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 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.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ... ... ... okay, blatant physical affection, teasing of the readers, and humourous bickering ahead. You have been warned. Also, hinting at lemon or something...

Chapter 15 - From Darkness to Light

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Sephiroth stared down at the smaller form sleeping soundly next to him, his fingers lightly tracing the black veins that criss-crossed below the surface of the sleeping blonde's skin, feeling the cold grip that still remained on Cloud's body. He would have liked to move about the small cabin that they were staying in, but he found that Cloud would awaken if he left the blonde's side. He knew it was because Cloud's body was having trouble maintaining a warm body temperature and required the added heat of another person, but the convenience of having to lie beside the blonde constantly slipped into his mind. He had Cloud resting, and already they seemed to be setting up a routine with one another.

The day would start off with him waking up first, usually before the sun had risen, and he would grab a nearby book and begin to read. Usually twenty pages into the book, Cloud would awaken, issue a sleepy 'good morning' and proceed to grab the nearest object - thankfully a bucket after the first three attempts that went arry - and throw up inky black liquid for about three minutes. Sephiroth would hold back Cloud's long hair - now contained in a braid after the first time ended in less beautifying colour change - and rub the blonde's back soothingly during the entire event. Once Cloud had managed to calm his body's violent upheaval, Sephiroth would wet a cloth and wipe away any remaining black from the blonde's lips. He would then get up and wander about the room and force some food into Cloud, who was often stubborn about eating, but Sephiroth refused to have the blonde lose anymore weight than Cloud already had. At some point during the morning, Cloud would sheepishly mention of being cold or just sit and shiver, and Sephiroth would slip back into bed with the blonde. They would talk quietly until Cloud once again fell back asleep.

Though Cloud had asked to get up and wander outside into the sun, Sephiroth had refused for now. He felt that Cloud was in no real condition to be going outside for any reason, and he would stick to that thought until the blonde could maintain consciousness for more than a hour or two. He was feeling rather cramped in the cabin, having to been stuck lying with Cloud for a week straight now. However, he contented himself with reading up on books that he had long forgotten and getting used to being completely sane again. Despite his gain of sanity, he did take some advantage of Cloud being helpless by keeping the blonde's body close to his own and often times, spending long hours touching Cloud's skin, smoothing down the often rigid muscles. Certainly, Cloud could have protested, but he found the greatest fight the blonde put up at this point in time was struggling with the sheets, and even then, Cloud lost most of the time.

Since the freedom of Hollow Bastion, Cloud had weakened considerably, all of the strain finally crippling the blonde to the point where Cloud almost required constant care. As far as Sephiroth could tell, the planet had withdrew from Cloud's mind when the blonde was awake, often times checking Cloud's condition through him rather than making contact with the blonde directly. He didn't have any sort of communication with the essence of the planet, but he could tell when it slipped into his mind while he watched over the strong heart. He supposed that he didn't mind that contact with the planet, considering he technically was Cloud's light - the job description for that was still alien to him at this point.

He shifted himself back and pushed Cloud's sleeping form forward, his gaze locking on the mostly white bandage that covered the blonde's left shoulder blade. The wound from where Cloud's wing used to be was still present and was always oozing black liquid, though it did sometimes scab over. He had come to realize that the scab was not productive to Cloud's health, and he had to take painful measures to remove it to keep the inky black liquid flowing from the wound. Despite Cloud's protests during the event, the blonde always felt better afterwards.

Sephiroth looking up slightly when Cloud groaned softly and began to awaken from the usual afternoon nap. He pulled Cloud's body back gently against his own frame, feeling the muscles of the blonde's back relax as their skin came into contact. He leaned over his canary and smiled slightly when Cloud's eyes flicked open slowly, though he did note that Cloud was looking paler than before. "We have to change your bandage, canary."

Cloud's attention shifted up to regard Sephiroth, a heavy sigh leaving him at the thought of a bandage change. He hated the feel of darkness flooding through his body, but he admitted that he was feeling considerably better with resting. Still, throwing up the darkness that flowed through the veins on his body every morning and having to get his shoulder knifed open was not fun. Still, he was forced to endure the treatment because it felt better, and the darkness in his system was already starting to decrease, the veins on his legs were starting to recede, and his fingernails were making progress to turn back to a normal colour. Even his demonic hand looked less sinister in his mind, though it throbbed painfully throughout most of the time that he was actually awake.

He pushed himself up into sitting position and stretched, scratching at the place that was just below the bandage on his left shoulder. He felt Sephiroth sit up beside him and begin to undo the tie of the bandage, never really a man to wait for anything when a job was required. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his stretched out legs as Sephiroth began to pull the bandage away. "How long was I sleeping for?" he asked softly.

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud's back and continued to remove the white bandage that had a sizeable dried black mark where Cloud was still wounded. "Only a few hours this time," was his reply as he finally pulled away the sticky black gauze that covered the wound, looked disgusted and tossed the material in a nearby bucket used for garbage at the moment. He examined the horrible looking wound and muttered, "the things I do for you, Strife."

Cloud sent a small glare over his shoulder at Sephiroth. "I never asked you to do this, Sephiroth. Just leave the wound open to bleed freely." He tried to pull away from the older man's touch, not surprised in the least when Sephiroth's hand landed on his right shoulder and held him in place. Despite Sephiroth complaints to annoy him, the older man took very good care of him, always worried about his state of health.

"The bandage stays, canary." Sephiroth had argued this point with Cloud for two days, and he had yet to relent.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth, wincing at the sight of the wound on his shoulder, but he kept his gaze on the silver-haired man. Canary had somehow become his nickname, and he was not so sure that he completely hated it. The manner that Sephiroth called him 'canary' had changed considerably, more a slightly affectionate word than a stake to claim him as property. He did not protest the name, since the only other nicknames he had ever received was 'sunshine' from his mother and 'spike' by Zax. The fact that Sephiroth had never bothered with silly nicknames before, but suddenly had one for him, made him relax with the comfort level between them.

He looked over sharply when Sephiroth got out of the bed, following the older man's movements with his eyes out of pure habit - he could just follow Sephiroth by the light of the man's heart. He groaned when Sephiroth picked up his boot knife and put his face in his hands, wishing he didn't have to do this ever again. He shook his head when Sephiroth sat next to him, stiffening at the sound of blade leaving sheath. "It scabbed?"

"Hold still," came Sephiroth's reply as he pushed the flat of the blade up against Cloud's shoulder blade.

"Just leave it," Cloud ordered heatedly.

"No, sit still," Sephiroth reprimanded back.

