so powerful. Kayna felt her heart skip a beat whenever Sephiroth cast that one particular look in her direction. It was a quizzical look that was filled with curiosity and something dark and immoral that she couldn't quite put a finger on. Whatever that dark part of him was, it sent a chill to her bones. To break that momentary spell of unease, she quickly glanced to the side to gather her resolve then looked back to him, locking their gazes. It was a battle of eye contact that she wasn't about to let him win.

"Playing about in your mind, as you put it, is what Shinra pays me to do," she answered him truthfully. "It is what I intend to do to the fullest of my abilities so that my reports can be of use to Shinra, as is expected."

He scoffed at the answer. "An answer spoken from the lips of a preprogrammed psychologist."

"Should I have answered differently?" Kayna asked, tipping her head with a slight tug of thought upon her lips.

Sephiroth shrugged his lean shoulders as he stepped away from the bookcase and to his chair where his coat rested, folded on the back. "Our time has come to an end," he stated flatly.

Again, she glanced to the clock then back to him as he began to slide his black trench coat on. "We still have six minutes remaining."

He didn't answer.

"You're stalling."

He looked up to her. "Perhaps I am."

Kayna sighed in both disappointment and irritation and set her hands to her laps as she watched his slender fingers work the thick buttons into the slits in the fabric. "You can't hide everything from me, Sephiroth. One day I will find a way to get the answers that I seek."

He cast her a distant grin. "When that day comes, there will be snow in a cloudless sky." He tipped his head to her and said politely, "Good day, Doctor Rozeen."

Her eyes, pale amber behind the small pewter framed glasses, followed the Soldier's movements to her office door. His strides were long and purposeful yet calm. "Your nightmares will continue, Sephiroth, and they will get worse. You know that."

He paused, a hand upon the door handle. Without looking back to her, Sephiroth confirmed her statement with a nod of his head, a lock of silver shifting to tickle his cheek. "You are correct on both aspects."

"Dreams, especially nightmares, are a powerful force. They can destroy you from the inside out. It would be wise if you would simply confide in me with the dreams that plague you. Dreams are your subconscious delights coming to play, and nightmares are your self-doubt, your guilt, you hate, and all things negative you keep locked inside of you."

Looking back to her, Sephiroth cast her a sly grin. "My dear Doctor,' he said smoothly, 'I have no guilt, I have no self-doubt, and I have no delights. What worth are my dreams and my nightmares without those?" And with that, he departed, closing her door behind him.

Kayna groaned the moment she was alone and tossed her arms in the air. "What is wrong with that man?" she snapped only to drag her hands down her exhausted face. An hour with him felt like forty hours spent at one of her family gatherings. "Oh, that's right," she chuckled, tipping her head back. "I'm supposed to find that out."

Setting her tablet down, she stood and walked to her heavy wooden desk where she sat and turned on her computer. She accessed Sephiroth's file and began to type up her weekly report on this session. Once again, she would be up for a few more hours turning her thoughts, her questions, and her opinions into a statement of facts. Tomorrow was Zack Fair's time in her office, and to deal with that excitable young Soldier would require a full night's sleep.

A week passed, and once again Kayna regarded Sephiroth carefully during their next session.

He was on the defense this time, unusual for him and rather unnerving. She could tell that, from the moment he entered her office, a heaviness weighed upon him. His body was as tight as it could be, and there was a tick working on his chiseled jaw. His eyes were simmering pools of contorting and troublesome thoughts. At least he was seated in his chair, and though he tried to look relaxed, she could tell he was far from being so. His body posture was stiff as he leaned back in the deep chair with a corded leg crossed over the other and fingers locked to his lap. He was tapping his fingers idly, one to another, as he looked directly at her and right through her at the same time. He was distant this night, more reserved than usual.

Kayna had to proceed with caution. The last thing she wanted was to push Sephiroth's skintight self-control to the snapping point. He was a Soldier after all, and a "special" one at that. "You look agitated. Is something bothering you?" she asked carefully.

Sephiroth's beautiful eyes narrowed instantly and shifted from looking through her to looking directly at her. "Why would you ask such a question?"

"You look tense."

"I'm always tense."

"That's not true. You can relax when required to do so. Your colleagues mention that fact."

"You don't know me well enough to make that observation."

"Oh, contraire, I know a lot about you. I've known you for eight months now. I've watched your behaviors and body language to know when you are at ease, when you are heavy with thoughts, and when you are troubled, as you are now. I can tell at this very moment that you're upset with something...or somebody. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"It's very hard to lie to a psychologist."

"It's your word against mine, Doctor."

Kayna sighed. She was in no mood to enter a war of words with this man. She would never get over the headache if one started. "How has your week gone?" she asked to change the subject.

"Smooth, Doctor." Sephiroth stated in comment and with a tight-lipped grin, "Switching topics like that. Well played."

Kayna shrugged her blue clad shoulders. She wouldn't allow him to bait her. "I take it that your work hasn't gone as planned. Did you fail in a mission?"

That tick upon his jaw tightened as did the look in Sephiroth's eyes. "I never fail my missions."

"There's always a fist time."

"I would be careful what you say, Doctor," Sephiroth growled past clenched teeth.

Without skipping a beat, she asked smoothly, "Are you threatening me?"

The Soldier calmed at her words. He wasn't the type to go around threatening an innocent, especially an employee as high in rank as she was within Shinra. She was simply doing her job, as she so often reminded him. These meetings were annoying, but there was little he could do about them but put up with her for an hour every week. Truth be told, he was irritated and not at a failed mission. Suggesting such was an insult to his pride and impeccable record, but more to the fact his nightmares were getting worse, from what he could tell, and would not be stopping any time soon. Over the past week, since his last session with Kayna, he had lost three nights of sleep, and with his missions and training with Zack and Angeal, he was growing exhausted. And that was never a good thing.

An exhausted Sephiroth was a cranky Sephiroth and that made Sephiroth dangerous. The last time such a sequence of events happened, he accidentally broke Zack's arm in training simply because the kid wouldn't stop pointing his weapon at him even when told to stand down by Angeal. Of course, Sephiroth didn't mean to do the damage. He just "snapped".

That's exactly how he ended up coming to this office in the first place, he broke a young Soldier's arm. Once that had happened, it was concluded unanimously that he and the other 1st class Soldiers, and any other deemed lucky enough, would be subjected to psychological exams and testing periodically as well as weekly or bi-weekly sessions as a precautionary measure.

Kayna wanted to roll her eyes and groan out loud, but her professional standing wouldn't let her. Instead, she set down her note pad, stood gracefully, and walked to a small butler's bar in the corner of her office.

Sephiroth arched a silver brow as he watched her move. Today she wore a sophisticated blouse and skirt combination of pale baby-blue silk offset by thin lines of white decorating the skirt. The skirt was of modest length, to her knees, with a slit running up the back. The buttoned blouse was tucked in and the long sleeves ended in snug fitting, buttoned cuffs at her wrists. Her shapely legs were held in black hosiery, a touch away from being sheer and dangerous to the imagination, with a thick seem running up the length of the back of her legs. Her hair, that dense mass of spun mahogany, was bound in a messy bun at the back of her head where a pen was sticking out. Though she came off as impeccably professional, there was a simplistic nature to her that caught his attention. Sephiroth wasn't the type of man to pay too much attention to the women around him. He was off limits to many of them, and in his own way he had no real desire to go around flirting for a one-night stand - unlike one Soldier who thought he was Gaia's gift to women.

"I will recommend that you take a few days leave to relax."

He scoffed. "You should know better by now than to suggest that."

She shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Perhaps, one day you'll take my advice. Everyone needs a break to let their psyche reconnect and calm. It is a natural process we all need to go through to reclaim ourselves when we are out of balance. Too much stress and strain will break a person."

"You forget,' he said, looking to the windows and to the sun setting outside, 'I am not your ordinary person."

Kayna paused in her coffee preparations as she contemplated his words. "No," she said softly. "I suppose you're not, but you're still a living being, and all living beings take breaks now and again."

"I'm not afforded such a luxury."

"You are if I say you are."

"I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Even if I were given a leave of absence for a few days, I would spend those days in the training rooms"

Kayna glanced over her shoulder to look upon him. "Come now, Sephiroth," she said skeptically. "I'm sure you can find something else besides training to occupy your time. Don't you have any hobbies or friends to get together with? You must have some forms of entertainment you enjoy when needing to relax. You certainly get paid enough to take a few months off." She began to pour them two cups of coffee.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at her words. "You don't seem to understand, Doctor," he said, placing an elbow to the arm of the chair to set his cheek to a lifted hand while he watched her every more. "I am a Soldier. What hobbies I am allowed certainly are not extended into lavish activities of relaxation and socialization. I don't have the time to go out on the town to indulge in simplistic gratifications."

"Don't say that," she said with a touch of pity while turning about and walking to him to hand him a cup of coffee, his usual with a spoon of honey and a touch of heavy cream. "I'm sure you have many hobbies to indulge in."

"Thank you." Sephiroth inclined his head in gratitude for the coffee. In all truth, the hot drink would ease his agitation - slightly.

Kayna took her seat once again, setting her cup to the side table. "Tell me then. What are your hobbies? We've never discussed them."

"There is nothing to discuss," he said before taking a sip of his coffee. He sighed inwardly, loving the way the hot, nutty brew caressed down his throat to leave a milky, sweet taste to his senses. Kayna always made him a cup of coffee, of the finest beans, whenever he seemed slightly irked or highly agitated. She did so to help ease him, and it always worked. He was starting to think she added some herb to help the calming process, but he couldn't prove it at this point.

"There's always something to discuss," said Kayna with a playful smirk to her lips. "Discussion is a form of conversation."

"If you have not noticed, I am not a man of many words."

"Is it because you still do not trust me?"

A slight arch in a silver brow was enough of an answer from Sephiroth to admit agreement. "I see," she said softly. "We have a confident relationship so you should know, by now, that I would never break your confidence, Sephiroth."

"I assure you,' he said, taking another sip and easing into his chair with a contented sigh, 'that you have my trust."

"Do I? If your hobby were knitting, would you trust me not to spread the word in the lunchroom?"

Sephiroth granted Kayna a droll stare. "I do not knit."

"Of course not," Kayna mused, looking to her side as she stirred her coffee. She muttered, "You would end up using the needles as weapons."

That comment brought a slight tug of a smirk to the corner of his lips. He set his coffee cup down. "What are your hobbies, Doctor?"

"My hobbies?" she asked, surprised by his question. "Why would you want to know my hobbies when we are discussing your hobbies?"

"Am I not allowed a question in turn?" he inquired while lacing his hands to his lap and setting his gaze toward her.

Kayna nodded and replied without hesitation, "Alright. I will tell you a few of my hobbies if you tell me at least one of yours."

"Fair enough."

"As you can tell, I collect antique weapons. Many pieces in my collection are from ancient civilizations and should belong in a museum. Being a collector is a hobby of mine. Another hobby of mine," she paused as a tiny and shy smile pulled upon her lips. "I collect romance novels, and I spend my evenings with a cup of tea, a piece of fine chocolate, and one of my novels."

Curiosity instantly peaked within Sephiroth. "I would not have guessed, considering that genre of book is not present in your library."

"This is my office, not my bedroom."

"So those books are kept in your bedroom? Interesting."

"Alright," she chuckled, waving a hand. "Your turn, as was the deal."

"I never did agree..."

"Don't play with me."

He sighed. "Very well..."

Suddenly, a soft chime echoed her office. Kayna blinked her eyes as she saw Sephiroth dig into a pocket to draw out his cellphone. Tipping her head, she watched him read a message before sliding the device back to his pocket.

"Another time," he said in a voice that was suddenly heavy.

A frown took her lips. The conversation was going well and was obtaining her a bit more information on the private life of Sephiroth. He was relaxing, which was a good thing, and participated in a few minutes of playful banter. "Duty calls?"

Without replying, he stood to gather his coat. "See you next week?" he heard her ask as he walked to the door. He gave her a nod as he opened the door then left.

Kayna muttered as she took up her coffee cup to sip. Her eyes looked to his vacant chair. What an odd, short meeting. It left her confused and curious at the same time. Each time they met she chipped a smaller part of Sephiroth's protective wall away. The next time they met, that piece would be back in place and twice the strength. A knot twisted within her stomach as the coffee cup he had discarded, unexpected and for no reason, shattered, spilling hot coffee across the table. Kayna yelped in shocked as her eyes stared at the dark drips falling to the carpet.

A chill went through her body, and she quickly looked to the door. If that wasn't a bad omen, nothing was.

Three weeks passed before Kayna saw Sephiroth again. After their last session, a direct confirmation came from her superiors that Sephiroth would be unavailable for the next two or three sessions due to an extensive mission he would be participating in. He had been called off for duty, and like all Soldiers, the missions he took could have him out for weeks on end. It wasn't anything to be worried about...

...but for some reason, she was worried.

