Mini—Part Two

Cloud drew his sword smoothly, off his back, and Sephiroth clung to his hair to steady himself with the motion. Men with wicked curved blades stepped out from between the gunmen. Sephiroth grit his teeth, his hand clenching at his side, even as his other tangled in Cloud's hair. He knew the uniform of a Wutaian soldier. Though the war was over, there was no denying that there was a surplus of Wutaian warriors still out for Shinra blood. Silently, Sephiroth didn't blame them for that. But he was sick with fear that Cloud had become entwined with the confrontation.

"Gods above," one of the men whispered. "The Demon is very small. Such a gift. Here we were hoping merely to catch him distracted."

"Kill him swiftly." Ordered the man with the richest yellow uniform. "We must not let this chance go to waste."

Cloud lifted his sword, pointing it at the attackers. Sephiroth could feel him vibrating in tension. He crouched on Cloud's pauldron, preparing to jump off him and try to lead the Wutaians away. He gasped when Cloud lifted his left hand, covering him on his shoulder, pinning him in place.

"You'll have him when you pry him from my cold, dead fingers." Cloud spat. Sephiroth could just see his face between a gap in his fingers, his lips pulled back in a furious snarl.

Sephiroth reached for his magic silently, panic thrumming through his chest helplessly. He shoved at Cloud's hand in demand, but his strength was not even sufficient to dislodge the Third class's hold.

"You?" Laughed the man. "Such a loyal Soldier. Better to kill you now before you grow stro—"

Sephiroth could have cheered when Cloud sprinted forward without letting the man finish his sentence. He gripped the edge of the metal under himself tightly, prepared to hold on. He stared through the gap in Cloud's fingers, flinching at every gunshot, afraid he'd feel the body beneath him jerk in injury and pain. He'd never felt so helpless. He'd never felt such fear. It was like his heart would break from his chest. His stomach churned, and his knuckles were white on where he gripped. Flashes of steel were visible through Cloud's guarding hand, but his lover never moved his hand away for Sephiroth to get a true handle on the situation.

Suddenly he was thrown out of his anchored position by a force like a car crash. He grunted as it flung him into Cloud's guarding hand. He heard Cloud bark out a pained sound, and the shoulder under him tensed in pain and effort. Sephiroth caught himself swiftly, reclaiming his grip. He clenched his teeth, summoning all the strength he had into a cure, casting it into Cloud. It tingled out of him with pathetically small force.

Cloud roared in fury, and Sephiroth had to shift to peer out of the cage of fingers that had kept him on his defender's shoulder rather than tumbling into open air. He watched a soldier fall, Cloud's sword swinging in neat, practiced arcs. He was hopelessly outclassed, but he'd had the element of surprise and maintained it this far. Two of the attackers fell before his attacks while Sephiroth watched. Then a swordsman slipped his strike, the pommel of his hilt hitting Cloud dead in the face. Blood spattered, and Cloud stumbled.

Sephiroth clung to the Third class uniform as Cloud rocked beneath him like an earthquake. He felt the young Soldier spin in a sickening lurch of centripetal force, like being stuck in a transport pulling a u-turn. Actually, he thought as he struggled with every muscle to keep himself anchored in place, it was much more like experiencing that same sensation in a fighter jet.

He felt the shock radiate through Cloud when his stroke hit heavy, radiating vibrations through him. Cloud stood slowly after the attack, uncovering Sephiroth slightly to look over, checking on him.

"Focus!" Sephiroth yelled as loudly as he could, knowing his voice would be barely audible, even over just the noise of Cloud's breathing.

His word was drowned out completely by the gunshot. Cloud jerked under him, his guarding hand spasming. Sephiroth watched the pain and fear cross his face in equal measures. He reached out, but had to draw back as Cloud's hand pressed him back down to his shoulder, pinning him there as the Third whirled into motion once more. Sephiroth smelled blood. It was overpowering. He felt the tension in Cloud's body as his sword struck again, silencing the screams of a man who was definitely not him. The gun fired once more, but there was no jerk of injury from Cloud this time.

For a moment, all was still, and Sephiroth crawled forward, edging out from under the hand covering him. He looked over Cloud's profile, his chest tightening as he took in the paleness of his skin and the lines of tension around his eyes.. His lip was bloody where he'd been hit with the warrior's hilt. His breaths were coming heavy through his parted lips.

