Chapter 11. A break.

Sephiroth's POV

"Why? Because it's the truth? You can't stand it, right?" She had said, defiant. "And you won't stand it. It will destroy you."

That woman's words echoed in my mind as loud as my own thinking.

I walked blindly into the dark night, headed towards home - my apartment. I panted like I had run miles, my heartbeat frantic, my pupils dilated, focused… somewhere in the void and still affected by that female's… smell.

What the Hell had I been thinking?

My steady hands never ceased to surprise me. I almost had killed a person in the brink of a silly provocation.

My threshold was shifting. My natural aggressiveness was changing… for worse.

I narrowed my eyes, thinking about what had happened, the words that woman had told me. She knew so many things. Things I kept private, only to my thinking, monologues I kept inside my mind.

I had to admit, her innate knowledge of me and my surroundings worried me, surprised me, even provoked me in a way. The why's of such knowledge remained unknown… and that, was exactly what fueled my sudden anger. But it went too far this time.

I had been reckless.

Chastising myself, my walk came to a halt.

I remembered very vividly the way she had been squirming beneath me, fighting my hold, grasping me for dear life.

Damn, she was feisty. How wrong was I in the head for thinking this way about a woman I intended to murder? How could strangling be and sound… enticing?

I blinked, amazed at my own logics. No, there wasn't any logic in any of this. And I had to stop thinking about her that way, it was wrong. She wasn't even… like us. That woman was a new genetic entity, still unknown to all of us, so… the possibilities were unlimited.

Her capacities… could include more than just foretelling. She had messed with my mind in a way. Her provocation had induced carelessness in me - and I wasn't, simply, like that.

I was cold, cautious and mental, not a horny freak with deviant tastes.

I have to stay away from her.

My reasoning had been definitive. I wouldn't dare to get close to her like I had ever again… or I would risk more than just a casualty.

Thing was, I wasn't like that. I never had been.

Exhaling through my nose, I felt my rage flare. No, I would deal this my way. Woman, alien, whoever she was… I wouldn't be letting such worthless thing affect me.

I was Sephiroth after all.

The Demon General, as everybody called me, secretly.

I could hear them murmur.

John's POV

When I reached the lab the morning after the shutdown my personal was strangely silent. Oppressively silent.

Rounds were done as usual and I checked the previous day footages. Everything was normal, until the moment energy had failed the compound. It had been a local phenomenon, since labs in other floors hadn't suffered a thing.

I raised my eyebrow at the report that had come from the Energy department. 'Local failure?', 'Unknown phenomenon'? Yeah, right. I wasn't buying that. As if energy failed like that - specifically, in one part of the building. Energy didn't fail, period. The flux was continuous, powerful, constant - there were no sudden breaks, just like that… unless someone caused it deliberately.

There were things called switches. And people tended to use them when necessary.

But, then again, this wasn't the case.

The shutdown had been intentional and I didn't know who had caused it. Of course, Hojo was the first my mind thought about but he had an unshakable alibi. He had been in a meeting with The President and had been absent the whole time so…

Well, that left me with few to consider.

In a sudden movement, I went towards Eleanor Stevens premises. She had been very silent today. It wasn't very usual on her, she used to be very talkative with the staff.

I wondered if it had anything to do with last night.

Confirmation came the moment I laid my eyes on her.

"Eleanor?"

Her eyes met mine in a way I could only describe as 'terrifying'. Her first reaction was to hide herself from my stare.

I approached her side, as she remained on the bed, covered 'till her eyes. It was like she was afraid of the boogey man or something. That was an odd reaction. She never covered herself like this. She was always sitting, rarely lying down - except when she was sleeping.

I stooped half-way, looking at her, puzzled.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

She shook her head, and I heard a muffled 'no'. Right. I was so not buying that.

"Why are you hiding with the covers?" I asked again, making a movement with my chin towards her. She didn't say a thing, but her hands grasped the fabric harder.

Okay, there was something definitely going on.

Without warning, I closed distance with her shaky figure. It was obvious she was trembling beneath the sheets.

I sat slowly, right there, by the edge of her bed, close to her feet. Her eyes studied me and I wondered, worried, what could have been done to her.

"It's okay, Eleanor…", I started, my gaze serene on hers, "…I'm not going to say a word about whatever happened last night."

I was risking, I didn't know if I was stepping into secure ground or not but my guts were telling me something had actually happened last night, during that power outage.

She took her time reacting. But I started worrying when her answer resumed to blinking her teary eyes.

"It's okay…" I insisted, my right hand on the blanket, exerting a soft pressure. "It's okay…"

Her grasp on the sheets softened and a couple of tears fell. She was so tense I could feel her constricted muscles beneath the covers.

Unhurriedly, I pulled the sheets down. She had her white pajama on, as usual. Her hands didn't move but, when the sheets reached her shoulders, I stopped.

