Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Cliche' Files: Chocobo ❯ A what? ( Chapter 2 )

Nope, still Squeenix.

 

Chapter the second

 

Genesis laughed.

 

Or, if Angeal were to be perfectly honest, Genesis howled uncontrollably.

 

The red-haired SOLDIER wheezed and choked as another giggle interrupted his bid for air. He leaned against the cream wall, clutching his stomach as tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. “A CHOCOBO!” he crowed, and doubled over laughing again.

 

Sephiroth's fingers twitched in the 'I'm going for Masamune' way.

 

“Not a chocobo,” the General snarled. “Raised by chocobos.”

 

Angeal wasn't sure what that statement was meant to accomplish, but all it did was encourage Gen to laugh harder. As it was, even Angeal's own lips couldn't squash a twitch, and he pointedly did not look at the little blond currently in his apprentice's lap. If he did, he'd probably be howling as loudly as Gen.

 

“So Seph, why exactly did the President say you should be the one to... babysit?”

 

“Hojo.”

 

The single word explained quite a bit.

 

“Oh.”

 

“The 'good' doctor wanted to study my interactions with it.”

 

“Hey!” Zack yelled, echoed by an indignant 'WARK!'. “He's got a name ya know!”

 

Sephiroth leveled a truly murderous glare at the SOLDIER Third. With movements honed by much practice, Angeal stepped slightly to the right to block the boys from his friend's view. Seph was less likely to kill something if he had to get around Angeal first. Gen owed his life to this particular move several times over.

 

“Is that so, pup?”

 

“Yeah!” Zack confirmed. “It's Cloud.”

 

There was a breath of blessed silence, before Gen broke again.

 

“CLOUD THE CHOCOBO!” And once again, Gen was reduced to tears and guffaws.

 

Angeal weighed the pros and cons of turning around. Pro: he wouldn't have to watch Seph murder Gen, and so wouldn't really be a witness. Con: he might start laughing too, prompting Seph to kill both of them.

 

Sephiroth forwent the sword, wrapping long fingers around the red-head's neck.

 

Decided. Angeal turned his back on the potential execution.

 

Oh damn.

 

It was just too cute!

 

Huge, blue eyes blinked up at him from a face topped with fluffy, gravity-defying locks that put the Pup's to shame. “So,” Angeal began, crouching, “Cloud, huh?”

 

“Chocobos don't have a real big vocabulary,” Zack defended hotly, glaring.

 

“Right, right. Sorry.” When did he start to be the one placating Zack? The Third seemed satisfied with his hands-up, palms-out, I'm-backing-down gesture, and grinned. Angeal swore he had a pregnant woman's mood swings.

 

“Okay! Introductions!” Zack exclaimed, loud enough to cover the ominous crash from the General's vicinity. “Angeal, Gen, Seph, this is Cloud.” Then he turned to the blond and... Oh Gaia, Angeal was developing a migraine.

 

“Zack. What are you doing?”

 

Zack paused mid-wark. Idly, Angeal noticed that the sounds of violence from behind were gone.

 

“I'm telling him who you are.” The look Zack gave his mentor was oddly reminiscent of ones the boy had received after saying something incredibly idiotic. After a moment of the Stare of 'why do I put up with this?', the dark-haired boy returned to his conversation.

 

“Wark warkwark. Wark wark WARK warkwarkwark. Wark.”

 

“Wark, wark,” Cloud responded. “Wark wark squawk Wark waaaark.”

 

Zack giggled, and warked agreeably. “Hey Seph,” he called, “he really doesn't like you.”

 

“I noticed,” the silver-haired man bit out.

 

“Wait.” Genesis shook his head rapidly. “Wait. Fair. You speak Chocobo?”

 

Zack stared at him, then slowly shook his head in disappointment. He glanced over at the blond boy. “Wark wark.” Cloud tumbled to the side, hysterically , for lack of a better word, giggle-warking. Slowly Zack turned back to Genesis, with eyes filled with concern and pity. “Gen,” he said carefully, “nobody speaks chocobo.”

 

Whatever Sephiroth had been holding snapped.