MAKING THE CUT

"Hello and, again, welcome to the Aperture Science computer aided enrichment center. We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper. Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all enrichment center activities, serious injuries may occur. For your own safety, and the safety of others, please refrain from—" ~ GLaDOS

DAY 20-28

The days of the week preceding the test blurred together in Cloud's mind. Genesis had pulled their training sessions forward earlier in the morning, and Cloud found himself tumbling out of bed at ungodly hours and sluggishly trudging up to the SOLDIER floor, still half-asleep. Fifteen minutes of Genesis chasing him around with Firaga usually jolted him awake and forced his clumsy feet to figure themselves out. While Cloud was busy checking his uniform for flames after 'warm-up,' Genesis plunked him down and went over how he would be tortured for the next several hours. Then, they trained. And trained. Then they broke for lunch and Cloud had just enough time to wolf down a few bites of food before training some more.

Genesis had given him the day off the day before his test, and Cloud's sore muscles were grateful. He slept through his roommates shooting him dirty looks as they left for class early that morning, and didn't wake up until well past noon. When he finally floated back to consciousness, he allowed himself the leisure of lounging in bed and staring at the second-hand ticking by on his alarm clock. By ten to one, Cloud's stomach was in dire need of nourishment, so he rolled out of bed and moseyed up to the Mess. It wasn't until the other cadets started giving him weird looks that he realized he was still in his pajamas.

It was a good day.

A quick scan confirmed that neither Jadak nor Zol were in the cafeteria, not that Cloud was particularly concerned about running into them anymore. Ever since his last conversation with Jadak, the other cadet had avoided him like the plague. Cloud wasn't sure why; he hadn't put on a terrifying show of strength or anything like that, but he wasn't about to look a gift chocobo in the mouth.

Joining the end of the line, Cloud grabbed a tray and peered at the menu. They were serving the beef again—although, just because it read 'beef' didn't necessitate that it was beef. It didn't really look like beef, or smell like beef, and just as Cloud started to contemplate whether to risk his health or just stick with a salad, he became aware of the hush that had fallen over the room. A set of footsteps was the most prominent sound in the room, clearly audible over the murmur of conversation.

A hand landed on his shoulder just as he was about to look for the source of the sudden lack of commotion. Cloud turned to face Commander Rhapsodos, who looked more than a little uncomfortable surrounded by cadets.

"What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Fair said I might find you down here," Genesis replied. "After you eat, would you mind coming by my office?"

"Oh... Well, I promised Yuza I would help him move his stuff out of his room this afternoon."

"Whenever you're done, then. Lazard hasn't scheduled me to do anything besides sit around my office all day. I think he's still pissed off about me dropping that mission I was so adamant about taking." Genesis huffed, rolled his shoulders back, and straightened his coat. "I don't know why he won't let it go. It's not like it was never taken care of."

"I'm sure the Director will eventually come to his senses," Cloud said.

"Let us hope so. The company would be lost without me." With a dramatic flip of his hair, Genesis pivoted on his heel and began to stride away. "I'll see you later," he called over his shoulder.

Cloud waved at him, then turned back to the menu. The lunchroom chatter steadily began to pick up again. After several seconds of careful deliberation, Cloud decided to err on the side of caution and just have a salad; he and Yuza could sneak out later for Wutain. It was then that he realized the two cadets in line ahead of him were staring at him.

"...What?" Cloud asked, shrinking back. Was there something on his face? He casually wiped his nose, just in case.

"Was that Commander Rhapsodos?" the shorter of the two, a wiry boy with dirty blond hair, asked. "Theeee Commander Rhapsodos?"

Eying him warily, Cloud nodded. "Yeah...?"

"Are you friends with him?" the other asked. He was taller than the blond, with short brown hair and grey eyes.

"Something like that, yeah," Cloud replied.

The blond laughed, rocking back on his heels. "Boy, would I hate to be you!"

"Zidane!" the brunet exclaimed, giving his companion a rough shove.

"No, it's fine," Cloud assured him. He fussed with the hem of his oversized t-shirt and looked down at his feet. "I know how he is towards the rest of the cadets."

"Still, that doesn't mean Zidane can't learn when to shut his mouth."

