Jeebus. A chapter and a prologue and already people are loving it again. Oy!

Neo: I actually had 3 chapters before, plus the prologue. So I have one more to edit before I can continue on. And believe me when I say that these are already about twice the length as the original chapters.

ShadowCatLeader: Well, the only people he can dare are other cadets. Such are the rules.
Ardwynna Morrigu: Guess I should mention that that's a "for now" rating, eh?

TheHomicidalManiac777: Heh, thanks! I love writing it.

Get mentioned in my chapters. Send me a review!

Over the training grounds, the timely call of whistles sounded and echoed off the concrete walls. The yells of the instructors and groans of the recruits mixed with the sounds and, adding in the summer heat, no one wanted to be there. Already that day a few kids had passed out from sheer exhaustion. At the very least, those who conked out had forced the instructors to make the recruits take regular breaks in which they doused themselves with water. The only thing people were really concentrating on was the Gala, now only a week away.

Zack finally figured out that was The Day--kind of hard not to when it was circled and starred in bright red on the calendar--and had been teasing Cloud about it since. Just little things dropped here and there to make the younger cadet squirm. On more than one occasion, he'd say, "So, Cloud? Are you going to ask the General to dance? Can't you just imagine it? Soft music playing, you ask him to dance, he'd graciously accept…The two of you would almost literally glide to the center of the dance floor, which would clear of all dancers. Then the two of you would share a dance in the spotlight. Maybe you'd even get a soft kiss when it was over with."

Needless to say, this little scenario would always set Cloud to blushing. He could hit Zack at times like that. Actually, the first time he did it, the black haired SOLDIER had ended up with a bruise on his shoulder. Didn't exactly stop him from doing it again, though.

Sephiroth was up in his office, glaring in contempt down at the training recruits. Sniveling idiots. Hangers on. All they cared about was getting a mere glimpse of him. There were people better suited for all of this adoration. He couldn't stand it one bit. In fact, he rather hated the whole thing. Couldn't see what was so special about him, anyway. He was cold, cruel, and ruthless in all his dealings.

His eyes scanned the group of cookie-cutter wannabes. The emerald trailed from one boy to another before they locked on the most unique one in the group. What Sephiroth looked down upon now was the brightest gold hair his eyes had ever laid upon. He couldn't quite figure out why he'd never noticed this one before. Shimmering locks that seemed to absorb the sun rather than reflect it, he frowned slightly. It wasn't often that his interest was piqued like this, and he was angry at the fact he couldn't figure out why. He was pondering this when he heard, more than felt, someone enter the room. He figured it was Zack with the way the person came in further instead of cowering in the doorway.

Without turning from the window, his deep baritone voice over to the doorway. "Who is that recruit, Zack?"

Zack made his way over and looked out. All he saw was a mass of people. Yes, that certainly helped to narrow down the field as to whom the General was referring. "Which one?"

A soft sigh to his left. "The one with the spiky blond hair."

Zack's eyes immediately landed on Cloud, and a wide grin spread across his face. It wasn't often that Sephiroth asked about a recruit. Lucky, lucky, the one he asked about happened to be the one he dared. Quaint. "Cloud Strife, General. One of my roommates. He'll be graduating next week."

"Strife, hmm?" Sephiroth gazed out the window in contemplation when, as if he had heard them say his name, Cloud turned during one of the allotted water breaks and looked up at the General's tinted windows. Strikingly azure eyes caught the sun and sparkled brightly, hauntingly beautiful. Sephiroth was glad for the cover of the windows, or he would have been spellbound. There was a lost innocence to those eyes. Signs of hardships endured and lived. His breath caught in his throat and he quickly turned from the windows, for the first time in his life almost embarrassed.

Zack noticed, however, and he did his best to conceal the cocky grin that was quickly appearing. It was rather hard to do, though, considering whom it was. Cocky seemed to be his middle name. He turned and watched Sephiroth return to the confines of his office, sitting behind his large metal desk and bury himself beneath paperwork. Plans from Shin-RA for various attacks and what have you. Zack sauntered over and sat on the man's desk, much to Sephiroth's chagrin. He gazed down at the desk and lifted a little silver ball before letting it swing back to hit another. Clack-clack-clack-clack. "Ahem, so…why were you asking about Cloud? He's something to look at, isn't he?"

