DISCLAIMED: (08/17/09)
EDITED: (09/16/09)

Characters: Cloud/Yuffie, Godo, mentions of Rufus, eventually all of AVALANCHE
Rating: M, because of teh sex.
Summary: Cloud is on the road again, his inability to tell Tifa how he felt sending her into Reeve's arms. Now his only contact with the rest of the world is Rufus for a job and Yuffie, because she could. All games/movies compliant.
A/N: I warned you there'd be sexing...


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ЄөЦŕҐїŊģЭфΘμÐ

Chapter 十

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Cloud and Yuffie return to Fort Condor to make sure Yuffie's okay. They have a moment before it's interrupted by Zurui, a Wutai warrior with the power to raise zombie minions and they eventually defeat him. Deciding with Zurui in lock-up, it was better if they got a move on quickly. Cloud meets Yuffie outside at his bike.

"Yuffs."
Her eyes opened and peered up at him. She inhaled abruptly as his hand moved to rest on her midriff.
"I thought you didn't like Fenrir."

Sitting up quickly, she was relieved when his hand dropped from her.

"When it's not moving, I like it just fine." She rolled her eyes at him.
He smiled as she was starting to sound like her old self. Just to make sure he asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay to travel."
"That didn't really answer my question."
"I'm fine, Cloud. Let's just go."
"On Fenrir or Reynar?" She glanced up to see his small smile.
"Ha ha."

He mounted the chocobo before pulling her up behind him. Once she'd wrapped her arms around him in a death grip, they took off.

-

It took the rest of the evening and several hours of the night to reach the Temple of Ancients. When they got there, they decided to camp outside in a tent for the night before continuing on. Yuffie was sleepy once they got to camp and Cloud made her go lay down while he took care of everything.

He knew she was probably more tired than anything but he also knew she had to eat and cooked her some soup. Ducking into the tent with a bowl-full, he saw she'd set up their sleeping pads and had passed out on hers. He noticed they had about three feet of space in between them and quirked an eyebrow.

Bending down, he grabbed his sleeping mat and pulled it closer as he sat down next to her. Brushing her fringe out of her face, Cloud watched her shift, blinking sleepily. When she saw him, she slowly sat up.

"Cloud?"

"Brought you something to eat." He held out the bowl to her. "I'd have let you sleep but you can't afford to miss meals. I promise I didn't burn it."

Yuffie accepted it with a chagrined look as she looked down at it, making it obvious that was her concern. Cloud was never the best cook.

He watched her sip it cautiously. She didn't make a face.

"It's fine. Needs salt."
Cloud scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, we're fresh out."
She shook her head. "S'okay. You'd probably put too much in anyway."
"I have yet to kill any of you, including myself, with my cooking."
She snorted into her soup. "Duh. Self-preservation instincts. Many a roaming chocobo or particularly unlucky hedge was fed your concoctions during Meteor."
"Good thing I was preoccupied with saving the world at the time."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything as she finished her soup. She suddenly peered at him.

"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Already did." He took her empty bowl. "I'm just gonna go clean up and I'll be back."
"Need help?"
He shook his head.
"Good." She was already laying down, a large yawn making itself known. "I'm so tired."
"That's to be expected." He stood, watching her snuggle into her blanket. Realizing he was staring, he turned quickly to leave.

After he'd put out the fire and cleaned the dishes, he returned to the tent. He eyed the darkened lump that was Yuffie, only visible to him with his mako-enhanced gaze, as he removed his boots, bracer, and weapon.

He noticed she shivered in the cool night air, even wrapped tightly in her covers. It was warmer in this part of the world, however that was when the sun was up. Cloud noted the cool air with a frown as he shrugged off his duster and moved to pull on a black undershirt that he'd forgone in the humid weather.

Crouching down, he shifted his sleeping mat over until it was right next to hers. Making sure his sword was within arm's reach, he laid down and pulled his own blanket over the both of them. Yuffie whimpered in her sleep as he tugged her over to him, but relaxed as his warmth settled around her.

