Darkness Rising
By Chibi Nataku
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head. ~{ indicates one very special person's speech. Of course, only Cloud can hear the voice (Geez, I give him way too many voices in his head)
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.
Chapter 10 - Revelations from the Shadows
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Cloud slowly walked down the confined streets of Hollow Bastion's Fourth District, kicking up dust as he moved. He leaned his head back and enjoyed the sun on his face, sighing as a warm breeze ruffled his hair. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and enjoyed the silence around him, only a distant memory of his neighbourhood.
The lower sector, also known as the Fourth District, was more of a tangle of dirt roads that sometimes lead no where and others intersected for odd reasons. The houses were crammed together, sometimes placed on top of one another to provide for a growing family or extended family. The wood that made up the houses was often dull, slopping applications of paint having chipped away with each hot summer. Some houses had acquired a small piece of grassland, but it was usually dead from lack of care or so cluttered with various broken items that it was just an extra extension of the houses. The fences that separated the properties had broken down over time, just like the houses, some of the boards fallen into the mass of junk in the yard, leaving huge holes that anyone could wander through.
It was hot, dusty, and cramped, but for Cloud, it still remained the place where he grew up. He passed by many of the houses that he had patrolled as a Royal Guard, smiling at fond memories of the occupants who would run out and greet him every time that he passed by. Even the sword on his back felt right as if he were on a sort of silent patrol, but this time, there were no people to greet him, no children running around noisily screaming, no dogs barking. Yet, he knew this place as if he had patrolled it just yesterday.
Cloud stopped when he reached his mother's house, the one place that he loved and hated. He had spent most of his childhood in this now place, never to fully be acknowledged by anyone but his mother, his father, and his father's extended family. He had lived quietly in the upstairs two rooms mostly alone and only allowed to wander outside when his uncle could watch and make certain that he was not seen. His life until the age of twelve revolved around walking around his house, practicing, and sitting at his mother's feet when he was too young to practice sword fighting for extended periods of the day.
Slowly, he pushed open the dark green door, smiling as it groaned unhappily as he entered, his height forcing him to duck slightly. He stepped into the open room that still smelled of drying herbs, spices, and dry wood, his mother's smell. He left the door open as he walked the perimeter of the kitchen, running his hand over the wooden table with the crack down the middle before stepping into the living room, eyes glancing over the dusty old chairs. The place was exactly as he remembered it, except for the emptiness.
He glanced down the short narrow hallway that would lead to his parent's bedroom and the tiny bathroom before looking up the cramped stairwell that lead to the top of the house, his domain as a child. He cautiously started to climb the stair, not sure if his weight would be held but the crippled wood that shuddered under his foot. He had to turn himself slightly to the side just to keep his shoulders from brushing against the walls, but he eventually stepped up to the open spaces that was his room and training area.
He looked into his small bedroom, the area meticulously clean of any items that may land him in trouble from his uncle. The straw bed was jammed into the nearest corner, furthest from the window that was constantly covered over with a blanket. There was a tiny table that had been subjected to more repairs than Cloud had summers, and it tittered precariously just like he remembered it. Aside from the bed and table, his room was bare aside from a closest where his clothes were kept, sometimes on shelves that were too far out of his reach, making him have to express some sort of dexterity at an early age just to get at his favourite shirts. Yet, the closet door was shut, just the way his uncle liked it.
He slowly backtracked a few feet until he was standing at the entrance to his training room, which was the barest room in the entire house. It had nothing, no furniture, no window, no pictures. It was just walls and a floor, and each of those portions of the room had seen rough treatment over the years of his training. He wandered over to the large gash in the wall, the place where he lost his hold on his sword at the age of five and the blade had slammed into the wall so hard that it had stuck until he had cried loud enough for his mother to come up and give the sword back to him, seeing as he had tossed it out of his own meager reach. His fingers reached out and brushed over spots of old dried blood, instantly recognizing which incident in his life had made him bleed, all of which involving his uncle somehow.
Cloud remembered his Uncle Grakas the most from his childhood and even in his adult life as well. Grakas was a solid man, built sturdier than a brick and sometimes twice as thick, short brown hair that had the same odd angular qualities that his hair exhibited. One of Grakas' features that Cloud remembered the most was the man's thick arms that attached to huge hands, hands that he had once thought belonged to a giant, especially from his lack of distance from the ground as a small child. His uncle would fold those tree trunks across the barreled chest whenever Grakas was displeased, fully expressing the small forest of dark hair on his uncle's arms and peaked out from the top of Grakas' shirt. Yet, despite his uncle's bulk, Grakas was forced to walk with a slightly limp after the uncle's years of service as a patrol guard landed him early retirement when an escaping criminal jammed a knife into Grakas' leg and nearly tore off his uncle's kneecap.
Grakas was more often than not very intolerant with him, probably more jealous of Walian's ability to produce a boy than his uncle's four girls. His uncle would visit at least three times a week after his father had died, sometimes more if Grakas found the time and the will to order around what his grandparents called 'the future of the Strife line'. Unluckily for him, Grakas was often one to teach gruffly, with little to no tolerance for mistakes, and with only enough good sense to keep his voice down but his hands ready for what Grakas saw as well-needed discipline. And when Cloud had a bruised enough bottom where he could no longer sit down, Grakas would pat him on the head roughly and give him pointers that he would need to work on by the next time his uncle paid a visit, despite the fact that Cloud was bearly strong enough to hold the massive blade that was forced into his hands at every moment that his uncle could find. Luckily, his mother had a friend make a smooth piece of wood made for him so that he could practice properly and not fall over and become trapped under the weight of the blade in his hands.
Yet, he had excelled under his uncle's often brutal and exhausting methods of forcing him to train almost continually. He had been able to beat Grakas by the age of ten, and by the age of twelve, he had first formulated and completed the Omnislash, his most complicated technique. He had often trained deep into the nights, sometimes swinging to sound of his uncle arguing with his mother.
Of course, his mother had opposed the treatment from the very point that Grakas first proposed it, at his father's funeral. His mother had argued bitterly and forcefully that she would be dead before she allowed her only child to be subjected to such abuse. He knew from the day that Grakas forced his way into the house that his mother had somehow lost the fight against his father's family, and it was clear that his mother was painfully aware of this fact too. Yet, she continued to fight with Grakas until he was six where something seemed to change in her, and though she remained a very attentive mother to him, she grew very silent, as if the fight had suddenly left her. She would remain downstairs when Grakas would arrive and say little to his uncle, often ignoring the large man entirely. And when Grakas left the house in the evenings, she would just hold him close and rock him back and forth until he slept. He was certain that while he snuck into this training room he even heard her weeping alone and very sad. Somehow, he knew that his father's family had broken her, tamed her wild spirit, and caged her fury away.
Back then, when he was old enough to understand just how skilled he was, he proposed openly to his mother alone when she sat staring out the window and knitting that he would be the best Royal Guard. He had watched a faint smile warm her lips at his determination and slowly nod her head before going back to her obviously mindless chore. He insisted though, sitting at her feet and leaning his head on her knees, hoping that she would stroke his untamable hair like she had when he was a child. He told her often that when he became a Royal Guard that they would move away where his father's family could not have contact with them, that his mother would have a new window that overlooked the sea just like she had always wanted. And she would smile warmly and say that she would like that very much, and he promised her that she would be free of the family.
Well, his mother did get free of the family that placed claim over him as their future generation, but it was not in the manner that he had wished for her. His mother died shortly after growing ill, and he had not even been there to hold her as she died, too busy writing the needed applications for the various guard leagues. He had come home excited for the try-outs that he had been given, but he arrived home to silence, calling out his news to his mother as he slipped down the narrow hallway, careful not to damage the walls with the massive sword on his back. He arrived at her door just as Grakas stepped out into his path and shook his head. He had been brought crashing down when he peeked under his uncle's arm and seen the sheets pulled up over his mother's head, the common sign of death. He had stood there as Grakas had laid a hand on his shoulder before, for the first time in his life, he started screaming and tried desperately to get into his mother's room, to hold her, to make her smile, to assure her that everything would be fine.
At his mother's funeral, which he had been allowed to attend, he had been the last to leave her side even as they started to shift dirt onto her beautifully haunting body. He had known that Grakas was standing nearby, but he was too numb with his loss to really care at the small intrusion. So, he had allowed his uncle to see him for what he was, the child who wanted to be a Royal Guard and save his mother, tears streaming down his face as he pulled the knife from his boot and cut free his warrior tail. He had set down on his knees and set the golden hair on her folded hands, bending to kiss her forehead one last time, promising her one last time that he would succeed and beat even General Sephiroth. He had touched the golden locks that he had placed on her one last time before telling her that she would forever have a touch of sunlight no matter how far they buried her; she had always called him her ray of sunlight and his hair was a sign of the fact that he was the sun that she loved so much.
The next day, he stepped into the arena of the guards for his try-outs, still fresh with grief along with bitter loneliness and demanded to be allowed the ability to try for a place on the Royal Guards, despite the restriction that a man must be at least sixteen before making an attempt. Of course, they had laughed at him, but he had silenced them by smashing his opponents down by only using the blunt side of his sword with one hit. He faced off against Ricdak, one of the most skilled Royal Guards, in Lord Ansem's attempt to both test his skill and humiliate him. He had stood triumphant over the older man after subjecting Ricdak to his Omnislash and sending the man through a wall where Ricdak required medical attention, setting his sword onto his back again and awaiting the promotion that he deserved; he had not bled and sweat for fifteen years of his life to be denied now.
Cloud shifted himself out of his memories as the walls around him rippled slightly. He quirked an eyebrow and tried to sense where Zax was, noting that the dark-haired man was giving him the space that he had asked for. He silently slipped down the stairs again and stepped out into the dusty streets, shutting the door behind him as he went. His eyes scanned for the reason to the ripple, not sensing his dark half trying to invade and attack him. Slowly, he turned around, eyes narrowing as a stronger ripple caused the nearby wall to bend in an unnatural manner before the ground at his feet began to tremble.
His glowing eyes shifted to the sky, scanning until his attention fixed on a sudden black tear in the sky. For some reason, he was not terribly surprised when his obsessive rival stepped from the black crack, feeling his wing shifted against his back and become ready to allow him flight at any moment. He set his jaw tightly as the crack sealed itself over and the former General seemed to be assessing his dreamscape before their unnaturally gazes met as if they were drawn to one another. He set a hand on his sword as the silver-haired man drifted down to stand on the roof of a nearby house. "I've been looking for you."
Sephiroth smirked in triumphant, despite being disappointed that he had not caught Cloud off-guard like in the previous dream. "You left yourself open for attack again, my beautiful canary. And here I am to stop your flight once more and claim what is already mine." He let his eyes crawl over the blonde purposefully, chuckling when Cloud's eyes hardened under his scrutiny. "What game shall we play today, General Strife? I have a few in mind, but I doubt you will agree to them unless I get you drunk and unarmed first."
Cloud glared at Sephiroth and folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. "When I find you, I will be sure to put you back into the grave where you belong. You've haunted my footsteps for too long, and I'm tired of your shadow." He took a small step back to balance his weight as Sephiroth started to walk down to roof. "Tell me where you are, and we can settle this like men."
"Right beside you, my beautiful canary. Your body is just as wonderful up close as it is from a distance, and I've made sure to have a taste of your sweetness." Sephiroth chuckled as the blonde's eyes suddenly widened with shock and stepped off of the edge of the roof, drifting down to stand directly in front of Cloud. "That's right, little one. I snuggle your sleeping body against me, content to win your mind before I take your body. Give in to me now and I will be sure to make you scream in pleasure instead of pain."
"Never. I will never give in the likes of you!" Cloud snarled, trying to pull himself free of this dream, growling when all of his attempts failed.
However, he was forced to let out a surprised cry when Sephiroth was suddenly against him, shoving him back against the faded door of his home. He struggled when the silver-haired man grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head, lifting a knee to force some distance between them, pulling his head back when Sephiroth move in to claim his lips. He felt a faint pang of fear as one of the former General's legs slipped between his own and the grip on his wrists tightened to hold him more securely. "Get your hands off of me!"
Sephiroth smirked as the blonde struggled against him, forcing their bodies painfully close together. "Oh come now, my precious canary...don't knock what you haven't tried." He gathered the blonde's wrists in one hand as Cloud's muscles tensed, bringing his other hand down to snatch the blonde's quickly rising leg and holding it tightly, chuckling when Cloud snarled and struggled harder against his hold. "You writhe beautifully. I can't wait to run my hands over you..."
"So, you plan to rape me then?!" Cloud nearly shouted, twisting his wrists in an attempt to pull them free.
"Don't be silly, Cloud. Do I seem like the type to rape people?" At Cloud's skeptical look, Sephiroth lifted his knee slightly more into the blonde's groan. "No, my canary, I just have to wait you out. You will give in to me. It's all just a matter of time until you realize that I own you, and it is useless to resist me." He leaned closer just to insinuate his point, smirking when the blonde's head shifted back and cracked into the door to avoid being kissed.
Cloud had nearly wriggled one of his hands free when the wood at his back suddenly creaked, and he knew that the door was sliding open. His gaze filled with the silver-haired man's cocky smirk as they both fell back in a heap, narrowly missing one of the wooden chairs. He shifted his weight as he hit the floor, pulling his wrist free and belting the former General across the face, now setting himself to wriggled out from beneath Sephiroth's weight as the silver-haired man seemed surprised over his punch. He managed to pull himself back and shoved Sephiroth back out the door with his feet braced against the General's shoulders, using the momentum to roll himself back to his own feet, despite the awkwardness of his sword on his back.
Sephiroth slowly climbed to his feet and wiped his mouth the back of his hand, savouring the sweet taste of blood in his mouth, the first time in a long time since it had been his own. His cat-like eyes shifted over to where Cloud stood, letting his hand fall back to his side and clenched silently, feeling the leather around his hand as if it were a second skin to him. The wing at his shoulder shifted from resting to at attention, ready to allow him flight to capture his canary, wondering if Cloud too still had the false shadow clinging to the blonde. "How long do you believe that you can elude me? We can play this game for a long time, but it would be much better for both of us if you dropped the tough act."
Cloud's eyes narrowed and his own wing slipped from underneath his cloak to stand at equal attention, evening out his balance considerably despite his venomous denials of the appendage. "I don't need to act anything out. This is who I am, and the sooner you realize that I will never allow myself to be caught by the likes of you, the better for both of us."
Sephiroth purposefully laughed out loud instead of holding it in, much too amused with how childish Cloud sounded. He shook his head as the blonde fumed silently, noting that Cloud's hands were clenched, making the blonde look all the more like a small child determined to get his way. He leaned against the doorframe, gaze fixed on the blonde as he wrapped an arm around his own waist to calm his laughter. "My baby canary, you fume just like your mother."
Cloud knew that he should be shocked about the General speaking of his mother, but he felt himself becoming angry instead. "Don't talk about my mother, you bastard!" He shouted, slammed the silver-haired man with his shoulder hard enough that Sephiroth only stayed planted against him because the former General grabbed him tightly. He wriggled to pull away again and growled when Sephiroth merely lifted him from the ground and was forced the stare the small distance between them.
