Adult-FanFiction.org : Final Fantasy

Love Makes a Difference	By : Nakkinomiko Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Cloud/Sephiroth Views: 2328 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all its characters are owned by SquareEnix. They aren't mine, and I make no money from this fic.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Disclaimer: I don’t own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. SquareEnix does. I make no money from this…I just like to play with them.
A/N: And here’s the second chapter of this one. The next couple are already finished, so I’ll post them soon. The rest of this story I need to write, so updates won’t happen as often after that. Again, watch out for sap…and Hojo. Yeah, he gets his own warning. Creepy bastard.
***********
Chapter 2
Cloud spent a good portion of the morning filling out paperwork. Medical forms, releases of information, waivers, tax forms--Cloud had never seen so much paperwork in his life. He’d stared at the thirty-some pages when they were first handed to him, and the clerk behind the desk had laughed.
“Don’t worry, son. This is the last time you’ll have to fill out paperwork like this,” the man had said. “You make it through this, you’re set.”
It took him nearly three hours, and by the time he was finished, it was getting very close to noon. He stopped by his room long enough to stash his copies of the forms in his footlocker before he rushed off to the officers mess. The walk from the barracks to the mess hall was surreal, as every regular SOLDIER he crossed paths with paused to salute him. It still hadn’t completely sunk in yet, that he was a SOLDIER First Class, and that he actually had rank now. Granted, he was only a lieutenant, but he was an officer none-the-less. Had someone asked him a year ago if he’d be at this point now, he would have laughed at them.
I’m an officer, he thought as he returned a salute. He grinned a little. I’m really an officer.
It was noon on the dot when he arrived in the mess, and he was disappointed to find that neither Zack nor Sephiroth had arrived yet. He was hyper aware of the curious glances some of the others were giving him as he grabbed a tray and got in line.
“You’re new here.” The observation had come from the SOLDIER standing in line behind him. Cloud turned his head and found the man looking at him with a friendly smile. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, but Cloud thought it possible that the man might be older. Mako enhancement had a way of slowing down the aging process, and the man’s brown eyes glowed visibly. His dark hair was cut close to his skull, and he wore a pin on his lapel that told Cloud the man was a Captain.
“Yes, sir,” Cloud said.
“Oh, don’t call me sir,” the man said with a laugh. “The name is Max Anderson. You’ll learn pretty quickly that rank doesn’t mean a lot to us First Classers . . Unless you’re talking the General, but even then it’s not as strict as they lead the regulars to believe. You have a name?”
“Cloud Strife.” Cloud smiled slightly.
“You got anyone to eat lunch with?” Anderson asked.
“Yeah, but they’re not here yet,” Cloud said. He told himself he wouldn’t be upset if Zack and Sephiroth didn’t show up. They were more than likely busy and probably running late.
“Well, if you don’t mind, I’ll keep you company until they get here,” Anderson said. “I’ll help you save a couple seats for your friends.”
“Sure,” Cloud said with a shrug. He made his way through the line, and stifled a laugh when he realized that the officers’ food wasn’t any better than the slop they served to the regulars. It was still the same old meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
“Here, there’s an empty table over here,” Anderson said. Cloud followed him over and took a seat. Anderson sat across from him. “So, where you from?”
“Nibelheim,” Cloud said.   “You?”
“Gongaga,” he said. “That was years ago, though. Been in SOLDIER for as long as I can remember. The guys like to joke that I was born a SOLDIER.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Nearly twenty years now,” Anderson said. “Guess I’ve made it a career.”
“You fought in the Wutai war then,” Cloud said.
Anderson nodded. “Yeah. Was a nasty war, that one. . .hope that idiot President Shinra realizes that Sephiroth won that bloody war for him.”
“He did?”
“Oh, yeah. Sephiroth’s a brilliant tactician,” Anderson said. “I’m proud to serve under him. . .even if I am old enough to be his father.”
Cloud found himself smiling a little. “You don’t look that old.”
Anderson laughed. “You’re okay, kid.”
“He’s more than okay,” a voice informed Anderson. “Kid’s brilliant with a buster sword.”
Cloud’s eyes narrowed considerably as Zack seated himself next to Anderson.
