Yeah~ I kinda fibbed a little. I wasn't working on updates for other stories, except for "Present from the Past", that was true. however the other project I've been working on is this. I was listening to Cloud's Theme and while looking at a picture of Kadaj and Cloud and this is the result. The much-anticipated and highly requested Sequel to "Little Ducklings" is finally here!

Remember, this universe follows along the lines of canon, but there are some big differences. I never like to go far from canon, but hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as you did the first one. Not as much fluff, but there will be the rare moment. Like this prologue for example. ;)

Final Fantasy VII and all related characters belong to Square Enix.

Enjoy!

Put me to the test, I'll prove that I am strong ~ Beth Crowley - Warrior

Brothers In Arms

Prologue

"Are you sure you have everything? Perhaps you should pack your scarf and some extra gloves? You may need them if it gets cold. How many shirts did you pack? Do you want to bring my favorite necklace for good luck?"

"For the tenth time, thank you mother, but no. I don't need a necklace. It's bad enough people call me a chocobo, I don't need them to start calling me a girl on top of it."

The bedroom of fourteen-year-old Cloud Strife was a scene of utter chaos. A tornado would have left it cleaner. Skye Strife had gone through nearly every drawer and shelf trying to think of new things her favorite son would need. As a mother, she loved all of her children, but Cloud was different, and he couldn't tell why. Perhaps it was because his father seemed to hold his older brother Sephiroth so high above the others, perhaps it was because he was the only one of her five children to have inherited her features, including her blonde hair, or perhaps it was because he was the most helpful to her. Though all of those reasons probably played a hand in it.

Skye stood up straight from looking through the bottom drawer of his dresser, only to slightly wince when her back popped. Cloud was sitting on his bed looking pretty annoyed. It wasn't so much as he wasn't happy about leaving. He had been dreaming of this moment for years. The day he would leave to begin his training to become a SOLDIER. He had spent the past year training himself down by the creek ever since Sephiroth had left the previous year. Cloud was glad when he left. To say his older brother was a jerk was an understatement. He never understood why Sephiroth seemed to despise his younger siblings, but then again Sephiroth didn't like anyone, except for maybe their father.

unfortunately in that same year, Cloud's best friend Zack had also left to join SOLDIER. He still had contact with him every now and then, but it wasn't the same. The blonde missed when they would spend days hanging around town, getting into harmless mischief or just lazing about, doing absolutely nothing. Not that hanging out more with Tifa wasn't fun, but Cloud still had a bad case of shyness around her. It only seemed to get worse after she had kissed him. True, it wasn't a real kiss, more like a peck on the cheek, but it was still the same to Cloud. She liked him and she had openly shown it, but he had yet to do the same. But, she seemed to be able to guess by noticing how red his face turned whenever she was around.

Cloud didn't want to leave her behind especially after she had helped him train a bit by the creek. Even when her father found out she was spending time with him and forbid her from having anything do to with him. Why the man hated him so much, Cloud would never know. Then again their fathers didn't exactly see things eye to eye. Cloud had issues with his own father. Especially when he had forbidden Cloud from joining SOLDIER when he worked up the nerve to ask him.

The blonde teen couldn't understand it. When Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz asked him if they could join the program their father didn't say no, but told them to work hard because SOLDIER was no child's game. But when Cloud had asked less than a week later the man just about exploded. His words still stung as they surfaced in Cloud's memory.

"You think SOLDIER will ever accept some runty little shit like you? You don't know how to pick up a sword let alone swing it. you don't have the stamina, the speed or the skill that Sephiroth does and no amount of child's play you call training will ever prepare you for the trials that SOLDIERs face. If I hadn't been there to see the birth of all my kids I would swear you're not my son. Face it Cloud, you don't deserve to be in SOLDIER, you're not worthy enough and I forbid you to try!"

After that encounter, Cloud had locked himself in his room for three days. He didn't eat and he barely slept and when Loz caught him on a quick trip to the restroom the teen glared at his younger brother and said something that made the boy cry. In Cloud's rage, he didn't even know what he said. He had been too angry to remember, but he had spent the next night regretting it. It wasn't Loz' fault that their father was a first class asshole. Finally it was Kadaj who managed to bring Cloud out of his stupor.

. . .

"Brother, d-do you have a minute?"

Cloud was laying down and turned to face the wall, but when he didn't tell him to leave Kadaj took that as a sign to stay.

"Remember when I said I was scared about reading my report to the class? A-and you told me to picture people I cared about watching me and no one else mattered?"

Still no response.

