"With all due respect, sir, speaking up will only make things worse."

Hewley stares at him for several, long seconds, disapproval clear on his face, then heaves a sigh. "I do not approve of this, but I can see your mind is made up." The Commander continues his silent assessment, eyes never leaving Cloud. "If this continues, though, I won't hesitate to intervene. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Cloud responds, a little shaky. He knows the Commander isn't mad at him per se, but the man is still very intense.

"From now on, avoid that cadet. Don't be alone with him. Make sure there are others around. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." He stops himself from sighing, though a bitter taste is still left in his mouth. He was already trying to avoid Johnson. It's not like he was seeking the other teen out for kicks and giggles.

"Good." Hewley shakes his head, exasperated. "I swear you're just as stubborn as Sephiroth."

"S-sir?" What? Cloud must have heard wrong. No way was Hewley comparing him, a lowly cadet, to General Sephiroth.

The Commander smirks at him then, frown wiped away. "Perhaps that's why he likes you so much."

Cloud stands stock-still, staring at the man, eyes wide and completely flabbergasted. He wasn't sure whether he was more surprised to hear that Sephiroth liked him or to find out that the always serious, stern Commander Hewley had a playful side.

Hewley laughs at his shocked face. "And Genesis won't stop talking about you. Hearing him rave about you, he probably thinks you're the best thing since Loveless."

Cloud feels the heat rising in his face. From the twinkle in Hewley's eyes, Cloud gets the feeling that the man's not done embarrassing him just yet.

"And don't get me started on Zack. I swear the puppy is practically in love with you already."

Cheeks flaming, Cloud's pretty sure that his brain has short-circuited as he gapes at the Commander, unable to form a single sentence.

"Whoa!" Zack flings himself to the side, ducking into a roll and narrowly avoiding the massive claws aimed his way. Gaining his footing again, he turns to face his enemy, sword at the ready in front of him. The large blue-grey dragon regards him in return, looking anything but pleased, dark blue blood staining the gold veining around its chest and shoulders from where Zack had already struck it.

Glancing around him, Zack sighs – there's not much room to work with. He'll have to be careful; people will not thank him for letting Bahamut Zero go on a plate-destroying rampage. Though, he supposes he should worry about Sector 8 first. No use worrying about other people's reactions if Genesis has already burned him alive for allowing any harm to come to Loveless Theater.

When Bahamut lunges again, he's ready. Jumping to the side, he grabs the piping protruding from the building next to him and uses it to launch himself into the air, above the dragon. Spinning to gain momentum, he brings his sword down hard on Bahamut's head, the force sending the dragon crashing to the street below.

Landing smoothly on the ground, Zack watches in growing frustration as Bahamut pulls itself from the newly-formed crater. Of course that wouldn't be enough to finish it. His annoyance is short-lived, though, replaced quickly with worry when the dragon's eyes glow yellow, blue light starting to appear around its mouth. It extends all 6 of its wings as it continues to gather power, slowly ascending into the air. "Shit," Zack breathes out. That was Tera Flare – its ultimate attack. He could kiss more than just Loveless Theater goodbye if Bahamut finished casting that.

Using the piping as leverage once more, he vaults up to the top of the theater. Taking one final leap from the rooftop, he soars towards Bahamut, sword raised. Thrusting forward, he totally expects for his sword to go through the dragon's open mouth and out the back of its head. Instead, he's met with thin air as Bahamut Zero and Sector 8 dissolve around him, the words "MISSION ABORTED" appearing on the display of his VR goggles.

"Thought I might find you here."

Landing in a sloppy crouch, Zack whirls around, one hand shooting up to rip the goggles off his face as he glares at the intruder. "Geez, Angeal! Not again!"

Angeal just chuckles as he walks further into the room, making no effort to apologize for interrupting Zack's training. "I hear you've been hogging the training room."

Zack groans – of course his former mentor would have a problem with that. It's not as if he had destroyed the room like his fellow 1sts did the first time around. "I'm just trying to get stronger for when we have to take care of Jenova."

"Admirable. But I also hear that you've been refusing missions."

It's a shame Lazard doesn't remember, otherwise Zack would have some strong words for the man for ratting him out. "I'm 1st Class now, Angeal. I'm allowed to refuse missions."

Angeal nods, but doesn't look swayed. "That is true. Though, it is curious that all the missions you've refused have included infantry backup. Do you perhaps have an issue with them?"

"No. Of course not."

Angeal raises an eyebrow at his denial – the man had always been good at seeing through his lies. "You're afraid."