“Aw, come on. You’re not still mad at me?” Zack asked, grinning. “It wasn’t that bad. You survived.”
Anderson rolled his eyes. “What did you do now, Zack?”
“The same thing he does to all new First Class SOLDIERS--got him completely drunk,” Sephiroth’s cool voice said.   He pulled out the chair next to Cloud and seated himself.
Zack’s grin was decidedly unrepentant. “Yeah, so?”
Anderson shook his head. “You’re evil, Zack.”
“Yeah, with friends like you . . .” Cloud let the sentiment trail off and settled for glaring at his friend.
“It’s no use,” Sephiroth said. “Zack has absolutely no shame.”
“I’m getting that,” Cloud said.
“You survived,” Zack repeated with a grin. “And you’re eating lunch with us, so what’s the problem?”
Cloud glared.
“I’m not even going to ask,” Anderson said with a laugh. “Get used to it, though. It comes with the territory if you hang out with this one--Zack’s a jokester.”
“Indeed.” Sephiroth’s tone was lacking amusement.
Anderson shook his head at Zack. “Only you are crazy enough to antagonize the General.”
“Certifiable,” Zack agreed cheerfully. “Yo, Cloud. What are you up to for the rest of the day?”
“Class,” Cloud said with a sigh. There was a popular misconception that once you made officer all the classes stopped, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. There were scores of seminars and classes to sharpen a SOLDIER’s skills, and most of them were mandatory.
“Which classes are you taking?” Anderson asked.
“I think I’ve got tactical theory on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,” Cloud said. “I’ve got martial arts training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“Tactical? Whoa. . .tough class,” Zack said with a grimace. “I would have totally failed if it weren’t for Sephiroth over there.”
“Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?” Anderson said with a laugh.
“It’s that hard?” Cloud had a sinking feeling in his gut.
“It’s not, really,” Sephiroth replied. “Zack is exaggerating. He only needed my help once.”
“And I’m sure he’d help you, too, if you need it,” Zack said with a grin.
Cloud felt himself blushing.
Anderson looked between the three of them and then made a sound of comprehension. Cloud felt his blush grow hotter.
“Don’t tell me you took him to Sephiroth’s place last night?” Anderson asked in a hushed whisper. “Zack, you really are evil! You’d think that after the last time you would have learned. . .”
“Hope springs eternal,” Sephiroth interrupted. He was glaring at Zack again.
Zack refused to be intimidated. Cloud was amazed. He was fairly certain he’d be terrified if Sephiroth glared at him like that. Zack gestured at Sephiroth with his fork.
“I refuse to be sorry for it,” Zack said with a shrug. “You need more friends.”
Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed.
“You are fucking nuts,” Anderson said with a chuckle. He finished the last of his lunch and stood with his tray.   “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got duties to attend to.”
“Of course,” Sephiroth said.
“Zack, try to stay out of trouble,” Anderson said with a laugh. “And Cloud, it was good meeting you. See you around, kid.”
“Nice guy, Anderson,” Zack said after Anderson had left.
“Mm.” Cloud dug into his lunch.
“So, what are you up to after class?” Zack asked.
“Haven’t thought that far,” Cloud confessed with a shrug.
“Up for some sparring?”
Cloud shrugged. “Sure.”
Zack grinned. “Good. I was telling Sephiroth here how good you were with that buster sword of yours. Now you can show him.”
“Zack.” Sephiroth’s voice held an unmistakable command.
Zack snapped his mouth shut. “Heh. I just remembered something I need to do. Catch you later, Strife! I’ll be looking for you in the gym tonight!”
Cloud sighed as he watched the man walk away from the table.
“He did it again,” Cloud murmured. Zack had left him alone with Sephiroth again. Bastard.
“It would appear so,” came the calm reply. “I’m sure if we put our heads together we could come up with an appropriate punishment for him.”
“The more embarrassing the better,” Cloud mumbled. He finished his lunch and shoved the tray away.
“Do you find my company that unbearable?”
Cloud had to actually look to make sure the man was teasing him. He was. Sephiroth’s lips were quirked in a slight smirk that told Cloud the General knew that quite the opposite was true.
“No, sir,” Cloud finally answered.
