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Family	By : ArchNemesis Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male > Cloud/Sephiroth Views: 3248 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We do not own Final Fantasy. They are the property of Square Enix and Sony. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 25
- 26
- 27
Family

Disclaimer: We do not own any characters of Final Fantasy. They are the
property of Square Enix and Sony. We do not make any money from the writing of
this story.

Pairing: Sephiroth/Cloud

W A R N I N G: This is about male
pregnancy (possibly) and male/male relationships. We are letting you know now
what the relationships WILL contain.
So, if you are AGAINST such
pairings, please find something else more to your liking, you have been WARNED.
Flames will be ignored.
Vocabulary: PRISING and/or PRIZE�noun. to open with force and/or PRYING�noun. to get, separate, or
ferret out with difficulty: to pry a secret out of
someone; We finally pried them away from the TV.

DUSTER�noun. a long, light overgarment, worn esp. in the early days of open
automobiles to protect the clothing from dust.

Special thanks to: Viridian Kat: Mitts & I are thrilled that you�re enjoying our
little piece. I afraid though that you won�t find much on Tseng and Rufus, but
we�re hoping to spark some of our fellow writers interest in creating some
Tseng and Rufus stories.

Malcara: I�m not
giving nothing away for this chapter about Tseng and Rufus, sorry. But I
promise that this chapter will be the most exciting and nail biting chapter that
Mitts & I have written by far. And you are correct with your assumption.
Enjoy! And to those who have read and didn�t review thanks for reading thus
far. We hope you enjoyed it.

oOoOoOo
Chapter 25: Freedom
Cid woke up feeling
relaxed and energized. He hadn�t felt this good in a really long time.
Wondering what the cause for this blissful feeling was,
the pilot lazily cracked open one of his azure orbs
and took a quick glance around.
He noted that he was safely in his own room,
lying on the
bed, on his side,
facing the entrance of his private quarters.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Content that there was nothing
remiss in the room, Cid quietly began assessing
himself. The only two things he noticed with some slight
amusement was that, he was totally
bare for all the world to see, and also that, his backside ached like he�d been
having sex all night. �
Cid chuckled to himself. Well,
that couldn�t be right, could it? It would take a
lot more than an aching butt to convince him that someone had actually found
him attractive enough to fuck.
The feeling of something
weighting his body down did the trick.
Slowly, Cid�s
sleep fuddled mind registered that his waist was encumbered by the pressure of
somebody�s arm thrown across it. Turning his slightly pained neck, he gazed back over his
shoulder, and stared disbelievingly at the man still sleeping soundly behind
him. �
Oh, yeah, I remember
now.
All thoughts, all memories of
the night before, came flooding back to Cid in a flash. He did have sex�.. And by golly he was up for another round. But looking at Vincent innocently sleeping behind him, wondering
what the ex-Turk was peacefully dreaming of, Cid didn�t have the heart to wake
his new lover up, even though his aching loins begged him to.
Thoroughly content to stay in bed
wrapped in Vincent�s arms, but knowing good and well he needed to get
up, Cid tumbled out of bed and headed towards
the bathroom for a nice hot refreshing shower. He
knew in the privacy of the cubicle he could take care of his pressing, early
morning need.
As he walked, Cid�s face took on a grimace. Urgh!
His skin was cracking and itching in places he didn�t even want to think about. But at the same
time, a smile crossed his weather beaten features, as he thought about what it
was exactly, that was causing him to itch and feel uncomfortable. The
end result of his and Vincent�s many couplings
during the night was well worth the
displeasing feeling of dried come, throbbing
ass, and sore muscles.
Cid smirked. Yes, well
worth it indeed.
The pilot set about readying
his shower. He let the water run for a while, getting
it scalding hot, before turning it off.
He then collected the necessary items
he needed for shaving, and placing his bag on the sink�s counter, Cid stared at his rugged face reflected in the misted up mirror. If he waited
another couple of days he would have a nearly full beard. But facial hair was
not his thing, for it made him look older than what he actually was�a significant difference between him and his lover, that he didn�t want
to be reminded of.
It was bad enough that Vincent looked
a great deal younger than him. Cid didn�t need to
see it, to know it.� Still, it had been ironic
to find out that his lover was nearly sixty years old in mind, which really made Vincent thirty years his senior. That thought didn�t sit too well with Cid either, so he
thought of another to cheer himself up. The gunman was twenty-seven
years old in body�..and boy, what a body! That
thought made Cid feel much better.
Although, he admitted candidly to himself as
he applied shaving foam to his face and neck, he realized he was now going to
have to fend off unwanted suitors with his staff. Skulls would be cracked in
the coming days if anyone so much as leered
at his lover.
Pleased and happy at the way
life was now taking a turn for the better, Cid realized how lucky he actually was. The patrons that frequented 7^th Heaven admired
Vincent greatly, admittedly from afar, but there was always one or two out of the bunch
that was brave enough to try and solicit the gunman for a one-night stand,
whenever Vincent ventured into the bar.� Cid would soon put a stop to all that.
Turning his head to one
side and readying the razor, Cid felt again
the intense ache in his neck that had been nagging
him since he woke. He gasped now at
the strong flare up that torn down the side of his
exposed throat. He looked acutely in the mirror,
rubbing at the steamed up glass with a balled up fist to get a better look at
the reflected vision.
