I do not own Final Fantasy VII, I just enjoy writing about the characters.
Sorry this took so long to update, college has been crazy. This is un-beta'd so feel free to tell me about spelling or grammatical mistakes.
It was on a rare break for the cadets that the whispers began. Normally, Cloud ignored this meaningless gossip, but today was different. Everyone kept glancing at him. He originally chalked it up to the fact he hadn't been in training for a week, but a bad feeling began to wash over him. There were no jealous or suspicious looks, as he would have thought. Instead, they appeared to be waiting for the blonde's reaction to whatever they were saying. He didn't want to give them the pleasure of asking about it, so he set off in search of Zack. The black-haired man always seemed to know what was happening in Shin-Ra.
As he hit the SOLDIER hall, he immediately noticed an odd hush. The silence was unusual, as this area nearly always had something going on. Zack's voice cut through the quiet all of a sudden, although a door muffled it. All Cloud could make out was " . . . arrested." He quietly inched his way to the door where he also heard Sephiroth's voice. He had been so intent on his eavesdropping he didn't notice this was Sephiroth's office. Unfortunately, without enhanced hearing, the cadet couldn't make sense of the conversation.
Since he was concentrating so deeply, he failed to notice Angeal approaching him until a large hand landed on his shoulder. The other hand came up to muffle his surprised squeak as he was led to the First's office.
"How much did you hear?" Angeal asked with an unreadable expression as soon as the door clicked shut.
Cloud had the grace to look guilty and didn't bother to lie. "Just that someone was arrested."
The black-haired commander nodded gravely before gesturing for the cadet to take a seat. The blonde sat across from him, his concern growing.
"Genesis was taken into custody this morning as a suspect in the murder of the President. A witness came forward claiming to have seen him leaving the President's office late the night before the body was discovered. Zack is informing Sephiroth of this development," said Angeal seriously.
Cloud leaned back in his chair, blue eyes wide with shock. Everyone had been so confident that there was no evidence. The cadet jumped again as another voice issued from the corner of the office; he hadn't realized Tseng was there.
"It appears a janitor was staying late that night. It has come to our attention that he was cleaning out some of the offices, but that little fact doesn't compare to how valuable his testimony will be." The Turk's voice betrayed only a hint of bitterness, the only sign of how much this loose end bothered him. The man obviously didn't appreciate all of his efforts going to waste.
He might not have particularly liked Genesis, but the redhead was Angeal's brother in all but blood. They had been best friends since childhood and this would not be easy on either of them. Tseng would have helped Angeal no matter what, but this had turned into a matter of pride. His Turk reputation was on the line and he would sooner die than lose it.
Cloud was still trying to understand the ramifications of this event. Part of him wanted to rush to his lover's aid, but he knew it would never work. This would require finesse and certain amount of cooperation between the Turks and SOLDIERs. He did wonder how Sephiroth was reacting to the news.
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The only signs of shock from the General were a slight widening of mako-green eyes and a *snap!* as the pen he was holding broke in half. He took a deep breath then stood up and marched out of the office, clearly headed for the retaining cells in the basement. Zack immediately jumped up to prevent him from getting too far.
"Oh no you don't. Angeal warned me you would try to do this. You are already going to be under suspicion since Genesis and you are together, barging in to break him out will only make things worse for him." Zack was nearly panicking, desperate to stop the Silver General. If the man were truly determined to go, no one in Shin-Ra would be able to stop him alone.
Angry green eyes glared at him. "Then what do you propose I do? Just sit around and wait for him to be tried for murder and treason?"
"How about you calm down and let the Turks and I handle this. Tseng has already taken care of the witness, so the jury won't have enough evidence to convict him. Now we just have to deal with the logistics of getting him released. They won't be happy, especially the Vice President. Between him and Genesis, we all have enough to deal with. You don't need to act like a drama queen like them."
Angeal was the voice of reason in most situations and this was no exception. He could only hope that Sephiroth was too angry to notice he had just been called a drama queen. Cloud was standing back, trying to be unobtrusive.
"Fine, I will let you and Tseng have another chance, but no more than two days. After that, Genesis, Cloud, and I will be going on vacation, no matter what," said the silver-haired man in a tone that brooked no arguments. He held out a hand to his younger lover and drew him into a comforting embrace. They would all get through this.
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Genesis stalked his narrow cell like a caged tiger, rage emanating from him almost tangibly. He and Angeal had been chatting in his office when several Turks had entered the room like ghosts, told him he was being arrested for murders, and proceeded to force him into the cell he currently occupied. The only reason he hadn't immediately started throwing fireballs was the look his best friend gave him. It told him that would only cause more problems. It was better to cooperate for the moment.
Even as he angrily paced, Genesis worried about his lovers. Cloud was innocent and defenseless while Sephiroth was likely plotting to break him out right now. He knew that could complicate matters even more and really mess up everything. The commander finally sat down and put his head in his hands. What would happen now?
I hope you guys enjoyed this latest installment. I am not sure when this will be updated again, but it should be sooner than this chapter was. Please review! ~Amaya