“You know, Cloud, as annoyed as I am with Zack, I have to admit that he’s achieved his goal.” Sephiroth stood from the table with his empty tray.
“Oh?”
“Despite his meddling, I do find myself rather intrigued by you.”
Cloud felt his breath hitch. He couldn’t find words to respond, especially not when Sephiroth’s lips curled into what Cloud could only call a sexy smirk.
“I’ll see you in the gym this evening,” Sephiroth said, and then he was walking away.
*****
When Cloud arrived at the gym, Zack and Sephiroth were already there. Zack waved him over, and Cloud swallowed a sigh and went to greet his friend.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten, Spike!” Zack grinned at him. “Sephiroth was starting to worry.”
Cloud rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the blush that was now burning on his cheeks. “I came as soon as I could. My last class ran a little late and I didn’t want to skip dinner.”
Sephiroth smiled. “A wise choice. Will you spar with me, Cloud?”
Cloud swallowed hard as he contemplated Sephiroth’s request, aware that several SOLDIERs were watching. The gym was unusually crowded, and Cloud suspected he had Zack to thank for that. He could almost hear Zack’s voice in his head: Make sure you come to the gym tonight. You can watch Sephiroth trounce the new kid! Oh, he was so going to make Zack pay, once he’d figured out a fitting revenge.
“Sure,” Cloud finally replied. The room started to buzz with conversation as he and Sephiroth squared off in the center of the room.
“I won’t hold back,” Sephiroth said smoothly.
“Didn’t expect you to, sir,” Cloud replied.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment, and then quite suddenly they were at it. Cloud grunted as he parried Sephiroth’s first blow. He gave way beneath it and spun away. Such strength! Cloud thought. His shoulders had barely been able to stand the blow! Sephiroth came at him again, but instead of giving way, Cloud moved into the attack. Cloud parried the blow and used the same movement to slip past the General’s defenses. Sephiroth gave an exclamation of surprise and had to actually execute a midair flip to escape Cloud’s counter attack. The crowd fell abruptly silent as he and Sephiroth started at each other from across the mat.
“Holy shit! No one’s ever done that before!” someone muttered from the sidelines.
Cloud found himself smirking at Sephiroth. “I thought you said you weren’t going to hold back.”
Green eyes narrowed dangerously. It was the only warning Cloud had before the man attacked again. Cloud was proud that he lasted a whole ten minutes before Sephiroth finally disarmed him and sent him sprawling on his back. Cold steel pressed against his sternum, and Cloud knew better than to try and move. Sephiroth stared down the length of his blade at him, his chest heaving and perspiration beading at his temples. The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. And then, someone started to applaud, and very soon the entire room joined in. Cloud’s brow furrowed in confusion, and Sephiroth withdrew his blade and offered Cloud a hand up.
“You do realize, don‘t you, that the applause is for you?”
“Sir?” He placed his hand into Sephiroth’s and allowed the General to lever him off the floor.
“No one has ever lasted that long against me,” Sephiroth said. “Most don’t even make it past the first attack before they are disarmed.”
Cloud just stared at him, dumbstruck.
“Told you he was brilliant!” Zack crowed as he joined them.
“Indeed,” Sephiroth said with a smirk. His eyes were appraising as he looked down at Cloud, and after a moment the smirk turned into something that was much closer to a smile. “I think you’ve earned a dinner.”
“Sir?”
“Be at my apartment in an hour,” Sephiroth said.   He sheathed his sword and turned and walked away.
“Oh, you lucky bastard!” Zack said. He was laughing. “He’s going to make you dinner!”
“Lucky indeed!” Anderson appeared out of the crowd and grinned at Cloud. “Rumor has it he’s as talented a chef as he is a SOLDIER.”
“It’s no rumor!” Zack exclaimed. “He’s made me dinner once or twice!”
Cloud felt himself blushing again, acutely aware that there were still several SOLDIERs hanging around. What could they be thinking of all this? Would they think that Sephiroth was playing favorites? Would it cause trouble for him in the long run? He didn’t want everyone to think that the only reason he was in SOLDIER was because of Sephiroth!
