Redemption

Authors Note: I can't really apologize for the long delays in updating that have continued to plague this story. My only excuse is that I get busy and put writing on the back burner. But I'm proud to announce that I have the storyboard almost completely written out, in detail, and so writing updates, at least when I have the will to write, will be 100x easier. :3

Chapter 6 - A Kiss for the Defeated

Cloud came to the realization that attempting a normal dinner with someone might be a bad idea when he was halfway to Zack's room later that night. For the past long while Cloud's life had revolved around adjusting to his new life, and having his new life work him over quite roughly. Shinra training and missions kept him preoccupied, almost sidetracking him from his real purpose. When he came to the conclusion that Jenova was the cause of most problems, that Jenova was where he should start, Cloud found that removing Jenova would be much easier said than done.

And so his days were filled with training, classes, and Shinra, his nights spent restlessly plotting and remembering. Normality was definitely not Cloud's strong point. Still, he didn't let it talk him out of standing in front of Zack's door, knocking tentatively . It only took a moment and some scrambled noises from inside before Zack whipped the door open, grinning from ear to ear at the slim cadet standing before him. Stepping back quickly so Cloud could come in, Zack's grin didn't disappear. "Glad you didn't forget to come."

Cloud, belatedly wondering if he should have brought something, toed off his shoes at the door. "I wouldn't forget."

"You seem like someone who'd get distracted with something else though." Zack chuckled while leading Cloud into his quarters. It was Shinra regulation through and through, bigger then Cloud's cadet accommodations, but third classes still didn't warrant the more spacious lodgings of a first or second class SOLDIER. The hallway from the door lead straight into a living area and then to the bedroom door. A kitchen was through a doorway on the left after you came in, and the bathroom was beside the bedroom. The living area had a couch, a coffee table, and a television. Zack had a considerable amount of books and papers spread out over the coffee table, clothes and other items adorned other flat surfaces throughout the space. It was what you would expect, really. Lead into the kitchen, Zack revealed that dinner wasn't much more than takeout from the cafeteria, but Cloud figured it was the company, not the food, that had drawn him here in the first place.

"There's some salad and stuff from the cafeteria, but I ordered a pizza, I'm heating it up a bit now as it wasn't very hot when they delivered it." Zack explained, pointing to the microwave that was in the process of heating the pizza. "And soda! Hope you don't mind it."

"That's fine, I'm sorry I didn't bring anything, it didn't occur to me--"

"I'm supposed to be treating you!" Zack smiled, reacting when the microwave beeped to pull the pizza out of it, bringing it to the table that bore the rest of the food. "A bit better then the cafeteria." Zack claimed, and Cloud sat down as Zack did, accepting the piece of pizza that Zack handed him.

While Cloud had expected things to be terribly awkward, he had once again forgot to take into account Zack's gift of continual chatter. Even though they had just seen each other, Zack found all sorts of things to talk about, from mindless gossip to a few news items he'd seen on Midgar's news station. Nothing was particularly interesting, but it filled the silence as they ate, and Cloud supposed that's all that mattered.

After a while, Zack's focus changed to Cloud, attempting to draw him into the conversation. "So Nibelheim is a small town huh? Where did you learn to fight so well? Beating up monsters in the outskirts?" Zack grinned, although both Zack and Cloud knew that it would take much more than just killing the odd fuzzy woodland creature to really learn to fight. Cloud had never planned a suitable story, so he was glad his mouth was full when Zack asked this. Taking his time to chew, Cloud's racing mind came to a suitable conclusion by the time he swallowed.

"I had a mentor, he was a very strong warrior who lived in Nibelheim. I wanted to learn how to fight, so I asked him to train me, and he did." It was a simple story, Cloud figured he could smooth over the details later when he had more time to think about it. "The sword he fought with, his materia, when he died he passed it down to me. Everything he gave to me, I..." Cloud trailed off, wondering what the Cloud of his past would have said to him would he have trained him. "I'm very grateful."

Zack was listening intently while chewing on the crust of a pizza slice he had already devoured. "It's awesome to have someone to mentor you." Zack finally said, noticing how Cloud didn't seem to want to talk about the man any longer. "Sometimes it can be stressful to have someone breathing down your neck all the time, making you work harder than you usually would, but it really pays off in the long run." Cloud nodded into his soda, and Zack smiled. "Idunno what I'd do without Angeal, if he wasn't around I probably wouldn't be in SOLDIER already."

