Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Innocence ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimers : : I own none of the characters. Just the plot.

*word* -- happening (i.e. *crack*)

~*~ -- flashback

~#~ -- scene change

//word// -- thoughts

"word" -- speech

~word~ -- memory

Garnet Eyes

Innocence

Waking up from his blackout took effort on Sephiroth's part, but he heard Hojo babbling something to him and something told him he should know what was being said.

". . . Your vital signs are very stable for the rest of your condition. I almost wonder if I didn't make it strong enough for you, Sephiroth. After all, I have a lot of work I must catch up on. But you've been in there for almost a day and a half now. That should be enough."

The cell opened several vents above and below, and the Mako left rapidly, replaced by air. The General let himself drift to the bottom with the Mako, allowing his body the final amount of rest it would get. When his arms reached the floor of the cell, he started coughing harshly. Mako forced a path out of his lungs and through his mouth and nose. It burned worse coming up than going down. Cold air seared his lungs when Sephiroth breathed in, and his hand wrapped around his throat in a futile attempt to stop the pain. Several moments later, water rushed into the chamber and ran over him, dragging most of the remnants of the green liquid from his body. His muscles refused to respond to him, so he just stayed down on the bottom of the tank.

"Get up, boy. I don't have time for you to act like such a weakling."

At first, Sephiroth didn't seem to have heard. Actually, he couldn't get his muscles to respond to what he wanted. It took him several minutes to move his arms into position to lift his torso up. Hojo, becoming impatient, opened the glass door and grabbed a handful of lank silver hair, yanking Sephiroth forward. Arms giving out, he fell face first on the cold white floor, coughing up remnants of Mako.

"Sephiroth! Get up!!"

He barely felt the impact of the foot against his side, but the aftershocks of pain came all the same. Still, he couldn't get up. Clawing at the ground as Hojo yanked him by his hair toward the steel table he had previously been on, the General tried desperately to pull himself up. They stopped at the table and the professor let go of him, standing impatiently next to him as Sephiroth slowly began to pick himself up, using the table as a leaver. His legs still wouldn't respond, and he collapsed back on the ground, pain beginning to overwhelm him. Hojo nudged him with a foot, but he couldn't respond. Making a small displeasured noise, the professor walked away, leaving Sephiroth to his pain.

~*~

Groaning, Sephiroth shifted again in his bed, cold sweat covering his body. A warm breeze drifted in through the open window of the hotel room in Gongaga, but the General himself was somewhere else entirely. He clawed into the bed with a pained moan, ripping at the sheets under him. The covers were in complete disarray, mostly bunched on the floor by the bed.

~*~

When Hojo came back, Sephiroth had managed to get up and start getting his clothes on. When he was a child, they always locked him in his cage to watch his response to the added Mako and he somehow doubted this would be any different.

"What are you doing, boy?"

Sephiroth looked up, his body trembling from the agony of Mako coursing through his veins, and Hojo slapped his face.

"I never told you to get dressed. Get out of those."

Too tired to argue, Sephiroth brought a shaking hand up to begin to remove his trench coat. He couldn't do it fast enough for the professor, who shoved him back against the steel table and began forcing his clothes off. The General's clothes were in shreds by the time Hojo had finished with them.

"Get on it."

The professor was indicating the table, and it took all of Sephiroth's strength to climb up onto it. He heard a zipper before the professor appeared behind him, and after that everything blacked out for him. He just didn't want to feel it, but the pain managed to seep through every defense anyway. He had cried, he was sure, but the most humiliating was moreover the force of agony he was feeling. Blood poured out of him, but Hojo was not happy with just that. He clawed at Sephiroth's flesh, almost like he was angry with him. Induced blood almost invariably with his sharp nails and still continued. Most of it was skewed from the silver warrior's mind because Hojo had landed a sharp thrust that sent the General's head into the corner of the table, and he blacked out after that. But when he woke up, he was lying in a pool of his own blood alone in the lab. He crawled to the edge of the table and fell off the side, unable to find use of his legs, and just laid still on the floor for a minute. But Hojo would be back, and Sephiroth didn't want to be there when he returned.

