The mighty have fallen

“The mighty have fallen”
Part 16


The rescue operation continued the next morning while Cloud fought his infection. After getting a tetanus shot, Sephiroth intended to stay by his side but Tifa reasoned with him that he was needed in the efforts to clear Midgar of mutations and escort civilians out.

“You’re the strongest fighter we have,” Tifa said to him with blunt honesty. “Cloud probably isn’t going to be coherent for a while and he’d want you helping with the rescue. Please, Sephiroth? For him?”

The swordsman gazed down at Cloud’s unconscious form, noting the feverish flush to his cheeks. He didn’t want to leave the blonde’s side but Lockheart was right about one thing; Cloud would want him to help finish the mission and he would say so if he were awake. “You stay here with him, then.”

Tifa nodded. “Absolutely. Why don’t you keep Cloud’s cell phone with you? That way if there are any changes, I can call and let you know.”

Sephiroth wordlessly took the device from the young woman and put it safely inside his coat pocket. Beyond caring now whether Tifa saw him display a little affection or not, he brushed his gloved fingers over Cloud’s cheek and bent to whisper; “I’m going to finish this for you. While I’m gone, I expect you fight this infection with everything you’ve got, Cloud. I’ll return this evening to see you.”

He wanted to kiss his lover but he refrained, his private nature only allowing him to go so far with public affection. Tifa smiled a little as if understanding his hesitation. She turned around in her chair and presented her back. “I won’t look,” she promised. “Kiss him, already.”

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and almost refused, but Cloud murmured in his sleep and his soft, flushed lips parted, destroying his resolve. Sephiroth pressed his mouth against Cloud’s and allowed himself a lingering kiss before straightening back up. With that done, he left the medical tent and went outside where the others waited.

“Lockheart is going to stay behind and watch over him,” Sephiroth explained in a level voice when they looked at him questioningly. “Who would Cloud normally put in charge when he can’t take the role of leader?”

“Barret,” Yuffie answered, but they all continued to look at Sephiroth expectantly.

He arched a brow. “What are you all waiting for? Barret, decide your tactics and assign them.”

Barret grimaced uncomfortably. “Thing is, you’re the General, right? How ‘bout you come up with a plan and if I think of somethin’ to add, I’ll say so.”

Sephiroth sighed. His military status was no longer active, so it was technically incorrect for people to keep referring to him as “General”. He supposed he couldn’t stop them from thinking of him that way, though. “I’m not,” he began, but the way they all continued to look at him with respect—albeit grudgingly, made him shake his head. “Oh hell, have it your way. We’ll keep to Cloud’s original tactic for now, except that Captain Highwind will go with Ms. Kisaragi and Mr. Sith. The Turks are continuing between the boundaries where they left off yesterday, so Nanaki and I will go to the inner metropolis and search there. Any questions?”

Yuffie raised her hand and Sephiroth contained a sigh. “Yes?”

“Why do you keep calling everyone by their surnames? I mean do you really have to be so formal?”

Sephiroth frowned. “Call it military habit. Do you have any questions concerning the tactics?”

She shrugged. “Nope, I was just wondering…GENERAL.” She gave him a poor salute and grinned. When he just stared at her with a stern, unyielding expression, she nervously looked away and softly muttered, “Jeez, lighten up!”

“If nobody else has anything further to ask,” Sephiroth said with a warning look at the ninja girl, “let’s move out.”

“At least he doesn’t say ‘mosey’,” Cid remarked as they started down the path to Midgar. He sighed and looked back over his shoulder at the medical tent, missing Cloud and his wimpy terms. “Poor kid. I hope he gets to keep his leg.”

“He’s strong,” Vincent said with confidence, “and Tifa will make sure they don’t amputate unless it’s the only choice left.”

“He isn’t going to lose his leg,” Sephiroth said firmly, “that’s the end of it.”

The others looked at him as he walked ahead of them without pausing, impressed by his refusal to even consider the worst. “He seems so certain of that,” Nanaki whispered to Yuffie and Cait Sith as the group fell behind to talk without Sephiroth hearing.

“He said somethin’ ta the doctor last night after the rest of ye left,” Cait Sith whispered back, “the man went as white as a sheet, so my guess is Sephiroth has him convinced his life depends on savin’ Cloud’s leg.”

Barret heard and he chuckled. “I gotta appreciate the way the man looks out for our Spiky, even if I don’t get why.”

Even Vincent looked at Barret like he was daft. “Whatchoo all lookin’ at me that way for?” The dark gunman said.

