The creature before her was beautiful. Why did the Planet have to make its most beautiful creatures have such hideous hearts? She sighed in defeat. More than anything, she wanted to prove Zack wrong about this man. There was good in everybody, regardless of what grief their lives inflicted upon them. She wanted to know why his smile was trapped behind that frown... why he had a 'fetish' for killing, as Zack called it.
Aeris knew how annoying her boyfriend could be. Why did he refrain from killing Zack? She remembered the talk Zack gave her about how he was the only one would had enough "balls" to talk to Sephiroth like a normal human being. Was that the reason he liked to isolate himself from everybody? Did people treat him like some predator after human blood, not realizing he too possessed feelings? He knew how to hide them remarkably well.
There was so much she wanted to understand about him; her curiosity had her mind lost in an unsettling current. That curiosity was what sailed her out to sea, and anchored her body next to his. She reached a hand out as if to touch him, but quickly yanked it back. She was afraid of him. That fear prevented her ship of curiosity from finding its way; if she were to wake him, he'd probably kill her, confusing her for a bandit.
She stood up from her kneeling position, and lifted her head to look above. If there had been stars visible through that black hunk of metal, she'd be wishing on one to give her the courage to wake him up and get to know him past his dark exterior. She surely wanted to; she wanted to treat him like the human he was; moreover, treat him as friend. He would probably mistake her friendship for pity, but maybe that was what she was feeling for him. She couldn't shake the oddity; it was in her nature.
She looked down at him again and shivered.
Deep down, there was even an attraction. She couldn't prevent the pressure of her heart racing, the jolt of energy that singed up her spine or the uncontrollable tremble of her fingertips even if she desperately tried. It was something she had not felt with Zack; it was powerful...nearly uncontrollable.
But she'd never act on her feelings for the sake of her beloved. He was her everything; the only person besides Elymra that understood her. It was best if she left before she became entranced by the figure slumbering in front of her. Not only was she in great danger, she did not want to do anything she'd regret. That was enough to convince her to retire to her undisturbed bed.
Softly treading back to the house with her sleeping mother, she cast one last glance at the man. He looked so concentrated. She smiled at him unconsciously, like a mother would a sleeping child, before soundlessly picking up her weapon and returning to her house. If she was as stubborn and determined as everybody said she was, she would find a way to understand him; even if it meant putting herself in a little danger...Or a lot.
When the door of the house closed, he knew she had decided to leave him. She had probably been afraid of him like everybody else, but who wouldn't be with a reputation like his. He relished that smile she had given before leaving. What had she been thinking? Part of him wanted to run as far away from this girl as possible for taking all his concentration, but the other part wanted to chase after her and never let her leave. He wanted to tell her to wait...Just to wait for a brief moment so he could ask her if she could really make such beauty in a corrupt world; however, the lump in his throat blocked all words from being heard. He could not remember the last time he felt so...nervous. His palm that held the bunched up stem was wet with sweat, and flames filled his chest, trailing down his limbs, paralyzing his body. He was actually glad he did not move or he'd take her down with his desire for more.
Coming out of the trance, he slowly lifted his head and fully opened his eyes. The strain from keeping them half lidded was starting to give him a headache. Either that or it was his uncertainty. He did not know how to handle these feelings; they were new to him. There was no solution he could think of to extinguish the fire that burned within him. It aggravated him. This would not come between him and his plans. These sentiments were the last thing he needed.
Jumping to his feet, he brushed the fertile soil on his backside away, then quickly equipped the masamune to his belt. A reluctant sigh escaped his mouth. He wanted to stay in this place forever, but for some reason life would not go on in his absence. He figured that out when the wounds he had inflicted upon himself healed before they were given the chance to bleed. He felt trapped in his own body...trapped in his life. As much as he wanted to forget, he was also trapped in his memories.
