Behind Black Curtains
An AU, Sephiroth and Tifa fanfiction
-by Amaranthos-
Chapter 5: Unfortunate tides
Sephiroth had returned from his war early that day with still not a drop of blood on his army apparel. As a General he carried himself with a certain sense of pride and air about him, one that by default seem to strike fear into the hearts of men. His name had grown fanatically to the far ends of the world, as a murderous killer. Many thought this man had been a legend. Forgotten or created to appease the sense of creativity in the mind. However it was, Sephiroth was the best at his game. A soldier of ice and death riddled with his name. A monster on the battlefield. His legend was real and he walked the earth to strike that fear.
As he walks with his familiar apparel of leather pants and boots, the dark trenchcoat buttoned and strapped seems to show off his large frame and well-sculptured physique. His arms were adorned in short black gloves and silver army cuffs to the top. There was nothing that wavered his portfolio of vice and fear he portrayed. With a passport of fitted green sinful eyes, and flowing silver hair, Sephiroth became a beautiful portrait of death.
He casually walks down the hall, seeing dinner had taken most of the soldiers from the corridors to the dinning room. The hapless fools didn't seem to take on their surroundings, only their stomachs. It was quiet he thought, when the faint voice of an old friend draws him to a halt.
"Good afternoon, General Sephiroth. Just returned from your battle?" the voice belongs to Velrog: Rufus' father.
The old man, built and as tall as his son, was old. With his blonde hair gone and only penetrating blue eyes remained, he could tell the old man still had so much fight left in him to lead and create war.
In a blue velvet coat he wore with gold buttons and black gloves on his hand. He, like his son, adorned himself in all the filthy luxuries.
Sephiroth advanced towards the old man who was looking out the window.
"Yes…" came Sephiroth's simple word.
The old man smirked. For as long as he knew Sephiroth, his demeanor had constituted of great punctuality and reservation and at the odd times, sarcasm and quick fight. The man was strikingly scary, and yet he spares only a word or two.
"You must excuse my son and his behaviour" the old man started.
Sephiroth guessed right. The old man did have something to say. He didn't really know he'd mention Rufus so suddenly. Sephiroth strew his features into a thinking daze.
"Hmm."
"He breaks tradition and insults my best soldiers." The man sighed, "I must ask you not to hate him – "
"No, you must ask me not to kill him" Sephiroth interjected.
"That as well, my friend." He drew another sigh. "I feel insulted Sephiroth." The man shook his head, "My son does not understand that Black Crescents has been an organization, tidied to laws and traditions. To the greatest of their prodigy war soldiers, known as SOLDIER. You being the best of the lot. But my son, dismisses our achievements and carries himself on high horses, creating mishap, discarding our laws and even provoking my men…" he spoke.
"Why don't you have the council remove him?" Sephiroth spoke against the glass.
He sighs. "It can work like that Sephiroth. But he is my only heir, and I am an old man, who has seen royal red days one too many times, a sight my son has only didactic through orders, but never through his physical body. I'm afraid our traditions here at Black Crescents are expensed to the modern rules of my young son." He whispers.
"What is even worst, my son treats that Lockhart girl, as someone special insulting your integrity above hers" he speaks, "blasphemous!"
"I was meaning to talk to the council about this matter. You have me baby-sitting Lockhart when you know clearly I can not" Sephiroth places his hands behind his back.
"I know. But so far Sephiroth, I think its better this way" Velrog spoke.
"Hmm?"
Velrog turns to Sephiroth who continued looking out the window.
"My son fancies Lockhart, and I'm afraid if the duty to protect her is bestowed to anyone else, my son will abuse his power, by ordering them away so he can take advantage of her." He paused, "lets be honest Sephiroth, there's no point for keeping the girl so safe. You're exactly right, we should keep her in with the other dogs. Besides, as soon as her father agrees on the list of things we want, there's no need for her." He chuckles.
Sephiroth didn't chuckle on the idea. He just looked off into the distance nonchalantly.
