NOTE: Cloud explicitly states in the game that he's never been to Shinra HQ before. I'm gonna ignore that little detail, 'cause it can only mean that registration for SOLDIER (and the army) doesn't even happen here and that training most likely also takes place somewhere else. But that doesn't fit my plot. Nyahaha!

Sorry for the wait. I actually had stuff to do this weekend (will wonders never cease) and then I was hungover :(

The bustling streets of Midgar were more frightening than he had anticipated and yet not as frightening as he had imagined. Everyone, at least on the upper plate, walked like they had some kind of purpose, like they had somewhere to be five minutes ago and couldn't be bothered with looking around before they trampled a slim thirteen-year-old boy underfoot.

The bus he had taken from Junon had dropped him off at the sector 7 train station, and he had been left there, tripping nervously from foot to foot, wondering where to go from there. All he knew was that registration was in the 'Shinra Building' but as a country boy, coming from far to the west, he was hardly expected to know where that was.

Except apparently he did. The first man he politely tapped on the shoulder and politely asked where he could find the Shinra building spat on the pavement and asked him how he could not know that. Then he left, laughing raucously. Cloud wrinkled his nose. Next one he asked would be cleaner, he had vowed.

The woman was elderly, her hair greying and in a bun at the back of her neck, small glasses sitting precariously at the tip of her nose. She wrinkled her nose when he asked, but she answered willingly enough. Upper Plate, tallest building, can't miss it.

And indeed, once he got up there, it was very hard to miss the building, towering like some grotesquely oversized centrepiece. With a snigger, Cloud wondered if someone wasn't trying to compensate for something. Then again, maybe they actually did need 70 floors, just for that one company.

Cloud shrugged and moved through the automatic doors into the lobby, taking a moment to admire the huge chopper they had on display before looking around for some sort of counter.

He found it on the third floor. The man there gave him a form and some information pamphlets to fill out without looking up from his computer and Cloud moved to a low table to fill it out.

He quickly filled in all the official details, full name, birthday, and place of birth. He hesitated a little when he came to a field that asked for his personal identification code. His what? Must be a city thing, he decided and left it blank.

Then came registration for which classes he wanted to participate in. Sword fighting wasn't available right off the bat, which was a shame he thought, callisthenics and firearms were automatically checked as obligatory for all military personnel. He quickly checked off the other courses he'd need to be able to apply to SOLDIER and noted that for whatever reason, they expected him to take an additional two courses of his own choice. Academic courses. Huh.

Looking over the list of available options he checked biology and mechanical engineering. They'd probably be the most useful later on.

"Uh," he began as he handed the forms back. "That personal identification code. I don't think I have one."

"Don't have one?" The man finally looked up, fixing beady eyes on the walking, talking hair-disaster in front of his counter. "Where th' hell you from, kid?"

Bristling, but unwilling to let petty feelings of I'm not a kid, dammit get in the way of his career, Cloud answered, as politely as he could manage. "Nibelheim, on the Western Continent."

"Nibelheim? Ain't never hearda it." The man frowned, shrugged and reached for a stamp when his eyes caught on something. "Hey! You ain't fourteen. Ya gotta be fourteen ta regista."

The kid frowned obnoxiously. "No I don't. Says here I just gotta be fourteen to be a cadet. I won't be a cadet until all the paperwork has been finished an I sign the final contract, and that won't happen in like... a week after registration deadline in five days. I'll be fourteen by then."

The man huffed, annoyed with this stubborn little critter. "Where're ya stayin'?"

"Huh?"

"In case the department needs ter contact you, I gotta know where ya stayin' at."

"Uh, Blue Finn. Sector... 8 I think."

"Slums or Plate?"

"Plate." He had contemplated finding somewhere cheaper down under, but the little he had glimpsed of the slums had discouraged him from that notion. Well it didn't matter. His money should hold that far. Barely.

As it turned out, they did not in fact hold that far. Food in Midgar cost a lot more than he had ever anticipated. It would've been cheaper if he had been able to buy the ingredients and make the food himself. He wasn't as good as his mum, but he was nowhere near helpless in a kitchen, however for some reason the administration of the cheap hostel he was staying in wouldn't let him near their kitchen. It was rather strange, really.

