Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 7, neither the story nor anything else (exept my OCs) and I don't make any profit by writing this.
Author's note: And now we'll meet another one of Amarissia's OCs, Lt. Akio Toshi, friend and lover of Declan. Akio is the personification of kindness and patience and he helped Declan to get over his trauma. The Koibito are a band of sacred homosexual warriors in the "Not Wrath of Gods" universe. Once they were honorable servants of the Wutaian god of love, Musubi-No-Kami, and the protectors of Wutai and It's people, especially the weak and defenseless. But times changed and the Koibito too...
Warnings: There's a lemon at the end of the chapter Reviews and constructive critiques are always appreciated. :-)
Chapter 3: First steps Just in the moment when Genesis was finished with his tale, Declan poked his head in and called cheerfully: " Dinner's ready! Do you want to join us in the livingroom or would you rather eat here?"
"Oh no, I'll come over. I'm starving!", said Cloud and got out of his bed, eager to show his friends who were in fact more like a family to him, the brandnew Mako glow in his eyes. The young SOLDIER staggered slightly when he grabbed his bathrobe.
"Do you need help? Should I get you some clean clothes?", asked Genesis, noticing that the boy's t-shirt and shorts were wet with sweat. "No, thanks...I'll take a shower after dinner."
Cloud looked at the older SOLDIER: "Genesis?" "Hmm?" Genesis answered absentminded, totally engrossed in watching the spectacle before his eyes. Oh man, this boy could win every wet t-shirt contest...
"The story about this boy...Kris Snyder...It gives me a lot to think about." said Cloud, finally managing to put on his bathrobe.
"What do you mean, Cloud?" Genesis queried.
"I mean, when I arrived here and as well before, in Nibelheim, I always thought I'd carry the misery of the whole world on my back. And then there were Declan and Zack and of course you and the others, you simply accepted me, you helped me so much. But what this boy had to go through...," Cloud shrugged, " It makes me think that I've been a terrible brat at that time."
"Hey, hey...You shouldn't compare the misery of others with your own bad memories. That's not fair against yourself. I think, your childhood wasn't really funny too. You had the whole village against you, and by the way, if I ever get my hands on this Mayor Lockheart...," Genesis chuckled, "But well, I think in this case I'll have to accept a place at the end of the line. So, what I mean is that you could have been easily broken by your childhood ... or broken by it's memories. But you didn't give up your dreams, nor did Snyder. You and this boy have two important things in common: immense courage and a kind of strength which shows up when nobody expects it. But just as this boy needed my help, you needed the help of your friends too."
Cloud nodded and they entered the livingroom of Declan's small apartment. Meanwhile Akio had arrived, together with a box with cupcakes ( containing mainly cupcakes with an inch-thick frosting of chocolate cream. Cloud loved them, so Akio had learned.) Since their adventure in Wutai, Declan and Akio were friends and slowly, time by time they became lovers. And Cloud remembered an evening some months before.
XXXXXXX
Cloud knew what had happened to Declan and Zack during their imprisonment by the Koibito under their crazy leader Tatake. The young cadet did of course knew what rape was, but he didn't had any concept about what it meant for one's further life.
Not until one evening five months ago when he finished his training early and rang at Declan's door. Akio answered the door, let Cloud in and led him instantly to the guestroom.
While they passed the living-room, Cloud saw Declan lying curled up on the couch and...was he crying?
When they were in the guestroom, the SOLDIER gave Cloud a book about the different kinds of materia and said: "Listen, Cloud. Declan isn't well. I want you to stay here and read the book until he's feeling better."
"Should I leave? " Cloud asked anxiously. Akio frowned: "I don't think so. Maybe Declan wants to talk later with you. Will you be good and do as I told you?"
Cloud nodded and opened the book obidiently. "Good. When he's better I'll call you. And depending on how he feels, he'll explain what happened," said Akio and left the room.
