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Walking Out on Destiny	By : HarliqueenNight Category: Final Fantasy VII > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2575 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all things associated are owned by Square Enix and Testuya Nomura respectively. I own nothing save for the characters and places created for the sake of this fan fiction and recieve no profit in the creation of this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
A/N: okay first semi long chapter. The next which is going to have a lot of content, action, and just bit of Lady ShinRa kicking ass from a wheelchair as well as the introduction of some new characters. I got one major OC in here because I wanted Cloud to have someone his own age in training with him. After all, no one survives military experience without a battle buddy. I hope this is a good informative chapter and also, holy shit and shingles the reviews for the last chapter! GO GUYS! Woo, the increased in the number of reviews for each chapter is telling me I'm doing something right! So if you guys keep it up I will keep it up to. As for my other fics. I've been so involved with this one I keep forgetting about them when my serious bone comes back I'll continue on them, I promise. After all I have them written but my mind doesn't want to focus on typing them up like I have been on this one. XD anyway enjoy enjoy!

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Walking Out on Destiny Season Two

Episode Five: Midgar, Midgar, That Title and Town (part three)

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"Oh god!"

"Serves, you right, be still."

"No, no not there, oh that feels so…"

"This your first time doing this right?"

"Hold him still, he might kick me again."

"You better hope I don't kick you a-AH!"

Cloud burst out laughing as Zack held him down and tickled his torso while Genesis had is feet, tickling the bottoms. He kicked and fought but the two SOLDIERs had him trapped. After sightseeing around Zack's favorite haunts, which surprisingly consisted of arcades and malls rather than bars and clubs as he expected, they had come back to find Genesis waiting for them around six in the evening. He claimed he'd gotten held up but Zack rolled his eyes muttering that Genesis was "on the wrong end of a dick all day" and received a healthy smack in the head. Genesis had given him his scheduled physical and Zack a reward if he passed his physical. Genesis hung around afterwards practically coddling Cloud and flinging insults back and forth with Zack. Cloud had opened his big mouth and somehow ended up in a wrestling match with the two of them, which he lost of course.

"NO! NO! NO! AH! I GOTTA PEE!"

"You're just trying to get out of it!"

"No seriously, I will pee on you both if you guys don't let me GO!"

Zack and Genesis looked at each other and pulled away quickly. Cloud flipped up and stumbled/ran to the bathroom slamming the door behind him. Zack blinked.

"Huh, he wasn't lyin'."

"Appears not," Genesis laughed picking up his phone. He had heard it vibrate a little while before but hadn't answered it. He figured a text message could wait. Now that he was not in a fit of giggles, he checked his inbox and found a message from Sephiroth. Zack leaned over, seeing Genesis's eyes switch from their healthy amused sky blue to a dark, almost furious violet purple. "Son of a bitch! Zack, watch over Cloud. I have to go."

"What? What's going on?"

"Its Tseng, the president did something to him and the Turk. He's hurt."

"What? No way I'm coming too."

"This is a family affair, Zackary."

"Yeah, and Tseng is my fucking friend," Zack growled. "If anything happened to him, I deserve to know."

"What happened to Mr. Tseng?"

Both SOLDIERs froze and looked at Cloud who stood in the doorway with worried blue eyes. Genesis glared at Zack.

"See what you did mutt!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell's going on with Tseng? If something happened, I wanna know!"

Zack smirked at Genesis who slapped his face with his hand. "Dammit. Fine! We'll all go, but don't crowd him! Either of you! And tonight's really important so don't say anything messed up."

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Lady ShinRa wheeled into Vincent's house with Veld and Melitta behind her. She took in the carnage and defilement of Vincent's home. Reno was sweeping up broken glass while Sephiroth was breaking the coffee table completely so that it could be easily thrown away. Tseng sat on his heels in front of Vincent's small shrine that usually sat in the dim corner of the living room. It had been moved in order for Reno to clear up the debris of what seemed like a horrid struggle. Tseng's damp hair had been pushed over one shoulder and he was wrapped in a heated blanket. He bowed low to the shrine and Lady ShinRa heard soft murmurs in Wutainese. Her eyes lingered on the collar around his neck. It was very much the same as the one around Melitta's and it caused her to look at Veld's empty neck in confusion.

"What on earth happened here?" she exclaimed.

Reno paused in his cleaning and straightened himself up as best he could for the VP. "Lady ShinRa? What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Reno!"

Sephiroth stood up and brushed his hands of the wood dust before going over to her. His sharp, feline eyes cut to Veld who did not meet them and he looked at Melitta who appeared to be barely on her feet. "It's nothing. Some burglars broke in and trashed the place. Tseng and Reno were here so they couldn't take anything with them other than a bullet and a beat down which is only a fraction of what I would've done to them had I been here."

Reno put the broom aside and went to close the door behind them. He came up behind Melitta's haunted figure and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Come on, yo," he whispered soothingly in her ear. "Come have a seat."

She nodded and allowed Reno to lead her to the couch. He sat her down and handed her a glass of Costa Rum to take the edge of the day's events off.

"Thanks, feel like a fuckin ship wreck."

"What's with ya'll and wrecks?" Reno muttered, pouring himself to a shot of bourbon. Thank god for Tseng and his liquor cabin

Lady ShinRa looked around skeptically, her eyes roving over Tseng's back. "Burgulars breaking into a known Turk's home."

Sephiroth didn't falter from the lie. "You know how people from the slums are."

"Yeah, when they're desperate they're desperate, yo."

"I…suppose. Tseng? Are you alright?"

Tseng looked over his shoulder, his eyes barely hiding the grief he felt. "I allowed Vincent's home to be desecrated and defiled. Some of these memories cannot be replaced."

