Hey guys! Here's the second chapter, and it's out after a reasonable amount of time! :D
First, thank you for all your reviews! I'm so happy to have you guys reading along! Second, before you have a chance to wonder about it, I just want to let you know this chapter has a lot to do with Johnny, one of the boys introduced in the first chapter. This is because he will become a crucial character in later chapters so I want you guys to become familiar with him. But don't worry, there will be many many Cloud chapters to come as well as Zack chapters. Zack shall be making his entrance in Chapter III. :)
That's all from me! Read on and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII
Chapter II
"WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR CADETS CALL THIS RIDICULOUS DANCE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A FIRE DRILL LINE UP?!" Dorm B's assigned officer, Tanner, screamed at the boys in the dorm, straining his voice to be heard over the heavy rain coming down outside.
The boys were standing at attention, eyes ahead, though they all wanted desperately to be looking in any direction but that of the one that led to their furious officer. Cloud was among them. He was grateful to be standing near the back of the group so at least his ears were spared the abuse the front line boys were getting. Their dorm hadn't been the only one to put on a poor performance of what was expected of them during a fire drill but apparently they were the only dorm with an easily-annoyed jerk for an assigned officer.
Only one of the dorms had performed in the way they were supposed to. Dorm D. Lou had whispered to him that their officer must have had them ready for the drill ahead of time. It wasn't technically allowed but Cloud couldn't help envying Dorm D for having an officer that wanted to make things a bit easier on them. Of course, there was no doubt their officer had his own interests in mind. It wasn't hard to figure out that how the cadets performed during their training was seen as a reflection of their officer who would be under the watchful eyes of the Board of Directors. In that case, it was understandable why Tanner was so pissed, the veins in his neck bulging as he shouted. This man was supposed to be the person they went to if they had any concerns about anything. Cloud couldn't imagine himself ever approaching him on his own accord.
He winced in pain as he lowered himself to the muddy ground for the imminent push-ups he'd predicted. His body protested the movement promptly. It became a fight between him and his muscles to complete the task. Groans echoed throughout the area as the boys pushed themselves to comply with their officer's commands. Everyone was hurting. Even those like Johnny who were in better shape than the others. The rain made the task that much more miserable.
Cloud's hair was soaked and sticking to his forehead and around his eyes. His feet kept slipping in the wet grass and mud so he was constantly readjusting himself. Tanner kept them labouring until the other dorms had retreated inside. Only then did he end their agony and allow them to head back to the dorm. It was nearly 4 am by the time they returned to their room. They were all dirty and dripping wet. Some chose to shower before going back to bed. Others collapsed in their bunks as they were, desperate to take advantage of the time they had left for sleep before training began again. Cloud made the effort to wash the dirt from his hands and arms and got into some dry clothes before getting back into bed.
"Figures we'd get an asshole for our dorm officer," Lou commented as he was climbing back onto his bunk.
"What were you expecting?" Paul questioned as he fixed the mangled sheets on his bunk before lying down. Lou didn't respond. Cloud glanced up at Johnny who appeared to be already asleep. He'd been one of the ones to head straight to bed with no attempt at clean-up. He suspected Johnny had slept under much worse conditions in the past. He was someone that definitely sparked some curiosity.
It barely seemed like 10 minutes had passed when Cloud was dragged from his sleep by the sounds of alarm clocks going off. He jolted awake with fresh memories of the fire drill but he relaxed a little when he realized the alarms were only telling him to move his ass for training. There was much less excitement than there had been the morning before. And much less chatter. Everyone looked drained and stiff. There was a great lack of enthusiasm as they readied themselves for more physical hell. It was incredible to see the morale change so quickly. All it took was a little pain and loss of sleep. Well. A lot of pain and loss of sleep.
At the end of their drills that morning, as they stood in lines of ten, Drill Officer Sigg pacing up and down the lines and going over his thoughts of the day's exercises and the cadets' performances, Sigg paused in front of Johnny, turning to face him directly and glaring at him.
"What is that in your ear, Cadet Six?!" he questioned fiercely.
"An earring, sir," Johnny responded after a moment.
"Have you not read your information book, Six?!" Sigg shouted.
"No, sir, I have not."
"Are you aware that you are required to read your information book, Six?!"
"Yes, sir, I am aware," Johnny replied levelly. A few of the boys snickered. It didn't impress the driller.
"You like to be a smartass, don't you, Six?!" he questioned angrily.
"It comes naturally, sir," Johnny agreed, straight-faced. Several of the boys laughed.
"SHUT UP!" Sigg commanded and silence was restored instantly. "When I see you tomorrow morning, Six, I want that earring gone or else I'll remove it myself, is that understood, cadet?!"
