What just happened? O.O My inventory was spammed by you guys. I didn't expect to get so many hits. ^.^ You have motivated me to keep writing.

Disclamer: I dO nOt OwN FiNaL FaNtAsY vIi

Cloud lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His body was aching from the vigorous training and the double dose of mako he had been given. He was relieved to say the least, that the General... That Sephiroth had stepped in, he didn't think he could of managed a SOLDIER dose. Beside him on the other bed his roommate groaned in misery, another small blessing, Ty was in to much pain to tease him. Cloud sighed heavily, he supposed he could of gotten a worse roommate. The extent Ty went was to tease him mercilessly and leave his stuff all over the floor. He didn't outright bully him like some of the boys did. Not that he wasn't used to it, but he had thought the bullying would end in Nibelheim. Maybe they were right. Maybe there was something wrong with him. His mako tolerance was high and so many people couldn't be wrong surely. Cloud heaved a dejected sky as he watched the room grow darker and listened to Tys small sounds of discomfort. Finally he cracked and turned his head to look at the boy. His roommate had sandy blond hair and grey-blue eyes that shone with life and amusement, now they were dull and fixed on the blanket in front of him, his large form curled into a tight ball. Cloud sighed heavily. "Need some pain killers?" He asked. Ty's eyes snapped towards him and widened. "Yes please." He croaked, voice cracked and dry. Cloud sighed again and forced his way up and over to his chest of drawers, rummaging through and bringing out a packet of pain killers. Popping two he went to the bathroom and grabbed a glass of water before returning to Ty. "You. Are. A. God." He groaned, taking the pain killers and settling back, draining the last of the water. Cloud snorted delicately. "I try." He said, taking the glass and returning it to the bathroom. He climbed back into bed with a grateful moan. "Can you believe they expect us to do training tomorrow?" Ty groaned, voice muffled from all the blankets.

Cloud yawned wearily and nodded.

"Yes. They're sick bastards."

"Agreed"

"Sephy-poo!" The great General Sephiroth of the Shinra army and commander of SOLDIER slowly and menacingly lifted his head from his work, pinning the black haired menace with his furious gaze. Behind him his mentor Angeal buried his face in his palms and shook his head slowly. "Puppy..." He said warningly. Zack waved his hand airily with a laugh. "He doesn't care." He proclaimed, skipping over and seating himself on Sephiroths desk. Angeal watched as his friend and Generals left eye twitched sporadically and he wondered, not for the first time, if his puppy had been dropped on his head at birth. "So Sephy, watcha doing?"

Sephiroths eyes narrowed even further, "Working." He said cooly, fingers twitching for masamunes hilt. Zack laughed again,

"Awww, don't you do anything else?"

"No."

Angeal leaned forward, dragging Zack off of Sephiroths desk and holding him by the scruff of his neck. "I'm sorry Seph, I couldn't stop him."

Waving a hand Sephiroth picked up his pen again. "No matter. What did you need Angeal?"

Angeal passed over a thin folder, "Zack wanted you to join us and Gen for dinner at my appartment. That's from Mia by the way, she said you asked for it."

Sephiroth flicked open the folder of Cadet Strife, running his eyes over the familiar photo attached. With a short nod he closed the folder and set it aside.

"Thank you. I would enjoy joining you three for dinner."

Angeal smiled and Zack said "Great... But why do you have that cadets file? Someone interested?" He waggled his eyebrows at Seph who frowned and shook his head. "That cadet is Cloud Strife he has a high mako tolerance and has... drawn Hojos attention." Zacks cheerful demeanor instantly changed into worry. "What happened?" Angeal asked, eyebrows drawing down.

"He tried to give Strife the SOLDIER amount of mako. I had to stop him." Zack shook his head, "The poor kid must have been terrified." He said, stealing the folder and reading through it.

"I was thinking if you could befriend the cadet and keep an eye on him for me."

Zack beamed, always up for making new friends. "Sure Sephy! The chocobo will be safe with me!" The excitable SOLDIER jumped up and ran off, laughing maniacally.

"..."

"What have I done?"

"Hey Chocobo!" Cloud groaned and rolled his eyes as Zack skipped over to him, grabbing him in a bone breaking hug. "CLOUUUUDY!"

"Hey Zack." Cloud droned wearily, detaching himself from the over energetic second class SOLDIER and continuing towards the mess hall. The SOLDIER had attached himself to Clouds side a couple of weeks ago, constantly pestering him and being an over all nuisance. Cloud loved him, he easily considered the up beat SOLDIER as his best friend. "What's wrong Spikey?" He asked, falling into step beside him. "You seem down." Cloud glanced over at him and sighed, "It's nothing really, just tired." Zack smiled and held open the doors for him. "trainings a bitch right?" He peered down at the unidentifiable gloop that the serving lady slapped on his plate. "Yeah, I'm getting used to it though, in running class we had to run for two hours. It was hell. The guy in front of me started hacking up blood." Zack laughed and followed Cloud over to an empty table. "Ahh, I remember those days. Good times. Good times." Cloud snorted and sat, picking through his 'food' for something edible.

