Chapter 21

Turning over in the expansive bed, resting on his back, Cloud felt his gaze drawn to the empty side of the mattress. He had lost all track of time since his incarceration. Weeks had passed steadily into months, with each day spent as the one before; Cloud being abused and violated by the general. Sephiroth abuses me? he silently questioned. It was hard to tell anymore just who was getting the most pleasure from their strange relationship.

Observing from the open doorway, Sephiroth gave a small grin. The boy looked sated and content and he finally seemed to be accepting his role, unaware that his return to captivity had been welcomed, his misdemeanour forgiven, because he, like no other, matched Sephiroth's sexual prowess. All of the general's former lovers had been weak, uncompetitive, too easily broken. At one time he had thought that maybe Zack could be a match for him, but his friend had gently spurred his advantages, explaining his preference for females. Sephiroth had shrugged; each to their own. Thinking of Zack now, he remembered why he had come to the bedroom and, in a smug voice he said, "Are you going to lie there all day, little tramp? Get up, we have company."

Cloud turned his head lazily, and he watched as Sephiroth walked away. He was tempted to just lay there, to provoke a response, but then he asked himself if he really wanted whoever was there to witness him being taken by the general, for he knew that if he pushed Sephiroth, company or no company, the man would fuck him. Getting up off the bed, Cloud combed his fingers through his hair and put on the one small item of clothing he was allowed to don whenever someone visited; a small loin cloth that only just covered his ass and groin. And then, looking over his shoulder to make sure he was decent from the back view, he proceeded to make his way into the main room.

"Hi Cloud, how you doing buddy?" Zack greeted warmly.

Now knowing who the company was, Cloud didn't feel so conscious about his lack of attire. Zack didn't make passes at him, nor did he make Cloud feel like a sub human being. He treated him with respect, and for that Cloud was grateful. Walking over to Sephiroth's desk and taking his place at the general's feet, he smiled a greeting in return at the dark haired man, and wondered about the purpose of his visit.

"So, what brings you here?" Sephiroth asked of Zack, reclining back in his comfy padded leather chair and making himself comfortable.

"Seph, I'm getting worried," Zack replied, sitting upon the edge of his own seat, his hands locked together in agitation.

"About my pet? His welfare is none of your…"

"No, not about him," Zack cut in. "I know he's alright. What I mean is, I'm getting worried about the number of cadets who have been reported missing. Every army loses one or two new recruits, that's to be expected because some kids find out really quickly they're not cut out to be Soldiers but, including the one's that went AWOL last month, there were two last week, one the week before that, and just last night another one vanished from his dormitory, and that brings the total number of missing to eleven. Eleven men just don't up and disappear periodically, Seph. The odd couple, yes, but not that many."

"Perhaps they got bored, and simply decided to abscond," the general replied, leaning forward in his chair now, his slender fingers tapping quickly at the keyboard on the table in front of him.

"I might have agreed with you, but the boy that went missing last night was Cadet Booth." Zack watched as Sephiroth's eyebrows furrowed. He knew his friend had been paying Booth's progress some attention, because the boy was proving very worthy of making it onto the Elite Squad at some point in his career, and only the very fittest, strongest, and most dedicated, ever made it in there. "Yeah so, now you can see why I'm concerned."

Sephiroth continued typing for a few moments, then his fingers stilled and his gaze fixed on the screen in front of him. He looked hard at the image of the latest missing cadet, and he mused softly, "Where are you, eh?"

"It's something to get concerned about, right?" Zack asked, standing up and beginning to pace. For some inane reason he felt responsible for the missing boys. Cadets were under his care. He should have said something sooner, but up until now all those that had gone weren't entirely missable. Only Booth had shown exceptional skills in physical and mental tasks, and he also had a talent for taking orders and carrying them out fearlessly. The others were good, but only for Soldier Class. But I still should have investigated their disappearances, Zack thought guiltily, pulling at his hair in vexation.

"Zack, stop beating yourself up about it," Sephiroth said, his voice calm, his posture relaxed. His fingers began tapping at the keyboard again, this time with purpose, the speed of them the only clue to how unsettled he himself was.

"I'm not…" Zack began, lowering his hands to his sides and balling them into fists. "Ok, maybe I am," he sighed. "I should have brought this to attention much earlier though," he argued, retaking his seat with a dismal look on his face.

"What you should have done is irrelevant. It is what you will do now that matters," Sephiroth replied, his busy fingers stilling once more, his keen green eyes glaring at the image in front of him on his computer. "I knew you were a bad egg," he said quietly to himself, and although his voice was soft, the words were spoken with venom.

Zack stood up to take a look at the picture, and was a little shocked when the general quickly shut the computer down. But Zack had managed to catch a glimpse of the person Sephiroth had been staring at, and now he knew what his next step would be; to confront the man he had caught sight of. If Sephiroth had brought his image up in regard to Zack's worry over the missing boys that could only mean one thing… that person was involved somehow.

"Let's go to the gym."

"Huh?" Zack watched in confusion as Sephiroth stood up and headed towards the outer door. "Gym? Why? What about the missing boys? Booth?"

"I'm sure they won't come to any more harm than they might already have, and I need to stretch my muscles. Come on boy, you need some exercise too," Sephiroth said, his last remark directed towards Cloud.

Looking as bemused as Zack, Cloud stood up and carefully approached the general, cautious about what was going on. Outwardly, Sephiroth seemed totally unconcerned for the missing ones, and yet Cloud sensed he was tensed up.

"Seph, I can't just abandon them and go off willy-nilly and have fun," Zack protested, following after his friend as he walked out of his chambers and began strolling casually along the corridors.

"Trust me, this isn't going to be fun," Sephiroth answered back.