Title: Stray

Author: NotebookPaper

Rating: K

Pairing: Softly Implied AngealxOC (She doesn't even have a name.)

Notes: I've had this finished for a while. No idea why I didn't post. I wrote it for me. If you know more about dogs I'd be happy to hear your information, or anything I said you might not agree with, but please know that actual dog-training is not the point of this story. I wrote this for myself. x3 Did I accuse any of my possible Bleach readers with the title? It might have been intentional.

Disclaimer: I do not own Angeal, Zack, Angeal, Aerith, Angeal, Lazard, Angeal, Final Fantasy VII in general or Angeal. Please don't sue me for obsession.

Angeal didn't want to think of the mother. Often stray dogs could not survive in the slums, and the ones who lived to reproduce weren't the lucky ones.

In the country, out in the open air, strays didn't fare much better, but they had a chance. Perhaps by the hand of a bright-eyed youth, or by the blessing of holy rain.

In the slums, children couldn't afford to be bright-eyed. When they were, they felt the repercussions sharply. In the slums, Rain never fell far enough. When it did, it was usually toxic.

So Angeal didn't think of the mother when he picked up a wide, deep crate full of puppies, and carried them back on the train to the upper plate. It was the middle of the day, so there were only a few condescending glances from the scant businessmen who went home during lunch, none of them appreciating the smell of the slum puppies. Even if there had been more suits, Angeal wouldn't have had to worry about any trouble. The businessmen here, outside of the ShinRa Corporate Office, were spineless, and though Angeal had only been a SOLDIER First Class for a week, his uniform and severe visage carried enough authority to silence any complaints.

He wondered what kind of picture he cut with a good number of yipping puppies in the crate to his left. Though they smelled already - Angeal couldn't really tell having just come from the slums himself, but he could guess from the people in the car - he was thankful they hadn't needed to piss. He had lined the crate he'd bought from a thankful accessory clerk with some old cardboard, but that was hardly enough to soak any urine, and heavier excrement was a whole other story. Train rides were mercifully short, thank god, so Angeal didn't have to go through the embarrassment. He got the feeling the man on the other side of the car, holding a dainty handkerchief to his nose, would have made a scene.

People exited pointedly before him, coughing like exhaust pipes, but Angeal took his time, careful not to rustle his precious cargo, all with his brow drawn severely over his dark eyes. On his way to Head Quarters he stopped at a corner store to get some puppy chow.

The woman at the ShinRa Lobby's front desk appraised him politely, but with a weird sheen to her eyes. Angeal couldn't quite place it, but merely checked his schedule all the same. His report for the assignment he was on when he found the puppies would be due soon, but a nice thing about being a First was he could make his reports at his leisure as long as it was done before his next mission. He asked the woman if Genesis had returned from his recon mission in Wutai, and when he received the negative answer he took the elevator to his room.

Inside, the room was pleasantly lit - or at least pleasant enough for Midgar - from the light that still filtered in from outside. After becoming a First he and Genesis had obtained their own rooms so he was allowed to decorate how he wished. The decoration was sparse, but his room was neat. It didn't have the artificially clean scent of Genesis' room, though, and while nothing was necessarily out of place, there was no sure order to how Angeal divided his belongings. There was probably a method, but it was lost to any but him.

He set the crate of puppies down and already they were hyper enough to try and climb out. Their fur collectively was a deep, dark brown. There was the blood of a lab somewhere in them, but what else he could not say. Most dogs in the slums had short fur, hardly fur at all. These puppies were still young enough to have some shine to them, unlike most strays that lived past a year or so, but if they weren't clean no one living on the upper plate would think of them any differently.

For now, he let the puppies whimper and try, futilely, to get over the sides of the crate that were too tall. It was best that he didn't help them; at such a young age, the pups would come to expect someone to help them every time they whimpered or barked. It made for bad training, though he doubted anyone on the upper plate would know that. He made a quick circuit of his room and picked a few items off the floor that the puppies could either gnaw to disrepair, or hurt themselves on, then went to his small bathroom. SOLDIERs had walk in showers and a small sink. It was all as luxuriant as the other facilities of the ShinRa Corporate building, but it was still a bit small. He'd have to bathe each puppy in the sink individually if he wanted any sense of order.

