Chapter 4: The Plan
(Meanwhile, in some unknown place)
"Uughgh!" Tifa grunted as she was dropped to the floor."Ya know, you could just be a tad
gentler!"
"Oh toughen up. This is nothing," he said. Tifa looked around. She was in a verk dark room
with no windows and two doors. One of the doors was open and it led to a bathroom. There was some
type of mattress on the floor with a blanket and Tifa assumed it was some kind of bed. The only
other thing in the room was a chair and small table to which Sephiroth was sitting at.
"You know, this place would be very easy to escape from, seeing there's only a simple door
standing in my way," Tifa said, Sephiroth only laughed.
"Sure, there may only be a door, but you have no idea where we are. You would be lost in
no time flat, and the monsters outside are mutated beyond your level. They'd kill you without
a moment's haste. So it looks like you're stuck here," he explained.
"Why did you take me here?! What do you want from me? Are you trying to punish Cloud? He
killed you because you were beyond insane, you were a mad lunatic," Tifa inquired. Again,
Sephiroth chuckled.
"Actually my plan differs much from that and believe it or not, you happen to be a big
part of it," he said.
"What is it? World domination again, God, we both know that didn't work for you, you might
as well give up now," Tifa said sarcastically. This angered Sephiroth.
"Shut up, you bothersome little wretch! A little whore like you wouldn't possibly
begin to comprehend MY plan!" he shouted. This pissed off Tifa even more.
"WHORE??! How dare you call me that! You're a cruel, heartless, self-absorbed crazy
son of a bitch! I can't even call you a MAN!!" she retorted. Sephiroth gave her a slap across the face.
"Contain yourself woman! You're the one acting crazy," he said. Angered by his touch, she
slapped him back. He slapped her again, and she hit him again. They continued this until Tifa
felt unbelievably weak. She wobbled and then fell into Sephiroth's arms. She was facing his chest.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked as he looked in her half-closed eyes. He felt a sticky
liquid substance on his fingers as he held her back. He turned her around and saw the deep cut
that was bleeding profusely on her back.
"Dear God woman! When were you going to tell me about this?!" he asked.
"I didn't feel the need, you don't care if I die," she answered.
"I very well do care if you die. If I am to carry out my plan, then you have to remain alive
or I have no other option," he said. Sephiroth led her to the bed/mattress and laid her on her
stomach to examine the wound.
"I'll be right back," he said and went into the bathroom. Tifa didn't see him come back
with a large bottle of antiseptic spray, and water. He sprayed the antiseptic on her wound and
she winced in pain before crying out.
"OWWWWWWW... stop it stop it!" she cried.
"I can't unless you want to die of infection, I won't stop. Surely you wouldn't want to
die from something utterly stupid. I mean, if you are going to die, it'll be by my hands," he
laughed.
"Oh gee, that's a real uplifter," Tifa said sarcastically as Sephiroth continued to clean
the wound. Once she was bandaged up, Sephiroth returned all of the materials to the bathroom.
Tifa was very curious to what his plan was, so she decided to sit up and ask him when he came
back.
"Umm, Sephiroth, what exactly is your plan?" she asked. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow.
"Hmmm...you made it quite clear earlier that I'm a mad raving lunatic. Why would you
want to hear a 'diabolical' plan' from me?" he said sarcastically.
"Well, if I'm such a big part of your stupid plan, then I demand to know what it is!" she
shouted.
"Oh, you're in no position to demand anything!" he snapped. He drew his sword and held the
tip of it slightly under her chin. The look he gave was quite menacing. The look Tifa gave back
was almost provoking him.
"Come on, you know you won't kill me, after all, I'm a big part of your plan, remember?"
she said smiling.
"Goddamnit!" he shouted as he threw his sword on the ground. Tifa let out a sigh of
exasperation.
"Look, Sephiroth, all I asked was what your plan was, must you pick a fight with me?" she
asked.
"Fine, I'll tell you, but just so you won't be disappointed, it's not a plot to take over
the world," he said. She nodded and listened intentively.
"You are the only other person in the world, to know about this besides myself, and in
order for me to complete my plan, I need your help and cooperation," he said.
"Go on," Tifa nodded, obviously interested.
"Okay,... I'm in love with Aeris," he blurted out. Tifa looked at him in surprise, she had
no idea a man such as he, was capable of loving. Noting the irony of it all, she burst out laughing.
"Now what, may I ask, is so funny?" one very annoyed Sephiroth asked. Unable to contain
herself, she told him all of it in between fits of laughter.