"Oh Tseng, come here," Lady ShinRa urged gently as she wheeled closer. Tseng's head found her lap and she petted it gently. She rubbed her fingers over his scalp as a mother was wont to do and whispered reassurance to his troubled mind. "These are all material things. They break, they shatter, and they can be replaced. Vincent would not want you to cry over spilled milk. Clear your conscience and be happy that this was the only damage done."

Tseng clung to her legs, his face buried in her lap as he fought to control his anger, his need to kill the ones who'd instigated this. He fought so hard not to tell her the truth of what happened and that the one who was partially responsible was fixing himself a drink in the kitchen. However, Lady ShinRa had not gotten to be who she was by being a fool. She knew something was horribly wrong and she felt the tension within the house all directed at Veld. She ran her fingers over the collar but Tseng grabbed her hand.

"Please don't," he whispered so that only she could hear. "If you were to ask me to explain this…" he shook his head thinking of Rufus. "Just please, do not ask it of me."

Lady ShinRa schooled her face and released Tseng. "I understand. But perhaps soon?"

"Yes, soon, but not now. Vincent's memorial doesn't deserve such melancholy," Tseng said rising.

"Will you be fine, Lady ShinRa?"

"Yes, yes, I just hate that you can't stay Veld."

"Duty calls."

"Don't let the door hit ya," Reno grumbled while Tseng murmured under his breath in Wutain

"OW! STOP IT, ZACK!"

"What's with this door, they never lock this door."

"You guys you're squishing me!"

"Puppy! Knock it off!"

"Goddamit Zack you're going to break it!"

"Why can't we all just go through the door one at a time!"

"Tseng darling are you in there?"

All eyes were on the door when it began to pull off the hinges.

"AH! No, guys get off! Its breaking."

"What's breaking?"

"AH!" After having just been put back on the hinges by Sephiroth, the door broke in and a redhead, a brunette and a blonde toppled into the house. The blond rolled out of the pile like a hedge hog and landed painfully on his back in front of Sephiroth's feet. Sephiroth looked down at him with furrowed brows, memory ringing bells in his head. The boy lay upside down and cringed at the pain in his back. He opened one eye to check his surrounding and ended up snapping them both opened when he realized who was staring down at him. They stayed that way for a while, Sephiroth taking in the sky blue eyes that stared up at him nervously. Sephiroth tilted his head as if examining a small animal and he knelt down to look at the boy. Cloud froze, unsure of what to do. Did the man remember him? Did he remember saving him? Remember giving him the materia? Just as he thought it, the small orb slid on its chain from beneath his shirt to rest on the floor. Sephiroth's eyes followed it as it clinked on the ground and he reached out to pick it up between his fingers. Cloud watched those thin fingers carefully hold the tiny green orb.

"My old Materia…" he whispered, his voice deep and tickling Cloud's ears and shivering his spine. He turned those beautiful jade jewels on the blond. "You're Cloud, aren't you?"

Cloud nodded slowly. "Yeah…I'm Cloud."

"GET OFF, ZACK!" Genesis kicked the heavy SOLDIER off him and into Angeal who stood in the door shaking his head.

"Hey Angeal, when did you get there?" Zack asked playfully.

"I've been here the whole time idiot!" Angeal groaned shoving Zack back into the house.

"One of you is paying for the door!" Tseng said glaring.

"I'm leaving," Veld said shaking his head. He leaned over and kissed Lady ShinRa's cheek.

"Be safe Veld."

"TSENG!" Genesis latched himself onto the Turk. "You're okay! I heard what happened and…and…" Tseng gave him a pointed look, his eyes darting to Lady ShinRa and then back to him. Genesis nodded and embraced him more gently. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Tseng was actually surprised at the relief in Genesis's voice. "You were worried."

"Damn right I was," Genesis pulled back. "You're family."

Angeal dragged a laughing Zack to sit quietly on the couch. "Stay!"

Zack wiggled and bounced. He waved at Tseng. "Yo! Heard you got in trouble!"

"Yeah, what did happen?" Angeal asked curiously.

As Tseng recounted the story strung together by Reno and Sephiroth, Sephiroth and Cloud had yet to rejoin the conversation. Sephiroth offered him a hand and the blond hesitantly took it. Sephiroth rose, effortlessly pulling Cloud to his feet. He lifted him a little too high and his feet dangled a bit before he was sat on them carefully. Cloud blinked, unable to keep from staring. Sephiroth brushed his hair over his shoulder and looked at Cloud's gawking face.

"What?" he asked softly.

"I…I…I…nothing!" Cloud sputtered. "Thanks for helping me up. That's twice now."

"I supposed I should start charging interest then," Sephiroth said with a small smirk.

"Yeah...wait…" Cloud gawked once again at his retreating form. Had the silver devil just made a joke? It suddenly occurred he was in the same breathing space as his three heroes, all of them lazing about and laughing like normal people, along with the prime lady of ShinRa Inc. How the hell could he even be that lucky?

Tseng looked over his shoulder from the couch and waved him over. "Come, you're welcome here Cloud."

Cloud couldn't stop the smile on his face as he went over and took a seat on the floor next to Zack. Zack wrapped his arm around him and gave him a noogie. He laughed and swatted at him.

They had all moved to the patio to drink and once the subject of Vincent came up, Tseng was able to let go of his thirst for vengeance to reminisce. He could imagined their faces if, no when, Vincent returned. He noticed as inebriation began to run rampant and the giggles were shared all around that Zack and Cloud were like two of the same kind…clowns in a car. Zack was standing on his head and Cloud poured a good bottle of Corel Whiskey seeing if he could swallow all of it without choking.

"Come on! Daddy Vincent could swallow half a bottle without gulping! You got standards to live up to, puppy!" Genesis cheered

"He'll be unconscious if he keeps it up!" Lady ShinRa laughed.

