The Second Arc to Dust and Bones
The Power to Hurt; The Power to Heal
This is an amateur effort and does not intend to infringe on the rights of Squaresoft.
This story is set a week after Sephiroth was defeated, though some events in the past are altered due to the fact that Sephiroth had survived the Omnislash and Zack is still alive.
Pairing: Zack X Sephiroth, Cloud X Sephiroth
Warnings: Shounen-ai, Angst.
A/N: Well guys, there's this question that has been on my mind for quite some time. Does Cloud really love Sephiroth? I was updating my website the other day and was reformatting all my fiction (re-reading them at the same time), Cloud seems to be more bent on fulfilling his promise to Zack that actually loving Sephiroth. It was a crush that he had on Sephiroth, a form of blind worship even. But love? I'm not so sure about that. I may be biased (we all know that I'm a ZS supporter) so, I'm asking for the opinions of my readers. What do you guys think? [As per usual, 5 reviews a chapter, alright? But you guys must give me at least 6 this time. I never had the 5th review for the previous chapter.]
Replies to some of my reviewers: [from now on the replies will be posted on my blog _ ]
Rchan: Well, since you asked so nicely, here it is. A little late though, but better than never, right?
Mistressofterror: Thanks, I really hope I can maintain or improve on my writing. Keep the criticisms coming.
WarmBubble: Oh yes! Finally found another fan of uke Sephiroth. My friends have been telling me how sick I am to make the oh-so-mighty 5 star General uke. But don't you think he look so much better are sprawled in bed, just waiting for some one to ravish him? And I never believe Sephiroth to be a seme sort. He's just too emotionally disturbed for that. [Better convince me that Cloud really loves Sephiroth in this story before I give you the pairing you want.
Grand Lethal: Hm…wait a minute, do I know you? Are you nefersehgal? Sorry about taking so long to update…real life strikes back. [Argh, schoolwork really sucks.] Hm…I'll give Zack and Sephiroth another chance. But whether they will end up together or not depends on how willing I am to make Cloud suffer. *evil cackles*
So, here's the long-awaited Chapter 4!
***
But the scars of memory never fade away
I can't stop loving you
Stop my tears
Stop my loving
Kill my memories
~ Silent Jealousy, X Japan
"Forfeit the game before they put you out of it"; that was what they taught at SOLDIER. That was also something that Zack had never stood by. It made absolutely no sense to him to give up anything without a fight. But this time was different.
He gave up.
Sitting alone at the bar counter, he pulled his long coat closer to himself and signaled to the bartender for another drink. It was snowing heavily outside the inn, and even the bright lights and loud music of the Gold Saucer had failed to lift his spirits.
"Hey buddy," the bartender smirked, pushing his tequila across the counter. "You don't look good. Just got dumped?"
Zack remained silent, accepting the drink with a polite nod. It was his sixth shot in a roll already, the ex-SOLDIER noted as he mechanically placed his gloved palm over the small glass, lifted it up and slammed its base onto the plastic surface.
"No, I dumped him first." Zack tilted his head back and drained his glass with one smooth movement. Who was he trying to convince? The bartender, or was it himself?
He ordered another drink.
"Trying to knock yourself out?" Sephiroth teased, pulling back Zack's hand when the lieutenant asked for another shot. "Am I that bad a prospect?"
Zack blinked away the apparition that the drunken haze had conjured up.
"Of all things that I could see, it had to be him." Zack cursed bitterly, emptying another shot of tequila down his throat.
"You dumped him first? You mean he was about to dump you?" The bartender probed further. Zack looked up, unconsciously tightening his hold on the glass.
"Maybe."
"You think he wants it?" The bartender smirked, crossing his arms and on the bar counter and leaning forward.
If looks could kill, there would have been a massacre at the pub already. But the other man only remained smiling.
"Do you believe I can kill you?" Zack replied with a question of his own. The bartender continued to smile, as if that was all he knew, as if that was all he could do. Finally, he raised his hand and placed it on the right side of Zack's face gently, letting the feel of the cold metal sink into his skin.
"No."
"No?" Zack raised an eyebrow and brushed the hand away irritably.
"You will not kill me. Because you would not reject the only person left to listen to you."
Zack kept silent for a while, a contemplative look spreading across his face.
"Give me a few more shots, I need to be drunk enough to do this."
***
He sat on the bed, gasping for breath and looking around wildly until he felt a pair of arms embracing him.
"Oh God…not again…not again…" Sephiroth muttered, shaking his head to clear away the remnants of the nightmare. "I killed you…oh God, Zack…I killed you again…"
"Shh…" A hand stroked his long white hair gently, rocking his shaking body to and fro. "It's okay…he's still alive, Sephiroth. He's still alive…"
This was the third night that Sephiroth had woken up in the middle of the night screaming his ex-lover's name. This was also the third night since they had moved out of the Shinra mansion in Nibelheim to a small cozy cottage on the upper plate of Midgar that Zack had bought for him so many years ago. Sephiroth said he needed to be distracted from the painful memories that the mansion held for him, but after these three nights, Cloud was already getting apprehensive about moving to Zack's cottage.
"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked, instinctively wiping the tears from his eyes. Cloud sighed softly, wishing that the other man would stop doing this.
"I'm here, Sephiroth," he told the blind man, wondering once again what had possessed him to give in to Sephiroth's request.
"Just be around, will you?" Sephiroth asked softly, burying his head deeper into Cloud's shoulders. His fingers tightened their grip on Cloud's shirt.
"Just be around when I need you, like oxygen. Keep me alive…please…"
***
The two men tumbled clumsily into bed, their minds concentrating only on the contact of bare skin. He needed it. Just one night and he would convince himself that he could still go on. Just one night and he would be able to get on with his life and forget whatever that had happened to him during the war.
