I don't normally like revealing plot ahead of time, but I will warn there is a bit of one-sided Yaoi fluff in this chapter. I know it might turn a few of you off, but I did state when I started this that if I did add any romance, Yaoi was a possibility. It's nothing graphic.
The air had taken on slightly more of a chill the following morning. They had decided to hold off on their trek to the mansion for a little bit.
"So, assuming the tests come back alright, what happens next?" It was Sephiroth who finally voiced the question everyone else had been avoiding.
"I don't know." Genesis said softly, before looking over at his mother.
"We can't stay here." She said and Cloud looked surprised.
"I hadn't thought about that." He said, looking between them. He almost felt foolish. Of course Shinra would find them here eventually.
"There aren't many places to go." Sephiroth pointed out again.
"Cosmo Canyon is a possibility. Though whether or not they would take us in is a question." Miss Strife offered.
"They might let you and Cloud in, even Genesis and Angeal. I, however, wouldn't make it up the first step, I'm sure." Sephiroth replied.
"You're coming with us?" Genesis asked, but Cloud shared his surprise.
Sephiroth just looked at him like he was an idiot. "Of course, do you think I could return to Shinra after all this?"
"I suppose not." Genesis said, relaxing back in his seat. He would have been content going into exile with just his mother and Cloud. The idea that Sephiroth and possibly Angeal would be there, too? Well, it warmed him a bit inside.
"I have no interest in returning to Shinra either, if you were wondering." Angeal said, crossing his arms.
Genesis just smiled, "So, any other suggestions?"
"There aren't many places we would be welcomed, which aren't Shinra controlled." Angeal pointed out.
"There are a few islands in the chain close to home, which just aren't inhabited." Genesis pointed out.
Angeal just smiled a bit and looked to Sephiroth, "Sounds like an extended Camping trip."
"That might be our best bet." Miss Strife said, weighing the options.
"Our own little Island get-away?" Cloud said with a small smile.
"I think I like the sound of that." Genesis said.
"Obtaining shelter shouldn't be an issue and, with the ocean, food would likely not be problem either." Sephiroth said, thinking it over.
"Well then, today we will finish up the blood work and tomorrow we'll head out for the southern Islands." Miss Strife said, standing up and placing her tea cup down.
"Why don't you go on up to the Mansion and run the blood tests? I'll stay here and start packing." Cloud offered.
" That's probably not a bad idea." Miss Strife said. There were a lot of supplies they would have to take. Thankfully, between the truck her sons had brought and the two chocobos, they could bring most everything they would need.
"I can stay with him and help." Sephiroth offered.
"I don't see why not." Miss Strife said with a smile. It seemed that Sephiroth was eager to join their little family and she wasn't going to turn him away. She had, after all, probably been the closest thing to a mother he'd ever had.
"Come on then, Angeal, looks like we're on the list for the mansion." Genesis said with a small smile.
"Seems so." Angeal said, glancing at Miss Strife for a moment. She had mellowed a bit since he had first arrived, but it was obvious that she still didn't care for him. No one else seemed to be picking up on it, however.
Genesis, Angeal and Miss Strife left the home and Sephiroth turned to Cloud. "So, where do we start?"
An hour later found most of the living area packed up and Cloud had decided to move on to the bedrooms. He left the kitchen area alone, since they would need it for meals. Currently, they were standing in Cloud's room. The four men had shared it the last few nights, which had made it very cramped.
Cloud went over to his desk, packing things away, and Sephiroth sat on the edge of the bed. The cot and bedrolls were stacked neatly in the corner."There isn't much in here we need to take." Cloud acknowledged.
"Alright." Sephiroth said with a nod. At one point, Cloud would have been squealing to have the general on his bed, now however he'd grown comfortable with the man.
"Do you wish to take this?" Sephiroth said, holding up a box. He had noticed the thing sticking out slightly from Cloud's bed. There hadn't been anything else under there.
"What?" Cloud said, turning around and was almost mortified. Sephiroth was holding the box he had shoved all the man's newspaper clippings in. "Nn-o-o" Cloud stuttered out with a bit of a blush.
Figuring it unimportant, Sephiroth satisfied his curiosity by opening the box. Cloud was too frozen with embarrassment to stop him.
Sephiroth gently lifted them out of the box, looking each article over. "You've kept them all? Even the early ones? I don't even have most of these."
"I, um." Cloud could hardly talk and his cheeks were bright red. "I, well you knew I was a fan?"
"Most people only started following me recently, with the resurgence in the war. You seem to have almost every article ever written." Sephiroth said, looking through them.
"I, um." Cloud looked down. "I caught the first one and, well, it became a mini obsession." Cloud was already mortified, he didn't think the truth could make anything worse.
"Don't be embarrassed, Cloud, I'm actually kind of touched." Sephiroth said, reading the very first article published about him. It had been nearly 10 years ago and he was only SOLDIER 2nd Class. The accompanying photo had him standing in his SOLDIER 2nd Uniform, his hair, several feet shorter, was pulled back in a pony tail. The headline read 'The Future of the SOLDIER program.' Cloud couldn't have been much older than 6 when it was published.
