One month after Meteor- The world is silent.  The ruins of Midgar are beginning to clear away as people use its scrap metal for new towns under the sun.  The new heroes of the Planet go back to their families, but another mission calls to each of them… to rebuild that which was destroyed in the battle for the Planet.  Reluctantly, the separate heroes return to the Highwind to repair the damage that had been caused during the course of their escapade.  However, rebuilding physically isn’t enough.  To clear their guilty conscience and reconcile with those they have hurt along the way…  that is the true challenge.

After the Storm

By Esmerelda

Vincent’s good hand clenched at his side as his golden claws slowly stroked his blood-red velvet cape.  Nibelheim- the town of his rebirth- lay outstretched before him like a dream.  The crispness of the fading winter air, the sprouts poking out through the snow… it was beautiful enough to drive any romantic couple to insanity.  Yet, throughout his whole life, Vincent was alone.  Alone… even when he was with Lucretia- he was distant.  Separated.  As if something was missing. 

“Hey, Vince!  You sure we can trust you to behave yourself while we’re gone?” Tifa called from her front step.  Vincent jerked out of his wistful thoughts and stopped to stare at the energetic young woman.            

“Traveling?” He called back dumbly, his mind still in a fog.  “Ah, yes.  I hope you and Cloud have a good time…”            

Tifa giggled.  “We ALWAYS have a good time,” she cried in her low, seductive voice.  Cloud’s familiar figure appeared from behind her.

“Let’s go, babe.”

Cloud immediately grabbed Tifa by the waist and playfully dragged her down her walkway.  “Don’t cause too much of a ruckus, Vincent!  We’ll be back tomorrow, okay?  Sorry to leave you here, but everyone else is visiting family, we want the Highwind to ourselves, and, well… you don’t really have anywhere to go, do you?”

Vincent lowered his gaze.  “I’ll be fine.  Now go.  I have some business to attend to.”

Cloud and Tifa both grinned recklessly.  “Have fun!   I know we will!” Cloud shouted as he and Tifa walked into the noonday sun, the Highwind glimmering in the intense light a kilometer from the town.  Vincent watched as the giant ship disappeared into the sunlight, until the last glimmer faded from his view.

A small smirk formed across his face as Shinra Mansion loomed into his view.  It seemed that nobody was staying there… nobody would mind if he stayed for a night…  he tossed back his cape and immediately headed off to the place of his resurrection.

-            

The musk of the old mansion welcomed Vincent as he stepped into his second birthplace.  The creepy old candelabras, the rusty banisters on the aged staircases… he was home.  Finally home.   No more worries, no more cares, no more people to boss him around.  Finally, he could relax.  He walked toward his old hideout- the basement.  He was sure that his old coffin with its red satin would provide a good night’s sleep.

Step.  Step.  Step.  The spiral staircase went on to oblivion.  Step.  Step.  Creak… Vincent’s senses suddenly awakened as a surge of adrenaline pumped through his veins.  Something else was down here…

Step.  Step.  Step.  Nothing.  It was all in his head… there was nothing else down in this abandoned basement.  The floor was in sight.  In a rush of excitement, Vincent flung himself off of the staircase and plummeted toward the hard dirt floor.  At the last second, his cape thrust out, parachute-like, and he landed gracefully with nothing more than a soft tap.  He trotted toward his old resting place- fatigue was beginning to settle in…

“Hmm!” Vincent cried out in surprise.  The door to his crypt was slightly ajar… perhaps from his last visit?  No matter… his senses were dulling.  His previous adrenaline rush was fading, leaving no trace of energy to burn.  Vincent’s feet dragged as he pulled himself to his casket.  He lifted the hard, solid black lacquer lid, releasing with it a strange scent… one familiar, yet different… like a blend of Lucretia and another entity.  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Vincent realized that he truly was not alone.  Something was sleeping in his tomb!  Features poked out from the darkness… long hair, strong, masculine face, hard pectoral muscles, and tight black leather pants.  The figure stirred slightly as Vincent gasped in horror.

“No!  It can’t be…!” he moaned as he recognized the sleeping figure.  “Sephiroth?”

