Soaked Innocence
AN: Thanks for those who reviewed. In any case, I really do apologize for the boring last chapter. It really was quite redundant. But I'm not taking it down. If you ask me, I didn't quite like how it all turned out. I really didn't like how Zack had turned out. He wasn't supposed to be a high-strung official, but a new SOLDIER recruit… however; luckily I have an idea up my sleeve. -smiles-
Anyhoo -- Here's the most anticipated 3rd installment of SI. (I have an insane urge to change my title into 'Cloud's Soaked Innocence' for some unknown reason… that is so that I could call my fic 'CSI'! XD pift…ok, I'll shut up now.) I don't know where this plot is taking me but I'm going along with it anyway. Actually, I already have an ending for this fic, buuuuuut… the problem is, I have no idea what I'll write between in transition to that. I'll try not to overshadow too much. -sigh-
And I do clearly apologize if this fic is taking so long to get out. Why you ask? Well… 1) I have a life that's clearly too busy. 2) I'm a lazy-ass bum. 3) I DON'T HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION! – even dial-ups! (I know. Then all you people would go like 'why don't you just go to an internet café or something?'… well honey, it ain't that easy. You see, I have strict parents who won't let their children go out into the big bad world. They won't even let us out past the gates… No. I'm not kidding there. 'Tis a sad little world I live in, huh?) and 4) I only write in my spare time or when I feel like it.
note: Mentions of Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core would be shown, but not really as a spoiler. Just some glimpses of Shinra's deepest darkest secrets, 's all. Nothing to fear about. (more notes at the bottom)
Disclaimer: I already told you, I DO NOT own them! Sephiroth owns the world!!! He's the real mastermind behind the September 11 bombings! O.o;; … or it could be Hojo… -talks in his crazy talk-
Chapter III
Grunts…
Panting…
Shouts…
"Hiiiyaaa!"
The occasional clang of metal against metal, ringed throughout the area. Sparks flew here and there. Gloves squeaked against the slippery hilt of a rusty worn out sword. Sweat sprinkled the wooden floor, leaving it with an almost polished sheen. A hand gripped tightly; gloves squeaking once more. Muscles tensed up on lithe shoulders before attacking forward, leaving a spray of perspiration in his wake.
"Rrryyyaaa!!!!"
Another clang of metal.
"'Heard about the new Lieutenant Colonel lately?" a whisper was heard from the small group of recruits that were watching the sparring.
"Hmm… He's new here right?" one said.
"Uh huh." A nod.
"Guess how old he is."
"dunno, how?"
"18."
"What? No way! He's barely our age! How could he be an officer then?"
"I heard that Brigadier General Angeal trained him."
"Yeah, and I heard he aced the SOLDIER entrance exams and that he got top scores… well, next to Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth's anyway… Next thing he knew he was promoted to a high-ranked position."
A shrug. "pisssh… He probably bribed his way through it."
"Hey, isn't he supposed to be an intern instead?"
"Yeah he is. And he's the General's intern."
Clang!
Slash…
Thud.
He found himself being distracted by the small talk. He really wasn't into eaves dropping, but sometimes he couldn't help it. His ears would often pick up signals that were not meant to be heard.
Clang…!
"Alright, that was good." A slow clapping of hands was heard from among the pockets of sword fighting. Boots scoffed the squeaky wooden floor, making their way towards a particular sparring.
The two recruits that were sparring relaxed somewhat and backed off of each other as their trainer walked towards their pair. The two of them were barely recognizable from the visor covered helmets that they were sporting. It was a Shinra standard. The two recruits drew to a dueling stance, where in the tip of the sword merely pointed at the other with two hands gripping the hilt as they waited for further instructions.
"That was very good." The trainer said once more as he drew to a close. "Although, little miss shorty here hasn't quite gotten used to this new stance." The instructor said casually, a thumb pointing at the said trooper, as if pointing out what he didn't like about a dress he was going to wear. This earned him a slight tick on the forehead from the said trooper. The nerve of him!, he screamed internally. He seemed more annoyed at the officer after hearing his other trooper companions' gossip. Stunningly blue visor-covered eyes gave the Lieutenant Colonel a sharp look, but this was left unseen. The SOLDIER motioned to the other trooper parallel to the blue-eyed recruit, giving him an order to get another practice sword from the rack for him. The other trooper saluted and went on his way, leaving the officer and himself to themselves.