His thoughts shattered as he felt his stomach twist. It was his final stage of 'recovery' from the Mako, though he was left sore for days afterward. He heaved, throwing up everything that he had in his stomach until it was just dry heaving, and even then he couldn't stop. It was one of the more painful parts of the entire process because it left no room to breathe, and he almost got to the point of passing out before his stomach stopped knotting itself. Panting, the General stayed still on the floor for several moments as he collected himself. Hojo would be back soon. He didn't want to be around when that happened. So he forced himself up and pulled whatever was left of his clothes back on, dragging himself out of the lab with a limp. He could see his blood trail, but he was too tired to try to clean it up. Someone else would. He just wanted to be someplace safe. Safe from the professor and safe from himself and his pain. Not that he really knew what that was, but he had a place to return to and he could be alone and no one would mock him for his tears.

But Hojo stopped him; blocked him.

"Consider this your first checkup. I'll schedule you for another later."

With that, he was gone; left Sephiroth to stand there, trembling. He had to get away. In the background of his thoughts, he heard Hojo's cackle and shuddered.

~*~

With a startled cry, Sephiroth bolted upright in his bed. His entire body shook as his eyes darted around the room, searching frantically for where that man was. He knew the professor was here. The sound of his laughter echoed in the General's head as he twisted, looking desperately for where the scientist was. Only the leaves of trees outside made noise as the breeze dragged through them. Still Sephiroth's pulse did not slow. He was panicked; Hojo was here. He knew it.

Looking into the shadows of the room, he kept seeing Hojo reaching out for him, and he backed toward the other side of the bed. Then he'd see the professor on the other side and back away again. After several minutes, Sephiroth pulled all the sheets around himself and curled into the center of the bed, crying. He wasn't showing himself; he was just tormenting the General-breaking him. There was no one here to help; no one to make him feel better. No one to take the pain. No one. . .

A hand touched his back and he screamed, seemingly uselessly. So, Hojo would take him now. Another hand touched his back, then another, and Sephiroth was suddenly confused. Another person? When did Hojo bring another person into it? Two strong hands wrapped around his shoulders and started shaking him, but he stayed limp; better to just not move when that man wanted something. It was less painful that way.

"Sephiroth? Sephiroth!"

"Sephiroth, snap out of it!"

The words seemed far off; but. . . they didn't sound like Hojo. Then, in the dark of the room, he saw the brunette hair and screamed, lashing out. The person went flying, but then he was restrained from behind and he started kicking and squirming. He didn't want it to happen again. Not again.

The brunette got back up and, with the combined forces of both men, the General was forced flat on his stomach on the bed. Finding struggling useless, Sephiroth finally just fell limp, tears streaming down his face. It was going to happen again.

"Hey! Wake up!!"

"Love, calm down!"

The General shoved his face into the bedding, hoping to suffocate himself if nothing else. But then one of the men yanked him away from the bed, pulling him tightly against himself. Sephiroth could only continue to cry, barely feeling the other wrap sheets around his body. His cheek was pressed against a solid chest, and one hand held him at the nape of his neck while the other wrapped around his upper back. He just pressed his cheek into the chest he was against and let the tears fall, waiting for the pain.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. . ."

"I've never seen him like this before."

"Never this bad. . ."

"This has happened before?"

"Sort of."

"You didn't tell anyone?"

"Why should I? He needed the release, and I wasn't about to make him feel like he couldn't trust me."

"But this is serious if he does this. He needs to see someone."

"Like who? A therapist? Well that wouldn't do, now would it? You know the Shin-Ra wouldn't let it happen."

"Hey; fuck them. He needs someone!"

"He has someone. He has us. Now help me calm him down so he'll talk about what's wrong. Yelling is not helping."

". . ."

Sephiroth felt a body press up against him from behind and he whimpered, preparing for what was sure to come. But it didn't. He was forced up to having his chin rest on the first man's shoulder as two bodies wrapped around him. But his eyes were too clouded with tears to see anymore. He just cried, rubbing his eyes on the cloth on the first man's shoulder as they rocked him. Finally, he let his head rest and rubbed his cheek against the side of a head, only to feel soft, almost silken texture. Nothing about Hojo could be described like that, so the General opened his eyes to see blonde. That was definitely not Hojo. But, who did he know with blonde hair?

"C-cloud?"

"Hmm?"

A sob escaped his throat and he wrapped his arms, previously limp, around his sunshine. Cloud was here; he was safe. But. . . who was the other? The brunette?

"W-who. . . ?"

