AN: Ok, I would just like to explain what's been happening with this story. I took down what chapters I uploaded because I didn't like the abruptness of them nor did I particularly like what I had written. So, I am going back and trying to move a bit slower with things, I hope you can forgive me. In this chapter there's a lot of Cloud/Zack, woohoo! Enjoy and any comments/reviews or whatever would be really great, thanks.

Chapter Eight: Deliverance

There had been a sudden increase in monster sightings throughout the world, ShinRa decided to send a team to see what was happening. The first stop was Kalm, a small town a few hours walk from Midgar. Sephiroth strode into the town, causing people to stare and start to mutter behind their hands. He was used to being stared at, it came with the territory of being who he was and what he represented; hope and fear. Behind him Zack walked beside the quiet form of Cloud, chatting away with hands behind his head as he smiled and joked lightly, Sephiroth chose to ignore his infectious laugh, he didn't mind it however, it kept the moral up of the others.

"E-Excuse me, sir?"

Sephiroth looked down at an old man who was staring at him with an expression of awe. "Yes?"

"Are you the team sent by ShinRa to help us with the monsters?"

"We are. Can you direct us to the nearest Inn, we will be in need of a base of operations whilst we deal with the issue."

"Of course, sir. If you just follow me. I'm the Mayor, I was informed of your arrival but you're earlier than I had expected."

"Kalm isn't far from Midgar, the journey was easy."

"I see. Then please." He started off and Sephiroth indicated for his men to follow.

The Inn was very basic but comfortable, they were given rooms with the infantry sharing and Zack and Sephiroth sharing another room. Zack was restless, he walked from one end of the room to the next, inspecting everything he could before obviously growing bored and sighing frequently. "Why are they sending us to deal with monsters?" He whined, throwing himself on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. "That's infantry's job."

"These aren't ordinary monsters, they are suspected to have escaped from Hojo's lab."

"Oooh." Zack sat up again and stared at Sephiroth intently. "So we've gotta take 'em out?" he said, grinning. "I can't wait! I've been so bored lately!"

Sephiroth gave Zack a small smile. "You may yet change your mind, these monsters are going to be tougher than normal it will be dangerous."

"Ah, danger-shmanger! I'll be all right."

Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle, despite his reservations when Angeal had first taken Zack on as a protege he had come to like him. Zack had got up and was in the middle of doing some energetic squats."What about Cloud? Aren't you worried about him?" He asked, stopping Zack mid-squat, he gazed at Sephiroth as if just realising what he had said.

"I never thought..." He muttered, straightening and rubbing the back of his neck. He frowned. "I suppose we'll have to protect him."

"He must learn to protect himself." Sephiroth said softly as he rose and moved to the door. "I am going to take a shower." He walked away leaving Zack to think on his words.

XXX

Cloud was in the lounge of the Inn with Johnny when they spotted Sephiroth at the main desk, Cloud looked up from the book he had been reading-some stuffy romance novel that he had picked up because he was bored-and stared at Sephiroth's back.

"Is there anywhere I can purchase some shampoo?"

Johnny blinked at the desk and hid a smirk behind his hand, Cloud eyed him. "What's wrong?"

"It's funny to imagine that the General does something as mundane as wash his hair." Johnny said with an amused shrug.

"He has a lot of it, it must be expensive." Cloud replied quietly.

Johnny sniggered again, "Wonder what brand he uses?"

"Don't know the brand but it's expensive and he likes vanilla scented stuff." Cloud said absently as he turned a page in his book, Johnny stared at him with wide eyes. "What?" Cloud looked up at his friend with a frown.

"How in the world do you even know that?"

A small flush gathered on Cloud's cheeks as he dipped his head and looked away. "It's on his fan-site." He mumbled, hiding in his scarf and refusing to meet Johnny's gaze. Johnny laughed harder, clutching at his sides until Cloud hit him with his book. "Shut up!" He shouted but to no affect. "Johnny, stop it! People are staring!"

