Beyond

Flora Winters

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I'm not making any money here either.

Summary: Sometimes the dead simply do not stay dead. This story will contain boy love, strong language, and scenes of explicit violence.

Chapter Twenty

This is what I thought, I thought you need me

This is what I thought, so think me naïve

I'd promised you a heart, you'd promise to keep

Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep

--A.F.I.

There was fresh snow as far as his topaz-blue eyes could see. The ground under his naked feet was shimmering like a white ocean, filled with billions of twinkling stars. That large full moon was blazing down like a silver skull with luminous fangs.

Zack couldn't seem to keep up with Cloud. The beautiful blond was moving too fast for his sluggish feet to keep up with his blizzard-like pace. He was panting for breath, calling out Cloud's name, wanting for him to wait for him. He was in desperate need of a hug.

"Wait, Cloud!" He shouted after him, falling to his knees among the rolling white. He lifted his eyes, seeing rose petals falling like discarded jewels from the star-filled sky as Cloud stood motionless in the distance. Crimson petals were littering the ground like glittering rubies, smelling intoxicatingly sweet. "Don't leave me here by myself!" He shouted, struggling to get back on his tired feet.

"You don't have to be afraid, Zack." Cloud told him. Even though he was far away, his seductive voice was purring right in his ear. "I'll never leave you, and I'll gladly kill anyone or anything that ever tries to separate us again."

Zack blinked as he raced through the storm of scarlet petals. What did Cloud mean by "again?" He was so confused. What was Cloud saying? Why was he talking like this?

"Behold!" Cloud cried, lifting his alabaster pale arms to the dark sky. The red petals flew all around him like a miniature tornado. His blond hair shimmered like molten spikes of crystalline sunlight. He was crowned in radiant gold. The petals were sticking to that moth-white flesh, creating a flowing, petal-like garment. It was skintight around the arms, chest, and waist. He looked wicked in red.

Zack's eyes widened. There was a black temple rising up out of the waves of white before him. It looked to be ancient and he could feel a terrible power radiating from within every glistening stone. He trembled in fear. The power was frightening and humbling. He really wanted to wake the hell up now.

He took a startled step back when Cloud was suddenly standing right before him. That wild garment was slithering and flapping about like the wings of a dragonfly. But, Cloud hadn't been the one to move. He had been the one to move. It almost felt as if Cloud had manipulated the space around him. But, he hadn't felt himself move either. The ground had been what moved under his feet at such a high velocity, that he hadn't felt it. It was almost like this dream Cloud could seriously fuck with the natural laws in his own dream.

"This is the power that will allow me to keep you with me for all time," Cloud told him, wrapping his arms around his taller frame, hugging him so close. "I will kneel down before you, my love. I will offer this world to you from out of my own hands as I kiss the dust from your weary feet."

Zack held him, feeling the tears sting his eyes. He didn't understand. What was happening? Why was Cloud being so scary? Why was he dreaming this?

"I will not allow anyone or anything to keep us apart ever again," Cloud said, looking up at him with gemstone-blue eyes. They were glowing like a sun shining out from within the ocean depths. "I would tear the Life-Stream itself apart to find you and keep you with me always."

"Why are you saying such frightening things, Cloud?" He asked, feeling those arms tighten around him. Wasn't he supposed to be the one to say and do crazy things? He would die without Cloud. He knew that. The blond was his whole world, his whole universe. He would do anything for Cloud.

"Do you trust me?" Cloud whispered, smiling. He had tears flowing from his eyes. Cloud was so ethereal when he cried.

"With all my soul," Zack said, gently licking at the salty tears. "You know that, Cloud."

"Good," Cloud smiled, kissing him on the lips, moving, whispering in his ear. "Because that belongs to me most of all."

Zack's eyes snapped open and his head was swimming as if he had been underwater. Why the hell was he upside down? Was this one of Cloud's kinky games? They were fun, but he really wasn't feeling well right now. That was when he realized he was being carried like a sack of rice. He knew those boots and that citrus smell.

"Sephiroth?"

"It is about goddamn time!" Sephiroth snapped angrily.

Zack yelped when he was suddenly dropped onto his ass. He whimpered in slight pain, looking up at the general. Whoa! He looked fucking crazy.

"What the hell was that for?" He whined, rubbing his aching head. "And what the hell is going on?"

Sephiroth dove right on in with a thousand spoons, ranting, raving, and spitting like a serpent. His antics strangely reminded Zack of Cloud. It was eerie in a very spooky kind of way.

"Genesis has kidnapped Cloud, the Shin-Ra building is in ruins," Sephiroth hissed, waving his huge sword around as if it were a magic wand that was just going to conveniently fix everything. The silver-haired terror was looming like a storm over him, growling like a tiger, roaring out in rage. "And I snagged by fucking pants on something, ripping the goddamn things all to hell, too!"

Zack was suddenly on his feet. The last thing he remembered was Cloud riding him like a stallion into bloody combat.

"Why the hell didn't you wake me the fuck up?" He snapped.

"I tried, goddamn it!" Sephiroth raged, looking out of his damn mind. Hell, he looked to be exhausted. "But your stupid illness wouldn't allow me to do so!"

