The Warrior

Chapter 12

Yes, it's finally here. I'm going to hide now.

It was a tight fit in the ventilation shaft, which Tifa doubted Sephiroth could have managed with his large frame. So it didn't really matter that some invisible force held him at bay because he wouldn't have made it much farther anyway, short of breaking down the door. On the other hand, he probably would've done just that.

For a man like him there was nothing to fear beyond himself.

It never occurred to her to wonder if Sephiroth would be waiting for her if she returned – she hadn't thought to ask. Nor did she consider the ramifications if he wasn't. The ledge probably wasn't too high to jump down with her mako enhanced strength, but what if she couldn't get out of the building?

He wouldn't be able to help her anyway.

Tifa wiggled along on elbows and toes, sometimes dragging herself by her hands. Sweat beaded along her hairline, forehead wrinkled in concentration. Occasionally she passed a grating with a view of the hall below and took a brief look.

There was a man walking below dressed in a billowing gray lab coat and black slacks, a pair of glasses propped on the tip of his nose – every bit the scientist. He carried a stack of sleek black folders under one arm and a cup of what she guessed was coffee in his other hand. The man passed underneath her uneventfully and disappeared down the hall.

Her shoulder rose and fell as she composed herself, exhaling deeply. No time to analyze the status of her mental health or the fear constantly riding at her back.

Tifa blew at a wayward lock of hair as it drooped across her face. This was probably the bravest, stupidest thing she'd ever done.

Her nose pressed against the grating as she peered through thin layers of metal. Black tile, polished to a mirror's perfection, glistened up at her from the floor. The walls were slate gray, pierced by ribbons of blue light that ran the length of the halls and kept going.

There were distant voices and the crescendo of footsteps. Not much for laughter or sudden outbursts of excitement – just quiet, diligent professionalism. It left a cold, hollow feeling inside her.

With a sigh she continued on. The ventilation shaft branched out frequently, a myriad of paths that would require a map to navigate. All she had was a knife and an X carved into the aluminum siding to mark her route.

The air duct eventually passed through a thick wall of steel. There was nothing remarkable seeming about it, but the door in the hall below boasted a heavy security lock. Maybe she was getting somewhere after all.

Everything turned a shade darker when the air duct next emerged above a hallway. It was subdued and quiet, save for the distant hum of an energy core. The gray turned near black, the ribbons of light more pronounced as they pulsed. And there were guards.

They blended into their surroundings with slate gray uniforms trimmed in reflective blue. Their helmets concealed their faces like a gas mask. She couldn't tell if they were still human or not, and maybe that was the purpose of it.

All that mattered was that they were armed.

Tifa expulsed a muted sound of surprise, eyes narrowing a fraction as she gazed through the grating for a second look. One of their guards was clearly female. Her lips framed a lopsided smirk as she eased here way above them carefully.

How typical. They had women guards.

The air duct took a sharp turn upwards just ahead and widened out an extra foot, allowing for her to stand. Using her hands and feet as braces against the walls, she inched her way upwards until the shaft leveled out again. Tifa dragged herself over the edge and collapsed with a sigh.

A deep, throbbing hum of a power source perked her ears; the energy core was getting closer. The facility had to draw power from somewhere. She needed an enclosed room that was unoccupied – their power source would not likely be frequented except for maintenance.

It was a start anyway.

Tifa tried to keep to shafts that lead in that general direction and came to an unlighted air duct. There was no hallway to follow and it was pitch black. She held a brief debate with herself before plunging into the abyss – it was just big enough for her to crawl on hands and knees.

Nerves skittered up and down her spine. It was deathly quiet and the sensation of being enclosed was more pronounced in the dark. She half expected something to come leaping out at her.

The air duct eventually came to a dead end of ribbed steel grating. Tifa squinted through it into the room beyond. She could see lighted computer panels and a stream of swirling blue green traveling upwards through a power core that disappeared into the ceiling. Apart from that, it was too dark to make out anything beyond tall lumps of black that might have been rows of storage.

All was still beneath the murmur of technology. Tifa shifted around carefully so that her boots were planted against the metal grating. A solid kick dented the frame and broke loose two screws. The second blow tore it free and the grating crashed to the floor some feet below.

She flinched at the sound, tensing as she waited for some indication of alarm.

