TOMB OF LIFE
TOMB OF LIFE
CHAPTER 9
The following morning Lara awoke before Sephiroth did once again and was able to simply observe him as he slept. Thick dark lashes were fanned out against his pale cheeks shaped in crescent moons. She admired his straight aquiline nose, the thin yet kissable lips and the firm line of his jaw. Silver hair spilled provocatively over his face, shoulders and chest – blanketing him in a mist of airy softness.
Lara didn't want to think about the problems they were ignoring by coming on this trip, for starters, her stay here was only temporary yet she was now involved with this man romantically. Would it end badly for the both of them when her time here was over? Also, how could she live with herself if she didn't try to help resolve the issues Sephiroth had with his father. Just the thought of tackling that problem was daunting in of itself. Then there was the aspect of the alter realm beings she had encountered, she still had no idea what they were about or if they would pose a threat to her and Earth. It was obvious that they were dangerous and capable of destruction, judging from what the two creatures that had pursued her to Gaia had wrought. Lara sighed softly. It was too much information to tackle at once.
"Don't do that."
Lara glanced down to see Sephiroth's eyes still closed, though it was obvious he was awake for he had just spoken to her. "Don't do what?" She decided to play along.
"I heard you sigh, so chances are you are worrying about something." He finally opened his eyes slowly and trained them on her face. "So don't do that."
"As you wish," Lara replied smiling as she raised a hand to stroke his smooth cheek. "Time to get up, we've a busy day to tend to."
"We do?" Sephiroth asked raising a silver eyebrow.
"Yes, we're going shopping to get you some color." Lara winked before throwing off the covers and jumping out of bed.
--
A couple hours later after a quick breakfast at the hotel dining area, the couple set out on foot to take a leisurely tour of the vacation spot's boutiques and shops. Lara was wearing a pair of blue jeans, sneaks and a plain white short sleeved shirt. Sephiroth as usual was in all black that consisted of jeans and a collared short sleeve shirt.
The second store they visited made Lara think they'd hit the jackpot, all sorts of vivid colors decorated the store walls and racks. Lara offered to go first and took a bunch of outfits into the dressing room leaving Sephiroth in the waiting room while she got changed. First outfit she modeled for him was a long, sleeveless red dress with a low cut neckline that revealed an indecent portion of her cleavage. "What do you think?" She asked as she twirled around for him.
"I think," Sephiroth began as he strode towards her with a sultry look in his green eyes, "that I want to take you back inside that dressing room and ravish you."
"Shh," Lara smacked him on the hand and glanced around. "There could be children about," She grinned. "Well let me try something else."
Sephiroth sighed and sat back down. A few minutes later she emerged in a long green skirt with a pink tank top that was so short it revealed an indecent amount of her flat stomach. Sephiroth had to contain his erection, even after making love to her for hours on end the past two nights his wanton desire for her could not be quenched. "No, we won't make it past lunchtime before I'd drag you off to the bedroom," He smirked.
Lara frowned then went back into the dressing room. She really hoped he approved of this next dress because she really liked it herself. Emerging from the changing room, Lara posed for Sephiroth by holding her wide brimmed tan colored hat by the tip and placing the other hand on her hip. The sleeveless yellow scoop necked dress reached just below the knee and it hugged her shapely form like a second skin – the color and the dress really complimented her on a whole. She wore a pair of platform yellow sandals that completed the attire. The smile that spread across Sephiroth's handsome features told her that he approved.
"I like it," He said before pulling her into his arms, flipping the hat off her head and kissing her deeply.
Lara was slightly stunned by the kiss – up until then they had abstained from any form of public displays of affection. She returned the kiss, allowing herself to revel in the feel of his soft lips against hers. It was with great reluctance when he finally let her go and looked at her with those sultry jade orbs.
"I'm convinced that no matter what you wear – this lovely number or a brown paper bag, I'd still want you," He said huskily.
"And that's only because you don't know how great I look in a brown paper bag!" Lara teased him grinning. They walked over to the cashier and paid for her new outfit which she full well intended to wear right then and there then they headed to the Men's department for Sephiroth's modeling performance. Lara picked out a bunch of colored shirts for him knowing that she could only force so much color on him. She then sent him into the fitting room with a few pairs to try on.
The first one he tried was a blue shirt which Lara liked well enough. She was just so pleased to see him in color. The second was a long sleeved body shirt that displayed his slender muscles beneath. "That one is a yes," Lara said, though she noticed Sephiroth didn't seem enthusiastic about it. "What's wrong? You have no idea how unbelievably hot you look in that."
"It's red," Sephiroth stated.
"So? Red is a wonderful color. It's bold, it's vibrant, it's sassy and…"
"I hate red," Sephiroth said abruptly cutting her off.
