Escaping Fire

Title: Escaping Fire 4/?
Author: Malfoy
Archive: http://absoluteyaoi.cjb.net ;if you want it lemme know.
Rating: R/NC-17
Pairing: Sephiroth+Cloud, Cloud+Rufus, Reno+Rufus, Rufus x Cloud, implied Tifa+Aeris
Warnings: Violence, sort of a spoiler but not really since I haven't played to the end (Found out the end from a few friends.), yaoi, suicide, angst, lemonish-lime
Notes: Have not finished FF7 but I'm stretching the end a little bit.
Escaping Fire Part 4
"Aeris! No!" Cloud shrieked as the sword pierced through the ancient's body.

An evil, monotonous laugh filled the air. Blood covered the sword as it made a clear piercing into the other side. Blood flowed from the girl's mouth, her eyes wide in surprise. A tall, beautiful, silver-haired man stood behind her. He removed the sword from her body. Aeris fell to the ground and hit it with a soft thud.

"Aeris? . . . Aeris? . . . Are you all right?" Tifa ran to her partner's side. She picked up the bleeding body slowly and carefully. Tifa embraced the dead body lovingly.

The silver-haired man stood before her. Tifa looked up at him, he looked so innocent with the smirk on his face. The brunette just glared back at him. Her eyes filled with hate.

"You'll fucking pay for what you've done. You bastard!" Tifa placed Aeris' body in Cloud's arms and charged the man who killed Aeris, Sephiroth.

She charged the man, kicked him in the jaw. He didn't flinch. She began to punch away at his face. He seemed invincible. Nothing was hurting him. "You fucking bastard." She continued to punch him over and over, "You asshole. Die!" Tifa was in rage.

The others were shocked at her out burst but were sort of happy she was doing it. She seemed so girly but this proved them wrong. She was a monster and would fight for what selieelieved and whom she loved.

She pulled back after realizing her efforts were worth nothing. She looked at her blood stained hands and back at the man before her, then back at her hands. She fell to her knees and began to sob. She continued to stare at her hands. They were covered in her blood and Aeris' blood.

Sephiroth moved past her and toward Cloud. Cloud gaveis tis to Barrett. "Take her and you get out of here. Take Tifa and the others with you," Cloud told him and tleftleft. Only hesitating for a second until Cloud assured them he was fine.

Cloud took out his sword and was ready to attack. Sephiroth smirked, "You honestly think you can kill me?" Sephiroth moved closer to the blond.

Cloud nodded. Sephiroth continued to move closer. He stood about two inches from Cloud. This was a perfect situation for Cloud but he did nothing. Sephiroth laughed, then moved closer and captured the boy's lips with his own. He wrapped his arms tightly around Cloud's waist and grabbed the boy's rear.

"No you don't, you bastard," with that said, Cloud swung his sword hard, splitting Sephiroth's skin.

Cloud's sword pierced Sephiroth's body, the same way he had done to Aeris. Sephiroth's face expressed the feeling of shock, surprise. The silver-haired man collapsed to the ground and so did the boy.

"Cloud, don't leave me. I'm sorry. I've loved you all this time. Please, don't go," Sephiroth whispered with what little life he had left then his eyes closed and he was gone.

"It's too late Sephiroth. We weren't meant to be together," a tear fell from Cloud's eyes. "Too late to change anything."

Cloud got up and began his trek back home. His mind was proud, his heart a bit hurt. He had, from the time he became a SOLDIER, admired the silver-haired man, as more than just a fighting partner but a companion.

He knew it wasn't right to love a man so great, so evil. Even as a member of Avalanche, Cloud loved his first teacher. Sephiroth was someone he always looked up to and respected. Even though he knew that killing the man was right, he felt guilty, mostly for himself.

Cloud Strife, the 21-year-old member of Avalanche, caught up to his comrades. The made their way back to Midgar and went to Shinra headquarters. Cloud headed inside and the rest of the group went on their way to Sector 6 to bury Aeris' body.

The blond boy headpstapstairs to the 62nd floor to give his report. Instead of using the elevator to the 57th floor, he climbed the stairs one by one to the 62nd floor. Rufus Shinra greeted Cloud at the top of the stairs with his arms stretched out. Cloud looked up the stairs at the blond man and then ran into his arms.

Cloud buried his head into Rufus' chest and wrapped his arms around the man's waist tightly. He began to sob into the man's chest. Rufus held the boy close to his body, embracing him lovingly.

"Is he gone?" Rufus asked quietly.

Cloud simply nodded.

"By your blade?"

Cloud nodded again and tightened his hold on Rufus. "I wish I didn't have to do it. It's not fair."