Dark mako blue eyes now focused themselves on him, lips grinning casually. He tilted his head and put his thumb to his chin, his mako eyes giving the boy the up and down. For some unknown reason, he didn't feel too comfortable with that look the Lieutenant was giving him.
"That was very impressive Strife." Lieutenant Zack said, while nodding his spiky head. "but your style is not yet quite that perfect." He added, striding slowly to stand behind the blonde, who did not move or twitch from his spot and stance. "Your body is perfect for fast and quick attacks, although, your blows might not be as damaging."
Then, something unexpected happened.
Before he could even realize, two arms found their way and slid around his torso from behind making, the lithe blonde gasp somewhat. A rush of blood covered his face at that gesture; his whole body became taught, rigid and tensed. He really didn't know if whether he should move or not, so he tried his best not to. The two hands found their way sliding on his arms and finally overlapping themselves on the youth's hands that were griping the hilt. The trooper gulped. He suddenly feels the other's hair brush against his cheek as it falls forward from behind his instructor's ear.
"Spread your legs." A whisper said to the blonde's ear, hearing the soft order coming from the Lieutenant.
What?
He panicked. What did he say? It was not expected. It could not be properly processed. He was at a loss.
"Spread your legs more so you'll have a wider base in attacking." The instructor continued, a hand passing over one of his thighs to spread the boy's legs apart. "Make sure to bend your knees before you lunge into attack. This'll do twice the damage. Remember, a wider base can give you a larger center of gravity."
Cloud nodded firmly in an annoyed way. Of course he already knew all those stuff! So why the hell was he being taught again? He kept his eyes on the hilt of the sword in front of him and nothing else. He made sure to take note of the tips he was getting and not observe where the hand of the Lieutenant was going. For a minute there he thought…
"Always remember to keep your eye on the target." The trainer continued, gripping the hilt of the sword once more and making a forceful practiced swing with the trooper's hands in between his own. "And attack with full force."
And with that, the instructor stepped away from the close proximity, much to the relief of the blond, and giving a hard pat on the young trooper's shoulder. Cloud hadn't noticed that he was actually holding his breath that whole time when his constricted lungs finally gave off as he breathed in a deep sigh of relief. That was really weird… At that moment, his sparring partner decided to come back with the practice sword and tossed it over to the Lieutenant, who caught it with a grab of his arm in mid air.
"Now, show me what ya got, Spike." The lieutenant egged him on as he drew to a stance.
Cloud faced him, a fierceness flashing across his blue eyes behind his visor, feeling a little irk at being called 'Spike'. He spread his legs, bent his knees and lunged forward, ripping a determined cry from his throat.
"Kyyaaaaaaaaaaa…!!!"
Clang…!
Scrape…
Pant…
"Good. Now attack me again."
The blond again formed another stance, determined to knock this guy out-cold. Only because he was mad and in order to finally prove himself that he was stronger than any SOLDIER. Truthfully he didn't know weather he would be embarrassed, angry or annoyed with the higher officer.
And then he'd ask himself, why would he be? It's not like he was hurt or anything… Insulted maybe, but… he was used to taunts and insults. Heck, the guy even helped him earlier in the training field!
But, what just happened right now… It was unacceptable. The Lieutenant Colonel had just gone and invaded his own personal space!
The trooper gave another desperate blow only for it to be blocked out forcefully. A sly smirk was seen on the trainer's lips. Blue eyes frowned again, taking another kind of stance before thrusting forward, spinning a twirl before landing a second blow.
Swish!
Clang!
Scrrrape…
Sparks flew as the two metal swords collided in a strong friction. By this time, a small crowed had gathered around the two, admiring the small battle. Cloud tried all the different kinds of stances that he knew, only for every attack to be either blocked and/or dodged. The young trooper whizzed around the instructor, never stopping from his attacks and never giving a chance for the SOLDIER to counter an attack.
Whoop.
Crash.
Cling!
"Whoa, feisty aren't we, trooper? Nice. I like that. You're pretty fast." The SOLDIER complemented, blocking another (supposedly) deadly blow. Their swords grinded against each other, metal against metal. Cloud could actually see a ghost of a smirk on the other's lips as they stared at each other through their swords. "But luckily, I'm faster."
