Sephiroth's not sure who he was expecting to come through the conference room doors, but the old, levitating man and the red lion accompanying Vincent were definitely not it. Upon closer investigation, though, he does remember the creature as being one of Cloud's former companions – Red, was it? – so perhaps not that surprising after all. Thankfully, they were on the same side this time - he would prefer not to be on the receiving end of those claws or fangs… again.
"Yo, Red!" Reno yells, hands planted firmly on the table, halfway out of his seat to get a better look at their guests. Sephiroth almost thinks that perhaps he wasn't being uncharacteristically lazy (and unoriginal) when trying to remember the lion's name. However, the fact that this is Reno, who is fond of nicknames and being a nuisance in general, coupled with the unimpressed look on the beast's face makes him reconsider.
Slowly loping up to the table, the lion gracefully bounds into the seat next to Zack, flaming tail somehow not damaging the leather of the chair. Leveling a glare at Reno, he explains to the table. "Red XIII is merely the designation given to me by Hojo the first time around. I am Nanaki, son of brave Seto, warrior and protector of Cosmo Canyon." And he bows his beaded head ever so slightly in greeting. Sephiroth frowns at the mention of the former scientist – Nanaki no doubt was another of the creep's unwilling guests.
Having dealt with the lion before, Sephiroth is not surprised to hear him talk. He can't say the same for his fellow SOLDIERs, though. Angeal and Genesis, at least, seem to be hiding their shock relatively well. Zack, on the other hand, gawks at his seatmate, eyes round, mouth hanging open. Sephiroth vaguely wonders if Genesis's own surprise is keeping him from making some sort of quip about puppies and lions.
Gears in his head finally turning again, Zack announces, "It talks!" His exclamation serves no purpose, though, the remaining occupants of the conference room already fully aware of Nanaki's ability to express himself verbally, Genesis chiming in with his own "Obviously, Zackary."
Nanaki studies the teen for a few moments, unamused look shifting to a more thoughtful one. "You must be Zack Fair."
Zack looks entirely flabbergasted now – as it stands, Sephiroth finds the lion's wisdom rather unexpected himself. "You know who I am?"
Nanaki licks his nose, ear flicking once, before responding. "Cloud spoke of you often – once Tifa helped him regain his memories, that is. He missed you very much."
Zack's look of awe at being recognized quickly morphs into a more sober one, a single tear sliding down his face. "You were friends with Spike, then?"
Nanaki hums in agreement, though it comes out as more of a low growl. "Yes. We fought together to stop Sephiroth from destroying the planet." And the lion turns his gaze to him, stretching up in his chair in an attempt to appear as large and intimidating as possible.
Sephiroth, the almost planet-destroyer, considers apologizing for only half a second. However, he figures that 'Ah. Sorry about that,' would fall seriously short of the mark and would, frankly, be incredibly insulting to all those involved in the fight to stop him. Instead, he hopes the pained grimace on his face is enough to convey his intentions this time around.
Before Nanaki can finish sizing him up, though, Zack is talking again, having failed to read the room. "Cloud doesn't remember the first time around."
Nanaki nods, beaded mane swaying with the movement. "Yes, I noticed that. Grandfather and I ran into him in the parking garage," he says, gesturing to the old man with his head. The man who is still on his floating, green orb. Who has moved from the front of the conference room to the chair next to Reeve. Who is still on his floating, green orb on the chair next to Reeve. The man is rather short in stature, though, so maybe he uses the orb to be able to see over the table.
Face scrunched up, Reeve addresses his former companion. "Why was Cloud in the parking garage?" Sephiroth is pleased to note that that question causes even the Turks some bewilderment. As it is, he himself is certainly confused as to how the boy ended up in the garage when he left him outside of the elevators.
"Ho ho hoo! He appeared to be hiding from something," the floating man says, each word punctuated with an alternating rise or fall of the green orb.
Rude looks confused as he pushes his sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose. "What was he hiding from?"
"Johnson," is Zack's growled reply, expression a dangerous mix between completely pissed and murderous. There is an unusually dark look on Angeal's face, too.
