A/N: Thanks for all of the kind reviews! You guys are really making me a happy girl. I'm thrilled that my fic is being enjoyed and can only hope the rest lives up to your expectations. I also wanted to say that the dialogue in the memory scene in this chapter is taken from the game, slightly altered to fit my story, but I didn't write it myself. On with the show!

-o-o-o-

Zack and Cloud woke up at the exact same moment the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs. They blearily looked at each other with a grin and rubbed the sleep from their eyes. "Good morning." Cloud said groggily, his grin turning into a smile.

Zack smiled back and stretched. "Good morning yourself."

Cloud cuddled closer to his boyfriend and closed his eyes. "Don't wanna get up yet."

Zack wrapped his arms around the blond and pulled him closer. He kissed the top of Cloud's head and inhaled his scent. "We're going to have to eventually. We have a mission to start today." he said softly, nuzzling the blond spikes with his nose.

Cloud moaned and tried to hide his face within Zack's chest. "Don't wanna…" he pouted.

Zack chuckled at Cloud's childish disposition and kissed his head again. "Breakfast smells good." Cloud nodded without removing his face from its hiding place. "And we have to get back for showers before we head off into the mountain." Zack continued.

Cloud finally removed his face and looked down at the mess they had slept in with a grimace. "I suppose." he said almost defiantly. He reached over to the tissue box on his night table and grabbed a few tissues before turning back to his lover. "Clean us." he said, shoving the tissues into the ravenet's hand.

Zack smirked. "I don't think I can touch you like that without causing another episode."

Cloud giggled and grabbed a few more tissues. He began wiping his own body before he noticed the SOLDIER watching him with a predatory stare. "Clean yourself, you sex-crazed lunatic." he teased playfully.

Zack nodded with a wide smile and began cleaning himself before tossing the tissues into the trash can by the desk. "You gonna wear your chocobo boxers for me today?"

"Not likely." Cloud responded while tossing his own used tissues into the trash can.

"Not even if I said pleeease?" Zack asked, nuzzling Cloud's neck and placing soft kisses against the tender skin.

Cloud tilted his head and leaned in closer to his lover. "But you didn't say please."

"Pleeease?"

Cloud chuckled and gave Zack a quick kiss before getting up out of bed. Zack watched a naked Cloud rummage through the pile of clothes on the floor before pulling out the previously mentioned boxers with a grin. "Why am I wearing these again?" he asked as he began pulling them on.

Zack watched in delight; Cloud loved how happy he looked by such simple gestures. "So I think about the inside of your pants without becoming ragingly horny for once."

"This would do it." Cloud laughed as he snapped the waist band of his boxers before finding the rest of his clothes. "Shinra infantryman in chocobo boxers; you owe me one." Zack opted to watch Cloud dress. Once the blond was in full uniform he pulled Zack from the bed and grinned at his naked body. "Your turn."

Zack got dressed and the two boys filed downstairs to meet Cloud's mother in the kitchen. Olivia gave them both a warm smile. "Sit. Breakfast is almost ready."

Zack and Cloud smiled as they took a seat at the table. Cloud started to fiddle with the utensils placed before him and bit his lower lip. "Good morning."

Olivia looked back at Cloud. "Good morning. How was your night?" she smiled sweetly.

"Nice." Cloud answered, choosing not to look up at his mother. He knew she would be able to read everything from his eyes; that is, if she didn't know everything already.

"Feel good to be in your own bed again?" she asked while placing food on three plates.

"Yeah." he answered quietly.

She only grinned as she placed breakfast in front of the two boys before taking her own seat. "How about you, Zack?"

Zack looked up with an award-winning grin that only he could pull off. "I haven't slept that well in ages."

Olivia smiled widely and tilted her head. "You two are welcome to stay here whenever you're in town."

"I think it's against protocol." Cloud said between bites. "I'm not even sure last night was allowed, but the General gave us the night off, so I thought it might be okay."