Where the pain was radiating
from, Cid saw a vivid red-purplish mark standing
out on his neck like fire and ice material. He could clearly see teeth imprints
embedded in and around the bruised skin.
What the fuck?
Meanwhile, a sated and content Vincent
was turning
over in bed, groping around for his lover�s warm body. But
his out-stretched hand only encountered cold, empty sheets. The
sound of running water alerted him to where Cid had gone.
Blinking crimson eyes, he stretched
and smiled, recalling the strenuous workout he had performed the night before.
The ex-Turk wasn�t in any discomfort though. His body had healed itself during
the night in his sleep, so he didn�t have any of the aches and pains that he
was quite sure Cid was feeling now.
A little concerned for the
airman, worried in case he had gone a bit too far and hard in his lovemaking, Vincent
was just about to go into the bathroom to see how
Cid was faring, when he heard yelling and cursing coming from that direction.
�VALENTINE! GET YOUR FUCKIN�
ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW AND EXPLAIN WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF HICKEY IS THIS!!!�
Vincent grimaced, and
Chaos gave a slight chuckle. It seemed that the pilot had discovered the claiming mark.
oOoOoOo
Things didn�t seem to be going
too well for Cloud on his return back to military school,
after his and Sephiroth�s arrival home from the two week honeymoon they�d enjoyed at Icicle Inn.
It was just that, this far into
his pregnancy, Cloud was overly tired. He
was also experiencing frightening mood swings. One minute he felt on top of the
world, able to take on anyone and anything. The next minute, he would find
himself weeping over everything and nothing.�
Small problems cropped up daily, such as struggling to bend over to tie
his shoe laces, such as losing the ability to leap out of the chair whenever
Sephiroth came home, and jump up into his arms. Just small things, but they
nagged at him.
And it hadn�t helped his bad
mood when he realized that his exams were
approaching fast. Which meant that he was going to have to cram every spare
moment into doing his homework, because
the actual tests were soon due to be taken, and if
he wanted even so much as a chance at passing, he was going to have to study extra hard, non-stop.
The blond boy wouldn�t have
panicked as much as he did though, if he had been aware of all the calculating
plans and scheming plots concerning him, which was going on in the
background.��
The instructors that had been personally handpicked by Rufus to access him
were notified to give the cadet one single written,
and one low level practical performance, evaluation. They had
been informed of Cloud�s rare condition, and each of them
told bluntly to their faces that they would face execution if they told
another living soul outside of themselves
that Cloud Strife was a breeder.
The fact that they had been
sworn to secrecy over a male cadet bearing a child didn�t faze the team of
instructors.� No�.what had sparked
the instructors� interest, was who the father
of the child could be. But this was information
they were never going to be privy to.
Not willing to risk either
the child�s safety or Cloud�s, Sephiroth�s name therefore
was not to be mentioned. The leader of the Turks knew that, should any of
Shin-Ra�s rival�s get wind that the most feared General in the history of Gaia had fathered a child, the outcome could be catastrophic. It was a risk Rufus was not
willing to take.
Another thing that had spurred
Rufus� decision to cotton clad Cloud had been the
non-idle threat from Sephiroth himself. Just days
ago, in a private meeting with the leader, the tall silver haired man had held
Rufus aloft in the air by one balled up fist, and had promised pain and
suffering before death, if anything terrible happened to his lover, Cadet Strife,
or their
unborn child.
To further protect his new
family, it had
also been agreed between Sephiroth
and Cloud, that their marriage was to remain
a secret between them�at least until they
could leave the facility safely with their
baby. To conceal the wedding ring that he wore with
pride, and which he flatly refused to remove, Cloud had taken to wearing black leather gloves, which he�d had custom made at one of the item
shops near Icicle Inn. Wisely, Sephiroth didn�t
argue with him about it. He knew better than to provoke a fight with his lover
while his hormones were raging out of control.
Sat now at his desk in the
classroom, Cloud realized that time was winding down for him. The baby was due in four weeks, and he was starting to get nervous as the birth
of his child drew nearer. Thoughts of the pain he
might have to go through, worrying about how long the delivery would take, and hoping
that Sephiroth would hold true to his promise and be there at the birth, all
caused him stress and sleepless nights, which showed in the dark circles appearing
under his beautiful blue eyes.
On the other hand, Cloud couldn�t wait for his baby to be
born, to hold her in his arms and see the pride on Sephiroth�s
face. He imagined her having beautiful
long flowing hair like her father, and
bright blue or flashing green eyes, with the softest pampered, sweetest
smelling skin.
A small smile lit Cloud�s
face as he finished one of the many written essays he was working on, and dropping the pen
onto the desk, his let his fingers lightly stroke
his now very large,
swollen, belly.
oOoOoOo
For the last four and a
half weeks Tseng had been sick every morning. Today
was no exception, and with the rising of the sun, the new day found him at his
usual place, puking his insides out. He was currently on the floor of his en-suite bathroom, on his hands and knees, giving his offerings to
the porcelain kami.
Tsume was thankfully
in his own room playing, or so Tseng
thought, until he stood shakily on his feet
to wash out his mouth and brush his teeth.
