Vincent had told Sephiroth that he could go whenever he wished.

He realised that not only could he not physically stop Sephiroth if the silver haired man chose to take his leave, but he did not want to stop him. He reassured Sephiroth frequently that he trusted him to lead his own life, and if he thought that moving apart from Vincent would guarantee that, then the former Turk would accept.

Vincent even offered the Shinra mansion to Sephiroth, as dangerous as it seemed.

With every offer, and every speech, Sephiroth would simply smile and say that he didn't want to leave.

He would only leave when Vincent wished him to.

Conversation between the two former warriors was infrequent.

Occasionally Sephiroth would ask Vincent a question, and once he'd even asked of Lucrecia. Vincent had smiled, however instead of the melancholy speech that Sephiroth almost expected, the black haired turk simply informed the younger man that she was a woman who he once loved, never loved him back.

When asked if he still loved he said yes.

"You never forget your first love. But I Iet her control my life, even after she was gone," Vincent had sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. Sephiroth had noticed that day that the older man had stopped wearing his bandana, and let his raven locks fall freely over his eyes. This was something that Sephiroth certainly approved of, as it gave him the opportunity, on those very rare occasions, to move his hand and brush the strands of hair from Vincent's beautiful eyes.

He especially enjoyed it when Vincent would smile as his fingers brushed the flawless skin of the slender man's firm cheekbones.

They had kissed once, too.

The year in which Sephiroth had come to know Vincent Valentine for more than an enemy had passed quickly, and one day they had been enjoying their familiar yet slightly peculiar silence, sat beside one another in the living room, with a book balanced on each of their laps.

The library wasn't quite suitable yet, Sephiroth still disliked it severely. So Vincent had moved the books to the piano room, considering that neither man ever touched the instrument.

The basement had been untouched for months.

"Do you know, you have been here a year now."

Vincent didn't look up from his book as he spoke, and Sephiroth barely moved. He nodded, and his fingers continued to press to the book, before he finally shut the old thing and set it aside.

It was an old book, of old fairy stories, certainly not of the JENOVA project. Vincent had kindly insisted that all those books be burned until they were nothing but ash.

Once it was settled on the floor, Sephiroth turned to Vincent. His body was in the other's direction, and a large hand moved to push the older man's book down, as his lips clumsily claimed the other's without warning.

It was a kiss that was certainly far from perfect, and although Vincent Valentine showed no protest, and obediently tilted his head to welcome the kiss, he did not protest when Sephiroth suddenly pulled away and a chorus of apologies left his pale pink lips.

Instead Vincent nodded and accepted the words, and returned to his book.

Despite his cold behaviour, however, that night Vincent was the first to break the ice concerning their earlier intimacy, and slid into Sephiroth's bed just a moment after the clock slid past twelve, knowing that this was the first time that they had shared a bed, too.

"I'm glad that you're here," the ex Turk spoke first as he stared at the other's back. The covers were pulled over both their bodies, and Vincent noticed for the first time that the thin curtain in Sephiroth's bedroom did not do a very good job of keeping the light out.

The pale blue moon shone through the old fabric enthusiastically, casting a light violet shadow on the two forms lying awake in the Shinra mansion.

Sephiroth's features were emphasised dramatically by the moonlight when Vincent touched his back, those long, soft fingers not hesitating at all as they pushed up the fabric of his shirt and traced the curve of the other's back. They didn't go further, though, and rest on the masculine hip until invited further. Which they of course were.

Sephiroth's own hand rose to meet Vincent's and tugged at it cautiously, wrapping it around his naked waist since the shirt was still pushed up over his stomach a little.

He didn't respond to Vincent's words, but the black haired man said nothing else either. Instead they lay in their preferred silence, bodies touching and fingers linked, for exactly twelve hours.

It wasn't until the year after, however, that further intimacy would progress.

"Vincent."

It wasn't exactly unusual for Sephiroth and him to talk, of course, but conversation was generally limited. Both were men of few words, so for Sephiroth to simply call upon him without any true purpose made Vincent lift his head slightly, a soft 'hmm?' leaving his lips.

As usual, he was sat in the large living room beside Sephiroth, Vincent Valentine daydreaming and utterly unaware that the other had watched his features as unclear images drifted in and out of the former Turk's mind.

When Sephiroth said nothing, Vincent lifted his head completely, a barely there smile evident on his pale lips.

"Yes, Sephiroth?"

He couldn't quite help but consider how beautiful the general looked now, his hair sparkling as it moved over his shoulders, beautiful, mystifying.

Vincent Valentine slept beside that man every night now, even if their bodies rarely touched, there was a comfort about knowing that Sephiroth was by his side. Sephiroth, a man who was once branded his enemy, a man who's mother he adored so much he never thought he would love again.

And yet, with every morning, the black haired warrior discovered that his eyes would remain in Sephiroth's sleeping form for just a little longer than the last time.

And when their eyes met, like now, he felt a shiver deep down in his stomach, spiralling into his heart as he favourably admired their delicious mako green.

