I told you I wouldn't abandon you.

It has been a long time since I've updated this story (around three years, I think?), so I wouldn't fault anyone who's lost interest in this story. But for those who still follow, thanks for sticking around. I could go into the whole spiel about life and getting shit together and procrastination and life, but let's be real: ya'll don't give two shits. Ya'll came here for fanfiction. And fanfiction thou shalt receive. This chapter's been sitting in my files pretty much finished for a long ass time, but I didn't want to upload it until I knew I was working on the next chapter. So here's to updating on a semi-regular basis again!

For those who've just picked this up and have come this far...hope you enjoyed it so far, look for more in the future!

Monday morning couldn't have come soon enough for Leon, and neither could the end of his first appointment of the day. Ever since the incident between Cloud and Sephiroth on Saturday, he'd been easily irritable and on edge in anticipation for his encounter with the serial killer. He didn't even bother hiding his frustration as he slammed his hands onto his desk and stood up, staring down the growling patient on the other side. "For Gaia's sake, Saïx, if you want to act like a goddamned animal, we're going to treat you like one," he roared, making the man pause for a moment in sheer shock. He angrily rounded his desk and stalked over to Saïx, standing close enough to notice the faint spattering of freckles across the blunette's cheeks.

"Is that what you want?" he asked sharply, throwing his arms in the air. "Do you want us to lock you in a cage, put you in a collar and leash, take you out for walks three times a day? Do you want us to take away any semblance of autonomy you might have in this place? Do you want us to take your humanity?"

For a moment, Leon could see a flash of sanity in Saïx's eyes as the humanity within him understood the implications of Leon's words. The moment was all too fleeting, though, as Saïx suddenly lunged forward and Leon, caught completely off-guard, found himself pinned to his desk with Saïx's fist on his face. With a grunt, he quickly held his arms over his face to ward off the onslaught of blows that followed, cursing under his breath that he'd lost his temper and provoked Saïx so thoroughly. He also cursed Reno for never being able to arrive where he was needed in a timely manner, and resolved to pass on to the redhead any injuries he sustained.

Taking a chance, Leon darted an arm out to the side, grabbing the glass paperweight Rinoa had gotten him one year for his birthday and swinging at Saïx with it. The bluenette saw Leon's arm coming well in advance and ducked away, but Leon still managed to achieve his desired effect: freedom. Saïx had jumped off Leon to avoid being hit, allowing Leon to land a quick kick at Saïx's midsection. Saïx doubled over slightly, glaring at Leon, who crouched on top of his desk, eyes narrowed. The door to his office suddenly burst open, and Leon let out a sigh of relief. This was getting way out of hand, and he didn't need the extra irritation during his appointment with Sephiroth.

"Reno, it's about time you got up here," he snarled angrily, glancing up towards the...silver-haired demon inhabiting his doorway. Even in sweatpants and a T-shirt, his long locks hastily thrown into a messy bun, the man was still a picture of elegance and raw power. Something in the way he stood—no, his very aura demanded respect and submission. Sephiroth said nothing but whistled sharply, and immediately, the blue-haired patient spun on his heel. His fingers clenched into fists, Saïx focused on the new intruder and lunged towards Sephiroth in a matter of seconds. Sephiroth swiftly sidestepped, using the man's own momentum to shove Saïx to the floor.

"Stay," he commanded firmly, and much to Leon's utter shock, Saïx obeyed. While it wasn't a docile obedience—several times in the next minute it took for Reno to arrive, Saïx growled loudly and twitched in Sephiroth's general direction—the fact that he remained where he sat impressed Leon to no end.

"I hope you don't mind my intrusion," Sephiroth said mildly, just as Reno skidded to a stop outside of Leon's office.

"Whoa," Reno said, taking in the scene before him. Leon was still crouched on his desk, clutching the paperweight and glaring daggers at Sephiroth, who stood calmly beside a barely-contained, growling, irate Saïx as he sat on the floor. The nurse let out a low whistle, his lips quirking into a smirk. "You just get kinkier every time, doncha, Leonhart?"

"Reno," Leon warned, jumping from his desk. The hand that held the paperweight twitched in anticipation.

Reno held up his hands in surrender. "Aight, aight," he acquiesced. "Don't get your panties in a twist, yo." He took out the sedative and eyed Saïx cautiously. As he approached with the needle, the blue-haired man growled at him, but with one laser-like glance from Sephiroth, he quieted down as Reno administered the sedative. Soon enough, the man was unconscious, and Reno raised his eyebrows towards Sephiroth.

