Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Alliance ❯ Chapter 30

“Alliance”

Chapter 30

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(Warning: Possible spoilers for all FF7 game/movie titles)

*Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all related characters belong to Square-Enix. This fiction piece is strictly a non-profit exercise of creativity and entertainment for people (like me) who can't get enough of this world and the characters.*

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Reno got into a card game with some of the other Turks shortly after the…incident. Cloud wasn't in the mood for cards or anything else that might lead to someone discussing the wrecked bathroom wall and questioning it. He chose to make himself scarce and find somewhere to sit or lounge quietly for the rest of the trip. Evidently Rude had the same idea. The bald man took a seat in the far corner of the lounging area of the second-level cabin and got out his laptop, presumably to do some file work.

 

Cloud almost said something to him, thinking that Rude should try to relax a little and take his mind off work until they reached Junon. He thought better of it though, because he knew that the big man had been in the position he and Reno crashed in on for a reason. Rude had just finished interacting with Genesis and it was apparent that he wanted him. Cloud guessed that work was a distraction for the Turk, so he left him alone and decided to get something to eat and find Zack before searching out his own quiet little niche.

 

He searched the upper-top deck and the lower middle deck first, checking the sleeping cabins quietly for a familiar head of thick black hair. When he didn't find him he checked the mess hall, thinking he might have been hungrier than he'd let on and could still be eating. There was no sign of him and Cloud finally went to the very bottom deck, where food and medical backup supply crates were kept. Hardly anyone liked to go down there because it was dark and dank, and aside from the supply crates there was really nowhere to sit except on the floor.

 

“Zack?” Cloud spotted him as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs. The ex-Soldier was sitting on one of the supply crates in the far corner of the room, with one knee pulled up and the other leg dangling over the side of the crate. Zack's hands were locked around his knee and his back was resting against the cool metal wall. It didn't look comfortable but the distracted look on the fighter's face indicated that he didn't care.

 

“Hey, Sunshine.” Zack turned his head to regard him and he smiled warmly, but there was something melancholy and sad in his eyes.

 

Cloud approached and hopped up on the crate beside him. “Okay, what's wrong?” He studied his lover with concerned blue eyes.

 

“Why do you think something's wrong?” inquired Zack with a little chuckle. “Everybody wants a little time to themselves once in a while.”

 

Cloud nodded. “Yeah, except you're not `everybody' and I know you better than that. You like to talk about big fights when they're over. You like being around other people. Besides, you disappeared right after Reno joked about going to Rufus's cabin.”

 

Zack shrugged and looked away. “Just don't want to push my luck with the man, is all. You and Reno could get away with crashing his quarters but I don't know him well enough to do it.”

 

Cloud tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “The Zack Fair I know wouldn't let that stop him. Come on, you're acting like he intimidates you and for a guy that can even befriend someone like Sephiroth, that's not normal.”

 

Zack looked at him thoughtfully, as if trying to decide what to say next. Finally, he sighed and nodded. “I'll admit that it kind of gets to me, how much he looks like Lazard. I know he's not the same guy but it brings back memories every time I see him. You know the Director and I had sort of a thing, right?”

 

Cloud nodded, choosing not to go into details of the vision he'd gotten that day when he discovered where his tantric knowledge came from. He worried his lower lip with his teeth and tried to think of a tactful way to ask his lover about his suspicions. “Zack, you don't have to answer this if you really don't want to, but did he…did Lazard…force you to do anything with him?”

 

Zack's amethyst eyes were guarded as he opened his mouth. He hesitated and his dark brows knitted, which only made Cloud's suspicions stronger. “No, not really,” Zack finally said.

 

Cloud frowned at him. “What does that mean? Either he forced you or he didn't.” He snapped his mouth shut at the end and remembered that wasn't always the case. He hadn't exactly been willing at first with Rufus but he'd felt differently by the end. Strangely enough, what Zack said next made Cloud think maybe Lazard and Rufus really could be related, rather than freakishly similar in looks.

