Twelve Days 'til Christmas
By S.J. Kohl

A/N: Seven months since my last update. SEVEN! I'm surprised you guys aren't mobbing me, out for blood. Yikes. Well, it's here now, and only two chapters left to go! Things are gettinger serious, but I'm promising a happy ending. And a Gift!fic for anyone who figures out what the hell's going on. Hope you enjoy!

Day Ten: Shade

Cloud shifted uncomfortably and ran his fingers over the butt of the rifle stretched across his lap. Rufus had offered to let him keep it yesterday so he could practice on his own, out on the troopers' firing range. Rufus had also offered to let him come back for another lesson today.

And Cloud had taken him up on the offer, without even stopping to think about it.

Cloud frowned and leaned back against his pillow. He wasn't quite sure what to think about that. Rufus Shinra. He should be wary around Rufus Shinra--Zack wasn't the only one who'd told him that. But it didn't seem to matter. Yesterday...he'd had a great afternoon, and he just felt comfortable around Rufus. There wasn't really another word to describe it. First of all, he was Cloud's age, not even a whole year older, and he didn't treat Cloud the way everyone else did. Cloud wanted to go back and spend more time with him.

But...what did that mean, exactly?

He was in love with Sephiroth. Wasn't he? And if he was, then what was it he felt when he was around Rufus? Mr. Shinra. Nah...Rufus. It just sounded stupid calling someone Mr. when he wasn't any older than you were. But what was it? He didn't have feelings for Rufus. Did he?

No. Sephiroth. He had feelings for Sephiroth.

But what about Sephiroth, anyway? Did he and Zack stand any kind of chance at all? Zack did, maybe. He was a Soldier, and Cloud...well. He was no Soldier. He didn't have anything to offer, and...well, Reno was gorgeous. And he was a Turk, a good Turk apparently, since he'd been made personal bodyguard to the President's son. He was smart, too, and funny. He could make even Commander Hewley laugh, and couldn't be easy. Cloud couldn't see any reason the General wouldn't want Reno, and how could he stand against something like that?

Of course, just because Rufus said something didn't necessarily make it true. He could have been lying. He had a reputation for being secretive and manipulative. But Cloud was pretty sure Rufus had been telling the truth about the whole "Sephiroth and Reno were lovers" thing. There'd been something...dark...behind his eyes when he'd been talking to them. Something sad. And that pissed Cloud off more than anything else. Something had made Rufus feel bad, and he didn't like it all. It made him want to put one of the bullets in the little carton beside him through someone's skull.

Something else he didn't understand.

Maybe he'd been wrong, though. Maybe it wasn't Sephiroth he was in love with. But no. There really was no mistaking that shiver-hot, breathless feeling he got when the General was around, and the things he thought... And...with Rufus... Well.

Maybe it was possible to love more than one person?

But he'd only just met Rufus Shinra. He didn't even know him. He couldn't possibly--

Cloud looked up as a shadow fell over his bed. He blinked. "Zack?"

"Hey, Spike," Zack grinned. "Been looking for you for a while. Thought you'd be in class right now."

Cloud shook his head and bit his lip. "I don't have a midmorning class. I'm sorry, I...I thought you knew."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Zack ruffled a hand through Cloud's hair. "My mistake. I just wanted to let you know Ell says he can get it done in time, 'specially for the kind of gil you're willing to shell out, so we've got no problem there. Oh and hey, if I can get you cleared to leave the grounds...you think you want to go with me to pick up the General's gift for today?"

"I uh..." Cloud bit his lip again and looked away. "I can't. Rufus...he said...he said he'd give me another lesson. If I wanted."

"Huh." Zack plopped down on the edge of Cloud's bed and gave Cloud a long, searching look. "You okay, Spike?"

Cloud nodded.

"Sure?"

"Zack, I'm fine."

"You're really set on this rifle business, aren't you? Thought you'd be in the practice room as usual, working on those sword skills."

Cloud shrugged. "It's always good to learn new things. And I hit the target yesterday. More than once, Zack."

"Hey, that's great, Cloudy!" Zack grinned and ruffled Cloud's hair again. "You've never even clipped it before. Guess Rufus is a better teacher than I'd give him credit for. Huh. He's not giving you a hard time, is he?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. He's not so bad, Zack. Not like you think. I think he's mostly...well, lonely."

"Lonely?" Zack laughed. "You've got to be kidding me. The President's son, lonely?"

"Yes, Zack! Think about it for a second. No one treats him like a normal person, and he's not any older than I am. He can't even act like a normal person because he's the President's son, like you said, and that's what everyone treats him like, all the time. He's set apart. He doesn't have any friends, and he's still a kid so he doesn't even have any kind of power really. If I was him, I'd probably act just like he does. At least then you'd make sure no one knew you felt terrible and left out and alone."

