-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note: I don't own any of the FF7 characters
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silently she wished for another tray to drop. Then she heard a crash in the street below. She sighed in relief then she caught herself.
"What's wrong with me? Aeris and Cloud are my friends! I should be happy for them! Why am I doing this?"
"Because you're jealous." Said a familiar male voice. A voice Tifa wished she'd never hear again, "I killed her to help you. You and spike over there are meant for each other. Then because of you, Cloud, and Holy, she's back. All my hard work gone to waste."
Tifa spun around and was face to face with Sephiroth, "What are you talking about?"
He casually sat down on her bed, "You made a wish, Cloud has been praying for it since I killed her, Holy was feeling generous. Now she's back and you're miserable. If you were to help me come back, I could kill her and you would have Cloud."
"He'll just kill you again," Tifa said flatly.
"Not if there's no reason to suspect me. Aeris came back without a memory. I'll be the same way. But you can give me my memory back. A single kiss on the lips from the one who helped resurrect you gives you back your memory. They don't know that and I go on acting ignorant. Sad because the girl was killed by a freak accident." Sephiroth said smugly, "I had a long time to think this out."
"You can't kill her. I won't allow it! She's my friend." Tifa said looking straight into his eyes.
"Okay, so we figure something else out." Sephiroth said nonchalantly, "Not that I care."
Tifa thought for a minute then made a face, "So I'd have to kiss you?"
"I know not something either of us want to do. I'd honestly rather have the annoying little ninja kiss me." Sephiroth looked up at her and laughed. A regular laugh like a regular person.
"Heck I'm sure you'd rather have Barret kiss you if it came down to it!" Tifa said laughing too.
Sephiroth laughed harder, "What a funny girl." He thought.
"Look, while you explain everything, I'm going to get ready for bed. Okay?" Tifa said grabbing her pajamas.
"Whatever." Sephiroth said looking at the clock.
Tifa went into her bathroom and changed into her pajamas. Then she brushed her teeth, "So how do I bring you back?"
"It's simple. You don't do anything. Now that I have a reason to come back I just have to ask Holy and hope for generosity. If it works I'll be where ever I am when you fall asleep." Sephiroth said as he took off his cape and put it on a chair.
Tifa pulled open the door, "That's it?"
"That's…"he started looking toward the door, "I-I-it."
"She gorgeous!" Sephiroth thought, "The Cetra's okay but Tifa's… wow! What the hell's wrong with Strife?"
"I wonder why he's staring at me like that." She looked back in the mirror. She was wearing a blue tank top and grey boxer shorts, "I don't have anything on my face. Nothing on my shirt." She turned back around. He was still staring at her.
"I-I'm going to go to bed now, I guess I'll see you in the morning." Tifa said smiling nervously, "G-good night"
"Night Tifa," Sephiroth said, "See ya in the morning."
Tifa climbed into her bed and Sephiroth settled down into a chair. He grabbed his cape and pulled it around him like a blanket. He closed his eyes and looked like he was asleep. Tifa glanced over at him.
"If he wasn't evil," Tifa thought, "He'd actually be handsome."
As if he could tell she was looking at him, he opened his eyes. Tifa closed hers quickly so he wouldn't know she had been staring.
Sephiroth looked over at the woman who only twenty minutes ago was one of his worst enemies. Now she was his… friend?
"No," he thought, "Not quite friend, ally perhaps. She wants Strife, I wanna live, we both win." He looked at the now sleeping Tifa, "Quite honestly, I don't know what he sees in him. She could have any man she wanted! I mean she's definitely pretty, anyone could see that. She's obviously smart, she killed me didn't she?" He grinned at this thought, then he yawned and stretched. When he opened his eyes again Tifa was giving him a funny look. He frowned and turned over on the chair.
Tifa shrugged and fell asleep wondering what might happen in the future.
Tifa's alarm went off at six the next morning. She hit the button and got up to go running like she did every morning. She turned around to see Sephiroth sitting in her favorite chair asleep. She stifled a scream as the events of the previous night flooded her memory. Sephiroth was back and she helped him!
"But he's not evil… yet." Tifa thought, "He's really pretty handsome."
She noticed his cape had fallen off in the night so she ran to her closet and grabbed a blanket. She gently covered him with it and smiled, "Maybe, just maybe, I'll wait for a while before I give him his memory back." She thought as she left for the store. "After all," she thought, "He'll need something to wear."
Tifa ran back to her house carrying a shopping bag in her hand. She opened the door quietly hoping to sneak in quietly so she didn't wake anyone. Aeris was sitting on the stairs shaking like a leaf.
"Tifa, who is that man in your room?" Aeris asked quietly.
