Hello Everyone! So sorry for the prolonged wait- I started working 6 days a week and it is exhausting. As usual, please let me know if there are any errors that need correcting or points that need clarification. Happy reading!
"What do you know about Cadet Cloud Strife?"
With narrowed eyes General Sephiroth took in the mix of incredulousness and intrigue that painted his friends' faces. It was not often that he asked for their assistance, but the weight of suspicion had towered over pride. He would not have asked them to his apartment for the sole purpose of companionship, as Genesis had far more knowledge about making a space "pleasant" and Angeal was much better at cooking. In fact, this may have been the first time he'd ever asked them to visit on his own volition.
No wonder they were confused.
"And…why would you care what we knew?" Genesis asked disinterestedly.
Years of experience told Sephiroth that this tone actually meant the exact opposite.
"Has Cloud done something wrong?" Angeal questioned concernedly.
The general cataloged this tone and expression; it was obvious that Angeal felt strongly about the boy. It was exactly that fact, coupled with Genesis' interest that had Sephiroth rethinking the idea to enlist the two in his operation. It was against policy to send men with any connections on a mission that could jeopardize the success rate. Shouldn't the same policy hold for his investigations?
"Enlighten me with your knowledge of him, and I will tell you all I know."
Angeal attempted to share a worried gaze with Genesis only to find him openly glaring at Sephiroth.
"Enlighten us first, oh Great General."
Angeal sighed without voice and surveyed the inevitable standoff. It appeared a day could not go by without the two disagreeing in some manner or fashion. He predictably was to step in and play peacemaker, listen to both sides and play therapist for his two oldest friends that suddenly couldn't get along.
The routine was just as tiring as it was months ago.
"Alright, you two," Angeal interceded while standing, "We'll get nowhere with this. Seph, since you invited us here it is your responsibility to tell us why. Gen, don't get snippy or he won't let us know at all."
The sounds of the latest week-long storm flooded the apartment in lieu of the collective silence. Sephiroth made his way to the open window and closed it to the onslaught of rain; he disliked getting everything wet but the flurried sound of wind and water calmed him. Soft pings and gusts echoed behind the glass.
"Very well. Approximately five months and 23 days ago-"
"You can't say 'approximately' and give such an exact date Seph. "
"Genesis, please do not interrupt him," Angeal scolded. When a scoff was given response from the redhead, Angeal turned to Sephiroth with an encouraging smile.
The general collected himself once more, "Approximately six or so months ago-"
Genesis snorted.
Sephiroth continued in a rushed and agitated tone, "At some point last year I met Cadet Cloud Strife for the first time. He was in front of the wooden door located in hall four."
Finding his audience suddenly attentive Sephiroth elaborated, "The wooden door with an opaque glass window. When I approached I saw him touching the frame in a most interesting manner, but I assumed that he was simply lost and curious."
"He could have been. He told me once that he got lost fairly often when coming to the library. That was probably when he first tried finding it," Genesis acutely explained.
"Even so, I can see why you are worried," Angeal spoke, "If he has returned to it…well that would bear questioning."
"Do you recall when I went to the balcony during Zackary's party?" Sephiroth questioned, "Cloud Strife was there, and he was talking to someone. He seemed very animated, perhaps even excited, and was asking about a stain glass door."
Angeal's breath hitched, "To whom was he speaking?"
"I don't know," Sephiroth admitted, "He suddenly stopped talking and turned to face me. I can tell he was not prepared to have an audience. From the look on his face I gathered that I had walked into a very private conversation."
"What did his companion look like?" Genesis asked thoughtfully.
"I don't know," The general repeated, "I saw no one else on that balcony. He saluted me and I asked him if he was well. In response, he told me that he'd had too much to drink and had a habit of talking to himself. It was lie, of course. His eyes were clear and he wasn't slurring his speech. If he had indulged that night, it must have been minuscule."
"I can definitely say he had half a cup of wine, seeing as he stole it from me. Well, what did you say then?"
