By S.J. Kohl
Rufus/Cloud
PG-13
Summary: Cloud confronts Rufus at Healin. Post AC.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Warnings: AU, Advent Children spoilers
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Rufus glanced up warily as the door to the Lodge slammed open. He couldn't say he was surprised. After all, he was always ready for anything. Or almost anything. Rufus cocked an eyebrow as Cloud Strife stalked into the room, sword strapped comfortably to his back, as always. Cloud hadn't been here seen since he'd been caught in that explosion after Sephiroth's defeat a few months before. Rufus had been afraid he was dead for good until Reno had come in one day with a report that Strife had been brought back to life. Again.Rufus studied the man from beneath the low cowl of his cloak. Cloud looked angry, his face tense and his mouth fixed into a grim line. Rufus quirked an eyebrow, thinking, What did I do? Tseng and Elena shifted behind him, and Rufus held up his left hand. Cloud wasn't their enemy anymore. Attacking him would be ill-advised. And pointless. Cloud Strife's strength, speed, and agility far outstripped that of any Turk. At such close range, none of them would stand a chance.
Rufus dropped his hand back to the arm of his chair and looked up at Cloud, silent and dressed in his customary uniform. He nodded in greeting. "Cloud. What brings you here?"
Cloud jerked his head to the side in a slight gesture. "Come with me."
Rufus only stared at him in silence for a long moment, waiting for the truth to register in those blue Soldier eyes.
Cloud's brow furrowed, and the anger lines grew more pronounced. "I said…" he paused, shifted his weight to his other foot. Looked closer, at the marks of Geostigma that still marred Rufus's hand.
Rufus smiled. There it is.
Cloud looked up, over Rufus's shoulder. At Tseng, Rufus knew. "You can fly?""Of course, but—"
"Then take him to Midgar. I'll meet you in Sector Five."
"Strife—"
Rufus lifted his hand again, smiling as Tseng fell silent. He was curious. He wanted to know what Cloud was planning. He wasn't afraid. If Cloud had wanted him dead, Rufus would have died weeks ago. But where would Cloud Strife want to take him? And why? Rufus nodded slowly, holding Cloud's eyes for a long moment, but Cloud's cold expression never wavered, never gave away anything at all. Finally, Rufus said, "In Sector Five, then."
Cloud left without another word.
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Strife was already waiting for them when the chopper landed.
Rufus wasn't surprised. It had taken a few minutes to get the chopper started up and the wheelchair loaded onto it. Mostly because Tseng and Elena had refused to "allow" it. Rufus snorted. If he could jump off a building fully prepared to die, then he could damn well take a trip to Sector Five with an ally, even if that ally had once been an enemy and did stillhate everything Rufus was and everything he stood for.
When Rufus and his chair were firmly on the ground and the blades of the helicopter had finally stopped spinning, Cloud popped the kickstand down on his bike and stepped forward, his hands crossed over his chest. "Ready?"
Rufus nodded, gesturing over at Tseng and Elena. "They're coming with us."
Cloud shrugged, as if it didn't matter to him either way. It probably didn't.
Rufus was surprised, however, when Cloud moved behind him and took hold of the chair's handles, but he accepted the help all the same, despite the fact that the chair was motorized and he could direct it on his own easily enough. He couldn't do much more than that, though. It had been better before the fight with Kadaj, before he'd jumped off that building. He'd still been able to move then, even stand. The chair had been mostly a ruse to hide Jenova's remains. Mostly. But the fall had hurt him, even with Tseng and Elena's nets, and the Geostigma had taken advantage of a temporary weakness. His legs were completely ravaged, his right arm all but useless, and his left one was growing weaker every day. He was tired and suffering from pain that no amount of materia or medication could relieve. He couldn't walk.
Rufus sighed and closed his eyes—they were sensitive to light. Something was teasing at the edges of his mind about Sector Five. There was something he should remember about Sector Five. The fingers of Rufus's left hand whispered over the gun tucked beneath his cloak as he pondered the question, not bothering to worry overmuch about his surroundings. With Tseng, Elena, and Cloud Strife surrounding him, there likely wasn't much in the way of danger to be found.
The wheelchair stopped.
Rufus slowly cracked his eyes open. He blinked. They were standing in front of a church. An old, decaying church. "Cloud?"
"It was here the whole time."
Rufus looked at Cloud curiously. "I'm sorry?"
"The cure," Cloud said. "It was here the whole time and you never came."
Rufus shrugged. "I didn't think you'd want me here."
There it was again, that anger. It was like ice behind Cloud's eyes. "It doesn't matter what I want," he said. "All that matters is her."
"And you honestly think she'd want to see me cured?"
Cloud shrugged. "Don't know." He stared off into the distance, up at the empty sky. Then, "Can you walk?"
Rufus shook his head.
Cloud's voice was low, almost silent. "I'll carry you."
Rufus shook his head again, confused. "Tseng can…"
"No," Cloud interrupted, moving to stand just in front of Rufus, challenge carved into the blue of his eyes. "I'll carry you."
Slowly, Rufus nodded. "Left side," he coughed. "I can't move my right arm."
Cloud didn't say anything; he just moved to stand on Rufus's left and leaned down.
Rufus tugged the cowl away from him, pulling it back from his face and body. He resisted the urge to claw it back into place. The last thing he wanted Cloud to see were the ravages of Geostigma that now traced up his neck and across his left cheek. It was bad enough he had to be carried inside. Still, Rufus lifted his left arm, refusing to wince, and settled it around Cloud's neck, shifting slightly as Cloud's arms slid around him, one behind his back, the other beneath his knees.
