Title: Between Angels and Puppies
Author: Chibi Envy Chan
Warnings: slash/shounen ai/yaoi, whatever you call it, it's boy/boy/boy love. There might be some spoilers for Crisis Core, but I won't tell if it's in the game or not. You'll have to figure it out yourselves. Mwuahahahahahahaha!
This is still a present for Amarissia, who is the most awesome FFVII writer. Sorry if I haven't been reviewing lately. I will do a mass review for the chapters I missed! Tomorrow or next weekend.
Disclaimer: Same as first.
Chapter 4: Alliances
A moment of awkward silence commenced, followed by a confused stare. Angeal decided to elaborate on what he needed to talk about. "It's regarding the cadet instructor for the unarmed combat. His skills are rather lacking, and our future SOLDIERs aren't going to be useful if they're disarmed."
The General was hard to read. Angeal wished there was a guide somewhere, but that was akin to asking Zack to sit still for thirty minutes. Impossible.
Finally after another moment of silence, Sephiroth spoke, "I had a feeling about this, and it wasn't good. A fair number of cadet graduates were severely lacking in that area. A few individuals have complained about his 'favoritism' over certain students."
"Why haven't they done something about him if they knew what was going on?" Angeal demanded to know. He couldn't stand seeing all those hard working cadets' dreams being crushed. This first class believed that hard work should pay off.
Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "I know you're all about hard work and rewarding those who have worked hard, but the company doesn't see it that way. It's pure politics. I'll see what I can do about this."
"Thanks Seph."
"Ranks aside, Angeal how are you doing?" If it had been anyone else, Sephiroth wouldn't bother to stand. In fact, he wouldn't give them the time of day. Only four people were allowed to address him by his nickname, and he wasn't going to tell.
Angeal protested. He didn't want to bother his friend. The man did his work yesterday and knew how to handle Genesis for the most part. "Don't trouble yourself. I'm fine."
Sephiroth tilted his head in confusion, a gesture he would never dare do in public. "You don't have to do it alone, whatever you're planning. I'm here for you."
"I could say the same." The words easily slipped out. It wasn't hard to forget that Sephiroth had been raised by scientists. He felt comfortable around the powerful man and sometimes accidentally let down his guard, but why should he keep his guard up? They were friends, and Sephiroth wasn't known to kill anyone without a very good reason. "I'm sorry."
The General shook his head and moved to stand by his friend. "No, you're right, and you don't have to apologize. It seems we could follow our own advice." Unsure what to do, he placed a hand on his second in command's shoulder and lightly squeezed it. He had seen his first classes do this when they comforted each other. Such a small act produced strange results. "You're one of the few I can trust around here."
It meant a lot coming from him. Sephiroth trusted his SOLDIERs to a certain extent, but there were very few he'd trust on a personal level. "Same for me."
"Please tell me what's wrong?" While he was head of SOLDIER, there was so much he could do, but with what little he had, he'd damn sure would help Angeal in any way possible.
"I'm concerned about my student," Angeal finally confessed.
Was Zack okay? Sephiroth hated to think the second class was in any danger or trouble. Out of all the seconds, he looked very promising. One day, he'd make a fine first class once he could focus. More to the point, he was Angeal's significant other. He wanted his friend to be happy, and Zack was his happiness.
"Is he in any danger?" With what had been happening in the past week, he didn't blame Angeal for being this distracted and unfocused.
This time Angeal shook his head. "No, he's fine and can't keep still for more than seven minutes. Yes, I even timed it, but that's not the problem. It's his student."
The blond kid? Sephiroth had been keeping his eye on the latest cadets. So far, a few looked promising from the reports he received from their instructors; however, there was one instructor who was questionable. Angeal's request proved it.
"Oh no, Shiva forbid no. He's the one in trouble. Apparently his classmates aren't fond of him. I'd hate to lose a promising cadet, but if I interfere, it will look like favoritism. It's bad enough with my student's assistance. As hard as he tries, he keeps alienating Cloud from the others."
'On first name basis, are we? You weren't like that with Zack. Being with him has helped you, Angeal.' Leaning back on his desk, Sephiroth studied him. "I see. Is this the reason behind your concern?"
In return, Angeal studied him. "Indirectly. The instructor can't teach a fish to swim. He punishes those who excel and praises those who follow his way of fighting. I figure if there is someone who wouldn't turn a blind eye to this maybe just maybe he'd start to build his self-confidence."
