Even Demons Can Be Saved

Confessions

It was nearly two and a half weeks before the small contingent of Soldiers arrived in Wutai. Eve heard a commotion outside the command tent but was in the middle of trying to listen to a conversation that had been brought to her. It was a lost cause when the flap opened, and Sephiroth strode in. The Captain stood and saluted. Eve stood as well, but she could only stare. She looked him over several times to verify both that he was really there, but also that he was unhurt.

Sephiroth had not taken his eyes off her either. They were both pulled from their silent greeting by Captain Hawl's awkward address. "General. I was glad to hear you would be the one joining us. With you here, this war should be brought to an end quickly."

At the other Soldier's comment, Sephiroth finally gave her a slight nod before he turned to speak to Captain Hawl. Eve could feel her heart jumping around as she tried to refocus. She wasn't sure if he was still angry, but it hadn't seemed like it. She knew they were both busy, but she also knew that their next personal conversation wasn't too far away. The anticipation had her feeling lightheaded, even if she was still nervous.

Though they were both busy, Eve found that just the sound of his voice worked like a balm on her nerves. There were also a few occasions where one or the other of them would look up and catch the other's eye. The looks didn't linger, but each one fuelled both the worry and joy that were warring within her.

Eve had lost track of the amount of time she had been working on the latest batch of missives, but she had to reread the last one several times before it clicked. She only realized it was because she was exhausted when Sephiroth called out to her quietly.

"Eve, it's after midnight. Go get some sleep. It will still be here in the morning."

She stood and stretched before she gave him a nod. "Tomorrow then." As tired as she was, her heart still lurched when he gave her a small smile. It was tinged with the hurt that lingered, but it was the most beautiful thing she had seen in weeks.

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The next morning, she was back at the command tent early. She had barely been able to sleep. She couldn't stop herself from looking around before she went to the small desk she had been assigned. When she didn't see Sephiroth, her brow drew down. She wiped it away when Captain Hawl grinned at her.

"I am pretty sure it was only a few hours ago that he found his way to his cot. Don't worry, he'll be here soon enough."

Eve felt her face heat slightly at the knowing look he gave her, but she managed a nod. "Thank you." She disregarded his chuckle at her admission that he was correct in what she had been looking for. There was no point in denying it anyway. She ignored her nerves and got to work on a couple of recordings the scouts had brought in the night before.

She frowned at what she was hearing, but it wasn't until she heard the words Silver Demon for the second time, that she realized why the moniker sounded so familiar. At her realization, she jumped up so quickly that the tiny table was almost knocked over. Her abrupt action caused the Captain to look at her with a start. He didn't get to ask what it was as she pinned him with a nearly panicked look. "Where is Sephiroth?"

He shook his head, confusedly. "I already told you that he's probably sleeping. What's going on?"

She ignored his question and pressed on. "Where is his tent?"

He started to frown. "Look, I know what the two of you have going on is none of my business, but he needs sleep sometimes, the same as all of us."