Chapter four

Okay, so it's fair to say that my plans have taken a sharp turn off course. I have unexpectedly started to fall for Sephiroth. Maybe this was his plan. To get me here and mess with my fragile mind. This could all be some form of torture or something. Speaking of plans, he still haven't told me why exactly he saved me. He could have easily forgotten the reason by now, what is this? The fifth month here? Autumn has fully settled in now. The days grow shorter and the nights are chillier.

It seems so natural to be staying here with him. It's been a few days since we had our kiss. I think he's a bit shy about it all, so I don't really bring it up. Well whenever I get to see him that is. He's been finding things to keep himself busy. I sometimes wonder if he does it to keep space between us. But when we do bump into each other in the hall or when he peeks in my room at night, he gives me his smile and says something either witty or amorous. It has to be kind of…problematic for him to express his feelings to another. I don't think it's something Seph is used to.

I look out the hall window and smirk to myself. He's outside today, training as usual. The guy really likes to keep himself in shape. I lean against the window. My wrist has finally stopped hurting. It was time I got back to training as well. Even if I'm forced to fight him, it won't do me any justice if I'm out of shape.

I decide to join him outside. I walk out to the back, by my favorite tree, to see that he was still on the other side of the mansion. His Masamune lay in the grass, under the golden brown and orange leaves that once belong to the Willow tree.

"This sword is ridiculous…" I speak while lifting it up by the handle. It takes a second hand to get the whole sword off the ground. A smile creeps across my face. I raise it slightly in the air. There was no way I could run around with this thing! Unlike my Buster sword, it was very long. It had to be at least 6' feet even. Making it extremely heavy.

I swing it quickly to my right. You could hear the blade slicing through the air. It makes me laugh. The kind of power this weapon held was intoxicating.

"Heavy isn't it?"

I turn to see him standing behind me. He's wearing nothing but sweatpants that are rolled up to his calves. Sweat trickles down his body. I wonder how long he's been out here.

"Yeah it is. I don't see how you move so easily with it." I give it back and he lifts it with one hand, holding it up to look at it.

"Once you get used to it, it's nothing." Then he balances it straight in the air on the tip of his index finger.

"You could kill seven to eight people with one swing." I speak suddenly without thinking. The sword looses balance and comes tumbling down to the ground, cutting Sephiroth vertically across the chin. I watched as a stream of blood trailed out the cut and drip down on his chest.

"You're right." He speaks quietly and wiped the crimson liquid from his face. It only smeared as more came out. That sword was sharper than I had thought.

"I'm sorry. That was stupid of me." I immediately take my shirt off and balls it up a little. After he didn't take it, I pressed it against his chin for him.

"Cloud-"

"Look! Just sit here and hold the shirt. I'll be back." I interrupted him and jogged back into the house.

I returned with a cold damp towel. He was sitting down, obediently holding the shirt to his face. I got him to move it away and viewed the deep red incision.

"That's pretty deep." I spoke while I pressed the towel against it. He grimaced and gritted his teeth a bit. I had to put some type of medication on it. Or it might get infected.

"Thought I was the nurse…" He grinned and held the towel himself. I sat next to him and smiled. The both of us sat there quiet for a while. Just enjoying the cool air and each other's company.

After a good minute, I looked back over to him. I guess he was watching me because I saw him quickly divert his eyes. When I was done mentally laughing at his shyness, I noticed he still had blood on his chest.

"Did it stop bleeding?" I asked him. He removed the towel and touched his chin with his fingers.

"Yeah, it's done. Thanks." He handed me the towel. I, in turn, folded it and wiped the drying blood from his chest. I couldn't help but smile as I saw him tense. Plus a part of me was getting a cheap thrill from it too.

It seemed the both of us were disappointed when his chest was completely cleaned. I moved a strand of long silver hair that clung to his moist skin slowly. But when I looked up to tell him he was all clean, I felt lips press against my own. I was stunned. I was being kissed and rather passionately. The towel fell from my hand and I finally returned the kiss. He pulled me into his lap were I nestled comfortably. The moment was priceless and I felt robust, my tongue eased into the lip motion. I could've sworn he moaned before he did the same.

A gust of air swept pass us, carrying a leaf with it. It hit my face and stuck there. As much as I was enjoying the moment, the leaf was bugging me to death. Finally I broke the kiss and snatched it from my face. Sephiroth laughed a little at me.

"It's getting a little cold out here. But I like it." I told him and wrapped by arms around me.

"Come here." He got up and offered me his hand. I took it and he backed up until he was beside the tree and sat down. Then he pulled me back down into his lap where he held me against his chest. He felt warm and my chills quickly melted away.

