Author's Note: This isn't really supposed to be anything special, it's just me being bored and having stupid thoughts. Call it 'Zack and Angeal's Intelligent Conversation.' This technically takes place along that timeline, at any rate. Cloud is a SOLDIER Third, and Genesis' apprentice, for those of you who are reading my work for the first time.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, it is not mine... My winter coat, however, has a collar that comes up around my face and really makes me feel like Vincent Valentine.

Genesis Clone

"Genesis is a deserter who used his copies to attack us! Angeal would never condone something like that!" ~ Zack Fair

"Angeal, we have an emergency situation."

Letting out a heavy sigh, the dark-haired First glanced up from his papers to look tiredly at Zack. "What is it this time?" he asked.

His protege slammed his hands down on the desk and made direct eye contact with Angeal for a full five seconds before he spoke.

"Have you noticed anything... strange about Cloud lately?"

Furrowing his brow, Angeal quickly thought back to any recent encounters he'd had with the blond SOLDIER. Just yesterday Cloud had come by to ask for staples, but the boy had seemed perfectly normal. Bright, cheerful and polite.

The First shook his head. "Can't say that I have," he said. "Why, is something wrong?"

Zack quickly glanced around the room, as if there were anyone else inside Angeal's office besides the two of them, before lowering his voice. "I think... I think Cloud is turning into Genesis."

For a moment, Angeal just blinked.

Cloud... into Genesis?

He burst out laughing.

"This is serious!" Zack exclaimed. "Stop laughing, Angeal!"

Covering his mouth with one hand, Angeal fought to regain control of himself. "I-I'm sorry," he coughed, "but what are you talking about? Cloud is nothing like Genesis."

Zack stood back, folded his arms across his chest and arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really." Having grown up with the redhead, Angeal liked to consider himself a bit of an expert on his childhood friend. "Where Genesis is like a Mastered Tri-Fire, Cloud is like a Cura. Completely harmless and actually helpful."

"Well then let's just say that Cloud has traded in his Cura for a Fira," the Second scoffed.

Angeal sighed again and rubbed his temples. "Zack... I know you and Genesis don't get along very well," he began.

"More like hate each other?" Zack interjected.

He glared at his apprentice. "And I'm quite aware that you two have been fighting over Cloud's friendship for a long time now. But you have to remember that he's Genesis' apprentice. There isn't much you can do about that. It's just human nature to pick up the habits of the people we spend a lot of time around."

The look Zack then gave Angeal very clearly read 'Are you stupid?' The First felt mildly offended.

"Habits, I could deal with," the Second said slowly, as if speaking to a small child. "Little things here and there. For Shiva's sake, I know I've been told I sound like you sometimes."

Angeal nodded. "There you go, then."

Slamming his hands back down on the desk, Zack leaned a little bit too far into the First's personal space bubble. "What I cannot deal with is Cloud becoming a full-fledged Genesis Clone!"

"What exactly has he done to give you this impression?" Angeal asked, about to push Zack away, when his apprentice suddenly straightened up and began pacing back and forth in front of his desk.

"You know how most days Spiky and I eat lunch together?" Zack asked rhetorically. "Well, that's practically the only time I see him anymore. He hardly ever comes over seeing as he's always with Genesis. And then there's those days when Genesis eats with us and Cloud acts like he's... he's... GOD or something! I can barely get his attention, let alone talk to him about anything."

Angeal shrugged. "You were like that for a while when I first started mentoring you."

"Yeah, but that was only for a while," he pointed out. "Cloudy's 'while' has long since expired. I can't get through one conversation without him mentioning Genesis. It's like he can't even think for himself anymore! It's always 'Genesis says this' and 'Genesis says that,' and it annoys the crap out of me!"

"So he holds what Genesis tells him in high value. There's nothing wrong with that."

"It's Genesis, Angeal."

"Alright, I get it!" the First snapped, rising from his chair. "You don't like Genesis. But there isn't anything I can do about their situation. It was Cloud's choice whether or not he became Genesis' apprentice, and he accepted."

Zack frowned. "Do you think I don't know that?" he snapped. "I'm just saying we need to get Cloud to spend time away from Genesis before it's too late."

Angeal frowned right back. "And I'm saying that you're overreacting."

"He quotes LOVELESS, Angeal!" his apprentice exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. "I don't think I'm overreacting!"

"I could probably recite the whole poem," the First shot back. "Sephiroth could. Minerva knows Genesis quotes it often enough."

The teen narrowed his eyes. "But can you give a complete interpretation of it and use lines in context with conversation?" he questioned. "Because Cloud can."

Angeal had to admit, even though Genesis had explained it to him multiple times, LOVELESS would forever remain a mystery to him, much like that gift of the goddess, whatever it was. "Well, no."

