A/N: Inspired by Kizunatsudoishi saying the song Love Ya by SS501 provoked a need for some drama/suspense Sefikura. I listened and agreed. So then this happened.

Very cliche crossdressing-for-infiltration and dramatic dancing set up, but shh. Still fun, right?

I really do want to do a second part to this where they meet again, because their chemistry is just so fun. (I've been holding off on posting this for ages, because I wanted to complete the sequel chapter and post them together, but it's taking me too long to get round to it and I got impatient. ;;) Uni is starting again now, though, so I'm not sure when that'll happen. Sometime, though.

There's no sex in this chapter, but there is some pretty heavy making out later on. The sex will come in the next chapter. ;p

It had been a long time; a decade, at least. Cloud wasn't that stupid, naïve kid anymore, dreaming of SOLDIER and of Sephiroth. Real life had a way of messing up childhood dreams. ShinRa had a way of messing up people's lives.

They had no one to blame but themselves.

Cloud could hear the strains of music as he stalked down the lifeless corridors of ShinRa's HQ building, heels clicking in a vicious rhythm. Only short heels – although Cloud reluctantly accepted that the outfit was required for infiltration purposes, he refused to wear anything that could potentially compromise this mission. Heels he couldn't run in would have certainly come under that category. As it was, he'd practised with the shorter kitten heels for weeks to ensure they wouldn't be a hindrance.

He was a mercenary, not a professional at wearing women's clothing, damnit.

At least the mid-length, flowing skirt allowed freedom of movement, and plenty of space to hide his weaponry. He had nothing to say about the damn bodice.

All it took was a sweet smile and a shallow excuse about getting separated from his date after having to go back to fix some makeup. The infantrymen – bored, dissatisfied, doing their job because they had to and not because they wanted to – let Cloud in without checking his identity at all.

He was late to the party. Dinner had been tidied away already, which was a slight disappointment as Cloud would have had no qualms in helping himself to ShinRa's hospitality. It wasn't like they ever extended any of it to the towns they ravaged with their reactors.

White-clothed tables lined the walls, but the central area of the huge room was empty space for people to dance. They'd even tried to replicate the feel of a dancefloor. Wooden flooring, huge chandeliers cascading like glass teardrops from the ceiling.

It would have been impressive if Cloud hadn't just walked through the rest of the building to get there. As it was, the sheer contrast, how damnfake the whole thing was, only highlighted ShinRa's hypocrisy.

Cloud scanned the swirls of ShinRa personal in all their obnoxious finery. He was only there for one reason, and the sooner he got it over with and got the hell out, the better.

Sephiroth.

He wasn't too hard to spot – he wore black leather trousers, like always, but with a tailored dress shirt that was halfway open, and that hair was incredibly distinctive even tied back in a high ponytail. Fuck. Cloud had never seen Sephiroth with his hair up in any of his news appearances or promotional images. It was…

Gorgeous.

Cloud's hand clenched, digging into the layers of his skirts and finding the hilt of knife buried deep within. "I hate you," he muttered to himself.

Sephiroth was ShinRa's power, the keystone of their defence. Take him out, and ShinRa was vulnerable. After that, there were plenty of others who would take the company down, circling like vultures to pick apart the remains. Cloud's job was this, and this alone.

He stepped onto the dancefloor. The music was unfamiliar to him – there was a live orchestra, though it seemed to be mostly strings and a lone piano. The violins played low and dramatic, mixing with too much of a beat to be truly classical. Cloud breathed in and let the music lead him to his target.

Cloud integrated himself easily, moving from partner to partner as they spun across the floor. His heels clicked in time to the beat, shimmering blue skirts swirling with his dramatic, fluid movements. Cloud smiled, but it never once reached his eyes.

He was attracting attention, but that didn't matter. He needed to attract Sephiroth's attention, and he couldn't do that without the collateral. They would all know him. He wasn't going to be able to leave this building alive.

But neither was Sephiroth.

A old, sleazy executive in a hideously green suit spun Cloud around, and Cloud delicately extracted himself before the man could get his hands back on him and try to dip him. He spun directly into Sephiroth.

"I would avoid dancing too long with Heidegger," Sephiroth murmured. "He has little concept of subtlety or decency, especially around pretty things like you."

Cloud's breath caught for a moment. Just nerves – this was it, this was exactly the moment he had been waiting for. He stepped back, falling automatically into the same hold he'd been using all evening.

He couldn't help but raise himself higher on his heels, eyes narrowing at Sephiroth even as he gave him one of those fake smiles that was starting to ache from overuse. "I can take care of myself."

"No offence meant. I do not doubt you can, but you should not have to."