He looked down at me. "Feeling any better?"

I could tell I was blushing again, so I nodded instead of looking up at him.

"Hmmm." A quiet sigh escaped me as I closed my eyes. My shirt was still on the ground. But I didn't care. I loved the feeling of our bare skin making contact. It was actually arousing me. I hope I don't get an…Too late. I felt embarrassed. To be honest, this was the second time he's unknowingly given me an erection. This time I'll do something about. And hopefully I won't scare him away with my audaciousness. I move back a little and swing my left leg around to his other side. Now I had him straddled. I looked up to him, he gave me an uncertain look but didn't stop me. Smirking, I then scoot up to him. Prodding him in the stomach with my arousal. His eyebrow cocked slowly.

"See what you did to me?" I whispered to him. The lust was now over flowing from me.

He grins. "How do you want me to help it?"

Before I know it, I'm on my back in the mixture of dead leaves and grass. My rival is on top, tuck between my legs. His hair cascades to his side, gently brushing against my arm. I open my mouth to speak but I gasp instead at the feel of his lips on my neck. Sephiroth begins to trail the hot kisses down my bare chest. I'm too lost in the moment to say what I wanted. It wasn't fair that he had this kind of effect on me.

He reaches down to the rim of my pants and pauses. I look down. He looks up to me and smirks evilly. My butterflies return.

"Wait your turn." I demanded and sat up.

"You're no fun…" He playfully pouted at me. No fun am I? I grab him and pins him to the ground, leaving me the one on top.

He looks up at me with his cool green eyes. I could tell he liked my abrupt forcefulness. It was time to give the ex-general a taste of his own medicine. I kiss his neck, gently switching between nibbles and suction. The same trail he used, I would use too. My kisses ran down his chest and abdomen. I even paused like he did when I reached the drawstrings to his pants. My eyes look up to his face. His cheeks were flushed and his lips parted. Oh yeah, he liked it.

"Enough playtime or you want more?" He opened his eyes at my question. But it wasn't like I was going to give him a chance to answer. My hand traveled to his thigh, petting his now stiffened manhood.

"Always used to giving the commands…Never the one to be commanded." I go on while pulling a singular drawstring. The loop threatened to come a loose, giving full access to the other's pants. He remained silent. I suppose he was watching me, wondering if I was bold enough to go further.

"You're a tough guy right?" I asked rhetorically. His pants were completely untied now. Sephiroth sat up a bit. Curiousness hung over him. I pulled the sides of the sweatpants, bringing them down a bit. The trimming of his boxers showed. I was making myself nervous now. I had always wondered just how big he actual was. What if he was larger than me? Would I be ashamed?

"Nervous Cloud?" His voice tossed me out my thoughts.

"No." I lied. There was no way I was going to tell him how I was really feeling.

I yank the pants once again, bring them down to mid-thigh. Nice boxers. I can fully see the imprint of his erection through them. Well this is it, Cloud. My mind preps itself. Why are my hands trembling? This is what I wanted!…Right?

I look up at him once more to see he's leaning back on his elbows now. There's a certain look of seduction in his eyes. He wanted me to go on. To touch him intimately. I wanted to touch him. But my hands wouldn't move. I'm chickening out. This was unlike me. Then again, this whole situation wasn't something I thought would happen anyway.

"…This is all too surreal." I say softly. My hands fall to their sides. I can't look at him, I'm too embarrassed again. He lays back, placing a leg in my lap. A form of consolation I guess.

"Yeah, it is…Maybe we should wait awhile." He tucks his arms under his head and closes his eyes with a small smile. Damn it to hell, why did he always have to be ok with everything?

"If I were you, I would be a little pissed right now." I spoke in his defense.

"What for? It can't be helped. There's no need to rush…"

I look up into the gray sky. Here Cloud Strife sits, the world's largest cock tease, I say mentally. He has extreme patience with me. Could he possibly care for me that much or is it for another reason? There's that uncertainty again.

Suddenly I stand to my feet. Looks like I needed some time alone again.

"What's the matter?" He asks me. The guy doesn't know how sexy he looks with his pants still halfway down his ass. God, I'm so confused with myself right now!

"I'm tired. Going to take a nap." I dust a few leaves off my butt and walks away without looking back. If I did, I would instantly feel worse.

I slammed the door to my room and curse loudly. I didn't know what I wanted! Did I want to be with Sephiroth or do I still feel as if I shouldn't be trusting him? I pace around furiously, running a hand through my spiky hair.

"This could be his plan! To drive me insane by pretending to care about me! He's aware of my feelings! And is using them to his advantage. The sly bastard!" I yell at the air.

