Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Innocence ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ 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

In their room, Cloud was putting together his ensemble for the evening as Sephiroth took his shower. The General had yet to tell the blonde where they were going, because there was more than one fancy restaurant in Costa del Sol, but Cloud hadn't minded in the least. Right then Sephiroth walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his hips that obviously was too small for him as it barely came down half his thighs, and another wrapped around his shoulders. A few beads of water glistened against the General's skin as he sauntered over to the bed where his clothes were laid out. The blonde smirked, fixing his tie and moving on to his onyx cufflinks. That man never even realized when he was being a flirt.

Humming to himself, Sephiroth began getting dressed slowly to the beat that was playing in his head from the previous day's activities-someone had brought a portable radio to the beach and left it full blast. With his white dress shirt on, the General felt something press up against him and then two arms came around the front of his waist, pulling him back. A small smile graced his lips as the silver warrior looked back at the blonde spikes behind him and laid an arm against the two at his waist.

"Hmm?"

The blonde smiled and touched a red cheek of his superior.

"You still got sunburned."

"It's not that bad."

Cloud smirked.

"You look like you're constantly blushing."

Reddening slightly in embarrassment, Sephiroth turned his head away with a grumble.

"It's not my fault."

"Aww, Seph it just makes you look sexy."

Jade eyes slid over to look just barely at azure.

"Sexy?"

"Yeah; you have this little sex-kitten appearance now."

Cloud tugged the towel around Sephiroth's waist once and it easily fell.

"Cloud!"

"You do!"

"I am not going out looking like a fucking sex-starved whore."

Sephiroth turned away in a huff and the blonde was forced to grab his waist again and ease him back.

"If it really bothers you, I can put some makeup on you to cover it up."

"Makeup."

"Yes."

"And, you would know how to apply makeup. . . from what?"

"Before."

Realizing that he was probably entering dangerous territory for his partner's mood, Sephiroth simply accepted that as an answer. He knew well enough that Cloud's past was just as much not to be discussed as his own. However his blonde came across his understanding of the world was a complete mystery to the General, but a very intriguing one nonetheless. The use of makeup was definitely not in the silver warrior's concept of need-to-know information, but it was somewhere in Cloud's. Somehow, the blonde always made Sephiroth more and more curious as to his past, and the General was like a little kitten when curious-he always wanted to find out and it very possibly led him into trouble. But back to the present, his blonde was looking at him expectantly and Sephiroth sighed.

"We'll see."

The General continued getting dressed, now somewhat paranoid about his face and went to the full-length mirror to look at himself. In a pleated, black, three-piece suit with his silky silver hair combed loosely back in a ponytail and shining black Italian shoes, Sephiroth was stunning to look at. However, the silver warrior noted with a grimace, he did look like he was blushing. With a defeated sigh, the General turned to look at Cloud. The blonde was quite beautiful himself in his white dress shirt, black jacket and slacks, and shinning black shoes. He had a kind of satin, almost see-through shirt underneath that reflected light just barely, but accented the onyx cufflinks and black tie perfectly. Blonde hair kept a tousled, shimmering glow as the man put in his silver earring. It had actually taken Sephiroth until about a week ago to realize his blonde had an earring. Of course, Cloud didn't seem to make any recognition of his own pierced ears but Sephiroth generally had his hair hiding the studs. Shin-Ra had rules against its military having any piercings, but that hadn't been a rule in effect when the General had gotten his ears pierced. He refused to get rid of the earrings, so he made sure to hide them so the recruits and lower soldiers didn't take it as defiance and follow his "lead."

"Cloud, I think I need something to cover this."

His blonde glanced over at him and nodded, stepping back from the vanity and nodding toward the chair under it. Sephiroth took his seat and watched Cloud rummage through something in his duffle bag until he took out a few items. Curiosity got the best of him and the silver warrior craned his neck to see what his blonde was doing, but Cloud was too quick and had the items he wanted on the vanity before Sephiroth really got the chance to see anything.

"Tilt your head up."

The General complied, trying to see from the bottom of his eyes what was going on in the mirror.

"Keep your eyes on the ceiling. It makes it easier."

Jade eyes obeyed, even though curiosity was egging them to drop. Cloud made quick work and soon Sephiroth dropped his head to see his own perfect complexion instead of red.

