o.o I know what you're thinking.

"Oh, Hyne. Not another 'SOLDIER-Camp' story!"

Ehehehe. I suppose you could batter me for being horribly unoriginal, but I'm at least trying to avoid some of the clichés I have seen in most of these Pre-game SxC stories. Let's say, I stick Cloud in the training camp like everyone else, but, I don't give him friends, I don't give him unusual strength, and I don't make any higher ranks notice him more than they do others coughSepirothcough. Maybe I'm writing this just for the sake of torturing Cloud.

You can decide for yourself. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor do I make any profit from any of these works. The characters belong to Square-Soft and Nintendo, respectively.

PLEASE NOTE: I have, in my life, never touched, never seen, and certainly never played FF7. The closest thing I have to that is having once (attempted to) read the entire game script over the span of 3 hours, so please be understanding if I clash with the storyline. Game scripts are, as I learned the hard way, much harder to understand/get into than the actual game. If I end up REALLY killing the correct line of story, then just consider this an AU and kindly shut up. ;

"Look at our captain's luck—so loved by the world, so prized at every landfall, every port of call."

-The Odyssey; (10, 42)

The Unwanted, the Unattainable

The whole atmosphere surrounding the mass of buildings held, in itself, promises of an unpleasant future. The sky was not blue, but gray; the grass, not green, but dry brown; the bricks of the buildings not red, but a dismal, washed-out yellow.

Even his wheat-blonde hair looked brown in the dirty, filtered sunlight. At least, he reassured himself and his disheartened drive, the other boys heading in the same direction as he was looked as uncertain and scared as he felt. For the sake of maintaining an image, however, he kept his eyes mostly to himself.

The mess hall, to where all the young men had made their way, beheld row upon row of empty seats. It was very large, but strangely, as Cloud found it, claustrophobic at the same time. Cold fear seemed to radiate from the old cemented walls. Cloud wondered, lagging behind most of the other boys curiously, if all the rooms in the camp were like this. He hoped not. It wasn't particularly gloomy, per se, but it was certainly imposing.

It was still early afternoon, so, as Cloud had expected, no food was out or looked about to be served. He nearly groaned at his empty stomach (he hadn't pushed and shoved enough to get food on the way there before it had all run out) but willed himself to remain stoic. He sat himself at the end of one of the rows near the front; nobody had taken any chairs near the area quite yet.

Slowly, and as expected (but hoped against,) the seats near Cloud began to fill up. Each boy looked more disappointed than the next; secluded seats were becoming less and less likely to find. Thus, reluctant boys, finding themselves in a discomfort similar to Cloud's, sat near and around him (there among other places.)

Most of the boys around him looked one of either: extremely irate, or positively mortified. This led Cloud to wonder just how many of the others in his presence actually came to attend the camp of their own will; he guessed that most of those around him had been forced to come either as a disciplinary action or because their families believed that they simply had nothing else they could do with their lives.

His pointless curiosities were abruptly interrupted by the screech of a microphone. The large hall's anxious disarray settled like dust, and Cloud's attention was drawn to the front of the room, where a stately, heavy-set man in a suit came up to speak. Not particularly feeling any desire to give his attention to the swinish man but not having anything else to occupy himself with, Cloud willed his face to remain still as he listened in.

"Rrh-hemm." The man cleared his throat a bit too far into the microphone, and Cloud, among others, winced, all of them regretting their open displays of emotion immediately. The man looked up apologetically, straightening his tie.

"Hello. I would like to officially welcome all of you to the first day of the rest of your lives. We in Shin-Ra are very proud of everything we offer; every last thing that comes out with our name, we pride in truly being the best, and SOLDIER is no exception. It is our goal and duty, as the largest name in Midgar, to provide the most elite products of their kind..."

Cloud's eyelids were already starting to feel heavy. He knew he really should have already expected from Shin-Ra this sort of self-inflating speech, sounding as if stolen straight off of their marketing lines. He leaned his elbows down on his thighs and sighed soundlessly. Honestly, didn't they believe that Cloud and every other system in the room had already gotten this message clear across? After all, it was outlined in bold, stand-out-ish ink; adorning every last spot of unused space on the pamphlet.

After a torturously long speech and multitudes of many others of the like, Cloud lifted his gaze and saw that beside the Shin-Ra man now stood a variety of, in his opinion, rather influential-looking people. Cloud's gaze lingered on a very serious-looking long-and-dark-haired man in a blue suit, before he noticed someone else stand. The next that came up to speak was another man with dark hair, though his was not even an eighth as tame as the blue-suit's. He was a rather young, off-the-rails man who seemed to possess a greater livelihood than Cloud and all the others put together ever had. The man grinned down wolfishly into the mic.

