The night air was surprisingly chill. It wasn't often out here in the middle of the desert wasteland it got cold but the anomaly occured when it felt like it. Reeve tucked his suit jacket tighter around himself drawing hard on a cigarette with shaking hands. He couldn't believe what had occured already this morning. Zack's knee was still extremely sore, Reno was fast asleep, and both Sephiroth and Vincent had been put on solitary confinement. It wasn't fair to the one-winged angel in the least, he saved Zachary's life. The entire fiasco bothered him. It wasn't like Vincent to fly off the handle. He always took the suppressants as ordered, Aerith had mentioned a change in dosage but he didn't remember ever authorizing it.

Sabotage? Would someone truly go to that length?

He supposed someone would. There was no secret Lazard dispised Sephiroth and would do whatever he could to ensure the angel was shocked. The patients honored Sephiroth's word over his, they hid behind the SOLDIER for security. Lazard's injustice was not going unnoticed. Which meant Sephiroth hadn't been taking the medication, as he suspected. He was too brilliant to fall for such a stupid plan and he was damn smart enough to manipulate the entire staff into his hands as he had done since he arrived here. He truly ruled the Compound.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Rufus Shinra's voice warmed the chill silence.

"Yes..." Reeve leaned into his lover. He buried his nose in the man's neck inhaling deep the husky scent. He missed the President so much but he was confined here, as much of a prisoner as the patients were. He clung for dear life drowning in the warm aroma of his beloved. He wanted to feel his arms again, taste his lips and rock as one. He didn't want to be alone anymore. They only met when the situations allowed, only under the foulest of circumstances. Reeve wasn't sure how much more of this torture he could take.

Rufus dd not pressure into business. He took the moments to simply enjoy Reeve near. The scruff trailing strong jaw, warm lips touching his cool throat, the strong fingers and thick dark hair brushing up against him. All the stress and tension sucked away into Reeve's fingertips. Hew drew the man's face up and they kissed, warm and deep. He pulled Revee into his arms, cradling the older man lovingly. Reeve melted to Rufus releasing all the fears and pain away for a brief moment. letting the whole world fade into nonexistance cherishing this tenderness.

"Reeve... What calls me here tonight?" Warmth stoned as soon as it had come. Gone into the bitter reality. He didn't want reality. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Sephiroth.."

"Mnn yes... I heard about this morning." Rufus leaned against the wall.

"It wasn't his fault." Reeve pressed up against Rufus, refusing to relinquish the only warmth left in his life. This fleeting affection he needed to survive another day. "Vincent lost control of Chaos and attacked Zachary and Reno. Sephiroth protected them. Lazard has--"

"That's enough, Reeve." Rufus touched his lips. "Release Sephiroth. I'm going to take care of Lazard once and for all."

A great sigh of relief left the dark-haired man. "Thank you, sir... He's been getting increasingly out of control."

"I take it he was the one who murdered Yazoo?"

"Yes. He was found with his brother and he blamed it on another patient..."

"As I suspected." Rufus scowled. "I didn't have the evidence to fire the bastard but this grudge of his has gone on long enough. Come with me and we will free Sephiroth, then Lazard will be dealt with accordingly."

Kadaj sat by the beside of his redheaded love, watching Doctor Cidney Highwind sling of Zack's leg. The gruff Rocket Town man was one hell of a doctor aside of his occasionally vulgar language. The man was amazing at what he did. There hadn't been a patient yet he hadn't been able to get up and running like a well-oiled machine. He had a history with engineering and mechanics. To him every one of them was just like another toy to be tinkered with and put back together even better than before.

Cid didn't mind the company of the Remnant boy. In fact he rather enjoyed being around the patients. He didn't believe any of them to be crazy. Anyone would go berserk from the shit Shinra put SOLDIERs and Turks through. It amazed the pilot to think that someone could be considered clinically insane for losing their mind doing what they did. Murder, genocide, kidnapping, the list went on and on. If even the legendary Sephiroth couldn't handle the job then there must have been something seriously wrong with the people that made up those regimes.

"Is... Reno going to be okay?" The redhead had been moved up into Zack's room since Cid was the only doctor on staff at this hour. it was easier to have them both in the same location.

"Yeah, he's a tough ol' asshole." Cid watched the kid fawn over the ex-Turk. Ain't no truly psycho bastard that could ever love like that kid loved that Turk. He could only hope the redhead reciprocated the affection.

"Good..." Kadaj smiled.

"Ya ain't fuckin' crazy."

Mako eyes watched the blonde, bewildered. To hear anyone, especially someone in the Compound, say he wasn't crazy? Did he truly mean that? He knew he wasn't crazy though everyone else seemed to think so.

