This is indeed, the second chapter of 'Training', considering it seemed to be what you wanted. He he. I got extremely carried away here, not able to actually make everything I wanted to fit into the one chapter. –urk- Apologies. But hopefully you'll enjoy the story anyway. I like this chapter anyway, builds character. The next chapter will of course be finished sooner, considering it's half done. hehehe

Disclaimers: I do not own final fantasy 7 STILL, which I will work on someday. I will own it, I just have to. cries There is no yaoi in this chapter.If there was to be, it would be extremely long. Next chapter though, I promise. hehehe

Big big big thanks to Toons, for all the ideas and support. D If only they were real. Behehehehehe.

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The couch moved several inches and Cloud leapt at it and landed in a heap on his back. He held up his new uniform, and ran his fingers over the patches on the side. He grinned from ear to ear, tracing the letters one by one. Zack had heard movement in the lounge and come out with an expectant grin, trying desperately to act surprised when Cloud held up the jacket for Zack to examine.

"SOLDIER third class?!" Zack beamed, "I told you you could do it!"

Zack then clapped the blonde over his back and smirked a little.

"I'm in SOLDIER Zack!!" Cloud grinned enthusiastically.

"You're like a kid in a candy shop, Cloud…" Zack snorted, and the blonde nodded.

"Well I'm glad I set it up well then!" Zack grinned, and a look of understanding crept over Cloud's face and he leapt up and launched himself at his roommate, pulling him into a hug. Zack was a little shell-shocked, patting Cloud on the back and ruffling his hair.

"I was wondering how I was even recognized!!" Cloud beamed.

"Well, we were talking, and we figured that you had reached SOLDIER standards. So last time we were sparring, I invited one of the officials to come and watch, and they liked what they saw!" Zack laughed, and Cloud bounced slightly. He made an odd squealing noise, before falling back onto the couch, clutching his uniform as if his life depended on it. Cloud looked up at Zack, a thought coming to mind.

"Who was talking? You and who?" Cloud asked, and Zack continued grinning.

"The general of course!!" Zack laughed, and Cloud faltered briefly. It had been a week since he had last trained with the General. Sephiroth had told Zack to call the meetings of, and to tell Cloud that he had other matters from now on to deal with. Cloud had filled with dread at these words. It had been Cloud's fault that the lessons had stopped. The last… rather heated encounter… had obviously been a large mistake on the General's account, and Cloud had been embarrassed at his actions. He still tried to grasp onto the reason why exactly he had done what he'd done. Had he been away from decent looking females for too long? He wasn't sure, but he was very reluctant to believe that anything he had done had been fuelled by a genuine attraction to the general. The more Cloud had pondered his reasons however, the more the reason seemed apparent. Over the time that the two had been training, and the occasions when the General had dropped in and spent an hour or so perched on Cloud's sofa, discussing battle techniques with Cloud, and upcoming missions with Zack, Cloud had indeed taken a liking to the seemingly cold General. Cloud had the invaluable information that the General's persona was hidden behind a shell, and Cloud had known the kind of humour and mannerisms that were capable of breaking it. He had not once spoken to the General since they had shared their moment, and the only contact he had had with him was through Zack, or listening to a speech of his at the daily assemblies. The green cat's eyes had met Cloud's blue on several occasions, but were an unreadable door to the general's emotions. Cloud was sure that whatever relations, even friendship, he and the General had, had been ruined of his accord.

"…Cloud?" Zack queried, shaking the blonde's shoulder in an overly rough manner. Cloud had apparently zoned out for sometime.

"Mmm?" Cloud replied, trying to focus on the blue eyes that were now almost scowling.

"Were you even listening?" Zack asked, frown lines forming across his pale face.

"Uh… no, not really…" Cloud replied sheepishly, and Zack sighed, rolling his eyes in mock humour.

"WELL… I was just saying that the General wanted me to congratulate you on your performance today at the trials. He said the only problem he had was with your stance whilst Jackson was dishing out a side-swipe butterfly and you tried to counter with-"

"Sephiroth was there?" Cloud interrupted, to the disapproving looks of his best friend.

"Yes Cloud, he was in the box seats at the top of the training hall. You know, with the tinted glass?" Zack replied, and Cloud nodded.

