Even Demons Can Be Saved

To the Lifestream and Back

When they made it outside, they ran into Vincent. He was carrying what looked to be the boy from earlier. Although his raven hair was now a striking silver like the other. Sephiroth barely noticed as he headed back down the path. That didn't mean he couldn't hear when the group that had been separated went over the details of what happened.

Vincent had not taken long to catch the boy, and since the shadows had no effect on Chaos, he quickly had the boy disabled. When the Weapon used his power to purify the mako in the bodysuit, that was when the change in hair color happened. He hadn't been sure if the boy would survive, but it was in the Weapon's nature to cleanse that putrid mako.

They also realized the girl that had been in the reactor was part of the group. Sephiroth clenched his jaw at the fact that he hadn't considered it a possibility. His anger at himself wasn't helped when Aerith told the group what happened. It was only Eve being in his arms that kept him from disregarding the earlier request and cutting the girl to ribbons. When he heard that Eve had died, he pulled her closer and fought to breathe.

After that, the group fell into a somber silence as they made their way back down. By the time they made it into the town, it had been dark for a few hours. That hadn't hampered the Soldiers, and it made the group waiting with weapons and torches that much more evident when they cleared the last turn. There was a collective sigh of relief when the townspeople realized it was the Shinra employees returning.

That relief only lasted until Reno pushed his way to the front of the group and ran to Sephiroth. He looked at the girl in the General's arms and up to him. He was shocked at how much paler the man was. He hadn't thought it was possible, but the pain was clearly written across his face. Much to everyone's surprise, Reno patted Sephiroth's arm and walked passed him to help the others.

For once, the General appreciated the redhead. He knew that even though he still found the Turk annoying, he cared about Eve too. For the man to not give him grief meant more than words could ever express. He took the opportunity to continue on to the mansion while the rest filled in the details.

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The next day none of the Tsviets had regained consciousness, but that was not guaranteed to last. It was decided that the small group that remained would be able to take the helicopters the infantry had brought for reconnaissance to return instead of going by land. They would be splitting up. Reno, Aerith, and Sephiroth would be taking Eve back to Cosmo Canyon while the rest would head back to Midgar. Angeal and Genesis would be enough if any of the Tsviets woke before they could get them back to the city.

Before they left, Vincent stopped Sephiroth. He looked uncomfortable, but he forced himself to go on. "I know I have not been there for you as you grew up. My guilt and ignorance kept me from you, but I do not want to repeat that mistake. If you would allow it, I would like to return with you."

Sephiroth's jaw clenched, and he didn't answer right away. His thoughts were all focused on Eve. He knew that if he said what he was currently thinking, it could cause a rift that he might regret later. Instead, he answered as best as he could. "Now is not the time for me to answer that. I already have too much on my mind. I will think about it, though."

It was a better response than Vincent had expected. He had already figured out that the General was mad for the little redhead. To have to deal with his usual responsibilities and her coma was probably already more than he could handle. He gave his son a nod before letting him walk away. Time was something he could afford.

Once that was settled, it didn't take them long to get underway. Reno had agreed to pilot the helicopter, so Sephiroth was free to tend to Eve. Not that there was much to be done. Luckily, since they were flying, the trip was much shorter. They made it within a day.