![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Butterfly Effect: Chapter 20
Authors: Bard Linn and Kiraya
Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: "Happy Birthday, kid."
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 20
“Why was Cloud here?” Zack asked, seemingly ignoring Sephiroth’s last sentence. His actions proved otherwise, though, as he swiftly stepped into his superior’s inner office, closing the door behind him.
“He was… apologizing. For creating a rift between us.” Sephiroth’s tone held just the slightest touch of wondering disbelief.
Zack’s eyes widened, and he dropped his head into his hand with a huge sigh. “That kid… I swear. Most of the time he’s perfectly calm and clear-headed, but once he gets emotionally involved with something, he falls all to pieces. I trust you assured him it wasn’t his fault?”
“Yes, though I’m not entirely sure he believes me.”
“Heh.” Zack shook his head. “Well, if anyone was at fault here, it was me. You were right, Seph; I was being irrational.” The dark-haired man watched the General’s shoulders relax minutely, the only sign of his relief. “I’m sorry I snapped like that. Cloud’s not the only one who falls over his own feet when he gets upset.”
“Indeed,” Sephiroth replied, eyes downcast in what Zack knew was an unspoken apology of his own. He couldn’t help admiring his superior’s ability to say so much with so little, though if he’d asked he would’ve learned his friend was just as amazed by Zack’s ability to read him so well.
“In any case,” Zack said after a moment, plopping down on one of the chairs before Sephiroth’s desk and resisting the urge to put his feet up, “this entire incident has definitely made something clear to me: The kid needs experience with other styles of fighting.” He looked both proud and petulant. “He’s got my style figured out upside down and sideways by now. If he doesn’t get someone new to spar with, he’s going to go crazy.”
“He’s learned all you can teach him already?” Sephiroth inquired, clearly disbelieving.
“I have been working with him for over a year,” Zack reminded his superior. “And while yeah, there’s plenty more I could still teach him, most of it’s nothing he could handle unenhanced. Shiva, half the time I forget he isn’t enhanced when I’m fighting him.” Zack wasn’t outstandingly skilled with the sword, though the weight of his massive Buster didn’t really allow for much finesse anyway (other than a few tricks that looked cool but were a bit too complicated for battle). Most SOLDIERs were the same way, tending to rely on their greater strength, speed, and stamina to make up for it, using their enhancements to pull off moves and combos that ordinary people would die trying.
“Ah.” The other man nodded in understanding. “From my observations, he does seem a most promising candidate. I would not mind working with him a little more myself.”
Zack firmly quashed any jealousy he might have felt — he hadn’t gotten one-on-one training with the General, after all — and considered it. “Well… he has a two-hour slot open Sunday afternoons. I’m usually meeting with squad leaders then, and he isn’t busy with… anyone else.” Neither his regular instructors nor Valentine. “It’s during your normal office hours, but if you shifted those…”
“That will work perfectly, I expect.” Sephiroth almost smiled. “Thank you, Zack.”
“Right,” Zack responded, smiling crookedly. After a moment, he cleared his throat, rising. “Well, I better get back to work. I’ll have to see who else is available to work with Cloud during our normal time slot.” Zack’s eyes took on an unholy gleam. “I can’t wait till he’s enhanced, though. Then things will get really interesting.”
Sephiroth shook his head at his subordinate’s almost predatory expression. “You expect he’ll make it, then.”
Zack grinned. “I’d bet good money on it!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was just Cloud’s luck that he got stuck on duty for his birthday.
SOLDIER cadets served relatively few shifts of duty because of how much time they spent in training, though those who misbehaved were often punished with nasty assignments no one else wanted, late in the night and in the most remote parts of the compound. However, as fate would have it, Cloud’s turn came up on August 11th, must to his disgruntlement.
Luckily, his shift had been an uneventful one, allowing him to escape back to his room early. He’d already had his early-morning session with Zack, worked out in the gym, and waded through the crowded mess hall to grab what passed for “dinner” around here before reporting for duty. Now, finally, he had a bit of time to himself. Walking over to his foot locker, he pulled out the thick envelope that had arrived a few days ago. Bearing multiple stamps and marks of transit, the plain piece of paper had a return address in the Nibelheim.
Cloud grinned. His mother never forgot his birthday, even when he had himself. When he had turned six he’d gleefully announced the day to Vincent, to which the Turk had merely replied that he had best not expect a break in training because of it. After that Cloud had never mentioned it again, taking a cue from his mentor that birthdays weren’t all that important, but his mother never, ever forgot to do something special on that day. He had waited to open the letter until now, just to continue that tradition.
Much to his surprise, there was another envelope inside, addressed to him in a different, albeit vaguely familiar, hand. Setting it aside, Cloud read his mother’s letter first.
15 July 468.
Dearest Cloud,
Happy birthday! I hope this letter makes it to you on time. You can never tell with the mail any more.
I’m perfectly fine, and Tifa has been a great help around the house. I hope things are still going well in Midgar. I’m glad to hear your friend enjoyed the seeds I sent; I hope you get to see some of the flowers.
You might be interested to know that absolutely nothing has changed around here. The entire village is still in a tizzy over your “engagement” to Tifa. Her father is definitely not happy with the idea, though he hasn’t actually come out and said anything to me about it. His sister took care of that problem, I think. I always knew it was a good thing I made friends with Minerva.
I wasn’t sure what to get you this year. You’ll be growing quickly now, I expect, and I must confess I don’t really know what a fighter needs. I’ve put some gil in the envelope. Please, buy something that will make you happy or go out with your friends. Don’t send the money back to me. Honestly, I’m your mother. I’m supposed to take care of you, not the other way around!
