Chapter 2:
Oh, How the Dead Speak
If we could all just
Look beyond what one has done
In past times.
Then, this world would be a better
Existence and we would have more friends.
He heard her moving about in the bathroom as he laid there. When she arrived in the room, he watched her attentively. He felt guilty. He had killed her parents and now she had accepted him into her house without knowing whom he was. She pulled over a small table to near the middle of the bed and placed her unlit candle atop of the table along with her supplies. Sephiroth closed his eyes, but quickly opened them when he heard her drop something. She stared at him with her eyes as big as saucers. Her face was a combined mix of surprise, hatred, and slight fear. Her lit candle slipped from her hand. He quickly got up and caught the candle before it hit the ground.
"Sephiroth..." Tifa spat out.
"Are you trying to burn down your house?" he inquired ignoring her surprise.
"You...!" Tifa said, raising her fist and made contact with his face
His went in the direction of the punch, but he was barely harmed by it. A small bruise begun to form where she had made contact. She punched at him again, but caught her fist in his hand. She tried with her left and that too was caught inside of his other hand. He stood there not hurting her hands, but grasping them enough so she could not escape with his head towering over hers.
"Let me go, you bastard!" she screamed.
He chuckled in slight amusement. "Calm down. Your anger is clouding your sight," he replied.
Tifa looked up at him. She would not show fear. She would not allow him the pleasure of it. After all this is what he fed off of. Her eyes were locked with his. It was strange as she started to notice how he actually looked. His eyes glowed with an unnatural gentleness to them. They held no threatening emotion to them, but strangely enough showed underlying kindness. She didn't even see any hatred to them. She tore her eyes away from his. The room grew silent. Then, she lifted her foot and delivered a swift kick to his chest wound.
Sephiroth let her hands go as he grimaced in pain. His hand immediately went to his wound. He glared at Tifa. His other hand clinched itself into a fist ready to strike her down.
"Sephiroth... no.. You must not harm her...!"
He stopped and slowly released his fist while clearing the anger from his mind. Tifa looked at him, oddly. Why wouldn't he fight back? She noticed his whole figure for the moment. He was standing straight and was not showing any signs of being hurt. Now his legs were shaking and his eyes seemed to have lost some of their glow and show the fatigue they grasped him.. The weariness was all starting to wear down on him. Then, she noticed the dried crimson in his hair and on his face. For some reason she started to feel sorry for him. She shook her head.
"He is nothing, but a murderer. There is nothing to feel sorry for him about," she thought to herself.
"I do not blame you for wanting to kill me right now. Not after all that has happened to you that I have caused. If it is your wish to see my end then by all means please see through to it," Sephiroth said quietly.
She raised her fist. Then, winds suddenly came through the window and whipped at both of them. It was strange she had not noticed it was open before now. The wind blew through her hair and seemed to push her towards him. She unclenched her fist to shield her hair from blowing all over the place. Something was definitely odd about today. The wind seemed to dance in the room and held a certain angelic touch to it. Sephiroth just looked up. He already knew whose presence was scattered about in the wind.
Trust him... Tifa, believe me I would never lie to you...
Tifa looked about in confusion. She must have been hearing things. It was bad enough that HE was still alive, but now she was hearing the voice of Aeris?!
"You think I am going to kill you, don't you?" Sephiroth asked, his voice filled with amusement.
"And why not?! Killing me should not be any different for you!" Tifa answered, not in the best of moods.
He laughed a little. "If I was going to kill you, don't you think I would have done so long ago?"
His tone was mocking. She did not like it at all. She clinched her fists again, but could not attack him. Something was holding her back, but what? That is when she felt Aeris's presence in the wind. Her long trusted friend was telling her what years of pain told her not to do. The wind slowly danced into the form of Aeris, who smiled her so loving smile she always had at Tifa.
She ran her fingers through the air. "Aeris.. but how...?"
Tifa, I have never steered you wrong but please believe me.. You must spare his life. The Planet wants him here and I promise he will not harm you. You will understand in due time, but for no please watch over him for me.
The wind faded from the room and all that was left was the pouring of rain. Tifa turned to stare at Sephiroth. He had not budged from his position. She sighed not knowing why she was going to do what she did next, but out of her love and trust of Aeris. She walked over to him and gently pushed him to lie down again.
