"It was Rufus's idea! I'm just an innocent by-stander!" Zack pleaded, half bent over with his hands over his head to try and shield himself from Lazard's anger.
"Innocent by-stander? What, so nowadays the innocent by-standers are the ones doing all the dirty work? I know it was your idea Zack, you've done it before." Lazard said.
"Oh, come on!" Zack whined, straightening up.
"And since when does the President come up with ideas like that?" Lazard questioned before Zack could continue.
"Well, Cloud and I went and annoyed him so then he told me to go annoy you instead!" Zack beamed.
"And who is this Cloud?" Lazard asked with a sigh.
"Oh, the one that survived the beast in the forest!" Zack said excitedly.
"Great, you're polluting a good SOLDIER-in-training's mind." Lazard groaned and sat back down on his chair behind his desk. Zack leant his hands on the desk and grinned at Lazard.
"He's really good at making up stories though! You should hear him!" Zack whispered as if he was telling a secret.
"That's nice, can you please go write a letter to your girlfriend?" Lazard asked, pulling a folder out from under Zack's hand and opening it to start his paper-work. Zack stood up properly, not leaning on the desk any more.
"How many times do I have to say this? She's not my girlfriend. And how come everyone knows about her?" Zack put his hands on his hips and tilted his head in that adorable way.
"Please leave me alone. Or else I'll put you in stationary." Lazard said.
"Stationary?.." Zack's eyes widened. "No please don't! Please! I'll be good! Don't put me in stationary! What if Sephiroth came and told you I was good enough to be a first class, would you take me off stationary and promote me?" Zack's eyes had filled up with fake tears and he was now on his knees, begging Lazard with everything he had. Lazard sighed.
"Leave me alone and I won't put you on stationary." he said. Zack stood up, fake saluted and ran off. "It's a wonder no one else uses that when trying to get rid of him." Lazard muttered to himself.
Tifa paced her room anxiously. She really wanted to visit Cloud at ShinRa but couldn't until he sent her a letter. It was just because her father didn't like Cloud, and she knew that.
"It's so unfair." she muttered, sitting down on her bed. "Why doesn't anyone like Cloud?"
"Tifa! The post is here!" Tifa jumped up and ran out of her room, a look of desperation in her eyes as she ran out of the house and grabbed the mail, flicking through it for one addressed to her.
Walking back inside with the letters in one hand and a dejected expression on her face, she looked up at her father and slowly shook her head, dumping the letters on the table and walking to her room. Her father had a knowing smile on his face as he took the rest of the letters and began opening them one by one.
"Spikey!" Zack called, standing in the doorway of the dorm. A lot of the trainees looked over with raised eyebrows, especially when Cloud began making his way over.
"What is it Zack?" Cloud asked.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to go sabotage Sephiroth!" Zack said happily.
"No thanks." Cloud turned to walk off again and Zack shrugged.
"Well, guess what happened with Lazard!" Cloud slowly turned back to Zack, waiting for him to continue speaking. "He's totally thinking about promoting me to first class!"
"Uh, why would he want to promote you after you annoyed him?" Cloud asked.
"I dunno! Just does!" Zack said, his face one big happy expression that could have been glowing if it was possible. Cloud nodded slowly, a you're-weird expression on his face.
"Look, I've got training again in a few minutes, so could you let me get ready?" Cloud asked.
"You seriously do!? I'm the one that's taking the training session!" Zack grinned. Cloud would have hit his head against the wall if it was closer.
"Yippee." Cloud said in a monotone. "So can you leave now?" Zack nodded and glanced up at Cloud's hair, an amused grin on his face as he walked out. Cloud swallowed and reached a hand up to his hair to check that it was okay. Once satisfied that it was fine, he walked back over to his things.
"So you survived the beast, right?" another trainee asked, walking over. His friends followed and they folded their arms, looking at Cloud with smirks on their faces. He shrugged and nodded.
"Yeah."
"That's all you have to say?" the other trainee asked. "Come on, we know you cheated."
"I didn't cheat." Cloud said, trying to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Oh sure you didn't." the trainee said. "It's just that, you're so scrawny! And you always struggle in the training sessions." he shrugged.
"I almost died from the beast." Cloud said.
