Life as a SOLDIER

Disclaimer: Well, hello season two of "Life as a SOLDIER". But was that absolutely necessary?

A/N: Yes, it absolutely was! It gives it an anime-sort of feel to it, don't you think? Besides, the readers like the idea, right?
Readers: …
Muses: …
Me: Right, let's cut to the chase! Season two of "Life as a SOLDIER" continues now! Read on!
Chapter Thirty-Six: Reigns of a Dark Mind! The New Shachoo's Rules
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Cloud was sleeping soundly when Zack entered his room the next morning. "Cloud?" he asked, coming over to Cloud.

Cloud stirred a little and rolled over, continuing to sleep.

"…oh. Had a long day with Sephiroth, did we?" asked Zack, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "I heard about that… It really does make me wonder why he wanted to train you out of all the SOLDIERs here…" Zack sighed. "It must be early in the morning, I'm talking to a sleeping person…"

"…" went Cloud, opening his eyes a little. "…Zack?" he asked.

"Oh, good morning… Did I wake you?" asked Zack.

"Yeah…you did," mumbled Cloud, sitting up and yawning.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Zack apologetically. "Go ahead and go back to sleep, it's too early to be waking up."

"No, no, it's all right," said Cloud, stretching greatly. "I--I--" Cloud heaved an enormous yawn. "I stayed up all night… I didn't get to sleep until 4 AM… What time is it?"

"Almost 6," said Zack.

"…no…"

"No?" repeated Zack curiously. "What do you mean 'no'? We don't have to be up until 8. You can sleep until then."

"No, I have to get up at six from now on," said Cloud groggily, rubbing his eyes. "Sephy says that training starts bright and early."

"What kind of…" Zack trailed off, noticing Cloud's left hand. "What happened to your glove? And why do you have a bandage wrapped around it?"

"It's part of Sephy's training," said Cloud, looking at the left hand as though he just discovered it. "Who bandaged it…? I know I didn't…"

"How did you cut your hand?" asked Zack.

"I didn't, Sephy made a slit on it," answered Cloud, getting out of bed slowly.

"He-- He what! Why did he make a slit in your hand?" asked Zack in surprise. "That's not a proper way to train people!"

"He slit my left hand and told me to wash the dishes with bleach lemon water… He said it was for pain endurance…"

"Pain endurance!" repeated Zack in more surprise. "That's uncalled for! I've never heard of training techniques like that!"

"I didn't get anything to eat yesterday, either," said Cloud quietly, walking towards the window to open the curtains. "Sephy said I had to learn to resist hunger and thirst…"

"That-That's not training! That's…practically torture!" Zack softened his gaze and walked over to Cloud. "Cloud, what exactly did Sephiroth say to you? Did he give any reason why he wanted to train you personally?"

Cloud closed his eyes, thinking about it. "Hmm… Something about wanting to see something special about me, like you always say…"

"Like I always say…?" repeated Zack. Oh… I think I get it now… "Cloud, maybe we--"

"Sephy bandaged my hand, now I remember," said Cloud, almost vaguely, lifting his left hand so he could look at it. "He said that he'll try to be more careful…"

"Cloud, you must really be tired," said Zack. "How about you take the day off? You really need the sleep! Look, you're getting raccoon eyes!"

Cloud smiled up at Zack. "But I can't… Sephy, he says we'll train everyday, starting at 6... I'd better go down to the training hall, or he'll be angry…"

"I could speak to him for you, Cloud. There's no need for you to have to push yourself so hard. Not even Sephiroth has to make you train and such all night and expect you to be up and about at 6!"

"Actually, I do expect it," said Sephiroth.

Zack jumped and whirled around. "Se--Sephiroth? Where did you come from! Don't sneak up on us like that!"

Sephiroth looked mildly surprised. "I did knock," he said.

"Of--Of course," said Zack. "You just surprised me!"

"Oh, sorry about that," said Sephiroth, not looking sorry at all as he turned to Cloud. "Glad you managed to get up on time. But now we have more training to do. Let's go."

