A/N: A two-part Sefikura story! Only two parts! Guaranteed no year-long waits between chapters! Wooooah! :D
As I am fortunate to have often happen, this fic was illustrated by the AMAZING Tomowowowo, my partner in crime! Please take a moment to visit my profile and follow the links to look at her art and our collaborations. We post things there that you will never see here on ! (Mainly because a lot of them are dirty...)
Warnings: Actually nothing too bad happens in this! Some violence, some blood, but nothing awful for once!
Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or any related storylines! Please continue to support the official releases!
Mini: Part One
The test for second-class was a time honored tradition. Sephiroth had presided over countless tests as young Third-Class hopefuls were lead out into Shinra-owned forests to fight for their rank. Never before had he been anxious over the outcome of a test. There was a terrible anxiety like a stone rolling around in the pit of his stomach. Of course, he'd never had anything like a personal stake in the outcome of the tests before.
He pulled out his PHS without taking his eyes off the trainees he was observing prepare for their round in the monster-filled forest. Little camera-eyed drone robots hovered around them, keeping watch and broadcasting the trainees to the transparent screen Sephiroth was holding in his right hand. He wasn't physically far away from them, but it had been found that the trainees did better if they felt alone.
He selected pressed his third speed dial without looking and let it ring, waiting. Speed dials one and two were empty now. Speed dial four would have connected with a test candidate trying to focus. The footage from the observation drones panned past him for a moment, showing only a shock of hair over a face pale with anxiety before skimming away again.
"Yo," Zack's voice chimed, easily audible even with the phone inches from Sephiroth's ear. He'd learned hold the phone further away when speaking to Zack than anyone else. The first had a bad habit of suddenly changing volume. "All going well over there, boss?"
"No fatalities." Sephiroth replied blankly. "How about your set?"
"Almost through," Zack said fondly. "Had to step in to help them out once. They decided it would be faster to kill the monster casting a petrify curse on them than to rummage in their packs for an estuna."
"Rookie mistake." Sephiroth commented.
"They're jocks." Zack laughed. "They can't help themselves. High on Mako. You know how it is."
"Do I?" Sephiroth asked dryly, lowering his phone to use a forefinger on the clear screen, shifting through camera feeds, watching as a series of small insect-type monsters were cut down. "No matter. Cloud's group is on the move again. Keep close to your squad until they're in the transports and headed home, then report back to join me here."
"You got it boss! They're heading to the transports now. They look worried. Heh!"
"They should be considering—"
He broke off, his eyes fixing on the screen as monsters broke free from the forest. It was not a small group. He scowled at the movements, identifying them as the creatures called 'King Behemoth's. They were intended to be stand-alone threats, and never to move in pack formations. There shouldn't have been that many in the entire forest. Within moments the monsters had split the group of trainees by attacking the center, driving the Soldiers into two groups before starting to attack. They were flanked by little ghosts—'Hungry's if Sephiroth remembered correctly.
"Zack, hurry up." Sephiroth ordered, even as he tossed the clear screen aside to start moving towards the testing Soldiers. "There's trouble here."
"What sort of trouble?" Zack's voice was filled with worry over the phone.
"Potentially fatal." Sephiroth replied, snapping the phone closed.
It wasn't possible. It shouldn't have been possible. The monsters had moved in formation. That wasn't the sort of thing that happened of its own accord. As he drew closer, he was disturbed to realize that still more monsters of all sorts were headed towards the location. Something was drawing them towards the candidates. He switched from walking swiftly to jogging, and then to running as the ground started to shiver under heavy footsteps of still larger monsters.
His mind repeated the mantra 'that's where Cloud is.' It would not stop, no matter how many times he reminded himself that he already knew that—that repeating it was not bringing him closer faster.
The sounds of battle reached him long before he saw a single Soldier. He let out a breath when he discerned far more monster cries than human ones. His Soldiers were holding their own.
He sliced the heads off every monster he came across as he sprinted the final distance. He reached the first clump of Soldiers, hesitating only a moment before moving in to dispatch a couple of the more ferocious creatures. The candidates were holding their own for now, but they were relying heavily on their materia. Their MP would run thin soon. Sephiroth added them to his list of concerns, but they would have to wait. First he had to find Cloud.
"Hold them off." He ordered the five men as he headed towards the other group that they had been split from. "I'll return."
He ignored the chorus of 'yes sir's, grateful that these were Soldiers and not merely trainees. There was none of the shock and awe that often overwhelmed the new Soldier candidates in answering to him. He didn't have to worry about getting them killed by distracting them with his mere existence.
