Zack poked his head in through the small crack in the door, only to discover that things had not been as he had assumed. It was dark, and silent.
"Yo! Wakey, Wakey!" he called as he burst through the door and flicked on the lights, "Where's the all-night-party? You guys are about to make it into SOLDIER, you should be celebrating!"
The cadets all groaned and there was a collective sound of restlessness.
"I said" he paused to find the particular victim that he wanted to humiliate the most, "get....up!" upon finishing, he tore the blankets off of a still-asleep, blanket-cocooned lump with spiked blond hair.
As the blanket flew high into the air, Zack slumped with dissapointment, for the boy who was the lump was still sleeping, in full uniform, and surrounded by military manuals.
"Aww... Come on, Cloud! I expected you to be half-naked and trying to hide all the non-regulation booze you drank last night in celebration!" Zack whined while Cloud yawned and rolled over.
Another private by the name of Nathan approached, and laid a hand on Zack's shoulder.
"He fell asleep last night reading up for the test. We had to put the blanket on him. Poor kid... he's got the worst nerves of all of us. Not that I'm saying we aren't nervous, don't get me wrong, just some more than others..." said Nathan with a sad sigh and a shrug.
Zack scoffed good-naturedly and leapt upon the sleeping cadet.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty! Your prince charming has arrived!"
Cloud lerched upward, only to hit his head on the bunk above his and simultaneously collide with Zack. He slowly laid back down in defeat, moaning in pain.
"Oh... I see. I guess it doesn't work unless I administer the magic kiss!"
Cloud attempted to roll about underneath Zack, but could not manage his freedom. He did, however, manage to dodge all of Zack's kisses.
"Lieutenaaaaant!" he whimpered as he wriggled his arms out from underneath Zack's knees and began swatting.
Zack, as well as the other men in the room, had a good laugh at Cloud's expense, and then he dismounted.
Cloud looked distraught as Zack sat down on the bottom bunk beside him.
"Almost time for your test, you know. It's 0600 hours now, and it starts at 0700, am I right?" he grinned from ear to ear.
Cloud's face turned a paler shade as he moaned once more and began pelting Zack with military manuals.
"Hurry, quiz me! I have to prepare!" he said as he began doing squats beside the bed, "Aww, Zack! I'm gonna fail, I know I am!"
Zack scoffed again and laid back on the bed, tossing aside the manuals and crossing his arms behind his head.
"Your pillow smells good, Spikey. What kind of shampoo do you use?" he asked as he closed his eyes.
Cloud paused for a moment in his quats and glowered at Zack.
"Seriously! You're my friend, right, Lieutenant, sir? I need help!"
Cloud was positively frantic.
Zack giggled and rolled over to face Cloud as the sqats kept coming.
"You're so cute when you're nervous."
Cloud's face turned a reddish shade, then, but not an improvement from the terrified shade of white he previously was.
Nathan shifted his weight and gave Zack a critical look.
"You've already made it, Zack. Why don't you leave us grunts alone to study?"
Zack pinched his face up into something that looked remarcably like an old woman.
"What's to study? All you have to do is beat a Turk. They're pansies, regardless of how they get paid more than us SOLIDERs do."
Cloud thought aloud, "I wonder how they pick which Turk to assign to which cadet..."
"Well, the written test is first. Then the Turks come. But the written test is a peice of cake. Questions like 'which is a better mount for long-ranged missions: A black chocobo, a blue chocobo, or a yellow chocobo?'"Zack laughed and reached out to grope Cloud's buttocks but Cloud dodged it and resumed his squats.
"Thats...a black...chocobo... right?" Cloud asked, finally beginning to get out of breath.
"Um. Yeah," Zack replied in a "no shit sherlock" sort of tone.
Cloud looked downtrodden and directed his countenance to the ground. He decided that it was better to simply keep his mouth shut, should he not want his pride to be dashed any more than it already had with the mauling and attempted molestation by Zack.
Nathan sat on the bottom bunk across from Zack and put his elbows on his knees.
"Any other questions you want to give us the answers to?" he asked with a sly grin upon his face.
Zack opened his mouth with an offended expression upon his face, but before anything could come out of it, he paused and his expression then turned from offense to oportunity. "What's in it for me?"
Nathan raked his fingers through his short red hair and sighed.
"Booze."
"And?"
Nathan gave him a challenging glare.
"I'll get you a date with my sister."
"Haven't seen your sister. She cute?"
"She's my sister, man! I don't know!"
Zack stretched then, and stood patting Cloud on the shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Well, I guess I don't know if I want to help you, then."
Nathan growled under his breath something profane and was defeated.
"She's got a nice body, I guess."
"You guess?"
"She's attractive, okay?"
Zack had caught Nathan in his perverse trap then, and proceeded to guffaw like a drugged boar.
