Here's chapter 1...I'm still new to this crap, so bear with me, plz.
Glad some people are already liking this fic, hope I don't disappoint you guys!
There's really nothing major going on in this chapter, so there's nothing to really say.
Anywho,
Pairing: none
Warnings: launguage
Don't own it. Never will...*sniff*
Once again, Zack found himself unbearably restless.
Even though the war with Wutai had apparently ended, anyone within Shinra who had any common sense would know that, in reality, it was far from over. Remnant forces were still running rampant, and there was still no news of any sort of treaty or agreements between the two powers. On top of that, one of Shinra's most powerful SOLDIER operatives had deserted a month and a half earlier, taking with him a great many of Shinra's men. There was work to be done, and a lot of work at that, and they were lacking man power!
So why did he find himself, once again, in this damned lobby doing squats until he felt that his legs would fall off?
It had been nearly a week since he returned to Midgar from Wutai, and he had not had another mission since then. It frustrated him to no end that with all the things going on, the company had nowhere to send him, nowhere he could be of use. He was a SOLDIER Second Class, for Shiva's sake!
Zack finally felt his legs begin to ache, and that's when he decided to stop. After all, he would have to walk back to his room at some point today, right? However, until then, he'd most likely just stay in the SOLDIER floor lobby until curfew as there was little else besides training that kept his mind occupied. He sighed to himself; there was no one else around after all. It had been the same damn thing since he got back. Wake up, get out bed, shower, eat something, train until his body almost shut down, then wait for curfew so he could go to bed and wait for the next day when he'd do it all over again. Of course, somewhere in there he'd make time to eat again... he wasn't stupid.
He did, however, almost enjoy getting to sleep in. But that little silver lining fell apart almost instantly because it only signified Angeal's absence. Angeal didn't often let him sleep in, wanting to teach him the merits of being an early riser so he could get the most out of each day. The only days Zack had been allowed to sleep in were the occasional days that he would not be training. After all, he did need to leave the building for other reasons aside from work, right?
But now Angeal was gone...
Since returning from the mission, thoughts of his mentor plagued his mind. Every morning he would lie in bed and stare at the ceiling and wonder where the First had gone. His mind would flick to Genesis Rhapsodos, the SOLDIER First that had deserted. The man had to have been a close comrade of Angeal's given their ranking. Zack knew that the two were on par with Sephiroth, and the three were the strongest men in SOLDIER. In Zack's nearly infinite optimism, he would conclude that Angeal left in order to convince his comrade to return. After all, Angeal would in no way betray Shinra, or SOLDIER for that matter, what with all that talk of honor. With that last thought, Zack would nod to himself and finally leave his bed and begin his day.
But the thoughts would only come back no matter what he tried to do to occupy himself. Sometimes, Zack's thoughts would stray to Genesis. He knew very little about the man other than that he was a First, so he had to be strong. Apparently, he also loved the book LOVELESS; he'd heard Angeal make remarks about his fellow First's obsession with the work. However, most of the time, Zack would think of Sephiroth. The man was considered a hero, and it was no surprise since he was the most powerful SOLDIER in Shinra's history. When he wasn't angsting about Angeal, Zack was thinking back to that battle with the rogue summon. He would think back to the way the beast had been so effortlessly taken down by the silver haired man, and how... menacing he looked amidst the flames just before the hellish battleground faded away. Zack knew that many feared Sephiroth. In fact, almost everyone felt some level of fear given the man's reputation.
Zack remembered feeling a lot of things when he saw the First but fear wasn't one of them.
One thing he recalled with great clarity was the anger he felt towards the First when he accused Angeal of betrayal. Zack refused to believe that Angeal would do such a thing...but then, why would Zack wake every morning and spend his first few minutes of the day having an inner monologue about it? He'd always been so sure of many things, but he'd never imagined that he would be so unsure of his mentor's loyalty. How was it that he could have such faith his mentor, then have one man -who he didn't even know- make him question that faith?
Zack didn't have time to dwell on this particular question before he heard the familiar beep of his handset. He wasn't as enthusiastic as he usually was in taking the device from his pocket and flipping it open. On the screen, the brunette noticed the familiar envelope animation.
"Wonder what this is about..." he mused aloud. It wasn't like anyone was around to hear him, not even Kunsel, which he thought was odd.
He opened the message, inwardly hoping that it was for a mission of some sort. If he didn't get out anytime soon, he'd lose his mind.
Zack,
Report to the Briefing room to receive your next mission assignment.
Lazard Deusericus, Director of SOLDIER
Finally, he thought. They had a job for him to do.
