I do not own Final Fantasy VII. This was going to just be a One-Shot, but it was bugging me and I have so many ideas of what can happen in this story! So with several PMs from reader asking me to continue, I have taken the plung and decided to see where this was going to go. Plus I'm such a sucker for the TifaXSephiroth pairing. XD

Change of Heart

Chapter I: A Second Chance

"Stay where you belong…In my memories." Cloud whispered, his voice carried on the wind to Sephiroth's ears.

"I will…never be a memory…" Sephiroth's breath was labored, as if he were in pain, and his brow furrowed only slightly to show the effect Cloud's Omnislash had on him. Though stoic, his body was wracked with agony and as if on reflex, his massive midnight wing wrapped protectively around him.

Cloud took a step back as Sephiroth fell heavily to the ground. As he made impact, he rolled out from his wing and lay flat on his back. Cloud took on a defensive stance, ready to continue their battle, but Sephiroth didn't move. Cautiously, Cloud observed him for several more seconds before gingerly creeping toward him, his guard remaining high. The unconscious Sephiroth seemed completely lifeless. Reaching forward with his arm stretched to its full length, Cloud carefully placed his fingers over Sephiroth's nose, a puff of hot air struck his icy skin and he knew his nemesis was not dead.

Evil was always just so difficult to kill.

Raising his sword, Cloud was ready to deliver the finishing blow, but a gunshot rang out behind him, and a white hot bullet entered his back and excited his chest. In that moment, Cloud forgot Sephiroth and turned abruptly to face the remaining Remnants who seemed to be on their way back to the Lifestream. When the last cells of Jenova had been absorbed by Kadaj, he'd more or less opened a portal for Sephiroth's return, causing Kadaj to be sent back to the depths of Hell from whence he came, and due to Jenova's waning power and Aerith's Great Gospel, the others were soon to follow.

With disregard of their mortality, Cloud rushed toward them and just as he was about to strike, they used the very last of their energy to create and explosion and the three men were enveloped with white light…

Tifa was uncertain of what to do now. She had Cloud back and in perfect health, but now Sephiroth was here, unconscious…and in her bed. She refused to put him in the children's room and Cloud completely opposed the use of his own unused bedroom…if one could seriously call it that.

So the last comfortable place for him was Tifa's bed. She was uncomfortable having him in her house, but she was furthermoe uncomfortable with Cloud killing him. When Kadaj took Jenova's remains into himself, the last her power had been exhausted returning Sephiroth to the world of the living. Jenova no longer existed and her grip on everyone she'd ever possessed was gone as well. This included Sephiroth.

Now it was a waiting game. They just had to wait for him to wake up to know if this theory was indeed true.

Three days passed and Sephiroth remained asleep. In that time, Tifa had bunked in the kids' room, which had been great fun for them since Denzel too had recovered from the Geostigma, and the three of them enjoyed their little slumber party. But it wasn't all fun and games for Tifa – or anyone else for that matter…she kept careful watch over her beloved children for fear Sephiroth would wake during the night.

But he didn't.

It was in the early evening when Sephiroth had awakened. Tifa was beside him when his eyes opened. She was busy wiping down the windowsills beside her bed while watching Barret and Cloud play with the children in the yard below. Engrossed in her work, she'd not realized he'd stirred.

When his eyes opened, Sephiroth was met with a grey ceiling, covered with an exposed air duct and a hanging light that was currently switched off. There was another lamp lit further way from him to his right, casting a comforting golden glow about the room. And to his left came in the dimming natural light as the sun began to descend upon the artificial horizon borne from the new and old buildings of Edge. His head was throbbing, though the pain was minor but his eyes stung as he tried to move them. With a soft breath, he turned his head to the side as he sensed the presence of someone else in the room. The aura she emitted was gentle and affectionate, and he knew he was not in any immediate danger. As he cast his gaze on her, he saw his companion. She was familiar to him though he'd not seen in her in years, or so he'd thought. She was at work cleaning dust from the furniture and windows, keeping herself busy as if to ward off any unhappy thoughts for feelings. He could see this in the way her eyebrows her knitted and how her lips were pressed together in a hard line, something he could tell was not her usual expression.

