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Responsive	By : jessara40k Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 777 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Responsive
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-Note
- 5
- 6
- 7
Sephiroth dropped the book he was reading when Cloud let
himself into his quarters and came to greet Cloud with a kiss, something that
Cloud was beginning to have the uncomfortable feeling was as much about obeying
Cloud�s instructions as Sephiroth�s own desires. But he pushed his faint
discomfort aside to enjoy the feel of Sephiroth�s lips on his, and his
submissive responses to Cloud�s touch. When he released Sephiroth his lover
went to put his book away, hiding the title from Cloud, but making it look accidental,
so Cloud decided not to push about that.

�You had your first lesson with slotted materia today, how
did it go?�

�Not bad. I think I know why you only perceive the standard
spells even when you use a materia unslotted, besides the fact that the
standard levels are the easiest to sense. You only learned how to use a materia
unslotted after you�d been using slotted materia for a while, didn�t
you?�

�Yes, it wasn�t even something I was taught to do, I found
myself in a bad position early in the Wutai war, since I was only promoted to
General about halfway through my deployment to Wutai, after a spectacular
success, and the only thing I could think of was to try and use an Earth
materia.� He shrugged, with the same grace he used for everything else. �I did
some experimenting whenever I had the chance and I started teaching other
SOLDIERs during the last year of the war.�

�And everyone you taught until me had used slotted materia
before?� Cloud took a seat on the couch as he spoke. �So everyone who learned
how to use materia unslotted imposed the same structure that slotting it
imposes on the materia, mentally. And that explains why it used to take a lot
longer to learn how to use materia before the slotting process was invented.�

�They didn�t have the structure imposed by slotting to fall
back on and to use as a visualisation tool you mean?� Sephiroth had settled on
the floor at Cloud�s feet, but at least he wasn�t kneeling, and Cloud had
agreed to allow it occasionally - besides at the moment he felt as if he was
teaching his lover, even if it was just his speculations, so their positions
felt oddly appropriate.

�Yes, and since I had no preconceived expectations I was
able to sense something a bit closer to the reality of what the materia was.
When I slotted the Fire materia today I could only sense the stable power
level, not the semi- and unstable levels, all of those disappeared as I slotted
it, and a power channel that corresponded to the Fire spell seemed to form. And
I sensed the second level form as the materia matured a bit, that was a
breathtaking experience.�

�I thought you were all supposed to use a first level
materia today, tomorrow and the day after, then a second level materia for the
other three days.� He was frowning as he said that. �I�d have thought they�d
use a materia that wasn�t going to mature during the class.�

�Apparently they were supposed to ask you to check that, or
at least that�s what Instructor Trepes implied. No one ever had the guts to ask
you, have they?�

�No, when I did this the first time I was given general
information on the rules, but that wasn�t mentioned. I assume it would fall in
the specifics I was supposed to arrange with the instructors. And they haven�t
contacted me since then...I�ll insist on inspecting the Ice and Lightning materia
you�ll be working on tomorrow and the day after.�

�Thank you Sephiroth.� Cloud leaned forward and stroked his
lover�s hair and caressed his cheek for a moment, before standing and pulling
Sephiroth up to stand beside him. �I couldn�t believe how badly most of my
class did, I think I was the only one there who destroyed the target with one
spell.� His hands were wandering underneath Sephiroth�s coat and over his torso
as he spoke.

�It isn�t that surprising that you�d do better than the
others. You have more talent in that area than they do, more even than I
do, even though you have less power you have far greater skill.� Cloud shook
his head, Sephiroth�s words were flattering, but he knew they weren�t
accurate...at least not yet, perhaps they would become accurate, if he
figured out how to use the semi-stable power levels hidden in the materia for
instance. �Or the potential for far greater skill, at least, indicating more
raw talent needing only experience.�

�I can accept that.� It still bothered him a bit, but it
made sense, and Cloud vowed to live up to the potential his lover saw. �Now, I
think I�d like to see you naked.� He matched action to words, beginning to
slowly strip that black leather from Sephiroth�s beautiful body, kissing him
where he exposed skin.

