Shado: I did say I was going to update more often. I didn't say it was going to be an immediate update. You have to remember I like giving long chapters. Unfortunately, it comes at a price. Doubt.

Anywho, I did some interesting choices here. A few were made on a whim, simply to keep time flowing and going as well as fill in space that can also be useful for plot.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Though I do own Cirrus Strife. And Sgt. Clemens, now that I think about it. Oh, and Cloud's recruit buddies!

Chapter VII – Past Reflections

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

From the television show The Wonder Years

=3=

The air was hot and thick, as if the air conditioner was dead and the entire house was closed off from outside air. To top it off it wasn't even a house but a small apartment complex. Outside through the window in the living room revealed a perfect view of Midgar. The city was shiny and bright, the sky overhead clear of all pollution.

And yet the air was suffocating. It was a curse how Midgar experienced a short winter and then summer weather for the rest of the year. Someone opens up a window somewhere around the corner, presumably the kitchen. Footsteps then came around, the owner picking up a fan and plugging it in to face it towards a young woman sitting on the couch. She was drinking a glass of lemonade with fresh ice cubes already half way through melting entirely.

She wore a plain blue dress with white floral lace at the rims of the sleeves and around the collar of the neck. The dress was loose to comfortably stretch around her bulging stomach. It was obvious the woman was heavily pregnant.

Someone leaned over the back of the couch to press a gentle kiss on her cheek. The woman smiled, reaching up with her free hand to run her fingers through soft spikes that seem to defy gravity on their own accord. A man's chuckle sounded through the air.

His voice was smooth as water flowing over polished pebbles of a thin creek. It was a wonder why someone with such an angelic voice chose a simple woman like her. She questioned herself when she was feeling down, why he chose her at all.

She was beautiful in a simplistic way. Natural blond hair that was long and thin. Most men in the city preferred women with thick hair compared to hers. Her skin was flawless, pale despite the harsh sun here in the city that was built in the middle of a desert. On any occasion most ignored her for she burned more than she tanned. If no one can tan, then you hold no role in society.

Perhaps her only beautiful trait was her deep blue eyes could put a polished and freshly cut sapphire to shame.

Then she would berate herself for thinking she was not good enough for her Chosen. Whatever he saw in her was worth the fight against Turk and SOLDIER alike to take her hand in marriage. And for that she was grateful. She did not know what she would have done if they could not join together in the name of love.

She lovingly rubbed her belly as he came around to sit next to her. Her eyes followed his every movement, entranced on how someone could be so graceful compared to the normal human. She often wondered if he was not mortal, or more like an alien being in disguise. It would certainly explain his unearthly handsome features.

Skin was as pale as hers seem to glow, never burning even under the intense heat. Right now she could see more of his skin since he wore a sleeveless shirt and adorned only in his boxers around his waist. His hair was wild and had the appearance to be hard as a porcupine's back. Instead the strands of hair were always soft to the touch. They reminded her of petting a newly groomed chocobo.

His eyes were so striking, at the first meeting of him she was afraid to stare into them for too long. She had been afraid his eyes would capture her soul and devour her. Now she couldn't get enough of the pale emerald eyes. And like his skin they too, glowed. Such an intensity his eyes were that it was no wonder people called him a Wolf.

She was aware of the stories of how he was in battle. He was fierce and brutal, never allowing his emotions to interfere in the mission. His skill with the sword held no match no matter the enemy. He could shoot from ten kilometers away with a small handheld gun. It was no mystery why the Turks were so interested in recruiting him.

Yes, he could be deadly. He could be a force to be reckoned with. She was aware of that.

But he had never been anything more than caring and gentle towards her. Off the field he was serious and all about work. Even to his men he shared nothing more than a few smirks or jokes to lighten the atmosphere. Towards her he was all smiles and laughter. To her knowledge she was the only person who has ever heard him truly laugh.

She didn't mind at all, of course. So long as he kept his eyes solely on her, she will be more than happy to listen to him laugh and hum and sing as he liked to do when the pressures of being a soldier was not hanging over his shoulders. Sometimes she would wish he would retire from the field to become a singer. But then his voice wouldn't be hers to treasure.

"I hope they would fix the air conditioner soon. You burn too easily, Rachel." Even as he was worried he smiled anyway.

"Father and his coworkers say I'm better off living somewhere in the north. That way I won't have to suffer from sunburn." She laughed despite her own discomfort.

"When I retire, let's move up north then. I know of the perfect place to go, too. Nibelheim is secluded, the weather is colder yes, but I'm sure it will be heaven for you."

"You've been there before?"

"Only once." He nodded, his hair swaying with the movement. "I remember the forest and the sight of Mt. Nibel towering over the town. It was pretty being there. It's nice and calm too, once you get used to the people."

