Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Price for a Memory ❯ Bumpy Sickly Ride ( Chapter 28 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: 191026 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Hentai / Romance / Angst / Shounen | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 08.03.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 184 | Status: Work In Progress
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Hentai / Romance / Angst / Shounen | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 08.03.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 184 | Status: Work In Progress
28.
Cloud stood nervously outside Sephiroth’s office. He twiddled his thumbs together for about 30seconds before he plucked up the courage to knock the door.
Just as he lifted a shaking hand, said door slid open swiftly as a mass of silver and black crashed into the blond.
Cloud stumbled back a few paces to gain his footing. Sephiroth stood unmoving, totally unfazed by the both of them crashing into each other.
“Strife….what took you so long?”
“Sorry Sir….it took me some time to get from the lab to here. I apologise.”
“Come with me.”
Cloud stared gob smacked as Sephiroth grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the elevators.
“W-where….” “Silence.”
Cloud watched the breathtaking form of the General in front of him. The hand gripping his wrist never faltered. Still clutching on painfully tightly.
Cloud watched mesmerised as Sephiroth’s hair swept around his built but slim frame. He watched as the sunlight creeping down the top levels of ShinRa Tower corridors bounced off of that same hair. Shimmering silver turned almost white under the scrutiny of the sun.
Cloud, with his free hand went to touch his own hair. It was much shorter than he remembered. He remembered he used to have long flowing golden blond locks. Not as long as Sephiroth’s but equally beautiful. Why on Gaia did he let Zack cut it?
Cloud continued his musings as he was led through the winding corridors of the complex. He was still lost in thoughts as he was unceremoniously shoved into a glass elevator. His mind was still adrift when he was brought to a stop at his final destination.
A sharp cough shook him from his day dreams.
“What?”
------
“Shera! ”
Said female whipped her head up at the sound of Cid’s gruff voice.
“Calm down Cid. What seems to be the problem?”
Cid halted his running, bent over with his hands resting atop his knees to catch his breath. Finally he caught enough to form some coherent sentences.
“ShinRa is deploying SOLDIER’s here. Right here in this building!”
“What? How could they know we are here?”
“I don’t know if they do but I have a feeling that we are being watched. And….I also believe that time has ran out for Sephiroth and that boy….”
“No….after all the work we done….it’s too late. I can’t help them….”
Cid watched as Shera walked to the other side of the lab situated in the basement of ShinRa Manor with her head cast to the floor. A single crystal tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek.
“I’m sorry my sister. I tried.”
“Look Shera. You return home to Rocket Town. I’m gonna stay here and wait till ShinRa arrive. We both know who they will send….”
“Sephiroth.”
------
< br> “Cloud? Are you always this infuriating?! You never listened to a word I said on the way here did you?”
Cloud shook his head slightly before averting his gaze to the far wall.
Fingers cupping his chin, bringing his face round forced him to look at Sephiroth once more.
“This afternoon will be the last in the lab for you. We leave at first light tomorrow. The mission has been brought forth due to some recent findings I came across.”
“If you don’t mind my asking Sir….what findings?”
Cloud squirmed slightly as Sephiroth hesitated to speak.
“I came across well detailed reports of illegal activities in the old ShinRa Manor. I also found out some information about my heritage….a woman named Jenova who supposedly resided up in the mountains. It is said she lived near the reactor. Coincidently, monsters have been tearing the reactor up from the inside. All of these occurrences need to be subdued before the town comes under threat.”
“O-ok….I’m not sure where I fit in with this….”
“You will find out when the mission is complete. Both you and Zack.”
Cloud nodded and watched as Sephiroth spun on his heel and headed over to the large window.
Sephiroth stared haphazardly out of the window making no further attempts to speak to the stunning youth behind him. Although his memories were distorted to say the least, he knew that both him and the blond knew each other much better than he originally believed them to. Something niggling away at Sephiroth told him as much.
“Sir? I should be getting back to my duties.”