�Does it bother you that Zack will be here in two days time,
to give you your birthday present from him?� Sephiroth refused to look at Cloud
as he asked the question, bowing his head submissively instead. Cloud laughed
and reached up to lay his hand on Sephiroth�s cheek and lift his face.

�Why should it? I want to spend time with you, but we can�t
cut ourselves off from all other contact. Besides, he won�t stay that long, and
I�ll still have time to play with you, right?�

�Yes.� Sephiroth rubbed his cheek against Cloud�s hand,
laying a light kiss on the inside of his wrist and closing his eyes, obviously
enjoying the attention. �Is there anything special you want?�

�I want to know what it feels like to have something inside
me.� Cloud slid his hand down to gently rest against Sephiroth�s throat as he
opened his mouth to object. �Wait, hear me out first. I know you don�t want to
risk hurting me, and even if I think you have more control than that I know it
couldn�t be much fun having to stay in control during sex. So I want you to put
your fingers inside me when you blow me, I�m giving you a bit of warning so you
can arrange something for lubrication.� Cloud pulled his hand back, feeling
just a little bit guilty about what he�d just done to keep Sephiroth quiet.

�I...think I can do that.� Sephiroth sounded aroused
and Cloud wasn�t quite clear about why. �You need to at least go to the toilet
before I do so though. And...might I ask you for something?� He was already
blushing, at the thought of what he was going to ask Cloud assumed.

�You can always ask, I already told you that.� He
wouldn�t always give Sephiroth what he wanted, but he wasn�t going to stop his
lover asking.

�Then...will you...spank me before we have sex?� Sephiroth
dropped to his knees with his head bowed, his hair falling forward to hide his
face, but not how his blush deepened. If it had taken this much for Sephiroth
to ask for this...and Cloud had wanted to see if he could get Sephiroth
to climax with just his fingers inside him.

�Get up, you don�t have to beg. I�ll do what you want, this
time.� He didn�t have to tell Sephiroth that this might not be repeated, or if
it was it would only be at his request. �Go clean yourself, and bring a towel to
your bedroom. By the way, your collar and blindfold are still where I left them
last time, aren�t they?�

�Yes Cloud.� Sephiroth looked excited by the question, not
that Cloud really blamed him for that, he�d made it clear how much he enjoyed
being dominated, and the collar was symbolic of that. Cloud pulled the collar,
leash and blindfold out of the top drawer in Sephiroth�s bedside table and sat
waiting for his lover to return.

When he arrived Sephiroth looked a bit puzzled about why
Cloud wanted the towel, but he handed it over when Cloud asked for it, and
comprehension dawned in his eyes when he saw Cloud laying it over his lap and
placing the jar with the oil Cloud used to prepare Sephiroth beside him, in
easy reach. He allowed Cloud to collar and blindfold him silently, and went
over Cloud�s lap easily, letting Cloud tie the leash off to the bed head -
although he might not have noticed that. Cloud took a deep steadying breath before
he began, trying to land firm blows, without making them too hard, at least at
first. He knew that Sephiroth was hard to hurt, but he still wanted to work up
to hard blows. At least he knew he wasn�t really hurting his lover when
he felt Sephiroth�s erection against his thigh, even if that bugged him a bit,
that Sephiroth could enjoy being hurt. By the time he�d got Sephiroth�s ass to
turn a red-pink colour his hand and wrist were both aching, and Sephiroth was
thrusting against his legs with each blow.

�Stop that.� Sephiroth froze obediently, and Cloud began
working his first finger into his lover, stroking his back, with his other
hand, occasionally reaching around to tweak a nipple. �I want to see if I can
make you come just from this, so don�t thrust, got that?�

�Yes Cloud.� Sephiroth�s answer was moaned so Cloud
had to be doing something right. He did his best to find the odd feeling spot
inside his lover that had to be the prostate from how Sephiroth reacted to
pressure on it with every finger he slid in, and he seemed to succeed, bringing
his lover to climax easily enough. Then he untied the leash, and pushed
Sephiroth down to kneel in front of him, moving the towel out of the way.

