Disclaimer: I do not now or before and most likely not in the future, own Final Fantasy, Square Enix or any of the characters.

A/N: Thank you to all the reviewers, if I didn't respond to your review, I apologize and I will rectify it soon. Also, I have been told that some of you have favorited my stories, but they aren't showing up on your favorites list. That happens to me too on some of the stories or authors that I have favorited. I am guessing that it is a glitch or something on the site.

I do not have a beta, so forgive any mistakes and just enjoy them, I do!

"You are what you are today because of the decisions and the choices you made yesterday." –Unknown

Chapter 11

~Tension, Blackmail and Stupidity~

Turning and leaving for the locker area, Genesis spoke over his shoulder, "For Gaia's sake cover yourself and we will talk."

The fluffy white towel around his waist would have to suffice as a substitute for privacy. Right now, Genesis stood in front of his shower room locker looking at him expectantly. Cloud's patience was wearing thin by now, "Sir, may I get to my locker please?"

"I want you to hear me out first. You reaction hinges on whether you walk back to your room in a towel, or less revealing clothing," Feeling like making a little trouble, the blond recruit was a perfect target.

"So your saying that I have permission to speak freely sir?"

"Of course. I would have it no other way."

Keeping a clutching hold on the front of his towel he resigned, sat on the bench in front of the lockers and mumbled, "What is so important that it couldn't wait until I was out of the shower?"

When Genesis regained his eye contact, the swirl of anger in the boy's eyes made a fluttering feeling of maliciousness that he hadn't felt since before Zack disappeared, "Well, while you were down here cleaning up and changing clothes, I talked with the Doctor," A black boot propped his leg up on the bench and he leaned forward with his elbow on the top of his leg, "Guess what he said."

"I have no idea what that quack said," His suddenly pale lips clamped shut. Why had he said that out loud, not that he didn't feel that way. With a roll of his eyes, he sighed and refocused on the Major, "Uh, what did he say?"

"He said that the Lieutenant could go back to his own apartment."

"Why? He isn't fit to be alone in his own place. I don't think he could even take care of himself," He just couldn't hide the alarm and concern in his tone. Why would the Doctor allow this?

A bright glow of light blue shined through the red stands that covered part of his face. A devious smile crossed his slightly reddened lips, "He isn't going to be alone."

"Oh, okay," Was Sephiroth or Genesis going to move in with him? Thoughts, circled, pivoted, shrank back and then shoved themselves in his face, like a cold wet cloth hitting him. He stood and in his frightening understanding of the situation, he forgot he was only wearing a towel, "Hey, wait a minute!" When Genesis looked up at the ceiling with a small smile, Cloud glanced down and the towel had gathered around his feet. With a bright red face, both from anger and embarrassment, he wrapped the towel around himself again, he very nearly yelled, "Sir? Why me?"

"Because he likes you," Genesis pointed at him, "If he is in his own apartment again with someone he trusts, then he just might open up. Then we can find out information like where he's been and who had him." Crossing his arms, he looked at the blond in his state of angry confusion and grinned again, "Seph and I will make arrangements for your training as a third as long as you live with him."

"That's blackmail!"

"Yes it is. I'm so glad that you are smarter than you look at this moment," Pausing for a minute to let the blonde's growl come to a finish, "So what do you say?"

What could he say? His career was on the line and everything that he worked so hard for. Going back to Nibelheim without achieving what he set out to do would just be inviting more bullying and taunts. He made a promise to himself and his mother that he would succeed. The thought of getting his mother out of the town that despised her only fueled his want, his need to carry on.

Getting through the academy and making it into the SOLDIER program was just the beginning. He committed himself to finishing his training and becoming a First Class one day. This move on the Major's part was simply the most backhanded thing he had the displeasure of being a part of, "…Fine."

"That's the spirit! First thing tomorrow morning, we start moving you into his apartment," Slapping the side of the blonde's bare shoulder, he laughed as he left and the eye roll began and ended by the time the door swung closed.

With a fairly thick newspaper in hand, he knocked on the door to Zack's room, but there was no answer. He didn't think it was odd, after all he didn't talk that much anyway.

"Just go on in, its unlocked," The nurse from the other morning called to him with a look that he wasn't sure how to interpret.