Reno took a swig of scotch before poking his toe right into Zack's ass making the man choke and fall on his back from his headstand. They all laughed as he coughed and strangled Reno at the same time. They didn't hear the knock on the broken doorway that had been covered by a tacked up blanket.

"So who's Vincent?" Cloud asked innocently.

There was a pause from everyone and strange expressions on those who knew the name. Cloud felt his heart sink, realizing he'd asked something far too personal at this gathering. He was about to murmur an apology when Sephiroth caught his gaze, his jade eyes softening with a strange sort of sadness.

"Vincent Valentine was Tseng and I's guardian. He was…our father, or mother, everything to us," Sephiroth said proudly. "He passed away years ago, but we still get around the same time each year to remember him. Though with all our schedules, we gathered early this year. He was leader of the Turks at one point you know."

"Fuckin' Legend!" Reno said. "He almost blew my head off when I bombed the Turk training building."

"Oh remember that time he had Tseng shooting at us!" Genesis piped in.

"Tide Riding, easily the worst memory," Angeal groaned.

Cloud felt the tension in the room ease as similar stories began to spew from everyone's mouth and he began to laugh. However the sinking feeling was still there. Vincent Valentine? That name. It was what Hojo had called-

"Well, no wonder you all can't be bothered with answering the door! You're all thoroughly shit-faced. And what in Gaia's name happened to the door?"

Cloud suddenly smiled, instantly recognizing that surly voice. Everyone's head whipped around in surprise and all eyes were on a weary Hojo. His hair was pulled back nice and neat in its usual ponytail and he was wearing clothing Cloud had never seen him wear. A nice white button up shirt with a short vest covered his torso, a watch chain hanging out of his pocket. He gripped a cane that he leaned heavily on as he stepped in, holding his briefcase. Despite that limp, Cloud realized that Hojo looked quite business like when he wasn't locked in a damp basement.

"Professor!" To everyone's surprise, Cloud was first to his feet to take the man's brief case and offer him his shoulder. "Put your weight on me. What happened?"

"Oh that little guest of mine wouldn't get in the box. It's just a torn muscle, heals in a couple of days."

Lady ShinRa wheeled up to him before they could leave the doorway. "Kanaye…"

Hojo took his arm off of Cloud and limped over to her. Cloud watched as Hojo gracefully bowed from the waist and took her hand to kiss it. "My friend called for me and so I came. Lady ShinRa, you've always been a vision for me."

"Flatterer. When did you get here?" she asked excitedly, showing hints of the girl she'd always been.

"Not twenty-minutes ago, a very dark and agonizing ride on the Highwind with one disgruntled pilot. Thank you for that Tseng."

Tseng shrugged and turned back to his drink. Genesis decided to point out the elephant in the room.

"Cloud, darling, how the hell do you know Hojo!"

"Good question," Angeal said.

"I'd like to know as well," Tseng said.

Cloud scratched the back of his head. "He was my boss before you picked me up, G."

Genesis gasped. "NO! He's your sugar daddy! Shame on you Hojo!"

Hojo's brow arched. "Excuse me?"

"Sugar daddy?" Zack asked with wide eyes.

"I told you I'm not a whore, Genesis!"

"And why on earth would I solicit a young boy like Cloud?" Hojo asked indignantly.

"Cuz you're old! It's okay Cloud, you don't have to bend over for old dirty Hojo anymore!"

"What the fuck, Cloud. You could've told me you were a ho!" Zack said in shock.

"I'm not a whore, I'm a fucking virgin!" Cloud exclaimed. The room was silent, and Cloud felt the blush rise to his cheek. That was simply uncomfortable for all parties involved.

"Uh, Cloud," Zack said snickering.

"Yeah, yeah, I realized it the moment I said it." He bowed his head in defeat.

"Well now that the boy's virtue is no longer in question, what have I missed?"

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It wound down after a while, Lady ShinRa taking off early when Veld came to pick her up. Hojo bid a farewell to Cloud and gave him his personal number in case he needed anything before leaving to return to his old house. Melitta took a cab home, deciding to get some good R&R in her own king bed. It was late now. Tseng lay on the couch comfortably drunk with his head resting on Reno's lap. Reno's head was tilted all the way back, practically unconscious with one hand wrapped around an empty bourbon bottle while the other held Tseng's shoulder comfortingly. Genesis was curled between Angeal and Sephiroth, drunk off his ass. Zack and Cloud however were lying on the patio staring up at the stars, both marveling at out different the sky was here. With the city asleep and the only light coming from the mako reactor, they were able to see a partially clear view of the night sky through the green glow. They lay shoulder to shoulder, Cloud no longer self-conscious of how much bigger Zack's biceps were. They shared the last bottle of flavored vodka, it being both their ending drink of choice. Being the backwoods guys they were, they could handle their alcohol much better than any of the others and were not ready to slip off into an alcohol induced dream. So here they lay, getting to know each other in a calmer way.

"So after that, my dad disappeared in the materia caves and never came back. A lot of people say the spirit of the mountain took him. The day before he disappeared, him and my mom talked about what they would do once him and the other miners hit that materia spring. He wanted to take mom away and start a new life where he wouldn't spend whole weeks down in the mine. And well, let's just say i came into existence that night. The next day he died."

"Damn…so it was like he left her with his own little spring huh," Zack said taking a drink.

"Yeah, I guess," Cloud said with a smile. "The town though, they don't believe in coincidences like that. They believed she cheated on my dad when the doctor spilled the beans two weeks later about her being pregnant. They called her all kinds of things for supposedly pissing on my dad's memory. Then again, mom didn't give a rat's ass. She had a house that was willed to her through my dad, a good day job, a working vegetable garden, and she had me."