"Wow. . . Cloud I look perfect."

"I know."

Sephiroth turned just as the blonde closed up his bag and stood back up, straightening himself. Azure turned to look at the General as he stood from the chair before focusing on the mirror image.

"Shall we?"

Sephiroth glanced over at Cloud as the blonde spoke to see azure looking out of the corner of his eyes at him. Gracefully stepping over to his blonde, Sephiroth held his arm out.

"Of course."

Cloud looped his arm in the proffered one at the General's response and they started out to Schezar's, the classiest restaurant in any town outside Midgar. It wasn't a long walking distance from the hotel, but they walked really just to watch the sun set into the dark blue ocean. It was a very beautiful time to be outside in Costa del Sol, and Sephiroth took in the surroundings wholly. He rarely felt anything to be beautiful, much less truly perfect, but so far this day was entirely beautiful and the night was starting out perfectly. Grinning, he opened one of the large oak doors into Schezar's and bowed out of the way as Cloud passed through. Both of them were smiling when they walked up to the maitre d' to get seated; Sephiroth had made reservations much earlier in the day.

The maitre d', a black-haired, brown-eyed woman with a tight white dress shirt and black short skirt, took them to their table with a small switch in her walk. Obviously, she was trying to get someone's attention with her body, but Sephiroth chose to entirely ignore her and keep his focus on his blonde lover. Women had never interested him anyway.

The silver warrior frowned when he realized his lover's attention was on the maitre d' and he growled angrily. She led them to their table and handed them each menus, smiling at Cloud before she left and he returned it tightly. With a switch of her hips, she was gone and Sephiroth growled a little louder. The blonde glanced at him from the menu before his eyes fully focused on the silver warrior with a questioning look.

"What?"

"You were looking at her."

Confused, Cloud looked around with a baffled expression.

"Who?"

Rolling his eyes, Sephiroth leaned down on the table and spoke at a dead calm.

"The maitre d'."

Both blonde eyebrows rose before Cloud looked as if he would laugh.

"You're jealous of that?!"

Curling back like an offended cat, the General opened his menu and looked down at it without responding.

"Oh, Seph; I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. You are the only person I'll ever love. . . .If it's any consolation, she's probably a slut."

Sephiroth didn't respond, but a small half smile quirked at his lips. Seeing it, the blonde continued unashamed.

"I mean, who knows how many men she's fucked? I personally don't want every STD ever known to man from the likes of some sassy little bitch. And that body; gods, I wonder how many plastic factories gave up all their manufacturing for that chest. Her butt was too big, too. She was probably proportional to a Barbieä doll. Personally, I don't think anything that can be compared to a plastic fuck-toy is worthwhile. After all, I've got the real body sitting right across from me; and there is no 'free fuck' sign hanging over him."

By then, Sephiroth had a full grin on his face, but he still hadn't looked up from the menu.

"There is nothing about that whore that turns me on, Sephiroth. The only one that could possibly seduce me is you, love. Everyone else ain't got nothing."

Jade eyes finally glanced up at azure and the grin turned into a smirk.

"Is that an elongated way of saying you weren't checking her out?"

"Absolutely."

Chuckling softly, the silver warrior closed his menu and folded his hands on the table, looking adoringly at his blonde.

"In that case I forgive you for staring at her ass."

Raising his arms appeasingly, Cloud looked at his lover with a look of innocence that almost had a halo over his head.

"I never stared. I was trying to figure out if the size of her breasts was in direct correlation with her fat ass."

Sephiroth laughed, shaking his head slightly, before he reached a hand across the table and held one of Cloud's.

"Now I most certainly forgive you."

They both grinned, and then their waiter approached. He was about the same height as Sephiroth, but with neatly combed short brown hair and passive hazel eyes. Smiling, he offered them a choice of wines before asking what they wanted to drink and left as soon as they ordered with a small glance back at Cloud. Jade eyes darkened when they caught the look, but the waiter had turned away by then. Catching the look in his partner's eyes, Cloud glanced over in the direction the silver warrior was focused.

"What, love?"

"The waiter."

Confused, the blonde stared at his pale lover across the table. Sephiroth finally turned back to see the look his blonde was giving him and clarified.

