Behind Black Curtains
An AU, Sephiroth and Tifa fanfiction
-by Amaranthos-
Chapter 15: Heartstrings come undone
Rank after rank they come in a hurricane of black and silver. An ocean breeze blows over the smell of rotten flesh and death. Soldiers of every kind come to die in a glorious death.
Standing proudly with his long trench-coat covering him, was General Sephiroth. He unsheathes his Masamune. A blade of lethal silver is welcomed to the battlefield of vice to come play at its peril.
Turning around he looks at his soldiers taking in the sight of fear and anxiety. Faces of every kind are dirty and hurting. He could tell this battle had expensed their contracts. Today Mack Knights would die.
In a large convergence they approach as a sea of Black. Silently the wind picks up and both Mack Knights and Black Crescents exchanged looks of ire and the end. Today the battle will end.
Sephiroth raises his sword.
"For Black Crescents!" he shouted, with his sea of soldiers following him to the death. Black Hawkes and tanks fired off lighting the world into ash and light. Bombs exploded, the sound deafening, your heart trembling.
"Archers" he shouts…
Immediately they volley their bows from strategic locations sending their arrows into Mack Knights. Sephiroth runs forward, his body like liquid moving throughout the rows of soldiers effortlessly. Silently his blade connects with bodies. He stands flicking the blood off, the bodies falling behind him. Looking at the General from Mack Knights in the distance, Sephiroth smirks.
In the blink of an eye, with a speed so godly, he thrusts forward, his body's energy trailing into his sword, killing the noblest of soldiers with the easiest penetration. He needed no machine, no gun to the do the work and art of misery he could.
Effortlessly his blade touches bodies, leaving them to death and he inhales a smell of sure death and victory. An absolute arousing sensation. His impressive General attire is not soiled. The buttons shine and the beauty and tidy of someone so deadly could hardly be real, but he reminds them with his mighty blade, those who oppose him will come to their mighty ruin and crumble. Insatiable darkness rides on his side and he will not feel timid to share death.
Raging into the rows of soldiers Sephiroth nears the General, jumping into the sky and sending his Masumune into the General's head.
Flicking the blood off, Sephiroth hears drums. Army Taiko drums. It was considered an old war tactic to bring drums on the battlefield to intimidate enemies. But who in the hell was going to fall for that when the scariest thing in the living was a raged up Sephiroth.
Sephiroth stood squarely holding his ground. He was a man who refused to be intimidated. He was absolutely astonishing.
"Reform ranks" he shouted…
Row after row coordinated themselves, with weapons pointed to the enemy.
"On my mark"
He waited for the drummers to appear and with just a small distance to fill, he shouted: firee!
There was no sound. Only fire. The sound of gunfire was eminent and could easily deafen the untrained ear, but this was the world of fire and blood. The earth shook, the cracks and crevices opening to the sight of blood and bloodiness.
Running forward Sephiroth and soldiers in unison sang tunes of one kind on the battlefield. Death. Slashing his way through the field, his liquid sword of death sinking into the souls of his victims. Repeatedly his sword plunges itself into the bodies of young soldiers. Battle cries are heard and again the orgasmic sound of death is too overwhelming to bear. Sephiroth enjoys dominating and claiming the souls of hapless fools.
There is no joy greater than this here on the battlefield. It is a sick pleasure too unknown and uncultured for normal society, but these are the norms for fallen soldiers. For Generals like him, who were aggressively drugged into warfare. All Sephiroth knew was death…and to be honest…
"I enjoy it" he whispers…
Again he slashes, the blood flickering on his face. Sephiroth tastes the blood, and again… it fills the diet of the devil in him, and for another day he can live. This was life, thought Sephiroth. It was not built for rules or great halls, it was meant to be tussled out on the field… whoever won, it was called being diplomatic enough to say winner takes all..
The battle dies quickly and Sephiroth frowns immediately. He had hope for a redder day. More drenched clothes and blood baths. Turning around, Sephiroth is caught off guard but a machine that releases a sound so high-pitch, he has to totter forward. Disoriented just for a moment, Sephiroth regains consciousness to notice the sound of a familiar tune. A buzzing sound approaches him and before he can turn around, a mortar attaches to his back.
Now there is no sound for Sephiroth. Immediately the bomb blows on contact with Sephiroth and he's thrown into the air, only to violently fall into a pool of silence.
"General Sephiroth has been hit" shouts Aerith…
She runs to his side… leaning forward she holds her breath… touching his neck, she closes her eyes…
"He's not breathing" she screams…
Tifa noticed the commotion and she couldn't understand what was taking place. Usually it was never this busy at Black Crescents but today was an unnaturally busy. It was so busy, not even the guards outside her door were present. She listened to the faint cheers down the hall and couldn't help but ask what the heck was going on.