He cleared off the area around the faucet and pulled his towels down from a shelf to his left to leave them where they couldn't get wet. He was leaning into his shower to pull out some gel soap when a particularly loud chorus of yelps caught his attention. Before he even made it to the entrance of his bathroom a rambunctious ball of energy ran between his ankles, around the bathroom and back out. Angeal's hands had impulsively risen above his head, but he walked out into his room quickly, dropping the gel soap behind him.

Puppies were running to a fro, and a few of them were so happy they started to pee in the bright corners of his room. Angeal cursed inwardly for forgetting about bodily functions and looked at the overturned crate. There was one puppy in the box, shaking excitedly where a piece of cardboard had fallen on it. Its siblings must have stepped on him to tilt the top of crate, but Angeal really couldn't be sure. Carefully watching where he stepped, he picked up the puppy that was still in the box and took him to the bathroom. There was little he could do about the "accidents" that had occurred in his room, so he decided it would be easier to pick up after them after he had cleaned at least one of the puppies.

He turned into his bathroom, taking the chance to scratch idly under the pup's chin, only to step on his soap bottle. Angeal, the big man he was, fell hard on his back, air rushing out of his lungs, the puppy clutched close to his chest. He regained his lost breath and stared widely at the ceiling. He hadn't fallen in a long time. It was humbling. Good thing he was young enough not to break a hip or something. He gave a single, brief chuckle, but before he could get up, the wonderful smell of puppy breath greeted his nostrils and his lips were assaulted by a small, lapping tongue. Taken aback only for a moment, he puffed a sigh out his lips and the pup on his chest sneezed into his uniform.

Pup number one, a boy, was easy enough to bathe and towel dry. His happy tail flicked water at Angeal a few times, but his disposition was calm. Angeal wrapped him in the towel when he finished and went back out to the main room. He let the pup down to take care of his business.

Puppy poop wasn't so bad, but the sight of more than a few piles could be very disgusting. He realized he'd asked for it, though, and pulled the crate up to his bed, lining it with a couple towels, to place the clean puppy inside a couple minutes later. The little guy wasn't too happy about it and whimpered after Angeal, but it was futile.

Then the "accidents" were taken care of. Puppy pee wasn't strong and the small amounts were easy to sop up without having to touch. Angeal wouldn't have balked at such a thing anyway, but who really wanted to touch piss? Some of the puppies had already calmed down and were lying in the sun on the floor. Angeal took the sleepiest looking of the group and cleaned it, bringing it back out some minutes later to join its resting brother. Another puppy later, when the towel he had used was all but soaking, he realized he only had one towel left and five pups to go. He sighed, and it seemed that all of the animals were looking at him. They wanted a bath just like their siblings. Angeal didn't want to keep them waiting, because the big eyes were really eating into his heart.

He whistled once out of habit, and though all the puppies looked, he realized that not all would come to him at the call. He picked up the couple that did and put them in the shower, taking off his gloves, shoulder pads and suspenders on the return trip for the last three. When they were all in the shower, some scratching their paws at the slightly upraised tile at the entrance where Angeal had to push them back, he turned on the water. Some of the puppies backed away very quick, but he'd turned on the shower head just enough to rain on them with a little pressure. He had to coax a couple into the stream, but after they were used to the water he stepped back and took off his vest. While the fabric was over his face, one of the not-so-amused pups jumped over the bit of upraised tile and ran around his feet. The man threw his shirt to the side and caught the pup before it could get too far. He had to dance out of his pants while holding the squirming, wet, fuzzy creature before he got into the shower with the rest and slid the door shut.

There was a narrow bench at the back, just safe from the stream and Angeal sat down on it. One of the puppies "arroo"ed and stood on his hind legs for a moment. It was long enough for the man to grab him and start scrubbing.

Most of the energetic animals were clean of dirt from the raining water when he finished, but a few were already waiting for their turn with the soap. One of them was scratching at Angeal's shin. He repeatedly moved it away, and didn't wash him until a couple pups later when it figured out it wouldn't get attention by scratching at the man's legs. When all the puppies were scrubbed, the smell of wet, if clean, dogs was almost suffocating in the mist. When the tall man stood it was easier to bear.

As he expected, the dogs avoided the water after their baths and the excitement passed. They huddled together under the bench, and Angeal turned the water down just a little more so it wouldn't reach them. He washed his hair and the rest of his body under the pleasant stream. Since coming from his home he had relished the feel of the water-pressure the ShinRa building enjoyed, but for now this was a good feeling of nostalgia having the gentle water cascade over his loosening muscles.

