Killer Instinct – Chapter 9 Adolescence Killer Instinct – Chapter 9 Adolescence

By Chibi Nataku

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters associated with the games or concepts. All characters and relations to Kingdom Hearts are owned by Square-Enix, who keeps stealing my money.

Author's Note: Previous chapters have jumped fast along the timeline, but due to the fact that this is now before the game, I have had to slow the timeline down. Don't be surprised that the next chapters are basically taking place in Cloud's adolescence.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Cloud woke with a sudden start at the sound of a door slamming somewhere else in the house. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, so he tilted his head a little in order to listen for any sounds of someone shuffling in his room or outside of it. He gave a little yawn and stretched as best as possible from his position on his back and lifted his head enough to peer around the darkened room.

No one had come into his living quarters, it appeared. He judged that it was probably Leon coming home after a night patrol of the city. It seemed that the man was dedicated to a rather ridiculous purpose, one that would be ongoing forever. He didn't understand why someone would bother night after night, especially when Leon didn't have the capabilities to destroy heartless.

Settling his head back on the pillow, he turned in his position so that he was lying on his side. He could hear the sound of soft footsteps moving around the common room, and he suspected that Leon was checking around the house. It seemed to be an annoying routine that the brunette had picked up, though he had not bothered to inform Leon that he would wake if someone came into the house.

It was pointless. He would be leaving soon, so no need to get himself wrapped into Leon's routine. He fidgeted with the coverlet, a feeling of discomfort twisting his stomach. He had planned to leave over a week ago, yet he still remained unable and unwilling to force himself away.

He disliked being confused. This life was confusing, yet it still held a twisted form of comfort to it.

Pushing himself to sit up, Cloud swung his legs over the side of the bed and huffed. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand and flexed his wing before curling back against his shoulder. His eyes drifted to the patch of skin where the darkness of his clawed hand met with the normal pale skin of the rest of him. Was there light inside of him?

"What are you doing out of bed at this hour?"

Lifting his head, he stared at the closed door of his bedroom and frowned. Someone other than Leon was up this time of night, and he had not heard them moving? His glowing eyes narrowed as he considered this, and he wondered how long said person had been lurking around near the common room.

"I was… just checking to see who was coming in," came a distinct female voice. Tifa was up, obviously. It was close to his door, so he suspected she had been looming by it in some form of indecision.

"Were you?"

"…yes."

"You're a terrible liar, Tifa. What are you really doing up at this hour?" Leon sounded tired and annoyed by having this confrontation.

"I was just seeing if… Cloud was still here."

"Ah, him. I should have known," Leon replied but there was little emotion behind the accusation. "Stalking him is unhealthy. If he's going to go, neither you nor I will be able to stop him. He does what he wants, when he wants to do it."

"Why don't you take him out on your heartless hunts? You know he would be useful," Tifa said quickly. It was clear even to him that she wanted to change the subject.

There was a long silence, and Cloud almost wished that he were a fly on the wall to watch this. He thought that Leon was considering the current options judging by the length of the silence. He could imagine them facing each other in some kind of stand-off, but then it made him wonder if her coming to his room to check on him was all that true.

Finally, Leon issued a loud sigh. "You are lucky he didn't kill you when you admitted you were looking for him. As it was, I'm surprised he only let you off with a minor choking… and I don't know why you continue to torment yourself with him. He's not like us; he's been trained differently."

There was another silence, not as long as Leon's had been. "Why are you lecturing me?"

"I don't lecture, but I'm giving you a warning. You think if you get close enough he will twist into what you hope he will be, but he's not like that. He's not a hero; he's not going to save you if you get in danger." Leon's voice had taken on a hardened edge, as if this were something he had wanted to say for awhile but hadn't had the opportunity. Cloud hoped they would fight it out. "Cloud will someday kill you, and you're too blind by your hopes for him to see how unhealthy he is."

"I'm perfectly aware of what he is capable of," Tifa retorted desperately, but her voice was muffled by something Cloud couldn't quite place. Hurt maybe?

"No, you aren't," Leon snapped, and it sounded as if the warrior had moved closer to where Tifa stood beside his door. "None of us know what he's capable of, which why I don't take him with me. He could turn on me in a moment's notice. I don't trust him to take my back; he has no reason to protect us."

"Leon…"

"No, listen. He's a deadly fighter; he knows how to kill… he knows how to do it very well. What makes you think that you're any different?"

"…"

There was the sound of shifting, and after a moment, the silence took over again. Either both or just Leon had walked away from the hallway. That little conversation was over, but it had been interesting while it lasted.

Cloud could not say that he was bothered by the fact that Leon didn't trust him. He wasn't here in this house because he was looking to gain any favour. He was here because he had been invited to stay and so far, that invitation had not been receded. He refused to really admit that it was getting difficult to leave, but it was not because he considered them with any sort of warmth.

He blinked when the door to his room opened quietly, and he climbed to his feet as Tifa pushed her way inside. He frowned at her entrance, but she only managed to look partially apologetic as she slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

"You were listening?"

He crossed his arms over his bare chest and huffed, looking away. "It is not my fault you two are so loud when you talk about me," he replied shortly. "And it is not like I care about what you say either."

Tifa smiled in that way she had started doing lately. She was still in her nightdress and approached him as if it were completely ordinary for her to do so. "You're a bad liar. You care or you wouldn't have stayed this long." She stopped just in front of him.

