Mercenaries
Chapter One:
SOLDIER meets SeeD
Author's Notes:
Hiya! This is Neko Kate-Chan, coming into uncharted territory here… I'm used to the Kingdom Hearts area, where shonen-ai is abundant, however, here there is there seems to be a lack of it. So, here's a wonderful little shonen-ai fic for you all!! YAY!!
Warning:
This fic contains male/male love. Got that? Good…
This fic contains violence. Got that too? Going strong right, now listen closely.
This fic is a side project, don't ask too much of it…
Whew, there we go, you know there wasn't hard to understand was it?
Disclaimer:
Oh yeah, I own Cloud and Squall and all the other characters and worlds, because I'm Hironobu Sakaguchi! Why are you looking at me weird? I am!
SOLDIER, the elite military fighting force, the protectors of Esthar. Those who have been exposed to large amounts of Mako energy, pumped from the planet's core. Those who were supposed to be completely brainwashed into complete fealty to their superiors. Those who aren't supposed to be able to think for themselves…
"What's your name and rank, SOLDIER?"
Supposedly the best of the best… So why were they being replaced by those wimpy SeeDs? What made those mercenaries from a place called Garden so special?
"Cloud Strife, First Class. Commanding Officer-"
They were intelligent, they were trained from the age of five, they were constantly honing their skills. The SOLDIERS were only lazing around, until they finally died of Mako poisoning. It was amazing how many mysterious 'pub brawls' SOLDIERS got into…
"I didn't ask for your commanding officer, SOLDIER."
So what did it take to leave the ranks of SOLDIER, even when you were so far in? The three class distinctions, Third to First, meant that many never were good enough to get anything near as good as 'real man's work'. How could they quit though? The Mako became addictive, they were like flies to the light…
"I'm his commanding officer. He is my concern, thank you."
How could they live their life away from their Mako? It was as essential to them as breathing itself… And even if they got away, they could not hide from those who tracked down the deserters, the infamous Turks. Their glowing blue eyes gave them away…
"How many times has it been now Cloud? Five? Six?"
They may have been the most prestigious of all the legions around the world. But they were virtually slaves, they could not escape once they had sold their life to the Mako.
"Seven, Sephiroth, sir."
What it would be like to be free… Like the SeeD?
"Why don't you give up Cloud? Surrender to me… I promise you, this existence is not so bad…"
Freedom…
"I have surrendered to you before Sephiroth, sir. It did me no harm, but it did me no good either. I want to be free Sephiroth. I can't cope with living inside a box…"
Mercenaries
Squall lay there, nibbling his lip thoughtfully. Beside him, Seifer slept fitfully, occasionally crying out at some unseen enemy. It had been three years since he'd defeated Ultimercia. Yet Seifer still saw her in his dreams, and his eyes were always haunted…In short, Seifer had lost his spark.
Squall looked down at his sleeping lover and brushed the mirror image scar running across his forehead, sighing a little. Squall wasn't sure when he'd stopped thinking about girls that way, he was sure that it had been after the whole Rinoa falling into space incident. Then again, he still did think about certain girls that way…
But Seifer had blown him completely away. The blond had come to him one night, with no where to go, nothing to do, and no one to keep him company. He had smelt of alcohol, cheap cigarettes and body odour. Squall had washed him, clothed him and kept him until he was back on the straight and narrow.
The brunet wondered when he had started to see Seifer as more than a friendly rival… At the time, he had been dating Rinoa, but the relationship had been going nowhere… Then Seifer had turned up and within three months, Squall Leonhart had gone from the stoic hero, to the loved up fool he was now.
However, the light that used to shine in Seifer's eyes had dimmed recently when he looked at Squall… He had been quiet first, then the sex had stopped, finally he just hadn't been coming home any more. As hard as it was to accept, when Rinoa pointed out that she'd seen Seifer and Zell holding hands in a caf
Squall hadn't known what to do. He had been distraught. Finding Seifer had been logical, but had only confirmed his fears. Seifer hadn't even begged him to stay, but had merely acknowledged that he was in love with Zell.
However, it seemed that perhaps Zell wasn't the person Seifer had been hoping for. Recently, Squall had been getting visits from Seifer, at first they were just friendly chats, sparring sessions at the training centre, going out for a drink at the local bar…
Then it grew, Seifer would come around more often, he'd stop calling before he came round, and he'd sit closer.
