Touch your dreams
Cloud was pacing the waiting room nervously, his arm wrapped around his mid-section. He was so stressed that he was developing an ulcer. The two first fights he got through had been easy though… He had done very well, it took him less than 15 minutes to beat his opponents and each of them were troopers. The next battle would be held against a Third Class SOLDIER. Cloud was beyond nervous.
- Yo, Spiky! You did great!!!, cheered Zack
Cloud looked at the dark-haired SOLDIER, painfully holding his stomach. The dark-haired SOLDIER forced him to sit down.
- Damn, Cloud! We leave you alone for five minutes and look at yourself… I guess Seph was right…
He got out of his pocket a little Roll-aids tube he handed the blond. Cloud crunched some tablets immediately, swallowing them in hope that it would relieve him of the pain. Zack wished him good luck, winking to the young man. He should not need it, thought the SOLDIER as he walked back to the training ground, up to his seat next to Sephiroth. The General was focused on the field.
- Cloud Strife, S class trooper against Treyvor Furchek 3rd class SOLDIER. Trooper your match?, asked one of the judges
- Bare handed.
Zack startled. The tone of Cloud's voice had changed drastically. He was ready to fight. The nervousness was still lingering, but he was decided. A promising match. As soon as the signal was given, the SOLDIER charged toward Cloud, who back flipped swiftly, getting out of the way, then rolled to get behind his enemy. But the blond did not any attack move yet, waiting his real chance.
- When he is forced to fight, commented Sephiroth, he becomes one of the best. See what he's doing? He analyses his opponent. And if I'm right, he's going to attack… now.
Indeed, Cloud had make his move. Blocking a punch that was going straight for his guts he launched a knife hand to his opponent's throat. Having him dazzled, he flipped him on his back, grabbed his leg and executed a perfect key, locking the SOLDIER under him. Now that Cloud had complete control of the fight, he literally brought his opponent on his knees with a chain of swift blows and moves.
The judges were impressed, but not Sephiroth. The General knew that Cloud could do better than that, was amazingly good with a sword. But he smirked at his student's strategy. He wasn't doing anything that could make him look too good, hiding his best cards until the end, when he was unleashing his finishing blows. Sephiroth was very proud of him, he was the best SOLDIER candidate. Zack stood up and was going toward the waiting room, but the General stopped him.
- No, Zack, he said firmly, don't. He have to deal with the pressure by himself. If you go, it'll only add to his burden.
- But, won't he be worried?
- Believe me, he's far too much stressed right now to think about it. He'll be fine. I trust him.
- Are you nervous? You sound like you're trying to convince yourself…
- Mmph… I /did/ trained him, I know he will pass.
Zack chuckled at his superior's behaviour. Surely Sephiroth was a little nervous for his lover… Half an hour later, the cadets that were going for the second round were called up. Cloud was the first on the list. From the hundred or so at first, only 43 had been called for the SOLDIER test. And now, they were cut down by 15. 15 had made their way to the Third class, 28 were trying for the Second, and only a small number of them would try for the First… Fighting against a Second Class SOLDIER didn't mean that you were automatically be a Second Class, a cadet was judged in relation to his capacities. And to do so, for the SOLDIER round, a trooper could decide to use the sword. Most of them did this at the first battle and were sticking to the martial arts for the higher classes. Using the sword against a First class was considered suicidal… And few of the candidates had the potential and the strength to become a First Class…
The round of fights began anew, the cadets showing much more aggressiveness and Cloud wasn't an exception. For the first time, he was the one to attack, lunging toward his opponent, knocking him off with only four moves. Moves that only Sephiroth and the judges had been able to count, they had hit the target so precisely and so rapidly. And as predicted, only 7 troopers were chosen for the final round, the round that was determining if they were really First Class material. Each trooper saw himself assigned to a random opponent, pulled out of a name list sorted out by a computer. Zack had been summoned for the second fight but murmurs started to fill the room when a certain name was displayed on the screen. General Sephiroth paled. He did not know his name was in the list… and he certainly did not want to fight against… Cloud.
- After all, you're a First Class, too, murmured Zack, Anyway, it will be an interesting fight, for sure…
*******
Sephiroth advanced on the field, Masamune in hand. To everyone's surprise, the blond had chosen a sword duel with him. But the General knew that he couldn't let a chance to Cloud, well Hojo and a lot of people were watching, and knew too that if he couldn't deflect the first blow, Cloud would lose.
- The duel will end when one of you will give up, or if someone's knocked off or sustain a serious injury.
