AN: Welcome again to another installment of TCO. Like it so far? This is probably my longest fanfic, and who would've guessed it would be for Final Fantasy VII? Hurrah! Well, a small reminder about the disclaimer, and one with the story!

The Complete Opposite

Chapter XV

Cat-like green eyes stared up at the ceiling of his room. They strayed to his right where the blonde man was curled in a chair again that night, trying to be comfortable in his sleep. Sephiroth didn't know why Cloud didn't just come to bed, but he supposed the main reason would be waking up next to him again. Sephiroth remembered starting awake when someone pulled at his hair. He saw the blonde curled at his side, his fingers wrapped in several locks of his hair while he used his side as a pillow and source of warmth for the chilly night. When the blonde had woken, Sephiroth forced himself to feign sleep, keeping still when he heard the blonde strangle a noise of horror and fall out of bed. Sephiroth had dared a peek at the blonde and found him messing over himself, probably trying to clear his mind. He couldn't blame him, though. He would probably act the same way if he hadn't previously harbored feelings for Cloud.

Well, the Cloud that he knew, not the one before him. This Cloud was different in many ways. Though the blonde man still had the same physical features as the one Sephiroth had fought and carried the same mannerisms, his Cloud and this other Cloud were different, simple as that.

No, it's not that simple. Sephiroth frowned as he looked over the blonde that resembled so much like a cat. There's more to it than just that they're different. This Cloud is more built than my Cloud. He has more scars... How much pain has this man gone through that has turned him almost as cold as myself, masks upon masks and a cold reserve to fence off the others? Still, he carries a similar kind of innocence and purity that the Cloud I knew had. It's not the kind of innocence that's like naivety or inexperience, but a kind of innocence that even through the hardships and pain he's still as normal and himself as he can be. ...Is that possible? I've changed over the years. Zack would know, he laughed at me a few times back when I was still The General.

Shaking his head, the silver-haired man sat up and ran a hand through his hair. His fingers caught a few tangles, and he frowned at this as well. Bringing those longer silver tresses of his shoulder, he raked through them to comb out the knots, giving his hands something to do while his eyes and thoughts stayed riveted on his roommate.

For some time he sat there, watching the blonde and running his hands through his hair, continuing to do so mechanically after he undid all the tangles and knots. He listened to the other man's breathing and waited for more than an hour, simply staring at the man without really looking at him, not really thinking, before he got up from the bed. He moved silently to the chair the blonde occupied and absently braided his hair. The blonde had fallen into an uncomfortable sleep, and if Sephiroth left him there, he would make up with kinks and cramps all over his body.

Unable to resist, Sephiroth gently picked up the blonde and carried him back to the bed. He wish he could do more, but restrained himself, simply laying the man down and covering him with the sheets. Sephiroth didn't climb into bed as well, but instead went back to the chair the blonde had just been sitting in and sat down in it. He continued to stare at Cloud with a blank expression and blank mind. In time, he drifted off to sleep, unmoving in his chair until morning when the lights from the window shone on his eyelids. When he awoke, he felt something covering him, and found the bed sheets draped around him. Who...?

Scanning the room, Sephiroth found Cloud missing from the made bed, as well as the man's boots. Assuming the other man had woken earlier and gotten dressed already, Sephiroth did the same, changing into a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt. He tediously laced his boots and headed down the stairs, greeted be the smell of breakfast and the sight of AVALANCHE members scattered around the house eating and doing their own business. It had been several days since they first arrived to Kalm, and everyone was enjoying their few moments of peace and relaxation, going around the busy yet moderately quiet town, buying whatever provisions they needed.

Cloud, he noticed, was getting used to the quiet lifestyle in Tifa's home, and Tifa herself was getting used to him being there. She went through her normal routines as best she could, adding a bit here and there to accommodate for the extra person in her house. Marlene had a taking for the blonde man, and kept him company most of the time. Barret wasn't too keen on the idea, nor was Tifa, but they let the girl play with the man since it kept both parties out of trouble. Cloud seemed to enjoy her company, and was often caught with a small light in his eyes, or a small twinge on his lips. Not everyone knew what they talked about, but some of the more at-ease members found Marlene smiling and laughing whenever they passed by the two.

