Cloud wasn't sure what woke him. The slums were loud at all hours - through artificial day or artificial night. People drinking, fighting, even fucking in the alley behind the apartment building. The walls were so thin he heard everything .

Maybe it was because he'd collapsed into bed fully dressed, curled into a defensive ball and trying to shut out the world, too tense to fall into anything but the lightest doze. He flung himself to his feet, sucking in a harsh breath and then blinked into the darkness of his empty room.

There was something, some familiar sound on the other side of the wall, little noises of pain and misery that made Cloud's heart hurt. He pressed a hand to his chest, just below his throat, the sound of his own heart beating suddenly loud - too loud, he had to get out of the room and into air that might not be clean but it moved. It wasn't trapped in a metal box that seemed to be getting smaller …

He half reached for the Buster, then stared at his hand and slowly lowered it. He was going to check on the man next door, not throw himself into battle with monsters. He could still hear a soft moan of agony and it drove Cloud out the door where he sucked in air that wasn't stale with the smell of sweat and fresh blood and Mako.

Cloud's hands were shaking for some reason as he reached for the door to the other apartment, "Hey, you okay in there?" another soft whimper reached his ears and he put his hand on the latch, "I'm… coming in."

Some too quiet part of his mind questioned why the door was unlocked, why anyone would leave their door unlocked in the slums, but the thought was whisked away as soon as he'd barely registered it. Didn't matter, especially if he was going to be able to help the man.

There was a huddled shape pressed into the furthest corner of the room. A protective urge sent Cloud's stomach plummeting and his breath came quick and sharp as he stepped closer and went to one knee, reaching out a hand to check…

"Welcome, Cloud ."

Cloud's vision whited out and a line of fire speared the center of his chest with agony, his head… he collapsed forward on top of what was just a pile of fabric wrapped around a pillow. There was a slam and a click behind him, the light from outside was blotted out and left him in complete and total darkness with his own personal nightmare.

"I'm here to help you," a low voice crooned, just above him, as he cringed into the corner, "let me help you, Cloud."

Panic heaved through Cloud's chest and he stumbled to his feet, desperately flinging himself toward the thin line of light beneath the door between him and freedom. He expected to be grabbed any moment but he made it all the way there. His fingers just brushed the doorknob before a word slammed into his head that sent him reeling.

" Stop ."

There was no flare of Materia, no echoing force behind the word that would have turned it into an incantation, but Cloud couldn't move. A thin sound of fear worked its way out of his chest as cold fingers wrapped around his wrist. The grip tightened and pulled him away from the door.

"None of that now, come Cloud, let me assist you."

Cloud's body failed him, following after the soft reasonable voice that guided him away from escape. There was a roaring in his ears and his breath stuck in his chest for so long that lights began glittering in the corners of his eyes.

"Shh, behave for me," the voice murmured directly in his ear. He could feel the soft puff of air on the side of his face and his chest hitched in a sob as he was pulled backward to sit in his captor's lap.

The hands wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and splaying flat against his chest. The voice whispered again, "Cloud… Cloud…" as the hands stroked down and then back up. They embraced him.

A feeling of weakness spread through Cloud, spilling from the top of his head all the way to his toes, making everything loose and soft edged and his voice was finally released in a pathetic whimper.

"Please, don't…"

The voice gave a soft hum, "Don't what, Cloud?"

Cloud shivered, hating himself with a sudden surprising violence as he pleaded, "Please, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me again."

"Ah," the voice… changed, deepened somehow, "yes."

The hands on his chest pulled the straps of his harness down his arms and he gasped a soft 'no' as his shirt was pulled up to bare the scar there. It began to burn even before freezing fingers found the thick mound of sensation-less skin. His body was leaned forward, his weight resting on the probing fingers as the other hand found its match on his back.

Pressure built against both sides of his scar, arcing pain as though it had just happened. Cloud tried to scream but just as when it had been inflicted he only managed a weak helpless cry.

"Beautiful, Puppet, do that again."

The fingers dug in, drawing out another whimpering moan. His captor relented, finally, and pulled him back against him, then sighed out a shaking breath into the side of Cloud's neck, "There, all better now?"

Cloud gritted his teeth against a sudden and nearly overwhelming urge to say yes, to say thank you , where the fuck was that coming from? Fear and a growing pain in the back of his head began to rise. He was barely able to push back against the body behind him, instinct telling him to try and… and...

"Don't fight it," his captor turned and pulled Cloud with him, draping him over the bed and arranging his unresponsive limbs as tears pricked the corners of Cloud's eyes.

Cool thumbs brushed away the moisture that caught in his lashes, "just say 'yes master' and I'll consider your request to not harm you."

Cloud shivered, staring into the darkness above him and trying not to look into the glowing green eyes poised above him. They studied his expression, crinkling at the edges in a catlike smile. Waves of something darker than the lack of light around him lapped at the edges of his mind and he tried to shake his head to clear it.

The more he struggled the worse the soft, lulling darkness crept in until he suddenly felt dizzy and light. Cloud heard himself whisper, "Yes, master, thank you."

"Good boy."

Cloud couldn't stop the fragile sound that gasped out as his eyes rolled back - those words, fuck, why did they make him feel so good? The pleasure that crashed through him did nothing to allay the fear, it stoked the flame and drew another pained whine.

"Don't," Cloud shook his head, the only part of him he could still move, "stop, please."

"Shh, don't worry, I won't."

