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.

Little Bird Chapter 7

After Vincent left, Cid had considered staying in bed but after only five minutes he got bored and stood, pulling on some loose jeans and a faded blue T-shirt. Fumbling with the pocket of a previous pair of pants, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, smiling. He felt so joyful that, were it not for his now aggravated injuries he would have started dancing. As it was, his smile was about to rend his face in two and he couldn't help the laugh that exploded out of him. Looking at the smoke rising from his cigarette, he stubbed it out and waved away the toxic smog it had produced, no longer feeling like a smoke.

"Barret!" He yelled, pounding on his friend's door a few minutes later. The man emerged, his hand already transformed into a gun, irritation evident in his face.

"Give me one good reason not to shoot you, Asshole!"

"I got laid!" He pushed past the now stunned Barret and sat on a chair inside the room. Dazedly, the bear like man shut the door behind him and sat on the bed, an exhausted sigh coming from him.

"So you and Vincent finally fucked, huh?"

"Yes!"

"And now you're gonna tell me about it."

"Damn right!"

"At two in the fucking morning."

"Is it that late? Shit, I feel great! Happy I mean. I can't even remember the last time I was this fuckin' happy. I want to sing!" He laughed harder at the pained look on Barret's face, slapping his own thigh. "I ain't really gonna sing. Fuck, the look on your face was priceless!"

"I'll bet." Barret said flatly. "So this means things are cool between you and him? No more of this maybe, maybe not shit? The rest of the ship'll be glad to hear that."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I love him."

"Ya don't say."

"I do!" Crowed Cid, intentionally missing the sarcasm in his friend's voice. "Body and soul man, I'm tellin' ya, it feels great! I'm not even cravin' my cigs!"

The two men sat there for a while, with Cid talking animatedly until eventually the bear like man put his head in his hands and groaned loudly. "What's the matter? You said I could talk to you, yeah? You only have to pretend to listen!"

"It's not that, even if you do sound like a teenage girl." Came the man's muffled voice. "I just realized that now I owe Yuffie two hundred gil." At Cid's prolonged chuckle, he looked up at the blonde, realizing that in the end, it was worth it to see him happy. His own face split into a grin. "Seriously though, congrats man. I'm happy for you. Am I allowed to sleep now?"

"Yeah, thanks for putting up with me." He stood and stretched, looking at the clock and wincing slightly. "Tifa'll have our asses on a plate if we're tired tomorrow."

"Uh huh. Hey, I was wondering, was Vincent really okay with you ditching him to come talk to me after sex?"

"He left for a bit, said there was something he had to do."

"Scrub the image of your naked ass out of his mind probably." Barret teased, having a laugh of his own as he was punched in the arm. "Anyway, I'm gonna go back to bed. You should too, unless you're gonna wait for him?"

Cid thought for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I think I will wait. See ya tomorrow." The bear like man grunted in acknowledgement as the blonde shut the door. He walked into the cockpit for a moment, making certain everything was alright before glancing out the window. He did a double take. A Chocobo was approaching at a trot with someone slumped over its back. A red cloaked someone. "Vincent…"

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Sephiroth had watched Vincent get away, had been unable to follow as Cloud had instantly thrown himself into the General, knocking him backwards. Even now that he had stopped struggling underneath the blonde, he was not allowed up and he could hear that soft breathing in his ear. He could not fathom why he didn't just throw the boy off or impale him when he saw Cloud approaching. He tried to force his body to knee the blonde in the crotch but it didn't seem to be obeying him. "Am I allowed to stand yet? Or will you continue this unusual display of… affection?"

The breath beside his ear sped up, the body on top of his tensing slightly. "Promise you won't go after Vincent, and that you'll answer some questions for me."

Now he desperately wanted to hurt the blue eyed man but once again his body betrayed him. "Very well, but you must agree to answer a few of mine as well." Cloud moved and for the first time in weeks Sephiroth felt a small sense of loss at the lost physical contact. What surprised him more was that while Cloud was on him, he hadn't felt that pain that he was now so accustomed to. The general sat up and stretched, watching Cloud fidget. "What is your first question?"

"The things that have been happening these past few weeks, the ones you say you don't remember, I think… no, I know you do and I want you to tell me what's going on. Is it MPD?"

The general's eyebrows rose slightly. "MPD?"

"Multiple Personality Disorder."

A dark chuckle rose in Sephiroth's throat and he flicked his hair off of his face. "No. Though if it were I would not remember. The problem seems to be that I am remembering too much, I am beginning to exist solely in my memories… with the addition of you. No matter where I am in my memories, you are always there to… to pull me back out. A person that no one else in my thoughts can see." He had caught himself before he could say "to comfort me." He was not weak and he refused to show his captive any wavering in his cold exterior.

"At any rate, it is my turn to question you. How did you know about Vincent?"

Cloud shrugged with one shoulder. "You told me, you just don't remember. It was on the roof, and after that you said that I could wait with you."

