Passive
By: CaseyAnn'sPrecious
In one split instant, it was all over.
Thunder crashed in the distance, masking the thump as the 7-foot tall man fell to his side, a cascade of shimmering silver trailing behind delicately. Blood was seeping everywhere, through long, pale fingers as they clutched the sword wound, into the ground when each droplet hit the dirt, down a pale, soft cheek as it came up his throat. A faint shimmering green in the air signified the soul leaving to go back to the life stream. The lungs stopped working when shock set in, the brain stopped working from lack of oxygen. The heart had already stopped. Still, the vital life force flowed from the wound.
Sephiroth was pronounced dead minutes later.
All around him, his teammates were recovering, harsh, ragged breaths coming from their chests, the only sound in the clearing besides the far-off storm. He could feel the relief in the air along with the exhaustion. Eventually, they would all proceed back to the airship for rest and recovery; they just had to wait until they could move again. The General wasn't an easy opponent to fight, his mastery of skill definitely outweighing their few years of experience in battle but somehow, someway, they did it. A limit break was what had finished him off.
Slowly, painfully slowly, his friends stood, supporting themselves on each other. Groans and whimpers filled the air as they registered what hurt to move. More than one muttering of the cure spells was heard. He stayed sitting though, staring at the lifeless form in front of him. It was hard to believe that he was dead. He had always seen Sephiroth as the strong, invincible man his reputation had stated, a person without flaw or weakness in battle. He had to constantly keep telling himself that this wasn't the same person. This was just the Jenova-crazed Sephiroth who wanted to destroy the Earth.
Yes, the smiling, scrutinizing, and paper-work ridden man he and Zack looked up to and adored had died a very long time ago.
His shoulders drooped lightly as the information sunk in. His arm started burning slightly but he ignored it. One glance around and he checked to see if he was alone.
He was. Good.
The sound of boots scraping against the earthen road filled the air as he shuffled over to his dead enemy. When he touched the soft, pale cheek it was freezing. Oddly enough the man's eyes were closed, his lips curved into a smile. A soft chuckle came from his throat. How ironic was it that Seph would find his peace in death? His had reached out to brush a strand of hair away from the General's peaceful face.
"Seph."
The syllable was barely a whisper in the breeze and he didn't know why he was saying it but there was this yearning, deep down in his heart. He couldn't deny that he wanted his General back. He wanted the man to open his eyes, to encourage him just like he used to. He wanted life to breathe through the silver-haired man's body, wanted the blood to run through the veins, not into the ground. Maybe if he just called his name…
"G-General? Seph! Come on, I know you. You're not dead, you can't be dead. It defies the laws of physics." He quirked a smile. "Or that's what Zack would say, at least."
When Sephiroth's body didn't so much as twitch, he sighed shakily. This wasn't working. There wasn't any way this was going to work, so why was he trying? He even acknowledged that fact but didn't act upon it.
"Come on, Wake up, you lazy bastard. If you don't wake up I'll…I'll walk away and never come b-back. I'll leave you here to rot with the worms." He shook one strong shoulder lightly, a motion that would have woken the man below him up so fast, a second could go by and you'd be pinned. His own shoulders shook when the body under his hands just fell onto its back limply.
"Y-You disappoint me. I-I t-thought you were i-invincible. W-Wake the hell up Dammit!" his fist thumped against the still chest, the flesh still as cold and still as ever. "Face me like the hero you are!" A lone tear slipped to the ground.
Cloud realized pitifully that he was crying over his enemy's death.
No, not an enemy. Sephiroth was a mentor, a teacher, a friend. His cold, Jenova-induced side was his perfect enemy. The way they flowed elegantly when in battle was a testament to that, even though he looked clumsy compared to the fluid, graceful steps that were the General's movements. When they fought, the ground shook and the skies cried. Destruction was always abound because they didn't fear hurting one or the other. It was life or death when it came to their battles and that's the way they liked it.
This time, however, Cloud was regretting winning. But how was he supposed to lose in front of the people who were fighting right beside him? How was he supposed to slip up when the world was riding on Sephiroth's defeat? Pressures like that were easy to give into but right now, he wished he would have lost.
A flash of memory zoomed across his vision and he choked up into silent sobs. The image was beautiful. It was the first time Sephiroth had smiled in front of him, the corners of his mouth turning up into an amused look that took his breath away. The very emotion reached right into his mako green eyes and when the sun illuminated his hair like a halo, he looked very much like an angel, an angel that most definitely wasn't going to heaven right now.
More memories floated past. The three of them chilling out in Sephiroth's apartment, having fun talking about random things while flirting around a lot, though Zack was more for the flirting. The General's dazzling laugh resounding off the room as Zack almost killed himself trying to cook. The many nights when they had saved the silver-haired man from hojo's clutches. The night they had all professed their love for each other….
Tears were now freely streaming down his cheeks and onto the cold, dead body below him. He clutched at his chest when it started burning. This wasn't going to work, no matter how much he put his hopes into it. The almighty one-winged angel was dead, never to come back again. Any more attempts to wake the forever-sleeping man were futile and he might as well have gone home.
For some reason, he stayed most of the night.
Rain started pouring down on him hours later but he could care less. When his spiky hair flattened and plastered to his face, he only brushed it out of his eyesight and continued to stare at the lifeless body in front of him. His mind raced to many places at once, the jumble becoming too much to understand. At some point, he acknowledged that the crying had stopped. Either that or he couldn't tell the difference from the tears and the rain which was likely.
Through the slow-moving hours he couldn't help but wonder many things. What had made his idol go insane? How did Jenova become his mother? Why was destroying the Earth so damn important?
What could life have been like if he hadn't gone insane?
