-1Chapter Thirteen: Lapses in Judgment

"You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future."

-Anonymous

"People have poor judgment,." Sephiroth commented toward Tifa as he eyed the group. There were a little over a dozen of them, something Tifa would still hesitate to cause open trouble with, yet he stood unconcerned next to her.

"We should try not to cause trouble." She returned.

"Cause trouble?" The man that was apparently the leader laughed. "Two of you darling, fourteen of us."

"It hardly seems fair." Sephiroth observed, Tifa was certain she was the only one that understood he didn't mean their side was the one at the disadvantage.

"Well, we'll worry about that if you can't afford the toll. Thousand gil each, simple for people able to afford to look through the ruins above right?" He smirked at them with a confidence Tifa knew was foolish but she found it difficult to get involved, these people were sort of bringing it on themselves. "Free if we get to pass the woman around for a while." Really really bringing it on themselves.

She was feeling less sorry for them with each passing comment.

"Less than thirty seconds." Sephiroth commented, smirking darkly to Tifa. "Have a watch on you?"

"Not on me." She answered with a shake of her head, smiling a little at his attitude despite herself, it was entertaining somehow to see him like this. Better than seeing him ill or broody.

"Pity." He answered with a shrug. "I suppose I'll give you all the chance to back away before I finish you. Though I'll only be merciful enough to offer this single warning."

"What, we got a crazy one on our hands boys." The leader laughed at him outright. "Thinks we'll back off if he acts all intimidating."

"He's one of those ex-shinra folks boss, look at his eyes." Another one pointed out as the group stood with various chains or wrenches as weapons. "Enjoy beating up one of those on occasion."

Tifa backed up a little, it gave her room to avoid more of the direct fray and she wouldn't get in the range of that sword of his, it still marveled her just how ridiculously long it was…how the hell had he climbed all that way without issues with the awkward thing anyway?

"All right boys, lets get the Shinra jerk." The words had no sooner left his mouth before there was a streak of silver and black across the rubbish of the area. A few slices cut high pitched sounds into the air with crimson waves to follow as the blade struck true three times into the main speaker before moving on, leaving him dead before most of the rest had even jumped at him to react.

The few that had reacted quicker were the least lucky as Lightning curled across the field in archs, sending several more to the ground dead or heavily burned and electrocuted before the rest had even had a chance to move forward. In three seconds he'd torn apart the enemy and left the rest running away instead of continuing the battle.

"Thirty?" Tifa commented in awe as he turned back toward her and away from the almost instantly swept away group of enemies.

"It seemed best to estimate high." He returned with a shrug, slashing down to knock the free blood from the blade before sliding it away again. "I am still recovering after all."

"You just…" She shook her head uncertain of what to say to him…most of them were still alive on second glance, but it seemed they would think much more about assaulting others they didn't know. "Lets go before they bring back friends."

"Not up to letting me take a small challenge?" Sephiroth asked with a smirk as he fell into step with her back toward where Yuffie had her apartment. "I do need to practice or I'll get rusty."

"Somehow I doubt it." Tifa commented in reply. "And with my luck you'd get a small army and then pass out again leaving me to get half beaten to death."

"That's insulting you know." He glanced at her comments curiously. "I didn't pass out last time until things were more or less safe."

"Yeah I'm sure you waited on purpose." She rolled her eyes and chuckled at him. "Let's just lay low til we know you are better like the Hojo thing said."

"You plan on traveling with me for months then?" He raised a brow at the comments, he hadn't really considered being with her but neither had he thought about her leaving. She had her own life, even a business, waiting for her. She couldn't want to wander around with him just cause she happened to help him, though she'd even mentioned him working for her it was just in jest.

"I dunno." She blinked a little. "I hadn't really thought about it much…we've been so busy, so much that needed to be done, I hadn't even thought about Edge or my shop in a while. We're close enough I wouldn't mind going outside the slums and checking on it. Though we'll need to check in with Yuffie or she'll have an aneurism."

"Convince me that isn't a bad thing." Sephiroth deadpanned as he considered the annoyingly aggressive young Wutai woman.

"Sephiroth." Tifa frowned at him, using his name as a corrective device. "That isn't nice. You can wait outside but we need to at least check on her. You could try to get along, they might be aggressive about it but they are helping you."