While Cloud tried to read through the first chapters, he heard Declan sobbing in the livingroom again and again, accompanied by Akio's soothing voice. The next two hours Cloud spent his time on the small bed in the guestroom with reading.
Then Akio returned: "Declan's feeling better now. If you want you may join us in the livingroom." When Cloud saw Declan sitting on the couch still with traces of heavy crying on his face, he whispered: " Declan? What happened?" And when he saw tears trickling down his friend's face, Cloud couldn't help but to came close to crying too.
"Cloud," Declan looked at him," Do you really want to know what happened?" "You are my friend, Declan," Cloud whispered, " Please, please tell me everything." "Very well, Cloud," Declan sighed.
And then he told the young cadet of the events during their imprisonment. How they were captured during a mission in Wutai by the remains of the once so honorable Koibitonin, who were misleaded by insane Tatake, how Zack was claimed by their chief as a replacement for his consort Miru, who died in the one of the last battles against SOLDIER, and how Zack was raped in a cruel initiation rite and, finally, how himself was tied to a tent pole and raped by a warrior of the Koibito.
"I can't really complain though, I suppose," sighed Declan, "At least Yasune took a small bit of time to prepare me - and well, you know...," he hesitated for a second, "I wasn't a virgin anymore at that time. But Zack screamed and left his blood in this circle of stones."In the end, all three of them were crying and holding each other.
When Cloud visited Declan's apartment for the next time, he found that the small guest room was decorated with a poster of ' The Dragon Tails', his favorite band, as well as a CD-player, a small collection of CDs and the bedding wasn't anymore plain white linen, but instead it displayed colorful Wuatain mythical creatures.
But what touched his soul the most, where the fotos on the small desk. Declan. Akio. Zack. Genesis and even the General. Is this what a home feels like ?, thought Cloud. Back in Niebelheim he had a bed. Nothing else.
XXXXXXX
When they entered the livingroom and Cloud was seated on the couch after nodding courtly to Angeal and Akio, Declan immediatly handed him over a bowl with chicken stew and Cloud filled his painfully empty stomach.
Oh, damn, this was so good! Angeal was the best cook ever! Said man chuckled when Cloud asked if he ever thought about becoming a chef: "Oh Cloud, this is just an old Banoran recipe I learned from my mother. I enjoy cooking, but it truly never came into my mind to work in a restaurant."
Zack nearly keeled over of laughing while he tried to imagine the mighty warrior in the outfit of a chef, complete with chef's hat and everything. It was funny enough to watch his lover when he was wearing his checkered apron.
While Cloud had his second serving, Zack chirped: " Genesis! Is it true? You've got now your own puppy?"
"No, definitely not!", snarled Genesis.
"Aww, why not? For sure that little guy needs every help he can get.", queried Zack. "Because I'm lacking this fatherly or brotherly attidude Angeal and Declan have got, " Genesis replied mockingly." I can't take care of the boy. It's simply not in my nature!", stated the eldest of the Trinity in a (slightly exaggerated) dignified manner.
Cloud gave the redhead a puzzled glance and thought of the talk they've had only minutes ago. Sure, Genesis would be a quite unconventional mentor. But he had definitely the necessairy abilities. Maybe he didn't want to show his compassionate side...Cloud decided that he would ask the fierce SOLDIER when he'd get the next chance to talk to him alone.
"Don't tell me you left the boy alone in the hall after the board meeting!" Angeal said worried. "No, of course not" Genesis admitted grudgingly, " I've fetched one of the Seconds to take care of him. Kunsel. I think, he's a friend of yours.", he said, glancing at Zack.
"Kunsel! " Zack replied cheeringly, " Good choice! He's got a heart of gold!" and in the same moment he got his PHS and dialed Kunsel's number.
Meanwhile the doorbell rang and Akio, as he was sitting anyway on the arm of the couch, went to answer the door. And nobody else than Sephiroth entered the room.
