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Ratings, Disclaimer, and iWarning! are still the same.

Fieber
(By: Oomph!)

Chapter 11

The secretaries watched with fleeting interest as the famous trio escorted a small blond through the aisles. They were amused, and their fake pitying glances didn't even remotely hide the smiles from their faces. Angeal's PHS went off by the time the four came to a quieter area, and he separated from the group to read the message while Genesis spoke to the secretary working at her desk. The woman gave each of them a look before she buzzed them in, and Genesis took the initiative to go first.

The office was grand; the marble flooring shone as if it was just waxed, white hand-made drapes hung from the large windows, and expensive white oak framed the steal-gray walls. It was all things that Sephiroth had seen on a daily basis, and instead he kept his attention on the bickering pair already in the room.

"Shit," Genesis murmured. The redhead was about to close the door and pretend like they never came barging in, but the fatter man noticed the distraction and turned to face them. Heidegger unleashed a disturbing smile.

"Bad timing," Angeal mumbled as he rejoined them.

"Ah! We were just talking about you!" Heidegger said to Genesis as the four ventured further into the office.

"I'm sure."

The large whale of a man took a few steps closer and accented his words with constant movement. "If you're not too busy I would like to speak with you and Vice President Shinra regarding private matters. General Sephiroth too."

"If it's about the promotions, then my decision stands," the Commander spoke firmly. "Those that have not passed the test were deemed either not physically capable or mentally fit."

By the look on Heidegger's face, it appeared Genesis hit the nail on the head. The man eyed the redhead down while trying to keep an air of superiority. Then he noticed Cloud hiding behind the three. "What's a kid doing in the Vice President's office?"

"Mr. Heidegger," Rufus spoke up, "if you would be so kind as to leave, I would like to begin my scheduled meeting with these four in private."

Genesis only smiled as the grumpy man sneered at them. Heidegger scoffed as he left the room and mumbled loud enough for them all to hear, "I've never been into an office with such a blatant lack of respect in my life."

"Quite the bluff," Genesis as he referred to the pretend meeting.

"He didn't buy it," Rufus retorted. "What is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

"I would like to put the promotion of Cloud Strife into consideration."

"What?" Angeal gawked, and Sephiroth and Cloud mimicked him. That wasn't something that any of them were expecting to come out of the Commander's mouth. Rufus calmly looked up from his desk and glanced between the redhead and Cloud.

"Isn't he the one that was recently promoted to Third? You want him to skip training and move him up to Second?" Rufus questioned.

"There was a duel that took place between him and a First Class. I witnessed most of it. Though there were some sloppy movements-" Sephiroth smirked as Cloud threw an offended look Genesis' way "-the overall performance was one that a ranked Third should be. He has good timing, good instincts, and his ability to take in mako is above average."

Angeal hesitated for a moment before giving his own thoughts on the matter. "One of the SOLDIERs recorded the spar and sent it to me on the PHS. The movements were good with the broadsword. I hold no disagreement to the idea."

Sephiroth wanted to voice his distaste for the proposition aloud, but couldn't because it would cause unwanted questions. "Surely he's not old enough," he said. It was the first plausible thing he could think of to end the unmerited promotion there. He had no idea how old the younger man was. It never came up while they were trying to kill each other.

"He's nineteen." "I'm nineteen." Genesis and Cloud echoed, and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow to the glaring blond.

"Late growth spurt," Cloud growled.

"He doesn't have any of the experience that the promotion requires," Sephiroth then added, thinking that the other couldn't possibly obtain what wasn't earned, and the military would never give out ranks unfairly.

"That's all easily fixable," Rufus replied. "Heidegger just came down to see me about a mission especially requested for you, General. I believe he could be sent with you as a SOLDIER Third Class." Before either had a chance to respond, Rufus Shinra was already typing away on his computer. "I've just sent the files to Lazard. Speak with him to confirm the date, level, and situation."

