Sephiroth's soul redemption

Our bed we live our bed we sleep.
Making love and I become you
Flesh is warm with naked feet
Stabbing thorns and you become me
* Still remains, stone temple pilots*

The next morning Leisa took up a seat opposite Jeh-ri as he was having breakfast in the canteen, with a strange look in her eyes. Ian hot on her heels, sat down beside him.
“You and Enak.. last night.. did you two.. mate?” She asked. Her eyes squinting, as she had trouble coming to grips with the idea.
“No”, he said. “We just fucked like bunny-rabbits.”
Ian spat out his coffee, as he nearly choked.
He looked at them both, not really understanding what the fuss was about.

“But he likes guys, though.” She said, a pained look on her face.

“Leisa, what’s your point? You have seen Jeh-ri naked recently, haven’t you?” Ian said.

She just sat there, blinking her eyes, then sighing deeply, feeling awkward.

“He has a major crush on Sephiroth, you know. I guess he just needed someone to redirect it too.” He said, shrugging his shoulders.

“What was it like?” Asked smiling slightly, trying to create a girl to girl moment for the two of them, as she reached her hand across the table, palm facing upward, wanting to share his memories. But it just felt wrong, to inappropriate right now. He felt kind of sad that he had lost that too, as he reached over, and gently closed her hand, curling the fingers toward her palm with his own.

He was rejecting her again, and he could see a slight glimmer of pain slide across her pretty face. “You wouldn’t like it, Leisa. I’m just too different now.”

He just smiled, letting it hang there. Knowing it would freak her out something aweful if he would tell how far he had gone.

“A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

“Oh thank goodness, it was afraid you where actually going to tell her everything! That would have been such an over-share!” Ian exclaimed.

“Just because you’re to immature to handle sharing doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t, Ian.”

“Fine, just as long as you wait for me to leave the room.” Ian said, shuddering.

“That wont be long, that’s your second coffee already.” Leisa pointed out, knowing it always made him disappear into the toilets for quite a while. Ian made a wet loud indelicate sound at her in reply.

Jeh-ri got up and blew her a kiss, and went to get his stuff.

“Have a nice day playing with Silver Hairs, Darling!” Ian called after him, his voice lilting effeminately.

As he walked up to the elevators, he spotted Zach talking with some of the other officers, and he joined as he punched in his code to go up.

“Good morning, Zach.” he greeted him.

“You sleep ok?” he asked.

Sure, what sleep I did manage to get after one of my superior officers fucked me stupid.
I nodded. “Why do you ask?”

“You just look different, more relaxed or something.” He said.
He remember Ian always noticing whenever Hazel would have graced hem with one of her visits at night, always feeling very quiet and focused.
He just smiled mysteriously at the messy haired man, letting him guess why.

“You get up to anything last night?” he asked.

“We shaved Erik, than had a pool party in our shower room as the drain got blocked.”

“Oh, sounds fun.” He said dryly.

“I’ll give you a call next time, your welcome to come join us.”

”Okay.”

Then they both burst out laughing.

“What mood is he in today?” He asked, not wanting the General to ruin my currant state of bliss. He just shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had no idea.
They approached the door of his much-dreaded office, and Zach knocked on the door.

“He’s not in yet.” He said, fishing a key out of his pocket and unlocking the door.
He reactivated the link finding Jacco already awake, telling him what Erik suggested. Then he guided him into changing the identity code to match the old system, then rewiring the system in the floor to the laptop. As he pulled the cable out of the plastic housing, he cringed briefly expecting an alarm to start blaring through the building, but the Shinra Electrical Company was so secure in its trickery, it had placed no alarm system.
Jacco told me how to access the files that had been filed using yesterdays date.

As he was kneeling behind the desk again, sifting through the programs, and Zach walked in with another chair for Jeh-ri to use, as he fell into the General’s seat.

“What?” he asked seeing the other’s eyes go wide with horror at the sight of him in that seat of power.