Sephiroth tensed slightly but didn't move his head up from the paperwork he was looking over. A hand did come up, however, to reach out and stop the infernal clacking. A muscle in his jaw twitched slightly as his eyes flickered up for a moment, flaring slightly. "If you'd kindly remove yourself from my desk so I could get some work done, it'd be greatly appreciated." His head lowered back to the parchments in front of him once more, muttering quietly.

Zack hopped back off the desk and returned to the window. He'd completely forgotten what he had come into the office for in the first place. The recruits were back at training now, the sweat glistening off of several bodies. There were only one or two boys that hadn't removed their shirts during the break, succumbing to the blistering heat, and Cloud was most assuredly not among them. Zack's mouth formed a little "oh" as he watched his roommate practice. "Even better without a shirt." He laughed lightly and turned from the window, to find Sephiroth tightly gripping the pen in his hand. "Um…I think I'll just leave now. Can't remember what I came in here for, anyway. Have fun with the paperwork!" He slipped out of the room before Sephiroth could throw the pen at him. Even after he finally slid out, he could hear it clatter against the door and fall to the ground. Zack walked away from Sephiroth's office, humming softly to himself and practically skipping back to his dorm. He had good news for a certain dorm mate.

Zack laid sprawled out on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling and running his earlier conversation with the General through his head. The way his friend's breath had caught in his throat upon seeing those eyes that rivaled the sky in color. A goofy grin spread across his face at this train of thought and he went back to absently tossing a ball into the air and catching it. Come on, Cloud. Training let out ten minutes ago. Where the hell are you?

On cue, the door popped open, and in strolled the blond haired cadet of his thoughts. Cloud tossed himself onto his bed and groaned as his muscles began fighting back. "I just want to take a shower and sleep for the rest of the day." he murmured this into his pillow before turning his head to the side and gazing at Zack, rather suspiciously. "What are you doing here? Don't you have some newbies to scare witless?"

Snickering, the other sat up and swung his legs over to rest his feet on the floor. He stood slowly and stretched as he meandered over to where Cloud laid. Wary blue eyes watched the black haired SOLDIER approach and he grimaced when he felt a weight settle on his hips. "Aw, is ickle wittle Cloudy all sore?" He snickered quietly before putting his hands against Cloud's bare back. He began kneading out the knots in his muscles and was awarded with an unwarranted moan, accompanied by a small wiggle.

"What do you--ow!--want now, Zack?" Cloud asked quietly, his head now buried in his arms. Zack never did this unless he either wanted something or had news that only he found fun and interesting. Zack pressed his palm into the knot at the base of the younger boy's neck before snickering quietly.

"I had a little chat with the General today." He answered in a rather too conversational voice. Cloud's head lifted slightly before lowering quickly.

"O--ooh?" That spot felt good. Do that again. Yay, he did it again.

"I most certainly did. Walked into the office, and he was standing at the window, watching you guys train." He paused for a moment, snickering. "He wanted to know who you were." The same time he said this, he dug his elbow into Cloud's back.

"OW! Shit, damnit, that fu---wait, he wanted to know who I was?" The pain from an elbow digging into his back was quickly forgotten at this point as he turned swiftly, causing Zack to topple off of him and onto the floor. The older boy stood back up swiftly and grinned, dusting himself off.

"That he did." A smug grin spread across his face as he tilted his head to the side, peering at him. "Aren't you the lucky duck? Usually he only asks about a recruit so he can recommend their dismissal." At the wide-eyed look on Cloud's face, Zack raised his hands and shook them quickly. "Not you, though. Trust me on this one. He's not looking to dismiss you."

Still, the paranoid look remained on his face. "But how do you know that? I mean, what if he--"

Zack cut him off with a shake of his head. "I can read him, Cloud. You're just going to have to trust me." He bounded from the room before an answer could be received, leaving Cloud to stare after him, struck dumb.

When his voice finally found him again, he managed to croak out a "Trust him?" before collapsing back against the bed with a whimper.