"Did I? But I am always aware of what happens in my memories…"

"My turn." Cloud cut over him quickly, not wanting the General to examine his own consciousness too closely. "Who did you think was going to kill you?"

"What?"

"The first time I saw you in one of your…uh… memories, you said that someone was going to kill you. I want to know who."

The subtle tightening of the silver haired man's jaw was not missed by the blonde, nor was the slitting of the pupils. "Hojo…" The older man hissed. "He controlled my life completely as a child and the first time he allowed me outside, out of his sight, I caught and killed a rabbit. I had not intended to damage the creature, but at that time I did not realize how… fragile life is." An icy smile crawled over his face and settled there. "The man terrorized me when I was young and that day was no exception. Upon seeing the destruction I had wrought he was pleased, but was less so when he saw my remorse. Later that day I was instructed to kill seven more rabbits, and a few other creatures." Something twitched in Sephiroth's face and he caught himself before he could babble any further, instead finishing with his own question. "You know about Vincent, now you must tell me what else you know, but as you do, I suggest we pack."

Cloud nodded and ducked inside the hut. "I know about your plan. I know that you want me to kill you and that you're using my hate to make it possible. What you might not know is that I agreed to it. I promised you that I would kill you, though why I can't just do it now without having to do all of this training first is weird." Cloud reached for a package of rations only to have his hands swatted away.

"No food, I will catch food when we get there. Grab blankets and only your warmest clothes, are we clear?" Upon seeing Cloud's confused expression he repeated the command, aching to strike the young man but seemingly unable to. It was unsettling that his body was betraying him in this way but under no circumstances would he allow his captive to find out. To take his mind off of his own anxiety, he once again dove into conversation. "Where we are going, it will be too cold for you to be without warm clothes, and I wouldn't want you to catch a chill. As to why you cannot simply kill me where I stand now… I would like you to try." He wrapped up a few clothes into tiny bundles along with a few canteens of water, grabbing the blunt edge of Cloud's sword as the mighty weapon swung towards his head.

"Well obviously it's not going to work if you won't LET me kill you!" Ground out the frustrated blonde, placing the buster sword on his back and folding his arms.

"I cannot help but fight to stay alive. It has been ingrained in my head since I was conceived to be an indestructible force of science that would withstand the force of an army. It is an instinct. You must wear me down in battle before you kill me." He chuckled darkly, his eyes glowing brighter for a moment. "I wish you the best of luck, because if I don't die, you will. Remember that." He looked at the young man staring at the ground and felt a kind of sadness twine up his chest and attempt to choke him. Fighting it off he asked softly: "Do you have anymore questions?"

Cloud lowered his head slowly, looking up to stare into those piercing eyes. "Only one more that I can think of, but I also have a request." He inwardly cringed when he saw the irritation and desire to do harm written all over his captor's face. Still, he trusted that –his- Sephiroth would keep his word and prevent any physical damage that may come his way. Tentatively, the blonde went on. "Could we stay just until the others arrive? I'd like them to be able to see me and see that Vincent isn't lying… I'd like them to know that I'm still alive."

The pain and fury that flashed over Sephiroth's face was enough to make Cloud flinch. A snarl rippled from the General's mouth as his pupils formed tiny slits. The older man made as though to strike cloud but his hand dropped at his side and instead he spoke in a low, dangerous voice. "No. We agreed not to involve outside people."

"But-"

For a moment, the blonde thought that Sephiroth's control had snapped when the man jerked him against that strong chest but instead of maiming him, the General simply held him possessively, running his hands jerkily through the blonde's hair. "You are mine, they can't have you, I won't let them because you are the only thing I have that is still real and I refuse to lose that! I refuse!"

Then just like that, the emotions on his face settled into one of frustration as he let go, eyes unfocussed and looking off to the left. "The war in Wutai is already damaging so many lives, why do they need me? Shinra corp. obviously has things under control, but of course, the genius Hojo must test out the great Sephiroth. Damnit." He fixed Cloud with a panicked expression and took him by the shoulders. "I'm not ready for this! I'm not ready for war! Everyone says that I'm too young! I don't know what to do…"

Cloud let out a long sigh and pulled the young memory close to him, hoping against hope that perhaps this would buy him the time he needed.

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Cid sat beside Vincent's barely conscious form as the others piled in. He kept his lance on the floor beside him in case whatever attacked Vincent had followed him back to the airship. He knew that he must look a wreck with red swollen eyes and haggard lines over his tired face.

When they had brought the ex Turk in, Cid had insisted that his room was the only place that would be suitable for their new invalid. He had paced back and forth, refusing to leave the room for the entire healing process. It had been exceeding difficult because not only had whatever-it-was gone through his stomach, it had also caused him to lose copious amounts of blood. Still, with the combined efforts of materia and will power, Vincent had scraped by with his life, and Cid couldn't ask for anything more than that.

