A/N: Cloud/Cissnei isn't a pairing I would have ever thought of on my own, but it was surprisingly fun to write (I actually ended up generating several different plot ideas, this is just the one I thought was best).

BillyZhao, hope you like it. Thanks for giving me the impetus to expand my horizons!

To the rest of you: enjoy, as always, and let me know what you think!

Alone No More

Cloud stared across the narrow helicopter compartment at the chestnut-haired Turk sitting opposite, and let his thoughts wander. He was just an infantryman, destined to go nowhere in life, and this was the closest he'd ever been to one of Shinra's higher-ups. Someone important. Someone who mattered. Well, actually, that wasn't completely true - he'd just come back from the mission to Modeoheim, where he'd been teamed up with both Tseng, the head Turk, and Zack, a First Class...but it just wasn't the same. The main difference was that none of the other Turks or SOLDIERs were breathtakingly beautiful - or even female, for that matter - and he hadn't had a crush on them ever since the first time he laid eyes on them. Which was the case with this Turk.

Cloud hoped his helmet obscured his face enough that she wouldn't know he was staring at her, but she was a Turk, so the chances of going unnoticed were pretty slim. At least she didn't seem to mind; instead, she stared out the windshield at the endless gray clouds streaming past. In other words, she didn't even acknowledge his presence. That was depressing, but it gave him more leisure to look at her.

Wavy chestnut hair, the color of a bright sunset over the Nibel Mountains. Immaculate black suit, hugging every curve and accentuating her slim build. Small hands with dextrous fingers resting loosely in her lap. Her smooth face, with its childlike innocence, its faintly smiling mouth. And her eyes, gorgeous amber, with flecks of gold deep within...

He realized abruptly that she was staring back at him. Feeling himself turning red and the temperature going up several degrees inside his helmet, he quickly looked away, muttering an incoherent apology.

"At least take your helmet off. I like seeing people's eyes when they look at me."

His head snapped up again to meet her gaze. Wait, she had actually spoken to him? An angel like her had spoken to a lowly nobody like himself?

"Well?" she said, tilting her head. "Are you deaf? Or would you rather me remove it for you?"

"Oh...um, that's okay..." He fumbled for a moment with the chinstrap, then dumped the headpiece on the seat beside him. His blond hair stood up at all angles and he self-consciously ran a hand through it, which only made it stick up worse.

"That's better," she said, clearly not in reference to his hair. "Now we can talk without me feeling like I'm under surveillance. Trust me, I get enough of that back at the Tower."

Really? Her life is less than perfect? I would have thought that -

"I'm Cissnei."

"Cloud. Cloud Strife, infantry."

"That's obvious, silly. And I'm a Turk, in case you didn't recognize the suit or read your mission briefing."

Cloud couldn't help but grin. She was beautiful; she was funny; she was talking to him! Good Gaia, had he died and gone to heaven? Cissnei. She had a name - that helped solidify her in his mind, as if before she'd only been a spirit that could have vanished if he'd blinked. But now he knew her, he had a word to hold her down and keep her here on earth with him.

She glanced at the cockpit again, and as if to test his newfound power, Cloud let her name slip like liquid silver from his mouth. "Cissnei."

Immediately those bright eyes were on him again.

"I, um..." I really, really like you. I want to spend time with you, get to know you. I want to touch you. I want to say your name over and over until you promise never to leave me. I...I love you. But his body betrayed him and his mind locked up, and all he could force out through suddenly numb lips was, "I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah, just another boring routine mission, nothing interesting. But - I'm glad you're here, too."

Did she just say - ? Does she like me? Cloud smiled and Cissnei returned the expression.

Before he could think of anything else to say, the pilot announced that they were touching down outside North Corel. The two exited the helicopter and started walking toward the small collection of dingy houses that could barely be called a village. On the far side of the buildings could be seen the looming dark shape of the mako reactor, still with skeletons of scaffolding surrounding its huge flanks. Cloud looked at it in wonder - he'd climbed up to the Nibel reactor once or twice, but he didn't remember it being as large as this one.

"New generation of reactors," Cissnei said, noticing where he was staring. "This one was only just completed. It's not operational yet; it's still lacking a full staff. Our - my job is to make sure it's safe enough for the scientists to come in and start it up."