Sephiroth turned his head before swallowing his pride and pacing back towards Cloud. He raised his hands and placed them atop Cloud’s cheeks. His fingers lightly stroked the baby soft skin below them.
Cloud immediately blushed pink cheeks. He subconsciously tilted his head into Sephiroth’s gently caress humming lowly in his throat.
“We set off at day break Cloud. I trust Zack will have you ready to go?”
“MmmHmm….”
“Good.̶ 1; Sephiroth whispered in the blond’s ear, eliciting a tiny shiver from him.
------
Cloud sat in the lab in a total daze. Such a close encounter with Sephiroth. How he wanted to kiss the silver haired male then and there. Oh how his body craved.
Steeling a gaze over at the two embryo’s floating helplessly in their protective fluids, Cloud silently crept over to them. Having finished all his duties in the lab. Typed up his reports, subsequently filing them for Hojo, he had nothing much to do. He didn’t feel like going to the mess hall for dinner.
“So Sora….what do I do? I think I know what happened with myself and the General….however, I’m not 100% clear. I know I have to go on this mission….I just cant shake the feeling that something’s going to happen. Sephiroth will not tell me any more than I need know. I don’t think I will make it back alive….”
Cloud glanced over at Riku. He immediately noticed that Riku’s growth was at a more advanced state than Sora’s. The body was bigger. More defined. More features.
“Where did you two come from huh?”
------
Sephiroth waited in the extensive parking lot out the back of the ShinRa building. It was just after 5am and no-one had showed up yet.
Tapping his foot off the concrete, his patience was wearing thin.
“Sorry I’m late Sir!”
Sephiroth growled in distain as the fiery red head Reno sped towards him. He had no interest in hearing his excuses as to why he was late.
Just after Reno had ground to a halt, Sephiroth spotted Zack and another Cadet coming towards him. The other Cadet ofcourse being Cloud, fully dressed in his uniform, face hidden.
“I apologise for being late Sir.”
Sephiroth gave a curt nod of the head before grabbing his bag and throwing it in the back of the truck.
After everyone had climbed in, Sephiroth banged on the glass partition as a signal for the driver that they were ready.
For almost four hours, the four members of ShinRa sat rocking about the back of the truck. Sephiroth sat with his arms and legs crossed, eyes shut, head bowed. Seemingly unaffected by the rocky terrain they drove through.
Zack was pacing about the back of the small truck like a child. Every now and then he would stretch his arms and legs, double check his materia was clipped securely into his arm guard then begin his pacing again.
Reno was tiring of Zack’s antics….fast. He sat right at the back of the truck with his head bowed low, helmet pulled over his eyes.
Cloud on the other hand, he struggled to keep his helmet on. He felt terribly sick. His stomach twisted and lurched with every bump in the road. Almost as if the road and his stomach were one. His hands shook as he fought his hardest against being sick….unfortunately for the General, he was in the direct firing line should Cloud lose the battle against his quaking insides.
“You alright?” Zack whispered to the ill Cloud.
“Terrible motion sickness.”
“Take your helmet off then.”
Sephiroth seemed to let out an almost silent cough. Was that such a good idea. However, before he could voice his concerns, the helmet hit the unforgiving floor of the truck. Said silver haired male sighed slightly. Nothing on this mission was going to go right.
Reno perked up as the blond dropped his helmet to the floor. He gasped slightly at the sight of Cloud. He was not supposed to be here! He was supposed to stay in the labs for the duration of this fated mission….then be disposed of when the projects became of age.
“Shit!” Reno thought to himself as he watched the blond Cadet slump back against the wall.
“Feeling any better?” Sephiroth’s deep baritone voice broke through the silence.
Cloud nodded his head slightly. He wouldn’t feel much better until he was out of the truck. However, with the two hour crossing from Junon to Costa Del Sol then a nightmarish 7 hour ride to Nibelheim, Cloud was in for a wild ride.
------
Having tediously slowly stepped onto the passenger ship which would take them over to the beach resort of Costa Del Sol. Cloud just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. His legs shook, he was starving beyond all belief but he just couldn’t bring himself to eat anything.