I storm over to the bed and flop down on it. My hands cover my face as I try to calm myself.

"…Listen to yourself Cloud. You're going crazy…talking to myself and stuff…" I laugh a little. Fighting back the tears that threaten to fall non-stop.

Maybe it was a little unfair to accuse him of trying to drive me insane. I made my mind up. It was time to pay the basement another visit. That's the only way I can be certain with myself.

>>

Waiting was the hardest part. I had to wait until he was asleep. I didn't want him to know what I was doing. So I waited until I was certain he would be asleep. Then I crept out my room and into his.

The door was cracked, making it easier to open it without making a sound. I peeped in. He was laying on his stomach with his arm hanging over the edge. I step in closer. In his hand was one of those old books. Poor guy, probably had to read to keep himself from jerking off earlier. Obviously, I still consider myself a tease.

I tip-toed my way over to the bookshelf. Dammit, the door wasn't open! There was no way I could open it without waking him. I look back over my shoulder. He shifted as he began to awaken. I panicked and dropped to the floor as quietly as I could. Good thing he was still on the bed, but once he stood he would surely notice me. I crawled stealthily over to the bed and rolled under it. I saw his feet touch the floor and walk out. My ears became sensitive and I heard him go into the bathroom. Good! Now's my chance!

I shot out from under the bed and quickly searched for the false book. I found it and pulled it. The door swung open without a sound. Thank heaven. I leaped inside and pulled the hatch back closed. There. I made it. Wait… This door only opens from the outside…doesn't it?..

I quickly searched in the dark for a handle or something. Nothing.

"Great." I mumble while making my way down the steps. Looks like it's going to be a very long night. I just hope I don't need to run away or I'll be screwed.

The halls were just as creepy as they were last time. And of course the room of books was wide open. I took a deep breath and stepped inside. The desk light on the second desk was on still. I guess that's the spot I need to be reading at. There were already some books on the desktop. Making my job a little easier. I sat down and grabbed one, opening it to the first page.

"Day xx, Month xx, Year xxxx, At age 11, Sephiroth has seemed to acquired an illness unlike any we've seen before. We, the scientists, have figured he's having a chained reaction to the mixture of Jenova and mako particles. We fear this may be the end of our project."

I turn the page and kick a foot up on the desk.

"It is already day 10 and Sephiroth has taken a turn for the worst. We are positive he will die soon and already has another test subject lined up. Though, we'll never quite have a subject like Sephiroth."

That made me upset. How could they treat another person as if he was nothing but a lab rat? I can't read anymore of that. I'll just assume he pulls through and flip a couple pages forward.

"Day xx, Month xx, Year xxxx, We have an young intern girl who has been assigned to help with the research. She is about Sephiroth's age and he's grown quite fond of her. I've informed her not to allow herself to get attached to Sephiroth. She has to keep it strictly professional. Sephiroth doesn't need any distractions, he has a task to accomplish. To become the perfect warrior."

I glimpse up and look around a bit. There were no images, no sounds. No vision yet. So I continue to read.

"Day xx, It is Sephiroth's 17th birthday. And the Jenova cells are in full effect. He is well built for a young man his age. His strength, speed and intellect is astonishing. Our intern girl is quite useful as well. Alas, Sephiroth has reached another stage in his development and we won't be needing her anymore. Sephiroth will be rather distressed by this."

I shut the book and stretch. "Damn, when do we get to the happy section?" I ask out loud and look around. Time to skim through another book.

"There is no happy section, Cloud."

My body freezes in mid-reach. Was this another vision? No, it sounded too real. I turn my head and focus on the tall figure standing in front of the desk were I sit. Holy shit, when did he get down here!

"What are you doing down here?" His voice was low and cold. I force myself to snap out of whatever state he had me in.

"I…was reading. Didn't know I wasn't allowed down here." I try to sound just as cold as he did.

"Leave here."

I frown. No one gives me orders.

"I'm not done reading."

"It's none of your concern!"

I'll admit, I was a little surprised he yelled at me. But who did he think he was? Some person no one was suppose to figure out but himself?

"What the hell? First you force me here, then you're giving me boundaries!" I stand to my feet. Slamming my hands against the desktop.

"I never forced you here! There were no locks or chains! But that was my mistake." I stepped back. Whoa, how often did he loose his cool and show anger?

"Might as well been. It wasn't like I was any condition to just get up and walk away!"

He laughed a little at that. "Then why did you stay when you got better, Cloud?"

"You know damn well why. You asshole, you never told me why you saved me! Or what you had planned!" I roared at him. Well, this night is becoming quite surprising. Nothing like a spontaneous heated argument.

"I told you I would tell you. That's all you needed to know."