He made his way out of the flower sanctuary, leisurely taking in the night-tainted view of Heaven once more, before entering through Hell's gates. His empty hand pushed back the silver bangs that hung loosely over his eyes, while his other cradled the dying naked stem. Walking through the slums there were voices of angry men, accompanied by screams of frightened women. There were guns being fired in which ever direction followed by agonizing cries for mercy; however, the tall figure dressed in black did not hear it; the high volume of the cacophony in his mind drowned the sound into a muffled whisper.
It had only been moments, but he had already wanted to see her again. He wanted to know her voice. That ghost of a girl haunted him. It angered him that he was so interested in some mystical woman. The feelings, everything about the way she taunted him angered him. All these mixed feelings gave him an urge to kill something; however, he would refrain for now. He wanted all his pent up hostility to stab Shinra right through the gray of his heart.
The night was quickly fading. Sephiroth had made his way to the upper plates and walked around the empty streets, hands placed in his leather trench coat. Still, he never let go of the fragile stem, even with pockets to catch its fall. The noise his boots made against the damp, stone ground echoed with each unhurried step. It was quiet on the top plates; the living conditions were better, and residents occupying these areas would be too busy to interact with one another other, much less stay out in the streets in the middle of the night. The only thing that made him noticeable was his hair and his mako eyes; the rest of his black clothed body blended with the empty darkness.
Being rich or poor, one thing in the city did not change no matter where he walked. Pollution. The polluted smell of Mako energy filled his nostrils, causing him to grit his teeth in disgust. Midgar and Sephiroth had something in common; they were both contaminated by Mako past the point of no return. It made them wear a mask of lifelessness. Perhaps that is why the girl and her garden touched him so. He had never felt alive until he walked onto that Holy ground; it was the only 'foreign' soil not covered by blood, death or pollution. Other than revenge for taking his life from him, maybe that was the other reason he wanted to put an end to the Shinra. If he were to put end to all use of Mako... put an end to the source of all his troubles, maybe he'd be able to break from the cage life locked him in. But when he did put an end to it, would he even care about the people? He would be cutting all their source of power, taking away thousands of jobs, and blowing up their homes...that was to put it mildly. He didn't know how many he'd have to kill before people started listening to him.
They already feared him; why not use their fear to fit his needs? To tell the truth, he'd probably enjoy every bit of their suffering. Those people were dependent on the poison like it was their source for living. It made him sick how they respected that bastard so much. If only they knew what went on behind closed doors; like how he has his disturbed scientists inject innocent boys with mind corrupting poison without their consent, or how Shinra orders his "favorite" General to nuke nearly entire populations during war because they refuse to have Mako processors built on their land. That was not the half of it. In the end, because he followed orders, Sephiroth got the reputation for being the cold-hearted, apathetic killer. It used to affect him; he'd pace in his office looking out the window wondering why people could not look him in the eye, or speak clearly without stuttering. With time he learned to live with it and abide by his reputation. There was only one person he could think of that did not treat him like a lifeless machine. That was Zack.
It did not matter how blunt and callous he was to that man. Zack simply did not fear him like the rest. At first he wanted to kill the boy, for being so brave with his words and actions, but he couldn't. Zack actually treated him like a human. That bravery gained him the only respect Sephiroth could possess in others. Yes, there were moments when he wished a monster would come and eat him, such as the time when he convinced him to "hook" him up with Zack's girlfriend at the time, Lila's, friend. To save later whining from Zack, he gave her a chance. It was one moment that stuck out in his mind, even if it weren't pleasant.
It was a gloomy day in February, approximately four in the afternoon. The Café the four had ended up in was not very busy, but popular with SOLDIERS. They had decided to take a booth in the back left corner where the artificial light didn't shine directly over them. Sephiroth requested this because he desperately tried not to look at the woman. There was something on her face that he couldn't stop staring at disgustedly. Zack sat across from Lila, forcing Sephiroth to sit across from the 'Whole eater' as he called her. He tried desperately to look away from that thing on her face, but it seemed to have a "LOOK AT ME!" sign written on it in bright colors. She and Lila had started looking over the menu, and Sephiroth found himself looking at her like some kind of rodent.
When Zack caught him staring at her oddly and disgustedly, he nudged him.
