After leaving Director Lazard´s office and running into Light, General Sephiroth Crescent had taken the elevator up to the top of the Shin-Ra building, up to the helipad.
There was nowhere else to go really.
He´d liked to come there in the past, whenever he needed time to think. Whenever he felt he couldn´t take it anymore... This place, these people, this job. This life.
Moving to the very edge to lean over the balustrade, he realized he had arrived just in time to witness the sunset, tinging the rooftops of the town below into a multitude of beautiful colors.
His gaze trailing over the silhouettes of the mountains in the distance he let the fresh breeze soothe his anger, let it slowly clear his mind, let it wash away the sadness, the regret, the disappointment, leaving behind a strange feeling of emptiness, of loss.
Now that his rage was ebbing away it gave way for deeper emotions to surface.
The rocket mission had failed.
This world was going to end. And soon.
It was not the fact that he was going to die. No, this wasn´t about him or about his fear of dying. He wasn´t afraid. No. Not at all. He guessed having been a member of SOLDIER for almost all his life he had accepted the fact that he could die every other day a long time ago. He had come to terms with his situation, the possibility that his life could end every single second.
No. It had nothing to do with that.
This was not about what was going to happen.
This was about what he had done.
The sins he had comitted. And what could have happened if he hadn´t played along with Shin-Ra all those years.
He hadn´t had the best of starts into this world to begin with, he knew that. He hadn´t had exactly many options.
But it had still been him who had chosen to walk the path of the soldier, the path that had lead down into the pitch-black abysses of the human soul and up to the destruction of the whole world. Loyally striding at Shin-Ra´s side like a fighting dog he had paved the way to the annihilation of all mankind. Of all living things.
He could have objected. He could have rejected. He could have straightout refused to follow their orders. He could have run away or gotten himself killed.
But he hadn´t.
He had carried the burden of being their weapon with pride. As an honor. Never thinking about what it actually meant or entailed.
He had been oblivious to what had been going on around him. With him. But nothing had been hidden from him. Nothing had been kep from him. He had chosen to look away. The truth had been there in plain sight, right in front of his eyes, at all times.
He had chosen to be part of it. To descend down the path that had been laid out for him long before he´d even been born. He hadn´t been forced. And although he knew that his decisions probably wouldn´t have changed anything about the world´s faith, he still wished that at some point in his life he would have found the strength to defy his destiny, that just for a short moment he could have had a glimpse of what life could have been like if he´d been free. Free to decide about his actions. Free to lead a normal life. Far away from missions, from duties, from orders and from responsibilities.
From constraint.
From Shin-Ra.
His thoughts wandering back to Lazard´s words, spoken just a few minutes ago, the general couldn´t help but feel his rage ignite anew.
He didn´t feel like a tool. Like a weapon. He felt like so much more. Felt like a human being. Or didn't he?!
The only thing he was actually good at was fighting and killing, destruction.
Looking back at his life he realized there wasn´t exactly much human to find.
There wasn´t much of a human left inside of him, or was there?
What was he then?!
His thoughts involuntarily carrying back to a certain female comrade of his, he couldn´t help but wonder. Maybe there was more to him than he would have thought...
He was ripped out of his destructive thoughts when suddenly he heard the door to the helipad slam open.
Sensing his former student´s presence behind him, the general didn´t have to turn around to know who had arrived.
It was as if she could read his mind...
Lightning.
It didn´t take long until she was right next to him, leaning against the balustrade. Her shoulder just a few inches from his own, she settled to stare off into the distance as well.
Painfully aware of how close she was standing, the general had a hard time staying still, had a hard time resisting the urge to just reach out and touch her, to hug her, to hold her close.
She wouldn´t want him to. He knew that now. Had known all along.
With so little time left to live, upsetting her really was the last thing he wanted to do. So he kept his hands to himself, content to just feel her presence right there next to him, to know that she was there, that she had come up there to actually see him. That she was acknowledging his existence again. And more... She hadn´t tried to hit him again. Hadn´t yelled at him. Wasn´t ignoring him anymore. Shit, she had saved his life the other day fighting against that weapon thing.
