Hi guys. Just a quick note about the chapter. While no one has specifically come out and said they don't like reading about Johnny I just thought I'd say, in case there are those who feel that way, that this chapter does sorta revolve around him. But it's on a basic level. Something I just wanted to explain was that I use my OCs as a way to bring out things in the more important or central characters (ie. Cloud and Zack) so while on that basic level it surrounds Johnny, on the deeper level I'd say this chapter is essentially about Zack and if you read it carefully it's fairly revealing of most of the characters in this chapter. Thanks guys!

Disclaimer: FFVII belongs to Squre Enix.

Chapter X

"I'm really worried about him," Paul declared as he sat down on the edge of his bed. It was only fifteen minutes until lights-out and both he and Cloud had been putting off getting ready for bed. Cloud had been keeping an eye on his watch anxiously. He really wished he'd stayed with Johnny in the locker room instead of leaving when the cadet asked him to. Now, neither he nor Paul knew where Johnny was. "You think he left the campus?" Paul questioned then, glancing over at Cloud. Cloud shrugged though he suspected almost without a doubt that Johnny was not on Academy grounds.

"Strife!" a voice called out from nearby and Cloud turned to see Officer Tanner approaching. He stood up as the officer closed in.

"Sir," be responded with a curt nod.

"There's a phone call for you. It's your sister," the officer announced. Cloud was struck instantly with confusion. He didn't have any siblings.

"My sister?" he responded awkwardly.

"She said it was urgent," the officer replied before turning away. "This way," he instructed and Cloud followed hesitantly, glancing back at Paul and seeing he was just as confused. Cloud shrugged and sped up his pace to keep up with his dorm officer. He was led to a small office where Tanner left him alone to use the phone. A light was flashing on the phone indicating the line was on hold. He picked up the receiver slowly and pressed the line button.

"Hello?" he said somewhat meekly.

"Cloud Strife?" a female voice on the other end of the line spoke.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"My name's Sophie. I ran into you and your friend today and gave you a letter to give to another cadet," she explained firmly.

"Yeah…" Cloud replied slowly. "How did you get my name?"

"Well your last name is on your ID tag, and I heard your friend call you by your first name earlier," she revealed. Cloud looked down at his name tag then.

"Oh…" he said quietly. "Why are you calling me and pretending to be my sister?" he spoke more sharply. Frankly, he was a little annoyed at her for having given them the letter to begin with instead of talking to Johnny herself.

"Because this is important and I didn't want to be told to wait 'till tomorrow to talk to you," she answered vaguely. "First, I need to know, are you actually Johnny's friend?"

Cloud exhaled and thought about it briefly. "Uh…sorta I guess. He doesn't really have friends…I don't think."

"Of course not," Sophie replied with a scoff. "'Cause then he'd actually have to care about someone."

Her words seemed to throw themselves into Cloud as he thought about the fact that he also didn't really have friends. Not in the conventional sense of the word.

"Anyway," the girl continued. "If there was ever a time Johnny could use a friend it'd be right now…" Cloud was about to confess to her that he had no idea where Johnny was but stopped himself as she spoke her next words. "He went to his parent's house. His mom called me after he left. Apparently his dad and him had it out with each other."

Cloud's stomach sank a little as he thought about it. "Where's he now?" he questioned then.

"That's actually why I'm calling…" she said uneasily. "I'm not completely positive I know where he is but there's a good chance he's at a place called The Warehouse. He used to hang around there a lot."

There was silence between them a short moment. Then, abruptly, the girl said "I want you to see if you can find him."

"Me?" Cloud responded fast. "Why not you? You seem to know him pretty well," he pointed out.

"Because he's not gonna listen to me."

"And what makes you think he'll listen to me?" Cloud retorted.

"Maybe he won't. But—look, he has a good thing going if he stays in the Academy. He could make something of himself. If someone doesn't go after him, he'll throw it away and go back to what he left behind. And that's a life no one should have."

Cloud sighed softly, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was about two minutes until lights-out. "Um…where is this place?" he asked reluctantly.

"Fifth and Bard. It's under Sector 5, in the slums. It's pretty much the only thing on the street that's not abandoned or shut down."