"A little touchy on that subject?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow as the blonde tried to pull free a hand to obviously punch him again. Obviously, Cloud was sensitive when it came to reference to Elecia, not that he was surprised too much by that fact. It was clear that the blonde held a kinship with the fury woman, one that was sorely missed by Cloud even now.
He squeezed tighter when the blonde's wing swung out and sliced at him, bringing his own wing up to parry the blow away. He let his gaze meet with the icy pools that stared death down at him, forcing a smile onto his face. "You look so similar to your mother. You have her hair and eyes...that same wonderful death-glare." He was a bit surprised when the blonde stopped trying to do him bodily harm and merely scrutinized him thoroughly, as if trying to place his face to a distant memory.
Cloud stared down into Sephiroth's face, somehow stunned by the older man's talk about his mother in a fashion that should probably worry him considerably. Yet, for him, his memories of his mother's talk when she thought him too young to comprehend her made him wonder if Sephiroth was speaking truthfully. He knew that Sephiroth had been head of the Royal Guards long before his birth, meaning that there was a ever so slight possibility that they...
"You're him." Cloud breathed softly, surprised when Sephiroth placed him almost gently on his feet again, both still staring the distance between them. Tentatively, he reached up and touched the silver-haired man's cheek, seemingly suddenly entranced with the former General as he once had been as a young fifteen-year-old. He did not completely jerk his hand away when Sephiroth leaned into his touch, but he did take a step back as, for him, things seemed to snap into place. "You're the one...that she..."
Sephiroth smiled and stepped up closer to the blonde, cupping the blonde's cheek in one hand, forcing their gazes to meet again. "You should have been mine. Now I must have you differently than I first desired." He reached out to grab Cloud when the blonde suddenly jerked away from him and started to back away quickly. He cocked his head to the side when Cloud seemed visibly confused, angry, and full of denial all at the same time. He stepped more into the room, following the blonde. "It's true, Cloud. I knew your mother."
"No! Stop it!" Cloud swiveled away from Sephiroth and grabbed at his hair, shaking his head in denial. He simply could not and would not believe that the former General was possibly closer to him than just man-at-arms, that Sephiroth was more to his mother than even he was. He let out a small groan as he was about to be swallowed by his own denials, that no matter how much he wanted to believe that Sephiroth was playing with him again, he knew in the back of his mind, taunting, that there was no amount of alcohol that could wash away this knife in his consciousness. Sephiroth could be...
Cloud felt a sickly calmness slip over him and his hands fell limply to his sides again. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know that Sephiroth was watching him, studying his actions. He looked straight ahead of himself, making sure that his back remained turned to the silver-haired man. "You never came."
Sephiroth cocked his head to the side, slightly weary of the blonde's calmness. "Never came? What do you mean by that?"
"She waited for you, but you never came back. She would sit staring out the window and just wait...she would clench the blanket tightly when every sunset came and you never arrived." Cloud stared at the old chair where his mother used to sit, smiling bitterly at the memory of her lonely eyes. "Every day...for eleven years she waited for you to come, but you never did." He slowly turned to regard Sephiroth, avoiding the older man's intense stare. "Grakas said that she died because of pneumonia, but I knew better even then. You killed her..." Cloud looked at the floor, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails bit into the flesh of his palms. His head suddenly snapped up, and he stared hatefully into the eyes of his still enemy. "My mother died of a broken heart, and it was YOU that she was waiting for! You killed her! You made her leave me!" He stomped his foot when Sephiroth threatened to take a step towards him, stopping the former General. "She loved you more than she loved her own son! She would look at me with that empty eyes, smile that lonely smile, pat my head with those dead fingers...because she was saving her real touch for you!"
"Cloud, stop." Sephiroth felt some of his insanity melt away at the blonde's obvious pain that was quickly descending into hysteria. He took a calm but tentative step towards the blonde, lifting his hands as Cloud skittered away from him. He knew that he would be able to take Cloud's mind, but he never imaged that he would break it in several places before hand. And he could see the emotions flashing through Cloud's cobalt eyes, every thought moving in and out like the waves on the sea. "What was between your mother and I...we both knew that it could never work. We split on equal terms, Cloud." He took another step towards the blonde, noting that Cloud remained in place staring at him. "She married Walian. She had you. There was no room for me."
Cloud looked down at the floor, unable to look that Sephiroth any longer. "Grakas told me about you...after she died. My grandparents never knew that he did, but he told me while they buried her." He kicked at the dust on the floor as if he was confessing some sort of childish act, like getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "He told me that no one was certain of my birthright...just everyone had assumed that I was Walian's son. I looked like my mother so no one knew until she said something to Grakas...then...they all claimed that I had died during the night and kept me hidden away until I had grown up enough where they could see what kind of man I would become...whether I would have Walian's build...or...yours."
Sephiroth nodded slowly, wanting to get Cloud's gaze back to him seeing as the blonde had gone very still again. "You should have been mine, but you are not. Walian is your true father, not me." He watched as the blonde slowly nodded, not certain if Cloud was actually listening anymore as the blonde started to kick at the floor again. "However, simply because I'm not your father..."
"The darkness is taking me over." Cloud blurted out suddenly, not really thinking about what he was saying anymore. "The black veins are nearly at my shoulders and now run down my legs." He turned away from the former General and ran his still bleeding palms down his pant legs in a gesture of nervous tension. "When I close my eyes, it is all black. Mother used to sit with me until I fell asleep because I never wanted to sleep...to close my eyes...where the darkness lurked."
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, catching on where the blonde was going with the stray conversation. "Still afraid of the dark, Cloud?"
"Still...?" Cloud looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, their gazes meeting. "Always." He turned back to staring at random objects and gestured around him with his hands. "Look around you, General. Tell me what you see."
Sephiroth wasn't sure if this was a trick question or not. "I see your house, chairs, dust...? Should I be seeing something in particular?"
Cloud laughed softly, stopping when it made him sound a bit childish, or perhaps insane, he wasn't too sure which. He turned to regard Sephiroth, gesturing again at the place where they stood only a few meters apart. "This is my mind, my dreams. It's empty. There are no people here, except you and me now. I never dream of people, just places. Nothing but inanimate objects that serve to remind me what I truly am in this world."
"And what are you, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked calmly.
"Alone." Cloud replied, looking around the empty building before snorting in disgust.
"I think you should sit down for a bit, Cloud. You are starting to make me look sane, and I'm not sure if I like that." Sephiroth walked over briskly to where Cloud stood, laying a heavy hand on the blonde's shoulder, quite surprised when Cloud stepped up to him and rested against him as a child might to a parent. "Sit with me, Cloud. Our little battling can continue later." He reached up and pulled off the blonde's red cloak, allowing the material to fall to the floor before pulling Cloud closer to his body, enjoying their sudden closeness. Slowly, he ran his hands down the blonde's mostly naked arms. "The darkness won't take you, little canary." He leaned down and kissed Cloud's ear lobe, resting his cheek next to the blonde's ear. "I won't let it take you."
Cloud shivered involuntarily and didn't resist when the older man wrapped arms around his shoulders, sinking into the embrace. Within the confines of Sephiroth's arms, the loneliness retreated away and his need for strength along with it.
Yet, the feeling did not last long as he turned his head to the side and his eyes wandered over his old house, finding it horribly empty. The room also seemed smaller, almost like it was slowly closing in around him. The dusty furniture seemed to be growing, or he was shrinking in size. And every shadow in the room seemed to hold a sinister feel to it, constantly shifting to more closer to him, long tendrils reaching out to touch any part of his body. And he began to hear whispers, soft but cold voices, murmuring only one word, the word that he feared and hated most of all. 'Weak'. Not even the embrace around him could shield him from the truth, and all the shadows leapt at him at once.
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Cloud sat quietly at his mother's feet, carelessly playing with the small coloured blocks all around him before putting one in his mouth. From beside him, he tapped his father's foot with another square block, looking up the huge distance between them. When his father smiled warmly, he giggled and dropped the block from his mouth, his attention quickly turning back to a blue block that was his favourite.
He wasn't aware of too much except his own play toys, but his attention would every now and then move to where his two grandparents sat on the couch then to the big scary man who always patted him roughly on the head, making him fall over from his still wobbly legs. He knew that they were talking, like grown ups always did before dinner time, before his mother would give him something to attempt to put into his mouth but would more often than not end up being a new toy.
He never really understood what was said, but he did understand tones. Right now, they were talking in quiet voices, meaning that it was about the scary man's missing wife who he had never seen, but he thought it might be one of the four girls who were sitting around the scary man's feet. Still, he recognized when the tone changed to lighter, meaning that they were most likely talking about his father or him. His grandparents loved to talk about him he quickly recognized, seeing as he knew to come when his name was called. So when his grandparents would talk in those light, happy tones then say his name, he would smile cutely and crawl over to them. Then his grandmother would lift him up and kiss him before bouncing him on her sharp knee.
Since he could fully see around the room, he would point at his father and squeal, "Da!" before receiving another sloppy kiss for his word. So, he would repeat the word until his mother reached out to take him when the voices went low again and grandmother had to get up to check the meal. "Ma!" he would say, smiling when his mother beamed down at him before making an attempt to brush his unmanageable hair from his forehead. He would wrinkled his face, put his hands up in an attempt to push her hands away and cry "Ba!", meaning that she should stop. He remembered very little passed the odd encounters, finding them always pleasant and happy for everyone.
But then the giant feet where his father would sit no longer appeared and his mother started to cry whenever they would visit. He was four when that started to happen, and his understanding of the situation had increased only as far as his attention span would allow. His mother's touches often became more urgent and tight, and he would often cry when she did. He could comprehend speech then, mostly so he no longer played with his blocks and just sat quietly at his mother's feet, glaring back at his glaring cousins occasionally.
So he sat while the grown ups talked in those low voices, his grandmother sounding almost angry, with what, he didn't know. Yet, he noted that more glances were passed down to his portion of the floor before he began to see how they began to look at him differently. All but his mother's eyes seemed to harden and his grandparents would touch him as little as possible during those times. Yet, he could hear the obvious scorn in their voices, cold orders being given to his mother who would shake her head and reply with heat instead of cold. And his Uncle Grakas would look down at him, grin a toothy grin that made his uncle look like a wolf and often reach down to pick him up.
He never protested, somewhat happy to be off of the floor away from those cold stares of disapproval. And his Uncle Grakas would wrap arms around his little waist and whisper things to him, all of which he became more and more aware made him want to cry. Such words as 'runt', 'whelp', 'weak bastard' were whispered almost gently across his ear as if they should be marks of compliments. He didn't know what a bastard was, but he knew what 'weak' was, and he didn't like it. Yet, he was forced to listen as those tree trunk arms held tight, and he would listen to those words every time that they visited until he would whimper and threaten and few tears that would immediately attract his mother's attention and her severe reprimands to Grakas.
So, he learned very quickly to beg his mother that he didn't want to go, then he began to fake illness and even, after listening to Grakas during a day of sword training, he would fake injury too severe to allow him to go.
His grandparents quickly caught on and began coming over to their house, making things even worse because he couldn't escape until they left. He supposed having his four older cousins making fun of him didn't help matters, but he grew under his mother's words of 'don't give them a reaction and they will leave you alone'.
So, he remained quiet and drank it all in silently, eventually cursing his unruly hair, his scrawny arms, skinny white legs, and lithe waist that was no thicker than one of Grakas' arms. He became distinctly aware of how ill-proportioned his body was, that he was clumsy and could trip over his own feet at any point, that his hair looked like he had allowed it to dry while hanging upside down, that he appeared as though he might break in a vaguely stiff wind. And he had no one else to talk to that was his age seeing as his cousins would only speak with him to make mocking comments or call him names, so he often would choose to remain upstairs, alone where the hurtful words that he had already started to see for true would not come at him from all sides. He knew that he was a runt, that he was a half-orphan, that he was ridiculous looking.
Yet, one thing that he hated being called most of all was weak. For a reason that he couldn't fully understand himself, he would also grow angered and stomp around yelling that he was not weak. He would spend time curled up rocking himself in a corner when the darkness wanted to swallow him like the night, always whispering that he was not weak and not afraid. He refused to be weak. He forced himself to swallow the bitter pill and jump to his feet just to prove that he was not weak even if he was still shaking at the knees. He would deny it until his family stopped saying it to him, more angered that they claimed it as the truth because of the blood that could be running through his veins. He never knew what that meant, and he never wanted to know. So, he practiced until he collapsed, forcing his body to the edge every day until his hands were raw, his fingers bleeding, his body straining to keep itself beneath him. He did it to prove them all wrong, to prove that he was not weak!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth reluctantly released his hold on the blonde when Cloud suddenly jerked out of his arms and stumbled back away from him. He allowed the younger man some space as the blonde started to mutter softly. "Sit, sweet canary." He cooed softly, reaching out to grab a chair when it became obvious that Cloud would make no motion to get one himself. When the blonde still refused to sit, he ran a hand through Cloud's hair in an attempt to calm the blonde's raging nerves. Perhaps he had revealed too much too soon, and Cloud was taking the information as well as could be expected.
Cloud paced slightly before eventually forcing himself to stop, looking down at his hands that were smeared with quickly drying blood. "I'm not weak. I showed them...not weak." He tensed when a hand entered his hair but did not pull away, swaying slightly on his feet as the shadows seemed to stay just out of his reach. He looked up at Sephiroth before quickly slapping the former General's hand away from his hair, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them, his mind doubling back on previous thoughts. "It's all your fault." He said softly, gaze hardening considerably. "You killed her, made her go away. You killed Leokas. You chase me... in my dreams, in my reality, in my nightmares...You are my darkness."
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was in the mood to play Cloud's little blame game if it allowed him to get closer to the blonde. If Cloud thought him the darkness, he could use this false reality to pull the blonde from the real darkness. And if that game involved him pushing Cloud into anger, he could work with that. "If that is so, I will draw you into the darkness that I am." He took a menacing step towards the blonde when Cloud's eyes widened considerably. "I shall draw you into the nightmare that forever deprives you light, from which you will never awaken." His smirked broadened. "Where we will be together forever, just the way that I want you. No more games, Strife, you weak pathetic whelp of a man! Come and face me and be defeated!"
~{Cloud, don't do it! He's letting the darkness in! Just run and I'll take care of him!}~ Zax screamed directly into the blonde's mind, racing down the dusty streets to end the confrontation that was quickly rending Cloud's dream and allowing the blonde's darker self entrance if this wasn't stopped.
Cloud sighed heavily, and, instead of beating the silver-haired man into nothingness, he turned on his heel and ran for the nearest window, stopping when Sephiroth moved to intercept. He slowly backed up towards the still open door as the former General stalked towards him.
And then he heard the flapping of wings, felt the wash of coldness in the doorway, and he simply knew even before Sephiroth opened his mouth to question the demonic creature. "Get away from here. You don't belong here."
