The day Cloud took his SOLDIER exams, he was a nervous wreck. His whole future depended on it, on one sheet of paper, a medical screening, and a few field tests in the simulator. He did what he could, answering most of the questions accurately (at least in his opinion). In the field tests he managed to reach his goals, if barely. The medical exam went off without a hitch too. He was hopeful, maybe even a little confident, that he would pass.

The day he got his results he was desolate.

Cloud sat on his bunk in the barracks, the simple, damning slip of paper deciding his future staring him in the face with blank condemnation. Someone was cheering elsewhere, but the sound echoed through his mind meaninglessly. He couldn't hear or see anything around him but that one off-white sheet of Shinra standard issue letter paper.

It took him ages, absolute ages, to even get the state of mind to stand up. There was little other choice for him now; pack his bags and get out. What else could he do now?

What could he do?

Even with his painstakingly slow, dull pace the chore was completed in a pitifully short amount of time. He'd never had much on him anyways, nothing but some clothes and an earring, badge and ring he'd held dear since receiving it in his childhood.

It was like walking through a tunnel without a light at the end, the flickering bulbs lighting the barracks hallway as gaunt and hollow as a tomb. There were so many voices right now, voices of other cadets, none of which his shattered mind could discern. He walked, just walked, and had no destination in his mind.

It was through a few corridors and around a sharp, hidden corner that something, or someone, finally managed to snap him out of his reverie.

"Cloud Strife, correct?"

Cloud blinked a few times, still dull with mourning. "Uh... sir, yes sir?"

What greeted his gaze was a small, wiry scientist nervously wringing his hands and glancing around the corridor like something would attack him at any moment. "Ah, g-good. Shame about your score, a-a-ah yes! You see, I work in the science department, helping with the SOLDIER program, y-yes?"

Cloud blinked. Normally he might have questioned such a man, but right now, all he could hear was the word 'SOLDIER'. He'd failed. Him. Failure.

Realizing he wasn't going to get much of a conversation out of the trooper, the scientist continued more confidently in the empty hallway, "Yes, yes, very sad, you had good scores in medical, yes, very good scores. Er, I mean, only slightly above average! But that's still good, er, oh I said too much, too much..." The scientist muttered a bit. He soon shook himself out of whatever he'd been scolding himself over, continuing on, "Anyways, yes! Although I'm sure you know SOLDIER exam, ah, flunkees are more than welcome in the Shinra infantry, my boss, ah, he thought you might be able to help us instead! Yes yes indeed! Why, the SOLDIER program obviously meant so much to you, and we help with the program ourselves, so... perhaps, we might be able to come to an... agreement? You would be doing the SOLDIERs a service no one else could! Yes yes! Perhaps even like... an honorary member..."

At this, Cloud finally snapped out of his daze. "I could... help SOLDIER?"

"Yes yes, most definitely! Why, they'd all be so indebted to you!"

"They... they would? Really? Uhm, what... what might this agreement thing be about..." the blonde asked hesitantly.

"Well, if you want to know..." The scientist put his arm around Cloud's shoulder, leading him further into the dark corridor. As it was empty, no one noticed them leave. In no time at all the pair found themselves at the science lab, the scientist having explained the job along the way and Cloud having listened intently. By the time they reached the main research chambers and the other scientists were eyeing him eagerly, Cloud had agreed.

He may have been a failure, but he could still make a difference!

X-x-x-x-x

The job, it turned out, was to be a guinea pig for an experiment he'd had experience with before.

It was called the counterpart program. The theory was that they'd be able to make military units to assist SOLDIERs in the field by running information, completing errands and providing distractions when needed, units that would be able to out-speed most regular troops or monsters and undertake covert operations without any fear of discovery. Cloud could have laughed, honestly. Now he knew where the origins of the animal incident were.

Himself, along with a few others, were routinely turned back and forth into canid or feline forms thanks to a particularly tricky little materia the department had developed. The more they were subject to the materia, the more used to it Cloud got. Honestly the whole premise was probably laughable, but he himself wanted to do anything he could to assist the SOLDIER program. It was as close to his dream as he was ever going to get, after all. The only problem was that they wanted the counterpart units to be just as strong as SOLDIERs (some fights did get a little messy after all), so alongside training in human form there were all sorts of mako treatments and tests to go through. It was a horrible gauntlet of pain and exhaustion, but it would be worth it.