"You love(laughter) Aeris but you(laughter) killed her. Now(laughter) I know what(laughter)
the saying means (laughter) by love hurts!!" she bursted out. Her sides were now hurting from the
amount of laughter she had just performed. Sephiroth just stared at her with complete annoyance.
"Now when you're finished laughing at my expense, I'll continue," Sephiroth said coldly.
Tifa stopped when she saw the icy glare coming from him.
"Ok then, I'll continue," he started,"I've watched Aeris ever since we were younger.
Although I'm a few years ahead of her, I've watched her with growing infatuation. I always
visited her when she stayed in the Shinra building. Though she was still a child when I was
in my teens, she had the intelligence of an adult. I was intrigued by this girl who plagued my
every waking thought. Of course I said not a word of it to anyone and kept this secret. The day
her and her mother left happened to be a very devastationg one for me. She had become my best
friend, the only person who truly cared about me and not my skill with a sword. When Shinra
reported that it would be next to impossible to find her, I suddenly stopped smiling, unless
it was a grin full of malevolence. From then on, I concentrated solely on my combat skills and
my duties, but never the less, I thought about her constantly. Not so far after, I found out
that I was nothing more than a toy to all those I knew, a mere war weapon to be unleashed to all
those that defied the Shinra empire. Their imperialism drove me to lunacy. The experience with
Cloud had actually dawned this on me. I went mad and disappeared to only come back later and
release my revenge. When I did so, I saw Aeris again, but in Cloud's companionship. The voices
of Jenova had told me that she would get in the way of my plan and that if I killed her, my
plan would be fulfilled and that Aeris would join me soon after. Of course, I didn't realize my
foolishness until after I died." Tifa was already tearing up at his story. It had never even
crossed her mind of the anguish behind his madness. She only thought he was a lunatic with
absolutely nothing to lose. This made her feel so self-absorbed, she only thought about the way
she percepted things, not anyone else's. Trying to hide her tears, she said,"Well, what's this
got to do with me?"
"This is the best part. You're going to help me to make her mine," he said smugly. She just
gawked at him with shock.
"And just how am I going to help you out. It's not like I can go up to her and tell her
to love you," she explained.
"Which brings me to the next part. No I don't expect you to do that, you are a pawn," he
said. Tifa arched an eyebrow,"How so?"
"With you kidnapped by me, Cloud will no doubt be looking for you. With him out of the way,
Aeris will be alone. Right now, this is a time of confusion for her, she had mixed feelings. I can
pursuade her to go my way," he said.
"How are you going to persuade her from here?! You can't travel back and forth, Cloud might
see you, and you can't leave me unguarded because I might escape," she said.
"Yes, I'm quite aware of that. But you don't know about one gift I've acquired when I was
dead," Sephiroth replied.
"And what's that?"
"I have the power of astral projection," he said. Tifa listened with growing curiosity.
"What this means is that I can travel the astral planes and invade the dreams of people."
"How did you learn to do that?"
"I picked it up from other dead guys, they taught me well," he chuckled.
"Go on."
"Furthermore, I will go in the Aeris's dream and persuade her there. It's as simple as that,"
he said.
"And what if I don't cooperate?" Tifa asked.
"I think you will, this plan benefits the both of us," he said.
"How does this benefit me?"
"I will also invade Cloud's dream, informing him that you are in great danger under my care.
This will make him more determined. I will also put other things in there that are in every way favorable
to you."
"Okay, hold on a second, even if Aeris did love you("Highly doubtful," she thought)how
would you guys even be together? Cloud wouldn't allow it," Tifa said.
"That's why I would visit her and convince her that the only way for us to be together was
to run away with each other. She'd write Cloud a letter telling him she needed to be by herself
and that she needed a new life. I know Cloud's values, he'd leave her alone if she truly wished it," he
said. Tifa nodded. "Once Cloud rescues you, Aeris and I will be long gone and he'll take you
home to find the letter, letting you and him to live your lives together, uninterupted."
"But how will I know if it's real love? I'll never know if he truly loves me or if I'm just
a second choice after Aeris. I-I can't do it, I won't do it. I refuse to be that deceptive," she
pleaded. Sephiroth only laughed coldly, making a chill run down Tifa's spine. He got up and stood
behind Tifa. Putting his hands on her shoulders and letting his chin rest on the crook of her neck,
he spoke, "Come on, you know you want take my offer. You want Cloud, you need him, this is the
only way Tifa. We're not going to hurt anyone, all we are going to do is make them see who it
is they really want. Is that a crime?" She could feel his hot breath on her ear, it made her
shudder. Tifa shut her eyes to think for a moment, when she opened them, a tear ran down her cheek.
