AN: I'm taking a break from Hitori, Futari, by writing a Cloud/Sephiroth fic. This oneshot is a companion piece to Hitori, Futari (however, it doesn't contain spoilers; it's merely a summary of Hitori, Futari), and describes Cloud's reunion with Sephiroth. Please make sure to R & R, for it took me six hours to write this!

Enjpy the story! :)

Rating: M

Pairing: Cloud/Sephiroth

Warnigns: Lemon, angst, fluff

Disclaimer: I own only this story. None of the characters are mine.

Embrace Me

A tired, beaten warrior, staggering in the darkness of the night, aimlessly, deprived of all emotion, with his head lowered, eyes glued to the ground, grunted slightly. Eyes half-open were not looking at his feet as he moved forward, slowly, but rather looking through them, and through the ground, too. Still, he never lost his grace, even though he looked as if he'd lost everything he'd been fighting for during the course of long, long, years. Nobody understood his woes during his lifetime, nobody stopped to hear him out…nobody even spared it a thought, and so he remained alone, but that was a long time ago.

Somebody saw a silhouette in the dark; it looked so strong, yet it moved so strangely, as if it was to collapse any moment; yet there was some grace to the figure, even when it indeed fell to its knees, and then collapsed, facedown, into the mud. The observer shouted for some help, and several men ran out of the inn, among them the innkeeper, to help him. They recognized it was a man, in strange attire indeed, but they paid little attention to such details, since they were concerned for his health.

When they checked his pulse and breathing, and saw that he was all right, and that he was just exhausted and dirty, they carried him in; the innkeeper held his two arms, his son held his head in his hands, and the two other men held his legs. They climbed the flight of stairs and placed him on one dusty bed in one of the guest rooms, and turned the light on. What a remarkable sight they saw, indeed, for before their very eyes was face of a young man, truly beautiful, but his beauty was unusual. His features were very manly, yet somehow refined, with straight nose and thin lips, his eyebrows delicate and white, and complexion pale.

After his face was carefully washed, all the dirt that marred his face removed, he seemed more beautiful than he had first appeared, his features depicted his personality, the aura around him radiant, and he looked as if he was once very powerful. Days after he had been found, slept for three long days, and given his clothes back (clean this time), he decided to stay there for a while and reflect on his past, and what had happened to him.

The warrior kept his distance from all the staff of the inn, and regular guests, and inhabitants of that town, speaking rarely, and even when he spoke, in that deep, melodious, threatening, yet refined voice, his words of wisdom distinguished him from the commoners. He spoke laconically, and spoke only poison, which meant, he was very straightforward, choosing the correct words, hitting the bull's eye, and leaving people speechless. His sharp tongue made people look at him in awe.

It is much better to be feared than loved, someone once wrote, he recalled. It was indeed so. Yet, something was awfully missing. Without his weapon, without his powers, just a mere human he was. Those people didn't know him, and he was fine with it. Maybe it was good that way; no eyes to judge him, no one to hate him…no one to approach and vex him. He enjoyed his solitude, so much needed peace. It was strange how he never thought of this, how he never had time to think about sitting in silence alone, somewhere on some cliff, or in some room, and free his mind of everything burdensome.

During that time, another warrior was thinking about him intensively. He wondered if his remnants, who returned and were trying to find their place and could balance their present and past, each in their own way, would he be able to do the same once he returned, too. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that his archenemy could never die, or, rather, could be revived repeatedly.

The remnants were doing quite well-Yazoo was balancing on the ledge between his good, human self, and his wicked self, but bit by bit, he was turning into a normal human being, having his supervisor, Reno, as his lover, and the couple was living their awkward, yet somewhat happy life. Kadaj still lamented the lack of his former self, but was endeavoring to make a better future for himself, and perhaps his brothers as well. Even Loz was making some progress in that direction, although still a bit whiny. Sure, they all had their difficulties, but the situation seemed to be under control for now.