"I know, I know. Come! Let's sit down," Rufus suggested.

The two walked over to the window seat behind Rufus' desk. The two still embraced tightly but Cloud's tears had stopped. Cloud pulled away and looked at Rufus then turned away. He felt embarrassed inside. He wasn't supposed to be weak like this. He was a man and wasn't supposed to rely on another man or have feelings toward them.

"What's wrong?" Rufus asked calmly then put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"He kissed me before I killed him and I kissed him back. I know it was wrong but kissing him felt . . . like . . . it felt so good," Cloud's voice was becoming nervous.

"It's not wrong to love another man or kiss another man . . . Here, let me show you," Rufus leaned forward to Cloud and moved the boy's head so that they were facing each other. Rufus then pressed his lips to the boy's.

Cloud kissed back. He didn't know if it was greed or sympathy for himself that made him continue. The embraced again and continued to kiss each other. Then they heard loud foot steps running up the stairs. The two boys let go of one another and greeted Reno when he entered the office.

"Is he gone?" the red-haired man asked, a sound of discouragement in his voice, a look of fear in his eyes.

Cloud nodded," Yes. Sephiroth is dead."

"No! No! No! You're lying, you have to be," Reno sounded and looked as if he were having a mental breakdown. He pointed at Cloud. "You killed him. You fucking bastard. Damn you to Hell. No! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

He pulled the gun from his waist band. He first pointed it at Cloud, then Rufus. "You're comforting him? You bastard. I love you, loved you. How could you do that to me?"

Reno and Rufus had been a couple for years. Just recently, Reno had begun to sleep with Sephiroth behind Rufus' back. At this point, he knew he had lost them both. Both of them to Cloud. Reno was to be alone once again.

"Well at least I can be with one of you once again," Reno said and lifted the gun to his head. BANG!

Cloud quickly held to Rufus. Rufus accepted the boy into his arms. Blood stained the floor before them and a body lay motionless. Rufus was in shock. His love hand just committed suicide. He let go of Cloud and went over to his love's body.

"No! I'm sorry. I . . . I . . . still love you, Reno. No! I'll see you again. I promise. I hope you'll forgive

me by then," Rufus was crying and rocking back and forth with Reno's body in his lap.

"Three deaths tonight, all because of me," Cloud got up and began to walk off.

He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was everything was his fault even if it really wasn't. He left Shinra headquarters and ended up in Sector 5 at Aeris' mother's house. He didn't know why but he felt like he should be here. He knocked twice and waited for an answer.

Aeris' mother came to the door with a look of surprise on her face, "Has she returned to the Planet?" she asked.

"It's my fault. I did everything I could but she's gone," Cloud couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes.

She placed her index finger under his chin and brought his head up, "Look at me. It's what she wanted. She wanted to return to the Planet to see Mother again, remember? This is what she's wanted since she was little. Her time had come."

Cloud nods to agree. At least part of his guilt was starting to wear away. He turned around and started to walk away.

"Why don't you stay the night? It'd be easier on you in the morning," Cloud hears her suggest.

He turns to face her, "Thanks but no thanks. I don't think I could sleep tonight anyway."

Cloud walked off. He for some reason headed back up to Shinra headquarters to spend the night in the rest room. He found Rufus outside in front of a lump of dirt.

"I'm sorry, Rufus. I'm sorry, Reno. I'm sorry Sephiroth. Please forgive me. It had to be done, Reno. I'm sorry. I loved him too. Just I realized it a little too late." Cloud knelt before the dirt pile and said his last words of sympathy and sorrow for himself and those he caused pain in.

"Stay the night with me, please? I don't want to be alone," Rufus said to Cloud.

Cloud looked up at him and nodded. Cloud stood up and Rufus took his hand. The two walked off to Rufus' apartment in Sector 6. They held hands all the way to their destination.

Once inside, Rufus embraced Cloud tightly. Rufus then kissed Cloud's mouth deeply. Cloud kissed him back. Soon they were in Rufus' bedroom undressing each other rapidly. This sexual encounter wased oed on nothing but guilt. Rufus pounded rapidly into the boy beneath him in anger that his greatest love was gone. Cloud wailed in pain as blood stained the sheets under him. He didn't notice the pain though, it was all pleasure to him. He deserved to bleed, to let everything evil in him escape.

Both of them came dry. The collapsed in exhaustion. If it weren't for that, they would have stayed awake through the night.

TBC...

Um...I'm sorry to all you Reno fans. (I'm a Reno fan too, favorite character in the game) I just thought it would fit into the story >_