"I don't want to," Cloud shot back before trying to pull himself away from the cool blade that was pressed up against his flesh.

Sephiroth looked at Cloud with a heavy sigh. Somehow, they managed to bicker with each other just like old times when there was an invisible line of competition between them. "Stop acting like a child and sit still. This will only take a minute..."

"Of pure utter agony!" Cloud growled back.

"Stop being melodramatic," Sephiroth replied dryly as he slowly began to drag the blade up Cloud's shoulder, stopping when the blonde scrambled to grab onto something. He waited until Cloud's hands were firmly grasping onto the blanket and the blonde had rounded out his back before continuing forward. He felt Cloud tense the moment the blade made contact with the edge of the sickly black scab that marred the blonde's flesh. He waited for several seconds to make sure that Cloud was ready. "Hold still," he finally ordered.

Cloud growled back, "quit leaving me in suspense and do it!" He pulled his legs up slightly and buried his face into his knees. He let out an initial cry of pain as the blade cleanly sliced through the scab, cutting it away cleanly. He bit his lower lip as sudden pain slipped away into throbbing release, black blood slipping down his back quickly. He felt a wet cloth press up against the wound, Sephiroth wiping away the inky black from his back. "Is it looking any better?"

Sephiroth wiped away the quickly flowing black liquid, probably not even blood, his attention shifting to the nearby table where he grabbed the sizeable bag of gauze. He lifted the wet towel to investigate the wound. "It's bleeding a lot better since we first started doing this. It now just flows freely instead of me having to cut or squeeze it, which is a good sign."

"Still all black?" Cloud questioned softly.

"It would seem so at the moment. Once it starts to actually bleed, I should probably stop cutting you." Sephiroth held the towel against Cloud's back, trying to get the wound to bleed out as much as possible, to release as much of the taint as he could before bandaging it up again. He let his free hand stroke the small of Cloud's back soothingly and leaned his cheek against Cloud's uninjured shoulder. "Are you feeling any better?"

Cloud pulled his head from his knees and looked over at Sephiroth, smiling slightly at the sight of two bangs and two glowing aqua eyes staring at him from over his shoulder. "Yeah, it always feels better after the fact," he said quietly allowing his back to straighten up again, pushing himself back towards Sephiroth's warmth. "I'm going outside today," he stated quietly.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, wondering if this was going to turn into another bickering match between them. All previous conversations along this line ended up in a battle of wills that he always won on the simple grounds that he was stronger than Cloud at this point. He shook his head and pulled his chin back, wiping at the wound again. "No, you aren't. It's raining outside anyway. The last thing you need is a cold because I'm not babying you more than I already am. You stay inside today." His tone was unquestionable, a General's tone.

"No, I'm going to go outside," Cloud informed Sephiroth with the same General's tone. He held the same rank as Sephiroth, and he made sure that the silver-haired man knew it.

"No, Cloud," Sephiroth replied as neutrally as he could manage. This was so turning into bickering.

"Yes, I am," Cloud shot back, throwing Sephiroth a dirty look.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No," Sephiroth stated tersely, seizing Cloud's shoulders and shoving the blonde down against the bed. He easily pinned Cloud down to the bed, grabbing the blackened towel and pressing against the blonde's wounded shoulder. "That's final, canary. You can go outside when I can't pin you down so easily. Until then, you are under my watch and I dictate where you can and cannot go. Understood?"

Cloud shifted under Sephiroth's hold, frustrated that he couldn't even struggle at this point in time. He would be sure to show Sephiroth when he got his strength back that he still was the strong heart. Of course, he could play dirty and seize control of Sephiroth's essence and force the older man away from him, but he silently enjoyed the stubborn care that Sephiroth offered him. As before, Sephiroth was only looking out for his well-being, and he was aware that the older man was going as crazy in this confined space as he was.

So, he relented his struggles and lay quietly, relaxing his body against the bed again. He didn't move even when Sephiroth released him, instead just settling himself in comfortably to the mattress. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips when he thought about how much they had been bickering with each other lately, a battle to get used to one another's presence again. He found that both he and Sephiroth had warmed up to one another once they had bickered a few times, and he settled in resting against the older man. He didn't think that he was really awake long enough to really be able to cause any serious fights, and he found himself not minding the physical contact between them.

Sephiroth's eyes flicked up to Cloud's face as he wiped away some more black liquid before pulling the towel away and applying a thick layer of gauze to the wound. He slipped an arm under Cloud's hips and pulled the blonde upright again, holding the gauze in place with his other hand before he shifted himself so that Cloud could lean back comfortably against him. He grabbed some long bandage and began to carefully wrap Cloud's shoulder again so that the gauze remained in place no matter what the blonde did. He wrapped the shoulder, holding it in place by wrapped the bandage under Cloud's arm and across the blonde's muscled chest. He tested the bandage afterwards before casually running his hands down Cloud's arms, feeling the hardened muscles relax under his touch. "Relax, canary."

Cloud looked over his now bandaged shoulder at Sephiroth and sighed heavily, fully leaning his weight back against the silver-haired man. He felt Sephiroth's legs slip on either side of his body, aware that they were so much physically closer than he would have allowed only days ago. His father's words about his obvious trust issues had driven him to allow his guard down a little more around Sephiroth instead of avoiding the topic completely and rebelling against the older man on principle. He even admitted with grudging acceptance that he did enjoy having Sephiroth so close to him, finding his usual loneliness slip away when Sephiroth lay quietly beside him.

Sephiroth slowly extracted himself from behind Cloud, smirking at the slightly mournful look he was thrown as his feet touched down on the floor. He padded over into the small kitchen and rooted through the cupboards, having it timed perfectly when the blonde was most receptive to eat, Cloud working like clockwork sometimes. He quickly began to throw together some soup, Cloud's main diet at this point, and looked over his shoulder at the quiet blonde. "Are you hungry, canary?"

"A little," Cloud replied as he looked over at Sephiroth. He slipped his naked legs over the side of the bed, setting them on the cool floor. He winced at how cool his skin felt before he grasped one of the sheets and pulled it up with him, casually wrapping it around his nude lower half, aware of Sephiroth's eyes watching him silently. He stood on slightly shaky legs and walked slowly over to where the older man was standing, grabbing the long silvery gold braid and pulling it over his undamaged shoulder as he walked. He stopped when he was just in touching distance to Sephiroth, leaning over to investigate the possibility of a meal. "What are you making?"