"I don't want my date to have people checking him out."

"Well then, I guess now you know how I feel about the people that check you out. Just ignore it; it's a fairly effective way of dealing with people that ogle."

"I don't-"

"I don't like people checking you out, either, Seph. But, you are gorgeous, and anyone who didn't look twice would have to be blind. And I know it."

Grinning, Sephiroth looked into azure eyes lovingly and nodded.

"All right; I'll ignore it."

"Thank you. It's a beautiful night out and this is a good restaurant; I want a romantic dinner."

"Your wish is my command, lover."

They grinned at one another before turning back to their menus. The waiter returned shortly with their wine of choice and small glasses of water, serving them and then asking for their meal choices.

"Hmm. I think. . . I'll have the Roman swordfish. With a side of coleslaw."

Glancing up at his blonde's order, Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and looked back down at the menu. That was one of the more expensive dishes.

"And you, Sir?"

Realizing that he hadn't really had anything specific in mind, Sephiroth made a quick glance-through and stopped at something he knew he liked.

"The chive blend special Alfredo sauce pasta, also with a side of coleslaw."

"Very good, Sir. I'll be right back with the house salad."

With that, the man took their menus and left. Sephiroth leaned onto the table again, smirking.

"Really pushing this, aren't you?"

Taking a sip of his champagne, the blonde looked up innocently.

"What?"

Shaking his head, Sephiroth turned back to his own drink.

"I haven't had swordfish before and I like trying new things."

Jade glanced at azure, but there was no response forthcoming from the General. Shrugging, Cloud looked into his champagne and seemed to lose himself for a moment. Sephiroth took a small sip of his red wine, watching the waiter come back with the salad.

"Here you are, sirs."

"Thank you."

They spoke in unison and the blonde was abruptly back in reality, taking up his salad fork and picking at the house salad soon after the waiter left. They ate in silence for a while before Cloud smiled and raised his wine glass.

"I would like to propose a toast."

Raising his glass of red wine, Sephiroth looked at his lover expectantly as he set down his fork.

"To us; what we've been through and what we'll go through. That we'll always be together."

Smiling, they clinked glasses and drank, holding hands across the table again after they finished their salads. Almost immediately after they had finished, the waiter was back, clearing the dishes and giving them their main meal.

"Oh, this looks good."

Sephiroth grinned at his sunshine's reaction to the food.

"I would expect that you could make it better."

With a small smirk, Cloud set about tasting his new dish.

"Have you tried swordfish before, Seph?"

"No; I can't say that I have."

Cutting a fair piece, the blonde speared it and held it out to the General, who took it with a small smile.

"It's good; I'll give you that much at least."

A diminutive laugh made its way out of Cloud's throat and he grinned, taking a small sip of champagne.

"Do I have good taste, then?"

"Great; you make better food, though."

"You said that already."

"I repeat."

The blonde took another sip of champagne, mirth sparkling in his eyes. The rest of the meal was silent, loving stares shared between the two, before they paid and left the restaurant. The moon was out, bright and shining, and stars dotted the velvety sky. Hand in hand, they walked over to the edge of the beach and just stared out at the sky. It was a beautiful night, warm breeze drifting over the sand and the calming sound of the ocean in the background. Laugher from the bar behind them brought a kind of jovial charm to the scenery and Sephiroth sighed contentedly, wrapping his arm around his sunshine as the man leaned into him.

"Seph?"

"Hmm?"

His blonde paused, and the General looked down at him with innocent curiosity. Seeing the almost troubled look in his sunshine's eyes, Sephiroth dropped to one knee, looking up into Cloud's face so his blonde couldn't look away from him easily.

"What?"

Azure eyes clouded slightly before the blonde's head shook and clear blue stared into jade.

"Nothing. Forget it."

Jade looked into azure questioningly for a moment before his sunshine smiled, wrapping his arms around Sephiroth's neck and hugging him.

"It's okay, Seph. It's just a random thought; doesn't matter."

Not stopping the embrace, the General stood up with his blonde in his arms.

"You're sure?"

Smiling brightly, the blonde moved in to kiss his love's lips, cuddling into his neck afterward.

"Positive. . . .Just. . . could you put me down now?"

