Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Price for a Memory ❯ Don't Tell Cloud.... ( Chapter 12 )

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

12.

For almost a week the silver haired male had been reading in vain the mass of reports they had stolen from that lab.

For almost a week he had found nothing. The reports said nothing about the mysterious man with strong connections to Cloud. All they talked about was this latest project called W.3.I.S.S.

Sephiroth, growing very irritated growled at the papers. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Ran a hand through his thick silver hair and sighed irritably. He was starting to lose the plot. Finally he abruptly stood up from his seat. Snarled at the mass of papers and swung his arm at them sending them skittering to the floor in a white torrent of jumbled words and phrases.

“Fuck!”

------

Zack sat hidden away from the Cadets he was supposed to be training. He had kept a few documents from the General. After all he wanted to try and help Cloud as best as he could. Every now and then he would peek out from his hiding place to see how they were doing. He had put two of his highest ranking cadets in command for the duration of the sparring matches. A fiery red head called Reno and ofcourse, Cloud. The two seemed to get on quite well. They had clicked during their first day of training.

Content that everyone was doing as they should be, the raven haired male continued to read.

“I do not know what they want from me. I have given them all I could. What more can be done. I have given them the best years of my life. I have trained countless men to take over me but to no avail. I have fought for the ShinRa name. Protected my superiors. Surrendered my free will. Surrendered my freedom.

I only have one chance of escaping here. A new protégé has fell under my wing. I believe he will be my key out of here. He is but a child but I feel the power coursing through his veins. After all it takes one infected by these cells to know another one. This child named Sephiroth is such a mystery to me. I seem to recognise his features. He looks like a scientist I once knew. However, the face and the power from another. He reminds me of him. That Turk Vincent Valentine who vanished. He was one of the only ones that could have replaced me….until Sephiroth, this enigma.

I fear that if I do not rid myself of this place and my title I will be hunted down in here. I have heard disturbing rumours. Rumours of horrifying experimentation on humans. I hear screams at night. No one believes me. They think me mad but I hear them. I eavesdropped on a meeting with the scientist called Hojo and President ShinRa. I heard them saying that it is almost complete. The tests can soon begin. Starting with me.

I must get out of here. I must train my successor. I know where I can go. I know she will take me in. Our years of friendship allow me that. I never wish to fall under……………”

Zack grimaced mentally as the writing became illegible. Water stains had scattered the already old ink and made it look like a black inky smear across the bottom of the page. This letter confused him. He greatly thought that it was from the pen of the man they were trying to find out about. The man who held Cloud in his dreams.

The boy had come to Zack a few nights ago dripping with blood. The wound on his back had opened again. He said it only happened when that strange man reached out and touched him. Zack grew more and more concerned. If Cloud got any worse he would be taken to the military hospital and looked at by doctors who would pass on the information to Hojo. That guy had already tore Sephiroth to pieces more than once. Zack feared the same would happen to Cloud.

Zack flicked to the next letter which was also hand written but badly damaged.

“What have they done to me. I can hardly hold this pen. I can barely fathom what I am writing about. I pray someone finds this. I pray someone reads this. I pray someone puts a stop to this.

I cannot even recall what they done to me. Tubes and vices held my body for hours. Slipping in and out of consciousness I remember nothing. Nothing but pain racking my body.

I knew I couldn’t hide my secret forever. I knew they would find it. I knew they would. All I see before me is distorted images. As I close my eyes pictures flash through my mind. I see everyone I know, knew and never will know. I see myself resting an eternal frozen Mako sleep. I see a blond warrior. I see my protégé. They hunt each other. Death follows their every move.

I don’t want to see these images any more. My mind feels as though it is not my own. I want to rip my head off to escape my mind.

I will flee tonight. I will flee to Nibelheim. There she awaits me. She knows of my arrival. She knows of a doctor who can cure me. I must be cured before I do something terrible. These images must cease. I cannot go on like this.”

“It has to be him. It has to be that guy Sephiroth told me about.”

“What guy Zack?”

Zack whirled round on his backside staring wide eyed at the source of the voice.

“C-Cloud? No nothing important. Just a couple of recruits Sephiroth has me watching that’s all.”

“Are you sure. You have been acting weird for almost a week now Zack. I think there’s something your not telling me. Actually I don’t think….I know.”

Zack was starting to get very pissed off. Cloud wasn’t the dumb blond he originally thought him to be. He was much more perceptive then one gave him credit for and as they got closer, the more perceptive he became.

“Ok Cloud….I will tell you.”

