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!

Shade: Hey guys! It's time for another chapter and boy is it a doozy! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far, because it's going to get a whole lot crazier. Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews, favs and follows. We encourage you to keep them coming as this story unfolds. Enjoy!

Bahamut: Hey everyone! Shade's got it right, this chapter is a doozy and things will just keep getting crazier from here on out! ;) We both appreciate the support and hope you'll continue to enjoy the story! So without further ado, here is chapter four! Better have your seat belts ready for this ride!

All In a Day's Work

Cloud blinked a few times as the full weight of what they had just done set in and the realization became obvious as the smiled appeared. It still wasn't anywhere close to Zack's definition of a smile, but it was big in the blonde's book. The laugh however, was something Cloud couldn't control as Zack ruffled his hair for the twentieth time tonight? B'ah, he'd lost count, but it didn't matter.

He accepted Zack's hand as he helped the cadet get back on his feet. "Guess that proves that there's more to me than meets the eye." Wait, did he just say that? Normally he thought things out in his head before uttering them out loud. It seemed Zack was having an influence on him.

He stopped short when Zack mentioned he had a cute face and fought back the slight blush. It was bad enough that his mother kept calling him cute, but to hear it from another source didn't help. "I haven't been cute since I was six." Though, saying that made him blush even more.

Eyes flashing with amusement, Zack beamed at the teen. "Apparently! Now I just gotta find out what else you're hiding behind those blonde locks of yours, Spiky!" He laughed and gave a playful smack on the cadet's back. Cloud was full of surprises and Zack was going to make it his personal mission to uncover them all!

When Cloud mentioned he hadn't been cute since he was six though, the 2nd Class busted out into full blown laughter. The look on his face when he said that was priceless and oh so cute. "Little dude, you're as cute as they come around here!"

Still sniggering, the teen grabbed the bucket of water and grinned. "Come on! We still gotta drop this stuff off in the labs!" He laughed and mussed Cloud's hair before he began walking back to the building.

Cloud smirked as Zack declared he wanted to know all of his secrets. And he'd be willing to share them over time, however what he didn't say was that it worked both ways. The blonde intended to find out more about the Second Class as well.

Picking up the bag of fertilizer he hurried to catch up with the ravenette who was already heading back towards the main building. "Hey, wait up. This isn't exactly as light as a bag of feathers you know!"

"You wanted to carry the heavy stuff!" Zack replied in a sing-song over his shoulder, grinning back at the cadet with a mischievous look on his face. Looking ahead of himself, the teen went into the main building and took the steps up to the elevators. He pointedly ignored the looks the two were receiving on the elevator up to the floor above the labs. "So Cloud, after this I'm thinking it'll be safe if we head into Midgar and grab something to eat until after Shinra collapses." He joked, though he kind of did mean that.

He could only imagine how things were going to turn out, but he simply could not have resisted the call to do such things. It was just not possible for the 2nd Class to ignore the need to prank.

Okay, Cloud had to admit that was true. Dang him and his stubborn pride. He was too busy coming to a realization to notice the odd looks that people were giving him. Ever since he had arrived in Midgar he wondered why he didn't feel right. Why something had always seemed off. It was because becoming a cadet and trying for SOLDIER had silenced his pride. He had been forced to do such grueling tasks and exercises and was treated like dirt just like every other cadet that he had suppressed that part of him. But, Zack was slowly bringing it back to the light. He kept being reminded of how he felt in Nibelheim and his snarky smart-alack personality still thrived under that shy exterior.

Once inside the elevator, Cloud's stomach growled in response to Zack's question. He had forgotten that he hadn't eaten yet since lunch. Or, was it breakfast? He couldn't remember. "Collapses?" He didn't know what Zack meant by that, but then thought back to what they had been doing over the past hour and all he had to do was remember standing in Sephiroth's office to realize they were probably in deep trouble. Well, if this was his last night then he should at least get a good meal before his execution.

"Only if you're buying."

The SOLDIER 2nd Class grinned a bit at the teen and nodded. "You've done a good job today, cadet! Consider it a reward for such hard work." He laughed while walking off the elevator and walking down the hallway toward the ventilation shaft he had memorized.

Now they were finally getting to the good stuff. Sitting the bucket of water he'd been carrying down, he took out a screwdriver and began unscrewing the screws holding the vent's lid on. "Alright, this vent goes straight down into Hojo's lab, and if my informant is right -and Reno knows better than to feed me bad info- then Hojo's current experiment is directly under the vent."

