Beyond

Beyond

Flora Winters

I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Summary: Sometimes the dead simply do not stay dead. This story will contain boy love, strong language, and scenes of explicit violence.

Chapter Twelve

I want to love you but I better not touch

I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop

I want to kiss you but I want it too much

I want to taste you

But your lips are venomous poison

--Alice Cooper

A dark cloud slowly passed over the crescent moon as he walked down the empty street on silent feet. His pale features were cast in silver shadows as the night wind ruffled his spiky hair. He held the gun at his side, wishing for some thug to jump out at him. He was in the mood to blow someone's brains out the back of their skull. He was so pissed. How was he going to ask Sephiroth to help save his mother's life? The ass had so much influence and he was positive Sephiroth could get her the treatment she needed. But, he didn't want to owe him anything. He didn't want to have a reason to owe him thanks. All he wanted to do was hate him. It was so much easier to just fucking hate him.

"Why is it so much easier to hate," he whispered as he opened the wooden door, stepping into the quiet little church, "Than it is to forgive?"

He gently closed the door behind him, turning around to see that there was a single candle burning on the altar. It caused the statue's shadow to dance on the walls. He looked around, trying to see if someone else was already here. He slowly walked up to the altar, seeing that the white candle must have just been lit. The wax had yet to drip down the sides.

He got down on his knees before the altar and looked upon the smooth face of the faceless, nameless deity. There was so much artistic detail, but the face had not been touched. It was like the artist had feared to give the god a face for fear of causing offense. Plus, he doubted a mortal could capture such divine beauty and create an exact copy.

He looked over at the stained glass window, admiring the beautiful red rose. It was blooming from out of emerald petal wings. There were so many golden thorns protecting the delicate blossom.

"Is this real?" He asked, turning back to the faceless deity. "Am I really here?"

He could feel the cold stone beneath him. He could feel the gentle warmth on his pale cheeks from the candle. But, things felt real in dreams, too.

"Am I trapped in my mind?" He asked the nameless god. "Did I create all of this in order to live out what should have been?"

Did he? He didn't know. Was he able to do such a thing? What strange powers did his shattered mind possess?

He could feel the cold steel in his hand. What would happen if he was to shoot himself? Would it hurt? Was it possible to kill himself in a dream? Was this a dream?

"Please," he whispered with tears filling his eyes. "Is he real?"

Is what I'm feeling real?

"If this is a dream, please, let me wake up now," he begged the silent divinity. "I don't want to be happy if all of this is false."

All was silent.

"Haven't I suffered enough?"

Not as much as Shin-Ra will suffer.

He gasped. The candle flame flickered.

Let's go cut off their ears and yell into them just to see if they can hear us.

Shut up! Cloud snapped at the deadly storm. I'll fucking decide when and what I'll do!

"Cloud?"

He spun around with the gun in his hand, finger on the trigger. The dark shape quickly raised its hands, dropping a candle to the floor with a thud.

"Who are you?" He demanded, rising to his feet. He didn't recognize him and it definitely wasn't Zack.

"Um, me…"

His blue eyes widened in shock. It was Sephiroth. His hair was short…and it was SPIKY! What the fuck? Okay, now he knew this wasn't a dream. Even he couldn't dream something so fucking ludicrous.

"Where the hell did you get that dangerous weapon?" Sephiroth asked, keeping his hands up. "I thought I took them all from you."

"My mom," he said, lowering it. "What the fuck…"

"Shut up!" Sephiroth snapped, bending down to pick up his fallen candle. "I don't want to hear another goddamn word."

Here they were, cursing in the house of the Lord…with a deadly weapon in hand. Would the blasphemy ever end?

Cloud wanted to snarl. The stupid bastard had cut his hair and it looked GOOD! It wasn't supposed to look good. It was supposed to look bad, goddamn it! He had spiky, molten silver hair. Oh, he wanted to scream and shoot him for the hell of it. This wasn't right! He looked really good! It actually suited him.

