WARNING: Sephiroth's chapter is (surprise, surprise) VERY DARK. There is (what I consider) dark and disturbing imagery, and gore. If this offends you, please skip to Cloud's half… which contains a bit of Sephiroth x Leon x Cloud lime. .; And if THAT offends you… then skip the freakin' chapter entirely, alright?
Part Nine
Everything I am and everything in me,
Wants to be the one you wanted me to be.
I'll never let you down even if I could,
I'd give up everything if only for your good.
------------------
"Explain your logic to me just once more," Sephiroth asked, chin resting on his fist, lips pursed. Zack's plan for opening the door was under tough scrutiny by the leather-clad ex-General, who found his spiky-haired mind partner's plan simply absurd.
/--Ugh, why do I have to explain it again?!--/
"Zackary, please. Indulge me."
He could feel the scowl on the other man's face, seeing as Zack had already told his former superior officer his 'strategy' five freakin' times already.
/--You know it. You're some weird Darkness-holding guy now, or have been since that blue fucker… whatever… yeah, so try and like… teleport or morph or faze in there or something! You did some freaky shit back when you were Jenova's puppet, I saw you do things like that, Seph…--/
"That wasn't me." Sephiroth raised his eyebrow skeptically. "But do you truly believe this will work?"
/--I don't know, I'm pulling this out of my ass!--/ Zack muttered. /--It's a hunch. Besides, have I been wrong before?--/ Before Sephiroth could answer with a positive, the black-haired SOLDIER went off on a tangent. /--How about when I told you not to attack the door? Shit, even that fuckin' sneak attack during the war. And when I told you Cloud did want you? Remember ALL those times I was right and you were—--/
"Enough," the silver-haired man interrupted, uncurling his fingers. "That's enough." He sighed, scratching his cheek with a fingertip absentmindedly. He closed his eyes, drawing his lower lip into his mouth, bobbing his head slightly in thought. Sephiroth sighed, throwing his hands into the air. "All right. But I've no clue how to start this."
Zack mentally shrugged. /--I dunno either. Just… concentrate.--/
"Always concentrating with you," Sephiroth mumbled, getting to his feet. His hands automatically went to brush himself off and tug at his clothes out of habit before walking steadily to the door, taking a deep breath. /This is so idiotic,/ he thought to himself, rolling his eyes.
/--…I heard that…--/
/Oops. My mistake,/ the ex-General thought back sarcastically. "I suppose it's worthy of a try."
/--Damn right it is.--/
"So full of yourself…" He dropped an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. "How did you know about Jenova, Zackary?" Sephiroth frowned, making a face. "And how did you know everything else you have when all of the events occurred after your death?"
/--The Lifestream does some freaky shit, Sephy.--/
The silver-haired man frowned once more. "Do not call me……'Sephy'," he reprimanded with a shudder before asking his intended question. "Is that where you are now? The Lifestream?"
/--No, I don't even know where I am… it's all… blank.--/
"'Blank'…? Care to elaborate?"
Zack sighed. /--How can I elaborate when there's nothing to elaborate on? Like I said, it's blank. It's all black. And no, not 'Darkness' black,--/ he finished before the other man could interrupt.
"…I see." He bit his lip, shaking his head. "Down to business, then."
/--Fantastic idea, Mr. General.--/
Sephiroth rolled his eyes. and stood in front of the door, staring at it with an eyebrow lowered, analyzing it. He'd looked at it countless times before, and it was always the same. When he attempted to do anything at all, he had no result, and he couldn't feel anything on the other side of the keyhole except that humming sensation. But he had to do something, this was apparently his only option for escape.
He wasn't able to call up a portal in this place, the windows in the room - if he could call them that - couldn't be opened or broken. The latter, he found when he, at Zack's insistence, heaved a heavy Victorian-style chair at it. He'd have sworn at himself afterwards for ruining such a lovely piece of furniture, since he had a feeling the window couldn't be broken after Ansem's beating on it. But instead, Sephiroth was busy swearing at Zack, who was laughing himself silly at the ex-General's expense for 'actually listening to such a bullshit suggestion'.
Sephiroth took a breath and crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side. "Which strategy am I to try now, Zack? No more mindless destruction, if you'd be so kind."
/--…um… you could try and teleport?--/
"I cannot teleport," he stated blandly, blowing a piece of hair away from his face.
/--Just try it… gods, why are you always so stubborn?--/
"It's my nature, you know this." Zack only sighed a response.
Sephiroth uncrossed his arms and dropped them to his sides, moving his fingers in a wave-like motion. He craned his neck downwards, rolling his shoulders, eyes closed in concentration. When he felt he was ready to attempt teleportation, he put all his thought into one goal - to get to the other side of the door, and find Riku.
Sephiroth felt a shudder pass through his body and clamped his eyes shut, putting all of his mental capacity into centering his body's energy in hopes of displacing his form. Fiercely he concentrated for what seemed like hours, his entire being shaking from the sheer exertion of will.
He was also pleasantly surprised that even Zack had shut up long enough for him to try anything.
/Are you able to help me?/
/--I don't know, but I'll at least try.--/
/…give it a rest./
He felt a slight pulling at his psyche as Zack fell silent once more. Sephiroth could feel the strain both he and his friend were going through as they attempted the teleportation stunt. Zack groaned loudly, and a slight wave of pressure slid over the silver-haired man's body. His legs gave out suddenly and he fell forward, arms outstretched, bracing himself on the door.
Sephiroth felt something akin to static electricity as his hands came into contact with the hard wooden door. It was as if his hair was standing on end as the crackling sensation crept through his hands and arms, finally dissipating near the expanse of his chest. A bead of sweat slipped from his forehead as Sephiroth stayed in place, hands locked to the door.