"ANYWAY… as I was saying… he thought you did very well. He must have thought you had potential, because he usually doesn't come to watch the trials."

"Oh… well I must have, hey?" Cloud grinned cheekily, and Zack once more rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you think hotshot…" Zack smirked, "Anyway, I'm off to bed, don't forget you have to go up at that assembly tomorrow, as the official induction."

Cloud froze. He'd forgotten all about that. All of his so-called peers would be watching, throwing remarks from left right and centre he was sure of it… Cloud felt a little nauseated, and Zack must have picked up on this fact, clapping him over the back.

"You'll be alright kiddo; you've got me up there with you. It'll all be as smooth as silk, you'll see!" Zack grinned reassuringly, and Zack nodded, "Night then!"

As Zack headed off down their hallway, Cloud lay back down and pondered all of the thoughts that swirled within his head. The last thing he could remember was the golden stitching reading 'Cloud Strife- SOLDIER 3rd class', before falling asleep with a content smile on his face.

Zack was hopping through the living room, trying to pull on his pants, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth, and a comb being hurriedly flicked through his hair. He quickly surrendered to the black spikes and threw the comb on the sofa as Cloud sat and smirked.

"I can't believe you woke up so late Zack!" Cloud cried, laughing as Zack dropped his toast and muttered a curse, throwing it onto the table.

"We've got time!! We will be on time Cloud, so don't push me!" Zack snapped, as Cloud giggled maniacally.

"WHAT?!" Zack snapped, as Cloud simply pointed at Zack's pants, issuing another steady stream of curses from the lieutenant's mouth, trying desperately to turn his pants the correct way around. Cloud stood, picking up his cap and placing it over his head, before placing on his boots. A thud resounded as Zack hit the deck, cursing frequently, as Cloud suppressed the giggle fits from flowing out as freely as Zack's swears.

They had rushed to the assembly hall, where, as Zack had presumed, people were only just shuffling in.

"I am never late, Cloud…" Zack said smugly, shuffling through the door and over to the stage area, where the General had been waiting. A uniformed official came and guided Cloud to a seat with a small sign reading 'Cloud Strife-reserved'. Cloud sat down gingerly, as he felt quite a few pairs of eyes piercing the back of his head. He sighed a little, as more and more Shinra personnel filed into the hall. Zack continued standing on stage next to the impressive figure of Sephiroth who had the faintest hint on a smile across his face as Zack recounted something animatedly. Another graduate took his seat next to Cloud and glanced at him, before focusing his eyes on the stage. Cloud followed his peer's eye-line and saw the newly appointed head of the Turks up there.

"That's Tseng…" The graduate smirked, flicking long red locks from his eyes.

"Are you hoping to make it to the Turks?" Cloud asked curiously, and received a brief nod in response.

"I'll be in for sure…" The hopeful smiled to himself, still not making eye contact with Cloud. Cloud glanced at the name stitched into the SOLDIER's uniform. 'Reno Akujin- SOLDIER special second class'

Cloud felt nauseated even further. This was a superior officer to him, which meant that this was not only induction for the third class SOLDIER successfuls. This was the whole Shinra base. He began to subconsciously wring his hands, before Zack caught his attention and gave him a reassuring smile. Cloud smiled weakly back, and Zack frowned a little concerned. He headed off the stage, the General watching him as he left, and headed in Cloud's direction.

"Are you alright?" Zack asked, placing a hand gingerly on the pale blonde, "You look kinda sick…"

"Urgh… Zack… they're all here…" Cloud groaned, and Zack ruffled his hair.

"It's just stage fright buddy, no worries…" Zack smiled, before turning to Reno.

"Reno! You made it hey?" Zack grinned, and the red-head nodded, "I knew you would. What about Rude?" The redhead gestured to the row behind him, where a bald headed figure sat, face expressionless.

"Good job Rude… you applying for the Turks too?" Zack asked.

"Sure am. Plan to make it too…" came the short reply, and Zack grinned, before clapping each one over the back and laughing.

"All my boys are growing up!" Zack beamed, clambering back up to where the General stood, leaving the three graduates looking rather sheepish.