"But I'd have to admit, she's not too dumb." Velrog sighed, "which makes getting information from her that more difficult. She is very clever to strew her words and often thinks before saying too much of anything. The bloody girl should be beaten and tortured to extort information, instead my son is fancied by her." He shakes his head annoyed.
"I do not wish to baby-sit her, Velrog. As General of your war, the only reason I am a part of this war and I tolerate Rufus, is because of you and my contract. Do not force me to be responsible if the girl turns up dead in my room due to her silly antics." Sephiroth laid down his word.
"Tell me, what negotiations can I make with you to have you reconsider keeping the termagant?" Velrog asks.
"For 2 days, she gets no meals. I want her starved. The less energy she has, the less retaliation from her" Sephiroth begins in a horrid voice. Sephiroth turns to the old man, a smile on his face.
"I like how you think Sephiroth"
"She is trying to escape… and apparently has too much energy. If you ask me, taking away her food and drink will suit her fine, especially since she'll understand she's not welcomed here" Sephiroth smirks.
"Agreed, General" Velrog nods.
"Of course, that son of yours" Sephiroth does not hide the hate he openly feels for Rufus in his words or eyes, "better not know about this"
"Of course, General Sephiroth" he smirks, "my son will know nothing of our plan"
With their plan construed, they shared silence reverently looking out the window.
Tifa had been sitting on Sephiroth's couch for the last 6 hours. She'd been interrogated from the Shinra scum into telling all her father secrets. 'Whatever little I do know at least'
Of course she could not tell, she preferred dying than betraying her father. She wouldn't let her father pay for her injustices of being captured.
Now, sitting comfortably on his couch, free from shackles with a book in her hand, was a partially contented woman, reading a book of war. She was fascinated by the amount of war books, and not novels, but war diaries Sephiroth had. The collection was strikingly impressive. The latest book she read was about a soldier called Avary. He was a young Commander who tried to write new laws and standards to Black Crescents, but his diary shows the journey to change the lifestyle of Black Crescents had been a journey in itself. Only high-admitted officials were allowed to do such a thing. Tifa related to that feeling.
Surprisingly as she kept flipping the pages, there was a picture of a woman, who even if drawn in pen and was blotted and faded into the pages, was beautiful. Her smile was happy, her simple features making her a simple beauty. There was name on the bottom. Ninsuko. What a pretty name thought Tifa.
Tifa flipped the page and read the most horrid lines.
'And they took her from me, executing her on a red Sunday. The world is a crying shame. With nothing but hate for Black Crescents, I raise my sword to the day someone will deconstruct this empire of hate and injustice. Because of my words and contorting to implement new law, the council had seen it fit to kill the one thing that would remind me of my subservience, of my allegiance, of where my stinking duty now rots. And now… my woman pays the sore price for leaders of poor intelligence… this is my diary…the diary of a mad man..broken to lose it all..'
Tifa didn't know she was staring at the paragraph for a long time, almost as if in a daze. These words from this soldier seem to cut into her heart, so deep it felt as if they should never be spoken.
The door of the room opens, and Sephiroth who had been tired, remembered again he still had a duty, and there she was, boldly sitting on his couch, with a book in hand from his reading library. She appeared to be reading, something he was informed she enjoyed very much doing. But he was also informed she enjoyed happy novels of peace, not war stories from fallen soldiers. Seeing the diary in her hand, Sephiroth wondered which way he could hurt her now.
"Reading my books without my permission Lockhart?" he asked interested. Locking the door behind him. For a minute he expected her to say something, but it would appear she didn't hear him. Turning around he notices her trance-like behaviour.
"Lockhart" he shouted her name.
Immediately she jumps. Blinking back she looks up at him and tears fall down her cheeks. Sephiroth as usual did not react to the sight of tears.
"Y-Yes?"
"That's not your book"
She placed it down, realizing she could not bring herself to read anymore. For a moment she does not look at Sephiroth and concentrates on what the young soldier says.
Sephiroth gruffly picks her up by the shoulder.
"Time to get locked up" he spoke.
Tifa felt him push her into her small corner. He placed the shackle around her wrist and left her to be, his long trench-coat the only thing she could see.
