As the days pass, Cloud grows more comfortable with his shorter-feeling body and more adept with a sword. Thankfully, he avoids making a repeat performance of that abysmal first day with the Wererat. Now fully capable of slicing one clean in two rather than just daydreaming about it, Sephiroth moves him onto more dangerous monsters. While just as virtual as their Wererat counterpart, they pack far more of a punch in response to any mistakes that he makes – the pain (and Sephiroth's presence) acting as more than enough motivation for him to close whatever holes in his defense the monsters find their way through.
When Cloud can hold his own against two Nibel Wolves at the same time, he's thrown once more for a loop by the appearance of Commander Rhapsodos the next day, the man already in the Combat Simulator when he and Sephiroth enter. Rhapsodos lounges on the floor next to the control panel, book open in front of him, whispering the words held within reverently.
"There is no hate, only joy. For you are beloved by the Goddess." Rhapsodos must have heard them come in – he wasn't a 1st Class SOLDIER for nothing – but the man provides no acknowledgement of their presence, head still down, far too enraptured with his recitation. "Hero of the dawn, Healer of the worlds. Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost. Wings stripped away, the end is nigh."
Sephiroth shakes his head, but there's a smile on his face, so Cloud figures he must be more amused than exasperated. "Hello to you, too, Genesis." Not waiting nor seeming to expect an answer, the General heads straight for the control panel. As he passes Rhapsodos, Sephiroth nudges the other SOLDIER's boot with his own, hopping out of range when Rhapsodos tries to kick him back. Laughing at the Commander's feigned outrage ("Get back here, you!"), Sephiroth presses a few buttons on the panel and then the room is dissolving much like it had every other time before.
Cloud almost has time to devote thought to the fact that two of the strongest SOLDIERs were essentially playing footsies – that was never covered in Shinra's propaganda – but then he takes in the scenery around him. Desolation as far as the eye can see, they're standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking what appears to be the city of Midgar. Without needing to be told, he knows without a doubt that this is the Midgar Wasteland.
Throat closing up, he can feel himself struggling to breathe as he stands rooted to the spot, something about the place, the hill, so painfully familiar. He can almost make out a hazy figure in front of him. The person's face is distorted, but there's no mistaking that hair. "Z-Zack?"
"Little bird? Sephiroth, what's happening to him?"
"Shit."
There's talking around him, but he only has eyes for the Zack-lookalike. But why was he here? Cloud reaches out a hand, but the other teen is too far away. When Zack turns and starts walking away, Cloud knows that's it. If he doesn't stop Zack now, he'll never see him again. He tries to run after his friend, to stop him, to drag him to safety, anything, but his feet won't budge. Cursing his absolutely useless body, he tries to plead with the teen, tears running shamelessly down his cheeks. "Z-Zack. Please don't go… D-don't leave me…"
"Little bird!"
There are hands shaking him now, but Zack is still walking away. Still leaving him. Why can't the intruder do something helpful like save Zack? He nearly asks exactly that, but then the wasteland and Zack are crumbling away, the training grounds piecing together in front of him.
With Zack no longer marching to what so unbearably felt like his doom, Cloud can finally breathe again, if only raggedly at first. The room and its occupants coming into clear focus once more, he finds Commander Rhapsodos crouched in front of him, hands on his shoulders, Sephiroth hovering nearby.
The twin looks of concern on the SOLDIERs' faces make him realize, dismayed, that he had done it again. He had made an absolute fool of himself in front of them. Why did this keep happening? "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened…" He's rambling, he knows he is, but like his earlier meltdown, he just can't stop himself.
"Cloud." The firm voice does far more to stop his racing train of thought than anything he had tried and his jaw closes with an audible click. Staring anxiously back at Rhapsodos, he watches baffled and more than a little embarrassed as the man reaches up and gently wipes away his tears. "Are you alright, little bird?"
He nods, not trusting his mouth to keep him from babbling again. Luckily, he doesn't have to worry about speaking, Sephiroth choosing that moment to chime in, a guilty look on his face. "I have to apologize, Cloud. I didn't realize that that was the place…" He cuts himself off, shaking his head before continuing, "That that would cause that sort of reaction."
"I don't know what happened, sir."
