Disclaimer: The usual.
Rating: R; Yaoi, angst, CrazyRoth (WTF GO AWAY YOU FREAK), blood… I still say it's anti-AeriSeph, Ardwynna! ::shakes fist:: XD
Pairing: Seph/Cloud, and it ain't changin'. Because this is my pairing goddammit.
Notes: Cloud grew a bit of a backbone. Oops. That better not last… ::eye twitch::

…and this chapter makes me feel like such a huge FFVII dork… which I am, but this really cements it… -.-;

And stupid Jenova-injected bastards. ::beats every single one of them::

——————————

Cloud looked off to the side and shrugged. After all, what was the point in even thinking of reasoning with a madman? What would the use be to yell at him to stop, not to harm Aeris? Anything he could have said would have gone straight into one ear and out the other, anyway… or maybe, if he was lucky, Sephiroth would regard his words for bare moments before mocking him again, retorting with another threat…

But Cloud could tell one thing: his silence over the threats to Aeris' well-being seemed to be bothering Sephiroth quite a bit, and the blonde intended to keep it that way. The way Cloud figured it, if he was lucky, Sephiroth would soon tire of his inaction—especially if he was answered by nothing other than a simple shrug or glare, though Cloud knew quiescence would work better than anything—and allow his conscious self to wake.

After all, they were in a dream-world, weren't they? Sephiroth couldn't really harm him in the Sleeping Forest… true, Cloud could still feel pain in the place as well as be wounded, and heal, but none of it would effect the 'real' him, he was sure of it. And, if his actual body wouldn't be harmed, that meant he was free to act upon reckless impulses in the dream, if need be… then he could go find Aeris, and hopefully quicker than Sephiroth…

But even to him, it was doubtful. Cloud knew that he could never reach Aeris before the Masamune…

He sensed Sephiroth's eyes on him and shuddered involuntarily; it felt as if the other man's gaze was invading his privacy, looking beyond the surface and straight through him as if he were nothing but a plate of glass. Cloud could feelSephiroth in his mind, prodding, searching his head for something, but whatever that was…

"…so, you're attempting to mislead me? Feigning this nonchalance so I'll let you go?" The older man chuckled cruelly. "Did you honestly think you could do such a thing?"

Cloud smartly held his tongue, biting his lower lip to make sure he said nothing. It wasn't fair that Sephiroth could read him so easily… the silver-haired man knew all of his plans in advance, had the ability to pick Cloud's brain for whatever he wanted. And to make it worse, the mercenary could feel that mental probing, because Sephiroth wanted him to know he was there. He hated it, that failure to have anything kept to himself, and himself alone… it was like…

"…you can never hide from me," Sephiroth stated, looking down at him, substantiating the blonde's very thought, "not even in your own mind."

The confirmation was sickening, to know that he truly had no privacy at all anymore. Sephiroth was forever with him, in his head, knew everything about him; his plans, his lies, hopes, failures, secrets… not one aspect about him was safe from Sephiroth's invasive control…

How could he even go on with his quest, knowing that Sephiroth was always two steps ahead of him…?

"You can't." Sephiroth spoke the words with confidence, "you will never win this game, Cloud."

Cloud brought his hand to his face, fist curled, and placed the heel of his hand against his eyes. That… pain was fading in again as Sephiroth spoke… that Noise…

"And if you continue to 'oppose' me, you will forever be on the losing side."

"You're wrong… we're going to beat you." The blonde shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain got progressively worse, and continued, "you're the loser here, Sephiroth, not me…"

The older man chuckled again. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, 'that's so'…"

Sephiroth's grin was deadly. "And how do you suppose you can defeat me?"

Cloud couldn't answer. He knew he couldn't do it on his own, at least not now, with Sephiroth's plans to summon Meteor… he—all of them—needed…

"…that Cetra." Sephiroth practically cursed the word, scowling at the blonde for even dare bringing her to mind. But that look of distaste gradually changed to one of sickening determination as the older man murmured, "no… no, I wouldn't count on that girl to save you, Cloud… she will do nothing but fail. She is going to die."

"…you know," the blonde started quietly, voice tired and strained, "it's getting less threatening and more funny every time you say that…"

"Oh?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the curious statement. "And what is it you find so amusing? The fact that I'm going to take that girl's life?" The silver-haired man cocked his head to the side and smirked. "It never occurred to me you could be so cruel," he remarked, mockingly.

