When I'm Gone
part i - Objection (Tango)
Author's Note: This is the sequel to Tequila Mockingbird, and it's loaded with love triangle goodness. ^_^ The basic points of view will switch through the story, but it will still be in third person as well as obvious whose point of view you're in.
Disclaimer: Do I really have to? *pouts* All FF7 characters belong to Squaresoft (*yells "Bastards! They're mine!" before running away from scary lawyer people in brown suits and scary psychiatrists in white coats*). Objection (Tango) is a song by Shakira and I want it but don't own it. Dammit.
(0) (0)
(".")
(")--(")
(It's a bunny!)
*coughs* Story time!
***
It's not her fault that she's so irresistible
But all the damage she's caused isn't fixable
Every twenty seconds you repeat her name
But when it comes to me you don't care
If I'm alive or dead
So Objection
I don't want to be the exception
To get a bit of your attention
I love you for free and I'm not your mother
But you don't even bother
Objection
I'm tired of this triangle
Got dizzy dancing tango
I'm falling apart in your hands again
No way
I've got to get away
This is pathetic and sardonic
It's sadistic and psychotic
Tango is not for three
Was never meant to be.
***
Tifa Lockhart stared at the contents of tequila swirling merrily in her glass, and attempted valiantly to mask her feelings. Aeris had swept back into her life and stolen Cloud away once more with zero effort, and it pissed Tifa off just as much as it hurt her. She loved Aeris like a sister, but there was only so much a girl could take before she went insane. Or, just hit something really, really hard.
"Tifa?" the now familiar silky and incredibly sexy voice of Sephiroth wafted through her ears. "Are you wallowing again?"
"Bite me," she snarled.
"Where? Besides, I bet Aeris tastes better than you."
Tifa whirled, her temper flaring to life beyond what she had thought possible. The bastard had the nerve to come into her bar, interrupt her thoughts, and then push every single wrong button Tifa possessed. She growled low in her throat, and glared at Sephiroth in a way that would have made Squall Leonhart cower, but he's not a part of this game, so we'll leave him out for now.
Sephiroth raised his hands in surrender. "Chill out. I'm just rubbing you the wrong way. Actually, I'd love to do that, but you wouldn't let me. You're as sexy as you are deadly."
"Why don't you drop dead then?"
Sephiroth sighed. "I've tried, but Yuffie put that damned life preservation spell on me. I couldn't leave you alone even if I wanted to, which I don't. What man in their right mind would ever want to stop looking at you?"
"Cloud."
"He's nuts."
"Point taken."
Tifa sighed, her misery lightened ever so slightly by Sephiroth's cynical mood. She felt the need to kill something, and knew that as she thought it, Sephiroth would bring it up. He had an uncanny way of reading her mind. Tifa wished Cloud could do that, and briefly pondered what it would be like to be in love with Sephiroth. That thought was quickly dismissed from her mind, however, when she remembered that Sephiroth was pining after Aeris. What the hell was it with that girl, anyway?
Tifa turned demurely back to her drink. "Go away."
"No."
"Fuck off."
"I would, but you're in the room. Unless, of course, you feel like helping me?"
Tifa rolled her eyes. "Gods, what happened to you in the life stream? Where's the psychotic killer I used to know and hate?"
"I flushed him down the toilet. Being perverted is so much more fun."
Tifa snorted. "Evidently. Either come here and get smashed with me or go away."
Sephiroth grinned wolfishly and took a seat beside her. "Oh, woe is me! Beer for free! Sex on a stool is beside me! Won't she come sit on my knee? Damn she'd look hot in a gi! Ack, ack! She's armed with a tree!"
"It's not a tree, Shakespeare, it's a stick. Come close so I can beat you with it!"
***
Yuffie winced as a great smashing noise came from the bar.
"Maybe it was a bad idea to send Sephy to cheer Tifa up?"
"That, love, is a rhetorical question," Vincent replied from beside her.