He just nodded a little, it was out of character for him to try to get along when he didn't feel like it, he didn't really consider it an option with this group but she was right as usual, it was all he had at the moment. He waited as she went in to check on her annoying friend and was considering how he could react, perhaps just doing nothing instead of goading them would be the best way. They seemed to get along with Cloud, even looked at him sort of like a leader, and he rarely said anything at all.

As it was he doubted he would consider most of them friends, he'd had precious few of those and all of them were dead now. Tifa was the closest thing and he'd not been a good friend to her at all, much as he'd often been…he needed to stop being so selfish.

"There." Tifa closed the door despite the yells of protest from Yuffie behind her. "Let's go before she hobbles after us. She's annoyed she can't keep a closer eye on you I think."

"I think I prefer the walk to the outside to that." Sephiroth commented, falling into a easy pace next to her as she moved away swiftly. "You seem to be more comfortable than you were letting me walk so freely, even with a weapon."

"Yeah…well. Comfortable might not be the best word." She answered, eyeing him a moment. "I just don't think you are gonna turn against us. I'm not sure why but I do."

"It's…" He paused to pull her out of the way of a vehicle almost spinning around the corner and speeding along. Keeping them both from getting flattened by the poor driver by pressing her against a nearby wall. He frowned after them as they continued the mad use of the automobile. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." She commented, blinking slowly and catching up with what happened. She likely could have survived the hit but it wouldn't have been fun. "Your quick reflexes save me again."

"People irritate me often." He replied, still annoyed at the now far off driver as he glanced down at the slightly blushing woman he'd pressed out of the way. She was staring at him again, as if fascinated just by his face and eyes. It wasn't an uncommon thing for people to be interested in the mako infused eyes that SOLDIER treatment gave him but it wasn't as frustrating with her. It was sort of nice that she wasn't frightened of him, not in the same way as everyone else.

She was beautiful, her raven hair, fair skin, such a contrast compared to most average people. Her brown eyes might have seemed common to most but he could pick out the intelligence and magnificence within. It was calming and exciting at the same time, watching her watch him in return. He could feel her breath on his chest, smell the slightly cinnamon like scent on her skin.

Tifa wasn't certain how to react, she was just as content and conflicted staring back at Sephiroth, it was so easy to let herself go and become lost in those glowing eyes. It was as if the mako itself was curling lazily around his gaze, giving them a fire completely their own. Unlike Clouds though the similarity was there in ways, it was also instantly recognizable as Sephiroth's alone. It was easy to feel his strength, even if his arms hadn't been around her tightly to move her and hold her safely she'd been able to sense it the entire time they'd been walking and climbing together. It was as if some sort of aura of power settled around him, it amazed her that others couldn't pick it out instantly.

His chest was partly bare thanks to the way in which he wore his armor, though she could tell from the corner of her eyes she couldn't glance away. The moment, bizarrely soothing as it was, would come to an end if she broke that contact.

He was so close it would be easy to lean barely forward and meet his lips, somewhere in her mind the idea of kissing Sephiroth was being protested greatly but she couldn't quite make it out. It was a challenge of sorts really, he wasn't backing away either so he had to be contemplating the same thing right? The idea he could just be screwing with her again gave her pause thus far, but the longer he remained there… His strong chest pressing her into the wall while his eyes trapped her as throughout as a deer in headlights she had to admit it seemed less and less likely it was some game.

She had leaned just barely closer and he met her half way, settling his lips against hers in a tender way she hadn't seen coming from the warrior. Though it was with a passion that was dizzying despite the gentleness, he barely parted her lips with his tongue as his arms slipped more tightly around her, drawing her entire body closer as the embrace deepened.

At first it was a bit much and she considered pulling back, but her body didn't keep up with the thoughts and instead she found her fingers curling into the soft silver locks on his head. It was a long moment before she'd even realized she moaned in response to his hands along her body, his tongue tangled with hers. It'd been years sense a man had touched her in such a way and her body was more than pleased to find the attention even while part of her mind was still screaming away unheard.

Sephiroth wasn't nearly as conflicted, he also hadn't engaged in such physical activity in many years but he wasn't thinking about it, or much of anything at all other than trying to memorize every curve of her body, her mouth, the way her lips and tongue played back against his, the way her fingers curled into his hair. He had forgotten the street around him, not at all registering the few people watching their intense embrace against the wall.

It wasn't until one person screamed at them more directly to find a room that the pair pulled back at once, or at least he took a step back and helped steady her, uncertain of what to say really. He hadn't expected to respond to the affection in kind but when she'd leaned toward him, the gentle desire in her eyes had pulled him in to meet her.

