"Oh! A chocobo!"

Aerith ran from the group, her pink dress flapping around her ankles in the wind. She came to a stop in front of a long wooden fence; one side of a large pen that held about eight chocobos. The huge, bright yellow birds strutted lazily around the pen, nipping at the grass here and there. Aerith squealed with delight as she saw an infant chocobo let out a loud "Kweh!" and dash back over to its mother.

"They're so cute!" said Aerith, who hung onto the fence excitedly. Zack couldn't help laughing. Aerith was ridiculous around cute animals.

"Do you think they'll let us ride them!"

"Of course they will!" boomed Barret, clinking his gun arm against the top beam. "This is the Chocobo Ranch. People come from all around to ride chocobos from this place. And they breed some of the best racing chocobos here too."

"Come on, Barret. Let's find the manager. We need to keep moving if we're going to keep up with Sephiroth," said Tifa.

Zack's stomach tightened at the mention of Sephiroth's name. The six of them had been on his trail ever since they'd left Midgar, following rumors and whispers of sightings. The ever elusive 'Man in the Black Cape' seemed to always be just out of reach. However, Zack felt conflicted. Of course he wanted to find Sephiroth and finish him once and for all. He, as well as the Shinra, were responsible for so much pain and despair. But guilt still lingered in Zack's heart no matter how hard he tried to push it away. Sephiroth had once been his friend. Somehow, through the missions they had been assigned together, Zack had broken through Sephiroth's icy glare and seen the intelligent, gifted, loyal and lonely man inside. And even though Sephiroth had committed heinous crimes; if he had shown remorse, Zack was certain he would have forgiven him.

"$*% crazy, &$^^&*," grumbled Barret. "I ain't lookin forward to meetin' up with that silver haired spook. But I guess you right."

"Okay, there's probably someone we can talk to in the stable. Let's go."

"Oooo, I wanna go too!" said Aerith, hopping off of the fence. She followed Tifa and Barret around the border of the pen and disappeared into the massive barn just behind it. The only ones left outside from the group were Red XIII, who was already napping in a nice shady spot of grass, and Cloud who had started doing squats.

Zack did a double take. Squats! He loved doing squats! Zack dashed over to Cloud in delight.

"It's been forever since I've done some squats! Mind if I join?" blurted Zack excitedly. Cloud looked at Zack disdainfully as if he'd just burst in on him using the toilet. But to Zack's surprise, Cloud nodded stiffly and continued his reps.

Grateful, Zack started his first squat eagerly. 1...2...3...So far, the trip from Midgar had been great. Zack finally felt like he belonged somewhere, like he had purpose again. But ever since meeting up again in the Shinra Building, Cloud had been distant and cold to Zack. No matter how hard Zack tried to interact with Cloud, he wanted nothing to do with him. And Zack had tried EVERYTHING he could think of. He'd tried to talk to Cloud about their assignments together, Modeoheim and Nibelheim, how they had joked about both being from small country towns but Cloud didn't remember a thing. He would just say 'Sorry, you're thinking of someone else' and walk away.

15...16...17...Zack was working up a sweat now. He felt the beginnings of a tingle in his quad muscles and welcomed the sensation. Angeal had always said to never start counting until you felt the burn. Angeal's voice echoed in Zack's head. You're muscles will hate you at first, but they will thank you later. Don't fight it, just play along for a much as you can.

Zack stopped his squats abruptly. The memory of Angeal hurt him painfully, even more than the acid burning his muscles. He looked over at Angeal's sword which Cloud had driven into the ground a few feet away. It shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Zack yearned to have its subtle weight resting on his shoulders again. Maybe if I just play along instead of fighting it...

"What's wrong?" asked Cloud, who had paused midway through a squat.

"Oh -ah nothing. Just rusty I guess," lied Zack.

"You only did 17."

"It was 18!"

"No. I'm pretty sure you only did 17."

"Whatever! So, I'm out of practice! Don't rub it in!"

The two stared awkwardly at each other for a moment and then laughter broke out between them. Zack felt a wave of relief wash over him. This was the Cloud he knew.

"Hey Cloud," started Zack, deciding that now was a good a time as any to ask, "Where'd you get that sword?" Cloud glanced at the sword and his brow knitted together as if he were confused. It was almost as if he had just seen it for the first time and was now getting the chance to have a really good look at it. His blue eyes fogged over and then suddenly he fell to his knees, his head in his hands.