Sephiroth smirked and continued with his activities, having actually mastered this part of the art known as cooking. Elecia had beaten some aspects of domestication into him and had taught him a few things about taking care of himself instead of relying on the abilities of others. "Soup, canary," he replied softly, glancing over at Cloud to find the blonde's expression slightly soured. "You know you can't keep anything else in your stomach at this point."

"...I know..." Cloud responded sheepishly before lifting his own hands to help Sephiroth, blinking when his hands were suddenly slapped lightly. He looked up at Sephiroth and glared slightly, again trying to help, if only to prove to himself that he didn't need to be babied all the time by the older man. He gritted his teeth when his hands were again batted away. "I can help, you know. I learned to cook long before you did!"

Sephiroth chuckled as Cloud did some mild pouting. "Untrue, canary. I learned to cook when you weren't even thought of, but we were both taught by the same person." He smirked when the blonde's eyes narrowed and Cloud made another attempt to help him. He could tell by Cloud's obvious stubborn expression that the blonde was not about to give up unless forced, and Sephiroth could only grin at that fact. He knew exactly what would send Cloud away obediently, or at least drop the younger man's attempts to do what Cloud should not be doing.

Before Cloud could react away, Sephiroth swiveled to face the blonde and snaked his arms around Cloud's waist, dragging the blonde's body up against his own. He leaned down and pressed his lips against Cloud's soft ones, chuckling softly when Cloud froze in the embrace and stared up at him wide-eyed. He didn't keep the simple kiss between them very long, not wishing to cause Cloud to struggle against him and risk more injury. Pulling back, he ran a hand down the side of the blonde's face, cupping Cloud's cheek. "Go and rest, canary. I would feel better if I knew you weren't straining yourself."

Cloud found himself wordlessly walking back towards the bed before he had fully processed what had just occurred between them, cursing softly every time that Sephiroth used that trick on him. His lips still tingled and his mind kept stalling over and over again as he walked back, looking down when his knees touched the edge of the bed. All he knew for sure was that he had just been convinced back to the bed because of a kiss, and the more terrifying knowledge that he had liked the closeness. He looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth and reached up to touch his lips, to force himself to come to terms with what he had just experienced.

Sephiroth watched Cloud out of the corner of his eye, a smirk pulling at his lips at the utterly bewildered look that the blonde wore. Perhaps all he needed to be was a bit more daring with Cloud at this point in time, since whenever he did become overly affectionate, Cloud just froze then quickly warmed up to him. It seemed to him that Cloud was just hiding behind the fear of only thinking about what such affections felt like. He would be sure to break Cloud of that nasty little habit, since having Cloud come back to tentatively give him affection back was something that he found himself not being able to get enough of. Every sheepish call, every shift of Cloud back against him, every soft expression from the blonde... he desired more of them, and he would get what he wanted.

Cloud flopped down heavily on the edge of the bed before lying back completely, allowing his feet to remain on the floor as he stared up at the ceiling. He could feel himself growing tired again, and it was weakness that he really hated, since he should have been able to stay up for more than a couple of hours by now. He folded his hands across his naked stomach, feeling how his skin had once again begun to warm, though not as much as it could be. Still, progress was progress, and he was feeling better even if he was exhausted most of the time. He began to count the number of knots in the wood roof, a mindless activity while his stomach began to murmur to the smell of soup, for once not trying to rebel on him.

Sephiroth shifted his gaze over to where Cloud was lying silently, cocking his head slightly with a smile. He quickly finished with the simple broth and brought it over to where Cloud would eat without having to move, stopping when his eyes dropped down to the blonde's long legs, finding the sheet that was covering Cloud's waist had shifted a little more to the left so that a considerable amount of thigh and even some hip was exposed. He vaguely wondered if Cloud was trying to either lead him on or punish him. He immediately went with the latter if Cloud even knew how much that skin was inviting. He could wait. He had patience. There was no need to push at this point in time.

"Are you going to sit up, canary?" he asked as casually as he could manage with soup bowls in either hand and trying to not stare at the invitingly long legs so close to his own. The fact that Cloud almost always slept naked was difficult enough to deal with, let alone having the blonde awake and taunting him.

Cloud's gaze shifted to where Sephiroth was standing next to him, slowly pushing himself up before sliding himself back on the bed, folding his legs in front of him as he reached up to take the bowl that Sephiroth offered him. He actually found himself hungry and wanting food, so he was concentrated on getting the broth into his hands that he failed to noticed just how much of his long legs were exposed for open viewing.

It wasn't until he was halfway through his soup and Sephiroth had sat beside him to eat for a while that his eyes strayed down after dropping a small bit of soup on his thigh. He blinked and scrutinized the offending bit of broth as it slowly trailed a line down his muscled thigh before slipping away entirely to setting in the blankets. His gaze flicked up to regard Sephiroth, stopping when he found the older man watching him with a strange expression, one he had seen Sephiroth wear a few times before.

Sephiroth had found himself staring as the drop had made a painfully slow track along the blonde's flesh, unable to look away. He wanted to accuse Cloud of doing this on purpose, that the blonde was taunting him to make their stay together more painful on him. He knew that his long built up desire to have and hold the other General was not helping in their current situation either, but he managed to keep himself from moving closer or making a rash action. He managed to pull his eyes away to finish eating, but the image stayed with him, taunting him, tempting him. His gaze strayed back to watch Cloud out of the corner of his eye unintentionally.

Cloud slowly went back to eating the rest of his soup, trying to ignore the small trail of wetness on his thigh, and the fact that Sephiroth was staring at him with...what appeared to be lust. He found himself mildly uncomfortable under Sephiroth's gaze, and he shifted occasionally as he tried to get his spoon to his mouth without spilling, though it became increasingly difficult the more that Sephiroth stared at him. He managed to get the rest of the broth more or less into his mouth, save for one last droplet that slipped down his chin.

"You're doing that on purpose," Sephiroth accused coldly, letting his spoon settle back in his own bowl of broth, nearly glaring at Cloud.

Cloud looked up and hastily reached up to wipe the droplet away, blinking when Sephiroth suddenly seized his wrist and held him back. His gaze shifted to stare at the older man, finding that same look in Sephiroth's eyes, and he found himself intrigued by it. Perhaps the second one had been on purpose, the one droplet that still clung to his chin. He was ashamed to admit that he had perhaps allowed the second as a slip to see what Sephiroth would do, unwittingly playing a game of flirt with the silver-haired man. "I... no, I didn't..."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed even more. Was Strife actually flirting with him? "You're a horrible liar, canary." Without realizing it - or perhaps not caring enough to stop himself - Sephiroth leaned forward, keeping his hold on Cloud's wrist as he leaned in. His gaze locked with the shimmering blue of Cloud's eyes, his tongue flicking out to steal away the offending droplet on the blonde's chin.