Feeling oddly rejuvenated, Zack hopped up and made his way to the Briefing room. He wondered what sort of assignment he would be sent on. Would they send him back to Wutai? Were there more remnants that needed taking out? Or maybe it was something completely different! What that something was, he didn't know, but in his mind it was an exciting possibility. However, his excitement dwindled once a new possibility reared its ugly head. What if he had to find Angeal? Could it be that-NO! No, that couldn't be it. For one thing, Angeal was a First. Even if Zack was the man's student, it was doubtful that they would send him, a Second Class, to potentially fight a First Class, and a strong one at that. Plus, Angeal wasn't a traitor, right?
Oh, how he hated this uncertainty...
Walking much slower than he had been when he started, Zack reached the Briefing room entrance. Of course he expected to see the blond haired Director sitting at one of the rooms many monitors waiting for his arrival.
He did not, however, expect to see the vaguely familiar sight of silver hair and black leather…
"Ah. Zack."
He turned his head to face the Director.
"How have you been this week? You've probably been quite restless with the lack of assignments."
Zack nodded, "Yes sir, I have." He felt his lips quirk a bit into a small smile.
The Director chuckled briefly before turning back to the monitor and motioning for him to come closer. Zack's eyes settled on Sephiroth. His gaze was downcast and his arms were crossed in front of him. His face gave nothing away; perfectly blank. Cyan eyes suddenly flicked up and caught Zack's gaze, but he said nothing, face never changing. The two locked eyes for a moment, before Zack heard the Director begin to speak. He switched his attention, then, to the blond, but he could still feel those eerie eyes on him.
"You're to be sent back to Wutai, Zack. Shinra has begun negotiations with their Emperor, Godo Kisaragi. You will be accompanying Vice President Shinra as well as one of the Turks," Lazard said. Zack nodded.
"This will be the Vice President's first time playing the Diplomat, and since he is President Shinra's own son, he would like him to be well protected. He figured a SOLDIER would be a good choice as a bodyguard."
Zack almost wanted to scowl. Bodyguard? Wasn't that a Turk's job, anyway? So what was the Turk going for if they needed a SOLDIER to do babysitting duty for one of the upper level executives? In his peripheral vision, Zack noticed that Sephiroth hadn't moved at all, but his gaze had shifted back downward.
"You're to be on the Helipad at 0500, sharp. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright. Dismissed."
With that, Zack turned and left out the door. He didn't notice the SOLDIER General's eyes on his back.
Once out, Zack began to make his way back to his room. He knew it wasn't very late, but he also knew he'd have to wake up early in the morning so he could shower and possibly eat before leaving.
"Yo, Zack!"
The Second stopped at the call of his name. He turned to see the familiar purple of a SOLDIER Second Class uniform and the Helmet worn by nearly every SOLDIER operative. In the case of normal humans, SOLDIERs were only distinguishable by uniform color, the unenhanced senses they possessed making them unable to pick up on subtle differences. However, a SOLDIER's senses were much keener, so it was very easy to recognize a fellow operative just by voice alone. Zack could easily recognize this SOLDIER as his best friend and comrade.
"Kunsel! Where've ya been all day?"
"Well, Zack, not everyone spends nearly all of their time training. When's the last time you left the building, anyway?"
Zack rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. That was a good question. Since the mission, he'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he just repeated the same routine over and over for the whole week. If he'd spent some time outside the building, instead of constantly training, then he may have succeeded in clearing the thoughts he so desperately wanted cleared.
Kunsel seemed to be able to read the Second, and knew the answer to his own question before the other had the chance to answer.
"You really should get out more often, Zack, especially now. Ever since you came back from Wutai and Angeal disappeared, you've been pretty down."
"Yeah..."
"As much as it bothers you, going out to clear your head is really the best thing you can do. You don't want the problem to start affecting you on missions; the last thing we need is for you to get yourself killed."
At least he's to the point... "Well, Kunsel, you can rest assured that I won't be done in anytime soon."
He saw Kunsel's mouth, the only thing he could see of his fellow Second's face, quirk in a smile. Perhaps he was reassured by the appearance of the old Zack attitude. But, Zack didn't intend to go back on what he'd said. There was no way he'd let himself get killed because he was preoccupied. What would Angeal say?
"Well! That's good to hear, Zack. Since you came from the Briefing room, I'll bet you're being sent on a mission soon, so I won't keep you here."
With that, Kunsel and Zack parted ways.
o0o
It was close to 2100 when he decided to just plop into bed.
He'd set his handset's alarm to wake him at 0330 and set the device on the small bedside table. He'd figured that waking at that time would allow him to still comfortably go about his normal, sluggish morning routine despite the fact that it was an ungodly time to have to wake. Now he just had to wait for sleep to come...
Easier said than done.