At least, that's what Cloud kept telling himself. More than once he'd wake up after an experiment he had no recollection of consenting to. If it was only once or twice Cloud might have brushed it off as just bad after-effects, but it was starting to become more and more common. At this point in the tests other participants began dropping out, or being kicked out. For some reason, no one else was really taking the treatments that well. Cloud hoped this wasn't a bad sign for the future of the project. It was his job to help the SOLDIERs after all, and if the counterpart units weren't successful... Well, there would be no help at all now, would there?

It all came to a head one day when Cloud met a test subject that hadn't come in willingly.

It was after another of those memory-slipping experiments that Cloud found himself waking up in a tank next to a gorgeous red beast. As he shook himself awake on his four paws (wolf legs were very stable after all), he spotted the creature in a specimen tank beside him. He cocked his head in curiosity. "Oh, hello. Aren't you an interesting critter."

Whichever scientists had dumped him into the tank had thankfully left him with a change of clothes and a materia to shift himself back. He did just that, mumbling aloud, "Geeze, I wish they wouldn't dump me in the tanks like this after they're done. Kinda rude, you know? Especially when I don't know why I'm here in the first place... Hmm, are you another test subject? I've got the materia to swap back here!"

The red creature (it looked mostly feline, but it was hard to tell) sniffed the air, looking at him contemplatively. Its intelligent eye, for the poor thing seemed to have lost the other one somewhere along the line, seemed to set itself in decision. "I do not believe that will work on me, although the sentiment is appreciated."

Cloud was only mildly taken aback. After all, in some of the experiments they had been attempting to see if they could allow him to speak normally while in wolf form. Those had been successful, "Ah, uhm, no worries? May I ask why you're here, by the way?"

"Another test subject held against my will like you, I believe. Speaking of which, perhaps we may keep this whole 'ability to talk' thing between us," he said, his voice clearly male.

Cloud was taken aback, "Against your will? That's horrible! Uhm, I'm not here against mine actually... I think. I signed up because I was..." he hesitated, "well... I was a failure for the SOLDIER program. I wanted to get in so badly, but... in the end, this is the only way I could do any good with my life."

"I doubt that very much, but if it's your choice then I will respect it," the red creature stated, his voice veiling a hint of either disgust or caution. He lay down leisurely, its fiery tail lashing.

Cloud frowned, feeling like the creature was judging him but making no statement about it, "Still, it's my choice to be here. You on the other hand..." He put his hand on his hips in thought, or would have had his one hand not already been holding an innocently twinkling materia. He looked at it mischievously. "Hey. Wanna break out?"

This took the creature by surprise, "You would let me free?"

"Yeah sure. I owe those guys a nuisance or two anyways, they've been taking me a bit too much for granted lately. You seem nice too-oh! I've been rude. My name is Cloud, nice to meet you!" he grinned.

"They call me Red XIII, although you may refer to me however you wish."

"Red works for now. Hmm, how to break you out..."

With that the two began hatching a plan. By the end of it all, Cloud was barely holding back his laughter and Nanaki's cattish side was leaking through via the smug grin his muzzle held. The materia, still held in Cloud's hand, glimmered brightly.

x-x-x-x-x

It all began pretty much the same way it had the first time.

Cloud knew a scientist who didn't like the lead researcher, and who also knew a Turk. From there things spiralled out of control when a specific materia was 'accidentally' left out along with a note or two hidden here and there among the labs. Within short order the materia, now designed to deal with mako-enhanced subjects, was promptly 'misplaced' and the mischief began.