"No, it's funny that you're so scared of Aeris…"

Sephiroth chuckled at the blonde's quiet utterance, shaking his head slightly. The idea in itself was preposterous; as if he, a prospective god, a being already superior to every life form on the Planet, could ever be afraid of a frail little thing like that Ancient…

"Cloud…" Sephiroth crossed his arms as he allowed a typical, arrogant expression to grace his lips, "of all my motives to do away with that girl, I assure you fear is certainly not one of them."

The mercenary snorted incredulously as he placed a hand on his forehead, mind growing progressively achier as time went on in Sephiroth's presence. Faint, disembodied voices had started whispering to him in near-silent, wavering tones, yet Cloud couldn't decipher anything that was being said, save one simple utterance:

'…Se…phi…roth…'

"…of course it is…," the blonde started, trying his best to quiet that dull, constant stream of Noise, "you're afraid to lose to her, right? You keep saying… what, that Aeris is a 'powerless nothing'? But you're still insistent upon getting rid of her before she does whatever it is she's planning…" Cloud paused to shrug. "Sounds like fear to me."

"Well now, look who's finally found his voice," Sephiroth began, chidingly, "unfortunately, he has no idea of what he speaks."

"Any way I look at it…," the mercenary finished, rolling his shoulders casually.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. Such a foolish accusation… he wasn't afraid of that… girl. She truly was powerless compared to him, and quite possibly even less than the nothing he appraised her as before. That pitiful prayer would not succeed, and Sephiroth was going to see to that; there was nothing about her for him to be afraid of.

"Your ignorance is painful…"

"I think out of the two of us, you're the one who's clueless, Sephiroth…," Cloud muttered, wincing as the voices grew steadily louder.

Sephiroth snarled at the words. Cloud was such a fool, to be so blind as to misinterpret his motives in such a way, and to accuse him of that… it was not fear that the girl would prevail which fueled his need to be rid of her. He knew she would fail, he and Jenova were going to see to that… and simply because she was a Cetra did not mean she was invincible.

After all, Jenova destroyed nearly all of those wretched Cetra long before the girl's time. Now all that was left of their race was that girl, and he and Mother together were going to see that Jenova finish what she started… continue with her plan of two-thousand years ago, before they interrupted her task. The Cetra of long ago had succeeded in stopping her, and in the same way that girl was attempting to do now.

Oh, but the Cetra would not do that again. Their only living hope was going to die by Sephiroth's bare hands. He was going to feel the blood of her heritage spill upon his skin and smile as it did, reveling in his and Jenova's victory. And with every last Cetra returned to the Planet and out of the way, with their combined Spirit Energy, wasted on beings like them, absorbed into the Lifestream, Sephiroth was going to absorb that Energy into himself and ascend to his rightful place, taking a seat under complete, eternal godhood.

No… his plan was utterly flawless, and that girl's was not. What could there possibly be for him to fear?

Of course… it wasn't simply the vendetta that Jenova held against the Cetra which fueled his desire to be rid of the girl. Sephiroth himself had his own reasons…

He turned his cold aqua eyes to the blonde still on the forest floor, looking right back at him with hatred and anger in his glowing orbs, impossible at it was for him to even feel emotion…

"Stop fucking staring at me…"

Sephiroth hated the Ancient for dare intruding on his property. Loathed her, the way she managed to mold Cloud into the rebel he had so obviously become, despised her very being for encouraging his puppet to act against him… Cloud was walking a thin line with that newfound insubordination, and the puppet knew it, yet he continued to goad Sephiroth on anyway, angering him even though he realized the potential consequences such actions may bring… and Sephiroth knew it was all because of her.

Sephiroth slowly unclenched the fist he absently made and re-curled his fingers, one by one, growing more and more furious by the second with the Cetra for swaying his toy like that…

But, how did it get to be that Cloud was so easily lead astray from his path as a clone and charmed by outer influence? The blonde was the only one unaware of the Reunion… the only one not dying to serve him, the only one not worshipping Sephiroth as was his duty.

Cloud truly was a failure.

And yet, Sephiroth was all too aware that couldn't attain his goal without Cloud's assistance…

"You don't realize how fortunate you are," he said between gritted teeth, resisting the urge to strike the younger man. But as much as he may have wanted to, Sephiroth could never truly consider harming Cloud in such a manner. He was capable of easily destroying the blonde, in actual existence as well as this, but tempting at it may have been, he absolutely had to lock those baser instincts within himself.