His friend had a point. They needed better instructors, and he knew the perfect person for the job even though he was insane and should never be allowed to hold a weapon. The next thought that went through his mind was Micah's involvement. Sure, he would have a say in this, but then again, he could see the instructor kissing the guy's ass and making sure to make the 'failures' look bad.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course!" The question caught Angeal off guard."
"The instructor will be retiring or I'm wearing a dress." Sephiroth never made bold statements that involved his personal life or wardrobe, but the thought of him in a dress (especially pink and sparkly) made Angeal smile.
"Imagine the commotion it will cause, and I don't think they have a dress your size."
Sephiroth chuckled, the closest to laughing he would ever get. "Without a doubt. I'm not sure if they have enough cloth of the same material and color." In times like these, he could pretend he was normal like Angeal and Genesis or anyone else, but it lasted only so long. The truth was painful. He wasn't normal.
A dark brow rose. "I wouldn't say you're fat. In fact, I think you could stand to put on a few pounds. You look too thin."
"Muscle mass, apparently it makes me look thin."
Before Angeal could reply, a static sound came from the intercom, stupid old things. "Sir, I have an urgent message for you from the president. He wants you in the meeting room in one hour."
"Acknowledged," The General said and then cut off the connection. He glared at the tiny device as if it was responsible for his participation in what was yet another boring and useless meeting.
Knowing his friend well enough, Angeal decided to take a page out of his lover's book and make a hasty withdrawal. While Sephiroth was preoccupied with glaring the thing into submission, the dark haired SOLDIER quietly walked backwards until he made contact with the door. No sooner than he opened it, his friend decided to look over to him with glowing green eyes. Not good.
"And where do you think you're going?"
Angeal's mind scrambled for any excuse, a legitimate excuse. The General wasn't easily fooled, not that many have actually tried outright lying to him. "I'm going to check up on my student. Who knows what kind of mischief he could get into if left unsupervised?"
"He's out on patrol," Sephiroth said in an eerily calm tone. Knowing Angeal, he'd probably try to use Zack as an excuse, which he did. "You're accompanying me to the meeting. It's an order." If he had to suffer, then Angeal was going to suffer too.
Angeal refused to groan or show any signs of weakness. He didn't want to give Sephiroth the satisfaction. "Very well."
Sephiroth smirked.
Border
Cloud muttered several choice words. He glared at his classmates. This was SOLDIER not some high school. Seriously how did they expect to pass when they behaved like children? He hoped they wouldn't pass and either leave or be accepted into the troopers.
Many of them huddled in small groups, whispering amongst themselves. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but with the way they were pointing to him and laughing, he knew it was not good. Then again, nothing about his life was good except for Angeal and now Zack. They both were handsome in their own right. Zack exuded a playful and friendly nature. Angeal was more on strength and honor. It made sense for the first class to choose his friend as an apprentice even if their personalities were polar opposites.
"So how is he?"
No one bothered talking to him so why now? "What?"
The burly student blocked Cloud's path of retreat. His three flunkies flanked him. Just great, it was the guy who almost raped him. Didn't they learn the first time? "Are you stupid too? I said how is he?"
Oh the irony of it. The guy was more on brawn than brains, which was why he should be failing the class. He was the current favorite of their unarmed instructor, Sergeant Okami. "Who? You'll need to be more specific."
"Trying to be a wise guy, eh?" Evan sneered. "I bet you like it rough."
"…" What the hell was he blabbing about this time?
"Can't come up with anything in your defense, how pathetic," the crowed and looked over to his crew. They laughed as expected. "So how does it feel bottoming to a SOLDIER? I bet it feels good."
"Say what?"
"Are you deaf? How does it feel taking it from Fair? I bet he must be sorely disappointed." They laughed obnoxiously.
"Can't you come up with something better?"
The four flunkies turned around to see a bored cadet. He looked harmless, but they knew from experience, he was not to be taken lately. "What do you want?"
"For you to get a face lift, but nothing can improve your look. That would take a miracle or two," he drawled.
Evan turned red. He looked ready to attack, but something held him back or rather someone. "Oh yeah, well you're as dumb as him. Ranked next to last!"
"Recycling is good for the planet, but recycling bad insults… well that's just plain, I'm not going to say."
"You're dead meat, Tailor. Mark my words." Evan raised his fist and shook it at the other cadet. "Which ever one you are."
