September 17th 0002
Time 8:00 pm
Year 00XX
Tonight, Lazard, the SOLDIER union executive of Shinra, wanted to see me at the SOLDIER Briefing Room. Professor Hojo told me that Lazard was putting me on the same mission with Zack and another SOLDIER named Angeal. Then, out of nowhere, he told me that there was a 'special' materia from a place call "Wutai". I asked him why he called the materia 'special'. He only said, "It's an important medicine for Cloud." Medicine? Why is the materia 'medicine'? Does every SOLDIER have to take that kind of medicine? I heard that they were injected with mako, but with materia? Strange. Anyways, once we are done with the mission, my questions will be answered.
~Timothy
Mission - The Shinra Science Department has located a rare materia at Wutai. However, Wutai soldiers are keeping the materia in their possession. The Science Department is sending one of their researchers to look for the materia. Your job as SOLDIER is to protect the researcher.
SOLDIER Briefing Room
Time 8:30 pm
Zack and Angeal had just received an assignment from Lazard about a Ifrit materia. The only information that they were given was that the materia was last spotted at Wutai. Timothy, the new Shinra researcher, was also given orders from Hojo to find the material from Wutai.
"Seriously? Wutai? Why is the materia located at a place where we are hated by the people of Wutai?" Zack asked, groaning in frustration.
"Apparently, one of the Shinra researchers arrived at Wutai to find the materia as well and contacted me about it. However, just when he was finished with the call, he was ambushed and killed on the spot, leaving the materia to Wutai," Lazard said.
Timothy felt an uneasy feeling of dread inside of him. " So you're saying that once I head to Wutai, I'll get the same result?"
"That is why Zack and Angeal are going to Wutai as well. Their only task is to protect you from any sudden danger," Lazard replied. "And don't worry, they're First Class SOLDIER."
"All right, let's get going," Angeal said. "The Turks already provided us a helicopter for the trip to Wutai."
"Let's go kick some Wutai butt!" Zack exclaimed rushing out of the door with eagerness.
I'm going to Wutai for the first time, Timothy thought. I hope and pray that the mission will be a success or else I'll end up facing the same result like the previous Shinra researcher.
Wutai
Time 11:00 pm
Luckily, the ride was short than the trio expected to be. However, by the time Zack, Angeal, and Timothy arrived to Wutai, they were welcomed with countless of Wutai soldiers, except there were only three strongest Wutai soldiers. They're surrounded with no hope of escape.
"Leave at once!" the Wutai soldier exclaimed.
Zack groaned in annoyance. "Aw come-on guys. We don't have time for this."
"We will not let you take our land!" the second Wutai yelled.
The third Wutai pulled out his katana sword. "We will not surrender to the likes of you Shinra-dogs!"
'Nice way to greet us' Zack thought. Before Zack was able to pull out his weapon, all three Wutai soldiers was already ready for their deadly attack against Zack. However, Angeal quickly stopped the trio's attack with his Buster Sword in the nick of time.
"Zack! Protect Timothy! I'll handle these Wutai soldiers!" Angeal demanded defending Wutai soldier's attack.
"Wait, what? Come on Angeal! Let me fight!" Zack whined at his mentor.
"Zack take him and GO!" Angeal commanded as he carhged at their enemy.
Zack quickly grabbed Timothy by the arm and took him to a different direction away from Angeal and the Wutai trio.
Just then when Zack and Timothy were safe from the Wutai ambush, the forest started to change. Suddenly, they started to feel hot as the heat intensified. Then, trees and grass started to engulf in flames.
"What's happening?" Timothy asked, trembling with fear.
"Looks like it found us," Zack replied, pulling out his sword.
The entire forest of Wutai started to change into a volcanic scene. Suddenly, a monster burst from the ground with flames surrounding him like a barrier. Timothy's fear inside of him started to increase. The monster looked familiar. He saw drawings of it from books, but this was his first time to meet it face to face. However, nothing scares Zack. In fact, he started to laugh as if he fought the monster before.
"Well, if it isn't Ifrit?" Zack said pulling out his sword.
Ifrit responded with a low growl as if threatening Zack.
"What should we do Zack? Timothy asked, trembling with fear once again.
"Stay back, this won't b-"
Suddenly, Zack received a solid punch on the face which sent him flying away from Timothy. "OW! That hurts!" Zack exclaimed, trying to soothe the excruciating pain on his cheek.
"Zack!" Timothy yelled.
Ifrit slowly walked towards Zack with a Firaga spell already formed on the palm of his hand. Zack quickly blocked the magic attack and summoned a Blizzara magic against Ifrit. The monster howled in pain due to the critical effects of the Blizzara spell. However, just when Zack swung his sword to attack the monster, Ifrit grabbed his weapon and to Zack's horror, Ifrit melted his sword and tossed it aside.
Oh crap! My weapon's destroyed! Where's Angeal? Zack thought.
A gunshot echoed, causing the monster to roar in excrutiating pain. Looking at his clawed hand, Ifrit watched the blood pouring from his hand. Slowly turning around, Ifrit finds Timothy with a shotgun in his hand. Looking at the cause of its wounded hand, Ifrit glared at the shooter and slowly crouched down with flames surrounding it.