The music swelled again, and neither felt inclined to continue the conversation. Sephiroth led them into the new dance; his movements seemed skilled, well-practiced, but Cloud could tell he was only going through the motions. Likely Sephiroth had been as forced into this situation as Cloud had.

If neither of them were going to survive this night, they might as well make the most of it.

Sephiroth was near a head taller than Cloud – good, he didn't have to look the man in the eyes. His eyeline was firmly at Sephiroth's adam's apple, gaze dropping to the line of his collarbones and the incredible definition of that chest. He wore his shirt open on purpose, Cloud was sure of it.

Cloud was staring; mentally marking the spot where he would sink a knife into Sephiroth's heart. And in the meantime, he matched every one of Sephiroth's movements with added flair. Like a challenge, like he could throw out every ounce of doubt and fear in the flick of his arms, the point of his feet in those dumb heels.

His skirts wrapped between Sephiroth's legs, his hand was on Sephiroth's shoulder and Sephiroth's leather-gloved hand was around Cloud's waist. Cloud's heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't meet Sephiroth's eyes, even as the final notes of the song faded out and Sephiroth held Cloud in a dip, his other hand cradling the back of Cloud's head.

"What are you thinking?" Sephiroth asked quietly. He tilted Cloud's chin up, and for one moment those mako green eyes bored into Cloud's, like they could see straight through his disguise and into his soul. It was only a fraction of a second, but it felt like forever before Cloud could pull himself away from the hypnotising gaze.

Cloud didn't answer, feeling too shaky to speak, only stepped them into the next dance.

He didn't even know what he was thinking. His thoughts were all over the place, heart rate and breathing erratic. He'd thought he could do this. Sephiroth represented ShinRa, and all the bad that they did to the world, to the people who lived there, to Cloud. He hated him. He hated him. He had looked up to him when he was younger – how many hours of life had he fucking wasted watching every little news snippet over and over again, collecting every interview, cutting out pictures to put on his wall, pretending that if he just triedhard enough – ha – he could become a SOLDIER and met Sephiroth in person.

"Sephiroth." It was spoken as an accusation. But Cloud wanted to say his name again, just once.

Cloud's back slammed against the wall, Sephiroth's hands on either side of his waist, looming over him. Cloud hadn't even noticed Sephiroth guiding them away from the main dancefloor and into a much less populated, dark corner.

"Wha–?" Cloud made a choked noise of surprise as Sephiroth reached down and tore the fabric of his skirt down the side seam. Gloved fingertips brushed against Cloud's thigh, and Cloud jolted. He felt the touch like electricity, hyperaware and trapped as he was.

Sephiroth yanked Cloud's knife from where it had been strapped against him and pressed the point of it to Cloud's jaw. "Did you really think that I would fall for such a blatant display?"

Cloud snapped back to himself, eyes narrowing, lips pressing together.

"I had figured I was probably going to die tonight either way. I was hoping to take you down with me."

Sephiroth smirked. "How romantic."

Cloud flared up indignantly, even though he could feel the heat rushing to face at such an accusation. "This isn't about you. Like I give a shit. It's my fucking job, because some of us have no choice but to take up mercenary and assassination work when your damn company wrecks our entire fucking lives."

"Why bother, if you are so certain you would either not succeed, or be detained if you did?"

"…if I don't make it back, my mom gets the deposit money for the attempt. If I do succeed, I have enough to make a new start. Not that it even matters toyou."

Sephiroth lowered the blade and spun it, offering the hilt to Cloud. "Fight me."

"What?"

"Come to one of the training rooms, and I will fight you. A fair fight, one on one."

Cloud snorted. "You're a mako-enhanced SOLDIER elite, a one on one fight with you is hardly fair."

Sephiroth smiled, seeming amused as he absently brushed aside one of Cloud's bangs that had fallen into his face during their dance. "Very well. If you land a blow on me, you're free to go. There will no reprisals for your actions tonight. If you fail to do so, I will hand you over to security."

It felt patronising, like Sephiroth was just toying with him. But Sephiroth was so much more powerful than him. Cloud didn't have much of a choice, unless he really did want to go out in a pointless, utterly foolish blaze of glory.

He took the knife and dropped it to his side. "Fine."

Sephiroth took Cloud's other hand in the palm of his own, as if asking him to dance once more. But instead of returning to the dancefloor, Sephiroth lead them out of room, down the darkened corridors and away from everyone.

Cloud was alone with Sephiroth, deep in the deserted hallways of the ShinRa building. Sephiroth could turn around and kill him at any moment, and Cloud had no witnesses, no backup, no hope. Anyone who had seen them leave would likely assume Sephiroth had other purposes for seeking privacy with a pretty blonde, especially after how intensely they had been dancing together.

