Paper Tiger Burning

I respectfully credit all Original Creators, namely Squaresoft, which became SquareEnix,for these characters. In this way, I pay homage to my Fandom's Original Creator, and illustrate my Community's belief that Fan Fiction is "fair use". I do not claim to own these characters. I do not make money or gil from using these protected characters, nor do I wish to make money or gil from them. In other words, I am borrowing these characters to entertain the adult fanfiction community, but I am doing so with the highest degree of respect to the engineers, game designers, music makers, and voice actors.



Cloud came into my kitchen looking like a barely restrained mad dog. Teeth bared, hair fluffed and eyes menacing, he stalked me, circled the island counter to hover close to the knife rack. For a very long time he just stared at me while I made bread, his eyes tracking how I kneaded the dough.

It bothered me somehow, showing my domesticity to this boy. I hadn’t thought a thing about making the meal for myself and the flower girl until he showed up in here. “What do you want?” I asked finally. “There’s absolutely nothing I can say to assure you of the flower girl’s safety; you wouldn’t trust my word.”

Cloud picked up my carbon blade chef’s knife and the cutting board from my side table. “Is there anything sacred to a man like you?” he posed. “Is there anything you would even swear upon?”

I thought about that while I put the dough in a pan and oiled it. No, nothing came to mind. I held nothing sacred. However, I felt quite able to give my word and keep it. Still, he wouldn’t accept that. “A blood oath,” I said finally. “Blood is individual.” I met his gaze.

“How is it done?” Cloud ran his thumb down the blade of the knife, making a deep, red line in his skin.

“You’ve heard of blood pacts?” I asked, pushing past him to put my dough in the oven to rise. I shot him a smirk. “You’d not be willing to mingle our blood, I know.”

“What’s the damn difference?” Cloud put the knife down, his wound already healed. “What’s your type?”

“O-Negative.”

“So is mine.”

“What a surprise,” I said mildly. “We’re all related, soldiers.”

He held the knife out. “So help me Sephiroth, if you’re fucking with me I’ll put an end to you permanently.”

“I doubt you could,” I replied. “I’m like my father; a cockroach.” But I took the knife and sliced open my palm. Before he could move away, I sliced his too. Joining our hands, I pressed until our blood mingled. “I swear I won’t hurt the little flower girl,” I said.

A bolt of energy struck us both, a testament to the working of hidden gods. Cloud staggered as the power ran through him. I felt the words resonating inside my body and soul.

I would not ever hurt Aerith again. I needed no oaths to assure myself of that. Now, Cloud even knew it.

He rubbed his already healing flesh, looking at me with eyes that seemed to see forever. “You meant it,” he said, sounding awed.

“She’s… valuable. Even I can see that.” I hurriedly began prepping the boiled rice for stir fry, not looking at him.

“Holy Shiva.” Cloud marched to me, thrusting his face in between myself and the counter where I worked. “It took Aerith to show you something, didn’t it, Sephiroth?” He grinned an ugly, superior grin. “You give a shit for the first time, ever. How does it feel?”

I shoved him out of the way. “Shut up, Strife,” I growled.

“The hell I will.” Cloud ducked under my next deflection; put himself far too close to my personal space. “What was it? Was it her kindness? Her goodness? Her selflessness?” He thrust his arm out, forcing me to stay where I stood. “Maybe it was her gentleness or her sweet nature? Which was it, General?”

I bared my teeth at him. “Get out of my way,” I demanded.

“Oh, screw you,” Cloud said. “You’ve already shown your hand. You won’t lay a finger on me while she’s in ear shot.” He shook his head, smiling like a demon. “How does it feel to be vulnerable, General Sephiroth? Do you like knowing you’re human?”

I threw my rice into a sieve, not looking at him. “I’ve always been human, Cloud,” I answered. “You just never saw fit to look hard enough for the signs of it.” I slung the colander, watching milky water splash in the sink. “No one ever has,” I went on. “At no fault of your own of course; I didn’t know I was human until recently.”

Cloud’s body gave a tremor. He put a hand to his forehead, frowning. “What?” he said, talking not to me but himself.

“My blood,” I offered by way of explanation. “I can feel yours already. Mine overpowers it. You should have a nice boost to your abilities very soon.” I threw the rice into the over-heated wok, grabbing up a spoon for stirring. “Sit down before you fall.” I took up my bowl of tofu and fish spears, dumping the contents into the spare side of the wok. “Aerith!” I called, comfortable for the first time at saying her name aloud.

She darted in quickly, her eyes taking in Cloud’s staggered form. “Oh,” she said, her lips parting in surprise. “Are you alright, Cloud?” She came to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. I watched her aura flare with healing power. In seconds Cloud stood straight and rigid, his eyes clear.

“I’m ok,” Cloud muttered, sitting heavily on an island stool.

I felt so displaced I scarcely knew which way to turn. Opting for neutral ground, I began mixing the food together. Out of the corner of my eye I beheld her guiding Strife’s eyes to her own. She made him look at her, put her face in between his gaze and the counter.

