The Beginning is the End...

Beta’d by CaseyAnn’sPrecious

AN: *bows* I want to thank you guys that have taken the time to review. I know that this sight has a bit of a problem with that. Hell, even if you didn’t review I’d still put it up here for shits and giggles.
I’m going to let the reviewers at FF.net decide if there’s going to be any Angeal/Zack fluff, if they decide for fluff AND want to keep it T (which I doubt) then I’m just going to write the adult version here… cause that’s what this place is for lol.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chap!

Ratings, Disclaimer, and iWarning! are still the same.

Fieber
(By: Oomph!)
Chapter 10

The secretaries watched with fleeting interest as the famous trio escorted a small blond through the aisles. They were amused, and their fake pitying glances didn’t even remotely hide the smiles from their faces. Angeal’s PHS went off by the time the four came to a quieter area, and he separated from the group to receive the message while Genesis spoke to the secretary working at her desk. Then the woman gave each of them a pondering look before she buzzed them in, and Genesis took the initiative to go first.

The office was grand; the marble flooring shone as if it was just waxed, white hand-made drapes hung from the large windows, and expensive white oak framed the steal-gray walls. It was all things that Sephiroth had seen on a daily basis, and instead he kept his attention on the bickering pair in front of him.

“Shit,” Genesis murmured. The redhead was about to close the door and pretend like they never came barging in, but the fatter man in the room had noticed the younger Shinra’s distraction and turned to face them.

“Bad timing on our part,” Angeal mumbled when Heidegger unleashed a disturbing smile.

“Ah! We were just talking about you!” Heidegger said to Genesis as the four ventured further into the office.

“I’m sure.”

“If you’re not busy right now I would like to speak with you and Mr. Shinra regarding private matters, General Sephiroth too.”

“If it’s about the promotions, then my decision stands,” the Commander spoke. “Those that have not passed the test were deemed either not physically capable or mentally responsible enough.”

By the look on Heidegger’s face, it appeared Genesis hit the nail on the head. The man eyed the redhead down while trying to keep an air of superiority, but then he noticed the blond hiding behind the three. “What’s a kid doing in Mr. Shinra’s office?”

“Mr. Heidegger,” Rufus said in a warning tone, “if you would be so kind as to leave, I would like to begin my meeting with these four in private.”

Genesis grinned at the hefty man and was about to continue Shinra’s lie on having this all planned, but was interrupted as a Turk came into the office. The man quickly took in the scene of the room before he gave a small bow and greeted. “Sir.”

Heidegger scoffed at the Turk and mumbled loud enough for them all to hear as he went out, “I’ve never been into an office with such a blatant lack of respect… in my life.”

“Does everyone just come into your office uninvited?” Cloud wondered aloud.

Rufus and the Turk gave double grins, and the office doors burst open once again. A different woman came in carrying a tray of fine Wutai dishes. She looked around the room and blushed.

“Oh, please forgive my intrusion!”

“It’s quite alright, he just left,” Rufus informed.

She nodded in understanding, but the bright red color never left her face. “Do you want me to bring you any tea?”

Cloud pondered at what was asked and studied the decanter, wondering what was in it, if not tea already. It certainly didn’t smell like coffee…

Rufus declined and the woman left while carefully closing the doors. “We will not be interrupted anymore. Do you have anything of importance to inform me of?” he asked the Turk.

“No, sir, nothing that cannot wait until later. I’ll be on my way.” The man gave another short bow and left.

“My apologies,” Rufus said to the four of them, “but I prefer to be interrupted as much as possible when concerning the presence of certain people.”

“Quite understandable,” Genesis responded.

“What is it that you wish to discuss with me?” Rufus started the conversation and shuffled the new files around.

“I would like to put the promotion of Cloud Strife into consideration.”

“What?” Angeal gawked, and Sephiroth and Cloud mimicked him. That was something none of them were expecting to come out of the Commander’s mouth. Rufus calmly looked up from his desk and glanced between the redhead and the blond that was with them.

