-1Life as a SOLDIER
Disclaimer: Written purely for entertainment. And from memory, she got several "inspirations" after watching FF7AC over a million times…
A/N: So what? I could watch that movie a hundred times and never get bored of it. I could watch it a thousand times and never get bored of it! The same way I was with the game! I finished it over a hundred times, and I'm not tired of playing FF7, or watch FF7AC! Hah! Anyway, let's keep it moving.
Chapter One: Sephiroth
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Cloud blinked awake. "…" he grunted, sitting up on the bed. "Yawn…what time is it?" asked Cloud, looking around for a clock. But there was no clock anywhere. "Sigh…I'll go ask Zack for the time," decided Cloud, getting off the bed.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and Zack's voice called, "Cloud! Wake up, I've got your uniform ready!"
"Uniform?" repeated Cloud curiously, opening the door to let Zack in. "Just in time, I was about to go get you."
"Oh, so you're awake?" asked Zack. He thrusted an black cloth-made outfit with boots, gloves, and a shoulder pad into Cloud's arms. "Here, put these on, everyone's waiting."
"Everyone who?" asked Cloud as he held the outfit up at arms length to get good view of it.
"Well, everyone no one, I'm afraid, breakfast started twenty minutes ago. If you want to eat this morning, you'd better hurry, breakfast ends in another hour."
"Where do I go for breakfast then?" asked Cloud/
"Go down to the first floor, go right and go down the hallway to the first door on the left. We hold all meals in that room."
"Okay."
"Okay," agreed Zack, walking out of the room. "Do try to hurry, okay? Training starts at 10:00 sharp, and I want to give you a full tour of Shinra before we begin. Hurry up," repeated Zack as he closed the door.
"Training?" repeated Cloud. "Hmm…I wonder what kind of training Zack means…?"
After Cloud had changed into his new uniform, he hurried out of the room and headed for the stairs. He passed a group of other SOLDIERs and he did a double take when he noticed Zack among them.
"Yeah, I've been wondering how I could ask that attractive secretary to dinner tonight," boasted Zack loudly as he and his group neared Cloud. "I'm so hot, she'd say yes in a little bit!"
"With hair like yours?" asked Cloud loudly as he moved past Zack's group, casting Zack an annoyed look over his shoulder as he went down the stairs.
Zack stopped in shock and so did the other SOLDIERs he was walking with. "Did--What did you say!" demanded Zack angrily, but Cloud continued to walk down the stairs, either not noticing Zack or ignoring him. "The nerve!" exclaimed Zack.
"Dude, is he that golden-haired newbie you told us about? The one with blonde hair?" asked another SOLDIER.
"The very same," said Zack with an irritable head gesture.
"He's only been here for barely more then a day and already he's making bold comments on us higher rank SOLDIERs?" asked another SOLDIER in shock.
"Can we beat him up?" asked the first SOLDIER.
Zack nodded. "Okay, let's go!" the two SOLDIERs who were with Zack chased after Cloud down the stairs. "…!" blinked Zack as he watched the two SOLDIERs easily catch up to Cloud.
"Yo, blondie!" yelled the first SOLDIER, coming behind Cloud.
Cloud looked back at him in surprise but he didn't say anything.
"We heard what you said to our buddy Zack," said the second SOLDIER. "And guess what? He didn't like it."
"So he asked us to beat you up!"
"What?" asked Cloud in shock. "I--I didn't mean it!"
"Sure, you didn't!" said the second SOLDIER. "Get him!"
Zack blinked again as he watched them beat Cloud up. "…I didn't mean it, either," said Zack with an exasperated sigh. "Don't worry, I'm coming…" Zack hurried down the stairs just as the two SOLDIERs were done beating Cloud up tossing the blonde into a corner.
"There, Zack, we got him for you," said the second SOLDIER.
"Aren't we good friends?" asked the first SOLDIER proudly.
"Uh, guys, I didn't really want you to beat him up."
"Huh? But you said…?"
"I was just angry. But never mind, what's done is done." Zack waved for the two SOLDIERs to go on. "Go down without me, I'll get Cloud to the infirmary."
"Sure," said the first SOLDIER with a carefree shrug, and he and the other SOLDIER hurried down the stairs.
Zack sighed again and looked down at Cloud. "Cloud?" he asked.
Cloud winced and looked up at Zack. "Hey, Zack," he said, trying to get up.
"Hey, are you all right?" asked Zack, helping Cloud sit up.
"I'm--I'm fine," muttered Cloud, looking away. "Just a little shocked…"
"I'm sorry," said Zack. "Those two SOLDIERs are two ranks below me; I'm training them right now, and they take anything I say literally." Or should I say programmed…? I'd better fix that later on…
"That's okay, I'm fine," said Cloud quietly, rubbing his cheek as he stood up.
"Are you sure you want to go down to breakfast now?" asked Zack. "We should really have that cheek looked at."
"I'm fine!" insisted Cloud, giving Zack a blue-eyed-pouty look (like the one he did in the movie when he was talking to Rufus Shinra when he said "Kaeri.").
"…Fine. Come on then," said Zack, and he turned and hurried down the stairs.
"Ah! Wait for me!" yelled Cloud as he gave chase.
