A/N: Well, it looks like I lied...because it isn't Monday or Tuesday. It's Friday of the week before I said I would most likely get the next chapter up, and here it is, Chapter four. Hope this has made at least a few people happy.
But before we continue I have something very important I would like to point out. In chapter one I know I made Cloud fifteen when he signed up for Shinra. The thing is for an idea to work I have to change this, so instead of being fifteen at the beginning Cloud is now sixteen instead, which makes Cloud seventeen currently. Did everybody get that, I have made a change to Cloud's age. He is now sixteen when he signs up making him seventeen right now!Thank you. (I have edited chapter one, so if you started reading this fic after I posted this chapter you kind of aren't affected by the change.)
Disclaimer: As always I am admitting that I do not own Crisis Core, Final Fantasy 7, or any of the characters from either game. (At least some of the characters in here are mine. Just sadly, Cloud and Zack aren't among them T_T) Anyway, I now give you chapter four!!
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Ch 4: Dreams and Reality
The time spent in the medical ward had been painfully dull, but fortunately Cloud had always been a relatively fast healer. His fast recovery rate combined with SOLDIER's advanced healing technology made for a reduced stay within the white walls of the ward, but all the same, Cloud had been ready to scream from the confinement.
There had been nothing to do besides sleep, which he had done a lot of at first, and read. That was it. It wasn't like the nurses, or the doctor, were going to let him get up and run around. Walks were fine but he was still confined to the ward when he did, and there wasn't much to see. So eventually even the walks did very little to keep Cloud sane.
Fortunately, Zack would visit almost every day bringing with him all the cheer in the world. Cloud had never been one to sit there and grin over much of anything, but Zack never failed to make him smile.
Each day, as the afternoon rolled by, Cloud would await the sound of boots clapping on the hard floor of the ward, which would be in stark contrast to the sound of the doctor's dress shoes and the low heels of all the nurses. It was a welcomed sound that never failed to lift Cloud's spirits.
Sometimes Zack would sneak in some of his favorite treats, scanning the entire room for any sign of the medical staff before pulling them from one of his oversized pant pockets.
Finally after a few weeks of seeing nothing of the world but the endless white walls of the ward, Cloud was told he was close to being released from the staff's care and would be deemed ready to return to training when he was released.
On the morning of his release, Cloud was itching to run for the door, to leave the dull world behind, but a nurse had made it clear he would leave when they said he could leave. At her declaration, the blond sunk back into his pillows miserably, digging his fingers into his sheets. He wanted out, and he wanted out now. Not that afternoon, but now.
The nurse watched the candidate's response to her carefully and laughed lightly at his version of a temper tantrum. "Relax; I was going to make a deal with you. You actually finish the breakfast we bring you and you can go the second I see that it's gone", she offered with a coy smile.
Cloud eyed the nurse wearily. The deal sounded good but he knew when it came to breakfast, he could never finish what they put in front of him. It wasn't that he was trying to be picky or anything, it was just he had never been able to eat a whole lot in the morning. So if he wanted to take the deal he would have to practically stuff himself.
He sighed and looked away from the nurse, his eyes settling on the stupid white walls that were driving him crazy. The deal was definitely starting to sound good; one morning of stuffing himself for his freedom.
So, Cloud agreed to the nurse's deal. He would finish his breakfast, no matter what it was, and as soon as the nurse took his tray he would be free to leave.
…………..
One month, three weeks and one day. That was how long Cloud had been a candidate for SOLDIER now. Each weekday he had risen just before the sun, trained hard, and battled to prove him self.
Each day, Cloud had watched as at least a few more were sent away, heads hung low in defeat and exhaustion. Each day he had watched the numbers dwindle a little bit more, watched the elimination of men years older than him. But here he was still a candidate and still going strong despite the incident that ended a little more than a week and a half ago.
On his release from the medical ward, Cloud had been sure he was going to be handed a note telling him he was cut. Another possibility he had expected was that he would return to the practices, having fallen behind because of his time spent recovering, only to end up getting cut mere days later as opposed to right off the bat. But neither one ever happened.
Even though his feeling of certainty had been wrong about this, there was one thing he knew he absolutely couldn't be wrong about. Zahawk and his followers couldn't possibly be happy in the least that he, the pathetic baby of the group, was still around, even after their kind tutorial on how to take pain.
Cloud was determined to come across as unfazed and as determined as ever to succeed, but he would be lying if he didn't admit that he had been rather shaken by the whole incident. He always felt on edge when he was alone, and he couldn't bring him self to go to the bathroom alone in the mornings anymore. To avoid going alone, Cloud simply decided to get up a few minutes later and wait for Kitami and Shin.
He had two other roommates he could technically go with, but he wasn't comfortable with either of them. The first roommate was simply because Cloud didn't really know him. The distant man rarely interacted with Cloud thus leading to the very little being known and his unease.
Cloud was more than just uncomfortable about being alone with the second roommate, other than Kitami and Shin, and he had his reasons. The primary reason was that the second roommate was Tory, a young man that had been there when he was attacked, and he was the same young man who had dislocated his shoulder. Actually that fact was probably the only reason Cloud was so uncomfortable being alone with the young man, because before the attack Tory had made the impression of being a rather nice guy, quiet and serious, but nice.
Though he feared Tory to some extent, he didn't fear him as mush as the others that had decided to beat him up. Tory had only injured the blond to avoid being hospitalized him self, and he had made it clear at the time that he never wanted to do it. Jade eyes had been furious when he was forced to dislocate the shoulder, with no sign of any pleasure at the action.
Tory had also made it clear that anything he would do to Cloud would be during one of the sparring matches, which were always held in front of others. But still, Cloud couldn't help but be uneasy with the young man. Why? Because out of all the attackers, Tory was most capable of throttling him, and singlehandedly.
Cloud sighed wearily as he rubbed his heavy lidded eyes. It was hot and they had been practicing combat for the past few hours. This training always wore the blond out the fastest, and the intensity always left his limbs limp later in the evening.
"Strife, Himora, your up", one of the officers called out glancing through a packet clipped to his clipboard that held all the sparring data, which included who had faced who and how many times.
The young candidate groaned at the announcement. So far he had managed to avoid sparring Candidate Himora, but his luck had finally run out.
Reluctantly, Cloud rose from the ground, dragging his broad sword up with him since he had taken it out of its sheath on his back so he could sit more comfortably. He shuffled his way through the dirt to the marked off ring leaving his spot under the owning behind.