"I thought you looked so cool, I knew then I wanted to be a SOLDIER." Cloud admitted.
"We'll be keeping this then." Sephiroth said, putting the articles back in the box.
"I didn't think you wanted anything to do with Shinra anymore." Cloud said curiously, though his blush still hadn't gone away.
"No, but most of these were personal achievements, not Shinra's. I haven't had much that belonged to me over the years." Sephiroth confessed as he looked up at Cloud.
"Are you feeling alright?" Sephiroth asked, setting the package down and making the short walk to Cloud's side.
"I'm fine." Cloud said, managing to keep the stammer out of his voice. Here alone in his room with Sephiroth, he was reminded of why he kept the poster over his bed.
"You look ill." Sephiroth said, taking off one of his gloves and placing his hand on Cloud's forehead.
Cloud only blushed harder, Sephiroth was so very close, inspecting his face for other signs of illness.
Sephiroth just frowned. "You don't feel warm, but your eyes are dilated and your face is red. I think you should lie down."
"I-I-'m Fi-n-e" Cloud stuttered, as Sephiroth took his hand and pushed him down into his bed.
"Rest, I'm sure we can finish packing later. I don't think Genesis or your mother would forgive me if I let you get sick." Sephiroth said, trying to sound comforting, but falling a bit short.
"I-I-I'm n-ot si-ck" Cloud stammered again. He didn't think he'd ever live this down.
"You can't even speak correctly." Sephiroth said, bending over, trying to figure out what was wrong with the blonde.
Cloud's face turned even redder. Sephiroth's mouth was just above his and he could feel Sephiroth's breath on his cheek. He just groaned and quickly rolled over, trying to hide his face. "I'll rest, if you insist." He mumbled from under the blanket.
"Good, I'll go get you some water." Sephiroth said, standing up and leaving the room.
Cloud just let out a shuttered sigh. He'd been so close to kissing the man, he could almost taste it. Cloud really hoped that the others would be back soon.
"Well, your blood work is fine Genesis." Miss Strife sat back with a smile on her face.
Genesis sighed in relief. Having his cure confirmed lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders. "What was the anomaly the doctor spoke of? If it wasn't the experiment?"
Miss Strife pursed her lips. "I'm not sure exactly what it is. I've not seen it before. Whatever it was, Sephiroth's blood contained the same anomaly and my blood does not. "
"So whatever it was, we had to have gotten it from our dad?" Genesis asked.
"I would assume so." She said with a nod, tight lipped as always concerning Genesis and Cloud's father.
Some things, it seemed, would always be a mystery.
"I'll get started on Cloud's blood work, then we can head back and see how far those two have gotten." Miss Strife said, turning back to her lab equipment.
An hour later and Cloud was happy that his blush had gone down and Sephiroth was content to let him keep working. He didn't want to explain to his mother or his brother why he had been confined to bed by Sephiroth.
Sephiroth was currently in the small field out back, tending to the Chocobos. Cloud shook his head as he packed the last of the contents in his room up. He made sure that the poster was disposed of. What need did he have for a piece of paper, when he had the real thing?
Zack looked out the window as the town came into view. "Man, I think this place is smaller than Gongaga."
Tseng just looked at him a moment and Hollander ignored him. The infantry never spoke anyway and Zack sighed. He missed Angeal, his mentor would at least talk to him on these long flights.
As the helicopter landed, Hollander made his way off first, followed quickly by Zack and then Tseng.
"You're the one that seems to know where we are going." Tseng said, looking over to Hollander.
"The boy's home is this way." Hollander said, he hadn't personally been here, but the town was small enough to navigate.
The group walked through town and stopped in front of the door way. Tseng knocked quickly on the door.
In a moment, Cloud stood with the door open, before attempting to slam it back shut. Tseng grabbed the door as Cloud ran through the house.
"Get him, he's the cadet that went AWOL with Rhapsodos!" Hollander said.
"On it!" Zack said with a salute, taking off after Cloud.
"Hey man, we just want to talk!" Zack called.
"Yah right!" Cloud yelled back, trying to figure out how to escape his own home.
"Stay away from me!" Cloud yelled again. When he turned around again, Zack had him in a corner.
"We're just trying to figure out what's up with you and Rhapsodos. Just settle down." Zack said with a grin, raising his hands up in a non threatening manner.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Cloud yelled, grabbing the closest thing he could reach to defend himself, a fire place poker.
"Settle down, man!" Zack said, holding up his hands, he really didn't want to upset the kid anymore than he already was.
"That will be enough." Tseng said, walking up behind Zack."Where is Rhapsodos?"
"Like I'd tell you." Cloud snapped.
"Take him, he'll eventually give us what we want." Hollander said.
Tseng just nodded, proceeded to disarm Cloud and knock him out faster than the blonde could register.
"Man, I wish he would have just listened." Zack said, scratching the back of his head.