Cloud was using his fork to push the slightly wilted cafeteria salad from one side of his plate to the other. "I don't know much about Angeal, just that he's first class." He admitted. Cloud's previous life in Shinra had been long enough ago that he supposed he had an excuse for not remembering.

"Hah, he's The General Hewley. You know that right?" Cloud hesitantly nodded, which made Zack narrow his eyes in suspicion that he was lying. Cloud knew that he had lost all the zeal he had for Shinra, for its manufactured heroes and the drive to become one of them that they force-fed their recruits. Perhaps there would have been a time when he dreamed of being someone like Angeal, revered the man for what he had accomplished, but Cloud considered it petty now, all things considered.

"Well," Zack began, not quite sure how to word it, "It's a great privilege to be trained by him. He's like, best friends with Sephiroth and Genesis. He's one of the top three. You should be, you know, awed." Zack grinned at Cloud's blank expression. Cloud paused for a moment, before attempting a suitably awed expression. The attempt brought a laugh out of Zack, if nothing else.

"Beyond that, he's an amazing fighter. He uses the same type of sword that you do. You know, the swords of the overly-compensating variety." Cloud huffed which amused Zack further. "You know you could probably learn a lot from him. We're even training tomorrow night, maybe you should drop by, I'm sure he wouldn't mind teaching someone who could actually lift Buster Sword."

Cloud was about to mention that First Sword was a light lighter than Buster Sword was, but phrasing it that way would have been quite unwise. "First Sword isn't really that heavy." He said instead. "But I'd never say no to training."

Zack stood up with a smile, quickly gathering up their used dishes and taking them to the sink. "It'll be nice to have someone to share the hell with, anyways! Maybe he'll ease up on me a bit if he's slave driving you too." Zack called from the kitchen, which made Cloud smirk.

After that, the rest of the night went easy. Zack pulled out a deck of cards, and challenged Cloud to a game that Cloud had never played before. Not minding how badly he got wiped the first few games, he started to catch on with some pointers from Zack, and managed to win a game when Zack wasn't really trying. It wasn't until Cloud looked up from his cards to notice the odd looks that Zack was giving him that he started to feel uncomfortable.

Their conversation started to lean towards more personal questions. When Zack asked if Cloud had a girlfriend, he didn't seem concerned when Cloud said he didn't, it almost seemed to encourage him, even. Still, nothing broke their string of card games until Cloud finally yawned, looking up at the clock and noting that it was later then he had expected. Strange how easily time passed when he was with Zack, unburdened by guilt and feelings of inadequacy.

Zack also noticed Cloud's yawn, and yawned himself as he mimicked Cloud, checking the clock on the wall. "Wow it's kind of late."

"I think I have a training session tomorrow morning." Cloud admitted, setting down his hand of cards after flipping them over. Zack did the same, and Cloud noticed the other's hand would have stomped his easily if Zack hadn't been playing gentle. "Kind of haven't prepared for it at all."

Zack chuckled, standing up from where he was kneeled on the floor, and offering a hand to help Cloud stand up as well. Cloud took it, and while he was straightening his clothes he didn't notice the rather lingering touch that Zack trailed across his side. Happy and starting to become tired, Cloud made his way to the door where he put on his shoes, Zack trailing behind. Shoes on, Cloud straightened, attempting a smile at the SOLDIER in front of him and succeeding. "I had a good time tonight, thanks for inviting me." Cloud said, glancing at his hands almost nervously. Zack just grinned and nodded.

"Me too, thanks for coming!"

Cloud was in the process of reaching for the door knob when Zack's reached over his shoulder to hold it closed. Curious, Cloud turned to see what Zack wanted, and was surprised when he turned into an incoming kiss. Zack's hands fell to Cloud's hips, straightening the smaller blond against him and pressing him back against the door while his lips claimed Cloud's. Cloud was stunned into immobility, taking a long few seconds to process, in which Zack had already slipped his tongue past parted dry lips to taste the warmth beyond.