'That move! It's going to use Hellfire!' Zack thought. "Timothy, RUN!"
He wanted to run, but his feet felt like they were glued to the ground, preventing him to move. Timothy watched in horror as Ifrit began to charge. I don't want to die! My family! Suddenly, a SOLDIER appeared right in front of him and summoned a Blizzaga magic against Ifrit to stop its Hellfire attack. Ifrit lets out a loud screech and wipes the ice magic off of him. However, the SOLDIER appeared right in front of him with speed so fast and attacked Irift with his masume sword. The monster collapsed from its woun, giving the SOLDIER his victory.
"Still not strong enough? How pathetic." the SOLDIER said.
'That voice,' Zack thought. "Sephiroth!"
The volcanic scene started to fade and the forest of Wutai returned to its formal state. However, the flames that incinerated the grass and tress disappeared, leaving the forest in its ashy state. Zack watched as Ifrit started to fade; revealing a dead Wutai soldier.
"Sephiroth! You just killed a Wutai soldier!" Zack exclaimed.
However, Sephiroth walked toward the dead Wutai and turned its body on its back, showing Zack the face of Angeal.
"Not Wutai, but a clone. Where's Angeal?" Sephiroth asked.
"He was fighting against three Wutai Soldiers," Timothy answered. "I thought you saw him."
"I arrived to Wutai late and already saw those soldiers dead. However, I could not find Angeal."
"So you think Angeal's behind all this?" Zack asked.
Ignoring Zack's question, Sephiroth picked up the red materia by the dead clone and handed the object to Timothy. "If this is the materia you're looking for, then take it and head to the helicopter. We're heading back!"
"Heading back?" Zack asked, catching up to Sephiroth and Timothy. "You have not answered my question!"
Sephiroth sighed in dismay. "Angeal ... he's ..."
Without answering, Sephiroth left, leaving Zack confused. Angeal ... what did you do? Where are you?
Shinra Headquarters
Time 1:30 am
The ride back was longer than Timothy expected. It took them almost 2 hours to head back from Wutai due to the malfunction of the helicopter which was not serious. By the time the helicopter landed, Sephiroth already exited out of the helicopter first. I hope he's alright, Timothy thought.
"Hey! You're doing alright?" Zack asked.
"You changed," Timothy said. "You're not worried about Angeal's disappearance?"
"Can't worry about it forever right? Worrying about will make me sick and unfocused if I want to be in FIRST CLASS SOLDIER. I'm sure that Angeal will come back. Right now, Sephiroth needs to cheer up."
"He needs the support Zack. He's been quiet since the ride back home. Does he know Angeal?"
"Angeal and Sephiroth are best friends, including ... Genesis. They always hang out at the training room which explains why they're amazingly strong. I'm going to head back to the dorm and check on Sephiroth. Maybe I'll call Kunsel for help. Want to join?"
"Sorry Zack," Timothy replied. "I have to go back and give this materia to Hojo. I'll see you later."
Shinra Science Department - Hojo's laboratory
Time 2:00 am
"Excellent Timothy!" Hojo shouted with joy. "This is the exact object I was looking for!"
"But, sir," Timothy asked. "What did you mean before about the materia as a 'medicine'?"
Hojo inserted the syringe needle into the red materia. Timothy watched as Hojo pulled the plunger of the syringe; revealing a dark red substance from the materia. Placing the syringe gently on the metal table, Hojo grabbed a light blue vial of mako energy from his lab coat; already corked in case of sudden spills. Hojo carefully uncorked the vial, grabbed the syringe from the table, and injected the red substance in the vial. After filling the vial with the dark red substance, Hojo corked the vial and shook it slowly; presenting a dark purple mixture.
"I'm just about done," Hojo said, pulling out another syringe from the desk drawer. "Timothy, please head over to the next room. Our patient is waiting."
Giving Hojo a slight nod, Timothy left Hojo's presence. However, after watching Hojo's procedure with the materia, he felt uneasy about the special treatment for Cloud. Could this 'medicine' really work? No one in SOLDIER has ever received those kind of injections from Professor Hojo; or at least that's what the records revealed. But, why Cloud? Why is Hojo interested in Cloud? The poor kid's not even a SOLDIER yet. After five minutes of room searching, Timothy located the room and entered, finding Cloud sitting patiently.
"Let's see," Timothy said pulling out papers from his folder. "You must be Cloud Strife right?"
"Y-yes sir I am," Cloud replied in his nervous state.
Timothy started to chuckle. "No need to be nervous. We're just going to check your reflexes and for your medication as well."
"So-sorry about that. It's just that, I'm known to be nervous when it comes to doctor's appointment. Or at least that's what my mother said before."
Timothy pulled out his stethoscope. "You'll be fine. I'm terribly sorry that we had to set an appointment for you so late. I left with the military to do some research and the travel back was longer than we expected so Hojo and I had no choice but to squeeze your appointment time later. I hope that's no problem for you."
"Uh no sir. It's no problem at all."