"It's me, Sephiroth. Just me; don't worry about anything."

"Zax. . . ?"

"Yup. Just couldn't wait 'til morning to bring ya my cheer."

"Wh-where is he. . . ?"

Both Zax and Cloud looked at each other in confusion before leaning back down close to Sephiroth.

"Who?"

"H. . .ho. . ."

His voice kept choking every time he tried to speak; he couldn't say it. He couldn't say that god-awful name. Every time he tried, his body just started shaking more. The blonde finally just kissed the top of his head and started hushing him. Zax rubbed his back comfortingly and the General eventually stopped sobbing. He rubbed his face into Cloud's shoulder before the blonde settled Sephiroth in his lap, facing Zax.

"It's okay, Seph; Zax and I are here and we won't let anyone touch you. Whoever was hurting you won't get passed us."

The silver warrior shook his head as he hiccupped, tears bunched at the corners of his glassy jade eyes. They couldn't stop the professor if he had come; the man always got what he wanted.

"Shhh. . . calm down, love. It's okay; you're safe. You're safe. Shh, you're safe."

The General sniffed and nodded minutely, curling back into Cloud slightly as the blonde stroked his hair. Zax got up off the bed and began pacing the still dark room, arms crossed over his chest as he looked around. Jade followed his path, watching each step fixedly until the brunette stopped at the window and looked out. Stars speckled the velvety black sky, full moon shining brightly overhead. Nights were always beautiful in Gongaga. And the town was still sleeping peacefully. Obviously, Sephiroth's little scream-fest earlier hadn't woken anyone up but Cloud and the brunette swordsman. Which was a good thing. Even though that just made Zax worry more. He had heard Sephiroth clearly, and immediately bolted out of his room and out the door to his house. Cloud came out at just about the same time and they had both run up into the General's room with their swords ready. The man hadn't even seemed like he was there; and if he was, he was seeing things in his vision that were making him panic. And Sephiroth and panic weren't two words that should ever be used in the same sentence. So what had happened?

In the background, Zax heard Cloud's light alto voice singing a lullaby and he turned to see Sephiroth lying placidly in the blonde's arms, jade eyes half closed. He smiled to himself and walked over, joining in the calming melody in tenor himself. The General just curled down into Cloud with a tiny yawn and held both of his arms over one of the blonde's, keeping it over his chest. Sephiroth closed his eyes for a while, and when he opened them it was just a woozy glance at his surroundings.

Cloud and Zax were both feeling better since their superior and lover/best friend respectively was falling back into himself. Pale arms tensed around Cloud's arm and the blonde quickly looked down at his taller lover, afraid that he was relapsing.

"You."

It was the most spite-filled word Cloud had ever heard come out of Sephiroth's mouth, and the blonde's eyes immediately darted up in the direction the General's had been in. Sephiroth, however, was already fully in action, Masamune in hand as he dived for the door to his room. Zax grabbed him and restrained him from whatever he was planning, but not before he heard footsteps leaping away from the door.

"Cloud. Check."

Without hesitation Cloud looked out into the hall, but whoever had been there was gone. He checked around for some sign of who it was, but there wasn't a trace in sight. Of course, he couldn't look for very long, as Sephiroth was now struggling to get out of Zax's grip and chase down whoever had been out there. He had yet to let go of the Masamune, either. And he was now threatening to put it to use on Zax. Well, that wouldn't do.

"Sephiroth!"

Before the silver warrior had the chance to respond, Cloud was in front of him, the Masamune's edge at his throat. Azure was staring directly into jade, holding steadily as the blonde spoke.

"Let go of it; we'll go after whoever was there in the morning. I want you to calm down, first. Just killing the person doesn't solve it, Sephiroth. You have to think first, koi. If you really want to kill them, then your sword has to come out from between us somehow; that would be through my throat. Are you going to do that?"

The General stared in murderous rage for only a moment longer before his arms started to shake. The Masamune dropped from his hands and Sephiroth fell to his knees, curling up and hugging Cloud's ankles as tears began slow paths down his cheeks again.

"I can't. . . I can't do that. . ."

