Ceaseless Oblivion

I own nothing…aside from a future plushy!


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It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. ~Niccolo Machiavelli

Sephiroth had been called many things in his life, many titles to accompany his own name. Fearless. God like. Monster. But he was always known for his courage, for the way he so boldly faced every single adversity in his way, for he was his own battering ram, knocking down all obstacles. After all, nothing could touch him so long as he was passive and apathetic to everything.

Those days were gone. The time for all of his endless pride and pointless egotism was now, and the time for change was imminent. However, something was missing in that list: his bravery.

For the first time in his life, Sephiroth had felt truly afraid for not only himself, but for another as well. Yes, he had always been slightly concerned for Genesis and Angeal whenever they went into battle. But only slightly. Yes, he had always been responsible for his men and all of his regiments. However, there was a fine line between responsibility and doing something because one wanted to.

When Cloud had shaken him awake, he was in the embrace of sleep, for he was no longer plagued by endless nightmares. No longer was sleeping something he dreaded, or something that he wished he could avoid. It was peaceful, and like all other humans, he looked forward to the rest.

Little did he know that nightmares could trip into reality. Before he knew it, beasts were attacking him, and there was a moment of unparalleled panic, a terror unlike that of anything he had ever known. It hit him full in the chest, and it took him everything in himself to not shake. He knew Cloud had seen the fear on his face, and that was humiliating enough. He was Sephiroth, the man who feared nothing! Nothing except for what beasts lay in abyss that is, for he was certain these monsters were stronger and more evil than anything else he had faced. That was enough to make even the bravest man's hand shake, all the while gripping a weapon that had been lost to him.

Nothing more was on his mind than slaughter, than killing that which meant him harm. After all, there was no excuse for this fear. The only reason he was afraid was that he had no idea what he was facing, if it would be the end of him and Cloud. If death by these vile abominations meant that he would spend an eternity in limbo, then he would kill them all and bathe in their blood if it gave him freedom. Never was he to be anything but liberated.

It was what he was fighting for after all, and no manner of creature would tear that away from him. However, just when all seemed well, after he and Cloud killed the dozen monsters that wished them dead, another appeared. He suspected that it was merely the calm before the storm, the vile eye of the tempest that had been the death of too many men. Sephiroth saw it coming, but Cloud, poor, inexperienced, pure of heart Cloud, had no idea.

Yes, the man was extremely strong, and was not his equal, but a man who was on a pedestal that above himself. He was a man who others should revere and honor, a man who had saved the world three times from himself. But he was also a young man, one who knew of war, but had not tasted the full blunt of it. Cloud was still so innocent, and knew not the makings of monsters. Sephiroth had been one of those monstrosities at one time, thus he knew their thought process. Beasts struck where it hurt the most, and they did it without even the smallest shred of emotion, for all they were interested in was blind satisfaction, and deaf gain.

He did not know what possessed him to do what he did, but there was no taking it back. Without thought, Sephiroth threw himself in front of Cloud, meaning to throw him out of the way, whirl around, and slice the monster's face right off. However, it did not work out nearly that well.

Before he knew what happened, an arm impaled his stomach and he was sent reeling away in a pain he had not known since Cloud himself defeated him. He was aware of a cry of pain, one that was not the monsters, but one that slipped from his own lips. If he needed any more evidence of his own personal change, that was enough. Never before would he have let anything be shown on his face, lest someone use it against him. He was meant to be perfect and not show any "defective" feelings, for if he did…it would be beaten out of him. But even perfection had its limits.

Cloud, ever the caring one, severed the limb that tied him to the monster. In his pain stricken state of mind, he pictured Cloud defeating the demons that lurked in the depths of his own mind, swinging around Buster as if it were the fore bringer of light, banishing all of his ceaseless haunts, making him something better than he had ever been. He knew it was just the agony speaking, but there was no denying that Cloud was the only one who could do such a thing. He needed no more evidence than that deluded flight of fancy.

To his own grand surprise, Cloud's eyes were filled with infinite concern, as if he were watching one of his AVALANCHE comrades get struck down instead of his past enemy. It was total insanity. What man, even one who preached change, could look at one who used to want their death? What man could be that selfless? Thus, he spoke to snap Cloud out of it. He was not the concern here, that monster was. And since he was currently indisposed, it was up to Cloud to kill it.

"Shit…Strife, kill that thing." Then, Cloud had reached for him, as if he meant with his hands to touch his body, take away his pain and bring it onto himself. Again, that was the pain talking. Sephiroth batted his hand away, and in doing so, fell to the ground in a pathetic and weak heap of blood and bone. He supposed this is what one felt when they had just gotten impaled, and he knew that one who was hurting should not try and move.

One more surprise made itself known. Cloud, right before he charged into the chaos, clapped his hand on his own shoulder. Looking him dead in the eye, he spoke to him. "I'll be back. Don't you dare die on me." This made Sephiroth pause, and contemplate that statement. Did Cloud not want him to die out of his own divine purpose, for the sake of the mission to get out of this black world? Or was it simply because he wished for company in abyss, company that his own mind would not give him?

So, he covered up for his confusion with a funny comment. "Your concern is touching. Now get your ass out there." That seemed to snap Cloud out of his daze, and in a flurry of swinging limbs and flashing metal, Cloud killed the monster in the way that he could not. Yes, he would have been able to deal with it had he not been injured. But this was…something that even his maximum form would not have been able to do.

Cloud was an avenging angel, harming that which harmed him. He was his savior, the light that could gleam so bright, all of the demons in his soul, ones that writhed and moaned, would be blinded by. The man's screams of outrage were powerful, awe inspiring, as if he were listening to the might of thunder coasting on the horizon, meaning to deliver a storm that was entirely meant for destruction. He was something holy, the highest and most divine angel in all of the warriors. With every turn of his arms, Sephiroth imagined what it would be like to have that strength, to have such unadulterated power, meant for the sake of good, at his disposal. Would he be a gracious god, giving to those that needed help? Or would he turn into a man made monster again, one that went power mad? He would never know, for that force would never be his ever again.

Out of pain and reverence, Sephiroth felt his head roll forward, as if he meant to worship Cloud as well as feel the agony of spiritual sublimation all at once. It really was the pain that made him keel over, but in his state of mind, he felt as if he should be telling Cloud what he was to him, what he might become for him. It was insanity he knew, that he could ever feel this way for someone, feel this way for the man who was once his sworn enemy, nothing more than a weakling and a failure in his path. No. He was stronger and superior to him, in every single aspect of his life.