Sephiroth took a step to his left, allowing him a better look at the man that stood in the doorway, eyes narrowing as he came face-to-face with another Cloud, this one considerably more sinister looking with large demonic wings, demonic hands and fanged canines that made the other blonde have a constant predatory grin. He looked to his property when it now appeared that they had Cloud trapped between them. "Two of you?"
'That's right, darling. Two who shall soon become one, then we would love to play with you.' The demonic Cloud grinned crookedly, crossing its arms across its chest as the other blonde turned to regard it. It briefly lifted a few fingers to wave mockingly before returning its attention back to Sephiroth. 'We must thank you, darling. Without your help, we doubt we would have made it in here so easily seeing as lovely's guardian is always skulking about. Luckily, you opened a door that we could use as well. Thank you, darling. We'll be sure to break you later.'
Sephiroth quirked in eyebrow and glanced at Cloud who seemed to be watching the floor intently. Had he really allowed this other blonde in with him? He hadn't seen the demon on his way into Cloud's dream, but he had not really been looking for something like that. It was obvious that this demon was the element that Ansem spoke of, how Cloud seemed unable to fight back fully against the grinning demon. However, now that he had found the element that was dragging Cloud down, he would need to put an end to it. "What an interesting creature you are."
The demon chuckled softly and ran a hand down its stomach and hips. 'We'll be sure to give you a bit of a test-drive before we smash you.'
"Violent and sexual...a bad combination for a warrior." Sephiroth replied coolly, walking until he was beside Cloud, glancing down at the blonde to find Cloud still staring at the floor. He nudged the blonde with his elbow, jumping back when Cloud reacted immediately to his touch, slipping down as the blonde's sword aimed to smash into him. He noted that the demon was laughing maniacally and stepping into the house with them, eyes narrowing as the demon wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders. "Remove your hands from my property, demon."
'Ah, ah, ah, darling, we get first dibs on this package.' The demon leaned down and kissed the other blonde on the cheek softly, gaze staying on the silver-haired man. 'You let us in, now you have to deal with both of us.' It snapped its fingers, calling an identical sword as Cloud to hand, smirking cruelly at Sephiroth. 'Lovely, what do you say we make him bleed, hmm? How about for mother?'
"Yes, for mother." Cloud replied in a distant voice, the light slipping away from his eyes as if some force was dragging him back where he couldn't fight.
Sephiroth glared at the demon and settled himself to strike either of the two blondes as they both approached, gaze shifting as yet another figure jumped into the doorway, a man that he had never seen before but somehow, he felt that he recognized him somehow. The demon also seemed to pay close attention to the spiky dark-haired man, leaving his Cloud open for an attack. Yet, he held off, not sure if the new edition to the house was on his side or not, though he thought so by the way the dark-haired warrior glared at him then glared at the demon more that the new edition was probably more inclined to help him.
~{Cloud! No parties in your house!}~ Zax looked between the demonic Cloud and Sephiroth, feeling his face contort with dismay at the current situation. His glowing gaze shifted over to the silver-haired man briefly before sighing heavily as he leaned against the doorframe. ~{I can't believe I have to work with the cursed one! That's it, I'm demanding a raise for all the work that I do.}~ He lifted the buster sword in his hands as the demon flew at him, parrying the blow easily, his gaze shifting fully to Sephiroth, and he grinned foolishly. ~{Hi there, cursed one. If you don't want to die, I suggest you grab our good Cloud and run your little butt off while I take care of this creep. Oh, and don't stab me in the back...very painful, I must say.}~
'So, the precious guardian will work with the cursed child? How foolish of you, guardian.' The demon sheathed as it pulled its sword back for another strike against the one creature that could resist it completely. 'We were just about to kill the cursed one for you. Why stop us?'
Sephiroth wasted little while the two warriors faced off against each other, darting forward to grab his property. He wrestled Cloud's huge blade from the blonde's hands and smashed Cloud in the back of the head, hoping to knock the blonde unconscious. When Cloud only shook the blow off, he growled and seized the blonde by the shoulders, ready to drag Cloud from the house if need be.
~{Hey, cursed one, didn't I just tell you to get him out of here? Are you hard of hearing or something?}~ Zax jumped out of the way as the demon leapt at him, slipping to the side to allow the demon out into the street again. He dodged another sword swing and grabbed the doorknob, closing the door to be polite. He glared when the demon's sword slammed into the brittle wood, knocking the door back open. He looked back at Sephiroth who was wrestling with Cloud. ~{And keep his clothes on!}~ He shut the door again before quickly opening it again, giving the silver-haired man a glare. ~{Keep your clothes on too!}~ He grabbed the demon and shoved the blonde out the door again, slamming it just for good measure.
As soon as the demon slipped from the room, Cloud felt the darkness recede from his consciousness just in time to have Sephiroth tackle him to the floor again. He used the older man's momentum to roll onto his shoulders, throwing Sephiroth off before rolling back to his feet. He rubbed his winged shoulder as the silver-haired man drew the Masamune, looking around for his own weapon. He noted that it was across the room from his current position and decided that it would be best if he escaped before his demonic self re-entered the room.
Sephiroth was surprised when Cloud tore through the nearby window and took off away from him, resheathing his blade to pursue the blonde. It was clear from the light that had returned to Cloud's eyes that the blonde was back in control, but Cloud looked confused as to the current situation. He stopped at the window as Cloud flipped over the tall fence, shaking his head. "This could get interesting. The two Generals of Ansem's army battling again. It should be turned into an epic story for the younger generation to read about. How General Sephiroth captured his beautiful canary."
Cloud immediately set himself into a sprint the moment his feet touched the ground, twisting down narrow alleys that he knew exactly where it would take him. He ducked stray boards that hung down and was aware of a shadow trailing him, probably not gaining but pursuing nonetheless. When he felt Sephiroth teleport in behind him, he twisted away from the former General's hand and run through a random house, bolting down run-down hallways before tearing out of another window, the glass shards cutting into the flesh of his arms and nicking his cheeks. Still, he forced himself onwards, wishing that he had his sword again.
Sephiroth trailed back as he heard an explosion some distance away, stopping when the ground beneath his feet shuddered. He looked around, gaze falling on a few toppling buildings that seemed much too close for his comfort, his gaze shifting back to his property just as Cloud dashed down a side alley. He looked at the house next to him and leapt to the roof easily, taking off to head the blonde off before Cloud could either find a weapon against him or Cloud's little demon found them. Of course, he found the chase the most exciting part, seeing as he had nearly forgotten how fast Cloud could move, the blonde easily one of the fastest men in the Royal Guards.
Cloud glanced back over his shoulder to find that Sephiroth was no longer pursuing him, but he simply knew that because he could not see the General didn't mean that the silver-haired man had given up. He glanced up as a strange shadow shifted in front of him, growling to find Sephiroth following from the rooftops now, making it more difficult for him to outrun the older man. He ducked into a familiar store, slamming the door shut behind him as he took off for the back of the building, letting out a small cry when the door blew from its hinges, sending chucks of wood around the room. He slipped into a side room, hoping that he avoided detection before looking around in dismay as he found himself in a windowless room.
He shifted behind some rotting crates and began to pick shards of glass from his arms, noting that not all the blood that leaked from the wounds was red, that black streaks interlaced with his normal blood colour. Yet, he looked around the room, looking for any point of escape if the General happened to see him enter this room. He quickly noted that the door was the only clean escape, but he could probably jump through the small hole in the roof, not fully large enough for him to fit.
He ducked more behind the foul smelling crates as hard boots seemed to know that he was trapped, the silver-haired man obviously taking a painful amount of time to find him. He heard the door to the room swing open and heard a few brief steps into the room before the door creaked shut again. Cloud knew that the General was in the room with him and looked back up at the ceiling, wondering if scratching up his already battered arms was such a good idea. Still, he needed to escape and quickly so he grabbed one of the bottom crates and lifted, tossing several at the General who immediately started to cut through them, giving him a limited amount of time to escape. He looked at the hole and sighed heavily, jumping the distance, grabbing the rotting edge and began to pull himself through the hole to the next level.
Sephiroth dodged the last crate instead of cutting through it, shifting his weight as he moved so that he skidded to a halt just beneath the blonde. He reached up and grabbed Cloud's pant leg, smirking when the blonde attempted to kick him and grabbed Cloud's ankle instead. He gave the appendage a good pull, quirking an eyebrow when the blonde did not fall back into the room, instead Cloud pulled harder to scrambled through the hole that was obviously doing some damage to the blonde's body, though he was well-aware that Cloud was the self-sacrificing type.
He tightened his hold on the blonde's leg, not to pull Cloud back down but to hold the blonde from making anymore progress. He shifted his sword and jammed it through the roof, chuckling when Cloud gasped and jerked back. His sword cut quickly, bringing down a quarter of the roof, allow with the blonde, who he decided to catch in his arms instead of letting the blonde fall and get more injured. As soon as Cloud landed in his arms, he teleported to the other side of the room to avoid the roof collapsing down, calling his sword back to his side. He noted that Cloud was bleeding and 'tsk'ed softly. "Always so self-sacrificing, my canary. I doubt you even know why you are running from me."
Cloud pushed himself out of Sephiroth's arms and stood again, growling softly when the silver-haired man's arms slipped around his waist instead. "Hands off, General." He ordered firmly, not surprised when Sephiroth paid little to no attention to him. He grabbed the silver-haired man's wrists and tried to pry the older man's arms off of him, sighing in irritation when Sephiroth chuckled in his ear. He quickly silenced the silver-haired man by slapping Sephiroth with his wing. "Release me and I won't hurt you."
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and tightened his hold on the blonde. "I see the tough man act is back into place. I suppose that I will have to really work this time to make you have an emotional breakdown, but..." He leaned forward so that his lips were beside Cloud's ear. "...it can be done, my little canary."
Cloud glanced back at Sephiroth, noting the older man's cool confidence in their current situation. Without a word, he relaxed, turning his face away again to stare at the opposite wall as Sephiroth slipped closer to him. He half-smiled when the silver-haired man's arms loosened around his waist, suddenly twisting in the older man's grip so that he was now facing Sephiroth, smashing his fist into the older man's cheek. "Act or no act, I'll still waste you." He pulled his fist back again, eyes narrowing as his waist was released and his wrists were seized tightly.
Sephiroth growled as his hold on the blonde was not as tight and controlling as he wanted it to be thanks to the blood that made Cloud's flesh slippery. So, he struggled roughly with the blonde, hoping to pin Cloud to the floor if he could ever trip the blonde up. However, Cloud appeared to want to be difficult today so he merely ended up forcing the blonde up against the nearest wall, and he growled when Cloud managed to punch him again, sighing as he licked the blood that slipped from his broken lip.
He took a step back and released his hold on the blonde, raising his own fist as the Cloud's eyes narrowed. He wasn't surprised when the blonde stepped from the wall and took his punch seeing as they had been reduced to exchanging punching on several sparring occasions. So, he remained in place when Cloud's fist flew at him again, exchanging the blow for one of his own. He smirked when the blonde's head snapped away with the heavy blow and took Cloud's next punch as he always did before again exchanging it for one of his own.
Cloud knew that he was bleeding, but he refused to give in. He also knew that their often stubborn punching exchanges could last for quite some time given both of their stamina. So, he stood his ground while he exchanged blows with Sephiroth until the silver-haired man smashed him in the temple. He reeled back a step as blood began to flow down the side of his face, his gaze swinging around to glare Sephiroth who was watching him coolly. He immediately retaliated, swinging his fist out to catch the silver-haired man in the nose while taking a step forward. He knew that the older man would deflect his punch, but he smirked when Sephiroth's eyes widened as he suddenly raised his knee.
He didn't wait as he dropped the former General with his rather low-blow, leaping over the taller man towards the significant hole in the ceiling. He looked back at his wing and glared at the appendage before finally admitting that it would be the best way to get the hole in the roof of the building. He wiped blood from his chin as he leapt into the air and soared through the hole, coming out to hover above the Fourth District, looking around for any sign of Zax.
His glowing gaze scanned the horizon, but aside from the collapsed buildings and the plumes of smoke, he could see no sign of his friend. He wiped more blood from his chin and winced as the cut on his temple continued to ooze blood down the side of his face, his gaze still moving around the horizon. "Zax..."
"You should be watching your back, Strife!" Sephiroth growled as he teleported in behind the blonde and slammed his fists into Cloud's back, putting all of his power into the hit so that the blonde dropped from the sky. He watched in satisfaction as Cloud crashed heavily back through the roof of the building they had been in previously, silently floating back down in time to watch the blonde struggling to stand again. He walked over and kicked the younger man in the midsection, sending the blonde back to the ground. When Cloud attempted to stand again, he put a restraining foot on the blonde's chest and smirked. "I suggest you stay down, little canary. At this rate, you may fall unconscious from blood loss, meaning that I have all the time in the world to...capture you."
Cloud tried to wet his throat and lips again, wincing as the stray wood pieces continued to jam into his flesh painfully. The wounds on his arms had reopened as well as his bleeding lips and temple, but all of his wounds were covered in dust and dirt from his unceremonious fall back into the building. He did not resist when Sephiroth pulled him back to his feet and pushed him up against the near wall.
He wished that he had his sword again, blinking when the sturdy piece of metal materialized in his hand. He looked down at the sword in his hand in slight disbelief before coming around to a rather obvious realization that he had failed to pick up on. This was his dream, meaning that he should be able to have control over what happened for the most part. He tightened his grip on the blade and wished that Sephiroth was no longer here with him, that he would wake up.
Sephiroth looked around as a rough rumbling was heard around him, looking back at Cloud to see the blonde concentrating. He looked at his hands, eyes narrowing as he slowly began to appear translucent, noting that he was slowly being forced from Cloud's dream. He made a grab for the blonde, cursing when his hands passed innocently through the younger man's form. "You will be mine, Cloud. Sooner or later, you will be forced to admit defeat to me...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth stood quietly in the darkness, hands clenching at his sides every so often as his mind played over the events that had lead him to this path. He had never imagined Cloud, who was so strong and hardy, to be dragged down by a past that no one was aware of except for those involved in the blonde's pain. He now realized just how quickly Cloud was slipping away, that all of the blonde's strength had been drained away over long years of fighting, struggling, and running from Cloud's worst fears.
He was wise to the blonde's pain, though, having suffered much of the same himself over his years in the royal court as a bastard child. However, Cloud seemed to protect the past so closely that he could not fully understand what kind of life that driven the blonde to push so hard to be the best, to remain distant, to fail to be a man by not growing from a child. He had not suffered emotional stunting because his father would hear nothing of it, instead raised him as a warrior who would protect the nation. His job required maturity, so he now failed to understand how Cloud had made it so far just faking maturity. Well, he was wrong that the blonde was not mature for Cloud was a very good man-at-arms, but take away all of the duties of a guard and give Cloud a situation requiring a emotional response, and Sephiroth was not certain if the blonde would be able to handle it.
Now, as he stood in the darkness outside of Cloud's dream, he wondered what the blonde intended to do once their epic battle ended, where Cloud would go once one of them was dead. If the blonde won their battle, what would Cloud do with himself from now on? What would the blonde busy himself doing after Cloud returned to the planet?