Finally he just went for it. Squall had been stupid not to stop him… Now, Zell would no doubt be wondering why Seifer had not come home, why Seifer hadn't called, if Seifer was in trouble. Squall knew those thoughts well, and knew that what was happening between him and Seifer was… wrong…
He no longer loved him. It was just sex.
With that thought, Squall withdrew his hand from Seifer's forehead, staring that the handsome blond before hitting him none too lightly on the arm. It was the only way to wake Seifer up…
"Wha?" He asked sleepily, turning over and taking most of the bed covers with him. Squall didn't mind, it wasn't like there was anyone watching and Seifer had seen it all before. However, he tugged sharply at the covers, wrenching them from Seifer's grasp, before kicking him hard in the small of the back, causing him to fall off the bed.
"What's got into you?" Seifer demanded, rubbing his rump and glaring at Squall. The brunet replied with a cold stare of his own, beating Seifer hands down in coldness.
"Go to Zell. He'll be waiting for you. Forget this ever happened. As far as I'm concerned, it didn't," He said it calmly, as though it had been rehearsed rather than rolling off his tongue. Seifer's expression changed.
"But Squall… I want you…" He said, a slight whine in his voice. The corners of Squall's mouth twitched in a sardonic smile.
"No, you want what you can't have. Go Seifer. I know that Zell loves you, and that deep down, you love him too. You'll be happy with him, if you'll just concentrate on what you have," Squall said as Seifer began to dress, keeping his back to younger man the entire time. There was silence in the room then, and only after Seifer had slammed the door of Squall's dormitory shut, did the brunet let a tear fall down his face.
He may not have loved Seifer anymore, but to have him gone from his life was a big step in the right direction. Like all good things, it was hard to get…
"Sir… Don't… Please…" Cloud whimpered, as Sephiroth's hands glided over the soft flesh and quivering muscles of his torso…
"Hush Cloud. And why can't you call me Sephiroth, or just Seph? Surely we're on good enough terms now?" Sephiroth purred. The blond turned his head away from those glinting green eyes, Something about Sephiroth made Cloud crumble before him, letting him do whatever he pleased to the blonde's unresisting body.
But he didn't like him. He certainly didn't love him… It was just something physical… But rather than making Cloud feel good about it after, it made him feel disgusted with himself, dirty, unclean…
"I hate you…" Cloud hissed. Sephiroth's hands withdrew.
"What?" The silver haired Commander asked. Cloud stared straight into the eyes of his tormentor and spoke clearly.
"I hate you," He repeated. Sephiroth's expression was guarded, but his eyes held a hint of hurt in them. Cloud kept his head held high, wondering what kind of punishment he was about to receive. Sephiroth ran his hands through his silver hair, green eyes searching the bed they were laid on for something interesting.
"Cloud Strife, SOLDIER, First Class, I am formally relieving you of all duties and obligations. You may appeal against this decision to another First Class SOLDIER Commander if you believe this decision to be biased or unfair in any way…" Sephiroth's voice was formal, curt, despite their current position, with his lain on top of Cloud, one leg between the blonde's knees, adding pressure to his groin.
"You're free Cloud… I've given you all I can… If you ever want to return… Just come to me… You're a good SOLDIER, I just wish I hadn't screwed you up," Sephiroth admitted. Cloud numbly got up… He was… free…
He smiled, flashing pearly teeth, blue eyes filling with tears of joy.
It was like magic words releasing him from a spell…
Cloud sank to his knees and cried with happiness…
Squall sat in the Garden meeting, thinking about Seifer rather than the topic at hand. He couldn't help it… Zell was there, glaring at him, as though he knew that Seifer had stayed the night with Squall… The brunet wouldn't have been surprised if he did.
"Squall? Are you going to participate?" Quistis asked. Squall yawned, returning to the present.
"Yeah, sorry… What were we talking about?" He asked. Quistis' lips pursed. Rinoa giggled and Irvine ducked out of the way slightly.
"We were talking about SOLDIER! There's only one legion that hasn't been infiltrated by SeeD, and that's Sephiroth's. We have to get someone in there, or we're going to be completely in the dark to what that psychopath is planning!" Quistis' voice was strangely high-pitched.
"Just get hold of his wife, girlfriend, or whatever, and hand her to some anti-SOLDIER movement. I'm sure Avalanche would love to meet her," Squall drawled. At that, Zell coughed, gesturing to the large screen at the end of the table. He pressed a button and a bedroom came into view.
"Sir… Don't… Please…" A frightened looking blonde was being pushed against the bed. Sephiroth forced him down, despite the blonde's frightened eyes.