The teen grinned deviously at Cloud once all the screws were out and he took the cover off. "Open that bag of fertilizer, cadet!"

Cloud adjusted the fertilizer on his shoulder a little better and stood a bit straighter at the praise and followed Zack into the hall. He watched him work at getting the screws out of the grate that blocked off the ventilation shaft. "Yes sir!" He set the bag down and ripped it open slowly as to not spill any of the contents on himself or Zack. "Now what?"

Zack nodded and patted Cloud's shoulder. "This I'll do myself, no offense. Next time and you got Mako in your system you can do it." He winked at the teen before taking the bag, and with ease of Mako enhanced strength dumped the contents of the fertilizer bag right down the ventilation shaft.

And straight into whatever project Hojo had been working on. Grinning as he emptied every last bit of fertilizer down the vent and hearing it go all the way down, the teen crumpled the bag and handed it back to Cloud before he took up the bucket of water.

And down the water went into the ventilation shaft with the fertilizer, cleaning the vent on it's way down and pouring atop it at the bottom. "Done!"

xoxo

The professor's aid flinched as Hojo passed him and went back to his desk. The head of the Science Department had just finished a long and highly detailed monologue of how concomitant his staff was, how he hated that everyone in this building had the combined IQ of a cockroach compared to his brilliance and all around belittling the man.

"Now, for the last time, go get me those viles and make sure they're the correct size this time," Hojo ordered the man as his glasses gleamed white in the eerie light of the lab.

"Yes sir," The assistant sighed as he turned to try again. His head suddenly shot up as he heard a thundering sound from overhead. The next sound he heard was a squishy plopping splatter sound and a gasp of shock. The man turned and saw Hojo covered with...with...mud? No. The assistant took a sniff and chose instead to breathe though his mouth to combat the stench.

Hojo was covered in fertilizer and for once he seemed to have been rendered speechless. The assistant heard another thundering sound and watched as a torrent of water poured from the ceiling and hit Hojo full force. It wiped off some of the fertilizer, but it also turned it to an even sloshier substance that totally ruined everything on the professor's desk. His newest formula was ruined.

The assistant backed away slowly, not wanting to be the outlet for Hojo's wrath.

xoxo

From where Cloud stood by the vent he couldn't help but jump when he head the screeching voice vibrate up through the vents.

"I DEMAND TO KNOW WHOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!"

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" He asked Zack.

Zack clamped a hand over his mouth as he burst into laughter. He could only imagine how Hojo looked or what he ruined, but it was an image of pure gold. "D-Don't...hahaha! Worry!"

Grabbing Cloud's arm and the empty bucket, he took off running back toward the elevators; laughing the entire way back. When they were on the elevator and alone, Zack went into another fit of laughter. "Sephiroth will...hehe...get a real kick out of this! We'll be fine!" He grinned and wiped tears out of his eyes as the elevator descended back down to the lobby.

That had so been worth waiting for.

Cloud couldn't hide his surprise at what his friend had just said. "The General? Why would he be happy about that? Won't he be angry about what you did to his desk?" He had told himself he wasn't going to question Zack anymore, but the idea that the General would get enjoyment out of a scientist's suffering confused him. Was Hojo really so bad that even the mighty Sephiroth couldn't stand him?

The teen looked at Cloud, almost flabbergasted that he didn't know how Sephiroth felt for the scientist. But then he reminded himself Cloud was still a new cadet.

Walking off the elevator with bucket in hand, Zack wrapped an arm around Cloud's shoulders with a laugh. "Well my fine, fluffy haired friend, you got a lot to learn still. Sephiroth can't stand Hojo. No one can stand him, but Sephiroth hates him. So anything that ruins Hojo's day usually puts Seph in a good mood."

He winked at Cloud and sniggered. "I think we'll be safe after we get back from whatever wrath we might have suffered, maybe. Hence why I saved the best for last." He laughed and sat the bucket down outside the Shinra building, leaving it for some poor SOLDIER to put away before he took Cloud toward Midgar where a good diner was.

Hearing this both surprised Cloud and helped put his worries at ease. Pranking Hojo wasn't just more fun for the SOLDIER. It also served as damage control. They'd still probably get in trouble and Cloud would be forced to scrub toilets for a month if he was lucky, but he had never done anything like this before and now that the danger of being caught had passed he had to admit it actually felt pretty good to get into trouble for once. It wasn't really anything bad. Just some harmless fun.

As they headed towards the city Cloud's stomach decided to reply for him, announcing how hungry he was which made the blonde blush with embarrassment.

