Eeeekkk. I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated this story. Sorry.

The thing is I sort of got distracted by another story idea and ended up working on that in my spare time rather than finishing this chapter. I'm hoping to start posting it in the next couple of days, but have put it to one side for a day or two in my attempt to get this long overdue chapter posted.

Once again sorry about the long wait and hopefully it hasn't put you off entirely. Enjoy.

Expect the unexpected

Unbeknown to Cloud and Reno they had not been entirely alone within the courtyard as they had talked so openly on Tuesday. The presence of a much greater man, who remained just out of sight, meaning that the words the cadet had let slip from his lips were heard by at least one other as they were quietly spoken. Yet this man was no threat to the blonde and had no intention of allowing such a moment of vulnerability be used against the boy. His mako enhanced senses having not only picked up the whole of the conversation easily, but also the emotions which had gone with it.

It was clear to see that the clinical session had stirred a lot of things up within the young man, that the private talk with the doctor had brought up a lot of emotional issues which the blonde was now trying to deal with. The small breakdown in the Turk's arms was certainly not acceptable for someone who was supposed to be alright and the mighty warrior knew from his own experience that people, normal people, needed more time to work through their feelings after such an encounter. Time which the young cadet did not have due to his rigorous training schedule.

Silver hair shimmered in the afternoon sun as the great man gently shook his head in disapproval, already knowing that if his friend was here then the boy would have most certainly been pulled out of class to give him that time to digest what had been discussed.

"No, Angeal would not approve of it." Sephiroth murmured to himself knowingly, his lips forming a tiny frown as he considered his options.

Just as if he was planning a tactical advancement the general's mind began to create various scenarios which could take place, his logical mind quickly considering and carefully assessing all of the possibilities available to him. There was still the need to keep a safe distance between himself and the boy, a factor which immediately became a top priority as he worked through various situations that would get the young cadet out of classes as soon as possible without drawing unwanted attention. After all, it would not do to have him show a personal interest in this one cadet above all of the others.

What didn't help was that there were no valid excuses which would account for the blonde being easily excused from his lessons or training, the highly personal nature of his situation meaning that there was little to no doubt that the boy would want it to remain private. But most frustratingly of all was that the majority of his carefully considered plans would go against Angeal's request that the young man not be treated differently from the others, that nothing else should be done to make the already ostracised cadet even more divided from his peers.

"You do not make this easy my friend." Sephiroth sighed, a small ache forming within his head as he considered the commander's words from their earlier conversations about Cloud. "And it would have been best if you, or your puppy, were here to deal with it yourself." He grumbled under his breath so that no one else would hear.

Of course, with neither party actually there to point this out too the general was left feeling mildly irritated and, if he was honest, even more confused by the way he was now feeling. In truth he had been … pleased, that Angeal had put such trust in him to also keep an eye on the boy. His old friend having asked hesitantly before his departure if such a thing would be possible without drawing undue attention, had enquired if it might be acceptable for the general to do a casual inspection of the cadets at some point just to make sure that things were being kept in hand. And to Sephiroth's surprise he had agreed to the request without much argument, his personal interest and knowledge of the boy making something within him curious to observe and perhaps, through this excuse, meet the young man again.

But why? Sephiroth found himself wondering. What was it about this boy in particular that still intrigued him? What was it about Cadet Cloud Strife that made him stand out from his peers? Oh yes, he knew that the blonde being able to hit him was certainly something which got him noticed, in addition to all of the interest Zack and Angeal had taken in the boys welfare after the … incident. But why, out of all the young men at his command, did the general find this one catching his attention?

With more questions than answers running through his head it actually took the general nearly five minutes to find a solution to his problem, his mental review of the boy's abilities leading him to a very simply and yet perfectly plausible idea. He knew, through Angeal, that due to his previous confinement in the apartment, and therefore undivided attention to his books, the blonde was ahead in all of his academic classes. Unlike a majority of his peers. And so it would be perfectly acceptable if, for the next few days, the training sessions were changed in a way which suited these needs.

No one would argue the great general Sephiroth if he showed displeasure at the low level of mental progress in the young recruits as a whole, the temporary cancelling of all physical lessons to make up for poor academic grades being the perfect cover to give Cloud some time to himself away from the others. It was just a shame that he wouldn't be able to put the plan into motion straight away, that the blonde would have to endure at least one more day of classes before he would have time to himself.