Something had gone seriously wrong. Kayna could tell the moment he entered her office, bringing with him a heavy and blood tainted aura. This meeting wasn't his normal scheduled time either, but late one evening, just as she was ending her day, he knocked at her office door. She was surprised to see him standing in his uniform as if he had just returned from the battlefield. She could still smell the remnants of fuel from the helicopter.

"Sephiroth? What are you doing here? It's late and…"

"I need to speak to you."

Kayna blinked as he injected his words into hers. There was an iciness to his voice that sent a pick right down her spine. The look in his eyes bore into her, giving her an uncomfortable warning to not dismiss him. Something wasn't right. His behavior was off its mark. Stepping aside, she motioned him into her office.

"Of course. Take a seat." She closed the door then crossed the room. "What's on your mind?"

"Life."

Arching a brow, Kayna took a seat in her chair and adjusted her loose-fitting skirt that came up along her thighs as she crossed a knee over the other knee. "That's an interesting answer, coming from you."

Instead of taking a seat, Sephiroth went right to the window to take his usual stance with his arms behind his back with his eyes locked out to the dark sky. "I've never given a thought to the concept or ideals of life. Lately, however, I can't get the word out of my mind."

"Are you having nightmares again?"

"The nightmares never stop."

"I told you, Sephiroth," she said softly and with a delicate sigh. "You can't fight them."

Sephiroth shook his head then turned to face her. "I'm starting to wonder if I even have a chance against them. They get worse each time I return from a mission."

Kayna frowned as she eyed him carefully. Her mind pulled at any possibility as to what had him in her office at this hour. "Tell me what happened on this last mission," she said in the end.

"My duties as a Soldier are precise and limited. I am a weapon of war and orders. What is ordered of me, I complete without question - no matter what the orders are. You understand this, don't you?"

"I have never once judged you..."

The man sighed, turning back around to face the window. He lifted a hand to set his palm against the cool glass. "I see their faces every time I close my eyes."

"Whose faces do you see?"

Sephiroth closed his eyes as he let go of a long-held breath. "Three days into our mission we stopped in a small town to inquire on the where-about of two deserters. We tracked them to a sparsely populated village. It wasn't a large village, but one of the men had family connections there. The mission was to be a simple extraction of those deserters. But it went all wrong..."

Kayna's stomach twisted when his voice thickened. Was it sadness that she heard or regret in his voice? Neither. This man never held guilt or sympathy or regret for anything he did. He was a Soldier through and through. Cautiously, she inquired - "What happened?"

"I must admit, I am not comfortable divulging my personal feelings in such a way. I'm not that type of man who needs to talk about his personal issues."

"So, I've noticed."

Sephiroth smirked ever so slightly but that smirk quickly drifted away as he lowered his hand from the glass. He turned about, taking a few steps before he sat to the edge of her desk to face her. "On my squad were three new and naive recruits. This mission was their first mission, and they were biting at their chains to be set free. There was trouble from the start with these three, and their anxious behavior had me concerned for their ability to participate in the mission."

"What did you do?"

"I should have removed them from the mission."

"You didn't?"

He shook his head.

"Orders are orders, correct?"

Sephiroth tapped a finger to his head. "Such has been beaten into our heads. We Soldiers obey our orders without hesitation."

"And these recruits did not?"

"They were hot headed, and their blood boiled with excitement. Their orders were to stay behind and allow me to question the villagers. I wanted information, not drama."

"As should be expected of a Soldier of any rank."

He sighed and dragged a hand through his long, silvery hair.

"They didn't listen?"

"No. The fools put their egos before their brains and took it upon themselves to use intimidation to make their own questions. They went off on their own, and when the villagers refused to give in to their interrogation..." Sephiroth stopped speaking as a growl slid up his throat. He closed his eyes as if to steady himself.

Kayna remained quiet. If he was going to come to terms with what had happened and what was going on inside of him, it was his need to speak first and not hers

"They killed two children, two innocent children."

Kayna blinked her eyes, shocked by the confession. "They did what?" she asked with a gasp to her words.

Sephiroth shook his head, lifting his gaze to her. There was a touch of sorrow to his expression. "I'm a Soldier, Doctor Kayna. My actions have killed innocent people before yet never by my direct hand. I never leave on a mission with intent to kill, especially children. Yet these fools were trying to convince, with force, the small group of villagers to release any information they thought was being kept from them."

"What did they do?"

"Two of them took the two children hostage in hopes that they could scare the truth from the parents. Obviously, they did not achieve their directive. The children lost their lives, and the villagers nearly executed those fools themselves. I was not there for the event, so all I know are the bits and pieces that I tore from their sorry excuses of souls when I arrived upon the scene to find them on the ground."

Kayna winced. The idea of Sephiroth ripping anything out of any one was a very frightening thought.

He continued to speak. "A witness of the event informed me that the men lost their control. Yelling ensued on both sides only escaladed the tension. The Soldiers were not getting what they wanted, and when one put a gun to the head of one of the boys, a few of the town's men attacked them. That was the catalyst. In their stupidity, these fools lost their resolve and their control. Somehow, and for whatever reason, the two children were killed."

Kayna felt her heart sink into the depths of her soul. "They just...shot the children? For no reason?"

"Cold blooded murder, in my book."

"Oh..." She sighed out heavily and locked her eyes with the man sitting on the edge of her desk. He didn't move, he just stared down at the floor. For the first time since they had met, Sephiroth had shown an ounce of compassion for another. He wasn't the type to care, or even show concern, for any other as those emotions were not necessary tools for his duty. Though he was far from being a selfish and self-centered man, as Genesis was, he was far from being a compassionate individual. On the contrary. Sephiroth could be labeled a masochist. In fact, that term was circled in red ink in her notebook.

After shaking thoughts from her mind, she placed her tablet down then stood from her chair. "How can that be allowed? Tell me those men were taken into custody. Murder is murder and can't be permitted, on or off the battlefield."

Sephiroth lifted his eyes and offered her a feeble smile. The compassion in her voice was heartwarming. "The Soldiers were taken into custody by me right then and there. They are still under lock and key while a full investigation is performed. However, such an incident will no doubt be swept under the rug, as it is said."

"Unacceptable," Kayna snapped. "Nobody can sweep such a thing as killing innocent children under the rug."

"Why not?" Sephiroth asked with a tip of his head. "Such has been practiced by governments, politicians, corporations, and dictators for centuries."

"But in this day and age..."

"Nothing has changed," he said calmly - softly. Sephiroth sighed, dragging a hand down his sculpted features. "It is the way of war and conflict. The innocent cannot be left out, even children."

Frowning, Kayna drew the glasses off her slender nose to rub at the bridge with her fingers. This is not exactly how she wanted to end her evening. His words would give her nightmares. She replaced her glasses and spoke softly, "If you're feeling guilty over the actions of your men, don't bother. You couldn't have predicted what they were going to do or the outcome of their choices."

"When did I say I was feeling guilty?" He scoffed with a smirk. "Nonsense. I will never hold myself responsible for any other's actions."

And here she thought she was making progress. "Of course not," she said with a heavy grumble.

"Do not perceive me as a man who holds emotions as anything important, Doctor. I don't care for anyone else."

Arching a brow, Kayna walked directly to him where she stopped to cup his face in her hands. Their eyes locked. "Yes, you do, Sephiroth. Otherwise, you wouldn't have knocked on my door."

His eyes narrowed only to flame with intensity. There was an expression of instant dislike for the situation. He raised a hand to gently brush hers away, though oddly missed the warmth her touch brought to his skin. "Don't be so liberal with your assumptions."

"I assumed nothing," Kayna said, taking a step away. "I only observe and form my understandings from your own actions and words."

Sephiroth stood, an imposing presence for sure. As he took a step toward her, he saw her flinch. To his surprise, she held her ground as he closed the distance looking down to her. "It would be wise to not let your observations run wild, Doctor. I'm not one to forgive."

"I won't hear your rhetoric or your threats, Sephiroth. I won't play your games in hopes of retaining your self-created wall of protection, even though it is already crumbling."

A growl slid past his throat. He took a step forward thus forcing her to retreat two steps back. "You're walking on thin ice, Doctor."

Kayna pointed to the door. "You came here of your own volition, seeking help and advice. I've said what has needed to be said. If you can't handle my observations, there's the door. Don't let it hit you on the way out. I won't have you threatening me with your intimidation anymore." And with those words, she turned and headed toward a door to the side of her office that lead to her private apartment.

Kayna left Sephiroth staring at her departing backside. He was stunned that she would speak to him in such a dominating tone. He knew what she had just said was the truth. He came to her seeking some relief to the complicated storm of emotions rolling through him, emotions he didn't really understand or need. Yet, all she did was throw them in his face with the truth of them all. The nakedness of the truth shocked him and, at the same time, enticed him.

"You surprise me, Doctor."

Kayna paused at her door and looked back to him with a slender brow arched. "Pardon me?"

"I can't count how many Soldiers that I have trained or who have served under me who have not paled and cowered to my threats and my intimidation. Yet here you are, a simple psychologist, and you don't even flinch."

"And what's that supposed to mean exactly?"

"That I have finally met an individual, not on the same level as I, who has no fear of me."

"You're mistaken," she said in all seriousness. "I do fear you. I fear what you are capable of, and I fear the day that you fall prey to the power that surges through you. Yet at the same time, I will not be controlled by my fears. I give you the respect that you deserve when you are in my office. I expect the same respect in return."

Just as she opened the door, she cast him a small smile. "Goodnight, Sephiroth."

Damn her. If he thought he had any sort of leverage over this woman, he was sorely mistaken. Once her door was shut, Sephiroth sighed. He thought he was going to come to her, explain the situation, and have her tell him how to react, what to think, and how to deal with it. Instead, he was shot down and forced to come to terms with his own self-projection. How did that happen? Was he losing his control that quickly? No, that couldn't be it. So what was it then? Never had he ever had the intention of seeking advice on how to deal with his concerns.

Just what was happening?

Two months later, and it seemed that a part of Sephiroth's control was quickly falling to pieces.

He couldn't figure out why, but it seemed the more time he spent in session with Kayna more of his self-produced wall of defense began to crumble. They would argue now, banter back and forth on the rules and the conducts of war. They would get into heated exchanges of words on Shinra's business ethics and Sephiroth's missions. The battle of words seemed never ending whenever the two met, and often ended with him leaving before his temper slipped past his restraint. He would leave Kayna fuming and on the edge of her seat with a look that expressed how much she wished she could smack him, yet it was her professional etiquette that kept her reserved.

However, every time he left the image of her flushed features, darkened eyes, and heated expression followed him. He didn't understand why. Often, while on his down time, he would try and ponder the answer only to end up back in his chair, seated before her and in a deeply removed conversation. No longer did they speak of the incident involving the children, that was far in the wind, for it seemed that Kayna was once again back upon his need for some time off. She was determined and often threatened him with signing a formal request.

Then, out of the blue, he received a notice that his next appointment with her had been canceled. Never had she cancelled a meeting, or even rescheduled. There was no reason given. In fact, the notice had come by another hand and not even from her secretary. A week later, and a second notice was delivered indicating that their session was back on schedule. He didn't think anything of it.

That was, until he stepped into her office. Every session progressed like clockwork. He would enter the office, she would greet him with a friendly welcome, and then get right down to business - not this time. She was seated behind her desk with her attention fully upon some documents spread out before her. She didn't even acknowledge him as he shut the door and crossed the room.

How...odd.

As Sephiroth came to stand before her desk, he tipped his head while watching her write furiously to some letterhead. He cleared his voice. "Doctor Kayna?"

Kayna's eyes blinked behind her glasses as she looked up, surprised to see Sephiroth standing in her office. "Sephiroth? What are you doing here? I didn't hear you come in."

"I am on schedule for our session," he answered in a question as he pointed to the old grandfather clock.

She followed his direction then sighed upon seeing the time. "Forgive me," she said softly, almost pitifully, as she took her glasses off to rub at her eyes. "It seems I've let the day get away from me."

Something wasn't right. "Is everything alright?" he asked out of curiosity, or so he tried to convince himself.

"Yes." She flat out lied as she pushed her chair back and stood. As she went to her chair, she motioned to his and muttered, "Take a seat."

"Doctor?"

She paused, looking back. "Yes?"

Sephiroth pointed to her tablet.

"Don't worry about it," she said without a care as she continued to her chair.

Now he was convinced something was wrong with her. "We can reschedule for another..."

Kayna raised a hand to stop him then motioned to his chair. "Let's begin."

He didn't sit. Instead, he walked to her side, and before he could stop himself, he reached out to grasp her chin within two fingers. Raising her features to him, Sephiroth looked down to her eyes only to frown. They were bloodshot and the delicately angled lids were heavy with traces of salty moisture upon the thick, dark lashes. She had been crying.

"Don't lie to me," he said sharply.

Kayna brushed his hand from her chin. "I'm not lying. Now, do you want to proceed with this session or not?"

