The World That Never Will Be Chapter 27
by the infamous and notorious tocasia
(2/24/2020)
CHAPTER 27
Sephiroth knew it was a dream.
An odd dream, in which seagulls surrounded him, chanting, "Mine!"
He did not stay.
An atmosphere no longer blue.
Plastic particle dust stung his eyes. Alone, in somewhere's far future, a landscape epitaphed by empty skyscrapers cobbled from cubes of compacted trash. A ruined, barren world with nothing left for him to take, or so little that it truly would be a mercy, were he able. Perhaps it would have been perfect. A blank slate... but he had no Lifestream to plant here.
Denied the mechanism, the wisdom, of creation, he did not stay.
He would have struck the planet from its lonely orbit, collected many of them to follow him like lost ducklings, his custom heavenly procession.
All dead, in darkness. The red sun went out.
Failure was unacceptable. Loss was unacceptable. He could not allow what was his to be taken...
She turned to walk away. She would find another.
"Goodbye, Master Aqua."
...he could not let her go.
She breathed in rhythm with him. On her face rested his cruel, victorious smile. He felt the leather of his gloves on and with her skin, watched his reflection in her dilated eyes. His eyes. Blue, so blue, and lovely.
She did, indeed, have feelings for him. Weak, desperate, circumstantial. The vulnerability he'd elected not to exploit. He amplified them. He was her safety, a friend in loneliness. A brush of hands, a touch of skin, a look too long, an awkward blush. Into the dreams, where she did not blush. A primal hope, unasked for. Carnal knowledge unrealized, and never now to be, for he did not need that to claim her love.
He basked in its radiance for a time. Her worship tasted like the oceans he'd destroyed.
She awaited his judgment, serene, adoring. He took in her eyes, her soft hair, what her lips would've felt like if he'd kissed her.
The fuzzy dullness of the senses of the unenhanced.
How creatures were permitted to live like this he'd never understand. Built for basic survival, so imperfect...
...but he was here to correct what he touched.
She was now an extension of himself. He brought her into focus; the body endured the pain of his will. No change in appearance, not even the eyes; he was good at this. But in function... more worthy to host the divine.
Enough.
He woke himself.
His self-control was supposed to be legendary, this was absurd! Had he lapsed so much?
He had already chosen for her. She would die in battle, or grow old, or succumb to illness or accident.
How vexing, that his subconscious wanted something else. Out of habit, or cruelty, or possessiveness, or the alien love he inherited from his Mother, the desire to be close beyond physicality, merged with his engineered purpose to take, to conquer, to destroy...
No. Excuses would not be necessary.
His decision not to harm Master Aqua was final.
If these were the kinds of dreams he was going to have, he wouldn't play at sleep anymore.
...but he'd done a good job with the bed, and the sheets. The cool cotton weave would still be nice to stretch out on, every fiber a comfort he deserved to partake of. Such a waste, if he did not.
Sephiroth fell back asleep, deciding it would be dreamless.
His awareness returned, unhurried, with unaccustomed grogginess.
Someone was singing.
Sweet alto, unguarded. Master Aqua, testing her voice in the shower.
The song about nightingales. Sephiroth wondered if the words were really that repetitive or if this was her favorite part, the one she remembered best.
Her only modesty soap suds and pride.
Should he go to her? Would she, like a goddess, blind him for his impertinence?
It was fantastic hyperbole of course, but the truth required satisfyingly little revision. Yes, he liked to imagine her as a goddess of justice, an avenging angel, a furious force of nature...
Ha! As if his admiration alone could confer divinity!
Aqua dried herself with one of the not-too-soft towels and stepped from the overly-chromed tub. She fluffed her hair and dressed, a tap of the keyblade's magic. She liked the citrus soap very much, its fragrance did not stifle.
Another simple spell made the room and all its amenities clean, the mirror unfogged and spotless.
She went out into the hall.
"Good morning, Sephiroth."
He easily matched her amiable greeting, until...
...Master Aqua asked him if he'd slept well.
He said no, and shook his head. "Bad dreams."
"Me too. I dreamt I was green with three eyes and stuck in a crane game. Weird, huh?"
Sephiroth agreed it was. "There's something on the table for you." He pointed out the chocolate.
It was a heart-shaped box, red. There was a gold ribbon tied in a bow. The presentation and dimensions were tastefully suggestive of the contents.
It was heavy.
The first thing that sprang to mind was 'expensive', although Aqua suspected that was by design.
...just how many heartless had he made Cloud kill? Were there any left for her?
A strange and silly hope. Of course there were more.
"Go on," Sephiroth urged.
Aqua slipped the bow off and lifted the lid.
"Oh!" She did not have to embellish her reaction.
Inside, on top, printed on shiny, glossy cardstock, was a key with photographs identifying the flavors.
The molded chocolate shells were raspberry-filled; the truffles powdered in cocoa had coffee ganache.
'Subtle notes of caramel'. Almond 'cabochons'. Tangy lime creme...
Coconut... she didn't care for, but maybe Sephiroth did.
Solid squares stamped with princess's crowns. Chocolate coins emblazoned with the King's ubiquitous mouse ears.
Several of the foil wrappers said 'Eat Me'. Aqua tactfully avoided those and chose a different piece.
Her favorite. She'd tried to gross out Terra and Ven once.
If you stab chocolate-covered cherries, they bleed!
She'd chased after them with her mouth open, gnashing her teeth like some kind of monster.
...she was more grown-up now.
"There's so much! You'll have to help me eat this."
"But it's for you."
"You know I like to share." Then she added, sly and teasing, "Heh, or was that part of your plan?"
It wasn't. At least, he didn't think it was.
Sephiroth thought the rumors of his sweet tooth were greatly exaggerated.
...but he didn't protest much.
"Come on, try some." Aqua handed him an orange crescent.
Sephiroth accepted her offer, coyly pretending a defeated-but-not-really posture. "If you insist."
"What do you think?"
His pupils widened. "It's good."
She grinned. "Thanks. For this, and for everything."
"You're welcome."