Zack grimaced as he chowed down on the food, "I have a mission tomorrow, I'll be gone for a week or so." Cloud looked up with a sad frown. "Oh, right... I have my mako shots tomorrow." Zack frowned, "Don't worry kid, I'll remind the General." Cloud shook his head glumly, "He shouldn't waste his time on me." He mumbled, picking at his mush. Zack sighed and shook his head. He really had to work on the kids self confidence.

Sephiroth cursed under his breath as he checked the time, striding into the labs and down towards where they were injecting the cadets with mako. Hopefully he would get there in time. Sephiroth threw the door to the examination room open and stepped inside. Two heads snapped towards him, Hojos with a deadly scowl and Cloud Strifes with a look of acute relief. "I apolgise for my lateness." He said as he moved over and stood next to Cloud, resting a hand on the boys shoulder. "You may proceed Hojo." The scientist came over with a syringe containing double the recommended amount and slid it into Clouds arm, administrating the mako. Cloud cried out in pain and clenched his fists, biting down on his lip so hard that it started to bleed. With a frown, Sephiroth tightened his grip on Clouds shoulder. "You're doing well Cloud." He murmured, watching Hojo suspiciously as he scribbled furiously on his clip board. He looked back down at brilliant blue eyes, glistening with unshed tears of pain. He was mostly silent though, and stayed as still as possible. When he had stopped his involuntary twitching, Sephiroth leaned over him and undid the restraints, much gentler than Hojo had done them up previously. Cloud slowly slid of the chair, legs buckling as he stood. Sephiroth jumped forward, catching him and holding him up. "Next week we will be upping the dose." Hojo drawled as he made another mark on his clipboard. Sephiroth led Cloud out, looking scathingly over his shoulder at the scientist. "I will be there." He intoned. Sephiroth ignored the confused looks they were getting from the cadets and Miles, their instructor. "How are you faring?" He murmured as he led the small cadet out of the labs and towards the cadet barracks. "I've been better." Cloud groaned, momentarily forgetting who he was talking to. "Uh... I mean sir." Glancing down at the cadet with a frown, Sephiroth shook his head. "I told you to call me Sephiroth, Cloud." He murmured, "And next time I do not wish for you to go in with Hojo until I'm there. And I will be there Cloud, I would never leave you with Professor Hojo. He is... Dangerous." Cloud nodded dejectedly, staring at the ground, "Can I ask you a question, Sir?... I mean Sephiroth." Sephiroth inclined his head slightly in answer. Cloud bit his lip lightly and then spoke. "Why do you... Care? I'm just a cadet." Green eyes stared down into blue and just when Cloud thought Sephiroth wasn't going to answer he spoke. "I do not wish for any one to be treated as an experiment, Cloud. The way Hojo was looking at you... You're to full of life to become one of his..." Sephiroth trailed off with a sigh, shaking his head. Cloud couldn't help the grin spreading across his face. His hero cared about him, not just as a hopeful SOLDIER but as an actual person. Suddenly Cloud didn't feel so bad anymore, and when Sephiroth left him in his room he flopped down on his bed with a silly grin on his face.

"He cares."

"Whhhhhyyyy?"

Cloud lifted his head from the tactics essay he was writing to look at his roommate. "Why Cloud Why?" Snorting delicately Cloud returned to his essay, "You'll get over it." He said dispassionately. "You're cruel!" Ty moaned, holding his head, "Get me pain killers whore." Cloud laughed and shook his head, standing to get them as requested. He was getting used to Ty, and had realised that all the times he was seemingly mean to him were really his own odd way of showing affection... Kind of like Zack calling him chocobo all the time. "Here ya go." He said, passing them over with a glass of water and watching Ty take them. "How come you aren't in agony you bitch?" He groaned, holding his head in his hands. Cloud shrugged and went back to his essay. "Apparently I have a high mako tolerance. I actually get double the dose." Grey eyes widened as Ty looked at him. "Double the dose? Gaia... Is that why the General goes in with you?" Cloud nodded, pen scratching on paper. "He comes to make sure Hojo doesn't do anything. The first time he was going to give me a SOLDIER dosage. Thank the Goddess the General stepped in." Ty sighed and leant back against the wall. "Gaia. I don't envy you."

There was silence for a while, save from the scratching of Clouds pen.

"What are you writing?" Ty spoke up finally.

Cloud glanced up then looked back down. "I'm finishing up the tactics essay that's due tomorrow."

Ty yelped and sat bolt upright. "That's due tomorrow!" He shouted. "Fuck! Help me Cloud!"

Cloud chuckled as Ty scrambled for his work.

Two chapters in two days. Isn't that nice of me.

I hope you enjoyed it, please, don't be afraid to review... not that I'm a review whore or anything... Never.

Anyway, I was planning on making Ty more of an asshole but I fell in love with him.

Oops.