Cloud turned abruptly from the body, shifting his hand to hold Sephiroth in place once more before he started to run. Sephiroth lurched at the motion, wincing as Cloud's hand bruised him even while trying to be protective. He gently pried it off him, shifting back to his position by Cloud's ear. He gripped his hair again to anchor himself, keeping crouched on one knee, even as he stroked his small hand over Cloud's tense neck. he glanced forward as the Third sprinted through the trees.

"Slow down," he urged, trying to keep his voice gentle. "Cloud, slow down. You're hurt. You need to see to your injury."

If Cloud heard him, he didn't seem to register. His free hand continued to guard him from the wind, even as Sephiroth tilted his head to look over his young boyfriend's back. There was a dark patch on the back of his uniform, staining inch by inch with blood as he sprinted through the forest. Under his hand, Sephiroth could feel Cloud's pulse pounding, heavy with adrenaline and fear.

"There might be more." Cloud gasped hollowly, his wide eyes fixated ahead as he ran. "I got lucky before, but there might be more!"

He jumped over a fallen log, and the landing almost drove the breath out of him. Bones grated inside him, clearly audible to Sephiroth's enhanced hearing. Something was broken. He guessed from the awful impact he'd first felt. Cloud's breathing faltered, catching in his throat and wheezing out of him in a half cough. He kept his sword in hand, forcing himself back into a run. Sephiroth pressed harder with his hand against Cloud's skin, smelling the clinging scent of fear radiating off the young man. It made him queasy.

He could have cried in relief when Cloud finally staggered into the clearing where they'd set up their main base. The first group of testers was already settling in for their sleep there that night. A second-class that Sephiroth vaguely registered as 'Zack's friend' noticed them first, turning and running to meet Cloud halfway. Whether it was the relief of having someone else coming to meet him, or of seeing the camp at all, Cloud's strength waned. His sword clattered to the rock-strewn ground, and Cloud fell heavily to his knees. Sephiroth staggered, but didn't fall, catching the pointer finger of Cloud's guarding hand to brace himself with.

"Lie down," he urged his boyfriend, releasing his grip in Cloud's hair to pet the sweat-soaked blond strands gently. "Lie down, Cloud. I'm fine. You need to rest!"

The young man's finger was trembling under his grip with weakness and pain. Sephiroth lifted his gaze to the shocked looking First, glaring at him, silently commanding him to do something.

"Shit, Cloud," the man said, crouching and bracing the Third-class. "What happened? Where's everyone el—General?"

Sephiroth flinched at the noise, but only pointed silently to Cloud's injured side. From his perch, he couldn't see how bad it was, but he could smell the blood pouring from the brave young Third, and he could feel the tremors starting to wrack him as the adrenaline ebbed.

"Kunsel…" Cloud whispered, his voice airy and weak. "Get Sephiroth… to his tent…"

He was sagging before the words were done. Sephiroth lept neatly off him onto the ground as Cloud sagged bonelessly against the second-class.

Distantly, he knew that Kunsel was calling for medics, and that a flurry of activity was breaking out around them. But all he could focus on was the sound of Cloud's thundering heartbeat, and the unearthly grey pallor of his skin. He waved away Kunsel's offer of a hand up, watching as his lover was strapped onto a stretcher and carried away. He stayed in place, his heart thundering helplessly in his chest. He only barely heard it when heavy footsteps approached him from behind.

"He's going to be okay, Seph." Zack's voice murmured. "I got the radio call. He's going to be back to himself in no time."

Sephiroth turned to look up at him, not caring that he was the size of a doll and dressed in only a handkerchief. He felt lower than dirt. He had not protected the one dearest to him in the world. When Zack reached down a hand to him in offer, Sephiroth stepped onto it without complaint, and let the First carry him where he liked.

He couldn't forget the protective warmth of Cloud's hand covering him while he fought. Couldn't brush off the clammy feel of his sweat-drenched skin, or the iron stench of his blood. He shivered, even as he stepped onto Zack's shoulder, sitting on the pauldron and holding onto the side, watching the camp pass even though he didn't truly register a moment of it. His mind was filled with thoughts of Cloud, and through that barrier of worry, no new thoughts could pass.

"How's he doing, ladies?" Zack's voice murmured, bringing Sephiroth back to awareness.

"Could be worse." Sephiroth glanced up, recognizing the voice of Irene—she was his personal favorite field doctor, and the only one he let tend to him.

