Forbidden Fantasy: Soulmates
Fantasy's Flight
By: NemesisStrife
Disclaimer: These Final Fantasy 7 characters are property of Squaresoft. This is an Alternate Universe epic saga pre-game fanfiction. As stated before, this is a Cloud and Sephiroth pairing, involving shounen-ai, and it is my take on what should have happened in the game. Respect my opinions, please.
Thanks go to the wonderful people I know, who were my first readers and reviewers, gave me advice, support and encouragement, as well as putting up with my indecision over plot-lines. Thanks, Kiyoshi & Aatash, and all who reviewed. To some comments made in the review, I'll like to respond with
1)Yes, this is my first fic, to all you unbelieving reviewers out there, I just got started on writing.
2)Reno is cool…there's something about ShinRa guys…he's my second favourite villain after Sephiroth. Maybe some Cloud/Reno later?
3)I do like "delicious" description, so expect to see/read more.
And K & A, I'd just like to say that…Cloud does look pretty! (Stop laughing, you two.)
" " Normal speech
' ' Thoughts
italics Emphasis
~ ~ Mental speech/ Telepathy
// // Flashback
Chapter 2
Chance Encounter
Cloud had finished dinner swiftly, and slipped out of the dining hall early. His friends had been puzzled, most asking if he had to meet with an instructor. He had shrugged and answered that he wasn't really hungry. 'In truth, I was just trying to avoid coming across any of the Nibelheim bullies,' he thought wryly. 'even now, when I'm in SOLDIER, I'm still running away scared.' Moving like a light shadow, he headed for the clearing next to the training grounds, sitting on the long grass and leaning back against a tree.
Sephiroth was surprised, when he came out from training, to see someone outside, as the place was usually deserted at night. He was even more so to find it was the same blond recruit he had noticed earlier at the ceremony. 'Coincidence?' he wondered, and headed towards the tree. The area was on a hill slope, which dropped down sharply to reveal a cliff edge overlooking part of the woods surrounding Midgar. The sky was pitch black, with the moon only a thin crescent, so Sephiroth, while wearing his cloak up to cover his silvery hair, seemed near-invisible in the darkness. With a grace gained from years of training, the only indication of his presence was the almost noiseless tread of approaching footsteps. "The star is shining unusually brightly tonight."
Without turning, Cloud responded to the man next to him, "actually, that's an asteroid." Sephiroth blinked, 'serves me right for trying out one of Zack's corny pick-up lines', and Cloud continued "in Zone 6 of the solar system, orbiting the next planet's moon, at a rate of one revolution per 56 days."
"Excuse me?" said Sephiroth, totally lost in the string of facts that had been so calmly thrown at him.
"Sorry. Bad habit, that. Got used to memorising all those notes by my professors and having to recite them word-perfect. Kinda an automatic response," said Cloud apologetically, turning slightly towards the figure standing next to him. Sephiroth smiled slightly, then slid in to sit on the soft grass.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked Cloud.
"No, go ahead. It's not like I own this place." Sephiroth tilted his head to study the recruit, relying on his enhanced vision to see through the shadows and night. "I'm Cloud Strife, age 14, from Nibelheim. Just formally entered the army today. You must be a higher ranking SOLDIER. Forgive me, sir, for not standing at attention and saluting, but I'm just feeling too lazy."
"No need," replied Sephiroth, responding to the light-hearted humour with a touch of amusement, "you have my official permission to be informal around me." He felt rather than saw, Cloud's answering grin.
"'K then, sir." Cloud tried to peer through the darkness to see who the SOLDIER was, but could only see a dark figure, whose face was shadowed by a hood.
"So where did you learn all that scientific stuff?"
The question distracted him from trying to make out who the other was. "Oh, in Midgar University. I qualified for a scholarship this year, although I was really underaged. It was surprising that it was this early, but not altogether unexpected."
"Then how did you manage to come for SOLDIER training then?" asked Sephiroth.
