Do not own FFVII.

Pairings: SephxZackxCloud, TsengxReno (Eventual TsengxRufusxReno)

-o-o-

Sephiroth and Zack's nerves were fraying quickly and dangerously. Cloud, dressed in a silken Wutaiian robe in a light blue shade falling mid-thigh, leaned over the koi pond as far as he could. It was all his older lovers could do to keep from reaching out to snatch him back.

His fingers skimmed over the surface of the water, making the fish swim smoothly away. Seeing the fish cut through the water with such speed, Cloud smiled widely.

Though terrified, Zack smiled with Cloud. He couldn't help it. It was instinct to share happiness with his younger lover. Seeing Cloud adjust his position and seeing his robe hike up even more, exposing more of the pale thigh underneath, made Zack's eyes glaze over in remembrance. Under that tree, little more than three feet away, Zack had deflowered the cadet.

Sephiroth snickered, but when Zack looked at him, he was looking pointedly at the sky. Zack continued to stare at him, waiting for an explanation. Sephiroth sighed soft enough Cloud wouldn't hear, then rolled his hips gently. Zack's eyes feasted on the sight, then realized what he was implying. He looked down at his own lap and blushed, excusing himself quickly to 'take care of something.'

Cloud watched Zack leave with a somewhat sad look. He looked at Sephiroth and smiled, perking up a bit. He crawled over to the man and laid against his chest.

"You're being unusually loving today, aren't you?" Sephiroth teased, kissing the top of Cloud's spikey blond head.

Cloud turned his head up so Sephiroth could kiss his face instead and curled up closer with an eager grin. "I'm happy."

He didn't have to elaborate. Sephiroth understood quite well. He kissed Cloud on the cheek once, then a miniscule movement at the corner of his eye made his head snap up. He searched the greenery around their temporary home for less than a second before his eyes found the movement. One of the bushes' leaves were shaking. Cloud turned and looked too. He was proud that Cloud picked up on that small movement and was tracking it just as Sephiroth was.

Just as Sephiroth was about to call it just the wind, a small figure sprang from the leaves. Sephiroth tightened his grip on his blond and growled deeply as the figure shot towards them. The sound made the person stop short and they recognized the girl now.

It was the ten year old princess of Wutai. She had hair that fell just to her shoulders in one deep brown wave. She wore a light pink kimono and she seemed to have lost her shoes. In one hand she held one of the katanas her people favored. Sephiroth wished he had his katana, then he would show the child not to threaten his cadet.

He fluidly moved into a crouching position. He had no weapons, but the girl was obviously untrained. He moved Cloud behind him and was aware the teen peeked around him to see the princess. She raised her weapon. Sephiroth snarled and continued to growl even louder than before in a steady stream.

"Please!" a man called, running around the house. Sephiroth identified the speaker as the girl's father, Godo. He didn't take his eyes off the blade as Godo wrestled it away from his daughter. "She doesn't know what she does is wrong."

"He shamed Wutai! He and the strange man should pay!" she wailed in Wutaiian. Cloud inched forward interestedly, but when he moved around Sephiroth, he was grabbed by the hips and pulled back so he rested under Sephiroth's arm with silver hair everywhere. Cloud loved it when the man let his hair fall around him. It made him feel safe.

But now it was unnecesary. He parted the hair and peered out. He leaned forward. "I'm strange?" he asked in Wutaiian.

Godo paled even more than he was before. He hadn't known Sephiroth's youngest love could speak their language.

Yuffie answered before anyone could stop her. "Yeah! With your hair and eyes and stuff!"

Cloud crawled out from his Sephiroth-induced hiding spot, pausing a moment to pry hands off his waist as Sephiroth attempted to drag him back. Cloud noted the furious look and felt a little scared himself. Then he turned to the princess and crouched in front of her, in blade range. Her expression faultered.

"Where I come from I look weird too. They all had dark hair and dark eyes but me and my mother. Even when I went to Midgar I was out of place. I don't blame you for thinking I'm strange. But why do you want to kill Sephiroth and I?"

"You shamed my country!"

"I wasn't old enough to be thinking about joining Shinra when the war was going on, if that's what you mean. And Sephiroth had to do what Shinra ordered him to. People don't seem to believe that he has flaws, but he does," Cloud said firmly. When Yuffie was about to protest, he sent her a stern look that killed her voice in her throat and continued speaking in her language.

"Sephiroth grew up under Shinra's rule. He may hate the orders, he may disagree, he may not understand his orders, but he has to fufill them. It's hard to imagine anyone with power over him, but President Shinra," Cloud's face twisted a bit when he gave the title and neither Wutaiian missed it. "Has more power over Sephiroth than you could guess. There was only one time he ever disobeyed an order."

Yuffie looked up with wide eyes. "Over what? What happened?"