"Yes, sir!" Johnny replied firmly.
"You're dismissed!" Sigg shouted out to all. "Enjoy your classes!" he added before heading away from the group.
"That guy's such a jerk," Paul commented as he walked next to Cloud toward the building. Johnny was ahead of them a few yards.
"I don't remember reading that part in the information book," Cloud replied as he thought back on all he'd read. There was a lot to know in the book though. He could have easily missed it.
The dorms were not segregated for classes the same way they were for morning exercises and drills. Rather, all the boys from every dorm were combined and then split into four groups randomly. Cloud found himself attending classes with a group of boys he didn't recognize. There were only a few from his dorm and he hadn't even spoken to them before.
He ran into Paul and Johnny at lunch in the cafeteria. They'd had the luck of being in the same group for classes. Paul greeted Cloud as he sat down. Johnny didn't seem to notice him. He was reading Huxley's Brave New World, his chair tipped back on two legs as he pressed the heel of one of his boots against the edge of the table.
"You guys have a book assignment already?" Cloud questioned and Paul shook his head.
"No, he just chooses to read things he doesn't have to," he said with a smirk before taking another bite of the sandwich in front of him. "Whatda ya think of the classes?" Paul questioned him as he was chewing.
"Eh, I dunno," Cloud responded a little sullenly. "I'm not so great with academic stuff," he confessed. "I wish the combat classes were starting this week and not next," he added.
"You'll be fine. I mean, how academic can they expect us to be? We're being trained to be SOLDIERS. It's not like they need to know how to interpret a poem or anything," Paul said with a laugh.
"I suppose not," Cloud agreed reluctantly.
As they were headed to their afternoon classes, Cloud paused in the one hall when his eyes caught those of the man in a picture that he recognized well. Standing in mild awe, Paul and Johnny stepped up next to him.
"General Sephiroth," Paul spoke, identifying aloud the man in the picture hung on the wall.
"That's him?" Johnny questioned with a hint of skepticism in his tone.
"Have you been living under a rock?" Paul asked him in shock.
"Hmph. I was expecting someone more impressive," Johnny responded.
"Better not let him hear you say that," Paul warned. "He'll slice you in two with that long-ass sword of his."
"Bit dramatic don't you think?"
Paul looked at him critically. "You really have been living under a rock," he concluded before moving away from the wall and heading toward class. Johnny followed. "Cloud, come on!" Paul called to Cloud after a moment, breaking his trance and drawing him back to reality. It was hard for him to tear his eyes away from the general's hard gaze, his ice-like greenish eyes. He didn't care what anyone else thought. General Sephiroth was incredible. He'd known it since the first time he'd ever heard of him. He was a real hero and everything Cloud wished he could be himself.
Back in the dorm that night after dinner, he, Paul, and Lou were all going over their information books in the little time they had left before the lights would be going out. Many of the other boys in the dorm had been mulling over the book of rules and regulations as well, anxious because they'd come to learn they were expected to know every bit of information laid out for them. If they didn't, there were consequences to be anticipated.
Cloud glanced up at the book in Johnny's hands. It was different from the book he'd been reading earlier in the cafeteria and it certainly wasn't the information book. "What's he reading now?" he questioned Paul, glancing upward to indicate he was asking about Johnny.
"Oh. Some old book. I don't even remember. I think I'd blow up if I read as much as he seems to," Paul responded with a sigh.
"Ya know, for all the goddamn time he's got his face in front of a book, you'd think he'd just read the fucking information book," Lou commented from his bunk. Johnny flashed his middle finger at Lou without looking away from the page he was reading in his novel.
"He does sorta have a point, man," Paul called up to his bunkmate. Johnny didn't respond.
"You are going to have to read some assigned material at some point, you know that right?" Lou asked then.
"What the fuck do you care what I read?" Johnny replied at last.
"Maybe he's just looking out for your interests," Paul suggested.
"Fuck no!" Lou protested. "I just don't want to be punished one day because Mr. Badass can't answer a question regarding the rules and regulations from one of the drillers on the field."
"Like what?" Johnny asked.
"What?" Lou said in confusion. Johnny sighed in frustration.
"Like what kind of question?" he clarified.
Lou thought for a moment. "Okay. Like 'What is number 38 of the uniform regulations?'"
"Boot laces must be displayed left over right," Johnny responded with next to no moment's thought. "It's a fucking stupid regulation," he added. Lou looked down at Cloud and Paul, a unanimous look of shock between them.
"You said you didn't read the book!" Paul spoke up.
