Blood and Steel
By: Lazeralk
Standard disclaimers apply
FF7/Saiyuki crossover
Warnings: This will have Shonen-Ai. My muse is gathering her courage to try Yaoi…maybe.
0o0o0
Kougaiji threw himself down onto the couch and sighed heavily. Showering with his host had been absolutely nerve-wracking. Images of water and soap slicked skin, pale and perfect in the bright lights, steel-silver hair plastered to rippling muscles played over and over inside his head. His body grew hot and he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes to stop the flood of delicious imagery.
He'd looked, of course, there was no way he could not have looked, and he was impressed. Sighing, he shifted on the couch, staring up at the darkened ceiling in frustration. It took him hours to fall asleep.
When he woke the next morning, Sephiroth was staring down at him. With a sharp bark of surprise, he scrambled backwards and glared at his host, who smirked at him.
"I had an idea last night."
"Did you?" asked the prince suspiciously.
"Yes." Said Sephiroth, pausing.
Kougaiji stared at him, highly aware that he was shirtless and barefoot.
"Well?" he asked, leaning back.
"You probably won't like it, but it's the only thing I could think of." The General said, tapping his guest's feet. Kougaiji obediently pulled his knees to his chest and watched as the man who'd been haunting his dreams sit down beside him.
"And this idea is…" prompted the redhead. Sephiroth sighed and licked his lips, casting a glance at his companion.
"The only way to make sure that no one in the military can touch you, even though the military technically owns you, is to make you highly visible to and beloved by the public. You have to have lots of people on the outside keeping track of you. So that if you disappear, people will demand to know where you are. People who will make a lot of fuss if they can't see you regularly. You have to have fans."
"Fans?"
"Yes, it's getting the fans that you won't like. You're new on the scene, a complete unknown. You have no recorded military exploits, no publicity. You need to attach yourself to someone famous, and then do something that will get your name circulating."
"Ok. So how do I attach myself to someone famous?" said the redhead, shifting uncomfortably. He was not liking that Sephiroth wouldn't just come out and tell him what was going on.
"Well…I was thinking we could publicly announce a courtship."
"Excuse me? What does that mean?" asked Kougaiji suspiciously, not quite believing what he was hearing.
"I'll publicly announce that I'm courting you." Explained Sephiroth, studiously avoiding eye contact with the Prince.
Kougaiji was silent for a moment, shock and utter disbelief on his face.
"You're joking, right?"
"No, I'm not. Think about it Kougaiji, you appeared out of thin air here. You don't know anyone but me. I'm famous enough from the war that I can get you instant public attention. I have the resources to do this, and I'm pretty much the only person this kind of thing will work with. We don't have a lot of time either. The second Hojo suspects that you aren't human he'll do whatever he can to get you down to the lab. He'll cut you open. And as someone who's been through that, I won't allow it to happen to you." Said Sephiroth quietly but firmly.
Kougaiji lowered his eyes to his clasped hands and rested his chin on his bent knees. He stared in silence, considering. He glanced up, watching as Sephiroth shifted nervously. Gods, he was so very beautiful. Would it really be so bad to be courted by this gorgeous man?
"Ok. Let's do it."
"Truly?" asked Sephiroth, turning to look at him for the first time since he'd begun.
"Yeah. Yeah, we'll do it. Whatever you think needs to be done to keep me away from Hojo, we'll do." He answered, his purple eyes softening as he traced the spill of silver hair and the smooth line of jaw and the regal nose of his new suitor.
"So what's involved in this courting? You can't ask my father's permission. Do I get a tian? Do I need a dowry?" asked Kougaiji, smiling faintly as he mused out loud.
"Well, dates I guess. We'll have to be seen together in public. We're courting Kougaiji, not planning a wedding, so I think you can forget about the dowry for now. What's a tian?"
"It means 'heaven'. It's supposed to symbolize the meaning behind the courtship, the creation of a new life. It's actually a small piece of jewelry that couples exchange to let other people know they're courting. Usually it's a necklace or a ring. My father gave my mother a pair of earrings. The ones I wear are exact copies." Explained Kougaiji, fingering the metal pieces that hung from his earlobes fondly.