He spied Cloud before any of his contemporaries. Mainly because as he was approaching, the blond launched Assault Twister into the hoard of enemies, cutting a swath of them down before his blade. The Third-class backed away, casting a barrier onto one of his fallen comrades.
Though it was far from the forefront of his mind, it occurred to Sephiroth that Cloud looked desperately beautiful with that fierce determination on his face. His blue eyes glowed faintly with the mako he carried, his lips were pressed together and he lifted his sword as though it weighed nothing. His gaze flickered to Sephiroth and he gave a short shake of his head.
"We've got this, sir!" He called, even as he cut down another creature. "Just bugs and a couple behemoths! The other group have it worse!"
Sephiroth hesitated only a moment, but the others in the little group of seven Soldiers seemed equally determined. He cast Cloud one more look, smiling as the young man sliced one of the giant blood-sucking crickets neatly in half. Then he turned and went back to assisting the other set of Soldiers.
Cloud had definitely been right. Whatever was drawing the beasts, they were zeroed in on the smaller group. Sephiroth let the men do their own fighting as much as he thought he could afford, but there were more monsters than he would have trusted even five Second-classes to handle alone. With the Thirds, he let about half of the beasts get killed by their blades while he handled the rest with neat, swift slices.
By the time the ranks of monsters were beginning to thin, there was a pile of bodies two to three deep surrounding the circle of fighters. He made a mental note to inspect each of the Soldiers to see what might have drawn them. And to have a word with the higher ups about replacing the lost monster stock. They had certainly made a dent in the forest's overall population.
He nodded to himself when the last of the truly dangerous monsters fell. He didn't spare time to check on each of his Soldiers. They were a little battered, but they would heal. He hadn't been a General for years without learning to tell the difference between a mortal wound and a minor setback.
"Get the wounded out." Sephiroth barked to the Soldiers he was guarding, turning towards the voice.
"Sir!" Cried a voice from the other group.
He looked just in time to see Cloud shaking out his bracer, trying to cast. The spell fizzled. He was out of strength for magic. The Hungry he was facing tilted its ugly face back, summoning its own spell.
Sephiroth activated his least-used materia. Cover was not something he wore out of necessity. It was more paranoia than anything that kept the materia on hand. And for once, his paranoia had been absolutely right. He never would have gotten there in time if the cover hadn't activated. He flew across the space, more teleporting than moving. He lifted his sword to block the incoming magic strike. He was expecting a blast of an attack, and he was ready to meet it in Cloud's stead.
He wasn't prepared for the magic to bypass his sword completely and sink into his skin.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud cried, startled by his appearance in front of him, his words a beat behind the reality of the motion.
Sephiroth started to answer him—to question if he was okay—but then the world fell out from under him, and he gasped. The trees shot up impossibly high around him, and the monster grinned macabrely, dancing back and forth as Sephiroth found himself shrinking in a moment. The world spun at the change, and he staggered, shaking his head as he tried to get a handle on what had just happened. His jacket fell around him, and he kicked his way out of the suddenly enormous leather pants. He ducked out of the straps just in time to avoid being crushed by one of his own pauldrons.
The first sound he heard after Cloud's startled gasp was a gale of delighted laughter. He lifted his eyes. Cloud towered over him, staring down in shock at him. There was blood on his face, but his gaze was clear and not pain-filled as Sephiroth had worried. A dark shadow flew over his head, and monsters scattered as Zack Fair hit the ground, still laughing hysterically as he chased the beasts into the forest.
"Stay put, Mini-roth!" Zack cried as he sprinted into the forest after the retreating monsters.
Sephiroth looked down at himself in alarm, staring at his naked, miniaturized form. Then he tilted his head and clenched his jaw in frustration.
"Are you okay?" Cloud asked, crouching quickly behind him.
His voice boomed, and Sephiroth winced at the volume of it. He waved away Cloud's concern, even as he tried not to let himself realize exactly what a rookie mistake he had made. He'd jumped in front of a 'mini' curse. He'd gotten hit by a Gods-damned status effect.
"You're…" Cloud stared at him from where he was crouched, still towering over Sephiroth, even lowered closer to the ground. "You're t-tiny…"
Sephiroth heaved a sigh. It came out sounding squeaky and small. He scowled to himself, swinging Masamune's miniaturized form over his shoulder to rest her there in annoyance. His clothes might not have shrunken with him, but at least he had his sword. Behind Cloud, the faces of other curious Soldiers were looming, peering down at the miniaturized General. Sephiroth turned his back in annoyance, pretending to look out into the forest after Zack. In reality, he couldn't see anything but bushes. Very, very tall bushes. If his voice wouldn't have come out in mouse-like squeaks of indignation, he would have been cursing till he was blue in the face.
