This update is a little sooner as work has been almost non-existent at the moment. Great for story writing, but lousy for living expenses. Anyway, enough of the moaning.

This chapter and the one after it are connected and you need to read both to get the full picture. Once again Cloud's emotions are in a turmoil and Zack is there trying to pick up the pieces, while his own heart is struggling. Thank goodness Angeal is around to help put the pieces together.

Please review, it always helps to know what people think.

Broken glass

"I just don't know what to do."

Angeal felt the hurt in those words, the sense of defeat they held as they passed the soldier's lips.

"You have to be strong Zack, it's only been a couple of days."

"It's been three days and we've hardly spoken." The soldier whined in frustration.

"Not at all?"

"No, not since the first day. He's hardly eaten either and I swear I can sometimes hear him crying at night, not that he'll admit to it."

Zack kicked at a lose pebble in frustration and watched as it bounced twice before disappearing from view. He had thought their first day was a break through, with Cloud and him opening up a little, but since then the cadet had closed himself off again. The soldier sighed heavily he just didn't understand what had happened, didn't know why the cadet was suddenly so withdrawn.

"Be patient Zack, he needs time."

"I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing or ..."

"You are doing perfectly well" Angeal interrupted, no longer wanting to hear the self doubt in the soldier's voice. "No one can be expected to know what to say and do in these situations. Each person is different and so must be handled differently."

"You sure there's no manual" Zack half joked.

"No, but if there were, and knowing how much you enjoy studying, would you actually read it?" the commander teased remembering the chore it had been to get the boy to study in the past.

"You know, I might actually try this time" Zack replied a small laugh accompanying the words.

Angeal smiled to himself. It had taken the best part of two hours to get Zack to open up, to talk about what had been going on. He was glad now that he had dragged the soldier from his apartment, under the pretence of getting groceries, if only to give them both some time apart to relieve the tension in the air.

"Have either of you left the apartment?" he enquired casually shifting the bag of food in his hand.

"No, except for this. Thanks by the way" Zack replied smiling at his old mentor. The look in his eyes clearly said he knew what Angeal had done and was grateful for it.

"You are welcome" Angeal replied smiling back.

They reached the apartment door a few minutes later both seeming more relaxed and happy after the shopping trip. Zack swiped the key card through the lock and then pushed the door open. His face fell a second later as the metallic smell of blood hit his nose and the taste of copper floated on the air.

"CLOUD!" he shouted, dropping the bag he had been carrying and charging into the apartment.

Fear gripped him as he slid to a stop by the kitchen area, where a terrified cadet was pressed as far back against the work surface as he could be. It took Zack a second to see the blood on the work surface, on the floor, on Cloud's visible hand. It was only when he noticed that the blonde was forcing his other arm behind his back, trying to hide it, that he became enraged. His eyes burned with anger at the betrayal, the mako within them igniting in a fiery glow.

"You promised" he hissed at the cadet, finally meeting Cloud's eyes.

He was momentarily shocked to see the panic in those eyes, the fear that danced within the glistening orbs, but it wasn't enough to stop him rushing forward and pulling Cloud's arm round in front of them both.

"It ... it was an accident ... I swear ... the glass ... broke" the cadet stammered, his body trembling in Zack's grasp.

Zack glared up from the bloody cloth which covered Cloud's hand and met the cadet's eyes again. He saw the pleading look in them, the need to be believed above anything else, and the fear of how Zack was reacting. He threw his gaze at the sink, where Cloud's look had indicated, and there in amongst the water and other items was indeed a broken glass. Zack sighed heavily his shoulders slumping forward, this was too much for him, just too damned much.

"I'm sorry" he breathed at last, unable to meet Cloud's eyes.

He wasn't sure what hurt most, the way he had treated his friend of the fact he had doubted him. He held his grip on Cloud's wrist, even as the cadet tried to pull it away, and began to unwrap the cloth. As soon as the material was free, a fresh trail of blood began to trickle down the hand escaping from a nasty cut on the palm.

"Let me see" Angeal instructed stepping forward.

Cloud instinctively pulled back drawing away from them both, but Zack held the arm firmly in place stopping him from moving far. As the commander moved closer to inspect the wound, Cloud tried desperately to pull himself free of the soldier's grip. In response Zack simply pulled Cloud's straining limb forward, forcing the cadet's body up against his own.

It took Angeal two seconds, of inspecting the bloody wound, to spot a glistening sliver and remove it. Cloud's body tensed at the contact and a small hiss of pain escaped through clenched teeth, before his lips slammed shut trapping the sound in.

"It appears you were telling the truth" Angeal mused dropping the sliver of offending material into the bin.

"I told you" Cloud responded. The tone was cold and bitter, but Angeal also noticed the hurt in there as well.

"We should clean it and dress the wound" he informed them both, ignoring the cadets seething look.

Zack knew what Angeal was looking for when the man began rummaging through the bottom cupboard, it had after all be something his old mentor had given him a long time ago. As if confirming his suspicions Angeal drew the first aid kit out a moment later. The familiar snapping sound of the clips being opened resonated in the now silent apartment.