"I dunno how you do it," Reno said appreciatively, "but you should think about sharing your techniques with Dr. Tightass over there."

"Reno," Leon said tersely. "If you are not out of my office in the next ten seconds, this paperweight will replace your brain. I'm sure it'll be a noticeable improvement."

Reno muttered under his breath as he lifted Saïx in his arms. "Good luck," he said to Sephiroth as passed him. Sephiroth nodded his head with a small grin by way of acknowledging him.

"I didn't ask for your help, nor did I need it," Leon warned Sephiroth as Reno carted the sedated man from the room and shut the door behind himself.

Sephiroth raised a dainty eyebrow. "I'm sure you didn't," he answered back easily. "However, a word of advice: sometimes the only thing an unruly animal responds to is a dominant hand." His lips curled into a smirk and his eyes glittered, and Leon felt his hatred for the man renewed. He easily picked up Sephiroth's implications, and fought against the urge to throw the man out of his office.

"Please, have a seat," he said tightly instead, motioning towards his couch as he returned to his chair behind his desk. He spent much more time than was necessary repositioning the paperweight on his desk, and when he finally looked up, Sephiroth was seated in the corner of his sofa, chin propped up on his hand, a bored expression painting his face. It was striking how similar the expression was to the one Cloud often wore in his office; Leon briefly wondered if Cloud had picked it up from him.

He broke the silence that stretched between them. "Assault of other patients will not be tolerated in this facility," Leon stated flatly.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, replying with only one word. "Assault?"

"Yes, assault," Leon answered back.

Silence again. "I'm not sure what you—"

"Oh, cut the bullshit," Leon spat out, pushing backwards from his desk. He crossed his arms and propped one foot on the edge of his desk to keep from jumping up and beating an apology out of the man. "You and I both know what I'm talking about. That little incident on Saturday you instigated with Cloud is absolutely unacceptable. I will not have you undermining the progress I'm beginning to make with him, is that understood?"

Sephiroth's features settled into a more neutral expression. "If we're going to be cutting the bullshit, Dr. Leonhart, then I suggest you begin with yourself," he said coolly. "Why do you have such resentment towards me? We hardly have any relevant history together, there's no reason for you—"

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm actually capable of empathy, and I find issue with having one of my patients come tearing into my office after being choked out by his ex-boyfriend," Leon drawled corrosively. Even as the words left his mouth, he questioned the propriety and vehemence of his statement, and wanted to punch himself in the face. That had been completely out of line.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "Ex-boyfriend?" he asked quietly, ignoring the part of Leon's statement that truly left him bitter.

Leon blanched. Cloud had never specifically stated that they ever broke up; in fact, Cloud had openly admitted to still being in love with the man. So where did that come from? Wishful thinking, his mind answered back. Pushing it to the back of his brain, Leon quickly resumed his questioning. "Why did you tell Cloud it was his fault you were sent here?"

Sephiroth pursed his lips, but let the subject change slide. He could get a more direct answer from Cloud himself, anyway. He thought back to their time together in the bathroom. It had been a risky stunt, no argument, but entirely satisfying. Toying with Cloud had always been one of his favorite pastimes, even if she always took it much too far. He often suspected that she took advantage of the fact the he naturally enjoyed teasing Cloud, but...anything to protect him. Anything to keep from doing what she really wanted.

"I full well know Cloud has no direct involvement in how I ended up here," Sephiroth said smoothly, gesturing with his hand. "I was merely...enjoying his company. Is it illegal to enjoy time with another human being, Doctor?"

Leon's face tightened. "When that time falls under the category of assault and battery, yes," he sniped.

Sephiroth shrugged and glanced away. "He was never in any true harm," he said absently.

Leon waited, but Sephiroth didn't volunteer anything further. "Why were you throwing up?" he asked instead.

"Excuse me?" Sephiroth's eyes snapped to Leon's.

"When Cloud found you in the bathroom, you were throwing up. Why?" Leon narrowed his eyes at the other man.

Sephiroth held Leon's gaze for a moment, and then looked away. "Of what concern is it to you?"

"Just answer the damn question," Leon snarled.

Sephiroth held a hand over his mouth, raising an eyebrow at Leon's tone. "I assure you it is of no concern to you."

