Off Course: The Delivery Boy Saga
Disclaimer: See the ones before... I dislike repeating myself too many times.
Chapter Three: Making It Work
Dear Dad and Mom,
Hi, it's Zack again. I've been in the cadet program for six months now. Thankfully the first exams are coming and I can move up to actually learn stuff I might not have already known. Mr. Valentine was really thorough with what he taught me. But you already knew that.
Anyway, I've made some friends here too. I'm not so lonely anymore without Mr. Valentine. The first guy's name is Reno Sinclare. He's a smart aleck but decent enough. He makes me laugh though since he's a prankster. He's in the same barrack as me too, so it's cool. Another guy is in our barrack as well. His name is Jonas Jones. Weird name, huh? But he's a nice guy but a little whiny. There are others but I can't make this letter too long. That would be boring. Besides me, Reno and Jonas are pretty tight so I figured that I should tell you a little about them.
So, I miss you guys and I definitely miss Mom's cooking. The food in the Mess Hall is disgusting but nutritious. Double ew. Haha, anyway I got to go. Sword practical is in ten minutes.
Love, Zack
000
Dear Zack,
It's Rufus. I hope you still remember me and I hope this letter finds you well. Life in the last six months has been boring without you and less cheerful. I have met up with my brother Vincent and he makes for decent company. I miss your silly songs about Touch Me frogs though. You are and always will be a goofy kid. But that's what makes you interesting.
So, you better be keeping up and beyond the other cadets, you know. No slacking because I will know about it. All joking aside, I trust that your training is going well. Remember to mind your instructors and to not be too sassy with your commanding officers. I know you so don't give in to the temptation or you'll be cleaning bathrooms for weeks.
Ah, Vincent says to tell you hello. When you make it into SOLDIER, he and I will visit you. Stay strong, I know you'll do well.
Sincerely, Rufus Valentine
000
Memo:
TO: Sephiroth, Lieutenant General, SOLDIER First
FROM: Harry Jay, Sergeant Major, SOLDIER Third
SUBJECT: Cadet Promotion, Zackary Fair, cadet #1629, Class 10 Rookie
In regards to Zackary Fair, he is exceptional. Shows initiative and great potential. Believed to have previous training before entering the cadet program. A natural leader. Charismatic and honest.
Recommended cadet promotion: Cadet Class 4 Basic.
000
Lieutenant General Sephiroth, he had no last name, regarded the memo in curiosity. To think that a rookie had impressed his very discerning Sergeant Major to be recommended to Class 4 Basic, which was at the very edge of Class 3 Advanced. It was an extremely high jump in cadet rank for someone who had only been in the organization for six months. The most he had expected for any average rookie was Class 8 Rookie. Usually Classes 10 through 7 were still called Rookie classes while Classes 6 through 4 were called Basic classes. Only Classes 3 through 1 were called Advanced and with good reason. They were the best of the cadets.
"Zackary Fair..." Sephiroth murmured. "Just how good are you?" Perhaps he would personally consult with Harry Jay and secretly observe this Fair boy.
000
Damn, class was boring as usual. Zack sighed. He always took meticulous notes, something that had been drilled into his head by Mr. Valentine. But his teacher was boring and the material was really old news for him. Maybe his old mentor had put him through the paces of an accelerated version of cadet training. He had seen the other, more advanced cadet Classes, especially Classes 5 and 4, with textbooks on subjects that he had learned in his later months with Mr. Valentine. That meant he was literally five to six ranks ahead of his Class 10 Rookie peers.
"Damn, class' hard!" Jonas Jones whined. He was a part of Class 10 that was still struggling with the material.
"That's because yer notes suck," Reno replied. He flipped through Jonas' notes. "Seriously, yo. There're more doodles than writing."
"But our instructor's borin'!"
"So? That ain't no excuse for slacking! Even I know that." The redheaded cadet snorted. "I may be from the poorest part of Kalm but apparently I'm more educated than you."
"But I'm from da Slums, yeah! There ain't no schools down there!"