Sephiroth shakes his head again. "None of this is your fault, Cloud. I take full responsibility. I had thought to provide you with a change of scenery, but perhaps we'll stick with the training grounds for now."
But why would a change of scenery affect him so? What was Sephiroth taking responsibility for? Before he can ask if they know what had happened to him, Rhapsodos squeezes his shoulder comfortingly and then stands up again. "Think you're ready to start?"
Cloud nods his head a little more vigorously than necessary. He needs them to think that he can handle himself. That he's capable of more than falling to pieces in front of them. "I can still train. I promise it won't happen again, sir."
Rhapsodos sighs, a somewhat somber look in his eyes. "We're not asking that it never happen again, little bird. We just don't like seeing you in pain. We don't want you to force yourself."
"But shouldn't I be able to handle a little change of scenery?" It didn't make sense. That should be a red flag right there. Not that he wants them to stop training him, but it can't be good to have a SOLDIER freezing in their tracks just because of a new landscape.
Sephiroth lays a hand on his shoulder now. "It'll make sense soon enough, Cloud."
"What does that even mean?"
"Cloud, please."
"Fine." If they can handle him having a breakdown over some rocks, they could deal with him pouting because of a lack of information. They were hiding something; he could feel it.
"Thank you, Cloud." The smile on the General's face is enough to distract Cloud from his frustration and he listens, pout forgotten, as the man continues speaking. "I've asked Genesis here for some joint training. We want to combine the experience that you've gained using melee weapons and using magic to fight."
Cloud's face scrunches up in confusion. "Combine, sir?"
Rhapsodos answers in his stead, an orb of blue materia in his hands. "Today you'll learn how to exploit an enemy's elemental weakness. Not by casting spells directly, but by linking materia to your weapon and infusing your attacks with that element." The Commander drops the materia into Cloud's hands as he explains, "That's called elemental materia. If you pair that with attack materia, you can apply an element to your equipment. If you link it to your weapon, then you can deal elemental damage to your opponent. If, instead, you link it to your armor, it will make you more resistant to an element. Make sense?"
"I think so, sir." Cloud nods in tandem with his response, feeling much better than he did a minute ago now that his mind was completely off wastelands and Zack-lookalikes. "So, if I were to attach both this and fire materia to my sword, I could do more damage to enemies that are weak to fire?"
The man's smile is almost feral with how happy he looks – though whether that's more to do with Cloud guessing right or because he picked the man's favorite element, he doesn't know. "Exactly! This will be more difficult than what we've done before. You will still have to activate the materia – both attack and elemental – but this time, instead of aiming and releasing the energy at your enemy, you will need to direct it into your weapon. You will also need to power it continuously to keep it activated."
Cloud tries not to show the worry on his face. That sounds a lot more difficult. It was one thing just standing still and focusing his energy until the spell was ready to go, but now he'll have to move around and fight while feeding energy to the materia. "I'll try my best, sir."
"Good. Here's ice, fire, and lightning materia. We'll be working with those today." Genesis says, handing over three green orbs to compliment the blue one.
Sephiroth fiddles with the control panel again and a reddish-pink monster appears in front of them. Turning to him, the General asks, "Do you know what this is?"
Answering without thinking, Cloud practically quotes, "Hedgehog Pie. Weak to ice." Well, at least his Monster Theory class was good for something.
Sephiroth nods, pleased. "Good. You know what to do, Cloud."
So, that would be all the help he was going to get. Ok, he can do this. He's always been better with magic. Slotting ice materia into his sword adjacent to the elemental one, he's momentarily distracted by the visible change to his weapon when he activates the two materia. Icicles grow from hilt and blade alike as his sword appears to emit steam from the condensation. A snarl snaps him from his observations and he looks up in time to see the Hedgehog Pie start its charge. Breathing in and out slowly, Cloud readies himself for the confrontation, making sure not to lose his focus on the materia. Once in range, he takes a single step forward and swings at the monster. Frozen solid before he has even finished slashing, when the ice breaks away – suddenly, violently – the Hedgehog Pie collapses to the ground motionless before dissolving back into thin air, as simulated and unreal as ever.
