Author's Note: This is NOT the last chapter! It may seem like it at times...but it's not. Hope the mind warpage doesn't bother you too much...enjoy and thanks again for reviewing!
Chapter 19 – Crescendo Affrettando
"Rash?" she replied, looking up at him innocently, "Why would that be?" But he did not answer, for he suddenly felt the unease close in on him. He didn't feel right close to her, he knew that he had brought her into certain danger.
"Tifa..." he began, his voice toneless, "You shouldn't be here."
"She's right where she should be," the beautiful voice nearly sung. Vincent was not surprised at the intrusion; Tiveph had a way with showing up at the right time.
Tiveph stood in the doorway, carrying an unconscious Sephiroth in his arms. He tossed the man down like a doll, and let his glowing eyes inspect Tifa, who had pried herself from Vincent's grasp. She scowled at the machine.
"What are you..." she hissed at him, her eyes taking on an unusually red tone. He laughed at her with tenor notes.
"An astronomer. Well, that's at least what I began as," he said amusedly, peering down at her as if she were a child, "I discovered Jenova, you know. Saw her streaming through the atmosphere on broken wings...such a sad sight, watching angels fall..." She scrunched her face in disgust.
"Angel! Do you know what that...THING did to your people?" she sputtered out spastically, losing herself in the heat of it all. He stared coldly at her.
"He was supposed to be the next angel," he said pointing to the still and pathetic form of Sephiroth, "But he let his own ambition get the better of him...twice. It's sad, considering how long I prepared his mother for..."
"...What did you do...?" Vincent muttered mechanically, red eyes focused on the floor. Tifa was momentarily stared at him in shock, and then turned to glare at Tiveph. Conflicting instincts assaulted Tifa; she did not know whether to fight or to comfort. She decided on neither.
"Human emotion is something that the other Cetra took for granted," he said smoothly, like a great orator ready to give his lifetime's thesis, "I saw the potential behind it. I've made it my life's work...so wonderful now that I now longer have a physical body. My execution made for ease of thinking; the body is such a burden to thought."
"Get to the point," Vincent spat out like a curse, making Tifa instinctively touch his arm. He flinched.
"Why should I tell you anything? You are nothing but a demon," he purred, letting the syllables roll effortlessly off his metallic tongue, "I have had to treat all men like you, those who dare tamper with my angels...to what fate awaits you." Tifa's fingers were tingling, and her hair felt as if it were standing on edge. She wanted to fight, she wanted to take action. And now she knew why.
"I'm always second best, aren't I?" she whispered to Tiveph, eyes narrowed into slits. He turned from his verbal assault to stare at her, with dimly lit eyes.
"Oh, hardly," he chuckled, the joyous sounds emitting from his mouth making her stomach turn, "Your line has been an asset, but for a different reason. How could I have known rejection from the human perspective? Or longing? You especially...quite a cocktail of locked emotion..."
"Leave her alone," Vincent said monotonously, his clenched fists the only indicator of his slowly boiling rage, "I will only ask you once." Tiveph grinned, that horrible jester grin of a colorfully grotesque mask.
"Then I shall let you take care of her," he said prophetically, like preaching to the masses, "You will end her horrible existence...she has served her purpose, finding you..." He waved his hand, tracing an odd pattern in the air.
Vincent felt his left hand move, tugging on his arm to follow. Tifa leapt over to his side, a worried expression on her face. He tried speaking, but no words could come out of his lips. His hand finally pulled the arm along, and it moved upwards, Vincent's gaze turning into mixed horror as his hand found its grip, its destination.
It was firmly gripped around Tifa's neck.
She was gasping for air now, her whole face pleading with him, but he could not stop the muscles...
"CHAOS!" he choked out, as her eyes closed and stopped their pleading.
The air was still in the field, as a silvery gray haired man held up the peculiar object to the group of children. Their anxious and impatient faces were transfixed, as he demonstrated the proper use, putting his eye up to one end of it. They clapped and cheered when he told them of its purpose, each begging for a turn with this new toy, this 'telescope'...
Can you hear me?
The man was now walking through a primitive looking village, his aquamarine eyes glinting with pride at the woman whose hand rested gently in the crook of his arm. She was tall, and had a strange and eerie air about her, as her vibrant green eyes nearly glowed in the half light. He steered her towards his newest invention, its fires giving them a warm glow. A tall boy gingerly picked the glowing metal out with long tongs, grinning madly at the pair...