"Hey, you alright, you look like you just bit a chunk out of Shinra's ass."
At the sound of Zack's voice, he shook his head, breaking the trance, and acknowledged him. He wanted more than anything to say 'probably because I'm looking at a fragment of Shinra's ass' but he choked on his words and all that came out was, "I am fine."
When the waiter came and got their orders, the women walked off to the bathroom, leaving the two SOLIDERs to themselves. Sephiroth immediately lifted his hands as if to choke Zack, but he ended up slamming the table.
"Is this some kind of joke?!" Sephiroth was a notch below shouting.
"What? I though you were having a good time. Don't you like Betty? I think she likes you..."
"Zack, I would not call an evening staring at a whole eater with a mole the size of the Planet a good time! The thing is practically staring at me! I tense up just looking at it—her! I can't say anything to her in fear that that mole will do something ineffably destructive!"
Zack saw Sephiroth's wide eyed expression and how his hands were balled in fists pressed firmly on the table, nearly denting it. His breaths were short and quick and Zack swore there was steam coming out his ears. He started laughing hysterically, causing the already tense man to become red in rage.
"HA! HA! HA! HA! Heh, heh, heh. I guess it is a bit big, eh? Were there any hair sprouting outta it?" Another fit of laughter broke out, and Zack struggled to catch his breath.
Sephiroth noticed the girls walking back from the bathroom giggling and nudged the shoulder of the cackling man. "You'd better compose yourself Zack, here they come."
Zack straightened his face and a toothy smile remained. "Hey Lila." He nodded, "Betty." He snickered.
"Hairs out of what? What's so funny?" Lila asked sitting back down in the booth, Betty following her in it.
When Zack caught site of Betty, he once again started laughing hysterically. Whether he realized it or not, Sephiroth gave a closed grin, turning his head to look away from the confused girls.
Being into his fit of laughter, Zack couldn't find any words to speak, so Sephiroth responded for him. "I was just telling him about some Whole Eater I came across the other day."
"Oh. Can you share it with us?!" Betty asked now fluttering her eyes at him.
Sephiroth winched unnoticeably, and waved his hands out in front of him. "Perhaps some other time. Please understand it's a long story and I do not want Zack to keep laughing like this." He struggled to look away from the blemish, but when he locked his vision on it, a wide grin came on his face. He quickly lowered his face and his gloved hands covered his expression.
"Well if it's that hilarious, why did you wait until we were gone to tell it?" Lila had a look of suspicion in her eyes.
"With all due respect, ma'am, I didn't think me talking about its horrific anatomies would be very kosher at a moment like this."
"Tee hee! Call me Lila, Sephiroth!" Lila looked at Zack who was literally red as a tomato still struggling to get air in his lungs. "Zack! Are you alright? Everybody is looking at you like you have lost your sanity."
Zack raised his head, still clutching on his stomach. "Sorry Emily...That mole eater story was hilarious."
Sephiroth suddenly lifted his head when he heard what Zack had said. Luckily Lila or Betty didn't notice the "Mole" eater slip, however, they did notice they way he called her Emily.
"Umm...Zack...my name is "Lila" not "Emily" There is no 'Emily' in my name at all."
Quickly Zack stopped laughing and tried to cover for his mistake. "Oh.. Well I thought Lila was short for Emily... you know, Emily...Lila...Same difference." He scratched the back of his head.
Lila was getting angry. "Well if it's the same difference, why did you bother calling me that other name in the first place?! I don't think Emily is anything close to Lila. There's someone else isn't there!?" Lila stood up, drawing attention from every corner of the café.
"Uh..." Zack turned his head to Sephiroth, who was giving him the 'you did it now' eye, and quickly went back to Lila. "I didn't mean it like that ...AND NO! There is no one else! I swear!"
"Yeah right Zackary. I knew I should have listened to my friend when she called you trouble!"
"Yeah, well maybe if you'd not rely on your friends to find your boyfriends, maybe you'd be able to figure stuff out on your own." Zack quickly bit his tongue, but he had said enough.