"Hey!"

The brunet tapped his lower lip, regarding Cloud thoughtfully. "I know you. You're in our class, aren't you?"

Cloud shrugged, then nodded again when the two cadets started looking a little more familiar. Faces were difficult to memorize when he spent most of his time avoiding his classmates. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"I thought so," the brunet said, smiling triumphantly. "I'm Bartz Klauser. This is Zidane Tribal."

"Cloud Strife."

Zidane grinned. "Nice to meet ya." He turned to tug on the sleeve of the dark-haired guy in front of him. "Hey! Hey, meet this guy! He's friends with Commander Rhapsodos!"

Cloud shrunk back a little when he caught sight of the scar splitting the dark-haired guy's stormy expression and dearly hoped he wasn't getting himself into more trouble.

"What do you want, Zidane?"

"This guy! He's friends with Commander Rhapsodos!"

The tough-looking cadet regarded him with something akin to suspicion, then stepped forward, shouldering his way between Bartz and Zidane. Cloud's eyes popped open wide when he thrust out a hand. A beat of awkward silence passed before Cloud realized he was supposed to shake it.

"Squall Leonhart," the dark-haired cadet informed him in a bored tone.

"Um, Cloud." Squall's grip was quite firm and Cloud found himself squirming slightly in discomfort. "Cloud Strife."

Squall took a step back and crossed his arms, leaning against the lunch counter. "So, you're friends with the commander, huh?"

Cloud still wasn't sure they were exactly friends—kind of like how he wasn't sure he and Yuza were exactly friends—but decided to roll with it. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am."

"How'd you manage that?"

Scratching the back of his head, Cloud fumbled for a response. "Well, you see..." Would they be jealous and hate him if he told them the truth? But even if they did, what did he have to lose? "I've kind of been training with him."

Bartz and Zidane gaped at him; even Squall looked vaguely impressed. "Really?" Zidane asked.

"Y-Yeah..." Cloud squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself for the inevitable barbed remark about how he wasn't worthy of such attention from a SOLDIER.

"That is so cool!"

I knew it. They hate me. They think I'm—

Cloud blinked open his eyes only to discover Zidane had gotten uncomfortably close.

Cool?

Squall pinched the back of Zidane's shirt and dragged him backwards several feet. The distance didn't deter the blond's mouth from continuing to run, however. "Are you really? What's he like? Does he teach you cool stuff? Oh, oh! Can you teach me something?"

"Calm down," Bartz chided, even though he looked just as excited. "Come to think of it, you haven't been in combat class very much over the past few weeks. Is that where you've been?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied. He could feel his cheeks starting to heat up in embarrassment.

"Are you testing tomorrow?" Squall asked.

Cloud nodded. "Are you guys?"

"Yep!" Zidane rested one hand on his hip and pointed at himself with his thumb. "Soon you'll be saying hello to Zidane Tribal, SOLDIER Third Class!"

Rolling his eyes, Bartz elbowed him. "You just want to pass your test so you can go on a date with the Information Desk lady."

"I do not!" Zidane argued. "But you have to admit, she's pretty cute."

"She's, like, ten years older than you!"

"C'mon, gimme a break! It's not like ShinRa is exactly swarming with hot chicks. I'll take what I can get."

"Which is probably going to be nothing."

"Hey, it's tough work being a teenage heartthrob." Zidane wagged his eyebrows at Squall. "Right, Squaller?"

Squall's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Don't call me that."

"If he'd drop the whole sullen attitude, he'd be a real hit with the ladies," Zidane told Cloud. "Doncha think?"

Cloud looked helplessly between Zidane and Squall. "I... guess?"

Zidane let out a victorious cheer, throwing a hand up in the air. Squall facepalmed.

"See, Squally? I told ya, so."

"Don't call me that."

Turning back to Cloud, Zidane leaned forward expectantly. "So, what do you say? You wanna come sit with us?"

Sit with a group of cadets in his class who thought he was cool?

Cloud smiled.

"Sure."

The Avon's room in the barracks was not the torture chamber Cloud had believed it to be for the past several months. It was, in fact, just a regular room. It had beds and a closet and clothes strewn about on the floor and a random assortment of other things lying around. Jadak had likely claimed the single bed right away, leaving Zol and Yuza with the bunk bed. Yuza had graciously taken the top bunk because, as the other cadet told him, Zol was afraid of heights.