"I don't suppose you have any estunas lying around for this guy." Zack gestured mildly to Sephiroth, almost dislodging him with the mild motion. Sephiroth didn't even bother feigning grumpiness. HIs eyes had spied Cloud lying inert on the white cot in the corner of the room, and he had no time to think of anything but that sight.

"I'm afraid not." Irene tucked a dark brown lock of hair back into her bun, sighing at her clipboard. "You boys don't let us carry around anything to cure non-life-threatening status ailments on these trips."

Sephiroth decided, with a certainty as firm as a lock clicking into place, that he didn't care about their conversation. He crouched on Zack's shoulder, eyes narrowing on his target, and lept.

He launched off Irene's arm as she gesticulated, and just barely managed to land on the bedside dresser. He strode swiftly across its surface, hopping down onto the bed and walking over to check on Cloud's face.

He was still breathing. That was a good start. Behind him, he could hear what sounded suspiciously like muffled laughter, but he didn't care in the slightest. He stepped carefully up onto Cloud's good shoulder, careful not to displace the oxygen mask as he delicately ducked under the arch of its supply cable. He paced the line of the bandages crossing his chest to check on the binding over the wound itself. It looked stark and neat, without a speck of blood on the outside. He'd probably been cured, Sephiroth thought with approval and a solemn nod.

The chest under his feet was warm, and rose and fell smoothly with Cloud's every breath. Sephiroth turned to look over his face, and let out a breath when he saw the more relaxed lines around his eyes and mouth. He was still bruised and blood-specked, but no longer looked so wounded. He walked back along Cloud's collarbone, carefully, and settled cross-legged on his chest to wait.

"Seph," Zack said softly from nearby. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have sent you two back alone."

Sephiroth waved off the concern, gently petting the soft skin he was sitting on in silent praise to Cloud for living.

"Irene says he'll be fine," Zack murmured. "He's been cured. He just needs to rest a while. You'll stay with him?"

Sephiroth nodded in silent agreement, rubbing the arch of Cloud's collarbone beside him gently before rising and shifting off his chest, settling by his head. He sat in the direction Cloud's head was tilted, running his fingers through his bangs, and watching the movement of his eyes under his eyelids as he slept. From their motions, he was reasonably sure Cloud was dreaming.

He shifted forward slowly, pressing a soft kiss over Cloud's eyebrow before settling cross-legged on Cloud's pillow. He waved Zack off, hoping the First got the message. Cloud wasn't the only trainee there, after all. The others would need a leader to look to, and he was a little small to be looked to just then.

"Right," Zack said with a nod. "I'll get to work getting them packed up and shipped out."

Sephiroth waited until Zack had left the room, then shifted a little closer to Cloud, resting his hand on the curve of his cheek.

"I'm so proud of you," he murmured, knowing his voice was probably too low for Cloud to hear even if he was awake, but wanting to say it anyway. "Thank you, Cloud… You saved me."

He stroked his hand slowly over Cloud's skin, in comfort and affection. The oxygen mask blocked his lips, but Sephiroth didn't let himself focus on it. He carded his fingers through Cloud's eyebrows and dropped doll-sized kisses on his temples. Then, when he was drained of that rush of affection, he sat on Cloud's pillow again, settling in to wait.

Other people came and went. Nurses checked Cloud's pulse and, eventually, removed the oxygen mask for him. Irene came once and picked Sephiroth up without bothering to ask, depositing him on the bedside table before going to work checking on Cloud's bandages. Sephiroth didn't bother with being upset by it. She'd put him in a place where he could see the scar under the web of bandaging as Irene removed it. It made his stomach twist in ways he wasn't used to, but he kept his face passive and calm. Irene was the most trustworthy doctor he had ever known, but she was still a doctor.

"He's doing just fine," She'd said mildly, tossing the used bandages and laying a damp cloth over Cloud's chest, starting to clean away the blood. "You shouldn't fret so much, worry wart. You'll give yourself tiny little wrinkles."

Sephiroth hadn't bothered answering. He jumped down and took over for Irene, replacing her hand with his small ones and washing the blood from Cloud's skin.

Irene sighed, but she let him have his way. She settled for swapping out the rag with a slightly smaller and thinner one so that Sephiroth wouldn't have as much trouble with it, then left him to his work for the moment.

Sephiroth felt strangely relaxed, feeling Cloud breathe under his hand. Every rise and fall of his chest was a balm on Sephiroth's paranoia. He cleaned the stale, dry blood off him inch by inch, not efficient, thanks to his size, but thorough none the less. Cloud shivered after a while, the cloth cold after the long time it had taken, and Sephiroth tossed it onto the desk with some effort, soothing his hands over the skin to warm it.

