The word "clusterfuck" was one of which Sephiroth was generally aware, having learned its meaning fairly early on in life. Being a man who held both himself and others to a particularly higher standard of perfect, however, he hadn't much opportunity to use the word. In fact, he could recall only three situations in his life that he would accurately describe as complete clusterfucks. The first was when he was a small child, and had taken it upon his rebellious self to release every project in Professor Hojo's lab that he could get his hands on, including himself. The destruction they collectively wrought was incredible; Sephiroth still remembered it fondly. They had colloquially called it "The Clusterfuck of '88" around Shinra's hallways, and when he'd asked one of the few lab assistants who hadn't been horribly mutilated or annihilated in the ensuing chaos what that meant, he'd explained the concept quite thoroughly.

The second was incident was the first time they sent him on a mission with other people. Really, the entire thing had just been a bad idea from the start, but the higher ups had wanted to test his abilities in actual combat, in a team with other SOLDIERs, and it wasn't like he could have said no. Had he understood that 20-year vets didn't exactly like to be ordered around by a kid who hadn't even been alive for as long as they'd been in the military, he might have done things differently. As it were, Sephiroth had tried to warn them, and even when things went to shit, he tried his best to save them. The only good thing that had come out of that clusterfuck was that no SOLDIER ever doubted his orders in the field again.

The third was dinner at the Strife residence, Sephiroth thought wryly as he slowly made his way back to the Inn alone. It had started civilly enough. Pleasantries were exchanged, though they might have been slightly strained on his part. He had been pleased enough with the Cure job Zack had administered, but that didn't erase the memory of the episode. The night had probably started degenerating right around his comment of, "Yes, we take very good care of our own in SOLDIER, unlike a certain backwater mountain shithole," in reply to Ms. Strife's cries of how healthy her baby looked.

Zack had diffused the situation, covering it up with a forced laugh and hasty change of subject. They'd at least managed to peacefully get food on their plates, and they'd carried on a brief conversation where Ms. Strife informed her son of the various going-ons around the town. Then she asked how Cloud was doing in the military.

Considering how the cadet stuttered and hesitated to respond, Sephiroth took it upon himself to give her an accurate report of the situation. Cadet Strife, currently an infantryman in the Shinra army, was at the bottom of his class primarily due to his ineptitude at working successfully with his peers, an ineptitude which, according to reports from various instructors and his own observations, stemmed from the fact that Cadet Strife's peers were unnecessarily biased against him and acted upon said bias at every given opportunity, now, doesn't that sound familiar, Ms. Strife?

Mrs. Strife had cleared her throat softly before replying with a question of her own. "Why would it sound familiar, General Sephiroth?"

"Because it bears quite the uncanny resemblance to the bullying problem Strife deals with here in Nibelheim, as I personally observed earlier," Sephiroth answered sharply.

"Bullying?"

"Yes, bullying. As in getting his ass handed to him on a silver fucking platter by five young men who were all at least twice his size," he said. "It was absolutely pathetic, and I'm quite surprised you've allowed it to continue for this long. Bravo."

The table had erupted then, with Zack pleading with Sephiroth to cut it out, Cloud insisting to his mother that it wasn't that bad, really, and Ms. Strife, the loudest of them all, informing Sephiroth in a tight hiss, "Don't you dare tell me how to raise my son."

"Someone should, because you're clearly doing something wrong," he said. "Your pipsqueak cocksmear of a son gets the shit beat out of him every day at home, so you send him to the military? Excellent idea. On second thought, perhaps it was for the best, seeing as how since you can't defend him, maybe someone else can."

It was all Tifa could do with hold Ms. Strife back. "Ms. Strife, don't," she cried out, struggling with both arms wrapped around the older woman's waist.

"How dare you talk about my son like that," Ms. Strife snarled out. "I'll—"

"You'll what?" Sephiroth laughed. "Deal with me just like you dealt with his bullies?"

Ms. Strife snatched up a plate from the table and launched it at Sephiroth's head. Sephiroth's finely honed reflexes denied Ms. Strife the satisfaction she sought, but his ire had finally been fully aroused. He stood up and slammed his hands against the table, startling everyone present in to silence.