"Perhaps it's you who needs a session."

"Don't patronize me."

"Were you not the one who said during our first session that everyone needs someone to talk to?"

Kayna glared up to him.

"We've known each other for a while now, Doctor. I've learned quite a few things about listening from you."

"You want me to confide in you?"

"Isn't that what you ask of me?"

Licking her lips, Kayna sighed and turned her gaze away. "It's really personal."

"And all that I have confided in you are not personal thoughts of mine?"

"I appreciate your offer, but I don't want to talk about it," she muttered while leveling her gaze upon him. "It's personal and has no bearing upon our sessions. Again, do you wish a session with me or not?"

Sephiroth narrowed his gaze as a trickle of anger washed over him. How hypocritical of her, demanding he give in and expose his inner workings yet refused the same cordial offering from him? After a moment of thought, he regained himself and took a step back from her. "No, Doctor," he said in a voice that was flat and sharp. "I do not." With that, and without a look to her, he departed the room.

Kayna blinked as the door to her office was slammed so hard one of her collectable swords fell from the wall to clatter upon the floor. She winced then stood, slowly making her way to precious object. She knelt to pick it up. Instead of replacing the blade upon the wall - she cried.

He hated these meetings. Twice a year the CEOs of Shinra and Rufus Shinra would drag him, the other top Soldiers, and the top members of the Turks to a conference that tested his resolve and his patience. The conference was a way for the CEOs to get their bi-annual preaching in and to point fingers of blame at him and his fellow associates. Most of the time, Sephiroth sat back to let them complain while Genesis and a Turk by the name of Reno would loudly voice their opinions whenever a word was taken out of context. Sephiroth couldn't blame either one of them as the finger pointing always agitated him. Though it was more amusing to let those two blow up and get scolded than for him to bother and address those at the table in his defense.

A month had passed since Sephiroth walked out on his last meeting with Kayna, and since then he had not attended any of the scheduled sessions with her, nor did he respond to any inquiries as to why. After the second notice to him had gone unanswered, Kayna redirected her inquires to question if something was bothering him - more nightmares perhaps. His response had been cold and curt, "Yes, Doctor. You." After that response, he failed to respond to any more of her notices. After the fourth week, she no longer sent any notices to him. Sephiroth figured that Kayna had dropped the matter.

However, he was still having nightmares with only one difference. The theme of the horrific nightmares had changed to involve her. Each dream became more and more dreadful with every passing night. In his dreams, Kayna would be crying, begging, and screaming out his name as if she were in torment. He would try to answer her and try to locate her as well as he could but to no avail. The dreams were so powerful that Sephiroth could feel her anguish eating him alive. Even in his deep sleep he would feel his heart grow heavy and his soul tremble whenever her screams pierced the thick vacancy of the dark dream.

Panic.

That's what he felt within his dreams. His heart raced as he called out to her in a tone that rattled. He begged her to tell him where she was so he could go to her, yet only another horrified scream echoed in reply. In the last dream, he saw only a flash in the darkness - an image of her naked body broken, beaten, and carved with bloody lines while she sobbed upon the hard ground. His name would tumble from her cracked lips, and with each tear that dripped down her cheeks he felt his heart sink. The dream would end as he reached for her, snapping him awake with such an ache in his chest that his body physically hurt.

The themes of his dreams and his physical reaction when waking was enough to bother him, so much so that the past few nights Sephiroth had stayed awake after he was torn from his sleep - sweating and disturbed. Once awake, he would make himself a cup of coffee and sit on his balcony beneath the starlit sky. He couldn't quite figure it out the nightmares and why Kayna was now a theme of suffering within him. Why was he having such dreams? And why did they hurt him so much? They left him feeling sick to his stomach and with his anxiety leaving him shaken to his core. He never cared for anyone, so why did he in battle with himself to call Kayna when he awoke to make sure she was safe?

Due to the dreams increasing and becoming prolonged and intensified, Sephiroth found himself unable to sleep. It was one thing to think about Kayna after experiencing one of the nightmares, but to be thinking of her while he was to be participating in an important meeting was unacceptable. He couldn't concentrate. This shouldn't be happening. Never had anyone invaded his thoughts, not to mention his dreams.

When the meeting ended and not a single item of importance had been achieved on the lines of productivity, as usual, Sephiroth sat for a moment absorbed in his own thoughts while ignoring those departing the large room. Though, he had to admit it was hard to ignore Genesis snapping at Reno only to have Rude hold back the hot-tempered Turk. However, as he stood to collect his data tablet a name spoken off to the side caught his attention.

"Yeah, I told Kayna to fuck off. I was tired of her paying more attention to her job than to me, the stupid bitch. I can't believe I put up with her this long."

"How long has it been any way? Three years?"

"Three and a half since we began dating and a year since our engagement. But damn, I can't believe I lasted this long. I mean, yeah she was a great fuck, but the bitching and moaning from her was too much."

Sephiroth growled as his steady eyes shifted to look toward two men still seated at the table, obviously thinking their conversation was going unheard. He didn't know the two personally; however, they had been introduced as two new CEOs of the company. The one speaking of Kayna was a poorly qualified man named Thad Varlin.

"I've got to admit,' said the other with a smirk as he gathered his stuff, 'she's a hot piece of ass. I can't believe she hasn't caught on to you cheating on her like you did."

"Because the woman is married to her work and overly trusting." Thad chuckled and stretched in his chair as if he were a king. "I mean sure, she's hot, but she's too dedicated to her work. I can't even remember why I proposed to her in the first place. I'm not the type of guy to get tied down with a woman like her. I must have been drunk."

The other laughed. "Yeah, right. You've got a different girl every night in your bed. Why settle for one, huh?"

Thad grinned a grin full of delusional pride. "Kayna cried on the phone when I broke it off. She was begging me to reconsider. How pathetic is that?"

"You were together with her for over three years. Give her a break, Thad."

"Whatever," he said, shrugging as he stood. "She can suck my dick for all I care. The bitch was nothing to me but a quick fuck."

Sephiroth felt every muscle in his body tense. Was it possessiveness that sparked to life within him or some deep seated need to correct such crude language? Either way, he wasn't happy with the context of the conversation. Yet, it answered a question that had been plaguing his mind for weeks. The breakup Thad mentioned was the reason why Kayna had been crying and acting as if she were out of touch the last time Sephiroth had met with her. Perhaps that day, their last session, had been close to the day Thad had broken off their relationship. Sephiroth was surprised to hear that Kayna had been engaged. She never mentioned that little fact before. Then again, their meetings were not about her, but of him. She had no reason to confide such personal information to him.

His thoughts turned to Kayna as he departed the room and found himself heading in the direction of her office. He didn't care if she was in a session; it was time for a talk. They needed to clear the air, and he needed to know what was going on. But why? Her life wasn't his concern, nor was the status of her emotions - positive or negative. Yet there he was, standing at her office door and not hesitating to walk right in. He didn't even bother to knock. There was no reason to do so, in his mind.

Kayna squeaked in surprise as she looked up from her computer when the office door opened then shut. With no appointments scheduled, she really wasn't expecting to have somebody walk right in without knocking, especially him. So, when she looked up to see Sephiroth closing the door, her eyes narrowed dangerously from behind her small, framed glasses.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" she charged.

He didn't reply. He just strode across the room until he was at her desk with his hands flat to the smooth surface and with his taut and powerful body leaning forward to face her. "You and I have to talk, Doctor."

"I think not," she said tightly, forcing her eyes back to her computer screen. "I'm busy today, and as your behavior over the last weeks has shown, you have had no intention of speaking to me. You may leave."

His fingers curled against the desktop, and growling low, Sephiroth narrowed his eyes until they were near slits. His very presence in the room demanded her attention, and beneath his intense aura he saw her flinch. "I have no intention of leaving, Kayna."

Kayna? Since when had their professional relationship gone to a first name basis? He had always referred to her by her title, nothing else. Slowly, she lifted her eyes to him from over the top of her laptop. "I'm not in the mood to play your games, Sephiroth."

"And I'm not here to play games. What I have to say demands your attention."

"Demands?" Kayna laughed as she leaned her slender frame in her chair with a slight smirk forming upon her lips. "You have no power to demand anything within my office, Soldier."

Sephiroth winced on the inside from her calling him by his professional title. It was if she had just demoted him to some unknown face in a sea of people flowing in and out of her life, marking him as any other Soldier, and that he didn't like. "I'm not here to argue with you," he told her.

"Good. Then you may leave."

"Why were you crying the day of our last session?"

"I said leave."

"Not until you answer me."

"That's none of your business, Soldier."

"Stop calling me that, Kayna."

"Stop calling me Kayna. My name is Doctor..."

Sephiroth growled as he slammed a palm down to the top of her table, cracking the lacquer. She visibly flinched. "Why didn't you tell me you were engaged to a man named Thad Varlin, who happens to be a recently acquired CEO of Shinra?"

Kayna blinked. How did he know about her and Thad's engagement? Her slender brows furrowed as her lips pressed thin. A low snarl pressed from her lips to form one word, "Leave."

"Answer me."

"What does it matter to you? My personal affairs are none of your business."

"I know that,' he muttered, leaning back from the table and sighing as if he were trying to regain his composure, 'but for some reason this one specific aspect of your personal life will not stop haunting me. You won't stop haunting me."

Kayna tipped her head to the side as curiosity shifted within her eyes. "What're you talking about?"

Taking a step back, Sephiroth dragged a hand through his hair as he began to pace back and forth. Though he prided himself on his everlasting sense of control, there was a part of him that would overreact to the tiniest thing leading him to become obsessive with certain ideas. At this moment, Kayna was forming a point of obsession.

"My nightmares haven't stopped," he said in answer to her. "They just keep getting worse and worse. Now they involve you."

"Me?"

He stopped to look her dead in the eye. "Yes. Tell me, Kayna. Why are you torturing my dreams? I hear you screaming as if you're being torn apart. I hear you crying for me to stop your pain, and when I finally find you, I can't reach you. Explain that running theme to me because I can't."

Kayna looked away. She took off her glasses and set them down before she rubbed at her right eye. "I don't know what to say. Dreams are a manifestation of one's subconscious. Dreams create false realities of our desires, our wants, our hatred…you name it. Often, dreams can be a manifestation of unresolved conflict, of fears, or other destructive emotions. It's hard to explain exactly what causes a specific dream because there is no study possible that can create a list of dreams when everybody dreams differently."

"Don't give me that psychological bullshit," Sephiroth growled, moving about the desk. He took hold of the back of her chair, spinning it about until they faced each other. Then he blocked her in her seat by planting his hands to the arms and leaning down to face her. He was rewarded with a visible shiver from her.

"Do you want to know who was also present in the meeting I attended this morning?" he asked her.

Kayna shook her head in a silent 'no'.

"Thad..."

She winced and looked away.

Reaching out, Sephiroth took hold of her chin to turn her gaze back to him. "Don't look away from me," he told her softly, sternly, as their eyes locked. There was no mistaking the flash of pain he saw within those beautiful eyes of hers. "What he was saying about you made my stomach twist in disgust. His words were brutal and meant to do nothing but shame your name. I should've ignored what he had said, yet when he dragged your name through the proverbial dirt, something within me wanted to slice his throat."

Kayna narrowed her eyes at him. "Thank you for rubbing more salt in the wound," she hissed then pushed him away from her. "Will you leave me be, or are you not content with just one little slice of my hide?"

Without a thought, Sephiroth took her arms and yanked her up to stand. She squeaked as she came face to face with him. "I shouldn't care,' he told her in a voice that was low and taut, 'but I do. Tell me why I care, Kayna. Tell me."

Never had she been this close to him - so close that their bodies touched, and she felt the warmth of his hard frame caressing her. Her heart skipped a few beats, delighting in the sensation. Each time her lungs expanded with a deep breath of air, scented with his masculine scent, her chest touched against leather and skin, a mixture of his flesh and his coat. She gulped as his fingers tightened about her arms as if he refused to consider releasing her.

"I can't tell you that," she told him, answering him in a voice oh so soft. "I can't tell you everything that goes on inside your mind."

Sephiroth sighed and gently released her. She sank back into her chair as he stepped away from her. "Whatever is happening to me,' he began to say, 'whatever is causing me to think about you daily needs to stop. Now."

Tipping her head, Kayna gazed to him with a look of concern. "You think about me outside your dreams?"

He paused taking a quick look back to her. "I don't know how you have managed, Doctor, but you have invaded my every waking moment. No one has ever done that before - ever."

Frowning, she leaned back in her chair then turned to grab a piece of paper that she quickly scribbled a name upon. "I'm going to refer you to a colleague of mine; one outside of the company. I don't think we should have any more sessions together if your personal feelings are going to..."

A hand came down upon her wrist, stopping her work. She drew in a sharp breath only to slowly let her gaze slide up his arm to lock upon his stern expression. He leaned close to her, so close that she could feel his warm breath caress along her skin causing goosebumps to decorate her flesh. She gulped.