�Now, I want you to use your talented mouth on me.�
Depriving Sephiroth of sight to do this seemed to improve his skill Cloud
thought absently as his lover began pleasuring him.

o0()0o

Cloud was a lousy shot he concluded at the end of their
third day working with ranged weapons - materia and rifles in other words - at
least so far he was a lousy shot, with guns anyway. And even if he could have
there was no way he was going to blame his failures on the timing of their
marksmanship sessions, when they were tired from using materia. For one thing he
was the cadet it took least out of to use materia, and he was not the
best shot, or even in the top ten, instead he was only just above the bottom
ten. He might improve given time and more practice, but he�d already decided to
keep his extracurricular training to swordwork and conditioning.

Of course when he thought about the materia Cloud was glad
to see that most of his class were improving, they�d gone through a total of
seven targets with the Fire materia, eight with yesterday�s Ice materia and a
full ten with today�s Lightning materia. Of course he�d accounted for one target all
by himself, with the instructors bringing a fresh target out for him whether or
not he needed it, but today Marius had done almost as much damage with his Bolt
spell as Cloud had, destroying the target even though only one cadet had used
it before. Marius was only just better than Cloud was with a rifle though, so
it was a good job SOLDIERs didn�t use guns. Lavan was actually the best of the
class with a gun, and Kyu was in the top five while Alex was just outside the
top ten.

�How�s the shooting going?� Zack had a grin on his face as
he pulled Cloud out of the crowd leaving the shooting range to eat.

�Terrible. I�m fucking glad shooting isn�t an important skill
for a SOLDIER.� Cloud frowned, realising that he was assuming things. �At least
I hope I�ll get into a SOLDIER filter unit.�

�You will. I know for a fact that Sephiroth requested you
the day you managed to score on him in sparring. Now come on, he�s arranged for
us to eat with him in his quarters.�

�Won�t that raise questions?� But Cloud didn�t even try to
resist Zack�s pulling him towards SOLDIER territory.

�Not really. It�s not that uncommon for the SOLDIER 1st mentoring
a cadet class to make a point of doing things like this for the cadet he�s
working with, and Sephiroth can easily justify the way he treats you by the
fact you had the guts to snark at him in your first sparring session with him.
It isn�t like he�s gone any easier on you than he has on the other cadets he�s
worked with, might even have been harder on you.� Cloud found that hard to
believe, but he wasn�t going to insult Zack by saying that, or Sephiroth
by implying he�d let Cloud off lightly because of their relationship.

�Maybe, but he�s probably going to be disappointed in my
marksmanship scores.�

�I doubt it. He�d have to be pretty hypocritical to say
anything about them, since I know for a fact that he couldn�t hit a dragon with
a gun.�� Zack was laughing as he explained one of the General�s few weak spots,
and Cloud had to laugh too.

�I�d have thought he�d be good at shooting, with his senses.
Still, he doesn�t need to be able to shoot, what with the energy reserves he
has for using magic and his skill with a sword.�

�There is that. You don�t mind me intruding on your evening
with him?� Not this again!

�Can you honestly say the plan for the evening would be one
bit different if it was your evening to spend time with Sephiroth?�
Cloud was exasperated, and he knew that it showed. �I told him that as long as
we got some time alone together afterwards I�d be happy.� He let an almost
salacious smile appear on his lips. �And he�s promised me something special in
bed.�

�What, like letting you top?� Zack�s assumptions didn�t
bother Cloud, they were what he�d expected after all.

�You know I�m not going to answer that question.� Since they�d
reached the entrance to Sephiroth�s quarters Cloud used his keycard to let them
in as he replied.

�But you can�t blame me for trying, can you?�

�Trying what precisely Zack? Cloud?� Zack looked surprised
to see Sephiroth actually waiting there, even though this was probably
something he�d planned, not Sephiroth, since Cloud was pretty certain
Sephiroth had never celebrated his birthday, at least not until Zack met him.

�Get me to talk about our sex life, or what you�ve promised
me for afterwards.� Cloud smiled at his lover and stepped forward, reaching up
to kiss him, long, slowly and deeply. He hoped that wasn�t enough of a clue to
tell Zack who was in charge, but he didn�t want to make Sephiroth feel
neglected either.

