Chapter 3:
Consuming Chaos
Yuffie was leaning over a small desk looking on this accursed books that she was forced to study. She never really got the point of ever reading about her history anyway. None of it really mattered in her opinion. All she wanted to do was to go out and kick some ass and pick up some materia along the way. Then, she saw her father pass by her room.
"In ancient times a man of great power rose up and went against the council of Cetra and even the Planet itself. His power was unrivaled and he had many followers that believed in his great truth that he preached to everyone..." Yuffie trailed off, seeing her dad had long gone by.
She went back to her idle boredness.
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Sephiroth groaned to himself, his head was still hurting and worse he was starting to see things. If he did not know better he would think Jenova was still alive. Shadows passed him by every now and again. If only they would stop and leave him be. No, when you are wanted man nothing ever seems to leave you alone. It was the way of the world.
Sephiroth tossed and turned, relentlessly, in his sleep. His brow furrowed in tension and sweat covered his forehead. His breathing was labored and his heart pounded within his chest. The blankets of the bed long since tossed to the floor. He had curled up on his side, his hands gripping his head. His expression was very pained. Voices seemed to boom inside his head.
The results are showing drastic increases in his senses and physical abilities...
Good. Increase his dosage of mako by 25...
Tifa woke up from all of the noise. She had allowed Vincent to take the couch that night. She started to wonder what all the noise was. She looked to her bed and found Sephiroth curled up on his side in obvious pain. She rushed to his side. His hands were clutched so tightly to his head that she thought he would break his own skull. In a desperate attempt to wake him, she started to shake him.
"Sephiroth.. come on. wake up..." she said, her voice was full of concern.
She managed to pry one of his hands from his head. The hand that she pried squeezed hers. She blushed slightly, but shook it off quickly. She placed the back of her other hand to his forehead. He did not have any fever, but was slightly warmer than normal. As much as she would hate to admit it she did not like seeing him in this much pain. It gripped at her heart. He looked as if someone were slowly torturing him into a slow death. She pushed back his hair from his face and lightly touched the side of his cheek. She was relieved when his breathing finally calmed and his grip on his head loosened. Although, the gentle, yet firm grip he held on her hand did not loosen.
She smiled slightly as his eyes opened, lazily. His eyes' glow had dimmed and now they seemed to retain a hint of his chaotic side. Her eyes widened in slight fear when she noticed this. His grip on her hand tightened painfully. He looked up at her with his brow furrowed in hate.
"Sephiroth..." she said, her voice yielding some confusion in it.
His features suddenly calmed and his eyes ceased to hold that hint of chaos. His grip on her hand loosened, but he still held it within his grasp.
"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, running her thumb across the back of his hand.
She did nothing to break her hand from his. In fact she enjoyed the feel of his hand upon hers. His grip was gentle, but held an underlying strength that he hid. His gaze shifted until he noticed the odd situation he found himself in. He took his hand from hers; a hint of disgust with himself glinting in his eyes.
"I am fine," he replied, coldly.
"Excuse me for caring. I just did not think that disturbed sleep of yours was normal," she snapped back.
His eyes narrowed in slight anger. "It is no concern of yours to be worried over my dreams and how they affect me," he said.
Her eyes twitch and she quickly went back over to her cot. She could not stand his cold attitude. She threw her blankets back over herself. She cursed her luck when she realized that she could still see him. He had risen and leaned his back against the head board of the bed. He was looking off into one direction, trapped in his mind. She damned her caring side at the moment, but she could not help it; he looked so lost. She sat up slightly in her cot.
"If you are not going back to sleep then tell me what was wrong with you?" she asked, not really expecting a reply.
"It is nothing you should worry over," he replied, "It is a matter I only concern myself with."
She knew there was something he was hiding from her. She could not place her finger on it, but she had some idea it would have to do with the chaos that she saw that filled his eyes. She gave up on the matter of it for now. She laid back down on the cot and drifted back to sleep.