“Nathan and I are as close as you can get, but I will never ever take place in his chair. Not even his wife will do that.”

“It is just a chair, Jeh-ri, what is the big deal?”

“Don’t ask, I cant even explain it to you, but it is just not done.” He said shuddering at the thought of feeling the Generals energy entering his root chakra. “It would like being fingered on an energetic level, or something” he explained.

“Ooh.. kinky, what is so bad about that?” Zach asked.

“I realize that half the population here would probably kill to be placed in that position, but that doesn’t mean I feel the same, Zach.” he said.

“Don’t you find him attractive?” Zach asked. “I noticed you get all jumpy around him.”

“He makes me feel uneasy sometimes, but for me it has a different reason.”

I am actually a woman who is pretending to be a man, and he has senses it, although he doesn’t realize it.
He thought.
“Hm, you don’t strike me as strictly hetero, though.” Zach said, leaning back, analysing the red haired man beside him.

“Who ever said I was, I just find him way to dominating and hostile.” He didn’t really enjoy this conversation as it struck way to close to home and decided to change the subject.
“Lets get some work done, shall we?”

Zach held up his hands in surrender and moved closer so he could look over the others’ shoulder at the screen of the laptop

“Ok I found one folder that says; ‘Emergency dump’, the time of day and the date are a match.” he said to Jacco.

“Good, now, once again, hit commence data transfer.” he did, the screen edge turning green again. “Click and drag the dump-file to the encryption icon.”
A box appeared on the right hand corner, indicating the file being uploaded and decoded.
“It looks like we got it back.” he said, glancing sideways at Zach who smiled widely.

“Well done. Where did you get that idea from, Graduate?” A deep voice said from just inside the door.
“Good-morning General.” Jeh-ri said, keeping his voice level to match his tone. He briefly wandered how long he had been standing there

“You’ve got the files back, then?” He said, sitting down on his chair, after shooing Zach off with a gesture.
He nodded. We are in the system now, you can see everything they have done over the last six months or so.” He turned the laptop back on his desk, so he could see for himself.
Then he moved off to the other side, now that Zach and the General where flipping through all the dump files. He continued to check the new hardware and started to upload the Trenn Omega program.

Every now and then he heard a sharp intake of breath from the dark haired man, indicating he could see to what extend his friend had been under surveillance. He snuck a look at Sephiroth, who seemed disinterested, as he had been anticipating what they would find there.

“Assholes.. “ He heard Zach say.

“The new system is up and running, Sir.” He said, and the General looked over briefly to signify he had heard.
“I can now transfer the files from there to here, then we can make a start on that.” He pointed at the filing cabinets and the crates.
“I could ask Erik if he knows a way to keep them out of your system, if you like.” he offered.

“Is he the one that came up with how to get the files back?” the General asked.

“If you want things nice and neat and according to the rules, you ask Jacco. I you want stolen, illegal, contra ban and industrial espionage, you ask Erik.” He said, winking at Zach.

“You mean I have a spy in my academy?” He asked.

“What do you think he taught us at Project Ark, Sir” He asked.

“The file said he taught intelligence gathering and aura reading.” He answered.

“That is what the file says, and that was his official task. He got fired for teaching us to think for ourselves, to be individuals with a mind of our own. That is not very handy in an institute that depends on discipline and obedience. And he taught us various ways of getting what we need to survive when cut off from our help-lines.”

“And what does his brother teach?” the General asked.

“He teaches how to find food and water in the most hostile of environments. You can safely let yourself be dumped anywhere with a breathable atmosphere, and he will get you where you need to go and get you there healthy and ready to fight if need be.”

“Cool.” Zach said, and he sounded impressed, “What is aura reading, by the way, I never got to ask any of you.”

“Every living thing has an energy field, or an aura. This aura is built up out of several layers, depending on the complexity of the lifeform. Then there is called the etheric double. It reflects your physical state. Those who can read it, can tell of a persons physical state, enabling us to spot disease at an early state, or physical discomfort, but you can also read emotional states in it, love, hate, lust, envy, fear, happiness, you name it.”