Cloud landed beside him, and Sephiroth imagined those lovely wings of his kicking up dust, blowing around everything just to see him. He was his guardian angel, without a doubt. He winced when he felt the dull throb of pain from the thing sticking out of his back, and he wished to reach for it, to rip it from his body, for it was what was infecting him, keeping him from being like Cloud.

"Stop. I'll do that for you." Without another word, Cloud's hands were all over him, igniting little traces of fire all along his chest, back, and neck. They were so warm, hands that were used to care and cherishing that which was in their line of vision and life. Healing hands. Cloud tore apart his shirt, and he wondered if he would be destined to walk around this land half naked. He chuckled at that thought, and thought to ask how the wound looked.

"How does it look?" Cloud didn't answer him for a few moments, and those moments spanned out and stretched, becoming eternity and an everlasting silence. Would it engulf them forever?

Just when Sephiroth thought to try looking himself, Cloud spoke. "Bad. Sephiroth…you might die." To this, he raised his eyes to Cloud's, for in his mental strain, all he wanted was to see the color of the man's eyes. They were still so beautiful, the color of the sky when there were no traces of cloud's around, stretching around and becoming his own firmament.

Then, he felt the ache of the limb inside of his body, and he felt that he would willingly let death accept him, if it meant the end of this suffering. Though, what made him hurt most was that in helping the man who he was growing to care for, he might have hurt himself to such an extent that he might die, and leave him all alone. Cloud might have been left to his own thoughts, left to oblivion itself because he was reckless and too slow in his actions to kill the monster. That was worse than death, the thought of leaving someone behind who you knew to cherish.

Sephiroth spoke then, for he didn't wish to think those thoughts. That was quitter talk, and what he wanted was to live. "So be it…but get this…" he pointed to the limb "…the Hell out of me." Cloud nodded and gripped the claws that came out of his back, as if he were gripping the handle of life and death itself.

"Alright. Brace yourself." Sephiroth felt himself fall to the ground then, his forearms on the earth; as if he were in a state of such elation he meant to worship that which made him happy. But it was mainly to disguise his face, for he knew that if he were to show it to Cloud, it would mean that he would know he was suffering. He was brave, yes. But not brave, or strong enough to show no pain on his features. How foolish it would be to admit pain when you were the one that caused it to yourself! Sephiroth had been caught in his own trap, ensnared and captured by self sabotage. Thus, Cloud did not need to know.

Cloud pulled the arm with great tenderness, but even that caused his body to heave. He felt nauseous with pain, and wished there was something in his stomach so he could have that relief, of letting go of something. There was no letting go of this agony though, not until the limb was all of the way out. He cried out once, and then bit his lips with his teeth, feeling ever the fool. If the Goddess wanted him to suffer, then her wish was granted.

The man stopped and turned his face at an angle to where he could see his face. Damn. So much for disguises. Cloud's eyes met his, and he felt, even in the midst of this pain, attraction. His eyes were sapphires, glittering and burning brightly, searing his core and melting away all facades until he was nothing more than himself, without his titles, without his past, and without the ugliness of his soul. In those eyes, he saw what he could be, and above all, what Cloud could be to him.

"Sephiroth…fuck it. Scream. You deserve to feel." This puzzled him, and made a small gasp slip through his lips. He deserved to feel? No one had ever said that he deserved anything, for nothing in his life came easy. All of his training had come from hours upon hours of endless drills, endless mantras of "perfection" and "Jenova." That was earned, and not deserved. Besides, something that one deserved had to be earned if he thought about it. And for Cloud, the man who had once been so broken by his own hands, to tell him that he deserved to feel, deserved anything at all to say those words…it was wondrous.

Something shattered in his own heart then, an emotion that he had been holding in for far too long. His own pain. His own somber attitude. He felt tears prick his eyes, and to his shame, he felt one roll down his right eye, splashing and falling down to the earth, betraying him, forsaking him. Sephiroth knew that if Cloud had been on Gaia still, and had never known of him, of his past and of himself as a General, then he would have loved to see him broken in this manner. But since they were separate from all they had come from, then there was no such judgment.

Cloud touched his back then, as if he meant to comfort him. Again, complete insanity. What hero would try and feel empathy for their enemy? Words that chilled him to his core were spoken then, words that saved him and healed him. "I won't judge you."

Sephiroth felt as if his own heart, that once heinous thing, was coming to life right then. It beat as if there were no wound in his body, coursing life's blood through his veins, oxygen that his own body needed. Could words, simple and mere words, save a person?

Cloud began pulling on the arm then, and he let everything he felt come to him, come out of him then. He whimpered, for he did not wish to scream. He still had no idea how to feel, but he was giving it his best effort, since he now had spoken permission that he could do such a thing.

He felt that it was almost out, and this was the most excruciating part: knowing he was minutes away from freedom. That was why he thought to yell. "Just pull it out!" Without any word of warning, Cloud yanked the limb from his body, and he let out a wail that he knew would have put his own incorrigible image to shame had he still been on the Planet. The youngest General could not feel pain, nor was he allowed to. But here, in abyss, he was allowed such a thing. It appeared something could be gained from oblivion after all.

Sephiroth sat up, and felt better now that there was not something sticking out of him, something obstructing his own life. Cloud gripped his shoulder and helped him to his feet, and Sephiroth resisted the urge to lean against him in his entirety, for that could not be. Nothing mortal could touch that which was holy.

He looked to Cloud's right arm, and saw that it was a mess of dripping blood and four long scratches. It appeared he had not left the battle unscathed as well. "You're hurt as well." To this, Cloud simply shrugged, as if he didn't care. Sephiroth knew the man did not get off on masochism or pain, but he figured he was in the middle of trying to understand something, to come up with a plan. Of course. He wanted to know what to do next.

"I don't care. I just…don't know." Sephiroth wished he could do more than struggle to stay conscious, but right then, that was all he was good for. Never again. He would never again allow himself to be that slow or foolish again, for Cloud's sake and his own. This would severely hinder their plans of escape, all because he had wanted to be the hero and save his companion. Though, was it foolishness or selflessness? That question he could not answer.

The man felt himself swoon and his head lolled forward, stars dancing behind his eyes. This was not good. He felt his companion, his stability look around frantically, as if he had had no idea what to make of this situation, of anything. Sephiroth knew all would be well though, for Cloud had always been good at thinking on his feet.

In a move that made Sephiroth gasp, Cloud picked him up and leapt into the stream that was still to their left, the constant in this world. It was brilliant, for the water was cleansing, purifying. Since the creature's limb was slaked with poison, it would deter the toxins in his system, and heal him of that extremity at least.

