Behind Black Curtains
An AU, Sephiroth and Tifa fanfiction

-by Amaranthos-

Chapter 11: Preparing for Crusades.

Yuffie pulled Tifa's arm slowly who winced out in pain. Tifa etches her face in pain, as the nerve really seems severed. Rotating Tifa's arm, she felt the pain in a 190 degree angle. Tifa covered her mouth, trying to contain her pain. Yuffie opened a small kit she brought with her, and got out a small ointment in a dark coloured bottle. On opening the bottle, Tifa could smell a pungent odour.

It was nauseating. Tifa was told by Yuffie to take the sleeve off her top and Tifa uneasily did so. Yuffie furrowed her face in distaste, seeing the blue-black mark on Tifa's skin. Tifa sighed. She remembered how the ugly welt looked. Tifa then felt a cool liquid pasted on her skin. It felt really nice, thought Tifa. Almost soothing.

Some of the liquid was placed on her neck where small impressions of Sephiroth's fingers remained on her skin.

"Did he hurt you again?" asked Yuffie…

Tifa blinked back, "who?" she asked.

"Sephiroth, did he hurt you?" she asked

Tifa sighed. She wasn't sure what Sephiroth did. She wasn't currently sure about anything when it came to Sephiroth. Yesterday, the ball had rolled differently in her court, and now, she suffered blooming thoughts of confusion and frustration. She knew she had egged Sephiroth on to the point that the only way he could enforce himself, muchless putting a stopping to her persistent naggings, were to really show her his true colours. But his eyes. Tifa shivered. They were so different, so dark… so…

"Hey" Yuffie snapped her fingers.

Tifa shook her head. She really needed to stop day-dreaming about the creep. Besides, it was because of him, she was currently sore both physically and mentally. The bastard did little to compensate her. Proud, arrogant bastard, thought Tifa. But still…

"You're doing it again" Yuffie giggled.

Tifa apologized.

Yuffie could tell something was wrong with Tifa. She was unnaturally engrossed, thinking more consciously through their conversations. Concerned, Yuffie sat down in front of Tifa and looked at her.

"Something on your mind?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa allowed her eyes to drift, "no…" she paused, "why would you think that?" she tried to pay attention to her wound, moving away from the topic.

Yuffie smiled. "From the little time I've grown to know you, I could see the times you have internal conflicts and conversations within yourself. You don't have to hide it, I can see it" she smirked.

Tifa tried so hard to bury her emotions, but they wouldn't be hid. Looking up at the clock, Tifa reads the time trying to devise a way for Yuffie to stop with the questions.

"You know Yuffie, I'm perfectly fine" Tifa turned to her. Patting the young girl's hand, Tifa spoke, "you don't need to worry. The little random thoughts in my head, they'll just blow over."

'Liar' Thought Tifa. Why was she having these internal conversations about Sephiroth's derogatory actions? Yes, they were bad, but she forced them upon her own self. It had been her fault… but why was she feeling this way, almost as if, she shouldn't have stopped him-

'Oh shit, where the hell did that come from?'

Tifa turned from Yuffie wanting to knock her head as hard as she could into the wall. In all her life, as she's known herself to be realistic and now she couldn't believe she just thought something out of … grasp…out of reality.

'Oh goodness…'

Tifa had racked her mind inside out trying to determine, why silly little things like a silly statement had to make her day halted by the confusion it caused. Lying on the couch, Tifa looked at the ceiling, almost in a daze. Evidently, she hadn't heard the faint ticking of the door, or the footsteps of the man who entered.

"Day-dreaming Lockhart?" came a voice.

Tifa jerked forward, face red, sweat-dropping. Did she speak aloud. She hoped not.

"Sephiroth" she said his name curtly.

He arched a peculiar brow, surprised she responded so instantaneously. Tifa uncomfortably moved under his gaze, pushing back a stray tendril from her face. Her face was somewhat pink, and all the while, Sephiroth could not read her thoughts.

"I need to speak with you" Tifa began.

He moved pass her, grabbing some papers and pushing them in a black truffle bag.

Dropping it to the floor, he took a seat obliquely opposite her.

"I need to speak with you, as well" he said in a serious voice.

Tifa looked at him uncertainly, not sure she would like this. She couldn't read Sephiroth's expression, as usual it was impenetrable. How she wish she could read him, just a little bit especially in times like these. Nervously she fidgeted with her fingers, and looked down, a strange smile coming to her face.

"About…" she stopped, to nervously laugh, "about the other day…" she spoke.

He looked at her, and figured she was going to bring that back. Sephiroth stopped her by saying in a louder voice. "Forget it Lockhart. You're not the one whose at fault. Do not apologize to me" he tried to sound as … humanlike and soft, as he can.

Tifa looked at him. Her eyes holding a vulnerable truth to them, that if he dug deeper he would see all her hidden secrets. Of course, she turned away and continued.

"Anything else you want to ask me?" he asked

Tifa sighed. Not in relief, or even in frustration but more like someway in between them both. Did that even make sense, thought Tifa. She expected this conversation to go more horrible, maybe even more theatrical, instead, it went as mundane as possible. Sephiroth had even killed his egotistical pride, to bend his words so much as to apologize.

Was he sorry, for that day? Oddly, though it should have made her happy to hear him say sorry for what happened. She couldn't bring herself to accept it was good, or even what they did was a mistake.

Sephiroth noticed Tifa's face strew into confusion. She had been thinking, as usual, wandering off forgetting her surroundings.

"Lockhart?"

Tifa grows startled, uneasily smiling.

"S-Sorry… so much is on my mind" she spoke.

"I don't have whole night Lockhart" he sounded partially irritated, and to some part it made Tifa want to chuckle. He being his sarcastic self, sounded somewhat… delightful. But of course, she couldn't tell him that.