The last thought was the one that stuck out the most. He could only imagine that life would be perfect, even euphoric. They could still be in SOLDIER, roughing it out on missions and destroying the training rooms like they used to. They could even pitch more paperwork out the window and see who got mad at them before the angered secretary realized that Sephiroth was in on the whole thing. Cloud laughed at the memory of the horrible woman as she was getting fired.
Nobody angered the General when he was in the company of friends.
Of course, many employees of Shinra inc. had found that out for themselves, Cadets and higher ups alike. Now, mind you, not all of them got court marshaled but most of them left that classy office with frowns or looks of terror. Everybody except for the president's son and a few of the Turks seemed afraid of the tall, silver-haired man and with good reason! Who wouldn't be afraid of a man with an eight foot long sword and a mentality to back up using it with a reason? Not to mention the smirk. Ah, the smirk. The smirk that sent shivers up Cloud's spine and blood straight to his groin. That smirk meant that devilish things were racing through the General's mind and the target was either in for the most pleasurable night of their life or the most terrorizing one.
But of course, the prior option was only reserved for him and Zack, a novelty they both had enjoyed tremendously.
He knew for a fact that they were special to the General. After all, they got away with so many things that it was unbelievable. He couldn't even begin to count the number of times that Zack and him were sent to the tall man's office only to get a disapproving look and a smack on the wrist. It was funny, really, since, more often than not, Sephiroth would encourage some of their wrong-doings, stating that the boring building needed some lightening up anyway. That and he needed a 'Good goddamn laugh to chase away the misery of paperwork'. Honestly, who would put the world's best fighting machine behind a desk full of papers? Sure, missions very rarely came around but they could at least put him on guard duty or something? At least then it would have saved them the hours of not being able to see or talk to the man.
Though it started to get amusing when the silver-haired being learned origami.
Yes, the art of Japanese paper folding had grown quick on the man for the useless and annoying waste of trees on his desk. All of them, Even Rufus, had contributed to helping the man find new variations of planes, mammals, and plants by supplying books and helpful tips. It got even more amusing when he figured out how to make people.
And it was downright hilarious when he learned how to draw faces on them so that he could get rid of his stress by playing his new version of 'darts'.
The storm was proceeding on now, the clouds moving away from his vision. Beautiful pinpricks of light started to show themselves against the midnight backdrop of the sky. He could already see a few constellations. There was still no movement from the body beside him but he had long since given up. It was fruitless to think that his emotions alone could bring somebody back to life.
Hadn't worked on Aeris, wouldn't work on Sephiroth. Maybe next time he would keep that in mind.
His thoughts paused for a while and he toyed absentmindedly with one of the buckles on the General's leather jacket. This both amused him and allowed his mind to stay clear. He needed to stop thinking so much, it was giving him a major migraine and all his medicine was back on the airship. It wasn't like he was going to leave the dead body to go back and get a few pills, either. That was just…well, irrational. In his mind, at least.
And then, everything just stopped. The sounds silenced out, the crickets and creatures of the night no longer resounding through his ears. Motions of everything around him froze slowly, as if ice was creeping everywhere and stilling things and though the colors still remained vivid, he was reminded of the sensation of nothingness. Just like floating in nothing but a sea of white.
"Cloud."
His head whipped behind him. There was nothing there. Now he was imagining things…
"Don't be like that, Cloud." The gentle voice spoke again and he turned to his thoughts, noticing the flash of silver in his mind. He was just crazy enough to speak to it.
"So I guess now you're going to become just a memory too, huh. Just like Aeris and Zack."
"So you have forgotten."
Cloud was startled by this. What was there to possibly forget?
A low chuckle came from the voice that he was sure his mind was supplying. That dark, mischievous grin spread out on those beautiful pink lips as his emerald eyes flashed and stole his breath away.
"I will never be just a memory."
"Then come back to me."
"You know very well that that will never happen. But just watch, you never know when I might show up again."
"You might…? Just what are you implying?"
"I have my ways, Cloud, but good things only come to those who wait."
"How long, then?"
"Perhaps months, maybe years. Even I am uncertain of the time span. Who knows, maybe I'll bring Sergeant Idiot and we can have a tea party."
"A tea party?" Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Death has made you lost your mind."
"Look at who's talking to himself."
Silence.
"Touché."
A soft laugh echoed through his ears.
"Thanks. I needed that before I left."
"Wait! Don't-'' His hand reached out towards something that wasn't there.
"Farewell, Cloud. And for now, I'm content to being your memory."
And the only trace he had left of the General faded away with a smile.
His body finally crumpled from exhaustion. That was what he had been waiting for all day. The chance to say goodbye to the one person he never wanted to leave. It was painful, yes, but now, Zack wasn't lonely. Maybe one day, when he passed on, they would all be together and life would be right again because the truth is, life felt off balance without his loved ones to hold him or tease him. The hand that had guided him through his teenage years was gone as well as the mind that had encouraged the mischief inside of him. It wasn't fair, yes,
But when would life ever be fair?
Cloud snorted. Zack's last name was Fair, which was probably the reason life would never be fair. Zack never played fair so why should life? If he had any say in it…
His internal monologue continued, even as his eyes began to droop and sleep started to overcome his senses. A smile played on his face and a passive sort of peace fell over the small part of the world his body inhabited right now and anybody could see the two translucent forms that hovered over the sleeping form protectively, lovingly. Twin smiles broke out on their faces as they each touched hands tentatively. Zack's hand tangled into the blonde spikes of his former lover, his other arm coming to rest around the General's waist while said man wrapped an arm around both of the men beside him. It was peace, it was serenity-
And it was the best damn sleep Cloud had ever gotten in his life.
Line Break.
CCP: So what did you all think? Drop me a review! Sorry about putting random stuff on here without updating my other stuff. See you all next update!