Disclaimer: Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- and it's characters (c) Square Enix. Me no own. Just playing with the characters here. ;) Half of this story was done by Shade the Hero. Thanks!

Bahamut: Welcome again! A whole two weeks has passed since Operation: Sleepover has been posted and here we are with the second chapter! :D This chapter introduces both some new characters to the story and a subplot which should prove interesting. Now because this was originally a roleplay, we were actually writing these extra characters in a different scene at the same time as Zack/Cloud. But due to all the breaks in the story, I went and collected all the "second" scenes, and placed them together in the second half of the chapter. Try and remember this because some events are happening at the same time in the second half of the chapter as they were in the first half. But hopefully you'll wind up enjoying it all!

Shade: Enjoy! :)

Revelations

Cloud shook his head as he followed his friend off the elevator. The Second didn't seem to have any cares in the world and if he did, he probably faced them head on with a smile.

Next plan? What exactly was Zack planning next? It couldn't be any worse than the last plan, could it? Once they were back inside of the elevator he tried to tame his now insanely messy hair. He managed to get his spikes somewhat under control, but his gravity-defying hair refused to tame itself completely and once again resembled the head feathers of the common yellow chocobo. Which made Zack's new nickname seem appropriate. At least he didn't call him some crazy like 'Spiky', like the instructor had on his first day before he worked up the courage to correct him.

As the elevator made it's journey up through the Shinra building Cloud thought about what kind of places there were to eat in Midgar. When he had first arrived, he hadn't had any time to actually go sight seeing. "So, what kind of places are there to eat in the city?"

"Man, there's all kinds of places. Fancy restaurants that I don't even know what the menus say, then some nice diners that's affordable and still has good food. There's some really great places in the Slums, too! I'll have to take you there sometime." Zack went off with several different places between Loveless Avenue and the Slums that were worth eating at at least once.

When he stepped off the elevator to Sephiroth's office he was still rattling off the different places and the different foods each one had, heedless of the fact the cadet had probably never been in the General's office.

The office itself was huge and immaculate as always, with the desk at the back wall in the center of the huge, floor to ceiling windows. The teen wanted to do a couple things while in here, but the one he wanted to do most was probably as simple as sitting in the General's chair just once. He turned to Cloud with a wicked smile before he jogged over to the desk like it didn't belong to the General of SOLDIER and the world's most feared and worshipped human being.

Cloud tried not to focus too much on the places Zack mentioned. Even if the new topic was his own fault. After that morning breakfast slop didn't agree with his stomach he purposely missed supper to give it a chance to recover. He would have just eaten the biscuit, but he didn't want to risk breaking any teeth. Now he was trying to keep his stomach quiet.

When the elevator doors opened and they entered their destination Cloud looked around the gigantic room in awe. Sure the walls were bare and there wasn't anything that stuck out, but the room itself was amazing enough. Who on Gaia commanded such a large space? Without realizing it, Cloud had wandered over to the windows and looked out. "Look at this view!" He breathed, completely awestruck.

Back home Cloud could remember the most beautiful view he had ever seen. Climbing almost to the top of one of the mountains and looking out towards the west, he had witnessed the sunset. There was mist descending down the other mountains that seemed to hover over the small town of Nibelheim and was shaded in the softest shades of pink and orange while the sky overhead was a masterpiece of color that faded from orange to yellow to light blue to dark blue and the high clouds overhead were a dark purple. This view wasn't nearly as clean, what with the city's polution making the sky hazy, and it was already almost completely dark out, but just enough sunlight was left that Cloud could see the ocean shimmering in the far distance from the last light of the sun that had already set.

He turned to Zack who had been eyeing the desk right after they arrived. "Whose office is this?"

The 2nd Class teen grinned up at Cloud after he sat himself in the fine leather chair behind the desk, his feet propped up on it like it was his. The chair alone had to be the most comfortable chair in all of Midgar, and he hadn't expected anything less for the General of SOLDIER. "Sephiroth's." He said it so casually and offhanded, like it wasn't the General of SOLDIER's office and just some regular joe's office instead.

The view out the window was pretty fantastic, surely one of the best views Shinra had to offer and it was all Sephiroth's. But the teen wasn't here to enjoy the pretty view. He turned his head back to the desk that his booted feet were propped up on and Mako glowing eyes scanned it quickly.

To his left was the object of his mission here in the General's office. A pen. But not just any pen; Zack knew. This was Sephiroth's favorite pen, the one he used all the time. And the man was very particular on things he liked.