The party sat in a circular formation around the bed, fidgeting while they waited for the red eyed man to begin. "All of you… I need you to promise that no matter what, you will believe me." After receiving a few perplexed nods of conformation, he found himself faltering, having to swallow dryly before opening his mouth. 'Now or never. Forgive me Lucrecia…' "For the past several months I have been working for Sephiroth and helping him in his kidnapping of Cloud."

An enraged snarl tore its self from Tifa's throat as she threw herself across the room with a crazed gleam in her eye. Her balled fists had almost reached Vincent's face when the butt of Cid's lance lodged into her stomach. The ex Turk's eyes went wide as Tifa was caught mid screech coughing up saliva before being shoved backwards by the same lance.

Everyone's head's swiveled to face the wielder of the weapon only to see Cid stick it out horizontally between Vincent and the rest of the room. At the deadened look in the pilot's eyes, Vincent felt all of the guilt and regret clog his throat in one lump. "Cid…"

"Keep talking. I'm gonna listen to this shit until the fucking end. Hey Barret, toss me a goddamned cig would ya?" When the bear like man wordlessly obliged, he lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply before speaking again. "Now that we're all fucking calm, we can finish listening to his goddamn story. So keep going… Vin."

The way that the nickname was spat out made the Chaos holder flinch. He wanted to curl up into the tightest ball he could and die right there. Instead he looked imploringly at the man who was still doggedly defending him. "Cid please-"

"FINISH YOUR FUCKING STORY! JUSTIFY YOURSELF!" The magnitude of the pilot's rage filled the small room, echoing off of the walls and coming back like a slap in the face. The others seemed mostly focused on the chain smoker's anger but their attention quickly snapped back to Vincent as he began murmuring miserably.

"I.. I don't quite know where to begin…"

"Why don't ya start at the fucking beginning?" Cid's voice had become poisonously soft. "You know, the part where you decided to choose good old fucking Sephiroth over us." Vincent was glad that he wasn't bearing the force of the pilot's stare, for he was certain that if he did he would burst into flame. Still, as he began his story, he continued to glance at his stony faced lover in hopes of seeing some sort of forgiveness there.

He told them about how he had first found Sephiroth and Cloud in the base of Shinra manner, how, just before he alerted the others Sephiroth covered his mouth, ignoring the gun Vincent pushed in his face. He told them about how the silver haired man had pleaded with him, begged Vincent to hear him out. "I have never seen Sephiroth as clear headed as he was that day, it was as though for a few moments, he regained all of his sanity."

"What did he say?" Yuffie asked, ignoring the hateful glare that Tifa sent in her direction.

Vincent paused for a moment, glad that at least the young ninja looked inquisitive rather than accusatory. After a slight spell of dizziness he answered her. "He wants Cloud to kill him, but in order to do so, he must train him to hate, to fight and kill without hesitation. He says that Cloud is the only one capable of doing this, because he is the only one who's strength rivals Sephiroth's. He asked me to give him enough time to have Cloud bring about his demise. I agreed on the condition that Cloud should remain unhurt, but tonight I found out that this condition was not met. I would have brought Cloud back ages ago had I realized what was going on."

"Then why didn't you this time!?" Tifa bit out, moving as though to attack him again. "Where the hell is he!?" She stopped short of the lance and remained there, shaking in fury.

The red eyed man looked at her as calmly as he could muster, wishing that the pain in his head would stop. He briefly brought his fingers up to his temples before answering. "He was in the city of the ancients, but whether or not he is still there… " he broke off at the hopeless expression plastered to everyone's face and hung his head.

"Dammit… DAMMIT!" Tifa stormed to the door and wrenched it open, motioning for the others to follow her.

"I… I have a message from Cloud." At the sound of Vincent's weak voice they paused. "He says, 'I'll be back soon, I'm alright.' He said that you would all need to hear that…" Tifa's hand clenched on the door frame and the others quickly went to her side.

When Cid began to rise she snapped "Not you. We need someone to watch this traitor, and I'm sure you have a lot to talk about." Without looking at the pilot's stunned face she strode out, the others hot on her heels with apologetic faces.

"Cid-"

"Shut up Vincent! You got no idea how much I wanna kill you right now!"

Vincent flinched, a woozy, sick feeling washing over him. "Perhaps you should." He managed. The lance fell heavily against his thighs as Cid began yelling, but Vincent had no energy left to feel or hear him as he slipped beneath consciousness.

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When Sephiroth regained his composure he was not pleased to find that though all of the packing had been completed, Cloud was still sitting, waiting for his comrades.

"Exactly what do you think you are doing?"

The young man didn't turn but remained facing outwards. "I'm doing what you told me I could. Waiting until my friends arrive so that I can show them I'm okay while telling them that I won't be returning for a little while. You said you remember what happens in your memories, so you should remember giving your consent." It was evident that the blonde was fighting to keep the smile out of his voice.