Chuckling, Sephiroth did as was requested and lowered his sunshine back to the ground. They looked into each other's eyes briefly before turning back to the ocean. A seagull flapped its wings and silently took off, azure and jade watching the path fondly.

"I love you."

Jade eyes widened barely at the break in the quiet, but a smile came to the silver warrior's lips.

"And I you."

"We should probably go inside. It's late; we're leaving tomorrow on a boat that departs at 0630. Don't want to be late."

"Mph."

The blonde turned to go into the hotel, grasping Sephiroth's hand before he went, and stepped forward once. Looking out at the ocean one final time that night, the General turned his back to it and smiled softly at his blonde, walking toward their hotel room with him. Once inside, Cloud immediately turned down the bed they would be using and then started getting undressed. Sephiroth went into the bathroom to wash his face, drying it carefully since the sunburn stung a little. He came back out, jacket in hand, to see his sunshine packing his things up carefully in his duffle bag-tomorrow's clothes already set out-but walking around only in his boxers. A mischievous smile overtook the General's face as he crept up behind his lover and wrapped his arms around the lithe body.

"Do you realize how tempting you look?"

"Do you realize how much trouble you'll have getting up tomorrow if this is going where I think it is?"

"Don't care."

Nuzzling into his blonde's neck, Sephiroth picked him up and carried him to the bed. Carefully, the General laid him down as he kissed his sunshine's neck, purring as he felt nimble fingers opening his vest and shirt. Kissing a line up his lover's neck, the silver warrior nipped gently at his blonde's ear, teasingly.

"I want you, Cloud. Badly. I want you to touch me and I want you inside me. I need you, lover. Take me."

Moaning low in his throat, Cloud grabbed Sephiroth by the collar and threw him onto the bed, switching positions with the General quickly as the man's vest dropped to the floor. Without hesitation, the blonde dove down into the silver warrior's shirt, kneading one nipple with his hand while taking the other in his mouth, his free hand splayed on the mattress for support. Writhing to the ministrations, the General finally reached one hand down to his pants to relieve some tension. Cloud, however, wouldn't let that happen and grabbed Sephiroth's wrist, pinning it to the bed and leaving one nipple unattended. Pulling back just barely, the blonde blew on the nipple that had been in his mouth, grinning at the General's shiver of delight, and sat back on the man's thighs.

Jade eyes had long ago darkened to emerald in his passion, and the silver warrior groaned loudly as his blonde began nipping at his abdomen. So close. . .

"Cloud. . . please. . ."

Grinning lazily, the blonde slid down Sephiroth's thighs carefully, dragging both the General's pants and boxers with him to stop mid-thigh. Holding both articles of clothing there, he slid down farther until he was resting with his head at the juncture of the silver warrior's legs to his hips, licking and nipping at him. Gritting his teeth, Sephiroth resisted the urge to touch himself, as he could tell that Cloud was just waiting to pin his hands if he tried. It didn't last long, as he felt his blonde shift and looked down just in time to see Cloud's tongue dragging up the underside of his shaft. Moaning, the General tried desperately to spread his legs to the welcome invasion, but his pants and boxers constricted the movement.

Then his blonde started lapping at the tip of his erection, coaxing out precum and making the silver warrior grab fists full of sheets, bucking his hips with a groan. This was definitely different from before, but still an entirely welcome assault to his senses. Twisting harshly, white dress shirt now stretched taut across his back, Sephiroth cried out as Cloud engulfed his head, sucking on it fiercely as he pumped the rest of the General's throbbing shaft with a hand. Soon enough, Sephiroth couldn't stand the attention, having no form of release; he struggled until his pants were around his ankles, pulling his blonde between his open legs and placing a hand over the blonde mop of hair to feel the silk between his fingers. Biting the knuckles of his other hand, the General let out a muffled groan as Cloud moved to take more of him in his mouth.

//Oh gods. . . this is heaven. . .// "Yaahhh!"

Arching violently, stars exploded behind Sephiroth's eyes and he came into his blonde's mouth, falling down to the mattress flimsily. Cloud removed the finger he had thrust into the General to speed his release, sitting back and stripping the clothing from around his lover's ankles.

