Counter Crisis

by White Mage Koorii

At first it was about preventing tragedy. For Cloud it soon becomes a fight to protect new bonds, tread untrod paths and find happy endings. Second chances aren't always easy in a time where ghosts live and heroes are human. [ Time Travel, Eventual Slash ]

21. Crisis of Contrivance

Counter Crisis

by White Mage Koorii & Dragoon-Sama

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Chapter 21 – Crisis of Contrivance

[ μ ] – εуλ 0002 (August 10th)

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For Cloud, waking was sudden and unpleasant. There was no in between of soft lethargy; one moment he was unconscious, the next he was sitting up in bed, feeling no more rested than when he'd fallen into it...three hours earlier, according to the timepiece on the bedside table. Running a hand over his face, he repressed the urge to groan aloud. His head was pounding and all he wanted was to crawl back under the covers and shut out the world for a while. Unfortunately now that he was awake it was pretty much impossible for him to relax.

It had already been late when Cloud had run across the AVALANCHE trouble last night, and his and Zack's talk with Aerith had stretched into the early hours of the morning. Cloud felt wrung out from the gamut of emotions that had plagued him. From the unusual intense anger, to the gut-wrenching fear, and the bitter-sweet relief that Aerith finally knew….

She hadn't been happy. No, that was an understatement. He could clearly recall her white face, the tremble in her voice, the glassy look in her eyes as she strode out of the church. She had been overwhelmed. It left a sour knot in his stomach to remember her anger, at both him and Zack. He'd known…. Well, it didn't matter their reasoning. He ran a hand into his hair, tugging roughly to try and clear his thoughts. She needed time, of course she did. They hadn't...ruined everything. She would give them the chance to explain, really explain, what was going on.

Drawing his knees up, Cloud rested his arms on them as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. The throbbing headache wasn't helping either, though it would likely fade soon. He could hear movement out in the main room, and knew Zack was up and about. He'd probably not even gone to bed at all. The hang-dog expression he'd been sporting since Aerith had first yelled at him hadn't gone away by the time Cloud had shut himself away in his own room.

Part of Cloud didn't want to go out there and face a moping Zack. Zack had apologized over and over to Cloud for just blurting out his secret. He didn't want to be, but he was a little angry at Zack for that. Zack had been the one to want to keep Aerith in the dark, then when the first sign of trouble came along it all came tumbling out. That was partially why Cloud had just spilled everything like he had. The other reason was that he knew if he stopped, paused, gave Aerith any time to process it or ask questions, he'd never be able to finish. He still felt sick over it. The resurfaced emotions that always came with reliving the worst of his past, coupled with the guilt of the pain he knew he was causing Aerith….

Letting out a rough breath of irritation, Cloud rolled out of bed, ignoring the chill seeping into his bare feet from the cold floor. The longer he stayed here by himself, the more he was going to work himself in knots. He might as well face the music now.

He dressed mechanically, finishing by winding the Trooper scarf around his neck and tucking the ends away so it wouldn't come loose. By the time he pulled his boots on, the noises outside his door had quietened. Taking another deep breath to ground himself, Cloud turned the door handle and stepped into the living area.

Zack was sprawled on the couch, the TV on but muted in front of him. He didn't appear to be taking in the quickly moving pictures—some sort of ShinRa news cast, though Cloud hardly cared—and he looked absolutely miserable. Rounding the edge of the couch, Cloud nudged Zack's legs to the side and flopped down on the freed space.

Zack gave him a woe-be-gone look. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Cloud hummed out a negative, frowning as he got a good look at what was on the TV screen. A reporter was standing in front of Aerith's church, the empty doorway gaping accusingly at Cloud. On the ticker was a statement about AVALANCHE terrorism. His face get hot with a flush of anger. It wasn't exactly lies they were spreading, at least not this time. But it felt too much like the prelude to the events that had led to ShinRa dropping the plate on Sector 7.

"How are you feeling?" he asked instead, wincing at how rough his voice sounded. It wasn't like he didn't know the answer, but Zack tended to feel better when he was able to let some of his emotions out.

"Tired," Zack said, honestly. "We've never really fought like that before."

"Mmm," Cloud agreed. "That's easier to do if you never talk about anything important." His thoughts wandered back to similar fights with Tifa. They would avoid talking about anything of consequence when it became apparent he or she would just run away, until even that didn't work.

Zack flinched. "Ouch," he said. The attempt at humor in his voice didn't completely hide the note of hurt.

Cloud flicked his eyes over, taking in Zack's slumped shoulders and the sullen frown on his face. He looked like a sulking teenager. He was a sulking teenager. Cloud didn't know why the fact kept shocking him. Maybe it was because Zack always acted like he knew what he was doing.

A knock at the door interrupted them before Cloud could say anything further, and they exchanged a puzzled look. It was still early and they weren't expected to report in for the day for another few hours yet. Gibbs and Edge never called this early either. Ready to ignore it, Cloud frowned when the knock was repeated, this time sounding like something metallic was being beaten on their door. He glanced back to Zack, who offered a confused shrug but made no move to get off the couch. Right, sulking teenager.

Shoving to his feet, Cloud made his way to the entrance. If it wasn't some SOLDIER emergency…well, neither him nor Zack were up for pleasantries right now.

The moment he opened the door, Cloud regretted it. Deeply.

"Heeey, Strife. Buddy." Reno gave him a wolfish grin, tapping his electro-mag rod against his shoulder. Behind him, Rude did a good job of impersonating a wall with sunglasses. "Just the guy we wanted to see."

Cloud glowered at Reno. "Why?" he ground out softly. If this was about last night's debacle, he was going to slam the door in Reno's face. It didn't matter that it was an electronic sliding door; he'd find a way.

"Why," Reno echoed snidely, "to escort you to your evaluation, of course. Don't want to be late, now do you?"

"I turned it down," Cloud refuted, crossing his arms. His heart began pounding in his chest. Why this? Why now? He'd thought he'd have a longer grace period before they tried to strongarm him. He wasn't sure if he was more worried or angry at the intrusion.

"Your declination has been overruled."

Reno was enjoying this far too much. Cloud wanted nothing more than to wipe the grin off his face. If it hadn't been for the fact that he knew he'd get not only himself, but Zack into trouble again, he would have been tempted to throw the Turks off the balcony and let hell break loose. "By who?" At least that would give him an idea of if he could delay matters a second time.

"Not for you to question, Wannabe SOLDIER."

Cloud's vision went red, the words reverberating mockingly through his mind. He'd called himself that once, and now Reno— He'd moved before he'd realized he'd intended to, throwing a punch at Reno's smug, smirking face. This time Reno had been ready for Cloud's quick movements and ducked the swing. Cloud's fist smacked into Rude's palm, held fast by the large man.

A sharp jab in his ribs made Cloud wince a bit as Reno jammed his electro-mag rod into him. "Now," Reno said, amusement lacing his tone that belied the dark look in his eyes, "You wanna do this the hard way, or the easy way?"

Behind him Cloud heard the squeak of the couch as Zack moved, and his voice floated over, "Whoa, whoa. Hey!"

Neither of them paid Zack any mind. Cloud glared at Reno as his temples throbbed with unspent anger, the muscle in his jaw aching from his clenched teeth, before he eventually tugged backward. Rude let him go, subtly trying to shake out his hand, and Cloud could admit some relief when the electro-mag rod moved away as well. That thing stung when activated, and with how close it had been to his heart would have probably left him stunned long enough for the Turks to cart off wherever they pleased. If, that is, Zack wouldn't have immediately jumped on them. ShinRa politics were really starting to piss him off.

"...It's fine Zack," he said finally. He half turned, catching Zack's worried look. He didn't know how this would play out, but it was too soon for them to make an overt move. Even if the rest of their life was in turmoil, they needed to keep their low profile in ShinRa intact. Or...more or less low profile. There was still time, over a month, until all this would be put to the test. He just needed to keep his head down for a little longer. "I'll...be fine."

"You sure?"

Zack stood on the balls of his feet, looking ready to either spring to Cloud's defense or fall back down on the couch depending on which way he moved. There were dark smudges under his eyes, and even from here Cloud could see how tightly his jaw was clenched. He looked strung out. That stiffened Cloud's resolve. He could fight his own battles. It was better if Cloud took care of this on his own and give Zack time to recuperate.

"Time's a-wasting," Reno drawled, unmoved by their exchange. Cloud's eyebrow twitched, and he had to grit his teeth to bite back the caustic remark that was clawing at the back of his throat. Now wasn't the time to antagonize things further.

"I'll be back," Cloud told Zack. It was both a farewell and a promise. Zack got the hint, nodding back.

Without any further preamble, Cloud stepped out into the hallway. Reno was forced to dance back a few feet to avoid getting shoved aside. Rude didn't bother to move, instead gesturing Cloud down toward the elevators. It felt like being a prisoner, and Cloud was doubly aware of how little he liked having the Turks at his back.

"Cloud." Zack's voice made Cloud pause. He turned to see Zack leaning against the open doorway. In his hand he held Cloud's longsword. He flipped it around before tossing it hilt first. Nothing showed in Zack's expression, not even his earlier misery.

Cloud caught the blade, and nodded again at Zack. The message was understood; if things turned bad here, they would have to break off their plan and make a run for it. Cloud holstered the weapon, then turned and strode off down the hallway. A tight curl of satisfaction filled him as he heard Reno and Rude's footsteps run a few paces to catch up.

"No funny business," Reno said as the elevator doors closed behind them. He angled his electro-mag rod so the lights gleamed off the curve of a green materia that was slotted into it. Cloud ignored the threat, staring coolly at Reno while the elevator descended. When it reached the ground floor, he didn't wait to be prompted out the door, heading out ahead of both Turks.

The courtyard had a few early-bird SOLDIERs loitering around, and they all straightened at the sight of Cloud crossing the courtyard flanked by Reno and Rude. One Second—one that attended Zack's training sessions regularly—called out, "Hey Cloud! Everything alright?"

Cloud raised a hand to ward off the concern, but didn't respond. He could feel eyes following them all the way across the courtyard though no one raised a protest. The Third at the gate to the compound had the gate open before they pulled level. He was also frowning at the sight of Cloud in the company of the Turks.

"Mornin' Cloud," he rumbled, reaching out to snag Cloud's sleeve and halt him. "You heard about the game the guys are settin' up tonight? They were wonderin' if you were gonna be there too."

Cloud hadn't, and suspected no one else had either. The Third-Tal, Cloud was pretty sure he was called-wasn't even looking at Cloud. Instead he was glaring at Reno and Rude as if he expected them to continue on their way.

Reno wasn't amused. "Hands off the merchandise, buddy," he said, smacking Tal's hand away from Cloud with his rod. "He's got places to be."

"He's got no business with a Turk, if you ask me," Tal growled back, shaking his knuckles out.

"He's ShinRa business, which makes him more my business than yours, pal," Reno snarked back. "Let's get moving, Strife. I'd hate to be late to your appointment because I got...side tracked, if you know what I mean."

"It's fine," Cloud said to Tal, somewhat bemused at the interference. He hesitated briefly, adding, "I'll be back later," before stepping out in front of Reno again. It was an echo of what he'd told Zack earlier. He hadn't realized he was that well-known among the SOLDIERs. Or was their animosity toward a rival branch of ShinRa the cause of the friction? Either way, the thinly veiled threat Reno had made rubbed Cloud the wrong way.

The rest of the walk to the ShinRa building was uncomfortably silent, but for the occasional metallic rasp of Reno toying with his electro-mag rod. Despite the distraction, Cloud couldn't shake the myriad of worries buzzing around in his head. This time he wouldn't be given a choice. Reno and Rude's presence made that much obvious. But begin promoted to SOLDIER...he didn't want to think of the consequences of that.

The least of which was the worry that either he or Zack wouldn't be sent on the Nibelheim mission. His own feelings on the rank aside, they needed to both be sent when Sephiroth was deployed. Trying to sneak out and tail after Sephiroth left would only raise alarms in Shinra, what with how closely they were being watched. If they did leave, they couldn't just abandon Aerith and hope ShinRa would leave her alone. Not after yesterday. If they hadn't officially acknowledged Zack—and Cloud's—association with Aerith before, he would bet they would be now.

But there was no way he was going to let her come to Nibelheim with them. Just the thought of it made his head swim sickeningly.

(Like you could stop her if she wanted to go….)

He pushed that thought aside roughly. If anything were to go wrong, it would be at Nibelheim. And he didn't think he'd be strong enough to watch her die again. Wallowing in misery as he was, it took him a moment to realize they'd arrived. ShinRa tower loomed before them, the early morning sun reflecting off the many windowed side of the building. Once they'd entered the front lobby, Reno snapped his hand out, pointing toward the stairs and the elevators beyond them with his electro-mag rod. "Up to the 51st floor you go."

A small knot of tension eased in Cloud at that pronouncement. He'd been braced to go to the science floor and have to face Hojo. That didn't mean the scientist wouldn't still show up, but at least Cloud wasn't being asked to leave himself at his non-existent mercy. More even than his issues with Reno, he wasn't sure he could prevent himself from...reacting poorly, when it came to Hojo. Even if it cost them their place here at ShinRa.

The lobby was just as quiet as the courtyard in the SOLDIER compound had been, and just as empty. It was too early for ShinRa's hustle and bustle to have truly begun. There was no one there outside of two sleepy eyed receptionists at the front desk, and a couple of late night workers having a coffee break at the glass tables on the upper level of the lobby. The two Turks marched him determinedly past all of them, and Reno jabbed the button to call the elevator before leaning against the wall beside the doors to wait. Rude stayed behind Cloud, looming like a silent sentinel.

When the doors pinged open, Reno swept inside ahead of him. Cloud frowned in irritation. He remembered when the other Rude had cornered him and his friends on the elevator. It made it very hard for him to voluntarily step in there with them. Even if they weren't as powerful, the Turks used every advantage they had at their disposal. It made them a real threat that he sometimes underestimated.

By the time they reached the SOLDIER floor, Cloud was sure he had knots on the knots in his shoulders from how tense he was. He honestly had no idea what was going to happen right now. Would Heidegger bother with offering him the promotion again? He doubted it. Reno had said he was taking Cloud to his evaluation. He wished, not for the first time, that his memory wasn't so foggy of his pre-Nibelheim days in ShinRa. He knew he'd done the SOLDIER evaluation before, and now that he was faced with it again he only had a vague recollection of too many questions and a burning impatience.