It was the first real extremely intimate contact that they had had with each other since Cloud's dream, and even then, this was probably one of the first willing acts of affection between them. For Sephiroth, it was something that he had wanted for almost seventeen years, affection that, in some ways, he felt he had long since coming to him after so many years of pursuit of the blonde warrior. He had always felt a draw to the blonde, but he had not found Cloud receptive enough to his advances to really take the risk of making an outright proposal of the desire. Even when Cloud was mildly receptive, he could tell that the blonde would not have accepted his advances if they were to become anything but subtle hints at possibilities.

For Cloud, on the other hand, he had never been one to really accept affection from anyone but his mother. He had found himself uncomfortable under the touch of even some of his comrades when they wrapped arms around his shoulders and laughed too loudly in his ears. He had pulled himself back from such affection, never really finding that the closeness was something he would want to experience. It was just the way that he was, and he never thought that it would ever change even if Sephiroth pursued for a hundred years...

However, staring at Sephiroth so close, so real, so...affection, he found the bowl in his hands become a heavy weight, which he didn't want to touch such a rough material. He found himself staring into the glowing aqua eyes of the older man, entranced with the manner in which emotion swirled like tendrils of web, reaching out to wrap around him and draw him in. Sephiroth sat so close to him, their knees nearly touching, and Cloud could feel the older man's warm breath washing over his face. His skin of his chin tingled where Sephiroth had licked him, his throat going dry just thinking about the contact on his flesh. His mind had frozen in the moment were they had come into contact with each other, and Cloud just felt something click...

Not many things in any world could surprise Sephiroth, but he found himself shocked beyond words when he felt Cloud's lips suddenly against his own, inexperienced and clumsy yet desperate all the same. He didn't have much time to think as he reacted, the sound of two bowls hitting the wooden floor moments before he was madly kissing the blonde back. His arms seized Cloud's shoulders and pushed the blonde down against the bed, his own body following as he refused to break the sudden passion between them, his hands on the move from Cloud's shoulders to run over the body that he had dreamed about for years. He found Cloud's fumbling and obvious inexperience only more erotic, seizing control as he shifted his weight and pulled away the sheet around Cloud's waist that still taunted him ruthlessly.

Cloud could only feel a torrent of emotion, none of which he had allowed out in the open so explosively at one time, but the moment Sephiroth responded to him, he simply couldn't pull back and reconsider. He had no idea what he was doing, so his hands searched blindly, often times fumbling or not working altogether. He thought that he should be ashamed of his sudden outburst, but he was too consumed by the equally desperate passion from Sephiroth to even give it a second thought at the moment. He was lost in feeling for once, not sure what to do with himself, but aware that he should be doing something, even if it was simple learning.

Sephiroth was mindful of the fact that Cloud had little knowledge of activities between the sheets, and he would have taken his time to instruct the blonde more thoroughly had he not been waiting for seventeen years for this very moment, the moment when Cloud's receptiveness outweighed the possible rejection. His skilled hands run up the blonde's body, really unable to move fast enough to suit the amount of passion that he was bombarded with, simply touching, stroking, feeling every part that he could get his hands on. He wanted everything right now, suddenly impatient with the possibility of a long drawn out foreplay, having waited too long to really allow Cloud time to adjust. He had trouble controlling himself, to even hold back enough where he didn't just flip the blonde over and claim Cloud's body for his own, seizing the ultimate prize of virginity.

Cloud made an attempt to keep up with Sephiroth, but his inexperience left him mostly lying back and shifting against the mattress. He eventually had to break the kiss between them in order to actually breathe, gasping for breath before he found his lips claimed again, his open mouth only seeming to encourage Sephiroth more. He blinked when he felt the older man's tongue slip between his lips and explore his mouth, the taste of Sephiroth sending a thrill of pleasure down his spine. He moaned softly, barely audible in his own ears, but it was clear that Sephiroth had caught it, the older man's hands seizing his naked hips with unbridled desperate passion.

He should have had enough mind to urge Sephiroth to wait and take it slow, but he was of the opinion that he really didn't care too much at this point, that even if he did order the older man to stop, it would take much more than simple words to cease the heat between them. How this sudden explosiveness had happened, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that this felt very good, and he was not about to put up any protest on something he was suddenly more than a little curious about when he found himself enjoying it.

Even with Cloud's fumbling hands, Sephiroth was pleased when the blonde touched back, his muscles shivering under Cloud's sweet hands, touch that he had been deprived of for too long to stop now. He managed to pull his lips away from ravaging the blonde's mouth to kissing the sweet flesh of Cloud's neck and chin, wanting to taste every part of the blonde beneath him. With a groan of building frustration, he pulled his hands away from touching the blonde long enough to pull his own leather pants open, finding the material much too restricting in his current state of arousal. "Nearly seventeen years...damn you, Strife..." he gritted out at the blonde.

Cloud raised his hands and wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck, tangling his fingers in the silky silver locks that were softer than he could have ever imaged. "Worth the wait...?" he managed to murmur back at the older man, letting his head settle back against the bed, shifting his weight as Sephiroth seemed intent on exploring his naked legs.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't..." Sephiroth growled out in between placing small kisses on the blonde's neck, pleased that Cloud remained receptive, meaning the blonde was ready. He pushed himself up so the he was lying over Cloud's body, running a hand down the blonde's side before grasping one of Cloud's long legs and pulling it up to rest against his hip. He shifted his weight against Cloud's upraised leg so that he could repeat the action with the other leg, trapping himself between the sweet appendages. He stopped only long enough to make sure that he wasn't about to push Cloud, a smirk slipping on his lips as the blonde's fingers stroked his back instead of pushing him away. Finally, after years of waiting, Cloud Strife was finally relinquishing to him.

Cloud leaned up to kiss Sephiroth's lips again when a sudden sharp knock on the door sounded, his eyes widening as the older man jerked away and fell off of him to the bed. He hastily grabbed the nearby sheet again, tucking it around his hips as his gaze shifted to regard Sephiroth who appeared to be cursing colourfully into the blanket while struggling to get the leather pants back done up. He skittered back on the bed and looked around desperately, suddenly bewildered at what was going on. "Who..."

