Well, this update was long overdue. All my other stories were on a roll and this kept getting pushed to the side. Because of that updates for this may not come as often. Probably one or two a month, but they'll be worth the wait. ;) I tried to keep hings accurate, not so much with the world of FF7, as this is AU, but the other facts. Mutes for example. I apologize ahead of time if I got anything wrong and if I did please tell me so I can correct it.

This chapter is basically bringing everyone up to speed as Cloud goes over what happened during the past year, memories will be in italic and kept in separated sections. The more current stuff will e towards the bottom half. :)

Enjoy!


Chapter One

~*~ One Year Later ~*~

Cloud could barely make it to the top of the latter before collapsing onto his bunk. He had had his fair share of tiring days before, but today he was completely exhausted. Training to be a SOLDIER was hard enough, but this was his second attempt and it only seemed to get harder. No matter how many times he tried to make sense of it he always came to the same conclusion. He was never the religious type, but if there was a goddess, she hated him. While he laid there, letting his weary limbs rest he let his mind wander. He tried to focus on why he was here. To prove to his father that he deserved to be a SOLDIER just as much as his brother did. Cloud remembered his first day clearly...


He had just gotten settled in his new bunk when the orders were given for all new cadets to assemble in the training yard. Cloud scurried to catch up with his peers and they fell in line and marched out the door, down the hall, down the steps and out onto the field. Cloud was a bit winded by then, but he was determined to show a strong appearance, at least on his first day. The cadets soon became nervous when they saw the Third Class SOLDIERs lined up on the opposite side of the field.

Most of the cadets seemed nervous, but Cloud was actively searching for a familiar face. He smiled when he saw his friend. Zack Fair saw him almost at the same time and waved his hand rapidly in the air to get his attention. Cloud had trouble trying to suppress a chuckle, but everyone stopped when First Class SOLDIER General Angeal Hewley stepped onto the field. Cloud stood at attention along with the other cadets while Zack still tried to use his facial features as a form of sign language to communicate with his best friend.

Angeal stopped in front of Zack for just a moment to raise an eye brow. The soldier standing next to Zack with his helmet covering his eyes jabbed him hard in the ribs, trying to get him back in line. Angeal closed his eyes and kept walking, just slightly allowing one side of his mouth to arch upwards into a small smirk. Like a puppy, that one.

He made his way to the head of the group to make a speech. Normally it was not his forte, but there were some interesting candidates this year and he was looking to take on a pupil.

"Welcome, new cadets. In case you didn't know, I am General Angeal Hewley. I am the highest ranking SOLDIER within Shinra. Third Class SOLDIERs, I'd like to congratulate you on passing your exams and I look forward to seeing you climb your way up the line and increase your rank within Shinra. You new SOLDIERs should know this, but it won't hurt to refresh your memory. You cadets have probably joined in the hopes of becoming heroes and legends. To attain fame, glory and bring honor to your family name. But, do you really know the first thing about honor? Honor is not something to be taken lightly. While you are not required to have a moral code it never hurts to listen to your conscience."

"We all may have different titles and different ranks, but we are all members of SOLDIER. We are brothers. We go into battle together and together we triumph. We grieve our losses together and strive to make our fallen brothers proud."

The general cleared his throat as he looked around at the assembled groups on both sides before continuing his speech. Cloud searched the crowd of Third Class SOLDIERs, wondering where Sephiroth was. Surely he wasn't still a cadet. Not that Cloud wouldn't mind teasing his brother about something for once, but it would also more than likely mean he'd get pounded for it the moment he opened his mouth. He scanned the group for the second time and the only familiar face he saw was Zack. For the first time, Cloud tried to get his attention and ask where Seph was, but the Third Class was paying full attention to the General's speech. The blonde cadet finally gave up and listened to the rest of the speech.

"...So, work hard. Support your team mates and remember, to make your dreams come true you must uphold your honor and you will become great members of SOLDIER." The audience applauded as the groups began to break up. Zack managed to slip away from his group long enough to bump into Cloud. "Spiky!"

