His silence stretched out as he remained seated there with the blonde pressed up against him. It was difficult to think of any time in his past as 'happy', and while he could understand the logic in Cloud's words, the ex-General couldn't agree with them. That moment had been the first of so many betrayals that he couldn't help but wonder why he'd want such a memory to be considered as such a happy time.

"I can't accept that," Sephiroth found himself quietly saying. He believed that with the entirety of his being, and yet he felt ashamed of his answer and the fact that he felt as though he was letting the younger male down. His face disappeared behind his bangs as he kept it turned away from Cloud, and with a steady voice, the ex-General murmured, "He abandoned me without a second thought and left me to my fate."

"Why would I want to honour someone with tainting that memory so that they can live on innocently within it?" Sephiroth asked before finally regarding Cloud even if his expression was carefully neutral. "I would much prefer to cherish the feelings that are created when I am in your presence here on this world than cling to false memories of the past."