The General looked around the packed hall, and particular at the spikey little blonde in the front row. The cadet had made it to SOLDIER, and as he turned to listen to the tale of Zack's morning, he smiled a little, unable to hold back the pride he had at what Cloud had achieved in such a short time. Zack had finally finished his story and now had a weary eye on Cloud, who Sephiroth had also noticed to appear quite ill.

"I'll be right back sir…" Zack hurried, hopping off the stage and towards the blonde. Cloud had met Sephiroth's eyes for just a second, and Sephiroth was glad to have his guard up. He had not wanted Cloud to see his concern at his welfare, it would seem too…

It had been a week now, since Sephiroth had spent any time with the young SOLDIER, and he was determined to keep it this way. Their little experience at their last training match had almost pushed Sephiroth into a pit he wasn't willing to go into. It was, simply, the young cadet getting a little too excitable and taking a moment as he saw it. Sephiroth was reluctant to see it any other way. There was no plausible reason to explain otherwise. The general no doubt had a small attraction to Cloud, but he had been determined to make the cadet dislike him from day one, so that it went no further. He had, however, failed miserably on his own side if it, instead taking quite the liking to the little Blonde. As the shock had set in at this thought, he had taken the childish route out from it and avoided him as much as possible. He had not been able to resist watching Cloud's trials though, choosing to remain in the observant box at the top of the hall. Cloud had moved exceptionally well, executing every move perfectly, down to his stance. With Zack also watching however, the general found it necessary to find some fault, and had told Zack to inform Cloud of stance. It had seemed to work rather well. The blonde was now throwing nervous glances towards him, and Sephiroth took into a conversation with Tseng to quash his urge to go and comfort the young SOLDIER. Tseng had apparently selected two members of Sephiroth's 2nd class squad to be promoted to special classes, and this had surprised the general at first, but as he turned to see none other then Reno and Rude, he had been somewhat pleased. The two, Reno in particular, had completely different styles of fighting to what the General determined to be suitable for SOLDIER. They focused heavily on brute force and intelligence missions, rather then tactics and disciplinary action. This had apparently been the perfect material for Tseng's Turk army. As the president entered the hall, there were many excited gasps and shining eyes turned to his direction, as he ascended the stairs and approached the microphone. Sephiroth ended the conversation with Tseng, and they both fell back to allow the president's speech. All ears were captivated with the promise of victory in all battles, Shinra pride, SOLDIER values and how well everyone was doing. The president then handed the mic to Tseng, who took it with a graceful motion of his hand, and approached the stand. As Tseng called up his newly appointed Turk members, along with the transferred SOLDIERs, the president sidled up next to Sephiroth, smirking.

"This is quite a miserable looking bunch you've brought me, General…" He said quietly.

"There are some in the group who have a large amount of capability, sir…" The General replied coldly.

"Well, I'm trusting they're at least capable to fight-"

"Following your guidelines when training them sir, I should hope so…" Sephiroth interrupted icily. The president nodded, a deep frown forming across his face. The General then took the stand as Tseng offered it. The room fell deathly silent. Sephiroth hated this, all the admiring eyes looking at him like a demi-god. Surely, Tseng could have done the SOLDIERs too... Sephiroth began his short speech, watching as the little blonde trembled slightly and was sneered at by his peers.

One by one, the General rattled off names, as Cloud shook uncontrollably in his seat. Reno eyed him off with a look of slight concern and curiousity. Cloud could hear the others not too subtle remarks about him being promoted and felt weakened in his legs. He snapped to attention though, as he heard his name flow from the General's mouth. He froze, as Sephiroth watched him with waiting eyes. A small smile was creeping across the General's lips as he let out a small cough.

"Uh… Cloud, you may come up and collect your weapon now…" The general smirked, as there was a mix of laughter throughout the hall. Cloud rose slowly, almost immediately being jeered at and having small paper balls thrown at him from mocking members of the Shinra whom he was meant to call his peers…

He approached the stage and slowly climbed the stage as a loud jeer of "You suck, Strife!" was called from the third row. Cloud bit his lip, feeling on the verge of tears, before hearing an almost bellow through the microphone.