She could have fled like the others.
He certainly would have wanted her to, just to ensure her safety.
But she hadn´t. She had stayed behind for him, had risked her life retrieving him.
It certainly meant a lot to him.
Oh fuck it.
Time...
So little time...
If only he had a little bit more of it. Maybe, miraculously, he could set things right.
He hadn´t cared much about what happened to him or the people around him for most of his life.
It was ironic how now that everything was going to the dogs, he suddenly did.
'That meteor thing... They didn´t manage to stop it yet, right?' the pink haired female said, looking up into the sky and facing the astronomical object nearing their planet.
It wasn´t exactly a question.
It was still there in the sky after all, plainly visible for everyone to see.
The general stayed silent.
There was nothing to say really.
'I guess there´s nothing we can do to change that fact.' he said after some time, in lack of other words, better words really, fighting to keep his voice smooth.
Time.
If only he could get them some more time.
There was silence again. None of them knew what to say.
Risking a sideways glance at his female colleague, Sephiroth could see a single tear making it´s way down his comrade´s pretty cheek.
It made him turn towards her with a start.
Suddenly he wished he could wipe it away, wished he could comfort her, wished he could tell her that everything was going to be fine, that everything was going to be alright.
But sadly that was far from the truth.
They both knew there was nothing left to hope for.
They were screwed.
'The impact will kill us... If those weapon things don´t.' the pink haired first class said reaching up to wipe that tear away herself.
Her voice was strong, businesslike, as if she were merely stating a fact, as if she really could care less.
Sephiroth admired her strength, her ability to stay composed like this, to control her feelings, just shut them up and lock them away.
He still remembered what she´d been like when he´d first seen her. When she´d come to join SOLDIER all those years ago.
Emotional. Weak. Vulnerable. But also determined. Determined and unwavering.
He had always considered her feelings a weakness... But were they?
It didn´t matter now. It certainly wasn´t a weakness of her´s anymore.
Her time in SOLDIER had changed her, had broken something inside her he wasn´t sure he wanted gone anymore. But there really was nothing he could do. No way he could mend it. Not with such little time left, not in an eternity.
SOLDIER had changed her.
He had changed her.
Standing there beside her on the Shin-Ra helipad, time seemed to stand still.
And yet. It continued onwards. Continued on relentlessly.
There was so much more he wanted to say, so much more he wanted to tell her.
There were so many words.
None of them could make a difference.
There simply wasn't enough time.
Enough time for their wounds to heal, enough time for their hearts and souls to recover, enough time to set things right.
'They have spotted one of those weapons coming for Midgar as well.' Lightning said in lack of something else to say.
The man beside her only gave a nod
He probably already knew that of course.
Still, it was something that kept bothering her.
'I wonder why they are going for Junon and Midgar though.' she murmured thoughtfully, not looking up from the horizon.
The silver haired first class gave one of his low chuckles.
His eyes still set on her pretty face, he slowly shook his head.
'Shin-Ra´s bases of operation and largest consumers of mako energy.' he stated.
His voice was smug as if he was actually pointing out something obvious. Well, maybe he was.
The pink haired female only raised one of her eyebrows as she silently considered this.
'With Meteor being out of their reach, those cities were probably the greatest threats to the planet the weapons could detect.' her silver haired companion mused, a bitter undertone now to his words.
Looking up at that thing in the sky, wishing there were something she could do, anything, but knowing there simply was no way, Claire Farron felt the severity of the situation hit her, hit her like a train.
This was it. The end.
Watching the last rays of the sun die, die just like the world around her, and the first stars starting to twinkle in the upcoming darkness, she couldn´t help but let her mind wander all the way back to Bodhum. To Serah. To everything she had left behind.
And everything she had gained.