"I-I...I can't believe...y-you're...a member of Sephiroth's...f-fan club..." Johnny had tears in his eyes as he clutched his belly, still laughing loudly.

"What's all the noise?" Cloud looked up from where he was trying to strangle Johnny to find Zack gazing down at him from behind the sofa, he released his friend and kicked him in the shin for good measure. But, when he opened his mouth to speak Johnny cut in.

"He's a member of the Silver Elite!" He said eagerly, staring intently at Cloud's crimson face.

"What?"

"Johnny, you're a dick." Cloud muttered.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that." Zack said with a large smile as he moved around the sofa and threw himself down on it. "I was a major contributor to Angeal's fan club. People seriously will pay through the nose to have even the tiniest piece of gossip about those three, its sad really...but on my wages I needed some sort of surplus income."

"You sold information on Angeal?!" Cloud's eyes widened and Zack laughed.

"Only little bits, like I said, even the most insignificant thing made people go crazy. Angeal really liked plants...Like, really liked plants. He was weird." A misty look crossed Zack's face before he sighed and his smile fell a little, he turned to Cloud. "Hey, I came to find you so I could have a word..." He trailed off and looked over at Johnny who was hiccoughing to himself.

"Oh...yeah, sure...I'll get out of your hair." He smirked at Cloud before dodging the kick aimed at him and walking away.

"He's such a bastard." Cloud muttered darkly before turning to Zack. "What's wrong?"

"Can we go upstairs...?"

"Oh, yeah...sure." Zack took Cloud back to the bedroom he was sharing with Sephiroth, he pulled Cloud inside by the hand and over to the bed nearest the window, he sat down on it and looked up into Cloud's eyes. "I've been wanting to talk to you for a while..."

"About what?" Cloud asked, feeling Zack's hand still around his wrist, it almost burnt.

"About what you said the other day, I haven't had a chance to talk to you because we've both been so busy lately." A vaguely sulky look crossed Zack's face but it was quickly stifled. "I want to know what you meant by it."

"I-I..." Cloud bit his bottom lip, remembering that moment as if it were yesterday. "Zack...I...It was...I mean..." Zack smiled and suddenly gave Cloud's wrist a sharp tug, Cloud gasped and was pulled into his lap. He looked up through his hair into Zack's eyes and shifted into a more comfortable position. "We shouldn't be doing this." He whispered, eyes darting around as if he expected Sephiroth to return at any moment.

"So? I've given up caring." Zack said softly, grabbing Cloud around the waist and pulling him in for a long kiss. "I've had enough of dancing around like we have been. Just give it a go, it might be fun."

"But you're...you're my superior...you'll get into trouble." Cloud breathed, flushing helplessly.

"Geeze, you're such a worrier! Cloud, just kiss me." Cloud hesitated, eyes darting to the door. "You're worried about Sephiroth? Do you know how long that guy takes to wash his hair? Hours. Literally hours. Now just relax would you?"

Cloud nodded before taking a breath, he looked into Zack's eyes and wrapped both arms around his neck, "I meant it." He whispered against Zack's lips, all hesitation leaving as he felt Zack's arms surround him. "You're my reason for living. Don't leave me alone, please."

"Never." Zack closed the tiny gap between their lips and they kissed again, this time Cloud let himself go, he tipped his head to the side and accepted Zack's eager tongue into his mouth. When they finally had to pull away Zack ran his hands slowly up Cloud's back before smiling and suddenly lifting Cloud up and turning, he flung him on the bed and crawled on afterwards, his knees either side of Cloud's thighs and his hands by his head. Cloud looked up, effectively trapped by Zack, even if he did decide to sit up he would be pushing himself into Zack's arms, there was no escape and really, he didn't want there to be. Zack's next kiss was full of the promise of things to come, Cloud moaned heavily into his mouth, hardly caring if anyone heard it. The world had condensed until it contained only the two of them, Zack's calloused hand slid under Cloud's top, finger tips sliding over the muscles of his abdomen and making him shudder. Zack ran his hands beneath Cloud's top, feeling him arch into the intimate touch and he smirked into the kiss. He ran a tongue over Cloud's lips and nipped at the bottom one before moving down to his throat. He sat up, staring down at Cloud's flushed and slightly dazed expression, he began undoing the leather straps that held his armour in place before letting them slide to the floor, he reached down and began tugging his top over his head but at that moment he heard a rather loud cough.