It felt so good; he closed his eyes, relaxing against the water that lapped at him, as if it were the hands of people who cared about him. Genesis, stroking his shoulder the way a friend would. Angeal, gripping his hand as if he were truly concerned. Zack, smiling to him and holding his shoulder. It was certainly nice to be looked after.

Cloud shook his shoulder, and he blinked his eyes open, wondering what Cloud wanted. His eyes were filled with alarm, as if he were on the balance between life and death right then. Two words were spoken from his down turned lips "Don't die." He wouldn't! At least, he didn't think so.

Sephiroth chuckled. "Don't you…know by now, Strife?" His eyes met Cloud's and he saw the pupil dilate suddenly, as if the man were panicking over his death. "I have a hard time dying." To this, Cloud managed a small laugh, and it was music to his ears. Yes, this was heavenly, listening to the man's laughter and having his friends all around him.

"This feels nice." It really did, for behind his eyelids, he saw the entirety of his friends look down at him, smiling at him, as if they approved of what he had done for the sake of another. He couldn't hear them, but he saw them so well. Would this be the end of him? Would this mean that he had finally gained entrance into the Promised Land?

In his delirium, Sephiroth gripped Cloud's arm and lowered him into the water. "Join me." The man deserved to feel this way too, to feel comforted and soothed the way that he was. Cloud fell to his left and eased into the water, his right shoulder brushing his left, igniting a shiver to race up and down his spinal cord. The man had no idea what simply touching him did to his body.

Sephiroth closed his eyes, and felt truly calm then, at peace. Though there was a gaping hole in his body, somehow…he felt complete. It was the ultimate contradiction, but it was truth nonetheless. If he was meant to die now, from the poison or from other means, then he would have zero regrets. Cloud's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"You saved my life. Why?" To this, he chuckled. He was so tired all of a sudden, and would have preferred utter silence. But he would answer the man. It was the least he could do after all, answer a simple question.

"I already told you, Strife. I want to be good. You were going to die. I couldn't let that happen." That was the absolute truth, one that could not be denied. He had done it because he hadn't wished for Cloud to die, for he had just begun to live. An angel did not deserve to be pulled from the brink of life just as he had drawn his first breath. He was still a demon who wanted angel wings, and by saving said angel, then he might have earned his ticket.

But he knew that it was the farthest thing from self gain that he had ever done in all of his life. For that moment, when he was stuck by that monster, he felt as if he were vindicated, tearing off all of the fabrications of himself and allowing himself to bleed, to feel, and to save another's life if it meant they could live another day.

Cloud answered him after a moment. "Whatever the reason…I am in your debt." What the Hell was the man thinking? He would not accept that! Besides…he had much to atone for, and if he was going to live after this episode, then he would have to do a lot more to even consider the notion of repaid debts and unfinished business. He gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Don't even Strife. You avenged me, and you are hurt as well. I say, with all of the shit I have done to you, we're even." He sighed aloud then, for this was all so ridiculous. Why would Cloud think that he owed him anything? Though, the man was incredibly stubborn. That characteristic had not been purged from him, like so many others had been. Also, it might have been an issue with pride, for he knew that if the same thing had happened to him, he would be humiliated if he were saved by another. Hence, he would do everything in his power to repay the man, for he didn't want to feel obligated against his own self. Still, he would not allow it.

After a seeming infinite pause, Cloud spoke again. "Whatever…just don't die." Sephiroth chuckled and tiredly shook his head. He would not die, but if he did, it would be with the satisfaction of knowing he had given this man something good, something substantial. He would finally be the Sephiroth that Cloud had once looked up to.

"I could say the same to you." He didn't want Cloud dying either, for if they both were to live, they should live together and fight together to get out of this mess they both had made. And if they were to die, they should do it in the same manner: together.

Slowly, Sephiroth felt himself losing consciousness, and he knew not whether it was sleep or death he was stumbling into. Whatever the cause, he knew he should do something a little insane before either occurred. He moved his left hand and found Cloud's right hand, and gripped the fingers, intertwining them into his own. Yes, this felt right as well.


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Never did Sephiroth think it would be possible to hurt this much. The moment he woke up, he felt as if every single pore in his body were throbbing, hammering into his skeleton, meaning to cause the maximum amount of damage to his own person. Yes, he had been thrown in a pool of liquid mako once. That was extremely painful. Yes, he had been sliced from all angles from Cloud's swords. And yes, he had been speared through the heart once, and had fallen head over feet into the ocean, without any hope of returning from the abyss from which he had sunk. But this was a different type of pain.

Sephiroth opened his eyelids slowly and looked to the black skies, knowing that he was very much alive. Being in pain meant you were animate, not in limbo somewhere feeling absolutely nothing. Being in pain was good, for it meant that he was still among the living. And if he was alive, that meant that Cloud…

The former General slowly eased his head to the left, expecting to be met with the sight of his blonde haired companion. Instead, all he saw was the river bank, and the land that expanded out and around him. Sephiroth figured that he had been up long before him and was hunting and gathering materials, such as food and some means of bandages. The hunting was the easy part, but there were no bandages or medical supplies in this primitive wasteland. That would be the tricky part.

Ever so slowly, Sephiroth managed to lift his head up from the water. He delighted in this small victory, for he knew his wound had not crippled him from taking care of himself in the smallest of ways. That would not do. A man, even when they were hurt, had to be able to hold their own. Survival of the fittest, for in oblivion, the weak of body and heart were left behind, left to be consumed by shadows. This thought made him jerk up quickly, too quickly. He let out a loud yelp of pain and fell back into the river, a splash resounding around the area. Sephiroth moaned aloud and gripped the left side of his body in one hand, and his throbbing head in his right hand.

"Note to self: don't do that again." He let out a small chuckle one meant for dark humor purposes, as well as a laugh that let him know he was alive. The dead could not laugh; hence he was alive if he could do such an act. Sephiroth sighed and lay back in the water, and re thought his strategy. If he wished to get into an upright position, he was going to have to do this with only the utmost care. There was no sense in repeating history.

Sephiroth lifted his head up gently and lifted with his arms to the left side of the bank, using his upper body strength to guide him to the river's edge. He placed his forearms to the soil and let out a sigh of relief, knowing he had managed at least this small feat. Never did he think such a wound would incapacitate him so.

Slowly, with care, Sephiroth turned himself around until his back was resting against the grass and earth, as if he were making it his own private back rest. It felt nice to simply lay there for a moment and reel in this small accomplishment. It was not everyday one picked themselves up from such a folly. Besides, if he really wanted to, he could lift himself up from the water and sit on the ground. However, if he did that, he would risk falling into the river and harming himself further. No. For now, it was best just to wait for Cloud to return from wherever he had gone off to.