"You're his mother," he shouted. "You're supposed to protect him. And if you can't protect him, you're supposed to teach him to be stronger. You should be prepared to destroy the world for him, allow him the revenge he deserves."

At that point, Sephiroth knew he had lost a few moments of memory, because the next thing he remembered was Zack's terrified face in front of his, and a bruising grip on his arms.

"Gaia, Seph," was all he'd whispered.

And so Sephiroth had wrenched himself from Zack's hold and silently excused himself for the night. Luckily for him, the owner of the inn had a master key which Sephiroth glared him into using so he could retrieve his things from their room. He had already thrown his things back in his bag—just a single change of clothes, as he'd showered before dinner—when Zack and Cloud returned.

The only thing exchanged between the trio was silence as Cloud brushed past Zack to hastily grab some clothes and lock himself in the bathroom. Before long, they heard the sounds of running water.

"Hey, Seph?" Zack was the first to speak.

"Yes."

"Can I talk to you?"

Sephiroth looked towards him with mild amusement. "We're speaking," he said.

"I mean..." Zack's eyes quickly darted over to the bathroom door where Cloud was in the bath.

Sephiroth sighed. "Fine. Out in the hallway," he said, dropping his bag and walking out the door. Zack quietly closed the door behind himself and pulled Sephiroth some distance down the hallway. His voice took on a tone that Zack rarely used, but which experience told Sephiroth he wasn't going to like what Zack had to say.

"What's going on, Sephiroth?"

He chose to play dumb. "What do you mean, what's—"

"Don't, Seph! Enough with the bullshit!"

Zack's outburst rang in his ears. He simply raised an eyebrow as he waited for an explanation. Zack sighed, and ran a hand over his face.

"I mean, you've been acting strange ever since we left Shinra," Zack said, frustration lacing his voice. "Screaming about how you're going to burn this place to the ground, all of these violent outbursts—and Cloud! Don't even get me started about poor Cloud—"

"'Poor Cloud'? He's being allowed to attend a highly classified mission with the general of SOLDIER and his first lieutenant, I fail to see how 'poor Cloud' figures into this," Sephiroth interrupted.

"Seph, the way you've been riding the kid is entirely unreasonable," Zack said.

"I haven't been riding him at all," Sephiroth muttered dryly.

"Are you kidding me? I don't think I've ever heard you address him by his given name! You're always insulting him—and sweet Shiva, did you have to do that to him at dinner?"

Sephiroth ground his teeth together. "I was merely stating facts," he said.

"Seph! I know you don't really get certain social rules, but come on! I know you understand the importance of mothers," Zack protested.

"It's because I understand that importance that I said what I did."

Zack threw his hands up in the air. "Fine," he said. "Fine. I give up. You're clearly not going to see the error of your ways on that front, but could you at least try to be civil to Cloud? Your behaviour makes no damn sense, and I'm not going to let you hurt him like that again."

"Hurt him? I'm hurting him?" Sephiroth's eyes flashed green faster than Zack had ever seen before. Zack took an involuntary step backwards, fingers flexing for a sword that was much too far away behind the closed door of their room.

It took a few seconds—a few seconds too long, in Sephiroth's opinion—for him to realize that Jenova had latched onto his righteous anger for the second time that night and was using it to drive him to actions he knew he would regret terribly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to remember why he was there, and that he had a more important mission than rationalizing himself to Zack. "You and the cadet will be leaving for Junon first thing in the morning," he said through gritted teeth.

Zack's eyebrows rose. "What?"

"It was a mistake to allow you to come," he said. "You're both leaving."

"Is that an order?"

"Yes," Sephiroth snarled.

"Then you'll have to send me to Junon in a fucking body bag, because I'm not leaving you here alone," Zack replied with just as much venom.

"That can easily be arranged," Sephiroth spat out, before turning on his heel and leaving down the stairs.

Zack took out his own anger on the wall, punching it once before leaning his forehead against it. "Fuck," he muttered to no one in particular.