Looking in the mirror, toothbrush poised in hand, Tseng
spied his little man hugging the doorway, the usual
smile missing from his chubby, angelic little face.
�Mommy, you o�kay?� he asked, his big blue eyes watching Tseng�s every move.
�Yeah, Tiger, I�m
fine�I�m just a little sick�that�s all,� Tseng answered, splashing some cold
water on his haggard looking face.
�Don�t you think you
should see the doctor?� Tsume
asked simply, as if it was the most rational
thing to say. Which indeed
it was for him. �I always see him when I�m
feeling sick.�
�Hey, your Daddy�s coming
to visit you today, isn�t he?� Tseng said, reaching for a towel to wipe his face with, trying to
change the subject and avoid answering his
son�s inverted question. Luckily for him, the
mention of Rufus seemed to work.
Tsume nodded his head, instinctively hugging the black and white
spotted puppy that he was holding closer to
his tiny body. The puppy squirmed a little
before settling in the infant�s arms and
closing its dark eyes. The animal had been a
present to Tsume from Rufus, who had lately been
spending more time at Tseng�s to visit with his two
year old son.
Gazing down at the cute picture
his son and the puppy made, Tseng smiled. He
had never been sure how Tsume was going react
to meeting his father. He had told his son about Rufus many
times, but the Shin-Ra heir apparent either didn�t understand what was
being told to him, or Tsume
had simply been holding in his emotions at not having his father in his life.
Tseng knew he shouldn�t have
been worried. His son was very bright for his
age, and so intuitive�
Streams of sunlight spilled into the quietness of the master bedroom.
Soundless little feet padded up the two step dais to the canopy bed. Tsume stared wide eyed and opened mouthed at his mother.
Tseng was sleeping with a slight smile on his relaxed face. His
shoulder length dark hair was free from its binding,
and lay splayed out upon the pillow beneath him.
Tsume had never seen his mother look so beautiful and content before.
There was a man sleeping next to Tsume�s
mommy, the same man that had come last night while
Auntie E�na had been reading him a story, and now
this man was hugging Tseng around the waist.
The little boy glared down hatefully
at the strange blond
haired man whose tresses resembled
his own, before quietly walking around to the other side of his mother�s bed
to get a better look at the stranger.
The bed covering was hanging low around both occupants, and the child knew that both men were naked under the
sheet.� It didn�t surprise Tsume. That was the way his mother often slept. But he felt
slightly disturbed that his mother should be sleeping like that with this
stranger. Tsume didn�t know what to make of
the man.
He did know though that he didn�t
want to share his mother with any one. Maybe except for Auntie
E�na. She always left when his mommy came
home, so she didn�t count.
This man had to go.
And quickly.
Pouting, Tsume left just as quietly as he
had come,
waddling back into his room to think upon things. Ten
minutes later, his mother had come in to check
on him.
�Good morning, young man,� Tseng
greeted, gathering his robe around him and sitting
down on the floor, picking
up one of the tiny toy soldiers that his son had
been playing with. �Are you ready to have some breakfast? I�ll make
pancakes for you, if you like?�
The child didn�t say anything to his mother. Instead,
he just looked down at his dainty toes, seemingly finding them intensely
interesting.
Tseng frowned, noticing his son�s
silence. Normally Tsume
would be a bundle of non-stop chatter.
�Hey, what�s wrong?� he asked, ruffling the
child�s golden head.
�I don�t want you to go away, Mommy,�
Tsume said in a sulky
voice, not looking up.
�What do you mean? I�m not going anywhere.�
�That man in your room. He�s here to take you from me,� Tsume accused.
Oh, boy! Tseng realized
with a shock that his baby must have seen him and Rufus asleep together. He
knew there were a few things that needed telling. He had hoped to hold this conversation a little later,
when Rufus was up and decent, but his son needed explanations now.
��Come
here, little guy,�
he instructed, patting his folded knees.
Tsume slowly climbed into his mother�s waiting lap.
�Listen, Tsume. Remember when I told you
about your father?�
The child nodded his head. �You told me that I have eyes exactly like
him. And that he loves me.�
�Yes, he does love you, very much.� But I was being selfish, and I kept
you all to myself, because of��.�
��Cause of the bad man,� Tsume interjected in a whispered hush, scared that the �bad man� would appear out of nowhere and
steal him and his mommy away.
�Yes, and your daddy and I would be very sad
if anything happened to you, if the bad man got a hold of you. You see, your
daddy is a very well-known man and people, bad people,
would use you to hurt both him and me.�
�What about the stranger in your room?� Tsume
replied, wondering about the person still sleeping in his mother�s bedroom. �You and
daddy love each other, right? Are we going to
live with daddy? Or you don�t love him any more?�
Tseng mused over the words his child had just spoken. He
and Rufus had never actually
pledged words of love to each other. They had only declared
that they wouldn�t ever leave each
other. Was that the same thing? Tseng knew in his heart that he did love Rufus, but he wasn�t sure if the young executive shared
his feelings in return.
Taking a deep
breath, Tseng
prepared to answer Tsume�s
question in a kind and gentle way, but another voice cut in before he had a chance to say a word.