“And you can do this?” Sephiroth asked, his voice level, but not disinterested.

“Sometimes I can, I have to concentrate hard, it is easier for me to pick up impressions from earth, water, or air. I can sense where people are once I have met them and touched them, but I cannot read what they are thinking unless I get into my truth-sayer trance.”

“Your what?” Zach asked.

“I step out side my body, my consciousness leaves temporarily; and I can just stand over there, and observe you.”

“You did that in the boardroom when you first got here, didn’t you?” The General asked. “What did you see?” his voice quite intent.

“You are surrounded my liars, Sir, but I don’t think I am telling you something you didn’t already know.”

“Was I lying?” he asked, his voice underlined with a powerless threat, as he already knew the answer.

“No, you have no need to.”

“Do you tell lies?” he asked, his voice becoming level again.

“I am not very good at it, and I don’t see any need to.” He answered.

“Then what did you see between Zach and I?”

“That you have been close, and still are, but on a different level.” Zach slightly coughed at that.

“I think we’d better concentrate on the job at hand. Zach’s feeling a little uncomfortable.” The General said, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

“Ah, but he is so cute when he’s blushing, Sir” Jeh-ri jibed, and connected the new computer with my laptop so the files could be sorted into the new program.

“Let’s keep the tomfoolery to a minimum shall we? You have a very big job ahead of you, so let’s not waste time.” He said his voice stern but not all together unfriendly.

“Yes Sir.” Jeh-ri said.

* * * * *

The next days he spend sorting through the paper work that had been spilled from its folders, having his new boss instructing him how he wanted it filed for easy access. At first he just wanted everything the same as it had been before, but as Jeh-ri pointed out that the new system actually allowed him to make his own adjustments, to make sense to him.

“That would make it hard for anyone else to make sense of it, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes and no. You devise a quick key for yourself and hand this over to a couple of people on a need to know basis, for when you are away, and they need to find files. That way you control who has access.”

“Erik teach you this?” he asked

“Nathan did. I have done the same thing for him about five years ago. That is how we got to know each other. I used to read all sorts of scientific reports and magazines, and as we did this boring stuff, I kept him up to speed with latest news, in health care, pharmaseutical developments.”

The General got called away for a few moments, and left the room.

“You sleep with your commanding officer?” Zach asked, making sure the older man had really gone.

“Yes. I have. Why do you ask?” He asked, as he kept filing folders into the new order we had decided on. When he didn’t answer, he stopped what was doing, and looked at him as he leant against the wall.

“Do you find it inappropriate? You have slept with Sephiroth.” He reminded him.

“How could you tell?” he asked his eyes curious.

“You’re energy field is welcomed by his.”
He frowned deeply at that indicating he wanted more explanation.

“You look very sparkly to me, there is lots of movement all around you. The General is continually shrouded. It is like his hair, but then more solid, and it swirls all around him. When you talk together, the sparks you have, they get imbedded in that shroud, and they swirl along, and some wisps of his shroud wraps itself around and through you.”

“You where going to tell me something personal.” Jeh-ri said. He looked at him again with surprise and puzzlement. “You keep looking at the door, making sure he’s not there. I don’t have to be a mind reader all the time, simple observation will do.’ He smiled at that.

“Aeris and I broke up a couple of days ago.” He said. “Not because of him and I, we don’t have a relationship or something, it is just..” he stopped looking for a word that would fit the situation.

“Maintenance, something that arises out of necessity.” He supplied, and Zach nodded.
“I know how that works.” he said, still glowing in the effects of Enak’s attention, now several days ago.

“Aeris just didn’t like me being here, involved in what Shinra is doing. She says if this place needs to be protected by violence, nothing good can come from it.”

“What do you think.” He asked, seeing her point perfectly, but also noticing that Zach didn’t.

