It's more painful than Zack had thought, to see Cloud so familiar with the sword, to see him lift and shoulder it so easily. The cadet he'd known hadn't been weak but the weapon was heavy for him. That's certainly not the case anymore, quite clearly so.

And it hurts. It hurts, but Zack's not going to let that show in his eyes, not if he can help it. Of course, that means he's minus a little of his natural ebullience, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made.

(Of course, sacrifices and Cloud go hand-in-hand for Zack, don't they?)

"Take it out again."

Because Zack is doing exactly that, pulling his sword off his back with his own little spin of the hilt over hand -- a movement similar to Cloud's, but not an exact copy; Zack has the height to be able to hold the weapon a little differently. And it certainly is the same weapon, if free of a few dings and scratches -- almost as if Zack's has seen less wear and tear than Cloud's. But it's clear that the Buster is comfortable to him from the way Zack shifts into a ready stance. He's not leading to attack but open for it, not sure if this is going to turn into a spar or something else.

"You wanted to see it, right?"