"Can't be as bad is the people here." She took another sip of her lemonade, noting the ice had melted since her last sip.

His melodious laugh brightened the room, and for a moment she forgot her discomfort. She rubbed her stomach again. This time she glanced down to stare in wonder.

"Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?"

His face changed then. He was no longer carefree as he was. He stared off into space, deep in thought. It was many moments to pass before he spoke again. His voice was pained, as if he knew he didn't want to reveal a horrible secret she was better off not knowing.

"It will be a boy, love. No matter what the child will be a boy. I wish it were not so, but that is what it means to be a Strife. We can never have a daughter, no matter how hard we try, no how hard we pray to the Planet."

He knew she wanted a daughter. She wanted a beautiful little girl with her hair but thicker, and his eyes and glowing skin. She also knew he wanted a girl, too. But for whatever reason he refrained from the strained expressions whenever she brought up the subject until now. Whatever it was he was afraid to tell her, she did not care. If they were going to have a boy then so be it. Still, she knew he was not lying. He wouldn't look at her in the eyes if he was.

She will cherish and love the boy she helped create. Her son will be his son, and that was enough. She reached out to his hand and pulled it over her stomach, holding the hand that had killed so many over where their child was growing. He stared at her in wonder and disbelief, but said not a word when their eyes met.

"You shouldn't worry, Cirrus. Our son will be showered with love and live a happy life. And if we still want a girl, there is always adoption. And together we can raise our children without the fear of SOLDIER, Turk, or war of any kind."

For a moment he stared at her, expression blank as her words slowly registered. Then she could see his eyes glisten as tears welled up. For a second she was frightened. She had never seen him cry. Finding no words to comfort him she reached out and embraced him, and instinctively he leaned his head against her chest. In this new position he allowed the tears to flow, racking his body with such a force he would surely have hiccups as a result.

His hand was still over her stomach, now it was rubbing gentle circles. She returned the action with both hands around his shoulder blades, massaging the tense muscles there. She could tell he had been worrying about her reaction, whether she would be disappointed with having a son, or how she would feel she could never bear a daughter. She could sense relief in him, even as he was pouring out these tears.

Soon she began to softly hum a sweet lullaby he would hum to her every night before she fell asleep. It was a slow lullaby with a few sad notes, but it was still calming and sweet. It sounded wrong in her ears for her voice to portray the lullaby, it sounded so much better with his voice. Still he had started calming down. And soon he joined in.

Together with their hands over her stomach, they hummed to their child, to their son.

Cloud awoke in a soft bed next to someone who gave off more body heat than needed. With a frustrated grunt the blond blindly kicked the covers off and scooted away from the source of the heat. It was then that with great clarity that he was not in the barracks, and therefore he was in someone else's bed.

Startled, the blond sprang up too fast for his head to take. It felt like his brain was rattled too much inside his skull and left behind a dull ache that intensified due to the harsh light surrounding him. Cloud had promptly fell back down with a groan, arm over his eyes in the hopes to distinguish the effects the sunlight had on his mental state.

He felt something shift next to him. The blond then remembered the reason why he panicked just seconds before. Cloud tensed, unsure if his random bed mate was friend or foe.

"Mornin' to you too, Spike." The familiar voice of Zack reached his ears, and the blond lifted his arm to see the man yawn.

Cloud visibly relaxed. Yes, he remembered the night before now. The pair of them had been out dancing at random bars he could not fathom the names of. A few times Zack sneaked him a couple of beers to lighten the mood up. Or maybe it was more than a few…

At any rate, it was better he had woken up in Zack's bed than in the barracks. He was sure the others would be as loud as ever despite their own hangovers to deal with. Still it felt awkward to wake up in a bed with a stranger who had just turned friend.

"I imagine you've got a killer migraine, huh?" The First chuckled lightly. "I remember those days. Then I got injections of mako and well, I don't feel the effects of alcohol anymore. I mean I can still get drunk, but I don't feel anything in the morning. Although lately I've noticed it's taking a lot more drinks to get me dizzy…"

"Lucky bastard…" Cloud mumbled, completely forgetting the First had super hearing.

"Yep! That's me, the lucky First Class Zack Fair extraordinaire."

The recruit flinched when Zack's voice took a higher pitch. His ears felt like they were going to bleed if the man was going to continue his hyperactive attitude in his presence.

"Oh yeah, you're just a recruit. Let me get you some miracle tea. Trust me it works on getting over even the worst of hangovers."

Miracle tea? Really? How did this man become a First again?

Cloud knew there was an answer, but his head hurt too much to remember. At some point the blond began to doze off as the First took his time. Eventually when Zack came back with a warm cup of tea in hand, he had also taken the liberty to make pancakes for his guest.

