Late, As Always

Late, As Always



Disclaimer in prologue.



Note: I'm trying my best to stick to the known events mentioned in the game. However, there are some things I did not like and changed. Please consider that before posting a review flaming me for not sticking with the storyline.



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Chapter 1



Cloud walked glumly into session two minutes late. Zack sighed and motioned for him to sit in one of the many vacant chairs surrounding the vast sparring court.



“Late again, Strife?” he asked once the room settled.



As Cloud opened his mouth to speak, a deep voice cut in, speaking for him.



“As always, Zack,” Sephiroth answered. “Should there not be some…disciplinary action?”



Zack looked quizzically at the General. Sephiroth smiled quickly and Cloud could’ve sworn he saw the silver-haired man wink. Zack suddenly seemed to understand the unspoken message and smiled also.



“See me after session, cadet Strife,” Zack commanded.



Before Cloud could protest, Sephiroth took his place at the front of the group and immediately, absolute silence fell.



“I assume you all know who I am,” Sephiroth began, his deep voice ringing out. “I shall have you know that I am only here because the lazy executives that run ShinRa require me to be, as I command this military.”



He glared around the room. “Now, I have exactly three two-hour sessions to prepare you for the upcoming SOLDIER examinations…”



Gasps punctuated his speech. Sephiroth sighed, annoyed, and continued with a sneer.



“Yes, the examinations, you dimwits. You are all here for a reason, are you not? To become a great warrior who may one day share the spotlight with none other than yours truly. So, this means that all you lowlife brats need to work hard to impress me while I attempt to shove knowledge into your empty heads and whip you into SOLDIER shape.”



Sephiroth, who had previously been pacing before the group, stopped and looked around. He seemed mildly amused with something, for he chuckled slightly.



“My, what a sorry group we have, Zack,” he said, still laughing. “Think they will make it?”



Zack looked ponderous. “Perhaps.”



“I may add, also, that very few cadets reach the plateau of SOLDIER level,” the General continued, looking smug. “After all, only the very best work with me. Unless you happen to collide with my backside, it is unlikely that you will ever be anywhere near me.”



The General glanced at Cloud, who groaned and looked away. That incident had to come up sometime, yet he wished it wouldn’t have.



“Of course,” Sephiroth added, contemplating, “if you do NOT become a SOLDIER, it means you did not work hard in session. I find that particularly offensive, as I am giving up my rare personal time to train you and bask in your sweaty failure.



“I could then hang you from the ceiling by your ankles…”



Many jaws dropped. Sephiroth looked vicious, while Zack seemed particularly amused.



“…lock you up in a dark room with minimal rations…”



A maniac glow intensified his emerald eyes.



“Or kill you.”



Many cadets gasped as the General stepped forward, looking positively evil. He drew a breath and opened his mouth slightly, revealing vaguely pointed, very white teeth.



“But I am joking, of course,” he finished, grinning jovially. “Let us get to work, shall we?”



The group sighed in relief. Cloud heard mutterings about how they should’ve known and how good of an actor Sephiroth was. However, no one moved.



Immediately, the silver-haired man’s face crinkled in rage.



“I said GET MOVING!” he barked.



A few hundred chairs scraped the floor as the cadets scurried to grab weapons and get to the sparring area. Sephiroth walked over to Zack and smiled warmly.



“Hello, Zack,” he said. “How goes the training with these kids?”



Zack winced and frowned. “Dismal. They’re a lazy bunch, that’s for sure. There are a few hard workers, though. Like Strife, for instance.”



“He never gets to session on time, SOLDIER,” the General replied, looking stern yet fond at the same time.



“How do you know that?” Zack asked curiously. He peered at Sephiroth. “I haven’t filed a report, since he’s my roommate.”



The silver-haired man looked away shiftily. Zack swore he even saw a very faint blush. He looked around to see if the cadets were active in their duties before giving his superior a scrutinizing gaze and leaning in to speak quietly.



“Does the great, untouchable Sephiroth have a crush on a lowly cadet?” Zack asked in a singsong voice. He reached up and pinched he other man’s cheeks. “Look at my little baby, all grown up!”



Sephiroth snarled and quickly swatted Zack’s hands away.



“Cut that out, SOLDIER,” he growled. “We are the in the presence of cadets. I have an image to uphold.”



“Whatever you say, General,” Zack replied. “We’d better get to work on these guys.”



Sephiroth nodded and approached the group once more.



“I cannot tell you exactly what your examination concerns, for it is a pop quiz of sorts,” Sephiroth began. “I may, however, train you on general skills that you may or may not require.”



