Story 2 in the AU where Angeal is the guardian of Zack (14) and Cloud (12) living together in Midgar.

'Hey Cloud, I'm back!' Zack banged open the front door to the house that he shared with his guardian Angeal and his adoptive brother Cloud, slamming it shut behind him with his usual enthusiasm. 'Hey, where are ya?' He searched through the house and then headed into the back yard where he spotted his younger brother standing with his back toward him, facing a cardboard cut out of a Wutai soldier, its face drawn into a monstrous scowl.

'Hey, defeating the rebels again little brother?'

Cloud jumped at the sound of the elder boy's voice, spinning around, his arms reaching around to hide something behind his back.

Zack's brow furrowed in concern, it wasn't the first time that the little warrior had found something dangerous to play with. 'Hey, what you got there?' he asked. 'If you're messing around with 'Geal's good dinner knives again he'll ground you for a month.'

'It's not that!' Cloud blurted, stepping back from his brother. The boy's baby face could never hide a lie and guilt was written all over it right now.

'Cloud...' Zack menaced.

'It's nothing!' Cloud snapped. 'Stupid piece'a junk don't work anyhow!' he lifted up whatever was in his hand and made to throw it down.

'Stop!' Zack shouted, realising what the thing was as the boy's hand came down, he rushed forwards, prising the rock from Cloud's hand. 'Hey, where'd you get this?' he demanded, staring down at the shining materia.

'Found it on the floor,' Cloud pouted. 'I thought it was some cool weapon but it doesn't do anything!' he looked sidelong at Zack. 'Heey, do you know how it works, big bro?'

'Like I'd tell you!' Zack said in alarm. 'This is probably one of Angeal's; he'd go crazy if he knew you'd been playing around with it!'

'You're not going to tell him, are you?' Cloud asked, his blue eyes misting over with crocodile tears.

'Like heck!' Zack said, always ready to protect his little brother. 'But you've got to promise me never to touch any materia you find, ok? You come find me or 'Geal and we'll deal with it.'

'I'm not a baby, Zack!' Cloud snapped. 'Sheesh, I'm twelve years old already!'

Zack snorted. For a fourteen year old like himself he thought that twelve years was very young, definitely much too young to be messing with materia. 'Whatever, baby, stop acting like a brat or else I really will tell Angeal.'

'I'm not a baby!' Cloud shouted. 'You're just too chicken to use materia, some SOLDIER you are!'

'I am not!' Zack snapped. 'I use materia all the time!'

'Like what?'

Zack blushed causing his younger brother to laugh. 'You've never even seen material up close before!'

'So?' Zack demanded. It was true, 3rd class SOLDIER operatives like Zack were encouraged to use their own physical and mental abilities over the enhancing effects of material. The only one he'd ever come close to was the cure materia that his instructors used when the trainees got themselves too badly beat up. He huffed, crossing his arms defiantly. 'You know we shouldn't be touching Angeal's materia,' he repeated. 'I'm going to put it back.' He span around, heading back to the house.

'Bawk, bawwwk!' Cloud shouted after him, tucking his hands into his armpits and flapping them up and down comically. 'Zack's chicken!'

'Shut up, you big baby!' Zack shouted back, stamping his foot crossly.

'I might be a baby but you're a big ol' chicken!' Cloud laughed.

'I'll show you who's chicken!' Zack yelled, running back and diving on his younger brother. They rolled in the grass for a while, Zack quickly getting the upper hand.

'Prove it!' Cloud said, his voice muffled by the ground Zack was currently grinding his face into. 'Prove you're not a chicken!'

'Fine!' Zack snapped, jumping up and thrusting his hand out, still with the material held in his fist.

The cardboard Wutai rebel grimaced back at him, completely untouched.

Beside him, Could sniggered. 'You can't do it!'

'Sure I can,' Zack said, turning back to the effigy and concentrating with all his might.

After a moment of tense quiet Cloud poked his head up next to his brother, his lips pursed critically. 'Do you even know what materia type it is?' he asked sceptically.

'Of course I do!' Zack snorted. 'It's red, right. That means it's a fire materia.' He thrust out his arm once more but it did nothing.

'Come on, let me try!' Cloud said eagerly, reaching out to snatch the crystal from his older brother.

'Hey, don't touch!' Zack said, pulling back. They struggled until suddenly the material flew out of their hands. Both boy's gasped, making a dive for the crystal but it stayed suspended in the air. As they watched from their landing spot on the ground, the materia rose into the air, beginning to shoot out light as a great shadow began to grow from it.

'Wh- what's happening?' Cloud stammered.

Zack shook his head mutely, staring in horror as the thing grew larger than the house. People were beginning to notice, screams and sounds of panic coming from the street outside.

The shadow began to take shape, twisting into the form of a giant dragon that looked down on the people of the city and roared defiantly. It looked up and began to flap its wings, rising high in the sky as the backdraught from the wings knocked tiles off roofs and pushed carts across the street into the side of houses.

'What do we do?' Cloud screamed above the noise.

'Go get Angeal!' Zack shouted, draggin the younger boy into the house and pushing him toward the front door. He grabbed his training back from where he'd dumped it in the hall and took out his bokkan.

'You're not going to fight it are you?' Cloud asked in horror.

'That's a summon, Cloud,' Zack said desperately as they ran into the street. 'I might be able to control it. If not then at least I can draw it's attacks away from any of the citizens until Angeal gets here.' He looked with desperate eyes down at the boy as behind him the dargon roared. 'Hurry!'

Angeal sprinted towards the lower city, his heart in his mouth as he tried to push his terrified thoughts from his mind. Again and again he saw two boys, one blond and one raven haired, lying dead at the feet of Bahamut, the beast's monstrous form rising above the city like a nightmare. How could he have been so stupid as to drop his materia? He looked down at the buster sword in his hand, the one empty slot staring at him accusingly, one hinge slightly bent. He should have taken better care of the sword, if only he'd checked this morning none of this would have happened. He redoubled his pace as the thing roared, diving down amidst the houses, scattering chimneys with his massive wings. It was following something; at least whatever it was was heading for the outskirts of the city.

Angeal skidded onto the main street and saw instantly what the summon was chasing, his heart stopping for an instant as he watched the dark haired youth running and jumping his way towards the city gates, a wooden training sword in one hands, the other clutching the sword arm as if it were injured.

'Angeal!' It was Cloud, sprinting towards him as fast as he could, tear of terror welled in his eyes but not yet falling over. 'Angeal, it's Zack!'

The dragon roared.

Zack stumbled, getting to his feet quickly, panting for breath. His right arm was still numb with the force that he had struck the summon's claw, but at least it had the desired effect of drawing the creature's attention.

The silence behind him made him turn fearfully, worried that the dragon had fixed on some other target. What he saw made his mouth go dry and his legs weaken. The creature's mouth was open wide and from it a giant ball of glowing energy was growing. There was no way that he could escape the beam. He was dead.

He was going to die.

Lol cliffhanger!