Zack lowered his top and turned his head to find Sephiroth standing at the door, his chest was bare, the leather coat he usually wore was draped over one arm and his hair was dripping wet. Cloud went as red as a tomato before suddenly going as pale as if he was sick, he sat up, nearly head butting Zack in the process and slithered from beneath him. Without looking at either of them he fled the room, Sephiroth watched him go, head cocked to one side curiously before turning to Zack and arching an eyebrow. "That was quite the surprise." Sephiroth said as he stepped into the room and closed it silently behind him. Zack had released his top but hadn't tucked it back in so it was wrinkled enough to show his lower belly and the dark treasure trail that disappeared into his trousers. "I understand that Heidegger has put in place rules against us forming relationships with those of lower station than we are."

Zack's face screwed up in consternation. "Yeah, but when has anyone actually listened to the fat bastard?"

Sephiroth chuckled. "Don't let him overhear you say things like that, he is, after all, the Head of Public Safety. I would advise caution in this Zack, I'm sure Angeal would have done the same."

Zack sighed and threw himself onto the bed. "Yeah, well, none of you ever liked someone in the infantry, have you?"

"No but I do remember Angeal having a crush on President ShinRa's secretary at one point, I think he even wrote her love notes."

Zack sat up, eyes wide. "Angeal?! What did the President do?"

Sephiroth smirked, "He ended the woman's career out of jealousy, apparently he is the only one who can have love affairs, despite his marriage."

Zack stared at Sephiroth with wide round eyes before suddenly leaning forward. "What about you? Anyone catch the fancy of the Great General, Hero of Wutai?" He sniggered and saw Sephiroth smile a little.

"No. I cannot say that anyone has ever really interested me quite that much." He replied but Zack thought he saw his eyes dart to the door where Cloud had just disappeared, he wondered if he had imagined it. "I have had...quite a few encounters with others but...I've never felt anything except lust for them." His voice trailed off before he shook his head and laughed softly again. "Why am I even discussing this? It doesn't matter."

Zack seemed eager to get more information however. "So, girls or boys?" He asked, grinning. Sephiroth stood up and began putting his coat back on, doing up the straps with quick movements.

"Both." He replied and returned Zack's smile. "Now come, we have work to do."

"Yeah, yeah, just let me get dressed properly." Zack sighed and picked up his armour, his mind racing from this new and personal information about Sephiroth. He wondered why the usually close man had bothered opening up to him, everyone had been saying that lately he hadn't been quite himself. He spent too much time locked away, only going out on missions when needed and barely even speaking to anyone unless he really had to. It was odd that he had just given Zack some rather intimate details concerning his mysterious life, perhaps he really was cracking under the pressure? Zack paused and looked back at his general, seeing the way he was staring at the door as if trying to see through the wood. A chill ran down his spine, was Sephiroth interested in Cloud? If so, did Zack even stand a chance? He knew Cloud worshipped the man, he had put up with many evenings of Cloud's long discussions about why Sephiroth was so cool. Did that mean Cloud had a crush on him? Zack sighed and shook his head, he had to stop thinking like that. Sephiroth was not a man to chase after mere infantry soldiers, especially ones who were obviously with someone else, surely he had more honour than that?

