Rassia slid her hand slowly across the silver banister, the cool dew dripping the three stories to the violet sand below. Her heart felt like lead and her lips like fire, with a single flicker she had destroyed everything that she and Ansem had tried to live for: loyalty. Now she was haunted by the sight and touch of Sephiroth even as she walked back to her bedroom. It was like deja-vu, every kiss, every word, every motion made by Sephiroth tonight was exactly like her dreams, only so much more tangible and completely unfaithful. Why did she do it? She hated Sephiroth, she knew she did. There was nothing in him for her and he had nearly killed the one man she did love. But she had saved him. She had saved Sephiroth from his much deserved death and now she would have to live with the tornent and the curse of his touch. If Rassia had only had her sword, she was sure she would have killed herself right then.

It took all the strength she had to turn and walk through the doorway of her room. To face Ansem would be to face total judgement itself, even if Ansem knew nothing. However, she suspected he did with her being gone for so long. It could easily be passed off as one of her walks, or perhaps she could claim a quick bathe in the sea to calm her nerves. Either way, she would lie and her heart would only grow harder.

The room was lit with the dim crystal lights in the walls and Rassia saw Ansem standing motionless before a hanging mirror; or what used to be a mirror. It had been shattered and the glass now lay in shards at Ansem's feet. Rassia entered slowly, her bare feet making hardly a sound as she walked. The closer she drew to Ansem, the more of him she saw. He was breathing hard, she could see from the movement of his back, and his fists were clenched. His right hand was bleeding freely, the scarlet liquid dripping to the floor in a puddle. Rassia gasped and dashed towards him, wrapping her hands around his shoulders.

"Ansem! Ansem, what happened?" she exclaimed as she did. At the slight touch of her hands, Ansem tensed. Rassia nearly recoiled, but decided not to. He knew and he was in pain. Rassia pulled herself close to him and rested her cheek on his bare back and sighed heavily. "Ansem," she whispered.

Ansem remained silent, thinking hard about what he could possibly say to her now and still keep his temper. She had decived him, she had lied to him, and she had cheated him for his worst enemy. The stinging piece of glass in his palm was nothing compared to the knife in his back or the sword in his heart. Ansem glanced to the table beside where he stood and glared at Sephiroth's shimmering blade. Rassia was yet to notice it, but Ansem was sure of her reaction when she did. Still she continued to hold back as she held Ansem to her.

"You were...gone...for so long, Rassia," Ansem finally managed to get out. Rassia nodded, her hair pressed against his back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. It was too much for him. Ansem could no longer keep himself under control. He pushed her away and grabbed the sword on the table with his bleeding hand. Carelessly he swung it at Rassia and pointed the slick blade at her throat. Rassia gasped as fear and recollection grasped her. He had found his sword; he knew for sure now.

"You lied to me, Rassia," Ansem huffed through clentched teeth. "You've been with him. You've been with Sephiroth all along! How could you do this to me, Rassia?" Rassia's eyes stung with tears that she did not even try to hold back.

"I'm so sorry, Ansem, you must know."

"What is there to know?" Ansem shouted. "I don't know...what I did wrong for you. With the Darkness, I tried so hard when I could to be there. Now, you have me completely, and it is still not enough!" Ansem now had tears of his own as he held the sword tighter. Rassia was afraid to move from the glare of the blade, afraid of what Ansem might do. The sight of his blood made her cringe and remember the instance before the fountain in Hallow Bastion when she herself had made her hand bleed out of the mere thought of her love being devoted to another. She wanted to reach out and touch him, take his hand in hers and help him heal, but there could be no healing with Sephiroth still about.

"Where is he?" Ansem growled. Rassia looked surprised.

"What?"

"Where is Sephiroth?"

"He...he's...," Rassia grabbed her stomach in pain.

"What's wrong?" Ansem demanded. "Why won't you tell?" He held the sword out closer to her. He wanted to scare her, but he had to control himself or else he was not quite sure what he would do. He watched Rassia grow paler and waver a bit. Something was wrong with her. Was she hiding where Sephiroth was, or was there something else going on? Slowly he lowered the sword and looked at her.

"Rassia?" Rassia shook her head. She felt terrible and she was afraid to open her mouth. Clasping a hand over her mouth she vanished from the room. Ansem straightened and dropped the sword painfully. Then his legs gave in and he sat hard on the bed, his cleaner hand over his eyes as he wept hard. How could she do this? What have I done wrong? he thought to himself. Most of him felt that it was still his fault, that he had done something wrong against her. But he couldn't think of anything that he had done terrible enough to drive his wife into the arms of his enemy.

Rassia sat on her knees beside the glittering sea. She was shaking violently and breathing hard. The cool water rose to meet her knees and then drifted back into the deep sea just to repeat itself. Over the dark expanse of the sea, beyond the Rising Falls, a new rose moon was rising. It filled the horizon with a deep red glow that over-powered the surrounding stars and created a scarlet haze over the water. Rassia never thought it looked so unpleasant and knew that the moon had risen to accent the terrible feelings and atmosphere hovering around her.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered, nearly choking on the words as pain shot through her stomach. She hunched over the water and gazed at her distorted relfection. She wanted to beat the water, to destroy the hideous face of an unfaithful woman who had stabbed her husband in the back and pleased his worst enemy. Lifting her hand to strike the water she saw a strange image reflected where her own face had been. It seemed only like a flicker, a trick of the moonlight and the waves, but behind her own face was the image of a little girl with skin and eyes like Ansem, but hair like her own. It only lasted a second before Rassia could see her own self again. She gasped and placed her hand gently into the water. She knew what was going on inside her now, yet she wondered if Ansem would want understand.