Through the thick foggy haze of sleep my body can tell it is morning and time to get up. Oddly my usually prompt morning routine is not being followed, no one has come to bring me breakfast. As the haze of sleep clears and awareness takes over I remember the events of the previous day, my hands run over the silky covers of my new bed and I reach out to beside me, there is an indentation and the sheets are disturbed, but the bed is cold, he has been gone for a while. After lying there in bed a few more minutes I sit up and then place my feet on the floor, the soft plush carpet feels nice under my bare feet. I stand up and try and orient myself, the map I drew inside my head tells me the bathroom is straight in front of me. After tending my business I try to make my way out to the living area, I run my hands along the wall to find the doorway, the door is open and I can hear Genesis speaking across the room.

When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end
The goddess descends from the sky
Wings of light and dark spread afar
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting

I make my way across the large living area only briefly colliding with the edge of the couch, using it as a guide I find my way to the bar in the kitchen and pull out a stool to sit on, he is still speaking, if I remember correctly, the poem LOVELESS.

Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess
We seek it thus, and take to the sky
Ripples form on the water's surface
The wandering soul knows no rest.

I sit quietly listening to him, his voice is pleasing to the ears, even though he has his back to me. As I continue to listen I also hear other things, the scrapping of something against metal near him and a slight crackling noise. Pleasant smells also fill the air, some I can't place. Still he continues on, seemingly not aware of my presence.

There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds

Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost Wings stripped away, the end is nigh

I hear him move, then the opening of a cabinet, the sound of something be set down, and then a drawer being open then shut.

My friend, do you fly away now?
To a world that abhors you and I?
All that awaits you is a somber morrow
No matter where the winds may blow

My friend, your desire
Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess

Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return

I set my arms on the bar, and rest my chin on them, content just to listen to him recite the poem he so adores. Even He is placated by the man's lulling voice.

My friend, the fates are cruel
There are no dreams, no honor remains
The arrow has left the bow of the goddess

My soul, corrupted by vengeance
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey
In my own salvation
And your eternal slumber

Legend shall speak
Of sacrifice at world's end
The wind sails over the water's surface
Quietly, but surely

He told me about it last night, about the gift of the goddess, but for the life of me I can't remember everything he had said.

Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return
To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies
I offer thee this silent sacrifice

The last words are punctuated by the clink of something being set down in front of me, I snap out of my stupor and sit up, a pleasant smell fills my nose. After a pause he speaks again.

"Sleep well?"

I nod my head stretching my arms over my head and cracking my neck.

"You?"

He chuckles, "I won't lie, it has been a very long time since I slept beside anyone, but I slept well."

He has moved away from me again, but returns a moment later setting something else down near the previous object. I reach out and find a plate in front of me, reaching to the side of it he has already set out a fork.

"You drink coffee?"

I cock my head to one side, I have heard Reno say he needed some before, but I am not sure what coffee is, I can guess now it is some type of beverage.

"I don't know, I've never tried..."

"Would you like to?"

"Sure?"

He chuckles before moving away from me, I poke around at the things on my plate, getting a feel for where everything is and what consistency it is, I find most of it is fairly solid, except a small pile near one side seems broken up, eggs maybe? Another clink as he sets something down near me.

"Careful its hot."

I set down the fork and locate the cup, the outside is warm and I wrap both hands around it as I bring it to my lips. After the initial shock of how warm it is, I finally take a good sip of it. Its bitter and sweet at the same time, and smells wonderful. I take another sip, and find I rather enjoy this thing called coffee. I continue to sip at it, enjoying the warmth that fills my body.