"Hush Cloud. And why can't you call me Sephiroth, or just Seph? Surely we're on good enough terms now?" Sephiroth said. Squall winced, this was painful viewing. Surely Zell couldn't have just told them… However, Squall was finding himself immensely interested in that blonde. He committed the face to memory without any conscious thought… He was beautiful… Squall could understand Sephiroth's desire to own him.
"I hate you…" The venom shook even Squall. Sephiroth seemed to stop, and Squall thought that there must be a problem with the footage until…
"What?"
"Oh, c'mon, it's obvious what he said!" Selphie said, as though this was some pantomime. Squall glared at her.
"He's obsessed with this kid. He's not going to take something like that-"
"I hate you," The SOLDIER, Cloud, repeated. Squall frowned, as Sephiroth looked deep into those Mako eyes.
"Cloud Strife, SOLDIER, First Class, I am formally relieving you of all duties and obligations. You may appeal against this decision to another First Class SOLDIER Commander if you believe this decision to be biased or unfair in any way… You're free Cloud… I've given you all I can… If you ever want to return… Just come to me… You're a good SOLDIER, I just wish I hadn't screwed you up."
The blonde got up, at first it looked like he was going to run from the room. He fell to his knees however, weeping. Sephiroth kept his distance, waiting for the SOLDIER to collect himself.
"Thank you… Seph… I wish I could have been what you wanted of me… I'm not you though… I'm just a shadow of your image and…" The blonde faltered, looking desperately at the door.
"Go, Cloud. There's a whole world waiting for you. I know you always wanted to join SeeD, that you never wanted to be in SOLDIER, that you were forced. You can go now… I'll cover your dismissal as being over something trivial so it doesn't damage your profile. Good luck," Sephiroth opened the door, waiting for Cloud to pass before sagging against it.
He began to cry and Zell paused it.
"He doesn't do anything else of interest for the next few hours. The Cloud person doesn't reappear, so we can only assume he's on his way to the nearest Garden, which is Trabia. We have to make sure that he manages to get into the SeeD exam. If we can get close to him, we can get close to Sephiroth," Zell reasoned. Squall made an involuntary noise in his throat.
"You've got a problem?" Quistis asked.
"Yes. This man just managed to get freedom, not only from a man who was virtually raping him, but also from a military regime that has practically claimed him as a slave. How the hell can you possibly consider sending him back?" The brunet demanded. Rinoa's brow knitted.
"You've never minded about sending people back into their own personal hells before. What's so different about this guy?" She asked slyly. Squall sighed, asking himself the same question.
"I don't know… Probably because… I know what that's like… Just to be a body, no mind, no voice, no free will. It eats you away, until you're nothing. I managed to escape that frame of mind, but that was self-inflicted… This is a whole regime and I don't like it," The scarred man confided. Rinoa nodded her understanding, although her eyes had a mischievous gleam.
"So it would have nothing to do with him being hot and gay?" She asked. Squall looked at her in mock-sincerity.
"No, not at all…"
Cloud got off the train at Trabia, staring up at the Garden with wide eyes. He had heard that it had been created exactly like the old Cetra City of Quenas-Khan, which had been made of thousands of crystal towers. Trabia was made from glass rather than crystal, and although there were only five towers made from glass, it was still impressive.
The dormitories at the far end were made from a strange white stone that looked suspiciously like quartz… Cloud had never seen anything so beautiful before, not even the majesty of Esthar lived up to this…
Scratch that…
Cloud looked into a pair of storm grey eyes. He was unsure as to what was going on, but a group of people were heading towards him, they held an air of importance. A few of the cadets pointed, or waved. One of the group was waving back, or calling greetings, the others however, were deadly silent and serious.
Cloud however, found himself watching the one in the centre. The guy was definitely gay, it was the way his hand was resting on his hip that gave it away. Cloud didn't miss those things anymore, not since his training in SOLDIER…
The central figure had brown hair, falling down to his shoulder blades. It was cut stylishly into layers to frame his face even when he had it tied back in a ponytail, as he had now… He was wearing a leather jacket, little white wings on the back, and a pair of leather trousers, hugging his hips and ass in a way that made Cloud think dirty thoughts.
He also had belts. Yes, lots of belts… Three across his left thigh, one around his waist band, two slung across his hips, and a long chain hanging down from one on the top of his right thigh to join with one just above his right knee.