Slower this time, Cloud sat up with a grateful smile.

"Here you are. Hope you like pancakes. By the way, Spike? What was with the humming earlier?"

The blond had just cut a piece with his fork and looked up at the question. He was confused on what Zack had meant.

"Humming? I was humming?"

"Yeah, you were humming just before you sat up when you realized where you were. It was a little sad, but still a nice lullaby."

Cloud tilted his head, but then straightened when it gave his head a dull throb. "I don't remember humming…"

This time it was Zack's turn to cock his head to one side. "Really? Huh…could have sworn you were humming. It was your voice, I know that."

The First was giving him an odd look as if the recruit had grown an extra head right then and there.

The blond snorted. "I don't talk in my sleep, Zack. So stop that train of thought right there."

Zack pouted one of the most ridiculous pouts Cloud had ever seen. "You sure you don't remember humming?"

"I'm pretty sure I would remember humming, Zack." The blond began eating by taking a few bites. He had to say, the First knew how to make killer pancakes despite his hyper attitude. One would think he didn't have the coordination to operate a kitchen.

His head was still throbbing and so the recruit took a tentative sip of the tea. It didn't taste burnt or the teabag left too long in the water. With unexplained eagerness Cloud took a bigger sip. The warmth of the tea going down felt good.

"Maybe you're going crazy and hearing things." The blond casually joked.

"Oh, so there is someone in there with a sense of humor." Zack grinned, at which earned him a giggle.

"But seriously, I heard humming. Since you don't believe me, I'll hum it to you."

From there the First began to hum. At first it was tentative, as he had heard it only one time. Once he got the rhythm down he had the confidence to get it right. Cloud paused in eating his breakfast when he realized the lullaby was familiar.

After a minute of listening he remembered why. It was a lullaby his mother hummed. She hummed it while doing the dishes, doing the laundry, dusting the living room. She hummed the lullaby to him when he was sick or had trouble sleeping. And sometimes in the deepest part of his memories, he could hear a male voice humming in tune with her.

As a child the lullaby was calming. It soothed the bruises and the scratches from the bullies. It calmed his temper in the want to act upon his vengeance for being treated like trash by the other children. But he always wondered why his mother seemed so sad when she hummed such a sweet sounding lullaby.

Now, at the age of sixteen, he knew why. There was a bitter tone in the notes he did not notice before. How could he? At a young age he knew only of anger, happiness, and the world seemingly harmless beyond the bullying he bravely put up with. He knew now what he did not then. The world was cruel. Everything he ever cherished could wither away like a flower.

Cloud didn't know he was crying until Zack embraced him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear with words he did not understand. He didn't realize he had been humming, too, but he still continued on even though his sobs threatened to ruin the lullaby. All he knew was the lullaby that he had forgotten until now. And since he had bottled everything of the past up and locked it away, all of his emotions of the tragedies came flooding out.

He could still remember the day the monsters attacked. He remembered the screams, the sight and smell of blood staining the fresh snow. He remembered his mother trying to keep the two of them safe for as long as possible as they ran into the forest. He remembered the surprise and welcomed relief he felt upon seeing Vincent coming towards him, taking down any monsters in his path with his gun.

He remembered his mother passing him to Vincent before turning around and running back to the chaos. He remembered screaming after her, screaming with all of his might for her to come back. She had turned back to give them time, precious time Vincent needed to put some distance between them and Nibelheim.

And he remembered hearing an anguish howl that was neither mortal nor beast crying with him. To this day he did not know if it was his imagination or if he truly heard it with his own ears, for the howl seemed distant and faded. What's more it echoed through his very body, like the vibration of a ringing bell.

As the memories came flooding back, Cloud almost spilled the beans and told Zack everything. His defenses were already broken. It was only by chance he caught himself before the words came out. He wanted to talk to someone for so long about what happened ten years ago, Cloud almost forgot of his promise with Beast.

Even so, he trusted Zack enough to tell a portion of the truth. At least tell enough as a way to explain his momentary breakdown.

"That lullaby…my mum used to sing it to me a lot. The song helped calm my temper if I got too wound up. When the monsters attacked…She didn't make it. She gave us time…enough time to escape…"

At that the First tightened his hold, finding no words to comfort as a knot tightened in his chest. He needed nothing more as an explanation, and Cloud sensed it. His smaller body relaxed in the embrace. He was almost dozing off again. Meanwhile in the back of Zack's mind he learned an answer he didn't know he had been seeking out about the boy.

Ever since he first laid eyes on Cloud, Zack had the impression this was a boy who saw more of the world than a seasoned soldier. He had wondered why that at the rare moments he saw the boy drop his guard, why he saw deep pain and sadness that had yet to come out. Now he understood. At least he understood a portion why the recruit was this way.