That last statement was said casually, too casually that it wasn't enough to trigger Cloud's spidy senses to move into action. Without warning the Lieutenant Colonel leaned further, adding pressure to their already grinding swords, making the young recruit almost stumbling back. Cloud was pretty sure that his blade would brake. With wide blue-eyed astonishment, the trooper suddenly found himself be hauled back, his sword was discarded, noisily dropping to the floor with a clatter; both his arms were painfully grabbed and pinned against his back as his face hit the hard wooden floor with a smack and a loud thud, making his helmet roll out of his head, revealing his wonderfully spiky blond hair.
A groan.
An applause had spread over the small audience that had gathered to watch, cheering the young SOLDIER at his 'triumph'… Really, triumph? – he shook his head. – He had just beaten a lowly trooper… Really, what would the General say? The officer thought sarcastically. The trooper groaned in pain underneath him from the pressure he had on both of the kid's arms.
Cloud winced under him, feeling the pain on his arms that were twisted in a very painful angle. He was pathetic, how could he let that happen? If only he was more alert that time, he could've dodged that attack. He should've thought outside the box. Damn it… He closed his eyes; he closed them so that he wouldn't have to see those faces, those insulting faces that would jeer at his loss and weakness. Once again, a higher up has proven that he was not fit to be SOLDIER. He could hear their laughter around him, echoing against his ear. Jeering at him, spitting at him and saying that he was a pathetic maggot. Oh how right they were…
But suddenly, the laughter ceased. Everything became quiet and still. What was going on? The silence made the sudden tension in the room unbearable.
Footsteps.
He could hear footsteps. Silent steady footsteps. Heavy leather squeaked the smooth floor as he felt the vibration against his cheek. He once again opened is eyes, searching among the forest of feet in front him. All heads were turned in the same direction of the sparring gym and he could even see the instructor on top of him look at its general direction too.
Who was that?
The footsteps continued. Steadily and silently. Then after along moment, he could finally see a pair of long slender leather covered calves walk in front of his peripheral vision. A long swishing black coat billowed in its wake as tendrils of silver hair float noiselessly behind. Blue eyes looked slowly up to find a broad half-opened leather clad chest and… a glance of the brightest, greenest eyes he had ever seen.
Was he dreaming? He could swear to Gaia that he had seen those pair of eyes before. Oh, how he dreamt he would someday see those eyes up close when he stared at the pictures in the newspaper when he was a kid. No… it couldn't be. It just can't…
Just as the pair of footsteps reached the other side of the Gym to exit, the boots scoffed and turned to face the occupants of the room.
"Carry on." The voice boomed, low, smooth and velvety.
Everyone gave a collective whoop and saluted as the General made his exit, leaving the occupants to continue what they had been doing before. As noise filled the entire hall once more, Cloud groaned and thumped his head against the wooden floor. No shit. That was the General. The GENERAL for Gaia's sake! And it was the first time he saw him too, since he entered the trooper training program. And to think that the General saw him in this… this, compromising position under his so-called instructor.
How humiliating…
"Oh, uh… ya better get up now cadet." came the uneasy command from the officer on top of him.
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Lights were out at exactly ten. This was the usual time wherein the General would usually do his rounds through the SOLDIER barracks. It was now half-past ten. Eight to nine was the usual last shift of guard duty for that day. At exactly twenty-two hundred hours the sirens would ring throughout the facility to signify the start of curfew, letting the troopers, SOLDIERs and employees scurry to their dorms and barracks.
He didn't know why the General started his patrol that late in the evening, but feeling with nothing else better to do, he decided to do it early. He had to abide with the General's schedule or else he would get another cold stare from the silver-haired wonder tomorrow. It wasn't exactly his job, but he had to do it for the sake of promotion. Sephiroth was having a meeting with professor Hojo again that evening for god knows what, and, as the General's intern, apprentice and right-hand man, he was automatically the substitute. Not that he minded doing this job, mind you. This was one of the easiest tasks that he had to do as an intern, and that was just one of them.