"Who is Johnson?" Sephiroth asks coolly, already anticipating the answer. Going from the abrupt change in atmosphere, whoever this person is, he can't be anything good.
Zack snarls – snarls – before answering, looking Sephiroth dead in the eyes, a hard glint in his own. "He's Cloud's bully. Said once he was done with Cloud, you wouldn't want him anymore."
Sephiroth feels his face harden at that admission, the look on his face no doubt mirroring that of all his fellow SOLDIERs. He hasn't lost control of all his faculties, though, so he doesn't miss the look that Nanaki throws Vincent, who's in the same corner of the room as last time. He also doesn't miss the nod Vincent gives in return – shallow and quick though it is.
He has no time to dwell on their silent conversation, however – Genesis choosing that moment to come to the defense of their shared student. "He won't be a problem once I'm done with him," the other SOLDIER declares, the fire materia in his bracer glowing ominously.
Angeal sighs, no doubt still feeling honor-bound, though the look on his face is rather thunderous. "Genesis. You cannot be judge, jury, and executioner."
"Watch me."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Angeal tries again. "Cloud refuses to report the bullying – says that if he does, it will only get worse. As far as I can tell, the other cadet hasn't done any major harm. I've already told Cloud to make sure that he's never alone with him. The only thing we can do is keep an eye on the two of them."
Genesis does not like that answer, if the scowl on his face is anything to go by, but he keeps his mouth shut and his fire materia finally stops glowing.
"Genesis, we'll respect Cloud's wishes for the time being." Rufus says, though he doesn't appear to be too happy either, if the sharp look in his eyes means anything. "I would like you and your fellow SOLDIERs to keep an eye on him though," he continues, looking at each of the SOLDIERs in turn. "Make sure he's not alone. I want to know if things escalate. Understood?" They all nod in unison. Not that they need to be told to watch Cloud. Especially not Zack.
Reno snorts and leans forward towards Genesis, a smirk plastered on his face – no doubt about to repay the SOLDIER for his gibe from last week. "Thought ya said he wasn't that impressive, yo?"
Genesis sniffs, looking down his nose at the Turk. "That was before I saw him handle materia." Magic was definitely the quickest way to find yourself in Genesis's good graces. That and Loveless, of course.
"And now you want him to handle yours, eh?" The red-head returns, practically leering at the other man – obviously, he still has absolutely no filter. His antics earn him a slap on the back of the head from his partner and a sharp warning of "Reno." from Tseng.
"He summoned Bahamut without breaking a sweat." Genesis responds, still looking haughty, completely ignoring the red-head's baiting. The look on Reno's face makes it clear that he wants to say something else, but he keeps whatever it is to himself, having already been thoroughly reprimanded by his fellow Turks.
"Ho ho hoo! It would appear that he's retained his magical ability even if he doesn't fully remember." The old man looks entirely fascinated by this discovery.
Genesis turns in his seat towards Sephiroth, the look in his eyes reminiscent of the one he had when he first insisted on training Cloud. "If you don't marry that boy, I will."
Sephiroth feels something utterly possessive rise in his chest, the words Cloud is mine on the tip of his tongue. Possessiveness he hasn't noticed since playing with the boy – the man – in the ruins of Midgar, carving out the marks of his ownership with the tip of Masamune. He almost confesses his thoughts to the table – it would be bad if this was a sign of Jenova returning – but he thinks better of it. He is positive he would never hear the end of it from Reno. Not to mention that Rufus could be particularly manipulative, too, when the fancy struck him. No. Better to consult his fellow SOLDIERs first. On second thought, maybe just Angeal first – Genesis would get entirely too much amusement out of this and Zack would no doubt be entirely too protective of his friend.
"Oi, partner! Guess that leaves Tifa for you, yo!" Reno crows, the calming influence of the other Turks having already worn off. Rude goes bright red at his side, mouth opening and closing a few times, no words coming out.
The sound of a throat clearing rings through the conference room and Sephiroth turns to find Rufus with an entirely unimpressed look on his face. Apparently, the nature of their conversation was enough to cut through the carefully constructed mask of his. "Gentlemen. I've called Nanaki and Master Bugenhagen here to figure out how to deal with Jenova. Not to discuss Cloud's marriage prospects." He looks at each of the room's occupants in turn before continuing. "As it stands, we're not sure how long Jenova will lay dormant, but when she gains awareness again, we need to be ready."