Growling softly Sephiroth pulled out his phone and began to make the necessary calls to get the ball rolling, his instructions being clear, conscious and non-negotiable as he contacted the staff who needed to be informed of the new arrangements. He might not have been able to help the boy now, that was the Turk's job apparently, but he'd make damn sure that Cloud wouldn't have to face the other cadet's while he dealt with such strong and clearly unstable emotions during Angeal and Zack's absence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cloud woke on Thursday morning feeling like he'd been hit by a truck, every part of his mind, body and soul having been battered and bruised in some way. He knew that the pain wasn't physical, well, at least, not all of it was. Yet, still, his weary body curled up into itself a little more as he weakly drew the thick blankets which covered him in a bit tighter around his trembling form.

Unfamiliar scents began to drift around him as he shifted carefully upon the mattress where he'd slept, the unique aroma not being unrecognisable to his mind but still not making sense to his distorted thoughts. The unexpected smell was definitely male, the hint of spicy cologne and tobacco mixed with an earthy touch and something else, something also known but not yet recognised, as it moved around him.

Blue eyes fluttered open in protest to the filtered early morning light which spilled in through slightly parted curtains, the first rays of sunshine peeking in through the glass to illuminate more of what had never been seen before. The cadet lay perfectly still as the blurry world began to take shape, as the fuzzy images became clearer, and his heart skipped a beat in uncertainty.

The room he now found himself in was not his own, was not Zack's, and was certainly not one he had seen before. Pale off-white coloured walls surrounded him, a small desk pushed up against one of them with several magazines littered upon it, and a sea of clothes hastily shoved to the edges of a dark brown carpet. The bed itself had been placed just off to one side of the room, the position of the headboard allowing the occupant to sleep in a way that would let them see anyone who might enter the room before the actual 'visitor' had a chance to locate them. It was a perfect defensive position to sleep in, one that Cloud had often used himself, and revealed a lot about whose home he might have spent the night in.

Closing his eyes once again the blonde tried to calm his racing heart and pressed his face into the pillow, his next breath being drawn in through his nose so that he could inhale that scent one more time just to be sure.

This time it only took his now fully awake mind a few seconds to process the unique smell of the red haired Turk that had befriended him. His finely tuned senses quickly recalling details about Reno that fit with both what he was currently experiencing and the state of the room he had been placed in. And with the realisation of where he was came the other memories, the ones where he'd not only cracked like an egg under the emotional stress but also allowed his mind to be scrambled at the same time.

Shame rushed forward and consumed the cadet as he pressed his face deeper into the soft pillow and stifled a cry of pain and frustration, of humiliation and guilt, but most of all bitter despair. He had failed Zack and not been strong while the soldier was away, had broken his promise to both his love and to Reno about trying to make new friends and give these things a chance. Instead of going to someone to talk about his growing paranoia regarding the other cadet's he'd turned away from them and run, had fallen back into old habits as easily and as swiftly as the wind could blow a dying leaf from a tree.

"I'm sorry Zack. I'm so sorry." Cloud mumbled into the now slightly damp material pressed against his angelic face, the heart-ache just saying those words caused now evident in his voice.

A dry deliberate cough from across the room instantly sobered the blonde's faltering state and his head snapped up and round to take in the sight of the person that had made the sound, an easily recognisable head of fiery coloured hair letting him know exactly who was now watching him.

"You ok?" Reno asked, ignoring the tear stained tracks on pink puffy cheeks in favour of hearing the words from the cadet himself.

"No." Cloud admitted, much to the Turk's relief, his face scrunching up as more fresh crystal like beads broke free of ocean blue depths and ran down over the already wet planes that their predecessors had created.

The red head sighed softly and let the relief he felt at the blonde's admission be seen in his eyes, let the sea-green orbs show that he was grateful to the cadet for telling him the truth. Last night had been like a slap in the face to Reno and it hurt to think that what they'd had at the beginning of the week might have been lost. He'd also be unable to forget how fragile Cloud had looked and sounded from the moment they had found him curled up amongst the dead undergrowth, how lost and broken the cadet's thoughts had clearly been as they spilled from his parted lips.

It was fair to say that the disorientated ramblings had not been comforting to hear, the distress and frightened words that were spoken within the confused mumblings leaving the red head in no doubt that it had been a bad idea for Cloud to return to classes as normal. He also knew that he had indeed screwed up during their training, that his technique had definitely been too harsh when the blonde himself was still so vulnerable.