Cloud was called in at the same time the leader of the Science department, Hojo, could be heard screaming blue bloody murder throughout the department about redheaded Turks and pranks. Cloud was very hard put to keep a straight face. Having a muzzle instead did help admittedly. His wolf tail wagged lightly as his ears flicked rapidly, trying to make sense of the chaotic surroundings. Instead of making any comment, Cloud simply nodded and listened to instructions about how he'd be responsible for helping with the cleanup this time around. He was given a morphing suit to fit both of his forms, the human and the wolf. He was also handed one of the experimental materia so he could switch himself back and forth whenever he wanted, although sadly it was one of the ones that only seemed to work on him (and hadn't that caused more than a few headaches to the researchers). From there he was sent on his merry way to round up the SOLDIERs.

"Roger sirs. Beginning mission," he yapped, his lupine jaws a stark contrast to his soft voice.

As he left he realized the true power of the catastrophe he'd helped unleashed. The first time someone had started an animal incident the creatures had been relatively untrained troopers and young kids. This time around they were mako-enhanced beasts with full military training. On the bright side most of them seemed to be more intelligent than the trainees had been, the various dogs and cats smart enough not to kill each other or any Shinra employees on sight. The not-so-bright side was that most of them didn't seem to care about any rules and were having the time of their lives doing everything except what the pitifully shrieking Shinra employees were yelling at them to do. The fact that they were mako-enhanced and hyper on four legs was not helping matters much either.

Cloud trotted out just in time to get sideswiped by a boxer gunning it down the halls, two smaller dog breeds hot on his heels. Cloud simply stood and watched the three chase and cavort freely, knocking over no less that two tables, three lamps and a whole couch in the process.

A scientist that had left the department behind him sighed.

Cloud wagged his tail, set his paws and got to work. As the only test subject currently confirmed to be able to switch forms and not lose his human chain of thought or his memories, it had been set to him to help herd the SOLDIERs into areas that could be closed off and the antidote materia administered. He wasn't the only one trying to do this of course, but he was the only one who'd have the stamina to do it repeatedly.

As he began chasing the trio of dogs into one of the designated hallways he briefly wondered about his new friend, Red XIII. Would the codes he gave him work properly? Would he be able to slip away in this mess of cats and dogs? Such thoughts soon faded from his mind as he became far too busy working, chasing tabbies here and spaniels there. At one point a chihuahua even started chasing him, but its ceaseless yapping proved very effective in helping him startle other SOLDIERs into running, so for now he couldn't complain.

Sadly, the SOLDIERs proved there was a reason they were elite. The majority of them were avoiding the designated areas like the plague, and a few had even gotten aggressive with Cloud, forcing him to back off with his hackles raised. It was midday before he even knew what was happening. Among all the barking dogs and yowling cats, Cloud suddenly came across a curious sight.

In the middle of a lounge a particularly deep red maine coone was led across an object defensively. The ginger feline, its luxurious fur devoid of any markings to mar its regality, was hissing nastily at another pair of cats attempting to take its spot on top of a filing cabinet. They backed off at its large size, but not before a dog with patchy black and tan fur began its own assault on the position. The rottweiler was swiftly repelled with a slash of sharp claws. It might have returned for another attack had Cloud not arrived at that moment. Instead it and the two marauding cats fled, startled at his wolfish form as he growled menacingly. Within short order they'd been herded down the hall and with a quick shape-shift Cloud locked them in a room.

He switched back to wolf form and returned to find the cat still guarding its position. The red tail flicked at his approach, a long, low yowl his only warning that he'd better not mess with me you lowly dirty beast. Cloud simply walked up, sat down just outside of claw range, and tutted.

"Really now, why a filing cabinet of all places?"

The cat stopped growling, it's ears perking forward in curiosity. It seemed attentive, and more than a little surprised that he could talk.

"Look, you seem like you've got your head in order so I'll just tell you this; if you follow me I'll get you to a place where they can change you back. Sound fair enough?"

The cat looked contemplative. It eventually reared up, stretching itself in a graceful arc that revealed the well-worn book it had been sitting on previously. It stood looking between the book and the wolf facing it as if trying to tell him something.

"Oh, you want to take the book along too? No worries, let me grab it then-" as Cloud reached forwards with his teeth the ginger cat hissed and swatted at him in warning. It stared him down as if scolding him on how he'd better not dare to hold its precious item with his teeth, you brutish simpleton!