From the shade along the wall past the far side of the temporary ring, strode a silver haired candidate, twin daggers in there sheaths attached to the dark brown belt about the candidate's waist.
'Relax, you can do this. You're fine. Tory can't do anything too severe to me here, not with the instructors present. So the worst that can happen is that I lose, that's it', Cloud attempted weakly to comfort himself, his resolve shaky as fear tipped his thoughts, 'I don't think he'd try anything at least, but what if I'm wrong? What if he is the type to try something? What if losing to him means the medical ward for me?'
Panic was settling in and Cloud felt his palms begin to sweet and his heart pound frantically in his throat. If any of the men who disliked him had the ability and the intelligence to harm him in front of other people without getting caught, it was Tory. The ironic thing about the whole situation playing out was Cloud had yet to face any of his other attackers in the ring. Tory was the first, and the most capable at beating him senseless without brining the wrath of the superiors down on him. The greater powers of this world had some sense of humor.
Though the day had started out nicely it had gone south in a matter of seconds. There was no way this was going to end well and Cloud knew it. His only hope at salvaging anything about his day was to perform at his absolute best. There was no room for any mistakes, no matter how small.
"Hajime", the judging officer called, but Cloud didn't notice due to his state of panic.
The only reason the petite candidate figured out the match had begun was because one second Tory was standing at the far end of the ring and then the next second, almost literally, he was within striking distance.
Cloud's heart leapt in fear as a dull, but hard, training dagger raced towards his torso at a speed somewhere close to the speed of light. The blonde's feet were frozen to the ground, unresponsive, though he wished desperately that they would move.
At the last second, he twisted at the hips, the dagger soaring past his torso missing him by centimeters. Although he had dodged the initial attack, Cloud knew he wasn't out of danger just yet. Another attack would be following it instantly, and although his action had been enough to save him the first time, it would certainly not be enough to save him a second time. He would have to move from the spot he was in unless he wanted to take a rock solid strike to the body, or worse, the head.
Tory flipped the single dagger he was using around so that the blade ran the length of his lower arm. Head on wouldn't hit at this time, but slashes just might if the blond was planning to hold his ground.
Again Cloud dodged but only just barely. He could feel the dull edge streak by his shirt, grazing it. Speed was definitely Tory's strongest point, and a strong point like that was going to be hard to defend against seeing as his own strong point was speed as well. Unfortunately, he was sorely out done in that area by the silver haired speed demon, and, unfortunately for a fighter, having your strongest point made null and void left you at a slight disadvantage.
If he wanted to strike, he was going to have to let Tory get in close. The only problem with this was that he didn't know how hard the silver haired candidate's strikes would be and where he would target. Sure, the other candidate didn't focus on power or anything, but his technique made up for it. Every move was precise, and much of the other youth's body movement was meant to enhance the power level of the attacks.
But at this point there were no other options presenting themselves to the blond. He was going to have to make the sacrifice, and he had no choice but to take the risk. Hopefully, Tory's hits would be to a degree that Cloud could recover from them. If not…then the blond was in trouble. A speed demon landing one hit opened the door to a rapid succession of blows.
The two danced about the ring, Cloud dodging and Tory always attacking. The blond looked carefully for an opening to present itself but none ever revealed them selves. He had to close in and soon, because he knew it was more luck than anything that Tory hadn't landed a blow.
Cloud shifted his stance forward preparing to go on the offensive, but only too late. Tory picked up on the movement and moved to counter the same second. Being the faster of the two, Tory's blow slammed into Cloud's chest and all the air the blond held in his longs was forced from him painfully. Thankfully the officer had called yame, halting Tory's follow up attack mid strike, to insure the candidate was alright.
Staggering back, Cloud struggled to stay standing, his head somehow spinning from the blow that had landed no where near his head. Probably having something to do with the lack of air his body contained at the moment, he eventually concluded.
Gasping for air, and fighting to control his frantic breathing, Cloud straitened up, drawing his sword back up into the ready position. "Hajime", the officer belted out once more.
This time Cloud was listening and ready, but it didn't feel like the awareness had helped in the least. Once again, Tory had come up faster than Cloud could react to, and again only luck saved the blond.
Once again the two candidates fell into a tedious dance. The blond blocked and dodged desperately searching for his chance to turn the tides, and the silver haired demon kept his assault strong and rapid.
Getting lucky for another minute, Cloud concluded that there was no opening at this point in time. He would have to resort to his initial plan of letting Tory come in for a strike and pray that he was able to turn the attack around.
The life stream was on the delicate blonde's side. Tory came in fast and hard from the right. Cloud turned so that his back practically faced his opponent head on and reached back with his sword so that it ran the length of his back. The move had been just in time, because as soon as Cloud reached back with his blade, he heard the clashing sound of blade on blade.
Not wanting to lose the moment, the blond quickly slid his sword up past the dagger, pushing Tory off balance, as the demon's weapon was pushed forcefully in the opposite direction it had been intended to go in. Once clear of the staggered opponent's weapon, Cloud turned his momentum into a hard sweeping swing, circling around to slap his blade over Tory's newly exposed left shoulder and shoulder blade, the momentum of his swing close to contact slowed on purpose to avoid having a foul called on him. Unfortunately Cloud failed to pull the blow enough and the officer called yame once more, preventing him to follow his strike up.
Breathless, Tory fell forward landing with a loud thud on his hands and knees, kicking up a dusty cloud of fine dirt from the ground and into his face. The silver haired dagger wielder staid down, coughing and gagging, for a few seconds, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his body panicked to breath.
With a grunt, Tory pushed himself up from the ground, carefully getting to his feet. Half bent over the speed demon shot the blond an intensely heated glare. Just like back in the bathrooms, jade eyes were burning with the intensity of a blacksmith's flame. Tory was pissed.
Dread filled Cloud's chest, his heart pounding furiously but painstakingly slow. The blond had a terrible feeling that Tory had much more up his sleeve, and that the other candidate was about to kick it up a notch.
Like before the officer in charge called "hajime" and the two candidates flexed their muscles, throwing themselves into the fray. But this time, Tory did not come flying in at Cloud. Instead the speed demon rushed forward but offset him self just before reaching striking distance. This time the two young men danced about each other trying to coax the other in taking quick swings followed by hasty retreats. The speed demon wasn't about to let the blond use his tactic again, and the blond lacked the confidence to rush his faster opponent.