Silently he patrolled the eerie metal hulls of the Shin-Ra Junon Facility from the 13th to the 60thth floor where the SOLDIDER sector mostly resided. The 61st floor onwards would belong to Shinra's other branches, like the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs department (alias: TURKS); the Science and Research department, and higher up would be the 'Unknowns' or other uncommercialized ShinRa branches like Ragnarök and Asaer. You would be caught dead going there, unless you have a permit to do so. Who knows what they might be brewing up in that place…
His boots scoffed, echoing though the hollow empty metal corridors. A slight hum and din from the metal walls could be heard and that only added to the unwelcome feeling of the building. It was also faintly lit since the only source of light were the emergency red lights that hung in the walls. He walked in strides, his huge buster sword swinging slightly from side to side on his back as his walked.
Well, so far so good. There's not a penny out of place. He hasn't seen anything peculiar or disturbing up to this point. uhh… whatever those peculiar or disturbing things he should be spotting were. What was he supposed to spot anyway? It wasn't like clowns would break into the facility through the air vents or something… He shrugs… but then again, anything could happen. Especially in ShinRa. For all he knew, there could be clowns plotting for world domination out there, just itching to take over the company. He shudders. That was a scary thought.
His boots now gave a loud 'thunk' as his crossed the metal suspended bridge towards the other hall. Electrical tubes, giant clogs, sprockets and glowing mako could be seen from under his feet through the metal crisscrossed screen. Steam and gases hung in the air as the metal clock-work turned, keeping the building efficient into the night. He grimaced at the strong smell of Mako and the eeriness it gave off. Frankly, he didn't like crossing this part of the building.
It was creepy. It was said, that if you fell over these railings you would immediately meet your doom deep underground. He was also pretty sure that he heard a rumor about a hundred or so troopers, recruits and SOLDIERS suddenly went missing deep within the bowels of ShinRa. He shudders. Who knows what might've happened to them? But then again, for all he knew, it could still be just a rumor.
As he reached the other side, he pulled out a keycard from out of his pocket to proceed to the next level where he would finally end this stupid routine. Ahh… he should get some shuteye. It had been a long day. Not to mention, training the recruits was extremely tiring. It was like re-living his trooper days. He smiled to himself. Though, during his trooper days, he had been lucky enough to be in that special class where Angeal taught… If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't be in SOLDIER, let alone get to meet Sephiroth… Speaking of Sephiroth, why was he taking so long with Hojo? He grunted and sighed. Just has he was about to swipe the keycard on the slit, something caught him from the corner of his eye.
Why hadn't he noticed it there before? He blinked, making sure his tired eyes weren't deceiving him. Just as his eyes came into focus again he saw, sitting on a crate, eyes closed, a hand resting on a bent knee, helmet discarded by his foot and messy spiky blond hair flopped to one side… a sleeping trooper.
But not just any trooper.
Cautiously, the young new SOLDIER approached the quiescent recruit, dropping his hand that held the keycard and making sure that his boots won't make too much of a noise. As he neared the other, he noticed that the young boy was holding onto a standard rifle on his side, meaning that this kid must've had his last shift in guard duty. — But wait a minute. The last shift was already done about an hour ago… so, why was the kid still out here? He scratched his head.
Zack looked to his left then to his right, making sure that no one else was there in the hall. He craned his neck to inspect the trooper closely, his face just mere inches away from the blonde's. He quietly observes him, looking intently at the trooper's effeminate features. He observed how the boy's eye lashes flutter against the skin of his flushed cheeks and how the boy breathed softly in his slumber… hmm… well there's no wonder why the General chose this particular one to be the object of his lust.
He smirked and then sighed, hanging his head down and rubbing the back of his neck. Now what should he do? Should he just leave the poor guy here to sleep or should he just wake him up? He shrugged.
"Hm… I guess I should go with the latter." He mumbled softly. Or else Seph'll have his head for this if he didn't.
First, he gently poked the kid on the shoulder — there was no response.
Then, he tried shoving the boy awake… Again, no response.
He tried calling the boy's name again and again whilst shoving his shoulder. Still no reaction.
This is not good. This kid's a very heavy sleeper, he noticed. Oy vay. He rolled his eyes. He shrugged again and sighed. 'Guess he'll just have to carry the boy all the way to his floor, huh? Gently, he slipped his arms on the youth's back and underneath the boy's legs before lifting the boy up into his arms, bridal style. The SOLDIER gave a soft grunt. Geez, this guy is heavy, the SOLDIER mused.