"Another poor excuse. Just 'cause there ain't no schools don't mean you shouldn't be learning shit, yo." Reno obviously had no sympathy. "Take better notes, next time, is all."
"Paying attention helps too," Zack piped in. He may have been friends with Jonas but after six months of hearing him whine about the classes was grating on his nerves. To the Gongaga native the classes were ridiculously easy and were nothing to complain about. "Cadet rank exams are coming up in a week, Jonas. You best get your act together."
"Totally, yo. Obviously Golden Boy is going to get a higher ranking than you. He's natural genius, he is," Reno said. His bright green eyes were filled with laughter. "Hell, even I'm gonna get a better rank than you and I barely study at all."
"That's 'cause your brain's a sponge," Zack said. "You're memory is crazy accurate. Mr. Valentine says that something like that means you have a photographic memory."
"Eh? What's a photographic memory?" Jonas asked. He looked lost.
"It means, stupid, that I'm like a camera and my brain takes pictures of everything. Everything I read is crystal clear in my head. Just 'cause I look sloppy don't mean my brain's the same way." Reno looked smug. "I'm just made of awesome, unlike you."
"Che, don't need something like that to survive in the Slums."
"We ain't in the Slums, dude. We're on the Plate as SOLDIER cadets."
000
Zack licked his lips only because they felt chapped. Instead of giving off an aura of nervousness, he exuded confidence and determination. He had no idea why the Third Class SOLDIER in charge of his rookie class insisted on a private spar. Still, he reveled in the intensely fantastic feel of fighting against someone with a similar strength to Mr. Valentine. Only the blond swordsman had been holding back considerably. Still, even with his old mentor holding back, the teen had been pushed to his limit, like he was now with a Third Class at two-thirds strength.
It was exhilarating.
"You're good, Fair. Better than what I observed with your peers," Sergeant Major Jay quipped in the momentary pause in their spar.
Zack shrugged. "Didn't want to show off, sir. And I didn't want to hurt the others," he said without an inch of false humility. He simply stated fact. Just because he was better didn't mean he had to rub it in their faces. Zack didn't roll like that. He was easy-going and empathetic to the others in his cadet class.
"That is why I requested this spar in private. Let's start again."
"Yes, sir."
000
Sephiroth watched in the two-way mirror the spar between this rookie and Sergeant Major Jay. He could now see why the SOLDIER Third had recommended such a leap in rank. The kid was good, real good. The moves he pulled were too advanced. It was a sure indication that the boy had been previously trained and trained hard at that. He was a heavy hitter that was lightning quick. Perfect.
"Well, well, well. He looks good," a voice that Sephiroth knew to have been there said from behind him. The Lieutenant General glanced over as the head of SOLDIER, General Maximus Heran, walked up beside him. "What's his name?"
"Zackary Fair," Sephiroth replied. "Sergeant Major Jay recommended him to Cadet Class 4 Basic."
"His current status?"
"Cadet Class 10 Rookie."
General Heran whistled. "Quite the jump to recommend. That why you watching?" The graying SOLDIER grinned slyly at his second-in-command.
"Yes sir."
"Heh, I say you should give the go ahead for that one after exams."
"If he fails the written?" Sephiroth asked.
"I highly doubt it or else he wouldn't have been recommended that high by our resident tight-ass, rule stickler."
"As you say, sir."
000
Cloud Strife had finally re-mastered the Materia he wanted on hand. He gazed at his Cure with pride. He used to always have problems before in leveling up healing Materia of any kind. He wasn't like Aeris or Vincent; both had a strange ease with leveling up the orbs. Still, he had the basic Materia he wanted: Cure, Heal, Fire, Ice, and Lightning. All of them were mastered, to his pleasure. He grinned. It was a far cry from the collection that had been stolen by Kadaj but this was a good start.
"You looked immensely pleased with yourself," Vincent said from next to him. He and the blond were on the Northern Continent at Bone Village. Currently they were resting in the main shelter, waiting for the next boat to the Western Continent at the small port in the seaside village of Kuris, west of what would be Rocket Town. That particular village was small and had not been a part of Cloud's travels with AVALANCHE against Sephiroth and Jenova. But it was the only place with boats that went to and came from Bone Village and Icicle Village.