"I told him to make sure he got rest and re-hydrated. He saluted me once more and then left. I surveyed ever corner of the balcony- there was no one there. The neighboring units had lights out and doors locked, and I can say with certainty that he was not using his PHS or an in-ear unit. I looked closely at his ears as he moved passed me. "
"What does this mean?" Angeal followed, "You can't possibly think he'd be with them?"
Sephiroth frowned in thought, "There have been bigger betrayals than a cadet conferring with our opposers. Besides, what is the likelihood of you two and Zachery knowing him on separate occasions? Sheer coincidence? I think not."
He let them mull the information over as he gingerly sat down in a rarely-used leather chair. Surely his instincts were not wrong. If they were, he could always count on Angeal and Genesis to confirm or deny; they were Second and Third in command based off merit.
"I'm afraid that I nothing incriminating to say," Angeal spoke first, "As I said at Zack's party, Cloud turned out to be the individual caring for the garden during my frequent absences. He was jumpy at first, but we started coming to the garden at the same time to do bigger projects, which lead to me quite enjoying his company."
Sephiroth took in the light, pleasing tone of voice Angeal carried as he described Cloud Strife. It was not the same tone he used to talk about their fellow soldiers. It most closely related to the way Angeal would speak about Zackary, or Genesis when he was absent from the room. Speaking of, Genesis did not seem aware of the distraught expression clear on his face. Sephiroth took it in before shifting his focus back to Angeal.
"He was very reluctant to open up about himself. I chalked it up to nervousness from being around a first class and some underlying self-doubts. He doesn't mind being quiet and keeping to his own. Very considerate about the plants and me. The most information I'd gotten was that he wants to be Soldier and is from Nibelheim, but you probably already know that Seph."
Indeed, he had. The first thing Sephiroth had done was look up his profile and peruse it for any eye-catching remarks.
"The report did yield some interesting information. He's young, and barely passing his physical courses. Too light to excel at weight-training, but developed strong combat endurance. Academics seem to stay high and drop and random periods, as if he's being distracted. The professors he has in the morning comment on tardiness and fatigue during those same drops in grade."
"So the kid gets distracted. So what? It happens to all of us. I bet if you picked three other cadets at random you'd find the same damn thing," Genesis drawled.
"I'm not so sure," Angeal cut in, "Cloud wouldn't let anything get in the way of his success here. He's spoken about SOLIDER in reverence enough to tell me that he's giving it his all, whenever he can. What could Cloud possibly be sidetracked by?"
"Does he have a position at that Café down on Main Street? That was the second time I saw him. Perhaps he is working late shifts for financial issues," Sephiroth added.
Genesis cradled his chin with his palm, "You don't have to owe money to need another job as a cadet. It barely pays anything. Besides, he often spends evenings in the library with me. Not every day, mind you, but the times he does show up seem random."
"How and when did that happen?" Angeal asked, knowing full well that question would take longer than necessary for Genesis to explain, "And no embellishments please."
"I don't embellish," Genesis protested, "I just liven things up a little. As it is, Cloud..Strife was it? Yes Cloud Strife can definitely be quiet and demure, but I've seen him irate and flippant. Not quite the same with you as he is with me, 'Geal."
"Context, Genesis. When did you first meet him?" Sephiroth focused as he crossed long legs.
"Yes, your Majesty. It was APPROXIMATELY half a year ago," Genesis teased, fully enjoying Sephiroth's unamused glare, "I'd gone into the library to rehearse and didn't realize someone was in there until I heard some shuffling. I left and came back the next day, which is the day we all had a falling out. It was obvious he did not want me to know he was there, but I knew. Fell asleep there that night and meandered around to find him passed out in an aisle, books all around him. He must've been searching for something. "
"What was he reading?" Angeal asked
"All of them regarded gaian legends and summon theory. Not sure why, we don't have a class that touches on that subject. "
Sephiroth leaned back in his chair, mind whirling with potential reasons for such rushed study.
"Now that I think about it, there have been oddities with him. When I finally approached him he did not seem to care about my rank at all, which goes against your story, 'Geal. If anything, he should have been more reserved with me and outgoing with you."
