Firts of all my apologies for not updating sooner, I have had major writers block and these chapters just didn't want to make themselves work for me, sigh.

Anyway as you can see I've managed to complete them now and have added both as my way of saying sorry for making you wait so long.

Please enjoy and review :o)

Asking Angeal

Angeal stole a quick glance at the timer in his hand, as the raven haired soldier completed the second section of the obstacle course. He smiled approvingly at the improved time and quickly recorded it before looking up once more.

"How's he doing?" A timid voice asked from the floor beside him.

"He is doing quite well." The commander replied, glancing down and giving the cadet a reassuring smile.

"That's good." Cloud said happily, his eyes never leaving the soldier's moving form.

Angeal's smile grew as he let his eyes travel back up to join Cloud's as they followed Zack, knowing there was another reason why the young soldier's performance was so good today. Things were clearly going well between the pair, he could see that easily enough, and the knowledge made him feel a sense of peace. He had to admit that at first he had been a little concerned about Zack moving back in, that perhaps it had been a bit too soon after everything else. However it had now been two days and both seemed comfortable around each other in a way that warmed his heart. There was also the added benefit of Zack's performance not only being back to normal but in fact even better than before, as if the young soldier had finally found a more solid focus in his life. Angeal noted the time as Zack completed the third section and began the last part of the course with a notable increase in his pace.

Zack could feel himself breathing a little harder and knew it was because he was pushing himself, the last stretch being the only thing between himself, Cloud and the end of today's training session with Angeal. He drew in a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he approached another pit and threw himself into the jump over it. The land was perfect and he was running again before his feet had barely touched the ground. He knew he was making good time, could feel it in his blood as it pumped furiously round his body, and smiled as the finishing line came into view.

"So how did I do?" Zack cried, a second after his feet crossed the end check point.

"Very well. You even cut twenty seconds off your old time."

"Alright! You hear that spiky I kicked that tracks butt." Zack cheered as he started a strange dance of triumph.

Cloud watched in amusement as the soldier continued to bounce around energetically, completely oblivious to Angeal's head shaking and grumbling comments about an over excited puppy. The blonde couldn't help but laugh when he heard the comment and although only a small chuckle escaped his mouth, concealed by a hand, the other two still managed to hear it. They both stopped what they were doing and looked towards the cadet in surprise, their faces displaying the same wide eyed expression.

"And what are you laughing?" Zack asked playfully.

"Nothing." Cloud replied, his eyes shining brightly.

"I'll show you nothing," the soldier declared a second before he pounced on the cadet.

Angeal watched in combined shock and amusement as the soldier proceeded to flatten the blonde against the floor and start tickling him without mercy. To his amazement Cloud didn't retaliate against the attack as he had initially feared but instead rolled up laughing almost hysterically, completely defenceless from Zack's assault.

"I know your weakness." The soldier cheered in delight, as Cloud continued to wriggle helplessly on the grass.

"Stop." The cadet pleaded between gasping breaths, as tears began to roll down his red face.

"Never!" Zack declared in joy, as another burst of laughter escaped the cadet.

"Zack, perhaps you should at least let him breathe." Angeal noted calmly, his concern for the blonde distracting him from the amusement of the situation.

"But Angeal, it's so much fun." Zack whined glancing up, as he continued to gleefully torture the blonde.

"It may not be as much fun if he is unconscious." The commander pointed out, deliberately looking down so that the soldier's eyes would follow his.

Zack's hands stopped instantly when he saw the dishevelled state of Cloud beneath him, the poor cadets' uniform in disarray from all the frantic movements and his face flushed as he lay gasping for breath.

"Oops, my bad." The soldier apologised with a chuckle, moving back to sit on his heels.

"It's ok." Cloud sighed happily, as he settled against the ground closing his eyes.

The soldier and commander watched quietly as the cadet focused his breathing and began to calm down, their concern for his health being washed away by the bright smile on his face. Zack looked up at Angeal and both smiled happily when their eyes connected, the same feeling of pleasure at the experience running through their veins.

"How you doing Spiky?" The soldier asked after a minute had passed.

"Good thanks." The cadet replied, opening his eyes to look up at them both.

"Do I even want to know how you found out he was so ticklish?" Angel asked, only slightly curious.

"No." Was the chorused reply, a second before both soldier and cadet started laughing again.

The commander watched the outcome of what was clearly a private joke and sighed heavily in mock exasperation at the pair.

"Sorry Angeal." Zack offered as he rose to his feet.

"It's not a problem, just try not to do that to him again in public. I do not think such a display would go down well with certain other members of staff."

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." The soldier joked, as he offered a hand own to the blonde and pulled him to his feet.

"And who said you were going to get a chance to do it again." Cloud responded before Angeal could reply.

"Hey I'm a mako enhanced soldier Spiky, you don't stand a chance."

"That doesn't mean a thing."