"Where the hell are your clothes?" Sephiroth asked, looking around. "What are you doing here at this hour? I thought I told you to get your rest?"

Shoot him in the balls! We'll make some yummy salsa.

Cloud ignored the voice, dropping the gun to the floor with a clatter as he sank to his knees.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth asked in concern, taking a step towards him.

Cloud looked up at the frighteningly handsome demon that he longed to kill. "My mom is dying."

Sephiroth froze.

"We can't afford treatment," he said, turning his face away from him. He couldn't stand to see those eyes that had terrified him so much hold such sympathy. "I…please…I need help."

Sephiroth knelt down before him, putting a large and warm hand on his naked, chilled shoulder. "What do you want me to do?"

Tears streamed from his molten jewels and he could hear the voice of doves. "Help me…"

"Come on," Sephiroth said, gently helping him up. "You're going to get sick walking around without any clothes on."

Cloud closed his eyes. He hated himself for crying in front of him. Why was he allowing himself to look so goddamn weak? Ah, so the fool would underestimate him. Yeah, he kept telling himself that.

"It's all right," Sephiroth said and he smelled like something wild and citrus. "I'll help your mother."

Cloud looked up into his vibrant green eyes and no matter how hard he tried or how much he wanted to do so he couldn't see the evil monster lurking within them. All he could see was a man who was concerned for him.

"I'll make a call," he said, letting him stand on his own feet. "I'll see that she sees the best doctor."

Cloud lowered his eyes. "You'll help me?"

Sephiroth cocked his head to the side. "Well, everyone says I'm a hero…I guess I should start acting like one, huh?"

Cloud snorted, turning around to pick up his mother's gun. Why did he just snort? Had Sephiroth just tried to be funny?

"Is the safety on?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud shook his head, pushing a small button, causing a clicking sound. "Now it is."

"Let me light this," Sephiroth said, holding up his candle. "And I'll walk with you back to the inn."

Cloud watched him do so and the voice in his head was pondering now…plotting.

He so wants to fuck us. We can use him.

No. He said, shaking his head. He's been used enough.

The voice chuckled.

"Well," Sephiroth said, turning back to him. "Shall we?"

Cloud nodded.

Neither of them got to see the faceless statue smile with divinely carved lips.

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Sephiroth walked beside the shorter man and took of his leather jacket, putting it around his bare shoulders. The way those blue eyes looked at him made him feel sort of sad. Why was Cloud so tragically beautiful? It was like those eyes were waiting for him to do something terrible. The blonde had never used to look at him like that. What had suddenly changed so drastically? He didn't know. But, he did know one thing. He wanted to know what those pouting, full red lips tasted like.

"Thank you," Cloud muttered under his breath and he watched how the blonde pulled the jacket around himself tighter. He must have been cold.

"Cloud," he said, stopping, causing the smaller man to turn around and look at him. "What changed? Why do you look at me with such different eyes?"

He watched him lower those sad jewels and frowned. What was he hiding in the deep depths of those twin blue oceans? He wanted to wrap his arms around him and tell him that everything would be all right. But, he couldn't do so. He wouldn't allow himself to do so.

"Never mind," he said, shaking his head. "But, I hope we can still at least try and be friends."

Why had he said that? He sounded so stupid.

He looked to see that Cloud was stepping towards him and he kept his eyes on those dazzlingly wicked blue stars. The guy did have a loaded gun in his hand. Not that a gun was any threat to him, but still, Cloud could be scary. How could a Third Class SOLDIER, who was terrified of everything, suddenly be so…spooky? It was like something dark and seductive had possessed him. He even walked differently. Oh, he wanted to lick those dewy devil red lips.

"Your hair," Cloud said, causing him to grit his teeth while the blonde smiled. "It makes you look warmer, kinder."

Sephiroth blinked. Had he looked cold and hard? That caused him to sigh. It was true. He had to be that way. The world was cold to him…so he met it head on with an even colder front.