Zack smiled at the gentle look on Cloud's face. "You were there to keep her going, her little trooper eh."

"Yeah, then Hojo came to town when I was still stumbling around on stubby legs. He came and bought some fresh things out of my mom garden not trusting the store or, like, wanting people to get use to his face. As I got older, mom would send me there with a basket of goods. Kept that up until Hojo finally hired me as an assistant and errand boy. Then mom got sick…"

"Sick?"

"It's some kind rare lung disease that's caused by inhaling mako fumes. It deteriorates the lungs and the only way to help them is a constant dose of straight mako no chaser. Hell, we couldn't afford that. So Hojo started paying me a little more to get the crappy pills and also provided me with Mako shots in case she shut down. He promised to work on a cure for me."

"Wow, you'd never know he was that kinda guy when ya meet him."

"Professor HOjo has a lot of baggage on his conscience and it makes me crazy and ornery, but he's a good person…somewhere….I think." Cloud laughed. "Well he's good to me."

"Apparently," Zack rolled onto his side. "So, you're a backwoods, country bumpkin bastard who decided to join SOLDIER. You're scrawny as all get out and you have the face of a woman sans tits and ass."

"I have a nice ass, thank you very much."

"Flat as a day old soda!"

"Not everyone can have amazing bread buns like you!"

"So you admit you were watching my ass this morning!"

Cloud blushed and closed his eyes so he could hit himself repeatedly in the forehead. Zack laughed heartily at his expense as the blonde rolled over in embarrassment.

"Hah! I knew it! No one can resist the buns of steel!"

"And what about you!" Cloud grumbled. "You were obviously eyeing my so-called non-existent ass, pansy!"

"Yeah but I'm not the one who had a party in his pants afterwards!" Zack teased.

"Oh my god, you saw that!" Cloud's shut tight and he covered his face in both hands.

"Yep but I ignored it for your sake!" Zack admitted, cracking up.

"Oh my god, oh my god!" Cloud sat up. "I'm so sorry, I should just leave right now!"

Zack frowned. "Wait, calm down drunky, we're at Vincent's house right now, not mine."

"I don't care, I should just go walk this embarrassing flat ass off a bridge or something!" he exclaimed trying to get up.

Zack latched on to Cloud and pulled him back down on the pavement. "Chill, if it was a big deal, I woulda said so. But I didn't."

Cloud looked at him with unfocused eyes and lay back down. "I'm confused. So you don't mind some kid you only known for a day to get a stiff one from watching you stretch?"

Zack guffawed. "When you say it like that, it sounds awful. I call it a compliment. Ya know, a sort of your psyche's appreciation of my finer attributes."

Cloud gave a blank stare. "So you get off on getting attention like that?"

"Pretty much, but I'm not that needy."

"So…..are you…?"

"Trisexual."

Cloud's brows furrowed. "What the fuck is a Tri-sexual?"

"Means I'll try anything once sexual!"

"Slut," Cloud scoffed with a sly smile.

"The term is manwhore!" Zack shouted proudly.

"Shh! You'll wake someone!"

"What about you?"

"Me? Um…well…" Cloud shook his head. "Last I checked I'm pretty straight…but I don't mind looking at guys…ah hell, I don't know. I've never actually thought about it."

"Your kiddin'? With a baby face like yours I figured the girls would be all over ya!"

"Please, the only girl that actually talked to me would kick my ass from AM to PM!"

"Jeez, you suck," Zack grumbled. "But if you were to say you were anything, what do you think it would be?"

"Um…bi maybe?" Cloud guessed. "Yeah, I think I could swing both ways."

"Ha, then swing with me some time, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah, right. If I go for the manwhore of the group then how does that make me look?"

"That makes you the man whore's bitch!"

"Yeah, that's not happening," Cloud said with a drunken smile. "I'm no one's bitch."

Zack's laughter died down to inebriated chuckling. "Hey? Wanna go home?"

"Home?" Cloud looked alarmed.

"Yeah, home? It can't be too comfortable spending your second night in Midgar on the floor."

"Yeah I guess not but," Cloud sat up. "Sorry, its just a Nibelhiem thing. Like, if you welcome someone to call your home theirs…it's…nah its stupid."

"No, no, tell me. I like your backwater fables."

"Its not a fable, its just a culture thing. We're so closely knit that if you invite someone to call your home their, you're considered some kinda intimately involved with them," he rushed the last bit. "Its stupid really."

"I don't think its stupid at all. My home is your home now, since you're so far from Nibelhiem. After all, we're friends right?"

Cloud looked up at Zack's glowing violet eyes, the mako in them making them shine like sapphires in the darkness. "Uh…yeah." He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, we're friends."

Cloud and Zack didn't notice a pair of glowing jade eyes watching them as they slipped out. Genesis sighed gently in his sleep, catching Sephiroth's attention from the boys. He ran his fingers through Genesis's apple and cinnamon hair tenderly and kissed his forehead. When the redhead stilled, he got up and went to the window to watch Cloud and Zack sway drunkenly down the street. He couldn't get it out of his head. The images that the woman he called mother showed him, as well as the ones his own strange imagination provided were swimming around his head in such a way that it made him feel dizzy. He caught those blue eyes looking back at the house but not really focusing. Sephiroth imagined those gentle sky blue eyes lit up through the influence of Mako and gazing up at him through hooded lids in the darkness. Those tender hands reaching out just to touch him. Sephiroth shook his head. No, he was being greedy. He had not one, but two lovers who would go into battle and die for him or with him. So why did he have his eyes set on not just another man, but a teenager.

"Cloud…" he whispered trying to get a feel for the name.

"Sephiroth?"