"Thanks," Swinging the door open, the sight of Zack sprawled and restrained to the bed, Cloud went straight to pissed off. The bright glow of the Lieutenant's hypnotizing eyes shone easily in the slightly darkened room. Flipping the light switch, his face was wet with tears and he shivered from the cool air that circulated in the once warmer room. Finally finding the nurse again, he spun her around, "What the hell happened? Why is he restrained like that?"

Surprise covered her face like a mask, "We had to get his vitals before he left tomorrow, Doctor's orders. You weren't here to help, so we did what we had to."

Dropping her arm, he walked back to the room. The guilt he felt as he looked at him churned in his gut. Just so he could get a shower, he had left him and the hurt that wrinkled the brunette's features just made the guilt worse. Speaking as his shaking hands fumbled at the reinforced buckles holding down Zack's appendages down, Cloud fumed, "I'll get you out of there, let me help you."

Not moving at all until the last buckle set his arm free, he jolted forward and pinned Cloud to the wall. His usually quiet voice mixed with anger, feral and deadly, but his eyes said something different. Softness clouded his frustration and while still holding him to the wall, he grunted, "You left…"

Even though Zack was not hurting him, panic again took over and he broke out into a sweat, "Yeah, I told you that I'd be back. Here, I brought a newspaper, just like you asked." Zack flinched and pulled away from the blond, but promptly took him by the wrist. Being yanked back across the room, the larger man sat him down in the chair and took his place back on the bed. He kept a watchful eye on Cloud.

Cloud tossed the paper on the bed in front of the dark-haired first. Not changing from sitting on his legs and feet, he opened the paper and began reading it, silently.

The whole day, Zack read, and then re-read the paper, not once looking directly at Cloud. Every once in a while, Cloud could see him cut his eyes over, making sure that the blond was right where he had put him.

That evening, Sephiroth walked in holding Zack's dinner tray, "How are you doing Zackary?" Cloud jumped to attention with a salute and the General returned the salute. Zack didn't look up from the paper or make any noise. Setting the tray down on the bed side table, he looked to Cloud, "I suppose Genesis talked to you."

Feeling downtrodden and sleepy also when he stood up his bladder also began to announce its need to take a break. He wondered if Zack would allow him to leave long enough to go to the bathroom, "Yes Sir, he did."

Noticing the little way he squeezed his knees together in need, Sephiroth couldn't help but smirk, "Sorry that he couldn't wait until you were out of the shower room. He likes any of his possible future opponents thrown off guard."

"I don't think that I am not even close to his level of abilities yet, so sparring with him is still way in the future," The got-to-go to the bathroom dance began to take on a life of his own, "Sir? Could I ask you to stay here while I use the restroom please?"

The silver General noticeably shifted his weight and answered, "Well I really can't stay. I still have some paper work to catch up on."

"It won't take long, I promise."

"Hurry back then," The blond blur rushed past and Sephiroth turned his attention to Zack. Pulling the chair closer to the bed, he sighed as he sat, "Zack, I would like to talk to you." The quiet one shifted back to his place, back facing the door, balanced on his feet, knees to his chest and his rear hovered just mere centimeters from the top of the bed, "Why won't you talk to me? Look at me Zack."

Zack's focus was solely on the paper in front of him, unwilling or unable to look at the General.

"Please Zack, I need to know… I want to know what happened to you."

The black spikes displaced to the side as he turned his head further away from him and rested the side of his head on his knees, he said quietly, "I can't…"

Frustration poured over him, his fingers slid through his hair, "We tried to find you, I swear. I did not abandon you."

A quiet and hidden lake, undisturbed and still, Zack remained facing away and he uttered in a whisper, "I got away long enough to call, but you… Nothing's what it seems." Zack's voice remained low and lacking any real emotion. His lips moved, but he was like a drone, no real feeling behind the words.

Looking up from his lap, Sephiroth waltzed in the cloudy confusion of his mind. What did he mean? It was something waiting for discovery. He searched his memory back to that one particular phone call.

Soft breathing turned ragged and then a whisper, "I-I'm a SOLDIER… need h-help…"

"Listen, you are wasting valuable resources and not to mention my time. So unless you have some pertinent information I suggest you re-think your choices."