The figure stirred, and opened its large emerald eyes.  “Ah, yes.   I’ve been waiting for you, Vincent…” he said.  The man resting in Vincent’s sacred cradle truly was Sephiroth.  “I knew you were bound to come sooner or later.”

“I watched you die…” Vincent groaned as animal instincts took over.  He wanted to kill the intruder.  Kill the source of all of his pent-up anguish.

“You must be mistaken, my dear man.  I have been in this mansion all the time.  I watched you rise up all those years ago.  I’ve been watching you, Vincent.”

No.  No.  NO!  This wasn’t happening!  Vincent’s anger welled up inside of him as he reached down to strangle that object which lies in his coffin.  His hand and claws went around Sephiroth’s throat in raw hatred, but squeeze as he might, the life would not leave Sephiroth’s body.

“Do not try to kill me, Vincent.   I am not looking for a fight,” Sephiroth quipped, smirking softly.

Vincent drew his face closer to Sephiroth’s, suddenly sensing something other than hatred coursing through his veins.   Adrenaline surged through his body, yet there was another urge stifling him.  “I… You must pay for the lives you took!”

“Ah, but it was not me.  You know of Hojo’s experiments.  You know of the clones.  You understand that I can be in two places at once doing completely different things.”   His hot breath coursed over Vincent’s face.  Vincent’s hands loosened from around Sephiroth’s throat.

“I…I don’t know what to say…” he murmured as he reluctantly backed away from those watchful eyes.   Sephiroth’s piercing gaze.

“I have been watching you for years, Vincent,” Sephiroth repeated.  Vincent finally turned back to face his nemesis.  He didn’t look evil at all… he looked so innocent, so… devastatingly angelic in a sensuous, devilish way.  Vincent removed his burdensome cape, flinging it upon the hard stone floor.  His black outfit shimmered in an invisible light.

“I haven’t been watching you, but your presence is always there.  In the back of my mind, it teases me,” Vincent moaned, leaning against a wall.  Sephiroth rose from the coffin, gingerly stepping out.  His black boots thudded heavily on the stone.  Each step was like the pounding of a drum.  Each pounding of that invisible drum echoed the thudding in Vincent’s heart.  His feelings were between human and animal.  His sensations were between love and hate.  His mind… his mind was whirling.  Here he was, the very personification of evil, standing at full height in front of Vincent.  Sephiroth’s body- shirtless, pale, hard, taut… Vincent’s animal urges throbbed passionately at his genitals.

Sephiroth knew.  He could sense everything eating away at Vincent’s mind.   Soon, Vincent wouldn’t be able to tolerate another second.  Sephiroth took a step closer, then two.  Step.  Step.  Vincent’s pulse quickened as a drop of sweat traveled down his face.

“I’ve been watching you for a very, very long time…” Sephiroth murmured, placing a muscular hand to Vincent’s jaw.  Vincent drew in a shuddering gasp.  Another hand found its way to Vincent’s forehead- another jagged wheeze.  Vincent felt a slight twinge and a stiffening in his pants.  Swearing internally, he commanded himself to go limp.  With that, the slight pleasure he obtained from Sephiroth’s touch was gone.

Sephiroth grinned slowly.  “You resist me well, Vincent, but the more my affections shy away, the more I want them!”  With that, he pressed his lips against Vincent’s, his tongue moving over Vincent’s warm lips.  Vincent opened his mouth for another ragged gasp, and Sephiroth seized the opportunity to thrust his tongue into Vincent’s cavernous mouth- his tongue now running along his teeth, his sharp fangs… Sephiroth pressed his hip against Vincent’s groin, pushing for a reaction out of the calm beast.  Still nothing.

“Why… why are you doing this?” Vincent gasped, pulling away.  Sephiroth’s eyes widened.

“This is what you want.  You wished for this.”

Vincent’s eyes went wide.  Never in his life did he dream of being stimulated by the bastard child of his dead lover.  Yet still… his senses felt so alive!  His mind screamed against this forbidden intercourse, but his heart, as well as his raging animal hormones, called out in pleasure.  He lowered his gaze to the stone floor, his good hand removing his headgear and his brass claws undoing the clasp to his silver belt.  “Did you wish for this?”

