Lunch and Reassurances

Cloud sighed as he looked out at the lunchroom. Cadets were milling between the tables, stepping or tripping over outstretched legs and bags, and skidding on stray pieces of lettuce. The line began somewhere across the room. Getting there, through the pushing, shoving, spilled ketchup, and grumpy kitchen aids, was not something he was looking forward to. However, his stomach sternly rejected the idea of just skipping it all together and getting a snack from the vending machine on the far side. So, with a slight sigh, he began ducking his way through the crowd.

Ten minutes later, this time armed with his lunch, Cloud waded through the chaos of the cafeteria, moving towards the back where there usually was an empty table. Luckily, even though he was a little late, the table in the back was still unoccupied. With a slight sigh of relief, the cadet slid into a seat, putting his tray down and leaning back against the wall. Goodness, he was hungry. Probably from the unusual amount of stress that morning.

Cloud was accustomed to eating alone; he always felt awkward and confused when someone else sat with him. He wasn't very good at talking to the others, and because he was so quiet most of them didn't seem to like him.

So when there was a very loud shout of his name, Cloud looked up, surprised. Emerging from the crowd of cadets was someone in a SOLDIER uniform, brandishing something green in his hands. Zachary Fair made his way towards Cloud's back table, a wide grin on his face as he held up his salad as if he had obtained some great triumph. "Cloud!"

Cloud blinked, then smiled slightly in surprised pleasure. This was different, though. This was Zack. Zack seemed to genuinely and effusively care about everyone around him; it was impossible not to feel at ease when he was around. And, for some reason, since meeting him out in the snow a few weeks before, Zack, though already a SOLDIER 2nd class, had firmly decided that the quiet, awkward cadet was a special friend. Cloud couldn't understand why the happy 2nd class has singled him out especially, but he was glad for it.

So he couldn't keep a half-grin from spreading across his face as Zack sat down across from him, setting down his chicken salad and chocolate milk as if they were sacred before glancing up at his friend with a wide smile on his face. "Ha!" Zack said triumphantly. "I've overcome the main floor mess hall! Thought I might be rusty."

Cloud smiled slightly before bending over his food.

Zack chuckled at the smile; over the past month he had learned that it was quite an achievement to cause this serious little cadet to smile even slightly. It was almost like trying to get Sephiroth to look amused, however relatively easier. He would have been scared if it was that hard. Zack was proud to say that he had gotten to the point where he could make Cloud smile just about every time he saw him. His next task was to get the blonde to laugh more often.

Crunching happily on a something green, Zack leaned across the table towards Cloud. "So, how's your day been?"

Cloud looked up from his food, meeting Zack's eyes as he hesitated, thinking of something to say. That was one thing about Cloud that Zack had noticed right away on meeting the cadet. Cloud almost never answered without first carefully choosing his words. It was an odd quality to find in someone that young, or even Zack's own age.

Cloud cocked his head slightly. "It's been alright..." he answered after a moment.

Zack raised an eyebrow. That was the other thing about Cloud. He had an undeniable gift for giving extremely vague, neutral answers. If he didn't like him so much, Zack would suggest he become a diplomat or public relations manager. Shaking his head in playful reproach, Zack leaned forward across the table. "Come on! That's not a real answer. I want to know what you've been up to."

Cloud glanced up at Zack, with that same little amused smile on his face, but then he shrugged slightly, as if to indicate that he hadn't been doing anything, something which Zack knew wasn't true.

Zack shook his head. "Aww, please? How could you not have done anything all day? I mean, you were up at seven this morning."

Cloud paused, surprised, looking up at Zack. "How did you know that?"

Zack shrugged, smiling brightly. "I saw you."

Cloud nodded skeptically, looking at Zack carefully. "Why were you up at seven?" Zack, as a rule, hardly ever woke up unless he had to. He had a very, very busy alarm clock.

Zack shrugged. "Angeal's getting a new cadet today, and the meeting was at eight. So he scheduled our training session earlier than normal." He shrugged with an easy grin, shaking his head in mock despair, as if the decision was pitiable. "Angeal likes mornings." Zack obviously didn't understand how that was possible.

Cloud blinked. That was true, he had forgotten that Zack's mentor was among the 1sts. He hadn't noticed 1st Class Hewely during the meeting, but he had been slightly preoccupied with other things and other SOLDIERs. He cocked his head. "He's allowed to have two students?"