A vein twitched in the Generals temple for he could not deny that in his weakened state of mind he had done just that. 'He is more… manipulative than I thought.' On any other occasion he might have been impressed but this seemed to be the most inappropriate time to display these seldom shown traits. "So I did." Sephiroth stood beside Cloud, sensing a faint presence drawing nearer. "However, when they come I want you to tell them that you belong to me." He felt his lips twitch in a slight smile as Cloud's face snapped around to look at him with wide eyes

"What? I.. no! I can't do that!" He stood, glaring at his captor who seemed wholly uninterested in the expression he was getting. "Sephiroth, please… they've been looking for me… this just seems cruel."

"You'll do it or we'll leave this moment. Do you think that they will see this as a betrayal? How amusing. But the time has come for you to make your decision Cloud, so what will it be?"

Before Cloud had a chance to answer, his friends burst out from the foliage with Tifa in the lead. "Cloud!" She attempted to jump up at him but was simply thrown back down by the flat of Sephiroth's sword. Still she reached up to him, screaming for the others to hold their attacks lest they hurt him. "Come on!" She pleaded "What are you waiting for?! Jump down, we'll cover you!"

There was a long pause in which the very wildlife seemed to hold its breath before Cloud said. "I can't." He lifted the pack high on his back and did the same with his sword. "Vincent has probably already told you the reason, and please;" he held up his hand to stop any protests from his would be rescuers. "Don't say that it's a stupid reason. I've already made the promise." Cloud moved closer to the silver haired man who in turn stretched out his arms toward the blonde. "I belong to him now."

"What the fuck are you talking about Cloud?!" roared Barret. One of his hands was on Yuffie's shoulder as she struggled to run to the object of their search, but whether it was to save him or harm him at this point, he didn't know. He himself wanted to riddle the two figures on the roof with bullets and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep that impulse in check.

"I'm sorry guys… But this has to be done. I'll come back eventually, but until then, please don't look for me anymore." Cloud didn't look at Tifa, but he still knew that she was crying. Sephiroth's arm snaked around his waist and pulled him close.

"It is high time we left." The General's deep voice came above him. Though he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, his words were directed only at Cloud.

"Wait!" The blonde flinched at how broken Tifa sounded. "He killed Aerith! What do you think she'd say?!"

Cloud finally allowed his eyes to rest on her tear stained face. He felt Sephiroth's body tense as they began to rise into the air. "I know what she'd say, I already heard her say it. 'Help him.'" And with that, the two figures shot through the sky, leaving the only people left alive who still cared for him behind.

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Cid stayed with Vincent, face completely devoid of emotion and several used cigarettes littering the floor around his feet. He watched the still face of the dark haired man and ran a hand over his own haggardly. For the moment, the pilot could feel nothing and he was glad of it, but could sense that there was a very fine barrier between him and his emotions that any Vincent related thoughts seemed to shake. He pressed two fingers firmly against the traitor's neck, making certain that the man's faint pulse was still there before ghosting the digits across his deathly pale cheek. He recoiled as his barrier received a crack and something painful slipped through. "Shit…" he mumbled before lighting another cigarette.

He was almost relieved when he heard the others enter the hallway in flurries of mixed emotion and noise. Anything for a distraction. The chain smoker poked his head out the door only to withdraw it again to avoid any possible collision with Tifa's fists. She yanked open the door, cheeks flushed and eyes filled with a kind of fury Cid hadn't seen in a long time.

The woman launched herself at his unconscious charge, hauling the limp body into an upright position. "WHERE IS HE!? WAKE UP YOU BASTARD AND TELL ME WHERE CLOUD IS OR I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Cid couldn't move, couldn't make a sound as she shook Vincent's body. He gave no reaction to the people who poured in, jerking her off of the man and out of the room, still screaming. Snapping out of his trance, he grabbed Red XIII's tail as the creature was about to leave the room, causing yellow eyes to look back at him reproachfully. "You didn't find him?"

Nanaki's tail twitched out of his hands as the beast let out a long sigh. "Oh we found him alright. I'm not sure who they're angrier with now, Vincent or Cloud."

"What are you talkin' about Red?"

"When we found Cloud he essentially told us the same thing as Vincent, along with other things we didn't want to hear. He said he belongs to Sephiroth and asks that we stop looking for him."

The blonde's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're shitting me… where are they now?"

Red XIII shook his furry head sadly. "We don't know, he just held onto Sephiroth and they flew away. Do you want me to take a turn watching Vincent?" He stretched slightly as Cid flicked his hand dismissively.

"No need, I'll keep up watch for now. He system prolly got a bit of a shock from Tifa. That was crazy. This whole thing is Goddamn crazy… Besides her freakin' out right there, how's she taking it?"

"Not well at all." Red XIII's head drooped sadly. "I think that we should just leave Cloud alone until he comes back to us on his own, but she seems dead set on finding him and forcing him to return. I think it hit her pretty hard that he wouldn't rejoin us. She really put her whole being into finding him. I think… I think that for whatever reason Cloud acted, he acted unkindly."