"Your arm…" His partner asked, only to be silenced by the crashing of lips against lips.
"Forget it, ignore it. You know what we both need, baby. Hurry," Zack said in between kisses, desperately depraving the stranger and himself of clothes. The act was quick, hurried, and desperate even. Both of them knew that they had to quench this thirst for sexual contact, or die trying.
"Do me a favor," Zack pleaded as he pinned his partner's arms above his head, his hands reaching for the hardened member under those boxers. "Keep quiet." And he plunged into that tight hot cavern, pounding into their feverishly hot sensation. He was hurting the other man, but he did not care. Not like there were any protests anyway.
The dark haired ex-SOLDIER growled when he finally found his release. As he wearily pulled his limp member out of the other's body and fell on his back beside the man on the cheap mattress, he wondered if he had found his peace.
"Go back to him," the bartender turned around to lay on his side, tugging the white washed blanket up to cover his nude body.
"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" Zack asked, throwing an arm across his eyes to hide his tears. Why? He had convinced himself that it was for the good of both Sephiroth and him that Zack stayed as far away from him as possible. So why was he hurting so much now? Why was it that even the touch of another could not heal the wound in his heart?
"Don't change the topic."
Zack pushed himself up on the bed. Looking towards the window, he almost sighed as he took in the sight of the silver moon above. Silver was the color of his hair. He tried to shake away the memory of his lovely tormented angel looking at him through the thick glass of the lab cylinder. Had he made the right choice after all?
He got up from the bed and held out a hand to the man he had bedded just moments ago.
"Come with me?"
The bartender hesitated for a moment, surprise evident in his eyes, until he realized that Zack was simply looking for a support to depend on while he sort out his thoughts.
"If you tell me your name first." The man demanded, hugging the soft pillow and looking up at Zack through half-dilated eyes.
"Zack. Just Zack will do."
He smiled, crawling up from his position on the bed and took Zack's hands. Shaking it, he offered his trademark grin.
"Nice to meet you. The name's Jake. Just Jake will do too."
What a strange thought. To introduce yourself to the man you just had sex with as if you were meeting him for the first time. Jake tilted his head to one side and beckoned for Zack to return to the bed. It would be a long day tomorrow.
Whoever you are, Jake mused. You are a bloody lucky bastard to have a man like this in love with you.
***
//Requesting for air clearance from control tower at 0949. This is x187664, I repeat. This is x187664. Please reply. Over. //
//This is control tower. Air clearance granted. Please land at runway 71. Over. //
//Roger //
Elena pulled off the headphones and leant back against the hard backed chair, wincing slightly as her spine protested.
"With the sort of money they earn, surely they can afford better chairs than that." She muttered. It was during times like this when she thought that life might have been much better if the Turks still exist. But then again, with Reeve in charge of the Shinra now, there were no more dirty corrupted chores that the cooperation dabbled with. Hence, there was no need for the Turks, otherwise known as the evidence clean-up team, to exist anymore.
"They can, but that doesn't mean they will spend the money on you." Elena spun around, instinctively reaching for the gun at her waist that was no longer there. Damn conditioned reflex, she thought. Overreacting at every single frickin' thing.
"Hi Reno," she relaxed again, raising an eyebrow at the redhead that just walked into the control room of Midgar International Airport.
The redhead smirked at her, leaning against the side of the door with two tickets in his hand.
"You free to go on a movie with me? I wanted to ask Rude, but God knows where that guy is."
Elena narrowed her eyes and pouted.
"You don't have to tell me I'm the second choice, Reno."
"As a matter of fact, you were the last. Aside from Scarlet, of course." Reno pushed himself off the door and walked towards the girl. Green eyes widened when he noticed something on the screens of the room.
"Fuck!" He shouted, hurrying to get a closer look, praying to whatever God up there that bothered to listen that he had not just seen what he thought he did.
"What's wrong, Re—…Oh my god…" Elena held her breath, trembling in fear as she took in the side of the dark green object in the sky. Even in the poorly illuminated night sky she could see clearly the shiny cold surface of the creature.
"Since when did that thing learn how to fly??!"
***
"Reeve, you know, I really wont mind if you will likely provide me with an explanation about what the hell is going on?!" The current President of Shinra cringed at the shrill voice, holding the phone further away from his ears. Sometimes the man really wished that he were really Cait Sith, where all he had to concern himself about was giving out fortune cookies at Gold Saucer.
Closing his eyes, he pushed the stack of photos away from him and concentrated on calming the woman on the phone with him.
"Relax, Scarlet. They are only rumors."
"Like hell they are rumors! You weren't the one skinny-dipping when the Ruby WEAPON decides to invade your BACKYARD!"
"Skinny-dipping? Who were you skinny-dipping with? Really, tell me it's not Palmer or Heidigger. I don't think my poor innocent mind will be able to take it."
"That's not the problem!! What are you going to do about the WEAPONs??!!"
Reeve massaged his tortured ears and took in a deep breath. He needed a vacation; probably a month alone at Costa de Sol sun tanning. Yes, now that sounded like a wonderful idea.
"I will think about it, Scarlet dear. Leave it to me."
"You better! If the same shit with Jenova happened again, I make sure you become fish food!" Reeve nodded, unconcerned that the woman would not be able to see. "Oh, and Reeve?"
"Yes, Scarlet?"
"It was Palmer." And the line went dead.
"Now, now, Scarlet," Reeve replaced the phone back onto its holder and returned to study the photos of the four painfully familiar creatures of doom he had on his desk. "I really don't have to know that."
---
+End of Chapter 4+
+Continue to Chapter 5+