Yay! finally I managed to drag myself out of my lazyness and write this chapter. There is a reason why the rating is M. There is no sexual contents, but the language and fighting scenes surpass the T-rating.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sephiroth or the universe for that matter (I could if I married tetsuya, but that is kindda gross)

Enjoy! and remember, I love reviews, if you feel that it is nessesary to flame me then do so.

Sephiroth stared at her defeated and buried his head into the ground. She looked the other way and clutched the materia within her hands; she could only feel regret and closed her eyes as the pain continually increased. "I am sorry…" she muttered softly. He didn't say anything in return he just stared at the grass ahead of him, trying to figure out what to do now.

She brushed some of her hair out of her face and slowly moved her hand to her shoulder. Closing her mouth, she tried to crack her shoulder back into its right place. As she felt the pain in her joint, she quickly dismissed the thought. Sephiroth stared at her and narrowed his eyes. She is weak…

"Would you mind helping me sit a bit up….?" He asked harshly as he hardly had the breath to speak any further due to his damaged lung. Ningit helped him up despite the fact that she was on the edge of collapsing herself. He took her left hand into his and she looked slightly frightened by his action. Was Sephiroth holding her hand? Why? Coughing out blood he opened her hand and took the materia. "I have little strength… but, if I am able to cure myself I can carry you to the nearest village and heal you there…" Because you are so pathetic.

She stared at him for a while before she hid her face underneath her bangs. He held the materia tightly and placed it within the Masamume, which he had managed to grab when they had escaped from the train. Coughing hard, he knew that he had to be quick if he shouldn't pass out right then and there. Raising the sword he muttered, "Cure3…"

A green light surrounded his body and he gasped when his lung expanded and was full of fresh air. His eyes had improved and his back didn't hurt anymore; only the sore feeling was left remained of the muscles being torn apart. He breathed in slowly and turned towards his companion who seemed ready to pass out any minute. Smiling a bit, he stood up and cracked his neck a bit. He could see that her wounds had stopped bleeding, but it seemed that the stupid Ninja-girl had accidentally poisoned her too.

She was very light, which surprised him a great deal. Either he had gotten stronger or she was one of those anorectic girls. The sweat on her brows travelled down her cheek and her sight seemed to have gotten worse. Despite the fact that Sephiroth had lost a great deal of energy himself he still had to make sure she was going to survive, because she was the only one who had the ability to lead him to the materia.

The thing was what was the materia? She had shortly told him that it had something to do with fusion, and that the materia was called so. However, he knew very well that if it existed there would most likely only be one.

His eyes closed a bit as he felt himself become tired and he needed to get the girl to a safe place and get the poison out of her. He could have taken a heal materia and cured her, but the bad thing about that it would mean that he would lose the last of his stamina, which could end up being fatal. He noticed that her eyes slowly closed and she fell limp in his arms. Despite his own exhaustion, he was ready to sacrifice his own health to make sure she came out of this alive, only because his life wouldn't matter much if she died. They had to get to the village…

"I think we might try examining the cells… It could be different from regular humans, she is pretty unique after all…"

"I think it would be a better idea to try testing her abilities…"

"What about materia? Can she use materia…?"

"Now… try to use it…"

"Goodbay! There is no way she would be able to use it in such a young state! "

"Listen… We have to try, she is a part -------"

"What?"

"Yeah! But the ------- can't do that either… It produces -----"

"What… What is this?"

" … We have to kill her! She can become a threat to the whole world if Hojo finds her! Imagine the disasters it could cause her…"

"I agree… we have to…"

"I… I…"

"Can't do it…?"

"We'll leave her in your care… It seems that ----"

"I can't! I have to do it! We must eliminate her…"

"This way!"

"Run! Run!"

Her eyes slowly opened. The light from the window made her hiss in pain and she rubbed the sudden blindness off. When she had adjusted to the sunlight, Ningit focused her eyes on the grim ceiling above her. Spider webs covering most of the corners and dust hung heavily in the room. Despite the necessary urge to get out of the room, she kept on lying in the bed.

Her limbs were sore and her eyesight was still misty but the pain had disappeared, especially in her damaged shoulder. She sighed and raised her hand to look at how it was doing. To her surprise, it was bandaged and she could move her fingers without flinching in pain. Emerald eyes just continued to gaze at the fingers that were covered in the dim morning light; her face seemed like she had been paralysed in that exact moment.

