Warnings: Same as before
Disclaimer: Same as last time. I do want to say that this story came to me a month or two ago when I was reading Snow Day and Life Long Forgotten, so there is the possibility that there are some aspects that are similar between the stories. I'm trying really hard to not make that the case and to give credit to Lord Shinta when necessary.
Cloud couldn't stand David. He was mean and obnoxious and immature and so full of himself! He also happened to be a bully. She really wished that there was another girl cadet applying to SOLDIER that she could talk to. Her best friend was back in Nibelheim and there were certain things that she couldn't discuss with Zack regardless of the fact that they were friends.
With a sigh Cloud headed down to the cadet mess hall, hoping that David won't try to hit on her again the rest of the day. How many times did she have to say no? Hngh, maybe if she got a boyfriend he would back off.
Unfortunately she seemed unable to attract any decent guys. Zack didn't count since 1: he is a decent guy and 2: they had more of a brother-sister type of relationship.
Speaking of Zack, maybe he could join her for lunch. At least that way David wouldn't try anything.
"Spiky!"
Speak of the devil. "Zack, must you call me that? You know that nickname annoys me."
"Would you prefer it if I called you chocobo head?" he teased.
Oh boy, if looks could kill then the glare that Cloud gave him would have incinerated him instantly.
"Ok, I'll take that as a no. So how has life been treating you? Haven't seen you for a couple of days thanks to all those monster mission."
Cloud shrugged. What could she say? Nothing exciting was going on in her classes, her swordsmanship was weak, and David was being a pain in the ass.
Zack's grin faltered. "Is David still giving you trouble? If you want I can go talk to my mentor Angeal about it. Maybe he can get Seph to do something about it."
That was right, Zack was being mentored by one of the three 1STs in SOLDIER. Cloud felt her cheeks start to heat up when Zack mentioned the General. Yeah, she had a crush on the General (who didn't?), but unlike those crazy Silver Elites, she wasn't obsessed with him. All she knew of the man was how he was portrayed in public. She could ask Zack, but that would be an invasion of privacy. She would wind up looking like some stalker if she asked him about the General's personal life.
"Don't worry about David. I can handle it," she said, hoping that he wouldn't notice her blushing at the mention of Sephiroth.
"I'm actually going to meet them at the SOLDIER cafeteria right now. I can take you to them now and you can tell them about your problem yourself," Zack said suddenly.
Cloud turned beet red at that, "Wha? No! Zack, I shouldn't! Besides, it isn't that big a deal! I can easily handle my problems with him!"
"Cloud please! This is serious. He is harassing you!"
"Zack…"
"At least promise that if it gets any worse you will talk to someone, okay?"
Cloud sighed, "Fine, I promise. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head to the cafeteria before they run out of edible food," and with that she took off, not giving Zack a chance to drag her with him to meet Angeal and the others.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Sephiroth was sitting at a table in the back of the cafeteria with two cans of Monster, a cream-cheese brownie, and two slices of pizza, waiting for Angeal to finish up paying for his lunch when Zack came bounding in.
Well, more like sulking in.
He flopped down at the table, muttering something about "harassing jerks" or something along those lines when Angeal sat down.
"What's wrong pup?" he asked while taking a bite out of his sandwich.
"A friend of mine is getting harassed by another cadet, but she isn't doing anything about it, insisting that she can handle it. I'm just glad that so far it hasn't gone beyond flirting," Zack said with a pout. He really didn't like at all what was happening to his friend, but there was only so much he could do as a 2ND Class.
Seph frowned. That is a serious–wait? Did Zack say she? Was he referring to…? "Zack, is your friend Cadet Cloud Strife?"
"Yeah, how do you know her?"
"Genesis took an interest in her. He's probably going to end up mentoring her," Angeal answered.
Zack had a dumbfounded look on his face. Gen hated cadets! "Dude, I do not want my friend being turned into Kentucky Fried Chocobo," he deadpanned. And that is exactly what will happen to Cloud. "And why is he interested her in the first place?"
"According to her file, she is at the top of her class when it comes to using materia. Also, after evaluating her skill with a sword, I determined that she does have the potential to use one, but the instructors are teaching techniques that aren't suitable to her build."
Of course it would be the materia that would interest the man. Not a lot of people in SOLDIER use it.
Sephiroth wasn't sure how he felt about Zack being friends with Cloud. He wasn't surprised that they were friends given Zack's friendly nature, but what if Zack was interested in Cloud? He didn't want to cause any conflict with one of his few friends, and he knew if he asked about the nature of their relationship, it would just cause an awkward situation that could potentially lead to disaster.
Eh, he will just wait for Gen to ask. He usually asks questions like that. That's what he did to Tseng when asking about his relationship with Ren. It was amusing watching the usually stoic Turk get embarrassed and flustered.
"Do you know the name of the Cadet?"
"The guy's name is David."
Sephiroth wondered if this Cadet David was the one he saw flirting with Cloud earlier today. Probably was. Well maybe he could ask Tseng or Veld if they can have one of the Turks keep an eye of that troublesome cadet. Unfortunately they couldn't do anything unless a complaint was filed by Cloud against that boy.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Genesis quickly dashed through the Turk office, dodging nerf guns, water guns, and water balloons, as he made his way to Tseng's office. So far they never got him, because his enhanced speed and reflexes kept him safe. Of course if Tseng's door was locked then he was screwed. Fortunately that had yet to happened, but today could be the day.
As a nerf dart whizzed by his head, he wrenched open the door to Tseng's office (thank Gaia it isn't locked!), dashed in, and slammed the door behind him as 5 darts and a water balloon hit the door.
Tseng raised an eye brow at the commander. "No knocking?"
"If I stopped to knock I'd be soaking wet by now, so no," Gen found the SIC of the Turks alone at his desk. Was Reno on a mission? "No Ren today?"
"She is at home recovering from a cold. Now why are you here?"
"To the point as always," Gen said as he flopped down in the chair on the other side of the desk as a grin started to make its way across his face. "Tseng, your second 'little brother' needs our help."
A confused expression etched the man's face. What did Seph need their help for? He was about to ask when Genesis continued on.
"Sephiroth has a crush on one of the cadets and he also has some competition for the girl's affections."
Both eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. Not THAT was interesting. Seph never showed any interest in anyone before. Of course it didn't help that he was practically stalked by his fans. "Who is the lucky cadet?"
"A Miss Cloud Strife. And before you ask, it won't be a problem getting them to meet because I'm going to end up mentoring the kid."
At that Tseng had a blank look on his face. "Who are you and what have you done with Rhapsodos."
"By the Goddess, is the idea of me mentoring a cadet really that implausible?"
"Do you honestly want me to dignify that with a reply," was the deadpanned response Tseng gave.
Genesis thought about it for a second before realizing just how out of character the idea was. "Well she is really skilled with materia and there is no way she would be able to pass the SOLDIER exams with what the instructors are teaching," he said, hoping that it was a good enough defense.
Tseng didn't care what excuse his friend gave; he was willing to bet that the main reason why the commander decided mentor the cadet was mainly because Seph had a romantic interest and Genesis wanted to help in his own bizarre way.
"Just don't scare her for life," was all he said.
Gen had his signature smirk on his face, "I promise to be on my best behavior," was his only response as he got out of the chair, opened the door, and dashed out of the Turk office.
Tseng felt really sorry for the cadet.
Again, I just wanted to remind everyone that SugarAdict!Seph and Turk Playground are originally Lord Shinta's ideas. I'm using them with her permission.
As for the first little brother, well it is probably very obvious, but to those who don't know, it will be made apparent in a couple of chapters.