"Alright," he said with a short huff of an exhale.

"You'll go?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll go," he replied, not hiding the annoyance from his tone.

"Take my number down and call me if you get a hold of him, okay?"

Cloud grabbed a pen off the desk and began writing the numbers down on his arm as she listed them off. "Okay," Cloud said as he finished.

"Thanks," she said then.

He gave a short "Yeah" before hanging up the phone. "Damn," he cursed softly as he looked back at the clock before leaving the room.

He made his way back to the dorm to get a sweater and his coat. When he entered, the lights had already gone out. He nearly walked into his dresser before opening the bottom drawer and feeling around.

"Who was on the phone?" Paul questioned just above a whisper. He wasn't too concerned with being quiet as some of the other boys were still talking to each other from their bunks.

"That girl who gave us Johnny's letter," Cloud spoke back.

"What?" Paul said and Cloud could hear him shifting as he sat up. "What'd she want?"

"She wants me to go find Johnny," he said with a long exhale. "He went home for a bit earlier," he continued before Paul could ask. "But she gave me the address of where she thinks he is now."

"So you're just gonna…leave campus?" Paul asked in disbelief.

"I said I would," Cloud replied before pulling his sweater on, hoping he hadn't just put it on backwards.

"Cloud, do you know how much trouble you'll be in if you're found out?!" Paul spoke in a harsh whisper.

"Yes," Cloud answered before rising in front of his dresser. "I'll be back in awhile, hopefully with Johnny," he said by way of farewell, turning and heading back to the front of the room where the coats were hanging. He grabbed his own quietly before leaving the dorm.

He'd made it to the end of the long hall before he heard quick footsteps and a hushed voice calling his name. He looked back to see Paul hurrying after him, struggling to hold his coat as he was pulling on his own sweater. Cloud waited until he'd caught up.

"I'm coming with you," Paul said. Cloud smiled and shook his head lightly before starting his quick pace to the exit once again. They left the building through one of the training facilities Cloud spent a lot of time in. It wouldn't look as suspicious. There were no cameras, but there was one problem that would present itself later. The doors could only be opened from the inside. So they'd have to find an alternate way back into the building on the way in.

"You think you can lead the way to the slums?" Cloud questioned once they were outside.

"The slums?" Paul echoed, looking at him with a bit of distain in his expression. "I guess so. Which part?"

"Under Sector Five."

"Fine," Paul said unenthusiastically. "That's where that girl thinks Johnny is?" Cloud nodded. "Well he better damn well come back with us if we're going all the way down there."

When they reached the slums, Cloud was a little surprised at how dark it was down there. But it was strangely warmer. The place certainly lived up to its name though. There wasn't much down there. A lot of dilapidated old buildings. The people wandering the streets creeped him out. Several of them spoke to him as they were passing but he tried not to hear them.

It was easier to find 'The Warehouse' than they'd expected. The music being pumped out of the building drifted out as far as two blocks. Cloud found it strangely inviting. It was a non-threatening sound, something that didn't strike discomfort into him the way the people on the street attempting to talk to him did.

The Warehouse was in fact a warehouse, though it had been converted into a night club. People were obviously drawn to the place as if it were the only source of life and vitality for miles. Johnny was also easier to find than they'd expected. Even from a distance, he stood out in his cadet uniform. He was standing outside the warehouse, leaning against the one wall and taking drags of a cigarette while talking to a few other guys. Paul called out to him and he looked in their direction. He dropped what was left of his cigarette and headed to the main door quickly, walking past the bouncer and into the building before Paul and Cloud had even crossed the street.

"Guess he doesn't want to see us," Paul commented as they approached the bouncer. Before they'd said a word, the large man shook his head.

"Too young," he spoke gruffly.

"You let our friend in!" Paul pointed out but the bouncer wasn't going to be swayed. He crossed his arms and stood like a brick wall in front of them. They gave up, heading away from the building slowly. "Now what?" Paul questioned.

"We wait 'till he comes out?" Cloud suggested with a slight shrug. They crossed back over to the other side of the street and sat on one of the benches they'd passed on the way by. After forty-five minutes it became clear that the plan wasn't going to work. Johnny seemed determined to stay in the building.