It was a short journey down the hall, prodded as ever by Reno's smug direction, before they came to the open doors of some sort of meeting room. Inside, only a single woman sat, a stack of papers before her and a petulant grimace on her face. Cloud recognized her vaguely as the scientist who'd mouthed off against Sephiroth at Fort Condor, mostly because he could still remember his reluctant amusement at her being caught out in her bitching.

"About time," she snapped, standing up and gesturing Cloud to hurry forward. He didn't, and that seemed to rankle her further. "Mr. Strife. I am to be your psyche evaluator to see if you are eligible for the rank of SOLDIER. You will—"

"Why bother," he interrupted smoothly. "It's already a foregone conclusion."

She stiffened, anger flashing across her face. "Excuse me! I don't know where your arrogance comes from, Private, but you haven't earned the right to anything. If this is going to be your attitude, then I can see you're certainly not SOLDIER material."

Unmoved by her outburst, Cloud regarded her silently, waiting for her to finish. He heard Reno and Rude close the doors behind him and take up positions to either side. From the inside, of course. They weren't foolish enough to give him a chance to get the drop on them.

Pity. It would have been somewhat funny to see how hard he could slam the door against Reno's face this time.

His silent scrutiny made the woman shift uncomfortably, until she abruptly sat down again. "Well! Since I must give you a fair assessment, let us begin. Have a seat." She gestured peremptorily at the chair across from her.

"I decline," he replied monotonously. He was too worked up to sit, anyway, but it was also satisfying watching her try to keep a lid on her temper. Perhaps he could fail the evaluation yet.

"I see." Her words were clipped, and she made a note on the sheets in front of her. "What is your name?"

"...Cloud Strife." He could tell this was going to test his patience already.

She made another note. "Age?"

(Shit.) "Fifteen." He hoped that was right.

Another note. "Where were you born?"

"Nibelheim."

"Your mother still lives there?"

"Yes."

"And your father?"

He merely shrugged. His irritation was making him restless, but he didn't want to give the woman the satisfaction of knowing that.

"I see," she said, making a quiet hum as she jotted down a few more notes before flipping the page. "It says here you refused an offer already to be promoted to SOLDIER. Is that true?"

"Yes." He really didn't see the point of asking him questions they already knew the answer to.

"Hm…." She was silent for a few moments, then looked up at him. "You are in charge of retrieving an important file from an enemy base. You have two infantry under your command. During the raid, one of your men is injured, while the other has retrieved the file. What is your course of action?"

Cloud blinked, not having expected the sudden change in direction the questions took. He frowned. It seemed more pointless than the other questions. You never knew what you would do until you were in the situation, really. "...I would assist them so they could escape," he said finally.

"How long does it take to travel to Kalm by car?" she fired off quickly, barely taking time to write before asking it.

"...Several hours." Fenrir could make the trip faster than any of ShinRa's standard transports, so he figured an estimation was safe enough.

"Have you had any adverse reactions to the mako you were exposed to nine months ago?" Again, she fired the question out almost as soon as Cloud finished answering the previous.

Was it possible to answer everything in five words or less? "No."

"Would you say your refusal of the SOLDIER position is an attempt to get back at the company for finding you unsuitable during your first attempt to get into the program?"

Thrown again, Cloud narrowed his eyes, starting to catch on to what she was doing. It would be easy to catch a greenhorn off guard, or a nervous ShinRa dissenter into admitting more than they should. Cloud was neither. "I did not earn the rank."

"Would you say your friendship with SOLDIER Fair has brought about this opportunity for you?"

Cloud scowled. He didn't like being interrogated, but now they were trying to bring Zack into it? "No comment."

She looked up at him sharply. "That is not an option. Answer the question."

"...No comment."

"He ain't gonna answer that one," Reno's voice drawled from the doorway. "Just skip it."

"...Very well. Moving on. What do you hope to achieve working for ShinRa?"

"No comment." Cloud was done playing their game. If they really wanted him in SOLDIER, they'd do it whether he answered or not.

Her eyes flashed, and the papers crumpled a little under her hands as she gripped them harder than was necessary. "What are your views on ShinRa?"

"No comment."

"Would you say you are evenly matched with SOLDIER Sephiroth?"

"No comment." (I can beat him.)

"That's it!" Clearly fed up with his non-answers, the woman shoved herself to her feet, scattering papers across the desk in her haste. "I cannot continue when it's obvious the subject is not going to cooperate. This whole thing is a sham! It's clear to me that Mr. Strife is both unwilling and unqualified to be allowed into SOLDIER. Send him back to the gutter he came from." She slashed her hand through the air in disgust.

"...Very unprofessional." Rude's unexpected rumble was tinged with scorn.

"Lucky for us," Reno added, "it's not up to you to decide. Guess we're done here."

Cloud didn't wait for any further dismissal, turning his back on the woman's furious expression. He strode between the two Turks, pushing open the doors roughly and uncaring of if they bounced off the walls or not. It didn't stop his two shadows from catching up to him, as Rude snagged his elbow to pull him down the opposite way, back to the elevators. If it had been Reno, he'd have lost the hand, Cloud reflected broodingly.

"Nice to see you driving someone else up the wall," Reno said, shooting Cloud a sharp grin.

"...No comment."

Letting out a sharp bark of laughter, Reno jabbed the button for the 49th floor. "Training Room, right this way. Try not to trash it this time, will ya?"

Letting out a quiet noise of scorn, Cloud didn't respond to the jab. So far, the 'evaluation' wasn't taking any unexpected turns. He wondered why he thought it would. It didn't stop him from maintaining an air of simmering anger at being forced into it.

Whatever they'd hoped to achieve with the questionnaire round, he sincerely hoped he'd foiled it by being uncooperative. Reno and Rude's presence suggested information gathering, at the very least. Still, if they forced the promotion despite that, then maybe they weren't suspicious enough of him being anti-ShinRa right now. He hadn't done anything one way or the other. Except plan the future desertion of their top two SOLDIERs, but they couldn't know that. Yet.

Three, he supposed now. The number didn't matter. If—when, a quiet part of his mind whispered—they succeeded in convincing Sephiroth to break off from ShinRa, if they could convince him of the truth of his origins against the lies of Hojo, ShinRa would never let their power go that easily.

When the elevators arrived on the SOLDIER floor, Cloud stepped out before Reno could prod him again. The floor was empty, as were the hallways, and he wondered if that was on purpose. It wouldn't look good to march their next hopeful around like a prisoner, after all. Any more than they already had. He could hear voices coming from the room off the Training Room, and braced himself for anyone from Heidegger to President ShinRa himself.

He forgot Zack had mentioned Hojo sometimes observed SOLDIERs in the Training Room.

The scientist was there, his hunched form standing near the glass wall that separated the control room from the Training Room proper. Cloud's vision went briefly static as he fought not to flinch, not to hesitate or give any indication he was bothered by the man at all. Hojo didn't appear to hear them come in, nor notice the two technicians flitting around the computer terminals nearby. He held a clipboard in one hand, limply dangling at his side. There wasn't anything or anyone in the room yet, but even so Hojo stared at it with a creeping intensity. Over the ringing in his ears, Cloud heard him say, "Oh, good. You're finally here. Let's begin."

So far, Cloud had managed to avoid Hojo except for the one, very brief encounter with Sephiroth. He'd been glad of Sephiroth's presence then, because he hadn't needed to face the scientist at all, only slip by. Now there was no buffer of Sephiroth's disdain, no way Cloud could get away. Heart pounding in his chest, he could feel his face go blank in an effort to keep the ragefearhate off it. Hojo, even if he wasn't the one who'd wronged him personally, would never be more than scum to Cloud. Zack could talk about second chances all he wanted, but Hojo didn't deserve any mercy.

The worst part was, Cloud couldn't do anything about it right now, however much he longed to run Hojo through and pin him to the wall.

It took a few moments for the rushing sound in his ears to die away, for him to understand what Hojo had actually said. Reno and Rude had stationed themselves at the door, so there was no realistic way for Cloud to retreat without fighting every step of the way. He clung desperately to the thought of Zack, waiting back at the apartment, expecting him to keep his cool and not put into jeopardy the hard work of the last few months. It helped, and Cloud was able to unclench his jaw and move forward.

"Well? Go into the Training Room." Hojo waved toward the door nearby with his clipboard. "Wear a headset. We need precise readings."

Cloud didn't respond, except to force his legs into motion to carry him to the other room. The Training Room was now a familiar sight to him, having spent many of his nights in here training with Zack or some of the other SOLDIERs. Gibbs and Edge had been keeping a running tally on which of them could land a hit on Cloud first. Cloud let his body go through the motions automatically, taking the headset from the rack and slipping it on, before moving to the center of the room. He couldn't face the observation window, knowing if he could see Hojo looking in on him like a specimen, his nerve would break.

Almost as soon as he'd settled into place, the view around him changed to the flat wasteland that surrounded Midgar. He tried to pick out familiar landmarks, anything to get his mind off what was actually happening right now.

"Initiate phase one."

"Shouldn't we brief him on the process?"

"A waste of time. Initiate phase one."

A warning went off in Cloud's mind, and he shifted to the side just in time for a bullet to go whizzing past his face. He didn't pause, but threw himself into motion as more shots rent the air. Sensing attacks in the Training Room was different from real life, not having the sense of a living being behind the assault, though the room did a decent job of imitating the dangerous pressure that heralded a strike.

Twisting around, Cloud drew his sword and blocked a few shots that followed his progress along the rocky ground, the sparse scrub providing no cover. He could see five infantrymen ranged out a ways away, their guns firing off a constant barrage against him.

Figuring it was better to finish this fast and give Hojo as little as possible to work with, Cloud switched direction and charged straight for the men. He was on the first in seconds, cutting him down without a thought. These weren't real people, after all. The second shooter went down as fast as the first, while the other three had gathered together to work in tandem to take Cloud out. He leapt up, twisting again to avoid their fire, and came down in the middle of them. A moment later it was all over, and the bodies faded away.

"Hm. Not a surprising result. Initiate the second phase."

A chorus of beastial screeches filled the air, and Cloud looked up to see two Griffons circling. He dodged to one side as a sheet of razor sharp feather projectiles rained down where he'd been standing a moment before. The second Griffon swooped in low, its talons aimed to take a chunk out of his arm. Cloud used his own momentum to aid in his swing, scoring a deep gash in the beast's side and neatly avoiding the attack all in one move. Its pained scream rang in his ears, answered in turn by the other Griffon above.

These were somewhat more difficult than the infantrymen. Nothing Cloud couldn't handle, but they were extremely maneuverable in the air, making them harder to reach, and could take a lot of damage. As demonstrated when the one he'd hit came in for a second attack, not slowed at all by the injury.

Cloud slipped his blade back on his back and crouched in preparation as the monster approached. He avoided the talons nimbly and reached out to grab the Griffon by one scaly leg. Bracing himself against the Griffon's momentum, Cloud slid back a few feet before he could control the motion, then twisted to slam it into the ground. Before it could rise, he'd drawn his sword and finished it off with a stab through the eye.

Even as the Griffon gave a final spasm in death, Cloud found himself forced to move as the second one began raining down another attack. His sword left the body with a realistic squelch, and he grimaced slightly as he flicked the blood off the blade. It may not be real, but the perceived mess would be as much of a hindrance as it was in reality if he didn't treat it as such.

The other Griffon wasn't going to follow the same pattern as its fellow, and remained high in the air out of immediate reach. Cloud kept out of the way of its aerial attacks as he considered his next move. He considered the materia he had on hand; Griffons were fairly resistant to most attack spells, but Gravity would both pull it close enough and—and Cloud had left his Gravity materia with Aerith. The irony of the timing almost made Cloud laugh out loud, if he wasn't already so stressed out by the entire situation.

If he couldn't bring the Griffon down to him, he'd just meet it on its own terms. Careful now of keeping the power internal, Cloud let a lick of energy into his earth materia, and let the Training Room create the effect of the ground underneath him bulge and shoot a pillar of rock into the air. He rode it up, then let his momentum carry him higher as he kicked off the platform. The Griffon shrieked at his approach, trying to twist out of the way, but it was too late as Cloud was on it. He spun, careful to keep in mind how much stress he could put on his sword, and cut cleanly through the monster's neck. He blocked one of the flailing claws as the body plummeted passed him, as he took control of his own fall to land a few feet away from the gory mess.

Hojo's voice cut through Cloud's concentration, and he clenched his jaw against the urge to flinch. "Did you even make certain the level settings on those things were correct?" Hojo's nasally voice was pinched with irritation. "No matter. On to phase three. Make certain you use the program I specified."

Cloud didn't like the sound of that. The next moment a roar shook the desolate landscape, and he liked the sound of that even less. He didn't have time to turn to see what his new opponent would be before he was forced to leap high to avoid being gored. As he arched above it, he first thought it to be a Dual Horn. However the front horns were too large, the coloring different from what he remembered. He cursed long and viciously in his head as he landed, realizing that Hojo had set a Grand Horn against him.

He had no time to recover before the monster was on him, faster than even Cloud anticipated. He barely had time to block from being impaled, dirt and gravel crunching under his boots as he slid, trying to gain traction. The Grand Horn tossed its head, lifting Cloud right off his feet to go flying across the wasteland.

Landing at the ready, Cloud frowned in concentration. This was ridiculous even for a Grand Horn. They were resilient, nearly impossible to kill as it was, but it was closing the distance between them too fast, not giving Cloud any time to press an attack. He thought back to the Behemoth he and Sephiroth had fought, how it had been tougher than it should have been. Hojo had interfered then as well. This had to be an 'enhanced' program of his, then.

Letting his body move to block the monster's attack, Cloud observed it closely, trying to find some opening he could exploit. His materia was useless, except as possible annoyances or…. He cast some energy into his earth materia again, and a trench opened up just in front of the Grand Horn's front legs. He wasn't terribly surprised when it didn't falter, simply stretching its stride to avoid the pitfall. Definitely faster, and smarter, to anticipate like that.

