Chapter Text
A Soldier's Wedding.
By Sephiroth
-Chapter 1-
"Let me be alone." Sephiroth said, darkly. He felt angry and confused at the moment. His left hand was clenched around the hilt of his sword so tightly that had it not been gloved and not extremely pale, Cloud might have seen his knuckles turning white.
Cloud almost turned and left, but something stopped him.
"No."
Sephiroth blinked. "You dare disobey me?!" he spun around, swinging his sword at Cloud.
Cloud, who had anticipated that Sephiroth might do something like that, blocked the blow with his own sword.
Sephiroth struck again and again, but Cloud blocked him each time.
"I learned from the best."
The words were barely heard over the din of steel on steel. But they were heard and Sephiroth smiled, briefly, at the compliment.
"Sephiroth, please stop this," Cloud pleaded. "Look, I don't care how you were created or what anyone says. You're still the Sephiroth I've always loved." He went very pale. He'd meant to say 'admired'. He did love Sephiroth, but he hadn't meant to blurt it out like that.
Sephiroth turned in surprise. "You... *love* me?"
Cloud nodded.
~Here it comes,~ he thought to himself. ~This is where he kicks me out and has me booted from SOLDIER.~
"Cloud," Sephiroth's voice wavered a little. A tremor of rage was Cloud's guess.
Cloud was shaking his head. "Look, I know it was stupid of me to admit that, and I'm sorry, but its true and I can't do a thing about it. And since you're about to throw me out of SOLDIER, may I go and pack please?"
"I love you, too."
Cloud blinked. Had the General just said...?
"Sir?" Cloud was very nonplussed. "But I'm..."
"Just a grunt?" Sephiroth knew where this was going already. Why would a high rank officer fall in love with a newly recruited grunt?
Cloud nodded. "And you're a..."
"General?" Sephiroth supplied again.
Another nod from Cloud.
"And that means what?" Sephiroth asked. He'd never really cared about titles so Cloud being a 'mere' grunt didn't phase him.
"So it doesn't bother you?" Cloud could feel his heart thumping in his chest. "What about what the others will say?"
"It's just talk," Sephiroth shrugged.
Cloud's heart was beating so fast now, he thought it would come out of his chest. Sephiroth loved him! But did he dare ask.
"What's on your mind?" Sephiroth inquired as he sheathed Masamune and headed for the door.
"I have a question I want to ask you." Cloud told Sephiroth.
"Go ahead."
They were crossing the town square when Cloud, realizing that if he waited he would lose the courage, suddenly asked,
"Will you marry me?"
Everyone within earshot turned to face them. Cloud turned beet red. He hadn't meant for others to hear him. For a moment he was terrified that Sephiroth might be angered by Cloud's public proposal; then he heard Sephiroth's laughter. At first he was relieved, then he felt a little upset. Did Sephiroth think the whole thing had been a joke?
"I'm not joking, Seph'." Cloud told him.
"I know." Sephiroth replied. "I'm laughing because I'm so incredibly happy right now."
The others that were still around them were listening intently to the exchange, hanging on every word uttered between the two men from SOLDIER.
"What's going on?" A woman asked a friend as she arrived and saw everyone staring at Cloud and Sephiroth.
"That blond kid just proposed to General Sephiroth," the friend explained. "We're just waiting to see what the General's answer wil be."
Sephiroth nodded. "Yes." he told Cloud, eliciting a cheer from the crowd that had gathered around them.
end part 1