Title: One More Time

Author: Chibi Envy Chan

Rating: M

Pairings: AGSZC, rest will be revealed

Warnings: Boy/Boy and Girl/Girl Love, OCs

Notes: Crossover continues. No worries. The majority of the fic will be FFVII characters, but the few characters crossing over play a vital role in the plot. The third will make an appearance... Soonish... I think.

Disclaimer: Chibi doesn't own either Final Fantasy VII or Bleach.

You Don't Say?

Tala chuckled at the antics of his junior and cadet. The two made an interesting combination: the outgoing and cheerful SOLDIER with the introvert and pessimistic cadet. Nevertheless, he began preparing for the next class. With the success rate being low, they made the number of cadets entering large. It also helped to cut down on the cost since they put the cadets to work. Only those who made 'donations' to the company were let off this duty, having special privileges.

"You're embarrassing," Cloud whined as he attempted to pry himself from Zack's grip. He gave up a minute later and allowed the second class to do as he pleased.

"No one's looking." Zack loved hugging Cloud, having the small body close to his. "And you're comfy." Or maybe it was the fact he loved hugging cute things… people.

If he didn't know any better, Zack would venture to say the cadet was glaring at this moment. The differences in height made intimacy hard, but it made snuggling comfortable. Wait a moment… Zack pushed those thoughts out of his head as the blond was still considered a minor. It wouldn't be until next month until Cloud turned sixteen. That was one date he wouldn't forget. Neither was the birthdays of his other friends: Sephiroth (never liked celebrating birthdays), Angeal (preferred giving them), Genesis (loved being the center of attention), Kunsel (wanted only a small celebration), and Reno (secret parties only).

Cloud wasn't buying it, not one bit. "The next class is going to be here, and I need to get to my next class."

"Right. Gotta concentrate on those classes," Zack said with great reluctance. If it were up to him, he would have placed Cloud in the mentorship program. They started the program to assist the naturally gifted. Zack thought it was BS since they gained well trained individuals in the end, but he too had been part of the program. His tutoring of Cloud was off the records though he wanted it to be official. "Ugh… You have tactics right?"

"Yeah," Cloud said, managing to free himself when the second class lost his focus. "The teacher isn't that bad."

"… You're joking, right?" Did his little chocobo hit his head during this training spar? No, it had to be impossible. Zack taught him moves Tala would later on, once the others had a better grasp on the basics.

"I guess he's hard on everyone and hates them too," Cloud started off. He found the floor to be very interesting and then his boots. "But he's not that bad once you start talking to him."

"As in?"

"I've been doing a little research on strategies used in past wars," Cloud said, surprising Zack. The kid went above and beyond the minimum requirements. "Since he's an expert on it, I wanted to get some opinions on them. Also I've been trying to come up with my own."

So take Davis out of the military setting and get him into a conversation, he was a decent conversationalist? Somehow Zack found that hard to believe. "Are you sure we're talking about the same person here? 'Cause I haven't heard anything good about him, and I went through his class… well a long time ago."

Cloud nodded his head, his spikey hair waving. "Yeah. We've discussed strategies over lunch. He finds my strategies to be interesting and wanted to know more about them."

This left Zack dumbfounded. Here he thought the guy was an asshole who was jealous of everyone who ascended the SOLDIER system and made it difficult for those he taught. "You know that's the first time I've heard him praise anyone. Seriously. What did you do?"

"Uh… I was nice to him?" Cloud never ceased to surprise him. Who would have thought being nice to a jerk would allow them to see the other side of him? "He's really into tactics and strategies. I mean he lives and breathes them." According to Cloud's description, it made sense for the guy to have a library of nothing but tactics, strategies, and history (unbiased of course).

"Still finding it hard to believe that."

"You're not the only one," Tala said from his position against the wall. He had been listening into their conversation, it seemed. "That's a mystery for another time and day. As much as I hate doing this, I'm gonna have to kick you two lovebirds out of my class. My next class is starting shortly, and short stuff shouldn't be running late to his next one."

Cloud glared at Tala for being called short. He resembled a baby chocobo with his feathers fluffed up, thus, making him unintimidating. If being cute could kill, he would be on par with Sephiroth. He stomped out of the classroom.