Cloud grunted as he locked sword to horns again, ready for it when the Grand Horn made to toss him after being unable to gore him. Just as the Grand Horn tensed, ducking its head in preparation to heave, Cloud pushed forward with all his strength. It sent the Grand Horn face first into the dirt, while at the same time Cloud cast another earth spell for a jut of rock to come up under the monster's chin. He felt the impact through his arms, gritting his teeth to keep the pressure on the monster's skull.

Unfortunately, it barely phased the Grand Horn, and it bellowed as it heaved itself back up—and indirectly send Cloud tumbling backward. Rolling with the motion, he didn't have time to get to his feet before the Grand Horn was on him, trying to stomp him into the ground. He went over backward again, but braced himself on his hands to kick out at the beast's under jaw. There was enough power behind the blow to knock the creature back a few steps, and that gave Cloud enough time to recover his stance.

There was no way he could damage the Grand Horn unless he fought at full power. Even then, it would be a long, tough fight. He was a bit bitter about that; the challenge of the battle was exhilarating, yet he couldn't enjoy it because of the circumstance. It reminded him of fighting side by side with Sephiroth. That was a secret, long-forgotten wish he'd had. To fight alongside his hero as an equal. Any time he considered how the future might turn out, his thoughts on Sephiroth's role in it were hazy, vague, and unspecified. But he would...like it, if he could have another chance to fight alongside him.

It occurred to him as he continued his stalemate block and dodge fight, that this was just another useless formality for a foregone conclusion. How he performed here was equally as unlikely to affect their decision as his refusal to answer the questions earlier. However, standing aside wasn't an option, not with the Grand Horn so intent to impale him. Winning this fight would give Hojo far too much information on how powerful Cloud really was, and he wanted that information to remain as muddled as possible.

The only option that came to mind was to lose. Not, Cloud reflected, that that would be easy. Or safe. He cursed under his breath as the Grand Horn shoulder checked him when he couldn't move out of the way fast enough. He knew better now how bruised the Training Room simulations could leave you, but didn't think he'd ever get over the incongruous sensation of having the Masamune strike through him while only feeling a deep ache afterward. Hojo's last program had left Sephiroth black and blue a full day afterward. This one was as dangerous, if not more-so.

He had to try. The stalemate could go on as long as he had strength, and he was not prepared to try destroying the Training Room again. Maybe as a last resort, if his first idea took a turn for the worse.

With how much he'd been moving throughout all three fights, he had no idea anymore where the observation window was. He hated not knowing; it felt too much like Hojo was everywhere, watching him like a specimen in a jar. He'd had enough of that for both his lifetimes. Still, since he didn't know exactly where his observers were, he had to take care to make it look as natural as he could.

He ducked around the Grand Horn's side, diving off to give him a little bit of space and invite a charge from the beast. It turned practically on its tail, front hooves dancing in the air as it came down heavily on them. Then as he'd predicted it made a dash straight for him. Bracing himself for the pain, Cloud stepped in just to meet it, just a bit off target. The weight of the beast impacting his ribs was mitigated only slightly as he prevented a crippling blow, but it hurt. Winded, he went flying backward, sword skittering from his hand as he allowed it to slip from his grip.

The Grand Horn was on him, and Cloud had to struggle this time to get out of the way before it stomped on him. His ribs were screaming at him, and he was getting light headed from lack of air as the shock to his lungs hadn't worn off enough for him to take a breath. When he did manage to gasp in a few desperate lungsful, he lost them again as the Grand Horn caught him with a sideways swing of its head, one of the tusks slamming into the back of his head.

That...was about as much as he could realistically take. If Hojo didn't call an end to the test, and he was banking heavily on the idea that ShinRa would frown heavily on him killing Cloud off, then Cloud was prepared to shake apart the room again with his materia. He could manage that much, bruised body and all.

Cloud shuffled backward along the ground a few inches as the Grand Horn charged, and grit his teeth as it got close enough for him to feel its hot breath, for him to see the artificial gleam in its eyes as it prepared a final blow. His perceptions slowed, time stretching out as the hooves inched closer and closer to his head, and he silently judged how far he could push it before he had to act.

Just as he was about to throw caution to the wind and release as big an earth spell as he could, the Grand Horn froze. All Cloud could see was the wide hoof, as big as his head, filling his vision. He recognized a paused program, but it didn't made it any less disconcerting to sit up through the monster's torso. Painfully, he climbed to his feet, slipping off the headset as he rose. One hand pressed into his aching stomach as if that would aid in lessening the throbbing pain.

The lights of the Training Room flickered as the programs were shut down, returning to the white glow of stand-by. The observation room was right in front of Cloud, and he sucked in a painful breath as his eyes met the beetle-black ones of Hojo. The scientist looked smug, his lips twisted into a parody of a smile. Cloud stood there, expressionless and slightly hunched over, waiting to see what would happen now.

"I would say rumors of his abilities have been over sensationalized," Hojo's voice echoed through the speakers linked to the Training Room. "His failings likely come down to whatever nature his enhancements have. Without the full SOLDIER treatment I suspect he'll never reach the potential he could otherwise. We can rectify that situation easily."

The dig at his pride didn't bother Cloud. It wasn't like he cared what anyone in ShinRa thought about him, Hojo least of all. In fact, if Hojo's report was negative enough, maybe they'd let Cloud off the promotion all together. What he didn't like was Hojo's comment about the full SOLDIER treatment. Cloud repressed a shudder as he took in the implications. Being injected with more Jenova cells, and worse, being at Hojo's mercy for any length of time…. Cloud had told Zack once that he'd kill before he let it happen again. He stood by that oath.

Hojo continued, unbothered by Cloud's continued recalcitrant silence. "You may leave now. I have data to go over. Remember to report in for your medical evaluation tomorrow." The scientist turned away from the observation window, bringing his clipboard up as he walked away. Cloud could see his lips move as he muttered to himself, breaking into an audible cackle as he left Cloud's sight.

Cloud stood for a moment in the relative silence the Training Room provided, just focusing on his breathing as he pushed down on a murderous urge to follow Hojo and make sure he never got the chance to harm anyone ever again. He may not have been the sole mind behind everything, but Hojo had a major part in so much of what Cloud had suffered, what those he cared for suffered. It was physically painful to just let him walk away.

More painful, however, was the spreading ache shooting through his torso, as well as the knot he could feel swelling on the back of his head. Reaching up gingerly, Cloud winced when he brushed fingers over the tender spot, and his gloves came back glistening with a smear of blood. He'd been lucky it hadn't been worse, truth be told. It had been a reckless move—he was sure he'd hear about it later from Zack—and not thought out at all. But what other choice had Cloud had? It had done the trick in making Hojo underestimate Cloud. He could live with bruises for a few days. He just needed to keep ShinRa at bay for a little longer….

Since he'd been so summarily dismissed, Cloud collected his sword and made his way to the doorway to the control room, tossing the headset carelessly on top of the rack that held them. None of the technicians looked up as he entered, their focus on the monitors in front of them a bit too artificial to be true. Perhaps they felt guilty, sending such an advanced program against him, or maybe they were somehow afraid of the skill he had shown beforehand. It wasn't really anything above SOLDIER level, but then, Cloud wasn't a SOLDIER…yet.

Reno and Rude were still flanking the doorway. Cloud straightened from his slouch as he approached. The stretch made his ribs hurt worse, but he ignored it. The Turks may have witnessed his 'loss' in that fight, but he wasn't about to show more weakness in front of them. And if they were planning on trying to shuffle him off to some other test, he was...probably going to do something they would all regret.

Reno jerked his chin up, almost challenging, and pushed off the wall. "You going to be okay getting here tomorrow, or do we need to pick you up again?"

Not bothering to answer, Cloud just leveled a flat stare at Reno and swept past him out of the room. He was relieved when he didn't hear their footsteps following him this time as he made his way toward the elevators. The floor was still deserted, and by this hour there definitely should have been the usual crowd of early morning SOLDIERs preparing for their missions for the day. Idly, Cloud wondered if it had been the Turks, Heidegger, or someone else entirely that had ensured that. It didn't matter in the end. Rumors were probably already spreading thanks to Reno and Rude's impudent trespass of the SOLDIER compound.

When the elevator doors closed behind him, Cloud allowed himself to slump against the far wall. His hand found its way to his side again, and he winced as the pressure both hurt and helped against the throbbing ache. Definitely should have thought that through more…. Pulling out his phone, Cloud was about to text Zack and let him know he was on his way back, when he remembered that Zack was currently in the middle of a huge sulk over his fight with Aerith.

Cloud wanted to be there to help Zack. But he was also part of the problem. Aerith wasn't angry at Zack alone. Cloud had kept his knowledge from her. It may have been at Zack's request, but they both knew he could have reached out to her sooner. That what he knew should have been shared between him and her, not at Zack's whim. His stomach twisted painfully, not just from the bruising he could already feel forming. Right now, Cloud doubted Zack needed his problems on top of that, and Cloud was in no state of mind to keep to himself. What he needed was to spend some time away, by himself, and let his emotions settle down more. He had a headache from all the stress on top of the beating he took.

Decided, Cloud tapped out a quick message, letting Zack know he would be back later that night. Before he could put his phone away it beeped, and he read Zack's return message.

That's fine. I was thinking of hitting the Goblins Bar with a few buddies anyway. Let me know how it went later, okay?

That reassured him that at least Zack wasn't sulking in the apartment. Zack would deal with his own issues. If he needed support, he would reach out to Cloud, just as Cloud knew when to go to Zack. His relationship with Zack was...comfortable, and it made Cloud happy that he'd had the chance to become true friends with him. The strength of that bond meant so much more than a possible attraction.

The elevator reached the bottom floor, and when the door opened the half dozen business men who'd been waiting for it took several startled steps backward when they caught sight of Cloud. He supposed he must look somewhat as bad as he felt. Ducking his chin down into his scarf to hide a scowl, he stepped past them into the lobby beyond. The night secretaries had been relieved for the day shift, and the hustle and bustle of ShinRa company starting the day filled the area. Cloud paid it no mind, wanting to get away from anyone and everyone right now.

When he made it out of the building, he paused and let the crowd ebb and flow around him. If he were to be honest with himself, what he really wanted…what he wanted would be to take Fenrir out for a ride, to get out of Midgar and to clear his mind. The former wasn't possible, of course, and he doubted the Turks would let him leave Midgar even if he could find transport out. Still, he needed to get away from people for a while.

There were abandoned stretches of highway all around the edge of the plate, some of the roads intact all the way to the ground below. Most, however, were treacherously incomplete, so even if you braved the maze of streets you were as likely to reach a sudden drop as where you wanted to go. They were there in preparation for the city's extension, but had never been completed to Cloud's memory. As such, no one ever went there, and they were the perfect spot for Cloud to find a little peace and quiet.

He wound through the streets of Midgar, the early morning filled with the ambient noise of people as they began their day's work, shops opening and food stalls calling out their wares to entice the hungry passer-by. None of it really touched him, apart from the occasional pain as a passerby jostled him, aggravating his aches. They'd dulled to an irritating, constant throb, and weren't helping much with his mood, though he tried to ignore it as much as he could. He'd brought it on himself, after all.

Slowly the number of people in the streets lessened, and the buildings took on a more ramshackle appearance. This section of the plates, while still many steps above slum living, was the cheaper side of things, too far away from the central ShinRa tower and the jobs it provided. Soon enough the buildings melted away, and the dark asphalt stretched out before Cloud. He let his feet take him, the morning hour melting away as the sun rose high, beating down on him while heat radiated off the black tar. He began to sweat under the many layers of his uniform, and it was the first time he regretted the scarf around his neck. For a moment he contemplated taking it off, but the heat wasn't unbearable, and he had no place to put it anyway.

His ribs were hurting less by now, and the headache had died down somewhat. He was uncomfortably aware of the blood that had dried in his hair, which would be a pain to clean out later. Coupled with the minor sting from the salt of his sweat in the wound, he was having a hard time ignoring the urge to itch at the discomfort. It would just aggravate things again.

Abruptly, Cloud realized part of the buzzing in his head wasn't caused by the headache alone; his steps had taken him far into the maze of streets, their criss-crossing arches passing by endlessly, only now he was aware of the pressurefeeling of Sephiroth's mind nearby. Sucking in a breath, Cloud reflexively clamped down on his own mind.

He'd always been cautious, always excessively aware of that connection when in close quarters with Sephiroth. However, nothing had come of it. Either Cloud was successfully keeping his thoughts to himself, or Sephiroth wasn't feeling the same connection. That, or he didn't understand what it was, didn't yet know how to take advantage of it to reach into Cloud's conscious, to control...

Cloud pushed those fears aside. It didn't matter right now. Sephiroth was not the madman who tauntingly slipped into Cloud's mind. There was no reason he should, not now.

Stopping in the middle of the street, he wondered if he should turn away, find another path to travel, or return to the city proper. But he wasn't ready to do the latter, and...and he wasn't averse, really, to seeing what Sephiroth was up to out here. The burn of curiosity drove him forward, and it was only a few minutes later that he began hearing sounds; the wark of a happy chocobo, coupled with the sound of pottery shattering. There was an ozone smell in the air that he recognized as residue from repeated lightning spells.

A street running perpendicular to the one Cloud was on rose above him, where it cut off abruptly in an incomplete overpass. It was there that Cloud knew Sephiroth was. Crouching, Cloud leapt up, propelling himself to the upper street easily. He wasn't worried about surprising Sephiroth—he wasn't sure that was possible—though he did wonder if his presence there would be unwelcome.

He landed lightly a few feet from the edge, careful of his injuries, and was unsurprised to see Viri prancing happily about. What did make him jerk upright a little too fast was the sight of Sephiroth with the upper part of his coat stripped to hang about his waist, and the criss-cross of the straps attached to his belt stretching across his bare chest to loop over either shoulder. His hair was held up in a high ponytail, wisps of his bangs trailing around his face. What shocked Cloud most of all, however, was the distinct lack of Masamune. He didn't even see it lying anywhere nearby. The sword was such an ingrained part of Cloud's view of Sephiroth, that it was more unsettling to not see it than if Sephiroth had been baring it against him.

Sephiroth looked, frankly, completely relaxed.

