What You Treasure

Community: 30_Tears

Prompt: #5. Death

Chapter Two

Chocolate brown eyes gazed at the still form upon the slab. It didn’t look right just laying there. The face completely void of any color. The smooth cheeks were pale, without any hint of life. The blonde man beside her was unmoving. Tifa took a step forward unable to believe what her eyes saw. If this was really the man that had tried to destroy the planet. Was this the Great Sephiroth, dead and cold upon Shinra’s examining table? Images flashed in her mind, her as a young girl. This man had come to her village only to change forever. The silver hair hung limply over the edge and towards the floor. The smallest amount of pity filled her. “Is he really dead?”


“Dead as a doornail.” Reno punched the corpse in the arm. Looking pleased with himself. Rude grunted from his spot on the wall. A doctor was standing near waiting for the word from Rufus. The President of Shinra was standing opposite of the redhead and across from Cloud. The torso of their mutual enemy separating them.


Rufus stepped forward, taking the scalpel the doctor issued. “Well, he hasn’t moved if that is what you are asking. He has no heartbeat, feels like a block of ice and hasn’t woken up. Still, we have our doubts and that’s why we called Cloud. We found him in some type of cocoon made of materia. Don’t ask we don’t know what kind it was. Now as you see he has no visible wounds, not even beneath the blanket.” He looked up to the brunette to see her lower her eyes. “There are none there, I assure you. No need to blush, he doesn’t care. Watch, what happens.”


Cloud narrowed his eyes as Rufus placed the instrument along the pale chest. The tiny blade began to slide along the torso. As quickly as the cut appeared it began to close. Not even a drop of blood was staining the tool. Was this really a corpse or a puppet? If this was the real Sephiroth why wasn’t he bleeding. “How is it he hasn’t decomposed after almost three years? The man should be bleeding or is this just a shell?”


“To answer that, it is not a shell. Upon seeing this problem we took him into the examining room. We were able to draw blood from him. As soon as the needle was extracted the wound closed. We did a complete x-ray of the entire body. All the organs are intact and in perfect condition. This is what really gets us. We did a scan of brain activity, you won’t like what we found.” He snapped his fingers and Elena stepped forward with a brown envelope. She withdrew the folded up medical paper. “This is what we got back. The higher the lines the stronger the brain activity. There is one part still functioning inside this thing. The Great Sephiroth is dead but is still thinking really damn hard.”


“How is that possible? Shouldn’t his brain be dead along with the rest of him?” Tifa couldn’t imagine what was going on in that head of his. Why didn’t they just destroy the body now, solve the problem. They had no reason to keep it here. Cremate every last inch of the thing. That way he could never come back. “Why haven’t you destroyed it yet?”


“They are curious, to know how he can do it. That whole time we thought we were chasing him, he was safely inside the Northern Crater. Was that even him I destroyed or a strong replica he was controlling from somewhere safe? Did he figure out a way to defeat death?” Cloud felt the urge to reach out and touch the thing. Just to feel it and assure himself that it was really there. Was this thing causing the uneasiness he’d felt lately?


“True but unlike before we aren’t willing to take any chances. I have scheduled it to be destroyed first thing in the morning. It will be destroyed, the ashes then locked away. I hope you will agree to this.” Rufus handed the doctor back the scalpel. He leaned forward to open the empty eyes. There was nothing in that blank expression. “Strange, even though the body is freezing it isn’t stiff. No rigor mortis has set in. The joints are all bendable down to the knuckles. The tongue has no discoloration. The eyes aren’t bloodshot, no other signs of death are present.”


“Burn it,” Cloud didn’t want to know the signs. This wasn’t something to mess with or put off. If there was even a chance that Sephiroth’s mind was still alive, they had to destroy the body. He couldn’t allow the man to come back. His enemy had to stay where he belonged, in his memories. “Get rid of it.”

Cloud turned over in the bed unable to sleep. His felt the pull as if he were attached by a heavy chain. It constantly winding, demanding him to follow. What was it? His mind couldn’t leave it alone. He had to see it alone. To see it without others watching, to see what would happen. He refused to leave here until it was destroyed. Tifa moaned on the bed across from him. Her long hair was pulled back away from her face. She looked peaceful, every feature soft in slumber. The others had left upon Cid’s airship but she stayed behind. Once again she didn’t want to leave him.


Getting off the bed, his feet carried him to the girl. Gently, he pushed the hair from her face. She looked sweet and innocent, different from the Tifa he knew. Beneath that angelic face was a fierce fighter, a woman with a strong resolve. A large heart, one big enough to allow him to remain. How long would she hang around? He knew what she wanted but he couldn’t give it to her. Not yet, not until he could get over the past. He’d lost Aeris because he’d been too weak.