“I know what you’re thinking,” Anderson said suddenly. “No one here will give you a hard time because of this, Cloud. I mean, even if it does appear the General has taken a liking to you, it’s pretty damn obvious you’re a First Class SOLDIER because you have the skill to be. Like Sephiroth said, no one has ever lasted that long in a match with him, not even Zack here.”
“He’s right, you know,” Zack said. He gave Cloud a wry grin. “Seph usually kicks my ass in less than five minutes.”
“Whatever,” Cloud murmured.
Anderson snorted and glanced sideways at Zack. “Is he always this modest?”
“Afraid so,” Zack said.
Anderson just stared at Cloud for a moment before he gave the blonde a crooked smile. “Well, you’d better get yourself cleaned up and over to his apartment then. If there’s one thing the General hates, it’s tardiness.”
“Oh, he’s right about that!” Zack said.   “Better get a move on!”
Cloud didn’t need to be told twice.
*****
Sephiroth had spent the better part of the day with a nagging feeling that he’d forgotten something important. It wasn’t until he stepped out of the elevator and saw the man leaning against the wall outside his apartment that he remembered just what that something was.
Damn it all!
“Hello, Father,” Sephiroth said.
Hojo’s thin lips curled up in what might have been a smile, had it not had such a cruel edge to it. The smile didn’t reach his dark eyes, in fact, they flashed with anger behind the glasses he wore. “Hello, Sephiroth. I trust that you have a good reason for missing your appointment in the lab today?”
Sephiroth instantly thought of sunshine blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and opened his mouth and lied. “No, sir. I merely forgot.”
“Forgot?”
“Yes,” Sephiroth said. “I can come tomorrow . . .”
Hojo’s eyes narrowed slightly, and then his smile grew a little wider. His pale hand disappeared into one of his lab coat pockets and withdrew two syringes. Both were full of liquid that glowed faintly with a greenish blue light.   “No need. I’ve brought them with me.”
It was with great effort that Sephiroth managed to not react outside of giving his father a quick nod. He unlocked the door to his apartment and gestured the man in before following and shutting the door behind him. He glanced at the clock on the VCR and a quick calculation told him that he had less than thirty-five minutes before Cloud arrived for his dinner.
“It won’t take long will it?” Sephiroth asked, somehow managing to keep his voice cool and distant. “I’ve not eaten yet this evening and I’m rather hungry.”
“Just a few minutes,” Hojo assured him. His lips were still curved with that ugly smile. “Why don’t you take your jacket off and lie down on the couch now?”
“Of course.” Sephiroth shrugged out his coat and hung it on a peg by the door before he went to lie on the couch. He gave fleeting thanks to the Ancients that he’d put away the blankets and pillow that Cloud had used the night before--some gut instinct told him that it was best to keep his interest in the blonde from his father.
“I’ve heard that the newly promoted SOLDIERS started today,” Hojo said. He produced an alcohol swab from one of his pockets and opened it. He scrubbed hard at the crook of Sephiroth’s elbow and then uncovered the needle on the first syringe.
“Yes,” Sephiroth said. He bit his tongue to keep his silence as the steel needle slid into his vein. He bit down again, this time hard enough to draw blood, when Hojo slowly depressed the plunger and sent the mako cocktail into his bloodstream. It stung horribly--like it always did. He couldn’t stop the tears of pain that sprung to his eyes.
“Do any of them show promise?” Hojo jabbed the second needle into his arm and depressed the plunger.
“None seem particularly outstanding,” Sephiroth lied.
Hojo’s brown eyes narrowed sharply. Sephiroth held his gaze unflinchingly.
“Ten minutes against you isn’t outstanding?” Hojo questioned.
Despite the fresh Mako burning in his veins, Sephiroth felt a chill traverse his spine. He’d always known the Shinra scientist had eyes and ears within the ranks of SOLDIER, but he hadn’t realized just how good the man’s sources were.
“Was it ten minutes?” Sephiroth did his best to sound bored and disinterested. “I rather think it was more like five or six--hardly surprising since he trained with Zack. The kid seems to be a friend of his.”
“Interesting,” Hojo said softly. He straightened and gave Sephiroth a smile that was more chilling than comforting. “You might want to stay down for a while. This cocktail is a little different from the one I usually give you.”
“Sir?” Sephiroth felt something like panic rising in his throat.
