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 Seventeen

Aahh, the night is calling

And it whispers to me softly "come and play"

But I, I am falling

And if I let myself go I'm the only one to blame!

--Pink

Sephiroth had been sent to the buildings lobby where most of the gunfire was occurring at. Cloud hoped the jerk got banged around just a little bit. That would serve him right for scaring the hell out of him about not being able to find Zack.

"Odin!" He cried, having the summoning materia floating above his head, between his outstretched palms. It was glowing like an angry red star. "Come forth, mighty Lord of the Thunderous Skies! Strike down my enemies with your immortal steel!"

The dark sky above was suddenly filled with the sound of thunderous hooves, sending lightning to dance among the gathering throng of clouds. It was Odin on the back of his powerful steed. He was glowing and frost was falling like shards of glass from the steed's mouth.

Cloud's beauty was suddenly cruel and twisted with venomous malice. It was like gazing into a warped mirror at a funhouse.

While his enemies were distracted by the deity heading at them, Cloud suddenly banished Odin back to the ethers with a silent command. He simply adored the fear Odin invoked in all mortal creatures.

"Do you see the power in which I wield?" Cloud asked the men in the leather masks. "I don't wish to destroy the enemies of my enemy, but I would very much like to have a chat with your esteemed leader."

The masked assassins were silent, looking right at him. How come they did not talk? Were they mutes? Or just retarded?

"I can hear your master's cries of anguish," he told them. "I wish only to comfort him and ease his painful torture."

"The most profound mystery is the Gift of the Goddess," a gentle voice recited from above, making him look. He was standing on a higher ledge. Genesis truly was a very beautiful man. He was so handsome and eloquent in speech. "And in pursuit of this gift we set on a journey and take flight."

"Revenge is scarred in my soul," Cloud said, giving the words a morbid darkness, twisting their ever-prophetic beauty to his own designs. "From the dark sky, the Goddess comes whirling down."

"Impressive," Genesis said, landing on his booted feet a few meters from him. "You're the first to ever recite back to me with such wickedness from a pure heart."

Pure? Cloud could have howled with laughter for an eon, but he didn't.

"Who are you?" Genesis asked.

Cloud began to walk towards him, taking in the beautiful man's masculine looks. He had to smile. This guy was nearly equal with Sephiroth in the looks department. That hair was more vibrant than a burning flame. His smooth skin made him think of warm peaches and yummy cream. Those eyes…those stunningly jeweled eyes were haunted. It was almost like staring into a mirror. The closer he got, the more he realized that Genesis was far more beautiful than Sephiroth.

"You're falling apart," Cloud told him. "You're wasting away like a dumbapple in the sun."

Genesis sniffed. His attention was easily captured like a butterfly in a net.

"I know what can save you from the worms in the cold soil," Cloud smiled, twirling in a graceful circle with arms to the sky, stopping right before the taller man. Why was everyone taller than him? "The gift from the Goddess is now mine and only mine to bestow upon you if I so choose to do as such, Genesis."

"The door to the light opens to happiness," the redhead recited in poetic madness. "Together with the Gift of the Goddess."

"Shin-Ra betrayed you, Genesis," Cloud whispered like shimmering frost creeping amongst the sleeping roses, killing them ever so silently with his deadly kisses. "Do they all not deserve to be punished for their sins?"

Those stunning, almost same blue eyes blinked back into the now. Genesis looked at him. "Who are you?"

Cloud wanted to tell him that he was the Destroyer of the Goddess. The bitch was nothing but bits and pieces of scorched flesh. She was probably being oozed from the asses of monsters at the very moment.

"The Child of the Goddess," he told him. "And she wants all of Shin-Ra wiped off the face of the planet."

Genesis narrowed his eyes to slits. "You?"

"Me," Cloud smirked, drawing his blade. "If you don't believe me, take me on."

Genesis drew his sword.

"Shin-Ra burns your hometown to the ground with their bombs," Cloud said, dancing back a few steps with feline grace. "They view you as a failed experiment gone wrong, Genesis. But, you're not a failed experiment, Genesis. You're a human being. You're not a monster."

"You think you know me?" Genesis seethed and their swords clashed together with a thunderous clang, making lightning.