"Okay," said Cloud, following Sephiroth out of the room sleepily.

"But-- wait!" called Zack, rushing out of the room to follow them. "Shouldn't you get Cloud something to eat at least? Look, he's swaying on the spot!"

"Not--Not really," disagreed Cloud, even though he was indeed swaying a little. "Really, Zack, I'll be fine."

"But--"

"For goodness sake, Cloud said he'll be fine," said Sephiroth in exasperation. "Can you trust me for once? Cloud is safe in my hands, even if it causes him a little pain."

Zack bit his lip. Yes, I do have a feeling that Cloud will be safe with you…but still, I can't help but feel a sense of foreboding. Like…there's something else you want of Cloud… Zack sighed resignedly, and said to Cloud, "All right, if you say so. Just be careful, all right?"

Cloud looked up at Zack, then went a little red, looking at the floor shyly. "I'll be careful… Thanks, Zack."

Zack stood at the top of the stairs, watching Cloud and Sephiroth go down the stairs together. …that's unusual, thought Zack suddenly, for Sephiroth to take so much interest in another SOLDIER… It really makes me wonder why Sephiroth helped Cloud clear his name… Zack looked up, thinking about the last time Sephiroth had done something for Cloud. He half-smiled, turning to walk back to his room. I wonder if it's something like…?

With Cloud…

Cloud followed Sephiroth all the way down to the training hall. "Are we going to practice fighting today?" he asked.

"Yeah, something like that," said Sephiroth. He entered the training hall and held the door open for Cloud. "Come on in, we have a little bit to discuss."

Cloud blinked, and walked inside. "What is it?"

"Do you know how dangerous it is to bring emotions to the battlefield?"

"…what?" asked Cloud. "What do you mean?"

"I can't help but remember how…ah, emotionally you reacted to death that day so long ago…"

Cloud looked down and didn't answer.

"Yes, the way you were so horrified, the way you exclaimed that it's not right… Emotions such as those can get you killed here."

"I don't get it," said Cloud in confusion, not looking up.

"Later on today, Rufus, our beloved new shachoo, will hold an assembly that will tell all of Shinra Company what we can expect while he reigns. I know Rufus; he'll definitely not want his SOLDIERs, Turks, and even his scientists to feel emotions. Rather, he'd want them to just keep their mouth shut and follow orders. You can't protest at all."

"But if you do that…"

"You seem so shy and quiet, yet even you can get a little emo," said Sephiroth, "and that's not a good thing. We have to fix that."

"What did you have in mind?" asked Cloud, looking up at Sephiroth cautiously.

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud with something like an evil grin. "Oh, I have much in mind." he walked around behind Cloud, kneeling down suddenly and putting an arm around him. "Hah! Like so! How do you react when someone does this?"

Cloud gasped in surprise, blushing wildly. "A-Ah! Get--Get away from me!"

"Oh, get away from me," repeated Sephiroth mockingly. "Yes, I'm sure if I was an attack, I'd release you right away." He tightened the hold on Cloud. "But for some reason, I have a feeling that if Zack did this to you, you wouldn't mind so much, would you?"

"Wha-- That's none of your business!" said Cloud, shaking his head, blushing still.

"It's not?" asked Sephiroth. "As I said, you can get very emotional." he raised his other arm and gave Cloud's cheek a stroke. "And if Zack did that to you?"

Blushing greatly, Cloud struggled a little. "N-No, I don't feel like telling you! Please let me go!"

"Huh," scoffed Sephiroth with a smile. "If you say so." he released Cloud and gave him a hard shove to the ground.

"Ow!" cried Cloud in surprise as he hit the ground. "What was that for!"

"To check your reaction," said Sephiroth. "You were bullied a lot before you came to Shinra, right? How long ago was it?"

"I… Back in Nibelheim, I was bullied sometimes… But I don't want to tell anyone about that…!"