The slight warmth of the shower and the steam it made kept the puppies from shivering, but he couldn't let them air-dry for too long. He took the few he hadn't seen shake water from their fur and dried them. The towel suffered greatly after all five, but the job was done quickly.

The puppies, tired, didn't run out the bathroom door when he opened it. With a towel around his waist, he picked them up and placed them back in the crate. The three who had sink baths were breathing deep and quick in their sleep like pups often do, and the others joined them quickly. One of the three, he thought it might be the calm male he first bathed, gave an annoyed puppy grunt, but didn't open his eyes. Angeal watched the sleeping pups for a moment, and then walked back into the bathroom.

Brushing his damp hair, he reminded himself to put a couple bowls of food in the crate. After he dressed he did so and left to give his report to Lazard.

He'd been in the slums looking for a missing person. He didn't know what could be so important to ShinRa in the slums, but he had to ask around for a young girl with certain attributes. He hated to think of what for, for the sector was dangerously close to the Wall Market, but Lazard had all but told him it had to do with the Turks.

He'd been met with resistance from the inhabitants of the slums, but eventually he had found her. Or rather, she had found him. She'd mentioned some things he could only wonder at, like how she couldn't believe "they" would send someone else to look for her. She almost sounded insulted. But the girl was oddly amiable given the circumstances, and she had bright green eyes and long light-brown hair. She told him to tell his boss that she hadn't been where she was supposed to be today because of some pressing matters. She wasn't going to run away. She'd be back there tomorrow. She wasn't going to play any games like "they" tried to.

Angeal hadn't been asked to take the girl back, only to find her, and so he left it at that. She must have found something likable in him because she called him back, and, a little more humbly, asked if he would take care of something for her.

The puppies had been her charge previously. Apparently when she told her mother about them she was told that they just didn't have enough to spare for eight dogs. She had tried to take care of them secretly, but one of her mother's friends, a shop-keeper, had mentioned them to her mother and she knew she couldn't keep it up. She told him she figured he, Angeal, could do more for them. She told him that if he didn't take the dogs she'd run away, but he had a feeling the threat was idle. Angeal did it anyway, finding the dogs with the Accessory Shop owner and purchasing a crate from him to carry the animals with him. He decided he liked the girl, and didn't ask for her name. He left that out of his report and any mention of taking the dogs with him.

Lazard asked him if the pups were asleep back in his room all the same. Angeal didn't flinch, but didn't say anything. Lazard had chuckled, professed to know him so well, told him Aerith Gainsborough could have that effect on people and that he was dismissed. The meeting left Angeal thinking the whole thing had been a set-up, but he decided he didn't care.

When he got back to his room there was very little sound from the crate. Most puppies slept nearly twenty hours a day for the first few months of their lives so he wasn't worried. There was some crunching when Angeal walked past and he looked in to see the last of the puppy chow eaten. Pleased, he ruffled the few puppies that were awake.

There were a few inconsequential tasks he took care of before he pulled out his phone.

"Hey, man! Angeal! Buddy, when were you going to call and tell me personally that you made First? I have to say, man, my feelings are hurt."

"Zack. Meet me in the lobby in less than twenty minutes. I've got a job for you."

"Er, I'm on vacation tomorrow, man. You sure I can get it done?"

"Do you want a good word for Third, or not?"

"Hnmmnnm...I'll be there!"

"Twenty minutes."

"Ten!"

Angeal closed his phone. There was a yip to his left and he looked over from where he had sat on his bed to see a sniffing nose over the top of the crate. He leaned over and looked at the pup that had its tail wagging. For a moment they appraised each other. The pup became gradually more still, and to Angeal its eyes seemed to get bigger, more adorable. He had the feeling that it was the first puppy he'd bathed. Something just told him.

The pup tried to jump at him, but fell back unceremoniously and yelped. Angeal chuckled deeply, pet the puppy until he was back on his feet and picked up the crate to leave.

He hadn't been sitting the lobby five minutes before the woman at the front desk came up to him. It was still pretty quiet in the building so it wasn't so bad that she had left her post. For some reason, Angeal didn't think she was going to reprimand him.

It turned out she wanted to take one of the dogs home and asked him to set one aside for her for when her shift was over. She had a boy at home and her only support, her brother, was out in Wutai. She thought it would be a good idea to have a dog. She asked how much he wanted for one. He told her they still needed shots. She said she'd take care of it. He told her they still needed potty training and she replied the same way. He appraised her for a moment, and figured the weird sheen in her eyes earlier had been a mixture of longing and hesitation. Were the dogs slum dogs? Were slum dogs rabid? Did she have funds to take care of such a problem, or could she even? How many times would she be able to think about it before giving in? Seeing the dogs clean had probably driven the idea home, and now the only worry in her eyes was for the price.