"Nathan's got the hots for his own sister! Aw, man, you're nasty!" he cried in laughter.
"What the hell?! Zaaaack!" Nathan groaned as he pushed Zack back onto the bunk that he had previously occupied.
"First your sister, and now me? You deviant!" Zack laughed so hard that tears ran down his face.
Cloud's squats stopped, and he took a moment to catch his breath.
"I think it's time to go," he said as he began to don a clean uniform.
"Ooh, a show!" Zack teased as he pulled out a few gil from his pocket and began to shove it into Cloud's newly exposed boxer-shorts, "Do a little dance!"
"Zack, I think it's about time you left the cadets to their preparations," sounded a voice from the still-open barracks door.
Zack opened his mouth to speak, but when he turned to face the voice, he closed his mouth and merely grinned.
In the door stood a man clad in black leather and steel pauldrons. Silver hair spilled down his back, and framed a face that could have been sculpted by an artist. His eyes were a glowing, mako-green and given accent by the downwardly inclined eyebrows. His expression was blank, but his tone was annoyed.
"Seph! I was wondering when you were going to announce to the noobs that you're going to be their evaluator today!" Zack blurted out before giving a pause and then assuming an apologetic countenance, "Oops."
Sephiroth did not make a sound, but rather merely made a motion with his chin signalling Zack to leave.
"All right, All right. I get it. I can see when I'm not wanted anymore," said Zack as he left, adding just before he closed the door, "You know you love me!"
Sephiroth looked over his shoulder briefly to recieve Zack's final remark, and then regarded the cadets, retaining his air of dignity and grace.
"It is time to begin your assessments. You are all expected to report to the education wing of the 54th floor for your written tests. Then you are to report to the 49th floor for your physical evaluation. Those who fail the written test will return to the barracks and will not get the privelage of taking the physical evaluation," he said soberly.
Cloud could feel the sweat beginning to bead on the back of his neck.
It was him. It was General Sephiroth, the Demon of Wutai, the poster-boy of Shinra Electric Inc.
Cloud could barely breath at the sight of his idol standing not a few yards away from him, for he had only seen him once before in person. He was in the cafeteria, eating at the table he sat at with Zack every day, when he entered the room, looking rather out of place. Zack had stood up and ran over to him. They had exchanged words, and it looked like Zack invited him to sit down and eat with them, but Sephiroth had declined politely and left. Cloud could think of nothing else to talk about for the next few weeks, and, in turn, had Zack thouroughly convinced that Cloud had a crush on the General.
In the barracks, nothing moved for what seemed to be a decade.
"Now."
Sephiroth broke the silence with his solemn command and opening the door.
The written test was simple enough. Cloud found Zack's statement regarding the simplicity of the answers to be true.
In the event of being separated from your party during a mission, what materia should you always have equipped?
A. Cure Materia
B. Summon Materia
C. Bolt, Fire, or Ice Materia.
D. Time Materia and Cure Materia.
Cloud marked D as his final answer, and took a few moments to look through his finished test for errors. None.
Standing, and making his way to the front of the classroom that he had been assigned to test in, he handed his paper to the proctor and awaited his judgement.
The proctor looked over the test quickly, as if she had memorized each answer, making no red marks while she went with her pen.
The rule with the written test was that in order to pass, every question must be answered correctly. Even one incorrect answer could cause a cadet to wait an entire year until the next SOLDIER admissions test.
Finally, Cloud was allowed to move onto the physical assessment.
As he exited the classroom, he exhaled deeply and found himself leaning against the wall and laughing rather loudly.
"What's so funny, Spikey?" asked Zack.
Cloud jumped in surprise, "When did you get here?!"
"Been waiting for your slow ass to finish. You passed, then?"
Cloud could only smile a face-splitting smile of accomplishment and giggle like a schoolgirl.
Zack laughed along with him for a while before concluding with a few Ahhs.
"So... Ready to perform for the General? The last kid to start the test is almost done. Come on!"
With that, Zack grabbed Cloud's arm and hauled him off to the elevator.
The ride down the five floors was filled with Zack giving the third degree. Question after question about the written exam. Cloud could only grin at his acheivement, and after a while of his euphoric silence, Zack began to pout at being ignored.
Cloud was getting closer and closer to his dream of becoming a First Class SOLDIER. Just like General Sephiroth. Only a few more years to go. And as long as he worked his hardest and put all that he could into becoming just like his idol, he couldn't fail. Nothing could shatter his confidence now, not even Zack.
As they approached the door to the nearest training room that would be used for the physical evaluation, the door opened, and out came two uniformed Shinra nurses carrying a stretcher with an apparently failed cadet sprawled out across it.
Cloud's mood was decimated then. His complexion went white as he watched the maimed cadet be carried away to the infirmary. Zack only laughed.