It was during the night that Tifa woke up, with bright eyes. She remembered what she had to do. If she didn't know any better Sephiroth had to have been sleeping, which meant this was the perfect time to escape. Using her left hand she pulled a small bobby clip out her hair and slowly and quietly began prodding it into the shackle key hole. Tifa tried to make as little noise as possible, but the shackle wouldn't budge. For a long time Tifa sat against the wall, angry at the lock. Frowning Tifa looks through the window, and sees rain in the distance.
Tifa scuttles closer to the window, 'please rain'
And it is as if the heavens heard her that rain began falling. The loud tapping of the rain consistently beats on the roof creating a repeated echo in the room. Tifa waited for the rain to fall harder, and it did. Eyeing her surroundings she checked for any signs of Sephiroth in the room. From the tiny bit she could see, she couldn't see anything.
Pushing the pin back into the lock, Tifa tinkered and fidgeted the pin until she heard what sounded like music to her ears. A small click ticks off and the shackle is opened up.
Tifa smiles happily to herself. 'Finally' she thought, 'freedom'
Carefully placing the shackle on the floor, Tifa tip-toed on the floor, being very careful not to disturb Sephiroth who was sleeping in the other room. Lightning flashed, momentarily lighting the room a pale blue. Tifa ignored the lightning and proceeded to the door.
Putting her hand over the knob of the door, she quietly eased the door open, until a loud thunder and lightning came and the door almost immediately was shut closed. With horror on her face, she could the face of Sephiroth, standing to side of the door. Tifa backed up, unaware she was walking into the small coffee table. Stumbling to the floor, Sephiroth closed his eyes and leaned against the door, his face holding no expression.
Opening his eyes with the faint sound of thunder, he smirked. She really was beginning to piss him off.
"I don't know how many times I've warned you Lockhart, that I do not like you, I do not care for your presence here, and yet you still don't listen."
Tifa looks at him, realizing he's not in his usual General apparel. He wore a long sleeve top that was loose and unbuttoned, but he still maintained his leather pants.
Tifa turned to her side momentarily and saw a fire poker. Grabbing it, she pointed it forcefully at Sephiroth. Sephiroth smirked.
"Get the hell back!" she vehemently spat.
Sephiroth didn't moved, he just watched her.
Tifa got up and began opening the door to his room.
"Stay there or I'll kill you" she barked.
Again Sephiroth did not respond. Instead he sighed quite bored.
It had been the first time Tifa saw Sephiroth's room and it like everything in this castle was - colossal. He had a small dresser to the right corner of his room with a fireplace that was currently burning. To the left of the room was a huge bed with a white sheet on it. He had thin sear white curtains and like every window in this place, it was bolted. Tifa quickly looks at Sephiroth and shuts the door on him, locking it. Running to the window, she checks to see if the window would unlatch, unfortunately it couldn't.
Suddenly she hears a small knock on Sephiroth's door. She knew it was Sephiroth. Trying desperately to open the window, she heard a loud bang and then the door flies open. Sephiroth had managed to open the door, but how?
He approached her, this time fiercer than before, pissed at all the things she was working on him. Tifa pointed the fire poker defensively at him. On the mantle of his fireplace were three swords, pulling the smallest of the Masamune collection, he points it at her.
Sephiroth and Tifa strike each other, but Sephiroth slashed the fire poker right from her hands, making the thing fall to the floor. Tifa stared at the knob left in her hand. She ran toward him, ready to strike him, but he caught her hands and threw her on his bed. And before she could even move, a cold blade is placed under her neck.
Tifa looks at the blade menacingly. This time it was the Masamune pointing at her neck. Sephiroth walks toward her and pulls the blade away.
"You will no longer be shackled in the living room" with that he pulls her off his bed and allows her to sit against his window pane. Briefly, he leaves his room to return with four shackles in hand.
He shackles both arms and feet to the metal window.
"Freedom is something a lot of men have fought for, but have died trying to attain. Don't be a fool by getting inspired by your inner voice, I'll only be force to hurt you some more…and as I've mentioned I don't have a problem with killing you anytime." He sheathes his sword.
"A person should try fighting for freedom, Sephiroth" Tifa speaks.