He looked back to see Angel's sleepy baby blues glowing in the darkness. "Go to sleep, I'll come back in a moment."

Angeal nodded groggily and lay back down. Sephiroth looked back at the window only to see that Zack and Cloud were out of sight. He scoffed. What was he thinking?

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It took a couple of days before things returned to some form of normalcy. Genesis had done what he'd promised and set up the physical for Cloud. It was to be handled by Lucrezia even though the blonde had requested that Hojo do it. Hojo however wasn't officially in the system just yet and therefore didn't have the authority to check out SOLDIER candidates. She was said to be a very busy woman and so saw the multitude of candidates in large clusters within a three hour window. If you missed it, you would have to wait to until the next week. If you missed the three week physical window, you would have to try again next year. This was exactly why Cloud had been rolled sleepily out of bed at four in the morning by Zack and packed into a car with Genesis by five. They arrived at HQ at five fifteen and Genesis left him with a kiss on the forehead like a worried mother hen at five thirty. This put Cloud in the waiting room with several other boys his age. Several other big boys. Several other big, strong, very hetero boys. And here he was sitting there like skinny little wet kitten compared to them. He was so screwed.

"Hey, spikey!"

Cloud looked across from him to one of the boys. He was pretty thin in comparison to those around him but was definitely more toned and built up than Cloud. His hair was a black affair of corn row braids and his skin was dark smooth brown with matching dark brown eyes. He wore rugged clothing that seemed dingy from some sort of soot that had stained them.

"Um…yeah?"

"How you know Commander Genesis?"

"Oh! Um, he recruited me out of Nibelhiem," he replied honestly. The reply was rewarded by several murmurs and gasps. "What?"

"No shit eh! You got personally recruited by one of the big three. They haven't done that since Hewley took on Fair. You look kinda scrawny tho' for a protégé."

"Protégé? What does that mean?"

"You mean ya don't know! Normally we all get recruited by a 1st Class but that's as far as the interaction goes. But if one of dem 1st Class Jokers see something they like, they'll stick with ya. Nah to have one of the elite SOLDIERs scout you, that something special. Red Devil probably gonna personally see ya success."

"That's not even fair!" A frosty bleach blond snapped. "I mean look at him, he's barely the size of my left nut!"

Cloud's eyes narrowed and his mouth moved of its own accord. "Wow, if its that small no wonder you joined the army. It was the only way you were gonna get laid, pencil dick!"

"You little son of-"

"Cool it, Kyle. That's what you get," the black boy said. "Name and Origin, spikey?"

"Cloud Strife, Nibelhiem."

"Dominic Wallace, North Corel."

"I figured," Cloud said with a smile.

"Yeah I know, I look like a home grown coal miner's boy." He gestured to the bleach blond douche back. "That pissy bitch is Kyle Cutland. All us is waitin for our chance with the butcher lady right now."

"Butcher Lady?"

"You ain't never heard of Lucy the Butcher! She's always searching for prime SOLDIER meat for her experiments!"

"Yeah man, if you weren't already handpicked for SOLDIER before you got to Midgar, you would have to pass over her chopping block. Thank god that shit is taken care of. I ain't ended up on nobody's slab unless I'm dead." Dominic swore.

"Same here." A few others agreed and Cloud nodded with the collective. Just as their noises died down, the door opened. Simple red pumps were the first thing Cloud saw and his eyes went up from there to the beautiful and shapely woman who could not have made it past thirty. Her hair reached her ankles from its high ponytail like a waterfall of shining chestnut. She was so beautiful to Cloud. Was this really the wife Hojo spoke of with such disdain?

"Good mornings, boys. My name is Dr. Lucrecia Crescent and I will be handling your physicals today. Please lean up from shortest to tallest so I won't have to consistently adjust the equipment back and forth."

Cloud groaned while Dominic laughed at him. He went to the front of the line, being the shortest one there. He looked up at her with a shy smile and she smiled at him gently. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Aren't you a small one," she said gently. "Let's see if ShinRa manufacturing can take care of that. What's your name and age, sweet heart?"

He ignored the jeers and kissy noises behind him. "I'm Cloud Strife, age fifteen."

"Fifteen? Ah what an age that was for me," she mused. Come on in and we'll get this over quickly and painlessly. I will tell you if you've passed the physical before you leave."

Cloud followed her into the room and the door was shut behind her. She brought him to a strange sort of metal gurney and asked him to strip off his clothing. He glanced around realizing that all the nurses and workers were women, this caused a bright blush to grow his face. Lucrecia smiled comfortingly.

"All these women are either married or involved with someone so you have nothing they haven't seen before and trust none of us are pedophiles so we won't be checking you out either. Okay?"

"Heh…" Cloud laughed nervously and began to remove his clothes slowly. His eyes kept darting to the nurses as he slid his jacket and shirt off. He pulled his undershirt over his head showing the skinny frame the bulky clothing often hid. He kicked off his hiking boots and unbuckled his belt, sliding off his jeans with it. He was about to get on the metal gurney when Lucrecia stopped him

"Boxers too, sweet hearts. This is a full physical."

"Oh...um alright."

Some of the nurses giggled at his shyness but Lucrecia sharp look made them continue work. Once he was strapped in on the gurney, she tilted it up so that she could have a good look him. She poked and prodded in places that only his mom had ever touched and some that not even he had touched. It was all terribly uncomfortable not only because he didn't know this woman but because her hands were fucking cold! Was she like the living dead or something? Jeez!

He shivered when she continued to make notes and take random assessments. He'd had his blood drawn twice and she scrapped a sample from his mouth and snipped a piece of hair from his head. She allowed him to get off the gurney and get dressed while she awaited results. She watched her computer, taking a sip of coffee as her eyes red over the read out. Her perfectly tweezed brow rose up and she looked at Cloud in amazement and then back at the screen. He thought he was in deep trouble for a moment. Had she discovered the injections that had been given to him from Hojo? Maybe she thought it was narcotics or something in his blood. Oh, no. oh no. oh no!

