A/N: I was almost afraid I wasn't going to get this up today. ^_^' Even though it's late in the day, the clock has yet to strike midnight! I HAVE STILL SUCCEEDED! MWUAHHAHAHAHA! *lightening flashes and thunder rumbles in the background!*
Thanks to Reviewers!!!!
Lady-yuna7--You rock. ^^ If it weren't for you I doubt I ever would have posted this story!
SadandLonelyOne
ISON
Sanz0girl
Haltia
Utena-Puchiko-nyu
ShindouSerenity28
Rin'negan Naruto
You all rock for reviewing the first two chapters of this story. I hope you will continue to enjoy this story. ^_^ Now with out any farther a due, I present to you the third chapter of…
CHOICE
"Damn it Jevics! I knew I should have killed you sooner." -Sephiroth-
Chapter 003: Left with Strife
Jevics turned and looked towards the entrance to the training room as his little 'messenger boy' returned. He frowned slightly seeing that the Cadet held no letter. The cadet approached and saluted as was appropriate.
"General Sephiroth well, umm." The Cadets arm fell back to his side. "He said that he would meet you later around six."
Jevics smiled and nodded.
"You did good Cadet, now get back to the drills."
"Yes sir." Cloud stated saluting once again before trotting to return to his station.
"Oh and Cadet."
Said Cadet skidded to a halt and glanced over his shoulder. Jevics smile grew into a smirk. "You'll have to work extra hard to catch up with the others."
Cloud frowned before turning to see all the other cadets had already moved from the third drill to the seventh. His eyes widened and he yelped quickly returning to his post, a laughing Jevics slowly following behind.
*
"And then there was this HUGE explosion, I thought I was done for!"
Sephiroth inwardly sighed and rolled his eyes as he continued to read through a report from one of the SOLDIERS under him as Zack relayed his day to him with great enthusiasm. "Thank Gaia Collins was there, I never would have thought to jump down into the sewer!"
"That might explain why you spell like a chocobo ranch." Sephiroth commented as he turned the page of the report. His jade green eyes fluttered up to see that Zack had stopped his crazy arm motions and jumping around to sniff at his uniform.
"I don't smell that bad." He commented slouching his shoulders and looking at Sephiroth with a pouty puppy eyes, bottom lip puckered out. Sephiroth cocked a delicate silver eyebrow.
"Go clean up Zachary, other wise you will not be entering my apartment."
Zack crossed his arms and pouted before leaning across the desk causing Sephiroth to stiffen eyes growing slightly wider as the first class SOLDIER leaned in so close that the tips of their noses were almost touching. Bright electric blue eyes meeting cold--and slightly shocked jade green.
"So your saying…I can still come over?" Zack asked all hints of his tom foolery having vanished. Sephiroth blinked. 'What the hell should I say to that?' With out giving it another moment of thought he heard his voice work with out him directly telling it to.
"Of course Zachary, I understand what you are going through and being your friend I am here for you. As poor as I am will dealing with others feelings I at least know you will understand." As a toothy grin spread across the SOLDIERS face Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow quirking his head slightly. 'Where the hell did that come from?'
"You're just going to let him enter your home? You do remember what happened don't you? He betrayed you, betrayed your trust. He is no friend of yours."
Sephiroth's expression hardened slightly but he was drawn back as Zack let out a laugh and jumped atop the desk wrapping his arms around his neck causing Sephiroth's eyes to grow wide and his teeth grit together.
"OH THANK YOU SEPH! I DON'T CARE WHAT THE OTHERS SAY ABOUT YOU YOU'RE AN OKAY GUY!" Zack yelled. Sephiroth desperately trying to push him off with out hurting him. No matter how badly he wanted to.
"Down puppy!" Sephiroth snapped shoving the his LT. Off of his desk. Zack merely fell back onto the chair opposite him wide grin on his face. Though Sephiroth wasn't as confused by the grin rather the nickname he had used. 'I have got to get this under control before it gets worse!' He quickly stood causing the grin to slowly fade from Zack's face, instead being replaced with a look of curiosity.
"Where are you going?"
"I am meeting Javics at the pub in Sector eight." Sephiroth merely stated as he set his papers aside.
"Oh you mean that really nice one on Loveless avenue?"
"Yes."
"Can I come?"
"No."
"Aww why not?"
"Because it is an important meeting between me and Javics! And you were not invited." He stated simply as he exited his office, leaving a pouting Zack behind.
*
Sephiroth entered the pub and glanced around, it made his skin crawl to be surrounded by so many lowly humans--even if they were all Shinra workers, that made it all the worst. He walked half way across the pub when he noticed someone sitting at the end of the bar looking around nervously. His eyes narrowed, hands clenching into fists as anger and rage and hate bubbled up inside him. He clenched his jaw. 'Now I remember! How could I have forgotten so easily! Damn it! I never did meet Javics, he had been sent out to Wutai an hour before out meeting and in his place he sent…'
The little blond at the bar looked around till his eyes met jade green and widened before he stood at attention.
"General."
'…Cloud.'
"I told you, you should have killed him, why not do it now?"
'I can't do it now…there are to many SOLDIERS let alone Turks here. It would just cause me to much trouble, and would most likely jeopardize my chance to get to you.' He responded to the shadow of a voice of his mother. His eyes softened and his rage ebbed away as the lonely feeling reentered him. He approached the bar, hiding his emotions away and nodding to the cadet who remained at attention.
