Until My Last Breath
Prologue
I remember the day I raced out, on Sephiroth's orders, despite the dangerous, flooded river and pouring rain. I remember running what seemed like a mile in shoes unfit for the job, kicking them off to put haste over the discomfort of rocks digging and cutting at my feet. The mud, squishing between my toes. When I did reach the river, it was flooded to full height, and on the narrow wooden board bridge the water came up over the tops of my feet. The current was strong, I was endangering my life. I never thought once about my own life. All I knew is that Sephiroth wanted me to tell Angeal, who was trapped on the other side of the river with the rest of the army. I kept wobbling to keep my balance, but when I looked up a sharp cry I twisted nearly falling into the churning tide. I just managed to keep my balance.
Genesis was standing at the other side, yelling for me to go back, his voice hoarse from screaming and his eyes wide in dread of what could happen. I yelled the message to him a few times before he understood, nodding in a wide gesture and screaming for me to go back now. I stepped backwards towards the other end of the bridge, nearly reaching the bank. Suddenly, I lost my balance, swinging my arms trying to regain myself. I let out a cry when the General Sephiroth grabbed me from behind, steading me. His Masamune was stuck deep into the dirt on the bank and he was using it to steady himself as he dragged me back to the shore. We struggled for minutes, me trying desperately not to throw his balance off and feeling a sharp pain where his slim arm was wrapped tightly around my waist.
His hair blew around us, the long and silky silver strands mixing with my brown shades as he hugged me against him, sacrificing some of his limber reflexes for my safety. He was bearing most of my weight, my feet just gently gracing the ground as he stepped tentatively back to the shore. Finally reaching the end of the bridge, we both collapsed in the wet sand beside the river, his arm still fastened tightly around my waist. A long, wet strand of his hair was flung over my face. Sephiroth's breathing was obviously felt against my shoulder, his breathing sounding like he had just ran a marathon. I fell asleep then, right there on the bank, his arm around me. I awoke when I felt myself being lifted, my head cradled against a shoulder. I made a loud grunting sound and was replaced on soft grass. I felt rain fall on my face, and I opened my eyes, staring up at the sky with a unfocused look. Suddenly, the general's face and long waves of his silky hair were leaning over me.
He said he was sorry, right then and there. My eyes snapped open and I asked him why. The river. The river could have swept me away. I could have died. I remember feeling touched, and only then started to shake after my adrenaline rush. I bit my lip trying not to cry and pinched my eyes shut, taking a hold on the grass with both hands in a death grip. I only opened my eyes when I heard my name being said softly, followed by a few words that meant nothing, as I was entranced with his sea green eyes. He smiled meekly, and my attention snapped back when a cold, bare hand was pressed to my chest. Pain followed. I looked down to see a large, red abrasion surrounded by broken blood vessels and other hurts. My jacket was torn open, the sides coated with my own blood. He mumbled something and pulled something white out of his pocket, pressing it to the wound. I made a small sound at the pain but was otherwise quiet.
Then, my mind started to go astray. I could suddenly feel the insides of the general's strong legs through the leather, the slim muscles bunching against my hips as he bent to press more on the wound. His chest was torn too, scratched and bruised, and his jacket was in disarray, the cuffs unfolded and some of the fasteners snapped. One of the thick straps running across his chest was undone. I saw myself reach up and re-attach the broken strap to the fabric, pulling the jacket back to where it should be, my actions not really my own. He watched my hands with his eyes, still pressing on the wound on my chest. I pulled the cuffs around and straightened them, then went on to adjust the collar. The back of my hands brushed against his jaw as I straightened the leather so it stood normally. Sephiroth's skin was smooth, very smooth. Flawless.
My lands lingered on the edge of the cuff for a moment, before I got my wits back and tried to pull my hand away. He grabbed it in one of his own, staring down at it as if there was a movie playing on the surface of my frozen and pale skin. He held it up to his neck, warming it against his neck as he leaned down and gently brushed his lips over mine, his straight nose brushing against my cheek.
Author's Comments
Obvious flashback here. I'm away during the week for five months or more, so most chapters will be posted on weekends. Please be patient. Reviews are a ++. You will be mentioned and featured at the bottom of the chapter if you give a good review. Also, don't bash Seph. He's not totally evil, he's just mislead and misunderstood. The main character has not been named yet. Deal with it. I hope everyone enjoys these little tidbits.
- Deidara
[THIS WAS FIRST POSTED JANUARY 9TH, 2009]
[THIS WAS FIRST EDITED JANUARY 9TH, 2009]