"You may be granted the opportunity to sneer, Robinson, if not when you even make it to SOLDIER!!" The general snapped. The hall fell silent once more, as Sephiroth glowered around at the stunned occupants.

"Furthermore, it will not surprise me if this graduate in particular makes more of a mark in history then you could ever dream, with an amount of talent surpassing most of you combined!" Sephiroth continued. Many who had made their remarks were now drawn and pale, and Cloud smiled a little. The general then stopped, throwing another glaring look around the hall.

"Please welcome mister Cloud Strife to SOLDIER third class…" he said quietly, as the hall broke out into polite applause. The General now turned to face Cloud, who was still shell-shocked, before taking his hand and shaking it, a small smile creeping across the General face.

"Congratulations Cloud…" The general said quietly, holding out a Buster Sword.

"A buster sword?" Cloud grinned cheekily, almost suggestively, and the General nodded. Cloud took it gingerly, and moved to the side of the general, where the other graduates stood nervously.

"Light and spikey…" The general smirked wickedly, before turning back to the microphone, leaving Cloud to scowl in the corner.

Many of the occupants of the assembly were now filing out of the hall, and the General looked around for his spikey black haired friend, and his blonde counterpart to no avail.

"SEPHIROONYYYY!!!" A figure bounced through the crowd, and Sephiroth scowled, restraining himself as Zack found his way to him.

"Zack… what have I said about-"

"Have you seen Cloud, Seph?" Zack asked hurriedly, still smiling. His smile began to fade however, as the General shook his head.

"Oh…" He went out just before the assembly finished to get some water and said he would be right back, but he's been gone for awhile now…" Zack frowned, "And I can't find him anywhere…"

Sephiroth felt a little nauseated as he pictured a possible scenario.

"How long ago did Robinson leave, Zack?" he asked urgently.

"Oh, well he actually left a little after Cloud to go…" Zack began, before a look of dread fell across his face, "Shit!"

Zack then turned and sprinted for the exit, Sephiroth on his tail whilst the remaining occupants of the hall looked on in confusion. Zack had flipped open his PHS and was paging Cloud, listening for the familiar tone as he ran. Sephiroth, with hearing far more in dept, heard the shrill in the distance to his left..

"You're nothing, Strife! How did you even get into trials for SOLDIER?!" the cold tone rang out, as Sephiroth raced to the scene.
The blonde lay limply on the ground, Buster sword by his side, and a large amount of blood over his clothing. Robinson now looked up, first with a look of smug superiority, then with a look of horror at the realization that the General had arrived. Zack had withdrawn his sword and was racing toward the cadet. Sephiroth caught him around the waist and prevented him from going further, before dropping him on the ground and reaching a gloved hand for the trembling Cadet. The general had grabbed the cadet by his collar and shook him violently.

"What the hell is wrong with you cadet?! You are immediately dismissed and banned from any further involvement with the Shinra!" Sephiroth bellowed, as Tseng approached the scene, cool composure still radiating through him.

"Sephiroth!" Tseng almost barked, as the General threw the cadet on the ground.

"Get him out of my sight…" Sephiroth spat, and Tseng nodded, grabbing the cadet and walking him towards the barracks. Sephiroth turned back to Cloud, where Zack was kneeling next to him, apparently in shock, and checking for a pulse. The SOLDIER was barely conscious as the general knelt beside him.

"…urgh?" Cloud tried desperately to speak, tasting nothing but blood in his mouth. He coughed a little, attempting to sit up, and spluttering blood from his mouth. A firm hand held him back down, and Cloud was almost grateful for it, as sitting up had caused an intense pain to burn through his abdomen.

"Can you talk Cloud?" A familiar voice croaked, as Cloud strained to focus his eyes. Zack and General Sephiroth were both by his side, Zack looking nothing short of ill, and the General looking somewhat concerned.

"Sephiroth… sir?" Cloud strained, before coughing violently.

"You don't need to talk Cloud… We're just going to have to heal you partially here…" The general said a little shakily, "Which means you're going to get another hit of mako from the materia." Cloud almost smirked at this last part, and saw the confusion sweep the General's face, as well as Zack's.

"Well… I'm lying down this time… so I won't fall at least…" Cloud smirked, and the General returned the favour.