/--Gods, that's ENOUGH!!--/ Zack shouted, making Sephiroth tear his hands away. /--This hurts too much, Seph!--/
The ex-General shuddered as the last of the crackling left his now-numb hands. Blankly, Sephiroth stared up at nothing, mouth slightly open, and finally showed a sign of life as he shook his head.
/Why did you do that, Zackary? We were getting somewhere, or so it seemed./
/--Because it fucking HURT, Seph!! You didn't FEEL that?!--/
/What, a simple static shock? A First Class experiences more pain during basic training than that./
/--It felt like I was getting crushed, Seph, like I was an ant under your boot! Not even Demi spells hurt that much!--/
Sephiroth scratched his head idly, eyes still fixed on nothing. "I've no clue what you're on about."
/--I know you're 'Mr. Tough Guy' and all, but you couldn't have NOT felt that.--/
"No, only a small shock…" Sephiroth stood forward and took off a glove, examining his pale white palm. "Not even a mark. See?" He tilted his head and made a fist, uncurling his fingers slowly. There was no pain at all… "Hmm."
With his fingers splayed, the silver-haired man again placed his palm against the door. The static shock was gone as he touched the wood this time, but so was the feeling in his hand. He raised an eyebrow and pushed, hands numb to everything. Naturally, the door wouldn't budge, but something was… off.
Sephiroth pushed again, putting more force behind it than before, and frowned. "What is going on?"
/--Huh?--/
"It's odd, Zack. It feels as if the door isn't there at all, but… something else." He licked his lip and stepped forward, lowering his head to place his forehead onto the wood.
/--…what are you on?--/
Ignoring Zack, Sephiroth put his entire right side into the door, crouching slightly, before he straightened his legs and pressed himself into it.
"That… do you feel that?" he asked. Actually, it was as if his right side was completely absent where it was contacted with the door, like Sephiroth was leaning up against nothing at all. "Strange."
He pressed harder, eyes closed, and Zack murmured questioningly, /--…I don't get it…--/
Sephiroth licked his bottom lip and snorted, shaking his head. "Do you mind if we chance the 'fazing' again?"
/--…uh… I guess not…?--/
/Good. I would have done it anyway./
The ex-General furrowed his eyebrows and once again concentrated, leaning hard into the door. Zack's psyche joined him, only this time, Sephiroth's body immediately felt as his friend's did earlier. He was being compressed, or something, as a foreign noise echoed within his head. Even though his body was pleading for him to give up the struggle and let the pain pass, Sephiroth's mind was dead-set on passing through the accursed door by any means possible.
Zack whimpered a bit but said nothing, merely allowing his host to control the entire situation. They were both aching terribly - Zack's, of course, a mental ache but it was pain nonetheless - yet they couldn't stop. Using the Darkness, or something similar to it, had its consequences, and they were always painful ones. Riku had been raped, Ansem had been a wreck with agony as a part of himself meshed with the silver-haired boy's… but irregardless, Zack figured that they had to persevere; it was the only possible chance they had to escape.
Sephiroth felt himself expand then contract, bringing a grimace to his face. He was assaulted by even more unpleasant sensations, like he was being kneaded by a giant fist, crushing him almost completely before mercifully allowing him to regain his shape, only to go and crush him again. Tingles ran through his veins, causing him to shudder violently.
Black boots stomped back as Sephiroth slipped down the door, putting more of his weight into it. His head was ravaged by popping sounds similar to that of dislocating a joint, but knew that nothing in himself could have caused the noise - nothing even moved out of place.
The man took in a ragged breath and pulled back slightly before ramming himself into the door. This had to work…
His body once again was awash with that crushing sensation, only this time it was much worse; as if his entire being was being ground by a mortar and pestle. Zack let out a scream bare moments before Sephiroth did, the both of them no longer able to deal with the immense pain they shared. But, minutes later their screams died out. All of a sudden, it seemed, they felt no pain at all, every invading sound and sensation gone…
Opening his eyes, Sephiroth found himself laying on a cold stone floor covered with dust and dirt. He couldn't recognize his surroundings at all, and off the bat knew that this definitely wasn't the same room he'd been in seconds earlier.
All around him was covered in grime, the ceiling nothing more than simple, dark grey stone with a hint of moss, the walls surrounding him all in the same fashion. The place was dark, its air thick and grossly damp. There was near to no light at all in the place, telling Sephiroth he was in a place with few - if any - windows in the area.
His glowing aqua eyes caught sight of a flame of one single candle in the distance, and he made a face.
/--Where the hell are we now!?--/ Zack asked, voice laden with frustration. /--And when the hell did you black out!?--/
Sephiroth shook his head and sat up, eyes darting around the hallway. "I don't know," he answered, voice echoing loudly against the bare walls. "The door is gone," he pointed out, blandly.
/Somehow, I'm not the least surprised by this turn of events./
/--Well, you're a psycho… and how the hell did a door just disappear?!--/
The silver-haired man sighed, getting onto his feet. A hollow sound was heard as his heels connected with the stone of the floor, making him cringe at the emptiness.
"So many questions," Sephiroth murmured before walking steadily to the light of the candle. He didn't know how he had seen it before… it seemed impossibly far away.
/--Ugh, just RUN there,--/ Zack grunted. There was more than a tinge of impatience in his tone, and Sephiroth narrowed his eyes but complied.
For some reason, the faster and farther he ran, he seemingly made no progress. He frowned and easily ran faster, having expected to reach his destination at that point.
/--Gods, what is TAKING so long?!--/ the black haired man whined. Sephiroth just pictured the look on his friend's face, a large pout, arms crossed, stomping his foot like an angry child.