"Yes," Cloud said, smiling right into his gorgeous face. "I know everything."

The two fought as if they were dancing with each other in the throws of wild passion. Their steps were graceful, quick, smooth, and more ferocious than male lions fighting over the same possible fuck-hole, before they simply gave up and fucked each other.

"I've swam in the darkest depths of death!" Cloud roared, sending bolts of red-hot lightning at his face, only for Genesis to dodge the sizzling spears with relative ease. He sent waves of fire and ice at him. "And I've basked in the cruel, teasing lights of paradise!"

"Don't compare yourself to me!" Genesis growled. He bitch-slapped the large fireball away from his face as if it had been a fluffy pillow.

"I'm not," Cloud said, twirling away from each slash of Genesis' deadly sword. He suddenly stopped it with his own, gazing with such merciful compassion into Genesis' wrathful eyes. "I'm showing you how Shin-Ra has used and abused us both."

Genesis cooled, leaping back with stunning speed.

"You have a following," Cloud said, missing not one step the radiant redhead took. He was fast, but so was he. Oh, yes! Genesis could cut him, but he'd slice him back…deeper even. "I want you to join me."

"Join you?" Genesis laughed. It was the sexiest noise Cloud had ever heard.

"Fine, whatever," Cloud said, rolling his eyes. "I'll join you then."

Genesis sobered so dramatically it was heart-racing. If Cloud wasn't careful, he'd sink his teeth into that delectable meat, and tear off a big, bloody chunk from the taller guy.

"You're in pain and slowly degrading towards becoming a feast for the bugs," Cloud said, lowering his blade. "I can save you from such a disgusting fate."

"And why should I trust you, Blond Seraph of Pretty Words?" Genesis asked. His blade was glowing with a scarlet-pink light. "You're wearing the very symbol in which I hate."

"Oh, fine!" Cloud snapped, starting to act as if he were going to strip.

Genesis took a slight step back. "You're quite insane…" The glow died from his sword.

Cloud looked up. "It really is like looking into a mirror, huh?"

The redhead turned his face to the side, hiding his eye behind a crimson curtain. "I could smash you."

"And I CAN carve off your face with my pinky nail," Cloud grinned evilly, holding it up. His eyes sparkled with the molten crazy. "And then I'll have the gorgeous face all the men want to fuck."

Genesis turned on him. His cheeks were burning a golden-rose color. "You're most vulgar, Blond Seraph." He wasn't blushing. He looked livid.

"How about you find some way to sneak into my private quarters," Cloud told him, giving him his room number. "And I'll give you that which can save your beautiful flesh from rotting from those sexy bones of yours."

"And why should I trust you?" Genesis asked. The masked men Cloud had forgotten began to gather around the redhead. "How do I know you're not some THIRD CLASS wannabe FIRST CLASS?"

Cloud wished he could beam all of his rage, all of his hurts, and all of his terrors right into the man's skull. Well, he wouldn't do that even if he could. He didn't want to break the poor guy anymore than he already was.

"I know of your temple to the Goddess you worship," he said, catching the sudden haunted look in those pained eyes. "She won't come to you. She won't save you, and she won't heal you."

Genesis trembled. The men behind him suddenly looked as if they were agitated. "Who are you really?" He asked.

"I'm the Eternal Blond of Grinning Death," Cloud told him, giving him his best shit-eating grin ever. "But, you may call me Strife."

"When will the beasts of this world bring their fight to an end?" Genesis recited. He was clearly lost in poetry once more. He should have been an actor instead of a SOLDIER.

Cloud walked up to him, resting his hand on the man's powerful blade. "Hopeless as it may seem we stand and carry onwards with the ripples of water that surface on our hearts."

"You're so vulgar," Genesis said, looking down into his eyes. Cloud could see the hidden pain surfacing, burning like magma within. Genesis truly was a crying baby who longed to be held and comforted in loving arms. "But you speak those words with such passion, such pure, untainted beauty."

Again, Cloud wanted to howl with laughter. But, he didn't.

"Call off your attack," Cloud told him with a warm smile. "You're going about this all wrong."

Genesis looked away. "I thought Sephiroth would come to play with me…"

Cloud was suddenly enchanted. Was that a look of longing in those eyes? Oh, he could simply eat this shit up.