“I don’t know.” He said, heaving his hands in the air. He realised that he, like everyone here hadn’t given any thought to that fact. “She just said she couldn’t be with me being involved with something that she disagrees with so deeply.”

He actually felt a little sorry for him, he really liked this girl, whom he had never seen, but got a sweet pleasant impression of as he spoke of her. He went to place a hand on his shoulder blade, as he often did with people when they where sad and needed comforting. He stopped myself just in time, as Ian had pointed out to him on various occasions wasn’t a very masculine thing to do. He had almost slipped again.

Thankfully Zach was to engrossed with his inner conflict to take notice of what he had almost done. Sephiroth had though, as he had walked into the office at that exact moment. “Am I interrupting something here?” he said, his voice humourless.

“Absolutely not, Sir. I was just wandering if it is okay to go check on the training classes for the younger cadets.” He asked, deflecting the suspicion in his eyes.

“Alright, but I will expect a progress rapport first thing tomorrow morning.”
That creep! He actually thought they would sneak off somewhere for a quicky or something!
Zach softly banged the back of his head against the wall, indicating he wasn’t in the mood for writing reports.

“Come on, Zach, lets go see the little ones dance!” He said, grabbing a clipboard and a pen from the wall.

“If you tell me how to write the rapport, I will do that later. I want to move around a bit, have some fun, and you need to lighten up!” He said as he punched him in the arm and broke into a run, wanting to get some exercise.
Once down in the dome he grabbed a practice sword from the rack, and joined Leisa and Ian. All the cadets where standing on one side of the great space, and where executing advancing attack moves to a complicated beat Enak was playing on one of the drums. Advancing in pairs, moving with fluidity and confidence, then the next couple would go, until almost reaching the other side, where they where met by Ian and Leisa, who countered their moves before sending them back to the beginning of the line for another turn.

Jeh-ri was pleasantly surprised to see some of them almost breaking though the defence moves the much more experienced instructors made.

He nudged Zach in the ribs as he saw Cloud straddling a drum beside Enak, his eyes closed in deep concentration, adding his own distinct counter to Enak’s rhythm. Zach trotted over to Cloud, and they started talking.

He walked up to Leisa, to take over for a bit, and had fun letting my self being pushed back wards by the advancing attack, occasionly poking a couple of the cadets in the ribs as they got a little carried away and forgot to keep their guard up. Then the instructor signalled the end of the lesson and every one filed out. He walked up to Cloud who still sat on his drum, smiling happily.

“You keep a good beat, kiddo.” He said.

“He twisted his ankle, so I gave him this job to do.” Enak said. “Could you check him out.?”
Jeh-ri nodded, and got him to roll off the hour-glass shaped drum.

“Enak told me to keep my boot on.” He said. “He said it would stop it from swelling.”

“That’s right. Could you carry him to our room? I need to go to the kitchen and get something.”
Enak swept the blond young man up on his back, and disappeared with him.
Jeh-ri slipped into the kitchens and asked the cook there for some raw cabbage leaves, then went to the infirmary and got something to bandage his ankle with.
When he entered the room they had put Cloud on one of the Borronix hides we had brought, and had pulled his boot of.

Gently prodded the tendons around the bones, moving the foot around to see where the damage was. He winced slightly, but he couldn’t detect any serious damage. He rubbed some arnica tincture in his skin, carefully prodding the sore tendons , then packed the ankle in the cabbage leaves that had first been crushed using one of the smooth stones he had in his luggage. Then bandaged the joint, also encasing the stone he had used against the spot where most of the pain was centered. Cloud got given a herbal mixture to drink that would stimulate his body to heal itself. He screwed up his face at the bitter taste, but swallowed it down anyway

As Zach and the others where having their dinner, he wrote Sephiroths progress report. Adding the part of Cloud’s injury, knowing if he didn’t, gossip would do it for him. He went by the other instructors, and spoke to them, getting their opinion on how things where progressing, and they all seemed enthused by the results.
He was quite pleased to have plenty of positive things to include in the report.

