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Pre-reading author note: If you are under 13 years of age, please skip the section between the second dotted line and third after the chapter tittle. I do not want to twist young minds any more than they already are or imprint questionable images. Don't say I didn't warn you. Review replies are at the bottom as usual. Thank you. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Chapter 5:

The Confessions

"We need a place to stay," Luben whispered as we crouched in the forest. He was bleeding heavily. Anima bound his wounds as we thought about the predicament.

"Let's stay at an inn over night," I sighed. I needed a decent night's sleep in a warm bed. "Two nights, if we can spare it."

"Sounds good to me," Sephiroth agreed.

"One problem," Anima said. "I only have enough money for a one, single bed room."

"That's fine. I have enough money for a one bed as well," I muttered. I glanced at Sephiroth, but he refused to look at me. After Cloud told him my feelings, he hadn't looked at me once. It pained me that he would shun me like that. I was not looking forward to sharing a room with him, but I wasn't going to split up Anima and Luben.

"It's settled. We go to the inn at dusk," Luben finalized. We remained in the woods until the shadows lengthened.

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"One bedroom, please," Anima requested.

"One bed or two?" the clerk muttered. She sounded bored to death.

"One bed with one bath."

"Room 52B. Here's your key. Next."

"One bedroom, one bed with one bath," I said hurriedly.

"Room 84D. Here's your key."

"Well," I said as Sephiroth and I hurried to our room. "I guess Cloud won't think to look for you here, huh?"

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't."

"What's wrong?" I asked. My concern was growing greater each day.

"Nothing," he muttered. We entered the room, where he proceeded to pull off his cloak and stretch out on the bed.

"I'm going to shower. I'll be out in a little while," I sighed. Half an hour later, I was sliding into a pair of pajamas while Sephiroth bathed. I was brushing my hair as Sephiroth came out of the bathroom.

"Is it true what he said?" he asked me as he dried his hair with a towel.

"What are you talking about?"

"What Cloud said about the day we left," Sephiroth looked at me as he threw his towel aside. "Were you trying to say that you loved me?"

I wanted to lie. If it would make him talk to me, I wanted to abandon my feelings and tell him it was a lie. He looked me in the eyes again. I realized then that I hated when he did that. It was like Sephiroth could see right through me. I hated that feeling. I was startled when I found that I had backed into the wall.

"Well?" he demanded again as he stood not one foot away.

"It's true," I finally gasped. He grabbed me by the shoulders roughly.

"Why didn't you say it before?" he hissed. Before I could answer, he lashed out again. "I would have liked to know."

"Why?" I snapped. "What would you know about love?"

"Because," he whispered. He loosened his grip and looked at me softly. "I was in love twice before. The first time was prior to when I entered SOLDIER. The second, I had started to fall for Aeris. When I first saw you in the cabin, you were wiping my body. Something began stirring inside me. I realized then that I feel the same for you as I once felt for the others. I've wanted to tell you, but I knew that no one could love anyone as evil as I. I thought if you knew, you would abandon me."

"I promised I would never love another man after my cheating lover, Prem, died five years ago. You're the only exception," I began to tremble.

"Say it then. I need to hear you say it," Sephiroth whispered, his eyes half-closed and face coming towards mine.

"I love you, Sephiroth," I whispered as I brought my face to his.

"And I love you, Michiko," he sighed.

This moment was the one I had been waiting for the entire journey. I had wanted nothing more than for us to willingly share a kiss.

I never again knew as much joy as when his warm, soft lips finally touched mine.

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I don't know how we got in the situation. It was as if one moment, we were making out against the wall, and the next we were laying in bed. The event in-between went by in such a blur, I wasn't completely sure it had even happened. I propped myself up and looked at Sephiroth.

"When did you first realize that you loved me?" Sephiroth whispered.

"I guess a few years ago," I thought aloud. "I was really getting into the game. I thought you were the coolest character. I don't think I actually realized how much I really like you until you came here."

"Thanks. I haven't done that in a long time," he sighed.

"Just about six years," I smiled. Prem had been in the war for a year before he died.

"Do you miss him?" Sephiroth asked me.

"No," I decided. He looked at me with surprise. "He was screwing dozens of other women while we were together. I only wish I had found out before he died so I could have had the satisfaction of beating the crap out of him."

"I still miss my lovers a little. Then again, I don't really think about them that much anymore."

"Good. It doesn't do well to dwell in the past," I nodded. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close to him.

"I wish we could be together forever," Sephiroth said happily, stroking my face.

He kissed me once again. I didn't want to voice my opinion. I didn't know how he would take it. I laid against his chest happily, listening to his heart beating. I could tell it was strong. I wanted to fall asleep to that thump, thump! Thump, thump! sound every night for the rest of my life. I finally gathered the courage to say what was on my mind.

