Paper Tiger Burning

I respectfully credit all Original Creators, namely Squaresoft, which became SquareEnix,for these characters. In this way, I pay homage to my Fandom's Original Creator, and illustrate my Community's belief that Fan Fiction is "fair use". I do not claim to own these characters. I do not make money or gil from using these protected characters, nor do I wish to make money or gil from them. In other words, I am borrowing these characters to entertain the adult fanfiction community, but I am doing so with the highest degree of respect to the engineers, game designers, music makers, and voice actors.




“He came to your office and you let him in?” Hojo rounded upon Sephiroth, showing a mouthful of white teeth as he snarled his displeasure. “Do you ever heed me or do you just humor me, boy?” He reached up, pulling his son’s eyelid back to look at the whites of his eye. “Did he touch you?”

Sephiroth, his face caught between amused and irritated, shook away from Hojo. “I thought Aerith cured you of your irrational mindset,” he said, flashing me a smile. I automatically smiled back, not able to withstand his effortless charm. He smiled at me so easily these days and I enjoyed every little movement of his sensuous lips.

“No, he didn’t touch me,” Sephiroth said, favoring his father with a smile too. “He’s a weakling, father,” he said, “not even as strong as you are for all his appearance of youth. Why are you so afraid of him?”

“He’s underhanded, sneaking and despicable,” Hojo spat. His hand shot out and encircled Sephiroth’s wrist. I saw him glance at the clock.

He was taking Sephiroth’s pulse.

Sephiroth, looking down at his hovering father, made a face of utter bewilderment. Then, as the seconds ticked by, realization dawned.

His father forever examined him, but now he had another reason for why.

A softness eased out onto Sephiroth’s smooth features. Gently, he disengaged from Hojo, but in another second he had both his hands on the scientist’s shoulders. He leaned down and met his father’s eyes. “Havars hasn’t harmed me in any way,” he said lowly.

Hojo slumped a little. “I’ll accept your word on it,” he muttered, stepping back. He sank back down into the chair he’d so quickly vacated the moment Sephiroth came home. “What did he want? Your health records? Your charts?” Hojo made a fist.

“A little bit of everything,” Sephiroth admitted. He reached into his pocket and brought out his cell phone. Punching in a sequence, he waited. “Eldon,” he said after a moment. “Would you mind relating to Hojo the conversation I had with Lucas Havars?” A pause. He smiled. “Yes, I thought you would,” he said. He handed the phone over to Hojo. “Eldon recorded it,” he announced. “He’s patching the conversation into the cell, just wait a moment.”

Hojo snatched the phone and disappeared into the living room.

“He seems as rational this afternoon as he did yesterday morning,” Sephiroth commented, leaning upon the counter top. “Is he completely cured of his insanity or is this just a reprieve?”

“He’s cured,” I answered, coming to stand in front of him. “Hojo is no longer a victim of his own mind, just his conscience.” I reached out, placing my hand on Sephiroth’s strong bicep. “You’re going to see some changes in him, though, because his mind was what polluted his body. He’s going to seem younger now, more vital.”

“Is he?” Sephiroth appeared to think about that a moment. “I can’t say I’m sorry or glad.” He brought his eyes back down to mine. “Which is the correct response?”

I smiled. Angling my body, I leaned against him gently. “Both,” I said. “Remember, you can’t fail at emotions.”

Sephiroth’s arms wrapped around me. Making a humming noise of appreciation, he leaned down to sniff my hair. “You work miracles, flower girl,” he sighed, tightening his grip ever so slightly. “I work dark miracles and everyone takes notice, but you do just as much. Has anyone ever made note of what you can do?”

I giggled a little. “Hojo did,” I answered. “And you do.” I relaxed fully against him, relishing the power of his large, strong body. I had no safer place than in the arms of silver Sephiroth. “But you’re the only one I’m concerned with, really.”

“Ah,” Sephiroth breathed, nuzzling my neck. “Then let me assure you I take notice of everything about you.”

He made me melt inside and out. I clenched his arm, swaying in his grip like a wind-buffeted kite. The sound of his heart as it beat strongly in his chest filled me with a sense of belonging. “Sephiroth,” I murmured.

He shuddered. “I could climax at hearing my name on your lips,” he whispered. “Soon, very soon I won’t be able to hold back on you, flower girl. You’ve become as necessary to me as breathing.”