"Well," Genesis said, giving Cloud his ever-wondering attention again. "At least you're not ugly."

Cloud gave him a crooked smirk. "Will you come see me?"

Genesis snapped his fingers and the masked men began to retreat. Cloud wanted followers like that. Oh, hell. He didn't need them.

"Who the…" Genesis said, snatching hold of Cloud, spun him around, and holding his blade to his pale throat.

"Let him go, Genesis."

It was Sephiroth. He had blood on his uniform.

"Ah, Sephiroth," Genesis said. He sounded slightly flabbergasted. Cloud wanted to strangle him. "I didn't recognize you. What did you do to your hair? Did the memories of a monster braiding it disgust you so much that you went and lopped it all off?"

Cloud glared. Genesis sounded pissed the fuck off. The sword was slightly biting into him, too. It hurt.

Sephiroth's lime green eyes glowed. "Let him go."

"I was just having a little chat with gorgeous here," Genesis told him. Cloud would have been highly entertained had he not gotten himself somehow caught in the middle. Where the hell was he at again? "He truly is a beautiful piece of ass. Are you fucking it into the long hours of the night?"

Cloud blinked. What the hell? And he had the audacity to call him vulgar.

"You're making me angry, Genesis," Sephiroth hissed loudly. His spiky silver hair made him look like a pissed off tomcat.

"I don't care," Genesis chuckled, backing up with his angered and lovely blond hostage.

"Sephiroth," Cloud said, putting his hands on Genesis' arm, gently squeezing it to reassure the redhead. "He's put a powerful bomb in the building."

Sephiroth froze.

"Please," he whispered. "You have to get Zack."

Sephiroth suddenly looked torn.

"Please!" Cloud cried, faking the tears with award-winning brilliance. "I can't live if something happens to him!"

"If you hurt him," the silver-haired general warmed, pointing his deadly blade right at Genesis. "I'll never forgive you for what you did."

Cloud felt Genesis stiffen just a little. It was like Sephiroth had just stabbed the poor guy in the heart. "Hurry!" Cloud yelled. "It could go off at any moment! Get Zack out!"

Sephiroth dropped his head with a growl and ran. He had looked so pissed.

"I'm truly astounded, Strife," Genesis said, easing up on his hold. "Even I was never that successful in shooing away the general when I needed my alone time."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "You do realize you're going to have to take me prisoner for a little while now."

"Oh, I know," Genesis laughed, removing his sword from his smooth throat. "I was plotting out your abduction from the moment I saw you call that powerful summon."

"Then why all this?" Cloud roared, pulling away from him.

"The drama!" Genesis howled, throwing up his arms, grinning. He then looked right at Cloud, shrugging his shoulders. "Plus, I like to play with my food."

Cloud was about to pounce and claw off his beautifully handsome face, but didn't. Genesis had just revealed his one wing. It was beautiful. He looked like an angel.

"Can you save me?" Genesis asked as Cloud caught a falling feather. It shone with such beauty in his palm.

He nodded.

"Will you save me?" Genesis asked, giving a gentle flap. There was such raw need in his voice. He sounded so much in pain.

Cloud nodded again.

"Then please allow me to kidnap you for the time being," Genesis said, holding out a large hand, bowing his head. He so looked like a player now. "I'm sure Sephiroth will come sniff me out to save you soon enough."

"He's never fucked me," Cloud told him, taking his hand. "At least not in the vulgar ways you're thinking."

Genesis smiled, taking to the sky with his blond hostage.

"I know of a good place to hide," Cloud told him, giving him the location.

"Oh," Genesis laughed. "The last time I stepped into a church, it shook, the holy water boiled, the eyes of saints bled, and the metal crosses around people's necks began to melt into their flesh."

"Okay," Cloud said. "We'll try somewhere else then."

Genesis held him tighter. "You smell like sweat and blood."

"And you smell like a graveyard," Cloud hissed.

"Touché," Genesis chuckled, sniffing his hair.

Cloud closed his eyes. This was going to be a long kidnapping. He just knew it. Where was he again?

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. The characters have literally just taken over and are writing this story themselves now. Genesis wanted to get his hands on something big, so he might stick his hands down Cloud's pants. He can't make up his mind.

Flora.