Behind Black Curtains
An AU, Sephiroth and Tifa fanfiction

- by Amaranthos-

Chapter 25: Exposed

In all of my life, I have observed many an estrange thing. Things that are easily left open to be questionable, and being a queer man myself - indulged into my own occult muses, this has to be the finest of the lot.

Morning interrogations are the complete blah of my life. There's nothing interesting, nothing intriguing, nothing just nothing. Young Tifa, so shrewd stitches her lips and tongue tightly, avoiding my questions with absolute ease and luck. Clever girl she is, as she sits in this council room, musing us with her inept knowledge of knowing not even a fathom of her father's war devices. It puzzles me, a pretty thing like her could be so unaware of her father's secret agendas. In some way, I expected a father like Lockhart to brave his daughter into the deceptions and evils of the world.

But she remains stagnant sparing us with another dismal answer. She never knows, she never does, and I question now if Lockhart is indeed telling the truth, completely unaware or daft altogether.

But back to the main interest at hand, it's the one thing I observed today. This morning, like any morning should have gone by stark, unrelenting and completely boring. Interrogations are always boring, even if most of the time, I'm eyeing Lockhart in the most sexual way.

And I should have noted the way she sat, the way her head hung, but I was too fascinated to the fascinating discovery made seconds earlier.

On entering the breakfast room this morning I saw something. Perhaps, oh perhaps, it's my imagination, but I've never had such the imagination to imagine such a funny little thing.

On entering the breakfast room I heard sounds of laughter. Pretty soft laughter. These very cold halls seem to echo sweet laughter, and I've never heard such a delicate sound.

And certain enough, I know it not to be Scarlett's nor any of the women I indulge my affairs, but to my surprise it came from Lockhart. I entered the room, and I saw for a split second the gaze of General Sephiroth delicately landed on Tifa. She was smiling at him, and from many a person the stories between the pair has always been the same: she hated him, and he hated her.

But that was not the sight before me.

His eyes were glued to her, and though I've studied Sephiroth enough to know when he's about to take the life of someone or just walk away disgruntled, these eyes didn't match any of the previous kind. In fact, this just might be the first time I saw Sephiroth… turn into something else. His eyes weren't cold, they weren't brute, certainly they were different but they were a friendly different. And I imagine now, what friendliness General Sephiroth and Tifa might have.

I can only imagine now how long such a friendship has taken them, and if I didn't know a hungry, perverse General well myself, then I wouldn't be able to calculate and say factually something had happened between the pair, to plaster smiles and softened looks. There's nothing good about the discovery this morning, but hell, it fascinates me that even General Sephiroth can be broken down to a simple woman.

I smirk to myself, staring at the pair. From my eyes they still see the same cocky Shinra - they think I look at them as separate, little do they know, I know their secret.

And I think to myself, what is the punishment for a third star General to indulge in the 'simplicities' with the enemy? I wonder…

My father as usual wastes his breath preaching to Tifa about the quintessential need to know about something she doesn't know about. She doesn't know what Weapon is, and I could see it in her eyes. She's frightened by this council, she's frightened by our world, but she's made friends with a maid and a General, and I'm wondering, why hasn't she made friends with me?

"Father, I'm feeling a wee bit bored not to mention I have a headache," I paused to ail my aching head.

"Perhaps another time we could pick this up, for the moment I seek General Sephiroth in a private converse." My words had finality written all over them and my father knew better than to trifle with me since my recent behaviour.

My father opens his mouth to contradict my order, and our eyes exchange looks. Brute blue meets blue. I'm not about to entangle my father in a fight, especially since I'm in a good mood.

He pauses momentarily holding the folders in his hand. He sighs and retracts a leave from the room. I appreciated his response, for the most part I hate fighting with my soldiers, my generals, even my father, it's just sometimes I'm mischievous enough to do it.

The guards escort Tifa back to her room, and she spares us a concerned expression. Poor thing, she worries about silly things, at times.

Sephiroth sits quietly, his eyes focused on me.

The silent click of the door justifies we're in absolute silence, alone.

The light of the outside world enters through the blinds of the window. Tiny dust particles flicker in the light, and the silent ticks of the clock brew a most irritating silence.

"You've done well General Sephiroth with the latest interrogations of the Mack Knight soldiers. I commend you again, for your prowess work." I started

He seems for the most part unresponsive, almost nonchalant to my words. And I probably understand momentarily his disposition of being in a cocky spotlight, for being admired near and far, for a name suited as a monster. His legend, is legendary and quite real. If I had half of what he had - being commended for his great works, I'd gloat it freely to any simple bystander. But Sephiroth's caliber is beyond my understanding. And in someway, uncalculated as an eminent murderer.

"My father had wish to admit this firstly" I pause to lazily pace a hand through my locks, "but I guess I bet the old geezer. Not much fun when he says it anyhow." I laughed to myself.

And its custom that Sephiroth sheds no laughter, shares no smiles, shares nothing in my moment of simple pleasure. Rather he is taciturn, and absolutely void. Sometimes it greatly annoys me how he could be so preserved as a beast, and I'm all the more excited to smack him across the cheek.

"You know General Sephiroth, your legend has become quite eminent" I started on a different point, noting Sephiroth's absolute despondency to the former thread of discussion.

He looks at me, and there's this look on his face of boredom.

"But you know, I'm really disappointed in you" I stood to my feet avoiding his eyes for the second. I looked out the window and I observed his reflection. He doesn't look at me, and I could tell he's not at all affected by anything I have to say. I somewhat expect that from Sephiroth as we've trifled enough to disrespect each other to the last bit. Call it our way of knowing each other, nothing is perfect.