�Your mother loves your daddy just as much as your daddy loves him.�
Tsume�s head flew around and he stared with open hostility at
the strange man that was now awake and propped up against the open doorway. The
small boy pinched his lips together tightly. �What d�you know?� he spat. �My daddy won�t come for us if you�re here!�
Saying that, and knowing he might well get
into trouble from his mother for showing rudeness to a guest, Tsume got up in a heartbeat and fled to his hiding place
in his closet, closing the door behind him firmly
with a slam.
Rufus stared after his son, amazement on
his face that he had been spoken to in such a way by such a small, tiny person.
Tseng made to follow after the errant child,
but the executive motioned for his lover to stay,
going himself to the closet and kneeling before it.
�Tsume?�
�Go away!�
�I�m not going anywhere. I want you to come out and
talk to me.�
�No!�
�Okay, fair enough. Then just listen and I�ll do the talking,� Rufus said, settling himself
back on his heels, prepared to talk all day if need be. �Tsume� your mother is a very private person, and he fears that certain people will use you
and him against� me.�
Rufus paused, waiting for the words to register
with the little boy, waiting for his reaction. He didn�t have long to wait.
�You?� There
was a curious wonder laced in the child�s voice.
�Yes, me,� Rufus answered, his own voice
now taking on a soft, proud tone. �I�ve
just found out, that I have a wonderful, bright, two
year old little boy named Tsume. And I would very much
like to meet him properly, if I may.�
The closet door eased opened a little, and
a single eye spied
out through the narrow gap. Tsume noted for the first time the man�s vivid blue
eyes�they were exactly like his own.
�Are YOU my daddy?� he whispered in
awe.
�Yes, Tsume, I�m your father. I�m Rufus
Shin-Ra.� Rufus held out his hand for the little boy to shake.
Hearing the man mention his surname, Tsume quickly glanced across at his mother.
It had been drilled
into the little boy a countless number of times that under no circumstances was he to tell anybody his last name. It was their secret. But this man knew the secret. He had
the same name. Tsume instinctively knew it would be alright to use
his surname
in front of this man. Opening the closet
door wide, he stepped out and took the offered hand.
��Hello, sir. It�s a pleasure to
meet you. I�m Tsume Shin-Ra.�
Rufus� mouth dropped to the floor. The boy had impeccable manners. He was just about to comment to Tseng on a job well done
bringing up his son, when without any
warning, Tsume launched himself at Rufus, his little arms flung open wide�
Tseng�s smile broadened as he
continued to gaze down at his son and the tightly clutched puppy. The pet had
been a present
from Rufus,
a late gift to make up for missing his son�s second birthday.
Tseng hadn�t been too happy with the arrival
of the Dalmatian pup at first, but the Turk
leader couldn�t complain.
His son and his lover had taken to each other instantly
after their
first talk and from that day on, Rufus had been spending more and more time at
Tseng�s, getting to know his child. And as
for Tsume�..all he talked about now was his father.
It warmed Tseng�s heart
that he didn�t have to keep them apart any longer, because
he knew that, in time, Rufus would have turned
against him for keeping Tsume a secret, keeping the boy hidden even from him. He didn�t want to
have to hide his son, but it had been lengths Tseng had been prepared to go to,
to keep his child safe. Up to now, it had worked.
Tseng knew that he had other options available to him. His back up plan was to resign from the Turks and go into hiding, taking himself and his son away from everything.� He had thought about doing this so many times
since he had
first become pregnant with Tsume. Yet something always stopped him.
His only other option would have been to�
Tseng shuddered at the mere thought of what
his final option would have been. He didn�t even want to think about that option.
Sharing his life now with
his son and Rufus gave Tseng something else to think about�a future.
oOoOoOo
During one of his routine weekly checkups at the
lab, Cloud mentioned to the professors that
he had been experiencing some minor discomfort. He
described it as short, gripping pains in his stomach. Gast was just about to
tell Cloud that what he was experiencing was the phenomena known as �Braxton Hicks Contractions�,
when Hojo had cut him off and sent the boy on his way
with orders to rest as often as possible.
�What in blue blazes is wrong with you?� Gast roared in disbelief at
his fellow scientist, after the pregnant cadet had left the room. �Why
didn�t you tell the boy the truth?�
�His blood pressure is already elevated high enough. He doesn�t need the added stress of��.�
�Don�t you get it, Hojo?� Gast yelled. �That
boy is going to stress regardless! He needs
to know what is happening to him and his body, especially so if he goes into labor without Sephiroth by his
side to calm him and help support him. By withholding information, you could cause that boy much
more harm than good.�
�It won�t matter one way or the other,� Hojo calmly replied�..a little too calmly in Gast�s opinion.
�What do you mean?� he asked, his
voice now dropping to a menacing level, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Hojo ignored Professor Gast for a
moment while he shuffled the paperwork he held in his hands, placing everything
neatly in its relevant places inside a folder marked �Private�. Then he turned
to a filing cabinet and stored the information away before responding to the question.