Both fighters nodded, retreating to the ends of the gym to take their stance. Then it began. Sephiroth closed the distance between them in less than a second, bringing the Masamune down in a diagonal arc across his student's body. To his relief, and to general's surprise, he heard a distinguishing 'clang'. Cloud was pushed backward, but remained on his feet. He had deflected the blow… and was determined to win that fight. His height was an advantage and he started to use it very well, avoiding the deadly swings of his superior and retaliating with swift kicks or slashes, even if they were always blocked. Suddenly Sephiroth raised the pace and performed a chain of incredibly precise blows that Cloud had difficulties to stand against. A red light formed around him, the lights faded the gym seemed like the infinite space…
- Meteorain!
Sephiroth was taken aback a little. The only limits he knew of Cloud were the Braver, Cross slash and the Blade beam he had helped him to develop and master. He had literally skipped a level. The General looked up and saw a rain of small meteors coming down on him. Readying his sword, he focused on his own limit break. The red light surrounded him and in mid-flight, a large comet, the Super Nova, collided with the Meteorain, cancelling both attacks. Sephiroth knew that Cloud was now exhausted and as the explosion rumbled, he made his move. To his surprise, the blond blocked, weakly, but blocked. However, in his current state was pushed rather harshly on the tatami. The fight ended and the lights returned. The rumble of applause that followed was welcome to the General, that meant his student had done well, but he had lost… And those exclamations sickened him. Cloud would never had another chance to become a First class, only because a stupid machine decided to. Sephiroth felt bad inside, seeing his lover spread on his back. Cloud was probably very tired. Hojo looked pleased, too, so he moved out to get to his quarters, where he locked himself in his bedroom. Shaking all over, he fell on his knees and discarded his sword. Cloud would be very angry at him. He had destroyed his dreams.
*******
Cloud walked down the hall, Zack supporting most of his weight alone. The fact that he had used suddenly a new limit without having developing it before was the cause to his drowsiness. To prevent this, the SOLDIER were practising those movements repeatedly, until they were finding a pattern. Once they found that pattern, they were starting to add new moves to finally end up with a new limit break. Some involved magic, like Cloud's Meteorain, magic that instinctively came out when the chain of movements were triggered. But when a fighter was confronted to an extreme case, he was occasionally using some new limits, already there but still undiscovered, to defend itself. Doing so, the power of the limit was extreme and exterminated the enemies most of the times, but also was exhausting for the fighter.
- C'mon, Cloud, we're almost there.
He only received a sleepy murmur as answer. Zack chuckled. He looked so much like a boy when he was sleeping. Punching the code for the door, the dark-haired SOLDIER lead his friend to the bedroom, laying him on the bed. His day had been hard. He let him sleep. Now he had to find Sephiroth. He could not understand why the silver-haired man hadn't stayed for the results, or why he wasn't at home, either. He decided to wait for him. But when at 1:00 am he wasn't back, Zack was truly worried and went to check to his office. There was a dim light in the room, so he entered and found who he was looking for. But he also smelled blood. The General was sleeping fitfully on the small couch. Carefully, the Commander approached and shook him a little. Sephiroth opened slowly his eyes, they were reddened and glowing insanely because of the Mako. Groaning, the silver-haired man complained that the light was hurting… The curtains and the lamp were closed in a swift move and Zack came back near his friend.
- Hojo got you this time… God, Seph, you cannot stay here. I'm bringing you back to your quarters.
- No… He's angry…
- Wha?, Zack thought for a moment and finally understood, Sephiroth, Cloud passed the exam… Don't kill yourself over it. Everyone know that you cannot be beaten, but Cloud did impress the judges. Now that's enough, come with me, you need to rest.
It hadn't been easy, but they succeeded in walking all the way to his quarters and his bathroom first where Zack started to clean his wounds.
- Don't open your eyes, okay? I'll need light to clean all those cuts. Just stay still.
Sephiroth wasn't having the strength to nod, letting Zack do as he pleased. The SOLDIER frowned at the deepness of his wounds, mostly those in his back, as if something had clawed at his shoulder blades. The minute he touched those marks with a cotton soaked in antiseptic his whole body tensed and he blacked out, falling lifelessly on the ground. Zack hurriedly finished to clean and bandage the gashes, closed back the lights and applied some ice on his wounds, trying to wake him up. When he heard a feeble moan, he picked him up and guided him to bed.
- Seph, get some rest. If you need anything, just wake me up, okay? I'll be right here…
Zack leaned against the bed on Sephiroth's side and fell asleep, as he used to during the Wutai war.
********
- I don't know, sir! He was this way when I came in to know why he wasn't at his office today…
- I don't care!, barked Heidegger, just give him those damn papers and tell him to prepare himself. In four days he's going to Nibelheim. And what is doing that trooper here?
- It's his student, recently promoted to First Class SOLDIER, Cloud Strife. I had asked him to stay by his side and take care of everything he would need while I was replacing him for today, sir.