"That won't be necessary."

"I believe it is."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"As I just said, your personal feelings are getting in the way of me helping you. I can't be your therapist anymore."

"You won't be rid of me that easily."

"I am not ridding myself of you. That would be highly unprofessional of me. I'm simply referring your case to a colleague of mine who may be able to help you more with your dreams."

Sephiroth frowned as he shook his head. "This issue goes beyond my dreams, Kayna. I've come to realize that you are right. My dreams are manifestations of my psyche. At first, I did not believe such until my dreams turned toward you. Now I know and understand why. My nightmares are becoming clear, at least when in connection with you."

Taking her hand, he drew her palm to set flat against his chest. "I can't deny..."

Kayna felt a thick lump lodge within her throat as her eyes locked upon her hand pressed to his chest. She could feel the warmth of his skin radiating against her palm, and she gulped to force the lump down. His words drew her eyes, wide and filled with shocked by what he professed, up to him.

Before he could finish his confession, she drew her hand away and against her own chest. "Don't say you can't."

"I say what I wish, Kayna," he told her smoothly and with a slight smile upon his lips. "No one has ever been able to silence me, and no one ever will."

Shaking her head, she looked away as her mind spun with what he was saying. The last thing she expected was for Sephiroth to come into her office proclaiming such risqué truths to her. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

"I think you need to go," she whispered with difficulty.

Though that statement was forced past her lips, the truth was blatantly obvious to her. She didn't want him to go. Her fingertips continued to tingle from when they had touched his flesh. Oh, how she wanted to feel more of him. The warmth from his male body reached out to burn her, tickling her with budding flowers of desire.

She needed him out of her office - now. There was no way she could let him stir such unprofessional and sensual desires within her. Even though the destruction of her engagement with Thad had been weeks ago, the humiliation of the rejection was still fresh, like a torn wound. With Sephiroth so close, all she wanted to do was feel his arms about her. All she wanted him to do was make the pain of Thad go away. But she couldn't allow such dangerous thoughts, so when he took a step back, she moved.

Like a frightened animal, she bolted to the windows where she stood trembling. "Get a hold of yourself," she muttered to herself.

"You feel it as well, don't you?"

Kayna squeezed her eyes shut. How was she to answer that question? If she said yes, her own wall would break and there was no telling where this conversation would lead. However, if she declined to answer, Sephiroth would only keep pushing. Licking her lips, Kayna replied - "I don't know what you're talking about."

He was behind her then, a hand reaching over her shoulder to brush his fingertips slowly across her neck. Beneath his touch, he felt her shiver. "Do not lie to me, Kayna," Sephiroth spoke softly and gently as he skimmed his thumb along the line of her spine at the back of her neck.

"I'm not...' she paused, forcing herself to calm from the sensations of excitement brought on by his touch, 'lying to you, Sephiroth."

"Then explain to me what is happening because I cannot. The tension between us is not normal. You have always insisted I stay and face the truth of my psyche in our debates, yet here you are running from me instead of facing me simply because I asked you a question." Leaning forward, Sephiroth closed his eyes as he took in a slow breath of her sweet scent, a mixture of femininity and luscious honey.

With his lips an inch from her soft skin, he whispered softly - "I will not let you run from me."

Kayna's amber eyes fluttered closed and lips parted in a soft, trembling sigh as his hot breath spilled against her flesh sending dancing chills down her spine. If she had not bitten the inside of her cheek, the building moan rising in her throat would have tumbled out. The truth hurt, almost too much. Never had she become personally involved with a client, nor had she ever gotten into little spits of arguments over simple ideals. But with Sephiroth, he seemed to enjoy pushing her buttons until she nearly became heated with passion. He would sit in his chair, grinning at her from over his laced fingers as if trying to hide his devious excitement. She would always catch herself before giving into his wants and allowing him his entertainment on her behalf.

It might be too late to hide that truth. She was vulnerable, and he knew that. He had stumbled upon a broken part of her that she wished she could take back and hide deep within her heart. She was trained to keep her own emotions, her own psyche, and her own issues far away from her clients, yet Sephiroth had slowly drawn those out of her over their eight-month relationship. Somehow, he had slipped past the line of professionalism she had drawn. Then again, perhaps she had, over time, allowed him to step over that line. Either way, there was no going back.

"You have to leave,' she whispered softly, pressing a hand to the cool glass, 'before..."

"Before what?" he asked when her words caught within her throat. Leaning down to her, he nuzzled a cheek against her soft, tight curls.

Oh, Gaia! Must he do that? Her instincts screamed at her to lean back to him, to cradle his head against her, and soak in the male strength he radiated. But she couldn't do that - she just couldn't. Tears welled within her eyes as she forced herself to turn about to face him. He had blocked her against the window with his body and his presence. There was no place she could go to get away from him. Looking to him, she fell lost within those unique orbs of blue and green - so exotic - just like him.

She gulped and finished her sentence, "Before this goes too far, and we both regret what will come of this moment."

The man before her, the Soldier known as Sephiroth, let his lips coil into a sly grin. He touched her cheek, skimming his gloved fingers slowly down her jaw until he placed a fingertip beneath her chin. "I regret nothing," he said hotly as he tipped her head to him causing her body to arch forward. His lips descended upon hers, then, in the next moment, he kissed her.

It was a subtle kiss, a kiss of daring exploration that played softly along her lips. Kayna gasped, and her eyes fluttered open only to drift closed beneath the sensation of his mouth. It took all her control to keep from wrapping him in her arms and giving in to the kiss. Quickly, she caught herself and tore her mouth from his as if the press of his lips burned her. She, gasping for breath, looked to him with eyes wide in utter disbelief.

"You need to leave," she breathed out, turning her eyes away.

Inwardly, Sephiroth groaned. He had not planned on kissing her, never would have thought of it, yet somehow his mind and his body refused to work together. His mind agreed with her, that he should retreat, but his body refused to listen. Gathering his will, he took a step back with his fingers clenching against his palms. "You're right,' he said finally, 'perhaps what you said is true. It would best."

"Yes," she quickly butted in, licking her lips only to whimper when she tasted the remains of his lips that still lingered. "I'll send the address of my colleague to you tomorrow. I'm sure he can start your sessions soon."

Sephiroth straightened himself. He hoped to hear desire for him to stay, yet he heard nothing. That professional side of her was once again back in control, thus pushing the woman he had just kissed far beyond his reaches. There was nothing more to say, nothing he could do to bring her back to him, so he nodded then turned to leave her office. Departing was almost impossible and had been accomplished only through sheer will.

As he walked down the hallways toward the building housing the officer quarters, Sephiroth thought back on her and on the intense kiss. His lips still shivered from her taste, and still a touch of honey flavored coffee lingered upon his mouth. His body seemed to ache in longing to be back with her. He wanted more than just a kiss from her. He wanted so much more, and what he wanted, Sephiroth most certainly did get.

One month later and it seemed that life had returned to some form of normality for Kayna, or so it seemed.

Over the course of the month, she neither saw nor heard from him - Sephiroth. She made inquiries to her associate, whom she had referred him to, yet the Soldier had not shown for any of his planned appointments. She wasn't surprised. Was he purposefully disobeying her orders to participate in the weekly sessions or was he embracing a passive aggressive way of informing her that the only therapist he would allow to tinker within his mind was her? After all, it took her nearly three months to get him to speak to her rather than just stare at her from his chair. Trust was a large part of Sephiroth's issues. He trusted no one.

When did she realized that she was missing their sessions, their hours of coffee fueled banter and agitating stares? After spending the last week listening to Genesis moaning about one dramatic event or another or listening to Zack growing even more excited about his up-and-coming missions, Kayna needed the heated arguments that had become a theme within Sephiroth's visits. Sadly, those sessions were, as he would say, not a luxury of hers anymore. She had not realized that their moments together had been a form of reprieve for her, time when she could allow her over stimulated mind to turn to a more controlled client than some of her more enthusiastic visitors. At least her time spent with Angeal was filled with lighthearted conversations based upon his family. At least the man could laugh!

However, she did have one new client who perked her interest. His name was Cloud Strife, and he was young Soldier who was quickly rising in rank and catching the eye of Rufus Shinra. He was a quiet one, and, at times, Kayna found herself getting bored with him. There was little to no focused interaction with him. Much like Sephiroth, his trainer, Cloud would often stare out her windows with a cheek upon a hand as if daydreaming. To get him to talk, or even answer a question, heaven forbid, was like her trying to get Sephiroth to take a day off. Impossible! But the young man had promise, and most importantly he had heart and a warm soul, albeit a troubled soul. To her, he was a breath of fresh air. Though, at the same time, that air was unstable and coiled a feeling of foreboding within her.

One day, a weekend, Kayna was departing the Shinra property to meander toward her car with intention of heading into town to run a few errands - supplies for the office. She was expecting a decent trip to a decent store to get decent food, but she wasn't expecting to run into Thad. Just as she was about to get into her car, she heard him call out to her. A threatening growl slid past her lips as she gripped her keys so tightly that the metal dug into her soft flesh. Turning about, she forced a polite smile upon her lips.

"Oh, Thad. I wasn't expecting to see you again," she said as sweetly as possible, yet the thought of gouging his eyes out with her car key kept banging her in the head.

Thad offered her a faux smile in return as he dragged a hand through his mop of clean-cut blonde hair. "I've been meaning to get in touch with you, you know, to see how you're doing. I know you can be sensitive about things..."

"Sensitive?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Did she just hear him right? "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Kay," he chuckled with a roll of his blue eyes. "I've known you for a while. You overreact to everything and anything. How you got to be a psycho-shrink is beyond me."

"Is there something you wanted, Thad?" she asked through a droll look of disinterest. "I'm not in the mood for your witty bullshit."

Thad looked to her with a hint of shock that she had cursed. He recovered himself quickly and cleared his voice. "Like I said, I wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm doing well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have errands to see to." She turned about, pulling open her car door with a little more force than usual. To her surprise, it slammed shut by Thad's hand. He almost took her finger off. Howling, she spun at him and shouted - "Thad, you ass!"

He cast her a nasty grin as he leaned so close to her that he forced her back against the car. "Don't turn away from me, Kayna, and don't fucking lie to me. I know you. I bet you've been crying every night, pining for me and for our relationship. I'm surprised you haven't called me, begging me to come back to you."

"Why would I do such a silly thing?" she asked, after taking a calm breath. "I have no time for such petty games, nor do I have the want to coddle your childish needs to feel wanted and to have your decrepit ego stroked. My schedule doesn't allow men such luxuries."

Thad wasn't amused. He leaned closer. "Don't play stupid," he muttered at her. "You don't have a life. All you have is your little office with your little tablet and your collection of little swords. There's nothing to you but that damn office! That's why I left you."

Kayna's amber eyes flared to his slicing insults. "Are you done?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

He sighed dramatically as if the short conversation was taking all his energy, and so he pushed away. "And here I was going to see if you wanted to get together and try and patch things up. I know you're not much without me..."

"Get over yourself," she butted in with a scoff then turned to open the door once again. She caught movement from the corner of her eye and snapped at him, "You shut this door again and I'll bring hell down upon you, Thad. You're not too high up on the totem pole for me not to pull my own strings. I'll have you in my little office, in one of my little chairs, with one of my little swords ready to cut off your little balls in little to no time."

She glared to him from over her shoulder and let her lips curl to a dignified threat of pleasure. "How does that sound?"

That stopped him. Her words were right. Though he was low on the CEO pecking order, he was still on the list to fall prey to her sessions. One word from her and Rufus Shinra would be giving the order. In fact, there were a few 1st Class Soldiers who were higher up than him, and currently, she was counseling them all. He muttered through a growl in his voice, "Oh, yeah? And how would you get that order through? Fuck Rufus Shinra himself and then cry to him in some form of twisted revenge? I bet you've already screwed half your client list."

Oh, for the love of...

"No, Thad," she moaned dryly. "I'm not like you. I don't sleep with everything walking on two legs." She smirked at seeing the look of shock in his eyes. "Don't forget. I know everything about you, Thad Varlin. I've known everything since we met and have been analyzing you every day and every night. I know full well that you don't just walk one sides of the fence but screw both sides and often at the same time. Though that is your preference, I doubt you want that bit of truth slipping past my lips."

She slid into her car and started the engine, bringing the car to a purring start, and then gave him one devious grin. "Have a nice day." And with that, she drove off.

Thad was left standing in the parking lot fuming and enraged. His anger at her quickly grew as he watched her car disappear. Fingers coiled at his sides until his knuckles turned white. The want to break her neck coiled hotly in his mind. The bitch! How dare she make such a statement like that! He was...not...bitch! Oh, well. He didn't have time to deal with her right now. He was late for a lunch meeting with Aric. Unbeknownst to him, Thad's day was not to get any better.