Genesis gave a fake sugar coated smile to Angeal. "And since Strife has decided to take up the broadsword, I guess you'll have a new prodigy."

Sephiroth and Angeal both frowned at the redhead for different reasons, and Cloud scratched the back of his neck. "I guess… if that would be alright with you, Sir."

Angeal sighed as he critiqued the blonds' frame once more. "Well, you weren't my first pick, but seeing as how my previous offer was declined in preference for the katana … Are you sure you don't want the rapier?"

"I prefer the buster," the young man quickly replied and Sephiroth rolled his eyes. Of course Cloud would want to fight with a weapon that he was already well practiced in. That way the blond could make himself seem like a brilliant fighter, rather than take the time to learn a more suitable one. How disgraceful as a swordsman.

After a few moments of silence from the group, Rufus asked if they needed anything more from him.

"No," Genesis said. "Well, actually, you might want to inform the janitor that there's some slight damage to the gym."

Rufus nodded and continued on with his work.

"And, Cloud," the redhead continued, giving a sudden glare his way, "you have litter duty on the outskirts of Junon for a month for causing the damage, starting from when you get back from your mission."

Cloud's jaw dropped at the sudden punishment. He didn't even think of that. As they made it out the door, a sudden question came to him and he looked to Rufus and asked, "Where will the mission be?"

Shinra paused in sifting through his files to remember the name of the unfamiliar town.

"I believe it was Nibelheim."

*~0~*

The test for SOLDIER 1st was over and the sun was past its zenith when Zack finally got back to his shared apartment. He was officially a SOLDIER First Class. He couldn't wait to tell Angeal the good news! Fumbling with the keys, he managed to slip them in and kicked the door open.

"Angeal!" Zack called out to the empty room as he took off his boots. "Angeal, you home?" When it didn't seem like anyone would answer, Zack shrugged and bound up the stairs to get out of his grungy uniform.

'Maybe he's gonna be late. I should give him a call and let him know I'm home.' He thought as he took out his PHS and dialed the number. He waited as it rang, and frowned when on the fifth chime it switched to auto-message.

"Hello, this is Angeal speaking. I'm not available right now so leave a message after the beep."

Why would Angeal switch it while he was calling? He could be in a meeting, but then wouldn't the phone have been turned off as soon as it started to ring? "Hey, Angeal, it's Zack! Just calling to let you know my tests are done and I made it home. Bye!"

He snapped his PHS shut and slipped it back into its holder.

All of the First Class SOLDIERs were allowed to live in the apartments, and there was so much space inside that having a roommate didn't feel cramped. Being a Second Class, Zack could only stay here because he was in the mentor program, but now that he was considered a First he could start pitching in for his share of the rent. First he had to ask Angeal, though he probably wouldn't mind. The man was such an easy person to get along with: nice, smart, funny, relaxed... Zack smiled at the thought of actually being able to live with his mentor instead of just staying with him. Technically he wasn't his mentor anymore. Zack wanted to be closer.

He paused when he reached his room, noticing that the door was ajar, which was odd because he always kept it closed. He put his hand on the wood and slowly pushed it open, and for a moment Zack wished he hadn't come home so early.

Honestly, it would have probably been better to see the house robbed to the point that whatever wasn't screwed down was stolen, because this was so much worse. All of his things were packed up in neat boxes and ready to go as they waited there for him on the floor. Zack dropped his heavy bag on the floor.

It had never occurred to him that Angeal wouldn't want him to stay, and he realized that lack of insight was complete ignorance because the other was not only a Lieutenant but also stayed as a mentor like it was a second job. But Zack just… he couldn't believe that… so soon, and even without a 'congratulations'.

"Hey, Zack, you done in there yet?" Came a shout from downstairs. His friends wanted to take him into the city and celebrate his promotion. They were waiting outside.