"Hey Zack!" replied the cadet with a bright smile. The friends greeted each other with their secret handshake followed by a bro fist and a Zack finished by ruffling Cloud's hair; an old habit that never died. "You've gotten stronger since the last time I saw you," Cloud commented, with one of his eyes shut.

Zack chuckled sheepishly as he stopped bugging him, "Sorry, I forget that I've got Mako now. I never thought I'd see you here, but I'm glad. It'll be nice to have an old friend watching my back when you make SOLDIER."

"Hey, we gotta get moving!" Zack looked over his shoulder as the Third who had jabbed him earlier came hurrying up. "The instructor's not gonna be happy that we're late," he informed them. Zack waved it off, "He's not gonna rip our heads off if we're a few minutes late, relax. Oh, This is my friend Kunsel, Kunsel, this is my best buddy Cloud."

"Pleasure," Kunsel said with a nod which Cloud returned. "Hey, Zack have you seen Sephiroth?"

Zack rolled his eyes at the mention of the silverette. "Yes, too much lately to care about his promotion."

"Promotion?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah, his skills were so impressive as a cadet that he got promoted to Third Class after only four months of cadet training and now he's just made Second."

"He's a Second Class already?!" Cloud knew his brother was good, but to jump ranks like that so quickly was almost unheard of.

"I know, it's crazy," Zack replied with a nod, "and it hasn't done anything to tame his ego either. If anything he's become more ruthless on the battlefield and if you were expecting any mercy from him, better think again. He strikes hard and fast and leaves no one alive. That's what our instructor told him and then a week later he became a Third. I think it's best if you avoid him, Spike."

Cloud nodded and looked around seeing that most of the cadets were heading towards their first class of the day. Cloud quickly said goodbye to his friend before hurrying to catch up.


Cloud's first year as a cadet had been filled with nothing but pain, pain and more pain. Everything had been going fine until he bumped into Sephiroth. It was the only time Cloud remembered seeing his brother looking utterly shocked in his life. That expression of surprise was soon replaced with fury. Cloud rubbed the spot on his arm where he had been injured that day...


Sephiroth threw Cloud against the wall and held him there, his hand digging painfully into his younger brother's shoulders. "What are you doing here!" he seethed. "Father forbid you from joining SOLDIER!"

Cloud returned his brother's glare through the pain, "Father said I was forbidden from trying, but I'm not here to try, I'm here to succeed!"

Sephiroth pulled him away from the wall only to slam him again. "Idiot! Who do you think you're fooling? You don't have what it takes and father was just trying to save our family from becoming an embarrassment! What'd you do? Go behind father's back and ask mother? I'm surprised she let her baby chick leave the nest!"

Cloud fought to get out of Sephiroth's grip, "Shut up! I have just as much right to be here as you do, and I'm gonna prove it!"

Sephiroth couldn't help but laugh, but it was a dark, mocking chuckle. "You think you're worthy? Don't make me laugh Cloud. You have no chance of making it. I give it a week and you'll be sent home. If not by Shinra, then by our Father."

"Father can go climb a tree for all I care. I'm doing this for myself. I don't need Father's blessing and I don't need your permission. I have all the support I need, which is more than you can say."

"Support? Where? You think Zack can help you? Maybe if he were a cadet, but he's a Third. The SOLDIERs and the cadets train in different areas for a reason. So that the betters can't help the grunts. And with the way my training's been going, I'll be a First in no time and when that happens I'll make sure you never make SOLDIER."

It was pointless trying to talk any sense into his older brother, Cloud should have realized that, but what he had told him was true. Sephiroth may have his father's support, but Cloud had so much more. And it was that strength that would carve his path and get him to the top, no matter how long it took.


Sadly, his brother had a lot more strings to pull than Cloud realized. A few days after his encounter with his brother he had been summoned to an office to receive a phone call from home. He was hoping it was his mother, but it was his father. Apparently Sephiroth had whined to him about Cloud and their father was furious. It took everything Cloud had to finally shut him up and get him to listen. Cloud remembered his father's words perfectly, "Fine! Stay and get yer ass blown up! Saves me from anymore embarrassments to the family name!" Cloud knew it was an insult and his father would probably be happy if he ended up dead, but it was still permission to stay.