Zack held up his hands in defeat. "He doesn't like any references to his uh… lack of height."

"I know," Tala said with an impish smile, "which is why I do it. He's cute when he storms off."

That Zack had to agree on, but the lovebirds part, no. Even though he wanted Cloud, he knew he needed to be careful around the blond, lest he scare him away. "Lovebirds, really? He's still considered a minor."

"Not after next month," Tala replied with a laugh and surprising the two. "What? I make it a point to look at their applications. Saves me the trouble of asking them during class." He shrugged.

Before Zack could protest, Cloud dragged him out of there. He sported a huge blush, making him resemble a tomato or a cooked lobster. More on the cooked lobster due to the steam coming from him or maybe that was Zack's imagination. The blond dragged Zack all the way to his next class, which the second class didn't mind. It was nice for a change, him being dragged instead of doing the dragging. However, they stopped short of the door when Cloud released his grip on him.

"Behave." Cloud sent him a glare.

Zack attempted to look innocent, but something told him his student was not buying it in the least bit. He tried. From what he remembered, Davis was a jerk though Cloud said otherwise. It would be interesting to see him interacting with the jealous and uptight teacher.

Inside the classroom, Davis was lecturing a cadet, who wasn't paying any attention. His face remained in the permanent scowling expression. If the guy had any others, Zack would be surprise. Maybe angry or neutral, but that was about it. He didn't think Davis could be happy or close to that.

The classroom was just as how he remembered it to be. Thanks to their cheapness, they went with the long tables and mismatched chairs. If one broke, they replaced it with anything on clearance. Up front, notes and a couple floor plans covered the two large chalkboards. Between the rows of tables and the chalkboards was a small, simple desk.

As soon as Davis turned his attention to Cloud, the cadet made his escape and took a seat in the back row. When Zack had this class, he chose the back as well. It was easier to doodle during classes than the front rows.

"Finally someone competent," Davis grumbled. He took one look at Zack and narrowed his eyes. It seemed the teacher hadn't forgotten Zack's time there even though it had been some time. "I hope you don't take after your mentor."

"No, I don't," Cloud replied.

"Good, you need brains to become a SOLDIER. It isn't all about brawn. Kids these days." From what he observed, Davis favored Cloud though he doubted the older teacher gave him any special privileges. It was more on he gave the blond harder material.

Cloud nodded his head. "Sometimes the best solutions aren't straight forward." This earned him some more points in the teacher's book.

"Is there anything you need, Fair?" Davis asked, turning his attention to the second class. His beady eyes staring right through him.

"Nope. Just observing classes," Zack replied, which was true, but he didn't plan on visiting the classes without Cloud. He received a skeptical look from his little chocobo. What? Besides now that he thought about it, brushing up on the basics would be beneficial for his exams. He wanted to forget about them except he knew they weren't going to go away.

Davis motioned for him to stay in the back. Not that Zack needed to be told. It was a given. Any SOLDIER or Turk observing classes for potential recruits stayed in the back with the exception of practical classes such as materia, weapons, unarmed combat, and physical (weight lifting, aerobics, endurance). Those classrooms had observation rooms where they could watch the cadets without them knowing. Most of them had no clue, but some of the smarter ones knew. Those smart ones tended to be snapped up by the Turks. One notable person was Wesley Tailor. He slipped past the Turks into the SOLDIER program.

Zack passed by a few cadets, ignoring the stares he received. Didn't they know both SOLDIERs and Turks dropped by the classrooms every now and then? He supposed they weren't informed of it so they wouldn't be nervous about it and mess up. Hence the reason why it was rare for Sephiroth to be visible in any classroom. He trusted his subordinates for the classrooms that didn't have the observation rooms or looked at their records.

Seeing as there was time before class, not many cadets were in there. Zack didn't blame them as he wouldn't want to be in that class with a teacher that breathed down his neck, but for some reason, he liked Cloud. Then again, it was hard not to like the little chocobo. Or he could be completely biased about it. He settled down in a corner, leaning against both sides of the wall.

A couple minutes before the class started, the cadets poured into the room, passing by him. It was easy to dismiss the nervousness and stiffness of the cadets already there. Like Tala, he played no favorites and hated everyone. That was until now. Everyone scrambled for a seat as the teacher was the punctual type.