Sephiroth was relieved when she finally went back to sleep. He did not need to bother the world with his own problems. They were only his concern in the first place and should remain that way. He placed his arm over his head and took a deep breath. His head still hurt and sleep would only worsen it. He leaned his head back against the wall. He could only wait until morning came.
It seemed like an eternity's wait before the first rays of dawn entered the eastern sky. Tifa's alarm clock went not off not too long afterwards. Annoyed by the thing, Sephiroth hit the off button rather roughly. He was not in the mood to put up with the extra noise. His headache was already pounding as it was. His expression stayed indifferent as Tifa rose from the cot.
Tifa yawned and looked in Sephiroth's direction out of the corner of her eye. She rolled her eyes. It was too predictable that he did not allow himself to fall asleep after the incident last night. She shrugged it off and went to her closet to retrieve a change of clothes. She would have to work today. Her hands trembled slightly at this. Her mind ran over the number of possibilities that could happen while she was gone. Most of which did not have a good outcome.
Behind herself she could hear the slight creaking of the floor. She assumed it was Sephiroth. She heard him leave the room and she quickly got into getting ready for work.
Sephiroth went downstairs finding Vincent contemplating over what to have for breakfast. Vincent acknowledged the other man's presence by glancing at him for a second. He went back to the refrigerator and got what he needed to cook for breakfast. Sephiroth decided it would be best to stay out of the way. He sat down in a chair and stared into the air. His mind in deep thought over the eerie feeling he had.
Cloud sat down at his table. Barret and Cid were engaged in a game of poker. Marlene was watching both of them. The room was silent except for the occasional curse word from Cid or remark from Barret. Outside dark clouds were forming in the sky. It was going to rain again.
Cloud had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Something was amiss in this town. There was nothing out of the normal that he could see. It was something that bothered him, and usually these feelings of his were not wrong. He got up from his chair and walked just outside his front door. The air was filled with a certain dampness that usually signified rain was coming. He looked to the sky and a few drops fell into his face.
Then, he heard the shutting and locking of a door. He looked to Tifa's house to find her running to her work to avoid getting soaked. He smiled and realized what was out of normal placement. Tifa had come over once to visit their friends for the five days they had been there. Usually, she would be spending as much time with them as she could. He decided he would pry into the matter later. The rain started pouring and he ventured back into his house.
"Cloud, ya sure you not goin' play with us?" Barret asked.
"No thanks," Cloud replied.
"Something is getting to you, spikey," Cid remarked, "Any other time you would join in. Tell us what is wrong."
"I just have a feeling that something is not right around here lately," Cloud answered, "But I guess it is nothing of importance."
Cid handed Cloud a hand of cards and smiled slightly. "Then, let's get to this damn game already."
Cloud chuckled to himself. Cid was always pushy when it came to card games. If you didn't play, you would never hear the end of his cursing and insults. Of course for Cid that was a normal daily routine.
Night had fallen upon Midgar before activity at the bar began to slow down. Only a group of three people were left sitting in the corner. They were whispering among one another so they would not be heard. Ryu, Michelle, and Tifa were cleaning up the rest of the bar. If no one else showed up in the next thirty minutes they would consider an early closing.
"I am starting to wonder what in the hell is so interesting about their conversation," Michelle stated.
"Now, you are getting to be quite nosey," Ryu replied, "Now, I know why they are whispering."
Michelle got infuriated and hit Ryu's head with her hand. A nice red mark started to appear where she hit him. He took the punishment silently and went back to cleaning the table he was on. Tifa was at the cash register with her chin resting in her hand. It was still raining outside. This night looked vaguely familiar to not too long ago when she found him. Of course that night was not as quiet as this one. Her gaze fell upon the three customers left in the corner.
All of them seemed familiar in a respect, but she had never seen them before. All were dressed in black and held a certain sense of duty about them. Her gaze shifted back to counting the money in cash register. Michelle had went in back to fetch more drinks for them. Tifa paid her no mind and closed the cash register and went over to finish sweeping the floor for her.
Michelle opened the door to the storage unit to find the Wutai wine of them had requested. She went into the very back and found the crate she was searching for. She smiled slightly in relief they even had any. She picked up a bottle and stood up again.
