Little Bird Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any final fantasy material, be it names, weapons, characters, modes of transportation, etc.

Warning: This story contains homosexuality, sex (both consensual and non) and gore. Please do not read if you are offended by any of this. Also, I have not played crisis core and so there will be no references to that game in here.

Extra Warning: This chapter WILL contain non consensual sex. If you are offended by this but would still like to proceed, I will put a warning before it happens, so when you see this: WARNING!

For the next three days, the two men went through the same routine. They would walk until Sephiroth set up camp, then; they would train until Cloud fell over with exhaustion, or until the general said it was alright to stop. They ate rations from the silver haired man's pack and whatever game Sephiroth managed to spear on his sword as they walked. He was currently skinning a rabbit while his captive was struggling to do one handed pushups with a log balanced on his back. "Count louder." Commanded the general, skewering the poor creature in his hands.

"Sixty seven, sixty eight…. S..sixty nine…" Thunk. Cloud's arm gave out from under him, causing both him and the log to fall.

Sephiroth's eyes flicked up briefly before returning their gaze to the carcass in his hand. "Get up and start over on the other hand. Give me eighty." He heard the boy curse under his breath and got up, replacing the log upright on the blonde's waiting back.

The nights were definitely getting colder, and Sephiroth knew without consulting a calendar that winter was coming soon. Costa de Sol would be warmer but once they crossed the water there was the danger of Cloud becoming ill from the cold. He would need to pick them up some fresh clothes, that was for sure. He hadn't been able to wash the ones they were wearing since they left the mansion and from the smell that was growing more potent by the day, there was no doubt in his mind that he'd have to burn them.

Sephiroth put the rabbit over the fire and proceeded to watch Cloud struggle. The young man really was coming along nicely, two days prior; he couldn't even lift that log. Soon, Sephiroth decided, he would give Cloud something heavier to work with. He noticed that the boy had begun faltering and he stuck the rabbit over the fire to cook, walking over to the blonde.

He got down in a squatting possession and hissed: "Keep going precious, if you stop, you'll find yourself in the same condition as that poor little bunny." His captive's face tightened as his body tried to keep going, but he was failing and they both knew it. A smile crossed Sephiroth's face and he put his face close to Cloud's straining one. "Your friend Vincent, the Chaos holder… When we were in the basement, I ripped his arm open the Masamune. I'm amazed you didn't wake up when he screamed. Such anguish, he sounded like he was dying. I wonder if he survived…"

The desired effect was achieved. The blonde's eyes were wide and livid, staring at Sephiroth, but his shaking had stopped. "You Bastard… You better hope he's still alive."

The silver haired man grinned, his eyes glittering, elation coursing through his veins. He patted the boys shoulder and whispered; "You were at twenty three." He kissed Cloud's cheek and straightened, going back to the fire while a stunned man completed his pushups with ease.

While waiting for the meat to cook properly, the two began to spar. Cloud, slightly more confident now that he had the vestiges of emotion his superior had told him about was able to break past Sephiroth's defenses and punch him in the stomach. Unfortunately, he was so surprised at actually getting himself a clear shot that he lost faith and became worried that he'd actually do his mentor some damage, resulting in a severely pulled punch. Sephiroth grabbed his fist and slammed him into a tree so hard that Cloud was sure he could hear his teeth rattle. "What in Mother's name do you think you're doing?! You had an opening but you…." The silver haired man sighed, forcing himself to resume a state of calm. "This is what I told you about. Your hesitation. Do not hesitate. Pick up that log and run. I want you to keep running for half an hour while I will myself not to kill you and send your chopped up corpse to your friends."

While Cloud ran, Sephiroth turned the rabbit, a dark look on his face. 'At the last moment, just like that time… he is afraid of what he can do. It is as though something douses his hate before he can be fully productive with it.' He gazed at the figure of the boy dashing between the trees and licked his lips. 'I must do all in my power to rectify this.'

By the time Cloud had come back, shaking with weariness and sweating profusely, the general had cut the rabbit into two portions and was chewing on his with an absent expression on his face. The blonde sat down awkwardly and tried not to think about what he was putting in his mouth when the silver haired man seemed to come out of his reverie. "Tomorrow evening, we won't be doing any traveling. I want to focus solidly on your training for a day." 'I will find a way to help him dredge up that emotion on command. No matter what the cost.' He tasted blood and realized that he had almost bitten through his lip.

