Title: A Good Hunt
Author: Garnet Eyes
Archived: fanfiction. net, y-gallery. net
Summary: Sometimes a SOLDIER must let his instincts overpower his rationality if he wishes to remain sane.
Rating: T
Pairings: Sephiroth x Cloud
Author Notes: I have not had the time to watch/play anything in the Final Fantasy VII universe beyond the original game and Advent Children. Therefore, I am certain there are inconsistencies between my writing and newer games or movies.
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.
...
It had been a while since the last time he had felt so predatory. As a SOLDIER, his instinctual responses were sharpened, but as Shin-Ra's military commander, he was forced to suppress and control such things. Only Zackary seemed aware of the fact that the older male was not immune to basic instincts while the rest of the company forgot such a trivial fact. While it was none of their concern, a part of Sephiroth was pleased that he had the knowing sympathy of a friend with similar quandaries. That led to the outing that he was currently preparing for; it would have felt awkward to go prowling after work by himself and the brunette was good company when he needed it. A knock on the door to his quarters distracted the silver warrior from checking that he had everything and with one final glance about the room he turned toward his patiently waiting companion. Swiping his wallet and keys from the side table at the entryway, the General opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Zackary slouched against the frame. The younger man was looking particularly sharp this evening in a pair of shined black leather shoes, form-fitting black slacks, and a deep blue button-up shirt, with his overcoat slung over a forearm arm and black hair in its usual style.
Had the brunette shown even a slight inkling of interest, Sephiroth mused, than the General would have bedded his subordinate in an instant. However, the SOLDIER was not interested in men and the elite would never ruin friendship with lust. Sapphire eyes flicked once over his form, a whistle following the action as the brunette stood up straight.
"Going all out tonight?"
Smirking, the silver warrior stepped out of his apartment and shut the door firmly. His own outfit was a charcoal grey pinstripe three piece suit, a silvery white button-up shirt, and a pair of oiled rich brown leather shoes. Not unlike Zackary, he was holding his own coat over one arm.
"Do I ever not?"
Snorting, the brunette jerked his head toward the elevator and Sephiroth obligingly stepped forward. They had previously decided on the destination, being one of the more upscale bars on top of the plate. It would keep the flabbergasted fools down to a minimum when the General himself stepped in. Zackary remained in brightly smiling spirits as the two of them descended to the garage and got into a sleek black car, one of the newest Shin-Ra models, before casually tossing their coats into the back seats. Comfortably positioned on the driver's side, Sephiroth started up the unnecessarily fast vehicle, adjusted the mirrors to his height, and sharply exited the parking garage. For the ride, Zackary rolled his window down and hooked his arm out of the door, humming some tune he had likely heard over the radio. Since it was the brunette, the silver warrior did not mind the soft sound; had Zackary been completely silent and still it would have been far more aggravating.
The bar was not advertised at all with the bright neon signs or lines of people standing before a bouncer that most of the clubs and "prime" spots were. In fact, the building looked more like an apartment complex than a place of business. That made it a far more appealing place to drink potentially overpriced alcohol and peruse the faces that might look good against some hotel sheets for the evening. Had he been feeling particularly apathetic, a bathroom stall would suffice for his purposes and he could save his money for another occasion.
Parking at the lowest level of the garage behind the building, the silver warrior stepped out of the vehicle and shut the door with a sharp movement, opening the rear door and snatching his coat out deftly before snapping that door shut as well. Sliding his coat up his arms and flicking his hair out from under the fabric expertly, Sephiroth checked that his cuffs were properly arranged before casting a sidelong glance at his compatriot. Zackary, meanwhile, had stepped out of the passenger side, running a hand through wind-ruffled hair, before reaching in from the front to catch his own coat. He straightened languidly, pushing the passenger side door closed with one hand before sliding the clean black material up muscular arms. Side by side, they walked up the entryway stairs just inside the main door before entering the bar room itself. There were several eligible females standing by the windows chatting and, with a wink and a smirk directed toward the General, the brunette set off to find his own satisfaction. Mildly amused, Sephiroth scanned the small crowd of finely dressed socialites before making his way to the counter. Nothing here was strong enough to get past the Mako in his system, but the elite had developed a taste for several types of liquor and indulged during nights when he desired to do a little hunting.
Several individuals perused his body as he waited for his drink, all of which were promptly ignored as the SOLDIER took more careful stock of his potential game. The men and women currently in the room did nothing to catch his attention, drab and uninteresting in appearance. Sephiroth did not need to know their personalities nor did he bother to glance again as he took a seat in a cushioned, overstuffed chair and sipped the potent beverage he had acquired. The evening was young and predators must be patient when searching for the best prey.