"Cloud Strife, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Did you know what you have a very rare sequence of DNA?"

"Um…no," He lied having heard the same thing from Hojo numerous times when he was trying to discover a multivitamin mixture that would work with his system.

"Mm…it's interesting really. You could bind perfectly to the Mako…perhaps even…yes, yes, we shall see. Congratulations, Cloud, you're officially considered SOLDIER material. Just let me give you a booster shot eh?"

"Um, no thank you. I already passed by shot records up through Commander Genesis so you should have them."

"So I do," she said, not even looking at her desk for the records. "In that case, I hope to see you in six weeks for your initial Mako shot…that is, of course, if you make it through the camp alright?"

"Yes ma'am."

She signed some official looking documents and put them in a manila folder for him. "Keep these on you at all times and ShinRa will do the rest."

"Thank you, ma'am." He said politely. She nodded and followed him to the door.

"Now remember, do your best. I'll be monitoring you closely."

He blushed and groaned when the jeers and catcalls resumed. He nodded again not sure what to say to her and she waved the next man in. As she closed the door, Cloud began to make his way out. His arm was grabbed before he made it and looked up the muscled arm of Dominic. "Hey wait 'round for me?"

Cloud smiled a bit and nodded, taking a seat. It took almost an hour but finally Dominic's turn came and went. He invited Kyle to come hang out but the butchy blond didn't want anything to do with Cloud's "little ass." Dominic threw an arm around him and led him off.

"Come on, Spikey. I know a place that has the best hamburgers in the world. Premium red blooded beef for the growing man with enough condiments to make your dick hard!"

Cloud gave a startled look. "Dominic, I don't want to meet the cow that can make my dick hard."

Dominic laughed loud and rich. "Yeah, I don't either. But just call me Dom. That Nibel-trash accent of yours makes my name sound like Dominique and ain't no part of me is femme, ya dig?"

"Dig!"

The place which was called Roxy Heart's Place was a little home-style diner designed for the construction worker in you. It boasted heavy greasy sandwiches, burgers and the best damn cinnamon apple pie Cloud had ever tasted. He had an all out fork war with Dom over who got the last piece of the whole apple pie they'd decimated. Dom nearly one until Cloud aggressively poked him in the hand with his fork and snatched the pie plate from him. Before Dom could react, Cloud was shoveling the rest of the pie into his crumb covered mouth.

"Damn, you fight dirty, Spike!"

"I have to compensate somehow you coal minin' bastard!"

Dom nearly spit out his drink. "Gosh you got a tongue like a Zolom, Strife!"

"I spit twice the venom!"

"No doubt! So since we both passed SOLDIER, how bout we both get our drink on?"

"Wow, I just realized that everyone from our part of the world bleeds alcohol!"

"It's cool tho cuz where we got these fruit drinkin' mothers out here in Midgar, we got home grown hard burning liquor drinkers. Now let's go drink some under the table!"

Cloud laughed. "Wish I could, but someone already called it. Thanks for the food though!"

"No problem! You got a phone yet?"

"No," Cloud said with a slight pout. "Can't afford one yet."

"Well I tell ya what. When we meet up for the training orientation you gotta promise to keep an eye out for me. You cool people and Corel Coal Miners don't forget their people."

"Cool!"

l

"Why always the elevator, Tseng?"

Tseng sat in a poised meditative position, his eyes closed but his third eye opened as his memories of Wutai flashed across the elevator glass. "Vincent" leaned against the glass with an amused expression on his face. Tseng had actually been ignoring him the entire time in favor of searching his mind for information that would help Hojo. Vincent smirked and went away from the window and sank to the floor. He crawled forward to Tseng, a predatory glow in his blood colored eyes. Once he was close enough, he leaned forward so that his breath ghosted over Tseng's thin lips.

"Tell me, why the elevator?" he asked once again.

"Because, ShinRa has desecrated all the places in which I held you sacred. Ironically, his is the only one in which I felt so close to you just before you went away." Tseng sighed and opened his eyes to stare into the playful red ones. "You are not Vincent. Go away."

This Vincent laughed tossing his hair over his shoulder and biting his lip in sensual manner. He put a hand on either side of Tseng forcing him to lean back against the elevator doors. "And if I said I knew something you did not, would you let me out?"

"Because killing for no reason is not how we do things, Vincent," Tseng said plainly, closing his eyes again.

"True to yourself as always, Tseng. Why don't you search your time with the Materia Master. The one who had his tongue removed over little old you."

Tseng cringed, the images on the glass going into dark places. "Master…"

"Remember Tseng, the whole of the universe flows in a constant stream of cosmic beauty. You are but a leaf in this babbling brook that carries you from one life to another. But there will always be a form of Chaos in this stream. A Chaos meant to bring about the necessary despair to balance the flow of the universe. You, my boy, have a part of the Chaos within you from the horrors that you have faced and have yet to face. That piece of the known violence will grow but you must control it just as the divine being Omega controls its squire. Find your bane, find your restraint, search where the chaos runs deep and you will find that which will sustain your humanity."

"You got it this time?"

Tseng opened his eyes again, and his vision filled with red and white. He blinked a few times and sighed, pushing Hellmasker's face away from his. "Not now Vincent."

"Valentine, leave Tseng alone," Hojo chastised. "Keep acting out and I'll put you back in the box."

Vincent's shoulders slouched and he hopped back on top of his transport coffin with the agility of a cat. He sat perched atop the coffin, his glowing red eyes watching Tseng's every move as if he would pounce him. Tseng had no doubt that he was a volatile entity that would rip him to pieces if given the chance but Tseng was confident enough that somewhere within the madness Vincent was holding it back.