* * * * *


After dinner, Jeh-ri decided that it would be best if Cloud and Zach stayed with them, as he needed to keep an eye on him, and he didn’t want some of the older more narrow minded elements of the troop giving him a hard time about having his foot wrapped in cabbage leaves.

Cloud actually enjoyed being with the seniors, sharing all the banter and bullshit to and fro. Blushing slightly as Leisa came out of the showers wearing nothing but a towel, after she spotted the two intruders she darted back in the showers with a theatrical squeal and put on a large falling pair of pyjamas.

“Wow! If I had know earlier that that was what it would take to have you put some damn clothes on, I would have invited them sooner, Leisa!” Ian jibed, as he sat down on the mattresses that lay against the wall. “If it where up to her, she’d run around naked all day. She is such an exibitionist.” Ian said, in mock disgust.

“Have never heard you complain before, Captain.” Leisa said, pointedly.

Erik came over to where Jeh-ri was sitting beside Zach, who had wrapped a protective arm around Cloud’s shoulders. He zonked himself down between Jeh-ri’s legs, and handed him a comb. He undid the tie at the end of his braid, slipping it around his wrist, as he shook his hair loose. His hair now falling all around his shoulders and streaming off his head to form a light gold red pool in his lap. Now Cloud and Zach could see the elaborate pattern of blotches and spots all along his back and shoulders.

“He looks like a leopard, doesn’t he.” Jeh-ri said, poking Erik in the ribs. He jerked his head back, sweeping his hair back so the smaller man was covered with a shiny wavy blanket. Cloud and Zach laughed as he struggled to get out from under the waterfall of hair..

Jeh-ri grabbing hold of Cloud’s leg and squeezing the thigh muscle, making him giggle as he jerked his leg away.

“Stop spoiling him, Seng. Before you know it, the whole room will be filled with little snot nosed brats, all wanting you to take care of them.” Erik growled as Jeh-ri pushed him away toward Leisa so she could pull the comb through his hair.

“It was a little irregular of you to invite a cadet like him in here.” Leisa said softly, who had come to sit beside him.

“I invited Zach who is a senior officer just like us, who in turn took a friend along.”

“Oh, is that right, Jehr.” She said, not really buying my story, but letting it rest anyway.

“What are you complaining about, Leisa, we needed more girls here anyway.” Erik grinned at her, winking.
“You smell bad, go take a shower. And you owe me for cutting your hair too.” Jeh-ri said, pushing him away, and not happy with the comment he made about Cloud and Zach. But they took it quite well, Zach blowing a raspberry at him.

“What did you have in mind, Seng?” He asked as he sat opposite him, on his knees, and pressed his forehead against his as he spoke.

“I want you to rub my shoulders.” He said softly, looking in his eyes from under his eyelashes.

“I need to be fed” He whispered in his ear, before pushing his tongue in.
He shoved him away, drying his ear off with the sleeve of his sweater..

“Deal.” He said, as he disappeared into the shower.

“I hate it when you do that.” He said.

“Zach does that to me too sometimes, it is so disgusting.!” Cloud said. Zach laughed, grabbing his chin, trying to stick his tongue in Clouds ear who leant over to Jeh-ri’s lap to get away, who grabbed hold of his head, and drew his tongue across his face. He spluttered wildly, breaking free, rubbing his face furiously..

“You really enjoy touching each other, don’t you.” He said.

“You enjoy Zach touching you.” He said.

“That’s different, we’re friends.” He said, not getting the point.

“So are we, Cloud. We all met at the Project Ark Academy, and Enak and Erik where our senior officers just like Zach is to you.” Now he could understand how it worked.

“But you tell Erik what to do.” He said, and Leisa and him laughed at the boy’s confusion.

That is because I am older than he is. He might outrank me, but I get to order him around when we are not on duty.”

