Chapter six

Sephiroth brought a tall glass to his lips and sipped it slowly, analyzing its content. It was impossible to tell from his lack of reaction whether he liked it or not. Cloud wondered what was in it.

Zack was no longer with them. He had gone missing early on and was now in the center of a group of six or seven other people, who had instantly latched on to him. The silence that he left his two friends with was rather uncomfortable, to at least Cloud. When they were sparring Cloud knew exactly what was expected of him and what he was supposed to do. But sitting around drinking?

Zack had promised to come back soon…

Cloud looked around for something to say. "Is it good?" He managed to ask.

"Acceptable."

Wow. Not much encouragement there.

Cloud noticed that some of the people Zack was with, kept looking their direction and then whispering in his ear. Cloud squirmed a little until he realized that they were most likely looking at the General, he probably wasn't being noticed at all.

He wondered if Sephiroth was recognized on the street very often. Maybe that was why he never went out? The General was out of uniform now, but when left to his own devises his taste in clothing was still….outstanding. And it was impossible to miss that legendary silver hair, as long as your average adult was tall.

Cloud watched as one of the men Zack was talking with, whispered something with a strange grin on his face. Zack yelped and slapped his hand over his own mouth; nearly choking it seemed, with laughter. He shook his head and began backing away.

Cloud's eyes narrowed. He strained his ears but couldn't hear anything more then five feet away over the music.

The persistent man held Zack by the arm and got into a plaintive expression. Some of the others in the group acquired the same look and nodded in agreement to whatever the man was saying. Zack hesitated, shrugged and half-nodded, his shoulders still shaking sporadically with merriment. Then he was released and this time they seemed to want him to leave.

Zack bounced back, the smile momentarily wiped from his face, but his eyes still sparkling with a hidden joke. He plunked himself down beside Cloud, instantly filling the silence surrounding his friends with light and ease.

"Well, I can see I missed a hell-of-a conversation." He frowned at them both, until that indefatigable smirk reappeared and he took a slurp of his dark red beer, sighing at it contentedly.

Sephiroth shifted his glace toward Zack and watched him narrowly. "What is it, Zack?"

"Hmm?" Zack's eyes widened.

"That fiendish little smirk of yours." The General clarified.

"What is this? I'm not allowed to smile anymore? First it's cloud now, you're starting in too, next…"

"Explain. Or do you wish for me to begin recounting stories of your adolescence to Cloud?"

Zack wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders. "Spiky wouldn't hold any of that against me, would ya? Recount away Seph." He sipped his beer unconcerned.

"Let's see…" Sephiroth gazed into the distance, preparing a dramatic rendition of select events from Zack's youth. "It was in the fall of his fifteenth year, Zack had just…"

Zack stared at the table top, deep in thought and mumbled to himself. "When I was fifteen…hmm…what…was…?" Zack suddenly jumped. "No! You promised you wouldn't tell that one again!"

Sephiroth folded his arms over his chest and looked pleased with himself.

"Alright." Zack relented. "But you'll wish you hadn't made me tell you."

"I'm willing to take this risk." Sephiroth arched an eyebrow smugly.

"Well, the thing is…they…I was…um…you're really not going to like it…" Zack warned again.

Sephiroth ordered him on with a withering glance.

"Well…erm… they...that is…they want you to dance." Zack spat it out, both worrying about Sephiroth's reaction and trying not to laugh to hard. Seph probably wouldn't like the laughing.

Cloud choked on his beer.

Silence.

"Yeah, I told them that I'd ask you, just to they let me alone. Not that I really intended to…ah, Seph?"

Zack could feel a disturbing electrical charge which seemed to be building up in the air around him. It was remarkably uncomfortable.

"Aw come on Seph, don't be that way." Zack pleaded. "Don't loose it now, I was having fun."

Sephiroth didn't respond but Zack noticed that his beer was beginning to stream.

"What's so insulting about them thinking that you're a very attractive man?"

"Um Zack? I don't think that's working." Cloud whined, watching as his own beer ignited.

"Heh, don't worry." Zack told him while worrying. "This has happened before."

"Oh, I turned out okay? Ah-youch!" Cloud yelped after touching scorched table top.

"Well let's see…I was alive in the end, but no one else…"

The General suddenly rose, hissing between his teeth. Anger and diabolical intent dripped from his every word. "I'll give them a show they'll never forget."

Zack's eyes widened for a second. Then he jumped up panicking and latched himself to the raging Sephiroth's arm, bracing himself and setting his heels into the floor.

"No! Please Seph! The people that own this place are friends of mine, what would happen if all their customers were murdered?"

Sephiroth snarled at the leech attached to his arm. "You are not responsible for my actions SOLDIER! Remove yourself from me now!"

Zack showed no signs of loosening his grip and Sephiroth jerked his arm away.

As might be expected of a dedicated and focused warrior, Zack's hold on the General was much stronger then his grip of the floor and soon Sephiroth found himself supporting the entirety of his clingy friend's weight.