XXX

They crowded around the front gates to the town, civilians were gathered around and staring as if they were about to put on a show. Cloud shifted nervously. He began checking his gun for the hundredth time, simply so he didn't have to look at either Zack or Sephiroth. "Our mission is to eradicate these monsters, there are suspicions that they may have escaped Hojo's laboratory, so we must do everything in our power to protect civilians. They will not be easy to destroy." Sephiroth was saying as Zack stood at his side, arms folded and eyes on the distant grassy planes. "Zack, I want you to lead a small team and flush out any monsters you discover, take this." He handed Zack a bottle and Zack opened it, downing the contents.

"Ugh...tastes like shit, like always." He gagged but when he lifted his head Cloud was close enough to see his pupils dilate and his eyes glow a little more brightly. Sephiroth smiled and turned to Cloud and his unit, Johnny saluted and Cloud followed suit.

"Unit twelve you will be coming with me." He ordered.

"Sir, yes sir!" They chorused.

Excitement flared in Cloud, he would get to see Sephiroth in action and he wasn't the opponent. It was everything he had ever dreamed about and more. "Hey, hey hey Sephiroth, Sephiroth...can we go now? Huh? I wanna go!" Zack was bouncing a little on his feet like an overeager puppy and Sephiroth sighed.

"We really should restrict who we give Hyper to." He muttered to himself. "Ok, Zack. Move out!"

"Woohoo! Let's go kick some monster ass!" Zack yelled and strode away, leading his team behind him.

"Our job is to destroy any monster that comes near the town, Zack and his team will be flushing them out and they will be angry. I warn you all again to stay on your toes."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Very well then. Take your positions." Cloud moved up to the entrance to the town, taking his place beside Sephiroth who stood utterly still, his sword in hand, although Cloud hadn't even seen where it had come from. How did he manage to hide a seven foot sword? He stared at his profile, awed by his utter calm until Sephiroth turned his head enough to let Cloud see that he was aware of his gaze. Cloud looked away, staring out over the planes. Visibility was perfect, they'd see the monsters coming a mile off. "Well, at least we won't really have to do any fighting." Johnny said easily, grinning as he adjusted his helmet. "Sephiroth's with us."

"I wouldn't get cocky, Johnny." Cloud replied softly, gazing around and keeping an eye out for any rogue monsters. "He might be the best there is but he's not going to spend his precious time protecting us when we should be able to defend ourselves." He once again checked his gun absent-mindedly. "I swear I had more ammo than this...Johnny-" His eyes widened when he raised his head and spotted the first few monsters running full pelt towards the town. "Sir! Over there!" He pointed and Sephiroth spotted them, he smiled.

"Well done, Cloud. Perhaps you're not as clueless as I first anticipated." he laughed softly and strode forward to meet the enemy. Sephiroth gauged the situation with a sweep of his eyes before looking up. "I will deal with this one." He said pointing and Cloud followed his gaze, his own eyes widened. Above them was a horrible looking dragon-like creature, it was varying shades of pink and purple, it's wings looked more like the bones of a hand. "What the hell is that?!" One of his team members exclaimed. "Dragon Zombie, it is well beyond your abilities to cope with. Deal with the Grand Horns." He pointed at the charging beasts, Cloud assumed that the rumours of these monsters having escaped the labs were likely true. None of these creatures were natives to this region. He raised his gun as the Grand Horns drew closer.

The dragon dived at Sephiroth who lifted his sword, both hands on the hilt. Cloud had no time to watch as he was forced to lift his gun and fire rapidly as the Grand Horns bore down upon them. Sephiroth leapt into the air, meeting the dragon half way and sending his sword straight through its heart. It let out a scream and beat its wings, sending poisonous gas towards Sephiroth who smirked and ripped his blade free, using his feet to push against the beasts chest he flipped backwards and landed back upon the ground. He watched as the beast began drifting down, its flight jerky and hesitant due to its wound. Sephiroth lifted his sword again and, as it drew closer, he swept it in a glittering arc, slicing the thing in two.

