A/N: Alright, Lady Voldemort, you talked me into it. I'll write a few more chapters, I was trying to finish it early because my stories always end up going on and on forever it seems. *points at A True Sephiroth Clone and it's 22-and-still-going chapters* Also, I based Bakara after my own kitty- who's a complete meanyhead but I love her anyway- Mauxi. As of now, she's asleep on my bed looking cute and planning evilness to leave on the front doorstep late at night. Mmmm, tasty, rabbit liver and bird heart. I could become an expert on animal anatomy before long.)

EPILOGUE (or is it appendix? Whichever..)

Sephiroth had finished depositing bits and pieces of Hojo everywhere, now he was bored, and finally had admitted to himself that killing him hadn't been really what he'd wanted in the first place. He stalked through the woods, not headed in any particular direction when something snagged his ankle.

Looking down, he found, of all things, a grey fuzball chewing on the ankle of his boot. "Bakara," he said softly, fondly almost. He picked her up, getting his hand chewed on for his effort, but he simply let her do it, maybe she'd settle down when she grew up more. It had been three days since he'd returned Billy to the town, though he didn't have to go back to find out if the boy was alright. Sephiroth felt in the back of his mind that the boy had survived and bounced back almost the day after being rescued.

Closing his eyes, he saw flashes of images from the boy. Images of a somewhat worried mother, the boy's friends all amazed at his sudden stamina increase as well as strength, effects of Jenova cells in his blood, his eyes were most likely changed as well. Sephiroth shook his head, opening his eyes to look at Bakara again. She was happily chewing on his finger, purring away, odd sound to hear when she was chewing at the same time. He could feel that she'd lost a tooth.



Billy looked up at his mother's question, blinking a few times as he shoveled another spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth. "Sure I c'n talk t' 'im, Ma! 'E tells me 'ow t' keep from blowin things up when I don' wanna!" the boy said brightly.

His mother sat down carefully, heaving a sigh of relief, apparently, Sephiroth had more sense then to leave a little boy with sudden extraordinary powers unchecked. "So he's still around or how do you talk to him?"

Billy swallowed, "'Es in t' woods still, but I talk t' im in my head!" His mother gave him a strange look that the boy missed, simply because he was getting another spoonful to his mouth.

"Could you ask him to come back to town? The council wants to talk to him," she leaned forward slightly, "please, Billy, ask him for me?"

Billy lifted his eyes from his bowl and looked carefully at his mother, "I'm noh' sure 'e wants t' come back, seein as 'ow they kicked 'im out lik' tha'....But- I'll ask im fer you!" the boy added brightly when his mom looked about ready to simply fall over.



Will you come back? Mom asked and said 'please' to me! Billy's voice pleaded as he finished off his oatmeal.

Sephiroth said nothing for a moment, heaving a long sigh. You do realize that they kicked me out because they feared that I would do just what I did to that man....

Yeah, I know. But that guy disserved it! Billy's childish enthusiasm was somewhat irritating Sephiroth and he thought briefly of blocking him out and just finding a way to Junon or something.

Fine...I'll come.

Yay! Billy said out loud and mentally.

"What is it Billy?" his mother asked at she washed dishes.

"Sephy said he'd come back!" Billy bubbled and ran around the table a few times.

His mother turned to look at her son, "You asked him-? How?... Nevermind, I might not want to know the answer to that." She shook her head putting the last dish aside to dry. "Come on, Billy, lets go tell the council." She stepped over toward the door and managed to touch her son's hair before he was completely out the door and running down the street at full speed.



It was raining, and raining hard by the time Sephiroth had managed to get to New Mideel. Bakara was tucked inside the arm of his coat, asleep while Sephiroth slogged though the deluge. Some puddles were at least six inches deep already and it had been raining for only an hour, it didn't look like it was going to stop anytime soon either.

He stalked down the street, headed for the council building. He felt eyes on him, glancing to his sides to see fearful eyes peering out of windows at him. He assumed they were fearful anyway. Sephiroth bowed his head somewhat, trying to pretend the water streaming from his eyes was simply rain.

The rain poured down harder as he neared the building, making it hard to see more then a few feet ahead, but he found his way, opening the door and stepping in. Closing the door from the gust of wind that tried to rip it open again, Sephiroth unzipped his coat and reached in, pulling Bakara out. Setting her on a bench, he worked at getting his soaked holster for Masamune off, then his coat, hanging them on hooks near the door. He turned and blinked, finding Layla wrapping a warm towel around him and taking another to dry his hair.

"Keep at this and you'll catch the Flu again," she said softly as she led him over to a bench to sit down while she dried his hair.

"Not like I had much of a choice," he muttered softly, a warm feeling seeping into his heart.

Layla said nothing, simply started taking off his shirt. "I've got some dry clothes for you," she finally said when he moved to stop her. "Its not like I haven't seen you naked before either," she smiled hesitantly, ready to drop it and apologize should he have not found it funny.

