Disclaimer: Please Refer to Chapter 1
AN: Sad!Cloud which kinda means a little bit of angst to this, still fluffy at the moment, and also, go check this out on Deviantart dot com under the Author Name:Rizafan203(Kitsunefan203 on here); that's the Author Name for the other this is Collaborated with.
Embarrassment. We all suffer from it; it's triggered by some of the smallest things that leave us blushing out of embarrassment or running into the night, tears flowing down our face as we race away from those that try and help us over that embarrassment. Embarrassments graces it way to the surface when we least suspect it; leaving us to be the object of scrutiny by those who see it crossed on our face. Feelings of being stuck in the middle of a stage as a stage light floods in on us while a thousand eyes amongst the audience hall watches and stares at us. Stare, laugh, and point, that's all they do and that's the mere illusion that comes into our minds when embarrassment grips our very minds. Cloud could feel it overwhelming as he ran in a fit of embarrassment, eyes gazing downwards at the metal cat walks, running into anyone that was in the way as he tried to avoid everyone's leering gaze, only hearing their murmured swears as he continued to run. Tears were fighting to break through the floodgates of his hardened gaze, thoughts and questions started to run through his mind, many of them having to do with the General. A man that ever since he had ever heard of such thing as a man that possessed a God-like presence in the photos he would seek out when word reached the small backwater little country town of Niblehiem; he had dreamed at that time of meeting the man. Once he had achieved that overall acceptance of being in a place where there was the possible chances of running into his childhood hero; he hadn't measured up to the thought process or fact that the chances of meeting the one on one like he had. Questions were flooding every process as images of the man's face started to spark up in his thoughts and mind. Why? Why had the man done all that? Why hadn't he fought the General off? What had he done to allure the man's interest in him out into the open to the point that Cloud had become an almost willing participant?
Why?
Why
was the start of every question that was run wild like a pack of
wild dogs towards a new kill as the wild dogs finally caught up
with Cloud as the young man fell face forward onto the grate of
the cat walk. No one was around, thankfully, to the see the fall
or the fall of tears slowly streaming down his face as a harsh
sob strangled in his throat. It was matched with the utter desire
to dry heave against the grate; thankfully, the General's
actions had not caused too much of stir where the General had
been placed against his body. He could not bring himself to see
if there were any marks on him the General being close to his
body as he had; the only marks were the brands of embarrassment
etched on his subconscious. With each passing racking sob that
came from his form, a new image of what had occurred replayed
again like a vicious and sadistic play. The General straddling
him, knee to the nether regions, soft lips and puffs of
tantalizing, lustful air brushing against his neck, gloved
fingers tracing his face, the need, desire, and the utter want to
give into the mans whims. Urges of moans, gasps and groans
fighting to struggle forth from his mental prison that he could
not do such a thing; it could've been a trap to lure the young
man out to prove he had a love interest in a man. It could've
cost him all his chances to be in SOLDIER.
Then there was the
final image of a lusting gazed face of Genesis as if he knew this
was the norm for the General till he had burst through into cat
walk and started the run that he had fallen out of.
"…This is too confusing…too much…I can't handle this…I just want to go home now…"a harsh sob came from his lips as he subdued himself to curl into as small a ball he could; hopefully no one would spot him, I just want this untrue nightmare to end…
~XXX~
Reno's gaze turned up to the clock on the wall, what was the point of sticking around a stuffy office when all Tseng was going to do was have them in conference over the latest situation regarding Wutai. But something drew his attention on the man; Wutai was Tseng's home turf and hearing about was going in Wutai seemed to be running the man ragged. Especially since any personnel that had been sent to investigate the rumored "secret weapon" of Wutai were never heard from again; he had held true to honor for Wutai and knew what they were capable of, or at least their hatred for ShinRa. But it had been his responsibility to keep those that were sent out safe, and he had failed at it; it also didn't help that lately, he had been getting called to the President's Office now again. On more frequent bases, now and again; it had seemed that the President's son, as young as he seemed, had taken a liking to Tseng. It was only a seemingly platonic relationship between friends, but it also showed in Tseng's body language that there was something else there that was running the man ragged.