If Sephiroth acted upon that impulse, mortally wounding the blonde as he inevitably would have, his own mission would be for naught. And, as the rebellious side of Cloud 'wanted', the blonde would have come out the victor…

Sephiroth simply couldn't chance it.

Funny… it was dreadfully ironic how he came to depend so deeply upon the one clone Hojo had deemed the most worthless. True, the blonde was resistant, but he was also weak-willed, making him so susceptible to manipulation. Terrible, inept scientist that man was… had it been Professor Gast in charge of the cloning process…

Sephiroth cut the thought short. That was his old 'life'; now he had a higher purpose. He didn't have the time nor the need to hold any other foolish grudges or retain pointless regrets. Besides, Hojo would get his comeuppance for being such a stupid fool blinded by his feckless 'scientific' ambition. It did not matter…

Though of course, he agreed that Cloud was a failure in certain respects… but he was a resilient one, the only clone with true potential…

"I've been infinitely more patient in your case than that of the others, Cloud, but even my leniency for you has its limits…" An empty threat, yes, but when it came to Cloud, that was all he could do. But to Sephiroth's advantage, Cloud was still blissfully aware of the fact that he was so indispensable…

"'Patient' with me? 'The others'?" Cloud managed a short laugh which only served to anger Sephiroth further, but he didn't care anymore. If inaction wasn't going to wake him, then maybe frustration would… something had to work…

Cloud shook his head, the Noise louder now, grinding into his brain like a pestle to a mortar, but still he went on. "…do you even listen to yourself? You're not making sense… as usual…"

The mercenary made a move to get up when one of Sephiroth's booted feet planted itself in the middle of his chest, pushing him back to the ground. Cloud looked up at the taller man with a growl. He wanted desperately to throw Sephiroth's foot from his chest, but the thought of touching the other man, his enemy… his former idol… the one he had aspired to be…

"…what exactly are you trying to prove, Sephiroth?"

The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow, curiously. "Now, what makes you think I have something to 'prove'?"

"Why are you keeping me here?" Cloud shook his head, coming up with the better question, "what do you want from me?"

"Everything…" Sephiroth shrugged. "As for why… perhaps I merely enjoy your company."

Glowing blue eyes narrowed. "You're insane…" Sephiroth looked eerily calm as the words hit his ears, the left corner of his mouth quirking upwards to form a quiet grin.

"Am I?" he asked, leaning forward just slightly, hair falling over his shoulders as the pressure of that foot against Cloud's chest increased. "If that's so, why haven't you put me out of my 'misery'? The opportunity to do just that has arisen more than once, but you've yet to try…"

Cloud couldn't even begin to think of a reasonable excuse. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind when the other man was nearby, not in the real world… but why hadn't he…? When he first saw Sephiroth back from the dead… and again in Nibelheim, the Temple of the Ancients… and he hadn't even drawn his sword, only listened to the older man like an obedient puppy… gods, why?

"You cannot kill me, Cloud… as you are well aware, you have neither the means nor the will to destroy me," Sephiroth laughed, "and you say you 'hate' me? You know that's a lie."

The mercenary didn't speak a word.

"You're drawn to me, yet you still don't understand the reason… such a simple fool you are."

Sephiroth kneeled next to the blonde, burying one hand into the man's golden spikes before pulling him into a sitting position, locking his gaze with Cloud's own confused one.

"But I can tell you why."

Cloud looked horrified and disgusted as Sephiroth's other hand inched its way over his chest, easily feeling the taut muscles through the rough fabric of his navy blue shirt. An incomplete, numberless clone, misbehaved, yes… but still healthy, full of vigor, and so helpful despite it all…

"Would you like to know?"

The younger man nodded slowly, rendered mute by Sephiroth's wickedly glowing eyes.

"Because I give you a reason to live, Cloud." His hand stopped at the blonde's neck, finger playing lightly above the blonde's Adam's apple, feeling the structure shifting beneath his touch as the younger man swallowed uneasily. "…you exist for me, and only me."

'…the Great… Se…phi…roth…'

"Liar…"

Cloud's voice came out quiet and without assertion, foreign even to himself. His head had begun to throb painfully as the Noise surged back again… the fluctuation of voices was enough to drive him insane, all of them praising the silver-haired man, in their broken words, pleading with the blonde to heed… him.