Sephiroth pushed closer, backing Vincent up against another wall.  “Of course I did.  I wouldn’t be here, breathing down your neck, fondling you…” Sephiroth’s strong hands delicately reached down Vincent’s pants and massaged his testicles with searing, gentle passion.  Vincent drew in a ragged gasp of pleasure.  “Kissing you…” he moaned as his tongue slid up Vincent’s neck.  “You wished I would be here, so here I am.  You may not have realized this, but you’ve had this coming for a long, long time.”

Vincent pulled at this black tunic, ripping it off in a rush of desire.  “Y-yes!” he roared, his claws running down Sephiroth’s bare back, bringing thin lines of blood to the surface.  Sephiroth once more pressed his hip against Vincent’s groin, to be met with a hard, luscious, deliciously tender erection.  With surprising strength, Vincent pushed Sephiroth closer to the coffin.  The two half-naked bodies pressed against each other, gleaming with sweat.  With a final burst of strength, Vincent threw Sephiroth down into the casket.  The sides immediately burst free of their frame, clattering to the floor.  Vincent pounced upon the stunned angel, his claws ripping at those sensuous leather pants.  Shred by shred revealed rock hard leg muscles, and shred by shred of torn leather fell harmlessly to the satin of the casket. 

Sephiroth moaned with raw pleasure as he felt himself pressing against the slightly weaker frame of Vincent.  His hands traveled over Vincent’s still clothed buttocks, massaging with every search.  There HAD to be a button or something- perhaps a zipper, that would allow a more pleasurable experience for both men.  As he searched, Sephiroth kicked off his long black boots with much difficulty, groaning with effort.   Vincent suddenly stopped and sat up.  “That seems like a good idea…” he murmured thoughtfully, removing his metal footwear.  A few shreds of Sephiroth’s former pants still covered his pelvis, but that all changed when he pulled himself to his knees to aid Vincent with his undressing.  The scraps fluttered to the ground, exposing him completely.  Vincent’s mouth hung open as he stood, stunned.  Sephiroth’s body… Vincent couldn’t remember a more beautiful statue.  On his knees, looking up, that physique!  Vincent’s heart raced.

“Something wrong?” Sephiroth asked innocently.  INNOCENTLY.  Something had changed in this monster.  He looked like an angel in the dim light of this cave, and angel he was in his manner of behavior.  What transformation had taken place?  Had he really been down here so long, so lonely- lonely enough to kneel naked in front of Vincent?

Vincent shook his head slowly, smiling somewhat.  The effects of the angel’s touch had left his senses, leaving him limp once more.  Even as Sephiroth drew closer, Vincent’s frustrating calmness prevented any emotional stimulation.  Even Sephiroth himself was flaccid.  The two men stared at each other- the half naked beast and the nude angel.

Sephiroth moved again first.  His hands reached out and tugged at the small metal zipper in the front of Vincent’s pants.  The shimmering cloth fell away, revealing Vincent completely.  Vincent glanced down in partial shock- his erotic senses dulled considerably.  He felt himself trying to take a step back, then another.  His self-consciousness was beginning to run rampant.  He stumbled over his pants, which acted as a tight vise around his ankles.  With another adrenaline rush from his fear-induced high, he tried to take a giant bound away from the beautiful, masculine angel, but ended up clumsily plummeting to the floor.  Sephiroth smiled softly.

“There you go again, letting your fear control you.  What are you afraid of?  That your body will disgust me?  That I’ll find you to be only a second rate source of pleasure?  Perhaps, are you afraid of what this may lead to?  You know your friend Cloud fears and hates me, and I’m sure the others feel the same way about me.  If they knew we were lovers…”

“We are NOT lovers!” Vincent cried out.

“Really, now?” Sephiroth asked, resting back on the cold floor.  A shiver ran up his spine as he stared at the quivering, frail body of Vincent.  Even with his supple muscles and strangely beautiful form, he was, nonetheless, a frightened entity.  A scared little rabbit.  A great trembling racked through Vincent’s body as he pondered this sudden question.

“I-I don’t know…” he murmured, reaching to pull up his pants.  Sephiroth’s gleaming eyes dulled.