To say that Cloud's continued presence at Shinra hadn't pissed off his brother to no end was an understatement and Cloud knew Sephiroth was making it harder for him which was probably the reason why this was his second year as a cadet. Cloud was happy. Tired, bruised and a little deflated, but happy. He had learned some skills and planned to perfect them during his second year, but he would not leave until he made SOLDIER. Zack was already a Second Class and Sephiroth had made it to First after being chosen as Commander Genesis Rhapsodos' pupil.

Cloud had heard many stories about the two First Class SOLDIERs from the other Cadets. One was that the Commander liked to set cadets on fire simply for his own amusement. Cloud brushed that off as a rumor until a passing Third had shown him and the other conversing cadets the burn marks on his arm. Later on Zack told him Genesis also liked torching Thirds who got on his bad side. The stories he enjoyed hearing most about was General Angeal Hewley. He was a man who believe in fairness and honor. He was never ruthless, never made rash choices and always waited to hear both sides of a story before making his decision. He was also Zack's mentor and the Second Class had tons of stories to tell about him.

Cloud's thoughts were interrupted as another cadet got up to use the restroom and it was only then he realized how long he had let his mind wander. Turning over, he decided to get whatever sleep he could. Tomorrow would be another long day and if he was going to make any progress he had to put in extra effort.

The next morning he woke up feeling just as sore as he did the previous evening. It had been the same routine for the past week. Running drills, doing laps, lifting weights, running more drills, the entire day was nothing but repeating these exorcises over and over; simple repetition. Cloud knew it was to build up their stamina, but he had become bored with it. At least the drills seemed easier this time around. Not that he was happy to admit that this was his second attempt to make it into SOLDIER.

This new term brought new faces that Cloud wondered if he'd have to waste any time worrying about. His first year didn't carry the threat of bullies, but this new batch seemed much different than the eager, laid back group he had first trained with. Those guys were alright and would make promising additions to the program, but these guys,...he wasn't so sure.

On a break in between classes three of them cornered him. "So, I here this is your second year as a cadet? What happened?" asked one.

"Is it true that you puked half-way through your final exam?" asked the second.

Cloud glared at them, but tried to be civil. "The final exams test you more than just physically. You've got to put all of your heart in it, I was unfortunate enough to be suffering the flu at the time. I couldn't perform at my best because of it. This year will be different."

"Sure sure," the first cadet replied, "I'm Sanders by the way, This is my buddy Powel," he motioned to his friend. Cloud looked over at the third who kept his face hidden by his helmet, "And who's this?"

"Dunno," replied Sanders, "We just met him a few days ago. He don't say much, and he always keeps his helmet on." The cadet looked in Cloud's direction and nodded a silent greeting. Cloud nodded back before heading off, not wanting to answer any more questions. This trick worked the last time his team mates started giving him a hard time. Ignore and walk away and maybe they'll leave him alone.

Over the next several days Cloud could feel the others watching him. Sanders and Powel seemed to be studying him, Cloud guessed they were looking for any weaknesses they could use against him. The kid with the helmet was watching him too, but it felt different from the others. He just seemed to be watching him out of pure curiosity. While Cloud had learned to brush off other uncomfortable stares it was this one that bothered him the most, but he still tried his best to ignore it.

One day he became curious and decided to ask one of his other team mates that had arrived the same day as Helmet kid had. "So, what's Helmet Kid's story?"

The teen shrugged, "Not sure, I overheard our instructor telling someone that he's a mute. He won't talk to anyone, he just sits there and watches everything and doesn't say a word back. I tried talking to him once, all he did was nod or shake his head."

Cloud remembered coming across something about mutes when he was studying. The next day was a free day so he decided to go to the cadet study hall and looked through the books before he found what he was looking for. War and the effects it can cause. He scanned through the pages until he found it.