Had anything like this happened between him and Zack before? No, Zack had always been close and friendly, yet wholly untouchable, someone to look up to, not someone to be kissed by. Things had changed in Zack's life, Cloud was sure. He was much more naive and unbothered by the things around him than the Zack that had protected Cloud to his dying breath. Perhaps more the hormonal teenager, as well.

There was a small grunt from Zack when the older boy opened his eyes, forehead pressed against the blonds, searching Cloud's eyes for a reaction. When all he found was partially bewildered expression, Zack breathed a laugh. "I like you. I like you as a friend." Cloud considered this and nodded, unsure of where Zack was headed with this but deciding honesty was the easiest answer to give, a little too dazed to do otherwise.

"Me too."

"I would enjoy liking you as something more though." Zack said, lifting up a hand to brush the back of his knuckles against Cloud's cheek. Cloud's questioning look didn't disappear, and finally Zack chuckled. For someone who seemed so mature, so ahead of the game in every aspect, Cloud was so transparently stupefied by what had just happened that Zack couldn't help but be amused. Releasing the smaller boy and backing away so that Cloud could open the door he was leaning against, Zack smiled. "Remember you can come by any time okay? If you ever need anything, I usually don't bother locking the door, so drop by any time you want to come to see me."

Cloud, grateful for some of the normality that suddenly seemed easier to deal with, nodded. "Alright, thank you, I will."

After exiting Zack's room, heat hit Cloud's face as he realized what had just transpired. Zack had just kissed him in the same way a guy would kiss a girl. Zack had just said that he would like to be more than just friends. Even his limited experience with the subject of romance made it easy to put two and two together. Was this a normal occurrence for people his age? Shaking his head, Cloud almost wanted to scold himself for not have figuring it out while it had actually was happening, though Zack pressed against a person made it easy to forget your common sense.

Cloud was on auto pilot when he made it back to his room and prepared himself for bed. The fact that he spent more time around test tubes then other youth during his more hormonal years made the situation a touch more surreal then it should have, but really, it wasn't a big deal. Cloud would just have to confirm what exactly Zack wanted out of him, and then he'd be able to decide if he was capable of giving it. Thoughts of his virtue or the fact that he knew nothing about what that really entailed failed to enter his mind. His hormonal youth far behind him, his ineptitude with matters of romance, and his lack of concern towards relationships in general made Cloud almost too far gone to care. Instead of stressing about it, Cloud decided that if Zack really wanted something from him, he wouldn't be shy about telling him what exactly it was, the same as he had done earlier that night.

Instead of worrying about matters further, Cloud reached into his night stand and pulled out several folded sheets of paper that he had printed off earlier that day. Clearing his mind with lists of basic military operations carried out in the Nibelheim area, Cloud focused on what was most important. Removing Jenova as a threat involved needing to know where Jenova was, and Jenova had been moved in between Nibelheim and Midgar more than once.

Basic missions carried out were available in an archive for public use as a basic library service. However this didn't cover any mission that Shinra considered the least bit confidential, and Cloud was unsurprised that the printed list only detailed the activities involving the construction and maintenance of Nibelheim mako reactor, and Shinra Manor. The reason the Manor was constructed was not publicised, neither were any of the more unsavoury uses of the Nibelheim reactors.

He needed far more detailed information than this, what Shinra released to the public was never on par with what they were actually doing. However accessing such information over Shinra's network required company cards with a much higher rank then what Cloud's bore. Of course, this problem presented a relatively easy solution, Cloud just had to get his hands on a company card that was higher in hierarchy. Formulating a loose plan that would get him into contact with such a thing, Cloud finally curled into bed satisfied that he had a course of action set.

And perhaps he would figure out things with Zack the next day during their training.

Cloud's plan to gain access to more information was delayed when had to run to his morning training class to be on time, not giving him time to institute the first stage of his plan. Though he had been looking forward to it, Cloud doubted if it was actually worth showing up, when most of the training session was nothing more than practicing basic combat stances and learning proper maintenance and care of Shinra distributed fire arms. Made more restless than anything by the class, Cloud was looking forward to an actual training session with Zack. He paid limited attention in class, to the point that when a professor asked him a question, Cloud had to get him to repeat it before he could answer.

When classes were over, Cloud was relieved, and headed straight for the training center after grabbing First Sword. He made a note to bring nothing but cure materia along with him, deciding that Angeal might not be as childishly impressed as Zack would be, and ask the wrong kind of questions.