As if answering Sephiroth's thoughts, a large flutter of wings was heard, as well as a sound of objects hitting the ground. Sephiroth turned around and saw that Cloud was back, and had managed to carry firewood, sticks of some sort, and two large rabbits. He stopped to catch his breath on the ground, his wings coming closer to his body. Sephiroth saw him rise from the ground on knees that were once crouched, his entire form hunched over, as if he were an angel ashamed of his own abilities. But he rose before him, becoming a creature of pure unparalleled light, growing taller and taller until Sephiroth was only able to see the man in his eyes.

Cloud walked over to him and entered the stream, as if to see how he fared. "Hey. Uh…how are you doing?" Sephiroth raised his brow and shrugged.

"As good as any man with a hole in his body. Yourself?" Cloud smirked, and Sephiroth found himself suddenly entranced with the man's lips, the form of the skin stretching over his face capturing him in a spell, one that no amount of white or black magic could help.

"You're good enough to be a smart ass at least." Cloud looked to where Sephiroth had been laying to his position then. "You managed to get up?" Sephiroth nodded.

"Yes. I can lean like this, but I was building up energy to get out of the water." Cloud chuckled and shook his head, as if he was in complete disbelief of the other man's words.

"You know…why don't you just say you needed help?" Sephiroth met the man's dual oculars, dual because of the confusion and amusement that mixed into his irises. It was as if Cloud could not decide how he wished to feel from what Sephiroth had just told him. Either perplexed, or simply amused from his words.

Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders and began lifting himself up from the stream, focusing intently on the act. All he had to do was get the right position and angle, and he would be out of the water. Hole in his abdomen or not, he was capable of taking care of himself. He managed to make it up to his hips before his forearms gave out, resulting in him sliding back into the river. Inwardly, he cursed. He really should have gotten out of this place before Cloud had returned.

Cloud sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sephiroth…stop that." Sephiroth looked up to the glowering man, and met his gaze.

"Stop what, Strife?" Cloud made a sound of exasperation in his lower throat.

"Stop thinking you can do that. Sephiroth…you're really hurt. I don't want you to strain yourself." A chill swept through Sephiroth's core then, as if Cloud's words had turned into mist and had seeped through his ribcage, hitting his heart strings where they were most vulnerable. Damn. The man really knew how to get past his own barriers. All with simple words of compassion. If that was in fact what they were.

Sephiroth sat back and thought of a compromise. "How's this? If I can't get out of this river by myself, then I will let you do whatever it is you were planning. But if I do fare by myself, then you will let me manage on my own." Cloud looked him in the eye, and let out a loud sigh of frustration. Still, he didn't say a word. The silver haired man knew that this was the sign that he would be able to do what he had planned in the first place: helping himself.

Once again, Sephiroth lifted himself with the strength in his forearms. He came to his hips and managed to lift himself higher than last time. It was manageable by himself. Or, so he thought. Somehow, his arms had grown weaker, or the grass was too slick, and he fell back into the water, hitting it with an undistinguished splash once more. Cloud lunged for him, but a little too slowly. Sephiroth steadied himself right before he slammed into the man's face, but in doing so, somehow wound up in complete eye contact with the man. Cloud had been on his knees looking to him, not even caring about getting his clothing wet when this had happened, this…nearness.

He saw Cloud's pupils dilate, almost as if he were a frightened deer that's pupil's dilated every time there was little to no light. It was the sight of a scared animal, of something that was terrified of another. Although, he had also known another meaning of quick pupil dilation. It was the sign of attraction.

Cloud seemed to be held in rapture for a moment, as if he could not even remember his own name, much less what he was doing so close to his own face. Sephiroth took this opportunity to glance up and down the man's visage, for he had not been this close to him in a long while it seemed, so up close and personal. The man had dark eyebrows, despite his hair being light blonde, almost the color of polished sunlight, and they were extremely thin, almost as thin as his own. He had a straight nose, one that was not too long to where it looked almost bird-like, and not too short to where it looked silly. It was long and came to a small rounded point, giving him small yet distinguished features. Across his lower eyelids and nose, he had a small splash of brown freckles, ones that he had failed to notice before. It made him look like a child, still in the precious bud of innocence.

And his eyes still had a magical potent over him, one that would have surely brought him to his knees had he been standing. He was captured by them, mesmerized, and in absolute thrall of them. They were sky blue, stretching out and expanding as far as the eye could see. Cloud was…his heaven. Aside from reeling away from the thought as if his life and core masculinity depended on it, Sephiroth kept the thought, and treasured it for a few moments. Cloud was…his heaven. It made sense, since clouds were in the heaven's, along with the sun. Sephiroth suddenly saw all of heaven and the skies coming together, creating such a theme. Cloud was the personification of such a thing. After all, the color of his hair could have been the sun, the light that he had missed.

Sephiroth was so close to the man, he could feel his breath on him, washing over him, coursing an intense wave of heat through his own body. It felt as if there were churning lava in his veins, boiling over the top layer, stirring itself until every inch of him was on fire. It was as if he had been intoxicated to the highest level of his being, simply by looking at this man. That thought should have sent little red flags and warning signs for him to discern from, telling him to back pedal, runaway, and get out of that train of thought before inception set in, never letting the idea give him rest. But it was impossible to fight an inebriation of the blood.

The silver haired male let his eyes trace small patterns over the man's lips, and in his minds eye, he wondered how good it would feel to let that fancy become reality. They were perfect lips, two small points forming a thin but full mouth, one that was undoubtedly kissable. Although, if he did such a thing, Cloud would run screaming for the nearest cover, beat him to a pulp, or freeze up, letting him know that whatever friendship they had shared was gone. All because of his slip up.

Cloud's laughter broke the silence, and it sounded like a tinkling of bells, a lovely sound. "You lose." Sephiroth didn't know he was being picked up until he felt two very muscular triceps circle his shoulder and waist. Within seconds, he was in the air, in that magical expanse between earth and sky, a limbo for birds and those men who were gifted with wings. But it was the best type of limbo there was.

He set him down on the ground gently, as if he were laying down a sleeping child to bed. Sephiroth was struck dumb by his tenderness, and wondered how one man, how the one man that he had used for his own sick amusement, could look at him that way, as if he mattered. Though, that was Cloud, always being the better man, the more powerful one.

Sephiroth's eyes saw that the man's right arm was bandaged with his own shirt, tied all the way down to his wrist. A thought of Geostigma hit Sephiroth, and he felt sick, knowing that the disease he had caused hurt the man on the other side of his body, not that unlike of the poisonous claws of those abominations. That being said, he had saved the man's life in an attempt to spare him from a terrible end. But was it enough to redeem him, and to erase what he had done to the other part of his body another lifetime ago? Only time would tell.