Tilting his head to the side, Cloud wondered what he had done to warrant her coming into his room at such an hour. Maybe she wanted to tell him something? She did sometimes come at rather inopportune moments to tell him something he normally was of the opinion could wait. "Why are you in my room?"

He stiffened when her arms slipped around his waist and lifted his arms away so that he could stare at her. He noted that she simply took the opportunity to step up and press her body against his own. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately as well, for a reason that was completely alien to him.

"Cloud… how long are you staying for?"

"Do you want me to leave," he replied, sounding defensive even to his own ears.

"Because, I wish you would stay here," Tifa said as if he had not replied in the first place. "I would miss you if you left, especially if you left without saying good-bye. Leon is wrong though… you wouldn't kill us, would you?"

Her closeness made him awkward as he looked around for something to focus on. She was doing this at an increasing frequency, and he wasn't sure that he liked it.

That did bring up an interesting dilemma, one he had been wrangling with for the past week. Would he kill them? A large part of him thought that he would and that there was nothing about them that warranted any mercy from him. He had not been trained and raised to show mercy, and he found the very thought of it as scarily foreign to the point of bridging on negativity.

Yet, there was a small annoying part he pushed around which stood completely opposite. He had weakened himself around them, felt a certain feeling of carefree lightness when he was around them. It was a feeling that he selfishly wanted to protect, to hoard and tend to because it was so foreign and exotic. He had grown to even like they company at certain times, though for the life of him he could not figure out why.

Still, he thought he could kill them at a moment's notice. His ties to them had not yet been tested, and he was not expecting them too either.

His silence on the question seemed to tell her something – he had no idea what – because her arms tightened around him. He shifted uncomfortably at the press of her body, finding that the material she wore helped to make him realize the differences between his body and her own.

"You should go and get some sleep," he finally said, his tone more like an order.

When she didn't move, he raised his hands and set them on her shoulders then pushed. He made a hissing noise when she refused to budge, and it was only in his attempt to pry her off of him that he remembered she was better than he was when it came to grappling. He huffed and gave her shoulders one final push before dropping his arms back to his side.

"What is your problem? You going to hang onto me all night," he demanded, wishing she would look at him so he could tell what she was thinking. She was so annoying sometimes.

"Cloud… I would miss you if you left," Tifa finally muffled from where her face as buried in his chest.

He frowned at such sediments and huffed loudly, rolling his eyes despite the fact that she couldn't see it. He figured that she needed sleep because she was doing that emotional woman thing Aerith had tried to explain to him. "I get it," he said impatiently. "Can you let me go now?"

He was pleased when she did actually let him go, and he was used to seeing that angry expression on her face. He smirked at her and flopped down on his bed again, his wing rising to brush aside the slap that was intended for his cheek. She had water in her eyes, and he figured that was abnormal since he had only seen it in little kids on the planets he had destroyed with Sephiroth.

Reclining back so he was leaning on his hands, Cloud continued to watch Tifa. "You aren't looking for a fight at this time of night, are you?" He would gladly give her a fight if she wanted one, no matter the time of day or night.

"Are you always such a jerk or do you have to try at it?"

"It comes naturally, I think," Cloud replied simply, not taking offense to her words. She had called him much worse that this did not seem worth taking offense over. "Are you going to stand there all night? If so, I'll just go back to sleep and ignore you."

He watched Tifa glare before coming over and flopping on the bed next to him. He elbowed her in the ribs in hopes of annoying her enough to drive her off of staying in his room. No such luck as she elbowed him right back and much harder than he had. She was obviously itching for a fight, so he simply shoved her childishly and watched as she fell over.

She came back with a hard punch to his arm, and he hissed in aggravation as he turned to attack her in turn. He did not get that far as her hands flew up and tangled in his hair, forcing him to bow his head down somewhat. Her fingers scratched along his scalp, placating him almost instantly. He stiffened along his back for a moment before relaxing.

"I won't let you go…" she whispered even as her fingers massaged nicely in his hair. "Cloud, you'll stay with me… and Aerith and them, won't you?"

He made a non-committal noise at the back of his throat. He was too busy enjoying the sensations that her fingers were invoking for him, but he also was not about to commit to such a long-term alliance. He would have to go back to Sephiroth eventually, but he could spend some time here. If she was going to scratch his head, he might even stay longer than expected.

Her fingers tightened in his hair in an attempt to provoke a response from him. He merely growled at the back of this throat and batted at her arm then drew his head away from her touch entirely. His upper lip curled into a snarl, and he shoved her hard enough to dislodge her from sitting on his bed. "I won't make a promise I don't plan on keeping," he said coldly.

Despite his words, he watched in amazement as her face screwed up with determination. He did not stop her when she rose to her feet and stormed from the room, but it drew a smirk from him as the door slammed. That would wake a few other people, and the drama tomorrow morning would be worth the efforts tonight.

He flopped back against his pillow and reached over to pull the curtain away from his window. He could see the stars twinkling in the black sky, and he wondered if Sephiroth was on one of those stars having fun without him.

It was no matter though. He was entertaining himself here with his 'friends', though he knew that he would prefer to be off killing a planet.

He frowned and dropped the curtain back down then turned his gaze towards the ceiling. When was he really planning on leaving? He did kind of like it here despite how irritating Tifa could be in her growing obsession about keeping him on the planet. He would have to go back though, since he hadn't left a not on where he had gone for Sephiroth to find. Eventually, he would be drawn back to the other man's company.