Zack's throat had suddenly become tight, but he sucked it up and hoped that it didn't affect his voice as he hollered back at them. "Yeah, just about! Give me a few, ok?"

Maybe he wasn't Turkish enough to instantly figure it out by the phone call, but he wasn't dumb enough to not understand a gesture like this.

He got the hint, and he'd move his things out once he got back.

*~0~*

Sephiroth continued to grin at Cloud long after the four of them had left the office, and he knew (by the occasional muscle spasms) that it was bugging the blond. He was basking in the victory of getting yet another win on the warrior in front of him, and he didn't mind his two friends arguing ahead of them.

Fine, let Cloud use whatever means possible to get stronger, Sephiroth didn't care. Let the other use whatever weapon necessary to fight suitably, he wouldn't complain. Sephiroth always had the element of fear and, by the look in Cloud's eyes, it was still working.

Nibelheim; it was such a simple weakness that Cloud had, and the timing was too perfect because the other knew he was too weak to defend it.

Did Sephiroth really want to burn the small town again, destroy the world, and kill the one in front of him? No, but the idea that he did was running through Cloud's mind, and who was he to inform him differently? His PHS went off and Sephiroth skimmed its information, searching for a date.

"It appears," he said and younger man twitched from just hearing his voice, "that we are heading out in a week. I'm going to… enjoy working with you, Cloud."

Sephiroth flipped the device shut and walked away. It was one of the few times that he had to fight in order to hold in his laughter. The look of horror on Clouds face. It was priceless.

*~0~*

"We're headed this way," the Lieutenant called out as Cloud watched Sephiroth disappear behind the corner. Only when the silver hair was no longer visible did he allow his attention to be redirected.

"Uh, yeah. Ok," Cloud replied and followed. First Sephiroth, then the tests, now janitor duty… litter duty. He glowered as he fought off the urge to drag his feet. Would his punishment even matter after the mission to Nibelheim? How was this going so horribly wrong? Would he even be alive, or…

He frowned as another thought came to him. 'Wait a minute. The mission to Nibelheim had been set for next spring before, but it's close to winter right now. It's too soon! I should have had another few months! What could have changed!?'

Hewley began explaining things once they got through the apartment door and showed him around the place. "I'll get you a key later, but start moving your things here. You have your own room upstairs. I start training early so be up and ready at 5am sharp. I prepare meals, and the schedule should be in one of the dressers, memorize it."

When they got up the stairs, Cloud was shown to a room that was still occupied.

"Zack's things," Hewley grumbled. "I thought he'd have moved them out by now, but I guess not. For tonight you can sleep on the bed or the couch, whichever you prefer," the man finished and went out into the hall.

"Wait, what about Zack?" Cloud called out, motioning to the items still in the room. Angeal just looked at him in wonder, feeling a slight case of déjà vu from when Zack was searching for Cloud in Sephiroth's room.

"I'm no longer his mentor," Angeal sighed. If Cloud didn't know any better he could have sworn the man was upset. "He made it to First Class. You should congratulate him when he comes back. Not many achieve that rank."

"And you? Have you congratulated him yet?" Cloud remembered Zack's fondness for his mentor and made sure to watch Angeal's reactions. Zack may have trusted him, but there was something this man was hiding and he couldn't tell what it was. Wasn't he glad that Zack passed? Did he want him to fail? Was he really that good of a mentor?

"I haven't."

"Where is he staying?"

"I don't know. He should be getting his own place soon," Angeal looked dejected as his eyes fell to the floor. "You should get some sleep. That's an order."

Angeal ended the conversation and made sure to close the door behind him this time. As soon as he shut the door, Cloud saw sheets of pink paper stuck to the back with bright yellow masking tape. Hand drawn boxes were slapped on the pages to resemble the weekdays, and the writing that ran across the lines looked suspiciously like Zack's ineligible scrawl.

Well… it was a schedule, but Cloud raised a brow as he wondered what Zack could have possibly done to the original one.