“Isn’t he the one that was recently promoted to Third? You want him to skip training and move him up to Second?” Rufus questioned.

“I witnessed most of the duel. Though there were some sloppy movements-” Sephiroth smirked as the blond threw an offended look Genesis’ way “-the overall performance was one that a ranked Third should be. He has good timing, good instincts, and his ability to take in mako is above average.”

Angeal hummed as he studied the blond a bit before giving his own thoughts on the matter. “One of the SOLDIERs recorded the spar and sent it to me on the PHS. The movements were good. I hold no disagreement to the idea.”

Sephiroth wanted to voice his distaste for the proposition aloud, but couldn’t because it would cause unwanted questions. “Surely he’s not old enough,” he said. It was the first plausible thing he could think of to end the unmerited promotion there, even if it could possibly get the other kicked out of Shinra.

“He’s seventeen.” “I’m seventeen.” Genesis and Cloud echoed, and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow to the glaring blond.

“Late growth spurt,” Cloud growled, turning his attention to the ground when their eyes met.

“He doesn’t have any of the experience that the promotion requires,” he added on. Cloud couldn’t possibly obtain what wasn’t earned, and the military would never give out ranks unfairly.

“That’s all easily fixable,” Rufus replied. “Heidegger just came down to see me about a mission especially requested for you, General. I believe he could be sent with you as a SOLDIER 3rd Class.” Before either had a chance to decline, the younger Shinra was already typing away on his computer. “I’ve just sent the files to Lazard. Speak with him to confirm the date, level, and situation.”

Genesis gave a fake sugary-coated smile to Angeal. “And since Strife has decided to take up the broadsword, I guess you’ll have a new prodigy.”

Sephiroth and Angeal both frowned at the redhead for different reasons, and Cloud scratched the back of his neck. “I guess… if that would be alright with you, Sir.”

Angeal sighed as he critiqued the blonds’ frame once more. “Well, you weren’t my first pick, but seeing as how my previous offer was declined in preference for the katana … Are you sure you don’t want the rapier?”

“I prefer the buster,” the boy quickly replied and Sephiroth rolled his eyes. Of course Cloud would want to fight with a weapon that he was already practiced in. That way the blond could make himself seem like brilliant fighter, rather than take the time to learn a more suitable one.

After a few moments of silence from the group, Rufus asked if they needed anything more from him.

“No,” Genesis said. “Well, actually, you might want to inform the janitor that there’s some light damage to the gym.”

Rufus nodded and continued on with his work.

“And, Cloud,” the redhead continued as they headed out the door, “you have litter duty on the outskirts of Junon for a month, starting from when you get back from your mission.”

“Where will the mission be?” Cloud asked.

Shinra paused in the shifting of his files to remember the name of the unfamiliar town that was in the paperwork.

“Nibelheim.”

--

The sun was past its zenith when Zack finally got back to the apartment he shared with Angeal. Fumbling with the keys, he managed to slip them in and lightly kicked the door open. The wooden frame might have been secure in appearance, but if the safety lock wasn’t in use then someone could literally kick the door right open… like he just did. And though it was fun, Angeal should really consider investing in a new door.

“Angeal!” Zack called out to the silent room as he took off his boots. “Angeal, you home?” When it didn’t seem like anyone would answer, Zack shrugged and bound up the stairs to get out of his grungy uniform.

Maybe he’s gonna be late. I should give him a call and let him know I’m home. He thought as he took out his PHS and dialed the number. He waited as it rang, but frowned when on the fifth chime it switched to auto-message.

“Hello, this is Angeal speaking. I’m not available right now so leave a message after the beep.”

Why would Angeal switch it while he was calling? He could be in a meeting, but then wouldn’t the phone have been turned off as soon as it started to ring? “Hey, Angeal, it’s Zack! Just calling to let you know my tests are done and I made it home. Bye!”