"I glanced over it," Johnny responded with a shrug.
"And yet you managed to memorize it?! God! I hate you!" he said lightly as he threw his information book down in frustration.
"Psh, this is probably his second year as a cadet. He probably failed his last attempt," Lou suggested as he lay back on his bunk, turning back to his book.
"Yeah. You're right, Lou," Johnny agreed casually.
"Really?" Paul questioned.
Johnny scoffed. "No," he said as he closed the novel he was reading and jumped down from his bunk. He reached under the mattress for a crumpled pack of cigarettes.
"So you're just a genius or something then?"
"Or something," Johnny mumbled before walking away.
000
The next morning, after drills, Sigg was on Johnny's case again. Cloud had completely forgotten about the whole earring thing. He took it for granted that Johnny would just do as he was told and be done with it. He should have known better.
"What is that in your goddamn ear, Cadet Six?!" Sigg shouted suddenly, breaking off in mid-sentence as he was ranting about the importance of hydration.
"An earring, sir," Johnny responded fast. The driller looked at him incredulously.
"Did I not tell you if I saw an earring in your ear this morning I would remove it myself?!" he screamed in Johnny's face. Cloud had to hand it to him. He was keeping remarkably still considering he was getting spit on quite literally.
"No, sir! You said if you saw that particular earring you would remove it yourself. This is a different one, sir!" Johnny replied and many of the boys had to hold back the urge to laugh. Cloud thought Sigg was going to have a heart attack, his face went so red. As much as he obviously wanted to beat Johnny into the ground, he restrained himself.
"Next time I see you, Six, I don't want to see any earring in your goddamn ear! Either of them!"
Sigg dismissed the group then. Some of the boys had encouraging words to throw Johnny's way as they were headed back to the building to shower before classes but Cloud knew better. Sigg was in no way bluffing about what he would do if Johnny disobeyed. He put off thinking about it as he worked on getting ready to sit through lessons in a wide variety of subjects that were never his best.
He hated being called on in class to answer questions and somehow the officers leading the lessons knew that. Teachers were always able to pick out the kids they knew dreaded being called on and yet they called on them for just that reason. It was maddening. And just as in the years before at his small school in Nibelheim, the officers called on him again and again. If he knew the answer, the pride of knowing something was overshadowed by the officer berating him for speaking too quietly. If he didn't know the answer he got berated for not knowing the answer. It was pretty much a no-win situation. And there was no strategic place to sit in the class to avoid being picked on. If you were in the front you were too eager to learn. If you sat in the back you were a slacker, if you sat in the middle you were a follower, incapable of your own thoughts.
There was no shortage of assignments given immediately and cadets were urged not to procrastinate for the simple fact that they had no control over whether things would come up or not that would limit their time to work on them. Drills or special spontaneous assignments could be given at any moment that took precedence but there was no clemency granted for unfinished assignments. Whining did nothing to change the way things were but it didn't stop most of the cadets from doing it.
Like it or not, it was just as they'd been told during orientation. They were expected to work harder than any regular boy their age.
000
The next day's morning came all too soon once again. The fatigue was starting to do a number on many of the cadets, making them more irritable, especially since they had more to worry about now than just training. Now they had classes and homework that kept them up when they could have been sleeping. But of course there was always one more thing to worry about. Like their driller, Sigg.
"Sigg's gonna flip if he sees that earring still in," Paul commented as he was doing up his boots.
"Probably," Johnny responded with a shrug before pulling his clothes from one of his drawers.
"Aren't you worried about what he'll do?" Paul asked then. "He did say he would remove it if you didn't. I doubt that's going to be a pleasant experience, if you know what I mean. You'll be missing half your ear when he's done with you."
"No officer would really do anything to cause that much damage would he?" Cloud questioned skeptically.
"Course they would," Lou answered him before anyone else could. "I heard that last year one of the drillers nearly choked a kid to death with a necklace he refused to stop wearing," he added seriously.
"Oh, shut the hell up, Lou!" Paul fired at him. "That never happened!"
"It did so!" Lou insisted.
"No officer is going to nearly kill a cadet."
"Well do you really wanna find out?" Lou retorted. "Just give up the earring, man," he said as he looked towards Johnny who ignored him as he was dressing himself.
Johnny headed outside with the others still wearing the earring. Cloud didn't really understand why it was so important for him to refuse to follow a simple order. He assumed Johnny did join the Academy knowing he was expected to follow orders and adhere to rules given to him. So why the defiance? There was nothing about Johnny that suggested he cared what others thought of him or that he was out to gain attention or make an image for himself. His reasons were obviously deeper.
