AN: Okay. So when I discontinued this however many years ago, I expected people to forget about it so I could stop feeling bad about leaving this the way I did. But I still get people reviewing this, and I'm just going to say thank you for your patience, continued understanding and I hope my writing style hasn't changed too much for the following chapters to be jarring. I'm not promising speedy updates because I'm incapable of keeping promises at all, but here's the next chapter? CC is welcomed as always.

...

The first thing Cloud saw when waking up was Zack's face, complementary with a big, obnoxious grin. His head hurt like a bitch and he blearily raised a hand, pressing down on his eyes, trying to lessen the glare. Looking up, he realised he was in a hospital of some sort; the bedsheets were cool, and a paper thin hospital gown clung loosely against his frame.

"What happened?" His voice was hoarse, and he felt like he'd been run over by a van, his joints ached and he just wanted to sleep.

"You got angry at me for following you, and then you fainted." Zack's voice was amused, but not cruel, and Cloud tried to grin, the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly.

"You can be very frustrating sometimes." He paused. "Sir."

Zack carried on, ignoring the slur.

"After that Tifa girl threw me out her bar for the second time, I managed to steal you away and find you a decent enough doctor in the city. Which reminds me-" Zack fished a blue bottle out of his pockets, and Cloud's eyes widened, recognising his father's medicine. "We don't look kindly on drugs in SOLDIER."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, not appreciating the assumption.

"It's medicine. Mako radiation gives me headaches so my father prescribed me some pills to ward off the effects."

"Hm." Zack made a non committal noise, and threw the bottle back at him. Cloud caught it, nearly fumbling, but he still caught it all the same, opening up the bottle and tossing back two in rapid succession. Zack raised his eyebrows. Even if they weren't drugs, Cloud sure looked like he was addicted.

"I want you to stay in the hospital a while, just to get things checked up." He said, not unkindly. "I have a few errands to run, but I'll be back before visiting hours are over."

Cloud nodded, looking tired and wan, falling back asleep against the sheets and didn't notice as Zack neatly swiped the medicine bottle from his loose grasp.

"Have a look at this."

Sephiroth noticed the oddly serious tone to Zack's voice, and he looked up, to see Zack holding a medical report.

"I didn't think this would be your area of expertise." His tone was dry, and Zack sneered at him in response, but shoved the report under his nose anyway.

"I've asked one of the Shinra doctors to run these tests on these drugs that Cloud's been taking, and I just wanted to double check with you that what I'm seeing is really true."

Scanning the report, he briefly noted that again, the Strife kid was the centre of it all, before he realised what the report actually meant. The drugs contained a mixture of highly addictive drugs and mako supplements, most commonly used in SOLDIER assimilation. However, the cocktail of drugs and mako were skewed and tampered with; the combination in such quantities would have rendered a grown man catatonic, it was a miracle in itself that Strife was still alive.

"Strife has to be removed from the programme immediately. These drugs are highly illegal, and may have hindered his ability to receive mako transfers already."

"He's been taking them under orders from his father. I doubt he even knows what's in them."

Sephiroth pressed the issue.

"You can't improve upon mako, Zack. Once it's in his system, you can't add more, that's why he's so sick at the moment - his body is rejecting the additional mako."

Zack nodded, eyes suddenly widening.

"And that's why he can't ever seem to put on muscle, no matter how much he tries. The kid does twice the number of reps than everyone else, but it's like his body is fighting him, every step of the way." He paused, grin suddenly widening. "This is great! All we have to do is wean him off the drugs and he can start training properly."

"Are you even listening to me?" Sephiroth snapped, at the end of his patience. "Strife has already been exposed to mako - and flawed mako at that. Even if he manages to pass all the training requirements, he'll never be able to actually become a SOLDIER - he won't be able to receive the mako transplant."

There was a pause. And Zack just stood there and looked at him, and for the first time in a long time, Sephiroth felt his skin prickle, as those striking blue eyes fixed upon him. There were always limits when it came to Zack, and it was apparent he had just pushed past them.

"When you've decided to stop being a idiot and start being helpful, you can find me in the sickbay. Until then, go and fuck yourself."

He left. And Sephiroth could not forget those cold blue eyes boring into his skull, and could not stop the resentment that flooded through him.

Cloud Strife. His name suited him well.

"I want you to stop taking the pills."

...

Zack had come back in a mood, but true to his word, he had come back before visiting hours ended, with a stubborn set to his jaw that hadn't been there before.

Cloud just looked confused, eyes wide and pupils dilated, and he almost looked scared.

"Why?" He whispered. "My father says I must take them. He's a doctor."

Zack didn't like the fear in his eyes, and he didn't like the instinctive flinch that came when he reached over to press his hand comfortingly on his forehead.

"These drugs are bad for you. They've been interfering with your physical abilities - you need to stop taking them."