He told her he'd give her the dog and the puppy chow he purchased when she was off. For free. The woman was very grateful. They spoke for a moment, and she guessed the other half of the dogs was probably some sort of Rot Weiler mix with maybe a bull dog or something with a wider snout.

When Zack came through the front doors the woman politely excused herself and walked back to the desk. Angeal saw Zack waggle his eyebrows suggestively between him and the women, but chose to ignore it. One of the puppies yipped and the infantryman finally took notice of them.

"Hey, Soldier First Class Angeal! What's up with the dogs?"

"That's your homework for vacation."

"Uh, what? Genus classification assignment or something? Do SOLDIERs DO that?"

Angeal snorted. "THAT would be easy. Where are you going for vacation?"

"Costa Del Sol. First time. Woo!" One of the dogs barked with him, and Zack, coming out of a squat mixed with a pelvic-thrust, remembered where he was. "Er, yeah. Probably not the best thing for puppies. Sorry, man."

Angeal was unruffled. "Alright. If you can't do it, then I'll just have to find someone else. Your buddy Kunsel will be in town for a few days, I think." He got out his cell phone and pretended to look for the number he didn't even have. He let Zack snatch his cell phone when he tried.

"Geesh, alright. I'll take care of it. Every one of them will be sold. How do you plan on having me do this?"

"Legally and without profit."

"What? How the heck would you know if I made a profit? And how am I supposed to take care of them until I get to Costa del Sol?"

"Carefully. I'll know how you take care of it."

Zack protested half heartedly and eventually gave in. Angeal explained all he needed to know in order to orient the potential owners and how to watch over the puppies, and what kind of food to buy before he took them back to his room. When he asked how he was supposed to get the dogs on the boat to Costa del Sol, Angeal told him that was his problem. Zack also asked where he got the puppies, and he told him it wasn't really his concern. When Zack was about to leave, Angeal decided he looked determined, and worried, enough and smirked. He stood just as Zack was about to heft the crate up and stopped him. He pulled out the puppy who had been trying the hardest to get out of the crate. It was the same male he'd first given a bath. Perhaps it was Angeal's unexpected attention, but no matter the cause after being the puppy that was stepped on by his siblings, this puppy seemed the most determined to tip the crate a second time. He'd be an admirable dog in a couple years, he was sure.

"Aww! You'd miss them if I took them all, huh, Angeeeeal," Zack cooed to him and made kissing noises at the pup, earning a bonk on the head.

"Get the job done, Zack." Angeal left it at that, and Zack sighed before leaving to get some dog food.

Angeal waited around a bit, and then took his single puppy out to the grass outside. The woman at the counter would get off in an hour.

He picked up after the dog, and allowed him only a few yards away for any given amount of time. The dog didn't quite understand that whistling meant to come back by the end of their time together, but he figured he'd learn however the woman and her son taught him. Though he was a handful, there was an aspect to the pup that was eager to please.

Angeal realized he'd lasted longer than most, but when he was going back to his room to pick up the dog food he let himself ponder the idea of keeping the puppy. He wouldn't hear the end of it from Genesis or Zack, but what kept him from just doing it was the knowledge that he didn't really have proper quarters for a dog. He sighed, looking at the puppy as it yawned, tucked in his arm as they went down the elevator. He'd done what he could. He hefted the large bag of dog food under his other arm a little more securely and exited the elevator.

The woman was waiting for him when he came out. She said she'd almost been worried he wouldn't show, but there was a playful gleam in her eye. She asked if he might take her to a shop where she could get a collar and a tag for the pup. She hadn't mentioned a leash, and later when they were at the store she said she'd train him to walk without one, but she had one if it was needed. She invited Angeal to dinner, and asked if he might tell her son how to take care of a dog so the boy didn't just assume she didn't know what she was talking about. Angeal figured it must have been a long standing topic, and that was confirmed when he met the boy later. He was a good kid, and Angeal realized that both he and his mother would be great dog owners. And they were better candidates than he was.

Because after Angeal ate dinner and woke up to leave the quaint house the next morning he looked at the puppy and paused at the front door. "Yeah, I know. You're better off here because I'm the biggest stray of all."