“Cloud?”

“I’m ok.” Cloud shook his head rigorously. “Really, Aerith, I’m fine.”

“What happened, then?” she asked, her tone skeptical.

“Your new bodyguard and I mixed a bit of blood,” he answered. “We’re the same type but he has more Jenova cells than I do, and a higher level of mako.” Cloud put his forehead in his hand, wincing.

Aerith immediately put her hand atop his, soothing him. “I won’t ask why,” she said looking at both of us with suspicion. “But if you’ve gotten some of Sephiroth’s blood you should be careful of your eyes, right?” She focused on me.

“True,” I said. “Maybe he should be blindfolded for a few hours.”

Aerith nodded, leaving us to find a cover for Cloud’s eyes. He stiffened the moment she left the room. I heard his teeth grinding together as his wing came out. I had never clapped eyes on his wing and felt surprised that it looked bat-like instead of feathered. A great, curved claw erupted out of the thumb section, large and pointed enough for disemboweling.

“She’ll be back in a moment,” I said to him. “Her healing aura is comforting, isn’t it?”

Cloud’s eyes slid shut. “Like bathing in cool river water on a hot day,” he said tightly.

I turned my attention back to supper, not enjoying the idea of eyeballing him. In his position I would hate it.

The flower girl came back. Gently, so gently she covered her friend’s eyes with her old blindfold. “Let me call Tifa,” she urged. “She needs to know you aren’t going anywhere for awhile.”

“Okay.” Cloud began to tremble. Even a small amount of my blood could cause mako poisoning, and I suspected my semen could do the same thing. While kissing Aerith I’d seen her eyes glowing more brightly, no doubt due to the composition of my saliva.

Being a potent son of a bitch had interesting effects…

“Hi Tifa,” the flower girl said into Cloud’s cell. She giggled a moment later, when Lockhart launched into a rushed list of questions. “I’m really, really ok,” she said. “Yes, really.”

“Where’s Cloud?” Lockhart asked.

“He’s here. He’s not feeling well and I want to keep him here for a few hours if that’s ok.”

“What happened?”

“For some unknown reason he decided to swap blood with Sephiroth and he’s having a small reaction to the General’s mako and Jenova levels.” Aerith shot me a quelling look as she spoke. “I expect it’ll be late tonight before he recovers.”

“Idiot,” Lockhart said fondly. “Ok. Have him call home before he starts out.”

“Ok, Tifa.”

“Aerith?”

“Yes?”

“I’m so, so glad you’re alive.” Lockhart’s voice broke. “You don’t know how much.”

“Thanks, Tifa,” Aerith said, her face glowing in pleasure. “It’s good to be back.”

She hung up. I watched her close the phone and slide it into Cloud’s breast pocket. “You’ll have to eat and sleep, Cloud,” she informed him. “I know too well what mako poisoning feels like and how it’s treated.

“He has acid for blood,” Cloud groaned.

Aerith laughed guiltily, shooting me a humorous glance. She patted Cloud’s shoulder. “It’ll be good for you, Cloud,” she said, looking at me yet again, this time with mischief in her eyes. “Just think. Soon you’ll have more abilities. You and Sephiroth can fight on more equal ground and really beat each other up.”

Well. That did sound attractive. Apparently Cloud thought so as well, for he straightened, a grim and reluctant smile inching out on his lips.

“But right now we should eat, as our host has prepared something that smells really good.” She peered into my wok. “Is that enough for all of us?”

“Maybe.” I checked the bread. It had risen properly in a very short time for some reason. Pleased, I turned the temperature up. “I’ll eat more bread than anything else, so go ahead and serve yourself and Cloud.”

Later, we sat at my table, a surreal scene even from within. For a long time no one spoke. Cloud broke the silence. “Why do you eat vegetarian meals now?”

“I can’t handle much else.” I summoned a bottle of red wine, a gift from a forgotten person, and put it on the table in front of Aerith. “Would you get him a glass of this? Alcohol has a way of neutralizing some degree of mako poisoning.”

She met my eyes.

You’re being awfully solicitous, she thought at me. Gracious, even. Thank you.

“What’s that incense-like smell?” Cloud sniffed the air.

“It’s Sephiroth,” Aerith explained.

Cloud frowned. I could see that even though most of his upper face lay concealed under cloth.

“You smell like oud,” she went on, addressing Cloud. “Sephiroth smells like copal. I think it’s the mako.”

Cloud leaned closer to Aerith, sniffing her. “You smell like…” He stopped. A blush spread out over his neck. “Never mind,” he muttered.

I grinned. The flower girl smelled like fertility, a light musk that promised a vigorous sexual appetite. Even the puppet could detect it

Aerith looked at me. “I smell like what?” Her puzzled frown endeared her to me in that instant.

“Like healthy, fruitful female,” I answered. “There’s a hint of sweetness too, like the flowers you enjoy so much.”

Now Aerith blushed. I looked at the two reserved occupants of my table and chuckled. “Get used to it,” I advised them both. “Your sense of smell is more acute. All your senses are, actually.”