He tensed as she curled into him but when she didn't wake, he relaxed. She fit perfectly against him, just like before. His hand rested over her side and it took everything in him to not follow the dip of her waist to her hips. Cursing his libido, he reminded himself that she was ill. A wound like the one she'd received today was nothing to people like them, but combined with her fire-ant bite, she was in no condition for anything but sleep.

He repeated this to himself for the next several hours, too wired from feeling her soft breath on his chest and the feel of her in his arms to sleep. It wasn't until the sun was getting high in the sky that he realized he'd slept at all.

And then he froze.

In her sleep, Yuffie had unfurled from her blanket and thrown a leg over his. Her palms rested on his chest, and her face was extraordinarily close to his. His own hand had slid down to rest possessively over her thigh. Tilting his head down, he realized it would take no effort at all to kiss her.

As if his thoughts summoned her, she shifted in her sleep then and her lips came into contact with his. Cloud stilled at the soft pressure, but before he could do anything, her eyes opened. Realizing what she was doing, she jerked back, her cheeks flushing crimson.

"Ehehe. Sorry." She spoke, her voice heavy with sleep. She cleared her throat and then stilled at the look in his eyes. It didn't even register to her that she was still wrapped around him as his head moved over hers. His blue and green eyes blazed with intent as he neared and she really didn't seem to be in the mood to stop him.

His breath brushed her face as he hovered, his lust-filled gaze roving over her features. She appeared humbled by his regard, even as she quivered in anticipation. When his lips finally touched hers, he sank into the kiss.

Her arms went around his neck as she let him roll over her. Placing his hand flat on the ground next to her, he levered up to free his other arm to lean on as he explored her mouth leisurely. She mewled her approval as he laid half-over her, his free hand moving down her side, over her soft curves. She gave a soft gasp as his tongue traced her lips, allowing him to dip inside her mouth and tangle with hers.

Heat was flowing rapidly through him with each stroke of her tongue against his and every slide of his hand over her impossibly soft skin. She arched under his caresses and his breath rasped as her fingers plowed through his hair, tugging on it.

Moving his lips from hers, he dropped open-mouthed kisses over her neck, eliciting gut-tightening little sighs that made him press her more firmly into the mat.

"C-Cloud." His hips jerked as she moaned his name. It was the most erotic thing he'd ever heard. He knew he was approaching the point of no return and forced himself to calm down. However, she was squirming determinedly against him, making any kind of thought impossible.

Placing his hand on her hip, he held it down as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. She had stilled at this, shifting her head down to look at him.

"Cloud?"

"Just give me a minute."

Thankfully, she listened. After a moment of thinking about Barret and Cid in a bathhouse, he was back in control of himself. Without a word to her or even lifting his head, he moved his hand from her hip to the front of her shorts. She tensed as he finished unhooking them. He lifted his head to continue kissing her neck. She curled into him, some of the tension leaving her as his lips caressed her skin.

Her breath caught as his fingers continued their quest, dipping inside her shorts to cup her through her panties. Rubbing her softly, he found she was wet. She gasped loudly and arched into his hand. Her soft breasts pressed into him and he lost purchase on her neck in favor of watching her shaking in pleasure.

Removing his hand, he sat up on his knees as she let out bereft cry. Before she could further protest, he hooked both hands on the waist of her shorts and pulled them down. She lifted her hips to help him pull them off, before sitting up and pulling him down into a kiss.

He went willingly, slowly pressing her back down on the mat. His hands went to her top, his thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts. His soft caresses caused her to shake and her hand to clench in his hair.

Pressing down lightly, he moved her top up to reveal her soft mounds. Lifting his head to look, he saw they were topped with dark aureoles, begging to be touched. She curled into him as her skin tinged pink, but he kissed away her embarrassment. Finally tearing his lips away, he moved to nip at her ear.

