Fractal Geometry
During Cloud's first month as Sephiroth's aide, conspirator and general paperwork minion most of the sword training the General had put him through had focused on turning his katana kata into a workable combat style. Sephiroth had proved to be just as capable with a normal length sword as with Masamune's seven-foot blade and Cloud had been soundly beaten time after time. However the blond's stubborn nature led him to grit his teeth and persevere, incorporating bits and pieces of his knife training and hand-to-hand into his sword style. The Silver General had raised an eyebrow at some of the moves and exploited the openings created by some of the others, but Cloud knew he was getting better. Slowly.
However, on his first day back at ShinRa after the month-long holiday out on the grasslands Genesis cornered him in one of the SOLDIER training rooms and handed him a practice broadsword. "Here Strife," the redhead said with a wicked glint in his eye, "give this a swing."
Cloud obliged, first getting a feel for the blunt iron blade's weight and balance then carefully trying a few stances.
"Feet a bit wider," said Genesis, nudging the blond's right calf with a booted foot. "That's right. Hold the hilt like this." The Crimson General walked him through two basic pattern dances then had him repeat them over and over until he got them right every time. "Keep practising those; you've got a knack for the broadsword," Genesis told him after about an hour. "Now let's try a new-"
"Genesis, what are you doing with my aide?" came a chilly voice from the door. Cloud almost dropped his sword but Genesis grinned evilly.
"Just teaching Blondie here a few tricks; you wouldn't think it was his first time hefting a broadsword, would you?"
"Hn." Sephiroth stalked inside the practice room and shut the door firmly. "Strife, show me."
Cloud obediently ran through the two newly learned routines, breathing evenly and resolutely ignoring the glint of claws at the tips of the newly-arrived General's gloved hands. Once though slowly, then again faster.
"You dropped your elbow on the second time through the first exercise and your weight was unevenly distributed in the second," the Silver General said crisply, claws retracted but pupils still irritated slits. "Again."
Cloud carefully corrected himself and repeated the exercises.
"Better," Sephiroth conceded, pupils relaxing slightly to ovoid. "The third standard pattern goes like this..."
Cloud did not escape the tutelage of the competitive twosome until three hours later, by which point he was about ready to keel over and his arms were weak as noodles. Sephiroth finally noticed how shaky his hands were and dismissed him to shower and change back into his office suit.
"I want to introduce you to Lazard when I ask for his consent for you taking the SOLDIER exam right after your birthday," the Silver General explained, "and now is as good a time as any to do so."
Genesis wandered off to find someone else to irritate, smirk still firmly in place, while Cloud staggered through the shower, scarfed down a ration bar to appease his grumbling stomach and hurried back to the practice room where Sephiroth was waiting. When the blond pushed open the door the Silver General finished the kata he was doing with Masamune, replaced his sword on his back and led the way to the lifts.
Director Lazard Deuscerius' office was on the fifty-first floor. Cloud had never been inside; Zack had left him in the waiting area when he came up here to scrounge an ID card so the young blond could become the Silver General's aide.
When the lift stopped Sephiroth didn't so much as glance at Lazard's secretary; he simply swept out through the opening doors and strode over to the Director's office, Cloud hurrying at his heels. The General pushed the office door open wide enough for Cloud to slip in behind him and stopped a few feet in front of the desk loaded with paperwork. "Director Lazard. I see you have managed to redecorate since I was last in here." The office walls were bland, boring white once more.
"I have indeed General; yesterday the resident prankster rigged the intercom system to play Wutai Opera, which was interesting to say the least. It took the repair teams ten hours to work out where the music was coming from and how to stop it. IOn the second week you were away they also rigged the card readers to play different tunes depending on whose card was swiped. I believe my tune was the imperial march from Star Wars, though I am at a loss as to why."
The Silver General's face remained impassive, but Cloud detected a suspicious gleam of humour in his eyes. "You are nominally in command of the planet's largest army, sir."
"Perhaps." Lazard seemed unconvinced. "I suspect that if you had been here it would have been your theme. The Turks all had various spy movie riffs -Veld got the Bond theme- Angeal had the Superman theme and Genesis' was what I believe were the opening bars of the LOVELESS overture. It was a truly unique day, though the other board members were less than amused. Scarlet in particular: She had the Jaws theme."
Cloud had encountered Scarlet once: Rude's choice of music for her was very apt indeed. The idea of Sephiroth as Darth Vader made him want to roll on the floor and howl with laughter, so he did his best to put it out of his mind.
"Anyway, I believe you had someone you wished to recommend for the SOLDIER program?" Lazard went on, eyes flicking over to Cloud. The Director was as blond as Cloud himself was, giving the young teen a very uneasy feeling. That face was just too familiar for comfort...
"This is Cloud Strife," Sephiroth said, arm snaking out to push the short blond forward. "He is a capable swordsman, gifted with Materia and a seasoned monster exterminator. He will soon be of an age to enter the program and I believe he has the knowledge, talent and strength to safely forgo the eight weeks of cadet training."
"Strife? Ah yes, Genesis sent me an email commending his speed and skill in spellcasting," Lazard said absently, producing a sheet of paper from a drawer. "I believe he is also acting as your aide at the moment?"
"He has been a great help in the past weeks," Sephiroth agreed. "Once he makes SOLDIER I would like to take him on as my student."
"You've not shown an interest in teaching before," Lazard noted, eyeing Cloud with detached interest. "What makes Strife so special?"
"He does not blush, stutter or dither when addressing me, will look me in the eye when I speak to him, clearly expresses his requirements, is diligent and hardworking and does not gossip," the Silver General said flatly. "I have yet to meet anyone currently under your command able to meet those requirements."
"Ah. In that case I see no reason not to allow him to take the exams. Should he pass you may take him on as your student; should he fail he will nonetheless be permitted to enter cadet training and retest with the rest of the new recruits."
"Thank-you Director," Sephiroth said firmly, "Strife will not fail."
"You are quite welcome General," the bespectacled Director said lightly, eyes still on Cloud. "Have a good evening."
Genesis does his best to poke at Sephiroth's temper and Lazard notices things. And you get to see some of what Rude did while Seph was away.