"Are you okay?"

Sephiroth looked at his captive with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was touched that the boy would show concern. This feeling was rapidly shrinking and being enveloped by the other hand, which was disgusted that the boy was showing this kind of weakness. He stood and dusted himself off. "Save your worrying for yourself. In just a moment, you will need it far more than I will. Grab your sword."

The blue eyes looking up at him widened dramatically, and the young man immediately began to protest. "What? How can I do that? I can barely even lift it! You don't expect me to fight you with it, do y-" Cloud finished his question with a yell of pain as the Masamune pierced through his hand. Sephiroth withdrew his sword and dropped down once more, kissing the hand he had just stabbed and making certain that the blonde was looking right into his eyes.

"Poor Cloud… if you had only obeyed without questioning me, I wouldn't have had to injure you so. I imagine that lifting your ridiculously heavy blade will hurt even more now." The blood dribbled warmly onto his lips, mingling with his own and collecting there so that when he stood it pooled over and ran down his chin. He licked it off with a satisfied look in his eyes. "Now, let's try this again, shall we? Grab. Your. Sword."

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Vincent had been seeing more of Cid recently. The pilot had begun looking over his arm at least once a day, and the two could almost always be found in the kitchen with cups of tea that Cid never drank. At first, the red eyed man thought that he might be under surveillance, but something about the chain smoker's awkward friendliness quickly put his mind at ease. Spending time with Cid gave the ex Turk a sense of inner peace that he hadn't felt in years, and it helped him to forget the guilt of betrayal, if only for a little while.

"Vin?"

The Chaos holder snapped to attention. "Yes?"

"You looked miles away, didja hear me?"

Vincent shook his head, looking sheepish and mumbling out an apology that was quickly dismissed by the pilot. "I was sayin' that the kid's birthday is in a couple days and the guys and I were thinkin' about takin' her to a bar with us as a sign of her growing up and all. What do you think?"

The 'kid' that he was referring to was none other than their resident ninja, Yuffie who, despite trying to look after Tifa between vomit breaks was beginning to skip through the halls in excitement. She had recently taken up a chant while she skipped and anyone who walked close enough to her could hear her whispering; "Gonna be eighteen, gonna be eighteen!"

Vincent released a tiny smile at the thought and nodded slowly. "I'm sure she would appreciate that, but I believe that we should take her to one that we ourselves don't mind being thrown out of." Encouraged by Cid's barking laughter, his smile became more prominent and he added; "Had you thought of a gift to give her yet?"

The pilot shook his head and grinned back. "Nah. I'm no good with this stuff. You got any ideas?"

The ex Turk sipped his tea and looked out the window, noticing how few clouds there seemed to be that day. "We could always get her materia. Materia of her own that she can use as she wishes. I'm certain that the feminine aspect of her gifts will be covered by Tifa, and it would be a fairly gender neutral present." He paused, noting the astonished look on the pilot's face. "Have I said something wrong?"

Cid shook his head quickly. "Nope. I just never thought of it. I thought we'd have to get her somethin' girlie, but your idea's great... Hey, ya want to come up to the deck with me? I'm dyin' for a cig right now." As the two went upstairs, Vincent couldn't help wishing that this feeling of tranquility and joy could last forever. He went to sleep that night resenting the fact that he would be the one to end it.

Two days later, he woke up to two sparkling brown eyes staring at him. "You're awake!" Yuffie cried out, joyfully bouncing around his room. "You usually get up early, so I figured I'd come wake you up because everyone else would be like; 'Yuffie, it's four in the morning! I am so fucking tired that if you don't get out of my room this second I will punt you all the way to your next birthday!' I've been up allll night 'cause Tifa said we could take the day off searching to celebrate! Isn't that awesome? Hey, don't go back to sleep! I'm still talking!"

Vincent gave her a pained look, but instead of pulling the covers over his head like he so dearly wished he could, he said in a small voice; "Please wait outside my room while I'm changing at the very least."