"Okay, I'll do it," she said in a husky whisper. Sephiroth lifted himself and said,"I knew you would."
Tifa put her head in her hands and let the whole situation sink in. Abrubtly, her head shot up and she
walked over to Sephiroth and slapped him hard. He grabbed her hand.
"What the hell was that for!!!" he shouted.
"You're the one who gave Cloud those horrible dreams about Aeris! You're the one who
caused him to have such grief and anguish over Aeris!" she accused. Sephiroth gave out a wide
grin.
"Well I had to find some way to get Aeris and myself alive again. I saw Cloud as the perfect gate,
so yes, I did give Cloud those dreams," he chuckled. Tifa slapped him again with her free hand.
"I told you, I will not tolerate such behavior!" he shouted.
"How could you? You vile, disgusting man. Do you have any idea on what pain you caused?
Cloud's sleepless nights had nearly driven me suicidal. Not only did you hurt him, you caused
me searing pain as well! You only care about yourself and don't even give a second thought to
the people you hurt. How can a man like you even be capable of loving?!" she cried. She tried
pounding her fists on his chest but she failed. Dropping to her knees, she finally broke into
a sob.
Tifa had cried herself to sleep that night; her tears exhausted herself. Sephiroth stared
at her sleeping on the floor in the corner. After a battle in his mind, he decided to pick her up
and put her on the mattress/bed. She'd have sore joints in the morning if she were to stay like that.
Once she was set, Sephiroth stared at her blood-stained outfit and wondered exactly how much she
had bled before him noticing it. Had she have told him later, she might not have made it. He closed
his eyes and recalled the warm and sticky sensation it left on his fingers. The tremors of fatigue
finally took impact and he felt the desperate need to sleep. He really didn't feel like sleeping
on the floor and Tifa was already in the bed.
"Damnit!" he shouted in a whisper. Well, it's not like he was going to touch her or anything
for that matter. "What's the harm in just sleeping next to her?" he thought, "the only woman I want
is Aeris anyway." With that trivial battle resolved, he lifted the sheet and climbed in.
(Meanwhile, in some unknown place)
"Uughgh!" Tifa grunted as she was dropped to the floor."Ya know, you could just be a tad
gentler!"
"Oh toughen up. This is nothing," he said. Tifa looked around. She was in a verk dark room
with no windows and two doors. One of the doors was open and it led to a bathroom. There was some
type of mattress on the floor with a blanket and Tifa assumed it was some kind of bed. The only
other thing in the room was a chair and small table to which Sephiroth was sitting at.
"You know, this place would be very easy to escape from, seeing there's only a simple door
standing in my way," Tifa said, Sephiroth only laughed.
"Sure, there may only be a door, but you have no idea where we are. You would be lost in
no time flat, and the monsters outside are mutated beyond your level. They'd kill you without
a moment's haste. So it looks like you're stuck here," he explained.
"Why did you take me here?! What do you want from me? Are you trying to punish Cloud? He
killed you because you were beyond insane, you were a mad lunatic," Tifa inquired. Again,
Sephiroth chuckled.
"Actually my plan differs much from that and believe it or not, you happen to be a big
part of it," he said.
"What is it? World domination again, God, we both know that didn't work for you, you might
as well give up now," Tifa said sarcastically. This angered Sephiroth.
"Shut up, you bothersome little wretch! A little whore like you wouldn't possibly
begin to comprehend MY plan!" he shouted. This pissed off Tifa even more.
"WHORE??! How dare you call me that! You're a cruel, heartless, self-absorbed crazy
son of a bitch! I can't even call you a MAN!!" she retorted. Sephiroth gave her a slap across the face.
"Contain yourself woman! You're the one acting crazy," he said. Angered by his touch, she
slapped him back. He slapped her again, and she hit him again. They continued this until Tifa
felt unbelievably weak. She wobbled and then fell into Sephiroth's arms. She was facing his chest.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked as he looked in her half-closed eyes. He felt a sticky
liquid substance on his fingers as he held her back. He turned her around and saw the deep cut
that was bleeding profusely on her back.
"Dear God woman! When were you going to tell me about this?!" he asked.
"I didn't feel the need, you don't care if I die," she answered.
"I very well do care if you die. If I am to carry out my plan, then you have to remain alive
or I have no other option," he said. Sephiroth led her to the bed/mattress and laid her on her
stomach to examine the wound.