“I’ve developed a few theories on mako isotopes, and you’re the perfect subject to test them on,” Hojo replied. “You’ve already proven that you can survive numerous normal injections. This shouldn’t kill you, although, I can’t promise it won’t make you sick. It’s a shame that you didn’t remember to come to the lab today. Had I been able to dose you there I would have had the resources on hand to counteract any ill effects. Now, however . . .” Hojo let his words trail off and he gave a careless shrug.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” How he managed to keep the horror and fear from his voice was beyond Sephiroth.
“Most likely, yes,” Hojo replied coldly. “However, I trust, in the future, that you will not forget again?”
“No, sir.”
“See that you don’t,” Hojo growled. He turned and left the apartment without a backward glance, the door slamming shut behind him.
Sephiroth glanced at the VCR clock again, and cursed softly. He only had twenty minutes left before Cloud was due to arrive. He wouldn’t have dinner ready by then, but he could at least have it started and cooking. Sephiroth levered himself off the couch, and a sudden chill swept through him. He groaned as his stomach cramped, the pain so sharp that it forced him to his knees. Another chill overtook him, and his teeth started to chatter.
“Oh, gods. . .” Sephiroth closed his eyes and refused to scream as his stomach convulsed again. He lowered himself to the carpet and lay on his side. Another sharp cramp had him curling into a tight fetal position. He’d had similar reactions to past treatments, but this was far worse than anything he’d ever felt before. His stomach felt like it was trying to tie itself into very tiny little knots, and the burning feeling he’d felt at the injection sites was starting to spread throughout his entire body. The air around him seemed to grow even cooler as his body broke out into a feverish sweat.
A third cramp twisted his insides, and the last thought Sephiroth had before he passed out was that he didn’t want Cloud to see him like this.
*****
Cloud nervously shifted from one foot to the other before he lifted his hand to knock on Sephiroth’s door. He was five minutes late and hoped that the General wouldn’t be too upset with him. There had been traffic between the base and the apartment complex, and Cloud had been unable to get himself and his bike to his destination any quicker. He knocked on the door and waited. No one answered the door.
Cloud frowned and knocked again. “General? Are you there?” Again, there was no answer. He stared at the door for a moment, full of indecision. He could go back to the barracks, but he found it hard to believe that Sephiroth had forgotten about his promise to make him dinner. It was likely that he’d gotten waylaid at the base and was running a little late. So, did he wait outside the door, or maybe he should go visit Zack next door until the General arrived? Yes, that seemed like the best plan. He could talk with Zack for a while and not look like a besotted idiot waiting outside Sephiroth’s door!
Decision made, Cloud turned away from the door. He took one step towards Zack’s apartment, and heard a noise from inside Sephiroth’s apartment. Cloud halted mid-stride, his eyes wide. He hadn’t imagined it. It had sounded like . . .his eyes grew a little wider when he heard the noise again and he whirled around to face the door. It sounded like someone was in serious pain! Cloud reached out and tried the door, and it opened when he twisted the knob.
“Sir?” Cloud called. He stepped into the apartment slowly. “General Sephiroth? Are you here, sir? It’s Cloud . . .”
A low moan sounded from the direction of the living room. Cloud felt the hair on his arms stand on end. He stepped further in and closed the door behind him before moving cautiously towards the sound. He entered the living room proper, and for a moment, didn’t see the General. Another moan drew his attention downwards.
“Sir!” Cloud rushed forward and skidded to his knees next to Sephiroth. The man was lying on his side on the carpet, his knees drawn up to his chest and his eyes tightly closed. He was bare-chested, and his skin shone with a layer of perspiration. Cloud reached out tentatively and touched the man’s forehead. Cloud made a displeased sound at the heat he found there--the General had a nasty fever.
Cloud dropped his hand to Sephiroth’s shoulder and shook him slightly. “Sephiroth? Please, wake up.”
Sephiroth’s only response was another pained moan. His skin was so hot beneath Cloud’s fingers that it almost burned. Cloud tried to shake him awake again, but Sephiroth remained unconscious. What to do? Call an ambulance? Some gut instinct told him that wouldn’t be a good idea, but he had to do something. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Zack’s number, and was extremely relieved when the man picked up on the first ring.