�The main purpose to the
boy being impregnated by Sephiroth was to construct an army of super humans,� he began, talking down to Gast as if he were a novice. �The artificial
inseminations I
tried proved useless. I went through five dozen eggs before I realized
that a natural implantation of the General�s
sperm was needed. It had to make direct
contact with the boy�s ovum to fertilize.�
A wicked laugh sounded around the lab. Professor Hojo took off his
glasses and rubbed at his eyes, his laugher ringing around the room.
�And, I discovered something
else interesting too, when I examined the boy after learning of his pregnancy.�
Replacing his spectacles, Hojo went to a wall panel and punched in a code.
The wall rumbled slightly before opening up, to show a
large hidden chamber behind it. Lights
flickered on in the room, revealing what was hidden
within. A soft, low humming could be heard in the background.
Gast stepped
forward and held his breath, his eyes
growing large with apprehension at what he was seeing. It couldn�t be!
Mindless of the look of abject
horror on Gast�s face, Hojo
walked briskly into the room and stood proudly before the row upon row of test
tubes that were suspended in a neat and orderly fashion.
�What you are looking at here,
are the rejected fetuses of Cloud Strife. You see, what I discovered�� Hojo
explained, a chuckle in his voice, ��is that our little cadet�s body does not only allow a single egg to
develop, no. His body releases multiple eggs at once at the time of
ovulation. And
all are impregnated, if he has sex at the
right time. And each and every sample that you see here before you has been fertilized
by the great General himself.��
�But�.but that�s�.impossible,� Gast blurted out, stumbling forward, his mind refusing to accept the
possibility of what Hojo was saying.�
�No, not impossible at all,� Hojo replied. �Since the boy can only carry one
fetus at a time, I was able to extract the
rejected fertilized eggs, which would have simply become
waste product and been expelled.�
More sinister laughter echoed in the vast lab as Hojo flung back his head and
laughed rambunctiously, running his fingers lovingly over the long, glass
cylinders.
�And as you can see my friend, our dear General and his precious little cadet, have produced like rabbits.�
Gast stood beside the gloating, insane man with his fists clenched tightly
at his sides, his anger burning him from the inside out, unable to speak, unable
to fully comprehend the ramifications of his colleague�s warped plans.
Hojo was beside himself�literally!
He was shaking and trembling with excitement.
�Should anything untoward happen
to the boy, the child that he carries
will be mine to mold into shape, as I have
done with her father, Sephiroth� And she will lead my army of created SOLDIERs into a
new era!�
�Do you really think that
the General will actually let you anywhere near
Cloud, or his child?� Gast spat out.
A look of total innocence closed
over Hojo�s face, as he turned to face Professor Gast. �The General� will unfortunately be too busy
on a mission, to be at his lover�s side to
witness his child�s birth,� he said, his voice
taking on a calm, composed tone.
�And how can you know this?� Gast inquired, his suspicions growing again at Hojo�s self possessed demeanor.
�Because�.I have scheduled an emergency c-section for the boy for
tomorrow morning.�
Hojo began
laughing uncontrollably�inwardly patting himself on the back for the sheer
genius of his plan. He was laughing so hard in fact
that neither he nor Gast,
who was trying to control his growing temper, saw
the dark lurking figure that slipped un-noticed out of the lab.
oOoOoOo
Turning over restlessly
in the bed for what seemed liked the
hundredth time, Sephiroth just couldn�t get in a comfortable sleeping position. For whatever reason, he was on edge, his every
instinct sensing danger. It had begun that
morning when, in an apparent state of apprehension, he had accidentally sent two cadets to the infirmary during
morning practice. And then there had been his impromptu meeting with the
Board-of-Directors in the afternoon, called to the office to be informed of a mission
to some far out place. And Sephiroth was to leave at first light.
He had tried to explain to the
Board that he couldn�t leave, not with Cloud being
so close to going into labor. But they had
rejected Sephiroth�s plea, telling him that his pregnant partner would be more
than well looked after, if something amiss were to happen while
he was away.
Walking away from the room, his
displeasure showing plainly on his handsome features, Sephiroth felt the
sensation of an ill wind blowing about him again, making him feel uneasy. What
was even more disconcerting to him was the fact of Rufus sending him a text message,
stating that he hadn�t authorized the mission. He
informed Sephiroth, in no uncertain terms, that the Board members had purposely gone behind his back.
Sephiroth�s eyes had narrowed. Something
was definitely wrong.� He couldn�t
explain away the jumpiness in his stomach that had been bothering him all day, and now plagued him
into the night.
Sighing quietly, he
glanced across at Cloud. His husband was sleeping
soundly, his deep blue eyes closed, his soft pink
mouth slightly agape. Sephiroth was glad
that Cloud had finally dropped off. He knew
that the boy had been having even worse trouble getting to sleep than he did; and an even harder time getting up in the morning, because of the lack of
sleep.
In the dim light of the moon lit
room, Sephiroth continued to watch, smiling tenderly at the innocent expression
on his love�s face, his smile widening as every so often Cloud�s face
would scrunch up like he had a fly on his nose, and
then relax.
It calmed the General to watch
the blond sleep contentedly like this. He had been getting worried about his
little cadet, for Cloud had told him about his lack of sleep, and how Professor Hojo had recommended he try to get more rest, especially
before the first half of his exams were finished.
