Cloud sighed into his drink

Title: Sweetest Downfall

Author: Neldluva ()

Rating: NC17 overall

Length: more than 25,000 words and counting … this chapter 571

Pairings: Cloud/Elena, implied past Cloud/Tifa, one-sided Elena/Tseng, past Zack/Cloud, implied Tseng/Rufus (yes, confusing, I know … most of these pairings don't show up until later, and most are only in passing)

Warnings: explicit heterosexual acts including oral, bondage, whatever other kinky things come into my head; hints of homosexual activity

Summary: Is it really such a bad thing to get involved with someone who was once your enemy? And what if you just can't let go of your past?

Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I meant to post this ages ago, but school got in the way. Now I'm procrastinating, so it's all good!


"Sir?"

"Yes, Tseng?" Rufus ShinRa spun around in his chair, facing his senior Turk. "What warrants this unexpected visit?"

"It's Elena, sir," Tseng said, no emotion showing on his face. "There has been a rumor, probably generated by Reno, that Elena has a boyfriend. I discounted it at first because of Reno's propensity for … enlarging the truth, but I have noticed certain changes in her character over the past few weeks."

"And?"

"Permission to perform surveillance, sir."

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "You want to perform surveillance on your own partner, Tseng? How devious. Why not just ask her?"

"I feel that her … feelings for me would prevent her from an honest answer, sir. It would be a low-level surveillance job, mostly to indulge my own curiosity and make sure that she isn't in some sort of trouble."

Rufus stroked his chin for a moment, thinking. At last, he nodded. "Permission granted. I will be just as curious as you are to find out about this mystery man. Be sure to report your findings to me."

Tseng nodded and bowed briefly. "Sir."


A few nights later, Tseng made himself comfortable on the rooftop of a building near Elena's apartment. Dressed in black and with his hair tied back for once, he was invisible in the darkness. With his camera pressed to his eye, he kept a sharp lookout on Elena's apartment. It wasn't until a little after eight that the lights flickered on and he saw movement.

He zoomed the camera in more, trying to get a good look at whoever Elena was with. He got a good shot of her laughing face and the man's dark clothing before they moved away from his view.

They appeared in another window, but once more the man's back was to Tseng. He saw bright blond hair, as pale as Elena's, as she ran her fingers through it. It stuck out in spikes that were familiar … but no, that was impossible. Tseng shifted, finding a more comfortable position and redirecting his camera.

They had turned again, and he would be able to get a decent shot at the man's face if Elena's head wasn't blocking the way. He sighed to himself and took a few more pictures. At last, Elena seemed to be moving … but it was just to take the man's shirt off, which again obscured his face.

Now things were getting uncomfortable. He didn't want to watch Elena having sex … it reminded him a little too much what had happened at the North Cave. Seeing her naked in the locker room occasionally was one thing, but this was something totally different. He pressed down bad memories and looked through his camera again. Once more Elena's head blocked his view, but soon enough she started sliding down.

Tseng gaped, pulling away from the camera for a moment before looking again. He had been right. That familiar head of spiky hair belonged to Cloud Strife. Cloud Strife was the man Elena was seeing. He was shocked and almost dropped the camera. Of all the people he had imagined Elena with, Strife had been at the bottom of the list. He was too startled to form any sort of coherent opinion on the matter, so he snapped a few more pictures for the sake of it and left as quickly as he could. How would Rufus react to this development?