"Whatever caused him and Rhapsodos to leave is obviously more than we thought. If he was willing to fight us, I imagine Rhapsodos will be too. We need to re-evaluate this situation." Tseng said, looking back to Zack and Professor Hollander.
"We should take the boy back, get him to tell us what he knows and go from there." Hollander replied.
Tseng looked to Hollander for a moment. "That would seem like the best course of action. We may need to recall Sephiroth and Hewley from their vacation."
Zack bent over and picked Cloud up. "We'll get you straightened out, kid." Zack said as he exited the house, following Tseng.
As they walked back across the yard, a rock flew and hit Zack upside the head.
"What the?" He said, turning to find a black headed girl with red eyes glaring at him.
"What do you think you're doing with Cloud!" The girl yelled.
"Don't meddle in Shinra's business, little girl." Hollander said, waving her off.
The girl hurled another rock at him. "I won't let you take Cloud!' She yelled.
"It's ok!" Zack said, "We don't want to hurt him. He's just a bit worked up and we need answers."
"You don't have to take him away for that!" Tifa yelled back, clutching another rock.
"We don't have time for this!" Hollander snapped.
Tseng just walked towards the girl and Tifa hurled the rock in her hand at him, scrambling backwards a bit.
Tseng caught the rock in his hand, tossing it aside, before swiftly moving to knock the girl unconscious. In a moment, he had lifted the girl up and laid her down under the water tower, while Zack and Hollander boarded the helicopter.
"Man, what's with these kids?" Zack muttered, fastening the blonde into a seat.
Without a glance back at the girl, Tseng made his way over the helicopter and, within minutes, they were in the air.
Sephiroth came back around close to a half hour later. The chocobos had been a bit of a handful, since they had been neglected for several days. Many of their feathers were bent and it seemed as though they had gotten into more the one fight.
He stopped though, when he noticed the door to the house was open. "Cloud!" He called into the empty house.
His eyes narrowed as he noticed boxes knocked over and the fire poker laying out in the middle of the floor. "Cloud!" He yelled again, whipping his head around.
"They took him." A small voice said.
"Who took him?" Sephiroth said, turning to see a small girl leaning on the door frame, clutching the back of her head.
"The men in a helicopter. They said they needed answers from him." Her eyes started to tear up. "I tried to stop them!"
Sephiroth immediately cast a low level cure spell on the girl. "Go home, stay safe. I know who did this and I'll make them pay." He said, before moving past her out the door.
Tifa just stood in the door way, taking her hand off her head, realizing that it didn't hurt anymore. "You better save him!" She cried. If General Sephiroth, Cloud's idol, couldn't do it, who could?
Sephiroth stalked his way up to the Shinra Mansion just as Genesis and Angeal were coming out.
"Oh, good, you're here, is Cloud on his way up, too?" Genesis said, looking behind him a bit.
"No." Sephiroth replied, shaking his head.
"I'll get him." Angeal said and went to leave, but Sephiroth grabbed his arm.
"Let me finish, we have a problem." Sephiroth said, looking at the two.
"What's wrong?" Genesis said, a bit of panic in his voice.
"Cloud's been kidnapped." Sephiroth said, heading into the mansion.
Genesis just turned on him, "What do you mean! How was he kidnapped when you were with him?" Genesis demanded.
"I was out tending to the chocobos. I didn't even know anything was off until I went back to the house. I had only left him for about an hour." Sephiroth said, not turning back. He had to let Miss Strife know too.
Genesis looked like he was going to be sick.
"It will be alright, Gen, we'll get him back." Angeal said, looking to his friend.
"But in time?" Genesis said as he hung his head.
"What do you mean?" Sephiroth said turning back around. "In time for what?"
"Cloud wasn't effected before..." Genesis trailed off. "But the transfusion with my blood, while I was degrading, infected him. She said that, normally, it would have caused the victim to become an exact copy of me, but since Cloud's DNA was already so close, it just integrated into his system. He's degrading now, too, and because he doesn't have any mako in his system to slow the process, she thinks it would be a week a most until he starts to show physical signs. We had hoped to do a transfusion immediately."
"We'll find him, Genesis, I swear." Sephiroth said.
"They don't know yet that we've planned to defect. We'll go back, rescue Cloud and get out of there." Angeal said, "Go with your mom and hide. Nibelheim isn't safe anymore."
Genesis just nodded. They would find Cloud and they would save him, they had to.
"Hurry and go, I'll let mom know what's happened." Genesis said, wanting his brother back as soon as possible.
"Be careful, Gen." Angeal said, before giving his friend a hug.
"You too, just call me when you find him." Genesis said, squeezing his eyes shut.
"We will." Sephiroth said, before the two turned to leave.
"Cloud." Genesis sighed, before turning find to his mother and telling her the bad news.
Ok I know a lot of you probably hate me right now for various reasons.
I will say that the scene with Cloud and Sephiroth doesn't mean that this will end up with them together. Cloud's feelings are still very much a teenager's crush at this point. (It doesn't mean it won't happen either)
Anyway I hope you all enjoyed it anyway. Please leave a review- DHT