�Don�t. It isn�t any concern of yours Zack.� Sephiroth didn�t
explicitly threaten Zack, just looking at him levelly, almost coldly. Cloud
smiled faintly at that; he was pretty certain that having Sephiroth
threaten him over talking about their sex life would cement the General as the
dominant partner in Zack�s mind. �Dinner will be delivered in about half an
hour, enough time for you to open your presents first I�d think.�

�Sounds good. You�re sure there won�t be any problems
because of this?� Cloud couldn�t help but ask anxiously, making Zack laugh.

�I�ve done something similar before, inviting Zack to eat
with me, anyone who notices this will assume you�ve become my friend, nothing
more.� Sephiroth reassured Cloud quickly, Cloud knew that his worries about
Sephiroth�s reputation were probably foolish, and he doubted anyone would
believe the General was showing favouritism. Besides, getting into SOLDIER was
an objective test, nothing Sephiroth could pull strings to help him with and
his qualification to get into the filter units had been witnessed by his entire
cadet class and his instructors, as well as all the SOLDIERs who came to watch
him the next day. �Here, open this first.� The present Sephiroth scooped from
the floor and shoved into Cloud�s hands was a box of some sort as long as Cloud�s
forearm and twice as wide as his hand, half as deep as it was wide, wrapped in
dark blue paper.

When Cloud opened it he saw a red oak box, and inside that
there was a dagger, the hilt fitted perfectly to his hand, with one materia
slot.

�It�s beautiful, thank you Sephiroth.�

�Since you won�t get issued a back-up weapon, I
thought...�

�It isn�t something I�d have thought about yet either, and I
should have thought about it, shouldn�t I?�

�Well, since they don�t exactly advertise what we get issued
in various units, certainly not to cadets...� Zack trailed off before handing a
messily wrapped present to Cloud. �Here, open mine now.� Cloud wasn�t as
careful in opening this present, ripping the red paper off to reveal a pair of
bracers, each of which had two materia slots, one where they were linked, and
one with them unlinked.

�Wow, thanks. Does this mean they don�t issue bracers
either, or just not ones you can use materia with?�

�Just not ones you can use materia with. Apparently there�s �no
point� in issuing materia to anyone but officers, and some NCOs, so they don�t
bother supplying the means to use them either.� Sephiroth�s voice contained a
sense of sardonic amusement, and more than a hint of dry sarcasm. �And speaking
of materia...you might want to open your last present. Here.� This present was
in a dark green velvet bag that Cloud sat down to open, tipping the contents
into his lap, three materia, one purple and two green. Cloud couldn�t say
anything at first, just looked up at Sephiroth in shock at how valuable the
presents he was being given were - the dagger and the bracers had been one
thing, but these... �You�ll probably be able to use these better than most officers
could anyway.�

�I...yes. thank you. It�s just...I�m a bit
overwhelmed.� Cloud picked up each materia in turn, sensing the complexity of a
mastered materia from the two greens, with the chilling bite of an Ice materia
in one, and the sense of....completeness from the Restore. The purple materia
was different, almost blank, with just a few of the power levels he could just
barely sense, and he got an impression of speed from it. �I...what is this
materia for?�

�Speed Plus, since your skills lie more in that area than in
pure strength...� He shrugged without finishing the sentence, but then he didn�t
need to, Cloud knew he had to play to his strengths. �And I thought you�d
prefer to mature at least one of them yourself, and that one is the least risky
to have unmastered.�

�Not for healing or an immediately useful ranged weapon,
yeah I get that. Thanks, I think that would be interesting, to see how it
changes as it matures, and since I-� Cloud cut himself off as he realised what
he was saying in front of Zack. Sephiroth laughed quietly at that.

�I think we can trust Zack with this particular secret as
well.�

�Right, well, since I won�t have access to even the lowest
stable energy level with this materia I�ll have to learn how to use the
unstable energy levels to use it, it�s a good way to push me to improve.�

�Energy levels? Sephiroth, what�s he talking about?�

�Cloud can perceive the structure of materia in a way that I
can�t, and he doesn�t actually use the normal spells with an unslotted
materia. Given time he�ll be better with materia than I am.� They couldn�t say
anything else, since their meal was delivered then, so they switched to a
different topic of conversation.

o0()0o

Cloud knew just how to get rid of Zack when they�d finished
eating, he began undressing, pulling off his jacket and laying it over the back
of his chair. It was an innocuous enough action, and if he was asked he could
always say that he was getting a bit tired of carrying the weights he had
hidden in it. But Zack took the hint, smiling at them both, and offering to
leave them alone. Sephiroth blushed faintly as he accepted Zack�s offer, Cloud
just hoped that Zack wasn�t going to wonder about that, or would assume their
plans were unusual enough to merit that blush.