"Ah." Said Sephiroth uncomfortably, shifting in his seat.
"I'll think of something." He said finally, wondering where he'd find the time to go out and get something. He didn't exactly own much in the way of jewelry unless you counted the metal identification tag he'd worn as a child in the labs. He wasn't going to give Kougaiji that horrid thing. Rings were common for engagements here, earrings were out of the question as he doubted the redhead would part with his own. A necklace perhaps? Or a bracelet? He already wore many bracelets, so maybe a necklace would be best. A ring would have more significance here but he couldn't see Kougaiji wearing a ring. Sephiroth suddenly smiled, knowing exactly what he was going to get for the Prince beside him.
"We're going to have to do some acting aren't we?" asked Kougaiji startling the General out of his thoughts.
"Oh?" asked Sephiroth, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, people are going to expect us to be…well, affectionate."
"Yes, that is true." Said Sephiroth, leaning back against the couch.
"So, how do we do this?" prompted Kougaiji. "Is it ok to, you know, do stuff in public? In Shangri-La people aren't really affectionate in public, it's rude you know? But we're going to have to do some stuff where people can see, to get people to notice me." Rambled Kougaiji, not looking at Sephiroth as he spoke.
The General pursed his lips as he watched the distracted redhead and then swiftly ran his fingers under the demon's jaw to get him to raise his head. When the prince complied, and before he could loose his nerve, the general placed his lips firmly against Kougaiji's. The prince immediately shut up. His eyes drooped closed as his lips trembled, warmth filling his body. Slowly, Sephiroth pulled away, licking his lips and looking away from Kougaiji to stare out the windows. He shot a quick glance at the redhead, trying desperately to gauge his reaction.
The prince had lowered his head, a blush running rampant across his cheeks. He licked his lips and glanced up, catching brilliant green eyes with his own. The usually confident General looked ready to apologize and Kougaiji shifted his weight with a decision made in a split second. He leaned forward and, slowly, gently, kissed the soft lips of his suitor.
When he pulled his head back to watch Sephiroth's eyes, he was please to note his smile. The General carefully ran a hand down the redhead's back, and settled his arm around the somewhat smaller male, smiling gently.
"You're ok with this?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah." Answered Kougaiji immediately. He licked his lips had settled his weight firmly against Sephiroth's side.
"We can do this." He said and watched Sephiroth nod.
0o0o0
"Kougaiji?" called Sephiroth, striding into his bedroom while he worked the buttons on his white vest closed.
"Hmm?" answered the redhead as he toweled his hair dry and made his way over to the bed where a fresh uniform waited for him. The prince had made a habit of removing his limiters as soon as they were alone in their shared quarters, and his distinctly demonic featured stood out in sharp relief as he set about drying off. Sephiroth watched him, eyes raking hungrily down his room mate's bare flesh.
"I put in leave for us both for tonight last week. We're going out on our first public date." Said Sephiroth, pulling a white thigh length coat out of his closet. The prince frowned and dropped the towel on the bed, eyeing his uniform and then Sephiroth's elegant suit.
"What do I wear?" he asked, mentally reviewing the contents of his own closet back home in Ho-Tu Castle.
"Well…I suppose you'll have to wear something of mine…" said Sephiroth, eyeing his closet critically.
"Don't worry about it. I'll Summon something from home. I am a prince you know. Dress clothes are something I have in abundance." Said Kougaiji with a teasing smile. He mentally selected an outfit and concentrated, pulling the clothing across time and space to flutter neatly into his hands.
The tunic was sleeveless and cut in the traditional style of his homeland. It was a deep royal purple to match his eyes, making the color stand out even more. Gold embroidery glistened at the ties and hemlines, and a huge chrysanthemum bloomed in black embroidery across his chest and right side. The pants were black and made of loose fitting silk, soft and flowing. Thin black slippers made of soft silk graced his feet and thick gold bands wrapped around his biceps, echoing his other jewelry.
