June 12, 2009

Morning

Iwotodai Dormitory

1st Floor

Feeling his eyes slowly flutter open as he began to register the sight of faint sunlight phasing through open gaps between the curtains, Zack shifted his legs left and flung himself up from bed.

Exhaling as he reached up and stretched, room still faintly dark, he could make out the green digitized text projecting from his electronic clock: 6AM.

"Man…how long's it been since I've woken up this early?" He wondered, walking over towards the room's light switch, flicking it on. "And who the heck was that…?" He wondered, dozily recalling the woman in blue from his dream.

Snapping back to reality, Zack realized that he was still in his SOLDIER 1st Class uniform, and he remembered that Ikutsuki the night before had provided him with an entire wardrobe to select new clothes from.

Sighing as he walked over to look at his selection of what Ikutsuki referred to as 'formal wear', words from his former superior, flashed in his memory again.

"Another one of those Turks' gigs."

"Job's a job, I guess…" Zack remarked in the present, sorting through his clothes. "Argh, what am I even saying?! I can't treat this like some kind of Turks' thing!" He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his nervously. "Come on, Zack, what are ya so worried about…? You've worked with corporate pros multiple times…school should be a walk in the park for you. I mean, you've dealt with Tseng multiple times. You learn to deal with him, you learn to deal with everyone…right?"

As Zack continued attempting to lift himself up for the gradual task at hand, his eyes winced as he heard a faint knock at the door.

"Yeah…?" Zack called out.

"Oh, Zack. Good, you're awake." Ikutsuki's voice faintly seeped into the room. "Is everything alright in there?"

"Yup! All good here!" Zack insisted. "Don't you worry about a thing!"

"I'm glad to hear it! We'll be taking off to Gekkoukan High soon. Can you be ready to go in about fifteen minutes?" Ikutsuki asked. "The earlier, the better, since students will start to come pouring in before eight and I want to take care of business as soon as possible before the rush."

"Yeah, sure!" Zack exclaimed. "I can do that!"

"Excellent! I'll be waiting in the Lounge."

By the time the clock loomed towards 7AM, Ikutsuki had his car parked in his specially reserved spot, and Zack had continued to walk by his side towards the school's front entrance.

Looking up at the dimly lit sky as the sun slowly scaled upwards towards the sky's forefront, the faint orange glowing sunlight embracing him, Zack vacantly stared beyond the structure of Gekkoukan High and above, admiring the early morning scenery while unintentionally searching for a yellow gap in the sky.

"It's actually kinda nice out…" Zack commented, reaching up towards the pink petals falling from the Sakura trees.

"Indeed it is." Ikutsuki replied, adjusting his glasses. "I don't come to the school that often myself truth be told but when I do, I LOVE the early morning walks on this path, especially when it's this quiet after a smooth drive..."

"Not a fan of the early morning rush?" Zack noticed.

"Well as you can see and as you have seen, no one else is here and we have a big ol' path to ourselves." Ikutsuki commented, stopping on the path midway, stretching his arms out in front of him. "Plus, the traffic was less cumbersome than if we took off any later in the morning."

"Yeah, I guess that's fair." Zack shrugged.

"How about you, Zack? Did you ever experience a similar blight back home?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Honestly? Not really that often." Zack shook his head.

"No?" Ikutsuki inquired. "I figured that Midgar would be like any other, tightly compact city based on your accounts but perhaps I was incorrect to assume."

"Since I lived in the Shinra Building during most of my SOLDIER career, I never, ever, really had to deal with early morning rush hours or any commutes or anything like that. I just lived where my job was, 24/7, and was sent by the company via chopper to wherever I was needed on the field." Zack recalled. "It wasn't until my 2nd Class days that I started to explore Midgar a bit more and really appreciate what it had to offer instead of looking down at it from above, ya know?"

"Hmm." Ikutsuki croaked as they continued walking towards the school. "That actually somewhat surprises me. I figured that a country boy like yourself would have been eager to explore a whole city like that."