As it may not have been Reno's business to know what was driving his Superior into the ground; he felt it was his duty to do so, even if they weren't friendly with one another, "Hey, Boss, you got a minute?"
Tseng waved off the secretary that had been at his desk side, talking to him about the latest reports that had managed to make it out of Wutai and back to Midgar, "I'll go over these later; what is it Reno?"
"Don't mean to intrude in your kind of personal crisis with all that's going on, but I couldn't help but see that you seemed kind of dream eyed the last time I saw you leaving the President's kids side the other day…you okay there, Boss?"
A heavy sigh, that could've been read as annoyance or stressing wear on the mind came from the man as Tseng moved out from behind the desk; Reno could sense this was going to end up with someone paying the price as he backed up, "Just asked a question, Boss, don't need the doom and gloom gaze, just back up a little, Boss."
"Have you ever had dreams you couldn't explain, Reno?" Tseng began as he leaned against his desk, arms crossed across his chest with his head tilted slightly as if to hear the man's answer.
"I guess, don't most people do?" Reno nervously chuckled as his fingers scratched at the back of his head near the long draping ponytail down to the middle of his back, "Why? You having problems sleeping at night? Because I know of an old remedy my Ma taught me when I was a young pup---"
Tseng held up a hand; his face told it all, closed eyes that were not too tight and yet, not too loose, enough to show annoyance that the person speaking was talking too much as well as enough to be ready to spring to action at a moments notice, "I'm sleeping alright, it's just…I keep having this reoccurring dream that I can't explain and I don't dare speak about it to someone in the Labs; they would blab to the President and then I'd be looking at possible discharge from here…"
Now it was Reno's turn to share the look, but it was an alteration of Tseng's; Reno's look was a look of, 'Say What?' as if his simple slum mind was trying to comprehend half of what had just been said. There were reasons why a Turk could be discharged from the Turks; honorable ones would be they had done all they could within their service and had fulfilled their purpose and could be rewarded with either a desk job or early retirement. They have found themselves with child and it would seem easier for them to be discharged to assure that no undo pressure to them while working within the Organization still or at best, field missions, would be suspended to them. Then there were the discharges that were not ones that were will spoke of; dishonorable discharge. Those discharges were left to those who had shown to be disrespectful of the code of honor and conduct that came with the title of Turk. Reno had come close now and again to facing such termination since he was, nicknamed by the President and become a well known nickname to the President's son, the "Wild Turk". He earned that reputation by his wild stunts and those wild stunts had time and time again, nearly cost him his life and his long standing with the Turks. From the look on Tseng's face; it seemed that the situation the man was in regarding his dream or dreams was liable to be his undoing.
"Care to talk about it, Boss?" Reno seemed to interject with a faint shrug of the shoulders, "It might help you to talk about it to someone you trust."
Tseng seemed to loosen up but the look of hesitation and annoyance that he was even discussing it with Reno, "You better be on the up and up with this, Reno, or else…"
"Don't sweat it," the loud mouth Turk remarked as his hands flew up wildly, "I'll even tell you about one of my own if it'll help you feel any better, Boss."
"Alright…" Tseng sat on the edge of his desk as he proceeded to go into detail about his dream.
~XXX~
It wasn't a reoccurring dream as he had stated to Reno; he had to reel the man in some way to speak to him about, Reno was about one of the only few he trusted to convene this kind of thing to, anyone else would've ratted him out for his position. There were nights that it didn't come, and those were the nights that he was overstressed from the overwhelming word he had been hearing coming in from Wutai as well as other Personnel's reports. When there wasn't the overwhelming stress of the day to wear on his growing tired mind; the dream would come. He would find himself sitting outside his family's home in Wutai, his hair grown out past his shoulders; simply enjoying the peace that the simple Koi pond brought him. Sounds of the forest like jungle just moments steps away from his back steps; it seemed truly peaceful compared to the harsh and cold world of Midgar. The peace felt like it could go on forever, but his gaze would always be drawn to the sounds of the distant bushes rustling mixed with the sounds of an animal seeming to call out in distress. Each night, he was growing progressively more intrigued and courageous to approach the sounds; by the third or fourth night that the dream had come, he had found the means to approach to find a golden bird standing amongst them. Its foot was trapped in a trap of sorts, and like any kind of person that could not see the animal suffer; he would remove the animal's appendage from the trap.