Cloud stood up and gestured with his head towards the path they had been taking, and Sephiroth, in his upright position, managed to ascertain what Cloud meant. Funny how when you spent so much time with someone, you were able to understand what they were talking about without words.

"I found a place where you can rest up, a place that is not so…out in the open." Sephiroth looked into the distance, and knew that this is what Cloud had been doing. He had been searching for a place for them to stay, somewhere where he could reside and not worry about being attacked once more. Not only did he manage to accomplish a goal they had spent a few months working on, but he had done it in a few hours, precious hours that he had spent sleeping. If there was one thing Sephiroth hated, it was feeling of little to no use. This wound was hindering his abilities, and he didn't wish for it to delay their plans. Though, that seemed inevitable.

An involuntary sigh slipped through Sephiroth's lips, one that he had tried to stop. Cloud turned around and looked at him, cocking his head to the left, letting Sephiroth know he was once again, confused.

"Sephiroth…don't be an idiot." Sephiroth met Cloud's eyes and saw that he meant business. His eyes were set in granite it seemed, in an impenetrable stone that seemed to be unbreakable, his will indestructible. It made Sephiroth scoff.

"And just why am I an idiot, Strife?" Cloud turned on his heel and knelt to Sephiroth's level, his eyes catching Sephiroth's as if he were a stubborn child who needed to be talked down to. Sephiroth felt indignation coat his tongue, sending a bitter gall to rise to his mouth.

"Because Sephiroth, you're not letting me do anything for you." Sephiroth felt as if he had been knocked over sideways from shock. He had been expecting for Cloud to tell him that he had been extremely foolish in what he had done, for not only did it result in a interference to their plans, but it meant that Cloud would have to take care of him, whether he liked it or not. He certainly had not expected that Cloud cared in that manner. What hero could do that for their enemy?

The shock must have been prevalent on his face, for Cloud began chuckling.

"Let me guess…no one has ever said they would take care of you before, have they?" Aside from that prostitute who promised him he could have anything he wanted, he had to agree with Cloud. No one had ever pledged themselves to him in that way, in a way that was entirely unselfish and without motive.

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes. Cloud…why would you care? Shouldn't you be yelling at me for disrupting our plan to leave this abyss?" Cloud looked at him for a long moment before answering, as if the words that he meant to say escaped him.

"You know…I ask myself that a lot. Why I care about you." His eyes became smoldering gems then, as if they burned with a passion that twin super nova's could not equal. Sephiroth found himself mesmerized by them once again, though he knew that logic demanded that he not look at the man's eyes lest he get ensnared again. But it was the best sort of trap there was.

Sephiroth cleared his throat. "Why do you? Care about me I mean." Cloud chuckled, the sound falling from his lips like drops of sweet honey, made fresh by the nectar in flowers. Vividly, Sephiroth imagined himself leaping up and capturing the other man's lips in his own, just to see if that fancy was not so fanciful after all, but in fact, actuality.

"It's crazy, you know?" His eyes met Sephiroth's, and then he continued. "It's crazy how you and I can be trapped together in this place, just for unfinished business." He looked to the heavens then, as if the black skies would give him the strength he needed to finish not only his sentence, but his journey. "It's so crazy, I find myself wondering why I am right in the head, instead of babbling like a loony." He seemed to realize he had made a reference to sanity then, and he flushed. Sephiroth didn't mind; for now, he knew his sanity was in tact. Cloud could not be expected to remember everything, nor could he lift entire burdens on his shoulders the way he had been doing.

"Sorry. Anyways…I just…care about you." Sephiroth met his eyes then, and found that he could not keep the bewilderment from his eyes. "We're friends now. I accept that. And friends help each other." Cloud's voice dropped a few octaves then, but it still rang in his ears, the bass of his voice eliciting small shivers over his skin. "And besides…despite what you say or think…you saved my life." Cloud fell to the ground then and crossed his legs, looking to his hands as if peering at his own body would give him inner strength.

"Cloud…" Cloud shook his head.

"Please. Let me finish." Sephiroth nodded and leaned his hand back on the ground, feeling his wound begin to ache again. Soon, he would have to check the damage on it.

"What I'm trying to say…is that I am…grateful to you. You owe me nothing at all…and yet you took the fall for me." Cloud looked to the wound on Sephiroth's chest and shuddered, as if he were thinking of what it would feel like to have such pain. "May I…" Sephiroth saw that his hands were halfway to the wound, and he nodded, knowing the man meant to examine it for infection. Cloud's fingers brushed the area around the wound, and he felt as if an iron hand had reached through his rib cage, constricting any thought of breath. Cloud's touch made him suffocate, but it was the best type of suffocation.

Cloud brushed the area around the wound and shook his head. "It's amazing. It's not bleeding any more." Sephiroth looked down to his chest and didn't feel surprised. After all, he had had super regenerative powers when he had been reborn a third time. And with Jenova in his veins, he would have healed much faster. It was what SOLDIER made him to be after all, someone who would not heal normally. Though, that curse had become his blessing, sparing him from a gruesome death. This was the one time he could honestly say he was grateful for Jenova.

"Amazing… I suppose. I am alive, no matter the methods used to make my life." Cloud met his eyes, and he knew that for the moment, he understood what he was talking about.

"This pain could have been mine." His fingers traced the hole the wound made, first clockwise, then counter clockwise, and it made Sephiroth feel as if he were tracing the face of his core, looking at it in its prime, away from all illusions and memories that made him a "Nightmare" to people. This was him, away from all of what ShinRa made him. Sometimes oblivion could help someone, as contradictory as that sounded. Sephiroth gripped Cloud's hand then, and shook his head.

"Cloud, in repeating your words, do not be an idiot. Don't chastise yourself for not acting, for not killing that monster. It happens to the best of heroes." Cloud looked to the hand that Sephiroth held, and Sephiroth was reminded of when both of them had fallen asleep together, their fingertips brushing the others. In all reality…they had held hands.

Sephiroth knew that it was simply because Cloud thought he was dying and didn't wish to face some unknown abyss by himself. But Sephiroth had other motives. He knew that it was because that at that moment, he had realized that if he were to die, he didn't wish to do it alone. He had done it alone three times, and there was nothing charming about it in the least. A fourth time may have obliterated his soul. So, if he had stability, the one that Cloud had offered him, he might have been saved.

