Title: Never
Author: Shinkou
Disclaimer: I bow to the awesomeness that is Squaresoft. I own nothing.
Summary: Cloud is hearing things.... or is he?
Author's notes: this is me dabbling in horror. Quite fun I have to say. hm, I think it was written about 2 years ago. Oh, this fic takes place post the game. Um yeah.
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"No!" Cloud sat up, sweat trickling down his skin, "never..." He blinked several times, taking deep breaths until his heartbeat slowed down. That damn dream again. The same frightenly real nightmare that appeared in his sleep every night ever since his death.
Him. Sephiroth.
Propping himself up against the wall, Cloud wiped away the sweat from his forehead. Technically it wasn't a nightmare, since the contents of the dream weren't really frightening. They were... interesting. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.
Sighing, the blonde dragged his tired body toward the showers. Four 'o clock as usual, always woke with the 'no' or the 'never' or both, and instead of being rested he was always tired. And in need of a shower. Until recently the images were blurry and easily forgotten, but this time...
Cold shower, NOW.
Man, how long could he keep this up? Even a soldier like him could get sick from cold showers every morning... Gods, what's happening?
--Can you feel it, Cloud? Can you feel it? The things I'm doing to you. You're mine...--
--You're mine.--
"Cloud?" He jerked, body shaking. Beside him, Tifa stood with a pile of blueprints laid out on the desk in the office. She extended her hand worriedly. He waved it off. "You sure you're alright? What's wrong?" She asked anxiously, although she already knew the answer.
He would never tell her.
"Yeah, I'm okay. It's nothing." What was that? A faint whisper of wind, cold. So cold... so frightening... so... exciting. His heart quickened and he felt a blush. He wasn't dreaming, that's obvious. Was he daydreaming?
"Do you have a cold, Cloud? You look a little feverish."
"No, I'm fine. What were you saying? I didn't hear you." Maybe he was daydreaming. About Sephiroth. He shuddered, but whether it was from the cold or from something else he couldn't tell. Fine, so it was a figment of his imagination. Better that then seeing a ghost.
--Are you sure?--
He shivered again. No he wasn't sure. He wasn't.
"Are you listening to me, Cloud?"
No, he wasn't.
--Are you really dreaming?--
No, he wasn't.
"Cloud!"
Cloud covered his eyes and massaged his temples. "I can't think right now, Tifa. Sorry. I... I'll go and take a walk. Clear up my mind." He left without waiting for a response.
There was a place in the fields where he had set up a memorial for Aries. A field of flowers for the flower girl. It had the same innocent feeling as Aries, pure, happy. And, just like her, with a tinge of sorrow. The feeling of being alone, being the only one.
--You're not alone Cloud. Far from it. You are mine. You will never be alone.--
--Never.--
"No." He whispered to no one. No one. Alone... but the voice continued. Cold... so cold...
--Aries can't save you Cloud. Her hopes and wishes mean nothing. None of your friends can save you from me. You are mine... I have you at last. You will never get rid of me, because you are mine. You are a part of me, and destroying me would be destroying yourself. You know that...--
--You knew that from the start...--
"No!" He screamed this time. Conscious. He was still awake. Why was the dream becoming reality? Why?
Why?
--It was never a dream, Cloud. Never...--
--Never...--
"Never..." The back of his hands pressed painfully into his eyes. Why was this happening to him? Why?
--I am finally alive, Cloud, with you... through you... I have you now...--
--All of you, Cloud... all of you...--
"You alright, Cloud?" A deep voice broke the chant and Cloud's head snapped up. A young girl blinked up at him curiously, her head cocked slightly to the side. The question was repeated again by the same gruff voice from above him. He looked up, having fallen to his knees at some point in his trance.
Barret. Taking Marlene out to visit Aries' memorial.
His right hand reached up to cover his face as the left raised to wave of the black man. "Yeah yeah, I'm okay." God, he could feel the nausea coming on.
The bulky man didn't look convinced. "Well, I'm just taking Marlene out to see Aries and pick some flowers..." he rambled off, then suddenly narrowed his eyes skeptically, "hey, weren't you supposed to be with Tifa planning the reconstruction of Midgar?"
Again, Cloud waved off the question, only this time impatiently. Wobbly knees stood and the blonde made his way through the flowers, away from Barret and the little girl.
Gods, he really should take some time off. Maybe then... maybe then...
--Nice try, Cloud, but it won't happen. --
"Ugh!" With one last effort the blonde collapsed inside the door to his house. Sweat coated his face and skin as if he just came in from a thunderstorm, and his irises were dilated as if he was on drugs. His legs were wobbly in their final attempt at getting him to bed, and before he realized what was happening his head had hit the floor.
--Get up Cloud. Come to bed...--
--With me...--
"Ugh..." Fatigue fell over him like a heavy blanket, but the whispers in his head won the contest. His arms tucked in under his chest one after the other, then ever so slowly he raised himself up.
--That's right... that's a good boy...--
Stumbling, Cloud made his way towards the bed. His leg hit the stool beside his kitchen table and he stumbled, but didn't fall or flinch. All he could see was the bed, until he passed the mirror.
An inconspicuous wisp of silvery hair.
Cloud's eyes widened and he stumbled to a halt. What was that? Without his knowledge he began to hyperventilate. Silver hair, long, flowing. Silver hair...
--Why don't you walk back and check, Cloud? Then you'll understand.--
--You can never escape from me...--
--Never...--
Slowly he backtracked until his whole image was reflected in the mirror.
As well as the image behind him.
Long, silver hair, dancing from a breeze he couldn't feel. Slender muscular arms, translucent yet real, wrapping possessively around him. Narrow, vulpine eyes, sparkling with a cold emerald green, staring at him with humor and a hint of lust.
--You see now, Cloud? You'll never get rid of me... Back then, I only had your mind, but now... I have it all... all of you...--
"No..." His legs began to move on its own accord, leaving the mirror and heading for the bedroom door.
--... and you can't get rid of me...--
"No..." Two more steps.
--... and you won't want to...--
"Never..." One more step.
--Never.--
The door slammed shut behind his back.
End.
XD kya.