He looked around himself, smiling when an image of the blonde appeared before him. He reached a hand towards Cloud, whose eyes seemed to portray all the loneliness that he had only caught a brief glimpse of. He studied Cloud intently, seeing every small sign of the blonde's true emotional state slowly making its way to the surface.
He quickly came to realize that his little canary was not actually flying freely. No, the little yellow bird was fleeing for its very life, chased down by the dark shadow of the past. His canary had already felt the cold swipe of talons on its beautiful wings, but it was struggling to keep flight from that giant black bird that tormented it at every turn, driving the little bird back on itself in endless circles. And his canary was tiring, its yellow wings faltering, forcing the bird to slowly descend into the endless darkness where it would surely be consumed by the larger bird that followed and forced his canary forward, driving it to exhaustion where it would meets its end. His beautiful canary was desperate to stop flying...
"I've been wrong all this time, Cloud." Sephiroth looked at the blonde in front of him and folded his hands behind his back. His forehead creased with worry as the blonde's legs began to be swallowed by shadows. "You're not the one that I wish to cage. If your little wings are allowed to rest, you will fly for me, and you will return to me every time I call your name." His gaze settled on the shadow that was now at the blonde's knees. "I must cage your fear and clip its wings. Only my arms shall be your cage..."
Sephiroth felt his eyes narrow as the demonic blonde suddenly appeared next to his Cloud, except the demon looked angry as it looked off to the distance. He watched the demon walk away from the normal blonde that began to fade from before him. His gaze switched back to the demon who stopped and suddenly had a sword in hand, its voice full of anger and hate. 'We hate this place! We will rule this world and make them feel our pain...our loneliness! The world must suffer as we have, and we will bath in the blood of those that hurt us!' The demon began to swing the sword wildly as if attacking an invisible enemy. 'Make them bleed! Make them hurt! Make them feel our pain! We will kill them to let them see...to let them feel the loneliness of a thousand years and a thousand more after that!'
Sephiroth felt suddenly sorry for the demon, the true manifestation of part of Cloud's pain, the part that wanted revenge. It was obvious that the darkness had created this demon to manipulate Cloud into falling by twisting the blonde's emotions that only the darkness knew. It was driving Cloud towards an inescapable, lonely end that the blonde seemed to be mostly blinded to. Because Cloud turned his back on the past pain and hid it from sight, he allowed the darkness to grab hold of those memories and create an angry, spiteful Cloud that it would control completely.
He felt a sudden warmth wash over his back and swiveled to regard the source, his breath catching in his throat as he found himself staring at yet another Cloud, this one considerable different from the demon. He took a step towards the other Cloud, beckoned by something within himself that he could not explain.
The blonde before him was indeed Cloud, but the blonde locks not cascaded down Cloud's back and slowly shifted into silver down to the blonde's knees. From the new Cloud's back sprung seven wings, only the left shoulder missing a wing, from the demonic wing Sephiroth thought. However, unlike any wings that he had seen, these were ethereal in every manner, created from the same material that he had seen in the pit that Ansem had showed him, the life force of the planet. Around the blonde's lightly tanned waist was a white half-robe that flowed to the blonde's ankles and exenterated every line and curve of Cloud's muscular body beautifully. The blonde's skin glowed softly, and Cloud's eyes seemed to link the blonde with the planet, deep cobalt pools swirling with the voices of many and a wisdom beyond Cloud's years. In Cloud's hand, a sword that shimmered with planetary energy rested against the black ground.
Sephiroth had a bit of trouble swallowing as the blonde's eyes seemed to see him, a small smile playing over those wondrous lips. "Cloud? What...are you?"
The blonde angel's smile broadened. 'Your heart will tell you.' The voice was soft and almost musical, but highly attractive, bringing all attention around the blonde.
Sephiroth blinked when Cloud suddenly disappeared from in front of him, somewhat disappointed as his eyes scanned in an attempt to catch one more glimpse of the angel. He turned when again there was another warmth at his back, finding himself staring at both Clouds, one demonic and one angelic. "Light and darkness...?"
'We will kill them for our pain.' The demon said coldly, staring at the other.
'We will die to give them freedom.' The angelic Cloud replied softly, smiling warmly at the demon who merely scowled back. 'We will fight until our last breath to bring happiness and order back to what has been taken away by the darkness. In our loneliness, we shall grant freedom to everyone else. If we make the greatest sacrifice, are we not right?'
The demon snarled angrily. 'Why can't we be selfish for once? Why must we live for everyone but ourselves? What has the world done for us to make us happy?'
There was a pause from the angelic form before a small smile, a sad smile, appeared. 'We were created to live for everyone but ourselves. We should do what is right and save the planet and bring back the happiness that is desired.'
The demon seemed more angered by these words and seized the other by the shoulder roughly. 'And when happiness and love is restored to the planet, what about us? After all is said and done, they will still hate us...still leave us alone! We should take what we can and run!'
'But we are already running.' The angel chuckled musically when the demon opened its mouth to respond heatedly but closed its mouth again. 'Our light...'
'Is a tainted thing! We cannot put any hope in that creature! In his insanity, he will never see us...only wish to claim us...cage us...make us hurt more!' The demon shoved the other back, drawing its sword and pointing it at the angel's chest. 'If we kill the tainted light, we will not be hurt!'
The angel gently shrugged its shoulders and its expression turned very sad as it turned away from the other. The angelic form looked directly at Sephiroth, sad eyes expressing more than could be put into words. 'You're wrong. The light is opening his eyes, and he is beginning to see us. He wishes to wash away our pain, our loneliness...we just have to let him in.'
'Never! We are strong, and we will destroy those who wish to harm us!' The demon screamed, swinging its sword in a wide arch of anger. It stalked towards the angel who disappeared in an array of green wisps that shifted off into the darkness. 'We will not be hurt anymore.' The demon snarled as it melted away into shadow.
'Believe.' A soft voice replied from the endless darkness.
Sephiroth let his eyes go to his feet as he was left to his own devices to leave the blonde's mind that seemed to have two elements warring silently where Cloud was unaware. He slowly started to walk towards where he could slip back into his own body, but stopped when he felt a presence suddenly behind him, glancing over his shoulder to find the dark-haired man who had chased off the demon leaning against thin air. "You."
Zax slowly nodded his head, unfolding his arms as he pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against. ~{So, you can see me. I thought as much, especially considering who you are.}~ He looked around the darkness around them and walked a few steps towards Sephiroth. ~{I don't have much time, but right now, you are the only thing that I can vaguely count on to do something the Cloud will respond to.}~
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and sighed as he turned to regard the dark-haired man fully. "Should I assume that being able to see you some large feat that not many can achieve?"
~{Heh, don't falter yourself, Seph. Everyone can see me in dreams.}~ Zax folded his arms behind his head and met the silver-haired man's gaze. ~{But that's not why I've taken a jaunt out to visit you. I'm here because of Cloud...so I'll speak plainly.}~ He looked around again, making sure that they were alone before turning his attention back to Sephiroth. ~{You have to save him.}~
"Save him? From the darkness?" Sephiroth asked, lifting his chin to find glowing eyes watching him closely, probably from a lack of trust by the dark-haired man. "I will claim him."
Zax shook his head softly, fully aware that the planet was becoming quickly aware of his presence with Sephiroth. ~{If you claim him, you'll destroy him.}~ He replied, gaze locking with the suddenly uncertain green eyes of Sephiroth. ~{I can't get through to him anymore. He's closed off to me because the darkness is there, and every time I try to help him, the darkness takes over. Because of that, you are the only other element in his life that he may listen to.}~
Sephiroth folded his arm across his chest and looked around, feeling as though he was being watched closely by many eyes that he could not see in return. "You sound unsure...guardian, as you were called by the demon."
~{The name's Zax, since we'll be kind of, sort of, not really working together.}~ Zax grinned when Sephiroth merely quirked an eyebrow at him. His expression quickly turned serious. ~{And of course I'm unsure about you...you're the cursed one...tainted by your own foolishness.}~
"I've killed for less so watch your mouth, boy." Sephiroth growled back.
Zax chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders. ~{If I could die, that threat would mean something to me...}~ He walked up and grabbed Sephiroth's collar, pulling their faces close together. ~{You're in my realm right now, and considering I have thousands of voices wanting me to rip you apart for even threatening harm on Cloud...don't cross me.}~ Again, Zax grinned and took a step back, this time the cheerful expression staying on his youthful features. ~{But again, that's not why I'm here. Cloud is my priority. He always has been.}~
Sephiroth slowly nodded, quickly coming to realize that the dark-haired man was probably an element of the planet that sought to protect Cloud, the strong heart. He never realized just how powerful the planet could be to create such a being to move beside the blonde and instruct Cloud. Certainly, he would need to watch himself around this man because Zax was probably not lying about the thousand voices wanting to kill him. His first encounter with the planet had spoken volumes on how the planet felt about him.
So, he remained cool and calm, willing to negotiate with Zax if it meant getting closer to Cloud. "So, how I am supposed to help Cloud if you cannot? It seems to me that the planet should be able to protect him better than I can, or am I wrong?"
~{Well, we can only do so much. We can't force Cloud to return to us, only encourage him on the right way to go.}~ Zax shrugged his shoulders slightly. ~{But...the kid is stubborn, and he won't let you get away with chasing him anymore. He wants to see you again, three parts to smash your face in, one part because he feels connected to you.}~ He scratched his head and chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly as he thought about how crazy it was to be speaking to Sephiroth in the first place. ~{Of course, your connection will become more clear the closer you get to him...kind of weird how your taint works....}~
"What are you talking about?" Sephiroth demanded, glaring at the dark-haired man.
~{Have you ever noticed that you are highly protective of him?}~ Zax didn't need for the silver-haired man to respond, the dull obsessive expression speaking more than a few volumes. ~{Right...Anyway, you get all freaked out and nasty around him when you first get what you want...kind of touchy feely too...}~ He cringed before looking back at Sephiroth. ~{However, once you settle down, ever notice that you can think clearly?}~
Sephiroth folded his arms across his chest and took a moment to think, coming to the quick conclusion that yes, when he managed to get Cloud alone with him and the blonde responding to him, he could think about something other than Cloud for long periods of time. He slowly lifted his eyes to Zax again. "I suppose that I do, but only when I have Cloud alone."
Zax again shrugged. ~{You two are connected no matter what anyone says.}~ He looked around as he found the planet watching his every move, ready to grab him for a tongue-lashing if he spoke out of line. ~{Look, you are the only one that gets a reaction in a similar fashion that I do. I need you to help me get him back to Hollow Bastion, meaning that if you two fight, you have to lose.}~
"Lose?" Sephiroth rolled back on his heels and glared at the dark-haired man. "I will fight Cloud like I swore to himself that I would. We have not danced in such a way since my death fifteen years ago." He crossed his arms stubbornly. "I won't give up on a chance to entice him into battle once more."
~{So, you will sentence him and everyone else to death!? For what, a stupid meaningless fight that Cloud will probably win anyway!}~ Zax stalked up to the silver-haired man and grabbed Sephiroth by the collar again. ~{We will see you dead before we allow you to throw away all those lives! Cloud must return to Hollow Bastion, and right now, you are the only thing standing in our way of getting him to return.}~ He smirked when Sephiroth's sword passed innocently through his body, his hold tightening on the leather in his hands. ~{If you won't help us, you are an element that must be removed. In this place, it is very easy to do, cursed one. We let your soul move to another world because we were trying to save Cloud's life, but we will not make that mistake twice.}~
Sephiroth raised his hands in the air, not wishing to be destroyed just yet. "Before you kill me, at least tell me whom that other Cloud was, the glowing one."
Zax felt his grip on the silver-haired man loosen considerably, and he sighed heavily, sounding suddenly very tired. ~{He is the planet's ultimate guardian, a force with a connection directly to the Lifestream to use as he sees fit. He...is what Cloud was initially intended to be, but...}~
"But?" Sephiroth asked quietly.
~{There was a problem since the darkness came, and we could not place him on the planet as we had wanted. He...was forced to life as a mortal, but his mortal life was a cruel one...}~ Zax released his hold on Sephiroth entirely and turned his back to the silver-haired man, again sighing as if under considerable strain. ~{I was created to be his friend, to help him grow and follow the path intended for him. I did what I could, but he...had already felt too much pain to fully more passed what had happened to him. He was alone for too long that he lost the planet's call...We tried desperately to help him, but Cloud was...damaged because of his heightened innocence put upon him by the planet.}~
Sephiroth sighed softly and looked away. "Cloud was never intended to be a mortal child then. He was intended to be that beautiful creature."
Zax slowly nodded. ~{Everything has changed since your father first experimented on the darkness...the future is uncertain.}~ He turned to regard the silver-haired man. ~{That beautiful creature is Cloud...it lives, but it is buried so deep that I doubt that Cloud even knows that it is there anymore. I can't reach it anymore because of my distance from the planet, but I saw it...I felt it...when you...}~
"When I what?" Sephiroth questioned.
~{When you got him upset...for a moment when your arms were around him, I felt it. He was coming back to life, all the darkness pushed away...but then he was consumed by it again.}~ Zax slowly forced a cheerful grin on his face and gestured at Sephiroth. ~{Look pops, my time is up.}~
Sephiroth cocked his head to side. "You haven't told me what it is you want me to do with Strife."
Zax chuckled and brushed a stray piece of hair from his face. ~{Be his friend. If not that, you'll have to think of something, pops.}~ He raised a finger in warning at the silver-haired man. ~{Don't you hurt him. Cloud is my friend so if you hurt him....}~
"I'm sure I'll feel the pain and suffering that is indescribable in every language known to mankind." Sephiroth replied dryly.
~{Hey, I like your style. You catch on real quick.}~ Zax winked and turned away from Sephiroth, hearing the slightly displeased murmurs of the planet in his mind. Ignoring the planet, he raised a hand. ~{Ta ta, pops. Watch the first step, it's a doozy.}~
"First step?" Sephiroth shook his head and started to walk away, however, his first step did in fact sent him careening back to his body faster than he could react. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, gaze shifting around to find himself still in Cloud's room with the blonde tucked beside him. He clenched his fist tightly. "I'm not sure if I should kill that brat or not..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Okay, horrible ending...I know. I felt to need to throw in some Zax humour though, and Sephiroth was the only close recipient. There were a few elements that I happy with in that chapter.
Cloud is showing a bit of his hidden character. Everyone needs to write a bit of an emotional Cloud sometimes, but don't worry, he will be in kick-ass shape once more. Yeah, he's got to beat the snot out of Hercules soon! Not sure if that will be next chapter or not. I got to lighten up the fic a bit so Zax will probably be hanging around being a joker.
Not sure what Sephiroth will be doing, but I'm sure he'll be obsessing somewhere, trying to figure out a cracked up plan of clipping wings and hugging canaries. Who knew he liked little yellow birds? Maybe I'll give him one that he can call Cloud? Nah, that would be creepy.