Genesis scoffs and waves a hand dismissively. "Just let me torch the freak. One well-aimed Firaga should take care of it."
Rufus raises a single, elegant eyebrow, but otherwise lets Sephiroth respond, the General starting to feel unimpressed himself. "We've been over this before, Genesis. We're not sure if you and Angeal are susceptible to Jenova's influence." Apparently, the man had retained his hero complex along with his obsession with Loveless.
"Ho ho hoo!" Bugenhagen joins in, apparently very fond of that exclamation. "That wouldn't work anyway! Even foreign entities can be absorbed into the Lifestream when they die. There's no saying whether we would be able to destroy all of the Jenova cells if that were to happen. And if we can't destroy them, they could infect the Lifestream again."
"Well, that complicates things." Rude observes, a frown on his still red face.
"How do we proceed, then?" Rufus asks, elbows on the table, fingers laced in front of him.
Bugenhagen hums in thought as the green orb rises and falls again. "We can either seal Jenova away on the planet where nobody can find her..."
The floating man pauses, giving Reno the opportunity to bite out, "'Cause that worked so well the first time, yo." They certainly don't need another scientist stumbling upon the alien evil and finishing what Hojo had started.
"Or we could find a way to get Jenova off of Gaia before destroying her," Bugenhagen finishes as if he wasn't interrupted.
Reeve shifts in his chair to get a better look at Bugenhagen. "But how do we get Jenova off the planet?"
"Shinra No. 26." Nanaki drawls, answering for his grandfather. Sephiroth does not dwell on the fact that the floating man is obviously human and his grandson very much not.
Rufus smirks and leans back in his chair. "Cid is going to hate me again." Sephiroth and his fellow SOLDIERs seem to be the only ones in the room who have no idea what he is talking about.
Brows furrowed, Angeal asks, "What is Shinra No. 26?"
"You know of Shinra's Space Program?" At Angeal's nod, Rufus continues, "Shinra No. 26 is a spaceship currently being built. It should be finished within the next year or two."
"And Cid hating you?" Sephiroth questions, feeling curiosity bubble up inside of him. He knows that Rufus can be an acquired taste, especially the first time around, but what had he done to make Cid Highwind hate him?
"Cid was set to be the first man in space the last time around, but the launch was aborted to save the life of his assistant. She was still doing a safety check at the time and would have been killed in the blast. After that, my father cut funding to the program and Shinra No. 26 was abandoned." The President throws another smirk in Sephiroth's direction. "Then, after you reemerged and I became President, I first attempted to commandeer his plane to track you down, then we took control of the spaceship to try to destroy Meteor." Well, no wonder the pilot wasn't fond of him.
Zack perks up in his seat. "But how do we transfer Jenova to the spaceship?" That was a very good question. Forget disposing of her properly if they couldn't even find a way to get her onto the spaceship.
Speaking up for the first time outside of his earlier admonishment, Tseng answers, "Jenova currently lies dormant within the mako reactor in Nibelheim. If we can find some way to fill her container with mako and then freeze that mako, we can render her immobile should she become active again. Then we won't have to worry about parts of her breaking free while she's being moved."
Rufus nods. "We can run some tests, but we have at least a year or two to figure it out. In the meantime, we can talk to Cid about the spaceship the next time he and Barret stop by."
"Hey! Looks like your boyfriend is here for you!"
Garrett's words and booming laugh draw Cloud's attention away from his nearly-finished sandwich and he looks up to see Zack coming through the entrance of the cadet cafeteria. Turning his attention back to the red-head, he rolls his eyes for his roommate to see and says, "Zack is not my boyfriend." He swallows the last bite of his sandwich, though. The red-head was at least right about one thing – if Zack was here, he was no doubt here for Cloud.
Garrett raises an eyebrow and Logan snorts from next to him – traitor. "Oh? That picture of the two of you would suggest otherwise." All three of his roommates had teased him relentlessly about that picture when he got back from the plate ("So… You and Zack Fair, huh?") and it certainly didn't seem like he was going to live it down anytime soon either.