The two exchanged blows rapidly over the next few minutes. Each would attack, the other would dodge or parry, and then the one on the defensive would counter attack. Sometimes it was the attacker who pulled out victorious, other times it was the defender, and still other exchanges both youth's would pull away from the other un-hit.
The officer's hand went up signaling the final sixty seconds of the match since both fighters were still, more or less, standing tall. Neither had scored an excessive number of hits, and there were still plenty of candidates that needed to get into the ring, otherwise the officer would have had no problem letting the two continue the match. It had been the most spirit he had seen yet.
Tory's jade eyes flared in intensity and Cloud couldn't help but feel that what he had dreaded from the beginning was about to come true. At first the speed demon was in front of Cloud closing the distance fast in a rush attempt to score one last strong blow, but the next thing Cloud knew his whole world was spinning and the ground was rushing up underneath him.
In the split seconds before, Cloud had felt his side give way painfully, a malevolent throb seducing his lower torso, and causing him to collapse forward into him self. No sooner was the blonde's body reacting to the pain in his side then he felt something slam into his back like a baseball bat, followed instantly by a vicious blow to the base of his head.
Senses over loaded, the blond crashed limply into the ground, the back of his head striking the hard earth painfully. His vision swam, and the sun's intense rays flared before his hazy eyes.
The blond took in a strangled breath, as his lungs struggled to expand, his back aching from the routine movement. Once the breath was in, the blonde's lungs refused to deflate, the air catching agonizingly in his chest.
The captive breath hissed from his lips, and then the blond fought to take in another rattling breath. His head throbbed harder and harder, and his vision pulsed uncontrollably, the world growing insanely bright and then dipping off, all the colors meshing and fading. And then, he was out cold.
Tory stood, chest heaving and eyes still aflame from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His light bronze skin was coated in a thin layer of glossy sweat that glistened across his chest with every breath. Shoulders rising and falling in unison with his chest, Tory closed his eyes as he commenced the process of slowing his body back down.
A medical officer rushed out into the arena, sliding to a knee as he came up alongside the unconscious blond. The man grabbed the youngest candidate's wrist, placing his forefinger and middle finger over the bright blue veins showing clearly through the pale skin.
He soon dropped the blonde's wrist and held his hand over the candidate's mouth. After a few seconds the man sighed looking over at the head officer and nodded to indicate that the blond was only just out cold.
The same second the medical officer indicated the non-severity of the youth's condition; Zack came sliding to a halt by the youth's side. The black haired youth cupped a hand over the candidate's cheek, his thumb just over the lips, as his mako enhanced eyes attentively watched the rise and fall of the chest.
"He's fine", the medical officer ensured Zack in a calm cool tone that only doctors can pull off in almost every situation.
"But that blow to the head", the dark haired youth argued.
"Relax; it wasn't as hard as you think. Candidate Himora only used a pressure point, and based on my examination thus far, he didn't cause any injury", the man calmly explained, cutting of Zack's next argument by answering, "Sure Candidate Strife's breathing is a little labored but yours would be to if you were hit square in the center of the back like that. If you don't believe me I'm sure Candidate Himora is more than capable of duplicating the strike."
Zack could only pout, dissatisfied by the medical officer's lack of concern. Cloud, the beautiful angel of the group, was lying unconscious on the ground. The officer shouldn't be just writing it off so easily, but then again maybe it was Zack that was acting in the unnecessary manner. The officer was the trained medical personal after all, and Zack wasn't. This meant that the dark haired youth's feelings may not be quite as accurate as the older man's kneeling on the opposite side of his crush.
The dark haired youth sighed, defeated by the other man's expertise. "If you say so, then… I believe you. After all, you are the medical professional, and my knowledge practically ends at bleeding is bad", Zack admitted dully at first then transitioning into one of his signature grins, his tone becoming far lighter.
With the medical officer's approval, Zack tenderly lifted the unconscious angel into his arms and carried him off towards the dark blue tent set up a couple yards away at the center point of the fighting rings that had two of its sides tied up in the center creating a fabric archway.
In the tent there were two different long tables, one extending inward from each entrance towards the center of the tent, a six foot gap separating them, each holding a large round gray cooler filled with water as well as various basic medical supplies. Around on the other side of the two tables were a small collection of simple pallets spaced evenly apart from one another.
Shifting Cloud in his arms, Zack made his way around the tables, and glanced over the palettes, scrutinizing each one. The youth picked out a palette set back into the corner that had no sun light shining through the archway onto it. Just as tenderly as Zack had picked the unconscious angel up, he lowered the pale blond onto the chosen palette.
Cloud now comfortably situated on the palette, Zack flopped backwards to sit on the ground next to him, knees pulled up and arms resting across his knees. He sighed as his eyes settled on Cloud's delicately formed face. Once again the blond was lying serenely before him and like before, the dark haired youth could feel his heart race in his chest.
He licked his lips, tipping his head to look down at the ground, and scratched the back of his head. He couldn't get over how attractive the blond was. There were times when the blonde's striking features drove the older youth mad, but the older youth still couldn't bring him self to act on his feelings.
Cloud had already become dear to Zack, so dear, that Zack was willing to stay just friends if it meant keeping the blond by his side. He longed for the blond to be more, but he didn't want to risk losing him. Having the shy youth be more than a friend was mind numbing, but the thought of scaring him off terrified Zack. So the operative had thus far opted to refrain from making any moves on the younger youth.
But here the blond was, taunting him, all though unintentionally, but he was taunting Zack all the same. Cloud's very presence and manner at this time was overwhelming, and it was testing the older youth's restraint tremendously.
If Zack could just keep his eyes on the ground until the sensation in his chest passed he would be able to maintain control of him self, but his eyes betrayed him, flickering up to look at the blond on the edge of his vision. Eyes fixed on the delicate face, the older youth lifted his head to gain a better view, brining the angel from his peripheral vision to the center.
Zack's breath caught in his throat and even though this had been happening more and more recently, he still couldn't get over the feeling. His whole body was covered in a cold wave, a light sensation spreading to every limb. His heart fluttering softly as the blond stirred but didn't wake.
It was all too much. Zack had never felt like this about any one before and here he was trying to fight him self. Trembling lightly Zack leaned forward, brining a knee down to kneel on, placing trace amounts of pressure on his hands, which he had placed in front of him to act as supports. After a few seconds he slowly lowered him self on to his forearms, lips brushing lovingly over the blonde's soft lips.
He couldn't do this. It was too risky, but at the same time he wanted to more than he wanted to become a SOLDIER first class, which was saying something considering that had been his number one dream for years.