"You're beautiful." She shuddered at his husky reverent tone.

She moaned loudly as his thumbs rubbed over her nipples, his lips working down her neck and shoulder. When his tongue flicked out to taste her dusky nipple, she nearly came. She continued to make soft whimpering moans as he licked and swirled his tongue over her soft flesh, before moving on to the other breast and paying it the same attention.

She tasted amazing and combined with her exuberant exclamations, Cloud found himself losing control again.

"Cloud…please." Her soft plea went straight to his impossibly hard groin. Heat burned through every one of his nerve endings. He highly doubted any amount of undesirable thoughts about men would be able to stop him now.

He sat back on his heels abruptly to pull his shirt over his head. She saw this and tugged her own shirt the rest of the way off as well. His mouth was on hers then as he moved back over her. Heat jolted through him as her hands came up to caress his chest and trace over the well-defined muscle she found there. He inhaled sharply as they moved purposefully downward and started unbuckling his belt.

Once he was undone, her warm hand slid inside to touch him. He broke the kiss as he clenched his jaw, his eyes squeezing shut at the intensity of his need.

"Er, does it hurt?" She spoke below him, unsure of his reaction.
Holy Ifrit, yes! He shook his head a second before capturing her mouth again with his. She squeaked at his ferocity, but quickly melted into him, her hands moving back up to his chest.

His hand moved back in between her legs to test her readiness. She bucked when he slipped a hand under her panties and stroked her. Thumbing her clit, he slid a finger inside her heat. Her legs fell apart as she allowed the invasion, her nails digging into his shoulders and back. He added another finger and she clenched tight around him.

Pulling his mouth away, he looked down at her. She looked up at him with hazy lust-filled eyes.

"Yuffie…have you done this before?"
Her cheeks tinged pink, but she shook her head.
"I don't want to hurt you."
She looked up at him in confusion. "It's supposed to hurt?"
Cloud couldn't say he knew for sure if it was, seeing as he wasn't a woman, but he'd heard talk from the guys while enlisted. He nodded slowly. "Only the first time."

She bit her lip, which was damnably distracting when he was trying to be a gentleman. It killed him to say his next words.

"We can stop."
Though he'd pulled his fingers out, they still rested over her mound and her hips were shifting restlessly under them. She shook her head.
"Don't stop."

He licked his suddenly dry lips. No matter how much he needed her, he suddenly didn't want their first time to be on the ground in the middle of nowhere. She deserved a proper futon and dinner and flowers. And he knew she was only agreeing because he'd worked her up so much and was determined to not leave her wanting.

Lowering his head, he pressed a firm kiss to her lips before shifting over her. He kissed his way along her jaw as he worked her panties down her thighs. She shook with need as he spread her legs wide. Kissing through the valley of her breasts, he moved his way down her stomach. Her breath hitched as he nipped at her hipbone before moving to her thigh.

As he kissed along the inside of it, she tried to press her legs together, but he held her other thigh down. She whimpered as he neared her sex, shifting up onto her elbows.

"Cloud, wha—oh!" She dropped back onto the mat as he dipped his tongue inside her. She moaned loudly when his tongue rubbed over her clit in tantalizing circles. She was already close enough that it took very little teasing before she was writhing in ecstasy. He held her hips down when she came, the taste of her release sweet on his tongue. He continued to lap at her as she came back down until all she could manage was slight twitches.

Lifting up fluidly over her, he licked his lips. She stared up at him through heavy lids, accepting his kiss. When their lips parted, she was breathless.

"Now?" She asked.
He kissed her again before answering. "Not here." She blinked up at him, confused before looking pointedly down at his tented trousers.

"But—"
He kissed her neck. "I'm fine. I just want you comfortable."
Her confused look suddenly turned to petulance and he found himself being pushed on to his back. His senses rolled as the movement didn't help the sensations around his cock and before he could lift up, she had straddled him.

