Chapter Five – Beginning

Kadaj’s hair was as fine and silver as the silk web of a Cosmo spider. Cloud ran his hands through it, pulling it away from the boy’s brow. He gently pulled the comb through the healthy strands. Kadaj hissed when the comb snagged a small knot.

“You’re terrible at this,” Kadaj told Cloud. “I want Yazoo to do it.” He glared at Cloud’s reflection in the mirror.

Cloud put the comb down and curled his arms around Kadaj’s waist from behind. He rested his chin on the teenager’s shoulder. “But I like brushing your hair.”

They looked at each other through the mirror. “You’ve been very sentimental recently, Brother,” Kadaj commented. “Have you got brain cancer or something? Only got one month to live, or whatever?”

It had been three months since the brothers left the Shinra Mansion, and Cloud missed the old, cold house. It stood in the little town as empty and dark as the shell of a dead carcass. Now they were back in Midgar preparing for a function held by the Shinra Company.

“I love you, that’s all,” Cloud admitted with effort. He kissed Kadaj’s cheek and Kadaj’s eyes widened. His face screwed up in child-like disgust and he poked his tongue out.

“Ew, way too sentimental!” There was a pause as Cloud picked up the comb and continued his ministrations. Kadaj said, “Why do I have to go to this thing, anyway? I don’t want to go to a stupid Shinra party so you and Yazoo can suck up to a bunch of stupid Shinra high-ups and Loz can get stupidly drunk on stupid free grog. Stupid bastards; I hate Shinra!”

“The princess of Wutai will be there,” Cloud told him.

“Yeah, and...?” Kadaj scoffed.

“And she’s your age, and the rumour is she’s very vivacious and beautiful.”

Kadaj hesitated, his mouth opening, then shutting, then twisting into a frown. Vivacious and beautiful girls were very much Kadaj’s thing.

“I’ll go,” said Kadaj, “on the grounds that you get Yazoo to do my hair.”

“Deal,” Cloud said, and left the bedroom. He found Yazoo in his own bedroom, his back to the door, fiddling with the buttons of his shirt. “Kadaj wants you to do his hair,” Cloud told him.

Yazoo turned around to face him, his long hair swaying with the movement. He smoothed his hands down his dark red shirt. “How do I look?” Yazoo asked.

Cloud looked him up and down. Yazoo was thin, his clothes well-fitted and his hair soft... and yes, Cloud conceded, he was very beautiful. “You look... fine. What does it matter what I think? Kadaj needs you right now.”

There was a flicker of something angry and hurt in Yazoo’s eyes before Cloud turned away.

Next he went to Loz’s room. Loz was busy slapping men’s perfume on his neck. He was smirking to himself in the mirror, humming a happy tune. He hadn’t noticed Cloud in the doorway yet.

The humming turned to actual words as Loz fixed his hair with gel. “Oh Tifa,” he sang, “you came and you gave me a something, oh why did you something, oh Tifa.”

Cloud raised his eyebrow and moved on to his own room, feeling slightly disturbed.

He went through all the motions – brushed his hair, fixed his shirt, his trousers, put perfume on. Afterwards he stared at himself in the mirror for a long time. He was still; the only movement was the rapid blinking of his eyes and the clenching of his jaw, his throat working silently. He stood there, even when his brothers left their respective rooms and Kadaj was asking Loz loudly if Wutaian girls were hot and Loz saying that yes, Wutaian girls are definitely pussycats in hot-girl form.

Three months, thought Cloud. Three months.

He closed his eyes and turned away from the mirror, wondering what parts of himself he could change so he would never be left behind again.

 - - -

The function was low-key at first, with the guests mingling in small groups and their voices polite and low. It got louder as more people arrived and alcohol was consumed. Each person was announced at the door by a bored looking door-boy.

Once Mrs Tifa Lockhart, owner of Seventh Heaven bar was announced, the brunette looked around the room, caught sight of Cloud and made a beeline for him.