/I half expect you to ask 'are we there yet',/ Sephiroth teased, head lowered. He looked up through his lashes and saw the flame again, slightly clearer than before. /…five more minutes,/ he deadpanned. He was in a better mood now that he was out of the room and able to move freely - even if he was caught in yet another frustrating predicament.
/--That's not funny,--/ Zack muttered.
/It was to me./
The long, black-leather coat trailed behind him as he ran, feet barely touching the ground. He was built to be a fighter, with unnatural speed and stamina, allowing him to move like a blur. /And yet, I still cannot close the distance between myself and that candle…/
The man stopped abruptly when he heard something thumping down the hallway. Whatever it was didn't sound human at all… and it sounded large, with a slow, sliding gait, its feet - or, more likely, paws - landing solidly on the ground with each step.
It felt like years to Sephiroth since he last unsheathed the Masamune as he took his precious sword in hand, Mako-tainted aqua eyes staring dead ahead towards the source of the noise. He quickly yet silently made his way forward, ears and eyes on full alert for anything that could be considered a threat… like that apparent beast.
The shifting sound was closer, and Sephiroth also heard a low growling. He raised an eyebrow, head cocked, and asked, /is that Guardian?/
/--No… that thing kinda… floated… remember?--/
/Ah, you are correct, sir./
Sephiroth walked forward fearlessly, eyebrows drawn together. As he continued, the candle's flame quickly grew larger, its appearance now more like a torch than anything.
/--Maybe it is a torch,--/ Zack chided. The silver-haired man narrowed his eyes, continuing his quest down the dank hallway.
There was a slight pause between the sliding steps of the thing, the growling a bit louder, and Sephiroth knew whatever it was had picked up his scent. To Sephiroth's advantage, by the sound of it, the creature was indeed rather large, and most likely too big to allow it to strike first in the imminent battle, aware of the former General's presence or not.
Shadows played against the walls of the catacomb-like area, creating a sense of foreboding to Zack. He knew his friend was strong, but he still worried. Wild beasts as well as Heartless had a reputation of being extremely brutal and erratic with their actions, more than willing to put their lives on the line to obtain what they wanted. Not to mention that Riku's presence was strong in the vicinity, and there was no doubt Ansem was the one responsible for the beast - which was most likely serving as a guard.
Sephiroth moved quickly to close the gap between himself and the enemy, his seven-foot sword poised in front of him and ready to attack when necessary, hair flying elegantly behind him like a long silver banner, glittering even in the dank surroundings as he made his way forward until finally, a large creature came into view.
The beast was four-legged, completely covered in a dense, dark mat of tangled fur. Its eyes glowed eerily with a typical yellow light, red pupils shining out from the middle. It looked undoubtedly strong, the muscles of its back visible underneath even underneath the dark, coarse hair, but as far as Sephiroth could tell, the beast moved slowly, quite obviously hindered by its mass. Even the thing's head was large, with jaunty, shining black horns jutting out from the sides. Gleaming white fangs hung from its upper jaw, saliva slipping from deadly sharp points, hissing like acid as it hit the stone floor.
/Poison…/
/--You probably don't need this, but good luck, Seph.--/
/You're right,/ Sephiroth started, mouth twisting itself into a smirk, /I don't need it./
He dashed forward with lightning-fast speed, the Masamune gripped in both hands. The creature let out a howl as its attacker came into view, but it was too slow to remove itself from the path of the man's sword. The Masamune sunk deep into the base of the thing's neck, Sephiroth safely stopping several feet away from the animal before he twisted the blade and thrust upward, tearing further into the beast's flesh.
The man lifted his leg, placing his foot on the thing's chest to launch himself off of it, sword sliding easily from the howling animal. He watched as the animal snarled, maw oozing with a mixture of black blood and acidic drool as it swayed back and forth, dazed.
Before it could advance, Sephiroth struck again, slashing at its neck once more, easily slitting its throat with the deadly-sharp Masamune. Howling again, the thing lunged forward with its mouth wide open, head thrashing wildly, intending to take a bite out of its prey.
Sephiroth sneered and shot back, standing in a regal position as the animal bound forward. A sick feeling of pleasure surged through him as he watched the beast struggle, and he only wanted to add to that pain. The silver-haired man let out a feral growl and rushed forth, bringing the Masamune hard down onto the monster's skull, splitting skin and crushing bone.
Wilder now, the beast snapped its jaw forward in attempts to bite Sephiroth. Large drops of saliva splattered the floor and the man's clothes, hissing as it made contact, but the poison did no more than simple cosmetic damage. A huge paw rose and fell as it kicked violently at the man with the sword. It dropped its head and suddenly ran forward in vain, trying to put less distance between itself and Sephiroth, instincts telling it that it was at a severe disadvantage, and it needed to give itself an edge.
Sephiroth, being the Planet-reknown ex-General and tactical genius he was, wasn't about to let that happen.
He pulled the Masamune back and thrust it forward, plunging it deep into a glowing yellow orb. The eye burst as the silver sword slid effortlessly through it, passing deeper into the creature's head, piercing its brain before finally breaking through the thing's skull.
Its body convulsed, screaming growing progressively louder as the beast shook violently to free itself from the blade. Sephiroth released the Masamune and hopped back, scowling as the animal dripped gore, thrashing about wildly. Coldly Sephiroth watched the beast struggle in a vain attempt to jar the sword from its head, the silver-haired man emotionless as its good eye twitched, howling in pain. A small smile tugged at Sephiroth's lips as the beast finally collapsed, the brain functions ceasing with loss of blood, the wounds too great to bear.
