Tseng:

He exited the President's office, keeping his usual air of confidence and grace around himself. The President had been livid, almost purple with built-up rage. They had lost all contact with the stranded SOLDIERS and his two Turks. But they had a huge advantage now compared to the earlier situation. They knew their coordinates thanks to the helicopter. Right now, there was nothing to be done until the storm over the Southern Seas calmed.

Therefore, Tseng decided a little bit of rest was in order, and started walking towards his apartment in the Shinra Headquarters. He let an almost inaudible sigh escape as he unlocked his door using first a fingerprint-scanner and then a four-digit number. 0711. The day and month he and Rufus had first made love. Tseng wasn't as cold as people said he was, but such sentimental things were purely reserved for his lover.

Speaking of his lover... The moment Tseng entered his apartment, he knew Rufus was there. He could smell the very expensive cologne Rufus favored, and it was too strong for the blonde to have been here earlier and then left. Tseng calmly removed his jacket and hung it up beside the telltale white coat that also signaled his lover's presence and walked into the living room to greet his boyfriend.

There, his younger lover lay casually on the couch. Rufus looked up from his phone and smiled, or more like smirked, at him, indicating his head slightly. "Tseng." he said with his melodiously voice, that forever sounded like he was taunting someone. But Tseng didn't let himself be deterred, and just crouched next to the couch to press a tender kiss against a pale cheek.

"Hello, Rufus." Tseng answered after the kiss. "Not that I mind your presence here at all, but what are you doing here? I thought your father needed you at the office in this time of crisis..."

"Screw him." Rufus said cheekily, but with a serious, hard hint in his icy blue eyes. "My father is actually one of the things I need to discuss with you here today, Tseng."

Tseng hummed to show he was listening as he got up from the floor and poured himself a small glass of whisky from his mini-bar. He wondered what the old man had done now. It had been years since he had beaten Rufus, but he still liked to tear at Rufus' self esteem. After a session like that with his father, the young blonde most often went to Tseng for reassurance. Somehow, he didn't look very upset today, only smug, but Rufus was good at hiding his true feelings. Tseng had taught him well. Sometimes the Turk couldn't help but wonder if he maybe had taught him too well…

But then Rufus said something unexpected, something Tseng had not expected to hear in several years. "I want to put our plan in motion." Rufus' voice was casual, but his eyes serious as he gazed on Tseng. "Our plan to make me President of Shinra."

"Right now?" Tseng asked carefully. Now he knew why Rufus had gone to his apartment. It was completely free of any bugs that might pick up conversation - Tseng made sure of that. Turk skills were good to have sometimes. "Because the Firsts are absent?" he asked.

"Now at this very second. And no, yet yes." Rufus said somewhat cryptically, but when he saw Tseng's disapproving expression, he sighed and then explained his plan in more detail. "I don't want to wait anymore. I want the power of the company, and I want it now. I already have the Turks behind me. I need the Science Department and the SOLDIERS as well for my power to be complete."

"And how exactly do you intend to gain those allies?" Tseng asked his young lover. "Hojo would never betray the President, who funds all his strange projects and whims. He knew you never would, so a power change would harm him. And Sephiroth likes stability, and wouldn't consider allying himself with you because of that."

"There, my dearest, is where you are wrong." Rufus smiled a devious smile. "I have a perfect plan. When you go to fetch the SOLDIERS, Reno and Rude, you will take the ship the Highwind and its pilot with the same name, correct?"

"Yes." Tseng confirmed, somewhat impressed by his lover's knowledge.

"Yes, that's what I assumed. Nothing suspicious about that at all, right? And Commander Rhapsodos is sick, so you will bring Hollander as well. Nothing worrying about that for my father, hm?."

Tseng nodded, interested and very intrigued by now. Rufus was truly a master of plotting, and never stopped baffling Tseng with his ability to plan ahead and predict happenings, despite his young age. He would make a fine President...

"You will bring a fourth, unofficial passenger on your trip, as well." Rufus continued. "Me." Not waiting for any reply from Tseng, the blonde continued his explanation. "I will pretend to go to Costa del Sol for vacation and you'll smuggle me aboard the Highwind while another Turk flies an empty helicopter for Costa del Sol. My father will suspect nothing. I have already spoken with Highwind, and he is interested in my plans, if he is promised funding for the Space Program when I am made President, which I have promised him. So he is agreeable, and won't protest."