It was just a matter of when Sephiroth called to him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Leon moved passed him and knocked away another small Heartless, really only successfully batting it away from attacking the mother and child. The brunette shouted an order to retreat from the growing swarm, but he remained standing casually against the wall to regard the skittering mass of black creatures.

Cloud pushed off the wall as Tifa rushed in and grabbed the pair huddle in fear, and she retreated with the child under one arm and the woman under the other. He walked forward slowly until he was standing next to Leon, his upper lip curling as black claws racked across his shins. It was such a small wound that it felt insulting to be attacked in such a meaningless way.

"I said retreat," Leon shot to him coldly. "They're getting worse in this area… in every area."

Drawing his leg back, he simply booted the little Heartless trying to gnaw on his ankle into the growing crowd. "You retreat like a coward, and I'll do what I do best," he said in the same kind of cold voice. He walked forward into the mass, and all took the opportunity to jump on him, slashing and crawling all over him in an attempt to weigh him down enough for him to fall.

The little slashes were annoying, but he turned around as his body was swarmed and stared at Leon. He could see the apprehension and anger flash across the other's eyes, but they both knew that Leon would be unable to step in as he did. The darkness wouldn't effect him, and, according to Leon, it was debatable if he had a heart to steal in the first place.

"Cloud," Tifa and Aerith cried in unison, but it was Leon who stuck out an arm to stop them from rushing in to help.

"He's proving a point," Leon stated simply.

"What point is that," Tifa cried in worry, obviously itching to jump in to help.

Leon remained silent for awhile, but their eyes met even if that was the only part of Cloud not covered yet. "He's proving that we care about him… and that he is best suited for this kind of work."

Cloud pushed a hand through the masses to grasp onto the hilt of his sword, drawing it despite the weight that was atop him. He flicked two Heartless clinging to the blade away – even if they simply skittered back to rejoin the masses – and swung the massive blade down. Where his sword pierced, inky black Heartless goo splashed and a little red heart twisted into the air and disappeared into the sky.

Twisting, he flung the little creatures off his body, his wing arching and ripping into any that managed to cling to him. His sword swung around and cut through those that he flung, and they disintegrated so easily until his strength. He moved by shifting his feet to one side, paving a path with his sword and wing and sometimes his clawed hand. He destroyed any Heartless that crossed his path, and he was unimpressed at their pathetic attempts to take him with them.

He crushed the last three by simply dropping his massive Buster Sword on them. The only indication that they gave of death was the sudden flickering hearts that rose into the air. He dusted his hands of the inky goo onto his pant legs.

"Oh gross! Cloud is covered in Heartless boogies," Yuffie called after running up. She was the only one who didn't look disturbed by how he had handled himself.

Cloud bent and picked his sword up, flicking the sticky liquid to the ground where it fizzled and faded away. He glanced down himself to see that the black goo was fading from his clothing as well, leaving only minor scratches to annoy him. He plunged his sword into the stone by his feet and lifted the edge of the cloak for his wing to hide back under; he was not yet able to do it without a little help from his hand.

Leon heaved a great sigh of annoyance and waved a dismissive hand towards him. "Next time, try to show off faster, will you? That kid nearly got consumed, and you seemed a little too willing to allow it to happen."

"It's not my fault he can't use his legs. The boy was the one who ran into this area," Cloud pointed out and his eyes narrowed at Leon. "And it's not my fault you have to tuck your tail between your legs and retreat either."

"Cloud, quit being mean," Tifa gritted out in exasperation.

"And Leon, please stop blaming Cloud," Aerith said quietly, smiling all the while.

There was silence before the three women broke into laughter and regarded him and Leon. He huffed softly but knew better than to argue when they were all together like this. He had never had friends before, but he had learned quickly that their laughter meant that they were happy and enjoying this kind of company. It wasn't so bad being with them like this.

"Hey, hey! Why don't we all go for some ice cream?" Yuffie seemed to bounce around them, and it was one of the only things that made Cloud nervous. She had a very large and abrupt tendency to jump on him after bouncing around. "Leon can pay though!"

"Hey!"

The three girls laughed again. Even Leon managed a faint smile, so Cloud forced himself to join in by re-approaching the group to stand next to Tifa.

He suddenly had to let out disgruntled noise when Yuffie took the opportunity to jump on his back and tug on one of his spikes of hair. How he kept himself so tolerant to her antics even amazed him, but he had learned the first time that bodily harm to Yuffie was difficult to give. She was fast and tended to win despite his better skills. He was also more tolerant because Yuffie reminded him of himself when he had been younger, always climbing onto everything and annoying the hell out of Sephiroth.

"How about we go for some ice cream like Yuffie suggested?" Aerith hooked an arm in with Tifa, and the pair began to walk towards the exit of the Third District.

Leon followed silently, and Yuffie leapt off of his shoulders and bounded after the rest of the group. He managed a small snort and followed after them.

Cloud stopped suddenly as a faint tingling of presence hit him. The resonating power was so far away, but it was clear. He turned to look towards the lightened sky, and he couldn't explain why he held himself back from resonating his own power in return.

Sephiroth was looking for him. He had always known that the older man would come looking for him, but it suddenly seemed too soon and brought up the growing insecurity in his mind.