Even as Cloud watched, Sephiroth tossed a disc shaped object into the air. Viri darted forward, following the object's trajectory with a keen stare before crouching slightly, spreading his wings, and...appeared to spew lightning from his beak. The disc shattered midair, lightning crackling around it as the pieces fell.

"...You really did it," Cloud muttered, honestly impressed. It had sounded interesting, but he hadn't really believed Zack when he'd said Sephiroth had been teaching Viri to use materia.

Sephiroth's shoulders tensed minutely, and he glanced back briefly toward Cloud before turning back to the chocobo. He lobbed another disc into the air, and Viri gave chase again. "He likes Thunder materia."

Cloud nodded, taking that at face value. "Have you tried...other kinds? Or just elemental?"

The disc shattered under Viri's assault, and Sephiroth reached down to a brown paper bag sitting near his boots. From it, he pulled a muffin, which he tossed on a more direct trajectory. The bird jumped up into the air, wings fluttering, and snagged it before trotting back to Sephiroth as he swallowed happily. The light gleamed off the collar and materia at Viri's neck. "Support, Summon, and Restorative materia appear to be beyond him."

Humming thoughtfully in response, Cloud took a few slow steps forward, still unsure if Sephiroth's attitude meant he wanted Cloud to leave, or if he was merely confused to why he was there at all. Cloud wasn't sure himself, except that he was fascinated Sephiroth had taught Viri such an unusual skill. "If he can cast offensive spells, then likely...restorative isn't beyond his capabilities. Maybe...he just doesn't understand it would help, not harm. Have you...explained it?"

"I have," Sephiroth said as Viri begged scratches from him, leaning against his side until he complied. That same bemused expression that Cloud had glimpsed months ago in ShinRa's library was there again. "I suspect it's a lack of practical example."

That made sense. Chocobos, however intelligent, were still animals, and wouldn't understand trying to fix something that wasn't broken. "What about Enemy Skill?" he asked, taking another few steps forward. He was even with Sephiroth now, though there was still a half dozen feet between them.

"I mean to try him on it once I have one ready for him." Viri left off Sephiroth and came trotting over to Cloud, all puffed up feathers and a jaunty step. He immediately shoved his beak against Cloud's forehead. "I have to take all of his Thunder materia away or he won't use anything else."

Ignoring the spike of pain Viri's motions caused, Cloud smiled faintly and reached up to greet Viri properly. He was almost full grown now, maybe another hand away from his full height. Viri's coos of delight echoed in his ears and Cloud took the opportunity to examine the collar closer. It was a simple band that sat loosely around the chocobo's neck, with a linked pair slot and another single slot for materia embedded in the metal. Only the single was filled with the Thunder materia.

Sephiroth's boots clicked against the road as he strode over to stand beside Cloud. He leaned down to tap the linked slots. "Sometimes," he said, "I give him an All just to see what happens."

Absently scratching at the ruff of feathers on Viri's head, Cloud nodded in understanding, and looked up to respond. He was struck then that Sephiroth was looming over him, despite the fact he was bent over. Instead of the comment he'd intended, what came out of Cloud's mouth was, "...You're tall." It felt like he was just realizing it, with Sephiroth so close and time to actually take in their height difference. He was usually more distracted by more pressing, Masamune-shaped matters.

Sephiroth glanced at him partly through his bangs, some of which were stuck to the skin of his forehead and cheeks. He blinked once. "Yes."

That...was really all that needed to be said. Blinking, Cloud remembered what he'd been intending to ask. "Does it ever work? The All?"

Straightening up again, Sephiroth considered the chocobo thoughtfully. "It activates automatically when he uses the partnered materia. I'm not certain if he's using it, or if it's just the nature of paired materia to feed one another."

"Are you using natural, or...produced?" Cloud couldn't tell while the materia was still in the collar.

"Most of my stock is natural. I don't care for ShinRa's produced materia."

Humming again, Cloud considered that. It seemed like there was more to it than mere dislike, but there was no way for him to ask. Instead, he asked, "And does he always use...his mouth as the medium to cast?" It wasn't an unusual method for monsters to use, those that could use their own non-materia based magic attacks.

"Fire and Thunder he does. With Blizzard he uses his claws." Viri preened, clearly aware they were talking about him.

Cloud was itching to see such an attack in action, but refrained from asking. He felt that whatever...this was between them was delicate enough. Glancing briefly over at Sephiroth, Cloud pushed Viri gently back and gave him a soft, "Stand," command. Viri did so, but cocked his head and followed Cloud's movements with curious eyes and a tilted head. Cloud walked around Viri, trailing a hand along his chest, back, wings, checking to see how the chocobo had been growing in his unusually urban environment. He was certainly healthy and energetic.

Finishing his examination, Cloud frowned briefly. "You don't run him?" Viri's feathers were well cared for, glossy and full, and there was no dander or feather dust, no ragged feathers. But the muscles around his legs, as well as his chest, weren't as developed as they should be for a bird as bred to racing as Viri was.

Sephiroth shrugged and turned away to walk over to one of the low walls framing the road. He reached down and swept up a bottle of water left in the slight shade there. "He can keep up with me well enough."

Cloud shook his head, somewhat affronted at the wasted talent. "He was bred from racers, to be a racer." And he'd been one of the best. Cloud still remembered the biting frustration of entering a race, only to find the smugly grinning Joe atop Teioh at the start line. Maybe it was petty, but Cloud wanted Viri to beat Teioh on every level.

Rather than answer immediately, Sephiroth unscrewed the cap on the bottle and tilted his head back, gulping it down. He'd drained a quarter of it before he moved back toward Cloud and Viri. Sephiroth chucked Viri under the chin and the bird obligingly tilted his head up for him to pour some of the water into his beak. "I have no interest in racing."

Letting out an irritated sigh—louder than he'd intended but this day had been trying enough—Cloud decided that one way or another, he was going to have a ride along these streets. Viri wasn't fully developed yet, but, well, neither was he. He stripped off his sword and harness, setting them to the side to rid himself of the extra weight. His scarf and jacket followed, and he gave a little sigh of relief as he got rid of the stuffy clothes.

Capping the bottle, Sephiroth flicked his gaze to Cloud. One arch brow rose further, and his gaze dropped for a second. "What are you doing?"

Grunting, he tugged at one of his gloves with his teeth, loosening it so he could pull it off. "It's hot." The other glove followed. "I'm taking my clothes off." Stripped of all he could realistically take off, Cloud stepped up to Viri's side. Taking a firm but gentle hold on the ruff around his neck, Cloud hauled himself onto Viri's back. For his part, Viri warked in surprise and danced a few steps to the side, craning his neck around to try to get a look at Cloud. Patting him reassuringly, Cloud looked over at Sephiroth. "And I'm taking him for a run. You're wasting him."

Sephiroth snorted, the water bottle dangling in his lax fingers at his side. "I noticed."

Cloud ignored the sarcasm, and dug his knees into Viri's side, guiding him to turn and face down the road. It was harder without reins, but he'd done enough bareback riding in the past, and Viri caught on quickly. He didn't bother easing into it, just leaned in and urged Viri into an all-out sprint. Viri took off immediately, warking in pleasure as he stretched his stride out and galloped along.

It was exhilarating to just let go, let his body ease into the motions of riding again. While not Fenrir, chocobo racing had been a guilty pleasure he'd still enjoyed occasionally. He'd been almost as famous as Joe was, at the Gold Saucer races, for popping in unexpectedly. It had been...years now, since he'd last indulged. While his ribs protested the ride, Cloud ignored the pain in favor of just enjoying the wind whipping through his hair, the familiar rocking of Viri's stride, and the hot sun beating down on his skin.

He paid no attention to the passing of time, turning his attention instead to the feel of Viri under him, judging by when the chocobo's stride began to falter. Viri was young, and untrained, so he didn't want to harm him by running him too much too soon. He murmured the audible commands to slow, to turn, as he guided Viri through the motions, teaching him as he went. Viri took to it like the racer he was, and needed no prompting to alternate his pace at Cloud's direction. As fantastic as it was that Sephiroth had done what, really, no other person had thought to do before, he'd missed the entire point of owning a chocobo.

Cloud guided Viri back the way they'd come at a slower pace, though he did give in and let Viri sprint the last stretch back to where Sephiroth was waiting. He waited until the last moment before pulling Viri up to a stop, pleased at how quickly Viri was able to go from full speed to dead still.

From where Sephiroth leaned back against the low wall, he tossed the brown paper bag at Cloud. Cloud snagged it with one hand, chest rising and falling faster than usual as he caught his breath from the exhilaration of his ride. It had certainly banished most of his black mood, though apprehension and guilt still loomed in the back of his mind. Peering into the bag, Cloud raised an amused eyebrow at Sephiroth at the sight of a few poppy muffins.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sephiroth nodded toward Cloud and the bag. "Give him a treat."

Snorting softly, Cloud did so, sliding off Viri's back to feed him one of the pastries. Viri chuckled and cooed, snatching the food delicately out of Cloud's hand and devouring it quickly. He shoved his head against Cloud's chest, begging for attention or more treats, and Cloud winced again as the chocobo pressed against his bruises. They covered his entire chest, all the way up one of his shoulders, and were already dark and mottled on his skin. He pushed down the irritation at the reminder.

Sephiroth shifted, a sound of leather rustling against concrete. He seemed to waver, almost, before coming to a decision. His gaze flicked to Viri then landed on Cloud again before falling to the bruises. "I have a Cure on hand."

Cloud blinked, before he caught on. "Viri?" he asked, just to be sure. The chocobo warbled at his name, and Sephiroth gave a sharp nod in response. Grinning a little as he patted the chocobo, he nodded at Sephiroth in permission.

Sephiroth stepped away from the wall, reaching into a pocket of his pants to pull out a bracer. He dug his finger into one and popped it out. "Viri," he said, tone sharp and commanding. It drew the chocobo's complete attention immediately. Sephiroth held his hand out, and Viri leaned in to bump his beak against the materia. It glowed, briefly, with a bit of power before subsiding again. "Watch." Sephiroth reached out, his hand hovering inches from Cloud's chest. Cloud was struck, briefly, at how little that affected him. Once, he would have been tying himself up in knots of panic over Sephiroth's mere presence. The materia glowed again, power gathering in it and a pale green glow limning Sephiroth's hand. It was only seconds before the spell was cast.

Cloud sucked in a quick breath as the powerful magic surged through him. There was no gentleness to it, despite the healing nature, and it left spots dancing before his eyes and his skin tingling as the spell ended just as abruptly. He didn't need to look down to know that all of the dark bruises were gone. Cloud gave a sideways glance up at Sephiroth's face, impressed despite himself at both how powerful and easily he commanded the materia. Of course, he'd probably been trained in its use for more years than Cloud had, rather than the fumbling way Cloud had self-taught himself.

He turned his attention back to Viri, eager to see if the chocobo had picked up on the trick. Sephiroth reached over and plucked the Thunder materia out of Viri's collar before slotting the Cure in its place. Viri lifted his head higher and tilted it this way and that, his beak clicking a few times. He peered at Cloud, then up at Sephiroth to whom he gave an inquisitive warble. Sephiroth flicked his fingers at Cloud, and Viri looked back at him. He shuffled his claws a bit then ruffled his feathers and did a little hop-skip, wings flapping as the materia glowed with inner power. He ended the odd little dance by bumping his head gently against Cloud's.

Cloud let out a quiet laugh at the silly move, feeling the Cure spell flow into him and work on the wound on the back of his head. He was relieved when that killed the rest of his headache as well. All he had left to contend with was getting the dried blood out of his hair now. Patting Viri's beak in thanks, he shook his head in bemusement. Sephiroth was something else. Who else would have thought to teach their chocobo magic?

"The difficult part will be teaching him when to use it."

Tilting his head in acknowledgement, Cloud considered that. "He knows how to do it now, and he listens to you. It won't be difficult." He stepped back, wandering back over to his discarded gear to pull his jacket back on. It was still hot, but he didn't want to leave them lying around. Once he finished dressing, he hesitated before strapping on his sword and stood there for a moment, realizing he still didn't want to return just yet to the stress and worry that waited for him back in the city. Instead, he leaned the weapon against the side wall and walked over to the edge of the road, sitting gracelessly down to dangle his legs over the edge.

A few seconds later he heard the sound of steps, and chocobo claws, trailing after him. "Zack wouldn't have let you get that hurt."

"Zack wouldn't let me stay that hurt," Cloud corrected. They'd both had some hard hits from the simulation. If it was bad enough, Zack would insist on healing them up, 'Just in case someone asks questions!'

There was a rustle of heavy leather as Sephiroth lowered himself to sit on the edge not far from Cloud. His boots kicked a few pieces of cement loose as he let them dangle, one bracing on a jutting piece of metal. Cloud could feel his eyes on him. "The two of you are close."

Turning his head both at the comment and the rustle of feathers right behind him, Cloud watched as Viri flopped down and rested his head against Sephiroth's back, perfectly content with himself. He sensed more than saw the clawed feet at his own back. "Viri, no," he said sharply, reminded of Viri kicking Zack off the edge of the couch. Viri let out a rumble, but only pressed his feet lightly into Cloud's back, claws curling around his hip. Turning his attention to Sephiroth, Cloud said, "Zack likes to make friends. But...he lets a few people in close." Including Sephiroth, if only Sephiroth would let him.

Sephiroth turned away, looking upward and Viri tilted his beak to nibble at the long strands escaping from his ponytail. "Angeal was...much the same, but he had less energy. That's why they got along so well."

Slumping forward, Cloud let his hands rest on the edge of the pavement, considering that. Even though Zack had shared with him some of who the man Angeal had been, it still felt like Cloud was missing something whenever he was brought up. He could understand that, however. Unless you were there, unless you experienced it, memories were hard to share. It had been a sign of Zack's deep trust in Cloud that he'd talked of the mentor who'd meant so much to him. Maybe...Sephiroth was trying to open up as well.

However, Cloud knew better than to press about it. The last time, Sephiroth had closed up on himself on his own accord. "Zack often has too much energy. But...it's nice."

Sephiroth's gaze tracked over and landed on Cloud again. "For who?"

Letting out a quiet huff of a laugh, Cloud glanced at Sephiroth out of the corner of his eye. "Him, mostly."