“How old are you then?” He asked.
“I’m 36, the twins are 23, Leisa and Ian are 28.” His eyes went wide again.

“You don’t look that old..” Zach said.

“You’re a peach, Zach. but how old do you think Nathan is?” Jeh-ri asked.

“Ehh.. Forty something?” Zach asked.

“He’s seventy-five. He is of physical and spiritual maturity now. In regular years, like the way time moves here he would be about.. forty, fifty years old.” Jeh-ri said.

“Time moves differently on Althea, then?” Cloud asked.

“Yes, one week here is about four there, and the days are twenty eight hours long, weeks have thirteen days, and we have fourteen months.”

“How is that possible?” Zach asked, trying to make sense of it all.

“You move through a time zone barrier as you move from system to system. It is almost like ours sits in some kind of bubble. When we leave it takes about a week to get to the ‘border’, but only a couple of hours to reach this planet.” Leisa explained.

Erik came out from under the shower, drying himself off, and gathering his hair in a low pony tail in the nape of his neck
Then he pulled Jeh-ri around so the smaller redhead sat with his back toward him. He pulled sweater off the body in front of him as his rough hands first trailed across his bare back, prodding the spine.

“You want to be touched, Zach?” Jeh-ri asked, and he nodded. He motioned for him to come sit in front of him, so he could rub his shoulders, then he got Cloud to sit in front of him. The boy had tilted his head back in enjoyment as Zach gently kneaded the muscles surrounding his neck. He was now becoming drowsy because of the medicine he had been given before, and soon his head started to sink onto his chest. Zach moved to lay him down on one of the mattresses and covered him up.

Jeh-ri felt Erik close in on him, his breath caressing the skin as he pulled the hair away from his neck. He gently breathed into his ear, and took the earlobe between his lips, and let his mouth slide to the Nutria vein which the rubbing had brought to the surface. He had a hard time concentrating on Zach as Erik broke the thin skin, and started to feed in slow deep draughts. The rhythm of his swallows in time with Jeh-ri’s heartbeat. His hands slid down and around to his chest. “I miss your tits, Jehr.” He whispered, after closing the vein again with his tongue.

“Fuck me.” he said.

“No” he answered.

“Fuck me.”

“No.”

“Why not? Don’t you like me?

“No.”

“Ah, well, that settles it then.”

He jumped up, and pulled a pair of black leather trousers from his trunk, and a sleeveless sweater. Then he tied on his boots.

“Where are you going?” Leisa asked.

“I’m gonna get laid. There are bound to be some hot blooded females in Midgar waiting to be conquered.

“Undoubtedly.” Leisa said dryly.

“Prolong and abstain, Erik.” Jeh-ri said, “They wont be what you are used to.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, little one.” He said and stalked from the room.

“He can’t get off the grounds without clearance, Jehri.” Zach said.

“You wanna bet? He will find his own way in and out.” Enak said. “Once he is on the prowl, there is no stopping him until he finds what he wants.”

….Maybe you should have, you know.. Leisa spoke into his mind. …You did it for Enak…

…Enak needed a certain baundry to be broken, and when he asked for my help, he did it nicely. Erik just wants me to be a notch on his belt, Leisa…besides, my equipment is wrong at the moment.
He answered her, avoiding Zach hearing their little interaction.

Zach jumped up, and ran to the elevators with Leisa and Jeh-ri in his wake. He went up to another smaller boardroom that had windows all along the wall, that gave an exellent view of the darkening grounds below. They could see Erik moving now, as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, from the different buildings and barracks within the perimeter fence, looking for a way to get as close as he could, then backed away, to get a longer run then he took off. He moved with such speed, you could barely see him go, but the next moment they could see him vaulting into the air, making two, three somersaults before landing in the dirt well away from the fence. He turned, and waved at them, then he was gone.

“He knew we where up here?” Zach asked them. The smaller redhead just smiled at him mysteriously.
For a moment he imagined sliding his arms around his bare waist and resting his lips against his spine, and Zach put his arm across the smaller man’s shoulders as he must have read his mind.