He kept to himself as much as possible. Bought some bread and vegetables at a local market, trying not to grumble too much at how the bread tasted like paper and the vegetables had been squashed (and he had thought the food in Junon was bad) and otherwise tried to use as little money as possible. Cadets did get a small pension, since they were considered army property and in case of emergency could be sent to the front lines, however it was humble at best.

Twelve days after his first look at Midgar, Cloud found himself once again in the huge Shinra building. A pass to reach floors above the third had been sent to his hostel two days before. Nervous energy had made it impossible to sleep and when the sun had begun peeping through the window he had given up, done some exercises in the closed off court behind the hostel, taken a shower, finished the last of his food for a sparse breakfast and then gone towards the looming Shinra building.

He was the first in to stash his meagre belongings in the dormitory (even though he had almost gotten lost searching for his nameplate, until he remembered to look for his surname instead of his given name) and he was now sitting on the bunk he had chosen, the one closest to the window, contemplating whether or not he should wait for his room mates and say hello or just go to the assembly hall and wait for the introduction to start.

He sighed. He really had never known how to treat the boys his age, his only experience was with Dan and the others. Sniggering a bit at how Wel and Meiday had been reduced to simply "the others" in his head, Cloud got up and made his way to the assembly hall. He could always make friendly later.

The assembly hall was just that; a big room with a lot of chairs facing a slightly raised podium. Cloud sat in one of the corners far to the back, close to a fire exit, where he wouldn't be immediately noticeable. Well, except for his hair, but there really wasn't anything he could do about that. The rest of the cadets began filing in in ones and twos shortly after. Some of them obviously knew each other and were boasting in loud voices about how they would be the first of this bunch of losers to make it into SOLDIER, and how awesome all the training was going to be and how it was so pansy-arsed that they had to take bookworm classes along with the much more usable ones, like firearms and sword-fighting.

Cloud couldn't quite hold back a snort and a roll of his eyes. Did they really think learning strategy or summons was useless?

His huff was echoed by a gangly boy sitting to Cloud's left. "Who do they think they are? Hearing them you'd think they thought all SOLDIERs ever did was slay empty-headed monsters. With sticks." He imitated clubbing someone over the head and Cloud couldn't hold back a grin. "Hey, name's Martin. Maansson. You seem to have something working under that crown of yours, gonna join SOLDIER?"

Cloud tilted his head, eyeing the boy anew. He would probably top Cloud by almost a full head standing, his hair was a nondescript brown and cropped close to his head. He was probably at least a year older then Cloud too. Amused grey eyes was looking back at him, just as curious.

"Yeah, I am," Cloud simply answered. "I'm Cloud Strife." He held his hand out and was surprised at how enthusiastically Martin shook it.

"Dude, I'm so glad I sat here, I was despairing to think I'd be sharing classes with no-brains like those, they-..."

"Hey," a voice behind them interjected. "I'm offended you'd log me with those gorillas just like that. You're not the only one with more than blood and slaughter between the ears."

"Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone. 'S just first day and everything, don't know who you can trust. I'm Martin. Don't worry, I don't normally babble quite this bad, just nervousness I guess." He grinned, scratching the back of his neck.

"Patrick Schwarz," the boy replied with a raised eyebrow disappearing up under his straight black bangs. "And before you ask, I'm not joining SOLDIER, I'm gonna be a pilot."

"Huh, so's not just SOLDIER candidates in here? Good, if I had to compete with 200 people for the spots I think I'd break down."

Cloud and Patrick exchanged looks. "Maansson, you do know that there are no "spots" for SOLDIER, right? Whoever passes all the right classes are automatically eligible to apply. It's just that passing all the required classes is hard."

"Really hard," Cloud agreed. Then fell silent as the main entrance doors shut with a loud bang that made half the cadets jump. A smaller door behind the podium opened and an old grizzly man stepped through and stepped onto the podium.