The blonde dropped down to the ground, pulling Sephiroth up and, with Zax help, placing him back on the bed. Cloud brought his taller lover into his lap and rocked, humming the lullaby previously sung as he ran one hand through silver. The brunette stood at the door, looking over the hallway outside to make sure there was nothing amiss, before he walked back in and sat next to the two curled in the center of the bed. Both he and Cloud began singing the lullaby again, and Sephiroth nuzzled down into Cloud's chest as he listened.

In time the General calmed down enough to be drowsy again, but he didn't want to go to sleep. His mind kept playing tricks on his senses and he kept seeing Hojo standing right at the edge of his room with that murderous glare in his eyes or hearing the professor's demented cackling echo throughout the room. Cloud moved him down so the silver warrior was laying flat on the bed and motioned Zax to lay on his side behind Sephiroth. When the brunette was there, Cloud pushed Sephiroth's back up against Zax's chest and laid in front of him. Arms wrapped around the General from both sides and Cloud nuzzled his cheek into the silver warrior's pale chest, curling tightly into him.

"Rest now, Seph. Zax and I will keep you safe."

With that, he passed a hand over the General's eyes, closing them, and brought a hand behind the silver head of his superior. Sephiroth eventually fell asleep, Zax and Cloud following soon after, and they stayed completely spooned together for the rest of the night.

~#~

Dawn came with no surprises, and Zax and Cloud roused from sleep to survey their superior's room carefully. There was nothing amiss, and Sephiroth was still bundled tightly between them. Cloud pushed his sleeping lover back into Zax's body and began packing all of Sephiroth's clothes. After that was in order, he went back to the pair on the bed and brought the General over to himself.

"Get your stuff ready, Zax. I'll stay with him until you come back."

The brunette nodded and left, going back to his parents' home to get his things together. Cloud simply watched his lover sleep for a while before he heard the engines of the vans bringing the regulars that would be stationed in Gongaga after they left. The blonde bent down and kissed the General's lips softly, soon hearing the small cooing noise Sephiroth always made when he woke up from his sleep by a kiss. Cloud opened his eyes slowly, trying to gauge his superior's response to his situation now that he had rested. The silver warrior merely half opened his eyes and smiled up at the blonde above him.

"'Morning."

"As long as you're feeling better, I'll say good morning back."

Sephiroth nodded as jade closed, a pale arm draping over his face.

"'M fine now."

"Care to talk about it?"

The General made a small shrugging motion before he sat up, gathering his bearings.

"I. . . I guess I just had a nightmare of sorts."

Sephiroth chuckled slightly before jade looked into azure, somehow hollow.

"I'm surprised it didn't happen before. It's just the same; it doesn't change a thing. I'm sorry you had to go through what I put you through last night, anyway. And I'd like to apologize to Zax as well. I shouldn't have let that happen. It was just a dream; it had no bearing on reality. I was just too stressed to think straight."

"You're hiding from something."

It was a simple statement. Cloud stared directly into the hollow jade eyes of his lover, daring him to break his eyes away. The General couldn't, but there was a pain in the depths of jade that seemed unfathomable. The blonde hugged his superior tightly, head resting against head, chest against chest, and kissed his lover's pale neck.

"Tell me, Sephiroth. Tell me what's wrong. I love you; I don't want you hurting. I don't want you to be so frightened."

Abruptly, the General shoved backward, fire bright in his eyes.

"I am not afraid."

"Yes you are."

Cloud moved to bring his lover back into the embrace, but the man pushed back farther.

"No."

Cloud sat back on his haunches, looking directly into jade. The fire was just barely concealing something, and he knew it.

"Come here."

He wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck, doing nothing but holding him. The General stayed perfectly still, entire body tense. Finally, however, a few tears made their pathways down his cheeks and onto the blonde's arms. When he felt the wetness, Cloud pulled back to look into jade again. There was no longer a fire, but rather an incredible sadness there.

"What is it, love? What is hurting you so badly?"

Taking a sharp breath, Sephiroth turned his head away and closed his eyes. He immediately felt his blonde's arms wrap back around him and this time he returned the embrace.

"Cloud. . . just give me some time. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I just can't think about it now. It's too painful. Please, don't make me."

"Shh. It's okay, Seph. Don't push yourself. I just don't want you hurting."

Pushing his face into Cloud's shoulder, the General sniffed and squeezed harder.

"I just can't think about. . . what he did. . ."

Cloud tensed minutely, but Sephiroth felt it. The silver warrior pulled back slightly, unable to bring jade up to meet azure.