"…why not?" asked Sephiroth.

"They're…not stories I want a whole lot of people knowing…"

"What, and I'm suddenly 'a whole lot of people'?" asked Sephiroth indignantly. "It does sting to know that your friends don't trust you. Seriously."

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth. "…no, I didn't mean it like that. I--I'm sorry, Sephy…" he stood up. "But… I really don't want to tell anyone. Not Zack, and not even Tifa. It's nothing on you or anyone else…"

"Hmm…if you say so," said Sephiroth. "…" he kneeled down again so he could be face-to-face with Cloud. "Cloud?" he asked.

"Uh…yes, Sephy?" asked Cloud.

"What kind of things do you treasure above all else?"

"Treasure?" repeated Cloud curiously with a tilt of his head.

"Yes, Cloud, what kind of things? Are they things like…this?" In one swift movement, Sephiroth had snatched away the black ribbon that was tied around Cloud's neck.

"…! No, give that back!" cried Cloud, reaching for the ribbon.

"Oh, so you do treasure this item?" asked Sephiroth, waving the black ribbon around, taunting Cloud to try to grab for it. "How bad do you want it, huh, huh?" he asked.

After a few vain attempts to retrieve the ribbon, Cloud yowled whiningly, "Give it!"

Sephiroth smirked. "No, I don't think I will… Maybe I'll hold on to this for a while…"

"But you can't!" protested Cloud. "Zack gave that ribbon to me! I really do treasure that ribbon!"

Sephiroth ignored Cloud on purpose, pretending to admire the black ribbon. "This is a really pretty ribbon… I'm sure it'd go greatly with a few vases in my room…"

"Please don't take that ribbon!" said Cloud. "I don't want Zack to think I lost it or something. He gave it to me because…"

"Because?" asked Sephiroth.

"…" Cloud looked around with a small smile on his face. "He…he said I was his birthday gift to him… That I'm really special to him…"

"And let me guess, hearing him say that makes you feel really warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?" Cloud nodded, and Sephiroth smirked. "Well, then we'll see how well you do without your little ribbon. I think I'll keep it for a while."

"You ca--" Cloud cut himself off as Sephiroth stuffed the black ribbon under his shirt.

"You desperate for it now?" asked Sephiroth with a smirk. He patted his shirt. "Well, come and get it, big boy," he taunted.

"Uh…y-you just…" stammered Cloud.

"Let's see how well you do without your most treasured item," said Sephiroth. "For the time being. But for now, it's time to go to the assembly for the naming of the new shachoo."

"…? Already?" asked Cloud. "How long have we been here?"

"Eh, long enough," shrugged Sephiroth. "Come on, let's go together."

Cloud followed Sephiroth to the assembly room. Wow, I wonder what happened to the time? It can't have gone by that fast…

They arrived into the overly crowded assembly room. SOLDIERs, Turks, and scientists were all mixed together. Apparently, the naming and new rules of the new shachoo was the biggest event of Shinra Company history since the first shachoo got named.

Rufus was at the front of the assembly room, looking over everyone in the room. Huh…and you thought I couldn't handle this, he thought with an evil smile. This will indeed be a grand company once I'm through with it… My grand wonderful reign has begun…

Cloud looked around. "I don't see Zack anywhere…"

"Zack?" repeated Sephiroth. "What, and I'm not good enough to sit by you? Zack is good enough to sit by you, but I'm not?"

"No, that's not what I--" started Cloud.

"Besides, he's sitting with his friends over there," Sephiroth pointed out, pointing to the front of the room.

Cloud looked over there with a sad sigh.

"There are no empty spots near him. And besides…" Sephiroth looked down at Cloud with sad eyes. "Aren't we friends too?"

Cloud stopped and looked up at Sephiroth. "…Sephy…" Cloud smiled. "Yes, we're friends too. I'm sorry to make you feel left out."

"Good!" exclaimed Sephiroth. "Come on, let's go find a seat over here." Sephiroth took Cloud to the back of the assembly room. "I'm sure we'll get a good view of the shachoo here!"

