Chapter 4

Engel…

*Two years on*

Zack leant over the cold plastic coated barrier, watching with pride as Cloud danced through yet another advanced Kata, handling the slim rapier with almost as much grace and ease as he showed with twin daggers; still his weapon of choice. The blade sang through the air in flower petal patterns, barely avoiding the removal of both his own limbs and those belonging to the assembled examiners. Zack couldn't help but feel a little smug, after all, he'd somehow discovered a prodigy.

Smart too, he added with another mental smirk. Over the past few months, after Zack's eventual promotion to first class, he'd been able to take full responsibility for a chosen third class cadet. He'd had a few peculiar responses to his first choice, but since Cloud had begun real training, he'd proven himself more than worthy of Zack's credence; turning out to be definite second class material. In fact, after a cramming session during which he'd managed to learn more than teach, he was considering putting Cloud up for First a whole year early.

Of course, there was a little way to go before he was entirely ready… for a start, an officer needed to be able to face his subordinates, rather than hoping not to be singled out, or even noticed in case he had to, regretfully of course, damage someone. Which reminded him, he'd also have to do something drastic about the kid's disciplinary record.

Nope, getting Cloud to interact 'normally' with 'other people' was gonna be a task and a half, he decided. Luckily, Zack was always up for a challenge. He had quite a reputation for it, what with being the only living soul to have seen Sephiroth singing in front of his bedroom mirror with a hairbrush… Okay, he'd sort of barged in by accident, and said General had thrown previously indicated brush quite purposefully toward his disbelieving gawk; but he hadn't aimed to kill, and that made a world of difference.

Cloud had moved to a more complicated Kata, one that Zack had only recently mastered, and not even, he thought, shown to Cloud yet. Taking careful note of the first few moves he decided Cloud could probably complete it blindfold. Come to think of it, his eyes were closed for a moment after one particularly well executed parry. Just like they had a couple of times when he appeared to feel uncomfortable… or maybe trying to remember the next sequence. Backflipping over a row of six imaginary enemy swordswipes, the unbearably flexible blond twisted, dropped into the box splits; here Zack struggled to hide an involuntary wince at the sympathetic memory of practising that particular move, before rolling into another handspring. Pity there was nothing in the marking system under artistic interpretation.

Yeah… Strife was a natural, even if he didn't quite believe it, and hid most of that talent whenever somebody happened to remark on it. Zack suddenly turned his gaze, not sure of what had caused his lapse in attention until he caught the last small movement from the empty observation gallery, on the floor above. A flicker of black and silver as the door slid silently closed, and Cloud bowed to the row of examiners, to finish his series of graded demonstrations.

Interesting…

Three was an important number. Bad luck always travelled in threes, both heaven and hell were governed by triumvirate, and of course, three was a perfect number if one had two unbelievably talented, unsociable, and most importantly of all, unattached, best friends. Who always seemed to function on a plane separate from everyone else, avoiding all contact; and had never even met one another.

He was aware that his thinking relegated him to the role of third wheel, but it wasn't as if he was bothered about that. His concern was for the two he'd somehow managed to become a bridge between… a conduit, he supposed, for what he was considering. Because he'd seen it alright, that was his one great ability… to see things that really are, and things that should be, and somehow manage to turn the should be into really is. Some had pointed out that he was just a busybody, but he was pretty sure there was more to it. Already, the wheels were beginning to grind as he went to retrieve his star student from the gym.

Cloud almost collided with him, as he seemed quite eager to be away from there, he stopped just shy of actual impact, and sighed noisily when he realised it was only Zack, and not someone important that he'd nearly barrelled into. Running a hand through perspiration drenched hair, he gave his superior a weary, beaming smile and chirped; "Well, at least that's that over with. Reckon I have even a vague chance at getting into the written exam?"

Zack grinned back, and slapped Cloud behind the shoulders, causing him to lose his usual poise and stumble forward under the impact. "Easy as falling off that motorbike of yours, Spike. I trained ya didn't I?"

