Tifa and Sephiroth were still in Nibelhiem after three weeks. Sephiroth hadn't done anything suspicious, mostly he sat in the corner of the small room the two had rented for their stay in Nibelhiem. She wanted so badly to talk to him, this mysterious dark knight. Unknown to her, he also wanted badly to talk to her. It was tearing them both up inside. Finally Tifa decided to break the silence. "So, uh, not much of a talker are you?" she trailed off. His eyes shot up and met hers. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it..." she apologized, "Just trying to make conversation..." "It's alright, the silence is probably killing you..." he trailed off. "Um, what do you remember about yourself?" she asked. "Well, I now know that like you I was born in this little town..." he said with a weak smile. "That's not what I mean..." she started. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What I mean is..." she never finished that sentence her heart pounded so loudly she couldn't hear herself think anymore. "I-I dunno..." she stammered turning away. Inside her heart still beat wildly, uncontrollably, erratically, and loudly. Sephiroth turned away. "I need some time to myself..." he told her walking away. She could only watch him walk out the door, his long silver hair swished gently back and forth as he did so.

As soon as he was gone she grabbed her head in her hands. "What are you thinking, Tifa? He's your sworn enemy, he destroyed your friends, your family, your life! Don't even think of him as even remotely attractive! Even if his long silver glistening hair is very hypnotic and his emerald eyes seem to have a forbidden fire and glow all their own..." She thought, "Damn it, Tifa wake up! He's the insane homicidal asshole who killed the people you grew up with!" As much as she tried to convince herself that the murderer Sephiroth and the Sephiroth that she had spent the last three weeks with were the same person, she just couldn't imagine it. "What is so different about him now, that you can't see the murderer?" she asked herself. Of course she knew the answer, it was his eyes, his voice, and the things he said and how he said them. Exhaustion caught up with her and she fell flat down on her bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Outside Sephiroth was just walking about the town. A chilly October day, his trench coat clung tightly to his shoulders. He had buckled and zipped up the dark colored jacket as best he could. He walked the streets trying to find some respite from her. He was falling deeper for her with every waking moment, and even a few sleeping ones. He could seldom find himself not thinking of her. She was swiftly becoming his sole purpose in life. His nerves were shot and his body was exhausted. The smell of Mako still haunted the air just like that time 5 years ago. Painful memories resurfaced, ones he had spent the last 5 years trying to forget only to find out that running could not give him respite. Though he was now free of Jemova her curse remained on him, the curse of guilt. The guilt of the innocent blood he shed in the name of a power hungry monster. So intense was his pain of guilt that he was fatigued, both physically and mentally by it's strain on his heart, mind, body, and soul. If he even still had a soul. He slowly began to shuffle through the leaves back to the inn, when he heard a scream. A woman crying out in pure terror, the sound echoed from the inn, but that wasn't what sent Sephiroth running. The voice was that of his own unrequited love.

Upon approaching her he found that her eyes were closed. She was sleepwalking, he grabbed onto her. Knowing how dangerous it is to disturb a sleepwalking person he didn't dare wake her. Instead she woke herself, finding herself in his arms she struggled like mad, until she remembered what had happened recently. Before she could stop herself she slapped him. "I'm so sorry!" she gasped. "It's alright... I deserve it..." he replied, "Besides as long as you are safe, that's my only concern..." She turned her face to the ground and he realized he was still holding her. He released her and turned his attention to the ground. "Th-thank you for your concern..." she stammered. "N-no problem..." he was stammering as well. The air was silent between them now gone was the smell of mako.

The PHS broke the silence. "Yes," Sephiroth replied. "Hey, we're headed your way, you haven't left Nibelhiem have you?" Cloud's voice asked. "No we haven't..." Sephiroth began. "Good wait for us there..." Cloud interrupted. "As you wish..." the former general replied. He hung up the PHS and tried hard to avoid eye contact with the woman he wished to spend his life with. "If she doesn't want me, then there's nothing I can do... Tife you'll never know how much I love you..." he thought. "Come, it's getting colder out here, we can't have you catching a cold..." he said wrapping his trench coat around her shoulders. She blushed to his touch and tried hard to avoid looking him in the eyes. He gueded her back to the inn for the night. "Uh, how long do you think it'll be before they get here?" she asked nervously that night. "I-I dunno..." he replied.

When it was time to get in bed, but when Tifa sat down they heard a cracking sound from here bed. "What's that?" she asked. CRACK! and her matress fell to the floor with a loud thud. "Uh oh..." they both said. "Uh you can take my bed, I'l sleep oon the floor..." he said still avoiding looking her in the eyes. "No, it's ok... I'll take the floor..." At this point he grabbed her shoulders and finally looked her in the eyes. She could only stare back into his emerald orbs. She no longer doubted the good in him, he was a genuinely good person now. A strange feeling washed over her unlike anything she had felt before, even in the presence of Cloud. She leaned towards him, she couldn't resist his eyes. She had finally gotten her intention, a good kiss. She had fooled herself into believing Cloud, now she knew the truth. "Sephiroth..." she began after breaking away. "Take the bed, my love... You need it more than I do..." he told her stubbornly. He rolled oput his sleeping bag on the cold floor. She had a very unsteady sleep, but she had little choice but let him sleep on the floor. He wouoldn't have it any other way. The next day AVALANCHE had arrived at the town. She crawled out of bed at an ungodly hour. It was the early afternoon and she could hear Cloud and Sephiroth arguing. She quickly changed out of her nightgown and raced downstairs to see what the commotion was about. "Tifa!" Cloud and Aeris exclaimed. "Hi guys..." she said dejectedly as she looked away from them. "The hell do ya' mean 'hi guys...' we was worried 'bout yer' ass, ya' wanna' be a li'l bit more considerate!" Barret fumed. "Hey, she's alright ok! Back off, I happen to be telling the truth!" Sephiroth defended. "It's ok Seph... Barret's always like this..." she reassured. He looked at her lovingly, "If you say so, then I trust you..." he said as he smiled. He turned to Cloud. "What do you say, Strife? Do you want me dead?" he asked, "I promised you my life the last time we met, you decide if you want me dead..." "No, I could still use your help... But don't think that this means I trust you..." the former mercenary quipped. Sephiroth bowed humbly and followed AVALANCHE out of town. As he was walking away he thought he heard a voice in the back of his mind, it was very feint. It awakened a fear deep in his heart, the name of the voice was Jenova, her curse had not yet left him. He decided he wouldn't tell his beloved or her friends about this revelation yet.