His own eyes now getting heavy,
Sephiroth pulled the sheet up around his shoulders
and snuggled behind Cloud, his fingers idly making several small circles on the
stretched skin of the boy�s stomach before he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
His peaceful world lasted
for five minutes.
Sephiroth was awoken by the
sound of his cell phone buzzing. Picking it up, he
recognized Zack�s name flashing in the display panel.
With a groan of dismay, he flicked the phone open, accepting the call.
�This better be good, buddy,� he
started, his tone tired and irritated. He listened to what Zack had to say, his
sleep denied brain slowly becoming alert to the words that were being
said.�
�What? Are you sure?
When?� Sephiroth snapped out, his voice now taking
on a more concerned tone, the worry and anxiety clearly audible. Zack spoke
again, and Sephiroth listened impatiently,
throwing the covers off of him.
Sephiroth stood for a brief moment, the moonlight bathing his naked body in its soft light,
as he continued to listen silently to what was being said to him. Then he made a grab for his pants, slipping into the leather with ease with the phone nestled at his
ear on his bare shoulder as Zack continued to explain what he had seen and heard on his way to talk to Gast.
�Okay�.Okay,� Sephiroth replied to his friend�s words of warning. �Our
bags are packed with everything that we�re going to need
to take with us. Come by my quarters.
Oh, and Zack,� he added, �be�. careful.�
Turning on the lamp beside the
bed, Sephiroth woke his husband gently,
before getting up and reaching for the
rest of his clothes. Cloud grumbled at the
intrusion of the light against his eyes, and he pulled a pillow over his head,
turning over on to his other side and trying to regain the dream he had been so
rudely woken from.
�Cloud, baby, wake-up. We gotta go,� Sephiroth stressed, his voice raised loud enough to
show he meant business. �You need to hurry and dress.�
�Wha-what�s wrong?� Cloud asked
tiredly, tossing the pillow back behind his head
and pulling the covers up tightly around his
chin as he drifted back to sleep.
As Sephiroth finished fastening
the last buckle on his pauldrons, he felt his heart twist.
His young husband was bone-wary, and
desperately needed to rest, but the General knew he had to disturb him. He
was about to pull the bed covers from Cloud, when some one
knocked quietly on the main door.
Even Cloud now sensed the air of
apprehension that filled the room. Slowly, he eased the covers down, and sat
upright in bed, his eyes growing large and his heart beginning to pound at the apprehension that washed
over him.
Putting a slender finger to his lips, Sephiroth silently
told Cloud to be quiet. With Masamune in hand, the
General stealthily made his way to the living room in the dark, the only source of light being the weak glow from
within the bedroom, which barely showed his way to the main door, which was
being tapped on again.
Opening the door quickly,
Sephiroth reached out and grabbed whoever it was standing there knocking, and brought Masamune around for a
quick kill�. but the blade was meet with
resistance.
�ZACK?�
�Damn it, Seph, you almost took my fucking
head off,� Zack almost yelled, remembering
only at the last minute to keep his voice down as he re-shouldered the buster sword that
had just saved his life.
�Sorry,� the General mumbled,
re-sheathing his own weapon and closing the door. �Wasn�t
expecting you so soon.�
Zack glared at his friend, knowing the other man wasn�t in the least bit sorry at all. �You�re a dick, you know
that?� he said, barely able to keep the annoyance
out of his voice.
�I love you too, Zackary,�
Sephiroth responded, flippantly.
�Whatever, man. Come on;
let�s get the fuck outta here before someone reports
all the commotion. I�ve already told
Aerith. She�s going to meet us in transport.�
�What about Gast? He
doesn�t usually let his daughter leave all on her own at night,� Sephiroth asked, walking
back to his bedroom to check on Cloud, making sure that he was dressed and ready to
leave.
�He already told Aerith earlier that he had a house call to make and would
see her in the morning,� Zack explained. �She�s sent him a text message letting him know what�s
going on�.. You got everything, Spike?� he asked the nervous looking boy as he emerged from the
bedroom, his blue eyes tired looking and red rimmed.
The blond simply nodded his response,
his knuckles turning white as his fingers gripped tensely on the handle of the
suitcase held in front of him.
�That could be dangerous Zack, Aerith
texting her father,� Sephiroth said, lugging his own suitcase,
not at all happy that a loose end had been
left, that they could be found out. �Any type of communication could be
intercepted.�
�Don�t worry,� Zack replied
calmly, stepping forward and prising open Cloud�s
fingers, taking the huge suitcase from him and making his way to the door. �We
thought of a code that will let us know what�s happening. We will meet up with
Gast at a later time.�
Reaching the main door, Zack
passed the heavy case to Sephiroth before opening the door cautiously and
poking his head out, checking both ways of the corridor were clear. Once
satisfied, he turned back into the room and held out his hand.
�Okay, Seph, I�ll meet you and Cloud at the rendezvous
point,� he said,
hoping that this wasn�t going to be the last
time of seeing either of his friend�s.
Sephiroth held Zack�s hand
tightly in both of his for a moment, before letting go to watch the dark haired
man sprint down the hallway and away from the
apartment. Sephiroth had felt something being
pressed into his hand by his second-in-command,
but he knew he didn�t have the time to look at
the contents of the envelope he now held, so
he tucked it
safely away in his duster.
