Zack brushed his hair out and even considered tying it back for a moment, before dismissing the idea - his hair was too wild for that to really work and his 'temporary' owner's hair was just as wild. Still, he wanted to make a good impression, bodyguards were expected to attend their Cetra on formal occasions, and if he couldn't look smart at all...on the other hand he was almost certain that if he looked all neat and perfect while he was training Cloud would have decided he wasn't even good enough to be a sparring partner. That would have made it clear he wasn't willing to train hard enough to be any good as Aeris' bodyguard, or worse that he wouldn't fight hard enough to defend her if she needed it.

He made one last inspection of his appearance in the full-length mirror that hung in his current bedroom - presumably he'd be moved to something more in keeping with his station once he'd been given to Aeris or Cloud had decided to keep him for himself. It worried him a bit that he didn't know what Cloud was going to be testing him on this morning, or what he was looking for, but he pushed that aside as he began making his way to the kitchen, where he could ask how to get to Cloud's bedroom. In all the households he'd been in the kitchen was the social centre for the servants and slaves, and Sephiroth had said it was one of the places he was allowed to go while they were keeping him hidden from Aeris.

"Hey, I've got orders to report to the master's bedroom at nine and no idea where that is. Can anyone help me?" He grinned at the people sitting in apparent idleness at the table hopefully, he didn't want to think about what might happen if he was late and he just hoped that backstabbing and infighting weren't encouraged or even common in this household.

"Rufus, you show him where to go." Zack wasn't sure what position the man who gave the order held, but a blond man wearing nothing more than leather collar and a knee length tunic obediently stood, eyes cast down.

"If you'll come with me sir?"

"You don't need to call me sir." Zack protested, but he followed Rufus obediently.

"Yes, I do sir. My situation has been made very clear to me." His voice was distant, almost cold, but he didn't raise his eyes. Zack had to wonder what he meant, but he wasn't cruel enough to ask - not when he could probably find out another way and he fell silent, memorising the corridors Rufus led him through.

"I'm not allowed any further sir, but the first room of the Planet's Weapon's quarters is through that door."

"Thank you." Zack steeled himself and knocked on the door.

"Come in." It was Sephiroth's voice, and that shouldn't have surprised him, so why it did...although he had seen one or two consorts who slept away from their lord for some reason and on some level he must have expected Sephiroth to resent being Cloud's consort.

"Cloud told me to report here at nine sir." Sephiroth would know that, but...

"Yes, and when he asks where I am afterwards you can tell him I'm busy slicing a training dummy to pieces."

"Yes sir."

"That means you can go through to his bedroom, that door." Sephiroth pointed at the door opposite the one Zack had come in by. "By the way, in case you do become Aeris' lover, one of her kinks is seeing men in women's clothes, will that be a problem for you?"

"Not as long as it's just in private." Zack was surprised that Sephiroth had bothered to ask, if Aeris decided she wanted him he wouldn't have a choice in the matter, and he wouldn't have expected Sephiroth to know about Aeris' preferences, but he didn't dare mention any of that as Sephiroth swept out. He'd meant to ask about that Rufus, but since he didn't get the chance he walked through to meet Cloud, and froze when he saw what the Planet's Weapon was wearing.

"Sephiroth did mention that Aeris likes seeing men in women's clothes didn't he? It was always easier for me to let her play, and it lets me get more information about you from this final test."

"Yes sir." Zack still couldn't quite process the idea of the most powerful man alive wearing a high necked blue dress. "Err...what is this final test sir?"

"Simple, undress and fuck me, but pretend I'm as fragile as a healer caste." Cloud wanted him to what? Zack guessed it was as good a way as any to make sure he could control himself, and Cloud was pretty enough he guessed, he just didn't really know the guy. He shouldn't be surprised, the man was warrior caste after all, and they didn't really have a problem with forcing their slaves into sex, he'd just thought that Cloud had to care for Sephiroth with the way the consort was so devoted to him. Cloud seemed to sense his confusion and shrugged. "I need to test how well you can control your strength during sex." That made sense, a lot of healer caste took their bodyguards as lovers and they were more fragile than most warrior caste Cetra and enhanced humans.