Loving you always,
Mom.
Cloud shook his head, smiling. Maybe he did send his mother too much money, but… well, he couldn’t help worrying about her when he couldn’t be there to help look after her! He counted the money, eyes widening at the large sum, far more than he would need to go out to eat. He really shouldn’t accept this… but maybe he could use at least some of it to send his mother a nice present for her own birthday.
Opening the other envelope, Cloud got a bit of a surprise.
Cloud,
Your mom pointed out that it would be a bit weird if we didn’t write each other, so she asked me to write a letter for her to send.
Um, I really don’t know what to say. Things have been as quiet as always, really. No monster attacks or unexpected arrivals of ShinRa personnel. I’ve been practicing a lot. I wish you were here, though; it’d be nice to have someone else to learn from. I’m still trying to figure out that kick you used in our fight. I think I’m pretty close!
Oh, my master — Zangan, I think I mentioned him — knows the truth about our “engagement.” I don’t know if you’ve ever met him, but I think you’d like him. He won’t let it slip. Said I should have asked you before telling my dad that we were engaged, though.
I’m still sorry about that.
If you get a chance, I’d love to hear about Midgar. It’s so far away from here! Maybe someday I could come visit. I’d love that.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Tifa Lockhart.
Cloud blinked as he reread the letter. He sure hadn’t expected Tifa, of all people, to write him. Still… he probably should write her a letter one of these days. It would make his mother happy, for one thing, not to mention it might be a good idea to give Tifa a realistic perspective of what life outside Nibelheim was like.
Those two letters were all of his birthday gifts. Nothing from Vincent, though Cloud suspected he had remembered the date. Giving birthday presents wasn’t normal for the former Turk, though; he gave useful things as they were needed, not frivolous trinkets on the day one celebrated the anniversary of one’s birth. Cloud only wished he could have visited Aeris today; seeing her would have made his day complete. She was so insightful, wise, kind, beautiful…
Glaring at the clock, which now proclaimed it to be 2130, Cloud quickly changed and climbed into bed. Morning would come all too soon, and he had a meeting with Vincent for another trip into the slums.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Hey, Cloud…”
He kept his eyes closed as he let awareness of his surroundings filter in. He wasn’t in his bed, and for a moment couldn’t recall why, until—
Training, last night. Zack had pushed him hard, harder and longer than usual, and when they had finally quit for the evening Cloud had been so exhausted that Zack, ignoring his protests, had carted his apprentice back to his room and dumped him on the couch, insisting that he could spend the night there and of course it wasn’t a problem, for Gaea’s sake, that’s what friends are for, you know?
“What time is it, Zack?” he asked.
“I think it’s…” The SOLDIER trailed off as he moved away for a moment. “Yeah, it’s about 0430.”
A sigh. “…We still have half an hour before reveille. Why are you waking me up? And for that matter, why are you up?”
“I’ve got a surprise for you.” Zack’s voice had that tone to it suggesting he was insufferably pleased with himself.
In Cloud’s experience, this almost inevitably meant trouble.
“It can wait.” And with that, he rolled over, careful not to slide off the couch as he did so.
“But there’s chocolate…”
“It’s too early for chocolate,” Cloud said with a note of finality as he pulled his blanket up closer to his chin. Silence followed this pronouncement, and for a moment he dared hope that was the end of that.
“Too early for chocolate?” came the other’s voice, rising in righteous anger. “Too early for chocolate?”
No such luck, it seemed.
“Cloud Strife, I find myself utterly appalled at such a grievous oversight in your education,” his SOLDIER friend declared, deadly serious. “If there is only one thing you learn today, let it be this: it is never too early for chocolate.”
Cloud scowled. So much for trying to squeeze in a little extra sleep… “All right, all right…”
“Does that mean you’re finally going to— oh! So that’s where the remote— hey!”
The angle was awful, and aiming with just the sound of Zack’s voice as his guide was hard, but Cloud guessed from the cry of indignation that his prize, found lurking in the depths of the couch cushions, had at least come close to hitting his assailant.
“Well, if that’s how you want to play…” And then his blanket was snatched away from him, and Cloud tumbled off the couch and grabbed the nearest thing at hand as he lunged at his laughing friend, who brandished the blanket like a sorry excuse for a whip—
“Have we come at a bad time?”
Zack straightened, lowering his blanket as he beamed towards the door. “There you are! I was wondering when you’d get here.”
Cloud followed his gaze. “Vincent?” he asked, startled.
“Good morning, Cloud,” his mentor replied smoothly, ignoring their antics.
Cloud dropped the cake server he’d attacked Zack with, snapping off a salute as he saw who stood behind the former Turk. “General Sephiroth, sir!” He was suddenly acutely aware of the disheveled state of his training garb, and surreptitiously tried to smooth the wrinkles out of it with his other hand.
“At ease, Cadet Strife,” said the General, inclining his head.
Cloud relaxed a little, casting a confused glance at Zack, who grinned from ear to ear. “Happy birthday, kid.”
The blond blinked. Now that he wasn’t completely focused on repaying his dark-haired friend for such a rude awakening, he did indeed notice streamers and a banner on one wall, and there on the coffee table was an enormous chocolate cake. “Um… thanks, Zack, but you really didn’t have to do this, because it’s… well…” He smiled crookedly, slightly embarrassed. “It’s not my birthday.”
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow; Vincent’s face was even more carefully expressionless than usual.
Zack’s grin faded a little. “…It isn’t?”