"I did…sorta." Zack murmured. "But not thoroughly enough, I guess, since I had my sights on Shinra and SOLDIER to begin with. I guess the only reason that I ever started to go out more was because of…someone."

"Alternate and concurrent perspectives are very healthy to experience." Ikutsuki noted as they reached the stairs leading towards the front door. "You will find especially here that not everyone experiences the same thing you do the same kind of way. It's only when you put all of those different perspectives and people together that you really start to create something special…and that's why I believe S.E.E.S. has become quite the successful venture that it's been these past few months."

"And it's only up from here." Zack remarked as he climbed up the stairs.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Ikutsuki chuckled. "A good sense of humor & timing is also a very healthy experience to hold onto in life."

"Oh yeah…" Zack stopped, turning around as he looked down at the steps. "I didn't even realize I made a joke there…wow." He huffed, rubbing the top of his head, joining Ikutsuki's laughs.

"Well, Mr. Fair." Ikutsuki cleared his throat, walking past the lockers near the front. "Allow me to personally be the one to say…welcome to our school!"

"Wow…!" Zack marveled as he looked up, gazing about the vast interior, making note of the blue and red statues at the edge of the lobby. "This is pretty sweet!" He exclaimed, his voice echoing across the empty halls.

"Indeed." Ikutsuki nodded, pointing in a few directions in which the hallway was split out. "So to our left, we have the Faculty Office and If you'll continue to follow me, Mr. Fair."

"Sure but…we don't have to be so formal, do we?" Zack wondered.

"Just think of it as getting warmed up for the possibility of coming across other students and staff members." Ikutsuki mentioned. "Gekkoukan High has an esteemed reputation to uphold and its pertinent that we carry ourselves with a certain finesse here."

"Finesse, I can do!" Zack pridefully declared, putting his hands on his hips and smiling widely.

"One specific thing I will advise, however, is make sure when we come across anyone else, remember to be discreet and don't tell anyone about what we're doing in as a group since we don't want any unnecessary complications." Ikutsuki instructed.

"Just like the old days…" Zack nodded with a sigh.

With the fleeting hour gone by, Zack sat silently in Ikutsuki's office, the scratchy tone of Ikutsuki's pen thoroughly skimming through various documents for setting up Zack's place as per their agreement, a subtle undertone of students' voice echoing down the hallways began to ascend bit by bit.

While the room itself remained concrete with Ikutsuki's writing, Zack wondered, if only for a moment, if in another life he got to experience the life of a student as opposed to a SOLDIER.

It wasn't necessarily out of any form of regrets from his time in Shinra, but rather a spur the moment daydream rooted in imagining what Makoto and the others would go through on a day-to-day basis.

"Alright, I'd say we're completely in order." Ikutsuki declared, stacking up the papers and fitting them into his suitcase.

"Oh, good! Guess we're all ready to go?" Zack asked.

"One last little detail for us to cover." Ikutsuki said, reaching below his desk and pulling out a small rectangular gift box. "Consider this a small token of appreciation for helping us in our extracurricular activities."

"Oh…thanks!" Zack accepted the box.

Pulling off the cover, he took a quick glance at the items placed neatly within a foam insert: A new wallet & flip phone with a small charger on the side.

Zack pulled out the wallet and upon inspecting what was inside, he found his Gekkoukan High ID with his picture on it, along with a small bit of Yen.

"Ah, you shouldn't have!" Zack exclaimed.

"Nonsense. "Ikutsuki smiled. "I know how tight things are for you given the circumstances. And considering your currency from back home won't do you much good here, I took it upon myself to give you a helping hand while we start you out on our payroll!"

"I can't take your mon-"

"Oh, yes you can!" Ikutsuki insisted. "It's going to be a very hard road ahead so in order for you to help us, we need to help you first."

"Uh…yeah." Zack conceded. "Thank you!"

