The Warrior

Chapter 14

At long last...


Previously in Chapter 13...

"Chaka?" She blurted out. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be back until tomorr—."

"Yeah! What are you doing here?!" Came another voice.

"Would you shut up?!" He shot back at his squeaky companion, "Fry, I swear I'll explain everything – I'll shave my head and bear your babies—" There was a distinct edge of panic in his voice that disturbed her, "—if you'll just open the goddamn door."

"Wait a second—" The squeaky voice interjected before Tifa could even begin to formulate a reply, "You're gonna have someone's babies?!"

Oh dear...


Tifa writhed in place, one foot poised to flee, the other towards the door. There was no escape. Clothed in flannel shorts and a t-shirt, she couldn't hide her more obvious female characteristics. On the other hand, half of the building would probably know the truth by tomorrow morning anyway, so why not?

"Oh alright." She fumbled in the dark with the control panel until a satisfying swish announced that the door was open.

Chaka had made the mistake of trying to enter first and was swiftly apprehended by a much shorter person, who cried out, "Me first!" as she stomped purposely on his foot and elbowed him in the ribs. She staggered into the room, attempted to shove Chaka back out into the hall, to which he shoved her helm down over her eyes and wrestled his way back in.

Tifa hastily shut the door behind them and whirled back around, lips thinned, "That's it." She whispered vehemently. "Cut it out, both of you!"

Chaka quickly disentangled himself from the squirming SOLDIER attached to his back. His helm had been lost and his eyes were matched by the brightness of his teeth as he grinned down at her, "Heya Fry."

Her cheeks felt warm as she crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. She couldn't decide which foot to rest her weight on and settled awkwardly back down on her bed. "Is that all you have to say?"

"How do ya mean?" His brow furrowed as he idly straightened his uniform.

Tifa fought a frown as she spread her arms out dramatically, "Oh I don't know...the fact that I've got boobs comes to mind."

Chaka made a great show of tilting over sideways to get a look at her and gave up with a chortle of laughter when he lost his balance. With a dignified clearing of his throat, he straightened. "Well see," he began with a sheepish smile creeping onto his face, "I was pretty much close to about...100% sure you weren't a guy after sparring."

Her mouth opened aghast, eyes widening and narrowing in quick succession.

"Hey now," He began in his defense, hands out, "I can't help but notice a few things in close quarters, ya?"

Tifa's mouth shut with a click. "Wait, so the bear your babies thing...?"

He cleared his throat uncomfortably as he eyed the far wall with false intensity, "Yeah that. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Don't give Hojo any ideas – I wouldn't put it past him to try."

"Ya know, maybe comin' in here was a bad idea..." The nameless SOLDIER interjected with a nervous step towards the door.

Chaka blinked in bewilderment, "Huh? Oh...OH! Noooo...no no no no." He was shaking every body part that was free as he looked rapidly between Tifa and the nameless SOLDIER. "We're not – no. Not doing that. Definitely not. Didn't mean it. Joke. I was kidding. I mean, not that Fry here isn't – shit, forget it, forget I said anything."

Tifa smiled into the palm of her hand. "Don't worry about it. I guess it's just as well you already knew now that everyone else does."

Her friend balked, "Say what?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, fighting down the rise of panic at the thought that she might wake up to her own execution in the morning. "I wasn't exactly trying to advertise it."

"So what the hell happened?" Chaka demanded with an affronted scowl.

Tifa looked between him and his now silent companion. There was something familiar about that one, but she couldn't place it. She shook the thought away and addressed Chaka's question with some reservation, "That guy, Dev, came by the Simulator last night, when I was there alone."

A muscle twitched in Chaka's jaw. He tapped his fingers against his elbow rhythmically.

"I'd been practicing my...uh..." She licked her lips, eyes shifting uneasily between Chaka and the wall behind him. "Shooting. I hadn't done it in a while, so...anyway, my visor was up when Dev startled me. He knew immediately of course and made me take the helmet off."

"That's when Angeal showed up, naturally." Her shoulders slumped with a sigh. "I had a fantastic day."

"Fuck." Chaka grinned, slapping his knee in amusement, "Sephiroth is gonna shit a brick when he finds out."

Tifa regarded him flatly, "He already knows – has known for a couple days now."

Her friend was seemed positively affronted, "Wait - how did he find out?"

"I lost my helmet in the sewers during a flood – he was trying to help me at the time, so he saw everything." She answered. "I don't know why he didn't turn me in."

