Infectus Sanguis



Note from Your Author: Sorry I have been out for so long, but the patient shall be rewarded. Since I made all of you wait so long, I have decided to go over previous chapters and revamp and tweek the story slightly. The main plot line will not be changed, but there are a few changes that I made. So read them to find out especially if have been reading this. The story shall still remain with the same couples, but relationships between Sephiroth and Tifa will progress slower than what most readers like. I took down most of the chapters for now until they are revamped but they will be reposted sometime in the next 4 days. Thank you. As always I would love feedback on the new revamped chapters. Thank you.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Final Fantasy VII. That is owned by Squaresoft, not me. This disclaimer applies for the whole story.
A/N: Please keep in mind this takes place sometime after the end of the game
----- means a change of scene or time



Prologue:
All That The Past Binds Us

All of time affects us all. Bound by the past mistakes of our lives and never forgetting them for a moment's notice. Another string added to Fate's controlling. Somewhere... someway we have been tainted, be it by choice or forced decision. The past alone binds all of this into all of us. So that one never forgets the mistakes of the past.

Shinra.... the word alone had stricken fear into the hearts of the people. The terror of their reign will be something not forgotten. This grew the same for all, even the members of AVALANCHE. Ever since saving the Planet from Jenova, the members have kept in touch, but some ties between some of them have become loose. The string that binds them all will bring them together once more. Only time shall tell what will come.


Tifa looked over at the barren chair at her table. Her eyes, downcast, tainted with sorrow. She, slowly, ate her food that she had prepared. Time had passed, but she only wished that it could turn back. She sighed and looked away from the barren chair. The house had grown so quiet since then. Only a few weeks ago Cloud was sitting across from her at the same table in that now barren chair. She felt water wielding up inside her eyes. She stiffened; she had promised herself not to cry over the incident anymore. Although, that day was still embedded into her mind, permanently.

Three weeks ago.....

The night was perfect; the stars were shining brightly and mood was just right. Cloud had invited Tifa to watch the stars with him. They had been living together since they retired from the Jenova incident. Cloud had nowhere to go after that and Tifa had invited him to live with her. She still had a lingering in her heart for his crystal blue eyes. Each day she spent making him feel special and trying to help him forget the woes he had suffered not long ago.

Though, Cloud was happy on the outside, inside he was in a turmoil with himself. He tended to ignore her bouts of kindness, but accepted them none the less. Somehow he had a pit of guilt growing in his heart every time she performed a kind act for him.. Each day with her seemed only to deepen the pit. That is when he had decided.....


Tifa looked at Cloud and smiled sweetly. He knew she had grown quite fond of him. Both were already dating each other. He smiled back and looked back to his feet again, thinking. The crickets' choir did not seem to be helping his uneasiness as he quickly tapped his foot in mid-air.

Tifa looked at him, puzzled. He had been sitting there the entire time staring at his feet. She knew he was thinking, but it worried her. He was usually happy in these kinds of situations. She sighed to herself and decided it would be best to try to comfort him. She smiled and shifted closer to Cloud until she laid her head upon his shoulder. She outwardly sighed. His head turned to look at her. Something was different about him. His eyes no longer glistened for her as they usually did. She mentally frowned. She lightly kissed his cheek.

"What is on your mind?" Tifa asked.

"Nothing...." Cloud replied.

"Cloud, tell me the truth... please..." she said, looking to him.

Cloud sighed and turned towards her, causing her to lift her head from his shoulder. He looked to her then to the ground trying to collect his thoughts to speak. Tifa looked at him curiously. She was getting her hopes up. She was getting ready for him to confess how much he loved being around her. Her eyes, unconsciously, lighted up somewhat. She looked directly at him, happy in thought.

"Tifa.. I have been thinking for the past few weeks on our relationship. At first I was enjoying it without any hesitation. But now I am starting to have my doubts. Somehow I feel this was not meant to be..." Cloud said, looking at her eyes.

"Cloud, what are you talking about? We are both as happy. What is it that you doubt so much about it?" Tifa asked, her head tilted slightly.

Cloud stood up. His eyes gleamed with some sort of fire. The blaze ignited and soon engulfed his pupils. Tifa could not place where she had seen it before, but the look was all too familiar.

"You do not understand. I love you, Tifa, but... I have some things to think about. My mind is jumble of thoughts right now," Cloud stated, "I am just not in the mood to be with you."

She heard the emphasis on the word, 'you.' She loved him, yes, but what he said made her heart start hurting and her head ached. She just could not think of losing him again. It was too much for her at the time.

She turned her head away from him. Her eyes were watering up. She had to let it out. Right as she felt the first tear fall, Cloud gently touched her cheek. He turned her head so she would face him once more. He smiled slightly.

"Please do not cry. You must understand....," Cloud said.

