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: It really makes me feel good when I see the stats this story has gotten. I never thought it'd be as well liked as it is. Well, I knew it was awesome, but I never thought so many would agree with us. I hope you enjoy this latest update and we'll see you next time. ;)

Bahamut: And a big Happy Valentine's Day from the both of us today! :D We hope you enjoy this update and have a lovely day! Next update should happen in a couple weeks, so stay tuned everyone!

Swallowing Pride

"That's kind of the point," Genesis retorted regarding Angeal's plants. If they died maybe he'd actually be able to relax in his own apartment without a fly swatter or can of bug spray nearby. Genesis gave his friend a toothy grin. "Oh~ I didn't even think about that. We could see his reaction first hand!" When they had seen the aftermath of the incident Genesis had been truly sorry he hadn't been there to see it with his own eyes. Now he could.

The fiery Commander leaned against the back wall as the elevator made it's descent. "You're just full of good ideas tonight, I see. Good then I won't have to buy him that special sword polish for his sword." He probably would still get it for him anyway, but he wanted to wait to see if the General deserved such a nice gift from him until then. Plus it was fun to taunt the General about being nicer to him.

Angeal snorted at his friend. "Remind me to never let you apartment sit while I'm away. At least Zack takes care of my plants for me if I can't." He smiled fondly. Zack had on many occasions done a few things for Angeal when the Commander was called away for emergencies, though as of late the teen had been going with him now that Zack's skill levels had grown.

And then Sephiroth had actually stopped in for him on such times. He wouldn't admit it, but Angeal knew Genesis hadn't tended to his plants and no one else would have dared entering his apartment, let alone the 1sts apartment flooring. Stepping off the elevator when the doors opened, he smirked at Genesis. "If you don't buy it for him I will." He said with a wry chuckle.

Genesis sighed dramatically as he trailed after Angeal. "I don't think that will ever happen, my friend. It seems the President really hates me. Every time he sends me out to Wutai I get the feeling he hopes I don't come back. It's like he's waiting to hear news that I've been killed in action."

His sarcastic expression faded away into something serious, a rare sight for him that he hardly shown unless it came from his heart. "Don't tell Seph that I said this, but...I think if not for him, I wouldn't still be here. I know it has to be him. He's the only one the President won't openly question. I know he's used his power to keep me from getting the boot. I don't know how he does it, I just know he does...and I'm..." Boy he hated admitting this... "I'm grateful for it."

He then glared at Angeal with a searing gaze that could melt metal. "Don't you ever tell another living soul."

The raven haired Commander shook his head with a sigh. "Don't say that Genesis. You know you're a great SOLDIER, it's why you made Commander. Not because of your pretty face." He chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. Turning his deep blue eyes at his childhood friend though, his features softened. "And I know you'll keep coming back. You wouldn't dare leave me here alone with Sephiroth and Zack."

He stopped in front of the control room that would allow them to erase the video feed from Zack's escapades and make a copy of the labs camera feed. Looking at Genesis then, he smiled and gripped Genesis's shoulder, giving it a good squeeze. "And Sephiroth already knows you're grateful." With that said, he walked into the control room.

Genesis huffed at that. His good looks often got him into far more trouble than anything. "Your words are touching, truly, but you haven't been there for some of the meetings regarding the Wutai missions nor have you seen the looks that dim-witted fool has shot my way when he thinks I'm not looking. I don't doubt my skills, I just doubt the loyalty of the others around here."

As they neared the security room Genesis rolled his eyes at his friend's words about Sephiroth. "I suppose I have been showing him a bit more...what's the right word, lenience? I've tried not to quote Loveless as often, but I won't lie, it's hard."

The other Commander smiled weakly. He already knew the way others looked at Genesis, and it took every patient fiber in his body to not glare them down and strangle them when they got that look and aimed it at Genesis. Shaking his head he looked around the control room and sat down in one of the chairs, looking over the cameras and controls that went to them. "Trust me, I know. But that's why we put our loyalty to Sephiroth, not the President, remember?" He glanced over his shoulder.

It was like an unspoken rule, really. They didn't talk much about it, but when it came down to loyalty Sephiroth held all of SOLDIER's loyalty. The President, however, did not even come close to having the same loyalty of his military. Sephiroth was what kept all the SOLDIERs working for the President.