Getting the cadet back to his apartment had not be an easy job, the blonde barley able to support his own weight as his rubber legs had wobbled and threatened to buckle out from underneath him the whole way. But thankfully the supplies Cissnei had picked up were more than enough to treat Cloud's injuries as well as his own, the cadet eerily oblivious to the damage he'd done even as the brunette Turk had carefully cleaned the open wounds with disinfectant and then dressed them. In fact, now that he thought about it, the blonde hadn't really acknowledged anything around him until Zack had phoned. His storm filled sky blue eyes having been completely unfocussed and unseeing as he had sat numbly in front of both Turks and allowed them to manipulate his body, like a lifeless doll, while it was cared for.

It had been the sound of Cissnei announcing the soldier's name, when it appeared on the caller display of Reno's phone, to snap Cloud out his withdrawn state. The cadet's awareness of the world around him only returning more solidly when Zack's name was spoken aloud by the brunette Turk as she geld the ringing device and informed the red head the identity of who was trying to reach him. Instinct had kicked in as Reno had taken in that desperate almost pleading look on Cloud's pained angelic features and he hadn't hesitated to hand the phone over so that the blonde could answer it himself.

The discussion which had led from that moment, between the cadet and soldier, had only added to the red head's certainty that it had been the right thing to do, as he had discreetly listened into some of the things which were said. The short time the two had shared on the phone simply talking confirming itself as being more than necessary for Cloud, as the emotional baggage and weight of unseen troubles were slowly lifted from the broken blonde's heavily burdened shoulders and allowed him to truly start pulling himself together again.

It was by pure coincidence that Tseng had also chosen that time to contact Angeal in Junon and inform the commander about an unexpected development which had occurred that day, of Sephiroth's plan to cancel all training in favour of an 'academic review day' and then subsequent additional classes for those cadets who were slacking in their educational lessons. Reno himself had not found out about it until much later when he'd reported the evening's events to the head Turk as required, once Cloud was tucked up in bed and finally sound asleep, knowing that however much he hated it Tseng had a right to know what had happened. Especially while Reno was acting as Cloud's mentor in Zack's absence.

What surprised the red head most however, was how clear it had been in the head Turk's voice, as he explained the change of plans, that he was also surprised by Sephiroth's decision. Trusting Reno with a bit more information than most other Turk's were to receive Tseng had outlined the arrangements of the rather abrupt and previously unheard of concept, while also openly admitting that such a thing had never taken place within the ShinRa cadet programme before. After all, they were supposed to be training soldiers for the army, not scientists for the battle field. The higher up's normally only looking for brawn in the men and not a whole lot of brain amongst the troops.

It was well know that every year the young boys who eagerly flocked to this place looking for fame and glory as a muscle bound soldier would work their bodies to be noticed, most happy to train their hardest to prove themselves and not caring if their mental grades were in fact only high enough to allow them to become nothing more than meat shields with guns. In the end Soldier, and Turk, always found the ones with promise within these walls, always noticed those who had the potential to go far, and made sure that those boys would not be lost in the system. Each unit quickly finding a way to support their future operatives with mentoring programmes or additional support in all areas of their training until that man, or women, became fully integrated as one of their own.

For Sephiroth to suddenly decide he wanted all cadets to have acceptable grades, or at least appear too, showed that there was something else going on. For all cadet lectures and training session to be cancelled for two whole days and swapped for personalised review sessions, with guidance to be given to those who were not exactly pulling their weight, meant that the general was pulling some pretty big strings for some unknown reason. Except, Reno had mused, while lying in bed that night waiting for sleep to claim him, perhaps Sephiroth was more aware of Cloud's situation than he let on. Maybe the great man was also keeping an eye on the young cadet who had struck him as well.

It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to Reno if Angeal had asked the general to watch over Cloud, especially at times or in the places where Reno could not, the kind-hearted commander clearly being just as concerned about the blonde as the rest of them. But still, for Sephiroth to agree to it. It couldn't be possible for the general to do such a thing, to watch over a lowly cadet he didn't even know just for a friend. Could it?

With more questions than answers, and ideas which bothered him more than they comforted, Reno had forced the spiralling thoughts from his head and focused on the most important part out of the whole thing. His mind having found a small sense of comfort in the way things would now go because of the new arrangements, ones that couldn't possibly be led back to Cloud in any way based on how the whole thing was to be organised.