"Hmph," Zack huffed. "And that's another thing; Sephiroth was the whole reason Cloud even came to Midgar. He was his hero, Angeal! But mention the General to him now, and he just gets this look on his face and whines about how he 'doesn't want to talk about Sephiroth.'"

"Well, that's just because he's constantly bombarded with the extremely biased opinion of..." the taller man trailed off, eyebrows coming together in confusion. As far as he knew, Genesis was literally the only person in ShinRa who made his rivalry with Sephiroth public. Anyone else who was jealous of the General never said a word. It would only make sense that the redhead would try to impress his views on his student, but if Cloud had grown up with Sephiroth as his hero...

Perhaps Zack wasn't as wrong as Angeal had originally thought.

"You have a point," he relented, much to the delight of the Puppy. "But. This might just be a severe case of hero-worship. It doesn't mean Cloud is turning into Genesis."

Suddenly, Zack stood ramrod straight and marched up to his mentor, so close their noses brushed. "Angeal," he barked in a voice much too loud for their proximity, "I invited Cloud over for dinner last week, and when I went to open a can of green beans, do you know what happened?"

The First shook his head.

"He freaked out. Do you know why?"

"No, Zack."

"Because apparently, using a can opener to open a can is 'cruel and inhumane abuse' of said item," Zack replied, poking him in the chest. "Now I don't know about you, but there's only one person I know of that is that psychotic."

Cruel and inhumane abuse...?

Of a can opener?

Yeah, that was Genesis Rhapsodos alright... only it wasn't. It was Cloud who'd said it.

It wasn't catastrophic that Genesis was training the blond. The redhead was, after all, one of the best swordsmen on the Planet and being as eloquent as he was, knew how to get what he wanted through negotiation. If it weren't for his rather bizarre eccentricities, Angeal would never have had any reason to object. Unfortunately, the LOVELESS-obsessed, can-opener collecting vegetarian commander was eccentric and had a tendency to unleash hell on whoever dared to openly mock him.

The world wasn't ready for a second one yet.

"This... could be a problem," Angeal heard himself say.

Zack widened his eyes and nodded. "Um, yeah!"

A knock on the door came as a welcome distraction. "Come in," the First called, rubbing a hand over his face. Gaia, this was turning out to be a long day. Three meetings, then this, and now he'd have to go sit down with Genesis and who knew how long that would-

"AHHH!"

Angeal jumped when Zack shrieked at the top of his lungs. He turned to reprimand his student, but did a double-take when he saw who was standing in the doorway. And then he blinked.

It was Cloud Strife, but the Third now donned a scarlet leather duster that undeniably belonged to the Crimson Commander. The coat was much too big on him, with the sleeves bunched up around his wrists. Angeal stared at the hem as it dragged on the ground. The Genesis he knew would have been strangling Cloud for defiling his coat in such a fashion.

"Are, um, you alright, Zack?" Cloud asked.

The Second screamed again, making the other two in the room flinch, and darted to hide behind Angeal. "Why are you talking like that?" Zack demanded.

"Excuse me?" the blond queried. "Talking like how?"

"Like that!"

It took Angeal a moment of staring dumbly, but he slowly came to the realization of what Zack was saying. Having grown up around it, the First didn't really take much notice of it anymore. But there was no mistaking it; Cloud had picked up Genesis' accent.

"And why are you wearing Genesis' coat?" the Second drilled, glaring at his friend.

Cloud shrugged nonchalantly, tilting his nose in the air and pulled the duster tighter around his shoulders in an uncanny impression of the redhead. "Gen said I could."

"Oh, so you've given him a nickname now?" Zack sneered.

"I'm allowed, aren't I?" the Third pouted. He tucked a few loose strands behind one ear to reveal...

The dark-haired teen pointed. "Hey! Isn't that Genesis' earring?"

"The other one, yes."

Both ravenettes stared.

"What?" Cloud snapped, uncharacteristically impatient.

Angeal was in absolute shock. And here he thought Zack had been exaggerating. The truth was, in reality, much, much worse.

The blond sighed sharply and crossed his arms. "Well, if you're quite finished playing Twenty Questions now, Genesis would like to know of Angeal wants to spar later."

The First blinked a few times before nodding. "Uh... uh, yeah," he said absently. "That'd be a good idea."

"Then if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now," Cloud grumbled. "Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return."

As the blond swept out through the door, the infamous redhead himself poked his head in from the hallway. A maniacal grin was plastered in his face.

"Don't you just love that kid?" he chuckled before growing serious. "But you know...? He reminds me of someone... I just can't quite put my finger on it-"

And for the first time in history, Angeal was the one hurling his lamp at Genesis.

A/N: You know? I think I just described myself in this story. LOVELESS, coats, accents, can openers... I'M A GENESIS COPY! AAHHH! But wait- we already knew that.

Hope you who are reading this enjoyed my little bout of silliness here. :D

RegenesisX