Chaka rubbed his chin as a mischievous glint took hold, "Well I'll be damned, and I had my money on him being a eunuch."

An abashed gasp lurched out of Tifa's throat, "What? That's ridiculous. Why would he be?!"

"He's not?" There was genuine astonishment from the third party. "I mean...well..."

The room fell abruptly silent. Chaka was staring at her in a manner that Tifa found distinctly unnerving and revealing, as if he knew something she did not.

"And how do you know?" He inquired cheekily.

"Because!" Tifa retorted in exasperation as she sought desperately to avert the course of their conversation. "Oh for Gaia's sake, why are we even talking about this?"

Chaka shrugged and took a seat on the floor with his back propped against the cupboard. "Beats talking about my weekend."

The light mood evaporated with a hush. Tifa stole a concerned glance his way and forged ahead, "So what happened? What's going on?"

"Did some chick tie ya naked to a bed and run off with yer money?" The short one asked with something that sounded disturbingly like glee.

A weary sigh from Chaka effectively silenced her—it....mostly.

"Fine, geeze. I was just sayin'..."

Tifa shook her head lightly and waited for him to continue.

His fingers twitched with nervous energy where they worried the edge of his pant leg with a rapid back and forth motion. The tap of his boot against the floor was jerky and fast as he spoke, "I went out to take a piss after dinner..."

"Wh—"

"When the whole goddamn camp blew up." Chaka cut in shortly with a meaningful glare. "And when I say it blew up, I mean, it fucking blew up. Knocked me ten feet back and flat on my ass."

"Ugh, that's gross! Did you pee on yourself?"

"Didn't check – wanna smell it for me?" He started to lean towards her, eliciting a horrified shriek from the SOLDIER as she scrambled back. Chaka snorted as he sat back down. "I was pretty much throwin' my guts up at the time, so I didn't notice – burning flesh bein' a somewhat nauseating smell, if you catch my drift..."

"Oh."

"Gods above..." Tifa bit down as her own stomach tightened uncomfortably, "What happened?"

"I got the hell out of there before who ever planted the bomb found out I was still kicking." Chaka replied. "And proceeded to run myself ragged to the nearest town where this crazy ass pilot was givin' his plane a test run to Midgar. Don't know what the hell he was doing up by bone village, but it sure as hell saved my ass. Gave me a free ride. And the most excruciating leg cramps I've ever experienced."

"How did you get here so fast though?" Tifa asked.

Chaka met her gaze with a shrug, "He might be half crazy, but he sure can fly. I got here this afternoon – been hiding ever since."

Tifa leaned forward worriedly, "You think someone was trying to kill you?"

"Someone is tryin' to kill me." He clarified and cast a wary glance towards the door. "It's what's in that damn crater that's started this – someone doesn't want someone else to know about it."

"What crater?" The peanut gallery re-entered the conversation with renewed zeal.

"On the northern continent, ya?" He answered automatically before continuing, his brown eyes shining more intensely now as he leaned forward. "It's Genesis man. In the flesh! He's encased in some...some crystallized lifestream or something. Shit if I know, but this blue haired dude –and I mean he had a lion's mane of blue hair – he came with us, seemed really adamant about Genesis and this black materia. I'm almost positive he's the mother fucker who stuck enough nitro to incinerate the town of Junon into our dinky three tent camp."

Tifa swallowed hard. "What are you going to do? I'm sure Angeal could—"

Chaka released a vehement string of curses, "I'm not goin' back. This place is a goddamn cesspool of inbred sociopaths – I know Shin-Ra's is at the heart of this mess – doesn't matter that Shin-Ra SOLDIERS got killed. Don't know how, probably don't want to know, but I'm not stickin' around to have my nuts cut off by some crazy as shit scientist."

"Why'd ya come back here then?" The short one asked curiously.

"Who the hell knows." He mumbled and raked his hands over his face. "I had to tell someone. I don't know what to do. Didn't know where else to go."

"It's alright, Chaka." Tifa assured him. "I'm glad you told me. I still think Angeal should know though, I think he'd help us."

He snorted. "Good luck findin' a place that isn't under surveillance around here. They don't let him just leave."

"I know!" Their erstwhile companion piped in excitedly.

All eyes turned to the nameless SOLDIER.

"I mean, I've got a place, uh..." She trailed off.

Silence permeated the room for a short while.