Suddenly it dawned on Lara that red was Vincent's color of choice, it's very possible that had something to do with Sephiroth's dislike of the shade. "Ok we'll scratch that, try the green one." She smiled trying to reassure him, this wasn't going exactly the way she'd planned.
A few minutes later Sephiroth re-emerged from the fitting room wearing a three quarter length sleeved, high colored buttoned green shirt which he had tucked into his black pants neatly. They had a winner. "Perfect," Lara jumped out of her seat and ran towards him. "This forest green is absolutely perfect, it brings out your eyes and makes your skin glow…"
"You make my skin glow," Sephiroth cut her off once more grinning.
She smiled back at him. "Ok you're going to wear it now, let's go pay for it we've got someplace else to be."
"Wait what are you talking about?"
"It's a surprise," Lara replied winking at him.
About an hour later they arrived at a small dance club that generally only opened to the public at night, but Lara was able to make arrangements with the hotel clerk the previous night for the use of the club during the day. She glanced at Sephiroth who stood on the empty dance floor looking a little perturbed, while she fiddled with the music system to play a couple of songs that had been imported from her Ipod. She was grateful for all the knick and knacks she had brought from Earth in her trusty backpack. The song "I guess that's why they call them the blues" began to play as she joined Sephiroth on the dance floor. Lara was expecting to have to teach him how to dance, but he knew. She watched pleasantly surprised when he placed a hand on her waist and the other he entwined in hers. They began to dance, moving back and forth as Lara grasped his shoulder with her free hand.
Once the chorus began, Lara sang the lyrics in time with the singer. "And I guess that's why they call them the blues, time on my hands should be time spent with you. Laughing like children, living like lovers, rolling like thunder, under the covers, and I guess that's why they call them the blues."
Sephiroth smiled, "Your voice is beautiful."
"I try," Lara sighed happily. "This is like a dream."
"You dream small," Sephiroth grinned. "Although, I do like the song's idea of rolling like thunder under the covers."
"You're insatiable," Lara grinned.
"Only when I'm around you," He said, taking the hand he held and placing a chaste kiss on it. "Let's go back to the hotel room," He teased.
"No you are going to finish this dance with me!" she said adamantly.
"Yes of course," He said before he dipped her low to the floor before righting her once more and resuming their sway.
Lara smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. Alistair and Zip did the trick when she needed a quick smile, but they didn't offer what Sephiroth did and it's something she realized she had been missing in her life, companionship – love. Lara rested her head on his shoulder as she pondered that thought while their bodies continued to sway to the music. Could she love this man? They hadn't known each other long enough for it to plausible, though the thought of leaving him to return to Earth did put a damper on her mood, so she put it out of her mind and decided to enjoy the here and now.
The song ended and another pop song began, 'Four minutes to save the world.' She heard Sephiroth chuckle at the lyrics. She was pleased to see he was mimicking her dance moves – swaying hips and swishing legs to the beat.
"Four minutes huh?" He remarked.
"But of course, haven't you done it in four minutes before?"
A look of intense heat entered his emerald gaze. "No, it generally takes me a bit longer than four minutes, you?"
"Four minutes – all I need," She winked at him knowing full well the line of the conversation was no longer how long it took to save the world but something else a bit more intimate. They ended the dance as Sephiroth picked her up in his powerful arms and swung her around a couple times. Once the song ended she gazed up at him and said. "We need to do this more often."
"I'd have to agree, now can we go back to the hotel room?"
"No, now we can have lunch," Lara said as she dragged him out of the dance room, he didn't object though Lara couldn't help but grin when she heard him sigh.
--
Two weeks later at the ShinRa complex, Dr. Hollander sat with Rufus in the presidents' office. "So is it done?" Rufus asked.
"Yes, it will be reported to her as an accident. The portal device overloaded and imploded," Hollander replied
"Good, good," Rufus replied, tapping his fingers idly on the desk.
"Sir, what if she reacts badly?" Hollander asked.
"She won't, it seems she has a vested interest in ShinRa now, well at least in Sephiroth. I'm sure after it's all said and done she will be resigned to stay here peacefully with her new lover," Rufus said with a smirk.
"Oh, they are lovers?"
Rufus nodded before removing a picture from a nearby drawer and flicking it at Hollander. He watched as the scientist picked up the picture his dark eyes widening.
"How did you manage to take this?" Hollander asked when he saw the picture of Lara and Sephiroth entwined in bed.
"Me? When do I ever get my hands dirty? The Turks do what they do best, in this case Tseng. There is a reason I put him in charge," Rufus chuckled.
Hollander placed the picture back on the table. "If I may be so bold, what are your plans for her?"