"Umm, ok you do know that mako makes me stronger, faster ..."

"More big headed" Cloud interrupted evenly, his eyes glowing with amusement.

"Hey." Zack whined, at not only the cadet's cheeky comment but also the way Angeal had snorted a repressed laugh in response to it.

"Come on Zack, without the mako you wouldn't stand a chance of catching me."

"You're not that fast Spiky, even on my worst day I could still beat you at a race," the soldier stated firmly, his glowing eyes betraying the serious look he was trying to give.

"You want to bet?" Cloud challenged mischievously.

"How much?"

"Not how much, but for what."

"Oh I like this. Ok what did you have in mind?" Zack said, now completely focused on the challenge.

"How about a race round the obstacle course? If you win you get to choose the prize and if I win I get to chose." Cloud suggested evenly.

"No restrictions?" Zack enquired carefully. "Anything I want I get?"

"No, no restrictions, but don't assume you're going to win," the cadet teased, as he bent down to adjust his boot straps.

"I'm not sure about this." Angeal cut in before Zack could respond.

"Come on Angeal, it's just some fun," the soldier whined, giving his best puppy look.

"Gaia, why do I put up with you?" The commander sighed, caving in after looking into the pleading eyes for all of ten seconds.

"Cause you're the best." Zack cheered, as he bounced forward to playfully hug the older man.

"Do we have a deal then?" Cloud asked, as he watched Angeal gently shove Zack away and shake his head at the young soldier's excitement.

"Yep." Was the enthusiastic reply, as Zack followed Cloud to the starting line.

"I can't believe I am allowing this." Angeal mumbled, as the pair took up their positions.

"Don't worry it's a piece of cake." Zack replied, without looking back at the commander.

"For a soldier yes, but not for a cadet. You seem to have forgotten this is not part of their training." Angeal reminded him gently.

"Oh yea" Zack said, his confidence in the idea slipping a little.

"I can do this." Cloud interrupted quickly, before the soldier changed his mind.

"I don't know Spiky, it's a pretty rough track."

"Fine then you stay here and when I'm done I get to choose my prize." The cadet said evenly, as he turned his gaze away from the soldier's and towards the course ahead.

"Spiky .."

"Ready?" Cloud began.

"Spiky I don't ..."

"Steady," the cadet continued as he tensed his body.

"Cloud it's ..."

"Go!" Cloud shouted a second before he was gone and moving along the track.

The words died in Zack's mouth and he blinked in surprise as the cadet suddenly took off, the blonde's legs carrying him along the first stretch at a speed which the soldier had not expected.

"He's going to win if you just stand there." Angeal observed without looking over, his eyes instead focused on Cloud's progress.

"Not a chance." The soldier declared, smiling brightly as he began to chase after the cadet.

The commander chuckled softly as Zack quickly covered the first stretch and advanced on the blonde's position, the soldier's body moving easily over the familiar course. Angeal turned his attention back to Cloud as he approached the first set of obstacles and was quite impressed when the cadet moved over the balance beams with graceful ease. He continued to watch the blonde's movements as the first and second sections of the course were completed, each time stealing a quick glance at the timer in his hands and noting the numbers displayed.

Zack grinned wildly as he caught up with Cloud at the start of the second section, slightly pleased that the cadet's progress along the track seemed to be going smoothly.

"You're pretty good." He shouted, as he drew up alongside the blonde.

"You're not bad yourself." Cloud shouted back, as he braced himself for the next obstacle.

Zack let out a whooping cheer as he hit the ropes at the same time as Cloud, their bodies swinging across the gap to the other side for a synchronised landing. He knew that if he wanted to he could easily win at this point, all he needed to do was put a little bit more speed into his run. But Zack was enjoying this little game they had going and decided it would be more fun to run with Cloud for a bit, at least until near the end when he would leave the cadet eating his dust. As a result they began the third section together and once again he found himself impressed by the way the blonde completed the various segments.

"Hey Spiky, you seem to know this track pretty well." He called over, as they both jumped over a series of beams.

Cloud didn't reply to the comment, instead saving his breath for completing the various obstacles in front of him, his mind racing to find a way to get the solider to slip up. Zack and Angeal had only been half right about the difficulty of the course, but just because it wasn't designed for cadets didn't mean he couldn't do it. The soldier had caught up with him easily enough and he wasn't surprised that Zack had chosen to run alongside him, it was after all what Cloud had been counting on. The problem now was finding a way to slow the soldier down or distract him so that he wouldn't be able to run off near the end.

"So Spiky I was thinking when I win I might get you to be my slave for the day. " Zack teased, as they entered the final section. "You know get you to cook, clean, do all the house work for me."

Cloud smiled but didn't reply, his mind already focused on a way to use this conversation to his advantage. It was a great idea but it required Zack to continue the subject a little longer and the perfect timing for his own response. The last obstacle came into view and the cadet grinned wildly as they approached it, the soldier's laid back behaviour giving him confidence in the desperate attempt he was going to make at winning this race.