I knew he was awake, I had heard him moving around and then the sound of running water. I had begun to recite the poem out of habit. I was making breakfast for the two of us, I'm no Angeal, but I can cook a decent breakfast. I hear him making his way across the room, and I look over my shoulder briefly enough to see him run into the couch. I continue to scramble the eggs in the skillet as he sits down on the stool. Once they are finished, I fetch two plates from the cabinet along with two forks and portion out the eggs, sausage and toast I had already made. As I begin the final act of the poem and make my way to him and set down a plate in front of him, allowing it to be the end of my reading.
We make some small talk, in truth it was odd sleeping beside someone after all these long years, even stranger still that someone not being someone I am romantically involved with. I offer him a cup of coffee and have to stop myself from laughing when he doesn't know what it is. I go to the pot that had finished brewing and pour two cups, ah sweet elixir of life. I add cream and sugar to both of them, as I am sure he isn't ready for straight black coffee. The look on his face is simply precious as he takes his first sips of it, evident by his face, he is enjoying it. I smile as I begin to sip my own.

"So what would you like to do on your second day of freedom?"

I avoid discussing the previous nights 'incident'. He shrugs his shoulders, poor kid doesn't know what to do with his life now. I begin to wonder to myself, would Sephiorth have been this lost as well if he had been given a chance at a normal life? Would he have even known how to live without fighting? Ironic that I would be thinking these thoughts, for I am still fighting, only for a different cause.
After coming out of my deep thoughts I find the boy hasn't set down the coffee cup, he is holding it quite possesivly.

"Ya know Yazoo the cup isn't going to go anywhere, you can set it down and eat too."

He answers by holding it closer to him.

"I'm enjoying it."

"Yes but breakfast is getting cold."

I reach out to pull the cup away, but the moment my hand touches it he jerks away. I back away and watch him. He is huddled around the cup, I'm not sure what to think, is he afraid I am going to take it away and never give it back? I think I remember reading something like this somewhere, that some people can become very possessive of things, even violently so, after enduring stressful or tragic events. If he is getting worked up over a coffee cup I would hate to see what would happen if I tried to take the CD player from him. I look over to the table in the living room and eye the round silver electronic. I take a deep breath and sigh.
"Fine, but when your eggs are cold I don't want to hear you complaining."

I stop and have to hang my head, did I really just say that? Angeal would laugh if he had heard me, I'm starting to sound like my mother. I hear something and look up, he had set the cup down on the counter.
"I'm sorry..."

Hes hanging his head, looking quite pathetic.

I sigh again, "Its ok, nothing to get upset over."

I reach over and pat his hand.
"I'm still not sure why you are doing any of this..."

Not this again, sweet goddess give me strength. I take a deep breath before I begin.

"Because I want to. Because I want to take care of you, and help you learn to live a happy life."

"I'm not supposed to live a happy life!"he pulls away from my hand and spins around on the stool. "I'm a failure, I was created to do one thing and I couldn't even do that! I'm wasn't supposed to live, I should have died on that overpass too!"

He is leaned over in the stool. I was afraid of these kinds of outbursts. I'm not much for good advice, look at how screwed up my life has been. But I swore I was going to do this and I'm not backing out now.
I walk around and squat down in front of him, I reach through the curtain of silver locks and place a hand on his cheek, he is crying.

"Hey. Listen. You are supposed to be alive. It may not be apparent right now, but the Goddess has a plan for you. Heck, I don't even know why I'm alive anymore, but I just keep going, keep living my life the best I can. Maybe I'm still here to help you. I don't know, I may never know. I just know, even after all the things I did, I don't think I should have survived either, but I did, and you did. There is a reason Yazoo, you just have to find it." I use my thumb to wipe a stray tear from his eye. "And negative thinking like that is probably why He can control you so easily." His eyes widen before closing, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

"The weak aren't supposed to survive..."

"Your not weak. Your just lost. Trust me, I know what it feels like to be lost, hell, I'm still lost. Excuse the pun, but I'm walking blind. I don't know where I'm going, barely know what I'm doing half the time."He opens his eyes, keeping them cast downward.

"Cheer up. Lets eat some breakfast and then we'll find something interesting to do with the day."

There it is, the slightest crack of a smile. I stand up and ruffle his hair before returning to the other side of the bar. I watch him turn around and pick the fork back up and begin to eat. I pick up my own and stab a portion of eggs, I put it in my mouth and stop. Damn, the eggs are cold already...