Cloud jolted awake, heart racing as his dream slipped away from his memory. He blinked his eyes open, and as he did he realized part of his face hurt. Tentatively Cloud raised a hand and felt to his horror that there were stitches underneath his eye.

"What?" Cloud sat up straighter.

"Don't touch them so much. This early into your recovery and you could accidentally rip them apart." A voice informed Cloud. He turned and to his greater shock, he was staring at none other than -

"General Sephiroth? Sir? I...what's going on?" Cloud was beyond confused. His head hurt, there were stitches on his face, and sitting beside his bed was the general of all people. He appeared exhausted, having a restless night watching over him.

"You are at the infirmary. I brought you here." The general answered simply.

"You...? Sir?" Cloud was still in a daze. Was this really happening? Should he salute his superior?

Without addressing his confusion Sephiroth opened his phone and dialed a number. Cloud bit his lip, unsure what to do. He looked down upon himself and saw that he was only in a hospital gown.

"Tseng, he's awake." Sephiroth spoke softly. "No, I haven't asked. I wish he not have to repeat himself. Yes. Understood."

Repeat himself? What happened? All Cloud could remember...

Suddenly his heart slowed as it sank. He remembered hands feeling over him. He tried to get away. Cloud recalled seeing the door. It was so close. Then an arm reached over his shoulder. His hands clenched into tight fists while his brain made the connection. It didn't have to take a lot of imagination.

"Cloud. Breathe. Focus on me." Sephiroth reached forward to gently hold his hand. The gloved hand against Cloud's bare one snapped him out of it in a way. However the panic was still setting in.

"Deep breaths. You can do this, Cloud. It wasn't your fault." The general's voice was soothing.

Cloud closed his eyes to stop the tears that welled up. A few still escaped. His chest constricted so tightly he felt that his heart would stop altogether. When his lungs felt like they were about to burst he gasped in a breath, as if he were surfacing from underwater.

He couldn't stop the tears even if he wanted. Sephiroth leaned closer and awkwardly pulled the blond into a hug. Cloud slumped into the general, not giving a damn about their difference in rank. He took in a few more shaky breaths. And that was enough for his voice to finally let out an anguished cry.

Those strong arms tightened their hold on him. The action was enough for Cloud to cling onto the general for dear life. He felt his body curl up in a poor attempt to fold into the taller man, as if he was trying to will himself to disappear altogether.

They remained like this for several minutes. Sephiroth remained silent as he listened to the anguish. It only fueled the fury within his chest. However, he was pushing it aside in order to comfort the young SOLDIER. This was his reason for staying by the young man's side until he awoke.

The general heard Tseng enter the room. Cloud was still having his moment, so Sephiroth didn't turn to acknowledge the Turk. Tseng remained silent as he wished not to interrupt. Instead he opted to read over the file he obtained on Cloud Strife and began to read it over.

After several minutes Cloud's cries were reduced to sniffles and uneven breathing. His breaths would slow down to an almost stop before gasping rapidly, then return to the same pattern as before. Sephiroth felt the young man shake in his arms.

Eventually Cloud calmed to just the sniffles. His arms were still trembling, and he realized he had cried all over his superior's chest. The blond lets go of Sephiroth, and it was the cue for the general to slowly pull away. Cloud felt his cheeks flare up in embarrassment. He resisted raising a hand to itch the area of his hurt eye, the tears made the stitches sting a little.

"There's no shame in crying, Cloud." Sephiroth assured gently.

"I - I'm sorry." The blond hiccups.

"No need to apologize." Sephiroth turned to their guest. "This is Tseng. He is the Turk who will be head of the investigation. He was there with me when we found you."

"My sincere apologies in meeting you like this. I assure you, we will do what we can and get to the bottom of this." Tseng spoke in a monotone voice, however his brown eyes gave away the hidden anger within. They swirled with promise for pain against the perpetrator.

Cloud made a mental note that if he ever had to work with this man in the field, he must not piss him off. He tentatively glanced at the general, who also withheld silent fury within his own eyes. Something about those mako green eyes were more intense in comparison to Tseng when it came to his fury. Cloud shivered. He had to remind himself that he wasn't the one that was in trouble.

"Is... Is it all right if General Sephiroth stays?" Cloud timidly asked. Despite their short time together he liked to believe they shared a connection of some sorts.

"Of course. That is if he wishes to abide." Tseng saw no problem with the request.

"I'll stay." Sephiroth said without hesitation.

Cloud felt his little heart flutter. If it weren't for the reason why they were here, Cloud would be beside himself. Then a sense of guilt hit him. He was taking up the general's time. Then again Sephiroth didn't have to stay by his side in the infirmary. He chose out of his own accord, Cloud reminded himself.