All his other friends were important to him. Losing Aeris had left a wound not even time could heal. To watch her die before his eyes, unable to save her. Yet, with that loss he was still able to carry on. Able to fight to his fullest, to go on living. The girl shifted feeling the caress and spoke his name. His eyes narrowed at the thought of losing the woman before him. How would that effect him? She’d been his childhood friend, the person to have found him after his memory loss, and remained by his side through it all. The woman never lost faith in him, or stopped loving him. He could deal with the loss of anyone else, except her. He treasured them all but she was priceless by comparison.


Giving into temptation, he climbed in behind her. The nagging feeling still wouldn’t leave him as he cuddled up behind her. The length of his body pulled her close. She stirred slightly, feeling him being so close. Smiling softly she snuggled into his embrace. His breathing returned to normal as he held her. Despair filled him knowing they’d never be more than friends. The need for anything sexual wasn’t there, just the longing of keeping her close. This was what he was worried about losing the most, the friend he’d always taken for granted.

The medical team consisted of one doctor, the lady dressed in the classic coat. She snapped at the four over-large orderlies. Rufus had asked for a few things before disposing of the body. The furnace was already heated, ready for use. The corpse was laying upon the dolly, the tray underneath ready to carry the ashes. Despite what the president said, he wanted the man’s DNA. The science department would still do their jobs. She grabbed a handful of hair and snipped with the sharp scissors. The locks were placed inside a bag. The men waited around while she took a skin sample, placing it in a jar. Cringing she grabbed the needle and went down to his lower half.


Her eyes roamed over the nude corpse. She admired the nicely chiseled abdomen and torso. The thighs were well rounded, the muscles thick. Waving one of the men over he moved the leg, pulling them apart. Gloved hands reached between them, to fondle the twin sacs. Someone snickered as she moved them around. Idiots! Pulling them tight against the smooth flesh, the needle was injected. She smiled when one of them hissed in mock pain. The syringe filled quickly enough. Taking it out, the tube was removed and put in a separate container. Grinning she stared at the man’s flaccid member, nice. He put her live-in lover to shame. “That’s all. Mieru, I’ll leave the rest up to you. I’ll come back for the ashes after they have cooled. Make sure it is done before leaving, understood?”


“Yes, ma’am.” Mieru watched the team leave and snorted. That bitch was too uptight for her own good. Probably because she was fucking the president. Well, she should know she was just one of many. The man cared for his company, not her. The twisted bitch had probably gotten off on fondling the dead man. Dawn had barely risen and he was supposed to burn this poor guy. So, this was the Great Sephiroth. The man didn’t look too great from here. He walked over to the furnace and increased the heat. They wanted ashes, he’d give them ashes.


He swore seeing the mass of hair pooling to the floor. Stupid cunt couldn’t do anything right. That had to be taken care of before he pushed the man in. Leaning over the man’s head he gathered up all the hair. Why would a male keep his hair so long? It was too girly for his liking. They should have just cut the shit off. Giving up he tied a knot in the length and placed it on the chest. He gasp as it rose suddenly. “What the fuck?”


Moving back quickly, he looked down at the man’s face. He screamed seeing blazing green eyes staring up at him. Fear filled him as he stumbled back. This couldn’t be happening, he was dead. The tray bumped into his back. The pale man sat up suddenly, blocking his path to the door. Taking a deep breath he tried to ease around as the man looked around the room. Panic filled him as the man moved too quick to be seen. A painful grip held him around his throat, squeezing the air pipe. His fists lashed out at the man but got nowhere. He cursed the woman that had just left seconds before he felt a sharp pain, then nothing.


Cloud walked in the room along with a female. Tifa was at his side as the door creaked open, no lights blazed inside. The room had a strange scent to it but nothing looked out of place. The doctor was humming to herself as she walked around the room, turning the lights on. Without speaking she pushed a tray out of the way that had a few medical instruments upon it. “Is it done?”


“Yes, I told you we had it all under control. The ashes should be cool now. If it makes you feel better I can give you some as a memento.” She smiled at the cute blonde, shame the brunette had tagged along. With a sigh she walked over to the metal door. Peering in she had to admit the jerk had done a decent job. With a quick tug the drawer pulled out smoothly to produce the ashes. “See, all here.”


Tifa stepped forward as the woman went to fetch a container. Sure enough a pile of ashes was laying there as proof of his destruction. Was he gone now? Had the means for his revival just been destroyed along with his body? Her hand came to rest upon Clouds arm, feeling him trembling. He seemed troubled, “It’s over.”


He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. The proof of Sephiroth’s death was there for him to see but he couldn’t help but worry. Nodding he thanked the woman and turned to Tifa. The brunette smiled softly at him. She was right, he needed to put it all behind him and move on. “I hope so, I truly hope so.”

Next Chapter: Knowing what to take, Sephiroth's plans, Please read and review