"We will be going over the last exam," Davis said as he tapped the chalkboard with a chalk. "Clearly we can tell who took this class seriously and actually studied. For those who managed to grasp the concept, you're excused from this extra project." The class groaned. "I will not have incompetent SOLDIERs out in the field. Tailor, pass back the papers."

Tailor picked up the papers before passing them out to the cadets. He grinned when he stopped at Cloud's desk and handed him his exam. It didn't take the cadet long to dispense the papers before he took a seat with his paper in hand.

"Johnson, Matthews, Strife, and Tailor. You are free to go. The rest. Pay attention. You might fill those empty skulls of yours." That was harsh, but no one said being in the military was a picnic either.

The four cadets who passed the exam began packing their belongings, the others watching with jealousy. It was clear who was going to be making third class with flying colors. Zack knew if they could survive this class, then the others shouldn't be a problem for them. Out of all of them, he found this to be the hardest. Then again, strategies weren't his strong point.

As Cloud passed him, he gave Zack a cheeky grin. Since he said he was observing classes, it made no sense for him to leave so soon. The little chocobo was taunting him. Still it was an improvement over the old Cloud.

Back to the situation at hand. Zack also figured he could use a refresher course in the basics… well the ones that required him to think harder. It wasn't that he couldn't learn, more on having trouble with focusing. He watched how the remaining cadets attempt to answer the questions and explain their reasons for why they chose that over something else.

"Wrong again. Fair, can you explain why their method of entry will result in disaster?"

Several pairs of eyes turned to him, and they froze in place with the deer in the headlights look.

Zack cleared his throat to snap them out of it. "A lot of things can go wrong. There's too many factors involved. Even if you take into account the guards patrolling, you don't have enough information to safely make it. You don't know whether or not there are more in the building, ready to ambush you. Then let's not forget the security system. I mean come on. There has to be some sort of system if they have anything valuable there. Also need to take into account the time it takes to actually break in. So in short, it looks like a suicide mission."

"Correct. See that's what it takes to be a SOLDIER. Don't depend on your muscles to accomplish everything. It takes brains," Davis said. This stunned Zack as he read between the lines. Maybe the instructor was softening or he had enough experience dealing with this kind of stuff. It could be both. Who knew?

"Fair, care to show these cadets how it's supposed to be done?"

Eh? Why not? Zack was stuck there anyways. He pushed off the walls and headed to the front of the classroom. "When dealing with unknown factors, you gotta do some reconnaissance. Sure, it takes time, but you'll be more prepared to deal with them. Also even the best plan can go awry, it's better to have contingencies."

Davis gave his nod of approval.

If this kept up, the second class wondered whether or not he was dreaming. It felt very strange. He grabbed a chalk before tapping in certain places. "These are the best places for surveillance. The trees and shrubs should provide enough cover under the night sky…"

By the end of the class, many of the cadets stared at him with awe. They actually paid attention to what he had to say and asked many questions, which Zack didn't mind answering. It helped him study for his upcoming exam. Now why didn't he think of this? It was better than trying to study from a book or notes.

After the cadets exited the room, Davis studied him from head to toe. "You've improved a lot. Never thought you'd comprehend the finer points of strategy and tactics."

"A matter of focus and some hands on experience," Zack said with a shrug. Sure, it wasn't his strong point, but Angeal made sure to drill it into him. It also helped he was much older than what he was supposed to be.

"Hn."

Zack tilted his head. "I guess some people learn better when they're actually doing it. You know?" He was more of a hands on person. With his personality and focus, it wasn't hard to see that. No matter how much he said Angeal annoyed him with this, Zack wouldn't have any other mentor.

It appeared Davis took this into consideration. "I'm sure you have better things to do than to hang around here."

"Right." Zack gave him the two fingered salute before taking his leave. Perhaps Cloud was right about him. Maybe Davis was just misunderstood like Sephiroth.

When he stepped outside the classroom, Zack found cadets milling about, getting ready to go to their next class. One more course before breaking for lunch. That used to be his favorite time of the day. He wondered how he made it out of the cadet program with the way he behaved. Perhaps it was fate.

