Author's Note: You read the summary correct; this is the sequel to Making the Cut I said that I wasn't going to write. I was actually going to wait a while longer to post this, but I just have a feeling it'll end up in limbo if I don't post it now.

The antiRemnants, Jadak, Yuza, and Zol, will be making their triumphant return, along with a few of my own original characters because I needed an antagonist that wasn't Genesis.

LEGACY

"I am... your living... legacy..." ~ Cloud Strife

The paper in Cloud Strife's hands trembled as he read the second line, then read it again. It was impossible. It was insane. ShinRa had made a mistake, unless they really were trying to kill him. But no matter how many times he scanned the page, the words remained exactly the same.

Roommate: Jadak Avon.

"You've got to be kidding me."

Cloud glanced up at Jadak, who was slouched against the opposite wall looking just as displeased with their current situation. "I-I'm sorry, Jadak—"

"Shut up." Jadak tilted his chin down, letting his platinum blond bangs fall over his right eye so only the left one was visible. Cloud had always been of the opinion that Jadak's left eye was the more intimidating one. "I'm visiting our supervisor tomorrow to get this fixed. Until then, you stay on that side of the room and I'll stay on this side. Got it?"

Clutching the crinkled sheet of paper to his chest, Cloud nodded. It wasn't like he had any other choice.

"Good. And I'd better not catch you trying to sneak over to my side. Or else."

The "or else" hung in the air long after Jadak had stormed out of the room. For the most part, "or else" was considered an empty threat. With Jadak, it meant he was still deciding exactly which of the terrible things in his repertoire of terrible things he was going to do to you. And Jadak was the King of Doing Terrible Things.

Cloud took several deep breaths to steady himself and flopped down on the rickety bed on his side of the room. The room wasn't very big to begin with. By Cloud's estimation, it appeared to be roughly the same size as the ones in the cadet barracks. He could probably touch Jadak's bed without leaving his own if he stretched. There was one closet for them to share and there was a community bathroom at the end of the hall. His friend Zack Fair, a SOLDIER Second, had told him the living arrangements didn't really improve until you were promoted to First Class.

But it was alright, because Cloud wasn't just Cloud anymore. He was Cloud, SOLDIER Third Class. Just a little over a month ago, he'd been Cadet Nobody. Now, every time he looked in a mirror, a pair of glowing blue eyes blinked back at him. And he owed it all to Genesis Rhapsodos. Training with Genesis had made for the worst four weeks of his life, from getting pelted with tennis balls to being relentlessly tormented by Jadak and his two brothers, Yuza and Zol, to finding out he was only a pawn in a bet between Genesis and Sephiroth, but he'd come out of it wiser, stronger, and infused with Mako. It was only because of Genesis that he'd even been considered for the SOLDIER program.

However, it was quite unlikely that Genesis would be willing to do anything about Cloud's living arrangements. The limit on Genesis' generosity was very, very low.

A soft rap came from the door and Cloud barely had enough time to sit up before Yuza, Jadak's eldest brother, slunk into the room. They'd gotten to know each other once he'd discovered Yuza had ended up on Jadak's bad side as well for dishonoring the family by expressing disinterest in joining SOLDIER. A few days before the SOLDIER entrance exam, Yuza had decided to accept an offer to join the Turks. As he came into the room now, he wore the crisp, black suit that was typical of the Turks. It looked good on him—much better than a SOLDIER uniform would have.

"Oh, good," Yuza said. His voice was as monotone as ever. "You're not in a body bag yet."

Cloud pointed at the bed less than three feet away from his. "That's his side, and this is my side."

"You're lucky you're skinny, then."

Groaning, Cloud buried his face in his hands. "I'd take living with Genesis over this. At least he'd only kill me if I deserved it."

The mattress was so flat, Cloud barely felt it dip when Yuza sat down beside him. "You'll live."

"How do you know that?"

"Would you prefer that I adopt a more pessimistic view? Because you'll be dead before tomorrow, so you might as well just end it now."

Cloud blindly swatted at him. Yuza swatted back. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Zol is having a hard time adjusting to the idea of being separated from Jadak and I. We've..." Yuza paused, shifting on the bed. "We've never been apart like this before."

Cloud peeked over at him. "What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it hard for you?"

