"I don't belong to you."
He felt it the second the mark went dead on his skin, drifting away to nothingness, the bond irreparably broken.
Sephiroth hissed at his back, infuriated that Cloud would utter such words, that he would defy him to the point that his mark of ownership died.
"How dare you?" he snarled, working furiously into Cloud, grinding him into the wall—no grace now, nothing but anger and a sadist's desire to hurt.
Cloud groaned beneath the assault but felt nothing, nothing but the keen appetite of the beast to kiss and hold Kadaj, to sink his teeth into soft flesh, to lap at that sweet blood, to lay his own mark upon unstained white skin and utter those binding words, 'You are mine. You are mine.'
"You will always belong to me, Cloud!" Sephiroth snarled, and surged hard against him in an orgasm that made Cloud moan a little, breathless with the force of it. But as good as it felt, it wasn't what he wanted, and it hadn't been for quite some time.
"Not anymore," he whispered, feeling Sephiroth tear away from him, his anger renewed by Cloud's defection. "You never loved me, Sephiroth. What would you know of self-sacrifice? What would you know of desperation? What would you know of that aching desire to be loved, like a gaping hole in your heart?"
He righted his clothing, grimacing at the mess of Sephiroth's seed slowly seeping down his thighs, and turned to face the seething man he'd once loved so very, very much.
He realized that, deep down, he always would love Sephiroth, but with the bittersweet, fond recollection of a memory. They had seen so much together, such horror and such pain, such passion and such vicious cruelty to one another. He would, in a sense, be bound to this man for as long as his memory lasted—and that suited Cloud just fine. Because memories were only memories, but the flesh was here and now, and he would not waste another second hiding in the past, mourning things outside of his control. However this turned out, whichever one of them died, Cloud would somehow find Kadaj.
And when he did he would never let him go.
"Arrogant, ungrateful, inconstant little child," Sephiroth hissed, and then calm fell over him like a shroud, his eyes narrowing with calculating menace. He smiled at Cloud, his cruel and removed smile, a smile that evinced no joy or pleasure—just malice and spite. "You fancy that you love him, my little tyrant Kadaj…how very trite of you, Cloud."
Cloud went for his sword even as Sephiroth drew the Masamune with the speed of a snake striking. Metal clashed against metal, drawing streaking light from the darkness, each leaning in to test the other's balance.
"Oh-ho," Sephiroth chuckled, amused as always by Cloud's attempts to best him. "Where have you found this strength, little Cloud? To banish my mark, to resist me…"
"Like I can explain it to you," Cloud snarled, giving him a strike that had him leaping up into the darkness. More to himself, he breathed, "I will fight you forever, monster, to get Kadaj back. That is where I've found this strength."
They battled again, the fight as furious and dangerous as ever it was. And still Sephiroth taunted him, holding back his strikes, still arrogantly convinced that he could sway Cloud to his side.
"I've thought of a perfect gift for you," he said, sailing up and away, graceful and deadly. "Shall I give you despair?"
Cloud scowled at him, determined to see an end to him. A final end.
"Kneel," Sephiroth said, his lips quirking in a cat-like smile. "Beg for my forgiveness."
"I would rather die," Cloud said, chopping his way up through the falling debris of ShinRa's old, shattered headquarters.
The two of them fought their way to the rooftops, Cloud tiring dangerously. Though healed of the stigma itself, the effects still remained, exhausting his resources much faster than usual.
Sephiroth bypassed a death-strike to shove him off of his feet. Did it again to give him a kick that landed him against the wall on his ass, summarily pinning him in place with the blade through his right shoulder this time, the blood gushing out bright and hot.
"Tell me what means the most to you, my darling little Cloud," Sephiroth murmured, his eyes cruel and bright with anticipation. "Tell me so that I can have the pleasure of taking it from you…"
In his heart, Cloud sadly realized that Sephiroth had already taken what meant the most to Cloud. He thought of Aerith, Zack, of Tifa and the kids, even of Rufus and his eccentric Turks. And Kadaj…already gone, absorbed into the strength of Sephiroth's will, his body merely cells rearranged to suit the soul it hosted. Such heartless use of a creature so terribly lonely and afraid.
Cloud shoved the blade out of his shoulder with a strength born of anger, turning to strike but Sephiroth was already gone.
"You just don't understand, do you?" he asked, comprehending at last what Sephiroth truly was. "There's nothing I don't treasure!"
