Entering the street the silver haired first class had given her as his adress Claire Farron found herself in a beautiful secluded promenade at the other end of the town.

She had expected Sephiroth to have moved into one of those big appartment complexes she knew from the stack of pamplets Genesis had brought back then from town, and it was a little bit surprised therefore that she entered the road of newbuild cozy bungalows.

It was a pretty part of town, Lighting had to admit as she walked past the quite modern looking houses and the neatly trimmed front lawns, one she'd never spent much time in or much thought on. It alomost looked like the street she lived in with Serah, just a little bit more fashionable, a little more up to date. The small one storey houses seemed to have been constructed only recently and the state of the cobblestones too hinted at a recent construction. This part of Bodhum had probably been built while she had been gone, at Midgar. That also explained why it felt so unfamiliar, felt so new.

Looking at the passing house number plates with a feeling of growing anticipation it was finally halting infront of another inconspicious white bungalow that she found herself at number 17, the number Sephiroth had given her as his adress.

The house itself was nonedescript, was plain. It's white walls rising up into a roof of grey smooth tiles, there was an equally grey and solid looking modern front door and a single matching front lawn window.

For a few moments Lightning only stared.

Yes. She had expected Sephiroth to have moved into one of the appartment complexes in town.

He had actaully asked her to come over to his 'appartment' hadn't he? Not to his brand new freshly built one storey beach house.

Had he really given her the right adress? Had she misunderstood something?

There was only one way to find out.

Walking past the fence, Claire Farron carefully approached the house.

The front loan was immaculate, sterile, just a stretch of perfectly trimmed grass, no flowers, no deckchairs, no anything, and the room behind the front yard window was dark, making it impossible for her to peek inside.

It was feeling rather stupid that she stepped up to knock on the door, was sure there had to be some kind of mistake and someone else entirely would open it for her, and she was just the more surprised therefore when she actually found the door openend by none other than Sephiroth indeed.

'I feared you wouldn't come.' was what he said to her as greeting and Lightning knew that he was being sincere.

'I feared you've given me the wrong adress.' Lightning replied truthfully as she stepped into the hall.

The house's modern motif from outside mirrored in it's entrance hall and continuing throughout the entire place, Lightning found herself surrounded by sterile white walls, plain but fashionable furniture and dark polished teak floors.

The whole thing turning out a whole lot bigger than she would have originally though, the house built for a family of four at least, Claire Farron explored it all with a look of amazement on her face.

The hall led into a corridor with a bathroom, a bedroom and two extra rooms, then opened up into a comfortable open living area with a brand new built in kitchen and a kitchenisland, plus a neat new dining area. The back wall of the house was one giant glass pane. One side of it stood open, leading the way out onto a cozy porch, overlooking a pretty backyard that ran down to a little field of reed that gave way to the beach beyond.

It was beautiful, was like her parents' old beachhouse. Just a little smaller and a whole lot more modern.

A whole lot more fashionable.

It was exploring the scarcly furnished living room when Lightning felt herself drawn to a single framed photograph on one of the backwall shelves. The only object that stood displayed on any of the surfaces in the whole entire room.

It was the photo from the funfair, Lightning realized. The one they'd taken all of them together in the claustrophobic confines of that horrible photo booth.

Suddenly it seemed a hundred years ago.

Lightning realized she'd never actually seen it. Having been too occupied back then with being angry at her little sister and at the terrible ferris wheel ride she'd had to endure with Sephiroth she hadn't ever bothered to get herself a copy.

Suddenly she regretted it.

Looking at the picture now what was for the very first time, she found herself squeezed in between Serah and Cloud, found that Sephiroth had been standing right behind her. His handsome face quite close to her's Lightning found a big happy smile on his lips, found his arm around her body, resting awkwardly at her side.

Somehow Claire Farron couldn't help but crack a smile. That bastard had sneaked his arm around her. And there all this time she'd been thinking some poor soul's had their limbs crushed between Cloud and her. Oh... She had been so naive.

'So... What do you think?' the silver haired first class asked from somewhere behind her.

Turning around to meet him Claire Farron found him looking at her expectantly.

'Well... It's a little bit... Empty.' she said as a way of reply.

It was true. It was empty. Plain. The pretty brand new shelves on the walls were all devoid of contents. The comfy designer couch looked still unused. There were no curtains, no paintings, no books, no anything, no decoration whatsoever. Everything in the whole place looked still fresh from the store, as if noone had infact ever lived in it.

