Comments:

Wow! I'm so happy you people responded to the fic so well! You guys rock!

So I've decided to assure myself that I'll update as frequently as possible, I've decided that I would write and post only on Thursdays or Fridays, so expect to see new chapters on those days.

Miss Maniac: I'm glad you enjoyed it! Zack will have a part to play in this story, because from what we saw in the game, Cloud and he seemed like good friends. He won't be playing match maker for Cloud and Sephiroth… no way. I don't even intend on making Sephiroth and Zack super buds, like many others have done. Sephiroth just doesn't seem to me like the kind of guy who keeps a lot of friends around, even one as friendly and cute as Zack. So they will know each other, and Cloud will probably get to meet Sephiroth face to face indirectly by Zack's doing, but not because he had planned it. I dunno if you understand anything of what I've said but… uh… hope you like the new chap!

Shikashinigami: Thank you soooo much! That is so nice of you! hugs

Hikarienzeru To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure of what's going to happen considering Cloud's strength… he will understand what is wrong with him and what keeps him from freezing up. I can't say he'll become mega powerful, because however AU this story might be in some ways (because I don't think the creators of FFVII ever intended Seph and Cloud to shag, no matter how sexy they are together) it'll still stay true to the game… so in a way, this won't have a happy ending… but I hate sad endings… so I'll probably do a sequel when we've come past the point Sephiroth went crazy. Thanks so much for your wonderful review! You rock!

Tatsukitty Thanks so much! Won't be long now til AC… Sept 13th! WOOHOO!! If you want that link, I reposted it on my first chapter…

Risanda-Aniki: MWAHAHAHAHA! Yes, maybe I SHOULD have added "insanity" to the warnings… Cloud's life is a boisterous lad, ain't he? Gotta love his attitude… but you'll see that this kinda attitude WILL bring him bad luck in the long run… enjoy this new chap!

cRoZx aNgeL: Thanks so much for your support! I needed it!

Alright, now, I didn't leave you any comments but thank you soooo much to Cheley, elirian19, RuByMoOn17, Kohaku-Yuuga's-rembrance, SiriusMoonPuppy, Darkmaster2, CHELLE (hugs), Shui-Wing and Yukiyoshi for their reviews. I appreciate it so much! I hope you'll all enjoy this new chapter!

HERE WE GO!

Chapter 2

Rat's nest

Not for the first time since his arrival in Midgar, Cloud, feeling extremely irritated, wondered why in all the Nine Hells he'd ever decided to join the Shinra Military Department. During the entire weekend - which for once had passed extremely quickly through his immense boredom - he had dreaded this moment. He knew he would hate the experience, Hiro had warned him it would be pure torture; Hiroki Mura whom was usually an unstoppable optimist…

Cloud tugged violently on the bothersome object in his hands at the thought, trying in vain to flatten it over his hair.

… But at least he hadn't needed to undergo a merciless battle against his own hairnet!

Growling furiously as he pulled harder at the thin net in another attempt to successfully make it fit over his entire wild mane of blond spikes, he mentally began shouting a loud trail of violent curses at his family heritage. Why couldn't he have inherited thin, straight hair like Hiroki, instead of this dreaded, spiky… RAT'S NEST!

Groaning as the thin material gave way under the pressure of his forceful tugs, he glared at his blurry reflection in one of kitchen's the metal fridges. He pulled the torn hairnet and threw it to the floor, stomping on it angrily. He'd always liked his uncommon, natural spikes; they defined him from everyone else and he liked it best that way because he was different, but for once… just once… couldn't he have been spared the agony of these unbearable bullshit obligations?

Cafeteria duties had begun this morning. Not only had he been forced to wake up two hours earlier than on usual week-days – at 4 am – but the rest of his Squad had all opted him as one of the food clerks, and who was the Squad Leader to refuse such an opportunity that was watching Cloud Strife – who was somewhat of an anti-social person by nature - entertain the rest of the Military Department while sporting a hair net… and an apron?

"Fuckin' asshole… that's what he is…" Cloud grumbled quietly, glaring sulkily, watching the blurry reflected images move on the metal of the fridge's door in front of him as members of his Squad passed behind him, getting ready to start their cooking duties.