Today was not different, as Marlene took Cloud by the hand and led him to the corner of the table in the dining room, pulling out some sheets of paper and pencils. One would guess Marlene would be asking Cloud to come and draw with her, but that would be until they figured that Marlene loved to learn and display her talent.

Sephiroth picked up his breakfast and ate in the living room with the rest of his comrades, walking in on a conversation about what to do next. Red saw him coming and got down from his spot on the lounge chair, allowing him to sit there while he curled up at the man's feet.

"Well, Rufus hasn't come up with any leads on those pulses around Midgar and the Crater. His research team has been as stupid as ever and can't seem to find out a damn thing," growled Cid.

Vincent shook his head. "Perhaps, but there isn't much to go by. These incidents are sudden, and with JENOVA"

"JENOVA outta die! That damn &# should just rot in hell!"

"We'd all like for that to happen," Yuffie interrupted, "but that's not gonna happen soon if we don't even know what she wants so we can stop her."

"We do know what she wants," said Red. "Cloud."

Hearing his name from where he was at the table, the blonde man looked up and stared at them for a moment before ducking his head and concentrating on what the little brunette next to him was saying. Sephiroth glanced in his direction and added, "We don't have to worry about him converting to her side as long as no one hurts him."

Cid snorted and took a drag of his cigarette. "Tch. And how long are we supposed to play footsie with the kid and wait for him to trust us?"

"Until he can learn to trust us," Aeris said quietly. "Most of all, until he can trust Sephiroth."

"Geez, Seph, but right now, I wish you never had that mean streak with everyone," Zack whistled. "It'd be a lot easier if you were friendlier."

"And you think my being more open would ease his mind?" Sephiroth rose a brow.

"Well, I guess not, but still."

Yuffie laughed. "If Sephy" she put up a hand in defense for using the nickname "was all nice and happy, I think everyone would go crazy!"

"Indeed," was Red's reply from the floor.

Everyone laughed at this thought, Sephiroth the least amused out of all of them. The silver-haired man wanted to roll his eyes, but simply shook his head at the group. As the conversation continued, it slowly shifted to lighter matters, eventually questioning what they would be doing that day. Tifa had to work, and Barret was helping her. Some of the AVALANCHE members volunteered to help her throughout the day, while the others concentrated on getting anything they still might have needed for their trip to who knew where... The group volunteered Sephiroth to stay at home to "watch over" (Uh-huh, baby-sit was more like it, Sephiroth thought.) Cloud and Marlene.

When the team left to do their own duties, Sephiroth lingered in his chair before heading over to the dining room where Cloud and Marlene were still together, the girl drawing figures for something while Cloud watched in mild fascination. Cloud didn't sense his presence when he entered the dining room and silently made his way to the kitchen. The little brunette noticed, but paid the taller man no attention as she started talking about her pictures.

"You know, Dad is really very kind. You can't really tell, but he's got a good heart." She smiled and held up her picture for Cloud to see. It was a picture of Barret with a bunch of lopsided hearts around him. The image was cute, in a suicidal kind of way. Never would Cloud even imagine Barret with such a demeanor or appearance with a smiley face drawn on him. "Kind of like Mom, but she's more protective than mean-looking. Mom's got a big heart; so big, that she made me her daughter and married Dad. Isn't that cool?"

Again, the little girl lifted up the paper to show Cloud a picture of Tifa on the paper, holding hands with Barret. Cloud couldn't help but smile a little bit. Alternate universe or not, some things weren't that different. Tifa together with Barret was not a surprise to the blonde man when he sneaked a look at the two while Tifa was making dinner one night.

"Mr. Cloud, do you have a Mom and Dad back home?"

Cloud looked up from the paper over to the innocent brown eyes of the little girl. Feeling a little uncomfortable, he sat up from where he was leaning over the table. He didn't really want to talk about his family... or the lack thereof. Still, those probing eyes caught him and made him ease into his story telling, reviving some of his old memories.

"Y-Yes, I did."

Marlene put down her paper and pencils. "Did? What happened to them? Did they die?"

Cloud was silent for a moment before looking down and answering. "My father died when I was very young, and my mother was murdered."

"Who did it? Murder is bad. Kalm doesn't have a lot of crime problems, so I don't get to see a lot of deaths and funerals. All of our neighbors are pretty nice."

Cloud smiled at the girl's purity. Hesitantly, he said, "There was a man that burned the whole village."

