Be my Master

Chapter Four
Hearts Held Prisoner

Yeah, this is a stretch. How many of you got this idea about Cloud from chapter two? Hehe...once again, they are not mine; everyone and everything except Luther belongs to Squaresoft.

VVL 69

* * * * *

"S...Sephiroth! I...uhm..."

"Well..." Sephiroth leaned forward to regard the blond through the glass separating them, his eyes lowering to Cloud's still-erect penis. "I see you've been thinking about me...care to explain last night to me, or shall I finish what I started?"

Cloud gulped. What did Sephiroth mean by that? He could only hope it wasn't anything too serious...

"Well? I'm waiting."

"Uh...uhm...well..."

"Never mind...I believe I know the answer to my own question. Why do you use yourself for entertainment?"

"It's...well, it's a long story..." Cloud could feel his entire face burning at Sephiroth's question. "But the reason...well, that's...I can't tell you..." He sighed and pressed himself closer to the glass, trying to read the General's expression.

"You can't tell me? Whyever not?" Sephiroth's lips turned in a scowl, his eyes narrowing to slits. "I demand an answer, Strife."

"I...I just can't tell you..." Cloud turned away and threw his back to the door, knowing what would come next.

"You dare defy me? What a strong nerve you have. Unfortunately, I'll have to break it," Sephiroth hissed and drew back his fist. "And I will start with this wall."

Cloud screamed. "No, don't---"

Glass sprayed forward from the force of the General's fist, embedding itself in the unfortunate blond's legs and arms as he tried vainly to protect his face. "Now," Sephiroth snarled, looking down at the bleeding youth with dispassionate eyes, "I'm going to have an answer. And if you don't tell me, I will force it out of you."

Inexplicably Cloud felt himself hardening further. Why? This was not what he had envisioned at all! "I...I wanted..." He tried to continue, but found no voice in his throat. The General seemed to loom over him, malevolently; his eyes flashed in the sudden darkness.

"Wh...What..." Cloud felt himself weakening, dizzying... He slumped to his knees, barely registering the pain of the glass below shredding his skin. "Uhhgh..." His vision swam, spinning and churning with a violet haze...

Sephiroth's face came into view slightly above him, drawing out his misery with darkly flashing eyes. "I will have my answer, Strife..." the General whispered, and Cloud fell into unconsciousness...

* * * * *

"Uhnhhh..."

Blue eyes opened wearily, swiveling in the darkness. After a second they closed again of their own volition.

"Wake up." A hand slapped across Cloud's face, shocking the boy into violent reality.

"Wh...Where am I?" He cried out as needle-sharp jolts of pain surfaced over his stomach, sending a creeping hot sensation into the muscles below. "What are you doing? Tell me!"

"Removing the glass," was Sephiroth's cool whisper against his ear. "It has to come out, Strife."

"Don't call me that! Let me go!" Cloud jerked against his bonds, receiving another hard slap for his efforts.

"Don't move," Sephiroth commanded.

Cloud wearily allowed his body to sag backwards into the soft surface below him, dimly registering that it was some sort of bed. He was only half-right, he gradually realized, as the surface curved upward near his head forcing his body into a near-sitting position. This meant that rather than being a bed, it had to be some sort of utilitarian furniture resembling one. "What is this?" he asked as he turned his head to one side.

"My chaise. Now don't move, or I'll leave the glass in." The General's frigid murmur was so subzero that it actually caused Cloud to shiver. Or was it the threat of leaving his wounds unattended that drew the blond's body hair to stand on end?

"Yes sir." He opened his eyes again, seeing dim candlelight in front of him. Between his legs, thankfully far apart from his genitals, was a short taper candle, lighting Sephiroth's work as he methodically removed the dark lancets of glass from Cloud's stomach and upper legs. How long would it take? Feeling lamely embarrassed, he attempted to ignore the way the silver-haired General's fingers were plucking at his skin. "Why am I here?"

"Because you've tempted me for far too long," Sephiroth said emotionlessly. "I cannot abide temptations."

"Then let me go," Cloud insisted. "I have to return the keys to Zax before he gets worried..."

"Already done," came the monotone response. "And I ensured he would not be disturbing us."

"What did you do to Zax?!"

"Nothing, Cloud. Don't misunderstand me." Sephiroth brushed his hand over Cloud's stomach, watching his face for some register of pain. When none came, he lowered the candle and himself to a lower position, then resumed his steady work.