Cloud backed off, huffed, and swapped back to human form, the morphsuit a bit tight but properly covering his figure, "Look, okay, no teeth. I got it. But see, hands! And my suit has pockets, so I can put it in there and it won't get dirty! Sound good?"

The cat glared at him, but eventually calmed down, even deigning to let him touch its precious book. Cloud took the opportunity gently, securely fastening the book, titled LOVELESS, inside one of the many pockets on his back before switching back to wolf form and trotting down another hallways. "We've got your book now, so let's go."

Instead of following him the cat jumped gracefully off the filing cabinet and stared at him yet again. Cloud tried to lead the feline down the hallway but it stood its ground. Neither gave ground. Finally the maine coon meowed imperiously, strutting forward to bat at his legs and then walked away a few paces before looking back at Cloud as if he was the one who was going to lead, thank-you-very-much!

With little other choice Cloud snorted and let the cat follow. What a bloody diva this one was!

After several minutes it became apparent that the cat was searching for something. He would take a few steps and scan the hallways, head weaving from side to side every time a new animal or piece of scenery became apparent. Half the time he would end up jumping out of the way and hissing if the animal was a dog running straight towards him, forcing Cloud and the cat to take a detour to lead the animal to one of the designated areas every time. This was clearly aggravating the cat, who would snort and growl at the proceedings. At one point the cat simply gave up, jumping suddenly onto Cloud's back and latching into the suit with his claws. He purred and flicked his tail when Cloud looked back at him askance.

"You lazy ass."

More purring.

Cloud just sighed and got on with it.

A few minutes later there was a calamitous crash around a corner. Cloud, instantly worried, set to check it out, the feline on his back puffing its fur slightly at the sudden move. When he rounded the corner he was met with a curious sight. What looked like a cross between a St. Bernard and a newfie was glaring down sternly at a retriever with sable fur. The black retriever was looking rather ashamed at itself and the lamp, picture and person it had apparently managed to knock down simultaneously. You could practically see the stern scolding that was taking place in front of them. Cloud's cat companion took one look at the whole mess, meowed, and purred loudly. This was, apparently, just what it had been looking for.

The gigantic bernard looked over at the two newcomers and woofed, a sound conveying something between confusion and thoughtfulness. The cat, in return, stood up and pawed at the corner of the book peeking out from Cloud's pocket, purring loudly. The bernard was allowed to approach. It gently sniffed the book at a respectful distance before moving on to the cat. The purring increased and a gentle bat on the snout seemed to affirm an identity. The bernard's tail wagged.

The retriever, meanwhile, had gotten up from his submissive posture and had been eyeing the proceedings cautiously. The moment the bernard's tail had started wagging, he sprang into action. The excited mutt leaped forwards, startling the cat as it stuffed its nose in his face. The cat hissed and swatted, but the retriever backed off doing the closest thing a dog could do to laughing. Cloud was next on the list of getting his personal space invaded when the black retriever, his long hair a spiky disarray, sought to greet him head-on. There was a moment of silence as Cloud found a pair of happy eyes staring at him and a nose sniffing at his own eagerly. The the retriever sprang into a happy dance, apparently pleased at finding a new friend as it bounded all over the room playfully.

The bernard and the maine coon just looked at each other as if to say 'here we go again'.

Cloud on the other hand was close to having enough of the whole incident. "Right. Enough of this nonsense."

The big crossbreed looked somewhere between amused and surprised at hearing Cloud speak, but the retriever had apparently missed the whole exchange. It would cost him.

A full set of wolf's teeth closed around the energetic puppy's tail and yanked. The following yelp set Cloud's hackles on edge for a moment as the wolf gave the cringing mutt in front of him a stern look as he turned around. A huff later and Cloud turned to leave, the retriever gawking at him in awe.

"I think we're done here."

Cloud was intent on leading his new party to the labs, but a sharp set of claws dug into his back and a murmur of displeasure arose from the cat. Turning around the blonde gave the redhead a reproachful look, growling in displeasure. It didn't take a genius to realize that the cat's task was not yet complete.