“I wasn’t going to come,” she admitted quietly, “but I heard you and Barret would be here, so I decided to satisfy my curiosity.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Cloud, handing her a glass of white wine.

She smiled. “Hello boys, how are you?”

“Well, thank you,” answered Yazoo.

“Bored,” groaned Kadaj.

“Much better now you’re here,” Loz gushed.

Tifa blinked at him. “Well I... thank you Loz, that’s very sweet.”

The five of them stayed in a tight group at the drinks table for a short while, not particularly interested in talking to strangers. Kadaj perked up suddenly when the door-boy announced, “The Wutaian Princess Yuffie, and her guard of Ninja.”

It had to be the most spectacular entrance of the night. Drums beat as men dressed all in ninja garb somersaulted in. Then ninjas held a platform on which a girl dressed in a long traditional kimono sat, her face hidden by a decretive fan. She was lowered to the ground.

The Shinra president, a fat, blonde, balding man walked forward and took the princess’s hand and kissed it, blubbering at her about how much he was glad she could come.

Kadaj stepped forward away from his brothers, his lips parted and his eyes wide. “Wow,” he gasped, “she’s awesome!”

The ninjas stepped back and stood guard at the edges of the room. The majority of the guests were too intimidated to approach Yuffie for conversation – she was dressed strangely and her demeanour seemed coy yet snobbish, and besides, she had too many men watching the room for threatening people.

But Kadaj was not scared of any of this. He walked towards her, determined, yet when he actually got to her it was obvious to Cloud that he was completely speechless.

He finally said something; Cloud was too far away to hear what it was. The princess’s eyes crinkled in laughter and she pulled the fan away from her face. She was grinning up at him. Kadaj held out his arm and said something else. This made her laugh outright, and it was a shock to hear her laughter: it was loud and carried across the room and sounded suspiciously like “YAK YAK YAK YAK.”

She put her arm through his, took a step forward with him, then half-tripped over the folds of her kimono.

Yazoo turned to Cloud and raised his eyebrow. “Well that was entertaining,” he drawled. “I’ll see you later; I’ve just seen someone across the room I rather like the look of.”

“Who?” asked Cloud.

“Mr Spunky Red-Head, eleven o’clock.” Yazoo turned away but Cloud grabbed his arm.

“Be careful,” Cloud murmured, watching the object of Yazoo’s desire sip from his glass of champagne and glance surreptitiously in their direction. “That guy’s a Shinra Turk.”

Yazoo rolled his eyes and pulled his arm away. “I just want to ask him who his hairdresser is; with hair like that it’s obvious I have competition in this city.” Yazoo, owner of Fifth Element Hair Studio, turned his back on Cloud and made his way towards the Turk.

Cloud made a face and turned to exchange a glance with Loz – only his older brother wasn’t there. A quick look around and Cloud saw Loz had dragged Tifa to the entrée table and was feeding her a chocolate-covered strawberry. She was laughing, a hand pressed to his chest.

Cloud sighed and took a sip of his red wine.

“Yo, bitch,” said a deep voice from behind him.

Cloud turned around and smiled at Barret. He was wearing an expensive suit with the collar open, and bling-bling jewellery shining against his chest.

“I wasn’t gonna come to this shin-dig,” Barret told Cloud gruffly. “This is probably Shinra’s idea of a bad joke: get all the owners of Midgar’s businesses together then blow this joint.”

Cloud shrugged. “They can’t blow up the building while the president is still in it.”

Barret grabbed a glass of wine and slugged it down in two gulps. “That’s why you gotta keep one eye on the boss and the other on the Babylon. Yeah, so why you weepin’, yo?”

Cloud looked at him. “Pardon me?”

Barret gesticulated. “Every time I see you I look at your face and I see the sadness in your eyes.”

“I’m fine,” Cloud lied.

