The Inevitable: Chapter 1: Part 2

by Vireyda.

Sephiroth lay awake in his bed unable to sleep, staring up at the tiled ceiling. He couldn't get that spiky haired boy's image out of his head.

‘This isn't the time to be having some mindless infatuation with a boy that's barely legal. I have a mission coming up. A distraction like this isn't going to help one bit. It's dangerous to me and my squad.' Even as the reasoning flowed through his head, logic didn't seem to matter to his mind or his groin. Sephiroth crossed his forearms over his face as he groaned and tried to still his mind. He wasn't the least bit successful.

Thinking back to that afternoon, Cloud had been the first person in years to offer to comb his hair, as long as it was. Combing his own hair was like masturbating: an automatic process that got the job done. With the boy accomplishing the task, the daily chore bordered on exciting.

The General shook his head underneath his arms. ‘No, that's an understatement. It was actually more than exciting.'

He still couldn't figure out why he had accepted Cloud's offer to comb his hair in the first place. He never touched anyone and certainly didn't let anyone touch him. At the time, he hadn't known whether or not Cloud had been joking, but the look of frightened uncertainty on the younger man's face had quickly dispelled Sephiroth's fears of assault or manipulation. A person couldn't fake that look. He would have found the expression amusing, had the situation not been so foreign to him.

Groaning again, Sephiroth remembered what had happened next. For some reason he couldn't understand, he had wanted more, unconsciously offering his neck to the young cadet behind him. Then Cloud had softly spoken the words that dissolved the General's logical mind: ‘I want you.' The boy had been so hungry for him. The memory of those lips on his skin made his breath quicken.

The rest had been pure pleasure until reality had forced its way back into his mind. The boy was a cadet. He was an instructor and a General. Taking advantage of a young man's adoration wasn't something he could do.

Sephiroth cringed when he remembered the look on Cloud's face. He had hurt him. Hurt him so much that he didn't show up for class or supper. Coming out of the office from a day's worth of Shinra paperwork and one-sided ‘talks', Sephiroth had considered seeking out the younger man when he caught sight of him entering the cadet's dorm. Cloud's posture had screamed, `Stay the hell away from me!'. So he had. He feared that was a mistake.

Sephiroth groaned, pushing his fingers into his closed eyes, enjoying the sprays of color that were formed by the harsh contact. All of this thinking was giving him a headache. Wishing his mind would leave him, he knew he couldn't do this right now. He needed to sleep.

Shouts in the distance drifted through the open balcony door and caught his attention. Throwing the covers back, he jumped out of bed and walked onto the balcony to discover what commotion was about.

Resting his arms on the balcony railing, he watched a spiky haired young man sprinting away from a jeering mob of fifteen cadets in the distance. His thin silver brows raised when he realized that the young man was Cloud Strife. It appeared to be another public punishment. Sephiroth frowned. The spankings didn't usually happen this late in the season. By this time, most people had learned their lesson. He fleetingly puzzled over what the younger man had done.

They had almost disappeared from view when one cadet managed to tackle Cloud. The young man let out a yelp as he was crushed to the ground under the weight of the larger cadet. Sephiroth thought for a second about intervening but, as cruel as it was, this was something that helped keep the trainees in line. He had felt a hand once on his backside in his day. The General frowned when he reminded himself that the situation hadn't ended too nicely for the offending cadets. They hadn't bothered him after he had put a couple of them in the infirmary.

Sephiroth watched as the boy straddled Cloud's legs and yanked his pants down to his knees. Cloud's little white buttocks gleamed like a beacon in the night. Sephiroth felt his cock involuntarily twitch. He closed his eyes before he had to adjust himself.

The sound of the harsh whacks filled the cool night air. Sephiroth reopened his eyes and watched the show, trying not to enjoy the sight of it. His own backside nearly throbbed sympathetically. After a minute, the laughing mob left Cloud alone on the ground. Sephiroth could hear the young man's sobs even from that distance.

Considering his options, he thought about retreating back to his bed, leaving the younger man to the night. He sighed, straightening himself. Sleep would surely elude him if he left the boy to cry to himself alone in the dark. He had done it too many times himself to knowingly allow someone else to go through the same pain. In light of their exhibition in the forest, he suspected that the cadet wouldn't reject comfort from him.

Sephiroth jumped down from the second story balcony, not bothering with the stairs, and moved swiftly to the frail frame. Cloud was still lying on his stomach, sobbing into the arms that were crossed under his head. The younger man hadn't bothered to pull up his pants yet. Sephiroth got down onto his knees and placed his hand on Cloud's shoulder.