"It was about what happened to you when you disappeared before, wasn't it? Those three days no one knew where you were. It's the person that did that to you. Isn't it?"

The General refused to meet his gaze and Cloud suddenly seemed furious.

"It is."

Sephiroth still couldn't look up into his beloved's eyes, fearing that they would show how much his blonde didn't want him anymore. Cloud, however, grabbed his chin and forced his gaze up.

"Who is it, Sephiroth? Who did it? Who??"

A tremor ran up his spine and the General looked away. Cloud looked so angry.

"I will kill them. I will fucking slaughter the person that did this to you, Seph - the person that hurt you this badly. Don't even tell me; I'll find out anyway. And they will pay. No one hurts my lover and gets away with it."

Tentatively, jade eyes rose to azure and looked into the fiery depths of his sunshine. There was no revulsion, no malice, no disgust directed at him. All that he could see was love, a fiery line of defense, and a need for revenge. A strong sense of regret suddenly plagued the silver warrior; he couldn't let Cloud be so unhappy because of him.

"Cloud. . ."

Blazing azure eyes looked into jade and quickly softened to a passive blue. Thin arms wrapped around the General's chest as the blonde spoke.

"It's okay, love. It's all right. I promise."

Sephiroth let his head rest on Cloud's shoulder, just trying to pull together his frayed nerves. After a while, Zax walked in and then his sunshine left him with a kiss, going to pack his things. The brunette didn't press him for anything, which the silver warrior had originally been afraid would happen, but rather just filled him in that the regulars were ready and they could leave whenever. Deciding that walking out in his boxers wouldn't do, the General thanked Zax and dismissed him so he could dress in privacy.

After he was dressed, he washed his face to rid himself of whatever remnants of tears were left and combed his hair back. Making sure he looked presentable and as if absolutely nothing had happened, he grabbed his suitcase and the Masamune, walking out of his room and the building. Cloud and Zax were waiting for him outside the van that would take them through the first leg of their trip- to Costa del Sol.

The regulars were standing at attention for Sephiroth as he walked by, but he kept his practiced cold-aura up so that he didn't have to say anything until he got to the van. Once there, he merely turned back to see all 23 regulars still at attention and sighed.

"Keep this town free of problems, troops. I expect no less from Shin-Ra fighters."

With that, he hoisted himself into the van and Zax and Cloud followed. Madison Booth was already inside, but he was at the far end near a few crates. Sending him a death glare, Sephiroth sat down beside a large crate so it was between him and Booth. He didn't want to see him or he was sure he'd kill the idiot. Both Cloud and Zax noticed the glare and shot looks at each other as they sat down-Cloud on the side of the General that wasn't up against the crate and Zax on the opposing wall of the van to his comrades. The brunette and blonde started small talk about weapons and fighting techniques while the silver warrior just sat in silence, but they really hadn't expected him to talk. After a while of random war topics, Zax promised he'd find a good gunman to help Cloud with his gunning skills because they both knew that the only reason Cloud was not in SOLDIER was because of the guns.

~#~

All four days back to Costa del Sol, Booth never made a peep. The occasional death glares from Sephiroth probably helped that, but he stayed pretty hidden in the far end of the vehicle. It was a big relief to Zax and Cloud, who had pretty much guessed after the first half hour in the van that he had been the one at the door; Sephiroth just stayed curled next to the crate so that he wouldn't see Booth and get angry. The General also started showing a minimum of affection to his blonde; damn Booth straight to hell. During the nights, Sephiroth slept with his back to the crate and both arms wrapped around his smaller lover, who slept between the silver warrior's legs and made his pillow the General's chest. Zax slept propped against the wall opposite them and Booth slept lightly in the far end; very lightly for fear of something it seemed. There were no more comments made about the 'incident' and Sephiroth came into fairly good humor by the time they reached the coast.

Getting out of the vehicle, Sephiroth seemed even happier when he made reservations for three rooms, making sure that one of them was far away from the other two. He took Cloud shopping after they had put their bags in their room; curious as to the General's motives, the blonde went willingly. It served only to make the silver warrior even happier, as his sunshine always refused shopping.