At one point, Paul threw out the question "What if he already left through another side of the building?" Cloud didn't answer, refusing to believe that to be truth and that they'd just been sitting out there in the cold for nothing. Sitting there was getting them nowhere but he didn't want to go back to the Academy without trying everything possible to get Johnny to come back with them. A few meters away from the benches were a set of payphones. He had a thought. Maybe a dumb one. He wasn't sure. He only knew that chances were they weren't going to be able to get to Johnny themselves.

"You got any change on you?" he asked and Paul searched his pockets. He handed Cloud what he had and followed him to the pay phones. Picking up the receiver in one hand he deposited just enough of the change into the appropriate slot with his other one. He dialed the number of the Academy, waiting to hear the automated voice asking if he knew which extension he wanted to call or if he wished to access the directory.

"Zack Fair, First Class." Cloud spoke when prompted.

Paul looked at him in shock. "You're calling an officer?!" he said fast. Cloud ignored him, waiting as he heard the sound of ringing when his call was connected.

"Damn," he cursed as he got Zack's answering machine. He hung up and thought for a moment before picking the receiver back up.

"Who you calling now?" Paul questioned nervously. Again Cloud didn't answer. He called the Academy again, this time waiting until he was connected with an operator.

"Yes, I'm calling for First Class Zack Fair. He's not in his room and it's urgent I speak with him," Cloud spoke firmly.

"Please hold," the operator instructed and he waited, listening to the cheesy instrumental music playing on the line.

Down in the office, Zack and Kunsel had been busy at work. They sat opposite one another at a large drawing desk, spreadsheets, folders and various documents littering the top. The phone on the desk rang three times before Kunself managed to uncover it from under the mass of paper and answered it.

"'S for you," he mumbled and held the receiver out to Zack without looking up. Zack took it slowly, taking his time in putting it to his ear as he was in the middle of large calculation of numbers. Finally, he answered.

"Zack," he spoke tiredly into the phone as he kept his eyes on the spreadsheet in front of him.

"Uh, hi, sir," a hesitant voice spoke back.

"Hi," Zack replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry to call you so late, sir—" the voice continued but Zack cut him off.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"It's Cloud Strife—"

"Oh. Hey," Zack responded a little quicker, growing a little more alert. He glanced at his watch. "Why…are you calling so late? Is something wrong?" he asked, becoming serious again.

"Uh…well…" Cloud stammered.

"Are you okay?" Zack inquired, a bit of worry making its way to his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But…Paul Tousa and I are off the Academy grounds," Cloud began to explain tentatively.

"Are you nuts? You know that's strictly prohibited, right?" Zack questioned as he sat back in his chair. Kunsel looked up from his work to observe him briefly before retreating back to what he'd been doing.

"Yeah, we know. But we went looking for Johnny Six. He's in a night club. We can't get in and…would you be able to help us?"

Zack exhaled long and forceful while taking another look at his watch.

"Where exactly are you?" he asked at last.

"The slums under Sector Five…Fifth and Bard..." Cloud replied.

"Alright. Stay where you are. I'll be there shortly."

Zack reached across the table to hang the phone up. "I have to go somewhere," he announced as he rose from his chair.

"What?" Kunsel responded fast, looking up from across the desk. "Where?"

"Uhh…some cadets need some help with something," he explained vaguely as he grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and headed to the door.

"But—" Kunsel stuttered as Zack grabbed for the door handle. "We're up to our asses in data assessment, Zack! We need to have the final numbers on the Gamma Leroy and Lan Seven projects in by noon tomorrow!" Zack huffed from where he stood, lowering his head. "I knew taking on the dorm officer position was going to be too much for you, I told you, remember?"

"Kunsel," Zack spoke firmly, meeting his eyes. "I know our deadlines, okay? It'll get done, but these cadets got themselves into something. They need my help."

Kunsel sat back in his chair. "Well that sounds ominous. What's going on?"

"I don't know all the details, I'll know when I get there," Zack replied as he pulled the office door open and stepped into the hall. Kunsel pushed his chair back fast and got to his feet, running after him. He stopped him in the hall.

