The next chapter. If you wondered why Tifa let Sephiroth stay in her bar, without arguing, it will be explained, here or in a later chapter.



New customers began to file in as time passed, and around noon, she had about fifteen guests all in all. Tifa was impatiently waiting for her helpers to arrive, and was quite relieved to see them step through the door. " Joe, Angela, Anne! Over here!" She waved them over. " Wassup, Tifa?" Joe asked her. " Yeah, is something wrong?" Anne wondered. " No, not really. But there is one thing you'll have to remember." " And what's that?" Angela sneered. Tifa glared at the young blond woman. " See the man in the corner over there?" She asked, instead of lashing out on Angela. " Yeah, what about him?" Anne said. " Whatever you do, don't ask him if he wants anything! If he does, he'll tell you. But don't ask him." She explained. " Why not? He seems harmless." Joe stated. " He's not, believe me." " Okay, then. Whatever you say, Tifa."

Joe, Anne and Angela heeded her words, and kept out of Sephiroths way. Of course, they didn't know it was Sephiroth, but they heeded her words nonetheless. They were all curious about whom it was, but you didn't argue with Tifa when she used that tone.

She had a strange temperament, moody one second and then happy the next. She zoned out very often, and could end up standing with a rag in one hand, and a dirty glass in the other, staring out in space, unseeing.

People who knew her, would say she was thinking either about her father, or about Cloud. However, she spent a lot of her ´zoning-out-time´, thinking about what Sephiroth had said before he died. Even after three years, she could still remember every word.

" We can rush and we can run, but we can't undo what has been done."

" I'm sick of hearing my own lies ."

" I will see you on the other side."

Tifa snapped out of her reverie when a pair of arms caught her around the waist. She quickly turned her head, only to see Brent Collins, her fiancé of a year. She realized fairly Quickly that Cloud wasn't going to come out of the City of Ancients, and therefore got over him as fast as she could. A year ago, she had met Brent Collins, who resembled Cloud somewhat, but without the moody expression.

" Hello, Brent! I didn't think you'd be here today." She said calmly. " You're no fun." He pouted. " And why not?" " It's impossible to scare you!" He said. Tifa smiled as she remembered Sephiroths coming two hours earlier. " No, Brent, it's not impossible, only very hard. What are you doing here, anyway? You said you were going to help your father today." " We were done early, and since when is it illegal to visit your fiancé?" " It's not, I was just surprised, that's all." " So, I managed to surprise you! Mission complete! Anyway, do you need any help around here?" " Well, you could bring some more beer-barrels in, they're in the shed." " Of course, anything for my lovely Tifa." Brent said, mock- bowing. Tifa laughed at his antics.

She didn't notice the pair of Mako-eyes that watched her from the corner of the room.

Sephiroths POV

I wondered who the blond man was. It wasn't Cloud, yet Tifa let him hug her. Maybe she had given up on the dense blond ex-SOLDIER, and moved on. Maybe the man was a childhood friend. Maybe Cloud had dumped her. Arrgh, what did he care anyway? It wasn't as if he cared about who Tifa spent her time with!

End of POV

Sephiroth continued to watch as the blond man dragged a beer- barrel inside the now rather crowded bar. Sephiroth didn't like crowds, they were too noisy. He liked the silence of loneliness. It didn't give you a headache. That was why he didn't drink alcohol either, the hangover was nothing he'd care to spend his mornings with. He sipped his water, and continued to watch Tifa and the blond man.



And the chapter ends! I will have the third chapter up as soon as possible. - Metallicafangirl.