Wasted Time
by tir-synni
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Squaresoft and such. The song belongs to Skid Row.
Warnings: Shounen-ai and (shockingly) angst.
Cloud Strife stands, eyes closed, silhouetted in the setting sun. AVALANCHE stands behind him, but as the sun falls, they all fade into grey. Slowly, his eyes slide open, vivid blue sliding into haunting green.
You and I together in our lives
Sacred ties that would never fray
Scenes flash like falling photographs. Small smiles and dark eyes highlight the scenes, Cloud and Sephiroth intertwined. Two hands, one small, one large, interlock tightly, as if they would never let go.
Then why can I let myself tell lies
And watch you die every day
One by one, the pictures go up in flames. Cloud adamantly looks forward, while Sephiroth refuses to meet his young lover’s eyes. Throughout, they refuse to let go of each other.
I think back to the times
When dreams were what mattered
Tough talking youth naivete
One photograph, burning slowly, flashes before the others. Cloud twirls before Sephiroth in SOLDIER uniform, his eyes laughing with dreams fulfilled. Sephiroth pulls him close, his lips making promises his eyes don’t keep.
You said you’d never let me down
But the horse stampedes and rages
In the name of desperation
The smoke from the photographs rises, descending again upon the town of Nibelhelm. In the distance, a stunned Cloud reaches helplessly forward. His anguished scream echoes through the mountains.
Is it all just wasted time
Can you look at yourself
When you think of what
You left behind
Sephiroth’s blank emerald eyes gaze back at him from the placid waters below. He falls down, his reflection coming closer and closer, before his blade slips through Aeris’ kneeling form.
Is it all just wasted time
Can you look at yourself
When you think of what
You left behind
Horrified blue eyes meet his across the water, and the shock of recognition almost stops them both. Then the moment is gone again, and they are dolls once more.
Paranoid delusions they haunt you
The flames of Nibelhelm rise higher. In the midst of smoke and fire, Cloud stares at Sephiroth’s face. Wild, deranged eyes meet his, and Sephiroth’s tender lips twist into a snarl before the man vanishes into the smoke.
Where’s my friend I used to know
Disbelieving, Cloud whispers in denial, staring at his destroyed town.
He’s all alone
He’s buried deep within a carcass
Searching for a soul
Years later, Cloud’s whisper echoes in Sephiroth’s ears, and a flicker of sanity returns before vanishing once more.
Can you feel me inside your heart
As it’s bleeding
A flash of the past, as Sephiroth recalls the feel of his blond angel in his arms. Jenova rages inside him, and his heart dies a little more.
Why can’t you believe you can be loved
The memory of Cloud’s loving eyes fade into the wash of blood, and Sephiroth turns away from his own reflection.
I hear your scream in agony
A younger Sephiroth holds his face in his hands as Jenova howls inside him. Cloud reaches out hesitantly....
But the horse stampedes and rages
In the name of desperation
And Sephiroth violently turns away.
Is it all just wasted time
Can you look at yourself
When you think of what
You left behind
The sun sets behind him, and Cloud dully looks down. The Crater’s ominous sheen greets him, reflecting Sephiroth’s glowing eyes. In perfect unison, one above the Crater and one in it, two warriors turn away from the emerald shine.
Is it all just wasted time
Can you live with yourself
When you think of what
You left behind
Numb, Cloud starts upon the path. All around him, photographs of their past burns in blinding flame.
You said you’d never let me down
One photograph flashes, showing the lovers in afterglow. Sephiroth holds Cloud close, whispering in his ear....
But the horse stampedes, it rages
In the name of desperation
And like all the pictures before, this photograph falls to ash.
Is it all just wasted time
Can you look at yourself
When you think of what
You left behind
Desperation fuels Sephiroth’s kiss, and Cloud clings to him, in his heart understanding the urgency but refusing to bring it to light.
Is it all just wasted time
Can you live with yourself
When you think of what
You left behind
Like poison, the memory of those kisses sears them both. It burns them hotter than Mako...and just as surely sealed their final fate.
The sun will rise again
The Meteor burns above them in the night sky...their only light besides the Crater.
The earth will turn to sand
Sephiroth gazes into the ball of death, a part of him welcoming it with wild ferocity...the part free from Jenova’s influence.
Creation’s colors seem to fade to gray
Cloud’s footsteps thud dully in his ears, each sounding like a death knoll. Everything fades in his darkened eyes.
And you’ll see the sickly hands of time
Cloud and Sephiroth’s eyes meet, and neither can look away.
Will write your final rhyme
Blue and green clash, recognizing truly for the first time what they see there.
And end a memory
Salvation...lost.
I never thought you’d let it get this far, boy
Cloud’s eyes reflect in the Ultima Sword...forevermore blank.