Cloud jerked back from the touch and cried out, "Stay away!" Cloud swung his head up and caught sight of who had touched him. His face paled to a ghostly white then reddened as a blush swept across it. Tears welled up in his eyes as he feebly pushed himself further back. With his pants down to his knees, he nearly fell on his face, trying to escape Sephiroth.

"It's ok. I won't hurt you," the General whispered, grabbing onto a retreating wrist.

The tears flowed freely from Cloud's eyes as he pleaded hoarsely, "please let me go!"

Sephiroth didn't let him go. He pulled on the arm and brought him back into his reach. Then he hoisted him onto his lap. The cadet struggled briefly but eventually melted into his frame. Sephiroth felt his bare chest dampen from the boy's tears. He was sure they were quite the spectacle, both half naked: Himself without a shirt and Cloud with pants down to his knees.

The heat from the spanking warmed Sephiroth's lap. His hand began to move to feel the warmth before he realized what he was doing. He stopped his hand just as he brushed against bare skin and settled it on Cloud's waist.

He realized then that the urge to comfort the cadet was a mistake as he thought, ‘how can I comfort Cloud when my thoughts dwell on touching his body? Why does Cloud affect me this way? How many men and women have passed through my life without giving them a second thought?'

Seeing that the cadet's breathing was back to normal and his was only speeding up, Sephiroth shook his head and whispered, "Cloud, I think you should head back to your dormitory now."

Cloud suddenly tightened the grip he had around Sephiroth's forearm. "Please, I don't want to be alone."

Sephiroth's eyes closed. He didn't know what to do. How far was to far? Even talking to cadets outside of class was frowned upon, especially at his level. Cadets didn't deserve special treatment until they had proven themselves in battle. ‘Of course, I've already gone beyond simple talking with Cloud. I'm going to have some explaining to do if they ever. . .'

Cloud interrupted his thought as he muttered, "why did you leave me like that? Was it me? Didn't I please you?"

Sephiroth gritted his teeth. The boy asked tough questions. "Of course you pleased me. It had nothing to do with you. The type of. . . activity we were progressing to isn't exactly encouraged." That was honest enough for the most part. Of course, he had left out the major reason.

Cloud suddenly pulled away from him and stood up, pulling his pants up in the motion. "You're lying. People don't close up like that without a good reason. SOLDIER isn't a good reason. They don't care what you do as long as you keep up your all powerful image."

Cloud's heated accusation stunned him. People didn't second guess him very often. Most people would fear death for accusing him of lying. Either Cloud was innocent and didn't realize the consequences of his words or he knew Sephiroth wouldn't hurt him.

The truth was: Sephiroth was a virgin. It certainly was not from a lack of offers from both men and women, but from a lack of sincere offers. He was incredibly sick of being used for people's own agendas. Besides that, he didn't want to lose his virginity. He refused give himself completely like that. If he did, he would have nothing left he could call his own.

"Well?"

Sephiroth looked back up at the young man staring down at him intently. "I. . ."

"Tell me now or you'll live to regret it."

Sephiroth's eyes widened, silver brows shooting upwards. ‘The boy is threatening me!' The older man failed to contain a burst of laughter. Cloud frowned at him, crossing his arms over his chest. The look made the General laugh harder. He grabbed at his sides as the movement of his chest became almost painful. Sephiroth looked back up to Cloud after regaining some control over his outburst. If a look could kill, Sephiroth would be dead.

Faster than Sephiroth had ever seen him move, Cloud shoved the General onto the ground, straddling him before he could react. Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's wrists and pulled his arms over his head. The older man could have easily broken out of the grip but was enjoying himself too much to end the situation.

"Tell me now!" Cloud hissed through his teeth.

The seriousness in the cadet's face startled him. Sephiroth lost his smile but was given no opportunity to react as Cloud suddenly bent down and brushed his lips across the General's mouth, then captured his mouth. Sephiroth moaned and tried wrestle his arms out of Cloud's grip in an attempt to grab the younger man's head and force a harder kiss. Before the General could grab him, Cloud backed away, a small grin playing on his face.

Sephiroth shocked himself as he said, "You can spend the night in my bed chamber, if you like." He mentally slapped himself on the forehead. The fear of rejection fogged his brain but he couldn't possibly expect Cloud to accept. He wasn't planning on sleeping with the boy. Still, he thought. . . well, he didn't know was thinking.

Cloud examined the older man with large eyes and laughed. "Are you serious? Humm, let me think. YES!"

Cloud shot upright and offered his hand to Sephiroth. Knowing he didn't need someone else's help, the General hesitantly accepted the hand and then stood up. Cloud suddenly pressed his body into Sephiroth, wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck, and took a hardened nipple in between his teeth.