He also wondered what Hewley's problem with Zack was. If Cloud was a mentor he'd want to be the first one there to congratulate his trainie. Yet the Lieutenant seemed as if he'd lost someone precious.

"Oh," Cloud realized and internally winced. Angeal liked Zack. In that way. He wasn't one to judge another based on their sexual preference, but Cloud felt bad for Angeal, knowing that nothing could ever come of his feelings as Zack would one day meet Aerith. From the subtle hints that Aerith dropped when he'd first met her in the slums, those two were meant for each other. She mentioned many times how she'd dated a First Class Soldier with eyes like his own.

Angeal was probably depressed. That's why he was so quick to take on another protege.

With a heavy sigh, Cloud went back downstairs. "What're you doing?" he asked as he spotted the Lieutenant standing in the middle of the living room with his PHS.

"Trying to get a hold of Zack," the man replied. "Cloud… who taught you sword techniques?"

"I was taught the basics as a cadet. I'm a visual learner and saw a lot of stuff outside Shinra, but I practiced on my own," he answered. It was vague, but there were some strange rules at Shinra that he didn't quite follow. He was sure he'd have to read through the book again, but what little he did remember was that only an Officer or someone of higher rank could teach juniors weapon skills. Saying that he learned from watching Zack could get his friend into some serious trouble.

"Hm," Hewley eyed him down, but nodded as the answer seemed acceptable. "Tomorrow we'll begin at 7am so you can receive your mako shots, set your alarm. You can go get your things now."

Cloud nodded. "Ok."

*~0~*

*Midgar - Slums*

Aerith leisurely moved the soil underneath her fingers as she lightly packed the plant back into the ground. Some people would call her strange for trying to save a weed, but it was one of the few earthly things living in this area of the world. To her it meant that Gaia had not yet abandoned this place, the people, which had been harming it. After her work was complete, she got up and rubbed her hands together in attempt to rid them of the dirt.

Out in the distance a breeze picked up, and with all her time spent in the still air of the slums Aerith would have considered the polluted air almost refreshing if it weren't for the plastic bags it carried. It was hard to think about, but in a few more years she might believe that any breeze, containing anything or not, would be pleasant. She frowned. She didn't want to live here long enough to get used to that sort of thing.

The brunette reached down to pick up her basket of fresh breads to take home. She couldn't wait to tell her mother… well, foster mother, what she had found today. Taking a deep breath, her mind drifted off again and felt for the lifestream. It was something that she could do ever since she was a child, though she hadn't told anybody about it except her mother, who warned that telling the wrong people could be dangerous.

Which, speaking of her mother…

"Oh, no! I forgot to get the wine!" Aerith cried and looked up at the sky. It would be dark by the time she got back to the bar, and probably around midnight when she'd get back home. Aerith thought twice about going back to the slums, but strangely enough the area wasn't that much worse than in the daylight. The only real difference was that most of the pickpockets were already in bed.

She did promise that she'd pick everything up on her way to the markets…

Aerith fixed her hair and marched back into the slums. It was her new mission: get the wine and bring it back to Mother.

*~0~*

*Midgar*

"Go find Zack, Genesis. Bring him back home, Genesis," the redhead rambled as he walked through the slums of Midgar. He would have been searching above the plate, but through careful analyses of complex logic that was brought to light as soon as he heard the word 'celebrate' he knew the SOLDIERs would all be in the slums. The rules on drinking were very loose down there. If one could hold their liquor and not cause any problems, it was fine.

Genesis should have denied the request and made Angeal fix his own mess. All of this nonsense was enough to make the Commander flirt with the idea of forgetting it all and going back to Junon. He wasn't a babysitter for Shinra's military, after all. The thought was forgotten by the time he spotted the SOLDIERs, and he watched them merrily drinking themselves stupid.

They didn't notice his presence when he came into the bar, so Genesis decided to sit down and have a drink as well. Besides, the more intoxicated they became, the more fun he'd have waking them up tomorrow.

