A/N:

I hate to do this again, but I'm going to need to take a short break from posting. Work has been super stressful the past few weeks and I just feel like I'm running on fumes at this point. I want to give myself time to rest/feel like myself again so I don't feel like I'm rushing to get the next chapter done. So, instead of 2 weeks, the next chapter will be out in 4 weeks (if I did my math correctly, that'll be 4/11).

Please don't worry, I have every intention to finish this fic (I have soooo many ideas), I'm just hoping that a couple extra weeks will help me get into a better place mentally. 😀

"Run, Cloud… Run away."

Once, Cloud might have lashed out at Sephiroth. Might have called him a bastard and reached for his sword. But things were different now. Cloud was different now. He certainly didn't have his sword nor his enhancements to back him up. Not to mention that he was half-convinced (afraid?) that he would jump into Sephiroth's arms rather than try to cut them off.

So, no. Instead of retaliating, he runs away. Just as the voice in his head commands. Runs from Sephiroth's misleadingly heartbroken face, from the hand reaching out as if to catch him, and out the door back the way they had just come.

And straight into Zack.

He probably should ask why the teen is hovering outside Sephiroth's office, or even question the awkward way in which he says, "Oh, h-hey Spike! Fancy seeing you here!" But not right now. Not with Sephiroth still so close. Instead, he grabs Zack's wrist – "Whoa, what?" – and drags him down the hallway, up a flight of stairs, and into a secluded alcove hidden from prying eyes.

But, more importantly, far enough away from Sephiroth that Cloud can finally breathe again.

Closing his eyes, he lets his head flop back against the wall behind him with a light thud, the nauseous twisting of fear/anger/hate/infatuation threatening to take him over. "Shit…" He can't do this. Why had he thought he would be able to do this? To continue this charade? A few days reprieve wouldn't help. Not when he couldn't keep his damn head screwed on straight. Hell, he had already gotten all the confirmation he needed to know that he was nothing more than a tool to Sephiroth. Yet, he still can't shake the admiration nor the frustratingly involuntary desire to do whatever the man asked of him.

And he doesn't even have Hojo's experimentation or a broken psyche to blame things on this time.

"Spike… you ok?"

Cloud's eyes shoot open – how had he forgotten that Zack was there? – as Zack's voice shatters the pseudo-calm he had almost convinced himself he was feeling. "Huh? Yeah, of course 'm fine. Why do you ask?" He knows he had called the teen out on lying just the day before, but how was he even supposed to explain this? Zack having leftover trauma from his first life was totally understandable. This – whatever the hell this was – was not. It was complete insanity.

"You sure, bud?"

He can't stand lying to Zack, sure, but it's the worried (puppy dog?) eyes that do him in. "Y-Yeah, of course," he lies, running a hand unconsciously through his hair.

Or, at least he tries to. But the moment he moves his hand is also the moment he realizes that he's still holding Zack's wrist. Clutching it, really, if his white knuckles are anything to go off of. He tries to play it cool, dropping Zack's hand with a mumbled "sorry…". But it's already too late. The damage is already done. No wonder Zack looks so concerned.

The seconds pass slowly, Zack watching him silently, hands on his hips and one eyebrow raised, Cloud growing antsy under the additional scrutiny. He tries to keep the fidgeting at bay, he really does, but he must be less successful than the day before, must give himself away somehow, cause Zack just sighs and shakes his head. "C'mon, Spike," the teen says and it's Cloud's own wrist encased this time, Zack trying to tug him along.

He tugs back, though. "Zack, I told you. I'm fine."

If he thought Zack would listen to him, he was wrong. Hand never leaving his, Zack takes a single step forward, the teen back in his personal space once more. "You either come with me willingly or I'm gonna throw you over my shoulder."

Cloud narrows his eyes. He's not sure whether he's more annoyed that Zack towers over him so easily or that Zack is clearly using their height difference to his advantage. "…You wouldn't dare."

But Zack just places his free hand back on his hip and raises an eyebrow. "Wouldn't I?"

The smirk on the teen's face is frustrating enough as is, but Zack's wink is enough to tell Cloud that, yes, Zack really would cart him off like a sack of potatoes. And with no heed paid to any potential passersby. "…Fine. You win."

.

.

.

"Alright. You need to get some sleep, bud." It's the first thing out of Zack's mouth the moment he's dragged Cloud through the front door of his apartment. Luckily, Kunsel and Luxiere, who share the floor with Zack, were nowhere to be seen. People were only just starting to forget about him accidentally straddling Zack, he really doesn't need to add 'dragged back to Zack's apartment for some fun' to the mix. But at least Zack had kept good on his promise to not carry him the whole way.

"I'm fineeee…" Cloud tries to lie again, purposefully ignoring the whine to his voice as he swats at the hands trying to undo his shoulder guards. Seriously, why did no one believe him today?

But Zack must be tired of his petulance – which, really, he has no room to talk – cause the teen plays the height card again, crowding Cloud up against the wall and staring down at him like he would an unruly child. Which is odd in and of itself since Cloud is technically the older of the two (even if he wasn't exactly acting like it), if you counted the extra years before this whole time rewind thing. "Bed." Zack pops off Cloud's right shoulder guard. "Now." And his left. "Mister."

