You Want me to Do What?
"Here is your birth certificate, you are now officially a citizen" Dexter Andrews, Esq. said as he handed the document triumphantly to his client. He was a tall man in his fifties who was obviously in good shape with a trim waist and broad shoulders, who wore a grey power suit, had a jaw that could have been formed of granite, and salt and pepper hair but had a wide, friendly smile.
"I couldn't have done it without your help. As soon as I get a proper job and my accounts unfrozen, I shall pay back everything I owe you" Sephiroth said sounding more grateful then he normally would. "And move out of your house" he assured him.
"I shall miss you when you do" he said in all honesty, enjoying his company. "We'll get those accounts unfrozen soon and then I think we should sue Shinra for damages."
"I have no quarrel with the present President of the company, I am trying to project a more benevolent image these days after all" Sephiroth said with a sigh.
"There is another avenue of receiving funds that we could pursue, it seems your mother came from a wealthy family and she was the sole heir to your family fortune, as her son, you are entitled to her family seat and fortune. You interested? It comes with a title" Dexter enthused.
"I know nothing of my human mother other than she was a scientist and my initial downfall. I do not know much more about her nor her family. I really don't feel comfortable claiming something that does not rightly belong to me" Sephiroth said.
"Yet you have a birth certificate proclaiming her to be your mother and a simple DNA test can prove this. Then there is a matter of her will, leaving everything to you" Dexter smugly said.
"She did? But I assumed that by how passive she was about my upbringing that..." Sephiroth said as his words fizzled out.
"People are not always what they seem; you of all people should know that. You probably regard her as being a monster and Hojo too, like you said. He most likely was and I'm sure he met a horrible end. Perhaps this is her way of trying to atone for what she allowed to happen? We have a meeting with her family lawyer to read her will tomorrow" Dexter explained.
"But I'm not really even completely human" he objected.
"Surprise, surprise my boy! Your makeup is truly amazing. For how unique you look, for all your strength and inner power, you are 60% human, 20% Mako, 10% Cetra and 10% alien DNA. That being said: Being human is a matter of mind and heart. You're human enough to have had her claim you as her son and human enough to clog the shower drain with all that pretty hair of yours. You owe me a fortune in draino" Dexter teased him.
"You think I should really do this?" Sephiroth asked him.
"What better way to blend into society than as a rich Duke living in a mansion? She wanted you to have it" Dexter said.
"I'm sorry could you please repeat the final clause again?" Sephiroth said to the elderly Lawyer, Mr. Ross.
"In order to inherit, my son Sephiroth Crescent must legally marry, if he is not already and remain so for a period of five years and his marriage must be valid in every way. If he fails to do so, the bearer of this will has been ordered to find the stupidest charity he can, be it a shelter for constipated cats, and donate the money, mansion and lands to them" Mr. Ross read out loud.
Sephiroth was struck by the fact that it seemed his mother had had the same dry sense of humour as himself and he would have actually found it laughable under difference circumstances, but instead pushed back his chair. "Thank you for your time, good luck with your search" he said to the man.
"Wait Sephiroth, this is not as bad as you think" Dexter said when he raced after him.
"Not as bad? I don't even know any females as acquaintances, save one and she's spoken for and am expected to marry one" he said incredulously.
"It didn't say it had to be a female" Dexter objected.
"I'm not gay" he said with a long suffering sigh.
"Look all we need to do is find you a pretty, believable wife who could put up with you for five years" Dexter said. "What sort of girls do you like to date?" he asked him.
"There never has been anyone" he said in a small voice.
"Wait you mean to tell me that you've never...?" Dexter asked him.
"Yes" he said.
"Wow, I assumed… wow" Dexter said, raising his thick eyebrows in surprise.
"Does that make me abnormal?" he asked him, he could feel his face heating up.
"No, everyone has to start sometime, yours will be a very special case I guess. This is still doable, all we need to do is find you a wife" Dexter said.
"Yes with my reputation, they will be lining up" he said bitterly.
"Sephiroth, you look like you should be on a cover of a romance novel. Your looks alone could easily get you any girl you wanted. Okay, you need time to let someone get to know you, but you're certainly a great guy once you open up. In the meantime, there is " Dexter explained.