"My father loves me. He knows what's best for me." Again, another flinch, and Zack recognised the symptoms of a mantra, a phrase that has been repeated many many times, just to reinforce the lesson it gave. It was classic SOLDIER brainwashing technique 101. Replace the father with Shinra, and you had hundreds of SOLDIERS lined up, willing to take the bullets fired and to fire them in return.

"Why did you join Shinra?" He asked, switching to another tactic. Maybe he could get him to see the bigger picture.

"To make my father proud." Zack curled his lip with frustration. This was getting them nowhere. But he paused, as Cloud straightened, a pensive look on his face.

"Are these drugs really that bad for me?" He asked, voice frighteningly small. His face was hollow, and the tone of his voice suggested it was something he already knew, long before he even met Zack.

"Yes." Zack pressed, not letting go of the issue. There was no way he would tell the kid he had no chance of becoming SOLDIER now, not when they were this close. "You'll be able to regain all the muscle tone you've lost, and I'll be here while you go through the withdrawal symptoms."

Cloud nodded minutely, with what looked like a small tired smile floating on his lips.

It felt like a grimace.

Zack imagined he would be there when Cloud went though the worst of the withdrawal symptoms. He had imagined himself holding his hand, stroking Cloud's back comfortingly whilst the boy sat through his pain, shivering, providing an anchor for him, so that when the kid finally got better, he and Zack would have this special understanding, this special bond that would be unbreakable. As shallow as it was, he was kind of desperate, and as inappropriate as it was, he genuinely liked the kid.

Instead his dreams shattered as he was pushed out of the room, and the nurse slammed the door shut in his face.

"Let the professionals deal with it." She had snapped, and if it hadn't been against Zack's code to hit women, he would have reacted a lot more strongly to her condescending tone.

He was proud of himself.

...He had, however, accidentally punched a doctor in the face, earning him a court order off the hospital, which added yet another black mark onto his file. Sephiroth would have told him that he was being pathetic, but they weren't currently speaking at the moment, and so he contented himself with drinking, working out, and torturing Mark and Adam as much as he could. He was aware of Adam's gloating smile, apparently pleased that Cloud was out for the count for a few weeks, and he noted Mark's apparent disinterest.

He didn't know what to make of them, really. It was already obvious that he favoured Cloud the most out of the three, and Adam seemed bitter and angry whilst Mark decided to keep things professional in the way that an adolescent would. He simply ignored it.

But he supposed they had redeeming qualities about them. Mark was quiet and serious, quick on his feet and good under pressure and he'd recommend him to the Turks if he didn't despise them as an organisation. Adam was obnoxious to his peers but eager to please - which made him prime SOLDIER material. That, and he had the brawn and skill to back up his mouth. Which was rare these days.

He was currently teaching them about the uses of materia, and Adam didn't look like he was enjoying the theoretical lesson. They had been training for long enough so that they now had their own set routines; they practised with their own weapons first, then developed their skills in various firearms, expanded their knowledge on mines and grenades, and then ended the days with theory. It was often a mix of battle tactics and first aid, but he had only recently decided to move the lessons into materia, just because he couldn't bear to be teaching it anymore.

Mark frowned at a question, and he put up his hand, tentative and confused.

"Sir, what makes a person suited for materia use? I know everyone can use it, but why do the results vary so much with different test subjects?"

Zack paused, thinking about the answer.

"I guess...it depends on your level of skill, obviously, and how well the materia in question is suited to your weapon, but it also depends on the wielder." He pointed to a section on the board, and started writing more notes. "Concentration is key, but sometimes some candidates adjust more naturally to it."

Come to think of it, mostly SOLDIERS were given materia to use, even though technically, they didn't even need it. He guessed the materia in their bodies just amplified the effects, but you had to train especially hard to reach the highest levels of materia use.

Hm. Another thing to think about.

...

Tifa looked up at the hospital sign, stomach churning with worry as she walked closer to the institution. She despised Shinra, but as much as she did, she had to admit they took care of their own well. Ever since Cloud's mentor Zack Knightblade had taken him off to hospital for care, she hadn't seen or heard from Cloud in almost a week. But after visiting him in hospital after demanding entrance, she had not been reassured. The first time she saw him, he was practically comatose, veins dark and vivid against his pale skin. Tubes were feeding him essential liquids, but his eyes were shut, eyelids flickering as he slept fitfully.

Making her way up to Cloud's room, she felt slightly more reassured as she saw the familiar blonde head, sitting up and chatting to the nurse. He looked as healthy as she had ever seen him, and he was smiling brightly.

"Hey Cloud," She greeted him, and as he turned his smile upon her, she noticed his weight gain, and how much healthier he looked.

"Hey Tifa."

He looked like he had recovered fully, and she smiled in return, feeling a warmth in her chest. She loved him like a kid brother, and she was glad that he was so much better. She hated Shinra, but she owed SOLDIER something now, and she was going to find out why Cloud's father had done this to Cloud if it was the last thing she did.

tbc