=3=

Time seems to have a flow once one gets used to the routine. Although being a recruit was exhausting, Cloud started to notice that his body was starting to gradually change because of the process. His arms were beginning to develop muscles, not define muscles compared to some of the other cadets, but still noticeable. He had the beginnings of abs starting to take form on his smooth stomach. It was still too flat to his liking, but at least he was going somewhere.

Even though his arms and abs were failures in his eyes, his legs seemed to have the most success. Although he was fast to begin with he has more endurance in running longer distances for a greater amount of time. Whenever there was a group activity he at least had the advantage of covering a lot of ground. As for getting through the questionably dangerous obstacles in the course, that was where the challenge lay for him.

What was embarrassing was that Xaoli and Ozzie can leave him in the dust in the obstacle course. Cloud didn't understand why he was having so much trouble when he had the speed and endurance to beat the time limit set on them. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact Drill Training was scheduled as the last class for the day when he's already physically exhausted from Training. Honestly, why couldn't they put the two training classes together instead of dividing it in half?

It was as if the company wanted to torture the poor recruits. What Cloud found disturbing was that if a cadet was proven not to take well to mako treatments then they will never be accepted into the SOLDIER program even if they showed potential. At current moment Cloud wasn't doing a spectacular job of proving he's worth joining the program. But he wasn't failing, either, so he at least has a small chance.

Though his performance overall was due to because he hadn't stretched his wings since training started. As a recruit he didn't have permission to go out and roam Midgar to locate someplace safe and away from prying eyes to let his wings out. And he couldn't find any hiding place that didn't have any cameras or too many eyes watching him.

What's more he was beginning to think he was being shadowed. This complicated things even more for the blond. Ever since he met Tseng, Cloud kept a watchful eye of the people around him. He made sure not to be alone in the hallways or in the restrooms. He even held off taking a shower unless one of the other Misfits was going to take one.

Yet still he felt the prickling feeling that he was being followed. Now and then he thought he caught someone move too quick from the corner of his eye. When he turned his head to examine the mysterious shadow, there was nothing there. One time he thought he caught bright flaming red hair retreating into the shadows.

Although he was frightened for his life, Cloud refused to let his fear show. Once a Turk caught a whiff of panic then they have a trail to follow whatever secret their target was hiding. And so Cloud pretended he didn't notice eyes watching his every move. He pretended he was not being shadowed by a Turk. He was still aware of them, but he gave them no interest so long as they didn't try anything.

Though it was proving to be harder and harder not to confront his shadows as the pain on his shoulders worsened each day. But he was afraid the Turks would abduct him if he challenged whoever was following him. Still, the idea was becoming more tempting, as his wings screamed for a chance of release from their tight hold.

What brightened his day was the support from his recruit buddies as well as the encouragement of one Lt. Zack Fair. If he didn't have any friends then the blond wasn't sure how he could survive. At the very least if he was proven a failure with the mako treatments he could always leave and go back to being an assassin apprentice. Though he knew he would surely miss the few good things about being a recruit.

And before he knew it, the recruit program has already halfway done. Three months passed in a blur, and now their classes were being rescheduled as cadets were jumbled around. It turned out roughly half the cadets did training and strategies, while the other half learned how to make use of materia and Shin-Ra history. Although that didn't mean they would be out of Training and Drill Training. Those classes were the only ones to continue through the entire six month program.

Cloud was disappointed he didn't have classes with Zack anymore. Yet when he looked at his schedule for Materia and Swimming, he nearly did a double take. The instructor for both classes was none other than Commander Genesis Rhapsodos. He had been wondering when he was going to see the crimson commander again. And it wasn't like he could ask Zack to set up a meeting. The First always complained how the commander treated him so harshly, and so he knew the pair was not on good terms with each other.

And now here he was in Materia, with a group of other recruits waiting for the instructor to arrive. Apparently this was in the norm for the commander to make his students wait on the first day. And there were many students who were nervous for various reasons.

Some had heard how harsh Genesis treated the cadets just for the fun of it. Others heard he liked to throw fireballs at recruits as a means to discipline them. And sometimes if the entire class was unable to successfully use Materia, the commander would leave his students hanging for the rest of the program and not show up for class at all. From all the rumors he heard, Cloud was beginning to wonder if it was possible the commander was bipolar or something.

At the moment the blond wasn't nervous about who the instructor was. No, he was more worried about whether or not he can effectively use materia. Father has forbidden him to use them since he believes he would rely on magic too much. No, it takes skill to make it in the field of assassination. Or perhaps it was just an excuse for Father not to spend any gil on expensive globes when there was a chance Cloud could not use them. Now that he thought about it, he had never seen his Father use even one materia, so perhaps he was the one who couldn't use them.

