Chapter Eight: Unexpected Potatoes

I know frail beauty like the purple flower,

To which one morn oft birth and death affords;

That love a jarring is of minds' acoords,

Where sense and will invassal reason's power:

Know what I list, this all can not me move,

But that, oh me! I both must write and love.

-William Drummond '"I know all beneath the moon decays"

There was a distinct, somewhat unmistakable mix of chemical scents that had come to represent most of the labs in which Hojo had worked through his years as a researcher and then professor. This particular facility was no different than the rest other than the smell was more concentrated than many of the others. Poor ventilation, being beneath the mountains in Nibelheim not far from the reactor made it difficult to have any better than they currently did.

He was pacing, honestly irritated at the change of events. His best experiment, the current sample for the other experiments he was housing here, had escaped with the damnable woman from Nibelheim. She was almost always shoving her nose where it didn't belong and now she'd come and stolen Sephiroth from right under his troops noses. He'd never put a lot of merit in toughs, but it was irritating when the ones that he had garnered had turned out to be such failures.

"N-4 was a failure too." He commented to the woman he'd taken on as an assistant, eyeing the slowly growing clone in the chamber in front of him. "Without more access to his cells, our current experiments will likely fail. We need to get him back."

"Most of them will live." The woman was calm as she answered, her reasonable nature was one of the best parts of taking her on. She didn't concern herself with morality like most of the fools that said they wanted to be scientists. "A few aren't far enough through the process...but we still have enough samples that we should be able to salvage the ones that have shown the most progress thus far. Even if we were to hunt him down now, there is nothing we would be capable of doing to control him, not while he has allies with him."

Hojo snorted, it was frustrating because it was truth, he could no sooner stand up successfully to the ex-general of Midgar than the army N-4 had taken. They'd lost a large number of troops in that battle and couldn't afford more direct strikes. "We'll put the ones we can't salvage now but show promise into stasis. It'll be a draw on resources, but if the other N project members are more successful in retrieving him then we'll be able to continue later."

"I'll get right on it Professor." The woman wrote something on a note pad and walked off with purpose, leaving him to look at his experiments in irritation. He did hate it when people stole his specimens away.

Sephiroth had been a great success so it stood to reason with his cells that Hojo should be capable of augmenting other humans to similar levels. When that had failed though, he thought instead he could grow them in the same manner they had been growing monsters from Jenova. Sephiroth was in his own way a better version than his mother had been, he'd gotten further than her and combined with the lifestream. It was a task pulling information from his memory and they'd barely touched the surface when that pesky girl from the failed experiments group had stolen him.

They had been doing well and several specimens were growing successfully at a good rate...but that was when they were still able to use cells as implements directly from the source. They still had several samples remaining but they would be used up...he would have to come up with a way to track down Sephiroth...perhaps someone should inform the presidents son about his reawakening...that might distract them enough that he could get his own troops close...

ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

Tifa was a mix of nervous and relieved at the slow grin that crept over Sephiroth's face. It was good to finally see genuine mirth, for the first time since he'd woken here, but that same smile had been one that haunted her for years - it was only natural it would make her nervous now.

Jumping to keep up with his quick pace her shorter legs had to work a little harder when he decided to move swiftly. Likely he'd already forgotten asking her what she wanted to do, she didn't mind, it was interesting to see such a thing so shortly after they'd mentioned his fabled blade earlier that evening. She caught up and stood at the edge of a small crowd gathered around a line that had formed of people hoping to attempt what the vendor had been advertising.

There had been a separate small stage constructed above the ground for the demonstrations, judging by the marks all over it the vendor had previous people attempt earlier that day. There was a log settled on a pedestal - also holding a few mars here and there - that was suppose to work as the target. Though it wasn't marked so she could assume no one had succeeded thus far.

The current person trying was dressed up like Cid, goggled on his head and all, though he was much too chubby to actually be the grumpy engineer the idea made her giggle. Him holding the sword was somehow more amusing.

It did look like the Masamune, the blade was absurdly long, beyond what any normal and even many gifted swordsman would be able to handle safely. The hilt was a midnight blue color, but she couldn't remember what the original looked like as far as the hilt was concerned. It was beautiful though in it's own way, a work of art in the form of a deadly weapon.

In the right hands that was.

The man stumbled after swinging and tripped completely over the sword after it planted in the floor of the stage - which was a few feet above the regular floor and she could now see why. It had bitten so deep the tip of the blade was easily visible almost a foot on the bottom.

That sort of play continued. The crowd was very entertained by the myriad of ways people were failing to target the Masamune in the way they had wanted to hit the target. When Sephiroth finally reached the stage though people got a little more quiet. She could hear a few whispers and comments from the crowd nearest her.

"Wow, that's such an awesome costume."

"Man, I wanna take him home with me..."

"It's so authentic. I love the contacts! I have to find out where they got them later."

Sephiroth drew the blade up with an ease none of the previous people had, glancing over the crowd and looking back at the log serving as a target. People had grown quiet but she knew it would be split into bits in a moment, she had no doubt that he'd succeed in wielding it.