Olivia nodded. "Well, whenever then. Mi casa es tu casa."

"Usted es demasiado bueno, Olivia." Zack responded with a grin.

Olivia's smile widened as she shook her head. "Absurdo, y llámeme Mamá, por favor."

Zack laughed and nodded his head. "Si, Mamá." Cloud grinned to try and hide his laugh.

The three chatted lightheartedly throughout breakfast. Cloud was still amazed with how well Zack and his mother got along. He didn't even need to be a part of the conversation to keep things going; they seemed to have taken to each other quite nicely and could talk volumes with one another. After he finished his meal he sat back in his chair and watched as his mother and lover continue on with their discussion. His heart began to flutter again and the love he felt seemed to grow stronger. With the admission of his relationship with this man to his mother going better than he ever could have hoped, Cloud felt like he didn't have a care in the world. That is, until that intense, uneasy feeling came back. His breath caught in his throat and he felt his heart pick up speed as the familiar feeling of panic rose in his chest again. He fought to regain control over his body and willed this feeling away just as the focus of discussion was turned to him.

"What are you two fearless warriors up to today?" his mother asked him with a grin.

Cloud swallowed hard and forced a smile on his face. "We're beginning a preliminary inspection on the reactor." Cloud said easy enough that neither Zack nor his mother noticed his sudden mood change.

"I've heard new monsters are living up there now. Is that because of that reactor?" she asked curiously.

"We don't know yet, but it's not something we can talk about." Cloud stated once his heart rate went back to normal.

Olivia nodded and looked over at Zack. "I hope it's not serious."

Zack gave her an easy grin. "No need to worry. We'll have it all sorted out in no time, right Spiky?"

Cloud nodded, sending an evil glare in Zack's direction. "Yeah, with General Sephiroth here not too much can go wrong." A sharp pain stabbed in his stomach and he sighed to hide his wince.

"General Sephiroth?" Olivia asked arching her eyebrows. "Is that not the man you-"

"Yes, Mom." Cloud interrupted. "He's heading this mission."

She smiled and nodded. "What a wonderful opportunity."

"We actually should head out before Sephiroth has our heads." Zack said, pouting slightly. "It's too easy to forget why we're here when we're hanging with Mom." He winked at Olivia.

"Yeah, I guess so." Cloud frowned a bit before stretching in his chair. "I want to shower before we leave."

Zack nodded and stood up to take the now empty plates to the kitchen. "Me too. Maybe we can make time to come visit again before we leave?"

"You better." Olivia said, taking the rest of the dishes to the kitchen. "At least pop by to say goodbye if you can't make it back for a visit, ya?"

"Of course we will." Zack smiled as Olivia pulled him in for a tight hug.

"You're a good guy, Zack." she said as she released him. "I couldn't be happier with anyone else for my little storm Cloud."

Zack chuckled and looked over at Cloud who was attempting to shoot them both with an angry glare and failing. "I couldn't be happier with anyone else, either." He looked back at Olivia. "I'll keep him safe; promise."

Olivia looked as though she was going to cry when she pulled Cloud into a tight hug. "I'm proud of you." she said softly, closing her eyes.

"Mom…" Cloud sighed gently as he wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't get mushy."

Olivia chuckled and nodded as she pulled away with her hands on her son's shoulders. "Okay, I won't, but please – just be safe."

"I will." Cloud smiled and nodded.

"I love you." she said before placing a kiss on Cloud's cheek and stepping back.

"Love you too, Mom. I'll see you soon."

-.-.-.-

After their showers, Cloud and Zack met up with Connor in the room he and Cloud shared. They lied and said that they lost track of time and crashed at Cloud's mother's place; Zack on the couch, of course. Connor seemed to buy into it easy enough or he was too concerned to care. He informed Zack that Sephiroth had never made it back to the inn last night.

"I think we should try to find him." Zack said, unease obvious in his expression. "We need to start this mission today; we're already a day behind."