"What's that?" Sephiroth said.
"A bridal site where you pay women to marry you. You tell them what you are looking for when you register and tell them what amount you're offering and they contact the girls registered by them and they have interviews until everyone is happy" Dexter explained.
"Why would anyone want a wife they have to pay for?" Sephiroth asked in confusion.
"Some men have to marry for inheritance like yourself, some have to marry for promotions at work or because of titles and some unfortunate souls are deformed to the point no normal woman would marry them, the length term and price of the contract are set between them. Offer a high price and we will get someone right away. We just have to decide what you like in a woman" he said, dangling the bait before him.
"I don't know, I admire intelligence above all else. Physically, I guess I like athletic brunettes" he said thinking of how he had been attracted to Aerith. "I like a good sense of humour, someone who appreciates books and I guess is a homebody like me" Sephiroth added.
"You want her to have her own friends or you will have to keep her entertained" Dexter pointed out.
"That for sure. There is one last thing I like but it's kind of embarrassing" Sephiroth said with a blush.
"Whisper it to me" Dexter said.
"Who doesn't like that?" he said to the blushing man. "Come on, it's almost time for Dynasty. We'll find you a bride within a week" he said clapping him on the shoulder after calling his secretary to contact the agency to put up a large sum of money to tempt the brides on there, along with a list of the finicky man's demands.
In Hot Water
Tifa gulped at what Don Corneo said.
"But it can't be true" she said.
"Cloud used your bar as collateral for his loan and you signed off on it and any possession you own, including yourself. I refer to the fine print right here" he said.
"In the event that the person is in default of the loan, all parties involved in the transaction must work for the loan holder as they deem fit until the full amount is paid" she read, squinting at the tiny font.
"But how is this legal? You can't legally own another person" Tifa said.
"I pay enough bribes to make it legal. You can come quietly or someone will come and get you one night. Either way are you going to work for me as a prostitute, so many men already want the lovely Tifa Lockhart who dresses the part anyway and ensues all comers while exhibiting her natural bounty for all to see. You have a week to decide" he said, rubbing his hand together greedily. "I would get to test you myself first a time or two before handing you over to your clients."
"Please just take the bar" she pleaded.
"Sorry I don't need this dive, but I do need that body" he said. "So unless you can repay the full amount of the loan in a week's time, that ass is mine" he said.
Tifa could only numbly watch him leave and then frantically tried to call Cloud and left him a semi hysterical message that he needed to call her right now. She checked her account balance to find out what it wasn't even close to what was owed, it would barely cover interest payments.
Frantically she arranged a meeting with a loan officer to see about remortgaging her bar. She met with him, wearing her nicest power suit, he was sympathetic but couldn't do anything for her. "I'm sorry my dear but you're already mortgaged to the hilt, but I do have a suggestion for you. My wife works for this site, they specialize in finding brides for men like me that don't mind paying to have a quality lady in his life" he whispered to her in confidence as he handed her the card.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked him, studying the card that had written on it.
"Nothing a surgeon couldn't fix, but I'm attached to it" he explained as his monkey tail hove into view. "I'm not purely human and never met a human woman who didn't run screaming from me. So I paid the price, met their web designer of all people, who is now the love of my life. I understand that an anonymous groom is prospecting and the amount he's offering is staggering. He must be a real freak" he said to her in confidence. "Contact this number if you're interested. The funds are released as soon as the contract is signed, you could meet the love of your life, you never know, either way you'll rid yourself of the deadbeat that got you into this mess" the kindly middle aged man said and went about his business with his tail swishing happily that he might have been able to help the nice young lady.
Tifa went back to the bar, grabbing her best whiskey in passing and drank to her hearts content in her room. At least now as she looked through thus website that made her feel like a whore, she could say her decision making was hampered due to heavy drinking. She thought about Don Corneo's grubby hands anywhere near her body and she gagged. She read several offers, but her mind always kept coming back to the highest bidder. It wasn't even about the money, the ad seemed written with her in mind. Like the loan officer said, the man could be a freak but the more she drank and more walls came down, the more she was convinced that this ad was speaking to her heart. She knew was drunk but honestly, what did she have to lose? So she registered on the site and with a simple click to accept the proposal, the wheels of fate on a stomach full of aged whiskey were set in motion.
