Silver Skies and Magical Eyes

Rating: pg-13 (subject to change)

Pairing: Sephiroth X Kuja

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters but belong to Squaresoft and co.

Summary: slight AU, FFVII x FFVIX crossover. The Greatest SOLDIER ever lived is sent on a mission to escort a very important deity to the ShinRa labs. Much to Sephiroth's dismay about the mission, he's in for a surprise when he meets this very important person.

Between the hustling and bustling of the new recruits walked the General of SOLDIER proudly, strong shoulders square and arms folded behind him in a pose that defined perfection. It was a beautiful breezy day out for field training which he thought would indeed spoil his new SOLDIER recruits. But who was he to complain, the weather had left him surprisingly in high spirits today. He stood in one shady spot and tucked one long silvery strand behind his ear and allowed his green mako eyes to scan the activities taking place. Then his eyes landed on a spiky haired young man in the far distance showing another cadet a series of sword techniques with the young cadet's practice blade. The General half smiled and shook his head. The spiky haired fellow noticed him and left the cadet to run over and greet his General.

"Zack…stop harassing these men and report to your assigned post please…" The General joked dryly and Zack scratched his head innocently.

"but that one's really good with the sword, watch out for him. Only been here for two months and never held a sword before. But wow, I mean he has potential for SOLDIER." Zack babbled on cheerfully over then young cadet that he trained. This caused for Sephiroth to raise an eyebrow at him.

"did you also tell him that you were interested ?" he joked again and Zack fumbled with his choice of words.

"um no !, but he is good though…" Zack muttered and Sephiroth crossed his arms in front of him. Zack couldn't meet his piercing green eyes.

"what ?"

"get back to your post Zack…"

"its not what you think, honest !!!" Sephiroth chuckled a little.

"mm hmm…"

"really !!" Sephiroth laughed dryly again. Zack pouted playfully.

"you're right though, I've been watching him for days now and has me quite interested. Tell me, who is this guy ?"

" that's Strife, Cloud Strife sir…"Zack said and let his gaze linger on the lone cadet that was training in the distance. Sephiroth nodded slowly then gave his Second-in-command a slap on the back.

"Keep an eye on him then…" he said then turned away to leave.

"yes sir !" Zack exclaimed almost too happily and rubbed his hands together which made the General stop and face him again.

"Zack…you know what I mean…" Sephiroth stressed seriously while wiggling a finger at him. Zack laughed and raised his hands in front of him.

"alright alright geez….you're just jealous !" Zack joked which was okay with Sephiroth. Anyone else would have been slammed down to the ground.

Zack was possibly the only person Sephiroth was ever lenient with and not to mention opened up to. They've been through almost all hardships together. Training, wars, even the dreadful mako treatments they've received. Sephiroth always got the worst kind of treatments. Which made him very ill and extremely violent. But Zack was always there for him. At first, it was hard to get Sephiroth to trust him. He was able to put up with all the tantrums and beatings of the mysterious SOLDIER. But Sephiroth soon gave in to Zack's cooing and constant attention that the younger man spoiled him with. And when the mako treatments came around for Zack, Sephiroth found himself doing the same for him.

Zack was also a fiery, carefree person with an open-minded personality. When times are tough, Zack was always dependable and took things seriously. At other times, Zack's playful goofiness is what attracts all of his peers to him. Even Sephiroth.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and walked away at Zack's remark. "no…I don't think I'd ever be. Because I don't think anything or anyone for that matter, would end your trips to my bed in the evenings" he said coolly which made Zack grin madly.

"touché…but I don't know Seph, this one's really got me coming on to him" Zack said thoughtfully and scratched his chin in mockery. This stopped the General again. Zack knew what was coming.

" alright then… I'll bet 20 gils for that…"

"you're on !" Zack exclaimed and Sephiroth finally left.

~*~

The cool night had fallen bringing peace to the camp of the SOLDIERs- to- be and the Great General worked tirelessly on the piles upon piles of folders and paperwork of ShinRa's latest recruits. His office was quiet and the only noises heard were the obnoxious ticking of the clock and the serene lapping of the water on the shore outside below. Despite how annoying the clock was, Sephiroth looked up at it anyway and found that it was late into the night. Meaning at any moment, his fiery and extremely passionate friend would come slip into his office noiselessly and demand to go to someplace more 'comfortable'. Some time had passed and still no Zack. Sephiroth looked up at the clock again.