***
Sephiroth grumpily retreated from the war zone Tifa had the idea to call a bar. That woman was a demon when she was mad! Jesus. Nursing a sore right cheek gingerly, he wandered the streets of Kalm, wondering just how Cloud had put up with her in the first place. Stopping in his tracks and halting his train of thoughts, Sephiroth came to a realization. Tifa was only like this when Cloud was away or rejected her. Cloud made her like this in the first place. He had hurt Tifa. Sephiroth felt a sudden wave of emotion rush over him, and he knew he had to do something about Tifa. It was payback time.
After all, he wouldn't have gotten beat up if it weren't for Cloud's talent for bullshit.
***
Yuffie wearily peeked her eye open the next morning, wondering why it was so quiet is Kalm. It was baaad when it got this quiet and the heroes of the planet resided here. Yuffie rolled over and shook her sleeping mate.
"Vinnie! Vinnie!" she said in hushed tones, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. Something was up. Her Ancient's sixth sense knew this, and she knew it had to do with Tifa not taking her anger noisily out on anything. It spelled "Final Heaven" when that girl kept anything locked inside.
"Mrph," Vincent said, rolling over away from Yuffie. The ninja growled.
'VINNIE!!' she bellowed with her mind into his.
"WHAT THE HELL--!!"
Yuffie shook with quiet giggles. "I knew that would wake you up."
Vincent's eyes narrowed. "You are evil."
She smiled. "I know. But really, Vinnie, I'm worried. It's too quiet, and it's almost noon. I can't even hear Tifa yelling at Sephiroth."
Vincent paused to listen. "You're right. Maybe we should just stay in here for a while, love. It's probably safest."
"You're probably right, but still. You don't think Tifa killed Sephy, do you? I mean, she'll beat things to death without knowing."
"Don't be silly. Just near death."
***
Tifa murmured groggily, the sun shining directly through the window and into her eyes. The girl squealed in protest and shuffled farther under the blankets, wondering how the hell she got here and why the bedding didn't smell like her own. It was stronger, and smelled like raw materia and rain. Okay. That was weird.
She had come to the conclusion she was in a man's bed, and only one man smelled like so much power and materia. She groaned, peeking under the covers to make sure she was dressed. She was...sort of. All she had left was her underwear, but was better than nothing, and stripping her just enough to piss her off was a decidedly Sephiroth thing to do.
Not only had the man stripped her, he had wedged his Masamune right behind her ears, wiggled it around a little, and stuck a little bit of tequila in her brain. Damn him. She groaned again, vainly attempting to get to sleep while fighting the sunlight from hell.
A low chuckle came behind her. She winced. "Don't walk so loud!" she snapped.
"You are feisty in the morning. And with a hangover, no less. But you're probably boring, unless your undressed."
Tifa sighed. "I hate your poetry."
Sephiroth sat himself gently down on the bed. "I know," he said, presenting her with a glass of what looked like Lifestream. "This will help."
Though it sounded like he was playing a gong inside her brain, she knew he was whispering, and was grateful. "Thanks," she grated out, her voice more hoarse than she thought it was.
"Thank Yuffie. She's the one who gave me this stuff to give you," Sephiroth lied. "Anyway, sleep here as long as you like. I know you probably don't want to go home with Cloud being there and all, so you can stay at my place until you feel better. Sorry about being an ass earlier."
Tifa raised an eyebrow after drinking the foul green liquid. "Gods, what did they do to you?"
Sephiroth smiled. "Vincent threatened to shoot me."
"Ah."
***
Tifa had passed out quite merrily for the rest of the day, sleeping off the hangover and whatever the hell Sephiroth had given her. She still didn't know what was up with him and Jenova, but she figured she'd know soon.
When she awoke the next morning, her clothes had been pinned to the ceiling, just out of her reach, by the Masamune. A piece of paper with a smiley face drawn on it was left dangling from the hilt.
***
Vincent winced as Tifa's string of curse words floated through Kalm. "Yuffie, I thought you said Sephiroth wouldn't do anything else to Tifa?"
Yuffie shrugged. "The day he tells the truth, I'll eat my Conformer."
"He would pay to see that."