A few steps later, the cadets parted way or made a mad dash to stay out of his way. Zack blinked several times. He wasn't like The General, who scared the shit out of anyone just by looking at them. Not to mention, he wasn't used for promotions outside the company. Maybe he should ask Cloud. The blond heard things SOLDIERs wouldn't hear. Also Genesis tended to scare the crap out of anyone with his volatile temper. No one never knew when he would explode, and when he did, he never went small scale.

If he recalled Cloud's schedule, he should have materia with Talia. The name didn't sound familiar to Zack so he figured the guy began teaching after he was accepted into the mentorship program. He hadn't heard anything good about the guy but he hadn't heard anything bad either. However, the blond seemed to like the class. It happened to be Zack's favorite class as he understood the concepts even the complex ones. His former teacher gave him good comments, and oh gods, he had focus. Perhaps it was due to him having a huge interest in it.

Bounding to the door, Zack ignored the looks cadets gave him. What? It was part of his personality. He remembered not to fling open the door with gusto as he didn't want the cost to be taken out of his paycheck. Thank you very much.

At the front of the classroom, Nathaniel Talia stood conversing with Cloud and another cadet. He seemed to be immersed in the conversation with the two that he missed Zack's quiet entrance. Other cadets were scattered in different groups through the classroom. From what he could tell, there were some cadets missing. He wondered if Davis was even in the class. From the moment he saw that kid, he rubbed Zack the wrong way.

Zack thought it would be awhile before anyone noticed him. He was dead wrong about it. In less than a minute, he heard a few gasps, followed by the scraping of chairs. Cadets stared at him… well the ones in the back. He knew those were the ones who either were barely making the grade or completely flunking. Unlike the other classes, he sat in the front where he could ask the teacher questions.

"Yo! Don't mind me. Just observing," Zack said with a cheerful grin.

Nathaniel seemed to be amused while Cloud looked downright embarrassed. Oops? Oh well. He hadn't been spending enough time with his little chocobo.

"I've heard thing about you from my predecessor," Talia mentioned. It was silent enough for the two of them to carry a conversation from the opposite side of the room. Maybe enough to hear a pin drop.

"I hope they're all good!"

"He said something about being house broken," the materia instructor chuckled. He leaned on his desk in a casual manner. Oh snap. Did he have to mention Zack's nickname? That was embarrassing! "Puppy."

Zack groaned, hearing his nickname. "You just had to tell them." His mentor mentioned something about him having the attention span of a puppy. Now that nickname stuck with him. He wanted to forget about it, but it seemed no one was going to allow him.

Cadets stared at him as if he was one of Hojo's escaped experiments. Technically he was, but that was in a different future, one that they need not know. They whispered amongst each other, probably wondering why a SOLDIER wound up with a cute nickname.

"Of course," Nathaniel replied with a cheeky grin. "Someone has to keep you on a short leash."

Cloud clasped his hands over his mouth, his shoulders shaking. Was he laughing? When Zack turned his attention to him, the blond regained his composure. It wasn't a trick of the eyes for sure. There was no doubt Cloud laughed even if it was stifled.

"Sure, go ahead and laugh," Zack pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Before anyone could respond, the rest of the class wandered into the classroom, not seeing the SOLDIER who was now in the corner of the room. They scrambled for any available seat. It appeared these cadets weren't all from the previous class, however, he recognized Henderson. If anything, the guy might try to get even with Cloud for showing him up in the unarmed combat class. He had no sense of honor.

This session had a practical section. Nathaniel planned to do a review before they broke for practice. Since there were more materia than cadets, they could be picky with what they used. They were level one due to them not having enough experience to handle the higher level ones. All but one chose an active materia, mostly for offense. Cloud picked the curaga, which Henderson mocked him for. He ignored the guy as it wasn't worth dealing with him. Zack was proud of his little chocobo for not letting the immature cadet get to him. However, Henderson injured himself with the fire materia. He was too arrogant to let Cloud heal him even if the blond was willing.

Nathaniel confiscated the fire materia from Henderson. He made sure to inform the others showing off wasn't allowed and shouldn't be encouraged. It was the best way to land in the medical wing, and the doctors there weren't pleased to deal with foolish cadets. One in particular tended to be a bit on the sadistic side.