Dropping his feet off the desk, (Which had left a bit of dirt on the otherwise clean papers sitting on said desk) Zack snatched the pen and looked it over, twirling it between his fingers. There was actually faded spots where Sephiroth's fingers held it. Grinning deviously like the mischievous puppy that he was, the black haired teen pulled a tube of Krazy Glue from his pocket and proceeded to open it.

Cloud had been chancing a glance down, just to see exactly how high up they were. The distance from the ground was dizzying, and made Cloud feel unbalanced. The high windows that made up the entire back wall did little to help. A fall from this height meant instant death upon impact with the pavement far below. When the name of the owner registered in the blonde's mind he purposely fell back to prevent himself from colliding with the glass.

"This is General Sephiroth's office?!" Had this been a comedic cartoon his eyes probably would have bulged out from his skull. They were in the General's office. Unsupervised, without authorization and without orders, not to mention out of uniform. Sure, Zack was a Second Class, but General ranked far above that.

Cloud jumped back to his feet and actually managed to glare at his friend. "Do you realize how much trouble we'll be in if anyone catches us in here?! We could be court-marshaled! Please," He begged, "tell me you have permission to be here."

Zack paused in what he was doing and hummed thoughtfully, thinking on a good answer. "Define 'permission'." He grinned up at the cadet. The look he was getting from the blonde was more funny than intimidating, especially since that was the first time he seen the teen look so miffed.

Like a chocobo that just had a feather plucked...

Zack guffawed at the image and shook his head quickly. "Don't...heh...worry...haha!" He managed between fits of laughter. He had to concentrate on the mission at hand if they wanted to get out of the office before the General returned.

When he finally managed to calm down, Zack rubbed a hand over his face and snickered as he spread glue from one end of the pen to the other. Then with the utmost care, placed said pen back on the desk where he had snatched it from; glued side down. He pressed two fingers along the pen to make sure the adhesive got a good hold of the desk before he pulled back, his face beaming with triumph. "Done!"

Replacing the lid to the Krazy Glue, the teen hopped up and offered a smile at the cadet. "Not so bad, right?" He reached a hand out and ruffled Cloud's hair, the blonde spikes sticking up every which way after. "Now let's go. We're far from done for the day, Spiky!"

What had made the Second erupt into laughter, Cloud had no idea. He couldn't see anything funny about their situation. Being caught in Genesis's office would be bad, sure, but the General's? That was deadly territory. He was just relieved when Zack said he was done that he didn't argue further, nor did it really register that his hair was once again sticking out in every direction. Cloud guessed it was a habit that had quickly grown on Zack from the moment they had first met.

As he followed behind the energetic Second, Cloud could only wonder what was next on Zack's agenda.

Zack was still sniggering as he headed back toward the elevator, but he paused and did an about face and quickly dashed back to Sephiroth's desk. "Crap! I completely forgot I wanted to look for something." He glanced at his watch, they still had time before the meeting let out and Sephiroth would be returning to his office. "Cadet! Watch the door for any signs of movement and alert me if something so much as sneezes!"

The 2nd Class was half serious. They'd know as soon as someone was there by the soft 'ding' of the elevator doors opening. But still, one couldn't be too careful when in the General's office.

Just a little over a week earlier, Zack's favorite slingshot had been confiscated by the General. Granted, he could make another one, but that one had been perfect. So what if he had used Heidegger's large rear as target practice with it? It was just a slingshot, not like the teen had used a gun like some of the more brazen cadets did -even if they were bad shots, the 'target' was pretty big and they managed well enough.

Zack himself had gotten a bullseye on one left cheek when he was fresh in SOLDIER.

Regardless, the General had taken the teen's slingshot away and given him fifty laps to run around the training field after. And Angeal refused to help try and talk the man into giving him his slingshot back. So now while Zack had the opportunity, he was going to confiscate it right back.

It was only 'Fair' after all. He snickered at the pun on his own name while searching the General's desk.

Cloud's hand shot up to his forehead in a salute purely out of reflex as he replied with a "Yes sir!" The salute quickly turned into a facepalm. Cloud had only been a cadet for little over a month and already he had a strong habit of following orders from a commanding officer. Normally that'd be a good thing, but when that commanding officer was a teen only two years Cloud's senior and had the attention span of a puppy combined with the mischievous attitude of a nine-year-old kid it wasn't so great.

Regardless, Cloud stood near the elevator, following the order Zack had given him and prayed that the doors remained closed. He tried not to imagine the doors sliding open at any moment and seeing a six foot+ tall General entering his office only to find two teenagers inside. One going through his desk and the other about to pass out from fear.