Cid opened the pack of cigarettes he’d brought with him for the day and shook his head. “Damn, you’re slow.”

Barret grumbled and checked his cybernetic gun-arm. “No I ain’t,” he sighed in defeat. “I was just hoping I was gettin’ the wrong idea about those two. If you guys have noticed it too, I guess I wasn’t.”

Vincent shrugged. “Would you prefer Sephiroth hate and resent him? I feel it’s better this way.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Barret agreed slowly, his dark eyes going to Sephiroth. “But I don’t like the thought of what it’ll do to Spiky if he ever goes psycho again.”

“I can’t foresee that occurring,” Vincent said calmly. “Sephiroth knows the truth of his origins now and if he were going to go mad again, he’d have done it long before now. What’s left on this planet of Jenova is weak and scattered, unlikely to be able to influence him significantly enough to be a threat.”

Comforted by Vincent’s words and confidence, Barret relaxed. All that really mattered was that Cloud was happy, and it looked like Sephiroth was very protective of him. Not that Cloud ordinarily needed protection, but stricken down as he was it was doubtless a bonus for a man of Sephiroth’s influence, reputation and power to be looking out for him.

~******************************~

Tifa pressed a cool, wet cloth to Cloud’s forehead and talked to him about cheerful things. He was delirious with fever and a couple of times he whispered Sephiroth’s name. Dr. Alerick came by regularly to drain the wound, check his body temperature and administer pain medication or antibiotics. He frowned every time he examined the wound and Tifa fearfully wondered if the fantastic efforts he and the staff were making would be in vain. By noon they brought an electric cooling blanket to cover Cloud, attempting to keep his fever from getting too severe and cooking his brain.

She only left his side for short bathroom and meal breaks and by the time the afternoon came around she was too sleepy to hold her eyes open. She dozed off in her seat while still holding his limp hand in hers. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when she was roused by the sound of Cloud moaning softly. She opened her eyes in alarm, but relaxed when she saw the doctor carefully lancing the wound again.

“I know it hurts, Cloud,” She whispered, leaning over to kiss his hot cheek as she stroked his hair. “It’ll be over soon.”

“S-Seph...iroth,” He panted.

“He’s out helping the rescue effort, sweetie,” Tifa explained even though she doubted her friend could understand the words. “He’s doing it for you. He’ll be back tonight, okay?”

He calmed and his moans faded in volume. She didn’t know if he settled down because he understood her reassurances or because he was just too frail and drugged to carry on for long. She made herself watch as the doctor pushed the needle of the syringe in several times at different spots, draining thick, pinkish-white fluid. This time his expression seemed a little relieved and Tifa felt hope rising in her breast.

“How does it look, Doctor?” she dared to ask.

“It appears to have stopped spreading,” he responded distractedly, keeping his eyes on his task. “It’s a good sign. With any luck the infection will start to recede during the night.” He finished what he was doing and put the syringe in a tray, then checked the cooling blanket covering Cloud to be sure it was functioning properly. “I’ll be back in an hour to give him another dosage of morphine and examine him again. It’s fortunate that this young man has such a strong constitution and will, my dear.” His eyes said that he was as much relieved for his own sake as for Cloud’s.

Tifa nodded and watched him leave. She smiled tremulously at Cloud when he was gone, squeezing the blonde’s limp hand. “Keep fighting, Cloud. You’re beating it. Oh, and when you wake up, you have to ask Sephiroth what he said to the doctor to make him try so hard. I’m dying with curiosity.”

She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw his mouth twitch with a brief smile as if he were imagining what the general said and found it funny.

~*****************************~

The team met back up at sunset and headed back to the encampment. Their efforts resulted in a total of thirty-seven citizens rescued, and the closed off sectors of the city were nearly free of mutations. This time it was Cid who sported some rather impressive wounds. While escorting an old couple to the barricade they were assaulted by a pair of panther-like mutations and he’d physically tackled one that had gone for the old woman. As a result he was nursing a bite on his arm and a claw gash in his side. A Cure spell closed the wounds enough to stop major blood loss, but like Sephiroth he would have to get a tetanus shot for it.

When they made it into the encampment they went immediately to the medical tent to check on Cloud and get Cid’s injuries looked at. There were more injured people laid out inside now than there had been this morning, but as soon as he spotted him, Dr. Alerick hurried over to Sephiroth an assured him that he was personally overseeing Cloud’s care and the increase of patients hadn’t interfered with it.

“What is his status?” Sephiroth asked flatly.