Zack shook his head and sighed. He knew Henderson would fail the SOLDIER entrance exams with that kind of behavior and attitude. For most of the practical section, this cadet attempted to do everything bigger and better than Cloud. Needless to say, this backfired on him. In the end, he disgraced and injured himself. Nathaniel wound up borrowing the curaga from Cloud and healing the idiot.

While Cloud placed the materia away, Zack engaged in a conversation with the recent materia teacher. He had a few things he wanted to know, particularly about Henderson. From what he saw so far, nothing was good about him. When Nathaniel pinched the bridge of his nose, he knew nothing good would come of it.

"I don't know what he's like in his other courses, but he shows off every time we use them," Nathaniel said, trying not to sound tired. When dealing with people like Henderson, it made anyone tired even more so with multiple of them in one class or back to back. "This time it's worse than usual."

"And he had the balls to grab the fire materia," Zack growled. If it weren't for the two stepping in, more than just Henderson would have been hurt. He crossed his arms over his chest. "From the looks of it, you prefer to let your students pick their material. I think it's time to change it. Idiots like him shouldn't be given that privilege."

Nathaniel frowned at the thought, but it made sense. For the safety of the other cadets, some measures needed to be taken in order to prevent this from happening. "I don't like excluding anyone, but you have a point. Those who lack the maturity and basics will not be permitted to choose theirs. We've had close calls, but this is the worst I've seen."

This made Zack curious. How far did these close calls go? Also what else did Henderson do in that class? It made him want to tell Angeal or Sephiroth so they could kick this guy's sorry ass out of the program. There was no need for people like him in SOLDIER. Plus this cadet was a wild card. He was sure he didn't need any more variables. Oh wait, it had to wait as Angeal wasn't feeling well and Sephiroth wouldn't be back for some time.

Communications to far places tended to be flaky and dropped more often than not. It became a guessing game whenever they needed to discuss anything. There was no way of knowing how much was heard correctly. Then there was the added security issues. ShinRa communications weren't exactly secure, which was why Turks used code. Zack knew this as he worked with Turks in the past. He tried to follow their conversation but found it to be too confusing so he entertained himself with other things.

"They have to earn it," Zack said with a slight nod. He earned everything he received and told Angeal he didn't want anything to be handed to him. "If I had any say in it, I'd kick his sorry ass out of the program."

"You and me both."

Cloud emerged from the storage room. It seemed the instructor trusted him not to walk off with any of the materia. This gave the second class the warm fuzzy feelings all over. He shuffled over to Zack, a look of apprehension. "Zack…"

"Time for lunch!" Zack grabbed his slender wrist before dragging him out from the room. He slowed down when he felt some resistance. "Yes?"

"Why the rush? It's not that good," Cloud muttered. He stared at the floor.

"Eh? Who ever said we're going there?" The second class slung an arm over the cadet's shoulders, almost causing him to drop his bag. "We're going to get the good stuff. None of that science experiment rejects. Or maybe they've moved onto experimenting on cadets." He chuckled after feeling the punch Cloud gave him.

"Be serious."

With few cadets lingering in this hallway, this made navigating it easier for the two. Zack poked and prodded Cloud to tell him about his experience so far. He refused to take no for an answer. Shy Cloud was completely cute and the blush made him cuter.

"Shouldn't you be studying for your exams?" Cloud asked after some hesitation. They arrived at the SOLDIER mess hall. "I mean it's in a few days." He sounded concern about Zack's future. That was so sweet of him.

"I know, but you know me, can't still and whatnot." Zack shot him a confident grin. On his first attempt, he panicked when the date came closer and closer. He studied as hard as he could, trying to fit as much in his brain, but this time was different. With his experience, he felt it shouldn't be that hard or as hard as he remembered.

"… Valid point," Cloud said.

"If it isn't our team leader," a familiar voice called out. The three third classes gathered at one table. The one who spoke was Tatsuya. "Has your sense of smell returned?"

Zack laughed. "I wish. It's still in critical condition and not getting better."

"Considering your condition, I'm not surprised it's worse," Tatsuya returned in good nature.

"What condition?"

"Being a puppy," Lucas answered instead. He didn't bother looking up from his plate. "Canines possess a superior sense of smell."

"HEY!"