Sweaty and sated, Sephiroth was about to sit up to take off his dress shirt and go to sleep when he felt fingers at his opening, slick with lubricant. His gasp quickly became a moan as his lover thrust a finger into him. This was not going to be an easy night for the silver warrior.

Fingers curled into the sheets, the General lifted his hips high, whimpering slightly until his blonde focused more attention on his reawakening member. One hand thrusting and the other pumping, Cloud watched his lover's face go through many forms of ecstasy. And, having squirmed until his shirt had all but tied his arms to his sides, Sephiroth moaned again as he felt his blonde's thumb pushing against the underside of his shaft and move upward to elicit a stream of precum and a hiss of pleasure from the helpless General. Once Cloud was sure Sephiroth was enraptured, a second finger was added on a forward stroke that was quickly followed by a third. It didn't take much for his lover to adjust to anything, and that was quickened even more by the General's lack of ability to find some type of small release from motion; he was almost screaming from pleasure and unable to grab at any material in an attempt to calm himself. Finally taking pity on the silver warrior, however, Cloud leaned down to kiss the man, shutting what was sure to be a very loud yell into both their mouths. Taking the release he needed frantically, Sephiroth kissed back ferociously and thrusting his tongue into his love's open mouth. His blonde lover had way too much patients and drive to bring him to the edge. Repeatedly already, the silver warrior had felt the rigid shaft of his lover against his hip, but Cloud made no comment or strong reaction. He was forcing himself to wait, but his erection was obviously getting harder by each moan the General made.

Curling his fingers and dragging them out, the blonde smirked as Sephiroth groaned into his mouth, spreading his legs wider. Cloud finally abandoned his hold of the silver warrior and lifted the man's hips over his own.

"Love you, Seph."

With that, the blonde thrust into his lover slowly, drawing out the cry of ecstasy his partner revealed with each passing second. When they were finally together, azure and emerald looked into one another, locking together intimately as the first thrust came. For a while, neither dared look away from the bliss in their partner's eyes as the slow drives escalated. Finally, however, emerald eyes closed with a deep moan and Sephiroth let his head flop against the pillows under him, unable to do anything but feel the completion that was coming quickly. Without his lover's gaze to focus on, Cloud arched his body to hit the General's sweet-spot even more fully and lost himself to the sounds of emotion his lover was making. Completion was so close.

In a fiery burst of color, they came as one, molding into each other to perfection. Realization came for both of them long after and Cloud began to clean them up. Sephiroth first began struggling with his shirt again, wanting to be rid of what had constricted his arms so close to his sides that it had almost hurt. He merely succeeded in tangling himself further, so his blonde lovingly came back from tossing the towels he had used into the bathroom and helped disentangle his shirt from his arms. Once relieved of the offending shirt, Sephiroth dropped down to the bed, kicking the sheets out from under himself drowsily. His blonde crawled up the length of the General's stretched out body and cuddled down, pulling the sheets up around them both.

"I love you."

Cloud spoke right before his lips descended for a kiss. Sephiroth happily returned it, but fell asleep as soon as his sunshine's lips retracted from his reach. Rest was necessary for him now. The blonde simply chuckled and brushed a few silver strands away from his lover's face, laying his head against the solid, pale chest. With a muted yawn, Cloud soon joined Sephiroth in the recesses of slumber.

~#~

"Hurry up!!"

Yanking his pants on as he got up, Sephiroth grabbed his trench coat and ran out the door after his lover, who had both his suitcase and his own bag. It was 0626 and the boat stopped boarding at 0629. He had overslept substantially. Cloud, however, had gotten up early enough to realize that they were screwed. Luckily, the blonde had gotten them both packed. Or they never would have had a chance in hell to make it on time.

Racing through the streets, they took the stairs up to the docks two and three at a time as they sprinted to the ship. Sliding to a halt halfway across the docks, they retained a dignified walk up to the boarding master and stalked passed him without responding to the odd look he was giving them. At 0628 and 45 seconds they boarded the ride back to Junon. A highly bemused Zax watched them go up the landing from the deck of the boat, but, now that his adrenaline rush had worn off, all Sephiroth wanted to do was fall asleep again and didn't even recognize his second watching him. Because of his own lust, they had gone to sleep at 0147 or somewhere near then, and the General was fried. An entire day of activities ended with a night of passion was enough to make him feel like curling up and sleeping for days. He merely half glared at Zax, daring him to comment, before going straight to his sleeping quarters on the ship. The blonde and brunette shared a smirk before Cloud wandered after his lover, still carrying the man's suitcase.