"Well, everyone, I just hope you're all ready to have your asses worked to the bone! Remember, it's no skin off our back if we have to take it off of yours! What do you say? You all look like a rowdy bunch!"

He laughed loudly, as if he cared not that he was thoroughly embarrassing himself in front of a group of, frankly, direly humorless and mortified young men. Quickly, the Shin-Ra man, as Cloud regarded him, rubbed his forehead and pulled the dark-haired young man away from the mic before he had a chance to do more damage. Cloud watched, curious, as the Shin-Ra man frowned and said something to the other under his breath. The dark-haired one grinned, more sheepishly this time, and nodded as he took his seat. Shin-Ra man came back up to the microphone.

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat. "Thank you for that, Zack. Now, for a few brief words before we send you off to get acquainted with your new surroundings, here is the much-admired General that I know you've all been beside yourselves to see."

Cloud finally looked away from the crazy, dark-haired man, now known as Zack; interest piqued yet again. He must have been referring to General Sepiroth. Cloud didn't know much about the general, other than that he was...well, famous. As ridiculous as it might have sounded, it was yet true, and he found himself more and more interested in the identity of this evasive "God" as the stagnant air around him seemed to stiffen with the first real group anticipation that he had felt the entire time he'd been seated there.

Realization struck Cloud when a very tall, lean figure stood at the cue. At first, he had to stifle a laugh at the initial image he got of Sepiroth right then. He found it hard to believe—that was a man? Not only a man, but the "Great General Sepiroth?" In all honesty, he'd first thought that the lovely General who had been seated there was the Shin-Ra man's wife. Cloud smiled to himself, but briefly. It was a laughable moment, but only a moment indeed; as the General took the stand, suddenly Cloud felt himself overcome by an air of intimidation.

"As always, it is a pleasure and honor to greet our new recruits. I would only like to remind you all that this is an institution very strict in its basis, and that there are no short-cuts in these walks. You may readily expect that insubordination will be dealt with in very fine measure..."

From his seat, Cloud could very well see and feel the power radiating from the tall frame of the man standing before them. His voice, a rich, deep, agreeable sound, was calm, controlled; and yet, the most unnerving that Cloud had ever heard. His intense aqua-green eyes were reminiscent of an ocean set on fire, and they were set in a gaze so firm, so adjusted, and so incredibly commanding that Cloud swore he could feel himself grow dizzy.

He, like so many others around him, felt suffocated by the raw power and influences this man before them held. How anyone could carry himself with such ease of grace was beyond Cloud, but, if there was one thing he understood at that point, it was: this General, this Sepiroth...he was evidently not only skilled in fighting and faring the battle field; he also had a certain air about him that made him just the slightest length more imposing. Cloud, at that moment, felt prematurely sympathetic to anyone who would be so unlucky to cross this General in their lifetime.

Unlike when the other men had been asked away from the mic, Sepiroth found a perfect place to cease his speaking on his own and dismissed himself in due grace. Cloud turned to look at the other boys sitting in audience of this great figure; they all looked equally as drawn and taken as he had been. The unpleasant growling sound of Shin-Ra man clearing his throat into the microphone again brought many out of their awed reverie. So he spoke:

"Wonderful, then. This part is really quite easy, now; the first letter of your room number is the floor you're on. You'll be sharing with one roommate, but I trust you've been over this already, so I won't continue on it..."

The Shin-Ra man paused and laughed, though it sounded more, to Cloud, like a choking fit. He couldn't help himself from wondering what Sepiroth's laugh sounded like, then; he realized of himself then that he really had been impacted by the silver General.

"Now, you are all dismissed. We'll see you in training grounds tomorrow! ...For heavens' sake, Zack, sit up properly for once-"

The man paused again. Cloud suspected that Shin-Ra man's last line hadn't been intended for the microphone, and he raised an eyebrow before lifting himself out of his seat like most of the boys had already done.

Then he stopped himself. He didn't have a room number. Were they going to be giving them out right then? Gripping his small bag anxiously, Cloud glanced around and saw that most of the new boys already were looking over very similar-looking pieces of papers. He looked around again in hopes of locating anyone who could help him. Finally, his gaze settled on the dark-haired Zack, and he had to argue with himself over whether or not to attempt the tall, well-muscled man.

Timid as he was, Cloud decided that Zack seemed, up until that point, approachable enough, so he made his slow way over to him through the disintegrating crowd of boys, not one of them noticing Cloud's situation or offering help.