Sephiroth was half-mindful to ignore the door and let their passion continue, especially as he found himself having trouble getting his pants done up again. He growled when Cloud covered up again, pushing his face into the blanket as his fingers were finally successful with the buttons of his pants. He lifted his head to shoot an accusing look at Cloud who returned it with a little more confusion. "She's your daughter, Strife!"

Cloud looked towards the door and slid from the bed, stopping when he found his body had reacted without his permission to the just recent passion. Without thinking about it, he trotted to the bathroom, casting one last apologetic look to Sephiroth who was glaring at him. He slipped inside the bathroom and was about to shut the door when Sephiroth's hand slammed against the wood and the older man stopped him. He looked up at Sephiroth in slight surprise. "Seph..."

"Where are you going? You need to deal with her," Sephiroth cut Cloud off instantly, holding the door with one hand. His gaze raked down the muscled body of the blonde and he had to force himself to look away or risk stepping into the bathroom with Cloud. "Deal with her, Strife."

Cloud shook his head. "I...can't. Give me a few seconds." He wasn't certain if Sephiroth was embarrassing him enough to blush yet, but he certainly felt uncomfortable.

Sephiroth glared at Cloud and seized the blonde's nearest wrist, tugging Cloud towards him, which he found was a big mistake on his part. "Why? Deal with her now..." His gaze locked on Cloud's glowing eyes and he felt himself leaning in before he could stop himself, and Cloud not leaning away either. He felt a thrill of their previous passion come back to him instantly as their lips met again, stepping closer to the blonde.

Cloud knew that he should push Sephiroth away, that Aerith was waiting in the rain and the longer they stayed together like this, the harder it would be to separate themselves again. Still, his mind locked on the firm lips pressed against his own and all else just seemed to blank, though he became aware quickly of the wall as his back coming closer until his naked shoulders touched the cool wood. The sound of a door being shut also caught his attention and he looked up questionably at Sephiroth.

His hands went to the older man's chest and pushed back when Sephiroth leaned in to kiss him again, shaking his head. "I'll deal with Aerith then," he said quietly before slipping from range of Sephiroth, opening the door again. It was unsafe for them both to be together like this, and he was probably more aware of that fact than Sephiroth was. "I don't want her to catch a cold out there."

"I'm trying to decide if you are just being a tease or not," Sephiroth shot back as he stepped up to Cloud's back, trailing his fingertips down the smooth skin. "You've been leading me on all morning..."

Cloud looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth then away again. He felt bad for possibly leading the older man on, but there was really nothing he could do about it at the moment since Aerith was still knocking at the door. "Sorry," he muttered and he arranged the sheet more comfortably around his waist as he walked towards the door, gaze fixed on it. He could feel Sephiroth's eyes on him and a shiver went down his back at the thought of what he had nearly done with the older man.

He wordless pulled open the door and looked out, seeing a lot of rain but no Aerith. "Aerith?" he called and peered outside, looking outside before a flash of movement caught his eye and he looked down. He blinked as he found himself staring at Hades' minions, Pain and Panic huddled together staring up at him like he was their last hope for any sort of salvation from the rain. "Pain, Panic, how did you get here?"

Panic instantly raced in the cabin after being addressed, latching on tightly to the blonde's nearest leg. It noted that Pain quickly took residence clinging to Cloud's other leg as best at the fat demon could. Before long, Panic was crying hysterically against Cloud's leg and giving full horrifying details about how they had escaped the wrath of the gods and came to find their only friend. "It's was horrible! You weren't there and I got lonely and Pain fell down and couldn't get up!"

Cloud allowed both demons to cling to his naked legs and was slightly sickened when the sheet covering his waist and legs was used as a tissue for nose-blowing. If he hadn't been naked underneath, he would have just given both little demons to the sheet for whatever use they both wanted. Despite the inconvenience of them both being here, he was glad to see them well and...still thinking he was their friend without him having to say anything.

Sephiroth was far less amused by the appearance of Pain and Panic; in fact, he was downright angry that his near successful attempt at bedding the blonde was interrupted by whining crying demons. He stood by the bed and found himself actively glaring at the sobbing pair, wondering if he could just shove them back outside and forget they ever appeared here. Oh, how he felt the sudden need to hurt or kill something for this. He had been THAT close and those two just had to show up and ruin it all for him and Cloud. "Is there any particular reason you two are here? Cloud shouldn't be standing in an open doorway in his condition, so if you don't have anything important, leave!" He couldn't keep the venom from his voice and glared back when Cloud set a cold expression on him.

Panic managed to control its crying but continued to latch onto Cloud's leg, even when the blonde moved back a few steps to shut the door again. "Can we stay with you, Cloud? You're our bestest friend in the world!"

Cloud smiled down at the two and nodded his head, "Sure, you can stay."

"No they can't," Sephiroth instantly replied, stalking over to Cloud and more specifically to scare the two demons from Cloud's legs.

Cloud looked at Sephiroth and glared a bit. "Yes, they can stay."

"No," Sephiroth shot back.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes or you sleep in the bathroom," Cloud growled out and watched as Sephiroth's expression changed to one of slight shock. He had never actually threatened Sephiroth with anything like that, and he knew without a doubt that the older man would back down, mostly because Sephiroth was probably thinking of ways to rekindle their previous mood.

"You have really nice legs," Pain called up from standing on Cloud's foot and holding onto the blonde's leg. Without a further word, Pain licked Cloud's leg and looked over at Panic, ignoring the horrified look Cloud had and the possessive one Sephiroth had. "Tastes like Hera's..."

"Those are my legs," Sephiroth growled out and wrapped a protective arm around Cloud's waist, pulling the blonde away from the two demons and closer to his body. His single white wing rose and also wrapped around the blonde's shoulders, glaring down at the two demons who seemed completely oblivious to anything that he and Cloud could have been doing. "Fine, you two can stay, but that is your corner," he said sternly and pointed to the corner furthest from the bed that was still in the room.

Panic threw its arms up in the air joyously. "Oh boy, a corner! We've never had our own corner before!"

Pain sniffled and cried again, latching onto Sephiroth who made a valiant effort to kick it away, but Pain managed to get a good hold. "You're so nice too. Will you be our friend too?"

Sephiroth felt his eyebrow twitch at just how pathetic these two demons were. One was dancing around in the darkest corner that he had assigned to them and the other was clinging desperately onto his leg despite being overweight. "No, I refuse..." he was cut off when Cloud elbowed him in the gut and gave him a warning look.