"Anyway," He looked back at the monitors. "You're being awfully generous there." He said dryly, chuckling and rolling his eyes at Genesis.

Genesis smirked and took the second seat which swiveled a bit. He turned his attention towards the monitors and started looking through the video feed for the correct time.

"Indeed," He replied. It was a very easy choice for him to make if someone asked him who he'd choose to follow. If Sephiroth ever got tired of bowing down to such a small-minded and over-fed man Genesis would gladly follow him out the door no matter where it took them. He was also sure that Angeal would be right beside him and most if not all of their SOLDIERs would be right behind them. Each one of the three brought a different level of respect from those that followed under them. Sephiroth, with his legendary skills and commanding authority, Angeal and his loyalty and the fact that he truly cared for everyone under his command and Genesis with his strategies and mastery of Materia. They truly make a perfect triple threat. Though, he had to admit if Zack were to join their ranks he'd happily change that mental title to an unstoppable force of four.

Something caught his attention during a quick check of the stairwell and when he rewound the footage he couldn't hide the chuckle. "Well, seems we know where to start watching, 'Geal." He pointed to the monitor as he hit play and a head of spiky blonde hair became obvious as the cadet made his way up the stairwell, still in his uniform, but with a duffle bag slug over his shoulder.

Angeal nodded to Genesis with a slight smile. He'd follow Sephiroth anywhere, and as much as Zack wanted to be a hero in SOLDIER he knew the teen would do the same in a heartbeat. None of the Shinra executives, not the President, Heidegger, or Lazard truly commanded SOLDIER. That title was Sephiroth's alone, and he'd certainly earned it.

Rubbing his neck, he looked at the monitor Genesis was viewing with a snort. "I thought the shirt he was wearing looked familiar. Bet Zack made him put it on." He chuckled. The cadet was probably not even thinking of casual wear in the presence of a 2nd Class.

He was reminded of how proud he felt of how Zack stood up for Cloud. Sometimes he forgot the teen was really growing up into a good man. "That was when we were still in the meeting earlier." He grumbled. The 2nd Class had timed it perfectly it seemed, the clever teen.

Genesis nodded as he watched the video of the ascending cadet. Taking note of the time and typing it into the other cameras to follow the boy's movements. He watched as Cloud stopped in front of Zack's door and knocked only to be pulled in a few heartbeats later. He huffed in amusement at the shocked look on the boy's face as he was yanked inside.

"He obviously had no idea what he was getting himself into," He commented. There were no cameras in the SOLDIER's quarters, so Genesis did a little fast forwarding until it showed them emerging, carrying three boxes between them. "Sneaky little punk."

He nodded over to Angeal to begin making a copy of the tape while Genesis waited for the moment to start editing and erasing. Not that he didn't trust Angeal for that, but Genesis had a keen eye for detail and was very good at catching details that others easily missed. "What should the official recollection state? That the boys stayed in Fair's apartment all night? I doubt they went unnoticed and we might have to do damage control should there be any witnesses."

Angeal watched a bit before he started making a copy, shrugging his shoulder a little at Genesis's question. "Zack can't go anywhere without anyone recognizing him. He's too loud and can't sit still for people not to take notice." He chuckled wryly and glanced at the footage.

"We'll just have to see where all they went and who saw them. But I have a feeling we'll be doing a little damage control in the end," He sighed quietly. Honestly, he was starting to believe Zack tried making the Commander go gray with worry and stress. Or at the very least was trying to break Angeal's patience, which he absolutely refused to allow to happen. He'd outlast his student in that department every single time.

Genesis quirked an eye brow. "Just a little?" There was a reason why Genesis was glad Zack was never placed on one of the Reactor patrols. He'd have a feeling the pup would do something to cause an overload, probably just by leaning into a switch or sitting on a control panel. The pup was more accident prone than anyone he had ever met, and coming from him that was saying a lot.

It had taken Genesis years to go from clumsy to graceful, which is partly why Genesis didn't care how he acted in front of others for the most part. This was a perfect chance for Genesis to see where the two had stashed his collection, but as they got off the elevators and onto another floor the cameras lost sight of them and it wasn't until a few minutes later that they were back in the elevators minus three boxes.

"Now what happened to the feed?" Were they hidden on a restricted floor? Impossible, one needed special access to those floors and as a Second, Zack didn't have it yet. It was only then that the two headed for Sephiroth's office next.