Pleased with Cloud's quick response (And more than a little amused) Zack continued to search the General's desk until he spied the object of his affection in one of the bottom drawers. "Found it!" He snatched it up and gave it a quick kiss before he shoved it down into his pocket and jogged over to the cadet.

"Good work cadet!" He mussed Cloud's hair in his hand with a bright smile. "Let's go, we gotta get a couple things before we can enter phase three of our plans." He hit the button for the elevator and bounced in place while waiting. "I think you and me, Cloud, we're gonna make one hell of a team! Maybe I'll even become your mentor one day." He said with a grin aimed at the blonde.

He was half joking again, but he did think the teen was fun to be around (And some of his reactions was pure comedy gold) so he'd definitely like to hang around the teen more.

Cloud allowed a smirk at the thought. His dream was to be in SOLDIER and Cloud had been concerned by his lower-than-average scores that he might not make the cut, but with a friend who was a Second Class, his chances just might change for the better. And having a mentor was considered very rare, even among other SOLDIERs. Hearing that gave Cloud some hope and helped him to relax a bit. If someone like Zack believed in him, then maybe he could do it.

"If I ever do become a SOLDIER I'll hold you to that promise."

Zack didn't hold back the mile wide grin as he stepped onto the elevator. "Well I'm a man of my word so you can bet your spiky hair that I'll keep it!" He'd have to tell Angeal later about this, and he could only imagine what his own mentor thought of him one day having a student.

That thought aside, Zack needed to focus on the present and he pressed the button for the lobby floor. "Alright, next we'll need a bag of fertilizer and a bucket of water. There should be some fertilizer kept in a storage room outside behind the barracks and a bucket. Reeve always insists keeping spare fertilizer like Shinra's really gonna do some planting." He rolled his eyes, everyone knew Shinra didn't care about plants like Reeve did.

"We'll fill the bucket up, and enter into phase three, step two." He grinned and gave the cadet a thumbs up.

Cloud looked up at his air as the elevator arrived and the door slid open to let them in. Was it still spiky? Zack had messed with it so much it was hard to tell. Cloud felt something odd then. Something that was hard to place. It was a similar feeling to when Tifa had said that she'd miss him on the day he left for SOLDIER. And again when his mother told him how proud she was of her son. It was realization that someone actually truly cared about him. And now that it looked like they'd escape with their lives after messing around in both Genesis's apartment and Sephiroth's office he felt himself truly relax for the first time that night.

Cloud could only guess what they were going to do with a bag of fertilizer and a bucket of water. "Well, you haven't gotten us killed yet, so it can't be that bad."

Zack bounced in place with a grin and he nodded. "That's the spirit!" He slapped Cloud on the back playfully as the elevators finally reached the first floor. "Trust me, what's next is so worth it and the guy deserves it." He squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. "You know who Hojo is, right?" He asked in a hushed whisper, like someone was going to hear them talking in the elevator.

The man was a madman, everyone should know -and fear- his name. Even Sephiroth couldn't stand the guy and word was Hojo was Sephiroth's father. Not that anyone acknowledged that because Sephiroth was ten times the man Hojo was.

"He's the scientist to fear around here. Real whack-job. We're gonna be playing a little joke on him next." He grinned deviously at his plot.

The last thing Cloud expected was a hearty slap on the back as he stumbled forward a bit, just managing to catch himself before slamming his face into the side of the elevator. He somewhat envied Zack for his Mako strength. "Hojo?" The blonde knew he had heard of that name somewhere. Oh wait.

"Isn't he the one who gives the Mako injections to all the SOLDIERs?"

"Yeah." Zack nodded while walking off the elevators. "He's the head of the Science Department. He's a huge creeper. Don't get caught with your pants down around that guy." Zack paused then shook his head. "Actually just don't get caught alone with him ever." He talked while walking down the stairs into the lobby of the Shinra building then headed for the doors, waving and stopping occasionally to say hi to a 2nd Class or two.

He didn't even pay no mind to the looks his 2nd Class buddies were shooting in Cloud's direction, he figured that hair got a lot of attention no matter where the teen goes.