Sephiroth walked forward, gingerly stepping through pools of blood to the beast's corpse. Reaching down, he took the hilt of his precious Masamune and pulled it slowly from the animal's carcass. His smile got wider as he lowered his head; to Zack's horror, Sephiroth began carving into the flesh of the beast's stomach, slipping its organs onto the dirtied floor.
/--Seph… what the hell…?--/
The blade still moved as the belly was emptied. Sephiroth raised the sword, bringing it down quickly to lop off one of the animal's thick, elephantine legs.
/--Seph, STOP, it's DEAD…--/
Ignoring Zack's plea, he stepped to the animal's head, poking its other eye with the very tip of the blade. Around the back, he tore into its spinal column, cords of flesh tearing effortlessly.
/--SEPHIROTH, knock it OFF!!--/ Zack tried to take control of his friend's hands, struggling with the man himself to release the Masamune.
"You don't enjoy my handiwork?" Sephiroth asked, voice sickeningly innocent. "Do you not remember the gruesome spectacle with Ansem and Riku? Do you not think this would be a warning for the man himself?" he murmured, gesturing towards the mass of flesh and organs and limbs that used to be a whole being.
/--Sephiroth, listen to me,--/ Zack started, voice calm, but the undertones spoke volumes of unease and worry for his troubled friend. /--Even though he was most likely Ansem's, what you did… that… was uncalled for… it was dead… you didn't need to—--/
"He didn't need to rape an innocent boy," Sephiroth interrupted. Zack's struggle with the Masamune had stopped, and the silver-haired warrior bent forward, wiping the blade clean on matted black fur. "Extravagance is one of my strong points, Zackary," he added, sheathing his precious sword. With one final kick to the monster, boot landing on its chest with a dull thud, Sephiroth scolded quietly, "how could you forget that?"
Calmly he walked away, using the torch's flame as a guiding light.
/--I know, Seph, I know, but… that was… just…--/ The black-haired man sighed loudly in defeat. /--The hell's the use, you won't listen to a damn word I ever say. You never listen to a fucking thing I tell you.--/
"Just the way things are, Zackary, you've dealt with it for years," Sephiroth responded, voice cold and unfeeling.
Zack shuddered mentally. He knew his friend was prone to fits of that nature, breaking when the pressure was high before retreating into the protective shell he employed during battle… but he never witnessed his friend do anything like what he just did. That fact was unnerving; Zack feared the Darkness in this place would consume Sephiroth, and the dead SOLDIER definitely didn't want him to lapse back into the gates of insanity.
/--…it's alright, Seph. But please… keep your mind on the task at hand, okay? Please. I just…--/
Sephiroth raised a delicate eyebrow. "'Just' what?" he asked, more out of habit than anything.
/--…worry about you is all…--/
"Don't. I don't need you to worry about me, Zackary, I'm fine," he growled, clenching his fist.
Muttering a curse, he again shot forward, running fast towards the torch. The flame grew bigger and bigger until finally Sephiroth calmly stood in front of it, not one breath or hair out of place, feeling the torch's heat beating upon his face.
Without thinking, Sephiroth grabbed it, force behind the pull nearly tearing the sconce off the wall it was bolted to. Suddenly, he heard a creaking sound behind him and spun around, only to face a small, curious gap in the wall.
"I think we've found something here," Sephiroth stated, peering at the gap.
/--Jinkies!--/ Zack shouted; the silver-haired man blinked at the strange expression and shook his head.
"Settle yourself, Knightblade."
Sephiroth cautiously stepped forward, pushing on the wall. To his surprise, it slid open easily, and he turned back to look at the wall he tore the torch from, only to find a small button underneath the now-upside-down sconce. He examined it closely and shook his head before stating the obvious. "It was a lock release…"
/--Yeah, great, now stop bullshitting!--/ Zack ordered excitedly. And for once, Sephiroth agreed with his friend's crass sentiment.
He again walked forward, passing through the hidden hatchway and into another long hallway. This one, however, was vastly different from the last. It was only approximately two feet wide, its ceiling too low for Sephiroth's tall frame - he had to hold his head uncomfortably low to pass through, and even then he just barely avoided banging his head on its rafters. Beams crossed along the length of the walls to support the structure, and all around the hall was paneled with other decaying wood.
/--This place is freaky.--/
"I'm inclined to agree," Sephiroth said, holding the torch in front of him. The hallway was pitch black and indeterminably deep, dank like the rest of the place. Wood was rotting in places, though the supports weren't threatening to give out. The air reeked of rot and dirt and mildew, and carried a sense of dread; neither Sephiroth nor Zack had a clue where they currently were, though the simple term 'underground' came to mind more than once.
/--You see anything yet?--/ the black-haired apparition asked, boredly.
/Of course not. Don't you see what I see?/
Zack paused, mulling the question over in his mind. /--…not exactly. It's weird…--/
"…my, now that is a shocker," the silver-haired man remarked sarcastically, keeping his eyes dead ahead, keen eyesight able to pick out anything out of place in the darkness.
/--…shut up. But I mean… I don't exactly see through your eyes. I do, but I can kinda… sense things, too. And that it makes a picture in my mind. I'm kinda like a bat,--/ Zack laughed before continuing, /--I can see 360° if I wanted to. Freaky shit, huh?--/
"Indeed," Sephiroth stated, indifferently. He wasn't sure how far he had walked in total since stepping into this pit of a structure, but his entire body was still burning to move.
/--I see something…--/
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and squinted, attempting to see what his friend did. "What is it?"
/--It looks like - surprise! - yet another door.--/
"I don't care. It's progress, at least." He started forward, footfalls hitting the wooden boards loudly, echoing down the walls.
The further down he ran, the more crooked and shabbily laid the boards became, some missing entirely and making way to a dark dirt floor. Sephiroth even nearly tripped several times due to the jutting boards but naturally, recovered quickly, stopping only when he arrived in front of the door his friend somehow spotted earlier.