"So...just out of curiosity...who are you?" Tifa asked tentatively then.

The young SOLDIER leaped to her feet and executed a series of complicated martial arts moves that ended with a resounding fist pump into the air, "I am the great ninja Yuf – ah – Murphy!"

"Yufamurphy?" Chaka repeated deadpan, his brow furrowed deeply. "Is that like some kind of play off of infomercial? Yufamercial?"

Murphy whirled around, "Murphy," and proceeded to kick him square in the junk.

Chaka hit the floor in with a resounding exclamation and a heavy thump.

"What in the – Chaka, are you alright?!" Tifa dropped at his side and fired a withering glance at the one called 'Murphy'. "What are you doing?!"

"I...uh...always wanted to try it?" She offered lamely. Her head strayed back to the man writhing on the floor in obvious pain. A mixture of gurgles and groans emanated from his general vicinity. Murphy edged closer to him, peaking out guiltily from under her helm. "Um...you okay?"

He lifted his hand sharply, warding her off, and made an inarticulate sound in the back of his throat.

The room was quiet and still until Chaka made a move to sit up. He coughed, pale as he would ever be, and leveled Murphy with a murderous glare. "What--"

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out hastily, hands clasped in front of her in a heartfelt plea. "And uh...my name s'not really Murphy."

Chaka squinted up at her with a pitiful groan, "You are bat-shit crazy kid."

She huffed indignantly. "You're a dirty no-count sleazy Shin-Ra flunky – seemed like a good idea to me. Name's Yuffie, by the way. The Yuffie Kisaragi, greatest Ninja warrior of Wutai." She explained with flourish.

The dark man snorted, "You mean junior ninja warrior."

But Yuffie had forged ahead obliviously, having cornered Tifa on her bed. "Where's my materia anyway?"

Tifa threw her head back with a strangled moan. "It's too early for this!"

"No shit." Chaka grumbled and started to sag to the side. "I haven't slept in two days."

"This spot's mine!" Yuffie promptly cried out and, pilfering a pillow from Tifa's bed, spread out at the doorway to the bathroom. Thirty seconds later she was snoring.

Tifa glanced at Chaka to find him already sprawled out too, eyes peacefully closed. He certainly deserved some rest – the same might not be said of her other newly acquired roommate, but she was too tired to argue. She sighed, retrieving her last pillow, and carefully propped it under Chaka's head.

In the course of what felt like years, but was more like ten minutes, her life had been turned upside down. And she'd thought it was complicated before.

When Tifa awoke, it was to an empty room. Her head was back on her pillow, the spare on the floor where Yuffie had been hours before. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and glanced at the door.

Hopefully they'd made amends and were not at present killing each other.

After some shuffling about, brushing her teeth and getting into her uniform, she noticed the note on her counter. It had been written in haste with a pencil. Where had they scrounged up that? No one used pencil and paper around here...not very often at least. A power outage would be a killer.

Tifa squinted down at the jaggedly written note.

Fry,

The midget here...(scribbled out word)...is hauling me off somewhere – probably to my death. She says you should walk by the simulator today on your way to breakfast. I tried to explain that breakfast is not on that floor, but she insists.

Save me,

Chaka

Tifa looked at her clock for the first time that morning. It was 6:00 am. She wanted to curl up in her bed and go back to sleep. Damn this whole military business. She hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks.

Hunger would probably have to wait too.

To the Simulator it was then.

She stepped out of the elevator, having suffered a moment of weakness, and was walking nonchalantly down the hall when a panel on the wall to her right was inexplicably flung open in front of her. Hands seized her immediately and dragged her inside.

...A broom closet.

Tifa blinked in bewilderment, dimly aware of her two companions as they bickered amongst themselves about something, "Where did this come from?"

It was very...small, and the floor was concrete. Between the three of them – her, Chaka, and Yuffie – they had about four feet of empty space to spare all around. There was a small bunk that had been built into the wall, some old shelves containing a mess of wiring, miniature surveillance screens, and tech gadgets humming softly, and a mop that looked like it was from the dark ages. There was even an old mop bucket to match.

"Old storage room." Yuffie shrugged. "Built over it when they refurbished the building I guess. Even left a souvenir!" She waved the mop around happily. "Ya want it?"

Tifa had to shake herself a little. "What are we doing?"

"You're dragging Angeal's ass over here." Chaka announced with a candid nod of his head.

"I am?"

