Chapter Seven: SOLDIER
It was a twilight setting, though the evening was far from quiet. Metal clashed with metal, the roars of a fight raged on as the silver haired beauty Yoru, sister and partner to Sephiroth, pushed a SOLDIER back into the crowd of his fellow new recruits. "Yoru that is enough punishment for the newbie's today." A light voice chuckled. Yoru's cheeks reddened ever so lightly as she turned to smile gently at the tall black haired First class SOLDIER, Zack Fair. "Zack you finally came" she sighed happily running to meet him. "The recruits where starting to get out of line Zack, If I didn't punish them, then Sephiroth would have and then we wouldn't have any new recruits!" Zack laughed smiling at her before pushing her to the group, much to her confusion. "Technically speaking, you're a new recruit too Yoru." She groaned turning to face him, about to speak but was interrupted when Zack called for the SOLDIERs to line up.
"Good evening newbie's! I am your commanding officer first class SOLDIER Zack Fair!" He passed down the row of recruits. "Good evening Officer Fair!" They all shouted in union, except for Yoru who yawned. Zack made a B-line to her and leaned down stopping just inches from her face. "Miss. Shinra do I bore you?" The recruits begin to murmur at hearing what he had called her. "What makes you think my last name is Shinra, Zack?" Zack sighed heavily, his palm connecting to his face.
"Yoru, I am your commanding officer and deserve some respect! Now if you don't start showing it I'm going to have to punish you, and as for you're last name it's what I assumed considering you're blood ties." Yoru thought about this for a moment. "I suppose you're right, okay Officer Zack!" She smiled innocently as Zack groaned again pointing down the line. "You'll go and do fifty push-ups now."
Yoru stared blankly till Zack yelled to get going. "As for the rest of you, there is a door to your left, through there is the first level weapon's locker. If you don't already have a weapon, which it looks like most of you don't have one, go through there and pick one out, afterwards head to the door to the right in the weapon's locker to the arena and await further instruction. Anyone who disobeys will be joining in her punishment." The recruits gave the affirmative and casually walked or jogged towards the door while Zack turned walking to Yoru, waiting till he heard the heavy door click shut before speaking again.
"Yoru, please understand that if I didn't punish you, they wouldn't listen to me when I gave orders." Yoru looked up from her push-ups at him with some difficulty. "I understand Zack, I did that on purpose." Zack gave her a confused look as he kneeled down next to her. "What do you mean?" She sat up looking at him, finished with her push-ups now. "We don't get time to relax like this much anymore. I always have to call you "Officer Fair" whenever some one is around. It feels like some how we aren't connected anymore."
Zack reached out and brushed his cold, rough fingers over her warm cheek with a gentle smile. "Yoru, I'll tie myself to you as long as you want me too, so just keep being yourself." He stood holding his hand out to help her up. "Come on now, we better get back to the group before some one starts spreading some strange rumor."
Yoru smiled taking his hand and walking to the door with him, though stopped right before heading in. "Zack, Tomorrows my birthday, or at least that's what Professor Hojo said." Zack turned and looked at her curiously, wondering what it had to do with him. "That's nice, what did you want to do?" A light blush took Yoru's cheeks again as she glanced away from him. Zack, being beautifully dense again still looked at her with curiosity. "Yoru, what is it you want?"
Yoru looked up at him, lifting his hand that was laced with hers up. "I want to spend the entire day tomorrow with you Zack. Just you and me walking around Midgar!" Zack cringed slightly hearing that she wanted to go down to Midgar of all places. "But why would you want to go to Midgar? It's filthy down there, and the most exciting thing in the way of presents that they have is some rinky-dink gun."
Yoru frowned looking at him. "Zack, do you not want to go?" Zack looked away squeezing her hand lightly, though remained silent for a while. "I'll take you someplace, but not to walk around Midgar. There are some real weirdoes down there." Yoru smiled brightly throwing her arms around Zack with a soft cheer of excitement. "Hey, let go already Yoru we have some serious training to do!" Yoru complied immediately, running through the door to wait for her chance to beat on the poor inexperienced recruits.
As Zack expected, seven or eight Shinra recruits had been escorted out for losing without even putting up a good show. Yoru hadn't even broken a sweat as she went through her three required matches. "That's good for tonight newbie's! Tomorrow you'll have a break to rest from the injuries that you may have received during this exam." Cheers where bellowed out from the men as they stretched their sore limbs and chattered about what they planned to do on their grace day.
"The day's all clear for us." Zack said cradling his head in his hands as he walked. "Thank you for going with me Zack. But where it is it you plan to take me?" Zack laughed making a motion to show his lips where sealed. "Zack, you're so unfair!" Yoru smiled giggling. Zack shrugged again showing he didn't mind if she thought that way. "Really, it's nothing special." Yoru tapped her chin lightly humming. "So why don't you tell me?" Zack gave a short laugh yanking the heavy door open for her. "Because it's a surprise little missy!" Yoru rolled her eyes at him. "You are so cheesy Zack Fair." Zack merely shrugged at her again, to which he received a playful push from Yoru.
The following day was beautiful, there where few puffy cotton ball clouds in the sky. Yoru waited in the main lobby of the large Shinra building for Zack, who like always, was late for some reason or another, probably spiking his hair up in all those strange angels. When Zack finally did arrive it was about ten or fifteen minutes past their meet time. "Zack what took you so long?!" Yoru growled at him, not noticing the package under his arm.
"I'm sorry Yoru, Sephiroth told me to go to his room and pick up his present for you since he had to go to a meeting." Yoru's expression softened as she finally noticed the package under his arm, and the smaller one that sat on it. "Here, maybe you should open it before I give you this one." He said handing her the larger of the two packages. She quickly pulled the long red string from around it and shredded the paper letting it fall to the ground.
In her hand rested two light Kodachi. Both encased in ebony sheaths with silver hand guards. Unsheathing one of the two carefully Yoru smiled, It was a triple fold blade. "Guess these will be my new weapon of choice." She secured the two blades to her hips then looked back at Zack who looked like he'd been beaten. "What's the matter Zack?" He shook his head handing her the smaller box. "Mine's not quite as useful as Sephiroth's gift." He murmured dejectedly.
Yoru slowly slipped the ribbon off of the tiny white box, looking up at him before lifting the lid. Inside was a small sky blue hairpin. Two ribbons dangling from it held soft white clouds at each of there tips. "Sorry it's not very useful." Zack murmured, and was surprised when Yoru threw her arms around his neck. "I love it Zack. It's the most beautiful present I've ever received." She whispered holding him for a moment longer before releasing him, putting her new present in her hair.
Though the day was filled with joy, they always say "The hour is calm before the storm".