He snapped his PHS shut and slipped it back into its holder.

All of the First Class SOLDIERs were allowed to live in the apartments, and there was so much space inside that having a roommate didn’t feel cramped. Being a Second Class, Zack could only stay here because he was in the mentor program, but now that he was considered a First Class he could start pitching in for his share of the rent. He figured that it’d be cool to keep his room here, Angeal probably wouldn’t mind. The man was such an easy person to get along with: nice, smart, funny, relaxed... Zack smiled at the thought of actually being able to live with his mentor instead of just staying with him.

He paused when he reached his room, noticing that the door was ajar, which was odd because it was always kept closed. He put his hand on the wood and slowly pushed it further open, and for a moment Zack wished he hadn’t have come home so early.

Honestly, it would have probably been better to come home and see the house robbed to the point that whatever wasn’t screwed down was stolen, this was so much worse. All of his things were packed up in neat boxes and ready to go as they waited there for him on the floor, and Zack dropped his bag to allow the ground to support its sudden weight.

It had never occurred to him that Angeal wouldn’t want him to stay, and he realized that lack of thought was completely ignorance because the man was not only a Lieutenant but also stayed as a mentor like it was a second job. But Zack just… he couldn’t believe that… so soon, and even without a ‘congratulations’.

“Hey, Zack, you done in there yet?” came a call in from outside. His friends were going to take him into the city and celebrate his promotion.

Zack’s nose had somehow become congested during his thinking, but he sucked it up and hoped that it didn’t affect his voice as he hollered back at them. “Yeah, just about! Give me a few, ok?”

Maybe he wasn’t Turkish enough to instantly figure it out by the phone call, but he wasn’t dumb enough to not understand a gesture like this.

He got the hint, and he’d move his things out once he came back.

--

*Midgar - Slums*

Aerith leisurely moved the soil underneath her fingers as she lightly packed the plant back into the ground. Some people would call her strange for trying to save a weed, but it was one of the few earthly things living in this area of the world. To her it meant that Gaia had not yet abandoned this place… the people, which had been harming it. After her work was complete, she got up and rubbed her hands together in attempt to get rid of the dirt.

Out in the distance a breeze picked up, and with all her time spent in the still air of the slums Aerith could have considered the polluted air almost refreshing if it weren’t for the plastic bags it carried. It was hard to think about, but it would probably only take a few more years for her to start believing that any breeze, containing anything or not, would be pleasant. She frowned at her train of thought... she didn’t want to live here long enough to get used to that sort of thing.

The brunette reached down to pick up her basket of fresh breads to take home. She couldn’t wait to tell her mother… well, foster mother, what she had found today. Taking a deep breath, her mind drifted off and lightly felt the lifestream.

“Oh, no! I forgot to get the wine!” she complained aloud and looked up at the sky. It would be dark by the time she got back to the bar, and probably around midnight when she’d be home. Aerith thought twice about going back to the slums, but strangely enough the area wasn’t that much worse than in the daylight. The only real difference was that most of the pickpockets were already in bed.

She did promise that she’d pick the things up on her way to the markets…

Aerith gave an exaggerated sigh as she marched back into the slums and to the bar. It was her new mission: get the wine and bring it back to Mother.

--

*Junon*

Sephiroth continued to grin at Cloud long after the four of them had left the office, and he knew it was bugging the blond by the occasional muscle spasms the other gave. He was basking in the victory of getting yet another one-up on the boy in front of him, and didn’t care about paying attention to the two others arguing ahead.

Let Cloud use whatever means possible to get stronger, Sephiroth didn’t care. Let the other use whatever weapon necessary to fight suitably, he wouldn’t complain. He always had the element of fear, and by the look in Cloud’s eyes as he glared at him it was still working.

Nibelheim; it was such a simple weakness that Cloud had, and the timing was too perfect because the boy was still too weak to defend it!