I shivered. “I think of you constantly,” I confessed. Of their own accord my hands flattened against his hard body and coasted downward. I loved the firm planes and dips that made his abdomen. He blistered me at my core. It didn’t mater if my attention focused on his physical beauty or his inner beauty.

Sephiroth held me tighter to himself a moment, inhaling deeply. “Aerith,” he said softly. “I have something I want to ask you. You don’t have to answer me now, but I want you to think about my question.” He drew back slightly, bending his head to make me meet his burning gaze. “I want a claim on you.”

“A claim?” I let my eyes coast over his face, savoring his features. “I’m not going anywhere, Sephiroth.” What could he mean? I’d already sworn to myself he was the one for me; anything else seemed redundant.

He smiled gently, seeming to take me in as if I were the most precious thing in the world. “I’d like to keep it that way,” he murmured. “What I’m trying to say is that I want exclusive rights; I don’t want to share you.”

I blinked my confusion. Surely he already knew I wouldn’t two-time him. “I would never see anyone else, not so long as we were…together,” I said, blushing.

Sephiroth’s smile spread slowly, edging out to dominate his fine features. “I’m happy to hear that, sweet thing,” he said softly. “But I want it written in stone.” His hand moved from my waist to softly glide over my back. “I want a guarantee.”

Confused, I pondered his words. “Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it,” I assured him. “I’m happy with you, Sephiroth. I don’t want anyone else.”

He closed his eyes. A slight but significant tremor shook his body. “Aerith,” he whispered. “Could it be so easy to have the most precious woman on the planet?”

I stared at him, trying to assess what he meant, what he aimed for. “The most precious,” I repeated, feeling amused. “Surely not! But I’m entirely focused on you, Sephiroth.” I reached up to touch his hair, letting my fingers slide through the silver silk. “I can’t imagine feeling about anyone else the way I feel about you.” I let go of his hair to caress his smooth, perfect jaw line. “You’re gorgeous, like that field of white flowers in Wutai. Sometimes when we speak to each other I’m overwhelmed by your depth.” I leaned in, resting my cheek against his hard, unyielding chest. “I could spend my entire life getting to know you.”

I suddenly found myself gripped in a tight, almost smothering hold. “That’s what I wanted to hear, my little flower girl,” Sephiroth murmured against the crown of my head. His soft lips moved against my scalp, eliciting the most dark and delightful shivers.

I felt so small in his arms, so overwhelmed yet so cherished I could not find any concern for my position.

I had the interest and regard of the strongest, most capable creature in the entire world.

Nothing defeated this man for long. He had no natural enemies, no predators. He was intelligent, tough, flexible, and mighty, yet for me he was gentle, patient and caring. He seemed as perfect as Hojo meant him to be, as peerless and potent as a god. Still, he remained a man.

I snuggled closer, enjoying this moment. Sephiroth seemed very available this evening, so warm and giving. I so savored these moments, when his heart and his mind flowed in accord. “Sephiroth,” I murmured.

“Aerith,” he returned easily. “My sweet, beautiful flower girl.” His hands coasted over once more, caressing me and building my senses to a higher level. I felt him unclasp his coat. That warm leather encompassed me, enfolded me in nurturing darkness. “Do you know what you do to me?” he asked quietly, bending to put his head closer to my own. “You calm the beast, my dear, calm and quiet him until he only shows his teeth for a purpose.” He cradled me in his arms, letting me stay inside the protection of his coat. Against his body, I released a breath.

“I never thought I could separate the beast from the man, but you’ve helped me make that distinction,” he continued. “You sweet, sweet little thing.”

Warmth flooded me, took me up and cradled me in an eternally strong, tender embrace.

“If I had only known you before, flower girl, I would have never committed the sins in my past,” he said, lifting me. He carried me but I didn’t know or care where he took me. “I wouldn’t have let Jenova tell me what to do, who to kill, what to destroy.” As he spoke he lowered me onto my own bed; I felt the mattress underneath my body. “But I know you now,” he breathed, covering me. “And you’ve given me a second chance. I won’t waste it.”

“Sephiroth,” I murmured, reaching up until I found his smooth jaw. “I hold you to nothing; you know that, don’t you?”