"It doesn't make any sense," Angeal intoned.
"Don't interrupt Angeal I'm telling a story," The red-haired commander smirked.
"Yes Angeal, we're trying to solve a mystery," Sephiroth batted further.
Something akin to joy hit Genesis as he registered that Sephiroth just joked with him. He laughed in delight at Angeal's annoyance.
"Yes, I'm the problem," Angeal deadpanned.
Sephiroth chuckled and covered his eyes with a palm, "You always were one for rebellion Angeal."
With a snort Genesis cut the conversation, "Okay, you two, enough joking around. We have a mysterious cadet to figure out. Anyway, when I asked him who he was he actually said Cloud was not his real name. Little Brat. He also said he needed to keep his identity a secret, and when I pressed him as to why he did not relent. I actually like him, he's got fire."
Sephiroth noticed an interested gleam appear in his second-in-command's eyes, as if he were recalling past conversations.
"Anyway, one day we both were stressed out and venting to one another. Just a back and forth, you know. I was saying I was mad about having to teach and he was mad about a fight he had with a friend, tit for tat, yadda yadda. During one of his turns he mentioned something about being tasked to help a group of people, but they suddenly didn't want his help anymore."
"Oh, Shiva that is too incriminating," Angeal commented.
"I've also witnessed him reading books in some archaic language. He stares at pages so long that it makes me think he can actually read it. Not sure what that's all about."
"So why it is that he withheld his identity from you and not Angeal?" Sephiroth questioned.
"I have no idea," Genesis confessed, "You'd think he'd have realized that we all talk to one another."
Angeal sat straight, "Actually, you said the first time you formally met him was after the day of our argument. The first time I met him, it was after our argument as well."
"He knew somehow. Cloud Strife knew we weren't on speaking terms," The general stated.
"Hold on," Angeal shifted toward them, "Sure, this all paints Cloud to be a suspicious person, but that doesn't mean he could have had the opportunity to do anything. Shouldn't the fact that he befriended Gen, Zack and myself show the opposite? There's no way he could take any of us down."
"One mastered paralyze and a quiet blade is enough to catch us off-guard. Cloud Strife could have comrades in ShinRa, for all we know," Genesis reasoned.
"Almost every room and facility of ShinRa grounds is monitored closely by both SOLDIER and Turk surveillance. There are few places that do not have infantry patrol or security cameras. Those include silver-level clearance rooms, personal quarters, personal offices and the like. Do either of you know the other locations?"
At the silence from his friends, the general continued, "Angeal, do you remember how you stumbled across that patch of earth that you've made into a garden? It was originally going to be home to another gym for 3rd classes, as their housing is located close by. However, the president pulled funding after its land had been cleared. They took down the camera units in anticipation of installing new ones, with the main program attached to the gym's office, but obviously that never happened."
He turned to Genesis, "You know where I'm going with this, correct?"
"Yeah. I suppose I shouldn't have firaga'd those cameras in the library years ago," Genesis sighed.
"So this cadet has managed to foster friendships with the three of you, and he has managed to spend most of his free time in the only two public places that do not have surveillance of any kind."
No one spoke for a solid minute.
"Shit."
Sephiroth and Angeal agreed.
"We need a plan," Angeal leaned forward, "Something to get us started."
"Your puppy," Genesis insisted, "Your puppy has known Cloud the longest. Ask him what he does when he isn't with you, and possibly why he's getting distracted from his classes periodically."
Sephiroth hummed in agreement, "Yes. Meanwhile, you two should continue on with your guises. I'd like to get closer as well, but I cannot do so without drawing attention."
"It would be wise to have all three of us in some consistent contact. The more time we spend with him, the more we can account for his absences," Angeal reasoned.
"Short of teaching a cadet course or mentoring the kid, I don't think you can get any closer Seph," Genesis pointed out.
Sephiroth looked to the window, taking in the calming tones of rain once more.
"I'll think of something."
The general had never been so confused in his life.