�Go wait in your bedroom for me.� He still wasn�t entirely
clear how Sephiroth cleaned himself inside, but Cloud needed to take a shit
anyway, and he followed that up with a shower. He managed to work a single
soapy finger inside himself, and followed that up with some water, deciding
that what he�d managed was as good as it was going to get from him, unless he
got his lover to explain how he cleaned himself inside. He didn�t bother
dressing as he made his way to Sephiroth�s bedroom, finding his lover sitting
on his bed, still fully clothed. Well, it would give Cloud the pleasure of
undressing him anyway he thought with a laugh.

�Do you usually blush when Zack mentions sex?� Cloud tilted
Sephiroth�s head up for a kiss as he asked the question, then pulled back and
began by removing Sephiroth�s shoulder armour.

�Not when there�s anyone else around to see it, at least not
anyone I work with, but in private, especially when he asks about what I do
with you, or insists on telling me about his conquests...� Sephiroth was
blushing again as he trailed off, making Cloud laugh again.

�I can�t quite believe how shy you are when it comes to sex,
but it�s really cute.� Cloud kept on undressing his lover as he teased him.

�I�m glad you like it.� Sephiroth looked a little
embarrassed at that, but he didn�t object to the way Cloud had described him. �I...it
sometimes surprises me how confident you have become.� He glanced at Cloud from
beneath lowered lashes as he spoke. �I...do not mean to imply that I do not
enjoy your sexual confidence, I do, it feels wonderful, but you were not so
confident at first.�

�You�re very submissive in bed...I expected you to take
charge, but when you didn�t I had to, and being confident helps with being
dominant. That is what you want, isn�t it? Someone to dominate you in bed. And...I�m
finding it unexpectedly enjoyable, I thought I�d be content submitting to you
in bed, I always assumed it was the weaker partner who submitted, but obviously
that doesn�t always apply.�

�I...yes, I want someone who�ll dominate me, but...not if
you don�t enjoy it, not if it�s just to please me.� Cloud had Sephiroth naked
by now, and he shook him by the shoulders.

�I said I enjoy it didn�t I? It isn�t just about
pleasing you, but I am willing to try some things to please you. But...I don�t
think I�ll be spanking you again, not with my bare hand anyway.� He added the
last when he noticed Sephiroth�s disappointment at his decision.

�So...if we found something you could use instead...�

�Didn�t we have a different agenda planned for tonight
Sephiroth?� Sephiroth immediately looked down, blushing again.

�Of course. I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to imply...�

�Don�t apologise. I was teasing, if anything I owe
you an apology.� Sephiroth started shaking his head immediately, as if he never
expected Cloud to be in the wrong, or admit it when he was, at least when it
came to sex. He sighed, and kissed his lover again, pushing him down to lie
back on the bed with Cloud on top of him for a while, cutting off any further
argument about who should be apologising. By now Sephiroth had got past his
initial odd shyness about letting Cloud focus on his body and he responded
wonderfully to the kisses and touches Cloud gave him, squirming underneath him
without ever once trying to take control. If he wanted things to progress he
was going to have to do something about it, so Cloud rolled off Sephiroth and
onto his back, opening his legs to let Sephiroth get between them easily.

Sephiroth didn�t seem to get the hint at first, just looking
at him with half-glazed eyes, but then he seemed to understand and he grabbed a
small jar from beside the bed and moved to kneel between Cloud�s legs. Funny,
that position had never felt as submissive as it looked now when Cloud had been
the one in between Sephiroth�s legs. It was something indefinable in Sephiroth�s
attitude that made it seem so submissive...then he didn�t have enough focus to
think about that as Sephiroth took Cloud into his mouth.