Yes, I want to see you...where can I find you?
The graceful people gathered, faces angry and some shaking their staves. The round stone table in the center of the crowd had many silver haired men seated around it, all with aquamarine eyes, calmly asking questions to a woman, her vibrant green eyes casting shadows on her features. Women held up sickly children, and men were busy pointing at the thing they had in the cage, its monstrous purple fur bristling at the taunts and jeers. The green eyed woman was laughing, musically tuning the scene...
You have to reach for it...can you?
The silver haired man was sketching a woman's catlike eye, gently tossing the pencil as he gave up the endeavor. A pretty little green eyed girl was watching him, his ageless features giving her a wide grin. He went back to his workbench, which had scattered carpenter's tools and medical assortments alike, and filled a small vile with a fluorescent liquid, stirring it vigorously with a glass rod. The girl hopped over to his side, handing him the present she had drawn, complete with a childishly scrawled label, stating 'Tiphareth' in a green crayon...
I have it. What do you want me to do?
A woman shouted angrily at the silver haired man, pointing next to him, where a dark haired boy stood. His solemn dark eyes looked sad, and were wistfully staring at the girl, whose brown locks tumbled about her where she lay limply on the table. The man wasn't watching the woman; he numbly stared at the girl, a trickle of water falling from his now darker blue eyes. The woman pointed to a taller man, who held a long object that glinted in the sun, curved and sharp and lovely...
Pull back that part...and aim...
The armor clinked as he worked, irritating his progress. He tinkered with an iron claw in front of him; it was the size of an average man's hand. He poked and prodded at it with sharp instruments, humming a little as he worked. A groan emanated from behind him, and he swiveled around, looking at the young man before him. His ruffled red hair quivered at he stirred, and his groans grew loader, as the painkillers were wearing off. His bloodied bandages were carefully wrapped around the stump that was his left hand. He threw back the visor on the helmet, revealing an empty void...
I can't...I have to tell you...
He dramatically pointed to calculations and drawings, his lack of a face cleverly concealed by a scarf and goggles; his entire existence covered in clothing. The lecture hall was packed with young men and women, some eagerly watching while others doodled in their notebooks. One young man sat in the front row, hunched forward eagerly, his long hair tied neatly back, a few strands falling onto his face and in front of his coldly intelligent bespectacled eyes...
Please, make it quick...
The spectacled man beamed at his handiwork, wiping a bit of blood off his cuff. The unconscious man was sprawled across the table, a golden claw adorning his left arm. The mechanized figure plodded over, stiffly moving in his joints. He patted the man on the back, inspecting the workings of the claw by moving the man's arm around, flexing the fingers and testing the movements of the wrist. A beautiful green eyed woman poked her head in the doorway, and the man went over to her, a smile across his face. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and he rubbed her swollen stomach, while the machine stared intently with his masked face...
Thank you...don't forget...me...
He hid behind the tree, his mechanized parts covered by clothes, deep silver in the twilight. He was watching intently as a young girl, her dark hair swinging loosing behind her, came to the water tower, where a nervous looking blond boy sat. The girl's cinnamon eyes opened widely as the boy spoke, and her small voice exclaimed in excitement and then hastily whispered. If he had the face to do so, we would have been grinning widely, soaking up the interaction like a sponge...
Thank you...for making me feel...human...
Tiveph scowled with his mechanical muscles as the bullet rang out, meeting its intended. He cursed under his breath, for the error in calculation, the chink in his plan. He looked over at the three forms lying around him, and bent down to pick up the obscenely long sword that lay near Sephiroth's form. With a deft and disgusted movement, he slid it effortlessly into the man's chest, and quickly pulled into out. The general spurted a little blood from his mouth reflexively, and then was still. Tiveph strode over the other two forms, ready to see if any life still existed.
"A sacrifice too soon, Tifa," he said quietly, gazing at her peaceful face, "You were the gateway to the splitting of the Lifestream...the separating of the good and bad...true justice. You, with all of humanity's weaknesses and none of its sins..."
"Perhaps it's time to test my theory," an odd voice echoed, etching a look of horror onto Tiveph's face.
Alrighty, for those who are confused...the little scenes in italics are showing snippets of Tiveph's life. He used to be called Tiphareth...do a google search to figure out what that means, if you're curious The bold italics are a conversation...I'll leave it up to your reading skills to figure out who they are...