Could he kill them? Tifa had asked a few weeks ago, but the question had surfaced like a bubble to his thoughts every time he found himself enjoying his time with them. He somewhat wanted to stay for a little longer, to enjoy both the freedom of doing as he pleased and to relish having something all to himself. Friends… He had never had any before.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice broke him from his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

Turning, he noted that the entire group was waiting for him to join them, even Leon in that grudging way. He glanced back to the sky before resonating his power back and then he walked after them. "It's nothing."

"You sure?" This time Aerith voiced a normally silent concern. "You looked like you were concentrating."

"It's fine," he said simply, brushing passed them. He refused to speak any more on the matter because it was now clear that his time here was limited.

"Guys, ice cream," came Yuffie's enthusiastic cry from in the First District. They all followed and accepted her childish antics of bouncing around them.

The idea of doing group things like getting ice cream was foreign but enjoyable. It normally tested his tolerance of certain people's presence as well, since Yuffie took any opportunity of him seated to play with his hair and ask stupid questions. He would swipe at her if he found her constant nittering too annoying, and it were those times which he knew Leon was completely behind his need for violence.

Of course, after he had chased the annoying ninja girl off, she would gravitate to Leon and bug him. All the while Tifa and Aerith would sit together and watch their antics with constant smiles, as if this were the best entertainment that they could have asked for.

Cloud would sometimes go out of his way to provoke Tifa, but he was finding it harder lately. She showed more tolerance to his barbs, or she would flip the situation around by kissing his cheek or wrapping her arms around his neck. He disliked such public displays of affection, but she was usually impossible to shake off until she had had her fill of embarrassing him.

Still, their moments of having ice cream together normally warranted being placated from him. Aerith had told him this was what being friends was about, that they could spend time together and just enjoy the moments as they came. He thought she was a little whimsical in her assessment of the situation as he normally became bored half way through sitting around and listening to them talking about stuff he didn't care about. That was apparently part of being friends too, sitting and listening.

He really didn't get this friendship thing, but he tolerated the concept because that made these four people his. They wanted to be his friend, and being mildly possessive over something was a concept he could understand relatively easily. It was a concept taught to him early on.

Drawn from his thoughts, Cloud felt the wash of power press against his consciousness. It was closer this time, but he suspected that Sephiroth still remained some distance away. That made it clear that the older man was looking for him and was probably not going to rest until arriving here. What would Sephiroth think of his friends?

He sighed behind his fast melting ice cream and resonated his power back towards where he knew Sephiroth would receive it. He waited for a return flux, but it seemed that Sephiroth was estimating how far away he was without the need to pin point his location. That was fine by him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It was raining.

Somehow, this normal weather event changed the women into giggling monstrosities who continually glanced over towards him and Leon. It was not often that it rained in Traverse Town, but he also would have liked to point out that it rained even less on Hollow Bastion. That didn't seem to get through to the three women, and it was no wonder Leon was sitting with a book doing everything possible to ignore them.

Cloud found it more difficult, since he was certain that they were plotting something that he wouldn't like. He disliked staying indoors, but he was not about to go gallivanting off to get all wet in the rain either. It was safer and more pleasant to be dry unless he was out there hunting something down in which case the rain would provide a bit more of a challenge in some regards. That kind of weather was best with Sephiroth anyway, since they would often resort to hunting each other once the prey had been caught and killed.

He eyed Tifa as she rose and wandered off to the kitchen. He was suspicious of the smile that she had thrown him, but he allowed her to pass nonetheless. Instead, he stared at Aerith and Yuffie who were giggling a little more in that way Leon had explain was not 'innocent'. He didn't like it.

"Anyone want anything to drink," Tifa's call came from the kitchen. It sounded like she was getting drinks anyway.

"I'll have juice please," Aerith called politely.

"Milk!" Yuffie had to shout apparently before making a very odd 'moo'ing noise. Was she sick or something?

There was a silence before Leon simply said, "I'm good as I am, thanks." It didn't seem like a suspicious answer to him, but there was a growing sense of foreboding.

Cloud huffed and ran a hand through his hair, glaring at Aerith and Yuffie who were watching him. "Water is fine," he said.

He listened to Tifa bustle in the kitchen, filling glasses and obviously looking around for the tray to carry it all on with the way she crashed around. She was probably having trouble getting the tray, he thought. She didn't nearly have the same thought of being quiet as Aerith normally did.

Aerith rose and went to check at the state of the rain, peering out the door. "It's really coming down. I think it is going to rain all day, which is such a rarity. It will be fun today!"

Cloud didn't think so, since the sake of staying dry meant that he was stuck inside all day. He disliked being cooped up, but he would tolerate it because being wet and soppy was even worse. Tifa would mock him and tell him he looked like a drowned cat, then tell him to get naked so she could dry his clothing. Aerith would sometimes join in by saying he could catch a cold if he stayed in his wet clothing, but he thought that they were mocking him.

He stiffened in his chair when he felt Sephiroth's power resonating, seeking out his own. It was close, perhaps at the Coliseum or on a nearby planet to this one. He was certain that the older man would be here within a day or less depending on how determined Sephiroth was to hurry.

Closing his eyes, Cloud resonated his power towards the older man. It was time to leave his friends and go back to the life he knew best. He could go and kill again or train more in the Coliseum. He could also find out what had been so important that Sephiroth would leave him behind for weeks and weeks.