�Ahh! That feels good...don�t let me come until you�ve got
at least two fingers in me.� Sephiroth just hummed around his cock,
instead of taking his mouth off it to say anything, but Cloud was still
confident he�d obey. Then he felt an oiled finger circling around his entrance,
and he tried consciously to relax, not very successfully, but he did try to
relax the muscle. It didn�t matter, eventually Sephiroth did slide his finger
into Cloud, but he was relaxed enough that it didn�t hurt, not really, there
was just a sense of pressure. He could feel the finger wriggling around inside
him, and it was mostly nice, until Sephiroth hit on Cloud�s prostate,
making white flashes appear in Cloud�s vision from pleasure as he bucked up
into Sephiroth�s mouth. �Don�t do that again, or I�ll come.� Cloud managed to
get that out around gasps of pleasure and Sephiroth hummed in response before
scraping Cloud lightly with his teeth to bring him back from the edge.
Sephiroth liked teeth when Cloud blew him, but it wasn�t something Cloud
enjoyed, and Cloud had the feeling it was an unusual preference. Then Cloud
stopped trying to think at all, and just gave himself up to the sensations he
was feeling, letting whatever sounds he needed to make come out of his mouth in
a stream of praise, encouragement and half-uttered obscenities. When he finally
climaxed it was so intense that his vision whited out for a moment, and Cloud
couldn�t tell if that had been because of Sephiroth�s delaying tactics, or the
fingers inside him.

�Did I...please you?� Cloud looked up to see Sephiroth
sitting back on his heels, head bowed and arousal very apparent.

�Oh, yes. Now get up here so I can kiss you.� Sephiroth
obeyed unquestioningly, lying beside Cloud and not trying to resist when he
rolled them over so Sephiroth was on his back with Cloud on top of him. Cloud
felt a bit sleepy, but he wasn�t going to leave Sephiroth wanting, he refused
to be that selfish, and besides he�d have to leave so he could get back in time
for curfew anyway. He began kissing Sephiroth, plundering his mouth hungrily as
he reached between their body, to first tweak his nipples, hard then
reach down to tease his lover�s cock for a moment before reaching back to press
on the area of skin between his balls and asshole. Sephiroth moaned into his
mouth at that, and Cloud moved down to suck and bite at his throat while his
hand moved forward to jerk Sephiroth off. He�d have liked to use his
other hand to start playing with Sephiroth�s nipples again, but he needed to
use that to support himself. But when Sephiroth moaned, and spilled over his
hand Cloud stopped trying to support himself, and relaxed to lie on top of his
lover�s body, kissing him slowly and sensually. He allowed them a few minutes
to bask in their shared pleasure and in being in one another�s arms, before he
reluctantly pulled away.

�We should shower.�

�Will you wash my hair then?� Sephiroth looked away from
Cloud as he spoke. �And might I wash yours?� Something about the way Sephiroth
said that told Cloud that for him this was more intimate than even their
lovemaking, and it was the first time he�d offered it.

�Please, but you�ll have to dry my hair as well, and I don�t
know if I�ll have enough time to return the favour.� Cloud stood first,
offering a hand to help Sephiroth up, even if that was ridiculous on the face
of it.

�That doesn�t matter, I don�t have any memories associated
with someone using a hairdryer on my hair, good or bad, but...in the labs I
always got one day a week free from tests, when I...when Dr. Hojo would help me
wash my hair.� Sephiroth refused to look directly at Cloud as he explained his
reasons, as if he thought Cloud would be angry with him or something.

�I�m glad you had some comfort then, even if...� Cloud didn�t
need to say anything else, Sephiroth made a quiet noise in the back of his
throat, and nuzzled into Cloud�s hair for a moment, before they made their way
to the shower.

Sephiroth�s reactions as Cloud washed his hair were
positively obscene, but Cloud refused to start something because he had
the feeling it would ruin this for them both. And he wasn�t going to do
anything that might damage the trust Sephiroth was showing in him just now, so
he contented himself with stroking Sephiroth�s back once or twice, enjoying the
feel of those normally tense muscles relaxed under his hand.

They really didn�t have time for Cloud to dry Sephiroth�s
hair when they got out of the shower, they barely had time for Sephiroth to dry
Cloud�s hair, and he had to scramble into his clothes at the same time.