Yuza was silent for a few moments. His expression didn't change while he thought. "I don't regret my decision. Together or apart, I would still have a burden to bear."

"But do you miss them?"

"Yes, I miss them."

"I'm sorry." Cloud debated telling Yuza that living apart from his mother was one of the most difficult things he'd ever gone though, but the effort would be wasted because there wasn't an empathetic bone in Yuza's body. Not towards him, anyway. From what Cloud understood, the Avon family embraced the concept of "tough love" wholeheartedly.

The door slid open and Jadak reentered the room, causing Cloud to stiffen. All-too recent memories of getting cornered in the locker room and beaten up in stairwells always bubbled to the surface of Cloud's mind whenever he saw Jadak and Yuza together. Even though he and Yuza were on good terms, the terrifying thought of their camaraderie suddenly evaporating lurked as a constant reminder of how fragile the balance of their relationship was.

Jadak shot both of them an ugly look, as he often did when he saw Cloud with his brother. He crouched down in front of his suitcase, unzipping it with more force than necessary, and began yanking out clothes. Yuza gracefully unfolded himself, stood up, and knelt down behind Jadak to wrap his arms around his little brother's waist. He murmured something, too quietly for Cloud to hear, but whatever it was made Jadak twist around to cling tightly to Yuza. Cloud caught a flash of light glimmering off of Jadak's watering eyes just before he buried his face in Yuza's shoulder. Even though he knew he was witnessing an incredibly private moment between the two, Cloud found himself unable to look away. When they pulled apart, Yuza reached out to wipe away the tear that ran down Jadak's cheek. Jadak swept his hand away.

Yuza stood up, straightening his jacket, and turned to Cloud as if nothing had happened. "I'll see you?" He tilted his head questioningly.

Unable to speak, Cloud just nodded.

The cramped room felt unbearably empty after Yuza left. Sniffling behind his hand, Jadak pinned Cloud with a hard glare. "I hate you."

Cloud made an executive decision to let Jadak unpack in peace.

It was odd to be able to walk freely around the SOLDIER floor and not feel out of place. The other Thirds and Seconds ignored him instead of giving him condescending looks for having the audacity to set foot on their floor because it was his floor now, too. With a renewed sense of accomplishment, Cloud knocked twice on the door to Genesis' office before stepping inside.

The office had become a second home to him. After successfully passing his exam, Genesis had allowed Cloud to start doing his coursework in the office while he worked on mission reports, other paperwork, or played games on his computer. He'd spent two nights in Genesis apartment, sleeping on his couch, while he recovered from his Mako injections. Since then, they had spent much of their time in each others' company, regardless of whether or not they needed to be. Cloud had developed a fondness for the deep maroon hue of the office walls, the half-dead fern on the corner by the door, the dozen or so copies of LOVELESS on the bookshelf, and the can openers littered about the room.

He approached the ornate ebony desk and sat down on the corner, where a space had been cleared for him amongst the papers. Genesis was lethargically prodding at his keyboard, forcing words to appear on the computer screen. Cloud watched him for a few minutes until Genesis turned away from the screen in disgust.

"Lazard complained that my last report was too short, so he's given me a bloody word-count requirement," he grumbled. "You'd think someone like him would appreciate a concise report, but noooo..."

"Why don't you write it in a poem instead?"

Genesis brightened considerably and began to search his desk for a clean sheet of paper. "What a brilliant idea. Why didn't I think of that? Have you seen my good pen?"

"Underneath that report to Scarlet. And I think there's still paper in the bottom drawer."

"Ah." Genesis retrieved the items and began hastily scribbling on the paper. "What it is it you came to tell me?"

"I can wait if you're busy..."

"You only ever keep your hands in your lap if you have something on your mind because it makes you fidget."

Cloud's eyebrows shot up. "You noticed?" Not even his own mother was that perceptive.

"I notice everything. Hurry up and spit it out while I'm still listening."

"Well..." Cloud swung his legs a few times, then quickly stopped when it looked like Genesis was going to threaten to shoot off his kneecaps again. "I got my room assignment today."

"And who did the fates stick you with?"

"Jadak."

"I don't know if I've ever met anyone with such reliably consistent bad luck."

Cloud pursed his lips into a thin line. "Thanks."