“Th-the infection’s stopped spreading and I’m hopeful that if we continue treating it as we have been, it should start to recede during the night. He still has a fever but we’ve managed his body temperature with a cooling blanket, so it hasn’t spiked to dangerous levels. W-we’ve kept him medicated to manage pain and he’s resting as comfortably as p-possible.” The poor man was sweating and stammering with fear as he quickly explained the situation to Sephiroth.

“Keep it up,” Sephiroth said when the doctor finished. The man nodded convulsively and wrung his hands as the silver-haired fighter walked away.

Tifa looked up at the group as they approached and realized one was missing. “Where’s Cid?” She asked in alarm as she stood up.

“He’s okay,” Yuffie explained, “he just had to get a shot and get looked at. He got a little chewed up today but it isn’t serious. How’s Cloud doing?”

“He’s better,” Tifa answered as she watched Sephiroth go to his side and lay his hand on his cheek to check his temperature. “The doctor personally drained his wound several times today and they’ve been keeping him medicated and under a cold blanket. I was told that when his fever breaks his body should have an easier time fighting off the infection.”

Sephiroth looked up at her and she saw something in his eyes that might have been gratitude. “I can take over from here,” he said.

Tifa frowned. “Aren’t you tired after everything you did today?”

“I can rest in the chair,” he said. “Strife’s infection could take a bad turn again and start spreading in the night.”

There was no arguing with him and no matter how neutral he tried to sound, he’d begun to unconsciously caress Cloud’s surname the same way he always did with his given name. Tifa held back a grin and warned her friends with her eyes to do the same. Sephiroth’s unrelenting dedication to Cloud was a good thing and it wasn’t a good idea to make him feel teased over it.

~*************************~

Sephiroth did take a break for long enough to grab something to eat, use the bathroom and clean himself up as best he could with no real bathing facility on hand. For the rest of the night he sat at Cloud’s side and he thought about how diligently the blonde had taken care of him, not long ago. Now the tables were turned and he was trying to cope with the same anxiety and concern Cloud had felt for him.

To the eye that knew no better, Sephiroth was the picture of calm patience. Despite appearances, he felt like a wreck. When Cloud would squirm or murmur, Sephiroth would get up and make him more comfortable or stroke his hair soothingly. When he moaned in pain the general would ease his leg into a different position and whisper to him.

~I might as well face it, ~ Sephiroth thought as he watched Cloud’s face for expressions of pain and discomfort, ~I fucking love him. Damn It.~

His silent curses had no teeth. He tried to be annoyed, tried to be indignant at the emotions rolling beneath the surface, but it was no good. He loved Strife and that was that. What was even stranger was how good it felt to admit it to himself.

~Now, if only he would recover and I could get the words out to tell him how I feel. He deserves to hear it; no matter how embarrassing or awkward it is for me to say it out loud.~

He brooded as he stared at Cloud’s sleeping profile, angry with himself for being too weak to express his feelings. He’d never been able to do it properly for Zackary and now he was facing the same struggle with Cloud. He tensed up and narrowed his eyes when he noticed that Cloud’s skin seemed to be getting shiny in the lamplight. Sephiroth leaned closer and watched intensely, hoping that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. After a few moments, his suspicions were confirmed as tiny beads of perspiration broke out on the blonde’s fair face. Cloud’s fever was breaking.

Sephiroth didn’t even realize he was smiling with relief.

~****************************~

It was even more difficult for Sephiroth to tear himself away from Cloud’s side the next morning. Dr. Alerick examined the young man and said that the infection was steadily receding and he pronounced him free of the danger of amputation. The doctor’s expression was so relieved that Tifa thought he was going to cry for a minute and she again wondered what sort of “incentive” Sephiroth gave him to save Cloud’s leg.

Hearing that he would probably wake up soon, Sephiroth almost refused flat-out to leave his side, but he’d made a promise to Cloud that he’d finish what they started here. Tifa was starting to become adept at reading Sephiroth’s subtle reactions and guessing what was on his mind…at least when it came to Cloud.

“I promise, if he wakes up I’ll call you right away and put him on the phone,” she assured the tall swordsman as he reluctantly started to leave. “At the rate you’re going, I’ll bet you guys will have Midgar cleaned out and everybody rescued in no time.”

He didn’t respond to her verbally but on the inside, he was encouraged by her words. He vowed to finish the job as quickly as possible, so that as soon as Cloud was strong enough, he could take him home to his own bed.