"Huh." It was Zack who bit his lip this time. "I never thought about it like that."

"Yeah, well...that doesn't surprise me. So...just go by yourself, okay? But call me when you get back."

"Sure thing." Zack hesitated for a second. "Hey, uh...call me if you need anything. Okay?"

Cloud smiled softly. "Sure thing."

Rufus watched from around the edge of his little alcove. There wasn't much else he could do. They were standing between him and the stairs. Sephiroth and Reno. The General was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, and Reno was smirking and laughing, stepping closer and closer as he chattered aimlessly about...whatever it was he was chattering about. Rufus had stopped listening ten minutes before.

Reno was smooth. He was moving just slowly and carefully enough that the General's reflexes didn't kick in and knock him halfway down the hall. But he was getting closer. There was no doubt about that. His face and the General's were only inches apart now and Rufus almost moved, almost shoved right through the middle of them because the last thing he wanted to see at the moment was a full scale makeout session. But then he saw movement from the corner of his eye. He glanced to the right.

Zack Fair, dressed in jeans with a dark jacket thrown over his shoulder, obviously heading toward the door to the parking tower. Rufus sucked in a breath and stuffed his own hands in his pockets. This was getting interesting. And...

There it was.

Reno leaned in and kissed Sephiroth, who smiled and pulled him closer, his fingers sliding through soft strands of red.

And Zack...paled. He just paled and almost stumbled out into the hall, murmuring an apology as he twisted past Reno--very carefully not touching him--and headed down the stairs, not even pausing to glance behind him on the way down.

And Sephiroth...pushed Reno away to stare after Zack, a calculating look on his face.

Now that look...that wasn't something Rufus had expected to see. He wondered what it meant. But things were breaking up now. Sephiroth was running a hand through Reno's hair and whispering something Rufus couldn't hear before heading down the stairs after Zack, and Reno...

Reno was heading straight for him.

Rufus sucked in a deep breath and considered heading back the way he'd come. But no. He could tell by the look on Reno's face that the Turk knew he was there. So he just stayed where he was, where he'd thought he couldn't be seen by anyone in that particular hall, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets in conscious mimicry of Sephiroth's stance. Before Reno'd swooped in and kissed the General, of course.

Reno ducked into the little alcove off the hallway where Rufus was standing and shoved his hands into his pockets--seemed everyone was standing like that today. He grinned. "Need somethin', boss?"

Rufus shrugged. "Just to get up the stairs and into my room without have to step over anyone on the way."

Reno laughed. "Yeah, okay. Not really doin' my job right, am I?"

"I already told you, Reno. I don't need anything. I certainly don't need a bodyguard to get back to my room."

"Sure thing, boss. Hey, I got that file for you. Made copies of everything inside and left the originals where they were, so nothing's missing 'case someone comes lookin' for it. Dropped the whole thing on your bed a couple minutes ago. Sorry it took so long, but those records are locked up pretty damn tight, ya know? Found a couple entries on Strife in the database too and printed those out for ya. Thought you might want to look at 'em."

"Did you read them?"

"Nah. Didn't bother. Figured I'd leave the boring parts to you. Anyway, I guess I'm gonna go if ya don't need me right now, boss. I'm sure Tseng can find something for me ta do."

Rufus nodded and pushed past Reno out into the hall. He didn't head for the stairs though. He ducked into the hallway on the right instead, his trigger finger itching in his pocket.

Zack's head was spinning. All he could see was red. And the shining blackness of the General's gloves, woven through the middle of it. He couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but stumble down the stairs until he hit the bottom, and then he collapsed against the wall, his face completely numb. But there were footsteps, footsteps on the stairs behind him.

Zack gasped, forcing a breath of air into his lungs and shaking his head, reaching out to punch in the access code to the hall that would take him out to the parking tower. But his fingers were trembling and he couldn't hit the buttons right and that damned light was flashing red, red, telling him "no access" "no access" and the footsteps were getting closer, and...

"Zack?"

Zack froze and closed his eyes. "Yes, Sir?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, Sir," Zack shook his head, but he didn't turn around to face the General. "I'm just in a hurry."

"And where are you going?"

Zack laughed and shook his head again, flashing a single glance back over his shoulder. "To get your gift, of course. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

"Zack--"

"Don't even ask! I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to find a way to distract yourself until tonight," Zack hesitated for a fraction of a second. "I'm sure you won't have any trouble with that."

"But Zack..."