Cloud sighs. "Do I really look that bad?" He's stalling, he knows he is. But he's so not equipped to confront Hojo (or Sephiroth) again. Even if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

He's scared.

But Zack doesn't seem to notice, or is kind enough not to point it out. "Last time I saw somebody look that tired, Genesis got himself permanently banned from teaching entry level materia classes. Rumor has it he singed a student for just mentioning Sephiroth's name." Zack must mistake his wince as a response to Rhapsodos's penchant for drama rather than the unconscious reaction to Sephiroth's name that it was, because the teen just drops his head and laughs. "No need to worry, bud. The kid was ok… I think. Besides, this was before all this time travel stuff. Genesis should have learned his lesson by now."

"His lesson?"

Zack hums in response, the teen taking off his own pauldrons. "He chewed 'geal and Sephiroth out for keeping him up all night. Said it was their fault for not letting him get any sleep." He slots his sword into the rack against the wall. "I figure he's learned not to stay up all night sparring by now."

Oh, Gaia. Zack is precious. Somebody please protect him.

So distracted by the innocence that is Zack (and not the fact that there was obviously some history between Rhapsodos, Hewley, and Sephiroth), Cloud totally forgets that he's still technically being coddled. That is, until Zack is in front of him again, hands on his hips as he orders Cloud around. "Now, that's enough stalling, mister. Time for bed."

Cloud is tempted to point out that Zack is acting like his mother right now, but he can't. Can't acknowledge that the woman who had been dead for so long was now safe and sound back in Nibelheim. He would cry for sure. Heck, he had almost cried in Sephiroth's office. Probably would have, too, if he wasn't so busy yelling at the man. "I can't…"

"Nightmares?"

Cloud gulps – of course Zack would know what was bothering him. "…Yeah."

"Sorry, Cloudy. I shoulda said something." Zack runs a hand through his hair, embarrassed. "I knew the first night would be the worst, but you just seemed to have everything under control yesterday." Zack looks miserable for all of a second, but then he snaps his fingers and tries for a disarming smile. "But I have just the thing that will help." And with a fluid grace that Cloud no longer possessed in his child-sized body, Zack drops to his knees in front of him.

Ramuh's Beard.

Heat already rushing to his face (and not anywhere else, thank you), Cloud jolts away, bumping into the wall behind him. "W-What are you d-doing?"

"Huh?" Zack looks up, confused, the teen's hands hovering over one of Cloud's ankles and not by his fly like he had thought… Wait, what? "I figured you should probably remove your boots and knee guards first. Is that… not ok, bud?"

"I c-can do it m-myself!" He's not proud of the way his voice squeaks, but it's his damn brain's fault for showing him images of silver between his legs rather than black.

But what's worse is the way realization slowly dawns on Zack's face, the teen sending a wink his way. "Don't worry, buddy. I'd buy you dinner first."

.

.

.

Cloud had grumbled quite a bit after that – after he was able to think straight again, that is. Zack had already died for him once, he didn't need to be waiting on him hand and foot, too. But Zack had just smiled up at him and said that Cloud was worth it.

What was Cloud supposed to say after that? What was he supposed to do? Aside from letting Zack manhandle him out of his boots, down the hallway, and into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Why were you hanging outside Sephiroth's office anyway?" Cloud asks once he's sure he's gotten his blush under control. He taps his fingers idly against the tabletop – perhaps more as a device to convince Zack (and himself) that he really is ok – as Zack putters around the kitchen.

Turning his back to the kettle on the stove, Zack runs a hand through unruly black hair, the teen looking uncomfortable even from all the way across the kitchen. "Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure you didn't actually kill Sephiroth."

Wait. Did Zack really think he needed a chaperone, too? The thought definitely was embarrassing. And he won't deny that he's a little disappointed that Zack apparently didn't trust him not to kill Sephiroth. But this was Zack. Cloud could never be mad at him, not for long at least. So, instead he jokes. "I'm surprised Rhapsodos wasn't there with you."

"I actually haven't seen Genesis or Angeal since yesterday." Zack scratches his head for a moment, but then shrugs, the teen giving up on whatever thought process had failed him. Cloud's not entirely sure how Zack hadn't connected the dots yet, but he's not about to say anything. It's not his secret to give up, if 'secret' is what they're calling it these days. "Not that I don't trust you with Sephiroth, bud, but I remember how bad it was seeing him again for the first time."

"What happened?"

Crossing his arms in front of him, still ignoring the kettle, Zack starts his tale. "I was sparring with him when it happened. I remember being tickled pink. Honestly, how cool must I be if Sephiroth – the Sephiroth – was asking to spar with me personally?" Zack snorts rather derisively. "Our fight must have triggered something, though, cause one second I was admiring how graceful the General was, then the next all I could see was Nibelheim burning, Tifa injured, the townsfolk…" Zack looks like he's a million miles away, though with what he was reliving, perhaps he really was. "I… sincerely wanted to kill him that day. Probably would have at least tried to if Angeal hadn't intervened. Said I looked like I was about to throw up." Wrapping his arms around himself, Zack continues, "I just laughed and told him that Kunsel and I had gotten up to some stupid shit the night before."