When none came, she eased herself down into the room. Her boot caught the edge of the air duct cover, knocking it across the floor with a skull rattling scrape. Tifa winced inwardly and gave it a wide birth as she made towards the lighted computer panel at the center of the room.

A sharp, unseen corner caught her hip as she passed and she staggered with an uttered curse, righting herself with one hand reaching out to the offending wall. Warm glass met her finger tips. She stopped, squinting up at the shadowed lump before retrieved the flashlight Sephiroth had given her.

With a click the beam shot to life, illuminating the concave glass door of a storage pod. Tifa recoiled with a sharp inhalation; there was a person inside of it.

Her throat tightened as she forced her gaze back the central computer.

She came to a halt at the control panel, curiosity brimming as she stashed her flashlight. Her fingers passed lightly over the buttons, the interactive touch screen flickering to life. The computer was built into the power core and difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.

There was a huge monitor erected above it, more like a TV than a computer screen, but nothing in this place particularly shouted cheap. After a brief search, she found the plug in that Jesse had described to her and retrieved the hack drive from her pocket. It was a minute or two before she worked up the nerve to plug it in, the words of Barret's tech genius lingering strongly in her thoughts.

"Technology has an immediate failure rate of 40% in my experience." Jesse had said with a deceptively happy smile. "But think of it this way – that includes theirs too! It might just work out in your favor one day."

Unbeknownst to Tifa, it had – twice. The surveillance camera in that room hadn't worked since they'd installed it, but no one had felt bothered to fix it, and the south side laser security system had blown a circuit – the repair crew had yet to resolve the issue.

The hack drive, on the other hand, worked beautifully, but only after it flashed "Security Breach!" across the screen in bright red letters. Several heart pounding seconds later the light turned green with a happy, "Password Accepted" message.

Tifa's hand relaxed from where it had been clamped over her chest and she slumped against the panel with a groan. When she looked up again, her mind did a double take. Whatever she had expected, it hadn't been this.

The sheer magnitude of information was such that the scrollbar couldn't keep up with the flow. She stood back from it and stared in stunned fascination with a tickling of dread. There were files upon files, from maps of the facility and highly classified projects, to personal journals and saved card games.

Her skin bristled as she blinked up at the screen – this had to be their network's mainframe for it to have access to so much. It would take weeks to go through all of it and she had about an hour. But Sephiroth had said her answers would be here and she knew where she would find them if they were.

The Jenova Project.

Her heart skipped a beat when it scrolled into view and she reached forward slowly to select it. More sub files appeared, dating all the way back to 30 years ago and to the present. She didn't know where to start. The first one was labeled S (it was not alphabetical). It would have to be him.

She opened it and began to read, a restless anticipation stirring in the pit of her stomach.

Half an hour later and Tifa stepped back slowly; one, two, three times. She regarded the screen, a dark, disturbed expression creasing her face. The last entry echoed like a whisper in the room and an ominous premonition of the future.

Her eyes were fixed on the file currently opened – the last in the saga of Sephiroth.

Emergency Rehabilitation Procedure dated August the 12th

Chief Scientists aboard: Professor Hojo, Professor Reileigh, Dr. Sha'Lui

Subjects: Angeal S. Hewley and Sephiroth V. Crescent. Subject A to undergo test surgery. Subject S to await results before cleared for procedure.

Case notes: ...Sectional memory removal and chip implantation in test subject A were a success...Subject A fully recovered and clear for reinstating. Subject S clear to undergo memory removal and chip implantation surgery.

Duration of memory loss: unknown.

Chip implant: active, subject unable to move beyond pre-selected boundaries.

Cerebral Implant Control: ineffective

Emergency shutdown mechanism: active, percentage chance of failure less than 1%

Subject survival probability: less than 1 %

Updated, August the 26th

Subject S, sectional memory removal and chip implantation were a success. Clear to be reinstated on 24 hour surveillance.

Duration of memory loss: unknown.

Chip implant: active, subject unable to move beyond pre-selected boundaries.

Cerebral Implant Control: ineffective

Emergency shutdown mechanism: active, percentage chance of failure less than 1%

Subject survival probability: less than 5%

Tifa's mouth set in a firm line. Sephiroth had been right. She never would've believed this. What this proposed was beyond her powers of perception – it violated the very laws of existence.