{Mutes: A condition caused by severe trauma and shock. It is unknown what triggers it as it is different for each individual, but the symptoms are often the same. The ability to speak becomes suppressed, sometimes to the point where they cannot utter a single sound in the most extreme cases. Furthermore, there are times when the subject may be able to come out of it and regain their voice, other times it is permanent. Further study is needed.}

Cloud sat back in his chair feeling pretty bad. Maybe it wasn't the kid's intention to stare at him, what if it was his way of trying to get his attention? All Cloud had done lately was ignore him, assuming he was one of Sanders' friends. Had he been wrong? The big question now was how could Cloud approach him? He couldn't just walk up and mention he was a mute. Eventually Cloud decided he'd wait until the kid approached him. He'd have to suffer the stares for a bit longer, but at least he had a better understanding now.

A few days had passed without incident. Cloud was pleased with his progress. He was doing much better at this point than he was last year. The instructor however wasn't willing to offer any praise, it was the kid's second attempt after all and he reminded Cloud that he needed to do better and really push himself this year because if he failed this time he'd lose his chance to make SOLDIER.

That was all the motivation he needed. He was determined to pass this time because if he didn't he'd have to face something even more terrifying than the Commander's fury; His father's wrath. Cloud rolled his eyes, his father had probably already disowned him. He made a mental note to write a letter to his mother later that evening to see how she was doing.

By the end of the week the class was tired and worn out. It was then that Cloud dreaded what was about to happen. The instructor had pulled the same stunt on his first class many times. He'd make them dog tired with double the normal workout and then hit them with a surprise test. Just because he knew it was coming didn't mean he was ready for it. He was just as tired as the rest of them. Despite his sore muscles and aching feet he didn't do horribly. They had to run a marathon course which was five miles of dodging enemy fire, returning fire, crawling through an active battlefield, rescuing a wounded comrade and carrying them back safely over the finish line.

The class totaled seventeen cadets in the instructor's class and everyone started as one group, but through the course they had fallen into one of three; The front runners, the pacers and the stragglers. Last year Cloud had been leading the stragglers before collapsing long before reaching his wounded comrade. This time he was keeping up with the pacers. He was trying to conserve his energy.

When his group reached the battlefield, Cloud instantly got low, two others followed his example, but the forth wasn't as lucky as a green splatter of paint struck him in the chest.

"You're out McKenzie," shouted the instructor as he pointed to the bench where the other fallen cadets had collected. Cloud spared a quick glance, remembering that was where he had ended up last time. It felt good to see Powel sitting there this time instead of him. A punch to his foot caused Cloud to turn his head to look back. In that instant he felt the wind brush his hair as a paint ball just barely missed him. Cloud ducked his head lower and looked back at who had hit him, it was Helmet Kid. "Thanks," he nodded. Helmet Kid nodded back before they both continued on. Once past the battle field Cloud hurried over and picked up his fallen comrade which was no more than a large sack of rice and carry it the rest of the way to the finish line.

"Don't let your comrade get hit by enemy fire!" called the instructor. "Watch your surroundings and prepare to return fire to cover your escape! If your comrade gets hit you'll spend all afternoon cleaning up his guts from the grounds."

Well, crud. Cloud hadn't made it this far last time so it'd be an interesting challenge, sadly he had added pressure. He didn't want to fail it again. He hoisted the sack over his shoulder as if it were a wounded warrior and pressed on, being mindful of hostile threats. A grunt from behind told Cloud that Helmet Kid had also picked up his comrade. Cloud hurried onward, knowing that the finish line wasn't too far off.

He made it around the corner without any incident when he heard a rustling in the bushes a few feet away. It could have easily been a bird or a squirrel, but in Shinra nothing was as it seemed. Cloud hit the deck just as a paint ball shot out from the bushes striking the wall just behind the cadet. Cloud hurried to retrieve the sack of rice before hurrying over to one of the tables that held a set of small paint ball guns. Cloud grabbed one and quickly fired into the bush where the enemy attack had come from. Nothing. Keeping in mind that his ammo was limited he saved the rest and carried on. Once around the back of the building Cloud took a second to catch his breath. Looking ahead he sighed with relief. The finish line was finally in sight!