"Clever, really clever," Tailor said, his voice dripping with apparent sarcasm. He gave them the finger.
"Why you!"
A second flunky had to help the first hold back Evan. "Remember what happened the last time we messed with him."
With one final glare, Evan shrugged off his flunkies and stormed out of the class room. His flunkies ran to catch up with him.
"Good riddance. The trash has taken itself out. How convenient," Tailor snorted. He hated those kinds of people.
Cloud blinked several times. He didn't recognize the other, but he was grateful for the assistance. "Thanks."
The cadet waved it off. "It's nothing. He annoys me, and I like messing with him. Evan has an IQ of a rock. It's just too easy."
"Oh okay. My name is Cloud Strife." He held out his hand, hoping he was doing the right thing.
Hazel eyes looked at the hand before shaking it. "Dirk Tailor."
"Your name sounds familiar."
Dirk nonchalantly shrugged. "Maybe you've heard of my older brother or cousin. They're both first classes."
Cloud's jaw dropped. "You mean you're related to Commander Micah Tailor?" He had seen the first classes' signature on a lot of official academic documents.
"The one and only. He's cousin to Wesley, which is why they work closely with each other. The other firsts find him… Well, let's just say he has more control over Wes than the others do."
Wow, it must be cool to be related to two first classes. Cloud wondered if they received any special training or something, but it was impolite to ask. "I was wondering."
By the way he fidgeted, Dirk guessed it was either about his brother and cousin or him helping out. However, the blond seemed to be the shy type, so he'd go with the latter. "You want to know why I helped after all this time." He glanced to the cadets who were leaving.
Cloud nodded his head. Was he a mind reader or something?
"You're just too easy to read."
Damn. He'd make a terrible Turk if he ever applied for it.
"I transferred over a week ago." The other cadet tapped his chin, more out of habit. "My instructor had a hard time with my other brothers so they transferred us into different sections."
Oh. "That made sense somehow."
They were the last cadets in there as the others were eager for lunch. The instructor had been talking to a few cadets before writing his daily report. He made sure to give glowing praises to those he favored and poor reviews to those who earned his ire.
Zack said he should make more friends, but… he was so nervous. 'He isn't going to bite your head off for asking or laugh. I hope. What is there to lose?' However before he could muster up any courage, the other beat him to it.
"You wanna have lunch with us?"
Border
After picking out their food, the two meandered to a table that was in the middle of the room yet far enough away from the action. There were four people already there. At first Cloud didn't think anything of it until he actually got a good look at them and Dirk.
"Hey, Cloud you okay?" Dirk inquired, still standing. He had placed his tray down but had yet to sit down. That pale look wasn't good. His four brothers had various responses varying from bored to concerned.
"I think I was hit on my head hard," Cloud answered as he blinked several times. He didn't drink or at least not to his knowledge. Also, he wasn't the type to go on highs.
"Why do you say that?" one of the clones inquired. He appeared to be worried even though they were strangers.
Cloud turned his attention to that person. "I think I'm seeing things." He really wanted to see only one person.
The two older cadets laughed and the two youngest were awfully quiet.
"Um, Cloud, did I ever tell you was part of a set of quintuplets?" Dirk inquired.
The blond shook his head. "I don't believe so. You told me you had brothers, but I thought they weren't born the same day as you." He was glad he wasn't hallucinating. It would make sense considering how many times he had been knocked around in class and by his usual company.
"You already know me so there is no point. Dale is the oldest." The one across from Dirk waved. "Next is Dean." Next to Dale, the second oldest waved. "Donn's the one brooding over there. I suspect he's plotting to take over the cafeteria." Donn glared at Dirk, who as usual ignored it. "Lastly is Duke. Cloud isn't going to bite." The youngest shyly smile and waved.
With a sheepish look, the blond confessed. "Forgive me if I get you mixed up. I've never had any interactions with identical people." Not to mention, their names were close to each other. No wonder why the instructor had them transferred to different classes.
Dale (or was it Dean?) chirped, "No worries. We get that all the time. Our mom loves dressing us in the safe outfits, but she color coordinates us. Mine is red."
"Didn't you become tired of that color?" Cloud asked as he took a seat next to Dirk. He felt comfortable next to him. Maybe it was due to their similar personalities.
"Nope!" Dale replied with a mouthful of whatever it deemed to be called food. He received a look from Dean. "Yeah, yeah, mother."