With his Mako enhanced hearing, Zack easily heard the noise coming from Cloud's stomach and he couldn't help but laugh at the blush that followed it. "You're like the cutest chocobo in town!" He grinned and ruffled the teen's hair. The city was busy all day long, even now when evening was getting close. But the diner he liked wasn't far and usually wasn't packed around this time. "So, not so bad tagging along with me for the weekend, right?" He winked at Cloud and smiled mischievously.

Cloud couldn't help but roll his eyes at his friend's comment. He was probably the only chocobo in town. Cloud doubted if the poor birds could even survive in this city atmosphere. They preferred wide open spaces and clear blue skies. Something Cloud could relate to, but there was no way to join SOLDIER out in the country, so he had to suck it up and deal with it.

He couldn't help but offer a smirk at Zack. "It takes some getting used to. Not every SOLDIER is willing to go to such lengths like you are."

Zack beamed at what he thought to be a compliment. "Well stick with me Spiky and you'll be one of the leanest, toughest, best chocobos Shinra's ever had!" He laughed and patted Cloud's back while he walked into the diner and immediately claimed a seat, grinning up at the cadet.

"But seriously, you held up like a champ today! I'm impressed! I didn't think you had it in you to do some of this stuff. Especially that thing with the other cadets earlier, you even had me going!" He laughed at the memory of Cloud ordering him and the look on the cadet's face when he did.

It had been absolutely priceless.

xoxo

Any humor that Genesis had towards the situation vanished at the thought of the puppy sneaking into his apartment. "If he's put food coloring in my drinks again..." He threatened in a low tone.

That had been the worst insult to the fiery Commander's pride. Back then, Third Class Zack Fair and rookie Pupil to his childhood friend Angeal had come over for a sort of meet and greet in Genesis's apartment. He guessed Angeal figured he wouldn't want to damage anything in his apartment with fire, so he thought it'd be a good idea. What he didn't take into account was that the young SOLDIER Third was a skilled prankster. Dropping blue food coloring into his collection of drinks, his chocolate syrup bottle and even his mouth wash. It went unnoticed for the most part. Until the next day when Genesis showed up for a meeting. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what was so funny. Seconds, Thirds, Cadets, even a few Turks cracked a grin at him as he walked by. What took the cake was hearing actual, uncontrolled laughter coming from Sephiroth. Then he knew something was wrong.

Angeal had managed to pull his hand out of a facepalm long enough to give Genesis a mirror and he almost squealed when he saw that his teeth were a deep, eye-popping blue.

He let out a sigh in order to calm himself. He was certain Zack wouldn't try anything so stupid again. Not after Genesis had all but roasted the teen alive. Though, he wondered if Zack still carried a mark where the flat of his blade had slapped him. Turning to Angeal he shook his head with understanding.

"Perhaps it's a message, warning that you should not have taken on a pupil." He wanted to console his friend, but he was worried now for his own apartment. There really was no telling with Zack.

Angeal chuckled weakly, knowing exactly what Genesis was referring to. That had been...hilarious, to be blunt about it. Even Sephiroth couldn't stop from laughing at the sight of Genesis's blue mouth. "He's a good boy, I swear. Just...he needs supervision at all times, is all." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled wearily at his friend. "Let's go check your apartment first. Two sets of eyes looking for traps is better than one set."

And the Commander knew Genesis might take off and try to roast his poor puppy again if he didn't get ahold of him first.

Had Genesis been drinking anything at that moment he would have spit it out. "A good boy? He's what, seventeen? He should know better by now. A child needs supervision. Not a Second Class SOLDIER. He needs to respect the chain of command and stop counting on you to bail him out."

Of course Genesis was completely avoiding any mention of all the times he had disobeyed Sephiroth. They were little things, but still.

Genesis was forever grateful for his friend's understanding. He'd probably be too worried for his own apartment to properly inspect Angeal's but once he saw his first he'd be able to focus more clearly. Unless of course Zack had set foot into his home and then he vowed to fry him into a Zack-ca-bob.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened Genesis marched out and pulled out his keys. He tested the door first and was feeling optimistic when he found it was still locked. He wanted to take that as a good sign. But with Zack one could never tell.

Genesis unlocked the door and opened it, but he closed his eyes instead and stepped to the side, indicating that his friend should look first. "How bad is it?"

Angeal snorted at Genesis. "He's a 2nd Class SOLDIER with the mentality of a child when unsupervised. Just like you were when you were a teenager. Hell, you still haven't grown up and you're what, twenty-five?" The raven haired Commander smirked at Genesis, knowing his friend hated having his real age mentioned aloud.