"'Liar'?" Sephiroth shook his head. "So you truly believe you will find peace in a world without me?"

He didn't know… if Cloud had his revenge on the man who ruined his life, he would be happy, wouldn't he…? He would feel complete, with Sephiroth gone… maybe… Cloud couldn't quite remember those five years back when he thought Sephiroth was dead, but maybe then… but he couldn't remember.

The doubts streamed through his mind faster the more he told himself that he would, but for some reason, he couldn't make himself believe his own opinion…

"Could you, when I am the only thing that gives your pitiable life any sort of meaning?" Sephiroth asked, whispering the question into Cloud's ear, gripping tightly the navy blue collar.

"I want you dead, Sephiroth," the mercenary stated quietly, "and after that, I don't care… "

"Oh?" The silver-haired man chuckled, partially amused. "Then tell me why I'm still 'alive'…"

Cloud bit his lip. They went over this before, but he still couldn't think of an answer. And it was growing harder to concentrate the more that Noise enveloped his brain, constricting with an unbearable pressure…

Sephiroth could plainly see that Cloud was in pain, the blonde barely holding himself back from clutching at his hair, and almost crippled by the voices of so many others like him, yet so very different…

'The… Great… Se…phi…roth… is… near…'

"…as long as I'm away from you, then I don't care."

"But I am always by your side, Cloud…," Sephiroth reminded in an overly patronizing way, his voice frighteningly close to a deep, contented purr, "and knowing this, if I let you go right now, where do you think you're able to go?"

The silver-haired man chuckled as Cloud let out a hiss, a sharp white flash piercing his brain. Cloud couldn't answer at that moment, not with that pain; his knees would have buckled had he been standing, he knew, and he would have fallen into Sephiroth's arms, wouldn't have cared if he did…

"You can't escape me, try as you might. I will never let you."

They were addressing him again, and this time he heard them, clearly. Voices scolding him, telling him that had Cloud stayed quiet and obeyed, if he had just done what he was supposed to do…

"…let me go…," Cloud whimpered, helplessly. He felt tears pricking his eyes, and he tried to will them away; warriors didn't cry, they were always strong. He would not, not even if his head was ready to burst from all the Noise, not even if Sephiroth was so excruciatingly close to him, touching him… and those voices, that Noise, gods…

"No; you belong to me, Cloud."

'…Sephiroth is our…'

"Stop talking like I'm just some fucking thing!!" he shrieked, eyes clamped shut to try and dispel that pain.

"But you are," Sephiroth corrected him, "that's all you are."

"I'm… not… just leave me alone…," Cloud moaned, a mix of frustration and anguish. "…I hate you… I hate all of you…"

So, Cloud was still insistent in his belief that he had any sort of humanity…? The former General grinned cruelly. "Impossible."

"…get away from me…"

"No."

Sephiroth pulled Cloud tight against his body and pressed a hard kiss against his lips, the younger one's blue eyes going wide in shock. Cloud's brain told him that it wasn't happening… was not happening… gods, this was Sephiroth…

"Sephiroth!!" Cloud wrenched his head backwards, fists balled, and yelled, "get away!"

'…become… one… with… Se…phi…roth…'

Ignoring him, Sephiroth again leaned forward, tongue forcing its way into the blonde's mouth, ravenous as it slid along Cloud's own. The younger one let out a groan of protest, even as the Noise pressed him not to, muttering to Cloud in their collectively jealous voices.

He would have pushed Sephiroth away, but the older one's arms were closed around him, pinning his own immobile against his sides; the sitting position Sephiroth had pulled him into nearly rendered his legs useless, no leeway available to use them to put distance between himself and the other man.

Left with no other way to fight, the blonde bit down upon the invading muscle on impulse. As soon as he did, Cloud recognized the flavor of blood as the tongue withdrew… Sephiroth's. … it tasted dead, rotten, and full of Mako, burning like fire and nearly corrosive in its intensity.

Cloud's hand flew to his mouth and clamped over his lips as he resisted the growing need to gag. The taste made him sick to his stomach, and to know the blood of his enemy only made his disgust that much worse. But now the voices were yelling at him for not pleasing the Great Sephiroth, even going so far as spitefully wishing harm upon 'Master'sFavorite' for his impudence…

He pushed the statement from his mind.