Poor Cloud nearly choked on his dinner: " S-sir? I'm sorry, Sir!" Although he met the General now on a quite regular base (unavoidable as he was a friend of Angeal and Zack and Genesis's lover), he still felt shy and rather timid when the powerful SOLDIER made his appearance. The others greeted the General, depending on their relationship to Sephiroth (Zack, who was still busy with his phone, only gave him a sloppy salut).
While Declan clapped Cloud's back (after saluting first, of course), Sephiroth shook his head with a slight smile and said: " It's alright, SOLDIER. Continue eating! You'll need a lot of proper nourishment now." and took seat on a chair which Akio hurriedly got from the bedroom.
While Zack was still busy with trying to reach his old friend, Akio asked: " So, what was your Mako level, Cloud and how went your first session?"
The blond in question gulped down the stew and said proudly. " 71.9 percent over average, the same as Zack's when he got his first injections. And it wasn't too bad. I think, Hollander injected only small single doses until I reached my limit."
Angeal smiled silently. Just like he did when it had been Zack's time, he threatened Hollander that he would flambé him with a blow torch if he caused Cloud more pain than absolutely necessairy. Since an accident in the labs years ago Hollander had an horrible fear of fire and so Angeal knew that this thread would always work to put the scientist in line.
After Zack called: "Way to go, Spiky!" while still trying to reach Kunsel, Sephiroth cleared his throat and said: " And that's the reason for myself being here: The President has been informed about Cloud's very high Mako level. And this, together with his exellent results in the exams, means that he demands of you, Lt. Hunter, as Strife's mentor, very detailed reports about the progress of your protegé. You'll have to hand out the reports every month to Lazard. I'd suggest you to consult Angeal for this task as he had to do the same when Zack had been his apprentice. President ShinRa has very high expectations concerning Strife."
Oh shit, Cloud is going to be ShinRa's next golden boy. I'm lucky that I've got the others to help me with his training, Declan thought. He could read very well the hidden threat in the President's order. If he'd fail, Cloud would be assigned to another, more experienced First Class - which would break Cloud's heart - and his own.
XXXXX
Meanwhile:
When Kunsel and Kris went into the dorm, it was thankfully still empty, aside from the luggage of the newly arrived cadets. "Your comrades are probably still in the cafeteria or maybe sitting somewhere outside to get to know each other. But as you're so tired, I thought, it would be the best if you go to bed as soon as possible"
The Second Class SOLDIER looked at the numbers on the beds and led the boy finally to the bed at the end of the room. "Here we are, number 9, that's your's. Put your stuff in the locker with the same number. The showers are on the other side of the floor. For the ones who don't use their own body-wash, there's some soap in the bathroom."
"Thank you, Sir!" said Kris, looking wearily at the small locker, wondering how all this stuff he got from supply should fit in this little space. "Call me Kunsel!", the SOLDIER smiled. "So, you hang up your uniforms here, put the underwear up there and this you should stash here...And here is a laundry bag. You can put your civilian clothes in it until you have time for washing them."
Concerning his civilian clothes, Kris had other plans though. At the next oportunity, I'll send them back, dirty and bloodstained as they are.
Mother, maybe you finally realize then what he did to me!, Kris thought, knowing that his foster-moster usually accepted the mail.
And then, within minutes, much to the boy's amazement, they had all his clothing and items neatly stowed and there was even still some free space left for personal things which Kris might aquire later.
"Ok, I'll go now and get you something to eat. Hopefully the guys didn't have already plundered the cafeteria completely."
After Kunsel left, Kris took his new pajamas and headed for the showers, relieved by the fact that at least today nobody would get to see his scars. He truly wished that he didn't say yes when Comissioner Drake asked him if he wanted to see the pictures he'd taken. He knew there had to be scars on his backside but he didn't expect so many of them. Kris wondered if he'd ever find a partner who could bear the sight of them.