~********************************~

They cleaned out more of the mutations and rescued more survivors while the WRO finished repairing the cracks in the outer walls. The number of corrupted creatures coming in from the wilderness dwindled and by the time Sephiroth and the others finished their daily sweep and started back to the encampment, Shera and the other scientists discovered a way to stem the geyser. Purifying the Mako stream beneath the ground would take longer, but they could take their time doing that once they’d stopped the flow.

“Why’d it attract all those nasties in the first place?” Barret wondered out loud as he walked with his companions.

“Exposure to Mako makes creatures more sensitive to it,” Sephiroth answered. “Lower animals already have enhanced senses compared to ordinary humans, so the creatures were first attracted by the corrupted Mako they sensed, then attracted to the prey they sensed inside of the city. Stopping the geyser will end the contamination and animal threats.”

“Hmph…maybe you shoulda’ been a scientist,” Barret commented.

“I’d rather sodomize myself with a rusty bayonet, but thank you,” Sephiroth said pleasantly, and Yuffie choked on a hysterical giggle.

Sephiroth was unaware that his pace was quickening as they drew closer to the base. The others refrained from saying anything, not so much to spare Sephiroth embarrassment as to spare themselves his anger. Each of them had learned that on the field he was all business, but when it came to Cloud, his cool exterior cracked just enough to show a glimpse of a man beneath the ice.

He went directly to the medical tent to see Cloud. The blonde’s coloring was much improved and he was still sweating out the toxins in his body. His golden hair was damp with perspiration and the cooling blanket had been taken away.

“He hasn’t woken up yet, but that’s because of the dosage they had him on,” Tifa explained. “Dr. Alerick reduced it a couple of hours ago and said he should start coming too pretty soon. The nurse gave him a sponge bath—“

Sephiroth’s eyes went hard and sharp and Tifa hastily added, “—with his UNDERWEAR on…she only bathed outside of them. Possessive, much?”

Sephiroth’s gaze softened and he looked down at Cloud again. Tifa shook her head and sighed. “Not everyone is out to molest Cloud, you know. Reno told me about the way you attacked Rude—“

“If you’d witnessed the scene from the same angle I did, I have no doubt you would have had the same initial reaction,” he cut in defensively.

Tifa chuckled before she could stop herself. “Okay, that’s fair. Reno did tell me what it must have looked like, after all. Still, it isn’t healthy for a relationship if every time someone touches or looks at Cloud, your first impulse is to slice them open.”

Sephiroth glanced up at her with a hint of a smirk adorning his sensual lips. “I’ll keep that in mind. Is there anything else you’d like to lecture me about, Ms. Lockheart?”

“Not really, but if I think of something I’ll come back,” Tifa said with a smirk of her own. “I know you’re new to having the whole range of human emotions, so I’ll cut you a little slack.”

“You’re too kind,” Sephiroth said dryly.

~***************************~

Cloud struggled out of sleep, his mind and body feeling sluggish and heavy. He had no idea how long he’d been out or what had happened during that time and he was afraid he’d find himself short one leg. He winced as he opened his eyes, because they weren’t adjusted for the light.

Clumsily, he reached down with his right hand and patted gingerly at his thigh, stretching his arm to reach as far as he could. Hot pain shot through the limb when he touched the wounded area and he groaned. He stubbornly lifted his head as well as he could and looked down the length of his body. He saw two feet instead of just one and that satisfied him enough. His head fell back against the pillow and he panted with exhaustion, spent by just that little bit of activity.

He started to close his eyes but he saw Sephiroth approaching and he tried to sit up. The general closed the distance smoothly and held him down by the shoulders. “It’s too early to start exerting yourself, Cloud,” Sephiroth said firmly. The sensual timbre of his voice was laced with concern and relief. “Your leg is whole and healing.”

“Just like you promised,” Cloud whispered hoarsely, smiling softly up at him.

“Yes, just as I promised,” Sephiroth agreed, unable to resist smiling back at him. “Are you thirsty?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Cloud croaked.

“I’d believe it, given the way your voice sounds,” Sephiroth replied. “I’ll go and get some water for you. Don’t let me catch you trying to sit up again, Strife.”

“Yes sir,” Cloud whispered, provoking another faint smile from Sephiroth.

He returned a few moments later with a glass of water. He set it on the floor and pulled the release lever at the top of Cloud’s bed so that he could elevate it. Carefully, he lifted the upper half until it was at an angle to prop Cloud up, and he locked it in place and picked up the water. He carefully handed the glass to the blonde, ready to help him if he couldn’t hold onto it.