After digesting what Zack had told him about Angeal the night before, Cloud considered that learning something from someone who had more experience on the battle field then in the classroom would be a good thing. Though by now Cloud wasn't sure there was anything he didn't know, he just had to get his body in shape to do it.

Angeal seemed to understand the need for a strong body to perform basic combat, as when Cloud entered the training center he found Zack on the floor doing push ups. And from the look of the SOLDIER, he'd been doing them for a while. Angeal didn't seemed bothered by his intrusion, and Zack lifted a hand to grin and wave, before returning to his push ups.

"Strife." Angeal finally acknowledged. "Push ups for the next five minutes." It was an order, and while Cloud had half a will to complain, he knew this also wasn't a mandatory class for cadets who didn't really want to be here doing it. This was a private training session that he had been invited to attend, and he would do what was required of him, or leave.

Moving to pull First Sword out of his sheath, Angeal interrupted. "Stop," Pointing to Zack, who Cloud belatedly noticed had his training sword sheathed at his back, Angeal smirked, "You train fully equipped to build endurance."

Cloud bit his lip to prevent himself from speaking his mind on what he thought of that policy, and Angeal wasn't hiding bothering to hide his amusement, knowing full well the challenges of lugging around a sword the size of First Sword. Pressing it back into its sheath, Cloud walked to where Zack was, dropped down and started his push ups without a word of complaint. He had wanted a challenge, and a challenge had been presented.

When the push ups were over, Angeal ordered suicide drills right after, and Cloud was starting to see why Zack complained about his training. Cloud was panting as hard as Zack by the time Angeal let them rest, and Zack finally managed a laugh when he saw the unhappy look on Cloud's face. "I warned you he was an ass, didn't I?"

Angeal chuckled, standing next to Zack and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Want to do some sit-ups, next?"

"Ass? I meant..astute! As in an astute teacher!" Cloud covered his mouth to hide his smirk.

Angeal just grinned, moving to pick up the VR helmets and handing one to both Zack and Cloud. Waiting until Zack put on his, Cloud pulled it over his head and waited for the training session to begin. A solo mission flashed across the screen, and Cloud unsheathed First Sword, mindlessly sliding one of the side pieces apart to dual wield as the mission description began and a whole new zone materialized around him.

It was a simple, easy mission, and Cloud figured that Angeal was warming them up more than anything. "Eliminate all targets," A feminine voice explained the mission, "And clear the enemy base, before your time limit of ten minute expires." The enemy base in question had a straight forward layout. There was a single entrance, with armed soldiers standing guard. There were many patrols around the outside, and Cloud considered his options. He could sneak through, or he could...

Not bothering with stealth, Cloud burst out of the starting safe zone and charged the first set of patrols. They both reacted to his presence, raising their guns to fire, but never made their first shots before Cloud was upon them. Spinning in place with a outstretched sword in each hand, Cloud exploited the first flaw in the simple AI. Never stand too close together.

The mission was almost painfully easy. The enemy AI was sluggish and sloppy, giving more than adequate time to exploit their weakness to having large amounts of steel shoved through their bodies. The final target to be eliminated came out after the last enemy soldier had fallen, a simple attack robot. Had Cloud brought materia he could have killed it with a couple of bolt spells, but as it was he instead circled the slow piece of machinery, which blindly tried to keep up to him, and as a result spent all it's time shooting at air, while Cloud slashed it apart at ease.

When Mission Complete! flashed across his vision, Cloud pulled off the helmet while the virtual world around him began to dissipate. Zack was still fighting, but judging by his footwork, he was employing the same tactic at the last training robot that Cloud had been. Angeal remained silent, waiting until Zack pulled his helmet off a minute later.

"Warmed up?"

When both Zack and Cloud nodded, Angeal brightened. "Then time for the real thing."

They ran the next missions that Angeal opened together, working as a team and finishing them all, even as they got progressively harder, and Cloud started to regret not bringing more materia. After a particularly challenging course was completed, Zack checked his phone for the time, wincing when he saw how late it was. "I've got a class in five minutes." He said, glancing from Angeal to Cloud. "Should I skip it?"

"No." Angeal said sternly, patting Zack's head, much as one would pat a dogs. "You did good, training over." Zack ginned, putting his phone away.