"Come on, kid, you're gonna do just fine. Don't worry about that guy! He's a pussy anyways," Zack chimed in an attempt to cheer up his friend.
"S...see you in the infirmary, Leiutenant..." Cloud whispered as Zack eventually shoved him into the training room.
The walls of the room were all clad in tiles that glinted in the small ammount of light that was allowed into the room via a window that was the entire eastern wall. On the other side of the window were two men. Director Lazard, the Director of SOLDIER, and the one person Cloud did not want to fail in front of the most. General Sephiroth.
He winced at the sight of the Director and the General and drew his sword from the holster upon his back. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but his heart would not stop racing. All he could feel was fear, and he could not stop glancing to Sephiroth, desperately hoping that he would have to leave for an urgent assignment in Wutai and not return for several months. He did not want his idol to see him fail.
Director Lazard's voice came in on the intercom, "Private Cloud Strife, are you ready? You are to defeat Cissnei, of the Turks."
"I'm...ready..." Cloud choked, his voice cracking and creating a high note in the middle of his speech.
Suddenly, he was in a jungle in Wutai. The sounds of the wildlife were all too real, regardless of how he knew he was in a Shinra training room that created environments via hologram.
Cloud could not find the will to move. He merely stood there, sword clutched tightly within his two hands that were held awkwardly before him. He was terrified of failure.
A sound echoed forth from the brush behind him, causing him to whirl round. Sweat was dripping from his chin. His heartbeat was audible, and he could feel it in his ears, for they no doubt were bright red, as were his cheeks.
He could not allow himself to fail before Sephiroth, or the Director. He was going to become a First Class SOLDIER, even if it risked being banged up by a Turk. He would not fail.
Slowly, he moved towards the sound, and it sounded again, this time creating visible disturbances in the leaves of the shrub. Letting out a sound of effort, he struck with all of his strength at the shrub, but hit nothing. His sword was stuck in the ground. Panicing, he began to try to pull it out.
"Behind you," whispered a female voice not a few inches from his ear.
With that, Cloud was struck down by a painful blow from a boot to his ribs. He fell to the floor, leaving his sword stuck in the ground.
A young woman, hair wavey and auburn, and dressed in a black suit and tie had her weapon at his neck.
"That's enough, Cissnei. Private Strife, you have failed the physical evaluation. Please exite through the door that you have entered through," Director Lazard said through the intercom as the jungle scene melted away and the Turk and the cadet were returned to the training room.
Cissnei bowed to Cloud and offered to help him up. Mechanically, he put his hand in her's and got up.
"Sorry, but it's my job," she said sweetly.
Cloud just nodded numbly, and she left.
He turned, then, his stomach in knots at what he would see.
Sephiroth's face read nothing. His arms were crossed coldy across his chest. Cloud could see nothing in his expression besides what he saw in his eyes, which was pure annoyance. Then, their eyes met, and it became palpably apparent that he was angry.
Cloud ran out of the room as fast as he physically could.
Now, Cloud would have been pleased if he could have simply ran down the hall, hopped on the elevator, gotten to the barracks, and laid in his bed for a few years, but that would have been too easy. As soon as he left the training room, Zack was standing just outside of the door, and he collided with him.
"Whoa, whoa, there! You passed?" he smiled.
Cloud could barely see at this point, his vision blurring. Tears were welling in his eyes.
Zack took a moment and then, for the first time in a long while, looked genuinely serious.
"Let's go, Cloud..." he said softly as he draped an arm around the blond's shoulder and led him into the elevator.
The second the elevator doors closed, Cloud could hold it in no longer. Tears began to fall from his eyes like dumbapples from their trees, plump and heavy.
Zack wrapped his arms around Cloud, and patted the back of his head gently.
"It's okay, Spiky... Next year, you'll know all the answers to the written test, so you wont have to spend so much time in there," he paused, trying his hardest to think of things to cheer up the heart-broken Cloud, "And I'll bring you along on some of the more violent missions to that you get used to fighting!"
Zack pushed Cloud away gently so that he could assess his face, to see if he had done a good job. However, Cloud's face was downward-cast and his eyes hooded with their lids. Tears still streaked his face.
"What happened?"
Cloud took a moment to find breath and replied, "I froze up, and wasn't thinking right."
Zack made a sound of understanding.
"How come?"
Cloud hesitated.
"I wont tease. Pinky-swear," promised Zack.
Cloud looked up to Zack, and met eyes with him sadly.
"I was afraid to fail in front of Sephiroth."
Zack nodded and patted Cloud's back.
"Well... I could introduce you two. He's really just a big softie once you get to know him!" he said, smiling.
"I think it would be better if I never saw him again," whispered Cloud.
