"Cloud!" A happy voice called. Cloud heard the slam of the bar door and pounding boots on the wood floor. He looked up from the table he was sitting at to see his best friend, Zack Fair, running towards him with a big grin on his face. He was waving rapidly.

Cloud hesitantly waved back, aware that something was amiss. It soon became clear when Zack slid to a halt beside him, jumping up and down rapidly, flailing his arms. Cloud inwardly groaned.

"Who gave you coffee?" He asked. Who was dumb enough to give you coffee, was probably the better question.

"Angeal!" Zack said happily.

"Oh…shit." Cloud grumbled.

He scowled at the table before he came up with a good idea.

"Tifa!" He called to the other room, peering over his shoulder to where he knew she would be behind the counter of the bar, wiping down glasses.

"Yeah?" Tifa asked.

Cloud glanced at Zack, who was too busy talking about how his day went and how he had stolen, or borrowed he claimed, coffee from Angeal when he wasn't looking, then ran to find Cloud.

Cloud wondered how he had such bad luck. Out of all the other people Zack could have bounded off too, like Genesis, Sephiroth, his friend Kunsel…there was an endless amounts of people Zack could have gone to, but no…

"Would you mind watching a…puppy for me?" He called.

Zack was too caught up in the one-sided conversation he was having to notice that Cloud wasn't paying attention.

"A puppy?" Tifa asked, confused. "When did you get a puppy?"

"Err…it just walked in…" Cloud mumbled, hoping his plan would work. "I've…got some business to attend too."

I need to find Angeal.

Tifa seemed satisfied with his answer.

"Sure! " Tifa exclaimed. "I wonder if it's lost…poor thing must be hungry. I'll make it something to eat…best not let Marlene see it, she'll want to keep it…"

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks Teef! I own you one!"

Cloud turned to Zack.

"Hey, I've got to go…Don't worry! I'm sure Tifa would love to hear your story!" Cloud added hastily, seeing the pout and incredibly sad look appear on Zack's face. Zack's eyes grew larger and his eyes started to shine with unshed fake tears that looked very real to Cloud.

Not the puppy eyes…Cloud mentally groaned. He hated when Zack did that, because he always managed to make him feel guilty and he would end up helping his friend out with some task or another.

Zack brightened immensely when he heard that Tifa would love to hear his story and skipped out of the room to bother her. Cloud took that chance and ran out the back door towards the shed he kept Fenrir in.

He hopped on quickly and started it up; ,just as Tifa threw open the door, an exasperated and horrified look on her face.

"Cloud! This isn't a puppy!" She yelled at him, jerking her finger towards where Zack was.

"Sorry! Bye!" Cloud cried, taking off down the road towards where he knew Angeal's apartment would be.

"You know…when you think about it, I am a puppy." Zack said, standing behind her. His voice startled her and she jumped, and then spun around to face him, her face pale. She groaned as he bounced up and down, grinning wildly.

"Cloud Strife…you owe me big time." She mumbled.

She walked back inside the bar, her shoulders slumped in defeat, a yapping Puppy on her tail. She brightened when Barret came down the stairs, carrying Marlene on his shoulders.

"Barret! Hey listen I need a favor –"

"Nope! I heard what happened. I ain't watchin' dat." Barret said, pointing at Zack with his gun arm.

Zack growled like a puppy that was fighting with a shoe, making Marlene giggle.

"But Daddy! He's a cute puppy!" Marlene grinned, trying to squirm out of her father's grip and run to Zack. Zack yipped happily, jumping up and down with his arms up close to his chest and his hands curved into 'paws', acting like a puppy begging.

"Aww, good doggy!" Marlene cooed.

"Come on honey. We're going to the park." Barret said, glaring at the overgrown, black haired 'Puppy' that was currently trying to chase his tail.

Marlene whined the whole way out the door, wanting to take Zack with them so he could 'Play with all the other doggies, Daddy!'

Tifa spotted Vincent, Cid and Yuffie sitting in a booth at the bar and her smile brightened again but Cid shot her down before she could even begin to speak.

"Nope." Was his gruff answer. Tifa looked at Yuffie who shook her head vigorously.

"I am not a dog sitting service." Vincent rasped before she even began to look at him, his arms crossed over his chest and his face hidden in shadow.

Tifa sighed and glared at Zack who had found out it was a bad idea to try and chase his imaginary tail and was currently walking around the bar like he was drunk, swaying from side to side and gripping his head in his hand.

She groaned again, displeased with her misfortune, and sat down next to Yuffie. She plopped her head on the table and just lay there, feeling a massive headache coming on as she heard Zack fall to the floor because of how dizzy he was, then when she heard him laugh.

"Look…itza cookie…" Zack giggled, slurring his words.

Tifa looked up when she heard the door open and Aerith stood there.

"Hello Tifa." Aerith smiled then froze when she saw Zack laughing insanely on the floor.

She quickly turned around, seeing that her boyfriend was hyper again, and tried to leave and to act as though she had never entered but Tifa's strong grip on her arm made her stop and sigh.

"I don't want to –" She began to whine before Tifa cut her off, giving her puppy eyes of her own.

"Please? He's your boyfriend."

"No, I –"

Aerith interrupted herself when Zack sat up and pouted, wearing those large, sad blue eyes.

