Rapunzel (Sephiroth x Cloud)
A/N: Inspired by a post made by @meru-chanowo. Please note that this isn't going to be exactly like Tangled or the Rapunzel fairytales. The story is different; altered to fit the characters' personalities. With that short disclaimer out of the way, I hope you enjoy. 💜
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Sephiroth sighed as he stared out the window, taking in the lush scenery before him. The sky was a gorgeous light blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds; the grass was a shining green, and the dewdrops that had accumulated overnight were glistening brightly in the shining morning sun whose bright rays also illuminated the entire tower through the window.
"I wish I could go out there,"
He mumbled, folding his arms and resting his face in them. He'd spent his entire life confined in that tall, tall tower in the middle of nowhere; all he knew was the dull brick walls and the little snippet of the outside world provided by his tiny window.
"But Mother wouldn't let me..."
Mother Jenova was a strict, strict woman, who always insisted the outside world was a cruel, dangerous place full of evil people and disgusting creatures. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, she repeatedly told him that the safest place he could ever hope to be was within that tower, safe and sound. Sephiroth had believed her for most of his life, but recently, he began to wonder: Was the entire world that terrible? Was that small meadow visible from his tiny window the only part of the Earth that wasn't corrupted? These kinds of questions created curiosity; curiosity created hypotheses; hypotheses need to be tested.
Sephiroth wanted to leave the tower more than anything. He wanted to explore and see the world for himself, rather than rely on Mother Jenova's words. Not to mention, he was lonely. So, so lonely. The only person he'd ever spoken to was Mother Jenova, and as stated before, she was a strict, strict woman. She would never indulge in fantasies, theories, or even speak of "what-if's", she was all about facts, figures, and more importantly, Sephiroth's safety.
"This tower is the safest place you'll ever be in, child," She would tell him, while brushing his hair out as she did every night before bed. "Here, you'll never want, never need, and never fear. This tower is your home. Don't ever think about leaving it."
But that was the problem, Sephiroth wanted to want, he wanted to need and to fear; he desired so strongly to experience things for himself, to live his own life.
In short, Sephiroth wanted freedom.
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair," Shouted a voice. Sephiroth turned to the window and saw Mother Jenova waving to him from below, her curvaceous, blue-skinned figure wrapped in a blue shawl, a basket of groceries under her arm. Sephiroth let out a low chuckle, as this was an inside joke between him and his mother. The length of his hair as well as his ethreal beauty made him quite similar to the fairytale princess. In reality, he did not use his hair for climbing purposes; Mother Jenova possessed the ability to levitate into the tower on her own.
"Did you miss me, child?" She asked, setting down her groceries on the small wooden table. "Very much so, Mother." Sephiroth answered, quietly. He had learned over the years that Mother Jenova expected a very specific reply to certain questions, and that if she didn't get it, she would scream and shout for hours, even after her throat turned hoarse. Sephiroth knew what she wanted: To be seen as the perfect, loving mother, the ultimate provider and the only person upon which he should ever depend. In order to keep the peace, he would have to make sure that his words convinced her this was true.
"Oh, while I was out getting groceries, I came across this lovely-looking book and thought you might like it." Mother Jenova fished a thick, hardcover book out of her basket and handed it to Sephiroth. "Thank you, Mother," He said, graciously accepting it. "I shall read it right away." Mother Jenova nodded proudly before heading to the window. "I'm afraid I must go away again," She said, though Sephiroth doubted she was actually afraid. For someone who held such a dark view of the world, Mother Jenova sure enjoyed traveling through it. "I have another errand to run, this one a bit long, so don't expect me home for several days." Sephiroth kept a placid smile as he responded, "I understand, Mother, I'll simply busy myself with this book." Mother Jenova smiled widely before leaning forward and planting a kiss on his hair. "I love you so much, my child. Be well, and know that the world is a dangerous place."
With that, she was gone, having leaped out the window and levitated off somewhere. Once she was gone, Sephiroth let out a loud sigh and leaned against the wall, the new book in his lap. Several times in his childhood, he'd asked to go with her on these errands, and each time, he'd been slapped across the face and told he was an ungrateful child. "When will I get to be free?" He wondered, absently fanning himself with his book.
The answer to his question was soon; very, very soon.
Sephiroth was leaning against the window, his long hair actually trailing out of it, reading the new book Mother Jenova had gotten him. It was an adventure novel, believe it or not, and reading it increased Sephiroth's desire to explore the world himself. He was so lost in the book, he never noticed the man on horseback speeding towards his tower-prison. "Hey!" The man shouted, causing Sephiroth to jump. Mother Jenova had always told him to avoid being seen by humans, should any stumble upon his residence. At this point, it was too late, as Sephiroth and his hair were perfectly visible by this strange blonde stranger, and his horse.
"You live here?" The guy shouted, nervously glancing behind himself for a moment. Sephiroth nodded, throwing aside his book, leaning out the window, and staring at this person intently. "Who are you?" The blondie scratched his head; his horse, which was an unusual bright red, neighed loudly. "I'm Cloud," He finally answered, sounding rather afraid. "Cloud Strife, merc-for-hire. But not right now." He cast another wary glance behind him and continued, "I'm being chased by The Turks. Think you could let me hide up in that tower?"
Several questions flashed across Sephiroth's mind. Who were the Turks? What was a "merc"? And why was he talking to this suspicious, yet oddly cute stranger? He was defying every rule Mother Jenova had ever set for him--and he was liking it!