Zack attempted to hold himself up, looping an arm around Sephiroth's neck and gripping the collar of his coat. Sadly disarranging Sephiroth's finely fitting leather. The General was forced to pause and attempt to ply his friend off of his side.

Encouraged by his partial success at thwarting the impending bloodshed, Zack wrapped a leg around Sephiroth's knee, determinedly trying to immobilize him.

"When they find out that I brought you here, they'll never forgive me! Stop it please?! PLEASE!"

"Oh my God, look! They're actually doing it!"

"Oh wow! I didn't think they would!"

"That black haired guy's with him!"

"Hey, that man looks just like the General!"

"Nah, I don't think even Sephiroth is THAT hot!"

"Holy shit! LOOK!"

Sephiroth had Zack's wrist in a very much less then gentle vice-grip, and was bending him over the table. A hand was firmly placed on the back of Zack's neck.

"Do not interfere, Zackary! I do not accept insults of this kind. You should know that." Sephiroth hissed, leaning his weight onto Zack's back to keep him still. Having managed to pry the man off him, he was determined to keep him away.

"Hell yeah, I know! But don't kill anyone, just this once. Do it for me, PLEASE!" Zack tried to wriggle out of the General's grip, making motions which probably should not have been displayed in public.

"I see no reason to make an exception to my general evisceration policy."

Zack finally managed to slip off the table, falling to his knees. He was still hanging by a wrist which was quickly going numb. His whining sounds drifted through the bar.

"Shit, Seph. You're not this ornery when you haven't been drinking."

"Yes I am." The General was completely serious.

"Well you shouldn't be!" Zack was now facing the room. "Ah…Seph…?" The expectant crowd was watching in suspense and gaping. A few looked like they might have fainted. "You're making a bit of a scene here."

Maybe that was the wrong was to phrase it?

Sephiroth's unreadable gaze glanced around the room then landed back on Zack who shivered. Was that a little bit of pink on the General's face?

"Heh…um…yah…I guess it is partly my fault. But I mean hell, nothing they haven't seen before right? No kids around so…uh…" Zack shivered again. He really hated it when Seph got like this. "Hey where's Cloud?!"

Cloud was in fact very missing. A circumstance for which Zack was momentarily glad. "He disappeared fast." He pointed out, just in case there could be any doubt as to the fact that this was strange, un-good and worthy of notice.

Sephiroth dropped Zack's aching wrist and scanned the room, distracted from his sundry thoughts of murder. "Where would he go?"

"Um," Zack thought for second trying to rub blood back into his hand. "Bathroom?"

"It's unusual that I did not notice him leave… I'll check."

Zack got up from the floor. "I'll go w-…heh-heh…I mean, I'll stay right here."

Sephiroth readjusted the fastenings of his coat and stalked off, while the crowd moaned in protest. Zack smiled at them. "Sorry folks, we decided that it wasn't economically feasible to give the show away for free!"

"How much is it?"

"Wha…?"

"What do ya want?"

"I…erm…"

"That was such a tease!"

"But…" This was too much. Zack abandoned his post and escaped outside. Not far from the entrance he saw a spiky blond head which was leaning against the outside wall.

"There you are! What are ya doing out here?" Zack's eyebrows rose questioningly.

"I just thought I'd get out before it got too bloody." Cloud stifled a yawn. "I'm kind of tired, ya know?"

"Yeah, I guess it is gittin' late. You're used to going to bed at curfew."

Cloud slowly shook his head 'yes'. He woke up a little when Sephiroth came suddenly striding out the front door. His gaze immediately fixed on the blond.

"I see you've found him. Cloud, you were wise to leave when you did, but you should have informed one of us."

Zack quirked an eyebrow, he noticed that the General had a barely noticeable, but very present smirk on his lips. "What's this? You killed someone didn't you?" He frowned and crossed his arms.

"He'll live. You should be worried about yourself."

"You can't kill me in front of Spiky, it'd warp him."

"Soon you will be without his protection." Sephiroth simmered, still pleased over something.

Cloud yawned again.

"We better get going; I don't want to have to carry you back."

Cloud picked himself up off the wall to follow Zack.

"So, did you have an endurable birthday?" Zack asked, looking a little defeated.

Cloud smiled, genuinely happy. "Better then endurable."

Heh, Zack smiled a little, only he could be happy with such a disaster.

"Thanks Zack and…um…thank you General, Sir."

"One title will do, Cloud."

"Yes, Sir."

"And you're welcome."

Zack noogied him again and grinned at his handiwork. "See, I'm pretty responsible, you didn't get loaded or anything!"

"That is hardy a reflection on you Zack." Sephiroth informed.

"Humph."

Cloud smiled again. Something just felt peaceful. He wondered if this was what a family was like.

………………..

Heh, I hope this isn't turning it a really bad running joke. But I love making Zack say and do things that might be misconstrued. That's just how my deviant little mind worksXD This time it was Seph's turn to be brought down by him! Yay!

And thank you everyone for the lovely, lovely reviews!!! Makes my day:D