It wasn't too late, the dark haired youth could still pull away, ending this moment right now, but he felt as if his strength had fled from him. At least, he had the strength to hold him self there, but as for pushing him self back up…that was another story. His body felt as heavy as lead and his muscles quivered the second he tried to use them to sit up.
Unable to resist any longer, and unable to run away from what he had let him self start, Zack closed his eyes and extinguished the almost nonexistent gap between his lips and Cloud's, warmth spreading over his entire mouth as soon as he made contact. A wave of heat rushed over the operatives face and his heart soared, beating long and hard.
Zack pulled away utterly amazed he had actually done that. Shoulders rising and falling more noticeably than normal, the operative touched the index and middle finger on his right hand to his lips. They felt warmer than normal.
Eyes half open in ecstasy, Zack watched as Cloud stirred giving a breathy sigh, lips parted ever so slightly. Now that the operative had gotten a taste he wanted nothing more than to lean back in to kiss the blond tenderly once more.
Before Zack's brain gave into the blissful sensation holding his body captive, a forced cough crashed through into Zack's limited little world. The operative's heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound, and he fell backwards throwing his hands out behind him to keep from falling flat on his back.
Heart in his throat, Zack swallowed dryly, and with eyes drawn shut; he slowly turned his head in the direction of the sound. 'Oh please tell me it was a figment of my imagination. Please let it turn out that I'm just really paranoid right now. Let no one be there', Zack pleaded with the fates that watched over his life…or at least controlled the random events that seemed to plague him every day.
Warily, the dark haired youth opened his vibrant blue eyes. Once they were fully open he scanned for any sign of an actual person being there. At first nothing grabbed the operative's attention and he let his shoulders relax, releasing a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. But the youth had relaxed too soon.
Almost at the same time he released his breath, Zack's eyes skimmed over a pair of dark brown leather combat boots accompanied by dark blue clad legs. He shrank back into himself at the sight and slowly let his eyes wander up the pair of legs as he slowly lifted his head.
His eyes skimmed briefly over the table and then a torso, also clad in blue but more tightly, entered his line of vision. He hadn't just been hearing things. There was no denying that someone was there. The option of "simply paranoid" went flying out the window like Zack's first set of room keys had when he had accidently left them on the window sill and then leaned back only to send them tumbling five stories down, narrowly missing a high ranking official.
'Fates that be, please tell me whoever this is didn't see that. Or at least tell me they couldn't tell what I was doing from where they are. Or even tell me that they are too spacey to have realized what I did', Zack pleaded anew to the fates that were most certainly laughing at him about now.
Sucking in a breath, Zack forced his eyes to travel the rest of the way up the figure. To his surprise the operative discovered the mystery cough had been produced by none other than Kunsel, his good friend. Normally if a person discovered the random element in a situation was their good friend would have relaxed, relived by the identity of the person. Zack, however, was not relieved by this fact…at all.
'Shit, tell me Kunsel didn't see that! If he did please just make him suffer random memory loss of the past fifteen minutes… just to be safe', Zack pleaded more urgently to the fates he was beginning to hate with every second this drama continued.
"Guilty much? 'Cause you sure look like you're feeling guilty right about now", Kunsel asked sarcastically.
'Damn he saw me do it', Zack cursed, condemning the fates and feeling betrayed by the life stream because it didn't help him get out of this mess.
"Why in the world would I look guilty right now if I didn't do anything? If I have the concept down, you have to do something first before you can feel guilty", Zack countered, playing dumb in the hopes his friend would drop it.
As soon as a tenacious smile spread across Kunsel's neutral lips, Zack knew his attempt at passing the situation over had failed. Kunsel was not going to simply drop it. "You're lying through your teeth Zack. And yes, I can tell", Kunsel replied putting his hands up as he shrugged and shook his head, "So why don't you just give up and tell me when uh…this development occurred."
"Uh, well", Zack mumbled looking for the right words to say before finally speaking up hesitantly, "A couple weeks ago, or…technically, a day or so after I met him. But I didn't figure out that I was falling for him until just before he was jumped."
"Oh good", Kunsel sighed, pretending to wipe sweat away from his face, "I was gunna say you move really fast, but it sounds like you at least waited a little while before you made your move. So how did you tell him you liked him?"
"Made…my move", the black haired operative repeated slowly, biting his lip and lowering his eyes to the ground, before answering, "I haven't exactly…told him how I feel just yet."
Kunsel's mouth steadily fell open slightly, raising both eyebrows, as he watched Zack's reaction to his last statement and processed the answer. "Zack…you aren't with Cloud are you? Because it's kind of hard to date someone, especially another guy, without telling them you like them first", Kunsel responded sluggishly, only now fighting the shock of seeing his best friend kiss another guy.
"Yea…I have to agree with you there. It really would be hard to date someone without revealing that you liked them", Zack agreed with a light hearted smile, praying that the conversation would just magically change topics.
"So you're telling me he doesn't even know how you feel about him and you kissed him?! And while he's unconscious?! Tell me you know where you stand in his book now because last time we spoke about this guy you told me you didn't even know if he fully considered you a friend yet", Kunsel cried in disbelief, voice growing a little too loud for comfort for Zack.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Zack noticed the pale blond stirring, most likely from Kunsel's loud outburst due to shock and disbelief. "Shhh", the dark haired operative hissed as quietly as he could, raising his hands in a desperate attempt to silence his friend.
Kunsel was looking down obviously still trying to make sense of his friend and didn't see the desperate gesture. The younger operative continued to wave his hands dramatically trying to keep the other from starting up again, but he just wasn't getting through. It was starting to look like Cloud was going to wake up to a rather interesting conversation.
Out of all the ways for Cloud to find out Zack liked him; this was not one of the ways Zack had wanted for it to happen. Dead set on making sure his feelings weren't divulged in this eccentric manner, Zack lunged under the table, grabbing hold of one of Kunsel's ankles as he started to say something rather loudly about telling the blond.
With a quick jerk, the older operative tumbled backwards, falling onto his backside with a short yelp. He sat up slowly, rubbing a shoulder with one hand and supporting him self with the other. "What did you do that…", the other operative began before Zack threw a hand over his mouth.
The glare was all Zack got for his actions, and this time it meant if you don't give me a real good reason for why you're doing this, I am going to bite your hand because there would be no reason for it to be over my mouth.