Blinking stupidly at the empty space in front of him, Cloud tries to understand what just happened. He knew in theory that the fight would be easier, but he hadn't expected it to be over that quickly. He would almost feel sorry for the monster, if he hadn't been on the receiving end of those teeth before. As it stands, he doesn't have time for pity anyway, Sephiroth summoning another enemy for him to fight.
The monster that appears before him next is just as easily recognizable. Even if they hadn't covered Blugus in Monster Theory, it wouldn't be too hard to realize what the fish-type monster was weak to. Replacing the ice materia with lightning, his sword starts to glow blue as it practically thrums with electricity. Sparks of lightning dancing across the blade, when his sword slips through mucus-coated skin, it's over. The large, flying, pufferfish-like monster writhes in artificial agony before disappearing, leaving Cloud in the dark as to whether the lingering scent of fried fish is actually there or just a wishful conjuring of his empty stomach.
Body moving on its own now, he swaps lightning out for fire when he sees that the monster standing before him is none other than a Kalm Fang – the kind that may or may not have gotten the better of his instructor, Sgt. Williams. Embers flickering and smoke wafting up from the blade, flames licking his sword, the cut that Cloud inflicts on the Fang burns from the inside out. Unable to do more than howl in misery, the monster is soon reduced to ash before its remains evaporate back into the ether.
The looks on the SOLDIERs' faces can't be classified as anything other than pride, but Cloud still tries not to read too much into his success. He had always been better with magic and they had him fighting easier monsters.
Gazing at him fondly, Rhapsodos recites once again, "Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds…"
"Healer of what?" Cloud cocks his head to the side, trying to understand what the Commander was saying and why it felt like he was referring to Cloud himself.
Sephiroth sighs before the other SOLDIER can respond, starting to look like he was regretting having let Rhapsodos join them. "Genesis. If Cloud starts quoting Loveless, too, I will never forgive you."
Rolling his eyes, the Commander scoffs. "And you claim I'm the one fond of dramatics." There's a smile on the man's face, though, so Cloud feels that they must banter like this often.
Just as his combat ability grows, so too does his confusion – exasperation? – with the 1sts' behavior, who seem to be taking any excuse to spend more time with him. He's half-convinced that he's just imagining things – who in their right mind would want to spend that much time with him? – but he can think of no other reason for why they're always around on the days that he doesn't have patrol. Their actions so noticeable, that his roommates have a running bet on who will whisk him away next.
Cloud wouldn't have minded Zack, who was content to just laze about in his apartment watching movies and playing video games or who took him to visit Aerith, or even Commander Hewley, who was rather fond of gardening – something Cloud never realized he himself had an innate ability for until spending time with the large SOLDIER. But as it was, none of them could have guessed that it would be Commander Rhapsodos, the man waltzing into Cloud's Monster Theory class just as it ended, insisting that they see that day's showing of Loveless together. In front of the rest of the class. Cloud didn't need to look at Johnson to know that the cadet was livid. If nothing else, at least spending time with the man got him away from his bully.
"Cloud, what are you doing?"
Cloud comes to a stop, realizing that he had subconsciously been pacing up and down the train car he and his roommates were in. Turning to Logan, who had asked the question, he shrugs. "I don't really know." Pausing, he realizes something. Train rides don't normally go this smoothly for him. "But my motion sickness doesn't seem to be bothering me." Weird. He had struggled with that for like forever.
"Do you think moving helps?" Colin asks, eyeing Cloud thoughtfully.
Cloud shrugs. "Maybe?" He had never tried before. He had only ever groaned and beared it, slumped over in his seat.
"I was going to suggest you come sit down with us," Garrett says. "But maybe you should keep moving around – motion sickness does not look fun." Cloud has to agree – it isn't fun. It's not usually that bad on the train – not like in a car or truck – but Cloud had always chalked that up to the trips being shorter. If moving around really helped, he definitely would take advantage of that.
He's just made another loop of the empty-but-them train car, when the locomotive pulls into the station in the Sector 5 slums. Stopping in front of his roommates, he watches as the doors open, a shout of "That girl is always a breath of fresh air!" drifting through, before two men join them in the car.