 

“It wasn't force,” the sable-haired man sighed. “If I really wanted to, I could have put a stop to it. If anything, I'd say he coerced me. He had me convinced I didn't have a choice but I was the one that let that happen. By the time he disappeared, I'd taken over the role of aggressor…know what I mean?”

 

“I think so,” Cloud nodded. “So you went from being uh…uke to seme?”

 

Zack chuckled and shook his head. “No, man. I was never bottoming for him. At least, I never had him inside of me. Hell, he `topped' me all the time but he was the one taking it. I just mean by the end I was the aggressive one. It was because of him that I figured out I was bi and not just crazy.”

 

Cloud smiled a little. “I don't know if you're not crazy, but I'm glad you're not straight.”

 

Zack smirked and scooted closer to him to throw an arm around him. “I started wondering about it after I entered the SOLDIER program. There weren't a lot of people my age in my hometown so I didn't get much exposure to guys or girls until I joined the military.”

 

“So you knew you were bi when you met me?” Cloud asked softly.

 

“Yeah, I'd been fooling around with Lazard for a few weeks already when we met.” Zack sighed. “I swear, if I'd known what was going to happen to us, I'd have said to hell with the legal age of consent and gone for it, Chocobo. I've got to remember to thank Aerith again for giving me the chance to make up for lost opportunities.” He caressed Cloud's jaw with one hand and leaned in for a brief, soft kiss.

 

Cloud returned the kiss with feeling, just as grateful to be with him. When it ended, he hesitantly asked another question. “So how did it start? I mean, did he just come up to you one day and order you to drop your pants?”

 

Zack blurted a laugh. “He wasn't that abrupt about it, but he did sort of pounce on me.”

 

He remembered that first encounter with something between embarrassment and pleasure. He'd gone to report the results of his latest mission to Lazard and when he was finished, the Director circled around from behind his desk and stalked him. Zack of course had no idea what was going on at the time and when his superior started kissing him and feeling him up, all of those feelings he sometimes got when he looked at other guys burst to the surface and he couldn't deny it anymore.

 

Zack explained it as best he could to Cloud, without going into major details. It was hard to describe the way his relationship was with Lazard. The man had authority over him so yes; he hadn't felt like he could say “no” with any real strength at first. It wasn't until several encounters later that he'd come to admit to himself that he just didn't want it to stop.

 

“I think I could have started loving him eventually,” Zack admitted softly. “There was something thrilling about getting seduced by the head of my department. He used to call me his `toy soldier' and tell me not to get hung up on feelings, but he winded up helping both of us in the end.”

 

“Both of us?” repeated Cloud with a frown.

 

Zack nodded. “He's the one that woke me up when we were stuck in that lab in the basement. He'd gotten his hands on Angeal's cells and turned himself into a copy of him. He said he did it to get revenge on ShinRa but I'm still not sure about those details. Anyhow, I thought I was looking at my old bud and I think Lazard knew that. He used a little tough love to snap me out of it, telling me a real Soldier wouldn't sit there waiting to be used as a guinea pig again. It gave me the final push I needed to break free and get you the hell out of there. I guess you don't remember because you were almost a vegetable, but he helped fight off Hollander when the creepy bastard came after you for your cells.”

 

“I really missed a lot while I was out,” Cloud murmured thoughtfully. “I don't remember any of that. I've got blurry memories of you talking to me and holding me…I remember you ruffling my hair a lot and…and the end. I don't remember us breaking out or Hollander coming after me.”

 

“If Lazard hadn't helped, he might have gotten you,” Zack said with a frown. “After that, he died.”

 

Cloud's topaz gaze was soft with sympathy. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Thanks,” Zack said with a little smile. “Like I said, I didn't exactly love him but I think I was starting to. It would have been a lot harder if I had but I think he got whatever closure he was after before he passed on.”

 

Zack held him a little closer and brushed his lips over his cheek. “I'm kind of glad you don't remember all that. It was a hard struggle and it was kind of scary, being on the run from ShinRa. All I wanted to do was keep you safe.”

 

Cloud turned his head and kissed him on the mouth. “Love you,” he whispered.

