Epilogue ONE.

This is a little excerpt of the plot way ahead. I had this inspirational moment and wrote this little piece for you. Hope you like it. PORTAL is not forgotten, I assure you. There is much to know about what will happen to Elie and our boys.

Enjoy*

I walked alone, a soft breeze cleansing the worries caged inside my mind, where all the indifference and harsh attitudes of Sephiroth hurt me. I knew him well, maybe better than anybody else in this place and yet… his unsurprising attitudes had a terrible effect on me. Those were like caustic acid, eating me on the inside. Leaving permanent marks in my injured ego.

"Eleanor!"

I trembled as I heard him call my name. By my first name. He usually called me 'Stevens', and I had grown used to that in a way that hearing his tempting voice calling me out like that had the most disturbing effect on me. It excited me - and I liked it.

Sadly. Because he would never know I got turned on just by hearing him call my name.

I stopped gradually, searching for him. He walked towards me with that cadence I was so used to now. Calm, silent, deadly.

Sexy and tempting went by inside my mind but I had the decency to chastise my own thinking or I would blush terribly when he got close to me.

The moment always arrived sooner than I expected. There was no way my body would adjust to Sephiroth's presence and relax when he was around.

"What is it?"

My voice came out fragile and out of breath. Damn. This guy did this to me and hated that power he had on me, annihilating my inner strength just like that.

Our stares met and a shiver ran down my spine, as those aqua eyes focused on mine. Man. His eye-power was immense.

"I demand to know what is wrong."

Sephiroth's tone had been cautious and quiet. Clearly, the subject was strictly between me and him. I narrowed my eyes for a moment, genuinely lost within his words. What was he talking about?

"What do you mean, wrong?"

I saw him take a deep breath, avert his stare from mine as he scanned the parking lot of Shinra company, now totally deprived of vehicles - except for my own. Then, his eyes met mine once again - and what I saw in there scared me for moments.

"You know exactly what is wrong. Everything, every little face you make, your gloomy, disappointed complexion every time I do something you clearly are expecting me to do."

I gulped at his words. My, was I that transparent?

"I thought you told me you knew everything about me, about what I feel, about what I want and how I act no matter the circumstances. If that's so, why are you constantly wearing such frown of… disgust?"

I took a deep breath as I tried to gather myself. Geez, this was powerful. What would I answer to him, and how? I didn't have to- no, I didn't want to admit that he hurt me just for being himself. It would be… terrible. Unfair. I wouldn't stand doing such thing. For both my sake… and his.

So I decided to tell him an half-lie.

"You're seeing things, Sephiroth. Your actions don't disgust me. But the truth is you'll always surprise me, even when I know what to expect. It's okay, it's the way you are, period." My words were sincere and sad, mainly because any of it wasn't, in fact, okay. He had a strange influence over me and since the decaying of Zack, things had become intense between us. Not as lovers, not as friends - but as two persons sharing a bond of serious secrets about eachother.

And Sephiroth… was not the sharing type of guy, what left me with a lot inside to myself. And most of the times, all that amount of information was terrible to keep. Secrets consumed me, ate my sanity. And, as a consequence, I had tried to move away from his surroundings. Obviously, he noticed it - even if I had tried to do it oh so suavely.

"I'm here, I have to move on with my life. I can't be stuck to a past of calamity and death. I won't."

Discreetly, I tried to shift subject but he didn't let me.

"No, Elie." He stated, serious. "I can tell perfectly you're purposely avoiding me. And I want to know why you are behaving like that."

His childish ignorance over women's nature irritated me for a moment. This guy was impressive. He didn't have a clue I was totally falling for him, was he? What an ass!

"I'm exploring other job opportunities. I need to widen my horizons. And Shinra is far from what I-"

"You're lying."

Our stare locked now with a seriousness hard to disguise. I hated when he interrupted me.

"You presume too much, General." I affirmed, my tone firm. "You don't know-"

"I know you better than you might think, Elie. You're hiding things from me, I know it. I feel it. And I'm going to find out what that is. Mark my words."

My heartbeat peaked as I processed his words.

He didn't let me say a thing against. He just turned around and off he went, walking towards Shinra's building, his silver hair dancing, adjusting to his walk and that tall, strong frame that threatened to destroy all my walls of self-defense.