A sharp pain resonated throughout her skull and she dropped the bottle. The glass shattering at her feet and the red colored wine spilling onto the floor. Michelle fell back, unconscious, and a wound in her head bleeding. A figure stood behind her, the butt of his gun covered in her blood. The figure sighed and began walking towards the front of the bar.
Ryu heard something shatter in the storage room as did Tifa. "Tifa, you stay here I will go see if Michelle is all right."
Tifa nodded and got this suspension that something was definitely wrong. She would prepare herself for the worst if need be.
Ryu closed the door to the back behind himself. It was too quiet. He could not even hear Michelle cursing herself as she would usually do. Worry started to build inside of himself. He walked to the storage room to find the door open. He walked inside and found Michelle lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. He gasped knowing she couldn't have done this to herself. He turned around quickly and caught a glimpse of someone fleeing to the front.
"Tifa watch out!" Ryu shouted, hoping she would hear him.
Knowing for well he could not help her if a fight broke out, he started heading for Cloud's house. He was stopped in mid-run when the person he saw pass by hit him unconscious as well. The figure opened the door to the front and smiled.
Tifa had already took a fighting stance when she heard Ryu's shouting. The three people in the corner had stood up and looked towards her. She knew they were involved somehow. She quickly glanced at the new arrival in the room.
"I do not want any trouble here. So if you would just surrender yourselves it would save all of us a lot of trouble," Tifa stated.
"I do not think so Ms. Lockhart. We are here on official business and will not back down from it," the figure with the gun said as he tucked back a lock of blond hair behind his black hood.
"Official business? If this was official business then you would not make such an entrance. So I figure you were hired for some reason," Tifa replied.
One of three patrons laughed. They started towards her with their weapons posed and ready for battle. Tifa slowly backed out of the bar and into the street. At least there she would have more room to defend herself. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky as the four followed her outside.
"If you try to run we will just have to come after you," the female of the group stated.
Tifa stood firm in the mud with her fists raised. There was no avoiding this fight. All she could do is hope this would be over soon. All of them were slowly getting battered by the rain and becoming soaked. Another lightning flash and the fighter of the group charged for her.
She easily blocked his first attack and countered with a swift punch into his jaw. The man's head reeled back, but snapped forward again. He delivered a kick to her legs causing Tifa to waver slightly in her stance. She quickly regained balance and kicked him to the ground just in time to be hit with a wave of electricity. She bite back a scream of pain. She did not need to get innocent people into this fight.
She backhand the person who caused the attack. The gunner took the safety off of his gun and aimed for her head. She saw this and dodged just in time. The bullet gazed the side of her shoulder. A small rivet of blood formed on the wound. The gun did not echo. It had a silencer placed upon it. These fighters were good and she was only one person. Tifa started to realize fighting them alone was useless, but she had to try.
Sephiroth sat on the couch staring out the window of the house. The storm had begun to pick up its strength not too long ago. Vincent had gone home for a moment to get something of his. Sephiroth did not see the reason why the man trusted him to stay in this house. He smirked. All of them must have been losing their edge. The rain slowly beat against the window obscuring his vision of the outside slightly. He noticed Tifa was coming out of the bar.
He knew something was wrong. Her fists were raised and she looked tense. He shrugged. It was probably a few patrons that had gotten out of control and felt the need to fight. Tifa was a strong woman and she could bring them down. He saw no need to help her. Instead he watched the battle begin from the window.
His pupils widened slightly when he saw her trying to catch her breath. The four fighters were proving a little too much for her. He sighed and got up from the couch. Maybe it was time for a little intervention from a third party.
Tifa had managed to severely wound the female of the group. Unfortunately the other three were aiding their comrade and made this a lot harder than it seemed. Tifa stood up once more and resumed a fighting stance. They had managed to get a few blows in on her. They were not causing enough damage for her to release her limit break yet.
"Well do you give up yet?" the gunner asked, "You are wearing down and it will not be long before we win this..."