"Ya don't say." The pilot took a final drag on his cigarette before flicking it to the floor and grinding it out with his shoe.

The two stood in an awkward silence before the non human one finally left. The blonde took his seat beside Vincent and rearranged the man so that he wouldn't wake up with any kinks. It almost killed him to touch the ex Turk. The barrier shook violently and developed several cracks as the smooth face below him contorted briefly in pain.

"I can't." Cid's voice sounded as though it had holes worn in it. "I can't do this. It just hurts too fuckin' much." Vincent stirred and he was out the door in a flash. "I changed my mind! Someone else take a goddamn turn!" he bellowed, shoving passed Yuffie on his way through the halls and sending his pilot on a temporary leave of absence.

He ran his hands over the control panel of the airship, relaxing slightly as he felt the sturdy machinery under his gloved hands. It felt good to be able to control something in his life again. "What shitty luck. Next thing you know Rufus Shinra'll still be alive."

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The flight from the city of the ancients had been a silent one as both men struggled with their inner thoughts. The further they flew the colder it got, eventually causing Sephiroth to land long enough to wrap Cloud in a blanket before continuing on. "Why do you still care?" The blonde asked as they set up camp that afternoon. "You could just ignore me and I'd still be fit for killing you."

The General glanced at him briefly before stoking the fire. "I am not certain, perhaps I feel that by being a human, you are far more susceptible to any illness that may come our way. Tell me, will all of our future conversations require a Q and A?"

Cloud shook his head gently and sat near the fire with his knees pulled firmly against his chest. "It's getting colder though so I guess that means we're even further north now huh? I'm not all that great with directions but I'll just go ahead and assume that we're headed for the mountains."

"Assume away."

"We aren't?"

"I didn't say that."

The silver haired man looked pained for a moment before his pupils slit and dilated quickly. Cloud felt a pang of sadness as he watched his former hero carry on a battle inside of himself and reached out tentatively to touch the General's shoulder. When the man pulled away to give him a sharp look, the blonde could only stare at his knees.

"Just wondering if you were alright." He mumbled.

Green eyes closed and the stony expression faded to one of amused fatigue. "You remind me so much of Zack sometimes, it's no wonder you thought you were him."

Cloud's head snapped up angrily. "That isn't- it wasn't like-"

"The North Crater."

There was a pause, then; "What?"

"Our final destination is the North Crater, where all of this frivolity should have ended ages ago."

The blonde let out a tiny "Oh…" Before his Captor's eyes drooped with weariness.

"We will continue on this evening. I trust that you will keep our promise while I rest. If you happen to have the excess energy, use it to train. Wake me…" his mouth stretched in a wide yawn and he began to sway where he sat, eyes unfocussed. "Wake me when night falls…" With those final words Sephiroth slumped forward, Cloud barely managing to catch him before he fell in the fire.

'I should have let him burn to death.' He thought. 'It would have saved me a lot of effort. Still… the Sephiroth I know, the one who's still inside this body… He'll die too. No. This has to be done. He raped me, he almost killed Vincent. He DID kill Aerith. Mom. My village. So why am I hesitating? Damnit, I need guidance, help, anything!' He looked down at the man in his arms, mortified to find himself becoming aroused at the sleeping figure. "Oh come on!" He hissed under his breath.

A warm wind smelling of musk and sand blew gently around him before a voice replied "You're telling me."

Cloud's eyes widened as he stared down at the silver haired man's face, but it remained still with slumber. "Over here!" The blonde scanned the trees, eyes finally coming to rest on the source of the noise. "Z..Zack?"

White teeth flashed in a grin. "The one and only." The transparent man stepped closer to Cloud, peering down at him intently. "Damn you're pale; you look like you've seen a ghost!" Zack chuckled a little at his own joke before his face became serious. "Fate sure has dealt you a shitty hand man… still, I can see you're making the best of it." The dark haired man waggled his eyebrows suggestively but pulled back sharply when Cloud reached out to touch him. "Probably not the best idea Cloud. I can't guarantee the results and I'm already betting that Aerith is going to be pretty pissed when she finds out that I made contact while she was away." The intangible man squatted down beside the blond and smile absentmindedly at the shocked face next to him.

"How…?" Cloud began weakly, tugging the general's dead weight closer.

"You shouldn't stay in one place very long out here. You're getting really cold. Do some squats or something, like, grab Sephiroth and keep walking. Stay warm or soon I'll seem even more solid. You've got questions, and if you like, while we walk I can give you answers."

"Still haven't really answered my first one." The blonde muttered.

"Yes I did! Sort of… You shouldn't be seeing me right now, not for a long while actually, but you're up north, the wind is picking up and is bringing a blizzard with it and your body temperature is dropping faster than your erection did. Heh. I guess nothing kills a boner like a dead friend, huh?" Zack's smile faded as he realized the tangent he was starting on. "You get what I mean though, right?" he asked urgently.