"You're very welcome, Zack!" Ikutsuki beamed, leaning forward. "Now, turn on the phone I just gave you & just check if you're comfortable with the device or not."

"Yeah, I mean…" Zack shrugged, closing and opening the phone spontaneously in his palm. "It's just like my old one! Feels great!"

"Uh…Zack?" Ikutsuki browed.

"Oh right, sorry, sorry." Zack gulped, powering the device on, scrolling through its functions. "You put your number in here already?" He asked, getting to the Contacts page.

"Yup! And you are free to continue adding whoever you wish upon your own discretion." Ikutsuki informed, taking a quick look at his watch that read 8AM. "Ah. Say Zack. I DO have some more very important work that needs taking care of but how about relocating and giving that phone of yours a try?"

"I can do that!" Zack hastily stood up. "Where abouts should I go?" He wondered.

"If you ever want some space away from the students, I'd recommend giving the rooftop a try." Ikutsuki suggested. "And I DO really see that you're eager to get up and move."

"Yeah, paperwork and waiting has never really been my thing." Zack frowned.

"Well, as a Dorm Parent, paperwork and waiting do come with the job," Ikutsuki stated. "But I promise you that things won't be as boring in our case since we're only just covering your story for good measure as you fight for us."

"Well, job's a job and you're doing me a big favor so I'll do what I can to uphold that!" Zack declared. "So how do I get to the rooftop anyway?"

"Finding the rooftop shouldn't be too hard. Just go straight down to the entrance we came in, go down the hallway on the right. Once you're up there, you'll go down the hallway again and go up the stairs at the end." Ikutsuki instructed.

"Entrance, hallway, stairs, hallway, stairs…" Zack counted with his fingers. "Got it."

Trying to mask the fact that he was slightly lost, Zack ended up sprinting through the halls of Gekkoukan High.

The students that loitered in the halls or entered their classrooms immediately chuckled at Zack's constant scurrying.

He was able to eventually find the rooftop once he was able to locate the stairs that continued upward.

Finally breaching through the doors at the end of the staircase leading upward at the end of his sprint, Zack found himself quietly staring up at the rotating blades atop the five pillars beside the waterfront, admiring the stillness that came with the calm waters.

The medium sized flower beds made of brick right beside the concrete benches made him remember his time back in Midgar when he convinced a certain girl to launch "Operation: Midgar full of flowers, wallet full of money".

Smiling at the memory, he whipped out his flip phone, dialing Ikutsuki instantly.

"I take it you were able to find the rooftop without issue?" Ikutsuki asked.

"Yes." Zack boldly answered.

"Well, if you ran up and down the school hallways until you found the rooftop, then I suppose 'Yes' will have to suffice." Ikutsuki stated.

"How did-"

"Word travels fast around these parts." Ikutsuki interjected. "If you really needed me to go with you, I'd have absolutely gone with you."

"Yeah, maybe next time..." Zack shrugged. "On the plus side, I kinda mentally mapped this place after all of that running."

"Oh, you did, did you?" Ikutsuki chirped. "How about coming back down to the Faculty Office once you're taking in the sights…? We may still have time to meet and greet with a few staff members."

"…"

"You do know where the Faculty Office is, right?"

"I can find it." Zack insisted.

"Alright. I'll meet you at the entrance. It'll be the same one we came in this morning, got it?"

"Yup! See ya there!" Zack exclaimed, closing his flip phone and placing it back in his pocket. "Welp…that could've gone better."

"Zack?"

"Huh?" Zack murmured, turning around. "Oh, hey Fuuka! How goes it?" He beamed.

"I'm doing fine!" Fuuka bellowed. "I just wanted to come up here one more time before heading down to class, that's all…"

"I see." Zack comprehended.

"Was that you running around the school just now?" Fuuka asked.

"Yeaaaaah…" Zack awkwardly smiled. "I guess you could say I got a little lost trying to find my way up here."