"Please be our friend!" Pain sobbed and nestled its face into Sephiroth's pant leg.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth who still had a protective hold on him, finding it comforting to know that even in his weaker state that the older man sought to keep him safe. He lifted his normal hand and grasped Sephiroth's wrist gently as he leaned back more against the older man's weight, smiling when Sephiroth moved forward a bit to meet him equally. He looked down when Sephiroth's other arm came around his waist and noted that Sephiroth was trying to ignore Pain altogether.

Sephiroth decided to change tactics entirely now that he had Cloud back in his grasp, his glowing eyes moving to regard the little fat maroon demon at his leg. "Cloud needs to rest now, meaning he's going to spend the rest of the night in my arms..."

"Can we sleep in your arms too?" Panic chimed from the corner that they were given, running back to latch onto Sephiroth's free leg. "Please!"

"What? No," Sephiroth growled out, shaking his head when the two demons insisted on clinging to him. "You two can sleep in the corner."

Pain sniffled and looked up the long distance to seeing Sephiroth's face. "But we want to feel loved too!"

Sephiroth looked at Cloud who was watching in mild amusement and not about to help him out of this situation then down to Pain then Panic. He couldn't help the annoyance that he felt for this pair invading his privacy with Cloud. "Here is how it is going to be. Cloud sleeps in my arms and no one else, and you two can sleep in each other's arms. By that reasoning, everyone feels the love. Problems?"

Panic cheered and hopped into Pain's arm, snuggling up to the other demon happily. "Yay, we're loved too!"

Sephiroth drew Cloud closer to his body and pointed rather adamantly towards the corner he had assigned the two new house mates that had shown up. "Get in your corner right now," he ordered sternly, nudging Pain, who was still holding Panic, with his foot to encourage movement away from him and Cloud. "And never touch me again," he added sternly.

Then he stopped all movement at a sound at was emitted from Cloud, his glowing eyes moving to regard the blonde in his arms. He cocked his head to the side, though he noted that Pain and Panic were also staring, and peered around Cloud's golden bangs into the blonde's face. Was Cloud...laughing? He had honestly never heard Cloud laugh in such a manner, so alive, so light, so beautiful. Certainly Sephiroth had heard Cloud laugh in guards, but it was a forced one that was suited to please the reactions of others and never really a complete true laugh. However, the musical laughter that came from Cloud at this moment was something that was true in all forms. Cloud was actually laughing.

Cloud managed to calm his laughter when all of the hilarious interplay between Sephiroth, Pain, and Panic ceased, having truly enjoyed seeing all three deal with one another. He smiled warmly at all three and slipped from Sephiroth's grasp to walk over to the bed, seating himself as he brushed his braided hair over his shoulder again, sighing heavily. Even with all the excitement, he still needed to rest himself for some periods of time.

Sephiroth watched Cloud silently and nodded his head at Pain and Panic to keep quiet and allow the blonde to rest again. Reluctantly, he left the room to one of the large cellars and pulled down a rather old blanket and returned back to the main room, laying the folded blanket in the corner that Pain and Panic had taken up residence in. When both demons looked to threaten to both cry and hug him, he offered only a warning glare which ended those thoughts. When both had laid down, he started to walk back to the bed before stopping when called to.

"Is...this our blanket now?" Pain asked while jumping up and down on the recently acquired blanket.

"Yes, you two can have it as long as you are quiet," Sephiroth replied before walking away to the bed, stopping when his legs touched the mattress. Silently, he reached a hand out and stroked his knuckles down the side of Cloud's face affectionately.

Cloud smiled at Sephiroth and pulled himself fully into bed, easing his tired body down under the covers before he pulled off the sheet that he wore and tossed it more against the far wall. He curled up on his side and watched Sephiroth slip into bed with him, finding himself gravitating more over to the older man for warmth and affection. He lay against Sephiroth's side and rested his cheek on the older man's chest, shivering when the feathers from Sephiroth's wing began to stroke his sides and back.

"Get some sleep, canary," Sephiroth whispered softly and brushed some hair from Cloud's face.

Though he was disappointed with the stop in their previous affection to one another, he couldn't hold it against Cloud or the two demons. The fact that he had heard Cloud laughing was enough for him at the moment, and he reasoned that such an explosive sexual encounter between them could have done more harm than good. As much as he made him cranky and frustrated to admit, he would not pursue for anymore tonight, not with Cloud looking so tired. At least he knew that Cloud was receptive to his advances, meaning that he could attempt a more traditional courting of the blonde warrior.

Cloud lay quietly against Sephiroth and allowed his eyes to drift closed, feeling warmer than usual despite being away from leeching Sephiroth's body heat the last while. He normally couldn't sit for more than five or ten minutes before the cold of the darkness made itself known to him again, but there had been nothing until things had settled down and he lay against the older man. Even then, he still felt warm with the heat from Sephiroth against him. It was so comfortable with Sephiroth's hand and wing stroking his skin, so much so that he needed very little urging to actually fall asleep.

However, he was brought back at the sound of Pain and Panic settled in noisily across the room and lifted his head to make sure the two demons were alright. He smiled when they both began to sleep noisily and looked up at Sephiroth who was getting the displeased look again. He leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on Sephiroth's lips before pulling back and settling in for a nice long nap.

Sephiroth gave no outward acknowledgement of the affection Cloud had just placed on him and instead just waited for the blonde warrior to sleep. He really didn't have to wait long before Cloud relaxed completely against him, and he allowed a fond smile to spread over his lips as his mind played over the small kiss he was just given. He usually struggled to get any sort of affection from the younger man, but watching Cloud sleep curled against, he thought that perhaps his luck had changed.

He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through Cloud's soft spikes, forever amused by their lack of control, which was generally opposite for Cloud. He stared at the ceiling and listened to the various noises of the house and outside before he too was lulled into sleep with Cloud lying against him comfortably and two demons in a corner of the cabin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The sea was beautiful. The deep endless blue stretched for as long as the eye could see, long lazy waves shifting and churning the secrets that were contained in the wondrous waters. The only thing that made the sparkling abyss of the sea more beautiful was when the sun's rays danced over the cool blue surface and caused the water to arch and sway with colours of red, orange, yellow and white.

He wasn't sure how long he had been watching the constant movement of the waters, but it calmed him to just sit and bask in the sight of the sea. It was forever changing and felt no regard for anything, just simply existed in the massive expanse that it took up. The sea was wonderful to him, soothing and gentle. It reminded him of his mother who loved the sea more than anything and had taken him down to it as soon as he was old enough. He saw his mother in the sea, so he loved to watch it for long periods of time, simply reminded of the family that he had lost so long ago.