"Sir," Cloud said, his voice softer this time. "Here."
Sephiroth glanced back, blinking at the cloth he was being offered by his blond lover. He took the handkerchief in both hands. He tucked it under one arm and tied it over the other shoulder, as though he did so every day.
"You're—" Cloud was hovering with his hand still outstretched from offering the cloth. "You're only a little taller than my hand… Someone might step on you…"
Sephiroth arched an eyebrow at Cloud, giving him an annoyed look. The Soldier Third refused to look bashful in the slightest. He just had that pretty concerned look, his cheek still bloodied and a slight bruise over his left eye. Sephiroth felt his annoyance dissipate at the honest concern on Cloud's features as his bright blue eyes took in the scene, looking over Sephiroth himself, then the woods around them.
"Sir," he murmured, before lowering his voice to a whisper. "Seph… Can I…"
He trailed off, chewing on his lip. He seemed to give up on vocalizing the request, and extended his hand, flattening it in offer. Sephiroth stared at the hand a long moment, warring internally with his pride. The bashful anxiety on Cloud's face made up his mind for him. He sighed, as quietly as he could to avoid hearing how high-pitched his voice was, and stepped onto Cloud's palm, stooping to pick up the younger man's thumb to use as a hand-hold.
Cloud let out a breath of relief that stirred Sephiroth's hair around him. He'd definitely eaten an MRE for dinner. Sephiroth wrinkled his nose, but didn't complain. He tapped Cloud's hand with his bare foot. The young man's palm was warm and still slightly slick with sweat from the exertion of the battle. Sephiroth lifted his hand, pointing upward imperiously before replacing it on Cloud's thumb, bracing himself to be lifted as he'd demanded.
Cloud hesitated a moment, confused, before slowly lifting Sephiroth in his hand. Sephiroth managed to stay on his feet more through will than anything. Cloud was right. He was only a little taller than the young man's hand. He wondered how much he weighed. Probably less than Palmer's damnable toy poodle.
Cloud hovered with his hand held out a moment before cautiously bringing Sephiroth over to his shoulder. Sephiroth glanced at his worried face before assenting, climbing up onto Cloud's pauldron. The metal under his bare feet was cold, but it provided him a more solid stance. He reached out to anchor himself in Cloud's blonde hair with his right hand, even as he held his miniscule sword in his left.
"What…" Sephiroth turned at the voice of a Third from behind them. "What are we supposed to do from here?"
He studied the Soldier who had spoken, rolling his eyes. If the man expected an answer from him, he would be sorely disappointed. Sephiroth turned back to watching the woods for Zack's return. Unfortunately, he apparently hadn't succeeded in communicating his intent to Cloud. The Third turned around to face his friends, effectively cutting off Sephiroth's view. The General clicked his tongue in annoyance, but accepted the motion, observing the gaping, shocked Soldiers with pure annoyance. Unfortunately, his glare didn't seem to have the same effect when he was miniaturized.
"We wait for Zack." Cloud was saying firmly. "And then we get out of this forest and find out why the hell this turned from 'take down a couple marlboros' into 'Monster-fighting-endurance 101.'"
Sephiroth rolled his eyes and tugged on Cloud's hair lightly in rebuke. If his lover noticed, he didn't react. Sephiroth resisted the urge to growl. Apparently, a change in stature was all it took for his Soldiers to suddenly lose their instinctual fear and respect of him. It was highly obnoxious. Though part of him was glad to hear Cloud being playful around him. It was a welcome change from the bashful young man who sometimes still looked at him like he were a diety and not his boyfriend.
"Gods above," laughed a familiar voice from the woods. "You're tiny."
Sephiroth cast an infuriated look over his shoulder before he was forced to redouble his grip and crouch on Cloud's shoulder to hold his balance as the Third turned to face Zack.
"And naked," Zack laughed. "Oh man, this is perfect. Cloud, hold still, I'm taking a picture of this."
Sephiroth lifted Masamune, aiming for a moment before throwing her neatly. She was not designed to be a projectile, but he'd practiced just in case. He was satisfied when her blade hit the lense of Zachary's camera phone with a satisfying crack, embedding in the little device.
"Aw man, come on, Seph!" Zack whined, picking out the tiny blade.
"Why isn't he back to normal size?" Cloud asked rather urgently. "Don't these spells usually wear off after the monster is dead?"
"Ah," Zack paused in picking Sephiroth's jacket up off the ground. "Yeah… About that. I was kind of laughing really hard, and the Hungry that cast the mini curse might have gotten away."
