"And this maiden, she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me." – Edgar Allan Poe.
[Ch.7]
They had been walking for hours; Tifa's once uncompressible mood was beginning to sour under the baking heat and the constant ache of her feet. Even Sephiroth himself had fallen into a quiet state and had begun to lag behind her, his face a mask of cool calculation but the slow stiff movement of his muscles gave the facade away.
On the plus side, the forest around them had started to change. Crushed vegetation, toppled trees, and rivers of mud were no longer in abundant supply. The western part of the woods had been more fortunate and didn't receive the full force of the slide. Trees still stood tall, the ground was moist but holding, and she was sure they had passed a group of grazing deer moments before. Tifa's hopes were rising dangerously; if Barret had been swept here there was still a good chance that he had managed to survive. This cheery thought renewed her spirits and lessened the exhaustion of travel; soon she even found herself humming and attempting conversation with her stormy assistant.
"What's the first thing you're going to do when you get back to Midgar?"
Her question was based on pure nonsense really; Tifa indeed had felt more appreciation for civilization and the comforts of home upon their recent challenges. Sephiroth's expression hardened, "I've been absent longer then required, I can only imagine that the SOLDIER department has fallen by the wayside. There are new recruits to train and-"
Tifa groaned, "Really? You've just survived a mudslide and been stranded in the wilderness for days, and you're seriously thinking about work?"
He raised an indifferent eye, "And what do you have to look forward to?"
A grin brightened her features, "I don't care what you say. As soon as I get back home I'm digging into a double deck cheeseburger with every fixing."
He gave her some mixed expression; something she could only imagine was akin to disgust. A silence fell amongst the two and Tifa began to really feel the pangs of homesickness, "It would be nice to be back in the slums with all my friends too."
His attention was caught, "You live in the slums?"
Tifa's face retained a defensive edge suddenly realizing the slip in her words, "Sector seven to be exact. What of it?"
Somehow Sephiroth couldn't imagine a treasure of a girl living in squalor. It was rather sad; such a girl deserved the very finest of everything she so desired. Perhaps the slums had made her hard, the defensive often-stubborn side could only be the answer to the claim. Perhaps her hatred of Shinra had multiplied in sector seven; the truth of the company could all be viewed in the slums, the sins that had been committed there under the name of Shinra laid out to the naked eye.
"Actually, I'd much rather live under the plate than the Shinra building."
His lie craftily shaped as a joke had won back her good graces, Tifa laughed softly, "I suppose so."
They both quieted again, their recent conversation had left a hole in their thoughts. What were they to do? The complexity of the understanding between them, would it ever be more? If so, what would both do with the other?
Sephiroth only thought it proper that of course after a period of time she'd leave the slums for the confines of Shinra, it may not be what she wanted but at least she'd have every comfort possible. As for Tifa, her thoughts border along the impossible, there was no way he'd leave Shinra for some young foolish girl. But she had never asked, Tifa shook her head it would be the death of her to ask such a question. But what would really happen between them after this little patch of hell? The concept of this relationship was so fragile it was impossible to say. Although young and inexperienced, she was certain there could never be another that called to her soul in such a way.
Tifa stumbled in the long grass, her feet clumsy with their pain. He was beside her in an instant, a looming shadow in her vision that grabbed onto her. His strength never ceased to amaze her as he balanced her whole weight with one hand.
"Thanks," she mumbled quickly, embarrassed by his closeness.
His hand lingered on her arm a moment longer; the sensation was enough to make her dizzy and thankfully he looked away. His attention was drawn towards the sky and he frowned, "It's going to be dark soon and there's no point walking blindly in the night, you'll never find anything."
Tifa sighed heavily and folded her arms across her chest. Guilt racked her brain and she couldn't imagine leaving Barret alone another night.
Sephiroth's gaze softened, "If he's still alive I'm sure he's managed to find a safe place for the night."
His words weren't exactly well thought out but it was an attempt at least, "We should make camp then," she agreed halfheartedly.
OOOO
There was no moon tonight and heavy clouds had blocked out the usual canopy of stars. The grounds around them were surrounded in a new kind of dark. Every sound around the forest be it a bat or cricket, sounded off like thunder in Tifa's ear. She chalked it up to nerves and fear, closing her eyes tightly in hopes for a quick sleep. The embers from their fire had long since burned out, diminishing with it all traces of light. It was childish she knew, but visions of hungry wildlife tramping into their camp and feeding on her unsuspecting form danced in her head. Tifa was tempted to steal a look at her fellow traveler but felt that it was too forbidden. Asleep or not, he hadn't stirred in quite some time. Somewhere in the far-off distance an animal let out a fierce cry, instinctively the girl gasped and sunk further into her sleeping bag. She could almost cry for want of walls and roofs, convenient structures meant to keep things out and the people within safe.
Another howl in the yonder, Tifa shuddered as her eyes tried to make out the shadows around her. It was a vain attempt for absolute darkness surrounded her, too dark to even make out her own hand in front of her face. Tifa curled up into ball feeling her knees press deep into the hollow of her stomach, she closed her eyes tight against the night and closed her mind to the sounds around her. She thought of Nibelheim, of her mother with her long black hair and warm eyes, the mountains at sunset, her father's cooking, and even of the color silver. Eventually she passed into a fitful sleep, had she had more sense, she might have felt a hand comfort her back at every subconscious whimper she made in the dark.
Author's Note:
Short chapter, yes I know it's actually quite hard to write two fics at once. So until I finish my other one this one will be on a temporary hiatus. However, I did manage to finish the epilogue for this while I was bored one day…yay me.