"Lets leave here, Vincent. It has too many memories." Although Vincent wanted to say that he was taken back by Sephiroth's words, he wasn't.

He had expected this earlier.

He knew that nightmares still took over Sephiroth when he slept. He knew that Jenova still tortured him, moreso here perhaps, than anywhere else.

"I want to go somewhere beautiful with you. I want to go to the Forgotten City."

However, the younger one's desire to go to the City of the Ancients did take Vincent by surprise, and the slender man clad in black leathers sat up, his toes curling slightly, since they were free of the hideous metal shoes.

"Why?"

"I want to live with you in a perfect world, Vincent. I don't know what you think, or what you wish... I don't know what you want. But I don't think it's to stay here, is it? This place destroyed us both, after all. Don't you hate being haunted?"

Dry, pale lips parted a little, as Vincent eagerly searched for words. None came though, and instead he looked at Sephiroth, beckoning him unintentionally with his delicious crimson gaze.

Sephiroth moved until he was sat beside the other, he would never crawl to him, and never kneel by him, but he'd sit beside him and take the pale hand, and silently reflect on how impossible this love affair still seemed.

"We can't have perfection, Sephiroth. We simply can't. With what we know, and what we've seen, we can't even come close," the dark haired one mused, however he had to suppress a slight smile at the feeling of their fingers entwined.

Sephiroth was rarely one to take his hand first, or initiate intimate contact. And although they lay together at night, sometimes their bodies tangled, Vincent would push for contact first.

"In honesty, Sephiroth, I'm just as paranoid about you in the city of the Ancients as I am here. But you're right, as much as I love it here, I hate it so much more. If we move, lets at least escape to a place neither of us has connections to. Lets start again. As fresh as we can."

A light smile showed little emotion, but Vincent could tell by the way those emerald green eyes looked into his that Sephiroth would agree.

And he did, moving his fingers coyly to touch at the black haired man's chin.

"Where would you like to go?"

There was a slight hint of uncertainty between the two as Vincent lifted the hand that was usually ignored, the thick metal gently touching Sephiroth's skin.

Despite the silver haired man's capabilities, Vincent Valentine still thoroughly believed that a single brush from this vile metal arm of his would somehow harm Sephiroth.

"We can go to the new town. Edge," the former Turk now offered. "Wutai, the Icicle areas... there are many places I'd like to be with you in, Sephiroth." Because in the end it didn't matter to Vincent, as long as Sephiroth was near him.

He hadn't felt alive in a very long time, and now his life was the man who was once his enemy.

It was an odd irony.

"We can try Edge, then," Sephiroth nodded in agreement, the idea of the two of them having just a little something, just for them, just a small new beginning was making him smile such a pretty, childlike smile now as he moved his body to Vincent's.

They simply sat together for a moment, so close beside each other, with their fingers touching the other's profiles.

Words were no longer necessary for Vincent Valentine and Sephiroth, and the older of the two slowly closed his eyes, allowing himself to be drawn into a gentle kiss with the silver haired man, a kiss that reflected the new care that they had never expected to feel for one another. After all, Vincent Valentine was convinced that he simply couldn't love anyone but Lucrecia, and Sephiroth had never even considered letting such emotions slip into his being.

Yet now he was kissing Sephiroth with feelings he couldn't recall even for Lucrecia.

He was sure that it was more than attraction, it had to be. Perhaps it was mutual understanding, their knowledge of each other, respect of the pain they had both felt.

Yet Vincent couldn't have guessed that respect alone would encourage a flame within him to burn brighter, and harder than before.

Their first real deep kiss certainly wouldn't be the last, Vincent knew that as he pulled away after lightly touching Sephiroth's lips again, as a temporary goodbye.

By the time that the two former warriors had reached the city of Edge and taken their part time residence at a small but relatively cosy inn, Vincent Valentine realised that his lips were claiming Sephiroth's in kiss number five now, each apparently being deeper and more demanding than the last.

He was breathless when he sat on the bed and let the silver haired man settle his larger body a top him, breathless but more than willing to continue.

Heat rushed through his body and his heart beat quicker when warm fingertips traced his the delicate skin of his neck as Sephiroth's tongue traced the inside of the black haired man's mouth.

The bed of the Inn would probably be problematic, it was certainly too small to fit their tall, muscular bodies, but Vincent didn't seem particularly fazed by this as he removed his shoes, and cape, before crawling backwards on the pillow, supporting himself by digging his elbows into the mattress.

A smile curled his lips as he watched Sephiroth remove his coat, followed by his shirt in complete silence.

They didn't need to speak, and they wouldn't, apart from whispering one another's name occasionally.

Vincent was content with keeping the former generals' warm, wet mouth against his own, their tongues moving together, tasting each other with such enthusiasm.

Vincent was very content with their hands slowly working together to rid him of the shirt he wore, which soon found it's way into abandonment with Sephiroth's on the wooden floor of their traditional little Inn.