"Zack…" Cloud guesses it's not that the teen doesn't trust him, but that he had first-hand experience of what wanting to kill Sephiroth was like.

"I didn't even wait to see if 'geal bought my story. Didn't even stop to think that he was supposed to be dead, you know? I just turned tail and fled." Voice depressingly somber now, Zack confesses, "I've never run so fast in my life… not even when Sephiroth razed your hometown to the ground…" Shaking his head, Zack laughs bitterly. "Can you imagine it, bud? Sephiroth killed so many people, destroyed so many lives, and there I was afraid to tell 'geal that his best friend was a monster."

Cloud tries to think of something to say, wracks his brain for something – anything – to reassure Zack that everything's fine (even if it wasn't), but he can't. Not with the kettle screeching to life behind Zack, the teen jerking in his surprise. "Oh!" Spinning around, Zack yanks the whistling teapot from the stove and starts brewing his 'miracle cure' for keeping demons at bay – "Chamomile. Got it from 'geal. It always works for me."

"What changed your mind?" Cloud finds himself asking. "About killing Sephiroth, that is." He had fully intended to steer the conversation onto less Sephiroth-related topics, but he supposes this is important. If he was going to have to be around the man every day – he swears he does not shudder – then he needed a good way to deal with it. A better way to deal with it than what he had tried this morning.

"Aerith." Zack provides simply, the teen easing a steaming mug of tea in front of Cloud and then sliding into the chair next to him. "I didn't believe it was real at first. I didn't want to believe it was real. By the time the train arrived in the slums, I had already convinced myself that it must be some really weird case of food poisoning or something. I mean, me and Kunsel really had outdone the partying the night before." Cloud rolls his eyes, but Zack pays him no mind. "But then, I stepped into the church and found out that Aerith wasn't actually a figment of my imagination."

"And she told you what was going on?"

"Actually…" Zack rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. "She scolded me for taking so long first – " Cloud shakes his head fondly, that definitely sounds like her " – and then I cried…"

"Cause she scolded you?"

Zack chuckles at his alarm, a goofy grin sliding onto his face. "Nah, cause I was just so happy to see her. So happy to know that she was actually real."

"What a romantic."

"Oh, hush!" Zack shoves him playfully, the grin still on his face. "But, yeah, once I finished crying, she gave me the rundown on everything – Jenova, the experimentation, and how Sephiroth wasn't entirely to blame for his actions."

Cloud scoffs – the very idea that Sephiroth wasn't at fault was ridiculous. Of course it was his fault. The man was the strongest person on the planet and he couldn't handle a little mind control? Honestly?

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I still want to punch him sometimes. Almost did when he insisted on training you. But then I was just so happy to see you again that I forgot all about it."

Cloud sips at his tea to hide the smile growing on his face – Zack really was just like a puppy. He doesn't even have it in him to be exasperated at the cartoon Chocobo printed across the side of the mug. No, instead he nearly thanks Zack (for wanting to punch Sephiroth?), but finds himself distracted by the sobering look on the teen's face. "You know… I didn't kill Angeal because I was strong or because I wanted to kill him or anything. I did it cause he forced me to."

"Oh, Zack, I didn't…" Cloud's heart sinks in his chest – what kind of a terrible person would hurt Zack? "I didn't mean it like that…"

"I know, Spikey." Zack smiles ruefully as he reaches across the table to ruffle Cloud's hair. "I never would have thought I'd be able to kill him. Heck, the thought wouldn't have even crossed my mind. But Angeal was convinced that his death was the only way he could be free."

"Has he changed his mind since then?"

"Oh, yeah." Zack winks at him. "I did end up kicking his ass… once or twice. You know, just in case."

"Good."

They lapse into a comfortable silence at that, Cloud's shame fading with each timid sip of tea, Zack humming absently next to him. The sound is somewhat stilted and terribly off-key – honestly it's worse than Cloud's 'braying'. And yet, it's the best thing Cloud's heard all day.

He's not sure how long they sit like that, the silence only broken by Zack's quiet "Go go, Cactuar Rangers!" But his mug is almost empty when Zack grows tired of his singing and turns an uncomfortable look his way. "I know you don't want to hear this… but Sephiroth really does care about you."

Cloud's answering flinch is entirely involuntary, as is the way his lip curls upward. "If he really cared about me, he wouldn't be using me." He keeps the petulant he would have let me kill him to himself.

"What? Nobody's using you, Cloudy!"

"Oh, so you guys were planning to tell me about the SOLDIER serum before pumping me full of Jenova cells?" He shouldn't be attacking Zack, he knows, but the teen had struck a nerve. A raw, enflamed nerve.

"What? Of course we were! I mean… I didn't actually think about that…" The horrified look lasts for all of a second, and then Zack slaps his hands down on the table, determination now shining in his eyes. "I would have told you! No way would I have let them do anything like that!"

Cloud smiles, his anger all but forgotten. Of course Zack would always have his back. Reaching across the table, he grabs Zack's hand in his. "Yeah, I know, Zack. You're the best."

He hadn't managed to squirrel his way out of sleeping after that. He had tried to, of course. But Zack had taken one look at the bags under his eyes and told him, in no uncertain terms, that "if you don't get in that bed, mister, I'm gonna sit on you". And as much as he knew Zack would follow through on his rather childish threat – he had sat on him before – Cloud really only caved because he trusts Zack. Implicitly.