For a start the cadets were all going to be ordered to remain in their assigned barracks until their appointed time slot during the first day, and then only attending additional educational seminars on the second day if instructed to. The resulting effect would mean that most cadets would be too busy and stressed out with their own issues to notice whether Cloud was around or not and due to the blonde's higher academic scores he would free from the additional class for some one-to-one time with Reno. On the plus side it also gave some of the other boys who, like Cloud, were ahead, a day off to enjoy however they saw fit. As long as it was spent on base of course.

The blonde himself however had yet to be told this and so it was no surprise to the red head when he saw dawning realisation of the day ahead forming in the cadet's sapphire eyes and the unspoken worry that it held for the blonde before him.

"Cadet classes have been cancelled for the day, so there's no need to rush getting up." Reno spoke up quickly, his voice remaining soothing so as not to startle Cloud who was already notably unsettled by his current surroundings and thoughts. "They've got an academic review thing going on cause some of the other grunts … cadets …" he quickly corrected "… have been slacking off a bit too much."

Thick silence hung in the air around them for a moment and the red head watched as the blonde analysed what had been said and slowly reached a conclusion which probably wasn't that far off base considering how the cadet's mind worked.

"Ok." Cloud replied calmly after a minute, his azure eyes levelling with the Turk and letting him know that he had his suspicions even though he wouldn't say them out loud. "So what am I expected to do instead?"

"For a start you can grab a few more hours sleep if you want, it's still early and we don't have to be anywhere until ten." Reno offered causally,

"Why not?"

"Cause I said so." The red head replied with a heavy sigh, his sea-green eyes rolling at the ever cautious blonde.

"I think…" Cloud began, his uncertain sapphire orbs instantly lowering to the floor as he spoke. "... I think I'd … like a shower. If that's … alright?"

"That might not be such a bad idea." The red head agreed softly, a part of him flaring to life in warning that something was seriously wrong in the way the cadet was now acting. "Getting cleaned up and into some fresh clothes might make you feel a bit better."

"I … I don't … have anything … here." Cloud stammered nervously, his head remaining bowed forward and unable to meet the red head's eyes as a notable waver entered his voice as he spoke. "I … I should go. I … I shouldn't … be here."

"Cloud, it's alright." Reno tried to reassure the blonde gently, his feet carrying him only a couple of steps further into the room before the cadet's tensing posture told him to stop. "Remember? I told you last night, that Cissnei had grabbed some of your stuff from Zack's … from your place and brought it round to mine." He quickly corrected. "You can shower and change here while I get us some breakfast sorted out and then…"

"Why?" Cloud interrupted him sharply, the moment of anger instantly disappearing as he spoke again without looking up. "Why did she do that?"

"You know that as well. We talked about it, remember? Zack asked if you could stay here and I said ok." Reno explained as kindly as he could, his feet once again moving him towards the trembling form upon his bed. "He doesn't want you left alone right now, asked me to let you hang out here until he gets back, and I can't say I blame him." He added sympathetically, the cadet's sudden submissive behaviour bothering him more than he'd liked to admit.

"It's … it's a little … fuzzy." Cloud whispered, the words coming out strained as if the emotions he was now experiencing were choking him. "I … I don't remember all of it, but … but I'm sorry … for last night. You shouldn't … neither of you … should worry … about me."

At this Reno gave into his need to comfort the broken cadet, to wrap his arms around the distraught blonde that tried to hide from him, and let himself sit on the edge of the bed beside the curled up lump of blankets. He didn't speak as he reached out and drew the bundle of bedding in against his chest, didn't let go as the body within the many layers tried unsuccessfully to pull away, and let the embrace he knew was needed be given.

"We worry because we care." Reno murmured to the huddled form now pressed against him. "Don't fight that, don't fight us. Please."

Instead of replying with words Cloud shuddered and a muffled sob escaped him, the bowed head of blonde spikes instantly dipping even further from sight as he tried to bury himself even deeper amongst the blankets which surrounded him.

"This isn't you." The red head breathed into the heap of cloth within his arms, an ache already growing in his heart at how much the cadet had seemed to fracture in such a short space of time. "What happened yesterday? What happened to make you like this?"

"I … I could..." Cloud stuttered, short ragged breathes accompanying his ever word. "I … I could … feel them … looking … at me."

"I'm not going to say you're imagining it, because they probably were, but I want you to take a breath and just think about it for a minute." Reno ordered gently, his grip adjusting slightly so that he would be able to hold the cadet close while also rubbing a hand up and down along the padded surface of the blonde's back in a soothing gesture of comfort. "They've been doing this sort of thing to you for a while now and you've been able to ignore it. The only difference right now is that Zack's not here, which is making you feel a bit more exposed than normal, and the doctor's session brought up stuff which has shaken you up as well."