Angeal smiled wearily. "Fine, a lot of damage control." He chuckled quietly and looked back to the monitor, frowning when he seen his student and the cadet disappear. "What floor was that?" He asked, leaning back and glancing to make sure the feed was being copied.

"Reno might have done something after we spoke with him to make it up to Zack." He mumbled, scratching his chin before he folded his arms across his chest. But if that had been the case, the Turk would have erased everything, wouldn't he have? "It couldn't have been Hojo. He wouldn't have cared about this portion of the feed." He mumbled, silently thanking Minerva for that little bit. He shook his head and watched as the teens went to Sephiroth's office.

Genesis checked the elevator cam to see which floor they had stopped at and let out a relieved sigh. "Relax, they got off on that Tree-hugger's floor. Reek Soup-ey something." He never really bothered to learn everyone's name who worked in the building, so he gave a nickname to each face he saw to make it easier.

"That guy's always got the cameras on his floor sealed off, the nut job. Guy's got too much time on his hands." Thought he secretly admitted it was a good place to hide his collection.

He watched the video of the duo continue and couldn't help a laugh when he saw the cadet fall backwards. "I wonder if that was the moment when Zack told him whose office that was?" It was pretty amusing to see the cadet get so flustered at Zack only to look relieved when they were leaving.

He watched as the cadet stood at attention and threw a salute when Zack headed back to the desk. "Pfft, just another 'good soldier'. Great. Just what we need." He looked over at Angeal. "I swear, if I hadn't seen him stand up to Seph with my own eyes I would have called him a total wuss. I mean look at him. Sweating bullets just by standing in his office? I've seen girls who were tougher."

"Reeve Tuesti." Angeal corrected, rolling his eyes a bit at Genesis. He knew Reeve well, they had a lot in common when it came to plants and such, and he just generally liked the laid back executive. Of course Genesis never bothered to get to know him, which was sad when Reeve was a good man to have as a friend.

"It's not his fault Shinra doesn't really use his skills." He said, shaking his head and looking at Genesis. "You're not going after your collection. You remember Seph's order." He teased, a smirk tugging at his lips. His friend may know the floor his books were left, but he still couldn't get to them without invoking the General's wrath.

Looking back at the monitors after he checked to make sure everything was recording still, he chuckled weakly. Cloud did seem a bit skittish, but he didn't blame him. All cadets had been scared of Sephiroth when they first joined. "Be nice Gen. It's obvious he's not used to being around higher ranked SOLDIERs, and Sephiroth does have that effect on people." He mused with a light chuckle.

He felt bad for the teen, for getting dragged into Zack's pranks and then dinner with all of them tomorrow night. He hoped Cloud would be okay though with Zack there. It was obvious to him he had an admiration for the 2nd Class.

Genesis glared at Angeal. Yes, he remembered the General's order all too well, and the only reason he was obeying it was because of what Sephiroth was doing for him.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes when Angela was telling him, HIM to be nice. Honestly, why should he be nice? This was SOLDIER, not some support group where everyone had to walk on egg shells. If you couldn't take the pressure, be it physical, mental or emotional then too bad. You either dealt with it, went home or died on the battle field. There was no room for kindness here. At least, that's how it had been for Genesis. Aside from Angeal and Sephiroth everyone else here was a total prick and not worth his time. The only one who had recently joined the very small list of people he liked was Zack.

Speaking of which he turned his attention back to the monitor as he watched Zack and his little shadow head down the elevator. Another camera to the side showed that was when Genesis and the other two were standing in front of the elevator doors.

"So, they were the reason I had to take he stairs?!" Though, now that Genesis had thought about it, it was better that way. The stairwell he had taken had no security of any kind as it was a secret staircase known only to SOLDIER Firsts and a select few others. Damn. He wanted to be mad at Zack for that.

He watched them head across the lobby and over to the shed behind the cadet barracks only to emerge with a bag of fertilizer and a bucket. "Aha, here we go." He watched them head over to the water hose so Zack could fill up the bucket and was a little impressed that the cadet was carrying the heavy bag. Whether he had offered or the pup made him carry it was another story.

xoxo

Cloud accepted the bottle with a nod. "I won't tell if you won't." He took a small swig and wiped his mouth with his wrist as Zack headed over to sift through his movie collection. The drink didn't taste half bad. It had more of a sharper taste than the Nibelheim brew he had tried once which was sweeter, but it did the trick none the less.

