Wow. I am so sorry for those who fell in love with this fanfict that it has taken so long to post something. Life got in the way and everything went to hell from there. I am slowly revamping all of my fanficts, but here's chapter four in the meantime. I love all of you that stuck around and responded to my messages to let me know you still care. Thank you so much for being so so so incredibly patient.

Angeal didn't bother knocking when he reached Genesis's apartment door. Well, perhaps it wasn't so much the door already being open a jar as his every thought dwelling on how not to distract himself with daydreams while he and his friend shared this mission they were assigned. Yes, very immature and pathetic of him. He knew that. Gaia, is this what love did to a grown man? "No time to dwell on such trivial things," he thought. Quickly, he pushed through the front door in search of his friend. They were scheduled to leave in about an hour. Then it was a straight flight to the Northern Continent...

Frankly, he couldn't see the logic in the Company's decision to only send a small team of five with them. There were over a dozen new recruits, two pilots, and three SOLDIER Third-Classes trapped out in the frozen wasteland. It was obvious that ShinRa didn't want to risk too many of its men, but what if they were rendered incapable of calling for reinforcements ifthey found them? It was no joke that he and Genesis - and whatever team that was to accompany them - were walking into an immense danger zone. And, yes, he was a bit worried.

"Genesis?" called Angeal as he strolled tentatively throughout the apartment suite. No answer. That figured. With a sigh, he set down the pack on his shoulder beside one of the royally-colored sofas before carrying out his search. Genesis couldn't have gone back to await the helicopter already, would he? Nah, the small-town aristocrat loved to take his leisurely time. Shortly, Angeal found he wished that, just this once, he wasn't right. Furthermore, he wished he hadn't come looking for Genesis; opening his bedroom door dampened whatever high spirits he may have had. Angeal was in love – that much was obvious. Love had tendencies to hurt– everyone knew that. But to watch the one you love…in love with someone else…

Angeal's call died in his throat at the sight. Sephiroth was his friend, but he hated seeing the General's arms around Genesis. The latter was in a similar state…only in one hand was a beautiful red rose. Genesis's favorite color, of course. A farewell present? Probably. Red was also the color of passion. And Genesis' passion belonged irrevocably to Sephiroth. As did the goodbye kiss they now shared. Angeal let his eyes drift to the lush carpet beneath his feet as he dragged himself back to the living room.

Later

"All calling Angeal! Come in, Angeal!" The redhead would call out, before playfully slapping the back of his head in amusement, waiting for the ravenette to respond. It seemed that ever since they had left Genesis' apartment, the other was thoroughly distracted by something and was rather upset about whatever it was. He couldn't possibly have known that it was his own fault the other was feeling in such a way. All he knew was that the other was distracted and being distracted in such an environment as the Northern Continent could mean death.

"Ow!" The ravenette yelped as he felt the hand swat the back of his head, causing Genesis to bite back a laugh. "What was that for?" The man glared at his mission partner before giving in and a smile graced his face. Angeal could never stay mad at the other for long. One of the perks of being in love, he supposed. Or another drawback, depending on how one looked at it. If the redhead broke his heart, he wouldn't be able to stay mad at him. But, that didn't matter. His feelings for Genesis didn't matter and they never would. He just needed to focus on the mission at hand.

"You were on Cloud 9. I had to snap you back to reality before a pole jumped out and knocked you down or something." The other man teased with a smirk. Genesis knew that couldn't have happened even with his friend distracted as he was. It seemed that Angeal was always on alert no matter what. And that was very impressive to the redhead who couldn't expect anything from anyone anymore. Ever since he had been with Sephiroth, normalcy had flown out of the window.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard." Angeal responded, faking a frown. He knew that he had been distracted with thoughts of self-pity and of Genesis on his mind, but he hadn't thought that it was noticeable. He knew from then on that he needed to keep watch of how far his mind wandered and especially how far it wandered in the presence of certain people. Namely his friend Sephiroth and his crush, Genesis.

