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Let Him In	By : GodOfInsanity Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Cloud/Sephiroth Views: 2233 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 or its characters. Nor do I own Morrissey’s passage, either. I do not profit from any of it. I just had an itch to write this, so I did.

Chapter List
- 16
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- 18
Let Him In

Chapter warning(s): Language, Dark themes, Angst, Slight M/M Yaoi

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“What is past is past, there is a future left to all men, who have the virtue to repent and the energy to atone.”-Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

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CH16: Repentance

“He is very lucky to be alive,” commented Vincent as he led Cloud and Sephiroth into the intensive care medical ward. Pushing the door open with ease, he stepped in quietly and stood a safe distance away as he waited for the others to enter the room.
Cloud hesitantly walked into the small room and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the familiar man lying in the hospital bed. It was Tseng. So that meant…
Sephiroth almost didn’t enter the room. He was so immersed by guilt and trepidation that he was afraid that when he walked into the room that he would see the man from his dream. It would confirm that what had happened in his dream had really happened. And no matter what Cloud said about it, he had had a hand in it whether he was directly or indirectly to blame for it.
Stopping just as abruptly as the blond had, the jade-eyed man gasped soundlessly at the sight of the dark-haired Turk. It was the man from his dream. His name was Tseng, if he recalled correctly.
“If I had not found him when I had and administered a Cure from the Restore Materia, he would have died. He was minutes away from imminent death,” explained the ex-Turk as he glanced at the Turk lying in the bed. His ruby gaze flickered to Sephiroth as he gauged the ex-General’s reaction to this. He found it curious that Sephiroth looked shocked and guilty.
Frowning, the blond warrior stepped closer until he was standing beside the bed and staring down at the unconscious man. Without taking his eyes from Tseng’s prone form, he slowly inquired, “Seph, is this the man you saw in your vision?”
Sephiroth nodded slowly as if he were in a trance.
Seeing the nod from his peripheral vision, Cloud sighed and then looked at the ex-Turk. “Seph said Elena was with Tseng. He didn’t see what they did to her after they gutted Tseng, but it was clear they were about to do something bad to her. Did you find her, too?”
Vincent looked as grim as ever as he directed his gaze to the ex-Mercenary. He proffered a plastic bag from seemingly out of nowhere. It was clear and inside it was a torn navy blue Turk jacket and a dress shirt. Both articles of clothing had belonged to a woman due to the size and style. They were also splattered in blood and looked as if they had been forcibly removed from Elena’s body. “All I found was Tseng. The girl was not at the scene when I arrived. I found evidence that she had been there: clumps of blond hair, and a torn and blooded dress jacket and shirt. Otherwise…I found nothing else to indicate that she had been there at all.”
The blond man’s eyes were narrowed dangerously and his lips were set in a thin line. In other words, the man was not happy. He looked as if he wanted to beat someone brutally to death. “She may still be alive, then.”
“Perhaps,” agreed Vincent with a look that held little hope for the blond Turk girl.
“Is Tseng going to pull through or…?” Asked Cloud in an effort to change the subject away from the thought of what had happened to Elena or what may still be happening to her.
The ex-Turk took several long minutes to carefully mull over the question before he finally answered it. “I do not know. All I know is that although he is stable for the time being, he is in a coma.”
“Coma…?” Repeated the silver-haired man in confusion. Coma was not a word he was familiar with, but whatever it was, it did not sound good.
As if by magic or perhaps by a sixth sense, Tseng’s eyes flew open as soon as the ex-General had spoken. He winced at the pain as he hastily rose to an upright position. Ignoring Cloud and Tseng, his dark eyes settled on the tallest man in the room. Out of all the emotions swirling uncontrollably in his black eyes, the strongest thing present in his eyes was hatred. In a voice that rivaled the loathing stamped on his face, he hissed, “You…”