The ninja rolled her eyes and groaned but walked out and shut the door behind her. "You got five minutes until I come back in there Buster! You only ever wear black and that red cape anyways…" He gritted his teeth and stood, dressing himself as quickly as he could and tucking the box of freshly bought materia into his pocket. She looked at him impatiently when he walked out. "Took ya long enough! I'd say let's go to my room but I kinda accidently trashed the place so now my dresser is on my bed and my bed is broken."

Still slightly groggy, he tried smiling down at the girl, knowing by the look on her face that he'd once again failed and sighed. "It's still dark… but if you like, I can make you some sort of birthday breakfast." Just seeing her face light up was worth being woken so early. She grabbed his arm and charged down the hall joyfully. "Now, I am by no means the best cook here, but I will do my best." he warned her.

Yuffie wrinkled her nose and scowled at him. "Who cares if you're not the best? I sure don't! Now stop stalling and cook something good!" The man nodded slightly. Removing his cloak and putting on an apron, he set about the task of making a meal while the ninja sat at the table, kicking her legs. "Hey Vincent," she began, causing him to turn and spill some of the batter. "I was just wondering, why don't you smile for anyone but Cid? With him you're like this!" She put on a ridiculously large, goofy smile. "But with everyone else you're like this." She squished her face into an exaggerated frown. "I'm just wondering is all…"

Vincent looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. "I am sorry that I do not smile as often as most… I have been trying to rectify that recently, but I suppose it hasn't been working very well. I do not understand why myself, but Cid has the ability to bring about my smile."

The ninja grinned at him, stifling a yawn while saying. "Then hang around with him more! Just do me a favor, stop doing that forced smiley thing. It's really creepy and it makes you look like you're about to puke!"

The red eyed man nodded solemnly before returning to his task. He heard the girl yawn again and when he turned to face her, arms laden with pancakes, he wasn't surprised to see that she had fallen asleep on the table. He sighed and set down the food, undoing the apron and putting his cloak back on. Lifting the girl gently, he walked down the hall and tucked her into his bed after remembering the state her room was in.

Vincent left the room, feeling the lost hours of sleep begin to take their toll on his own body. He knocked quietly on Cid's door before poking his head in. "Cid?" he stepped in, shutting the door behind him with an almost inaudible click. Tiptoeing over to the pilot, he shook his shoulder very gently with his clawed hand. The blonde man let out a groan that contained some unintelligible profanity before cracking one of his eyes open.

"Wuzz wrong Vin?" He slurred, rubbing a hand down his face.

"I..I'm very sorry to wake you, but I was wondering if I might use your couch to sleep on for a few hours." The blonde man gave his grumbled consent before drifting back off to sleep, and once Vincent had settled himself on the plush couch, he joined the pilot in slumber.

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Sephiroth had worked Cloud so hard that he wasn't surprised when the boy was still limp with sleep once the second night came. He latched the swords and pack to himself and lifted the boy up, healing the new wounds he had given him before concentrating and forcing the Jenova cells within him to bestow his body with flight.

It had been a difficult day and the two had been sparring for eleven hours. Even now it looked as though Cloud's arms were trembling from the burden of his sword. Sephiroth had had to tell him many things to keep the boy enraged and even then, the blonde had practically been dragging his sword around the clearing. It was becoming bothersome, but the general had been forming a plan in his mind which he now executed. He took flight, pressing his forehead to Clouds and allowing just a strand of his consciousness to twine into the blonde's mind.

The spiky haired man winced, but didn't wake up. Now that he was in, Sephiroth could maneuver around, leaving traces of himself inside and prodding gently at the young man's emotions. 'Before he began hunting me again, I thought that he had lost these, but it seems that they have only grown stronger with repression…' Finally, he found the one he was looking for and coiled the strand around it, smiling slightly. 'He won't feel a thing until I pull it.'

Cloud's eyes opened slightly, shivering as the wind whipped by the two men. Upon realizing that his feet were no longer touching the ground however, he jumped so hard that Sephiroth almost dropped him. Instead the silver haired man dug his nails into the boy's arms, leaving harsh imprints. The blonde barely seemed to notice as he looked down at the landscape going by. "We're actually flying…" he gave a small laugh of wonder making the general turn his face away, unable to look at his captive's face.