"Okay," Cloud murmured, unsure what else to say. He let all the technical babble go over his head, and just concentrated on listening to her voice. It's so soft, yet strong, with so much emotion. I wonder if she sings...

They headed down the dirt path that counted as Main Street, and as the villagers came to their doors to watch them pass, Cloud began to feel conspicuous. Why were they all looking at him, anyway? He reached for his helmet, then felt a spike of panic shoot through him as he realized it wasn't there. It must still be on the chopper, headed back to Midgar by now.

Cissnei noticed his wild grab at where the headpiece ought to be, and his subsequent panicked expression. He had such a cute face, she couldn't imagine why he was always hiding under that helmet. But as she saw his expression fading into hopelessness, she felt she ought to say something.

"The locals here don't particularly like Shinra - that's partly what's taken so long to get the reactor built. It's for the best if you don't have your helmet; the more inconspicuous you are, the safer you'll be if the people don't realize you're with the Company."

"Yeah, you try being inconspicuous with this hair. Easier said than done." He looked at the ground, trying to keep his face a mask in lieu of the protective blankness of his helmet.

"I see nothing wrong with your hair. I think it's..." ...cute. No way could she say that to his face, not when he was looking at her so hopefully from the corners of his eyes. Handsome didn't fit either. Realizing she was taking too long to finish the sentence, she blurted the first thing she could think of. "I think it's sexy."

Cloud's mouth hung open for several moments. She thinks I'm sexy. He could feel himself blushing again. No, wait. She thinks my hair is sexy. Not the same thing. By the time his brain caught up to reality, she was already a dozen steps ahead of him, walking fast. Cloud swallowed hard and tried to will the redness from his cheeks as he hurried to catch up, staying a respectful distance behind her, as befitted an infantryman.

Cissnei strode toward the reactor, not wanting to be impolite, but not wanting Cloud to see how flustered she was by her own words. His light footsteps trotted behind her, echoing the rapid beating of her heart. It was only in jest, she told herself. I didn't mean anything by it. I mean, yes, he is hot, but really... But really what? I've never had a boyfriend. I've never had any friends, period. And now I get embarrassed because I accidentally called a boy sexy.

They were at the foot of the enormous steps leading up to the reactor, and Cissnei waited for Cloud to catch up before starting to climb.

"This shouldn't take long," the Turk said, eyes forward and voice businesslike. "I've got to ask a few questions, do a few inspections, then we can go find a hotel and wait until the chopper comes in the morning."

"Why am I here?" Cloud couldn't help asking. "If it's all so routine..."

"You're here because I requested you. Now, stand guard here, and I'll be back in an hour." She disappeared inside, leaving a bewildered Cloud on the steps.

If she requested me to accompany her - she must know me. But of course; she's a Turk, she's probably read everybody's files. Which leaves the question: why me?

Hardly daring to hope that the attraction he felt was mutual, Cloud took up a position on the stairs and waited until the copper-haired angel returned.

Twilight had set in and Cloud's legs had gone stiff for standing so long when the door finally opened and Cissnei came out, looking exhausted.

"Is everything okay?" Cloud asked, belatedly adding, "Ma'am?"

She nodded. "Everything went well, but if you thought this place was huge, that's an understatement. It's bigger on the inside - tunnels and basements and winding corridors, all of which had to be checked. I wouldn't be surprised if they have an indoor pool somewhere in there; it's plenty big enough for it." She started down the steps. "I hope the hotels here have hot showers."

Cloud followed her until they reached Corel's only inn - more of a boarding house, actually. It was two-storied, in no better repair than the rest of the shabby town, and the yellow paint was peeling and coated in the black coal dust from the mining operation that was the settlement's sole industry. At Cissnei's insistent knocking, an elderly woman opened the door and looked suspiciously at the two.

"Run along, young 'uns. I've got no time for pranks." She made to shut the door, but Cissnei stepped forward.

"This is the inn, right? My friend and I would like to stay the night."

"Oh." The woman glanced them over again. "Have you been out partyin'? All dressed up like that, suit and tie - on a girl! And you," she noticed Cloud, "you've got awful strange clothes for a young man your age. Shouldn't you be in the mines?"