So he slept.

He didn't want to, not really. He was still convinced that he would startle awake again, the sickening green-white of mako just a blink away. That he would topple out of bed once more, his ears still ringing from Hojo's laughter and the townspeople's screams.

But he had slept like the dead – dreamless and, much more wonderfully, nightmare-less. No Hojo, no Sephiroth, no nothing. And he won't lie, he had been rather shocked when he had woken up in the afternoon feeling better than he had in… months, actually. Apparently, Zack was right.

He still couldn't stand how smug Zack was about it, though. But before he could unleash his inner-Claudia and tell Zack to wipe that dumb look off his face, his stomach had growled – loudly. Zack had thrown a granola bar at him, after laughing of course, and then dragged him back to the slums to meet Aerith and Yuffie for dinner.

He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was relieved to see Yuffie safe. But perhaps even more so, he was relieved to see the Sector 5 slums safe from Yuffie. She was understandably less than impressed, though, when he brought it up – "I promised I would behave! And, see, my cover's totally rock solid!" Yuffie had latched herself onto Aerith's arm at that and batted her eyelashes at the closest bystander (Cloud's pretty sure the woman was Mireille, though she was quite a bit younger and slimmer than he remembered). "I'm Aer's long lost twin sister! Can't you see the resemblance?" The Angel of the Slums had stuck true to her pseudonym, the woman laughing and insisting she couldn't tell the two of them apart.

So, at least they had that going for them.

By some stroke of (entirely unforeseen) luck, Cloud woke just as relaxed the next morning, his sleep in the dorms that night just as restful and terror-less as his nap the day before. He still dreaded seeing Sephiroth again, but maybe he could make it through training that day without trying to kill him… again.

Or so he thought. At least until he made it to the 50th floor and found Hewley waiting for him, the man lounging against the wall outside Sephiroth's office. "Ah, Cloud. Right on time."

Cloud sighs, one hand already running down his face – were they really doing this again? "Hewley, if you're here to make sure I don't try to kill Sephiroth – " he specifically does not say 'again' " – just know that Zack already made me promise to be on my best behavior." Sure, his 'best behavior' usually involved killing Sephiroth, but he knows that's not what Zack meant.

"Actually, no." Hewley pushes himself upright and moves to stand in front of Cloud. "I'll be taking over for Sephiroth today."

"You'll be…" Cloud pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to calm his building anger, to tamp down on the urge to yell at Sephiroth once more. Hadn't they just argued about this yesterday? "I thought Sephiroth training me was the only option."

"Sephiroth thinks it's better if he gives you some space for the time being."

"Some… space?" A continent would be nice… or a planet, Cloud thinks bitterly. "So, what? Now he's willing to take chances? What happened to needing to know he can be stopped?" Sure, perhaps Hewley didn't deserve the abuse and perhaps he shouldn't be so upset about the outcome he wanted in the first place. But Sephiroth was a goddamn hypocrite.

Hewley sighs, the man shifting uncomfortably in front of him. Cloud might find it amusing – Hewley always seemed so sure of himself – if he wasn't still so pissed. "I have to apologize, Cloud. For the both of us. We never fully considered how difficult this must be for you." Cloud just grunts to show he's listening. As much as he wants to rage at Hewley, like he had with Sephiroth, he's not the one Cloud's angry with. Not really. Not when Sephiroth was only a solid oak door away. "Sephiroth has decided that it would be better if I were to train you until you're more comfortable around him."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Cloud feels the words I'll never be comfortable around him pass tantalizingly over the tip of his tongue. But while he wouldn't mind Sephiroth hearing him, something holds him back. What, though, he has no desire to find out. No, instead he opts for an extremely dry, "So, he's running away."

Hewley grimaces, but doesn't otherwise contradict him, or even acknowledge his words, the man smoothly changing the subject. "I also want you to know that we never would have enhanced you without your consent."

"I don't want to talk about that right now." Cloud snaps, annoyed with Sephiroth for blabbing about their fight. But, more so, irritated at himself for longing to hear that Sephiroth specifically wouldn't have done anything without Cloud's consent. Not like he would have had to, though. Cloud's younger, completely wonder-struck self would have agreed to anything.

Besides, the cynic in him pipes up, just because they would have gotten your consent doesn't mean that they would have told you the truth behind the SOLDIER serum.

"My apologies."

While Cloud still doesn't know whether he believes the dark thoughts swirling around in his head, he does feel bad for the wince that passes over Hewley's face. And for the sad way in which the man apologizes. Sighing in defeat, Cloud runs a hand through his hair. "Not that I mind you being here, Hewley, but wouldn't it make more sense to just have Rhapsodos train me full-time?"

Hewley's discomfort twists easily into embarrassment and, huh, he didn't know the man actually blushed. Even if it was only the slightest dusting of pink around his cheeks. "I might have been a little rough with Genesis yesterday." Coughing awkwardly into a fist, Angeal mumbles, "And the day before."

"Ugh, Hewley, I don't need to hear this."

.

.

.