"So anyway," He continued, looking back to make sure Cloud was actually following along. "We're gonna be playing a joke on him." He winked at the cadet and grinned mischievously.

xoxo

Meanwhile several floors down in one of Shinra's largest meeting rooms, Genesis was glancing at the back of his gloved hand, pretending to be somewhat interested in what the President was yammering on about. It was nice to finally be back from his mission and he was looking forward to sitting back on his favorite couch, drinking his favorite drink and reading his favorite book. It would be the perfect way to wind down after a peace treaty mission no less. Honestly why had they bothered sending him? Weren't peace missions more Angeal's thing? He would have been a far better choice.

Glancing over at the other two Firsts he huffed at the thought. Angeal had probably talked his way out of it in order to spend more time with that annoying pup.

And as far as Sephiroth being deployed went, the President seemed to want his precious General to remain in Midgar for some reason or another. It had been like that for the past two months. Though, Genesis didn't feel too jealous. No action for Sephiroth meant a mountain of paperwork instead. The red-clad Commander couldn't hide a smirk at the thought of dumping his latest batch of forms onto the General's pile.

The General didn't miss Genesis's smirk as he glanced at him, and he could only imagine what the Commander was thinking. He was either thinking of something along the lines of sex, setting the President's head on fire, blowing up Hojo's lab -again- or dumping all his paperwork on Sephiroth. Again.

His sharp green eyes flickered to his wry Commander and the corner of his lips twitched just the smallest. He would have 'subtly' hit Genesis upside the head to scold him for whatever he was thinking, but he had to conduct himself properly for the meeting.

Sephiroth just turned his gaze back to the President, which always made the man flinch. Why he didn't know, he'd never harmed the man or even raised his voice to him, but it was mildly amusing to see the President of Shinra to flinch so easily at something as benign as a glance from the Silver General.

Genesis caught Sephiroth's glance at him and knew he probably wanted to knock Genesis's smirk right off his pretty face, so when the General turned to look back at the President he quickly stuck out his tongue. No one saw him, the other occupants eyes were either on the President or the General. It was fun to get away with stuff like that sometimes.

The President tried to ignore the stare from his General as he continued the meeting. "And lastly I want to address the growing problem we have with those terrorists in the Slums. I want to know what's being done about their growing threat. My resources tell me they may be planning to strike one of our compounds. They may be only cockroaches, but for every one you see there's a hundred more you don't. I want them all squashed."

He gathered what little courage he had before turning to Sephiroth. "General, what have you learned about their recent movements lately? Have you or Lazard received any reports of possible hidden location where the rats may be hiding?"

Sephiroth leaned his chin onto his wrist as he stared at the President. The man could be dense sometimes, but he'd explain again if it pleased him. Not to mention it was always mildly humorous to see him so nervous around him. "The people of the Slums won't be helpful in figuring out their location because they're too afraid of them themselves." He said, eyes cutting across the rest of the table before he turned his Mako glowing gaze back on the President.

"We've tightened security everywhere they may be able to get above the Plates and added new bots to regularly scan our vital points that Avalanche may strike. We've also been cracking down on sells of weaponry that could pose a substantial threat in the Slums, including arresting several arms dealers."

He paused just to make sure the man was following him before continuing. "We have determined that their likeliest target will be one of the reactors so we're increasing traffic with Infantrymen and bots to those locations. It will be difficult for them to get past everyone without being spotted. For every five Infantrymen, there's one SOLDIER deployed with them." He finished, leaving it at that.

What the President didn't know was that things like this wasn't something that even Sephiroth could clean up overnight, especially when met with residence from the people that may know names and locations for the group involved. But he wasn't going to waste his breath again.

Angeal, whom had been sitting quietly and commenting only when needed, cleared his throat and nodded to the President. "We'll report anything as soon as we learn of it." He stood up to his full height to show he was done and so were the rest of them as he could sense Sephiroth's patience was running thin with the President. He wanted to end the meeting quickly before he or Genesis decided to bite the hand that fed them.

Genesis failed to keep a winning grin off his face. He couldn't tell which was more amusing. The President's attempts not to wet himself or Sephiroth's obvious annoyance.

When the others began to rise, Genesis joined them, but stretched his arms out and failed to hold back a yawn. "Well, if we are quite done here I'd like to retire early. Traveling does tend to sap one's strength."

"How did the mission go?" Asked the President. "Did you succeed?"

At this the red Commander actually glared at the President. "It went fine under the circumstances. The peace treaty still holds strong, but I'm afraid I couldn't locate the assigned target. Therefore I could not carry out my mission to your liking, sir."

And that was an understatement and actually untrue. He had found the target, but he was not about to carry out something so cruel. Genesis may pride himself in causing massive carnage, but not when it involved children. He gave the other two Firsts a look that said, 'I'll tell you later' before nodding to the President and storming out of the room.