Cloud paused briefly in recollection of the first time he discovered he was to take duties in the mobile transport patrols, and the rather nasty gravel rash he'd sported on his backside for a month after the first lesson.

"I dunno, I mean, I completely fudged the leaping ushiro mawashigeri - otoshigeri - age empi - nidangeri combination, half way through that second set of kumite…"

Of course, he'd got straight back on the thing, and was the first to master the noble art of the half mile wheelie. That memory more than made up for the pain.

"The ushi whatty thingy whatsamajiggy wa?"

"Oh come on Zack, at least act as if you already passed all these tests. You aren't exactly doing my confidence a whole lot of good here." He paused to jab despondently and repeatedly at a completely blameless button, not taking the slightest bit of notice as the elevator doors slid open with the ever annoying, slightly impatient 'ding.' "What am I supposed to think if the officer training me can't even remember basic Wutaian terminology? …that kick combination, with the elbow? I kinda forgot the drop kick and replaced it with a crescent. I didn't think anyone would notice, but…"

Zack shoved the nerve-encouraged, verbose teenager bodily into the transparent green capsule of the elevator, following and pressing the button for fortieth floor before Cloud could torture it as much as the call button. He was sorely tempted to clamp the kid's mouth shut, which was slightly hypocritical, but almost necessary.

"You were brought up in the Far West, with that cool accent and everything. It doesn't exactly make you easy to understand, plus, I know you only speak Wutaian to nark people off. No," He fibbed, "I never noticed anything out of the ordinary, I was almost impressed."

As soon as he was sure Cloud would not be able to run away with some rather questionable excuse, he decided to at last unveil his master plan.

"You know, it isn't in the rules that you can't go and have fun once in awhile. There's this party…"

"Yes; it is. I memorised the book." Cloud interrupted, cutting Zack off mid-thought and leaving him floundering. "And if you're about to tell me all about the Shinra Halloween ball, it's for officers only, remember? I don't have my final exam until a month after."

Zack studied the rather annoyed grimace that he was being given, and decided it really didn't belong there. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, and stared down at the pouty little brat.

"What's a month between First class officers?" He chided, "Besides, it's masque, might be fun to see if we could pull it off… Seph'll be there, he has to, this year." He felt absolutely no guilt at pulling out his trump card, and was rewarded when the pout slowly became a wicked smile.

"We could get into a lot of trouble." Cloud argued, quietly, thoughtfully, and without much conviction. It was obvious he was in for a little prank as much as the next man, and considering whom the next man happened to be…

"Cloud, you an' me are gonna turn this ball into a party no one's gonna forget in a hurry."

Author's rant: Oh yeah, the Ball. `^_^'

1: Yep, next time is the Big Paaah-taay! (I'm having formatting problems *glares at computer in real angry fashion* forgive me if this is dodgy.

2: Cloud will be making a grand entrance, but not quite as you would expect…

3:I bet you can guess where the party's being held.

4:Which copy of Engel would that be then Dina? English, German or the KMFDM remix? I must have every track they ever recorded… I was actually thinking of (Whistling the bit at the beginning,) that track when I wrote the cavern sequence, and this chapter is subtly based around the song… so yeah, you could say I heard it ^_^ (I always think the English version is hilarious, though I agree with you about Cloud's singing.)

5:I don't care if I'm making Cloud out to be dead brilliant. He seemed pretty competent during and after the Nibelheim mission, (and Zack was a bit rubbish, to be honest.*Ducks various 'half-brick-in-a-sock' shaped flying objects* Don't hit me! I'm just saying, he really wasn't anything that special compared with Seph!) I must be the one person in the universe who just can't agree to liking 'Conflicts of Interest'. Sorry, I just can't read it, even if it is AU.

6:Sorry 'bout the Karate jargon, but I still can't get that combo every time ¦ /… and yeah, people do seem to react the same way as Zack did.

I'll Be Back…