Once again, as the afternoon drew on, Sephiroth came upon another interesting conversation. He was walking through the upper flowers of the Shinra's corporate building and passing some office doors of the CEO floor when he heard one name mentioned - Kayna. He knew the voice that had spoken her name and knew it well with great distaste. The voice belonged to Thad, and the man was in the middle of a passionate rant. Pausing, Sephiroth glanced past the open door of the office to see Thad at his desk, speaking to the other man Sephiroth had seen him with at the meeting. The two were having lunch, snickering and bickering, but it was the mention of her name that pulled him short.

"You should've seen Kayna, Aric," Thad said after swallowing a bite of his lunch. "She was basically begging me to reconsider our relationship last night. I couldn't believe it. It was pitiful!"

Aric rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair with a look of amusement and disbelief upon his features. "Really? I would've thought Kayna would want nothing more than your blood, not your body. After all, you just broke off your three-year relationship and engagement with nothing more than a five-minute phone call. I'm surprised she let you in her office without a death threat."

Thad grinned. "Trust me. There were no death threats last night. There was something more on her mind than talking."

"Yeah, in your head."

He scoffed. "You don't believe me? She was so hot for me last night that I couldn't keep her off me. I just went by her place to check on her, you know she can be so sensitive, and the next thing I knew I was on the floor!"

Aric took a sip of his drink. "Maybe you tripped."

Thad flipped a hand toward his friend and said, "Come on, man. I've told you before how desperate she can be, how jealous and possessive she is."

"I suppose so. You did tell me that she tried to slice her wrist or something in front of you because you looked at another girl. Amazing that Mister Shinra hired her as the psychology department head."

"Sad, huh? Yeah,' Thad mused, shaking his head with a dramatic sigh, 'poor thing. I made one simple comment about some other chick and she nearly killed herself. I mean, what type of woman does that?"

"A desperate one, or one who knows the truth," replied Aric, leveling Thad with a dark look. "Look,' he said with a sympathetic sigh, 'Kayna's a good woman. I know you've never been loyal to her, so I wouldn't put it past her to become upset. She's got a good head on her shoulders, so the suggestion that she tried to take her life is a bit over the top, and a suggestion I wouldn't believe for a second. Everybody in this office building knows you're a flirt and would sleep with anybody, and I mean anybody..."

Thad growled.

Aric just kept on talking. "I'd put two cents on the fact that she found out about one or more of your little trysts and got fed up with it. Maybe you mistook her threat of cutting off your balls for cutting her wrists."

Sephiroth leaned his back to the wall just to keep his keen hearing in shot. This conversation he wanted to hear.

Thad chuckled. "Think what you want. I'm just saying, Kayna was like a bitch in heat last night. The moment she saw me, she was basically ripping my clothes off me. She couldn't get enough of me. I had to leave in the middle of the night because she wouldn't stop crying, begging me to come back to her. Do you know she said she wouldn't mind me taking other lovers as long as we continued with our wedding plans? What a stupid bitch."

Aric sighed, shaking his head as Thad laughed at Kanya's expense. "I don't know what to believe. I don't know her all that much but from word of mouth and records. She's a psychologist, so I'm sure President Shinra and Director Lazard would not have put her in charge of the mental stability of their top Soldiers if she were fucked up in the head. I mean, if she had tried to kill herself, wouldn't there be some sort of record?"

He leveled a questionable look to Thad. "You did contact medical services when she tried to take her life, didn't you?"

Thad didn't bother to acknowledge his friend with a glance. He just continued eating, but after a few bites of food, he gave a careless shrug. "It wasn't that bad. She was too pathetic, didn't go through with it. I said tried."

Aric rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"You don't believe me?" Thad asked, arching a brow as he took another bite of his fine lunch.

"I don't know who to believe half the time," replied Aric as he gathered his belongings. "Anyway, even if you did sleep with her last night, try not to play with her emotions. If she is so sensitive, you shouldn't have done that. Now you're just going to have a bigger mess on your hands."

Thad laughed with a wave of a hand. "One quick fuck, that's all she was and will ever be to me. I've no intention of getting back with her permanently. Besides, she'd be good to keep around on the side. I mean, Kayna's one hot piece of ass."

Leaning back in his chair, Thad laced his hands behind his head. "I can still hear her begging me to fuck her harder, to make it hurt. Sadistic bitch…"

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed with coldness. The conversation had boiled his blood and now his fingers were curled so tight to his palms that his nails bit into his flesh through the leather gloves he wore. Could it be true? Would Kayna stoop so low as to degrade herself to being Thad's one-night whore? No, she wasn't the weak-willed woman that Thad tried to present her as being. She had more ethics than to risk her job and her sanity. After all, she had been putting up with his difficult personality for over six months and could stand up to him like a seasoned pro. Sephiroth didn't see her as the begging type, on her knees and cowering. However, he knew her only through their professional relationship and not socially. Making assumptions on how an individual acted outside of the office could be a dangerous game.

Why should Sephiroth become so agitated by what Thad was saying? Thad and Kayna's relationship, their past, was none of Sephiroth's business. So why had the man's words boiled Sephiroth's blood? Perhaps it was the image of Kayna's beautiful body writhing and thrashing in ecstasy beneath Thad's sexual assault that drove the final nail into Sephiroth's proverbial coffin of possessiveness. Sephiroth heard Kayna's sensual voice moaning and heard her begging, but the catalyst of his growing tension was the moment he heard her scream out Thad's name. His attention broke from his thoughts, and right then and there, he snapped.

Later that night, Kayna yawned as she stepped out of her bathroom. It wasn't too late in the evening, yet she felt exhausted.

Too much emotional distress could really tire both her mind and her body. She chuckled softly at the thought of being physically exhausted because of her run in with Thad. She was a psychologist after all, but that only meant she was human and was susceptible to mental unease as well. Rubbing a towel through her hair, she made her way to her bed, grabbing a white robe of thin, sheer material.

Grumbling, she tossed the towel aside as her mind turned back to the conversation that she had with Thad earlier in the day. What an ass! What an idiot for thinking she was going to fall for his ego filled with bullshit. Sadly, it took most of the day to put him out of her mind, and one box of specialty chocolates, but he refused to leave her mind evicted of his attendance. Every so often, Thad would creep back just to remind her of how much she wanted to neuter him. When there came a knock at her door, Kayna's heart dropped with the thought that Thad had decided to come by for a visit.

Grumbling, she slid her robe over the thin strapped nightgown of flowing baby-blue silk, and as she walked out of her bedroom and across her office, she made sure that the tiny buttons keeping the tight bust of the gown secure were not about to pop themselves open. Another knock sounded. She called out with a snip to her voice as she pulled her semi-damp hair atop her head in a messy bun, "I'm coming!"

"Thad, if you're back to..." Those words were pulled up short as she opened the door to her office to set her sights upon the one soul she had not expected to see. She gasped, quickly taking a step back as her heart slammed within her chest. "Sephiroth..."

There he was, standing in the hall with his beautiful eyes locked upon her and his features expressionless as he put a hand to her door to push it open. "We need to talk," he said in that smooth purr of a voice that would have any woman's heart fluttering.

She took a step back as a wave of unease and tightness tore through her. "It's late, Sephiroth. What are you doing here?"

"As I said,' he repeated, closing the door behind him, 'we need to talk."

"You can set up an appointment. I'm free..."

"You're free now," he growled, turning quickly to lock the door behind him before advancing on her like the skilled Soldier and predator he was.

Forced to back away, nearly across the room, Kayna squeaked the moment her back hit a wall that separated part of her office. "What do you want?" she asked as her eyes skimmed up along his body the closer that he came to her.

"Was Thad here last night?" Sephiroth asked, stopping an inch before her.

One deep breath pulled into his lungs expand his tight chest, and his senses swirled with the delicate touch of cinnamon that drifted from her damp, cooling flesh. She was still wet from her shower, and the moisture upon her neck begged him to reach out to touch her. The image of her naked beneath a stream of cascading water had his body tightening and his mind drifting far away from his control.

Kayna wasn't sure she heard him, so she narrowed her eyes and leaned her head forward at the neck. "Excuse me?"

"Answer me,' muttered the Soldier, 'was Thad here last night?"

Kayna narrowed her eyes, and with a growl, she shoved passed him. "I don't answer to you. What I do is none of your concern."

Anger flared within Sephiroth's eyes, and his body coiled as if her touch was fire to his flesh. She was walking away from him; no one walked away from him. "It is my concern," he said while following her.

"No,' she retorted, glancing back as she came to stand at her desk, 'it is not. I'm no longer your psychologist. We are not friends or associates, so there is nothing that puts us on a level playing field. I would ask that you leave directly."

"He was here, wasn't he?" Sephiroth stalked to her and planted a hand to her desk while leaning his body forward so their eyes locked. "I overheard Thad speaking about you to an associate, the same one he was speaking to previously."

"Talking about me?"

Taking a breath, Sephiroth calmed himself - or at least tried. For some reason calming himself didn't seem to work when she stroked the tight anger that he often felt simmering within him with nothing but her serene voice. Only this woman, this beautiful and curious woman, could take him to the snapping point. That bit of knowledge should have kept Sephiroth far away from her, yet, in the end, it drew him to her like a moth to searing flame.

Pushing from the desk, he moved closer to her, using his tall body to push her further back. When her back hit one of the tall windows behind her, Sephiroth had her. He placed his hands over her shoulders, blocking her in as he leaned forward until they were but a breath apart. He was so close that he could feel her shaking. Good. She needed a bit of fear - of him.

Kayna winced, her eyes dancing with sudden panic. There was a look within his eyes that warned her of coming danger. His entire body trembled, waiting to release. She could tell by the ridged lines of twitching muscles beneath the sections of exposed flesh from his coat that he was ready to strike. Every fiber, every nerve of her being, screamed at her to run from him. But when he blocked her within his arms, she became afraid.

"What is it you want from me?" she whispered breathlessly, her voice dropping as she braced her arms across her chest.

"An answer."

"To what?"

"Did you sleep with him?"

Kayna's eyes blinked, and her brows knitted together. "Did I what?"

"Last night,' Sephiroth said smoothly and as he let his eyes skim along her neck, the exposed expanse of her collarbone, and then down to her supple breasts cuddled in silk before looking back to her as his heart skipped a few beats, 'did you take Thad to your bed?"

Kayna's mouth fell open in a look of complete and utter shock. When her mind caught up with the meaning of his words, she made the worst mistake of her life. The slap came out of nowhere. The strike stung her palm but wouldn't do Sephiroth a bit of damage, save bruising a part of his ego. She had enough strength in her to snap his head to the side.

Sephiroth flexed his jaw then slowly slid his eyes back to her. There was no anger in them, surprisingly, only amusement. She looked frightened with her eyes wide, her lips parted, and her body - her silken clad body - trembling. In all truth, he should be furious with her for striking him. No one had ever touched him with such force before. Only his enemies dared to attack him, and they paid with their lives. But Kayna, he could never harm her in any form of retribution.

He did what seemed to come natural for him. He did what his instincts told him to do. He threaded a gloved hand into her bound hair then yanking her forward so that his mouth captured hers with such fiery passion that their breaths were stolen. It was a kiss of passion that they shared, and one created from pent up emotions that Sephiroth had refused to acknowledge even existed until Kayna walked into his life with intentions of bringing those emotions to light.

Sephiroth couldn't explain what drove him to kiss her, he only knew that he wanted to. He wrapped an arm about her trembling body, pulling her flush against him. She squirmed against him with her hands flat to his chest, and every luscious twist of her body drove lust right through Sephiroth. Against her lips the kiss stilled as he chuckled to her weakening struggles, and, gently, his fingers wound within her hair, cupping the back of her neck as he deepened the kiss.

Sephiroth felt the tension contorting like a snake within her body as her quivering was forced to ease. He winced when feeling the sharp, delicate tips of her nails scrape against the flesh of his chest, but it was the pain that trilled him. When the squirming and the pushing returned, Sephiroth yanked on her hair thus tipped her head back and ended the kiss.

Their eyes locked, and with a deep growl to his voice - that smooth and velvety voice - he said to her, "Don't fight me, Kayna."

Panting, she drew back as far as she could with her lips trembling and flushed from his kisses. Her body quivered - not out of fear, but of desperation. Could she really deny the attraction building between them? He had tried to ignore the development of desire that he felt simmering within him for the last few months, so there was no way she could ignore it. Could she?

Licking his taste from her lips, Kayna drew in a fresh breath along with a resurgence of strength. "You can't order me..."

Smirking, Sephiroth scoffed as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose against her neck. His warm lips skimmed along the shell of her ear, drawing a soft gasp from her along with a sharp tremble. "Yes, I can. Now answer me,' he whispered softly in a purr of air that fumbled against her neck, 'did you sleep with Thad last night?"

"Do you want me to smack you again?" she asked, tipping her head away so she could glare at him. "I will."

"I have no doubt of that," chuckled the Soldier as he grinned to her. "However,' he whispered hotly with his lips teasing her neck, 'I might just enjoy getting a little rough with you."