"Uhh….ow!" he cried.

"Cloud! Are you alright!" gasped Zack as he dashed over to Cloud's side.

"Y-yeah," he said, brushing Zack away. "Just a headache. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

Cloud nodded groggily and stood, dusting the earth from his pants. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily, taking in Angeal's sword again.

"I can't remember where I got the sword from. I've had it ever since I joined SOLDIER so it's probably just a standard issue style. I don't really use it, I just…I just feel more comfortable with it around."

So do I, thought Zack.

"I was just thinking how crazy it is that we were both in SOLDIER and never bumped into each other," pressed Zack.

"It's not that crazy," said Cloud shrugging his shoulders. "SOLDIER gets stationed all over the world. Its not surprising that we've never crossed paths."

"I guess that makes sense," said Zack. "I just…I just wish we had known each other before all this stuff happened," he added sheepishly, trying to hide the sadness in his voice.

"I thought we did?" said Cloud stiffly. "What happened to all that talk of us in Nibelheim?"

"Oh, well I realized you were right," said Zack quickly. "I mean you would have remembered by now if we'd known each other. My mistake."

Cloud narrowed his eyes at Zack as if he didn't quite believe what he'd just heard. And for good reason, because Zack had been lying through his teeth. But after a moment, his face softened and he nodded in agreement.

"Now," said Zack changing the subject, "I was wondering if you would help me out with something else."

"Sure. What's up?"

"Since I'm so behind with my squat reps and you'd probably squash me in a competition, why don't we spar a little bit? If you're up to it of course," said Zack mischievously.

Cloud's face lit up. "I'm always up for a good fight. I'm game," he said.

"Okay, okay, but, let's make it a little interesting," added Zack, rubbing his hands together. "Hmmm, let's see. If you win, you can have all my Master materia."

"Ha! You sure you want to give that up? Better start saying goodbye to it now."

"Smack talk wont get you anywhere!" chortled Zack. "But if I win…I get that Buster Sword of yours."

Cloud hesitated for a moment, the smile fading from his face. His eyes flicked to the sword again, weighing its importance.

"I…I don't know…"

"Oh come on! You said yourself that you barely use the thing," said Zack, panicking slightly. He wanted that sword back, badly. And this was probably the only way he was ever going to part Cloud from the sword. Even though Zack knew he had given it to Cloud all that time ago, it was only because he didn't think he was going to be around to see another day.

"A-alright then," said Cloud finally. "But only because I already know you've got no chance of beating me. I already hear that materia calling to me," he added confidently.

Zack inwardly sighed a breath of relief. "Keep talkin' Cloud! We'll see what happens!"

The two of them moved a bit away from the chocobo pen and further in the grassy plain that surrounded the farm. Red XIII, who was now awake, looked on expectantly; his flaming tail swaying back and forth lazily in the shade. Zack took several steps back from Cloud, drew his sword and settled his legs into a wide stance. He saw Cloud do the same. He felt his senses highten, his vision focus and his breathing slow; the familiar effects of his SOLDIER conditioning.

"Anything goes!" he shouted over to Cloud. "Well, no low blows," Zack added, thinking fondly of Aerith, "but everything else is fair game!"

Zack saw Cloud nod curtly and began to count off. "3...2...1...GO!"

Zack shot forward, almost flying towards Cloud, his sword arcing in a downwards slash. Cloud blocked just as quickly and their swords bounced off of each other in a jarring clash of metal. Cloud swung his fist towards Zack's jaw, but just missed as Zack dodged and began a fury of full force attacks.

To a spectator, Zack and Cloud must have looked like two pairs of legs, spiky hair and a blur of glinting metal. Zack felt completely in his element, moving and slashing like he was performing an exquisite dance. Zack leapt upwards, flipping over Cloud's head to attack from the other side, but Cloud was there to meet him when he landed. He's fast, thought Zack, parrying a barrage of attacks from Cloud who had managed to take advantage of Zack's momentary hesitation and turn on the offensive. It's almost like…I'm fighting myself. Our styles are so similar. I'll have to keep him off balance. Zack sidestepped another attack and swung his legs into Cloud's, sweeping him off of his feet. Cloud landed on the ground with a thud and groaned in pain. Zack raised his sword for the next attack, but in that same moment Cloud raised his arm upwards. His elbow all the way down to his fingertips began to glow a bright crimson color. Zack's eyes grew round as saucers and he leapt back, just in time-

"FIRE!" shouted Cloud. A hot, blazing ball of fire sprung forward from Cloud's hand, narrowly missing Zack's face. He felt the heat singe the tip of his ear as it passed.

