Even Demons Can Be Saved

Realizations

Sephiroth lost all sense of time as he tried to understand what had just happened. He hadn't known what to expect when she said she could show him what she had seen, but the visions that he was still trying to sort through were visceral and terrifying. He saw himself committing atrocities that made him physically ill to consider. The reminders of his childhood that were also shared left him feeling raw and shaken. The only thing that was keeping him in one piece was the woman that was nestled against him.

He had seen visions of her past as well. Many things he saw did not make sense, but the images of what was done to her, how badly she was treated and the abuses she suffered made a murderous rage well within him. The fact that, somehow, he was able to feel her made everything both worse and better. Her terror for him, not of him confounded him. The fact that he was overwhelmed by a feeling coming from her throughout it all that cradled him and tried to comfort him while it raged against the visions was part of what caused his tears, but not all. He was devastated by everything he had seen. As stoic as he had learned to be, it felt like he was a child again, being subjected to whatever whim that had struck Hojo and punished severely if he let any of his fear or pain show. Until he had learned to control it, there had been many times he had waited until the labs were quiet before he crawled under his cot and cried as silently as possible so he would not get caught.

If what he had been shown was the future, then he could not understand. He had known since he was a child that he was not ordinary, but what he had seen was monstrous. If she had known all along that the future held such a bleak outcome, how could she ever care for him? Even though he could not believe it, he could not deny that what he felt showed she had not lied to him.

When his head finally cleared enough to notice that her breathing had become shallow, he looked down in concern. She was covered in blood, which was shocking now that he was paying attention, but more than that, there was a pallor underneath her sun-kissed skin that worried him. When he started to stand, he caught sight of Genesis still standing on the other side of the clearing, watching them with interest. At the sight of one of the few people he had ever called friend, his gut twisted again. The visions showed that those closest to him had suffered the worst at his hand, and he had to fight back nausea again.

Once he was on his feet, Genesis approached with caution. "Back to yourself, I see. That is one process that I can say is fascinating, but having been both the receiver and an observer, I much prefer the latter."

Sephiroth stilled as he realized what Genesis was talking about, both currently and earlier when he had said Eve had channeled the power of the Goddess. He kept his voice low to keep from disturbing the woman he held. "This is what happened before you left? She showed you these visions as well?"

Genesis quirked a brow, but he sneered as he answered. "She showed me my destruction and my salvation. I hope never to repeat the process."

Sephiroth was still shaken, but a thought occurred to him that he could not set aside. Part of him knew it should not be noteworthy, but he had to know. "Did you see and feel her as well?"

Genesis scoffed. "Unless your experience differed from my own, I was unable to see anything except the visions until they passed."

Sephiroth frowned at the relief he felt. He did not understand why it pleased him to know that Eve had not been exposed to anyone else in such an intimate fashion. He did not understand why, but currently, it was one of many things he did not understand. When Eve moved and groaned, he was reminded that they needed to return quickly. He sighed and gave Genesis as open a look as he had ever given the man. "I cannot condone what you did to Eve, but I understand. There is much that we need to discuss, but we need to return quickly. Come with me. Given what I was shown, we have a common goal."