"Oh please, I barely swatted you on the head." Genesis would respond with a gleam of playfulness in his eyes. "You really shouldn't take anything too seriously, Angeal. Who knows, you might grow a forest out of that stick up your ass." He would tease in all friendliness. That was how far their relationship had progressed. They could easily make such comments towards each other and the other would never get mad over it.

"Oh? And how would you feel if I suddenly tripped and opted to grab onto your hair to break my fall?" Angeal couldn't help smiling when his friend rolled his eyes. His very pretty blue eyes. He cursed inwardly as soon as that thought had popped into his head. Now wasn't the time or place to be thinking about such things. Angeal noted that he really needed to calm his hormones, he was beginning to act like Zack.

"You wouldn't dare. Such actions would put me in a very cranky mood. Besides, I happen to
prefer my hair looking pristine. It isn't easy keeping it that way." As he made his last comment, he would run a hand through his smooth and tangle-free locks. The action of moving his shoulder blade back, caused a pain-filled twitch to appear. It seemed that he had forgotten about his punishment from the other night. "And if anyone were to happen to mess up such beautiful hair, then I would have to kill them."

Ooh! Blackmail jackpot! "You mean you actually, as the women say, 'Fix your hair'?" Angeal jeered, nothing foul intended. "And pray tell, Genesis. How early do you have to get up in the morning to work on your 'masterpiece'?" The ravenette laughed at the expression that was soon put on Genesis' face. He had completely missed the pained grimace that flickered on his redheaded friend's face.

Genesis stopped dead in his tracks, shooting a sideways glare at the elder. The other pedestrians sharing the sidewalk made careful mind to walk around them with a wide enough radius, "Watch it, Angeal. I packed the stapler." He warned with a nod of his head as he playfully reached for his backpack. The added weight onto his back wasn't making his open wounds feeling any better but it was something he could live with. Now that he was in Angeal's company. He mentally cursed himself, aggravated. Here his was, flirting with the cause of his punishment and he could care less. Perhaps he was as big of a failure as Sephiroth told him.

Angeal sighed teasingly and began walking again, "Only you, my fiery friend, could make an art out of turning a simple office instrument into a deadly weapon." He would praise with a soft chuckle. Leave it Genesis to pick something out of anywhere and turn it into a deadly weapon. Sometimes it felt that the redhead was more on edge than he seemed to let on. The fact being proven when it took a moment for his response.

"Yes quite extraordinary, isn't it? I have to introduce you to this wonderful new program. It's amazing, the things it enables your body and mind to do. It's called SOLDIER. I'm sure you've heard of it? I'm sure even with your lack of brains, you'd fit right in." A snide chuckle was given as the redhead playfully patted Angeal on his back. His extremely muscular back. Genesis glared at himself inwardly. There he went again. He felt like he was deliberately trying to cause trouble for himself.

The brawnier of the two scoffed a sarcastic laugh, "Snide as always. No wonder the cadets are uneasy around you." Angeal would snicker, thinking about all of the interactions Genesis had with cadets. They all seemed scared of Genesis and this was the exact reason why. He knew that Genesis would purposely scare the cadets into listening to him. Angeal just didn't believe in that method.

"If they always know what to expect from their superiors, they'd never make it
out in the battlefield. I merely keep them reminded to stay on their toes." He'd proclaim acting as if it was the most valid reason and that there was nothing wrong with his method of keeping the cadets in line. "We do want them to survive, don't we?" He'd tease.

"ANGEEEEEEAL!" A voice would call out, practically tackling the muscular man, almost knocking him to the ground.

"YRAGH!" to say that Angeal managed to remain standing whilst being caught by surprise by a heavy source pouncing upon his shoulders in itself was astounding. The fact that said surprise was a 175 pound young SOLDIER Second-Class left the feat nothing short of a miracle. "Zack!" He would scowl with a sigh, knowing that the youngest of the three males would probably never take Angeal serious in the category of, 'Listen to me because I am your commanding officer'.