"If you move too much, you will stop flying and find yourself to be nothing more than a splatter below me." The general bit out, looking towards their destination. "We're almost there now…" From the looks of things, Cloud hadn't taken in a word he'd said and was still was wearing a slightly dazed but happy expression. Narrowing his eyes, Sephiroth loosened his grip and let the blonde slip from his fingers, only to catch the flailing young man after he'd fallen a few feet, chuckling softly at the rapid beating of his captive's heart.

The boy opened his mouth, trying to find words other than 'Crazy Motherfucker!' to shoot at the man holding him precariously so high above the ground, but couldn't come up with anything that wouldn't get him dropped. "We're here." Came the cold voice of his tormentor before causing them both to plummet and land miraculously gently. Cloud paled as he tried to remind his heart to start beating again.

Sephiroth led the blonde by the hand into the city of Costa de Sol, where the merchants in their stalls continued hawking their goods to the nearly deserted street. The silver haired man ignored the looks that the two were getting and purchased some new, easy to move in clothes. He really would have liked to burn the ones that they were wearing but Cloud's look of dismay upon hearing his plans won out over his better judgment and he instead took them to be cleaned.

Once they had finally checked into a hotel room (under false names), eaten and showered, Sephiroth put on his boxers and walked back into the bedroom. He found a similarly clothed Cloud sitting on the large bed that he had specifically asked the quaking man at the counter for. "This is sort of like old times, isn't it?" Sephiroth froze slightly before opening and closing his hands a few times.

"I'm not sure I quite understand." He replied calmly, moving slowly towards the boy who was now looking out the window. Cloud turned to face him when he felt the weight of the other man on the bed beside him. He offered a half smile to which the general simply raised an eyebrow.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be evil, you seem to do some pretty nice things for me, even if your try not to. I mean… You are bad, and you keep hurting me and my friends… but you're still the only person who it's ever felt this easy to talk to." When he saw the General's face tighten and blanch he shook his head, trying to put the silver haired man at ease. "Sorry, I went off topic for a second. When I said like old times, I meant that all of this travelling and training reminds me a bit of when we went to Nibelheim. Pre Jenova I mean." He turned back to the beach view through the window, failing to notice the subtle quickening of his former hero's breathing and the slitting of said man's pupils. "It's just that… When I look at you now, it reminds me a little of the man you used to be, the man who still shows himself every once in a while."

WARNING

The young man let a small gasp escape his lips as he was forced onto his back by his neck. Sephiroth shoved his arms above his head in an iron grip. The silver haired man stuck his knee on top of Cloud's chest, effectively pinning the boy there. He looked down into the wide blue eyes of his captive and let a sadistic smile tug at his lips, letting go of the blonde's neck and dropping his hand to the younger man's clothed crotch and rubbing it roughly. "Oh Cloud, once again you disappoint me. I thought you would have figured it out by now. There is nothing left of that man." He moved his face down by his captive's ear and hissed, squeezing the boy's groin. "That man was a lie. He never existed. How sweet of you to think that even back then I truly cared." He bit down hard on the blonde's earlobe, only satisfied once he drew blood.

In a swift movement he had removed his former subordinate's under garments and was smirking at him. "Did you honestly think that we were ever friends? That I ever cared about you?" His hand wrapped around Cloud's cock and began jerking him off with long, swift strokes. The young man under him squirmed, crying out helplessly. The sound was music to the general's ears as he ripped off his own boxers and ground down into the blonde. "Do you like it when I treat you roughly? You were only ever a tool you little brat. A tool that I will continue to use in any way I choose." He flipped the blonde over onto his hands and knees, ignoring the terrified pleading that came from the struggling boy. "And now, you are going to take it like the dog you are." He finished simply, letting the elation of his actions rush through his veins before plunging himself into the other man without preparation.

