Plot idea courtesy of Dragi; gift fic! Enjoy!

The snow was beginning to pile up outside as Cloud sat watching it from his chair by the window. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there. He had allowed himself to drift off into memory, thinking of Zack and… of old friends. It seemed to be the only thing that he did lately. He and Tifa were roommates, nothing more, and it was comfortable - but sometimes he felt like he needed a break away from her. She still had the idea that she was going to eventually work her way into his heart, but Cloud knew that it wasn't possible. He had no interest in her, and he had told her this many, many times.

Tifa was already in bed, having shut down the bar for the evening. A few patrons had become rowdy and Cloud had to help break up a fight. He hated the drama that came with having the bar. Rarely was there peace to be found. Eventually, he found himself in a dark hole of hatred for humanity and even the planet itself. He wished he could escape and go somewhere where no one would ever be able to find him again. If only.

It was no shock to him when his phone began to ring, but it jolted him out of his thoughts. He stood up and answered his phone, rather intrigued when he saw who was calling. With a sigh, he raised the phone to his ear.

"Yeah."

"Yo, Cloudy-boy. Sorry to call so late, but Rufus needs to see you immediately. We've got a situation and we need your help," Reno said, sounding lighthearted yet urgent at the same time. Cloud sighed again and said, "It can wait until tomorrow."

"No can do, buddy. Tomorrow is Christmas and we'd rather not be working. Rude and I have a party to go to, and Rufus just doesn't want to deal with anything tomorrow. We need your assistance pronto, Strife. Hell, I'll even pay you myself. Just get your ass over to Healin."

Cloud snapped his phone shut and groaned. Despite his unwillingness to be a part of anything that Rufus Shinra did, curiosity always eventually ate away at him. He grabbed Fenrir's keys from the kitchen table and made his way outside, not even bothering to leave a note for Tifa. She was not his mother, no matter how hard she tried to act like it.

Half an hour later, he pulled up outside of Healin Lodge and turned off the ignition. Placing the keys in his pocket, he made sure his sword was in place on his back. Not that he might need it, but he just never knew whenever dealing with Shinra or the Turks. He walked up the stairs and entered the building, expecting to see Rufus waiting for him. Instead, the room was dark. His hand steady on his sword and ready to cut any moving thing in two, he stepped slowly against the wall, fumbling for a light switch. He didn't find anything, and his heart racing was enough to let him know that he felt in danger. Still, he stayed inside the room.

"Reno? Rufus?" he called out, his voice slightly wavering. A light finally came on, making him gasp aloud in surprise. Lined up on a couch and tied up with ropes, the two Turks and Rufus were bound and gagged, their eyes appearing fearful. Cloud dropped his hand from his sword and moved quickly to try to release them from their bonds. Working quickly, he removed the material from Rufus' mouth first so that he could get information. "What's going on?" Cloud asked quietly, unsure if the assailant was still in the small building or not. Rufus said nothing, but his eyes became larger, looking behind Cloud. Reno shifted quickly and grunted while Rude tried to release himself from the ropes. Cloud slowly turned around… and his heart stopped.

Sephiroth stood in the hallway, his hand still on the light switch. He moved forward gracefully and slowly, then stopped in front of Cloud. Leaning forward, he gave Cloud a quick look up and down, raised his eyebrow, then said, "Good to see you, Cloud." Cloud felt his breath hitch and he swallowed hard. Sephiroth was supposed to be dead! What was he doing here, and how? He could feel Sephiroth's hot breath on his face; the man was so near him that he could even feel the heat coming from his body. There was no mistaking it: Sephiroth was flesh and blood, alive and breathing.

Impossible.

"Sit down, Cloud. I have a proposition for you."

Cloud scoffed. "I'm not doing anything for you," he said, staring angrily at Sephiroth… but it felt almost fake. Gods, how his heart ached. He had almost forgotten how beautiful the man was, with his long silver hair flowing down his back and emerald-colored eyes that appeared almost cat-like.

Sephiroth stepped even closer to Cloud. In one swift movement, he had Cloud turned around, his wrists held firmly together. He felt rope being tied around them, and though he struggled, he couldn't help but feel a rush of pleasure race up his spine.

"Sit, or I'll break your fucking arms."

…Cloud sat.

"I've come back to take back this planet. I want nothing more than to give it back to Mother. However…" Sephiroth broke off and smiled. "Since it's almost midnight and Christmas is beginning, I'll make a deal with you. How would you like to reign with me, Cloud? We could take back the planet together and everyone, every thing would perish. You do have Jenova cells in your blood, and this makes you worthy of helping me. Besides, you'd make a wonderful plaything."

Cloud blushed. Though he felt the danger, he couldn't hide the fact that he was attracted to Sephiroth, no matter how frightening the circumstances. His pants tightened as he played the last sentence over and over again in his head. You'd make a wonderful plaything…

"Or," Sephiroth began again, "I could have you as my little slave and spare everyone. After all, you are the only reason I came back in the first place. I just want you, Cloud. I'll leave the decision up to you."

He thought about it. He honestly did. He weighed the pros and cons. For one thing, he was sick of everyone around him and often wanted everyone to disappear and just leave him the hell alone. But, when he really considered it, did he really wish death on everyone? He looked at Reno, who looked at him with concern; the two had once shared a bed together many years ago, and there was no way he would allow Reno to perish - he loved him in his own way, and that counted for something.

It was a hard decision to make, but at the same time, he knew what had to be done. In order to spare the lives of those precious to him, he would turn himself over to Sephiroth. For better or for worse, he really did love the planet and the people on it, and wished no actual harm to it. With much nervousness, he finally answered Sephiroth.

"Spare them. Take me."

Sephiroth snickered. "Take you? You should choose your words wisely next time. I might just have to 'take' you, but not before I've made good use out of you." He helped the blond stand up and jerked him toward the door, leaving Reno, Rude and Rufus staring in awe at them. "Consider yourselves lucky to have such a good puppet like Cloud as your friend," Sephiroth said, then left with his prize.