"I don't know what happened Reno." The cadet managed, his voice growing a little steadier as he started to accept the support being given. "It was … it was like I was drowning. I couldn't breath."

"Like I said, stuff's shaken you up a bit."

"How am I going to make it into soldier if I can't even survive a week without him Reno? How?" The blonde whispered almost desperately, his watery blue eyes finally coming up to meet with the red head's worried sea-green ones as he spoke.

"It's not going to be like this forever, I promise." Reno tried to reassure him, the ocean blue depths still swimming with unshed tears as they held his determined gaze firmly.

"Then why does it feel like it will, like the problems will never end?" Cloud questioned nervously, his hitched breath at the end showing that while his mind asked for a reason his heart was perhaps not yet ready to hear one.

"Because right now you're dealing with a lot and that has to be sorted out before you can move on from it." The young Turk rationalised gently, his warm smile slowing drawing the cadet out from beneath the blankets.

"I screwed up Reno. I really did." The blonde replied hesitantly, his fear to admit to such things clear in his voice.

"No, you haven't." The red head corrected him firmly, his aqua spheres holding those sapphire orbs with an intense look as he spoke. "You got scared and ran, that's perfectly understandable." He began to explain, his voice softening as he realised that Cloud was hanging onto his every word as if they were part of a life line to keep him from drowning. "You didn't lash out and fight them, which would have caused a problem, and you didn't hit Sephiroth again. Cause that would have been a disaster, trust me. I mean, there's no way in hell I could have saved you from that one and I really don't think Zack would be happy to know you're cleaning the latrines again so soon." He tried to joke lightly, his own small smile thankfully being mirrored briefly by a tiny upwards twitch of Cloud's soft pink lips. "Look, at the end of the day you needed some space and some time alone. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I … I just couldn't stay. I had to get away." The cadet tried to explain, the tremble in his voice matching the wavering expression on his young face as it turned away from him. "I couldn't face anyone, not even you."

"Sometimes we all need to escape. Even me." Reno breathed, drawing the blonde's head back round to face him again. "But I want you to remember that I'm here for you, when you need me to be." He added seriously, something deep within him finally unclenching as he saw that the gloss of tears had finally started to dry up. "I know I'm not Zack, not the person you really need right now, but I'll do my best to be there for you until he gets back."

"I know you'll … that you're there for me." Cloud managed, his voice barely a whisper as he spoke. The shame and guilt of his actions from the night before once again coming through loud and clear for the red head to see and hear. "But I … I panicked. I felt so trapped and pathetic and useless and … and I …."

"Enough Cloud, let it go." Reno pleaded softly, his expression softening even more as he let his turquoise eyes show the blonde what his brain wouldn't let his heart say. "You're here now and that's all that matters. Today's a new day and we're going to spend it together, ok?"

The cadet simply nodded in response to show that he agreed and wasn't about to argue the statement, his own heart racing as he now saw what the young Turk was unable to tell him with words and drew it into himself desperately.

Reno watched as Cloud's defences began to rebuild themselves within him, as those big blue eyes began to look calmer and more collected, as the weight of his own desire to protect the blonde and keep him safe became the bricks and mortar needed to repair the damage which had been done.

"How about you have that shower now while I fix us some breakfast, yea." Reno proposed carefully, knowing that the moment was still fragile and that things shouldn't be rushed if the cadet wasn't ready to let go yet.

"Can we … can we have … pancakes?" Cloud asked nervously, his request catching the young Turk by surprise.

"Sure. No worries." Reno replied happily, a light-hearted chuckle escaping him as he felt the atmosphere around them instantly begin to become more relaxed at the cadet's innocently spoken request. "I'll mix up the batter while you get freshened up and changed."

With that he began to move away, his arms releasing their tight hold of the cadet so that he could rise to his feet once more and make his way out of the room. It was only as he was about to pass over the threshold and back into the living room that Cloud spoke up again, that the blonde's small voice called out to him with two simple words which instantly stopped him in his tracks.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me Blondie." Reno informed him, the smile on his face growing as he considered the response he was about to give. "It's what friends do for each other, right?"

"Right." Cloud whispered softly in agreement, that tiny upward curve of lips slowly returning to his angelic features but this time taking up a permanent place there.