“Strife?”
Cloud whipped his head round at Sephiroth’s voice in his ear.
“It would be best if you headed to the deck and remained as near to the middle of the ship as you can. Technically one is supposed to feel less movement in the centre of a vessel.”
“Bullshit.” Cloud thought grimly to himself as he followed the silver haired males suggestion.
After about an hour of sitting alone, feeling sorry for himself, Cloud sensed someone perching themselves beside him. He hoped it would either be Zack or Sephiroth. Reno had done a disappearing act since they boarded the ship.
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a mass of black and silver sitting almost too close to him.
“How are you feeling Cloud?”
“Like shit warmed up.”
“Hmm, have never felt what shit warmed up is like….do elaborate.”
“Like I’ve just been put through a million mile an hour spin cycle on a full stomach. Fucking awful.”
Sephiroth clucked his tongue in agreement. He himself had no real clue what the blond felt like. Motion sickness was never one of his weaknesses.
Before Cloud could wallow in self pity any more. A warm hand atop his shoulder shook him from his sick state.
He glanced at that naked hand. Sephiroth had removed his gloves. A very rare occurrence indeed. The increasing heat from the area must be getting to him.
“To make life a bit easier for yourself….and for us for fear of being thrown up on, we are scheduled to make an overnight stop at Costa Del Sol before continuing onto Nibelheim tomorrow morning.”
“Fantastic….”
“Tr y and sound a little more enthusiastic Cloud. I, being the kind-hearted individual that I am….have decided to buy all of us a round of drinks also….being that it is both yours and Reno’s first mission.”
Cloud couldn’t even think about alcohol or anything else for that matter. He just wanted this misery of a mission gone so he could find out just what Sephiroth had in store for himself and Zack.
Anything to get away from the rabid clutches of ShinRa.
------
“Well…. It seems the General has snuck Strife on that mission. I knew he would try and pull something. However, on the plus side, both embryo’s are developing marvellously. They should be safe in the lab for a time while I take care of matters in Nibelheim. Have not been there in many many years.”
With that, the raven haired male left his lab in the care of one of his most trusted assistants. He would surely look after his two children the way Strife had.
“I will not let the two of them beat me”
Cloud stood nervously outside Sephiroth’s office. He twiddled his thumbs together for about 30seconds before he plucked up the courage to knock the door.
Just as he lifted a shaking hand, said door slid open swiftly as a mass of silver and black crashed into the blond.
Cloud stumbled back a few paces to gain his footing. Sephiroth stood unmoving, totally unfazed by the both of them crashing into each other.
“Strife….what took you so long?”
“Sorry Sir….it took me some time to get from the lab to here. I apologise.”
“Come with me.”
Cloud stared gob smacked as Sephiroth grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the elevators.
“W-where….” “Silence.”
Cloud watched the breathtaking form of the General in front of him. The hand gripping his wrist never faltered. Still clutching on painfully tightly.
Cloud watched mesmerised as Sephiroth’s hair swept around his built but slim frame. He watched as the sunlight creeping down the top levels of ShinRa Tower corridors bounced off of that same hair. Shimmering silver turned almost white under the scrutiny of the sun.
Cloud, with his free hand went to touch his own hair. It was much shorter than he remembered. He remembered he used to have long flowing golden blond locks. Not as long as Sephiroth’s but equally beautiful. Why on Gaia did he let Zack cut it?
Cloud continued his musings as he was led through the winding corridors of the complex. He was still lost in thoughts as he was unceremoniously shoved into a glass elevator. His mind was still adrift when he was brought to a stop at his final destination.
A sharp cough shook him from his day dreams.
“What?”
------
“Shera! ”
Said female whipped her head up at the sound of Cid’s gruff voice.
“Calm down Cid. What seems to be the problem?”
Cid halted his running, bent over with his hands resting atop his knees to catch his breath. Finally he caught enough to form some coherent sentences.
“ShinRa is deploying SOLDIER’s here. Right here in this building!”
“What? How could they know we are here?”
