Authors Note: Here's the second chapter in my awful story, please review.

CH.2 An Awkward Meeting

Tifa sat up slowly, she was still throbbing from the beating she'd taken earlier. She was in a bed in an apartment somewhere, apparently this wasn't all just a bad dream.

"So your finally awake," drawled a cold, yet familiar voice from the darkest corner of the room. Tifa looked towards it and immediately froze in terror as she recognized the owner. Sephiroth stopped polishing masumane and smirked.

"Surprised to see me?" he chided amusedly.

"Your supposed to be…" Tifa fumbled, trying to gain control of herself.

"Dead?" Sephiroth finished, "No, I assure you I'm very much alive." He resumed polishing his sword seemly paying Tifa no mind whatsoever. Tifa took several deep breaths and tried to calm her shaken nerve. After several minutes her hate for the man finally won out over her fear and she addressed him again.

"Alright Sephiroth, what are you doing here?" she spat in disgust, "Last time I saw you, you were nothing but a rotting corpse in the Northern Crater." She looked him straight in the eye, half expecting to be burned to death be the anger that would no doubt be there. Instead he just looked sad, extremely sad, in fact if she hadn't known better she would have that remark hurt him. What she didn't know is he was hurt, not by the comment but by the venom in her voice.

'What's wrong with me?' he thought, 'Why should I care what she thinks of me?'

After a few moments Sephiroth answered.

"The Lifestream brought me back, it seems the planet is tired of the war so I'm here to end it." Sephiroth explained.

"You? The planet chose you as it's champion?" Tifa questioned, the venom in her voice intensifying as she went on, "That's a bit out there isn't it? A monster like you the planets champion? I'd choose Jenova over you." A small smile of satisfaction crept it's way onto her face when she saw his pained expression, yet she didn't fell all that triumphant. In fact she felt awful, she had just trashed the person who had saved her life. She knew all about Sephiroth's childhood from Hojo's journals, all the tortures he'd gone through, the torments, the trials. But he still burned down my home, one side of her mind argued. That was 13 years ago people change, the other shot back .

"…your hatred is understandable," Sephiroth said, "but it wasn't really my fault. You see I was born into this world to defeat Jenova, but I lost. She took over my mind and forced me to do her will. I'll never forgive myself for what I did, and don't expect you to either." Tifa was too shocked to say anything. Where was the cold blooded psycho she had fought all those years ago? Who was this sad, broken man in front of her?

" I'm sorry…" she whispered.

"It's ok," Sephiroth replied sadly, "I'm not deserving of kindness after all I've caused. I'm a monster and deserve to be treated as such."

"Don't talk like that…" Tifa started not entirely certain of how to go on.

"I'll take you to your house, you can wait there till the Avalanche guys get here to pick you up." Sephiroth said.

"Avalanche is coming?" Tifa asked astounded, "Why would they be coming, and how would you know?"

"One of their spies spotted me carrying you in here and called for back up," Sephiroth said, sounding a little agitated at having to explain himself, "from the sound of it I'd say they're sending at least half their air force in an attempt to rescue you."

"Your kidding me!" Tifa exclaimed, more then a little surprised. But then again, she thought, this sounds exactly like the kind of thing Barrett and Cid would do. Those two were always so insistent on protecting her, they seemed to think she couldn't take care of her self.

"So why don't you stay?" Tifa asked, an idea suddenly coming to her, "You could fight with us and end this war, thats your mission right to end the war?" Smiling hopefully she looked at him. He looked her straight in the eyes and said,

"I can't"

"Well why not? It be easier then trying to win the war on your own," she replied.

"Tifa," Sephiroth explained, "I know your not going to believe me and even if you do your not going to like the truth, but the planet told me before it sent me back that it doesn't want either of the opposing sides to win this war. It wants them both to be destroyed."

"What...but why?" Tifa asked hardly believing her ears, "Avalanche is fighting for the planet,why would it want them to be destroyed?"

"It's afraid," Sephiroth put simply, "It doesn't want any group to have to much power."

"I see," Tifa said, "So now what will you do?"

"I'm afraid i can't tell you," Sephiroth replied, "can't allow my enemy to know of my plans now, can I?"

"I suppose not," muttered Tifa. For several more minutes they sat in silence, neither acknowledging the others existence. Finally Sephiroth stood up and strode towards the door.

"Your in no condition to walk," he stated simply, "so i could either leave you here or carry you to your house. Whats it gonna be?" Tifa looked up at him, not certain what to do. Should she trust this lunatic? No he wasn't a lune anymore, that must be why she was trusting him so much. There was no madness left in those eyes, just sorrow and a strange longing. What could he be longing for she wondered. Forgiveness?She'd have to think more on it later.

"Carry me to my bar if it's not to much trouble." Tifa asked.

"As you wish," Sephiroth said, picking her up. She shivered as he touched her.

'Why do I feel so safe in his arms?' Tifa found herself wondering, 'Why can't I hate him?Why?'

After a few minutes the arrived at the bar, only to find the door locked. After kicking it in Sephiroth laid Tifa down on one of the benches. He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Goodbye, for your sake I hope we do not meet again," Sephiroth said as he started to walk out of the bar,only to be stopped by Tifa's soft voice.

"Wait," she said, " can't you stay a little longer?" He turned around and opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was lost as a high pitched scream sounded from over near the basement stairs. They both looked over just in time to see the thin,black haired barmaid pass out from fear.

"Oh Alice," Tifa laughed under her breath, "you never were a brave one." Unfortunately her scream had distracted Sephiroth long enough for the Avalanche spy that had been following them to stick a trank dart in his neck.

"Ugh," he groaned as the drug started to take affect. He stumbled and barely caught himself on a nearby table.

"I got him,now finish the job!" came a cry from outside. Seconds later five men in green Avalanche uniforms ran in and started pummeling Sephiroth with shock sticks. He held them off for a few minutes, but the drug was affecting his reflexes and he soon fell before the soldiers onslaught. They just kept beating him though.

"STOP IT!" Tifa screamed trying to stand. 'I can't just sit here, I can't just let them do this' she thought. But they paid her no mind, one of them stopped and pulled out a cell and called someone.

"Admiral Highwind, we got him." the soldier said.

"Well it's about damn time you lazy asses,we've been waiting for a good 20 minutes now." came a gruff voice on the other end, " Is Tifa alright?"

"The girl is unharmed sir." the soldier replied, behind him his comrades had finally stopped their viscous onslaught and started to tie a battered and bruised Sephiroth up. Tifa couldn't suppress her tears at the sight of him.

"She damn well better be," came Cid's voice from the phone, "we'll be down in 5." The soldier hung up the phone and threw a few more cheap shots at Sephiroth before coming over to Tifa,who by this time had broke into sobs at her uselessness.

"Are you alright Miss Lockheart?" asked the soldier,putting his hand on her shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU MONSTERS!" Tifa screamed and broke down into hysterics.

'Why should I care what they do to him?' she wondered, 'He's finally getting a taste of his own medicine.'

'No,no, no. Stop thinking like that. He's not the same person, besides he wouldn't have deserved this even when he was a bloodthirsty psychopath.' she scolded herself. She continued on yelling,weeping,and spouting gibberish for a few minutes before one of the soldiers got fed up a stuck her with a tranquillizer dart. Minutes later everyone was being loaded onto the new and improved Highwind.

Author's Note:So how was it?Horrible?I know it was fairly dull but later chapters will have more action. So any way,please review.