 

Zack responded to the kiss and deepened it, pushing his fingers through Cloud's soft hair. His mouth moved with sensual care against the blonde's and his tongue gently pushed in to caress his. Cloud's body heat rose and his breath quickened and what Zack intended as a brief kiss turned into a make out session. Aroused by the taste and feel of the smaller man in his arms, Zack pulled his hand out of Cloud's hair and slid it down, over his shoulders and to his stomach. He tugged the blonde's shirt out of his pants and deftly slipped his hand up under it, exploring the sleek muscles of his stomach and chest.

 

Cloud uttered a soft gasp of pleasure into his mouth as Zack fondled a nipple and he began to reciprocate, running his hands over the dark-haired fighter's shoulders and chest without a care for where they were or who could come down and see them. In the back of his mind he wondered how he could get so hot this quickly when he'd just recently destroyed the bathroom wall in his vigor with Reno.

 

~But we were…interrupted. Neither of us got to finish so technically I only got half a lay. Oh Shiva…now I'm starting to sound like Reno!~

 

“Hold it,” Cloud gasped as he broke the kiss. “We can't let it go too far down here. People come down to get things now and then.”

 

Zack groaned a little but he obligingly stopped feeling him up. “Okay cutie-pie. When we get back to Junon, you owe me.”

 

Cloud smirked. “You're on. So, about Lazard…I wonder if he and Rufus are really related. I mean, could he have been his real father?” Cloud had always wondered how a fat, unattractive man like the old president managed to father such a handsome son.

 

The swift change of subject was a clever move on his part and Zack silently congratulated him for it. He laughed at Cloud's theory, though. “Unless the president's wife was a child molester, that's not possible. Lazard would have had to be seven years old. Naw, if they're related it's not as father and son.”

 

He frowned as he cast his mind back through the years. There was something important nagging him, buried in his memories. “I'm remembering something,” he announced in a low voice, his eyes unfocused as he struggled to recall it. “I'm not the only one that noticed the resemblance between them. I met a few people that said they looked a lot alike before I ever even laid eyes on Rufus Shinra and I remember talking to a lady in Sector 5 that said she knew a woman that recently died who had an affair with the president…and she said he had a son.”

 

Cloud's eyes widened. “So then Lazard could have been Rufus's half brother.”

 

Zack nodded slowly. “It would explain a lot about some of the messages I got on my phone from Lazard after Rufus was promoted to Vice President. He was real bitter about it and he kept going on about `bad blood'. I think he started working with Hollander to get back at his old man, if he was really President Shinra's bastard kid.”

 

Cloud grimaced at his lover's word use. “I really hate that term: `bastard' kid. Just because the parents didn't sign a piece of paper and exchange rings doesn't make a kid illegitimate. If it takes a ceremony to make a birth mean something then I've bred a lot of bastard chocobos.”

 

Zack burst into laughter and squeezed the blonde affectionately. “The animal kingdom doesn't follow the same rules as us, but I get where you're coming from. I know you've helped take care of a lot of orphaned and abandoned kids so I see why it bugs you. I don't think of `fatherless' kids that way but society does. From a politician perspective, news that you've got a kid from infidelity could really screw with your public image, you know?”

 

Cloud nodded. “Yeah, it's not fair but I get that. I just hate seeing people take it out on the kids like that. Call the father a `bastard' for abandoning them but don't punish someone for what they can't help.”

 

“You're really passionate about this,” Zack observed with a smile. “It really says something about your character, Cloudy. You're one righteous dude.”

 

Cloud shrugged, embarrassed. “I just think it's dumb. So, Lazard was probably Rufus's half-brother? I wonder if he knows.”

 

Remembering the way the president's expression went so carefully neutral the day Zack mentioned his resemblance to the former Director, Zack nodded. “I'll bet he does. I wonder what that would do to a kid, to find out his old man was cheating on his mother and got some other woman pregnant.”

