Zax yawned loudly as he entered the dining room of the 7th Heaven Tavern and Inn wearing a loose night robe, the room around him still empty. He glanced around, looking for Tifa. The man found her in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for herself and her three special guests, still wearing her puppy-print jimmies. "Hey," he greeted her.
"Morning," she replied with a tired smile, handing him a mug of coffee. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Like a log!" grinned Zax, sipping the liquid. His grin suddenly vanished. "Why do you ask?"
Tifa shrugged, going back to the scrambled eggs. "There were a lot of noises coming from Sephiroth's room sometime in the middle of the night. And I heard Cloud moaning and shouting. Kept me up all night. It ended at around one or two this morning."
The man spewed his coffee and stood suddenly. "What?!"
"Didn't you hear it?" she asked over her shoulder, turning off the stove. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the two were having sex!"
For a moment, neither said a word as the same thought struck them. Saying nothing, the two dashed from the kitchen towards Sephiroth's guestroom. Reaching it, the two hesitated, placing their heads on the door to listen for sounds coming from within the room. Hearing none, Zax tested the knob to see if it was locked, finding the door was secured in no way at all. Silently, the two opened the door and entered. Instantly, they stopped in the room's entrance; wide-eyed and beet red with embarrassment.
Sephiroth and Cloud lay in the man's bed, wrapped in each other's arms and a white blanket that revealed more than it covered. They were naked and had obviously done something during the night, a strange liquid making their bodies glow in the morning sun and the white sheets stick to their skin. Neither of them stirred in their sleep, not hearing Zax and Tifa enter.
"Oh my...uh..." she tried to turn away. "Maybe we should leave these two alone..."
Too shocked to move or speak, Zax had to be dragged away by Tifa, the woman closing the door behind them. As she did so, Sephiroth slowly woke to the sound of the closed door. He sat up a bit, shivering as the cool morning air bit at his bare skin. Wrapping a nearby blanket around his waist, he went to his bag.
"Forgive me Cloud," he whispered, pulling out a syringe of glowing blue liquid. Taking the protective covering from the needle, he went to the blonde and inserted the syringe into Cloud's bicep. The younger flinched in his sleep as Sephiroth injected the liquid into him. "This must be done to protect you..."
The last of the serum injected into Cloud, Sephiroth removed the syringe from the blonde's skin and tossed the surgical instrument into the trash. Cloud slept still, the blue liquid appearing to take no effect. But Sephiroth knew better, sensing Jenova's cells die within Cloud, allowing the blonde to live through the final battle.
"Now you won't die," Sephiroth told the sleeping blonde, leaning down to kiss the younger's lips. "When Jenova is destroyed, you won't die." He lightly kissed Cloud's lips and pulled the warm covers up to the younger's chin. "Rest...while I think of who the hell I'm going to save Zax..."
Sighing to himself, Sephiroth picked up his clothes and went into the nearby bathroom to shower.
***
Zax had lost his appetite from the sight he saw earlier, now attempting to regain his sanity with a cup of straight black coffee. He would have had alcohol, but Tifa forbade it. The image failed to leave his mind as he sat in the kitchen, trying to recover. Sephiroth entered silently, his hair still damp from his shower. Accepting a cup of steaming tea from the blushing Tifa, he went to the table and sat down across from Zax, saying nothing. His eyes were not as distant as they used to be, Zax saw, as Sephiroth stared at the tabletop.
"Was it worth it?" Zax finally asked.
The silver-haired man nodded his head. "He loves me Zax," the man spoke, "more than he loved anyone else. I'm not afraid anymore...of anything."
"You aren't afraid he'll die when Jenova is defeated?"
"No...Cloud won't die...I've already made sure of that." Finally, he looked up at Zax. "Hojo told me someone will have to die in order to defeat her. It's not going to be Cloud and, if you trust me, it won't be you either."
Zax nearly dropped his mug of coffee. "What?! You mean..."
"I have an injection that will neutralize the Jenova cells in you. I've already given Cloud his injection."
"But...won't you..."
Again Sephiroth nodded his head. "Too many have been hurt because of me. I think now is the time I will truly redeem myself."
"By sacrificing yourself?! A stunt like that would shatter Cloud!"
Sephiroth looked at Zax with wide eyes. "What else can we do then? Either way someone will have to die..." He shook his head. "Cloud won't die now because of Jenova and I can't allow you to die..." The man looked up at Zax with a weak smile. "Someone will have to take care of Cloud for me..."
The dark-haired man opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a shout from above. "Cloud..." Sephiroth gasped, standing first. He led the way up to his room, Zax only a few paces behind him. Reaching the room, the two stood in the doorway, confused at the sight before them.
Not one, but two Clouds turned to the door from their fighting stances. Both were fully dressed and looked identical. "Woah..." Zax muttered. "No more coffee for me...This is way too fucked up..."
"One of them is Jenova in disguise," Sephiroth replied. "I can sense it..."
The Cloud on the left pointed to the one on the right. "That's Jenova! She came here in disguise as Sephiroth and attacked me! Then she shifted to look like me as you entered!"
"No! It's a lie!" argued the Cloud on the right. "Sephiroth you must believe me! That's Jenova! If you love me, you'll believe me!"
Zax rubbed his head. "Man, I've got a headache...I can't tell which is which!"
"I can..." muttered Sephiroth. Letting out a shout, he hurled a ball of dark energy towards the Cloud on the right. The ball hit the fake head-on, forcing Jenova back to her raven form. Cawing curses, the enchantress flew out of the nearby open window. Sephiroth went to the real Cloud.
"You okay?" the older man asked.
"Yeah..." replied Cloud, rubbing his head a bit. "Just a little confused, but nothing too major."
"Jenova is a shape-shifter. That's just peachy!" growled Zax. "She could be anyone and everyone for all we know!"
"Zax," Sephiroth turned to the dark-haired man. "Go talk to Tifa. See if you can get her to help us. We're going to need all the help we can get."
Nodding his head, Zax left the two alone. A slight paint of blush on his face, Cloud spoke, "Last night...was real...wasn't it? It wasn't a dream?"
Saying nothing, Sephiroth placed a deep kiss on Cloud's lips, his tongue going into Cloud's mouth. The elder felt his prisoner gasp and blush as Sephiroth grabbed and fondled Cloud as he kissed him. Tears of pain filled Cloud's closed eyes, trying to fight back. Finally Sephiroth pulled back, releasing both the kiss and the blonde's groin. "When I said there were no limits between us anymore," Sephiroth answered, "I meant it. We're lovers now..." He turned to go but stopped, glancing over his shoulder as he licked his lips. "By the way, thanks for breakfast. It was nummy." With a wink, he left.
Cloud's blush deepened, watching Sephiroth leave. "Hey wait a minute! Yo, asswipe! What do you mean 'It was nummy'?!" he shouted, chasing after him.