After he was finished with undressing himself, he took a bar of soap of the shelf and turned on one of the showers, and then another memory came into his mind: What happened after Drake took the pictures. The embarrassing exam performed by the doctor. Sure, Drake and the medic surely had meant well with him and the exam was performed behind a screen, but still... it didn't change the horrible feeling.
The doctor told him to kneel on the table and spread his knees. At first Kris thought the medic would only look at his anus. But then he touched and spread his secret place, inserted a few times some oversized cotton swabs, pushed in his finger, feeling around inside him... Kris couldn't stop sobbing anymore. And then, worst of all things, the doctor inserted a cold steel thing which hurt him a lot, stretching his orifice painfully, spreading him open for the eyes of the world.
Kris thought about how much he would have liked it if somebody touched him there, to penetrate his secret place smooth and tenderly. But not like this...not like this. After the exam was finally finished, he staggered on shaking knees to the cafeteria, together with all the other applicants of group D.
Go with the flow and you'll be allright, darling, whispered Mrs. Ramada's voice in his head. And so he did. But he wasn't able to eat anything, ignored completely the curious looks the other applicants gave him and after they were ushered out of the cafeteria and led into a courtyard, he sat down like in a haze. He didn't realize that it were for nearly three hours he sat in the courtyard, mute, nearly dead for the world. The next clear memory he had was when the examiner's voice shouted: " Go!"
His mind had automatically joined the numbers he called with the demanded exercises.
Run. Squats. Run. Squats. Run. Jumps. Run. Push-ups ...Three rounds and it was over. It was the same with the obstacle course. It seemed like his body knew the best way, without involving his mind, to master the walls, ropes, swinging sandbags and so on...
Later, meanwhile they were waiting in a grey floor, the members of group D were called up, one by one: "Mitchell: Regular Infantery, go to the regulars supply, Coras: you can go home, Laforge: SOLDIER cadet, go to the Cadets supply, A. Smith, to the regulars artillery supply ...Nobody called his name.
He didn't know for how long he sat in that dull floor. Then a cheerful voice called to him: "Hey! Congrats, Cadet Snyder!"
Kris noticed that he was on his knees, the water of the shower still splashing on his body. He got up, turned off the shower and ignored his burning eyes, still wet with tears. After he dried himself with one of the towels, he dressed in the pajamas and went back to his dorm.
And there was Kunsel, already waiting for him: " Everything alright?" "What?" asked Kris and Kunsel pointed at his eyes. "Oh that...I got some foam in my eyes," replied Kris, trying to sound casually.
"Hm," nodded the Second Class thoughtfully, "The free soap which ShinRa provides for the cadets and regulars is more like acid than something usuable to clean your body. In four weeks time you'll get your first salary. I'd suggest that you buy your own body-wash then. You can buy it either here in the shop for the military, the shop in the main building, were all the other ShinRa employees get their supplies or somewhere in the city. But I'd suggest the shop in the main building. Even the Turks buy there whatever they need.
"
What the hell are Turks?, wondered Kris.
"You should choose body wash No. 3, which is for sensitive skin. I use it since I had my own experience with the soap provided by ShinRa. I looked like a cooked lobster for two days," Kunsel smiled, "And here's your dinner. I've got four sandwiches, two with chicken, two with tuna...Oh, I hope you like tuna?"
Kris, who had absolutely no idea of how tuna might taste alike, nodded.
"And here's a bottle with water and a bottle with orange juice. This eased Kris's mood considerably. He had only a couple of times in his life orange juice and it was only when Joey presented him with a can of it.
As it turned out, Kris enjoyed immensly the tuna sandwichs, although the chicken sandwiches were good too. He was sure tuna would be his favorite dinner for the rest of his life.