When the larger man sprang away, Cloud pulled the final rabbit out of his hat, opening himself up for a move he'd never had to use before. He slung the sword out, releasing the many smaller blades, and went for the first one in a burst of speed that Sephiroth simply could not follow.
It was quick and brutal work, the rapid, powerful strikes finally breaking Sephiroth's power. As if in response, the sky began to clear, the setting sun pouring down upon them.
Cloud hit the ground on his feet, his swords falling around him, his right hand almost languidly catching the falling buster sword's hilt. He kept his calm, beautiful face turned up to Sephiroth's floating form, silently moved when that one pitch-black, delicate wing sprang from Sephiroth's back, so dark against the waning daylight. Such beauty from such darkness, the two so well suited to each other.
"Stay in my memories," Cloud softly said, and it came out like a prayer, like a plea. "Where you belong."
Sephiroth looked down at him, reluctant admiration on his sculpted, fine features. Once again his lover had bested him. Once again Cloud had proven to be the only one strong enough for him.
"I will never be a memory," Sephiroth promised, and folded that black-as-sin wing around himself, his body dissolving in a flurry of silver strands and black feathers.
It was Kadaj's limp, battered body that slowly slumped to the ground.
Cloud wanted to go to him but realized the boy didn't quite understand what was going on. Warily, he waited for recognition to light those jade green eyes, but Kadaj was on automatic defense. He staggered to his feet and lunged at Cloud only to stumble at the last second, tumbling into his waiting arms with his perfect white teeth clenched.
Cloud gazed down at his beautiful, beloved face, tears forming in his blue eyes when Kadaj whispered, "Brother?" and groped to touch his face.
"Don't leave me," Cloud whispered, cradling him close, his voice low with emotion. "Kadaj…I love you. I love you. I…Please, don't leave me…"
"I'll never leave you," Kadaj said, his body shuddering with sudden pain. Sephiroth had used his body as a parasite uses a host—and now Kadaj suffered through the effects of Cloud's attacks. It was Sephiroth's final, spiteful dig at Cloud, leaving Kadaj so battered and wounded that he couldn't possibly survive.
Cloud's warm, wet tears mingled with the rain that fell like forgiveness from the clearing sky, all traces of Sephiroth's dark fog evaporating. He heard Aerith's voice when she called for Kadaj, and clung to him with all of his might, weeping when that little hand reached up to grasp what only he could see. He heard Aerith inside his head, begging him to let Kadaj go, let him be freed for once of the pain he'd lived with his whole short life.
'But I love him,' he silently begged, forcing himself not to tear the boy away.
'Then let him be healed,' Aerith said, her voice bubbling with joy as always. 'Has the world been so unkind to you, Cloud, that you don't trust me anymore?'
His brows pulled low with confusion, but he gently kissed Kadaj, whispering, "I love you…don't forget that…Don't forget me…"
"Brother," Kadaj said, smiling, his eyes distant. "I love you, too…"
As his little body dissolved into the Lifestream, Cloud heard his soft voice echo back, "I will never leave you…"
Cloud stood as Kadaj's body rose to disappear into sparks of pure energy, flowing into the Lifestream at Aerith's behest. He let the tears come, there was rain enough to hide them, to sooth them. He felt rooted to the spot, aching for Kadaj to return to him, knowing that this time he would never find such a thing again. He was a man always destined to lose the ones he loved most, and that thought was as terribly saddening as it was true.
He was unprepared for the shot that hit him, blowing through his chest so near his heart that a nudge to the left would've killed him—mako-enhanced or not. He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, pain and sudden anger filling him.
"We go together," he heard Kadaj's brother said, his voice stilted and broken.
"Together, we'll play," the big one put in, in no better shape than the other.
Cloud staggered to his feet, teeth clenched, and whipped his head around to see them.
"You…you hurt him," the big one said. "You…killed our Kadaj…"
"You're…you're a monster…"
The words hit him harshly, flaying at his raw emotions, filling him with guilt at how badly he'd failed Kadaj. Snarling with a wolf's own fury, Cloud turned on them and rushed them, dragging the sword along the ground and striking sparks.
The two brothers stood their ground, materia glowing inside them as they released a surge of power. All three were blasted by the resulting explosion that no one could survive.
Not even Cloud.
A/N: keep up with the trust, keep it going!