The ex-General took a step back as if Tseng had actually physically hit him. Even though he wasn’t appalled by the way the man was glaring hatefully at him, he still didn’t enjoy it. The burden of his guilt weighed more heavily to the point that he found it difficult to remain in the room. The silver-haired man knew he deserved this and worse. He had no right to be angry, hurt, or upset by Tseng’s reaction to his presence.
Not particularly liking the way the Turk was reacting to his lover, Cloud moved quickly to stand protectively in front of Sephiroth. In an effort to shield Sephiroth from the Turk’s brewing wrath, he stated, “Tseng. Tseng, what happened to you and Elena?”
Jerking his chin in Sephiroth’s direction, Tseng answered darkly, “He tortured me and Elena. Then He tried to kill me. I don’t know what that bastard did to Elena…”
Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Cloud was quick to disagree. “He was with me all day and all night. There was no way that Seph hurt you and Elena. I am very sorry that this has happened to you and to your comrade, but know this; Sephiroth had nothing to do with this, so back off.”
Perplexed by Cloud’s response, Tseng said nothing as he tried to analyze what Cloud had said. It made no sense to him. If He wasn’t to blame, then who was? And of all people, why was Cloud defending him?
In an effort to keep things from spiraling out of control, Vincent quickly stepped in. Knowing the blond’s fierce temper and Tseng’s nearly hysterical state, it was best he did damage control now. “Cloud speaks the truth, Tseng. This may be a lot for you to take in right now, but know this: Sephiroth is not the enemy. Not anymore.”
Although Tseng was far from being calm, he was no longer hysterical. He was still indescribably upset and found it hard not to shake in anger. What had happened to him and his fellow Turk was still fresh in his system. “If what you say is true, then what were those monsters? They looked just like Him. They oozed of His presence.”
“We presume them to be Sephiroth’s clones. His…remnants. We don’t know where they came from, but we do know what they’re after,” clarified Vincent in his usual monotonous voice. He was doing his best to beat Cloud to the punch since the blond looked as if he were seething from rage.
“Mother,” spat Tseng as he burned a hole in the ground with his glare. “They kept demanding to know where their Mother was. They killed Rufus Shinra before we could get to him.” The Turk paused long enough to gaze despondently at nothing in particular. In a voice that mirrored his bitter expression, he muttered, “I suppose that was a blessing in itself. Rufus was dying of Geostigma. It was at such an advanced stage that he couldn’t even walk, let alone move much at all.”
“Do you know where Rude and Reno are? Are they even still alive? No one seems to know. Reeve and the WRO have been searching for you guys for awhile now,” asked Cloud in a quiet sort of voice. His bright blue eyes still held a deadly edge to them as if he were daring Tseng to do something stupid.
Tseng sighed and leaned back on his elbows. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back. His dark hair spilled out behind him at the change in position. “Unfortunately…I do not know. I hope that they are well, but I know better than to hope for miracles. For all I know, Reno and Rude are just as dead as Elena is.”
“She could still be alive. Don’t give up on her, yet,” growled Cloud. The Turk was pissing him off and that surprised him because Tseng never really made him angry. He shouldn’t be mad at the man, but something about his attitude was inciting his ire. The Turk had every right to hate Sephiroth and to act like all hope was lost, but something about that bothered Cloud to no bounds. He didn’t want Tseng or anyone else to hate his lover and he didn’t want any of his friends or comrades to give up.
Scrunching his eyes tightly closed, Tseng fought the sudden wave of emotion that wracked his frail, recuperating body. Seeing Sephiroth again had slashed open a bunch of old wounds. There was a particular pain inside of him that hadn’t lessened at all after all these years. He had once lost someone that he had loved more than anyone and anything else. Time didn’t heal shit and it didn’t lessen the pain. All it did was gradually get you used to the notion that the woman you had loved was gone forever. No amount of crying and therapy would ever make it right again. Death always changed everything.
As if sensing his distress, Vincent quietly suggested, “We should let him rest now.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” acquiesced Cloud as he nodded to Tseng before he started to exit the room.
Out of the three, Sephiroth was the only one who remained in the room with Tseng. He had started to walk out, but stopped suddenly as if something had occurred to him. Slowly looking over his shoulder at Tseng, he then softly spoke with the full weight of emotion nearly shaking in his voice.
“I am sorry.”