The gunner stopped in mid sentence. He looked to the others and said something that Tifa could not hear. He turned to stare straight ahead and aimed his gun for something behind Tifa. Tifa glanced over her shoulder and saw a pair of glowing green eyes walking towards them. She raised her eyebrow.
"Now why would he come to help?" she asked herself.
"Four against one is not what I would call good odds.. now is it?" Sephiroth said, cracking his knuckles. He acknowledged Tifa when he looked to her for a moment. "Mind if I cut in on your fun?"
Tifa nodded at him and smiled slightly in silence thanks. Sephiroth took a fighting stance with his fists beside her. Even without Masamune he would be a force to be reckoned with. The four enemies prepared for another attack despite the new arrival. The male fist fighter went first. Tifa took him on once more.
The other male with the rod went for Sephiroth. Sephiroth easily dodged his attack and backhanded him into the ground. The rod user got up and went for him once more. This attempt was also greeted with a mouthful of dirt and and added elbow jab in his back.
The gunner of the group said something to the other member and motioned the other two to follow them. All four started running for the outside of the town. Sephiroth started after them, but he was stopped when Tifa pulled on the bottom of his shirt to stop him. She shook her head.
"Let them go. No use in pursuing them unless they come back for more," she said.
"Hmph..." he looked to her, "Are you... all right?"
His words seemed forced to some degree, but she did not care. It surprised her slightly that he would even ask it. She had not seen him as the kind of person that would care about another's well being. She dusted her clothes off and looked at him.
"I am fine, but thanks for your help. They were a troublesome group," Tifa answered.
He nodded and stared at her for a moment. She was soaked to the bone and shivered slightly. He had the strongest inclination to hold her so she would warm up. He mentally growled at himself for thinking such things. She gasped realizing something she had forgot.
"Ryu and Michelle! They are still in the bar. I have to see if they are all right!" Tifa said, running back inside the bar.
Sephiroth followed her back into the bar in case those four decided to show up once more. He found Tifa setting Ryu against a wall and checking his wound. She found some bandages in the back and wrapped his head with it.
"Sephiroth, go check in the storage room back there for Michelle, please," she said as she tended Ryu, "Bring her in here if you find her."
He nodded and walked back into the storage room. The room carried the distinct smell of blood in the air. He walked to the back of the room and found Michelle on her back and her head lying in a small puddle of blood. He picked the girl up with ease and carried her back to Tifa. When finishing with Ryu, she started tending to Michelle.
Sephiroth watched her as she worked. She was gentle with her movements and touch. From this he figured that she was a caring person. She had to be otherwise she would have never helped him. He sighed mentally and noticed that she would need a change of clothes before she got sick from it.
"I am going to take them home to their families. I can not do much more for them here," she said.
"I will carry them. It will go much faster that way," he replied.
Tifa nodded and Sephiroth took one of them in each arm. Tifa led him to their houses where Michelle and Ryu were dropped off with their families. The rain started to pour harder. Both she and Sephiroth were soaked to the bone. They hurried home in the darkness to the dry and warm confines of her home. Tifa went to her room and quickly changed into dry clothes.
She found Sephiroth downstairs when she returned. He sat at a chair near the kitchen table. His head was in his hand. His hair was wet and hung about his shoulders playing about his features. Tifa walked over to him slowly. She had a feeling something was wrong. She sat down in the chair next to him and looked at him, cautiously. She had learned in the few days he had stayed with her that he was not one to talk. He never once started a conversation nor did he express anything. Of course she had also learned he was not that bad of person.
Though, she did hate his horrible temperament and almost constant sarcasm. Shaking her mind from her thoughts, she gently removed his hand from his head. He flinched slightly. He did not like being touched. He had never grown accustomed to it and was not about to make a habit out of it now. Something clicked inside of her mind and concern flashed across her eyes.
"The wound on your chest... did you reopen it?" she asked. She knew he had been moving more than he should have in the past few days. She hoped the small battle and carrying her two employees home and done nothing serious to him.
"No, its fine. Really the stitches should be taken out soon," he replied, his voice monotone.
