It was a bright and sunny morning. The birds were chirping, the dogs were barking, the cats were chewing on random things, and an aloof character was walking down the halls.
"The candy man caaannn...the candy man caaann, the candy man can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good… Who can take a rainbo--" The aloof creature stopped singing as he reared the corner to start the beginning of his mission, make Sephiroth believe he deserved the job, he sighed and opened the doors to find the young man sitting in front of his chest table, hands neatly folded, staring at chess pieces. Probably thinking about really decisive things. The serious crap Zack didn't care for at the moment. His work paid off. Too bad deep down inside he really felt like a weasel. He was going to bring this up with Sephiroth, his best friend in all of Shinra.
"What is it?" He asked, moving the knight to knock off a pawn.
"I'm just here to... to..." Zack paused, "I'm here to hang out with you. What's up man"
"What's... up... man?" The young man looked at him and cocked an eyebrow, "Where do you learn to speak like this, surfer school? How was a boy like you promoted with a language such as this"
Zack laughs, "No, Sephiroth, it's just the talk these days." He pulls out an old wooden chair.
"Uh," Sephiroth warns him, "You don't want to sit on that"
"Huh? Why not?" Zack sat in the chair and it stabilized, nothing happened.
Sephiroth sighed, "So what is it"
"I was thinkin'. Now I know you love smart things," Zack started.
Sephiroth looked at him and cocked an eyebrow, "I do believe that your thinking will involve dangerous things… and 'Smart things"
"Yeah you know, stuff that hurts your brain. Well anyways, I was thinkin' we could go out and see something, you know as buddies do," Zack nodded.
"Forget it. I don't want to go anywhere unless it's important or a mission," He continued to play his game.
"Dawww, why so gloomy, man. I want to see you smile for once. Get yourself together," Zack smiled, jumping out of the antique wooden chair. The chair being fragile, as Sephiroth had mentioned before, broke upon the linoleum of Sephiroth's room.
"Thank you, Zack, you now owe me something priceless," Sephiroth said through mumbles as he put another piece in place, "Checkmate"
"Listen buddy, you can't checkmate yourself when you play chess. When you play chess with yourself you always know your next move. You can't fool yourself. The mind always wants to win with your preferred favorite colour and speaking from the fact that you just checkmated white, you obviously wanted black to win. It's a simple analysis, Sephiroth. You've got to play with someone else. Chhhhh, even I know that!" Zack sat down where the chair was, forgetting that he broke it earlier; he fell precariously onto the floor.
Sephiroth held in laughter, his shoulders shaking, finally saying shakily, "Geez you're deaf and clumsy"
Zack jumped up, "Hey I take offence to that!" He knelt down, "Why don't WE play chess, huh"
"You want me to play... this with you?" Sephiroth asked, turning his head in disbelief, "I guess this would give me a chance to understand why you of all people got a promotion"
"Yeah man. I think I can play this game o... chess, yeah that's it chess. And I'm pretty smart thank you very much, Seph! I believe I deserved the promotion, really we should talk about it someday anyway I think I can play chess," Zack nodded happily.
"Thinking you can play and knowing you can play are two different things, Zack. Please refrain from calling me 'Seph' it sounds like a girl's name and it makes me uncomfortable. Call me---" Sephiroth rested his lips on his folded hands, "pick one"
"I know, I know, Sephiroth. I know I can play Chess, ok? Now let's just play!" Zack said staring idly at the board, "I'll be black"
Sephiroth cleared his throat.
"Ok I'll be white then," Zack smiled nervously.
Sephiroth coughed into his hand and nodded.
Zack cocked an eyebrow, 'that wasn't disapproval... that was just a cough coming'
"Set the pieces," Sephiroth commanded.
"OK! No problem, Sephiroth!" Zack smiled, saluted and put the pieces into place, humming the Candy man tune.
"The pawns go in front," Sephiroth corrected, rolling his eyes, "Please… stop humming that song"
"Ohhh right, right... see I knew that, ha! No problem, Sephiroth!" Zack laughed nervously, 'dear lord he's going to kill me in my sleep one of these days I just know it'
Small footsteps were heard clomping down the hallways and then they stopped before the door.
"CLOUD!" Zack jumped, knocking all of the chess pieces on the floor and all over Sephiroth.
"TCH!" Sephiroth clicked his tongue.
Cloud nodded as Zack threw his arm around Cloud's shoulder.
"You two are despicable, clean up this mess will you?" Sephiroth sternly said.
Zack nodded, "No problem, Seph." He winked.
Sephiroth twitched, "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that"
Zack shrugged.
"Just like you. That's just like you," Sephiroth waved a finger at him, sighed, then walked over to his books, "What brings you here Cloud"
"I... I was sent here to inform you that it's lunchtime," Cloud said, looking down and away from him.