The first one has blond hair, blue eyes, and quite a bit of stubble. He wears a dark shirt, a navy blue jacket, a white scarf, and dark green cargo pants. There is a pair of goggles around his forehead and, for some reason, Cloud finds it weird that there isn't a pack of cigarettes there, too, secured under one of the straps.
His companion, though, is far more intimidating. Possibly taller and more muscular than even Commander Hewley himself, the dark-skinned man is quite the (frightening) sight to behold. He has black hair, a short beard, and brown eyes. His outfit is an all-white ensemble, his tank top and vest leaving a tattoo of a skull surrounded by flames on full display. Possibly the most striking of all for Cloud, though, is the fact that the man's right arm is completely intact. Not entirely sure why this is odd, though, he shakes his head, ignoring the strange feeling.
Finished with his assessment, Cloud realizes with a sinking feeling that while he had been scrutinizing them, they had been doing the same with him, their eyes wide. Taking a step forward, the large, dark-skinned man calls out, "Yo, Blondie!" Cloud takes a step back in response, instinctively, apprehensively. Why did this always happen to him?
Before the man can continue though, his companion slaps him, chiding, "Oi, Barret, ya dumbass! They said he doesn't goddamn remember!"
Oh Gaia. Not again. Especially not in front of his roommates. Why did they have to pick this train car? For that matter, why did he and his roommates have to pick it? They had the entire day off. They could have gone to explore the slums later.
The taller man – Barret – throws his hands up in the air, attention turned to his partner. "I know! I was just checking for myself!"
His companion sighs heavily, rolling his eyes, before walking up to Cloud himself. "Don't worry, kiddo. He's not a bad guy." Throwing a smirk Barret's way, he adds, "He's just loud."
Barret huffs. "Shut up, Cid." Barret and Cid… Why did those names sound so familiar?
"Do you two know our friend?" Cloud hears Logan ask the newcomers. Turning, he finds his roommates now standing behind him, offering silent support.
"Friend? You guys are friends with Spike here?" Barret asks his roommates as he moves to stand next to Cid, surprise evident in his voice and on his face.
"Uh… yeah?" Colin responds, sounding unsure as to why that was so surprising.
"Since when did you have friends?" Barret asks, staring down at Cloud shell-shocked. Cloud isn't any better off – gaping at the man, uneasy, trying to figure out why it was so wrong for him to have friends. Did they know who he was? Were they from Nibelheim? He had never seen them there, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Before Cloud can solve his conundrum, though, Barret has turned to his companion – Cid – and gives him the same unbelieving look that he gave Cloud. "Did you even know that he had friends before?" Not waiting for a response, he turns back around, addressing Cloud again. "When did this even happen?"
Garrett pushes his way next to Cloud and glares up at the man. "Excuse you, old man." Great. Leave it to the red-head to just make things worse.
Barret splutters and then an offended look comes over his face. "Who you calling old man?"
Frightened, Cloud looks between the two, hoping that Garrett has the tact to back down and not escalate things. He doesn't. Instead, he scoffs, responding as if he was talking to a child, "You, obviously."
Colin, apparently just as worried as Cloud, tugs on the back of Garrett's shirt. "Quiet, Garrett. He'll kill you." Cloud nearly scoffs. He could kill all of them.
While meant as a whisper, their company hears Colin anyway, Barret bristling in response. "Hey. My name is Barret. Not Garrett."
Ignoring Cid's gruff "They're not talking to you, ya numbskull," Barret's attention remains on Cloud's roommates, as Garret crosses his arms over his chest and says forcefully, "I'm Garrett."
The two stare at each other for several tense seconds, Cloud racking his brain for the best way out of this situation – there must be something Sephiroth taught him that would prove useful – when Barret grins. "I like you, kid. You're not bad."
Cloud releases a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Was it really that easy? It certainly never seemed that simple whenever Cloud had to face his antagonists.
Unfortunately, his exhale is loud enough to draw attention back to him. Barret's face softens at the no doubt still terrified look on his. "Hey, no need to look like that, kiddo. I'd never hurt a bunch of kids."
Cloud almost feels like the man's words should mean something to him, an excited cry of 'Daddy!' flitting through his head. "Do you have any kids, sir?" he asks, not really thinking.
A pained look flashes over the man's face, then he answers, voice thick with emotion, "I did, yes."