Yes, she would never see Serah again. She regretted never having found the time to actually visit.
When she had left her home for Midgar all those years ago, she hadn´t thought it would be their last good bye. She knew she would be gone for a long time. Still at the back of her mind there had always been the prospect of a reunion. Yes, she had been sure that one day she would return. Return to Serah. Return home.
But this was not the way life worked.
Life was cruel. Merciless.
But although she had lost so much, she had also gained something. Yes. She had gained strength, independence, knowledge, skill. She had made friends and she had been able to provide for her sister, for her family, with everything she needed.
She had successfully accomplished this mission. Her ultimate mission. The one that had been imposed upon her by herself. Not by Shin-Ra.
And although things had not always been easy she somehow had managed, she somehow had found the strength to carry on. Always.
And now?
Now she couldn´t protect her anymore. She couldn´t possibly save Serah from this. She simply couldn´t. There was just no way.
Feeling her chest constrict painfully, Claire Farron made her hands grab the banister hard. Her knuckles turning white, she felt tears building in her eyes again, felt them threatening to fall, when suddenly she felt the gentle touch of the general´s palm on the back of her hand.
Slowly loosening her grip, she let him hold her hand. Let his fingers slip around her's.
His skin soothing warm against her own, the man beside her gently gave her hand a little squeeze, making her look up into his eyes.
Infinite dephts of mako full of emotion Lightning couldn´t yet decipher.
Fear? Guilt? Sorrow? Regret? Hate? Pain?
She wasn´t sure. He was so hard to read sometimes.
'I don´t want to fight them... I can´t.'
His voice was soft, barely a whisper.
Her gaze lingering at his handsome face, Lightning realized that he was just as lost as she was.
She had never seen him quite like this before. This vulnerable. Not when he was awake at least. And she hadn´t thought she ever would.
His carefully guarded facade crumbling, just for a few short moments she got a glimpse of the real Sephiroth, the man hiding behind the mask of the monster all the time.
Looking up into his eyes she realized there was pain behind the facade. So much pain.
She knew that he was trying to fight it from showing, but this time he failed terribly and somehow seeing him like that made the pink haired warrior's heart ache.
Sure, she'd beaten him up, had been intent on ripping his head off just a few hours ago, hat been hating him with passion, with a vengeance.
And still.
That pain. She wished she could somehow take it away.
'I´m afraid we have no choice in this...' she finally said.
She hated to put it that way, but it was the truth. And they both knew it.
'Everybody´s got a choice.' the general suddenly said.
It had come quite unexpectedly.
They both knew those were just empty words of course.
Both knew that only very few people had a real choice in life, least of all them. Or had they?
Feeling his hand pull away from her's, Lightning slowly let him go.
The man in the black leather coat quickly turned away from her, back to the view of the city below, illuminated now by the warm light coming from the houses´ windows, a comfort provided by the constantly working mako reactors around the city, paid with the souls of all living things.
The pink haired warrior absentmindedly let her eyes study her former mentor´s profile, wondering what was going on in his head right then, while trying to decipher her feelings at the same time.
Yes... She still had feelings for him. Feelings she couldn´t possibly deny she had any longer.
She had to have been crazy to deny them in the first place.
They were there as bright as day.
Or was it really just her jenova cells, craving the reunion?
Claire Farron didn't know. Had no way of finding out for sure.
There was silence again.
She settled to just stand there next to him, watching as the sky darked and more and more stars appeard in the night above.
She already wondered whether he was going to say anything else when suddenly he did.
'Killing all these people... We might have branded us the monsters ourselves.' the general said, his voice slightly trembling.
'What do you mean?' his former student probed.
It was kind of funny how the conclusions he seemed to have drawn for himself were strangely consistent with her own findings.
'I wonder whether we were doing the right thing fighting for Shin-Ra all that time.' the man beside her clarified, as after an enternity their eyes met once more.
He was right of course and she knew it. Had known for quite some time now.