Cloud wondered how Sephiroth would manage, once he was back. He wondered if Sephiroth could be forgiven and given a second chance, when he compared him with remnants. However, they'd killed no one, unlike him, who killed Cloud's family and dear friends, and many other people. How would he deal with his new self? Was he still so mad; would he go berserk again? Cloud didn't have answers to such questions, and his heart was restless.

He remembered, how he'd hated him from the bottom of his soul, and once he was gone, how he'd shut down, fallen in a deep depression. He'd thought himself useless to the ones who remained alive; he'd thought himself unworthy of their love and trust; yet once Sephiroth was alive again, even for a mere moment, when their swords crossed, the old spark graced his eyes. He couldn't quite explain it, but he was more at ease when he'd seen him again, and fought him…And now that he was somewhere far from his reach, alive, he wondered, and pondered, and felt so hollow inside. It felt as if something was missing, their last moment, the conclusion to all their encounters; it had started with respect and admiration, and he thought it had ended with endless, deepest hatred. Cloud thought hard about it all, for days...And then he found him…and ran to him…a desperate run.

Many of the memories he'd, by mistake, obtained from Zack, told him the story of the old legendary SOLDIER 1st Class, Sephiroth. While he was driving, he was sorting through those memories. He was sometimes gaping in wonder, sometimes on the verge of tears, for Sephiroth's fate was so tragic, and he could have never imagined that behind his sadistic nature lay the history of one man who once had childhood, and friends close as brothers, and hopes, dreams…and a generous heart.

Sure, Sephiroth had been cocky, and had the right to be like that, for he was indeed remarkable, the best of all other SOLDIER members, the only legendary, versatile, strong, and graceful man. His small rivalry with his two best friends, Genesis and Angeal, seemed innocent and lovely. That time when Genesis had been wounded, and Sephiroth, without giving it a second thought, offered his blood, was one of the proofs of his humane side and genuine feelings. Zack's memories also offered one piece of Sephiroth's history, when he'd told Zack that they would 'fail to eliminate' the duo, even though they'd been ordered to kill them. His love for his friends never ceased, and in the end, he hadn't been the one to kill them.

To some extent, Sephiroth's anger and his fall into madness could be understood and justified, for the truth had really been horrible; all the time he deemed himself a human, had been conceived by two human beings, yet he'd been tampered with, and made 'a perfect monster'. No wonder he felt so abandoned, so alone, so betrayed... On the other hand, he never had that right to make the others miserable. Cloud wondered if the silver haired man was still insane.

The contents of his stomach began to whirl dangerously, as he neared the place where Sephiroth was, and in his heart, the poison of sadness and pity bit at their host. The feeling of sympathy for the man became more intense, as they confronted each other, face to face.

At first, when he'd entered the man's room, and they looked at each other without a word spoken, Sephiroth's eyes were burning again their old flame, but not with the same intensity as before, and Could was standing there, looking at him in some sort of disgust. He was reserved; intolerance to the man before him was as tangible as the mud on Sephiroth's face, some time ago. It felt and looked the same as that time when he'd talked to Rufus Shinra, about the remnants. He was just about to leave, as he had been when Rufus started talking, without any patience whatsoever, yet here, something small, barely present, was stopping him from doing so.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promise, nothing shall forestall my return." said Sephiroth, after the long moment of silence.

"LOVELESS, act III.", returned Cloud, without much thought. He just had it in his memory, part of Sephiroth's memories with Genesis, as told by Zack Fair. He snorted. Before him, there wasn't Sephiroth he used to know and admire. There was a completely different person sitting at that desk; he resembled Sephiroth, but this one looked tired and a bit older, as if all the life energy had been drained out of his strong, still muscular body. He was positive that the man was alive, though. Actually, it was that same Sephiroth, yet somehow, he wasn't. He couldn't quite explain it.