Cloud shook his head. “It was last week, the eleventh.”
“But… your file says…” The SOLDIER trailed off, narrowing his eyes at Vincent. “Why didn’t you say something, then? You can’t tell me you didn’t know—”
The gunman looked up from a meticulous examination of his claw-hand. “Come again?” His voice was mild, as perfectly level as always.
Cloud stared at him for a moment; then, suddenly, he smiled broadly.
“What’s so funny?” Zack demanded petulantly.
“Oh, nothing.” Trust Vincent to pull that kind of thing, deliberately omitting information like that… and the fact that it was Zack, who prided himself on being such a know-it-all when it came to his friends, made it even better.
Seeing the cadet would offer nothing more, Zack made a face and set about trying to persuade Sephiroth to use his position of authority to fix this grievous bookkeeping error as soon as possible.
Still grinning, Cloud turned to his mentor. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
Vincent merely quirked an eyebrow at him, but his student had known him long enough that his answer was still perfectly clear.
Cloud almost hugged him then, but that teenage awkwardness and the presence of the SOLDIERs held him back, and so he said instead, “I’m glad you could be here.”
Vincent inclined his head. “As am I,” he replied sincerely.
Cloud smiled.
“All right, then,” Zack said briskly as he turned back towards them, having successfully swayed his superior officer, who stood with his arms crossed, the look in his eyes somewhere between amused and resigned. “Who wants cake?”
As Cloud recalled it later, it was quite a surreal experience, sitting around in his rumpled training sweats eating his birthday cake with his three teachers. Zack did an admirable job of keeping the conversation going, though it inevitably drifted back to Cloud’s training more than once. It was a little odd to hear the SOLDIERs debating techniques for teaching their blond protégé, and downright shocking when Vincent asked Sephiroth if they could borrow some of his more mature materia for practice purposes. As the General gave a short nod in acquiescence, Vincent rose, excusing himself.
The pang of disappointment Cloud felt faded into confused curiosity as the former Turk pressed something into his hand. “You’ll need this,” was all he said before whisking silently out the door.
Zack shook his head. “Unnerves me every time,” he muttered, then turned to Cloud. “So, whatcha got there?”
The cadet opened his hand, and a sturdy golden armlet gleamed softly in the light. Holding it up, he examined it closely. There were two pairs of linked materia slots in the bracer, lined and encircled by a fine tracery of the same silvery metal that he’d seen in the hilt of the General’s Masamune, on the magazine of Vincent’s gun, and in the broad blade of Zack’s Buster Sword.
“Good armor for a future SOLDIER,” his dark-haired friend said approvingly. “What do you think, Seph?”
“May I?” the General asked Cloud, and the blond dutifully handed his present over to undergo Sephiroth’s intense scrutiny.
“The ShinRa Alpha, standard-issue equipment for special ops and SOLDIERs Second Class, is superior, but this piece is certainly a cut above the ShinRa Beta issued to low-ranking mundane officers and SOLDIERs Third Class. In addition to offering a far greater magical defense and an additional linked materia slot, it should bestow a slight increase in evasive capabilities, which neither ShinRa-manufactured armor offers.”
Cloud blinked.
“He knows equipment better than just about anyone, ‘sides the quartermasters,” Zack told his student proudly. “So, General, your verdict?”
Sephiroth returned the armlet to the cadet. “It should serve you well,” he told the young man, and rose smoothly to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bookkeeping error to correct, among other things.”
His aide looked as if he were about to protest, but thought better of it. “All right,” he allowed, sighing a little. “Just don’t work too hard.” He received a shake of the head in response. “See you later?”
The silver-haired man paused for a moment, then shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said noncommittally, then nodded briefly at Cloud. “Cadet Strife. Enjoy your leave.” And with that, he was gone.
“…I’m on leave?” the blond asked.
“Just for today, and I am too. And no, that doesn’t mean we’re spending the whole day in the gym, either,” the dark-haired man told him firmly.
“Not the whole day,” Cloud hastened to reassure him. “I’d still like to get in a little practice, though…”
Zack looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well… I suppose we could train a bit today…”
The cadet brightened immediately. “Great! I’ll just grab a quick breakfast from the mess, then, and take a shower, since I never got one last night, and then I’ll meet you—”
“Hey, hey, easy there!” Zack shook his head, grinning. “I’ll let you go grab a shower, but why don’t you come back here after and I’ll make us something? Since you don’t think chocolate cake is an appropriate breakfast,” he teased.
“It isn’t,” Cloud insisted stubbornly as he left… but he was still smiling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Sometimes,” Cloud said sourly as they started cleaning up Zack’s apartment that night, “I wonder if you shouldn’t have been a Turk instead.”
“Why, Cloud!” the SOLDIER exclaimed, his eyes sparkling despite the affronted tone of his voice. “What in Gaea’s name would ever make you say something like that?”
“You being a sneaky, manipulative bastard, that’s what.”
The dark-haired man grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Cloud threw a plastic cup at him.
Upon returning to Zack’s quarters after his shower that morning, he’d been pleasantly surprised to find that the SOLDIER had kept his word, preparing delicious scrambled eggs and wonderfully seasoned home fries (“Don’t look so surprised; in Wutai pretty much all of us picked up a thing or two about cooking”). They both ate heartily, and after the meal Zack had presented Cloud with a strange little knickknack the younger man had examined in confusion until the SOLDIER explained its purpose (“They used to have these things at the inn back home; what you gotta do is figure out how to get that metal ring there off the rest of it without breaking anything”). Cloud had then happily proceeded to become thoroughly engrossed in it while Zack puttered around his kitchenette, one of the perks of being a First Class.