"The other night, when I had the dream, it may the stress getting to me in my dreams, but I could've sworn I heard the bird speak and just as it began to shed its feathers like a snake does when they tire of it…" it seemed to farfetched to seem real.
Reno watched on with anticipating gaze and wonder, "And?"
~XXX~
As if out of a child's fairy tale book, the bird's feather would began to fall away like a gentle snow storm of yellow feathers and as they did; a small boyish figure seemed to be coming out of the flurry of feathers. Blowing at the feathers, batting them out of his way, while giggling as a few fell against his youthful body, laughing as they continued to tickle till the feathers disappeared to reveal the youth standing with a pair of pants about his slim waist. Upon further and closer inspection, the youth would be without shoes or clothing top, but the most splendorous thing about the youth was the wild but yet unique styling upon his head that was his hair. It resembled the crest of the illusive bird known as a Chocobo that he had only heard of from the Elders and as he continued to study the boy; he found himself lost that the boy had even spoken.
"What does the kid say?" the way Tseng had described the youthful boy in his dream; it started to make a startling contrast to Cloud, "Or do you wake up before then?"
Tseng shook his head as he ran his hands over his face before pushing the heel of his palms into his weary eyes, "He says something I slowly pick up, but I don't know what he means…"
"What is it?"
"He says to me, 'I've been waiting for someone much like, you an outcast from the throes of everything like me; we can understand one another…that's why…I love you…"
Everything in the room seemed to go cold for a moment, "Then as the words trail off, I wake up in a cold sweat and have to face yet another day of the same day in and out routine."
Reno nervously chuckled to himself; it sounded almost down to the wild flurry of hair on the boy's head like Cloud, "I think you've been working too hard, Boss, but, do you think this may have to do with a particular little Cadet whose always seen running around with 2nd Cla---
"1st Class now, I know of the man you're thinking about…and I know of the Cadet you are trying to speak of…but I'm not sure if I can truly pin him as the reason for my dreams," Reno seemed to relax at the man's words, "But…"
"But what, sir?"
Tseng seemed to look away to the side of his desk, "…Nothing, do you have the reports from the General regarding the students from the Materia class he took out for the day to see them show off their skills to assure us they are up to par?"
"Right here," Reno passed the reports over to Tseng who seemed to thumb through them, "See you around then, Boss if you don't need me further."
~XXX~
A faint grunt and nod came from Tseng as Reno took his leave out of the room; something seemed truly off about his Superior, it was if he was hiding that in some way, his own friend, Cadet Cloud Strife, was giving his Superior strife. More or less, grief over just one minimal run in with the Turk to the point of hearing in detail from Zack, with a flurry of hands as to act it out for the Turk, as to how it had all gone down. Reno had been watching his Superior's actions lately and he could tell when someone seemed on a brink of ready to snap at the next person who spoke to them. Tseng was tied down with fear of the unknown and what shouldn't be.
He shouldn't be in love with a Cadet.
A male Cadet at that.
"…If Mama was still alive as well as Papa…what would they say if they knew that their dreams of their only son finding a good girl to settle down with and bearing them an heir were dashed because of one little Cadet?" in a simple show of unnerved and wavering, even, unknown feeling towards the situation; Tseng tossed the file folder that had Cloud's snapshot attached to the file tossed onto his desk, "They would be devastated and I would be…"
Cloud's snapshot remained open across Tseng's desk as a stream of moonlight seemed to dance into the room upon the photo, "…No use thinking on it right now. I just need to sleep now."
The Tiger and Chocobo Chp. 4 by ~Rizafan203
Disclaimer:
Please Refer to Chapter 1
AN: Sad!Cloud which kinda
means a little bit of angst to this, still fluffy at the moment, and
also, go check this out on under the Author Name:
xxLivingPuppetxx234; that's the Author Name for the other this is
Collaborated with.
Embarrassment. We all suffer from
it; it's triggered by some of the smallest things that leave us
blushing out of embarrassment or running into the night, tears
flowing down our face as we race away from those that try and help us
over that embarrassment. Embarrassments graces it way to the surface
when we least suspect it; leaving us
Drag and Drop to Collect
