A/N: Yay, I’m back! Whoo…
Disclaimer: FF7, its characters and ideas are property of Squaresoft.
“Excuse me?” Marianna asked.
“I believe you heard me, woman,” The man answered superiorly. “And if you argue one more time, I’m going to assume you’re one of those damned radical feminists.”
He wants me to
take off my clothes? In the middle of a street?!?!
Wait a minute! This man just ordered me to undress like he has every right to because I’m not allowed to wear this? What kind of world is this?!
“Sir,” she began, trying to think of a way out of the sticky situation, “I’m afraid that I don’t own any clothes that you would deem appropriate. For that matter, I’m not sure what ‘appropriate’ is. You see, I’m a traveler and-”
“Enough! Do you think I’m a fool? The laws are the same all over the planet. Now, since it’s obvious that you are not willing to obey me, I will remove those offensive clothes for you.”
Marianna simply stared. The man was not unhandsome – quite the opposite in fact. He was typically tall and dark with striking features that at another time might have caused her to sigh dreamily. Unfortunately, she greatly opposed the idea of being stripped by a stranger in the middle of a street. She studied his expression carefully, looking for a hint of malicious glee.
There was none. He was simply a man fulfilling his duty to help uphold the law.
Oh dear.
He advanced on her.
“If you’ll just allow me to return home, I’ll change!” she pleaded. This was absolutely ridiculous.
He wasn’t actually going to…was he?
* * *
There were two bedrooms. One was the master bedroom and the other was obviously meant for a child with its bright buttercup yellow walls and small single bed. He had been prepared to take the smaller room, leaving the master bedroom to the girl, but the utter cheerfulness of the child’s room could end up driving him mad before he attained redemption.
Sephiroth leaned against the frame of the door, studying the room with a blind eye. There was still much to learn about this world that was to be his home for the moment. Thankfully, he recognized his surroundings to be the same as the Kalm of his world. Perhaps then, this was a variation of his world? That would certainly make things easier.
Then there was the girl.
She was a puzzle, and an extremely tense one at that. Living under the same room with her would not be easy, what with the palpable tension between them.
Why was there tension anyways? It didn’t make any sense. He was painfully aware of her every movement and that made him anxious. But perhaps he had always been so aware of others’ presences. After all, it had been an agonizingly long time since he had breathed mortal air, and his memories of life could have been tarnished since then.
He roused himself from his thoughts before they could venture further. It was a dangerous topic that he dwelled on – one that he wasn’t ready to analyze fully. After quickly examining the other unremarkable rooms of the small house, he returned to the kitchen.
There on the table lay the Masamune.
Sephiroth approached the mighty weapon slowly and reluctantly grasped the handle. So many memories accompanied the accursed blade. How many had died upon its steely, flawless length? How much innocent blood had he spilt with slashes of that same highly polished, curved sword?
Driving his haunting thoughts out of his consciousness, he strapped the massive but elegant sword to his waist, oddly comforted by its familiar weight. He picked up the small pouch that sat on the table that he hadn’t noticed before and stored it safely within the folds of his cloak. It was his old materia to be sure.
He looked down at his right hip where the Masamune hung securely. Yes, it was good to have it back. It was a painful reminder of his sins, but through the years, like his armor, it had become a part of him. Besides, it had done some good in its time too, like discouraging that damned Hojo from further attempts to conduct experiments on him.
Marianna…
Sephiroth lifted his head and turned towards the front door, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. Something was happening out there.
She was in trouble.
He ran, not bothering to shut the door behind him. It didn’t take long to find her. The entire village, at least those inhabitants within eyesight, had stopped what they were doing to watch the spectacle. A handful of the braver villagers had even elected to crowd around for a better view.
Sephiroth approached unnoticed.
“Let go of me!” Marianna yelled.
The man had his grip firmly around her upper arm and his free hand was reaching for the neck of her tightly fitted t-shirt.
Without another thought, Sephiroth drew his Masamune and a fraction of a second later, the man found himself with a blade resting against his neck.
“The lady doesn’t seem to appreciate being accosted,” Sephiroth stated calmly. His deep, quite but deadly voice sent shivers down the spines of everyone in earshot. He was a man whose very being commanded respect and obedience.
“Is she yours?” The man questioned evenly, though beads of sweat had begun to form on his brow. “The woman has neglected to dress in accordance with the law.”
“Then release her so she can return home and rectify her mistake,” Sephiroth suggested reasonably. His piercing mako gaze never wavered from the man’s.
Marianna’s arm was released and she quickly rushed over to Sephiroth’s side. Without sparing her a glance, he retracted his sword and returned it to his belt.
“You really need to keep that girl under tighter control,” the man said to him seriously, “What with those rebels running around. An example needs to be set for the other women. She needs to be punished for disobeying the law.”
And I’m expected
to carry out this punishment? Sephiroth wondered.