Cloud and Vincent had came to the Northern Continent to destroy the secret lab within the Crater that had led to the birth of Kadaj and his brothers. They killed the experiments there that would have harmed the environment and the local flora and fauna. But the duo unfortunately had yet to find any Jenova remains, which frustrated Cloud to no end. He knew the main body was still in Midgar in Hojo's labs since he hadn't found anything suspicious in the Nibel reactor after he had gotten Vincent to come with him. He sighed and cleared his head of the depressing thoughts. He still had time...
"Yeah. All this time after the Materia stopped working in the previous past and the first year or so that I was here without it, I had felt a little... weird." Cloud shook his head. "I like using magic. It's... convenient."
"Yes, it is." Vincent looked at his own Materia, a Time and a Sense. He had felt no need for others but he would keep an eye out for interesting Materia without a doubt. "Though I'm not using as many as you are."
"These are the ones I like to use the most. I try to cover my bases," Cloud said. Then a young archeologist came up to them. "Our ride's here?"
"Yes, sir. Have a safe trip."
000
Exams were in two days! TWO DAYS! Even Zack could feel the heat. And the Advanced Cadets, particularly the Class 1 cadets, were buzzing with nervous energy. They had the most to gain if they passed considering that it would lead into the SOLDIER Third boot camp. The Class 10 Rookies were anxious for their first jumps in rank as well. Many were hoping for Class 7 Rookie since it was the edge of the Rookie Class. Nevermind that the average beginner 10 cadet would only get to Class 9 or Class 8. If wishes were fishes...
However, Zack didn't know what to rank he was going to jump. After that private spar with Sergeant Major Jay two weeks ago, he didn't get anymore special treatment. If anything, Jay was even harder on him than ever. Not once did he slack off though. The harder the SOLDIER Third pushed, the harder Zack pushed back. Within the proper perimeters, of course. He didn't forget Mr. Valentine's warning to not be sassy with his superior officers.
Zack dodged an older boy who, judging from his blue badge, was a Class 3 Advanced Cadet. He didn't bother grumbling since he understood the rush. Besides, very few people got the jump on him anyway. He grinned to himself. Valentine really had been hardcore with him. Damn, he missed the bastard. The blond man had pushed him hard and always with a sly twinkle in his glowing eyes, as if he was asking 'that all you got kid' with his eyes alone. His face had been stoic but his eyes were taunting in a good-natured manner. There had almost always been laughter between Zack and Mr. Valentine. Maybe that was what if felt like to have an older brother...
"Oi, Gaia to Zack! Wakey-wakey!" Reno sang as he jogged up to the other boy. "How's it going, man?"
Zack looked over and grinned, his mind returning to the present. "It's going, dude," he replied. He scratched the back of his head with his free hand, since the other was holding his books and notes under his arm. "Man, can't wait until exams are over though. It's freaking hectic around here. Makes me antsy."
"Everything makes you antsy, yo. Anyway, what rank do you think you'll get?"
"Don't know..." Zack said slowly. "I guess I'm hoping for 7 like everyone else. Might get to 8 though since that's what usually happens to the better ones in 10. Hell, might end up in 9 just for being cocky."
Reno snorted at the concept of the taller boy being cocky. Ambitious, yes. Cocky, no. "Yeah right. Mr. Genius, you're gonna be at least a 6," he said.
"What? Haha, you're funny. Ain't no way a newbie Class 10 Rookie like me gonna be in a Basic." The violet-eyed boy chuckled. "The others would hate me."
"Naw. They wouldn't be surprised though. You get perfect scores on tests and quizzes every single freaking time. It ain't possible for you to be 8 and especially not 9." Reno shrugged. "In fact, there's a betting pool going on that says you'll make into a Basic." He grinned and wriggled his eyebrows. "I'm betting on 6 and 5, just to cover my bases."
"You're nuts."