"Anytime, my dear." Genesis leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen against his chin. "Can you think of anything that rhymes with 'group?'"

"Poop?" was the first thing out of Cloud's mouth.

Genesis' deadpan expression told Cloud exactly what he thought of that suggestion, but the word was written down nonetheless. "Lazard is going to blacklist me from every establishment that sells alcoholic beverages until I'm thirty," he muttered under his breath. "I can only assume that by your telling me this, you expect me to offer you some sage advice on how to deal with Jadak?"

"I thought I'd better get a second opinion on a suggestion to kill myself."

"That would certainly solve your problem, wouldn't it?" Genesis cracked a wry smile. "Do you want to know what I think?"

Cloud nodded. Harsh as he could be, Genesis' honesty was one of the things he valued the most.

"There isn't anything you can do to change Jadak's feelings towards you, so instead of following advice-columnist bullshit and trying to make nice with him, just stay the hell out of his way. The less time you spend together, the more time you'll have to concentrate on your training."

Since it was unlikely Jadak would actively seek him out now that they were roommates, and even more unlikely if he was separated from Zol and Yuza, Genesis made a fair argument. He would just have to live outside of his room, that was all. "Who was your roommate when you were a Third?"

"Angeal."

"Oh. That must've been fun, rooming with your best friend."

Genesis' face twisted into an ugly scowl. "No. It wasn't," he snapped. "The only reason he's so good at lecturing now is because he practiced on me while we were Thirds. It's a miracle I didn't strangle him to death, and it wasn't from lack of trying on my part."

"What did you do?" Cloud asked, eyes wide.

"Sephiroth pulled some strings when we were promoted to Second Class and I was allowed to room with him instead." Genesis smiled again, as if reminiscing. "I have no idea what the hell he was thinking, considering I was a hot mess back then, but I suppose that's the bitter irony of it all. The one person I've always resented is the one person I can put up with." He shifted his focus to Cloud, gazing thoughtfully. "You're a lot like him."

"M-me?" Cloud squeaked. "But I'm short and uncoordinated and my hair is gravitationally challenged."

"It's not that. You're... patient. Understanding." As soon as the words left his mouth, Genesis closed up again. Shaking his head, he returned to his poem. "You're welcome here anytime."

"Thanks," Cloud said automatically, even though he wasn't really listening anymore. Genesis equated him to Sephiroth?

Their classes as SOLDIER Thirds officially began the next morning, and Hell had already broken loose before it was even 7:15. After Jadak finally shut his screaming alarm up by pitching it across the room into the closet door, he and Cloud pulled on enough clothing to be presentable leaving their room only to find the hallway was teeming with frantic Thirds darting about like chocobos on fire. Cloud's eyes threatened to pop out of his skull when a guy twice his height and four times his body mass hurtled past, but Jadak confidently thrust himself into the flow of testosterone without hesitation. They might've been adolescent mortal enemies, but Cloud wasn't going to let Jadak's ability to bulldoze his way through traffic go to waste. He hurried after his roommate, tailing Jadak all the way down to the bathroom.

The bathroom turned out to be just as crowded. Jadak, being Jadak, muscled his way to a sink so he could brush his teeth. Cloud was forced to wait patiently in line to use a toilet and ponder why ShinRa hadn't added a second bathroom. When a stall finally opened up, he had to plug his nose and pretend the liquid on the floor was just water. Even the bathrooms in the barracks hadn't been this bad.

Predictably, a fight broke out over whose turn it was to use the toilet. The yelling rose to a fever pitch until Cloud saw one guy take a swing at the other in the reflection of the mirror as he stepped up to the sink. Squeezing soap onto his hands, Cloud began formulating the letter he would write to director Lazard about adding a second bathroom until a hand grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him backwards. The guy who'd thrown the first punch crashed into the sink where Cloud had been standing a second ago. Cloud twisted around to thank whoever had saved him and came face to face with Jadak.

Jadak scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. "You can't keep yourself out of trouble for five minutes, can you, Brother?" Then he turned around and stalked out of the bathroom.