"You…you don't love me?" Zack asked, his pout becoming more pronounced and his eyes getting larger. His bottom lip quivered. Aerith sighed.

"I do love you…I just…fine. I'll do it." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Yay!" Zack cried, jumping up and running over to her. He wrapped her in a large, bone crushing hug, her feet coming off the ground.

"Z-Zack! Can't-breathe!" Aerith gasped, her eyes wide.

"Oh! Sorry! Ooooh…shiny…" Zack's head snapped over to where he had seen this sun reflect off something outside and went to retrieve it. Aerith and Tifa groaned.

Cloud frowned after knocking on Angeal's door and getting no answer.

"He's lucky he isn't home…" Cloud grumbled. "That should be a law. Don't leave coffee unattended unless it is empty, especially where a certain someone by the name of Zack Fair could get it."

He got on Fenrir again and took off, back towards Seventh Heaven, in hope that Zack may have calmed down or gotten bored of talking to Tifa and left. He pulled to a stop in front of the bar and got off. He walked towards the nearest window and cautiously peered inside.

He began to relax when he saw Tifa, Aerith, Vincent, Yuffie and Cid sitting in a booth across the room, talking calmly as if a sugar-high, demented puppy was not in residence and when he realized after scanning the room, that Zack was nowhere to be found. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes –

A loud thud against the window made Cloud jump and he opened his eyes to see a truly gruesome sight. Zack had his face pressed up against the window, his nose and hands pushed up against the glass.

"Hi Cloud!" He cried, his voice muffled by the glass.

Cloud blanched and took off towards Fenrir again. He hopped on quickly and stuck the key into the ignition only to have the engine make a coughing sound. Cloud franticly tried again…and again.

"Cloud! " Zack's voice was heard from the bar and Cloud knew he couldn't wait any longer if he wished to have a day free of stress. He hopped off the bike and took off running like he had been shot out of a cannon.

"'My friend, the fates are cruel –'"Genesis Rhapsodos began his daily ritual of reading LOVELESS aloud as he sat in the SOLDIER lounge, quietly sipping at his piping hot mug of tea. He sighed in content, glad that the day was peaceful, pretty and slow. He had not had to do anything all day except for aid Angeal in the search of his missing coffee.

They had searched for nearly ten minutes before Genesis claimed it was a lost cause and had plopped down on the couch he now sat in. There were thousands of the Infantryman or lower class SOLDIER that would have died for Angeal's coffee, Angeal's apprentice included, so Genesis had assumed one of them had taken it. Angeal was currently on his way to the coffee shop to buy a new one.

White light from the window he was sitting in front of cascaded down upon him and his beloved book, showering them with light from the window and improving the already relaxed aura the red-clad poet felt.

"'There are no dreams, no honor remains. '" The words flew smoothly off his tongue, his voice silky and soft as he recited the words that he had drilled into the brains of several other people, much to their dismay.

He took another sip of his tea, nearly dropping it in surprise when his door was thrown open.

"Angeal! " Genesis whined, silently demanding why his friend had to ruin his perfect moment by making such loud noise.

"Sorry…" Angeal muttered, plopping down on the white couch next to his friend.

Genesis sighed and sat the tea cup down on the glass coffee table and returned to his beloved book.

"The arrow has left the – God damnit, Strife! " Genesis yelled when Cloud suddenly barged in, his sword drawn and breathing so heavily you would have thought he had ran ten miles in three minutes. Cloud spotted Angeal who was holding his newly bought coffee cup halfway to his lips, and glared.

"You! " Cloud huffed.

"Hello, Cloud. " Angeal said uneasily, wondering why Cloud looked so angry and worn out.

"Why, "Cloud wheezed. "The hell…did you…give Zack…coffee? "

Angeal's eyes widened in horror and he echoed what Cloud had said earlier when Zack had first bounced up to him. Genesis rolled his eyes, annoyed that his peaceful moment had been shattered into a million pieces and that, of all people, Zack Fair had to find the coffee.

Cloud threateningly rose his sword to point it at Angeal's neck.

"I…hate…you…for…giving…him…coffee. " Cloud panted before his strength gave out on him and Cloud was forced to lower his massive sword.

Genesis rose to his feet and walked over to Cloud. He poked him in the arm and the younger man and his sword fell to the floor wearily with a loud thud, his body offering no resistance.

"Genesis! " Angeal exclaimed, thinking that Genesis had done something to make Cloud appear to be frozen and collapse to the ground. Genesis looked at his friend pointedly, a bored look on his face.

Angeal saw the flash of a bright blue Blizzaga materia in Genesis' hand and gasped, realizing that Genesis really had frozen Cloud.

Genesis saw the horror on his friend's face and shrugged.

"He interrupted my peace and quiet…" He mumbled in response.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to go find your reckless Puppy. " Genesis grinned, holding up the gold bracer on his arm that Sephiroth had given him for Christmas. In the slots Angeal recognized a Silence and Stop materia, an idea he had obtained from Sephiroth when the silver-haired General had decided Genesis had read one too many lines of LOVELESS.

Angeal started to object but stopped, realizing that having Genesis use materia on his apprentice would keep the Puppy from becoming an even bigger nuisance. He sighed as Genesis left the room and massaged his temples.

"So much for a peaceful day, huh Cloud? " The black-haired SOLDIER asked the stiff blonde on the floor next to him with a sigh.