Zack beamed with pride. "They wouldn't say no to him. He's too good a teacher. There isn't a cadet alive that Angeal can't do something for."

Cloud smiled a little at the thought of Zack as a cadet. The pride that Zack took in 1st Class Hewley's skills was obvious and strong, and it was nice to see. Cloud sighed quietly. He wished he were worthy of feeling pride in his mentor. But, no, impossible, not when it was him. Cloud wasn't worthy of feeling pride in what he could do. It didn't have anything to do with Cloud.

Quietly, Cloud said, "Actually, I was at that meeting..."

Zack's head shot up at that. "Really?" He beamed. "Why didn't you tell me you were in the mentoring program!" Then, ignoring the statement and the fact that they hadn't seen each other since Cloud had found out two days before, Zack leaned forward enthusiastically and asked, "Well, who are you assigned to? You were assigned a mentor today, right?"

Cloud nodded quietly, ducking his head slightly, as if trying to keep the other cadets in the room from seeing. Without really thinking, he hunched down towards his lunch, as if trying to hide. "Well..."

Zack cocked his head. "Yeah. Come on. It's great you're in the program, you'll do awesome." He beamed suddenly. "I might even know your mentor. I could give you tips!"

Cloud shrank down even farther, becoming remarkably small, even for a boy his size. Zack cocked his head at the reaction. Cloud was withdrawn, sure, but usually he wasn't quite this unwilling to talk to his friend.

Finally, mumbling down into his food, Cloud replied, "Well...He's..." He hesitated for a long moment, then very quickly blurted the word. "Sephiroth."

Zack's eyes were blue saucers. Without really any thought, he jumped up and half-yelled "WHAT!" The expression on his face was dead center between shock and a grin.

It was only about half a second afterwards, when a few of the other tables in the back had quieted at the noise, that Zack realized Cloud was looking at him with a shocked, practically terrified look that meant he probably didn't want that information broadcasted at the top of Zack's lungs to all of the other cadets in the room. After blinking blankly at Cloud for an instant, Zack's expression thankfully flashed in complete understanding. However, that still left him standing up with about 40 cadets looking at him.

But Zack Fair, SOLDIER 2nd Class, had always been a quick thinker, and wasn't about to be phased by the situation.

Cloud jumped as Zack leaned down against the table and cried, "Your mother got you that for your birthday!"

As Cloud blinked at him, completely lost, Zack was pleased to see that that had been enough to diffuse most of the interest of the lunchroom. Most of the cadets laughed, but turned back to their food. Zack was well known for somewhat random, odd outbursts when he was happy, so most of them would just assume that. Those who didn't know him would almost certainly write him off as strange and over energized and nothing more. Zack was fine with that.

Dropping his voice and leaning forward Zack cocked his head, "Whoa, really? Him?" He very carefully kept his voice low, even though he wasn't saying the name.

Cloud nodded again reluctantly.

Zack restrained a sigh. Cloud looked unhappy. And he bet he knew the reason. As long as he had known him, the poor kid had had a huge self-confidence problem.

That, and Sephiroth had a knack for scaring people simply by existing. Shaking his head, Zack smiled reassuringly at his friend. "Really, Cloud, you shouldn't worry so much. He's never actually killed a cadet because he didn't like them." Then, becoming slightly more serious, he added, "I don't think he'll have a problem with you. He's more partial to quiet people."

Cloud shook his head. "I'm not..." He sighed. "I'm not the kind of cadet someone like him would want."

Zack blinked, completely taken aback. "What? Why would you think that?"

Cloud looked up at Zack, surprised. Involuntarily, his eyes asked his friend how he could say that.

Zack sighed, shaking his head with a slight smile. Oh, Cloud. His little cadet friend was impossible sometimes. Particularly when asked to measure his own self-worth. Of course he wasn't going to be at SOLDIER level right now; that was why he was assigned to Sephiroth in the first place. Sephiroth wouldn't expect him to be amazing. How was he going to reassure his buddy of that?

"I mean, come on," Zack chuckled at him. "Not every cadet will go out and help clueless foot-soldiers shovel when there's three feet of snow on the ground."

Cloud cocked his head, looking at Zack with an expression that seemed undecided between a smile and sadness. He shook his head. "That's snow. This is..."

Zack shook his head. "It's the same thing, Cloud!" He grinned. "He's just a really big snowbank..."