"I know 85% of you think you're gonna join SOLDIER and be the next General Sephiroth and the rest think they're gonna surpass General Sephiroth or some other foolish notion." Cloud heard the near inaudible snort from Patrick but was paying far more attention to the front. "Let me tell you this from the start; ambition's all well and good, but you gotta keep your feet on the ground or you'll be blown over easy as stepping on a bug." Cloud had to wonder a little if the man had thought that particular comparison properly through. Most bugs could fly and they were decidedly hard to step on when they were air born. "My name's Commander Walker and I'm in charge of all cadets. You'll be addressing me as Commander or sir for the rest of your stay here, or you'll find yourself scrubbing so many floors you'll never be able to raise your head again. Understood?" The last word was barked out, making everyone sit suddenly ramrod straight.

"Yes sir." The reply wasn't exactly as enthusiastic as one could have hoped for, however Commander Walker nodded, satisfied. Cloud was surprised how prompt the response had come from himself, but was quickly distracted as Walker took up his monologue once again.

"You are considered military property from now on. If there should be an emergency, ShinRa can send you there and you will obey, no questions asked. The corporation will ensure that you're fed and sheltered as long as you follow your contract, which you will be signing shortly. If you cause any kind of trouble within the army, you will be punished in accordance with regulations. Repeated offences will lead to a discharge. If you do something that is deemed serious enough, this will lead to discharge as well, even if you have no previous offences.

"The rest of the day will be for you to get used to the building and get to know your new room mates. Each dormitory will be sent to the infirmary one at a time, there's a note hanging on the central notice board outside this room specifying the exact time for each dorm, and you will all have a thorough health check before you'll be allowed to sign any contracts. If you're found lacking, you will either be directed to another program or you will be discharged. Are there any questions?"

"No sir," Cloud replied, once again without thinking. He was just glad he hadn't yelled it out as he found most of the other cadets simply shook their heads in the negative.

"When I ask you a question, cadets, you will reply with either "yes sir" or "no sir". This is a military academy, you'll do well to remember that. Are there any questions?"

"No sir!" The collective response this time was prompt.

Not showing either approval or disapproval, the officer continued. "The drop-out rate for the SOLDIER program is near to 90%. 60% of these join the infantry. You may keep applying to SOLDIER until you turn eighteen, after which it's deemed too dangerous to administer mako to clean individuals. Please remember that even if you do make it through the program, there are additional tests to ensure that your mental health is stable enough that you won't lose your mind to the mako." He gave a toothy grin, which didn't seem reassuring in the least.

"Dismissed." And Walker marched back out the door he had come from.

It didn't take long after he left for conversation to pick up again as people began to leave, everyone checking the timetable for when they had to go to the infirmary.

"Oh man, I'm so excited I could shit myself!" Martin exclaimed, bouncing.

"Please don't," Patrick said from behind them as they waited for everyone else to leave. Cloud wasn't saying anything, already dreading the infirmary visit. It was one thing to be examined by one doctor in familiar surroundings with a person he trusted, namely his mum, nearby. Somehow, he feared it would be ten times worse in an unknown environment and with probably a doctor for each cadet, which meant ten doctors in white coats in the same room in unfamiliar environment.

"Hey, which room're you guys in? I can almost read the board from here." He would Cloud sulked, annoyed with his own diminutive height then noticed that Patrick was just a couple inches taller than he was.

"06S." There was nothing in the raven's tone suggesting anything like the annoyance Cloud felt and he felt a brief flash of remorse that he was overreacting so much over something as trivial as height.

"Hmm, you're up at the end of the day. 1600 hours. Cloud?"

"06C."

"C? Hey, we're bunking together, that's cool, I didn't check the name plate before. We're up in forty minutes."

"Great." He couldn't quite keep the sarcasm from his tone and received a pair of inquiring looks, but luckily the two other cadets didn't ask any probing questions and Cloud wasn't volunteering.

"Hey, this is our room, gotta check out our room mates. We'll see you around, yeah Schwarz?" Patrick simply waved over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hall.