 

Cloud felt a burst of sympathy for Rufus as the possible revelation brought him closer to understanding the man. “Growing up with all that responsibility hanging over his head probably didn't make it any easier,” he murmured thoughtfully. When they returned to Junon and things settled down again, he thought he should try to do something nice for Rufus. He didn't know if he'd ever muster the nerve to ask him about the theory directly but if it was true, it would explain a lot about the president's apparent coldness and ruthless nature.

 

“You're a really sweet guy, Cloud,” Zack whispered with a smile when he saw the naked sympathy in the blonde's eyes. “Am I wrong to think your feelings for the president are a lot like mine were for Lazard? You kind of love him, don't you?”

 

“He's kind of a hard guy for me to love,” Cloud alluded with a little smirk. “It's…”

 

“…Complicated,” finished Zack for him with a smile. “Sounds like in some ways, he's got more in common with Lazard than looks.”

 

“Sounds like it,” agreed Cloud. He shifted closer to Zack and laid his head on his shoulder. “I don't like him a lot of the time, but I think I do love him at least a little. It's taken a while to get there but I just…can't help it.”

 

Zack reached up to caress the blonde's face with his fingers. “I know. I was in the same predicament. So, do you understand why it spooks me a little to get involved with him?”

 

Cloud tilted his head back and looked at him with a nod. “I understand. I think it would spook me too if I were you.”

 

Zack lowered his mouth to the smaller man's and kissed his soft lips, grateful that he wasn't pushing the issue further. Cloud responded with gentle eagerness and the kiss deepened further. It only took moments for both young men to once again forget where they were and why making out was a bad idea. Their hands began to explore one another's bodies and just as Zack slipped a hand between Cloud's thighs to rub his crotch, a familiar voice rudely brought him back to his senses.

 

“Check out the lust puppies,” Reno said smugly.

 

Neither of them had heard him come down the stairs or approach and they pulled away from one another hastily when they saw that Rude was with the redhead. The bald man didn't comment and his expression was unreadable, but Reno was grinning like a fox in a chicken coop.

 

“You snuck up on us,” Zack accused. He couldn't help but smile a little when he saw Cloud's face turn pink. “Look at what you did…now we've got a pink chocobo on our hands.”

 

“We didn't sneak up,” Reno corrected, his smirk never dropping. “I even cleared my throat when we got to the bottom of the stairs and saw ya. The two of you were just too busy playing tonsil tennis to notice.”

 

Cloud grumbled and scooted forward to hop off of the crate he was on. “Is there something you need or did you and Rude come down here to…you know.”

 

Rude became very interested in the ceiling and Reno clucked his tongue. “After what happened in the bathroom? Even I can learn my lesson for a little while, Blondie. I can wait `till we dock in Junon to get more action. I just wanted to see if you guys wanted to come have some drinks with me in the mess and this was the last place we hadn't checked yet.”

 

“The bathroom?” Zack's eyebrows shot up with interest. “On my way down here I heard someone saying the wall between two of the bathrooms has a huge hole in it. Did you guys have something to do with that?”

 

Cloud and Rude both looked mortified but Reno's grin just broadened. The redhead nodded. “Oh yeah. Cloud was putting it to me real good. I guess he did his job a little too well, `cause the next thing I knew we were crashing into the next bathroom…right at Rude's feet. How do ya like that shit?”

 

Zack blinked and looked from Cloud's ruddy face to Rude's frozen one. “Is he joking? Sometimes I can't tell.”

 

“I wish he was,” Cloud mumbled.

 

Zack burst into laughter and Reno followed him. “Oh man…what I wouldn't give to have been a fly on one of the other walls when that happened! What are the odds?” Zack patted Cloud with insincere sympathy. “I guess you two are lucky you busted in on Rude and not someone else. Imagine if it had been Vincent or Tseng!”

 

“I'd rather not,” Rude grumbled. He made a show of checking his watch and he tightened his gloved hand over the handle of his briefcase. “Well, we've found `em partner. I've got some files to work on. See you later.”

 

“Later, man.” Reno watched his partner leave with an amused grin. When Rude was up the stairs and out of sight, the redhead turned to his other two lovers and eyed them thoughtfully. “So you two came down here to make out, huh? Damn Cloud…and they say I'm a nympho.”