Sephiroth's quarters were, as always, spacious and roomy. His was the biggest room in the boat next to the captain's and his was the biggest room in the SOLDIER barracks period. Big enough to have Cloud stay with him comfortably. Without hesitation, the silver warrior flopped onto his bed, all clothes on, and curled into a pillow with a yawn. Cloud set their things down with a sigh and began stripping his lover so he would be comfortable when he slept. Sephiroth, however, did not enjoy the movement and lazily swatted at his blonde, trying to get him to either lie down to sleep or leave him be so he could sleep. It didn't take long for the silver warrior to be down to his pants, all other things dumped on the floor carelessly. His blonde crawled up next to him soon afterward, down to his pants as well, and laid down on the pillow next to his almost fast asleep lover.

"Next time, listen to me."

"M…mph."

Chuckling softly, the blonde kissed the General's temple lovingly, brushing the short silken strands of silver with his lips before curling down into the pliant pale arms of his superior to take a nap himself.

~#~

The four day long boat ride had been less than amusing for any of them. First of all, the food on board had been food poisoning in and of itself. Someone hadn't made sure to store it correctly and so most of the "edible" food was no longer edible. Cloud had contracted a very bad case of food poisoning and Sephiroth wasn't that much better either. Zax should have had the worst case because of how much he ate, but since he was Mako infused, he was a little better off than the blonde was. Still, all three of them had some reserved seating at the edge of the boat, over the railing. It seemed that the only person on the ship that hadn't even been mildly affected was Madison Booth. And the boy could not be found, even though he was on the vessel.

Then, two days into the journey, a tank in the bottom of the ship exploded and most of what was on board had to be released into the ocean to keep the vessel afloat. That also made the ride very rocky and, combined with the food poisoning, did a number on the blonde. Sephiroth recovered surprisingly quickly, even for a SOLDIER, to learn that Cloud had given him sedatives and other medication with what little real food they could eat to get him better at the blonde's own expense. The General spent most of his trip beside his sunshine at the side of the boat, rubbing his back comfortingly. It took just about the entire four-day trip for Cloud to recover, and by then Sephiroth was at a cross between bored and irritated. He hadn't expected the trip to be this difficult and his blonde was just a normal soldier.

Even if it wasn't really part of the mission, the illness had to be recorded, as did Zax's and his own. But Cloud was hit the hardest, and when they got back to land he was weak from malnourishment and lack of rest. He practically had to be carried off the ship, and Sephiroth wasted no time in taking him straight to Junon's doctor. Having the needed medication, the General kept them in upper Junon for a day, trying to give his love a little time to rest his body before they took the three-day ride back to SOLDIER headquarters.

Booth had yet to be a nuisance about it, which troubled Sephiroth significantly. For some reason, he knew that his blonde's earlier voiced suspicions of Booth being a problem somehow were right. Just. . . he wasn't sure how they were right.

The next day they left early, getting in the van tiredly. There was a lot being shipped that time and the space was limited. The General kept his lover bundled carefully in his lap, willing the poor thing not to get sick, and kept a light conversation with Zax to keep his sunshine distracted. Fortunately there were no more incidents on the last leg of their journey, and amazingly they managed to reach the headquarters on time even with all the problems.

Sephiroth wrote up the reports quickly, making sure he took his day of work in the shortest amount of time possible so he could check up on his lover. He didn't have to worry incredibly, as the blonde was doing stretches in the room when he returned, looking as if being sick was something to be remedied with training. Being just as, if not more, stubborn than Sephiroth himself, the diminutive blonde refused to stay in bed all day and went about his usual activities minus the sword practice because the General had forbade his leaving the room.

It didn't take more than a day or two in the room for Cloud to come back to life fully, and by then Sephiroth was downright pissed off at his work. The new recruits had come in for the season, and, as usual, the Great General had to inspect them by hand to look for the quality fighters that didn't exist in their ranks. Zax had pulled another ranking on him to get him out of his office, stating plainly that it wasn't healthy for him to be in it 24/7 again and he had someone to go home to so he should go home. Within three days he had lost his privilege to be in his own office, but it left him a lot of free time with Cloud. Free time that he didn't take for granted.