"So did that meditation help you remember anything?" Hojo asked, sifting through old research.

"You told me about Lucrecia's old research, back before she was psychotic. Something about Omega and Chaos."

"Yes, fairytale and hokum if you ask me, but she has some scientific evidence for it."

"Do..." Tseng licked his lips. "Do any of these involve a specific point of interest?"

"Theories rarely do…but I believe I can look into it." Hojo's hands glided over the keyboard. He paused a bit and made a surprised sound before waving Tseng over. "Come see this."

Tseng got up and went up behind Hojo, placing a hand on the back of his seat and leaning forward to get a good look. "What is that?"

"I found this branched off from Lucrecia's research. It's Grimore Valentine's work, his records of travel and expenses. There's a point here that is unidentified. He apparently visited this spot on a journey and discovered something significant to both his and Lucrecia's research." He tried to access it but it was immediately blocked. "Hmm, this is mildly disconcerting. I keep running into these random blocks when it comes to any time spent together by Lucrecia and Grimore. I'm not a technical junky as so many would believe, I simply know how to access what I need and lock other people out of it. That being said, may I take an educated guess and say that someone knows what we're doing?"

Tseng brushed his hair over his shoulder. "Let me try."

"By all means, I'm going to get some coffee. Would you like some as well?" Hojo gladly stood and allowed Tseng to take over.

"Yes please, cream and sugar."

Hojo chuckled. "I always took you for straight black."

"Common misconception, even I need a dose of sugar once in a while." Tseng's hands sped across the keyboard, never taking his eyes off the screen. He broke through three locks but as soon as he broke them, new ones were in place.

"Mm, the blocks rotate. This will take me a wh-!" Tseng's eyes widened when he felt a chin rest on his shoulder. He looked at Vincent out the corner of his eye as the man's discolored hands came to rest on the keyboard. He begun typing, slowly and clumsily at first but increased in speed and finesse. Random codes were typed into the prompt breaking each block down right in front of Tseng.

"Hojo…" Tseng called softly.

Hojo leaned out of his kitchen and nearly dropped his coffee. Tseng was stiff in the chair as Vincent worked over him on the computer. His red eyes weren't actually seeing, or maybe they were. Hojo wasn't sure with the vacant stare. Once Vincent was finished, the blocks were clear and access had been granted to the research. Vincent simply stood there, a bewildered expression as if he didn't know what to do next.

"Vincent?" Tseng whispered.

Vincent turned slowly and looked at him. His eyes flitted this way and that in confusion before they rolled and he collapsed. Hojo cursed and dropped his cup to be at Vincent's side. Tseng slipped out of the chair in time to catch the gunman before he cracked his head on the floor. The Turk was alarmed at how cold Vincent was becoming and there was no breath coming from his lip. He looked frantically at Hojo who pulled a case from the coffin and opened it.

"What's happening to him?"

"The constant transformations keep deteriorating his body. It gets to a point where he dies and I have to shoot him full of unrefined Mako to force him to regenerate. It's not the healthiest solutions but it's all I have for now." Hojo quickly filled a syringe and forced it into Vincent's veins. They both waited with baited breath before Vincent began to breathe again. Hojo sighed and picked him up from Tseng's arms. He laid the man into the coffin gently and placed his hands in a comfortable position. Tseng watched helplessly as Hojo closed it on Vincent. "I'm going to put him in stasis for a few days. He needs to rest and so do you."

"No rest for the wicked, professor."

"No, I suppose not."

Tseng's phone rang suddenly. He picked it up to answer, giving Hojo an expression that said "see what I mean."

"Tseng?"

"It's Heidegger. I need you to come up to HQ, have something you need to handle."

Hojo quietly sipped his coffee as he watch Tseng's grip tighten on his phone. "Is it urgent, I'm rather busy at the moment?"

"Last I checked, you did not question my authority. Need I inform the president of your insubordination, Tseng?"

Tseng's hand relaxed in defeat. "No sir, I shall be there in fifteen."

"I'll be expecting you."

Tseng hung up and closed his eyes to still his anger. Hojo put his coffee down.

"Things have changed since I've gone," he said.

"Hojo…I implore you to finish this research. If Vincent were around, no one would question Lady ShinRa's authority. If he were here, we wouldn't…" he touched his fingertips to the control collars.

"Don't worry, Tseng. I will do my best."

l

Genesis scanned the numerous items in the display case. "And all of these would be free? Even the 8G?"

"Yes sir, having been one of our most valued and loyal customers we'd be happy to give you a new one. You and the general's credits are amazing."

"I don't understand, G. Why do you feel the need to get a new phone? I just bought you the new Borg phone for your birthday," Sephiroth said with a bored expression.

"That's the thing, Seph. This isn't for me," Genesis said distractedly. "I'll take the 8G flip."

"Excellent choice," the clerk pulled out a gunmetal black flip phone. "You can do everything but kill someone with this phone. It even has a special app for journal writing for those long tours away from home."

"Oh perfect! I'll take it. And give me that chocobo keychain for it too!"

"Chocobo? You hate chocobos!" Sephiroth said confused.

"I told you, it's not for me!" Genesis reiterated as he passed the clerk his card. "Charge it as a business expense."

"Spending ShinRa's dime?"

"Don't act like Uncle ShinRa didn't pay for my phone!"

Sephiroth chuckled and followed Genesis out of the store. They took a nice quiet drive home, well quiet as in no talking, not quiet as in Genesis actually giving his radio a rest from trance music. Once they got home, Sephiroth's curiosity began to bug him again and he questioned Genesis again once they got inside. "So who is this expensive phone for? Someone I should be jealous of?"