"Don't tell me what I need to know! You think you can just keep me dangling from a thread or something? The all mighty Sephiroth doesn't exists anymore!" I picked up the book I was reading and flung it at him.

"All there is now is a guy with nothing but books of his fucked up childhood!"

When people tell you to think about things before you say them, please do. Before I could blink, he had me by my last wearable shirt and pulled me across the desk. I was slammed against the floor.

My head hit the ground pretty hard and it dazed me a bit, but I managed to kick out and knock him back before he could pin me and pound my face in. I heard him hit the desk with an angry snarl. No time for me to stay stationary. I had to take my chances as I got them. Scrambling to my feet, I rammed him into the desk once more. I surprised him and he went tumbling over it and onto the floor on the other side.

All went quiet.

I stood there hold the back of my head and panting. There was that fury I had inside me. It was finally surfacing. If I keep this up, I would surely kill him. But I've fully enraged Sephiroth now. And it was either kill or be killed. The more I thought about it, the more I felt saddened by it.

…He was sure down there a long time too.

I slowly walk around to the side of the desk. There he laid on the floor motionless. His hair scattered about his face. It was hard to tell if he was conscious or not. I didn't try to see if he was. Instead, I leave the second book room and was about to turn the corner to leave the first room within it when I walked into something very sharp. When I get refocused I see him standing in front of me, his Masamune pointed at my throat. How the hell did he do stuff like that?

Silver hair fell over his face. Masking him from me. I swallowed hard. This is the end for me? I felt blood seep out my throat from when I walked into the tip of his sword. Damn it, should've left my sword down here. I back up a few steps. What to do, what to do?

He never said anything, yet kept his sword aimed for my throat. I looked about my surroundings quickly. There was no where to run, he was standing in front of the only exit. My only hope was to knock his Masamune to the side and dash into him, shoving him out the way.

So I tried it. I snatched up a book and slapped the sword to the side. It worked! I saw a clearing in which I could ram into him again. But before I could even step, he sliced through the book and turned his blade upside down, in which the point was pointing downward. I saw it all in slow motion, which made it worse. With my leg in the middle of a step, he seized the sword through my thigh. The sound of my flesh being pierce through rang out into my ear. My mouth fell open to scream but I had no air in my lungs to do so. The sharp metal hit all nerves in my leg, stopping once it touched my bone.

I fell to one knee, trembling violently. My mouth was still gaped open. He retracted the blade harshly, a stream of blood gushed out and hit the floor with a sickening splat. I think my body was in shock, I couldn't stop shaking. A pool of blood developed under me. I slowly tore my eyes from the huge gash in my thigh and looked up at him in disbelief. I was heartbroken.

Why though? I should've known this would happened. He would be the one to kill me. I was crying now. Not really from the pain, my leg had grown relatively numb now from massive blood loss, nor from the fear of dying. Deep down in my soul I hated that it had to come to this. No matter how I fight it, I didn't want to kill him or him to kill me.

I didn't care if he saw my bawling. I wanted him to. For I was doing it for him. For…us.

My sight was blurring and the room was swaying a little now. I heard the sound of something heavy dropping and felt my body being lifted off the ground. It was all dark now, my eyes shut themselves. I had gotten really tired feeling. I wanted to sleep and I knew if I did fall asleep, I would never wake up. That was fine by me. Life was nothing but a cruel joke to me anyway.

>>

I was still conscious. My eyes reopened only seconds after they closed. He had me over his shoulder again. I watch the stairs whiz by as he rushed up them. I witness the door to the basement slam shut as he walked out his room. The light to the bathroom clicked on, bright. Then I was placed in the tub. He was undressing me. I didn't stop him, I didn't care. I was utterly depressed and fed up. There was blood everywhere. From what I could see, it was smeared all over me and him. I heard him turn the water on and his presence left. Weakly, I turned my head.

The clear water had became a crimson color as soon as it touched my skin. Then down the drain it went. He returned with an armful of medical stuff. I heard him drop a few things as he approached the tub. He cursed angrily and picked them up quickly. Why did he sound so nervous? So frightened? After wetting a towel, he placed it over my gash. It was burning like hell. I groaned in agony. His hand petted my head a few times before he went back to opening stuff.

It felt like I was in that cold tub forever. And as I looked around once more, I was still in there. My body was going in and out of consciousness. Just my luck I'd come to when he was applying some kind of medicine crap. At first I didn't feel anything but it pouring on my leg, but as soon as it soaked into the wound… I howled and pounded the side of the tub with my fist. He was torturing me anyway he could!

The pain was too much for me. I couldn't take anymore so I blacked out. Hopefully to never awaken again.