------

Sephiroth wandered through the training grounds. He felt a bit better now that he was away from those damn useless reports on nothing. He watched as every Cadet who glanced his way froze to the spot in fear of his presence.

He did not however notice Cloud….or Zack for that matter. He spotted Reno acting as leader. That boy didn’t know his arse from his elbow in Sephiroth’s opinion. Yes he could fight with a stick and could punch someone but he lost his cool far too easy and was in no way capable of watching over a group of useless, clumsy, brain dead Cadets.

Sephiroth casually strolled up behind the read head and stood here in silence just waiting on the boy to notice him. He went unnoticed until he let out a sharp cough.

“Whoa fu…..S-Sir!”

“About time Cadet. Where is your Commanding Officer Zack Aegis? And where is Cadet Strife?”

“I-I don’t know Sir. Za-I mean our Commander complained of being unwell and told myself and Cadet Strife to watch the training today….Sir!”

Sephiroth eyeballed the stuttering wreck infront of him. Zack never took sick days. Cloud always took part in sword training. After all he excelled in it. Also he was given a position of authority, there was no way he would abandon his post. Unless.

“Thank you Cadet. Dismiss your men until I find Commander Aegis.”

Reno just stared at Sephiroth. He couldn’t just stop their training could he. He looked blankly at Sephiroth not knowing how uptight the General was feeling.

A low growl emitted from the General’s throat before he out right screamed at the boy infront of him.

“NOW!!!”

Reno squeaked, pulled a shaky salute and scuttled off to the rest of the Cadets. Sephiroth watched them sheath their training swords and flee the training grounds into the halls attached to the grounds.

A deep sigh fled his mouth before he continued his now what had become a search for Zack. A sinking feeling in his gut told him that the blond and the raven haired male were together. Even he could see they were attracted to each other. He hastened his pace to find them.

------

“What are you going to tell me?” Cloud finally spoke up after a few minutes of total silence.

Zack breathed in deeply thinking of the best and most feasible way to lie his ass off.

“Ok….Sephiroth and myself were down at that abandoned lab the other night because we have been hearing things. Things about Hojo. We think he is about to start up his mako experiments again.”

“But I get injections every week. The General goes with me. How is that a rumour?”

“If you would let me finish! These are not just injections. These are actual tests. He comes up with new and improved batches of mako that he thinks will make his SOLDIER’s more powerful. Guess who they experiment on?”

“No….not Sephiroth?”

“Yeah….we were down there to see if any of the rumours were true. We didn’t find anything except lots of papers. They said nothing, however we will have to be vigilant. He has no right to do that to Sephiroth. Gods know what they are pumping into his blood stream.”

“That’s awful. Ok I will keep an ear to the ground then.”

Zack inwardly applauded himself. That was the best lie he had ever told. It wasn’t total fiction. Yes it was true that Hojo was experimenting again but not on the General. Snap!

“Thanks buddy.”

Zack gently raised his hands and placed them on Cloud’s shoulders. The boy beamed back at him.

As if drawn by some unknown force, Zack felt his head move in closer to the blond’s.

“NOW!!”

Cloud jumped back at the sound of a voice booming over the compound. He was sure that it belonged to the General. And he was also sure it came from the area he was supposed to be watching with Reno. Damn!

“Ummm, sorry Zack I gotta go find Reno. I left him in charge when I came to find you. Gotta apologise to him for leaving him to get yelled at by Sephiroth.”

Before Zack could utter a word Cloud shook his hands away and dashed back into the training hall beside them. Zack stared at him as he left. It seemed like everytime they got that little bit closer Cloud had to run off. Zack thought back to that night Cloud made it as a Cadet. The way he pushed the blond against that wall. How their tongues met feverishly. How he felt the blond’s arousal against his thigh. Now that he thought about it, ever since then it was as if Cloud was scared to be touched by him. The one thing Zack longed to do over all else and Cloud would run away. And usually Sephiroth had something to do with it.

“Ah Cloud you ass hole.”

Zack pushed the papers deep into his pockets followed by his hands. Slowly he ambled out from his hiding place only to almost crash into a rock hard chest.

“What did you say to Cloud there? I saw him run.”

“Nothing. I told him some cock and bull story about why we were down there. I said it involved you. He kept asking me so I made up some utter shit to keep him going. Why can’t we tell him?”

“Not yet and not here. Follow me.”

Sephiroth grasped Zack’s lower arm and led him away from the training grounds.

------

Shining Mako tinted blue eyes watched as Sephiroth came up to Zack. They exchanged small talk. Zack looked quite sad. He then inwardly gasped as Sephiroth glanced around him and seemed to take Zack’s hand and lead him away.

