The plot of this story belongs to Rioko571.
I am merely the humble writer. She is the genius behind this story.
Please enjoy =)
Also, neither of us own Final Fantasy or anything affiliated to it.
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I came to Midgar with only one purpose. I wanted to join Shinra and become a 1st Class SOLDIER just like my idol, Sephiroth. It was all I ever talked about when I was younger.
"Just you wait, someday I will be the best SOLDIER ever!" and "I swear when I become a big, strong SOLDIER like Sephiroth, you'll be sorry!" was all that the other neighborhood children in my hometown of Nibelheim heard from me. When I left my home for Midgar I think that it came as a shock to quite a few people, if not the entire town. No one really believed in my childish grandstanding, and even as I got older, people just thought that I was in denial.
I did it though. Now a man of 18, I am currently working for Shinra in the city of Midgar! I'm so happy to be working here! Finally, I'm closer to the dream that I had always fantasized about when I was a child! Yes! I am so close to that 1st class SOLDIER title that I can almost taste it! I could reach out and grab it if I wanted to! I could snatch it from the air like a delicately floating feather if- IF I wasn't a goddamned "grunt"!
That's right. Big and bad Cloud Strife; Sephiroth wannabe and proclaimed 1st Class SOLDIER extraordinaire is a "grunt". Hell, I'm pretty much useless in the eyes of, oh- everyone employed by Shinra. This was definitely not the life I dreamed of when I was a little kid, shouting and yelling over how great I would be when I got older. Now I AM older and I'm quite literally a loser. I've entertained the thought of returning home a few times before but the sad return would quite effectively shatter my soul. Not to mention the fact that the weight of my failure and embarrassment would probably bring about my physical death.
Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating…a little. But honestly, I've given up hope on ever ranking up to the magnificent Sephiroth. My spirit has been smothered under a load of "grunt" work. I continue to work for Shinra, though. As disheartening as it is to be a "grunt" for this fantastic corporation, it would be even more crushing to return home empty-handed and title-less.
Besides, broken pride isn't the only reason that I remain with Shinra. Although I am only a lowly infantryman, I have a great friend here at this corporation. Just recently deemed a 1st Class SOLDIER, Zack is the most amazing guy, besides Sephiroth, that I know. He is so deserving of his SOLDIER rank, with his tall stature, broad shoulders and masculine build. And he's charming too. He's always friendly and knows just what to say in almost every situation. He's practically everything that I'm not.
I'm not jealous of him though. Yeah, his talents surpass mine and his looks, well, he's pretty damn good looking and that's coming from a guy, but I can't find a reason to envy him. I'm not sure why. Maybe he's just too nice.
I'm sitting in the cafeteria when Zack approaches me. I'm sitting alone because, honestly, Zack is just about my only friend in Midgar. Apparently the only reason he's my friend is because he said that I looked like I needed one. I suppose he was right about that one.
He sits down across from me and smiles, exuding his trademark boyish charm. "Hey Cloud. Haven't seen you in a while, huh?" he says in that friendly manner of his.
"No, I guess not." I say awkwardly as I glance up at Zack. I've always been a bit awkward, which would probably explain my lack of friends, but Zack makes it worse. After all, he's a great SOLDIER and I'm nothing but a "grunt". The fact that he even associates with me is still baffling at times.
"No. And that's exactly why we need to hangout. How about tonight? Please tell me you don't have anything to do tonight." he says with a hopeful smile.
Is he serious? Me? Have something to do? Not a chance in hell.
"Well. I don't know…Maybe I'm free." I say lightly, because I'm afraid if I speak too loudly, he'll see right through my bull shit. He doesn't say anything though. He simply continued to stare at me with those large, puppy dog eyes of his. He always uses those large blue eyes when he wants something very badly. I sigh and smile, completely defeated by the look on Zack's face.
"Alright. I can hang out."
Zack's expression lights up immediately at this news. I like his happy puppy eyes much more than his sad, hopeful puppy eyes.
"Great! Then let's hang out at my place tonight! Have a few drinks and relax. It's something we could both use." He says, grinning at me goofily.
His grin drops when a woman swiftly approaches the table. I vaguely recognize her as an office worker and by the way she is rushing, I suspect that she isn't here for me. My suspicions are confirmed when she blatantly ignores me, focusing all of her attention on Zack. I pretend not to be offended by her lack of interest for a useless infantryman and just continue to eat my lunch; I don't even look up at her. Zack talks to the woman momentarily and their conversation completely works to elude me, except for the part where the woman says something about a "briefing". I know what that means. A briefing means that Zack will be gone on another mission. One week or two weeks; I never knew.
I continue to eat my lunch. Now that this woman has completely ruined my day, lunch is the only thing I can look forward to…and it was almost over. I can already hear Zack chuckle nervously. He'll use the same excuse that he always uses when he cancels our plans. I already know what he's going to say.
"Hey, they need me for something right now, but we're still on for tonight, right?"
I look at Zack with surprise. He was still going to keep our plans for tonight?
"Um, yeah. Definitely." I say with a light smile.
"Great. Meet you in the parking lot after work." he says, before promptly leaving me to sit alone in the cafeteria. I don't mind this too much. I'm much too happy about the thought of spending some time with Zack. He hadn't broken our plans!
After eating lunch, I'm left with the cruel reality that when you want time to move it's ass, it decides to crawl at a snail's pace until you are just about ready to take that clock down from the wall and toss it through a window. Time is practically standing still! I don't understand why I can't just leave early anyway! It's not like I'm of any importance to this corporation! Then again, if I left early, I'd still wind up having to wait for Zack.
About a trillion hours later, I glance at the clock and notice that it's finally time for me to get off work! Thank god! I was pretty close to jabbing myself in the head with something sharp and pointy for amusement. I get up and run out of the room that I'm in, almost knocking down the chair that I was sitting in with the force of my haste. I shoot past the elevators and make my way toward the stairs. Sure, the elevators are meant for everyone but higher level SOLDIERS tend to occupy them mostly. It's practically an unwritten law that "grunts" are too good for elevator use. That's okay though. Stairs are a good form of exercise.
I rush down the stairs as fast as I possibly can without tripping and breaking my neck in the process. I think that's a pretty big achievement for me. I tend to be a klutz at times. When I reach the bottom of the steps, I am thoroughly out of breath. That can't be a good sign, can it? Aren't you supposed to get winded while climbing stairs and not the other way around?
"I'm more out of shape than I thought.." I say lightly under my breath as I resume out of the exit of the building.
I glance back at the Shinra building momentarily. I work here every single day and feel little toward it except for a devastating sense of crushed pride. Tonight though, I feel overwhelmed by the thought that somehow Shinra isn't just an ordinary corporation. It feels like a prison to me. I can't begin to tell you why it feels that way, but as I walk across the parking lot to meet Zack, the feeling lingers.