"Yeah," agreed Cloud. He blinked and looked up at Sephiroth. …? Is it just me…? Or does it seem like Sephy has a much, much warmer gleam in his eyes…? I wonder what put him in such a good mood?

The room all quieted as Rufus stepped up to the mike. "…is this thing on?" the audience could hear him muttering, tapping the microphone a few times. "Good…" he cleared his throat and started to talk. "The terrible murder of my father is a sad memory indeed," he said.

A sad memory, repeated Cloud to himself. Sure, sure, don't mention the fact that you framed me for his murder…

"One day would be a time for me to take over the company. It just happened sooner then any of us anticipated. But here I stand, as the new shachoo of the company. Father had… many great ideas for this company. I am pleased to say that I am more then ready to fulfill this ambitions, as well as some plans and ideas of my own. With me at the reigns of this company, we will see a bright, shining new future."

The audience applauded the first part of Rufus's speech. Cloud looked around, and noticed that a few people weren't applauding either; rather, they were talking amongst themselves. I wonder what they're saying…?

Rufus let the audience silence themselves on their own time with a self satisfied smirk. When they quieted, he continued. "There are also a few new rules I'd like to apply, and a few old ones I'd like to get rid of. First off, a new rule I'd like to apply, particularly to SOLDIERs."

All the SOLDIERs in the room shifted in their seats.

Rufus smiled. "Be prepared for anything. You never know when the unexpected horrors of your past will come back to haunt you…"

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, who seemed to know what Rufus meant. Well, I don't get it, he thought to himself, looking to the front of the room again. Is it supposed to be some sort of veiled threat for us SOLDIERs…?

"As for the Turks," continued Rufus, "I'd like you all to cut time researching in half and pay more attention to your battle training. Research is good and all, but you need to keep in shape for any mission or assignment."

Cloud glanced around at all the Turks that were in the room, and he spotted the 5 Turks he accidentally eavesdropped on once. It's them… I wonder if they ever found out the secret to Jenova's 'actual life'… or is it all over, and have they moved on to bigger things?

"And finally, the scientists," said Rufus. "I have many, many new programs and such I'd like you to test and develop. You'll be pretty busy when I tell you what I've discovered… in person, of course."

The scientists muttered among themselves; Hojo, Reeve, and Lucrecia were a few rows ahead of Cloud, but he couldn't hear what they were muttering. I wonder what those scientists will do this time…? And… ! Is Reeve holding a stuffed doll!

"And… as for the old rules. The only ones I want to get rid of are the two-week visits. They only delay the work we do here, and I don't want any of you distracted on other thoughts other then how to improve yourselves and Shinra Company. And the other old rule is that one about when the day begins and ends. From now own, you all are to get up at 6:00 AM sharp, 7-days a week. The only days we take off are holidays and every Sunday during summer."

Everyone started murmuring about this. "No more half-day Wednesday and Saturdays…!" hissed Sephiroth. "I never saw this coming…"

"You didn't?" asked Cloud quietly. "Will the new rules affect our training?"

"No, not really," said Sephiroth. "But… I wonder if that means you can only visit with your Chocobo on holidays and summer Sundays… Pheh," scoffed Sephiroth.

"As the new shachoo of this company, I'd like to say that I'll do absolutely everything I can to keep Shinra up and running forever." Rufus bowed his head a little. "Everyone will do their best, for I shall be doing mine. Thank you for giving me this chance to prove myself worthy of following my fathers footsteps."

The audience applauded again. Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, then looked forward to Zack. Zack looks pretty distressed… I wonder if he knows something I don't, thought Cloud, noticing that Zack was on his laptop. Does Zack imagine the horror that Rufus mentioned…?
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Heh heh. Let's leave it there for now. Getting pretty good, huh? Good job for the first episode (chapter) of Season 2 of "Life as a SOLDIER":3 See you next chapter!