Zack frowns and runs a hand through his hair. "What if I recognize one of the infantry members as one of the ones who ambushed Cloud and me the first time? How do I deal with that? How am I supposed to work with them when they shot me without hesitation? When they would have killed Cloud if they had had the chance?"

Angeal hums in thought. "Let me ask you something. Can you work with me still?"

Taken aback, Zack looks at his former mentor incredulously. "What? Of course I can work with you!"

"But I hurt you," Angeal returns, silencing Zack with a wave of a hand when he tries to protest. "Perhaps not physically, but I did hurt you. It couldn't have been an easy thing being forced to kill me."

Swallowing past the frog in his throat, Zack turns sad eyes on the other SOLDIER, but doesn't contradict him. "I know why you did it, though. I don't approve of it and I'm still a little mad at you, but I forgive you."

The look on Angeal's face is incredibly fond, if a little regretful, and Zack hopes he's not about to call him a puppy again. "And I will do my best to earn that forgiveness," the man vows. "Though, that does bring me to another question. What about Sephiroth?"

Zack looks at him in confusion. "What about him?"

"Do you forgive him, too?"

Zack's face scrunches up as he considers his answer. "Yeah." He stops, a little surprised with himself at first, but then nods his head. "Yeah, I do. Don't get me wrong, I still want to punch him sometimes, but I do forgive him."

Angeal tilts his head to the side. "But he hurt you. He hurt Cloud. He's the reason that Hojo experimented on the two of you. That the army was sent after you once you escaped. You could say that everything bad that happened to the two of you was because of him. Yet you still forgive him?"

Zack can't believe what he's hearing. "Come on, Angeal. You know that he was being controlled by Jenova. It wasn't entirely his fault. You don't want me to hate him, do you?"

Angeal shakes his head. "No, but I needed you to understand exactly why you forgive him." His expression turns serious as he continues, "You say that he was being controlled, but couldn't you say the same thing of the infantrymen that you've been avoiding?"

Zack stares at his former mentor, not entirely understanding what he's getting at. "What? They were being controlled by Jenova?"

"No. But they were following orders. Their actions weren't entirely of their own free will. You could say that they were being controlled by those in charge." Zack's eyes go wide as Angeal continues. "If they had refused, they could have been severely reprimanded. Court-martial or death would have been a mercy – you know just what former President Shinra and Hojo were capable of. Imagine their fate if they had been sent to Deepground – that would have been a sure way to cure them of any inclination towards disobeying orders."

Zack feels a chill run down his spine – he hadn't thought of it that way.

"You also know from personal experience just how good Shinra was with their propaganda. Even if the troopers knew of you or recognized your SOLDIER uniform, they had probably been told that you were a dangerous criminal."

Zack sighs in defeat. "I suppose you've got a point."

Angeal smiles at him and ruffles his hair. "Just remember that this is a second chance for all of us. You don't have to be ok with being around the infantry at first, or even at all, but don't run away from it. What I've learned is that the more you run away, the more problems you create for somebody else."

The next day, Cloud finds himself wandering the plate with Zack. Kids ride bikes through the street and dogs root through overturned garbage cans as the two make their way down the sidewalk.

Zack is unusually quiet and subdued as they walk, something obviously on his mind. After a few minutes of walking in silence – silence that Cloud's used to, but feels so out of place on the other teen – Zack finally speaks up. "Angeal told me about what happened yesterday." Cloud tenses instantly, trying to fight the urge to flee. He was not ready to be having this conversation now. Or ever. Of course the man had told Zack. The two were close, Hewley being the other SOLDIER's former mentor and all. "It was Johnson, wasn't it?" And apparently, Zack remembered Cloud's breakdown from the other day. Fantastic.

Refusing to look at the other teen like he had with the Commander, Cloud focuses instead on the concrete of the sidewalk as he continues to walk. "It's fine." His voice is surprisingly even, belying the tremor that had run through his body at the mention of his bully. Patrol the evening before had done a great job of distracting him from his issues with Johnson. Not to mention that he had been completely absorbed with the implications of Commander Hewley's parting words – what exactly was he to the other 1st Class SOLDIERs? His distraction had been so complete that he hadn't fully realized how shaken up the encounter with Johnson had left him. He would be in for more than just trouble if the other cadet ever caught him alone again – Johnson had outright promised as much. This was bad – really bad – he couldn't avoid him forever.

A tug on his shoulder and a shout of "Cloud!" pull him from his musings and he watches, startled, as Zack leads him to a quiet corner away from the bustle of the street. There's a concerned look on the other's face and he wonders how long Zack had been calling his name. "It's not fine," Zack says, shaking his head to stress his point. "You shook head to toe just now when I mentioned his name. What did he do?" Hewley must not have been close enough yesterday to know everything that was said and done, otherwise Zack wouldn't be asking.

