Disclaimer: I don't own

The Ferret

It was just a normal day at ShinRa. Well, it would be if it weren't for the suspicious lack of Zack. Cloud was wondering about this when he felt something soft on his ankle. He peered down cautiously, wondering if one of Hojo's experiments 'got loose' again. He breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a ferret.

"Huh" Cloud murmured as he plucked the furry creature off his boot "Where'd you come from?"

Just then there was a shout, followed by a thump, then Zack skidded around the corner at top speed, which is pretty fast considering he's a SOLDIER. Zack just barely managed to slide to a stop in front of Cloud. Zack grabbed the ferret and hugged it, speaking into the alarmed-looking creature's ear

"Why'd you run off like that, Bahamut? You know better." Cloud stared at the First-class squeezing a rodent for a few seconds, before speaking up.

"Umm... Zack? I'm not sure you should be squeezing it like that." Zack glanced up, then back down at the ferret, before loosening his hold, and Cloud could've sworn he heard it sigh in relief. The blond shot Zack a questioning look. To which he replied,

"Cloud! Nice to see you! Sorry about that, he keeps slipping away. Oh! By the way, this little guy's name is Bahamut. 'Cause see, he has a tattoo of Bahamut on his ass!" The tattoo wasn't actually on the clearly unhappy Bahamut's ass. The head of the dragon was up near his ribs, while the body spread across his side and the tail curled on his hip. "He's an albino." Zack added quickly.

"Zack..." Cloud began "Where, exactly, did you get a ferret, and why does it have a tattoo?"

"Well..." Zack started to reply "Believe it or not, I found him in my closet"

"WHAT?" Cloud shouted "How did he survive in that mess?" He had good reason to be surprised. Zack's closet was normally packed so full of stuff that it actually bent the door. "What were you doing in your closet anyway?"

"I was looking for something a friend of mine lost, and since my closet is where most missing things end up, I figured it was worth a look." the First-class shrugged with a look on his face that could almost be called a pout. Cloud stared at him a moment, then sighed.

"Look, I have to get to class. Keep an eye on the little guy until it's over and I'll stop by for the full story. Okay?" Cloud said to Zack who immediately agreed. They then took off in their respective directions, and wondering what later would bring.

Author's Notes: This is my first fanfic, so I can only hope I've caught all the mistakes. I know it's a little short, but I will try to make the next chapter longer. I welcome reviews with open arms.