The silver haired General didn't even bother to think of asking later and he stood to follow Genesis out. He was glad to be free of this grueling meeting, especially when there was really no need for it since the status on finding out about Avalanche's movements and locations were still slow going at best.

"Remind me to thank you later, Angeal." He mused quietly, cutting his eyes over to the raven 1st Class.

Angeal just chuckled and waved his hand while he followed his two friends out. "Don't mention it. I need to find Zack before he gets himself into trouble. I can only leave him alone for an hour before he starts plotting things a puppy shouldn't be plotting." He snorted at the thought.

And it seemed Zack was ten times worse on the weekends, so he had to keep an extra tight leash on said puppy during that time.

Genesis was glaring as he stood at the closed elevator doors and watched the numbers light up as it made it's way down. Of course whoever it was had to be going from a high level down to the lobby. In a failed attempt to hide the fact that he was actually growling he made his way over to the stairs. He didn't feel like waiting for the elevator and a walk may help clear his head. However doubtful that was.

Glancing back at the other two Firsts who were behind him, Genesis flashed them a look that asked them to follow. Normally, he'd suffer in silence and shoot off a few fire balls from the roof or take out his rage in their favorite training room, but this certain turn of events couldn't be dealt with alone. He needed advice from his friends before he did something rash.

Sephiroth didn't mind waiting for the elevators, but when Genesis was like this there was no point in arguing with the 1st Class, so he followed behind the Commander to the stairwell. "No patience as always. I'm glad to see Wutai hasn't changed that." He said quietly, chuckling. But he knew Genesis needed and wanted to talk about something, and he was concerned for his friend.

Angeal was doubly concerned, and although Sephiroth didn't show he was, Angeal certainly did. He frowned and followed, walking by Genesis in the stairs. "Alright Gen, no prying eyes or ears here. You okay?" He asked, gripping the man's shoulder in a firm but gentle hold to show Genesis he was there for him.

Had he not needed Sephiroth's input on this matter Genesis would have shot a sharp retort in the General's direction, but instead he let out a stress-filled sigh as Angeal reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped walking then and turned to his comrades. They all knew it without exchanging words, but none of them would deny how strong their friendship was. Genesis trusted them more than any others in the world which is why he decided to open up honestly to them now.

"No, actually. I'm not." He sighed again before mentally saying to hell with classified. The President could go jump off his own tower for all he cared.

"That mission had nothing to do with the peace treaty." He waited for their reactions before continuing. "My going to the Wutai capital was just for show. The real reason I was sent was to kill their princess." He clenched his fists. "What the President neglected to inform me was that the princess was nothing but a child. Yes, I did find her, but..."

This was where Genesis smirked. He remembered her getting the drop on him. HIM! Genesis Rhapsodos. He remembered her stealing his Materia right from under his nose and he had to hunt her down and hold her upside down by her ankles to get his stolen items back. He remembered her making him smile and how she reminded him of himself. He remembered her telling him that he was more fun to play with than her subjects or other SOLDIERs that wandered into 'her' territory. He remembered the feeling he had when he mentally admitted to himself that he couldn't go through with his mission and let her go.

"But I couldn't bring myself to kill her. I'd rather kill the President himself before carrying out those orders."

To anyone else those words would have screamed treason and he'd probably be instantly court-marshaled, but these two understood him far better than anyone ever did, and he needed their support.

Sephiroth was always one to follow orders, but he did occasionally "decline" such orders that he simply didn't see the need to follow or didn't feel was right. President Shinra was easy enough for him to scare out of such orders, but Genesis and Angeal weren't so lucky and either had to do this -which was to lie about it- or grudgingly do it.

So his expression didn't even twitch to register this as some type of act of treason on his friend's part. "Yuffie Kisaragi. I know her. I'm a bit surprised the President wanted her dead, though." He didn't find the girl to be that much of a threat to the President, however.

Angeal frowned at his friend's confession. Not because he disapproved of Genesis not doing it but because he thought it was a ridiculous order to be given. "I should be surprised but I suppose after all these years and knowing how the President works I'm really not. You did the right thing to let her go." He smiled proudly and patted Genesis's shoulder to try and ease his stress.

If it had been him he wouldn't have done anything differently, and he hopes one day that will be Zack making the better choice. "But he's going to try and send someone else. Possibly even me to finish it." He sighed tiredly at the very thought.

A wasted trip to Wutai because he refuses to do something so cruel as to kill an innocent girl just because of who her father is.

TBC