It was approximately three hours later, with Zackary well on his way into the fantasies of a rather large group of young women, that the silver warrior grew bored of waiting. No one had appealed to him yet, frustrating his desires, and he knew better than to hope for blind luck when he might well find his prey by skill and careful stalking. The brunette adeptly caught the keys aimed at his head, casting a subtle glance at the other man before returning his attention to those surrounding him. Seeing that his intentions were understood, the elite vacated his hunting grounds to broaden the field. His gait was slow as he made his way along the sidewalks lit by nearby streetlamps, one hand in his pants pocket as feline eyes meticulously scanned for possibilities. There was another bar relatively nearby, although this one was advertised brightly, and the SOLDIER hoped to find his prey either on his way to the new location or in the bar itself.
The General might have thought that his karma was corrupt, had he believed in such a thing, when he turned a corner only to see a man with a knife standing off against a rather short soldier who was not holding his rifle properly at all. The air was tense and the larger male with the blade had a smirk on his face, tapping the helmet that should have been on the soldier's head out of the way with his foot. After a cursory glance at the little blonde trooper, Sephiroth retracted his previous idea that the world might be against him and decided that he had found his prey. Before the elite could take three steps toward the little teen, the pathetic creature wielding the knife lunged and Sephiroth's muscles coiled in preparation to stop the attack but the soldier, using his awkward clutch of his gun for a purpose, thumped the man's hands hard enough for him to drop the knife. In the same movement, the teen released one hand from the rifle and slammed his fist into his attacker's face. Blood sprayed from the man's broken nose as the little blonde coiled down and sprang up, lodging his knee into his opponent's abdomen. The foolish would be murderer was truly weak, passing out from his wounds as the blonde slung his rifle over his shoulder and moved to pick up his helmet. With a soft, disgruntled sound, the teen clipped the piece of armor to his belt and it was with slight interest that the SOLDIER noted the break in the visor, implying that the soldier had been ambushed. From first hand experience, those helmets were terrible for allowing wide-area vision.
The elite nearly purred as he approached the irritable blonde, amusement clear on regal features.
"I do not believe that is the proper way to use that weapon, soldier."
Bright blue eyes turned to gaze at the new threat, quickly recognizing the man and saluting crisply.
"Sir, yes, sir. I'd rather use a weapon how I know it will work instead of how I hope it will, sir."
Feline eyes glinted in the poor lighting as the SOLDIER gracefully stalked forward, ignoring the unconscious man to the side.
"You dislike guns, then, soldier? Not a very good shot?"
Something flashed in those azure eyes that caused the silver warrior to feel an electric jolt run up his spine. Defiance. The little blonde wanted to say something undoubtedly rude but restrained himself admirably.
"I prefer swords, sir, but we don't get to use them as cadets."
Sephiroth hummed lightly in his throat as he stopped, standing perhaps a half pace away from the teen. Those words implied that the blonde was in one of the training programs for a specific military field; sword work narrowed down the possibilities significantly but the SOLDIER held back that particular piece of knowledge for the moment. Jade eyes watched patiently as the teen pulled out his standard radio and signaled his coordinates for a pickup for the prison truck. Work came before pleasure at least for the moment and the General was, after all, a very patient predator. He waited for the truck with the blonde, more to keep track of his prey than out of any sense of duty. The teen eyed him carefully, much like a kitten remains wary of a lion, but held stance as he stayed firmly by the unconscious body. Sephiroth eased himself into a light conversation, searching out useful information as he waited for the opportunity to strike.
"Your name, cadet?"
Azure stayed resolutely facing the unconscious body as the boy responded.
"Corporal Strife Cloud, sir."
The General smothered a smirk and nodded, eyeing the blonde crown that came up to his chest with no small amount of pleasure. After several hours he had found such a pretty, frail little prey, standing so stupidly before him without a single clue as to his true intentions.
"Rather childish name, corporal. Perhaps you should consider changing it if you ever enter the program you desire. People would be more likely to take you seriously."
Pale eyes hardened but the teen valiantly held back his retort, arms seizing with his concentrated restraint. The silver warrior smiled to himself, enjoying the game for the moment, and contemplated the best method to exhaust the little kitten for the sake of his own pleasure.
"I'll remember that, sir."
Feline eyes roamed the small frame before glancing toward the stirring fool who attacked the soldier, mildly amused when the teen released the safety on his weapon and leveled the barrel at the man's head.
"I'm sure you had somewhere else to be, sir. I can deal with this."