Sephiroth found himself smiling slightly, "True," he replied and allowed her to help him peel the wet clothes off. "You know who I am... What I've done... why-"

"Because I think you could become something more then what you were, Joseph," Layla interrupted him, taking his hands for a brief moment. She blushed, going to her toes and pecking a kiss on his lips.

He blushed as well, "I-... I'm sorry I treated you...the way I did."

Layla smiled, her cheeks still red, "Its alright. I would still love you even if you'd treated me like a mutt."

"Love me?" Sephiroth asked hesitantly, finding that his hands were still linked with hers. Layla nodded slowly, refusing to look at his face. "If... if .... could you....teach me to love?" he found himself shaking somewhat.

Layla lifted her eyes to his, staring up at him in astonishment, tears on her cheeks. "Of course I could... I hope... If you give me the chance to. I'd be honored to teach you anything an-" He had the feeling she was going to start babbling and swept down, placing his lips upon hers. It had the desired effect of stemming the flow of words, but also, he found himself enjoying it. "Joseph...Sephiroth..." Layla whispered softly when the kiss was over, putting her head against his chest.

"I-... I'd better go see what the Committee wants now," he said, though he didn't remove his arms from around her, nor did she attempt to remove hers.

Bakara yowled, breaking the moment, she wanted outside. Sephiroth and Layla finally stepped back from each other and he swept up the kitten, making his way though the inner doors and finally into the council chamber. He found a select few sitting as audience and all the council members facing him.

"Sephiroth, we would like you to tell us your account of the happenings three days ago when you supposedly rescued Billy Hesku," the old man said, he'd recently had his beard trimmed and it bristled around his chin like something from the sea. His wizened old face was scowling deeply.

Sephiroth still felt shaky from his encounter with Layla, his heart still fluttered in his chest. He swallowed and thought briefly of what he was going to say, finally deciding on the short version. "I was looking for somewhere to spend the night and happened upon an old house in Old Mideel where I..." he choked, feeling the anger he'd had for Hojo.

"Go on," the old man prompted.

"Where I found Hojo ...attempting to make Billy into yet another clone of me. I... I couldn't let him do that... I couldn't let him do even a fourth of the things to Billy that he'd done to me... I couldn't let him do that to anyone." Sephiroth closed his eyes, feeling again the stab of the needles into his body injecting mako and Jenova cells.

"And what did you do when you found this man?" another council member prodded. An elder woman of about sixty-five, her hair was still somewhat black with long streaks of white. She had her hair pulled up into a bun on top of her head, dressed in a simple dark blue dress. The wrinkles on her face had almost taken over.

"I killed him, in as terrible was as I could manage. In my opinion, he's done far worse things to many more people then I ever have or will," Sephiroth said firmly, looking defiantly up at the council members, most looked away.

"So you murdered him. In cold blood," stated the fifty year old man in a stony voice.

"If that's how you want to put it, then I did, and if you'd endured almost thirty years of experiments, tests, mako injections, humiliation, dissections, been forced to live in a laboratory.... I think you would have killed him too."

"Forced to live in a laboratory?" asked the eldest man, leaning forward slightly.

"You think I'd lie?" Sephiroth turned, pointing almost viciously at the doctor. "Ask him. He worked under Hojo. He saw some of the things done to me."

"Abuse is no reason to kill a man," interrupted the woman again, slapping her hand on the table.

Sephiroth turned and smiled at her, "You'd say differently if you'd ever met Hojo, but I doubt you'd believe me on that point."

"So you killed him with no other motive in mind then to exact your revenge on him," stated the fifty year old again.

"Or you could say I was simply saving the world from another demented psychotic like myself being created," Sephiroth spat. "If this was all you wanted me here for, then I'm leaving. I will not put up with this."

He turned, headed toward the door, finding Layla standing there, blocking his way out. "We had one other thing to ask you," said the eldest man.

Turning halfway to glare at the one who'd spoken, he waited. "If we gave you the chance to live here on condition that you tended a flower shop and married Layla... would you accept?"

Sephiroth found himself chewing on his tongue somewhat as he looked from the council members to Layla, trying to figure out if this was simply something to humiliate him in front of people or they really meant it. Looking back at Layla, he recalled the feeling he'd had when she was drying his hair.

"Yes."

"So be it," said the elder council member as Layla walked forward, her eyes shining with tears. She grabbed hold of his arm and clung tenaciously to it. A book was set on the table in front of the elder council member and he signed in it, then passed it down the line to the others. "Congratulations, Mister and Mrs. Joseph Hitache, you are now man and wife."

Sephiroth felt like his brain had fallen all the way to his feet, dragging his stomach with it. He couldn't help the thought what've I gotten myself into?.

"I'll take good care of you, Joseph," Layla whispered softly as everyone in the room got to their feet applauding for the new couple.

FIN- for real this time!!