Being a habitually neat person and not having many possessions in the first place, packing Yuza's things didn't take long. It was left unspoken between the two cadets that neither would linger long lest Jadak return to the room.

"Would you mind putting the rest of these in that bag?" Yuza asked, pointing at the last small pile of clothes on the bed. "I'm going to visit the restroom."

"Sure," Cloud replied. He took his time carefully placing the clothes inside, as Yuza nearly had an aneurism when he'd initially began stuffing them in haphazardly. Once he'd gotten them all inside, he zipped up the bag, shouldered it, and stood up. When he got up to take the bag outside, he accidentally caught his foot on the foot of the bed and stumbled straight into the dresser. A helmet and the pair of gloves sitting on top of it tumbled to the floor. Cloud set the bag down to pick them back up, muttering under his breath. A folded piece of paper fluttered out from underneath the helmet. He scooped up the paper, about to place it on the dresser as well, when he caught sight of Jadak's name written in a neat script.

Was it a letter? Curiosity got the better of him and Cloud unfolded the paper to read.

Jadak—

It's been two weeks, why haven't you written? My son always wrote me while he was in Midgar. He always found time to write his mother. He sent me presents too. I've received chocolates from a little shop on LOVELESS Avenue, a new shawl from somewhere in Sector 5—I can't remember the name of the shop, but...

And it went on like that, listing gifts and complaining about not receiving a letter. Cloud continued scanning the letter, bits and pieces jumping out at him. A comment about SOLDIER Seconds, something about wanting Jadak to come home for a reunion celebration, the writer's poor health...

Cloud's attention was drawn from the letter at the sound of the door opening again. "Hey, Yuza? What..."

He trailed off because the person standing in the doorway was not Yuza. It was Jadak, and he looked absolutely livid. He stomped over and tore the letter from Cloud's hands, crushing it into a ball. Cloud's jaw flapped in soundless horror as he searched for something, anything, to say.

"I-I didn't mean to read it! I bumped the dresser and it fell and I was picking it up—I'm so sorry, Jadak, I—"

"Just go," Jadak hissed through his teeth.

"I'm really sorry," Cloud whispered.

"Get. Out."

Cloud skittered out the door, slamming straight into Yuza when he reached the hallway. "S-Sorry," he stammered.

Yuza caught his shoulders to steady him, peering into the room. "What happened?"

"I-I accidentally saw a letter a-and Jadak came back, and..."

"Make him leave, Yuza," Jadak yelled.

Yuza sighed. "I'll see you later, Cloud," he said.

Wrapping his trembling arms around himself, Cloud nodded. "Y-Yeah. Later."

As he walked back down the hallway to his room, he berated himself. He should never have read the letter. But there was no going back to change it. Now he could only wonder who wrote it—it sounded like it might've been Jadak's mother. It sounded like he hadn't contacted her in a while. What was she so upset about?

Genesis was coming extremely close to smashing his computer by the time Cloud poked his head into his office. He'd been playing solitaire on it for the past two hours, and he'd won a grand total of two out of his eighty-three matches. Either solitaire was much more difficult than he remembered, or the computer was cheating. He was inclined to believe the latter.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Cloud prompted.

"You can drop the formalities, Strife," Genesis said. He sighed and tangled his hands in his hair. "It's been a long day."

Cloud crossed the room and plunked down in the chair across from him. "You too, huh?"

"Would you like to go first, or should I?"

"Well..." Cloud pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged and drummed his fingers on his boots. "I did something really bad."

Genesis raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"I was helping Yuza get his things out of the barracks and I accidentally knocked some things off the dresser. When I went to pick them up, I saw this paper and I just..." Cloud shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I read it. It was a letter to Jadak, from his mom, I think."

"What did the letter say?"

"She was complaining about not hearing from him. It was really weird, because she kept mentioning someone and calling him 'my son,' but I don't think she meant Yuza or Zol since she referred to him in the past tense."

"Sounds like they may have had an older sibling. Where's the bad part?"