"Good." The red head noted happily, a small silent pause following what had been said before he nodded his head in agreement of the word and then left.

From his place on the bed Cloud waited until he could hear Reno moving around in what must have been the kitchen, the distant sounds of cupboards opening and various objects being retrieved meaning that the red head was now busy somewhere else and would not be returning any time soon. Then, and only then, did the blonde rise from the bed and allow his shaky legs to carry him over to the bag which had been place within the room. The familiar item now being easily recognisable as one of his own from Zack's apartment and therefore probably the one containing the clothes Reno had spoken of early, the ones Cissnei had fetched for him while he slept.

A few minutes later and Cloud found himself safely locked away in the red head's bathroom, the shower already running and allowing a stream of hot water to pour forth from it while wisps of steam drifted lazily in the air around him. Slowly the cadet had undressed himself and cringed when he saw the marks on his body, the few bandages which now covered his arms being a rather unpleasant visual reminder of the night before and the mistakes he'd made.

"Got to be careful." Cloud berated himself, as he began to remove the expertly applied dressings and the true extent of his injuries were made clear to him. "They're gonna think you've been cutting yourself again." He sighed heavily, the rather deep lacerations along his arms standing out in vast contrast alongside the small pink scratches on his pale ivory toned skin.

There was no doubt in Cloud's mind that people would think the worst if they saw the damage which now marred his pale soft skin, the knife like slashes being something he would have to cover up for a while until they were fully healed. But, in the end, what really made the blonde's heart ache as he turned his attention away from the semi-self-inflicted wounds was that Zack would also be hurt by them. That, by simply allowing himself to be injured in this way Cloud had once again failed the soldier he loved with all his heart and had broken his promise to be careful and take care of himself during Zack's absence.

Pushing aside the stirring feelings of regret and worry Cloud quickly began to wash away all other traces of the night before from his body, his hands moving vigorously over the dirty and old-sweat covered skin to clean it while at the same time they moved cautiously over the painful wounds so as not to upset the tender flesh and possibly make the injuries even worse than they already were. After all, it would not do to reopen the cuts and end up in the infirmary getting them treated.

Outside in another part of the apartment Reno was busy preparing the meal Cloud had requested, his head and heart still arguing over what had been said and how things would go from this point forward. It was clear to see that the blonde was emotionally unstable, that the positive feedback from the session with the doctor had not been as reliable as he had thought it was. At least, Reno thought to himself, I was able to make sure he slept in a comfortable bed last night and woke up with a friend nearby. But with that thought came those of others, ones which made his insides turn cold, and his body shudder, as he considered what might have happened if the blonde had woken up hurt and alone in that dead garden.

It was clear to see that Cloud hadn't been thinking about anything except finding a safe place to hide when he'd buried himself within those bushes, that he hadn't intentionally tried to hurt himself in the processes of finding shelter and protection. But damage had still been done to that baby soft skin, injuries which the cadet hadn't even registered as physical pain as his arms had been ripped to shreds by the branches he hid within. And that meant there was a serious problem.

For someone to be that far gone that they didn't feel it when damage was being inflicted upon them it had to be bad, for the mind block out the hurt those injuries must have caused meant that Cloud had either shut down completely or been able to tune it out. Either way Reno wasn't happy, his insides becoming cold as he considered both possibilities and found neither were to his liking. If Cloud had started to fall apart to that extent then he was in serious trouble and there was no way in hell that Reno was letting Zack get pulled down into that kind of hell as well. But, on the other hand, if the cadet was able to block the pain out, then that was a different concern entirely.

Being able to displace the distraction of physical pain meant good training, or years of practice, and Reno knew that Cloud didn't have that kind of training to fall back on. Memories of what Zack had told him, and what the blonde had admitted to himself, instantly filled the red head's mind as he began to cook. His attention to the task only being half there as he quickly began to draw some very disturbing conclusions.

Cloud didn't appear to feel pain, at least not physical pain, not like most people did. The blonde clearly able to shut it out either by choice or instinctively when it was inflicted upon him. He hadn't had training which meant it had been learnt, self-taught if you like, through years of practice and … experience.

"What the hell did they do to you?" Reno whispered harshly, his question thankfully going unanswered as the one it was intended for did not actually hear it. "And which group of bastards that hurt you, actually taught you how to close yourself off from it?" He mused tiredly, his worry for the blonde now reaching a whole new level as he slowly began to realise that perhaps Cloud was more suited to being a Turk than a soldier after all.