Disclaimer: I do not and will never own Final Fantasy VII or its characters.

A/N:Hi! I can upload my own stories now so as promised I have deleted the story off my account and uploaded it on mine. Sorry for any confusion!

Well this is my first fanfic and I really hope it is okay. I have a rough idea what I'm going to write but I'll probably just go with the flow as it's easier. I really hope you all like it and I hope you let me know what you think of it.

NO FLAMES as I will just use them to roast my marshmallows

Now on with the Story!


It was time.

At long last it was time. He made it. He had passed. He had proved himself. He was scared.

As he looked around the room Cloud Strife had a sudden feeling of dread as his eyes wandered. Everywhere he looked he could see other successful candidates laughing with each other and riling each other up for the upcoming event. No matter what he did he could not shake his feeling of uneasiness and so he sat by himself in the corner of the room doing what he did best – worrying.

Just before the candidates were to be called the doors on the other side of the room burst open from the force of the newcomer. He was well known throughout the compound and was friendly to all. As he practically bounced through the crowd calls of "Hey Zack!" and "Oy!" were heard through the now louder buzz which filled the room. Zack was popular, and he knew it.

Just by being in his presence one could discover allot about the wannabe puppy. He was fun, energetic, kind, funny, strong, proud and any other extreme description you could think of. He was optimism in its finest form and everyone was glad for it. He ran around from one person to the next asking how they felt and congratulating them on their accomplishments so far. Within five minutes Zack had everyone in the room feeling allot better and more confident and ready to face their newest challenge.

Just as everyone started to feel comfortable, a man in a long white lab coat entered the room through two white swinging doors.

"Can all SOLDIER candidate line up in alphabetical order."

One could almost see the dust move in the air as all of the occupants in the room sprinted to line up in front of the lab tech. When all of the candidates were ready and inline the first victim went in. Cloud decided that this would be a great time to see how the others were fairing. After looking side to side, Cloud edged out of the line to see how far down he was. Despite only about a fifth of the hopefuls for SOLDIER got through cloud was still saddened by how far down the line went. He quickly began a quick count of the people in front of him. Hmmm...8 behind and 27 in front. Guess I gotta while to wait. Cloud was brought out of his musing when he heard a low whistle in his ear. With a jump he spun around only to come face to face with the one and only Zack.

"I know you're excited but you should stay inline. The tech guys don't like it when people make cutsy's."

"But I wasn't-"

"Hey it's okay," Zack put his hand on Cloud's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "I know how it feels. You can hardly wait to be a SOLDIER and just the thought of it thrills you but you gotta have a little patience. Trust me after you get out of there the excitement will fade but until then just chillax and go with the flow. They take 'bout 5 at a time and there aren't many of you to start off with so you'll be there in no time!" Zack once more had his beaming grin on and griped Cloud's shoulder a little bit harder to emphasise his point. Mentally rolling his eyes Cloud just offered the friendly SOLDIER a small smile.

The two continued to banter of a little while longer before cloud was called in. Just before he went inside he looked back at Zack to see him grinning like a fool with his thumbs up. Cloud let out a small chuckle and carried on but not before lifting one hand in a lazy wave of goodbye to Zack.

Cloud could not believe his eyes. As he followed behind the lab tech in a daze he took in his surroundings. Nothing had any colour! Everything was white. The tables, desks, boards, walls, doors, even the machines! The only other colour in the room was the green glow of mako.

As he continued through the lab he could see how the other who had went before him dealt with it. He suddenly wasn't feeling too good. Everyone had something wrong with them. Some were lucky and were getting away with a bad head or the even luckier ones blacked out but it was the others that worried him. Some of the potentials were heaving over the sides of the beds while others were nearly tearing their skin off while complaining about a "crawling sensation". Only one thought went through his head. Oh Gaia.

It was a known thing that no matter how strong you are or how fast you are, if you can't handle mako then you can't be SOLDIER. This sudden reminder is what had Cloud shaking as he was seated on one of the tables. As he followed the lab tech with his eyes he saw him pick up an empty syringe. This confused Cloud. It must have showed because the man started to explain what he was going to do.