Cloud held the glass in both hands and brought it to his lips, watching Sephiroth with curious blue eyes as he drank.

“Not too fast,” Sephiroth cautioned.

Cloud blurted a laugh and lowered the glass, resting it against his lap while he recovered from the fit of amusement.

Sephiroth frowned at him in confusion. “I think that pain medication has you high.”

Cloud shook his head. “No, it’s not the medicine. It’s you.”

“Me?” Sephiroth balked. He couldn’t imagine anything remotely funny about what he’d said. “Where is the hilarity in drinking slowly, Cloud?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, still chuckling a bit, “it’s just, I never pegged you as the nurturing type and here you are treating me like a stiff breeze will make me shatter to pieces.”

For the second time in his life, Cloud was treated to the pleasure of watching Sephiroth openly blush. Or was it a flush of anger? It was a little hard to tell since the man had bowed his head.

“You’ve been in a very bad way,” Sephiroth reasoned, “I don’t want you to relapse, that’s all.”

“Hey,” Cloud murmured, his voice still cracking a little. “Sephiroth?”

The general raised his head and looked at him with uncomfortable eyes and a half-scowl.

“I’m sorry,” Cloud finished. “I wasn’t trying to make fun of you or anything and I don’t mind being babied by you. It just took me by surprise. I…I actually kind of like the attention.”

Sephiroth regarded him silently for a moment, then sighed. “You and I aren’t a bit alike, Cloud. I literally felt disgust with myself when you told me how I was acting. Personally, it would drive me insane to be ‘babied’.”

“I know,” Cloud smirked. “You made that clear when I was taking care of you. It’s okay though. Like I said, it doesn’t bother me.”

~Probably because I’ve starved you for real affection in this relationship,~ Sephiroth thought with an alien pang of guilt. Aloud, he said: “That’s probably a good thing, then. Until you’ve regained some of your strength, I’m afraid I’m going to be riding your ass to stay put. After that it’s going to be a different tactic.”

“Then what?” Cloud asked, “You’ll ride my ass with physical therapy?”

“Exactly.”

“I think I can live with that.” Cloud smiled again and lifted the glass to drink more water. His sapphire eyes didn’t leave Sephiroth’s face as he thought things over. He almost laughed again when Sephiroth seemed to get uncomfortable under the scrutiny. A memory surfaced in his mind and Cloud’s eyes unfocused as he examined it. He put the glass down again and regarded Sephiroth thoughtfully. “Did I…say something significant when I was brought here?”

Sephiroth’s pupils expanded slightly and he looked away. “Don’t worry about it. You were delirious with pain and heavily medicated.”

Cloud smiled and took a deep breath. “Not as delirious as you think. I remember it, but I wasn’t sure if I’d just dreamt telling you or if I really did it. I meant every word and I wanted to be sure I actually said it.”

Sephiroth looked at him again and failed to mask the expression of surprise and wonder on his face. Cloud didn’t look away. “I love you, Sephiroth. It isn’t the drugs or the pain or fever making me say it, either.”

Sephiroth stared at him and swallowed. Cloud’s expression was open and earnest, with his pink lips parted and inviting and a soft flush highlighting his fair face. Sephiroth wanted to kiss him…badly. The general looked around, frustrated that there were people everywhere. His eyes settled on the curtain frame surrounding the bed and he stood up and grabbed the curtain, pulling it around to enclose the bed and give them some privacy.

He couldn’t get the damned words to come out for Cloud, but he could show him. He took the blonde’s glass of water from him and leaned over him, cupping the back of his head. Their mouths met and Sephiroth kissed the blonde hungrily, putting all of his pent-up feelings behind the action. Cloud’s fingers threaded into his hair and he made a little sound of gratitude in his throat as he returned the kiss.

~This feels different,~ Cloud thought. It was more than passion he felt in his lover’s kiss…there was real feeling behind it. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes and he put both arms around Sephiroth’s neck and held him as tightly as his weakened state would allow. When Sephiroth’s lips finally pulled away, he looked down at Cloud with softened green eyes and frowned at the tear that had traced down his cheek. He kissed it away and pulled Cloud gently to his chest, stroking his back.

“The kiss was that horrible?” he whispered to the blonde.

“Opposite of that,” Cloud said huskily, nuzzling the other man’s chest.

“You’ll be getting more after you’ve rested,” Sephiroth promised. “Just don’t cry every time I do it or you’ll bruise my ego.”

Cloud laughed against his chest and planted a kiss there.

~**********************************~

-To be continued