"Jadak walked in while I was reading the letter."

"Oh. I see."

"So, if my throat is slit in the middle of the night, at least you'll know why."

"I think you're being melodramatic," Genesis chided. "Has Yuza ever talked to you about his home?"

Cloud shook his head. "No. And whenever I ask him about Jadak, he tells me I should ask him. But how am I supposed to do that? It's not like I can just strike up random conversation with him whenever I want."

Leaning back in his chair, Genesis thought for a few moments. "Everyone always carries around more baggage besides material possessions," he said. "It wouldn't strike me as unusual at all if Jadak had problems at home."

"But why is he so mean?" Cloud asked. "If he's trying to escape bad stuff back home, wouldn't he be happier here?"

"We all have choices, Cloud. Jadak has made the choice to deal with his anger by letting it out on other people instead of doing something constructive with it."

Like me.

Genesis bit the inside of his cheek and dropped his gaze to his desk.

"Did you ever have problems at home?" Cloud asked.

"Not really," Genesis replied. Growing up as a Mayor's son had both privileged him and isolated him. "I didn't exactly lead a charmed life, but we were happy. For what it's worth."

"Why do you need everyone to be afraid of you?"

Cloud's tone was soft, conversational, and completely void of accusation. When Genesis glanced up, he found the cadet gazing at him steadily. There was no fear in his eyes. He had asked a question, and now he expected an answer.

If only Genesis had one.

The silence in the room was unsettling and he found himself saying words until he could formulate a coherent response. "I think that... maybe..."

Cloud waited.

"...Perhaps... I've accepted the fact that I'm never going to be as great as Sephiroth." The words were painful, but on some level, he knew they were true. "Now I just do what I can. Sephiroth may be the most revered, but I am the most feared."

It sounded awful, saying it out loud. He couldn't get by on charisma and skills, so he settled for intimidation. What was he doing with his life?

"I'm not afraid of you," Cloud said.

"We've been though a lot, Strife," Genesis replied, chuckling. "I should hope not."

"But I don't think I was ever afraid you," the cadet went on, half to himself. "You were confusing and frustrating, and I got mad at you, but you never scared me." He blinked, refocusing. "Do you ever get scared?"

Genesis scoffed. "I've been though war. Of course I get scared."

"But you can't get scared when you're at war," Cloud said. "Can you?"

Scooting his chair back, Genesis stood up and walked to the front of his desk. He perched on the edge, crossing one leg over the other. "We are called to be brave," he said. "Being brave doesn't mean we aren't afraid. Bravery is when you have the resolve to push through your fear."

"I'm really scared about my test tomorrow," Cloud admitted.

"Be brave, Cloud," Genesis said, smiling. "You're going to do fine."

The door slid open and the esteemed General Sephiroth stepped in. He looked up from his stack of papers, saw Cloud, and paused. "Am I interrupting something?"

Cloud twisted in his chair, then hastily turned back, look up at Genesis with wide eyes. The commander couldn't help laughing. "No, you haven't," he replied. "What can I do for you, Sephiroth?"

"Lazard sent me to give you these," Sephiroth said, stepping forward to set the papers on his desk.

"Wonderful. Now I can stop playing solitaire." Genesis motioned to the pale cadet in the chair. "I don't believe you two have been formally introduced. Cloud, meet General Sephiroth. Sephiroth, this is Cloud Strife."

Cloud shakily rose to his feet and saluted, looking like he might pass out. Or throw up. "P-Pleasure to m-meet you, S-sir."

They shook. "I've heard a lot about you, Cadet Strife," Sephiroth said, shooting a brief glance at Genesis. "Your cadet entrance exam is tomorrow?"

"U-um, yes, Sir. It is." Cloud swallowed, fidgeted with his gloves, and squirmed in place. It was more than a little amusing to watch. "With... With all due respect, Sir..."

One of Sephiroth's silver eyebrows went up.

"...But... Genesis is going to win your bet, Sir."

Be brave, Cloud.

The general smiled. "I certainly hope he does."

DAY 29

THE TEST

Cloud noticed that Jadak hung back by his locker while the other cadets filed into the training room. This would be his last chance to talk to him before the test started. Filling his mind with brave thoughts, Cloud approached him.