It was also the understatement of the century.

His place was not only empty. It was also one of the most beautiful 'appartments' Lightning had ever seen. Had to have cost a fucked fortune, that much she knew for sure.

'Yeah.. Well I hoped we could change that...' the silver haired first class explained somewhat carefully.

'… together?' he added somewhat shily as he looked at her with hope shining in his mako eyes.

Claire Farron could only stare.

It was only then that it occured to her that he had meant it when he'd said he wanted them to settle, when he'd talked about them finding themselves something similar to what she had at her parents place, had in fact been dead sirious.

It made the pink haired female's knees go weak, made her legs feel like yelly, rendered her unable to speak.

Her silence, it made the light in the general's eyes go a little dim, made the hope fade from his pretty mako eyes almost instantly.

'Either way... I've made us dinner.' he said as a way to change to topic and it was only then that Claire Farron realized the delicious scent that had been hanging in the air, that had actually welcomed her the second that she'd stepped in through the door.

It was the scent of her most favourite seafood.

The silver haired first class suddenly busy in the kitchen, Lightning watched with huge blue eyes as he produced two plates of fresh made pasta gamberetti and set them on the dinner table.

He had made her dinner. He had made her her favourite dinner, in fact.

Suddenly the air felt hard to breathe.

'I've heard they serve it with white wine, but I wasn't sure you'd want one.'

He said as he gestured for her to sit down, then returned for glasses and a bottle of water and a bottle of wine.

Lightning went with the wine for once.

There was no way turning down such a delicious offering.

Plus after the shock of the appartment and everything that came with it, she was sure she needed one.

The pasta was awesome. And so where the prawns.

She'd thought they'd grab some food in town, when he'd said they could have dinner together, would have expected him to have brought some snacks form Cid's maybe, but never in a million years would she have expected the silver haired first class to cook for her. Never would she have expected that he even could cook or that he would actually try.

And never would she have dreamed that the result would be so wonderful.

The man infront her, sending her hopeful glances over the rim of his glass, he seemed to be full of unexpectable surprises.

Good ones as well as bad ones.

Right now it seemed mostly good ones. Mostly.

The thing with the appartment still kind of freaked her.

'The food is awesome.' She revealed once she'd managed to set down her fork.

'Where did you learn to cook like that?'

The silver haired man only shrugged his shoulders, gave her one of his adoreable halfsmiles.

'I've been watching Angeal cook for all my adult life. Some of it's got to have rubbed up on me.' he answered somewhat mysteriously.

'Angeal never cooked seafood.' Claire Farron threw in sceptically.

'Well. I do.' her host rectified instantly, the left corner of his lips curling up into the shadow of his once trademark haughty smirk.

Suddenly Lightning wanted nothing but to kiss it away again.

'There's desert too.' the man revealed and it made Lightning arch a brow.

'It's something awesome, trust me.'

Somehow Lightning hoped he wasn't referring to himself.

It was with a positve kind of relief that Lightning watched him pull out two cups of mousse au chocolate from the depths of his brandnew king sized fridge.

'What, you've made that too?' Lightning asked somewhat taken aback as she took in the perfect fluffy texture of the dark brown mass in front of her.

'No.' the man in front her chuckled.

'I actually bought those from Leberau. She said you like them.'

Lightning couldn't help but blush.

Lebreau was right. She did adore those...

'I do.' she told him.

'Thank you.'

The desert like something from a dream, it melted on Lightning's lips like ice and was gone all too soon.

Lebreau really was top notch when it came to deserts!

It was with their plates finally empty and their bellies happy that the both of them just sat there at the dinner table, the bottle of white wine empty and an awkward silence settling between the two of them.

Somehow none of them seemed able to come up with something fit to say.

It was as a means of escape from the uncomfortable situation that Lightning got up from the table and began to pile up their dirty dishes.

'No please, you do not have to do that.' the general said instantly. Getting up on his feet too he quickly mirrored her actions and began to tile up dishes too.

It made Lightning crack a smile.

'It's okay. I want to. You've already done all the cooking.' she told him reassuringly as she picked up the pile of plates and cuttlery and carried it over to the kitchen where a brand new dish washer was waiting to take over work form there.