"I do not know why I doing this..." she said, "But if you try anything, I will hurt you."
He nodded in silent compliance. He didn't speak a word as he watched her work in the candlelight, which seemed to compliment her facial features.
Tifa did not like him staring at her. His eyes were unnerving. She began to clean the wound and felt him tense at her touch. She looked up at him, but his face showed no signs of pain of course his eyes told differently. Sephiroth, no matter how changed Aeris said he was, was still cold, aloof, and too stubborn to admit any weakness. Once all the dried blood was gone, she began to disinfect the wound. Unconsciously, her eyes began to wander over his chest. Unknowing to her, she blushed slightly. She could not help but to admire how well built he was, even if he was thinner than he should be. She shook her head of such thoughts and went back to the matter at hand.
Sephiroth smirked. She was embarrassed. For what reasons he was unsure of. He saw her cringe about something. He tilted his head.
"What is it?" he asked, "Something has gotten to you."
"I have to stitch it up... It is not something I enjoy doing," she responded and he nodded.
Tifa took out a needle and some medical thread. She told herself to think of it as stitching up clothes. She took a deep breath and began to stitch up the wound. Once she got the first stitch down, she looked to Sephiroth for a reaction. He did not flinch nor did he show any signs of pain. She continued on, seeing this. It was not that she could not stand the sight of blood or wound it is just that she hated to have to sew people up like they were her dresses. It had always unnerved her no matter who it was.
After what seemed like an eternity she finally finished and covered the wound in bandages. Sighing in relief that the whole ordeal was over. She looked to him after finishing the last knot.
"There, I'm finished," she said.
"Thank you," he replied, nodding.
He stared at her a moment before finally giving in to exhaustion and closing his eyes. Tifa looked at him. She was still questioning Aeris's reasoning. She turned and closed the window and stared out. The rain was not going to stop anytime soon. Her gazed shifted back to Sephiroth, who was asleep. He was shivering profusely. She slowly draped a comforter over his form. His shivering calmed down. She stared at him for a second. His features seemed so gentle under the candle light. His hair billowed out around him. She could not help but to notice he looked so angelic when asleep.
Tifa shook her head. "Tifa, this is Sephiroth you are thinking about. You are just suffering from not getting over Cloud and being... lonely..."
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when a knock came to her door. She quickly raced from her room to answer it. She found Cloud waiting at her doorstep and she opened the door.
"Hi Tifa, thought I would drop by to talk to you for a moment," Cloud said, "Can I come in?"
"Sure, but watch your step. The power is out," she replied.
He nodded and handed her a box he had hidden behind his back. "A present for you. I hope you like it," he said.
Tifa carefully undid the wrapping and opened the box. Her eyes gleamed with happiness as she gazed at the dress she had wanted for so long. She walked over and hugged Cloud, tightly.
"Thank you so much, but why?" she said.
"Glad you are happy. Tifa, I have been thinking for the past few days and realized that.. well I needed to repay you for your kindness to me." he said.
"Oh," she answered her voice was filled with disappointment..
Cloud smiled and decided to leave it at that. He excused himself out leaving Tifa at her door, sobbing. What a fool she was for thinking that he came to apologize and take her back. She threw the dress across the floor and sobbed until she fell into an uneasy sleep on her kitchen floor.
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In the old Shinra building one lone man worked silently through the night on two figures suspended in mako before him. He smiled as a monitor gave him a positive sign of life. Writing down on his clipboard he turned his chair to his computer module. He began to check off things on a list and then looked at the computer screen.
"So as he predicted his life force is present again. Good maybe now I can get the prototype for this project and compare him to my results," the man said with a small smile.
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Vincent found it extremely rude to interrupt someone in the middle of the night, but he had followed a trail of blood to Tifa's house. A rather faint trail that he would be surprised that any normal human could follow it. He knocked on her door and soon enough she answered with her eyes half closed.
"Yes, Vincent? What is it?" Tifa asked.
"Are you okay? I just followed a trail of blood to here," he replied.
"Oh I am fine..." she said.