Zack made a face, shaking his head. "What illness? I'm not sick."

"Cloud told me all about your rare sleeping disorder when we found your naked ass under the bed right before he got kidnapped, you liar!" Sephiroth yelled, dropping his sword with a loud clang.

He had been under the bed? Why had he been under the bed? He had not fallen out of bed in years. Well, this was certainly embarrassing. Focus, Zack!

"I don't have a sleeping disorder!" Zack shouted right back at him.

"Then why the hell would Cloud tell me that?" Sephiroth asked him. "Huh? What do you have to say to that, smartass? And why couldn't I wake your ass up, too? Hell, I've been hauling your heavy ass all over Midgar!"

Was Sephiroth calling him fat? And he sure was using "ass" a lot. The guy sure had some issues. And why would Cloud tell him that? Focus, goddamn it!

"I don't know!" Zack roared, storming off, stomping his feet in anger. "But, I'll ask him just as soon as I'm done strangling the shit out of Genesis for touching him!"

"Not that way!" Sephiroth all but shrieked. "I just came from that way, you idiot!"

Zack balled his fists at his side, hearing a trashcan fall over, followed by a thud. He spun around, seeing the mighty general lying on his face.

"SON OF A BITCH-ASS WHORE!" Zack yelled, rushing over, trying to lift him up. "WAKE UP, SEPH!"

"Strangling the shit out of me?" A deadly voice asked from the shadows, causing him to look towards the alley. There was twin set of blue eyes looking out at him, glaring like slits. "Why would you want to go and do something as vulgar as that, Puppy? You would make me ruin my lovely pants."

It was Genesis. He stalked from the shadows like a vision of masculine beauty. It was so startling to look at him.

"Where the hell is Cloud, you bastard?" Zack asked, rising to his feet, drawing his sword.

"I left him in a quaint little church down in the slums," Genesis smiled with such white teeth. "How about you be a good little puppy and go chase after the pretty butterfly? Be careful, the Pretty-Shiny has fangs."

Zack snarled. "Did you hurt him?"

Genesis made a face. "Leave the general with me, please. I would very much enjoy talking with him about some things when he wakes up from my spell."

"Your spell?" Zack asked, looking down at Sephiroth. How could a sleep spell affect him? It was outrageous! It was blasphemous!

"Go fetch your man, Puppy," Genesis said. His voice sounded funny. It sounded like he wanted to scream in rage. "And leave the big bad general for little ole me to play with."

"That's not going to happen," Zack said, striking a fighting stance.

"Please don't make me cross with you," Genesis begged ever so sweetly. "I promised the pretty Storm-Cloud that I wouldn't hurt you. Don't make me break my promise to the Shiny."

Zack blinked. "What?"

"Are you stupid or something?" Genesis asked, drawing his sword. "Your man is in church, and I want to talk to Sephiroth. What are you not getting?"

Zack growled. He hated being called stupid.

"Well?" Genesis asked. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm waiting for you to undo the spell on Sephiroth," he said, pointing down at the general. "I'm not going to leave him here with the likes of you in this condition."

"But I don't want to wake him now," Genesis pouted. "He's so moody when he wakes up."

"THEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE PUT HIM TO SLEEP!" Zack yelled in fury, shaking his sword at him. The redhead was fucking insane.

"There really is no reason for you to be shouting like that," Genesis said, looking this way and that. "What if somebody hears you?"

"Wake him up now!" Zack snapped angrily.

"Um, I think not," Genesis told him, hitting him with a wave of invisible energy.

Zack was knocked off his feet, and thrown backwards against the side of a tall building across the street. He slid down, gasping for the breath that had been knocked from his lungs as he sat there on his stunned ass.

"Aw, is this for me?" Genesis asked, looking down at a sleeping Sephiroth, kneeling down, lifting the larger man up into his arms. "You really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble, Puppy. He's exactly what I wanted."

"Hey!" Zack wheezed, crawling to his knees. "Put him down, Genesis!"

"Nope," Genesis giggled, jumping up into the air with Sephiroth, spreading his wing, floating there, looking drop-drawers gorgeous. "I'll be going now. Do give a big hello to the Pretty-Shiny for me."

"NO!" Zack yelled, watching Genesis fly off.

Shit! This was bad. First Cloud had been kidnapped and now Sephiroth. He punched the ground, getting to his feet.

He ran over, picked up his sword, and took off running towards the slums. He had to get to Cloud. That was his top priority at the moment.

"Shit!" He snapped, spinning around. He couldn't just leave Sephiroth's sword laying there for somebody to find. That would cause the poor guy's mind to snap like a twig. He quickly picked up the sword and took off with a violent burst of SOLDIER speed. The pavement was cracking under his racing feet, and people were knocked back by the air as he ran by them.

"What the hell was that?" A woman asked, fixing her skirt. "A bird?"

"No," a young man said, fixing his hair. "I think it was a small plane."

CLOUD! MY CLOUD! MINE! MINE! MINE! GODDAMN IT, MINE!

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think.

Flora.

Thank you all so much for your reviews. I love them! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.