Science, it seemed, had no bounds and neither did its practitioners.

She moistened her lips and started the file copying process. It was going to take a while to get all the information onto the drive hacker. Her gaze passed over the room once and reverted back to the monitor.

Fingers tapped restlessly against the panel.

That's when the hydraulic swish of a door slammed her heart against her chest so hard she thought it would burst. Tifa ducked into the darkest alcove she could find and found herself crouched against an aisle of storage pods. She swallowed hard, listening for the intruder.

There was no sound, not even a breath of air. Her shoulders pressed rigidly against the concave glass door behind her as she tried to control her own breathing lest they hear her. It was like a ghost had entered the room.

All she saw in the next fleeting instant was a blur of shadowy red and she was diving to the side in desperation. The figure landed on the floor beside her with a clang of metal against the floor tile. Tifa whirled about and was just in time to duck under the barrel of the biggest pistol she'd ever seen.

She threw a glancing blow off the barrel, knocking it aside, and moved inside of her attacker's range. A hand caught her roughly by the arm as she went for an elbow shot. She was wrenched hard around, but she got her boot hooked behind his plant leg and grappled his wrist.

Her attacker gave a grunt of surprise as he was pitched forward. Tifa maneuvered swiftly, twisting free of his grip and yanking at his gun arm, but his hand bunched in the fabric of her uniform and she was dragged down with him. He hit the floor with a muffled groan, with her on top of him.

Her attacker made a quick shift underneath and Tifa toppled to the side with a muted cry. A brief scuffle ensued, hands clawing wildly at clothes, hair – anything they could find purchase on, until their arms had become entwined and pinned. Neither held the upper hand.

Their gazes locked on and silence permeated the room.

She startled, lips parting in a swift intake of air.

His irises were red, became orange, and ended yellow around the pupil. Her hair prickled along her skin under the intense scrutiny of those eyes; there was dark power there, something beyond the normal dimensions of reality. She squirmed against him sharply.

"Don't." He said in a voice that vibrated in her bones, deep and severe.

Her hold slackened a fraction, but the indignant glare remained fixed on him. He did not look like someone who worked here. The high collar of his cloak concealed his chin, long tendrils of raven black hair falling haphazardly around his face and down his back.

"Who are you?" Tifa asked in a low voice.

"I might ask you the same." The man returned evenly.

She frowned, "I'm not one of them, if that's what you're thinking."

"Neither am I."

Tifa arched a dubious brow, "Why did you attack me then?"

The man slowly let go of his hold and sat up, allowing her to do the same. "You might have been a guard."

"Well I'm not." She assured him and dusted herself off. It was a good thing she'd left her helmet behind otherwise he might have killed her outright.

"Your uniform would suggest otherwise." He returned offhandedly.

She sighed, shoulders falling. "I don't know about you, but I haven't seen anyone wearing one of these down here."

"True." He agreed and stood, holstering his pistol before offering her a hand. She accepted and he pulled her to her feet. His gaze roved between her and the computer monitor questioningly.

"I'm not working for Shin-Ra either." Tifa said earnestly. "Regardless of what this looks like."

"I didn't think so." The man pivoted away from her, his cape furling behind him in a shredded cascade of red as he approached the monitor.

Tifa followed close behind, worry nipping at the base of her skull. He might not turn her in, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try and stop her. If he disrupted the file copying process she would have nothing to show for her efforts.

His gaze was fixed on the screen as she approached. "You have been busy."

"You're not going to—"

"No." He fired a reassuring glance her way. "No, but I would like to see for myself what is here."

"Every detail of the facility is here." She told him with a curious look over her shoulder. "What are you looking for?"

The man was silent at first. If it wasn't for the flicker in his eyes she might have thought he hadn't heard her at all. His pale face was haunted by shadows no mere light could cast.

"Answers." He replied after a moment and perused through the Jenova Project files.

"Well what do ya know," She gave a nervous laugh, "I'm here for the same reason."

His eyes narrowed, "Jenova?"

Tifa hesitated with wary regard, "Sephiroth actually."

The man squared himself to her, towering over her mere 5'4 inches, "What interest is he to you?"

"Something personal." She replied evasively.

There was an almost imperceptible sigh as he turned away, "I am not here for him, though perhaps I should be." He admitted with eyes downcast. "This place...it is a curse on the planet – an abomination."