"As deep as that cut was I do not think so," Tifa said, her voice very commanding.
Sephiroth took off his shirt and began to unwrap the bandages around his chest. Tifa watched him the entire time. Once he was done he looked to her. He was right. The skin under the stitching had fused together and was most likely strong enough to have the stitches removed. He had healed quickly. Her eyes started to wonder from his wound to gaze at his entire chest.
Tifa could not help it. He was highly toned and well sculpted. She watched the movement of his breathing. It was pulling her into a trance and her thoughts wondered. She had to admit he was an attractive man. She quickly found herself blushing and turning her vision to the table. She could feel her eyes drifting once more and reprimanded herself, mentally.
"Damn him... And he acts so casually about this whole situation too... Doesn't he ever realize what kind of effect this has on people especially women?" she thought.
Sephiroth raised his eyebrow at her. He had caught the reddening in her cheeks. He ran it across his mind to read her thoughts, but decided against it. Some things in life he really did not want to know. He shook his head, but soon regretted the action. He was greeted by the damnable headache that had been plaguing him for a while. Each time it had only gotten worse in intensity. His brow furrowed as he tried to bring the pain under some control. His hand instinctively going to his temple.
The high pitched shrieking echoed throughout his mind. It was splitting his head and giving him no comfort. Tifa looked at him when she heard his sudden movement. His eyes held pain within them despite his efforts to hide it from her. She noticed that his shoulders were trembling very slightly. The action was barely noticeable, but she managed to see it.
"Sephiroth, what is wrong?" she asked. Worry started to creep upon her. This was looking eerily similar to the episode he had not too many nights ago. It was something that she did not like.
"Nothing," he replied.
She should have suspected that answer. He never wanted to admit when he was in pain. She would just have to start being firm about it. "That is a lie and you know it. What is wrong with your head?" she asked.
Sephiroth knew she would not easily pushed off from the subject and decided to give in to her. "It hurts and pounds inside my skull," he replied.
Tifa pressed the back of her palm to his forehead. He did not have a fever. She looked to his eyes and found that a battle was raging within them. What she really did not like was the chaos that had begun to fill them. She remembered this look from him before. Could it have been possible that he was reverting? Tifa knew that he had changed since he came to her. Then, she remembered a time when something similar to this was happening to Cloud.
It was a battle Cloud had told her once. He would say that the darkness seemed to have a will of its own. It would always try to keep a hold upon its victim. You just had to have the will power to defeat it. Usually, the stronger the hold it had on you before the stronger it would try to claim you again.
Tifa did not completely understand what was happening. She just knew that she must help him somehow. She looked at Sephiroth, worriedly. Whatever caused her to do this was still a mystery to her. Soon she would realize it would all fall into place.
"Sephiroth... You can not become who you were, understand? I do not think the Planet would have willed you to live if you were," she said, remembering some the words Aeris had said to her in her dreams. "You have to fight it. You can not succumb to it."
Sephiroth looked to her and the chaos quickly retreated from his eyes. She sighed in relief. She had to admit she liked him the way he had been for the past few days. Returning to his former self would cause her to hate him and put the world into danger. Sweat glistened upon his forehead and she wiped it away with her sleeve.
"Go change out of your clothes before you catch a cold," she said.
He nodded in response and started walking upstairs and into her room. Tifa sat in thought for a while. Strange things were happening and she did not like it. The group at the bar had to have come for something. Otherwise they would not have had 'business' with her or the town.
Sephiroth stood by the window in the silence of the room. He had changed into a pair of black shorts. He would have to thank Vincent later for the use of his clothes. The headache still ensured itself within his head. He held his hand to his temple and sighed.
"What is happening to me? First I get brought back to this miserable existence and now this," Sephiroth thought to himself, "The only time I had headaches like these are when Jenova..."
So you figured it out... clever boy.
"Jenova! How are you even alive! I saw your body dissolve from existence!" Sephiroth mentally yelled at her.
I am not killed so easily, my son. You of all people should know this.