"Ex-Excuse..." Cloud found he couldn't even finish the simple phrase. He was only glad that Sepiroth had left already (he was a very busy man, after all,) and that Zack was the only one left in the huge, cool mess hall, leaning down to examine something in the table's wooden side. Otherwise, mused, he might have gone lightheaded. The backs of his thighs were already shaking.

"Eh?" Zack looked up and turned his head slightly, then frowned. "What do you want?" So asked he; tone somewhat flat.

Cloud swallowed and looked away. Perhaps Zack wasn't as friendly as he had first assumed. Thoughts following back to Sepiroth again, Cloud wondered how hard it would be to approach the General, especially if he was finding it difficult speaking to whom he assumed was the training camp's scapegoat and clown.

"I'm sorry, I..." Cloud's lip stiffened and he willed himself to act indifferent. "I don't have a room. ...S-Sir." He wasn't used to calling people Sir, and he wasn't sure if it was required. Better safe than sorry, he told himself.

Zack stared at Cloud curiously for a moment, and to the blonde's aching relief, the wild-haired man's face broke into a lopsided grin.

"Oh, okay. Cool. I was just mistakin' you were some other kid that always asks me to get him Sepiroth's undies, y'know? Keh heh heh." Zack seemed to find this amusing. Cloud, wide-eyed, absolutely did not.

"...Nnn." Cloud struggled for words. He had plenty on his mind, certainly; but nothing that he deemed proper to speak before a superior rank. People had actually...asked Zack...for underwear! (Sepiroth's, no less.) Cloud's face grew warm at the thought. He should have figured that he'd run into some slightly...queer characters, to put it so; grunt camps like this one, he knew, tended to magnetize not only to those who wished to be stronger, but also those who wanted to be around other handsome, athletic young men all day long.

Perverts.

"Whoa, kid, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to get you lookin' like that. Didn't know you go that way, too. Sorry. What's your name?"

Had he possessed more of the courageous heart to stick up for his pride, he could have. Cloud, however, was more the type to let comments like that slip and slide. So now Zack thought he was gay. Big deal; there were lots of guys like that in this place. That is what he told himself, anyway; in reality, he was just too scared to speak up and contradict Zack's assumption.

"Come on, speak up!"

"Cl—Uh...Strife, Cloud. Sir."

"Well-a then, 'Strife, Cloud, Sir,' let's go." Zack stood and clapped some dust off of his hands, offering Cloud a little grin before jerking his head in a different direction, leading off. Cloud blinked dazedly and followed after; leaving the cold, claustrophobic room for the carpeted hallway.

They got to a little office near the stairwell, and turned into it. Cloud stood aside as the wild-haired other man leaned over to speak under his breath with the woman sitting at the counter. With a slow, calculating nod at whatever it was they were talking about, she filed through some papers and pulled one out. She examined it for a moment, and then glanced at Cloud to give him a sympathetic little smile. He fidgeted, turning to absently studying all the decorations (or lack thereof) of the little office.

"Bugger of a day it's been," Zack commented randomly, though Cloud was unsure whether the man was speaking to him or just to nobody in particular. The blonde glanced over at him uncertainly before nodding slightly. Zack grinned at him, and he looked away. So he had been talking to him, after all...he really wondered why.

"Not very talkative, are you, 'Strife, Cloud, Sir?'" Zack insisted on repeating this, in his opinion, side-splitting joke. Cloud, of course, only found it to be embarrassing and even annoying. He didn't say anything, though; he just smiled awkwardly. Zack gave him a thumb-up.

"Hey, either way, it's cool. Oh. Look-a here, mate; you're not assigned to a room. Late in registry, perhaps?" Zack turned a suspicious eye on Cloud, and the blonde looked away with distinguishable chagrin. Zack could tell this one was the shy, easily embarrassed type. He smiled. This type was always fun. So very, very much fun to pick on.

"Do I have somewhere to go?" Cloud asked quietly, and, surprisingly, Zack picked up on it.

The dark-haired boy grinned in his wolfish manner, one that unnerved Cloud slightly. It was mischievous and pleasant at once, but kind of disturbing either way. How could anyone have such a fun personality in the stoic reality that was the company and SOLDIER?

"Uhhh." Cloud made absolutely sure that his uncertainty and lack of trust for this one was evident.

"Don't you worry on me; we're not here to be women." Zack reprimanded upon seeing Cloud's expression. "Look, it's not even a problem. We're just going to have to room you with some of the older kids, that's all!"

-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-

Brrrum-bum-bum/yawns/ What did you think of Sepiroth? XD Shin-Ra's wife, right? I tried to describe him the way I see him being. Tell me if you think it sounded right!

Sepiroth's undies...XD I'm sorry; I couldn't help myself. :3

Review, please please!