 

“We didn't come here to make out,” Cloud sighed. “We were just talking.”

 

“Uh-huh,” Reno said slyly. “So what language was that I saw you using, Blondie? Must be a real tongue-twisting dialect `cause from where I was standing, it sure looked like kissing to me.”

 

“Well, it ended up in kissing,” Zack admitted with a wink. “We did start out talking, though. Just got a little frisky there at the end.”

 

“Hmm, no objections to that.” Reno reached out and tweaked a strand of Cloud's fluffy golden hair. “So how about it? We've still got hours to kill on this boat and since we can't pass the time fucking without busting down walls or giving people a show, might as well have some celebration drinks, yo.”

 

Zack snickered softly as Cloud put his face in his hands. “Feather-head could probably use a drink to loosen up a little and I think a beer or three sounds pretty good.”

 

~********************************~

 

They ran into Cid and Barret in the mess hall after about an hour and they joined them for some drinks by the time another two hours passed, Zack was unsteady on his feet and Cloud cut him off from drinking. The black-haired fighter didn't argue, knowing that his tolerance wasn't what it used to be and uninterested in spending the rest of the trip throwing up. People were waking up and seeking food by then so there were a few sleeping bunks available. Cloud and Reno helped Zack into one and they lay down together in another bunk adjacent to it and napped as well. The booze did its work and all three of them slept for the rest of the trip, not waking up until Tifa came in and gently roused them to inform them the ship had docked.

 

It took roughly an hour to get people and personal belongings unloaded from the transport ships. Cloud and Zack stuck around to help even after they got their own bags and so did Tifa and Barret. Reno was suffering a form of jet lag and he took a cab to his apartment to get some rest. He was going to talk to his partner before he left but he saw Rude talking with Genesis near the boarding ramp and he had enough tact to leave the two of them alone. It was hard enough to get Rude moving on his own without someone interrupting his momentum.

 

Cloud spotted Rufus and Tseng exiting the ship after a while and the president's eyes met his across the distance. A faint smile curved Rufus's lips and he gave Cloud a subtle nod of greeting, which the fighter returned. Rufus murmured something to Tseng and Cloud could have sworn he saw the Wutaian tense a bit. The pair of them walked together towards a black limo waiting for them at the entrance to the harbor docks and a baggage handler followed behind them, pushing a trolley with their luggage.

 

“They always travel in style, don't they?”

 

Cloud turned at the sound of the cultured voice and he smirked a little at Reeve and nodded. “I notice you don't have any fancy cars waiting to pick you up.”

 

“No,” agreed Reeve with a smile at Vincent, who had come up silently beside him. “We're taking a cab. The money it costs to hire a limo could feed a family of six for a week.”

 

“Where's Cait Sith and Monkeyshines?” Zack asked with a grin. He liked Reeve. The man had a good sense of humor and he wasn't full of himself, despite his position of authority and VIP status.

 

“They're both safely in their crates and being delivered to my office at Headquarters,” Reeve assured him. “I can't leave them active without supervision of some sort…they would both get into no end of trouble.”

 

“Sounds like a pair of kids,” Cloud snorted.

 

“They aren't dissimilar,” agreed Reeve. “Speaking of kids, I'll bet you, Barret and Tifa are anxious to get back to Denzel and Marlene. Why don't you let my people take it from here and get a lift to Headquarters?”

 

Cloud considered it. There really wasn't much for them to help with and Reeve was right…he was anxious to see the kids. A glance at Barret and Tifa showed him they were even more eager to go. “I guess we should do that. Zack and I can take Fenrir, so maybe the rest of you can squeeze into one cab if you and Vincent are going to Headquarters.”

 

“We are,” Vincent nodded.

 

“Unfortunately,” sighed Reeve good-naturedly. “I'd love to go straight to my apartment, have a soak in the tub and crawl into bed but there's paperwork to be done and reports to go over. I've got documents to sign concerning Weiss and we've got pictures to develop.”

 

“Pictures?” Tifa repeated curiously.

