Beyond

Beyond

Flora Winters

I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I'm not making any money here either.

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

Chapter Fifteen

You shower me with lullabies

As you're walking away

Reminds me that it's killing time

On this fateful day

--Placebo

It was night. The large room was blanketed in a soft and sensual darkness. All the shadows seemed to dance and spring about as if in some wild state of frenzied ecstasy along the tall ceiling and painted walls. A storm was taking place just outside those rectangular windows, but it was muted. The glass was too thick for it to be heard. So, the whole room was covered in a thin sheet of silence. The only sounds were that of peaceful breathing and crazed laughter echoing from deep within a very disturbed mind.

Cloud was lying on his side. He was propped up on his elbow, resting his head against his open palm, watching Zack sleeping ever so peacefully beside him. That powerful arm was draped across his narrow waist, holding onto him with such possessiveness. He was swimming through his thoughts, fighting with the maddening currents that were sweeping in and over him like stinging jellyfish.

Two weeks had passed, and he still couldn't get Zack's crying face out of his mind. The dark-headed, SOLDIER First Class had completely broken down while the two of them had been making love. All he could do was hold his larger, trembling frame as he cried his eyes out. He had held Zack in his arms for hours that day, cooing, soothing, and telling him how much he loved him. Zack had truly frightened him. He had never seen him cry like that before. He had sounded so broken. But, that wasn't what had truly frightened him. It was what he had told him.

"I was coming to find you," Zack had whispered against his chest, holding onto him tightly, sniffling like a little child. "I couldn't just leave you out there all by yourself."

Cloud had kissed the top of his head, trying his best to soothe him. Zack started to laugh, and looked up at him with those big wet eyes of his. They were bloodshot, but they were so fucking beautiful. It was like he could swim and bask in those molten jewels for all time.

"If you had been…" He had said, choking on a sob. His voice had suddenly turned as silent as an open grave. "I was going to kill myself…Cloud…I…can't live without you."

That had scared him to death. What if he hadn't made it back in time? What if Zack had gone back out, couldn't find him, and had taken his own life? What would he have done?

"You really should just let me out, Peaches," that wicked voice giggled from deep inside a much deeper darkness than what was playing about the room like school children. "Let me remind these sniveling little bugs why they once feared the darkness so very much."

He growled lowly from deep in his throat. This creeping madness was slowly crawling, slithering ever so closer to the surface of his deceptively calm exterior. It would only be a matter of time before the mirror shattered, releasing that which was haunting the reflective surface within his soul. The shards would be sharp, and they would cut anyone in their way like venomous knives.

He reached over, poking Zack's nose with the tip of his index finger. He loved this man so much. He gently sat up, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. The bigger man still continued to dream in gentle slumber. He knew that all was well in Zack's happy little world, but nothing was at all well in his own.

Shin-Ra was in a "small" uproar. Two of their Mako-reactors had been completely destroyed by an unknown force. Now, who in the world could have done such a terrible thing? It was costing his employers tons of money. This was simply terrible. His pay was going to be cut back if this kind of destruction were to continue.

He did feel kind of bad for Sephiroth though. The poor general had to scale that mountain all by himself, just to report that the reactor had been destroyed. Of course, the poor guy had been completely stunned by the sheer level of destruction. He had simply reported that there was nothing left but a titanic crater. Of course, poor Professor Hojo had nearly had a heart-attack. It would have really pissed him off if he had. That would have denied him the pleasure of killing him himself.

A sudden beep caught his attention. It was his phone. He quickly pulled it from his pocket, flipping it open. There was a message from his mother.

Hey, baby! I just woke up and thought I would send you this message. This medicine is making me sleep and wake up at such odd hours. Oh, and guess what, dumpling. Oh, honey! The doctor that is treating me is one sexy beast. This man has a lusty body and such kissable lips. He has the kind of ass you just want to bite, kind of like those feller friends of yours. I swear to the gods, baby. If I was twenty years younger…well, you get the idea. I'm going to go find him and flirt some more. I love you, baby.

Well, now he was officially scarred for life…again. His mother was being treated for a serious illness and all she could think about was banging her doctor. It made him happy that she was still lively and so energetic.

He got on the elevator, sending her a text-message back. That was when his phone suddenly beeped on him again. It was another message. It was from Tifa. Why in the world was she up at this hour, sending him a text?

You need to come back and visit more. Only next time, don't let me shoot you, okay. Bring back that feller of yours, too. I like him.

Okay. That was short and sweet. Was she blaming him for him getting shot by her gun? Yes. Yes, that was Tifa.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened up, letting him off. He quickly sent his mom a text back and Tifa one as well. He began to whistle a tune as he walked down the halls (think of Daryl Hannah in her nurse outfit at the beginning of Kill Bill. Cloud's blond and fucking crazy as hell).

He held onto his phone, punching in another text. The door before him slid open, and he stepped inside.

"I'm so sorry that I'm so late," he smiled with such perfect white teeth. His blue eyes held such sweet innocence as he cocked his head to the side like an obedient doggy. "How can I assist you, Professor Hojo?"

He pushed the send button on his phone. Professor Hojo was rambling on about some experiment that had gotten away from him and needing him to go and find it. This man was always having "experiments" running away from him.

"But, Professor," he purred like a sexy kitten, suddenly giggling with scarlet hot insanity, picking up a really sharp scalpel from the table. "I've made such wonderful friends with one of your experiments."

Professor Hojo blinked. That was when the power suddenly failed.

Cloud instantly had the older man by the throat, squeezing with such powerful ease. He held that scalpel to the struggling man's nose, letting it bite in just for a little taste of crimson yummy. The older man froze.

"Nothing would please me more than to crush your neck, and carve off your face just for shits and giggles," he seethed, daring the man to so much as fight him. "But, I promised Vincent Valentine that he could tear out your insides first just so long as he puts them back where he found them…so I can jerk them out all over again."

"Now, Cloud," a deep voice said from above him. He looked up, seeing a pair of molten ruby eyes gazing down at him. "Can't you see that you've caused the poor man to piss himself?"

"Well, it is dark," Cloud said, knocking the frightened professor out cold, letting him drop to the ground like a doll.

Vincent floated down on wings of darkness. "I've dreamt of this moment."

Cloud licked his bottom lip, stripping down.

"What are you doing?" Vincent asked him.

"While you make him scream for all the pain he has caused us," the frightening blond said, kicking off his boots. His eyes were so wide and crazed as he removed his shirt. "I'm going to bathe in his blood."

This room was soundproof and nearly impenetrable. With the power down, there would be no video-recordings.

A growl caught his attention and he turned, seeing a large cage in the back. It contained a large man-eating beast. Those teeth looked like swords.

"Oh, dear," he cackled, throwing his head back with a howl. "This is such a terrible tragedy, Vincent. When the power went off, this beast escaped from its cage, killing the poor Professor, shredding him to pieces before order could be restored."

"You really are a scary person, Cloud," Vincent said, looking down at the groaning professor who was starting to come to.

"Oh," Cloud said, standing before the taller man completely naked now, grinning like a hungry lion. "You've not even witnessed how scary I can truly be…yet."

"Yet?" Vincent asked. His voice was husky.

Acidic blue eyes glared sharply at the professor. He was going to make him suffer horrors beyond horrors and bathe in the splashes of his screaming, crimson warmth. He snickered like a little schoolboy as Vincent strung the older man up by the wrists. Oh, yes! The fun was only just beginning.

TBC…

Please review. Sorry it's taken so long to update. School is a monster. Won't somebody be my knight and slay it for me?

Flora.