With little other recourse the wolf rolled his eyes and turned down a random hallway to continue the search. "There'd better not be too many more people you want me to look for or you're getting shoved down a toilet, fuzzball"

The sudden lurch of horror from the creature on his back brought a cheeky grin to Cloud's face. At this point Cloud didn't even care that these people were pretty much all his superiors; if they wanted his help they'd have to accept it came pre-bundled with his attitude. His grin was echoed by both the shaggy crossbreed and the black retriever, whose happy demeanor had returned the moment the cat-sized swirlie had been promised. If anything the tail-yanking had been completely forgiven (or forgotten) as the black canine was quickly returning to its overly friendly ways.

It took them another half a day to find the final companion. The evening sky glowed fiercely through the gloomy clouds of Midgar when they found him.

He wasn't someone easily missed, after all. Unless, of course, you were the poor infantry he'd decided to stalk.

Thick, powerful muscles coiled under a elegant black coat. The panther's subtle sheen was gorgeous, and did nothing to detract from the acidic green glow of his eyes. They saw him first, the beast quietly intent on following a pair of nervous cadets. It was clear that he could take them out at any moment, but didn't. Instead he followed their every movement, tail flicking in amusement every time they so much as flinched, unconsciously sensing the eyes upon them but being unable to pinpoint the source.

Cloud's small group stood stock still, contemplating the sight before them. Cloud had been mildly shocked at first. After all, apart from him everyone affected by the materia were never anything more than house pets. After that he huffed. The lupine snort seemed to break his companions out of whatever trance they themselves had been in. The Bernard looked worried, the labrador nervous, and the subtle tightening of the claws on his back told Cloud just what the maine coone thought of all this. Cloud was more than a little miffed at everything by this time however, and with a growl surged forwards. The ginger cat yowled, holding on for dear life at the sudden movement,and that of course brought his friends to his defence.

The panther looked around just in time to see a wolf, a very disgruntled cat, and two shaggy dogs come up behind him in a comical, frenzied manner. The cadets saw this too, finally spotting what was following them, freaking out in an appropriate manner, and running hell-for-leather to a safer spot. The panther lazily let them go.

The smaller cat hissed, obviously upset at Cloud, but the wolf was having none of it. "This had better be your last companion or so help me you little hairball...!"

"Maow," came the response. The literary cat had managed to soothe its own temper, and now leapt off to confront the panther. It touched its nose to his before returning to Cloud, meowing as if to say 'we are done here you may lead us back peasant.'

"Pfft. And people tell me Ihave an attitude," Cloud sniped. The cat flicked its tail in protest, but let him continue, "anyways Mr. Panther-whatever-your-name-is. Follow me so I can get you and your friends fixed up."

The panther seemed to have other plans. It lay down leisurely, as if to say that it wasn't quite sure it wanted to be done with its little game just yet. He was indeed most graceful in his demeanour, deigning to ignore the other beings as he contemplated, hummed, and even began daintily washing his front paw with his tongue in consideration. It was at this point that he stopped being graceful, suddenly freezing and giving his paw the most baffled expression that a panther could possibly muster. He looked at it as if the limb had betrayed him and he had no idea why. It wasn't helping that his so called 'friends', the other SOLDIERS, had begun doing the animal equivalent of laughing their asses off at his expense. Quite comically too. The panther quite suddenly made up his mind, stomping its paw down as it abruptly stood. It glared at Cloud as if to demand he take them to the labs now.

Cloud just shook his muzzle sadly and wondered, not for the first time, about the mental state of his superiors. At least this one had the sense to work with him right away.

"Are we quite done here, you ungrateful diva?" Cloud growled at the beast that had jumped back up onto his back.

The reddish cat, still sat upon its copy of Loveless on the wolf's back, purred his consent.

With that, they headed to the nearest lab.

X-x-x-x-x

Unbeknownst to Cloud, Nanaki's escape had been more than successful. The Cosmo canyon native was slinking around the building via the vents, easily navigating them with his lithe form. Several times he'd had to stop moving as scientists or Shinra infantry moved past. Eventually, however, he found his way to an area with much lower traffic. It was presumably a residence floor, and were it not for the earlier shenanigans it might have been much better guarded judging by its posh decorations. The red-furred native slunk his way out of a grate, sniffing around tentatively.