They went to several stores, though Sephiroth obviously had some intention set for the outing, and ended up picking out swimsuits as well as some formal wear. The General was making good on his promise to spend a day on the beach and then have a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant. But it was late out once they had finished all their shopping, and the stars were out and shining brightly. Now fully affectionate whether Booth was around or not, Sephiroth had one hand linked with one of his sunshine's while the other held a few shopping bags. For a while they simply walked along the streets, enjoying the peaceful noises of the town; there was no rush for their room. And it was a lovely night, but they would enjoy themselves more tomorrow.

~#~

Cloud woke up to the near constant shifting of the bed he and Sephiroth were sharing. With a small groan, the blonde elbowed his lover in the side and dropped his head to the bed. Sephiroth had stolen the pillow yet again and was now shoving Cloud half off the bed with his legs, though the rest of him was turned away. Elbowing him again, Cloud grabbed the pillow and yanked it with both hands so Sephiroth fell against the bed with a grunt, now fully awake. The blonde simply curled his arms around it and buried his head down in the newly claimed pillow, turning his head away from his lover.

Jade eyes narrowed slightly as Sephiroth regained his senses fully and he realized what happened. He picked himself up only enough to turn his head, seeing Cloud curled up comfortably with the pillow encased in his arms. With a low growl, Sephiroth yanked it back and shoved it under his head, turning away from the blonde. That just didn't sit well with Cloud, who then got entirely up out of the bed to walk to the other side. The General, not knowing the intention of Cloud's disappearance from the bed, turned his head over to the side his blonde had previously been on. He had just enough time to register hands on the other side of the pillow before it was gone and his head fell back on the bed. Then Cloud crawled over the silver warrior back to his side of the little bed and pushed his head down into the pillow, ignoring Sephiroth's glare entirely.

That did it for the General; with one solid yank, he whipped the pillow away from Cloud and put his full body weight on it, turning away from the blonde. He wasn't even using it as a headrest anymore-that was just for spite. But, Cloud had already grown tired of this little game, and so he shoved Sephiroth off the pillow. Not prepared for that, the General fell off the bed from the force of his little blonde's shove. After hitting the ground, the silver warrior rapidly picked himself up to see his lover sitting back on his haunches on the bed, pillow held tightly against his chest. From the look in his azure eyes, Sephiroth could tell his sunshine was taking this as a game and enjoying himself. Well, game or not he was going to get his little lover back for that.

He pounced, pushing the blonde back against the bed and dislodging the pillow from his grip, but not before Cloud managed to get in a face shot with it. Shaking his head, the General watched a few stray feathers from the pillow float out of his hair. It just made Cloud grin even more.

"You stole the pillow from me. I just took it back."

"You elbowed my ribs."

"You almost kicked me off the bed."

"You shoved me off the bed."

"You heal faster."

With a small laugh, Sephiroth bent down and kissed his lover's lips. Soon enough both mouths opened and they sought out each other's tongues in the space between them. They never really did have any fights, and at most there was some playful bantering instead of a real argument. Neither side really felt like there was anything important enough to really argue about; most things were too trivial to quarrel about-especially the childish things like a pillow.

His blonde brought both arms around Sephiroth's neck, pulling himself up to deepen the kiss, and the General willingly complied. They stayed in lip lock for several minutes, just enjoying the quiet of the night and the silvery light slipping through the sole window of the room, making everything glow in an almost heavenly aura. Yet the two in the room were more focused on each other than any surroundings. It wasn't until one of Cloud's hands roamed to pinch one of his superior's pert nipples that the couple parted mouths and remembered to breathe. The General's eyes turned a hazy jade as they gazed down into azure, but the blonde merely pushed Sephiroth's body flat onto the bed, pillow under his head, and curled up onto the taller man's chest.

"Good night, koi. We want to be rested for tomorrow."

". . .Why. . . ?"

"You're going on the beach, remember? You're gonna need a lot of energy to keep up with me; I'm not gonna just sit on a towel and watch the rest of the world have fun."

A small laugh bubbled in the General's throat and he wrapped his arms possessively around his sunshine.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You'd better. I always loved the beach; no one could keep up with me before. I wonder if you will?"

A small smirk appeared on both faces before they grinned outright, both jade and azure sparkling in mirth. It was time for some serious planning.

