Alrighty, Chapter 7! I love free time. I'd like to answer reviews but, everyone either has a question which if I'd answer would take away from my plotline, or it's not a question. lol. I hope you all like this chapter. I suffered severe writer's block and forced my beta to read it under threat of death because I agonized over several aspects of the storyline. Maybe I should be damning free time… Heh.

Waking up this morning wasn't as bad as it had been the other morning. Last morning had been well, I guess one of the worst since I'd first been bitten. I guess you could say that was a bit of an exaggeration considering when you're first bitten, it's a very…painful process. And I hadn't even experienced my first Change yet during that time. But, that story is for another time.

I rolled over to see Squall's muscled back, complete with a white bandage that wrapped around his side. We had pretty much beaten the shit out of one another yesterday and the first thing we did when we'd gotten back was patch each other up. Or…sort of the first thing. More like, that combined with being in bed together. Heh. At any rate, there was a thin line of blood on the bandage where the wound had been opened up again. So we were a little rough, there wasn't anything wrong with that. As I moved to lean on my elbow and admire his body some more, of which the sheet just clung to low on his hips, my entire body protested painfully. Everything kind of ached, especially my head. With a groan, I flopped back onto the pillows, waiting for the starbursts in my eyes to recede. I loved his body, but I couldn't look at him with bright flashes of color in my eyes.

"What's the matter, pretty boy?" Squall rolled over, his mocking face and tone causing me to snarl at him. "You got a nice bruise on your face." His fingers brushed gently over the bottom of my jaw up to my temple. Just that soft gesture made my face twinge painfully.

Rolling my eyes I said sarcastically, "I can't imagine where I got it from." I knew full well that I deserved some of the pain I was enduring, but he could at least be a little more understanding.

Squall shifted slightly, and I knew he was hurting too. He moved a lot slower than he usually did and he looked a little stiff. But that didn't stop him from pulling his chest over mine and staring down at me, the shadow of a smile in his eyes while his face remained impassive. "Well, you started it." I was going to protest that, but he covered my mouth with his and slipped his tongue into my mouth. I moaned, swallowing my protest. He was so good… Maneuvering my arms threw his, I tangled my fingers in his messy hair before sliding them down his back and sides to his hips.

"Cloud! Open the damn door!" For a moment, I didn't think he was going to let go and I sure as hell didn't want him to. I silently willed Cid to go the hell away but he kept pounding on the door.

With a sigh, Squall pulled away. "You should go get that. This is after all your room." I scowled at him and stiffly got out of the bed and made my way towards the door. "Pants." For a moment, I looked back at him, a clueless look on my face as he sat there, propped up on the pillows in all his glory. His eyes traveled pointedly low on my body, and when I followed his gaze I realized he wasn't just looking. I needed pants to open the door. "That's right, Cloud."

"Shut up, Squall," I grumbled but he didn't answer. To Cid I shouted, "Old man! I'm coming! Keep your pants on!" Yes, I realized the irony in that statement but didn't dwell on it. Pants, pants, pants. And boxers. Pants without boxers was a very uncomfortable thing. I opened and closed several unkempt drawers before finding the right one. I pulled on the boxers, followed by pants, realizing that Squall was watching the entire time. What did I care? At least Cid had stopped pounding on the door and yelling my name. It sounded so much better when it was Squall. Though, he just kind of moaned it…

With my boxers and pants on, I threw open the door to an impatiently waiting Cid. "What the hell have you been doing Cloud! We've got some important stuff going on and I can't find Squall either. I broke in his door and…" At this point I had stood aside and pointed to a livid looking Squall in my bed. "Oh, uh, well then." I guess Cid didn't know we were back together or even that we'd been sharing a bed. For the first time he took in my appearance and Squall's and said, "What the hell happened to you two?" But he didn't wait for an answer. "Ahhhck, you'll have to tell me later. Riku is missing." My eyebrow arched up, but I realized Cid wasn't joking around. Besides, why bother joking around about Riku missing? "An' Kairi's gone too." Ah, well, that might explain some things. "I've already got everyone else searching parts of the city. Except for Sora. He's locked in my room right now. Wouldn't want him missing either. And he's a bit, um, broken up over Riku."

I nodded and said, "So, we'll meet you…where?"

He thought for a moment before saying, "You know what, you just take the Southwest area of the town. And Squall," he leaned around me, "You take the industrial area." He nodded and said, "Alright, meet back here for dinner." Cid turned and jogged down the hall. He stopped at Squall's room and started to fiddle with the broken door. I chuckled and turned back to Squall who was getting dressed.

"Aww, not gonna stay for a little longer?" I pouted but he just shook his head and pulled on his white t-shirt.