"Hey, Strife!" he recognized the Squad Leader's (Rick Miles) voice coming from a few feet behind him. He turned around to face him just in time to see a small ball of something being thrown his way. He reflexively reached a hand out to grab it and glanced down at his opened palm.

A folded hairnet.

Another hairnet.

Cloud glared up at the tall man (compared to him), receiving a firmer one in return. Cloud did not miss the soft smirk on the man's lips, nor the scornful glint in his dark eyes.

"Get to work, Cadet!" the young man ordered, not even bothering to hide the mockery in his tone.

Restraining his fury, the short teen turned around and pulled the net over his spikes. He only renewed his pointless struggles against his hair a few more seconds before savagely tearing a hole on the top of the net to let the largest one of his spikes through it. He pushed the stray lock which fell to his chin on the right side of his face and placed it inside the net. He then tried to tame the short, spiky locks of his pony tail, and forced them underneath the net, but no such luck. Several blond locks stuck out in many different places and directions, but it was the best he could do. To hell with procedures, the rest of the Department could eat his freaking hairs for all he cared.

Let them choke on them too while they were at it.

He didn't even dare glance back at his blurry reflection this time… and by the low whistles and overly loud cat calls he received when all the Squad members turned towards him as he stomped his way towards the front of the kitchen, to the food counter, he was pretty DAMN certain he looked like a total fool.

Ignoring all the mock cheering and hiding any traces of his deep embarrassment from spreading across his cheeks as best as he could, he finally stopped behind the counter, waiting for the food to be prepared and displayed in its rightful place so he could finally get this bothersome job over with… and get on with the next week of misery.

Maybe he should have at least accepted to get his pony tail trimmed when he first joined. He was fooling himself thinking that he could ever get his hair looking like Sephiroth's… not that he actually wanted it to look like it. He'd just always been too lazy to cut it, so obviously it had grown enough to tie it in his back. He hadn't purposely let it grow… of course not!

He forced back the memory of the conversation with Tifa he had had about that subject a few months ago, before leaving Nibelheim.

Tifa…

Her warm, burgundy eyes suddenly filled his mind, soothing his anger. He wondered if she was doing alright. She would probably crack herself up to a heart attack if she saw him like this.

Cloud grinned goofily.

He frowned, shaking his head forcefully. This wasn't the time to be thinking about home. He wasn't a kid anymore!

Quickly, he shot a nervous glance over his shoulder, assuring himself that no member of the Squad had noticed the slip in of his rebellious façade.

He was relieved as he noticed that all of them were too occupied, hurriedly working on the breakfast, slicing, dicing and mixing the needed ingredients for whatever it is they were preparing as they all followed Sgt Miles' shouted instructions.

Sighing, Cloud bent himself over the counter lazily, resting his elbows against its surface and his chin against his raised palms. He kept an eye over his shoulder; his position was a compromising one and he knew that some of his fellow cadets would take up on the chance of kicking his behind just to make him fall face first against the counter. He wasn't paranoid really; he just knew what they were all capable of, even under the Squad Leader's supervision.

Hell, Sgt Miles would probably be the one to 'accidentally' deliver the blow.

Assured of his safety, he waited patiently, quietly watching the wide room before him as it slowly filled with people. Mostly Cadets had arrived when some of the members of his Squad brought breakfast in the food servers.

He pushed himself off the counter and allowed better access to the heating food trays.

A line finally began forming on the other side of the counter and he served every presented plate, listening to everyone's request as effectively and quickly as he could, all the while ignoring the amused stares and the shared derisive whispers. He barely glanced up higher than the food he was serving, determined not to see the provoking ogles and let them infuriate him any further.

Before he knew it, his body had set itself on auto-pilot and he found himself dazing off, without needing to fear of any slips or accidents. He had successfully blocked everything else from his mind when a sudden, loud, cheerful voice abruptly pulled him away from his thoughts.

Blinking, he glanced up from the food servings and into two, cheerful, dark-blue eyes. He stared at the man standing motionless before him on the other side of the counter. He was grinning down happily at him. He recognized him instantly as his eyes finally registered exactly what he was seeing. Black, spiky hair; large, powerful sword strapped behind his back.

