He strained towards the end, bright blue eyes fixed on the finish line. He would not give in. He would not let another defeat him, no matter what! He would conquer all and he would win!
Zack tripped and with a yelp of surprise, tumbled head over heels. The momentum of his speed flung him back to his feet and he kept running, ignoring the pain in his ankle and the dirt decorating his face.
A competitor drew up alongside him, throwing him a harsh, unrelenting glare. Zack gritted his teeth and strained harder. He would not lose!
Kunsel gave a sly grin as a plan formed in his young, devious mind. Throwing an arm out and pointing with one finger, he took on an expression of disbelief and shouted.
"Zack, look! A monster!"
"What?"
Instantly distracted, Zack spun his head to look in the direction that Kunsel had pointed. This movement caused him to lose speed, veer off course and ultimately, trip over his own feet once again.
Zack groaned as he lifted his head up from the dirt and glared after his enemy. Kunsel was laughing so hard that he could barely run straight. Even so, he made it to the finish line and claimed the prize that should have belonged to Zack.
Determined not to give in, even though he had lost his prize, Zack staggered back to his feet and ran on once more. A quick glance behind revealed the other Grunts were catching up to him fast. Zack hurried and with utter relief, fell across the finish line.
Kunsel strutted past, holding the coveted prize in his hands. It was a sword, smooth and beautiful and in pristine condition. Zack couldn't restrain the snarl that came over him as he saw his enemy parading the prize around. Kunsel had distracted him! It hadn't been fair! Zack should know, fair was his last name!
"Well done, Fair. Good job." Third Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley said to Zack, handing him a drink and an elegant assassin's dagger. The dagger had been the prize for second place.
Zack skulled the drink, tossed the Styrofoam cup aside and grunted as he slid out of the heavy jacket, which hit the ground with a dull thud. The jacket weighed around ten kilograms and grew quite heavy and laborious on a 5 mile jog.
"He cheated, sir!" Zack snapped as he clutched the dagger tightly, feeling the scabbard dig into his hands. "That low-life, good for nothing Kunsel cheated!"
"How did he do that, Fair?" Angeal asked, quite indifferent to the rivalry between the two boys.
"Didn't you see? He distracted me! He made me lose! I would have won if it wasn't for him!"
"That's life, kid. Don't stress about it too much. You'll have other opportunities to verse him later on." Angeal said as he moved away to distribute drinks to the other Grunts.
Frustrated by the lack of justice, Zack stormed off, back towards the waiting jeeps. Whenever they had training days like this, they were driven out into the desert to be tested. There just wasn't enough room at Shinra or SOLDIER for a 5 mile jog.
Zack sat in the first jeep he came across and sulked. He didn't even bother examining the dagger; it didn't interest him. All he had wanted was that sword. How dare that Kunsel take it from him!
As Zack sat and brooded, a potentially dangerous plan formed in his mind. A wicked grin slid over his young face and he sniggered to himself. Oh yes. What a good plan! Kunsel was about to discover just how sweet revenge could be.
Zack closed his eyes to savour the moment. His revenge would be good!