"We're not from around here," Cissnei said, smoothly taking the door from the woman's hands and opening it enough for her and Cloud to slip in. "Now, are the bedrooms upstairs?"

"You're from Shinra, ain't you?"

"No. I'm from Midgar, and he's from -"

"Nibelheim," Cloud supplied quickly.

"Nibelheim. Neither of us is from Shinra. Is dinner included, or does it cost extra?"

"You make a cute couple," the old woman went on as if not hearing them. "Are you eloping?"

Cloud's eyes went wide and he glanced to Cissnei for help, but even her quick mind seemed frozen for the moment.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" their hostess exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "You'll be wanting to spend the night, I assume? There's a bedroom upstairs; sorry it's only the one, we don't get many visitors here. But that'll be all right for you two, hm?" She chuckled, giving Cissnei a conspiratorial wink, and the Turk tried her best to smile.

"Of course. That'll be fine. Thank you." Cissnei looked helplessly at Cloud and gave him an apologetic shrug.

It'll be the floor for me tonight, for sure, he thought mournfully. But at least I'll be near her.

"Dinner's almost ready right now," the woman continued, bustling into the adjoining kitchen and stirring a small pot of...something. "I'll have it on the table in just a moment." Seeing Cissnei's distrustful look at the stuff bubbling on the stove, she elaborated. "It's rat-tail soup. They're fresh, trapped this morning. Now, let me find some bowls..." She hurried to a cabinet on the far side of the room.

Cissnei turned back to Cloud to find that the infantryman had gone a shade or two of green. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"It's just motion sickness. Happens every time I travel in a chopper. Or on a ship, or anything else moving. I'll be fine, but...I don't really want to eat right now."

"Me neither," she answered in a whisper as the woman came back and began ladling liquid out of the pot. Louder, she said, "Excuse me, but my friend and I are very tired and we're going to bed now. Thank you for offering us dinner, but we really need to go."

"If you're tired, this is just what you need -" the woman began, but Cissnei had already grabbed Cloud by the shoulder and spun him around, hustling him through a dingy living room and up some creaking stairs.

There was only one room upstairs, a slant-ceilinged area with a sagging bed, a dresser, and a door into a small bathroom. The bed was plenty big, most likely a relic of some decades-old dowry, but what Cloud mostly noticed was the lack of floor space. This was going to get really awkward, really quickly.

Cissnei helped him toward the bed, but now that he was away from the smell of the kitchen, his head cleared rapidly and he felt better. The Turk shut the door and plopped down next to him, making the mattress bounce, and Cloud shut his eyes.

"Sorry. But thank goodness we got out of that kitchen. I know it's the last thing you want right now, but I do have several field rations with me if you get hungry."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be able to keep anything down...and then I've got to ride back tomorrow..."

He sounded so miserable that Cissnei wanted to wrap her arms around him and lean his head into her shoulder, but she restrained herself. Instead, she reached inside her black jacket and took out a small medicine packet. Cloud glanced up as she placed a pill in his hand.

"Dramamine. For the sickness," she said. "You've got water in your canteen, right?"

After swallowing the pill and feeling the nausea disappear almost immediately, Cloud looked at her in amazement. "What is there you can't do?"

She shrugged and laughed sadly. "Talk to people. Make friends. Have a normal life."

"You seem pretty normal to me."

"Shows what you know." She didn't mean for it to come out so cutting, so bitter, but it was the truth. "Turks can't have friends or family - it's a weakness that enemies could exploit. Every emotion we feel we have to keep locked up for fear of someone seeing."

"You're pretty good at keeping secrets, then."

"When I want to."

Cloud's heart leapt. Does this mean, all those little comments she's made, that she does like me? 'Cause if she didn't want me to know, she could have hidden it better than that.

Cissnei pulled out two ration packs from somewhere inside her uniform and handed one to Cloud. She peeled hers open and regarded the unappetizing bar, then said matter-of-factly, "You're good at keeping secrets, too - sort of. You certainly don't say anything to give yourself away."

So she'd noticed all the glances, the blushes, the way his whole body froze up every time she addressed him. He didn't know if he was happy or mortified.

