Barely suppressing a grimace, Cloud finished up the last of the omelette. The last burned bite shoved down his throat, he looked up. Zack may be a great friend, but he's a terrible cook. Cloud wanted to make his newfound friend happy, however, and he stared deep into the pools of mako across the table. Flashing a winning smile, Zack stared back. "Was it good?" Cloud knew that this was a loaded question, and he slowly nodded, the spikes on his head quivering. A truly content grin stretched across the SOLDIER's face, pride radiating from every feature. His eyes shone brightly, for a time even brighter than the morning sun. Life is good. I have a great friend here, in my apartment, I feel great, and I can cook! "Great! I'll make it every morning." Those words hit the blonde like a sledgehammer. It took every ounce of willpower that he possessed to not calmly tell Zack that his culinary ability was practically non-existent. I don't know how long it would be before I died of food poisoning. But Zack was too proud, and Cloud didn't want to burst his bubble, so instead of speaking his mind, Cloud nodded. "That would be great!" Still caught up in the moment, Zack simply nodded. "Mmm." He look so peaceful, so at rest. Zack's eyes gazed off into the distance, his mind wandering like an adventurous traveler. Cloud is so...perfect.

Snapping out of his pensive mood, Zack turned his violet eyes on his new friend. "So, Cloud, apparently I'm your new mentor here. I get to teach you all the cool things that SOLDIERs do!" The blonde's eyes sparkled for a moment, before becoming worried dark blue pools. "Bu-but Zack! What if I'm not good enough? What if all the other students are better?" Reaching out in a gesture of pure friendship, Zack clapped Cloud on the back. "Relax, Spikey. You'll do great, I can tell. Just go with the flow." A slight tremble crept across the teen's face, causing his skin to move ever so slightly. And ever so tempting-Zack! Stop it! Moving his hand from Cloud's back to his head, he ruffled the soft spikes, but still an uncertain look rested on Cloud's face. "But...how?" The SOLDIER smiled knowingly. "There is no how, Cloud. That's the point," Zack paused, "Sometimes, you just have to learn by doing; not by thinking about anything. There are things you can't learn from a book or a teacher. Understand?"

Cloud stared up at him, looking for all the world like a lost, stray, innocent child. It's so easy to get lost in his eyes, they're as blue as the sea, as blue as the-Zack! Focus! The blonde's soft, red lips moved ever so slightly. "Not really, but I'll try." A heartwarming smile spread across the SOLDIER's face. "Now that, is the point."

Wow. I thought Zack was so one-dimensional, but I guess I was wrong. He really cares about me. I have a friend.

--

"This is my Buster Sword. It's heavy, but it's the perfect weapon if you learn to use it."

Cloud remembered those words perfectly, yet something seemed to be wrong. The thing is just so heavy! He couldn't lift it more than 3 inches off the ground, and then only for a few moments at most. It gleamed in the light of midday, taunting him, seeming to say; "If you can use me, you can do anything you want." It became a sort of a goal for him; every day he would lift the sword a little bit higher, for just a little bit longer.
For now, however, he was sweating in the hot sun. His relatively light sword clashed off of Zack's, causing sparks to fly. He parried one of Zack's incredibly strong stabs. Ouch. I almost got lifted off the ground by that one.

He feinted to the right before swirling around, bringing his shining sword in from the left. It seemed to hover for an eternity just an inch away from the SOLDIER's skin; Cloud could see everything in vivid detail; the tone of Zack's skin, the small beads of sweat on the SOLDIER's skin, the light reflecting off the sword. Then there was a flash and a sudden ripping sensation. Cloud's sword went flying out of his hands, arcing high into the air. Cloud's blue eyes tracked the weapon as it slowly fell through the air before focusing on Zack again.

Wait, where is Zack? The SOLDIER had totally vanished! The sword landed in the ground point-first some ten yards away, quivering as it embedded itself deeply in the earth. Suddenly, the blonde felt a pair of incredibly soft lips on his right cheek. Nearly jumping out of his skin, he managed to murmur one word. "Z-zack?"
He heard a sort of purring behind him, making the air vibrate. "You're dead," Zack said softly. Cloud acutely felt the point of the Buster Sword touch his neck, before slowly falling away.

Zack ran a finger down Cloud's neck, while at the same time wrapping his arms around the boy. The blonde shivered; all the hairs on his body rising in tandem, subconsciously pushing himself towards the SOLDIER. Zack slipped his hand inside Cloud's shirt, gently moving it in circles. Cloud gasped, looking up at Zack. "Z-Zack," he managed to get out. A smile slowly slipped across Zack's face. "Yes, spikey?" he asked softly. "N-not here." The teen's voice trembled ever so slightly. So innocent, so perfect.

--

Cloud arrived outside his room, the events of the last few hours pushing down on his shoulders. First there was the materia test, which I think I failed. Then I had to sit through History of the ShinRa corporation, then gym. He tiredly inserted the key in the hole, twisted, and opened the door. Closing the door slowly, he looked behind him. Zack was hunched over a table, his pen moving rapidly across the paper.

The door clicked shut, and Zack jumped before looking at the dark blue watch on his wrist. "Gaia, it's already four! I've been here all day." Standing up suddenly on unsure legs, he wobbled a bit. "This SOLDIER paperwork takes forever," he said, flashing a winning grin at the young boy. "So how was your day?" Zack said, walking towards Cloud. Cloud shrugged, his blonde spikes ruffling slightly. "It was alright. There was a test I think I failed, and then there was history, so I'm exhausted. It's been a long day."

An expression of pity flashed across the SOLDIER's normally mischievous looking face. History, oh Gaia do I remember that. Cloud looked down, feeling discouraged and disappointed, not noticing the sudden, almost predatory look that shone in Zack's eye. The SOLDIER reached out and ran his fingers through the long hair, pushing lines of it down, only to have it spring back up again.

Cloud looked up suddenly, finding the raven-haired youth's face only inches from his own. Before he knew it, Zack's strong arms were wrapped around him, and Cloud, exhausted after his long day, simply melted into the embrace like a snowflake on a summers day. Trying to get away from it all, he buried his spiky head in Zack's shoulder, losing himself in the lined texture of the SOLDIER's blue shirt. Zack sighed softly, in pleasure, before resting his face in the teen's hair. If only you would open up like this more often. How long they stood there, seeking solace in each other's arms, neither of them knew, but when they broke apart, Cloud's foul mood had vanished, and he smiled. Almost.

Life is good.