Zack stepped forward and put his arms around Cloud, hugging him gently to start, he was just a couple of inches shorter than Zack, but somehow he seemed smaller, almost fragile because he wasn't bulky, his muscles were lean and his shoulders were nowhere near as broad as Zack's. Of course Cloud was two years younger than he was Zack remembered as he bent his head to kiss Cloud, tongue running over his lips until they opened and he let his hands trail down the other man's spine. When he heard a faint sound of pleasure from Cloud he took it as his cue to move on, lifting his hands to start unfastening the dress, kissing Cloud's neck and shoulders as he pulled the blue dress down his arms.

He was wearing a carefully stuffed lacy bra underneath, and little lacy panties, both in a golden colour, and a golden lacy suspender belt with white stockings. It was pretty weird to see a man wearing that sort of thing, but that was the whole point wasn't it, Cloud wanted Zack to treat him the way he'd treat this Aeris if she commanded him into her bed. Still, he found it hard to imagine any Cetra, even an uncaste, responding so passively, in his experience Cetra were pretty aggressive in bed, and he didn't get why Cloud was forcing himself into this false attitude.

"Could you sit down please?" It was a bit awkward to get someone to sit down without simply asking them and Cloud didn't look as if he was going to take any initiative.

"Tell me if there's anything else you'd like me to do." Cloud smiled up at him from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Umm...could you tell me if I hurt you or go too fast please?" Zack really couldn't get his head around this, but he was trying to be responsible about the power Cloud was allowing him.

"Of course. Would you ask Aeris to do that, or would you just assume that she'd tell you if there was a problem?"

"I...it would depend on how she acted, if she let me lead the way you are then I would, but if she took charge I don't think I'd need to." Cloud didn't say anything and Zack knelt, placing each foot into his lap in turn so he could remove the stockings, and he finished undressing Cloud in silence. "Do you want to undress me yourself, or should I strip for you?"

"Strip for me please." Zack forced a smile at that and went into a routine he'd been forced to learn to amuse his master a year ago. At least Cloud seemed to appreciate it too, and he didn't leer at Zack or anything, just looked at him with an appreciative smile. Zack sat beside Cloud and kissed him again, stroking his back gently and waiting for Cloud to do something himself. Eventually Cloud seemed to get the message because he laughed into Zack's mouth and lifted his arms to wrap them about his shoulders, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

Then Zack could move on, lifting Cloud and laying him down on his back, kneeling beside him, and stroking his body carefully, watching to see what got the best reactions. There was something he should bring up before they got any further though.

"Umm...I'm going to need..." He couldn't think of a polite way to say it, but he didn't need to from Cloud's laughing response.

"Lube? It's the tube on the table." Zack grabbed the small tube, enough for about two uses, and he couldn't keep the surprise from showing on his face; it was a good brand, but not the best, and it certainly didn't include a Potion in the ingredients. "You don't share lube. Sephiroth's is better, but I don't bottom that often."

"Right." Zack lay down beside Cloud, and began touching him again, arousing him as much as he could before moving to kneel between his legs and sliding a pillow under his ass to lift it up a bit. Then he took Cloud into his mouth, covering his fingers with lube and sliding the smallest one into Cloud very carefully as he began to suck slightly. He was slow and careful about stretching the blond, making sure he distracted him whenever he moved on a stage, by running his tongue along the prominent vein in his cock, by using his free hand to play with Cloud's balls, or by pressing the tip of his tongue to the head of Cloud's cock.

"Could you roll onto your side please?" Cloud seemed surprised, but he obeyed and Zack curled up behind him, pushing inside him slowly, and then stopping when he thought he was as far as he could get without seriously hurting Cloud. He just hoped it didn't bother Cloud that he wanted to find out what it was like to go slowly, and savour every minute of the experience, the warrior caste Cetra he'd been with before didn't have enough patience to permit that, and even the healer caste didn't really care about his pleasure.