"That's Sephiroth, he's a friend of mine," Tifa lied, Aeris didn't need to know everything.
"I've seen him before, I don't know where…" Aeris whispered, "I'm going over to Cloud's we're going to be leaving soon. Thank you for everything." Aeris quickly got up and left.
"That's right," Tifa thought, "they're leaving. That will give me more time to get adjusted and keep him from going back down the same path as before."
She hurried up the stairs and slipped into her room. Sephiroth was still asleep in the chair. Tifa looked down at him and smiled. She brushed away a piece of hair that had fallen onto his face.
Sephiroth's eyes opened slowly and he stared into her amethyst eyes, "Please tell me I'm alive and that you're not an angel." He said.
Tifa smiled and let out a little giggle, "Good morning Sephiroth."
He blinked, "Sephiroth?"
"Oh you poor guy, you really don't remember anything do you?" Tifa said sympathetically. She handed him the bag, "Go on and get changed. We can talk over breakfast. Oh and you probably won't remember, my name is Tifa Lockheart." Tifa walked out the door to go get breakfast ready.
Sephiroth shrugged and took the jeans and white t-shirt Tifa had just given him into the bathroom.
"Geez, I really need a hair cut! My hair's almost longer that Tifa's." he thought. He splashed some water on his face and wiped it off with a towel. Then he walked into the hallway.
"What do you mean Sephiroth' HERE?" Cloud yelled.
"Shut up you idiot! He'll hear you!" Tifa yelled back.
"Tifa, listen to me, he's a murderer! He'll kill us all! You weren't there the day Sephiroth…"
"But you've told me about it enough for me to know every detail by heart. That was in the past. Things can be different now." Tifa said trying to stay calm, "We can help him…"
"I will not help you! Damn it Tifa! He killed my one love! Who's to say he won't do it again?!" Cloud said quieter than before.
Sephiroth walked into the kitchen and looked straight at Cloud, "Sir, I'm sorry for what ever I did to you. I cannot remember for some reason. But I am truly sorry."
Cloud glared at him and reached for the Buster Sword that he always carried. Sephiroth jumped back as Cloud swung at him.
"Get out of my house and don't come back until you can control yourself!" Tifa said angrily.
Cloud abruptly shoved his sword back in it's holder. Then he stormed out of her house and slammed the door.
"Tifa I'm so sorry I shouldn't have-" Sephiroth started.
Tifa cut him off, "No, Cloud's just being stupid. Ignore him, he'll get over it in time."
"What did I do to him?" Sephiroth asked sitting down in a chair.
"I can tell you the whole story," Tifa said, "If you want to hear it." He nodded and she started, "Cloud wanted to be a SOLDIER, he idolized you. You were the great Sephiroth. Twelve feet tall and stronger then ten men sort of thing. You and him were on a mission together here. Then you went crazy, you burn Nibelhiem to the ground. You also gave me a good slice," she held up her shirt to reveal a scar.
"How could I have done this to you? I-I cannot begin to apologize. How could I hurt anyone as sweet and beautiful as you?" he stood up and took her hand, "I'm so sorry."
Tifa smiled, "I settled up with you a long time ago. But you have to let me finish. You decided to make yourself a god by combining with the Planet. In the process you put your sword through Aeris Gainsborough, his one love. He never got over it. After a chase we caught up with you. Then we… well… to put it bluntly, we killed you. That's why you don't remember anything. I brought you back, but you don't have any memories.
Sephiroth sighed, "That's what you meant…"
"Sadly, but you came back a good person. I like you much more this way," Tifa said with a smile. She squeezed the hand that still hadn't let go of hers.
Sephiroth laughed, "Who wouldn't?"
Tifa laughed, "I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh without it sounding deranged. I really like it better." She smiled.
"I'll bet that's the first time you've ever smiled at me. I think your smile is pretty." He stepped toward her, "I love it when you smile." He pulled her a little closer. "It's like seeing a rainbow…"
Tifa looked up at him, "Thank you," she whispered.
"What the hell?!" Sephiroth?! You better get the hell away from Tifa 'fore I blast some bullets up yer ass!"
Tifa spun around and was face to face with Barret, "No Barret stop!"
"What?" Barret asked in shock, "Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't kill this SOB right now!"
"Because if you so much as take one step toward I'll kick you out of my house! Don't believe me? Go ask Strife! I just sent him on his way for threatening Sephiroth. Now go and come back when you can control yourself!"
Barret looked at her for a second then he scratched his head, "Shit Tifa," He turned around to head for the door and started to swear a blue streak.
"And watch your language in my house!" she yelled after him.
Tifa turned around to apologize to Sephiroth and realized he'd left.