Sephiroth quickly shut his book, "Right then I guess I'd better get my pocket change." He grabbed his change and stuffed it into his coat, "Why were you sent here and by whom? Or do you wish to visit my quarters regularly"
Cloud shook his head, "I dunno, I was just told to tell you by a bunch of soldiers"
"Tch, child, come then," Sephiroth ordered and walked ahead, "I still have no clue why such duties were given to a man such as you Zack"
"Cuz I'm fricken intelligent man! You just don't know it yet!" Zack shouted.
"The entire universe doesn't know yet, apparently. Care to help us understand?" Sephiroth turned and asked him.
Zack looked around, "Ok man, no need to get harsh on me. One of these days I'll tell you everything"
"You can start with tonight. As I won't get sleep thinking about why you, of all people, got a promotion when there are others more skilled then you are. You'll just get yourself killed in the process!" Sephiroth snapped.
"Chh you sound like a mother hen, Sephiroth, Sephy-poo," Zack chuckled.
Sephiroth spinned and gave him a deadly glare, "Stop with the weird names. You don't hear me calling you…" He twitches, "Zacky-poo…" he shudders, "Now, do you"
"Whatever you call me I'm good with, Sephiroth!" Zack smiled widely, blushed, just the thought and tone of Sephiroth's voice made him jitter. The man sounded good when he said anyone's name, made them feel special in a way. So he grinned and gave him his thumbs up.
Sephiroth smacked his face with his gloved hand and wiped his hand down his face, "Right, I'm starved"
Sephiroth parts the metal doors of the cafeteria. Soldiers are sitting in cafeteria chairs, enjoying some of the most nastiest looking food any of them had ever seen. It's bubbling contents were unknown. But the majority of the soldiers continued to eat it.
Cloud looked at them through dull eyes.
"What are they? Mad?" Zack exclaimed.
"Course… they're Shinra soldiers," Sephiroth explained briefly.
They walked to their usual spot, closest to the windows to vapor the stench of the food that had been cooked everyday. Where the windows didn't close and a small cool breeze whistled through the crack, sitting right behind this was Zack's favorite spot.
"Heh heh, as usual, same ol boring eatin tables," Zack chuckled and grabbed Cloud.
Cloud, being totally submissive, let Zack drag him to the tables and seat him down.
"Let's see… I'm having…" Cloud pondered.
"Shlop… you're gonna eat the same mud as Seph and I," Zack nodded, "Right Seph"
"I'd rather burn in a sea of rainbows then to eat that," Sephiroth emptied his change purse.
"HA, HA, HA! Oh man! You have a little purse?" Zack laughed.
"Shh, would you shut up and keep it down!" Sephiroth scolded, "Leave my change purse out of this. I'm hungry and I'm not eating what's being served"
"Suit yourself man, you're missing out on shhlop!" Zack chuckled to himself, "Come on Cloud would you at least laugh a bit"
Cloud chuckled quietly.
"Ehhh, I guess that's good enough… for now," Zack eyeballed him, "Let's go get our just shhlop. I'm dyin' to eat that junk"
Zack got up and led Cloud to the line up.
Sephiroth walked over to the lunch lady; she pulled something out from under the tables and handed them to Sephiroth. Sephiroth nods and gives her his change purse. She nods, smiles and takes the purse to the back. Sephiroth walks back to the table where Zack and Cloud are.
"Look at what you're missing out on!" Zack picks up a spoon full of it's thick brown, gooey, bubbling substance and let's it fall back into the bowl, 'plop, plop…ppttttthhhhhhht'
Sephiroth looked at him and the food, disgusted, "You… go ahead. Treat yourself. Just remember we're talking later tonight"
"Oh yeah, don't you forget about that! WOO!" Zack shouted.
"Congrats on your promotion DOOB!" A soldier shouts.
"Damn traitor!" Another shouts jokingly.
"Yeah, you all know you want some!" Zack joked along, then said under his breath, "Jerks… the lot of em"
Cloud continued to eat the food that was given to him.
"Oh gross you're not actually eating that crap are you?" Zack asked, "I was just playin ya know… really." He paused, "Stop eating it"
Sephiroth walked solemnly back to his room and opened his bag of yummy treats, chicken. His mouth just nearly watered smelling the freshly baked chicken breasts. When he walked into his room he locked the door, cleaned up his chess pieces and placed the food on his chess board, 'That Zack… why would he be given such a part? Is he really just a sneaky little worm? Or is he a really bright kid?' He shook his head and opened his bag, carefully taking apart his chicken, savoring every moment of its juicy entails. Once finished his chicken he dug into the potato wedges. Savory potato wedges. He sprinkled a pit of salt on them and ate them up. Then finished his can of soda. Boy if lunch was like this everyday, Sephiroth would be in heaven. Sephiroth lay back on his bed and looked up at the weird design on the ceiling, "Who can take a sunrise… sprinkle it with dew? Great, now I have that song stuck in my head."