Cloud shuddered feeling chilled although no drafts seemed present in the room. On instinct, the little blonde pulled his sheet up to cover his knees, chin settled on his shaking hands. Ocean irises glanced toward his roommate, fearful his restless sleep might have woken the other boy. But no, Jason snored dreamily in the bed opposite of the shivering cadet, his body resting peacefully in the mess of blankets.

Those dreams...they were so vivid, so daunting, so...painfully familiar they shook the blonde to his core. Commander Hewley had seemed so deathly ill, his handsome face drenched in perspiration and ghostly pale; his vibrantly colored mako blue irises, usually so alive with determination and strength, had been hollow and dull...the eyes of a man long dead. His hair had been lax gray, brittle and cracking. The man had a wing...

"I'm sorry Cloud, tell Zack I'm sorry as well..."

"Sorry about what...?" The words left the youth's parched lips in a choked whisper. Cloud understood apologizing to Lieutenant Fair, but he was nobody. Why would the Commander feel the need to apologize to him? Cautiously, as though he thought the whole of Shinra would be watching, Cloud allowed his gaze to travel from the lifeless wall before him to the nightstand beside him. His phone sat on the edge of the table, charger dangling from one end as though holding on for dear life.

Commander Hewley had said to call him...

Angeal Hewley rolled across his bed, clear eyes now peering out his flat's windows to the ever bustling city of Midgar. The man sighed, finally accepting that he would not be getting any sleep tonight as he rubbed a hand across his forehead, sweat beading around his hairline.

"Angeal Hewley..." Said man grunted, eyes attempting to adjust to the gleaming light surrounding him. The Commander took a step forward, glancing down when he heard the murmmered crunch of plants beneath his boots.

"Flowers?" He mumbled, removing his hand from shielding his squinting mako irises. A feminine chuckle sounded from behind him.

A brunette girl with shimmering jade colored eyes stood, tucking a loose strand of hair back into her braid. "Yes. They're not much, but it's all I can do right now." Angeal turned completely, offering the young girl a polite nod.

"They're beautiful miss," His eyes scanned the area, the horizon, and the nonexistent sky. "But...where are we?" The girl smiled softly, her eyes filled with an unknown emotion.

"There isn't much time, Mr. Hewley. I just have to deliver this message before we leave." Though thoroughly perplexed, the man nodded. The young brunette smiled. "He's reaching out for you Mr. Hewley. He needs you to believe him..." the light began to fade, darkness crawling along the edges of this blissful dream. "Please don't turn him away."

Angeal shook his head, his raven locks fanning out in disarray. That dream had done something to his mind, twisted the gears inside until he was unable to calm himself enough to sleep.

Who needed him? Who was reaching out? Who was the young girl? Who was he?

His phone began to vibrate on his dresser, knocking against the table lamp and filling the silence with shuddering pulses of vibration.

Angeal snatched the device up, flipping it open and pressing the receiver to his ear. "Commander Hewley here."

"…Sir? This is Cadet Cloud Strife." Angeal relaxed, leaning against his dresser with arms crossed.

"What can I do for you Cadet?" He didn't bother to point out it was nearly two thirty in the morning; surely the little blonde knew this.

"Sir….you said to call you if I had any more strange…..occurrences." The stiffened his shoulders, eyes opening widely in the dark.

"Yes Cadet….may I call you Cloud?" The small whimper of "Yes" from the other end of the line spurred the Commander on. "Would you like to me to get you from your bunker or would you rather I meet you somewhere?"

There was a moment of spluttering on the other end before the youth spoke clearly. "I could meet you in front of your office sir…?" Angeal began to nod, only to realize the cadet couldn't see him.

"See you in twenty minutes Cloud."

Angeal hadn't bothered to change, nor had Cloud. Now both stood in the center of the honorable Commander's office in night clothes. Angeal was seated on the corner of his own desk, listening intently as the cadet retold his dream.

"And that's when I woke up…." Cloud mumbled as he ran out of words to speak, shuffling his bare feet in front of the shirtless Commander. The ruffling of Angeal's pajama bottoms seemed deafening as he crossed the room to stand before Cloud.

"Cloud," Angeal place a hand beneath the boy's chin, looking over his cheeks for any sign of physical proof that the dream had somehow affected him. "I can assure you that I don't have a wing."

"Please don't turn him away." The girl's voice rung in his mind.

"However, I believe there is something connected to your dream and mine." Angeal placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I intend to fix this. No cadet should have to be going through night terrors."

Cloud had come to realize, over the several months of being practically mentored by Angeal Hewley, that there wasn't a man more worthy of the title SOLDIER. Not even the General.

Angeal Hewley truly cared for each man under his command; he worried for them at the expense of his own health. The Commander would never allow someone under his jurisdiction to take on a task he felt would be more suitable to a higher ranking officer. He didn't discriminate SOLDIER or infantry or even Cadet. He stood for honor and pride and compassion.

All the things that made a hero, Angeal Hewley was.

"Cloud," the man's voice sent jolts of warmth through the cadet's body. "Ready for another training session?"

Chapter 100: Angeal feels a very fatherly feeling toward Cloud.

Chapter 101: Angeal feels something much stronger toward the blonde.

stats: Materia: 10

Intelligence: 64

Compassion: 96

Trustworthy: 87

Strength: 50

Sword skill: 50

Innocence: 98

Honor: 67

Relationships:

Zack: 65

Angeal: 70

Genesis: 12

Sephiroth: 5

Reno: 9

Author's Note: The first actual relationship development! Well of course there have already been others but….this is the first start of something really real. Thank Aerith! Thanks for reading! Sincerely, Kay.