"We can," I said, sitting up and looking at him. "I can leave with you. You don't even have to leave. If Barret was that easy to kill, Cloud can't be much harder, and-"

"Michiko," he shook his head as he, too, sat up. He sighed heavily. "I have to go home, and you have to stay here. We each have our own roles to play on our own worlds. But I'll make you a promise."

"What's that?" I asked, giving him a sideways look.

"If we don't make it to the portal in Kauko before it disappears, I'll give up on going home and I'll stay here with you. If you try to keep me from getting there though, I'm going to keep looking."

"Okay."

"But I also promise this. If I make it through, I swear that I'll find a way back here someday when I can peacefully settle and have a life here," Sephiroth said seriously.

"Thank you. It's a deal," I looked at him lovingly.

"I'm going to turn off the light and burn some incense," he smiled, noticing the lamp and burner for the first time.

I watched him light the incense, and then blow out the small flame. As I watched the smoke patterns on the wall, he flipped off the light and returned by my side. Moonlight poured between the blinds in the window. Sephiroth's feline-like eyes glowed in the slight darkness, the moonlight giving them an evil glint and making his hair shine.

"You are the most beautiful woman… I swear you could trick the gods themselves into thinking you're a goddess."

I smiled at the compliment. He laid a hand on my face. I took it as he leaned in to whisper something to me.

"The night is still young," Sephiroth whispered into my ear. He kissed my neck gently as we laid back down. His next question shocked me so much, it almost made me bite his lip. "Marry me, Michiko…"

"Sephiroth," I sighed. "If you leave, how can we be married?"

"We wake up early tomorrow morning, find a priest, and wed," he said as he sat back up. I continued to lie and gazed up at him. "We will stay connected, no matter whether or not we are physically in each others presence."

"Sephiroth?" I muttered. I looked at him with eyes that I knew weren't even half-open. "Ask me again and I'll give you my answer."

"Michiko," he sighed, grasping my hand. "Will you marry me?"

"Is this a good enough answer?" I grinned. I sat up and wrapped my arms around him. We became locked in a game of tonsil hockey as we laid back down once more. I have never again had a night that I enjoyed so much.

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"I wish we didn't have to keep this from Anima," I sighed as we left the priest's house hand in hand. I realized then how tired I was. We had fallen asleep late last night talking and… well, let's just say 'doing other stuff' and then we got up at the crack of dawn to wed. I looked down at the ring on my finger.

"Do you honestly think she'd approve?" Sephiroth sighed as we approached the bridge leading out of town. He leaned against the railing. "Keep the ring tucked away. Don't take it out until I return."

"Of course," I muttered sadly as I put it carefully into my money pouch. "I guess we should return to the inn, huh?"

"Yeah, Anima's probably freaking out by now," Sephiroth laughed. We rushed to the inn to find Anima knocking on our door.

"Where were you two?" she asked suspiciously. Before we could answer, she continued. "Never mind that. I heard a traveler downstairs say that he saw two strange looking men with a red cape and claw each in the town before this one. We need to leave now."

"Let me get my things," I gasped. When I got outside with my friends, the town was ablaze. I don't know how it got that way so fast, but I never really cared. "What happened?"

"Cloud happened, that's what," Sephiroth said angrily. "He's burning every town he comes to. He wants to make sure I have no place to run."

"Let's go," Anima hissed. We ran to the edge to find Tifa blocking our path.

"Oh, Cloudy! I found them!" She called. She turned to us. "I don't care if he wants you for himself. You've put my love through hell, and I won't let you continue to do that."

"Stay away from us," Luben growled. He slashed at Tifa's arm with surprising swiftness and missed. At least, it looked that way at first. We watched in disgust as her arm slid down her side and blood smeared her body.

"You ass…" she muttered. Tifa collapsed in a dead faint. We hurried on, listening to Cloud cursing us for what we had just done.

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I'm assuming those that did read the part I said not to now know why I gave a warning. There will be no more scenes of that type in this story. The reference to a love before Sephiroth joined SOLDIER is something I came up with for my other story. New readers should see chapter 16 of my other story. Check my profile for the title. Anyway, on to the replies:

Soul Vagabond: Don't say a word about the section, okay??? I don't care if he's an evil son of a you-know-what! He was good before the Nibelheim Incident, right? Therefore, there could still be some good in him! Not a whole lot, but some! He's still evil in the story, but even evil, demented overlords have the right to fall in love. He doesn't have to be good to fall for someone. If Seymour's misunderstood, Sephiroth can be, too. So there. Sticks out tongue NYAH!

Mediciner: NO! Not the about to explode stress ball! I like replying like this… I just thought that cuz you're the first person I've seen use it. Yep, Cloud's evil in this. And a pyro.

kizna1200: I have no replies to you since you didn't review, but thanks for reading anyway! bows graciously

Thanks again for reviews!

NINJA MAGE