Cloud had never been all that good with materia. He could equip it on weapons and such easily enough, but when it came to actually coaxing the stones into releasing their power he just couldn't quite get the trick. The most he could manage was a faint flicker of light deep within the globe's swirling depths before it went dark again, nothing but a heavy weight in his hand.
Cloud sighed and stared morosely at the green orb resting in his palm before standing up and padding over to his silver-haired companion.
"I can't do it."
Sephiroth's lips quirked upward as he took the materia from Cloud and rolled it idly between his palms. "Maybe you're just thinking about it too much. The power needs to be summoned gently, not forced to the surface."
Cloud frowned and shook his head. "I know that, but… I can't do it. It just doesn't want to work for me."
"Oh?" Sephiroth rose from his desk and moved to the couch, making himself comfortable before beckoning for Cloud to join him. Cloud paused for just a moment before joining him. It was always something of a wonder for the blonde to see his General like this, when he was out of his formal uniform and dressed instead in loose sweatpants and a faded T-shirt, his long silver hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. It was a side of Sephiroth that no one else was allowed to see, and Cloud treasured these peaceful moments with him more than anything else in the world.
The blonde settled himself cross-legged opposite the older man and watched as Sephiroth took one of his hands and laid it on his larger one, then placed the materia globe in Cloud's palm. "Close your eyes."
Cloud let his eyeslids fall shut and smiled as he felt cool fingers brush gently against his cheek. "Now relax. Just focus on breathing."
Sephiroth's voice was soft and gentle and Cloud obeyed his instruction without protest, listening intently to the sound of his breath. In and out. In and out. Slow and steady. Take in air; then let it out. It was calming, and before long Cloud felt everything else drift away until all he was really aware of was the rhythmic working of his lungs and the cool weight resting in his hand.
Easy enough, in his relaxed state of mind, to obey Sephiroth's voice when it instructed him to focus on the materia. Easy enough to reach and call gently to the power that it held and Cloud felt a smile rise to his lips as a sudden burst of heat flared in his palm and he saw a faint glow of light dance beneath his eyelids. His eyes opened and he watched in awe as the materia came alive with light, surrounded by a green halo.
"You see? All you have to do is let everything else fall away and the magic will come."
The glow slowly faded and Cloud stared down at his hands in astonishment before raising his eyes to meet Sephiroth's amused stare.
"I did it! I really did it, I…" His voice trailed off and a look of consternation crept across his features.
"But how can you do that in battle? I mean, clearing your mind like that when you could die at any second seems…impossible."
"It takes a lot of practice, but it does come. After a while it becomes second nature and you don't even have to think about what you're doing."
Cloud rested his chin on one hand and nodded slowly, his eyes thoughtful. But a second later his eyes clouded and he looked away. When he spoke his voice was very soft and held a note of depressed resignation.
"I'll probably never even have the chance to be on a real battlefield if things stay the way they are."
Sephiroth frowned and reached over to grasp Cloud's chin, forcing the blonde's face up until they were eye to eye. The General's voice was low and intense when he spoke and his green gaze was so intense that it almost seemed to be burning.
"Never say that again, Cloud. Never. You have the potential to be great; all that you have to do is realize it. If you work hard enough you can be anything. But if you give up before you've even started then all of that potential will go to waste." The silver-haired man shook his head at the thought and reached up to push Cloud's hair away from his bright blue eyes.
"Don't give up on yourself before you've even begun to try."
The blonde nodded, his eyes wide at Sephiroth's uncharacteristic outburst. "A-all right."
Pale, slightly cool fingers brushed gently against his cheek and Cloud unconsciously leaned into the touch in a silent plea for more. Sephiroth's fingers stopped over Cloud's lips and he leaned in close until all that the blonde could see was his lover's green gaze.
"Promise me."
Cloud's breath ghosted over Sephiroth's fingertips when he answered. "I promise."
"Good." And the General sealed the vow with a kiss.
Thank you to everyone who was kind enough to read the last drabble I posted! They all made me so very happy. And to Andrea who was kind enough to offer to beta – I'd appreciate it. Just message me or e-mail or some such.