Sgt. Zack Charon, Leader of C. Squad Nine.

Holy Shit.

Had he spoken to him?

Frowning in confusion, Cloud blinked again. The people in line might just start complaining if he didn't move soon. He could already hear them beginning to whisper with each other.

Ignoring his mind which was screaming at him to respond – to what, he didn't know; he wasn't even sure the man had spoken to him – he instead just glanced back down at the food, picked up the large spoon and put eggs into the man's plate, determined not to look back up at him, no matter how much he wanted to look at the sword in his back.

"Having a bad hair day?" Sgt Charon's soft, yet low voice then said, in a friendly tone.

Cloud cringed, blue eyes looking up at the man, narrowing in suspicion. What the fuck was his problem? Couldn't he just leave him alone? Everyone up until now had slipped their amusement towards his appearance indirectly at him. How dare the bastard mock him so openly? So he thought this was funny, huh? He wanted to him a great big laugh?

"What's it to you?" Cloud spat, stalling his spoon hand as he lowered it to pick up some other food which he hadn't even bothered to determine.

The raven haired man's smile widened. "Oh, nothing I guess… just remembered how I went through hell whenever I tried putting a net on, too, when I was still at the academy," Zack chuckled, receiving a darker glare from the spiky haired blond.

"If you ever need tips, tell me, huh?" Zack winked at him, chuckling louder this time.

It was all Cloud needed to explode. He had enough of being the day's big joke. He was utterly furious of being shamed so openly. The members of the Military Department had never been very nice towards him, but this was the limit. He almost felt a vein pop inside his head. He saw red, his blue eyes igniting with fury. He plunged his spoon in the last tray, took it over Zack's plate and shoved it down violently, causing his entire tray to jerk over to the side, falling down to the floor and all over the man's front.

Zack gasped as the heat of his meal poured in through his slacks, taking a step back.

"Dude!" he whined almost childishly. "Watch it! That's hot!"

But Cloud paid no attention to his complaints as he threw the spoon to the floor and stomped back inside the kitchen angrily, ignoring the loudly yelled objections of the hungry Soldiers waiting in line, and his Sergeant's angry voice as he ordered him to come back.

He was getting the fuck out of here.

He hated cafeteria duties.

Of course, his little display hadn't been the wisest of decisions, but that only registered to Cloud after he strolled away from the Cafeteria and started to cool off.

And then reality dawned upon him like a large pile of bricks crashing into his skull.

Before he could even say "fuck", Sgt Miles' wrath had already been set upon him and he had found himself mopping the floors, wiping off grease from the cafeteria kitchen counters and washing dishes for the rest of the day, alone, between meal hours. He was then confined to his room – not that he minded that; what else was there to do.

He was quite thankful that Hiroki didn't come for a visit after class… and that he hadn't actually been to class that day, either. Acting like a house maid was nothing compared to everyone's scornful comments – and he had suffered more than enough of his share of those every now and then whenever he passed through the kitchen to wait outside the cafeteria until meals were over; he could only begin to imagine what it would have been if he had attended classes.

And so here he was, resting on his bed again, thinking about how much his life sucked even more than it usually did.

But somehow, even though everything was going from bad to worst, his room mate had yet to make himself known. Cloud hadn't seen him ever since dinner, in the Cafeteria; not that he minded, much - but somehow, the fact that he was being allowed a moment's peace in this God Forsaken day, seemed way too good to be true.

Holding his breath, Cloud waited for Hell to break loose.

It never did.

And he was starting to feel light headed from oxygen loss.

So he exhaled loudly, heaving in harshly and deeply for the much needed air.

He waited in silence several more minutes, gazing back and forth across his room. Everything was drowned in shadows; there weren't any windows and he'd preferred to keep the lights turned off. Darkness was where he was most comfortable.

Sighing contentedly, Cloud sat up and stretched. He had been laying down for such long time that all of his muscles felt numb. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the digital clock's red numbers glaring brightly through the shadows, where it rested on his night desk, at the foot of his bed.

12:33 am

The corridors would probably be deserted at this time of night.

Cloud smirked, feeling the light weight of the gym key card inside the secret pocket of his cadet uniform.