"Yes, it is," Leon said, kicking at his desk angrily. "Every thing you do here is of concern to me. Throwing up, strangling my other patients—everything."

Sephiroth laughed. The doctor's possessive streak was amusing, especially when it was towards something that didn't even belong to him. "I see," he drawled. "If you already know that I was throwing up, then surely Cloud must have told you why as well?"

Leon started. Cloud had told him why, but he didn't think Sephiroth would have called him out on it. "He neglected to mention that," he lied.

"I doubt that," Sephiroth quickly replied. "Cloud is not prone to lying." He stared hard at Leon.

Leon stared right back. It was quickly becoming apparent that he would have to change tactics. "Why do you think there are drugs in your food?" he asked instead.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Look at where I am," he commented. "A patient in a psychiatric hospital, sent here because I killed 26 people with no remorse. Why wouldn't there be drugs in my food, Dr. Leonhart?"

Leon couldn't argue with Sephiroth's logic, but something about it seemed evasive. Rather than continuing to press in what was quickly becoming a purely argumentative manner, Leon decided to take the backseat. "Why did you kill all of those people, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth's face quickly fell blank. "Because I wanted to," he answered tonelessly.

"Did you enjoy it?"

A pause. "Yes."

"Would you do it again?"

Another pause, this time longer. "Yes."

"Why did you kill Zack?"

Sephiroth seemed to withdrawn even further into himself. "It was necessary," he said.

"Why didn't you kill Cloud?"

"It wasn't necessary," he admitted with a slight hiss after a moment.

Leon's brow furrowed. It seemed like Sephiroth had struggled with that answer, and it didn't sit well with him. "Would you ever kill Cloud?" he asked cautiously.

Sephiroth's eyes became unfocused. After remaining unresponsive for more than half a minute, Leon became slightly concerned. "Sephiroth," he called out.

The man's eyes slipped over to his face, but Leon still found them to be distant. "Would you ever kill Cloud?" he asked again, growing more uncertain by the moment.

Sephiroth blinked rapidly a few times and parted his lips to speak. "No," he said slowly, "it would be too much work training a new sexual partner up to Cloud's caliber." For a moment, Leon thought Sephiroth's face seemed strained, but a smirk replaced the expression so quickly he figured he had imagined it.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" Leon asked, hoping he wouldn't regret hearing the answer but strongly fearing he would.

Sephiroth's smirk widened. "Oh, Cloud hasn't disclosed the true nature of our relationship with you? What a shame; I always found it to be one of his greatest talents."

"Found what to be one of his greatest talents?" Leon's voice had devolved into little more than a rough growl.

Sephiroth's smirk turned into a malicious grin, and Leon immediately regretted pursuing the line of questioning. "The way he moans like a five dollar whore when I'm fucking him like a bitch," he replied silkily.

Leon froze; his blood ran cold. Before he could formulate a verbal response, Sephiroth continued.

"He didn't tell you how loved being my little bitch? How he loved calling me General while he pretended to be a cadet helpless against my abuse of authority? How he loved calling me Master as I forced him to cater to my every whim and desire? Cloud was always such a naughty boy, quite the masochist. He deserved every punishment he got from me, and he loved it. I especially enjoyed—"

"Quit it."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at Leon's tensely uttered command, but ignored it entirely. "I especially enjoyed tying him up and fucking him raw for hours on end," he mused. "The way he begs for release is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"Stop it."

"Oh, some of the most delightful memories I have of him are bending him over and fucking him on the nearest flat surface we could find. He loved taking it from behind. Much of the time it would be over a desk in an empty classroom. In fact, I can see him now, bent over your desk with my hand on the back of his neck, pants pulled down to his knees, his round, pert ass reddened from being spanked so hard. He would try to protest, claiming that anyone could walk in on us, or that we were being too loud, but his protest are all just for appearance's sake. Cloud is a filthy slut; the idea of being watched turns him on even more. I wonder, how much would he enjoy it if you were to walk in on us screwing like animals on top of your desk, Doc—"

Sephiroth's head snapped to the side as Leon's fist finally connected with his face. "Shut up," Leon said fiercely, his chest heaving in anger. He hadn't even noticed himself getting up out of his chair and moving towards Sephiroth. But suddenly he found himself standing over Sephiroth, his hand aching with the force of the punch he'd thrown.

