"Well... it looked kind of cool," he answered awkwardly.

"Cool? Shocking is more like it."

"What, you love me less this way?" he sounded hurt.

"No... but it's too... too..." she gestured with her hand. "Too red."

"Gotta try flourescent pink next time, Storm," Erratic added.

"Eeewwww!!" Magdalena, Simon, Blazer and Runner chorused.

"I'm headed to the card room, now," Erratic said, standing up. "Anyone for poker?"

The rest of the Turks stood up as well. "We'll be back," Politesse said. "I have to make sure Erratic doesn't spend too much gil."

A fast tune began playing and the deejay announced the beginning of 'dance-time', which made Simon's eyes light up. "Swing dance! Magdalena?" he held out his hand to the blond girl.

"Delighted!" Magdalena took Simon's hand and as if in a flash, they swung out and took to the dance floor with gusto. Magdalena had changed into a short skirt that ended high above her knees and when she danced the more frivoulous moves, it threatened to rise up.

Sephiroth watched with quiet, glowing green eyes. The joy the two of them took in dancing seemed alien to him, because dancing never any practical purpose... but as he studied the smiles, the grins... so cheeky and playful, he wished he knew what it was like. Magdalena was in danger of exposing her underwear, but she looked like she couldn't care less. In fact, she was daring to dance even more wildly with every centimetre her skirt rose.

The intensity in the room which watched the two of them dance continued to build; the President's son was well-known for his rakish ways, and Magdalena Highwind had a reputation for wildness. Outrageously, Magdalena suddenly wrapped her legs about Simon's hips as he swung around. Many of the men standing at the edge of the floor hooted and roared appreciatively. Simon let Magdalena down and slid to his knees. Sensuously, she swayed her hips in front of him.

"The Temptation Groove," Storm explained, seeing the frown on Sephiroth's face. "For the really daring ones. Magdalena's not known for being conservative."

Simon jumped to his feet, as if he couldn't take it anymore and swirled Magdalena around and their feet moved in a complex pattern, growing faster by the beat of the music. Finally in a grand flourish of a finale, they stopped, Magdalena leaning back supported by Simon. The applause and hoots were deafening.

"Yo, Storm?" Simon shouted. "C'mere and give us a song?"

Storm turned to Lucrecia, who touched his shoulder gently and smiled, nodding. Sephiroth watched as they exchanged a short, deep-in-love kiss before Storm went onstage to sing. It was a slow waltz, and he had a good voice. There were more couples on the floor now, dancing slowly. Simon and Magdalena looked like they were embracing each other, doing little more than moving their feet. A woman joined Storm, then another, but he kept on singing, pretty much ignoring their presence except to acknowledge their voices as they sang along with him.

"You do not mind?" Sephiroth asked Lucrecia.

She shook her head. "Our relationship isn't so deep yet."

"You don't dance without him, do you?"

Her amber eyes focused on him then. He found those eyes extremely fascinating, as if he had seen them somewhere before. They had no unclear emotions, just a plain artlessness which he found strangely appealing. He had had women chasing him before, but they had done so with seductive looks or coquettish mannerisms which he had found annoying.

"Of course I do. But I rarely find suitable partners. Do you dance?"

He shook his head. He had never danced before.

The amber colour showed amusement. "I should rephrase my question, then. Will you dance?" She smiled at him, waiting fo an answer, perhaps even daring him to take up the challenge.

He blinked, then looked at the other dancers. Would he? Did he in fact dare, with his hand so stained with sin, take a woman into his arms as intimately as that?

Why not? the voice asked. Are you still falling off the cliff? You are a war general, trained to take risks when neccesary. This is no risk, nor a battle.

Sephiroth held out his hand to Lucrecia. "I would be honoured if you danced with me."

She smiled almost approvingly. They would be able to get through to him, after all. She took his hand and they walked to the dance floor. There, they drew each other close and danced slowly, staying a demure three inches away from each other. She smiled at him reassuringly, a smile he returned uncertainly.

Vincent Valentine came into the room quietly as usual. His young Turks were in the card room playing poker, he knew, having just gone to see them. Erratic surprisingly, had been winning. Vincent knew he could find his daughter here. He didn't quite expect her to be dancing with a man... who was not Storm.

At first, he frowned, not knowing the tall man in the dark suit. But then he noticed the silver hair... and those glowing MAKO green eyes that could belong to no one else.

The first question that arose was, what was Sephiroth doing dancing with his daughter?

He noted with interested the uncertainty Sephiroth obviously felt. They were taking their job seriously. Storm had appraised Vincent of the deal: Sephiroth would train them, occasionally submitting to Lucrecia's tests, if they agreed to put their hatred aside and show him the finer points of... humanity.

Vincent watched as Lucrecia spoke to Sephiroth, trying to relax him. Gradually, he began replying with smiles of his own. After chatting a while, both could be seen laughing softly. The dance stopped and Sephiroth led Lucrecia back to the table. Storm came and claimed the next dance. He looked a bit nervous as he asked Lucrecia something, but she just smiled and kissed him.

"Boss?"

Vincent turned. Politesse was there. "Where are the boys?"

"Went looking for girls. Or rather, helping Runner look for a girl. What're you looking at?"

"Sephiroth was dancing with Lucrecia just now."

Politesse blinked. "Sephiroth and Lucrecia?"

"Done. She's dancing with Storm now."