She slapped him in the face then looked at Sephiroth. "I hope you two have a wonderful dinner. I'm not hungry anymore. Com'on Betty!"
"Uhh okay, Lila...Bye Sephiroth!" She quickly wrote her number down on a napkin. "Call me, 'Kay!" She rushed after the furious Lila, winking at him before she followed her out the door.
Looking after her as she left, Sephiroth finally made his conclusion.
"Women are nothing but a waste of time. I honestly don't understand why you dedicate so much time to them, only to get slapped in the face." Sephiroth got out of the booth and stood. His legs were cramped from sitting so long. "But I AM glad you found some way to end this evening." He took his fire materia and burned the napkin with her number on it. "Sorry Betty, but I have enough monsters after me already."
When the ashes floated to the floor, Sephiroth looked at Zack, who was already standing doing squats. He didn't understand why Zack had a habit of doing squats, but it was terribly annoying. He narrowed his eyes at him with an evil glare. Zack didn't seem to notice. He had a one-track mind.
"These women up here are too stuck up. I'm gonna go look in the lower sectors for a woman who will respect me."
Sephiroth smirked. "Heh. The only difference will be that they all live off of and eat their trash."
Judging how content Zack was now with his new girl, he must have been wrong. There was a difference. He had seen it himself earlier on in that garden. Maybe that was where all the people not blinded by Shinra's foolish games were. They were just confused with their unprivileged and poor living conditions. They had to do something to live, even if it WAS to eat their own trash and steal or murder one another.
Before he knew it, it was at the door of Base housing, where he had told Zack to take the SOLDIERS. The main entrance was spacey and had mailboxes tacked to the walls. Typing in his code, the safety lock came open with a "click" and he took the massive amount of mail out. He knew they'd all be asleep, so he silently walked down the hallway. SOLDIERS were four to a room, but Sephiroth and Zack had rooms of their own. Zack's was at the end to the left, and Sephiroth's was at the right. When he got to the intersection, he saw that Zack's door was wide open. He looked inside and seen Zack slumped over in a chair snoring louder than Sephiroth ever heard. 'Must have been waiting up for me I see.'
Walking in to put a halt to the noise, Sephiroth was about to take the butt of his sword and knock Zack out, but then something else caught his attention. To the left of his desk, beyond all the paperwork, was a yellow flower. It looked just like the ones he had seen in the garden. It had a black pen holder for a vase, filled with water as if he were trying to keep it alive. It had started to wilt, but it was still clearly elegant.
Opening his hand, observing the flowers, he confirmed it was one of those from that girl. 'Now I see why Zack is so content...'
He could not deny the jealousy or the envy, but he hid it away. He quickly walked out of the room leaving the dead stem on Zack's desk. Maybe he'd figure out where he had been...Sephiroth smirked. He walked across the hall and went into his room, gently closing the door.
Remember his mail was still in his hand, he searched it. Most of it was missions or strategy requests, but one caught his eye. It was what he had been waiting for. Ripping the red ShinRa seal to the letter, Sephiroth pulled out the small piece of paper with black fine print.
General Sephiroth.
If you are not aware, President Shinra's 67th Birthday Celebration is going to be held within 4 days. You are cordially invited to attend this gracious event. Many important visitors will be attending this party, so we ask that you come dressed formally, unequipped with weapons. You may bring only two guests to prevent congestion.
We hope you can attend.
Sincerely,
ShinRa, Inc.
No weapons. That would mean he'd have to do it stealthy. If he were to go in there with a weapon, they'd immediately know something was going to happen. He paced through his room and decided he would in fact need his SOLDIERs. Especially Zack. This was definitely going to be a difficult mission. And after he succeeded, it was going to be even more difficult.
AN: There is chapter Three. If it sounds like someone else's it purely coincidental. I have no desire to copy off of other's work. Give it a chance. I think it will be different. If it does end up sounding like someone else's work, let me know and I'll change it ASAP. I apologize if it is going too slow. It will pick up, I promise. Thank you very much for taking the time to read and review it. You don't understand how much it means to me. It brightens my whole day when I get good feedback! ï