By Chibi Nataku
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head. ~{ indicates one very special person's speech. Of course, only Cloud can hear the voice (Geez, I give him way too many voices in his head)
AUTHOR'S WARNING: This fic has been bumped up to a yaoi pairing between Sephiroth and Cloud. You have been warned so proceed at your own risk. So far, it is merely some shounen-ai, but it might turn a bit more in later chapters.
Chapter 10 - Revelations from the Shadows
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Cloud slowly walked down the confined streets of Hollow Bastion's Fourth District, kicking up dust as he moved. He leaned his head back and enjoyed the sun on his face, sighing as a warm breeze ruffled his hair. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and enjoyed the silence around him, only a distant memory of his neighbourhood.
The lower sector, also known as the Fourth District, was more of a tangle of dirt roads that sometimes lead no where and others intersected for odd reasons. The houses were crammed together, sometimes placed on top of one another to provide for a growing family or extended family. The wood that made up the houses was often dull, slopping applications of paint having chipped away with each hot summer. Some houses had acquired a small piece of grassland, but it was usually dead from lack of care or so cluttered with various broken items that it was just an extra extension of the houses. The fences that separated the properties had broken down over time, just like the houses, some of the boards fallen into the mass of junk in the yard, leaving huge holes that anyone could wander through.
It was hot, dusty, and cramped, but for Cloud, it still remained the place where he grew up. He passed by many of the houses that he had patrolled as a Royal Guard, smiling at fond memories of the occupants who would run out and greet him every time that he passed by. Even the sword on his back felt right as if he were on a sort of silent patrol, but this time, there were no people to greet him, no children running around noisily screaming, no dogs barking. Yet, he knew this place as if he had patrolled it just yesterday.
Cloud stopped when he reached his mother's house, the one place that he loved and hated. He had spent most of his childhood in this now place, never to fully be acknowledged by anyone but his mother, his father, and his father's extended family. He had lived quietly in the upstairs two rooms mostly alone and only allowed to wander outside when his uncle could watch and make certain that he was not seen. His life until the age of twelve revolved around walking around his house, practicing, and sitting at his mother's feet when he was too young to practice sword fighting for extended periods of the day.
Slowly, he pushed open the dark green door, smiling as it groaned unhappily as he entered, his height forcing him to duck slightly. He stepped into the open room that still smelled of drying herbs, spices, and dry wood, his mother's smell. He left the door open as he walked the perimeter of the kitchen, running his hand over the wooden table with the crack down the middle before stepping into the living room, eyes glancing over the dusty old chairs. The place was exactly as he remembered it, except for the emptiness.
He glanced down the short narrow hallway that would lead to his parent's bedroom and the tiny bathroom before looking up the cramped stairwell that lead to the top of the house, his domain as a child. He cautiously started to climb the stair, not sure if his weight would be held but the crippled wood that shuddered under his foot. He had to turn himself slightly to the side just to keep his shoulders from brushing against the walls, but he eventually stepped up to the open spaces that was his room and training area.
He looked into his small bedroom, the area meticulously clean of any items that may land him in trouble from his uncle. The straw bed was jammed into the nearest corner, furthest from the window that was constantly covered over with a blanket. There was a tiny table that had been subjected to more repairs than Cloud had summers, and it tittered precariously just like he remembered it. Aside from the bed and table, his room was bare aside from a closest where his clothes were kept, sometimes on shelves that were too far out of his reach, making him have to express some sort of dexterity at an early age just to get at his favourite shirts. Yet, the closet door was shut, just the way his uncle liked it.
He slowly backtracked a few feet until he was standing at the entrance to his training room, which was the barest room in the entire house. It had nothing, no furniture, no window, no pictures. It was just walls and a floor, and each of those portions of the room had seen rough treatment over the years of his training. He wandered over to the large gash in the wall, the place where he lost his hold on his sword at the age of five and the blade had slammed into the wall so hard that it had stuck until he had cried loud enough for his mother to come up and give the sword back to him, seeing as he had tossed it out of his own meager reach. His fingers reached out and brushed over spots of old dried blood, instantly recognizing which incident in his life had made him bleed, all of which involving his uncle somehow.
Cloud remembered his Uncle Grakas the most from his childhood and even in his adult life as well. Grakas was a solid man, built sturdier than a brick and sometimes twice as thick, short brown hair that had the same odd angular qualities that his hair exhibited. One of Grakas' features that Cloud remembered the most was the man's thick arms that attached to huge hands, hands that he had once thought belonged to a giant, especially from his lack of distance from the ground as a small child. His uncle would fold those tree trunks across the barreled chest whenever Grakas was displeased, fully expressing the small forest of dark hair on his uncle's arms and peaked out from the top of Grakas' shirt. Yet, despite his uncle's bulk, Grakas was forced to walk with a slightly limp after the uncle's years of service as a patrol guard landed him early retirement when an escaping criminal jammed a knife into Grakas' leg and nearly tore off his uncle's kneecap.
Grakas was more often than not very intolerant with him, probably more jealous of Walian's ability to produce a boy than his uncle's four girls. His uncle would visit at least three times a week after his father had died, sometimes more if Grakas found the time and the will to order around what his grandparents called 'the future of the Strife line'. Unluckily for him, Grakas was often one to teach gruffly, with little to no tolerance for mistakes, and with only enough good sense to keep his voice down but his hands ready for what Grakas saw as well-needed discipline. And when Cloud had a bruised enough bottom where he could no longer sit down, Grakas would pat him on the head roughly and give him pointers that he would need to work on by the next time his uncle paid a visit, despite the fact that Cloud was bearly strong enough to hold the massive blade that was forced into his hands at every moment that his uncle could find. Luckily, his mother had a friend make a smooth piece of wood made for him so that he could practice properly and not fall over and become trapped under the weight of the blade in his hands.
Yet, he had excelled under his uncle's often brutal and exhausting methods of forcing him to train almost continually. He had been able to beat Grakas by the age of ten, and by the age of twelve, he had first formulated and completed the Omnislash, his most complicated technique. He had often trained deep into the nights, sometimes swinging to sound of his uncle arguing with his mother.
Of course, his mother had opposed the treatment from the very point that Grakas first proposed it, at his father's funeral. His mother had argued bitterly and forcefully that she would be dead before she allowed her only child to be subjected to such abuse. He knew from the day that Grakas forced his way into the house that his mother had somehow lost the fight against his father's family, and it was clear that his mother was painfully aware of this fact too. Yet, she continued to fight with Grakas until he was six where something seemed to change in her, and though she remained a very attentive mother to him, she grew very silent, as if the fight had suddenly left her. She would remain downstairs when Grakas would arrive and say little to his uncle, often ignoring the large man entirely. And when Grakas left the house in the evenings, she would just hold him close and rock him back and forth until he slept. He was certain that while he snuck into this training room he even heard her weeping alone and very sad. Somehow, he knew that his father's family had broken her, tamed her wild spirit, and caged her fury away.
Back then, when he was old enough to understand just how skilled he was, he proposed openly to his mother alone when she sat staring out the window and knitting that he would be the best Royal Guard. He had watched a faint smile warm her lips at his determination and slowly nod her head before going back to her obviously mindless chore. He insisted though, sitting at her feet and leaning his head on her knees, hoping that she would stroke his untamable hair like she had when he was a child. He told her often that when he became a Royal Guard that they would move away where his father's family could not have contact with them, that his mother would have a new window that overlooked the sea just like she had always wanted. And she would smile warmly and say that she would like that very much, and he promised her that she would be free of the family.
Well, his mother did get free of the family that placed claim over him as their future generation, but it was not in the manner that he had wished for her. His mother died shortly after growing ill, and he had not even been there to hold her as she died, too busy writing the needed applications for the various guard leagues. He had come home excited for the try-outs that he had been given, but he arrived home to silence, calling out his news to his mother as he slipped down the narrow hallway, careful not to damage the walls with the massive sword on his back. He arrived at her door just as Grakas stepped out into his path and shook his head. He had been brought crashing down when he peeked under his uncle's arm and seen the sheets pulled up over his mother's head, the common sign of death. He had stood there as Grakas had laid a hand on his shoulder before, for the first time in his life, he started screaming and tried desperately to get into his mother's room, to hold her, to make her smile, to assure her that everything would be fine.
At his mother's funeral, which he had been allowed to attend, he had been the last to leave her side even as they started to shift dirt onto her beautifully haunting body. He had known that Grakas was standing nearby, but he was too numb with his loss to really care at the small intrusion. So, he had allowed his uncle to see him for what he was, the child who wanted to be a Royal Guard and save his mother, tears streaming down his face as he pulled the knife from his boot and cut free his warrior tail. He had set down on his knees and set the golden hair on her folded hands, bending to kiss her forehead one last time, promising her one last time that he would succeed and beat even General Sephiroth. He had touched the golden locks that he had placed on her one last time before telling her that she would forever have a touch of sunlight no matter how far they buried her; she had always called him her ray of sunlight and his hair was a sign of the fact that he was the sun that she loved so much.
The next day, he stepped into the arena of the guards for his try-outs, still fresh with grief along with bitter loneliness and demanded to be allowed the ability to try for a place on the Royal Guards, despite the restriction that a man must be at least sixteen before making an attempt. Of course, they had laughed at him, but he had silenced them by smashing his opponents down by only using the blunt side of his sword with one hit. He faced off against Ricdak, one of the most skilled Royal Guards, in Lord Ansem's attempt to both test his skill and humiliate him. He had stood triumphant over the older man after subjecting Ricdak to his Omnislash and sending the man through a wall where Ricdak required medical attention, setting his sword onto his back again and awaiting the promotion that he deserved; he had not bled and sweat for fifteen years of his life to be denied now.
Cloud shifted himself out of his memories as the walls around him rippled slightly. He quirked an eyebrow and tried to sense where Zax was, noting that the dark-haired man was giving him the space that he had asked for. He silently slipped down the stairs again and stepped out into the dusty streets, shutting the door behind him as he went. His eyes scanned for the reason to the ripple, not sensing his dark half trying to invade and attack him. Slowly, he turned around, eyes narrowing as a stronger ripple caused the nearby wall to bend in an unnatural manner before the ground at his feet began to tremble.
His glowing eyes shifted to the sky, scanning until his attention fixed on a sudden black tear in the sky. For some reason, he was not terribly surprised when his obsessive rival stepped from the black crack, feeling his wing shifted against his back and become ready to allow him flight at any moment. He set his jaw tightly as the crack sealed itself over and the former General seemed to be assessing his dreamscape before their unnaturally gazes met as if they were drawn to one another. He set a hand on his sword as the silver-haired man drifted down to stand on the roof of a nearby house. "I've been looking for you."
Sephiroth smirked in triumphant, despite being disappointed that he had not caught Cloud off-guard like in the previous dream. "You left yourself open for attack again, my beautiful canary. And here I am to stop your flight once more and claim what is already mine." He let his eyes crawl over the blonde purposefully, chuckling when Cloud's eyes hardened under his scrutiny. "What game shall we play today, General Strife? I have a few in mind, but I doubt you will agree to them unless I get you drunk and unarmed first."
Cloud glared at Sephiroth and folded his arms across his chest stubbornly. "When I find you, I will be sure to put you back into the grave where you belong. You've haunted my footsteps for too long, and I'm tired of your shadow." He took a small step back to balance his weight as Sephiroth started to walk down to roof. "Tell me where you are, and we can settle this like men."
"Right beside you, my beautiful canary. Your body is just as wonderful up close as it is from a distance, and I've made sure to have a taste of your sweetness." Sephiroth chuckled as the blonde's eyes suddenly widened with shock and stepped off of the edge of the roof, drifting down to stand directly in front of Cloud. "That's right, little one. I snuggle your sleeping body against me, content to win your mind before I take your body. Give in to me now and I will be sure to make you scream in pleasure instead of pain."
"Never. I will never give in the likes of you!" Cloud snarled, trying to pull himself free of this dream, growling when all of his attempts failed.
However, he was forced to let out a surprised cry when Sephiroth was suddenly against him, shoving him back against the faded door of his home. He struggled when the silver-haired man grabbed his wrists and pinned them above his head, lifting a knee to force some distance between them, pulling his head back when Sephiroth move in to claim his lips. He felt a faint pang of fear as one of the former General's legs slipped between his own and the grip on his wrists tightened to hold him more securely. "Get your hands off of me!"
Sephiroth smirked as the blonde struggled against him, forcing their bodies painfully close together. "Oh come now, my precious canary...don't knock what you haven't tried." He gathered the blonde's wrists in one hand as Cloud's muscles tensed, bringing his other hand down to snatch the blonde's quickly rising leg and holding it tightly, chuckling when Cloud snarled and struggled harder against his hold. "You writhe beautifully. I can't wait to run my hands over you..."
"So, you plan to rape me then?!" Cloud nearly shouted, twisting his wrists in an attempt to pull them free.
"Don't be silly, Cloud. Do I seem like the type to rape people?" At Cloud's skeptical look, Sephiroth lifted his knee slightly more into the blonde's groan. "No, my canary, I just have to wait you out. You will give in to me. It's all just a matter of time until you realize that I own you, and it is useless to resist me." He leaned closer just to insinuate his point, smirking when the blonde's head shifted back and cracked into the door to avoid being kissed.
Cloud had nearly wriggled one of his hands free when the wood at his back suddenly creaked, and he knew that the door was sliding open. His gaze filled with the silver-haired man's cocky smirk as they both fell back in a heap, narrowly missing one of the wooden chairs. He shifted his weight as he hit the floor, pulling his wrist free and belting the former General across the face, now setting himself to wriggled out from beneath Sephiroth's weight as the silver-haired man seemed surprised over his punch. He managed to pull himself back and shoved Sephiroth back out the door with his feet braced against the General's shoulders, using the momentum to roll himself back to his own feet, despite the awkwardness of his sword on his back.
Sephiroth slowly climbed to his feet and wiped his mouth the back of his hand, savouring the sweet taste of blood in his mouth, the first time in a long time since it had been his own. His cat-like eyes shifted over to where Cloud stood, letting his hand fall back to his side and clenched silently, feeling the leather around his hand as if it were a second skin to him. The wing at his shoulder shifted from resting to at attention, ready to allow him flight to capture his canary, wondering if Cloud too still had the false shadow clinging to the blonde. "How long do you believe that you can elude me? We can play this game for a long time, but it would be much better for both of us if you dropped the tough act."
Cloud's eyes narrowed and his own wing slipped from underneath his cloak to stand at equal attention, evening out his balance considerably despite his venomous denials of the appendage. "I don't need to act anything out. This is who I am, and the sooner you realize that I will never allow myself to be caught by the likes of you, the better for both of us."
Sephiroth purposefully laughed out loud instead of holding it in, much too amused with how childish Cloud sounded. He shook his head as the blonde fumed silently, noting that Cloud's hands were clenched, making the blonde look all the more like a small child determined to get his way. He leaned against the doorframe, gaze fixed on the blonde as he wrapped an arm around his own waist to calm his laughter. "My baby canary, you fume just like your mother."