Cloud blinked at Zack, the sad look on his face replaced by something nonplussed. The comparison of Sephiroth with a snowbank was certainly...something only Zack would ever come up with.

Zack took advantage of Cloud's confusion to restate his point. "You'll be fine, Cloud. Honest. He's...well, he's not friendly, but he's not crazy, either. I think you two will do ok."

Cloud glanced up at him. "You think so?" He didn't sound convinced.

Zack nodded vigorously. "Yeah!" He leaned forward earnestly, speaking quickly. "I don't know him that well, but Angeal likes him. That's got to count for something. He's not a bad guy."

Cloud's eyes moved back to his chicken, as he pushed it around with his fork. "Mmm."

Zack cocked his head. Still not good enough, eh? "When are you two meeting?"

Cloud blinked, but the answer was automatic, since it was already turning around in his head so much. "Four."

"Ok." At the 'get down to business' tone of Zack's voice, he looked up again. The SOLDIER 2nd was smiling at him. "So you go up there and see him today. That's good."

Cloud shrank down towards his food. He was not entirely sure whether or not he was of the same opinion.

"Tell you what," Zack said. "Go up there today and just see how it goes, ok? Give you both a chance before you freak out too much."

Cloud started to make an uncertain sound, but Zack shook his head. "Trust me on this one. Give him a chance. Then come back and tell me what you think. Do that for me?"

Cloud blinked, looking up at Zack. Zack was smiling plaintively at him, head cocked to one side. Please? was written quite clearly in his eyes.

Cloud considered the words for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

Zack smiled. "Good." He leaned back, crunching lettuce in his mouth. "Everything'll go fine, Cloud, and you'll be surprised. Bet you anything."

Head down towards his food, Cloud smiled slightly, shaking his head to decline the forbidden act of betting. Despite everything, Zack's assurances did make him feel a little better. "Thanks, Zack."

A shrug, intermitted with crunches, and Zack was smiling at him again. "Anytime for my buddy."

Sephiroth realized that he was staring absently at his lunch, rather than eating it as he should have been. Not really the best use of his time, given that he had about twelve other things he had to do before four-o-clock today, when that cadet would be coming to see him…

Which he really shouldn't be worrying about as much as he was. It was almost a little embarrassing that he could be distracted so easily by the thought of the little blond boy who had confused him so effortlessly that morning. How was he supposed to know how to teach anyone, let alone Strife who he couldn't even remotely figure out?

With a slight sigh, Sephiroth closed his eyes momentarily to rein in that train of thought for at least the fifth time. Panicking was neither productive nor in his personality. He refused to freak out about something that really shouldn't unnerve him as much as it did. That could hardly be considered the conduct of a military leader. How hard could it be to teach one cadet?

He was lying to himself and he knew it. It wasn't the military commander who was having this problem. It was him, Sephiroth, and he knew it was not because this was a cadet. It was because it was a person. The role of mentor necessitated personal involvement, and when brutally honest with himself, he simply didn't know how to interact on a pe$rsonal level. Business was all well and good, but nothing could be learned from someone who wouldn't look you in the eye and try to see you. Sephiroth didn't know if he had that in him. Sure, he could spot the weak link in a battalion easily, smell fear in an opponent and use it to his psychological advantage. But off the battlefield…he wasn't so sure.

Mentally scolding himself, Sephiroth sighed and leaned down over his food. Eat, and stop wasting time. You don't have the luxury of sitting here fretting until four.

Which, unfortunately, was very true. In fact, he didn't technically have time to eat for more than fifteen minutes, so he should stop wasting it.

He was cutting the pre-measured portion of some meat he hadn't bothered to identify when someone walked into the room. Normally, Sephiroth would have not been eating in the SOLDIER 1st lounge/dining area, at all. He preferred to eat alone in his office. However, today he had just been given a huge stack of assorted deployment orders, troop movement verifications, death certificates, supplies orders, party invitations, and who knew what to sign that he literally would not have room to breathe on his desk until he passed in his last bunch to Lazard, which he hadn't yet found time to do. His desk was drowning in paper. There had been the option to sit on the floor, and it had occurred to him. But he had just been unable to make himself do that, even to avoid company. His food came from the SOLDIER 1st cafeteria anyway. For once, he could sit there and eat it fast.