He leaned back as he listened to Zack talk about his experience with drinking and smirked at the idea of Zack getting such things done while under the influence. He had often heard the other cadets in his bunk talking about what kind of marks they'd get. One foolish teen had gotten his ahead of time, a snake that coiled around his wrist and up his arm. Boy was he bummed when a Third told him that Mako would erase it. Cloud just shrugged in indifference. It wasn't his fault the guy had blown all of his Birthday Gil for nothing.

Cloud wasn't really one for tattoos, but a piercing...that sounded about right. "I like wolves," He blurted out before taking another swig. "I was thinking about getting a Wolf stud once I saved up some more."

When Zack returned to the couch Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind them." He wasn't about to tell him he had never seen an alien movie, but tonight had been full of new things and surprises, so what was one more?

Cloud's sudden confession of liking wolves and thinking about eventually getting a wolf stud made Zack perk up, and his eyes lit up. "Yeah?" He beamed at the cadet. He decided to file that information away in his mind for a later date.

"Angeal had been pretty mad when I showed up with a piercing and a tat the next day," He said with a wry grin. "But I just told him 'at least I didn't get a piercing like Gen's and a copy of Loveless!'" He laughed at the memory of the look that crossed Angeal's face at the time. "He wasn't so mad after that!" He grinned and sniggered at the thought.

"I'll have to take you to the good tattoo shops, wouldn't want ya getting an infection from some of the seedier places around." Zack smiled at the blonde before he leaned back and looked to the TV. "You'll like this movie, lot's of action and it's got a decent ending." He said, taking a long swig of his own beer as the movie started up.

Cloud tried to imagine that event for himself. He could picture an annoyed Angeal with his arms crossed and shaking his head as Zack happily showed off his tattoo...like a puppy who had fetched a tennis ball and retrieved it for another throw.

That last image make him choke a little on his beer as he tried to fight back a laugh. It made Cloud wonder though, if Zack was like a puppy, then what did that make Cloud? Except for his hair, he wasn't really like a chocobo. They were tall and loud and assertive when they wanted something. Cloud was...well he was only one of those things and tall and loud wasn't it. Perhaps he was like a stray cat. His claws were sharp, but he kept them retracted for the most part. He could also show an equal share of fear and curiosity. He hoped this sudden mindset wasn't a result of the booze going straight to his head.

When Zack suggested showing him the good, reliable shops Cloud hummed a response as he took another swig, his reply echoing into the bottle in a muffled way.

He smirked slightly at the idea of a lot of action. No movie could top the action he had experienced today. It had been suspenseful, exciting and terrifying all wrapped up into one. But it had been worth it. He had met his hero, seemed to have been noticed, caught the attention of the other Firsts and became friends with the most interesting SOLDIER in the entire complex. Zack had proven he was a loyal friend. He could have let Cloud take some of the fall, but no, he pulled him to the side and took the brunt of the blame. Not many would do that, he guessed and in fact, from what he had seen, no one else here was even capable of such a gesture and for that, Cloud was grateful.

"So worth it..."

Zack blinked at Cloud, a bit surprised he randomly spoke up out of the blue. "What's worth it?" He asked, raising a raven brow at him. Perhaps the beer was too much for the cadet, and he couldn't help but snigger. "Do I need to take that beer from you?" He joked, nudging Cloud in the ribs.

But Cloud seemed happy and Zack liked this side of him, so he supposed he'd let the cadet keep the beer. Just make sure he didn't have another and make him work double time to make up for it tomorrow. He laughed a little and took another drink of his own beer. He kind of missed the days when alcohol would effect him with just one drink, before the Mako. But being in SOLDIER was so much more worth than a few fun hours of drunken antics, and far more worth the next mornings full of headaches and vomit.

Grinning, he stretched his arms across the back of the couch and turned his attention to the movie. "Try not to get too drunk, we're still going training tomorrow morning. 0530 hours." And he was being generous with the extra thirty minutes, but that was just because it was the weekend.

By the time they'd be in the Train Graveyard it would probably be around six or six-thirty anyway.

Cloud smirked and shook his head. "Nothing." He couldn't help but give Zack a skeptical look when he mentioned taking away the beer. How much of a lightweight did he think Cloud was? He had only had a couple of swigs. It would take a bit more than that.