A chill curled against her skin, "What exactly is it though?"

He spoke as he read, "It's called Deep Ground – a highly classified super soldier research facility, so far as I can tell. They've been experimenting with Jenova cells on people since the birth of the Jenova project 30 years ago."

Tifa shuddered, brow furrowed deeply, "But I thought...the Nibelheim reactor had storage tanks like these ones here, but there were just a few."

The man shook his head slowly, "The ones here are not like them, or they are not kept long if they are."

Her breath lodged in her throat. That's why the monsters in the abandoned railways never seemed to diminish for very long. They were being fed in through the back gate.

"Hojo has been leaking his failed specimens into the world for years." He went on to say, the razor edge of a knife in his voice. "I should've killed him long ago."

Tifa hugged herself, hands rubbing her arms pensively, "If those are only failed experiments...how many successful ones do you think they have?"

"Think?" He echoed. "If you walk out that door you will see. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands. I couldn't count. Deep Ground spans almost the entirety of Midgar city."

Her mouth fell open aghast, "But...that's an army!" She exclaimed. "What are they going to do with them?"

"I don't know..." He scowled darkly, "But as these specimens all contain the Jenova cells, they could be hers within a moment with a puppeteer to pull their strings."

"Oh..." Tifa stilled. A weapon like Sephiroth...the strongest and most capable of impressing his will. He was the perfect candidate.

"What is it?"

"Sephiroth." She murmured. "He's the one she wanted I think. Her puppeteer."

"Is he not hers?" The man challenged.

Tifa shook her head firmly, "No, not anymore at least. I guess...she could come back, if she's alive, but he can't remember and she hasn't been able to reach him yet."

"She lives." There was no room for debate in that statement. "But perhaps there is hope for him still."

"Read the rest." She indicated the opened file on the screen. "You'll understand better."

He did and when he was finished he just shook his head, a cold chuckle filling the room. "Why am I not surprised?" He muttered.

Tifa pulled out her log to check the time. It was getting late. If Sephiroth still planned on hosting his class tonight she would have to get back soon. Assuming either of them were still alive at the end of the night.

It was at that pivotal moment when the floor jerked violently underneath them, accompanied by a low rumbling that petered out in a groan. They both stumbled, grabbing onto each other for balance. Then it was over.

They looked at one another, letting go quickly.

"We shouldn't linger." He advised with a glance upwards.

Tifa felt a baleful shadow settle on the room in the following stillness. She looked back intently at the man beside her, an idea taking root. "Are you familiar with Avalanche?"

"Yes." He answered. "But I am not associated with them."

"Maybe you should be." She hesitantly suggested and unplugged the drive hacker. "Can I ask you a favor?"

He inclined his head, "You may ask."

Tifa held out her hand with the hack drive resting in her opened palm, "I need to get this to Avalanche headquarters, but I don't want to risk getting caught with it back at Shin-Ra HQ."

He accepted the dainty piece of what appeared to be mostly plastic, examining it with idle fascination. His eyes caught hers, "You would give this to me?"

She leveled him with a frank stare, "Will you take it to them for me?"

He contemplated her with a spark of curiosity, "Perhaps you are right." He allowed after a moment and accepted the hack drive. "Yes, I will take it to them."

"Tell them Tifa Lockheart sent you," She said and smirked dryly. "You might get a chance to look at what's on it."

The caped man had silently disappeared into the dark, but his voice drifted back to her with the whisper of a smile, "Vincent Valentine, at your service."

He was gone then and Tifa made for the air duct at a run. Her boot slammed into something on the way and the grate went sprawling across the floor again with a loud grinding noise. She cursed and grabbed the thing, shoving it in a nondescript corner under something, she couldn't tell what. Maybe they wouldn't notice it was missing for another few days.

It didn't matter. She wasn't going to be here when they found it.

After a great deal of undignified squirming, she was back in the ventilation shaft. By the time she was above a hallway again the place was on high alert with guards running, employees jumping out of the way, and a great deal of shouting that she couldn't make out.

Whether because of her, Vincent, or due to the quake she didn't know.

Tifa kept moving, praying fervently that she lived to see the sky again because she'd had about enough of the underground to last her a life time and just assumed have her ashes spread on the surface if it came to that.