Sephiroth took hold of Marianna’s arm and began to lead her back towards their house. Turning to see the man over his shoulder he replied, “If punishment is required, leave it to one who has the right.”
They couldn’t reach the house fast enough, but finally they stepped over the threshold of the front door.
* * *
Marianna sank to the tiled floor of the front entrance of their house, grateful to be away from the staring eyes of the populace. That had been way too close.
I almost had the
clothes torn from my body in the middle of the village. And everyone just acted
as if it was nothing out of the ordinary!
What kind of
world is this? Where have they sent me to?
“Are you alright?” she heard him ask her.
Dammit! Why can’t he sound human, just for once?
“I’m fine,” she answered with just the slightest tremor in her voice. “I just wish Heaven had given me a better briefing on what I could expect to deal with on this planet.”
She tilted her head to look up at him and was rewarded with a jolt of electricity that coursed through her veins. All thought of the predicament she had just narrowly escaped flew from her mind. He stood there, not too far from where she sat on the floor, looking for all the world like a vision straight from a woman’s fantasy. Tall, broad shouldered, powerful, fathomless, glowing green eyes that looked into your soul...
Then she noticed the Masamune upon his hip.
“Your sword…” she began, knowing that he would understand.
“It appeared in the kitchen along with my materia.” He answered her.
“I see,” she responded as an idea made itself known in her mind. “Perhaps some more helpful items have suddenly appeared in the kitchen.”
Sure enough, there lay an envelope on the table. It seemed that Heaven was still keeping an eye on them. She scanned through the contents of the envelope and her heart sunk further with every line.
Heaven, could it get any worse than this?
“What is it?” Sephiroth asked, noticing her disheartened expression.
“Of all the worlds they could have sent us to, they decided on the one that would make it the hardest for us to get around. Okay here goes,
“The sexes are completely unequal on this planet and the women are just beginning to fight for their rights. Everything except the social situation of this planet is identical to the one that you came from. All women are considered property – owned at first by their fathers and then by their uh…lover, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well, I don’t know what to call it. See, he’s not always her husband because men who can afford it here typically have several wives and even more mistresses. Women aren’t allowed to hold jobs so they have no financial power and are completely dependent upon the men in their lives. On top of that, mistreatment of spouses is socially accepted.
“And to further control the women, there are laws that state that women aren’t allowed to venture out of their homes without a male escort. And then there’s the dress code…”
“So you violated both of those laws today,” Sephiroth stated with that infuriating calm of his.
“Yup.”
“And exactly how are these laws upheld?”
Marianna’s mouth twisted into a wry, sarcastic grin. “Why, punishments are dealt out domestically of course.”
“I see,” he answered.
What exactly does he think of all this anyway? Marianna found herself wondering, As a matter of fact, I don’t have any idea what his view is on gender roles. Heaven, I hope he isn’t sexist. That could be a real problem for our mission.
“So we’re a man and woman, unrelated, living in the same house on this world? Interesting situation.” He said, breaking her out of her musings.
That it was. On this planet that could only mean one thing.
Marianna felt a blush creep into her cheeks at the forbidden thought. Would it really be so bad to be his?
Of course it would!
She felt like slapping herself for even thinking about that. Being owned was being owned – not matter how you looked at it. Even if the master was absolutely delectable.
“Thanks for helping me out of that mess back there,” she said suddenly, trying to steer her mind to safer topics. She could have saved herself if it had indeed come to that. She was, after all, far from defenseless as an agent of Heaven. Her magic wasn’t the same as that of the natives however, and it would have been a little hard to remain inconspicuous after causing a fireworks display in the middle of town. Besides, there would be plenty of opportunity for that later.
My knight in
shining armor, she thought sardonically.
“You’re welcome,” he told her. “You said that women must be escorted when they leave their houses? What happens if they are not?”
This was another aspect of the planet that really bothered her, for it meant that her freedom of movement would be greatly impeded during their stay. “They’re considered fair game and as a result can get abducted or some other generally unpleasant thing can end up happening to her.”
So I can’t go
anywhere without Sephiroth or I’ll get turned into some guy’s love slave. This
sucks!
“I see,” was his response. He paused, “I investigated the sleeping arrangements. There are two bedrooms.”
Thank goodness for small favors. If there had turned out to be only one room, someone would have had to take the couch. And thank goodness he’d decided to change the subject. The current one was becoming decidedly uncomfortable.
“Okay, did you pick one?”
“I thought it better if you decided.”
Well, that wasn’t a courtesy that she had expected. How thoughtful.
“Oh, thank you,” she said. “Well, let me have a look.”
With that, she deftly ran up the stairs. One room was obviously the master bedroom. It was tastefully decorated with mahogany furniture. The walls were painted a cool shade of blue and the large bed dominated the center of the room. Once the room was outfitted with some personal touches, it would be quite lovely. The other was considerably smaller, with bright yellow walls and a child sized single bed.