A scream of agony tore it's self out of the throat of the man beneath him, making Sephiroth's breath catch. Cloud's body was so tight, so hot that he grabbed the blonde's hips, thrusting in and out of that delicious heat, needing more. Angling himself differently, he concentrated on hitting Cloud's prostate, and after a moment, he knew he had succeeded when the other man's next scream was tainted with a moan of ecstasy. He let his right hand slip in front of his victim, running his hand up and down Cloud's shaft once more as he moved.

He laid kisses down the blonde's back when the young man let out a choked sob and proceeded to rub his thumb over the tip of Cloud's cock, causing the boy's body to shudder violently with the mixed sensations. It drove him crazy to feel the heat tighten around him slightly, but he refused to spill his seed before Cloud. Still, it was all he could do to hold on until the blonde finally came in his hand following a throaty moan and convulsion. Feeling the final clenching of muscles was enough to send Sephiroth over the edge, biting Cloud's shoulder as he came deep inside the boy.

He withdrew himself from the blonde, who almost immediately collapsed onto the bed, shuddering and clutching himself before curling into a tight ball. Sephiroth brushed back his sweaty hair, panting lightly. He leaned over and whispered softly in the boy's ear. "Hope will only ever hurt you Cloud, you need to remember that. The man you thought you knew is dead and gone." Stroking the hair of the trembling boy, he added softly, almost inaudibly; "And do you know what else? You enjoyed that. I made you enjoy it. You are mine, and always will be."

With a quiet whimper as his only reply, he straightened and walked to the bathroom for another shower, leaving Cloud to his own tormented thoughts.

END WARNING

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It had been an interesting night, but despite Vincent's concerns, they weren't thrown out of the bar as almost everyone in the establishment found Yuffie endearing. Still, they probably wouldn't visit it again anytime soon. The ninja had been ecstatic about her gifts and had only settled down after she was reassured that she could test out her materia as much as she wanted when they left.

Barret carried an extremely drunk Yuffie out that night with Tifa up front with Red XIII and the Pilot and ex Turk bringing up the rear. The new eighteen year old was cackling as she told the others about the events that had transpired so early in the morning. "And then, I woke up Vincent! HA! You remember, right?"

The red eyed man nodded softly, the high collar of his cloak hiding his face from the nose down. "It is something I don't think I will ever be able to forget." He replied solemnly, causing the girl to kick her legs in a renewed fit of giggles, almost smacking Barret in the face. She told them about how; when he had finally made her breakfast she had fallen asleep from waiting for so long.

"And then 'cause my bed was all broked n' stuff, he put me in his! It's okay though, because Cid let Vinny sleep in HIS room!" Both men in the back twitched slightly, even through the alcohol, things were getting a little awkward.

When Cid had woken up to see Vincent asleep on his couch, it had taken him a few seconds to remember why. As he did, the pilot couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. He had pulled on his pants and moved to his couch, looking at the sleeping ex Turk and putting his hand on Vincent's shoulder to wake him as gently as possible. Unfortunately, Barret had burst in at that moment and had given him the same look as in the bar before backing out the way he came. As much as the two had tried to explain, it hadn't changed the looks that they were starting to draw from the other crew members.

Yuffie's voice cut through the blonde man's thoughts when it became higher pitched. "Agh! But my bed is still broked!" The ninja whined. "Vincent, I'mma gonna sleep in your bed okay? Cid'll let you sleep in his again."

The pilot's eyes widened. "Now wait just one goddamn second here!"

"I think you may be under some misconception. Cid was kind enough to let me use his couch last night. I would be glad of that opportunity again, but not if it would make him uncomfortable." Vincent didn't make eye contact, for which Cid was grateful, but it still called for him to say something.

"'Course you can use my couch Vin. You sure ya won't mind idiot's thinking that we're fucking though?"

A snort came from the ninja, who was twirling her materia happily in her hands. "Don't be mad just 'cause I'm the only one who's seen Vinny in an apron!"

The conversation ground to a halt then, as each crew member got a different image in their head, and Vincent, completely oblivious (courtesy of the vodka) concentrated on trying to move without swaying too much.

Later that night, when the pilot still hadn't come down to his room, Vincent sighed and went up onto the deck. There the blonde was, smoking and looking out over the edge. "Cid?" The red eyed man stood beside him, still a little woozy. "The other's comments… did they truly bother you? If they did, I could ask them to st-" a hand was placed on his head, cutting him off.