Cloud cleared his throat and averted his eyes. "I... left Shinra because I thought Zack and Sephiroth would be better off. Shinra told them to let me go. They didn't. And they forced vacation time on Sephiroth to 'cool his head.'"

Cloud glanced back to see Sephiroth looking at Yuffie with open hostility, and Zack standing in the door with eyes on Godo. Even he seemed overly serious. Cloud rolled his eyes at the two, making sure the Wutaiians caught the gesture. He took Yuffie's blade and thrust it into the ground. He held Yuffie's hand and she didn't protest it. Cloud assumed she wanted to know all Shinra's weak spots, and would listen to the strange man's tales.

Cloud gave Sephiroth a pointed look, and the snarl eased off his face. Cloud turned his gaze on Zack, who held his hands up in surender, then scampered to Sephiroth and was abruptly taken into Cloud's old position.

Cloud was about to ask Godo if he could play with the princess for a while when he caught a look of dislike on Sephiroth's face as he looked at Yuffie.

Cloud dropped Yuffie's hand and stalked forward. He stood before Sephiroth, who tugged his robe into place better. He didn't look into the annoyed eyes, or at the balled fists at Cloud's waist.

"Sephiroth. She's a little girl. Quit glaring," Cloud ordered, standing up to him for the first time. Sephiroth looked at the princess, still disatisfied. "I said quit it," he snapped, flicking Sephiroth on the forehead. Sephiroth looked slightly offended while Zack giggled.

Godo was floored at the bravery the young man was showing. Sephiroth, the Demon of Wutai, was being told off by someone much younger and weaker than him. And he was actually backing off!

Instead of looking at the brat princess that stole Cloud's attentions, he looked at the girl's father with a sullen expression. "Won't you come in?" he asked, standing and bringing Zack up with him.

Godo nodded and was about to order Yuffie home when she darted forward, stuck her tongue out at the General while grabbing Cloud's hand and dragging him to the koi pond. He looked at Sephiroth anxiously, but he only had a look of what seemed to be faked grumpyness.

Cloud looked over his shoulder at the emperor. "Sephiroth likes it when someone has the backbone to stand up to him, sir. I think he might like the princess more now," he explained in Wutaiian.

Godo nodded at the cadet and followed Sephiroth inside, stepping around Zack as he settled himself in the doorway so he could see the polite conversation between Sephiroth and the ruler as well as Cloud and the princess.

Yuffie seemed to be rattling off in Wutaiian as fast as her mouth could move, but Cloud looked absorbed in what was being said. He nodded thoughtfully at the right times and seemed to truly enjoy the one sided conversation.

Zack looked towards the inside men to see them speaking very civilly. He couldn't hear what was said, but if he could he wouldn't have liked it.

Sephiroth, after offering all manners of refreshments and being declined, decided to approach the topic he'd been wanting to. "There was a serving girl yesterday here," Sephiroth began slowly.

The ruler looked more tired. "Yes, I am aware of the blatent disrespect. I will have her punished, you need not worry."

Sephiroth shook his head. "No, Cloud explained her behavior to me, and what was done to her by a SOLDIER. I will be looking into it as much I can with the passage of time."

"She is but a serving girl, what importance could drive you to work so hard to have justice?"

Sephiroth looked down at his hands on the table. "Zack and Cloud are both extremely beautiful, you've noticed, yes?"

Godo nodded.

"There have been outright attempts to rape Cloud, and he was beaten by his father. Zack has been the topic of men's lust since he arrived at Shinra, though his teacher and I have kept it from him. If either of them weren't as strong as they are and if I hadn't been there, they might have suffered the same fate as that woman. Not to mention the culprit is a SOLDIER, and my friend once preached quite a lot of SOLDIER honor, and this is an insult to him."

"I find it difficult to believe that any man would be brave enough to take on your wrath by hurting either of them," Godo commented.

"Cloud lived in Nibelheim, and I had no idea he exsisted at the time, so I couldn't protect him from his father. When he came, I still didn't know him as he suffered throught the other cadets bullying him. When Zack came to Shinra, many men tried to get him into bed, and it was only luck that Angeal became his mentor before any of the men succeeded through force. It was only after he died that I came to know Zack well. And I only knew Cloud because he was assigned to me by his training master, who tried to rape him not ten minutes later."

"They both seem happy with their lives now, even with the constant threat against them."

"There is one more thing I needed to ask you," Sephiroth said. "Cloud told me he was taught Wutaiian by an exiled Wutaiian man. I was wondering if you knew of him."

"There haven't been many exiles in a long time, so I should. A name or description would narrow it down. Are you looking to know the crimes of the man?"

"Yes. Cloud said his name was... Midai I do believe. Are there any exiles with that name?"