"Ah, I guessed as much."

Leaning back into Viri's feet, Cloud offered half-jokingly, "Maybe you should spar with him sometime. Help him get rid of his excess energy." He wasn't sure who'd have the bigger heart attack if Sephiroth did, honestly. Probably himself.

Sephiroth canted his head to the side, a thoughtful look flickering across his face. "I might," he said, and then paused. It drew on for a moment, though it was clear there was something else he wanted to say though some strange hesitancy seemed to hold him back. It was odd still to think of Sephiroth hesitating over anything. Finally, he added, "And you?"

Cloud didn't really have to think about it, the affirmation on the tip of his tongue, before he remembered the problem that was waiting for him back in Midgar. "...If I have time," he muttered, scowling and looking away. He had no idea what ShinRa would do with him once they did promote him, but he doubted they'd leave him up to his own devices as much as they did now.

"I've heard that the two of you have been busy with the other SOLDIERs."

It was kind of funny how Sephiroth never asked anything, always turning it into a statement. "Zack, mostly. I stay sometimes. They...look up to him."

"They look up to Zack," Sephiroth said idly, "but they consider you one of them."

"...I guess I will be...soon enough." He didn't bother to hide his bitterness.

A weighty pause floated between them for several seconds, and Sephiroth's shoulders stiffened. "Are they moving ahead with that already? When is your evaluation?"

"...Today. And medical...tomorrow. Psyche, and physical was...well, you saw," he replied vaguely, gesturing at his torso.

"I should have guessed." Sephiroth turned to him again, leveling him with a cool, calculating stare. Cloud repressed a surge of emotion at the familiar expression. Still, on the Sephiroth of now, with hair clinging to his face and a touch of color on his cheeks from the heat, he appeared so much more human than the Other that Cloud was beginning to find that comparison lacking. "Hojo?"

"...Had something special." Cloud was quiet for a moment, considering, then added, "I lost."

"I always knew he'd take an interest in you." Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, letting them flick over Cloud. He seemed...confused. "Why?"

Cloud slumped further, idly rubbing at a knee under one of the pads as he considered that. It didn't surprise him, exactly, that Sephiroth didn't believe he'd really lost. Nor that Sephiroth couldn't comprehend losing on purpose. For him, his entire life was built around the next battle, and losing probably hadn't been something he'd dealt with in a long time...if ever. "...I had no reason to win," he said finally in response.

Sephiroth frowned sharply and looked away again, the gesture coupled with a pressureinterestbafflement at the back of Cloud's mind. Cloud caught a stray thought, just a faint, (A reason….), and a flash of the AVALANCHE woman, Elfe, before he clamped down and tried to block the sensation. He kept his own surprise off his face, not having expected such a strong reaction from Sephiroth. What had that been about?

"...I see," Sephiroth said slowly, his hand rising to press against his temple. His brows furrowed, giving him a slightly pinched look.

The pressing silence was broken by a loud whistle-snore from Viri, and the next thing Cloud knew he'd been shoved off the edge of the road entirely. Wide-eyed, he flailed a hand and barely managed to catch the lip of the edge. He hung there in confusion as he tried to figure out what had happened.

Sephiroth leaned forward to peer down at Cloud, the pinched expression completely gone in the face of a very slight upward quirk to his lips. "He kicks in his sleep."

It took a few moments for that to sink in, then Cloud scowled, a touch of color flushing his cheeks in embarrassment. He'd forgotten about Viri, he'd been so quiet. "Thanks for the warning," he bit out, then heaved and curled to flip himself back onto the road. Viri had been dislodged when Sephiroth leaned forward, and let out a sleepy wark as he looked around.

"I didn't expect him to be so worn out."

Cloud didn't need to look at him; he could hear the amused smirk in his voice. Brushing his pant legs in an effort to distract himself, Cloud said, "He's not used to carrying weight, nor extended running." (Which is your fault.) "I pushed him as far as was healthy for him."

Sephiroth gave a little hmm. "He seemed to enjoy it. You can take him out whenever you want. Late, preferably."

That did cause Cloud to look at him, a touch surprised at the offer. "...Thanks." This time, it was sincere. He might take Sephiroth up on that offer. The ride had done more for Cloud's mood than anything else had recently, being free of any of the concerns that plagued his thoughts normally.

"I don't care to ride, and it's good for him."

Again, Cloud had the impression that there was more to it than Sephiroth stated. He glanced at Viri, the sun glinting off the chocobo's collar, and asked somewhat wistfully, "...Do you think I can take him with me tomorrow?"

Sephiroth tilted his head up, gazing at the sky. "No. He was banned from going near the Science Department after he chased them all into a corner during my last visit."

Cloud stared at him for a moment, eyes wide, before he laughed. The absurdity of that mental image banishing away the dark dread, just for a while, as he enjoyed the idea of Hojo being harassed by the lightning-wielding chocobo. As Zack always said, enjoy the good things while they lasted; there'd be time enough for the bad when it came.

[ μ ] – εуλ 0002 (August 11th)

Bright and early the next morning found Cloud at the front door to his and Zack's apartment, feeling a sense of deja-vu as he glared out at Reno and Rude. The only difference this time was in the background he could hear Zack's snoring, his friend having stayed out late drinking. Cloud didn't blame him. Though he had had to listen sympathetically as Zack asked rhetorically again and again if he thought Aerith would forgive him. It was unconsciously rubbing salt into the wound; Zack and Aerith would work out their problems of trust, but would Aerith be able to forgive Cloud from keeping her secrets from her? It had been a relief when Zack had fallen asleep sprawled across the couch.

"Good morning, Sunshine. You didn't give us an answer so we thought we'd double check." Reno was clearly off to a blistering start.

"Why?" Cloud let all his frustration out in the single word, already uptight enough with the knowledge that he was going to willingly be walking into Hojo's lair. He didn't need Reno on top of that.

"Now, don't be like that. We're all friends here, right?"

Growling, Cloud didn't bother answering. He'd been on his way out already only to find them out there waiting, so he close the door behind him and pushed passed Reno for the elevators. The doors had actually almost closed before Rude's hand stopped them, opening them so the two Turks could enter as well.

Reno slouched against the wall, smirk turned mean. "You're in a hurry. Good, we like that. Gotta make sure the employees are punctual."

"If I take you two out here, no one will tell on me for at least a few hours," Cloud snapped. He was tempted to do so anyway, if only to get Reno out of his hair. His nerves were buzzing with panicked energy, and he was ready to snap at the first likely target.

"Touchy," Reno drawled, tilting his head to the side. All it would take would be one quick lunge. Reno had nowhere to back off to right now, and Cloud could shut him up for a few hours.

Beside him, Rude cleared his throat loudly and shifted where he stood. Cloud spared him a glance. Maybe he could tell how close Cloud was to snapping. With his sunglasses, it was hard to tell if he was looking at Cloud or Reno, but either way Cloud gave a soft, derisive snort and ignored Reno's smug presence.

Exiting to the courtyard, Cloud was unsurprised to see it littered with more SOLDIERs than yesterday, none of them looking happy at a two-day occurrence of Turks in their midst. Cloud noted Kunsel leaning over the railing of the second floor, and he nodded brief acknowledgement to Kunsel's little wave. He'd play backup leader while Zack was so out of it.

Two bodies detached themselves from the watching crowd, and Edge and Gibbs came sauntering up. Cloud paused, his shoulders stiffening at the sound of Reno and Rude halting just behind him.

"Hey Cloud," Gibbs said, giving him a grin that showed slightly too many teeth, reminiscent of the encounter they'd had with the slum gang. Edge looked right past Cloud, a dark light in his eyes as he glared at the two Turks.

Edge flicked a glance at the them as well, his smirk just as sharp as Gibb's grin. "You getting hassled?"

Before Cloud could answer, Reno's voice cut in, "Move it. This is none of your business and we got places to be."

Cloud could feel his brow twitch in irritation. He'd definitely had enough of Reno. "Be careful, his weapon has a shock setting." Without further ado, he continued walking through the gap between Gibbs and Edge, feeling a surge of vindictive pleasure at Reno's affronted exclamation.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?!"

"See you later, Cloud," Gibbs called glibly.

Edge's voice floated behind him, accompanied by the distinctive sound of someone's knuckles cracking. "Cool your jets, Turk. We need to have a little talk about you coming into the SOLDIER compound so much. Tal was, heh, tellin' tales."

Ignoring the sound of the scuffle behind him, Cloud nodded at a Second as he passed—Jonahs, he recalled—who took a moment to clout him on the shoulder and add, "Don't know what the big deal is, but we're happy you're joining us anyway." Well, Cloud was glad someone was happy about it.

By the time he reached the gate to exit the compound, the sound of the fight had escalated into cheers and yells from the other SOLDIERs, until they suddenly cut off abruptly. Cloud half turned, but stopped, hearing another voice clearly in the ensuing silence.

"I am hungover right through the mako, my girlfriend is mad at me, and then there's you lot." Well, Zack was up at least.

Cloud exchanged a quiet grin with the gate guard—Tal again—who'd heard it as well, before he continued on to ShinRa tower. Much like yesterday, the early morning crowd didn't provide much hassle or distraction, and he reached his destination in short time. Thankfully Turk-free this time. A beep made him pause, and he pulled out his phone to read a mail from Kunsel, feeling a wash of fondness.

That sure was something. I don't think I've ever seen so many asses kicked so fast.

Remind me not to get on Zack's bad side when he's had a rough day.

He should feel bad about that...but he didn't. ShinRa was politicking, and he was sick of it already. Just a little longer…anything to keep the pressure off a little longer was okay.

The lightness drained out of Cloud quickly as he walked across the entrance lobby. He had to force himself to stop at the receptionist desk. Luckily, she already seemed to be aware of the reason for his visit. She gave him a sympathetic smile, handing him a temporary access card for the science levels. He gave a jerky nod back. Dread was welling up in him. It felt like he was walking to his execution. If there had been any alternative, any way of getting out of his exam, he would have taken it. The most he could think of was injuring himself to the point of immovability, but he wasn't sure that would stop them either. The thought of being helpless or unaware of what Hojo was doing to him sent him into a chilled sweat.

The tight ball of anger and fear was making him feel sick, twisting up his insides as he pressed the elevator button for the science floor. He'd brought his sword—couldn't not bring it. He'd rather fight against the urge to use it than to not have it with him. The journey up seemed both to stretch on forever and not last long enough. The chime of the elevator reaching his desired floor making Cloud's heart skip, his chest tight as the doors slid open. He almost expected Hojo to be there, waiting for him to arrive, but the space in front of the elevator doors was empty.

The sixty-seventh floor had been repaired since he'd last seen it. That had been during the Hippogriff attack. Bodies of the beasts had been littered everywhere, claw marks and blood decorating the walls…. It had called to mind another memory, of blood soaked walls and slashes everywhere, the terrible pressure of the Sephiroth of then having been so near. Now, though, it looked as good as new, no trace of the struggle that took place. He'd tried had to cause as much damage as he could. Looks like it hadn't made a difference.

Stepping out of the elevators, he fought not to tense up at the sight of several white-coated scientists scattered around the lab. Most didn't even notice him, working away at some project or another at their desks. A vaguely familiar man looked up at his entrance, straightening with a smile.

"Ah! There you are, Mr. Strife. My name is Hugo Steward, but, uh, just call me doctor Steward, if you would?" As he spoke, he approached Cloud, ending his introduction by thrusting a hand out at Cloud. Cloud stared blankly back, unmoving. Steward wilted at his silence, lowering his hand with a sheepish smile. "Well, heh, yeah. I kinda heard you weren't very eager for today's tests. But don't worry! It shouldn't take too long, just a couple simple, routine checkups to make sure everything is working as it should be. Right this way, I've got a room all set up over here away from everyone, so we won't be disturbing anything."

Even as they walked, Steward continued to ramble, his enthusiasm returning the more he spoke. "It's really exciting, though! Your enhancement was unprecedented, and it's opened up a ton of new research for us here in the labs." He gestured widely around the area at the other scientists. "We're starting to explore 'mako only' enhancements that don't use Professor Hojo's secondary, top-secret treatments. Rumor is," he said, voice dropping conspiratorially, "the higher-ups are really interested. If a dose of natural mako is enough to send a normal person to SOLDIER levels of power, why are they investing so much time and money into a procedure that may be inferior and unnecessary?"

He seemed to realize what he was saying, and who he was saying it to, because he spluttered out a nervous chuckled and said, "Not that I think Professor Hojo's methods are wrong, of course!" He waved a hand in front of his face, shaking his head as if to emphasize how ridiculous that would be. "In fact, he's personally interested in your case!"

Steward must have seen the look on Cloud's face, because he snapped his jaw shut with an audible 'click,' shoulders hunching. Cloud tried to loosen his fists. He did not want to think about the implications of that. He well knew of the good doctor's interest.

"Ok, here we are," Steward said, cracking a nervous smile at Cloud. "If you would just take a seat on—Wow that's a big sword!" Cloud had just passed him, meaning he just got his first good look at the weapon on Cloud's back. Cloud turned and gave the gaping man a bland look. "Uh, I mean, I've never seen one up close?" Steward said meekly, turning red under Cloud's scrutiny. "They're not usually allowed during SOLDIER check ups for, uh, obvious reasons. Sorry, I didn't mean to…. Why don't you have a seat over there and I'll be right back!" He turned and fled the room.

Turning back to examine it, Cloud took in the simple decorations of the room; a countertop, empty but for a few strange looking medical tools Cloud tried not to look too closely at; a single chair off in one corner; and an examination table that he studiously avoided, though he was aware it was where Steward had meant for him to sit. Instead, Cloud tugged the chair out of the corner with a foot, shoving to move the table against the wall out of the way. He did, after a moment, strip off his sword and leave it on the table, in deference to the fact that so far Steward hadn't shown any reason for Cloud to want to stick it through him.

It was a necessary reminder. Cloud's own experiences with ShinRa scientists was limited to the very worst of them. But not everyone who worked in ShinRa were monsters. Much like the SOLDIERs and other military weren't monsters themselves, but the individuals and their choices could be bad. ShinRa was not a good environment for good choices.