The three left the inn and stood in front of it. Connor looked over at Zack, who seemed to be at a loss of where to start. Cloud noticed the serious concern in Zack's face and frowned. He wished he had the answer.

"We should split up." Cloud suggested.

Zack looked over at the blond and nodded. "I suppose, but where could he be? It's not like Nibelheim has a lot of places to hide."

"There's enough." Cloud said, his frown deepening as he recalled the many times he successfully disappeared from the people he lived amongst.

"Right…" Zack said, eyes scanning the surrounding area as if he was expecting Sephiroth to come waltzing down the road any second. "Okay, I'll take the mountain area. Cloud, you search everywhere you know that a person can disappear to." He paused for a moment. "Actually, Connor, you best stay here incase the General does show up."

The two cadets nodded and took off in separate directions, Cloud into town and Connor back into the inn. Zack watched Cloud run off until he was out of sight before he let himself sigh heavily. He hoped that he appeared confident enough as to not alert the other two of how nervous this whole Sephiroth situation was making him. Although he knew that he was second in command, he really didn't think he could handle the mission and a derailed Sephiroth at the same time. He was currently at a loss of what to do and he needed to keep that hidden. As far as the other two were concerned, everything was still somewhat under control, but Zack's mind was racing and his adrenaline was kicking in. Where the hell are you? he asked Sephiroth in his mind.

He looked over to the path leading towards the mountains and frowned. How far up was he to search? Could Sephiroth already be at the reactor? What if he wasn't; where would Zack check next? His body felt frozen on the spot. He had to concentrate hard to make his mind slow down enough and focus on one thing at a time. I'll think of something if I can't find him. He began his trek up the mountain.

-.-.-.-

Cloud secured his helmet on before he travelled too far away from the inn. He still didn't want to risk other people finding out that he was back in town. He didn't want people to see that he hadn't made it into SOLDIER yet. He shook his head and recalled Zack's encouraging words. Getting into SOLDIER takes time, Cloud. He allowed himself a small smile but quickly discarded it. The kids he grew up around wouldn't care; they would find a way to taunt him regardless of how much he had actually accomplished. It had always been that way for as long as he could remember. The evil sneers and criticisms were still very fresh in his mind regardless of how long ago that all happened. He felt a familiar humiliation in chest and took a deep breath in hopes of making it go away. He had a mission to get to and a task that needed to get done first. He didn't want to let Zack down and hoped that he would find at least a hint of information regarding the General's whereabouts.

No one can see me with the helmet; get a grip. Cloud scolded himself. He stopped by the general store and looked around. He was suddenly drawing a blank as to where to begin his search. It was true; he knew where all the best places to hide were, but he doubted the General was hiding in the places he escaped to when he needed to not be found. Something in his gut told him that there was a bigger reason why Sephiroth disappeared and somehow it had something to do with the document he kept nearby at all times.

Cloud's eyes darted around at the town in front of him and he couldn't seem to make himself move. A few people eyed him suspiciously, probably wondering what a Shinra infantryman was doing in the middle of the town alone seemingly lost. He ignored their looks and willed himself to begin moving. He took a couple of steps forward before stopping and looking around again. Just go! he shouted at himself in his mind before heading off to the nearest hiding spot he knew of.

-.-.-.-

Hours later Zack trekked down the mountain path back towards the small town. He felt hot and flustered at the many battles he had encountered while searching for the General. He didn't want to stray too far from the path in case he got lost. The mountain was a maze and without a travel guide or someone from the area and he didn't want to chance it. Unless Sephiroth made it to the reactor alone, he doubted he was within the mountains.

