Divide and Conquer

Sephiroth zipped his pants up before looking back on the pitiful creature that was Cloud Strife curled into a ball on Zack’s desk. His entire body was decorated with black and blue bruises and there was semen and blood running down between his thighs. He kept whimpering and crying with his back turned to him and Sephiroth ran a hand through the matted spikes.

“Get out,” the elite sneered before pulling Cloud up by the hair to stand on shaky legs.

The boy threatened to fall but tried his best, limping slowly towards the door. His entire body hurt so bad he wasn’t sure he would be able to make it very far.


“W…we never touched each other, Sir,” Cloud said in a voice so hoarse from screaming he wasn’t even sure he said it. When he closed the door behind him, he took a few steps before he collapsed right where he was, out like a light.

Sephiroth picked up his phone and dialed one of his subordinates. “There is an injured cadet outside my office door, discreetly take him to get fixed up, then I want him in my apartment right after,” Sephiroth commanded through the phone. He smirked when the other man on the end confirmed his wishes. His original plan was to let Cloud go, but he honestly did see why Zack would want him.

Cloud’s nightmare was far from over.

________________________________________

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A week later……

Sephiroth never once gave in to his desire to find out if Zack was even alive. No doubt he missed his lover but there was just something preoccupying his time that was addicting, something like a drug that gripped him and wouldn’t let go.

Walking through one of the training fields during an evaluation, Sephiroth allowed his thoughts to wander to the young boy he had tied up in his apartment, naked, embarrassed and hurting. He never made it any more easy on the young cadet than the first time and he noted with some satisfaction that Cloud was resigning himself to his fate little by little. He stopped trying to defend himself by saying that he and Zack wasn’t involved, because the more he said it the harder his punishments would be. Therefore, Cloud just stopped saying it, he even almost admit that he did last night, just what he wanted to hear.

He had to admit Cloud in his battered state was just as beautiful as Zack in his throes of ecstasy. It made him hard and needy whenever those blue eyes would gloss over with tears and his skin would become flushed. His voice when he pleaded was orgasmic and Sephiroth had to remember to maintain his decorum, he was on duty after all.

Fortunately it was late evening and the day would soon be over. Sephiroth couldn’t wait to get back so he could start on his next round of punishments. He bought a new set of toys just for the occasion and he was anticipating the trip back to his apartment.

All in all he never forgave Cloud for sleeping with Zack, and it showed in how harsh he treated the boy.

________________________________________________________

Zack was at his wits end, he was going mad because Hojo made it an entertainment affair in the nights to watch Sephiroth abuse Cloud. He was pass the point of crying and all he could do was listen to Cloud’s screams while he himself was strapped down and forced to listen and watch. He had begged Hojo countless times not to turn the monitor on, to knock him out so he wouldn’t have to deal with the knowledge that his lover was raping and abusing his best friend, especially this evening when he saw what exactly Sephiroth had in store for Cloud. He had tried asking the bastard of a man countless times what he’d done, what was the reason for all this and all he did was laugh, a sort of manic laugh that chilled Zack down to his core.

Also, his hatred for Sephiroth was building ten fold, he loved him but at the same time he hated him. All his feelings for the man’s slowly turning into heart felt loathe. He always knew Sephiroth was incredibly dangerous, but none of it had ever been directed at him before, and having to listen to Cloud he wished it was him tied up and being abused, he would more be able to deal than the fragile blonde.

Further more, Sephiroth had never called his name and he seemed to enjoy molesting Cloud so much it made his chest hurt. If he knew this would happen he would never have introduced Cloud to his nightmare, it was all his fault.

Hojo always laughed and cackled when Cloud would scream and he would sometimes find himself with his mind wandering very far away, going to a place where everything was ok and the three of them went back to how they were in the beginning.

The monitor shined brightly in the dim room and as much as his head felt like it was being weighed down by bricks, Zack managed to turn it to the side when the sound of Cloud whimpering reached his ears.

He felt like shitting himself when the screams started.

__________________________________________________

Two days later Sephiroth found himself walking down the halls of the labs. It irked him he had to be here, anywhere near professor Hojo but he had to if he wanted to make it in time to a meeting in one of the lower complexes. The problem was this was a short cut and walking here was the only way he could guarantee he would make it on time.