"He's got to know." He asserted firmly. "This is the only safe place we can all talk...figure out what the hell is going on."

"Okay..." Tifa trailed off tiredly.

"Don't forget my materia!" Yuffie cried before adding in a hushed whisper. "Coast is clear!"

Tifa was in the midst of replying when she was unceremoniously shoved back out into the hall with a grunt. "I'm not hauling a bag of stolen materia around in broad daylight." She said as the panel was closed behind her, effectively cutting her off.

The hall was still empty. She glanced around idly before meandering back towards the elevator and taking it to Angeal's floor. No one was about, probably because they were eating, or sleeping, if they had that luxury today.

And naturally, Angeal wasn't in his office.

Tifa let her head fall against the wall with a dull thud. She wondered vaguely if she was expected to be at the gym this morning. Of course, things being as they were, it probably didn't matter anymore.

But Angeal was probably at the gym, and she was supposed to bring Angeal. Life was much easier with a clear cut task, even if accomplishing it involved some...difficulties.

It was around 6:30 when she arrived, which meant the early goers were just starting to trickle in for the morning workout. Tifa was two winks from falling asleep on her feet when she caught a glimmer of silver hair in her peripheral vision. The results were surprisingly likened to having ice cold water poured over your head...while wearing a white t-shirt...and no bra.

She was immediately bright eyed, bushy-tailed and horribly aware of his eyes flickering towards her.

"Shit..." Tifa made a sound akin to a whimper as she boldly approached the two men conversing quietly at the head of the room.

When the eddy of conversation petered out at her approach, everyone in the room suddenly turned to look at her. She inhaled deeply, making eye contact only with Angeal as she came to a stop before them. Not that they could see her eyes with the visor on, but that was beside the point.

"Angeal," Oh god, what was she supposed to say? "Uh...we have problem."

Angeal regarded her with a deeply troubled expression. He was probably expecting something worse than what she was about to announce. Although he looked more like he was about to cry than anything, which was some cause for worry.

But Tifa didn't have time to ask what was wrong.

"Rats, sir." She conveyed with as much gravity as she could muster. "They've, uh, infested the...the 64th floor. I need you to come with me, right now." And without further ado, she grabbed him by the wrist and proceeded to haul him bodily out of the room.

Sephiroth's perplexed gaze never left her until she and Angeal had disappeared out the door.

To her immense relief, Angeal remained silent, having probably caught on that, whatever this was about, it wasn't rats. The elevator was occupied on the way up so there was no opportunity to clarify the situation. Tifa wasn't even sure what she would say if she could.

When they reached the 64th floor there was no one about. Fortune smiled upon her once more.

"Fry—" Angeal began to speak, his voice choked with emotion.

Tifa held up a silencing hand and hastened down the hall, wracking her memory for which was the right panel, and nearly ran into it. She jumped back with a startled gasp and ducked inside quickly.

"What in the—"

Angeal was yanked in after her before he could finish his sentence. Then he was looking at Chaka as if he'd never seen him before, or maybe like he was standing before the Goddess Gaia herself.

"Chaka?" He echoed, somewhere between disbelief and exultation. "But you...I got the message...this—this morning."

"Yeah, about that..." Chaka trailed off. "We need to talk."

Angeal glanced around with a slight frown, "Where are we?"

"Broom closet." Yuffie offered.

"And who are you?" He continued, his expression comically confused.

"I'm the great—"

"Murphy." Tifa and Chaka supplied in unison.

"Hey!"

"Codename Murphy." Tifa offered.

"Her real name is Yuffie Kisawagi."

"It's Kisaragi!"

Angeal raised his hands to his temples and began to massage them slow and meticulously, "I think I may need some more coffee."

"I've got instant if ya want any.." Yuffie reached into a ratty blue backpack and procured a small, aluminum package. She waved it triumphantly in his face.

Chaka gave Angeal a consoling clap on the back. "Buck up man, it's going to get much, much worse."

"Oh hell." An old mop bucket was produced and placed expertly under Angeal's sagging form as he sat down.

It was a bit of a tight fit, what with four of them crammed in there together, but it was manageable. Yuffie had freed up some space by curling up in her bunk. Tifa sat down in the corner opposite Angeal, her boots almost, but not quite touching his, and Chaka remained standing.

Angeal combed back his hair with a trembling hand. "Better start at the beginning then."