"Whoa!" Zack backed off, creating distance between the two of them once more. Cloud pushed himself back onto his feet, a smirk on his face. However Zack could see that his breathing ragged. Zack knew he had to be tired. No infantry man would have a chance in a real fight against a First Class SOLDIER. But even so, Cloud endured. His clothes were all dusty now and his hair surprisingly enough looked even crazier, but his crystal blue eyes remained focused and trained on Zack. The pair circled each other like two lions, weapons ready for the next strike.

"Not bad Cloud! I'm impressed!" yelled Zack.

"Don't think you can finish me off that quickly!" Cloud shouted back.

Zack smirked. "Okay, try this then!" Zack gripped the handle of his sword tighter and felt the warmth of his materia creep through his arm. He drew his sword over his head and brought it down hard into the ground before him.

"QUAKE!" he bellowed. The earth rumbled and shook where Zack had made contact with his blade and a jagged line etched its way in the ground towards Cloud. Cloud tried to back away from it, but it was to late. The ground beneath him shot up like a skyscraper and flung him upwards into the air. Zack saw his chance and darted forward. He grabbed Cloud in mid air by the scruff of his collar and threw him down hard into the floor. Before Cloud could surprise him again, Zack swung his sword down and brought it to rest against the pulse in Cloud's neck.

"What are you doing!" shouted a voice. Zack and Cloud both swiveled their heads to see Aerith, Tifa and Barret walking over to them. His concentration broken, Zack finally realized the ruckus they must have been causing. A great big gash scarred the earth from where his Quake spell had hit and there were little scorch marks in the grass from where Cloud had cast Fire.

"Just some friendly sparring. Right Cloud?" said Zack, removing his sword from Cloud's neck and extending his hand. A small smile graced Cloud's lips as he took Zack's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up.

"Yeah, you know, to pass the time," he said.

"Friendly sparring?" questioned Tifa. "You scared the chocobos half to death! I thought the landlord was going to have a fit! Not to mention the state of the field. Look at that crack in the ground!"

"And look at your hair!" said Aerith, who had made her way over to Zack and was examining the left side of his head. "It's all lopsided!"

"Oh no! Not again!" Zack dropped his sword and felt at his hair. It was definitely shorter.

"Not to worry, Zack," said another voice. Zack looked down and saw that Red XIII had padded over from his spot underneath the tree. "That was an excellent match. I would love the chance to battle both of you one day. But from what I could see, even though you may have lost some fur from a superb attack by Cloud, you are indeed the victor."

"Thanks, Red!" Zack wheeled around to face Cloud. "Ah, you hear that! Red says I'm the victor! And to the victor go the spoils! Pay up!"

Cloud looked pained. He pulled Angeal's sword from the ground and reluctantly held it out to Zack. Zack's insides were bursting with joy. He had back in his hands the only thing left of Angeal's. It had helped him so many times and been a constant reminder of the kind of person Zack wanted to be.

Zack looked back up at Cloud and opened his mouth to say something smart but closed it again when he saw the look on Cloud's face. Cloud looked as though someone had just stolen his bike. He looked down at the sword longingly, all the while trying to look calm and collected in front of the others.

Zack cut his eyes back to the sword and began to see it differently. Yes he wanted the sword back but did he really need it anymore? Angeal was gone, that was true, but he didn't need a sword to remember everything that he'd been taught. All of those memories would always be tucked away safely in the warmest part of Zack's heart. Plus, it looked as though Cloud would probably need the sword now more than Zack ever would.

Zack pushed the sword back into Cloud's arms.

"Only joking, Cloud. I could never take this from you."

"You sure?" choked Cloud. "I mean, you won it fair and square. And you're gonna need a sword soon. The one you have isn't going to last you much longer."

"It's fine. I'll just get a bat and put some nails in it or something. Just…just make sure you take care of it okay? Use brings about wear, tear and rust."

And before Cloud could say anything else about it, Zack turned around and slung his arm around Aerith who made fun of his hair all the way as they walked back to the barn.