"And Hollander?" Tseng asked with a raised eyebrow. The plans were starting to make sense to him now, but there were still a few problems to solve...

"He's easy. I will promise him the head of the Science Department when Hojo is dead." Rufus said with an easy shrug. "That will easily win Hollander over."

Tseng smiled serenely. "And I suppose Hojo's death will be the treat for Sephiroth to join us."

"Ah, darling, you know me too well!" Rufus said with mocking dramatics. "And where Sephiroth goes, Genesis will follow. And where Genesis goes, Angeal will follow. And where they all three go, the army will follow." Another devious smile, and Tseng fell even more in love with this brilliant young man.

Angeal:

The storm really was unrelenting. It had been raging for about 24 hours now, and showed no sign of calming anytime soon. This was their fourth day on the island.

They had been forced to stay in their cramped tent. Fortunately, it seemed like he and Sephiroth had succeeded in making it water-proof, for so far no water had leaked inside and they all stayed dry. Genesis had woken up for a bit, long enough for them to force some water and food into him, before the fever worsened once more and he fell asleep in Sephiroth's arms. Angeal hated seeing his usually energetic and snarky friend being so helpless, but there was nothing he could do about it. Absolutely nothing...

Currently, they were eating. At least now, they didn't have to try to save food, since they knew their rescue was close by.

"Does the army really eat crap like this?" the skinny redheaded Turk called Reno asked with fascination and disgust as he looked down into the newly opened can he held.

Angeal snorted in mild amusement. "The lower ranks do. We seldom do, even if I don't mind that food much."

Reno gave another grimace and started eating with great reluctance. Angeal turned to Zack. The Puppy was happily chewing down the food. Which was no surprise, really, as the boy was only a Third Class and was used to such food. But when they got back... Angeal had already decided to talk to Sephiroth about giving Zack promotion to Second Class. The boy had after all saved his superior officer's life, risking his own the process, as well as having shown courage during this unfortunate accident. Angeal knew the boy would be ecstatic. Angeal couldn't wait until he finally could tell him. And by every step Zack climbed on the ladder of Shinra, the more appropriate a relationship between them would seem. Not that such things were the motivation behind Angeal's coming suggestion of a promotion, no, that would have been against his code of honor. The boy did have a lot of talent, after all. And he sure deserved a promoting after all this.

"What's up, Angeal?" Zack suddenly asked and looked at his mentor with his beautiful, violet eyes that Mako hadn't been able to taint yet. Angeal hoped they never would; that color was just too appealing to destroy. The Puppy must have noticed his silence and his staring.

Angeal shrugged with ease, never one to get very nervous or flustered, even when he was caught staring. "Nothing, Puppy." he said calmly. "Just thinking." Well, it wasn't a lie after all. Even if Zack didn't know just where his thoughts took him. Angeal bit back a sigh. He thought about the boy just a little too much for it to be healthy. He had ever only confided in Genesis about his feelings, but he suspected Sephiroth also knew. And, Angeal had decided that when Zack made First Class, if was not already in a relationship by then, he would ask the boy out.

But he had to admit that he was a bit nervous about that. Zack was beautiful and so full of life, and even if he was single now, there was absolutely no guarantee he would stay so. He had a lot of friends and was very popular. Like his fellow Third Class-friends, Kunsel and Luxiere. And that Cadet named Cloud. They were more suited for Zack, both by age, experience and rank. Angeal just wanted his Puppy to be happy, yet still the thought of seeing him with someone else hurt the very core of his heart.

And even if he was single by then, perhaps the boy wouldn't want him anyway. Perhaps he would recognize that too much separated them. Zack was 17 years old, and Angeal was 26. Zack had trained his battle-skills a lot for someone his age, but Angeal had experienced true war while he was even younger than Zack was right now. Zack was a Third Class, Angeal was a legendary hero of the famous trinity of Firsts. In the end, it would be Zack's decision is he wished to cross the wide abyss which separated them.

But whatever happened, now or later, Angeal would keep his honor. So he promised himself.