"You couldn't be jealous even if you tried! But if you must know, it's for Cloud," he replied, taking his coat off. "Come on, get out of uniform so we can go eat.

"Cloud…the boy from last night?" Sephiroth leaned back against the door slipping off his own coat. Genesis sat down to remove his boots and Sephiroth slipped his off at the door.

"Mm-hmm. I've decided to take him under my wing like the baby that my fabulous ways could never give me." He got up and began to move to their bedroom.

Sephiroth arched his brow following him. "Oh yes, it's so hard to believe that you are not equipped with a vagina."

"Ew don't even think that! I wouldn't want a vajayjay marring my sexy gay man figure!"

"Did you just say vajayjay?"

"Anyway, Cloud is going to be my child from another mother and that's that! Meaning you need to find one for yourself."

"I don't want one," Sephiroth snapped plainly. "I have enough problems with you."

Genesis smiled a bit but it quickly faded. He took a breath and began unhooking his SOLDIER stomach guard and sliding off the suspenders. "Sephiroth…you still love me right?"

"I don't think I would subject myself to retail therapy once a week if didn't."

Genesis laughed a little letting the heavy thing hit the floor. He said with relief from the weight. "Yeah, that's true, but…you haven't said it in a long time."

Sephiroth's eyes slit. "Do I…need to say it?"

"No, I guess not. If you said it now, it would just because I want you too. It's just that you've been so cold lately. You don't spend as much time with Angeal and I as you use to. I want to say it's because of your promotion to General, but we've all been high ranking for a long time and it's never hindered our personal lives. It only made them more tamed. You though…"

"I what?" Sephiroth repeated his voice a bit darker than he meant it to be.

"It's like you've been deliberately working too hard so that you don't have to interact with us," Genesis explained slipping his shirt over his head, his voice muffled by the fabric. "Even when we're at home, you eat and then leave to go train. And when we're in bed you're…it's like I see someone el-"

Genesis found himself pinned against the wall of their bedroom, his arms and eyes trapped in his shirt. His feet were off the ground, held up by the firm press of Sephiroth's body. Sephiroth looked at Genesis through glowing, Mako tainted eyes as the red head's pulse quickened. "You see someone else? And who is it that you see?"

Genesis gasped at the sinister whisper of Sephiroth's words. They caressed over his skin like so many knives; sharp, dangerous, and so very sensual. "Seph, let me go." He panted.

"No, tell me G?" Sephiroth pressed his cheek against Genesis's, still not allowing him to uncover his eyes. "Is it that I've lost my touch?"

Genesis could only shake his head, fighting the moan that threatened to erupt with Sephiroth brushed his free hand up his bare side.

"No? Have I lost my passion?"

"No!" Genesis gasped out when Sephiroth bit into his neck. "No."

"Then tell me?"

"You…oh!" Genesis's back arched when Sephiroth sucked harshly on his throat. "You've lost…you've lost your warmth!"

Sephiroth paused and pulled back from Genesis. He gazed at those lips parted and panting, begging to be kissed, but Sephiroth found he had no desire to do so. He could hear volatile whispers at the back of his mind and his eyes fell on the pulse in Genesis's neck. His hand traveled up Genesis's side slowly in a prolonged lover's touch. He trailed it upwards until it brushed the beating pulse in the redhead's neck. "Genesis…you say I've lost my warmth."

"Yes…" Genesis replied breathlessly.

"Then…allow me to take yours?" he whispered against Genesis's lips as his hand gripped the redheads neck. Genesis made an alarmed sound and Sephiroth pulled at his sweater until his head was free of it but his arms were not. "If I stole the warmth from you, would I be warm again?"

Genesis's eyes were a glow with the adrenaline and Mako cocktail running through his bloodstream. They shined like amethyst jewels that cast light shadows from his lashes upon his cheeks that held Sephiroth's own Mako colored orbs. The voices in Sephiroth's mind grew louder and he squeezed just a bit harder. Only the sound of Genesis hoarse voice brought him back.

"Do it…I dare you to…"

The voices quieted and Sephiroth's grip loosened. He let Genesis slide down the wall and onto his unsteady feet. Sephiroth shook his head, his mouth moving to say things but could not find words. Instead he closed his eyes and buried his face in Genesis's bare chest, clinging to him like a lost child.

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh Seph," Genesis whispered. "You know that no matter what you do, there can never be bad blood between us…not with what we know, what we are."

"I could've killed you," Sephiroth whispered into his collarbone. "You should hate me, just for that."

"Sephiroth 'there is no hate, only joy; for you are beloved by the goddess' and by me," Genesis whispered.

l

l

A/N: Wow, this took me a while. But yeah, foreshadowing for all! AND GENESIS'S FIRST LOVELESS QUOTE! *squeal* oh god I'm retarded. Anyway highlights!

Things to come on WOD: Cloud discovers the effects of Mako infusion shots; Lucrecia and Hojo have a mild confrontation; Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis share a moment; Rufus and Tseng meet again before Tseng goes on a little adventure with Reno; Tseng and Reno gets into some deep shit in Costa de Sol! They're all going to give Lady ShinRa a fuckin headache. Also, we shall reintroduce Captain Cid Highwind! WOO. Remember to always review and tell me how we're doing. Also, considering a Tseng and Vincent one shot that's been stewing around my brain. How do you guys feel about cat and mouse? XD

Also, I'm taking idea for one shots so if there's any characters you wanna see together from this universe or hell another, let me know and I'll see if I can be inspired enough to write it! ^ ^

The keyword is INSPIRATION! Give it to me or I'll hang Tseng upside down and tickle him with feathers and possibly be shot. YEAH! XD
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Walking Out on Destiny