"I'm sorry", whispered Zack apologetically, "but you wouldn't cool it. You were just being so loud, and you were waking Cloud up, 'cause it seems he's getting close to coming around. And…and I didn't want you blabbing my feelings to him."
After a few tense seconds, Kunsel's expression relaxed, and he shrugged, silently telling Zack "sounds reasonable enough to me".
The dark haired youth sighed heavily. Whispering, the youth asked, "Am I right in guessing that you aren't just going to let this go? 'Cause if that's the case, I'll happily go with you somewhere we could talk in private, instead of staying here where we risk being overheard by way too many people and, more importantly, Cloud."
His friend nodded in agreement, and stood the second Zack's hand was gone from his mouth, remaining quiet as a mouse the entire time. Zack sighed, glancing back at the unconscious blond that was most likely in more of a sleep like state now. He wanted to stay, but if he wanted Kunsel to stay quiet he would have to talk everything out with his friend…and then make the man swear to keep his mouth shut.
Though, the dark haired youth wasn't entirely sure making Kunsel swear to stay quiet was going to do any good. Because everyone knew that Kunsel was a walking source of all information under the sun, and that pretty much made it obvious that the man loved to talk, spreading his vast knowledge to anyone who would listen. This was potentially problematic, but it was too late now. Kunsel knew and there was no taking it back.
Depressed, and kicking an overly sized pebble and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he went, Zack followed after his friend who obviously had somewhere in mind that they could talk. Just before exiting the tent, he glanced back one more time at the blond, and then followed reluctantly after Kunsel.
…………..
Cloud slowly rocked his head back and forth a few times before finally opening his eyes. Instead of the bright glare of the sun that he was expecting, the blond was pleasantly surprised to find him self staring up at a thick blue cloth ceiling that was waving gently, creating a rippling effect much like water.
He groaned placing a cool hand over his own forehead. His head was absolutely pulsing with pain, creating a headache that he hoped he would never experience again. Unfortunately the pulsing waves of pain weren't the only source of discomfort.
A spot on his neck, just at the base of his head, felt as if he had fallen and hit his head on a somewhat pointed rock. He reached back with the hand that had been over his forehead and rubbed the sore spot gently.
The light contact was enough to send a short twinge flying through his nerves causing him to clench one eye closed in pain from the low level of pressure. There was now no doubt in the youth's mind that there was a deep bruise at the base of his skull.
He released a heavy sigh and carefully sat up. At first his head spun with the change in elevation, but within a few seconds his world stopped waving about like some sort of psychedelic dream.
"This is pathetic", Cloud mumbled to himself, brushing his own bangs out of his face, "Knocked out again, and unfortunately this time I only had one opponent to worry about…"
Cloud's memory soared back to the moments right before his world went black, returning only a minute or so ago. The recent memory soon faltered and another older memory replaced it.
Closing his eyes, he blond could practically relive the memory as if it was happening to him right this second. He was lying flat on his stomach, face against the cold tiled floor. A foot pressed painfully into his shoulder and he chocked back a cry. The pressure was increased and he cried out in pain, unable to stop it thus satisfying a sadists desires.
A hand closed around his throat. He could feel the pressure building around his windpipe just like it had that day, and he recalled the burning of his lungs. The hand released him and he could physically recall the rush of air into his body.
His back and head surged with a wave of pain in unison, as a cold hard surface slammed into him. Cloud physically winced as he recalled each blow on his body. The very spots he was hit in became sore as he continued to relive the attack.
With a shiver, Cloud forced himself to reopen his eyes. The memory still haunted him and even went so far as to torment him in his dreams a few times. It had been one of the worst days of his life so far, and he had given up all hope of ever being able to physically forget the trauma.
Already set in motion by practically completely reliving his attack, Cloud began to recall other events that followed, the first of which were of Zack. As far as the blond could recall, Zack had been the one to find him and ended up carrying him all the way to the medical ward. The trip there was fuzzy and he couldn't quite recall everything that was said.
The haze didn't stop with the time in which Zack was carrying him. It also translated over to a bulk of the rest of that day. He had been rushed into an examination room where a doctor had looked him over, though he couldn't recall anything but human like figures in white and light colored walls.
The next thing he could recall was Zack coming up to his bedside and talking with him. They had discussed, sort of, the details of what had happen. If the youth remembered correctly, he was asked for names and he refused to tell the dark haired youth. If he remembered correctly he had also refused to give any descriptions, originally made it out to sound as if he had the attack coming, and then explained why he thought the men hated him.
The conversation beyond that point became almost completely obscured. The blond youth knew the other youth had continued speaking with him, but he couldn't remember any of what had been said. And then he had fallen asleep or lost consciousness, one of the two.
And then it came rushing back to him, a dream that kept after him more persistently than the memory of the attack. Cloud had tried to push it from his mind to keep from getting distracted, but no matter what he tried he couldn't push it from his mind whenever it wanted to make it self the front of his thoughts.
Zack's hand was over Cloud's wrist and he was leaning forward in his chair so that his face was over Cloud's. Only inches remained between their lips, and the dark haired youth's breath was brushing over his parted lips. Their hot breaths were mingling together, and he could fell the moisture gathering on his lips, practically letting him taste the other youth.
The other youth began to slowly lean a little closer and then he froze for some unknown reason, lingering only inches away. Cloud's heart pushed painfully against his ribs as it beat harder than it ever had.
And then, Zack pulled away. There was a soft whisper from somewhere near the end of the bed, and then the dream had wavered, quickly turning dark like whenever he passed out.
Cloud shuttered as the sensation from the dream flowed back through his body. It was an amazing feeling but it was over whelming. The sensation had revisited him before, including less convenient times, like during drills or while walking down hallways where there were doors on hinges that swung out…into the hall where he could easily be struck down for lack of awareness.
This was driving the blond nuts. He couldn't control the feeling and it always plagued him right after recalling that dream of Zack. What made it all worse was that sometimes he didn't even have to recall the dream for the sensation to rack his body. In fact, most of the time all it took was Zack being there and looking over at him. Then Cloud would fall apart inside, the sensation would run him over, and then sometimes, meaning a majority of the times, he would end up having to look away or turn his back to his dark haired friend to hide the furious blush that formed.
Falling back against the pillow of the pallet, Cloud clenched his eyes shut as the feeling intensified. All his frustration at being so out of control of himself vanished as he suddenly recalled a dream. A new dream that, like the one that was driving him up the wall, was about Zack.