"Oh, I'm doing a morning course. The schedule is quite flexible, so I alternate afternoon sessions with night ones. My mom wanted me to stay at the University and get a degree, but I put my foot down. I've always wanted to join SOLDIER, so enlisted at the first chance I got, even if it does mean compromising my studies," Cloud said, then sighed softly, speaking half to himself, "I only dreamed of being like General Sephiroth."
'Uh oh. Problem,' thought Sephiroth, 'better to avoid dealing with that altogether. I don't think I could deal with hero-worship and distant awe, not when I think he's becoming a friend. Cloud would probably figure it out quickly, he's really intelligent…and cute. Oh shit, better avoid that subject as well.' "Cloud, I've got to go. You had better leave too, it's almost lights out time. Thankfully, I don't have a superior officer checking on me in my room 634. Don't get into trouble," Sephiroth told Cloud reluctantly.
Cloud frowned, saying, "you didn't tell me your name."
"I know. See you here tomorrow," was the enigmatic reply, as the tall man headed towards his room, across the grass. Cloud shook his head slowly, then returned to his dormitory as well.
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The next few days were spent on orientation, introduction to the basic rules and life as a member of SOLDIER, as well as meeting his unnamed friend in the evenings. On the fourth night, Cloud was quieter and less communicative than usual. "Hey, what's wrong?" asked Sephiroth, concerned.
"…nothing."
"Bullshit. Something's bothering you, and I aim to find out what it is. Just to warn you, I'm usually very persistent and persuasive, so you can forget about trying to hide it."
"I'll bear that in mind," replied Cloud dryly, "well, it was Erek and his gang."
"Erek?" "Yeah. From my hometown, Nibelheim. They were…y'know, the usual, picking on me and stuff. Kinda long story. This time it was about my actually having a brain, as compared to them. Plus, they are bigger than me, as well as going around in a gang. Mostly, I try to rely on stealth and speed, that's why I was out here the first night, trying to avoid a confrontation. I don't know how they got into SOLDIER…" his voice trailed off.
"Hey, don't worry. When your lessons start, I could help you train and master your skills. If it gets really bad, I suppose I could even rig it so they get latrine duty for 2 months," replied Sephiroth, and was gratified to notice Cloud's mood lighten.
"Hey, I can take care of myself, you know!" said Cloud in mock-indignation, his expressive blue eyes sparkling in reflected moonlight.
*** *** *** ***
"Hey, Cloud. Where've you been sneaking off to these last few nights? Gotta secret girlfriend from home you meet every night?" asked Reno curiously, half in jest.
"No, nothing like that," Cloud replied, trying to suppress a smile. 'A girl? Couldn't be further from the truth.'
"Then why are you disappearing in the evenings?" asked Reno, feeling slightly frustrated. Cloud glanced around, and saw he and Reno were alone in the dormitory, with the rest still at dinner. He had planned to go to his bunk first, and arranged to meet his mentor around 8pm.
Cloud looked at Reno, slightly hesitant about telling him. 'But he is my friend. If I could trust some SOLDIER whose name I don't even know, I can trust Reno,' he told himself firmly. He found himself repeating most of the conversation, except for the part he had inadvertently let slip, about his life back in Nibelheim. Reno listened in utter fascination, grey eyes serious, absorbed in thought. "So, he's kind of like an mentor or teacher to me," Cloud finished.
Reno whistled softly, "Weird! And you don't know who he is?"
"Nope."
"Did he give any hints? Surely you must have found out something!" Reno asked.
"Um…" Cloud tried to recall, "well, he's really tall, over 6 feet, and powerful. Probably a higher-ranked SOLDIER than our commander. Kind of low voice, deeper than yours or mine, anyway. He's wearing a cloak or a hood, plus it is quite dark, so I don't manage to see what he looks like."
"Are you sure that's it?" continued Reno, determined to find out who he was.
"Oh yeah, he did say he stayed in… …room 634. That's what he said on the first night. Hey, what's wrong?" Cloud looked at Reno, who had frozen, and was staring at Cloud with wide eyes.