'Maybe those things... Those weapons aren´t the enemy after all. Trying to destroy us. Shin-Ra...' he began.
His voice slightly increasing in volume but dropping in pitch, Lightning could tell he was getting worked up again.
'I mean what were they thinking?! They were sucking the life out of this planet all the time!'
She could sense his anger flare up again. His hands forming into fists, she could see them shake as he was fighting for composure, trying very hard not to lose it right there in front of her.
Lihtning knew that feeling now. Understood. That anger, that rage. Coming from somewhere deep within, threatening to break through.
It was the monster of jenova, rearing it's ugly head.
'Something like this was bound to happen!' the silver haired first class yelled, his fist slamming into the balustrade in rage where it caused tiny parts of stone to crumble to the floor.
Ashamed of his behavior, his lack of control really, the silver haired man quickly turned away, showed his back to her again.
Claire Farron only watched in silence.
Beyond the hate and fury, she could sense his frustration. The frustration that had settled in all of their hearts these days.
Acting on instinct she extended a hand to gently touch his shoulder.
She could feel him flinch, just a little, but at least he didn´t shrug her off.
She just let her hand rest there, gave him some time to calm down, waited for his breathing to even again.
'I wonder whether the wutai were fighting for the right thing...' he suddenly said.
Lightning knew exactly what he was talking about.
Those same thoughts had occurred to her only recently after all.
But there was no use in wasting energy in thinking about things like that now, not when the world was going to cease to exist in merely a few days time.
At least that was what she thought.
Life is easy. You make choices and you don´t look back.
She had chosen to join Shin-Ra and become a member of SOLDIER. Although she hadn´t thought much about what that meant back then.
Still, she wasn´t going to waste the rest of her life with regretting that action.
They had served Shin-Ra all those years. Him much longer than her.
Why part ways now.
It took some time before he turned to face her again.
'It is not in the nature of a soldier to ponder on what is right or wrong. It is a soldier´s duty to carry out orders. Nothing else.' she told him.
Looking up into those devastated mako eyes, helplessly staring back at her, Lightning knew that it was true.
They were simply tools. Doing what they were told. That was their purpose, their fate, their destiny.
They had never done anything else.
There was no reason to stop now.
If the world was going to get destroyed anyway they might as well carry on and protect their SOLDIER honor. Whatever that was worth these days.
If he could have heard, Angeal Hewley would have been proud.
'Seriously guys... Can´t we rest somewhere? I need a break...' Cloud Strife moaned. There was sweat running down his forehead and all the way over the back of his shirt.
Lightning couldn´t blame him.
They´d been walking for ages and she knew everybody else was thinking along the same line, but naturally nobody dared to admit it either.
Climbing another hill, she saw the silhouettes of a beautiful big city come into focus.
A day after her conversation with Sephiroth on the HQ heli pad, Shin-Ra had sent their elite SOLDIER operatives to Junon to fight against the mysterious weapons again. Eventhough they had been accompanied by a whole squad of third and second classes to support them, with Ultimate Weapon and Sapphire Weapon both attacking at once, they hadn´t stood a chance.
In the end it hadn´t mattered. Heidegger had blasted the beasts off with the sister ray anyway, getting rid of Sapphire Weapon for good. Ultimate Weapon bolting skywards again, soaring off into the clouds, it unfortunately had managed to escape once more.
After successful application, Shin-Ra was now going to transport the monstrous cannon over to Midgar to use it against Diamond Weapon as well, the humanoid shaped beast approaching the capital.
There were rumors they were actually planning to use it to fend off meteor too, using the eight Mako reactors surrounding the city to power the Sister Ray in an attempt to blast the meteorite to pieces once it was close enough, as a desperate last resort kind of plan.
Lightning guessed it wouldn´t make much of a difference.
But either way, her and her comrades weren´t going to be there to witness it.
Being assigned the task to hunt down Ultimate Weapon for good and dispose of it at all costs our six heroes had taken south.