It had been weeks since Cloud had been back to the SOLDIER training grounds. Which, sure, if all he was doing was sparring with Hewley, then it made sense. But, still, he hated it. Hated the curious looks sent his way. Hated the whispered conversations that he could only partially make out with his unenhanced ears – "Commander Hewley, too?", "Where's Sephiroth?", "…got the whole Trinity wrapped around his fingers." But, more than that, he hated the fact that Hewley wouldn't even let him bite out a snarky response – he was a grown man, for Gaia's sake, he didn't need anybody grabbing his chin and forcing his attention away from those dumb SOLDIERs.

He almost wishes for Sephiroth and the seclusion of the Combat Simulator now. But that would make him a dumb cadet.

"Very good, Cloud. Your form is excellent," Hewley tells him after they've finished for the day. And Cloud will admit, the man is definitely better suited to training than Sephiroth. At least Hewley participated; at least he didn't stand still the entire. damn. time. "Though we will need to work on your timing. You seem to have gotten into the bad habit of swinging too soon when you're otherwise distracted. Don't get me wrong, you recover quickly. But until then, you're left wide open."

There's a soft look on Hewley's face and no judgement in his tone, but Cloud can't help but grumble out, "You try fighting while you're several inches shorter than you remember and then we'll talk."

But Hewley just chuckles at his grouching, the man reaching over to pat him on the head. And, well, so that's where Zack gets it from.

"Word on the block is you've grown tired of Sephiroth and moved on to greener pastures."

"I beg your pardon?" Cloud says around another bite of his apple, trying not to twitch at the smirk on Garrett's face as the teen plops his tray down onto the table with a light thunk.

"I hear you're training with Commander Hewley now. There's a video and everything," the red-head elaborates as he drops into the chair across from Cloud. He grimaces and scratches his head uncomfortably before conceding, "I mean, I totally understand not wanting to be around you-know-who after everything you told us the other day, but the rumor mill's on fire… again."

Rolling his eyes, Cloud grumbles, "When isn't it on fire?" before munching on his apple again. Sure, it was frustrating (most things in this Tower were), but he had more important things to worry about now. Like Jenova and his training. He didn't have time to think about Sephiroth giving up on him. This is what he wanted anyway.

It's not until the teen starts shoveling food into his mouth that Cloud realizes what's so wrong with his roommates's words. "Garrett… what do you mean there's a video?" He doesn't even have it in him to acknowledge Logan and Colin as they slide into the seats next to him.

"Huh?" Garrett grunts around his fork, his eyes still glazed over at the sight of the food on his tray. "Oh!" He swallows hard and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, a grain of rice somehow still stuck to the side of one lip. "Here."

Accepting the offered PHS with a mumbled "thanks", Cloud watches the shaky video of him sparring with Hewley with a growing sense of dread, the muffled voices of the SOLDIERs who had filmed them certainly doing nothing to help. Had everybody in Midgar seen this? Good Gaia, he had thought all the attention in Edge was annoying. But no, Sephiroth's fanclub was certainly more obsessed. No wonder the man had gone nuts.

"Shittt… I can't believe what I'm seeing, man…"

"It's like he knows how Commander Hewley's going to attack…" Cloud rolls his eyes. Of course he knew how Hewley was going to attack. The man's fighting style was exactly the same as Zack's. Meaning it was exactly the same as his own.

One of the other SOLDIERs scoffs. "Come on. The Commander is going easy on him."

"The commander went easy on you, too, just the other day." The new voice laughs and Cloud wants to say it's Kunsel talking, but he has no visual to confirm. "I distinctly remember him knocking you flat on your back." There's the tittering of stifled laughter from the other SOLDIERs until maybe-Kunsel speaks up again. "Besides, the kid's unenhanced. That should count for something."

"And look how tiny he is!" Cloud's going to slap whoever that is. Mark his words. "How is he even holding that sword? It's bigger than he is!"

"Fine…" The unimpressed SOLDIER grumbles. "But where's Sephiroth? Did he get tired of the little squirt already?"

"The kid can summon Bahamut! There's no way he would tire of him that easily! The kid's probably just got the whole Trinity wrapped around his fingers."

Maybe-Kunsel snorts, the SOLDIER doing absolutely nothing to contradict that claim. "Don't forget Zack."

"Oh, right!"

Before the unimpressed one can respond again, before he can find something else wrong with Cloud, there's a harsh intake of breath just as Cloud's on-screen counterpart swings too soon. Dangit. Hewley was right. "Did you see the way he just feinted? Holy crap…"

"Feinted?" Cloud grouses to himself. "That wasn't a feint, dumbass." Well, whatever. He had seen enough. No wonder all the other cadets had fallen silent the moment he had entered the cafeteria earlier, the braver (or just more foolish) ones openly staring and pointing fingers at him.

This sucks.

Passing the PHS back to Garrett, Cloud shrugs noncommittally at his obviously concerned roommates and takes another bite of his apple to avoid talking. Was he really going to have to join Sephiroth's fanclub just to see if anybody was talking about him?

Nope. No. Definitely not. He'll join Hewley's or Rhapsodos's if he has to. Not Sephiroth's.

"Is that any good?"

Cloud jolts rather violently at the unexpected voice, almost choking on his apple in the process. But at least Garrett is too busy cursing his surprise away to crow about poisoned apples and needing to find Zack to kiss him back to life.