"I think so." Cloud mumbled through rapidly numbing lips as he gathered up the provisions with the sleeping man. "I'm dying?" He stood up, looking at his friend for confirmation.

"Well, uh, no. Not really. You're in kind of a danger zone though, don't you think? Right now, you're a lot more susceptible to anything that might come your way"

"Okay… hey Zack?" The began to walk.

"Mm?"

"I… I do have a question."

"Shoot."

"Why is Sephiroth so sure that I'll kill him? I mean, I know I will, but I also thought I'd killed him last time. What if I can't get together that hate that he needs?"

At this point Zack bit his lip. "Why don't you ask Sephiroth?" There was a pause and then his eyes widened comically. "Waitaminnit! You-"

"No! I-I don't know! My head's all fucked up! Just answer the fucking question!" Cloud sneezed and squinted. He saw a cave that would potentially protect himself and the General from the snow. "Well?!" He snapped at Zack.

"Cloud, I don't really know how to say this in a nice way… No matter how you feel about Sephiroth, you'll still kill him. He's made sure of it." At his friend's questioning glance Zack continued uncomfortably. "He did something to your head when you two were flying to Costa de Sol, kind of attached himself to your emotions. Actually more like just a specific one."

"Is he the reason I feel so strange all of the time?" For the first time Cloud felt relief at having been controlled because it meant that none of his thoughts of desire could be real.

The blonde's rejoicing was cut short when Zack cut in once more. "No. what you feel in that area is all you. Sephiroth attached a strand of consciousness to your hate, and if you falter even once he intends to fill your entire being with it." Snow had begun to fall, softly at first, and then more heavily as the wind picked up.

"So I'll end up killing him either way?"

"You don't sound too thrilled about that."

"And you don't seem too concerned about me hesitating." Cloud shot back.

Zack started laughing. "Cloud, I'm dead. What have I got to be worried about? In the end we all go to the lifestream anyway and you know what? It feels good." Zack's eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. "It's like all of the petty things in life that seemed so important at the time don't matter. Use your life to work on the big things. Don't get me wrong," He held up his hands in defense against the irritated blonde's glare. "I don't mean complicated. Not everything is as crazy as you make it out to be. I think that most if not all of the big things are simple. Deep down you know them. Now," The transparent man clapped his hands once, smiling that carefree smile of his. "Get in that cave and I'll answer one more question before I fade out. Make it count."

Cloud stepped inside and set the silver haired man down out of the wind. It was fairly obvious that the cave had been used in as shelter for many people over the years judging by the old but still usable firewood and some broken mountaineer equipment inside. He set up a fire and rubbed his hands together, slowly forming his question. Eventually he looked at his friend's expectant face and asked softly: "Am I going to die here?" He brushed a silver strand of hair away from Sephiroth's sleeping face and laid the blanket on him.

Zack seemed to recoil from the question, nose wrinkling unpleasantly. "Oh jeez Cloud, I can't answer that, mainly because I don't know. Nothing is set in stone future-wise and even if I did know one hundred percent do you think I'd be allowed to tell you?"

Cloud shook his head slowly. "Guess not. Still, could you tell me how it looks?"

"If you keep seeing us, then I'd say pretty bad." Came a female voice from behind him. The scent of church flowers filled his nose as he turned to see Aerith's smiling face.

"Aerith…"

"Oh Cloud, get close to the fire, you're going to get sick."

He reached out to touch her but she moved passed his hand and stood beside Zack. "Please help Sephiroth, I know you've done so much already but for just a little while longer, help him." She curled Zack's fingers in her own and turned to the mouth of the cave.

Frustrated, Cloud yelled back. "How?! How the hell do I help someone like him?! Is killing him really the only way?"

Aerith simply tilted her head back to smile at him and said "We love you Cloud, remember that, but also remember that there are those still alive who also love you. Rough times are ahead, and so just for tonight, I'm giving you a thankyou gift for all your hard work. Enjoy it, because after tonight it may not come again for a while. Stay strong."

Zack flashed him a grin. "Don't come see us too soon okay? And remember what I said: None of the big important things are ever really complicated. Things'll work out in the end; they always do." And with that, the fading couple stepped into the blizzard and were gone, leaving nothing but the scent of flowers and musk.

"They're gone again. How stupid." A sad smile pulled over his face. "There are no easy answers." Cloud heard his captor stirring but couldn't find any righteous anger to dispense with the new information he had. Instead he only felt mild exasperation and couldn't help but wonder if that was the gift Aerith spoke of.

Only when he went to tend the fire did he hear the gentle, clear voice of the Sephiroth he knew. "Cloud? What on earth are you doing? You look like you're about to freeze to death. Come over here." Looking over, the blonde was able to make out the slight shimmer of sanity that seemed to stretch forth from the other man's eyes like an unsteady warmth. He had opened his arms invitingly under the blanket and for once Cloud felt no shame in going directly to them and lying down, falling asleep to the other man's heartbeat. His final thought before drifting off was the knowledge of the gift his friends had given him. Inner peace. 'Thanks for tonight guys.'