Cloud was brought out of his musings when the door opened to reveal the commander. Pale blue gray eyes flew from one face to the other in quick examination. When the commander's gaze fell on the blond recruit the battle hardened eyes lingered on him. Cloud shivered at the sight of a growing smirk on the handsome face.

Almost immediately the rest of the class burst into whispers, pointing fingers and laughing at Cloud's direction. There was one other frightening rumor about the commander. He apparently has a cadet in every class that he absolutely adores torturing more than the rest. Apparently these recruits were jumping into conclusions and now believe that Recruit Cloud Strife was going to be Commander Rhapsodos' favorite punching bag.

Somehow Cloud didn't think it would come down to that. At least unless he proves he can't use a materia. If he can't then he can't gain an edge over the rest of the recruits when it comes down to the tests for the SOLDIER program.

And it would seem Genesis was aware of the rumors and the reactions of the class. He simply encouraged them when he didn't explain he met the blond before, instead going about straightening the class out to line up. Some still stifled giggles and chuckles at the poor short blond cadet with pretty eyes and crazy hair. Everyone was quick to follow the commander's order, and somehow Cloud was pushed to the front of the class for everyone to watch.

'They might as well bring out the popcorn and sodas, too.' Cloud nearly rolled his eyes at the prospect.

"All right, recruits. This is the turning point of whether or not you can make it into the program." Genesis grabbed a green materia from the box presented to the class. "If you can't use a materia, then it will be very hard for you to continue training from here on."

"Sir, what about the mako tests? I thought that those tests determine whether or not you make it into SOLDIER." One recruit piped up.

"Yes, there are those. Those tests may make the majority of whether or not you pass. But if you cannot use materia effectively, then you won't get very far even if you do pass the mako testing." The commander began to play with the glass materia as if it were a baseball. "In the meantime, these here are all level one Thunder, Fire, and Ice materia. In normal circumstances an instructor allows the students to choose for themselves what materia to try out first, but I won't allow it."

A lot of the recruits groaned at the news. Genesis raised a hand to silence them. Immediately the class became as still as statue with the fear of the man using the materia in his other hand on them. They hoped the commander wasn't holding a Fire materia, as it was known full well the man favored fire over the other elements.

"There are also a few level one Cure materia. However, these are reserved for the instructor and class assistant in case someone gets burned, electrocuted, or a few frozen fingers. As we all know accidents can happen. And don't I know it more than anyone else. I've seen pretty much any accidents you can think of with a class full of cadets learning how to use materia."

The commander began to pace slowly before the front row, still absently playing with the materia from one hand to the other.

"So, here are the rules. Instead of everyone taking a materia and get going all at once, each of you will come up one by one and I hand you a materia at random. I will go over the basics with you and show you how to use it. Then it will be your turn. You can take as long as you like in activating the magic within. However, if you take more than ten minutes then I will have to ask for the materia back and you go back in line. For most, this will most likely happen. Of course this is only the first day, so I will be a little more lenient than the rumors you have heard of me."

At that there were many sighs of relief all around the room. The sound seemed to echo in the closed off space as it joined in with the sound of the commander's boots as he paced. Although Genesis turned his head away to hide a sly smirk, Cloud could still see it for a second or two from where he stood.

'He must really enjoy torturing the recruits like this. I bet this is the only reason why he's willingly teaching in the first place.' Cloud had the sneaking suspicion that this was true.

And so Genesis called up the recruits one by one, going down the row and handed them a materia at random. A few could create a few sparks or a puff of flame. The ones that could activate a materia but not cause an accident Genesis quickly handed over a different elemental. Some could use Fire and Thunder. Others could use only Fire but not any of the other two. One managed to get a reaction from all three, but he was best with Thunder materia than the other two.

Genesis praised the recruit, saying he had a real good chance if he passed the mako tests. And it would seem that the commander was good at putting cadets at ease when he wasn't in his sadistic mood. When a cadet was having trouble concentrating on the task out of fear, his voice became soothing and deep almost in a memorizing way to coax the recruit to relax. Once or twice Cloud almost fell for the man's spell.

But then he remembered this man could easily raise his voice and lash out if he wanted to. Although he had never seen the commander in action, he knew from the rumors that there was a reason why the recruits feared this man as an instructor on materia.

It was almost too soon when it came to Cloud's turn. He dreaded having to go up there in front of the rest of the class and make a fool of himself. Even so, when Genesis called out his name, he took a deep breath. He held it in for a moment and then let it out. Gathering up what little courage he had Cloud stepped forward.