Over the next few days, they spent a lot of time together simply enjoying the simple things. They practiced their katanas together at night, when no one was out watching; cooked several appetizing meals that brought Zax back to their door every night; read some novels, generally cuddled up on the couch together; and even took some quiet strolls through the grounds at night, side-by-side, holding hands. Booth had, of course, vanished from his life, and Sephiroth was ultimately feeling like there was less of a chance Booth could do any damage the more days that passed.

~#~

Nighttime came around, a week after they had returned and settled back in, finding Sephiroth and Cloud lying on the couch, facing the window. The General was underneath his beloved, stretched lazily out, and the blonde was lying just as lazily on top of him, blonde head to pale chest. They were staring out at the bright whites, yellows, and neon lights sparkling through the city of Midgar, almost like multicolored stars near ground level.

"Love you."

Sephiroth brought his fingers through golden silk strands as he spoke, his other hand wrapped around the lithe stomach of his beloved. His sunshine cocked his head back, looking up at him with a smile, and kissed him delicately, pulling back with a small grin. "Always?"

Sephiroth smiled at the question.

"Always."

They laid still after that, watching the outside world with detached interest. After all, what was the outside worth when inside had everything either one needed?

~#~

The next day had been rather lazy; Sephiroth had taken the day off formally to spend time with Cloud. They stayed in bed for most of the day, just lying next to each other and cuddling. It was a relaxed, contented atmosphere in the General's quarters, and Zax had dropped by a few times simply because Sephiroth's little home-esque situation with Cloud was the most calming place in all of the SOLDIER barracks. It took until about mid-noon for the General to get up, intent on getting his little blonde something special. Of course, getting dressed kind of brought his lithe lover out of their bedroom in Sephiroth's own deep green silk robe.

"Lover, where are you off to?"

The silver warrior turned and smiled back at the blonde.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"Okay, but hurry back. Promise?"

"I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Sooner."

The General laughed and nodded.

"Sooner."

His blonde smiled and walked back into their bedroom. Given his chance, Sephiroth grabbed his money pouch and walked out of his quarters, a true grin on his face.

Nodding briskly to the saluting soldiers in the halls, the General made his way quickly outside the soldier buildings. If he played his cards right, he could get a dozen red roses and a box of chocolates up to their room just a little ahead of himself. He, of course, would have something a little different for his lover. Something sexually explicit. Something to satisfy a particular kinky thought the silver warrior had developed after being with Cloud before.

Lost in his thoughts, the General didn't notice the two goons following him until he had reached the central gait to the compound, when they stopped him. Growling under his breath, Sephiroth just kept his mind focused on what was waiting for him in his quarters as he crossed his arms, waiting for the request. He wasn't sure whose lackeys these two were.

"Hojo, General Sir, would like your presence in his laboratory."

All good thoughts vanished as Sephiroth turned his head away, fingers clenching into fists. This was the last thing on his mind. A hand grabbed either arm and the General realized that the idiots thought they needed to use force. Sephiroth wasn't stupid; Hojo would get him sooner or later. Better to make it sooner-less punishment. Tearing his arms away from the imbeciles at his sides, the silver warrior took long strides forward. His stomach was doing flips inside his gut and his heart thumped harshly against his ribs the closer he got to the professor's lab, but he was ready to accept whatever pain today held. After all, that was all he was good for here; just a worthless little boy that made every day an evil task and left nothing but hate in the eyes of everyone who saw him. Silver hair hit the sides of his face delicately as the General shook his head. No, not everyone saw him as evil; Cloud loved him. His sunshine saw his problems and accepted them as part of the whole person. His blonde made him feel wanted, loved, and needed. His lover cared for him like no one else did. Cloud was his angel on earth.

The General sent a small prayer to his angel that he would be okay and make it back to the loving embrace he knew was waiting for him at his quarters.