Sighing deeply, Sephiroth picked
up their two heavy suitcases in one hand, and
took Cloud�s hand gently in the other.
�Let�s go, love,� he whispered.
oOoOoOo
Worrying at his bottom
lip, Tseng stared down at the cell phone which
he held in his trembling hands. It was no good. He could no longer pretend that
nothing was wrong with him. As strong willed
as his mind was, his body, even with the mako
enhancements, was weak.
Nausea, vomiting, dizziness��.These
were symptoms his body hadn�t
experienced since��..
Flipping the phone case open,
he dialed a number that he hadn�t needed to in a
long time.
�Hello?� greeted
the fatherly voice on the other end of the line.
�Professor Gast�.How are you? All is well, thank you for asking. �I need you to conduct a physical exam for me�No, no, Tsume is
fine�No, I need it ��for me��
oOoOoOo
Sephiroth cursed silently as
he and Cloud made their way down a steep, long flight of metal
stairs which they had to negotiate in near darkness.� This was the last obstacle in their way.� All they had to do once they reached the
bottom was to slip quietly past Hojo�s lab, and then they would be able to reach the rear exit elevators.
From there, they could race to freedom.
Behind him, Sephiroth heard
Cloud�s
footing falter, and he instinctively turned around to steady his pregnant partner,
his hands automatically reaching out for the slender boy�.and letting go of the
heavy suitcases, which tumbled and crashed with a resounding thump and clamor
to the bottom of the steps.
For a single moment both men
were rooted to the spot, petrified to move, to breathe�..Then, the alarm was raised, the
resounding echoing noise the falling baggage made having alerted the nearby
guards.
Picking Cloud up in his strong
arms, Sephiroth leapt down the remaining few stairs and kicked aside the broken
cases, ignoring now the need for the contents that were spilling out over the
concrete floor. They had more important things to worry about.
Running as fast as he could,
with Cloud�s arms holding tightly around his neck, Sephiroth sprinted towards
the corridor that led to the elevators, only to find his way blocked already by
several well armed Soldiers.� The General
back tracked quickly, the sound of guns being cocked reaching his ears as he
raced around a corner and began to run down a long empty corridor, desperately
seeking some sort of escape.
With the thudding of pounding
feet behind them, Sephiroth rounded another corner and ducked in through a set of doors which
had been mercifully left open.� Carefully
releasing a frightened Cloud to the floor, Sephiroth promptly locked the entrance to the room they had found temporary shelter
in and, taking a heaving breath, he turned to see what protection the room
could offer them.
They were in what appeared to be
a small warehouse. The flickering florescent lights overhead showed what the
room contained�..yellow storage barrels, piled high from floor to ceiling. Not much use as a form of offense but at least something to hide
behind Sephiroth thought, as he pulled Cloud behind him to hide amongst the
heavy plastic containers.
As
Cloud slipped tiredly to his knees, one hand clutching his stomach, Sephiroth
decided to check out the rest of the room, to see if there was another way out
for them.�
�Stay
here,� he cautioned, carefully
peeking from their hiding spot to
double check that they had not been followed, that no one was trying the door handle. No one was. They were safe, for now.
Turning, he began squeezing his way through the
wall of barrels, working his way to the back of the room, where sure enough, he
came across another door. Carefully turning the handle, he opened it a fraction
of the way, listening for any sound outside. When he heard nothing, he opened
the door a little wider, and looked out.
All
was silent here, and Sephiroth was surprised to see that he was within sight of
Hojo�s exclusive emergency exit elevator. He realized
suddenly that this room he had run into with Cloud was the one directly behind
the mad scientist�s lab, and he become aware now of just what the yellow
barrels contained.
Feeling
a sense of relief that escape was now again within their grasp, Sephiroth took
the time to look at the letter Zack had passed to him.
I saw Shin-Ra earlier, before all this shit went down
with Dr. Frankenstein. He told me to give this to you�it will help you both later. Just don�t lose it.

ZF
Inside
the envelope were ID cards, bank cards, some gil, and other pieces of financial support�all with
their names, pictures, and signatures on them. Rufus was giving Sephiroth and Cloud a jump start at a new life. The executive had even had mobile phone accounts set-up for them with private untraceable numbers. Which was a good thing too since their phones, and all their valuables, had been lost along with their suitcases.
A
soft groan caught Sephiroth�s keen hearing. Feeling a lot calmer than he had done, he made his way back to the
front of the room to find Cloud on his knees, his hands braced against one of
the barrels, his little face etched in pain.�
Sephiroth ran to him quickly, putting his arms about his husband�s
shoulders and hugging him to his chest.
�Cloud? Cloud?
What is it? Are you alright?� Sephiroth didn�t care for the youth�s skin coloring. The boy was
much too pale, and his face was damp with sweat. The General knew that he
was pushing Cloud too hard, but they had to get away from the lab, they had to
get out of this place at all costs.
�I�m fine�..I�m fine,� Cloud panted, relaxing back into
Sephiroth�s embrace, his erratic breathing slowing down, his face taking on a
more peaceful countenance. �I just keep getting these tummy cramps every now
and then. It�s nothing. Hojo just said I needed to
rest,� he explained.
