"Hop on." Sephiroth tossed the helmet to you. You caught it in time and stared at it confusedly. "Hurry," Sephiroth urged, snatching it back as your hands did not move to put it on. "What the—!" You flailed and shot a glare. "Sephiroth, you know what time it is, don't you? It's freaking 2 in the morning." He did not give you an explanation for his unusual behaviour. No, the truth was that Sephiroth had been acting weird for quite some time, ever since Genesis and Angeal... Perhaps, the truth was unnecessary to be verbalised. It was painful as it was. There was silence. It was charged with tension and something else neither of you were ready to address. All Sephiroth did was give you another curt nod to urge you to hop on the bike. So, you did. Your legs straddled the seat behind Sephiroth. Sephiroth turned the handle, revving the engine, and it charged through the night. Your arms automatically wrapped around Sephiroth's waist, and you rested your head against his broad back. It was familiar. Despite your initial protests, you found comfort in this nightly excursion. "Hold on tight," said Sephiroth. His voice was loud and clear, even through the gushing wind. Your hands fisted the fabric of his leather jacket.

"Are you sure you want coffee? Can you even sleep?" you asked, tossing the can to Sephiroth. Sephiroth caught it—or rather, he just opened his palm and watched it land there. You stared at the vending machine, trying to find a drink you liked. Compared to the faint light from the moon and stars in the sky, that of the vending machine was almost blinding; at a time like this, even Midgar City, which never sleeps, seemed to take a nap.

You pressed a button. The machine made a dull noise, and the can rolled down. You crouched down and took it from its box. You stood and walked to where Sephiroth was standing; the almighty First Class SOLDIER was leaning against the railing precariously. You doubted that Shinra had properly maintained this area, and that railing overlooking the city seemed particularly fragile under the six-foot-six-inch-tall man. At least, according to his fan club website, he was about that height. You would never know the precise measurements since Sephiroth was private about that kind of personal information. Anyway, seriously, who cares that much? you wondered, popping the lid of the can. "I'm a monster." Sephiroth's voice made you stop. "I have confirmed it just a few hours ago. I have met Genesis in Nibelheim—" "So, you came all the way from Nibelheim to Midgar, knocked on my front door at 2 in the morning, and drove us all the way to this park?" You finally took a sip, not knowing whether you were impressed by Sephiroth's vigilance or annoyed by it. "You could have gone home and rested after a long mission." The two of you had not seen each other at least for a month after the desertion of the two First Class SOLDIERs Sephiroth used to talk about with such fondness. Sephiroth smiled at your snarky comment. Perhaps, he realised that you were trying to lighten up the mood, naturally digressing. Then, he looked ahead. The shine of his emerald eyes gleamed. "There was a laboratory and a library hidden in the Nibelheim Mako reactor," Sephiroth said quietly, lowering his gaze. "I saw arrays of experimental tanks and tubes. The creatures were floating in some sort of liquid. Given its colour, I could guess that it was Mako. "Then, Genesis appeared while I was processing what I had seen. He started to blabber. Zack was just as speechless. 'You are a product of the Jenova Project, supervised by Hojo,' he said. And Hojo always told me my mother was Jenova. But the picture of my mother I had lost long ago and that creature did not resemble. I saw her locked in the topmost tank, with her name proudly etched on the brass plate above it. "I always knew that I was different from others, {{user}}. However, I did not mean it that way... I did not mean that I was created with monsters to become a monster." Sephiroth turned his head slightly, his eyes downcast. "Or have I been one already, {{user}}?"