Sephiroth frowned, eyes roving over the crumbling mess that was left of the wall. As the dust cleared his view of his opponent became clearer, from the red leather of his coat to the well-fitting black pants and black shirt.
"Genesis…" He breathed, holding his nodachi to the side. The redhead frowned, lifting his saber high ready to charge at the silver-haired djinn. Sephiroth took a step back eyes narrowing as he looked at the other man.
With a scornful sneer, Genesis' gloved hands tightening on the hilt of the rapier. "It's always nice to see an old friend."
"Where is Angeal?" Sephiroth brought his weapon up as Genesis dashed forward the blades meeting in an electrifying passion of red. "I won't fight you, Genesis."
"The wall says differently." Draconian green shifted to the crumbling wall then back to Genesis' face. "If you don't I will kill you." The chuckle escaped before Sephiroth could stop it, as the coarse sound tumbled forth Genesis growled eyes narrowing at the djinn. "I have just as much power as you do, brother."
"Then for old times sakes, don't hold back," Genesis growled pushing away from the infuriating Sephiroth. "Your attitude is commendable." Sephiroth lifting his sword in front of him and with his free hand curled his fingers in a come-hither motion, offered a mocking smirk, "come sweet prince."
"That's it!"
Tifa gasped, hand clenching the guardrail. Admirably she attempted to keep up with the fight but like many others, in the stands, it was a blur of red and silver mixed with specks of flashing blue with an oft-used fire spell. The wall where Genesis had landed began to deteriorate, the target of many a barrage of fire and lightning attacks. Around her and Aerith the crowd dissolved into a panicked mess, the fight itself escalating as the wall finally gave way. Spectators rushed out of the Colosseum their screams filling the fairgrounds as the fighters continued their contention outside.
Aerith twisted, looking around the grounds for Tifa, Cloud even Rufus as the fairgrounds began a hotbed of activity. In the distance, she spotted Tifa being carried away by the crowd.
"Aerith, are you alright?" She jumped as a hand caught her arm jerking her out of the path of the herd of humans. Her eyes caught a black jacket, fear to envelop her as her savior drug her towards an abandoned area of the park.
"Let go of me." Her panicked scream was cut short as her assailant let her go only to grab her shoulders and forced her to look at them. Aerith's eyes grew wide as she threw her arms around the man before her. "Oh Tseng," her arms tightened momentarily before she stepped back. "Did Cloud make it out?"
Tseng nodded, "he's with Rufus and Lazard."
She smiled, ever thankful for the Turk. "And Corneo?" The Turk inhaled then nodded again. "Well, that's too bad." Hooking her arm in his, Aerith leaned against his arm slowing his pace. "Can we take our time?"
"Yes, Miss Gainsborough." A light airy laugh flowed around him, tightening around that insufferable muscle caged in his chest.
"Oh Tseng, always a gentleman."
Boots slammed into puddles of water long legs carrying their owner through the city towards a large gathering of trees. Tifa slowed to a brisk jog, glancing each way before darting crossed the street, a large thoroughfare, and into the park. One thing lingered in her mind as she jogged up the foot trails hiking her way through the shortcut to her apartment. What the fuck happened? She wrung her hands, glancing behind her; an overwhelming sense of being followed falling on her. With a quick glance behind her, she found no one there.
"I'm just paranoid." Tifa huffed slowing her pace. Between her impromptu meeting with Rufus and Lazard to the decimation of the Battle Arena at the hands of her djinn and the titled Crimson Commander left her nothing short but shaken. Halting near a bench, Tifa slid onto the wood burying her face into the palm of her hands, fingers entangling in her hair.
A heavyweight pushed its way into her lap, a cold nose touching her arm. Peaking through her hands Tifa snorted as a black snout pushed into her arm.
"Go away, boy." Shoving the dog's nose away didn't stop the pup. He came back, licking her arm. The frown that spread traversed Tifa's face didn't stop the tiny husky as it put its paws in her lap lapping at her face. "Okay, okay! Oh gosh, stop!" The puppy, shoved away again, stayed back his tail wagging a mile a minute head cocked to the side.
Silence fell over the pair, the husky waiting patiently for Tifa and Tifa not wanting to go home. For the first time in a week, she was able to enjoy the quiet peaceful and unnaturally warm night. A low whimper brought her back to the present problem of the puppy, his head cocked as he lay on the ground watching her intently as if he was guarding her.