The taste Cloud had tasted during the first dream of Zack filled his mouth, spreading slowly in through his lips. He could feel long heated breaths cascade over his lips and surrounding skin.
Something warm and soft brushed by his lips, and he could feel his heart throbbing in response from the gentle touch. A wet heat flowed across the skin around his mouth, over his lips, and into his mouth, moisture from two combining breaths gathering on all points of contact. The pleasurable taste had become overwhelming leading Cloud to assume that it was Zack's lips that where hovering so close to his.
Zack lingered for what seemed like an eternity at that not-quite-completely-touching distance. The blond youth's breath began to tremble like the other youth's, catching regularly in his chest and throat. Seconds, that felt like hours, ticked by, and then the warmth of the lips intensified and the long pleasant breaths of the other disappeared.
Cloud's eyes fluttered open and all he could make out was the even skin tone that he recognized as Zack's. He let his eyes drift closed and he felt him self drift away, the sensation of the other youth fading as the darkness of sleep set back in.
Cloud's breath was wavering like it had in his dream, and his heart was throbbing in his tight chest. He shivered uncontrollably for a few seconds before he was able to open his eyes, but the shivering and the sensation continued.
Just lying there, the blond could feel the heat he had felt in the dream pressing lightly over his lips. His heart jumped in his chest, and his breathing stopped for a few seconds before he released a quivering breath.
The blond fought to pull him self back down to earth, but it proved more difficult than ever. He eventually regained the ability to move his arms, and he shakily lifted both hand to his face, sliding them over his face and pushing hi hair back. Somehow this helped and Cloud was able to sit back up, breath still quivering slightly.
It was official; things had gotten way out of hand. The blond had to find some way to deal with this before it started causing greater problems. Before he had only spaced a little. This new dream had left him physically crippled, and that could lead to a mess of bad things. But how could he deal with?
He couldn't focus on the question he had decided that desperately needed to be answered, because his mind was the equivalence of an actual cloud in the sky. Light, airy, and incapable of holding anything solid, like a clearly formed coherent thought.
Cloud shook his head in frustration, and then in donned on him. The sensations that had begun after the first dream of Zack hadn't been the only feelings and sensations he had gotten. Before he ever even dreamed of Zack almost kissing him he had felt hot and flustered around the black haired operative. He had blushed though he didn't know why on multiple occasions, and he had felt strange, for lack of a better way to put it, numerous times when ever Zack touched him. He had felt his heart pound harder than it should have been, and he had experienced his breath failing him at least once when Zack stripped of his shirt before continuing to run through a technique with another candidate in Cloud's group.
"Who am I kidding", Cloud muttered running a hand through his hair again, "I'm falling for him. My first crush since I've left home and it's on a guy. There's no denying that I like him but…how the hell did this happen? I've never been attracted to a guy before, and then all the sudden I meet Zack and I fall for him almost instantly."
Headache returning with a vengeance, Cloud groaned. Puzzling over the details wasn't getting him any where, and all it was accomplishing was making his head hurt worse. He already knew for a fact that he was attracted to Zack. So did the whys and hows really matter?
Sighing softly, the blond concluded that they indeed didn't matter at all. In fact he cared more about getting on a more personal level with Commander Guile, which he didn't really care about doing at all, than he cared about figuring out the whys and hows. He was perfectly content in just knowing his feelings for the dark haired youth.
"Yo Cloud", a cheerful voice exploded from the nearest tent entrance, "Glad to see you're finally awake."
"Finally awake? I couldn't have been out that long", Cloud responded with a jump, looking up to find the now lightly tanned Shin standing in the tent entrance with both hands raised and placed behind his head, an animated grin plastered on his face.
"Well", the roommate shrugged his shoulders, cocking his head to side and changing the grin to a light smirk, "Being out for any amount of time sucks, because you always lose the amount of time that went by, no matter what. Thus leading to time not spent doing better things. So I'm glad your 'finally awake' because that means time won't just be passing you by now."
The blond smirked and nodded at the explanation. It certainly sounded like typical Shin whom, Cloud had learned, believed in living in the moment and making the most of life. To the older candidate found all time precious, including ever single second. If there was someone that loved life more, Cloud had yet to meet them.
With a blithe laugh the blond inquired, "So how long was I actually out, and did I miss anything?"
Shin shook his head enthusiastically, "Nope, you didn't miss anything important in regards to training or important announcements. And as for how long you were out, I'd say somewhere between a half hour to forty-five minutes. Oh, and just f.y.i., we're on break right now. So you can relax and take your time getting back out on the field."
"Thanks Shin", the blond said with a kind smile that he normally didn't use but would dust off and use when dealing with the few friends he had made since he left home.
Light hearted, and as sure footed as always, Shin flashed Cloud a quick wink and walked back out of the tent grabbing a roll of white bandages as he passed by them on the table. It was crazy how the roommate could always appear so cheerful and care free, but it was those traits that made the man him.
Headache subsiding on its own, Cloud slowly, and rather clumsily, rose to his feet, suffering a short rush of blood to the head. Shaking it off, the blond gave a quick look around the tent to see if his weapon had been laid down in here.
Sure enough, when he glanced back down at the pallet he had been placed on he discovered his training broad sword sheathed and laying parallel to the far side of the temporary bedding. Kneeling stiffly, the youth picked up his sword, and proceeded to reattach it to his body by fastening the belt around him so that it ran from his right shoulder to his left side.
The pressure of the sword belt back on his shoulder, and the steady weight of the weapon weighing down on him, was a feeling the youth hadn't realized he had missed. Now that the feeling of the weapon was there, he realized just how accustomed he had become to it being there and just how comforting the feeling had become.
Feeling whole again, the teen made his way back out onto the training field, the blazing sun temporarily blinding him the second the tent's shade failed to protect him. Holding a hand up, Cloud scanned the field for the officer in direct command of him or any of the members of his training group.
…………..
Zack leaned against the silver tinted wall back in his favorite corner of the cafeteria when he actually wanted to spend a little time in peace. It had been almost impossible to get away from Kunsel even after the dark haired operative had divulged everything there was to know about his feelings for, and his relationship with, Cloud. It had also been near impossible to get his friend to swear not to reveal anything to anyone.
Of course right of the bat, the older operative swore he would stay quiet, promising his lips were sealed, but the younger operative knew his friend too well. He had to get Kunsel to say, almost specifically, "I swear I will tell no one about your feelings for Cloud, about the events you are about to reveal to me, and about the kiss I saw you give Cloud", because with Kunsel you had to be specific. Leave a loop hole and the man was bound to find it, and when he did, he would exploit it.