"We have to look for Riku and Kairi Cloud." I glared at him and his cool logic. "Besides, I think Cid was ogling me, and you wouldn't want him to come back and see me naked, now would you?" I gasped and looked from the door to him before realizing he wasn't being serious. I strode over to him and pushed him back onto the bed before straddling his hips. "Cloud," Squall said and rolled his eyes. Then I lifted up his shirt and pointed to his side where the bandage was now becoming very red.

"You're bleeding."

Squall looked down and said simply, "Oh." I sat triumphantly on him before he pushed me off of him onto the bed. He dragged his shirt off and said, "Well, help me with it then."

Oh, I would gladly help him. And not just with the bandages.

POV

We'd grabbed some breakfast, deciding it was best to get out as fast as we could. Though, if it had been up to me, Cloud would have been locked in Cid's room with Sora. If we were all thinking right, then Kairi had kidnapped Riku. Which would be a hard feat for Kairi to accomplish because she was kind of scrawny and Riku was pretty big. Unless Kairi had had help, but who would help her kidnap Riku?

All in all, I guess I shouldn't have worried about Cloud. As it was, he fought very well and I knew that for a fact. But still… I couldn't stop worrying about the stupid, dopey blonde that I had grown so attached to.

The whole of the industrial district was fairly uninteresting. I found that Yuffie had forgotten to lock the store but, it didn't look as if anything was missing or out of place. So I'd locked the door again and left to search the rest of the area. What was the point in yelling at Yuffie anyway? She'd just laugh and call me Squall.

As night fell, I gave up the search and headed back towards home and where the others should be waiting. Everyone was there, including Cloud to my great relief. Sitting next to him at the table, he grinned at me, his blue eyes just begging me to take him away from this boring old meeting. But of course, me and my sense of duty caused me to repress my own urges and sit at the table, watching Cid walk back and forth like a general waiting to address his troops.

Once Yuffie had returned, all giggles and no information, Cid began to talk. "Alright, we know Kairi and Riku are both missing. And we're guessing that Kairi has kidnapped Riku somehow. But we don't know where she is, or where she has him." Cid seemed to be talking more to himself instead of us, considering we all kind of knew this already. But hearing the information again did kind of snap things into a bit more perspective. Cid slammed both fists on the table and cursed. "We'll have to look again tomorrow. Cloud, I need to talk to you." That was a bit like Cid dismissing us, so Cloud and I stood up and went to Cid. He raised an eyebrow at us. "I asked for Cloud, not Cloud and Squall." I shrugged but didn't move.

"Cid, it'll be fine. Whatever you tell me I'd probably tell him anyway." Cid sighed and held up his hands in defeat.

"Alright," he said, glaring at me before focusing on Cloud. "Is there anyway that you could track them? You know, as a wolf or something?" I saw Cloud's shoulders stiffen and rise slightly in a defensive way. I slipped my arms around his waist and pulled his back to my chest, leaning the side of my head against his.

Cloud sighed, relaxing in my arms before saying, "I don't think I'll be able to Change but if you give me something that smells like Riku or Kairi I might be able to track them. It'll be harder though." Cid nodded.

"I'll go see what I can find and I'll bring it to you in the morning. Go get some rest now." He started to turn and then paused. "And I really do mean rest. Not, get into bed and not rest because you're…doing things." Was Cid turning red? And getting flustered? Oh yes, I think I was enjoying this.

"Don't worry Cid," I said. "I'll make sure Cloud gets a good nights sleep."

Cid seemed to accept this but again paused and looked between me and Cloud. I could feel that Cloud was grinning like crazy and Cid simply shook his head and walked away. I kissed the side of Cloud's face and said, "Come on. Have to get you to bed."

As we walked to his – our – room I said, "So is that how you followed me all those times?" I glanced over to see him looking up at the sky, as though thinking.

"Yes and no. The first time, in the alley, I tracked you. But after that, I decided to make it a challenge. That's why it took me so long. And it's also harder to do it when I can't actually put my nose to the ground. In the air, smells dissolve and disperse faster. Plus, they move around so you might be following a false trail. But, on the ground, as long as it's not too old, and there aren't too many other scents, it's a lot easier to track something or someone." Well, that had been an immense amount of information, but it did begin to help me understand Cloud's other half. Which is what I ultimately wanted.

I nodded as he pushed open the door to his room. "But, you can't Change on your own." It hadn't been a question, it was a statement. I had only seen him lose control, what was it, two days ago? Cloud scowled and shook his head.