"You pass." That was all Cloud said afterwards and he knew it was a dismissal.

oxOX()XOxo

Cloud grabbed hold of Sephiroth's hair and pulled his head down to kiss him fiercely as he pushed him back against the wall and unfastened Sephiroth's leather pants. It was just a little bit awkward for Cloud to align their groins so he could jerk them both off with the same free hand considering their difference in height, but Sephiroth didn't make any effort to help him, just moaning helplessly into Cloud's mouth and clutching his shoulders. When they'd both climaxed Cloud picked up a damp cloth and cleaned them up before letting go of Sephiroth and stepping back.

"Thank you Cloud." He spoke quietly, eyes still closed.

"You looked so beautiful I couldn't resist." Cloud's voice sounded just a little bit smug. "Now get your shirt on so we can get going."

"I need to brush my hair again as well." Sephiroth didn't meet Cloud's eyes as he pulled his shirt on, looking at him from beneath lowered lashes instead until he turned away to put his own shirt on.

Sephiroth brushed out his hair quickly, grateful that since this would just be a small 'family' party he didn't need to dress up and display himself as Cloud's consort. Not the way he would for the more formal party that would be held to celebrate Aeris' coming of age this evening.

"Ready love?" Cloud sounded a little amused by Sephiroth's actions, but his hair didn't show what they'd been doing, it was too short to tangle the way Sephiroth's did, and his hair was too straight and fine for anyone not to realise what they'd been doing if they saw its state earlier.

"Yes my lord." Sephiroth smiled at Cloud as he put his brush down, taking the offered hand and lifting it to nuzzle at the wrist for a moment. "Where are we picking Zack up again?"

"He should be waiting for us in the armoury." Picking up his sword since he wasn't supposed to be armed outside of the training hall except in a warrior caste Cetra's company until he was formally named Aeris' bodyguard. "Let's move." Sephiroth walked beside Cloud as they picked Zack up and then went to the sunroom. Sephiroth heard Zack gasp in surprise as they entered and realised that they'd forgotten to warn him about the unusual nature of the room.

Like any sunroom it had huge double glazed windows, but only half the floor was made up of polished oak floorboards and the rest, an irregular oval in the centre of the room, was where a carpet of flowers of all types grew, including flowers native to the Nibel mountains and to the Gongaga jungles. Cloud and Sephiroth were so used to the way Aeris reclaimed the dead Midgar soil and used it to plant in any ground floor room with enough light she spent much time in that Sephiroth at least sometimes forgot how beautiful it was.

Cloud let go of his hand to catch hold of Aeris as she threw herself at him for a hug and Sephiroth prudently stepped back a little to let his lord swing her around without worrying about hurting him, glancing back to check that Zack was doing the same from a sense of duty.

"It's good to see you Cloud." Sephiroth was guiltily aware that he'd occupied too much of Cloud's time in the two days since he'd returned for him to spend much time with Aeris and that he'd been avoiding her himself during the days he had to visit the slave market. He wasn't going to try to justify his selfishness, even to himself, and he watched as Cloud returned his sister's greetings.

"Aeris, this is Zack, I thought that since you gave me my first concubine for my coming of age I'd give you your first bodyguard for yours." Zack looked a bit insulted by the comparison, and Aeris seemed to be angry on his behalf.

"The two positions are not even remotely comparable..." Sephiroth didn't really pay attention to what Aeris said after that, he was too caught up in the memories of Cloud's birthday a year and a half ago. He'd known that Cloud would have to choose his first concubine between his sixteenth and seventeenth birthdays, but he'd still felt almost betrayed when Aeris saved him the trouble by presenting him with a concubine as a birthday gift. He'd been terrified that Cloud would want to try the other man first before turning to Sephiroth, because Tseng had the benefit of being unfamiliar to him, and therefore exotic.

