AN: If you're here because you've been reading my fic, "Black Mirror," here's some of the content that was too steamy for those T-rated chapters. If you haven't been keeping up with that fic (and why the heck wouldn't you be?!), feel free to enjoy this shameless smut as well ;)

Follows after chapter 9, "Plagued." Some of the text from the chapter has been carried over for continuity's sake. New content is denoted by the ". . ."

Please enjoy, don't flame, and beware STRONG (but tasteful :D) SEXUAL CONTENT.

Oh, and please review if you feel so inclined! I don't write lemon often.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Square copyrighted material!

"Don't push me away."

The timbre of his voice pulsed against her skin like the flutter of a bird's wings. She shivered and turned again, this time to face him. Her troubled eyes lifted up, searching his face as if the answers to all the world's questions lie within it.

He clutched her waist. "I'm still here."

A pained expression spread across her beautiful features, and he thought she might try to flee again. But suddenly, she fell against him, lips colliding with his, hand desperately grabbing a fistful of his shirt. He was surprised at first, but after a moment, he welcomed it, pulling his lips back to feel more of her own. He lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, threading his fingers into the fringes of her hair, softer than a Phoenix Down. He held her and kissed her as if his breaths might replace the tiny pieces of her spirit that were slowly slipping away. He would gladly give every ounce of his soul and leave his body a hollow husk if it meant she might have the will to live another day. He wanted, more than anything, to be her shield, her sword, and her armor. He wanted to live for her.

. . .

With every soft touch of his lips, Cloud felt Tifa coming back to him, closer and closer, memory by memory, until it was as if they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the well beneath the blanket of Nibelheim's stars again. When he finally pulled away, he thought he saw those stars in her eyes—brighter than any he'd ever seen in Midgar or Edge—or anywhere, for that matter. It was the closest he'd ever been to heaven.

Cloud dipped down and wrapped his arms gently around Tifa's middle, lifting her off the ground with ease. She braced herself on his shoulder as he spun her toward the bed. He then laid her down on top of the sheets, his body coming to rest carefully over hers. After a respectful pause, he lowered his lips to the side of her neck and pressed them into the soft flesh with urgency. She responded with a tiny gasp, her hands lifting from his shoulders to twist into his wild yellow hair.

Cloud lifted his eyes just in time to see her own flutter closed, and he took the chance to place a small bite on the edge of her collarbone, sending the brown irises flying back open. He smiled against her and kissed the now-reddening flesh, all the while pushing his hands against the crumpled fabric of her shirt. She arched her body gracefully in response, allowing him to pull the soft cotton up over her head, tossing it down without a care.

Hungrily, Cloud dove back in and kissed the new flesh, his lips following the soft curve of her breast, leaving wet petals glistening in the moonlight. He paused when he came upon a deep, old scar sinking into the void of her chest, but Tifa wasn't fazed. In a rush of passion, she clawed her way down his back and tugged hard on his shirt. Reluctantly, Cloud lifted his lips in order to let her strip him. He watched her glittering eyes fall over his body, her hands tracing hot rivers down tough sinew and battle-worn flesh. He tensed at her touch and leaned back down to catch her lips with his, kissing her harder and faster now, his doubts crumbling away.

It wasn't long until Cloud had the button of her pants undone, and he gently shimmied them down her smooth hips. He dipped his head below her breasts and traced his lips along the ripples of her ribcage, feeling it rise and fall in staccato rhythm. With a sharp tug, he pulled her pants the rest of the way down, letting them join the rest of the clothes on the ground. With eager hands, he caressed her trembling stomach and pushed his thumbs into the flare of her hips, slipping his fingers down just below the edge of her silk panties. Her whole body shivered when he gave the fabric a gentle tug, and his own breaths soon tumbled into a quickening pace. Once past the peak of her hips, he slipped the silk garment all the way off her long legs, eyes falling eagerly to the prize hidden beneath.

Cloud lowered his head again and kissed just below her navel, stopping suddenly when Tifa tensed and grasped his hair. He looked up to see baited anticipation hanging heavy in her eyes, and he gave her a reassuring smile before rising above her again. He kissed her waiting lips with a passion he didn't know he had, spurred on by her hands pressed into the back of his head. Slowly, she released her hold on his hair and let her fingers fall down to the buckle of his belt, fumbling with the fastenings between bites on her lips and the flicking of his tongue. While Tifa stripped him fervently, Cloud worked at the clasp of her bra, tossing the remaining garments away with a flourish

When he fell back down, Cloud suddenly froze, his eyes locking on Tifa's for what seemed like hours. Though his body lusted for more, his spirit was somehow quelled by the look in her eyes—so calm, so beautiful, and yet so empty. He would give anything to fill that void, to cast away her demons and thrust her back into the light. For now, though, the comfort of this moment would be all he could give her.

With one swift movement, Cloud joined himself to her. Her whole body swayed into a graceful arc, lips parted to pull in a life-giving breath. She closed her hand around a fistful of sheets, arm shaking, eyes waving beneath fluttering lids. He moved his hips away, and she followed him faithfully, her body beckoning him back. He obeyed, rocking against her, hips falling into a cautious rhythm that soon had her breathing her pleasures into his ear. In time, caution was thrown to wind, his movements flowing down on her like a torrent. An unbidden moan floated past her lips, causing Cloud to fold his hand tightly over hers where it lay clenched around the sheets. He pulled it up and threaded his fingers between hers, griping to her palm as tight as he would the hilt of his sword.

More moans sent Cloud's mind into a whirlwind of urge, his nerves and synapses sparking like fire as he gratefully answered her calls with his own. He silenced his lips against the damp skin of her neck, sending the resonance of his moans deep into the flesh. Suddenly, he clamped tightly to her ribcage and rolled onto his back, her body rising gracefully above him. Her hair fanned out as she whipped her head upright, and he watched the tresses fall down her back, seemingly in slow motion. Without a moment's pause, she began a steady, rocking rhythm in his lap, her hands bracing herself on the firm planes of his chest. Her eyes were barely visible beneath heavy lids, but Cloud thought he saw something more than just lust in her shimmering irises, but in a moment, they were gone, squeezed tightly closed in response to a fervent buck of his hips.

Cloud let his hands roam over every inch of her as she moved against him, fingers finally coming to rest where their bodies met. He pressed his palm into her abdomen and rocked it in sync with the rise and fall of her hips, shamelessly begging for her release. A high moan told him she was close, and with eager strokes, he pressed his thumb into the peak of her folds. As if struck with a fatal blow, Tifa gasped and cried out, throwing her head back and digging her nails into his chest. Her whole body quivered and her thighs squeezed around his hips, sending Cloud surging toward heaven. In a final moment of clarity, he rolled her back down into the bed and sank his hips deep, stifling a long moan in the rivers of her hair.

Heaven, indeed.

He fell panting down beside her, muscles twitching and shuddering. Their bodies twisted against one another in the dark, sweat-slicked and heaving, until they were lying face to face, eyes struggling to hold an exhausted gaze. Cloud lifted his calloused hand and brushed his knuckles against Tifa's cheek. Her face was cast in shadow, but he could see the stars shining in her eyes even in the dark. With strong arms, he pulled her in as close as humanly possible, promising himself he would not lose her again.