"Then where is he?" Cloud inquired.

"In his dorm, playing cards with Luther. It was one of the errands I sent the boy on..." Sephiroth bit his lip in concentration. "And you have some glass here." He gently cradled Cloud's awakening penis in one hand, removing a curved sliver from the left side. "Don't you know how to guard yourself?"

"I didn't expect you to punch the wall apart," Cloud retorted, a little too icily. As soon as the words had left his mouth he saw the General's eyes narrow.

"I am not to be disobeyed," Sephiroth hissed. "You know very well what happens to people who disobey me."

Indeed Cloud knew. One such unfortunate had been the former second officer, Macaulay Johnson. In the midst of battle he had protested against the General's tactics, causing the SOLDIERs underneath his command to fall into an ambush, and as a result had lost all seven of them to the enemy.

Sephiroth had not been merciful that day.

In front of the entire assembly, Macaulay had been beheaded by the General's Masamune. Being a green cadet at the time Cloud had violently heaved into Zax' lap. He could still hear Sephiroth's parting words...

"This is the fate of all who defy me."

Rousing himself back to reality, Cloud stared forward at Sephiroth. The General simply allowed his eyes to fall back to his work, carefully removing a miniscule particle of glass from the blond's thigh. "I'm sorry, sir..." he whispered.

"Then do not allow it to happen again." The response was curt.

"Yes sir." Cloud allowed himself a small, tired yawn, hoping that the General would not take it as boredom, and watched the glass come out of his legs little by little under Sephiroth's neatly-trimmed nails. Suddenly he noticed that there was not a single shard of glass in his arms or forehead, which he had missed protecting. "What happened to the glass in my arms?"

"I removed it while you were sleeping. The same with your face," Sephiroth whispered absently. "But don't thank me just yet, Cloud. I have plans for you."

"What sort of plans?"

"As I said, you have become a temptation. And because of that fact, you will not be allowed to leave my quarters until I see fit to release you."

"B...but, General Sephiroth..."

"Sephiroth will do, considering our position...And I will have no protests, Cloud, because that shows disobedience."

"Yes sir."

"Good." Sephiroth leaned back on his heels to regard his work, smoothing his hands over Cloud's legs to ensure there was no glass remaining anywhere. He then brushed stray silver hairs from Cloud's legs and stood up, watching the boy ferally.

"What now?" Cloud wondered aloud. His question was answered when Sephiroth's lips met his in a savage kiss strong enough to curl his toes, the General's tongue parting his lips and thrusting between them. "S-Sephiroth!"

"That is for you, my little temptation," the General whispered as he pulled back. "And now, this is for me." His lips met with Cloud's throat, parting to allow sharp teeth the leisure of grazing over the velvet flesh before puncturing it.

"Aaah...!" Cloud gasped in a breath as he felt both pleasure and pain shock him. "S...Sephiroth...I..."

"Mmmmm..." Sephiroth's breath vibrated against his neck between sipping, suckling sounds. "I adore the taste of you." His body hovered over Cloud's, glistening in the candlelight; at last the General raised his head to survey the damage he had inflicted, a small bloom of red slicked over his pale lips.

"You...bit me..." Cloud managed to whisper.

"Yes," Sephiroth confirmed silkily. "I adore the taste of blood...my Masamune is not the only thing that revels in it." To further prove the fact of his statement, his massive erection prodded against Cloud's thigh. "Do you feel it?"

"Yes," Cloud whispered. "Yes, I do..."

"Good...And soon you will feel it inside of you."

At that Cloud nearly died with excitement and anxiety. Would the General abuse him, or take him gently and indulgently?

"Nervous, my pet?" Sephiroth inquired huskily. "You should be."

"Why?"

"Because," the General replied airily, "not many survive my wrath, either sexual or physical. You should be very afraid of me."

"I'm not," Cloud responded bravely.

"Well, then...I shall make you fear me." Sephiroth stood and walked over to a cabinet, opening the doors and removing a long, flexible object. It took Cloud only a second to realize it was a whip...or rather, it appeared to be a riding crop.

"What are you going to do with that?"

Sephiroth turned slowly to face Cloud. His mako-infused eyes shone an indulged jade as he brandished the crop in front of him, lifting the blond's chin with the end. "Can you guess what it is for, my pet?"

"Oh no..." Cloud felt both his resolve and arousal weakening.