Suddenly, he received the shock of his life as cold water poured over his head. He stiffened in his chair as the room erupted in laughter, lifting his hands to stare at them as water dripped from his hair, clothing and body. His brain was frozen on what he should do as he looked up to see Tifa running by with a bucket in hand and everyone laughing as if it were the best joke ever played.

"Tifa, run," Aerith called while holding the door open for a quick escape. Yuffie was too busy howling with laughter on the floor to even try to form normal speech at this point, and even Leon managed a chuckle at his expense.

Cloud suddenly snarled as Tifa ran right out the door and into the open streets waving around the ridiculous bucket and laughing. He shot out of his chair and sprinted out of the house after her, her provoked action making him want to wring her damned neck. She ran though, and he unfurled his wing from under his cloak.

He knocked into a man dressed for the weather, his wing swinging out and shoving the innocent bystander aside as he moved for a clear path at Tifa. His eyes turned to regard the strange as the black-cloaked man hissed at him, but their eyes met for a brief moment. Cloud felt darkness, but he hissed loudly as his own darkness countered the attack away.

"Don't get in my way," he snapped and ran after Tifa who had just gotten around the corner and disappeared. He felt the orange eyes on his back as he ran.

"…so, you're his one and only child?"

Cloud twisted around the corner and spotted Tifa standing near Aerith's one of many gardens. He growled low in his throat as she tossed the bucket aside and beckoned him to come at her. He leapt to easily cover the distance between them, and he expected her to kick him. Instead, she leapt into his arms.

He stumbled to the side even as his arms came up to support her weight as her arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his midsection. She was laughing as her fingers pushed through his blonde hair, swishing around the soaked spikes, and all he could do was grumble at her for this stupid prank.

"You are so funny when you're mad," Tifa told him, trailing her fingers along his jaw. "That's the first time I have been able to catch you completely off your guard."

He didn't particularly find this assessment amusing, but it seemed to be too much energy to dispute it now that she was in his arms. She was warm against him even as the rain poured down and soaked whatever hadn't been soaked before, and he found her reluctant to release her hold on him. It was not such a bad day now that he was wet.

"I hate you," he muttered. He shifted his grip so that he had an arm curled around the small of her back to support her.

"No, you don't. You love me," Tifa replied good-naturely. "Admit it."

Cloud scowled darkly. "I love to hate you," he said instead.

Tifa laughed and leaned down to kiss him. He allowed the gesture, since he figured that it would make her easier to dump to the ground. He even tilted his face up and pressed his lips back, feeling how her arms tightened around his shoulders and her body pressed in against his own. So it wasn't so bad being wet on a day like this.

He had a single moment of feeling a sense of calm acceptance. Then, he had a single moment of feeling everything go wrong.

Cloud lurched as powerful darkness blasted into his back right between his shoulder blades, and he was knocked over. He fell on top of Tifa as her limbs loosened immediately to let him go, and he turned his head to tell off that bastard from before.

He stopped short as his eyes fell on Sephiroth instead, and it was rare to see such anger in the older man. He pushed himself up by his hands, but that was as far as he managed by himself as Sephiroth teleported over to his side and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. He was roughly dragged away, his wing curling around the older man's arm.

"Cloud!" Tifa was probably getting to her feet to follow.

He was dropped unceremoniously to the wet ground, but he drew himself back to his feet. He fell back after Sephiroth backhanded him across the face, rolling onto his side as he felt the brunt of the older man's anger. He felt a leg step over him, trapping him between them, and he knew that somehow – for some reason – Sephiroth was beyond reasoning with.

"Cloud, gather your things like a good wayward child…" Sephiroth voice was practiced calm, but underneath it was clear that rage boiled. There was no escaping the older man's wrath. "And who might you be, little girl?"

"Don't…" Cloud managed to say, curling his wing around Sephiroth's leg. "Spare her."

There was silence before he felt the protectiveness of Sephiroth's legs move backwards. He looked up as the silver-haired man fell into a crouch next to him, fingertips reaching out to stroke his bruising cheek. He pushed himself so that he was sitting up, not daring to draw more attention to Tifa who seemed to have the good sense not to come over.

"Spare her… life?" Sephiroth sounded suddenly incredulous. "You are asking me to show mercy? Why should I show mercy to anyone?"

Cloud snarled softly and grasped Sephiroth around the throat, moving so that he was sitting on his knees. He pushed his face up into the older man's, baring his teeth even as he felt Sephiroth's gloved fingers tangle in his hair. "She's my friend… they are my friends."

"Friends?" Sephiroth repeated the word as if tasting it for the first time. He had to wonder if it was the first time that the older man had spoken such a word. "Friends," was spat into his face as Sephiroth hissed coldly into his ear. "We do not have friends, my little hatchling. We are above such pitiful interaction. You were simply using them, were you not?"

"No… they are my…" Cloud let out a harsh cry of pain as Masamune materialized in Sephiroth's hand and sliced into his side. "…"

"I praise your manipulative side, Cloud. You are still so young, and I was of the thinking that your manipulative side would come out later in life. Yet, here you are… proving me wrong by using these simple-minded humans." Sephiroth drew him into an embrace with one arm as the other twisted the long blade in his guts, forcing another cry from his lips. "Such a good child… learning your true potential already."

Hissing, he sunk his claws into Sephiroth's thigh, but the older man seemed unaffected by the pain. He dug his claws in deeper only to watch as a smirk of possessive arrogance twisted the older man's lips. He had never seen Sephiroth like this unless in the thrall of bloodlust, and he lifted his other hand to strike the older man.