~#~

Hojo had been waiting angrily. As soon as Sephiroth entered the lab, he received a swift punch in the cheek. Being trained to take beatings, it didn't much bother him, but he knew Hojo too well to think the man didn't realize that fact before he pulled the punch. That was the nicest part of the entire ordeal. The professor was beyond angry.

"You've been a very bad child, Sephiroth. You took a lover. I never told you such a thing was allowed. And what's worse, you seduced your trainee. I'm highly disappointed in you, child. You should know by now that your body is disgusting and tainted; no one should have to deal with you. I shouldn't even have to deal with you. And you force yourself on another? That's very bad, Sephiroth. Very bad."

For a moment, the General could only stare forward in utter shock. //How did Hojo know about Cloud?// But. . . if the demented scientist knew of his lover, than he would want to kill him or . . .experiment on him.

"I have taken the liberty of dismissing him from Shin-Ra and banning him from the soldier parameters. We cannot have anyone distracting you and we most certainly can't have you hurt someone else."

"I would never hurt Cloud!"

It was a harsh denial, he realized, but the man was making him panic. Hojo stayed still for a moment before he turned to actually look at Sephiroth from the serums he was mixing. Taking a few short steps over toward the desperate man, the scientist backhanded the pale cheek and the General went down. He knew better than to keep a dominating position when Hojo was upset.

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

"No Sir."

Rubbing his cheek slightly at the tingly sensation it had, Sephiroth tried to decide whether it would leave a mark.

"You, ungrateful little boy, should be ashamed of yourself. Overstepping every boundary I set for you and ignoring everything I've taught you. I am mortified to believe that you would actually make someone else look at you; I have trouble enough. You are not worthy of other people, Sephiroth. You are mine; do not make such a crude mistake as to think that you are not again. Or you will pay."

"Yes Sir."

Sephiroth's head was bowed, but he clung tightly to the hope that had formed in his heart from being with Cloud. Cloud loved him as an equal-forced him to believe that he wasn't a monster and that he was more than worthy of anyone's love. His Cloud-his sunshine-wouldn't tell him any of this.

"Oh. . ." The scientist waited merely until he was sure he had the General's full attention. "And I have also been informed of your treacherous behavior in Gongaga. Having nervous breakdowns now? You know better, Sephiroth. I taught you how to ignore those things; why do you disregard what I teach?!"

Another swipe at his face, this time with nails, left four long red scratches, the two middle ones bleeding just barely.

"Impudent, arrogant, bastard! My entire life was spent on you, and you just deny everything I taught you! Well, I won't allow it, Sephiroth. I watched you grow distant from me-from everyone. I was beginning to think that maybe you weren't a failure. Then that fool Zax came into the picture. You still kept him at a distance, but he pressed enough that you couldn't push him away entirely. I accepted such-he was at a distance. Then you took in your apprentice. You wanted him, somehow. You do not lust, Sephiroth. It is forbidden. I stopped you before and I will stop you again, moronic child. You do not love. Love does not want you. Love is for people worthy of it. Love is for those who are not as evil as you are."

"Stop it!"

Curled tight on the ground, Sephiroth began rocking back and forth, covering his ears and willing himself not to cry. He might not deserve his lover, but that didn't make him any less devoted. Sephiroth would follow his sunshine to the ends of the world and back to keep him happy. He couldn't let anything happen to his blonde. . . not to Cloud.

Hojo turned to look at him again, a rather irate expression on his face, before he took up a needle and serum.

"I will purge this from you. I will forgive you. This once."

With that, the professor brutally jabbed the needle full of serum into the General's arm and Sephiroth cried out unwittingly. It hurt. But then Hojo just stood back, looking at the silver warrior almost sadistically, and Sephiroth felt the drug take affect. A sedative. . . tranquilizer. Hojo was immobilizing him to perform whatever experiments or more likely sexual acts he wanted. The second thought was proven true as the professor began ripping away the General's clothes, making sure to induce blood with his nails along the way. Within a few seconds, Sephiroth had cried out in terror as Hojo simply ripped open his pants, intent on taking him right away. With bony hands on either side of his torso, the silver warrior turned away, embarrassed at his exposure. In his haste, the professor hadn't even removed the General's trench coat. Obviously, Hojo wouldn't be waiting this time.

"Now, Sephiroth, I will have forgiven you by the time you leave.""I think not."