"Not everything is your fault Vin. Those guys're just playing around. I just came here 'cause I got a lot on my mind and I can think better up here." He ruffled his friend's black hair, grinning at the disgruntled look he got in response.

The red eyed man removed the hand from his head slowly, but held on to it with both the flesh hand and the gauntlet clad one. "If you wish to be left alone, I can go… I was just a little concerned about you. I enjoy spending time with you, and I value you as a friend, so when you act out of character, it worries me." He looked into the pilot's blue eyes and was relieved when his gaze was met and held.

The two stood like that for a few moments until Vincent released the other man's hand. "You aren't usually this talkative Vin, I think you had a bit too much to drink."

Vincent nodded slowly. "You are probably right." The silence persisted until both men tried to break it simultaneously.

"How old-"

"About the other-" Cid stopped, realizing that he had cut the red eyed man off and motioned for him to continue.

The ex Turk began again, slightly more flustered and with his eyes glued to the ground. "How old are you, Cid?"

"I'm thirty two. How old are you?"

Vincent didn't look up from the ground, muttering; "My body is twenty seven."

The pilot blinked, trying to understand what the red eyed man was telling him. "But that's not your real age 'cause you were sleepin' in that coffin for a while, right?" He lit another cigarette as the ex Turk nodded. "So what are you saying?"

Vincent rested his arms against the railing and looked over the edge at the dark town. "What I am saying is that while you and the others continue to grow, I will remain this way forever. When all of you are dead and gone, I will be alone again. This… This has been troubling me recently and I wished to selfishly share my burden with you." He closed his eyes, shocked into opening them almost immediately when the back of his head was smacked.

"Why the fuck are you worried about that right now?!" Cid barked as a stunned Vincent turned to face him. "We're here right now. I'm here right now, see? And I'm not gonna go anywhere for a long time, so you better count on being stuck with me, ya got it?! Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow and enjoy today while it lasts. You gotta live, Vin. Actually live today, none of this future shit your sayin' matters right now." The blond man inhaled the nicotine deeply and blew it out into the cold night air. "My turn now. The other night, I was totally lookin' at your ass."

The red eyed man, startled and staring, began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that tears began to dribble down his face and he had to lean on Cid for support. "Even at a time like this," Vincent gasped for air through his mirth only to collapse into giggles again, soon followed by Cid. "Wh..why are you laughing?" The red eyed man asked weakly as they both began to slide down onto the wood.

"I can't help it!" Wheezed out Cid, trying and failing to hold to the railing. "Every time I see you doing it, it just gets me going."

The two men sat hunched on the deck until their chuckles had died out. Vincent looked at the chain smoking blonde and smiled. 'Is it alright for me to feel this happy? Lucrecia, am I allowed to feel this way again?' Without waiting for the reply in his head he asked; "Cid, do you want to kiss me?"

Seemingly caught off guard by the question, the pilot just stared at him open mouthed before starting to stutter. Putting up his clawed hand and stopping the shaky noises coming from the blonde's mouth, Vincent said: "Cid, I want to kiss you."

Cid sat there for a second before letting a sheepish grin settle on his face. "Well then, I guess you better."

Vincent pressed his forehead against the other man's and allowed their lips to brush gently before pressing them firmly together. Cid's hand snaked around to the back of the red eyed man's head and stroked the hair that hung there before running it over Vincent's cheek. The two pulled away around the same time but did not part their foreheads, enjoying the comfort that each felt there.

"I am drunk."

"Yeah, so'm I."

"Will things go back to normal tomorrow?"

"I thought I told you," Cid grinned at him, "Worry about tomorrow when it happens."

"Mm." Vincent laid his head against the pilot's shoulder and they both looked out at the town that was lit only by a few street lights. Cid's arm tucked around his waist and pulled him closer. For a while, it felt like nothing else existed in the world except the two men that beautiful view. Then the magic was broken by a young female voice.

"Ha! I told you so! Barret, you owe me fifty gil!"