“I remember the first time I received mako,” Cloud murmured. “It was like…having a veil ripped off.” He paused. “You didn’t get that, though, did you? Mako and Jenova are a part of you from the womb.”

“I suppose.” Cloud and Aerith both knew something about my heritage that I didn’t, and though it bothered me, I didn’t want to investigate any further for the time being. “I know I have enough of Jenova’s cells to make her takeover of my mind simplicity itself. Most of the murders I committed after the Wutainian War were under her guidance.”

“Including my mother?” Cloud’s finger clenched upon the edge of his plate.

“I remember nothing of Nibelheim but flames,” I answered quietly. “Jenova had complete control over me, body and mind.”

“Then I’m less of a puppet than you were,” Cloud pointed out, his voice bitter.

I had to concede his point. “Yes. Though I was more an extension of her than a marionette; to this day I retain her powers in a diluted form even though she is but dust in the planet’s composition.”

Cloud’s jaw clenched. “Do you even feel sorry for what you’ve done?” he demanded. “Do you feel even the slightest bit of remorse?”

“Cloud,” Aerith murmured. “It’s hard to feel sorry for something you didn’t do.”

“He could have fought her!” Cloud bent his fork in a spasm of rage.

“Like you did?” I asked. “I make no excuse for the murders and mayhem I committed, but I won’t take the blame for hers. The fact that she used my form for most of her crimes is incidental.” Seeing that Aerith had yet to pour Cloud the wine, I summoned the bottle and did it myself. “I’m made to kill and I don’t feel sorry for that, either, because I had no hand in it. All I can do is approach life the way I have these last six months. I gather information, fill in the blank spots in my memory and act as I deem fit.”

Silence reined.

Cloud drank his wine and ate a little more while Aerith picked at her food. I gave her a sharp look. “You need to eat, flower girl,” I admonished. “Your body wants a lot of calories now that mako runs in your veins. You’re building muscle and powering a high energy cell renewal.”

“He’s right,” Cloud said, turning blindly to his friend. “Always eat when you’re hungry or it will debilitate you.”

Aerith nodded. At our combined prodding she began to eat with more enthusiasm.

Cloud seemed to sigh. “How much mako did Hojo give you?” he asked softly.

“A lot.” Aerith grimaced. “Too much. I was at death’s door when Sephiroth rescued me.”

Cloud let his head drop. “I’m so sorry, Aerith,” he said gently. “I should have been monitoring the labs.”

“Don’t be silly.” Aerith nudged him a little with her elbow. “AVALANCHE can only do so much. Besides, it worked out. I’m ok now.”

My cell rang. I dug it out of my pocket. Eldon. I flipped it open.

“General,” Eldon greeted. His voice held a curious tremor. “Thank Shiva.”

“What is it, Eldon?” I asked. “What ails you?”

“I got waylaid last night,” Eldon said. “I only just woke up from the knockout drugs. Some big black man with a gun for one hand dragged me into the slums and pumped me for information about you. I expected to call you and get no answer.”

I cast a glance at Cloud, suddenly understanding how he could have disabled or circumvented the cameras in the building. “I’m fine, Eldon,” I said soothingly. “Take your rest. I’ll come by later and fill you in.”

“Ok.” Eldon sighed. “I’m so sorry if my loose lips caused you any trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I hung up.

Cloud toyed with his bent fork. “It was necessary,” he defended. He’d heard.

“I understand that,” I said. “But harm my secretary or his daughter and I’ll spread you all over the planet. That is your first and last warning.”

“I wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it,” Cloud defended. “That’s your department.”

“Both of you stop slinging testosterone,” Aerith muttered. “Cloud truly wouldn’t hurt an innocent. Still, you could have done better than that,” she added, her tone harsh. “Putting Barret on someone is akin to a rabid chocobo in a glassware shop.”

“I’ll expect you to recompense Eldon for his suffering,” I continued, not willing to drop it in the slightest. Eldon was valuable to me. The thought of him being terrorized by the brutish gunner made me angry.

“What should I do?” Cloud made a frustrated noise. “How about tickets to the next showing of Loveless?” His sarcastic tone set my teeth on edge.

“Ok, that was uncalled for.” Aerith stood up, throwing her napkin down. “Cloud, you’ll apologize to Sephiroth, and Barret will apologize to Eldon.”

“I will not,” Cloud ground out.

“You will.” Aerith leaned down until her face hovered a few inches from his. “You’re being combative for no reason. Sephiroth cares about his secretary and you deliberately provoked him.”

“I’m not!” Cloud squirmed in his seat. Backpedaling, he put his hands in the air. “War isn’t the kind of thing one apologizes for, Aerith!”

“I’ll remember that the next time you start condemning Sephiroth for what he’s done.” Aerith picked up Cloud’s fork and thrust it back into his hand. “If you’re eating you can’t flap your gums,” she said.

I put my head down so she wouldn’t see me grinning like a lunatic…