Sephiroth stepped back and drew his weapon, the mythical Masamune. Zack skittered away, knowing well that at an impressive length of seven feet, he could easily be slashed while Sephiroth demonstrated maneuvers.



The cadets drew their practice weapons as well. They carried dull long swords designed for cadet safety. Many looked apprehensive, some ill, and yet others unfocused.



“Now, we shall begin with simple techniques that you all learned upon entering this establishment six months ago…”

* * *

An hour and a half later, Cloud was knocked to the ground for the sixth time that session. His partner, Hono, looked down at him and frowned.



“What’s gotten into you, Cloud?” he asked. “You seem so preoccupied.”



“Nothing,” Cloud replied, staring at Sephiroth. “Just nerves.”



Following Cloud’s gaze, Hono made a sound of understanding. He reached down and offered his hand, which Cloud gratefully took. They smiled at each other and resumed stance.



“It’s the General, isn’t it?” Hono asked, lunging forward.



“What makes you think that?” Cloud replied, swinging his sword upward in defense. The sound of metal hitting metal filled the air.



Hono barely had time to parry before Cloud launched a quick offensive.



“You’re not focused now that he’s in the room,” Hono ground out, shoving Cloud away.



Cloud lunged again, catching Hono off guard. Grinning evilly, Cloud kicked his partner in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. The loud thud echoed eerily and all heads turned in their direction. Hono glanced up, eyes watering, as Zack and Sephiroth hurried over.



”Careful there, cadet Strife,” Zack chided. “Hono, are you okay?”



“I’m fine,” Hono replied. He looked at Cloud. “No hard feelings, bud. Sparring is tough business.



Cloud nodded. “Sorry ‘bout that.”



The General looked directly at Cloud, bright green eyes boring intensely into Cloud’s ice-blue ones. The cadet stared defiantly back. After a moment, Sephiroth smiled. Cloud remained neutral, unsure of whether or not to relax.



”You have excellent energy and zeal, Strife,” he said. “You are confident and skillful. I like that.”



“Thank-you, sir,” Cloud replied, saluting and bowing his head respectfully.



“Do not forget to stay after with me…erm…Zack,” Sephiroth added, winking. He then looked to the group as a whole. “Good work today, cadets. You are dismissed.”



Cloud lagged behind as the chatter of the other cadets died away. Zack and Sephiroth were talking quietly at a table nearby, comparing notes and laughing occasionally. Zack jerked his head in Cloud’s direction, and was certain he spied a light blush on the General’s cheeks again. Laughing, he waved a hand and Sephiroth stood. Cloud quickly became mortified as Sephiroth approached slowly, his long silver hair swinging with each step. After a moment, Zack set his pencil down and ran to catch up with his superior. They walked side by side, looking grim.



Zack winked at Cloud when they were a few feet away. Cloud gave him a puzzled look, but soon found out what the wink was for.



As they were about to stop, Zack stuck out his foot. Sephiroth’s leather-clad foot caught on Zack’s tennis-shoed one and he began to fall. Cloud resembled a deer caught in headlights as the General seemed to fall in slow motion. Almost an eternity later, Sephiroth’s perfectly muscled body collided with Cloud’s lithe, smaller body. Both men tumbled to the ground with the silver-haired man on top.



Cloud stared up into Sephiroth’s beautiful green eyes, finding an odd expression there: a dusky, half-lidded look that slightly frightened him. What Cloud did not realize was that his own eyes beheld the same look of passion.



Somewhere above them, Zack coughed. The sound dragged Sephiroth back to reality and he quickly stood up. As Cloud stood and brushed himself off, the great General straightened his coat and fwapped Zack squarely on top of his head.



“What the hell, sir?!” Zack exclaimed, though he laughed hysterically. “Man, I totally got you, and it was so amazing!”



“That was extremely inappropriate, Zack,” Sephiroth snarled, irritated and aroused all at once. “Carry on with this disciplinary meeting, then.”



“Right,” Zack replied, sobering. “Look, Cloud, Sephiroth has requested that you be punished for you lack of responsibility.”



Cloud sighed. He knew the day would come, yet he wished the General himself hadn’t gotten personally involved. He bowed his head in defeat.



“So, cadet, you shall meet with me tonight at nine o’clock for disciplinary action,” Sephiroth added. “Zack will escort you to the designated area. Understand?”



“Sir, I thought you didn’t handle these matters?” Cloud said questioningly.



“Generally speaking, I do not,” the General replied. He glanced at Zack. “Only very severe ones.”



“Yes, sir, I’ll be ready.”



As Cloud walked away he heard something regarding “fun stuff” involving him. Sounded like it was going to be an interesting night.