His eyes were kind of dreamy, in search of old days full of fame and adrenaline, and had some bitterness to them. Masamune wasn't by his side, and what was one warrior without his faithful sword? Cloud felt, deep inside, that this was just a punishment for the man, his revival, without powers to manipulate others, with no goals to reach. He was just an ordinary man now, not above all men as he had once thought he was. He was just an average man with rare beauty. Sephiroth could still fight quite well, like in his old days, but the spirit that moved him all along had been broken. Despite all that, Cloud could tell just by looking at him, that he was winning the battle with his depression.

It looked so sad, this sight of Sephiroth, once a hero, once a villain, and now no one. He needed no friends, he had no friends...and no enemies whatsoever.

"I knew you would be back." Cloud said, in a neutral tone. The atmosphere in the room was dark and tense, yet somehow relaxing.

"Judging by your face, I see you needed this...meeting so desperately, Cloud." Sephiroth retorted with venom in his voice. "But I'm not interested in you now, nor in the things you cherish."

"I defeated you three times. It was enough, Sephiroth. Let's put an end to this." Cloud moved one step closer, shrugging. Sephiroth still observed him; Cloud was so broken, so desperate, yet he kept himself in check.

"I see you are going against your principles, by coming all the way here to spread your speech of peace." Sephiroth clicked his tongue, his eyes never leaving Cloud's. "But, as I said, you can fall from the cliff for all I care. I'm done with you." He dismissed the blond with a graceful wave of his hand, but Cloud never moved. He wasn't sure what exactly he should say, and he was still wrestling with the urge to leave the place, and the urge to stay.

"My reason for coming here is to forgive you." He said. "You returned as a normal human, I guess...So I thought..."

"...That all my sins should be erased? That I should make a fresh start?" Sephiroth was still sitting in his chair, piercing the blond with his Mako eyes, and the tone of bitterness joined the venom in his voice. "How young and naive you are!" He laughed that dreadful laugh. "Don't tell me you already forgot I killed your mother, and your friends? How is that you can forgive me, Cloud? I'm curious to know."

Cloud just stood there, thinking how it was foolish of him to even consider the idea of his coming to see Sephiroth, and was running out of paitence.

"Either way, I don't care and I don't need your forgiveness." The silver haired man continued. When he heard this last remark, Cloud was positive that he shouldn't have come at all, since Sephiroth's determination to remain all bitter was adamant, and he was just making a fool of himself. To think that they could reconcile, was foolish enough even before he'd embarked on this pointless journey. There was one thing that Sephiroth said, and it was true-why Cloud should forgive him. He'd lost everything in Nibelheim, and later, he'd lost Aerith, and many bad, bad things had happened, and all the things he believed in...

"Fine, I'm leaving." He announced, turning around and heading to the door. He could feel Sephiroth stand from his chair and move to his bed, as if he'd never seen Cloud in his life before, as if he never acknowledged his presence. Then, as he stood before the door, he remebered how much gas he'd spent while going to this remote place, and how restless he'd been, and how he didn't accomplish anything, and then...the picture of Sephiroth flashed before his eyes, from that day when he stood straight in the line with two other rookies, his chin up, upon the legendary SOLDIER's arrival.

"I respected you and admired you." He suddenly said, turning to face his former nemesis. "Back when I was a rookie, I admired you. Hell, I even joined SOLDIER because I wanted to become like you."

"Don't make me laugh." Sephiroth said, now sitting on his bed. "You just wanted to impress that girl of yours. Dreams of poor boys like you...never change." He wondered why the blond was still there. "I advise you to go before I get really mad." But Cloud never once stepped back. He moved forward, instead, toward where Sephiroth was sitting.

There was some of his old shyness as he spoke, and a bit of hesitance, a bit of uncertainty, as he moved forward, and talked, desperately trying to not falter.