"So much of a legend you are…so much of a legend -" I repeat myself only to be interjected by Sephiroth

"Surely if you want to spit and heave fire you should do it instead of bullshitting the moment" he quickly returned an attack.

I smirked. Have I brought up an annoyed Sephiroth?

I gave a small smile. At least Sephiroth was genuine at that.

"I guess you're right, no need labouring over my disappointments when I'm so vastly excited by them" I explained.

He averts his head to me and scanned me for my proof of such words. My smirk broadens.

Poor Sephiroth. Tsk, tsk. Poor guy thinks he's so well reserved, his life, his attitude…his agenda kept secret and locked from all the world, especially from me. But he's not that calculated, not that clever, and certainly not that quiet.

I smile at him, no sire… he wasn't quiet at all.

"This morning to my astonishment, I saw something that to me is unnatural but certainly very punishable by this council. The implications of such a thing could put you into a most deplorable situation." I suspend his curiosity, some more.

He stays silent.

"It would seem you and Ms. Lockhart have become quite the pair" I started.

Sephiroth turns to me. He narrows his brows and for a moment I know what he thinks. I smirk.

"Excuse me?" he quickly responds.

"Ohh Seph, don't play with me. I know what I saw, and I saw what I saw - you and Lockhart have a little friendship going on, but where will that take you in the next day, in the new week, even in the next few months? Do you get closer to your enemy, do you share tea, eat breakfast and then sooner or later, persuade her into your bed –" and he cuts me off.

"You pervert" Sephiroth starts all nobly, but I won't hear it.

"Am I really?" I asked rhetorically

"How dare you, Shinra" Sephiroth sounds annoyed

"No General Sephiroth, it is paramount that you understand with all clarity your disposition to this council, to this empire and to yourself. You are a third star General, the highest ranking official beneath me, and you can not for one second titillate the fancies or the simplicities with the enemy. Fraternizing is not in your agenda" I slammed the truth directly.

Sephiroth narrows his brows. I didn't care how much of a pissed whistle he was, he's a General for heck's sake.

"You would openly confess to me, that the so-called things you saw, were real. I would like to ask, what exactly did you see, Shinra?" he asks…

"Aha, so you're admitting I saw it" I pointed out.

He smirks, "no, let me put it simpler, I'm saying your overactive perverse imagination has your googling fantasizes besmirched onto me. You think I fancy Lockhart. Humph! What next will your crude hate don on me? If you ask me now to simply retract and become a nothing in your war, I would tell you, very well. But your loss would be certain at the end of the war. Do not incriminate your soldiers and Generals, into falsehoods of actions and attitudes underserved onto them. It is a crime… but more correctly, downright sickening" Sephiroth explains…

I looked down. Sephiroth understands this situation well, rehearsed like a true criminal.

"Oh no no, General Sephiroth. Incrimination, discrimination, heck, stinking hating and betraying is all of the above me, frankly for the most part I don't care. I know my priorities Sephiroth, it is for me to know the hour of urgency to have every General, every Commander, every Admiral, every foot soldier knowing their duties, remaining loyal and formidable to their prerogatives. It is absolute I understand what the loss of the Great Legend – Sephiroth would be like, and you think me foolish for a second as to trifle with you on the eve of war, but I say… you're wrong. I do not wish to detonate the contracts of my soldiers on such a crucial time. No Sephiroth, I do not wish to but I ask you to not play and condescend with me. I know what I saw in your eyes for the girl. I can see it clearly, and after I've studied you like a foreign sample for these many years behind my frivolous exterior, has granted me all the more knowledge about the specimen you are, and I know it certain Sephiroth… your eyes not for a second twitched into anarchy for the girl. Face it, you're lying and I smell it in the air. So do not blaspheme me with words about loyalty and soldiers and duty. I know my duty General, do you know yours?" I shot back with the same amount of hate.

Sephiroth stays silent.

He turns his head to the side and for a moment, I feel a proud victory. I defeated the bastard. And this moment feels good.

"You're so convicted with stupidity" he averts his head to the side, as he cruelly smirks at me.

I look at him concerned.

"Here you are Shinra, drawing swords, drawing accusations of the wildest degree to me - your most precious weapon of war. And you civilly say, or rather you justly say, you're absolute about my so-called fancies for the woman. There are countless things I can compromise for my title, my stature, my integrity for, but a woman is certainly not one of them. I don't waste my skill, my breath, my legend for some worthless woman. I don't waste that. What you saw this morning, is only your imagination. And in this moment I have come to a fascinating discovery, you have no solace, no belief in your soldiers. Whatever petite belief you do keep, is certainly not for me, as you're persistent to your accusations, and it does not bother me" he gives a small smile, "it doesn't bother me you think me a conniving, deceitful bastard. My many, many years and servitude to this council is wasted in your eyes, as you clearly see me, fraternizing with Lockhart. And I don't care what you think, because whether you hunt me, or try to kill me, or try to degrade my title, it all falls flat into your ruin. No matter how you want to execute me Rufus, you will lose. I say to you, I would never waste my breath on a woman… but that is for you to believe" he stands up sharply.

I scoffed. Thinking it about clearly, if he was telling the truth there was certainly no punishment I could bestow to the greatest general, especially when war was so close to inauguration. Damn, I hated when people figured out the details before me.

"If you would excuse me" he begins heading out.

"Sephiroth" I called out before he leaves,

He stops to listen.

"I may not be able to eradicate you right now, but if for a second I ever see you fraternizing with Lockhart in the way you did, I will damn you no matter what profile you carry" I paused, "that is a warning, General"

Sephiroth acknowledges and begins to take his leave.

I leaned into my chair, interlacing my fingers. I wonder now, did I actually see what I claim I did?

Hmm…

To be continued…