And so here chance found Sephiroth sitting in the corner of the lounge, back to the wall, looking up in surprise and without too much pleasure at the sound of his name. He was preparing ways to tell the intruder to disappear without actually injuring anyone's pride, when he found his addressor and realized it was Angeal.

That called everything off and Sephiroth relaxed slightly, though no one could tell, as Angeal walked over to him. Of anyone in the world, Angeal he could take. In fact, he didn't really even mind.

"Sephiroth, what are you doing out here?" Angeal asked as he came up next to his friend. He had only ever seen Sephiroth eating in a public place like this once, missions and warlines notwithstanding, where they all ate whenever and whatever they could. It was very unusual to see at home in the Shinra building particularly, where Sephiroth couldn't even go two steps without someone else either hailing him to do something or staring at him, which he hated.

Sephiroth shook his head with a quiet growl. "New load of paperwork today. There is no room on my desk." With a slight inclination of his head, he invited Angeal to sit.

Angeal sighed in sympathy. "I hear you." At Sephiroth's offer, he shook his head. "Thank you, but I already ate. I have to run, actually. Zack wanted to talk to me about something, and if I go now I might catch-"

He stopped as Sephiroth tensed very slightly, his eyes turning towards the side door. Angeal knew the look. Sephiroth was still listening, but something else had set him off, something else was happening that Angeal would hear in about a twentieth of a second-

"You are insufferable!"

They both knew that voice. Angeal followed Sephiroth's gaze.

"I cannot believe you said that!"

One thing about being important, apparently, was that people judged you by the size of the doorways to your cafeteria, at least in Shinra. Thus, in keeping with the high stature of it's occupants, there was a huge side entrance to the 1st's cafeteria, an open doorway that eliminated a great deal of privacy from the diners. Through this they could see-and hear-everything that was going on near Genesis' office.

Angeal noticed an odd cant to Sephiroth's eyebrows at the sound of moving furniture.

Matching volume for volume, a retort in a voice Sephiroth didn't know. "That's just 'cause you can't say you're wrong!" An instant later and a red head burst out of the door to Genesis' office. But it wasn't Genesis and it wasn't wearing red.

The cadet, then.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. This was a slightly distressing situation, as in Sephiroth's opinion the one out of the three of them most likely to hit a cadet was Genesis. He'd been hoping that the red SOLDIER got an agreeable cadet. The problem was simple. Genesis was hard to get along with. There was no way he could ever get along with someone who manifested the same qualities. It was a recipe for disaster. For both mentor and student, as Sephiroth knew that Genesis would regret his rash actions eventually, but never be able to apologize for them. It was one of the qualities that he at the same time appreciated and detested of his friend: his incredible pride.

"Do not walk away from me, kid!" Genesis burst out of his office a moment later. One look at him was enough to tell Sephiroth that he was furious, and therefore probably not at his most eloquent. "I am trying to teach you a thing or two! You have to listen."

The redheaded cadet whirled at the words, blue eyes flashing. This one obviously was not about to back down. "Why should I? You don't even know what you're talking about!"

Wonderful. Sephiroth restrained the mounting urge to roll his eyes. Just like him. Of all the worst things to do when Genesis was angry, (which he admitted to often doing himself), dismissing his knowledge was probably the stupidest thing to do in this situation. The red SOLDIER would never admit it, but he knew his limitations. He was not the strongest man, he was not the biggest, or the most frightening to see, but he was smart, and he took intense pride in how much he knew.

Genesis was going to kill the cadet.

To Sephiroth's surprise, and the cadet's good fortune, Genesis seemed to be in that same mood of restraint that had manifested itself in the elevator. Instead of actually killing the cadet, he only glared like he was going to kill him and spat, "I do know what I'm talking about! I know a thing or two about war, brat, and I know that with that attitude you won't survive a day with me, let alone with-"

The younger redhead gave a clipped laugh that cut him off. "Oh, and I just take everything you say? Maybe I don't want to! Maybe I'd be better of training myself than working with a stuck up pansy like you!"

Second stupid move. Insult Genesis' lack of size and the somewhat feminine aspects of his sense of taste, which he was extremely defensive of. Perfect way to make him hate you, and Genesis held a grudge forever.

Murder flashed in Genesis' eyes, but again he restrained himself. His tone remained murderous, and spiteful. "Oh, rude now, are we? Refusing my graciously offered help. Then get out of my sight, see how it goes!" He waved his hand dismissively, glaring at the cadet with narrowed eyes.