"At ease cadet." He stated as he took a seat at the bar, the cadet doing the same. He tried to act neutral, but wasn't all to sure he was succeeding. "I was supposed to be meeting Captain Jevics here tonight, why has he sent you?" He questioned, even though he already knew the answer, and it was eating at him inside. He was so pissed he would have loved to just go on a killing spree…but for some reason his loneliness was drowning that desire with something else.
"Captian Jevics sent me because he was shipped out to Wutai an hour ago and wishes to apologize."
"Do you know why he wanted to meet me?"
Cloud blushed and averted his eyes, shaking his head.
"No. Sorry sir."
Sephiroth sighed leaning his elbow on the bar. 'Now what am I going to do?' He wondered. 'I bet that information is sitting on my desk in the pile of papers I left unattended to. Damn I knew I shouldn't have let the pupp--Zack monopolize my time with his damn ranting.'
He turned to the bar tender.
"One please." He stated lazily. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, and a drink sounded good. Or at least from what he could remember it sounded good.
"Yes coming up."
He looked back at the blond, eyes narrowed and hard. He was fidgeting with a strand of thread on his vest.
"If you have nothing else to say then you may go." Sephiroth stated. The blond looked up.
"Oh, umm yes sir…" He stated preparing to get up before he paused and sat back down. "But I have no where else to go." He stated before looking to the bar tender. "Make that two please." He stated. Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow causing the blond to jump eyes growing wide.
"Don't worry I have money! I'll pay for mine, its just," he nervously ran his gloved fingers through his messy spikes. "it would be easier to order together." His cheeks turned pink. "Oh…never mind." He grumbled bowing his head. Sephiroth eyed the blond for a long while. There was something about the site of Cloud that eased the loneliness that had been eating away at him. There was also something very pleasurable about a Cloud who constantly bowed his head, blushed whenever talking to him.
"So, tell me Cloud."
The blond jumped, his head snapping up to look at the general. "How are you doing in the SOLDIER program?"
'He knows my name? When, how…oh by the goddess the General Sephiroth knows my name! Wait…did I tell him my name?' Cloud's thoughts were crashing into each other, and the back of his skull.
"Oh umm…I suppose it is doing well." He stated eyeing the chipped wood corner of the long bar counter. "I mean…I'm doing relatively well, I'm not at all top of the class or anything but I'd say I'm pulling average…" he blushed and looked side long towards the man sitting next to him. "We haven't gotten our evaluation reports back yet."
Sephiroth nodded as they were served their beers and he took his taking a smooth gulp of the bitter tasting liquid. While he swallowed enjoying the sensation of the liquid against his taste buds and as it flowed down the back of his throat he eyed the cadet sitting next to him through blissfully narrowed eyes. The blond was sniffing at his glass before he began drinking it--a little faster then was expected. Sephiroth allowed his lips to linger near the rim of his glass for a second longer before setting it down and turning towards he blond.
"You might want to be careful." He warned as the cadet downed his entire drink in one sitting before setting it back down.
"Hmn…oh…that." He muttered eyeing his empty mug down and wiping his mouth on the back of his gloved hand. He looked to the bar tender. "Could I have another?" He questioned.
"Sure." The bartender stated taking the mug to refill it. The blond slouched, his elbows resting on the counter.
"I'm guessing your nervous about the evaluation report." Sephiroth stated taking another slow swallow from his mug. Cloud blinked and looked at him.
"I…I guess." He mumbled taking his now full mug and beginning to down it again. He drank half of it before setting it down. "I'm not very good at navigating…at all even with a dumb old compass…and that'll take me down by at least fifteen points, and I suppose my swordsmanship could be better." He stated. Sephiroth noted the pink raising in the boys cheeks--and knew it wasn't from blushing.
"Oh?" 'The Cloud I know is a very good swordsman…'
"Not better then you."
'Good enough to destroy me.'
The Cadet downed the rest of his drink before setting it down--a little harder then he'd wanted to.
"Yep. I mean Captain Jevics says I have great strategy, accuracy and precision…but he says I don't have enough power behind it. Hey, could I have another one?"
'Oh no.'
*
"Easy, hey stop."
"Ow…I'm--I'm okay!"
"Grrnmn."
"Woops. Ow…stupid…stupid street….tr-trying to…assaphinate me."
Sephiroth looked down at the heap of cadet at his feet through narrowed eyes. His arms were crossed across his chest and a very disapproving look was plastered on his face. He sighed and bent down picking the blond up by the scruff of his shirt and pulling him to his feet, where he wobbled this way and that before falling forward, losing his balance and having to grip onto Sephiroth for support. Sephiroth quickly grabbed him as he fell forward causing them to end up in what Sephiroth could call an 'awkward embrace'. He blinked and gazed wide eyed down at the blond who was holding tightly to the leather of his coat, brows tilted back, mouth turned downward electric blue eyes beginning to water.
'Damn it…not only is he drunk, he's a sobbing drunk!'
"Sobbing drunk?"
'Not now!'
He felt a slight hurt--pushed away sensation wash across his mind but ignored it as the tears finally fell.
"I'm so-so--hiccup--sorry sir."
"Hmn?"
"I'm such a frailer!" He sobbed. "I'm not good, I'll never make a good SOLDIER, I don't even deserve to be used as your messenger boy!" He cried before realizing who he was holding onto. He let out a sob/yelp and pushed back stumbling slightly. "I'm sorry! I don't even…" He fell over onto the ground. "Ow…."
Sephiroth sighed shaking his head before approaching the sobbing cadet. He bent down, picked him up, flung him over his shoulder and began walking down the road. Cloud apologizing the whole way.
Well okay I finished this at 11:59 but sadly it took a little while to actually UPDATE. T.T
But here it is. ^^ I hope you liked it. Please Review.