"Where is that Sephiroth I once knew?" he was stepping closer. "The elegance with which he walked, and grace, and boldness, and politeness, and ruthlessness with which you treated us all, rookies or enemies, where is that?" It was evident that he wasn't quite sure what he was saying; his sentences were spoken frantically, in great confusion of the one that was uttering them. "The shine, and fire while you fought, and ideals you believed in, good and bad, whatever…I see a bitter man now, just a star that lost its energy and died. How disgraceful that is!" He was now standing right before the bitter man, looking down in his direction. Sephiroth only smirked.

"Why do you care for my well-being, Cloud?" he asked darkly. "What do you know about me?"

"I don't care." Cloud replied. "But...but…" he was lost for words. "I just…" He was looking down at him, and Sephiroth was looking back. Subconsciously, the blond pushed out his lower lip as if he were pouting, his large blue eyes big and sad, and he extended his arm, running his fingers through Sephiroth's silver hair. "Can't believe it is you right before me." And then, he realized he never knew how Sephiroth felt like; all they'd ever done in the past was crossing their swords. He never knew how his hair felt like, and now it was all silky, and his head was warm, and now he was sure that there was blood in his system…Sephiroth was tangible, real, had always been, and not some image he fought against, an epitome of evil. No, Sephiroth was more than that. He was a body, he was a soul, one entity.

"I'd like to hear you out, if you want." Cloud continued, his other hand was messing with Sephiroth's hair, cupping his head in the process. He was running his long fingers through the man's hair tenderly, admiring its length. He wished it had more shine to it, like before. At that point, ha had to admit, not even wickedness could mar Sephiroth's beauty. "Tell me everything…I'll listen."

"Hn." Sephiroth said. It was probably his attempt of sarcasm. "How ironic." He leaned into Cloud's touches nevertheless. "Don't hope for my redemption. You won't have it."

"I'm not asking for that." Cloud said quietly, making Sephiroth look in his eyes. The blond blinked, a bit flustered because of his actions, but he continued with his ministrations.

"What do you want then?" Sephiroth asked, leaning into his touches some more, finally resting his cheek against Cloud's belly. His hands were on the small of his back.

"I'm not sure myself…I just felt that we should close the circle…or something." He sighed. He felt so sorrowful, so full of something he couldn't tell. He was never good with words anyway.

"Like what? Admiration, hatred, and finally, what exactly?" Sephiroth released him to look in his eyes. "You want to say: 'You're hurting, Sephiroth.' I can tell. But why would you care? Why would I care?"

"You're hurting." Cloud said. He knew that Sephiroth had been hurting all his life. And that was affecting him, somehow, for he finally realized how Sephiroth worked, and that maybe he just needed a kind word. He knew, as well, that what he felt right now, he had never dreamed of feeling. "I'm more mature now. I can tell." He said. "I'm not full of anger, my head is clear, and I see…at least that's what I think it is."

"You're hurting, too." Sephiroth replied with his usual deep, wise voice. Slowly, he lifted Cloud's woven sleeveless shirt for a bit, placing a small kiss on his belly. Instinctively, Cloud took the fabric from his former enemy's hands, and took it off, tossing it somewhere aside. Sephiroth smirked, still kissing his belly, and holding his hips so that he could lean, and was looking up at him all the time. "Tell me where it hurts, Cloud." He moved up, to kiss the part where his stomach was, still looking straight into his eyes. "Tell me, and I'll take it away."

But Cloud only closed his eyes, his fingers still in Sephiroth's hair, playing with it tenderly. He threw his head back, breathing steadily. There was nothing sexual in those kisses, as Sephiroth moved up just a little bit. They were soothing, like a silent rain in the early summer morning, when everyone was asleep, and Cloud was sitting by the window.

All that time, Sephiroth was looking up at him, nuzzling his skin, showing his tender side, his side of a lover. Maybe that was what the blond was looking for.