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Vincent glanced from Cloud to Sephiroth before he finally asked, “There’s something you’re both not telling me. You asked Sephiroth if he recognized Tseng. Why? And why does Sephiroth look so guilty?”
Cloud looked at Sephiroth. “Do you want to tell him, Seph? I think it will help if he knows.”
The ex-General slowly nodded.
“Take your time,” said the blond with a comforting squeeze of Sephiroth’s hand.
Sephiroth shook his head and muttered, “No, you tell him.”
The ex-Mercenary sighed, but consented to it anyway. “As you wish, Seph.”
The ex-General sat down in a chair of the waiting room. He leaned over and rested his face in his hands.
“Seph had a vision of what occurred between the Turks and the clones. He saw them torturing Tseng and Elena. He said there’s three of them…and that they look just like him. Their names are Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. Seph saw them eviscerate Tseng, but he didn’t see what they did to Elena. So far all we know is that these clones are looking for Jenova,” patiently explained Cloud as he kept his gaze locked on his lover.
Vincent listened without interrupting. He didn’t fail to notice that the blond hadn’t answered all of his questions. “Why does Sephiroth feel guilty about it?”
Cloud sighed. “He blames himself for it. I guess it’s because since he witnessed it, he was a part of it and also because they resemble his old self. They’re his…remnants. They’ve probably been skulking around plotting way before I resurrected him.”
The ex-Turk nodded and glanced at the ex-General. “If you are to blame for what happened, Sephiroth, then I am to blame, as well.”
Sephiroth sat up straight as his hands dropped away from his face. He stared up at the ex-Turk in surprise. “Don’t be stupid. You didn’t do anything except rescue Tseng, Valentine.”
“I’m not being stupid. You are,” stated Vincent as he strode over to the seated ex-General. He rested a hand on the silver-haired man’s shoulder. “The fact that you even feel remorse is proof that you aren’t a monster like your clones. If you wish to redeem yourself, Sephiroth, then help us fight them. Help us fight her.”
The jade-eyed man nodded slowly. “I will do what I can.”
“Good,” said the ex-Turk as he began to turn and walk away.
“Where are you going?” Questioned a very exhausted looking Cloud.
Vincent halted in his steps just long enough to answer, “To find Elena.”
Sephiroth immediately sprang up onto his feet. “Whatever you do, do not engage them, Valentine. They are…powerful. Three against one are not good odds. You saw what they did to Tseng and who knows what they’ve done to the other Turks.”
The ex-Turk’s back was facing Cloud and Sephiroth, which meant his face wasn’t visible to them. A small smile graced his pale, youthful face. “Do not worry, Sephiroth, I will be just fine. I was once a Turk, you know. And I would never dream of dying and leaving you alone without anyone to harass you on a daily basis.”
“I’ll go with you, Valentine,” volunteered the ex-General. He would never admit it, but he had a soft spot for the ex-Turk. The thought of Vincent running off alone and possibly getting killed by his remnants bothered him greatly.
“No, you stay with Cloud. You both look like you need some rest,” stated Vincent in a voice that left little room for argument. “I will be back before you know it.”
“Be careful, Vincent,” bade Cloud as he solemnly watched his friend depart from the hospital. As much as he wanted to drive out and find the clone bastards, he knew Vincent was right. They both needed rest and as soon as they were rested, Cloud knew that he had to resume Sephiroth’s training as soon as possible. There wasn’t much time, which meant that the ex-General had to learn as much as he could before he had to join in the brewing conflict.
Cloud also knew that it wouldn’t be long until Sephiroth was faced with his remnants. He didn’t know what was going to happen or how Sephiroth would react to them, but he knew he couldn’t hide the ex-General forever. In the back of his mind, he actually feared that Sephiroth would leave him to join his clones. But what he feared more than betrayal was what the clones might do to his Sephiroth.
The blond fighter walked over and clasped Sephiroth’s hand in his. Looking up at the ex-General, he smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, Vincent will be fine. He knows what he’s doing.”
“I’m not worried,” denied Sephiroth as he shook his head.
“If you say so,” snickered Cloud as he led the ex-General outside. He knew his silver-haired lover was full of shit. “Since we’re already in Midgar, I was thinking we could rent a hotel, sleep for a few hours, and then get you back to the training facility. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Sephiroth with a curt nod. He cursed when a grey cat ran out from under a car. It hissed at them and scampered away. The ex-General was suddenly reminded of something. “Where is that robot cat thing? I haven’t seen or heard the annoying thing since…”
Cloud looked sheepish. “I think…I think we left him at the house.”
Sephiroth smirked. “Good. And that’s where he’s staying.”
As if on cue, a very annoying southern sounding voice piped up. “Hey guys! Where have you been?! You left me behind! How could you? That’s so MEAN!”
Cloud and Sephiroth simultaneously groaned.

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A/N: Sorry it’s so short, but I ran out of time…and I didn’t want to leave you guys hanging for another week. I managed to update TGTT and Let Him In. I feel accomplished. And thanks a bunches for the reviews. It feeds my motivation to update more and faster. ;)
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Let Him In