"This ain't my first rodeo," He told him, letting his native Nibelheim accent shine through. He always liked the looks he'd get when he did that. It was kind of funny the way people would tilt their heads. Cloud would just shrug and smirk, knowing that they realized that there was more to him than meets the eye. He had plenty of surprises and secrets of his own. But they only surfaced when he chose to let them.

"Lucky for you, I'm an early riser."

Zack couldn't contain the grin that broke out across his face at the sound of Cloud's thick Nibelheim accent. He was surprised he could keep it hidden so well and wondered how long it took him to be able to do that. It took him a good year practicing before he joined SOLDIER to tuck away his own accent.

"Good thing 'cause you're not gonna get any mercy from me when ya become my student!" He replied the cadet, his Gongaga accent thick. He didn't let it slip much but he'd managed to surprise Sephiroth once -which had been priceless- but he figured he owed Cloud at least that much after hearing his own. He had to admit it almost felt strange not using the accent he'd adapted for years.

Cloud choked a bit on his beer as he turned to look right at his friend. Where the heck had that come from? It wasn't the reaction he was expecting that was for sure, but even more surprising was, it sounded like Zack's accent was thicker than his. "Are you trying to out-country me?" It sounded a bit different, but there was no mistaking the twang in his words. But, there was no way Zack had lived near Nibelheim or Cloud was pretty sure he would have heard about a crazy kid like him growing up.

He then decided there was one way to find out more. Act smug. "Pfft, what was I thinking? You couldn't get anymore country than Nibelheim." He took another swig and watched Zack from the corner of his eye.

The 2nd Class scoffed and waved his beer in front of Cloud's face. "Try Gongaga. Nibelheim ain't the only place with a reactor ya know, and they only ever place reactors in backwater areas." He grinned. It was kind of funny hearing his own accent in his ears, but he couldn't say he really missed it that much.

It had definitely surprised a lot of people when they found out where he was actually from, -and he really wasn't trying to hide it like Genesis whom generally didn't talk about being country-born and raised in Banora- but Gongaga was such a backwater little village people either didn't know about it or didn't think anyone would come so far as Midgar.

"You got your cold mountains, but we Gongagans have our dense forests. And it can get pretty damn hot down there too, 'specially in the summer." He said, talking with his accent like he had all his life. He cleared his throat and shook his head though, more than happy to use his adopted accent. "You're not the only backwater boy in Midgar." He teased, eyes flashing in amusement.

"Gongaga, ey?" Well, that explained a lot. Cloud had heard of that place before. During his first week of classes when the cadets had been taught where all of the reactors were. It was pretty far south on the map. "Pfft, don't think it's any easier where I'm from just because of a little summer heat. Live through just one winter in the Nibel Mountains and then you can boast about surviving extreme temperatures."

Cloud remembered being stuck in one such blizzard and the thought alone made him shake his head at the memory. He was lucky to have survived that year and almost lost his leg to frostbite, thankfully someone in town had a cure on hand. No one in town really liked him, but they weren't so heartless as to let him suffer either. Which, surprised him actually. Only the mayor and a small handful seemed to really hate him enough to not care if he lived or died, but the majority just tolerated him.

Thinking about them left a bad taste in his mouth and probably a sour look on his face. He took a good-sized chug in the hopes of forcing them from his mind.

Zack elbowed Cloud in the ribs playfully. "Guess I'll have to head up there next winter then so I can boast all I want!" He laughed, grinning mischievously at the teen. "I bet you'd melt into a puddle of blonde hair during summer in Gongaga! Midgar gets hot, yeah, but it's nothing compared to the thick forests. With those trees all around, it's like a jungle oven that traps the heat."

Which was why the heat in Midgar never bothered him. It was downright cool at night compared to Gongaga. But he loved his home regardless, heat and all. He couldn't wait to make 1st Class and return home, the first person in Gongaga's history to make 1st Class SOLDIER.

Though technically he's the first to make SOLDIER in general, since most didn't even leave the little village to begin with. "I think if we stayed at each other's places during their best weather, we'll be unstoppable in the field when weather is involved!" He laughed.