He'd only just settled into the chair when Steward returned, looking more composed. He had a clipboard in his hands, which he absently put on the counter. "Sorry about that. I forgot your file. Uh...do you...want the door open?" His hand hesitated over the knob, and he gave Cloud a worried look.

"...It's fine if you close it," Cloud said after a pause. He wasn't sure himself which would make him feel better. Steward grinned weakly, closing the door with a quiet 'click'. It made it feel like there was no escape route, but it probably wouldn't have helped to have it open either. The only fix was to get away from the Science floor entirely.

"Right, okay," Steward said, nodding to himself. He picked up the clipboard, put it down without looking at it, looked at the examination table against the wall, then picked up the clipboard and nervously rattled through the pages. "Right," he said again. "So, uh, if you didn't know, I took over after Dr. Briant transferred. Lucky guy, he's over in Rocket Town, working on the science program out there. Though I'm not really sure why a SOLDIER specialist is needed for it." He paused, staring blankly at the wall for a moment, before he visibly shook himself. "Uh, yes. So I have his notes on your preliminary check up after your accident. Everything checked out then, so I don't anticipate any problems today. As I said, we're just here to check on your general health, and make sure your body has had no adverse reactions to the mako it was exposed to."

Cloud shifted in his seat, ignoring Steward's twitch at his movement. He was a bit worried the fabricated report would get them into trouble, and this was a perfect time for any inconsistencies to come to light. Zack hadn't been too clear on the details. When he didn't say anything, Steward continued.

"We'll just...start then." He glanced down at the clipboard in his hands, seemingly surprised to see it there, before he put it back down on the counter and reached for an instrument on the table. He must have caught Cloud tensing, because he paused, before he picked it up and began talking again. "This here is to test your blood pressure. We just wrap it around your arm and...uh, it would be a lot easier if you took off your jacket?" At Cloud's dark look, he wilted. "Yeah, thought not. This isn't very easy if you're not going to cooperate, but we'll manage."

Cloud allowed Steward to push his sleeve up as far as he could, managing to wrap the device around his upper arm with little fuss. "Now, we'll just pump it up—you'll feel a bit of a pinch—and I'll just take a few readings on the results."

As Steward talked, Cloud couldn't relax, grimacing at the strange sensation of the device clamping tighter around his arm. Even if he didn't have an aversion to doctors, Cloud had never heard of medical facilities that went through so much trouble for a simple checkup. Even for something as serious as Geostigma had been, most people had forgone seeking out medical treatment when it became obvious none of the conventional medicines or materia were helping with the sickness. Cloud had searched through as many medical books as he could find, but so much had been lost when ShinRa tower had been destroyed. Whatever else, ShinRa had had the most advanced technology in all fields.

"Good, uh huh. A bit high, but that's to be expected. You're still right in the healthy range for…well, for someone with your enhancements." Steward hadn't stopped talking once, more muttering to himself than to Cloud, and Cloud was content to just listen. "Dr. Briant was a bit too circumspect in his initial estimate of your exposure, I think. I'll have to correct that…. We have all sorts of readings from the mako leak in Mideel, you know. You're lucky you didn't fall in the main pool! It was definitely pure mako by the time your team got there. Most of the outlet streams still had a good ratio of water to mako, so really, it's probably going to work itself out of the water system there really quick now that it was taken care of."

Cloud raised his eyebrows, silently thankful it wasn't recorded that he had fallen into the main pool. What would have happened to him if that hadn't been the moment he'd returned to the past? Was it his return that had facilitated his younger self falling into the pool? Because he was quite sure he'd not been exposed even to diluted mako before Hojo had….

"Um...Mr. Strife, I'd like to take your temperature...if you'd…," Steward's voice broke into the haze of memory, and Cloud blinked for a moment before looking up at him. The scientist was holding up a pair of thermometers, one a familiar shape Cloud recognized from vague childhood memories of his mother caring for him when he was sick. The other was a bit stranger, and he raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well," Steward said, grinning as he gave the instruments a sideways look. "First off, open so I can get this one going." Cloud grimaced, but obediently allowed him to put the thermometer into his mouth, tucked under his tongue. "We have a few different ways of measuring body temperature, but since most of those require a lot less clothing being on, I figure these two will just have to do. This one," he said, holding up the other device, "just goes in your ear. Completely harmless, but also more accurate.

"See, the SOLDIER body often has a higher temperature than a non-treated person would. We've hypothesized it's due to the levels of mako they were exposed to, but you know, I've not seen that much difference between any of the Seconds or Thirds I've examined. We need to record your base temperature so that in the unlikely situation you did get injured or sick, we'd know how to regulate your temperature."

Cloud eyed what he could see of Steward's face, as the man had moved to the side to use the other thermometer as promised. He wasn't sure the man had taken a breath throughout the whole explanation.

"I've heard that SOLDIER Sephiroth's temperature is the highest recorded," Steward added brightly. "I'd like to see his records one day, but, uh, Professor Hojo keeps those...in his private office." Cloud narrowed his eyes, but didn't have a chance to react further as Steward pulled the thermometer out of his mouth. "Alright, there. Now we can just take your height and weight...uh. Well, maybe not. I don't think we'll get accurate readings…." Cloud glanced down at his boots, then rolled his eyes.

"Does it matter?" he asked, interrupting the scientist from further hedging.

"We need it to monitor your continued growth given your age, and to make sure the mako doesn't have any ill effects there. And, uh, on a less serious note...to make sure you get a uniform in the proper size."

Cloud stared at him silently, and Steward bit his lip and gave an apologetic shrug. Letting out an irritated sigh from behind gritted teeth, Cloud shoved himself to his feet. He kicked off his boots, stripping off his shoulder guards first, then his elbow and knee pads, jacket, and shirt to follow. That was as far as he'd consent, and he crossed his arms over his bare chest, glaring at Steward expectantly.

"Right over here!" the scientist said quickly, not wasting the chance. He waved Cloud to a small weight station, and Cloud put up with the attention with bad grace. He really didn't want to be here anymore. Was it possible for him to just walk out of this test too, or would they hunt him down? He didn't want to give Reno another chance to lord smugly over him.

Steward was, thankfully, quiet while he took down the measurements, hand flying quickly over the clipboard papers as he glanced at the instruments. Once he'd finished, he waved Cloud back to his seat, muttering to himself as he flipped the pages around. "A few inches height, good, so the mako hasn't stunted the growing process. More weight but that's probably muscle mass...should test that later maybe…"

"There isn't going to be a later," Cloud grumbled, pulling back on his jacket, then sitting to slip his boots back on as well. Steward blinked, looking up as if he'd forgotten Cloud's presence.

"Huh? Oh!" He shook himself again, and gave Cloud a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that. I get caught up in my own head sometimes, you know? Let's move on then. I'll just check your sight next, shall I?" Cloud narrowed his eyes, but either he was becoming more comfortable because of Cloud's compliance, or he had forgotten that Cloud was very much a reluctant patient. "Right, so, this will be a bit bright, but don't blink." The scientist couldn't escape noticing Cloud's glare then, and laughed nervously. "Right…"

Wincing, as it was indeed 'bright', Cloud sat still as Steward hummed and peered through the other end of his instrument, peering first into one eye then the other. "Yes, the mako reaction is there, very bright indeed. Why, I don't think you'd need to have another mako treatment even! We'll test later, but all preliminary results are that you are definitely the equivalent of a SOLDIER operative." By now, Cloud was sick of being poked and prodded, and he was quickly losing patience with this 'exam'. Swatting the instrument out of his face, he ignored Steward's affronted yelp has he stood up.

"What else is required?" he asked darkly.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Steward said hastily, waving a hand in front of him as if to ward off Cloud's glare. He glanced over his shoulder at the clipboard, as if that held the answers he needed. "It really is all required, but, uh...I think we can skip to the blood samples and mako test. Yeah, the other stuff can all be gathered later...when you're feeling...uh, more up to it?"

"No." Cloud was not going to let this happen again. He was already regretting having gone along with it as much as he had. A headache was blooming at his temples, as at every turn he expected something to go wrong, something to set off his humming danger senses.

"No next time, got it." Steward grinned weakly, fumbling behind him on the counter as Cloud crossed his arms again. His hand came up with another instrument, and he blinked at it before his face lit up with relief. "Right, so, two more tests then. This here is to test the mako levels in your system. It, uh, is kind of uncomfortable, the other SOLDIERs say it's like a strong buzz, but it reacts to the mako in you to give us an idea of how much exposure you've had exactly."

Noting Cloud's closed expression, he chuckled weakly, then put the instrument to his own arm. He jerked slightly, and a panel on the side flickered briefly before the display changed, various numbers and graphs flashing across the display. "See?" he offered, showing off his uninjured arm where the instrument had pressed into it. There was, Cloud noted, a single pin-prick in the flesh, and he repressed a shudder. "It kinda tickles to me, heh. You really can't avoid some mako exposure in this kind of job, you know." Steward twisted something on the device, pulling the front bit with the needle off. He dumped it into a box, then pulled out another one to re-attached with absent-minded practice.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Cloud held out an arm, but didn't sit back down. There was no way he'd be able to pretend to relax now. Steward stepped forward slowly, as if afraid Cloud might strike out if he moved too quickly. It was a possibility.

The feeling of a needle entering his flesh, no matter how brief, made Cloud flinch, and he tasted blood as he cut into the inside of his cheek. Steward stepped away as soon as the instrument beeped, setting it down without even reading the display. "Right we'll just...put that aside for now. I just, uh...I really have to do one more test. I need a few blood samples—"

"No."

Biting his lip, the scientist let out a strained sigh. "Look, I know there's some big scandal going on around all...this. But you can trust me with this! I'm, heh, kinda an expert on borderline cases. Like Edge Mueller, you know him I think?" Sucking in a breath, Cloud eyed the man suspiciously. For him to bring up Edge meant he'd read some sort of file on Cloud, and that they were monitoring who he hung out with. "He was talking about you during his checkup last week. His brother—sad case that—had a bad reaction to mako, so in case there's a possible genetic connection we call him in pretty often to make sure his enhancements aren't causing any problems.

"The point is," Steward said insistently. "Your case is an unusual one, and we need to keep an eye on things to make sure you stay healthy. It's a routine all the SOLDIERs go through, honestly." He paused, and seemed to be holding his breath as he waited for Cloud's response.

"...I didn't know Edge had a brother," Cloud said finally, latching onto the topic as safe while he tried not to think about what he was willingly about to do. Since Steward was being so insistent despite his obvious nervousness about Cloud's attitude, that meant Cloud was not going to be able to get away with skipping this test. They'd just send more Turks after him until they got what they wanted. Or Sephiroth, which would be decidedly worse on all accounts. Steward at least was not giving Cloud the creeps. He wondered if his non-threatening demeanor was why they'd chosen him to be Cloud's doctor for this exam.

Steward jumped, then turned red again as he stuttered, "Oh! Uh, maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I talk too much, everyone says. Which is why it's nice that you don't talk a lot. Not that I want you to shut up! Or wait, no, I mean you talk plenty...Ah..."

Shaking his head, Cloud collapsed back into the chair behind him. He remembered now where he'd seen the scientist before. He'd been the mousy fellow who'd been trailing after that woman at Fort Condor, the one who'd tried to give him the psyche exam yesterday. "...You were much quieter last time I saw you." It took a conscious effort, every part of his mind screaming at him not to, but Cloud uncurled his arm, turning his head to the side as he leaned into his other palm so he wouldn't have to watch.

"Huh? Oh! That's because Dr. Penning scares the shit outta me. I mean—!" Steward's words tumbled out, and Cloud grinned reluctantly into his hand. "...Moving on. Okay. Uh…." There was some clattering, and Cloud winced as something hit the floor with a clang. A moment later, there was a hesitant touch on his arm, and Cloud tried not to tense further. "I'm just going to…. This will only feel like a pinch for a minute, and then we're done, okay? They'll just have to live with one sample…."

The moment the needle moved under his skin, Cloud's stomach gave a roiling lurch of rebellion. He pressed his hand against his forehead as his headache spiked, hazy, vague memories assailing his mind of that time he could barely remember, had barely been conscious through. Some part of them had stuck in his mind, though, and the sensation of cold metal in his arm, so innocuous a sensation on its own, brought the feelings of pain and horror to the front of his mind, even if he couldn't actively recall the exact moments.

He swallowed against the bile that worked its way up his throat, trying to bring to mind Zack's grinning face, Aerith's gentle touch, even the distraction of Sephiroth's baffling presence, anything to keep himself from ripping the needle from his arm and busting out of the exam room. It seemed to help, and was almost like he felt a quiet acknowledgement of his thoughts echoing in his mind. He clung to that feeling, letting it soothe his emotions.

"And...done! Ok, that's all I have the guts to do, honestly." Steward's voice broke through Cloud's distraction, and he was aware that he could no longer feel the pinch on his arm of the needle. Glancing over, he noted idly that despite his words, Steward had two syringes of blood lying on the counter next to where he'd braced himself. He couldn't work up the energy to be angry at that; he just wanted to leave.

Picking up the clipboard with one hand, Steward quickly gathered up the samples and shoved them to one corner, turning and gesturing Cloud at the door. Cloud got slowly to his feet, gathering the rest of his discarded items before he followed the scientist out of the small room. "It's not very good practice, but, uh, let's go ahead and get you out of here before I go over the results. There's not much you need to—" Steward broke off with a squeak, and Cloud stopped dead behind him as he caught sight of what startled the scientist.

Hojo snatched the clipboard from Steward's hand and thumbed through the notes. Behind his glasses, his eyes darted quickly over the pages. "Most interesting."

Darkness swirled in Cloud's vision as adrenaline rushed through his system. For all that he'd been anticipating seeing Hojo today, the abruptness of his appearance just when he'd thought he was free had caught him by surprise. His fingers twitched as he repressed the urge to draw his sword, and his eyes flicked around the room, looking for a way to escape….

Hojo looked up, staring over his glasses at Cloud with a thin smile. Cloud glared, rejecting the scientist's presence with every fiber of his being. It didn't seem to affect Hojo's expression in the slightest, though there was a rustle next to him from Steward. In familiar, oily tones, Hojo said, "Everything is in order. All that remains is to complete your enhancement. It will stabilize the mako in you, and—"

A sudden surprised shriek went up nearby, alongside the sound of glass shattering. A woman's voice yelled, "That beast is not allowed in here!" A second later the sound of boot heels and claws on tile registered.

