Warning: Rated M for violence, swearing and graphic M/M relationships in later chapters
Disclaimer: I do not own all of these lovely characters; I just borrow them once in a while.
A small trickle of water could be heard in the otherwise silent room as Sephiroth filled a glass. Taking a few sips, he slowly leaned back in his chair and looked at the wall, eyes narrowed.
"May I ask what you're thinking of, sir?" Vincent asked, sitting across from Sephiroth, hands placed carefully on his lap.
Sephiroth hummed softly in reply before looking at Vincent with what would appear to be cool eyes. But Vincent had spent enough time working alongside Sephiroth to know he was fuming inside.
"I would like to send Zackary a message… he wont be staying at his apartment any longer… would you mind finding him for me and sending him a small token of my… appreciation to the trouble he has caused me, and to let him know I'll be seeing him soon?" Sephiroth asked, his voice well controlled before he went to chew on a piece of ice from his drink.
The loud crack of the ice shattering caused Vincent to shiver slightly, realizing just how high strung Sephiroth really was. "As you wish." He replied, keeping his voice void of any emotion.
Sephiroth calmly told Vincent what he wanted him to do, and Vincent left with a deep bow and a small smile playing on his lips.
Shutting the door softly, Vincent turned around to see Reno leaning against the wall across from him, head cocked to the side.
"Are you going to go see Zack?" He asked, voice weak and lacking the usual cockiness.
Vincent nodded before tying his hair back in a ponytail. "Yes, are you planning on trying to stop me?"
Reno shook his head before looking away. "Get one in for me… alright?"
XX
A few hours later, and using all of his sources and connections, Vincent was walking down a littered street, keeping his eyes open for the motel Zack was rumoured to be hiding out in. The smell of fish and salt floated towards him and he frowned, hating being near the docks.
Turning the corner, Vincent's eyes moved up to the flickering motel sign, and sighed. He thought Zack would be smart enough not to choose the first place everyone would look. He walked up to the motel, getting that familiar feeling inside him—his body tight and tense, ready for a fight. He hadn't been able to really display his hatred and anger towards the raven haired male. He had caused enough trouble, and Vincent was more then happy to pay the man back for it all.
Wine red eyes flicked over the door numbers before he came to the last one on the row. A few sharp knocks and a moment passed before Vincent sighed and kicked the door open with a loud bang. One good thing about this area was that no one questioned when there was some… violent incidents.
A smirk appeared on Vincent's thin lips as he gazed at Zack who had shot up from his chair. Vincent noticed Zack had heavy bags under his eyes, and his hair didn't have that healthy shine to it anymore.
Good. He deserved all of it.
Closing the door quietly, Vincent threw on a pair of leather gloves before walking towards Zack, as the younger male backed away.
Vincent rolled his eyes and rushed forward, grabbing Zack's neck and shoving him hard against the wall. Zack's eyes were wide, but the fire behind them was still there.
"Sephiroth wanted me to give you a message." Vincent hissed out before punching Zack hard in the stomach.
XX
Cloud walked into the bar, eyes downcast but head held high as he passed the bar and ignored Tifa's hellos. He finally lifted his eyes up and was immediately drawn towards a woman sitting at a table for two, her manicured fingers curled around a martini as she relaxed on the chair. Her blue eyes flicked up to lock with equally blue eyes, and a small smile occurred on pink lipstick covered lips. She looked exactly like the rich prom queen from the American movies, except for her older age.
Cloud loosened his tie slightly and walked forward to sit down across from the older woman. He looked down for a moment and noticed a small dog was placed in her purse, its big eyes looking up at him. Cloud glared and was tempted to kick it, but decided he should keep his temper under control.
"You're looking well, Cloud." The woman said, taking another sip of her drink before setting it gently down on the table.
"Thank you, mother. Glad to see you haven't yet drunk yourself to death." Cloud replied, his voice steady and calm.