It was Sephiroth's turn to hiss a little at the overwhelming sensation of new-found pleasure now as Vincent sat up just lightly from the bed, the metal claw still pressing into the mattress as his other arm explored the silver haired man's chest, lips sucking on his collarbone and the area around it gently as the trembling hand slid just a little lower.

His thumb caressed Sephiroth's firm stomach, fingertips moving down from his bellybutton, a little irritated by the cloth that stopped his hands from going further. He wanted to touch the other man, see and caress every inch and every curve of his body.

Another whimper, Sephiroth speaking Vincent's name to nobody in particular and tilting his back and neck to welcome the other's slightly more experienced lips on his neck, the little licks and bites making him shiver from his fingertips to his toes, his head spinning now as he leaned down just a little to capture Vincent's lips once more in an open mouth kiss.

His mako green eyes watched the black haired man, watched as Vincent touched his chest and nipples, and watched as their tongues slid over one another. The raven haired man whimpered slightly into the kiss, his arm moving around Sephiroth's broad back to pull him deeper into the kiss, causing the silver haired man to grind himself lightly against his companion's stomach.

And once again Vincent fell onto the bed completely, his claw taking the other's hand gently, and bringing it to his mouth, caressing Sephiroth's fingertips with his tongue and teeth as his human hand linked with the general's.

Sephiroth held his hand so gently, squeezing it and letting his other be nibbled on and sucked on so lightly as he moved on top of Vincent Valentine, his naked chest sliding down Vincent's as he quite happily attacked his neck, his tongue making invisible patterns and his hips tilting down just a little to relive that rush of electricity that had wavered through his body only moments ago.

Both men whimpered almost too quietly as Vincent lifted his hips to greet the ones of the former general, their arousal obvious to one another.

Sephiroth's skin glistened just a little in the dim light coming from the streets of Edge, and his mako green eyes remained half lidded as he let his now moist fingers stroke Vincent Valentines' bottom lip before he captured it in a deep, meaningful kiss.

The silver haired man continued to squeeze Vincent's slim hand now as they kissed, his own free one moving down the firm, muscular stomach with silent appreciation, stopping at the button of the former Turks' simple black trousers. He caressed the area gently, his hypnotising green eyes watching Vincent now as he let his fingers hover just lightly over the sensitive area between the beautiful black haired man's legs, applying a light pressure and causing Vincent to whimper and wriggle slightly, encouraging the rare touches on his highly responsive body.

Sephiroth needed no further encouragement and smiled a little against the other's lips, popping the button open with ease and sliding his hand into the cloth, the large surface of his soft palm pressing to Vincent's ache in a way that made the crimson eyed man practically buck off the bed.

"Sephiroth..."

The former Turk gasped as his lips glistened in the light.

He watched the other for a long time as Sephiroth seemed to get acquainted with Vincent's body, touching and feeling and exploring at the hardened flesh as the beautiful raven haired man attacked his neck with licks and kisses.

He bit down a little harder than expected when Sephiroth proceeded to undress him fully, caressing his skin in ways that were surprisingly tender and loving, ways Vincent never expected the silver haired man to know.

His cheeks were flushed a little, the colour healthy on his usually deathly white skin.

Vincent stretched his fingers out now, curving them around the waistband of Sephiroth, before pulling himself up and touching his former enemy in a similar way, loving how the silver haired man gasped when Vincent Valentines long fingers began to knead gently at his ache as the metal claw rid Sephiroth of the restricting pants neither seemed to be appreciating right now.

And so they lay together on their sides now, their naked bodies entwined and fingers on one another, stroking slowly, in a perfect rhythm together.

Green eyes only ever left red ones to occasionally glance down, hypnotised now by the motions of their hands, seeing them both pleasuring each other at the same time made Sephiroth approach his release a little quicker than Vincent, so when the red eyed ex Turk began to lightly massage the tip of Sephiroth's arousal with the padded cushion of his thumb as well as applying the firm pressure, the silver haired man felt his body react in quite a wonderful and unexpected way.

He began to tremble, the heat rushing through his body suddenly bolting to the sensitive area between his legs, his hips twitching with a desperate need as his free hand clung to Vincent.

The silver haired man whispered Vincent's name now, the name rolling off his tongue like gold as he caught the delicious red lips between his own and kissed the former Turk hard, his body shaking just slightly before a moan left his lips, louder than expected, and his body trembled for the last time as he emptied himself on Vincent Valentine.

It didn't take long for the other to follow, and soon enough they lay together, clinging to each other and kissing one another gently, over and over, as their bodies calmed from orgasm.

Both knew that it certainly wouldn't be the last, not for tonight and definitely not for a very long time.

It was a matter of giving one another a reason to live again, a matter of change and acceptance.

And Vincent Valentine accepted and trusted the man who's hair he gently brushed now, just as Sephiroth adored this change.

It was the idea of living again though, living together and happily that made both their hearts swell as they met each other's mouths, that inwardly delighted both Sephiroth and Vincent Valentine.