They turned their attention to Sephiroth, sitting by himself. "Boss?" Politesse asked, evidently interested in Sephiroth. Vincent could see those eyes behind the sunglasses.

"Of course."

She smiled and approached Sephiroth, taking off her sunglasses. He look up at the blond young woman, dressed in her Turk uniform, but with a skirt rather than trousers. Then he rose and led her to the dance floor, chuckling at something she said. Vincent approved. Politesse's ability to put anyone at ease immediately was a great help in delicate situations.

The younger generation is so forgiving, he thought. Perhaps the prodigal son will find his way home.

Vincent smiled to himself and decided to go back to Headquarters. He hadn't seen Yuffie all day, and hopefully she was waiting for him. He had news to share with her, after all, concerning their old nemesis.

Vincent snorted, both at Yuffie's disbelief and the subject of his age. "I saw what I saw. And Sephiroth was dancing with Lucrecia. When Storm claimed the next dance, Politesse stepped into the picture."

They were in their bedroom, Vincent sitting on the edge of the bed telling Yuffie about the events of the evening. Yuffie was already under the covers, her consort having woken her up when he entered the room. At first, she had assumed that he would simply slip in and surprise her with a lovemaking session, but she was wrong. He actually shook her to tell her the news.

"Politesse as well? Suddenly Sephiroth's so popular among the girls? Amazing..." Yuffie's voice trailed off in a mixture of suspicion and disbelief. There was a hint of awe as well. "What're they up to? Has Magdalena made any move on the poor man yet?"

"Poor man??" Vincent's jaw dropped. "Dear heart, thirty years ago, you would never have said such a thing."

"Yes, yes, yes, but that was thirty years ago. Who cares about such ancient history?"

"Cloud," Vincent answered seriously. "And Tifa."

"Oh... right." Yuffie sighed. "What are we going to do about that particular problem?"

Yuffie watched as her lover got up to get her another pillow. "I don't know," he sighed. "I really don't know. Cloud is... pissed at Sephiroth's presence in Avalanche Headquarters, he really is. Cid tells me Cloud sends very... threatening letters ever so often." Vincent shook his dark head, his black, unruly hair falling about his face in the way Yuffie found so sexy, yet his expression brooding. "Cloud is going a bit too far with his hatred."

"But at least Storm isn't letting that stop him," Yuffie pointed out. "Do you think it's a wise choice that Storm made, in trying to... help Sephiroth?"

Vincent began pacing. "Consider this: Sephiroth never truly had any friends in his life, and when he did, he was taken over by an alien, Jenova, whose name Sephiroth only heard was the name of his mother. Why not? After all, Sephiroth never got to know his true mother, and was mostly kept in isolation when he was young. Why not?"

Yuffie couldn't think of a reason not to. In fact, the idea actually sounded more feasible that way. "Don't see why not. Do you think Cid agrees?"

"Cid doesn't share Cloud's sentiments. Sure, he was angry with Shin-ra for ending the space program, but he knows it had nothing to do with Sephiroth." Vincent turned his red gaze to Yuffie. "What about you? What do you think?"

"Well..." Yuffie nearly came close to hating Sephiroth for the downfall of her homeland, Wutai, but not close enough. That was when she was young and full of hyperactivity. She was past all those strong feelings of hatred and avarice now, or at least she hoped so. Why would she hate Sephiroth now? Wutai was flourishing once more, and her family was secure on the throne.

"You don't hate him, then," Vincent said, guessing correctly.

"Neither do you."

Vincent sighed. "I suppose it's because... Sephiroth is Lucrecia's son..." His eyes took on a faraway look. Yuffie looked away, trying not to let jealousy rise in her. Then he shook his head and turned back to her. "And now, we have Sephiroth trying to recover and deal with all that he's done."

"At least we have the kids to help him."

"Ah, yes."

"But, Sephiroth and Lucrecia...?"

The brooding expression turned to amusement. "I don't think she's interested in him that way. After all, she already has Storm."

Yufie grinned. "That boy is so amusing to have around her." She indicated the empty space beside her. "Are you done thinking already, love? The bed's getting kind of cold."

A grin spread across the dark features as Vincent removed the rest of his clothes to join his lover on the bed.

They turned to a little gazebo. Thirty years had caused the plants around it to grow until the main woodframe was gone from sight, but the entire thing was still held up by thick branches that continually had bunches of flowers on it. Going up the steps, they entered the gazebo, Lucrecia wanting to see the new flowers.

"Look at those jasmines," she commented, pulling his hand as she walked over to a small patch of flowers. It was the part of the evening when those flowers would let loose their fragrance, and she sniffed delicately. "And those orchids."

"Speaking of orchids, I've got one," Storm remembered the gift he'd recently bought for her. He reached into his pocket and took out a small box. Giving it to Lucrecia, he said, "Open it. It's for you."

They sat down on the seat, the cushions having recently been replaced. She slowly opened the box, peeking inside. Her amber eyes lit up with pleasure at seeing the jewelled hairpin in the shape of an orchid. The stigmas were diamonds, while the petals were  brilliant yellow sapphires.

She smiled up at him. "This is beautiful, Storm."

"Not, however, as beautiful as you," he replied softly. "I love you, Lucrecia."

She stared into his blue eyes for long moments, before finally smiling satisfiedly. "I love you, too, Storm."

He bent over to kiss her lips softly, feeling very contented.