You're The One
Dexter was bored with meeting every desperate blue stocking on the planet that seemed not to be able to read or had their own interpretations of: Groom seeks attractive, fit brunette Bride, age 20 to 35, must be intelligent, have an appreciation for literature and have a natural generous bosom given by the Goddess her.
The latest one sat before him, yes she was attractive, young and brunette indeed. Dexter was being really picky about who his friend was going to be spending the next five years of his life with.
"I have two degrees" she warbled on, all pretty dimples and shining dark hair .
"That is impressive" Dexter said as he stole a peek at her chest. 'A double AA, perhaps a B cup?' he guessed. 'Didn't these women know how to read?' He thought sourly. Sephiroth had requested a healthy set of natural jugs and Dexter was going to get him the best ones he could find. He wanted him to lose his virginity to a woman as beautiful as she was kind. Sephiroth after all that had been taken from him, was going to have the wedding night of the century; Dexter was determined about this.
"Thank you, I've heard enough, I'll be in contact if you are selected" he said escorting her out and then poured himself a scotch. "Nancy, is there anymore desperate women scheduled for today?" He asked his receptionist when he called her.
"Just one more, she just arrived' she said.
"Is she over fifty, corpulent, flat chested, surgically enhanced or sporting socks in her bra?" He asked her facetiously.
"She seems to be none of those" Nancy replied.
"Send her in" Dexter said in a resigned tone of voice. He turned to a fresh sheet of paper to make notes. "Please have a seat" he said to the girl without glancing up. "So how many degrees do you have?" He asked her.
"I never even finished high school" Tifa said in all honesty, "but I've been told I'm very intelligent, I own a bar" she explained and Dexter looked up and was struck by the beauty of the girl, it was like she had been conjured for Sephiroth alone. She looked like a well endowed angel with a melodious voice and a kindness shone in her eyes.
Dexter shut his note pad. "You're perfect. You will have to sign the contract and your marriage will take place after one month's dating period to allow you to get to know each other" Dexter proclaimed.
"Don't you have more questions for me?" Tifa asked him with an adorable frown on her face.
"No" Dexter emphatically said. "I'll draw up the contract and you will meet your groom" he said.
"Can I know his name?" She asked him.
"Let's just call him Mr. Crescent for now" Dexter said to her. "He's allergic to any type of condoms, but alternative birth control can be used by you of course" he lied, wanting his friend to get the full sensation of sex his first time.
"And the money?" Tifa said, feeling like a greedy bitch for asking about it, but needed it desperately to pay off Don Corneo. The was more than enough to pay back the loan and then she and Cloud wouldn't have to worry. Only Cloud would once she got her hands on him. He still hadn't called her back and that hurt.
"The contract will be ready in a day or two and once you both read it and sign it, it will be wired into your account" he said, not liking her tone.
"I'm sorry to ask, it's just that I really need it" she said in all honesty.
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" He asked her.
"I'll be okay" she assured him, not wanting to burden the kindly seeming man with her troubles. "Just tell Mr. Crescent I look forward to meeting him" she said and left.
Dexter looked after her with a slight mixture of concern and elation and picked up the phone "Sephiroth, we found you the perfect girl, her name is Tifa Lockhart and she's a doll" he enthused and wondered why there was only silence on the other end of the phone as Sephiroth sat there in shock at the name.
After that one innocent request from Tifa, everything else was a blur of the contract and fine print. Tifa felt nauseous and that she'd sold her soul to the devil cum perfect stranger.
What she had done was so much worse. No wonder the amount was ungodly in the proposal. No she'd never be made to suffer a broken, hideous form of a man or even some secret evil unknown. No, she knew exactly who sat before her and felt very real pain of the heart and lightheaded. She would just have to live with all that pain, terror, and battle worn ways embodied in the very one that made her that way.
Sephiroth Crescent.
She knew that last name was familiar but it never clicked, fleeing light like so many bats in a darken cave.