"Incredible…" Sephiroth continued to smile. Cloud began to remember what had happened for him to be in this situation. He's just about reached the hall after going in search of water when Robinson had approached him from behind and hit him with his staff. Cloud had hit the ground, as Robinson then stood on Cloud's chest. He had then stooped and taken the buster sword from Cloud, and held it in his hands, before slashing Cloud through the stomach. Cloud had verged on unconsciousness from the pain, before Robinson had smirked down at him and said "It handles well Cloud…"

Cloud had writhed beneath him, finding it hard to breathe with his weight on his chest. He had then said something about Cloud not being worthy of SOLDIER, throwing the Buster on the ground, just as he'd stepped off and been greeted by the General…

The General was here, looking down with growing concern marring his cat's eyes. Cloud felt so ashamed. Sephiroth had trained him for such a long time, and he had been caught off guard by one of his own peers.

"Cloud?" Sephiroth almost seemed to question him, but the blonde simply turned his head from the General's gaze.

"Guess I'm just not… SOLDIER material…" Cloud strained, as he bit back the tears as hard as he could. He had embarrassed himself enough; he had not wanted either of the men beside him to see him cry. Sephiroth said nothing, choosing instead to cast a cure spell, throwing a warm blanket of green light over Cloud.

".. that will be suffice enough so we can move you…" The General frowned, lifting Cloud gingerly, almost cradling him in his arms. Cloud rested his head against the General's soldier and cried gently against his coat.

Sephiroth paced up and down his office. The doctor had told him that there was no point waiting for results, and he would send someone when he had them. Zack had stayed, simply not having anything else to do without Cloud there.

Sephiroth had fought a war inside his head for the last few hours now, knowing full well that the reason he had been so protective of Cloud was plainer then he was trying to determine. Even after all the sides of Cloud that Sephiroth had seen, one in particular had stuck in his mind… He had been such a quiet, almost gentle character for the majority of the time, except when they kissed… Sephiroth had never felt so subjected, like he had no control over the situation, and try as hard as he did, Cloud always managed to gain the upper hand. It had been sending thoughts to the General's head ever since. At the assembly, handing Cloud the Buster Sword, he'd seen the flare in Cloud's eyes, and it had caught his breath, leaving him unable to produce anything but a simple nod for a few seconds. Sephiroth had never really felt so… alive around Cloud. He felt human, not like with the others, where he felt like an animal at the zoo. They all just stood and stared at him, wide eyed with fascination. Cloud had been the only person aside from Zack who had treated him as Sephiroth, rather then the almighty general. He had not been afraid to get angry with the General, and this had hit Sephiroth hard. He'd fallen for the damn rookie. And as he continued pacing his office, his mind constantly strayed to the thought of the damaged body at the medic's. Cloud was hurt severely, and Sephiroth couldn't help but feel responsible for it.

Zack had burst into the room, just as Cloud was climbing out of bed.

"Cloud!!" He cried, seeing his friend mobile at last.

"Yes Zack?" Cloud smiled weakly, before his friend pulled him into a hug. With the doses Cloud was getting, he had healed relatively well in the two days he'd been in the infirmary. He was actually able to go home. He had only heard this by pretending to sleep whilst the General had been visiting earlier that day. He had stood by his bed and accused the Doctor of not doing a correct job, and had leant back on the bed next to Cloud and startled him half to death when he had suddenly grabbed his arm.

"For one thing, Doctor… look at his iv drips… You've put it too close to where he has his mako shots!" The general snapped, as the doctor hurried apologies and assured Sephiroth that Cloud was basically healed, and would just have to take it easy. Sephiroth then stood swiftly and headed for what Cloud presumed to be the door.

"Then he's being discharged from the infirmary this afternoon. Where are his papers?" The general replied swiftly. The room then fell quiet as the Doctor escorted Sephiroth from the room. Sephiroth had not come back to the room, and it appeared that Zack had arrived to collect Cloud.

"How are ya feeling buddy?" Zack asked, concern creeping across his face.

"Alright I s'pose… what's happened to Robinson?" Cloud asked. The question had been nagging at him since he'd arrived at the infirmary. Sephiroth had terrified even Cloud when he'd come to his rescue.