The mental image of it flashed through Cloud's mind; of being pinned against the wall, kept in place by Sephiroth's body pressing against his, Sephiroth tearing through his skirts again, Sephiroth's mouth against his own, hot and insistent and–

Cloud huffed a breath, furious at himself.

But Sephiroth did none of it, murder or otherwise. He took them to one of the SOLDIER's virtual reality training rooms, just as he had promised.

"Would you prefer a different weapon? There are some standard issue SOLDIER swords, if you wish, or we can find–"

"I'll take a sword," Cloud interrupted. He did precisely that, pushing past Sephiroth to choose his own from the small collection that had been put aside. They were only practice swords, perhaps intended for impromptu sparring where the SOLDIERs had not brought their own, and although their condition was useable, they could not be given any higher compliment than that.

Cloud went through a couple, weighing them in his hand and trying to find one with the most familiar balance. He had dreamed about using one of these. Of course, he'd dreamed more about becoming a First Class and having his own signature sword, but he would have used one of the standard swords as a Third and Second, and he had looked forward to that too.

But that had been a long time ago.

Cloud picked his sword. Sephiroth had Masamune – and heavens knew where he'd got that from, maybe those rumours about the sword being a summon really did have some weight – and had removed his dress shirt, leaving him naked from waist up. He still had that damn ponytail in.

Cloud's heart rate spiked again. Fine. He took a deep, steadying breath, begrudgingly admitting to himself that Sephiroth was… the hottest thing he had ever seen. It was just a shame such an otherworldly, gorgeous man had to be part of ShinRa.

There was nothing Cloud could do about the dress, but he kicked off his shoes. Even with only short heels, he wasn't going to risk fighting in them.

Sephiroth didn't bother utilising the virtual reality function. They faced each other in the centre of the featureless metal training area, swords at the ready. Sephiroth nodded.

They flew at each other, and it was just like their dance all over again. Cloud was damn good with a sword; he'd never got much in the way of official training, but he'd had years and years of practice just in learning to survive. He was fast, and vicious.

But so was Sephiroth.

Their swords clashed; they spun apart, came back together. Masamune grazed Cloud's shoulder, but he rolled out of the way and immediately turned the movement into a slash from behind Sephiroth. Sephiroth blocked, barely needing to look, hair streaming behind him like liquid moonlight.

He was barely trying. His defense was flawless, but he didn't take advantage of the openings Cloud left like he could have. That only angered Cloud more.

Cloud moved into a flurry of slashes, smooth and well-practiced. Vertical, horizontal, two diagonal in quick succession. Sephiroth blocked all of them, but there was an impressed tilt to his smile. Cloud spun his sword and jumped, coming down directly overhead.

He hit straight into Masamune, and Sephiroth threw him to the ground. Cloud rolled, but the wind had been knocked out of him. He bounced straight back into action – too quick, he hadn't taken the time to assess the situation properly.

Sephiroth used his momentum against him, and then Cloud was on the floor again, Masamune at his throat and Sephiroth's boot pressing his chest down. The sword Cloud had been using was knocked from his hand, spinning away across the room.

Cloud scowled fiercely, more at himself than anything else. He'd been reckless; what had he even been thinking, taking Sephiroth head on like that?

A hand was offered to him, but Cloud didn't take it.

He sat halfway up, propped on his elbows. "So what now?" he asked bitterly.

"We finish, if you like. Or you can rest, then try again."

Cloud paused, suspicious. "Why would you give me another chance?"

"Your fighting style is sloppy, clearly untrained. But you are nonetheless surprisingly powerful, and your unpredictability lends a new element of interest to the battle. I like fighting you."

"I was sent here to kill you."

"A lot of people try to kill me. I don't take it personally."

Sephiroth reached out again, and this time Cloud took his hand and allowed Sephiroth to help him to his feet. Even once standing, their hands didn't release. Sephiroth's thumb brushed against Cloud's knuckles.

"It is a shame we were unable to meet under better circumstances. You have the potential to be a formidable fighter." Sephiroth paused for a moment, considering, before adding, "I also find you extremely attractive."

Cloud forgot how to breathe. His lips parted in surprise, but his chest was too constricted to let the air in. When he finally managed it, his breath came in a shuddering, furious gasp.

"You bastard. Toying with someone like that– it's cruel and pathetic. You don't know the first damn thing–!"

Sephiroth cupped Cloud's jaw, his hand sliding up to bury into the spikes of Cloud's hair. He tilted Cloud's head back and kissed him.

Cloud wanted to resist. No, he wished he wanted to. Just like he wished he didn't still look up to Sephiroth despite everything, just like he wished he wasn't left breathless and turned on from the man just touching him.