She had agreed to preliminary dating (literally a month, and then there would be wedding arrangements) and marriage-to her mortal enemy once long ago. She knew more about Sephiroth now than before. They were aware that his history was actually very sad and very hard because for all the mental anguish he put Cloud Strife through directly with their connection, when the man had came back yet again after that "final battle", he wasn't even cognizant of stepping into Nibelheim.
He, himself from the time he came to her humble town, had been being used to get to Jenova and the fallout had been bloody and extraordinary in a way the world would never fully forgive and forget. Unfortunately, he was as much as a victim as any of them and it seemed a cop out in the end to Tifa. Her dad's death was so quickly forgotten about when one saw and lifted the infamous Masamune from their parent's body and they charged with it, only for it to be plucked from your hands and you struck down like a rag doll.
Tifa did shed tears but she was a woman of her word. Though he was more or less benign now, she fully had the " keep your friends close and enemies closer" approach. Cloud Strife was definitely on her shit list now for putting her in this predicament.
If at any moment Tifa would have looked upon Sephiroth's face, she would have saw the exposed emotions just lying on the surface.
It was just absolutely absurd! Truly was Gaia so petty to play this horrible of trick on him? Here sat Cloud Strife's own female across from him, actually listening to the contract's legalities being read aloud by Dexter as if she meant to go through with them, no less with him!
Sephiroth wore sheer confusion in his face and was weary. Why would she do this? He knew there was no love lost between them though from the few fragments of his memory before… the tragedy. He could admit that she was so beautiful, her long dark hair and wine-colored irises beyond compare, and in having to have fight him, once for her father's honor and again later at the peak of his mental breakdown and insanity, she was strong of heart and of mind. He knew he'd regret it as he smelled the saline of her natural tears, but he needed to know why him given their history?
"Why are you forcing yourself to do this? It's not as if you've forgotten about everything that's happened. Where I have holes at best in my memory, you lived it" he asked outright softly, lowly with his tempered deep voice, interrupting Dexter's reading of the contract. He allowed it as he watched the exchange between them like two battle hardened veterans, not future husband and wife material he thought with a frown.
With a strong sure voice, Tifa answered in kind.
"My reasons are my own. You do have my word my friends are not involved with this decision making, just me. You can also have peace of mind that Cloud Strife will not be bothering us in our marriage." She stated looking up at him a saw the unbridled surprise in his face that…made him look more human, and enhanced his handsome features. She looked away from him with a blush.
Sephiroth saw her look up at him but caught her blushing. He thought her disgusted to lay eyes on him even. He quickly tried to school his face, sheer sadness was the last emotion to be stomped out. He thought on what she said. What could have been so bad that a woman of her nature had to do something this extreme? And no Cloud and friends interference? What was truly going on?
Tifa made no move to divulge any more about the subject and Sephiroth was thinking about what it could have been that drove her to him, her despair. It was obvious that she hadn't gotten over things in the past. Of course not. How does one get over a burned down town, a stabbed father, and almost being bisected by the one you're forcing yourself to marry?
They both were lost to their own worlds in their minds as Dexter took the moment to continue the contract's details, neither much listening.
The contract was signed by both at the end and the month dating period began. It was awkward to say the least. Over the period of time though, she did notice against her judgement, aspects that she liked about her husband to be. He was handsome, God-like beauty was always Sephiroth's trademark. He actually handled a lot personality-wise like Vincent Valentine surprisingly as he was prone to silence, brooding, and wine and a good book as a idea of a excellent evening. He could cook, and very well. He had a sweet tooth from Ifrit's realm. He had hidden candy all throughout the house, cars they drove, and on his person. He did state it was due to Hojo denying something so simple his whole life he felt he needed to make up for it. Vincent also was a chocoholic. Tifa's heart attests if she didn't know what she knew and if she hadn't lived what she had, she could see herself liking, maybe in time loving the socially retarded General. She admitted when he did show emotion on his face, it was like all the nicest things wrapped up together in a neat little bow, just for her. His smile was heartbreakingly beautiful. She wish she could forgive and forget, she really did.