Vincent suddenly barged past her and ran up the stairs. Tifa ran after him desperately as she saw him turn into her room where she was harboring Sephiroth. It was too late when flew through the door and saw Sephiroth sleeping soundly on her bed. She got in front of him and did not allow him to pass. She thought he would go after and kill him since now that he had discovered him.
"Yes.. but Vincent allow me to explain...." Tifa replied.
Vincent sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. He knew this was going to take a while so he might as well sit down for it. He watched her closely as she started pacing the floor. He did not know where to begin.
"Tifa, relax, I am not going to harm him," Vincent explained, "In fact I knew this would happen that he would return."
Tifa gave him a puzzled look and sat dow to listen to his explanation of what seemed to be complete and utter madness.
"Lucrecia has been visiting me in my dreams for quite some time. To spare you from the long story she kept repeating something along the lines of 'you must protect him.' I did not realize who she was talking about until last night when she finished what she was saying. 'You must protect him, my son...' " Vincent sighed a moment and continued, "I knew he would come to me somehow soon. I wish to stay here and help you. His reason for being here is something of great importance which only the dead know."
"I guess that is reassuring, but I have had the same occurrences happen in my dreams. Aeris kept telling me to not be frightened of the events about to occur, but trust in her guidance. She said a visitor would come and help with an event coming to us in due time. I never paid attention to it until I saw her today. I believe her no matter what the others may think of me," Tifa replied, "I know she would not lead me into any danger."
Vincent laid his eyes upon the man sleeping on the bed. His chest rose and fell with each breath. Sephiroth was alive as Lucrecia had said, how Vincent would not comprehend at the moment. He looked to Tifa, who was about as confused as he was about the whole situation.
"Fate can hand you strange things to deal with," Vincent commented, "And this is one of them."
"Vincent, could you stay here tonight? I would feel better if someone helped me watch him in case he tried something," Tifa asked.
"Sure. It would make me feel better as well. I will sleep up here. I will allow you to take the couch downstairs," Vincent replied.
Tifa nodded and fetched him some extra blankets to sleep on. She thanked him and went to sleep on the couch that night. Vincent laid out the sheets on the floor and slept in the corner of Tifa's room that night.
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It was well into the later part of the next day before Sephiroth decided to wake up. He recalled the events of last night. He looked at his bandages to find they been changed. He sat up on his elbows and looked around the room. He saw a makeshift cot made in the corner. He started to wonder who in hell had slept there. It could not have been Tifa considering how military arranged it looked. This whole situation had made his mind a jumble of thoughts and confusion. All he could do for the moment is go with whatever was handed to him.
"I see sleepy head finally decided to wake up," Tifa said in slight amusement.
Sephiroth looked up and saw Tifa standing in the doorway of the room. Her arms were crossed and she seemed slightly agitated and amused at the same time. He looked back towards the cot again and then looked up at Tifa. She sighed and began to talk.
Tifa shook her head and sighed. "Vincent knows you are here...."
"That would explain the cot," he thought.
"I see Aeris told you of my arrival," he stated quietly, "And to answer your question, no, I do not why I am here."
Tifa's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you?!"
Sephiroth smirked and a small, deep laugh escaped his lips. "I can read your mind just like I were a children's book." That was a trick of his handed down by the experiments of the oh wondrous one on tapping Sephiroth's full abilities.
Tifa's hand twitched. She forgot how annoying he could be. Then, she glared. "You better not make a habit out of it."
He laughed again and nodded with a smirk.
"And keep in mind I am only letting you stay here because of Aeris. So I would not push your luck," she quipped.
He shook his head and stood up on his feet. He walked towards her in a cat like manner. He stopped not six inches apart from her. Tifa kept her glare on him. He towered over her. She knew he was trying to intimidate her. His eyes seemed to pierce through her. It was eerie and unnerving. Feeling a pain in her neck from looking up she brought her head back down. She blushed slightly realizing it was a mistake to look down. That now brought her eye level with his chest. Sephiroth smiled slightly and began to walk downstairs.
When she caught her composure, Tifa went after him and grabbed his arm, roughly. Vincent looked up from his meal as he sat at the table. He eyed the two as they walked downstairs.
"And where do you think you are going?" Tifa asked, clearly not in a pleasant mood.
