A/N: I know, I know. There's a lot of AU fics where Cloud gets to into SOLDIER. I still feel like I can do things better than most. Oh well. Hope you enjoy.

Huff...

Puff...

Huff...

Tap...Tap...Tap...Tap...

*growl*

*gasp*

A sword is pulled from a magnetic holster. It meets a claw. Booted feet dig into dirt to gain leverage. Grunts from man and monster. A magenta colored beast was soon to be slain by a blonde SOLDIER.

SOLDIER 3rd Class, Cloud Strife.

Cloud leapt from the ground, flipping over the behemoth. He drove his sword into its back. The beast howled in pain. The SOLDIER ripped the blade from its back, leapt down in front of its head, and slashed across the right side of the monster's face, mid-air, severing the right horn.

Focusing his energy, Strife used a Focused Thrust to drive his blade under the creatures neck, piercing the flesh. Ripping the blade up, the 3rd Class sent it backwards onto its back. Blue flames burst around his body. He raised his sword and thought of his friend.

Tifa...

"Don't worry, you've got this!"

"You're done," Cloud claimed.

Braver LV. 2

Cloud flipped above the creature and flung his weight and strength on the weapon and drove it through the behemoth's abdomen. When the weapon hit the ground, a shockwave surrounded the area of impact. The beasts decaying pieces faded into the Lifestream.

Cloud stood upright from his crouched position. He sighed and sheathed his standard-issue SOLDIER sword.

"Private Strife!"

Cloud turned to see his supervising officer, Genesis Rhapsodos. He straightened his posture. "Commander Rhapsodos."

"Excellent performance. One day, you'll make a fine 1st Class. We have orders to return to base. We head to Wutai and three days."

"Sir!"

"At ease. Let's go." The brunette paused. "Where's your helmet?" They began walking.

Cloud cringed. "Got blasted against a wall and it fell off my head. Damn thing got crushed by its paw."

The first class smirked. "Doesn't matter. You look better without it."

Cloud quirked an eyebrow, but maintained a straight face. "Is that permission to slack my dress code, sir?"

"Permission granted." He actually humored the blonde.

Cloud smiled slightly. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it."

-

"Private Strife, please report to the SOLDIER room." The intercom boomed throughout headquarters. Cloud stood up from his meditative position. He walked to the room of which he'd been summoned.

Upon entry, he spotted two individuals who seemed to be waiting for him. One was Genesis. The other, he didn't recognize.

"Director Lazard," the blonde man introduced himself from behind his desk. He extended a white gloved hand. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cloud."

Cloud shook the man's hand and the two returned their hands to their sides. "You as well, Director. You wanted to see me?"

The director nodded. "Your performance in Gongaga has not gone unnoticed by Commander Rhapsodos, nor myself. Therefore, we extend our congratulations." Cloud looked puzzled. "You are now SOLDIER 2nd Class."

Genesis put his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Outstanding, SOLDIER 2nd Class, Cloud."

The blonde sighed. "Still. I need to get stronger."

Genesis actually laughed. He patted Cloud on the back. "That's the spirit! Join me after Hojo gives you the 2nd Class injections and you pick up your uniform."

Cloud nodded. "Where will you be?"

"The training room."

Cloud's eyes turned the sizes of saucers. "The simulator?"

"Indeed. Only 2nds and 1sts are allowed in there."

Cloud straightened his posture. "Yes, sir!"

The 1st Class smirked. "Dismissed."

-

"My, my. Three months under Commander Rhapsodos has done wonders for you, Private Strife."

"Thank you, Professor Hojo." The man had glasses and a crooked smile on his face. He had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail in the back. He was fairly skinny and wore a white lab coat over his grey button up shirt and black slacks, with brown shoes.

"Now hold still. This might prick a little." The needle pierced Cloud's skin. He felt a jolt throughout his body. Fortunately, it didn't hurt as much as it did when he was made 3rd Class. "There, all done!" The wound immediately closed up.

"Thanks. Well, I'm off. See you when I make first, Professor!" Cloud called to the scientist as he ran to the storage area to pick up his red SOLDIER 2nd Class uniform.

"Good luck, SOLDIER!"

-

The assortment of black belts and armor matched well with the deep red color of the 2nd Class uniform.

As he approached the sliding doors of the training room, the doors opened on their own. Neat, he thought.

Inside, Genesis was holding a sort of headset. "Welcome, Cloud."

"Sweet room. So, what's gonna happen?"

The brunette held his hand out, offering the headset to the blonde. "Put this on. You will be entering into the 2nd Class initiation exam."