Looks like I owe him 20 gils…he thought then rose from his desk and strode over to the open balcony with the view of a black glossy lake behind. He took in a deep breath of the fresh air and leaned over on the railing. His green mako eyes took in the peaceful view before him. The lake looked so much more intriguing at night under the light of the moon. The glossy surface was still, adding more to the eeriness of the dark forest around. But Sephiroth found this rather enjoyable still, a perfect scene that matched his mood unlike the annoying brightness of the sun that daylight had brought earlier. This was what he loved most. Peace yes, but a kind of peace you would only find at night in a dark forest, or the silence of the dead on a battlefield after a long hard war. Sephiroth sighed.

Something was nagging at him. This was how he had been all of his life. He was raised to fight, to be strong and to only be a soldier. There was no room to feel anything else. He was made out so he knew no mercy, no love, no forgiveness. All of those made you weak. Sephiroth couldn't afford to be weak. Because he was great. Even with his 'part-time lover', Sephiroth made sure he never made anything between him and Zack serious. It was just sex, not love-making. A way to relieve stress. Oh sure, Zack came close a few times, but always kept him in check. After that, Zack stopped trying.

Sephiroth then closed his eyes and took another deep breath. The stillness of the night and the croaking of the nocturnal critters filled his ears, engulfing his mind. Then an image of him living a normal life started coming into view. And he found this rather interesting.

He sees himself in front of a mansion, on the beautiful shores Costa de Sol. Sitting on the warm sand, watching the sun set with someone, anyone, in his arms. He's enjoying the embrace, the mood, the peacefulness of it all together. Sephiroth furrowed his brows.

He thinks he feels complete and almost…happy.

A rustling in the bushes ahead startled him out of his little daydream then followed by a small knock on his office door.

Zack.

Sephiroth almost feels glad to see him. He smiles.

"took you long enough…I take it the bet's off now? With a certain somebody owing me 20 gils…" Zack smiled impishly and began rubbing his arm in embarrassment.

"actually, I was with Cloud…until I received important information to give to you immediately…" Zack said in a serious matter. The taller man actually found himself slightly disappointed. Zack handed Sephiroth a white manila envelope and sat down in one of the chairs in the office. Sephiroth's brows furrowed together as he looked over the contents of the folder.

"what is it Seph ?" Zack asked and Sephiroth shook his head.

"that lunatic…what's he up to now…" Sephiroth muttered as he read the note enclosed. He then chuckled and tossed the folder onto his desk uninterestedly. He dropped himself into his leather arm chair behind the desk and reclined his back.

"old man wants me to go and escort somebody to the ShinRa labs." the General said then it was Zacks' turn to furrow his jet black brows in question.

"must be really important for him to ask for you. I mean anyone could have gone. How bad could that be ?" he asked and Sephiroth held his chin in thought while staring at the white manila folder.

"I'm going to have to send someone else, I have a lot of work to get done and have absolutely no time for baby-sitting, so, sorry, won't do it" he in a serious tone of voice. Zack only half smiled.

"well does it even tell you who it is ?" Zack asked again, but Sephiroth only shrugged his powerful shoulders, looking away in thought. Zack sighed and thought it was his queue to leave. He stood up to leave but was stopped by Sephiroth asking him a very strange question.

"pardon me ?" Zack asked dumbfounded. Sephiroth straightened himself up so that his arms were outstretched in front of him.

"I said, what's he like ?"

"Cloud… ?"

"yeah…what's he like ?" Sephiroth asked again. Zack found this very strange that he was interested in Cloud all of a sudden. Zack ran his hand through his hair in thought.

"well…he's cute" Zack managed to say and Sephiroth smiled a little while looking down at his hands. What was there to say ? There were a million things to say about Cloud, Zack thought. It was just weird that Sephiroth was asking him this.

"that's it ? Surely your tastes go beyond that…" Sephiroth said which managed to be a joke. But knowing his dry sense of humor, Zack didn't care. So he thought again.

"well he is cute, and …smart, and…innocent and blonde and, and…ugh Seph he's just plain adorable!" he whined and Sephiroth chuckled a bit to himself.