A flash of gold caught the corner of his eye, and he glanced over to see someone lurking in one of the darker corners of the place. The guy didn't seem like your normal run-of-the-mill civilian and was eyeing the SOLDIERs indiscreetly. Genesis could have just turned around and let it go, but there was something strange about that man, something very… off.

After a moment of thought, Genesis figured that he would have never known the guy was there if not for the subtle movement that caused the reflection, and the reason there was no caution in the other's staring was because the man seemed used to being overlooked. Still, Genesis didn't like the way the man seemed to be focused on the SOLDIERs, so the Commander downed his drink and made his way over.

"Is this seat taken?" Genesis asked as he pulled out the chair, and unnatural red eyes peered up at him from beneath the bandana. He thought the other seemed a little too old to be into such eccentric contacts, but then decided he must be wearing them as a scare tactic. Any means of psychological intimidation was popular in gangs, among other darker places in the underground.

"No," the man spoke in a rich voice, and didn't seem at all bothered when he sat down.

"That's a mean looking fist," Genesis commented on the metal glove, and he noticed that the gold appeared further up the wrist when the other pulled it back, hiding it further in the red cloak. He wondered just how far it went. "You're not supposed to bring those into the bar… or that firearm."

"How did you know I had one?" the man asked, referring to the concealed weapon.

"When you fight in enough battles, you tend to develop a feel for it," Genesis joked and was rewarded with a dry, humorless laugh. Both glanced up when Zack went to go order another round, and Genesis watched as this unknown man followed the kid's every movement. It seemed like the stranger wasn't so much as watching the group of SOLDIERs as just one in particular. He had the sudden urge to know anything and everything about this man. Genesis spoke, "Mr…"

"Valentine," the man answered after a slight hesitation.

"Mr. Valentine," Genesis continued, "I would prefer it if you didn't cause any trouble for my men over there."

"Your men?" Valentine questioned and set his eerie gaze on him.

"Yes, they're SOLDIERs, as I assume you're aware. I am their Commander, Genesis Rhapsodos."

Valentine's eyes contained only a blank look. Hadn't this man heard his name before? Sure, he wasn't as popular as the General, but he wasn't that far behind.

There was silence as he was studied by sharp eyes, and for a moment Genesis thought that the color might be as natural as his own.

"Hey, girly, welcome back!" the bartender's greeting from in the background broke the intensity surrounding them. "What are you doing in the slums this late at night?"

"Sorry, I forgot to ask if you had any wine!"

The man who called himself Valentine got up from the chair and silently left the bar. Genesis followed every movement until the other was out of sight, but something felt strange. The atmosphere was different, and then he realized that the reason why he didn't notice the man before was because the other made his surroundings become almost nonexistent. The only ones that Genesis knew were capable of doing that were the Turks, and not just any Turk… the elitists, the ones that had to go through years of special training inside the special training. That man… he felt like that type of Turk.

Genesis decided it was time to gather up the SOLDIERs and head back to Junon. Every now and then the military would have cases in which there'd be men who were killed when off the clock. People called it a drunken accident, but he knew better. There were people out there that hated Shinra and anyone working under them. That man might be one of them, and a new target might have been given out. He needed to get Zack. The kid could always stay at his place until he gets his feet on the ground.

Genesis dropped a few gil on the table and walked toward the loud bunch secluded in their own area, but by the time he got across the floor, the girl that had just recently come into the bar backed up.

"Oh!" she cried out, and he caught her as she stumbled into him. They were left in an embrace that could best be described as a pose from some classic cheesy romance novel, and they gazed at each other for a time before she unleashed a smile radiant enough to take his breath away.

"I'm Aerith."

To be continued…

AN: Hey! Yes, you! Tell me if you want to see the Zack/Angeal fluffs or just have it hinted!

Have any questions? I might have matching answers!

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