Did Sephiroth really want to burn the small town again, destroy the world, and kill the one in front of him? No, but the idea that he did was running through Cloud’s mind, and who was he to inform differently? He flipped open his PHS when it went off, skimmed its information, and went down to where the date was located.

“It appears,” he said and the blond twitched from hearing his voice, “that we are heading out in a week. I’m going to… enjoy working with you, Cloud.”

Sephiroth flipped the device shut and walked away from the paled face. It was one of the few times that he had to fight in order to hold in his laughter. Only he didn’t realize just how his laugh would have sounded if it wasn’t kept contained…

--

“We’re headed this way,” the Lieutenant called out as Cloud watched Sephiroth disappear behind the corner. Only when the silver hair was no longer visible did he allow his attention to be redirected.

“Uh, yeah. Ok,” Cloud replied and followed. First Sephiroth, then the tests, now janitor duty… litter duty. He glowered as he fought off the urge to drag his feet. Would his punishment even matter after the mission to Nibelheim? Would he even be alive, or…

He frowned as a thought came to him. Wait a minute. The mission to Nibelheim had been set in the spring, but it’s close to winter right now. It’s too soon! I should have had another few months to get stronger! What could have changed!?

Hewley began explaining things once they got through the apartment door and showed him around the place. “I’ll get you a key later, but start moving your things here. You have your own room upstairs. I start training early so be up and ready at 5am sharp. I prepare meals, and the schedule should be in one of the dressers, memorize it.”

When they got up the stairs, Cloud was shown into a room that still seemed occupied.

“Zack’s things,” Hewley grumbled. “I thought he’d have moved them out by now, but I guess not. For tonight you can sleep on either the bed or the couch, whichever you prefer,” the man finished and went out into the hall. Cloud decided to pass the time by trying to find the list.

“Sir, I can’t find the schedule,” he said after he looked through everything other than what was inside the boxes.

“It’s in there… somewhere. I’ll be right back,” the Lieutenant replied and shut the door. As the door closed, sheets of pink paper were found stuck to the back of it with bright yellow masking tape. Hand drawn boxes were slapped on the pages to resemble the weekdays, and the writing that ran across the lines looked suspiciously like Zack’s ineligible scrawl. Well… it was a schedule, but Cloud raised a brow as he wondered what Zack could have possibly done to the original one.

With a roll of his eyes, he went back downstairs. “What’re you doing?” Cloud asked as he spotted the Lieutenant standing in the middle of the living room.

“Trying to get a hold of Zack,” the man replied. “Cloud… who taught you sword techniques?”

“I was taught the basics as a cadet. I’m a visual learner and saw a lot of stuff outside Shinra, but I practiced on my own,” he answered. He knew it was vague, but there were some strange rules at Shinra that Cloud didn’t quite follow. He was sure he’d have to read through the book again, but what little he did remember was that if you weren’t an Officer then you could get in trouble by teaching juniors weapon skills. So saying that he learned from watching Zack could get his friend into some serious trouble.

“Hm,” Hewley eyed him down, but nodded as the answer seemed acceptable. “Tomorrow we’ll begin at 7 to get your shots in, set your alarm clock so you can be ready by then. You can go get your things now.”

“Ok.”

--

*Midgar*

“Go find Zack, Genesis. Bring him back home, Genesis,” the redhead rambled as he walked through the slums of Midgar. He would have been searching above the plate, but through careful analyzing of complex logic that was figured out as soon as he heard the word ‘celebrate’ he knew the SOLDIERs would all be in the slums. The rules on drinking were very loose down there. If one could hold their liquor and not cause any problems, it was fine.

Genesis should have denied the request and made Angeal fix his own mess. All of this nonsense was enough to make him flirt with the idea of forgetting it all and head back to Junon. He wasn’t a babysitter for Shinra’s military, but by the time he spotted the SOLDIERs, the thought was forgotten as he watched them merrily drinking themselves into a coma.