"Strife, I've heard a thing or two from Lt. Fair and Sgt. Clemens." Oh Gaia, the commander was set on teasing him. "Although I completely disapprove of the puppy for being biased, I can't ignore a good report from Clemens. I remember a time when that old man was a commander, and thus one of the few I respect."

At the words Cloud blinked. The commander wasn't going to make fun of him?

"So if you can use a materia you should be in the green. Or at least until the mako tests come back. But if you can't properly use materia…" The devilish smirk was back. "Let's see if that hair of yours can protect you from being electrocuted."

Laughter broke out in the entire room. Blood rushed to the blond's cheeks and ears. Was it possible to die from embarrassment?

"So then, let's see what you can do." Genesis grabbed hold of an unused materia from the metal box before handing it over to the recruit. "That is a level one Thunder. Try to extend your mind and see if you can sense it. Think of it something akin to opening your senses during meditation."

'What an interesting way to put it.' Cloud raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

And so the blond recruit decided to meditate first. Once he calmed his mind from all that was distracting, he reached out with his mind to the glass ball in his right hand. It felt strange to feel so much power into one condensed ball. He could feel the lightning ready to burst through. And so he released it with all of his might.

Then before he knew it the lights went out with an explosion and there were frightened screams.

=3=

Sephiroth was making his rounds in taking a peek into the classes. Now that the six month program was halfway done he needed to see for himself how the recruits were holding up. As a general it was his duty to see for himself any potential men who could make it into SOLDIER. He didn't go into the classes unless someone truly caught his eye, which was rare. For the most part the silver general watched from the one way glass. This way no one would see him and feel pressured from the knowledge the general was nearby.

He happened to come across the red commander's morning Materia class. He caught sight of the recruit Zack had been talking non-stop about for the past three months. Sephiroth wasn't quite sure if it had been a dream, but he vaguely remembered meeting the recruit during his exploits of his search for coffee after going an entire week without sleep.

Since then the Turks, namely Tseng, has come by his office to check on him to ensure he was doing well. He wasn't pleased at all about having the Turks shadow him so his health was top notch as if they were his personal babysitters. He was nearly twenty six, darn it, there was no need for the Turks to watch him as if he was about to go insane.

Though there have been stories resurfacing about a commander about to become general before Sephiroth went off the deep end. He had yet to look into the matter if the story was true or not. Perhaps he could bring it up the next time Tseng strolled into his office uninvited.

Sephiroth blinked when it was Private Strife's turn. He watched as Genesis embarrassed the poor boy, eliciting laughter from the rest of the class. Although he did not appreciate the commander's methods, he rather liked the sight of a blush creeping up the blond's face. He almost smiled as dark thoughts played in his mind on what else he could do to receive a similar reaction.

Mako green eyes studied the blond as he held the object in his hand for a few minutes. As the blond began to focus, Sephiroth saw those blue eyes darken. At the sight the general raised an eyebrow while he recognized meditation of the greatest degree that would take someone years to master.

'Oh? Where did this diamond in the rust come from?' Sephiroth was tempted to step into the room.

When the boy was ready, he released the power within the materia. In an instant lightning flew out. It reached out to the lights above since it was attracted to the electricity. The lights of the entire room flickered and then exploded. There was immediate panic as the class ran outside in fear of lightning striking them as they ran.

Sephiroth remained calmly by the door and waited for the blond cadet responsible to bolt out, materia still in one hand. With the gracefulness that rivaled a cat catching its prey the general grabbed hold of the materia and twirled the recruit around to face him. Should he really admit that seeing fear in those lovely blue eyes pleased him? The recruit was a mere boy compared to him.

Not to mention he saw great potential for Strife to become a SOLDIER, possibly even a First Class rank. It has been a while since he received a report of a recruit sending the entire class to flee from the classroom.

"S-Sir! I…I didn't realize you were watching, general! Sir." The recruit clumsily saluted with the wrong hand.

Cat like pupils dilated for a fraction of a second. Yes, he really did actually meet this boy. That was no dream he had some three months prior. He remembered thinking how a boy could have such an angelic voice. And now that he was in clearer mind Sephiroth was beginning to wonder why he hadn't sought out the recruit much, much earlier.

At the boy's exclamation the rest of the class scrambled to salute. Before he could put them at ease Genesis strolled out of the classroom with a wide grin. He began laughing without a care like a hyena.

"You boys should have seen your faces! Oh, goddess, it was so priceless! Who knew Strife could have such a knack for materia!"

"Perhaps you should call forth for an electrician? You know that once a classroom is out of action it costs us money." Sephiroth hated to interrupt his friend's fun, but this was work. He had to set an example in front of the future warriors of Shin-Ra.