"No way, Zack, I let you walk out of here with no explanation and the Directors will have my head," he said as he moved in front of him, cutting him off.

"Oh really? 'Cause they've got you babysitting me now, is that it?" Zack asked in annoyance.

"Come on, Zack, Angeal and I were always babysitting you, you know that," his friend replied with a smirk. Zack winced at the mention of Angeal's name. He wasn't ready for references like that. Even ten months after…

Zack sighed, looking down at the floor before redirecting his gaze at Kunsel. "Not a word to anyone," he warned.

"Fine," his friend agreed.

"The cadets are down in the slums. They went looking for another cadet. They think they know where he is, they just can't get to him," he explained quietly.

Kunsel scoffed. "Well they're all gonna be in deep shit if someone finds out they've left the grounds after curfew. And ya know officers aren't exactly permitted free range either."

"I'm not worried about myself. I know these cadets and they're decent kids, something must have happened to cause the one to run off, the other two are just looking out for him. I'll vouch for them if I have to, but I'm aiming to get them back here before it comes to that."

Kunsel nodded in understanding. "Alright," he said softly. "Let me get my coat," he added as he moved past Zack in the direction of the office.

"What?" Zack questioned fast as he pivoted around after him.

"I'm coming with you," his friend called back. "And you can shove it if you think you're gonna argue with me about it too," he said before disappearing into the office. Zack rolled his eyes, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair. He checked the time on his phone. 11:49 p.m.

Kunsel returned quickly and they headed down to one of the building's side exits together. They borrowed a van from the motor pool and twenty minutes later were parking the vehicle a few meters down the road from the warehouse. They spotted Cloud and Paul sitting on a bench across the street. They boys seemed nervous but looked relieved when Zack approached them. They rose to their feet as he neared.

"So," Zack spoke as he stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of them. "Whose bright idea was it to come out here tonight?"

Cloud and Paul exchanged glances before Paul spoke. "We decided together—"

"No," Cloud interrupted. "It was mine. I was going to come alone but Paul decided to come too.

"We're sorry, sir," Paul stepped in again. "We just didn't want Johnny getting in any more trouble after what happened with Officer Sigg."

"Well…trouble seems to be the kid's middle name," Zack pointed out as he stared out across the street at the warehouse.

"His brother died, sir. He just found out today. They were really close growing up. He kinda just freaked out," Paul defended his bunkmate.

"Who broke the news to him?" Zack questioned without looking at the cadets.

"We did—well sorta. Some girl gave us a letter to give to him," Paul said uneasily.

"A letter?" Zack echoed as he turned their way again. "Jesus," he muttered under his breath. "Alright," he continued as he glanced at the club before turning back to the boys. "You two go and wait in the van," he spoke to Cloud as he handed him the keys. He turned back to Kunsel. "We'll go get Johnny…That's if we can even get in."

"Why wouldn't you be able to get in?" Paul questioned.

"We're not that old," Zack replied.

"Come on, let's get this done," Kunsel spoke up.

"Go to the van," Zack ordered before moving toward the building after Kunsel. "And lock the doors!" he called out.

Cloud and Paul watched the officers as they headed toward the van. Once inside with the doors locked Paul spoke up.

"You think it was a good idea calling him?" he asked.

"He came didn't he?" Cloud replied lowly.

"Yeah with that other officer. We're gonna get in trouble for this, I know it," Paul muttered as he rubbed his hands together, trying to get them warm.

"You didn't have to come," Cloud pointed out.

"I know. Doing the right thing really sucks sometimes," Paul stated with a light laugh. Cloud couldn't help but laugh a little as well as he nodded in agreement.

Zack and Kunsel managed to get into the club without being asked for ID. It was dark and the music was many times louder on the inside. Zack surveyed the area briefly. He noticed more than just a few people in there who shouldn't have been. They couldn't have been older than seventeen. He looked back at Kunsel to see he'd noticed the same.

"Unbelievable," Zack uttered under his breath as he pushed his way through a crowd gathered in front of one of the bars. He headed for a set of stairs leading up to a loft area, thinking it'd be easier to get a better look around the place from up there. Fortunately, the search was ended promptly as they located Johnny on that second level. The loft was set up as a lounge, outfitted with several well-used, dirty couches and chairs. Most of the people up there seemed either placid or on the verge of passing out. A few couples were busy exchanging sloppy, drunken kisses as they pawed each other.