"Did you say 634?" Reno repeated the number slowly and distinctly. "Yeah, why?" Cloud looked quizzically at his friend, slightly puzzled by the strange way his friend was behaving.
"Cause, Room 634 in SOLDIER, belongs to General Sephiroth," Reno answered, in awestruck tones.
"Sephiroth?" Cloud repeated blankly, totally shocked by Reno's answering nod. 'Sephiroth is in Room 634? He is… …Sephiroth?' As the full impact of that knowledge hit him, he felt like he had run into by a truck. 'Oh. My. Omigod! Sephiroth…my idol…oh shit! I could just die! This is so embarrassing! I've been so informal with him… … teasing him…I could be court-martialed! And…I've been whining to the Great Sephiroth about how pathetic my life is, he probably thinks I'm a coward or a loser. My life really, really sucks. I just made a fool of myself to the one guy I looked up to. Someone just kill me already.' "Are you positive?" Cloud asked unhappily.
"Yep," Reno confirmed, "I found out cause some of the other guys, Raven, Franz and Chas were checking it out. I managed to talk them out of camping outside Room 634 to be able to follow him, like a bunch of stalkers. Won't they be so envious that you met him, entirely by accident? This is going to absolutely KILL them!" Reno's eyes sparkled with sudden mischief.
"No way! Please don't! It will be even more humiliating if they know. It's bad enough I made a total fool of myself, without knowing it, in front of him," Cloud groaned.
"Hey, don't worry," Reno reassured him, then patted his back, "you going to meet him tonight?"
"I don't know. I might just slowly crawl under the bed and die first," Cloud managed a shaky grin.
He found himself heading for the tree, despite his qualms and reluctance to face Sephiroth. Something about Sephiroth drew him on, no matter how much he wanted to hide. Cloud walked slowly up the hill, then settled on a spot on the other side of the tree. "You didn't tell me you'd be late today, Cloud," said Sephiroth, concerned but relieved that he had finally shown up. He gazed at Cloud, who seemed to be engrossed in studying the ground. The moon had come out, and the pale light cast a light glow around the recruit, enhancing the pale skin.
"You didn't tell me you were General Sephiroth, SOLDIER First-Class, sir."
'Ouch,' Sephiroth winced at the formal, cool, distant tone, 'busted.' Cloud's eyes were downcast, and he stood up to salute Sephiroth gravely.
"Why didn't you tell me, sir? Pardon me if I offended you before in any way," Cloud's voice and posture were stiff, no longer casual or relaxed.
"I'm sorry, Cloud. I guess… …it was because I was afraid of this. Most people get so awestruck at meeting the General, that they forget I'm also a person. And remember, you have my permission to be informal around me, right?" Sephiroth smiled tentatively at Cloud, who finally raised his head to look at him.
"Then, can you take off your disguise? I've never seen you without a hood, sir." Cloud's bold request stunned even himself, but Sephiroth merely laughed softly and pulled off the hood, shaking back his long silver hair. 'He's even more beautiful up close,' thought Cloud, then met Sephiroth's glowing gaze. 'The other day, he was watching me. It feels so…familiar.' The Mako treatments had changed his eyes, so they shone, luminous, even in the shadows.
"Cloud, please call me Sephiroth. I don't like being treated so formally," 'especially not by you' "I've been isolated from most people, even in SOLDIER." Sephiroth bit his lip, trying to halt the depressing words and thoughts. Staring upwards, lost in thought, green eyes suddenly forlorn, Cloud thought Sephiroth looked almost…vulnerable, not the reserved, controlled General he reputedly was. Impulsively, he reached out and wrapped his arms lightly around Sephiroth's shoulders. The other man blinked in surprise, then returned the hug, pulling Cloud closer. The recruit shivered slightly at the feel of that strong, yet gentle touch, safe and comfortable in the warmth.
They lingered there, until Cloud, feeling somehow shy, pulled away reluctantly. He smiled and said, "You'll always have a friend, Sephiroth."
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Read and Review, please. This is my first fic, so be kind! Comments and criticism welcomed.