It was a challenge if Sephiroth had ever seen one.

Genesis, he'll answer it. Don't you see, this will only-

"I will!" the cadet yelled, and turned on his heel, walking away so fast that it seemed to take Genesis a moment to realize it.

The cadet wasn't easily intimidated. Sephiroth conceded that point as he watched the red SOLDIER warily. The young redhead had answered the challenge fearlessly. That wasn't easy to do.

Genesis wasn't someone it was easy to walk away from. And he never forgot it, either.

Genesis blinked at where the cadet had disappeared. For a moment, something flashed through his eyes, puzzling Sephiroth. Genesis almost looked sad for a second there, upset rather than angry.

Then the anger was back full force, making Genesis' eyes glow the color of the sky. The red SOLDIER glared after the cadet. "Fine!" he spat softly, growling the word as he stormed into his office and slammed the door so hard that Sephiroth's plates shook.

Sephiroth looked at the door, sighing softly. That was the Genesis he knew. His heart sank to think of the grudge Genesis would hold against his assigned cadet now.

Then, for some unfathomable reason, Angeal laughed softly. Startled out of his thoughts by this completely out of context reaction, Sephiroth glanced over at his friend with an extremely puzzled look.

Angeal was chuckling under his breath, shaking his head slightly, looking over at Genesis' office.

Sephiroth stared. "Angeal?" His tone demanded an explanation.

Angeal sighed softly, smiling a little. "I was worried about Genesis and Reno. But not anymore."

Sephiroth blinked. Angeal had somehow lost his mind in the last two minutes. It was the only explanation he could come up with, but given the lucid light in his friend's eyes, it was wholly unsatisfactory. "I don't understand…"

Angeal looked over at him. "They'll do each other good. I can tell."

Sephiroth wished for the millionth time that he understood what Angeal saw in people to give him this strange and completely unpredictable faith in certain utterly impossible relationships.

Such as his and Genesis'.

"And that which we just observed was simply…some evidence of this?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at Angeal. This was why he was worried about Cloud, he decided. Angeal could obviously either see things that weren't there, as Sephiroth believed, or that Sephiroth couldn't see. How was he supposed to keep up with this?

Then he stopped. Angeal was smiling, his little smile that he only used when he was happy. "That's just them being way too compatible. They don't realize just how similar they are. Not everyone can get along so well with their cadet for the first time. For people like Genesis, it takes time."

Sephiroth blinked. Not everyone…Angeal was referring to someone else?

Angeal glanced at Sephiroth and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. They're assigned to each other, so they have to see each other again. They'll cool down and then they'll be alright. They really are perfect for each other."

Sephiroth shook his head slightly. You're insane… But, as always, something in him that wanted Angeal to be right about the world was reassured by that smile.

If he hadn't be grateful for that so much it really would have annoyed him a lot how easily Angeal could calm him down with the most illogical assurances. It wasn't something he could ever understand.

"You don't have to worry about stuff like that though, not with yours." A slight nudge against his shoulder. "You two will be fine."

Sephiroth didn't process that he was being referred to until Angeal had waved and started to walk away. Then he stared after his friend silently.

How Angeal could tell he was worried he was convinced he would never understand.

How Angeal was certain he would be alright was preposterous. And it, too, was illogically reassuring.

Sephiroth looked down at his food. He trusted Angeal. He had trusted Angeal with his life more times than he could count, and trusted him enough that the fact he had noticed Sephiroth's discomfort wasn't a problem. But, still…this wasn't anything like that. Angeal didn't know Strife any more than Sephiroth did. It wasn't…

He knew what Angeal would say to that. Hey, trust me.

He sighed softly, uncertain for a moment. But, as usual, his attachment and regard overcame his logical judgment. He ignored that this wasn't how it was supposed to be. Fine.

A glance at the clock told him it was almost 1:30. He had to go to Scarlett's weapons demonstration in about fifteen seconds.

It also meant he had 3 and a half hours before he learned which theory was correct, his or Angeal's. If he could just survive Scarlett, perhaps the cadet wouldn't seem quite so difficult.

What a day.

A/N: Srry this took so long, guys. Knee surgery knocked me out of my groove. But here you go. The identity of the "mysterious" redhead is revealed! :) Next chapter I hope to get to Cloud's first lesson! Something to look forward to. See ya, ~Alma