There wasn´t really anything else for them to do anyway.
Since their talk on the heli pad, Sephiroth and Lightning seemed to have come to a silent understanding.
True. They both didn´t want this anymore. They both knew they had been fighting on the wrong side for all their lives.
But it didn´t matter anymore.
There was no good in turning their backs on their past, their friends, their families... Themselves. There was no time for that. Not now, facing the end of the world.
And so they just kept going.
Helping each other out more often than not these days, Lightning realized they had never gotten along better.
They didn´t talk much, but that didn´t matter either.
It were the small things that mattered. And there were lots of them.
Like him extending a hand for her to help her climb a rock, or simply having her back when she found herself surrounded by a bunch of feral creatures the other day while collecting firewood.
Leaning with her back against a trunk or a rock next to him most evenings now when the bunch of them were sitting around their campfire Genesis would light using the power of his materia, instead keeping to Zack and Cloud as usual, Lightning started to feel comfortable around him, safe even.
She didn´t know when it had happened or how, but somehow for the first time in her life she felt herself treated as his equal. Not his apprentice. Not the dirt on his shoes. Not his inferior. But his colleague. Maybe even a friend.
She never thought she ever would.
Tracking down the weapon wasn´t exactly an easy task either. Wherever they went, it always seemed to be a step ahead of them.
Sometimes Lightning wasn´t sure she actually wanted them to find it.
They knew they probably wouldn´t be able to defeat that beast, but at least they would die trying.
They were in SOLDIER after all.
Following the path of destruction Ultimate Weapon had left behind, they spent the remaining few days of their lives hunting down a beast that was actually designed to protect them, or the planet at the least.
None of it made sense, if one really thought about it.
'I must agree with Cloud, I guess.' Genesis said after reaching the top off the hill as well and sitting down on a nearby rock to catch his breath. 'We really should rest... We won´t hunt down that thing tonight and if we did ...'
Lightning looked up at Genesis in time to see the redhead grimace.
Well... He definitely had a point.
If suddenly by some miracle they were to encounter the weapon that night, un-rested as they were, it would probably rip them to pieces before they even got a chance to do anything at all.
'And I could really need a bite to eat.' Angeal Hewley grunted from behind them.
It was the first time, that all of them agreed.
'Okay guys. Let's take a rest first thing when we reach that city.' Sephiroth suggested motioning at the rooftops glistening in the distance.
Groaning in defeat, Genesis got up from his place on the rock again.
Judging from the size of the buildings, they still were miles away.
Still. There was nothing for it.
Lightning definitely hadn´t pictured herself spending her last days on Gaia like this, walking for miles on end, her feet hurting like hell, to track down a beast that would gladly deliver a very painful death to her.
And for a second there she coudn´t help but wish Meteor would just speed up and kill them already.
It was a beautiful summer evening that their hunt for Ultimate Weapon led them to the city of Palumpolum, a fast growing and well prospering port city.
Having been on their feet all day long they were all happy and relieved to finally stop at one of it´s many cozy Inns, a magnificent proud-standing building completely made of stone at the outskirts of the city.
They had all agreed on taking a timeout on the very first opportunity, to gather up on supply and spend their final night in a real bed, before they´d resume the search for their target once again.
The scent of roasted meat wafting out from the entrance door and high open windows to great their noses, Lightning couldn´t help but feel her mouth water at the prospect of a proper meal. To Angeal´s unmistakable joy they seemed to have arrived just in time for dinner.
Everybody was thankful for the opportunity to finally rest and recover from the long walk, even the General, she could tell. Taking their seats around a big table on the Inn´s patio, Lightning let herself fall into a chair between Zack and Sephiroth, her feet happy not to have to support her weight for some time.
After ordering a large glass of water from the dark skinned waitress, she closed her eyes and let her back relax against the backrest, content written all over her face. Exhausted from the journey, she felt ready to doze off.