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Cloud lay on the bed, shaking uncontrollably to the sounds of the shower. No matter how hard he tried to get warm, the shivering wouldn't cease and there was a chill in his body that he couldn't shake off. That was fine. Anything to distract him from the pain that had threatened to tear him in two. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he must be bleeding, but he couldn't bring himself to look down and confirm it.

No matter how much he tried to ignore them, his thoughts kept coming back and circling his head like vultures. Sephiroth's words stuck to them, filling his ears and as much as he wanted to scream that none of them were true, he was becoming less sure over time. You enjoyed it. 'I didn't… It hurt so much…' I made you enjoy it. 'No. No! It didn't matter what he did! I hated it! Torn apart….' You are mine. 'I don't belong to any one! Only I can control me! I… I can't keep doing this… It hurts to feel… This man is going to kill me.' Hope will only ever hurt you Cloud, you need to remember that. 'Yes.' He thought dejectedly. 'I know that now. I won't forget.'

He looked at the naked man toweling off in front of him and to his dismay, along with the despair and anguish he felt wash over him, there was also a twinge of desire at the sight. 'I have to stop feeling this way. It has to stop now. It will stop now.'

Sephiroth approached the young man with the dull glassy eyes and ran his hand through his own hair. 'Did I break him? Poor Cloud. Poor sweet little Cloud. My sweet little song bird had its wings clipped and now knows the cruelty, the truth about the world. About me. I should be delighted. I must be delighted and I just haven't realized it yet.' He lay beside the blonde and wrapped his arms around the quaking body. 'He's cold as ice.' The spiky haired man shuddered but did not pull away, allowing the general's body to engulf him in filthy heat and sordid comfort.

Sephiroth did not kiss the back of the boy's head, though something inside him wanted to so fiercely that it took almost all of his willpower to control the impulse.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud's voice seemed deadened and defeated, causing the general to feel as though something sharp was being rammed repeatedly through his chest.

"Yes?" He let go of the boy and the pain seemed to subside slightly.

"You've never kissed me on the mouth. You do everywhere else, but not my lips. I wondered why. "

The silver haired man felt something clench inside him, waiting. "Why would I kiss you on the lips? I do not love you, and therefore will not kiss you there."

There was a silence, then: "Oh… I guess that makes sense."

The feeling inside the general seemed to tighten before ripping a hole in his chest that felt so real he had to look down to make sure that he was still whole. The echoes that had left upon Cloud's arrival were starting to come back softly. To distract himself, he asked a question of his own.

"Cloud, do you hate me?"

The blonde turned to face him in the bed and looked at him with the coldest eyes that Sephiroth had ever seen on anyone besides himself. "Yes, I do."

The general nodded, a pained, bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, you do. Good night Cloud."

"Goodnight Sephiroth."

"Will you try to kill me tonight?"

"Wait and find out."

Sephiroth nodded and, doing his best to ignore the memories and voices whispering in his ears, he closed his eyes and curled up to the boy beside him in hopes that they would stop. Cloud, in turn, moved away from the silver haired man, trying to suppress the way that his body cried out for the physical comfort that the general could no doubt provide. Sleep fell over the two broken individuals, giving them just a tiny bit of peace in their own purgatory.

--

So yeah. Chapter five is complete. Bloody hell, that was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I got it done in the nick of time. This chapter will probably make some of my readers leave me, but it had to be done. From this point on, I can't promise consistent updates and I am hesitant to give a specific date for the next chapter because I'll probably break it. We'll say around three weeks for the next chapter, okay? I love you guys!

To my reviewers:

kelle611: I'm glad you enjoyed it, I was a little worried that they were rambling too much (I tend to do that when i write). Thankyou!

demonlifehealer: Uh... yeah... About that not hurting Cloud thing... uh... hmm... yeah. Sorry... I hope that Cid and Vinny made up for it?

spopococ: I'm glad you liked it! Do you really mean it? You'll stay for ever n' ever? I cling to my computer in hopes that my happy/creepy vibes reach you!

amberblood: Yay! You're back! I feel kind of bad for your beating heart, but I'm glad that you're enjoying it.

Well, that's it for now my lovley duckiphants. Please continue to read, enjoy and review (especially the last two parts, seriously, you should see how excited I get when I see that people actually like it!). Until next time!