Zack's little jab forced half of Cloud's drink to flow down the wrong way mid-swallow causing him to choke. He lurched forward, trying to regain the ability to breathe. It took a moment or two, but when he was able to take a decent breath and his lips were no longer turning blue he chuckled a bit at Zack's suggestion.

"Why don't we make it into a test of endurance? But we'll save it until after you make First and keep your promise. Then we'll just make it a long-term camping trip. You take me to survive a summer in Gongaga and I'll take you to Nibelheim to see if you can handle my home turf in winter. Hopefully by then we'll both have Mako and it'll be a bit less treacherous."

The teen patted Cloud's back, smiling apologetically about making him choke. But at Cloud's suggestion to make it into a test of endurance he grinned eagerly; having completely forgotten about the movie and just making Cloud choke. "You're on!" He said, eyes seemingly glowing with excitement. That would be a great way for them to get used to being mentor and student, too.

He remembered when Angeal had taken him out a few times like that, testing his skills and getting to better know each other. It had been a blast, and being able to go through it with Cloud as his student this time made the 2nd Class just beam with excitement. "After you make SOLDIER and I make 1st Class, we'll make it our first real training mission together as student and mentor!" He said, ruffling the cadet's hair.

"If I survive 'til then," Cloud rasped as the beer burned his trachea. He tried to clear his throat a few times to finally get rid of the urge to start coughing again. He looked up at the movie and blinked as he watched a ten foot alien bug rip a man in half and wondered what was happening since the plot had been lost to him during their chat and his almost drowning.

He looked down at what was left of his beer and saw there were only a few drops left before shrugging. "Why don't we just call it a night? Five thirty comes around pretty early." And seeing as it was after eleven meant about six hours of sleep if he was lucky. Cloud valued this bonding time with the SOLDIER, but he also valued his sleep.

He opened his mouth to yawn, to help prove his point when a loud belch erupted instead, taking him by surprise. He honestly did not feel that coming.

The 2nd Class laughed at Cloud's sudden belch, which was surprisingly loud that didn't fit with the teen's appearance. "Nice one." He grinned before he downed his own beer and tossed their empty bottles away in the near by trash can. "Well tomorrow we're gonna toughen you up so you will survive!" Zack said, jumping up to his feet and tugging the teen up with him. "Don't worry, you'll become a SOLDIER in no time, especially with me helping ya!" He said, clapping the cadet on his back.

He turned around and turned off the TV, letting the movie just run until the end. "You can take the bed. Gonna shower before bed myself though." He said, rummaging through his clothing around the floor to find something clean to sleep in.

He settled on just a pair of boxers that he thought were clean and went into his little bathroom -which only had a shower, sink, and toilet and not even big enough for two people to stand in- and turned his shower on. If they were getting up early, he wouldn't have time to shower. Plus he wanted to do a couple things first before waking the cadet up for their day of training.

Cloud innocently shrugged at the compliment. It wasn't like he was trying after all. "If you don't mind," He replied when Zack suggested he take the bed. Cloud honestly didn't mind the couch, but wouldn't refuse an offer to sleep on a bed with an actual mattress.

As Zack made his way towards the bathroom Cloud bid him goodnight as he went to retrieve his uniform top from the floor near the couch and then headed over for his duffle bag. Taking it into Zack's bedroom, he pulled out a pair of thin, sleeping pants. Taking off the shirt Zack let him borrow he then removed his dirty cadet pants which were still slightly damp at the bottom.

"Heh," He huffed with a smirk as he thought back to earlier. He wondered what had gone through the other cadet's minds when Cloud ordered Zack to do push-ups. He'd probably find out sooner or later, but for now he'd just enjoy the memory. Pulling off his socks and stuffing them into the plastic bag with his other dirty clothes he tied it back up and stuck it back in his pack before he stretched, trying to pop his back before falling chest first onto the SOLDIER's bed.

Suddenly his resolve to become a SOLDIER only grew stronger. Sure the mattress wasn't anything special, but after sleeping on rock hard bunks with rusty springs Zack's bed felt like he was laying on a fluffy white cloud.

Cloud huffed at the inside joke as he pulled the sheet over him and started drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow worried him a bit, what with the training and the dinner date with the First Class SOLDIERs, but he decided not to worry about it now. Tomorrow would take care of itself and besides, it was pretty much out of Cloud's hands.

With that cheerful thought in mind, Cloud finally drifted off to sleep.

TBC