000
Zack stared at the bulletin board. And stared. And stared. No way...
"WHOA!" Jonas shouted. "YOU'RE A CLASS 4 BASIC!!"
"Shit, I lost seventy gil!" Reno grumbled. He glared at the boy who had actually bet on Zack making it to 4. The little bastard had been the only one too. The others of Class 10 then rushed forth to congratulate Zack. The redhead, who had made it to Class 6 Basic, couldn't help but grin. He hadn't expected his own extremely high jump in rank; he had been shooting for at least 7 but hey, he would take 6. And the crowd that was genuinely proud for Zack was proof of how charismatic and humble he had been to the others.
One couldn't help but like Zackary Fair.
000
Sephiroth eyed the crowd around the bulletin board. They were cheering for Cadet Fair and his fantastic accomplishment. The boy really had lived up to Sergeant Major Jay's unusually high praise and comments on being a natural leader. He smirked to himself. He would keep an eye on the cadet. Something told him that the boy would be a great SOLDIER...
000
Cloud wanted to scream and loudly. He didn't remember the Materia Cave near Wutai being so maze-like. He had left the Mako pool alone only to find a small opening in the back of the cave. Damn his curiosity.
"We're lost," Vincent said. The crimson glow of his eyes bounced off of the stone walls and mixed with Cloud's electric blue glow. "You did not say anything about this."
"That's because I didn't know about it."
"Strange. I thought you knew everything."
"Haha. You're a funny man, Vincent Valentine," Cloud grumbled.
Vincent shrugged. "I know," he said in a deadpan voice.
000
Zack thrilled in the challenge of Class 4 Basic. The lessons were engaging for once and he was treated better since he wasn't a Class 10 Rookie anymore. He missed Reno and even Jonas. But Reno was in Class 6 Basic, which made him closer to Zack. Two barracks away, in fact. They could visit one another during their free hours. Unfortunately Jonas had actually failed and was still stuck in Class 10.
"Right then," the teacher said. "Who can tell me more about summon Materia?" A wave of hands swung into the air. He grinned at the cadets. "Oh good, you did your homework."
000
Two months had passed since Zack had been inducted into Class 4. He was having the time of his life and had made even more friends within the class. The boys were older than him but respected his top scores. There were a few grumbles about the younger boy managing to skip so many ranks. Zack himself quickly silenced those complainers during weapons practice everyday. There were whispers that he was a prodigy, on par with Sephiroth's genius.
Zack had scoffed at the rumors and always politely replied in the negative for the questions about said whispers. He continuously proclaimed that he worked hard to get where he was in rank. The boy also didn't tolerate the moochers that clung to him just because of his excellent reputation. He preferred genuine friendship to silly admirers.
It was lunch time when Reno bounced up to Zack. "Hey, hey!" he sang. He sat next to the violet-eyed boy before anyone else could. "How's Mr. Golden doing, yo?"
"Very funny, Reno," Zack replied good-naturedly. "I'm pretty good. You?"
"Oh, I've got good news, yo. Good, good news. But I'll tell you later." Reno had a sly but proud look in his eyes. His grin was wider than normal as well. "So, how's yer classes?"
"Oh man, they're great! I still already know a lot of the stuff but my teachers are incredible and I still manage to learn something new!" Zack was practically bouncing. "Just think in four months the next rank exam is coming up!"
"Shit, already counting down?"
Zack shrugged. He ate some of his food and continued. "Yeah. You remember me telling you about Mr. Valentine?" he asked.
"Huh? Yeah, why?" Reno asked after swallowing his food.
"He said that he would see me again when I make it into SOLDIER and I want to see him real bad, you know. So the faster I'm SOLDIER Third-"
"The faster you'll see your bro," Reno finished for him. The redhead grinned. "He sounds really cool every time you talk about him. I wanna meet him too, yo."
"Yeah, yeah! I'll introduce you guys and we'll hang out and train together and... Oh! He has a brother named Vincent and we'll meet him too!"
Reno laughed. "Yer too hyper, man," he said. Zack just grinned wider at him.