The next morning, Zack did not come bursting in and leaping about on people's bunks. There was no attempted molestation, and there was no teasing. There was only empty bunks.
The beds of those who had made it into SOLDIER were empty, yet to be reassigned to new recruits. The cadets that had failed were all sprawled about the barracks, or on missions.
Cloud had not been given a mission, but he was due for city patrol in three hours. He had sector six, along with a few other cadets who had failed. That was sure to be a pleasant "bitch-fest", as Zack would have put it.
Cloud's eyes wandered throughout the room sluggishly, lingering on the military manuals strewn about the room. Books could not prepare some one for fear, he thought. No matter what sort of pictures it had.
Just as soon as the clock on the wall read 0800, Cloud stood and began to make his way to the location at which he was to meet up with his party and begin his patrol. Although, nothing ever seemed to go as planned. On his way out of the building, he saw Zack setting up the tack on three chocobos. All three were black.
Zack flailed his arm about in a stupid sort of wave, and called out to Cloud.
"Hey, noobie, I got you reassigned! You're with me this morning. We're going to check out some areas int the woods outside of the city where a nasty has been reported. A big one, too. Exciting, huh?" he beamed with pride.
Cloud scratched his head and looked to the ground.
"Thanks, Zack, but I think I would rather just do my usual patrol. I don't think I'm cut out to fight the monsters you're assigned to."
Zack pursed his lips and knit his brows in thought for a moment, before resorting to authority.
"Private Strife, as you are part of my platoon, I order you to accompany me on this mission."
Cloud looked up to Zack, hurt.
"Y...yes, Lieutenant Fair..." he replied before conceding sadly to assist in the saddling of the chocobos.
The saddling of the chocobos was silent for a long while before Cloud finally forgave Zack.
"Who is the third chocobo for?" he asked quietly, a small apology for being childish in the first place.
"Sephiroth, of course," beamed Zack.
"What?!"
"Yup. He doesn't really have anything better to do besides paperwork, and the President wants to make it look like Shinra makes protecting Midar its number one priority, so they're sending their number one guy."
"A rather blunt way of putting it." said the General as he approached.
The only thing that caught Cloud's eye more than Sephiroth's emerald-marble eyes was the Masamune resting at his hip.
"G..General Sephiroth! It's an honor to meet you!" stuttered Cloud as he sketched a salute.
Sephiroth moved past him without a word.
"Leiutenant."
"Right-o!" replied Zack as they mounted.
Cloud pivoted and ran to his chocobo and sloppily mounted. By the time that he had secured himself on the saddle, Sephiroth was setting off. Zack, however smiled back to him and said, "Don't worry. He's like that with every new person he meets."
Cloud heaved a sigh and followed after Zack as he set off.
The three militants rode in single file, for their skill in riding was directly proportional to their positions in line. Sephiroth rode with ease, able to keep his bird at a solid lope while holding himself slightly above the saddle using the muscles in his thighs. Zack was much the same, save for how he allowed his bird to slow in its gallop occasionally. Cloud simply let the bird to it's best to keep up, and was only able to keep himself above the saddle for short periods of time, resulting in a very sore bottom.
When night fell, their search came to a pause. Sephiroth released the reigns from one hand and signalled a stop. The first in thirteen hours.
Zack and Cloud went about setting up camp alone while Sephiroth patrolled the area for threats.
"So? Chocobos are cute, huh?" asked Zack in a sad attempt at conversation.
"I named mine Cissnei."
"What? After that Turk girl? Why?" asked Zack, half laughing.
"Because both that chocobo and that Turk have kicked my ass in the past two days," replied Cloud.
Zack laughed and took Cloud up under an arm, "Next year, you'll know what to look out for. Don't worry, Cloud."
Cloud forced a smile. While riding, he had decided that he would make the best of tonight. What were the odds that the General would remember his exam, out of everyone who he observed that day? Cloud resolved to enjoy the presence of his idol and the opportunity to improve on his skills as a warrior.
"Good to see you're feeling better, though," Zack said quietly, "You know I can't stand to see a friend cry."
Cloud looked away quickly, his face turning red.
"Uhh... Do you have enough wood for the fire, yet?" he asked.
Zack just laughed absently and tossed some branches that he had collected from around the site into a pile in front of Cloud.
In a matter of moments, Cloud had a fire started and Zack had a flask of burbon opened.
"How come you never get drunk, Cloud?" asked Zack, "You should drink more often!"
"I don't like the taste..."
"Nonsense! Everyone loves liquor!" sang Zack as he put the flask to Cloud's mouth, plugged his nose, and began to pour.
Cloud began flailing his arms about wildly and making sounds of distress, trying to get out of Zack's mako-fueled hold. In vain. Painfully, Cloud forced himself to swallow the burning liquid until Zack was satisfied.