Likewise, Sephiroth was becoming more enamored with Tifa after their initial rocky start with this "dating" process. She was so gorgeous. He could not have asked for a better match up to himself. She was intelligent and appreciated a good book. She knew he was socially inept due to his rearing and didn't judge. She genuinely enjoyed his cooking and his hoarding of candy. Above all else, she shied less when he slipped and showed his emotions. He wasn't used to that as it had always been the opposite his whole life. Sometimes, when he wad younger, it would result in… bamboo stick beating because he still showed emotions, still had the want to cry. He also wore his hair long for a reason too outside of personal preference… In another life, one not marked with violence and control, Tifa would have made a truly wonderful wife to him, if only history wouldn't get in the way. But it was just like a large cobra simply waiting for movement so it could strike.
The month came and went in a blur and so now had the uncomfortable wedding. She hadn't been lying about her friends. They had truly been aghast at the sight of him. Cloud was not present and had not been invited as she promised. Some sick part of him wanted him to be there, to see his lover taken by another, his arch-enemy no less, but it wasn't to be.
After all that and now his virtue taken by someone who could really care less about him…he couldn't shake it. He couldn't stop the infernal tears from falling from his eyes and it enraged him, making them come on more because the rage gave a bridge to all the hurt, disappointment, and being used… that was it he was being used and he couldn't stop the tears or the cry unabashedly, crying he did now into the open air. Fine, let her hear how she'd hurt him again like so many before her had. All he had been was born and his life was just one battery test after battery test. His DNA was made of percentages because of the shit his mother pulled, the same one he'd jumped through hoops for this damned estate.
Sephiroth cried himself to sleep in a tight ball on the floor.
Unbeknownst to him, Tifa had stayed by the connecting door…and had heard. She didn't know what was going on to make a man of his caliber breakdown like that but she'd find out. It seemed…different and very wrong, like she had wounded his soul-with just her body's actions.
Tifa slowly slinked away from the door to her waiting bed. She couldn't believe how her badly her instincts wanted to check on Sephiroth, her new "husband". Sleep didn't find her this night either but a different reason than she thought. She was not scared, was worried about Sephiroth.
The Harsh Light of Day
Tifa had slept little more than a three hours so she figured the least she would do as newly self appointed wife… was cook breakfast. Tifa was no slouch in this category either. After all, someone had to feed AVALANCHE.
Sephiroth had barely moved from his spot on the floor curled tightly in the fetal position. The scent of ham and bacon frying and eggs being scrambled caused the fallen Angel to jerk up in a splat of long hair and confused jade eyes. Every one of his muscles protested, his center sore. He took mental stock of his body's state and realized that he'd slept on the floor bound tightly in distress...and had cried until he had more or less passed out that way. His body, all long and lithe, hated what he'd done to it. He thought about his new status in life as someone's husband and how he was deflowered without permeable. Did everyone assume because he looked the way he did, he'd been this harlot, freely giving of his body to any willing partner? Had it been so hard to understand that he was indeed a virgin...well had been. He ached in areas not used to being used and crammed into such areas, more a whisper of soreness.
He uncustomarily drug himself up from the floor and towards the ensuite bathroom. What he saw in the vanity mirror was deplorable and a tad tragic. His hair flowed around him but had frizzed up and knotted in places. His normal fair countenance was blotchy with a light pink blush suffused here and there on his face and chest that peered from the soiled kimono he still wore.
What was the most disconcerting were his eyes. They looked haunted, broken. There were dried trails of tears that had fell as they pleased along his face, cheeks, and they had travelled down even along his neck, which was apparent of the long strands of hair that stuck oddly to his neck in places.
He wanted to be mad, he did, but all he felt was the supreme empty void reminding him it was there in his chest like it always did when he was hurt emotionally. It was totally different than physical pain as that was temporary and would pass quickly with the way he healed. Emotional you never got over, it just haunted you no matter where you went and what you did in life. Sephiroth had been exposed to much in his life and in such a short period of time. He felt so old.