“What?”

“Hey Cloud! Come here!” Reno shouted over to the blond.

He peeled himself away from the window and made his way over to the red head, frowning all the way.

“What is it?”

“Look. I can’t find Zack anywhere. We are in deep shit if he doesn’t tell the General about his sick day.”

“Ummm, he is currently busy. I ran into him before I got here. He will tell the General….”

A hand rested itself on Cloud’s shoulder.

“You ok? You seem a bit bummed out?”

“I’m fine. Lets just call it a day. We can’t do anything without Zack’s authority.”

Reno nodded, lightly squeezed Cloud’s shoulder then turned and sped out the hall. Cloud plonked himself down on the floor and for the first time since that awful first Mako injection hungered and longed for home.

------

Sephiroth opened the door to his private room and motioned for Zack to enter before him. Zack hesitated but went in none the less. It was just how he remembered it. He rarely ever came up here anymore as Sephiroth was usually found in his personal office. Nothing had changed, nothing had been moved. The dark décor suited the spacious room to a tee. The far door on the left led to a small office type room housing a desk, chair and many documents given to the General on a weekly basis. The far door to the right led to the bedroom and small bathroom. The kitchen stood to the left. They stood in the living room. The black leather couch had not moved an inch from the last time Zack spent any length of time in here. The TV, lamp, coffee table everything looked the same.

Zack watched as Sephiroth closed the door and made his way to the large window at the end of the room.

“We cannot tell him due to the fact that this man….whoever he was may not be who we think he is. And, how on earth is he supposed to digest all the information? He wouldn’t believe us.”

“Look at this Sephiroth.”

Zack handed the silver haired male the crumple papers he pulled from his pockets. He watched the General’s eyes follow the handwriting with a gaze so intense Zack thought a hole was about to be burned through the centre of the page. He finally stopped reading the two letters.

“W-where did you?”

“I took them from that pile we snatched. I think its this G.Strife that wrote these. I’m sure of it. He even mentions where he was fleeing too. Nibelheim. Coincidently Cloud’s birthplace. What I find even weirder is that he mentions you several times by name!”

“I know….however I do not remember him. I don’t remember ever being trained by this man. I don’t remember being trained much by anyone. I trained myself. I had to be strong.”

“Sephiroth? How much do you remember about your childhood really?”

“Nothing….it infuriates me. I do not even know who my parents were. I have heard two names for my mother. One being Lucrecia the other being….fuck….I cannot remember.”

Sephiroth growled at himself and scratched his head furiously. “I can’t remember anything except being about seven and waking up on a surgical table. I vaguely remember seeing the former General but I don’t know if it….”

A warm hand touching his arm shook Sephiroth from his frustrations. He opened his eyes and glanced down at royal blue orbs staring back at him.

“Hey its ok Sephiroth. I’m not here to give you the Spanish Inquisition. I just wanted to know why we can’t say anything to Cloud.”

“Because if we say anything we will be found out and the same fate which fell on this G.Strife could fall on ALL of us! Do you want that?! Huh?!”

Zack stepped back a few paces. He could feel the heat of rage spilling from the silver haired man infront of him. He could tell all this was pissing Sephiroth off to no end. Hell it was pissing him off. Ever since Cloud had arrived everything had became unsettled. Even the atmosphere all around them was agitated. It was as if disaster was waiting to strike.

“Sephiroth calm down. Maybe we should let this be for a while. All this information, however creepy it is really isn’t helping us. Lets just, as Cloud said to me earlier, keep our ears to the ground. No doubt rumours will start spreading on the grape vine. You know how all those new rookie scientists like to talk?”

Sephiroth finally calmed. His shoulders collapsed. His body fell less rigid. He exhaled a long calming breath. Aquamarine eyes finally stared back into Zack’s.

“I guess your right….for once.”

Zack smirked at Sephiroth trying to ignore that last bitchy comment. As he turned to walk away and leave the room, a hand shot out and grabbed his. He was roughly pulled into a pale chest. His breath hitched as he looked into Sephiroth’s eyes.

The older males eyes had darkened dramatically. Zack only knew of two occasions when Sephiroth’s eyes did this. Before killing something or before having sex with someone.

He felt himself being raised to the General’s height. Their mouths were mere millimetres apart. He could feel Sephiroth’s warm breath tickle his skin.

“Say one word to Cloud about any of this, and the breath you use to tell him with will be your last. I take it I make myself clear?”

Sephiroth closed the tiny gap and lightly touched Zack’s lips with his own. He applied a small amount of pressure before pulling back.

“S-Seph….I….”

“Silenc e….Zack.”