A sound--like the sound of chains
breaking, the sound of metal tearing, the harsh screech of a soul dying….the sound of
two swords sliding against each other as their wielders struggled against each other,
fighting to wear the other down.
Cloud shook his head, shaking the sweat from
his eyes as he glared at Sephiroth over their crossed blades. "Dammit, "
he snarled. "I don't want to kill you!"
"Lies!" Sephiroth growled. "All lies! You want to stop me from
taking my rightful place as ruler of the planet; I can see past your trickery!" He
advanced farther, pressing against Cloud with more of his formidable strength, bearing him
down to the grass of the small clearing and knocking his sword out of his hand. He
stood, poised over Cloud, with his sword raised high in preparation to plunge it downwards
straight into his heart.
"Shit!!" Cloud yelled, rolling out of the way just before the blade sank
into the dirt where his body had been only a moment before. Goddamn me to hell
for being stupid enough to leave Rocket Town alone!!! Going for a walk alone to
clear his head had seemed like a good idea earlier, when Tifa and Barret and the rest had
been working his nerves, but now….well damn, what the hell were the odds of running
into Sephiroth?!
He dodged
to the left as the white-haired man lunged at him again, attempting to reach his sword,
but Sephiroth kicked it out of the way and then kicked him in the head, sending him flying
backwards with colored lights spinning in front of his eyes. He groaned, attempting
to sit up, but suddenly a hand was at his throat and squeezing on his windpipe.
"I'll finally be rid of you, demon! You'll finally be dead!" Sephiroth
snarled.
Cloud choked, his head feeling as though it was about to explode as Sephiroth's
already-painful grip tightened around his neck. "Sephiroth…." he
rasped, staring up at the white-haired man through eyes squinted in pain, looking into his
flaming aquamarine eyes and searching for some hint of the man he once knew, once laughed
with…and as he felt merciful unconsciousness begin to close in on him and block out
the agony, he closed his eyes, and remembered….
Sephiroth laughed, and his bright cyan eyes sparkled. "Settle down, Cloud; we
don't even leave for Nibelhiem until tomorrow."
Cloud
grinned, and bounced onto a stool next to the white-haired man, barely able to contain his
nervous energy. "I know, Seph, but I'm just so excited!!"
"Imp, " Sephiroth said, ruffling the blonde boy's hair playfully; during Cloud's
training, the two had developed a sound friendship. "You're hardly presenting
the proper image for a member of SOLDIER."
"Sorry, Sephiroth." Cloud tried to look contrite, but after a moment he
burst into another grin that caused Sephiroth to start laughing again.
"You're impossible, " he said, and then slid a tankard of ale over to Cloud.
"Here, have something to drink; maybe it'll calm you down."
Cloud
gulped, suddenly nervous, and let his hand rest on the cold, moisture-beaded side of the
tankard but did not drink. "I dunno, Seph; I've never had any kind of drink
before…"
"All the more reason to try." Sephiroth took a sip from his own
flagon. "There's a first time for everything--first drink, first kiss, first
kill--they all have their impact." He suddenly grew pensive, staring
reflectively into his drink. "Especially the first kill. That's
something you'll never forget, Cloud--and something you'll never want to
remember." He shook his head, seeming to snap out of his reverie, and
smiled. "Go ahead, drink up; then you'll only have one first left."
Cloud looked at the drink nervously, and
then remembered something and blushed. "Not one. Two."
Sephiroth raised a questioning eyebrow. "Two?"
"Seph, I…" Cloud squirmed uncomfortably, and then sighed. "I've
never been kissed."
"Really? Why not?" The older man appeared only marginally
surprised.
He
shook his head, taking a nervous sip of the ale and grimacing at the taste.
"Don't know; it just never happened, y'know?"
Sephiroth laughed. "No, I don't know, but I'll pretend that I do for your sake.
Haven't you ever met anyone that you wanted to kiss?"
"Ummm….yeah." Cloud blushed as he thought about just who it was that
he wanted to kiss.
"Then why didn't you do
something about it?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid…I was afraid to."
"Wait a second--I caught that. There is no "was"; who's the
girl?" Sephiroth asked with a sly grin.
"Ummm….I…" Cloud shrugged, and hesitated for a long, frightened moment
before he spoke. "Sephiroth, we're friends, aren't we?"
Sephiroth nodded. "Of course; why?"
"If I…if.." Cloud took
a deep breath and clamped down on the knot of terror forming in his stomach.
"So that means if I tell you something, you won't stop speaking to me, right?"
"Never." Sephiroth's smile was indulgent. "What is it?"
Cloud
wriggled nervously in his seat, but couldn't bring himself to sit still; instead, he stood
and paced a few feet away and then back before he looked at his friend with a pleading,
helpless stare. "Seph, I…I think I like guys."
Sephiroth's face went blank for a moment, and then he smiled and shrugged--and to Cloud's
great relief, he didn't seem at all angry. "No big deal; lots of guys are
gay."
"No!" Cloud cried, and then lowered his voice embarrassedly. "I mean,
I'm not gay--I like girls, too. It's just that….sometimes I look at some guys,
and….you know."
Sephiroth grew suddenly still, and he stared into his cup, swirling the amber liquid
around inside. "Yeah. I know."
Cloud
looked at him in surprise. "You--you're not…you don't--do you?"
"Sometimes, " the older man said, shrugging. "It's something that
I've learned is perfectly natural, and I don't let it bother me."
The boy sagged back into his chair in
relief, letting out an explosive sigh. "Phew; for a minute I thought you might….be
angry at me, y'know?"
Sephiroth shook his head, smiling softly. "No, Cloud, " he said.
"I could never be angry at you." And Cloud smiled, and their eyes met, and
something passed between them--an unspoken question, an unspoken answer, and a shared
feeling of warmth.
A flash…
….gentle fingers stroking the side of his face, soft lips touching his in the sweet
tenderness of a first kiss…
A touch….
…..warm
hands, caressing his body, whispered words of endearment….
Where were these memories before?
"I think I love you, in my own way, " Sephiroth murmured. "I love
your innocence, your youth, your beauty….things I never had, or perhaps things that I
don't remember."
"Sephiroth--" Cloud started
to say, but he was silenced by those fingers, those gentle, wonderful fingers, pressing
softly against his lips.
"Shhh, " he whispered, the quiet hiss of his breath tickling Cloud's ear as he
leaned closer. "Don't say anything. Just let me hold you--please."
Does he
remember these things too?
….a
thin sheen of sweat making their bodies gleam as they held each other, exhausted, and
Cloud snuggled contentedly into the crook of Sephiroth's arm….
Does he remember that I love him?
Blackness. Darkness. And then--inhaling, air, sweet air, flooding the lungs
and filling them with the wonderful breath of life. Light. Vision.
Sound--a particular sound….
Sobbing.