Cloud followed behind the other teen, sighing a little. Martin was good enough, he supposed, he had sort of appreciated the sarcastic comments about the "no-brains" (as he decided they'd be called for the rest of his stay), but he just couldn't seem to imagine himself in a social circle. Briefly, he wondered what guys his age even did when they spent time together before he was interrupted by Martin's quiet remark of "Oh, aren't we the lucky ones."

Looking past a bony shoulder, Cloud silently agreed as he saw No-Brain #1 resting casually at the bed closest to the window. His bed. The next thing he noticed was that his stuff, which he had just hurriedly stuffed into the locker next to the bunk, was thrown haphazardly out on the floor. His eyes narrowed, anger replacing mild irritation.

"Oh, hello." The boy was trying for a casual tone, however malicious glee was clear in his eyes. "I decided I wanted this bed, so I removed your stuff from my locker. Hope you don't mind."

"Uh, 's not my stuff," Martin hedged. A quick look around, though, confirmed that the two of them were the last to arrive and if it wasn't his... He glanced down at the smaller boy next to him noting the anger twisting his expression. Cloud's stuff then.

A red haze had sunk down over Cloud's vision. He had chosen that bed because he had been first, and he had liked the thought of the window being near. Fintly the notion that being this angry was a Bad Idea entered his mind. When had the last time been when he had been this angry? Oh, that's right, the time Dan had called his mother a skank and he had thrown a stone at him, effectively causing him to lose his friendship with Tifa.

He took a deep breath, the memory helping him to try and see reason. The other boy was big, even taller than Dan and while his muscles looked flabby, he could probably overwhelm Cloud with sheer weight alone.

The blonde tilted his head. He had fight with something else than muscle then.

"It's no problem." He was relieved to note that he had effectively cleaned his tone of the absolute fury that had been threatening to overwhelm him moments earlier as he moved to pick up his clothes. "I mean, if you're suffering from claustrophobia, you should've just told me. I could've moved my stuff no problem." He couldn't help the smirk at the brutes flabbergasted look and had to wonder if it gave him away. Turning it at the idiot sitting and staring at him, he turned it up a notch into a fake friendly smile.

By the time the bastard had realised that there wasn't going to be any confrontation, Cloud was already stuffing his belongings into a locker on the other side of the room with forced cheerfulness.

"Wha'...? Claustrophia?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied glibly, happy for the chance to throw even more thinly veiled insults at the idiot. "It means being afraid of enclosed spaces. It's no shame to be afraid." Or so his mum had told him time and again when she was trying to talk with him about his own latrophobia.

"I'm not afraid!" Cloud had to refrain from rolling his eyes, both at the predictable answer and the fact that he hadn't even noticed the insinuation that he didn't know what claustrophobia meant.

"You aren't?" He should have done this with Dan and the others. Looking at the other boy's face, at the frustration painted all over it, was hilarious. "Then why'd you choose to take a bed that was already occupied?"

The eight other boys in the room was eerily silent, watching the exchange between the smallest and largest cadets in fascinated wonder. Martin had to stifle a snigger at the sheer audacity of throwing insults at the stupid oaf and veiling them as purely innocent inquiries and concern. Still. Once the oaf got over it he was gonna make trouble for Cloud. A look at Cloud's fake curious expression told him that the petite lad was aware and didn't give a damn.

Well then, how would the oaf reply to the polite inquiry without making himself seem like a petulant child?

Realising the same problem, No-Brain #1 cast his eyes around the room for a way out and finding none he simply grumbled something unintelligible. Cloud turned and stashed the rest of his stuff into the locker, not caring about the reoply, just that the feeling of victory in his gut made him hard-pressed to hide a condescending smirk.

Sitting on his bed once finished, he had to wonder what they were supposed to be doing now. They still had twenty minutes until the check-up, Cloud squashed rising panic at the thought, and the exchange had thrown the room into an uncomfortable silence. With a start, Cloud realised that a large part of the occupants were looking at him. Like he would just magically come up with a solution to the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Sky blue eyes turned to Martin, who had seemed much more comfortable with talking, and with a grin the gangly fellow opened his mouth to alleviate the pressure from his new friend. "Well, we're supposed to get to know each other better, but since there's only like... 18 minutes left, how about we just tell each other our names and where we're from before we go to the infirmary? I'm Martin Maanson, from Midgar, sector 4 slums."