Tifa heard a faint knock and slowly reacted. Was she allowed to open the door? What if it was one of those perverted young boys. Oh boy, she couldn't deal with that again.
"It's me, Yuffie" she says in a hush-tone.
Tifa immediately opens the door. Yuffie immediately shuts the door behind them.
"I can't do it" she begins.
Tifa blinks.
"I can't do it. I prefer die than to lie to you…" she shook her head.
Tifa is mentally confused. Tifa takes the young girl's hand and tells her to sit. Yuffie stares at Tifa and eventually agrees.
"Tifa, please… whatever you do, please don't hate me.."
Tifa figured whatever Yuffie had to say was very important as it was… bad. Nodding, Tifa took a seat and readied herself.
For the last ten minutes Tifa sat there listening to Yuffie say some of the most horrible things she could say. Her heart felt wrenched, and torn. How could Yuffie do something like that?
Tifa looked at Yuffie, her expression a complicated one. It was sometimes angry, but then it would soften. Yuffie wasn't sure if Tifa would cry or not, but so far the water-works hadn't come.
Tifa looked down nodding at the things Yuffie had said. 'You betrayed me'
'Why does it sound like my heart was always telling me the same thing? That everybody here can't be trusted.'
"Tifa" Yuffie outstretched her hand.
But Tifa retracted sharply, her eyes glinting hurt and anger. Tifa couldn't believe the terrible things these people could do.
"How could you Yuffie?" Tifa looked down, "I thought we were friends. I even gave you your father's diary… where along the line would you stoop so low as to do something like that to me… someone whose so far from home, whose already breaking each day, whose lost everyone. Tell me why?" Tifa couldn't hold it back anymore.
Tears fell and Yuffie couldn't muster the right words of sorry.
She couldn't say those words, because Tifa now saw her a certain way.
"Shinra would have killed me" Yuffie explains…
Tifa looked down. As much as she felt angered and betrayed, she knew the situation Shinra placed her in was a difficult one. One that even she didn't have a right choice for. In some way, asking someone as young as Yuffie to choose which is more selfless, is to ignore the selfishness Shinra inserted in his statement from the beginning. Do either option was selfish, as it required either a certain punishment to decide on your death or to hurt someone dear.
Tifa looked at the young girl. She could tell Yuffie had gone through so much, and the life of Black Crescents was a psychological thing she had to deal with. Sighing, Tifa wiped her tears away.
"I'm so- sorry Tifa" tears fell down Yuffie's cheeks. Yuffie looked at Tifa. "You're right Tifa we're all the same, maid to warlord we all portray the same vice, the same stupid intellect." She cried, "my father died because of the Black Crescents traitors…and here I am" she sharply inhaled, "becoming the traitor too"
"I'm sorry" her whispers faded…
Tifa looked at Yuffie and saw a strong yet weak girl. Poor Yuffie, she felt so horrible. She thought she was Black Crescents material and now more than ever Shinra made her feel ten times more worst. Tifa despised the whole lot even more now.
"Yuffie…look…" Tifa took a deep breath.
Yuffie looked up.
Tifa sighed, "I don't know how to say, shake it off Tifa girl, but I do know I don't hate you." She paused, "I guess you were my only friend. I really grew to like you. I thought you were different and somehow all of this is so strange coming from you" Tifa explains.
Yuffie looked away…
"I don't dislike you Yuffie, much less hate you, just a little upset. Please" Tifa paused, "don't hurt yourself into thinking you're a traitor… you were put into a pretty horrible situation. I don't exactly know what the right choice is, even as a pacifist I'm stomped. What I do know is that you did the right thing – I mean, you coming back to tell me what you did, must say you're different and that you're not a traitor." Tifa gave a small smile.
"T-Thank you Tifa" Yuffie went to Tifa's side, and hugged the girl. Tifa gently pat the girl's back.
'Pacifism – what does it mean to be a pacifist if I can't listen to what makes us human?'
It was seven o' clock and the place was still a mess. Guards were sworn into different duties, and maids were shipping food in and out the dining room continuously. Yuffie took notice of the strange pattern and couldn't help but ask, what was going on. She confusedly remembered the maids blabbering about something in the war. At first Yuffie figured, the maids got their facts wrong, but come on did everyone get their facts wrong?
Holding back one of her friends, Yuffie enquired about the fortress excitement.
"You don't know Yuf?" the girl asked.
"Sorry, I was a bit busy today." Yuffie frowned.