"Before we start, I will inform you that I will be recording us. I will be taking notes, but I will be using the recording as a reference to go over any details I initially missed. Is this all right with you?" Tseng pulled out his phone to place on the bed, then he gathered a notepad and a pen.

"I don't mind." Cloud gulped.

Tseng reached for his phone to record. Cloud was relieved when the device was placed back down on the bed. It wasn't a video recording but an audio.

"First, I want you to describe what you remember from last night. Everything up to the last thing you remember." Tseng readied his pen.

And so Cloud explained he went to a party with his old bunkmate. Eventually he lost his only friend in the crowd so he took up a lonely corner and drank in relative peace. That was until Brandt approached him.

"How would you describe Brandt?"

"He's Second Class. Neatly buzzed cut hair. Dark brown maybe black? He's maybe four inches taller than me."

"Eye color?"

"Mako green. Maybe they were once blue? If so they must have been light blue, most of the color was green."

"What happened next?" Tseng scribbled away in his notepad.

He talked about how the man would refill his cup constantly and make small talk. Everything seemed fine at this time, Cloud explained. He said he begun to sense a friendship bonding between them at this point.

"How many cups did he give you?"

"I - I don't know. I remember two or three cups. Sometimes to fill it again he would give from his own cup."

"And is that usually enough to knock you out?"

"No. Not really. But I definitely felt it." The blond admitted.

"All right. Tell me what happened next."

Cloud didn't choke up until he began to explain the part where the Second Class SOLDIER felt him up. He found that words failed him, and he knew his description was weak.

"How did he feel you up?" Tseng sensed this change and was doing his best to help the situation by getting more details.

"He felt over my side and then down to my leg."

"Where on your leg?"

"My - uh, my upper thigh. He almost reached around to touch my...my crotch. But then he moved to the other side of my leg."

"So like this in a way?" Tseng gestures with his free hand, following what Cloud described.

"Yes, Sir." The blond felt his throat constrict.

"What happened next?" The Turk sensed his distress.

"I..." Cloud bit his lip. He could feel himself choking. Sephiroth reached over to grasp his hand again. Cloud tightened his grip on the gloved appendage.

"Take your time, Cloud." Tseng assured.

The blond took in several deep breaths before continuing.

"I got up to make my way to the door. Everything was dizzy, but I didn't fall or anything. I could see the door. I wanted to go home. And then..." Cloud closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"He asked me where I was going. I said I'm going home. I was almost to the door. Then I felt his arm wrap over my shoulder. Then...then everything gets dark from there. I don't remember what happened after that."

"What's the next thing you remember?"

"Waking up here." Cloud sniffs.

From there Tseng continued onto more disturbing questions. These required a yes, no, or unsure answer. For most of them Cloud stated he wasn't sure. At the end of it all Tseng wrapped up his notes and put them away. He then picked up his phone and ended the recording.

"You're very brave, Cloud. I want you to know you're strong for telling us everything that happened. It says in your file that Zack is pending as your mentor?" Tseng had noted the curious detail earlier when he read over the file.

"Yes, Sir." Cloud nods. Zack! He had completely forgotten about him. What will his hero think of him about this? He quickly shook that thought out of his brain. Zack was anything but judgmental.

"I will speed up the process and allow you to move in with him effective immediately. As soon as they discharge you from here. I have already called him back to base. He will arrive within the next few hours."

Cloud could only nod. In a sense he dreaded seeing Zack. But at the same time he wanted to see a familiar face. He knew that Zack was the kindest man he ever knew. What he dreaded were the questions.

"I have already informed him what has transpired in his absence. I didn't give any details, only that you were assaulted and possibly sexually assaulted. He understands not to ask any questions regarding what happened. It is up to you if you wish to confide in him. But only him, you must not talk of anything going on outside of myself or General Sephiroth while this is under investigation. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Cloud nods.

"Now, would you like to undergo a rape kit?" Tseng's eyes softened at the question.

"...Yes." Cloud didn't want to, but on the inside he knew it would be better.

"Someone will be here shortly. The process might take a while. And unfortunately, General Sephiroth is not allowed to stay for your support."

"I understand." Cloud's voice croaked.

"Here is my direct number. Call me if you ever remember any new details, or if you have any questions about the investigation." Tseng handed him his card. Cloud read it over, silently putting the number to memory in case he loses the card.

Tseng took his leave. He left silently the same as he came in. After a few minutes the nurse walked in, explaining it was time for the exam and General Sephiroth was to leave. Before he stood Cloud reached out to his hand. Green eyes turned to him curiously.

"Thank you, Sir. For everything." Cloud meant every word.

"You're welcome, Cloud." Sephiroth felt his heart ache as he turned and left the room.