"Don't tease me," she moaned softly. Her eyes fluttered beneath thick lashes as he kissed her neck and pressed his male body against her.

"My dear Kayna,' Sephiroth purred wickedly, 'I have every intention of teasing you."

That night, a cool whisper spilled against her warm flesh to caress her soul.

"My dear Kayna,' Sephiroth purred wickedly, 'I have every intention of teasing you."

Kayna's mind spun at the sinful purr that trickled from his lips. The sensation of the cool glass against her back and the heat tumbling from his body at her chest caused prickles of excitement to bubble within her. It took so much control to keep Kayna from grabbing him, pulling him to her, and kissing him. She wanted to. The urge was so strong that her blood began to pound within her ears from her pulse dancing wildly.

"Sephiroth..." she whispered softly as her eyes drifted closed and head tipped back from the play of his lips to her ear.

Grinning, he let his hands diligently skim long her hips where his fingers curled to skillfully tug her to him. One hand trailed the outline of her body as if he planned to memorize her through his fingertips, moving upwards to spread against the exposed skin of her shoulder blades. "Do you really want me to leave, Kayna?" he asked, brushing his lips along her jaw until he looked into her eyes.

Kayna's heated eyes fluttered open to show a darkening of color and a shade of lust. She licked her lips only to lift a hand to touch fingertips to his cheek. "I don't know what I want, Sephiroth. I'm so confused right now."

He turned his head to graze his lips over her fingertips before murmuring against her skin, "I can see your need reflected in your eyes, and I can feel your pulse pounding within your body. Two signs of desire..."

His voice, so close and so hot, brought a lump to form within her throat. "And what do you know of desire? You're just a Soldier."

He looked to her with a slight smile playing his handsome mouth. Taking her hand from his chest, he set her palm beneath a fold of his coat and over the bare skin of his heart. "I may be only a Soldier, but first and foremost, I am a man. I am a man with desires."

Kayna gulped, curling her fingers to his skin. Her eyes never left his as she spoke. "Don't you have a lover, Sephiroth?"

"I've never thought of taking one," he replied smoothly and without missing a beat as he raised her hand to touch his lips to her palm. "My duties come first, even though the sexual want for companionship is still there."

Kayna shivered. Her eyes darkened, watching how his lips played across her palm in subtle brushes and presses. "What is it you want from me?"

When he looked to her with a look of deep-seated yearning, her entire body nearly fell limp within his embrace. What he saw within her gaze was a look of burning heat and pure lust. The look was a look that had her body quivering with her own sexual craving.

"Isn't that obvious?" Sephiroth inquired as he let his eyes search her features.

He moved, pressing his body to hers as he pinned her to the glass. His hands skimmed along the thin material of her robe, fingering the slender straps of her thin nightgown. He closed his eyes to have a private moment where his imagination could indulge itself in a risqué image of her naked body, arching and writhing beneath him.

Dipping his head, he groaned as his lips hovered over her own. With a whisper of his devious voice, he growled - "You."

Then he took her mouth in a demanding kiss that captured a moan pressing from Kayna's slender throat. He cupped her face in his hands to keep her lips against his so that her taste could fill every inch of him, and the softness of her supple lips left him wanting more of her. His tongue trailed the parting of her lips, and when he felt her shiver and her lips separate in a delicate gasp, he let his tongue slip forward to seek out the hot recesses of her mouth.

Kayna moaned sweetly as her arms came to slip about his shoulders with her fingers seeking to indulge in the silk texture of his silvery hair that fell in draping strands against his back. She tipped her head to deepen the kiss and, in doing so, parted her mouth to his play. With fingers gripping and bodies pressing, it was hard for to ignore the increasing desire of the other. This was no subtle kiss of exploration but one of sinful indulgence. It was a kiss of promised pleasures.

Sephiroth nipped at her lips as he softened the kiss before drawing her lower lip between his teeth for a teasing tug. When she gasped, he chuckled then lifted her into his arms, turned about then set her rump to the desktop. In a smooth sweep of a hand, papers and oddities went scattering to the floor.

"That was all organized," Kayna muttered under a heaving breath while passing him a disapproving look.

Sephiroth grinned a twistedly wicked grin. "There's nothing wrong with a little chaos in your life, Doctor."

"So, we're back to professional names, are we?"

He nuzzled her neck causing her to tip her head in offering of her skin. "What would you prefer I call you? You argued with my inappropriate use of Kayna."

Shivering, Kayna closed her eyes, slicked her lips with the passing of her tongue then gasped to the feel of his tongue trailing along the tight muscles lining her neck. Her heart thumped wildly within her chest.

"I'm sure I could settle on a pet name for you."

Drawing back, Kayna blinked as Sephiroth looked to her with his grin turning playful. "A pet name? Are you going to keep me?"

"Would that bother you?" he asked, tipping his head as he watched his gloved hand thread through her damp hair, combing his fingers through the curled strands.

She expected him to rip the twist from her hair but, instead, Sephiroth gently unbound her hair then swept his fingers through the strands to spread the thick curls about her shoulders. She watched, intently, him with keen eyes as he examined her features. With him being so close, Kayna noticed how enthralling he was, physically speaking, while he observed the way her hair wrapped about his wrist.

"I think,' he began to say as his body shifted to part her legs, allowing his form to press intimately to her, 'I would like that."

Kayna gulped as she felt his form press against the center of her legs. Heat instantly bloomed within her, stroked by the sensation and the simple knowledge of his intense sexual persona. "You don't know me well enough to want me, Sephiroth."

"I know more about you than you think, Kayna. Then again,' he looked away with his gaze slipping down her chest to watch her plush breasts tremble with each quick breath she took, "I don't need to know everything all at once. All I need to know, I know. I know that I have a strong attraction to you and a strong desire to know you intimately."

Kayna's lovely and flushed features hardened. "I'm no man's pleasure toy."

Sephiroth chuckled. "As delightful as that sounds, I would never use you as a simple toy to appease my physical needs, my dear. I want more than that." He tipped her head toward him and traced her lips with a fingertip. "I have a confession to make, Doctor. I have discovered the meaning of my dreams, and I know why I have not been paying attention to them."

"The ones where you could not find me?"

He nodded.

With a timid smile caressing her lips, Kayna turned her eyes downward to watch the way her fingers began to caress across his chest. "Indulge me."

To those words a hot shudder tore through Sephiroth. A surge of lust exploded within him, pulling the sleek muscles of his face in a tight hold of control. He leaned to her, forcing her fingers to curl into his flesh, then groaned against her neck to the nip of pain. "Trust me, I will be indulging us both soon enough."

Kayna gulped, her eyes fluttering closed as her lips parted in a whimpering gasp. "Your dreams, Sephiroth,' she stuttered, 'tell me your confession."

"I've been fighting against my desires, my blind consciousness. These months spent with you in our sessions have done more than just seek out a correction to my negative issues. They have shown me that there is one person who I would let into my life on a level that no one has ever been allowed to reach. At the same time, the place that you can reach in me has been empty for so long that it has started to ache. I can't ignore that aching any longer, not now that you have been able to touch my soul."

"Look who is being so philosophical. You're starting to sound like Genesis."

Sephiroth chuckled, amused by her analysis. In the next moment, his eyes darkened, and a low growl slid past his throat. "I'm not a possessive man, Kayna. I care little for what is happening in the lives of others. However, what I heard Thad saying about you curled a rage within me that I could not ignore. I felt betrayed by the images implanted before my eyes by his hateful words. For some reason, I felt angry and hurt on the simple thought that you and Thad had a previous relationship and that you, willing, opened your body to him."

Kayna stopped his words with a finger to his lips. She said softly, moving her hand to cup his features, "Thad hurt me more than any one has ever hurt me before. But do not think me so weak to tumble back into his arms of torment. I know better than to sleep with him. You don't need to feel betrayed over something that did not happen."

He smiled slightly as he leaned into her touch. "If that's true, then why would I feel that way in the first place?"

"Only you can answer that question."

Sighing, he leaned to touch his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "I want to know the answer. I need to find out why I can't get you out of my mind. I need to know how to save you."

Kayna closed her eyes as she slipped fingers into his hair. She answered him with tender words of comfort, "Tell me, Sephiroth, what I can do to help you find your answer."

Before she could say anything more, his mouth was on hers in a kiss that bruised her lips. He was demanding, intense and forceful. He took her breath and her thoughts away. Kayna was completely unaware of his hands moving along her body, drawing up the hem of her nightgown to expose her sleek legs. Her skin prickled beneath the feel of his nails dragging along the outside of her thighs as he drew her legs up and about his waist with ease. She moaned upon feeling the hard leather of his pants glide along the inside of her thighs, teasing her flesh as he pressed his hips sinfully against the core of her feminine body.

She had her answer. She knew what he wanted, and in truth, she couldn't deny that she wanted the same. Before Kayna could stop herself, her hands were upon his coat in a desperate hurry to remove the heavy item from him. She pulled just enough to work the buckle until it came free then yanked at the fabric with all her might.

Without breaking the kiss, Sephiroth chuckled, amused at her rough intentions. To comply with her wishes, he shrugged the coat from his shoulders and moaned when her touch returned to torture him. Wherever her hands fell to caress along his bare arms and chest, his skin warmed and tingled. Sephiroth's sculpted muscles jerked in excitement as her nails scratched his chest leaving lines of red.

Drawing his lips from hers, Sephiroth nuzzled his nose to her throat until she tipped her head back, offering her flesh to him in sensual submission. He suckled and nipped at her jugular before trailing hot grazes along her throat and across her collarbone. He savored her taste and the texture of her skin as she held him to her with her hands digging into his back. Wanting to touch her, wanting to feel her, Sephiroth slid her robe off her shoulders then from her body.

His body ached.

His body throbbed to the bone, and when she arched to him, tightening her legs about him, he swallowed an animalistic growl of pleasure from rippling past his lips. Tearing his mouth from her skin, he found her lips, thrusting his tongue past to swirl and sweep within. She shivered and moaned while arching and pressing to him with such need that her body quaked uncontrollably. All he wanted to do was lay her flat to her desk, rid themselves of their pesky clothing, and then drive into her body to claim her as his.

All in due time. Right now, he wanted to tease her. Just as he promised.

Kayna's lips fell from his as she lulled her head back with a deep moan falling from her lips when he cupped her plush breasts in his leather coated hands. He fingered her nipples causing prickles of excitement to dance her body from the sensation of silk fabric to sensitive skin, manipulated by his gloved fingers. She gasped as he palmed her, kneading her and toying with her. His touch felt unimaginably good, even against the fabric. One button after another was popped open until he drew a nipple from beneath the gown, and when he bent his head to take the stiff peak into his mouth, Kayna cried out to the room in rapture.

Moist heat enwrapped a taut bud as his mouth enclosed about it, lavishing the peak with his tongue. Kayna moaned and curled her fingers into his back to leave dark crescent marks of red on his hide. His mouth was perfect, and the way his tongue licked and flicked against her nipple was heavenly. When he drew his mouth away to blow a breath of hot air to the quivering nipple, she had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming.

Sephiroth chuckled, peeking up to see her features twist in a look of concentrated bliss. After withdrawing his gloves, he touched her bare breast, trailing a nail over the rise as he leaned to brush his lips to hers. She moaned as a spasm danced her body, but that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to see and hear more, so he moved his hand to the junction of her thighs only to find her moist and swollen - ready for him. Now, more than ever, he wanted to bury himself inside of her. However, what Sephiroth wanted most was to hear her pleasures before he took her completely.

"Scream for me, Kayna. I want to hear my name tumble from your lips," he whispered against her lips just before he drove two fingers into her throbbing heat.

Kayna's eyes flashed open! She screamed out to the room with her arms clutching him and her body spasming to the invasion of his fingers. He didn't stop. He didn't give her time to enjoy the feeling of being filled. No, Sephiroth began to pump his digits into her, urging her hot flesh to clutch him and causing her body to buck against him.

"Yes. That's it..." he purred wickedly as he drew his lips to her neck to feast upon her skin.

Why silence her lips with kisses when he wanted to hear her? And hear her he did. Kayna's moans and whimpers were notes of beautiful music to him. Though Genesis had tried to convince him that words were music in poetic motion, Sephiroth was certain that it was the sounds of a lover taking pleasure by him that turned music to poetry. Never had he had such an urge to take a woman in almost every twisted and dark way possible. His mind swam with images of their bodies coiled naked in all sorts of sexual positions. The want was drilling into his psyche the longer he tormented her.

She panted against him, clutching him desperately as her hips thrust to meet his motions. The liquid heat that surrounded his fingers from her grasping body would forever burn his memory. The higher her whimpers, the harder she breathed and the faster her release came, so he drew his fingers from her, grasped the front of her robe, and in one quick motion tore the fabric apart. Kayna gasped to the echoing sound that danced her office as the buttons of her nightgown scattered across the floor. The ferocity in his move sent an orgasmic ripple through her, and when their eyes locked, she saw within his haunting orbs the true monster trapped within him. He was a monster of cruelty and of wickedry. The reflection of his internal demon frightened her, yet, at the same time, Kayna knew she could never refuse the creature what it wanted - her.