Not like he would have paid attention to the teen anyway. For even as Colin squeaks and Logan freezes, Cloud finds he doesn't even have it in him to be upset at the Turk embarrassing him in the middle of the cadet cafeteria. If Vincent wanted to see him badly enough that he would abandon years of Turk training, that he would forego the discreet approach, well… Cloud certainly wasn't going to discourage such behavior.

No, instead he hops out of his seat, throws his half-eaten apple in the trash, and follows Vincent silently out of the cafeteria. It's only when they're halfway down the hallway that he realizes that he never actually said bye to his roommates. Oh, well. They probably hadn't even noticed him leave with Vincent looming above them.

.

.

.

"Your roommates didn't seem that concerned with you being whisked away by a Turk," Vincent says as they wait for the elevator. It's more of a bland observation than anything, but Cloud can hear the curiosity in it anyway.

"Yeah. I told them the truth… about everything." Vincent raises a single eyebrow, the only sign of surprise Cloud will get. "Don't give me that look, Vincent. I trust them. They're good kids."

"I know." Vincent concedes, and wait. What?

"Vincent…" he sounds out the man's name slowly, carefully. "How do you know they're good kids? Wait… How do you even know they're my roommates?" Vincent doesn't answer, but Cloud doesn't need him to. Sighing, exasperated, he feels his foot start to tap against the floor as he crosses his arms in front of him. "…You did a background check on them, didn't you?"

The weighted silence is all the answer Cloud needs, but before he has time to grumble more, before he can roll his eyes at the man, the elevator doors slide open and he finds his attention distracted by the red-clad woman within.

"Oh, little kitten! I was hoping I'd see you again soon." Scarlet's voice can only be described as sultry as she glides off the glass elevator, the woman giving Vincent a quick once-over before returning her attention to her prey. "I see you have the Turks in your pocket, too."

Resisting the (rather tempting) urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, Cloud lets his face slip into a mask of innocence. Thankfully, with all the sleep that Zack had forced on him, he was far more prepared to handle manipulative cougars today. "Madam Director, was there anything you needed?" Gaia preserve him. Why did he have to play nice with Scarlet? Well, at least he had only had (half of) an apple – he probably wouldn't have been able to hold anything else down.

"Not at all, dearest. I have a date with a trooper right about now." She waggles her eyebrows as if that was supposed to mean something to him. It doesn't. "Now that Heidegger's dead, I'm acting head of Public Security, too – " She sighs as if she were exhausted " – I really need to tell the President that all this extra work isn't good for my skin…"

"Sounds rough…" He doesn't know why he's playing along, but if it gets her out of his hair sooner, then so be it.

"Don't worry. I've always got time for you, kitten," she 'reassures' him, the near-perpetual smirk of hers back as her eyes trail down his body. He's not entirely successful at keeping all of the disgust off of his face, but he masks it just as quickly. Luckily, Scarlet doesn't seem to notice, the woman still sizing him up. "Though, I will say, it is so rare to see you without Sephiroth these days. I hope there isn't any trouble in paradise."

Cloud doesn't even bother hiding his scowl this time. "Sephiroth and I aren't connected at the hip…" Now if only the man's fanclub would believe it.

"Kya ha ha!" The smirk is still there when Cloud looks up again. "That's good to hear, little one! Well, if you've grown tired of Sephiroth, or if our esteemed General was foolish enough to throw you away – " Cloud pulls a face at that, something he'll definitely deny later – "I would be delighted to make you my pet." She winks at him. "And I have plenty of milk for you, darling." She leans forward in a thinly veiled attempt to accentuate her chest, the woman pressing a fingertip to her cheek as if in thought. "Or do you only take your milk from Sephiroth?"

"Huh?"

But before Cloud can decipher the meaning behind her words, Vincent has glided in front of him just like Sephiroth had the morning before. "That's enough, Madam Director." Cloud doesn't need to see the look Vincent gives her to know that the fear in her eyes and the shiver that goes down her spine is not normal.

"We'll take the next one."

"So I'm next, huh?" Scarlet's words are met with silence, only the sound of her (slightly erratic) breathing filling the void of the empty elevator. She had offered to share, of course, when she got back on – never let your enemy know how they affect you – but the Turk had turned her down. Quite forcefully. And she wasn't sure whether she was more peeved at that or at the terror that had lanced through her when his eyes had flashed golden.

Vincent Valentine.

She knew he was going to be trouble, of course. But not so soon. Not with Heidegger finally out of the picture. Hell, with that idiot gone, she was sure she would have plenty of time to plan. But Valentine's eyes and the little cracks in the boy's mask were all she needed. It was definitely proof enough. She would be next.

She won't stand for it, though. No one gets anything over her. No one.

She'll have to rethink her game.

"Oi, Blondie!"

Cloud sighs. He should have realized that when Vincent suggested borrowing one of the Turk conference rooms that they were bound to run into Reno. But he had been too distracted by Vincent being… well, Vincent, to adequately prepare himself before stepping into the Turks' main office. "Can I help you, Reno?" he asks, watching as Reno rolls himself off of the couch he had been lounging on.