She didn't move her hand or turn her head when the door creaked open, revealing an old lady holding a tray full of different kind of food and a ball with water. Ningit's piercing eyes moved slightly to the left to observe the woman walking over to the window opening them fully. She had a nice smile and lots of gray, messy hair that was tied neatly in an old-fashioned hairstyle. Somehow it reminded her of her own mother, the way her eyes partly shone in delight when she noticed the morning sun rise from the mountains.

Where was Sephiroth?

The woman turned around and smiled. "Don't worry. Your companion is resting in a room down the hall; it seems like he used a lot of energy just to bring you here…"

Ningit blinked shortly and turned her eyes back to the ceiling, seeming to have become very distant since she had woken up. "You are lucky that I had a potion and an antidote at hand… Who knows how long you would have lasted if you hadn't found my house…" the old woman continued to talk into the empty air because the brown haired woman in the bed was staring silently at the ceiling…

'We have to eliminate her…'

Who? Is it some sort of twisted joke all of this… I must have thought so little about that memory that I have forgotten all about it…

She furrowed her brows slowly and glared a bit at the cream-colored wall above her. Could it be that it has something to do with the fact that the Lifestream is calmer out here…? She bolted straight up in the bed, her eyes wide and she was panting hard. I passed a bit of Lifestream while carrying Sephiroth! And I didn't feel any pain…!

Staring at her hands, she noticed the bandages once more. Frowning, she quickly stood but was pushed back again by a pair of masculine clothed hands.

"Sit. Down. Now."

She didn't respond, instead she decided to narrow her eyes and glare at the general in front of her. He looked slightly annoyed, especially after the fact that he had saved her from death, wasn't she grateful at all? Pushing him to the side, she grabbed a discarded jacket and walked down the stairs. Sephiroth narrowed his own eyes and stared at her departing form.

"Don't worry, young man… After those scars I found on her body, she seems to have been through quite a rough childhood…" He turned his head to the old woman and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The woman smiled gently and washed the tables where blood lay in thick layers after she had to clean Ningit's wounds. "Well, while I tried to examine her body, I found her arm full of scars. Sadly, she must have been under a lot of torture, because if it was healed with a potion or a cure it would have made the scars disappear. However… she seemed quite distant this morning, I wonder what might have caused that…"

"Scars disappear when a cure is used?"

"Yes. I think she has been on the edge of death a lot of times, because some of them could have been fatal…" She said in such a carefree tone that it frightened him a great deal. The woman sighed a bit and stroked her hair… "I am so worried… I have a daughter working on this space program for Shinra… I tried to convince in coming back, but she just won't listen…"

Sephiroth snorted a bit and walked into the room he had been given. He could at least try to entertain himself; he had never been interested in conversing with women anyway. So her daughter was far away? Was this the touch of motherly love…?

Despite his usually cold mood, he found himself sad by the thought of that kind of love. It wasn't that he missed it, because he had never experienced people being kind to him. Not even his companion felt like being just a little nicer around him… Not that he made any attempt to be nice to her either. He snorted and leaned back into his bed and wondered where to go next… He had no idea which direction Kalm was since he had lost track of where they were during there attempt to escape…

'Scars disappear when a cure materia is used…'

Sephiroth began to examine his own chest but all he found was silk soft skin that was flat and smooth without any traces of Hojo ever having touched him. It had been painful yes, but the only reminder he had was his memories. She had scars that most likely covered several inches of her body. Sephiroth suddenly felt very angry and jealous… He didn't know why, but those were the feelings that came to him in that exact moment. He would never be able to pity her… because she hadn't endured what he had been through… All those needles puncturing his body…

She opened the door with a slight creak, as she silently welcomed the dark halls of the little house she had woken up in the early morning. The staircase leading to the upper floor was covered in the light from the crimson night she witnessed. She had no idea why she had insisted on just leaving, but she just had the urge to get away from everything.

She closed the door with a click and stared at the rain pouring down outside. Her hair clung to her face as emerald eyes turned to the stairs. It creaked slightly when a pair of leather boots walked down with unnatural perfection.

"Where were you…?" His monotone voice asked. The green in her eyes widened slightly. He's like a child waiting on its mother…

She dropped her gaze to the floor and spoke softly but without a hint of caring at all. "I just couldn't stand being here…" He shrugged a bit at her response "I guess that is acceptable… But next time, if you stay out so late I will have to hunt you down…"

It send an unpleasant chill down her spine hearing him speak those words and he received a just as cold glare back. He raised an eyebrow and stepped aside, motioning her to continue upstairs. That was when she noticed that even though he had cured himself; it didn't mean that the wounds had healed completely. Might make sense that his upper chest is covered in bandages…

"Are you alright?"