"I pictured you at the window. It was so easy, it was like you were really there. I wasn't afraid anymore because you were there listening to me."

"What's your point?" asked Cloud, still not turning to face his brother.

"Maybe you should follow your own advice. What would Zack tell you if he were here? Or Tifa?"

"Zack's not here, he's already in SOLDIER and I'm forbidden from seeing Tifa. I'm all alone, so I better get used to it."

Kadaj was hurt by his brother's words. With tears in his eyes he hit Cloud in the leg. "You're not alone bruver! You got us!"

Cloud blinked and turned to see Kadaj openly crying. "You got me, and you got Loz and Yazoo! You got mother and...and..." He began sniffling as he tried to keep going, but was getting too upset to speak.

Cloud sat up and with an apologetic smile, wiped away his brother's tears with his thumb. "Your big bruver's been a real jerk lately, hasn't he. I guess Dad's right, I am stupid."

"No, you're just a chocobo head," Kadaj teased.

Cloud cracked a small smirk, "Now that's hitting below the belt."

Kadaj shook his head, "No, it's hitting above the eyes."

Cloud chuckled before giving his brother an evil grin. "C'mere!"

The two brothers ended up wrestling on the bed. Kadaj was trying to kick himself free while Cloud began a devastating tickle attack. Eventually the older brother was rewarded by squealing giggles from the younger one, until Kadaj managed to get free and find the blonde's only ticklish spot: his sides.

Eventually the two called a truce and fell onto the bed in a tired heap. Both of them looking up at the ceiling.

"Did you really mean what you said, Kadaj?"

"'bout what?"

"Did you really mean it when you said you wanted to help me be a better SOLDIER than Sephiroth?"

Kadaj blinked in shock and looked over at his brother. "You were really there?"

"I was."

Cloud didn't miss the big smile that appeared on Kadaj's face.

"I meant every word," the younger replied. "SOLDIER would be a scary place if Sephy became the best. People would take orders from him and he's a bully. It wouldn't be a safe place with him around, not with everyone afraid of him. And SOLDIER means that you have their back and they have yours, but we know Sephy doesn't like helping people. He does what he wants and is scary when he doesn't get his way. He goes to dad and Dad makes what he wants happen."

Cloud never thought of it that way, but Kadaj was right. If anyone didn't belong in SOLDIER it was Sephiroth.

"You're not like Seph," Kadaj continued. "And you're not weak. Daddy lies about you all the time. He lies to us and tried to get Yazoo to hate you, but he's too smart for that. We know how much you love us because we always have fun with you and you're a lot nicer than Sephy."

Cloud should have realized that it didn't matter what his father believed and he was determined to prove his father wrong. Cloud would become a SOLDIER and he'd surpass his older brother if only to forever wipe that smug scowl off his father's face. Every time he looked at Cloud it was if he was disgusted. It was one of the things that irked the blonde more than anything.

"I need to apologize to Loz," Cloud told his little brother.

Kadaj shook his head and smiled. "He's already over it. Mother gave him a cookie and told him you were having a bad day. He's not mad at you."

Cloud sighed with relief. "Good."

. . .

"Sweetheart, did you hear what I said?"

Cloud snapped out of his thoughts when he realized his mother was holding something not two inches from his face. He blinked in utter confusion when he realized the chocobo print staring back at him.

"Did you need more underwear?" she asked again.

"Mother!" Cloud snatched the boxers out of his mom's hands before tossing it on the bed, away from him, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I have everything I need packed already, I only asked you if you had an extra belt I could borrow."

"Oh, I'm sorry Cloud, I didn't realize,...it's just...not easy to see you leave, but I know how much it means to you. I know your father won't be happy, but I'll make things right with him. Don't you worry about what he might think. He has no right to stop you from joining SOLDIER. Why, I'd join to if girls were allowed."

"Seriously?" Cloud asked, a bit surprised. He had never ever seen his mother act violent in any way. He doubted she had a single aggressive bone in her body.

"Never come between a mother chocobo and her chicks," she winked at him. She then turned to wipe something from her face. "I just can't believe you're really leaving the nest."

Cloud stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll always be your little chocobo."

She turned and hugged him and he hugged back just as tightly. Cloud hated his father's guts, but his bond with his mother more than made up for it.

She sniffled and cleared her throat before finally pulling away. "Y-you better get going, you're father will be home soon."

Cloud nodded before taking his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll write to you once I've settled."

She followed him to the door before hugging him again. She kissed his forehead and he waved before setting off at a jog. He knew that the road ahead of him wouldn't be easy, but he had all of the support of his friends and most of his family and that was all the strength he needed.