Cloud knew that he should be shocked about the General speaking of his mother, but he felt himself becoming angry instead. "Don't talk about my mother, you bastard!" He shouted, slammed the silver-haired man with his shoulder hard enough that Sephiroth only stayed planted against him because the former General grabbed him tightly. He wriggled to pull away again and growled when Sephiroth merely lifted him from the ground and was forced the stare the small distance between them.
"A little touchy on that subject?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow as the blonde tried to pull free a hand to obviously punch him again. Obviously, Cloud was sensitive when it came to reference to Elecia, not that he was surprised too much by that fact. It was clear that the blonde held a kinship with the fury woman, one that was sorely missed by Cloud even now.
He squeezed tighter when the blonde's wing swung out and sliced at him, bringing his own wing up to parry the blow away. He let his gaze meet with the icy pools that stared death down at him, forcing a smile onto his face. "You look so similar to your mother. You have her hair and eyes...that same wonderful death-glare." He was a bit surprised when the blonde stopped trying to do him bodily harm and merely scrutinized him thoroughly, as if trying to place his face to a distant memory.
Cloud stared down into Sephiroth's face, somehow stunned by the older man's talk about his mother in a fashion that should probably worry him considerably. Yet, for him, his memories of his mother's talk when she thought him too young to comprehend her made him wonder if Sephiroth was speaking truthfully. He knew that Sephiroth had been head of the Royal Guards long before his birth, meaning that there was a ever so slight possibility that they...
"You're him." Cloud breathed softly, surprised when Sephiroth placed him almost gently on his feet again, both still staring the distance between them. Tentatively, he reached up and touched the silver-haired man's cheek, seemingly suddenly entranced with the former General as he once had been as a young fifteen-year-old. He did not completely jerk his hand away when Sephiroth leaned into his touch, but he did take a step back as, for him, things seemed to snap into place. "You're the one...that she..."
Sephiroth smiled and stepped up closer to the blonde, cupping the blonde's cheek in one hand, forcing their gazes to meet again. "You should have been mine. Now I must have you differently than I first desired." He reached out to grab Cloud when the blonde suddenly jerked away from him and started to back away quickly. He cocked his head to the side when Cloud seemed visibly confused, angry, and full of denial all at the same time. He stepped more into the room, following the blonde. "It's true, Cloud. I knew your mother."
"No! Stop it!" Cloud swiveled away from Sephiroth and grabbed at his hair, shaking his head in denial. He simply could not and would not believe that the former General was possibly closer to him than just man-at-arms, that Sephiroth was more to his mother than even he was. He let out a small groan as he was about to be swallowed by his own denials, that no matter how much he wanted to believe that Sephiroth was playing with him again, he knew in the back of his mind, taunting, that there was no amount of alcohol that could wash away this knife in his consciousness. Sephiroth could be...
Cloud felt a sickly calmness slip over him and his hands fell limply to his sides again. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know that Sephiroth was watching him, studying his actions. He looked straight ahead of himself, making sure that his back remained turned to the silver-haired man. "You never came."
Sephiroth cocked his head to the side, slightly weary of the blonde's calmness. "Never came? What do you mean by that?"
"She waited for you, but you never came back. She would sit staring out the window and just wait...she would clench the blanket tightly when every sunset came and you never arrived." Cloud stared at the old chair where his mother used to sit, smiling bitterly at the memory of her lonely eyes. "Every day...for eleven years she waited for you to come, but you never did." He slowly turned to regard Sephiroth, avoiding the older man's intense stare. "Grakas said that she died because of pneumonia, but I knew better even then. You killed her..." Cloud looked at the floor, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails bit into the flesh of his palms. His head suddenly snapped up, and he stared hatefully into the eyes of his still enemy. "My mother died of a broken heart, and it was YOU that she was waiting for! You killed her! You made her leave me!" He stomped his foot when Sephiroth threatened to take a step towards him, stopping the former General. "She loved you more than she loved her own son! She would look at me with that empty eyes, smile that lonely smile, pat my head with those dead fingers...because she was saving her real touch for you!"
"Cloud, stop." Sephiroth felt some of his insanity melt away at the blonde's obvious pain that was quickly descending into hysteria. He took a calm but tentative step towards the blonde, lifting his hands as Cloud skittered away from him. He knew that he would be able to take Cloud's mind, but he never imaged that he would break it in several places before hand. And he could see the emotions flashing through Cloud's cobalt eyes, every thought moving in and out like the waves on the sea. "What was between your mother and I...we both knew that it could never work. We split on equal terms, Cloud." He took another step towards the blonde, noting that Cloud remained in place staring at him. "She married Walian. She had you. There was no room for me."
Cloud looked down at the floor, unable to look that Sephiroth any longer. "Grakas told me about you...after she died. My grandparents never knew that he did, but he told me while they buried her." He kicked at the dust on the floor as if he was confessing some sort of childish act, like getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "He told me that no one was certain of my birthright...just everyone had assumed that I was Walian's son. I looked like my mother so no one knew until she said something to Grakas...then...they all claimed that I had died during the night and kept me hidden away until I had grown up enough where they could see what kind of man I would become...whether I would have Walian's build...or...yours."
Sephiroth nodded slowly, wanting to get Cloud's gaze back to him seeing as the blonde had gone very still again. "You should have been mine, but you are not. Walian is your true father, not me." He watched as the blonde slowly nodded, not certain if Cloud was actually listening anymore as the blonde started to kick at the floor again. "However, simply because I'm not your father..."
"The darkness is taking me over." Cloud blurted out suddenly, not really thinking about what he was saying anymore. "The black veins are nearly at my shoulders and now run down my legs." He turned away from the former General and ran his still bleeding palms down his pant legs in a gesture of nervous tension. "When I close my eyes, it is all black. Mother used to sit with me until I fell asleep because I never wanted to sleep...to close my eyes...where the darkness lurked."
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, catching on where the blonde was going with the stray conversation. "Still afraid of the dark, Cloud?"
"Still...?" Cloud looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, their gazes meeting. "Always." He turned back to staring at random objects and gestured around him with his hands. "Look around you, General. Tell me what you see."
Sephiroth wasn't sure if this was a trick question or not. "I see your house, chairs, dust...? Should I be seeing something in particular?"
Cloud laughed softly, stopping when it made him sound a bit childish, or perhaps insane, he wasn't too sure which. He turned to regard Sephiroth, gesturing again at the place where they stood only a few meters apart. "This is my mind, my dreams. It's empty. There are no people here, except you and me now. I never dream of people, just places. Nothing but inanimate objects that serve to remind me what I truly am in this world."
"And what are you, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked calmly.
"Alone." Cloud replied, looking around the empty building before snorting in disgust.
"I think you should sit down for a bit, Cloud. You are starting to make me look sane, and I'm not sure if I like that." Sephiroth walked over briskly to where Cloud stood, laying a heavy hand on the blonde's shoulder, quite surprised when Cloud stepped up to him and rested against him as a child might to a parent. "Sit with me, Cloud. Our little battling can continue later." He reached up and pulled off the blonde's red cloak, allowing the material to fall to the floor before pulling Cloud closer to his body, enjoying their sudden closeness. Slowly, he ran his hands down the blonde's mostly naked arms. "The darkness won't take you, little canary." He leaned down and kissed Cloud's ear lobe, resting his cheek next to the blonde's ear. "I won't let it take you."
Cloud shivered involuntarily and didn't resist when the older man wrapped arms around his shoulders, sinking into the embrace. Within the confines of Sephiroth's arms, the loneliness retreated away and his need for strength along with it.
Yet, the feeling did not last long as he turned his head to the side and his eyes wandered over his old house, finding it horribly empty. The room also seemed smaller, almost like it was slowly closing in around him. The dusty furniture seemed to be growing, or he was shrinking in size. And every shadow in the room seemed to hold a sinister feel to it, constantly shifting to more closer to him, long tendrils reaching out to touch any part of his body. And he began to hear whispers, soft but cold voices, murmuring only one word, the word that he feared and hated most of all. 'Weak'. Not even the embrace around him could shield him from the truth, and all the shadows leapt at him at once.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud sat quietly at his mother's feet, carelessly playing with the small coloured blocks all around him before putting one in his mouth. From beside him, he tapped his father's foot with another square block, looking up the huge distance between them. When his father smiled warmly, he giggled and dropped the block from his mouth, his attention quickly turning back to a blue block that was his favourite.
He wasn't aware of too much except his own play toys, but his attention would every now and then move to where his two grandparents sat on the couch then to the big scary man who always patted him roughly on the head, making him fall over from his still wobbly legs. He knew that they were talking, like grown ups always did before dinner time, before his mother would give him something to attempt to put into his mouth but would more often than not end up being a new toy.
He never really understood what was said, but he did understand tones. Right now, they were talking in quiet voices, meaning that it was about the scary man's missing wife who he had never seen, but he thought it might be one of the four girls who were sitting around the scary man's feet. Still, he recognized when the tone changed to lighter, meaning that they were most likely talking about his father or him. His grandparents loved to talk about him he quickly recognized, seeing as he knew to come when his name was called. So when his grandparents would talk in those light, happy tones then say his name, he would smile cutely and crawl over to them. Then his grandmother would lift him up and kiss him before bouncing him on her sharp knee.
Since he could fully see around the room, he would point at his father and squeal, "Da!" before receiving another sloppy kiss for his word. So, he would repeat the word until his mother reached out to take him when the voices went low again and grandmother had to get up to check the meal. "Ma!" he would say, smiling when his mother beamed down at him before making an attempt to brush his unmanageable hair from his forehead. He would wrinkled his face, put his hands up in an attempt to push her hands away and cry "Ba!", meaning that she should stop. He remembered very little passed the odd encounters, finding them always pleasant and happy for everyone.
But then the giant feet where his father would sit no longer appeared and his mother started to cry whenever they would visit. He was four when that started to happen, and his understanding of the situation had increased only as far as his attention span would allow. His mother's touches often became more urgent and tight, and he would often cry when she did. He could comprehend speech then, mostly so he no longer played with his blocks and just sat quietly at his mother's feet, glaring back at his glaring cousins occasionally.
So he sat while the grown ups talked in those low voices, his grandmother sounding almost angry, with what, he didn't know. Yet, he noted that more glances were passed down to his portion of the floor before he began to see how they began to look at him differently. All but his mother's eyes seemed to harden and his grandparents would touch him as little as possible during those times. Yet, he could hear the obvious scorn in their voices, cold orders being given to his mother who would shake her head and reply with heat instead of cold. And his Uncle Grakas would look down at him, grin a toothy grin that made his uncle look like a wolf and often reach down to pick him up.
He never protested, somewhat happy to be off of the floor away from those cold stares of disapproval. And his Uncle Grakas would wrap arms around his little waist and whisper things to him, all of which he became more and more aware made him want to cry. Such words as 'runt', 'whelp', 'weak bastard' were whispered almost gently across his ear as if they should be marks of compliments. He didn't know what a bastard was, but he knew what 'weak' was, and he didn't like it. Yet, he was forced to listen as those tree trunk arms held tight, and he would listen to those words every time that they visited until he would whimper and threaten and few tears that would immediately attract his mother's attention and her severe reprimands to Grakas.
So, he learned very quickly to beg his mother that he didn't want to go, then he began to fake illness and even, after listening to Grakas during a day of sword training, he would fake injury too severe to allow him to go.
His grandparents quickly caught on and began coming over to their house, making things even worse because he couldn't escape until they left. He supposed having his four older cousins making fun of him didn't help matters, but he grew under his mother's words of 'don't give them a reaction and they will leave you alone'.
So, he remained quiet and drank it all in silently, eventually cursing his unruly hair, his scrawny arms, skinny white legs, and lithe waist that was no thicker than one of Grakas' arms. He became distinctly aware of how ill-proportioned his body was, that he was clumsy and could trip over his own feet at any point, that his hair looked like he had allowed it to dry while hanging upside down, that he appeared as though he might break in a vaguely stiff wind. And he had no one else to talk to that was his age seeing as his cousins would only speak with him to make mocking comments or call him names, so he often would choose to remain upstairs, alone where the hurtful words that he had already started to see for true would not come at him from all sides. He knew that he was a runt, that he was a half-orphan, that he was ridiculous looking.
Yet, one thing that he hated being called most of all was weak. For a reason that he couldn't fully understand himself, he would also grow angered and stomp around yelling that he was not weak. He would spend time curled up rocking himself in a corner when the darkness wanted to swallow him like the night, always whispering that he was not weak and not afraid. He refused to be weak. He forced himself to swallow the bitter pill and jump to his feet just to prove that he was not weak even if he was still shaking at the knees. He would deny it until his family stopped saying it to him, more angered that they claimed it as the truth because of the blood that could be running through his veins. He never knew what that meant, and he never wanted to know. So, he practiced until he collapsed, forcing his body to the edge every day until his hands were raw, his fingers bleeding, his body straining to keep itself beneath him. He did it to prove them all wrong, to prove that he was not weak!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth reluctantly released his hold on the blonde when Cloud suddenly jerked out of his arms and stumbled back away from him. He allowed the younger man some space as the blonde started to mutter softly. "Sit, sweet canary." He cooed softly, reaching out to grab a chair when it became obvious that Cloud would make no motion to get one himself. When the blonde still refused to sit, he ran a hand through Cloud's hair in an attempt to calm the blonde's raging nerves. Perhaps he had revealed too much too soon, and Cloud was taking the information as well as could be expected.
Cloud paced slightly before eventually forcing himself to stop, looking down at his hands that were smeared with quickly drying blood. "I'm not weak. I showed them...not weak." He tensed when a hand entered his hair but did not pull away, swaying slightly on his feet as the shadows seemed to stay just out of his reach. He looked up at Sephiroth before quickly slapping the former General's hand away from his hair, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them, his mind doubling back on previous thoughts. "It's all your fault." He said softly, gaze hardening considerably. "You killed her, made her go away. You killed Leokas. You chase me... in my dreams, in my reality, in my nightmares...You are my darkness."
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was in the mood to play Cloud's little blame game if it allowed him to get closer to the blonde. If Cloud thought him the darkness, he could use this false reality to pull the blonde from the real darkness. And if that game involved him pushing Cloud into anger, he could work with that. "If that is so, I will draw you into the darkness that I am." He took a menacing step towards the blonde when Cloud's eyes widened considerably. "I shall draw you into the nightmare that forever deprives you light, from which you will never awaken." His smirked broadened. "Where we will be together forever, just the way that I want you. No more games, Strife, you weak pathetic whelp of a man! Come and face me and be defeated!"
~{Cloud, don't do it! He's letting the darkness in! Just run and I'll take care of him!}~ Zax screamed directly into the blonde's mind, racing down the dusty streets to end the confrontation that was quickly rending Cloud's dream and allowing the blonde's darker self entrance if this wasn't stopped.
Cloud sighed heavily, and, instead of beating the silver-haired man into nothingness, he turned on his heel and ran for the nearest window, stopping when Sephiroth moved to intercept. He slowly backed up towards the still open door as the former General stalked towards him.
And then he heard the flapping of wings, felt the wash of coldness in the doorway, and he simply knew even before Sephiroth opened his mouth to question the demonic creature. "Get away from here. You don't belong here."