000
"So, what's this news of yours?" Zack asked. The two boys were in a private training room for the Basics. They were currently swinging blunted, metal swords at each other.
"Don't tell no-one but apparently the Turks are trying to recruit me," Reno said. Surprised, Zack almost didn't dodge the redhead's next swing. "Whoa man, you ain't usually so dumb to not dodge, yo." He stopped the pretext of sparring with the violet-eyed boy. "Hey, you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah... just... I thought we would be SOLDIER together, you know," Zack said. He looked a little discombobulated.
"Don't look so down, Zack." Reno rubbed the back of his neck. "We'll still be friends, yo."
"But Turks and SOLDIERs are rivals!" Zack exploded.
"Then we'll be the exception to the rule," Reno said logically. "Besides, haven't you noticed? I don't have the right physique for SOLDIER and I don't think the Mako treatments are gonna help me bulk up." And it was true, the redhead was made to be a lean, mean and sneaky fighting machine. Perfect for the Turks, not so great for SOLDIERs. "I think that Turk training would fit my style more."
"But... the things that they do..."
Reno gave Zack a lethargic shrug at his stammered protest. "That's Shin-ra for you, yo. They ain't nice; you know that. But you're still going to work for them and so I am, just differently."
Zack sighed and nodded. "If that's what you want then I can't stop you. But I will support you." He smiled hesitantly. "That's just the way I am. If you need me, just call, even when you're a Turk."
"Thanks man." Reno swallowed the suspicious lump that appeared in his throat. He blinked. "You're a good friend, Zackary Fair. So that offer is the same for me, yo. Just call if you need me too."
"I will."
000
Four months later and Zack was once again sitting in for rank exams. He knew that Reno was too and that whatever jump he made the redhead would be inducted into that same ranking for Turk cadet training. He was going to miss seeing him everyday. Zack shook his head. He had an exam to concentrate on. One year had passed since he had seen Mr. Valentine and he missed the older man sorely. Especially with Reno joining the Turk cadets and Jonas who had quit seven weeks ago. Even with the friends he had made in 4, he felt lonely and sad.
Zack needed to be in SOLDIER, for both him and his mentor.
000
Cloud sneezed. He blinked in surprise. He couldn't get colds. So, why was he sneezing? The blond sighed and eyed the forests that surrounded The Temple of the Ancients. He hated the place because of what it represented in his old past. But he had no time to dwell on it. He needed to figure out how to get the Black Materia without having the damned temple collapse on him or Vincent. Not even he would've been able to survive such an incident and he had no desire to sacrifice his companion.
"Cloud, why are we getting the Black Materia? Surely it is safe as is," Vincent said.
"It's too risky," the blond answered. "I want the Black Materia with the Key of the Ancients at the bottom of the ocean. In fact, I want to bury it in that underwater cave behind the Key." He stared at his gloved hands. "Then I'll cause a mini-quake to have rocks bury the entrance. That thing is a nuisance and must be hidden at all costs. If a mechanical cat can solve the Temple puzzle, then anyone can, even if Reeve had been the one steering Cait Sith." Cloud rubbed his face in frustration. "I know how to solve the puzzle but I can't die yet and I refuse to let you die for it."
"Chaos would be able to survive it."
"What are you suggesting, Vincent?"
"I'll transform into Chaos' physical form while keeping my own mental facilities, solve the puzzle, and survive the resulting collapse."
"You can do that?"
Vincent shrugged. "It'll take all of my concentration to keep my mind within Chaos' body but I can do it. I will be exhausted though," he said.
"I understand." Cloud licked his lips. "When do you want to do this?"
"Give me two weeks to prepare myself." The crimson-eyed man sighed. "I need to negotiate with him and the boon to do so may be great. But if this is what you want, I will help you as promised."
"Thank you, Vincent. You're a good friend." Cloud stood and actually hugged the other man. "Just tell me what to do." Vincent, though startled by the out of character hug, smiled slightly at him. "I'll follow your lead in this... big brother."
000
TO BE CONTINUED