No rules had ever been officially established about curfew. Cloud believed that the only rule that should have been clear to all cadets was that whether or not they had slept enough, they were all expected to haul their asses out of bed at 6 a.m. every week-day… or else…

It would seem that he might just find out what this "or else" was tomorrow…

Without giving it as much as another thought, Cloud changed into his training garments. He grabbed a short towel from the bathroom and exited his dorm. Even though there weren't any curfew rules of which he was aware, the thought of the stolen key card bore through his mind as reminder of caution and so he made his way down the corridors and towards the elevator, making sure to stop at every corner, inspecting his surroundings before walking any further. Bill might not have come back to his room, but he would eventually show up; Cloud sure as hell hoped he wasn't there, in his training clothes, when he did.

Bill had been very clear in his warning.

When he finally safely reached the elevator, he quickly entered the compartment and punched the "15" button, waiting patiently for the door to open once more. He'd never been to the private gym before and he could feel the excitement starting to bubble inside his stomach. In his month at the academy, he'd become slightly fitter, but he was still of diminutive built by all means. If he ever wanted to become stronger, he needed more training and what he received in class just didn't cut it.

At the soft dinging noise, the elevator doors swished open upon a metal corridor, similar to all the ones on the other floors of the building; you'd think the richest company in the world would have a been more original with its architecture.

The corridor was extremely dark; the only source of light a soft reddish glow. No sound could be heard. Sort of creepy, really. Cloud forced down a gulp. He began walking, ignoring his irrational emotions.

It took him only a few seconds to find the place he was looking for as he walked in the empty corridor, which was slightly different than the others after all; there weren't any doors on each sides of the hall. Cloud finally found the source of light; a red globe, placed above a large metal, double-doorway.

This was without a doubt the entrance to the gym since he hadn't seen any other doors. He spotted the key-slot and slid his key-card inside.

He jumped, startled at the loud, heavy noise the doors caused as they slid open.

Sighing loudly, he hesitated and finally strode inside, slowly, jumping nervously once again when the doors closed behind him. He could almost hear his heart pounding in his ears. He needed to stop being such a sissy; this was definitely not looking good for his health.

His eyes widened at the sight of the large, lightened room. There were definitely more exercise machines here than at the Private Academy Gym. He could finally become stronger; he was one step closer to his dream!

He stared back and forth, inspecting the machines before finally choosing one and moving towards it. Just as he was a few inches away from it, he felt his foot squeezing underneath something and getting stuck. Yelping, he lost his balance, almost fell over the bench press, but managed to get a hold of the bench to regain his balance and saved himself from an undoubtedly painful fall.

Cursing, he glanced down at his feet. In this angle, he couldn't see very well. The way his face was slumped down on the other side of the bench, he could only see the bars holding the bench up and scarcely his feet.

It appeared as though there was a large metal pole on the floor.

Or was it a weight?

Straightening himself of the bench to get a better view, he stood up and glanced down at his feet.

His breath hitched.

It was the sword.

Sgt. Charon's sword.

"Holy shit…" Cloud whispered, kneeling before it, brushing his hands against the cool surface of the blade as he stared down at it, transfixed. He did not press his fingers on it, almost scared to tarnish its beauty with the weakness of his own hands.

He observed it for several moments before realisation suddenly dawned upon him.

"What the hell is it doing here?" he asked to himself. A sword didn't just walk on its own to train in a gym. Unless he was stuck in some sort of weird fantasy - about swords - weren't normal teenagers supposed to think about girls or something?

Before he could dwell further on the subject, a swishing noise was suddenly heard from deeper in the room, to his left.

Startled, Cloud quickly glanced over his shoulder, only to find a dark haired man, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and slacks standing in the doorway. He held a towel in his hands, rubbing it roughly against his spiky, raven mane, eyes closed contentedly. The remaining droplets on his uncovered arms and neck, as well as the soaked hair showed he had probably just taken a shower.

Not that Cloud cared.

Blue eyes suddenly shot open, narrowed in alertness, as if expecting some kind of danger, but instantly softened at the sight of the short blond boy still kneeling before the sword on the floor, eyes widened in fright and embarrassment.