He started to take off at a run when he realized how open the path was between the building and the finish line and stopped. It couldn't be that easy after dodging enemy fire. With no cover to protect him it'd be too easy for someone to gun him down in this terrain. As he waited a minute to weigh his options he didn't notice the young cadet who charged ahead of him. Helmet Kid had managed to catch his second wind when he saw the finish line and with a big smile, he ran as fast as his tired legs would allow. Cloud was prepared to charge after him when he heard a snap followed by a cry of pain.

Cloud saw Helmet Kid go down hard and he didn't get back up. Wondering what had gone wrong; Cloud took off onto the open ground. That's when the enemy fire came with a fury. Cloud kept as low as he could while trying to get to the other cadet. He slid next to the kid and used their sacks of rice as a shield. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked over the sound of battle as other members of the third group started to catch up.

Helmet Kid was biting his lower lip to fight back the pain as he pointed to his ankle. Cloud took a closer look and gently touched it. The injured cadet flinched from the pain. "I don't think it's broken," Cloud replied. The boy didn't seem any happier, looking at the finish line, it looked like the boy was about to cry. Cloud realized then that there was no way the kid would make it. Cloud could still make it, but after the kid had saved him from getting taken out early, he wanted to return the favor. That's when he got an idea.

"How's your aim?"

The instructor checked his wrist watch as he waited for the last few cadets to crawl over the finish line. Out of the entire class that started only five had made it. "Well class, shall we go and scrape up the fallen?"

More gunfire came from the battlefield as the instructor turned back to look and was surprised by the sight that greeted him. Cloud was running as fast as he could, carrying Helmet Kid over his shoulder while the injured cadet was returning fire with his and Cloud's paint ball guns. The moment Cloud passed the finish line he collapsed in a panting heap, Helmet Kid rolled off the blonde's shoulder as both boys tried to catch their breath. Cloud looked behind them at the red tape that lay on the ground and then back up at Helmet Kid. "We did it."

The boy smiled back and covered his mouth as he let out a silent laugh. Cloud was about to join in with his friend's laughter when he saw the instructor looking down at them. "Care to explain yourselves? Where are your fallen comrades?"

Helmet Kid started flailing his arms, trying to motion the entire story of what happened. The teacher just rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky. "You gotta start usin' your mouth if you want people to understand you, cadet."

The boy slumped his shoulders in defeat as he stared down dejected at the dirt. That was when Cloud spoke up, "It was my idea, sir. He injured his ankle on the battlefield and I stopped to help. When I noticed he hadn't been hit by enemy fire I traded my wounded comrades."

"You traded your wounded comrades?" repeated the instructor with a raised eyebrow. Cloud nodded. "He covered us as I made my retreat sir. We won as a team."

Helmet Kid cast a thankful glance over at Cloud before their instructor's laughter made them look up. "Never in all my years have I heard such a story. Out of the hundred ways you could fail you picked the best one!"

"Fail?" asked Cloud, "but we made it across the finish line."

"You did, but your wounded comrades didn't," he said pointing to the sacks laying at the far end of the field. "The object was to make it over with your comrade intact. Since you both crossed without them you both fail."

"But, in a real battle a SOLDIER wouldn't sacrifice a wounded comrade whose really hurt for a sack of rice!"

"Well, I got news for ya Cadet, you ain't a SOLDIER and that wasn't a real battlefield. You had orders to follow and you disobeyed them. Don't like it? Tough. Go home if you can't handle it."

The instructor turned to the group who had been taken out by enemy fire and failed their test. "I got good news for you boys, Cadet Strife and his silent friend have just offered to clean up the entire field and save you lot the trouble. Now, what do we say for their kindness?"

Cloud looked away as he felt whatever dignity he had left die as the cadets replied, "Thanks Cloud."

The window from a nearby window closed shut. The person who had been watching the test was looking forward to sharing the results with his superiors.