"Did?"
"She's no longer with us." Barret swallows, looking as if he's trying to hold back tears.
Oh. Cloud feels really bad now for asking. He hadn't meant to cause the other distress, regardless of how intimidating he was. "I'm sorry to hear that, sir."
The man smiles sadly down at him. "Thanks, kid. I'll see her again someday, though." He sniffs. "She might not know it's me, but I'll know her."
"You mean like reincarnation?" Logan asks.
"Hmm… Something like that."
Cloud doesn't think that's exactly right, but can't figure out why. More importantly, though, something feels completely off about the man in front of him. More so than just his surprisingly whole arm. Face scrunching up in thought, Cloud realizes that the man's outfit doesn't look right. At all. Was it the fact that it was all white?
Noticing the excess attention, Barret looks himself up and down self-consciously. "Is something wrong?"
"Your outfit…" Cloud says, the words out of his mouth before he can stop them.
"Eh?! What's wrong with my outfit?"
"You look like a bear wearing a marshmallow."
Don't say it.
Don't say it.
Don't say it.
"You look like a bear wearing a marshmallow," he hears himself say.
Shit.
Ok, well, SOLDIER 1st Class was a nice dream. It's just a shame that he would never been able to realize it, especially with Sephiroth teaching him and all.
Instead of being killed on the spot like he had expected, Barret barks out a laugh, saying something that sounds awfully like "I do, don't I?" while Cid throws his head back and laughs hard. "I told ya that wasn't a good look for you!" Not the reaction he was expecting, but at least he won't be dying today it seems. He'll take what he can get.
"Well, I think we've bothered y'all enough." Cid says, grinning down at Cloud. "See ya around, kiddo." And the man turns on the spot and heads towards the door leading to the next car, throwing a "C'mon, Barret!" over his shoulder.
"Take good care of Blondie here, ok? He seems like the type to get into trouble." Barret says, addressing Cloud's roommates. Turning to Cloud, he winks. "They seem like good kids." Then the man offers him a sloppy, two-finger salute and turns and follows after his companion.
.
.
.
"Uhh…" Colin is the first to break the silence once they're alone again, but when his roommates look to him, he doesn't continue his train of thought.
"What just happened?" Logan finishes for him instead.
Cloud sighs, a heavy, annoyed thing, then slumps into the seat behind him. "That is what I told you about before. That's what's been happening to me for weeks."
"How do they all know you?" Colin asks, having apparently worked through his confusion enough to ask a question.
Groaning, Cloud lets his head fall backwards and land against the top of the seat. "Wouldn't I love to know."
Pointing towards the now-closed door that the two strange men had passed through, Garret asks incredulously, "That's what happened with Sephiroth, Zack Fair, and those Turks?"
Cloud nods. "And three kids in the Sector 7 slums."
Logan falls into the seat next to him. "Nothing makes sense anymore." Cloud totally agrees with that. Has been feeling the same way for weeks now. At least he wasn't the only one massively confused this time.
"Well, I see the walkin' shampoo commercial hasn't burned the damn place to the ground yet." The pilot announces his and Barret's arrival with flair as usual, slipping into the chair next to Reeve and smirking at Sephiroth. "So congrats, I guess."
His companion pauses, one hand on the back of the chair next to Cid, looking intently at Sephiroth. "Tifa says you're training Cloud." Ahh, so that was it. This was the part where he threatened him. "If you so much as damage one hair on that kid's head – "
"I have no intention of hurting Cloud," Sephiroth says, cutting the former gunman off. "If I do, that means that Jenova has taken control again. If that happens, I'm counting on all of you to take me out." And he looks at everybody in turn to make sure they understand that he's entirely serious. Angeal and Genesis wear matching grimaces, both being in the same position as him and all.
Barret narrows his eyes at him, his response apparently not enough to placate the other man. "Me 'n Cid saw the kid earlier today. I've never seen him look so scared and insecure. Just what exactly are you teaching him?"
Sephiroth feels his hackles raise at the insinuation, but forces himself not to rise to the bait. If they were to destroy Jenova, they would need all the help they could get. And that meant playing nice with Cloud's former comrades. "I've been working to boost Cloud's self-confidence, not destroy it."