~#~

The next day held Sephiroth on his back on the bed late in the day and, having already worked out his plans with Zax earlier, Cloud getting ready to wake his lover up. With a pounce, the blonde landed directly on the General's stomach and the man yelped in surprise, totally unprepared to be awake. After realizing what happened, Sephiroth moaned and brought both arms over his face to keep the light away from his eyes. Cloud just laughed, seated directly on the silver warrior's hips, and pressed his hands down on his lover's chest as he leaned forward.

"Good morning, koi."

A grunt was the only response, and the blonde grinned broadly at that.

"It's 0920, lover. I gave you time to rest. Now it's my turn. You promised we'd go outside. I want a full day with you before we go back."

Moaning, Sephiroth swatted at his sunshine playfully as he picked himself up.

"Fine, fine; a promise is a promise and I hate breaking promises. Do I at least get to eat first?"

"I waited for you to get up to get food myself. Get some pants on so we can go downstairs and get a bagel or something."

"Just a bagel? I plan on a giant breakfast. I'm starving."

"Wuss."

They both grinned before Cloud bent down to kiss Sephiroth and then slid away from him, slowly breaking the kiss that way.

"Get dressed."

With a small grin, Sephiroth complied and got some pants on. He got no further, as the blonde immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room, down the stairs and out the door. Most restaurants here didn't require shirts or shoes, as during the day most customers were people who were out in the sand and ocean. They ran barefoot across the street, Cloud almost dragging Sephiroth all the way to a fast food place, and walked up to the counter in high spirits. After ordering a brunch and settling down in a booth to eat, they went back to their room to change into their matching black swim trunks and get ready for the beach. The blonde, however, refused to go out right away and that made his lover very curious.

"Cloud. . . I thought you couldn't wait to go out. Why won't you come?"

"You aren't ready."

Sephiroth looked down at himself and spread his arms assuagingly.

"How am I not ready?"

"Sunscreen, Sephiroth. You are white; you will burn."

Pale arms dropped to pale sides and the General walked over to his little lover.

"What if I like being white?"

"I like you white too. Better tan than red, though."

"Well you want me outside. Give me that."

Sephiroth snatched the sunscreen bottle out of his blonde's hands and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You make me work too hard to appease you, Cloud."

"You enjoy it."

Sephiroth grinned, rubbing sunscreen on his arms, and looked back at his sunshine with a little glint in his jade eyes.

"Get my back, love?"

Smirking, Cloud carefully drew back all of Sephiroth's hair and curled it up into a sloppy bun so his pale back was bare and easily accessible. He rubbed the sunscreen in and then continued to massage his lover's back as the man covered himself in sunscreen.

"You're tense."

"I'm sorry that bothers -Ah! Right there. . ."

Sephiroth arched as Cloud moved his ministrations to the middle of his back, where the muscles had tensed significantly from previous days. The General all but purred after a few minutes and slumped down onto the bed, allowing his sunshine greater access. Cloud took his time, running his hands across his lover's back and using a few techniques he learned a long time ago before he joined the military program. In no time the blonde had Sephiroth practically melted into the bed, every kink worked out of his back and sides.

With a quick slap on his superior's rear, Cloud removed the man's hair from the bun and hopped off the bed, grabbing a small beach bag he had ready with two towels among other things. He dropped the sunscreen in and turned back to look at Sephiroth with the bag in hand. The man was still plastered to the bed, obviously content.

"Come on, Seph. I didn't do that so you'd lie around all day indoors. It's supposed to be a fun day outside."

"Mph."

Cloud let go of the bag and walked back over to the bed, grabbing his lover by the arm and pulling at him.

"Come on."

Sephiroth let himself be half dragged off the bed before he finally pushed himself up with a pout.

"I was comfortable."

"Get comfortable outside."

With that, the blonde began dragging Sephiroth forward, grabbing the bag on his way out.

~#~

The beach was crowded, but Zax had made his stakeout early and they had three reclining beach chairs to themselves and a large umbrella as well. The brunette waved them over and, as they got closer, they could see his cobalt blue swim trunks with a diagonal white stripe across the front.

First, Cloud got their area set up and then started shifting through the beach bag. After a moment he pulled out a Frisbee and looked over at Zax with a wink. The brunette smiled and got up, walking out close to the water. After a few minutes of watching his best friend and his lover from his relaxed position on his chair, Cloud let the Frisbee rip and it made an arc straight for the General. His quick reflexes came in handy when it aimed at his face and he grabbed it, looking up to see a laughing Zax and a smirking Cloud.