“There,” the SOLDIER had said finally, a note of satisfaction in his voice.
Cloud had looked up from his puzzle then, blinking in surprise at what he saw. “Zack, what’s all this food—?”
Just then a knock came at the door.
Zack smiled in a way that should’ve set off the warning bells in his head. “‘Scuse me,” he said, and went to answer it.
And that was how Cloud ended up spending most of his day “training” with a bunch of SOLDIERs, at least half of whose names he’d already forgotten. They drifted in and out of Zack’s quarters and chatted with each other and even him, cheerfully wishing him a happy birthday — for which he always thanked them politely before adding that it wasn’t actually his birthday, directing a sharp, brilliant smile in Zack’s direction and leaving him, slightly embarrassed, to explain the situation. Cloud knew it was petty, but it was nice to be able to get back at his teacher even in some small way.
By 2100 the party was pretty much over, the apartment empty except for Zack, his apprentice, and a whole mess of disposable cups, paper plates, and plastic utensils. The SOLDIER had protested when Cloud started to help with the cleanup, but the blond stubbornly insisted that just because the party had been for him didn’t mean he could sit back and let Zack clean it all by himself, even if it had been really low of him to play the “training” trick.
They had been at it for about half an hour when there came a brisk knock at the door.
Cloud tensed automatically, waiting for Zack to call out that he’d get it. When he hadn’t heard it after a long pause, he stepped out into the living room. “Zack?”
The dark-haired man was sitting on the couch, eyes closed, a crooked stack of dirty plates in one hand. A moment’s careful observation led the cadet to conclude that Zack had, in fact, dozed off.
Cloud let out a loud sigh of frustration. Even if Zack had gotten up at who knew what unholy hour of the morning to start putting all this together, it was totally unfair of him to do this.
He pursed his lips, the barest glint of mischief in his eye. How to wake him up again…
The knock came again, and Cloud hurried to answer it. “I’m sorry,” he began in a hushed voice as he opened the door, “but— General Sephiroth, sir!”
“At ease,” the silver-haired man told him. “May I come in?”
The blond had already stepped back automatically to give him room. “Zack’s, um, fallen asleep, sir,” he said apologetically, nodding towards the couch as he closed the door, “but I could wake him up, if you need him for something…” Please say yes please say yes please say yes -
“That won’t be necessary, thank you,” Sephiroth replied. He looked at his sleeping aide for a moment, then shook his head, his gaze sweeping the room.
Damn. Cloud made a face and hurriedly started cleaning again. “I’m sorry about the mess—”
“Don’t be,” the General interrupted. After a moment, he added, “Most SOLDIERs aren’t particularly neat to begin with, and in large groups…” He shrugged a little.
Cloud nodded but didn’t stop, continuing his work even as Sephiroth stood there, quietly watching. A few minutes later, he cleared his throat. “Can I get you anything, sir? There’s still some food left…”
“I’m fine, thank you.” A pause, then: “Please tell me Zachary has not made you clean up after a party held in your honor.”
“No, he didn’t,” the cadet replied, shooting a venomous look at the snoozing SOLDIER on the couch. “If he had his way, I wouldn’t even have helped, but I just didn’t feel right sitting there and letting him do it all by himself, even if it was a party I didn’t want.”
“…I see.”
Cloud wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting the General to do next, but stepping forward after a moment to start helping was certainly not it. “Please, sir, don’t trouble yourself,” he said quickly. “You didn’t make any of this mess, and you didn’t even get any of the food, so it really wouldn’t be—”
Sephiroth shook his head as he deposited several cups into a large garbage bag. “I’ve long since gotten used to cleaning up after our mutual acquaintance,” he replied dryly. “Unfortunately, he’s never been particularly—”
“I’m orderly enough,” commented the subject of their discussion, his eyes still closed. “You’re just a total neat freak, is all.”
“You…” Cloud glared at him. “You were faking it!” he accused hotly. “You were really awake this whole time, weren’t you?”
“I was just taking a short break — a power nap,” replied Zack, his expression perfectly innocent. “I figured you could handle things by yourself for a little while, but… well, your worrying woke me up.” He grinned.
The blond scowled, looking very much torn between tackling the SOLDIER or throwing something in his frustration. Deciding upon the former, he launched himself at the dark-haired man, fists flying.
Zack, being Zack, merely laughed, using his superior strength to easily restrain his apprentice. “No wrestling matches until you get into SOLDIER, all right?” he told his captive, still grinning. “You may be on the small side, but you’re not small enough to slip away from me, and when it comes down to brute strength, well…”
Cloud squirmed fruitlessly. “Zack—!”
Sephiroth bit back a sigh. “If you would stop playing around,” he said crisply, “we just might be able to finish straightening up this disaster area before tomorrow morning.”
“Yessir!” Zack unceremoniously dumped Cloud onto the couch, jumping to his feet. “Shall we, birthday boy?”
“You’re impossible,” the younger man declared, running a hand through his hair, which was even wilder than usual from their tussle, in an attempt to fix it.
“‘S part of the job description,” came the cheerful reply.
Sephiroth caught Cloud’s eye, shaking his head as his gaze shifted to Zack; in reply, the cadet let out a sigh of exasperation, but he had to work to hold back his smile as they got started.
All in all, he thought, there were worse ways to spend an evening of leave.
Previous Chapter | Archive | Author's Notes and Outtakes | Next Chapter
Read Comments | Leave a Comment
Genre: General/Drama
Pairings: None, at the moment.