"Oh yeah? He never used to flinch like that when he saw me before."
Genesis snorts. "The kid doesn't remember you and you're huge. He probably thought that a Behemoth had gotten loose in Midgar."
Barret does not experience the same amusement at the jab that his friend does. Ignoring Cid's laughter, he turns to Genesis, having completely forgotten about Sephiroth. "What did you say to me?"
"Whoa, whoa!" Zack jumps out of his seat, in an attempt to pacify the older man. "Spike is a lot younger than any of us knew him the last time. His self-esteem issues are not the fault of anybody here. All we can do is help him think better of himself."
Confusion falls over the large man's face when he looks to Zack. "Who are you? I don't remember seeing you here before."
"Ah, right. I only just remembered a couple months ago." Zack holds a hand out towards Barret. "SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair at your service."
Cid whistles. "I'll be damned."
Barret regards the teen in an entirely different light, deep respect clear on his face. Shaking Zack's hand, he says, "It's a real honor to meet you, kid." At the bewildered look on the teen's face, he amends, "Name's Barret Wallace. The grumpy one here is Cid Highwind. We used to fight together with Cloud."
"Oh! Nice to meet you, too."
Reno winks at Zack. "Snow White here used to blow up mako reactors with Cloud, too."
Growling at the Turk, Barret shoots back, "Oh yeah? Well, it was you and your partner here who dropped the Sector 7 plate. How many people did you kill again?"
"That's enough!" Having successfully distracted Barret and Reno from glaring at one another, Angeal continues, "Everybody here has done things that they regret. We were all given a second chance to make sure we don't make those same mistakes again. Fighting amongst ourselves does not solve anything."
Reno slumps back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, as Barret finally settles into his own seat, still grumbling. Once his companion is finally situated, Cid turns towards Rufus. "I'm makin' real progress with solar power. Still gonna need time to perfect it, but it's lookin' quite promisin'. I also had some ideas about wind power, so gonna look into that as well."
Barret perks up, anger forgotten for the time being. "In the meantime, there's plenty of coal in Corel and plenty of miners to mine it! And that oil field from last time was exactly where I remembered! The biggest damned oil field you ever seen!" There's a massive grin on the man's face and Sephiroth can see why Cloud was afraid of him. While perhaps not resembling a Behemoth like Genesis had implied, he certainly seemed as excitable as one. And he definitely didn't look like a teddy bear, either.
"Thank you for the update, gentlemen." Rufus says, attention on Cid as he continues, "Though, right now I would like to talk to you about Shinra No. 26."
That gets Cid's immediate attention. Sitting up straighter in his chair, hope shining on his face, he asks, "You're gonna continue with the Space Program?"
Rufus sighs, but at least he doesn't smirk like last time. "Not exactly."
Cid practically fumes, slapping his hands on the table. "Ya goddamn prick! You already stomped all over my dreams once. You gonna do it again?"
Reeve lays a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Cid, calm down. Just hear him out."
Whacking his hand away, Cid glowers at his former comrade. "Why should I listen to that &$#$^ ?! It's the same thing every time!"
"Jenova."
Spinning in his chair towards the source of the voice, Cid finds Vincent in the corner of the room. "There you are, Vince! You gonna join the big boys at the table?"
Vincent raises a single eyebrow at the pilot, but makes no effort to move. "I'm comfortable where I'm at."
"Suit yourself." Cid shrugs, then turns back to Rufus, anger still visible on his face. "Alright, I'll bite. What does Jenova hafta do with my spaceship?"
"You are progressing nicely, Cloud."
"Thank you, sir." Luckily, only his ears heat up at Sephiroth's praise. He doesn't need his face to be a constant shade of beet red. He really hopes 'progressing nicely' means that he'll be of more use the next time Garrett decides to insult a giant. It's only been about two weeks now since the incident on the train, but he's pretty sure he can't count on the red-head to keep his mouth shut.
"Before we finish for the day, I would like to try one more thing." Sephiroth says as he crosses to the center of the room. "You've gained a lot of experience fighting monsters, but as a SOLDIER you will have to face human enemies, too."
An inexplicable wave of fear washes over him when Sephiroth then unsheathes Masamune and the full implication of the man's words hit him. "O-ok, sir." What was wrong with him? It was only training. The General would never hurt him intentionally. Right?