Sephiroth sucked in his breath and tried unsuccessfully to ignore the sensation. It took all the strength he could muster to not push the younger man onto the ground and assault every inch of his body. Unwrapping the arms around him, he took Cloud's hand and let him to the large building. The warmth of the hand kept Sephiroth's pulse racing.

When they reached his bed chamber door, the door unlocked at the sound of Sephiroth's voice. Coolly reminding himself that he had no intention of sleeping with the boy, the General realized he had to figure out what he was going to do with his young cadet. He entered the living room and tried to make up his mind. He couldn't put him on the couch. That felt wrong to him. The only other place was his bed.

Sephiroth briefly looked back at his companion and then led him to his bedroom. The sheets were already folded back from when he laid there earlier. ‘Get in,' he commanded.

Cloud hesitated for a second then quickly moved past him and literally hopped onto the bed. Sephiroth chuckled as Cloud's youthfulness became painfully apparent. The older man shook his head and tucked the cadet in. Cloud tried to grab his head to force a kiss but Sephiroth backed away, smiling.

"Get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Sephiroth turned around and began to leave to sleep on the couch.

"You're leaving? But I thought. . . I thought you were going to stay with me."

Sephiroth stopped, his back facing the young cadet in his bed. "I'm going to sleep in the other room. You need your rest."

"Stay with me," Cloud purred.

Sephiroth smiled although the boy couldn't see it. "Goodnight, Cloud Strife." He continued his walk to the uncomfortable couch.

"Please," Cloud said barely above a whisper. Ignoring his hushed plea, Sephiroth closed the door behind him and left the younger man to his thoughts. Cloud sat up in the bed and watched the closed door, hoping Sephiroth would come back. At the same time, he was terrified that the man would come back.

Cloud sighed as a sudden tiredness washed over him. The day had been eventful: his first real kiss, a spanking but that was nothing new, and a short roll on the ground with Sephiroth. Yes, he was tired and realized he just wanted to sleep. He laid down and buried his face in Sephiroth's pillow, breathing in deeply the scent of the man. Soon enough, Cloud was asleep.

~~~~~~

The bright sun on his face dragged Cloud out of a deep sleep. As he stretched his arms over his head, the first thing he noticed was the comfortable bed, nothing like his own hard bunk. ‘Where am I?' He popped open his eyes and looked around. He didn't recognize the room but did recognize Sephiroth's scent.

Then he remembered the kiss. Sephiroth's sweet skin that shivered under his touch. The heat rushing out of the man's body and into his own. Cloud groaned. He tried to move but the pain in his backside made him second guess the motion. ‘Oh yea, the spanking.'

Cringing at the laughter he'd get in class that day, he knew that the cadets spanked hard on purpose. Hard enough for the torment the victim went through to be visibly noticeable for at least a day or two. They enjoyed watching the victim squirm as normal activities, such as sitting, became a challenge.

‘Wait a minute! Class!' Cloud arched his head off of the bed to search for a clock. He spotted one on the nightstand next to the bed.

*11:32 A.M.* declared the digital numbers.

His head dropped back onto the pillow. He groaned, sliding his hands down his face. His first two classes were over with and he had missed half of his third. The consequences for missing class were not pleasant, involving the scoldings that threatened hearing loss and an absurd amount of pushups. Cloud had been walking on thin ice with the headmaster for quite a while. Actually, ever since he had arrived on campus. The man had threatened to send him ‘back to mommy' on numerous occasions.

"So why in the hell am I still laying here," Cloud questioned the ceiling above him. He wrestled his way out of the sheets and bounced out of the bed, trying his best to ignore the soreness in his body. Glancing downward, he realized that he was still in his pajamas. The dorm was a five minute walk from the General's building. Another groan escaped his chest as he shook his head, pondering his fate. ‘Is my life ever going to stop being a joke?'

He wished he could hide in Sephiroth's room all day but obligations. . . ‘Wait a minute. Why didn't Sephiroth wake me up?' Cloud ran a hand through his wild hair, searching for a reason. ‘Maybe I scared him away with my stupid questions. I've got to learn to keep my mouth shut! He's probably laughing at me right now. I practically jumped on top of him. . . No wait. I did do that actually. Oh man, what did I do? He probably thinks I'm crazy. . . Wait a minute. The spanking. Oh no, he probably saw the whole thing!'

The color drained from his face as his body tensed. It was one thing for the cadets to punish him. It was completely another thing for General Sephiroth to witness it.

Walking stiffly into the living room, he looked to see if by chance Sephiroth was still around. He breathed a sigh of relief when the man was no where to be seen. He would have to face him later that afternoon though.

With tears creeping into his eyes, he moved to the door to face the laughter that plagued his life. He bit his lip, refusing to cry. "Life sucks."