He blinked in surprise and looked down at his chest, and mentally slapped himself for not putting on his coat. "I'm fine… I have been through a lot worse," he growled.

She nodded and continued to stand in the entrance with her wet hair clinging to her cheeks. Her clothes were damp, and she was freezing, but something made her unable to walk past him. He raised an eyebrow in question and laid his arm to his side once more. She scratched her arm a bit and ducked her hand into the jacket pocket.

Sephiroth's eyes widened as he saw her pull up a shinning necklace with different colours. My mother's…

She smiled a bit nervously and handed him the cold and wet jewellery with a shaking hand. "I thought you might want it back…"

"You went to the train?"

She dropped her gaze to the floor and looked the other way, receiving a dangerous glare from her companion. "You did?"

Sephiroth walked down the last few steps and stopped right in front of her. His piercing mako eyes shone with frustration and most of all annoyance. His hand rose to crush her against the wall, when he felt her foot connect with his skull. It was a weak kick, but she had, none the less, managed to hit him… His eyes widened in surprise and barely registered her foot was ready to hit his stomach too. As he got his breath back, he quickly moved to one side and trapped her face front against the wall, her hands held tightly behind her back.

She glared at him over her shoulder as her body was pressed further against the wall. The pain in her hand came back so suddenly that she hissed in pain, and closed her eyes. Sephiroth stood coldly and held her firmly in his grip, not making any intentions of letting her lose. Ningit cursed on the inside but would never in her whole life show him that it hurt, not when he was as dangerous as he was.

"Aren't you grateful I got the necklace back?" She sarcastically muttered into the wall covered with daises.

He narrowed his eyes and continued to increase his hold on her. "You went back…" She snorted at his words. "Are you stupid or something? It was perfectly safe to go back… They aren't that stupid either… Why would they stay there and wait for me to come back? That makes no sense does it?" she said, but grunted slightly as she was pressed closer against the wall.

"Would it? I am fine. What more do you want? I am not some stupid blonde girl who cannot defend herself…"

He chuckled slightly. "Well, it's a pretty pathetic attempt right now…"

She was silent, which confused him, even in the short time he had known her she would most likely have made some harsh comment, but the light in her eyes had died and she seemed dull and lifeless. He knotted his brows and neared her face just slightly…

… When she snapped. "Get off me!" She threw her knee against the wall and used the pressure to push him backwards. He unconsciously let go of her wrist and received a punch to his face, which made him a bit dizzy to be honest, but he was fast enough to catch the second blow and trap her against the wall, this time with her front towards him and her hands trapped above her head.

Leaning against her so that she wouldn't be able to kick him, he whispered dangerously, "If it wasn't for the fact that your life is so valuable, I would have ripped you in two by now…"

Her face darkened at his speech and she felt him loosen his grip on her, and made her slump up against the wall. 'Sephiroth… you are such a bastard…' He didn't look at her and just walked casually up the stairs, leaving her in the dark hallway with her wet clothes and her beating pulse full of adrenaline.

She screamed as she punched the floor in anger and panted hard but none the less she kept a cool façade…

The click of the kitchen door opening made her turn her face to meet the nice warm smile from the old lady who held a ball of water. "How about we clean that nasty wound of yours?"

Ningit looked out of the window while the woman slowly removed her damp t-shirt she had given her earlier that day. The bruises on her back weren't fully healed, mainly because the materia that had been used was only a silly Cure1. She sighed as she felt the cool water wash the remaining blood off her bruised back and leaving her only to her thoughts.

"We have to kill her…"

Her eyes turned to look at the old woman. Watching as the wrinkles moved up and down as she furrowed her brows when examining her back. Ningit sighed and her gaze watched the flowers in the window… plastic flowers. They were easy to have, didn't demand anything; no water, no food, nothing… They would just stand there looking pretty and lifeless. 'Like me…'

"Hey... Sorry about the incident downstairs…" she muttered quietly to hide her embarrassment.

The old lady blinked and smiled, petting the young woman's brown long hair. "Don't worry…this boy is troubled… He wants to have control, so he gets angry every time someone doesn't listen to him. I have this feeling that the best way to approach would be… like a mother…"

Ningit stared at her wrist he had held so hard earlier that evening and sighed, "I guess… It is worth a try…"

The woman smiled to herself and took the materia from within her hand and cured the last wounds fully. Reminds me of my daughter Shera…

A thank to all of those who take their times to read this. Thanks to MidoriTsuki for borthering beta-reading my story, and make sure that Sephiroth isn't OOC.

A big hug for Sora's saviour for reviwing X3 arigatou!