Cloud lifted Rufus easily, cradling the too thin body against his chest. He looked back at Tseng and Elena uncertainly, but Rufus just nodded at them, indicating they should stand guard at the door.
Cloud took Rufus inside and laid him down at the edge of the clear pool, kneeling beside, tense and uncertain.
Rufus looked around. There'd been damage done during the battle with Kadaj—flowers churned up, bracing pillars knocked to the ground, pews shattered. The hole in the ceiling had grown, he knew. Still, even with all the wreckage, the church was beautiful. Peaceful. And the water… Rufus stared uneasily down into it. Clear through to the bottom, the pool was strewn with flower petals. It smelled…sweet. He shifted his gaze to Cloud, on his other side, unwilling to stare into the promise of hope that water offered up.
"I…" Cloud looked down. "Your clothes…"
Rufus almost laughed. Is that what he's worried about? He understood, anyway. If he went into the water fully dressed, the clothes would cling and catch on his too-sensitive skin. And they would be heavy. Rufus sighed. Cloud had already seen his face. The rest couldn't really be any worse, could it? "I'm afraid I can't help you much," he said. "Practically everything has to be done for me these days."
Cloud shrugged. "I can do it." And he pulled off his gloves, sliding his left arm beneath Rufus's neck, cradling it and using his right to gently strip Rufus's jacket from his arms. He set it to the side and reached for the three buckles holding closed the loose leather vest underneath. "So…you were just going to die? You weren't even going to try the water?"
Rufus shrugged and lifted his left arm, allowing Cloud to slide the vest off over it. "It seemed…disrespectful. After everything I've done."
The buttons of his white button down were pulled loose one by one, and then those of the black shirt underneath. "I would have thought…"
"Thought what?" Rufus asked, moving his arm again and allowing the shirts to be removed and set to the side with the others. "That I would jump at the chance—any chance—to get my life back?"
Cloud didn't answer. He lay Rufus's head back softly and moved down the man's body, carefully removing shoes and socks from feet that surely suffered from the constriction and the weight.
Rufus almost jumped as Cloud's fingers slipped loose the button of his trousers and drew the zipper down, soft like a caress. It didn't feel quite like this when Reno or the others undressed him, but, then again, he was used to their touch. Cloud was unfamiliar. "I'm not a child anymore, Cloud. I believe in paying for your sins, and in not trespassing where you aren't wanted."
Cloud slid an arm beneath Rufus's hips and lifted, using his other hand to slide the soft, loose fabric of the pants down his legs, trying to keep it from brushing his dark-mottled skin. He swallowed hard. The Geostigma…it went all the way down. From face to neck, to chest…arms, stomach, legs… Rufus Shinra was on the verge of death. Cloud looked away, folding the pants and placing them with the rest of Rufus's clothes. He should be happy. Rufus had never been a friend to him, after all, and here he was, weak and brought low. Helpless, like Cloud had been for so long. But Cloud didn't feel happy. Rufus might never have been a friend, but he wasn't an enemy anymore either, and he'd done as much—or more—than anyone else had to bring down Sephiroth that last time. "I've learned…" Cloud cleared his throat. "I've learned there are other ways to make amends."
Rufus just looked up Cloud. He owed Cloud more than anyone, really. He was the one who'd put him in the lab, at Hojo's mercy. But Cloud…the anger was gone now. Replaced by…sadness? Interesting. Rufus didn't have any time to think about that, however, as Cloud's arms were sliding around him, and he was again being cradled against a chest that was stronger and more solid than it seemed like it should be.
"Ready?" Cloud asked.
Rufus nodded, refusing to think about the water or whether Aerith would let him be healed. He drew in as deep a breath as he could manage, and held it.
Cloud sat down on the edge of the pool, fully clothed, and slid down into the water. He held Rufus above the water's surface for a moment, and then, staring into a pair of fierce blue eyes, he lowered Rufus down into the water until even his face—eyes now closed—was submerged.
It was cold, like ice made liquid, and it pierced his skin with frosted needles. Rufus tried not to gasp, but he couldn't help opening his mouth, couldn't help the little bubbles of air that slipped out and curled their way up to the surface of the pool. He felt like a sullen child, blowing bubbles in his milk just to get a reaction. But then the cold faded and his skin began to tingle, a faint burn sizzling the tips of his fingers and spreading up his arms.
Rufus did gasp this time, water rushing in to fill his lungs. But he didn't choke, didn't cough or sputter. He just felt…at peace. The water sliding through him, slipping through his veins and coiling in his blood. Clearing out the taint. Cleansing him.
"I'm sorry."
Rufus's eyes snapped open, but he couldn't see Cloud's face above him through the blurry film of the water; all he could see was…her. Sorry? No. I'm the one who—
She laughed, a ripple of shimmering velvet. "I would have come to you. If I'd known why you were holding back, I would have come."
A caress across the surface of his skin, and well beneath. Rufus trembled, and he felt the water leave his lungs in another rush of bubbles.
"Be well, Rufus Shinra."
And she was gone and Cloud was pulling him back above the surface of the water. Rufus sucked in a deep breath of air and clung to Cloud, his strength completely drained. But…the Geostigma was gone. He was still weak, his limbs still withered—no amount of healing water could change that after the length of time he'd been ill—but the Geostigma was gone. He wasn't going to die. Rufus closed his eyes and held on, just held on as best he could.
Cloud shifted. "Rufus?"
"I…" Rufus shivered, swallowed. "Thank you, Cloud. Thank you."
Cloud shrugged. "Thank her, not me."
"She…" Rufus chuckled and opened his eyes, looking up at Cloud. "She didn't give me the chance."
"Yeah," Cloud smiled slightly. "That's a bad habit of hers."