Rating (Overall): PG-13
Summary: "Happy Birthday, kid."
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all associated characters and symbols are the exclusive property of Square Enix and its associates. We’re just borrowing them for a while.
Chapter 20
“Why was Cloud here?” Zack asked, seemingly ignoring Sephiroth’s last sentence. His actions proved otherwise, though, as he swiftly stepped into his superior’s inner office, closing the door behind him.
“He was… apologizing. For creating a rift between us.” Sephiroth’s tone held just the slightest touch of wondering disbelief.
Zack’s eyes widened, and he dropped his head into his hand with a huge sigh. “That kid… I swear. Most of the time he’s perfectly calm and clear-headed, but once he gets emotionally involved with something, he falls all to pieces. I trust you assured him it wasn’t his fault?”
“Yes, though I’m not entirely sure he believes me.”
“Heh.” Zack shook his head. “Well, if anyone was at fault here, it was me. You were right, Seph; I was being irrational.” The dark-haired man watched the General’s shoulders relax minutely, the only sign of his relief. “I’m sorry I snapped like that. Cloud’s not the only one who falls over his own feet when he gets upset.”
“Indeed,” Sephiroth replied, eyes downcast in what Zack knew was an unspoken apology of his own. He couldn’t help admiring his superior’s ability to say so much with so little, though if he’d asked he would’ve learned his friend was just as amazed by Zack’s ability to read him so well.
“In any case,” Zack said after a moment, plopping down on one of the chairs before Sephiroth’s desk and resisting the urge to put his feet up, “this entire incident has definitely made something clear to me: The kid needs experience with other styles of fighting.” He looked both proud and petulant. “He’s got my style figured out upside down and sideways by now. If he doesn’t get someone new to spar with, he’s going to go crazy.”
“He’s learned all you can teach him already?” Sephiroth inquired, clearly disbelieving.
“I have been working with him for over a year,” Zack reminded his superior. “And while yeah, there’s plenty more I could still teach him, most of it’s nothing he could handle unenhanced. Shiva, half the time I forget he isn’t enhanced when I’m fighting him.” Zack wasn’t outstandingly skilled with the sword, though the weight of his massive Buster didn’t really allow for much finesse anyway (other than a few tricks that looked cool but were a bit too complicated for battle). Most SOLDIERs were the same way, tending to rely on their greater strength, speed, and stamina to make up for it, using their enhancements to pull off moves and combos that ordinary people would die trying.
“Ah.” The other man nodded in understanding. “From my observations, he does seem a most promising candidate. I would not mind working with him a little more myself.”
Zack firmly quashed any jealousy he might have felt — he hadn’t gotten one-on-one training with the General, after all — and considered it. “Well… he has a two-hour slot open Sunday afternoons. I’m usually meeting with squad leaders then, and he isn’t busy with… anyone else.” Neither his regular instructors nor Valentine. “It’s during your normal office hours, but if you shifted those…”
“That will work perfectly, I expect.” Sephiroth almost smiled. “Thank you, Zack.”
“Right,” Zack responded, smiling crookedly. After a moment, he cleared his throat, rising. “Well, I better get back to work. I’ll have to see who else is available to work with Cloud during our normal time slot.” Zack’s eyes took on an unholy gleam. “I can’t wait till he’s enhanced, though. Then things will get really interesting.”
Sephiroth shook his head at his subordinate’s almost predatory expression. “You expect he’ll make it, then.”
Zack grinned. “I’d bet good money on it!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was just Cloud’s luck that he got stuck on duty for his birthday.
SOLDIER cadets served relatively few shifts of duty because of how much time they spent in training, though those who misbehaved were often punished with nasty assignments no one else wanted, late in the night and in the most remote parts of the compound. However, as fate would have it, Cloud’s turn came up on August 11th, must to his disgruntlement.
Luckily, his shift had been an uneventful one, allowing him to escape back to his room early. He’d already had his early-morning session with Zack, worked out in the gym, and waded through the crowded mess hall to grab what passed for “dinner” around here before reporting for duty. Now, finally, he had a bit of time to himself. Walking over to his foot locker, he pulled out the thick envelope that had arrived a few days ago. Bearing multiple stamps and marks of transit, the plain piece of paper had a return address in the Nibelheim.
Cloud grinned. His mother never forgot his birthday, even when he had himself. When he had turned six he’d gleefully announced the day to Vincent, to which the Turk had merely replied that he had best not expect a break in training because of it. After that Cloud had never mentioned it again, taking a cue from his mentor that birthdays weren’t all that important, but his mother never, ever forgot to do something special on that day. He had waited to open the letter until now, just to continue that tradition.
Much to his surprise, there was another envelope inside, addressed to him in a different, albeit vaguely familiar, hand. Setting it aside, Cloud read his mother’s letter first.
15 July 468.
Dearest Cloud,
Happy birthday! I hope this letter makes it to you on time. You can never tell with the mail any more.
I’m perfectly fine, and Tifa has been a great help around the house. I hope things are still going well in Midgar. I’m glad to hear your friend enjoyed the seeds I sent; I hope you get to see some of the flowers.
You might be interested to know that absolutely nothing has changed around here. The entire village is still in a tizzy over your “engagement” to Tifa. Her father is definitely not happy with the idea, though he hasn’t actually come out and said anything to me about it. His sister took care of that problem, I think. I always knew it was a good thing I made friends with Minerva.
