The young boy with black hair filed off the bus with the other boys. They all huddled together before the hulking SOLDIER awaiting their arrival, very much intimidated. The huge stone or cement building behind the man loomed eerily against the overcast sky.

"I am SOLDIER 2nd Class Gurns. I will oversee your training until you either fail or graduate to 3rd Class. At all times, you must call me 'sir', understood?" he belts out.

"Yes, sir!" the boys chorused in-harmoniously. "Good. Here are the basic rules which you must follow at all times, no exceptions. Number one, always salute a superior officer. Number two, lights off at ten o'clock sharp. Anyone caught out of bed after curfew will be given a warning. Three warnings, and you're out. Lastly, wake up is at five and training starts at six-thirty. Any questions?"

None of them dared ask a question, even the one plaguing all their minds: what happens when you're 'out'?


"We start training tomorrow, huh?" the noiret wondered aloud, pulling on his regulation pajamas. They were a bit big on him.

"Yeah, I guess we do," the brunet from earlier responds, climbing into the bunk above him. "I'm Kunsel, by the way. From Kalm."

"Zack from Gongaga."

"Isn't that the town where reactor exploded while it was being built?"

"Oh, yeah, that happened a long time before I was born. How did you know about that?"

"My dad collects old news papers, and I liked to read through them when I was bored."

"Cool. My pa owns the only shop in Gongaga. He's really proud of it, too. So's my ma," Zack tells his new friend, climbing into the lower bunk just as the lights go out. "Anyways, night!"

"Night."


Having slept surprisingly well despite the circumstances, Zack bounded out of bed as soon as the lights came back on again. Ignoring the moans and groans of his fellow cadets, he hurried to the showers. He wanted to be nice and clean for his first day of training.

Humming to himself, Zack washed as fast as he could. After drying off and changing into his uniform, he sped out of the steamy room, shouting 'good morning' to the boys just making their way inside. The startled boys were barely able to mumble 'morning' before he was gone again.

Zack's unfathomable and seemingly limitless energy showed all throughout the day as they learned how to properly salute a superior, began conditioning their bodies, and were taught the basics of Mako energy and Materia. He never seemed to tire. He also never sat/stood still for more than a few seconds.

Altogether, the first day wasn't so bad.