"Don't be like that, kiddo! I'm just happy t' see ya!" Reno says, sauntering up to him and slinging an arm over his shoulders. The red-head winks at Vincent, but Vincent only offers a small nod in response.

Cloud can tell that the other Turks on the floor are very obviously listening in (though they probably think they're being subtle), but he ignores them in favor of raising an eyebrow at Reno. "You just saw me two days ago."

"Exactly! Two very long days, yo!"

Alright, this was getting him nowhere. "…Ok, I'll bite. What do you want?"

"Whaddya mean?"

Well, if he wasn't already certain that Reno was fishing for something, then the rather poor attempt at feigning innocence would have been a dead giveaway. "Reno. You're clingier than usual. I know you want something. Just spit it out."

The blond woman in the corner, who looks strikingly similar to Elena, covers her mouth with a hand and laughs. "Please don't tell me you're in love with him, too, Reno."

Cloud very definitely pulls a face at that as Reno shoots back, "Oh hush, Gun! We're just buddies, is all!"

"That's news to me," Cloud deadpans.

"Oh, don't be like that, Blondie... I'm just looking out for you, is all." Cloud does feel a little bad for making Reno whine, but not bad enough to say that they're 'buddies' in front of other people. Especially when those other people are Turks. "I just wanted to make sure that everything was ok between you and Sephiroth."

Ok, Cloud actually does pinch the bridge of his nose this time. Can he not go more than five minutes without having to talk about Sephiroth? "Reno, if you ask me if there's 'trouble in paradise', I swear I'm gonna punch you."

But Reno just cackles at his threat of violence. "See! This is why I like you!"

"…Masochist."

If anything, Reno just clings to him tighter, the red-head still giggling at his snark. Well, he's put up with this long enough. Using a trick he had learned from Yuffie, he twists easily out of Reno's grasp, the red-head left to blink stupidly at the empty air he was now cradling.

The other Turks on the floor are all obviously intrigued by his show of competence, especially the cocky-looking one with the auburn hair, but Cloud doesn't have time for that now. "Vincent, where is this conference room? Please tell me it's on the other side of the building." And far away from Reno.

"Aww, c'mon Blondie. Don't you wanna hang out with us some more?"

"You." Cloud points to Reno, then to the couch Reno had previously been occupying. "Stay put. There."

"Whaddya think I am, a dog?"

"Nah, you look like a turkey."

Reno squawks. "What's that supposed ta mean?"

"I see you decided to be a Turk again." Cloud smirks, but Vincent barely raises an eyebrow in response, the man no doubt used to his sense of humor by now. "Did you get tired of the whole vampire thing then?" And yet, as familiar as they are with one another, Cloud never would have anticipated the small quirk of Vincent's lips, as if the man was amused by his sass. Huh. He had never noticed how expressive the man was without that cloak of his. Then again, Cloud thinks this is the first time he's ever seen him without it.

He almost asks whether the cloak was a safety blanket (like Rude's sunglasses) or if Vincent was just comfortable enough around him to drop his guard. But he doesn't want to make Vincent self-conscious. Doesn't want to draw the man's attention to it if he hadn't already realized that that's what he was doing.

Still, he knows which one he hopes for.

"I wasn't entirely sure what was happening when I first remembered." Vincent takes a small, hardly-there breath, a self-deprecating glint flickering through his otherwise impassive eyes. "Lucrecia's son, a homicidal maniac? Me, a hero who helped put him down? I was half-convinced that it was a new form of punishment for my sins. Chaos had been unusually quiet, perhaps this was just a new way for him to break me."

"Wait," Cloud cuts in as Vincent's words fully process. "Are you saying your… roommates remember, too?"

There's no way Vincent missed his hesitation, but the quiet huff of air is sign enough that the man appreciates his use of euphemism. It's not like Cloud would actually call them monsters, though – they were a part of Vincent, and Vincent wasn't a monster. Regardless of what the man thinks of himself. "They do," Vincent nods. "I think they recognized the memories for what they were. Though, they seemed to have unanimously decided that it would be more amusing to let me figure things out by myself. That it would be fun to watch me 'flail about' as Chaos likes to put it."

"Would you have believed them, though?"

"Probably not," Vincent admits. "I had already persuaded myself that if it wasn't all just some horrible dream, then it must be my demons prodding at my defenses, trying to find a way out."

"What made you change your mind?" Cloud leans back in his chair, resting his cheek on his fist as he finds himself fully engrossed in the conversation.

"Hojo."

"Huh?" Cloud does not jolt at the man's name. He swears it.

"The only thing I was completely certain of was that Hojo needed to die. It didn't matter if these dreams were just my mind playing tricks on me or not, that one truth remained constant. Even if Hojo hadn't committed any of the atrocities that I was remembering, they were undoubtedly things he would do. And for that, I knew I had to kill him."

"You didn't need the key to break yourself out then?"

Vincent snorts. "The lock was purely ceremonial. After Hojo's experimentation, it would have been child's play for me to break free of my prison. But he twisted my mind, made me believe that everything that had happened was my fault." Vincent takes a deep, almost shaky breath. "He was counting on my guilt to keep me imprisoned. And it worked rather well the first time around."

