Connection

Summary: AU. Cloud thought he was searching for a man, but his search leads him to the one-winged angel.

Disclaimer: I do now own Final Fantasy Seven.

Warnings: Masochistic submissive Cloud

Chapter One

Sephiroth waited in a narrow dark alley that was once a sanctuary for particular misfits of Midgar, known as the dominant and the submissive with a varying degree of sadomasochistic disposition. The black winged angel had already explored this planet more than enough and it was rather uncharacteristic of him to come back to the same place twice. There was something about the blond who got arrested in the alley. Unlike other submissive masochists, he was wearing a collar that was too large to go unnoticed. Considering how the inhabitants of this planet treated people whose libido was aroused only through suffering humiliation or pain, the boy's lack of caution was rather alarming.

It seemed that the bar was now closed down. No sanctuary was permanent when the majority population played the role of vice cops. From what he gathered from reading the minds of humans, this planet treated homosexuals as criminals not long ago and attempted to cure them through medical treatment. Whilst vanilla gays no longer suffered similar fates, the hatred towards sadomasochists grew only stronger. If exposed, they were frequent victims of gang rapes and violence, despised by even those who were in turn despised by society in general. They would get enlisted in an anti-social register, lose their jobs and never find another job except in a brothel grudgingly run by the government for decent citizens who were unable to find a sexual partner on their own. According to the majority of the citizens, the very existence of perverts were offensive to the fundamental right to form a loving caring relationship through mutual consent. No one paid attention if one of sadomasochists got killed or beaten up.

Sephiroth wondered what had happened to the blond. The probability of seeing the youth again in the bar was slim to begin with, even if the place hadn't been boarded up. But he had a feeling that another chance encounter was around the corner. And his instinct had never let him down.

Two humans came into the dark alley, one male and another female. They seemed nervous, but a quick scan of their minds showed they were no sadomasochists. They were rather looking for a friend who looked suspiciously like the blond Sephiroth himself intended to find. As they hid themselves behind a large tree just opposite the now closed bar, Sephiroth continued to read their minds to find some interesting facts about their relationship with the boy he was interested in. The girl, named Aerith, was the youth's sister, and the dark-haired man's name was Zack. The boy's name was Cloud. It was evident that they both loved Cloud, but sometimes love caused more hurt than hatred. They didn't seem to understand that what they did out of love was in fact an act of betrayal. They had ruined the youth's life by placing far too much trust in the power of rehabilitation centres. Remaining invisible to the mortal eyes, Sephiroth let his thoughts wander to the basement scene he observed. Cloud interested him even before descending into a basement with a top who knew how to wield whips, because of that honest look in his expression and the steely determination carefully hidden beneath the fragile frame. The boy took the beating till his behind was bruised all over without uttering a single cry. Such a display of pain tolerance from an inexperienced bottom was impressive, and the boy had a fine ass. Unfortunately the boy mistook the mesmerising flows of energy between himself and Sephiroth as a special connection between himself and the top who had just whipped him, even though the said top had demanded money before agreeing to fuck him.

Of course, Sephiroth himself was a sadist and therefore cherished masochists who could take and thrive in physical pain. There were common misconceptions as to the nature of angels and Gods. They were amoral beings and mostly did what pleased them, since they did not care for what lesser beings thought of them. In truth, there were no angels or Gods, merely immortal beings with what humans regarded as supernatural power.

He still wasn't sure what he was going to do with the boy, however. Cloud was a human, and he had never taken a human as a pet before. If he rescued the boy, he might as well look after him, seeing that the boy stood no chance against the system. But that meant he would have to stay in this planet for many years to come. Then again, he wasn't in a hurry to explore another planet and universe.

The boy was getting nearer to the alley: Sephiroth could smell the blond's scent. And that was enough to give him the power to look into the boy's mind to recognise the danger that was threatening the boy's life and limbs. The stupid youth was wearing the collar, still hazed and dizzy from all the drugs that the part incompetent and part malicious staff in the rehabilitation centre had pumped into his system. Sephiroth had to admire the guts of the blond, but he knew the threat to the boy's life was very real. He could sense the intense hatred coming from the street gang who surrounded his blond.

Cloud wasn't sure what was happening around him or to him. Perhaps it was a stupid idea to wear in public the symbol of who he was, but he was so determined to be found by the top whom he paid honest money to get whipped and fucked.