Johnny was lying on his stomach on one of the couches, seemingly unconscious, his one arm hanging off the couch, his hand resting in a puddle of spilt beer. There was a multitude of empty and half-finished beer bottles resting around the couches on tables or the floor. There was no real way to tell which belonged to whom. Zack approached Johnny, followed closely by Kunsel. Moving some bottles out of the way, he crouched next to the couch and grasped Johnny's upper arm, squeezing and tugging on it lightly as he called his name to him.

"Johnny. It's time to go, kiddo," he said before rising slightly. With a hold still on his arm he began turning him over onto his back, drawing a few groans from the cadet. Even though it was dark, Zack could make out the split lip Johnny sported.

"What'd he do? Get in a fight too?" Kunsel said to Zack, having noticed the same thing.

Zack didn't bother to respond. The answer seemed pretty obvious. He pulled Johnny up, forcing him to sit up. Johnny groaned again in protest, his head hanging limply in front of him, Zack being the only thing holding his dead weight up. "Man, he's really out of it," Zack spoke over his shoulder to Kunsel. "Johnny, hey! Wake up and gimme a couple words will ya?" he ordered as he slapped the side of Johnny's face lightly. Johnny complied slowly.

"Nuh…lee' me 'lone," he slurred out, pushing at Zack weakly before dropping his arms and falling against the officer.

"Alright, let's just get him out of here," Zack said to his friend as he gripped Johnny and lifted him from the couch, and over his shoulder. Something slipped seemingly from Johnny's body and landed on the couch cushion. A small plastic zip lock bag only a few inches in size. It was empty but Zack had his suspicions about what had been in it. Kunsel didn't seem to have noticed it. They made their way then back toward the exit with Johnny where they were stopped suddenly by one of the bouncers. Another man was there as well.

"Whadda ya think yer doing?" the man questioned forcefully.

"Leaving actually," Zack replied and motioned to move past the man. He was stopped again by the bouncer. He exhaled forcefully.

"This kid's a cadet at the SOLDIER Academy. We're here to retrieve him," Zack explained as he and Kunsel retrieved their IDs to show the man.

"Well that's just dandy but you can't jus' come in here and take the boy away," the man argued, raising his voice louder to be heard over the music.

"Says who?" Kunsel retorted.

"Says me. I'm his uncle, and the owner of this place," the man claimed.

Zack snorted. "You're his uncle?" he asked with clear doubt.

"Yeah. Something like that anyway," the man said with a half-grin.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well he's not staying here. I'll be sure to tell him when he wakes up that his 'uncle' says 'hi'," Zack said as be tried to push past the men. The bouncer placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back.

"No can do, buddy," he owner said. Zack hardened his expression.

"Look, you piece of shit," he began firmly. "You're running a place that allows admission to minors illegally. And worse than that, you're serving alcohol to them. I don't know who the hell you are, but if you'd like to keep this dump you probably call home, I suggest you back the hell off. Now."

Slowly, the men backed off and Zack moved passed them, followed by Kunsel.

"They got him," Cloud said in slight surprise and Paul looked up from his hands where his gaze had been focused. They watched the officers coming toward them, shocked that Johnny actually needed to be carried out. Cloud unlocked the doors when they were a few feet away, opening the side door for Zack so he could slide Johnny in and lay him down on the one bench seat in front of Cloud and Paul.

"Is he okay?" Paul asked with concern, his eyes on Johnny's limp form.

"He's something," Kunsel commented as he got into the driver's seat.

"Is he drunk?"

"Probably," Zack answered dully before sliding the side door shut and getting into the front passenger's seat. "We can't bring him back to the dorms like that," he said as Kunsel started the ignition.

"So what then?" Kunsel asked.

"Uhh…hotel?" Zack answered after a moment of thought. Kunsel sighed but didn't say anything.

They drove to a hotel close to the Academy. Zack went into the office to pay for a room. While he was gone Kunsel spoke up.