"Oh, don't worry, I know the feeling!" Fuuka snickered, raising her hand up, barely grazing the top of her lip with her index finger.

"Do you usually come up here when you want to get away from it all?" Zack asked.

"Oh, yes!" Fuuka nodded. "The peace up here helps me relax when I'm feeling overwhelmed or stressed."

"How are you feeling now?" Zack inquired.

"I do still feel a bit overwhelmed by everything that just happened but…I feel ready to finally face the world again!" Fuuka proclaimed.

"That's awesome!" Zack smiled. "I'm proud of you!"

"Thanks…!" Fuuka squirmed. "But I really didn't do anything all that special. I'm just coming back to school like any other day. I almost wish I was as adventurous and daring as you."

"Nah, you gotta give yourself more credit!" Zack interjected. "And you don't have to compare yourself to me. Just be proud that you're yourself! Because no one else can be you."

"But…I don't know who I'm supposed to be just yet. But you, Zack. You make it look so effortless..." Fuuka sighed.

"Well, I wasn't always like that, believe it or not…" Zack recalled. "I was told by an old friend that I had focus but only focused 'for the sake of it.' And he was right. I played the part but I wanted to be a hero without exactly knowing what kind of hero I wanted to be, or what kind of person I'd end up becoming if I ever made it to that goal. Do you wanna know what he told me? What finally made it all click?"

"What did he tell you…?" Fuuka wondered.

"Embrace your dreams." Zack stated.

"Embrace…my dreams?" Fuuka murmured, confused. "But I don't know what I really want...what if the thing I end up wanting in the end isn't easily obtainable?"

"Nothing worth having is." Zack emphasized.

"I…" Fuuka thought for a moment. "I'll think about it. Just not too sure right now what it all means."

"It's not an answer that comes immediately. Sometimes it takes years to arrive at the answer that's right for yourself. But once you find that answer, hold on tight like your life depends on it and never let go!" Zack reinforced as he hugged himself.

"I have to head to class now but thanks so much, Zack!" Fuuka smiled.

"No sweat!" He smiled back, sudden realization colliding with him. "Hey Fuuka! You wouldn't happen to know where the Faculty Office is, do ya?"

Standing patiently in front of the Faculty Office on the first floor as he checked his watch, he turned to see Zack sprinting towards him down the hallway.

While Ikutsuki didn't flinch, he gleefully shook his head as Zack came to a grinding halt in front of him.

"Sorry I'm late…" Zack murmured as he rubbed the back of his head and stared at the ground.

"On the contrary, this is good timing!" Ikutsuki affirmed. "Albeit cutting it a little close, but still good timing regardless. Only two teachers are inside getting ready at the moment but thankfully, one of those teachers are in charge of some of your teammates' homeroom. This would be a nice opportunity to chat briefly, maybe break the ice a little bit."

"Sounds like a plan!" Zack exclaimed.

"Let's go inside." Ikutsuki directed, sliding the door open.

"Good morning, Mr. Chairman!" A woman dressed in orange sang.

"Hello, Miss Terauchi. Nice to see you with that usual, inspiring spunk!" Ikutsuki greeted, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh. Mr. Chairman. What brings you here?" A woman dressed in brown stood up.

"Ah yes. Ladies, I'd like to introduce our new hire for the Dormitory in Iwotodai. Mr. Zack Fair." Ikutsuki gestured his hand over to Zack.

"Hiya!" Zack greeted with a wave. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Indeed!" Ms. Terauchi exclaimed, walking up to shake his hand. "Hello, I'm Miss Terauchi."

"A pleasure!" Zack shot back with a smile.

"Goodness me, what a polite yet handsome young man you've brought aboard, Mr. Chairman!" Ms. Terauchi complimented. "I'm sure he'll do a fine job watching over the students."

"He was one of our finer candidates, I'll admit." Ikutsuki noted. "A lucky find, if I do say so myself."

"I'll do my best!" Zack cheered.