"Not yet," he pulled his shirt over his head and pulled the bandages off to inspect the cut on his chest. But there was a determined edge to his voice; he would conquer this. "And I don't know how it's going to work if I Change while I'm wounded. Will it conform to fit the wolf shape, or will it stretch and rip me apart?" I grabbed the bandages and tape from the table and went over to where he had sat himself on the bed.

"I could try and help you to Change." Cloud made a face and ran his fingers over the scabbed up slash mark. He didn't answer, but I took that to mean that he didn't want to try yet. "What's it like, anyway?"

Cloud leaned his head on my shoulder and said, "What's what like?"

"When you Change or transform. What's it like?"

Out of the corner of my eye, Cloud looked as though he were attempting to articulate his thoughts. "Well, it's weird. Because you can feel everything changing inside of you and outside. It hurts, I guess because of what's happening. But afterwards, it's kind of nice. You feel free." He sighed

I wrapped my arm around him and said, "Could you…bite me?"

Cloud looked at me strangely for a moment, uncomprehending. Then his face grew dark and he set his mouth in a straight, stubborn line. "No. You don't know what you're asking for, and I'm not going to give it to you."

I gave Cloud an amused look. "I think I do know what I'm asking for."

He stood up and turned away from me, laughing, though it wasn't mirthful. "No, you don't. After you're bitten, it's hell, Squall. A living freaking hell where you can't tell when it's daytime and when it's night, or even whether you're alive or dead. For two days it was just pain. Constant pain and random Changes, not even full Changes. Just a hand or a leg or something. It's crazy and there's no way to stop it." He turned away from me again. "Believe me when I say you know nothing about this." I stood up from the bed and went to Cloud, drawing the younger man into my arms. He resisted for a moment, but didn't have his heart in the fight.

Running my hand through his hair I said softly, "I'd have you though. And for that, I'd go through hell." Cloud breathed against my collarbone as we stood there, allowing everything to sink in.

"Alright," Cloud conceded, "but not now. We have to find Kairi and Riku first. Then, then we'll see."

I tilted his head up and kissed him. "That's all I ask of you."

POV

It had been a couple of days since we first found out about Kairi and Riku, and we still hadn't found out anything at all about where they might have gone. The mighty tracker – me – had been unable to find anything. There were too many people and too many different smells, but we still hadn't exactly abandoned that specific tactic. As it was, I was wandering around the town again trying to sniff out Kairi and Riku. And again, I was having little luck.

An alleyway that looked promising – as all alleyways were starting to look – caused me to wander down it. As I walked, I got the distinct feeling that someone was watching me, but when I looked around there was no one there. If following Squall taught me anything, it was that alleyways had more hiding places than I could have ever imagined. Picking up the pace a bit, I was almost out of the alleyway when a hand grabbed my shoulder.

"Hello, Cloud."

That voice was so strangely and terribly familiar, but I couldn't place it. "And goodnight, Cloud."

"Wha?" I tried to turn around but then everything went black.

Massive headache. I didn't even bother to open my eyes, but I could sort of figure out where situated. Tied to a very uncomfortable wooden chair in a room that…had no smell. It was so clean and antiseptic-y, as if someone continually washed it down in alcohol. That scared me more than the fact that I was tied to a chair because I had no idea where I was. As I slowly opened my eyes, I got dizzy and felt like I was about to hurl so I clamped my eyes shut again. Damn, this really sucked. And that was an understatement.

A door slammed from somewhere far away and the sound echoed in the room. So the room was either very big or very empty or both. That was extremely helpful. I slid my eyes open again slowly, fighting down the bile as I heard soft footsteps cross a white floor in a large room filled with white walls and nothing else. Pristine, clean, sterile. Frightening.

"Oh Cloud, poor, poor Cloud." Her voice caused my eyes to snap open and I tried to twist my head around to see her. In the clean room her smell invaded my sensitive nose like a plague.

"Kairi, you stupid bitch." I was going to add, "Let me go," but honestly, what was the point? If she was just going to let me go why did she even bother kidnapping me? And Riku? I could feel her leaning over my shoulder just out of my line of sight. Attempting to move was fruitless since my hands and legs were strapped to the arms and legs of the chair. A strap went across my shoulders and upper arms preventing me from turning much. "Don't you have better things to do?"

The red head strode in front of me, her hands clasped behind her back a weird grin on her face. "I used to. Until Riku took Sora and you took Squall." She shrugged her thin shoulders but didn't look at me. "But now, I have Riku and I have you." Kairi looked at me and tilted her head to the side before walking behind me again. "I'm sure Sora will miss Riku and Squall will miss you." I heard metal slide on metal and my stomach knotted. Oh shit. "But once they're done mourning, I'll have them all to myself again."