"Tifa?" He managed to ask as she was blushing so badly it reached down to her neck and up along her ears, her entire head was red. She wasn't looking at him anymore, her feet instantly the most interesting thing on the road.

"Um. S…sorry." She managed to mumble. "I uh…don't know…sorry."

She dashed off before he could grab her, making him frown a bit and he followed after her with a shake of his head. That hadn't been the best plan of action, but it was difficult to convince himself otherwise. It was several blocks before he caught up to her, sitting on the back porch of her bar with her head in her knees.

"You don't need to apologize you know." He said as he eyed her. "It's my fault, I should have backed off sooner…I didn't…"

"No…but…" Tifa sighed as if about to cry, which only helped to make him feel more wretched. "Look um…I'm sorry…can we just forget about it?"

"I doubt I'd easily forget that." Sephiroth stated bluntly. "Though if you'd rather pretend it didn't happen I will attempt to oblige you."

He wasn't sure what else to do really than to give in, it already bothered him that he'd so completely misread the situation, whatever she was after it seemed that wasn't it.

"I just…" Tifa hesitated, she didn't know what she wanted. Kissing him had definitely been a bad bad idea, worse that she had enjoyed it so much. "I think that might be best for now. I need time to think."

"Would you prefer I wait out here while you attend to your business in the bar?" He asked without approaching, he didn't want to alienate her anymore than he already had.

"Yeah I think. Thank you…I'm sorry." She was up and vanished inside before he could reply, not even sure if he would have. He sighed as he sat on the steps…unsure of what he should do. Perhaps staying with her was him being selfish all over again, certainly it was dangerous for him to wander alone, but they had a brig on their airship where they could hold him away from being captured and he could recover until the issues were resolved. Yet it was cowardly to avoid conflict himself, to allow others that didn't even like him to resolve his problems. Going off alone until he was better enough to deal with them himself would likely be the best result. He used to have an apartment in the city, he could probably find something else where he could hide. He'd won enough money when they were at the Saucer to last him several years if he didn't want to be found. He only needed a few months.

He glanced after her, eyeing the door, it was best for all of them if he took off on his own. Blending into society as anything more than a hermit wasn't likely a possibility for one such as himself. He could simply help from a distance, a safe distance.

The more he considered it the more logical it was, he stood from the steps to glance in a window where Tifa was cleaning glasses at the bar and looking contemplative. Lost in thought of how to deal with the kiss they'd shared probably. He touched his lips and the window lightly before heading away down the alley, it was simply better for him to vanish than to drag her into his dangerous life.

Meanwhile she was dealing with her own issues, cleaning glasses to help catch up her small staff working in her absence, the bar was in good condition minus the few dirty glasses and a slightly sticky bar but she needed the time to think. The action had always been a good way for her to consider what she needed to so she was scrubbing away.

He'd kissed her back, that was something she couldn't contest, and she'd wanted to kiss him, but it bothered her a lot. She didn't really wish him ill any longer, in fact, if anything she pitied his situation. Yet, she also knew it to be wrong somehow to be attracted to the man that killed her father, even if his action wasn't his own. It was difficult to come to grips with it, he'd slain so many people and for a moment every now and again she could forget it and just be at ease. Disturbing, but she also was electrified anytime he touched her, to pull her out of the way or tease her or even in a dark attempt to teach her a lesson. She'd wanted Cloud for so long she'd never really realized what it would be like to start to have feelings for someone else.

She wasn't sure why it was but she knew it was similar, she had a crush on Sephiroth…she wasn't even sure how to react to it…certainly running off on him like that was childish. It was unkind of her to do that, but she didn't know how to talk to him now…if he wasn't interested…but he'd kissed her back. Still, even if he were interested, what then? It's not like a traditional date was something he'd want to do, even then, it was all so incredibly complicated…

Pretending it was nothing was unfair to everyone involved though, she needed to be a grown up and go out and face him and explain as best she could why she'd kissed him. Apologize and hope she wasn't just being too much like a silly schoolgirl.

She was at a loss again though when she walked outside and he wasn't there…blinking slowly as the last thing she'd expected was for him to walk away.

End Chapter

Aw, silly people and trying and failing to do the right things! And I finally got them to kiss too! In good news I got over the 40000 word mark with this chapter.

-Nera

To my reviewers:

broken maelstrom - I left him out on purpose. Though it is funny you didn't notice.

hype machine - many thanks, even the few reviews I get make me all warm and fuzzy.