Ragged breathing turned to quiet breathing and eerie whispers, "Shh (inaudible word)… Help me… please… I don't know where-"

Oh, Gaia, it had been Zack calling on that day and he blew him off. Filling with shame, he dropped his gaze back to his hands in his lap, "Zack, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Beginning to reach out to him, he pulled his hand back again, "Please, I'm sorry."

"Oh, thanks Sir. I didn't think I would make it," Again it was like walking into a wall. The tension stuffed the room, barely able to allow him to breathe, "Is everything okay Sir?"

"Yes, I was just getting ready to leave. I will see you sometime tomorrow," Long shiny hair followed in a wisp of air at his strides. The tension seemed to follow the General and Cloud was curious, but he didn't want to stick his neck out for any other ideas that him or Genesis had.

"Okay Zack, the General brought in your tray, you want to try to eat something now?"

"…"

"Come on, you haven't eaten all day. Do it for me, as a favor."

His long fingers reached out and grabbed the tray and pulled it closer to the edge of the table. Slowly eating the entire hamburger, he eyed the French fries and just as slowly ate them. Zack just went through the motions, but it looked like something had broken inside the man, his heart in pieces. Was it up to the blond to put the pieces of his heart back together? Would he ever be the man he once was?

Cloud's stomach growled as he realized that he hadn't eaten all day either. He would wait until his charge fell asleep, it was safer that way, "Did they tell you that tomorrow morning you get to go back to your apartment?"

"Yes…"

"Are you excited to get back? You can get out of this room and back to your own place with all of your own things."

"…I don't know…"

"Well okay. I know that I would be freakin happy as a weasel in a henhouse," Cloud's statement draped a meager smile across Zack's lightly chapped lips.

"Are you going with me?"

"Only if you need me to," It wasn't that he didn't like the Lieutenant, but he could see this as a stumbling block in his training. He still had Genesis's voice in his head and the Major's ease of the process of roping the recruit into his will. Still deathly afraid of him, it didn't mean he would be anywhere near comfortable. He just had to remind himself that he was still the same recruit that had challenged the General. Keeping his internal fingers crossed, he was hoping that the grown man wouldn't need him.

"…Please…"

Bitter and disgruntled, he wasn't able to hide all of it from the larger man. He felt a little better knowing that he was looking in the other direction though. Rubbing his head and groaning silently, his emotions were getting the better of him and he felt on the verge of a full-fledged panic attack. This was not how he wanted his time at SOLDIER training to go; in fact, it was going in the opposite direction.

The Major had said something about them making arrangements for his training. Not getting to go through with everyone else was a real let down. He would be tucked away, sharing an apartment with an adult who needed a parent, not a seventeen year old trainee. He never thought that he would be a parent and still be a virgin, but life always has a few hiccups.

Sitting back in the chair, he tried to calm down when the blue violet eyes looked at him, needy.

"Okay Lieutenant, here is your night-night shot," A nurse and the two large orderlies took up positions around the crouching man. As quickly as they approached, they just as quickly stepped back.

Peering around one of the standing men, Cloud heard a low guttural snarl. As the Lieutenant's volume got louder, it curled his lips up in a showing of teeth. It reminded him of wolves, Nibelheim wolves were very territorial and dangerous. How a man could give off the feral vibe of a wild animal just made Cloud's new living arrangement that much less appealing.

"Strife, would you please calm him down? We don't want anyone hurt," The small nurse pleaded.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he tried to cleanse himself of his threatening hysteria, "Its okay, I'm right here." Cloud held his arm out to him and braced himself for the pain that was coming. Without missing a beat, Zack took Cloud by the arm and pulled him down on the bed right next to him.

Once Zack received his shot, Cloud sat next him on the bed until the injection took him to unconsciousness. The innocence that the Soldier once had didn't tear his eyes from the look on his face now. Even in sleep, his peaceful rest looked like he felt like an outcast and forgotten, even by his friends. Was Zack condemned to this insanity for the rest of his life or would his death be preferable? For the rest of the night, Zack kept his hold on Cloud.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads, favorites, subscribes and/or reviews, I appreciate your time and I dedicate all of this to you. To quote another author, "Getting reviews makes me feel all warm and squishy."

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