What began as the casual tailing of a 16 year-old cadet became a sequence of events that Sephiroth could not put together. On day one he'd followed Cloud Strife down a maze of hallways that came full circle to the lobby. Sephiroth knew every inch of his domain. So when the cadet stopped walking and turned to look at him, the General couldn't decide whether or not Cloud had terrible sense of direction or had purposely lead them nowhere.
Day two had him peering down at Cloud's combat class. It was nothing special; in fact it appeared that Cloud was lagging behind the rest of his peers. Green eyes narrowed as he took in the cadets features: determined stance, sloppy yet strong form, bright blue eyes steeled in concentration and…he was talking?
A glance at Cloud's fighting partner proved fruitless. The other boy wasn't speaking at all. it appeared that he didn't want to communicate aside from the mock fight. A noiseless breath escaped the general as he considered what he'd witnessed on the balcony days ago.
Did Cloud Strife really talk to himself?
Day three was an attempt to confirm or deny his lead. The general caught him casually exiting one of the rarely-used side doors in the eastern wing of the first floor. Pausing for 10 seconds, so as not to be spotted immediately, Sephiroth gently nudged the door open. He avoided the rather annoying squeak Cloud had made by cracking the door open and sliding out.
The trees loomed in front of him. Sephiroth followed Cloud slowly behind the cover of the branches, thankful that they were evergreens and unaffected by the changing of leaves. However advanced ShinRa would become, no one could argue with the fact that forest cover was invaluable on the battlefield and a welcome fortress in case of ambush. It had been his first real demand as the newly appointed General years ago, and the scowls of the board foreshadowed inevitable conflicts with the president and his men. At the very least, Genesis and Angeal had remained at his side as steadfast supporters and saw his vision of the company as an attainable end-goal.
They'd become more brazen with their attempts at changes in policy, recruitment, international relations and biological manipulation. Yet the choke hold of the president and Professor Hojo had become bolder in turn ("It's desperation, Seph," Genesis had told him, "They see you at the edge of freedom and themselves at the end of the line").
Things were unraveling too fast. Barrages of busywork meant to distract him from the inclining tensions with Wutai and the new position of Secretarial General (of which he wasn't allowed to vote) was in process. On top of it all, the relationship with his two friends had been steadily deteriorating.
But he wasn't blind. He needed a side project, a threat unknown to the company to bring the three of them together and prove to himself that there was a job worth doing that no one else could.
Cadet Cloud Strife, Sephiroth mused, was a necessary challenge.
"That's suicide. There isn't a way to get in that won't get me killed."
Sephiroth stopped in his tracks abruptly, recovering from the sudden phrase with ease. Cloud Strife had stopped 20 paces in front of him and was talking to absolutely no one.
"Maya, you don't understand security is tight here. There's no way to hack it."
The cadet sounded frustrated and defeated. Sephiroth mentally filed away the name Maya for later, as he'd have full access to the database on his office computer.
"No there isn't-"
Sephiroth stilled as he saw Cloud's back straighten and his entire body tense. They stood in silence for 10 minutes until the general, caught between his mission and the welfare of boy, reluctantly called out, "Are you alright, Cadet?"
He watched as Cloud Strife slowly turned to him and smiled. Bright blue eyes darted to a space behind the general, and on reflex Sephiroth turned to see...
Nothing.
As he faced Cloud Strife once more he could not quell the irritation that welled inside of him. Because Cloud Strife was nowhere to be found, and he'd just made a fool of the Great General Sephiroth.
Muddy boots strode down the busy common way, forcing cadets, soldiers, and staff alike to rapidly evade the death march of their usually level-headed superior. A passerby whimpered at the electric green eyes bright with mako, but Sephiroth did not register his appearance or the reactions of others. He was looking for only one person: Cloud Fucking Strife.
As soon as he caught sight of newly-appointed First Class Zack Fair his intentions changed. As he approached, the turk Zack was talking to abruptly stopped to assess the general. By the time Sephiroth was a stride away from Zack, Reno was gone.
"Zackary," Sephiroth demanded, "Where is the cadet?"