"And you're the last person to talk about 'respecting the chain of command', so don't even try to pull that card out because you never had it to begin with." He said wryly, rolling his eyes.

Stepping into his friend's apartment, Angeal chuckled weakly at Genesis's dramatic act of not even looking first. Looking around the apartment, Angeal's deep ocean blue eyes didn't spot any outwardly signs of damage. "Well, everything's in tact it seems..."

Trailing off though, he stopped himself when he seen Genesis's bookshelves where he kept all his copies of Loveless. It was always a dominant presence in the 1st's home, and something was immediately off.

What was off, however, made Angeal pinch the bridge of his nose while attempting to not laugh. "Okay, Gen, I want you to sit down and take a deep breath for me. He may or may not have touched your Loveless collection." He winced at his own words and opened a single eye to peer at his friend warily.

"Well, thanks for the confidence and having a lot of faith in me," Genesis replied while glaring at Angeal for blurting out his age. He'd pay him back for that...and his little pup too.

He mentally facepalmed. The one night he got drunk as a Cadet and he was forever haunted by acting like the evil witch from Oz. There was only one thing he wanted to do, and that was grab a book off his shelf and recite the hell out of it. Nothing could relax him more than Lovele...

He looked Angeal in the eyes. "What did you just say?"

Angeal smiled warily and gripped Genesis's shoulders to steady him. "Gen, we're best friends, and as best friends I have your word you won't try and fry my student, right?" He patted Genesis's back before covering his face with one hand and pointing to Genesis's bookshelves with the other.

He was mentally preparing himself for the explosion that was about to erupt. He was a SOLDIER 1st Class, he'd take it like a man.

But Goddess he was worried for his ears for the possible screech that would surely follow.

The Fiery First Class slowly made his way over to his book shelf. He didn't bother promising Angeal anything, not knowing if he'd be able to keep it. He tried not to think about what might have happened to his beloved collection. He hoped they hadn't been defaced or defiled. Were they out of order? Aside from his fifty seven normal copies he had twenty three first editions, fourteen limited editions, and two that were encased in gold-plated hardback covers. If there had been so much as a single pen mark in those two then Angeal's puppy problems would be no more. Genesis would make sure of that.

With a slightly shaky hand he reached out and pulled the first book off the shelf. It was thinner than Loveless. Oh sweet Goddess Zack had torn out any pages, then Gaia help him. Genesis would scatter his charred bones all across the planet.

When he opened his eyes he blinked in stunned silence at the book's title. 'Husky puppy and the very rainy day'. He blinked and pulled another book off the shelf. 'The Chocobo and the Hound'. He pulled another off the shelf. 'Puppy wuv's you'. Genesis's eye twitched at that title. He took a step back and glanced at his bookshelves as a whole. Scanning the titles he realized that none of them read 'Loveless'. Instead they were all about dogs and chocobos.

It suddenly hit him then as he started ripping books off the shelves and tossing them behind him, not caring where they landed. Some even flew in Angeal's direction.

"WHERE IS LOVELESS?!" He bellowed as he looked around the room. Except for the scattered books his collection was no where in sight. He disappeared into his bedroom next, hoping they'd be in there. Either way, he swore Zack would be joining the life stream tonight.

Angeal skillfully dodged the books that went flying at him and he grunted at the sound of Genesis yelling. He rubbed his ears. Sometimes it was a downside to having Mako enhanced hearing, especially when he was around Genesis so much. The man didn't know the meaning of 'peace and quiet'.

"Gen, it's not that bad I'm sure! Wherever they are I'm sure Zack left them in perfect condition!" Angeal said quickly, doing everything he could to calm his childhood best friend. Honestly, what had Zack been thinking? Angeal shook his head.

His student hadn't been thinking a damn thing.

"Not that bad?!" Genesis stormed out of his room and slammed his bedroom door. The sound echoed out into the halls through the front door that was still open. "Not that bad?" He repeated as he stomped up to his friend.

"He has committed several crimes Angeal! Breaking and entering, theft! Defacing private property! Disobeying a superior officer! I could go on, but you get my point!" He looked towards the door and then back at Angeal, wondering if he'd be quick enough to get past his friend.

"And he's going to pay." He headed for the door, determined to hunt Zack down.

Angeal huffed and sidestepped in front of Genesis, using his sheer size to block the door and Genesis's only means of escape. With his arms crossed over his broad chest, he looked at Genesis pointedly. "Now, if this was me, you'd be rolling around on the floor laughing and telling me 'Don't be so hard on him 'Geal, it's just a joke'."

Rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Angeal took a deep breath before letting out a huff. "You're just angry because he touched your precious Loveless collection. If it were anyone else, you'd be laughing and patting him on the back." He grumbled and looked at his best friend.

Really, Genesis was a bit too obsessed with Loveless sometimes.

"Not true!" Genesis quickly countered. "I...wouldn't be rolling on the floor." Damn he hated it when Angeal was right. If this had been his or Sephiroth's room (especially Sephiroth's) he would have found it funny, though it probably wouldn't have involved books.

His hands clenched and unclenched. He wanted to pull out his Fire Materia and blast something he was so mad. Maybe he'd set all of these garbage books aflame later after he dealt with a certain Second Class SOLDIER.

He placed his hands on his hips and gave his friend a disapproving look. "So what? You're just going to let him get away with this? Tell me Angeal, what if he had done something with your precious Buster Sword? Would you not swear to hunt him down and make him pay?"

He then put on a look of pure sympathy. "And what about poor Sephiroth? Those desks aren't very cheap and you know how hard it was for him to finally decide on one he liked." Inwardly, Genesis found that prank to be funny. Sephiroth really was a neat freak. Sure, Genesis liked to keep things tidy and in their rightful place too, but Sephiroth took it to a whole new level.

Angeal huffed and threw his hands up. "You're as bad as Zack, so long as he doesn't touch your stuff!" He grunted and looked at his friend with a wry smile then. "I won't let him get away with it, he does need some kind of punishment, and I'll make sure he gets it." Crossing his arms again, he smirked then at Genesis. "But I'd never have to worry about Zack even thinking about doing something to the Buster Sword. Unlike you, he has restraint. And honor." He said with confidence.

And he knew that was true. Zack knew what the sword meant to Angeal and always respected it.

Shaking his head, Angeal poked Genesis's chest before he turned to open the door. "As for Sephiroth, you know he makes more money than both of us combined. And you'd have done the same thing if you'd thought of it first, so don't even bother with that argument anyway." He rolled his eyes at his friend.

Genesis huffed as Angeal talked about how Zack knew better than to mess with his sword. "He should quickly learn to hold my collection in the same regard. If I agree to let you handle his punishment I want it made clear that Loveless is forever off limits. Should he so much as touch them again without permission he had better run very far and very fast."

As Angeal made his way out of the apartment Genesis let out his frustration with a sigh before holding up his hands and following. "Well, of course! You know if I don't force him to get new appliances every other month he's never going to use his money and end up old and rich. He's got to spend some of it now and then. It's unhealthy to keep it all to himself."

He threw a lazy arm over his friend's shoulder next as they made their way down the hall. "Alright, let's check your place next. If he respects you so much as you say, then I want proof."

"Your Loveless collection is hardly in the same regard as the Buster Sword, Genesis." Rolling his eyes at his friend, Angeal walked up to his apartment and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, there was no proof the teen had messed with anything. "And telling him not to touch something only inspires him to actually touch it." He laughed quietly, Genesis really did need to lighten up about Loveless.

At least Zack was trying, as futile as that may have been.

Looking around the apartment, checking every place he thought the teen might think of touching or messing with, Angeal was satisfied to not see anything out of place. "I told you, he's a good pup." He smirked a bit at Genesis.

Zack would never do something so severe like mess with his Buster Sword, the teen idolized Angeal too much. Genesis's Loveless collection fell very short of earning that same respect, however.

Genesis helped his friend scan the apartment. He was a little disappointed to be proven wrong. He had to admit the pup did have some sense, but still. "You misunderstand me, my friend. I meant that your sword is something precious to you, just as my collection is precious to me. I was not comparing their worth to each other. You've been listening to Sephiroth too much when he goes on and on about Masamune."

Seeing that everything appeared to be in order he leaned against the wall and folded his arms in thought. "So, where else do you think he may have struck?"

Angeal snorted quietly. "Well while I only have one Buster Sword you have more than enough Loveless books that you hardly need so many Gen. I think Zack's trying to do you a favor with taking them away for awhile." He chuckled.

Looking around the apartment once more and satisfied his pup had been good about not messing with his things, he raked a hand through his hair with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Honestly, no one knows what Zack is thinking except Zack." He blinked slowly as a thought occurred then swore and turned to leave. "Correction, there's one person that will know. Reno." He growled the name.

He'd told his student a thousand times not to associate with that Turk, but it never failed they ended up plotting something together. "If anyone knows where he might have struck next, he'll know." He huffed and left his apartment in search of the redheaded Turk.

TBC