Zack, however, was faster, and he hurried into the cafeteria with his friends. "Hey, guys!" called Zack.
"Hey, Zack, you brought your laptop?" asked one SOLDIER.
"I sure did," replied Zack as he sat down. "What's for breakfast?"
"Oh, the usual," said another SOLDIER with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That pancake stuff and stuff. So, Zack, you gonna program Cloud today? To see if he's easy?"
"Oh, yeah!" said Zack, pulling out his laptop. "Let me see…" he looked towards the door. "Cloud's not here yet…" Zack turned the laptop on, clicked on a few files and finally came to a file marked "programs". "Yes…here it is, 'Cloud Strife'… Let me see…" Zack thought for a few minutes. "What should I have him do first?"
"Make him dress in drag and do the hula!" yelled a SOLDIER to agreeing laughter.
"That'll be funny!" agreed Zack, typing on the computer "Cloud dresses in drag and does the hula".
At that moment, Cloud had reached the door, but stopped suddenly. He looked around, and hurried away somewhere.
"Hey, do you suppose he's going to actually do it?" asked another SOLDIER.
They all sat there and waited. "Maybe he's looking for women clothing to do so in?" asked another.
They waited a few more minutes. "Maybe he's just retuned to his room," decided Zack, clicking on an icon marked "visual". "…? Oh, look, he's dancing the hula in his room!"
Some SOLDIERs looked over Zack's shoulder to see. "Hah, look at this!"
"Okay, guys, that's enough," said Zack loudly. He typed up "Cloud realizes what he's doing and stops, gets his outfit back on, and comes down to breakfast".
"Hey, Zack, that's not fun!" yelled another.
"Guys, eat!" commanded Zack.
"Ah, you're no fun," grumbled another SOLDIER as they all gathered back to their seats.
About 10 minutes later, Cloud slowly entered the room, and chose a seat with no one around, his head resting on the table. He gave a deep sigh.
"You suppose he's too embarrassed to come over here?" asked a SOLDIER.
"Just drop it, SOLDIERs!" said Zack. "Just eat."
Cloud looked up and around. When he saw Zack, he looked away suddenly, and he sighed again, stood up and left.
"Hey, where is he going?" asked Zack to himself. He looked around too. "Well… Fine," decided Zack, closing the laptop and standing up.
"Where you going?" asked a SOLDIER.
"Oh, gonna give the newbie a tour of Shinra," answered Zack over his shoulder. "See you at ten." Zack walked out of the room and looked around. "Cloud?" he asked. "Where are you?" Zack looked around a corner, and saw Cloud standing at a foot of stairs, looking up at a tall building. "Hey, Zack," said Cloud, turning around. "Who lives up there?" Cloud pointed to the tall building.
"Oh, that?" Zack looked up at it. "That building, Cloud…is…" Zack looked left, right, then left again, and whispered to Cloud, "Sephiroth's room…"
"Sephiroth?" asked Cloud but Zack shushed him.
"Shh! Quiet, do you want Sephiroth down here? Don't wake him up!"
"But…Who is Sephiroth? Is he the "sachoo" I've been hearing about?"
"No, he's not the sachoo…No, Sephiroth is a SOLDIER of the highest rank. In fact, he's the only highest-ranking SOLDIER in all of Shinra. He's the best of the best."
"Really?" asked Cloud, looking up at the building.
"Yes, but don't let Sephiroth fool you," said Zack with a scoff. "After all, his favorite weapon is a long katana."
"Katana?" repeated Cloud.
"Yeah…er, the weapon he fights with. It had another name, but I forgot what it was called."
"He's good with a long katana?" asked Cloud.
"Good? Cloud, the word 'good' is a severe understatement."
"…?"
"He's so good with that katana…it makes all the SOLDIERs here fear him as well as revere him. With Sephiroth, there is only one rule…"
"What rule is that?" asked Cloud.
Zack glanced up at the tall building, and said slowly, "That rule is…No matter what you do…" he leaned closer to Cloud, "…don't… ever… disturb him…under any circumstances," finished Zack, his eye up close to Cloud's face.
Cloud gaped wide-eyed at Zack.
Zack stood up straight, turned around, and stifled a snigger. "Come on, let's explore the rest of Shinra."
Cloud, as he followed Zack, cast one last look back at the tall building. From the window he could see a man with long silver hair looking out the window. The man glanced down at Cloud, and what Cloud saw filled him with horrors. Aieeeee! That mans scary! Cloud hurried to catch up to Zack, being very careful not to look back. For what he just saw was the man with the evilest look one had ever seen.
So that's Cloud Strife… thought Sephiroth as he watched them walk away. Hmm… I don't see what's so special about him, but… If our lead programmer thinks something strange of it, then I'll investigate it…
Cloud sighed. What a morning, he thought bleakly. First I learn that I'm late for breakfast, then I get beat up, then I arrive to breakfast only to suddenly be overcome by a burning desire to dress in drag and do the hula, I decide that I'm not hungry…and I get my first glimpse of the best SOLDIER in Shinra… I wonder what else could possibly be in store for me? asked Cloud to himself as he followed Zack through Shinra.
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Well, that was interesting. I actually get two posts in on one day. Am I a miracle worker. …never mind. Anyway, I hope that if you're still reading this, that you like it. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to review! Bye!