Genesis abruptly stopped laughing when he heard his voice. The commander turned to glare at him. If he had a Fire materia at hand he would have surely attempted to set the general on fire. Sephiroth was grateful that what he held in his hand was a Thunder. Or else Genesis would have reached for it.

After a tense moment the commander smiled, as if relieved to see the return of an old friend. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. He had the sneaking suspicion Genesis was up to something. He was proven right when the commander next spoke.

"General Sephiroth, old friend. How about I make that call, and you take these recruits to the training rooms? I imagine they will need more practice with the sword." A few recruits were near jumping at the suggestion while others appeared they were going to be sick.

"And I don't suppose you will wander off and enjoy the rest of the class hour reading poetry?"

"Of course not! I promise I'll return before they're done sparring. Besides, Sgt. Clemens should be there, too. At least you won't be alone, general." And before Sephiroth could summon Masamune out of thin are and run her through the commander, Genesis turned and walked away.

He was fast walking, and he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Taking a moment to calm himself Sephiroth thought over several tactics to use when fighting against an enemy army. He imagined them to be multiples of Genesis' charging at him all at once. After going over numerous ideas on how to eliminate them, Sephiroth felt confident enough to face the recruits without taking his anger out on them.

"Right. Let's head to the sparring rooms. I wish to see how future warriors of Shin-Ra are coming along."

Upon entering the biggest sparring room, Sgt. Clemens was just about to leave. It would seem his previous class had just ended.

"Genesis was teaching about Materia. There was an accident, though no one was harmed." Sephiroth informed the older man. "I have brought them here for sparring practice until the commander's return."

Clemens raised his eyebrows in response before grinning. "I suppose I'll stick around a while longer. Some of this lot needs the practice."

Ten minutes later Sephiroth was bored out of his mind. Honestly, he didn't see anyone who stood out. Some of these fools should be heading back home now instead of face the tests that reveals a failure. Sephiroth was about to leave when a recruit who had been sparring poorly in front of him threw the helmet off. Blond spikes were dampened from perspiration, blue eyes hard from irritation and pain as he kicked the helmet away.

'Why is he feeling pain? To cause such a reaction in his expression would only mean if he sustained a serious injury of some sort.' Still Sephiroth kept his silence and watched.

Strife readied with an even stance, raising the wooden sword as he nodded to his opponent. The other classmate lunged forward and readied a strike that could stagger the smaller boy. Strife leaned forward, putting half his weight into the block and off his feet. His legs must be stronger than the rest of him, for the boy did not budge when he should have.

The opponent was surprised, for up until now Strife was so easy to push around with their major height and weight difference. Strife took a step forward, it looked like he was about to kick his opponent but held back the reflex. Instead the blond whirled his sword to knock the other's sword to the side, but his opponent held a strong grip on his weapon. Still he was left wide open.

Strife took a swipe at an exposed rib cage but the recruit saw it coming and parried out of the way. The brute was beginning to aim another large strike at the boy, once again putting all of his strength into one attack. This time the blond parried to the side, his timing perfect. His opponent staggered forward, not having enough time to recover. When he did it was too late.

Strife's wooden sword was held right at the exposed neck. And there was nothing his opponent could do about it.

"Do you yield?" The blond spoke, his voice hardened, as if he experienced years of training and fighting.

"I…I yield." The brute was gasping, his energy spent.

Sephiroth stepped away from the wall he had been leaning on to casually make his way over. Strife and his opponent quickly saluted, dropping their wooden weapons. The entire room stopped what they were doing to watch with anticipation. All of them held their breath as the general circled around the two recruits that caught his interest.

"At ease, Private Strife. Private Walker." Sephiroth addressed them after eyeing their name tags.

The two recruits lowered their arms, but their backs were still tense. Of the two though, Strife appeared to be mostly calm by the way of his slow breathing compared to Walker. The bigger recruit was still recovering from the spar against the shorter boy.

"Private Walker." Sephiroth addressed first, voice hard as ice.

He heard the recruit gulp. Good, he could sense the change of mood by sound only. The general was currently behind them, but he continued to circle around and into their view.

"Do you wish to know why you lost this match?"

"Y-yes, sir. If it would please, you, sir. I wish to correct whatever mistakes I made."

Sephiroth merely nodded, pleased at the boy's honest response. "You underestimated your opponent. You used your height and strength to your advantage. Although I would praise you on exploiting any chances you had to win, you didn't change tactics when it was apparent Private Strife was gaining the upper hand."

"What's more you put all of your strength into one blow. Each attack became more tiresome as the match went on. You need to learn not only when to change your strategy, but when to control how much strength you put into your attacks." The general circled once more.

"I would advise you start by examining your opponent. Learn how they move, what their weaknesses would be, or, as in this case, if they gain the upper hand, how to counteract. Would you go running in with a full blown attack on a Midgar Zolom and hope for the best?" He stood in front of them now, back stiff and eyes focused on Walker.