They didn’t notice his presence when he came into the bar, so Genesis decided to sit down and have a drink as well. Besides, the more intoxicated they became, the more fun he’d have waking them up tomorrow.

A flash of gold caught the corner of his eye, and he glanced over to see someone lurking in one of the darker corners of the place. The guy didn’t seem like your normal run-of-the-mill civilian and was indiscreetly eyeing the SOLDIERs at the other end of the bar. Genesis could have just turned around and let it go, but there was something strange about that man, something very… off.

After a moment of thought, Genesis figured that he would have never known the guy was there if not for that subtle movement, and the reason there was no discretion in the other’s staring was because the man seemed used to being overlooked. Still, he didn’t like the way the man seemed to be focused on them, so Genesis downed his drink and made his way over.

“Is this seat taken?” Genesis asked as he pulled out the chair, and was startled when unnatural red eyes peered up at him from beneath the bandana. He thought the other seemed a little too old to be into such eccentric contacts, but then decided the man was wearing them as a scare tactic. Any means of psychological intimidation was popular in gangs, among other darker places in the underground.

“No,” the man spoke in a rich voice, and didn’t seem at all bothered when he sat down.

“That’s a mean looking weapon,” Genesis commented on the metal glove, and the gold appeared further up the wrist when the other’s arm pulled back into the red cloak to hide it. He wondered just how far it went. “You’re not supposed to bring those into the bar… or that firearm.”

“How did you know I had one?” the man asked, referring to the gun hiding further within the cloak.

“When you fight in enough battles, you tend to develop a feel for it,” Genesis joked and was rewarded with a throaty laugh, though he didn’t think there was much humor in what he said. Both glanced up when Zack went to go order another round, and Genesis watched as this unknown man followed the kid’s every movement. It seemed like the stranger wasn’t so much as watching the group of SOLDIERs as just one in particular. “Mr…”

“Valentine.”

“Mr. Valentine,” Genesis continued, “I would prefer it if you didn’t cause any trouble for my men over there.”

“Your men?” Valentine questioned and set his gazed on him.

“Yes, they’re SOLDIERs, as I assume you’re aware. I am their Commander, Genesis Rhapsodos.”

Valentine’s eyes contained only a blank look. Hadn’t this man heard his name before? Sure, the name Genesis wasn’t as popular as Sephiroth, but he wasn’t that far behind.

There was silence as he allowed himself to be studied by the sharp eyes, and for a moment Genesis felt an eeriness that made him think the color might be as natural as his own.

“Hey, girly, welcome back!” the bartender’s greeting from in the background broke the intensity surrounding them. “What are you doing in the slums this late at night?”

“Sorry, I forgot to ask you if you had-”

The man who called himself Valentine got up from the chair and silently left the bar. Genesis followed every movement until he was out of sight, but something suddenly felt strange. The atmosphere was different, and then he realized that the reason why he didn’t notice the man when he came in was because the other made the surroundings become almost nonexistent. The only ones he knew were capable of doing that were the Turks, and not just any Turk… the elitists, the ones that had to go through years of special training inside the special training. That man… he felt just like that type of Turk.

Genesis decided it was time to gather up the SOLDIERs and head back into Junon. Every now and then the military would have cases in which men were killed off the clock. People called it a drunken accident, but he knew better. There were people out there that hated Shinra and anyone working under them. That man might be one of them, and a new target might have been given out. He needed to get Zack back to Junon. The kid could always stay at his place if there weren’t any other options available.

Genesis dropped a few gil on the table and walked toward the loud bunch secluded in their own personal area, but by the time he got across the floor, the girl at the bar backed up.

“Oh!” she cried out, and he caught her as she stumbled into him. They were left in an embrace that could only be describe as some classic cheesy pose, and they gazed at each other for a time before she unleashed a smile radiant enough to take his breath away.

“I’m Aerith.”

To be continued…

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