"I'll be right back," he said and went into the bathroom. Tifa didn't see him come back
with a large bottle of antiseptic spray, and water. He sprayed the antiseptic on her wound and
she winced in pain before crying out.
"OWWWWWWW... stop it stop it!" she cried.
"I can't unless you want to die of infection, I won't stop. Surely you wouldn't want to
die from something utterly stupid. I mean, if you are going to die, it'll be by my hands," he
laughed.
"Oh gee, that's a real uplifter," Tifa said sarcastically as Sephiroth continued to clean
the wound. Once she was bandaged up, Sephiroth returned all of the materials to the bathroom.
Tifa was very curious to what his plan was, so she decided to sit up and ask him when he came
back.
"Umm, Sephiroth, what exactly is your plan?" she asked. Sephiroth arched an eyebrow.
"Hmmm...you made it quite clear earlier that I'm a mad raving lunatic. Why would you
want to hear a 'diabolical' plan' from me?" he said sarcastically.
"Well, if I'm such a big part of your stupid plan, then I demand to know what it is!" she
shouted.
"Oh, you're in no position to demand anything!" he snapped. He drew his sword and held the
tip of it slightly under her chin. The look he gave was quite menacing. The look Tifa gave back
was almost provoking him.
"Come on, you know you won't kill me, after all, I'm a big part of your plan, remember?"
she said smiling.
"Goddamnit!" he shouted as he threw his sword on the ground. Tifa let out a sigh of
exasperation.
"Look, Sephiroth, all I asked was what your plan was, must you pick a fight with me?" she
asked.
"Fine, I'll tell you, but just so you won't be disappointed, it's not a plot to take over
the world," he said. She nodded and listened intentively.
"You are the only other person in the world, to know about this besides myself, and in
order for me to complete my plan, I need your help and cooperation," he said.
"Go on," Tifa nodded, obviously interested.
"Okay,... I'm in love with Aeris," he blurted out. Tifa looked at him in surprise, she had
no idea a man such as he, was capable of loving. Noting the irony of it all, she burst out laughing.
"Now what, may I ask, is so funny?" one very annoyed Sephiroth asked. Unable to contain
herself, she told him all of it in between fits of laughter.
"You love(laughter) Aeris but you(laughter) killed her. Now(laughter) I know what(laughter)
the saying means (laughter) by love hurts!!" she bursted out. Her sides were now hurting from the
amount of laughter she had just performed. Sephiroth just stared at her with complete annoyance.
"Now when you're finished laughing at my expense, I'll continue," Sephiroth said coldly.
Tifa stopped when she saw the icy glare coming from him.
"Ok then, I'll continue," he started,"I've watched Aeris ever since we were younger.
Although I'm a few years ahead of her, I've watched her with growing infatuation. I always
visited her when she stayed in the Shinra building. Though she was still a child when I was
in my teens, she had the intelligence of an adult. I was intrigued by this girl who plagued my
every waking thought. Of course I said not a word of it to anyone and kept this secret. The day
her and her mother left happened to be a very devastationg one for me. She had become my best
friend, the only person who truly cared about me and not my skill with a sword. When Shinra
reported that it would be next to impossible to find her, I suddenly stopped smiling, unless
it was a grin full of malevolence. From then on, I concentrated solely on my combat skills and
my duties, but never the less, I thought about her constantly. Not so far after, I found out
that I was nothing more than a toy to all those I knew, a mere war weapon to be unleashed to all
those that defied the Shinra empire. Their imperialism drove me to lunacy. The experience with
Cloud had actually dawned this on me. I went mad and disappeared to only come back later and
release my revenge. When I did so, I saw Aeris again, but in Cloud's companionship. The voices
of Jenova had told me that she would get in the way of my plan and that if I killed her, my
plan would be fulfilled and that Aeris would join me soon after. Of course, I didn't realize my
foolishness until after I died." Tifa was already tearing up at his story. It had never even
crossed her mind of the anguish behind his madness. She only thought he was a lunatic with
absolutely nothing to lose. This made her feel so self-absorbed, she only thought about the way
she percepted things, not anyone else's. Trying to hide her tears, she said,"Well, what's this
got to do with me?"
"This is the best part. You're going to help me to make her mine," he said smugly. She just
gawked at him with shock.
"And just how am I going to help you out. It's not like I can go up to her and tell her
to love you," she explained.