"Tell me how it is." Sephiroth whispered, waking his visitor from his ecstatic dream. Cloud slowly opened his eyes, looking down at him again, thinking of his hair, of his ears that peeped from it, and how fragile that made him look, yet so strong, so ruthless, so tender…"I'm like a drug to you. You can't live with me, but you can't live without me, too. You were used to me too much, poor child. That's called addiction."

"Call it whatever you want." Cloud returned, kneeling down and looking in those wise Mako eyes. "I don't care anymore." He began to caress that stoic face, which softened a bit, when Sephiroth closed his eyes. "I don't know why I came anymore." Cloud admitted, running his fingers over Sephiroth's closed eyes, ending up at the corners of his lips. "At first I thought I wanted to see you again, to see if your rage was still there. But you're ailing, so I wanted to soothe you…But that's so foolish of me." He was surprised by his honesty. "But it all hurts too much…And I don't care anymore what happens." He brushed his lips against Sephiroth's , holding his chin gently. Then he sealed their lips with the sweetest kiss he could manage, and the silver haired man was kissing back.

Soon after, Cloud withdrew, only to move up and kiss his right eye, then his left one, holding his lips pressed to them for long moments, then he released him, and Sephiroth squeezed him tightly in his arms, locking their lips in yet another kiss. He threw his arms around Sephiroth and pushed him on his back, moving down to kiss the pale neck, and moved up to kiss the tip of his chin. He felt the urge to grace him with kisses, to show him much needed tenderness, which he had never received in his entire life. "I'll show you how affection looks like….I guess." He said shyly, ecstatically, as he reached to unbuckle his belt, and with shaking hands, he rushed to rid Sephiroth of his own clothes.

Slowly, those tender caresses turned into heated touches, as Sephiroth was assisting him with undressing, he himself at loss for words, letting his mind go blank. He was kissing him fiercely, the man of his twenty-three who still looked boyish, who was still shy, yet so bold and strong and endlessly sad. His soul could never be cured completely. The scars of the past burned, Sephiroth knew it very well himself, and as long as he was alive, Cloud would be hurting. He didn't need to do anything, but he will represent Cloud's past, and he would be hurting again and again…And if he died, the blonde would be lost, as he himself was now.

He was running his strong hands up and down Cloud's strong back, kissing him wildly and biting his lips, jaw, and neck, holding him tightly in his embrace as if he would vanish. The latter returned shyly; he was more reserved, but he enjoyed it, and sighed a very heavy sigh. "How is it? Is it bad?" Sephiroth asked absentmindedly, biting at Cloud's earlobe, his hands holding tightly the back of his neck, his fingers partly diving in the blond locks.

With his eyes firmly shut, Cloud wished Sephiroth never stopped kissing and biting. "No…" he barely mouthed. "It's fine, but talk no more…" He gasped, as he moved them further onto the bed, detaching Sephiroth's lips from his neck. He took Sephiroth's boots off, and socks, and tossed them on the floor, and then his black pants were somewhere in the room instead on his partner. Sephiroth observed him without a word. Cloud then did the same with his own garments, slowly, patiently, and then he threw himself at the silver haired man again.

The series of sweet, heated kisses continued. "It may all go to hell at this point, for all I care, Sephiroth." He hissed through his gritted teeth, as he nuzzled his long, swan-like neck. "It has already gone." Sephiroth cupped his cheeks, looking deep into his eyes. What they were doing now, it was of no relevance. They didn't have to define it. They didn't have to justify it. Cloud nuzzled his nose while spreading his legs; he wondered if Sephiroth would allow him, since he loved to be in control, but the man below just obeyed and let Cloud slide between his long, strong legs, and helped him with preparations. All the while, he was looking at him with long, intense look, and when Cloud entered him, his eyes slowly closed.

The blond moved slowly, his lids half-open, and his eyes about to roll, his chin just a bit apart from Sephiroth's, and he observed him in that position, longing to feel more of that heat. The silver haired man had his eyes closed, as if he had fallen in the sweetest slumber, yet he was frowning a bit, and squeezed Cloud with his legs more, and the blond continued harder.