Cloud cleared his throat, but didn't release his hold on Sephiroth. They brought their hands up until they were facing the other, palm to palm, their knuckles and fingers hidden to the other. Sephiroth's hand was much bigger than Cloud's of course, but it enabled his fingertips to feel the worn calluses in the other man's hand. Years of being a swordsman could do that to you. He was sure his hands were the same, hard and tough from his lifestyle. Also, they were spattered with the blood of the countless people he had killed. Cloud's hands were clean, washed away from all of the ruin of slaughter. They really were opposites, each others duality. It made him think that whatever he felt for this man, whether it was the want for attention, affection, or intimacy was completely asinine. What man would wish to be with him, especially if he had done so much in his past? He didn't wish to be filled with angst, for he was never one for self pity. However, it was fact. An enemy and a hero should never be together.

Still, he could not help but look at how perfectly his fingertips enclosed over Cloud's. He did this, and wondered if this was crossing a line in their friendship. That being said, what friend would do this with their male friend? All he could think of was Genesis and Angeal in this situation. Sephiroth pictured Genesis's eyes, those clear pools of blue gazing at Angeal as if he were the one thing in the world that he could count on, when all else fell to ruin.

Cloud looked to him, and Sephiroth felt as if he should let the man's hand go. He did just enough so that Cloud could choose whether or not he wished to have his hand that close to his. Sephiroth remembered a time when Cloud had refused to touch him, and would go out of his way to not do such a thing. But right then, he didn't appear to be flinching away from his touch or from him at all.

After a moment, Cloud saw what Sephiroth had done, given him a free will in the matter. Sephiroth didn't wish to force anything upon Cloud, for he had already done far too much of that in the past, from mind control to physical taunts. He didn't wish to push friendship, or whatever it was that was becoming of it onto him. Cloud looked him deeply in the eye, and gripped his hand again. He smiled once, and then began to speak.

"Hero?" Sephiroth nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Strife, don't tell me that you don't think you are a hero?" Cloud shrugged, and Sephiroth released his hand, as did Cloud. No, there was no good reason that they should have been holding hands, but if there was one thing he knew right then, it was that he should say and do anything that came to him. Genesis and Angeal were probably applauding him in the Promised Land, for they told him to not deny himself of anything. After all, if he had the wound that he did, he deserved a little something, didn't he?

"I guess. I did what I had to do. I'm not sure if the title fits me though…" Cloud's eyes strayed to his, and then looked hurriedly to the ground, almost as if he were a child who was asking his father a difficult question. Sephiroth scoffed, knowing what Cloud was alluding to.

"Are you insinuating that I am this hero?" Cloud thought about it a moment, and then spoke.

"You went insane. You did a lot of terrible things. But now…I think you really have changed. The old you would never have leapt in front of that monster the way you did, and suffered the consequences. You would have probably laughed as it tore my face off, and cheered it on." Sephiroth grudgingly agreed. That would have been him indeed. "But now…since you saved me, I think you have that title again. Hero."

That had been his title before his world went to Hell because of Jenova. Genesis had always been so jealous of the respect people gave him, calling him the hero and "Demon of Wutai" simply because of his seeming strength and perfection. It only seemed, for even perfection had cracks beneath the surface. If he could go back to that moment, he would have told Genesis to take the title and the role of the hero in LOVELESS because he didn't want it at all. In his mind, he pictured Genesis smiling to him, as if he forgave him for all of the rash things that had been spoken so long ago in the past.

Then Genesis spoke in his mind. "Sephiroth, the Hero. Has a nice ring to it." Sephiroth chuckled.

'If you say so, Genesis.' Sephiroth then focused his attention on answering Cloud. Cloud had begun gathering the means to make a fire, for Sephiroth assumed that they were going to eat breakfast before they went wherever it was Cloud found, the shelter he spoke of. He watched Cloud start the fire as if he was a master of the outdoors, and he used his wings to provide the oxygen necessary for the flames. He had finally accepted that he had wings, and used the gifts the Goddess gave him, for they were his to use.

That was a lot like their friendship. Cloud denied it at first, and then gradually, he understood that in order to leave this place, to finish that unfinished business, he would have to set his own feelings aside and let them become allies. Though, Sephiroth knew that it could only be that. Friendship. For, why would Cloud even consider the thought of them together? No, Cloud was straight and wished for that Tifa woman still. He would find a nice woman in the Promised Land and settle down with hope.

Sephiroth thought of the words at last. "So be it. I'm a hero. But if I am a hero, so are you." Cloud had just stuck the rabbits on a revolving stick, and once those words were out, he turned around to face him. The orange light cast his body in a black silhouette, but even still, there was more light than shadow on his face, for the light from his skin ignited in such a way that darkness itself was scared away. It was hypnotic.

Cloud chuckled. "Fine. I'm a hero, you're a hero, and we're all heroes." Sephiroth chortled. "And I'm taking care of you, regardless of what you say." A smirk played on his features, and Sephiroth tried in vain to block out the mental image of kissing it right off his face, teasing his own lips to the corners of Cloud's mouth. His tongue brushed against the roof of his mouth, dancing behind his teeth. Shit. Denial was harder than it seemed.

Sephiroth shrugged. "I did lose after all. Besides, if I can't even get myself out of a three foot river, we know we're in trouble." Cloud laughed then, long and full, almost as if he were enjoying a chat with a dear old friend. An image of Zack flashed behind Sephiroth's eyes, and he knew that from wherever he was, he was smiling down on them. Yes, this was the direct path to take he knew. Cloud wiped at his eyes, and his mouth turned down in a frown, almost as if he were deep in thought.

"Sephiroth…I'm comfortable around you. I don't usually laugh in front of people. Hell, I don't do much of anything around people." Sephiroth knew that to be true, the man could be a regular stick in the mud at times. Though, that was the hand life dealt him, a hand of stoic and passive behavior. But now, of all places, in oblivion, he was finally changing. As was he. "But I can laugh with you. That's strange…but it's a good thing." Cloud pinched the bridge of skin between his nose and eyes, almost as if he had a headache. "I don't know what I'm saying anymore, I didn't get much sleep." Sephiroth felt a pang of guilt go through his chest then. It was because of him, because he had to get up and hunt for him.

Sephiroth eased himself over to the fire, taking his time so not to disturb his wound. "Cloud…take care of me. Take care of me, so that I won't be a hindrance to our escape." Jade met sapphire. "Do it, so that we can leave this oblivion." Cloud nodded and smiled, his lips turning up ever so slightly, that it appeared as if he were not smiling. But he was. And it was beautiful.