If Genesis wasn't so habitually dignified, he probably would have collapsed in a fit of laughter; the moment was just too perfect! "As I can see, you could use some help in that department yourself!" He laughed haughtily, watching the other struggle trying to get the youngest male off of his back and gain the ability to breath properly again.

"Thanks a lot, Gen!" Angeal snapped at him, not meaning it of course. "Now would you get off of me, Zack? I need to breathe unless you want to kill your mentor and spend the rest of your life following Genesis around." He complained to Zack.

The young brunette squealed happily as he clung to his dear flailing mentor, "Hey, guess who gets to come with you guys to the mountains! Guess! Guess! Give up? MEEE!" He exclaimed as if that wasn't the most obvious thing in the world. "It's going to be so much fun, Angeal! This will be our first mission together! You, me! The wilderness! Me saving you from a bear about to eat you because I'm very heroic." He'd go on a rant if Angeal hadn't had shut him up with the swat to the back of his head.

Genesis could barely contain his laughter at the sight, "Would you like me to lend you the stapler, Angeal? I can assure you that it is very helpful in times like these." He laughed, feeling his sides quivering with true happiness for once in a long time. "It seems like you are in need of it badly." He would comment, watching the show progress.

"How about an oxygen mask? Zack, get off!" Angeal would snap at him, trying to make Zack take him seriously. There was a reason that Angeal referred Zack at a puppy. It was because he had the stamina and the emotionally as well as mental range as one. Okay, so maybe the mental thing wasn't as true and was a bit rude. But still, sometimes it could apply. This just happened to be one of those times.

A shy laugh joined Genesis's while the scene continued ahead. The scarlet SOLDIER turned to see an even younger figure standing at his other side, apparently toting packs for two people instead of one. He had wondered when the other had managed to get that close to him. Usually he could tell if he appeared in eyesight, so it was a bit unnerving. But still, he didn't pay too much attention to it. He knew that the other would never cause trouble for any of them.

"Is it safe to assume he's a little too excited?" The youngest of the, now four, males would comment, looking at the show that was going on in front of them. It was exactly just like Zack to cause a big scene, probably embarrassing Angeal more than the younger ravenette could think of. Still, it didn't mean that Zack thoughtless of Angeal. He did care a lot about his mentor. But sometimes, in moments just like these, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"Considering the fact that he can't loosen his hold enough to allow Angeal to breathe…I'd say yes." Genesis would reply with a soft chuckle, watching the struggle continue on between the two. Well, not so much of struggle, more like Zack continuing to ride on Angeal's back and the latter trying to throw him off.

The younger shrugged, "Well, he doesn't get to go on many off-continent missions lately; much less ones with Angeal." He told him walking along the scarlet haired male's side, watching the two. He was happy that Zack had found someone that he looked up to. It just hurt to see him all over someone else. But, he knew that those feelings were only him acting out on jealousy and nothing was going on between the two.

Genesis allowed himself another light laugh, "Yes, the Puppy tends to get a bit too attached." A smile graced his face as he recalled another scene like this, except in this case, Zack was beginning Angeal to assign him to the same mission. An incredibly dangerous mission that was declared only fit for First Class SOLDIERs to attend. How Zack had found out about it, no one could ever guess.

"Heh, you're telling me? Once he found out both Angeal and I are going on this mission, he just had to wrestle Director Lazard into signing him on, too." The youngest responded with a soft and good-natured trouble. "To be honest, I'm surprised that his request got granted. I thought that we had too many on the crew as is. Let alone a person as hyper as Zack attending the mission as well." He chuckled.