Sephiroth gazed out sightlessly over the town as smoke drifted from his mouth. He'd picked up the habit from Reno after he'd discovered that while it was a terrible thing to do to one's body, he healed so quickly the detrimental effects were void. Smoking was more satisfying than drinking, anyway, where he had to shotgun a bottle of vodka just to get tipsy. It was just him and the quiet outside, all of the town's residents having long since taken to bed. The entire night's events were still ringing in his head, carrying his thoughts in an endless loop of doubt and affirmation.

"Can I have a smoke?"

The soft question pulled Sephiroth from his brooding quite effectively. Not for the content, but for the person behind the voice. He tilted his head to the side and observed the young blond as he stood just to the side of the porch swing.

"You're too young to be smoking," Sephiroth finally said.

Cloud shrugged. "I've been smoking since I was twelve," he retorted.

"It's bad for your health."

"That's your opinion."

"It's a medical fact, actually."

"Keeps me sane. I consider that good for my health."

Sephiroth regarded the young man silently. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn that was a thinly veiled jibe aimed straight for himself. With a soft chuckle, he fished his carton out from his pocket and silently held it out for Cloud.

"Thanks," said the blond, taking out a single cigarette. "Have a light?"

Instead of creating a small fireball in the palm of his hand, Sephiroth simply leaned over and placed the lit tip of his cigarette against Cloud's, waiting for the young man to inhale. It was incredibly intimate yet impersonal at the same time; neither male looked at the other in the eye, yet they were very aware of the intrusion into personal space.

Cloud pulled away, and the two sat silently smoking for a long while.

"What you said back there," Cloud said, getting straight to the point. "That was—it was really shitty, Sephiroth. I don't care if you're the general of the fucking universe, you can't just talk about my mother like that."

"Looks like I did, though," Sephiroth said, remaining flippant.

"I'm serious," Cloud vehemently spat out. His fingers clenched against his thigh. "Ma...she's been through so much."

Sephiroth snorted. There was nothing anyone could tell him about being though "too much".

Unfortunately, it was exactly the type of reaction that was the last straw for the young cadet. "You're such a fucking prick, you know that? I can't believe I looked up to you," he exploded. "You act so high and mighty just because you're the big and powerful General fucking Sephiroth, and you get whatever you want, whenever you want it. You're the hero, the fucking golden boy. You have no idea what it's like to be the underdog, to be the one that gets beaten down every time! My mother does the very best she can, and she does damn well, and you have no fucking right to criticize her like you fucking know anything.

"Just because she doesn't run around cutting off people's heads whenever they piss her off doesn't mean she doesn't protect me," he hissed. "Normal people don't do that."

Sephiroth flinched.

"You know nothing about how hard it was for her to raise me on her own. She gave up her whole life for me. She fought every day for me. She is the strongest person I know, and I'll be damned if I let some pretty boy princess like you come into her house and disrespect her like that."

Sephiroth didn't hear much after "normal people," but he did notice when Cloud stopped talking and stared at him defiantly. Effectively shaken though he refused to show it, he took the easiest out he could find.

"Very well," he said, standing up. "I'll go apologize right now." He moved past Cloud and got as far as the bottom of the stairs before hearing a loud sigh.

"No, don't...don't go right now," Cloud said behind him. "It's late, you'll just be interrupting her sleep. Sit down."

"Is that an order, cadet?" Sephiroth asked, eyebrow quirked as he stared at the ground.

When no response was forthcoming, Sephiroth hazarded a glance over his shoulder, and was met with a furious blush. He barely stifled a chuckle as the younger man couldn't quite meet his eye, and returned to his seat on the porch swing.

Each of them withdrew into himself, until Cloud suddenly asked, "Are you going back to the mansion, sir?"

Sephiroth wondered about the abrupt return to formality, but made no comment on it. "I haven't finished my errands, so yes," he answered.

"By 'errands,' you mean 'burn the fucking town,'" Cloud said with a derisive snort.

Sephiroth merely gave him a sidelong glance.