"If anythin's making you guys crazy it's this fuckin' medicine they pump into ya. It's designed to make ya into obedient, perfect lil' zombies they can play with at their fucking' leisure an' never have to worry about getting bit in the ass when they try to toy with something' a little too big fer their own damned britches." Cid frowned at the shocked Remnant. "In all the time I've spent here ain't one damn guy I've seen that I could ever say was truly fuckin' grade-A total batshit psycho. For what you guys do I'd say you gotta be the most sane fuckin' people alive."

Kadaj watched the floor, embarassed by the tears welling in his eyes. It meant more than the doctor could ever imagine hearing those words spoken. The same words that they'd told each other, the same words turned over in their heads over and over again finally spoken aloud by one of the men hired to agree they were broken. He wanted to believe he wasn't broken. He knew he came in here in one piece and he didn't know if there was ever a way he could be put back together. A piece of him would forever be missing.

"Thank you... Thank you." A stray tear slid down his face.

Cid wiped it away, flashing a grin. "Don't be... it's alright."

"Am I interrupting something?" Cid looked up to find Reeve in the doorway, his face drawn tight. He shook his head and the man stole to Zack's bedside. The spiky haired SOLDIER looked up into the man's dark eyes, stomach sinking. He sat upright, shaking his head.

"Sephiroth's okay... right?"

Reeve took a deep breath, staring into his eyes. "Zachary. I'm going to be truthful with you. Sephiroth was released but you cannot allow whatever has flowered between you to continue. He's becoming extremely protective of you and any further reactions like that will result in him being given electroshock thearpy. I'm doing all I can to deter the sentence but the executives are getting increasingly adamant that they feel Sephiroth will never get better."

"E-Electroshock thearpy...?" He almost feared asking.

"Powerful electric currents are sent into the brain and the subject is fried into absolute submission. If Sephiroth went into the Shock Shop he would emerge a helpless Vegetable. As I said I'm doing what I can but one more outburst like that and I cannot guarentee his protection."

"NO!" Zack seized Reeve's shoudlers shaking the man. "NO! I WON'T LET YOU HURT SEPHIROTH! THAT'S DISGUSTING, IT'S INHUMANE HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THAT?!"

Reeve pried the man's hands off, pushing him back into bed. "I have no control over whether or not they decide to put him through EST, I'm just warning you where we stand now."

Zack watched him, helpless. "You.. want me to leave him?! He needs me!"

"I don't want you to abandon his side completely, no. You need to start being more of an attendant to him than a lover."

It killed Zack to hear those words as much as it killed Reeve to speak them. Kadaj trembled in Reno's arms, disgusted by the death sentence planned for his brother. To take away Sephiroth's independance, his freedom, was to deflower in a man in the most vile of ways possible. Even death was a kinder fate than that. Zack held his head in his hands unable to stop the tears. He was only hurting Sephiroth. The man he strived so hard to protect and rescue from the hell of the Compound was only being endangered by his affection.

"He's back in his room now, if you need to speak with him." Reeve headed for the exit. "I'm sorry, Zachary. I'll do what I can."

Sephiroth. He needed Sephiroth.

Pushing away the covers he slid to the floor, ignoring the pain whn his leg buckled. Cid ran to his side but he shoevd the pilot off ripe with power left unspent from hsi SOLDIER days. He would not be stopped. He wanted Sephiroth. Nothing would stop his Reunion with his beloved.

He made his way blindly through the halls, passing the room where Loz curled in his bed drowning in his own loneliness. That didn't matter. Nothing mattered but Sephiroth. Doors flew open ringing loud through the vacant halls. There was no stopping himf rom reaching the beautiful silver-haired angel watching him across that room.

The door to Seph's room closed behind him and any ounce of power in his body melted away. He was powerless to stop the fate of his lover. He turned his head into the scythe of the reaper giving him a brilliant smile. Those genuine, warm smiles only he ever got to see. He would never let anything turn those smiles into dust. Those smiles were his. They belonged to him as the angel did.

Sephiroth embraced the man and they spoke none but fell back to the bed and kissed, showering each other in the sweetest of touches and sounds. He was dancing along the thread of death now, the electric pulses passing from his lover into his heart and soul, shocking him into total submission. He needed Zack's love. He would do whatever it meant to protect this beauty entangled around his limbs, wrapped hard around him as they made love for what may have been their last time.

And when the dark angel fell to rest Zachary knew he would gladly give anything for him. His life, his sanity, it all belonged to Sephiroth. He would take Sephiroth into his arms and shield him from the hate and pain int he world, from all the things that sought to turn him lifeless. Only he could protect him now. it was all up to him to guard Sephiroth from the reaper hovering over his shoulder.

He could hear the soft tap of shoes coming down the hall.

Not even death would tear them apart.