Truth be told he should have already been out and into the Midgar slums by now, but during his escape he'd overheard something concerning the wonderful wolf boy who'd helped him to escape. It hadn't been pretty. Nanaki, honour-bound as he was, was determined to return his saviour the favour.

First of all, he had to find someone to help. There were only so many doors you could open with paws.

His nose alerted him to a room full of books. Old and new, the smell of well-kept pages tempted him into one room in particular. He had to make his way via the vents again, but as the day moved on he would wait for someone to show. Surely someone so well read would listen to reason? Time slowly crept on. He watched and waited in the ducts above the room. He only hoped it wouldn't be too late for his new friend.

After night fell,he finally heard it; the sounds of the room's occupant returning. However, he also heard other voices, laughing and chiding as multiple people entered the room. He settled in as quietly as possible, intent on overhearing the conversation going on below. Depending on how they acted, his methods of diplomacy might have to change. As Nanaki's ears soundlessly shifted, his opinion of the people in the room below raised. Although a little rough around the edges, they seemed more than acceptable as potential allies. One with a cold, calculating voice, another with a smooth, poetic drawl, and two more that obviously wore their hearts on their sleeves (even if one was clearly younger and more energetic than another). One particular snippet made him stiffen.

"You know, I swear I could recognize that wolf from before," came the drawl.

"He was the same boy from the last incident. Poor luck for one fellow, but a diligent worker," came a voice of gruff admiration. One of the honest ones.

"I didn't know the kid was kinda actually really cool!" came the other. Like a puppy, that one. The smell of dog did not help this impression.

That clinched it. Not only were these people familiar with the wolf-boy who'd saved him (that scent wafting up from them now was unmistakeable), but they seemed fond of him. Chances are they would listen. But still, how to proceed.

"Excuse me. You, in the room there. Can you hear me?"

His greeting was met with surprised, tense silence. Clearly his presence was a surprise. He only wondered how much more surprising it would be once they actually saw him. Admittedly some reactions could be quite hilarious.

"Who is there? Show yourself!" Came a growl. The poetic one.

Nanaki rumbled reassuringly, "I would love to show myself, but alas, this vent covering quite defeats me. If you could remove it for me,I would be happy to reveal my presence," Nanaki began. He blinked, "I would like to warn you, I am a most... unusual person. Please do not be surprised upon seeing my visage."

"Ah, a person of culture, then?" just as smooth as the voice was the sound of quickly torn metal and the presence of a light heat. The poetic one had likely used some combination of fire and/or a metallic weapon (most likely a sword knowing these SOLDIERs) to bludgeon away the screws holding the vent in place. A snort from one of his companions seemed to say I am not replacing that vent you just shredded.

The grate fell with a clang. With a snort and a shuffle Nanaki's lean figure dropped from the ceiling, his burning tail lazily waving back and forth in appreciation. "My gratitude," he said.

"Holy smokes a talking cat-thing!" Came the youngest voice. Nanaki turned his attention to a spiky-haired black teenager, but instead of fear there was slight shock and giddy awe. The others in the group looked far more suspicious, the silver one outright staring as if to measure up his capability as a potential threat. Nanaki took this moment to assuage their fears and present his case.

"What I am is of little concern at the moment. Your scientists called me Red XIII however. Should you need to refer to me by anything, that will suffice," he purred.

The red-haired one, whose home his was judging by the smells, gave a smirk, "My my, certainly an interesting situation. A rogue science project that isn't out to tear us to pieces?"

Nanaki had had his own experience with said projects, and could fully understand the joke. He chuckled, "Indeed, I suppose I am remiss in such responsibilities," he said, but the flick of his tail and his grin betrayed his sarcastic humour. The smile faded, "Alas, as much as I would wish to acquaint myself with your group, I must ruin this jovial atmosphere. A friend of mine is in dire straights." Perhaps calling him a friend was a bit of an assumption, but as far as Nanaki was concerned there were some people you met and just knew they were a worthy companion. "I believe you may be familiar with. He is a fellow experiment, one whom can turn into the form of a wolf."