Sephiroth swallowed a lump in his throat and reached for the small knob on the door. "Are you prepared?"
/--…what the helldo I have to be prepared for?--/
The ex-General let out a laugh and shook his head. "Yes, you're right. Force of habit around you, I suppose." He turned the knob and the door popped open with a creak. He held his torch in front of him and stepped through, only to pale at what he saw.
/--…by the gods…--/
------------------
[Oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods—]
'Oh gods' was the only coherent thought Cloud had been able to manage since Leon returned with their luggage, announcing it was time for the two to take a bath. He couldn't kill the mental images of Leon naked, either, and the more he thought about it, the darker his face turned… and at the moment, Cloud's face nearly matched the color of his cape. His hands trembled slightly as Leon chatted about nothing in particular on the way to the bathhouse, and all Cloud could reply with were either nods or shakes of his head.
But for some reason, the brunette hadn't seemed to notice his odd behavior.
Cloud's jaw dropped when they arrived at their destination. The structure was amazing. This bathhouse was definitely not the one Phil told him to use…
Various shades of tan slates covered the floor, mixed with small marble lining, beautiful mosaics of colored stone decorated the walls. The ceiling was high, covered with filled carvings of Grecian gods and goddesses, even one of Hercules himself. Potted plants were placed against the walls in between large statues of even more gods carved from marble, and golden accents around the large bath's rim, the bath itself made from matching tan slates and marble.
The air in the room was warm from the outside and from the water, and moist, almost like a sauna. Upon quick inspection, Cloud found that the bath itself looked surprisingly clean, the water clear and rippling as if someone had just been in there. Even more stone pillars matching those in the Coliseum decorated the walls - not too out of place, seeing as the bathhouse was actually in an annex of the building, though it was primarily used by nearby residents of Olympus. Cloud supposed, at least, since he never used it…
Unruffled, Leon made his way to one of the two baths and gestured for the blonde to follow.
[…oh gods…]
The brunette dropped his bags by the side of the tub and kneeled, zipping up his pants from his ankles to his knees before pushing the opened leather aside, removing his shoes. Soon after he stripped off his gloves, removing his jewelry before tucking his necklace in a shoe. "I don't want to lose it," he explained, not bothering to look up. Apparently, Leon wasn't aware he was doing a little striptease for the very horny blonde.
And Cloud simply stared.
[………oh, gods……]
Next came the jacket, tossed carelessly over the shoes. The older man took his time with his straps and belts, unbuckling each one meticulously and placing it down before moving on to remove the next one; and soon enough, all Leon wore were his pants and his shirt.
The blonde was very, very close to salivating. Or dying of joy. Either way, he was very painfully aware of a dull groan creeping its way to his throat. He barely noticed that his actions may have been a bit suspicious, considering he was still completely clothed and staring as his friend got undressed…
[…oh my gods, oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods…]
Leon took off his shirt finally, pulling it out of his waistband and he tugged it over his head, mussing his hair even more. Appreciatively, Cloud blinked. The other man was built like - befittingly, maybe even cliché enough… - a Grecian god.
Slowly he raked his eyes from the other man's beautiful face, down to an elegant but masculine neck, slightly protruding collarbone that he wanted to touch… and lower…
He looked at the man's strong shoulders and arms, muscles well defined under lightly tanned skin, and a broad chest, toned, perfect in every way Cloud could see. Leon's abs looked very worked out, skin smooth and flawless. The brunette was also completely hairless, even around his cute little navel which Cloud just felt like utterly ravaging.
Cloud finally looked away as the other man was taking off his pants.
[…oh gods… leather pants… sexy… want… sex… Leon… hard…]
At least, he looked away until he couldn't take it anymore - he had to look. Eyes passing over Leon's face and chest and torso again, getting their fill of a very nice body before stopping at his waist, and that navel… his eyebrow raised when he saw a small spot a few inches below it. So, Leon had another little black tattoo, this time of a lion.
[…sexy…]
Lower…
Cloud's eye twitched.
[…oh… my… gods…]
The blonde liked what he saw. Though Leon was no Sephiroth… "…oh gods…"
Leon's head snapped up, eyes catching sight of a very red, very staring, very obviously horny Cloud. He blinked a few times and coughed, then slipped into the bath. A small tint of red touched his cheeks as he turned away, sitting with his back to the smaller man. The look Cloud was giving him… "…what?"
[…oh, FUCK, don't… don't tell me… I MOANED that…]
"…oh gods…"
Thankfully, his voice was far too quiet for the other man to hear.
The brunette shook his head, shaggy brown hair brushing his bare shoulders. "Are you coming in or what?"
Cloud's eye twitched again when he heard the small splash of water as Leon shifted and turned around. "You have to wash your hair."
No, no… Cloud wanted to die.
[How the FUCK am I going to get in there with a fucking raging hard-on?]
"…um…" His eyes darted side to side, looking for anything to use as a distraction. "…I… um… have to… gotothebathroom," he said quickly before dashing outside, ducking in a copse of bushes in the back of the bathhouse.
He shook the blonde hairs from his eyes and deftly undid his pants before reaching one naked hand inside, needing to do something to relieve that tension. He hated feeling that desperate, but he had to; there was no other way to go about it… or, at least, no way that wouldn't freak Leon out and cause the man to abandon him there in Olympus for Cloud dare thinking that way about him.