Gun fire shattered the air, the infantry aimed at the charging beasts and a few fell and crumpled, they were crushed under their fellows and Cloud gasped as he began to reload. One of the Third Class SOLDIERs they had brought with them, one of the few left since Genesis had gone AWOL, ran forward with a cry, sword lifted above his head but he was too slow. The Grand horns ran right over him, his sword was knocked from his hands and landed near Cloud who had once again run out of bullets. He tossed his gun aside as one of the Great Horns ran at him, throwing its massive head around, he wrapped his hands around the sword and held it before him in a ready stance. His eyes narrowed and his sight condensed until all he saw was the beast. It drew closer, he tensed and waited until it was just within reach of his blade, when it was he swung. The tip passed over the enraged beasts eyes, it screamed, snorting hot breath over Cloud as he leapt back. He dived out of the way of those dangerous horns and rolled, falling easily into a crouch and adjusting his grip on the sword once again. It was blind now, moving only by its sense of smell, it tossed its head again and Cloud saw it turn to aim its next charge at Johnny who was struggling to reload his gun. Cloud's train of thought failed him, his mind went blank and his body acted. He leapt, legs pushing him high into the air as he brought his sword above his head, releasing a battle cry. The blade swung downwards, slicing through the beasts spine and severing it. Cloud landed again, bending his knees and straightening. He blinked dazedly around at everyone who was now staring at him with mouths open. "Huh?" He managed, lifting the sword up and staring at it in wonder. "When did I-what happened?" He swayed a little and stumbled but strong hands caught him, he was surrounded by the scent of vanilla and roses and he turned his head to see Sephiroth smiling at him before he passed out.

XXX

Cloud came around to find himself staring up into blue eyes, he groaned and put a hand to his head. "What happened?" He asked.

"According to Sephiroth you just saved a team mate from being skewered." Zack replied, grinning broadly. "You've got some hidden talent in there." He poked Cloud's chest and made him wiggle a little. "Sephiroth seemed impressed, takes a lot to impress him. So, how're you feeling?"

"Fine, I think." Cloud sat up and gazed around the empty room, several beds were lined up in a row and the curtains blew softly in the breeze. "How did you do?"

"Hmm...we lost a member to some poison but other than that it was ok."

"Has the Hyper worn off?"

"Yeah, I hate that stuff but it gives you stamina and if you're battling several opponents its useful."

"I read about them." Cloud nodded. "It's a stimulant given to SOLDIER operatives during certain missions, it can be addictive."

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I don't always need them."

"Sephiroth didn't have one."

"Well, no...he's...different." Zack said slowly, frowning a little before shrugging. "I suppose being raised by ShinRa gives you super powers." He smirked and Cloud returned it.

"Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're ok." Cloud leaned up and placed a kiss on Zack's lips before drawing away and flushing.

XXX

They stayed in Kalm for a day longer, just to keep an eye on the situation and ensure the monsters had been eradicated. Cloud and Zack went for a walk around the town, they had some food in one of the restaurants and then, as they left, it began to rain. Cloud paused and looked up at the darkening sky, the sun was barely peeking through the clouds but what light there was made the rain sparkle and shimmer like tiny droplets of pure crystal. Cloud tipped his head back and closed his eyes, allowing the water to run over his face, cooling his flushed skin. Zack gaped at him, unable to help it, Cloud looked beautiful. The rain caught in his hair, it trickled down his throat and he wore a tiny smile on his lips. "Hey, Zack?"

"Uh...yeah?" Zack said, blinking.

"Do you miss the rain in Midgar?"

"I've never thought about it before." Zack said honestly, he looked up and imitated Cloud. He had to admit, it was pleasant.

"I used to play in the rain all the time as a kid." Cloud said, lifting his arms out to his sides, his smile growing. "I loved it. My mother...she thought I would catch a cold but I never did. It feels...nice."