Cloud pulls a face and leans further against his fist. He already knew that Hojo took perverse pleasure out of toying with people, but this just makes him hate the creep so much more. While he's glad Vincent was able to get his revenge (again), he's a little disappointed he wasn't there with him. Disappointed that he wasn't able to gut the creep again – the snap of Hojo's severed spine the last time had been morbidly cathartic.

"You know…" Vincent drawls, the smirk on his face sending a shiver down Cloud's spine. Ok, Cloud lied. He's not sure what to make of cloak-less Vincent now. But whatever's on the Turk's mind, Cloud knows he's not going to like it. "That's usually how Rufus sits."

As Cloud chokes on his spit and flails into a less Rufus-esque pose (thank you), he realizes this new Vincent is going to take some getting used to. "Shaddup…" he grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're not talking about that right now." Or ever, hopefully.

"As you wish." Vincent concedes, but the hints of his smirk remain as he continues his story anew. "After I broke free, I almost went to visit Lucrecia, but… I was afraid. Though, I'm not sure whether I was more afraid to find out that the dream was actually a dream… or reality." Vincent stares unseeing into space, his voice nearly a whisper as he confesses, "Or whether I was just too afraid to find out that Lucrecia actually hated me. That she blamed me as I did myself."

"Vincent…"

"So, I headed straight for Midgar… Getting into the Tower and past security was simple enough." Cloud can't help his snort – he can imagine it would have been simple for him. If Yuffie hadn't had any problems (before she attacked Sephiroth, that is), then there's no way Vincent would have. "But the disorientation was something else… I had never been inside the Tower, and yet it was almost identical to the one from my dreams. Sure, there was construction going on that I didn't remember, but the path to Hojo's lab was exactly the same."

Cloud uncurls himself, but very deliberately does not lean against his fist again. One comparison to Rufus for the day was one too many. "But you still thought everything was just a dream?"

Vincent nods his agreement. "Didn't mean I enjoyed killing Hojo any less." Cloud snorts again – he can only imagine. "Though I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I also enjoyed drawing the suspense out. That I relished the spark of fear in his eyes when he recognized me, but more importantly when he realized he was all alone." Cloud's not entirely sure what's wrong with enjoying that, but this was Vincent. "And I absolutely savored the way his eyes bugged out when I told him who Sephiroth's real father was. He tried to kill me again, of course. But I wasn't about to fall for the same trick twice. No. Before he could reach for his gun, I had a bullet through his head."

Vincent takes a quiet breath, the man staring off to the side as he admits, "Killing Hojo was the easy part. But before I could disappear back into the shadows, Sephiroth showed up."

"And you didn't try to kill him?" Cloud asks, only somewhat petulantly.

The quirk of Vincent's lips this time can only be classified as rueful. "I almost did. But once I got a good look at him, I realized there was no insanity there." Cloud scoffs, but Vincent doesn't seem bothered by it. "Sephiroth didn't so much as bat an eyelash. He probably would have let me shoot him if I had decided to. But how could I? How could I kill an innocent man just because he looked like my nightmare?"

"Hmph. Right…"

"I was still reeling at the time, too. I had never met Sephiroth before – not that I would acknowledge – but here was this carbon copy of the evil from my dreams. I will admit that in that moment I had no idea what to do. So… I told him about his true parentage – more as a means of distraction rather than any real courtesy. Then I fled."

Cloud grimaces – he can't claim to have handled his first real interaction with Sephiroth that much better. "But you didn't get far?"

"I ran into Reeve. Quite literally." Vincent shifts almost imperceptibly in his chair, though probably not from any actual embarrassment. No. Cloud gets the feeling that the man wasn't used to sitting still for so long. Which was absolutely hilarious given the amount of time he had slept in that coffin of his. "I guess I was more affected by Sephiroth's appearance than I realized, otherwise I would have been more aware of my surroundings. But Reeve… the moment the smile lit across his face, I knew I couldn't claim to be dreaming anymore. And, well, even if I had still been in denial, Reeve dragged me back to his office to catch up on the 'good old times'." Vincent sends him a long, rather meaningful look before continuing, "By that time, I realized you would be enlisting soon, so I asked Veld if he was hiring."

"Wait…" Cloud narrows his eyes as he feels exasperation roll in. "Are you telling me you became a Turk again just to babysit me?"

Vincent's answering smirk is not reassuring. "You do have a knack for getting into trouble." Cloud's embarrassed spluttering only seems to spur the Turk on more. "Besides, I was already looking after one son, what's one more?"

Cloud swears he tries to come up with a response to that, to form some witty comeback that will really drive home the fact that he can handle himself, thank you. But he can't. Not while he's doing a rather convincing imitation of a Blugu out of water as he gapes at the man in front of him, his warming cheeks doing little to calm the nerves swirling inside him.

Gaia, Vincent was good.

A/N:

- At this point, my endgame is Sephiroth/Cloud, but I can't help the hints of Zack/Cloud. I'm sorry for being a tease 😂

- Originally 'Cactuar Rangers' was going to be 'Chocobo Rangers', but I figured 'Cactuar' was better - I've had plenty of Chocobo references already and 'Cactuar' is two syllables like 'Power'! (if I'm pronouncing it right, that is...)

- Reminder: the next chapter will be out on 4/11. I'll try to make it worth the wait!