Cloud, and no doubt many of the other boys, had been waiting anxiously through their exercises to see if Sigg was going to confront Johnny about his small act of deviance in refusing to remove his earring. Following their drills, Cloud had found himself standing next to Johnny in line. Cloud thought about it later that night. Had they not been in the front line, perhaps Sigg wouldn't have noticed Johnny's earring that day, but then, the driller didn't seem the type to forget about indiscretions, no matter how insignificant.
Sigg grabbed onto the small loop in Johnny's left ear before saying a word. Johnny seemed a little surprised but he stayed at attention without moving a muscle.
"Are you trying to prove something here, Cadet Six, or are you just stupid?!" Sigg bellowed at him.
"Perhaps I'm both, sir!" Johnny responded quickly. The fury in Sigg's eyes only grew.
"Perhaps you think I make idle threats, Six, is that it?!" the angry driller inquired as he began pulling on the earring between his fingers. Johnny resisted the pull, holding his head straight and not allowing it to tilt with the pressure.
"No, sir!" he responded firmly. Sigg tugged on the earring fast, hard enough to begin tearing through the skin of Johnny's earlobe. Besides the subtle sound of his breath hitching in his chest, Johnny made no indication he'd even felt it.
"You have one last chance to remove it yourself, cadet!" Sigg shouted as he maintained a steady pull on the earring. Out of the corners of his eyes, Cloud could see Johnny's jaw pulsing as he clenched his teeth. "Well, cadet?!" Sigg urged him to respond.
"No, sir," Johnny said lowly, though his voice was firm.
"NO WHAT?!" Sigg questioned angrily. "No, you will not remove it yourself?!"
"No, sir, I will not!" Johnny clarified loudly. The driller gave another firm tug on the earring, tearing Johnny's earlobe further. Cloud turned his head slightly and from that angle it was easier to see the blood running over the tips of Sigg's fingers. He tried to imagine what it felt like to Johnny. It must have been agonizing. The indications of his pain were so small. His hands clenching in tight fists, his body trembling ever so slightly. He was stubborn as all hell. Cloud could see there was going to be no winners or losers in this fight. Neither Johnny or Sigg were going to give in.
"Eyes forward, Strife!" Sigg shouted then, startling Cloud into facing forward once again. He searched out Tanner with his eyes. There was nothing about the officer that suggested he was bothered by Sigg's demonstration of authority. Cloud understood the necessity of the display, but it still didn't seem right. "You asked for this, Six!" Sigg shouted.
"Yes, sir," Johnny replied sharply. In a sudden, swift movement, Sigg tore the earring the rest of the way through Johnny's ear, drawing from him a strange sound that was not quite a cry. It was something closer to a gasp. He lifted a hand reflexively to clutch his injury but Sigg stopped him.
"You will stay in formation, Cadet!" he ordered harshly. Cloud turned his head despite the command he'd been given to keep facing forward. Some of the other boys looked toward Johnny as well or looked at one another. Johnny was trembling though Cloud suspected it was more due to anger than pain. Blood was running down the side of his neck and dripping from his torn earlobe. His eyes glistened with tears that he wasn't going to grant release.
Sigg held up the bloodied hoop of metal in his fingers, level with Johnny's eyes. "I recommend you change your attitude, Cadet Six," Sigg spoke to Johnny in a tone that was surprisingly below that of a shout. "You will go to the infirmary and have your injury seen to and you will be back on this field tomorrow morning, is that clear?"
"Yes. Sir," Johnny responded after a moment's hesitation.
"The rest of you are dismissed!" Sigg went back to shouting. He dropped the earring in his grasp at Johnny's feet before turning his back and heading toward Tanner. Johnny crouched promptly, sifting through the grass, looking for his earring.
"Johnny…" Cloud began uneasily, not sure of what to say. "Are you—"
"I'm fine!" Johnny snapped fast, never pausing his search for his earring. He found it after a few more moments, using his shirt to wipe the blood from it. Cloud found it strange he seemed more concerned with it than himself. Paul stepped up next to Cloud, giving him a look that said 'I can't believe that just happened.' It was easy to decipher. Most of the cadets were wearing that expression as they headed away from the field, glancing back at Johnny as they did so.
"Let's go, Six!" Tanner called to Johnny as he approached him. Johnny pocketed his earring before heading toward the infirmary with the dorm officer. Cloud and Paul watched after him for a few moments before making their way back inside to get ready for the rest of their day. Cloud had the feeling that the scene played out on the field between Johnny and the driller was going to be a hot topic for the day and a story that would no doubt be told to new cadets for years to come. Just another Academy horror story.