“Do you find me attractive?”

“Yes, of course…” Vincent bumbled before he could catch himself and come up with a slightly less emotional response.  Sephiroth’s eyes began to glow once more.  He crawled a bit toward Vincent, lustily, on his hands and knees.  Vincent’s eyes widened and uttered the same gasp he did when Sephiroth was pleasing him.

“Does the idea of intercourse offend you then?”  Sephiroth pronounced the word “intercourse” with crisp emphasis.  Vincent shivered once more.

“No!” he blurted out, once again unable to stop himself from saying these things.  Sephiroth’s body was just so intoxicating… Vincent’s breathing began to match Sephiroth’s.  They breathed in sync.  They moved in sync. 

“Would you give nearly anything to have another moment like the one we just shared- just better and more… pleasing to both of us?” Sephiroth asked, his lips curling to form a wicked grin. 

Vincent let go of his pants and tugged at the ankles.  The fabric slid down his muscular legs easily and gathered neatly at the stone floor.  Vincent kicked it aside with his bare foot, now sitting in front of the angel completely nude.  “Yes.  That touch, your voice… I have to have it!  I need more!” Vincent breathed, intoxicated by Sephiroth’s openness and sensuousness.  Sephiroth edged closer to Vincent. 

“You desire more?” 

Vincent smiled, a large reckless grin spread across his face.  Not even his comrades, not even Lucretia had seen him smile this widely.  He pulled himself to his feet, still grinning, and stepped over to Sephiroth.   “And you?  Do you desire me?  Why do you want me so badly?” 

Sephiroth stood up slowly, a smile on his face.  “I have been watching you for an eternity.  I have grown to love you over the passage of time.  I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time.”  He placed an arm on Vincent’s shoulder.  “But sometimes, the wait is what makes such an experience even more pleasurable.” 

Vincent grinned once more, and kept his eyes locked with those shimmering emerald eyes of Sephiroth’s.  Sephiroth put another arm on Vincent’s other shoulder.  Suddenly, Vincent threw himself at Sephiroth, whirling him around and pressing him against a stone wall.  He kissed Sephiroth passionately, pressing against Sephiroth’s statuesque body.  Sephiroth moaned with ecstatic surprise as Vincent ran his claws through Sephiroth’s hair and tilted his head back with his free hand.  He kissed with a fervor unknown to all- including Sephiroth.   Needless to say, it was quite a welcome surprise. 

Sephiroth pulled Vincent’s face closer to his own, kissing back with all of his strength.  Both men grunted with sheer pleasure as their bodies pressed against one another with force enough to crush just about anything.  Breathing heavily, Vincent moved his tongue around the contours of Sephiroth’s face.  He heard the angel moan with pleasure as his tongue brushed the bottom of his chin.  Taking note of his sudden discovery, Vincent began to focus his attention on Sephiroth’s neck.  With every lick, with every bite, Sephiroth’s moaning grew louder and even more tinted with extreme ecstasy. 

Still, Vincent pressed lower.  His tongue drifted to Sephiroth’s smooth chest, to his raised nipples, down to this stomach, and finally to his shaft.  He closed his lips over the head, roughly squeezing and suckling it.   Sephiroth’s moans erupted into an agonized scream of rapture.  Vincent’s right hand groped Sephiroth roughly as his left claws lightly ran up his leg.    Vincent grinned wickedly.  “You like that?” he growled, baring his fangs.  Sephiroth’s eyes widened, half with fear of what Vincent could do to him, half with ferocious lust. 

“Oh, you’d better believe it,” Sephiroth breathed, leaning heavily against the wall.  His eyes glimmered.  “This is delicious torture.” 

Vincent grinned once again.  “Torture?”  He brought his lips back to Sephiroth’s shaft and ran his fangs down its entire length.  Sephiroth arched his back and cried out again.  “Is this torture enough?”  Seeing Sephiroth shudder this way, he knew that the end was near for the pleasure-stricken angel.  Vincent sat back on the stone floor, watching Sephiroth’s face contort in agony.  Watching as he fell to his knees, hoping the pain with his falling would distract from the pain of having no release.  Sephiroth glared sharply at Vincent. 