"Nothing." Cloud answers quickly. Too quickly. He's pretty sure Zack knows he's lying, but he keeps his attention on the construction machinery across the street. Hopefully, if he's quiet long enough, the other teen will change the subject and he can go back to trying to forget about Johnson.

"Cloud." Zack practically pleads and the desperation in his voice causes Cloud to finally look him in the eyes. "What did he do?"

Cloud sighs – guess there's no way out of it. "He just shoved me against the wall. Commander Hewley showed up before he could do anything else." While not a full recounting of what had happened, he didn't want to mention what Johnson had said. Even though he knows he's not worth it, he's pretty sure Zack would be upset if he found out.

Zack looks like he knows Cloud's hiding something, though, and a hard look comes over his face. "He threatened you, didn't he?"

"Zack…" Cloud says, trying to deflect again, but from the look on the other teen's face, he's having none of it.

"No, Cloud." Zack's voice is serious and his hand tightens momentarily on Cloud's shoulder. "What did he say?"

Cloud takes a deep breath to gain his bearings and responds, "He said that once he was done with me, Sephiroth wouldn't want me anymore."

The look on Zack's face darkens instantly, eyes blazing. "Don't worry, Spike. I'll take care of him."

The dangerous edge to Zack's voice makes Cloud flinch. "No, Zack," he says firmly. "No violence." He won't let Zack get into trouble because of him. Something deep inside him begs him not to let the other teen fight his battles, warns him that only bad things would come of it. While he doesn't entirely understand, he does agree – he's had bullies since Nibelheim, he can deal with one more.

A look of utter confusion crosses over Zack's face. "What? But, Cloud – "

"Please, Zack. You'll get in trouble," Cloud interrupts, hoping that that will be enough to make the other listen. He ignores Zack's "I really doubt it" as he continues. "Commander Hewley already told me to make sure I'm never alone with him. I'll be fine." Once again, he does not mention that he had already been trying to avoid the other cadet and that Johnson had been actively seeking him out. He gets the feeling that Zack would definitely not leave it alone if he knew.

"But, Cloud," Zack whines, pout firmly on his face.

"Zack, no." Cloud responds, hands on his hips, staring up at the other teen. He belatedly realizes that he sounds like he's actually talking to a puppy.

Resignation falls over Zack's face as he sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Fine… I forgot how stubborn you can be." Ignoring Cloud's confused look, he adds, "Just tell me if he tries anything again."

They continue wandering the plate after that, Zack insisting that they check out Mori's Armor Emporium as they come across it. As Zack drops a feathered cap on his black spikes, Cloud realizes that this was just an excuse to goof off and lighten the mood – the cap looks absolutely ridiculous on him. Cloud gets a good laugh out of it, though. Going from the smug look on the other teen's face, he figures that that was Zack's goal all along. They don't stay long, however, the owner kicking them out with a yell of "If you're not here to buy anything, then get out!"

They make their way down the street again, both still laughing over their exploits in the armor shop. As afternoon rolls around, Zack suggests they get lunch at Cactuar King, claiming that it's the best burger joint on the plate. Cloud's pleased to find out that the other teen is right, but is far more relieved to discover that the burgers aren't actually made from Cactuars.

After lunch, they happen upon an abandoned playground and Zack insists that they check it out. "Man, this looks just like the one outside Wall Market." He says, looking at a slide that resembles a giant cat. "Come on, man!" He exclaims, excited, as he slams his sword into the dirt and races around the back of the slide. In the next moment, Zack is on top of the cat and he waves at Cloud, beckoning him closer.

Cloud looks at the other incredulously, a little bitter that he was on top of the slide – he was tall enough as-is. "What? No, Zack. That's for children."

Placing one hand on his hip, Zack brings the other up to cup his ear. "What did you say? I can't hear you!" He says in a bit of a singsong voice and then proceeds to plop down on the cat's head. He pats the space next to him and continues, "C'mon, dude! This spot's for you!"

Sighing, Cloud levels one last look at the other teen, before reluctantly trudging around the back and climbing up the handholds on the slide. "You're ridiculous." He says as he settles down next to Zack, who just grins at him in response.

Once situated, they talk about random things – Zack content to just sit on top of the slide, staring up at the smog-covered sky. "Oh, man. I remember back in Gongaga, we used to play SOLDIERs and Monsters all the time!"

"SOLDIERs and Monsters?" Cloud had never heard of that before. Was it a game?