As he watched her, he fought to remember her name. What was it again? It wasn't truly that he'd forgotten her name, but his mind was hazy and little was clear at that point. He was even struggling to remember who he was.

What was her name? Terra…Tamra…Tina…

"…Tifa?" Her name rolled off of his tongue as if he'd spoken the name numerous times before. Unbeknownst her…he had.

She snapped her head up at him, startled. Her deep red eyes were wide with shock and she struggled to keep from dashing out of the room. Instead she remained perfectly still, as if she were staring down a snake ready to strike. But as she met his gaze she realized that he was still too weak to be any threat to her. Of course he could be feigning weakness to catch her off guard, but Sephiroth, no matter how wicked a creature he was, did not play dirty like that; he still had his Solider honor intact.

"Tifa…it is you…" He groaned softly, closing his eyes and grimacing from the worsened throb in his forehead.

"Here, let me." Tifa regained her strength and went to his side. Cautiously, she rested beside him on the mattress and reached for the bowl of water and clean cloth she'd been sponging his face and arms with from time to time. She wrung out the soaked cloth and dabbed his aching forehead, hoping to alleviate some of the pain with the cool water. It did help a little bit and Sephiroth was able to relax. As his eyes adjusted to the light and his vision had cleared all the more, the ache subsided. He was still drained though, and his body was sore, but his head was clear.

"Tifa…"

How many times was he going to whisper her name?

"What is it?" She wasn't sure if she was trying to sound harsh or gentle, but she saw him wince at her voice…perhaps he was still in pain.

He lifted his hand, brushing his fingers along her forearm. Tifa yanked her hand away upon contact, but she discovered that he wasn't actually trying to touch her. Instead, he was reaching behind him to pull up the pillows. Once he'd made himself comfortable propped up against the headboard, he pushed his hair back and looked up at her. Now at her level, he was able to see her much clearer. But he didn't look her in the eyes; instead he glanced about the room, recognizing it immediately as a simple bedroom. Initially, he'd thought he was in a hospital, or…to be more precise, a laboratory, but he was showered with relief upon realizing he was indeed in a residence.

Groaning softly as he relaxed his tense muscles, he finally looked into her face. There was a flicker of terror in her crimson gaze, though at the same time there was too a sense of relief, as well as intrigue. She seemed interested in him, interested in what he was thinking.

"Where are we?" He asked, his voice was ever so gentle, quiet…

"In my house." She didn't stutter; she refused to show him any sign that she was afraid to be alone with him. But she didn't sense any kind of danger; he seemed disinterested in harming her.

"Your house." It wasn't a question, but an affirmation. He dropped his head into his hand. "What…what is the date?"

Tifa sighed with slight aggravation, "Do you want the real date, or the Post-Meteor date?"

He snapped his head up at her, "What?"

"It's been two years since Meteor fell."

"Meteor…So it wasn't a dream." The agonized expression on his face was surprising to Tifa. There was remorse in his eyes, sorrow, pain, regret. "…Did many people die?..."

"The death toll was in the thousands." Tifa replied without skipping a beat. "Why would…" She paused mid sentence when a single tear caught her off guard. "…Sephiroth…"

Another tear fell…and then another…

"…And Nibelheim?"

Tifa felt a lump rising in her throat. "...Burned to the ground." She was intrigued to see where this was going; was he sincere, or was he indeed mocking her?

No, those tears were just too real. But Sephiroth doesn't cry…

"And the girl too then…that poor child…"

Aerith. Tifa turned away from him then, clapping a hand over her mouth as if to stave off a sob. She didn't want to risk crying in from of him, regardless if he would judge her or not.

"It was all real…" He whimpered softly, as if he could not believe it, "…I thought it was all just a bad dream."

"A bad dream?" Tifa turned back to him. "I wish that's all it was."

"Tifa..."

She shuddered as her name escaped his lips again.

Sephiroth said nothing more. He only continued to watch her, observing her face and the way she composed herself. His eyes drifted across her form, but he was not leering at her; he was in fact only looked at her choice of clothing, the way she wore her hair, even her posture. She had her own gaze planted on the floor, unaware that his eyes were on her.