"Hear that?" Cloud placed his hand behind his ear. Sephiroth leaned forward, wondering what Cloud was talking about. Were they getting attacked again? If that was the case, he might as well crawl away and fall in the stream once more, for he was little to no use at the moment. Cloud chuckled. "It's the sound of Hell freezing over. You want me to take care of you, and we're getting along." He chortled. "I'm dreaming I know it." Sephiroth clapped the man's back twice.

"If you were dreaming, then how am I real?" Cloud chuckled.

"Still. I never thought I would even be speaking to you again, much less taking care of you." His face lost its playful tone then. "You saved my life Sephiroth. That I appreciate." Sephiroth then realized why he had done such a thing, why he had endured that fear, this pain, and this entire situation: to gain Cloud's trust. And in time maybe he would gain something else.

Sephiroth nodded his head. "I will try to be worthy of such appreciation." Cloud looked at him with eyes that were almost as big as saucers. Sephiroth had to admit, those words sounded odd coming out of his mouth, and they tasted strange as well, as if there was a salty flavor on his tongue. Humility.


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Quickly, they dined on a rabbit apiece and after, Cloud showed Sephiroth a tool he had made him, so that he could walk around when he was well. It was a well made crutch made out of a sturdy walking stick. Cloud had somehow managed to carve it and stick it together with sap, or something stronger than glue, for it didn't fall apart when pressure was placed on it.

Then, Cloud tore his own shirt in half and doused the bandages in the water from the stream, simply so that he could get the antiseptic into the wound. Cloud carefully tied it around his waist four times, and it stayed by a small knot he had made with the bandages. Sephiroth was able to move to a point, but he would be completely useless at his old blistering pace, no matter how good of a wrap job Cloud did to his wound.

That made Sephiroth wonder if Cloud wanted to walk around for the rest of his time here half naked. To this, Cloud laughed.

"Actually…this is going to sound crazy, but no matter how many times I tear apart my shirt, I always get a new one in a few hours. The Goddess said she could provide clothing." Sephiroth shook his head, wondering why the Goddess could not just supply bandages and simple first aid kits so blonde haired men did not have to tear their shirts in half. Especially when their stomach was so built. Sephiroth was sure Cloud's pectoral's were carved out of marble.

Sephiroth shrugged and stood up with the help of his walking stick. He took a few steps, winced and practiced around the camp ground for a few minutes before he realized this was not going to work at all. Every other step, his wound screamed in agony, as if his body was telling him not to move at all. After all, he had just had a three foot arm rammed through his body. If anything, he should have been resting. But since he was so stubborn, he would not do such a thing.

Cloud shook his head. "I have an idea. I'll just fly you to the cave I found, and while you rest, I'll patrol the area, looking for new routes to take." Cloud rubbed at his eyes, as if he were suddenly overcome with fatigue. Sephiroth had noticed that he was not usually this tired, and he would keep a close eye on this. Still, Sephiroth was appalled that he could not help with something so important, but there was no other way. He could not move without his bandages staining in blood. There was no sense bleeding to death. Thus, he agreed to being picked up and flown out of the campsite.

Flying was still as inebriating an experience it had been before. It was nostalgic as well, for it reminded Sephiroth of what he had lost. Though, in losing a wing, he gained insight and humility, something that was not easy to come by without a powerful loss. Everything was falling into place, in a sense. His wound ached, and it reminded him that he didn't know the secrets of this world yet, if he ever would. What were those monsters and would they attack again? Why did they attack?

Too many questions and no answers. And just when Sephiroth thought things made sense again, Cloud's eyes caught a certain light and he found himself enraptured once more by the thing he tried to deny. It was an insane way of life he had tripped into.

The cave was ideal, for it was discreet, with a yawning mouth, and inside, it was cool and dry. Cloud had set up beds for them made out of huge leaves, and there were weapons there as well, sharpened sticks that he had probably spent hours creating.

Cloud set Sephiroth against the wall and as Sephiroth made himself comfortable, he noticed the man was rubbing his eyes from lack of sleep once more. Sephiroth shook his head, feeling his old General's compassion come back for his men.

"Cloud, get in that…leaf bed thing and get some rest." Cloud shook his head, and the effort made his shoulders sag even more. Sephiroth mentally kicked himself for not knowing that the man was this tired. He had probably been up since dawn looking around for things for him. He deserved some rest.

"But, I need to find new routes…." Sephiroth sighed so loud, the sound echoed around the mouth of the cave, hitting his eardrums with sound waves. He gripped his walking stick and waved it in front of Cloud's face.

"Don't make me knock you out with this stick." Cloud chuckled and shook his head still. Sephiroth shrugged and made the motion to stand up when Cloud swooned suddenly. He collapsed to the floor and began shivering, holding his arms as if he had no trace of heat in his body. Sephiroth did not mind his wound when he sat up and practically ran to Cloud, his eyes open in pure alarm. What now?

Cloud's face was flushed and his breath was coming out in shallow pants. Sephiroth placed his head to the man's chest. His heart was racing, as if he had no such thing as oxygen. Sephiroth looked to the man's bandage and ripped it off. He wrinkled his nose when he saw faint red poison leaking from the man's arm. This was bizarre! Shouldn't it have come out when he lay in the stream?

"Strife, can you hear me?" Cloud shook his head yes, but his eyes fluttered back into his skull. "What hurts?" Cloud pointed to his arm and moaned aloud, as if it were poisoning him. It really was.

Sephiroth knew he had no other option then. He stood up and picked up Cloud, surprised on how light he was. His wings had already been tucked into his skin from flight which was something Sephiroth was grateful for. If Cloud had fallen on his wings, he would have risked breaking the bones. Then he and Cloud really would have been stuck in the cave without any means of protection.

The silver haired male practically threw the man in the stream and began washing out his arm with the water. It attacked it the way it would peroxide would an infection, bubbling softly. Cloud's face fell forward and Sephiroth listened for his heart beat. It was faint. His face was the picture of alarm then, for one moment, everything was fine, and the next, everything went to Hell.

"Oh no, you don't. Not like this." Sephiroth winced as he moved on top of Cloud, straddling him. He brought his fingers together and intertwined them on top of the man's chest, pressing hard three times. Then he opened the man's mouth and breathed air into his mouth.

For a moment, he forgot that Cloud might have been dying. His lips against his own caused a thrill to race up and down his spine, one that never could have happened to any other lips. He had been kissed before, by that prostitute. That was chaste compared to this. This was the emotion people fought their entire lives searching for, the flare that lead poets to find their heavenly muse and drew artists to their canvases. Though, it would have been much better had this situation not been so dire.