"Hopefully Cloud had better luck." he said to himself lowly. He kicked at a stone by his foot and watched it bounce down the path before kicking it again when he caught up to it. The small houses and shops were in sight again and he scanned them discouraged. It wasn't until his eyes passed over the Shinra mansion before he stopped and locked his sight onto the building. "Would he have broken into the mansion?" he asked himself. Maybe his mind answered him. He recalled the document Sephiroth was engrossed in almost obsessively since they left for the mission. The General mentioned that it contained confidential information related to the mission and when they first arrived to Nibelheim he said that the mansion housed classified stuff. "What did you find?" he asked the General as if he were standing next to him.

He started walking again towards the mansion. The pieces were falling into place; he was almost appalled that he hadn't connected the dots sooner. There was no other explanation. He must have found something out that took precedence over their current objective. But why not tell me about it? Zack thought. What couldn't wait until after our initial mission? As he drew closer he began to rationalize Sephiroth's disappearances and abandonment as maybe the real reason why they were here. He tried to make sense of it all; maybe they weren't to inspect the reactor, but use it as an excuse for… for what? And why not bring me in on it? Zack shook his head in confusion as he approached the gates. And how the hell am I to get in?

Zack looked around for any indication that the General was inside and found none. He didn't even want to think about the repercussions if he was wrong and had effectively broken into the Shinra mansion and possibly expose whatever was hidden inside. He took a walk around the perimeter and still found no evidence that Sephiroth was there. He looked back towards the rest of the town before making up his mind. "You better be in here." he scolded Sephiroth aloud before climbing the fence and making his way towards the building.

-.-.-.-

Cloud's heart sank with every passing moment as each of his hiding places were empty. He all but dragged his feet as he made his way back towards the town square. He approached the water tower in the center and looked up to the platform above. He sighed as memories came flooding back to him. Memories of hiding up there when he needed to escape but couldn't bear to be alone. Memories of her.

Cloud dangled his feet from the platform he was sitting on, looking down at the quiet town below. Practically everyone had checked in for the night and she said she would meet him there. He sighed and began thinking this was a really bad idea. Why would she come? She had never really paid him much attention to begin with let alone spend time with him aside from awkward conversations shortly after her accident. He just needed to talk with her, even if she concluded that it was worthless.

"Sorry I'm late!" Cloud jumped at the sound of Tifa's voice as she climbed the rest of the way up the water tower. She took a seat beside him and dangled her feet with an easy smile on her face. "You said you wanted to talk about something?" She wasn't wasting any time.

Cloud looked down at his feet and began wondering whether he would be able to hold a conversation with her, even if it was just going to be a couple of minutes long. What else could he expect from her? "Come this spring…" he started, deciding to just get to the point so he wouldn't waste any more of her time. "I'm leaving this town for Midgar."

Tifa looked down at her own feet and frowned slightly before dangling them back and forth. "All boys are leaving our town…" she stated as though it weren't a well known fact. There wasn't a lot of opportunity in Nibelheim for young, active minds. She smiled and looked over at the blond.

Cloud felt her stare shift to him and flushed, thanking the night for hiding it from her. "But I'm different from all of them." Cloud said, looking over at the girl beside him. His heart skipped a beat at her easy smile. "I'm not just going to find a job. I want to join SOLDIER." An excitement began to fill his chest at his eagerness to leave. "I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!" His smile widened, mimicking hers shining back at him.

Tifa quirked her lips and narrowed her eyes playfully before nodded and looking back down at her feet. "Sephiroth… The Great Sephiroth." She looked back up at Cloud. "Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?"

Cloud focused on his dangling feet and nodded. "I probably won't be able to come back to this town for awhile." he stated, summing up the courage to say what he wanted to say next. He looked over at the girl and was stunned to find that she was no longer sitting next to him. "Huh?" he let out dumbly before hearing her voice behind the large water barrel.

"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?" She poked her head around the corner with a smile.

Cloud smiled back. "I'll try."

"Hey, why don't we make a promise?" she said happily as she took a seat on the other side of the blond. His eyes never left from her direction as she sat down. "Umm…" she tapped her lips with her finger and smiled. "If you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind…" she paused and nodded before catching Cloud's eyes with her own. "You come save me. All right?"