"Nearly there Spiky." Zack teased, as he saw the end in sight. "Looks like I'm gonna have a tidy apartment after this."

"Shame." Cloud gasped between breaths, as he focused himself for the last jump before the final stretch. "I was gonna ask you to kiss me again."

A second later and two things happened at once. The first being the flawless jump being made by a cadet over the pit, as he landed on the other side and continued to run the track. The other was the rather unceremoniously landing of a soldier as he fell head first into the ditch after missing the edge completely.

Angeal didn't know what had happened to make Zack suddenly miss his footing like that, but whatever it was must have caught the soldier by surprise based on his expression before disappearing out of sight into the hole. The commander couldn't help but burst out laughing and only just remembered to record the finishing time as Cloud crossed line and flopped to the floor drawing in deep breaths. He was still laughing when Zack appeared and the young soldier's flustered expression only added to the humour of the situation.

Zack watched in amazement as the normally reserved and controlled Angeal sunk to one knee on the floor, his old mentor so breathless from laughing that he couldn't stand properly. This was something he had never seen before. Sure Angeal had laughed and chuckled about things he had said or done, but he had never really seen the commander let go like this.

"Not that I don't enjoy making you guys laugh, but you know that's cheating right," he stated evenly at the blonde at his feet.

"I'm sorry, but I had too." Cloud gasped, as his body fought to laugh and regain precious air at the same time.

"What did you say to him?" Angeal asked, as he finally regained control of his breathing.

"It doesn't matter." Zack cut in quickly, his face blushing slightly.

The commander glanced up questioningly, but upon seeing the soldier's embarrassment decided not to push the issue.

"Well however you managed it you still won so congratulations." Angeal said, smiling brightly at Cloud.

"Thanks."

"I do have another question though," the commander hesitated to add.

"Ok." Cloud replied, looking up as Angeal rose to his feet again.

"How do you know the track so well? It is not something cadet's train on yet you seemed to know it by heart."

"I run it a lot." Cloud admitted casually, knowing that both men were aware of his night time adventures.

"You run that thing at night." Zack gasped, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Yes." The cadet replied nervously, as the soldier and commander's faces became serious.

"Spiky it's dangerous."

"It's fine," Cloud protested weakly.

"No it's not, what if you got hurt?" Zack argued, meeting the cadet's eyes, his worry very clear to see.

"Not even soldiers are permitted to use the course at night and they have enhanced vision." Angeal added grimly.

"It's not like I can use it any other time." Cloud sighed, looking away from them both.

"Once you have completed your soldier exams and become a third you can use it any time you like."

"That would involve me going back to cadet classes first." Cloud reminded them both evenly.

The commander looked away from the blonde's wilful expression and glanced over at the soldier, who still appeared to be torn between them on the issue. They had already talked about this yesterday and while Zack seemed cautiously willing to let Cloud go back to classes Angeal was still unsure.

"I have already explained my concerns," he replied meeting Cloud's glare with one of his own.

"What about if Cloud can get through the rest of this week with me?" Zack offered quickly, his unease at the tension forming between the cadet and commander making his stomach unsettled.

"In what way?" Angeal asked hesitantly.

"Well I have to do all these things to prove I'm fit for duty, so what about if Cloud does them as well? What if he's given the same opportunity to prove himself? I mean he did the obstacle course easily enough, so why not the rest of it?"

"I'm not sure," the commander began doubtfully.

"Come on Angeal, he's training with us anyway so you might as well give him a chance. What could it hurt?"

This time when the commander looked over at the soldier he was meet by not only Zack's puppy expression in full effect, but also the fierce determination shining in bright blue eyes of the cadet now standing next to him.

"Fine," he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief at his own words. "Cloud you can have the same chance that Zack is getting."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," the commander warned firmly. "I didn't say it was going to be easy."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Cloud replied evenly, his eyes never leaving Angeal's as he spoke.

"Great, now that's sorted, are we done for the day?" Zack asked, completely oblivious to the silent conversation going on between the men beside him.

"Yes, I believe we have done enough for today. I will see you both early tomorrow in the gym, bring your swords."

"No problem, see you then." Zack called, already moving away with a notable bounce in his step.

Cloud waited a second longer, nodding a silent thanks to the commander before hurrying to catch up with the soldier. Angeal watched the pair walk away and waited until they were out of sight before glancing down at the times recorded on his clipboard. Zack's improvement was good and although unexpected was not a surprise to the commander. Cloud's times however were a shock, the impressive performance and speed leaving Angeal amazed and if he was honest a little speechless. Something about this knowledge bothered the commander and instead of heading back towards his own apartment he found himself heading in a different direction. There was someone he wanted to talk to and he knew exactly where to find them.