A smile made its way to the silver warrior's face and he got up, walking out to join the two. First thing first, however, and he aimed the Frisbee straight at his best friend's gut. It made its mark and Zax yelped, looking up to see Cloud now laughing and Sephiroth smirking with his arms crossed over his chest. They played with the Frisbee for hours before Cloud decided he didn't want to anymore and made a running leap to grab it before Sephiroth did. Both older men laughed as Cloud jogged back to the bag and dropped the Frisbee in. The blonde turned around with a flourish and waltzed over to Sephiroth as Zax walked closer to them.

All three were smiling as they came together, though Cloud had a very mischievous glint in his eyes. Zax rested an arm on Sephiroth's shoulder and they both smirked down at their shorter friend.

"What now?"

Almost right after the words had made their way out of the General's mouth, he was shoved back into the sand and landed on his butt.

"Tag; you're it!"

With that, Cloud bolted and Zax collapsed into the sand laughing. The silver warrior sat stunned for only a moment before he got up at almost a dead run, chasing after his little lover. But Cloud was not an easy catch, as he was incredibly fast to make up for his shorter disposition. It took Sephiroth quite a long run down the beach with random twists on the journey to catch his lover, and he almost fell over as he did. Cloud had suddenly done a U-turn in the sand, moving closer to the water, and the General made a sliding stop as he turned and started thrusting himself forward in the other direction. On the sand closer to the ocean he managed to pick up speed and jumped forward to close in a bit of distance, but he had miscalculated and staggered forward slightly, catching his lover around the waist and taking a few steps backward to balance himself.

They were both laughing so hard it took them a minute to calm down and catch their breaths from the run. When they had, Cloud turned back for a kiss and Sephiroth smiled into it, setting his lover back down on the ground. They walked back up the beach hand in hand, a cooling breeze keeping the heat from becoming overwhelming. Once back up at where their things were, they saw Zax out in the water and he waved to them.

Grinning, they ran out into the water and jumped out to him, diving under waves and swimming out into the chest level water Zax was in, or in Cloud's case, water deep enough to have to wade to keep afloat. It didn't take very long for him to decide to use Sephiroth as his support, so the blonde wrapped his legs around the General's hips and held one arm around his opposing shoulder. That was all it took for the silver warrior to have a full-blown smile as he wrapped his arm around his blonde to keep him attached. All three people in the water laughed as they talked about the day until Cloud finally looked over at Zax with a wink and they set their plan into action. As the blonde kissed the General, the brunette dove under water to grab the man's legs. Before Sephiroth knew what was happening, Cloud swiftly moved up and grabbed both the General's shoulders, thrusting downward. Sephiroth dunked almost totally to the sand at the bottom before he shoved himself back up with a sputtering cough. When he wiped the water from his eyes and looked up, both Zax and Cloud were at a mad dash for the shore. Growling, Sephiroth began to stalk forward but suddenly stopped, face going bright red. Cloud was on shore, holding up the silver warrior's black swim trunks in his hands and both he and Zax were laughing hysterically. Cheeks burning in embarrassment, Sephiroth stopped at waist level water and crossed his arms over his chest. Trying to look menacing wasn't very easy when he wouldn't be able to do anything until he could get something to cover himself.

Finally, however, Cloud started wading into the water with the trunks again, though he obviously had no intention of repenting what he'd done. The blonde only came in to calf level before he stopped, hands at his hips. Obviously, Cloud could read the older man's intent in his jade eyes and he didn't like it.

"Truce, or you're staying in there."

Sephiroth grumbled under his breath, but nodded.

"I mean it, Sephiroth. I had every intention of giving them back. It was for fun and you know it."

"I know, I know."

"Truce."

"Fine, truce."

"Did you actually just cross your fingers behind your back?"

"Of course not."

Warily, Cloud waded in closer to his lover but he didn't get the chance to give the General his trunks, as the man grabbed him and pulled him back into waist height water.

"I lied."His blonde simply laughed and pushed the trunks into Sephiroth's stomach, kissing him at the same time. The General smiled, returning the kiss as he pulled his swimsuit back on and waded back into the shore with his sunshine in his arms. The rest of the day was spent mainly sunbathing before they went in as the sun was beginning to drift too far down, close to the horizon.