Angeal awoke with a start, his hand already on a sword he kept beside his bed for emergencies. As his mind came fully into consciousness he listened out for whatever it was that had awoken him, looking at the clock to see that it was three in the morning.

After a pause he heard it again; the creak of the floorboards downstairs that told him an intruder was in the house. He smiled grimly to himself. More fool them with two SOLDIER operatives under one roof. He saw no need to wake the other however; knowing that Zack had spent an exhausting day in Hojo's training room and needed his sleep.

Silently Angeal crept from his room and slunk down the staircase as silent as a shadow. He looked first into the living room, seeing that the buster sword was still in its place on the mantle. Another small sound signalled that the intruder was in the kitchen and so, readying his grip on the sword, he flung open the door.

'Got you!' he shouted before halting his downward swing.

Cloud jumped, the glass of milk in his hand slipping. Both pair of eyes watched as the glass fell and both thrust hands out to catch it. Both missed.

Cloud was apologising before that glass had even smashed, bending down to pick up the pieces.

'I'll do it,' Angeal sighed, gathering the glass together. He stopped for a moment to fix his ward with a stern eye. 'Cloud Strife, what are you doing up at this time of night?'

'Er... technically it's morning, 'geal,' Cloud started but the look the older man gave him told him that he was in no mood for jokes. 'I couldn't sleep!'

Angeal looked at the boy's earnest face and then chuckled. He was about to reply when Zack came bursting into the room, his sword in his hand and his eyes still half-glazed in sleep. 'Hmwhazza?!' he said, the tip of the sword waving sleepily.

'Put that down before you hurt yourself,' Angeal ordered the teen. 'Honestly, I think one of you boys is going to be the death of me one day!' He saw Zack's confused expression and elaborated. 'Our young warrior couldn't sleep.'

Zack's face cleared in understanding and he gave his younger adoptive brother a lopsided grin. 'Aw shucks, is that it? Anyone would think something special was happening tomorrow.'

'I seem to remember another young SOLDIER recruit keeping me up into the small hours not so many years ago,' Angeal grinned.

Zack laughed good-naturedly, placing his sword on the kitchen table and crossing the room to ruffle Cloud's hair. 'Hey, I did like- three thousand squats that night. That's a record!'