Chapter 3
It wasn't for another few days or so that Zack and Zen finally made it to the port of Junon in the late afternoon. Their truck had joined up with other recruit trucks at Costa del Sol to board one of Shin-Ra's freight ships just a few days prior and were now being driven off the ship to join even more recruit trucks already at Junon, though their numbers were fewer than the ones on the ship. Zack and Zen gasp in awe at the sight of the seaside city, especially the massive Mako Cannon shadowing them from afar. The two of them were nervous yet excited at the same time, knowing that this was to be the beginning of their journey to greatness.
Once all the trucks lined up along the portside street that overlooked the sea, all the new recruits young and old grab whatever belongings they brought with them and stand in long rows of at least 50 lengthwise. Zack and Zen watched as Shin-Ra infantrymen began passing out what looked to be bundles of clothing. Not long after they spot a tall and burly dark-haired man in a green outfit marching towards the middle of the lineups with two infantrymen flanking each side. Sensing that this man was important, they both stood straighter after they received their own bundle of clothing.
"Recruits!" began the man in a rather booming voice. "My name is Heidegger, and from this day forward you are now known as members of the Shin-Ra army. Do not speak until when spoken to and when you do speak, always respond with 'sir, yes sir'! Is that understood?"
"SIR, YES SIR!" echoed resoundingly throughout Junon.
"The bundles you receive today are your uniforms that you must wear at all times when you report in for duty. If you forget any part of your uniform or your uniform itself when on duty, you will be punished. If you are late to your shift, you will be punished. If you even smile, you will be punished! Is that understood?"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
Heidegger looks over the new recruits and smiles in satisfaction at the turnout. "You will now be led to the barracks which will be your new home from now until forever. Infantrymen will pass out keycards which corresponds to a suite of rooms. Each suite is for a maximum of 3 recruits so there should only be 3 keycards per suite. You only get one keycard, so do not lose it! Once you get settled, you will begin your training at 0800 hours sharp! DON'T BE LATE!"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
After Heidegger leaves, Zen lets out a little chuckle that she had been keeping in since the man appeared.
"Sounds like someone's got a stick up his rear," she whispers to Zack. "This should be fun."
Zack, on the other hand, didn't feel as amused as his comrade. He followed a somewhat strict protocol with his parents back home in Gongaga, but this was something far different than what he's used to. He begins having doubts if this was a good idea after all.
Suddenly, a recruit near him stumbles and nearly falls face-first to the ground if not for Zack's swift hand.
"Whoa there!" exclaims Zack as he pulls the recruit back to his feet. "Take it easy now, it's only the first day."
"Sorry," apologizes the shorthaired brunette of a recruit. "I must've tripped over my own feet."
"You're supposed to crawl before you walk, not the other way around," Zen laughs out loud. "I hope you don't forget that before you start training tomorrow."
"Y-you're a girl!" exclaims the recruit.
"Why am I getting a sense of déjà vu again?" says Zen, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know girls could enter Shin-Ra as well," explained the recruit.
"Anyone can become a soldier, technically," says Zen. She gives the teenager an eager thumbs-up. "It's just that not many girls have the guts to do so like me."
The brunette chuckles a little to himself, infected by Zen's warm friendliness. Dusting himself off, he began walking alongside his new comrades.
"So, what's your name kid?" asks Zack.
"Kunsel," replies the teenager. "from Mideel."
"Oh, that place is near the area where the really good racing chocobos are," exclaims Zen, putting her hands behind her head. "You must be a pretty good rider, no?"
"Actually, I've never touched a chocobo before," chuckles Kunsel, scratching his cheek. "Also, this is my first time outside of Mideel. Pretty pitiful, huh?"
"Ah, so you're just like Porcupine here," says Zen, tilting her head towards Zack. "Spikey hair, too."
"Porcupine?" repeats Kunsel in confusion.
"Uh, no, my name's actually Zack," corrected the teenager in question. He playfully shoves the girl. "Zen here just thought it'd be funny to give me an unsightly nickname."
"Hey, it's either that or 'Zen, the boy version'," Zen grins after bouncing back. She then puts her hands on her hips in mock indignation. "And what do you mean by 'unsightly'? I think it suits you just fine."
"Says you," responds Zack with a smirk.
"Ya know, I was feeling pretty scared after Heidegger's speech earlier," began Kunsel. "But after meeting you two, I feel a little better now."