“Cloud, you idiot! Don’t tell me you’re not at Seph’s yet!”
“I am,” Cloud interrupted. “Zack, something’s wrong with Sephiroth. He didn’t answer the door when I knocked. He’s lying on his living room floor and he’s running a really high fever.”
“Shit. Hang on, I’m coming.”
Cloud flipped his phone shut and a moment later Zack was there. The Lieutenant knelt next to Sephiroth and reached out and took Sephiroth’s right hand into his own and tugged gently. The motion extended Sephiroth’s arm, and it was then that Cloud saw the dark bruises in the crook of Sephiroth’s elbow.
“Bloody hell,” Zack swore. “That sorry excuse for a . . . .” Zack snapped his mouth shut. He looked as if he were ready to kill something.
“What’s wrong with him?” Cloud whispered.
Zack made an angry sound. “It’s mako poisoning, Cloud. Haven’t you ever had it?”
“Yeah,” Cloud said. He had, but his symptoms had never been as serious as what he was seeing in Sephiroth now. He’d never had such a high fever, nor had he really had any pain outside of the kind of aches one got when they had a cold or the flu. “But not like this.”
“No, of course not,” Zack said. He practically spat the words out. Zack took a closer look at the bruises on Sephiroth’s skin and practically snarled. “These are fresh injections. See? They’re still bleeding a little . . .which means that bastard Hojo was here.”
Cloud gave Zack a questioning glance. He knew who Hojo was--he was the head of the Shinra bio division, and Cloud had seen him once or twice in the labs when he’d gone for his own scheduled injections. The man had always seemed absorbed in his own work, always letting his subordinates take care of administering the injections that Cloud received once a month.
“Why would he come here?”
“Because he’s a controlling, manipulative son of a bitch, that’s why,” Zack growled. “Look, Cloud. If you’re really going to have a go at a relationship with Sephiroth, there are things you need to know. I was kind of hoping Seph would get a chance to tell you about it himself before something like this happened.”
“Like what?”
“Help me get him into the bathroom, and we’ll talk along the way. We need to get him into a cold bath. This fever is way too high for my liking.”
“Okay.”
For the next few minutes there was no conversation. Cloud helped Zack get Sephiroth into the bathroom, and then ran cool water in the tub while Zack stripped an unconscious Sephiroth of all his clothing. Despite the dire situation, Cloud couldn’t help but stare at Sephiroth’s nudity. He was beautiful, like some pale god. His muscles were clearly defined beneath his flawless skin, and there was not an ounce of fat on the man.
“Nice sight, ne?” Zack teased gently.
Cloud only nodded.
Zack lifted Sephiroth into his arms and then settled him into the tub. Sephiroth moaned as his over-heated form was lowered into the cool water. Zack made a soothing sound in the back of his throat and brushed a strand of silver hair away from Sephiroth’s face. It occurred to Cloud, then, that this was not the first time Zack had done this. His friend was far too calm and sure of his own actions. No, he’d done this for Sephiroth before.
“Zack, what’s going on?”
Zack sighed. “I’m going to tell you, but you have to promise to never talk about it with anyone but myself or Sephiroth.”
“I promise,” Cloud said.
“Sephiroth’s not like other SOLDIERS,” Zack began. “He’s had the same training as the rest of us, yes, but biologically, he’s much different.” Zack’s jaw clenched again. “Sephiroth has always had a much more active metabolism than the rest of us. He’s stronger, faster, and heals much more quickly than anyone else. But you already know that part, ne?”
“Yeah,” Cloud whispered. He knelt next to the tub.
“What you don’t know is that his strength is his greatest vulnerability,” Zack continued. “It makes him a prime specimen for experimentation, something that Hojo takes advantage of every chance he gets. I’d bet a whole paycheck that the mako Hojo injected him with today is very different from the stuff you and I get.”
Cloud frowned a little. “He lets Hojo do this to him?”
“Of course,” Zack said. “Hojo is his father, Cloud.”
Cloud just stared at Zack, horrified at the revelation. “But. . . That’s . . .that’s terrible.”