He quickly glanced away from the sight in the mirror, and angrily removed his silken kimono that he knew he would never, ever wear again in life due to what it represented and what it was presented for. He honestly felt as if he had been raped, though he knew mentally that is not what transpired, his heart wouldn't change. He quickly showered away the night's disappointment and donned dark grey cargo pants and donned a black long sleeved V-neck sweater. He hurriedly placed his still damp hair in a low tail and quickly braided it. One low level aero/fire spell he perfected in the field later, and his long hair was dried. He needed to talk to Aerith or Angeal one of them. He thought for this instance and the nature of the situation; Angeal would be the best fit.
Aerith had brought them all back with the "Planet's Blessing", she had said. Sephiroth had found himself with his second General and best friend, his second in command after Angeal's passing, Zachary Fair back, and the flower girl Aerith along his side. He had been severely confused as to why or what he done to deserve a fourth chance at life but Aerith simply said "I forgive you-we all forgive you". The conversation had been over before it began.
Sephiroth walked out of his room towards the front door to grab his boots, keys, and identification. He didn't want to see her, not this soon after everything. Tifa saw him passing and called out to him that there was breakfast. He stopped in his pacing, gritting his teeth, closing his eyes to will away the anger and hurt he felt at this time about the situation but turned around and woodenly padded back to the kitchen area, where she awaited him.
Tifa saw Sephiroth pause in the entryway like a frightened animal. The sight of him like that made her worry more about him, though she played it off as if she didn't see the emotions coming off of him in waves. Something had spooked him severely and it raised the fine hairs on her neck. If something upset Sephiroth, genuinely scared him, what would it do to her?
He finally came into the kitchen area taking a seat at the table-in the farthest chair possible. Tifa though it odd but it was pretty innate in the scheme of things. She placed a plate of food before him and honest to the Goddess, he flinched and had moved away from the table as if to protect himself as if she had struck out at him.
Sephiroth was deep in his own mind, not noticing that Tifa had even moved until a plate of food was placed before him. His instincts to protect himself had him pushing away from the table and in a guarded mode before he fully realized what actually was transpiring.
Tifa stood shocked with her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape at his behavior.
His face burned with a embarrassed blush. It was just fucking food, not her fist, what had he been expecting? This overall response to sexual intercourse was ridiculous. He gathered the chair behind him and took a seat again, refusing to look up into that bewildered and fearful face again. He continued to look down into his plate of food and mumbled a small and low "thank you". He didn't eat, more or less he pushed the food around his plate with his fork as his silver brow was so crinkled in thought it looked like it actually hurt.
Tifa knew she should leave the man to his devices, they were just man and wife in name only anyway but again her gut feeling made her worry, especially after how he'd responded after their fucking.
"Sephiroth, are you okay? You haven't touched your food and your are more on edge than normal. Is there something the matter? I know...I know this has been a weird circumstance for the both of us but I do care about...your health" she stated.
After that statement, Sephiroth took it badly.
"You, "caring" for me and "my health"? Preposterous and you know it. The only thing you are worried about is if I am having "another episode" so that you can call your hero Cloud to kill me yet again. You cannot have the insane General showing actual human emotions, that automatically screams "JENOVA". I am not hungry. Thank you for your efforts to try to be a real wife to me, but I assure you it is not needed, not after yesterday; not after last night. Now if you'll excuse me, I will be meeting with Angeal. Do not wait up!" and with that Sephiroth did push away from the table and in a flurry of black, gray, and silver, was out of the door with a slam that seemed to shake the whole of the house in the now silence that reigned in the kitchen.
Tifa stood stock still, taking in what he had said. She wanted to be furious with him for talking to him the way he did, but there was a undercurrent of something else. He was saddened and the fact that he thought that she had Cloud on speed dial did make her angry. He had no idea that that same "hero" was the reason she had even chose this route in life. And furthermore, what did he mean by throwing her genuine care for his wellbeing back in his face? If she thought his asinine self was still even halfway infected by Jenova, she'd try to put him back in the Lifestream herself. Did he really think her that petty? Furthermore, what did he mean by " showing emotions" or "after yesterday...last night, don't try to be a wife"?
She did the only thing she could do...she called Aerith and Zachary. She needed to have a better understanding of Sephiroth than what her history with him was or what lab reports could produce. If she didn't, they would never make it a month on distrust alone.