~~~~~~

Cloud stood with the other cadets in his squad. He was in the front of his line on that particular day. ‘Why is it my turn to be group leader, of all days?' Cloud held his breath and looked straight ahead as Sephiroth passed him. The General didn't even glance at him. Apparently the day before hadn't changed a thing.

Cloud dreaded the sparing that would happen after General Sephiroth had finished his lesson to the group. The cadet knew he wouldn't be able to move even with his usual gracelessness. He wouldn't be able to do it, period. The snickers around him told him that the other cadets knew it too.

More importantly though, Sephiroth was there. Once they had broken up for their sparing exercises, the General would watch him, compare Cloud's lack of ability with his own perfection. Cloud had never been so embarrassed in his life.

Sephiroth turned around and began to walk back in Cloud's direction again. His smooth controlled voice held the cadets' attention; Except, of course, the cadets that whispered jeers at Cloud. "All right cadets, team up with your partner and begin practice. Cadet Cloud Strife, you'll be sparing with me today."

Cloud practically fainted on the spot. Everyone separated with their training partners, leaving him standing like a statue. He didn't even notice the few smacks on his backside as cadets passed him by. Suddenly a bare chested form appeared before him. He looked up and his mouth went dry.

Sephiroth gazed at him with piercing eyes. "Shall we begin?"

"Sephi. . ." Cloud's eyes widened when Sephiroth's narrowed, "General Sephiroth! Yes, Sir!"

Sephiroth walked backwards a few steps and then settled into a defensive pose, his training sword held in front of him. Cloud shifted his body into an attack pose and tried to gather his courage.

‘Why is Sephiroth doing this? Is he trying to torture me? Humiliate me? Last time I ever try to kiss him.' Even as Cloud thought the words, he knew he would have done anything to be in the man's arms again.

Sephiroth nodded slightly, seeing his opponent had no intention of moving without some type of push. Cloud sucked in his breath and advanced forward, striking over hand then twirling around for a swipe at Sephiroth's side. Sephiroth easily blocked his attacks.

Cloud didn't feel too bad about the uneven match. No one in his class had a chance of beating General Sephiroth. The only problem was that he had the least amount of chance to beat him.

Apparently knowing Cloud was distracted by his thoughts, Sephiroth took the opportunity to kick the younger man's feet out from under him. As a cadet, Cloud had been taught how to drop without injury to himself but obviously the repetition hadn't sunk in. Cloud yelped as his back slammed onto the ground, shooting spikes of pain through his body. That type of fall normally would have cause a great amount of discomfort but, with the bruising from last night's punishment, agony inflamed his body.

Seemingly unaware of the pain Cloud was going through, Sephiroth hissed, "Strife, get up and pay attention."

Gritting his teeth, Cloud struggled to his feet. He looked into Sephiroth's face, trying to find some emotion, sympathy, anything. The chiseled face showed nothing. Cloud sunk into an attack pose again and attempted another attack. A downward swipe followed by a jab. Cloud gasped when a twist of the General's sword managed to yank his sword out of his hands. It fell uselessly to the ground.

"You're better than this. You need to forget about everyone else and focus on yourself and your opponent," Sephiroth chided, moving directly in front of the younger man.

Looking up at the man, Cloud shook his head, bewildered. ‘But you *are* all I see,' he thought but instead he muttered, "why are you doing this?"

"Because you can be great. Pick up your sword and take me."

Cloud couldn't get past the double meaning in Sephiroth's words. ‘Yes, I'd love to take you! Take you to heights you've never been before.' He growled in frustration and shook his head again, closing his eyes.

"I know you don't feel it now, but I see power in you. I've been watching you. . ."

When the last two words sunk into his mind, Cloud instantly looked back up into aquamarine eyes. A strange look played over Sephiroth's face. The expression disappeared so quickly that Cloud wasn't sure if it had ever been there in the first place. Cloud was unsure what the look had been but it surfaced a desire to touch the man before him. Taking a step forward, he raised his hand and watched Sephiroth's eyes widen when his fingers touched the man's soft cheek. Sephiroth stumbled backward, fleeing the caress. Instant tears sprang into Cloud's eyes as his mind tried to absorb another rejection but he couldn't handle it.

Cloud whipped around and fled the yard. As he ran, he realized what the expression on Sephiroth's face had been: Hope.

~~~~~~