I wasn’t sure what to get you this year. You’ll be growing quickly now, I expect, and I must confess I don’t really know what a fighter needs. I’ve put some gil in the envelope. Please, buy something that will make you happy or go out with your friends. Don’t send the money back to me. Honestly, I’m your mother. I’m supposed to take care of you, not the other way around!
Loving you always,
Mom.
Cloud shook his head, smiling. Maybe he did send his mother too much money, but… well, he couldn’t help worrying about her when he couldn’t be there to help look after her! He counted the money, eyes widening at the large sum, far more than he would need to go out to eat. He really shouldn’t accept this… but maybe he could use at least some of it to send his mother a nice present for her own birthday.
Opening the other envelope, Cloud got a bit of a surprise.
Cloud,
Your mom pointed out that it would be a bit weird if we didn’t write each other, so she asked me to write a letter for her to send.
Um, I really don’t know what to say. Things have been as quiet as always, really. No monster attacks or unexpected arrivals of ShinRa personnel. I’ve been practicing a lot. I wish you were here, though; it’d be nice to have someone else to learn from. I’m still trying to figure out that kick you used in our fight. I think I’m pretty close!
Oh, my master — Zangan, I think I mentioned him — knows the truth about our “engagement.” I don’t know if you’ve ever met him, but I think you’d like him. He won’t let it slip. Said I should have asked you before telling my dad that we were engaged, though.
I’m still sorry about that.
If you get a chance, I’d love to hear about Midgar. It’s so far away from here! Maybe someday I could come visit. I’d love that.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Tifa Lockhart.
Cloud blinked as he reread the letter. He sure hadn’t expected Tifa, of all people, to write him. Still… he probably should write her a letter one of these days. It would make his mother happy, for one thing, not to mention it might be a good idea to give Tifa a realistic perspective of what life outside Nibelheim was like.
Those two letters were all of his birthday gifts. Nothing from Vincent, though Cloud suspected he had remembered the date. Giving birthday presents wasn’t normal for the former Turk, though; he gave useful things as they were needed, not frivolous trinkets on the day one celebrated the anniversary of one’s birth. Cloud only wished he could have visited Aeris today; seeing her would have made his day complete. She was so insightful, wise, kind, beautiful…
Glaring at the clock, which now proclaimed it to be 2130, Cloud quickly changed and climbed into bed. Morning would come all too soon, and he had a meeting with Vincent for another trip into the slums.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Hey, Cloud…”
He kept his eyes closed as he let awareness of his surroundings filter in. He wasn’t in his bed, and for a moment couldn’t recall why, until—
Training, last night. Zack had pushed him hard, harder and longer than usual, and when they had finally quit for the evening Cloud had been so exhausted that Zack, ignoring his protests, had carted his apprentice back to his room and dumped him on the couch, insisting that he could spend the night there and of course it wasn’t a problem, for Gaea’s sake, that’s what friends are for, you know?
“What time is it, Zack?” he asked.
“I think it’s…” The SOLDIER trailed off as he moved away for a moment. “Yeah, it’s about 0430.”
A sigh. “…We still have half an hour before reveille. Why are you waking me up? And for that matter, why are you up?”
“I’ve got a surprise for you.” Zack’s voice had that tone to it suggesting he was insufferably pleased with himself.
In Cloud’s experience, this almost inevitably meant trouble.
“It can wait.” And with that, he rolled over, careful not to slide off the couch as he did so.
“But there’s chocolate…”
“It’s too early for chocolate,” Cloud said with a note of finality as he pulled his blanket up closer to his chin. Silence followed this pronouncement, and for a moment he dared hope that was the end of that.
“Too early for chocolate?” came the other’s voice, rising in righteous anger. “Too early for chocolate?”
No such luck, it seemed.
“Cloud Strife, I find myself utterly appalled at such a grievous oversight in your education,” his SOLDIER friend declared, deadly serious. “If there is only one thing you learn today, let it be this: it is never too early for chocolate.”
Cloud scowled. So much for trying to squeeze in a little extra sleep… “All right, all right…”
“Does that mean you’re finally going to— oh! So that’s where the remote— hey!”
The angle was awful, and aiming with just the sound of Zack’s voice as his guide was hard, but Cloud guessed from the cry of indignation that his prize, found lurking in the depths of the couch cushions, had at least come close to hitting his assailant.
“Well, if that’s how you want to play…” And then his blanket was snatched away from him, and Cloud tumbled off the couch and grabbed the nearest thing at hand as he lunged at his laughing friend, who brandished the blanket like a sorry excuse for a whip—
“Have we come at a bad time?”
Zack straightened, lowering his blanket as he beamed towards the door. “There you are! I was wondering when you’d get here.”
Cloud followed his gaze. “Vincent?” he asked, startled.
“Good morning, Cloud,” his mentor replied smoothly, ignoring their antics.
Cloud dropped the cake server he’d attacked Zack with, snapping off a salute as he saw who stood behind the former Turk. “General Sephiroth, sir!” He was suddenly acutely aware of the disheveled state of his training garb, and surreptitiously tried to smooth the wrinkles out of it with his other hand.
“At ease, Cadet Strife,” said the General, inclining his head.
Cloud relaxed a little, casting a confused glance at Zack, who grinned from ear to ear. “Happy birthday, kid.”
The blond blinked. Now that he wasn’t completely focused on repaying his dark-haired friend for such a rude awakening, he did indeed notice streamers and a banner on one wall, and there on the coffee table was an enormous chocolate cake. “Um… thanks, Zack, but you really didn’t have to do this, because it’s… well…” He smiled crookedly, slightly embarrassed. “It’s not my birthday.”
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow; Vincent’s face was even more carefully expressionless than usual.