"You're so cute," she cooed to the pup who eagerly pushing his head into her hand relishing the fierce ear scratch she offered. "I wish I could bring you home but Yuffie would have a cow." The pup looked hurt, pained even at this revelation. "I know, its so sad. You'd be such a good boy huh?" Patting his head Tifa took a deep breath and stood. "Be good little guy." The puppy whimpered, standing its ground near the bench.
Genesis inhaled, arms resting behind his head, lips curled into a blissful smile. "That was invigorating."
Sephiroth looked at the other man from his place near a water tower leg. "Oh yes," Genesis quirked a brow at the other man's obvious dissension at the statement.
"Brother, do you know how long I have been waiting for an actual challenge? Decades, epochs really." Sephiroth frowned. "Nothing short than a Gift of the Goddess. You aren't so bad, rusty but nothing too horrible."
"This coming from a scoundrel prince." Sephiroth pushed away from the leg of the tower. "Millenia though?"
Genesis dropped his arms to his sides, " it been a rough life Sephiroth." Genesis moved into the nearby path of a flood light. Faint scars ran intersected his face faint reminders of the tattoos that patterned his skin, an aide-mémoire to the silver-haired man of his own he had taken the time to hide. "It gets painful, the wishes and demands of our masters, we are left like this." Sephiroth tightened his lips, "the witch left us to flounder, saving her own soul in the end. Now Angeal and even young Zack, I have not seen them since that day." Genesis exhaled, pulling his gloves off hands of molted skin disfigured into a web of scales. Flexing his hand, he looked up at the other djinn, "the only gift the Goddess can give me is a swift death, but even she is far too cruel for that."
"Genesis I... was wrong." Genesis snorted then shook his head.
"I have no time to waste here. Hopefully, our paths will cross again, until then brother take care."
Sephiroth stepped towards him, hand out to stop the djinn from disappearing. His hand swiped through a disappearing cloud of red smoke. Sephiroth stared at the area Genesis had stood, before dissipating into his own cloud of black, hoping for nothing more than returning to his bottle and sleeping for the next millennia.
Luck was a fickle lady and she had long abandoned Sephiroth to his fate. This fate had furious red eyes surrounded by a mask of green, a plush terry robe of black and rollers.
"What the hell happened," with his retreat blocked Sephiroth came face to face with the creature of the green face mask. If Tifa hadn't been so close she wouldn't have noticed the small jump as she startled him or the grimace of the pain of she yelled at him nor his slightly fearful gaze at the green thing that resided on her face.
"Your face, where you hit with a spell?" Tifa wasn't having his deflection, hand grasping the bottle securing his only means of escape.
"Sephiroth," she grabbed the neck of the bottle roughly holding it close to her chest, "the way you fought, you and that guy it was. I mean Cloud could have died," she looked up at him, worry evident in her eyes. Sephiroth, on the other hand, wondered what that green stuff tasted like. "And all those people what if – "she stopped as he wiped at the mask and brought it to his lips. It was sweet, like honey but nutty at the same time. As he reached out to savor another taste of the face dip she grabbed his hand glaring at him. Time seemed to slither by slowly a jaunty jazz tune drifted in the apartment.
After one whole quart of brandy
Like a daisy I awake
With no Bromo Seltzer handy,
I don't even shake.
Men are not a new sensation;
I've done pretty well, I think.
But this half-pint imitation
Put me on the blink
Under the mask, Tifa felt her cheeks heat up, the intensity of his gaze softening the lump known as a heart forced its way into her throat. As the music swelled Tifa uncorked the bottle, "I'm going to sleep. In the morning we will talk this over." Sephiroth bowed dispersing into a cloud of black, "good night." She whispered placing the stopper in the top, the room suddenly felt far to warm. Feeling safer with the bottle in the hall she placed it on the small table. With a fleeting glance in its direction, Tifa disappeared into her room the door shutting with a silent click.
I'm wild again
Beguiled again
A simpering, whimpering child again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I
I have to listen to music to write, tonight was jazz, cause why not? I have neglected this story for too long, it needed some love and well I felt like writing on it tonight. So here it is. It needed to progress a bit so why not infuse some jumping, like a portal, you just bop around. Whats up with Aerith and Tseng? Who knows...