Cloud had held onto the hope that maybe the General had been overly protective for reasons that he had begun to appreciate within himself. He'd woken up to himself that afternoon and brushed away his denial of his feelings towards the general. Sure, why not accept it? He didn't even mind anymore that the General had no apparent feelings of his own, but he clung to the hope.

"The General sent him packing, dishonorably discharged. Apparently he was roughed up a bit by the Turks. They hate disloyalty. By the way, what did you think of Reno?" Zack grinned, and Cloud shrugged.

"He was ok I guess…" Cloud replied, as Zack nodded, picking up the young SOLDIER's duffle bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

"He's a good kid, but he's easily influenced. I wouldn't be surprised if you two ended up on opposite sides one day…" Zack frowned, as he lead Cloud down the hall and through the exit of the infirmary. A few people had stared at him as he went by and it was unsettling to the young blonde. Zack had seemed a little unsettled himself, but it was almost as if Zack had felt... excited?

"Zack…?" Cloud began, but Zack shook his head, continuing to walk.

"I'll tell you when we get back to our place…" Zack smiled a little, and Cloud anticipated some kind of surprise. He walked at a quicker pace and Zack grinned.

"You're kidding right?" The lieutenant had said that day, a smile creeping across his face as the general shook his head in reply. Sephiroth had sat calmly at his desk, hunched over application forms for SOLDIER field missions.

"Cloud needs to be protected for awhile, this is the only way we can be sure…" The General trailed off, as Tseng knocked at the door. The Turk stood quite majestically, although that was nearly always how he had come across to the General, and Sephiroth could sense the coming questions.

"General?" the Turk hesitated, gingerly entering Sephiroth's office, "I think you should reconsider your options…"

"I'm not taking a fresh turk out from under your wings, Tseng."

"What's the difference between that and taking out a SOLDIER third class?" Tseng had replied, almost gaping in fury, "THIRD class, General! Why… He's still a baby!" The General had been seated until now, and he stood so sharply and swiftly that the Turk almost recoiled, and Zack took a few paces back.

"Are you judging my decisions here, Tseng?" The General said dangerously low, almost challenging the Turk to say more. Tseng almost stopped himself, but chose instead to rise himself up even further and hold his ground.

"Well sir, I just fail to see the logic in letting out a child when you could have one of my men to do the job quicker-"

"I don't want quicker, Tseng…" Sephiroth had dropped his voice to a threatening growl, "I want it done well…"

Tseng opened and closed his mouth, somewhat resembling a fish.

"If I remember correctly," The general continued, "It was in fact one of your men competing against Cloud in his trials… and your Turk failed abysmally at the hands of my so called boy…"

Tseng raised himself as high as humanly possible, but finally decided that maybe biting his tongue was the best choice right now. He turned on his heel and paused at the door, turning back to meet eyes with the glowering general once more.

"I have a bad feeling about that boy, Sephiroth… He'll turn against this company one day, and I'll be holding you accountable…" Tseng said quietly, before turning and leaving, flustered with rage. Zack snickered a little to himself, before turning back to the General. He cringed a little as he saw the dangerous swirl in the green cat's eyes, and approached the General with caution.

"Sephiroth? Are you alright?" Zack asked tentatively.

Sephiroth had never now been so determined to prove the Turks wrong. Every single Turk was initially trained as a SOLDIER. What made Tseng think that they were any different? The only difference was the pathway of choice that the hopefuls followed. Cloud, in Sephiroth's eyes, had made the right one.

"I'm fine Zack…" The general replied finally, sitting back down and perching his feet on top of his desk.

"Well, are you coming to get Cloud now then?" Zack asked, apparently dismissing the General's response. Sephiroth paused. He wanted to keep Cloud close, but wanted him distanced. Some things would have to be left up to Zack.

"No, grab him and take him home. Tell him to get ready; I'll be over in the morning…" The general replied, almost ordering his lieutenant, snapping Zack into action, and exhaling deeply as Zack closed the door behind him. If he wasn't battling the enemy, it was the Turks, and if it wasn't the Turks, it was himself.

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Please tell me what you guys thought. -smiles-

Any advice is greatly appreciated too, after all, I write for fun, but I write for you! –grin-