A comforting hand settled in Cloud's hair, brushing sweat soaked strands from his eyes and running long fingers back through the rest as Cloud trembled. Lying helpless in the darkness, the fingers soothing him over and over, exhausted from a chronic lack of rest, he couldn't help but slowly fade out. It was warm here, in the darkness.

A soft amused hum reached his ears, sounding so far away as his captor spoke again, "There you go, that's a good Puppet."

With all of the tension bled out of him Cloud could do nothing but accept the foreign happiness that filled him again.

The fingers in his hair tightened, "Let's have a look in here, shall we?"

The darkness surrounding his thoughts surged inward, "Just let this happen Cloud - there is nothing you can do, I am in control of your body. However… feel free to try and scream."

Images flooded his mind. Nibelheim, the reactor, he already knew about that. Or he thought he did, it was all… wrong. But like a blade through his chest, like scalpels slicing into his hands and needles into his spine, the truth blossomed and spilled like blood.

Being dragged, nearly bleeding out, a syringe plunging into his neck. That was the beginning of what would become nearly five years of endless pain. The pure torture was bad enough but just like now he hadn't been able to move. Couldn't fight back, could barely lift his head on his own.

Which was worse? Having your skin flayed open again and again or not being able to do anything but passively watch as you're turned into nothing more than a brutal experiment? To watch your first and only friend suffer and escape and protect you and die anyway?

Cloud did try to scream but it was like trying to cry out in a nightmare, nothing but a strangled sound that caught in his throat. He was permitted to sob, to struggle the tiniest bit in his invisible confines.

He was encouraged, when it became too much, to beg.

"I can't," his voice was a rough whisper, vocal chords suppressed, "don't wanna see, it's too much! Stop… please!?"

"No," the voice was somehow still comforting, "you need this."

"I said it," Cloud sobbed, "you said… if I said it you won't hurt me. It hurts!"

The hand in his hair started petting him again, "I said I'd consider it. Now Puppet, brace yourself."

Avalanche, the reactor bombing, the last few days all slammed into him in shattered fragments. Cutting his way through men who looked like him, who were just… doing their jobs. There was not one of them who deserved this, just… working for Shinra shouldn't be a death sentence.

The man in the street who'd… he'd known him. Even behind a helmet Cloud knew him, Stevens - Eric Stevens recognized Cloud and tried to reach out to him and Cloud had just… he'd murdered him.

How many other troopers had recognized Cloud, knew their murderers face? How many of them had he shared a cafeteria with, or who ragged on him about his motion sickness, or… or…

"They're using you," the voice sounded so very sorry for Cloud - so sad, commiserating, "look what they made you do."

All the fight drained out of Cloud and he went limp as tears were wiped from his face, "why would Tifa… she said she was my friend."

Cloud didn't struggle as he was moved again, head and shoulders onto Sephiroth's lap.

"You know the answer to that, Cloud."

He wished he didn't.

"You have no one but us now."

Cloud wasn't certain how much time had passed as he couldn't do much more than blink. His body didn't belong to him, lying passively as Sephiroth began unbuckling his belts. The light in the room had brightened a little, the faux sunlight outside filtering in where the door didn't sit right.

There was knocking on the door of his room, then a louder pounding. A voice called his name… the sound faded to footsteps pounding down the metal stairs and then returned with a jangle of keys and another call of his name.

"Do you want to answer, Puppet? Are you going to call for help from someone like her?"

Cloud's belts and harness were gently removed and his shirt pulled over his head. He bit his tongue as his gloves were worked off his hands.

He shook his head, an old and familiar emotion kindling in his chest. Hate.

"That's my good Puppet," Sephiroth pressed his lips to Cloud's fingers, "I wouldn't have let you anyway."

Cloud gave another whimper at that, the small amount of control he had over himself wasted in an embarrassed squirm.

The man above him looked down, considering. Teeth flashing in a small smile in the dim light while a hand slowly unbuttoned Cloud's pants.

"So easily turned," Cloud felt another soft touch of darkness teasing around the edges of his mind, "you love this already? Good boy."

Cloud felt overwhelmed, head tipping back as the feeling of fingers returning to stroke his hair began to feel like nails digging into his scalp began to feel painfully invasive. Something moving - shifting - reorganizing inside of him. It was a dull pain, dragging on for what felt like hours, endless. Something eventually broke, something important, but it didn't matter after that because it began to feel good.

The room was dark again when he opened his eyes but he could see a little better now. His eyelids felt heavy, blinking slowly, as heavy as the rest of his body. His boots were sliding off of his feet, he heard them hit the floor before his pants were tugged over his hips and tossed aside.

"How long has it been since you slept, my precious little Puppet?" Sephiroth ran teasing fingers up Cloud's body, palm resting on his cheek.

Cloud's brow furrowed, "Didn't I…" a spark of pain lit at the back of his head and he absently added, "master?"

Sephiroth smiled, bright and warm down at Cloud and it soothed the pain away, "Not quite, how about I help you rest? We all have a long journey ahead of us."

Cloud couldn't help but smile back, "Thank you master."

The man picked up the bundle of black cloth from the corner and lovingly dressed Cloud, draping the deep hood over his face and tucking it around his limp body like a shroud.

"Rest now, chosen of Sephiroth, you are almost ready."

The man… who? He lifted him easily, hiding Cloud's face against his shoulder and stepped out into the night. The weighted feeling spread, numbing Cloud's thoughts and dragging his eyes closed. He was so tired… he should sleep… until the Reunion.