"N-no, sir, I wouldn't… I wouldn't do that. I'll do my best from now on, sir."

"Then there is hope for you yet, Private Walker." Sephiroth turned his gaze on the shorter boy. "Private Strife."

"Yes, sir." Strife blinked, coming out of a meditated daze to focus on the general.

Sephiroth wished to praise the recruit, but there was the chance Strife would suffer for it. Any promising recruit who caught the interest of any high ranking officer would be the target of bullying. The boy was probably already the subject of such harsh treatments with his short stature and ridiculous blond spikes that defy gravity. And the general really wished to see Strife make it into the program. So instead he opted for reprimanding the private.

"Be more respectful towards Shin-Ra property. If there's even a crack on that helmet then you're paying for it."

"Sir, yes sir." Strife nodded, lowering his gaze to the floor.

Was that disappointment he was reading in the recruit? Well, when next he had the opportunity to speak with Strife in private he will be sure to praise him enough to lift his spirits. And it was good to know the recruit idolized him, if a bit more silent about it than the rest of the world.

"Well? I don't believe I gave the orders for the rest of you to take a break." Sephiroth eyed the rest of the class.

The general chuckled softly at the sight of recruits scrambling to continue sparring. Some even requested a chance against Strife, who turned them down for Walker, who the blond named Carter. So the boy had a friend, possibly more. It was better to go through the training program with a friend or two in order to survive in Sephiroth's opinion. A friend made life more appealing, at least.

"Good thing you didn't praise Strife, general." Clemens commented once Sephiroth joined him. "He's got enough problems already."

"Oh? You're familiar with him I take it?" The silver haired general tilted his head with interest.

"He's got a lotta heart, that one. Just like his ol' man. Takes after him in looks, too." Clemens nodded.

"You knew his father, then?" Sephiroth was surprised to say the least. As far as he could remember Clemens lived and breathed the military life. Since his retirement as a commander Clemens has been training recruits, trained Sephiroth even. In doing so the veteran hasn't left Shin-Ra premises for over a decade.

"Oh, yeah, this was before you were brought to us. His father was a commander. A good man, he was. He was going to be the general before you, but…"

"What happened to him?" Sephiroth was not seeing this as a good sign. If the boy's father didn't take well to mako, then there was a high chance the boy wouldn't either.

Clemens sighed, not meeting the general's eye. "Look, they said it was the mako the reason why he went crazy, but I don't believe it. Commander Strife was one of the first to volunteer for mako treatments. He tested positive to be a carrier and so he continued taking them. But just before Cloud was born, his father was starting to show signs of mental instability."

…Ah.

"So they removed him." Sephiroth was familiar on how well Shin-Ra can erase someone.

"But the timing was strange. Around the same time he turned against us, his heavily pregnant wife disappears. Of course it's no surprise she could escape from our radar. She was the daughter of a Turk." Clemens shrugged. "Anyway, you better not go around sticking your nose into this story, you hear? Or if you do, don't mention that you heard it from me. I stayed to keep Commander Strife's dream alive. And I aim to keep it that way until the day I die."

'So Cloud Strife is the son of a SOLDIER Commander, and grandson of a Turk. The boy is proving to be an interesting enigma, for sure.' The general filed away the information for later.

"He sounds like an honorable man, this Commander Strife." Sephiroth leaned against the steel wall. "It's too bad I didn't have the chance to meet him."

"At least you got the boy." Clemens pointed out. "At first I wasn't sure if he was going to make the first week, but he proved to be as stubborn as his ol' man. And he's been getting better as training continues."

"Do you think he will make it into SOLDIER?" The general didn't want to get his hopes up.

"At this point I think he can get in so long as he passes the mako tests."

"In that case, you wouldn't mind if I request to take Private Cloud Strife as my pupil ahead of time, General Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth didn't have to peer around the sergeant to see an infuriating sight of a smirking Genesis.

=3=

Shado: There you have it. Sephiroth has met our adorable Cloud yet again. However, before he could steak a claim on the boy Genesis beat him to it. Oh, yes, this is going to be lovely~

As to what song Cloud's parents were humming at the beginning of the chapter, it is Why by Ayaka. But it's the instrumental version they're using. .

Also there is some MAJOR foreshadowing in this chapter. Finally the pieces are starting to be put together...now we just need roughly about several more. Speaking of which, there's a character that needs much loving. Do I hear anyone squeal or melt by the sound of Vincent Valentine's oh so lovely voice? No? Yes? Cuz his voice is one of the few aside from Sephiroth and Gackt/Genesis that makes me swoon~

Anywho, please leave a review.