"You saw her abilities revealed during Shelke's SND, she would be an asset to ShinRa period. It's even better now that she's involved with Sephiroth, so that her loyalties will be pretty much onboard with ShinRa. Especially after I announce my plans to begin Mako production at the levels of 3 years ago, before Avalanche got in my way," Rufus said with a sinister smile on his face.
"That will once again throw the world into disarray," Hollander pointed out.
"We're barely making a profit at these energy production levels, and enlisting new Soldier recruits each day is causing a strain on finances. This is the only way to bring ShinRa's checkbook back into balance." Rufus glanced out the window at the training field where he could see Genesis and Angeal directing some new recruits. "These will be the last few weeks of calm before I make my intentions known."
"Avalanche gained many supporters during the eco wars, Wutai will be with them as well," Hollander pointed out.
"Why don't you worry about scientific things and let my Generals' deal with the war plans," Rufus said stiffly, before grabbing a pamphlet from his desk which he began to read indicating that Hollander was now dismissed.
The aging scientist said nothing more before rising to his feet and exiting the room. One should never forget how ruthless Rufus could be – he had been simply biding his time for the past two years while the plan had always been to do exactly as he liked, no matter what the other people on the planet thought of it. It had only been a few weeks ago that Rufus had smiled in the face of the Wutai princess knowing full well he intended to be at war with them once more in the foreseeable future. Hollander put the thoughts from his mind knowing that he would do whatever ShinRa requested because it was his job and at the end of the day, keeping it is what mattered.
Later that day, Lara sat in her apartment at ShinRa head quarters admiring the pendant Sephiroth had bought for her. She had only just returned with him from their world trip a few moments ago. She remembered their parting moments and a serene smile crossed her face. They had practically made out on the ShinRa jet during the flight back and her full lips were slightly swollen indicating to anyone who could see that she had been doing a lot of kissing lately.
She thought of all the places they had visited during their two week trip of Gaia. After Costa Del Sol they had ventured to the southern area which included Temple of the Ancients and Ancient forest where they had done some motor cross riding, that had been some of the most fun Lara experienced in a long time. They hadn't stayed long in Wutai or the Icicle area for the land was still pretty wild, and Sephiroth wanted her to see the best that Gaia had to offer without them having to run around with weapons strapped to their bodies for protection.
Lara had become really close to Sephiroth during this time, so much so that they even held hands while in public, but now that they were back at ShinRa would everything change? Lara understood that Sephiroth was an important General in ShinRa army, how would it seem to his subordinates if he displayed the softer side of himself with Lara? She was prepared to accept any aloofness on his part that would be required to upkeep his unrelenting front to others.
Lara was interrupted from her thoughts when her phone rang. She had it turned off for the duration of her vacation and was holding it in her hand about to check the messages when her mind drifted off. As she held the device in her hands she saw that it was Cloud calling. She quickly pressed the talk button, "Cloud how have you been?"
"I should be asking you that same question Lara, I've been trying to reach you for weeks," Cloud said.
"Why is something wrong?" Lara asked.
"Well I was under the impression that we were friends and that we'd actually tell each other when we were going on trips." Cloud had a wry expression on his face as he talked to Lara in the privacy of his room at the 7th Heaven.
"Why Cloud, it sounds like you missed me," Lara chuckled.
"Yes, I missed you." Cloud saw no need to deny it. "So how was it?"
"I had a marvelous time," Lara replied truthfully.
"And your companion?"
"What about him?"
"You said you weren't involved with him – did that change?" Cloud wanted to know.
"Cloud, I don't feel I'm at liberty to discuss this with you."
"But we're friends," Cloud insisted.
"Yes, but we still know almost nothing about each other."
"Give me the chance to remedy that," Cloud said, the tone of his voice turning sultry. "I want to meet with you."
"I'm about to go downstairs to dinner shortly and then I'm probably going to bed, it's been a long trip I'm jet lagged," Lara explained.
Cloud idly wondered if she was going to bed alone or with Sephiroth. The thought of her encompassed in Sephiroth's embrace unsettled his stomach, "How about tomorrow?"
Lara was planning to work most of the following day with Hollander on the portal device, but she had never informed Cloud about any of that or the fact that she was from another planet. "Tomorrow is no good for me."
"If I didn't know better I'd think you were avoiding me," Cloud said petulantly.
"No I'm not – listen, I've got about an hour before I go to dinner, maybe I can meet you in the park for a few minutes," Lara offered.
"Perfect, I'll head there right now," Cloud replied before jumping to his feet and reaching for the door. He hung up with her as he rushed down the stairs, unaware that Tifa had been hiding behind the door of an adjacent room listening to his conversation.