"Rumour has it, that the war is over between Black Crescents and Mack Knights" she chimed.
"You're kidding?" Yuffie was so happy…
"Nope, I'm not. This is really good news, that means Shinko-san will return to me" she smiled girlishly in a love trance.
"Wow, I'm surprised. Any causalities?" Yuffie asked, seeing this was her division after all.
The young girl gave a grim face. Looking around she came closer to Yuffie and said quietly, "you didn't hear this from me, but I was serving tea to the officials in the head quarters earlier on. They said that General Sephiroth… he might be…" she looked down, unsure how to finish this sentence.
"You mean to say" Yuffie gasps, "he's dead?" Yuffie placed a hand over his mouth. This was unreal.
'Maybe you aren't immortal Sephiroth, and injury reminds you of your inadequacies as a man much less a God'
"Kasumi-chan" the matron maid called…
"Coming…" she shouted, "look… you didn't hear this from me" she told Yuffie before running off.
Yuffie nodded. All she could do was blink. Today was a strange day, she thought. 'I've apologized to a friend… and now I hear news that the greatest soldier of all time could be dead. Is it strange now to know we've lost him?'
'I don't know..'
Walking down the hall, Yuffie picked up Tifa's dinner and thought she'd relay the 'shocking' news to Tifa. After all such news wouldn't be bad news for Tifa, considering she hated the guy, so what could go wrong.
Tifa lurched forward. Yuffie's words somehow sinking in like a dark poison. Taking a breath and then another, Yuffie felt concerned for the woman. Was Tifa sincerely hurt that Sephiroth was dead or was she hemorrhaging in happiness?
Tifa arched her mouth to say something but nothing came out.
"Get out…" Tifa said in a soft voice not sure, what to do.
"Tifa" Yuffie started in a soft voice.
"GET OUT!" Tifa shouted at the girl.
Yuffie nodded, blinking back confused.
With a definite thud of the closed door, Yuffie was gone. Tifa crumbled allowing her words to sink in.
'Why Sephiroth? Why are you in my veins, in my thoughts? When did I, the prisoner think of you this much to allow you such a major part in myself? I hated you, I hated your ways. Your violence, your war. You were like the others but the more I pushed you away from me, and the more I devoured myself to hate you, to remind myself you were the enemy, you drew in. What gravity, what hex did you spellbound with? What is it about your green eyes makes me blush, or the way your hands graze against me, make me shudder?'
Tifa refused to cry. 'I'm supposed to be happy. Today was supposed to be happiest day of my life. The devil is dead after all and out of my life. He's dead, he's gone… he doesn't exist anymore. It's suppose to be this way – you die and I live, reminding myself bad men pay…'
Again, it breathes in her skin, the maelstrom of events repeatedly gnawing at her mind and body. The thoughts ebbed at her, sinking its rotten seed to bleed a darkness she was not prepared to nurture. Lying on the couch with her eyes roaming and mind drifting, Tifa felt… remote. She remembered the days when she had arguments with Sephiroth, those days he made her cry and hurt in indescribable ways.
Instead of those truths preceding to remind her, that men like Sephiroth who claim mighty folders as Generals of dark warfare usually suffer bitterly and often die so very alone in this world. It should have been that intelligent truth, that Sephiroth was different, and like Shinra said, the best at what he did, made it harder for her to part with the memories of good she did have with him.
She could remember the time he gave her her earrings and another when he protected her in the doorway. The time he apologized, or even the way he directed his gazes for her. It was nothing significant, it was nothing grand, but she didn't need a grand finale to say what he was saying, what he was doing, what she was feeling. It doesn't take fireworks to capture her interests especially if not all of us believe in the big train of showing off.
Like she's been reminded a thousand times Sephiroth may be this assassin the world sees as myth or stinking legend, but he was a man. And gosh, he probably was more human than some of us. He was often alone, if not always alone. She figured his life, growing up must have been terribly lonely. He refused to open himself up for sympathy and love. Unlike her, who cried her frustrations out, Sephiroth had no other way but to kill the pain, to kill the words, to kill it all…
Maybe, him protecting himself so intricately as in being the best and strongest somehow discerned his insecurity of being human; of having flaws. He was terribly gifted but terribly cursed.
She reminded herself, maybe that's why he always work and always remoted himself from people like Shinra, and the lifestyle of Black Crescents. He didn't cheapen himself on the fat luxuries of life even though he earned every one.
'I don't like Sephiroth…' it was odd to say something like that. 'But then, why do I feel so …?'
Closing her eyes, she couldn't insert the right word.
To be continued…