Cloud's mother laughed softly and shook her head. "Hmm, I think I figured out why you like men; because you can't get any women with your soft, kind words."
Cloud's eyes narrowed before he stopped Tifa as she walked by. "Get me something hard, please."
Tifa nodded slowly and continued on her way, casting Cloud a curious look.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about? Haven't heard from you for a while now, I thought you were too busy watching my sister's ever rising fame in the medical world." Cloud said, acting casual as he moved back in his chair, giving his mother a level stare.
She laughed and shook her head. "You never understood why we put so much into your sister. You were too busy-"
"What, being a child? Having fun in the backyard and trying to play with friends?" Cloud snapped out, eyes narrowing.
"You never had any friends, dear." She replied coldly before picking up her drink and downing the rest of it. As Tifa walked back to the bar to grab her orders, Cloud's mother snapped her fingers and pointed to her drink.
Tifa glared but dutifully went to get the woman's drink.
"Your sister is an amazing doctor, and worked hard for her title." She said, locking eyes with Cloud. "And you would do well to remember that."
Cloud kept his gaze hard on his mother before Tifa came back and placed their drinks on the table. She squeezed Cloud's shoulder as she walked by, trying to reassure him.
"What? And everything I've done means nothing?" Cloud asked, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive matter.
"Oh no, dear. You became a very successful business man, your father and I were very proud… but of course you had to ruin it and come out as being gay. You know your father doesn't approve of that life style."
Cloud was very close to stomping on the dog in the bag now.
"Anyways, that's one of the reasons why I came to talk to you today." She said before taking her drink in one go. Cloud rolled his eyes and avoided his own drink.
"You mean you didn't just come here to insult and belittle me?" Cloud asked, faking shock.
"That tone doesn't suit you, dear." She snapped back quickly. "No, I came here to talk about that promotion to the states you received the other day."
Cloud was a little shocked that his mother knew that already, but also knew not to underestimate her ear for gossip.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, your father and I think it would best for you to take it. It's a very high up position, and it will give our family a good name in the United States." She smiled, although the gesture never reached her eyes. "It would make us very proud… and you never know your father may speak to you again."
Cloud was shaking with anger, but mostly at himself. Somewhere in the back of his head, Cloud longed to still be accepted and praised by his family. Maybe… maybe if he took the spot his father would... he quickly squashed the feeling and shook his head. "Yeah, tell him to fuck off."
Cloud's mother pretended not to hear it and picked up her bag. She stroked her fluffy creature and fed it the olive from her drink before standing up. She slipped on her sunglasses, despite it being late at night, and started to walk away.
"Be a good son and pick up the bill." She said as she left.
Cloud sat at the table for a while longer before quickly downing his drink. Standing up he threw some bills on the table before leaving the bar with a nod to Tifa. He walked back to his car and sat down where his pocket proceeded to vibrate. Taking it out, he looked at the number on the front to see it was unfamiliar.
Sighing, he was about to turn it off, before something stopped him. Taking a look around, Cloud didn't see anything dangerous, so he locked his car doors and answered it.
"… hello?"
"Fuck… is this Cloud?" Cloud knew that voice, and his hand tightened around the phone.
"Y-yeah, its Cloud… you sound hurt." He mumbled, hearing the strain in Zack's voice.
"Understatement of… of the year." Zack gasped out on the other line. "Look… I-I need your… your help."
XX
Cloud found himself outside an old motel, the door slightly ajar. Taking a few deep breaths, Cloud slowly pushed the door open and gasped when he saw Zack on the floor, a cell phone lying in his limp hand. It was hard to see the extent of the damage in the dim light, but Zack was definitely hurt… badly.
Authors Note: Sorry for the late update. I started a new job and things have been a little bit crazy! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it was shorter then the previous ones. Thanks for reading, and reviewing! I am getting less reviews every chapter, but I do enjoy reading them when I receive them! I reply to every one, and if I don't then I was having a brain fart and I feel real bad about that!