 

“Photo identification,” explained Vincent softly. “It's necessary not only for the prisoners but also for the dead on both sides.”

 

“Tseng also wants Cissnei to have a look through them,” Reeve said with a look of distaste on his handsome features. “One of her attackers was still at large and Tseng wants to know if he was amongst the prisoners or the dead. I just hope that poor girl is okay with it.”

 

“Those Turks sho' take it seriously when someone beats up one of their own,” Barret remarked.

 

Cloud looked away and Tifa shared an uncomfortable glance with Reeve and Zack. Barret wasn't aware that Cissnei's assault wasn't just a case of getting beaten up and it wasn't their place to inform him of the truth.

 

“Well, they really trashed her,” Zack said tactfully. “Beat her nearly to death, in fact. It wasn't the same thing as gunning someone down in the heat of battle; they caught her on a scouting mission and put her in the hospital.” His answer was truthful, even though he didn't include all of the information.

 

The explanation was sufficient enough. Barret's mouth pressed into a hard line and he nodded grimly. “Then I hope she finds the last one in those pictures,” he muttered, thinking of his adopted daughter and what he'd have done if someone ever beat up Marlene that way. “There ain't a damn thing right about kicking around a helpless prisoner…especially no woman! I'd like a few minutes alone with one of `em my damn self.”

 

“Step in line with the rest of us and grab a number,” Zack said seriously. “If this last guy is one of the prisoners, he's going to find out he'd have been better off if he'd died in combat.”

 

Cloud examined his lover and felt a chill race down his spine. Zack's eyes were hard and cold and his comely face had a stern, unforgiving expression on it. Moments like this reminded Cloud that for all his boyish horseplay and tender lovemaking, Zack Fair was a trained killer and he did have a dark side under the right circumstances.

 

~************************************~

 

Marlene and Denzel met them in the lobby as soon as they entered Headquarters. The smiles on the adult's faces died as soon as they realized that Denzel was hobbling to them on a pair of crutches. His left calf was encased in a cast and there was writing squiggled all over it.

 

“What happened to your leg?!” Tifa cried as she closed the distance between them. Cloud and Barret quickly followed. The coalminer's pleasure at seeing his adopted daughter again was tempered with concern for the boy that was like a brother to her.

 

“I had a little accident,” Denzel said sheepishly. “It's no big deal, okay?”

 

“He was showing off for his new friends,” Marlene said in her Important Voice. “The dummy jumped off a roof!”

 

Denzel shot a “You promised you'd keep your mouth shut” look at Marlene but she only shrugged and crossed her arms over her little chest, returning his look with one of her own that said she was still angry with him for making such a stupid move.

 

“How high was this roof?” Tifa demanded, thinking of how many tall buildings there were in Junon.

 

Denzel shrugged. “It was only a couple of stories high. The guys made a bet and I couldn't back down.” His voice cracked a little at the end of his sentence and he cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed as the timber deepened chaotically for a moment.

 

“A couple of stories! You could have broken your neck!” Tifa had the perfect tone and infliction of a worried mother and Cloud stood looking at the boy with a fatherly, stern expression.

 

Zack grinned knowingly. Denzel was at that age which Zack wouldn't have revisited for a million gil. Hair was growing in new places, his voice was changing…and he was probably noticing girls in a way that made him lower his schoolbooks strategically over his pelvis as they walked by, to conceal what no boy on Gaia could consciously control.

 

“Were there girls watching?” Zack queried.

 

Denzel nodded and Zack exchanged an amused look with Cloud and winked at Tifa. “Don't be too hard on him, Tifa. When there are girls watching you might as well put a gun to a guy's head and threaten to blow his brains out if he doesn't take the dare. You women don't know your own power.”

 

Tifa rolled her eyes and looked at Cloud. “What's your take on that theory?”

 

Cloud shifted uncomfortably and lowered his eyes as he nodded. “It's true. Don't you remember me trying to impress you at that age? It's kind of a right of passage…even if…well, you know.”