Genesis's red eyebrows angled upwards as he turned back to his companion, "You're accompanying us as well then, Cloud?" He'd ask, catching on to that tid bit before laughing and agreeing with the rest of his statement. "Yes, well, it would be just like Zack to cause a scene at headquarters to be with the ones he cares most about. That and I doubt that he's been on a mission recently seeing how raring he is to go." He doubted that Angeal was the sole reason that male was acting the way he was.

The blonde gave a curt nod, "I've been assigned as the guide. I have a lot of experience in places like the Northern Continent and how to navigate them. And a good sense of direction. The director thought that I could be very useful." Otherwise I wouldn't be going, was left unsaid in the open air. But Cloud didn't care, he knew that eventually he would get strong enough to attend any mission he wanted.

"Hm. So, what attribute do you possess in order to keep up with…well, all of that?" They both turned their attention back to where Zack was still perched upon poor Angeal's back, chatting about one thing or another and the older SOLDIER border-line begging him to get off - the poor guy couldn't breathe. A soft chuckle passed between the two.

"To be honest?" Cloud looked back up at Genesis with a soft, yet amused smirk, "A lot of
stamina?" The blonde half-joked as he turned his gaze away from Zack and Angeal and continued to walk forward. It didn't help that he had to carry his stuff but as well as Zack's stuff, making his load twice as heavy.

Genesis couldn't help cracking a smile as well before feeling a bit sorry for the male, finally noticing how much he had to carry. The walk continued in silence (save for a few grumbling protest from Angeal, whom Zack had chosen to be his personal chocobo). Cloud was a comforting presence. One thing Genesis really appreciated Cloud for was his sense of understanding; he wasn't the type to judge anything and he didn't push too hard. Plus, he was a good ear when someone needed to talk. If they didn't, however, he had the subtle way of offering his company should he be needed. He spoke rarely, but it always seemed to count when he did.

"Zack finally asked me to move in with him." The blond finally said after the long and quiet trek to the meeting area. It had been a small secret that the two were dating. It seemed that the only ones who had known about it were Genesis and Angeal. Other than that, the topic of their relationship was never really brought up much.

Caught off-guard, Genesis halted briefly and turned to his companion while he processed the information. Finally, he beamed, "I have to say it's about time." Genesis nodded at the blond. "I thought the two of you wouldn't understand the concept of not having to debate whose place to spend the night at." He would tease the younger boy.

"I guess he wanted to make sure we could pass the one-year mark before we
jumped too far ahead of ourselves." The blond remarked, remembering a conversation the two had at their six month anniversary. Cloud had wanted Zack to move in and Zack didn't want to rush things. It was completely understandable. Cloud wasn't one to push something anyways.

Genesis raised an eyebrow, "Zack? Being cautious? Zackary FAIR? Are you sure we're talking about the same person here?" He'd allow a soft chuckle to pass his lips and shake his head. Man, the world was definitely changing. Genesis hadn't been able to hang out with the trio for the longest time, Sephiroth making sure that he was home every day at a precise time. It seemed that he had been missing out a lot and it felt that he was being left behind.

"Surprising, huh?" Cloud snickered as they continued their trek, Angeal and his jockey now several paces ahead of them. He saw the look on Genesis' face and quickly answered the unspoken questions. "No, no. He hasn't changed. He's still the same hyperactive knucklehead he always is. I guess, he just loved me too much to lose me." The blond blushed, embarrassed at saying that out loud.

"Nevertheless, I'm glad the two of you are taking another step forward. I'm very happy
for you." Genesis told him with an understanding smile. He was so grateful how Cloud could read one's emotions and know exactly what to say when to say it. Perhaps that's why Zack and Cloud got along so well. They complimented each other. He wondered if that's what his own relationship looked like in the beginning and if he had ever been that happy with his lover. If Genesis had, he certainly couldn't remember it now.

Cloud ducked his head in a faint blush, "Thank you. So am I," When the ShinRa building came into view, Cloud spoke again once more and those words seemed to have caused a small pit to form in Genesis' stomach, "So, speaking of exciting relationships, how are you and the General doing?"