To Embrace Your Dreams

by Yukaharu

When you constantly live in the shadow of your brother, you'll do anything to get ahead. Joining up with SOLDIER, the same organization her older brother was in, seemed like a good idea to Rachel Flanders. Two years later, she's being trained under First Class Zack Fair. A Crisis Core fic with a bit of AU and Canon. ZackOC pairing. Rated M for violence in later planned chapters.

I growled, swinging the large blade at the man before me and quickly lost my grip on the hilt. My superior laughed and moved out of the way of the flying sword, picking it up from where it skidded to a halt on the tiled floor. He shook his head in amusement at my lack of capability with a sword. So what if most operatives in SOLDIER can use one? I remembered from hearing others talk that some people preferred guns over swords and had been granted permission to use those. Knowing that there were clearly other operatives of SOLDIER that had no need for a stupid sword taller than his own height made me slightly more confident that I could convince the man before me that I did NOT need to learn swordsmanship in the least. Sadly, the man would always tell me to suck it up and to learn it anyway just in case.

"Come on, Rachel! Give it one more try and then we'll call it a day for your training, alright?"

I glowered at the man before me one more time as I took the hilt of the sword he was offering to me. I was so not cut out for using this stupid thing at all. I was sure that I looked absolutely ridiculous, trying to swing the damned thing without letting go. The momentum that I would build up would pull it right out of my hands before I could even direct the energy into a proper, connecting swing.

Taking my stance once again, I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. "Embrace your dreams. Why is it that you joined up with SOLDIER in the first place? What did you want to do? What was your driving force?"

I opened my eyes and stared at the blade in my hands. That's right. I'd almost forgotten why I came here two years ago. I want to prove to him that I'm just as good as my brother…no…that I can be better. Smiling just a little, I planted my feet again and gripped the hilt, determined to do it right this time. If my brother could do this, then I can do it too.

"Watch out, sir! I'm not letting go this time! Here goooooooes!" I hefted the damned sword with all my might and as I felt it slipping, I let my body travel with it a bit, redirecting the energy rather than trying to stop it. The end result was me spinning like a crazy, bladed top, but it was still rather effective if I were to try and attack with it.

"I did it! Oh my god, I really did it this time! Did you see that? I'll do it even better next time, too!" I shouted to the ceiling. I jumped a little then did a bit of a victory dance in place in celebration for not dropping the damned thing.

"Good job, Rachel. That's the first time I've seen you so serious about your training, and I have to say that I'm now officially impressed. How about, as a reward, I treat you to something to eat. You have to be starving by now, right?"

I looked at my superior in surprise and nodded. "Th-thank you, sir! I appreciate you offer, sir! But, no disrespect intended, is that not the slightest bit out of line, sir?"

The man laughed and clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Rachel, what I don't get about you is how you can be so serious towards me after two years of me training you. Why don't you just call me by my name already? And, no, treating you to food is definitely not out of line. If it were wrong to reward a job well done, then I do believe that I would have to quit SOLDIER." He smiled at me with those SOLDIER-trademark mako-blue eyes. I'd heard tale that his eyes used to be violet before he became a part of SOLDIER and I wish I could have been there to see that. Violet was an unusual color and it somehow seemed to suit my superior…no…Zack…It seemed to suit Zack just fine.

"Thank you, si-, Zack. I appreciate it, truly…" My face went pink as my stomach made its agreement loudly know. "Yes, food is definitely appreciated at the moment."

Zack smiled and motioned for me to follow. "Well, get changed in to some civilian clothing and I'll take you out to a good place I know of, okay? I'll wait for you down stairs in about twenty minutes. See you there, Rachel."

With that, he walked off and I was left to sort out what had just transpired. Did SOLDIER First Class, Zack Fair, just offer me a date on the town with him? Oh hell, I had twenty minutes to make myself presentable and that was soooo not enough time.

Running like a bat fleeing hell, I tore through the SOLDIER living quarters and nearly ran smack into Angeal. Barely managing to steady myself, I drew myself to my full height and saluted him. The man before me had been the one to personally train Zack, who was now in the process of training me as well. Needless to say, I had the greatest respect and admiration for the man. "Angeal, sir! I apologize for not being more careful, sir!"