The friendly atmosphere broke like the crack of a gun through the air. The enthusiastic one began performing worried squats, "Spiky? He's in trouble?"

He received a few looks for that comment. "What, he's got spiky hair," he defended.

"You may be one to talk, oh puppy-like one,"Nanaki grumbled. He had no idea why that comment seemed to spark some snickering from the others and an offended puppy, but he moved on, "but yes, I believe these two to be the same. That man helped my escape my prison. Unlike him I did not willingly submit to the experiments they performed-"

"WHAT."

Nanaki blinked. The older earnest man, his sword almost as broad as his back, looked utterly furious. Nanaki coughed and returned to the dilemma at hand, "As I was saying, he rescued me from some rathor unsavoury circumstances. However, during my escape I overheard some rather nefarious plans that were in store for him. Apparently the experimental program he is involved with is to be sacked, but as he was the only truly successful product of such experimentation, he will not be allowed to leave the research floors. I believe the lead researcher, a man by the name of Hojo-!"

And yet another interruption. Although much quieter, the sound of creaking leather from the clenched fist of the silverette was audible, his slitted eyes positively blazing with concealed fury. Nanaki did his best to ignore it, but the sheer instinct to run gave him some pause.

"Hojo desires to liberate this specimen and include it in other tests of his. I fear very much for my friend. I do not believe he will be given any choice in the matter, and I do not wish to see such a noble person tested to destruction."

The honourable man was already halfway out the door, his puppy behind him. Nanaki purred contentedly. "Actions speak louder than words. I greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter." The silver one nodded before he too left. The poetic one, however, paused, curiosity etched onto his face.

"Red XIII, you've put yourself in quite a bit of danger already. Why stay when you could have simply escaped? That was your friend's desire, correct?"

Nanaki rumbled, "Of course, but I wish to pay that soul back for his generosity as much as I can. I am no hero, but I at least like to think of myself as a decent person."

"Then why involve us? Why not go yourself?"

A sigh, "As you can imagine, this form of mine is not the most suitable for opening doors. Besides, if I am spotted I will likely be either immediately terminated or returned to the labs. As it is I have likely lost my chance to escape unnoticed."

The redhead looked concerned, "I suppose that is true... you should still try to escape now."

"No, I will see this through," Nanaki replied. His honour as a warrior depended on it.

The pair left, swiftly catching up with the other three. The stormy look of rage upon the broad man's face was not tempered by his agitated impatience of having to wait for an elevator. It opened the moment the five gathered again, and with a click, thunk and a shift of gravity, the group were off to the science department.

Eerie machines and glass holding containers echoed back the clanking of combat boots and claws across the metallic floors, the grates banging every time Angeal's boot stomped down. Sephiroth, though much more silent, was no less deadly. They rounded a corner swiftly when the sound of flesh banging against glass and muffled yells broke through the beeping of monitoring equipment. What met their eyes made Angeal go red in the face. The wolf-boy was on the inside of a mako tube, rage and fear in his eyes directed towards the greasy scientist entering commands on a nearby computer.

"Hojo!" Angeal roared.

Said man twirled around, his eyes opening wide like a deer in the headlights. A dozen scientists nearby froze.

What happened next was a shouting match of epic proportions. Science interns scurried about in panic as their leader and a high-ranking SOLDIER started going at it relentlessly. The other two joined in, Genesis throwing out flamboyant bots of flame and Sephiroth's Masamune being loosened (but not removed) from his sheath with a threatening click of metal. Nanaki ducked behind Genesis and Zack plowed through the lesser scientists to stand at Cloud's side, looking as if he were ready to start pushing random buttons to get the boy out. This, of course, caused a wave of researchers to swarm him, mostly trying to tear him away from the console or yelling advice on what to do or not to do.

The whole shebang stopped dead when the vice president and director of soldier suddenly showed up with no rhyme or reason. Cloud blinked at the redheaded Turk shadowing the blondes.

"You are yelling fit to wake the dead, much less my lazy father. There had better be a good reason for this," Rufus growled.