"Well? What do you think?" he asked, turning a little to show how the silk shone in the light.
"You look…beautiful. Very exotic." Said Sephiroth, his face carefully neutral but his voice betraying his admiration.
"It's really ok?" said the prince, looking down at his clothes. With a thought, he Summoned a matching jacket and slung it around his shoulders. The jacket had much smaller chrysanthemums on it and his family's imperial crest, complete with the complex characters for their names on the back. With something of a sigh, the prince hooked his limiters back over his ears and let the magic flow over him, hiding his demonic features from view.
"Ready?" asked Sephiroth, reaching to tie his long hair back.
"Leave it down." Commanded Kougaiji, bolding reaching to run his fingers through the General's steel-silver hair with a smile. Sephiroth smile and set the tie back on his dresser. He motioned towards the door with a sweeping gesture and the two made their way down the halls. Sephiroth kept his demeanor stoically professional as they stalked through the halls of the SOLDIERS barracks, carefully ignoring the shocked looks and appreciative whispers that followed them.
0o0o0
Kougaiji looked at everything curiously as he followed Sephiroth up the stairs and into the expansive reception area of the obviously classy restaurant. It seemed that the General hadn't had any problems with getting a reservation as the maitre d' rushed over to them and practically fell over himself to assist them. Sephiroth very coolly ignored him even as Kougaiji smirked in amusement. They were lead to a finely set table with a view out the expansive windows that overlooked the twinkling cityscape. Kougaiji glanced about curiously, but seemed completely at home in his surroundings, managing to both slouch in his chair and look utterly refined at the same time.
Sephiroth supposed it was because he was a prince and quietly asked if he preferred a red or a white wine as he skimmed the list. SOLDIERS of the first class did not have high alcohol tolerances, simply for the fact that their enhancements made them all the more sensitive to just about everything. However, for the sake of image, he would indulge a little tonight.
A smartly dressed waiter glided over to their table, pen already poised over a notebook. Sephiroth didn't give him the chance to speak; he simply ordered a bottle of pricy red wine and sent the boy on his way. The waiter looked rather stunned, but bit his lips and carried on.
"So…" said Kougaiji, watching the entire proceedings with amusement.
"Do you like this place?" asked Sephiroth suddenly, his glowing eyes studying the prince intently.
"It's lovely Sephiroth." He assured, reaching over to lightly run his fingers across the back of his suitor's hand where it rest on the table.
"Good." Was the only reply, but the silver haired General visibly relaxed, leaning back into his chair with a slight smile. Kougaiji smiled back, astounded at how much tension seemed to vanish from the tall frame of his host at such a simple thing.
"Your wine General sir, the Umeshiya vintage '56. Would you like to taste it?" said their waiter. He was carefully holding the bottle, presented against the black backdrop of a cloth napkin draped over his arm. Sephiroth nodded and stared at Kougaiji as the waiter poured the wine, his hand snaking out to grasp Kougaiji's lightly. He dropped his eyes to their joined hands, mesmerized by the contrast of their skin tones. The waiter watched with barely concealed glee and Sephiroth knew he intended to tell everyone who would listen about what he'd seen, just as he'd planned.
They shared a quiet meal full of frequent but brief touches, studiously ignoring the heated whispering of the other patrons. When they rose to leave, Kougaiji slung his jack over his arm and was careful to deliberately place a hand at the small of Sephiroth's back as the General preceded him.
"Have a pleasant evening gentlemen." Called their hopefully gossipy waiter and Kougaiji turned to give him a smoldering look.
"Thank you, I intend to." He replied, making his voice as suggestive as he could, hand still lingering on Sephiroth's back.
Once they were out of the restaurant, they settled into a walk, side by side. The same sleek Shin-Ra corporate car that had delivered them to the restaurant was waiting for them, Zack snickering from the driver's seat at the pair slowly made their way towards him. Out of the corner of his eye Sephiroth caught the flash of a camera bulb and smiled, boldly lacing his fingers together with Kougaiji's.
Everything was going exactly according to plan.
End part 7