The ninja sighed. "I know."
part i - Objection (Tango)
Author's Note: This is the sequel to Tequila Mockingbird, and it's loaded with love triangle goodness. ^_^ The basic points of view will switch through the story, but it will still be in third person as well as obvious whose point of view you're in.
Disclaimer: Do I really have to? *pouts* All FF7 characters belong to Squaresoft (*yells "Bastards! They're mine!" before running away from scary lawyer people in brown suits and scary psychiatrists in white coats*). Objection (Tango) is a song by Shakira and I want it but don't own it. Dammit.
(0) (0)
(".")
(")--(")
(It's a bunny!)
*coughs* Story time!
***
It's not her fault that she's so irresistible
But all the damage she's caused isn't fixable
Every twenty seconds you repeat her name
But when it comes to me you don't care
If I'm alive or dead
So Objection
I don't want to be the exception
To get a bit of your attention
I love you for free and I'm not your mother
But you don't even bother
Objection
I'm tired of this triangle
Got dizzy dancing tango
I'm falling apart in your hands again
No way
I've got to get away
This is pathetic and sardonic
It's sadistic and psychotic
Tango is not for three
Was never meant to be.
***
Tifa Lockhart stared at the contents of tequila swirling merrily in her glass, and attempted valiantly to mask her feelings. Aeris had swept back into her life and stolen Cloud away once more with zero effort, and it pissed Tifa off just as much as it hurt her. She loved Aeris like a sister, but there was only so much a girl could take before she went insane. Or, just hit something really, really hard.
"Tifa?" the now familiar silky and incredibly sexy voice of Sephiroth wafted through her ears. "Are you wallowing again?"
"Bite me," she snarled.
"Where? Besides, I bet Aeris tastes better than you."
Tifa whirled, her temper flaring to life beyond what she had thought possible. The bastard had the nerve to come into her bar, interrupt her thoughts, and then push every single wrong button Tifa possessed. She growled low in her throat, and glared at Sephiroth in a way that would have made Squall Leonhart cower, but he's not a part of this game, so we'll leave him out for now.
Sephiroth raised his hands in surrender. "Chill out. I'm just rubbing you the wrong way. Actually, I'd love to do that, but you wouldn't let me. You're as sexy as you are deadly."
"Why don't you drop dead then?"
Sephiroth sighed. "I've tried, but Yuffie put that damned life preservation spell on me. I couldn't leave you alone even if I wanted to, which I don't. What man in their right mind would ever want to stop looking at you?"
"Cloud."
"He's nuts."
"Point taken."
Tifa sighed, her misery lightened ever so slightly by Sephiroth's cynical mood. She felt the need to kill something, and knew that as she thought it, Sephiroth would bring it up. He had an uncanny way of reading her mind. Tifa wished Cloud could do that, and briefly pondered what it would be like to be in love with Sephiroth. That thought was quickly dismissed from her mind, however, when she remembered that Sephiroth was pining after Aeris. What the hell was it with that girl, anyway?
Tifa turned demurely back to her drink. "Go away."
"No."
"Fuck off."
"I would, but you're in the room. Unless, of course, you feel like helping me?"
Tifa rolled her eyes. "Gods, what happened to you in the life stream? Where's the psychotic killer I used to know and hate?"
"I flushed him down the toilet. Being perverted is so much more fun."
Tifa snorted. "Evidently. Either come here and get smashed with me or go away."
Sephiroth grinned wolfishly and took a seat beside her. "Oh, woe is me! Beer for free! Sex on a stool is beside me! Won't she come sit on my knee? Damn she'd look hot in a gi! Ack, ack! She's armed with a tree!"
"It's not a tree, Shakespeare, it's a stick. Come close so I can beat you with it!"
***
Yuffie winced as a great smashing noise came from the bar.
"Maybe it was a bad idea to send Sephy to cheer Tifa up?"
"That, love, is a rhetorical question," Vincent replied from beside her.