It was foolish to think of how badly he lost his self-control over something so natural as nudity - after all, he should have been used to it. ShinRa had nothing but communal showers for both SOLDIERs and recruits alike, and he had seen his peers naked on a daily basis, but nothing like that ever happened to him… even Zack's body - at least, before Sephiroth - had ever pushed Cloud to the point where he had to do something so desperately needy as that…
[Oh, gods…]
Intent on making this go as quick and inconspicuously as possible, Cloud conjured up several nice but naughty set of images and situations to hurry the process along.
In his mind's eye, he saw the other man kneeling over him, that thick, sable hair hanging seductively in his hooded eyes as Leon untucked the navy SOLDIER turtleneck from the blonde's waistband. As his shirt was pushed up, the ex-SeeD placed sucking kisses upon his bare flesh, mouth stopping at the younger man's chest. Fantasy-Leon looked up into fantasy-Cloud's eyes and flicked his tongue over a nipple experimentally, smirking at the pleased utterance he received.
…not that Cloud wanted the older man to smirk during sex… he just imagined that Leon would be the type to do so. Not unlike Sephiroth, Cloud could see Leon being that confident in himself.
His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his hand slid methodically over his hardened flesh, thoughts of Leon plaguing his mind. No… of Leon and Sephiroth, the two of them together as the blonde himself watched; both of the older men tugging at each other's tight leather clothing, hard bodies molded against one another's as their tongues explored opposite mouths in plain sight, strong hands pulling at and touching anything they could. Cloud groaned at the idea and continued stroking himself, glad his mother had always encouraged him to have a vivid imagination.
The need for release grew and Cloud reclined, arching into his hand; in his head he was being taken by both men, the two of them stimulating his body in ways he could only dream about… of Leon moving determinedly, deep inside of him, the brunette's breathing erratic as he careened towards orgasm, a tight grip upon Cloud's hips. And Sephiroth lounging in front of him, legs parted slightly, with both hands tangled into golden hair as Cloud's mouth dipped lower around his arousal, Sephiroth moaning his approval in that rich, throaty voice of his…
Cloud knew he shouldn't have entertained such thoughts… he knew it, but he couldn't find it in himself to stop the onslaught of things he really, really wanted…
In a matter of minutes he finally finished, body stiffening against his own hand as he bit down on the leather of his clawed glove to muffle the sharp cry building in his throat; he needed something to keep quiet. The absolute last thing he needed was for Phil to catch him in such a state. Even if he was laying on his back and hidden in the bushes, Cloud was aware the satyr could find the source of the noise, if he wanted to.
After taking a moment to calm his breath, Cloud let his teeth slip from the glove as a bead of sweat trickled down into his blue eyes. Lazily he wiped it away, still feeling the tingling aftermath of such an intense sensation, and, for the moment, sated.
So with one problem down, he only had two more to go: the first being, go back into the bathhouse and bathe with the scarred man he just fantasized about…
The second was trying to find a way to keep the very obvious white stain on his pants out of view until he could wash it out.
Cloud grimaced and wiped his hand on a soft thatch of grass, then tried to brush away the stray fluid from his pants. Carefully, he took the corner of his mantle and rubbed at the fabric, shaking his head. [I can't believe this…]
When he had wiped away enough traces of evidence of what exactly he had been doing, Cloud let out a sigh as he numbly zipped his pants back up, taking a final moment to calm before pushing himself to his feet and walking shakily to the bathhouse.
To bathe.With Leon.
"…you alright?" the older man asked, noticing the slight stagger in the blonde's walk as he reentered the tan-colored room. Cloud just waved his hand, not risking eye contact.
"Yeah… fine."
Leon brought his eyebrows together questioningly when the blonde took off only his shoes, mantle, belts and armor, before he abruptly stopped undressing, frozen to the spot.
"…do you want me to close my eyes…?" the ex-SeeD asked a full minute later, after Cloud hadn't made any move to finish the task.
Childishly, Cloud found himself nodding, face completely red. He felt like an ass, asking Leon to turn away from his nudity like that. It wasn't like countless others hadn't seen him naked before…
…actually, it wasn't even that big a deal to Cloud if people saw him that way. He could be shy, yes, but he had done it before back on the Planet. During his travels, he used to bathe with the other men of AVALANCHE wherever they could find clean-looking ponds or deep streams, just as the girls did - only at a different spot - and that was perfectly fine. Though, Cloud's body had changed since then, with the hideous wing… but Leon was accepting of that either way, so the blonde was sure, in Leon's eyes, that he was acting embarrassed for nothing.
But, being the gentleman he was, the brunette complied without qualms, closing his eyes then covering them with his hands to prove he wasn't looking. Cloud quickly stripped and slipped into the tub, nearly curling himself into a ball in the corner, eyes wide and staring off into space.
Yes, he felt like a complete and total jackass… but he was naked, and wet… with Leon.
"…can I uncover my eyes yet? I have to finish bathing."
Cloud's reply was a squeak.
A brown eyebrow raised as he looked blankly at the huddled mass that was Cloud, seemingly paralyzed in the tub. Leon didn't understand why the younger man was doing that sort of thing; the water was warm and comfortable, and he made sure not to do anything to intimidate the blonde… though, he was trying his best not to stare. Cloud was… very… nice-looking.
Instead of questioning the younger man's motives, Leon sighed, grabbing a bar of harsh soap. "Will you stop being so timid?" he muttered, "take your bath."
Deciding that doing what the other one suggested would seem less conspicuous than freaking out, Cloud breathed in and out a few times before completely filling his lungs and dunking his head under the water. He came back up without a sound and took a bar of soap, eyes lowered as he lathered himself up and quickly washed off the slick suds.
"Why are you being so quiet?" Leon asked, "is something wrong?"
[…because I want to fuck you and don't know how to tell you that?] "I'm alright."
The brunette smirked lightly, rinsing himself off. "Gasp, it speaks," he commented dryly.