“Isn’t it though?” Zack sighed. “I’ve tried to talk Sephiroth into telling Hojo to go to hell. I get so angry every time I think about the fact that Hojo does this to his own son. I still don’t understand why Sephiroth lets him do it. . .”
“Because he doesn’t want it to happen to anyone else,” Cloud interrupted with sudden insight. It made sense, really. Cloud knew he had a lot to learn about the General, but he knew the man’s reputation enough to know that Sephiroth would want to protect his men from something like this, if he could.
Zack snapped his mouth shut and just stared at Cloud for a moment. “Bloody hell, you’re probably right.” He shook his head slightly. “No, I know you’re right.”
“Will he be okay, Zack?”
“Yeah,” Zack said. “I’m pretty certain he will be. Believe it or not, I’ve actually seen him worse than this.”
“Worse?” Cloud clenched his jaw. He had a sudden, strong dislike of Hojo.
“Yeah,” Zack said. His eyes looked haunted.
“Zack?” Sephiroth’s voice was a barely audible croak. His eyes were half open, and his green eyes were glowing, even in the bright light of the bathroom.
“Hey,” Zack said. He reached out and laid the back of his hand on Sephiroth’s forehead. “You’re really ill, man.”
“Father was here,” Sephiroth managed. His entire frame shook with a sudden tremor. “He said it was a new isotope.”
“You going to be okay?” Zack asked. “Do I need to take you to the lab?”
Sephiroth shook his head, almost violently. “No, Zack. He was mad . . . I forgot my appointment with him today. That’s why he brought the mako here, because he didn’t want to offer me any help. It was my punishment, for forgetting. Even if you did take me to the lab, he wouldn‘t help me, not today.”
“Someday, I’m going to kill that bastard,” Zack spat. “I don’t care if he is your father!”
“It was my fault,” Sephiroth said. His eyes closed. “I was distracted, Zack.”
“Oh, yeah?” Zack chuckled. “That distraction doesn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes, does it?”
Cloud realized with a start that the General didn’t realize he was there. It was evident in the way Sephiroth’s lips curled into a slight smile and his head gave a slight nod of assent. Cloud felt his cheeks burning hotly, and Zack grinned hard at him.
“Is he upset with me?” Sephiroth rasped. “I was supposed to make him dinner . . .”
“I’ve no clue,” Zack said. “Why don’t you ask him yourself? He’s right here.”
Green eyes opened wide, and Cloud found himself speared with that intense gaze. Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed slightly and his gaze slid sideways. He frowned at Zack.
“You really are a bastard,” Sephiroth croaked. “If I weren’t so ill, I would beat you senseless. You just can’t leave well enough alone, can you?”
Zack just gazed back at Sephiroth, his jaw set stubbornly and his demeanor decidedly unapologetic. Sephiroth sighed heavily before turning his attention back to Cloud.
“I am sorry,” Sephiroth said with a weak smile. “I was going to make you a splendid dinner. . .”
“You can do it some other time,” Cloud interrupted. He gave Sephiroth a tentative smile. “I’m not upset with you at all. I’ll just go . . .”
“No, you are staying,” Zack said. “I’ve got a date tonight, and I don’t want Sephiroth here by himself.”
“Zack!” Sephiroth’s green eyes flashed with annoyance.
“Nope,” Zack shook his head. “He’s staying. I’m going to help you out of there and into some pajamas, but after that, you’re in Cloud’s care. You okay with that, kid?”
Cloud could only nod. It still floored him that Zack could talk to Sephiroth like that and not be afraid that the man would gut him.
“I suppose I have no say in this?” Sephiroth sounded resigned. He was showing signs of wanting to sleep. His eyes were blinking slowly, and his voice was growing softer.
“None whatsoever.” Zack was unyielding. “You know as well as I that you’re going to be weaker than a newborn babe for the next twelve hours. You can’t be left here alone, Seph, and you know it.”
Cloud’s heart went out to Sephiroth when the General gave a defeated sigh and a minute nod of his head. “I don’t mind, really,” Cloud said. “It’s not like I actually have anything else to do tonight.”
“Besides, it will give you two a chance to talk and get to know each other better,” Zack said with a grin.
Sephiroth smiled a little. “Trust you to find the silver lining, Zack.”
*****
TBC
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