He was not completely surprised when Sephiroth seized his wrist and jerked him upwards to allow him to hang just above the ground. He frowned darkly. "They are my friends," he repeated coldly, as if to drive home the point that he could think on his own without the need for Sephiroth's approval.

While the expression didn't change, it was clear that Sephiroth was mildly surprised by his insistence. He whipped a hand out to block the impending blow from the older man, but Sephiroth was not holding anything back and shoved him aside. His wing swatted aside Sephiroth's when it came in to curl around his neck, and he clawed at the feathers.

Cloud turned his head enough to note that everyone had joined Tifa even as it poured with rain. Leon held the look of a man not certain if he should join in, but Tifa was clearly ready to come and defend him. He shook his head at her, and he paid a small price for looking their way as the Masamune swung in so easily and clipped his wing as he ducked under the blade. He snarled angrily.

"Why Cloud, I do believe this is the first time I have ever seen you protective over something… other than yourself," Sephiroth drawled, voice still somehow masking so much of the anger that was there below the surface. It was only because he knew Sephiroth so well that he could sense how the older man's temper boiled. "I leave you a few weeks to your own devises… and this is how you waste your time?"

"I will go back with you," Cloud said firmly. "I wasn't planning on staying."

Sephiroth looked at him as if measuring the truthfulness of his words. The damage to the older man's thigh didn't seem to hold any measure on how Sephiroth walked towards him. "You are mine, Cloud. I raised you, and I will not stand here while these… mortals twist you."

Cloud clenched his fists but didn't back away as Sephiroth leaned over him from the greater height. "They have not twisted me."

"But they have. My hatchling would never ask for mercy, would never beg at my feet to spare a life." He could see where this was going fast, and he wasn't comfort even as Sephiroth's fingers came up to pick at the red cloak around his shoulders. "No, no, my little hatchling would be the first to slit their miserable pathetic throats and feast on their blood."

Glancing over to the group, he nodded his head. There was no argument that he could make, and he found having Sephiroth batter away at his previous mindset caused all the questions and confusion to rise again in his mind. Why didn't he kill them? He still could. "I could still do it," he said to defend himself.

Sephiroth gestured with a single hand towards where the three women and Leon stood. A dark smirk had formed on the older man's lips. "Well, go on them. Prove it to me now, and I will not punish you like a filthy little puppy."

"I don't have a sword," Cloud said stubbornly. He knew very well he could use his claws, but he wanted to deflect Sephiroth from this topic.

"Just this once, my vicious little one… you may use mine," Sephiroth replied and pushed the long-bladed Masamune into his hands. "Go on now. She is easy to use for such simple work. She won't reject you, Cloud… you're my hatchling after all."

It was a perverse feeling of wrongness to be holding the Masamune. Even in his young childhood and infancy, he had been taught early that the Masamune was completely off limits. He could look at the blade, even admire it up close, but he was never to hold Her or swing Her. It was an unspoken rule, just as Sephiroth no longer handled his Buster Sword out of respect for his usage of the blade. To hold the Masamune was like being given the greatest treasure in the world, a treasure he was undeserving of.

He tried to hand the blade back, shaking his head. "No… She's yours," he said, not wanting to hold the fine blade any longer. It felt so wrong.

Sephiroth seemed to understand his unspoken reasons for pushing the blade back but the older man stepped away and pointed at the group. "The faster you finish, the sooner I shall take Her back from you." There was a note of finality in Sephiroth's voice.

Cloud looked over to where his friends were standing together, his expression hardening. Did he take his friends whom he had known for only a few weeks over Sephiroth who had raised him since the day he had hatched? It seemed that bringing in the stretch of time spent with each solidified how silly he was being in refusing to do this. Time did not require his torn emotions to get involved, and that made it clear where his loyalties – even the minor ones – should lie.

"Cloud…" Tifa murmured in disbelief as he stepped over towards them. She seemed keenly aware of the reach of the Masamune, more so than Yuffie who seemed torn between calling his bluff and fighting him. "Are you really going to do this?"

"I must," he said simply, pushing through the rain towards where they stood. It shouldn't have felt so difficult.

He was surprised when Leon stepped to the front of the group. "Why? Because he told you to? I thought you prided yourself for never doing what someone else says." That obstinate stare caused a snarl to curl his lips. "How long do you plan on letting him rule your life before you actually start to think for yourself?"

The Masamune sung through the air, cutting it so much cleaner than his own Buster Sword. He pressed the sharp side to Leon's throat. "You are in no position to question my motivations."

"Oh, I'm in perfect position to," Leon retorted coldly. "Between you and the people I protect."

Cloud scowled. "Do you want to die?"

"No, and I don't think you're going to kill me either." He stared at Leon, trying to judge where this conversation was going. "If you had wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now. I bet you're just grasping for an excuse in that thick head of yours to get out of doing this."

He moved quickly, the blade flicking up and slicing on the diagonal of Leon's face. He clipped the brunette from the bridge of the nose to the middle of the forehead, hissing as he retracted the blade at the sight and smell of fresh blood. He was certain that mark would scar, and he could hear Sephiroth softly chuckling, though he was not certain if that was due to his use of the sword or his growing hesitation.

His blue eyes shifted to regard Tifa who had stepped in front of Leon as Aerith looked to the injury. He raised the Masamune threateningly, hissing in anger when she stepped up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hold on the blade wavered as she stroked the back of his head with a hand, pushing off the dripping water so it slid down his neck.