The older man smiled down at me and I could practically feel the kindness emitting from him. Angeal was the kind of guy that. While he was strict, he was also one of the most kind people you would ever have the joy of meeting. Despite this, I still always felt a bit nervous around him due to his position of General, like Sephiroth and Genesis.

"Well, it looks like you're in a hurry, Rachel. Big date or something?"

I felt my pride swell as he addressed me by name then felt my embarrassment dash it out as he mentioned a date. "Erm…A…A date? A-as an operative of SOLDIER, I have no time for such frivolities, sir. Going on a date would take away from my training time and would only prove as a distraction to my duties to Shinra."

I heard Angeal chuckle at me and then he ruffled my hair affectionately. "Rachel, you've changed after all this time training under Zack. Did he make you act this formal to him? You used to be quite the spitfire when you first got here if I remember correctly."

I shook my head vehemently. "No sir! Zack Fair had nothing to do with my formality, sir! I…I just thought that since this is how everyone else spoke and treated others, then perhaps I shouldn't be so mouthy and disrespectful. Or at least that's what Genesis said I'd been when I met him once…"

I swore I saw a shadow pass over his eyes, but when I tried to see if I was right, the moment was gone and he was smiling again, albeit a bit strained. "Rachel, you need to be who you want to, because you're the only person who can be you. Do you know what I mean? Now hurry up and go get changed. It's not fair to Zack to keep him waiting, is it?"

I flushed a nice shade of pink as he mentioned Zack. "I-I said that I wasn't going on a date though! How-?"

Angeal effectively cut me off with a knowing look. "You've been chasing after him since you got here, Rachel. Anyone who would try asking you out would be turned down flat without a second thought. I've heard as much in the barracks after some of the men were finished training. So the only plausible person that you would be in such a rush to meet for a date, which it's obvious you're going on by the way, would be Zack Fair. Now hurry up and go change. I'll tell him it's my fault you're going to be a bit late, okay?"

Before I could answer him, Angeal was already halfway down the hall, waving over his shoulder at me. After he was gone, I bolted down the halls even faster towards my personal living quarters. Tearing through the contents of my wardrobe, I picked out a soft, white, off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved sweater and my favorite pair of powder-blue blue jeans, completing the look with a pair of cute sandals and letting my hair down from the ponytail I kept it in for training after running a brush through it.

I spritzed myself with my favorite perfume, a mix of fruit and spice, and headed out the door. As I neared the designated meeting spot, I began to get nervous. Certainly Zack Fair had better things to do than to take me out to eat. So why was he doing it? It was a well-known fact that he was a bit of a skirt-chaser, but I hardly seemed his type from what I'd overheard the other women in SOLDIER saying. He usually went for the pretty, tall, slender types with a great body. I ranked average in height, being about five seven or so, I had no chest to speak of and, rather than being a willowy build like those Turk girls, Cissnei and Elena, I was well built and muscular, the type my mom would describe as "sturdy".

As I pondered this, I forgot to watch where I was going and ran into something large, hard and unyielding. Looking up with a start, I noticed that I had run into Zack himself, face first into his chest. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt that hugged his features and showed off his muscular arms. His back was bare of his sword but I knew better than to think he was unarmed in any way. He was a First Class SOLDIER Operative and it would be only a fool who would ever think such a thing.

He caught my eye as I drank in his visage and he grinned at me, looking for all of a second like an excited little kid, or perhaps a puppy as Angeal would often compare. "You look great, Rachel, really. Beautiful, actually. You ready to head out?" He offered me a grin and my heart did summersaults.

My heart was beating rampantly in my chest. No one had ever called me beautiful before. Sure my mom had told me I was pretty, as everyone was in their own way, but not a soul had ever called me beautiful before. I walked closer to Zack, enjoying the warmth coming from his body. He smelled like citrus, his personal scent, and soap and I idly wondered how he could have managed a shower in such a short time. The ends of his hair were still damp and for a moment I had the urge to touch it, yet I kept my hands to myself. This was purely a reward for doing well in training. Not. A. Date.