Zack visited every hour or so. He wouldn't speak, and Sephiroth knew that the First was feeling guilty. He planned to fuss at him for his worry when his voice didn't sound like a squeaky toy. He was quietly grateful to see his friend's calm smile and watch him touch Cloud's forehead. His own sense of touch was dimmer than usual—everything was dimmer than usual—and it was nice to have the assurance that Cloud wasn't burning with fever even while Sephiroth watched.

They spent a long time together in silence, Zack sitting at Cloud's bedside and Sephiroth settled on the pillow beside his head, stroking his chin and jawline. At least once, the First arrived to visit with a shallow glass of water for Sephiroth to drink from, and the General gave him a faint smile of approval and hadn't realized how thirsty he was until he had the option of drinking. He glanced at the IV in Cloud's arm in quiet gratitude, knowing that without it, Cloud would have been more than dehydrated.

"He'll wake up soon." Zack said every time he had to leave the room. "He'd never leave you waiting for too long."

Sephiroth didn't bother asking whether or not they'd gotten a restore to help with the unfortunate affliction of his height. If they had, he had no doubt Zack would have used it by now. He longed to be his right size, sitting at Cloud's side and tending to him properly. It was a constant dull ache in his chest.

The sunlight stopped being visible through the tent after hours of waiting. Sephiroth let himself curl on the pillow by Cloud's face, watching him as he rested. He fell into a doze with the sight of Cloud's lightly closed eyes clear in his memory.

He woke to the world moving around him, and leapt to his feet. He backed up, staggering as the floor moved and sank under his weight. It took him a moment to remember that he had been miniaturized, a second moment to recall he'd been sleeping on a pillow, and a third moment to realize who's bedside he was waiting by. He whirled to look at Cloud shifting.

The blond's face twisted in a grimace of discomfort., and Sephiroth lost his breath at the glimmer of blue eyes. He abandoned his defensive posture, crouching to move closer.

"Cloud?" He breathed, his voice barely audible.

Cloud blinked twice, slowly, then his face twisted in shock and surprise. He let out a shriek, scooting away on the bed. Sephiroth stumbled, dropping to one knee to stay upright as Cloud's shock sunk in. He covered his ears as protection against the bone-shaking shriek of surprise. When he managed to uncover his ears and blink up at Cloud, he found him staring at him in alarm, very much awake.

"Sorry," Cloud wheezed, his voice dry. "Sorry… Are you okay? I forgot, I thought… I thought that was a dream!"

He broke off, coughing and lifting his hand that didn't have an IV attached to cover his mouth. Sephiroth moved forward swiftly, lifting his hand to touch Cloud's cheek while he caught his breath. Bright blue eyes flickered back to him, teary after the coughing fit. His pale eyebrows twisted in concern, and as soon as he could move again, he lay down slowly again, obviously trying not to jostle his small General and boyfriend.

"Sorry." He whispered again.

Sephiroth shook his head, stepping close to lean forward, pressing a slow kiss to Cloud's cheek now that he was pillowed on the bed and in reach again. He had to brace himself against the bridge of Cloud's nose, but the Third didn't seem to mind.

When he backed away, Cloud gave him a fragile, warm smile.

"You're okay, right?" Cloud whispered.

He lifted his free hand to Sephiroth, though he didn't touch him. Sephiroth took one of his fingers in hand and pressed his cheek against it in affection, nodding his agreement. He was starved for his Cloud's gentle touches.

"I'm glad," Cloud's voice was kept carefully soft and low. "I'm so glad. I was worried I wouldn't be able to protect you… I wish I could hold you."

Sephiroth blinked at him, then lifted his arms in invitation.

"Oh," Cloud blinked, his hands curling at his chest, careful not to tug on his IV line. "Can I?"

Sephiroth nodded in response, gravely, and Cloud smiled at him with true relief. He sat up stiffly in bed before he offered Sephiroth his hands, arranged like a little seat. Sephiroth stepped up and sat on Cloud's palm, letting himself be lifted in both hands. His palms were warm under Sephiroth's legs and against his back, and when the young man held him to his chest, Sephiroth pressed his cheek over the thrumming of his heartbeat. He rubbed his cheek against Cloud's chest, listening as the young man breathed out slowly, relaxing even in the unusual hold.