Sighing exasperatedly to illustrate just how ridiculous this all was, he tries to reason with the red-head – again. "Dude, I told you before – he was just showing me how to play a game." He realizes how the picture looks (and had blushed quite violently the first time he saw it), but there was honestly nothing to it. He wishes people would just mind their own business. He would also love it if Zack's fellow SOLDIERs would stop winking at him every time they see him.
"Some game."
Cloud just glares at Garrett, the smirk never leaving the other cadet's face. Colin chooses that inopportune moment to giggle at them and then full-out laughs when Cloud throws an incredulous look his way. Yup. Never living this down.
"Cloooudy!" Zack had reached their table and was now smiling brightly down at him. Well, this certainly wouldn't help the rumors. "You don't have patrol tonight, right?"
"Uh… That's right." He's not really sure how Zack knows his schedule, but heck if he was going to ask in front of his roommates. The same roommates who were still making fun of him for accidentally straddling the SOLDIER the other day. Nope. Better not to bring it up.
If possible, Zack's smile grows. "Awesome! I just got Chocobo Quest III! Wanna play with me?"
Logan kicks Garrett before he can finish what would no doubt have been "Of course he wants to play with you!" Feeling rather grateful for the assist, Cloud guesses he should rescind that 'traitor' from earlier. "Yeah, sure. As long as you don't make any Chocobo references." That is one thing he would not negotiate on.
He's not sure how anybody could go from smiling so wide their cheeks must hurt to pouting in the blink of an eye, but Zack certainly manages it. "Aww, come on! Just one!"
"No."
Zack sighs. "Fine, fine." As if just noticing his roommates, Zack runs a hand through his hair and smiles sheepishly. "Oh! You guys don't mind, right?"
Logan and Colin are the nice ones and just shake their heads. But Garrett – Garrett has a smirk on his face that promises nothing but trouble. "Not at all. He's all yours."
If Zack catches on, he doesn't say anything. Instead he throws out a "Fantastic!" and pulls Cloud from his seat, wide smile back on his face. Cloud glares at Garrett in warning as they leave, but the red-head just waggles his eyebrows in response.
"No more run-ins with Johnson?" Zack asks after the door to his apartment has closed, voice sounding a bit strained.
"W-what? No, o-of course not." Cloud really does try, but from the frown on the other teen's face, he failed miserably. Technically, it's not really a lie, though.
"Cloud."
He sighs. "I didn't run into him. I just saw him coming in the main entrance earlier today. Commander Hewley told me never to be alone with him, so I hid." Totally doesn't sound lame that way, right? No need to tell Zack that he had panicked, too.
Realization dawns on the other teen's face. "Ohh. So that's why you were in the parking garage."
Wait. What?
"How did you know I was in the parking garage?" Cloud hadn't told anybody about that.
Rubbing the back of his head and smiling apologetically, as if not realizing he had spoken aloud, Zack says, "Nanaki and Master Bugenhagen said they saw you."
"Who?"
"Old man that uses a green orb to fly and this talking lion… or was he a dog?" Zack responds, face scrunched up in thought. "Oh! Wait! Other way around! Nanaki is the lion or dog or whatever and Master Bugenhagen is the old man."
"Oh. Them…" He should have known. They definitely acted like they knew him.
Before he can try to figure out why those two were talking to Zack anyway – he really hopes they weren't talking about him during their meeting with the President, as strange as that would be – Zack is dragging him into the living room. "Well, anyway, let's play some games!" The other teen says, pulling out Chocobo Quest III. He looks at the cover of the game – which Cloud can see has a rather large Chocobo on it – then back to Cloud. "You know – "
"Remember, Zack. Absolutely no Chocobo references."
Zack pouts again, but doesn't test his luck, starting up the game with an exaggerated "Fiiiiine…" He passes Cloud a controller and then makes himself comfortable on the couch. When Cloud hovers too long and too awkwardly – not used to being invited…well, anywhere – Zack tugs him wordlessly onto the couch next to him.