"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled, because some sort of answer seemed to be called for, then concentrated his attention on his ration bar.

It wasn't until a while later, after they both had eaten and washed up in the small bathroom - the lack of a bathtub of any kind had killed Cissnei's hopes for a hot shower - that they had to confront the most awkward problem with their lodgings. One bed.

"I'll take the floor," Cloud said, already rummaging through the dresser for a blanket. His legs and back were still aching from guard duty and he moved stiffly as he knelt to go through the bottom drawer.

"No, that's okay. You need the bed. I know that the barracks aren't that comfortable - let this be a sort of vacation."

He kept his head bowed as he sorted through the few moth-eaten cloths and realized there was no blanket to be found. "No way am I letting a girl sleep on the floor while I have the bed."

"I didn't say I wanted the floor, either."

"Huh?" Cloud stood up suddenly, ignoring the protesting lurch of his stomach, and turned to face her. Cissnei was sitting on the bed, her black jacket and tie laid aside, and she quirked her head at him.

"I'm not sleeping on that dusty, dirty floor, no matter how much I'm paid. And you don't have to either, unless you really enjoy waking up with a crick in the neck. Am I really that unpleasant to be near?"

"No, no, it's not that..." Cloud began, desperately trying to find some excuse. He didn't want the floor, but he also didn't know how he could stand being in the same bed with this girl all night long, side-by-side, within touching distance, but terrified to lay a hand on her... That would be torture.

He was still stammering as Cissnei reached up and with one hand began slowly undoing the buttons of her white shirt, revealing her throat and collarbone inch by inch. All of Cloud's attention was suddenly concentrated on that single tiny movement, mesmerized by her fingers as they worked lower down her chest, toward her small cleavage, past the dark band of her bra, and on down to the very hem. Still with that same slow motion, she pushed her blouse back, off her shoulders, slipped her arms out, and laid the shirt next to her jacket at the foot of the bed.

Cloud's mouth had suddenly gone completely dry. Was she crazy? Or was he?

They stared at each other from across the room for what seemed like eternity. Cloud's jaw felt like it had detached from his head, and still Cissnei looked at him, that faint smile - no, a smirk - on her lips. The infantryman didn't know what to do; he couldn't think. The part of him that had been raised in small-town, backwater Nibelheim was screaming at him to give her some privacy and go find a couch downstairs, but he wasn't listening to that part any more. He wanted...he didn't know what he wanted.

Cissnei turned away from him, breaking eye contact, and he could finally breathe in a great gasp. But his breath caught in his throat just as suddenly as her hands moved to her belt, sliding it from her waist and laying it aside; boots and socks followed the rest of the uniform, and her hands were reaching for the waistline of her pants as Cloud's brain finally kicked in. He leapt across the room, nearly stumbling over his own feet, and grabbed her hands, jerking them away and holding them against the mattress on either side of her hips.

He stared at her for a moment, his first thoughts confusion, fear, and a bit of anger - what was she doing? They were on the way to friendship! Then he became acutely aware of her leg pressed against his, caught between his knees. Her hands were warm in his, so soft and pliable. She looked at him, gold-flecked amber eyes, her hair over half her face, her lips curved in that same damn smile. But it wasn't the same - it wasn't the smile of a Turk (I know something you don't know), nor the smile of a seductress (I will enjoy corrupting you, innocent), but the wide-eyed expression of a child who hopes to goodness she's doing the right thing to please someone she loves.

"Cissnei...why are you doing this?"

Those eyes slowly filled up with tears and she looked down at her lap, still not fighting his grip on her wrists. Her next words weren't in answer to his question. "You don't want me."

Cloud blinked. Where had she gotten that idea? "I don't...it's not... Cissnei." He drew out the last syllable in a tone of distress. "You really, really shouldn't be doing this." Actually, it wasn't his place to be telling his superiors what they could and couldn't do, but it seemed that in this situation the lines between high-ranking Turk and infantry grunt were already blurred beyond repair.

"And why not?" Her voice was breathy, and oh-so-warm on his cheek. He didn't dare look into her face, so he kept his gaze up, staring at the way the dim lights cast lines of radiance and shadow on her hair. "I know what I want. I'm old enough. I know I look innocent, but trust me - I'm not."