"…Tifa…"

"It's okay," she soothed softly.

He released his own on the long-bladed Masamune and closed his eyes, resting himself against her. He made no move to embrace her in return, feeling a heavy weight of indecision pressing down on him. She comforted him, but there would be little to stave off Sephiroth's anger. He didn't want them hurt, but how could he stop it from happening? Why had he changed so much just because he had friends who would soothe him or talk him down like an equal?

His eyes snapped open as the familiar sound of Masamune slid in his ears, and he immediately dived to the side, an arm around Tifa's waist forcing her to come with him. He rolled up on a knee and twisted around, facing the spot where they had once been standing and the Masamune in their place. He stared at Sephiroth, his wing rising from under the cloak threateningly.

"You need to have a spanking like a naughty child," Sephiroth said with such an air of simplicity that it threw him for a moment. It felt like that was the only course of action for them. "Shall I humiliate you, Cloud?"

"I won't let you kill them," he replied, rising to his feet again. His side burned from where he had been stabbed, but that was a sign that it was healing. "I don't want to be alone like you are. I have something to protect."

He closed his eyes as the Masamune flicked out, cutting open his cheek. His hand snapped up and grab the blade, twisting it to the side even as blood spilled down his cheek and neck. He stared defiantly at Sephiroth, watching as those green eyes narrowed with displeasure.

"I refuse to accept this as your choice," Sephiroth said. "You have simply strayed a little from the path set out for you, but you shall return to it soon enough."

Cloud stepped forward, pushing the blade away from his face. He suddenly charged – perhaps foolishly – slashing with his claw when he came close enough into range. He snorted in displeasure when Sephiroth simply leapt back and slapped him in the face with the flat-side of Masamune, taunting him. He batted the blade away again.

He clenched his right hand, reaching out to his sword lying back at the house. He called to it, trying to draw it to his current location, even if his usage of magic and summoning was extremely weak. It was worth a try to call out to it.

Sephiroth chuckled at him, raising a silver eyebrow at him. "Summoning? I do not believe that I've taught you that yet, Cloud. The longer the range, the harder it is to move an object even if you are bonded to it. Your undeveloped skills could barely move a small stone let alone your sword." The mocking words held too much truth to them. "Stop wasting your energy."

He did. There was no way that he could gather enough energy to draw his weapon to him, let alone have any sense of accuracy in the first place. His usage of magic was non-existent. They had not gotten that far in his lessons because Sephiroth expected him to learn the rudimentary way before being handed the short-cut route.

Sliding to his right, Cloud avoided Sephiroth's attempt to impale him again. He flipped over the blade as it swung to take his legs out, using his wing to draw himself higher in the air. It was impossible to move out of range, but he kicked the swinging blade aside as it came at him. Sephiroth simply turned it and swung back in an attempt to take out his wing instead.

He dropped himself suddenly, though his hand whipped up to grab the blade. He swung his weight up and settled into a crouch of the narrow on the dull side, staring down at Sephiroth. He smirked when Sephiroth flicked the blade in an attempt to dislodge him, but he simply gripped tighter and went along. Even when he was flipped over, he continued to stare and smirk. He had no reason to dislodge himself now that he was in good position to draw all of Sephiroth's attention.

"I see you are going to continue to be obstinate." Sephiroth regarded him for a moment, and he would have liked anything to know what the older man was thinking. There was something in the way that Sephiroth looked at him which caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise in warning.

He was flipped back to being right-side up and held aloft with Sephiroth's left hand. His eyes narrowed as darkness rolled off the older man as Sephiroth's right hand began to weave the darkness together into a form that seemed much solider than it should have been.

"Cloud, above you," Tifa and Aerith cried in unison.

His eyes rose to regard the forming halo of red light before he released his grip on the sword and slid down towards Sephiroth. It was a spell, a very dark and very powerful spell. He needed to interrupt the casting of it, or he was certain that he wouldn't like the effects that it brought.

"Descend Heartless Angel," Sephiroth whispered, probably aware that his closing distance would allow him to hear it nonetheless.

Cloud twisted as the magic plunged into his body, wracking his frame as his life energy was stolen from him. He could feel as it was ripped from every particle of his being, drawn by the magic so fast that he could not even form a curse or scream of pain. He simply arched as his muscles constricted and locked up for a single moment then all loosened so he slid limply from the blade to fall in a heap at Sephiroth's feet.

He felt distantly the cold press of the Masamune against his cut cheek. "Now, let us not have to repeat that lesson again," the older man said and even in his weakened state, he could tell that Sephiroth was pleased. "You are alive because I wish it so, my precious. Always remember that your life continues because I want you to live, nothing more."

The scene unfolded in a manner that should have drawn anger from him. His head had turned towards his friends when he had fallen, and he suspected that that too was part of Sephiroth's want. He was forced to watch as Tifa flew at Sephiroth in an attempt to get to him, but it was such a lazy flick of the Masamune that cut her down and unrefined darkness that blew her into the nearby wall. She slumped unmoving to the ground.

Leon surged forward with the gunblade. There was a moment when sword strikes were exchanged, but there was no contest on the differences of skill. Sephiroth was playing, enjoying this moment of robbing him of the cancerous warping that had taken him further from the older man than distance could ever define.

