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"What good is 'going away' going to do you, besides avoiding me? Look at this place.." He pointed to the window he was gazing at. "One light on. One light, and it's still this early." He shook his head. "I think that's my room, too." He felt her gaze, and knew why. "You know, this is the first time I've ever wished I didn't get rid of the Kyuubi?" He leaned back, dipping his head in the fountain water, letting out a breath that sent bubbled rising quickly and violently to the surface.

"Forgive me if I sound...'clingy,'" He said after resurfacing.

"I should want you to leave?" He looked up at her, appreciatively. "As far as I'm concerned, you're infected. And it should stay that way." What he didn't add, what he even avoided thinking of adding, was 'for your safety as much as for mine.'

He shook his head, clearing his hair of the remaining droplets of water, then took a deep breath. "I don't suppose I could interest you in a mug of tea, mayhaps?"

"Well," He said, standing slowly. "The good thing is, he may have access to all of my thoughts, but not to my memories." He looked at her once more, then smiled as best he could, reassuring her as best he could without actually giving any information away. He took a few steps forward, then slowed to a stop.

"I'm really, really sorry for putting you through this, Phairen.." He didn't look back, didn't trust himself enough to do so. "I'll do everything I can."

"Sephiroth is not the first, and I'm afraid he won't be the la--aaI can tell the story."

Sephiroth's demeanor immediately shifted, eyes fading to red. "It's a long story, Nyl, are you sure you can take the time out of that busy schedule of yours to sit down and have a chat? We could wait for when you start losing sleep, you'd have much more time then."

Seph looked away for a split second, then rose his eyebrow as his gaze fell back to her. Accompanied with a smirk, he said, "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are when you're being curt?"

He slowly moved back to the fountain and took a seat. "Well, to be completely honest, I was transfered to Sephiroth by General whatever-his-name is. Fortunately for both Sephiroth and the General, they were both part cyborg at the time. That definitely slowed MY development." He shook his head slowly.

"But it didn't take long. Being that the cyborg part of Sephiroth was already accepted by his immune system, it wasn't too difficult to pass at that. Until about two months ago, I was considered an anomaly, one lone mechanical cell left over in Sephiroth's body, and thusly, I was left alone. I still remember destroying Sephiroth's immune system." He paused, basking in the relived glory. "A glorious day for.. well, me." He looked back at Nyl. "And I'm afraid that's what's happening to you. On a more biological level, of course."

"That depends on your ability to integrate with your immune system. Even then, picking out a single abnormal cell would be the equivalent of finding a gnat in a haystack the size of the Barton Arena." He shrugged. "Granted, there's still a chance, however inexplicably small it may be."

Sephiroth folded a leg one over the other, then intertwined his fingers at his knee, leaning back as far as his arms would let him. "You see, your immune system, by now, has already recognized the abnormal cell as, at most, a very minor anomaly in your body. Now that it's passed it's first test, the rest is pretty much a breeze. It will continue to go unchecked until your immune system feels that it's getting too powerful for it's own good. But by then, it will be far too late, and your immune system will gather up too little strength."

He locked eyes with her, then laughed--hard. "I'm sorry. It sounded almost like you had hope that you might be able to, now!"

He grinned, then nodded. "By all means. Enjoy it while it lasts, Nyl."

Hah! I've got her, don't I.

No. She'll find a way to get rid of you, and as soon as she does, I'll be able to, as well.

Hah! Oh, my, aren't you amusing! Well, go on then, you may have control until I wish to show myself again.

Seph's eyes changed colors yet again, and he watched Nyl walk inside. "We'll take a rain check on that tea!" He called, then turned back to the fountain, letting his feet dangle in the water.