"Throw me at him." Sephiroth snarled in his unfortunately high-pitched voice. "I'll rip his throat out."
"Ah, are you mad?" Zack said, laughing, bending down close to him and cupping his ear with his hand. "What's that? I can't hear you, TinkerSeph!"
Sephiroth clenched his jaw, tightening his anchoring hand in Cloud's hair and lashing out with one foot. Zack had stooped just close enough to catch the blow on his pinky, and he yelped in pain as Sephiroth kicked his hand.
"Ow!" The First complained loudly, standing straight and shaking his hand out. "That hurt! It's not my fault you got turned into a leprechaun! Just for that, I'm keeping tiny Masamune."
Sephiroth growled in annoyance, but Cloud moved before he could object. The blond moved forward swiftly, snatching the small blade from Zack in a neat movement.
"This isn't a joke." His blue eyes were blazing as he spoke. Sephiroth could only see the rounded features of his face from a 3/4ths view from where he stood, but he could tell that Cloud was well and truly pissed.
"He's fine, Cloudy." Zack said, though he calmed the teasing aspect. "We'll just have to take him back to home base or wait for a restore to show up. We didn't bring any with. You know, don't want to spoil you boys by letting you recover too easily from any status Ailments you catch. Didn't count on Generally Protective getting involved."
"It's my fault, sir," one of the other men said bashfully, tucking his chin and stepping forward. "Strife got hurt protecting me, and then he didn't have the mana left to cure, so… If I'd been more careful, General Sephiroth wouldn't have had to…"
"Easy does it Soldier," Zack laughed, waving a hand. "It's not like he jumped on a grenade. Cloud, since he's on your shoulder, go ahead and take him to camp. Maybe we can find him some dolly clothes while we wait to get him set right."
"R-right." Cloud said softly, looking to Sephiroth. "Ready to go?"
Sephiroth gave him a brief nod, bending his knees just a little to prepare himself to ride along with the motions of Cloud's walk. He shot a glare filled with murder at Zachary as they passed him. Then he turned his eyes forward. He blinked when Cloud lifted a hand to shield him from the wind of his walking. He glanced over, leaning forward a little to try and get a glimpse of Cloud's expression. He caught sight of tears brimming in bright blue eyes and hesitated. He carefully shifted his free hand to pat Cloud's cheek, confused by the response, but wanting to comfort him.
"I'm so sorry," Cloud whispered. "I shouldn't have let that happen, and now you're… I shouldn't have tried to take this test. I'm such an idiot!"
Sephiroth removed his hand from Cloud's cheek to grip the earring in his ear, giving it a firm tug in retribution. Cloud winced, stopping and looking to Sephiroth in surprise. Sephiroth hung onto the hair he was holding tightly to keep himself in place with all the sudden movements. He lifted a hand, pointing firmly to Cloud, trying to convey his serious disapproval at that line of thinking with the point and his facial expression alone. Of all the people who might have heard him sounding like a chipmunk, Cloud was the one he wanted to hear him like that least of all. He wanted to avoid verbal scolding if he could.
"Right." Cloud murmured after a moment, a little of the traumatized look bleeding off his face. "I'm not supposed to put myself down…"
Sephiroth nodded his approval, dropping his pointing hand to pat Cloud's ear where he'd tugged on him sharply. Cloud gave a small laugh, the sound reverberating up through his shoulder straight into Sephiroth's feet. He shifted, not displeased by the sensation, but finding it strange. He hesitated on Cloud's shoulder a moment, before slowly sitting down. He let out a breath as for the first time since he was lifted he was able to worry less about balance. He anchored one hand in the short hair at the back of Cloud's neck, and rested the other on the pauldron's edge.
"Comfortable?" Cloud asked after a moment.
Sephiroth patted his neck in answer. The blond gave a tentative laugh and started walking again, his hand lifting once more to shield Sephiroth from the wind of his movement.
Sephiroth let out a pleased breath, and after a moment of silence between them, he allowed himself to lean his head against Cloud's neck. If nothing else, at least he could quite literally surround himself in Cloud while he waited to be restored to his usual self.
The sound of a gun being cocked halted his light feeling just as quickly as it halted Cloud in his steps. It was echoed by seven more similar clicks.
Sephiroth stood from his perch on Cloud's shoulder, looking around with grim eyes. A semi-circle of silver rifle muzzles looked back, winking in the forest light. Below him, he felt Cloud stiffen, his muscles tensing as he prepared for battle. Sephiroth stood transfixed on his shoulder, staring at the danger his lover was facing, and sick with the knowledge that he could not protect him as he was.