Ten minutes later and she was facing an obstacle that hadn't been there before. Laser security beams crisscrossed her path out. This was the heavily locked security door she'd passed by earlier.

"Shit." She looked around hopelessly, but there was no other way out.

Tifa grit her teeth and planted her hands against the walls of the air duct on either side. If she was going to do it, she'd have to be fast. They might not know that she'd triggered it from here. If she could get past the first rush of guards she might make it.

Her eyes clenched shut for a moment, teeth grinding. They snapped open and she launched through the laser grid.

Alarms erupted everywhere, a whaling siren that throbbed in the ears. She didn't stop to see what went on below – Tifa was barreling down the air duct like an animal possessed.

There were more guards running below, she could hear their armored footsteps. They were running towards the way she'd come. A resounding gunshot pierced the pandemonium, too distant to concern her, but startling in itself.

Vincent... Everything was riding on him – she hoped he made it out alive.

Perspiration trickled down the back of her neck. It seemed much hotter than before. Her bangs clung to her forehead and the side of her face. She clawed them out of her eyes, her breath heavy and fast.

The air duct took a dive in front of her and she fell down it with a muted crash, onto the homestretch. Another laser mesh security grid waited up ahead, but the color was different. After a brief inspection she felt certain that if she tried to cross it she'd come out the other side in pieces.

Tifa scooted back, wound up her fist, and slammed down with all her strength. The aluminum tore free with a harsh whine and she was falling to the floor below, flailing to get her feet underneath her. Her boots hit the ground at a run.

The exit was just up ahead. Someone shouted out behind her and a barrage of bullets struck the wall over her shoulder. She ducked to the right, pivoted sharply and slammed her fist into the floor with a bone shattering force.

A shockwave split the floor in half, shattering pieces of tile into the air as it streaked down the hall towards the guards in pursuit. Two were able to dive aside; the three behind them were not. Tifa was already running before the first hit the floor, unconscious.

Her lungs heaved in her chest, muscles strained to the max as she swallowed the distance between her and safety. Fine ribbons of red light crisscrossed her way out and she felt her heart begin to sink. The door was blocked.

A second barrage of bullets cut the air and fire split her leg, she stumbled, fell. Another hit her left shoulder and she slammed against the wall, turned, and launched another shockwave. This one was bigger, spreading the width of the hall, and the guards were unable to avoid it.

She whirled back around.

The door was right there and she couldn't get through it!

Then it exploded. Tifa dropped, throwing her hands over her head as she hit the floor. Debris launched through the hall, tearing across the walls and tumbling down the way she'd come. The crackle of flames lingered in the aftermath with the stench of sulfur and burning metal.

Tifa stirred slowly. Soot smudged her cheeks and sweat streamed down her face. Her uniform was singed and blackened, the air stiflingly hot.

"Get up!" A voice shouted from outside. She knew that voice.

Her head lifted with a grimace, but she got to her feet and staggered through the gaping, burning hole that had replaced what once had been a door. The laser security system was entirely obliterated.

Gunshots scattered behind her again. She stumbled and dodged to the left, out the door, and hit the ground again. It felt like someone had stuck a hot iron to her leg.

"Come on!" He jerked hand at her, "Get up!"

Magic flared from his finger tips and another explosion sent a cascade of debris crashing down on the exit-way. Flames lapped at stone and metal, a pile of rubble barring the way out for those in pursuit as the dust slowly settled.

Tifa wheezed, pushing off with her good leg. Blood leaked through her fingers where she clasped the bullet wound in her shoulder. She one hopped to where Sephiroth waited, her vision blurred by smoke teary eyes.

As soon as he could reach her, Sephiroth grabbed her free hand and pulled her towards him. She landed against his chest with a painful gasp. Her eyes widened in alarm and she grabbed his collar, eyes blazing up at him.

"They'll kill you." She remonstrated.

"They might." He answered stoically and replaced her helm before lifting her into his arms.

Then they were falling through the air. It felt like her stomach was in her throat when he hit the ground. The impact throbbed in every bullet wound. She tensed against him, spine curling as she buried her face in his chest.

Sephiroth seemed to hesitate between setting her down and keeping her. Fortunately she made the decision for him, squirming quickly from his grasp.

"I can walk." She insisted.

He obliged wordlessly, but put one arm around her lower back, the other slinging her arm over his shoulder.