Sephiroth pressed soft kisses against Cloud's skin, running his fingers over the curves of his muscles and the fading, twisted scar. When he was back to his true size, he would lecture Cloud for days about putting himself in danger like that. Or he liked to think he would. In reality, he couldn't help but feel grateful. He highly doubted he'd have to heart to lecture when Cloud looked at him with his soulful blue eyes, knowing why he'd chosen to fight, and how well he'd done. He nuzzled against him instead of worrying about it. For now, Cloud was awake, and all was finally better.

"I hear helicopters," Cloud whispered. "Are they coming to finish transporting everyone home?"

Sephiroth rubbed Clouds soft skin and nodded his approval and agreement. Though he hadn't paid much attention, he'd picked up enough to know that Zack had gotten the transports moving, and that all that was left were the medical personnel.

"Everyone's okay?" He whispered.

"Except you." Sephiroth muttered to himself.

"I heard that," Cloud said, a soft joking note in his voice. "Were you worried?"

Sephiroth nodded his agreement with a scowl, pushing back from Cloud's chest to look up at him. Beautiful blue eyes looked down on him, tired and strained, but brimming with affection. Sephiroth felt his annoyance wane and vanish, and he puffed out a breath, averting his gaze even as his hands stayed pressed over Cloud's heartbeat, feeling the gentle motions of his body existing under his palms.

He felt something start to shift, and frowned in concern and confusion, looking down at himself. His bones ached briefly, and his eyes widened as he realized what was happening a moment before it occurred. He turned his eyes to the door, catching sight of Zachary, grinning like a sphinx, and opened his mouth to yell at him before the world bent and shrank around him.

Cloud yelped as Sephiroth shot back to his usual size, suddenly sitting on his lap instead of in his hands. There was a sound of tearing fabric as the handkerchief tore away, leaving Sephiroth stark naked straddling Cloud in the cot. The blond squeaked in surprise, his hands lifting to brace Sephiroth as he wavered, pressing their chests together out of sheer alarm.

Zack's laughter filled the room, and Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, summoning the fire that was all but a part of him and launching it at the ground Zack was standing on.

The First Class seemed to decide that existence was the better part of valor, and ran before for fire struck, still laughing all the way out the tent flap. Below him, Cloud was averting his eyes, his face flame red.

"Are you alright?" Sephiroth rumbled, feeling something inside him relax as his voice came out in its proper pitch.

"I...I wasn't...Um…"

"Nothing to blush about," Sephiroth clucked, shifting as he tried to get used to the feeling of being his proper size again. It was nothing like the queasy sick uncertainty of being too small, but it was still decidedly strange. He cupped Cloud's jaw lightly in his hand, lifting his face so they could make eye contact again. "You've seen me naked enough times by now, haven't you?"

If anything, Cloud seemed to blush brighter. "I just wasn't expecting… Um…" He trailed off helplessly before offering, "Are you feeling okay?"

Sephiroth huffed. "You're the one I should be asking about that."

He leaned down, kissing Cloud with a deep, slow adoration. The soft sounds Cloud made against his lips and the pressure of his hands splayed on his back made it perfectly clear that he'd been wanting to do the same thing.

"I ought to lecture you," Sephiroth whispered against his lips, blinking his eyes open slowly as he pressed his forehead to Cloud's. "You put yourself in danger. You pushed yourself past your limits. You should have kept yourself safe."

"Sir, I…"

"But I'm not going to," Sephiroth interrupted, drawing Cloud into a tight hug, pressing their cheeks together. "You fought so bravely and so well. I am so proud, and so grateful for that."

Cloud went still for a moment, then he seemed to sag into Sephiroth's hug. He buried his face in the broad shoulder under his cheek, clinging to him tightly. Sephiroth curled around him as best he could, delighted to be able to hold Cloud properly once more.

Cloud's fist connected solidly with his back, an Sephiroth let out a choke of breath in response.

"You might not lecture me," Cloud muttered against his shoulder, "But we are going to have words about what you did back there. Talking of dangerous stuff, what if that monster had cast doom on you instead? What if you'd gotten stepped on? If either of us is getting lectured tonight, it's going to be you!"

He gained volume as he spoke, and with every word, Sephiroth felt himself relaxing. He nuzzled into the familiar spikes of hair, smiling happily. His Cloud was alright again. And if he had anything to say about it, very soon, he would be joining the ranks of the Seconds.