Cloud nodded. He placed the metal helmet over his eyes. The room seemingly changed to a terrain of Midgar. Cloud found himself looking out of a helicopter. His mission was to halt the hijacked train that has been taken by Wutai troops. Upon halting the train, he was to track down any disturbances in the city and eliminate them.

"Good luck, Strife."

Cloud mock saluted. "Got it." Cloud swan dove out of the chopper and descended rapidly to the train below. The blonde landed on his right foot and crouched left knee with a hand to brace himself on the top of the train. He stood upright and ran forward.

As he ran, he was forced to jump over overhead structures that looked over the roof of the train, meant to knock anyone off. A faint whistling ripped through the air. Snipers. Cloud dove forward, dodging the bullets that collided with the train.

"Such a warm welcome," he drably commented. Cloud ran forward once more. Bullets impacted on the trains roof behind him. He spotted Shin-Ra infantry uniforms waiting for him with guns loaded. They fired at him.

I thought it was Wutai that hijacked the train. Are they disguised as Shin-Ra troops? That must be it. Still doesn't matter. Gotta fight them.

"Farewell," Cloud greeted them to their doom as he pulled his sword from from his back. He blocked their multitude of bullets. His body glowed purple. He dashed forward at breakneck speed and slashed the first group. He honed into the next group and slashed through that group with a single slice. He dashed forward at an incoming rocket and sliced it in two. That was Triple Slash.

The explosion that followed caused the structure where the snipers stood to collapse. Cloud slid forward through the air to avoid the ruins.

"That's the power of SOLDIER," Cloud said and dropped to the coupling and derailed the front and back halves of the train to slow the front and leave behind the Wutai troops. He jumped on top of the front half. He smirked. Sheathing his sword Cloud leapt off the side of the train to the Sector 1 train station. Standing up, Cloud proceeded with Phase 2.

-

Getting through the city and the Wutai insurgents was the easy part. Standing in his way to proceed, was a behemoth. Is this a joke? This will be easy. After all, he had already beaten the one in Gongaga.

Cloud pulled out his sword. The beast charged at him. Cloud followed suit. The blonde flipped over it. Whilst landing safely behind the monster, it ran into a building and was hit on its thick head with some of the falling debris. It turned around. Both its horns were missing and its right eyes was scratched, leaving it with only one eye to see through.

Brutal. Cloud tapped into his memory of Genesis. A red aura emitted from his body and his weapon.

"Show me the true power..of SOLDIER!"

Cross-Slash LV. 3

Cloud held his weapon horizontal to his body with the tip pointed at the behemoth's face.

"It's as good as dead," Cloud claimed.

He spun 360 degrees, clockwise, and slashed down. Slashed down more to the right and left across its face. Finally, with a powerful blow, Cloud ripped his sword to the right, completing the Cross-Slash kanji.

The creature crumbled to the ground. It was dead. Cloud stood triumphant.

click

A sword. Cloud spun around and met metal with his blade.

"Overconfidence will be your downfall."

That voice. Cloud looked up and saw the great general of SOLDIER.

Sephiroth. The silver-haired man stood there with his Masamune Blade held out, against Cloud's SOLDIER sword.

"This can't be right," Cloud pondered. Maybe...this really is Shin-Ra. This guy wouldn't betray Shin-Ra for anything.

"You're finished," the general claimed.

Cloud beat him to the slice. The blonde slashed at him carefully but viciously. He backed away at a thrust at his chest. Cloud prepared to charge when a bright light flashed before him.

Standing in front of the 2nd Class was his mentor with his red blade met with Sephiroth's Masamune Blade. At that, Sephiroth lowered his weapon. As did Genesis.

The brunette sighed. He pulled his flip phone out of his pocket. His red gloves hand typed buttons on it to end the simulation. The sim vanished into the particles of which it began from. As did Sephiroth.

So, it was just a sim. Cloud couldn't believe he allowed himself to be fooled. He took off the headset.

"I'm impressed. Most SOLDIERs, even 2nd Classes pause in their tracks at seeing the infantrymen."

Cloud shrugged and sheathed his weapon. "Just figures that Wutai stoke their uniforms and were in disguise. Regardless, they were attacking me. It was self defense."

A nod of approval came from Genesis. "I'm also impressed you held your own against Sephiroth. Only myself and Angeal have come close to winning." He smirked. "Maybe I shouldn't have intervened. It would have made for an entertaining fight."

"Nah. I knew I was beat from the start," Cloud admitted.

"Humble. Skilled. Courageous. As I said, you will make an excellent 1st Class." He began to exit the room. "Come. We leave for Wutai shortly. Time that we end this war."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Like it if you will. Or not. It's your choice. I plan on continuing my other fics as well, but it's been hectic. ACTs are soon. Been studying. A. LOT! Til next time.