Sephiroth had never before used the phrase 'dying of curiosity', but he was fairly sure that if he didn't find out what was going on soon, he would self-implode. He'd already bellowed at three different SOLDIERS for groaning too loudly during exercises. It'd never been this quiet during a workout before; a spider could've scurried across the floor and he would've heard all eight legs touch the mat.

The workout finished up fifteen minutes early, the first and last time in history it ever would. They were so perplexed by the phenomena that Sephiroth had to outright leave for reality to sink in. As far as he knew, they were still waiting.

He was marching down the hall with a purpose that frightened all in his path. His coat was billowing with extra fervor today. For one terrifying instant he almost felt petulant enough to punch a wall.

Why had she come for Angeal and not him?

He was inexplicably furious about it. She had not dragged Angeal away because of a rat infestation. So he'd blown her off the night before after having lost to her, inconceivably – it had been a long never since someone had beaten him at anything.

He'd assuaged his wounded pride with the knowledge that it was his expert eye that had recognized her hidden potential.

...Which had summarily shredded his dignity...in front of several people.

Low and behold, his day was about to take another steep plunge. Sephiroth really didn't know where he was going. They were on the 64th floor, if Tifa had been honest in her declaration, but where on the 64th floor was anybody's guess. He automatically assumed the Simulator.

And then he heard voices. They were muffled, but he could definitely hear them. He stopped and, had he not been in the process of spinning around – rather swiftly – he might have avoided the door that was not a door as it was flung open and into his face.

He never had a chance.

The world was spinning above him. Bright lights...it reminded him of TV static actually. When was the last time he'd felt this peculiar sensation? For that matter, when was the last time he'd seen TV static?

An alarmed voice broke into his awareness.

"Oh my god!" Tifa's face came into sharp focus as she knelt over him, worry creasing her forehead. "I'm so sorry! You...you turned around and I..."

Sephiroth was in the process of sitting up when he felt the sudden and rapid flow of warmth trickling over his mouth. He lifted his hand instinctively to catch the blood, throwing his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Holy shit!" That sounded vaguely like Chaka, which was impossible. "You broke his nose!"

"I didn't mean to." Tifa mumbled and reappeared at his side bearing a wad of paper towels. "Here." She held them out to his face.

He accepted them wordlessly.

"Get in here, before someone finds us with our pants down." Chaka's Ghost was speaking again. That blow had rattled him more than he expected.

"Coming." Tifa huffed and gave Sephiroth a firm push in the back. "Forward, march." She stifled a giggle as she followed him into what he could only determine was a very old, out of date storage room.

"How's the nose?" Angeal was standing to his left. The amused look on his face didn't suit him; no, not at all.

Sephroth ground his teeth. It was difficult to make severe eye contact with anyone when his neck was craned back and his face pointed toward the ceiling.

"Here." Before he knew it he was sitting on an upturned bucket faced with none other than Tifa. She was wielding a rolled up piece of paper towel. "Stick it up your nose."

The humiliation...was horrifying.

And then she had the nerve to smile.

Sephiroth gave an overly dramatic sigh, his resolve rendering to dust, and did as he was told. He never felt so mortified in his entire life, but it was worth it.. He found himself inexplicably wanting to see that smile again, because it was honest and beautiful. And aimed more or less in his direction.

Tifa disposed of his bloodied rag into a makeshift garbage can and returned with her bottom lip caught in her teeth. "I didn't really break it did I?"

He shook his head.

"Oh. Good." She exhaled in relief. "So you're okay?"

He nodded.

Silence. "Are you...going to talk at all?" She ventured finally.

Sephiroth closed his eyes briefly, opening them again to take in every detail of his surroundings, as well as the people in it. There was no doubting that this was beyond bizarre. If he didn't know better, he'd say someone had slipped him a hallucinogen.

Wutai's little princess was wedged into a minuscule bunk that looked like it had been cut out of the wall. A dead man was standing, quite clearly in one healthy piece, off to his left. Angeal looked a little green around the edges...quite the party. It was absurd, and yet, ridiculously comforting.

"To what do I owe the.......pleasure?" He said at last, eying each person heavily in turn.

It was Angeal who came forward first and with the propensity of a sucker punch to the gut, "Genesis is alive."

Sephiroth wanted to burst out in hysteric laughter. It was sorely tempting as he stared uncomprehendingly at his long time friend. This was beyond absurd. Not one, but two dead mean back to the living? Chaka he could more easily understand, but Genesis?