Going over the minute for the meeting he had in a folder Sephiroth rounded the corner, but stopped short when he heard somebody utter Zack’s name in a hushed whisper. Any normal human would have missed the voices behind the door but with his enhanced hearing it was as clear as day.

Stopping, Sephiroth listened keenly to what was being said.

“Do you think he’ll allow Lt. Fair to live?” the first voice asked solemnly.

“I highly doubt it,” the second voice answered. “He’s also banking on the General killing the kid.”

“Yeah, he’s been forcing the Lt. to watch the abuse. The man must be going out his mind if his screams are any indication.”

“Yeah, not even with all the different experiments I’ve ever heard him scream that much.”

“By the way, what does the Professor have in store for the Lt. today?”

“Mmmm, let me see…” there was a rustling of papers before the man continued. “Dissection of his…”

Both men started in fright when the door burst open and cold green cat-like eyes with so much fury in a face twisted with rage looked at them.

It took Sephiroth less than a second to kill the two frightened men with his bare hands.

________________________________________________

Sephiroth knew he had to find Zack. He stormed out of the room listening keenly for any sound of him or Hojo. His chest constricted while he walked, afraid to find Zack as much as he wanted to. The men had said Zack was forced to watch what he did to Cloud and that hurt way more than any physical injury could.

It was all Hojo’s doing? What had he done?

Storming up to the receptionist Sephiroth grabbed the woman by the front of her blouse and drew her across the desk so his face was inches from hers.

The woman flailed with her eyes wide in fright.

Sephiroth took a deep breath before he spoke. “Hojo, where is he?”

“General, I…I don’t…,” the frightened woman started but she was deftly cut off when Sephiroth slammed her head into the desk, knocking her out cold and watching as her body fell to the floor.

The silver haired man walked around the desk, kicking the woman’s limp body out the way before he started searching for anything that would tell him where Hojo was. For the first time in his life he felt true regret, but that emotion was overshadowed by the desire to kill Hojo for what he’d done.

Spotting the black ShinRa embossed diary under some pile of papers he pulled it out and immediately started flipping through the pages. Scanning the contents his eyes landed on the entry for today, which told him Hojo was already at the meeting he was suppose to be at.

Sephiroth knew Hojo would be gone for at least a few hours and that gave him ample time to find Zack. Trying to use logics he figured the Professor wouldn’t have kept Zack anywhere that might expose him to others, especially if he was being abused so that left the lower level where the empty labs were. Walking over to the descending stairs he took them two at a time until he was on the ground floor.

Attuning his sense of hearing the silver haired warrior listened keenly for any sound of another person being present. Over the echo of the leaky pipe and the squeaking rodents he managed o pick up faint breathing behind a padlocked door.

“Fuck,” Sephiroth muttered under his breath, but it took little effort for him to tear the entire pad and lock off the door before he stepped inside a dimly lit room.

The room stank of death and with his enhanced senses Sephiroth had to use a hand to cover his nose. There were burgundy clotted stains in places that had him scrunching his nose in disgust. There was an open door that led to another room and he quickly went through it, gasping when he spotted a battered and bloodied Zack, countless bruises and cuts decorating his body. He was strapped to an operating table with his body limp as if dead.

Sephiroth had never felt so afraid in his life.

“Zack,” Sephiroth whispered, slapping swollen cheeks before tearing the restraints right out of the side of the bed. Zack looked so frail and weak and he knew he caused this, he played right into Hojo’s game and had hurt the only two people he could trust with his life. Now he wondered if there was any atonement strong enough to rectify his sins.

Cloud, he’d never be able to look him in the eyes again.

Before he could lift his broken lover into his arms Sephiroth noticed out the corner of his eyes the flat screen monitor on a table in the room. He felt his heart sink at the sight of Cloud tied to his bed, bound and tied.

“Fuck you, Hojo,” Sephiroth growled before lifting the monitor and smashing it into hundreds of little pieces. His emotions were in complete disarray when he scooped Zack’s limp body up in his arms and head out the door.

___________________________________________

Cloud’s body quivered when he heard the door slam open. He squirmed as much as his restraints allowed at the knowledge Sephiroth was back so soon. He had rope burns around his wrists and ankles and even around his neck. His entire body throbbed with the uncomfortable position he’d been left in all night, not to mention the things that were done to him. He had heard Sephiroth talk about an all day meeting so it scared him the man was back so soon.