Marlene stared at Cloud with a deep frown on her face. "What happened to this man? Did anyone capture him and put him in jail?"

Cloud lifted his head to smile emptily at the girl. "No. He wasn't. After the massacre, he disappeared, hopefully dead, but five years later, he reappeared and caused more havoc, spreading his insanity and violence across Gaea."

"Your world must have been terribly sad. Mother Gaea was very sad and angry when JENOVA attacked her several years ago. It's very scary whenever the spirits cry."

Cloud stopped when he heard the calm and saddened voice of the little girl. He knew the brunette was smart, far smarter than most kids her age, but he didn't know that she was in tune with the Planet as well. In fact, he couldn't remember Marlene at home was like this either.

"You think I'm from another Planet?"

Marlene nodded immediately. "Mom, Dad and the others were all talking about it earlier. I overheard them say something about how you weren't who they thought you were. They... they don't think you're bad."

Cloud shook his head, not able to believe that he was having such a conversation with this girl, not even half his age. But, with her pre-mature wisdom, he found himself at ease with talking to her about these kinds of things. To her, he was far more open than when he was with Zack many years ago.

"That doesn't mean they trust me, though."

"I don't see why you would be so scared if they were. I think you should be more open like with me. I like talking to you, Mr. Cloud. I believe you're different, and that Gaea wants you here. Gaea welcomes everyone with open arms. If she didn't want you, you wouldn't be here. As for JENOVA, she's a pain that Mother Gaea cannot get rid of. That's why she assembled her warriors and knights to fight for her. Kinda like an immunity system in the body, attacking a virus or invading bacteria. Hey, did you know that viruses never go away? The body just takes the invader and becomes immune to it so that it can't harm the body anymore. Isn't that neat? I wish Gaea had something like that for JENOVA..."

Cloud raised his brows at the girl's statement. An immunity against JENOVA? Was such a thing possible? To think of that witch as a virus or bacteria invading the body of Gaea was certainly a light way of putting things, and to think of AVALANCHE as Gaea's defense mechanism was certainly creating a whole new definition to the whole situation. Cloud admired the girl's optimism, but being the practical person he was, and a bit of pessimist, he doubted the girl's words.

"You know, you should make friends with everyone. I know Red and Vinny and Zack like you," the girl continued, smiling with a shine in her eyes. "And I think the others are starting to warm up to you too. You should do the same to them. Especially Sephy!"

"Sephy?" Cloud questioned, throwing the girl a confused look. He knew who she was talking about, but the nickname was just... irksome. It was too strange and cute for the man it belonged to.

"Yeah, you and Sephiroth would get along great! You're so much alike, with your indifferent masks and kind and gentle hearts, you should really get to know each other. Y'know, I think Mom is working late today, so the others will be gone a while, so you and Sephy can have a lot of time together to get to know each other."

Was everyone conspiring against him? Cloud shook his head in amusement and horror. Spend time with Sephiroth? Have a conversation? The thought was too ludicrous. No, it wasn't possible... was it? Cloud's train of thought strayed back to his conversation with Mother Gaea before he got dumped here. Passing the obvious, should he really make a bond with Sephiroth? It was far better than being enemies, and since Sephiroth made the first move to see Cloud as an ally, shouldn't he do the same and accept the hospitality? It would mean knocking down his barriers a bit, but it was all for the better, right?

Staring at the happy little brunette, certain there was a bit of mischievous thoughts swimming around there as well, he nodded at her suggestion. "All right, Marlene, I'll try."

"No, you can't try, you gotta do." Her smiled broadened. "You gotta promise to get closer to him and be his friend, okay? You have to at least talk to him, right? He's really good and gentle, I promise. ...Deal?"

She held out her pinky and wiggled it at him. Cloud stared at the offending appendage before wrapping his own pinky around hers, shaking his head as he did so.

"All right, I promise I'll be more open to him."

"And the others."

"...And the others."

"And become their friends."

"...Aand, become their friends."

"And"

"Marlene, this is a lot to promise on. I can't guarantee all of it."

"Yes you can! Now, you gotta promise to be closer to Sephy. You gotta treat him nice. You two are a lot alike, so he'll probably get easily hurt if you offend him. Hehe. He's got a funny sense of humor, though. You need to promise me that you'll get on his good side, and hear his jokes at least once. Once! Now, promise!"