Tifa felt her throat convulse as she bit down on the pain, "This is madness." She declared and proceeded to hang from him, half limping and half dragged. They had to get away from here quickly, before someone found out he was here – if they didn't know already.

"Yes." He concurred.

She was half-surprised he hadn't dropped dead yet. It wasn't clear whether Sephiroth was still under surveillance now, but she guessed that he could be if someone happened to check.

"Did you feel that shudder a few minutes ago?" She asked. A patch of moss glided under foot and slipped away beneath her.

Sephiroth tightened his grip around her, hoisting her up against his hip before she could fall, "They blew another reactor."

"What?" Tifa tripped, shock plain across her face. "How do you know?"

He shot her an impatient glance, "Headquarters sent word, which is why we should make haste before my absence is noted."

A new sense of urgency pushed her pace and all thoughts of pain vanished. If Avalanche had really blown another reactor, then Cloud had likely been with them. What other way to prove his allegiance than to go on a mission of such importance?

She had to make sure he was safe.

They were back in the upper section of the sewers in good time. It was entirely due to Sephiroth's efforts for she could barely stand. Her uniform had turned purple where blood had soaked into the fabric.

"How badly are you hit?" His voice caught her by surprise.

"I don't think it's bad." She gasped out. They had maintained the same brisk pace all the way here and showed no signs of slowing down.

"Just the two?" He inquired.

"Yeah."

They turned a corner to the left. Sephiroth gaze was trained ahead, with not so much as a muscle twitching on his face. He wasn't even looking at her when he next spoke, "If the bullets are still imbedded they will have to be removed before magic will do any good."

Her head bobbed with a breathless word of acknowledgment, her left hand now clenched tightly around the collar of his coat. The muscle in her leg was stiffening up and the fade of adrenaline rush giving way to pain. Walking wouldn't be an option for much further.

Then she was swept off the ground without warning as Sephiroth took off at a run. She was too tired to protest and his strength a comfort she did not relish letting go of. Her eyes drifted shut tiredly.

They hadn't gone too far when he came to a sudden stop and set her down on a crate. It was old and rotting, but it held her up.

"What are you doing?" She asked with an anxious glance ahead of them. They needed to get back.

His eyes caught hers briefly and he produced a leather satchel from the folds of his coat. It unraveled, revealing an array of crude looking medical tools, one of which was a standard set of forceps; there were scissors and pliers as well. Her heart slammed against her chest and she scooted away, her back firmly against the wall.

Sephiroth picked up the forceps and handed her a leather thong.

"Put this in your mouth." He directed. "I will try to make this quick."

Her eyes went wide, "You're going to do it right now?"

His gaze lifted sharply to hers, "You'd rather wait till we're above ground and risk being taken to the infirmary?"

Tifa snatched the leather thong from him with a narrow look, "Fine." She relented and a tremble traveled up her spine as she placed the leather between her teeth.

She didn't think about how many other mouths it had been in. In light of what was about to happen, she didn't really care. Sephiroth positioned himself behind her, his hands brushing lightly against her flesh as he carefully snipped back the fabric of her uniform.

"Take a deep breath." Was all the warning she got.

He was not subtle. Her vision went white with stars and it was all she could do not to jerk away. A strangled groan got passed her, but she wanted to scream. Tears pricked at her eyes when she felt a searing, fiery jerk, followed by empty relief.

A soothing coolness trickled over the wound, dousing the fiery sting as the skin slowly knitted together over the hole.

"Now breathe." He told her and came around to her side, "It would be best if you knelt for this last one."

Tifa gave an absent nod and stood, shifting around so that she was kneeling facing the crate,with Sephiroth at her back.

She barely had time to ready herself before her leg was paralyzed with pain. It was a good thing he had her pinned to the floor with his weight or she might have launched him into the sewage flow behind him. It was over with before she realized and the cooling relief of curaga settled into her muscles once again.

Sephiroth collected his tools and stashed them away before stepping aside. She hopped off the crate, testing the newly healed injuries. There was still a dull throb in both areas, but it would do.

"Ready?" He questioned.

Tifa looked over her shoulder at him, an awkward frown gracing her features, "Thank you." She murmured and offered a tight smile that trailed off as she turned away. "I'm sorry."