"Sucks to be the kid sitting next to me, I don't have time for a shower!" Zack laughed, jogging towards the door before he turned on his heel to wave to Cloud. "Thanks for coming! I was right, it's easier when there's someone else being tortured next to you!" Zack laughed again, popping out of the room before Angeal could punish him for his cheekiness. Cloud, despite still being in range for such punishment, smiled in response, as did Angeal.

Cloud purposefully dragged his heels while tucking away the VR helmets that he and Zack had been using, and while reassembling First Sword to sheath it, waiting to see if Angeal would leave so he could continue training. Instead, Angeal stayed where he was, flicking through messages received on his phone, idly glancing up at Cloud now and then. Deciding that he could come back and train any time, Cloud gave up on waiting and started to leave.

He was on his way to the door, when Angeal stopped him. "Hold up, if you're not going to run any more VR, and you don't have any classes, I want to duel you."

Cloud paused, turning back to face Angeal. "I don't have any classes."

"Then let's see how good you really are." Angeal said, while picking up the practice sword that Zack had left behind. Cloud was wary, unsure of what Angeal's true intentions were. The man had been watching him train for a good deal of time, Cloud supposed he could just be curious. But the intense way Angeal was looking at him raised alarm bells in Cloud's head. Despite them, he nodded, drawing First Sword, following Angeal into the middle of the room, and falling into a ready position.

As Cloud had suspected, the first attack from Angeal is a simple testing blow, which Cloud easily countered. It was a show of impatience, that he's not so weak or untrained. In response, Angeal countered with a quick, upwards slash with enough force to nearly wrench First Sword from Cloud's hand. Taking the point, Cloud cancelled his offensive and fell back into a ready position.

Angeal's next series of attacks forced Cloud onto a continuous defence, not allowing him counters or offensives, instead testing Cloud's ability to hang onto his sword and deflect attacks in time. Shoved in his face in such a blatant manner, Cloud had to admit that First Sword had been a lot easier to handle when he'd been 50lbs heavier. His constant training had made him particularly skilled at cutting through training robots, but this was something different all together.

Cloud was actually enjoying it.

His enjoyment was starting to dwindle, however, when Angeal started hitting harder, faster, and using far more advanced moves then required for a basic duel. Angeal seemed to be unhappy with forcing Cloud into a nimble, evasive defence, and instead focused on disarming Cloud or catching him off guard. When Angeal feigned an attack to his left, Cloud didn't realize his mistake until it was too late to heave First Sword across his body, leaving his right side wide open for Angeal's body check that sent him to the ground.

Cloud counted to three before pushing himself up, and drawing his body back to a defensive stance. He was entirely unsure of what Angeal's motives were now, as it was definitely not a playful duel to test Cloud's skills. The man's eyes were intense, his expression stoic and serious. Whatever he was thinking about, whatever he was focusing on, it was far beyond analyzing Cloud's skill in battle. Angeal waited until Cloud had gathered himself, before setting up a brisk, and brutal charge that challenged Cloud's grip on First Sword and shoved the smaller body back a few paces.

The second attack came far swifter and harder then Cloud had expected or prepared for, forcing Cloud to his knees. Swiftly catching one of the levers on First Sword's hilt, he detached one of the lighter side blades, pulling it across his body to block the next attack with far more grace than he could have managed with First Sword alone.

Now with a blade in either hand, Cloud was given the advantage of lessened weight and an extra means of defence, making his job of fending off Angeal's relentless attacks a little easier. However as the fight stretched on, Angeal never backing down or stopping his steady onslaught, Cloud started to tire quickly. After a long training session, Angeal wasn't giving him near enough time to keep his breath.

Cloud longed for materia when an unexpected twist of Angeal's blade wrenched First Sword from his hand, leaving Cloud with just the lightweight blade to deflect the next string of attacks with. The next attacks pushed him further back, away from where First Sword had fallen, and not giving him a chance to pick it up again. Annoyed, his patience growing thin, Cloud used some of his new found speed, taking advantage of being weighed down less than he was with First Sword.