“You’re a sadistic one, Vincent, but you can’t hold out forever.  Sooner or later, you won’t be able to contain yourself.” 

Vincent smirked, spreading his legs a little, beckoning to Sephiroth with his eyes.  Sephiroth stood up, squatted a little, and held on to Vincent’s shoulders.  He brought his lips to Vincent’s, and as the beast was occupied with the angel’s probing kiss, Sephiroth found Vincent’s hardness and plunged downward, allowing himself to be penetrated roughly.  Vincent pulled his face away from Sephiroth’s with a wild animal cry, his eyes wide with shock and pleasure.  Sephiroth squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, trying not to lose himself in the pain of penetration.  He leaned backward, allowing himself to lay on his back on the floor with Vincent still attached to him. 

Vincent tried to pull out- even though Sephiroth’s warm body was exciting him beyond his wildest dreams.  He only got halfway freed when Sephiroth reeled him back in with his muscular arms.  A shudder.  A gasp.  A blinding sensation of pleasure.  “You’re not getting away that easy,” Sephiroth moaned, his voice strained.  Sweat broke out on his naked body as his own erection dug into Vincent’s side.  Vincent grunted slightly as he tried once again to pull back.  Once again, Sephiroth pulled him back in.  This time, his vision darkened as he sucked in a large wheezing gasp of air. 

“Let me up!” Vincent demanded, struggling against Sephiroth’s grip.  Sephiroth opened one eye and managed a small grin. 

“You think this isn’t hurting me?” he asked calmly, holding back ragged gasps.  His head began to spin.  The walls of the stone room were closing in on him and Vincent.  Vincent once again tried to pull out, this time, rolling to the side and pressing up against the angel’s cock.  Sephiroth couldn’t hold it in any longer.  He cried out violently, pulling Vincent in tighter than ever.  Vincent’s eyes went wide as he felt a warm wetness on his hips, as he felt Sephiroth’s heart beat faster and faster, hear his breaths become even more ragged.  Sephiroth fell back, panting and moaning, with the beast still in him.  Vincent stared at Sephiroth, how his naked body trembled beneath him… but as far as Sephiroth was concerned, it was all over.  Vincent took in a deep breath and leaned forward, thrusting as he did so.   Sephiroth cried out again, turning his head violently to the side and gasping for breath.  Vincent kissed those pale lips of Sephiroth’s, licking and biting, until Sephiroth’s eyes opened and his arms once again wrapped around the beast.  Sephiroth pushed Vincent away slowly, but now Vincent was pressing back against Sephiroth’s searing body.  Vincent moaned as this process repeated, still keeping his lips fixed on Sephiroth’s.   Suddenly, a great wave of pulsating sensations ripped through his body.  In a panic, Vincent tore his face away from Sephiroth’s.  His breath came in horrid, ragged gasps as he began to groan involuntarily.  The sensations became overwhelming, and, startled, he jerked out of the angel’s opening.  That last stoke was all it took to send him into shattering oblivion.  Vincent moaned with intense ecstasy as he felt his own blissful release.   He heard Sephiroth cry out in surprise.   Vincent had no control over the expulsion of his seed.  He pressed up against Sephiroth again, to be met with the warmth of his own semen dripping down the hard muscles of the angel, now his.  Sephiroth made no attempt to wipe it off. 

Exhausted, Vincent slumped into Sephiroth’s arms.  The last of his energy had been spent.  He hadn’t counted on anything but sleep.  “I’m so tired…” he whispered.  Sephiroth nodded as he lightly nibbled on Vincent’s ear. 

“I know.  Get some rest,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around Vincent’s midsection.  Vincent leaned against Sephiroth’s warm body,  resting his head against Sephiroth’s shoulder.  His eyes closed slowly, and he descended into a blissful slumber, the beast curled up in the arms of the angel. 

Sephiroth rested against the stone wall, stroking Vincent’s long obsidian hair lightly, gazing into the innocent face that was only minutes ago contorted in fear, pleasure, and ecstasy.  He knew that this night would live on forever in each of their minds.   The sun set behind the Nibel Mountains, and the Shinra mansion slept peacefully.

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