Zack’s grin faded a little. “…It isn’t?”
Cloud shook his head. “It was last week, the eleventh.”
“But… your file says…” The SOLDIER trailed off, narrowing his eyes at Vincent. “Why didn’t you say something, then? You can’t tell me you didn’t know—”
The gunman looked up from a meticulous examination of his claw-hand. “Come again?” His voice was mild, as perfectly level as always.
Cloud stared at him for a moment; then, suddenly, he smiled broadly.
“What’s so funny?” Zack demanded petulantly.
“Oh, nothing.” Trust Vincent to pull that kind of thing, deliberately omitting information like that… and the fact that it was Zack, who prided himself on being such a know-it-all when it came to his friends, made it even better.
Seeing the cadet would offer nothing more, Zack made a face and set about trying to persuade Sephiroth to use his position of authority to fix this grievous bookkeeping error as soon as possible.
Still grinning, Cloud turned to his mentor. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
Vincent merely quirked an eyebrow at him, but his student had known him long enough that his answer was still perfectly clear.
Cloud almost hugged him then, but that teenage awkwardness and the presence of the SOLDIERs held him back, and so he said instead, “I’m glad you could be here.”
Vincent inclined his head. “As am I,” he replied sincerely.
Cloud smiled.
“All right, then,” Zack said briskly as he turned back towards them, having successfully swayed his superior officer, who stood with his arms crossed, the look in his eyes somewhere between amused and resigned. “Who wants cake?”
As Cloud recalled it later, it was quite a surreal experience, sitting around in his rumpled training sweats eating his birthday cake with his three teachers. Zack did an admirable job of keeping the conversation going, though it inevitably drifted back to Cloud’s training more than once. It was a little odd to hear the SOLDIERs debating techniques for teaching their blond protégé, and downright shocking when Vincent asked Sephiroth if they could borrow some of his more mature materia for practice purposes. As the General gave a short nod in acquiescence, Vincent rose, excusing himself.
The pang of disappointment Cloud felt faded into confused curiosity as the former Turk pressed something into his hand. “You’ll need this,” was all he said before whisking silently out the door.
Zack shook his head. “Unnerves me every time,” he muttered, then turned to Cloud. “So, whatcha got there?”
The cadet opened his hand, and a sturdy golden armlet gleamed softly in the light. Holding it up, he examined it closely. There were two pairs of linked materia slots in the bracer, lined and encircled by a fine tracery of the same silvery metal that he’d seen in the hilt of the General’s Masamune, on the magazine of Vincent’s gun, and in the broad blade of Zack’s Buster Sword.
“Good armor for a future SOLDIER,” his dark-haired friend said approvingly. “What do you think, Seph?”
“May I?” the General asked Cloud, and the blond dutifully handed his present over to undergo Sephiroth’s intense scrutiny.
“The ShinRa Alpha, standard-issue equipment for special ops and SOLDIERs Second Class, is superior, but this piece is certainly a cut above the ShinRa Beta issued to low-ranking mundane officers and SOLDIERs Third Class. In addition to offering a far greater magical defense and an additional linked materia slot, it should bestow a slight increase in evasive capabilities, which neither ShinRa-manufactured armor offers.”
Cloud blinked.
“He knows equipment better than just about anyone, ‘sides the quartermasters,” Zack told his student proudly. “So, General, your verdict?”
Sephiroth returned the armlet to the cadet. “It should serve you well,” he told the young man, and rose smoothly to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a bookkeeping error to correct, among other things.”
His aide looked as if he were about to protest, but thought better of it. “All right,” he allowed, sighing a little. “Just don’t work too hard.” He received a shake of the head in response. “See you later?”
The silver-haired man paused for a moment, then shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said noncommittally, then nodded briefly at Cloud. “Cadet Strife. Enjoy your leave.” And with that, he was gone.
“…I’m on leave?” the blond asked.
“Just for today, and I am too. And no, that doesn’t mean we’re spending the whole day in the gym, either,” the dark-haired man told him firmly.
“Not the whole day,” Cloud hastened to reassure him. “I’d still like to get in a little practice, though…”
Zack looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well… I suppose we could train a bit today…”
The cadet brightened immediately. “Great! I’ll just grab a quick breakfast from the mess, then, and take a shower, since I never got one last night, and then I’ll meet you—”
“Hey, hey, easy there!” Zack shook his head, grinning. “I’ll let you go grab a shower, but why don’t you come back here after and I’ll make us something? Since you don’t think chocolate cake is an appropriate breakfast,” he teased.
“It isn’t,” Cloud insisted stubbornly as he left… but he was still smiling.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Sometimes,” Cloud said sourly as they started cleaning up Zack’s apartment that night, “I wonder if you shouldn’t have been a Turk instead.”
“Why, Cloud!” the SOLDIER exclaimed, his eyes sparkling despite the affronted tone of his voice. “What in Gaea’s name would ever make you say something like that?”
“You being a sneaky, manipulative bastard, that’s what.”
The dark-haired man grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Cloud threw a plastic cup at him.
Upon returning to Zack’s quarters after his shower that morning, he’d been pleasantly surprised to find that the SOLDIER had kept his word, preparing delicious scrambled eggs and wonderfully seasoned home fries (“Don’t look so surprised; in Wutai pretty much all of us picked up a thing or two about cooking”). They both ate heartily, and after the meal Zack had presented Cloud with a strange little knickknack the younger man had examined in confusion until the SOLDIER explained its purpose (“They used to have these things at the inn back home; what you gotta do is figure out how to get that metal ring there off the rest of it without breaking anything”). Cloud had then happily proceeded to become thoroughly engrossed in it while Zack puttered around his kitchenette, one of the perks of being a First Class.