He thought back to the mission briefing. He still did not understand why he was being sent as a part of a diplomacy mission. After all, SOLDIER was Shinra's brawn, not brains, though Zack would gladly clarify that, while he had his moments, he wasn't just mindless muscle. A mission like this seemed more like Turk business, and a Turk was even being sent! If they were sending in a Turk with the Vice President, what was his purpose there to be? Were they worried that the Emperor may be forming some sort of trap? Did they need him there in case they were suddenly ambushed by Wutai soldiers?
Instead of trying to seek any answers, Zack just let it go after a few minutes. It didn't matter anyways. Once he was assigned and briefed, he couldn't really refuse the mission, and he most certainly couldn't do so just because he had no idea why he was going. He'd just get up, go about his routine, complete the mission, and come back. Simple as that.
Almost as a passing thought, Zack wondered why Sephiroth had been there at the briefing. Surely he wouldn't be going on the mission; after all, if they are going to send one SOLDIER, why send Sephiroth as well. Same as the reverse; if they were to send Sephiroth, then why send a second SOLDIER as well? These thoughts were only brief and disappeared from his mind just as his eyes began to finally drift shut. His last thought was the hope that he hadn't fallen asleep too late...
o0o
Zack was suddenly jolted awake by the familiar sound of his handset alarm. He knew by his own internal clock that it was waaaay too early for him to be waking, but he remembered that he had to report in for his mission at 0500 exactly. He'd set his handset to wake him even earlier so that he could at least go about getting ready at his own sluggish pace. Angeal had taught him to be on time for everything. It also didn't hurt to be a bit early, but Angeal had been unable to reform Zack's morning rituals. He'd found that Zack was actually able to function through the day much better if his muddled mind had time to fully wake. So, Angeal got him to get up earlier so that he had time to wake at his slow, sleepy pace, and still be on time to wherever he had to be.
Without removing his face from his pillow, Zack reached over and grabbed the handset from the bedside table. He turned his head just enough for one eye to see the glaring screen as his hand absently pressed buttons so as the quiet the alarm. He'd done it so many times that it was second nature and though his eye could see what he was doing his mind was mostly unconscious of the action. Once he registered that the handset was quiet, the hand holding it dropped back onto the table. With a groan of agitation, Zack slowly got up from the bed.
It was…waaay too early...
He brought his hand up to scratch his head, ruffling his already messy hair, as he made his way to his bathroom. When he flipped on the light, he instantly shut his eyes, and he growled at the glaring fluorescent brightness. Gradually, he adjusted as he set about looking for a towel. As he looked, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror that served as a door to the medicine cabinet…which was empty, by the way. His hair stuck up in even odder angles than it normally did, and there was no... symmetry to the spikes, he noted absently. Oh well, it would be fine once he got his hair washed, he mused as he stripped off his boxers and stepped into shower. He didn't bother waiting to adjust the temperature of the spray; hell, the surprise of getting hit with very cold water might help in waking him.
A little while later, Zack emerged from the bathroom clad in only a towel wrapped loosely around his hips. He used another towel to haphazardly dry his hair as he shuffled back to his bed in order to check the time on his hand set.
The screen read: 04:15.
That was way too early, the SOLDIER mused, yet again as he shuffled out of his bedroom. On the way out, he absently threw the towel he'd been using on his hair off to the side. As expected, his newly washed hair settled back into its normal spikes. Figuring there wouldn't be time to make a regular breakfast (yes, he could cook for himself without burning anything down), Zack fumbled in one of the cabinets and pulled out a couple of protein bars. He'd gotten them from a store within the city, so they weren't the horrid bars of cardboard that Shinra provided them with. He pulled out two so that he could eat one before getting dressed and then munch on the second on the way to the helipad where he was to report. Absently munching on the first protein bar he went back over the assignment in his head.
At 0500, he was to be at the helipad. Obviously, he would be boarding a helicopter with the Vice President as well as the Turk that was to accompany him, and they would be airlifted to Wutai.
It was a diplomacy mission, and he was going to be a bodyguard. He made a noise of displeasure as he finished his protein bar and wandered back into his room to find his uniform. Within minutes, he meandered backed into the kitchen, fully dressed, grabbed the second bar, opened it, and popped one end into his mouth as he made his way across the living room and out the door, grabbing his sword just before he crossed the threshold.
o0o
It was 04:55 when he reached the helipad.
He was inwardly proud that he managed to get there early, though not very early, considering the hour at which he had to wake. When he walked out into open air, he first took a deep breath and stretched. He felt a distinct pop in his back and he sighed. He glanced at the horizon, unchanging in its darkness; then, he turned his attention to the helicopter that sat in the center of the landing zone.
He almost choked when he saw the familiar black coat and silver hair.