Even Demons Can Be Saved

Falling Apart

Eve had almost forgotten she had asked Sephiroth to stay as she opened her eyes and found him with his head on his folded arms near her pillow. A soft smile lit her face as she reached out and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He jerked up at the touch, but it only took a split second for him to realize what had happened. His smile matched hers until she leaned forward slightly and brushed her lips across his. He sat back with a start, and she chuckled. "Thank you."

His confusion only lasted a moment, and he leaned his head down to rest against hers. "I stayed because I didn't want to leave you."

Eve laughed at his confession and brushed her knuckles against his jaw. "That's ok. It just means great minds think alike."

She sat up at that point with a slight groan. She still felt a little like she was weighted down. When Sephiroth gave her a concerned look, she shook her head. "It's nothing. Just a little sore."

He didn't look entirely convinced but still stepped back while she got up. She rummaged through her closet for a moment before she turned to him with a raised brow. "I was planning on getting cleaned up. Are you staying for that too?"

Eve had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the sight of the pink that dusted his cheeks at her teasing. It was far too cute to make him worry about not doing it again.

"I'll be in the living room." She gave him a nod as he rushed out. She sighed. As tired as she still was, part of her wished he had offered to help instead of leaving.

It was her turn to blush at her own thoughts. Being around Sephiroth was bringing out a whole new side of her, and she wasn't sure quite what to think about it. At least she knew that she was justified. The man was sex on legs. It would be odd if she didn't notice him considering the strength of her feelings for him.

Once she was showered, she walked into her living room to find Tseng had raided her cabinets for Aerith and the girl was currently making something that smelled delicious. Eve offered to help, but Aerith waved it off. It was only a matter of moments before she had everything on the table.

As delicious as the food was, it was not long before Eve was lost in thoughts of how they would handle Sephiroth next. If the barrier in Genesis' mind had been hard to pin down, Sephiroth's would be worse since he had the highest concentration of Jeneva's cells. The thought was daunting. She didn't let that show when she turned to the others. "Now that we confirmed this works, and Commander Rhapsodos is finished, we need to get the others protected as well."

She looked between Sephiroth and Aerith. As much as she hated the idea of bringing this up with him, she knew Sephiroth needed to hear what she was thinking. "I think we should try to help you next. You have a higher concentration of Jenova cells, so it may be a little different."

He frowned slightly, but it was Aerith that spoke up. "I agree with Evie. We need to try and handle this while we are rested. Especially since Tseng has told me Veld wants us to deploy as soon as all three of you are protected."

Eve froze and pinned Aerith with a questioning look. "When we will be deployed? When was it agreed that you would go too?"

Aerith frowned slightly. "Tseng wasn't happy with the choice either, but you saw last night how difficult purifying the Calamity could be. We can't afford to have you trying to do it alone. I will be with you."

Eve sighed and put her face in her hands. The girl was right. As much as she hated the idea of Aerith putting herself in danger, she knew that if she continued to object, it wouldn't make her any better than the people she got aggravated with for doing the same to her. She sat back and nodded. "I understand."