Cloud frowned at the comment, bringing the soap up to his hair and rubbing.
"Ow, FUCK!" came the loud shout. Somehow he forgot the little happening during the Hercules Cup and had accidentally scrubbed the gash on the back of his head. The injury stung, flesh prickling, and immediately the still-slightly unhealed wound seeped blood. "Shit, how the hell… am… I…"
Curiously, he trailed off as Leon reached out to place his hands on his shoulders. Cloud blinked. Bodily contact with the older man was actually the last thing he figured would really happen in the bath…
Leon's cheeks were slightly flushed, bluish eyes fixed on Cloud's own, his hands squeezing the blonde's shoulders just a bit before relaxing in a seemingly unsure gesture. The blonde's breathing became slightly strained when he saw Leon shift slightly forward.
[Oh gods oh gods is he going to kiss me…?!]
Leon licked his lower lip, drawing his eyebrows together in consideration. Blinking several times, the ex-SeeD took a deep breath, giving his head a little shake. He cleared his throat before he removed his hand from Cloud's shoulder and grabbed the soap from the mercenary's hand, turning him around in the tub.
Heart pounding in his throat, Cloud swallowed the lump which built up there and thought, […oh GODS… so close… he looks like he… wants…]
Bright blue eyes fluttered closed as he felt the older man gingerly finger one of his spikes, surprising the blonde as Leon went on to wash his dirtied hair.
"…you can't see the back of your head, so…," the other man explained quietly, rubbing clumpy strands of wet, bloodied hair between his fingertips to work the soap in. "Sit tight… this may take a while; your hair is a mess."
[…I… Leon, what the fuck… I don't get you…] "…'s… okay…," the blonde murmured, a small frown on his face. He sat with his head tilted back for Leon's sake, shoulders slumped forward, hands resting on the knees of his Indian-style crossed legs. While Cloud was a bit embarrassed about his wing being so exposed and in full view to Leon, but Leon didn't seem to give it a second thought, seemingly absorbed in his new task.
[Last person to wash my hair was Seph…,] he snickered quietly despite himself. [And that's not all we did…] The blonde leaned back slightly, arms and shoulders covered in goose-bumps. It was nice…
"What's so funny?"
Cloud blinked. No, he definitely didn't want to let the older man know the track his mind was once again following.
"Nothing… so, what did you want to talk about…?"
Leon stiffened and stopped washing the spiky, golden hair. He sighed heavily, breath traveling over Cloud's shoulders in an unknowingly, painfully erotic gesture which made Cloud shiver against his will.
"Ah… just about things I said in the Gummi ship," he said, resuming with the gentle washing. Leon paused his motions soon after, tilting his head contemplatively before grabbing a small urn set beside the rim of the bath.
"Oh?"
The older man filled the urn up with water and poured it slowly over Cloud's head, rinsing out the soap from now-matted locks. "Yeah. If you don't mind…," he replied, kneading suds from the blonde hair with agile fingers as water flowed through it.
[…oh, fuck… maybe we'll get lucky, after all…,] he thought, looking between his legs. […it's been a long time since another person, hasn't it?]
Cloud hastily pushed the thought aside and let out a sigh, leaning back into Leon's touch. "No, I don't mind," he said softly, eyes closed. Before he knew it he shuddered, followed by a contented sigh of pleasure. […got good hands…]
"I realize this is an awkward place to talk, but… it's easier than on the Tiny Bronco." Leon lathered and rinsed Cloud's hair again, less careful on the second go. Finally he looked for any stray traces of dried blood, but found none as he passed his hands through the blonde locks again. Biting his lip, the older man couldn't help himself as he trailed his hands from Cloud's hair down his neck.
[…gods…]
Cloud's eyes fluttered closed, craning his neck forward, giving the other man better access to the back of it. He bit back a moan of wanton, expectation of things to come. Cloud heard Leon's breath hitch when suddenly, the hands were torn away and moved back to their rightful place. Pushing himself away, the brunette dunked himself under the water, intent on caring for his own hair.
[…godDAMMIT.]
"Dammit, Leon…," the blonde muttered at the other man as he was still underwater.
"Um… I… I'm… I'm still surprised I…" He paused, biting his lower lip. "That… I told you as much about myself as I did," he mumbled after he came back up, eyes flitting nervously about the room.
Cloud had his back to the other man when he spoke, a frown on his face, inattentive of Leon's abnormal behavior. But he shoved disappointment aside and turned to face the other man with a small sigh, simply relaxing while Leon washed.
The blonde couldn't help but squirm, a dull throb growing in his lap as he watched the strong muscles of Leon's body flex and contract as he moved. "Whatever you want to tell me about yourself is appreciated, though," Cloud said genuinely, giving the older man a small smile.
[…this sucks… tell me you like other guys…]
Leon nodded, hands soapy and buried in the shaggy brown locks of his hair. Cloud bit back a wide grin as he went on watching the other man, drops of water glittering on his arms and chest as he worked. "I'm just glad you actually listen."
Finished lathering, the brunette grabbed the urn and proceeded to completely rinse the suds from his hair, setting the container off to the side. He leaned back and looked Cloud in the eyes as he continued, "because I remembered something about… my Light. And I just… wanted to get your opinion on… something…"
"Oh," the blonde commented quietly.
[What the hell did I expect? A proclamation of love? Gods. Idiot.]
"I… I never told her I loved her…" Leon's eyebrows drew together as he crossed his arms, looking distractedly away. "But I'm nearly positive she loved me…"
"You didn't…? Why not?"
The brunette shrugged. "Because I just… didn't."
"Wait…," the mercenary paused, studying the older man across from him. "…you really didn'tlove that girl?"