After close to fifteen minutes of verbally wrestling with the tenacious man, Zack had finally got Kunsel to swear in a way that left him satisfied that no blatant loop hole remained. As soon as the younger operative had shown his satisfaction, the older man instantly began pushing for his younger friend's explanation.
Once all angles had been covered, and the older man was convinced he had learned everything he could from Zack, Kunsel allowed the topic to be dropped. However, getting Kunsel to stop talking all together was another matter, and as Zack had feared, he couldn't get away from he man. Sure, he could have just walked off, but he wasn't that kind of person. Which made it no so surprise that he couldn't bring him self to do it, not in the past and not now. Unable to use the only one-hundred percent effective method of escape, the younger man conversed with his friend until said friend's cell phone went off leading to the friend's hasty goodbye and speedy departure.
Zack let his head fall back against the wall and closed his eyes. As stressful as the whole thing had been in its own way, he couldn't help but feel relieved, like a pack his own weight had been removed from his back. Maybe, just maybe, he owed his friend for putting him through all this torment, and it had only taken him an hour to make this conclusion.
On the other side of the table a bench scrapped across the floor. Zack ignored it until he felt the table jiggle slightly with his knee, that he had pulled up in front of him, foot up on the bench he was sitting on. Curious because it felt like whatever had caused the movement was close, the spirited youth cracked open an eye.
"Yo Angeal", Zack greeted when he discovered the sounds and movement had been due to another of his older friends sitting down across from him, sitting up and folding his arms in front of him on the table.
"Hey Zack", Angeal returned in a deep smooth voice, "What have you been up to while I was gone? Staying out of trouble I hope."
"Of course, of course. No trouble here and I've been practicing too. Other than that I really haven't up to much of anything. Well, I helped out with the candidates a bit, but other than that, nothing", Zack assured his friend and mentor with a wave of his hand and a jovial grin.
"Really? Nothing else has happened while I was gone? Because I'll be honest and admit, I find that hard to believe. You must've gotten into something or at least have something you want to tell me", Angeal smirked, leaning forward and placing his arms out on the table in front of him after running a hand through his shoulder length spiky black hair.
"Hmm", Zack hummed pretending to think real hard before answering, "Yup, I'm pretty sure that's all I've got. Actually, wait, I just remembered something. Commander Guile is still an ass. Now that's all I have to say about the time you were gone."
The broad shouldered man dressed in his version of the SOLDIER first class uniform, the liberty allowed because of his rank and importance, released a hearty chuckle at his young friend's reply. Stroking the dark stubble on his chin he prodded, "You sure there's nothing else?"
Zack creased his brow in confusion as he cocked a head to the side, answering slowly, "Yea, I'm pretty sure I got nothing else."
This was odd. Angeal didn't normally probe for details about what Zack was up to while he was away on mission or leave. He always asked Zack what went on while he was away, but he normally accepted the "not much" answer followed by an insanely brief overview. But this time the strongly built man wasn't settling for the answer, and he was acting as if he was looking for a specific reply. He only did that when he had learned something already and wanted to know more.
Angeal raised a dark eyebrow and folded his hands together, mako enhanced eyes set firmly on Zack. 'Great, he's obviously fishing for something, but what? I didn't get into any trouble while he was gone, or at least I don't think I did, so no one should have gone tattling to him. And I don't think I was promoted or that I obtained any kind of achievement, so he can't be fishing for that kind of news', the young operative thought through perplexed.
Uneasily, Zack chewed his bottom as he massaged his own shoulder, turning his head to the side to keep from making direct eye contact. Licking his lips he inquired, "What, did someone tell you I did something while you were gone? Because I really don't recall getting into anything or doing anything of any significance while you were away, I swear."
"So how did it happen? I'm assuming it caught you off guard", Angeal asked brining up a hand to lean on, a confident smirk set firmly on his lips.
"How did what…", Zack began before his eyes went wide and his heart stopped mid beat.
The young operative's jaw dropped in shock. Was Angeal referring to what he thought he was? And if so, how the hell had he found out, because he hadn't even been around for the past few weeks? And then it hit him…Kunsel. Kunsel had spilled it all to Angeal.
"How did you…How did you find out about that? No one knows, not even…him. Well Kunsel does, but I mean…you've probably only been back for like an hour or so. He couldn't possibly have had the chance to talk to you yet", Zack spluttered, falling back against the wall in exasperation.
In response to Zack's rambling question, Angeal held up a small black rectangle about the size of his palm. Zack slapped a hand over his forehead as he fell back forward on to an elbow for support.
Angeal was holding up his phone which meant only one thing. Kunsel had messaged him. More specifically, that lose lipped man had messaged him sometime within the last hour. That meant Angeal had literally just learned all about this from the only soul who knew, who was supposed to be sworn to secrecy. If Zack was going to take anything away from this it was that he would have to find out what loop hole his friend had exploited and ensure it never happened again.
Zack heaved a defeated sigh. Angeal knew now as well, and there was no way to undo it. "Technically 'it' started just before you left. I didn't realize I was falling for him at first, that wasn't till later, but there were so many things that should have made it obvious to me. I guess you could say I was choosing to be thick headed.
And before we go any further, just so you know who Cloud is, do you remember the candidate I told you about before you left? The one I showed around and stuff?"
Angeal nodded and Zack continued. "Yea, well…that's Cloud. Anyway, at first I just thought I really liked being around him. There was just something about him. So I became determined to befriend him and then...", before Zack could finishing talking, a young man with bright red hair pulled back into a rat tail and wearing a set of goggles slipped in next to Angeal with a toothy grin.
"SO, I hear your ah…social life is going well", the golden tanned man inferred, resting his head on the palm of his hand.
"Reno, what are you talking about?", Zack asked, eyebrows knit together as he stared at Reno like he had just told him the sky was purple.
"Aww, come one. Don't play dumb. If it makes you feel better I'm actually happy for you. It's about time someone caught your eye, even if they are the same gender. 'Cause, even though I'm straight, that kind of thing doesn't bother me. So no worries."
Zack's jaw dropped again, this time paired with the drooping of his shoulders. Reno also knew. Dumbfounded on the outside, and raging on this inside, the young operative decided this was the last straw. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.
"I'm gunna kill him", Zack hissed, falling face down on the table and slamming a fist into the surface, before rising slowly, stepping over the bench, and marching out of the cafeteria like a man on a mission.
