Forever Love   von SephirothCrescent
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                                  Kapitel 5: 
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Their days at the meadow were over far too soon and they returned to the SOLDIER
quarters again. Of course Sephiroth had not forgotten his promise and had
insisted of teaching her more swordsplay and helped her with some stuff she had
missed in her classes. Now he could be sure she was best prepared for everything
awaiting her back in her life as cadet. Actually he was perfectly sure she would
outtake all the others with her fighting by now. She had the best teacher.
Unfortunately their time together decreased again to a minimum when she could
sneak into his apartment in the evening. Eyes were on them again in the office,
at training, in the classes and the few moments they had they spent in each
others arms, not being able anymore to imagine the life without the other.
Sephiroth often wished he had not to hide his love, but there was no other
possibility.
Making them notice her gender would mean never seeing her again.
Yet there was another thing that scared him.
Of couse Hojo had noticed he had let that cadet closer to him than any assistant
before and of course that had made it suspicious. When Sephiroth was getting is
weekly mako injections by the scientist he was asked a lot about the talents of
that cadet.
It was like a vicious circle. If he said the cadet was weak Hojo would insist on
fireing Gabrielle. If he said the cadet was highly skilled there was the risk of
Hojo trying to use her for his experiments.
He was still rambling about this idea in his thoughts when there was a knock on
his office door and a lieutnant entered, handing him documents of a mission he
had to lead.
Did not seem too difficult. Just killing some monsters that seemed to be
produced by a malfunctioning reactor near Nibelheim.
Should not take longer than a few days. And he got to choose his team!
Immediately the thought of taking Gabrielle with him came to his mind.
She was prepared for fights so he would not have to worry too much over monsters
attacking her and of course he still would be there to protect her, as he had
promised himself that very night he noticed his love for her. And he had renewed
that promise day by day, to protect the most precious he ever had and ever would
have.
Yes. She would be coming with him.
And who else? Zack. He was a good man and someone he could get along with. A
nice sense of humour even if that boy was a little hyperactive sometimes. But he
was skilled in any way and had made it to 1st class in such a high speed no one
but himself had managed before. Yes. Zack was a good choice. Sephiroth respected
and liked him for the way he just was. Oh yes…and offering Zack a mission
would mean he probably should take Zack’s best friend with them, too. That
blonde Cadet Strife that he had seen when he visited the training sometimes.
Small young boy, but at least brave.
Yes, that would be enough to clean the area.
He immediately sent someone off to tell everyone who was assigned to the mission
to gather with backpacks at 7pm at the quarter’s gates where they would start
their journey.

Gabrielle was very  quiet on the trip. Well, she always was in the company of
others, scared her affection to the General would be audible in her soft voice
then.
But at least she sat next to him, knee on knee while he tried to calm the overly
excited Zackary and worried that Cloud, who suffered of motion sickness, might
throw up in the van.
After a little incident with a dragon they finally reached Nibelheim which
turned out to be the hometown of Cadet Cloud Strife, so of course Sephiroth
would give the boy some time to see his friends and family even if the Cadet
seemed to be somehow reluctant about that.
Yet some weird feeling had overcome Sephiroth since he had entered the small
town.
It was hanging over him like a dark cloud telling about something evil soon to
happen.
He wanted to be gone again from here as soon as possible.

The General was glad that he could share his room with Gabrielle without a
problem as Zack immediately had asked him to give him a room together with
Cloud. So at least no one would ask question as soon as they would not be too
loud. He chuckled a little by this thought, receiving a suspicious look of the
inn-keeper.
Soon after they had had dinner they went to their rooms and as soon as the door
was closed Gabrielle was in his arms.
“This city is creeping me out!” she whispered. So apparently he was not the
only one who had that weird feeling about the next day.
“Shhh….everything will be fine, my sweet Gabrielle. We will leave again
soon. I promise!” he tried to calm her, softly running his hands up and down
her back, rubbing it gently wanting her to feel comfortable with him. He did not
like her worried, her smile was so heart warming he could just gaze at it every
second.
He bend down and pulled her into a loving kiss, brushing one hand through her
hair.
“Hey, I love you.”
She looked up to him, fortunately again with that wonderful sparkle in her
eyes.
“I love you,too Sephiroth. More than anything. I trust you.”
“Gabrielle…if we ever get the chance to live anywhere else but the quarters
or if you ever get the chance that you don’t have to hide under that uniform
anymore…would you like to spend your life with me then?”
What was he saying? Of course he had thought about that before but he never
dared to say that out loud. A life without Shinra? That was impossible for him.
But… as long as he did his job as perfectly has he was doing it…why should
they not let him have something like a private life as well? And he wanted it so
much. Wanted her by his side so much, simply as who she was and not as who she
had to pretend to be.
“Sephiroth…are you serious?”
She asked him, her eyes grown wide in surprise.
“Yes, for some odd reason, yes.” He replied.
Gabrielle kissed him deeply, her entire self beaming with joy.
“Of course I would love to!!!!!” She said, hugging him down on the bed and
for that night the suspicious feeling of this place had been fought by their
love.
In a very bright moment Sephiroth took his new PHS with camera mode and shot a
picture of them, cheek on cheek, both with a wide smile that others never saw.
When they lay in each others arms while the moon softly lit the hotelroom
Gabrielle cupped the General’s cheek, gently drawing the lines of his jaw with
her fingertips.
“Let’s live forever. Forever love.”
He lay awake for long, just listening to her heartbeat.
“Forever.” He whispered.

