Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

Green Dreams

Chapter Six: You Make Me Wild-Eyed

The door was thrown open spectacularly and slammed into the wall as Zack strolled in, completely nonplussed that he had just intruded on the General's office without so much as a knock. This was not a new thing now, and Sephiroth completely ignored the intrusion. Cloud, unsure what was okay or not, was still standing just beyond the threshold.

The General of Shinra's army was seated in a high-backed leather chair facing the door. Cloud could see the sharp lines of his face and the angular set of his brows as he read over the papers in front of him. His white collared shirt dipped enough to hint at the corded muscles under his skin, particularly where it was rolled up to his elbows. Cloud's eyes snaked along the lean strength of his arms and traced the broad shoulders up to where strands of his moonlight hair collected.

Even head bowed and concentrated on work, wearing a button-up instead of leather, Sephiroth commanded the attention of the room. Cloud knew immediately just why Sephiroth was the General.

His desk was uncluttered except for neat stacks of folders and papers. The accompanying high-tech computer sat off to the side. The thick mahogany desk matched the dark color of the bookshelves that lined the walls on either side of him. Each was packed with important and thick books of varying dull colors. The titles announced themselves as mostly maps and various cultural history of different regions, along with a number on military strategy.

Zack walked in, ignoring the tinge of annoyance that appeared on Sephiroth's face that lasted for just a moment. The SOLDIER must have been used to the heat of the General's glares, because he hardly gave it a passing thought before he had picked up one of the paperweights, a glass swan, on the desk and begun to fiddle with it.

"Hey Sephiroth, I brought all those copies. I swear none of them are creased or folded and there's not a single coffee stain on them, right Cloud?"

Said blond had taken two steps forward from the doorway into the room, and now seemed to be wavering between the hallway and the office. Fear and longing shot through Cloud, and he rested on the balls of his feet, feeling extremely unsure of himself. However, all thoughts flew right out of his head when Sephiroth's penetrating gaze fell on him.

The expression of abject boredom with just a hint of curiosity was what Cloud saw upon his first direct look at Sephiroth. The man was at his most relaxed; nothing as Cloud remembered him. His blade lay off to the side of the room on a stand, deceptively peaceful though still within a step's reach. Sephiroth's casual self-assurance and absentminded masculinity made him all the more dangerous to Cloud. It reminded him of the quiet before a battle.

The hum of the air vent above the door cut through the heavy silence. The papers were like deadweight in his arms. He could pick up the subtle rustling of clothing as Zack yawned, and the slightest whisper as the air picked up some of Sephiroth's hair. He knew he was staring, but it had been a long time since Sephiroth had really looked like Sephiroth,the man whose stories Cloud had once hung on to every word of.

Zack's voice echoed loudly in Cloud's ears and pulled Sephiroth's hypnotic green eyes away from his scrutiny. The trance broke, and while it had felt like an hour it had probably been only a handful of seconds.

"Just dump them anywhere, Cloud." Zack motioned in the general direction of the desk. He flopped down in the only available chair and settled himself in. Zack casually leaned back in his chair, one leg propped over the armrest. "Why don't you get a secretary to do this, Seph?"

The General made no reply as he turned back to Cloud. His heavy gaze settled on the blond, and Cloud tried to blink away the double vision that suddenly assaulted him. Sephiroth's lucid face betrayed no weakness, no insecurity at all, but Cloud could remember the wild insanity and the feverish light in those orbs.

"Just put them there." He spoke directly to Cloud, indicating the corner of his desk with one long finger as he did. The deep melodic voice washed over Cloud's senses and made his heart rate take off. He took a short breath to gather himself before stepping forward and carefully putting the papers down, making sure not to jostle anything on the desk. Sephiroth acknowledged the action with a nod and a low, "Thank you."

Cloud stepped back quickly, feeling more heat in his cheeks, and his eyes flickered around the room so he wouldn't have to keep looking at the General. Flustered, anxious, that was only what Cloud felt when he saw his reflection on Masamune. The sword lay off to the side, perfectly polished and gleaming, and Cloud's blue eyes and dull, flushed face was mirrored back at him. It was the first time looking at this blade that he felt unsure and afraid. Every time he had faced down Sephiroth before he'd been awash in feelings, but always determined. Now he couldn't see that at all.

It stung him back to reality as much as seeing the pale blue eyes he once had without any mako glow. This wasn't him. He hadn't been that little boy in a long time. Even if he had the body of him, he still wasn't him.