Cloud caught the writing on his T-shirt, reading 'The beautiful people, it's all relative to the size of your steeple. You can't see the forest, for the trees. You can't smell your own shit on your knees.'
A smile formed on his face. So they were both fans of Manson too huh?
Sniggering to himself, Cloud made to walk away, to let these important people get on with their business. It wasn't until a hand wrapped around his arm that he actually realised they were there for him.
"Would you like to come with us please?" It was the brunet. Panicking, Cloud wrenched his arm from the man's grasp, backing away with his backpack. He had a sneaking suspicion that Sephiroth might change his mind about relieving Cloud of his duties, and these might be the Turks, come to take him back…
"Just fuck off, okay? I'm free now to do as I damn well please," Cloud spat. The group shared looks, except for the brunet, who simply held out his hand.
"Chief-Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb and Trabia Garden," He introduced himself. Cloud shrank back, timidly shaking hands with someone who was practically a modern day legend…
"Oh Hyne…" Cloud ran his hands through his hair, embarrassed. "This isn't exactly how I wanted to meet you sir…" He said. The Commander just stared at him, a cold indifferent mask that seemed to burn into Cloud's very soul. Feeling uncomfortable under such an intense gaze, Cloud did the one thing he always did when he was nervous.
Placing a hand to the one side of his chin, he pushed to the side and upwards, a nice 'click' sounding. A few of the group cringed, including the Commander.
"Oh, er, sorry…" Cloud apologised. The Commander sighed, gesturing to a bench out of the way. Cloud walked over to it, wiping some of the snow off it with a gloved hand, and sitting down. He grimaced as he felt the water soak through his clothes. The Commander sat beside him, and Cloud cursed him for wearing such practical and alluring leather pants.
"We know who you are and where you came from. We're willing to offer you protection for information," He said bluntly. Alarm bells rang inside Cloud's head, and he stood up, stepping backwards and nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Careful," An extremely tall blonde said, righting him to his feet once more.
"No. I won't do that," Cloud said, as forcefully as he could. It was a problem looking confident surrounded by what were presumably SeeDs and, looking at the size of two of them, definitely physically stronger than Cloud.
"You realise that if you become a member of Garden, we could just force you to do it anyway, don't you?" The tall blonde asked. The Commander scowled.
"Shut up Seifer, this doesn't concern your meddling ass," He spat. Cloud looked up at the tall blonde, Seifer, with wide eyes. This was the bastard that… He quickly stepped away from him, his eyes brimming with hatred.
"You didn't seem to mind my ass that much," Seifer seemingly joked. The younger of the two didn't seem to find this very funny, and just bit his tongue.
"I don't see why I should help you do anything. I can take care of myself. I'm not weak. I can handle the Turks," Cloud lied. The Commander sighed, folding his arms.
"And if Sephiroth came hunting you personally? What then? You'd lay down and play puppy-dog at his feet?" The brunet asked, his tone cold. Cloud clenched his fists, wondering how much they already knew.
"Sephiroth may have granted me freedom but I owe him nothing. I don't come to his beck and call, just like I don't go to yours. I'm free, for the first time since I was seventeen, and I'm going to make the most of it," He told them, trying to walk away. A faint click was heard from behind him. Cloud sighed, he had hoped it wouldn't have come to this.
Pulling off his backpack, he revealed his sword scabbard, drawing the Buster Sword and knocking away the gun before any of them had been prepared for it.
"As I said, I'm a big boy, I can handle myself. Now please, I just want to be normal," Cloud pleaded. The Commander met his eyes, and Cloud saw the torment raging in their depths. The inner battle seemed to last eternity.
"I have to act in the interests of the world at large, rather than that of individuals. The President called for aid, however, when he was assassinated, we had no choice but to move into Esthar to stop complete meltdown. It was then we discovered that Sephiroth is planning to resurrect the Sorceress Jenova, and will be using his SOLDIER legion to attack Garden first. We need someone on the inside to make sure we're always two or preferably three steps ahead," The Commander explained. Cloud sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I really can't help you there. Seph didn't tell me anything… I was just… just an underling for him… A little spy looking out for signs of rebellion amongst the troops. A would-be deserter who never quite managed it… I did nothing of import in those kind of circles," Cloud explained. He looked at the Commander, pleading for the man to see the sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't sure if the Commander did or not, but Cloud felt reassured for the effort.
"We need you to deal with him in a different way. Not from SOLDIER but from another angle," A tall blonde woman explained. He immediately felt the heat rise to his cheeks. There was no way he was going to deal with Sephiroth that way.