Cloud's furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. "What?"

"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me." she said softly.

Cloud stammered for words and looked back down at his feet. "What?" he repeated.

"Come on!" Tifa nudged his arm with her elbow and giggled. His heart skipped a beat at the contact. "Promise me!"

"All right…" Cloud nodded. He looked up at the girl. "I promise."

Cloud's frown deepened at the memory that just replayed out in his mind. It made him feel more ashamed of where he was right now; a lowly cadet searching for his missing General. He was supposed to be a hero. He looked back up at the platform. He remembered very clearly how much he thought he liked Tifa back then; he had intended to tell her that night before their conversation got sidetracked. He never did tell her how he felt. It was probably for the better as he ended up falling in love with Zack in Midgar. Probably? No, it was for the better! he corrected himself. Still, even though he never let his feelings be known to the girl, he still felt a sense of protectiveness as he had been there during her accident and pulled her through and he fully intended to be there for her if she was ever in a bind.

Would she even remember me? Cloud asked himself. Does she even care or was she just being kind? Why does it even matter? Cloud sighed deeply and tore his gaze off the water tower. He felt an intense urge to be with Zack right now. A part of him felt guilty for thinking about how much he had cared for Tifa even though those feelings were long gone and were nowhere near the strength of that in which he felt for Zack now. He wanted to be held by his boyfriend; knowing this probably wouldn't happen for a long while now since they were going through a mini crisis. It made his heart ache.

He began walking back towards the inn. He had exhausted his hiding place options and could think of nowhere else to look for the General. Hopefully he would walk into Zack, Connor, and Sephiroth back in the inn and all would be well again.

He had no such luck. He walked into his room to find a very worried Connor and no sign of the other two. "Did you find him?" Connor asked anxiously, all but jumping out of his chair.

"No." Cloud answered, although him coming back alone should have been enough of a hint. "Have you heard anything yet?"

"Nothing"

Cloud frowned before he heard two sets of footsteps coming down the hall. His heart jumped into his throat as he peeked down the hallway to find a very disturbed looking Zack and a cold, almost angry Sephiroth. "Sir?" Cloud stood up straight and eyed the General as he and Zack stopped in front of the cadets' door.

"Are you packed, cadet?" Sephiroth asked coldly, not sparing a look in Cloud's direction.

"Sir." Cloud answered, looking over at Zack who kept his eyes focused on the floor. He looked like something was really wrong.

"We begin our mission in five minutes." Sephiroth said sternly. "Be downstairs." He didn't look back as he made his way down the hallway and disappeared into his room.

Cloud's eyes shot back to Zack who took in a deep breath and looked up at Cloud. "Finally; we begin." he said light heartedly, obviously trying to lift the mood.

"What happened?" Connor asked, stepping beside Cloud.

Zack offered a weak smile and shook his head. "Just be ready in five, 'kay?" His attempts were useless; he was obviously very uneasy about something.

"Yes, sir." Connor saluted and made his way back into the bedroom.

Zack met Cloud's eyes for a brief minute before dropping them to the ground. "Everything's okay, Cloud. Please don't worry."

"Why are you so anxious?" Cloud asked quietly, looking down the hall towards the General's room.

"He's just looking into something else right now." Zack answered easily. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Let's just focus on this mission, okay?" Cloud nodded. Zack smiled adoringly at Cloud and reached out to tug on the cadet's sleeve since he couldn't reassure him in any other way at the moment. Cloud wanted to take Zack's hand in his own but fought against the urge. Zack grinned at the strained look on the blond's face and mouthed the words 'I love you' before heading to his own room to pack.

-o-o-o-

Oh noes! What's going to happen? I know, but you don't. XD Gotta wait a few days to find out. Hey, while you're waiting, mind leaving me a review? Pleeese? (Saying 'pleeease' worked for Zack so I thought it might work for me too!) *runs in circles for no apparent reason*