***
Sephiroth grumpily retreated from the war zone Tifa had the idea to call a bar. That woman was a demon when she was mad! Jesus. Nursing a sore right cheek gingerly, he wandered the streets of Kalm, wondering just how Cloud had put up with her in the first place. Stopping in his tracks and halting his train of thoughts, Sephiroth came to a realization. Tifa was only like this when Cloud was away or rejected her. Cloud made her like this in the first place. He had hurt Tifa. Sephiroth felt a sudden wave of emotion rush over him, and he knew he had to do something about Tifa. It was payback time.
After all, he wouldn't have gotten beat up if it weren't for Cloud's talent for bullshit.
***
Yuffie wearily peeked her eye open the next morning, wondering why it was so quiet is Kalm. It was baaad when it got this quiet and the heroes of the planet resided here. Yuffie rolled over and shook her sleeping mate.
"Vinnie! Vinnie!" she said in hushed tones, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. Something was up. Her Ancient's sixth sense knew this, and she knew it had to do with Tifa not taking her anger noisily out on anything. It spelled "Final Heaven" when that girl kept anything locked inside.
"Mrph," Vincent said, rolling over away from Yuffie. The ninja growled.
'VINNIE!!' she bellowed with her mind into his.
"WHAT THE HELL--!!"
Yuffie shook with quiet giggles. "I knew that would wake you up."
Vincent's eyes narrowed. "You are evil."
She smiled. "I know. But really, Vinnie, I'm worried. It's too quiet, and it's almost noon. I can't even hear Tifa yelling at Sephiroth."
Vincent paused to listen. "You're right. Maybe we should just stay in here for a while, love. It's probably safest."
"You're probably right, but still. You don't think Tifa killed Sephy, do you? I mean, she'll beat things to death without knowing."
"Don't be silly. Just near death."
***
Tifa murmured groggily, the sun shining directly through the window and into her eyes. The girl squealed in protest and shuffled farther under the blankets, wondering how the hell she got here and why the bedding didn't smell like her own. It was stronger, and smelled like raw materia and rain. Okay. That was weird.
She had come to the conclusion she was in a man's bed, and only one man smelled like so much power and materia. She groaned, peeking under the covers to make sure she was dressed. She was...sort of. All she had left was her underwear, but was better than nothing, and stripping her just enough to piss her off was a decidedly Sephiroth thing to do.
Not only had the man stripped her, he had wedged his Masamune right behind her ears, wiggled it around a little, and stuck a little bit of tequila in her brain. Damn him. She groaned again, vainly attempting to get to sleep while fighting the sunlight from hell.
A low chuckle came behind her. She winced. "Don't walk so loud!" she snapped.
"You are feisty in the morning. And with a hangover, no less. But you're probably boring, unless your undressed."
Tifa sighed. "I hate your poetry."
Sephiroth sat himself gently down on the bed. "I know," he said, presenting her with a glass of what looked like Lifestream. "This will help."
Though it sounded like he was playing a gong inside her brain, she knew he was whispering, and was grateful. "Thanks," she grated out, her voice more hoarse than she thought it was.
"Thank Yuffie. She's the one who gave me this stuff to give you," Sephiroth lied. "Anyway, sleep here as long as you like. I know you probably don't want to go home with Cloud being there and all, so you can stay at my place until you feel better. Sorry about being an ass earlier."
Tifa raised an eyebrow after drinking the foul green liquid. "Gods, what did they do to you?"
Sephiroth smiled. "Vincent threatened to shoot me."
"Ah."
***
Tifa had passed out quite merrily for the rest of the day, sleeping off the hangover and whatever the hell Sephiroth had given her. She still didn't know what was up with him and Jenova, but she figured she'd know soon.
When she awoke the next morning, her clothes had been pinned to the ceiling, just out of her reach, by the Masamune. A piece of paper with a smiley face drawn on it was left dangling from the hilt.
***
Vincent winced as Tifa's string of curse words floated through Kalm. "Yuffie, I thought you said Sephiroth wouldn't do anything else to Tifa?"
Yuffie shrugged. "The day he tells the truth, I'll eat my Conformer."
"He would pay to see that."
The ninja sighed. "I know."