Sephiroth took a step to his left, allowing him a better look at the man that stood in the doorway, eyes narrowing as he came face-to-face with another Cloud, this one considerably more sinister looking with large demonic wings, demonic hands and fanged canines that made the other blonde have a constant predatory grin. He looked to his property when it now appeared that they had Cloud trapped between them. "Two of you?"
'That's right, darling. Two who shall soon become one, then we would love to play with you.' The demonic Cloud grinned crookedly, crossing its arms across its chest as the other blonde turned to regard it. It briefly lifted a few fingers to wave mockingly before returning its attention back to Sephiroth. 'We must thank you, darling. Without your help, we doubt we would have made it in here so easily seeing as lovely's guardian is always skulking about. Luckily, you opened a door that we could use as well. Thank you, darling. We'll be sure to break you later.'
Sephiroth quirked in eyebrow and glanced at Cloud who seemed to be watching the floor intently. Had he really allowed this other blonde in with him? He hadn't seen the demon on his way into Cloud's dream, but he had not really been looking for something like that. It was obvious that this demon was the element that Ansem spoke of, how Cloud seemed unable to fight back fully against the grinning demon. However, now that he had found the element that was dragging Cloud down, he would need to put an end to it. "What an interesting creature you are."
The demon chuckled softly and ran a hand down its stomach and hips. 'We'll be sure to give you a bit of a test-drive before we smash you.'
"Violent and sexual...a bad combination for a warrior." Sephiroth replied coolly, walking until he was beside Cloud, glancing down at the blonde to find Cloud still staring at the floor. He nudged the blonde with his elbow, jumping back when Cloud reacted immediately to his touch, slipping down as the blonde's sword aimed to smash into him. He noted that the demon was laughing maniacally and stepping into the house with them, eyes narrowing as the demon wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders. "Remove your hands from my property, demon."
'Ah, ah, ah, darling, we get first dibs on this package.' The demon leaned down and kissed the other blonde on the cheek softly, gaze staying on the silver-haired man. 'You let us in, now you have to deal with both of us.' It snapped its fingers, calling an identical sword as Cloud to hand, smirking cruelly at Sephiroth. 'Lovely, what do you say we make him bleed, hmm? How about for mother?'
"Yes, for mother." Cloud replied in a distant voice, the light slipping away from his eyes as if some force was dragging him back where he couldn't fight.
Sephiroth glared at the demon and settled himself to strike either of the two blondes as they both approached, gaze shifting as yet another figure jumped into the doorway, a man that he had never seen before but somehow, he felt that he recognized him somehow. The demon also seemed to pay close attention to the spiky dark-haired man, leaving his Cloud open for an attack. Yet, he held off, not sure if the new edition to the house was on his side or not, though he thought so by the way the dark-haired warrior glared at him then glared at the demon more that the new edition was probably more inclined to help him.
~{Cloud! No parties in your house!}~ Zax looked between the demonic Cloud and Sephiroth, feeling his face contort with dismay at the current situation. His glowing gaze shifted over to the silver-haired man briefly before sighing heavily as he leaned against the doorframe. ~{I can't believe I have to work with the cursed one! That's it, I'm demanding a raise for all the work that I do.}~ He lifted the buster sword in his hands as the demon flew at him, parrying the blow easily, his gaze shifting fully to Sephiroth, and he grinned foolishly. ~{Hi there, cursed one. If you don't want to die, I suggest you grab our good Cloud and run your little butt off while I take care of this creep. Oh, and don't stab me in the back...very painful, I must say.}~
'So, the precious guardian will work with the cursed child? How foolish of you, guardian.' The demon sheathed as it pulled its sword back for another strike against the one creature that could resist it completely. 'We were just about to kill the cursed one for you. Why stop us?'
Sephiroth wasted little while the two warriors faced off against each other, darting forward to grab his property. He wrestled Cloud's huge blade from the blonde's hands and smashed Cloud in the back of the head, hoping to knock the blonde unconscious. When Cloud only shook the blow off, he growled and seized the blonde by the shoulders, ready to drag Cloud from the house if need be.
~{Hey, cursed one, didn't I just tell you to get him out of here? Are you hard of hearing or something?}~ Zax jumped out of the way as the demon leapt at him, slipping to the side to allow the demon out into the street again. He dodged another sword swing and grabbed the doorknob, closing the door to be polite. He glared when the demon's sword slammed into the brittle wood, knocking the door back open. He looked back at Sephiroth who was wrestling with Cloud. ~{And keep his clothes on!}~ He shut the door again before quickly opening it again, giving the silver-haired man a glare. ~{Keep your clothes on too!}~ He grabbed the demon and shoved the blonde out the door again, slamming it just for good measure.
As soon as the demon slipped from the room, Cloud felt the darkness recede from his consciousness just in time to have Sephiroth tackle him to the floor again. He used the older man's momentum to roll onto his shoulders, throwing Sephiroth off before rolling back to his feet. He rubbed his winged shoulder as the silver-haired man drew the Masamune, looking around for his own weapon. He noted that it was across the room from his current position and decided that it would be best if he escaped before his demonic self re-entered the room.
Sephiroth was surprised when Cloud tore through the nearby window and took off away from him, resheathing his blade to pursue the blonde. It was clear from the light that had returned to Cloud's eyes that the blonde was back in control, but Cloud looked confused as to the current situation. He stopped at the window as Cloud flipped over the tall fence, shaking his head. "This could get interesting. The two Generals of Ansem's army battling again. It should be turned into an epic story for the younger generation to read about. How General Sephiroth captured his beautiful canary."
Cloud immediately set himself into a sprint the moment his feet touched the ground, twisting down narrow alleys that he knew exactly where it would take him. He ducked stray boards that hung down and was aware of a shadow trailing him, probably not gaining but pursuing nonetheless. When he felt Sephiroth teleport in behind him, he twisted away from the former General's hand and run through a random house, bolting down run-down hallways before tearing out of another window, the glass shards cutting into the flesh of his arms and nicking his cheeks. Still, he forced himself onwards, wishing that he had his sword again.
Sephiroth trailed back as he heard an explosion some distance away, stopping when the ground beneath his feet shuddered. He looked around, gaze falling on a few toppling buildings that seemed much too close for his comfort, his gaze shifting back to his property just as Cloud dashed down a side alley. He looked at the house next to him and leapt to the roof easily, taking off to head the blonde off before Cloud could either find a weapon against him or Cloud's little demon found them. Of course, he found the chase the most exciting part, seeing as he had nearly forgotten how fast Cloud could move, the blonde easily one of the fastest men in the Royal Guards.
Cloud glanced back over his shoulder to find that Sephiroth was no longer pursuing him, but he simply knew that because he could not see the General didn't mean that the silver-haired man had given up. He glanced up as a strange shadow shifted in front of him, growling to find Sephiroth following from the rooftops now, making it more difficult for him to outrun the older man. He ducked into a familiar store, slamming the door shut behind him as he took off for the back of the building, letting out a small cry when the door blew from its hinges, sending chucks of wood around the room. He slipped into a side room, hoping that he avoided detection before looking around in dismay as he found himself in a windowless room.
He shifted behind some rotting crates and began to pick shards of glass from his arms, noting that not all the blood that leaked from the wounds was red, that black streaks interlaced with his normal blood colour. Yet, he looked around the room, looking for any point of escape if the General happened to see him enter this room. He quickly noted that the door was the only clean escape, but he could probably jump through the small hole in the roof, not fully large enough for him to fit.
He ducked more behind the foul smelling crates as hard boots seemed to know that he was trapped, the silver-haired man obviously taking a painful amount of time to find him. He heard the door to the room swing open and heard a few brief steps into the room before the door creaked shut again. Cloud knew that the General was in the room with him and looked back up at the ceiling, wondering if scratching up his already battered arms was such a good idea. Still, he needed to escape and quickly so he grabbed one of the bottom crates and lifted, tossing several at the General who immediately started to cut through them, giving him a limited amount of time to escape. He looked at the hole and sighed heavily, jumping the distance, grabbing the rotting edge and began to pull himself through the hole to the next level.
Sephiroth dodged the last crate instead of cutting through it, shifting his weight as he moved so that he skidded to a halt just beneath the blonde. He reached up and grabbed Cloud's pant leg, smirking when the blonde attempted to kick him and grabbed Cloud's ankle instead. He gave the appendage a good pull, quirking an eyebrow when the blonde did not fall back into the room, instead Cloud pulled harder to scrambled through the hole that was obviously doing some damage to the blonde's body, though he was well-aware that Cloud was the self-sacrificing type.
He tightened his hold on the blonde's leg, not to pull Cloud back down but to hold the blonde from making anymore progress. He shifted his sword and jammed it through the roof, chuckling when Cloud gasped and jerked back. His sword cut quickly, bringing down a quarter of the roof, allow with the blonde, who he decided to catch in his arms instead of letting the blonde fall and get more injured. As soon as Cloud landed in his arms, he teleported to the other side of the room to avoid the roof collapsing down, calling his sword back to his side. He noted that Cloud was bleeding and 'tsk'ed softly. "Always so self-sacrificing, my canary. I doubt you even know why you are running from me."
Cloud pushed himself out of Sephiroth's arms and stood again, growling softly when the silver-haired man's arms slipped around his waist instead. "Hands off, General." He ordered firmly, not surprised when Sephiroth paid little to no attention to him. He grabbed the silver-haired man's wrists and tried to pry the older man's arms off of him, sighing in irritation when Sephiroth chuckled in his ear. He quickly silenced the silver-haired man by slapping Sephiroth with his wing. "Release me and I won't hurt you."
Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and tightened his hold on the blonde. "I see the tough man act is back into place. I suppose that I will have to really work this time to make you have an emotional breakdown, but..." He leaned forward so that his lips were beside Cloud's ear. "...it can be done, my little canary."
Cloud glanced back at Sephiroth, noting the older man's cool confidence in their current situation. Without a word, he relaxed, turning his face away again to stare at the opposite wall as Sephiroth slipped closer to him. He half-smiled when the silver-haired man's arms loosened around his waist, suddenly twisting in the older man's grip so that he was now facing Sephiroth, smashing his fist into the older man's cheek. "Act or no act, I'll still waste you." He pulled his fist back again, eyes narrowing as his waist was released and his wrists were seized tightly.
Sephiroth growled as his hold on the blonde was not as tight and controlling as he wanted it to be thanks to the blood that made Cloud's flesh slippery. So, he struggled roughly with the blonde, hoping to pin Cloud to the floor if he could ever trip the blonde up. However, Cloud appeared to want to be difficult today so he merely ended up forcing the blonde up against the nearest wall, and he growled when Cloud managed to punch him again, sighing as he licked the blood that slipped from his broken lip.
He took a step back and released his hold on the blonde, raising his own fist as the Cloud's eyes narrowed. He wasn't surprised when the blonde stepped from the wall and took his punch seeing as they had been reduced to exchanging punching on several sparring occasions. So, he remained in place when Cloud's fist flew at him again, exchanging the blow for one of his own. He smirked when the blonde's head snapped away with the heavy blow and took Cloud's next punch as he always did before again exchanging it for one of his own.
Cloud knew that he was bleeding, but he refused to give in. He also knew that their often stubborn punching exchanges could last for quite some time given both of their stamina. So, he stood his ground while he exchanged blows with Sephiroth until the silver-haired man smashed him in the temple. He reeled back a step as blood began to flow down the side of his face, his gaze swinging around to glare Sephiroth who was watching him coolly. He immediately retaliated, swinging his fist out to catch the silver-haired man in the nose while taking a step forward. He knew that the older man would deflect his punch, but he smirked when Sephiroth's eyes widened as he suddenly raised his knee.
He didn't wait as he dropped the former General with his rather low-blow, leaping over the taller man towards the significant hole in the ceiling. He looked back at his wing and glared at the appendage before finally admitting that it would be the best way to get the hole in the roof of the building. He wiped blood from his chin as he leapt into the air and soared through the hole, coming out to hover above the Fourth District, looking around for any sign of Zax.
His glowing gaze scanned the horizon, but aside from the collapsed buildings and the plumes of smoke, he could see no sign of his friend. He wiped more blood from his chin and winced as the cut on his temple continued to ooze blood down the side of his face, his gaze still moving around the horizon. "Zax..."
"You should be watching your back, Strife!" Sephiroth growled as he teleported in behind the blonde and slammed his fists into Cloud's back, putting all of his power into the hit so that the blonde dropped from the sky. He watched in satisfaction as Cloud crashed heavily back through the roof of the building they had been in previously, silently floating back down in time to watch the blonde struggling to stand again. He walked over and kicked the younger man in the midsection, sending the blonde back to the ground. When Cloud attempted to stand again, he put a restraining foot on the blonde's chest and smirked. "I suggest you stay down, little canary. At this rate, you may fall unconscious from blood loss, meaning that I have all the time in the world to...capture you."
Cloud tried to wet his throat and lips again, wincing as the stray wood pieces continued to jam into his flesh painfully. The wounds on his arms had reopened as well as his bleeding lips and temple, but all of his wounds were covered in dust and dirt from his unceremonious fall back into the building. He did not resist when Sephiroth pulled him back to his feet and pushed him up against the near wall.
He wished that he had his sword again, blinking when the sturdy piece of metal materialized in his hand. He looked down at the sword in his hand in slight disbelief before coming around to a rather obvious realization that he had failed to pick up on. This was his dream, meaning that he should be able to have control over what happened for the most part. He tightened his grip on the blade and wished that Sephiroth was no longer here with him, that he would wake up.
Sephiroth looked around as a rough rumbling was heard around him, looking back at Cloud to see the blonde concentrating. He looked at his hands, eyes narrowing as he slowly began to appear translucent, noting that he was slowly being forced from Cloud's dream. He made a grab for the blonde, cursing when his hands passed innocently through the younger man's form. "You will be mine, Cloud. Sooner or later, you will be forced to admit defeat to me...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth stood quietly in the darkness, hands clenching at his sides every so often as his mind played over the events that had lead him to this path. He had never imagined Cloud, who was so strong and hardy, to be dragged down by a past that no one was aware of except for those involved in the blonde's pain. He now realized just how quickly Cloud was slipping away, that all of the blonde's strength had been drained away over long years of fighting, struggling, and running from Cloud's worst fears.
He was wise to the blonde's pain, though, having suffered much of the same himself over his years in the royal court as a bastard child. However, Cloud seemed to protect the past so closely that he could not fully understand what kind of life that driven the blonde to push so hard to be the best, to remain distant, to fail to be a man by not growing from a child. He had not suffered emotional stunting because his father would hear nothing of it, instead raised him as a warrior who would protect the nation. His job required maturity, so he now failed to understand how Cloud had made it so far just faking maturity. Well, he was wrong that the blonde was not mature for Cloud was a very good man-at-arms, but take away all of the duties of a guard and give Cloud a situation requiring a emotional response, and Sephiroth was not certain if the blonde would be able to handle it.