He couldn't breathe as he stared up at her, naked and still flushed from her recent orgasm. She kissed him then and despite feeling light-headed, he kissed her back. His muscles went taut then as he felt her questing hands on his stomach where they slid down to his painful erection, squeezing it.

He broke the kiss on a half-grunt, half-gasp. She was going to kill him. Scooting down his body, she carefully pulled his pants down, freeing his erection before halting.

"Whoa…"

Lifting his head, he saw she was staring at him in awe. His hard flesh actually twitched under gaze, and that only increased her wonder.

She glanced up at his face. "It can hear me?"
A gruff laugh escaped him, followed by a wince as he bobbed with the movement.
" 'It' is technically me, so yes it can."
Accepting this, she moved her attention back to his hardness and gripped him in her hand. His head fell back at that, his eyes closing at the sensation. She started moving her hand in slow strokes and he couldn't help but thrust into her touch. She paused as dots of pearly white appeared at his tip and he was about to lift his head to see what was wrong when she thumbed his head.

He hissed instead, catching her attention. He shook his head as she stopped.

"Keep going."

She acquiesced, rubbing the substance all over his shaft. Her soft small hands were quickly undoing him as she stroked him in varying speeds, going from slow to quick and back to slow again.

"Yuffie—" He grunted through his teeth as he felt himself getting dangerously close. Thankfully, she understood and sped up her strokes. His hips lifted as he felt his balls tighten. He let out sharp gasp as he came, hearing Yuffie do the same as she watched him come undone. Her hand stilled on him as his seed continued to cover his stomach in long hot bursts.

He heaved deep breaths as he went lax. He'd never felt this sated and knew the only way he'd top this feeling would be to actually come inside her. Her eyes popped into his view and he looked up at her.

"Is that supposed to happen then?" She asked, fingering his stomach.
Watching her through heavy-lidded eyes, he almost didn't hear her question. Just when she started looking concerned, he found the strength to surge upright and pull her into a deep kiss. She squeaked before sinking into him as his hand held the back of her neck, his lips angling over hers.

When he finally pulled back, she came with him bobbing upright and looking dazed. As she blinked up at him, he smirked fondly.

Cupping her cheek, he slid his hand back into her hair. "Actually, it's supposed to be inside you when that happens."
She blushed prettily as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Then she shivered, causing him to pull his blanket around her.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up and then start breakfast." He kissed her temple. "You okay?"
She looked up at him wide-eyed. Her bottom lip disappeared as she nibbled on it. "Did you…I mean, do you still wanna—" She cursed and turned away. He caught her chin however.

"Yes, I still want to." He held her gaze, having figured out her fumbled attempts to question him. She looked incredibly vulnerable looking up at him. "When the time is right, I will want to do it several times and hopefully do very little sleeping." She blushed again, but she looked pleased. Catching her gaze, he looked serious. "I'm not just messing around, Yuff. I wouldn't do that. Not with you."

It happened slowly, but she positively lit up from within. He was unprepared when she threw her arms around him, kissing him over and over, but he returned the sentiment happily. Her happy kisses turned decidedly more passionate and he had to tear his mouth away with a short grunt.

"We'd better get going if we want to get through this place before dark."

Still happy, she nodded and started searching for her clothes. "Looks like we slept in."

"You needed it." He grabbed a small cloth from their pack and cleaned himself up, Yuffie looking away embarrassed. "All this traveling isn't good for you."

"Psh. I'm fine. I feel great actually."

He rolled his eyes as he tossed the cloth back in his pack and did up his pants. She'd shimmied into her panties and top and was doing up her shoulder clip to hold her shorts up when he stood, having put his boots back on. "So this Akubi person? Is he the suitor they picked out for you?"

She glanced at him over her shoulder, her eyes immediately dropping to his bare chest as he pulled on his duster. The desire in her eyes was a boost to his male pride and he smirked slightly.

She turned away. "Uh…yeah. Told you he was a prissy git."
"You didn't mention he could summon the dead. Or was a trained warrior."