“There,” the SOLDIER had said finally, a note of satisfaction in his voice.
Cloud had looked up from his puzzle then, blinking in surprise at what he saw. “Zack, what’s all this food—?”
Just then a knock came at the door.
Zack smiled in a way that should’ve set off the warning bells in his head. “‘Scuse me,” he said, and went to answer it.
And that was how Cloud ended up spending most of his day “training” with a bunch of SOLDIERs, at least half of whose names he’d already forgotten. They drifted in and out of Zack’s quarters and chatted with each other and even him, cheerfully wishing him a happy birthday — for which he always thanked them politely before adding that it wasn’t actually his birthday, directing a sharp, brilliant smile in Zack’s direction and leaving him, slightly embarrassed, to explain the situation. Cloud knew it was petty, but it was nice to be able to get back at his teacher even in some small way.
By 2100 the party was pretty much over, the apartment empty except for Zack, his apprentice, and a whole mess of disposable cups, paper plates, and plastic utensils. The SOLDIER had protested when Cloud started to help with the cleanup, but the blond stubbornly insisted that just because the party had been for him didn’t mean he could sit back and let Zack clean it all by himself, even if it had been really low of him to play the “training” trick.
They had been at it for about half an hour when there came a brisk knock at the door.
Cloud tensed automatically, waiting for Zack to call out that he’d get it. When he hadn’t heard it after a long pause, he stepped out into the living room. “Zack?”
The dark-haired man was sitting on the couch, eyes closed, a crooked stack of dirty plates in one hand. A moment’s careful observation led the cadet to conclude that Zack had, in fact, dozed off.
Cloud let out a loud sigh of frustration. Even if Zack had gotten up at who knew what unholy hour of the morning to start putting all this together, it was totally unfair of him to do this.
He pursed his lips, the barest glint of mischief in his eye. How to wake him up again…
The knock came again, and Cloud hurried to answer it. “I’m sorry,” he began in a hushed voice as he opened the door, “but— General Sephiroth, sir!”
“At ease,” the silver-haired man told him. “May I come in?”
The blond had already stepped back automatically to give him room. “Zack’s, um, fallen asleep, sir,” he said apologetically, nodding towards the couch as he closed the door, “but I could wake him up, if you need him for something…” Please say yes please say yes please say yes -
“That won’t be necessary, thank you,” Sephiroth replied. He looked at his sleeping aide for a moment, then shook his head, his gaze sweeping the room.
Damn. Cloud made a face and hurriedly started cleaning again. “I’m sorry about the mess—”
“Don’t be,” the General interrupted. After a moment, he added, “Most SOLDIERs aren’t particularly neat to begin with, and in large groups…” He shrugged a little.
Cloud nodded but didn’t stop, continuing his work even as Sephiroth stood there, quietly watching. A few minutes later, he cleared his throat. “Can I get you anything, sir? There’s still some food left…”
“I’m fine, thank you.” A pause, then: “Please tell me Zachary has not made you clean up after a party held in your honor.”
“No, he didn’t,” the cadet replied, shooting a venomous look at the snoozing SOLDIER on the couch. “If he had his way, I wouldn’t even have helped, but I just didn’t feel right sitting there and letting him do it all by himself, even if it was a party I didn’t want.”
“…I see.”
Cloud wasn’t entirely sure what he’d been expecting the General to do next, but stepping forward after a moment to start helping was certainly not it. “Please, sir, don’t trouble yourself,” he said quickly. “You didn’t make any of this mess, and you didn’t even get any of the food, so it really wouldn’t be—”
Sephiroth shook his head as he deposited several cups into a large garbage bag. “I’ve long since gotten used to cleaning up after our mutual acquaintance,” he replied dryly. “Unfortunately, he’s never been particularly—”
“I’m orderly enough,” commented the subject of their discussion, his eyes still closed. “You’re just a total neat freak, is all.”
“You…” Cloud glared at him. “You were faking it!” he accused hotly. “You were really awake this whole time, weren’t you?”
“I was just taking a short break — a power nap,” replied Zack, his expression perfectly innocent. “I figured you could handle things by yourself for a little while, but… well, your worrying woke me up.” He grinned.
The blond scowled, looking very much torn between tackling the SOLDIER or throwing something in his frustration. Deciding upon the former, he launched himself at the dark-haired man, fists flying.
Zack, being Zack, merely laughed, using his superior strength to easily restrain his apprentice. “No wrestling matches until you get into SOLDIER, all right?” he told his captive, still grinning. “You may be on the small side, but you’re not small enough to slip away from me, and when it comes down to brute strength, well…”
Cloud squirmed fruitlessly. “Zack—!”
Sephiroth bit back a sigh. “If you would stop playing around,” he said crisply, “we just might be able to finish straightening up this disaster area before tomorrow morning.”
“Yessir!” Zack unceremoniously dumped Cloud onto the couch, jumping to his feet. “Shall we, birthday boy?”
“You’re impossible,” the younger man declared, running a hand through his hair, which was even wilder than usual from their tussle, in an attempt to fix it.
“‘S part of the job description,” came the cheerful reply.
Sephiroth caught Cloud’s eye, shaking his head as his gaze shifted to Zack; in reply, the cadet let out a sigh of exasperation, but he had to work to hold back his smile as they got started.
All in all, he thought, there were worse ways to spend an evening of leave.
Read Comments | Leave a Comment