"Wash his hand while I prepare the dressing" Angeal instructed and Zack followed it without question.

He easily spun Cloud's body around, using the rigid limb in his grasp as a lever. It forced Cloud's body even closer to his own, but right now he didn't care, as he reached forward with his free hand to turn on the water. He adjusted the temperature until it was suitable and then brought his other hand forward, forcing Cloud's injury under the spray. He felt the cadet flinch at the contact, and knew the jagged cut must hurt, but no sound escaped the blondes tightly sealed lips.

"That should be enough" Angeal's voice broke through his thoughts and he quickly turned off the water, spinning Cloud around once more to face the commander.

Zack continued to hold Cloud's hand tightly and guided it towards Angeal like some kind of offering. The cadet remained tense ready to pull the limb away the minute he was freed or the grip was loosened, whichever came first. It didn't take the commander long to dry and wrap the wound in a secure bandage, and just as Zack had predicted Cloud pulled away the minute his grip on the cadets wrist began to loosen. He watched in anguish as the blonde moved himself as far away from the men as he could, all but pushing himself in to the cabinets he was leaning against.

Angeal took in the cadet's battle ready form, the way it swayed between attack and defence, and sighed softly. The boy's eyes were a sea of emotions, and they raged together like a storm. He recognised the behaviour of a caged animal and knew there was only one way to deal with this situation. He slowly stepped around to stand beside Zack, his hands raised in surrender, allowing the cadet an escape route.

Cloud's eyes blazed, the suspicion clearly overriding anything else at that point. It made Angeal heart beat a little faster, what could have happened to this boy to make him so untrusting and defensive. Cloud gazed briefly at the offered path and then back at them before his body moved across the kitchen area. Angeal would have been impressed at the speed if this had been a training exercise, but instead found it disconcerting as the spare bedroom door slammed shut behind the retreating figure a second later.

A pitiful groan from the soldier next to him brought Angeal back from his thoughts and he quickly wound his arms protectively around Zack's shoulders. Zack jumped at first, not used to such open shows of affection from his old mentor, normally he was the one to initiate this form of contact. It took him a second to realise he didn't care who started it, just that he needed it and he quickly brought his arms up to complete the embrace.

"Angeal I can't do this" he gasped, his voice choking on unshed tears

"Yes you can, you're strong and you can do this"

"But I ..."

"No" Angeal's voice was firm as it cut through his response.

"You are stronger than anyone I know, this was just a minor setback. He will come to trust you again, just give it time."

"I doubted him, I shouldn't have done that."

"You have a bridge to repair, it will take time."

"Huh?" Zack managed, moving back from the embrace to meet his friend's eyes.

Angeal smiled down at the soldier's curious stare and couldn't help but feel his old mentoring instincts kicking in.

"Oh puppy, you still have so much to learn" he chided softly.

"Angeal" Zack whined softly, but the smile which began to form showed he wasn't really upset by the use of his nickname.

"Bridges are built to join things, correct?"

"Yea."

"Well even friendships require a bridge, something to be built to join two people."

"You want me to build a bridge?" Zack asked confused.

"Zack, sometimes it amazes me that you got into soldier at all" but his tone was amused.

"So you're saying that Cloud and I had a 'bridge' which joined us together and it's what 'broken'?"

"Exactly. You must go back and rebuild that bridge, fix the damage. Then when the boy is ready, he will cross over it to you."

"You know Angeal, in a weird way, that actually makes sense" Zack mused thoughtfully.

Angeal smiled as he saw the gears in Zack's brain turning, pleased that the soldier was already beginning to form a plan in his mind.

"Any ideas?" he enquired, stepping back and releasing the soldier from their embrace.

"Yea, one" Zack replied hesitantly.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's the first thing we did after he accepted my mentoring offer."

"And that was?"

"I kicked his butt in training" Zack informed Angeal, the worry and hesitation for the idea clearly visible in his words.

"I see. Well we can only try" he offered hopefully.

"We. You mean you'll help?"

"For this first time yes, I will be there just in case."

"Thanks Angeal, you're the best" Zack leapt up hugging the commander tightly.

"Indeed, now go inform Cloud to get ready."

"Sure thing."

Angeal watched as his puppy made his way towards the cadet's room. It was only once the soldier went inside the room that he let out the breath he had been holding. He knew that building bridges was hard and that rebuilding them was even harder.

He quickly tidied away the mess and was just putting the first aid kit back in its place when Zack reappeared.

"Everything arranged?"

Zack's tired eyes came up to met his and Angeal smiled reassuringly.

"I take it he didn't want to go."

"No" Zack sighed slumping onto the sofa "I had to make it an order."

"I see. Perhaps not the best start, but a start nevertheless."

"He'll be out once he's changed."

A few minutes later a blonde cadet appeared in the doorway, having changed out of his casual clothes, and stood tall meeting their eyes, a training sword held tightly in his hand.

"Ready?" the commander asked.

The cadet nodded silently in response, a fierce determination showing on his face, while a soldier simply nodded in uncertainty.