Sephiroth only laughed. Softly at first, and then louder. With one hand cupped over his heavily bleeding nose, he stood up. Leon immediately took a step back, the enormity of what he'd done hitting him hard. Still laughing, Sephiroth only shook his head at the doctor and took his leave.

Leon stared at the closed door long after Sephiroth had left, wondering when exactly he'd lost the tight hold he'd always had over his emotions.

The moment that blond walked through the door, his heart answered for him.

As calmly as he'd taken the punch from Leon, Sephiroth was by no means unaffected by it. He was still human, though many would protest; his face hurt like hell, and so did his heart. He'd been called heartless, emotionless, callous, cruel, unsympathetic many times over, and it still stung him a little bit each time. Contrary to public opinion of him, Sephiroth felt he understood human emotions a hundred times better than anyone else. If he didn't, then that punch wouldn't have hurt him nearly as much as it did. Sephiroth cautiously felt around his face. Nothing seemed to be broken, but there was always the chance of a hairline fracture. Either way, he would be sore for some time; he almost regretted the decision to take the haymaker he had seen coming with more than enough time to dodge. Leon had truly been blinded by his emotions.

Slumping against the wall, Sephiroth closed his eyes against the pain. He now knew why Leon had been so hostile towards him without any direct provocation. No man threw a punch that hard over the description of someone's past sexual experiences...unless they held some pretty strong feelings for that someone. He could care less about Leon's romantic intentions towards Cloud; what worried him was if Cloud reciprocated those feelings—if he was losing Cloud to that doctor.

Sephiroth scowled. He wouldn't lose Cloud, not after everything he'd gone through to be with him. He hadn't lost Cloud to her, and he certainly wouldn't lose him to Leon. If Leon wanted to fight over the blond, then Sephiroth would step up to the plate and easily win. Pushing himself off the wall, he continued on his trek back to his room to at least clean himself up before having someone examine his injury. With his head tilted backwards, he wasn't quite paying attention to where he was going, and as he rounded the corner, he bumped into someone. He reached out a hand to steady them. "Sorry," he muttered absently, glancing down at the person.

"S-sephiroth," Cloud stuttered, frozen in place.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Cloud," he said with a sigh. Naturally.

Cloud was shocked by the bright red smeared all over Sephiroth's face and shirt. "...You're bleeding," he said intelligently.

"As I am very aware," Sephiroth replied dryly, humour lacing his voice.

Cloud shook his head and stepped back. "...I—you should get that cleaned up," he suggested, still not sure if he was really seeing what he was seeing.

"As I am also aware," Sephiroth answered patiently.

Cloud continued to stare silently at Sephiroth, who stared back with a raised eyebrow, breathing silently through his mouth. Finally, Sephiroth dropped all pretenses. "Would you...assist me in taking care of this, Cloud?" he asked, hiding his hopefulness from Cloud with a mask of indifference.

Cloud opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to reply. Eventually, he made up his mind. "Sure," he said weakly. For some reason, the panic he'd felt during their last encounter was entirely absent. There was something different about Sephiroth this time, something more human, more real...he was vulnerable. That was it. The overwhelming aura of confidence Sephiroth always exuded seemed muted somehow. Cloud rarely ever saw the man in such a state, but the Sephiroth standing before him was very vulnerable—and not just because of his physical injury.

"My room is just this way, if you would follow," he instructed, walking ahead of Cloud. The blond followed behind him, still somewhat dumbstruck by Sephiroth's state.

Arriving at Sephiroth's room, the silveret beckoned Cloud into his bathroom.

"You have a single, too," Cloud observed.

"Yes," Sephiroth answered with a snort, pulling his shirt over his head, "they apparently didn't deem it prudent to stick the serial killer in a room with another human being."

Cloud hid his laugh behind a cough, which Sephiroth didn't miss as he gave Cloud a gaze askance. "I'm sorry," Cloud quickly said.

"Don't be," Sephiroth said with a casual shrug. "It was a joke." He sat on the toilet and tilted his head backwards, and Cloud blushed lightly at the sight. He had forgotten how much raw beauty Sephiroth possessed, and to see it again displayed before him reignited old feelings.

"If you wouldn't mind," Sephiroth said gently, bringing Cloud out of his staring with a jolt, "grabbing a damp towel?"