Sephiroth growled. He did not like this at all. If Jenova was alive somewhere she would have only one objective in mind and he knew it.
Why have you hesitated to kill them, huh? It would be easy since they trust you as they do. Just slaughter them in the middle of the night. It would be the easiest way to ensure their deaths.
"I will not kill them. You are the one that wants them dead, not me! As much as I hate most of them I will not kill them. They did me a favor my ending my existence as your play thing. For once I have been given a chance to have a normal life, and now you bother me, you damnable bitch!" Sephiroth screamed, not in the best of moods.
Tifa knocked on the door of the room and came in. Sephiroth's narrowed eyes glanced at her for a moment. His mental battle with Jenova was taking most of his attention. Tifa neared him slowly. She knew something was wrong. She could sense it. Tonight was just too strange for something not to be wrong.
See, why don't you start with her first? I bet you would enjoy seeing her blood on your sword.
"Shut up, Jenova! I refuse to be your puppet anymore!" he yelled.
SILENCE FOOLISH BOY! You always had and always will belong to me. Now do as Mother bids and everything will be right with the world.
"Like in hell it will. Why should I believe you after what you have done to me?" he replied.
"Sephiroth, is something wrong?" she asked.
"No!" he quipped at her, "I am fine so quit asking!"
"Be that way then! I am only trying to help you and this whole time you have been refusing it. You can be just so... impossible!" Tifa replied. She was definitely not in the mood to put up with him. He just smirked slightly at her response.
I am sorry you feel that way. I have no other choice then.
Sephiroth was suddenly hit with an overwhelming pain as his headache increased by ten fold. His every fiber radiated with indescribable pain. He fell to his knees, hissing in pain. Jenova was not pleased with him and was turning his own body against himself. If he would not comply to her willfully, she would break his spirit until she could regain control of his mind once more.
Tifa has rushed by his side and shook his shoulders. He stared at her, his eyes full of so much pain and agony. His body trembling slightly in her hands. Now she was worried. What the hell could be wrong?
"Sephiroth!" she yelled trying to get him to respond.
"Tifa..." was all he managed to get out before he collapsed onto her.
Tifa found herself in an awkward position, but pushed it aside for now. If Jenova was still alive that Sephiroth was battling her inside himself. She looked down at him, worriedly. She could not move because of his extra weight and he was far too heavy for her to lift by herself. She gasped when his hands clinched her shirt. His face grimaced in pain. He was seeking comfort from his pain.
She struggled to get out of his grasp, but found herself unsuccessful. She stopped moving and gave up in defeat. She was not going to be able to get up until he regained consciousness. She sat silently staring at him. His body was warm against her own as was his bare chest.
Tifa began to enjoy the feeling. "Tifa are you crazy? This is Sephiroth," she said to herself. His hands gripped tighter on her shirt and his head rested on her shoulder. Unconsciously, she combed her hand through his silver hair. It was smooth and soft to the touch and untangled. She had to stop herself from continuing this. Though, she admitted to herself she like the feel of being pressed against him like this. She felt butterflies creeping up in her stomach.
"Great... I can not believe I am falling for his looks like this. He is handsome that is true... but he has the personality of a rock. Get a hold of yourself, Tifa. This is not the time to be enjoying something such as this," she mentally yelled at herself.
Sephiroth groaned slightly and buried his head deeper into her shoulder. Tifa shook her head and stared down at him. He was not sleeping so peacefully. She stayed like this until sleep claimed her as well.
The gunner from before took his cell phone into his hand and dialed someone up. He waited a while before someone picked up the other line.
"Yes.. It is confirmed. Just as he predicted Sephiroth is alive and in Nibelheim," he said into the phone.
The other three looked at him in anticipation. The conversation on the phone did not last long. The gunner hung the phone up and looked to the others.
"Orders are to rest up and stay put. And Reno, Rude, Elena... do not try anything stupid until we received orders. Otherwise both of them will be killed," he said to them.
The other three nodded in compliance. They all to the ground, sadly. They were reduced to this all because of the two that were being held hostage. The fate of Reeve and their comrade rested on their actions.