Oh what would Serah give for one of these... Lightnig thought somehow pensively as she began to sort the plates. Her gaze gliding over the perfetly polished surfaces, over the brand new cooking island, the stainless steel sink and the giant refridgerator.

Her attention grabbed by a small book resting next to the cooking plate, the only thing next to the funfair photo she had seen lying around in the entire appartment, Lightning couldn't resist the urge to inspect it closer.

It turned out to be a cookbook.

An edition of 'Prawn on the Lawn: fish and seafood recipes to share.' as the bright big letters on the front cover informed.

What a fancy title.

It made the pink haired soldier crack a smile.

So much for Angeal Hewley's rubbing off cooking skills...

It was the last thing she could think of before she found herself with her back pressed against the wall, soft firm lips coming crushing down onto her own.

The impact with the wall behind her making her give a tiny surprised moan, his tongue seized the opportunity to sneak into her mouth and her hands sneaking up to lock behind her lover's neck, it was all the incentive the silver haired man needed to grab her butt and lift her up against the wall.

It drove Prawn on the Lawn off Lightning's mind completely, made her wrap her legs around his waist, made her pull him closer still.

Oh what was she doing here again?!

Suddenly she was up on the kitchen counter, the silver haired man from her dreams practically on top of her, and it was sending Prawn on the Lawn sailing to the floor entirely that she pulled him with her.

'I missed you.' her former mentor breathed against her neck again, his face burried deep into her pinkish hair. Lightning felt his lips moving against her skin, felt her cells reach out for him, embrace him like they always did whenever he dared to come too close.

Lightning gave a tiny little moan, she couldn't help it.

Her hands coming up to roam his body she quickly made to unbutton his shirt, sent it after Prawn ond Lawn in what had to have been only seconds.

'I missed you to.' was what she answered him sincerly, as reaching up to unbutton her own shirt she quickly closed the distance between them to feel his skin on her's.

Oh... How much she needed the touch of his skin...

It was something she could never get enough of it seemed, just like his hot soft burning kisses.

Her treacherous legs pulling the man closer to her, she found her hands going into his hair again, his neck, his back, his shoulders.

It was before she knew what happened that she found herself lifted up into his arms entirely and it was just a minute later that they found themselves in the freshly furnished bedroom. Hitting the neatly made covers in an avalanche of puffy pillows, Lightning couldn't help but pull him down with her.

'You weight more than I thought.' the general confessed a little out of breath and Lightning found she loved the way he spoke with tiny little gasps, the effort from carrying her over leaving him a little bit breathless.

It was uncharacteristically weakish for his standards, was deliciously human.

'You fed me all kinds of delicious treats for dinner.' Lightning justified as she worked on her lover's belt to hastily get rid of his trousers and strip him down to his underwear.

It was her turn to explore his body this time, was her turn to plant kisses on his neck, his chest, his belly. The touch of her lips, it made the silver haired man shiver with pleasure, with anticipation. It made the pink haired female want to touch him even more.


It was late in the night already. The moon was high up in the sky and casting the perfectly cut loan into cool otherworldly shadows.

They had spent the rest of the evening in Sephiroth's new king sized bed together, had loved each other there for the third time, and a fourth, had spent a very very long time just lying in each other's arms looking into each other's eyes, feeling each other's warmth and listening to each other's heartbeats.

It was shortly after midnight that finally her bodies' natural needs forced Lightning away from her lover's side and into the bathroom.

It was a pretty bathroom. It really was. All white clean tiles and fresh new ceramics. Fashionable cabinets, a shower and a bathtub. It definitely had everything to satisfy her human needs.

Finishing her business, she turned to wash her hands in the sink, made to look up into the brand new mirror.

She looked different, Lightning couldn't help but notice. Looked like an entire different perseon.

Her hair mussed up and tangled from her lover's hands, her eyes were big bright pools of blue shining in a radiant face with lush pink lips and slightly flushed cheeks.

She didn't look like Lightning soldier first class, not at all. Didn't even look like Claire Farron the girl from Bodhum.

No. She was something else entirely. Looked wild, looked vibrant, looked real.

She felt alive.

Was this what her life was going to be like if she chose to stay with Sephiroth? Chose to live with him in this ridiculously fancy house. Was it going to be an endless chain of deliscious dinners and breathtaking nights. Lightning didn't know. Didn't really want to think about it. Not right now.