"Cloud?" Zack said after a brief pause.

"Mm?" Cloud felt arms slide around his waist and he opened his eyes, he smiled at Zack as their lips met. He drew himself closer, wrapping his arms around Zack's neck as he was almost lifted off his feet. The kiss deepened and he moaned softly, tangling the fingers of one hand into Zack's spiky hair. They stumbled a little and Cloud felt a cold wall at his back, the rain soaked through his clothes but he didn't care, he let himself enjoy the heat of the body pressing against him. He sank himself into the kiss, allowing it to dull his senses and consume him.

"Fuck Cloud," Zack gasped, pulling away and staring down at Cloud with wide eyes. "What the hell do you do to me?" He didn't wait for an answer as he pulled Cloud to him again, pushing him further into the wall and shoving his hands roughly beneath his top. He felt Cloud shuddering against him, mumbling something incoherent against his lips but he was too far gone. He used his free hand to slide into Cloud's trousers, causing him to bite down on Zack's lower lip in surprise. Zack smirked and refused to allow Cloud to break the kiss as he took hold of his erection in one gloved hand. It was cold but Cloud felt as if he was burning up, he writhed against Zack helplessly, making sounds he would have been humiliated by at any other time. He groaned and let his head fall back to hit the wall behind him. He muttered Zack's name as he felt that hand squeezing him, moving slowly up and down and driving him insane. He swore softly, pushing his hips forward and dragging Zack down into another intoxicating kiss.

They were hidden by a large house from the view of those at the Inn, the shadows shrouded them and encased them in their own little rain soaked world. Cloud felt a hand clamped over his mouth and Zack's lips by his ear. "Shh, you're too loud." He whispered, sliding his tongue against Cloud's ear lobe. Cloud closed his eyes and gave himself up to Zack utterly, the hand slipped from his lips a little as Zack adjusted his balance and Cloud's hand snaked down to his clothed erection, squeezing gently and making Zack gasp in turn. He smirked and opened his eyes to meet Zack's intense gaze.

Vaguely they heard voices calling for Cloud but they ignored them, they were too wrapped up in each other. Too lost in pleasure to care much about Cloud's unit and what they wanted from him. Cloud continued to rub Zack through his trousers, enjoying the fact that he could make him moan as much as Zack could make him do the same. Zack kissed him again, tensing and Cloud felt the familiar twist in his gut. "G-Gunna...Z-Zack..." He gasped around Zack's fingers and trembled as he came into Zack's hand, it wasn't long before Zack pressed his forehead against Cloud's and bit down hard on his lower lip as he too reached completion.

They stayed still for a long moment before Zack shifted uncomfortably, a grin appeared on his face and he captured Cloud's lips with his own one last time. When he stepped away he looked uncomfortable. "I gotta go change and shower." He said, staring at Cloud with those beautiful blue eyes.

"Yeah...same here." Cloud replied, averting his gaze as he tucked himself back into his pants and did up his fly. Zack began moving away but paused, he looked back over his shoulder and smiled.

"Hey, Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"When we get back to Midgar do you wanna go on a date?"

"Wh-what?!" Cloud went bright red.

"A date. You know; D.A.T.E. A thing where two people who like each other go and spend time alone together?"

"I know what you meant, idiot." Cloud said, rolling his eyes before smiling a little shyly. "But...yeah, I will."

"One date. Cool, I'll let you know." Zack lifted a hand in farewell before striding off into the small square, Cloud sighed heavily and fell back against the wall, smiling to himself as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the rain for a while longer.

"A date..." He whispered and laughed softly to himself, covering his mouth with his hand. "I'm such an idiot." He said and shook his head before pushing himself away from the wall and returning to the Inn. He realised that he was falling for Zack, hard. It was a thrilling feeling and one that scared him a little but somehow he wasn't too afraid, he wanted this-whatever it was-to never end. Zack had promised, after all, he would never leave him.