He wished he could resist, but this was everything he'd never dared to dream of.

Sephiroth's lips moving against his, his tongue stroking inside Cloud's mouth. Cradling Cloud's head with one hand, the other gripping Cloud's hip. The firm weight of Sephiroth's body flush against Cloud's – gods, he was nothing but pure muscle, pure power. Cloud groaned, low and helpless.

He was running on lust and adrenaline, but what did it even matter? He had nothing left to lose anyway. And Gaia, Sephiroth felt so good.

Cloud had one arm wrapped around Sephiroth's neck, and the other hand was shamelessly braced against Sephiroth's bare chest, fingers splayed.

They kissed, again and again until Cloud was dizzy from it. It felt like Sephiroth was devouring him, but Cloud only kissed him back with equal intensity. Sephiroth's hands dropped lower, taking two handfuls of Cloud's ass and using it to pull their hips together.

Even through the leather and layers of skirt, Cloud could feel Sephiroth's hardness grinding against him. The moan that escaped him was embarrassingly involuntary.

Wait. The skirt. "Se… Sephiroth," Cloud gasped, finally managing to pull away. "I'm not a… I mean, the dress was just…"

Sephiroth smirked and nuzzled at Cloud's throat, drawing another groan out of the blonde as he nipped at the pale skin. "Do you think I could notice your stashed armoury and not also realise the dress was only a disguise?" he purred. "It is rather cute, though."

He drew Cloud back into another bruising kiss, hands kneading Cloud's ass. Cloud made a pleased noise in the back of his throat, not minding in the slightest. He took the opportunity to feel up Sephiroth's delicious, muscular chest in return. But there was a thought struggling to break through Cloud's aroused haze – something Sephiroth had just said…

His stashed armoury. It wasn't like Cloud had had just one knife on him.

He moved like in a dream, only half aware of what he was doing. He yanked the skirt out of the way – Sephiroth purred his approval, hand moving to slide up Cloud's bared thighs and, oh Gaia, Gaia, why was Cloud even thinking of stopping this again? - but Cloud's fumbling fingers managed to latch onto a small blade he'd had tucked into the top of one of his garters.

Cloud took the blade and reached up, hand on Sephiroth's bicep, and cut a shallow slice into his flesh.

Sephiroth jerked away instinctively. For a moment, he actually seemed surprised – more surprised than actually hurt, certainly – but then the expression faded into one of amusement. He reached up and smeared the thin trail of blood with one fingertip, humming in consideration.

"Well. That was the deal. Inflict a blow, and you are free to leave."

Cloud hadn't been certain Sephiroth would allow it – the move had been underhanded at best. But Sephiroth didn't seem to hold any resentment. It was almost as if he had wanted Cloud to succeed.

Cloud took a step back. His chest was still heaving, and although he had dropped his skirts again, the dress was incredibly dishevelled and had picked up a few more tears and gashes during their spar. He was free to leave, but now he was reluctant to.

He inwardly cursed himself for not waiting a little longer. He could've made out with Sephiroth some more… how far would they have gone? Would Sephiroth have taken him right there in the middle of the training room? Would he have fucked Cloud until he screamed with the pleasure of it?

A shiver of lust ran through him at the thought. Shit. Maybe leaving was for the best after all – he couldn't go around getting involved with the enemy like that. No matter how amazing it would have been.

Cloud took a step back again, then another, distancing himself from Sephiroth. Sephiroth made no move to stop him. At least, not until Cloud turned, reaching for the door.

"What's your name?" Sephiroth asked, freezing Cloud in his tracks.

Cloud considered lying – it would be wiser, after all. But… he knew he was going to be re-imagining this moment for many nights to come, and Sephiroth probably would be too. It was incredibly self-absorbed, but Cloud wanted Sephiroth to gasp out his name when he touched himself, thinking about what might have been between them.

"It's Cloud," he said.

"Cloud," Sephiroth repeated, in that gods-damned bedroom voice that made Cloud's feel weak at the knees. "Well then, I hope we meet again sometime."

Cloud could only nod wordlessly as he backed out of the training room. He didn't bother collecting his shoes, though he did pick up the original knife Sephiroth had taken from him. As soon as he was in the corridor, safely out of sight, he took a moment to lean his weight against the wall. He was trembling, and hard as hell beneath the fluffy layers of fabric.

That had been… fuck. He'd never been more terrified in his life, or more turned on. Ten years of denial blown right out of the water. He was never going to get over his crush on Sephiroth now.

Even as Cloud gathered himself and made a beeline for a way out of the damned ShinRa building - out of enemy territory - he couldn't help but agree with Sephiroth.

He really hoped they met again.