Zack just punched in the code, his fingers completely steady this time, and pulled the door open. ""Sorry, Seph. I've really got to go." He shot an apologetic look at the General. "But if you really want someone to pester, Cloud's up at the Turk shooting range. But he won't tell you any more than I did."

He stepped through the door and sucked in a shaky breath as it clicked shut behind him. It wasn't over. It wasn't over, damn it.

Rufus was already standing in front of a target when Cloud walked into the room, rifle clutched tightly in his hands. And Cloud's heart did a little jump at the tension in Rufus's shoulders. There was that anger again, flaring up inside him. There was something about the set of Rufus's back that told him he had that dark look on his face again. Cloud didn't like that look at all. He took a deep breath and just watched for a second as Rufus set his feet, took aim, and fired off two shots, one to the chest and one to the head.

Only...it came out one to the shoulder and one to the left ear.

Cloud frowned and cleared his throat once the ringing in his ears had dissipated a little. "Whatever it is...you can't let it eat at you like that."

Rufus lowered the shotgun and turned slowly, one eyebrow cocked. Cloud could've sworn it made a clicking noise as it raised up into the air. "Excuse me?"

"Well," Cloud shuffled further into the room and smiled, just a little smile, but a smile nonetheless. "You weren't missing like that yesterday, so I figure either that was all luck or...there's something on your mind. And since I'm betting it wasn't luck...well...you can't let it eat at you like that. At least, that's what you told me."

Rufus chuckled. "That's what I get for giving out advice. It gets thrown back in my face. But you're right. I am a miserable shot today. How about you?"

Cloud laughed. "I'm a miserable shot every day."

"That's not what I meant," Rufus shook his head and took a step toward Cloud, gesturing expansively. "I just meant, how are you doing today?"

"Fine, I guess," Cloud shrugged. "It's been...kind of a weird week. And things don't look like they're getting any less weird, but other than that it's not so bad."

Rufus nodded. "I think I know what you mean. You want to take a shot?"

Cloud smiled shyly and moved forward to take Rufus's place in the stall. He looked back over his shoulder at Rufus. "Only if you'll tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"Not tell," Rufus murmured, slipping into position behind Cloud and monitoring his movements as he loaded the gun and raised it up to eye level. "It's better if I show you."

Reno caught up to Sephiroth just outside the Turk breakroom. "So...everything work out like you planned, babe?"

Sephiroth paused, shaking his head at the flash of red that seemed to be ever-present in his peripheral vision these days. The huge room the Turks used for target practice was sound-proofed, thick-walled, and well-shielded besides. As it should be, to avoid any of the many incidents that might otherwise occur. Still, it meant he would hear nothing of what was going on inside until he actually opened the door, which was still a good distance down the hall. "I don't know," he murmured truthfully, eyes gleaming as he narrowed his gaze in on the door at the end of the hall. "Zack...did not react as I'd suspected he would."

"Huh," Reno snorted. "You sure you know what you're doing here?"

"Certainly. Zack suggested I come up here."

"Not up here," Reno rolled his eyes and gestured expansively. "What I mean is, what are you doing to them, with them. What in Shiva's name are ya tryin' ta pull?"

Sephiroth frowned, not sure whether he should be pleased or worried that Reno had addressed him by name. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"You're messing with them. They like you. They genuinely like your stupid, stubborn ass, and you're fucking with them."

"I am not fuc--" Sephiroth growled. "I'm not messing with them."

Reno laughed. "You don't know much about how this whole jealousy thing works, do you?"

Sephiroth's frown deepened. "Jealousy?"

"Fuck, babe, of course jealousy! What the hell did you think was going to happen if you started making out with me in front of Zack, or flirting with me when they're both right there, staring at you through the open door of your apartment? Did you think it'd just make them work harder to catch your interest, give them a little bit of incentive?"

"I..."

"That's what you thought, isn't it?" Reno stared at Sephiroth, seeing what he'd never been in a position to notice before. "It's just another war game to you. Just tactics and strategy, presenting a goal to be attained and challenges that must be overcome in order to reach it." He laughed again and shook his head. "This is life, babe. It's not a game. They're kids. They get upset and hurt and discouraged, and they're good kids, Seph. They're Soldier kids, all about honor and duty. I'd stake my life on the fact that they'll back off if they think you're already involved with someone, if they think you're happy. They aren't like Turks. They don't just take things, and they especially don't interfere with anything their General happens to want."

"But..." Sephiroth drew in a slow, deep breath. "It was just a kiss. How would they know..."

"I thought you were supposed to be a strategist, General, able to see all contingencies. It may all have gone down before they got here, but that doesn't mean they won't hear that story. People talk, babe. You should never have forgotten that."

