Behind Shinra's Doors
Chapter 16: Whip Lashed
"My sisters are doing well, growing taller every time I see them." Liam continued pouring milk in his highly sugared coffee. "I really missed those brats." He ended with an overly exaggerated sob which was cut off by a casual question. "So Cloud, how was yours?"
Cloud who did nothing but stare at Liam's nonintersecting weekend with a gaping mouth. "Well," He shot back to life. "My weekend was very enticing." Liam's face twisted in disbelief. "But let's not talk about me," Cloud laced his fingers gracefully and rested his chin upon them with fluttering eyes. "How's Corgi?"
Zack who eat in silence bellowed with a laugh. Liam shoved Zack's shoulder hard. "Shut-Up!" Zack's haunting laughter ended when he began choking on his bacon which made Liam laugh. From his rudeness Zack shoved Liam, who did the same, and when received he did the same to him. Their cat fight continued probably for 2 minuets until it became clear to Cloud that this was funny and began chuckling.
"Solider Strife?" Cloud turned around to see the owner of the metallic voice.
"Yes?"
"Come with me please." He was tall and bald with black sunglasses shielding his hard eyes. Cloud followed this man, only leaving his friends with a shrug to tell them he didn't know where or why? This man took Cloud up to the highest floor, the President's floor. Cloud began to realize that this was another way for the President to bring Cloud to his office. Now he realizes that his secretary knew probably. He thought.
His guess was right. The man led him in the President's office, but there were others in it already and not the sort that would attend to a regular meeting. The President puffed away on a cigar while twisting in his leather chair, Rufus paced back and forth as if angered by the presence of everyone. And Reno, stood before the two with his head hung. What's going on? Cloud thought.
"Sir?" Cloud finally asked. He looked to Reno who didn't look back but only shifted his eyes towards him from time to time.
"Strife," the President never called Cloud by that in privacy. "I have received news that you've been having intimate relations here with Mr. Reno." A gasp of surprise was heard from Cloud. His aqua eyes fell to the base of the desk, then to Reno. "Don't look at him, tell me this is true!"
Cloud searched for an answer in the carpeting but the fabric revealed none. His silence was enough to plead guilty. The President sank back into his chair, rolling the cigar between his fingers. "Another solider would be different case and not cause such a ripple. But since this was between a Turk, sworn to protect my only son, and a solider we'd have a crisis. If word of this got out, Shinra would lose its professional look and be seen as a whore house for young boys!" His voice stunned Cloud's self like poison. Both lovers couldn't look at each other for strength.
"So I have decided punishment: solider will be expelled, and Turk executed for disobeying his solid oath." This made Rufus' pacing stop.
"Father! You can't!" He declared.
"Why! This one literally abandoned you to run off with this one and unarmed. I'm not paying him to stand by your side while fucking others when he's bored doing that! Execution!" Cloud went white and whispered Reno's name. The Turk shown fear in his eyes.
"Father," Rufus rounded the desk to slap his hands before the President. "He's my Turk! My responsibility and it's up to me of punishment! I allow him to go off sometimes by my will and that day I did! It his choice of how spending it!" Rufus' case wasn't as strong but the President couldn't overrun it. He had a hardheaded boy for a son, who would do anything to hold onto his possessions.
The President's nostrils flared in anger and while keeping his rage down he sinisterly spoke. "Sephiroth," He continued eye contact with his son. "What do you think?" Cloud looked up to find the General step out from the shadows. His oceanic eyes widen at the sight that his mentor knew of this also. And embarrassment never reached this high in Cloud before, and he had to turn his eyes away.
Sephiroth hesitated to answer and saw Cloud pressing his hands on his ears to keep out the voices. Reno stood a little ways across in despair and noticed his hands trembling for his life. Pity rose in Sephiroth and he wished he took all of this back, that he never told the President of the scandal that upset him so.
"General!" Sephiroth turned to the President.
"I agree with Master Rufus." He quietly said.
"Fine! Then you," He pointed to Rufus. "Will deal with your Turk!" He stared Rufus down for what seemed like eternity. "Get out." He said with a threatening tone. Rufus walked out of the room in a huff with Reno behind him. Now Cloud was all alone, with eyes staring at the door where he last saw Reno.
"And Mr. Strife," the voice echoed as if been called across a sea in Cloud's mind. The beat of his heart throbbed in his head and a distant voice tried to roar over that ocean. "You are sentence for direct punishment," Reno? "You will endure four mako injections for two days," Where did he go? "And 21 lashes across the back in front of your entire force." It's gone.
"ELEVEN!" The whip slashed her wicked tongue across Cloud's back, marking another red strip, splintered with blood. Cloud dangled from the tall post where tight rubber roped around his hands from above his head. All around him soldiers lined up neatly in rows to watch the punishment of Cloud's adultery.
"TWELVE!" Cloud groaned in agony. The bit that someone gave him to smother his cries dropped to the ground after his third lash. Zack stared at Cloud from the crowd with tears welling up in his eyes while Liam couldn't bear to look ahead. Cameron faced Cloud's punishment with a cold face on, gritting his teeth to put back all flinches after each crack of the whip.
"THIRTEEN!" Rufus was among the spectators with Reno behind him wearing shades. Behind those dark glasses he cried to see his lover whipped before him. His wavering breathing caught Sephiroth's attention that stood apart from all. He kept all signs of emotion inside.
"FOURTEEN!" But every time the whip cracked it broke another layer of his protective shield. Guilt consumed him like poison, slowly eating away his insides and ready to devour him completely. He turned back away from the shouting.
"FIFTHTEEN!" Cloud finally let out a suffering scream scaring away Sephiroth's courage and drove him away from the sight.
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