"somewhere beyond happiness and sadness ~ I need to contemplate ~ what creates my own madness ~ and I'm a glutton for your punishment ~ and you're the master ~ and I am waiting for disaster" - Papa Roach
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"Cloud..."
The blond shuddered. Had he told him that? If he had, was he going to punish him? How badly? "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I..." He turned his head away toward the wall, forcing his eyes tightly shut.
"Cloud..." His voice was emotionless, dangerous for him. He stared down at the blond, expressionless, calculating, almost as if waiting for something. "Thank you for telling me."
Cloud slowly opened his eyes, looking at Sephiroth in surprise. This reaction had been totally unexpected, and it didn't sit well with him at all. Something was going on. There was something he was plotting.
"I want you to be able to speak with me." He nuzzled his face against Cloud's, still showing no signs of what was going through his mind. "You've been good, and I think that my dearest deserves a little reward, no?"
He blinked in shock. Without thinking he questioned, "Reward?" As soon as he finished, he braced himself to face Sephiroth's wrath. Amazingly, the man stayed calm.
"Does that sound all right to you, darling?" he asked flatly, nibbling at Cloud's earlobe. "If you behave, your master will give you a treat." He began a trail of nips down Cloud's neck.
/ What is he saying? /
// Do you understand me? //
/ No... /
// I'm not following orders anymore. I'm taking control of this world, you, everything. //
"Sephiroth, please, just stop this..."
As if in answer to Cloud, Sephiroth bit hard enough that he drew blood. The blond winced, glancing uncertainly at the other man. Blue eyes met aqua, lips met lips, and so it continued.
/// Take this planet... ///
// Leave. Now. //
/// This planet will be ours. ///
// Go. //
Sephiroth left the blond's mouth, nipping on the other side of his neck. The blond shuddered, but let him continue.
/// It's your responsibility to claim this world. ///
// Go away! //
"Sephiroth," Cloud cried out sharply. The other had bitten down, hard. Blood hadn't been drawn this time, though there were small indentations in his skin.
/// Don't fool around like this. ///
// I'll do what I want. //
"Please, stop this..." Tears silently ran from Cloud's eyes and back onto the bed. "I can't take this anymore... Sephiroth, please..."
"You're not doing this for nothing. Think of your remaining friends. What could I do to them if you refuse my requests?"
"Then free them."
The silver-haired man chuckled. "You really think that I would do that?"
"I want that to be my reward. Please..."
"Fine. But if they get in my way, I will kill them." With that he stood, leaving Cloud shivering slightly from the sudden lack of warmth. He gathered his clothes from where they were carelessly strewn on the floor, and began pulling them on. Cloud stared from where he was on the bed, waiting for further instruction from his master. "You can come with," Sephiroth said, slipping his coat over his shoulders. "Put your robe back on."
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Red XII cocked his head toward the faint sound of footsteps on the cold, wet basement floor outside of the locked chamber. It wasn't feeding time, so who was coming? And why? He strained to get a whiff of the person's scent, mold was overpowering most of it, but there was barely enough, and he didn't like it. Teeth bared, locked together in a snarl, he growled at the door. His tail swished back and forth as the fur on the back of his neck stood up.
The others looked strangely at him, except for Vincent who slowly turned his head in the same direction as Red XII. "He's coming."
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As the two men walked through the halls of the mansion, Cloud clung closely to the silver-haired man. He was freezing, the light robe wasn't doing much to keep him warm and his feet were bare, which didn't help matters, as they were so cold they hurt. Absently he wondered if Nibelheim winters were always this harsh or if it was because of Sephiroth's rule.
They came to the spiraling stairs that led to the basement. Wood. Certainly they'd leave slivers in Cloud's feet, but it seemed that Sephiroth had anticipated this, because he lifted Cloud into his arms to carry him. For the most part, he did make sure that Cloud was kept safe and comfortable, even if he didn't get much say in what was going on now. He suspected that he was being used in some way, but he couldn't figure out what Sephiroth needed him for. Sephiroth already had what he wanted, didn't he?
Cobwebs covered the walls, ceiling, and floor of the basement passageway. Cloud's heart beat faster as they grew closer to where Avalanche was being held. He became nervous, realizing that he hadn't thought of what he was going to tell his friends, clinging to Sephiroth even tighter now. Sephiroth put him down and held his palm against the door lock. It clicked, and Cloud realized this was it. It was time to say good-bye to his friends.
"Are you ready, Cloud?" Sephiroth turned toward the blond, hand on the door handle. "Can I open it?"
Cloud gave one quick nod before his eyes met with his friends for the first time in a year. All of them stared at him with a form of awe and joy, the only thing keeping them from running up to Cloud and assaulting him with questions was Sephiroth standing near the doorway.
No one seemed ready to speak, so Sephiroth broke the silence. "Reunited at last and none of you have anything to say? You once called yourselves friends?" Avalanche glared, and Cloud stood still continuing to stare.
"Cloud," Tifa started, "what happened?"
"All of you... You all can leave." As Tifa and the rest of Avalanche stared, Sephiroth moved closer to Cloud, wrapping his arms around the blond from behind.
"What the hell're you talkin' 'bout?" Barret managed.
The blond tilted his head to the side, his hair drifting in front of his face. Sephiroth lowered his mouth to Cloud's ear whispering, "Why don't you tell them, dearest? Tell them about what you've been doing for me."
"Cloud?" Tifa's voice was shaking.
"I'm afraid..." Cloud whispered. His only reply was Sephiroth licking and giving light nips to the edge of his ear. "I... I can't..." Sephiroth gave a sharp bite to the area he was just working on, making Cloud cry out, before he pulled away to meet the shocked faces of his blond's comrades.
"He stays, all of you are welcome to leave. Get in my way and you can die," he said with a small smirk. He grasped Cloud's chin and pulled the blond's face toward him and pressed his lips to Cloud's. Sephiroth's tongue pushed Cloud's lips apart, and Cloud didn't bother with fighting it, not anymore, letting Sephiroth claim his mouth right there.
Tifa let out a strangled cry, vocalizing the thoughts of the rest of the group.
They'd lost Cloud.
Part 3 End.
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A/N: And now we have the emergence of strange voices. Just like in the game!! *dies*
I apologize for all the confusion, and it is all my fault for letting this thing write itself... Other than Avalanche, which I feel I mangle the whole group of them pretty badly...
;_; At least Vin isn't a vampire or sleeping with Cait Sith. Though that doujin was funny.
Oh, by the way, Seph has problems, if you hadn't already figured that out.