Barret harrumphed, then said, “I ain’t worried about the Shinras bustin’ a cap in my arse – I got myself some muscle.”

Cloud glanced at Barret’s large, meaty arms. “I can see that.”

The large man saw the look Cloud gave him and shook his head. “No, bitch, no. I mean I got myself some hired muscle.” He leaned sideways a bit so he could talk quietly in Cloud’s ear. “One of the best, yo, straight from Shinra. Says he quit the business when they didn’t pay him right. He’s expensive but he can hit a straight bull’s eye a mile away.”

“Really, a mile?” Cloud murmured.

“Yeah he’s the quiet type, jus’ like you. I’ll introduce you – you’ll get along well. Yo!” he shouted, turning. He waved to someone at the edge of the room. “I want you to meet a buddy of mine.”

Cloud turned towards the drink table to pick up another, then turned again to greet Barret’s bodyguard – only to freeze in his place, and almost dropped his glass.

Vincent watched him with piercing red eyes. It was so surreal seeing him in a crowded, well-lit room, wearing his red cloak but also wearing a black suit and burgundy shirt underneath.

Barret slapped Vincent on the shoulder. “Cloud, this is my main man – “

“We’ve met,” Cloud interrupted, eyes on Vincent.

Vincent glanced away from Cloud’s gaze, then flickered back again. “Cloud,” he said smoothly, as way of greeting.

“Hello,” said Cloud coldly.

“Ah...” said Barret, watching them uncertainly. “I’ll jus’ leave you two alone and chat up Tifa.” Cloud and Vincent paid him no mind as he walked away.

“You don’t look well,” Vincent said, after a moment.

Cloud’s lips tightened. “Thank you kindly for you bluntness.”

Vincent tilted his head slightly. “I only say that because I care about you.”

Cloud was momentarily lost for words, his eyes narrow and suspicious. “Three months,” he whispered gruffly. Then louder, “Three months.” He made to turn away, but Vincent grabbed him with his gold claw. Cloud paused and looked down at it, then back up at Vincent, brisling. “Let go of me.”

“I thought about you every day,” Vincent told him, then slowly let go of Cloud. “It killed me to leave you.”

“Then why did you?” Cloud demanded. Their voices were still low and dangerous.

“Because I –“

“Ladies and gentlemen!” the Shinra president’s voice suddenly boomed from the speakers. “If I could please have you attention!”

“Cloud,” Vincent half-whispered, “I want you.”

Cloud closed his eyes and turned away.

“Now that I have you attention,” said the president, “I can tell you why I invited you all to this function tonight.” He was standing on a podium, his son on one side and the politician Palmer on the other. “You are all the owners of great and successful businesses... and their guests, of course, ha ha. Shinra would like to offer you all the chance of your business lifetime...”

“I never thought,” Vincent began softly, “that you would fall for me. I saw you through my mind – I saw you walk into the mansion and I knew then that I wanted you.”

Cloud frowned, his eyes still closed. “Stop talking,” he whispered breathlessly.

“I would have taken you whether or not you wanted to be taken,” Vincent continued. “To have you reciprocate – I never believed that could happen.”

Shinra men started threading through the crowd, handing out blue plastic folders. The Shinra president said, “My executives are handing out business plans as I speak. Please read through and consider the opportunities we are offering.”

There was a murmur around the room as people discussed the plans between each other. Cloud barely paid it any mind, even when a blue folder was placed into his hands. “What are you saying?” asked Cloud softly, slowly.

Vincent placed the fingertips of his right hand against Cloud’s jaw and gently turned Cloud’s face towards his own. Cloud opened his eyes.

“I left because I was worth nothing,” Vincent explained. “I wanted to have you, take care of you, be someone you could be proud of.”

“I liked you just the way you were,” Cloud told him honestly.

“Perhaps you did, then. But understand that it would eventually not be enough. I had to leave and find my place in the world: find work, an apartment, learn to live in a community again.”