Cloud closed his eyes and prayed that his nightmare would just disappear when he heard the bedroom open. He yelped, opening his eyes wide when he felt another body beside his. He could not believe what he was seeing, it was Zack and he looked just as bad, if not in worse shape than he himself felt he was in.

“Zack,” Cloud gasped. Did Sephiroth really do the brunette like this.

“Sephiroth!” Cloud called out to the man searching in a nearby box for something, his flowing silver hair cascading behind him like a perfect waterfall.

“What the hell did you do to Zack?” Cloud asked, forgetting momentarily about his own state. Zack seemed to be in pretty bad condition and it made his heart constrict at how deathly pale he looked. No SOLDIER should ever look like that.

“I did not do this to him Cloud,” Sephiroth answered, muttering a string of curses when his trembling hand couldn’t find the materia he was looking for. He had never been so wrong about anything in his life and he honestly did not know how to express the sincere regret and hurt he was feeling. He loved Zack and Zack liked Cloud, how could he have been so blind? Only Hojo was ever able to manipulate him like this and for that he would pay with his life.

Closing his eyes the silver haired warrior allowed all the atrocities he’d committed against the two to run through his mind and he almost fell to the floor when he realized it was unjust, so undeserving of them both. But Cloud had tried to tell him, hadn’t he? The cadet was so adamant about his beliefs because he knew he was right, but he had allowed the hate to consume him, to devour what common sense he should have had towards the situation and now, now…..

“Found it.”

Cloud’s eyes widened when Sephiroth came over with a glowing green ball.

“What the hell is that?! Stay away from him!” Cloud shouted because he knew Sephiroth would try to hurt them once again.

“This will heal his wounds, be still,” Sephiroth growled. This was no time for him to be accused of something he wasn’t doing. How ironic.

As a quick after thought Sephiroth grabbed a knife from close by and cut the bindings around Cloud’s hands and feet. He didn’t see the need for them if the blond was to be absolved of his wrong doings.

Cloud’s eyes widened and his heart rate sped up when he saw the knife coming towards him, half expecting for Sephiroth to kill him right there beside Zack, but he gasped in surprised when Sephiroth freed him.

Sitting up in the bed and rubbing his raw wrists he eyed the other man warily. “What are you doing to him?” Cloud asked once again, watching as there was a bright glow that enveloped the brunet while Sephiroth held the materia and focus. He got no answer but he watched as Zack’s wound’s slowly disappeared. He gasped, backing himself up when Sephiroth turned the glowing orb towards him.

“Keep still,” Sephiroth commanded and he did as told, feeling a tingle inside his body while the pain slowly subsided. He didn’t know how to react to the first act of kindness he’d gotten since Sephiroth took him so he said nothing. He didn’t deserve any form of kindness for what he did anyways.

“I won’t hurt him anymore,” Sephiroth whispered more to himself than to the blond. He ran a hand soothingly down the side of Zack’s cheek, feeling for all the world like the monster of the century…which wasn’t too far from how he felt before he met Zack.

“Sephiroth,” Cloud spat and the man looked at the blond, knowing that for all the wrong he’d done there was nothing that Cloud could do to make him ever raise his voice or hand to hurt him ever again.

“I said let him go, now,” Cloud commanded. He knew he was taking a big gamble talking to the man that way but could he really blame him? He had seen how hard the man had taken his mistake and it gave him the courage to be more forward, more open.

“I need him,” the elite whispered once again, his green eyes downcast while he kept rubbing the soft cheek.

“You tried to kill him!” Cloud was getting angrier by the second. Did he think it would be so easy? “And you raped me,” Cloud continued. “Over and over and o….”

“Stop!” Sephiroth started breathing hard, his chest constricting when confronted with what he’d done. Now that the initial rage had receded all the atrocities he’d committed against the two came rushing back like a tidal wave, a guilt ridden weight pulling him down to the darkest recess of his heart.

Cloud smirked when he saw the closet thing he thinks he’d ever see to a crestfallen look on the man’s face.

“You don’t deserve him,” the blond sneered.

Sephiroth knew Cloud was right, but hearing him say it hurt more than anything ever had and he silently left the room. He didn’t have to stay there and listen; besides, Hojo had to be dealt with.

Grabbing Masamune Sephiroth slipped out the door, knowing Cloud would watch over Zack until he got back.


TBC........