Sephiroth said nothing as he let his hands trail over her exposed breasts then down her slender stomach. He said nothing as he parted her legs away from him then slowly shifted to take a knee before her. Kayna blushed, heat spreading instantly through her as she looked down to see him knelt between her legs. He wasn't looking at her features anymore; instead, he held his eyes upon the slick center of her body and the thin patch of dark curls that dusted the top of her mound.

"Sephiroth?" she asked in a voice that was laced with embarrassment for being exposed to such a powerful man as he.

"Ssshhh," he whispered as he leaned to her to brush a kiss to the inside of her left thigh. "Let me taste you."

"Oh..." Kayna moaned out as his hot, slick tongue slowly skimmed up her cleft.

Her body trembled as she gasped to the sensations that danced her flesh. She nearly buckled when his mouth closed about her clit to suckle and lick her. Thad had never done this before. He had been a one position man who never deviated to the deviancy of sexual play. But Sephiroth seemed to take enjoyment out of this. His skilled tongue stroked her flesh from top to bottom before circling the swollen bud. His fingers parted her flesh allowing him to slide his tongue into her body and tease her with quick flicks from within.

All she could do was moan and try to keep herself from tumbling over. But it was almost too much. Her belly twist into tight knots, heating and spinning, as he tortured her flesh. Kayna slid her hands into his hair, gripping the silvery strands in a desperate need to hold his mouth against her. She rocked her hips to his mouth, and when he slid his fingers into her and used them in time with his tongue, she lost all control.

Sephiroth growled against her flesh as she came, her body bucking and her hands pulling at his hair. He didn't mind the painful tugging, not at all. In fact, hearing her scream and feeling her body spasming about his tongue and fingers gave him more pleasure than he had felt in an exceptionally long time. Yet, that one sweet orgasm of hers wasn't enough to satisfy him.

As she trembled, Kayna drew her eyes open; her vision quivered. She half expected him to step away from her and consider their moment of passion to be over; instead, he gathered her into his arms and cradled her to his chest as he crossed the room to the door leading to her apartment.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a voice that shook from release.

Sephiroth smiled softly then kissed her forehead when she looked up to him. "I'm taking you to your bed where I can make love to you."

"Oh," she breathed sweetly as she nuzzled his neck with her nose then trailed her lips along his neck. His skin tasted masculine, a combination of scents and tastes that no one could put direct labels upon. There was a salty mixture that she found enjoyable and swirled her tongue against the hollow of his throat.

He shivered and groaned to the teases upon his ear only to chuckle as he fumbled with the doorknob. "Kayna, my dear, would you stop for a moment so I can open the door?"

She in his arms snickered then purposefully bit his earlobe, pulling the flesh into her mouth to suckle on.

Sephiroth groaned, tightening his eyes shut, when the tip of her moist tongue washed over his skin. "Do you want me to open this door or not?"

She slid a hand along his bare chest only to have the other join in removing the straps that crossed his chest and shoulders. She let his ear go so she could blow softly on the slick skin. In answer to him, she purred sweetly and drew her lips away. "I'll behave."

He looked down to her as he opened the door then nudged it so it would swing open. "That won't do," he said heatedly as he walked in, kicking the door shut behind him. "I said nothing about you behaving."

Kayna grinned and cupped his face in her hands, leaning to take his mouth with a kiss. This time she controlled the embrace with her tongue parting his lips. She nipped and suckled his lower lip as he carried her across the room where he lowered her to the bed. She didn't want to let him go even though he was able to pry her arms from about him so he could step away from her. His body throbbed as he looked to see the way her fair skin glowed in the dim lights of her room, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the open windows. There, upon the bad, she lay exposed to him with silk fabric pooling about her and curls tumbling against her features.

Though his body begged for him to take her, to make her his, Sephiroth forced that primal craving down as he unbuckled and drew off his boots then began to unbuckle the countless other latches on his uniform. Never had he wanted to curse whoever designed the concept of the Soldier uniforms for it made a quick, passion tryst almost impossible. But this was no tryst. To Sephiroth, this experience with Kayna would be a moment of passion and pleasure and a moment to indulge in a night of fantasies and ecstasy.

Kayna couldn't stop from quivering. Her throat felt dry as she lay frozen and in awe of the man before her. As the moonlight graced his skin that glistened with an unearthly touch, she felt shivers race beneath her skin. Every muscle that made up his toned body shifted as he worked free his clothing, and when he was naked before her, she wanted to cry out in elation. His body was lined with sleek, taut muscles and framed by his silvery hair that fell in thin strands to his tight hips. When he moved, he was like a predator stalking his prey as he came upon the bed, crawling over her to loom above her while gazing into her eyes.

Kayna expected him to come at her with the same intensity he had displayed in the office, yet he reached out to trail fingers over her body, between her quivering breasts then down her slender abdomen before slipping his hand between her thighs to cup her slick flesh. Her eyes fluttered closed as a supple moan tumbled from her lips when she parted her legs to let him palm her.

She laid her head back on a curtain of thick coils, and her fingers bunched the bedcover tightly in her grip as her hips arched eagerly to him. His lips descended on her neck while kissing and suckling and licking a slick path along her skin until he took one of her nipples into his mouth to suckle upon. Kayna groaned, releasing the cover to thread her fingers into his hair to cradle his head to her breast. She thought she would die from the pounding ache in her belly until he filled her once again with his fingers.

So hot - so slick.

Sephiroth growled against her breast as he drove his fingers relentlessly into her quaking body. With his restraint on edge, Sephiroth drew his fingers from her body only to slide the hard, hot frame of his body against her to settle between her legs. He reached up to touch her cheek, drawing her eyes to him, and when she looked to him, Sephiroth rocked himself against her allowing her to feel his hard muscles and taut skin against her.

He kissed her lips gently and whispered to her, "Look at me, my goddess. I want to watch you as I take you."

His words were more than she could handle. Hearing such seductive words in his melting voice coiled the ropes of ecstasy tighter within her belly. "Yes," she mewed with a little nod then gasped as he moved, parting her body and filling her with his throbbing flesh.

The sensations that coursed through her body were indescribable! Each inch of his throbbing flesh, sliding deeper within her, caressed Kayna until she felt her body heat from the inside out. She wanted more of him, every inch of him, and with a pout upon her lips, she thrust her hips to him.

Sephiroth bit back a hiss of pleasure when he felt himself sheathed by her slick heat. The feelings of her moist walls grasping him nearly drove him over the edge. Panting, he leaned against her and pressed her to the bed to still her movements as she tried to twist herself against him. "Kayna,' he said while nuzzling her shoulder, 'if you keep that up, this will be over too quickly for either of us to enjoy each other."

"I can't help it," she mewed, licking her lips and rocking her hips slowly against him.

Sephiroth groaned, nipping at the flesh of her neck. "You can't help yourself, is that it?" In one fluid motion, trained and perfected, he rolled to his back. Without drawing from her flesh, he gripped her hips and brought her down upon him. To see her features curl in a look of ultimate pleasure swelled his heart with male pride - and his ego. "Then by all means,' he breathed out tightly, 'lose your control."

Her stunning eyes opened, laced with clouded lust, and with a fluttering moan, Kayna set her palms to his corded chest as she gazed down to him with a coil of her hair resting between her eyes. He was impossibly beautiful resting beneath her with his silvery hair spread beneath him. And when his shaft throbbed within her, her eyes closed and head tipped back with a trembling whimper echoing from her pressed lips. He felt incredible, no, beyond incredible buried so deep within her that she swore she could feel him in her womb. Her body shivered with delight each time his embedded flesh jerked within her tight passage. When she felt his grip on her hips tighten, guiding her in the first motions of sex, she squeezed her thighs against his hips and earned a dark growl from the deadly Sephiroth.

With each sway of her body, with each gentle sweep of her hips, Sephiroth tumbled further into erotic oblivion. To watch her was pure bliss. To feel her beneath his hands, her slender muscles working to move gracefully beneath his fingertips, was to feel the height of pleasure. She was so slick, so tight, and so warm that he couldn't imagine she had been with any other man in a while. A grin slid like a snake across his lips at that devious realization. Thad made a vital mistake, lying about sleeping with Kayna, and it would be a mistake the man would eventually pay for. To spread such a dark and hurtful lie was meant to degrade such a precious being as her. Well, Thad may not value Kayna as anything but a scapegoat to his delusions, but to Sephiroth, she was becoming a precious commodity who, in the future, would be solely his.

No one else would have her - ever.

She was his obsession.

Gripping her hips, Sephiroth guided her movements, slow at first then deeper and sharper. As her body tightened about him, he lifted her then thrust himself up into her as he drew her down making her cry out in rapture. She moaned sensually and impelled herself upon him, grinding against him and swaying lusciously back and forth until her hair flounced about her in time to her sexual dance.

"So beautiful," he whispered, raising a hand to trail fingers down from her throat, between her breasts then spread against her belly where he felt muscles quivering in orgasmic anticipation.

Kayna nipped her lower lip and tightened her eyes shut when she felt him press against her belly. Her nails curled to his chest as her body came to lean forward, tossing a curtain of dark curls about her face. She looked to him - their eyes met - then she leaned down to silence a whimpered moan against his lips. "Sephiroth," she whispered his name in a feathery touch against his mouth as a wave of pleasure tore through her ending their kiss in a soft gasp before the kiss was applied.

Grinning, he took her hips in his hands as he began to thrust roughly against her, making sure to grind her sensitive and trembling flesh against the swollen base of his shaft. There was no need to try and keep a kiss fused as the motion of their naked, damp bodies prevented such a sweet union. Kayna buried her face to his shoulder, whimpering and panting as she gave control over to him. He nuzzled her, drew in a deep breath of her exotic scent now laced with the saltiness of sweat then wrapped his arms about her and moved.

Pinning her beneath him, Sephiroth grasped her body, hiking her legs about his trim waist as he continued, without breaking a beat, to pound into her. Kayna cried out as she bucked wildly beneath him, grasping him with her slick limbs to hold him against her to feel him torment and tease the bundle of nerve that trembled for his attention. In the end, the sexual connection was just too much for either to withstand, and with one groaning and the other screaming, they both came together in sexual harmony.

Sephiroth felt his soul soar as his name was called out to the room. So musical and desperate was the cry of Kayna's voice that he decided right then that he would never let that sound be heard by another. His name would be called by her, only his name. He would never grow weary of drawing that erotic scream from her as it sent goosebumps along his flesh and gave him overwhelming pleasure that he thought impossible to obtain. He had never felt such intense passion with another woman before. Was it love that fueled the sexual craving he was feeling? No. Sephiroth didn't understand the meaning of love. He knew how to care and knew how to comfort - to a degree - but the true meaning of love was a concept far from his grasp. The hidden monster within him, that created the Soldier he was, would not allow him to touch the concept of love with his bloody hands.

Trembling, slick, and exhausted bodies slowly eased their tension. Kayna winced as she unwound her limbs from about his body so she could fall back upon the bed while panting and gasping for air. All Sephiroth could do was rest against her while listening to her heart raging within her chest. He groaned, after a moment of rest, as he shifted his body but not before touching a kiss over her heart.

When he went to move, he found himself locked against Kayna. Smirking, Sephiroth glanced down to her with amusement dancing in his stunning eyes. "Sooner or later, you will have to release me."

"If I refuse?" Kayna teased, arching her hips to him as if insinuating a challenge of carnal delights.

The sensation of her slick, hot flesh tightening about him drew a tight-lipped growl from Sephiroth. "You have done me in, my dear," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "I require a short break."

"You, Shinra's top Soldier, need a break?" Kayna chuckled musically and skipped a few fingers along his toned chest. "Should I make us some coffee?"

"Later."

Kayna caressed a hand up along his damp back, about his neck to stroke her thumb along his cheekbone. "Thank you," she said softly as she lifted to kiss his lips.

He returned her kiss then cocked his head in mild curiosity. "For what?"

Though she didn't want him to move, he did and rolled to his back with his taut arms stretching up and over his head. Releasing him was difficult and rather painful as Kayna's locked muscles were forced to give way. When he reached for her, Kayna moved to him to curl against his side. She came to rest her head to his shoulder and found that reclining in his embrace felt perfect.

When she did not answer him, he glanced to with his slender, silvery brows knitted together. "What is on your mind?" he asked in a soft whisper as he combed his fingers through her curls.

Licking her lips, Kayna released a held breath. "You could have believed all that Thad had said about me, but you didn't. You could have come to me to judge me with an opinion swayed by his falsehoods, but you didn't." She rose, leaning on a hand to look to him with a timid smile upon her lips.

"I never base my views on what another says, and I do not listen to propaganda created for no reason but to tarnish the name of one of the only individuals I have come to trust." He brushed back a lock of her hair behind an ear then ran a fingertip over her lips.