Her eyes resting at her slightly slitted pupils for a tiny second, it was that by now familiar pull towards him that made her turn away and head back to the bedroom.

The room was dark but there was enough light cast by the moon outside that she could make out Sephiroth sitting tangled in the blankets of their shared bed, waiting for her.

Lightning dind't know what, but something did feel off about it.

Diving back unto the blankets she made towards him, was about to crawl ontop of him when he stopped her by holding up one of his pretty slender hands.

'Light...' he said, his voice suddenly serious.

'There is something I want to show you.'

It made the pink haired woman look up at him curiously.

Reaching out for one of her slightly smaller hands, he quickly drew a calming breath.

'I've been wanted to show it to you for quite some time now but somehow there never seemed to be the right time.'

'Sephiroth...' she began somewhat confusedly.

Looking her straight in the eye the man beside her picked up her hand in both his own to connect her fingertips with his.

'Please don't freak.'

It was the last thing Lightning heard before suddenly she gave a start.

The man infront her closing his eyes, seeming somehow deep in thought, in concentration, there was a tiny tingling sensation starting at the spot their fingers touched and making it's way down her arm to spread into her entire body.

It felt weird.

Was the most peculiar feeling really.

Made up to her shoulders and her chest, her belly, filled her heart with a comfortably cozy warmth and made the cells of her innards sing.

Then it reached her head.

It happened suddenly.

Flashes. Cuttings. Blurs.

Endless white blank corridors, high ceilinged tiled walls.

A weird reddish sheen.

Green glistening liquid.

For a few moment she saw glimpses, pictures, clippings of what had to have been his life, of his memories, his childhood even, saw how he saw the world, felt how he felt about things, how he felt about her.

Then suddenly there was a stabbing pain, a high pitched scream, a gleaming scary red eye, and darkness, such an endless pit of darkness, fear and hate.

It made Lightning jump back as if burned.

'What was that?!' she asked upset, the memories and feelings still passing through her mind, her heart, her cells, her soul.

It wasn't all pleasant. Not at all. It was scary.

Suddenly breathing hard, panting really, as thought she'd run a marathon, Claire Farron looked up at her lover with big scared eyes.

'It's the jenova cells.' the general explained.

'They've formed some kind of connection. A bond... I don't know.'

Lightning only stared. Found there was nothing else that she could do.

She was just too startled, just too overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed with terror.

'Is this about the reunion?' she finally asked looking up at him concernedly.

'I don't know.' was his truthful answer.

'I found nothing about it in the records. And I wasn't stupid enough to ask Hojo.'

Lightning looked away.

'I saw pitures.' she revealed.

Looking back up into her lover's eyes she found them troubled.

Big green depth of mako staring at her a little troubled.

'I.. felt things.' Claire Farron explained, then shook her head.

'It wasn't pleasant.'

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but feel that this were his memories, his feelings she had felt. Or were they? What else could they be? Still they did not make sense to her. Not all of them. No, not at all. There was so much pain, so much torment, so much fear there and there was more. He'd felt weak. Exhausted. Tired. On a level Lightning could not even begin to understand.

Somehow none of it made sense.

'I'm sorry.' the man in front her said sincerely, not understanding what was going on.

'This has never happend before.'

It made the pink haired female look up at him again.

'What do you mean never before...?

It made the silver haired first class reach out for her hand again.

'It doesn't have to be this way... Back when you were in coma I used the connection to help you heal.'

Lightning couldn't help but look troubled.

'Like you used the cells to heal me in the wutai battle?' she asked somewhat carefully.

'Kind of..' the silver haired first class answered defeatedly.

'Kind of?' Lightning prompted.

'It is different. I don't know. I cannot explain. I don't understand it myself. But it felt good then. It felt like home.'

The pink haired warrior looking up at him, Sephiroth found it hard to eloberate on it further.

'It's some kind of connection. I cannot really explain it. I can only feel it. And you can feel it too. It's been with me ever since it first established. That weird kind of feeling that you are kind of always there, a part of you inside my head, my mind, pushing me right back to you. Pulling me towards you really, I don't know...'

Looking into his lover's confused ice blue eyes the silver haired first class knew he wasn't making any sense, knew he was probably scaring her, making her worry.

There was nothing he could do. It did scare him himself. A tiny little bit.

Still.

'I just know that I don't want to let it go.'