"Of course I know people talk, Reno. That's why I..." Sephiroth blinked, stared at the practice room door again. "Rufus."

"Hot damn but you're brain does work sometimes. But you're right," Reno sobered immediately. "Rufus. You know how much he loves that story, 'specially now his daddy's put him under my supervision. And Rufus had taken quite an interest in young Strife these past couple of days. In fact..." This time it was Reno who shot a pointed gaze at the door. "I think you might get a nice little taste of all that jealousy I was talking about if you walk through that door."

"Cloud's in there," Sephiroth said slowly, turning his head to look down at Reno. "Who's with him?"

Reno smirked. "Take a guess, yo. Leastways, kid didn't go back up to his room like he said he was going to, and I have a pretty good guess as to where he actually went..."

Sephiroth nodded, having expected the answer, but he'd had to ask anyway. "Reno," he said. "You never did tell me why it was you were looking for me."

"Ah, nothing important," Reno laughed and turned to leave. "Just wanted to ask why it was you cut me out like that. But I see now...tactics and war games, same as everything else. I'll catch ya later, babe. Let me know if you need any more help with this game, yeah?"

Sephiroth nodded absently, walking toward the door at the end of the hall even as Reno took off in the other direction. He stopped a couple steps from the door, though, straining to hear something, anything from the other side. But the soundproofing had certainly been thorough and Sephiroth couldn't quite bring himself to open the door.

"Okay," Cloud said, following Rufus's direction and shifting his grip on the rifle. "So what do I..."

But his phone rang just then, vibrating in his pocket and kicking up with the song that meant Zack was calling--"It's Raining Men", not his personal choice. "Sorry," Cloud bit his lip and turned around to hand the rifle carefully to Rufus and fish his phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open. "Zack? You're back already?"

"No. I haven't even left yet," Zack's laugh on the other end of the line sounded wooden.

Cloud was immediately worried. "Zack," he said again, already heading toward the door. "Is everything okay?"

"No, uh...Cloudy," Zack coughed slightly, and his voice sounded thick, heavy. "We have a problem."

"I'll meet you in your room," Cloud said shortly, snapping the phone shut and turning to face Rufus. "I, umm...I have to go. I'm really sorry...Sir."

Rufus racked the gun in the corner with the one he'd been using--someone would come by to clean up properly in a few minutes--and waved a dismissive hand at Cloud. "Don't worry about it. But I'll walk you down if you don't mind."

"I'd like that," Cloud smiled shyly and allowed Rufus to take his arm and lead him from the room. He felt calmer, less jumpy from the second Rufus's hand touched his arm. He even felt like he might be able to breathe again.

Until Rufus opened the door and Cloud saw the General standing right outside, casually leaning against the wall like he had nothing better to do in the world. Cloud snapped to attention. "Sir." But Rufus stepped closer to him, nodding at the General and murmuring a quiet "General Sephiroth" without really seeming to pay the General any attention at all, and the General was staring at them both like he knew how safe Rufus made Cloud feel just by being around him. Cloud swallowed nervously. "Was there something you need...Sir?"

But Sephiroth just shook his head in a clear dismissal and muttered a quick, "Meeting someone," before turning his attention back to the wall opposite him.

Cloud sighed, relieved, and nodded, allowing Rufus to take his arm again and steer him down the hall in the direction of the Soldier quarters.

Sephiroth almost jumped at the knock on his door. It had been hours since he'd seen Cloud strolling down the hallway, arm in arm with Rufus Shinra, and even longer since he'd sent Zack jetting off into the city to escape him. What had he been thinking, implementing this plan of his? Clearly, it was not a decicion he should have made. He'd spent the afternoon looking for the both of them, and when that had failed him, he'd gone off in search of Reno, and even Rufus, but he hadn't been able to locate any of them.

Sephiroth sighed and blew out a long breath of air. Well, at least they were here now. He'd been half-thinking they wouldn't show up with a gift this evening. But a promise was a promise, he supposed.

Rising swiftly, Sephiroth made his way to the door and pulled it open, but...

Zack and Cloud weren't there.

There was just Reno with a red-wrapped package in hand and a grim look on his angular face. "I got this dropped on my doorstep, along with a note that said it might be better if I were the one to give it to you." Reno laughed, but there wasn't any humor in the sound. "Two days 'til Christmas, Seph-baby. I hope that's enough time to fix the mess you made."

"Thank you," Sephiroth almost whispered, taking the package from Reno and closing his eyes.

Two days.

He had two days to fix this, and he didn't even know where to begin.