The room was filled with muffled grunts and gasps from both sides, as Cloud moved harder, holding Sephiroth close to him. It was alright. They didn't need to define this…No need for justifying it…The former villain's back arched, and then he fell on the bed again, and repeated that, helping Cloud get further inside, and his beautiful, long, silver hair, was damp with sweat, but nevertheless beautiful.

Just a few more thrusts and Cloud would be done, he estimated in his clouded mind. It didn't matter who he had been and who he was, and who they were to each other; dead mothers and friends had been cast aside for this brief moment of pleasure and relief, and mutual comforting. In the name of all the wounds they had inflicted upon each other, this was their moment.

Cloud's back arched, and he released a muffled moan of pleasure, his muscles convulsing…Somehow, it seemed to him that being with Sephiroth like this was easier than breathing.

But Sephiroth wasn't finished with him. He let him ride on the waves of his orgasm, taking delight from the view, and then he overthrew him. The delivery boy obeyed, spreading his legs without much thought, just holding this large, slim, sweaty body close, seeking those thin lips in the darkness. But the lips found his, and his partner gave him a deep kiss, their tongues dancing together, enjoying one another's smoothness and wetness.

The silver haired man moved quickly, mercilessly, and to the deepest, yet he was doing all of this with his usual grace; there was nothing animalistic it the things they were doing. Cloud was completely out of any reason, gasping and playing with Sephiroth's hair, which was amusing to him, and such a contrast to his calloused hands. In his embrace, Sephiroth seemed like a sweet kitten that longed for affection.

"Hn…" He moaned, digging his nails in the creamy skin of Sephiroth's broad shoulders, moving down to his back and holding him tightly. The man on top hissed and moved forward, stronger than before, nailing him, finding his angle. The thrusts had been painful to both men, but the pain had subsided a great deal, and the only evidence of it would be their bruised backs the following morning.

Sephiroth's eyes were tightly shut, his teeth clenched, as he buried his face in Cloud's neck, dangerously close to his release. The blond youth encouraged him, wrapping his legs around his waist, pushing him deeper inside, and the silver haired youth continued, violently, yet carefully, until he reached his limit, arching his back a bit, but mostly staying the way he was.

Panting, they untangled their limbs, still feeling each other's heat, and when Sephiroth caught his breath, he sat up, turning his back to Cloud. The blond took the strand of the sweaty hair in his hand, examining it and playing with it under the light of the dawn.

"What a nice reunion." Sephiroth remarked.

"I should get going." Cloud said, absentmindedly. He felt awkward, and somewhat uneasy. Still weary from their lovemaking, he didn't think of anything else but to go. Yet, somehow, he started dozing off, his fingers releasing Sephiroth's hair, and his arm fell lifelessly beside him. The other man turned around, to see the face of the sleeping blond, and smiled. Cloud looked so innocent, so out of this wicked world. For just tiny bit, he'd managed to escape his turmoil. And so had Cloud. The former SOLDIER hero remained to admire this beautiful face for a bit more, and then stood up, limping to the bathroom.

When Cloud woke up, he saw the sleeping Sephiroth next to him. Knowing him, he knew that he must be a light sleeper. He most certainly didn't trust Cloud. The face of one winged angel indeed looked angelic, yet so serious. He removed a strand of hair from his face. Sephiroth frowned in his sleep.

"I should really get going." Cloud whispered. "And if you ever go out of your character, like me just now, I'd like you to come visit me one day…" He zipped his pants, and moved to find his shirt. When he found it, he looked at his partner, and then headed to the door. This time, he exited. You could see on his face that he somehow felt relieved.

AN: There you go! I hope it was at least a little bit in character. I won't deny that it was a bit OOC, but it's up to you to tell me. Please make sure to review! :)