"Downstairs if you do not mind," Sephiroth replied.
"You do realize you are not supposed to be out of bed," she said in slight anger.
He brushed her off by motioning his hand as he walked downstairs. Tifa sighed and allowed him to. You could not blame her for being too cautious since the man did after all have kill many people in the blink of an eye. He walked over to the table and sat down near Vincent. She laughed to herself. Both of them had the same expression on their face and sat very similar. She walked over to the counter and set two more plates on the table with food on them.
"I know you must be hungry because you are thin as stick," she said sitting down.
Sephiroth nodded in silence thanks and began to eat himself secretly wondering if she had poisoned the food.
"Vincent, I can watch him tonight. I would like to be alone tonight." Tifa questioned.
"Sure," Vincent nodded, "I will return in the morning to check on the two of you."
Sephiroth looked up at them. His eyes glinted a hint of displeasure.
"You do not have to treat me as if I were a child who
needs to be tended to."
Tifa rolled her eyes. "Well both of us do not exactly trust you."
The tension could be felt between the three during all of dinner. After finishing the meal, they all set off doing separate tasks. Sephiroth decided to take a shower to relieved his face and hair of his own blood. Tifa took this time to start sulking over Cloud's picture in her bedroom like she did almost every day now. Vincent went to his mansion to retrieved some clothing for Sephiroth and of course this was after Sephiroth requested it. He was soon to return. Leaving the clothes by the bathroom door, Vincent went back home.
Tifa sat in front of her mirror, noticing how pitiful she looked. This caused her to start sobbing even more as she laid her head upon her vanity dresser and allowed her tears to fall upon the mahogany wood.
Sephiroth stepped out of the bathroom with his clean clothes on and noticed the sounds of weeping coming from Tifa's room. He usually was not one to intrude on other people's affairs, but he did owe the woman one from saving him from dying. He knocked her door, gently.
"Go away! I am not in the mood to talk, Vincent. Do not worry about me I am just not in a good mood because a certain blond," Tifa said.
Sephiroth stepped back away from the door with a puzzling expression plastered upon his face. He knew from the pictures and when he had saw them in his dreams that Tifa and Cloud were in a relationship. Not that it mattered to him on their petty problems. He just was curious how the 'blond boy' could cause a woman like Tifa of strong resolve to break down and cry. He walked off and ignored her sobbing besides making people happy was not his best aspect at all. He turned his attention to a bookshelf he had saw earlier. He quickly picked out something that did not resemble anything of too romantic quality. He walked downstairs and dropped down into a chair and started to read. He had decided being quiet was the best of his options right now until he could figure out what was happening, who he could truly trust, and what was his purpose.
His eyebrows furrowed when the sounds of a frivolous woman's sobs came into his ears. He had always found it extremely annoying and hard to read without disruption. His eye twitched and closed the book before even getting done with reading the first page. His eyes shifted looking around the room for something vaguely interesting to do.
"Dammit, now, I can't even get my reading done," Sephiroth complained to himself.
Patience is a virtue.
Sephiroth rolled his eyes and wished he could talk back to those voices. How dare they always intrude on him. They were more often an annoyance than a helping since they mainly talked about nonsense. He rubbed his temples as he felt a headache coming on. He had gotten them quite frequently before he was encased in the materia. He picked up his book again and bared through the noises so he finally got to read, but his thoughts still wondered mostly about what Cloud could have possibly done or why in the hell these voices wanted so badly to impose a headache on him.
"Dead people just do not know when their mouths need to be shut," Sephiroth thought to himself.
They shall rue the day they sent me there! Revenge always comes in the sweetest of tastes.
Sephiroth immediately looked up. He felt this talking presence very nearby. His headache seemed to scream at him now. In a vain attempt to stop it he placed his hand to his temple while looking for this presence near him. The only sight that greeted him was that of the same house he had been in. Sephiroth slid back into the chair and closed his eyes. Today was going to be a very long day.
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Author's Notes: All of you are going to kill me but the revamp chapters
may take longer than a week to complete. I'm sorry. bows
Do not hurt me. The next chapter will involve more around Vincent
and Yuffie. No pun intended and there will be no Yuffie/Vincent relationships
here. I am strongly against them and there is no changing my mind.