"well you did always have a thing for blondes…" Sephiroth retorted and Zack folded his arms in front of him.

"well actually, men with silver hair are a big turn on for me. Blondes, I think, are just lovable" He finished with a big grin and Sephiroth just twisted his lips together.

"Zack…goodnight !"

~*~

Sephiroth fast paced down one of the cold and gloomy halls of ShinRa Inc.'s labs with the white manila folder in hand, and sliver gleaming hair bouncing against his back. He was irritated and wore a true soldier's expression on his delicate to touch yet bold looking face. He reached the end of the hall where two metal doors were and flung them open in a blundering manner startling all occupants in the lab. He found his man and swiftly approached him.

"what is the meaning of this?? What the hell do you take me as Hojo because I've got better things to do then run YOUR errands for you !!"he yelled then threw the folder on a metal table. The frightening scientist didn't look up from where he was preparing a patient at Sephiroth's bellowing. He waited until he double checked the equipment surrounding the boy to actually address Sephiroth. When he did, his sulky yellow eyes widened at Sephiroth's intrusion.

"hello to you to Sephiroth, now…what can I do for you ?" the eerie Professor asked in mockery. But it wasn't until then, that Sephiroth took a good look at who the latest mako victim would be. His eyes narrowed.

Oh no…Zack won't be happy…

"this assignment…what the hell-- I don't have time for this Hojo, my recruits--" Hojo raised a bony hand to silence him.

"the reason why I asked for you and you only was because I couldn't rely on anyone else with this…something delicate as this…I need you to do it." Sephiroth shook his head.

"why is this person so special that you would have me go out of my way just for you. It'll be a waste of my time, find somebody else." Sehiroth said and wanted to leave but Hojo's irritation with him made him flip down a switch roughly and watched an eerie green fluid ooze through the tubing. The boy strapped down watched helplessly as his blue eyes scanned the fluids entering him. When they entered his skin, he let out a cry. Sephiroth felt sick, and Hojo smiled in satisfaction.

After what seemed like a painful eternity the victim stopped screaming and fell silent. His blue, now mako filled, eyes clouded then glazed over and fell into death like trance. Sephiroth cringed. He felt like wiping that smile of the disgusting man's face.

"ok, who is this guy ? Why is he so important ?" Sephiroth asked in a venomous voice. Hojo clapped his hands together in delight.

"oh Sephiroth ! I knew I can count on you. You are going to love this" the professor chimed.

"surely you remember meeting Garland right ? The one he and I are working together on the new project ? Well he has this powerful mage working for him and okayed for me to uh 'borrow' him for a while." the scientist said happily. Sephiroth snorted.

"a mage ? You want me to escort some oaf who pretends to be a wizard of some sort !" he shook his head in disbelief. Hojo's face turned ugly and roughly grabbed the front of Sephiroth's black leather trench coat.

"fool !" he hissed. "he's not just some oaf !! He has great powers, magical powers. He's so great that he is feared all over. If I sent just anybody, they wouldn't be able to stand against his powers. He's too strong" Sephiroth was still unimpressed.

"I hear that gazing into his eyes can turn you to stone on the spot ! But me…I need him here… I need him to study !"said the mad scientist who was now wringing his hands together.

"why would you be needing a mage to study ?" Sephiroth asked with a scowl. Hojo laughed.

"that, my dear friend, is none of your business…?" he said. Sephiroth had a bad feeling about this.

"you don't know what you're getting yourself into…" the General muttered, but Hojo ran his hand down his perfect soldier's muscular chest.

"my soldier…my beautiful, perfect soldier…just do as I say and nothing can go wrong…" he said in a sick sweet voice. Sephiroth's expression turned deadly and abruptly pushed away from the older man. Hojo watched his prized experiment walk thunderously down the hall and smiled.

"instructions on where to find him are in the folder" he called out to Sephiroth then grinned evilly again. He then turned to the unconscious blonde that was still strapped down and ran a spidery finger down the side of the boy's porcelain face.

The blonde flinched.

"oh c'mon now Cloud, that wasn't so bad now was it ?"

To Be Continued…

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A/N: I'm having a hard time keeping Sephy in character. Tell me, is he ok like this or is he OOC ?