A few moments later, Lara arrived at the Midgar slums park and found Cloud awaiting her astride Fenrir. He did make a dashing picture with dark sunglasses and his spiky blond hair framing his handsome face. "Ok so I'm here." She almost shrieked when he pulled her onto the bike next to him.
"Let's go for a ride," He stated.
"Cloud I was serious before I don't have much time," Lara protested as she tried to stand up, but his firm hand kept her pressed onto the bike.
"Just a quick ride, I promise," Cloud stated.
Lara sighed before moving behind him on the bike and placing her hands around his narrow waist for purchase. She knew she was playing with fire here, but Cloud intrigued her and Lara wasn't one to turn down the thought of adventure.
Cloud smiled inwardly as he felt her tight grasp around his waist, it felt good to feel her hold him. He didn't delay any longer as he revved up Fenrir and speeded out of the park. They emerged on the streets of Midgar and on to the highway until finally Cloud pulled the bike to a stop on a bluff overlooking the city. It had only taken about 10 minutes to get there partly due to the breakneck speed they were traveling at. It was a nice view and Cloud had wanted to get her alone.
"It's beautiful," Lara said as she gazed over at the city, she could make out the ShinRa complex clearly in the distance.
"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you," Cloud said removing his sunglasses, the desire evident in his Mako blue eyes.
"Cloud, why did you bring me up here?" Lara asked him.
"I'll admit, I did want to get you alone."
"For what reason? I barely know you," Lara pointed out.
"Exactly, this is us getting to know each other." Cloud said grasping her hand in his.
Lara felt distinctly uncomfortable and quickly extricated her hand from his grasp. "Don't," there was a warning tone in her voice.
Cloud stood his ground and gazed at her thoughtfully. "You've fallen for him haven't you?"
"I can't talk to you about this."
"If you can't talk to a friend then who can you talk to?" Cloud closed the distance between them until his face was mere inches from hers. "Just once I want to know what they feel like." Suddenly he was kissing her, pressing against her full lips with his own. The kiss lasted only a couple of seconds before he felt Lara pushing him away. He felt acutely rejected until he saw the glazed expression in her hazel eyes. So, she wasn't completely immune to him -- the kiss had fanned her desires as well.
"Cloud," A familiar male voice spoke.
Both Cloud and Lara turned in the direction of the voice. A few feet from them closer to the edge of the bluff stood Vincent Valentine. His nose and mouth obscured by the red mantle of his cloak, but his crimson eyes pinned the two of them with a steady gaze.
"Vincent, what are you doing here?" Cloud asked. He hadn't heard the man arrive but it was no secret that the ex Turk could be as quiet as a cat if he wished to be.
"I need to speak with you," Vincent stated.
"But I'm in the middle of something," Cloud replied.
"No, have your talk." Lara strode a distance away until she was out of earshot. She flipped open her phone to check her messages and pretended to ignore the two men.
Once he was certain she could not hear them, Vincent continued. "Cloud, you must not get involved with her."
"Vincent, you know I respect you but it's not your business what I do with my personal life," Cloud retorted.
"It becomes my business when it involves my son," Vincent replied, pinning cloud with a ruby stare. "He cares for her, if you come between them, things could get ugly."
"Do you think I care? I'd relish another chance to take Sephiroth on, this tentative truce we now have with ShinRa is a sham, and I'm pretty sure that Rufus will be up to no good in the very near future."
"But until that time comes you should do nothing to jeopardize that truce," Vincent stated calmly. "I suspect she cares for him too."
"How do you know all this? Last I checked Sephiroth wouldn't even speak to you," Cloud said angrily. He didn't mean to take that anger out on the ex-Turk, but his words were most distressing.
"Actions speak louder than words," Vincent stated, remembering the anger or was it jealousy he had seen in Sephiroth's flashing green eyes when he had been discovered on the rooftop with Lara. He couldn't forget the way the woman had come between them as well, those were not the actions of someone detached from her emotions. "Please Cloud, take her back to Midgar and leave her be."
Cloud glanced over at Lara and saw her in the process of checking her cell phone messages. Could it be that Vincent was right and he had already lost her to Sephiroth? The thought angered him beyond belief, but there was nothing he could do at this point, only Lara could change the way she felt. "Alright, I'll take her back."
Vincent nodded and remained long enough to see Cloud go to Lara and lead her back to Fenrir. He only hoped the young blond would listen to him. He knew how volatile the relationship between Sephiroth and the member of Avalanche could be, the last thing they needed was to pour gasoline on the already roaring flames.
During the dance scene, these were the following songs;
"I guess that's why they call it the blues" by Elton John and Mary J. Blige
"4 Minutes to save the world" by Madonna and Justin Timberlake
Last two chapters were romance heavy, the action builds in later chapters.