“I do know,” he assured me, lying beside me. His arms enfolded me, took me up against him. I smelled copal, musk and raw, healthy man. “And your expectations of me both exceed and fall short, flower girl.” His lips brushed my forehead. “Lie with me here awhile,” he urged. “I want to rest and strengthen beside you, feeling you, cherishing you.”

“Yes,” I answered, closing my eyes. We had hours yet before nightfall, but I relished the idea of simply lying beside him, soaking in his strength. “Sephiroth, please hold me.”

“I’ll never let go,” he vowed softly, pulling me closer. “I’d never let go of perfection.”


I dozed with her off and on, content in a way I’d never known. Yes, she’d completely missed my clumsy attempt at proposing, but I didn’t hold that against her. She probably didn’t imagine I’d ever settle down, didn’t imagine I would want her for the rest of my life.

But I did.

I would ask again, put my question to her in a way she couldn’t misinterpret. I’d wait though; give her some time to assimilate how seriously I felt about her. In the meantime I would do all I could to show her how enduring my feelings were. I didn’t have the right to bed her until I could convince her how deeply I felt.

I never imagined I would feel this way for anyone, much less for a woman so opposing in nature to mine. Smiling to myself, I rolled onto my back, taking her with me so that she rested upon my side. Aerith made a sleepy, contented noise, settling her cheek down against my chest. She always slept so easily with me, trusting me.

She had always trusted me.

Her faith in me humbled my heart.

I heard the door creak. Cracking open an eye, I observed my father peering in. His black eyes roamed us before meeting mine. I felt his desire to enter warring with his reluctance to intrude. It occurred to me that although he’d been healed, he probably missed the unwavering acceptance of my flower girl. She probably stood out in his mind as a pinnacle of virtue and caring.

She certainly stood out in my mind as an ideal.

I crooked my finger at him, beckoning him to join us. I could share my wealth. I wasn’t called Noble Sephiroth for nothing…

Hojo slipped in. Settling on the other side of Aerith, he stretched out, putting his head behind hers. His arm draped over her waist but his hand rested upon my side. I heard him release such a soft and relieved sigh that it made me faintly ashamed for not inviting him before now.

Hojo had no sexual designs on my flower girl, he just needed her. I needed her too, and so I fully understood why he would seek her out. Still, he seemed to want me as well. He sought my solidity, made contact with me while using Aerith as a bridge.

My heart swelled painfully.

I had gone from the most bereft creature to the richest in the space of a single month. One month. Aerith had dwelt with me only four weeks. In that time she’d helped me to focus without taming me, shown me the benefit of emotions without making me wallow in them. She’d given me hope, an ideal I’d never had before. I felt renewed, enlightened, and twice as powerful.

She’d even given me my father.

I looked over her, meeting Hojo’s dark, sleepy eyes. His contentment couldn’t have shown more plainly. I knew with my every atom that the old man felt safe here, in this bed with his savior and his son.

This old man who had given me life twice…

He’d defied the gods themselves to bring me back. How my every demise must have hurt him. I didn’t dare imagine how his injured mind had dealt with my deaths. I had no children but it didn’t take any imagination to feel his pain. All I had to do was think of Eldon’s love for his daughter, of Arthur Warburton’s love for his children.

Slowly, I reached out and touched his head. Stroking down his slick, black hair, I felt his life force throbbing under my hand. So fragile. At this point in his life he wasn’t as strong as my flower girl, just stubborn. He clung to his every breath, determined to live. I resolved to ensure he lived as long as possible.

It amazed me that I cared. He’d hurt me. He hurt me in ways he would never understand or appreciate. Still, he loved me. His brain, damaged until most recently, held the most chaotic and untidy thought processes. But he knew himself now, and he desperately wanted my acceptance.

Having been mad, I understood his madness.

I petted his head gently, watching his eyes slide all the way shut. A shudder of relief wracked him. A lone, shining tear coasted down his paper white cheek, easing into the valley of his mouth. On my waist, his hand clenched.

This thing called forgiveness took a heavy weight off of my heart. It almost made me sick it was so alien and so different. But that burden of hatred and vengeance, once released, revealed such an easy conscience. I no longer felt as if I would be pulled into two different pieces.

I had a sweet little flower girl and a father.

I continued to stroke his head, watching him ease farther and farther into complete relaxation. He released a short, exhausted breath and succumbed to sleep with my hand upon him.


I was the most powerful man in the world.