"Which brings me to the next part. No I don't expect you to do that, you are a pawn," he
said. Tifa arched an eyebrow,"How so?"
"With you kidnapped by me, Cloud will no doubt be looking for you. With him out of the way,
Aeris will be alone. Right now, this is a time of confusion for her, she had mixed feelings. I can
pursuade her to go my way," he said.
"How are you going to persuade her from here?! You can't travel back and forth, Cloud might
see you, and you can't leave me unguarded because I might escape," she said.
"Yes, I'm quite aware of that. But you don't know about one gift I've acquired when I was
dead," Sephiroth replied.
"And what's that?"
"I have the power of astral projection," he said. Tifa listened with growing curiosity.
"What this means is that I can travel the astral planes and invade the dreams of people."
"How did you learn to do that?"
"I picked it up from other dead guys, they taught me well," he chuckled.
"Go on."
"Furthermore, I will go in the Aeris's dream and persuade her there. It's as simple as that,"
he said.
"And what if I don't cooperate?" Tifa asked.
"I think you will, this plan benefits the both of us," he said.
"How does this benefit me?"
"I will also invade Cloud's dream, informing him that you are in great danger under my care.
This will make him more determined. I will also put other things in there that are in every way favorable
to you."
"Okay, hold on a second, even if Aeris did love you("Highly doubtful," she thought)how
would you guys even be together? Cloud wouldn't allow it," Tifa said.
"That's why I would visit her and convince her that the only way for us to be together was
to run away with each other. She'd write Cloud a letter telling him she needed to be by herself
and that she needed a new life. I know Cloud's values, he'd leave her alone if she truly wished it," he
said. Tifa nodded. "Once Cloud rescues you, Aeris and I will be long gone and he'll take you
home to find the letter, letting you and him to live your lives together, uninterupted."
"But how will I know if it's real love? I'll never know if he truly loves me or if I'm just
a second choice after Aeris. I-I can't do it, I won't do it. I refuse to be that deceptive," she
pleaded. Sephiroth only laughed coldly, making a chill run down Tifa's spine. He got up and stood
behind Tifa. Putting his hands on her shoulders and letting his chin rest on the crook of her neck,
he spoke, "Come on, you know you want take my offer. You want Cloud, you need him, this is the
only way Tifa. We're not going to hurt anyone, all we are going to do is make them see who it
is they really want. Is that a crime?" She could feel his hot breath on her ear, it made her
shudder. Tifa shut her eyes to think for a moment, when she opened them, a tear ran down her cheek.
"Okay, I'll do it," she said in a husky whisper. Sephiroth lifted himself and said,"I knew you would."
Tifa put her head in her hands and let the whole situation sink in. Abrubtly, her head shot up and she
walked over to Sephiroth and slapped him hard. He grabbed her hand.
"What the hell was that for!!!" he shouted.
"You're the one who gave Cloud those horrible dreams about Aeris! You're the one who
caused him to have such grief and anguish over Aeris!" she accused. Sephiroth gave out a wide
grin.
"Well I had to find some way to get Aeris and myself alive again. I saw Cloud as the perfect gate,
so yes, I did give Cloud those dreams," he chuckled. Tifa slapped him again with her free hand.
"I told you, I will not tolerate such behavior!" he shouted.
"How could you? You vile, disgusting man. Do you have any idea on what pain you caused?
Cloud's sleepless nights had nearly driven me suicidal. Not only did you hurt him, you caused
me searing pain as well! You only care about yourself and don't even give a second thought to
the people you hurt. How can a man like you even be capable of loving?!" she cried. She tried
pounding her fists on his chest but she failed. Dropping to her knees, she finally broke into
a sob.
Tifa had cried herself to sleep that night; her tears exhausted herself. Sephiroth stared
at her sleeping on the floor in the corner. After a battle in his mind, he decided to pick her up
and put her on the mattress/bed. She'd have sore joints in the morning if she were to stay like that.
Once she was set, Sephiroth stared at her blood-stained outfit and wondered exactly how much she
had bled before him noticing it. Had she have told him later, she might not have made it. He closed
his eyes and recalled the warm and sticky sensation it left on his fingers. The tremors of fatigue
finally took impact and he felt the desperate need to sleep. He really didn't feel like sleeping
on the floor and Tifa was already in the bed.
"Damnit!" he shouted in a whisper. Well, it's not like he was going to touch her or anything
for that matter. "What's the harm in just sleeping next to her?" he thought, "the only woman I want
is Aeris anyway." With that trivial battle resolved, he lifted the sheet and climbed in.