He did this three more times, and once Sephiroth placed his mouth to Cloud's again, he felt something against his teeth. Someone else's teeth and lips. Sephiroth didn't register that Cloud was now conscious and he was simply kissing someone who was wide awake, completely free from their poison induced fever. That being said, Cloud had been conscious the second time, but little to the silver haired man's knowledge, he had just lay there, enjoying the feel of his lips on his own.

Sephiroth then realized a tongue made its way into his teeth and he gasped aloud, allowing Cloud more access into his mouth. By complete accident, both men were now in the midst of a full on kissing session. He moaned and lost himself to this inebriation, the poison and aphrodisiac that was Cloud. This was the moment he realized he would do anything to have these lips on his in reality, anything at all. It was absolute insanity, feeling this way. But who could deny themselves of this?

With utter reluctance, Sephiroth separated his lips from Cloud's. Cloud's eyes fluttered open, and Sephiroth thought it was the most sensual thing he had ever seen in his life. Cerulean gems met sea green eyes, and the attraction was mutual.

"Cloud…what the hell happened?" Cloud cleared his throat and took a deep breath. His cheeks were aflame, from either the accidental kiss or the poison he knew not.

"I felt like I was going to pass out. And I did." Sephiroth gave the man some room and managed to sit on the bank this time while the man sat up, looking around the water in disbelief. "I don't understand. I thought I was no longer poisoned." Cloud looked to his arm, and Sephiroth caught that his cheeks were red, and it had nothing to do with the situation. If he had just stolen the man's first kiss, it was a worthy theft.

"How long did you even stay in the water, Strife?" Cloud looked to Sephiroth, his eyes still glazed over from the passing illness, and even then, they were magnificent oculars, soul stirring eyes.

"I slept for awhile. I just wanted to…get some things though. I was up before dawn." And with that, Sephiroth threw Cloud back down in the stream. The blonde haired man sputtered and came back up for air, looking very much like a drowned golden retriever, his hair hanging in strips down his face. "What the Hell was that for?" Sephiroth shook his head.

"You. I thought maybe that might knock some sense into you. Cloud, you should have just slept. I'm fine, and you were still very much poisoned. Strife…your heart nearly stopped." Cloud looked to him, and for a moment, Sephiroth saw an emotion flicker across his oculars, one of which he could not discern. "You could have died had you not taken care of yourself." He shook his head. "Cloud…why must you always keep your problems to yourself?" Cloud's eyes narrowed in slits for a moment, but the anger died down as quickly as it came.

"I've been that way…for a long time. I don't like having my friends worry over me." Sephiroth snorted.

"If we are friends, then why in the Planet's name did you keep this from me? Cloud…the Goddess said we both need to escape this world. If you die because you fail to tell me you are still poisoned…I will wander in limbo." Sephiroth had no idea where that last sentence had come from. Cloud looked to him, shock filling his eyes. Yes, this was one of those times where silence was best, had been best had he chose to stick with it.

Cloud sat up and joined Sephiroth on the bank, silence over coming the pair. Finally, after an eternity of broken and muddled thoughts, Cloud spoke.

"I…I'm sorry. What kind of hero can't help himself?" Sephiroth sighed, a smile slipping on his features.

"The selfless kind. You Cloud, are so pure of heart, you would have rather left me sleeping and left yourself to suffer in the skies out of poison and fatigue. That was very foolish. But at the same time…I am touched that you would care about me, me in all that I have done to you…more than your own body." Sephiroth felt as if he had ripped his body open and was showing Cloud the naked image of his soul, in all of the mottled and skewered bits, in all of the shadows and phantoms, just for him to see. It was honesty.

Cloud bowed his head, deep in thought. "Sephiroth…I just…care. I've always been that way. Hiding my own problems so not to worry others." He shook his head, as if he had finally seen the error of his ways. Nothing like a near death experience to scare one straight. "Also…I still don't forgive you. But…I care about you, and I wanted to find another cave. That way, when you woke up, I could take you there and we could be that much closer to escape." He shook his head once more.

Sephiroth clapped his hands on the man's back. "You're not useless. Don't think that." He shivered a little, and looked down at his chest. The bandages had stayed intact somehow, and the wound hadn't appeaedr to have opened up again. Cloud looked to where Sephiroth's eyes had trailed, and he nodded his head. Cloud stood up and gripped Sephiroth's legs and shoulders, and propelled them into the cave with his wings. He set his charge down on the makeshift beds he had made and looked around the cave with an embarrassed look in his eye. There was no need for that shame. Cloud was simply coming to terms with the fact that he needed to open up more, lest something like that occur in the future. He was the one who wanted change so fervently, and in doing so, he needed to change himself. That was sometimes that hardest thing to realize. He would know.

Sephiroth gestured towards the leaf bed Cloud made for himself, parallel to his own on the other side of the cave. "Cloud, get some rest. You can search later. I'll stay awake; I've slept for far too long." Cloud met his gaze, and he knew the man hated being told what to do. Still, this was one of those times where he had to comply, so that he didn't injure himself further.

Sighing, Cloud nodded. "Fine. But are you alright?" Sephiroth raised his brow and leaned against the cave wall. The coolness of the wall allowed him to forget his attraction to Cloud, and how hot and bothered he had become. The memory of that kiss would not easily dissipate.

"Yes Strife, my wound is fine. Now get your ass in that leaf bed." Cloud chuckled. He turned on his heels and brought his wings into his back. The tired man lay on his back on the long leaf. He then proceeded to fold his hands across his chest and closed his eyes.

"Thank you." Sephiroth could not believe that the man had thought to thank him again, for something that had come on impulse. Yes, he had saved the man twice in the manner of two days. But never did he think gratitude would come from it.

The silver haired male nodded to him. "You're welcome. We both need to stay alive Strife; I cannot stress the importance of that. So please, for the love of Minerva…tell me if you feel faint, or in pain." Cloud turned to look at him from an angle. Even in the faint light from his skin, he still looked ever the more angelic, as if he were a sleepy angel who was bidding a friend goodnight before he went into the purity of his dreams. Sephiroth lost his words, and then found them again. "And in return…I'll express my discomfort as well." Cerulean eyes met light green eyes, and he knew that Cloud was still trying to comprehend him, his change, and him in general. Maybe someday, he would succeed.

"Okay. I'll do that." His eyes slipped closed, and Sephiroth thought that he was through talking. "By the way, you stole my first official kiss, you bastard." Sephiroth found that he could have banged his head against the wall of the cave and ran over and ravished Cloud all at once. This was…insanity, in its finest hour. Oh, how the Goddess loved to cause inebriations of blood.

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, to say something that would compensate for his shock, but he found that Cloud was fast asleep. He smirked and leaned more into the wall. "In a way, it was mine too."


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