As Cloud's eyes moved away from the sword, they inevitably fell back on the General, that regal, impassive facestill watching him. If Cloud could look a mad Sephiroth in the eye and kill him, as painful as that knowledge was, then how could he let this Sephiroth, who didn't fanatically want Cloud's death, intimidate him? Was he truly that spineless?

He put his hands behind his back, trying to look more humble even as he straightened up a bit. With a breath to calm himself, the blond looked the General directly in the eye, surely tempting some deity to strike him down for his insolence. Sephiroth was an extraordinary man, and Cloud acknowledged that even as he stood tall. "If I may be excused, sir."

Sephiroth tilted his chin up ever so slightly, clearly acknowledging Cloud's change of attitude as a challenge. His eyes darkened imperceptibly and his mouth twitched before flattening out. "You're excused, Cadet Strife." Sephiroth nodded to Cloud and turned back to his paperwork. He pointedly ignored Zack who was slouching in his chair, though his eyes were bright as he glanced at Cloud.

Cloud nodded, already his flush of confidence beginning to ebb, and looked at neither occupant of the room as he left. He closed the door behind him, resisting the urge to run as he left the office, and walked back down through the lounge. He reached the elevator in record time, hardly aware of how fast he was moving, and pushed the button three times, even as the elevator door inched open. He was lucky it was still on this floor; that meeting couldn't have lasted five minutes. As soon as the doors shut though, he slumped over and tried to take some deep, even breaths. The adrenaline was leaving his system, and he couldn't believe just one meeting with Sephiroth had done that to him.

Oh Planet.

Zack exhaled quietly when the door shut behind Cloud. The tension in the room had mounted to dangerous heights as Sephiroth inspected a very edgy-looking Cloud for a couple of seconds. Some very prolonged seconds.

Zack had his suspicions on whether or not Sephiroth derived a certain enjoyment in making people squirm or if he just did it unintentionally, but whatever the case, the General had certainly been on the verge of turning Cloud into a puddle of chocobo-colored cadet. The boy had looked so uncomfortable at first that Zack was sure Cloud was on the verge of fainting. It wouldn't be the first time someone had in this office.

Zack's gaze returned to the General, who's attention had seemed to return to his work, though the First knew better. He could tell Cloud had left an impression. Sephiroth's reputation had become so exaggerated and his own emotionless façade so impressive that he tended to scare people the first they met him. It had taken Zack several meetings with Sephiroth with Angeal's bostlering him before he felt comfortable enough to make direct eye contact like Cloud had. Even the President of Shinra was wary around the General, and referred to him solely by rank, not name, and he certainly avoided eye contact after the Wutai War.

So Zack was pleased but also curious about Cloud's backbone. Zack frankly hadn't been expecting that, but had anticipated walking the anxious blond out himself.

"Is there anything more you need, Zackary?" Sephiroth's annoyance was practically palpable. Everyone had been surprised, it seemed, and Sephiroth hated to be surprised.

Zack warmed up immediately to some conversation. It was just what he needed to get his mind back on track. "Don't you just want to bask in-"

"No." The General's face fell into a familiar determined look that Zack had come to love. It meant Sephiroth was digging in for a battle, and he rarely ever bothered to do that.

"C'mon Seph. You've got the best window on the floor. Can't I just sit in the sunlight for a little longer?" Zack tried to wean a little mercy out of some crack in the General's heart, but he knew that on certain matters there was none to be had.

"Zackary, it is evening and half of these copies are for you to sign." Sephiroth picked up the pile and neatly divided it. One quarter was put on top of his own pile of paperwork; the other three quarters were dropped right in front of Zack's could be an asshole like that.

The SOLDIER's face immediately fell and he groaned. "Are you serious? Man, you could have told me that Seph. I wouldn't have copied them then. That'll take me forever."

Zack complained, but Sephiroth's no-nonsense face was back in place. "I can clear your schedule on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to work with Strife, but the paperwork has to be completed."

Sephiroth shuffled some papers around and pretended to ignore Zack. The SOLDIER paused, surprised that Sephiroth had gone down without a fight. The First had been prepared to badger Sephiroth into submission to let him teach Cloud, but the General frowned at any sort of favoritism, especially from someone as high-ranking as Zack. Cloud had definitely left an impression.