"Okay cadet...Strife. I'm going to take a sample of your blood so that we can calculate the amount of mako you need."

"Err...'Kay." Smart answer! During his mental chastising Cloud barley registered the prick of the needle. He watched in interest as he saw the man insert the vial into a machine. As both of them waited Cloud once more let his gaze wander. Time slowly passed as the sample was being processed. As the lab tech began tapping his foot the long awaited results began to print out. One it was done the lab tech the sorted data and started to read through it. Cloud watched in curiosity and fear as the lab tech's face paled more and more as he read down the page. Without a word to Cloud the lab tech went further into the lab and out of site. Cloud sat patiently but wringing his hands as he was left to panic.

Eventually after what seemed like an eternity Cloud saw the lab tech was coming back but this time he was following someone. The other man had pale skin and his hair was tied back in a ponytail. In his hands he had a clip board but also another piece of paper which Cloud recognised as his test results. He vaguely recalled seeing this man around the compounds as a name came to mind. As the two men neared Cloud decided to greet them so as to ease his nerves.

"Good evening professor Hojo." All he got in reply was "hn" and that was it. Ah well, so much for easing nerves. He was shocked however as the professor launched into a series of questions for which Cloud wasn't prepared for.

"How old are you boy?"

"16, sir."

"Where is your home town?

"Nibelheim, sir."

"When did you come to ShinRa?"

"6 months ago, sir."

"Who is your commanding officer?"

"Lieutenant Johnson, sir.

"Have you been exposed to mako before?"

"Err...no, sir" That was unexpected.

"Very well." With that he turned his back to Cloud and began to fiddle with something he couldn't see. Cloud felt insecure around this man and didn't know why. He looked on as the professor looked over the sheet one more time. Cloud didn't miss the slight smirk the professor wore as he nodded and turned back to Cloud.

"Now, Cadet Strife, you may feel some of the normal symptoms that are expected when first exposed to mako but they will soon go. However, you may later find yourself feeling dizzy along with other symptoms. As soon as these occur you are to come to the labs. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." With that Cloud felt the needle enter his arm and the contains of the syringe enter his arm. He was quickly consumed with unbearable pain and the feeling his skin was on fire. Not wanting to look weak. He grit his teeth as he began to sway slightly on the table. The professor just observed him while the technician next to him wrote down the observation notes.

Again Cloud felt he had experienced eternity while the good doctor just watched. After ten minutes Cloud's symptoms began to ebb away and he opened his eyes. He was met with a gasp and heard the clip board clatter to the floor from the technician's hands. He looked around wildly until his gaze settled on the professor who was now smiling at the boy. Or is that a smirk?

"You may leave now, Cadet Strife. Remember to come back if you experience and further symptoms."

"Yes, sir." After receiving confirmation that he understood the Professor walked away. Cloud slowly got up off the table as he was still unsure of himself. He looked around one last time before leaving. He couldn't understand how he could leave so soon. By looking at the other candidates he assumed he should still be suffering from at least a bad head but he felt fine. Deciding to just accept it he set off for the canteen. He was starving as he hadn't eaten due to nerves and since no one said he could not eat he saw no harm in doing so.

"Professor Hojo? What about that boy?" The technician could not believe that the professor had not told the boy what the tests had come up with.

"What about him?" Hojo could care less for the technician's questions. He did not have time to waste. He only had a few hours to prepare.

"Well, his results? They weren't normal. Surly we should do more tests?" Why oh why did he bother arguing with the professor? He would just do what he wanted after all.

"He will be back later."

"How do you know, professor?"

"I know because I do now don't question me and get back to work. I only have a few hours until Strife comes back." With that he walked away. The technician saw the look he had on his face and shook his head. He knew that look well. Poor kid. He thought. He could only hope that whatever interest Hojo had in the boy would end soon.

A/N: Well that was it! How did I do? I already have a rough idea of the next chapter but I want to know if people like it first. No point carrying on if not. Also I will try to update as often as I can and I will try to make them at least 1,500 long but when I get more into the flow I will try to make them longer.

I hope the change around hasn't confused anyone and hope you still like it!

Well bye for now!