"H-Hey, Jadak?"

"What do you want?" the other cadet snapped.

Well, he's still mad. "I just wanted to apologize again," Cloud said, carefully reciting what he had rehearsed the previous night. "I shouldn't have read the letter. It was wrong of me to invade your privacy."

"Tch." Jadak spun around to lean against his locker. "Figures you would've been the one to find it." He was quiet for a moment, drumming his fingers on the blue metal. "What did it say?"

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, confused. "Didn't you read it?"

"I've stopped reading her letters. Yuza and Zol read them, but I don't."

"Why not?"

"Because I've already heard everything she has to say. Why should I have to read the same thing over and over?"

"She said she hasn't heard from you in a few weeks."

Jadak slammed his fist into the locker. "I have nothing to say to her."

"It's your mother, isn't it?" Cloud asked. When Jadak nodded, he continued. "She kept mentioning someone in her letter... Who is it?"

"Was," Jadak corrected. He paced back and forth a few times across the locker room before speaking again. "It wasn't always just us. Yuza, Zol, and I. Before, there was him. Phirseroth."

Cloud briefly contemplated asking where his mom came up with all of their names, but decided it was better to just like Jadak talk.

"He was the oldest. When he was sixteen, he went off to join SOLDIER. I was only seven. He made it all the way to Second Class, but he was killed in Wutai." Jadak stopped in his pacing. "Things were never the same at home after that. Mother was never the same. She's kept his room for the past five years, like she's expecting him to come home. Every year we have this... this... reunion, she calls it, on the anniversary of his death."

"I'm really sorry," Cloud said softly.

"I hate it!" Jadak spun and kicked one of the lockers, leaving a sizeable dent in the metal. "He's all she ever talks about and I'm sick of it!"

"Is that why you want to make SOLDIER so badly?" Cloud asked. "So she'll talk about you instead?"

Jadak laughed harshly, raking his hair back. "It's stupid, isn't it? To think that my mother would love a SOLDIER First instead of her son?" he asked, clenching his hands. "Maybe it is stupid. But it's the only truth I have."

A heavy silence fell between them while Cloud digested what had just been revealed to him. The idea of being stuck, struggling to get out from under the weight of the past seemed overwhelming and impossible. And yet, Jadak had spent his entire life trying to do it.

"You're going to make a great SOLDIER, Jadak," he said at last. "You don't need anyone's help to do that. But I hope, when you get there, you can look back and be proud of your own accomplishments."

Jadak's fists tightened. "What good is pride if no one can share it?"

"Yuza and Zol will always be proud of you." Cloud took a tentative step forward. "And I will be too."

"You're funny, Brother," Jadak said. But when he clapped a hand down on Cloud's shoulder to give him a shove, the hostility was gone. It was light, playful.

"Good luck out there," Cloud said.

Jadak turned towards the locker room door. "Thanks, but you need it much more than I do."

They entered the training room just as Instructor Davis began belting out instructions. Jadak took up his usual place beside Zol and Cloud was waved over by Bartz and squashed in between him and Squall. He quickly turned his attention to Davis.

"Alright, kids, listen up!" he bellowed. "Today, you're all being evaluated as to whether or not you'll be a good fit for SOLDIER. Those of you who are will continue through the cadet program, and eventually become SOLDIER Thirds. Those of you who aren't will either join the regular army or be sent home."

Cloud shuffled his feet nervously. The last thing he wanted was to go back home. Not after he'd gotten this far.

"You alright?" Squall whispered.

"Fine," Cloud replied, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "I'm fine."

Instructor Davis clapped his hands together. "Now, for your actual test, you will be split into two teams and armed with wooden training swords. Each of you will be clipped with an electronic device with a flag attached to it. The goal is to remove the flags from all of your opponents. When your flag is pulled off, your device will trigger and you will be ejected from the simulation."

"This is gonna be fun," Cloud heard Zidane whisper excitedly to Bartz.

"Each of your individual progress will be monitored. I expect you all to work with your teammates and show courtesy towards your opponents." Davis' gaze lingered on Zol for a few moments before he went on. "This isn't a brawl—this is a strategic exercise. Any questions?"