Zack's arms fell to his sides, his eyes widening in confusion. "Aren't you a bit late to be out here, man?" he asked in a friendly tone, smiling.

Cloud's eyes simply widened further. He was utterly, completely speechless. What was he supposed to say? He had been caught by a Squad Leader… even worst… he had been kneeling before the Squad Leader's sword nearly fawning over it like it was some sort of deity. He was so weak… so pathetic.

Without thinking, Cloud bounced up and rushed towards the exit.

"Hey! Wait up!" was what Cloud last heard before the heavy doors closed behind him, dashing out of the room. He blindly rushed to the elevator, punching whatever number he reached and exited the compartment once the doors opened before him.

He continued his mad rush through out the corridors, running because he did not know what else to do, running because he was tired of being in this wretched place… and perhaps running from himself because he no longer wanted to be this useless person.

He couldn't stand this anymore. He was weak. His life was just a pointless mess of successive failures, of unreachable and irrational dreams. He felt like screaming, like punching, destroying, hurting… even himself. He was lost, scared… furious… he wanted out – of this place, of this mind… of this body.

Had he been in his right mind, he might have noticed the person at the end of the corridor. Had he been in his right mind, he would have remembered that he still had something which he had stolen and would have been best kept hidden. Had he been in his right mind, he would have stopped running before he collided with said person.

But Cloud had not been in his right mind, and before he could stop himself, he had violently stumbled to the ground, knocking over the body into which he had rammed against and bringing it down with him. Moaning in pain, he quickly retreated off the body, opening his eyes, only to wish he never would have.

Bill's brown eyes stared back at him furiously and behind him, four of his bullying friends stood, ready to pounce if their leader indicated any sign of hostility towards the short blond youth who had dared cause his fall.

Bill stood up angrily, staring down at the still kneeling Cloud.

"What the fuck are you doin' here, Short-ass?" Bill demanded.

Cloud reminded himself that he couldn't allow anyone to talk to him this way. "None of your fuckin' business!" the spiky haired youth spat back, bolting up to his feet, proudly.

Bill stopped talking, eyes roaming up and down Cloud's body, inspecting.

"Why are you wearing training clothes?" he asked suspiciously.

Cloud felt his body grow cold. He couldn't respond. What could he answer? He was fucked anyway… there was no way out of this one. Defiantly, he chose to remain silent, eyeing the brute with disgust.

"You have my card, don't you? You've been hidin' it all this time, haven't you?" he raged, louder and louder.

Cloud simply smirked, urging him on. "I would have expected even someone as slow as you to figure it out before now…"

"You little fuck!" and the first blow came, right across left cheek bone, burning, digging inside his skin and resonating inside his skull. He felt a rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins, blinding, drowning him into darkness. He felt his limbs flailing, fighting back savagely for every hit he received, each more powerful and painful than the others. He felt warmth – liquid - pouring down his skin over several areas of his body, felt his muscles and bones aching. Still, the darkness pulled him in, weakening him, gradually slowing his reflexes. He could feel his lungs contracting, hear his breathing become more and more labored, but he would not relent, no matter how much it hurt, no matter how intense the agony. He wouldn't allow these bastards to win over him, no matter how badly he was failing, no matter how violently they broke his body; they wouldn't break his mind.

Just when he knew the darkness would pull him in for good, as the blows continued to assault his already wrecked body, he heard a loud, furious shout. The blows suddenly stalled. He felt his body fall to the floor limply, causing a strained groan to escape his lips. He heard voices above him, one loud and stern; the others nervous and stuttering. He couldn't comprehend anything that was happening. He could only relish to the fact that the blows had stopped. The metal underneath him was cool, soothing. He sighed harshly, finally allowing his eyes to close.

He felt several steps, more than heard them, as they resonated against the iron floor. He felt them rushing away quickly. Then calm, slow steps approached him and he felt someone kneeling besides him. He flinched, hissing in pain at a pressure against his shoulder. The touch, meant as a friendly, comforting gesture had instead been hurtful.

Yeah, he was definitely fucked.

"What's your name?" came the soft baritone above him.

Cloud opened his eyes, straining to flex the usually easy muscles to open. He felt fat, heavy, like his entire body had inflated in some sort of humongous balloon. And he just so fucking hurt.