Cloud nodded and searched through Sephiroth's cabinet, extracting a small hand towel and running it under the faucet. He wrung it out and stepped over to Sephiroth, his hand hovering uncertainly. "What do you want me to do?" he finally asked.

Sephiroth's eyes lazily blinked open. "If you could just clean away the blood from my face, that would be welcome," he said. "I would do it myself, but I don't quite trust my hands right now." He raised his left hand, and even without closer inspection, Cloud could see it trembling slightly. "I don't want to accidentally press too hard in the event that something is fractured," he explained.

Cloud's mouth opened slightly in shock. "Sephiroth," he started.

"Cloud," he interrupted firmly, but softly.

Cloud gave an exasperated sigh through his nose. He wrapped the cloth around his fingers and dabbed lightly at Sephiroth's face. "Tell me where it hurts," he advised. "I'll be gentle."

Sephiroth snickered loudly, bringing up a hand to cover his mouth. "Cloud," he said through his laughter, "you should know better than that."

It took Cloud a second, but soon enough a fair blush covered his cheeks. "Oh, come on—stop it," he said, knocking Sephiroth in the shoulder. The exchanged reminded him of so many times in the past when they would joke together; it made his heart ache.

"I apologize," he said, still chuckling softly. Cloud resumed his work, albeit a little more somber, his lips pressed tightly together. He cleaned off Sephiroth's cheeks first, working his way inwards. He worked as gently as he could; despite his care, every so often Sephiroth's face would contort into a slight wince.

Sephiroth's stomach did flips at the way Cloud's fingers caressed over his face, and he swallowed hard to keep from groaning. It was just like—

"Ow," he hissed sharply as Cloud's fingers pressed a little bit too hard on his nose. Cloud hastily withdrew, muttered apologies.

"I told you to tell me if I'm hurting you," Cloud admonished. He finished the remainder of his task with the utmost care, eyes actively scanning Sephiroth's face for any signs of pain.

"Thank you," Sephiroth said as Cloud pulled away. Sephiroth stood up and moved to the sink, examining his face in the mirror.

"Is it broken?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth turned his face from side to side, and then shook his head. "It doesn't appear to be," he answered, "but I'll have a nurse look at it to be sure." Cloud's hand on his arm made him pause in the act of leaving the bathroom.

"Who did this, Sephiroth?" There was a note of fear in Cloud's voice that suggested he had an idea of who had done it, Sephiroth noticed.

Still, he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of being on Cloud's mind. "It doesn't matter, Cloud," he said. "I started it."

"You're lying," Cloud said hotly.

"And what if I am?" Sephiroth replied smoothly. "Why should it matter to you?" Why should I matter to you? he thought to himself, Tell me I matter to you.

"Because I don't want you to lie to me," Cloud nearly shouted. "Because I want you to tell me the truth!"

"I have never lied to you, Cloud," Sephiroth said softly, his eyes narrowed. He hadn't. She had.

"Bullshit! You're lying to me right now," Cloud cried out. "I just want the truth, Sephiroth. Is that so much to ask? Don't I deserve to know why—" Cloud choked on his words, unable to continue. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked away.

Sephiroth knew exactly what had gone unspoken, but unfortunately for both of them, he didn't have the answers Cloud sought. "Cloud—" He reached out to touch the blond, but Cloud shied away.

"Don't touch me," he said.

"Cloud," Sephiroth said, defeat lacing his voice, "even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me." A sharp pain lanced through his skull; a warning that he ignored.

"Try me," Cloud challenged.

The pair stared at each other, the tense silence stretching on as the seconds passed, until Sephiroth broke his gaze, staring instead at Cloud's shoulder. "Cloud," he said so softly the blond had to lean forward to hear him, "do you still love me?"

Cloud drew in a broken breath. "W-what?"

A badly trembling hand reached up towards Cloud's face. Cloud remained still as Sephiroth's fingers gently traced over his cheek and cupped his jaw. "I still love you, Cloud," he whispered quickly, while he still had the control to do so. "I never stopped loving you, and I never will. I came here to tell you that."

Cloud's mouth worked uselessly as his eyes shone with something Sephiroth couldn't identify. "I—I..." he stammered out, before swiftly pulling away from Sephiroth and slipping past him out of the bathroom. With a soft sigh, Sephiroth waited until he heard Cloud turn the doorknob before calling out to him.

"Cloud," he said impassively, "it was Doctor Leonhart who hit me."