"You've changed." He said suddenly, almost causing her to jump out of her skin.

"What?"

"You've changed." He repeated. "You're so much more grown up than when I saw you last."

"Surely I haven't grown up so much in the last two years."

"From when I last saw you with my own eyes." He corrected. "I've been under Jenova's influence for so long, I'm not sure what is real. I feel strange, like I've been asleep and been suffering horrid nightmares. But you say those nightmares are real. I've seen myself do things I could never fathom doing. I can and will kill, but in battle; I am a warrior…not a murderer."

"So you blame it on Jenova's power?" Tifa tossed the washcloth back into the bowl as she stood to go to the window, looking down to see if Cloud and Barrett still had the children outside. She contemplated telling them that Sephiroth was awake, but upon seeing them watching the children at play, she decided to wait until they'd had their fun. For the moment, Sephiroth appeared nonaggressive and she had a feeling deep down in her gut that he wouldn't be at all.

"I blame no one; I only suggest that my actions are not my own." He sunk a little deeper into the pillows. "Perhaps though there is a possibility of some dark desire for destruction deep inside of me. I have long speculated that everyone is equally capable of hating as they are of loving." This notion triggered an idea in his mind that sudden resounded through his thoughts like a siren. "You know, you could have smothered me whilst I slept…put an end to me once and for all. Cloud could have killed me just as easily…So why didn't you? If I've wrong you so much and thirsted for your blood so intensely, then why, in my most vulnerable state, have you allowed me to live? Why, in the time we've been talking, have you not called upon your friends to know that I'm awake?"

Tifa's shoulders tensed and she craned her head around to him. He was looking at her through the saddest eyes that she'd ever seen, wet and rimmed red, tired and full of sorrow. His body was weak and he appeared to barely have the strength to lift his head anymore. Without reserve, she went back to the bed and reseated herself on the edge of the mattress. She studied him just as he'd studied her.

His face was softer than normal; his mouth was relaxed in a cupid bow line, his eyebrows arching elegantly, and his eyes half-lidded. His eyes were always portals to tell for her, those glowing green orbs with those long narrow pupils almost frightened her more than the man himself did. But, they were not scary now. His eyes were different. They too were softer, brighter, they still glowed with the bright green of the Mako coursing through his veins, but they were undeniably human eyes. His pupils were round, not slits, and the natural green color of his eyes was not quite to draconian. He no longer looked so monstrous; in fact he appeared quite handsome like this.

Once, a long time ago when Tifa had first met Sephiroth as a teenager, she'd found him physically attractive, and she found his calm, patient, and mildly humorous personality to be just as appealing. In another world, she could have fancied herself as his woman.

But that could not be in this world. The ugly truth behind this handsome man was that he had caused the very hell that she'd lived in since the day he destroyed her home and murdered her father.

"I don't have any other reason other than that as a human and I am equally as capable of love as of hate. I could kill you and be through with you. But I think its more human and makes me a better person to give you the benefit of the doubt and pray that Jenova's power had been purged from you. Just to kill and forget not only is abominable, but it shows my own weakness and destroys the all the goodness that I've been trying to bring to the world, no matter how insignificant and small the amount might be."

Sephiroth smirked and closed his eyes thoughtfully. "You said a mouthful." He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. "You are a good woman, Tifa…by allowing a wretch like me to live, and to rest in your bed, shows what a loving and kind heart you really do have. Cloud is a lucky man to have you by his side."

This caused a mad blush to erupt at her cheeks. She again tore her gaze away from him. "I wish he knew that."

"What do you mean?"

She held her breath, and contemplated whether she should tell him or not. But what did it matter anyway? "Even after all this, even after accepting that she's dead and gone…he still loves her more than me."

"I apologize."

"Don't. We just weren't meant to be." She felt her chest tighten and her lip quiver.

"But you remain friends?"

"We will always be friends." She murmured before brushing at her eye.

"Tifa…please tell me what happened after Nibelheim?" He changed the subject.

"My world came to an end." She gulped. "I went from being a girl in a mountain town to being a whore in the slums."