"Please! You don't understand! I can't do that! I c-cant!" His voice broke in his desperation. Surely they wouldn't force this upon him?
"He's right, Quistis. We'll find another way," A beautiful brunette said. The Commander looked at her, his expression filled with a kind of reverence. He inclined his head slightly and she nodded back. Cloud got a cold shiver down hid back, a strange kind of longing filling him.
"Mako withdrawal symptoms," Seifer diagnosed. Cloud blinked, staring at the tall blonde with a strange kind of wonder. How would he know about Mako? That was a top secret…
"Of course you know about the Mako… You've infiltrated SOLDIER…" Cloud mumbled, as though clarifying it for himself.
"Naturally. We have a drug that will help you counteract the effect that Mako has had on your system. However, as soon as it gets at it's worst, I doubt you'll be coherent enough to even take it," The blonde woman, Quistis, said. He felt the shiver again.
"I'll take anything you've got…" He whispered. "I'll try to tell you all I know. I'll give you all the information I already know, but I refuse to go back there," Cloud said forcefully. The Commander sighed.
"If that's the best you can do, then that's the way we'll play this one…"
Squall looked at the CCTV cameras they'd set up in what would be Cloud's dormitory. Pervy? Slightly. However, no matter how hot Cloud seemed, it could all be some elaborate trap. Sephiroth could somehow have found out that his room was bugged and staged that whole scene to get Cloud over here.
"Don't get too hooked, this isn't Big Brother," Rinoa warned. Squall smiled at her, before staring at the screen. Cloud really wasn't doing much. He unpacked his clothes, revealing nothing important, a few books that were revealed to be various band biographies. Then a guitar had arrived, obviously the blonde had stored that away in the train to be collected later.
For a while, Cloud just arranged things in his room. Then he just stood there.
"What's he doing?" Seifer asked, entering the room. Squall shrugged.
"Standing there…"
Cloud took a deep breath…
"Whoa…" He said, letting it out. Then he chuckled, it soon turned into an hysterical laugh.
"So… What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He asked himself, sitting on his bed and looking around. It was a novelty to be able to choose what to do, even if it was an immensely hard choice. The other problem was that he knew no one here… That would have to be remedied.
"Music… Gotta break up this damned silence…" Cloud decided, standing up and walking over to his state of the art hi-fi. Of course, in Esthar it had been fairly old technology, but judging from the crap here, Cloud assumed that it would be classed as 'state of the art' here…
A heavy metal guitar riff filled the air.
"Take me down to Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty… Oh won't you please take me home…" Cloud mouthed along, before grabbing a book he was halfway through. It was slightly depressing, but it was written by a guy who'd killed himself… The Kurt Cobain Journals weren't exactly 'light-reading'.
After a quarter of an hour, Cloud sighed, putting the book down and rubbing his temples. He just couldn't help but feel paranoid, he felt like even though he'd managed to get away from SOLDIER, he was still being watched.
He idly flicked his eyes over the room, then he saw it, the little camera. Shaking his head, he got up, detaching the tiny device, no bigger than a penny, and held it up.
"Hello? What can I do for you then?"
"Hello? What can I do for you then?"
Squall hit his hand against the desk. This wasn't good. Cloud already knew he was being watched…
"You know, you should really just ask if you want a peep show," The blonde continued. Squall put his head in his hands, as Seifer and Rinoa sniggered behind him.
"Well, I'm going to go get some food. If you'd like to meet me there, you can watch me all you like. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not doing anything wrong. Of course, I might sue you for breaking my right of privacy, but I'm sure that a big military organisation like Garden is rich enough to pay compensation, right?"
"Is he threatening us?" Seifer growled. Squall found himself smiling. It certainly seemed that way… This kid, this Cloud, he was certainly different… It was refreshing to have an adversary again, a rival that wasn't Seifer that is…
"I think I'll go pay this SOLDIER a visit. I think even if he doesn't help us nail Sephiroth, he could be a very valuable asset… He reminds me of us, before the war… A little too full of our own self-importance…" Chuckling to himself, Squall stood up, gesturing to Rinoa and Quistis to follow him, and headed to Dormitory 12A – Student ID 789854.
Cloud Strife's room.
Ending Notes:
Don't you just love Cloudy? He's so cute and I love him to bits. huggles him Lovely beautiful Cloudy-wowdy…
Ahem…
Squall, you're hot too…
Please review.