His fear had been unwarranted as it happened, Cloud had only made use of Tseng eight times in total since then, and on three of those occasions all he'd wanted was to watch Sephiroth take Tseng, and since he'd wanted the two of them together twice Sephiroth had learned to respect the concubine. But it would still have been nice to have known beforehand what sort of gift Aeris intended to give his lord, and he might have thought to argue against Cloud's decision on what to get Aeris if she'd shown him that consideration.

"At least I know you're a good fighter if Sephiroth chose you, and Cloud did outfit you well, even if the collar and cuffs are obviously temporary." Zack looked a bit surprised at that last, although he'd been impressed by the leather based armour Cloud had ordered him equipped with and that he was wearing now. "I always planned to outfit my first bodyguard with something similar to Sephiroth's collar and cuffs, not black leather with spikes."

"Thank you my lady." Zack stepped forward and took Aeris' extended hand, bowing over to kiss it before looking past her at the flowers. "Are those ghost lilies? I haven't seen any of those outside Gongaga before." And he would know Sephiroth thought, his file said he'd had masters all over the world. Then he flushed and bowed his head. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insolent my lady. It's just I haven't seen them cultivated anywhere, even in Gongaga, and you've got Nibel poppies here as well."

"It's alright, I'm not offended." Although Aeris' tutor, Isis, seemed to be, but Elmyra her adoptive mother wasn't and her opinion meant more to Aeris than Isis' did, especially since she'd learned everything Isis had to teach by the time she was fifteen. "And I don't tell them where to grow, the way humans do when they're cultivating flowers, I just ask them to grow. Sephiroth gave me the cuttings to start them growing for my last birthday." He was allowed to accompany Cloud on some of the journeys he had to make, and he'd collected the cuttings himself, the way Aeris had taught him, when they had to make a trip to Gongaga shortly before her seventeenth. Cloud had been kept busy with duties, but Sephiroth had been permitted to do whatever he wanted, within reason, and visiting the jungles, with a bodyguard accompanying him was considered within reason - apparently it was something a healer caste Cetra would have asked to do.

"Speaking of birthday presents Aeris, I think these seeds might be interesting. I'm not sure what they are, but I'd never seen a flower like it before." He offered the seeds he'd collected in Wutai last October, smiling at his sister. He liked to be able to give her little things like this, and he knew she usually enjoyed them too.

"Thank you Sephiroth. So, tell me what the flower looked like and where it grew." Aeris opened the bag with a smile, pulling out one of the grey oval seeds, then she glanced back at Zack. "If you want to take a closer look at the flowers feel free to Zack, just don't damage them."

"Thank you my lady." Sephiroth wasn't sure that Zack was really interested, but he was polite at any rate and he knelt at the edge of the carpet of flowers, just where the floorboards gave way to soil. Cloud had gone to talk with Elmyra while Isis looked on disapprovingly - not that it mattered since she was due to be dismissed within a week, since Aeris was only obliged to have a tutor until she came of age. Cloud had been friendly enough with his tutor, Morgan, to keep him on as Sephiroth's primary bodyguard, but Isis had made herself disliked by everyone in the household with her insistence on rigid formality at all times. Sephiroth sat down on the nearest cushion, Aeris sitting opposite, and began focusing his memory on what she wanted to know.

"I cannot tell you what the flower in question was like in full bloom, but there were some dying blossoms nearby, and I think they were of the same type as the seed I collected. The flower was almost the same shade of pink as your dress, just a little bit paler, and I believe the pale yellow-brown at the edges of the petals indicated that it was dying rather than being a normal part of the colouration."

"What shape were the petals? And how many were there on each flower?" Aeris' questions helped Sephiroth direct his description and told him what interested her most, and they also helped convince him that his gift was appreciated - probably more than Cloud's gift was truthfully, although she did turn her attention to Zack once she'd finished interrogating Sephiroth.