Godo's face darkened. " Yes, one. His crimes were great. Are you certain that was the name?"

"Yes. What did he do?"

Godo looked away, unable to look the man in the eye. "He was thrown out of Wutai for raping young boys."

The emperor watched as Sephiroth's face went blank. He stood and for a moment he was still. The next moment he was out the door, blowing passed Zack. Godo ran to the door to see what was happening and caught sight of Sephiroth lifting Cloud high in the air, then lowering him to his chest. Cloud was confused, but he allowed himself to be cradled. Yuffie looked a little indignant at having her playmate taken away.

Eventually Cloud was released and lowered to the ground, still confused. Sephiroth sat and pulled Cloud firmly against his side. Godo walked forward to take his daughter's hand. "We'll take our leave now."

Sephiroth gave no notion that he heard, preferring only to start mindlessly humming.

Zack crept over, cautious of that blank stare. He was startled when Sephiroth's free arm reached to pull him down with them, heedless of the dirt they were getting all over them.

"Sephiroth, what's wrong?" Cloud asked, winding his fingers through the silvery strands around him. His voicce seemed to bring Sephiroth's focus back on their world. He picked both of his younger loves up and settled them side by side with their backs to the cherry blossom tree. He sat before them, eyes switching from Zack to Cloud and back.

"Cloud, love," he breathed, seeming as close to sobbing as they ever saw him. Desperately, Cloud leaned forward with arms outstretched. Sephiroth pulled him close and hugged him. He looked at Zack with a concerned frown. "I've spoken with the emperor about your Wutaiian friend," Sephiroth said, nuzzling into the unruly blond spikes. He didn't want to tell him. He had to.

"Did he ever do anything toward you?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud looked up at him, not comprehending what he was being asked.

"He was exiled for raping young boys," Sephiroth said gently, obvious panic in his gaze now. "I need to know if he did anything to you."

Zack shot forward, hugging Cloud from behind as the blond's face went blank. After a moment, he curled up in his older protectors embraces. Sephiroth took that as a bad sign. "Cloud?" Zack prompted, looking scared for him.

"I don't- I..." Cloud fell silent and they could tell he was struggling with words. "Maybe," he finally settled on.

Sephiroth had to force himself not to crush the boy as his grip tightened. "What do you mean by that, love?" he asked, keeping his voice gentle, even though he could feel Sephiroth's heart racing through the thin robe.

"There was a time I went to visit him when I was sick... And I passed out for a while..." he admitted, shrinking away from the thought that the only friend from his childhood might have forced himself on him. "He had materia, so he could have..."

Sephiroth's and Zack's eyes met in wordless horror. There was no way of telling if the man had done anything to Cloud if he was healed afterward.

Cloud started shaking between them. He heard the deafening silence overwhelm them. Immediately his thoughts went to the conclusion that they didn't want him. "Are you... Am I..." He struggled to find the right word as the men looked down at him with worry. Finally he looked up at them again, tears in his blue eyes.

"Do you still want me?"

-o-o-

Sephiroth was at a loss at what to do. He and Zack had spent the rest of the day assuring Cloud that he was loved and they would stay by him and love him no matter what. That night Cloud went to sleep still unsure.

Now Sephiroth was left to watch over the younger men while they slept. From the expressions on both of their faces, he would hazard a guess that nightmares were the only thing they were seeing. He liked watching them sleep and was waiting for Cloud to start talking. While he couldn't help Zack, he could listen to Cloud's fears and refute them. He didn't have a long wait.

"No... don't, please... Seph... I never... it hurts..." he muttered, shifting uneasily. Sephiroth stroked the pale skin as gently as he could in response. "Never wanted... Zack please... scared...."

Sephiroth shushed him quietly. "Love, you don't need to be scared, we're here. We'll always be here to protect and guard you."

On Cloud's other side, Zack shifted restlessly. Sephiroth wound Zack's arms around Cloud and they both quieted. Smiling slightly, Sephiroth lifted himself from the bed and slipped on a silken robe.

(They had all went to bed naked that night. Not for Sephiroth to get his passionate sex, but to show that they were together with no mental or physical barriers to keep them apart.)

He wandered outside silently. The stars and the moon seemed a lot brighter than he remembered, but he lived in Midgar, where the pollution was too thick to let in much other than the strongest sunlight.

He stared up at the sky for so long his neck began to hurt, but even then he didn't stop. Star gazing was much easier than thinking of what might have been done to Cloud.

He heard a creak in the floorboards, one that was louder than if Zack or Cloud had stepped on it. He was on his feet and turning before he caught sight of a person to his left. He spun to face them, cursing himself for not having a weapon.

Then he froze. He heard quiet whisperings from inside as he stared at the man before him. He identified the voice inside as well.

"Genesis, Angeal," he breathed.