The argument lasted for a long ten minutes, in which the General's headache just got worse before Heidegger left, unfortunately replaced by Hojo immediately after. The scientist examined closely the General. Zack and Cloud had been thrown out of the bedroom and both were fearing the worst; Hojo was in a too good mood. After few minutes that seemed an eternity, he got out, a sly smirk marking his features. They watched him go then ran up to Sephiroth. He was livid. Cloud rushed to him before he could faint, holding him so close that Zack thought for a moment that the man was hurt. But Cloud's fears reached the top when his lover went totally limp in his arms. Calling his name restlessly, the panic rising inside of him, an surreal fear that he might die in his arms… Zack suddenly slapped him.
- Cloud!, he shouted, calm down!
- But… What happened!
- I know nothing more than you, Cloud. We'll have to ask him, or rather coax it out of him, I'm afraid…
Cloud looked at him with eyes full of confusion, but immediately calmed down. They had to find out what happened to Sephiroth in a so short period of time. If Hojo was good at anything, it was in scaring people. And it seemed it was very effective on the General.
- Said I wasn't worth his efforts… He will send me to my mother…
Both men looked down at Sephiroth in utter shock. Then Cloud brushed shakily a hand through his hair.
- Why are you so scared? You always tell me you would like to meet my mom, why are you so afraid of yours?
- Because… Hojo always told me she was ordering him to make me stronger, no matter what. 'Your mother won't be able to use you if you stay that weak'… She's cruel, even more than Hojo…
- How can you know that?, asked Zack in disbelief.
- During the last Mako treatment Hojo did to me, the silver haired man replied with dread, I heard her whisper to me… to kill you… but I know she can't…
Zack and Cloud looked at each other. They both knew Jenova had passed away 20 years ago, giving birth to her son. Sephiroth was scared out of his wits and in need of comfort. The blond hushed him and sweetly put him back to sleep. The Commander left them after a while, going back to the General's abandoned office for the day. The next morning, when Sephiroth read his mission orders to go to Nibelheim, he immediately decided to leave for the western continent right away, taking Cloud with him. They both left in the Gelnika at the end of the day, departing with a cargo going to Gongaga. Sephiroth had his lover quickly asleep with the help of his medicine, so he did not got sick during the flight. They landed at Costa del Sol, where the General of the Shinra army had a suit reserved in the best hotel of the area. Zack and the rest of the troops would arrive in 6 days, the boat ride itself lasting 3 full days in all. So that meant they had time for themselves…
*********
Sephiroth was letting himself float in he warm water, looking at the stars above him when a playful blond-haired dolphin leaped on him. Cloud giggled, feeling his lover's arms around him… In a sensual move, they kissed under the moon light, surrounded by the waves, soothing water, giving them a sense of calm they never had before. Swimming back to the shore and back to their room, jade eyes pleading, Cloud embraced him tightly.
- Does your head still hurt?, he asked softly.
Sephiroth nodded. Since they left, he was plagued with those nasty headaches. He hadn't told Cloud yet, but when he was alone, he could hear someone, /her/, whisper to him, and it was frightening. A tear rolled down his cheek but the blond wiped it away quickly.
- Come here, he said, Don't be so afraid, do you want something, anything?
- Yes… Don't leave me, please, I feel… I feel so disconnected from the reality. Cloud, if I ever do anything to endanger you or anyone, stop me, please, stop me even if you must kill me to do so…
- Sephiroth! You can't ask me to-
- Shhh… Just promise…
Cloud felt tears falling down. What was asking Sephiroth was terrible. However, he could not ignore the sinking feeling he had about that mission. To Nibelheim. They were leaving tomorrow afternoon. Zack would arrive with the troopers going to Gongaga and to Nibelheim in the morning. Cloud squeezed him more, sliding on the bed with him.
- No, I won't promise. I won't promise this because I promise I'll never leave your side, never, ever. I will prevent this. Just rest, rest and it will pass, it's just an impression, it's not going to happen…
Sephiroth really wanted to believe him… But somehow he felt that the last Mako treatment he had received was a very special one…
- Soon the time will come, my son… Soon…
*********
Midgar
In the crumpled church of sector five, a lonely figure stared at the fading black rose. It's petal flew in the dusty wind. Kneeling down on the earthy ground, she began to pray, and soon drops of pure water fell down her face. She was selfish, she knew, to pray for her feelings alone… when the Planet itself was crying for it's life…
- Child, be strong. Do not let her scare you. The Calamity of the Sky seeks revenge on this planet, you will have to stop her. I'm sorry for your boyfriend, I'll take good care of him, I promise.
Nodding silently, she buried the black rose.
- Thank you, mother. Good bye, Zackary…
End
Author's notes
Here it is!!! 'Calm before the storm' is over!!! Get ready for 'Lover's war'! But let me warn you: it should be as long as the two other fics… or so I hope. But you know I have a very busy muse, and she's already at work! First chapter of 'Lover's war': Nibelheim, the gates of insanity.