"Ok. Let's talk about tomorrow," said Kunsel, who grinned while watching the young cadet munching happily on his sandwiches, " Reveille is at six o'clock. And believe me, there's no way to overhear the reveille signal. But because it's your first day, you'll have time for showering, dressing and breakfast until 7:30. Then you're going to be called into the assembly hall. You'll have to listen to a whoooole lot of speeches then. But," Kunsel smirked, "One of the speakers will be General Sephiroth,"
Kunsel continued: " This will last until 10:00. Then comes the really important part. The different squads will be called into single classrooms, where they'll meet their instructors, mostly experienced Second Class SOLDIERS who are decided as to used up for further missions, and you'll get your schedules. The numbering of the squads is identical with the number of their dorms, so, this means, you're a member of squad No.5. This procedure will last until noon. You'll have lunch in the cafeteria again and then, at 13:00, your classes will begin."
Meanwhile Kris had finished his dinner and his eyes were heavy with the urge to sleep. "So, did you understand everything I just explained ?", the Second Class Soldier asked. "Yes , S-s...I mean Kunsel," murmured Kris. "Ok, I'll leave you alone then. Sleep well, Kris!" "Good night, Kunsel!", yawned the boy from the Grasslands. After he left dorm No. 5, Kunsel decided to answer his steadily vibrating PHS.
XXXXXX
"Kunsel, Kunsel! Finally you answer the damn phone!", Zack called, meanwhile in the bathroom, "Can you tell me anything about this new guy ? I think, his name was Snyder...
After ten minutes he returned to the livingroom again and announced grinning like the Cheshire cat: "Everything's ok, Genesis. Your little puppy has been feed and is sleeping fitfully now."
"He. Is. Not. My. Puppy!", growled the redhead with a comical half pouting and half accusing expression on his face. Angeal couldn't help but to chuckle, thinking of how often he had to remind Genesis that Cloud wasn't a pet.
XXXXXX
One hour later, Sephiroth took his leave together with Angeal, Zack and Genesis. While they were walking through the empty floors, the General glanced at Angeal and said: "Listen Angeal, what I didn't said was that there had been a big fight between Hollander and Hojo this afternoon. Hojo was boiling with rage because Hollander was assigned again for the treatment of an exeptional high level candidate - first it had been Zack and now Cloud, both considered as highly valuable assets. I know it's disgusting. I know by own experience that you have very good reason to protect the boys from Hojo. But you can't do this another time. The next time Hojo will go to the President with his complains and might force the assignment for himself. We can't have this right now. The air in the top floor is tense enough as it is with the increasing differences between the President and Rufus."
Angeal nodded and replied hesitantly: "I hear you, Sephiroth and I agree. Although I don't like it I promise that I won't interfere again," he sighed, "But we shouldn't worry about this too much. We know how rare such candidates are. It was a giant coincidence that we had two of them in only a few years time. It might not happen again for the next twenty years."
I hope you are right about this, thought Genesis.
XXXXXX
It might have been a couple of hours after midnight when Cloud awoke again. He opened his eyes, still overwhelmed by his enhanced senses. The room which had been in complete darkness only one night before seemed now to be in a strange dim light. He could see every detail, would have even be able to read without switching the light on if he wanted. He could feel every single fibre of the textiles enveloping him. (Declan got extra soft sleepwear for him which he should wear until his body had adapted to the enhancements).
It was an amazing feeling. Then Cloud noticed the reason why he woke up again. He needed to go to the bathroom. No wonder, if he thought of the amounts of fluids he'd drank during the day and the evening. Silently he slipped out of his bed and left his room, expecting the rest of the apartment to be in the same dim light like his own room.
Oh! The door of Declan's and Akio's bedroom was halfway open and there were light and sounds flowing out of the room. Oh, they were busy...Cloud cursed in his mind. What should he do now? Of course Cloud knew that as Declan and Akio were a couple, surely they would make love, since Declan seemed to have more or less recovered now.