"Was it something I said?", Reno asked with a straight face and slightly widened eyes, first glancing in the direction Zack had stalked off in, then back at Angeal.
…………..
Cloud trudged back towards the barracks alongside two of his roommates, Shin and Kitami. As the three rounded the side of the mess hall and conference room building, the blond noticed a man in a SOLDIER second class uniform running as if his very life depended on it.
In his bewilderment, the youngest member of the group came to a gradual stop, watching the man as he flew through the courtyard, stumbling every so often as he looked back over his shoulder. "What do you think he's running from? My money's on an angry superior or something", Shin set up his friendly wager.
Kitami shook his head at Shin's extremely light hearted nature coming out at such a strange moment. "I really don't think you should be trying to start a bet right now. He could actually be in trouble. The only thing I can't figure is what he could possible be…", Kitami began to input but he was cut short by the yelling of another man.
"I don't think so Kunsel. I spent a good portion of my afternoon tracking you down! There is absolutely no way in hell I'm gunna let you get away from me", Zack yelled running into view from behind some of the trees, hot on Kunsel's heals.
"Mr. Angeal, sir, call it off. Please, I'm begging you. I don't know how much longer I can outrun it", Kunsel screamed dashing through the center of one of the elaborate planters of the court yard.
"Zack", yelled a long red haired man skidding to a stop next to the three candidates, "don't actually kill him! Trust me it's more trouble than it's worth. You hate paperwork and killing him is asking for stacks of the stuff!"
Whoever this red head was, Zack seemed to be ignoring him as he too whet flying through the same planter Kunsel had a minute earlier. And by what Cloud had observed, the man Kunsel didn't have long before the dark haired operative overtook him. For the random operative's sake, Cloud hoped the man by the name of Angeal intervened, because Zack didn't sound happy.
The red head lowered his head shaking it, running his hand over the side of his face. "Man, at this rate Kunsel's not gunna make it. I give the poor man about ten minutes at the most to live", the red haired man in the baggy black suite with his white shirt un-tucked proposed with an exaggerated sigh.
"From what I could tell the one giving chase is faster than the one running. Sooo, I'm going to say there's no point in taking that bet, because I agree with you", Shin concurred with a soft chuckle.
Kitami's head rolled back as he released a sharp breath, obviously annoyed with the two other men's nonchalant out look of the situation. Shin caught the motion and slapped his hand across his friend's back, exclaiming, "Oh come on Kitami, relax. I'm sure the guy will be just fine, because I really doubt that other operative would really hurt him."
"I'm not so sure of that", the young man in the suite muttered looking around, scratching the back of his head, "Zack seemed pretty pissed at him."
Cloud stood quietly studying the mystery man standing with him and his two roommates. From the sound of it all, this man knew Zack. Well enough, in fact, that he may just be one of Zack's friends.
Now that the blond thought about, he remembered the dark haired operative mentioning a friend with long red hair that was a little…quirky, and dressed in a suite because he was a Turk. So far the young man fit the description, though Cloud didn't know if the suite was because the man was a Turk or if it was because the man felt like wearing it.
"By chance, are you…Reno?", Cloud asked softly, looking down the second the young man turned his way at the sound of the mentioned name.
"You got it. The name's Reno, and it's a pleasure to meet you", Reno confirmed giving Cloud a thumbs up before asking, "If you don't mind my asking, how did you know who I was? 'Cause last time I checked I wasn't famous, and people in SOLDIER weren't spending their time memorizing different Turks."
"Well, Zack mentioned you once. When he first brought you up I asked him who you were, and he just told me you were a Turk, which was why you always wore suits, and that you had long red hair. So, really, I was just guessing that you were Reno because you seemed to fit his description", Cloud answered shyly, suddenly deciding he needed to focus on adjusting his right glove.
"Ah, I see. So you must be Cloud then. I'm glad I got to meet you for myself", Reno laughed, thumping a hand down on the blonde's shoulder.
The small candidate snapped his eyes up from his glove to stare at Reno. "How did you", he started, falling victim to his own shyness and losing his voice.
Laughing casually, his gray-blue eyes closing to form two arcs, Reno ruffled Cloud's light feathery blond hair, making it messier than it normally was. "Same as how you knew who I was, Zack mentioned you. Well, I originally only got your name, but Kunsel filled me in a bit more. You see Zack doesn't normally bother to fill people in on any details.
Officially unable to speak, the blond could only look childishly over at the Turk. Thankfully, Reno could read between the lines and was thus able to translate Cloud's silence. "Of course he mentioned you", the Turk grinned giving another wink, "You're one of his friends, so why wouldn't he? But hey, I'd love to stay and chat longer but I gotta go. I kinda had some free time but it's just about up. If I don't step on it, I'm gunna be late getting back. It was nice talking to you and I look forward to seeing you around more."
A roughly formed fist pressed into Cloud's shoulder, pushing him part way back onto his heels. With a frank wave of the hand, Reno jogged off in the direction of the front building.
Still suffering from an episode of shyness, Cloud shoved his hands in his pockets, kicking at some gravel that had found its way out of one of the planters, though there really wasn't much gravel used. Meeting Reno had been interesting in its own right. The most interesting bit was the Turk's ability to identify him.
The blond really hadn't expected the operative to ever bring him up in any conversation, and it was more than curious that Kunsel had brought him up. The way Zack had talked about the friend, Kunsel was a source of information and only brought things up when it was an interesting tidbit, breaking news, or helpful info. And Cloud certainly didn't see how he would fit into any of those categories.
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A/N: I don't know about you, but it looks like things are getting interesting. (And dangerous if your a SOLDIER second class by the name of Kunsel...) And you know what? I only just noticed this. I gave you a chapter without the brute, Zahawk...unfortunately for you (if you hate him) he'll be back.
Anyway, now comes the time where I ask you to press the button at the bottom of the page, you know, the one that contains the word "review". Reviews really are what keep an author writing, and on top of that, I really like hearing what you, the readers have to say. It doesn't matter if your ranting on how you would like to kill "the brute", how cute you thought something was, or if you caught an error and you're bringing it to my attention (the list could go on). I like hearing from you guys.
So review, and tell me what you think. My question for this chapter: What do you think of Tory Himora? Jack ass to be feared or determined canidate itching to prove himself? (Don't ask me why I'm asking this, I just am.) And what do you think Zahawk is up to? (Oh you all know he's up to something. After what he pulled last chapter there's no way he's just going to stop.)