"That's good. I need you to take deep breaths. I'm going to check your lungs and heart."
Cloud took a deep breath to ease his nervousness while Timothy placed the diaphragm of the stethoscope on his chest.
"So tell me Cloud. Why do you want to join SOLDIER?" Timothy asked.
"Umm well," Cloud said. "I don't know".
"You don't know? You must have a reason."
"I made a promise with someone."
"Oh? Someone you like?"
Cloud felt his face starting to burn slightly. "You could say that. We were childhood friends from my hometown Nibleheim. Sometimes, when the sky gets dark, we would always watch the stars in the sky. I promise that if anything happens to her and she was in danger, I will always be there and protect her. Heh ... I guess that's why I want to join SOLDIER. To protect the people who are important to me. My family, and my friends."
He has a reason to reach for his goal. Timothy thought. Just like my reason to offer the things that my family needs. Food, clothes, a job, and a place to stay. And most importantly, to live and keep moving on.
"Well, looks like your heart and lungs are in good conditions," Timothy said, putting the stethoscope away. "Now, I need to check your knee refle-"
"That won't be necessary Timothy," Hojo interrupted, walking up to Cloud. "His reflexes are fine. It's time for his injection."
Timothy opened a cabinet door to grab a cotton ball and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. After dosing the cotton ball, Timothy walked up to Cloud and rubbed the wet cotton ball on his right arm. Just when Hojo was about to start, Cloud tensed up and grabbed Timothy's arm for comfort.
"S-sorry," Cloud said. "Its just ... I don't like needles."
He looks scared. Like a kid, Timothy thought. He grabbed Cloud's hand as if giving him relief from his fear of needles. "You'll be fine. It'll be over soon."
Taking a deep breath, Cloud let Hojo proceed with the injection. Timothy watched as Hojo slowly insert the needle to Cloud's right arm. However, he noticed that Cloud's expression started to change. He's really afraid of needles or there's something in that syringe.
Hojo placed a bandage on Cloud's arm. "Well then, we're done for today. Thank you for your patience. I'm going to schedule an appointment for another injection. I'll contact you later."
Another injection? Timothy thought. Just what does Hojo want with Cloud?
SOLDIER Dormitory
Time 2:40 am
It took forty minutes for his injection. Cloud thought that doctor's appointment was longer than forty minutes. Maybe Hojo had something important to do or it was late, he thought. Anyways, I should head to bed.
Cloud quickly rushed to the elevator. Thank goodness that the ride was short and he was already tired after his late night appointment. The elevator brought Cloud to the Shinra military and SOLDIER dormitory. However, just before Cloud reached to his dorm room, a loud noise followed by a yell rang out.
"Dude chill! Alright, alright I'm out! Good night!" the person said laughing.
"Z-Zack?" Cloud asked.
"Hey Cloud! What's up? What are you doing up so late?" Zack asked.
"Had a doctor appointment. Why are you up so late?"
"Well, my team returned late after our mission at Wutai and Sephiroth needed some cheering up. Kunsel and I was teaching Sephiroth a game of poker just to lift up his mood. We had a good bet, but ... Sephiroth was not happy with the result and Kunsel is trying to calm him down. I think that lifted his mood."
Before Cloud could respond, his throat felt itchy. He quickly turned away and coughed. However, Cloud felt something wet on his hand. Curious, he looked at his hand. His hand stained black.
"Hey, you okay?" Zack asked with a concern look on his face.
I don't want Zack to see this, Cloud thought. Without any second thoughts, Cloud quickly wiped his stained hand on his uniform shirt.
He didn't want Zack to know about his condition so he had to come up with something. Lie. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just an itchy throat. Water will do the trick. I'm going to bed."
Before Zack try to say something, Cloud already enter to his dorm room. He sounded raspy. I hope he's doing alright.
Cloud's dorm room
Time 2:55
His arm, where Hojo inserted the needle before, stained black. Cloud winced in pain from his right arm. He rushed to the bathroom and drenched his right arm in cold water, hoping to subdue the pain. With luck, the pain subsided. Sighing in relief, Cloud grabbed an empty cup from the cabinet above the sink to fill it with water from the faucet. He quickly took one gulp of water, soothing the itchiness from his throat. Why does my arm hurt so badly? Cloud thought. This never happen to me before. It was getting late and Cloud was extremely tired. After leaving the bathroom, Cloud flopped on the soft mattress of the bed. All I need is sleep and I'll be better in no time. I hope. Slowly, Cloud's eyelids started to droop and he drifted off into a deep sleep.
5/23/2013 Author Note
... Apparently, I decided to go back and re-read Day 2 and come to find out ... Day 2 made no sense! Yikes! So you could tell that I added additional sentences at the beginning of the chapter. I hope that this chapter will be clear enough and not confusing. Anyways, I want to thank my amazing editor Tayashia for editing my fanfiction "Live". You are awesome!
I hope that the story so far is not terrible or boring to you readers. I would reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallll y like some reviews. Or PM me for any ideas that I should include on my fanfiction (no yaoi or yuri whatsoever!)
Have a great summer everyone and congrats to the graduates, whether from high school or college, of 2013! :)