But to witness it... There wasn't a choice now. Cloud needed to go to the bathroom. He decided to tiptoe into the bathroom as silent as possible. But just in the moment when he passed the door he could hear Akio moaning. And a voice in his head which sounded suspiciously like Genesis said:
Interesting, huh? Cloud stood there, gawking and unable to move. Then there was another voice, sounding like Angeal:
You can't do this. It's not honorable! Man, let him alone. The boy will soon be old enough to have sex. What's the damage if he has the opportunity to watch how it is done? Cloud, close your eyes and go straight to the bathroom! Oh, come on, one little peek won't hurt... A second later Cloud peeked (very careful - he didn't dare to imagine what would happen if they discovered him) around the door.
The sight was breath taking. The couple was lying on the bed (thankfully with their backs to to door), their bodies, glistening with sweat pearls, were bathed in the golden shine of the bedside lamp.
Taller, more sturdy Akio was lying spread-eagled on his stomach and the lighter, slimmer Declan covered him with his own body, moving his hips in a slow, unhurried way.
He looked like an elegant swimmer, crossing a calm ocean. Akio's responding movements were the tender waves, steadily encouraging his lover to go on.
Much to Cloud's surprise, Declan's hands were grasping Akio's shoulders, holding him down in a clearly dominating way. Then, suddenly, Akio gasped: "Declan, now!"
Declan let go of his lover's shoulders, supported himself with one elbow on the bed, while his other hand disappeared under Akio's pelvis.
At once Declan's movements changed into a sharp, fast pumping. The couple panted and groaned, accompanied by the sound of skin smacking on skin.
Then Akio reared his torso upwards like a snake and huddled his cheek against his lover's one. A few moments later he came with a rough shout. Declan drew back his hand from his partners body, pushed his hips four or five times hard into Akio and climaxed then with a low moan.
His cheeks burning with embarrassment, Cloud tiptoed back into his own room, closing the door behind him, carefully avoiding to make any noise.
Damn! Look at yourself, what have you done? To make the whole thing even worser, his bladder was complaining more urgently than ever, demanding to be emptied very soon. And just to add the cherry on the cake, his dick was hard like a rock.
Shit! Cloud heard that someone went to the bathroom. A short time later there was the sound of the toilet being flushed, and then the person returned and closed a door.
But all this didn't solve Cloud's dilemma. At first he had to get rid of this infamous erection. He tried to think of the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen, but couldn't really focus . Ok, the most creepy thing then...Hojo. Cloud had seen him a couple of times before (being carefully shielded by Declan and Akio) and heard this creepy voice which sounded like the bleat of a mutated goat.
Ok, next try: Hojo nude. Cloud shuddered but the pressure between his legs was still there. He decided to add a nude Heidegger at Hojo's side. And just for good measure, he let both of them skipping rope. The annoyed look on Hojo's haggard face and the sight of Heideggers jumping fat belly did it finally. Cloud snickered helpless.
His dick deflated. At least one problem was solved. Sometimes owning a vivid imagination was a good thing.
He hurried to the bathroom, hissed at first at the burning feeling in his urethra (Nurse Rhonda had warned him about it when she removed the catheter - Argh! - surely the most embarrassing moment in his life) but then sighed with relief while watching how the greenish, slightly glowing fluid disappeared in the toilet. Hollander told him that it would take two or three days until his body would have flushed out the excess Mako.
After he returned to his bedroom, his eyes caught the Wutaian manga still lying on his desk (a gift from Genesis, smirkingly declared as "educational material"). He remembered how shocked he'd been when he read it ( was it really possible to do these things with a human body?)
A thought popped up in Cloud's mind after he reclined again on his bed. What he'd done this night, well, for sure it was wrong and he wondered how to avoid the blushing when he'd have breakfeast with Declan and Akio in the morning. But maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.
The manga had been all about sex. But what he just witnessed was true love making.
It dawned Cloud that this night he'd learned an important lesson about the facts of life.