"You said you're from Gongaga, and I already know you're a good fighter, but I don't know anything else about you. So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know my lady?" Sephiroth moved to curl up with his head in Cloud's lap as Aeris spoke to Zack, ignoring Isis' sniff of disapproval; her obvious distaste for him had been another thing that had alienated her from Cloud and Aeris.

"Oh, save that for in public. When it's just us and my family call me Aeris. And speaking of family why not start with yours? What were your parents like? Any brothers or sisters when you were a kid?" Before Hojo had infected him and condemned him to slavery.

"No, no brothers or sister. Mom was always disappointed by that, but..." And Sephiroth listened as within ten minutes Aeris drew out more personal information about Zack than he'd learned in four days.

oxOX()XOxo

Zack couldn't quite believe how much Aeris had convinced him to tell her about himself, and he spent the last half an hour of the party trying to rationalise what had happened while she showed off the other presents she'd been given.

"Come on Zack, I'll show you where Cloud will have ordered your things moved." Zack was tempted to reply with a bitter 'What things?' but he knew better than to imply that a Cetra was being dishonest, instead he found something else to ask.

"Does Sephiroth always give you seeds or something like that for your birthday?"

"Usually, yes. Consorts don't have any money of their own as a rule; they're expected to devote their lives entirely to making their lord or lady's life run more easily, and so they have to be at least one caste below their lord or lady; it also means they're entirely dependent on an allowance they're given. My brother figured out that I value a gift that took more thought than simply buying something over any expensive bauble, so he goes out of his way to find rare seeds and cuttings for me. It means he sometimes has to give me my birthday present a bit early or a bit late, but that doesn't matter." It wouldn't have mattered to Zack either, his family hadn't been rich in monetary terms, they hadn't been poor either, but they hadn't had the money to spend on expensive presents.

"I'd have thought that Cloud would have made a point of telling you the presents he gave you were from both of them." He had learned that Cloud cared about Sephiroth in the past two days.

"Once he was ten he began to, but he didn't think of it before that, and Sephiroth had gotten into the habit of finding new seeds for me by then." They'd reached a room just like the one Zack had met Sephiroth in before Cloud tested him and Aeris pointed to the door to the left. "Your bedroom is through there, and there's a shower and toilet connected to it. But I want to talk to you first, so sit down please."

Zack obeyed, hiding his fear - it had always been bad for him when his owners wanted to talk to him. Aeris sat beside him, leaning against him and touching the cuff on his left wrist, then pulling away and making an upset sound.

"I'm sorry, do you mind me leaning up against you and touching your cuffs like that, or playing with your hair?" Why did she think she needed his permission? And she was asking little enough.

"Go ahead." She seemed to want him to act almost as if he was her equal, so he might as well risk it. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I'd planned for my first bodyguard to have a collar and cuffs like Sephiroth's, except the five slots on your collar would probably be better unlinked. So, what sort of training do you have in using materia?"

"None, not really."

"In that case we can fit four purple materia into your collar, with one red, green materia in your wrist cuffs and a paired green and blue in each ankle cuff. And Cloud or Sephiroth can teach you how to use the green and the red materia."

"Umm...what about the purple and the blue materia?"

"Purple works on you automatically, that's why you'll have four of them, well that and they almost match your eyes, we'll talk about which of them you should use later, and the blue only work with the green, or sometimes red or yellow."

"Right." Zack felt ashamed of how little he knew about materia, but he needed to know if Aeris expected him to use them. "What does each type of materia do?"

"Red materia allow you to summon things, purple improve your abilities, for instance Speed Plus makes you faster, green materia will each cast a set of spells, and blue materia will have an effect on how the materia it's paired with works, like the way an All materia will let a spell attack more targets than usual."

"Thanks." Zack smiled at his lady, the feel of her hand in his hair unexpectedly pleasant. "I know I'm your bodyguard, and I've already got a general idea of my duties, but is there anything special I need to do?"

"Nothing special, not as a rule. You do know the protocol for formal events don't you?"