Sephiroth gazed after her fervently, his features chiseled with emotions unaccustomed to lining his face.

"Are you coming?" She stopped to face him uncertainly.

Her voice wrenched him back to reality and he set off after her without a word.

They hadn't far to go now. The ladder to above ground was just ahead. Sephiroth mounted it first, being the stronger of the two. He could handle the manhole cover without difficulty. Behind him, Tifa waited in brooding darkness.

"How did you know?" She asked softly. "About the chip I mean."

" They wanted us to know." He replied.

The manhole cover clattered to the pavement above and light spilled into the hole. Sephiroth climbed out and turned to offer her a hand. She took it and he pulled her gently to her feet.

"But didn't they erase your memories?" She continued, thoughts whirling through her head in a jumbled mess.

"Selectively." He corrected. "What they erased of mine was minimal, but I have no recollection of anything that passed within that brief window of time."

"So you really don't know then." Tifa said, knowing this was true, but needing to voice it anyway, to have him answer to her face.

He leveled her with a weary frown.

"Alright," She sighed. "But why the interest in me?"

Sephiroth looked away despondently. "I don't know." He relented. "I know you, as clearly as you know me, but I don't remember how or where I met you."

The memory would always haunt her she realized, despite the thin, but existing layer of trust he'd managed to garner. Tifa shut her eyes tightly and exhaled slowly out her nose. Her mind was so focused on that simple task that his voice startled her.

"What is your name?"

She blinked, "What?"

"Your real name." He repeated calmly.

Tifa stiffened. That was the only secret she still kept. The thought of giving it away to him left her feeling distinctly vulnerable.

Sephiroth lowered his gaze to the ground before turning away with resignation, "We must go."

She had to jog awkwardly to catch up with him. He didn't say anything, nor did he appear affronted by her refusal to answer his question – just tired. Guilt festered in her chest and she sighed inwardly, "It's Tifa."

His eyes, when they settled on her for just a moment, were like stars in a black velvet sky, "A pleasure to meet you, Tifa."

Sephiroth set off at a brisk jog through the abandoned streets, ears trained to the uneven footsteps of the woman behind him lest she fall too far behind. He was not concerned with himself as he was about her. What Shin-Ra did to him was of no consequence now, but she was another matter.

So when he heard the faint scrape of her boots as she skidded to a sudden halt, he pulled up short as well, irritation warring with concern across his face. He turned around, poising himself for a lecture on punctuality, when he saw the look in her eyes and stopped himself. His gaze automatically followed hers

There was a young man standing on the curb, blond hair spiked in unlikely angles that reminded him painfully of someone he once knew. He wore an old SOLDIER uniform, but it was clear by the rest of his attire that he was no longer a member.

But it was the girl in the pink dress with a perfect smile to match her eyes and a wicker basket of flowers that drew his attention the hardest.

The boy met that effervescent gaze with shy, uncertain wonder and she cocked her head to one side in amusement. He smiled self consciously, scratching the back of his neck, and made a flippant comment that caused her to laugh. The exchange ended shortly after as the young man walked away with three of her daisies, the girl in the pink dress watching him long after he had gone from sight.

For a fleeting instant, Sephiroth felt the same pull against his senses, but it was not enough to grab his attention from the woman on his right, whose stunned expression left nothing to question. His chest tightened painfully. He was inexplicably assailed by the urge to reach out to her.

And when Tifa flinched under his scrutiny as her gaze met his, the emotion that haunted him was mirrored in her eyes. Only it was not for him, but someone else.

Longing...

Sephiroth inhaled sharply, bending his emotions back into line and whirled away with an order over his shoulder, "Let's go."

Author's Notes: This chapter was brutalizing. I feel like a punching bag. I'm not satisfied with this. There's something wrong, I can feel it, but I don't know what else to do.

FYI, I have never played Dirge of Cerberus and so I have very limited knowledge of what actually took place in Deep Ground, but I have done some research. I'm throwing in canon characters from the compilation left and right, but perhaps not according to canon. So you'll have to expect discrepancies...but it's AU, so I can do that, mwahahaha.

That's right, Vincent got out of his coffin by himself. Because any self-respecting man ought to after thirty years of sulking.

No hard feelings Valentine, I still love you. In a totally not romantic sort of way. Even if you are rather nice looking.

Happy Halloween everyone!