“There will be hell to pay tomorrow.” He said. “Sephiroth doesn’t like it when his staff goes a.w.o.l.”

“It is Saturday tomorrow, I don’t think we’ll see him until Sunday night or monday morning, I am afraid.” Leisa said.

“Seph will send you to go find him.” He said, turning to face him.

“That would be an exercise in futility. If Erik goes to ground, no one will find him until he wants to be found.” Jeh-ri said, his mood spoiled by the thought of being forced to hunt down his friend on his days off.

“I suppose we’d better get some sleep. It is going to be a long day tomorrow.” He said. And They headed back to the room where the others had already settled for the night and where breathing softly. Zach crawled up to Cloud, who moaned in his sleep, and Jeh-ri went over to Enak who was so sound asleep that he didn’t even stir as he wormed his way into his arms, his chin resting on his head.

The next morning they were al awakened by the persistent ringing of Zach’s phone. As he answered, they could all tell by the sound of his voice that there would be trouble, even we could only hear one side of the conversation.
“I’m in the visitors room.”

“I know”

“I don’t know.”

“Ok, I will bring them.”

He closed his phone and looked at them as they where all on the alert. “You and Enak are wanted in the general’s office, in one hour.” He said.

Cloud stirred as Jeh-ri unwrapped the bandage around his ankle. He gently prodded the spot that he had indicated was tender the night before.

“On your feet, Cadet.” He said. He stood somewhat unsteady at first, then Jeh-ri took hold of the foot and gently turned it round. “Put your weight on it, slowly.” He did, without showing discomfort. Then he backed away from him. “Walk heel to toe, really small steps.” He did so again without showing pain. “Congratulations, you are cured.” He told him to take it easy, and walk barefoot for a day or so.

“Thank you.” Cloud said.

“No problem, I would have done it for anyone.” The older man said as he put the bandage in the garbage and put the stone back in the medicine kit.

“That is not what I mean. I mean for letting me stay. I liked it.” He said. His face sincere.

“That I would not have done for anyone. Take care of yourself, Cloud.” He said, and was very tempted to just press the palm of his hand against his, the pulse he had received several days ago still fresh in his mind, but decided to let it rest. After he got dressed, he quietly left the room, and padded over to his dorm.

Sephiroth looked at the feeds from the security camera’s over and over again. Rewinding and fore winding the piece of film from several different angles all of them showing Erik vaulting over the fence, than waving before disappearing into the night. He had to admire the man’s speed and agility, surpassing that of the people on guard duty that night, as they hadn’t even seen him jump. If it hadn’t been for President Shinra chewing a chunk out of his ass, he would have actually enjoyed it, seeing it as a somewhat immature but amusing prank.
Zach entered together with Enak and Jeh-ri, after a polite knock on the door.

“Care to explain this?” He said.

“What do you want me to say.” Zach said. “Technically he is off duty, it is the weekend.”

“I know. I just got off the phone with President Shinra wondering how someone so easily managed to breach security.” He said, coldly.

“He probably didn’t realize he needed to ask for permission to leave, General.” Enak said.

“There is a sign on the fence that states that all personnel must request clearance to leave the grounds, Unit member Stone.” The General said, his voice tight with sarcasm, warning him not to make excuses. .

“What do you have to say for yourselves.” He snapped at the two outsiders. “I don’t know what kind of organisation the Commander likes to run over on Althea, but here we have procedure to follow.”

He was incredibly irritated about something, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. Was it the fact that these people where so incredibly different from what he was used to. The stark contrast between them and every one here so enormous it seemed like a maddening itch he just couldn’t scratch as he didn’t know how. Ever since the simulations had ended, his headache had increased again, gaining in strength, and now a new Mako treatment was scheduled for tomorrow. With that hanging over his head, and one of his new instructors going a.w.o.l., was just the last straw.