Cloud rose to the bait and lowered his gaze. Innocent was an understatement with that angelic face. "You're a Turk; of course you aren't innocent. Neither of us is. That's why it's called the army. But you are young..."

"Year and a half older than you," she said triumphantly.

"Wha- how do you know?"

"I read your file. But if you think you are too young, that's okay. I'll go see about finding you some blankets; that floor looks none too comfortable."

His blue eyes narrowed. Ever since he'd been little - really little, old enough to pick fights but young enough to not know when to back down - he'd always been one to rise to a challenge. And the prize for winning this fight was too tempting to turn down.

"All right," he said, letting go of her wrists and backing up a step. "We'll do it your way."

"I thought you would," she said in an irritatingly self-confident voice, but any rancor he may have felt at her tone was immediately erased by her next words. "I've liked you for a long time. I first saw you running errands for one of the infantry captains in the Tower, and...well, I guess I've been kinda following you ever since. Sounds creepy now that I say it outloud - actually, it always did strike me as creepy, I just didn't want to admit it - but it's true. That's why I requested you to come with me. I wanted some time to talk, get to know you. Now I feel like..." she trailed off, glancing down at herself, her half-clothed breasts, the loose waistband of her pants. "I threw myself at you. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry, this wasn't the way I wanted to come across. I don't want this to be our only time together -"

"Then don't let this be our only time together. I want to see you again after tonight, too. I...I love you." There, he'd said it. Unintentionally, but now it was out there. His mind was still reeling from her revelations: she liked him; not only that, but she liked him enough to stalk him and ask him out with her to an isolated reactor in the middle of nowhere. Wait, that sounded suspiciously like a date!

Cissnei was smiling at him yet again, but this time her whole face was alight with the expression and there were promises of joy and love and unending loyalty behind those full lips and white teeth. Without giving his better judgment time to kick in, Cloud leaned forward and planted a long slow kiss on that eager mouth. He drew back finally as the taste of cinnamon began to overwhelm his senses.

"Cissnei, I don't think I should...we should -"

She wrapped her fingers firmly into the kerchief around his neck and drew him back to her lips. "I really don't care what you think," she whispered as she laid her mouth on his, teasing at him until he gave in. All it took was that one comment to remind him where he was and what he was doing, and the precarious knife-edge he was currently balanced on. She was a Turk, skilled at "persuasion"; she was also exceptionally strong-willed and used to getting exactly whatever she wanted. Cloud thought briefly about resisting further, but it wasn't too hard to convince himself that playing along was the best way to insure his survival.

With her face, body, and methods, Cissnei could no doubt have any man she set her sights on. But she'd chosen him - he'd better not disappoint her. And he wouldn't.

It came as a mild surprise to him when he realized that he was already leaning heavily on her, his hands tight in her chestnut locks. Her tongue was rubbing repeatedly against his closed lips and her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer and begging for him to accept her. He opened his mouth tentatively; he relented an inch, and she took a mile, her tongue roaming his mouth, her heaving chest pressed against his, her hands working on the many buckles of his uniform.

Cloud let her do as she pleased. He was too anxious for human contact after months in a barracks full of strangers for him to think to stop her, until her mouth left his and his thoughts had a chance to realign. His torso was now bare - when did this happen? - and warm hands were fumbling with his belt, and he realized just what his acquiescence meant.

Telling Cissnei he loved her was one thing; having sex on their first night of knowing each other's names was a whole different color of chocobo. Out of desperation, even though his body was telling him to stop fighting, his mind reverted to something his parents had practically beaten into his head. "We can't - we're not...we're not married! We don't even really know each other!"

He could feel her lips smirking where they were pressed to his chest. "Then let this be an incentive. Or even, if we don't see each other again, let this be a one night sacrifice of morality to passion."

That sounded all right to Cloud's addled mind, and he gave up all further thoughts of resistance as she slid his pants down his legs. Sitting next to her on the bed, he put one arm around her bare shoulders as he kicked off his boots and pants, and leaned backward on the mattress. Cissnei followed him, straddling his waist, her mouth once more locked on his. Her hands smoothed over his body, feeling his muscles trembling beneath her touch, and she drew away and smiled sweetly at him.