"There you go. That ought to loosen you up," announced Zack, obviously proud of himself, "You ever notice how your hair is really spikey? Like... a porcupine! Porky-porcupine! Can I call you Private Porky? I think I'll call you Private Porky."
Cloud's vision began to fade in and out of bluring. Suddenly, he brought his hand up over his mouth and ran into the surrounding woods. The burbon hurt just as much coming out as it did going in.
When he came to return to camp, Sephiroth was sitting upon the forest floor beside Zack, silently enduring his teasing.
"Seph...Seeeeephyyyyy... You ever notice how your hair kinda looks like antennas in the front? Hehe... You look like a bug. A butterfly, cause when you run your hair goes everywhere and looks like butterfly wings! How long does it take you to wash all of that hair? How long does it take to comb it? OOH! How long does it take to style it?" Zack paused for a moment and a grin so evil it could be mistaken for that of the monster they were sent to destroy came across his face, "Is that your real hair color?"
Sephiroth looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"I see no similarities between myself and an insect. I have no probiscus."
"And what about your hair?"
Cloud took this opportunity to sit beside Zack and look busy tending to the fire.
"I have never attempted to calculate how long it takes for me to groom myself."
"You're no fun," said Zackin finally, leaning back and then turning his attention to Cloud.
"Hey! Seph, meet Cloud. He's a good buddy of mine."
Cloud snapped upright and saluted, his palms sweaty.
"Private Strife, a..at your ser..service, General," he blurted out shakily.
"At ease, Private," said Zack in a voice that clearly mocked Sephiroth's.
There was a long, awkward silence then. Only the fire crackling, the light reflecting off Sephiroth's pauldrons as he gazed deeply into it for a long while.
"I remember you," he said after long last.
"M...me, sir?" Cloud asked, the feeling of knots being tied in his stomach starting to return.
"Your physical evaluation, yesterday..." he hesitated, and then locked eyes with Cloud, his face reading the very same annoyance, the very same anger as it did when Cloud met eyes with him in the training room, "was the worst that I have ever seen."
At that moment, Cloud could not think to breath. He could not move. He could not think. Tears could not even form in his eyes.
Zack leapt to his feet and took a defensive stance against Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth! The only reason why he screwed up yesterday was because he was nervous about being in front of you! Don't be so mean to the poor kid!"
Sephiroth looked up to Zack, his expression still made of stone, but hinted at confusion.
"It is not 'mean'. I am stating fact."
Zack glared at him and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder.
"He's a good kid. He was just afraid of failing in front of you," Zack released Cloud and sat down beside Sephiroth once more, "Remember the first time they made you fight?"
"No, I do -- " there was a silence then, as his features hinted at sadness, "...I suppose you're right. My apologies, Private Strife."
Cloud sat down once more, still heart-broken.
Zack looked between the General and the Private a few times.
"So, Cloud, why don't you tell Seph, here, about your manual fetish."
"M..manual fetish?!" Cloud threw his hands up in front of him and shook his head, "I don't have a manual fetish, sir, honest!"
"Oh, really? Because I remember finding you sleeping with a few of them!"
The punchline of Zack's joke left no one laughing besides himself.
"Are you afraid of me, Private?" asked Sephiroth thoughtfully, gazing into the fire.
Cloud, surprised, was quick to answer, "I'm sorry sir, It's just that I've read so much about you..."
Sephiroth looked up to him, his gaze once again angry.
"Afraid the Demon of Wutai will send you off to go fight in the war? Or are you afraid that I'll kill you myself?"
Zack sighed heavily and decided that the matter would have to be sorted out among the two.
"What? No! I'm just... just... I don't know.... I'm sorry for offending you, sir. I just like you is all..."
Sephiroth regarded him with his stone features. It took Cloud a moment to figure out that he was confused.
"You see... I admire your work... and I've always wanted to... well.... yeah... I'm sorry, sir..."
"Oh."
Zack fell back and laid on the grassy earth, crossing his legs, "That means he's sorry for being a douche-bag about how you're nervous," he said cheerily.
"Once again, I see no similarities between myself and the things to which you compare me. How am I similar to a feminine cleaning product?"
Zack could not withstand the temptation to burst into laughter at this. He was left rolling around, tears of laughter flooding his face.
"I don't think you're a douche-bag, sir... And I don't think you look like a butterfly either..." Cloud said quietly.
"Oh, quit kissin' ass, Cloud! You're only doing it because you have a crush on the illustrious General!" giggled Zack.
"A crush?!" Cloud fell off of sitting on his knees, and onto his rump, catching himself by planting his palms into the ground.
"Damn right, a CRUSH!"
"What is... 'crush'?" asked Sephiroth soberly, the only calm voice among the three.
"Sir?" Cloud asked.
"What is 'crush'?" he repeated.
Zack stopped laughing and his face metamorphosed into total sadness.