Zack gives him a surprised look. "You've never heard of SOLDIERs and Monsters?" When Cloud shakes his head, Zack continues incredulously. "How have you never heard of SOLDIERs and Monsters? That's all we ever played growing up!"

Cloud's hands clench the hem of his shirt while he stares unseeing in front of him. "…I never had any friends in Nibelheim." Well, his voice sounds all kinds of pathetic.

Zack sucks in a harsh breath next to him. "Shit, Spike. I'm sorry."

He just hums in response, gazing bitterly at the slide underneath his feet. Not that he wanted friends in Nibelheim, anyway. All the kids there were stupid. Well… except for Tifa, of course.

"No worries! I'll teach you then!" Zack sounds like he's trying to cheer Cloud up, but there's a tinge of sadness in his tone. "You have two teams – one SOLDIERs, the other monsters. There are two marked areas – one for the Lifestream, the other for the monsters' lair. Then there's an item that the monsters try to grab and take back to their lair." Zack flashes him a childish smile as he continues his tale. "The item can be anything, but it usually signifies a town or something and if the monster gets it back to their lair, then that town has been 'destroyed'!"

Sounds silly so far, but Cloud finds that he likes Zack's enthusiasm. He turns to the other teen and asks, "Ok. And the SOLDIERs try to keep that from happening?"

It seems pretty obvious going from the name of the game, but Zack still looks so happy that he guessed. "Yeah! If a monster is tagged by one of the SOLDIERs, they 'return to the Lifestream' and they can't leave again unless one of their monster buddies outside the Lifestream helps them." Zack is practically beaming now, obviously very fond of the game. "The SOLDIERs win if they protect the town for a certain amount of time or if they send all the monsters back to the Lifestream. And the monsters win if one of them makes it back to their lair with the item and, you know, 'destroys the town'."

This definitely sounds like a game the kids back in Nibelheim would have liked. Which would mean that it was stupid. But Zack liked it, too. So… maybe it wasn't that bad. "You played this a lot?"

"Oh, all the time! It was the best!" A thoughtful look crosses Zack's face. "I know! Since you've never played it before, let's play it now!"

"No. Zack, no." Cloud tries to object, flustered. Sitting on the slide was one thing, but playing a game meant for children? No way.

Zack grins at him and wags a finger in front of his face. "Yes. Zack, yes – you mean. Come on, let's play!" And using a hand as leverage, Zack vaults off the slide with a soft exclamation of "alley-oop" and lands smoothly on the ground below.

Cloud scrambles down the handholds on the back of the slide, not trusting himself to be able to pull off the same maneuver that the other teen had. As he rounds the slide, he tries to object again. "But Zack…"

"Nuh-uh. Come on. You can be the SOLDIER and I'll be the monster." Zack responds with a smile. That simple statement leaves Cloud dumbfounded. Why would he be the SOLDIER? He knows that if the kids back home had ever let him play, not that they would have, he would have always been the monster.

"What? Me the SOLDIER? Zack, you're already a SOLDIER yourself." It didn't make sense. Why would the other teen volunteer to be the monster?

Head tilted to the side, Zack looks like he doesn't understand his point. "So? All the more reason for you to be the SOLDIER now!" Ignoring Cloud's attempt to reason with him again, Zack instead takes to looking around the playground, a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm, what should we use for the town?" Turning back around, Zack's face lights up when his eyes land on Cloud again. "I got it!" He exclaims, pointing directly at Cloud.

Face furrowing in confusion, Cloud glances behind him, but doesn't see anything. "What are you talking about, Zack? I'm the town? I thought you wanted me to be the SOLDIER…" He's pretty sure he can't be both. Not to mention that he has no desire to find out how Zack would get him back to the monsters' lair, either.

"No, silly!" Zack says, smirking, as he stalks towards Cloud, looking strikingly similar to a predator. Coming to a stop in front of him, he plucks Cloud's scarf right off his neck, a mischievous look in his eyes. Dangling his scarf in front of his face, Zack declares, "This will be the town!"

Cloud looks at him, exasperated. He couldn't be serious. "Zack. Give that back," he says, holding out a hand.

Zack shakes his head, still smirking. "Nuh-uh. If you want this back, you have to stop my monstery rampage!" And he turns around and starts stomping towards the other end of the playground, making what could only be his attempt at monster noises.

Cloud's not entirely sure what happens next, but one second he's chasing after Zack and then he's on top of the other teen, Zack sprawled out on the ground underneath him.

Zack stares wide-eyed up at Cloud, whose expression probably mirrors his, and then bursts out laughing. "Ok, ok. You win." Returning Cloud's scarf, he winks. "You only had to tag me, though."