"It's okay, Cloud. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know. It's just...I don't know what to do. I don't know what's okay for you."

"Anything you do is okay for me," she answered, letting her hands trail lower, delighted to feel him harden in response to her touches.

Hesitantly, with slow, jerking movements, Cloud laid his hands on her perfect body, the smooth skin of her back moving like silk under his fingertips. Suddenly he wanted more, so much more, and his hands moved swiftly, familiarizing themselves with her body, stroking her sides, running down her arms, ghosting in feather-light lines down her legs, and finally returning to her back, where her bra strap was pulled tight against her heaving breasts.

Once he crossed this line, there was no going back.

With a flick of his fingers, the clasp opened and Cissnei tossed the scrap of fabric away before leaning down on him, pressing them chest-to-chest as she breathed heavily, her face against his neck. She worked his boxers off, then knelt above him and shimmied out of her own underwear, and was back on top of him before he could do more than gasp.

"You ready?" she whispered in his ear, a challenge and an invitation and a preparation all at once.

Cloud's answer was to claim her mouth in a searing kiss and he grasped her hips, moving her into position, lining up their bodies... Cissnei whimpered once as the blond thrust up sharply under her and she sat bolt upright on his waist, her hands curling into fists in his hair. Cloud moved again, in awe at the sensations he was receiving, the pleasure rolling off of the slender Turk in waves that threatened to drown them both.

Eventually he found his rhythm, dug his heels into the mattress, and gave himself over to passion, letting her moans and cries of more, oh Gaia, Cloud, more! drive him past the point of reason, of emotion, of feeling anything other than the boiling urgency welling up inside him, the tightness spiralling through his whole body. Cissnei rocked her hips back and forth on top of him, grinding their bodies together as her hands clawed at his shoulders for support, throwing her head back and crying breathlessly to the low ceiling.

He could tell she was coming closer, oh so close, by the way she was desperately calling his name, the way she was losing all sense of rhythm as she forced herself harder, deeper onto him, the way her muscles gripped him tightly in an embrace that he knew he couldn't stand much longer.

With one last powerful thrust, it felt as if something snapped deep inside him, and he arched his back convulsively, yelling her name out loud, his whole body going stiff and straight and so tight that he couldn't breathe. Then it was over, he sagged back to the mattress utterly spent and sweating, lacking the energy to do more than watch as Cissnei swayed on top of him, lost in the throes of her own release. She collapsed beside him, panting, her eyes still partly unfocussed and her face, for once, not smiling. But her expression was more than could be expressed through just a smile, and the glimmer in her eyes when she looked at him was enough to make his heart beat faster.

She loves me.

Cloud rolled to face her and wrapped his arms around her heated body. "Cissnei, I love you," he murmured into bright copper waves, and was pleased when she pressed her face into his chest.

"And I love you, Cloud. You'll be...my best-kept secret."

He smiled a small smile. "I thought your name was your best-kept secret."

"Not any more. I'd rather have you locked away in my heart than some stuffy old name that means nothing to anyone but me. Plus, it's not a secret any more; I'll tell you, my real name is -"

A creaking on the stairs outside the bedroom made them both freeze, and the old hostess, who they'd almost completely forgotten, shouted up from somewhere on the stairs, "Are you two young 'uns done up there yet? Some of us like to sleep at night."

The two lovers looked at each other. Cloud's blue eyes were wide with horror and embarrassment, while Cissnei had her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. They held absolutely still until they heard the woman go back downstairs, grumbling to herself, then they finally relaxed back against the pillows. Cloud waited several minutes longer to make sure she was actually gone, then he looked back at Cissnei, only to find that she had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder.

He smiled softly and touched his lips to her forehead, then lay back and stared at the ceiling, waiting until sleep took him.

Tomorrow would be the return to Midgar, and probably another assignment, and back to the same depressing routine of the barracks. But now he had a light at the end of the tunnel, a bright spot in every day, a friend who cared about him and loved him and who he loved very much. Suddenly, his life didn't seem so rough after all.

Still smiling, he closed his eyes and let the sound of his lover's breathing carry him to sweet dreams.

The End.