"Sephiroth... I'm sorry, we shouldn't have. I was only playing, I'm sorry..." he said quietly.
"What is it?" his voice was solid.
Cloud scratched the back of his neck and, with bright red cheeks, replied, "A crush, sir...is.... like... when some one sees somone that they want to... you know... be with."
"Why would there be a word for wanting to be in a person's presence?" he asked.
"Uhh... well... you know..." Cloud could feel sweat on his brow.
"No, Private, I don't know," Sephiroth's voice betrayed frustration.
"A crush is... when some one wants to be in a relationship with another person.... like... romantically...."
Sephiroth looked down to the fire, his hair falling to cover his features.
"I see."
"Seph... I'm sorry..." whispered Zack.
"No. I'm sorry for being ignorant."
No one said anything for several minutes. The fire was all there was filling the gap in the air where speech should have been.
"Why... does Private Strife want to be in a romantic relationship with me? There would be no benefit, seeing as how only members of the opposite sex can reproduce," asked Sephiroth.
"Sephiroth... I can tell you later, if you want. I don't want you to..." Zack began.
"No, Zack... the General wouldn't be asking us if he didn't want to. He doesn't waste words," Cloud cut in, "General, sir, Zack was making a joke that I wanted to have a romantic relationship with you because you're my idol, and I try to be like you in every aspect of my life..."
Sephiroth nodded slightly.
"I see. I apologize for my social ignorance. Please excuse me," he uttered before standing and walking swiftly into the surrounding darkness.
Zack looked to Cloud and mussed his hair.
"Well, now I have to tell you. Sephiroth was raised at Shinra. Ever since he was born, he was a SOLDIER. They raised him in the labs. He didn't have parents, Cloud. He was alone his entire life until he was eighteen. He's never had a crush. He's never had a lot of things," said Zack in a hushed tone.
"So he -- " Cloud was cut short as Sephiroth returned, a dead rabbit in hand.
"For you. I realize that you do not have mako in your system, so you cannot go for as long as Zack and I without food," he said as he set up a spit across the fire, and gutted the animal.
He impaled the dead rabbit on the spit and allowed it to roast.
Cloud's face went hot, and he knew that he was blushing.
"Th...thank you, sir..."
He was so dangerous. A man known to kill thousands single-handedly, and yet his tall, muscular exterior, and long cascade of silver hair gave him the appearance of an angel. His high cheekbones, thin lips, and square jaw made him just barely balance on the border of handsome and beautiful. Almost feminine, but not quite. He sat then with one knee bent upright so that he could rest an elbow atop it, his hair pooling on his shoulders with a few small tendrils that dared to break from the general mass of silver and hang over his shoulders, and on his chest.
"No need for thanks. I do not want to be responsible for the loss of a Shinra cadet due to starvation."
Zack chuckled and threw his arms around both Cloud and Sephiroth, "Aww.... You two are getting along so well! Play nicely, and uncle Zack will share his liquor."
After Zack had fallen asleep, flask in hand, Cloud had wandered off in search for the source of a distant sound of running water.
Sephiroth had dissapeared again, claiming to not need sleep, and that he would patrol the area for the monster while Cloud and Zack slept. Cloud however, could not sleep. He was still dirty and sweaty from the day's ride and wanted a place to bathe.
Finally, he came upon a spring into which a small water-fall flowed. Relieved to finally be able to clean himself, Cloud began stripping himself of his clothing.
"Strife."
Cloud turned round, only having gotten his shirt off, and regarded the deep, velvet stone voice that had addressed him.
"General? I'm sorry... I guess I shouldn't go out here alone... I just wanted to -- "
Sephiroth shook his head, signalling for him to be silent.
"Why do you have a crush on me?"
Cloud blushed and replied, "I... I don't, sir..."
"Right," he paused, allowing a change in subject, "My apologies for interrupting."
With that he turned and resumed his patrol.
Even with Sephiroth gone, Cloud could not manage to disspell his blushing cheeks. He finished undressing and folded his uniform neatly by the water, before submerging himself in the cool cleanness of the spring.
After about an hour of bathing, Cloud felt that the water mixed with the cold nighttime air was beginning to give him frostbite. He emereged from the water and shook his head of wet hair. Mechanically, and yet shivering, he put his clothes back on, and moved back to camp.
Moving through the woods, sounds of battle became audible. Cloud panicked. He began to run, he didn't know in what direction.
Somewhere, in the forest so dark and deep, he knew the monster that they had been hunting lurked. The very same feeling of fear that restricted all rational thought that he had felt going up against Cissnei. Save for this time, he was running.
He, indeed, had his sword upon his back for he did not want to venture out alone without it, but it was only dead weight to him and he knew it. He would never be able to stand against a monster assigned to First and Second Class SOLDIERS. He was only a cadet.