My eyes widened and my mouth half-opened with shock.

Purple was all over her neck. Throat, jaw.

My mind stopped for fractions of seconds. I couldn't think. I couldn't process what I was seeing. Those marks had been hands. Fingers. Crushing, squeezing hard.

My hand traveled towards her, touching her skin. She whimpered immediately. I blinked for moments, amazed at the view.

Eleanor cried silently, as I accessed her with my eyes. There were few I could do with my hands. She was sore and in pain.

Now I understood the silence this morning. Everybody had been freaking out with her marks.

What animal could have done this to her?

I sighed, heavily.

"Are there more?" I whispered, hoping she would answer me with a no.

I had no such luck.

With embarrassment, she showed me her legs. The shorts she had on didn't cover her much, what made my observation easier.

As well as other things.

The marks on her legs were scattered, random. I could tell they had been marks of defense, most likely made on her own. Reaction marks.

"Did you fight?"

She nodded, sniffing. As she repositioned herself on the bed, I saw the marks on her inner tights. She had been pressed towards something with large, metal bulks. The form was so typical I didn't need a confession.

There were few persons in the world using clothes with this type of metal straps.

My eyes flew immediately to her neck again, and I could picture easily a very large size of hands squeezing her neck. The pressure points were… distinctive.

It shocked me, in a way. I never thought he would be able to go this far.

The General had been responsible for this.

She was a woman, for Christ's sake and he was a large piece of man. How could he? And… why?

My left hand massaged quickly my forehead, as I thought of a way of asking Eleanor if she had been abused.

However, she was the one speaking.

"He didn't do anything to me. Not like that, John."

I sighed, shaking my head. I felt truly frustrated. How could I have let something like this happen?

God, how reckless I had been!

"That makes me feel so much better." I declared, my tone reflecting my frustration. I had been a tad ironic and Eleanor didn't miss it.

"Listen, it was my fault."

My eyes met hers reflexively. She had got to be kidding me.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I provoked him." She declared, her tone fragile. "I said things… that were very unpleasant and… you know how The General is. He doesn't like to be caught off guard."

I blinked for a second, trying to understand her words.

"And that justifies what he did to you?" I declared, raged. "Why was he here in first place, what on the Planet did he want from you?"

She breathed noisily before answering.

"He wanted the same you do. Answers. All this… me knowing everything about him and the company, is really affecting him. And then, he provoked me and I provoked him as well and he…"

She closed her eyes, as if trying to placate the pain that memory caused her.

I could only imagine the brutality of his grasp.

"How did he... what, did he restrain you on the bed?"

The words were leaving my mouth but I couldn't even conceive such scene actually happening. It was a terrible image: him, subduing her, trying to choke her like a sadist. It shocked me and made me feel terribly protective of her.

I didn't want Eleanor on such situations with… didn't matter who.

Jealousy was something very acidic to bear.

"I… He grabbed me when I was still standing and then… I fell into the bed. With him, trying to… choke me. I had it coming, really, John, I shouldn't have-"

"Stop defending him." I snarled, now really angry. "He tried to kill you, mistreated you and you are justifying his actions?"

Her face suddenly changed, her eyes a tender honey.

"The General isn't a standard man, just like you or anybody else, John. Believe me. He… It's not his fault he reacts like that. He is a haunted man, with a serious background. I know what I'm saying, believe me. I wouldn't be defending him if I didn't know how he works and thinks, the complexity within his mind."

"I can't believe you are saying this." I declared, lost of words.

Her speech had been incredible. How could I say or do whatever it was to prove it otherwise?

"Let it go. Don't report this-"

My eyes widened.

"What?" I couldn't believe she was asking this of me. "I have to report this incident Elie, and General Sephiroth is not getting inside your room without me, in person. He won't, ever, be close to you without escort."

Silence scored the room for long seconds. I acknowledged her silence as a 'yes'. For a moment, Eleanor seemed as lost as I felt.

"Let's take care of that." I affirmed, pointing at her neck.

"Please," She said, as I approached her again. Her complexion was pleading. How difficult this was going to be from this moment on. "Forget about this. It doesn't matter."

"You're wrong." I declared, annoyed. "It actually matters a lot. I still don't understand why you want to keep this a secret if-"

"Trust me." She interrupted me, her hand on mine. "Please, trust me. If this is known, he will snap and it'll be much worse."

I narrowed my eyes. She was talking about future events, wasn't she?

"Much worse than what, Elie? I can't imagine things can be much worse than abusing by force a defenseless woman."

Eleanor closed her eyes and sighed. Frustration was all over her. Which was somehow funny. I already felt enough frustration on my own account already.

She didn't answer me.

She basically shook her head. And judging by her reaction, I realized worse wouldn't exactly cover what was going through her mind.