"I wasn't expecting you to take me up on my proposal so quickly!" Aerith says from her spot in the flower bed in the old church, surrounded by white and yellow lillies. Standing up and turning to face him fully, Zack can see the pure amusement in her green eyes.

A feeling of uneasiness washes over him as he looks for clarification. "Uh, what are you talking about?"

She comes to stand in front of him, wagging a finger in his face. "Angeal's not the only one with a fan club, you know."

He can feel the embarrassment rising in his chest at the implication of her words. "Oh, no…"

"Oh, yes." She counters, smiling like a Moogle who had just found a horde of Kupo Nuts. Laughing at his face, she continues. "There's quite the suggestive picture of Cloud on top of you."

Eyes going wide, he holds his hands out in front of him. "That's not – We were only playing SOLDIERs and Monsters!"

Tapping a cheekbone, she hums in thought. "Pretty sure that's not how you play that game."

Training proceeds in a similar manner the next few days, Sephiroth focusing on the physical aspect and Commander Rhapsodos the magical. Upon entering the Shinra Building after one such session, Sephiroth leads him over to the side, stopping in front of an all-glass, circular elevator.

"I'm afraid I will be unable to join you for lunch today, Cloud. I have a meeting with the President." Sephiroth informs him, green eyes staring down at him.

"I understand, sir." Cloud doesn't even bother telling the man that they don't have to get lunch together every day – it certainly didn't work any other time, it no doubt wouldn't work now. He firmly silences the fanboy side of him that insists that the General sounds disappointed.

Sephiroth regards him silently for a few moments before speaking again. "I will see you tomorrow then, Cloud." He presses a keycard to the panel on the elevator, steps through the glass door, and is gone.

Cloud turns around and is just considering grabbing lunch at the third-floor cafeteria so he can avoid the cadet one, when he sees Johnson entering the building. Panicking, he does the first thing he can think of and runs through the doors leading to the parking garage behind him. Standing as close to the wall as he can, staring through the glass, he breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Johnson continue up the stairs to the elevator bay, completely oblivious to Cloud's presence.

"Vincent should be coming to get us." A voice behind him startles him from his makeshift hiding spot. Turning around, he sees an old man and a dog – a lion? – walking up the stairs from the garage.

The old man is bald with a long, white beard and white, bushy eyebrows. He wears a long, blue robe and round, tinted glasses. Rather than walking like Cloud originally thought, the man is actually floating on a large, green orb.

His companion, the dog-lion-thing, has red fur and a thin, brown mane. It has feathers and beads around its head, gold braces and black patterns on its legs, and, to Cloud's utter surprise, what appears to be a tail on fire.

He's still standing there, gaping at the strange new arrivals, when the two notice that they have company. The dog-lion saunters up to him, sticks out its tongue briefly to wet its nose, then sits on the floor, yellow eyes trained on Cloud, flaming tail slowly flicking back and forth. Squinting slightly, Cloud tries to figure out what seems off. Is the creature missing a scar? A tattoo?

"Ho ho hoo! It's been a long time, young one!" The floating man exclaims, sounding happy to see him, green orb bobbing up and down as he talks.

Cloud can't remember having ever met the man, but he had said it had been a long time. Not to mention that Cloud's mother had always taught him to respect his elders, so he tries to play along. "Uh, hello." He hopes that that's enough – he still doesn't know what to make of these visitors.

The dog-lion hasn't moved an inch, eyes never leaving Cloud, tail still swaying lazily behind it. Its master – companion? – starts speaking again, apparently pleased with Cloud's response. "The President has invited us here to speak about Jenova."

"Hojo's treasure. Shinra's dark secret."

Rather alarmed by the voice in his head, Cloud opens his mouth to ask just what Jenova is exactly, but the levitating man beats him to it. "Ho ho hoo! But I imagine you know that much already!" What? Why would he know about that? It's not like he was kept apprised of the President's schedule. He was just a lowly cadet after all. "You will be joining us today, I presume, little one?"

Not keeping up with this conversation at all, Cloud just gawks at the other two, mouth hanging open – if his mother was there, she would tell him to close his mouth before he caught some Bugaboos.

The dog-lion is still staring at him and the intelligence in its eyes is unsettling. Flicking its tail one last time, the creature opens its mouth and talks. "Grandfather, I don't believe he remembers."

While the dog-lion did seem to understand what was going on around it, it talking was the last thing Cloud expected and he finds himself sprawled on the floor in shock, staring up unbelieving into amused yellow eyes. He swears the creature grins before speaking again. "I have to say, your reaction this time around is far more amusing."