Suddenly, he hit something hard and warm.
As Cloud looked up, he could see nothing but a long streak of silver, and a large, glowing ball of flame.
The flame hovered a ways above the ground, and had eyes like the very essence of darkness. It's grin was jagged and mocking. It was a bomb, a monster of fire that was known to self destruct on a whim, almost sure to kill any who were too close. And Cloud was certainly too close.
However, a silhouette with a solid streak of silver down it's back stood between Cloud and the bomb.
As Cloud came to his feet, he saw another streak of silver, long and thin. It was a blade that must have been seven feet in length. With speed almost too intense for Cloud to detect, the streaks of silver danced, the longer one cutting through the bomb's body of flame, and the other moving in the wind gracefully.
With sudden impact, Cloud realized that it was General Sephiroth who fought the monstrous bomb.
How could he just stand there?
How could he let the General risk his life to protect him?
The fear was gone then, replaced with a motivation to protect the General.
Cloud ran at the bomb, weaving his way around the wisps of sleek, swift silver. And, with a mighty battle-cry, Cloud swung his sword at the bomb. The bomb, though, was not going to be had so easily. It dodged the blow, and Cloud countered with another swing.
A sound like the very air being sliced rang, and there was a blade mere centimeters away from Cloud's ear. It was the Masamune. He turned to face Sephiroth, who's face was empty and full of resolve. They locked eyes then, and the General disappeared. Cloud must have gotten in his way.
Moving once again with speeds too advanced for the unaltered human eye, Sephiroth charged towards the bomb, and then leapt into the trees, seeming to have fled the scene of the battle.
Cloud was left alone, standing before the massive ball of flame. Slowly, it began closing in on him. Cloud felt his back hit a tree and his sword fall from his hand. He could not scream.
The bomb made a sort of laughing sound, deep and crackling, and then began inhaling vast amounts of air, swelling like a balloon about to pop. It was going to self-destruct.
Upon the third intake of air, the silver wisps reappeared, falling from the canopy. Sephiroth drove the Masamune into the bomb from above, pinning it to the ground. He released the Masamune, then, leaving in the bomb, and landed before Cloud. There was a blue light that shone from his forearm, and then the bomb was engulfed in a swirling rage of water that seemed to materialize from nowhere. It was slain.
Sephiroth moved over to the doused corpse of the bomb and reclaimed the Masamune, then turning to Cloud, his face still empty of emotion, and even thought. He seemed as hollow as the heartless killer of the Wutain front that he was told to be.
"Have you suffered any physical harm?" he asked, more a demand than a question.
Cloud shook his head in awe.
"Good. Mission accomplished. Let us return to camp and inform the Lieutenant."
Cloud merely nodded and followed after the General as he wove his way through the trees. Eventually, the sight of firelight was seen through the brush.
"Wake up, Lieutenant. Cloud and I have accomplished your mission for you."
Zack opened an eyelid and grinned mischievously.
"I guess it's a good thing you two wanted to meet so badly, otherwise I would have had to do my own mission. Imagine that..." he yawned in mid-sentance, "...me doing my own missions. Hah!"
Cloud's numbness caused by his awe at Sephiroth's battle in the woods faded then, as the conspiracy unfolded.
"Wait a moment! You told me that he was already assigned to this mission!" Cloud exclaimed as he took an embarrassed step backwards.
"Well, I lied. Surprised?" he laughed, "I pulled him out of one of his few days off because I knew that he would like you. He needs more friends, don't'cha think?"
Cloud's face turned an unnatural shade of red as he slowly turned to face the General.
"S...sir?"
Sephiroth merely nodded stoically, confirming the truth of Zack's plot.
Cloud bowed deeply to the General, rising quickly after realizing his error, and saluted in the bow's place.
"General, sir... You didn't have to miss a day off to meet me... There's nothing special about me anyways..." Cloud said hastily.
"At ease..." he paused for a long while, looking between Zack's wide grin and Cloud's apologetic frown, "Perhaps Lieutenant Fair is correct in his assumption that I am in need of more friends."
Zack burst out in joyful laughter and said, "When am I not correct?"
"Most of the time..." mumbled Cloud underneath his breath.
"I think I am going to have to start excersizing my authority more often with you, Spiky-ass!" laughed Zack as he rolled over onto his stomach from the sheer hilarity of Sephiroth expressing his desire for companionship, and Cloud challenging a superior officer. It must have been opposite day, he thought whimsically.
After Zack's laughter had died away into a sleep-coma, and Sephiroth and Cloud had sat down round the fire, the conversation was destroyed almost as much as the bomb that Sephiroth had slain.