Brushing sweat soaked hair out of Cloud�s eyes; Sephiroth
planted a sweet kiss on his clammy forehead taking the time to enjoy the feel
of his lover in his arms. Until Cloud emitted another groan of pain, and
doubled up again in agony, curling up into a fetal position, his sobbing wail
catching at Sephiroth�s soul. He realized then that they had even less time
than he had thought for. �He had taken too long going through the contents of the envelope. They had to get out, now�.before Cloud�s condition deteriorated any further and made escape
impossible.
While waiting for the boy�s pain to subside, Sephiroth stood
and began heaving and hefting some of the large barrels aside, creating a path
as a safe passage for Cloud to get through. He had just made it to the other
door, when he heard Cloud weakly call out.
�Seph�..Seph�..Someone�s
trying to open the door!�
Racing back as fast as he could, the General stood protectively
in front of Cloud,
who still lay upon the cold floor, his body slowly uncoiling from the racks
of� pain he had just suffered, his brow
awash with fresh sweat.
Casting a glance at the locked door through the shield of mako barrels,
Sephiroth knew this was it. It was now or never. Just a few tantalizing feet behind them,
was the exit to
their freedom. Turning back towards the youth, he bent down and spoke urgently; giving to Cloud the vital envelope, quickly explaining to his mate
what it was as he slid
the package into the boy�s fevered hands.
��Cloud, you have a clear shot to
the door. I want you to run for it and don�t look back. I�ll find you later.��
�No! Sephiroth, I�m not leaving without you!� Cloud said. His fingers clenched tightly onto Sephiroth�s sleeves. He was determined to stay with his husband.
Nothing was going to tear them apart. Nothing!
�Don�t argue with me on this. Hojo wants her, and I will not allow that bastard to get his hands on
her, or you,� Sephiroth
shouted, knowing he had to remain there to give Cloud time to get to the other
door, to give him time to get to, and call for, the elevator. �
At the distraught look Cloud gave him, Sephiroth�s tone softened, and placing a gloved hand on his
lover�s distended stomach,
he stared into Cloud�s face intently, his eyes trailing and memorizing every
line, every contour.�
�Our lives have been manipulated enough,� Sephiroth sighed. �And I do not want my daughter�our
daughter�treated like a science experiment. If you love me, you�ll get up
and leave me, now.�
Before Cloud even had a chance to answer, there came the
sound of pounding upon the locked doors. Sephiroth turned his head sharply toward the entrance, his green eyes narrowing,
and his ears straining to hear what was going on the other side of the wooden
barrier.
Distant footsteps were coming closer, marching in unison, an
army of feet.
Helping the boy up to his feet, holding him steady with a
strong arm about his waist, Sephiroth felt Cloud shaking, the General leaned in towards his lover, caressing Cloud�s cheek and kissing his trembling pink lips
tenderly. �He knew they were out of time. The sound of voices could be
heard from outside the heavy doors.
�Okay, we found
them! Break it down!�
BAM!
�Go!� Sephiroth insisted, pushing Cloud away from his embrace, pushing again when the boy
hesitated. �If not for me, do it for her. Keep her safe, Cloud.��
The worried words of Sephiroth, and the urgency with which
he spoke them, burned into Cloud�s mind, and ripped into his heart like a knife.
He knew that Sephiroth was right. He knew that for their child to live, he
had to be the one to get out first. He knew, even without being told, that
Sephiroth would go down fighting to protect him. And he also knew that, the
quicker he made his escape, the quicker Sephiroth could follow.
�With sad green eyes,
the General watched as
Cloud reluctantly made his way though the parted barrels, not taking his eyes
off his pregnant
lover until he
had reached, and had run
out through, the exit
to the elevator, even then still staring with longing at the empty space once the door closed after his mate.
The sound of the locked doors
being blown off alerted Sephiroth to the danger now facing him, and he came out from behind the shelter
of the mako barrels, sword in hand.
�General, you are hereby under
arrest. Throw down your weapon and come quietly with us.�
Sephiroth silently glared at the
assembled troop of men before him, all armed, all poised, their weapons all
aimed directly at him.� His eyes
narrowed. His grip on Masamune tightened.
These were the men he helped train to neutralize threats of
every nature�foreign and domestic. This was
what he told the Board-of-stuck up-Directors during his informal hearing when Montgomery attacked Cloud.
And these were the men he would kill to protect his family.
oOoOoOo
High on a rocky hill, not
far from the military complex, Cloud watched
with liquid blue eyes, as the building he had just fled from suddenly exploded in a sea of
flames� with his husband still inside.
oOo TBC oOo
A/N: So, how was that? Has anyone figured out what�s going on with
Cloud? Or who ordered Sephiroth to go on that mission? And what about Cid and
Vincent? Seems to me that Cid
didn�t take too kindly to being marked. Any one believe that he�ll
get over it? Don�t know? Well, stay tuned for the next chapter.
Mitts & ArchNemesis
oOoOo Teaser for Chapter 26 oOoOo
�I said stop, cadet!�
�Cloud is not going anywhere with you.�
�You are interfering with a military arrest! Move aside or
we will be forced to take extreme measures,� the lieutenant-in-charge threatened.
- 25
- 26
- 27
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