Great news, everyone! At SakuraCon 2007 in Seattle, Washington, Unspoken won for best novella (best work under 200 pages) in the fanfiction contest! If anyone was there, I was cosplaying as Fran from FF12. If you are interested, you can find pictures on my livejournal (mihoyonagi dotlive journal dot com).
Thanks for sticking by me, and I'm so sorry this small chapter took me so long! I got caught up in work and several new books from the library, and oh- you all know how it goes!
Unspoken
By mihoyonagi
Chapter 32: Farewell
The caves that littered the many faces carved into the side of the huge mountain hovering over Wutai provided a warm place to stay during chilly night for the two who had narrowly escaped a rather sticky situation only hours before. Sephiroth paced near the cave entrance, restless yet unable to do much else. A small problem kept the two in Wutai, hiding like small animals in the caverns the mountain side provided: Sephiroth had left his sword, his precious Masamune, with Zahi back in their room in the inn.
There was little that Sephiroth considered precious in his previous life; his sword was an extension of himself, and he felt naked without it.
He glanced over at the sleeping flower girl curled up near the back of the cave. The gentle glow of the fire that had burned for centuries inside of the caves of Da-chao lit up the highlights of Aerith's chestnut hair. She moved slightly in her sleep, and Sephiroth wondered if he should really do what he was planning on.
Without his Masamune, they were as good as helpless.
Sephiroth sighed quietly, exiting the cave. He was assaulted by the cold yet sweet night air. No breeze was present atop the mountain tonight, and the moon was quartered and clear over the cloudless sky. The stars sparkled in the distant reaches of space, but Sephiroth hadn't the time to admire their light; he had to retrieve something.
Luckily, this mission wouldn't involve cross-dressing.
Stealthier than a cat sneaking upon unsuspecting prey, Sephiroth swiftly made his way down the side of the mountain, traversing over several carved faces of Wutain ancestors along the way.
The city was dead, and Sephiroth wasn't sure if he should be pleased or nervous over the situation he faced; no one outside meant less of a chance of someone seeing him, yet had there been a crown he might have better luck blending in.
Sephiroth decided to chance it. Sprinting as hard and as fast as his legs would allow, the general darted across the streets of Wutai in the dead of night and leapt onto the roof of the two story inn located near the city's gates. Immediately sinking low enough to blend in with the shadows, Sephiroth silently paced across the rooftop, recalling what the inn had looked like on the inside. Sure enough, he came to the room that he knew to be the one he had shared with Zahi two nights before. The balcony was under furnished, and the door to the room was open despite the curtains having been drawn. Vaguely, Sephiroth could hear a faint sob. Slowly, he lowered himself on the balcony and listened intently.
It didn't take long for Sephiroth to notice the sobs were female; Zahi had apparently found his sister.
"He was tall, with silver hair and amazing eyes, Zahi! He was just like the warriors from the stories mother used to tell us! He slipped right through the ropes and saved us all!"
The girl's voice had a thick accent to it. She sounded almost as though she had originated from somewhere around Costa del Sol. It would, after all, explain her and Zahi's tanned skin tone.
"Did you see the girl he told me about?"
"Yes! That disgusting pig in the middle had slapped her, and that is when the warrior went crazy!"
"Was she pretty?"
"Oh, Zahi, she was beautiful! Her eyes were so pretty! Why, just when the warrior was going to kill the pig-man, the girl shouted something and looked up at him with her eyes and she instantly stopped. What a spell she seems to have over him!"
Feeling as though he shouldn't listen in any longer, Sephiroth knocked on the glass of the sliding balcony door. Despite the door being open, he felt it polite to knock and wait to be invited in. Sephiroth waited patiently as Zahi tore at the curtains, his eyes bright with pride and excitement.
No words were exchanged for several moments. Sephiroth gazed down at Zahi, while the boy looked up at the man whom had unknowingly changed his outlook on life. When no one would help the boy, it was Sephiroth who had, after all, come to his rescue. It was Zahi's sister who broke the silence.
"Thank you, warrior."
Sephiroth tore his gaze from Zahi and glanced at the tan woman standing close to her younger sibling. "I am eternally in your debt, as are all of the other women you saved this day."
Putting his hands up and shaking his head, Sephiroth tired to convey his message of humbleness; he didn't want thanks or eternal gratitude. In fact, he didn't even want praise; he just wanted his sword returned to him so he and Aerith could get out of the city.
Sephiroth ducked between the two, making a grab for the Masamune. He felt uncomfortable, feeling as though he was undeserving of the gratitude the siblings were showing.
Strapping Masamune to his belt securely, Sephiroth heaved a heavy sigh.
He had never been good with farewells.
Turning, he faced the siblings, trying to keep a cold yet gentle look set upon his visage.
Sephiroth felt his heart twinge.
The look upon Zahi's face was that of hope and excitement. His sister wore a large smile, filled with admiration.
The general shook his head, knowing full well what they were planning on asking him.
Zahi's face fell. "You won't take us with you?"
Pulling his notebook out, Sephiroth scribbled a message on an empty page. He ripped it out and placed it in Zahi's waiting palm. Without so much as a moment of hesitation, Sephiroth turned on his heel, headed out the balcony door and back into the night.
As he once again sank through the shadows of the darkness, he contemplated everything that had passed. Three close encounters with Cloud were three encounters too many. Just knowing he was in the same town with the blonde made Sephiroth uneasy.
What would happen if he were killed? His life was tied to Aerith's, and if he was to die then she would perish as well. It pained him to think of life without the flower girl. He had become so used to her company; the dull clunk of her heavy boots was comforting, despite the fact that he had hated the sound when they had first began living together back in Mideel. Her laugh was like the sound of wind chimes singing in the breeze, and she cooked so well. She always smelled warm, like clean linen, hard work and, of course, flowers.
When Sephiroth returned to the cave high upon the peaks of Da-chao, a small smile graced his lips when he saw the flower girl had scarcely moved during his absence. Surely she was exhausted, given the circumstance and what had transpired over the past few days. It was no wonder she was sleeping so deeply and peacefully; the poor girl had most likely not slept since the drugs had worn off after her initial kidnapping.
Sephiroth sat next to her and rummaged through his small bag of things, not entirely sure what it was he was truly looking for. He made sure everything was in place, running his fingers over a few of his items to make certain he hadn't misplaced them; a seashell whose inside shell was a smooth as silk, and the same color as his eyes; several sketches he would never admit to doing- a chocobo, several of the flower girl, small plants and animals he had taken an interest to along the way; a blue chocobo feather he had found in the barn back on the chocobo ranch. Nothing in his bag held particular monetary value, but each item held a particular value to the general.
Aerith stirred in her sleep, forcing Sephiroth back into reality. He though vaguely of the note he had left Zahi and his sister before stalking off into the night.
'I am sorry but I cannot take either of you with me. I've left you a large sum of Gil in the dresser- use it as you please. If fate means it to be we might meet again some day, but until then I bid you farewell and give you my best wishes.'
As he nodded off to sleep, Sephiroth also though of the deep kiss he and the flower girl had shared the day before. The visions he had witnessed earlier had shaken him- why, out of all the time he and Aerith had spent together, did the visions so suddenly when she was comfortably set in his arms? It had felt so wonderful to finally give in and kiss her, but he somehow felt he had tainted her. His calloused hands were no place for the delicate skin of the flower girl to rest.
Sephiroth rolled over and sighed. Getting out of Wutai and away from Cloud was his first priority. When he and Aerith were alone again, he would be able to clear his mind and devote his thoughts to other things aside from their safety.