He wasn't afraid of physical pain, and he craved to be with the one who didn't see him as a pervert. At the back of his mind, a voice warned that the man would not want him any more, now that he was penniless and homeless. But if it had been just about money, he couldn't have felt that wonderful feeling of connection and completeness. He had to find the man and because his visions felt fuzzy, he rather hoped the man would find him. The bar was dark and so was the basement. So, the man might not recognise his face well enough, but the collar should jog his sir's memory.

Another twenty or thirty minutes' walk, he could have reached his destination. But he was trapped in another alley, and although the street lamps functioned perfectly here, it only served the gang to notice his collar. They were not afraid of beating up a pervert just because their acts could draw someone's attention more easily. It was not so much their intention to make him suffer as the murderous vibration they were emitting that made Cloud fearful. He could smell hatred in the air and he knew their cruelty would not be tempered with the kind of brotherly understanding that the sadist and masochist often shared.

Perhaps it was because he knew his actions would not make any difference to the outcome that he had refused to crawl on his hands and knees. He had no intention of submitting himself to those whom he could not respect. He would treat these cowards with as much contempt as they had for him. But before the first fist could connect, before heavy blows and sharp cuts could land on his defiant form, the heaven and the earth opened up all around Cloud at the same time. The sound of thunder and lightening were absorbing the screams and cries for help as the torn ground swallowed each and every gang member alive. Then the sounds were gone and the ground knitted together as if nothing had happened. Was what he just saw a miracle or was his encounter with the gang a bad hallucination, a mere product of his still drugged mind?

Shaking his head, Cloud continued his journey to the bar where he had met his sir. When he finally arrived at the dark alley, he was met not by his sir but by the two people who he never wanted to see again. He ignored them and stubbornly made his way to the entrance of the bar only to find that the place had been permanently shut down. Cloud fell to his knees, disbelieving and yet despairing.

"Please, brother." It was Aerith who spoke first. "Please talk to us. We had to save you from yourself. We couldn't sit and watch till you ruined your life."

"No, you ruined it for me. You agreed to them draining my bank account so that you didn't have to worry about your pervert brother."

"Please, everyone deserves a chance. Even you. You owed that chance to yourself."

Cloud pushed her off when Aerith made an attempt to hug him.

"Cloud, please don't be mad at your sister. Everything we did, we did out of love," Zack finally intervened.

Zack's next words quickly turned the blond's disgust into full-blown anger.

"If you are sorry and willing to amend your ways, we will give you a place to sleep, food to eat, and clothes..."

Zack yelped as Cloud viciously kicked at his crotch without a warning. The blond followed that with well-aimed punches and kicks at the most sensitive parts. Zack fought back, exchanging blows after blows with his one time lover, whom he reported to the authorities out of love. It was a hopeless fight, as enraged masochists fought like pitbull terriers. The injuries inflicted on Cloud seemed to do nothing to discourage the blond from continuing his assault. Zack was beginning to think that perhaps the only way he got out of this mess alive was to play dead when Aerith shrieked, finally bringing Cloud out of his frenzied state.

"Stop it. We will leave. You are not the same Cloud we once knew and loved."

Cloud should have been happy when his betrayers finally left him in peace. But now the anger too was gone, leaving only bitter emptiness in his heart. Once again, he fell to his knees. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out from his dried throat. It was in the middle of the suffocating despair that Cloud heard the sound of a whip smacking against leather. The blond looked up to see a man clad in a leather coat, pants and boots, the handle of a whip resting on a gloved palm. The man said nothing, cold cat-like eyes regarding him impassively.

"Cloud, I don't love you, but you interest me. What you need and desire, I can provide. Come with me, and I shall make you my pet."

Cloud smiled and took the gloved hand that the silver haired man offered. The ones who told him that they loved him were the ones who betrayed him, and hurt him in the worst possible manner. He knew he would be safe with this stranger. And even before the man spoke, he could feel the faint current of that electrifying connection he thought he had with the top he bought with his money.

He had found his Sir, his Master.

A.N. The other chapters are no longer available as this story has been reworked and published as an eBook. The revised version of 'Connection' is now available in most major eBook stores including Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Apple and Kobo. Its new title is 'Connection: Angel's Pet'.