That put a chill in his bones that he couldn't shake. Perhaps that is why he knew, despite the sheer improbability, that it was true. But he had more experience with science than any person should, and he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that nothing was beyond the reach of someone willing to go there.

And there was Jenova too, an entity that he kept as far apart from his mind as humanly possibly, or inhumanly. He couldn't even say why he did, but whenever she came into his thoughts he felt a queer shiver of apprehension, and quickly shoved her back out.

It was possible that she had kept Genesis alive within the lifestream, somehow. Her cells were extraordinarily...resilient.

Sephiroth bowed his head into his hands, his hair a curtain over his face.

A firm hand gripped him by the shoulder, "Sephiroth." Angeal voice sounded sedate in his ear, a parody of the turmoil that roiled within himself.

He inhaled sharply. "He'll want to finish the job this time."

Angeal nodded, though Sephiroth didn't see it. "I would think so...Chaka says they – whoever is responsible for eliminating his team – are looking for the black materia."

Sephiroth lifted his head, eyes narrowing, "Black Materia? I've no knowledge of this."

His friend shook his head pensively in turn, "Neither do I."

"Geeze, do they teach you guys anything?" Yuffie blurted out with an emphatic eye-roll before declaring haughtily, "It's the most destructive magic on the planet, duh. As old as the Ancients supposedly."

"And?" Sephiroth inquired pointedly. "Where is it then?"

She shrugged, "Dunno. My tutor sort of changed the topic – 'course that might have had somethin' to do with the maniacal gleam in my eyes when she dropped the word 'materia'."

No one seemed inclined to dignify that with an answer. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence Angeal lifted his head with a thought, "I wonder...if perhaps a Cetra might know the answer..."

Sephiroth sat up slowly, a shadow darkening his eyes. "It would seem...likely." He hedged, "But we all know they are extinct."

The two long time friends exchanged a hard look.

Tifa blinked, feeling a shiver roll across her skin, like someone had walked over her grave. Green eyes – bright, ethereal, and full of something that she couldn't quite name invaded her thoughts without provocation. Cetra were like fairy tales practically, and yet...

"They're not really, are they?" She addressed Spehiroth quietly.

He caught her eyes right then, "No, not quite. You would remember her..." He trailed off with an edge of irritation.

"Yes," She continued uncertainly, "She sold me flowers once...was selling flowers to Cl- - that...that man...yesterday. It's her, isn't it?"

Sephiroth nodded.

Angeal rubbed tiredly at the back of his neck, "Shin-Ra has had the Turks dogging her steps for a while now – it seems our illustrious president wants her to find him the promised land."

"The what?" Chaka and Yuffie spoke in unanimous incredulity.

"Hojo would probably give every bone in his body if he thought he could survive and still get his hands on her." Sephiroth explained.

Tifa shuddered, "That's horrible – what does he want her for?"

The silver haired man gave a dry chuckle, "She is the last of her kind. What couldn't you do, with science at your fingertips?"

"Well...is there anything we can do?" Tifa asked helplessly. "She might know where the black materia is – we could ask her at the very least."

Sephiroth and Angeal both just shook their heads. The former answered first, "Neither I nor Angeal can do anything without inviting suspicion. It would be best in fact, to seek out some way of breaking the the mechanism that has been installed in both of us. I sense that Tseng is not yet ready to take her...he's had ample opportunity over the years, but has mysteriously let her go."

"Her?" Chaka looked around somewhat confused.

"The Cetra." Sephiroth clarified simply. "Ultimately, we must be free in order to face Genesis, which is an eventuality we cannot avoid."

"No one knows where the trigger to the implants are." Angeal argued with a dismissive wave of his hand. "We'd be chasing our tails."

Sephiroth's eyes settled on Tifa with a perceptive glint, "Is this true?"

She glanced away uncomfortably, "There might be a way...it depends. I don't know yet." Her brow furrowed in such a way as to beg that he not question her further. They might not be as receptive to her working as a spy.

He gave her an emphatic look before shifting around to address the others, "There is a well guarded underground research facility, beneath Midgar and the slums." He explained with a nod towards Angeal, "That is where we were yesterday, when the second reactor was blown. "

Angeal acknowledged him mutely.

"I could not go inside, but—"

"Tifa could." Chaka finished. "Bit risky, isn't it? Sending her in like that?"

"I didn't force her." Sephiroth explained with an undercurrent of frustration, because ultimately he had manipulated her into doing it, and nearly got her killed. That was the last thing he'd wanted. "And I doubt she came out without something to show for her effort."