The next day started early and right after breakfast they met their guide who
had been hired to take them safely to the reactor at Mt. Nibel. Of course the
entire city was in awe because of the great General Sephiroth visiting them.
Oddly enough Cadet Strife never took off his helmet when the citizens were
around but Sephiroth thought it was not on him to ask.
He gave a reassuring and loving smile to Gabrielle who was wearing her cadet
uniform once again when they started their walk up to the reactor.
The wind was blowing very harshly, he could see the Cadets shiver in the cold
breeze.
Zack and him were resistant to the cold due to the mako they had been enhanced
with so Sephiroth worried only for Gabrielle, that she might catch a cold. And
he was deeply worried that her tiny body was just blown away by the storm.
But they had to walk on.

Soon they had reached a very old and shaggy looking bridge that would lead them
straight to the reactor. The guide told them it would be safe.
So they dared.
They should not have.
When they were standing on the already shaky bridge that was trembling under
they weight a heavy storm-breeze hit them, snapping of the holds of the bridge.
They ran, they ran for their life.
Zack and the guide had already made it. 
Gabrielle! God! She was in danger, he could hear her scream and he turned
around, seeing a cadet reach the safe side of the mountain.
But where was Gabrielle?
Why could he not see her standing on the side with the others?
Why…just why?
His world turned into slow motion when he saw her tiny figure hanging at the end
of the rope, closer to the lethal abyss every moment.
This could not happen!
Gabrielle!
He had to save her!
Her eyes met his, frantic fear in them. The fear of losing  him.
Her grip on the rope loosened when another breeze of the storm hit her.
“Forever!”
That was the last thing he recognized before she vanished. Vanished. Vanished.
Gabrielle.
Gabrielle.
Gone.
Love?
Gabrielle.
Dead.
“General Sephiroth.”
Dead.
He snapped around.
The others had recovered again and they were staring at him.
Gabrielle. Forever.
“Let’s walk on.”
“But General…the cadet!”
“Lost. We have to walk on.”
Shell.
Cold.
Paradise. Lost.

Somehow they had made it to the reactor. Sephiroth did not know the way they had
walked, had not payed attention what they had said. His mind was blank.
Everything had vanished. His life was had vanished in the matter of a moment.
He entered the reactor.
There was no future anymore.
They soon found the reason behind the monster attacks.
Hidden inside the reactor was a room for experments. Soldiers bathed in mako.
Yet with the malfunctioning of the reactor they had turned into violent
monsters.
Mako experiments. Just like him.
A sign over a gate saying Jenova.
That was the name of his mother, was it not?
A voice, calling him oh so sweet.
Gabrielle. Gone.
This voice was calling him, asking him to serve her. Son, it was calling him.
Asking him to destroy this planet to find the perfect world.
Therefore he would just have to be the puppet of this voice, do whatever it
wanted.
She was gone. Forever gone. Forever love. Forever dream.
There was nothing left for him.
A perfect world?
A perfect world.
This implied Gabrielle. He could see her again?
If that was possible in any way he had to try.
“I give you what I am. You can use me.”
He answered the voice. There was nothing he could lose anymore.
Then everything turned black.


















Epilogue:

He could hear their voices. They were coming for him. Trying to stop him from
seeing her again.
Gabrielle. I want to see you again. That is my only wish for a perfect world.
He looked at the only picture that existed of them, then hid it close to his
heart, facing the final battle.

Sephiroth felt cold steel slice through his body.
Was that her smile? Her voice calling him? Her arms, his heaven?
Forever love.

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