"No, you do not understand! I do not know what has gone wrong with you in the past few weeks... What have I done?" Tifa said, turning her back to him and walking off.

------

Cloud had, eventually, broke off the relationship and moved into his mother's old home. The event had left Tifa depressed and less livelier than normal. She had no time to prepare for it. She was deeply in love with the man at the time. Little did Cloud know how much of a scar he left in her heart. It was one that ran deeper than the scar lain upon her chest. Lately, she found herself sitting at her kitchen table trying to get over him. Every morning she sat down for her coffee and thought of ways to forget him.

Tifa sipped on her coffee and put the thoughts aside for now. She had to go to work. She was the owner of the local bar. Tifa swallowed the thickness inside her throat, sighed, and stood up. She gathered her keys for the house and left for the bar. She could only hope that somehow, someway today would help her forget the pain.

------

Cloud sat his table eating his 'breakfast.' He had to admit his cooking skills were not good. Sometimes, the food seemed to move by itself. He sighed.

"Tifa could do a lot better...."he said, picking at the eggs.

He felt horrible for telling her so abruptly. He knew he could not continue without sorting out with memories. He could never forget his love for Aeris. He also knew he would have to get over her. He did care for Tifa, but whether he was caring for her out of youthful love or deeper emotions was a mystery to him. His head hurt whenever he tried to sort all the issues at once. He had not really saw the effects of what he had done on Tifa, but was hearing constantly of it from Vincent. In his heart he wanted to make it up to her. If only he knew how...

He glanced at the clock. Tifa would be at work soon. During the after hours would be the perfect time to tell her. He finished breakfast and walked to his bathroom. He would surprise her. Hopefully, it would help her become herself once more. He just had to wait. Tonight would something she could enjoy. His mind was set and nothing would stop him.

------

The endless sea of green.... All around it was the only thing that could be seen. The darkness was no longer there, but the memory of it remained. It was forever embedded into his spirit. The screams were the only sounds filling the air. All belonging to the innocent victims Jenova... no he had slain. All the spirits of the others passed him by while he remained in the same area ever since he was there. He was isolated as he had always been. It was something he had grown accustomed to... the loneliness and the darkness. He was forvever trapped within his crystallized mako prison.

He was floating as he thought it seemed. He could no longer feel all of the pain that he once held upon his chest. Most of it was gone, but still a portion remained as it always would. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to open them and find his fear come true. He wanted it this way, never be able to see the temporary haven. He would only wait until his spirit energy would be used for creating something more. Then, he would forget all of this. Only then would he have no memory. He would just drift until that moment came.

He, suddenly, felt a shift in the sea around him.. The pressence was comforting and loving, he opened his eyes for the first time since he had been there. A female figure smiled back at him as she floated in the sea around him. She did not seem to have any features. She was a blurred image of a spirit that was with him. All he knew was that her hair was a deep brown color. Even if she was just a blurred image he felt a sense of comfort and security from her. Even if he had never met her, he felt at ease. She pressed her hand against the crystal that imprisoned him, which was slowly dissolving into liquid.

"Sephiroth.... you must go... you do not need to be here..." the figure said.

He looked at her, his eyes full of confusion. Then, he noticed the change in the materia around him, changing from solid form to a liquid state. Slowly it was joining the sea around him. Unable to move he just stared at the woman as he could feel the lower half of his body being exposed to the burning magma of green.

"You do not belong in this place..." the woman continued.

"What...?" Sephiroth asked, still puzzled.

"The Planet has not preordained it your time to leave the world... you have to go back.... The Planet needs you..." thelady explained, "I know you do not wish to return, but please... trust me... needs you... not much time..."

Her image was starting to fade. She smiled and she pointed to a lighter area of green above him.. He coughed as his lungs inhaled the liquid life. He quickly followed her hand as if possessed by some force greater than him. He struggled to keep swimming upwards as the large unhealed stab wound in his side burned like the fires of hell. Finally, the woman faded into nothing. Sephiroth's head broke through the surface of the Lifestream and coughed the green life water up as his lungs got the air they desparately needed. Seeing the shore he quickly swam for it. He collapsed on the ground once his body was clear from the Lifestream. He stared up at his night surroundings, gasping for breath. The area looked so familiar when he finally realized that he popped up on the ruins of the Nibelheim reactor. He laughed slightly at the irony. A cold draft hit him and he forced himself to stand. He quickly made an exit of the place.

All of the thoughts of the woman already lead him to what to do. He glanced over the large expansion of mountain to spot the sleepy town of Nibelheim. He quickly turned and started the trek down the path, knowing that if he did not he would shortly perish in the mountain winds and the lose of blood. He did not quite understand his purpose for existing at the moment, but knew the Planet had already determined that. All he could do for now is follow the voice that he trusted the most, that of the brown-haired angel that visited him in childhood dreams.