Cloud didn't bother replying as he left the room, slamming the door shut behind himself.

He angrily paced down the hallway, unsure of whom he was even angry with. His vision was blurry with tears he refused to let fall. Hearing those words from Sephiroth's lips simultaneously filled him with delight, confusion, and unhappiness. A part of him desperately wanted to believe that Sephiroth was telling the truth, that the Sephiroth he'd known and loved—still loved—was still there, hiding somewhere behind this awful monster that had killed two of his best friends. A part of him, a large part of him, wanted to believe that Sephiroth did care, that he really hadn't ever stopped loving him—that Cloud still affected him as much as he affected Cloud.

But the nightmares, the images, the blood would never erase themselves from his mind. The fact still remained that Sephiroth had done those cruel things, and never showed remorse for them. The thought brought Cloud to an abrupt halt. Never showed remorse, he thought again. There were a lot of emotions that Sephiroth never visibly showed. Sephiroth had even confessed to him that expression of emotions was a characteristic that he'd never quite mastered, though he'd never explained why. However, that never meant that he didn't experience them; Cloud had become quite skillful at reading Sephiroth for emotions, in fact. In the wake of his shock over Zack's death and Aerith's suicide, though, he hadn't been particularly attentive to Sephiroth's emotions, instead locking himself away much like his boyfriend tended to do. He had no way of knowing if Sephiroth truly felt remorse, not without talking to him.

"And goddammit, if fucking Leonhart thinks he's going to make things better by running around punching people in the face for no reason, he better think fucking twice," Cloud hissed under his breath, resuming his angry stalking. As he rounded the corner, he grabbed the first nurse he saw and asked, "Excuse me. Do you know where I can find Dr. Leonhart right now? It's an emergency."

The nurse seemed startled, but one look at the intense expression in his eyes had her commenting that she'd seen him heading to the cafeteria not too long ago. He thanked her and hurried for the elevator, impatiently tapping his foot as it arrived on his floor, laser-like eyes tracking its progress as it finally arrived at his destination. He rushed out of the doors as soon as they opened, startling a pair of doctors who'd been conversing just outside of them, but he paid them no mind. The only thing that he could think of was Leonhart, and how he'd hurt his Sephiroth for no goddamn reason, and that there was no way he'd stand for that shit, and Leonhart was going to have to learn the hard was that just because he didn't like to talk, just because he had some issues with his past, just because he cried a little—it didn't make him a complete pussy.

Cloud pushed open the door to the cafeteria with a little more force than was necessary, causing it to bounce off the wall a little, and bringing the attention of everyone in the cafeteria to him. Dr. Leonhart looked over from the conversation he was having with Rinoa to see Cloud making a path straight towards him, something akin to an angry snarl on his face. He took a few steps away from Rinoa, unwilling to put her in danger in case Cloud actually was feeling violent for some reason.

"Cloud, what's—" He couldn't even finish asking what was wrong before Cloud slammed his fist into the doctor's face, sending him flying against a nearby table. The silence that fell in the cafeteria was utterly deafening as everyone stared at the two. Cloud was breathing hard from his mouth as he stared at the only person who mattered to him in that moment. "I told you," he said, every word enunciated clear as day even though he spoke in a near whisper, "not to touch him."

No one moved. It was like time had stopped in the cafeteria. Nurses and patients alike stood fascinated, either by the fact that patient #0102 had spoken, or by the sheer violence of his act. Leon could only hold a hand over his rapidly swelling eye and stare in shock up at the furious blond standing above him.

"Very impressive," murmured Axel from beside Nurse Rinoa, who looked horrified.

Leon broke from the spell Cloud's icy gaze had cast on him to aim a one-eyed glare at Axel, who gave him a pleasant grin in return. He quickly looked back at Cloud, and attempted to explain. "Cloud, I—"

"No excuses," Cloud said, briskly cutting him off. "You gave me your word."

Leon couldn't argue. He had promised not to harm Sephiroth, both directly to Cloud and through the Hippocratic Oath. He didn't know how Cloud found out so quickly, but the fact remained the same that he'd cold-cocked his patient.

"My office," he said in a low tone, barely able to keep his eyes focused on a spot just to the left of Cloud's face.

With his mouth set in a firm line, Cloud turned sharply on his heel, wordlessly left the cafeteria. Dr. Leonhart followed closely behind.