One of her hands rested on my shoulder and the other came around my other side where I saw a short, sharp knife clutched in it. "Maybe I'll change my mind and just kill you quick. Would you like that?" I swallowed and listened to her breathing in my ear and the quick, rhythmic beating of my head. Her hand moved and I felt the knife tip puncture my skin as if I weren't there. As if she was stabbing someone else and I was just watching but still feeling the pain all the same. She dragged the knife across my chest, like Squall had done before when we were sparring. Except this was slow and brutal. She wanted to hurt me, to kill me. All these realizations suddenly snapped into focus, and I couldn't believe that the little red head had actually had the guts to do something like this.

Kairi tugged the knife out of my skin and laughed. "I think I'll kill you sl-"

The door from no where slammed open and I heard quick steps across the floor and another, darker smell. "Kairi!" The voice from the alleyway. Despite the tugging of the broken skin and the resultant pain, I tried to turn around, again to no avail. "I said I wanted him. I would take him to get him out of your hair, and he would be mine." The more the strange man talked the more I recognized him.

"Oh, well…" Gone was the cocky, malicious voice, replaced by the voice of the girl I had first met. I heard the knife slip back into its sheath and Kairi shuffled her feet. Probably looking like a child who had given the dog a bad haircut. Except I'd been the dog, excuse me, wolf, and I'd been given more than a haircut.

"No matter, leave us." That voice… And then it hit me. All the memories flooded back and I closed my eyes, willing this nightmare to be over. I heard Kairi walk away and out the door, and then there were his step echoing in the white room until the sounds betrayed his presence in front of me. "Cloud, it's been a while." He touched my cheek and I jerked away. "Don't be like that. Just look at me." I declined his request by leaving my eyes tightly shut and my head turned away from where his hand had been. "If you cooperate, I promise it'll all be better for you." I could feel his face was close to mine and I strained to pull away even farther. I heard him sigh, felt his foul breath skim across my face, and then his lips were on mine.

Wait, what the hell? I snapped my eyes open and saw the familiar sharp features and long silver hair, the black armor covering a thinly muscled body and his face right in mine. I pulled harder on my bonds and tried in vain to move my chair. When all that failed I bit him. What else was I supposed to do? I have been declawed for the moment, but my teeth still worked fine. Sephiroth pulled away, eyebrows arched and an amused, evil smile playing across his features. "Just as feisty as ever, Cloud. Time doesn't change everything."

"How the hell are you alive!" I snarled at him in disbelief. I had killed that stupid bastard years ago, felt my sword pierce his heart and saw his body dissolve into the Lifestream. He'd been dead, the end of the world had been averted. How had he come back?

Sephiroth spread his arms over his head as if preaching prophecy. "Because Cloud, I am made of Jenova's cells. I can't die. As long as I can find a willing host, my spirit will never die." He stepped towards me and put his hand on my face. "That's a nasty bruise there." He pressed on the sickly yellow and green bruise from Squall's sword. I growled and tried to move my head away and stop the spreading pain in my face, but he followed my head with his hand. "You see Cloud, as a spirit, I had a lot of time to think about, well, everything. What else is there to do as a spirit?" He laughed as if this were somehow funny. I glared at him as he continued. "And I realized that, you were an amazing man. Strong, gorgeous, everything I could possibly want. And I wanted you Cloud, all to myself." I don't think I like where this is going.

"I found poor little Kairi, whose love you took away." Sephiroth didn't sound like he believed a word she said, but it didn't matter to him as long as he got his way. "So, I helped her, as long as it would get me you." He grinned at me.

"Like hell any of what's going on in your sick mind is ever going to happen." I spat at him, trying to think fast of a way to get out of this.

He shook his head at me. "Oh, but I think it will." Faster than I could react, he had unbuckled my arm restraints and tied my arms together with a length of rope, then undid the leg and chest restraints. Once free, I jumped up and directed a fast roundhouse kick at him. Sephiroth merely tugged on my hands and I fell to the ground. He pressed his boot to my throat as he kneeled down to stare at me. "We can do this the hard way, or the easy way Cloud. One will hurt and the other won't. It's up to you." I gasped and struggled against his boot before he lifted his foot up. I heaved in a breath of air before saying, "Go to hell," and throwing my fisted hands up into his chest. Sephiroth tumbled backwards and I jumped up to kick him but he pulled the rope and I fell down again, cracking my head against the hard white floor. That damn rope. As the world swam painfully around me, Sephiroth said, "I guess you've chosen."

I was so screwed, literally.

Mmmm, little end note since I exhausted my talkative-ness up there. –points- And, I have the ever important chapter 8 to work on.