"I didn't." She relented. "All the information regarding the...operations that you and Angeal underwent was there – I didn't look far enough to see whether it mentioned the people who possessed keys to the host computer though, and...it is no longer within my possession."

"Whose is it in then?" Angeal asked, faintly exasperated.

"I..." Tifa shut her mouth, unable to continue.

"Someone better suited for extracting the data I would imagine." Sephiroth intervened smoothly. "And once this is done, Tifa can tell us what our next step must be."

A grateful smile shyly met the corner of his eye as Tifa sighed in relief.

"So...what's that mean anyway?" Yuffie piped in as she squished a packet of liquid coffee with restless fingers.

Angeal unraveled his arms, "We wait."

"What about Chaka?" Tifa asked.

"He can stay here...if he wants I mean." The Wutai princess offered. "Kinda cramped and stuff, but not so bad."

Chaka made a face.

"It would be best were he not in the building." Sephiroth interjected. "There is no telling how long the wait will be, or if Chaka would even partake in...whatever it is we are doing."

"Shit, I'm up to my hair in this now." He answered. "Might as well stick it out. I'm in."

"I can find him a place outside." Yuffie said. "Wouldn't be hard smugglin' him out."

Sephiroth looked to Chaka, "It is up to you."

The dark skinned man rolled his eyes, "Oh hell, why not! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger – that's what they say anyway. I'll let pipsqueak here get me out."

"Hey!" A wrestling match ensued in the corner of the room.

Angeal reached out, grasping Sephiroth's arm, "We shouldn't linger here."

"No, we shouldn't." He agreed, sparing a final glance in Tifa's direction.

"I might need the day off." She said.

"You will have it." He assured her.

Yuffie scrambled to her cupboard of mini-monitors, verifying the empty hall before calling out, "Coast is clear!"

The three of them exited together and immediately split up, or so Tifa thought. It wasn't until she'd reached the stairs that she realized she was being followed. When she spun around, Sephiroth was right behind her, sans the wad of paper towel stuck up his nose and the blood covering his chin. She let out a tiny sigh of relief that it was not someone else and waited, wondering what he'd tracked her down for.

He gripped her by the arm softly, his eyes boring into hers through the visor. Then her helmet was gone, lifted away by his opposite hand. His lips parted as if to speak, but nothing was forthcoming. There was something...lost...about his expression. Tifa's breath hitched in her throat, unable to deny the effect their close proximity was having. She almost wanted to reach out to him, but knew that she couldn't – not yet, maybe not ever. She didn't know.

In the time it took for her to analyze her feelings he had closed the distance between them. She found herself paralyzed by the slow, deliberate lowering of his head, and then the tentative brush of his lips against her mouth. Tifa closed her eyes, the feeling tingling on her skin and amassing within her belly in confusion and no small amount of desire. It was agonizingly brief, completely sincere, and utterly confusing.

Sephiroth pulled away smoothly, his eyes uncertain and his cheeks colored as he watched her, waiting.

"Sephiroth..." She breathed, and it was difficult to say what she knew she had to, "I...can't."

His mouth framed a soft, barely perceptible smile as he bowed his head. "I know." He answered quietly and stepped past her, "I guess...I couldn't help myself. Gaia knows what's got into me" He turned at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up at her over his shoulder, "When – if you are able to find anything, Angeal is to take priority, understood?"

Tifa frowned in bewilderment, "But...what do you mean?"

"Do this for me." Sephiroth reiterated earnestly. "If anyone can survive, it will be me. Angeal cannot, therefore..he must take priority."

Something prickled her eyes as she nodded, "Alright."

Sephiroth rounded the corner then, leaving her alone in the staircase to analyze the convoluted chain of events that continued to spin her round and round. It was like...spinning on a swing. She would be dizzy for a while.

Author's Notes: Life has taken me by storm yet again. And then my computer died...sigh. But I didn't lose any of my writing so it could have been much worse. I don't know how this stands up to my other chapters, but I like it for the most part. I'm not happy with my rate of updating obviously...feels like I'm not getting anywhere, but this story has a ways to go yet. So...if the chapters seem slow...yeah...I think so too. I need to step up my game. Maybe, now that certain life issues have been resolved, I might be able to focus more on this.

Anyhow, here's to hoping that everyone who is still keeping tabs on me has enjoyed this read. Take care everyone,

Faerlyte