It fit him, the exotic but unique katana for an extraordinary, handsome individual. She blushed as she realized where her thoughts were going but it faded a moment later.

The laughter took her all the more by surprise when he cut it into the floor as deeply as the first chubby fellow had done. He didn't trip but he offered a shrug before nodding to the next person and jumping down. They'd returned to a more full conversation then, the hush passed and the comments moving to the next person ready to attempt.

She'd expected anger, a lot of it, but when she approached him after the problem on the stage he just smiled at her lightly and gestured about the casino vaguely. "I apologize for getting distracted, shall we take a walk?"

"But..." She blinked, taken completely off guard. "Aren't you mad?"

"Of course not. Only Sephiroth could wield the Masamune." He answered with a small wink. "I can't let my costume get to my head that much."

A couple of the people closest to them laughed a little that had overheard, a couple others flashed pictures of them before she followed him toward the hallway when he took her hand and lead her. Staring at where he was touching her while they walked instead of protesting or saying anything else. "I wonder why he's always so warm."

"There." He let her hand go as they reached an area where it seemed they were alone. "Not a poor job acting if I say so myself."

Then it finally clicked for her.

"You thought word might get out..." She couldn't help but smile a little. He was brilliant in his own way, if he'd succeeded then all sorts of rumors might start...but by failing it would only help the image they'd planned to use.

"Something wrong?" He watched her shaking her head as they rode the elevator back toward their floor.

"No." She shook her head negatively again. "You just surprise me. I never really thought about it. I figured you wouldn't let your pride allow you to even pretend to fail."

"Nice to know you think so highly of me." He commented with a slightly raised brow at the slight. "I still plan to purchase the sword when I can, I have no issue paying more and putting on a small show to keep up appearances as they are needed."

"Well, the price tag was a million gil so good luck with that." She commented without realizing she'd insulted him at all. "That's insanely expensive. Even with twenty percent off it's still way more than I have, not that I'd pay it for you."

"Not a problem. Give me a few thousand and I can make it at the casino tomorrow." He replied with a shrug, heading off the elevator and toward their suite. There were only a dozen or so suites to a floor so it wasn't likely anyone else was even awake at the late hour.

"Yeah right." Tifa rolled her eyes. "There's that pride. Just think you are good at everything."

"I am." He replied with a shrug, holding up the key that had previously been in her pocket and opening the door before tossing it back to her.

"Hey...you have to stop taking things from me without me knowing." Tifa frowned as she realized he'd picked her pocket. "You could have just asked."

"Would you prefer I settle my hands where you know exactly what I'm doing?" He slid a finger along her spine as she went by, he'd been holding the door. She stood on her toes before shivering and stepping away, staring at him like he'd gone half-mad.

"Excuse me?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't think so."

"Better be certain." He commented, he was way too fast and too graceful. He was inches from her before she'd really realized he was getting closer. His face was exceptionally smooth, handsome, regal, it was too much to take in having him so close so suddenly. The silver of his hair had always seemed somehow harsh from a distance given it's metallic coloring but this close the strands instead came off as incredibly soft, perhaps a texture similar to the feathers of the wings he'd once possessed. His eyes threatened to absorb her, the glow reminding her of how dangerously close moths liked to get to flames. "I don't tend to offer things to people multiple times."

"I wonder if I'm not the one about to get burned."

He was settled there, unmoving, giving her ample chance to stare over his face, hair, and eyes. She wasn't even sure how long she'd spent staring at the slight green swirl within the depths of his luminous jade gaze. It made her realize just how close he really was, she could barely pick up his breath, a slight coffee like scent on his breath. Perhaps it was just as exotic as the rest of him, she hadn't seen him drink any of it. His lips seemed as soft as his hair, probably softer than his hand had been when he held hers, likely just as warm.

She shook her head quickly, instantly backing away from him again without looking at where she was going or him as she did what she could to banish the idea of kissing him. Needing somehow to escape and tripping to fall on her behind, the thick carpet didn't make it too painful to anything but her ego. "What are you doing Sephiroth?"

"Tossing a few potato's...you are a easy target." He replied with a lazy grin at her shocked reply. "Goodnight Tifa."

He left her staring at his door after he'd closed it. Her mind still racing and trying to calm the rest of her body, which was almost as confused as her head. "So it was just a game? He has to know I'm attracted to him then? God, that's more shameful than falling over. I was thinking about kissing him! Sephiroth! What the hell is the matter with me? How dare he play with me like that! That jerk!...I'll show him to mess with Tifa Lockheart!"

End Chapter

Hehe, whew, been replaying FF7 - this fiction got me interested again. I feel so bad for poor Sephiroth though and how bad his life was. If he'd of had some decent people in his life he probably wouldn't have gone so nuts!

-Nera

Reviews:

Seph Owa13 - Hehe, Sephy got her back for the food fight.

ToyaKei - Don't gotta be the first. Just gotta review! I liked Seph's return on the potatoes more.

Mooncry - Lol. Well it was late, but other people had been trying all day and such.

narutofan - I guess it's later?