"Yes, I know…" she said simply. "I wanted to know something" she said in a new voice, her face almost contorting to what she wanted to know.

Sephiroth drew in his brows lightly and cautiously interpreted her expression.

"Speak"

"My friend, Zac." She paused to look down, "the soldier from yesterday, did he die?" she asked.

Sephiroth shifted. "Are you so apt in nature to assume he's dead?"

"Do not, Sephiroth. Do not play with my feelings" Tifa threatened, her eyes glazed in moisture. Her heart pounding.

"Your friend, did not die. He is merely a messenger for your father, as such he's also the informant on your behalf. Every month your friend comes by for a full report of pictures, and documents of your condition and status. This report is nothing but an affirmation to your father, who must at all times know you are alive. It is the only way to not have a full war, just yet"

Tifa gave a small sigh of relief.

"That's great" she paused, "but I also have a different question to ask you"

She sighed. Placing her hand over her ears, she pulled off an earring placing it on the coffee table.

"How did you get these earrings?"

Sephiroth looked at the earring, and he couldn't help but feel relief. Lockhart's expressions didn't suit the drama in her voice, or what she chose to be epic about.

"From a soldier" he said flatly.

"Elucidate" she pleaded.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked, pausing to look at the time on the wall. Damn, it was already so late. He would have to pick up some pace.

"Yes Sephiroth" she said demandingly.

He averted his eyes back to her and could tell she would not give up.

"When they burnt your carriages, a young soldier broke his command and picked up a jewelry box. Surprisingly he didn't chose to tell anyone, but I caught him. The law here states, if information, physical or not comes into the hands of Black Crescents it should be examined until the council deems it fit to expel or return." He spoke.

"Being a General back then, it's my duty to notice certain things and I retrieved the box from the boy, expelling him from his post. Inside the box, I could see pearl earrings. For some reason, it carried a sentimental value behind it, and I didn't give it to the council."

"Why not?" Tifa was interested.

Sephiroth looked at her intently, she really wouldn't give up, would she?

"I kept your earrings because I figured one day you'd become so intolerable I'd use it as a wagering tool for your obedience." His words sounded like glass on her ears.

It was a very cruel thing to say. Blinking back, Tifa looked at her earrings and then back at Sephiroth. He was a horrible man.

"Yet I found myself returning them without any conditions attached" he spoke.

Tifa softened a bit. He was still a sore thumb, but at least he wasn't rotten.

"Consider yourself lucky Lockhart. Not many would get their jewelry returned" he said, 'by me at least' he finished the statement in his mind.

Tifa shook her head. Cocky bastard.

"Will that be all you have to bore me with?" he asked

Tifa nodded.

Sephiroth leaned forward where his eyes met hers. A tension grew as his features were even more serious than usual. Tifa all the while swallowed as his intoxicating green eyes burnt at her. Somehow his gaze is both wrong and yet something about it is alluring.

He began "I'm being stationed into the heart of a battle Lockhart"

Tifa's heart fluttered, "With my father?" she asked.

"No… Mack Knights"

Mack Knights. Repeatedly the name came up and for such a tiny organization they seem to cause the world's end of havoc.

"Well you've been stationed to battles before Sephiroth, what's so grave?"

Sephiroth looked at his black gloves, fixing them meticulously.

"I'll be leaving for a month… and may potentially not return" he spoke, his words like dread pouring in her ear.

"What?" she blinked back.

"Listen to me" he began but she cut him off.

She was suppose to be happy to hear that Sephiroth was going away, why did this not make her happy. Why did the words of his potential death didn't light the halls in her head, or make the bells ring? Why did everything sound so wry? 'Shouldn't I be happy?' Tifa thought.

"No…no" she suddenly openly showed her emotions.

"Calm down Lockhart" Sephiroth was surprised at her obvious emotions.

"No Sephiroth, with you gone imagine what that freak Shinra will do to me?" she shuddered.

Sephiroth for a small moment was disappointed in her statement. She honestly saw him as a wall between Shinra, because of their miscommunications.

"Shinra is being watched by the council Lockhart. If he does anything to you, report it to two people. Velrog – Rufus' father and Scarlett" he spoke.

"Are you crazy? The old gaffer hates me and asking him for help is probably the last thing I'll do. Not to mention, Scarlett doesn't like me at all, so openly admitting that her boyfriend is infatuated over me, might just get me killed"

"Be quiet!" Sephiroth shouted.

Tifa fell back into her chair.

"You're so loud for a woman" he angrily looked at her.

Tifa said nothing.

"I don't have much time Lockhart, but this may very well be the last time I'm a General and your commanding officer." He stood up picking up his bag.

Tifa watched as he placed items in his bag.

'Please don't go' Tifa didn't understand why she pleaded such heavy words. Words again that should never be afforded from her, came in real time with all the extra baggage of emotion. Tifa felt herself tear slowly, inside.

"Why did you come, to tell me you might die in a war?" Tifa sounded full of silent retribution.

"No" he spoke, zipping up his small truffle bag.

"Did you come to rub it in my face that whatever Shinra throws at me, I'll deserve it?" she asked.

Sephiroth looked at her.

"No"

"What then Sephiroth?" her eyes angrily flickering at him.

He stands there staring at her.

"I came to say farewell"

Like iron slammed across her face, his words seem cruel yet totally logical. She couldn't fight this one. They were not friends, or even acquaintances but yet she felt there was something neutral enough that she knew she didn't hate him.

Tifa slowly crumbled at his words, but she knew she would have to deal with it.

"Hai" she nodded, she didn't turn to look at him.

"Farewell Lockhart."

Sephiroth lowered his eyes and walked out the room.

With a silent click of the door, he was gone…

"Good bye" she whispers…

To be continued…