From what Cloud saw, Sephiroth slept in a sort of cryogenic hibernation, the mixture of science and sorcery slowly healing him. A look of peace and innocence masked the man's face, his silver hair floating in the mixture of Mako energy and liquid oxygen. Whether or not he still breathed, Cloud couldn't tell.
Once more he sighed, placing a hand on the small window near the older man's face. "Beautiful..." he muttered without thinking. A red paint of blush decorated his face. "Holy shit...I did not just say that out loud." The blush faded as he recovered. "Cloud, you came here for a reason," he told himself. "Time to finish what you started five years ago."
Backing up a bit, Cloud went to the pod's lock and entered the code. Suddenly, the pod-door swung open, spilling out the liquid energy and human onto the floor. Sephiroth sat on his hands and knees, coughing up the liquids from his lungs and gasping for air. He wore only a pair of dripping black pants, exposing the many scars from his previous battle with Cloud and the ever-present scar on the right side of the man's back from his wing.
Picking up a nearby towel, Cloud handed the piece of cloth to the silver-haired man, avoiding his confused and curious teal gaze. His back to Sephiroth, Cloud sighed again as the older man dried himself off. "So..." Sephiroth finally spoke. "You came to finish the job, didn't you?"
"Cut the shit Sephiroth," Cloud cursed, turning to face him. "Why did you help me earlier?"
"With the Jenova cell problem?" Sephiroth shrugged lightly. "I don't really think it matters."
"Why did you help me?!" Cloud repeated, sounding more frustrated this time.
"Why did you spare my life?" countered Sephiroth coolly.
The blonde glared at Sephiroth, then smirked. "I don't really think it matters."
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the remark. "Touché." He picked up his cloak from the ground nearby and slid it over his shoulders. "Really. Why did you come back? I was expecting you to leave me here for all eternity."
Cloud hesitated as he turned to leave. "I don't know. I just...wanted to see you again...I didn't care if you were dead, alive, or whatever..." He shook his head. "Lame, isn't it?"
"Not as lame as you sparing me in the first place." He adjusted his collar a bit as he walked a few paces behind Cloud. "You should have saved us both some misery and killed me when you had the chance."
"Maybe I didn't want to!" Cloud shouted, spinning around quickly. He blushed a bit, his nose just inches away from Sephiroth's. Simultaneously, the two took a step back away from each other. "I'm going back to Niblhiem. Zax is waiting at the mansion."
"Zax? You dragged Zax into this?" Sephiroth asked.
"Yeah," shrugged Cloud. "We're on sort of a quest. To destroy any and all reactors."
"And find a way to revive Aeris," finished Sephiroth.
Cloud stopped walking, but didn't turn. "I couldn't really care about Aeris anymore..." he whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "Having her back wouldn't make me happy...It would make me even more sad to know I even lost her in the first place..."
Sephiroth nodded his head, following Cloud like a shadow. "If that makes you happy..." There was a hint of sadness, even regret in his voice. "About Zax, how did he survive that battle? He was shot at least twenty times..."
"Bulletproof vest he 'borrowed' from one of the higher-ranked SOLDIERs," replied Cloud, failing to notice the sudden change of subject as they left the reactor.
"You mean stole..." muttered Sephiroth. He sighed to himself and stretched as they entered the cool morning air. "Its still early...I assume you weren't able to sleep."
"I had a bad dream. That's all," Cloud defended himself. "Then the Jenova cells reacted."
"Oh?" He didn't bother to hide or mask his curiosity. "Tell me about this dream. I can tell it puzzles you, and you seem comfortable about telling me everything."
Cloud shook his head. "Not with this Sephiroth. Its...hard to explain."
The silver-haired man stopped and went to the nearby boulder, leaning on it with his arms crossed. "Tell me anyway. I'm a smart person and will be able to decipher it."
"No...its okay...Its nothing," Cloud smiled weakly. "As a matter of fact, lets just drop the subject."
"Why?" Sephiroth smirked. "You have my complete curiosity and interest now. It must have been quite a dream if you just want to drop it like a useless Materia." He could obviously sense Cloud's growing anger and frustration. "You would have told her in a heartbeat."