"Sure, you can hide in here," He said, gripping the windowsill excitedly. "Except...I don't know how you'd get in." Cloud groaned and ran his hand down his face.
"How do you get in and out?"
"I don't. I live with my mother who does all the errands for me."
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Well, how does she get in and out?"
Sephiroth shook his head again. "Levitation."
"Ah." Cloud frowned thoughtfully, looking around for something he could use to scale the tower. Then, he caught sight of Sephiroth's incredibly long, shiny hair. "Hey, how strong is that hair of yours?" He asked, completely serious. Sephiroth was taken aback for a second, his brain working to process this information. Eventually, he understood what Cloud meant.
"You want....to climb up my hair?" Cloud nodded; he didn't see any other way to get up into the tower.
"Alright...umm...come a little closer, then." Cloud obeyed, making the horde trot up to the tower wall where he was met with a very long, almost rope-like coil of shimmering white hair. Clearing his throat, Cloud grasped the long bundle, put his feet on the side of the wall, and began pulling himself upwards.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Sephiroth winced; having a full grown man climb up a 40 foot tower using only his hair was more painful than he'd thought. However, he gritted his teeth and stood there, waiting until Cloud reached the window. Then, he took the mercenary's hand and pulled him through.
"Nice place you got," Cloud remarked, once he was inside.
"Thank you," Responded Sephiroth, as he gathered up his hair and flung it over his shoulder.
"You said you live with your mom, right? Where is she now?"
Sephiroth sighed. "She's out...running errands. Or so she says."
Cloud turned around, a curious expression on his face. "What do you mean?"
Sephiroth folded his arms, feeling both guilty and excited. He knew he shouldn't be telling a guy he just met all about his personal life, but he couldn't resis. For the first time in his life, he was talking to a real human--someone other than his mother.
"She leaves to travel and collect things, and never tells me what they're for. She won't take me with her either. I've...been stuck in this tower since the day I was born."
Cloud frowned; his brow furrowed. "Really? Wow...that sucks. If...if you like...I could get you outta here." Cloud had no idea why he said that, especially considering that he was a wanted criminal in most major cities, but something about this strange, beautiful man struck him and made him want to help him out of this trapped life he seemed to be living. Cloud watched with bated breath as Sephiroth's glistening green eyes lighten, feeling his own face heat up in the process.
"You'd do that? Take me away? Why? You don't even know me." Cloud shrugged, not sure of his own reasoning himself. "I dunno... I just kinda want to. So....uhh.?.you interested?"
Yes. Yes, he was. Sephiroth was so interested that he would have flung himself out of the window if he could, but then he remembered something Cloud had mentioned earlier.
"Aren't you being chased by...turkeys, or whatever you called them?"
"Turks," Cloud corrected, "And yeah, I am. But it's OK, cause I'm hiding up here with you, and if we do get spotted, Red XIII can outrun them easily."
"Red XIII?" Sephiroth inquired, confused.
"My horse," Cloud clarified, pointing to the window. "He used to be a warhorse--very fast and very strong. The Turks got nothin' on him."
"So who are the Turks and why are you being chased by them?"
"The Turks work for the royal family, y'know, King Vincent and Queen Lucretia. They're after me cause I'm a mercenary--someone who performs odd jobs, usually violent ones, for money. I've pissed off more people than I can count, most of em upper-classmen." He turned to Sephiroth and realized that the long haired beauty had no idea what Cloud was talking about. "Uhh...you probably don't know what any of that meant, huh?" Sephiroth shook his head, retreating to the shadowy corner and folding his arms tightly across his chest. "No worries, once things calm down a little, we'll leave this place and I'll show you what the world's like." A wide smile spread across Sephiroth's face, one of genuine happiness that filled Cloud with a sense of warmth he'd never felt before.
"That would be lovely," Sephiroth said, a tiny blush beginning to form on his face. "I'm honestly quite excited to see the world...for myself." Cloud bobbed his head in agreement, placing his hands on his hips.
"It's settled then." Cloud stuck his head out the window and surveyed the ground below. "Looks like the Turks have given up the chase--I don't hear their horses anymore." He turned back to Sephiroth, a mischevious glint in his eyes. "Let's make our escape." Sephiroth nodded excitedly--perhaps a bit too excitedly, and sidled up to the mercenary, who leaped out of the tower and landed on his horse, who neighed loudly, but was otherwise unaffected. "Jump," Cloud instructed, holding his arms out. "I'll catch you." Sephiroth clambered onto the windowsill and hesitated; the drop was long and if he missed...
"Just jump," Cloud shouted again. "Red XIII's a tough dude, he can handle it!" That wasn't exactly what Sephiroth was worried about, but whatever. Sucking in a deep breath, Sephiroth took the leap, soaring out of the tower and literally crashing into Cloud's arms. Their eyes met; for a split second, Sephiroth thought he was staring up at a handsome prince.
"Right....should we go?" Cloud asked, looking rather anxious. Sephiroth blinked, then remembered the seriousness of the situation.
"Ah, yes, of course..." He allowed Cloud to lower him to the ground, then circled over to the back of the horse. With some difficulty, he managed to scramble onto it and wrap his hands around Cloud's lean waist.
"Ready to go?" Cloud asked, his face practically on fire.
"Yes, of course."
Though there was much he had left to learn about the world, the way things worked, and Cloud, the mercenary, one thing was certain: After years, and years of longing, Sephiroth was finally free.