Five others, including No-Brain #1 whose name turned out to be Irwin, came from Midgar as well. The rest consisted of one from Mideel, one from Costa Del Sol and one from a little one-horse town akin to Nibelheim near the marches south-east of Midgar.

They left the room, Irwin forcing himself to walk in the front, and went to the infirmary. Cloud and Martin automatically fell back, creating as much distance between themselves and the much too adamantly dominating boy in the front.

"He's gonna be trouble, yanno."

"Mh," Cloud replied, non-committally.

"T'was satisfying though, watching him flounder like a fish on land. I bet he's only now figuring out what hit him."

Cloud grunted.

"You're not the talkative type, are you?"

"Whatever gave me away?"

"The grunting."

"Aha."

Martin snorted, amusement clear in the way he rolled his eyes as they neared the infirmary.

Inside were ten beds ordered in two rows against each wall, which was painted clinically white. It still smelt a little of fresh paint in the room and Cloud surmised that they repainted the walls frequently. The beds were bare, probably because they weren't in use at the moment, and next to each one sat a doctor in a white coat.

Cloud swallowed and walked over to the last one free, standing next to a bed in the middle of the room.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Cloud Strife, sir." It only made it worse if he focused on the wall behind the doctor, seeing the white lab coats through his peripheral vision, so he did his best to focus only on the man's eyes. They didn't seem unfriendly, clinical to be sure and slightly exasperated with the duty he was forced to perform, but not unkind. He could still see the other doctors out of the corners of his eyes, but t was easier not to focus on them with a person sitting in front of him.

"Cadet Strife, then, planning on applying for SOLDIER?"

"Yes sir."

The man nodded. "I'm Dr. Manley. Please remove your shirt." Cloud did so, fighting panic when the fabric obscured his vision. Around the room he could hear the other cadets murmuring answers or doctors giving directions. Having the doctor listen to his lungs as he took deep breaths was only almost as uncomfortable as having his pulse and blood pressure measured. The cuff constricting around his arm made his already elevated pulse rate even higher.

"Hmm... well, I can tell you that your lungs are clean as can be and your heart certainly sounds strong enough. Are you feeling any undue nervousness or fear? Your pulse rate seems rather elevated."

Cloud bit his lip, stalling. He hadn't actually intended to let ShinRa know of his fear of doctors, however he couldn't very well lie and if he was hurt it might be advantageous that they knew. "I... have latrophobia," he finally admitted as quietly as he could manage.

"Hm, that's inconvenient. You seem to control it well enough though."

"Thank you, sir."

"Do you know how you got it?"

"No sir." Cloud looked around, signifying that it was not something he was comfortable talking about with other people around.

"I see. Does it extend to fear of needles?"

"No sir."

"Good, I have to take a blood sample." For some reason, the taking of blood was a lot less uncomfortable than having his blood pressure measured and Cloud stared in slight fascination as the small vial was filled with red liquid pouring from his veins. The doctor spent the few seconds to make some notes on his clipboard on, Cloud guessed, his medical file.

"Right. Well, aside from your pulse, everything seems to be in good condition. You seem a little underweight, so make sure you eat. I don't expect any trouble with your blood sample, but if there is, be aware that your contract will be void. You can go on signing it now. It's just down the hall to the left, room 04G." Distractedly he made a few other notes and put a sticker on the blood sample containing Cloud's blood, but the blonde was already out the door.

The signing of contracts went relatively uneventful. Cloud had been the last recruit leaving the infirmary room, but Adulio Fuentes, the guy from Costa del Sol, hadn't even finished the last twirl to his name when Cloud entered.

Once signed, they got a copy and was told to go to a storage room to get their uniforms.

They were now officially cadets.

Cloud's new friends... well... I actually haven't quite decided what to do with them. They just... interfered. *huffs* Maanson is a Swedish surname. The aa is pronounced like the u in 'up'. Schwarz is German and means Black.

And what is it with old grizzly men? XD (and yay for long introduction speeches to explain all those annoying details that may or may not have anything to do with the story)