There was obviously no way that Sephiroth would be able to sleep in this room. That much was obvious to her. Not only was it was too bright and childish for his personality, but he’d develop all kinds of cramps and sore muscles from sleeping in such an awkwardly small bed.
Maybe I could rub
them then…
She on the other hand rather liked the cheerfulness of the room. It would help her forget about the dark world that they were assigned to save.
She turned around to head back down to the kitchen to inform Sephiroth of her decision, and ran smack into a human wall.
* * *
He was standing too close to her. He knew it, but there was no reason to put further distance between them.
He had mounted the stairs to find her studying the child’s room. She must have been lost in her thoughts again, for she didn’t hear him. The next thing he knew, he had walked towards her until scarcely a foot separated their bodies. He couldn’t help but notice how small she was. If he were to step forward, he could easily rest his chin upon her raven head. Diminutive she was, and proportioned thusly.
Back in those days, it seemed that there were only two types of females that he had ever encountered – the hard bodied, driven, soldier type and the voluptuous, curves-spilling-out-of-her-clothes femme fatale. Oh, he was aware of the preferences of most men. Most would give anything for a woman with ample curves, but that type had never held much appeal for him. Women in general, except for the occasional soldier, had been nuisances to him since he’d become a General, though entertaining in the bedroom.
So what exactly made this girl different? She was pretty, but couldn’t be described as beautiful. And there were lots of beautiful girls, and he was used to each and every one of them throwing themselves at him. No. There was something about this one that went far past the physical. There was something, something about her that drew him. It was useless denying it further, though he most definitely did not want to feel this way.
She was a distraction. A nuisance. Why, just look at what nearly happened today. No doubt she’d get in the way of his assignment in the near future.
And yet, whenever he looked at her, he was reminded that an angel – a Goddess, Redemption – had smiled down upon him.
There was something about her that made him dare to hope.
Even though he knew that hope raised and destroyed was the most painful experience of all. Regardless of the fact that his sensibility screamed at him that to wish for a happy ending was foolish-
What was he doing anyways? Why was he allowing himself to think like this, to indulge in sentimental drivel? He was a man, a soldier, a killer. That was the way it had always been and the way it would remain.
And then suddenly she turned and began to move, and the next second he found her in his arms, pressed against the length of his body.
The movement had been natural – instinctive. She had fallen against him and unsteadied herself, so he had, by reflex, extended his arms to help her regain balance. And now…
How well her small frame fit into his arms. He held her gently around the foreign curves of her waist and back. She was a warm, soft bundle, nestled against his wide chest. The fruity fragrance of her hair wafted up and tickled his nostrils.
It had been too long since he’d last had a woman. Far, far too long.
In the next second she was gone. She had regained her footing and immediately pushed away from him, leaving his arms cold and empty. She couldn’t even meet his eyes.
“I’ll take this room,” came her unsteady voice, as if the brief contact had shaken her to the core.
“Are you certain?” he heard himself ask.
“Yes. It’s far too small for you and the décor suits me just fine. Thanks.”
And with that, they parted, each to their own, separate rooms. As Sephiroth closed the door to the master bedroom behind him, he thought once more of how wonderful it had been to hold her like that.
And he vowed that such contact would not happen again.
* * *
Marianna lay in her bed that night, unable to find the solace of sleep.
She thought about how she had fallen carelessly into his arms earlier. His body could not be considered unfamiliar to her after her hands had grazed almost every square inch of his skin that night she had healed him. But having him hold her was a new experience all together. Looking back at the incident, she was surprised that he had even done that.
And had that been a hint of reluctance and disappointment she had detected when she’d pulled away? Or was that merely wishful thinking?
But it wasn’t thoughts of Sephiroth’s gorgeous physique that was troubling her tonight. Now she was plagued with her increasing knowledge of his personality. He was, after all, a troubled man who believed himself a monster. Worse still, than all the self blame, was the fact that he could not speak of his feelings.
Ah yes, that age old problem of male conditioning. Men were expected to be strong at all times and in all ways. Displays of emotion were considered feminine, and thus to be avoided at all cost. Stoicism was the way of men, and the way of Sephiroth even more so. She knew it was damaging, for the man had more inner demons than she’d have thought possible. Any other man would have been reduced to a mental mess had he suffered even half of what Sephiroth had been forced to endure during his life and beyond.
She had to show him that it was alright to talk about the torrent of his emotions. That was one of the reasons why she was here with him. Not just to help him accomplish a mission - for one good deed means nothing when the heart is kept detached from the task. To be redeemed, he needed to honestly wish for it and throw his mind, body and soul into it.
He also needed to come to terms with his past.
Indeed, that would likely be the most difficult part of this entire endeavor.
But she would succeed.
There was more at stake than just his soul.
A/N: Alright, plot’s about to get moving. Yay! Um, I need feedback. Lots of it. Tell me what you like. Tell me what you dislike. For the love of God, just tell me something! Pretty please? Anyways…Thanks for reading!
~LS~