“I don’t know if they do but I have a feeling that we are being watched. And….I also believe that time has ran out for Sephiroth and that boy….”
“No….after all the work we done….it’s too late. I can’t help them….”
Cid watched as Shera walked to the other side of the lab situated in the basement of ShinRa Manor with her head cast to the floor. A single crystal tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek.
“I’m sorry my sister. I tried.”
“Look Shera. You return home to Rocket Town. I’m gonna stay here and wait till ShinRa arrive. We both know who they will send….”
“Sephiroth.”
------
< br> “Cloud? Are you always this infuriating?! You never listened to a word I said on the way here did you?”
Cloud shook his head slightly before averting his gaze to the far wall.
Fingers cupping his chin, bringing his face round forced him to look at Sephiroth once more.
“This afternoon will be the last in the lab for you. We leave at first light tomorrow. The mission has been brought forth due to some recent findings I came across.”
“If you don’t mind my asking Sir….what findings?”
Cloud squirmed slightly as Sephiroth hesitated to speak.
“I came across well detailed reports of illegal activities in the old ShinRa Manor. I also found out some information about my heritage….a woman named Jenova who supposedly resided up in the mountains. It is said she lived near the reactor. Coincidently, monsters have been tearing the reactor up from the inside. All of these occurrences need to be subdued before the town comes under threat.”
“O-ok….I’m not sure where I fit in with this….”
“You will find out when the mission is complete. Both you and Zack.”
Cloud nodded and watched as Sephiroth spun on his heel and headed over to the large window.
Sephiroth stared haphazardly out of the window making no further attempts to speak to the stunning youth behind him. Although his memories were distorted to say the least, he knew that both him and the blond knew each other much better than he originally believed them to. Something niggling away at Sephiroth told him as much.
“Sir? I should be getting back to my duties.”
Sephiroth turned his head before swallowing his pride and pacing back towards Cloud. He raised his hands and placed them atop Cloud’s cheeks. His fingers lightly stroked the baby soft skin below them.
Cloud immediately blushed pink cheeks. He subconsciously tilted his head into Sephiroth’s gently caress humming lowly in his throat.
“We set off at day break Cloud. I trust Zack will have you ready to go?”
“MmmHmm….”
“Good.̶ 1; Sephiroth whispered in the blond’s ear, eliciting a tiny shiver from him.
------
Cloud sat in the lab in a total daze. Such a close encounter with Sephiroth. How he wanted to kiss the silver haired male then and there. Oh how his body craved.
Steeling a gaze over at the two embryo’s floating helplessly in their protective fluids, Cloud silently crept over to them. Having finished all his duties in the lab. Typed up his reports, subsequently filing them for Hojo, he had nothing much to do. He didn’t feel like going to the mess hall for dinner.
“So Sora….what do I do? I think I know what happened with myself and the General….however, I’m not 100% clear. I know I have to go on this mission….I just cant shake the feeling that something’s going to happen. Sephiroth will not tell me any more than I need know. I don’t think I will make it back alive….”
Cloud glanced over at Riku. He immediately noticed that Riku’s growth was at a more advanced state than Sora’s. The body was bigger. More defined. More features.
“Where did you two come from huh?”
------
Sephiroth waited in the extensive parking lot out the back of the ShinRa building. It was just after 5am and no-one had showed up yet.
Tapping his foot off the concrete, his patience was wearing thin.
“Sorry I’m late Sir!”
Sephiroth growled in distain as the fiery red head Reno sped towards him. He had no interest in hearing his excuses as to why he was late.
Just after Reno had ground to a halt, Sephiroth spotted Zack and another Cadet coming towards him. The other Cadet ofcourse being Cloud, fully dressed in his uniform, face hidden.
“I apologise for being late Sir.”
Sephiroth gave a curt nod of the head before grabbing his bag and throwing it in the back of the truck.
After everyone had climbed in, Sephiroth banged on the glass partition as a signal for the driver that they were ready.
For almost four hours, the four members of ShinRa sat rocking about the back of the truck. Sephiroth sat with his arms and legs crossed, eyes shut, head bowed. Seemingly unaffected by the rocky terrain they drove through.
