Intermission is a series of side-stories that serve as companion pieces to my main story, SOLDIER's Song. Here, readers of SOLDIER's Song will be treated to the untold adventures of Zack, Kunsel, and Zen that just didn't make it into the main story for one reason or another. If SOLDIER's Song were an animated series, these would be considered the filler episodes.

Enjoy!

Sharing is Caring

Timeline: After Chapter 3 of SOLDIER's Song.

Kunsel went into his knapsack to dig out his travel tool kit. It had been an hour since he came back from dinner and he was keeping his word to modify the public address speakers' volume setting. Zack and Zen had both gone off to the training facility to "duel to the death" for the last cup of gelatin.

The brunette couldn't help but smile at how the whole thing came about. The food was your typical bland military fare so it was only natural that they want a taste of something sweet. But to want to fight over a small plastic cup filled with orange jelly was just ridiculous, even for that. Kunsel had thought it to be a tad bit extreme to resort to violence for dessert, but Zack and Zen shooting insults at each other already drowned his words out.

So here he was back at the infantry barracks in a white t-shirt and his infantry pants, taking apart PA speakers and finagling with the interior wires. Now that he thought more about it, Zack and Zen look like they were pretty close being all buddy-buddy like that. Looking at Zack and Zen interacting made him feel like a third wheel and unwanted. It couldn't be helped that he was somewhat shy and nervous around others. So it surprised him to have become friends with those more sociable butterflies so quickly.

And I'm just the slow-moving caterpillar, he thought sadly.

He finishes putting together the speaker and reinstalls it back into its proper place. Now there was only one speaker left, the one near Zen's top bunk. He had hesitated to uninstall that one since it was located in what he thought was forbidden territory. Just like Zack, Kunsel was also an only child so he didn't know what it was like to share a room with someone, nor did he know the proper etiquette to respecting others' personal property. If it even existed, that is.

Gulping nervously, Kunsel cautiously climbs onto Zen's bunk, being careful not to ruffle her blanket too much. He reaches over to the PA speaker and begins to unscrew it from the wall until he hears some muffled talking coming from outside of the room. Worried that Zen might be offended that he was on her bed, he struggles to get off quickly and ends up falling on the floor flat on his back with a big thud. Wincing in pain, he groans as he tries to roll over onto his side.

He hears rapid footsteps outside and the sliding door to the bedroom suddenly open up to a wide-eyed Zack and Zen.

"Kunsel!" the two of them cry out in unison and go over to where he was laying.

"Hey, are you all right?" asks Zack worriedly, violet eyes peering down at the teenage boy on the floor.

"I think I'll live," groans Kunsel, trying to sit up but falls back on the floor.

"That sounded like one heck of a spill," says Zen, hazel eyes going to Kunsel, to the bed, and then back to Kunsel. "Did you fall from the bunk bed?"

"Uh, kinda sorta," answers Kunsel, now clutching his brown-haired head.

"Well, your head's not bleeding so that's one worry down," adds Zack, putting a hand behind Kunsel's back and carefully supporting him upward. "That's going to leave one heck of a bruise, though."

"No kidding," responds Kunsel.

"Why didn't you just stay up on my bed?" wonders Zen as she helps him get to his bed.

Kunsel hesitates to answer as he sat down on his bed. Bashfully, he looks up to the teenage girl.

"I… thought… you'd be mad at me…" he answers reluctantly. "If you… saw me on your bed…"

"Really?" chuckles Zen, her black bangs bouncing slightly. "Why on Gaia would I be mad?"

"I don't know," replies Kunsel. "I've never shared a room with anyone so I don't know what I should and shouldn't do."

"Oh…" responds Zen, scratching her head. "Well, truth be told, I don't really care what you do as long as you're not stealing my stuff. And you sure don't look the type so it's all good."

She goes over to pick up his tool kit, which had fallen on the floor along with him, and places it neatly on top of the small bureau.

"If you want to know what you should and shouldn't do in a sharing situation like this," she begins cheerfully, turning around. "Just remember this rule of thumb: treat others the way you want to be treated. The same goes for other people's stuff."

Kunsel puts a hand up to his chin in thought. "That sounds simple enough."

"We'll get along just fine," assures Zack, crossing his arms confidently. "Don't worry too much about it. If something comes up, we'll deal with it when we get to it."

"Okay," affirms Kunsel, managing a smile. "By the way, who won the gelatin?"

"I did!" exclaims Zack happily, throwing a fist into the air while Zen looks on with a disappointed expression.

A/N: Those who enter SOLDIER end up with a blue glow to their eyes because of the Mako treatments. Therefore, Zack should have a different eye color prior to being in SOLDIER. I remember reading somewhere that his original eye color was violet before entering SOLDIER so I'm going with that.

Hey, if Tifa can have crimson eyes, then Zack having violet eyes should be no problem! :3