"I forgot," Sephiroth's smooth voice floated across the room. Cloud looked away from Hojo right into Sephiroth's sharp gaze. Further shrieks drew his attention beyond Sephiroth, and despite the situation he felt his mouth quirk up in dark amusement at the sight of Viri snapping at a scientist's trailing lab-coat. He noticed Viri's collar was bare of materia.

Hojo straightened up as much as his hunched form would allow, a frown on his face. "Your appointment isn't until next month."

"Of course," Sephiroth said, words almost a lazy purr. He prowled to a stop beside them, Masamune in hand, the blade angled carefully behind him. It was as if the relaxed man from the day before had completely vanished. "I wanted to make certain that you didn't harm one of our newest SOLDIERs with your second-rate science."

Immediately, Hojo's mouth pressed into a tight line. "As you well know, SOLDIERs are made of more than a little mako, and he needs—"

"Does he?" Sephiroth looked away from Hojo to give Cloud a long look up and down. Cloud returned the scrutiny with a bland look. Despite his rapidly beating heart and the lingering taste of terror and surprise in his mouth, he was amused at how Sephiroth's presence derailed Hojo so thoroughly. He had no idea why Sephiroth was there, but he was...glad, of his interference. "From what I know he can keep up as well as any 3rd Class SOLDIER. I fail to see any reason to mess with his enhancements now that they've stabilized already."

"It was a failure of the idiot who checked him over the first time. It's possible his enhancements—"

"Shall I ask the President if he cleared this?" Sephiroth's words left Hojo pale and irritated looking. His gaze dropped to Steward next. "I expect you to contact the Internal Affairs Department and see that Cloud's uniforms are ready for pick up in a few hours. Make them 3rd Class."

Steward squeaked out a choked, "Yes, sir." He didn't move, though, not with Viri eying him beadily around Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth's gaze turned back to Hojo and he waited, mockingly polite.

When no answer was forthcoming Sephiroth inclined his head, and turned on his heel. "Come, Cloud. It seems there has been some...misunderstanding." Without looking back, he prowled off in the direction of the elevators as abruptly as he'd appeared. It was only when he'd reached them that he called out, "Viri."

No matter the form it had taken, Cloud didn't hesitate to take the escape offered. He didn't spare Hojo another look, not needing to see the frustration or anger on the scientist's face. Again, he'd been spared the attention for now. If it would just be long enough...it had to be long enough. It had taken months before they'd forced their hand for this...promotion. So long as he could fend off Hojo for long enough….

Nibelheim loomed in his future, and he both longed for and dreaded it. He stared at the back of Sephiroth's long coat and swinging hair, keeping out of the way of Masamune's long reach but still close to the other man's heels. Right now, Cloud couldn't imagine how Nibelheim would go. Would Sephiroth listen? How could he and Zack handle it? They'd discussed it on and off, but neither of them like to dwell on 'what-if-then' scenarios. If they could get to Jenova first and get rid of her, if they could convince Sephiroth to leave ShinRa… So much of Cloud's hope rested on the undefined future. He wondered if it was just a foolish dream….

Viri trailed behind him, chuckling and warbling threatening noises until they reached the elevators. There was still time for Cloud and Zack to work on Sephiroth's attitude. If they could get close enough, if Sephiroth let them get close enough to trust, then their plan would succeed. Nibelheim was far enough away from ShinRa's control that they could disappear relatively easily, and it was where Cloud knew Jenova would be. Two birds, one stone. It all hinged on Sephiroth's frail trust. Cloud reached up as Viri crowded into the elevator car with them, nuzzling into Cloud's hands with a happy coo.

When the elevator lurched upward instead of down like he'd expected, Cloud finally looked over at Sephiroth. His heart dropped as he realized they weren't done yet. And the only thing above them was the executives, and the President himself. Giving in to the urge, Cloud buried his face briefly in Viri's neck, taking a few breaths to steady himself for the upcoming confrontation. He'd known from the moment Reno and Rude had appeared at his doorstep that there was no escaping.

By the time they reached the top floor, Cloud had composed himself into a blank mask, pushing down his smouldering anger. Sephiroth swept out first, not even sparing Cloud a glance, and Cloud followed silently. Viri trailed last, and Cloud was glad to see he kept quiet and disciplined. As amusing as it had been on the science floor, the distraction would not be welcome here.

The President's office hadn't changed at all from Cloud's memory, and the President himself was seated up behind his wide desk, a dark-suited man standing attentively in front of it. Another Turk, or associate of, Cloud assumed. He had the dangerous air the Turks cultivated, whereas executives such as Heidegger and Scarlet relied more on their reputation to carry weight.

Ahead of him, Sephiroth stopped and straightened his back, his shoulders stiffening. Cloud realized after a few seconds that he was standing at attention. The novelty of that was surreal. "President Shinra," Sephiroth said. "Director Veld. I've brought SOLDIER 3rd Class Cloud Strife to collect his contract."

What was Sephiroth's motivation in all of this? Zack had said, hadn't he, that Sephiroth had torn up promotion papers regarding him once before? Neither of them had the power to stop this, but Sephiroth could influence it, and he was throwing that weight around with abandon. Whatever the reason behind his actions, Cloud had no choice but to accept the assistance. It wasn't like Sephiroth gave him a choice either.

Behind the desk, President ShinRa sat up in his large chair, the axle squeaking as his weight shifted. "Third Class? I thought it had been decided we were promoting such a promising candidate to First Class right away? Was I not clear?" Despite the almost amused tone of voice, the President's face showed obvious signs of impatience as his gaze flicked first from Sephiroth, then to Cloud briefly and back.

Cloud heard the faintest creak of leather from Sephiroth's direction. "I believe it will promote better faith in the company among the men if he has to prove himself the same as everyone else, sir."

A feeling of cold, dark anger leaked down Cloud's spine, feeling like a gasp of Sephiroth's madness. The memory of another time reared up, where he'd come to this room to find the President slumped over the very same desk he sat so proudly behind now, Masamune jutting from his back like the end of a promise. Blinking, he pushed the feeling back. He was angry, yes, but…. Repressing a shudder, he clamped down on his mind, focusing on keeping away from Sephiroth's influence, Sephiroth's anger. He should be better at it by now. But Sephiroth's hatred of the President was a dark, bubbling pressure that too easily leaked through to Cloud.

Sephiroth still didn't know of the connection. He wasn't the same as the Other, not yet. Angry, yes, but not consumed by the madness and delight at tormenting Cloud. He would have to deal with the connection, one day. For now, it was enough that Sephiroth could not use it against Cloud. They just needed enough time….

Another loud squeak from the President's chair drew Cloud's attention back from his mental stress. The President was frowning thoughtfully down at them, before he addressed the Turk. "Well, Veld? Do you concur?"

"Sephiroth knows the state of the SOLDIERs well, however I'm certain whatever decision you come to will be the correct one."

It was such a political answer that Cloud had to swallow against the bile that rose in his throat. He hated these Turks. Part of him knew it was becoming irrational, but it ran up against his memory of how they could be, what they could become. Maybe not good, but better. If only they weren't perfect little minions for the self-important President.

President Shinra gave a vicious little smirk at Veld's words, clearly not fooled. "Well then, Veld, why don't you give SOLDIER Strife there his contract, and make it official." Veld stepped forward cooly, pulling a folder from under his arm casually. One of his hands was prosthetic, though it didn't seem to interfere with his motions at all. An old injury, then. Veld looked at Cloud, and abruptly Cloud realized he was expected to sign away that last piece of himself to ShinRa's power.

Silently, he crossed the space, not looking up at the President's observant gaze. He could still feel

Sephiroth's roiling anger in the back of his mind. Sephiroth had gone out of his way to kill the President, Cloud remembered, leaving all of ShinRa in a state of chaos that had allowed Rufus to easily slip into the vacuum of power. That act had been a long time coming, judging by the emotions he was feeling even now.

When he looked at the paperwork he was expected to sign, he couldn't stop the eyeroll at seeing the title for Third class already clearly marked. Turks, if nothing else, were prepared for things like this. He bet that Veld had copies for Second and First class as well, in that innocuous folder of his. In a very anticlimactic show, he signed the paper where indicated, not bothering to read the list of promises and rules he was probably going to ignore anyway.

(Just a little longer.…)

He dropped the pen on the papers and turned away, pausing as the President spoke again. "Congratulations on your promotion, SOLDIER. We'll be keeping quite a close eye on your rise in the ranks." Gritting his teeth, Cloud schooled his expression enough to turn and salute the President, as was expected. He held it barely long enough to be proper, before turning and making his way back to his place next to Sephiroth.

As soon as the President turned back to his own affairs, Sephiroth whirled and made for the door, Cloud close on his heels and Viri trotting obediently last. The President's voice stopped them short. "Sephiroth, I would like a word with you later."

Sephiroth glanced back over his shoulder, long hair shifting. His only acknowledgment was quiet, "Sir." On the move again, his longer legs ate up the distance between the office and the elevators at a quick clip. Cloud didn't hurry, merely kept keeping pace with Viri and arriving just as the elevator doors opened. He was just as eager to get away, honestly, but he was worn out from the stress of it all. It wasn't even mid-morning yet. He didn't relax when the doors closed behind them, though he did absently stroke at Viri's neck as the chocobo cuddled close.

The floors were flashing by quickly, the plate rising below them, when Cloud muttered quietly, "...Thanks."

"It wasn't for you." Sephiroth's voice was cool, cold even. There was a difference to it from the tone he'd used yesterday, just as stark as his posture and the full battle readiness of his clothing.

"I know." Cloud pressed a hand against the glass wall, staring out absently over Midgar's expanse. He could see parts of the plates still under construction. "It doesn't change that your actions helped me."

Sephiroth gave a faint hmph and said nothing else, his gaze focused upward and out the glass just as surely as Cloud's.

The elevator slowed to a stop, though they weren't on the ground floor yet, and both of them turned as the elevator doors opened. Over Viri's back, he saw an office worker glance up from the papers in his hands, then jerk backward as he saw who was in the elevator already. A moment later the doors closed on his stuttering apologies. Shaking his head, Cloud turned away again, pressing his forehead against the cool glass to soothe the throbbing in his temples. He wanted out….

There were no further interruptions, thankfully, and Cloud found himself once again following after Sephiroth as he strode across the lobby. It seemed he was forever chasing the man, always in a hurry to catch up.

Outside the building, Sephiroth slowed to a stop and turned toward him. His gaze skated over Cloud and stopped on Viri. "Viri," he said, and the chocobo trotted up to lean against his side. Sephiroth gave his crest a single scratch then pushed him aside. "Stay with Cloud." He turned to Cloud then and after a moment gave a short nod. "Once you're done, take him to my apartment. He'll be fine there until I get back."

Cloud nodded wearily in acknowledgement, more glad than he'd admit that Sephiroth was giving him such a distraction. He could take Viri back to the roads for a few hours, work off some of the tension, only this time he could do it alone. It also gave him hope that the casual, comfortable interaction from yesterday was not lost completely.

With a final nod, Sephiroth turned on his heel and strode off in a flurry of leather and hair. As he went, Cloud heard him say, "I wouldn't wish him on anyone."

Cloud knew who was meant.

---

Zack laced his fingers together and rested his mouth against them. It...had been a trying month so far, and it stood only to get more difficult. He felt worn thin, weary, tired. He wanted to sleep it off, but he knew that wouldn't do much. More than anything, he felt as if he'd aged years in the last day.

The news was...was…. It wasn't surprising, but on top of everything else? It felt like the entire world was slowly crumbling and crashing in around him. Then again, that creeping feeling had been there for months—a runaway countdown that neither he nor Cloud could control. They'd tried, they'd done their best, but they weren't really cut out for this, not….

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

And then there was Aerith. He couldn't get the look on her face out of his head. She'd looked...hurt, betrayed, angry of course. The fact that she could even insinuate that he was with her just as some part of a ShinRa ploy hurt more than he could put to words.

He loved her and he knew it. Zack just wished he could find the right words to make all of that go away, that he could erase her hurt and set things back to rights. He...needed her the way flowers needed sunshine. She kept the world bright and happy for him. She was...peace and calm in a storm that raged around him that he still didn't quite understand. He wasn't sure what he'd do if things didn't repair themselves between them.

He had so much to worry about these days. Achingly, he missed the peace her company brought, but he could endure until things cooled down. Or, he'd thought that's all he'd have to do. Tilting his head further forward, he pressed his forehead against his joined hands and let out a dry laugh.

(Wait until Cloud hears….)

Cloud. What was he going to do about Cloud? He'd been too out of it last night to really listen to anything about his evaluation—why had Kunsel let him drink that much? He hoped he was alright, that everything had gone fine, and he'd ask him as soon as he got back. Whenever he got back. If he didn't come back, well...Zack would call Aerith and warn her that shit was about to go down, and he'd go and find him. He'd tear the place apart if he had to.

He just...really hoped it didn't come to that, and that he hadn't screwed things up with...with this. Zack didn't even want to think about it, not really. All he could seem to do was chase his thoughts around his head and hope he'd gotten everything as in order as he possibly could, try to figure out where he'd gone wrong if he'd gone wrong.

A dreary part of him, the part that still hurt over Angeal's death, was certain he had.

Breathing out roughly, Zack unlocked his hands and leaned forward to pick a little box up off the coffee table. He jostled it idly in his palm, and felt his boot nudge against the duffel bag sitting on the floor. He swallowed again, feeling nervous energy war with the tiredness that weighed him down. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his phone and flipped it open. Without even really thinking about it he brought up a new message, to be sent to Cloud. He was halfway through thumbing in Where are you? before he just snapped it closed again.

Maybe he should go look for him? He needed to tell him that...

The door hushed open, and Zack jerked to his feet. "Cloud?" There was no immediate answer, but a moment later Cloud appeared in the room, looking as worn out as Zack felt. Zack felt a little relief wash over him, his shoulders relaxing as he stepped over his bag and moved closer to the door and Cloud. "You're okay."