The silver-haired man found it amusing how jealous the others were of Cloud, of 'the failure'. What the poor things didn't realize was that they were the truly useless ones, merely serving as extra Spirit Energy when the time of the Reunion came, and would only be used to ready the Planet for Sephiroth's ascension. Cloud was the only one with the ability to follow through with the preparations…

Sephiroth smirked and slowly licked his lips, staining them, a line of bright crimson seeping from the corner of his mouth. It had been a very long time since he bled last; he wasn't even aware he had the ability to do so in his current body, let alone here… that really was something.

"Impressive…"

The blonde's eyes widened as Sephiroth leaned forward, towering over him as the older man grabbed a fistful of his hair, coaxing his head to tilt back far as it could. Sephiroth's face turned stony as he muttered, "…but you won't be exempt from punishment forever, Cloud."

Cloud winced and managed a short grunt of pain when the other man jerked sharply on his hair with one hand, the other pinching his jaw open. Sephiroth bit down hard on his own tongue, successfully reopening the rapidly healing wound. He opened his mouth to allow a few droplets of red fall onto Cloud's lips, and smirked sadistically to himself when the blonde revolted.

"There's no need to struggle… you are a part of me, Cloud, this is your own blood as well. How can your reality disgust you?"

But the blonde was too busy fighting to listen, attention too focused on trying to push Sephiroth away—even though the rebellion was useless.

Sephiroth wasn't disappointed, though, that the puppet didn't hear his words… perhaps it was too soon for Cloud to awaken, anyway, with the way he was so easily influenced by others…

After a moment of thought, Sephiroth determined that yes, it was definitely too soon. He would clarify later, after that 'interference' was dead and gone, around the time of the Reunion, when that girl couldn't deter the Cloud anymore…

So instead of repeating himself, Sephiroth slowly descended despite Cloud's hardest protests. He lapped shortly at the blonde's lips, covering them in red, and took a short pause to savor the current lack of resistance before finally lowering the dripping muscle into Cloud's awaiting mouth.

Seconds later, the blonde swung at him with one fist, pushing Sephiroth away with his other; but no more than an inch short of striking, Sephiroth stopped the blonde's attack. The silver-haired man grabbed Cloud's wrists, quickly backing the younger man up against the thick trunk of a tree. Pinning both arms against the rough bark, Sephiroth leaned his full weight against the blonde and glared, aqua eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Stop fighting," the silver-haired man snarled, "do not fight me any more."

"Fuck you," came the insubordinate response.

Sephiroth brought his mouth to Cloud's again, grip on the mercenary's wrists tight enough to leave a longstanding bruise. Only now, Cloud had nowhere else to go. The entire length of his body pressed hard against the tree, one of Sephiroth's legs wedged between his own to keep him in place. Sephiroth's kiss was forceful, the man's teeth biting at Cloud's lips hard enough to bleed.

He waited, kept on with the sharp nips until the blonde finally yelled in concession, giving Sephiroth the opportunity to taste the inside of that hot mouth once more. He absently hoped that Cloud would bite him again, if only so that his blood would seep into the other man's wounds, just to see how he would react…

But Cloud didn't do it. He was well aware of his own small, open injuries, and could feel them working to repair themselves. There was no way he was going to allow Sephiroth to do such a thing… not with his vile, tainted blood… even though Cloud's lungs were beginning to burn with lack of oxygen, and the older man just wouldn't get away…

Sephiroth's mouth was smothering him just as much as his body was…

Cloud shut his eyes, drawing ragged breaths through his nose. He grimaced as he felt a trail of saliva slip from the corner of his mouth and down underneath his chin… a mixture of both of theirs…

The Noise was still there, but had dulled considerably. There were a few words here and there that Cloud could decipher, but those were jeering as well, mad at him for receiving so much of Sephiroth's precious attention.

…if they wanted it, they could have it. Cloud didn't see why he was regarded so highly in the first place… he didn't want to be… it made no sense…

"Your rage is false," the older man said under his breath as he finally pulled away, listening to Cloud's harsh, angered panting, "accept that fact, Cloud…"

"I hate you…," Cloud growled, sucking in deep, shuddering breaths. "Let me go…" His words were a short warning which was promptly ignored.

"No," Sephiroth started, "you don't hate me. Hate is an emotion, a thing which something like you cannot feel, so why do you insist on believing that you do?!" He finished off yelling, furious that Cloud was still so inattentive to the meaning, the blonde opting instead to twist fiercely against his body, protesting…

"Let me go, Sephiroth!!"