There were the occasional comments made about the fine night weather, but the gaps between which were long and caused Cloud to become rather nervous. During said moments of silence, Cloud would look out of the corner of his eye to examine the expression upon Sephiroth's face. He had left behind his demeanor of battle, and resumed his face of thoughtful stone, as if he were some work of sculpted art, forever frozen in contemplation.
Finally, the comments on the weather stopped, as Cloud could think of nothing to say any longer. Finally, the silence, which did not seem to bother the General, had become more than he could bear. Something had been on his mind ever since the bomb had been killed.
"Thank you...for..saving me... back there..." Cloud said quietly, not brave enough to make eye-contact, for he could feel his cheeks heating.
Sephiroth looked long and hard at Cloud, his brows knit in puzzlement.
"I did not save you. I merely completed the mission."
Cloud was glad that he did not see Sephiroth's face then, for he thought that he must have been glaring.
"Oh... Well... I wouldn't...be alive if you hadn't of showed up..."
Sephiroth nodded at the statement of fact, but still ceased to understand his meaning.
The fire had died out to a few sparkling embers that lit their faces eerily.
"I used you as a lure to defeat the monster," he explained.
"But... you still saved me. So... thank you..."
Clouds words came only with much effort, for he felt as if tears were going to come upon him. It was clearly detectable in his voice to the First Class SOLDIER that sat a few feet to his right.
"Pardon me. You are welcome," he said calmly, however his brow was creased with the silent self-critizism of his social ignorance. He certainly had not meant to make the cadet cry, "I meant no offense."
Cloud was still tearing, but his spirit was lifted. He still did not look at the General, regardless of how he was directing his gaze directly at him as the first few tears fell from his cheeks.
Sephiroth looked down to the Masamune, all covered in the soot from the battle.
He had saved Cloud, hadn't he?
He was so used to ordering SOLDIERs, men he knew, out to the front at Wutai, so used to the numbness he had trained himself to know when he slew Wutain warriors -- men who had families, things that Sephiroth would never know the joy of, that he had forgotten what it was like to save a life. He had saved few others, directly.
He looked up to Cloud once more, perplexed at what to do. He felt awkward watching a man cry. The only time that Sephiroth had cried was during the first few years of his life. But he was an infant then, and infants are irrational.
He looked down to Zack, snoring gently in his slumber, so peaceful and carefree. What would he do? He would know how to make Cloud stop crying.
With a slight bit of shame regarding sinking to Zack's level of childish foolishness, and a slight bit of concern for Cloud, he sighed, placed his hand upon Cloud's head, and began to pat him unevenly, slowly, and gently.
Cloud looked up to his superior, confused as he had ever been.
"Zack does this to make you happy, does he not?" asked the General as he looked away from Cloud, seeming slightly embarrassed by tone, but never by face.
Cloud could only make a few confused stutters and say, "Sir?"
"When Zack is under the impression that I feel sadness, he does this to me."
His face then morphed from that of embarrassment to that of a child struggling to understand his lesson in arithmetic, determined and unwilling to show misunderstanding.
Cloud, slowly, began to laugh. The General was being... cute. Like a child.
"This is comical?" he asked.
"No, sir. I'm just happy," Cloud said as he wiped the tears away from his eyes and smiled widely to the General to confirm his statement.
There was a silence again, and Cloud decided, with his newly elevated mood, that he was going to get to know Sephiroth a little better, even if it killed him.
"What else does Zack do to make you feel better?" he asked.
"'It's not your fault'."
"Sir?"
"He says 'it's not your fault'."
"I...don't understand, sir... I'm sorry..."
"I'm sure that he's told you, he asked me if he could. I don't care if you know about my past."
Cloud paused, open-mouthed, with a word in half-formation, before understanding hit him. Zack told Sephiroth that what the Shinra scientists did to him was not his fault. That it was not his fault that he was so lost in the world, and that the only thing that he could grasp was war and killing.
"But, sir... Why would it be your fault?" asked Cloud timidly, with his head tilted slightly to the side.
He cleared his throat and looked into the embers that were dying.
"It's not. I do not think it is."
Something about Sephiroth, not his voice, or his face, or his eyes, but something indescribable, said that he was lying.
Zack suddenly rolled over in his sleep, nearly landing in the embers, but Sephiroth jumped to his feet and planted a heel in the ground, blocking Zack from further rolling that would have resulted in several third-degree burns.
"You had best go to sleep. The road is just as long returning," he said quietly as he used the very same water materia that he had used to save Cloud's life to cast water1 and put out the hot embers.
"What about you?" asked Cloud as he laid back.
"I do not need sleep yet," Sephiroth replied as he removed his pauldrons in the darkness, and then his coat, laying it gently over Zack.
And then, with another flash of silver hair and sword in the moonlight, he disappeared into the canopy.
It did not take long for Cloud to fall asleep, for he was exhausted from the day's (and night's) stresses.