�I don�t suppose you�ve got a book on how these are made
that I can borrow?� Cloud rubbed the materia slot on his new dagger to
illustrate what he meant as he prepared to leave.

�No, but I can get one. You�re interested in the technical
side of making materia slots?�

�You don�t have to-� Sephiroth cut him off before he could
say anything else, sounding like the General again.

�It could conceivably be useful, and it might help me
understand how to use materia better.�

�Yes sir.�

o0()0o

The cadet class were scrambling the next day, straight after
breakfast they were told to collect their swords, then dragged across the
compound, first to be issued with rifles, ammunition, a bracer they could use
to slot materia, rations and two flasks with two litres of water each. Then
they were led to somewhere new, a room with four other exits, three of which
were the entrances to an obstacle course, the fourth of which their instructors
left through after ordering them to stay behind with the General, who�d been
waiting for them.

�This is your final chance to convince those of us who deal
with requesting cadets after they finish their initial training that you�re
worth bothering with. In ten minutes the first of you will begin making your
way through the course, you are expected to complete the course within half an hour,
and anyone who takes more than forty minutes will be retrieved by one of your
instructors.� He didn�t say anything about how badly that would reflect on
them, or that requiring rescue might well mean anyone who had expressed an
interest in a cadet would change their minds. �You will be permitted to take
one of the three materia you have trained on with you, and at the end of the
course you will be tested on whatever aspects of your training you did not
demonstrate while going through the course itself. There are lockable bags
available if there is anything you feel you would rather not take through the
course with you, but you will not be permitted to retrieve your belongings
until you return to your barracks.� Sephiroth looked around, a slight smile on
his face. �Does anyone want a bag?�

�Sir, I�d like one.� Cloud moved forward to pick up a bag,
already shrugging out of his jacket so he could take the weights out, leaving
his other gear in a pile behind him. He took the bag, prompting a few others to
take a bag of their own and retreated to fill it with the weights from his
jacket, as quickly as he could. Sephiroth had mentioned that the best cadets
were the first to be tested, and as Sephiroth�s �apprentice� he fell into that
category whether his skills reflected that classification or not. He hesitated
over whether or not to leave his new materia behind and decided they weren�t
really safe enough where he�d tied them - except for the Restore which he�d
slotted into his dagger - in their bag around his neck. So they went into the
lockable bag too, and the key was fastened tightly around his wrist before he
fitted his bracer back over it. He�d barely finished getting dressed and
equipped again when Sephiroth spoke again.

�Cadet Strife, Cadet Kennedy, Cadet Michaels. Come and
select your materia.� Cloud just left his bag where it was as he joined the
other three cadets looking into the box Sephiroth was holding out. There were
nine materia in three rows and Cloud quickly ran his fingers along each of
them, before selecting the Ice materia that looked/sounded/felt/smelt/tasted
furthest from reaching second level. He didn�t think even the closest to second
level would mature that way during this exercise, but it was better this way.

�Did you want a Lightning materia, Marius? This one�s the best of
those.� Marius looked surprised, but he quickly accepted the materia, thanking
Cloud quietly, leaving Michaels to grab one of the remaining materia, this one
another Ice materia, apparently at random. Cloud didn�t say anything about
that, even though the Ice materia had been the worst of the three for Michaels,
but if he wanted to screw himself up like that...

�Damn! Sir, I picked up the wrong materia, can I have a Fire
materia instead?� He looked almost panicked at the idea of requesting that
favour from the General, but Sephiroth gave him an approving smile.

�The top row are all Fire materia, the middle row Ice, and
the bottom row Lightning.� He spoke loudly enough that everyone would be able to
hear him.

�Thank you sir.� Sephiroth just nodded to that and looked
pointedly at the exits where Cloud and Marius were already lined up. He gave
Michaels just enough time to line up before ordering them to set off.

Cloud decided not to set off running full out, setting a
steadier pace, but one that was still fast enough that he didn�t have to worry
about finishing late, dodging a few thrown stones and working his way around
over or under the obstacles as required. Then, when he got to an area where he
didn�t have an obstacle in front of him Cloud got cautious, drawing his sword
in case he needed it before advancing through the next doorway.