When he finally managed to sling the boy's arms around his neck, he now started on a slow pace of supporting the boy's weight and walking towards the elevator. With careful hands he quickly swiped the keycard over to the slit and entered the gantry of the lift, letting the slow mechanism of the elevator doors slam shut behind him as he entered.
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"Thank you, General. That would be all for today." said a slurring oily voice.
The General bowed low as a gesture of respect towards the scientist, careful not to let them see the look of uttermost vehemence on his face. After that awkward moment, he straightened up and strode out of that dingy dark laboratory without a word before the automatic doors closed shut. Upon stepping out of the lab, he slumped his weight up against a grey wall and clutched his forehead in a wince of pain. A slew of curses filled his head at the Scientist's expense, cursing all life into oblivion as to whatever the doctor had given him in his dosage this time.
"Damn it." He grumbled has he straightened himself up, hands clutching against the wall.
"My, my… it's already past curfew and the General is still up and about?" A voice sounded through the supposedly disserted corridor. "And to think that he's a person who's very strict with time. Tsk tsk."
Whoever that person was, they have no rite to taunt or tease him no matter what his/her position, especially in situations where the General of ShinRa was really not feeling very benevolent at the moment. The General turned around to regard where that annoying voice came from, eyes growing into dangerous slits and expecting to lash out violently. But instead, his glowing aqua eyes suddenly softened a bit into a look of surprise to see the person who was standing in front of him.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
A finely chiseled eyebrow was raised. "Now now, is that how you would greet a long lost friend?" The man then took this opportunity to walk and lean against the wall beside his friend, both hands slipping into his red leather coat's pockets.
Sephiroth now took this time to breathe and let the pain leave him and subside for a moment. He should not be showing this kind of weakness in front of anyone, even if that anyone were a friend. He sighed a shaky breath and straightened himself up before looking over at the other SOLDIER beside him, giving the man the up and down.
"No… I guess not." The silver-haired man said softly to his companion, meekly shaking his head. A small smile appeared on his lips. He shrugged and crossed his arms, leaning back on the wall, feeling the last few spasms of pain ebb away.
"Since when did you get back?" was the first question that popped into the General's mind upon laying eyes on the brunette SOLDIER. Well, as his principles would put it: being straight to the point will make things much easier. But the other did not share the same view in his insights.
The brunette beside him chuckled a bit. "Did you really miss me that much?" he smirked.
"Just answer the god damn question Genesis," came the curt threat.
"Oh, and you won't call me 'Gen-gen' anymore?" the other chuckled again. "And I thought you loved calling me by that name Sephy."
A dangerous smirk graced the General's lips. "First of all, I never called you that. And second of all: do you still remember how I pummeled you into the next millennia when you called me by that idiotic name, Colonel Genesis?"
"Actually, it's Major General now."
"Oh, I deeply apologize." Sephiroth mock-bowed. "Major General Genesis."
"Yes. And I do remember quite clearly." He said as if relishing in a fond memory. "I still have the bruises for proof… Sephy." He emphasized the name only to irk the other before finishing with a laugh. "But seriously… I've only been here since about a couple of hours ago."
"hmm. I see." the General nodded, recoiling into silence. "What made them want to bring you back?" he said after a long while.
A shrug. "they didn't."
Another pause of silence was shared between the two, the two of them venturing into their own little world of thoughts.
"You still haven't answered my question." Sephiroth suddenly broke the silence. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"The funny thing is, I actually went to the 2nd Class' floor level… to see if you were still hanging out there." He smiled to himself. "But you weren't, so I thought I'd probably find you here which turned out to be right. I was actually hoping to come across the Brigadier General too."
Sephiroth was a bit startled by the brunette's answer and only stared at his friend with a quizzical look. The sentiment was bittersweet and it gave flashes of memories that were once were. Oh, how he missed those days where in you couldn't have a care in the world. He did. And somewhere in his mind, he would give anything to bring those days back.
"Those days are gone Genesis." Was all that he could say as he sighed, turning his head away. "Things are… different now… You know that."
The other merely nodded, glowing eyes hidden underneath brown locks, "Yes, I know." The SOLDIER said bitterly. "you could say I was just hoping…" The Major General's words trailed off somewhere and were never voiced out. The brunette smiled bitterly to himself again.