She started packing up their things. She shrugged. "I didn't consider him a threat."
"He nearly killed you."
She waved a dismissive hand. "I was just off from those retarded fire ants. Bastard caught me unaware. It won't happen again."

"No, he won't."
Her head lifted at his tone. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide at his hard expression.
"Cloud?"

He shook his head dismissively. "I'll start breakfast then." He left her before she could make him go into a massively overprotective speech about gilded cages and dramatic death threats to one and all should they ever even look at her wrong. It was his irrational side and he really didn't want her knowing about it quite yet.

He quickly started a fire and warmed up some more soup. It was the only thing of his that she'd eat, so he figured it was the safest. He chewed on some jerky while he waited for Yuffie to emerge. When she did, he helped her with their bags and set them outside so he could dismantle the tent.

When he was done and the chocobo was packed with all but their eating utensils, they sat around the fire. Cloud knew he was being pensive and quiet, but he couldn't help it. The thought of that douche bag having Yuffie for all eternity churned his stomach and made him want to hit something with something heavy. Like a tractor. Or a refrigerator.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Yuffie had finished eating and had stood and moved around behind him. He started slightly as her arms wound their way loosely around his neck as she sank down against his back.

"Ne." He turned his head to see her head tilted at him before straightening again. "You okay?" He nodded as he covered one of her hands with his, rubbing her fingers in between his.

"I'm okay. Just thinking."
"Well, don't hurt yourself."
He turned to give her a chagrined look and saw she was smirking at him widely. He silenced her giggle with a short kiss.

Sighing as he broke the kiss, he stared at the flames. "We'd better get going. We need to get to Junon."

Yuffie frowned as she stood, allowing him to stand. "How do you know we need to go there?"
He started cleaning the dishes before putting out the fire. "Because it's the closest town to here, unless we want to go back to Fort Condor."

Yuffie shuddered and shook her head. She took the dishes from him to put in their packs.

"Where do we go after this?" He asked, coming up behind her.

"Uh, the Ancient Forest I think."

Cloud frowned. "You mean the one in Cosmo Canyon?"

She nodded, tightening the straps on the bag. "Red's supposed to have a package for you. We need to get to it before Akubi."

"You think he'll get out today?"
She nodded. "Definitely. If that glorified corpse hasn't already." She shoved her fringe aside as if she were annoyed. "Even if that necrophiliac didn't have a million peons to bail him out, he'd find a way. He was always a slimy snake growing up."
Cloud quirked a brow as he led Reynar over to the path to let him graze. "You grew up with that guy?"

She shrugged, walking at his side. "He lived on the fringe, his family not wanting to be seen as part of the tourist trap Wutai had become. They didn't try to save the town though. Instead they fueled the discontent among the people, hoping to gain support for when they could finally take over."

Cloud tamped down his anger as they rode the quick distance to the Temple. Once they reached the edge of the woods, he dismounted before helping her and started trudging the last part of the way. Both kept their hands on their weapons for encounters though, despite him having No Encounter materia equipped.

He briefly wondered at Yuffie's silence as they walked. He supposed she had a lot to think about considering recent events. Despite the urge to talk to her, he knew she wouldn't appreciate it and kept quiet. He just hoped she wouldn't talk herself out of anything he couldn't reverse.

-

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A/N: Alright, you'll notice that this is not labeled "Chapter 9" for the same reason that there was no "Chapter 4" - (bad luck numbers in japanese) Sorry if you're not into gratuitous shexing - I tried to make it as succinct as possible and well, I don't know if classy is the right word, but I hope it wasn't unbearable =O I did go over it with a more critical eye this time, as I'm not in the mood for that type atm and it seemed alright to me, but who knows. I refuse to skip it since it's where Cloud and Yuffie's long-standing relationship finally changes for real and she becomes less inhibited.

Only two more chapters of Part I left and we'll finish up with the first continent. Temple of Ancients is next. Let me know what you think;)