Taken aback by the abject fury in his general's eyes, Zack stuttered, "U-uh. Cadet? What cadet?"
Sephiroth gritted back an insult, "The cadet you like so much. Cloud Strife."
Zack momentarily stepped back and studied the general with a considering gaze not unlike his mentor's, "Why are you so…interested?"
"Are you questioning my intentions, Fair?"
The first class' eyes hardened and Sephiroth was abruptly reminded why Zack Fair had reached first class at the young age of 17. He may be excitable and loyal, friendly and kind, but a warrior lurked behind that guise.
And Sephiroth was posing as a threat to his friend.
The general took a brief moment to close his eyes and breathe ("It helps," Angeal once told him, "We are nothing if we cannot control ourselves"). Zack needed context and the assurance that Cloud would not be harmed. Possibilities whirled in his head before he locked eyes with Angeal's protege.
"I believe I just spotted him in a restricted area, but I am uncertain. If you could confirm his whereabouts, I'd be able to inquire directly."
Zack's stance relaxed, but he was still alert, "When did you think you saw him?"
"Not 10 minutes ago. "
At that statement, the tension between them vanished as Zack propped his hands on his hips, "Whew, for a second there I thought Spikey was actually in trouble. I walked him to his endurance training over an hour ago. He should barely be getting out now. I know what you're thinking- he could have gotten out early. However, he said he was going to meet me here as soon as he got-"
"Zack!"
"Out," The teen finished with a grin.
Sephiroth watched as the object of his study jogged over to greet Zack, taking note of the first class' fond gaze and affectionate tones.
"Hiya Spikey. How was class?" He asked as he scooped up the smaller man in a hug.
Cloud chuckled as he gently pushed the solider away, "It was boring. Couldn't wait for it to end. We going straight to your place or…?"
Zack turned to Sephiroth, "Actually, The general here was asking where you were about 10 minutes ago. Apparently someone got into a restricted area and he's trying to narrow down the possibilities."
As soon as Cloud noticed Sephiroth standing not five feet away, he froze. How incriminating, Sephiroth mused.
"Yes, it appeared to be someone with blond hair. I couldn't make out any distinguishing features."
Zack's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Blond hair, huh?"
Cloud blinked innocently, "I've been in class until now. You can ask my instructor if you'd like."
Sephiroth held back the need to grab him by the shoulders and shake. That was not a hallucination. Cloud Strife had been outside with him; he couldn't possibly have been in class as well!
"Is…is that why you've been following me these past few days? "
Quickly shrugging aside the shock of having been noticed by Strife more than once, the general went to reply- that is until he caught a suspicious gleam develop in Zackary's eyes. He could lie once more and say that there had been breaches of multiple restricted areas, but as a newly-appointed first class Zack Fair would have known already. A small part of him began to panic as he realized that he had not created an excuse for his actions if he had gotten caught. What could he say?
Zack noticed the hesitation to speak and stepped forward. The fact that he pushed Cloud slightly behind him was not lost on the General.
"Sephiroth. Have you been following Cloud?"
He grimaced at his inability to find a cover up. Green eyes locked with curious blue, and the general came to an adequate solution.
"I'm taking your silence as an answer. Why have you been following around a cadet?"
Sephiroth made a show of composing himself and closed his eyes for the chaos his excuse would bring.
"I did not wish to tell him this way."
Zack took another step toward him, "Tell him what?"
General Sephiroth walked closer to the pair until Zack was a foot away, but it was Cloud Strife that he focused his attention on. Without further ado, he announced,
"I wish to court you."
Author's Note:
Thank you for your feedback regarding sexual content! I've gotten a lot of mixed opinions so far, with the most consistent ones being "Give us a warning first" or "Upload those onto AO3" or "Go on ahead". It will be a couple of chapters until I feel the characters (and I) are ready for such a step, so I will definitely let you all know what I'm aiming to do when the time comes.
Meanwhile, I have changed the rating from T to M due to a few topics I broached (Suggested Drug Use, Alcohol Use, Sexual Content, Profanity) without really realizing it. Thank you for your support and please review!