Dirk snorted in return and started eating his. It was obvious who paid attention during etiquette lessons. The other three had decent table manners.
"So what are your colors?" Cloud asked the others, his curiosity piqued.
"Blue," Dirk answered when he wasn't chewing. He grabbed his napkin and wiped off whatever was on his face even if it was barely anything.
"Yellow," Dean replied. "I didn't like the color at first, but it grew on me. Now it's my favorite. Too bad we have to wear the same uniform, and they don't allow accessories."
"Boo hoo, cry a river why don't you?" the loner jabbed. He went back to brooding. That appeared to be harsh, but the four brothers acted as if nothing happened. Was this the way he treated everyone?
"That's the way he treats everyone," Dirk said being the first to read Cloud's confusion. "It's his personality, and we've grown accustomed to it. If he started acting any other way, the world is going to end."
Donn rolled his eyes. Out of all his brothers, he was the closest and most similar to him. They both had sharp tongues and twisted sense of humor. Dirk was more of a gentleman than him when he wanted to be.
"He doesn't like talking about himself, but his color is green," Dale said this time without a mouth full. He jabbed his oddly shaped thing on his plate but ate it anyways.
The unknown brother spoke up, "Violet. Mom wanted mine to be pink. She always wanted a girl, but after having us, she couldn't handle another child. Thankfully, Dad talked her out of it."
"But you looked good in all those dresses," Dale said in a teasing manner, which caused Duke to blush madly. Yes, he was more feminine than his brothers, but Dale didn't need to broadcast it to the world, thank you very much.
"At least, they aren't part of the uniform here," Dean said trying to find something positive. He was the constant optimist of the group. Even in a bad situation, he found a silver lining even if he had to search hard.
Cloud silently agreed. He was a young man, not a girl in spite of his feminine appearance. Several people commented on his likeness of his mom.
"How would anyone take SOLDIER seriously if we fought in dresses? They'd probably die from laughing so hard," Dale commented, earning a few smiles. "Besides, how are we supposed to fight in them?"
"Wear short skirts," Dirk said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"And flash everyone when we do aerial attacks?" Dale chortled. He didn't mind it, but he knew his brothers weren't as open as he was with their bodies. When they had to shower, he had taken to protecting them being the big brother he was even if it was minutes older.
"Only you would think of that," Donn spoke up. Why he was related to these idiots? At least, Dirk was intelligent for the most part. Common sense, on the other hand, was negotiable.
As they teased each other, Cloud felt himself relaxing and occasionally adding his two gil.
This, he didn't want this good feeling to go away. It felt like a feeling of belonging, somewhere he fit.
Now if he could only remember who was who.
Border
Any meeting with the president usually turned out to be a waste of time and boring. Sephiroth anticipated this one was no different had prepared for his normal meditation; however, there were less board members and more SOLDIERs. The vice-president even made an appearance, but he didn't look like he was going to be participating in this actively. He stood in the background observing this. It was probably for his education later on when he took over the company.
While the Turks normally attended these meetings, it was usually one or two to protect the president. Shinra senior didn't feel safe without having at least one Turk with him. He also didn't trust SOLDIER with their brute strength and incredible speed even if he did employ them. They could easily cause a mutiny. In any event, the entire Turk squad was in attendance, looking crisp in their uniforms even Reno the ever slacker. Tseng probably had a say in it and forced him to look decent. The red head's jacket was actually nicely pressed and shirt buttoned up with his tie correctly on. Overall, Reno looked like a serious Turk than someone who barely made it. He hated it.
Being a liaison between SOLDIER and the higher ups, Lazard was present. He attended every meeting that involved SOLDIER and made it a point to know what was happening on both sides. It wasn't unusual for him to be at this meeting or even board meetings. The man kept the peace between the Turks and SOLDIERs. Thankfully, both groups respected him to some extent.
However, there were other SOLDIERs here. While they would sometimes attend the meetings when it concerned the area they were in charge of, it was usually one or two of them. As the leader of SOLDIER, his presence was required. He hated that part, but it was part of his responsibility.