Cloud turned to face him properly and Vincent’s hand dropped. “Why didn’t let me help you?”

Vincent looked sad. “I’m sure you know as well as I do that to find yourself in the world, you must do it alone. I’m sorry I left without telling you, but I am terrible at goodbyes. You fell asleep in my arms and I watched you for hours. I couldn’t wake you up, Cloud. It was too painful.”

Cloud hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t do that to me again.”

Vincent put hands on Cloud’s waist and pulled him close, his cloak wrapping around them. “I promise.”

“I hate to break up the moment,” said Barret loudly, “but have you even had a glance at this fucking piece of shit, Cloud?”

Cloud pulled away and looked at the folder in his hand. It had his name and company name (Strife Delivery Service) on the front. He opened it and had a quick read. There was a lot of jargon and complicated sentences that needn’t be complicated, but the idea was...

“Shinra wants to buy us out,” said Cloud, detached.

“Fuckin’ yeah, they want to buy us out, those sons of bitches!”

“Mr Wallace,” said Vincent, “perhaps you should not sell them your company.”

“No shit, Sherlock, I ain’t selling nothin’ to those money-grabbin’, gold-diggin’ – not my oil company, no way. And don’t you even think about it!” he added to Cloud. “I seen you look at the price they payin’!”

Cloud glanced around the room and couldn’t find his brothers anywhere. He sighed. “I’m not about to sell my business, Barret.”

“Good!” the dark man barked. “Then let’s take some boos and get the hell outta here!”

“Wait a moment,” said Cloud, spotting Kadaj on the dance floor with the clumsy Wutaian princess. He walked over to Kadaj, who looked a little annoyed at being interrupted.

“I’m going to Barret’s place,” Cloud told him. “Ride home safely.”

Kadaj smirked. “Don’t I always? Have fun, Brother.”

 - - -

Cloud left in a taxi with Barret and Vincent. Barret was in the front; Vincent crept his hand across the back middle seat, searching for Cloud’s and Cloud allowed him to hold his hand. The bright lights of Midgar flashed across the glass.

They entered Barret’s apartment and found a young girl asleep on the couch and little Marlene sitting on the floor watching midnight television. “Papa!” she exclaimed, running towards Barret. “I didn’t mean to stay up late, honest!”

The girl on the couch awoke and apologised profusely for sleeping on her babysitting job. Barret paid her and slammed the door behind her.

“I’m gonna put Marlene to bed,” Barret told Cloud. “There’s beer in the fridge, help yourself.”

“That’s very generous of him,” Cloud murmured when Barret left the room.

“I suspect it’s not very good quality,” said Vincent. He placed his hand on the back on Cloud’s neck, then gently pulled away. “Thirsty?” he asked.

“No,” said Cloud. He watched Vincent head towards the balcony doors, then followed him.

It was a strangely clear night, considering the pollution in Midgar usually covered the stars. “Are you staying here tonight?” asked Cloud.

Vincent wound his arms around Cloud’s waist from behind. “I go wherever Mr Wallace goes. I rarely sleep and so am able to guard him and his daughter all the time.”

Cloud exhaled shakily as lips were pressed to the back of his neck. “You work hard.”

“I missed you so much,” Vincent whispered in his ear. “Your smell, the feel of you... are you staying here tonight?”

“What do you think?” asked Cloud rhetorically. He turned in Vincent’s arms and kissed him softly.

“I think,” purred Vincent against his lips, “there is nothing more I would love than for you to stay with me tonight, and every other night.”

“So long as you don’t leave,” murmured Cloud. He leant forward and kissed him passionately.

When the world is full of monsters, perhaps the best thing to do is love one. Cloud pressed into Vincent and moaned lowly; Vincent was like a Bolt spell burning through Cloud’s stomach and crackling at this throat. The wind and darkness wrapped around them like a ghost, and if the mansion beckoned, they heard nothing but their pulses in sync.

The end.