Jade eyes narrowed but he could recognize the subtle edge in the soldier's voice that meant he was reluctant to speak to the older man.
"I have no particular engagements to attend. Does my presence distract you?"
The blonde shifted his stance and lowered his gun, pressing the end of his rifle into the fallen male's shoulder with a low growl.
"You move and you're losing this arm. I don't get paid enough to care if you survive, either."
Sephiroth allowed the edges of his lips to curl, amused by the harsh words coming from such a startlingly innocent looking creature. He did not have to wait much longer until a Shin-Ra vehicle pulled up and a soldier in full Shin-Ra regalia stepped out of the front passenger side, rifle quickly brought into ready position. The man came over to the awaiting trio and the little soldier eased his weapon back.
"Get up."
With a nervous glance at his surroundings, the fool sat up and caught sight of the SOLDIER standing to the side, luminous feline eyes glaring in his direction. The General could read the desperate expression and knew the man was looking for a way to escape, but the plans seemed to flee that insipid head when the elite took a half step forward. Without any difficulty, the soldiers loaded up the criminal, bagged the knife, saluted one another sharply, and turned their separate ways. Once the truck had driven off, jade turned to the teen only to catch sight of the blue uniform in retreat as the soldier turned down a not-too-distant alleyway.
Growling, the General barked even as he stalked forward.
"Corporal Strife, you were not dismissed!"
The boy took on a distinctly irritated expression as he rounded the corner again with a crisp salute.
"Sorry, sir; I have rounds to make."
The silver warrior barely had the chance to take in the words before the teen turned away again. By the time the SOLDIER stalked to the corner and turned down the alley, it was empty. It seemed that the kitten was at least partially wise to the game. Unable to stop himself, the elite closed luminous feline eyes and took a deep breath before his lips curled in a feral grin. He could pick up a very small trace of the teen's smell in the stagnant Midgar air and if he spread his senses he could detect the light patter of booted feet in the distance, not quite the same as the obnoxious stomps of every other man or woman out at this hour. This was a real hunt, not like usual, and it was something to be savored.
Jade eyes flashed open, pupils narrowed into thin slits in his excitement as adrenaline pumped into the SOLDIER's veins. The boy was fast and light on his feet, since even enhanced hearing had some trouble picking up the sound, but the General was faster and knew he would catch up soon enough. With that thought in mind, the silver warrior lunged forward into the alley without acknowledging the civilians beginning to crowd the street behind him. The little kitten was running with a swift gait, weaving through streets and alleyways with precision that implied that he had spent a great deal of time walking the plate. The city was noisy at night but not that distracting to a predator with a chosen prey and Sephiroth did not mind running on dirty, wet concrete even if he was wearing the wrong shoes for this endeavor.
If he concentrated very hard, the elite mused that he could even hear the kitten's accelerated heartbeat, but that was likely nothing more than fantasy. The scent was stronger now, as was the quick tap of booted feet on hard ground, and Sephiroth practically purred as he coiled his leg muscles for a little more power in his strides. There was a flash a blue whipping down the entrance to an alley up the street and the SOLDIER bared his teeth in a twisted smile, having thrust the rest of the world out of his senses to speed his conquest, and prepared to take his prize soon. Only when the silver warrior raced into the alley and alighted on the far side into the next street did the haze of instincts vanish behind the jarring sensation of too many people in too small of a space. Feline eyes narrowed as the elite recoiled upon reaching a brightly lit, fancily decorated area, before several curses came to mind. Sephiroth rarely paid any thought to the celebrations generally glorified by the public, but today was obviously one of those annoying street festivals and the area was crowded with conflicting sounds and scents. A quick scan of his surroundings showed no sign of the little soldier hidden somewhere in the crowd and the silver warrior could no longer detect the direction he needed to head in. His kitten used a clever ploy to vanish and the SOLDIER had to admit that he had remained utterly unaware of the ruse. For the first time in over seven years, he had lost track of his prey.
Falling back into the alley he had just exited from in order to regroup, the SOLDIER crossed his arms and leaned against the brick wall of the building to his left. There was still time and the elite could see plenty of lesser prey in the immediate vicinity, but none could hope to spark his interest. None of them would be nearly as exhilarating to catch. Chuckling to himself, the General stood upright and turned his back on the crowd, intending to return to Zackary and the car.
"Do not think you have avoided the inevitable, little Cloud."
Tonight Sephiroth might not have finished his hunt, but he was far more satisfied then he could ever remember being from other nights. This little kitten, he just knew, would be well worth the wait.