Zack was pacing about the back of the small truck like a child. Every now and then he would stretch his arms and legs, double check his materia was clipped securely into his arm guard then begin his pacing again.
Reno was tiring of Zack’s antics….fast. He sat right at the back of the truck with his head bowed low, helmet pulled over his eyes.
Cloud on the other hand, he struggled to keep his helmet on. He felt terribly sick. His stomach twisted and lurched with every bump in the road. Almost as if the road and his stomach were one. His hands shook as he fought his hardest against being sick….unfortunately for the General, he was in the direct firing line should Cloud lose the battle against his quaking insides.
“You alright?” Zack whispered to the ill Cloud.
“Terrible motion sickness.”
“Take your helmet off then.”
Sephiroth seemed to let out an almost silent cough. Was that such a good idea. However, before he could voice his concerns, the helmet hit the unforgiving floor of the truck. Said silver haired male sighed slightly. Nothing on this mission was going to go right.
Reno perked up as the blond dropped his helmet to the floor. He gasped slightly at the sight of Cloud. He was not supposed to be here! He was supposed to stay in the labs for the duration of this fated mission….then be disposed of when the projects became of age.
“Shit!” Reno thought to himself as he watched the blond Cadet slump back against the wall.
“Feeling any better?” Sephiroth’s deep baritone voice broke through the silence.
Cloud nodded his head slightly. He wouldn’t feel much better until he was out of the truck. However, with the two hour crossing from Junon to Costa Del Sol then a nightmarish 7 hour ride to Nibelheim, Cloud was in for a wild ride.
------
Having tediously slowly stepped onto the passenger ship which would take them over to the beach resort of Costa Del Sol. Cloud just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. His legs shook, he was starving beyond all belief but he just couldn’t bring himself to eat anything.
“Strife?”
Cloud whipped his head round at Sephiroth’s voice in his ear.
“It would be best if you headed to the deck and remained as near to the middle of the ship as you can. Technically one is supposed to feel less movement in the centre of a vessel.”
“Bullshit.” Cloud thought grimly to himself as he followed the silver haired males suggestion.
After about an hour of sitting alone, feeling sorry for himself, Cloud sensed someone perching themselves beside him. He hoped it would either be Zack or Sephiroth. Reno had done a disappearing act since they boarded the ship.
Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a mass of black and silver sitting almost too close to him.
“How are you feeling Cloud?”
“Like shit warmed up.”
“Hmm, have never felt what shit warmed up is like….do elaborate.”
“Like I’ve just been put through a million mile an hour spin cycle on a full stomach. Fucking awful.”
Sephiroth clucked his tongue in agreement. He himself had no real clue what the blond felt like. Motion sickness was never one of his weaknesses.
Before Cloud could wallow in self pity any more. A warm hand atop his shoulder shook him from his sick state.
He glanced at that naked hand. Sephiroth had removed his gloves. A very rare occurrence indeed. The increasing heat from the area must be getting to him.
“To make life a bit easier for yourself….and for us for fear of being thrown up on, we are scheduled to make an overnight stop at Costa Del Sol before continuing onto Nibelheim tomorrow morning.”
“Fantastic….”
“Tr y and sound a little more enthusiastic Cloud. I, being the kind-hearted individual that I am….have decided to buy all of us a round of drinks also….being that it is both yours and Reno’s first mission.”
Cloud couldn’t even think about alcohol or anything else for that matter. He just wanted this misery of a mission gone so he could find out just what Sephiroth had in store for himself and Zack.
Anything to get away from the rabid clutches of ShinRa.
------
“Well…. It seems the General has snuck Strife on that mission. I knew he would try and pull something. However, on the plus side, both embryo’s are developing marvellously. They should be safe in the lab for a time while I take care of matters in Nibelheim. Have not been there in many many years.”
With that, the raven haired male left his lab in the care of one of his most trusted assistants. He would surely look after his two children the way Strife had.
“I will not let the two of them beat me”