 

~Even if you're fantasizing about the boy next door.~

 

Tifa groaned a little and looked to Barret, who was grinning his rough, masculine grin. “That's how it is, girl,” the coal miner confirmed. “Better get used to it `cause the women make jackasses of us all.”

 

Truthfully, Tifa was trying not to laugh. All of the guys were looking sheepish and even though Cloud was completely gay, she did have some memories of him doing things to impress her just like the other boys when they were kids. It seemed to be some sort of hardwired, competitive instinct for boys of all shapes, sizes and orientation to show off for girls.

 

“Cloud jumps off roofs all the time,” Denzel reminded awkwardly.

 

Cloud looked a bit alarmed. “I'm Mako enhanced and trained to fall long distances without hurting myself,” he informed the teenager. “You aren't.”

 

“Well I will be some day,” Denzel argued. “I'm going to join the WRO and they'll train me. I won't be as strong as you since they don't do the Mako stuff but I'll still learn how to fight. I've been practicing.”

 

Cloud knew that the kid could hold his own in a combat situation better than a lot of other kids his age. He'd seen it from a distance before. He smiled at him—even though he inwardly hated the thought of Denzel joining any military organization. The only reason he didn't vehemently object to it was because for one thing, the WRO was run by a trusted friend and for another, as someone that was once Denzel's age with similar dreams he knew that criticizing or discouraging his plans wouldn't stop him from carrying them out. If anything it would only serve to drive a wedge between them and drive Denzel to seek recruitment that much faster.

 

“Until that happens, just remember you're not there yet,” Cloud murmured gently. “And you'll never get there if you get yourself killed pulling reckless stunts, okay?”

 

Denzel smiled a little. “Okay.”

 

“Why haven't they healed you with materia?” Zack wondered aloud. “I mean, shouldn't they have just used a Cure spell after they set the bone?”

 

“They said all the materia went with the armies,” Marlene informed him.

 

Reeve approached, now that the family lecture appeared to be finishing. “The materia we've still got should be charged back up in a couple of days. As soon as it is, I'll arrange for it to be used on him so we can get that thing off his leg.”

 

“Wait until you've gotten the critically injured fighters taken care of, first,” advised Cloud with a frown. “I know the cast is uncomfortable but Denzel can wear it until we've saved everyone we can.”

 

Reeve nodded, impressed with the blonde's logic and grateful for it. “Of course. It's really no wonder our people nominated you as their General, Cloud.” He looked at Denzel, who had perked up at the mention of Cloud's new, surprise rank. “Are you okay with that, Denzel? I know it itches and it's a pain to take a shower but Cloud's right…there are people that could die without materia intervention.”

 

Denzel nodded, his eyes wide. “Sure. The cast is kind of cool anyway. Everyone's been signing it.”

 

Zack smirked and leaned over to whisper something in Tifa's ear, making her chuckle and nod.

 

Denzel chose to ignore them, knowing they were sharing some kind of private joke about him and girls. He looked at Cloud with a wondering expression. “You're really a general now?”

 

“Uh…nothing official,” Cloud said hastily. “They've just been treating me like one.”

 

“Rufus intends to make it official,” Reeve said with a smile. “That is, if you'll accept it.”

 

Cloud looked slightly trapped. “I don't really want to re-join ShinRa. No offense Reeve but I had my fill of that life.”

 

“You wouldn't be under the command of ShinRa,” explained the engineer. “Like Zack, you'd be considered voluntary militia and you'll receive a pension. You'd be treated as an off-duty retiree and whether you join any future conflicts would be entirely at your discretion. We discussed it and we think you deserve some compensation for everything you've done…not just for us, but also for the planet and everyone living on it. Just think about it, Cloud.”

 

The blonde fighter caught himself before he could gulp and he looked over at Vincent, who stood silently watching. The gunman nodded encouragingly at him. After everything that Vincent had been through at ShinRa's hands, Cloud found it oddly reassuring that he found the proposal trustworthy.

 

“I'll think about it,” Cloud promised.