"I'll squish it in on Wednesday."

"As long as it's done."

Zack grinned and jumped up. "Thanks Seph."

Cloud stepped inside his barrack, the smell of dirty laundry and sweat permeated making his nose wrinkle automatically. He was getting used to it, but it was hardly the scent of the desert or the fresh vegetables Tifa kept stuffing into his bag. It could have been worse though; it could have smelled like Barret's AVALANCHE headquarters—a mixture of beer, male musk, and seafood.

Bunk beds lined every wall of the room, each distinctive of the personality of their owner. It was the only place in Shinra that was a cadet's own and it showed. Cloud's own bunk's sheets were relatively straight, with no baubles hanging from the posts or lewd pictures on the wall. He had hardly owned anything when he first came here, and Cloud had grown up to be a man of simplicity. He had very little time, what with AVALANCHE and saving the planet, to collect odds and ends.

What few things he had were under the bed. There were a handful of pictures along with some holiday cards and a switchblade. Unused clothes remained under there too, along with a special clipping from a newspaper—the day the Wutai War ended. There in the front of the picture, amidst the battlefield of broken bodies, was a glorious and triumphant Sephiroth. As close to happy as he ever looked.

Cloud lingered on the threshold. His body thrummed ready and alert despite his tired mental state. Just as he stepped into the center area, Reno's bright red hair became visible as he sat up on his own bed.

"Where you been, Cloud?" His rough accent and lopsided grin were quite familiar, and even though they hadn't been friends, the sight made Cloud a little nostalgic. They'd had a professional relationship after the Remnants, so Cloud knew Reno was entirely a bad guy.

"About." Cloud shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. His mind was still whirring in a vortex from what had happened tonight. Reno's nosiness was not what he needed. What he needed was to collapse and go straight to sleep, even if he had to knock Reno unconscious to do it.

Cloud ignored Reno and changed into pajamas, but he could still feel Reno's stare and that made him wary. He rather hoped the redhead would just spit out whatever he felt the need to bother Cloud with.

Finally Reno got tired of waiting him out. "Yo, what's with the SOLDIER? You disappeared in dinner, and people say you left with him."

"Why do you care?" Cloud asked more sharply than intended. It had been a long day, but Reno didn't know that as the redhead screwed his face up in mock pain.

"Ouch. Didn't mean nothing by it." Reno rubbed his jaw, and the suspicious glimmer in his eyes brightened. Luckily Cloud didn't care about gossip anymore, though he knew he might still regret being so curt with the redhead. His patience was in tatters though, and he needed to think on everything, so he just had no energy to care.

"'Night," he muttered, hoping Reno would take the hint. Cloud lied down on his bunk facing the wall, trying to will the swirling and unraveling thoughts and memories to come to some sort of peace.

Reno stared at the hard lines of Cloud's back. Cloud's manner was bothering him—the brevity with which he spoke, the unnatural lines of stress, the whole "world-on-my-shoulders" feeling that just would not go away. How had he changed that much in less than a week?

Drama queen, that's what, Reno thought immediately, but he knew that wasn't the truth as he pulled off his boots. No matter what crazy ideas he came up with nothing so far explained the sharp turnaround in Cloud. The blond had been the stubborn short kid that tried to tough out everything that came at him, no matter how unfair. Now his stoicism had become a hardened shell, almost frightening at times like that glare he'd shot Reno a minute ago. Cloud was practically a whole new person now.

The curiosity just ate away at Reno as he kept staring at Cloud's back, silently willing Cloud to turn around and 'fess up. The redhead pulled off his other boot rather aggressively, trying to control the urge to throw it at the blond or get up and shake him hard enough to knock the answer from him. Information meant power where Reno came from, and Shinra was no exception. Having aces up his sleeve meant a longer life, and only the truly stupid didn't keep their ears open.

It brought a bitter taste to Reno's mouth as he thought of all the naïve SOLDIER wannabes. All those kids who would die on their first mission totally lost and encumbered by fear and uncertainty. Reno was above that. He knew he could think on his feet and was agile enough to get out of deep trouble when he saw it. If he didn't know better, Cloud's body language would say the same.

And he damn well would know soon.

"Reno." Cloud's voice was a little muffled from the coverlet and speaking towards the wall, but the words came clearly to the redhead. There was steel there, blanketed by exhaustion, but steel nonetheless.

"Hm?"

"Stop staring at me."