Sephiroth turned his eyes back to her, his eyelids had become heavy, and he'd been close to falling back to sleep, but her statement rendered him alert.

"Cloud and Zack were taken by Hojo and were experimented on for five years. I, on the other hand, escaped to Midgar, but I didn't have any friends there and no money…so I sold my body to survive. I'm ashamed of the things I had to do...But I later joined up with Barret and his group Avalanche, they gave me a home."

"I take your friends don't know about that."

"Not at all, not even Cloud knows."

"So why have you told me this?"

"I don't really know." She bit her lip and twisted the hem of her skirt in her hands. "There's just something trustworthy about you." Why in the hell did she say that? Why in hell did she think that of him?

"Your secret is safe with me, Tifa." He smiled and rested his hand on hers, a gesture of reassurance. She flinched when he'd touched her, but she did not take her hand away, instead and she let him rub his thumb across her knuckles and he patted the back of her hand before retracting his own and resting it in his lap.

Tifa was somewhat disturbed by him, thought at the same time, she felt a warmth emanating from him. It was what she was hoping would happen when Sephiroth was released from Jenova's power. It was the human side of him she'd wanted to see.

So…this is what Sephiroth was really like.

She'd of course met him prior to his madness, when he'd hired her to guide him and his subordinates up Mt. Nibel. She'd understood him to be respectable, virtuous and kind, a gentle warrior, and the type of man that woman want and other men want to be. This is sort of man that sat before her now.

"So what are you going to do now?" She questioned hesitantly.

"I want to somehow right the wrongs I've committed. I want to fix what I've destroyed." Sephiroth spoke with such sincerity, it was almost heartbreaking.

"It will take a miracle to be able to do that." Tifa scoffed lightly.

"Perhaps. But…can I at least make it up to you?" He gazed at her through tired eyes. "I've done such wicking things to you and your family alone, is there anything I can do for you?"

Tifa was so taken aback by this that she did not know how to respond. She wasn't sure if she should ask him to leave or what…She thought about how lonely she was. Sure, she had Cloud, and she had her children…but she did not have true companionship. The past several minutes she'd spent with Sephiroth were first in so many years that she'd spent just talking to someone. Regardless if he was her fiercest enemy, Sephiroth had sat quietly with her and talked…just talked as if they'd been best friends for years. Even Cloud didn't just talk to her like this, and he was her childhood friend. She raised a hand to her mouth and chewed on her thumbnail as she mulled over her thoughts. She couldn't believe she was actually contemplating…

"You can stay here with me." She said suddenly.

Sephiroth's sleepy eyes widened once more, disbelieving what she'd said. But Tifa had committed to her resolve.

"I want you to stay and live here with me."

"What will your family think?"

"Barret and the others will understand with time, they really care about me…they'll worry, but they will respect my wishes. And…as for Cloud, well, he comes and he goes. More often than not he's gone on delivery somewhere."

"I'm sure this will not rest easy with him."

"To be honest I don't care. This is my house after all. Besides, Cloud is forgiving, if he sees that you really have changed, I'm sure he will be better knowing that I'm being kept safe."

"So that's how you want me to repay you for the damage I've caused? By keeping you and your children safe while Cloud is gone?"

"Yes."

"So be it…I will stay with you. I haven't a home or a family to return to."

"This is your home now; we will be your family."

Sephiroth felt the guilt nag at his heart all the more. But accompanying that remorseful sensation was a feeling of warmth and love.

He closed his eyes and reclined down into a laying position. "Thank you, Tifa."

Tifa adjusted the comforter over him, "Go back to sleep now."

As she turned off the light, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

"You're letting him stay?"

Tifa tensed up and turned around to find Cloud leaning against the wall.

"How long have you been listening?"

"Since he asked how to make it up us. So why?"

She relaxed and crossed her arms, shifting all her weight onto one leg. Her lack of verbal response was proof that her mind was completely made up and will not be changed. After all, she wasn't the kind of woman to say something only to take it back.

"If you were listening then you should know."

"But why him?"

"Because he's not a monster anymore."

"You don't know that, Tifa."

"Yes I do." She spun on her heel and went down stairs to ready the bar for business.