Sephiroth takes a seat on his bed.
"Should they Lockhart?" he turns to her.
"Yes…" 'I believe so' she thought.
He looks at the fire and speaks, "sometimes it is wise to stay where you are, and not react too hastily, bringing unwanted attention on yourself." He paused, "but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"I'm not an animal Sephiroth" Tifa stood up, confined to his window. "You just can't keep me here…" she spat.
"Oh really?" he looks at her lying back into his bed, eyeing her bounded hands and feet, "I beg to differ"
Tifa breathes deeply, anger filling her again. "Are all of you the same way?" she asked.
He doesn't answer her question, instead he replaces it with a fouler truth.
"Freedom comes at an undying price Lockhart" he spoke, "fight for it, and you might get it, but sometimes it just doesn't come at all, and I assure you, like you've been fighting for your freedom, your people in the dungeons have been fighting for theirs. Look where that got them. Would you like to know a secret?" he turns to her…
"They're dead…all of them"
Tifa drops to her knees, wrenching her dress, tears falling down her cheeks.
"W-Who would do s-such, a t-thing?" she cried.
He smirked, "I did"
Tifa cried. Her whole heart and body hurt. She couldn't believe he did it. She couldn't believe he killed her people.
"I hate you Sephiroth. I hate you, I hate you!"
Sephiroth left his room leaving her to the sorrowed solace of her heart.
Tifa cried again, for hours and hours. She could not deny, all she felt was pain. This time it seem to hurt in places she could not stop. Gritting her teeth, and fisting her hand in tight fists, Tifa cried tirelessly.
"NOOO!" she pounded the floor.
The veins in her head seem to protrude and her voice begins fading. Tifa cried for hours, alone and tired. The wind from the cold night, seem to come from under the window and give her a draught.
She cried all night, her whole world…crumbling.
"Get up" he ordered in a low voice.
It was a deep voice and today she knew where she was. She had been in Sephiroth's room, sleeping on the floor. Sephiroth looked down at the woman. Her face was as pale as death and her eyes and nose red. She must have been crying all night. Tifa then feels the urge to get up and cough. A chesty cough that made her tightly grasp her dress.
Sephiroth scowls. The woman was sick. Great.
Knowing he couldn't hide this from Shinra, he leaves his room and has a doctor come in and take a look at her. On his arrival, Sephiroth is informed by an informant Rufus Shinra requests Tifa's presence. Sephiroth lightly touches his brow, realizing that could be a problem.
"Inform him, she's ill"
The informant takes his leave, and in about ten minutes, a man in a black sharp suit knocks on Sephiroth's door. Rufus doesn't wait for a reply, instead he enters looking at Sephiroth.
"She's sick?" he asked
Looking around Sephiroth's thrashed apartment.
"What happened in here, Sephiroth, got frisky with the girl?" he chuckles.
Sephiroth coldly looks at the imp of a ruler.
Seeing Sephiroth was not one to sport, he dropped his jolly voice. "So where is she?" he asked.
"In my room"
Rufus arches a brow. Entering, he could see a sad sight of a beautiful young woman paled and ill. Her skin was white and icy looking. Her lips were fading from their bright pink to dull blue.
"Sephiroth, what the hell is this?" he asked, lifting up her shackles.
"She tries to escape all the time."
"And you tiger shackle her?" he scowls, noticing Tifa was holding her stomach.
"Does she get fed?" was his next question.
"I'm not sure"
"She better be getting her meals, General" Rufus looks up angrily at Sephiroth.
"If she's dead Sephiroth, there's no point for me to quiet down her father." He shouts, "no one pays for the bloody dead Sephiroth."
"Then you should ask next time, Shinra boy if I want the duty of some little girl" Sephiroth bites back
"Humph!" Shinra bitters.
Tifa is unshackled and taken to the infirmary.
"You must not abuse your authority Shinra and forget who the enemy is" Sephiroth warns.
"No General, you must not abuse your authority" he turns to look at Sephiroth, "and I already know who the real enemy is" Rufus stares at Sephiroth, the iciness and coldness blazing from his eyes.
To be continued..,