Sephiroth's POV.

I watched attentively their conversation.

The doctor and the woman had been talking about what had happened yesterday night.

I sat at my desk. My office, the whole department was silent, only with presence lights on. Shadow was my comfort, my company for the night.

I hadn't slept a thing the previous one. I felt like I was going to combust - my insides were shaky, anxious, and I knew why.

I knew I had misbehaved. But I was who I was and I had to be an example. More than that, I was the example.

Discipline, honor, impartiality.

And, for brief moments, that woman had changed it all.

She had defied what I was, what made of me the respected man everybody worshiped, relied on.

So, it was only normal that, after last night, I felt guilty. Worried.

But above all, I was intrigued - because I didn't know what she would do next… after I almost took her life.

I imagined all the scenarios and I had prepared my defense for all of them.

There was no proof I had been there. There was nothing… except for her physical marks that would eventually vanish. Oh, and my hair. That wench had grabbed herself to my hair in despair.

Damn.

She had it coming. She deserved it.

Now, that I was to think rationally, I knew the woman didn't deserve to die.

A corrective, yes, not death.

But how her words had blinded me, how she had defied me in a way nobody had done yet. Nobody had dared to do so.

I blinked, silent and in the dark, replaying that conversation for the fifth time. I had recorded it live directly from the security footage.

She was covering my back.

And I didn't get it. Why? Why was she doing this? I had tried to kill her and yet, she kept arranging justifications for my behavior.

John couldn't feel more outraged. That was pretty cool to watch though.

The good doctor was smart. The marks on her legs and the buckles of my coat? An average brain wouldn't have made the association.

But no, not John.

He suspected immediately I had been the one causing the power outage, been inside that woman's premises and tempted against her life.

For some moments, I felt a little lost in thinking.

What would I do?

Quickly, I reasoned that, for now, moving away would be the best thing for me to do.

I needed time to clear my head, my mind.

I wouldn't be visiting that woman soon. I would investigate without the need of her intervention.

With a sudden movement, I disconnected the monitor.

Enough of this.

I was a General. I had so much better things to do but to worry over dull matters.

Elie's POV

Shower felt like a blessing.

I remained beneath the hot spray of water for a long time, enjoying the soothing sensation. At least in here, I could relax, feel my muscles unwind.

The whole episode of the previous night didn't let me sleep. I was wide awake the whole night, hearing my heartbeat in my ears. And crying my eyes out.

Stress did these things to me. As well as… nausea. Thank God, the adrenaline didn't let me throw up.

Uh…

My mind automatically recalled the events of last night. It had been exactly 24 hours since I had been attacked.

My heartbeat peaked at the memory.

The General had been so sneaky. The tricks he had used to meet me secretly. How his curiosity must have burned inside… to the point of having him behave with such wildness?

The Sephiroth I knew wasn't like that. The Sephiroth inside the PS3 console, controlled by my own hands… had no trace of human inside.

But this Sephiroth was human... he even smelled like a man. He had his problems, his crisis, just like any average human. He just didn't show it for everybody to see.

He was very reserved. Ice cruel and obstinate. In all that, the PS3 and I agreed.

But in here, in this place… he was real.

As real as I was.

I, better than anyone, had known that, first hand.

My hands travelled to the sore skin and muscle on my neck. His fingers. Tepid and smooth. So strong, so decisive.

My eyes closed. His touch was something worthy of remembering. If he hadn't squeezed, if he hadn't been so harsh… it would have felt wonderful.

My eyes opened.

What the hell am I thinking!?

No, I wasn't thinking straight. I had an innate adoration for the General - the PS3, the virtual character. It was inevitable not to recognize him and his amazing skills. But it was also inevitable to recall how and when he would become monstrous.

If I thought he was terrible now, there would be no words to describe how he would be when the mission to Neibelheim would come.

He would blindly kill everyone. Me included. Everything, every living being.

He wouldn't be merciful.

I knew it already. I had seen that scene so many times. But now, that I was here, that I lived in this reality, all of it seemed so much more… serious. Atrocious.

My heartbeat peaked with anxiety.

I have to stop him…, I concluded, my eyes focused on the tiles.

I felt, in my core, the need to stop that terrible event from happening, as something vital.

Necessary.

I was here now, in this world, and I had advantage over everybody and everything because I knew exactly what would happen and when.

But I couldn't do this alone. I had to behave with tact, think about how I would give away this particular information.

It was obvious this was sensitive territory. Namely, for the General. And talking directly to him was completely out of question.

Zack Fair was the first face my mind suggested. I blinked, a little surprised with my own logics. Yes, Zack would be a good candidate. And that way, I could try and avoid two deaths. His and the General's.

I only had to consider very carefully all this. Every pros and cons.

And John would have to help me.