 

~**********************************~

 

Over the next several days, everyone was either busy with arrangements for the refugees and prisoners or recuperating from the conflict. Cloud's friends stayed and rested for two more days after arriving in Junon, before they took their leave. Amid hugs and kisses from Yuffie (followed by a quick search to be sure she hadn't nicked anything important), Cloud, Tifa and Zack saw them off. Cid was returning everyone to their respective homes on the Shera and Marlene was going with Barret to the newly rebuilt town of Corel for the summer. After exchanging heartfelt hugs with everyone, the little girl strictly ordered Denzel to be more careful.

 

After their friends had gone, Cloud and Tifa started making plans to return to Edge with Denzel and Zack but there was no rush. They both wanted to see what happened with Weiss and the other prisoners and Cloud wasn't in a hurry to be that far away from Reno again.

 

Genesis began a dubious career as an instructor to the ShinRa military, at the request of Rude. It was pretty obvious to the bald man's close acquaintances and lovers that he'd asked Rufus to create the position for Genesis because he wanted to stay close to him. Reno was practically fuming with impatience, which amused his lovers. There was something endearing about how badly the redhead wanted his partner to get what he so obviously wanted.

 

Reno was also annoyed at the extra work load he had to take on while Tseng was being “punished” for insubordination, but after reporting to Rufus's office and seeing the Wutaian shirtless, collared and secured to an extended chain that led out of the president's office bedroom, he decided it was worth the temporary burden.

 

Thinking about the things that Rufus was probably doing to Tseng each night gave Reno a monster hard on and the redhead ended up jumping Cloud one morning just as he was trying to get out the door of the suite he was now sharing with Zack. Zack returned from breakfast at the cafeteria to find his blonde lover being thoroughly ridden by his redheaded lover. He had no complaints…in fact, he snapped a picture on his cellphone despite Cloud's protests.

 

As far as everyone outside the “circle” was concerned, Tseng was off duty for an undetermined amount of time but there was something he had to do before he completely vanished from public view for his official “vacation”. Rufus allowed it, knowing that Tseng would keep his word and return to his office as soon as he finished his task.

 

Cissnei identified one of the prisoners as the last of her assailants and though Zack, Reno, Elena and several other people in both the WRO and the Turks wanted dearly to express their righteous anger and inflict bodily harm on him, the privilege belonged to her. She tiredly declined when Tseng spoke to her about it, explaining that she'd had enough of death and pain.

 

“I know you're disappointed,” she said achingly to him.

 

“No,” Tseng corrected with a shake of his head. “Far from it. You've shown strength and courage, little sparrow. I would be honored to carry out justice for you.”

 

Her eyes filled with tears. “Thank you. Please, just end it, Sir. Maybe the nightmares will stop once he's gone and I know he won't be coming after me.”

 

Tseng nodded slowly. “I promise. Now take your medication and get some sleep. Your therapist has informed me that you've been making excellent progress and I want you to give it your best in your session tomorrow.”

 

“I promise,” she whispered with a broken little smile.

 

Tseng returned the smile, picked up the briefcase he'd brought with him and turned away. As soon as he was out the door of Cissnei's infirmary room, his smile dropped and his sculpted features became cold and set as marble. A nurse hastily moved out of the way as he stalked gracefully out of the med ward toward the elevator, pulling his cellphone out of his blazer as he went.

 

“Sir, I'm about to begin on the final assailant,” murmured the Turk leader as the other line picked up. “I can't give an estimate of how long it will take, but I'll return to your office as soon as it's over. Yes, Sir. Thank you.” He ended the call and replaced the phone in his blazer as he stepped into the elevator and selected a lower floor.

 

People moved aside when he arrived at the incarceration level and made his way to the holding cell of Cissnei's rapist. When he arrived he ordered the guards to strap the prisoner to a table and not to disturb him afterwards, no matter what they heard. Once the prisoner was secured, Tseng entered the cell and shut the door behind him before opening his briefcase to reveal all manner of blades, needles and devices.

 

The prisoner's screams over the next four hours and seventeen minutes were bound to become legendary and they didn't end until he stopped breathing.

 

~*******************************~

 

-To be continued