"W-What," Cloud rasped, breathing deeply to regain his breath "… k-kind… of fuckin'… q-question is… t-that…?"

Through his heavy lidded eyes, Cloud was able to distinguish, with much difficulty, Zack Charon's head, hovering over his, staring down at him as he smiled sheepishly.

"Well… I guess I never had the time to ask you… thought it'd be a good time, right about now, y'know?" he answered, grinning apologetically.

If Cloud hadn't felt like he'd been run over by a horde of mad boars (which really, in a way, he had), he might have laughed. This guy was seriously retarded. Instead, Cloud remained silent, closing his eyes, because he couldn't bear to leave them open any longer. Man, this was going to hurt like a bitch for a loooooooong while.

"So… what is it?" Zack asked after a long pause.

"I-Isn't it… o-obvious?" Cloud whispered hoarsely.

Zack blinked down at him, blinking in confusion, until finally he chuckled embarrassedly. "No, I didn't mean your condition… your name, man… sheesh, I may be dumb but not that much…" he rubbed the back of his head, frowning.

Says who? Cloud mentally mocked.

"C-Cloud… S-Strife…"

"I'm Zack Charon… uh… I'd shake your hand, but you'd probably kill me for it…" he laughed again, apparently attempting to lighten the mood, and obviously not succeeding.

Cloud managed to open his eyes slightly again, only to glare up at the man. He must have seemed very threatening indeed at that moment.

"Hey, I really don't want to hurt you, Cloud… but I'll have to carry you out of here and up to my quarters," Zack said, frowning sadly.

"W-What for…?"Cloud groaned, obviously not liking the idea even in such a beaten state.

"What for? And people say I'm slow…" Zack suddenly pushed a hand against Cloud's abdomen to emphasise his point. Cloud drew sharp, painful breath, feeling a vivid burn run through the muscles of his torso.

"You're a mess… we need to patch you up a bit… and from what I've learnt about you so far, I doubt you'll want to head up to the infirmary." Zack quickly passed an arm behind Cloud's shoulders and lifted him in a sitting position, causing the boy to breathe in sharply as he forced down a pained groan.

"L-Leave me alone…" Cloud breathed, still aching by his body's previous sudden movement. "I can… t-take care of myself…"

Zack quickly pushed an arm underneath Cloud's knees and pulled him up a bit more roughly than he should have needed to. The throbbing he caused Cloud's body leaved him unable to hold back a shout this time. The boy just wouldn't listen any other way.

"Sure, you can… that's why I'm helping you…" Zack mocked cheerfully, smiling down at his "patient".

Cloud once again felt ashamed of himself. He was being held, moved around like some woman in distress… even worst, the man didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat. Was he that thin? Was he so short, so small, than even an average built person like Zack could move him around without even showing any sign of strain or fatigue?

Zack walked through the corridors, carrying Cloud for several moments. They took the elevator back down to a lower floor, which Cloud didn't bother to look the number of, until finally, when Cloud opened his eyes again he noticed they were passing through some sort of high, windowed bridge.

"We're g-going… to the…" Cloud stuttered, feeling his body weakening having strained to stay awake all this time, in his physical condition.

"We're heading off to the Bunker, yeah. Sorry your first time out of the Academy has to be in this situation, man," he smiled regretfully at Cloud. "Tell you what; I'll let you come back in after you're better. I was so glad when I moved out of the Academy, you know? I don't want you to be like, traumatized… have bad memories of this building, or whatever. This place is way better than that cramped place…"

Zack continued to babble on for a long moment and at some point, Cloud simply shut his voice out. He felt sleep claiming him and he gladly embraced it. Anything was better than this pointless babble.

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TBC

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Author's note: Poor Cloud… when will he ever learn?

And so… perhaps a new friendship will begin? But Zack's fooling himself if he thinks that by saving Cloud's ass from a major beating, he'll stop him from being so rude and cold towards him. Cloud still holds bitter feelings towards the world and is still very defensive towards everyone because of the life he's always held.

Wonder what will happen indeed when he wakes up.

Oh, and should I point out that there will be NO Zack/Cloud moments in this story, whatsoever… probably…

Later!

Please review!