Spaceiscompletelyandutterlyembarrassedthatshehasn'tpostedthischapterandasksthatyouforgiveherfoolishlazynessandforgetfulnessspacegiveyousincereapologies

Yuffie chewed her lower lip nervously; peering down at Vincent's sleeping face. She had asked for this shift but was now beginning to regret it. Still, no time like the present for answers she decided, and he had had almost two full days of rest. She blew in his face gently.

Red eyes snapped open and Yuffie was shocked to see that Vincent's teeth were already bared. Still, she didn't flinch back and but a hand delicately on his chest. The wound had almost completely closed but the shock was enough to bring him back to his senses.

"Yuffie…"

Happiness swelled in her chest but she hid it by puffing out her cheeks indignantly. "You forgot again! It's 'The Great Ninja Yuffie'! And you almost bit my hand off you jerk!"

Vincent let out a soft chuckle. "My apologies. I quite forgot myself." His face darkened slightly. "Should you be talking to me? I am a traitor to you and your friends."

"Psh, whatever. I'm not interested in that. I just wanted to talk so I thought I might as well drop by. Ninja Puff is doing really well. I'm looking after him myself!" Vincent tried to smile encouragingly at her but she flicked his nose. "I told you to stop doing that! Jeez Vinny, you give me nasty goose bumps when you smile when you aren't happy."

"I am sorry. There is not much I can do about that. So, you are my current jailer."

She crawled on the bed beside him and sat against the wall, holding her stomach out of habit more than nausea. "Only because I wanted to talk." Her lip trembled and she rested her head on her knees hoping he wouldn't notice before letting the words burst out of her. "Why did you do it?! Now nobody's happy… Nobody." She sniffled and, not wanting him to see her cry started to leave before Vincent took her arm and pulled her into a soft embrace. "Everyone's all messed up. More than they were before. Did we do something wrong?" She buried her head in his shoulder to stifle a choked sob.

Vincent stroked the young ninja's hair, an unreadable expression on his face. "I can never apologize enough for putting you all through that. You deserved better than that. However I did what I thought was right and I did my best to stay on that road. But I made mistakes. I began to hold all of you too dear to continue in my venture. I thought that Lucrecia wished me to help Sephiroth in his final quest. I believe now that I was wrong. She wished for me to have a new start at a happy life, but now it is too late. You're right. I have broken everything. I am so sorry… I have hurt the people closest to me and that is inexcusable."

"How could you do that to Cid?" Came the mucus stifled voice from his shoulder.

"Perhaps what I've done is for the best. I have sinned too much in my life to allow anyone around me to be happy. I deserve to be treated like a criminal. But my feelings for him-"

A small hand collided with his mouth. "You're so stupid! You don't deserve to be locked up… You weren't just helping something you thought was right, you were protecting all of us. I really believe that."

There was a snort from outside the door and Cid strode in, a fire in his eyes. "Is that right? I figured he was just bein' a selfish asshole. "Course, an eighteen year old prolly knows a shit ton more than me right?"

There was an astonished silence in which Yuffie got up shaking and began to walk towards Cid will balled fists. She looked back sharply as Vincent's hand caught her arm. "Please…" He said softly. "Please go help Tifa. I need to speak with Cid alone."

"Aw hell Vin," The pilot drawled. "Let the kid stay. She might actually be able to hear the truth."

"I have not lied to you personally, Cid. The only thing I've ever lied about is my involvement with Sephiroth."

"BULLSHIT! EVERYTHING YOU EVER FUCKING SAID AND DID WITH ME WAS A LIE!"

"No, please Cid I-"

"HOW'RE YOUR FUCKING WOUNDS DOING, HUH?! SEEMS TO ME THEY'RE HEALIN' A HELLUVA LOT FASTER THAN YOUR SHOULDER DID!"

Vincent cradled his aching head at the loud noise. "Please stop yelling… I'm sorry… I did not want my shoulder to heal, so it didn't."

Cid scoffed but lowered his voice slightly. "You wanted it to seem like Sephiroth had really hurt you bad, huh?"

"No, that's not-"

Yuffie's face was turning green as she started out the door but almost jumped out of her skin when Cid roared "SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" and looked at her so fiercely that she crept back to her spot at Vincent's side. "And what about the sex, huh Vin? No prep, no lube-"

"Cid!" Vincent looked horrified and Yuffie went beet red.