"My mom," Cloud said, turning back around, hiding his gorgeous face. "She's fixing us an early breakfast."

Sephiroth stepped up beside him. "A home cooked breakfast?"

Cloud nodded, suddenly smiling. It made him feel a little giddy. "She makes the best gravy."

The caused him to cock his head to the side, looking at him in emerald confusion. "Gravy?"

The blonde snickered and it warmed him. "You've never had gravy, oh mighty general?"

Sephiroth shook his head, ignoring the sarcasm. He wasn't the one holding the boom-boom. "What is it?"

"You'll just have to show up at the table and find out," Cloud laughed.

"Well," he smiled genuinely, running his fingers through his new silver spikes. "I'll see to it that your mother gets to fix this gravy for a very long time, Cloud."

Cloud looked up at him and he could see that his ocean blue eyes were just as wet. He was biting his lower lip with such pretty white teeth. He looked really nervous for some reason. If he wasn't careful he'd cut his lip with those pearls.

"Thank you…"

"Well," Sephiroth said, feeling really good on the inside for the first time in a long time, and he began to lead the way back to the inn again. "What are friends for?"

He didn't see Cloud wipe the falling tears away.

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Zack was sprawled out on the bed, snoring to the highest reaches of Heaven. His head was to the side and he was drooling onto the fluffy pillow.

Cloud was standing at the foot of the bed, smiling as he watched his heart sleep. It was so funny. He crawled onto the bed as silently as a cat and draped a pale arm across the bigger man's chest. The snoring almost immediately stopped.

Zack always snored when he wasn't in bed with him. But, the moment his skin made contact, the snoring would stop. It was the oddest thing. It was like Zack had trained himself or something.

He gently squeezed Zack. It caused the black headed stud to smack his lips a few times in his sleep, and then he smiled, snuggling closer to Cloud.

He rubbed tiny circles around Zack's bellybutton with his index finger. He looked to see that the clock was reading five in the morning. He needed to be up in an hour. He could rest while Vincent flew.

"Love," Zack muttered in his sleep, pressing his face up against the side of Cloud's, putting a long muscular leg over his.

Cloud closed his eyes, smiling as he squeezed Zack tight. "Forever…"

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Zack was gawking like a two year old at a petting zoo. He practically yipped when he pounced on Sephiroth, tugging on his hair, wanting to know if it was really real or just a funny ass wig he had found lying around.

"You look silly," Zack snickered, holding his stomach while he laughed.

Sephiroth's left eye twitched. "And you don't?"

Zack shook his head. "Nope."

Their hairstyle did sort of look the same. It made Cloud wonder if Sephiroth had done it on purpose. He watched Zack with concerned amusement. He just kept on poking the annoyed general. It reminded him of the way Zack used his bear stick to poke the bears with at the Midgar Zoo.

"I must say," Mrs. Strife said, stepping from the yummy smelling kitchen. "I had no idea my son's hairstyle was so popular."

Zack grinned. "You'd be surprised how many guys in SOLDIER would kill to have awesome hair like ours."

Sephiroth frowned. "The scissors I used were out to get me."

Cloud blushed. He had cut it himself? Why the fuck was he blushing?

His mother smiled. "Well, come and get it. You boys will need your strength if you're going to climb that mountain."

"Oh," Sephiroth asked, pointing at the big blue bowl. "Is that the gravy?"

Cloud nodded and then jumped.

"Good morning!" A loud voice called and Tifa came walking into the kitchen, dressed to kill everything in sight. "Fill those tummy's, boys. We have a mountain to scale."

"Oh, Tifa," Mrs. Strife said, smiling brightly. "Would you like to join us? I have a new gun you can take with you."

"Oh?" Tifa asked with big eyes. "Is it as loud as the last one?"

Cloud's mother nodded. "You should see the holes the bullets leave in things."

Tifa squealed in delight.

Zack looked at Sephiroth, and then both looked at Cloud. He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Welcome to my house, ya'll."

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think.

Flora.