'AHHRRRGGG Genesis!' she heard Angeal exclaim somewhat revolted. 'I´m planning to dine here!'
Opening her eyes again she looked up just in time to witness Angeal hit his comrade over the head with the menu. Chuckling to herself she realized the redhead had disposed of his combat boots in order to treat his feet to some fresh air.
The pink haired female could only smile at their antics. She would miss their bickering. Assuming that there was an afterlife. Or something of that kind.
Their drinks finally arriving, she caught the waitress sending Genesis a disapproving look and it was only reluctantly that she handed the redhead the tankard of booze that he had ordered.
Taking a sip from her cool glass of water, trying to relax her sore joints and muscles Lightning let her gaze wander over the port below. The beautiful multi-colored boats dancing on the water´s surface, the tops of the waves glistening in the evening sun, the gentle summer breeze carrying the salty scent of the sea, tickling her nostrils...
Here, so far away from Midgar and Shin-Ra the world seemed to be at peace, seemed whole, a completely different place alltogether. Also, the fact that Palumpolum wasn´t far from Bodhum had not escaped her notice either.
The beaches were different here. Different to Costa del Sol. They looked nice and welcoming, not tarnished by painful memories yet.
Being here, sitting so close to the shore, it almost felt like home.
Although Bodhum was still a fair distance off, a few day´s marches away really, Lightning realized this was the closest to home she had gotten in years.
She would never have the chance to see it again. Ever. Not even had she left right then.
There simply wasn´t enough time.
On the brink of getting melancholic again, Lightning was saved the discomfort caused by dwelling on her memories much longer, when suddenly their food appeared, the table bending under the weight of mountains of roast beef and potatoes, to Angeal's great joy. The burly first class sporting the expression of a little child having been told that Christmas had come early this year, he dug in first.
Everybody eagerly helping themselves to some of the delicious dishes, Lightning couldn´t help but notice the general´s arm brushing against her own when he extended his left hand to get himself some beef. Lingering there a few moments longer than necessary, the prolonged touch of his skin left behind a pleasant tingling sensation that made her cheeks blush to match her hair.
Was this the Jenova cell´s doing or was it really just him?
Lightning didn't know.
Absorbed in a conversation with Angeal, the man in question didn´t seem to have noticed at all.
Trying to ignore the way her body was reacting to the contact, the pink haired female forced herself to focus on the fork in her hand instead.
It didn´t mean anything.
Nothing at all.
With all of them sitting so close together it wasn´t exactly a miracle for their arms to accidentally touch, even more so as the general was left handed.
No big deal.
'Oh man this food is heaven!' Zack praised through eager bites of patatoe. Inching closer to his pink haired friend she suddenly found his leg against her thigh.
Lightning felt her blush intensify.
Really. What was it with those guys that day?!
Well Zack at least had an excuse. They had been kissing after all. Had been holding hands a lot.
Surely it was okay for him to sit that close. Was no big deal at all.
But still.
She was eating after all! She should be allowed some privacy!
'Yeah, it´s the good stuff!' Angeal babbled between mouthfuls of beef from the other side of the table.
At least this one wasn´t playing footsie with her underneath the table. Yet.
'Definitely... What about some shots to wash it down with!?' Genesis exclaimed excitedly. 'Waitress!'
It was the second they were finished with their main course that the waitress arrived with their shots.
Clinking glasses with all the others in the middle of the table before bringing it to up to her lips to down the contents all at once, Lightning let the clear colorless liquid burn her throat.
One shot couldn´t hurt, she guessed.
Uggh.
Watching the others do the same, she caught Angeal grimacing, Cloud unable to stifle his coughs once he set the empty glass down in front of him.
'Uggh... Genesis... What exactly was that?!' Angeal Hewley asked, eying the small empty glass in front of him with distaste.
'AHHH... A fine drop...' the redhead assured mysteriously, closing his eyes to savor the taste it seemed.
Lightning couldn´t help but shake her head.