Cloud wasn't even considered when a shadow settled over his seated form, never removing his eyes from the churning waters as Sephiroth slipped down behind him. He watched the older man's legs slip on either side of his body out of the corner of his eye and slowly leaned himself back against Sephiroth's weight. He smiled when strong arms wrapped around his waist. "Did you find them," he asked softly.

Sephiroth looked out at the same expanse of water that Cloud seemed completely absorbed in and slowly nodded his head. "Yes, both stupid demons were chasing one another around in the forest," he said casually, noting that the blanket he had placed on Cloud's naked shoulders was now being used at a cushion. "I thought we agreed that you would keep the blanket on," he said sternly.

Cloud smiled slightly and finally looked over his bandaged shoulder at Sephiroth, noting the displeased look he was getting. It had been a week since Pain and Panic had shown up in the rain, and he had managed to convince both of the little demons to plead his case to Sephiroth along with himself. He had finally convinced Sephiroth to allow him outside, but under harsh rules that he really didn't feel were necessary anymore. He was feeling very good lately.

The darkness had receded from his body, no lines on his legs or his stomach and chest, though some remained on his back. His demonic hand was healing nicely and looked more like a thin human hand with dark skin that was fading day by day as well, though he had lost all of his finger nails and was currently regrowing them all. Even his shoulder was in good condition, the wound now in a state of bleeding actual blood when urged to, and he no longer threw-up every morning which was a nice treat.

Sephiroth noted Cloud's silence and sighed heavily, wrapping an arm around Cloud's waist, and he lifted the blonde up and pulled the blanket free before setting Cloud down again. He unfolded it and wrapped the warm material around Cloud's shoulders, feeling much safer knowing that Cloud was not about to get cold from the wind. He was pleased that the blonde was able to maintain a more constant body temperature, but he still worried about having Cloud outside and so close to the cool winds of the sea. Plus, the sun was already beginning to set.

"Sephiroth," Cloud inquired softly, leaning himself back against Sephiroth's weight again.

"Yes, canary," Sephiroth replied and wrapped his arms around Cloud's shoulders, holding the blonde close. Perhaps allowing Cloud outside wasn't so bad.

Cloud remained silent for a few moments before closing his eyes, allowing the image of the sea to run through his mind as a smile tugged at his lips. It felt so good to be outside again. "I was thinking that we could return to the castle soon, maybe in a few days if I keep getting better. The darkness is fading fast," he said and held up his demonic hand to show just how much progress was being made. Sephiroth was a hard man to convince sometimes.

Sephiroth kept his opinion of allowing Cloud back to the castle mostly to himself, mostly because his reasons were mostly selfish. His gaze flicked to Cloud's upraised hand, and he nodded at it, noting the day-by-day quick progress that Cloud seemed to be making. It had been because of that day where he and Cloud nearly slipped between the sheets together and the arrival of Panic and Pain that Cloud seemed to get well again. Though, he and Cloud had not shared anymore moments in such a manner, the blonde had opened up to him more and willingly searched out odd tender moments of simple affection.

He had lost count the number of times that Cloud had come about to kiss him softly when he had thought it best to keep his reservation and not push Cloud. Now, he didn't hold back as much as he would have, taking to kissing the blonde when opportunity presented itself. Yet, sometimes simple moments that they had at this time spoke volumes of where their relationship had taken a turn towards. Cloud openly trusted him instead of always keeping it a mystery.

"Sephiroth?"

"Hmm?" Sephiroth had not realized that he had remained silent for so long, his gaze leaving the beautiful horizon to look down at the blonde leaning against him. "We will see how things go, canary," he finally replied, not making any commitments to allow Cloud back to the castle so soon. He promised the planet and Elecia that Cloud would be well again before he returned to that castle with Cloud.

Cloud looked back at Sephiroth briefly before looking out over the sea once more. "I was thinking that if we were thinking of heading back, I could send Pain and Panic to inform everyone." He tried to make it sound completely casual, which wasn't too difficult given that he wasn't looking at Sephiroth at the moment.

Sephiroth nodded his head at the thought, thinking that it would be a smart move to inform the others when they would return. He would also be pleased to be rid of Pain and Panic for at least a day, not that he disliked the two but more because they seemed to latch onto him more and more. His general acts of being disgruntled were often rewarded and had the opposite effect that he had intended. He really couldn't get mad at the little demons since they both looked after Cloud when he went out for brief moments and the blonde seemed to generally like Pain and Panic's wild antics of stupidity and simplicity. He didn't so much mind it either, since it entertained him in those boring hours of Cloud's naps.

After a moment of once more being lost in thought, he finally just nodded his head at the idea of sending Pain and Panic to the castle to inform whomever was running things that they would return. "I suppose that would be a good idea, but we should make sure that you are well enough to return before doing so."

Cloud slowly nodded his head, aware that Sephiroth was currently in 'general caregiver' mode. The affection he finally allowed himself had grown into a comfortable state. He had finally admitted to himself over the last week that there was more than just a generalized liking for Sephiroth, and their time together was something he more than enjoyed. "We would be alone," he suddenly said in the bit of silence between them.

Sephiroth looked sharply down at Cloud in his arms and subconsciously tightened his hold on the younger man. Yes, they would most certainly be alone together and with no worry of interruptions. But...was Cloud indicating secretly what thought he was thinking about? The blonde was easier to read now, but even that was not so obvious. "Indeed, we would be. It would be nice to have some time purely to ourselves, don't you think?"

Cloud nodded his head a bit quickly, playing with the belt buckle of his pants in order to keep his mind from wandering off too far. His eyes drifted shut when he felt Sephiroth's warm breath on the back of his neck, soothing and inviting to him and the arms around his waist shifted so that Sephiroth's hands run up his sides. It was clear that the older man was testing his receptiveness, mostly likely attempting to figure out his cryptic words from before. He looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, their gazes meeting moments before their lips did.

Sephiroth found the moment their lips met to be a sort of victory, though he knew that he had won over a week ago. He kissed the blonde passionately, allowing a hand to come up and cup the side of Cloud's face to maintain the contact between them as his eyes drifted close. He didn't keep the intimate embrace long as he could hear the high-pitched giggling of the two demons approaching their location, and he smiled when Cloud nearly followed him in stubborn refusal to let him go as the broke their kiss.

Cloud sighed heavily and went back to looking out over the sea, pulling his knees up so that he could embrace them with his arms and rest his cheek against his knees. He moaned softly when Sephiroth's hand began a slow massage of his back, the contact causing his muscles to relax as he listened to the fun of Pain and Panic approaching them. This moment was wonderful, and he would remember it always.