But Angeal's speed was still superior. A quick stab to Cloud's side brought Cloud's sword downward to deflect it, his grip lower on the handle of his sword. But before Cloud could even move, Angeal had spun with another attack, this time an upwards swoop. Cloud's grip failed, and his last means of defence went flying. The final hit of the combo was directed at an entirely disarmed Cloud, who was sluggish in jumping out of the way. Angeal twisted his hold on his sword at the last moment, hitting Cloud's side with the flat of his blade, still using enough force to knock Cloud to the ground, and ensure that he would be sporting a bruise the next day.

Cloud's string of patience snapped, and finally he snarled. "What the hell are you trying to prove?" This had gone from a test of skills to blatant bullying, and if Cloud had brought his materia he was sure he'd be returning the sentiment now.

"I could ask you the same." Angeal's expression hadn't changed, his eyes were still focused entirely on Cloud, his expression still stoic, though now a hidden anger was becoming quite visible to Cloud. The man rested the edge of his blade on Cloud's shoulder, deterring Cloud from trying to get back onto his feet and continuing the fight.

With a blind trust that Angeal didn't really want him dead, Cloud settled on a cool glare from his position. "I don't know what you mean."

"Why does Zack have dreams about you?"

Cloud's glare faltered for a moment, now understanding the source of Angeal's carefully controlled anger. Still, it was misdirected at him, and Cloud let his gaze harden. "Dreams are a normal part of life, what would I know about them?"

With a snarl, Angeal pressed his blade a little harder into Cloud's shoulder, demanding honesty with a very simple threat. "These aren't just dreams. And their commonality is that they are all about you. What are they? What are you doing to him?"

Angeal's demands were drawing an equally offended anger from Cloud. While it seemed suspicious, there was nothing in Cloud's description that entailed influencing the dreams of those around him. If it was related, which it probably was, it would take him time to understand what was going on. Having someone stand there and demand answers on something they hadn't the first clue about... "How would I have control over anyone's dreams?"

"But you're hiding something." Angeal countered, refusing to back down. "You're hiding something, and potentially endangering Zack with it. He's been kind to you, why are you hurting him?"

Cloud visibly flinched, before angrily slapping away Angeal's sword, shoving himself to his feet quickly enough that Angeal couldn't knock him back down. "I'm not doing anything to hurt Zack."

"Then what are you hiding from him?" Angeal lowered his sword, though he kept it at hand. His eyes were blazing now, there was no doubt that he was defensive of his puppy, and in return angry at Cloud, the one who perhaps knew the cause, especially as Cloud denied his obvious role. "Why do your eyes burn with mako, though you've never had a SOLDIER treatment? Why are your stats abnormally high, even without traces of steroids on your physical? Why are you able to wield a sword that's bigger then you are--" Angeal cut himself off, perhaps to circumvent some of his oncoming anger, perhaps because by now Cloud had a very good clue of what the other man was getting at.

Cloud's mouth opened to hiss a response, but when his brain couldn't come up with anything he shut it again, clenching his jaw instead. Angeal was serious about getting answers, holding his position between Cloud and the door. Coming here, was a mistake. Agreeing to stay for a duel as well, was a mistake. Cloud should have automatically assumed that allowing anyone close enough to him would come to this. Longing for a pause button as the seconds ticked by, Cloud fought against the alarm bells in his head that told him to kill the threat and run. Instead his eyes shifted from Angeal to search for the door, planning an escape route.

Angeal immediately noticed the change in Cloud's demeanor, knowing that he'd pushed too far and instead backed Cloud into a corner where he shut down. The shift from arrogant denial to near panic nearly crackled between them, and the large man sighed, letting his grip on the practice sword he was holding vanish, the sound of it clattering to the ground echoing throughout the room.

"We're trustworthy. You don't have to hide things from me, or from Zack. We wouldn't--"

"It's not like that." Cloud interrupted bluntly. Accepting Angeal's disengagement, Cloud moved to pick up his sword, reassembling it, all while making it a point not to show Angeal his back out of paranoid reflex. "I'm not hiding anything, I'm not a threat. Not to anyone, but especially not to Zack." Backing towards the door, Cloud waited until he was far enough away, until he was sure that Angeal's relaxed and slightly defeated pose wasn't simply a trap, before he turned and headed for the door. "What I'm hiding doesn't even exist anymore." Cloud whispered to himself, before he walked through the door.

Angeal stood in the middle of the training center for a long while, silently wondering what Cloud had meant by that.

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