"I know. I wish you had." the trainee spat, glaring. "Get him, boys." The trainee's friends stepped forward and grabbed Cloud, dragging him out of the room as he yelled and kicked to try and free himself.
"Time to put you in your place." the main trainee said, walking along behind them. The others chuckled and Cloud's eyes widened when he saw the room they were entering. The locker room.
"You got your key?" one guy asked. The trainee nodded and walked over to one of the large lockers, opening it and smirking over at Cloud, who was being dragged over and was soon shoved inside.
"Stop it! Let me out!" Cloud said as they swung the door shut and locked it.
"If you couldn't get away from us, there's no way you could've gotten away from the beast. You cheater." the trainee said, whacking the locker and then laughing, walking out with his friends to go to the training session.
Cloud stared through the slats on the door of the locker and felt a tear fall from his eye. Hugging his knees close to him, he let the silent sobs shake his body.
Zack was standing very tall with his arms behind his back and his chin up high, walking in front of the trainees and trying to make it seem like he was superior to them.
"First lesson of today is interrogation." Zack said.
"That's not right." Lazard said from the side of the room. Zack jumped and looked over, slight fear in his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me you were there?" Zack asked. The trainees snickered.
"I was observing your ability to do the right thing when you're the highest ranking officer in the room. So far, you're not doing very well." Lazard walked up to the front of the room and raised an eyebrow at Zack as if challenging him.
"It was a joke!" Zack said.
"Ha ha." Lazard said. "I'm going to go continue with my paperwork now, please teach them the right thing." he glanced at the trainees and then walked out of the room with a sigh. Zack turned back to them with a grin.
"Okay, so, interrogation." he said, then paused. "Where's spikey?" Silence followed, and Zack knew that when that happened something bad was being kept from him. "Where's Cloud Strife?" he asked, a bit more forceful than before.
"I think he's skipping class." one trainee said quietly. Zack rolled his eyes and groaned.
"All right." he mumbled, and then continued with the class.
Sephiroth walked into the locker room to get something and went to his locker, opening it and taking out the wanted object which could have been mistaken for toothpaste. Cracking his neck, Sephiroth put some of the 'paste' onto his finger and then ran it through his hair. Ah, so it was hair gel.
Putting the gel back into his locker and shutting it, he paused. He could hear something. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw one of the lockers shake slightly and walked over to it. He blinked and his eyes widened. There was someone inside there! He only knew because he could hear the sobs.
Bringing a fist up, he slammed it down on the lock and watched as it fell to the ground in a broken heap. The sobbing had ceased. Sephiroth swung the door open and looked in.
"Oh, it's you." he said, reaching a hand in and grabbing Cloud's arm to pull him out.
"Th-thanks." Cloud mumbled.
"Don't mention it." Sephiroth said, and then narrowed his eyes. "Seriously, don't ever mention it."
"Um, okay." Cloud said.
"Good." Sephiroth said, and sighed. "Now I've got to go get another lock for this door." he muttered.
"Sorry." Cloud said quietly.
"It's not your fault you got shoved in a locker. If it was I'd knock you flat for causing trouble." Sephiroth said. Cloud nodded slowly and began walking for the door. "Next time they shut you in a locker, keep yelling until someone finds you."
"Okay." Cloud said meekly, not liking the sound of being shut in a locker again or calling out and having someone find him in a locker. Sephiroth mumbled something to himself and picked up the dead lock, walking out of the room and past Cloud.
"Zack, I didn't call you in here for no reason. Please sit down." Lazard said. Zack sat down, a slightly concerned expression on his face.
"Should I be worried?" he asked.
"No." Lazard said, picking up a file and flicking through it. Zack sighed in relief and relaxed, waiting calmly for Lazard to speak again. "You're a first class now Zack." Lazard said. There was silence as the words sunk into Zack's brain.
"I'm.. I'm.. I'm a first class SOLDIER!" he yelled, jumping out of the chair and running out of the room to tell everybody the great news. Lazard sighed and shook his head, continuing with whatever he had been doing. But was interrupted again.
"What, Zack?" he asked, looking up.
"Do I get my own apartment? Cause Seph has one and so does Genesis and Angeal! You know, being first class and all." Zack said, bouncing on the spot with a grin on his face.
"If you behave well for the next month or so, I'll think about it." Lazard said, remembering that for most First Class SOLDIER's they did usually get them their own apartment close to ShinRa.