Cloud stared skeptically at the girl before sighing and nodding. "I promise."

Marlene's smile brightened to its fullest. "Yay!"

Cloud chuckled and shook his head for a final time, having a feeling that he wouldn't be left alone for a long time with this little girl at his heels. It wasn't that he minded so much, though, because this Marlene was very similar to the Marlene in his world, so could easily get along with her, but he just couldn't believe he was backed into a corner by a little girl, promising her things that he didn't know he could keep. He would have like to, but not everything in the future was so bright and hopeful. There was still JENOVA o think about, and the fact that everyone and their dog hated his guts, that didn't lighten the situation. Cloud could hope for everyone to see that he didn't mean any harm, but sometimes, hopes were thin strings on their last thread, ready to snap.

"You know what, Mr. Cloud? I want to take you out for a stroll around town and get you to see how well we're doing. We can bring Sephy with us so nothing happens, if you want."

Cloud returned from his thoughts and nodded at the girl. "Sure. Why don't you go get him? I'll wait here and clean this up."

Marlene nodded and hopped down from her chair, nearly running out of the room to search for the silver-haired man. Cloud smiled after her and gathered up the scattered papers and pencils on the table. He picked up the crumpled ones and made toward the kitchen to toss them. He was surprised to find the ex-General standing by the window, staring out like it was a natural thing for him to do. The silver-haired man heard him come in as he threw away the trash, and turned around.

Cloud wiped his hands on his pants. "Marlene wanted you to join us for a walk around the city."

Sephiroth regarded the blonde with a look over before nodding. "It's not wise to go out there alone, especially since people know how you are, or who you're supposed to be. Where did you plan on going?"

"Sephy!" came Marlene's cry, bouncing into the kitchen. "Mr. Cloud and I are going sight-seeing. I wanted to show him how well the town's doing, so could you come with us?"

Sephiroth nodded to the little girl. "Will we leave right now?"

Marlene smiled and took Cloud by the hand, leading him off. "Yup. I first wanted Mr. Cloud to see the church."

Sephiroth followed behind and walked with them out the door and into the bustling streets of Kalm, a growing town with many hopes and possibilities. Many people, as the trio passed, skirted around them, certain to avoid Cloud at all costs. The blonde understood their wariness, and their hostile looks, but just because he understood didn't make him any less uneasy to be surrounded by these other people and under their watchful stares like their were waiting for him to do something drastic or uncharacteristic (or rather, 'characteristic' on the insane Cloud's part).

Marlene squeezed Cloud's hand when she saw the look in his eyes and the nervous glances about him. She knew what would happen if she brought Cloud out into the broad, open day, but still, she carried on with her faux tour and brought Cloud to the church. It was made in remembrance of an old friend of theirs, and a valuable member of the AVALANCHE team. He died when saving the President of ShinRa, Rufus. No one really understood why he acted the way he did, or what brought the man to think the way he did, but they all appreciated his help towards the safety and restoration of Gaea.

Stepping into the sanctuary, Cloud was in awe as to how simple, yet extravagant the inside of the small building was. Mosaic windows created a kind of kaleidoscope fell to the room, and as a person softly played the piano in the by the altar, the feel of tranquility surrounded the room. Cloud felt his shoulders and body relax as he continued to look around, drawing back to reality when he felt Marlene squeeze his hand again. He looked down at her with a questioning look.

"This place is Allan (1) Church. It was built barely a year after Meteor. A lot of people come here day after day to pray. Mom lets me come here every once in a while whenever I can't help her at work and Dad's away with the rest of the team." Marlene smiled up at Cloud. "Do you have a church back home?"

"Yeah. There was one I liked especially."

"Whose was it?"

"Aeris' church." He paused to look about the church again. "After Meteor, it was destroyed and the flowers she grew there were crushed by the debris. I saved some of them and ritually visited the City to give them to her."

Marlene lead the man back outside to continue the conversation without disturbing the prayers. "What happened to Aeris? Why did you go visit 'the City' to give her flowers? Wouldn't she be nearby for you to give them to her?"

Cloud shook his head. "Aeris died in the City of Ancients, so I visited her grave every three months to give her my respects." He paused as a long thought came to him. "...Just before I came here, I gave her the last flower I had saved."