"-One would almost think you get off on that shit! Or wait, no, let me guess: Mr. FuckingSadAss needs to make it seem like he's getting' raped to get it up! Tell me Vin, does Sephiroth fuck you like that while you let him cut you up?! You prolly wanted to keep the shoulder wound to remind you of his-"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Vincent was on his feet, eyes yellow and teeth lengthening. The strain of standing was making him feel as though he would vomit up his internal organs but the presence of Chaos made him strong. "How dare you imply that I EVER let that man do anything to me?! I wouldn't let myself heal because I wanted you to keep coming to see me! I loved every moment you were there. You are right though, the sex was obviously a mistake. I let my control slip. I was selfish to want you with the knowledge that I would bring you pain, but I told you that, and I had already made my decision to stop aiding Sephiroth." He took a deep breath, his face a sickly pallid colour as his strength ebbed. "I refused preparation because I wanted to feel pain and know what I was experiencing was real. But do you know what? Since it seems you're so convinced I want to be raped, then you should take a look at yourself Darling. If we go by your logic then you enjoy being the rapist." This last sentence was spat out bitterly and Vincent regretted it almost immediately.

Cid's face looked murderous as he walked towards the dark haired man. "So." He began, nodding slowly and his right hand clenched. "So. That's how it is huh?" He raised his fist.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It's not the way I feel…" The fist swung and Vincent did his best to brace himself. But the blow never came. Yuffie stood in front of him, Cid's punch successfully parried with her speed.

The two men stared at her in shock, but she simply looked grim and ill. "Get out Cid."

"What? You can't just-"

A ninja star whizzed past his face and struck the wall. A few fragments of blonde hair fell. "If you haven't figured it out yet, Vincent's really hurt and you're making it worse by being dumb. Leave or I'll hit you with one of these things for real."

"Yuffie-"

"Back in bed Vincent, you're being dumb too. And Cid, when you leave, don't get all mopey and feel sorry for yourself. Think about what he said, 'cuz you know what? He was probably telling the truth."

"We aren't done-"

A bright glimmer of metal was the only warning Cid had before he ducked another star.

"You guys have said all you're gonna say right now. Now go be a jerk somewhere else!"

The pilot opened the door and muttered something unintelligible before closing the door behind him. The final thock of metal against wood signaled that Yuffie had heard exactly what was said.

"Jerk." She muttered. "I don't know what you see in him." She turned to Vincent and helped him back into the bed. She heard a soft hiccup and lifted a curtain of hair to see a tear roll down Vincent's face. "Whuuuaaat?! Don't cry! I'm Sorry! What did I do!?"

"No… I- it's not his fault. He's just hurting… I almost lost control… He and you could both be dead right now… I'm awful."

"Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself you big dummy. You're not that bad, you wouldn't have made me birthday pancakes if you were. You two will work it out. Just not right now." She smiled and sat on the bed.

He lay back, trying to smile at her. "Why couldn't I have fallen in love with you instead?"

She put a finger to her lips as though she was trying to think about it before saying: "Because then you wouldn't have loved Cid, and he makes you happy! Well, most of the time… And if you were in love with me, who would be left to take care of you? No one, that's who! Besides, it'd be creepy 'cuz you're all old and stuff. If you loved me… who would Cid love?" Yuffie saw him drifting off. "If you loved me like that, who'd look after me? Who'd protect me like they were my big brother?" She pulled the covers up to his chin and kissed him on the cheek. "You guys'll be okay, I'll make sure of it."

That night, Vincent slept without any nightmares to speak of, and Cid didn't sleep at all.

--

Holy crap. I am so sorry. My llama of perserverance died a couple months ago and I just recently got a new one. Named Mooky. A LOT has happened in my life since the last chapter but thank you all for staying with me. I hope this chapter was worth the weight. The next will be the last, so wish me luck. You all have the patience of saints! To my reviewers:

yaoi-midnight-mistress: Mmm, I like that. A fanfiction cake. It must be baked!

sparkreno: Thank you! I try to make the characters as real as possible.

Deathcas: Thanks for the support!

Dalin: I dunno man, your review made me feel like a hundred bucks! As for the ending? we'll have to see.

tails doll curse: Glad you like it!

Tsukie: Were Vincent in his right mind, he'd probably apologize for all the blood. Thanks for reviewing!

Faithful Cherry Blossom: Thanks!

demonlifehealer: Sorry about the slow update. Llama troubles.

Kiira-san: I... I'm sorry? I don't think this ending is all that great either but I promise the next will be better!

Tobi-Uchiha: I hope your heart is doing better, though after this chapter... I'll feed the luck to Mooky, he practically runs on it!

ChaseYoungluvr: I'm glad you're enjoying my portrayals!

Iced Coffee: Poor all of them really, I'm kind of a jerk to the characters.

Wintersheart1766: Oh crap! Waterwaterwaterwaterwater! Thank yooouuuu!

Agatsuma Ritsuka: I won't completely stop the story until it's done, it's against my policy. I will however drag my feet a lot. Heh heh.

MizuYousei: Well, it's not soon but here is (at last) an update!

VampireWolfXIII: Glad you liked them! Now, as it turns out.

Superwitch: Superwitch, I'd like you to meet Mooky. My other llama died out of age and neglect (they don't live very long but they sure are useful!). Thanks for your patience.

Thanks so much to everyone who's stuck with me up 'till now. Let's go to the last chapter together! Hi Ho Mooky, awaaaayyyy!