Now, as he stood in the darkness outside of Cloud's dream, he wondered what the blonde intended to do once their epic battle ended, where Cloud would go once one of them was dead. If the blonde won their battle, what would Cloud do with himself from now on? What would the blonde busy himself doing after Cloud returned to the planet?
He looked around himself, smiling when an image of the blonde appeared before him. He reached a hand towards Cloud, whose eyes seemed to portray all the loneliness that he had only caught a brief glimpse of. He studied Cloud intently, seeing every small sign of the blonde's true emotional state slowly making its way to the surface.
He quickly came to realize that his little canary was not actually flying freely. No, the little yellow bird was fleeing for its very life, chased down by the dark shadow of the past. His canary had already felt the cold swipe of talons on its beautiful wings, but it was struggling to keep flight from that giant black bird that tormented it at every turn, driving the little bird back on itself in endless circles. And his canary was tiring, its yellow wings faltering, forcing the bird to slowly descend into the endless darkness where it would surely be consumed by the larger bird that followed and forced his canary forward, driving it to exhaustion where it would meets its end. His beautiful canary was desperate to stop flying...
"I've been wrong all this time, Cloud." Sephiroth looked at the blonde in front of him and folded his hands behind his back. His forehead creased with worry as the blonde's legs began to be swallowed by shadows. "You're not the one that I wish to cage. If your little wings are allowed to rest, you will fly for me, and you will return to me every time I call your name." His gaze settled on the shadow that was now at the blonde's knees. "I must cage your fear and clip its wings. Only my arms shall be your cage..."
Sephiroth felt his eyes narrow as the demonic blonde suddenly appeared next to his Cloud, except the demon looked angry as it looked off to the distance. He watched the demon walk away from the normal blonde that began to fade from before him. His gaze switched back to the demon who stopped and suddenly had a sword in hand, its voice full of anger and hate. 'We hate this place! We will rule this world and make them feel our pain...our loneliness! The world must suffer as we have, and we will bath in the blood of those that hurt us!' The demon began to swing the sword wildly as if attacking an invisible enemy. 'Make them bleed! Make them hurt! Make them feel our pain! We will kill them to let them see...to let them feel the loneliness of a thousand years and a thousand more after that!'
Sephiroth felt suddenly sorry for the demon, the true manifestation of part of Cloud's pain, the part that wanted revenge. It was obvious that the darkness had created this demon to manipulate Cloud into falling by twisting the blonde's emotions that only the darkness knew. It was driving Cloud towards an inescapable, lonely end that the blonde seemed to be mostly blinded to. Because Cloud turned his back on the past pain and hid it from sight, he allowed the darkness to grab hold of those memories and create an angry, spiteful Cloud that it would control completely.
He felt a sudden warmth wash over his back and swiveled to regard the source, his breath catching in his throat as he found himself staring at yet another Cloud, this one considerable different from the demon. He took a step towards the other Cloud, beckoned by something within himself that he could not explain.
The blonde before him was indeed Cloud, but the blonde locks not cascaded down Cloud's back and slowly shifted into silver down to the blonde's knees. From the new Cloud's back sprung seven wings, only the left shoulder missing a wing, from the demonic wing Sephiroth thought. However, unlike any wings that he had seen, these were ethereal in every manner, created from the same material that he had seen in the pit that Ansem had showed him, the life force of the planet. Around the blonde's lightly tanned waist was a white half-robe that flowed to the blonde's ankles and exenterated every line and curve of Cloud's muscular body beautifully. The blonde's skin glowed softly, and Cloud's eyes seemed to link the blonde with the planet, deep cobalt pools swirling with the voices of many and a wisdom beyond Cloud's years. In Cloud's hand, a sword that shimmered with planetary energy rested against the black ground.
Sephiroth had a bit of trouble swallowing as the blonde's eyes seemed to see him, a small smile playing over those wondrous lips. "Cloud? What...are you?"
The blonde angel's smile broadened. 'Your heart will tell you.' The voice was soft and almost musical, but highly attractive, bringing all attention around the blonde.
Sephiroth blinked when Cloud suddenly disappeared from in front of him, somewhat disappointed as his eyes scanned in an attempt to catch one more glimpse of the angel. He turned when again there was another warmth at his back, finding himself staring at both Clouds, one demonic and one angelic. "Light and darkness...?"
'We will kill them for our pain.' The demon said coldly, staring at the other.
'We will die to give them freedom.' The angelic Cloud replied softly, smiling warmly at the demon who merely scowled back. 'We will fight until our last breath to bring happiness and order back to what has been taken away by the darkness. In our loneliness, we shall grant freedom to everyone else. If we make the greatest sacrifice, are we not right?'
The demon snarled angrily. 'Why can't we be selfish for once? Why must we live for everyone but ourselves? What has the world done for us to make us happy?'
There was a pause from the angelic form before a small smile, a sad smile, appeared. 'We were created to live for everyone but ourselves. We should do what is right and save the planet and bring back the happiness that is desired.'
The demon seemed more angered by these words and seized the other by the shoulder roughly. 'And when happiness and love is restored to the planet, what about us? After all is said and done, they will still hate us...still leave us alone! We should take what we can and run!'
'But we are already running.' The angel chuckled musically when the demon opened its mouth to respond heatedly but closed its mouth again. 'Our light...'
'Is a tainted thing! We cannot put any hope in that creature! In his insanity, he will never see us...only wish to claim us...cage us...make us hurt more!' The demon shoved the other back, drawing its sword and pointing it at the angel's chest. 'If we kill the tainted light, we will not be hurt!'
The angel gently shrugged its shoulders and its expression turned very sad as it turned away from the other. The angelic form looked directly at Sephiroth, sad eyes expressing more than could be put into words. 'You're wrong. The light is opening his eyes, and he is beginning to see us. He wishes to wash away our pain, our loneliness...we just have to let him in.'
'Never! We are strong, and we will destroy those who wish to harm us!' The demon screamed, swinging its sword in a wide arch of anger. It stalked towards the angel who disappeared in an array of green wisps that shifted off into the darkness. 'We will not be hurt anymore.' The demon snarled as it melted away into shadow.
'Believe.' A soft voice replied from the endless darkness.
Sephiroth let his eyes go to his feet as he was left to his own devices to leave the blonde's mind that seemed to have two elements warring silently where Cloud was unaware. He slowly started to walk towards where he could slip back into his own body, but stopped when he felt a presence suddenly behind him, glancing over his shoulder to find the dark-haired man who had chased off the demon leaning against thin air. "You."
Zax slowly nodded his head, unfolding his arms as he pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against. ~{So, you can see me. I thought as much, especially considering who you are.}~ He looked around the darkness around them and walked a few steps towards Sephiroth. ~{I don't have much time, but right now, you are the only thing that I can vaguely count on to do something the Cloud will respond to.}~
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and sighed as he turned to regard the dark-haired man fully. "Should I assume that being able to see you some large feat that not many can achieve?"
~{Heh, don't falter yourself, Seph. Everyone can see me in dreams.}~ Zax folded his arms behind his head and met the silver-haired man's gaze. ~{But that's not why I've taken a jaunt out to visit you. I'm here because of Cloud...so I'll speak plainly.}~ He looked around again, making sure that they were alone before turning his attention back to Sephiroth. ~{You have to save him.}~
"Save him? From the darkness?" Sephiroth asked, lifting his chin to find glowing eyes watching him closely, probably from a lack of trust by the dark-haired man. "I will claim him."
Zax shook his head softly, fully aware that the planet was becoming quickly aware of his presence with Sephiroth. ~{If you claim him, you'll destroy him.}~ He replied, gaze locking with the suddenly uncertain green eyes of Sephiroth. ~{I can't get through to him anymore. He's closed off to me because the darkness is there, and every time I try to help him, the darkness takes over. Because of that, you are the only other element in his life that he may listen to.}~
Sephiroth folded his arm across his chest and looked around, feeling as though he was being watched closely by many eyes that he could not see in return. "You sound unsure...guardian, as you were called by the demon."
~{The name's Zax, since we'll be kind of, sort of, not really working together.}~ Zax grinned when Sephiroth merely quirked an eyebrow at him. His expression quickly turned serious. ~{And of course I'm unsure about you...you're the cursed one...tainted by your own foolishness.}~
"I've killed for less so watch your mouth, boy." Sephiroth growled back.
Zax chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders. ~{If I could die, that threat would mean something to me...}~ He walked up and grabbed Sephiroth's collar, pulling their faces close together. ~{You're in my realm right now, and considering I have thousands of voices wanting me to rip you apart for even threatening harm on Cloud...don't cross me.}~ Again, Zax grinned and took a step back, this time the cheerful expression staying on his youthful features. ~{But again, that's not why I'm here. Cloud is my priority. He always has been.}~
Sephiroth slowly nodded, quickly coming to realize that the dark-haired man was probably an element of the planet that sought to protect Cloud, the strong heart. He never realized just how powerful the planet could be to create such a being to move beside the blonde and instruct Cloud. Certainly, he would need to watch himself around this man because Zax was probably not lying about the thousand voices wanting to kill him. His first encounter with the planet had spoken volumes on how the planet felt about him.
So, he remained cool and calm, willing to negotiate with Zax if it meant getting closer to Cloud. "So, how I am supposed to help Cloud if you cannot? It seems to me that the planet should be able to protect him better than I can, or am I wrong?"
~{Well, we can only do so much. We can't force Cloud to return to us, only encourage him on the right way to go.}~ Zax shrugged his shoulders slightly. ~{But...the kid is stubborn, and he won't let you get away with chasing him anymore. He wants to see you again, three parts to smash your face in, one part because he feels connected to you.}~ He scratched his head and chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly as he thought about how crazy it was to be speaking to Sephiroth in the first place. ~{Of course, your connection will become more clear the closer you get to him...kind of weird how your taint works....}~
"What are you talking about?" Sephiroth demanded, glaring at the dark-haired man.
~{Have you ever noticed that you are highly protective of him?}~ Zax didn't need for the silver-haired man to respond, the dull obsessive expression speaking more than a few volumes. ~{Right...Anyway, you get all freaked out and nasty around him when you first get what you want...kind of touchy feely too...}~ He cringed before looking back at Sephiroth. ~{However, once you settle down, ever notice that you can think clearly?}~
Sephiroth folded his arms across his chest and took a moment to think, coming to the quick conclusion that yes, when he managed to get Cloud alone with him and the blonde responding to him, he could think about something other than Cloud for long periods of time. He slowly lifted his eyes to Zax again. "I suppose that I do, but only when I have Cloud alone."
Zax again shrugged. ~{You two are connected no matter what anyone says.}~ He looked around as he found the planet watching his every move, ready to grab him for a tongue-lashing if he spoke out of line. ~{Look, you are the only one that gets a reaction in a similar fashion that I do. I need you to help me get him back to Hollow Bastion, meaning that if you two fight, you have to lose.}~
"Lose?" Sephiroth rolled back on his heels and glared at the dark-haired man. "I will fight Cloud like I swore to himself that I would. We have not danced in such a way since my death fifteen years ago." He crossed his arms stubbornly. "I won't give up on a chance to entice him into battle once more."
~{So, you will sentence him and everyone else to death!? For what, a stupid meaningless fight that Cloud will probably win anyway!}~ Zax stalked up to the silver-haired man and grabbed Sephiroth by the collar again. ~{We will see you dead before we allow you to throw away all those lives! Cloud must return to Hollow Bastion, and right now, you are the only thing standing in our way of getting him to return.}~ He smirked when Sephiroth's sword passed innocently through his body, his hold tightening on the leather in his hands. ~{If you won't help us, you are an element that must be removed. In this place, it is very easy to do, cursed one. We let your soul move to another world because we were trying to save Cloud's life, but we will not make that mistake twice.}~
Sephiroth raised his hands in the air, not wishing to be destroyed just yet. "Before you kill me, at least tell me whom that other Cloud was, the glowing one."
Zax felt his grip on the silver-haired man loosen considerably, and he sighed heavily, sounding suddenly very tired. ~{He is the planet's ultimate guardian, a force with a connection directly to the Lifestream to use as he sees fit. He...is what Cloud was initially intended to be, but...}~
"But?" Sephiroth asked quietly.
~{There was a problem since the darkness came, and we could not place him on the planet as we had wanted. He...was forced to life as a mortal, but his mortal life was a cruel one...}~ Zax released his hold on Sephiroth entirely and turned his back to the silver-haired man, again sighing as if under considerable strain. ~{I was created to be his friend, to help him grow and follow the path intended for him. I did what I could, but he...had already felt too much pain to fully more passed what had happened to him. He was alone for too long that he lost the planet's call...We tried desperately to help him, but Cloud was...damaged because of his heightened innocence put upon him by the planet.}~
Sephiroth sighed softly and looked away. "Cloud was never intended to be a mortal child then. He was intended to be that beautiful creature."
Zax slowly nodded. ~{Everything has changed since your father first experimented on the darkness...the future is uncertain.}~ He turned to regard the silver-haired man. ~{That beautiful creature is Cloud...it lives, but it is buried so deep that I doubt that Cloud even knows that it is there anymore. I can't reach it anymore because of my distance from the planet, but I saw it...I felt it...when you...}~
"When I what?" Sephiroth questioned.
~{When you got him upset...for a moment when your arms were around him, I felt it. He was coming back to life, all the darkness pushed away...but then he was consumed by it again.}~ Zax slowly forced a cheerful grin on his face and gestured at Sephiroth. ~{Look pops, my time is up.}~
Sephiroth cocked his head to side. "You haven't told me what it is you want me to do with Strife."
Zax chuckled and brushed a stray piece of hair from his face. ~{Be his friend. If not that, you'll have to think of something, pops.}~ He raised a finger in warning at the silver-haired man. ~{Don't you hurt him. Cloud is my friend so if you hurt him....}~
"I'm sure I'll feel the pain and suffering that is indescribable in every language known to mankind." Sephiroth replied dryly.
~{Hey, I like your style. You catch on real quick.}~ Zax winked and turned away from Sephiroth, hearing the slightly displeased murmurs of the planet in his mind. Ignoring the planet, he raised a hand. ~{Ta ta, pops. Watch the first step, it's a doozy.}~
"First step?" Sephiroth shook his head and started to walk away, however, his first step did in fact sent him careening back to his body faster than he could react. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, gaze shifting around to find himself still in Cloud's room with the blonde tucked beside him. He clenched his fist tightly. "I'm not sure if I should kill that brat or not..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Okay, horrible ending...I know. I felt to need to throw in some Zax humour though, and Sephiroth was the only close recipient. There were a few elements that I happy with in that chapter.
Cloud is showing a bit of his hidden character. Everyone needs to write a bit of an emotional Cloud sometimes, but don't worry, he will be in kick-ass shape once more. Yeah, he's got to beat the snot out of Hercules soon! Not sure if that will be next chapter or not. I got to lighten up the fic a bit so Zax will probably be hanging around being a joker.
Not sure what Sephiroth will be doing, but I'm sure he'll be obsessing somewhere, trying to figure out a cracked up plan of clipping wings and hugging canaries. Who knew he liked little yellow birds? Maybe I'll give him one that he can call Cloud? Nah, that would be creepy.