"You know, I hate this town," Cloud then commented, remembering Zack's ridiculous plan and how they hadn't actually gotten to try it out.

"I gathered."

"Really?"

"You asked to come along to watch as I destroy it."

"I was being sarcastic."

"You suffer from severe, long-term bullying in this town."

"It really isn't that bad."

"This is the first time you've been home since you left 4 years ago."

"I—how do you know that?" Cloud was genuinely surprised by Sephiroth's last observation.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Zack has a big fuckin' mouth," was all he said. Nevermind that he'd also once gone through Strife's files with excruciating detail, and not once had the cadet applied for leave over the holiday breaks.

Cloud seemed to accept the excuse, scowling around his cigarette. "My point was, I could really care less if you burn this place to the ground," he said. "In fact, I'd probably roast marshmallows on the flames."

Sephiroth nodded. "I'll be sure to have your mother evacuated beforehand," he said.

Cloud's mouth dropped open. "You're still going to burn the place down?" He hadn't actually been expecting Zack's plan to work, but then again, it was all they had, and it was (he begrudgingly admitted later, as Zack Cured him) at least somewhat logical. To have it shot down so quickly made tendrils of panic flare up in his mind.

Instead, Sephiroth looked at him like he was the crazy one. "I believe my exact words were 'burn this motherfucker to the ground and rage,' if I may quote myself," he said, grinning.

Cloud took a long drag on his cigarette. "Why?" he asked after a few moments.

Sephiroth stared straight ahead and shrugged. "You did just give me your explicit permission to do so," he commented. "Not that I need it."

"Obviously not, considering Zack and I had to force ourselves into the helicopter with you," Cloud sniped. "Why?"

"It's just something I gotta do, Cockbite."

"Why."

At the absolute insistence he heard in Cloud's voice, Sephiroth laughed. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, rocking the swing as he slumped in his seat. "Maybe I'm crazy," he said. "Maybe I'm really crazy. Maybe the voices have finally gotten to me, and I've decided to do something about it. What do you think?"

Cloud looked like he thought that was an absolutely terrifying concept. Sephiroth chuckled.

"Relax, Cadet Cumdump, I haven't lost my shit yet," he assured him.

"Don't go back to that mansion again, sir," Cloud pleaded. "Please."

"Is that an order, cadet?"

"Would it have to be?" Cloud boldly maintained eye contact with Sephiroth this time, a challenge lit in his impossibly blue eyes.

"Even if it were, you have no rank whatsoever over me," Sephiroth reminded him, his voice low.

"Then it's an earnest request from an extremely concerned soldier," Cloud said.

"A request I'm going to have to ignore," Sephiroth retorted. "At any rate, you should probably get to bed. You have an early morning."

"Excuse me?"

"You and your handler are being shipped out to Junon first thing tomorrow," Sephiroth informed him. What he didn't mention was the their Turk escort had already been informed, and should the pair attempt any escape, Sephiroth would be the first to know.

"Why?!" The vehemence of Cloud's shout startled Sephiroth, and he narrowed his eyes.

"Because it's my order, Cadet," he said sternly. "Am I meant to find you insubordinate?"

Cloud's jaw visibly twitched as he swallowed down whatever snarky reply he'd been formulating. "No, sir. Good night, then, sir," he said instead, dropping his cigarette and grinding it with his heel as he turned sharply.

Sephiroth watched after him until the sound of the door shutting was just a faded memory.

A/N: The fuck is this? Two updates in one day?

Actually, it's just cause I hate this chapter, and I've had most of it and the previous one already written. But I really, really hate this chapter-it's mostly filler (filler in a story that's entirely filler itself)-and it's kind of depressing, and the next chapter has some real action in it, so obviously, I just wanted to get this over with. Which I did. Yay.

I had initially intended on actually doing the dinner scene, but then I remembered I hate happy families, so that got real old, real quick. So I cut out most of the happy shit and left all the strife (hah).

Maybe if I end up having time again soon, I'll get the next chapter up fairly quickly. For now, though, back to the land of reality, a.k.a. work and exhaustion.