Cloud remained rooted to the spot, hands still dripping wet, and stared after Jadak in shock. Jadak, his arch-nemesis, had just saved him from getting flattened into a sink. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but even though he felt the pain, he wasn't so sure this wasn't a hallucination. Activity in the bathroom didn't halt, however, and Cloud was quickly jostled out of his daze by Thirds fighting for the sinks. Wiping his hands on his pants, Cloud hurried out of the bathroom before anything else could happen.

Cloud's new instructor did not smile.

He was of small stature, with ash blond hair that reached his waist. The brunt of it was tied back, leaving the shorter strands to hang around his face. He wore a knee-length, grey and white striped coat over a black button-up with ruffles down the front, and his boots had a heel to them—most likely to add extra height. But for all that dramatic flair, the man's expression remained deadpan.

"Good morning," he drawled in a bored tone. "My name is Noir Décès, but you may call me 'sir.'"

"Oh my God," the Third on Cloud's immediate right—a tall boy with black hair—whispered. "He's so hot."

Cloud almost choked on his spit, barely managing to keep his eyes on their instructor.

"For those of you that are intellectually or visually impaired, this class is section G1. If you have wandered in here by mistake, then I invite you to please remove yourselves immediately because, frankly, the time I'm spending on you now is more time than you deserve."

For a moment, no one moved. Then, two Thirds broke away from the line and sheepishly headed towards the door. Noir rolled his eyes and sighed noisily, causing them to pick up their paces.

"Now that we are free of uninvited visitors, we may begin." Noir folded his arms across his chest and scanned the line of Thirds. Cloud's stomach flipped when his icy gaze passed over him. "The reason all of you are in this class is because the powers that be believe you're special, but you'll be happy to hear that I'm determined to prove them wrong because I hate you."

The tension in the line of Thirds suddenly broke out in a cold sweat of unease. Cloud placed an inconspicuous hand over his stomach in the hopes of keeping it from ejecting itself from his body.

"My hatred is deeply personal towards each and every one of you, and if you choose to get intimate with it over the next few months, it will be your funeral," Noir said. "G1 was designed for prospective Firsts and seeing as I am not particularly impressed by anyone here, I intend to fail all of you."

Noir pulled out a small tablet from within the recesses of his coat and held it up so the Thirds could see it.

"This little device is my best friend, and thus your worst enemy. You will be graded in this class via a point system. Successfully completing tasks and mastering skills will earn you points. Obtaining points in certain areas will grant you access to new materia and allow you to move on to new fighting techniques. You can lose points by failing to complete objectives, being absent or tardy to class, destroying equipment, and getting on my nerves.

"At the end of each week, I will present to you a challenge to assess your progress. This is your chance to make up for points you've lost; extra points will be awarded for completing my challenges. If you fail... Well, I'll keep that a surprise."

Noir slipped his tablet back into his coat and clasped his hands behind him. He strode forward at a languid pace, the clicks of his heels echoing through the room, and walked down the line of Thirds, surveying them all with a critical eye.

"If, at any point, you realize how woefully unprepared you are, you are free to transfer out of the class. None of you will be missed."

As Noir continued down the line, his blank expression reflected just how unimpressed he was with them. Cloud tried his hardest not to flinch away when Noir made eye-contact with him. Davis had been full of empty threats and he'd never been truly afraid of Genesis to begin with, but there was something in Noir's eyes that sparked Cloud's instinct to flee. Noir really did hate them.

Cloud nearly fainted when Noir stopped in front of him.

Noir folded one arm across his chest, tilting his head as he tapped his chin. "You're Genesis Rhapsodos' cadet, aren't you?"

"U-Um..." How did he know? "Y-yes, sir. Cloud Strife, sir."

Noir repeated his name, as if testing out the sound. "You've got quite the legacy to live up to, then, don't you?" he mused. "I don't think I've ever hated anyone on sight as much as I hate you. It will truly be a pleasure to fail you, Mister Strife."

A/N: And off we go on yet another perilous journey. Noir Décès is the first of a small group of OCs that will appear in this story. As with Making the Cut, I will be exploring new frontiers in my writing with Legacy (so that means I have no idea what I'm doing, but everything will be fine). Genesis and Sephiroth will also be making a large contribution to the plot, which will be introduced in the next chapter.

If you ever happen to be curious about what I'm writing/editing/wasting my time with, I have a Twitter page that I like to spam. The link to that is in my profile.

Thank you so, so much for reading!

RegenesisX