"There's nothing to be afraid of, Cloud." Sephiroth says, an unreadable look on his face. "I will not attack you. But it's imperative that you learn how to deal with enemies who think like you do. Who can guess what your next ten moves will be."
"Ok, sir." The dread is still there, not that he can explain it any better, but at least he sounds more sure of himself. He really doesn't need the man thinking that he's always afraid.
Sephiroth nods. "Good. Come at me when you're ready." And he raises Masamune up, one hand over the other on the sword's hilt, blade perfectly parallel with the ground.
As if on instinct, Cloud charges towards the man, both hands holding his sword behind him. When he gets within range, he swipes forward, but Sephiroth blocks the attack easily, the clang of metal echoing throughout the room. Without missing a beat, Cloud uses his momentum to swing his sword back at the man, but that, too, is effortlessly deflected. Body now on auto-pilot, he attacks again and again – down, up, down, left, right – trying to find even the smallest of openings, but is thwarted each and every time, his opponent alternating between guarding smoothly and dancing gracefully out of the way.
Frustrated that Sephiroth can evade his attacks so easily and not entirely thinking straight – why does he feel this would be easier with two swords? – he jumps high into the air, sword raised above his head. He doesn't realize his mistake until it's entirely too late. The way things are, he is horrible, laughably open. It would be child's play for Sephiroth to bring Masamune up and stab him straight through his exposed chest.
"Is this the pain you felt before, Cloud?"
Unable to act in time to protect himself, his eyes slip shut as he falls and braces for the pain he knows will come, for the terrible feeling of being impaled on Masamune. When metal meets metal, however, his eyes snap open in shock. Rather than taking advantage of his blunder, Sephiroth had simply brought his sword up to meet Cloud's.
Incapable of deciphering this strange twist of fate, much less remember that he's still technically in the air, Cloud tumbles gracelessly to the floor, staring up at Sephiroth, eyes wide. He was sure that the General would have punished him for his slip-up and he could almost feel the man's sword ripping him apart as he dangled helplessly, suspended in the air. Could almost hear the man mocking him for his weakness, asking for the pleasure to take away everything he held dear.
Blinking uncomprehending up at the man, he finds the General considering him in return, something of a calculating look in his eyes. "That's all for today, Cloud." He nods dumbly from his spot sprawled on the floor, unable to think himself out of his shock. What had just happened? "We will need to work on your body language, though. Currently, you telegraph your every move, which makes it easy for your opponent to get the better of you." Pulling Cloud to his feet, he continues. "We will also need to improve your guard. Your last attack left you wide open – if I had really been your enemy, it would have been a simple thing for me to stab you straight through the heart. Understand?"
Cloud swallows and looks down at his feet. "Yes, sir."
"Hey, none of that." Sephiroth's voice is soft and he's in Cloud's space again. "Nobody starts off as a master of anything. It takes hard work and practice. You also need the courage to admit when you've made a mistake and the determination to fix said mistake. Got it?"
Cloud nods. "Got it."
"Good."
After lunch, Sephiroth bids him farewell and they go their separate ways (the General still won't listen to Cloud about not needing to eat together every day). Checking the clock on his PHS, Cloud realizes that he should still have time to get a shower before class if he's quick about it. Which is good, cause he's starting to smell like a sewer. For some reason, the phrase "Ho-hee!" rings through his head at that thought, though he can't decide whether the voice is that of a young woman or a creepy-sounding man.
Shower finished and feeling much more refreshed – honestly, he can't understand how Sephiroth can stand to be near him when he smells like he does after training – Cloud dresses and leaves the bathroom. If he hurries, he should be able to make it to class with a few minutes to spare.
As the door shuts behind him, a chill runs down his spine at the sight that's waiting for him in the hallway. Guess he won't be making it to his class on time… or at all.
"There you are, Strife."
A/N: In the Japanese version of the Remake, Corneo yells "Ho-hee!" at like everything. Well, in the sewers after you beat Abzu, Aerith very clearly mocks this and it is absolutely hilarious. I love it so much. So that's why Cloud can't figure out whether "Ho-hee!" is from Aerith or Corneo.