Hojo started griping, "These men have come in here, trying to ruin my experiment-"

A sharp comment from Sephiroth cut him off nicely, "We are here to rescue a comrade from a rather unfortunate mishap," he began, "Hojo seems to have mistaken him for yet another experiment."

"I take it the blonde in the tank is with you?" said the other executive. Lazard, as unruffled as ever, was unfortunately used to this type of behaviour. He also valued his SOLDIERs, so having him there was a huge reassurance for the four swordsmen nearby.

"An accident, I see. Hojo, please release the poor boy? He is one of ours," The look he shot at Sephiroth practically screamed you had better have a good explanation later or so help me,and by the way you are looking after him until we settle something out.

Hoo practically hyperventilated, "You can't mean this!?"

Rufus snorted. "Whatever gets this mess resolved the quickest, and I do believe that's the first reasonable resolution that has been suggested. Do it, and if there's an issue you'll have to discuss it with father later."

Hojo recognized a loss when he had one. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to scramble for some sort of silver lining. His gaze fell on Nanaki and he pointed at the leonid.

"That beast belongs to the science department," the scientist sneered.

Nanaki gave a soft mewl, looking up pathetically at Genesis. The red SOLDIER caught to the request instantly.

"You have no appreciation for such a graceful beast. I believe I will be taking care of it from now on," Genesis purred. Nanaki looked shocked with happiness for a moment, but played along with the SOLDIER's ploy, rubbing his head against the fiery man's thighs and purring, shooting some looks towards the executives t ensure they bought his 'pet' act. It seemed they did. Either that, or judging by the exasperated Lazard's glare, had given up on trying to tell the Loveless lover otherwise.

"You can't do this!" Hojo screeched the moment Cloud's tank began to open. "They belong to me!"

And then it happened

There was a moment of icy silence that pierced to the soul in a way not even the great glacier could match, freezing all to the core. A howl of rage was the only warning before Hojo was suddenly sceeching on top of a nearby table, scattering vials and papers everywhere in his haste to avoid the furious golden wolf scrabbling mere inches below. The onlookers didn't know whether to laugh at the scientist's predicament or follow his example of leaping to safety. The resulting chase sent the greasy scientist on a most ungraceful dance around the labs. Sephiroth looked like Christmas came early. Twice.

The executives just looked bored. At least, they would have, but the discreet flash of a camera from Rufus's pocket (and three more from the turk's pocket) told them all otherwise.

The issue settled, it was time to leave. The chase was called off and Cloud directed to go with the soldiers. It took some convincing,but the stubborn blonde eventually conceded. Then again,the opportunity to bunk with some of his heroes for a while seemed to placate him.

As they exited the lab Zack cracked a grin, "Remind me never to piss you off, spiky."

"If I have to remind you then it's probably too late anyways," Cloud grumbled, still angry from being cheated of his revenge.

A round of laughter. Zack blinked, then suddenly whirled to Genesis and Nanaki, "Oh hold on Genesis. I never realized you were a cat person before!"

"I'm not." Genesis grumbled. "Not usually." But heavens knew he did appreciate a cat smart enough not to cough up its own hairballs everywhere. Nanaki's eyes twinkled.

"Oh."

Silence. Then...

"I dunno, you make a pretty good cat yourself. You were purring and everything, it was so cute!"

Genesis, stupefied, stared at the second class SOLDIER for a minute before promptly whipping out his hell Firaga materia and chasing a yelping Zackary down the halls.

"Like cats and dogs, all right," Angeal chuckled.

Cloud just shook his muzzle sadly and wondered, not for the first time, about the mental state of his superiors.

Fin.

I have no more motivation to write, but just to tie up some loose ends; Cloud will join SOLDIER, and promptly shakes everyone's nice little stable world to pieces. Nanaki can either go back to Cosmo Canyon, but stay in touch with Genesis, or stay with Genesis as his 'pet' but actually helps out with a lot of things, such as environmental issues with Reeve, or sage advice and a shoulder to cry on when Genesis needs it. I dunno, you want more go write it yourself. I am DONE. This took me WAAAY to long to BLOODY FINISH GWAAAAH.

FF VII remake to be done in the meantime, whee.