The cadets were then divvied up into two teams on opposite sides of the room. Cloud ended up with Bartz, Squall, and Zol, while Zidane and Jadak were on the opposing team. Swords were handed out, helmets were pulled on, and Cloud had only a few minutes to panic before they were immersed in a simulation of Midgar's streets.

"Well, I must admit, he's doing considerably better than he was the first test," Angeal remarked. "It helps that he doesn't have any monsters to confuse as his teammates."

"And he's only tripped twice," Sephiroth added.

Genesis rolled his eyes, doing his best to ignore his friends' sarcasm. "Admit it. Neither of you thought he'd even make it this far."

"To be fair, he hasn't shown a whole lot of progress yet," Sephiroth said. "After all, he's let the other two cadets he's with do all of the fighting."

"I know. That's because I told him to do that," Genesis replied, kicking his feet up on the edge of the control board. At the general's quizzical look, he elaborated. "He doesn't have the endurance for this kind of extended combat yet. I advised him to stay out of battle until it became absolutely necessary to engage himself."

"Ah." Angeal nodded, smiling. "You told him to play stealthy."

"It's just as handy to be able to keep under your enemy's radar as it is to be able to fight them."

"But can he fight them?" Sephiroth asked.

Genesis smirked. "You'll see."

Cloud kept his back to the alley wall as he scanned the main drag of LOVELESS Avenue. He'd split up with Squall and Bartz to check around Sector 8, but so far he hadn't encountered anyone. Every instruction Genesis had ever given him was on loop inside his head, repeating over and over the things he needed to remember. Keep quiet, stay sharp, don't get distracted, relax, breathe.

When he turned around to head back down the alley, he had to swallow the shriek that bubbled up in his throat when the tip of a wooden sword brushed his nose. Its wielder was helmeted, they all were, but his slender frame and small stature immediately gave him away as Jadak. Cloud backed out onto the street, raising his own weapon. Jadak advanced on him.

LOVELESS Avenue was quiet and deserted, but after slinking through narrow side streets, it felt much too exposed. Steeling his resolve, Cloud planted his feet and refused to move back any father. He stared Jadak down through his helmet and knew the other cadet recognized him as well. They stood, motionless. Jadak finally made the first move.

Cloud shifted into his well-practiced defensive stance on instinct, blocking Jadak. Their swords met with a dull clunk, then again as Jadak drew back to take another swing. The other cadet wasn't as fast as Genesis was, but his skill level was impressive for not even being a SOLDIER. Cloud kept his sword in motion, always moving, always ready to block Jadak's next strike, but something felt off. Fighting him was difficult in a way fighting Genesis wasn't. It wasn't until Cloud narrowly missed having a tooth knocked out by the end of the other cadet's sword that he realized what it was.

Jadak was left-handed.

All at once, Cloud knew what he needed to do.

He spied the flag hanging off Jadak's belt on his left hip, protected by his sword. In order to grab it, he would have to reach all the way across to Jadak's left side with his left arm. Jadak could easily swat his hand out of the way and make a grab for his own flag. Cloud danced to the side, then ducked and rolled out of the way when Jadak swung for his head. Somehow, he thought, he had to get Jadak to turn around. His defense was likely better than the other cadet had anticipated, but he couldn't keep it up forever.

What to do, what to do?

Jadak pulled his sword back in a move that Cloud recognized as one that could lead to him winding up disarmed. Instead of shifting in position to defend himself, however, Cloud let his sword fall to the ground with a gasp.

"Dear Gaia," he exclaimed, pointing over Jadak's shoulder. "What is that?!"

In the split second that he turned, attention diverted, Cloud darted forward and snatched the flag off his belt. Jadak vanished, fizzling away in pixels of simulation fragments, leaving Cloud alone on LOVELESS Avenue.

Cloud smirked down at the flag in his hand. "Didn't think you'd fall for that."

A/N: I apologize for my current inability to write fight sequences. I'll learn eventually, I just need to write more of them. I also apologize for adding in Zidane, Bartz, and Squall, but I didn't want to come up with more half-baked characters of my own for that scene. I don't apologize for the length of this chapter, though.

This is the final real chapter. Next will be the epilogue.

Holy cow, guys.

RegenesisX