"Which one of you called?" he inquired, turning in his seat to look back at Cloud and Paul.

"I did, sir," Cloud admitted uneasily.

"It's Cloud, right?" the officer asked.

"Yes, sir," Cloud confirmed.

"Well you're certainly smart," the officer stated. Cloud was a little confused.

"I'm sorry, sir?" he said softly.

"You managed to pick the one officer who'd break the rules and jeopardize himself and his rank to make it his mission to get involved in your issues," Kunsel clarified. Cloud glanced at Paul and back at the officer. He couldn't be sure but it felt like he was being warned of something. Kunsel realized Cloud wasn't understanding and decided to get straight to the point. "Zack's been through a lot. Ten months ago he lost his mentor. It hit him hard and believe me when I say he'll do anything and everything he can to become a savior for those who even remotely ask for it. Because he believes somehow that will fix the fact that he couldn't save the friend he lost. Be careful how you use him. He's worked hard to get where he is and it'd kill me to see him lose it because of some impulsive cadets."

Cloud stared at the officer in shock. "Uh—I…don't want to use anybody, sir," he tried to explain, though not sure how. "I…" He struggled to get out what he was trying to say but he didn't know what he was trying to say. He shifted his gaze out the window as he noticed Zack coming back to the vehicle. Kunsel frowned before turning to face forward. Zack opened the passenger door and got back in the van. He was aware of the strange silence in the vehicle and glanced toward the back before looking at Kunsel.

"What?" he questioned. The silence remained another brief moment before Kunsel spoke.

"You get a room?" the officer asked.

"Uh, yeah. One fourteen. Around back," he directed. Kunsel pulled the van around and parked it before getting out along with Zack. Zack opened the side door and grabbed hold of Johnny, pulling him off the seat and lifting him once again onto his shoulder. Paul got out of the van and looked back at Cloud.

"You coming?" he asked, his tone suggesting he felt bad for Cloud having just been a little reamed out by Kunsel. Cloud followed after him.

Once in the room, Zack lay Johnny down on the second bed, furthest from the door and proceeded to remove his boots. "What time is it?" he asked as he was undoing the laces on his right boot.

Kunsel provided the answer in military time. "Oh-one hundred."

"Alright, I'm gonna need you to—" Zack began.

"Take the cadets back." Kunsel finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "And you can bring some of that data we were working on back here, I can work on it while—"

"Oh forget it, Fair," his friend interrupted again. "I'll cover your ass. You owe me though."

"You got it," Zack agreed with a smile.

"We have to go back?" Paul questioned sadly.

"You're both due out on the field at seven. Don't think you're getting out of that. You better go get some sleep while you can. Don't worry, Johnny and I will both be out there too. Imagine how great he's gonna feel."

"Let's go," Kunsel said from the doorway. "See you in a couple hours," he said to Zack before stepping back outside. Paul followed after him obediently. Cloud hesitated before leaving. Zack looked up at him as he pulled Johnny's second boot off and began to pull the covers down from under his body.

"You okay, kid," the officer asked warmly.

"Thank you," Cloud spoke awkwardly. "I know it was stupid to come here tonight, I just…"

"It's alright, Cloud. You don't need to explain. I understand," Zack said as he pulled the covers over Johnny. Cloud nodded slowly. "Go on, go get some sleep. I'll see you in a little while," the officer said with that reassuring smile of his.

Back at the dorm that night, as Paul and he were finally in their bunks, Cloud thought over and over what Kunsel had said. The first part of what the officer had said bothered him the most. 'You managed to pick the one officer who'd break the rules and jeopardize himself and his rank to make it his mission to get involved in your issues.' It bothered him because that's exactly what Kunsel was willing to do for Zack. Kunsel had done it for Zack. Zack had done it for him, and he'd apparently done it for Johnny. But he hadn't been chosen for that anymore than Kunsel, or Zack for that matter. They were personal choices. He'd chosen to go find Johnny that night. Zack had chosen to help when he'd called. And Kunsel had chosen to go along.

Cloud almost had himself convinced of that. But before he was finally able to sleep, one other thing managed to push its way into his mind. That one, big contributing factor. Guilt. It had a way of making choices seem choiceless…