And that reminded him of Gaea once again, along with the task she had asked of him. He still didn't know if he could fulfill the favor, but he could try... He just didn't know if he could really help in easy whatever pain Sephiroth was going through. Killing JENOVA was easy. Coping with Sephiroth and being his confident or whatever he's supposed to be was a bigger challenge.

"Mr. Cloud?"

Cloud looked down at the girl again, realizing he was thinking too deep again. He looked at her questioningly.

"Did you like Aeris?"

Cloud blinked at the little brunette. Where did this question come from? "What do you mean?"

"Were you in love with her?"

Cloud could almost laugh if a certain man wasn't behind them. "No, not in the way you're implying. When Mother Gaea was in trouble, I had no time for romances, and even if I was given the leisure, I wouldn't fall for any of the women in my group. So, no, I don't love Aeris. In a sense, she was like a sister-in-law to me since back then, I considered Zack like an older brother when we were in the Academy."

"You didn't like anyone else? Not even men?"

Cloud tripped on a rock and stumbled back upright, a siren running through his head as he laughed inwardly at the absurd question. "No. I held no attraction toward anyone. At the time, I was too busy and focused on my mission to think of anything else, really. Nothing could distract me."

"What made your mission so important that you couldn't think about anything else?"

Cloud stopped and looked down at the girl for a long moment. After a long moment of silence and staring, he slowly shifted his gaze to the ex-General nearby. The two made eye contact when Cloud finally answered, "Sephiroth. Nothing in the entire world would divert my mind from chasing down the man and stopping him from his mission. After he murdered Aeris in the City of Ancients, I was driven more to chase after him and fight him."

Sephiroth stared at Cloud with a blank expression on his face. He didn't want the younger man to know how his heart skipped at the news. For an instant, he had actually hoped that Cloud felt toward him like Sephiroth himself felt toward Cloud on their journeys. But, of course, Fate seemed to love laughing at him and letting him hope against hopes just to flick him in the forehead and tell him he was wrong.

Stupid... How could I think such a thing? This man is different from the person you knew. Keep that in mind, he is not the same.

Cloud was the first to blink and look away, turning down to Marlene and asking her if there was any other place that she wanted to show him. Marlene took the hint and continued to lead the man down the street, glancing over her shoulder at the silver-haired man who automatically followed after, his eyes locked on the blonde, though not exactly looking at him. She sighed and shook her head, knowing that it would take more than just her efforts to bring them together for the two to cooperate and get past their differences and blocking thoughts of the past. She knew that it would take real effort on both men's parts to get to know each other and become even the slightest of friends. Whatever it took, though, she would make it happen. Mother Gaea did not send Cloud here to Sephiroth if she did not want both of them to embrace with open arms, and Marlene was fixated on helping Gaea's wish.

---

AN: Ta-daa! Welcome to the end of another beautiful chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it because I know I did. Just a reminder: none of these chapters are edited or beta-ed, so any mistakes seen throughout the whole thing is because I didn't catch it while I was writing it. (Oh well.) I'm happy to say that I'm glad my Spring Break has started and I got another chapter done so quickly after the last one. Don't be surprised if another one might (emphasize on the "might") come out by the end of this week as well, because I don't have anything else to do over the short holiday but type and prepare for A-con. Yay! Sewing. Boo! Well, wish me luck on my costume and on another chapter! Please review for this chapter and tell me what you think. All people interested in when exactly I'll be updating my work should visit my livejournal. My username is Unboundsoul and I tend to put my new chapter up there first before I update it here. Also, some of my works that can't be published on FFNet is updated there as well. Come, be my friend! (Haha. Okay, so maybe that sounded like a stalker kind of saying...)

(1) I don't know id his name was ever mentioned in the game, but I gave Reeves a first name. Allan Reeves! ...Oh, and just to make sure, is it Reeves or Reeve? I've seen it done both ways and I don't remember from the game... (twitch)

PS: Here's the thing I've been thinking about how far I've been going with this story and I've realized... Something's missing. What is it? Why, Sephiroth/Cloud action, of course! Sooo, I'd like a simple vote of people who would like to see that pretty soon. Go ahead and add it with your review and give me something to rave about because I'd like to know how eager people are for S/C romance.

Please remember to ADD A REVIEW WITH YOUR VOTE. Thank you!