This fine drop of his definitely was revolting.
'So guys... How about desert?' Zack piped up from her left.
'Sounds good to me, Bro!' All the others agreed eagerly.
Her belly bursting from the hearty meal already, Lightning wasn´t sure where to squeeze in a desert exactly but shit, she was in anyway. There was no excuse to skip it, she guessed. This dinner might as well be their last.
The waitress returned with plates stuffed with mousse au chocolat, ice cream, cakes and more to choose from, everything decorated with fresh fruit and accompanied with another round of shots, as well as long drinks for all six of them.
A content silence settled over the table, disturbed only by the occasional comment on the cook´s excellent skills, as they ate their way through the delicacies they had been provided with.
Their bellies filled to the brim, they just kept going until nothing was left. Angeal Hewley even picked up the crumbs from the cake plate with the fingers of his right hand. Lightning wouldn´t have been surprised if he started cleaning the plates with his tongue.
The remainder of the evening flew by in a blur. The atmosphere jolly and the mood cheerful, they joked and talked until late into the night, when finally Sephiroth announced bedtime.
Aside from Genesis immediate protests, the rest of them did not object. They were all tired and spent anyway. And with the prospect of another exhausting day lying ahead of them, it was definitely time they hit their bunks.
It was in content silence therefore that they made their way up the staircase to the guestrooms.
Everyone had gotten themselves separate rooms this time. They couldn´t take their money to the grave anyway.
All of the others bidding each other good nights and retreating to their rooms, Zack Fair saying goodbye to Lightning with a sweet little peck on her cheek, suddenly the pink haired female found herself alone with Sephiroth.
Although knowing pretty well by now that nothing good ever seemed to come from situations like these and that she should probably just say a polite goodnight and leave, the pink haired first class couldn´t keep her eyes from locking with his the instant that he looked at her.
She knew it was probably fatal to do so out there where they were alone again but it seemed like she just couldn´t help it.
'That was a nice evening, huh?' she mumbled, fumbling for something to say really.
'Hm... The food was definitely worth stopping by.' the general replied, his voice neutral and his expression stoic as ever.
Not for the first time Lightning wished he´d just let his guard drop again.
It had been such a perfect evening...
'Yeah... I can barely walk from eating so much.' Lightning said, flashing the man in front of her a tiny smile.
There was a pause where neither of them spoke nor moved. The only thing she heard was the sound of the crickets chirping outside and the voice in her head that kept urging her to step closer, to reach out and touch him.
Even though she wished it were, she wasn´t sure whether this was entirely Jenova´s doing.
Maybe it was just her.
It really was.
Things like this... They had been happening to her long before Jenova was a thing.
She caught her comrade's lips parting as if he wanted to say something, but he seemed to change his mind at the last second.
Swallowing the words, he averted his eyes instead.
'Be sure to get enough sleep. We might as well face Ultimate Weapon tomorrow.' the general said instead, before without wasting another second, he turned to walk away.
Lightning realized she didn´t want him to leave.
She didn´t want to be alone.
Not tonight. Not ever.
'Okay... I´ll try.' she promised to his retreating back, feeling her heart sink inside her chest.
Watching him take down the corridor, she suddenly wished she just had the courage to ask him to stay.
To stop him. To just call his name and...
'Sephiroth...'
Having reached his door and about to turn the key, the man in the black leather coat looked up at her, piercing green eyes studying her expectantly.
She didn´t know what made her call out to him. She really didn´t. But now that she had, she suddenly feel foolish, stupid.
What had gotten into her?!
What was she supposed to say?!
Why had she called out in the first place?!
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
'Goodnight.' was all she managed finally, a tiny blush she dearly hoped would go unnoticed by him creeping onto her cheeks.
'Goodnight.' the general said and giving her an acknowledging nod, he turned to enter his room.
The door falling into the lock behind him with a soft clicking sound Lightning was left to stand in the hallway alone.
It was 28 hours before meteorfall.