Leon's lips quirked into a sad smile, wet hair falling limply in his face. "No." He shook his head slowly, letting out a small sigh. He unfolded his arms and leaned back, hands resting on his knees, and murmured, "I thought I did… she was like an angel, yes, but… I couldn't really love her." Leon made a face, still looking off to the side, eyes dreamy as he stared off into space. "I already loved someone else… so…" The older one let the sentence give way to a sad chuckle.
The blonde raised an eyebrow questioningly. "…unrequited?" Leon shrugged.
"Maybe."
"…but you said she was your Light…"
"Saying someone is your Light doesn't necessarily mean you have to love them romantically," Leon murmured quietly, folding his hands and pressing them to his lips, greyish blue eyes fixed on Cloud's face. The older man frowned as he did so, Cloud's questioning gaze pinning him in place.
Cloud's face filled with confusion as his eyebrows drew together, meeting in the middle of his forehead. He pursed his lips and leaned forward, bracing himself on his elbows. "No?"
Leon slowly shook his head, expression solemn. Cloud noted that the ex-SeeD had a faraway look in his eyes… almost nostalgic. "No."
"Oh. But how is that…?"
"In my case? I think it was because she made me care… at least enough to realize that I was already in love…," he sighed quietly. "With the wrong person… you could say… it was stupid…"
The blonde warrior frowned, head cocked to the side as he asked, "how… the wrong person? I don't—"
"It's just the way it was," Leon interrupted, looking away angrily. It was apparent that this was a touchy subject, and Cloud winced as the brunette quickly stood and grabbed a towel. In record time, Leon dried himself off before throwing his clothes back on.
Cloud bit his lip, staring at the other man's flurry of movement. [Something's really off…]
"…want to talk about that…?"
"No, not anymore. I believe I've said too much already." Leon gestured towards Cloud with his chin. "Are you ready to go home or what?"
Cloud blinked a few times, casting the older man a questioning gaze before he shrugged and grabbed his own towel. [Always running, aren't you, Leon?] "Yeah."
He followed suit, waving at the brunette to again turn around so he could dry himself - that was, without anything suspicious catching Leon's eye… though that familiar mood swing of his was definitely not sexy, in Cloud's opinion.
They were in the Gummi mere minutes later, making tracks back to Traverse Town as they took up their former positions - Cloud manning the Osmose-G, and Leon flying expertly.
"Where did you learn to fly like that?" the blonde asked, awed by a particularly interesting barrel-roll and laser combination, the spin itself avoiding asteroids while the lasers took out four Heartless ships simultaneously.
The older man shrugged. "Cid." Cloud raised his eyebrow.
"He had enough patience to teach you these maneuvers?"
"I'm a quick learner," Leon replied boredly, taking down some more Heartless. Taking his cue, Cloud scooped up more of the remains with the Osmose-G. "Besides, he's a busy man. Doesn't have the time to cart everyone wherever they want to go."
"I see," the blonde nodded, eyes slowly closing. He let out a yawn and stretched… the day had been rather draining for him, what with the tournament and the concussion and the masturbating and the bath and all that…
"Go to sleep," Leon said, shrugging. "We'll be back in a few hours."
"Thanks, Leon." Cloud complied, easily slipping into a welcome slumber.
During his rest, the blonde had a dream for the first time in years.
In it, he was back home in Nibelheim, with ShinRa's actors and actresses milling about the streets, pretending to live everyday, normal lives, at the same time covering up their company's lie. None of the inhabitants talked to one another, and all of them had that shared, distant look in their eyes, all of them reflecting their guilt and never-ending boredom.
Though, in Cloud's opinion, they made the place ugly, more so than his childhood did. So much so, in fact, that he sort of wished that ShinRa never rebuilt the place and simply left it nothing but rubble and ash, doing away with his hometown, courtesy of Sephiroth…
And in the dream, he saw Tifa. She was a little girl again, holding her father's hand as he proudly paraded his bouncy daughter through the deadened streets of the quaint mountain town. Little Tifa trotted along happily, a small tulip from the base of Mt. Nibel clutched in her hands, brown hair in pigtails on either side of her head. She looked just as Cloud remembered her when she was younger, so carefree and happy to be alive… he had such a crush on her back then…
He looked around town, at the well he made his promise to the girl he barely knew. She wasn't a terrible girl to him, not like the rest of the kids his age. But she was distant, because Cloud and his mother were 'bad news', according to the rest of the sheltered townsfolk. Cloud's father had passed away when he was just a baby, and he and his mother moved to Nibelheim shortly after, to the town where they were both shunned for her being a single mother, even though they hadn't cared to ask why, only assumed.
Once in a while, Tifa gave the spiky-haired boy a smile and a wave before running off with her friends. She was the only one in town who never shunned him, though they weren't close by any means, she was still decent. She had even asked him to play once, though he had declined - he had too much of a crush on the girl at the time to do little more than wave, anyway.
Thoughts of such life in the little girl and her father added a stark contrast to the dead city around them. It was like the entire town was in black and white, and only Tifa and Mayor Lockhart were in color. Cloud frowned slightly as he watched the two reach their large home, stepping up the walk and into the house.
Nibelheim was dead again as Cloud woke up, tears of regret streaming down his face.
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A/N: Chapter revised 7/11/04, 2k words added, and also my--uhm, I mean, Cloud's fantasy threesome… ahem. .;; I should've written that in the first place instead of just hinting at it. Bah. . Yes, yes I AM a smut-loving pervert, however could you tell…
Seph's side still seems corny to me. The fazing thing… -.- But it took me a bit of thinking to decide how to get them out of the room, so I sorta half-assed it. ::shrugs:: And pointless gore… aah… silly angry Sephiroth. How I love that man… ♥