At that, Cloud went to Sephiroth and punched the wall beside the older man's head, pinning him to the rocky cliffside. "Listen Sephiroth," Cloud growled. "I am not in the mood for your shit today, got it? I could have left you in that damn reactor to be blown to thousands of Goddamn pieces when Zax and I destroy that fucking thing! But I didn't! I decided to be a nice person and save your fucking life! So be grateful, you low-life, one-winged bastard son of a bitch!"
Sephiroth's calm eyes pierced Cloud. They were cold and uncaring, like Cloud remembered them. But there was a strange spark in them, a shine Cloud would have never noticed if he weren't face-to-face with Sephiroth. There was fear hidden in the depths of the glowing aquamarine stones of the angel's eyes, though his face held no emotion.
Fear? Cloud thought to himself, the two refusing to turn away. What is he afraid of? Surely not me...He knows better than anyone I can't kill him...Was it something I said? Definitely not...I've been around Cid and Barret way too long...What is it? What is Sephiroth afraid of?
"Uh...I'll just leave you two alone..." a voice nearby spoke.
The two turned to see Zax coming up the trail, now blushing a bright crimson. Cloud instantly released Sephiroth, who breathed a sigh of relief as the blonde went to Zax.
"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Cloud shouted at Zax, whacking him upside the head with a paper fan he had seemingly summoned from thin air. "I told you to stay at the fucking mansion in case any Shinra bastards attack?!"
"Dude...calm down! Its four in the morning and you really need to cut down on the cussing," Zax stood his ground, ignoring the mark on his head from the fan. "Cussing is bad for your health and I doubt any Shinra officers know we're here."
Cloud sighed, putting the fan away. Saying nothing, he stomped off towards the mansion, leaving Zax and Sephiroth behind. Again Sephiroth sighed a deep breath of relief. Zax glanced at him. "You okay? You look a little shook up..."
"'A little'?" Sephiroth chuckled weakly. "He had me pinned to the wall, Zax...I'm more than just 'a little' shook up." His voice lowered to a whisper. "He could have done anything to me, and I wouldn't have been able to stop him. You don't realize how glad I am you showed up."
"Hey no problem," grinned Zax. "I had a feeling something was going to happen." The two began walking down the mountain towards Nibelheim. "Cloud's been thinking about you since we destroyed that last reactor in Midgar."
"That's reassuring," Sephiroth sarcastically remarked. "And what, pray tell, reminded him of me?"
Zax chuckled weakly. "Heh heh...That was more of my fault. I made a stupid comment, he got all depressed, then I asked him about the final battle between you two, and here we are now!"
"Oh..." Sephiroth rubbed his forehead a bit. "So...about this destroying reactors thing...you think it's a good idea?"
"A good idea? No...A safe idea? Definitely not..But the best thing for the planet? Perhaps. We'll need the help though. Once Shinra does catch wind of this, they'll be on us like stink on shit," explained Zax.
"You're right...Not to mention the threat of Jenova taking over Cloud." He ignored Zax's wide-eyed look of surprise. "Earlier, his cells from Jenova nearly destroyed him. If they are still active, it means Jenova is still alive and still has some hold of him. She's not at this reactor though..."
"So you're saying she could take over Cloud?" Zax asked.
Sephiroth nodded his head. "Its possible she could use her own cells to control him like a puppet. The threat doesn't exist with me, considering I've had enough time to take control of my Jenova cells...We'll just have to keep an eye on him."
"We? What's this 'we' shit? Do you have a mouse in your pocket?!" Zax exclaimed.
"You are Cloud's friend, aren't you?" Sephiroth asked sternly. Zax nodded his head. "Then we'll watch over him...He already knows the threat of Jenova exists."
The dark-haired man sighed. "You need to relax a bit. You know you aren't the only one who was fucked over in this life."
"Maybe you're right..." Sephiroth shook the thought from his head as the two neared the mansion, a strange feeling tugging at his heart.