"I'll be so good you won't even know it's me!" Zack said.
"Yes, that would be the case if you actually decided to act well and follow the rules." Lazard said.
"You're horrible. Just like everyone else at this place." Zack said. "Oh but, how did I make it to first? Like, did someone tell you I would be good or was it shown in my training or what?" he asked excitedly.
"You were suggested to me." Lazard said.
"By who?" Zack asked, itching to know who he needed to go and glomp. Lazard sighed and leant his head on his hand.
"Please don't do anything drastic when I tell you this. You were actually suggested to me by two people." Lazard explained. Zack's mouth fell open and his eyes widened.
"Serious? Who!?" he urged.
"Angeal and Sephiroth." Lazard said. Zack whooped and ran out of the room. Lazard waited, just in case he was planning on coming back again, and then continued with his work.
Cloud had just received another letter from Tifa and was heading towards his bed so that he could curl up and read it.
"Hey, how'd you get out so fast?" the trainee called out. Cloud stiffened and looked over, pocketing the letter.
"Uh, I kicked the door open." he said. No way was he going to admit that he got found in there by the General. How embarrassing!
"I don't believe you." the trainee said.
"Look, I'd love to stay and have a fight, but I really have somewhere to be." Cloud said, hurrying towards the door. Amazingly, the trainee let him leave. But of course, because Cloud was in a hurry and not properly watching where he was going, he crashed into someone and fell flat on his back. Everyone in the dorm laughed.
"Strife, on your feet." Cloud quickly scrambled to his feet, his face going bright red as he realised it was Sephiroth.
"Sorry, sir." he mumbled.
"I think Zack is looking for you. I got away before he saw me but he was singing and dancing so I'd imagine you should hide out for a bit unless you want to get attacked." Sephiroth said.
"Oh, um, thanks." Cloud said, glancing back into the room where he knew the trainee was just itching for him to walk back in so they could fight.
"Just thought I'd warn you." Sephiroth said, turning to walk away.
"Uh, sir?" Cloud said, taking a step forward and almost dying from nerves. He was talking the the Sephiroth. It was enough to make anyone nervous.
"What is it?" Sephiroth asked.
"Well, I was just wondering, cause if I go back in there they'll probably bash me up and if I wander around out here Zack will find me, could I hang out with you?" he'd said it. But there was no way the General would say yes. It just didn't happen like that. Trainee's didn't hang out with First Class SOLDIER's. At least, not Sephiroth.
"I don't see why not." Sephiroth shrugged. There was the far off sound of singing and Sephiroth mumbled something under his breath. "Come on, we'll go this way." Sephiroth said, jerking his head in one direction and walking off. Cloud could not believe what had just happened and just followed Sephiroth in a bit of a daze.
"Clooooouuuuud!" came the singing voice of Zack. Cloud's eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder. Zack hadn't found them yet. Passing a random room, Sephiroth reached in and grabbed something, shoving it into Cloud's hands.
"Put that on and he won't know it's you." he explained. Cloud looked down at the white lab coat and back up at Sephiroth, wondering if the General was joking or not. It didn't look like it.
"Sephieeee!" Zack rounded the corner. Cloud hurriedly put the lab coat on.
"What is it, Zack?" Sephiroth asked, turning to face him and stepping in front of Cloud so as to hide him.
"I love you!" Zack yelled, running straight for him. Sephiroth's eyes widened as Zack suddenly jumped and wrapped him in a huge hug.
"Zack, I am incredibly disturbed at this moment." Sephiroth said. "Get off me."
"You suggested me for First Class SOLDIER!" Zack yelled happily, right into Sephiroth's ear. Sephiroth winced.
"Get off me." he repeated. Zack reluctantly let go and grinned up at him.
"Do you know where Spikey is?" he asked.
"You have a dog?" Sephiroth asked.
"Hey! Don't refer to him that way! That's mean!" Zack defended. Sephiroth sighed, figuring out that he had no hope of making proper sense to Zack at this moment.
"Look, I think I saw him that way." Sephiroth pointed behind Zack and he grinned, bouncing off excitedly.
"Thanks." Cloud said, stepping out from behind Sephiroth and taking off the lab coat.
"Again, don't mention it." Sephiroth said, glaring down at him. Cloud gulped and nodded.