The scout waiting for him smiled to see that, but he didn�t
attack, letting Cloud take the offensive - perhaps as a reward for being prepared
for combat? Either way Cloud knew that he didn�t have time to be anything but aggressive,
and apparently he was stronger than he looked, or than the scout had expected,
because he was soon pressed up against the other man, swords locked near their
shoulders. He took one hand off the hilt of his sword, running it along the
edge swiftly and throwing the blood in his opponent�s eyes before using the
distraction to push his sword out of the way, grabbing his shoulders and
kneeing him in the groin. As the man doubled up in pain Cloud disengaged, and
clubbed him on the back of the head with his sword hilt, to keep him
unconscious and out of the way while he ran forward to complete the course.

Then he was attacked, by some sort of robot from the air,
armed with a gun, and a very poor aim. He took that out easily enough with a
single Ice spell, and again for the next three robots, each needing a slightly
different application of the spell. And finally he was through the course, to
find Senior Instructor Wurts looking shocked as he watched a screen that had to
show Cloud�s progress.

�Sir?�

�You were supposed to spend ten minutes sparring with your
opponent, not beat him in three minutes! And how does a cadet manage to
pull off four Ice spells in quick succession like that?�

�You knew I was good with materia sir. I suppose you need to
test my shooting now?� He looked as if he wanted to shout at Cloud for a
moment, but instead he just nodded and directed him to a target range. Cloud
felt as if he had really screwed up on the shooting, but he had hit the target,
mostly and he was sent to move on to another room, where he was told to hand
his materia over to the trooper waiting there. Since he wasn�t sure how long he�d
have to wait for the next cadet to finish he pulled his new dagger from where
he�d tied it to his thigh, wrapped in cloth, and used the Restore materia to
heal his cut palm before running through his warm up kata and then trying to
modify one of the kata he already knew to use his dagger as well.

He wasn�t doing very well, and had stumbled, almost hurting
himself for the third time when Marius arrived, looking pretty beat up and
handing his Lightning materia over to the trooper who�d returned from delivering
Cloud�s Ice materia back to Sephiroth.

�You want to do a bit of sparring once I heal you up?�

�Bahamut no! I�m nowhere near good enough to go up against
you one on one. How�d you get a Restore anyway?� Marius paused before he asked
the next question. �And how come you�ve still got enough energy to use it?�

�Sephiroth gives ridiculously generous gifts to people he
considers friends.� True enough, even if Cloud had been a little indiscrete
Zack had mentioned that particular quality before, and described some of the
gifts Sephiroth had given him. �And the higher level a materia is the
more energy it supplies towards a spell. I think I can pull out a Cure for you,
then you can do the same for the next of our friends.� That would be Alex, he�d
have been started straight after Cloud finished, even if he couldn�t use
materia that well yet. �I won�t have the energy by then, since it�ll be in half
an hour at the most.�

Cloud cast the Cure then, without waiting for Marius to say
anything else, feeling a wave of disorientation coming over him at that, so
powerful that he had to sit down on the floor. �I�m fine.� He reassured the
other cadet with a wave of his hand.

�Are you sure?�

�Yes, perfectly sure.� Casting a Cure using a slotted
Restore took somewhere between half and a third of the energy focusing through
the lowest stable power level on an unslotted Restore did, at least Cloud thought
that was how it worked, he might be misestimating because he�d pulled out so
many Ice spells. �How many Bolt spells did you have to cast?�

�Just one, I didn�t want to risk more than that, and I used
my sword and rifle for the other three robots.�

�Ah, so you didn�t have to demonstrate anything extra then.
I had to show everyone that yes I can shoot, sort of, even if it isn�t very
good.�

�How does a cadet get to be friends with the General
anyway?� There was wonder in his voice, not that Cloud could entirely blame him
for that.

�By not being intimidated by his rank, and by making that
clear. You know he gave Zack an Ultima for his last birthday, fully mastered.�
Cloud was doing his best to minimise the magnitude of Sephiroth�s gift to him,
feeling guilty about it, but knowing that it would affect his lover�s
reputation if he didn�t.

�Wow.� After that Marius just sat with him in reverent
silence until Alex arrived and he cast a Cure on their friend.

o0()0o
- 5
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