Sephiroth took her free hand and raised her fingers to his lips. "I don't know the concept of love, Kayna. I have never needed that emotion before. If you are expecting love to be returned to you, I am not sure I can give you what you want."

"I never asked for your love, Sephiroth. I know the training that you Soldiers go through to desensitize you to connecting to others on an intimate level. Besides, we are not close to thinking about loving one another."

"Then where do we go from here? We have certainly crossed the professional line, wouldn't you say?"

Kayna chuckled and nodded. "Agreed."

"I can't promise you a fantasy future together."

"If that's what you think I want of you, you're wrong. I don't want a serious relationship. I'm still recovering from what Thad put me through. It will take some time since he's still trying to destroy me."

"Tell me what you want from me."

Kayna gazed down to him, studying his features, to see that there was a smile upon his lips and honesty within his eyes. "I want a companion who thinks on the same level that I do. I want a man who is not expecting me to demand marriage from him with the intent of contorting me into the little wife of the house who bakes cookies and has his slippers ready for him. I want..."

"A lover," he said for her.

When she nodded, he pulled her into his embrace, nestling her head to his chest so he could kiss the crown of her messed curls. "You want a lover who will understand your schedule, who will not demand your time be set aside for his personal needs, but who will support you and be a part of your life when you need him to be."

"Yes."

"Would I make a good lover to you, Kayna?"

"I think,' she replied softly as she nuzzled her cheek over his heart, 'you would."

Sephiroth tightened his hold about her. "I promise you,' he said softly against her hair as she felt her body start to give in to the calling of slumber, 'no one will ever harm you. On my life, I will protect you."

Two weeks later, Kayna smirked playfully to her lover from over the rim of her coffee mug as she watched Sephiroth stretch his arms above his head.

"You're going to be late," she teased just before taking a sip.

This morning they woke up in his bed and in his quarters after spending a night locked in the throes of sexual deviancy. For two weeks now they had explored the ins and outs of human desire and of sexual wants, not to mention every twisted and erotic position they could come up with. It had become a game for them. Throughout the day they would text each other to inquire if the other had thought up a new idea of sensual entertainment to explore.

Smirking, Sephiroth looked up from where he sat at the edge of his bed to see her standing at the bedroom door. He had just buckled his boots and was stretching when she walked in on him. She looked almost too comfortable and too perfect in his quarters - and he liked that. She looked as if she belonged with him as she leaned to the doorframe sipping her coffee.

"I'm never late."

Kayna rolled her eyes. "So, says you. Should I check the time clock? Ask Genesis or Angeal maybe to validate your claim?"

Sephiroth rose from the bed then crossed the large bedroom to touch a kiss to her cheek. Before she could stop him, he took her mug right from her hand then walked past her.

"Excuse me…"

"You make the best coffee," he teased her when she gaped at him.

"Why thank you," Kayna muttered as she followed him. "I could have poured you a cup, you know."

"True, but your lips gracing this cup adds extra flavor."

"Flirt."

"Always."

"What's on your schedule for today?" she asked as she slipped onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island to watch him select one of the muffins that she made the previous day; she was getting better.

Shrugging, he set his muffin down to a plate then turned to get something out of the fridge. "Another meeting."

"Another one?" Kayna frowned in thought. "That's odd for so many meetings to be called."

"I agree. For some reason, the President and the Director have been calling these meetings weekly. I believe the CEOs will be present, again."

Kayna scrunched her nose as she picked a bite off his muffin. Turnabout was fair game. "That means Thad will be there."

"Yes." Turning about, Sephiroth arched a silver brow as he saw the nip taken from his spiced muffin. He gave a quizzical look to his lover.

She smiled sweetly along with a shrug of her shoulders. "You took my coffee."

Shaking his head, Sephiroth handed back her coffee then took his muffin. "I guess I will settle for office coffee this morning. Shame."

"Come by my office later and I'll make you a fresh cup." The kiss that came upon her cheek had her smiling softly.

"I appreciate the invite. I will need a coffee break once the meeting concludes." He kissed her cheek once more before moving away, holding the muffin between his teeth as he slipped on his coat. He paused when he felt a hand touch his arm, and taking the muffin out of his mouth, he looked back to see Kayna standing behind him.

"You won't hurt him, will you?" she asked with a concerned frown tucking her lips downward.

"Hurt who?"

"Thad."

Sephiroth touched gloved fingers beneath her chin to guide her closer to him so he could lean down to kiss her lips. "I will try to restrain myself. Besides,' he said with a sly grin, 'with Genesis present, there will be enough entertainment to divert my attention from the want to throttle Thad into the ground."

Kayna gave a worried nod.

"Don't worry. I'll see you tonight."

Sighing, Kayna nodded then followed him down the hall that separated his office from the kitchen. He paused at the door of the fine apartment. "By the way, I confirmed with Angeal our dinner plans with he and Cera. We'll meet them in the city court at nine."

"Perfect. My last appointment is at six. That gives me time to get back to my place to shower and get ready."

Sephiroth smirked as he opened the door. "Should I move it to ten?"

Kayna shoved him and chuckled playfully. "Get going."

"This is my apartment," he pointed out.

"Yes, it is," she replied, leaning to the door.

No point in arguing with that logic. "Lock up before you leave."

"Now why would I do that?" she asked, giving him such a sassy little look. "I thought I'd leave the door wide open and put a sign out front that says help yourself."

"Don't start with me, woman. I know where you live, where you work, and where you sleep."

"Right next to you."

As the hours of the meeting progressed slowly, turning morning to afternoon, Sephiroth found that his amusement with Genesis had ended rather quickly. His hot-tempered friend was in a mood to pick fights and was now in a heated discussion with Director Lazard with Angeal as referee. President Rufus Shinra couldn't help but smirk as he watched the two Soldier operatives bickering with their director. Sephiroth rolled his eyes or hide his grin behind the rim of his coffee mug yet made the smart decision not to interject any of his opinions.

Thad was at meeting as well and seated as if he was still on his high horse. The question remained; did he ever get off it? Probably not with the super glue he used to keep his ass in the saddle. Now there was a nice image played about within Sephiroth's mind, slicing off that horse's high legs with Masamune so that Thad would come tumbling down to the dirt where he belonged. Replaying that personal fantasy kept Sephiroth attentive during the meeting. When the conference was concluded, and Genesis had stormed out with some quote from Loveless, Sephiroth remained in his chair to finish the horrible coffee he had been nursing while Angeal gathered his notes from the desk next to him. Thad and the man Sephiroth had learned to be Aric sat close together, muttering back and forth.

Angeal turned his shadowy-blue eyes to his friend whom he had noticed staring at Thad Varlin with a dangerous and narrowed gaze. "Something bothering you?"

Sephiroth licked his lips before turning a side glance to his associate. "Nothing of importance."

Angeal would not press his friend for a solid answer, so he nodded as stood. "I'll see you tonight."

"Of course." Sephiroth stood with intentions of departing when he caught the name of his lover spoken from the lips of the Devil.

"I don't know what is going on with Kayna. I've tried to call her over the past few weeks, but she won't answer me or return my messages." Thad muttered and slumped back in his chair with a pen tossed across the table that he had been tapping to the top.

Sephiroth stopped short at the door that was located around a tinted piece of decorative glass that kept his presence distorted. Neither Thad nor his companion had any idea he was listening to them.

"Maybe she's moved on," said Aric in a tone of voice that didn't hold any interest.

Thad snorted. "That's bullshit."

"You never know. Maybe she's found somebody else."

Sephiroth grinned.

"I don't get it," muttered Thad with an annoyed snort. "I gave her three years of my life. I gave her everything then she turned around and screwed me over." Groaning, Thad ran his hands down his handsome face as if he were tired of the entire issue. "I'm getting tired of the bitch. I should get her fired. I could do that, you know. I have the power now."

Aric shook his head as he gathered his belongings. "You really shouldn't talk like that, not out in the open. President Shinra employed her himself before he even knew your name."

Thad obvious ignored that tidbit of truth. "I swear. If I ever see that bitch again, I'll snap her fucking neck."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. Thad had finally crossed the line by threatening Kayna's life. Sephiroth wasn't sure whether the man had the ability, the power, and the connections to carry out with the threat. Then again, Thad would not have a chance to have a second thought on his sadistic suggestion.

"Can you believe she called me gay? I mean, come on! I fucked her for three years. That counts for something."

"Well, there was that one time you cheated on her with Dravin."

"I slept with him once, alright?" Thad pointed a finger to his friend. "And before you even open your mouth, I don't have a fucking problem. What the hell's wrong with you?"

Aric stood. "You can say whatever you want, but I think it was wrong what you did to her."

Thad glared at his friend. "It's a good thing I don't give a fuck what you think, Aric. You know, I have connections in the ranks of Soldier. I bet I could pay some pitiful, low-ranking idiot to snuff her out. Nobody would notice. Hell, I doubt anybody would miss her." He gave an eerily uncaring shrug of his shoulders. "It could be some random attack in the city."

Aric's features twisted. "I'm not going to listen to this. Be careful what you say," he said, taking a quick glance to the distorted glass where he flinched upon seeing a shadow that fit the outline of Sephiroth. The man paled as he glanced quickly to Thad. It seemed that Thad had not noticed Sephiroth's presence. "Not everybody in Shinra is on your side."

Thad arrogantly scoffed. "I'm a CEO of Shinra, Aric. I have the money to pay anybody to be on my side."

"What about Sephiroth?"

"Why would he care about her? She's his shrink, nothing more. That grunt can't touch me."

"I don't want to be partner to your dangerous words. I'll see you later."

Sephiroth had heard enough, and what he heard twisted his stomach into flames of rage. He wanted nothing more than to gut that wretched excuse of a man as slowly as possible. But first, Thad needed to learn a valuable lesson that there was no soul alive who was out of Sephiroth's reach.

Thad muttered as he looked to his phone after gathering his belongings and departing the conference room. He walked from the room, scowling upon the discovery that Kayna had yet to return any of his messages. In fact, she had blocked his number. Fucking bitch. The unsuspecting man had no idea that fate was about to walk right on over him. It all happened in a blink of an eye. Somebody grabbed him by his neck, hauling him from the walkway and into a dark and empty hall. His back hit the wall with such force that some bone popped causing him to wince in pain.

"You think I can't touch you, hmm?" Sephiroth asked as his body seeped from the shadows. He tightened his gloved fingers about Thad's neck as he slowly raised the young man's body off the ground.

Thad gasped, his eyes going wide as he latched his hands about the Soldier's wrist. Sephiroth's grip was iron clad and not about to relent.

"Let me tell you something, boy," Sephiroth purred while tightening his grip until Thad's breaths hitched within his throat. "There is no soul alive that I cannot touch."

"What...do you want?" Thad whimpered in a voice that was growing deprived of oxygen.

"I want you to leave Kayna be. No more calls, no more messages, and most importantly no more tainting her name."

"What's that bitch got to do with you?"

Gloved fingers tightened the, in the next moment, Sephiroth's blade set a deadly kiss of metal to Thad's neck. "She has everything to do with me. You know who I am, so you know what I am capable of. Heed my warning. Is that understood?"

"I'm a fucking CEO, you brainless grunt. You can't threaten me!"

"Correction," he chuckled, "you are the lowest of the low on that board. Out of the conference room, your name means nothing while mine means everything. You have no respect, you have no protection, and you have no say in the halls of Soldier. There is nothing in this world that can protect you from me. I can make you disappear, and trust me, nobody would care."

Thad paled. "You - you heard me?"

"Yes," Sephiroth said with a slow nod. "I heard everything. If you lay one finger on Kayna, I will terminate you."

Thad growled. "I'm not scared of you, Sephiroth."

"On the contrary," chuckled the Soldier as he pressed the tip of Masamune into Thad's neck. "You should be. Remember this. From this moment on I am your personal nightmare."

Releasing his grip on Thad, Sephiroth stepped away as Thad coughed and sputtered upon the ground. "Stay on your knees, Thad, and grovel for my mercy, for if Kayna sheds one more tea over your despicable life, I will show no mercy."

Sephiroth swept his longsword off to the side before turning and slipping back into the shadows that embraced him lovingly. Kayna was safe. Sephiroth had seen to that.

As he rode the elevator up to the floor of his apartment, Sephiroth took his cellphone out of a pocket and sent a quick text to his lover. He wanted her to know that she was safe, that he had dealt with Thad. Perhaps one day Kayna could tell him why he felt that way. Smirking, he typed his message then pushed the send button.

The message read - "My dear Kayna. I'll be by your place in an hour. I want you to know that Thad will never bother you again. All is well. I believe I miss you. See you soon."

He tucked his phone back into his pocket, closed his eyes, and leaned his head against the wall, listening to the mechanics of the elevator humming. "Yes,' he said to himself with a smile touching his lips, 'I do believe I miss you."

45