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Fair." Ms. Toriumi dryly greeted, shaking his hand. "Now that you'll be watching a few of my students that I'm currently teaching, make sure none of them cause any trouble or else I'M gonna take the brunt of it. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Zack replied, remaining blunt yet polite as he let go of her hand, taken aback by the subtle aggression she displayed.

"Oh, don't mind her too much!" Ms. Terauchi chuckled. "She gets a little grouchy sometimes early in the morning, right Isako?"

"Mhmm..." She replied once more, sorting some papers on her desk. "And we have classes to teach so I think we ought to get going. Could sure use a coffee right about now..."

"I've got some!" Ms. Terauchi bellowed, handing Toriumi a cup as she stood up. "There. That better, Isako?"

"Getting there…" Ms. Toriumi nodded with a light smile.

"Well, ladies, I appreciate your time today in welcoming, Mr. Fair." Ikutsuki thanked. "I hope we have a chance to get him further inaugurated if he were to ever meet some of the other staff members."

"Oh, totally!" Ms. Terauchi crowed. "We should all go for coffee sometime! He'd fit right in with us, right Isako?"

"Sure." Ms. Toriumi shrugged as the two teachers prepared to leave. "Mr. Chairman." She greeted as the two walked out the door.

"Well, that's all the business we have today regarding our school campus for now." Ikutsuki affirmed. "I think it's a good time to start heading back to the Dorm while I check in on some things."

After hours of silence as Zack treaded through his boredom, he was finally able to change back comfortably into his SOLDIER uniform and wind down for the day.

The group confirmed that for the night, they wouldn't venture into Tartarus just yet. As a matter of fact, Ikutsuki requested that the group took a breather for the time being and that "they'll all have something special ready for them soon."

While truthfully, he'd already slumped himself up into bed, he couldn't close his eyes just yet, staring at the wall beside him, as the lamp's light hovered behind him, barely passing over him as his shadow kept the wall bare of light.

Just as he attempted to close his eyes, they instantly shot back open as darkness suddenly loomed over him, a familiar green light surrounding the interior of his room.

"Shit…" Zack croaked, launching himself onto his feet as he quickly headed towards the door, staring back at his Buster Sword as he grabbed it, clamping it onto his back.

Opening the door, observing the empty, nearly pitch-black Dorm Lobby, if not for the green light seeping in from the green moon outside, scanned for any enemy activity.

While Zack was thankful that there didn't seem to be any immediate threat in the area, his ears perked up as he swore that a faint voice was coming from upstairs, taking light steps as he headed towards the stairs.

"Do you remember what I said before?"

Zack scurried, lightly tiptoeing up the stairs as his speed increased, his guard steadily raising.

"I'm pretty sure the end is unavoidable."

The unrecognizable voice was coming from the end of the 2nd Floor Student Dorm Hallway, more specifically, Makoto's room.

"Hey, if you don't mind, can I be your friend?"

The conversation gradually continued as Zack decreased his pace as he shimmied himself towards Makoto's door.

"Well, it's getting late, so I'm going now. I can hardly wait until the next time we meet. Bye-bye."

Raising his fist up, Zack lightly knocked on Makoto's door, careful not to knock loud enough and wake Junpei and Akihiko up. Zack heard Makoto's footsteps faintly through the door, the sound rising as he got closer to the door, causing Zack to back up a little bit as he anticipated the door to open.

"Zack…?" Makoto dazily replied.

"Sorry, man…I didn't mean to wake you. I thought I heard someone talking up here." Zack whispered, taking a quick look around Makoto's room.

"I see." Makoto nodded.

"Everything okay?" Zack asked.

"Yeah." Makoto confirmed. "I'm okay."

"I'm glad…" Zack exhaled. "Okay, I'm gonna go try and catch some shut eye now. I'll let you do the same."

"Sure thing." Makoto concurred.

"Night, man." Zack waved.

"Night." Makoto replied.