He looked back when he felt the presence of Panic and Pain skipping up to them, never having seen the two demons so happy in all the time he had been in the Underworld. Perhaps because he accepted their presence and Sephiroth tolerated it that the two had finally found a place they could accept. He smiled over at them, noting that Sephiroth did not stop the back massage, which was rare since the older man was careful about open displays of physical affection. "Hey, you two," he called the two demons who were grinning madly, "what were you up to?" He almost felt like a parent talking to a child.

Pain waddled up and latched onto Sephiroth's arm, completely ignoring the glare it received for the action. If it didn't see the glare, it didn't happen. "We were eating squirrels and catching frogs!"

Sephiroth snorted skeptically. "I doubt that. You can't move fast enough..." He received a hurt look from Pain, who simply clung closer to him. He had forgotten that insulting only made Pain worse to deal with. "Let me guess, you directed Panic where they were since your eyesight is better than his?" he added smoothly, never missing a beat. He didn't know what gender the demons were either...

Panic sat on Cloud's feet and looked up at the two men with a healthy grin of satisfaction. "Yup! We ate really well today! Aren't you proud of us?"

"Always," Cloud replied with a small smile and looked between the two demons with purpose. "I have a job for you two, if you want to help me out." Both demons perked and looked enthusiastically at him, Pain managing to somehow clamber into Sephiroth's lap much to the older man's frustration. "Sephiroth and I have agreed that we will be heading back to the palace soon, but we don't want to simply show up there. I was wondering if you two would like to make a trip to the palace and inform Aerith, Squall, Yuffie and Cid of our possible arrival within the next week. Would you two do that for me?"

Sephiroth had never seen two supposedly evil creatures look so happy in all of his life. It nearly made him feel mildly ill when he was hugged desperately, but he managed to accept it with only a sigh of long-suffering. Obviously, these two weren't given very many jobs since he and Cloud had worked for Hades. "You two should stay at the palace and explore there as well. It has many good hiding spots and interesting rooms to investigate." It seemed to him that Pain and Panic did like to explore way too much, and he hoped to convince more than a night from them for an absence.

Panic looked completely overjoyed and danced around with Pain who had fallen from Sephiroth's lap. It was not the first job they had ever gotten, but these were their friends. They would do the best job for Cloud and Sephiroth, and they wouldn't fail. "You got it, boss! We'll do it!"

"Oh yeah, like right now!" Pain chimed and grabbed Panic's arm. It was so exciting to have a job to do again. They weren't given important jobs since the whole Hercules as a baby incident, but this was of top importance it would seem. Plus, they got to explore the palace for as long as they wanted. "We won't fail you guys! Nope, we will do the bestest job in the world!"

Cloud chuckled softly at the reaction and gave further instructions to make the mission more detailed, mostly how Pain and Panic could get to the castle and where Aerith would be found. Though he was certain that complex details of the hallways would be lost, he knew that the two demons would make it to his adoptive daughter eventually. He informed them of where to stay away from and the best places to explore as well, noting that the two were growing more and more excited the longer he spoke for, since neither could stand still anymore. Obviously, Hades hadn't given them a large amount of free time simply for explorations.

"Did you two get all that?" Sephiroth inquired when Cloud had fallen silent, and the absent-minded nods from Pain and Panic indicated that enough information had been taken in to at least make the mission possible. He didn't mind since the longer they were away the longer he had with Cloud alone. It amused him that the two little demons were practically itching to run through the woods and succeed, their enthusiasm quite entertaining.

Cloud smiled and looked over at Sephiroth who seemed more than taken with the idea of being alone again. "Thank you both," he said and those words only seemed to make the adventure more exciting, and he didn't bother to add anything to his words as both Pain and Panic ran off with happy hoots and hollars at each other. He watched them go with much amusement, hoping that they would be alright in the palace. He knew that Aerith would take care of them and keep them as much out of trouble as he could.

He looked at Sephiroth when the older man shifted closer to him, their gazes meeting. He felt Sephiroth's arms slid around his waist and didn't resist when he was pulled into the older man's lap, leaning in against Sephiroth's weight. His eyes fluttered close at the wonderful feel of the warm breeze from the sea washing over him, the warmth from Sephiroth as well as the blanket wrapped around him comforting. Despite the sun setting quickly, he was warm.

"We should head back, canary," Sephiroth said after awhile, not wanting to disturb the peaceful moment, but it was getting late. It would be more difficult to navigate back to the cabin in the dark. "We should eat some dinner as well," he added for good measure, seeing as Cloud was much more receptive to eating now adays.

Cloud slowly nodded and pulled himself up, stretching his muscles before he cast one last look at the fading light that reflected from the sea. He sighed and allowed Sephiroth to lead him back to the cabin, not really complaining since he was starting to get a little hungry, and he was more inclined for closer contact this evening. It had been a nice day being outside, but he was now ready to go back indoors for the evening. He was also glad they headed back when they did, the fading light making it difficult to see.

Sephiroth occationally glanced back to make sure that Cloud was alright without his help and eventually fell back in walking beside the blonde. He slipped an arm around Cloud's waist and kept the other man closer to him as they arrived at the cabin, slipping inside easily and pulling Cloud with him. He slipped out of his leather coat and layed it on a nearby chair, but his attention quickly refocused on Cloud folding up the blanket near the bed.

Cloud didn't need to turn around to know that Sephiroth was there, and the thought of dinner completely left him when strong arms slipped around his waist. He leaned back against Sephiroth's weight momentarily before pulling himself back a few steps, turning slowly to regard the older man. His gaze followed Sephiroth's movements and he didn't respond negatively when his pants were removed along with Sephiroth's, always finding it more comfortable out of pants when ill anyway. He leaned his head against Sephiroth's shoulder when the older man came into his range and sighed contently.

"Canary...?" Sephiroth inquired softly, his hands running up Cloud's naked back, holding the blonde to him. These were the moments that dreams were made of.

Cloud slipped his arms around Sephiroth's midsection and sighed softly. "I think I'm falling in love with you..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Yeah, this update took me for freaking ever. I know. There is a reason that it did, though quite inexcuseable anyway. Yeah, the disk I kept this on so that I could update it in my freetime at school corrupted with tons of updates on it and I attempted to get what I could of the updates onto my computer... It deleted the file on my computer so I had nothing. I rewrote this chapter from a halfway point.

Only one chapter left and this fic is done! Yay! I'm thinking of writing another Kingdom Hearts on or Final Fantasy VII. I don't know yet. I will write again!