It was a simple matter of disarming Leon and patting the brunette on the throat with the flat-side of the blade. "Check mate," Sephiroth purred in pleasure.

Leon's body flew from his vision, but his ears picked up the sound of impact into something solid. He tried to order his muscles to move, but there was nothing other than numbness to reach back to him. He mentally cursed, watching helplessly as Sephiroth advanced on Yuffie and Aerith.

Yuffie was blown head over heels for even taking a step in challenge towards Sephiroth, the magic just as unrefined as what had been used against Tifa. She never even attempted to get up again, leaving Aerith behind standing before Sephiroth.

She was smiling. Cloud wondered why she was smiling, her hands folded in front of her. She didn't even seem bothered by the fact that all her comrades lay dying or dead around her, and her smile didn't falter even when Sephiroth seized her by the throat. He wanted her to run, to kick and scream for release, to demand Sephiroth take him and go… to never return to their crushed lives again.

Aerith said none of those things. No, her words floated through the haziness of his mind and the rain hitting the stone. "You must love him very much," she said. "I'm glad that he has someone who will protect him. He loves you as well; he thought about you a lot while he was here with us."

Cloud expected her limp body to fall to the wet ground or to be blasted apart by magic. He knew that no one ever got away with talking to Sephiroth like that, mostly because he had never heard anyone speaking such words. He was expecting a violent reaction because Sephiroth's anger was still so plain behind that mask of violent pleasure.

Instead, Sephiroth simply placed her back on the ground and withdrew. It was a gesture of mercy that had never come out in the older man, and Cloud made a soft whimpering noise as the silver-haired man walked over to him. He waited for the spell that would kill Aerith for he was certain that it would come.

He groaned as he was scooped up roughly and settled on Sephiroth's armoured shoulder, not even able to fight a little. He could simply lay limp as he was carried off through the Third District of town. Not even the Heartless made their normal appearance, and he was certain that it was Sephiroth's anger that fixed that.

"That was quite the show," a voice called, one he didn't recognize. He felt Sephiroth come to a stop only because his limbs swung as the older man turned. "He's quite the handful, it seems."

"Where are my books," Sephiroth spat, showing only a portion of the anger that he knew was still there. "If you failed in bringing them, I will cut you down and throw you back to my Guardian."

"You worry too much. I have already safely delivered the books to the Olympic Coliseum, since this rain isn't very conducive to reading." He was definitely certain he had never heard that voice before, and he wondered if Sephiroth had met this man on the travels away from him. "Is he normally this wayward?"

Sephiroth tightened an arm around his waist, and he wished that he could struggle. This position was very humiliating. "He is stubborn," the older man said simply. "His waywardness shall be corrected in the coming days."

"Ah, so you will punish him," the voice said. It was clearly amused, but there was something else as well. "May I have a look at him?"

"You can see him just fine where you are standing," Sephiroth snapped. It suddenly became clear that the older man was both being possessive and not in the mood to trust anyone right now.

"Is that the first time you've used such darkness on him?" There was a knowing tone to the man's voice. "I have a theory."

Sephiroth made a simple 'hrm' noise. "I am not interested in your theories, Ansem. I have better things to do with my time than play around with you." The disdain was only emphasized because Sephiroth actually turned a back on this Ansem fellow and began to walk away.

For what it was worth, Ansem didn't seem bothered by Sephiroth's coldness and followed along. "You know, I do not believe you could have killed him with that spell." He lurched as Sephiroth stopped dead. "You could suck his lifeforce out, but because he is of your race, you cannot kill him with it. His body naturally resists darkness spells, even the instant death ones. I also am of the opinion you had to put a considerable more effort to pull that off than you let on because you knew he would not drop with the normal power level of that spell."

There was a moment when Cloud thought he would be dropped to the ground. His fuzzy brain took in the words, but they currently made little sense. His lacking experience in magic also played a hindrance to his understanding of this particular part of the conversation.

"What do you want, Ansem," Sephiroth finally demanded.

"Let me take a look at him," Ansem replied and the shuffle of material indicated the other man's approach to him. "He is already soaked from the rain, so it should not make a difference."

"He will not be a part of this conversation," Sephiroth said slowly. He wanted to stiffen as he was shifted on Sephiroth's shoulder and lowered to the ground. "He's tainted enough without your dirty hands on him."

"As you wish."

He watched as Sephiroth's boots entered into his line of sight, distantly feeling how his wet spikes were pushed back from his face. Some of his hair was red from the blood sliding down his cheek, but Sephiroth did not draw his head up so that he could see the expression on the older man's face. "You shall receive your punishment later, Cloud. For now, rest up."

His world went black and was swallowed by darkness.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Author's Notes:

I actually wrote that chapter faster than I thought I would. I guess by the time I got to Sephiroth coming back, I was on my game. I did enjoy writing Sephiroth entering on the scene again, since he's such a possessive little bitch. He makes me laugh.

I will be putting the rating of this story to 'M' now. It's kind of gotten a little beyond 'T', and the next chapter will require a mature rating.

I was honestly going to try to fit in Cloud's punishment in this chapter, but that confrontation took longer than I expected. So, I'm sorry. I didn't end the chapter with that rough mansex that I have been promising. I'll start the next chapter with it, to give everyone – myself included – something to look forward to. Cloud needs his rough possessive man-beast to do bad things to him anyway… he deserves it for kissing a girl. Such a wayward child… I still blame Tifa and her big boobies.