"That's the spirit, Kunsel," asserts Zack. "Once we finish our basic training, it's smooth-sailing towards SOLDIER."
"Seriously? You two are aiming for SOLDIER?" Kunsel nearly trips again after hearing the boy's declaration.
"You say that like it's hard," chuckles Zen.
"That's because it IS hard," responds Kunsel worriedly. "You have to be selected to get into SOLDIER and they only select exceptional infantrymen."
"Well then," began Zen, wrapping an arm around each boy's neck. "We'll just have to be exceptionally awesome!"
Before they knew what hit them, the three of them were being herded towards a row of automatic doors. A troop of infantrymen were passing out keycards and explaining to each recruit that they open select barrack doors. Luckily for Zack, Zen, and Kunsel, the cards were not randomized so they were able to grab cards that opened the same barrack suite.
Inside their suite were 3 more sliding doors that did not require keycards to open. One door led to what is supposedly the bedroom, stocked with a bunk bed on the right, a single twin-size bed on the left, and a small bureau in the middle. The next door led to what looks to be a small study room with two desks, two chairs, and two small bookshelves. The last one was a bathroom with two showers, two toilets, and two sinks. The bathroom failed to bother Zen in the least since she was of the type to shower every other day, giving her plenty of opportunities to get the shower to herself.
Immediately, the three teenagers made a beeline for the bedroom to stake out their sleeping arrangements. Zack was aiming to take the top bunk on the right side of the room when a strange tan object flew through the air past him and landed right on his target.
"Dibs on the top bunk!" he hears Zen shout victoriously behind him after having thrown her travel sack to beat her friend to it.
Groaning, he decides to take the bunk below her instead as Kunsel has already taken the single.
"Allright, we've got a full house!" Zen cheers enthusiastically. "And luckily enough, I think we're all going to get along pretty swell."
"GREETINGS, NEW RECRUITS!"
Everyone in the room jumped at the sound of the booming voice that seems to come from some hidden PA speakers in the suite.
"DINNER IS TO BE SERVED IN THE MESS HALL IN 1 HOUR. UNIFORMS ARE REQUIRED! HAVE A GOOD EVENING!"
"What's so good about getting your ears blown off?" Zack mutters loudly as he sticks a finger in his ear to lessen the ringing in it.
"Good grief, if this is going to be the norm, I have half a mind to find those speakers and tear them apart right now," adds Zen, her hands covering her ears in annoyance.
Kunsel laughs at his roommates' responses to the loud announcement.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty handy with electronics," he assures them. "I can lower the volume on the speakers with the right tools."
"Kunsel, you are now my hero," exclaims Zen, clapping her palms together. "If you can do that, my ears are forever in your debt."
"It's no problem," chuckles Kunsel. "I happen to have brought along my travel tool kit so I should have everything I need."
"Sweet," says Zen as she climbs off the top bunk. "And after you do that, maybe we can hack into the Shin-Ra database and make it so the three of us are already members of SOLDIER."
"Zen!" exclaims Zack in shock.
"I'm just kidding," responds the teenage girl with a grin. "I have my warrior's honor to uphold, after all. 'Course it would be a lot easier to be members of SOLDIER from the get-go."
"Anyways," speaks up Zack, crossing his arms. "Let's all get changed and go look for the mess hall. We'll adjust the speakers afterwards."
"Sounds like a plan," exclaims Zen, who starts to take off her tank top to change.
Both boys began blushing beyond red as she did so, but Zack was the first who manages to say anything.
"Uh, Zen," he stutters. "Maybe you should go change in the bathroom."
"Why?" wonders the teenage girl, now in her sports bra along with her pants.
"Well, you see," began Kunsel, averting his hazel eyes elsewhere. "I've never lived with a girl so…"
"Ditto," adds Zack, also averting his eyes.
"You've got to be kidding me," sighs Zen. "It's not like I'm going naked in front of you two. I'm still in my underwear."
"Please… Zen…" Zack begs in his puppy tone.
"Fine," Zen rolls her eyes and smiles as she gathers up her uniform. "We're going to have to work on your guys' weird issues."
Once she left the room, Kunsel looks at Zack apologetically and scratches the back of his spikey brown hair.
Zack simply wraps a hand around his neck and smiles meekly.
"This is going to be interesting," he says.
A/N: If you're wondering, no, SquareEnix did not specify where Kunsel came from. I gave him a hometown to make him fit into the story. And before you say anything, Sebastian and Essai are coming later in the story. Should be fun times once they're introduced.