“Sephiroth, I think you are blowing things out of proportion.” Zach said, quietly.

“Do you think I should tolerate this kind of behaviour?” He coldly. “I don’t have time to cope with this. I expect someone of his calibre to have a certain level of maturity, and not to behave like some disobedient adolescent. We have enough of that in our cadets, Zach.”

He looked at the two officers standing just behind his friend, their eyes locked at him, looking with those knowing stares. They where seeing right through him, seeing his discomfort just as the little one had done that morning in the desert. But he was way to irritated to let anyone touch him.

“What do expect of us, Sir?” the black haired man asked. I expect you to back the hell away from me and to stop making my life more complicated then it already is, that’s what!! He wanted to snap at them, but restrained himself at the last possible moment.

“I want you out of my Academy until you find him. He will be made an example of. I know I can’t hold you responsible for his behaviour, but I think that maybe you should make him realize that what he does reflects ill on you all.” The Project Ark people nodded in understanding.

“I realize that sending a squad of my own will do no good, so I’m sending you out to go bring him in, by what ever means necessary.” he said, some of the stress fading from his voice as he no longer had the strength to keep the anger level up. It wasn’t fair to take it out on these two, but he needed to vent his frustration before it split his head.

“Sir, I hope you wont throw him in the brig for any length of time.” The little redhead asked.

“Why shouldn’t I, Seng?” he retorted. “This is insubordination, and it can’t go unpunished.”

“We know. It is just, Erik doesn’t take to being locked up too well.” Enak said, a definite worried tone in his voice.

“Than that is the perfect befitting punishment, isn’t it.?” He concluded. He actually briefly enjoyed the look of concern flash across the faces of these people, and watched them exchange glances. “So be it, Sir. I just want to warn you, we wont be back until Erik allows us to find him. It could take a while.”

Seng walked up to the desk, and placed a clip board on the corner.

“What is that?” He asked, not in the mood for more work.

“It is the progress report you requested, Sir” He said quietly.

“Your dismissed, take the other three officers too, and go. It will be a welcome change not having you lot around disrupting things, and you,” he said, stabbing his index finger his younger friend, “are going with them. I expect to be kept up to date regularly.” And with a violent sweep of his hand ordered them out of his office.

He took hold of the clipboard, happy to have his mind focus on something else. The youngest groups had show a great improvement, now having the skills to move on to a higher level more easily. The instructors pointing out that the classes led by the Stone twins, where getting more focused, eager to improve, and the ones in the more advanced groups that where having trouble where now up to speed with the rest.

He had to admit, that these people proved an asset, taking care of their students with a little extra attention. Keeping a professional attitude in all their dealings with the cadets and the instructors. On the contrary when dealing with their own, Sephiroth mused. Then he noticed an envelope tucked away under the standard forms and pulled it out.

It outlined a plan to bring Erik in without causing damage to himself or others. He had frowned at first, but felt his mood soften as a small paragraph had been written the small round hand he had gotten to know as Graduate Seng’s.

It said:

I know you are in pain, I just want you to know you don’t deserve it. I can help you, and you know it. Al you have to do is lower your guard just a little.
What I need from you is to decide which you need more, your pride, or your health.
J.

Sephiroth stared at the note for a long time, not really knowing what to do about this unfamiliar feeling that was creeping into his stomach. He had just never gotten over the ever lasting feelings of thorough discomfort he had gotten programmed into his mind at the hands of his father, and the physical manipulations he had suffered as his body was forced to take on the proportions it had today.

He had found the small redheads prodding fingertips not entirely unpleasant the other time he had permitted him to touch him, as the intent behind it had been kindness rather than the disinterested professionalism he usually received. He was grateful he now had several days to mull this offer over, and decided to let things develop at their own pace.


Continued in ‘Midgar Mayhem’

Preview: Zach gets very drunk and high with the exchange instructors, and discovers his feelings for Jeh-ri. the sex that follows makes for a very intersting experience for him.