"Yeah…." Cloud's voice was quiet, as it often was, but there was something in it Zack hadn't heard before. It was a tone that brought up memories of how...defeated Cloud had been in his first months here. Zack looked away from him, his fingers tightening around the little box in his hand.

"Good. Good, I'm glad. I started to wonder if—" Zack cut himself off and shifted to sit on the arm of the couch. He rubbed his fingers against his forehead and let out a sharp breath that turned into a shaky laugh. He'd been really damned worried.

"Sorry." Cloud shot him an apologetic look, running a hand through his messy hair. "I...needed some time to think. I forgot…." He waved a hand at Zack, then let his shoulders slump.

Zack ran his fingers back through his hair then dropped the hand to rest on his thigh. "C'mere would you?"

To Zack's relief, Cloud didn't hesitate to strip off his sword, letting it slide carelessly to the floor as he dropped onto the couch next to Zack. Zack didn't hesitate either in wrapping his arms around Cloud's shoulders and dragging him into a tight hug. Hands came up around Zack's back as Cloud returned the embrace, shifting into it.

Face pressed against Cloud's shoulder, Zack muttered, "It's been a rough few days, hasn't it, buddy?" He could feel Cloud nod.

There was no way to make it better, for either of them; no magical fix it, or miracle that could vanish all of their troubles. The only thing they could do was keep moving forward, no matter how hard it was or how difficult it got. As long as they dreamed about the future, he felt like they'd all be alright in the end. That was something Angeal had taught him, and something that Angeal had almost taken from him. In bequeathing his dreams and honor to him he'd nearly destroyed Zack's belief in that philosophy. In the end, the meaning behind Angeal's words to him held true and strong. He wouldn't let anything tarnish that.

In the silence between them, Zack heard Cloud mumble out, "...'m'a Third…."

Giving a choked laugh, Zack summoned up some of his humor. "Should I say congratulations or my condolences?"

"...Both, I think," Cloud said, shifting so he could talk without speaking into Zack's collar. He still didn't move away, though. "Sephiroth...interfered."

"Did he?" He wasn't surprised, after all, Sephiroth had been interfering since the beginning but...there was a part of him that was surprised. In a way, he hadn't expected Sephiroth to keep up whatever gambit he was running this long...and he wondered where it would end. A slight tinge of guilt settled low in his ribs. He hadn't seen much of Sephiroth lately, and here he was trying to save him from himself.

He should have been seeking him out more, not less. But he'd gotten caught up in a life that was busy with SOLDIERs who all seemed to want a bit of his attention, and before he'd known it time had worn on and now they were here. Zack felt as if he were running a race he was destined to lose. It was a thought he shoved down and pushed aside. He had no time to think like that.

By now, their hug had turned into something more akin to leaning on each other, or propping each other up. Zack personally thought that was pretty accurate. Clearing his throat, he asked, "How's he doing?"

Cloud let out a soft sigh before answering. "...Angry. Alone. He...is better when he's away from ShinRa. And he's succeeded in teaching Viri to cast magic. As baffling as ever, really."

Zack's throat tightened with his guilt, and he swallowed it down. "It's…." He stopped, voice cracking despite himself. He should be laughing over the fact that Sephiroth had done it, but all he could think was that….

"...Not enough?" Cloud let out a harsh laugh. "Maybe. It always feels like it." He pushed back, tilting his head so he could look at Zack's face. "That doesn't stop us though."

He smiled, even if it slid back off his face a second later. Letting his head fall forward to bump against Cloud's he shifted his hand to give Cloud's shoulder a squeeze. "Yeah. We're never going to give up."

They would fight right to the very end, both of them, and he knew it. It still hurt to think of himself in comparison to the other life Cloud had led. Seeing Cloud continue to move forward, hearing about everything he fought through, lived through... Zack had come to terms with the fact he'd never be that self-sacrificing hero that Cloud knew. While that guy had been a hero, he'd also died. He intended to live, and dying was in its own way losing. He was going to be better than that other Zack. But more and more, he was coming to realize he needed to live up to Cloud.

Swallowing against he lump in his throat, he continued, "That's why…" He paused, the words sticking in his throat. Zack closed his eyes and forced them out. "That's why you're going to have to keep an eye on him while I'm not here."

Cloud closed his eyes, looking pained. "What did they do?"

Zack gave a rough, harsh laugh. Of course Cloud picked up right away what he meant. "Mandatory leave. They told me they think the stress is getting to me and I need some time off." He paused again, sucking in a breath. "I'm leaving for Costa del Sol tomorrow morning...no idea when I get to come back."

The silence stretched again, only the sound of their breathing disturbing it. Finally, Cloud murmured, "It will have to be enough. I'll...let you know. If it's...too long."

If it was too late, and the end date loomed up before he was let back, and…. "If I'm gone too long, I'll meet you there. Just make sure you take care of things for me here." Someone had to warn Aerith, make sure she was ready for it, too.

He wished he had time to talk to Aerith before he left, but...there was a part of him that was worried about that too much to try yet. Later, because there would be a later. For now…

Zack sat back and grabbed Cloud's hand. He dropped the little box into it. "By the way? Happy Birthday."

Cloud blinked bemusedly down at the present, then back up at Zack. "...Really." It was more a statement than a question, but Zack could still tell his friend hadn't been remotely aware of what day it was.

With a shrug, Zack said, "I've been planning this for awhile. Remember? I knew how old you were back when we went up north with Tseng and Sephiroth? I looked up your personnel file." He'd been hoping that, maybe, they could celebrate a little. Something with him, and Cloud, and Aerith, but things had moved so fast, too fast.

(Still too easily distracted, aren't I?) The thought was a little bitter, and Zack waved at Cloud. "Go ahead, open it."

After a moment Cloud did, pulling off a glove so he could pry open the little box. When he'd gotten it open, he stopped, staring. "Zack?" He sounded as young as he looked, just for a moment.

"Like it?" he asked. "I don't know if it looks like the one you had, but I did the best I could. Had to custom order the thing from a jeweler out in Junon." An earring that looked like a wolf's head, like Cloud had once said he'd worn. Just a little piece of the home he'd lost, Zack hoped. Something physical to carry forward from that world, like Buster Sword helped him carry on the memory of Angeal.

"It's...yeah. I do like it." Cloud's voice was thick, as he pulled the earring out of the box, one hand already going up to pry at the one he was currently wearing. "It's perfect."

Zack reached over and batted his hands aside, before reaching back and popping the back off. "Good. Between you, Aerith, and ShinRa, I'm broke." But it was a good kind of broke, and even if he was a penniless man living in the wilds...well, as long as he had his friends, his loved ones, Zack would be happy. Spoiling the people he cared about occasionally was well worth an empty wallet. Just seeing Cloud's expression, hearing the appreciation in his voice.

Yeah, definitely worth it.

He watched as Cloud carefully slipped the new earring into place. "We should try and enjoy tonight since it's your birthday and all. I'd say we could get a few drinks, but I think I had enough last night."

"For both of us," Cloud agreed dryly.

Zack held his old earring out to him, and sunk further into the sofa. "It takes real talent to get that drunk as a SOLDIER." It felt...nice to just joke a little like this. He knew he'd been pretty moody, pretty down lately. He couldn't have been good company, and...well, a part of him had felt so bad about just blurting out the truth the way he had.

That should have been up to Cloud to tell. It should have been Zack sitting back and letting Cloud stumble through his terrible explanations again, rather than Zack bringing the world crashing down on his two favorite people. He just...hadn't been able to stop himself from doing anything he could to erase the betrayal in Aerith's face.

Instead he'd had to face the betrayal on both their faces. Cloud would deny it, but his words from the other day still rang in Zack's head. (If you never talk about anything important.)

For now, he did his best to push those thoughts aside and focus on his friend.

"So, sixteen. Sucks doesn't it?"

"Yes." All the bottled up teenage drama came out in that single word, and Zack laughed as Cloud flushed, flustered. "It's worse how everything keeps...reminding me of it," he mumbled. "At all the wrong times."

Zack laughed harder. He couldn't seem to stop now that he'd started, though when he'd managed to get himself under control enough to speak he said, "Sounds like a normal teenage problem." It felt good to just laugh, like it could lift his spirits and make everything a little less dark.

"You're not that much older than me," Cloud muttered.

"Eighteen!" Zack crowed. "That means I'm an adult by civilian and military standards."

Shaking his head, Cloud knocked his knee into Zack. "Barely. I should be...twenty four, I think."

That sobered him a bit. "I bet Sephiroth's still older," he mused. If he was about the same age as Angeal, and Zack thought they might have all been around the same age. Twenty four? And Cloud had still gone and saved the world. If eighteen was young, Zack didn't think that was that much better. It was a little funny to think. If he'd survived in Cloud's time he'd be nearing thirty.

"Hm…." Cloud just gave that thoughtful little sound, and Zack wasn't sure if he was agreeing or not. He'd come to recognize it as a sound that meant Cloud was thinking hard about something, about to be a brat, or was already being one. Like he knew more about something than Zack did.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You sure?"

Cloud kicked him in response. Zack winced slightly. It wasn't unusual for Cloud to kick him, and Zack was starting to think about looking into shin guards, but... Well, he was sick of the dark pall hanging over them. He leaned down to rub his leg, then used the motion to half haul, half tackle Cloud to the floor.

If he wanted to be like that…

Yelping, Cloud laughed briefly as he struggled against Zack's hold. "Seriously Zack?"

"Why not?" Zack asked, letting his weight hold him down. There were some advantages to being older and heavier.

Letting his head thump against the floor, Cloud rolled his eyes. "You're lucky Viri's such a good healer, you know?" He still looked tired, but there was a spark of mischief in his eyes at least.

Zack stared for several seconds, trying to parse that. He couldn't have just heard what he thought he heard. "Viri's a what?"

Cloud chuckled. "Healer," he said, enunciating the syllables as if Zack hadn't heard him the first time. "He needed a practical example before he could cast curative magic. Sephiroth hadn't had a good opportunity yet."

"I'm still stuck on the fact that Viri's even able to use curative magic."

"He prefers Thunder materia, actually."

Zack snorted loudly. "Of course he does." Of course, Sephiroth would manage to teach his terror bird to use magic. He was a little worried about how he was going to keep himself in one piece the next time he met the chocobo. "Sephiroth's crazy, and not in a world destroying way."

"I know. He hasn't even run Viri once, did you know?" Cloud complained.

He stared at Cloud for several long seconds, then laughed. "You're crazy too." The good kind of crazy. He was relieved that despite how wrong everything went so fast, Cloud was still able to joke around. He'd just been forced into a position he didn't want and wasn't prepared for, by the company that had once-upon-a-future ruined his life. Guilt welled up again. Zack really should have been there more for Cloud while the evaluation was happening, shouldn't he?

Sighing, Cloud nodded. "It's been crazy in general, lately. I don't know anymore." He shoved at Zack's chest, pushing his weight off to the side. "I'm so tired…." He pressed the heels of his hand into his eyes with a groan.

Zack sighed and flopped over onto his back. He idly clasped his hands on top of his stomach as he considered the ceiling. Fun, sun, and relaxation? Yeah, right. "Me too." He felt like he was running himself ragged trying to keep up with everything, like more and more responsibility was being piled onto his shoulders without anyone telling him how to handle it. Before he could quite stop himself from saying it, the words left him, "What next?"

"Next, I'm going to take a shower," Cloud said, rolling to his feet. "I still feel—well..." He broke off, not looking at Zack as he shook his head. "Medical exam."

Zack waved him off with one hand, but didn't bother to pick himself up off the floor yet. Before Cloud could disappear into the shower, though, he had to ask, "You want to see me off tomorrow?"

Blinking, Cloud looked down at him in confusion. "Of course?" He sounded like he was wondering why Zack had asked at all, before his brow furled in a frown. "Unless you don't want…."

"No, of course not. I want you there. I was just...checking." He wasn't entirely certain why he'd needed to ask either, but it had felt necessary.

Cloud stared down at him quietly, just studying Zack's face. Finally he said, "Just a bit longer, right? We just need a little more time."

"Yeah," Zack said, voice quiet. "We'll make the most of every second."

Time was something that was a commodity for them now. It felt like they'd squandered too much of it, even though they'd worked so hard to prepare their contingency plans. Zack wondered if they should have put more focus on the main one, and if it was his fault for letting it slide as much as it had. It probably was. Cloud was still so very uncertain when it came to Sephiroth. Or was. By the sound of it, he was getting along better with Sephiroth than Zack ever had. He couldn't really understand what was going on there, and he doubted he ever would.

Still, no matter how he looked at it Zack couldn't shake the feeling that time was slipping away from them. As it counted down, Cloud's projected date coming ever nearer, the thoughts and what-ifs came thick and fast.

What if there was no way to change this? What if, no matter what they did, Sephiroth would turn around and want to raze the world to ashes? If they couldn't change one man...what hope did they have of changing everything else? If they couldn't change Sephiroth...was everything else doomed? It felt like it sometimes, more often than he liked to admit. Like Sephiroth was an axis that everything turned on.

Zack closed his eyes, listening to Cloud's quiet steps as he gathered up his clothes, and a short time later the sound of running water.

It was terrifying, because...in the end? Zack hadn't even been able to change the mind of the person he was closest to. He'd gotten Angeal to...stop his crazy attempts to take revenge or whatever it was on ShinRa, had gotten him to help him against Genesis...but in the end he hadn't been able to get Angeal to step away from the path of self destruction at all.

In the end, Zack had helped him along that path.

It made him feel sick with the guilt that maybe he'd inadvertently done that to Sephiroth as well. It was that same guilt that hung between them that kept Zack from really being able to approach him, and as much as he felt like a coward for leaving it on Cloud's shoulders...he had a feeling that if anyone could get under Sephiroth's skin and crack him open it would be Cloud.

If Sephiroth was the axis, then Cloud was definitely the counter balance.

(You're the real hero, Cloud. It's all up to you.)

Zack would just have to do what he could, and try not to worry himself sick while he waited...a continent away and dreading each day for the disaster that loomed on the horizon. Just as surely as a sunset, or the hand of a clock ticking onward, Zack knew that the real countdown started now.

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Next time on Counter Crisis it's a Crisis of Change!

So, once again we're terrible at timely updates. Real life is, as always, a pain. But hey! Here it is! Much love, Koorii & Sama