Oh, Cloud was becoming absolutely infuriating.

"Fine."

Sephiroth suddenly released the younger man, pulling him away from the tree before he threw Cloud violently away. He watched with ill humor as Cloud stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet in alarm. It took a moment for Cloud to regain his bearings, quickly looking up at Sephiroth when he did, a lovely smattering of gore on his lips… some red on his chin, at the corner of his mouth…

…though, if it had been Cloud's blood alone, it would've been so much better… but Sephiroth had to contain himself.

"Run away. See for yourself how far you're able to go before I catch you," the silver-haired man challenged. "And I will… I will always win, Cloud, no matter what. Never doubt that."

The blonde stared vapidly at Sephiroth, disbelief apparent in his face, standing immobile as the older man spoke. Obviously, his puppet had not expected such a wish to be granted…

"Go!" Sephiroth ordered.

And as if a trance had been broken by a flick of Sephiroth's wrist, Cloud turned and sprinted away. Unbeknownst to him, he was managing only to run deeper into the Sleeping Forest…

It was funny to think Cloud actually believed he could get away from him, and let alone in this place, a dream-world within his own unwilling mind…

Sephiroth grinned maliciously.

Though he was angry that Cloud had actually gone, it did serve to sweeten the deal. It would allow Sephiroth the chance to seek out the man who had, thus far, only sought out himself. And when Sephiroth caught him, he would truly leave his mark on the blonde and prove to Cloud, once and for all, that no matter how hard he tried, he could never get away.

"My pretty puppet with your broken strings," he murmured, weaving a small, loose braid in his hair, "I suggest you enjoy this freedom while it lasts…"

Sephiroth tied off the end of the braid and flipped the rest of his hair over one shoulder. He then proceeded to wind the silver cord twice around his hand, taking a secure hold on it before he pulled down and tore the makeshift rope from his scalp. After taking a moment to appreciate his craftsmanship, Sephiroth carefully knotted the loose end and smiled.

"Because never forget, Cloud; you will always belong to me."

And with that he went on, stalking his prey in the Sleeping Forest.

———————

A/N: ::blink:: Oookay, that was… different… coming from me… O.o; I… er…
Cloud (demandingly): Why are you making Sephiroth so MEAN to me!?
Because he doesn't like you since you're being freakin' resisty for some reason…
Sephiroth: ::eye twitches:: …I hate this stupid fanfic.
Cloud (pouting): Me too…
Me too… .;
::Sephiroth scoops Cloud into his arms and holds him lovingly whilst glaring at me::
-.- …you know… you weren't a nice dude in the actual game, Seph… -.-;
Sephiroth: I was to Cloud… I gave him presents.
::blinks::
::Sephiroth stares::
…?
Sephiroth (slowly, obviously, and pointedly pronouncing it syllable by syllable): I. Love. My. Pup. Pet.
::Cloud sparkles happily::
Sephiroth: You managed to get one thing right, though: I do enjoy Cloud's company… why else would I want to get him alone all the time?
I always thought it was because you were a Cloud-obsessed pervert… ::ignores Sephiroth's reluctant nod:: And being called a 'puppet' isn't a compliment yannow, Cloud…
::Sephiroth glares at me a little before going on to shove his tongue down Happy!Sparkling!Cloud's throat before Cloud even has the slightest chance to answer::
…bastards, the both of them… but at least Seph's not threatening to kill me for once…

And no matter how much I like him, I badly want to beat CrazyRoth over his pretty little manic head… SHUT THE HELL UP YOU ASS!! Gah. I'll take KinkyRoth any day, he's so much easier to work with… uhm, I'm assuming. .;; ::thwaps Seph with her newly-acquired whapping stick and threatens to take Cloud away if he doesn't start behaving for her::

And you know what? Fuck the number of parts, because I really have no clue anymore -.- I don't want to give this story huge-ass chapters like I usually do, but whenever I figure out where I want to end a chapter, a new idea pops up and that makes it very freakin' hard to determine how long the story's actually gonna be. Arg. But there will probably be no more than three more parts to this, I know that much. …I hope. ::smacks forehead::

Zack: … ::CAMEO!::
… O.o;

::drags Zack off and leaves the two lovebirds to their own devices::