"Oh, yes." Sephiroth's face drew up in a cruel smirk. "I will see your body red from my pleasure."

For an instant Cloud saw himself from outside his body, his blond head shaking from side to side as the silver-haired General drew back his hand---

And he returned to his body with the first whistling snap of the riding crop.

CRACK!

A glistening red welt had appeared across his stomach. Bracing himself for the next blow, Cloud could not withhold the scream from Sephiroth's awaiting ears.

CRACK!

"Aaaah, oh please Sephiroth don't--!"

CRACK!!

"Please--no more--" Another welt, across his thighs...

CRACK!!!

"I can't take it--"

"Be silent!"

CRACK!!!

His face stung with indescribable pain. A long welt now covered the rise of both cheeks and the bridge of his nose, bringing with it a trickle of blood. "Stop, Sephiroth, please!!"

And suddenly the General's hand drew back once more, then halted. "Had enough?"

Cloud gasped and inhaled breath through his stinging nose, tasting blood. "Yes, Sephiroth, please don't hurt me I'll-do-anything-you-say!" he screamed.

"Good," Sephiroth said unexpectedly and released his hold on the riding crop. It fell to the floor, rapidly ignored as the General's smooth fingers traced over the welts. "Yes, just the way I prefer you. Now tell me what I desire...what did you say you wanted?"

"I wanted...to see you," Cloud whispered, a hot flame burning behind his struck cheeks. "To be close to you, to..." - he faltered, then finished in a short whisper - "...know you..." His eyes raised bashfully to Sephiroth's, mesmerized by the slight tilt of the catlike orbs. "B...but I couldn't tell you...I was so afraid..."

"Of what? Me?"

"Yes," Cloud whispered, "and of what you'd do..."

Sephiroth suddenly rose, walking over to the back of the chaise and unfastening Cloud's restraints. "Ah, then none of this was necessary." A queer smile crept over his lips as he regarded Cloud's puzzled expression. "You had already caught my attention with your actions last evening...why reveal this to me out of fear?"

"I don't know..." the boy admitted. An unwanted tear welled up in the corner of his eye, and he brushed it away angrily. "But I'm scared."

"Fear is a tool of the master, and yet it is not," Sephiroth said paradoxically, sitting down on the chaise next to Cloud and extending an arm to him. The blond sank into it without a second thought.

"But what does that mean?" he wondered.

"It means that I am now torn between craving to ravish you and desiring to love you," the General responded in a quiet, calm tone. "For certain, this has never happened to me. I do not love anyone...not even myself."

"Why not?" Cloud wanted to know.

"I was taught from an early age that self-love, as well as sexual gratification, was evil." Sephiroth ground his fingers into a tight fist, angrily remembering the man who had spoken those words to him. The same man who had instilled a loathing hatred for love and gratification in the silver-haired General by abusing him night after night... "And never having risen above it, I used fear instead to my advantage."

"But Sephiroth, I love you," Cloud protested.

"I know. Even through your pain I can see it." Sephiroth basely gritted his teeth, feeling an unwanted affection for the boy stir him. "And perhaps, it is possible for me to love you as well. Don't think badly of me," - he stroked the welt over Cloud's face, bringing forth a fresh crop of tears from the blond - "for I do not understand the parameters of love."

Cloud felt his nasal passages clenching with the flow of tears. "I-it's all right," he cried, "no one really does..." He let himself sink down against the General's chest, sobbing quietly to himself as Sephiroth gently closed his arms around the blond and held him tightly. "But...but I want you..." he whispered through the veil of moisture covering his vision.

"Then you shall have me," Sephiroth whispered, "but not here, and not now." He gently lifted Cloud up into his arms, cradling him against his shoulder as the boy continued to weep.

"Sephiroth...you're my dream," he whispered against the General's firm, unyielding flesh, and was answered with a gentle caress over his nose.

"I know..."

*****

VVL 69: *sobs* Poor Sephiroth, the mixed-up creature...Yes, I know what I said, but it went in a direction I couldn't anticipate. Relax, people, I do intend to get to the lemon...just didn't turn out to be in this chapter like I thought it would be...*blows nose with ridiculously large tissue and sobs again* Wasn't it sad? *sniffle* Ahem! I am sure now where this one is going, and Chapter Five is the likely candidate for the lemon. Again, I am *really* sorry, guys...


VVL 69