Angeal, on the other hand, was not required to attend every single meeting and was glad of it. He dealt with these meetings if Sephiroth was ever injured or out on a mission as well as anything involving the second classes. This included his own lover, however much he wanted to pull Zack from every mission. Then again, when was Sephiroth ever injured or sick? Well, he was injured at times, but not to the degree of not being able to come to a meeting. One time he tried to use his injury as an excuse, but Hojo insisted that Sephiroth could not be incapacitated to the degree of being absent from an important meeting. Damn him. Even though he could get away with the injury excuse, Angeal never made an excuse as to why he couldn't attend when he was ordered to even if he really didn't want to go.
Both Micah and Wesley were there. Micah oversaw the training of not only the cadets, but the second and third classes. Once a SOLDIER reached first class, he was determined to be competent enough not to need a teacher though informally it still continued. Wesley was in charge of the third classes. He seemed to be the irresponsible type, wanting to go out drinking or party all the time, but he was really dedicated to the third class. They looked up to him as he unofficially became their big brother. Sephiroth wasn't sure if it was a good thing as he felt they should learn, not be coddled; however, the guy seemed to be keeping their relationships on a professional level.
Then there was Genesis. While he was one of the legendary three SOLDIERs, he was not in charge of anything. They probably needed his assistance or something. Sephiroth was glad that he was here to some degree, but he couldn't help wondering why he was there. The guy tended to be a loner than anything, preferring to work alone or with either Angeal or Sephiroth. Still, he made exceptions even if it was limiting and he was in a good mood at the time. In other words, he was quite hard to work with.
Lastly, there was Tala, the every psychotic SOLDIER first class. He made Genesis look sane and a saint. Sephiroth knew better though, but he wasn't going to tell. There was another mystery. Why was he there as well? Even though he could go head to head with him in unarmed combat, he was not in charge of any group. Tala didn't mind though. He preferred not to be in charge when he could help it, however, being a first meant he was in charge whenever they had their missions. It was one thing he hated about having some seniority over the younger first classes or rather the newer ones. There were older first classes who feared or admired him or both.
Once Sephiroth made his mental review of all the attendants, he waited for the president to get off his phone. Obviously, this wasn't important enough to warrant his attention. That or he had an important call which was relevant to this conversation. As much as he wanted to smack some sense into the fat tub of lard, he was groomed to follow the president's orders. Maybe some meditation would calm his nerves down.
Just then the president ended his call and turned his attention to the SOLDIERs and Turks gathered. He was not happy, not happy at all. Then again, he wasn't happy unless he was rolling in the money.
"I have called his impromptu meeting for one important reason, and by important, I mean you better be listening." He glanced over to Reno and then Wesley. Those two were notorious for zoning out or doodling during these meetings. While Wesley did have a pen and paper, he was taking notes instead of drawing, but he wasn't about to share that. No need to sully his already sullied reputation. That was his logic.
"Yo, I'm listening. When have I ever not been?" Reno said before Tseng nudged him on the side hard enough to cause him to double over. "Aw, Boss, why did ya have to do that?" While he looked like a professional Turk, he certainly wasn't acting one right now.
"Please excuse Reno, he has not been properly trained."
The president gave a slight nod. He trusted Tseng to do his job and keep the rookies in line for the most part. As to why he sponsored this street kid, he had no idea, but there must be something in that punk to make him Turk material. Hell, he survived his training and then his mentorship.
"There have been disturbing reports concerning both SOLDIERs and Turks," the president said slowly as if he was talking to children or someone who didn't comprehend the language.
"Why haven't we been informed of this?" Angeal inquired. He was just as protective of his second classes as Sephiroth with his firsts.
"Because it was only on a need to know basis until now," Sephiroth answered instead of the president. So this was an important meeting. Go figure. It made sense why Shinra would take his precious time to deal with it since it affected how the people view the company. If no one feared SOLDIER or Turks, it would be hard to keep his grasp over the ignorant citizens.
The second in command of SOLDIER whirled around to face Sephiroth. He knew about this? Why didn't The General inform him? They were good friends. However, he knew that certain files were off limits to him but no Sephiroth. Once logic kicked in, he calmed down. "I see." Still he wondered who else was involved in this.
"We couldn't risk the information leaking out, but the situation has changed for the worst," Tseng said gravely as he looked at each and every one in the room.
"Is that why we haven't been informed until now?" Micah added, showing that he was out of the loop which made Angeal glad that he wasn't the only one.
An eerie silence enveloped the room. The ones who did know found the table or his hands to be very interesting until someone finally had the courage to speak up.
"Because they have moved from targeting troopers and cadets to third class SOLDIERs."