Zack insists that Cloud play as the main character – the hero – and no amount of protesting changes his mind. For himself, Zack chooses the hero's appointed knight, throwing Cloud a cheeky "Don't worry, Spike! I got your back!" That cheerful admission brings a fresh wave of sorrow, but Cloud has no time to dwell on it, thrust into the game as he is. Once started, he is pleasantly surprised to find that they work extremely well together, solving puzzles with ease and covering each other in battle. Zack, on the other hand, acts as if he totally expected this outcome – "I knew we'd make a great team!"
The premise of the game itself seems rather silly to Cloud – a hero blessed by the Godsbird (a giant Chocobo affectionately dubbed 'Fat Chocobo' by fans) embarks on a quest to save the land from the evil Behemoth King. Cloud finds that he enjoys playing it anyway. Or perhaps it's just because it's Zack that he's playing it with.
When they get tired of that one, they switch to Tonberry Kart. Cloud finds that the sight of the Tonberries in their little go-karts is equal parts adorable and absolutely terrifying. The monsters still hold their knives while driving – which doesn't seem safe at all – their lanterns hanging on a hook off the driver's right.
A knock on the door pulls Angeal away from tending to his plants. Sighing, he crosses to the entrance of his apartment – there was only one person who ever visited this late. "Genesis. For the last time, the plants are staying. I don't mind the bugs." He bites out, exasperated, as he opens his front door.
Except the person standing on the other side is most definitely not Genesis.
"Sephiroth?"
"May I speak with you?"
"Oh… yeah. Sure." Not sure what to make of this, Angeal steps out of the way to let Sephiroth through, closing the door behind him. Belatedly realizing that he still has a watering can in his hand, he sets that down on the table near the door and leads the other SOLDIER further into the apartment.
Gesturing for Sephiroth to make himself comfortable, Angeal continues into the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"
"I think Jenova might be active again."
Dropping the tin of tea in his hand, Angeal whirls around to find that Sephiroth had followed him into the kitchen. "What? I'll call Genesis and Zack!" They need to inform the President, too. This was bad…
"No!" Taken aback by the pleading note in Sephiroth's voice, Angeal gives the other a questioning look. "I wanted to talk with you first in case I was wrong." Sephiroth admits, looking rather uncomfortable.
Angeal definitely doesn't think this was the right course of action, but he guesses he can understand not wanting to go to Genesis first. He also can't deny the pride that floods through him at the realization that Sephiroth trusts him the most in this situation. Alright, he could triage this. "Is Jenova talking to you?"
"No."
"Then, do you feel like you're losing control of your actions?"
Sephiroth considers that for a moment before shaking his head and responding, "No."
"Hmm. Do you feel the urge to destroy all life on Gaia and then use the planet as a vessel to sail the cosmos?"
"Of course not." Sephiroth responds, with a hint of irritated incredulity as if he hadn't tried that exact same thing the first time around.
Angeal sighs. Well this isn't getting him anywhere. He wishes he had had the foresight to have tea ready. Even if Sephiroth didn't want any, he could use a cup himself right now. "Ok… Why do you think Jenova might be active again?"
"When Genesis said he was going to marry Cloud, I felt a strong wave of possessiveness and almost told him to back off. That Cloud was mine."
.
.
.
All Angeal can do is stare at the other SOLDIER, not quite believing his ears. Sephiroth, for his part, fidgets under the scrutiny, but Angeal is too far gone to realize how strange that is – Sephiroth never fidgets.
"Angeal? Are you alright?"
No, he's not alright. Forget the tea. He's going to need something stronger after this conversation. "So… You think Jenova might be returning because you were feeling possessive of Cloud?"
"I haven't felt that way since Jenova."
"But you're not feeling any destructive or genocidal urges?"
"No."
"And you don't want to hurt Cloud again?"
"Definitely not."
Angeal sighs and runs a hand down his face. Luckily, he has some SOLDIER-proof liquor in his apartment – he was going to need it. How could somebody so smart still be so dumb at the same time? "Sephiroth. That's not Jenova."
"Oh?"
"That's called having a crush. May I remind you, though, that he is still only 14 years old."