Silence once again reigned through that deserted corridor, both SOLDIERs never speaking a single word for the length of time as they both leaned comfortably against the wall next to each other. Oddly enough the situation brought a sense of nostalgia on both of them. It was like old times, as they say. They've shared situations like this in the past where in they would just settle back to the calming silence and the comforting company of one another. Just like this… quiet and peaceful coupled by the lulling comfort of the presence of the body next to yours. It was… priceless.
But eventually as all good things come and go so swiftly, the atmosphere was suddenly broken as the Major General abruptly pushed himself off the wall while smoothing down his red leather coat. "I guess I'd better be off." He said quietly to the silver-haired man beside him. "I have… things to attend to."
"I… understand." said the General hesitantly with a nod of his head.
His so-called friend then patted him on the shoulder as a sign on affection before looking into the other's glowing Mako eyes. "You sure you're gonna be alright General?" he said.
"Yes. It's only a small dosage anyway. I can manage on my own."
The brunette nodded and started to walk in the other direction, his red leather coat gliding behind him. Sephiroth just let him trail away as he slumped back on the wall. Damn… it was going to be a while before this pain would go away. He would have to kill that bastard Hojo for this someday, if it's the last thing he would do. He cursed.
"Oh and General, before I forget," the brunette turned around when he was halfway through the hall. Sephiroth raised his head to regard the other. "Be sure to take care of that new toy you've found lurking in the shower stalls the other night." A smirk graced the lips of the Major General.
Sephiroth considerably stiffened at that as he remained leaning against the wall. Of all the things that that was bothering him, this was not the right time to deal with it. "How did you get that information?" all feeling was lost from the General's tone as he glared daggers at the Major General.
The brunette gave a lighthearted chuckle. "You shouldn't be so surprised, General." He began, brushing back a few brown bangs. "Rumor spreads like wildfire in ShinRa, and most of the time they're half true. It's not a mystery how would I find out."
The General remained silent on his spot, glaring coldly at the other SOLDIER. Both his hands were clenched into tight fists, his Mako eyes glowed with such fierceness that it was difficult not to look away for a normal person.
"I must say, you have quite the taste, General." The other continued as he smirked, an underlying sentiment passed through his eyes.
"What are you implying, Major General?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at the other SOLDIER.
Genesis shook his head, his soft brown locks sifting to his face. "I am not implying, I am merely stating what I observe."
"And what do you mean by that…?" the silver-haired man demanded.
"All I'm saying is that you should take good care of him. He might be a great new addiction to the army someday. Don't let anything get in yours or his way, General." He smirked as he let the words flow through the air as he turned around to continue his walk. "Anyway, I better get going. It was nice seeing you again… Sephiroth."
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Hot tongues lavished on heated skin. He couldn't breath he couldn't think, he could only feel… feel another's hot skin against his. The sheer friction and the building heat heightened his other senses. He felt… wet. Water… there was water everywhere, rippling through both their skins. It was hot and slippery and it felt good… and it hurt at the same time. There was blood, then there was an overwhelming warmth. He could here himself scream, his throat was getting sore, but he couldn't care less. He could feel himself weaken at his release, but then— something entered inside him, squeezing through him, pushing aside his walls. And then that spot. Oh gods yes that very spot! He heard himself moan and he begged silently for that spot to be hit again.
"Had enough trooper?" that voice… Oh Gaia that voice. It was already enough to make him spill.
Yes, yes, yes……… Aaaaaaaahh!
"Sephirooooth…!"
He shot up, blue eyes flying wide open. His hand clutched his chest as he panted heavily. He was sweating allover and he could feel the sheets stick to his skin. Though, he felt that his skin wasn't the only thing that was wet. Gently he lifted the sheets with a shaky finger and peeked under.
Damn… That's gotta stain.
"Oh, so you're awake." A voice said all too cheerfully.
He frantically looked for the source of that voice, only to find a pair of glowing dark blue mako eyes and a head full of spiky black hair.
He gulped.
AN: If you managed to reach this far then, congratulations. I admire your patience. Hah! It's finally done after such a long a time. -leans back on a chair and crosses arms behind head- Now I could take a break.
I really do apologize that this particular chapter took too long to post. I had… some issues to deal with. But anyway, I'm glad that people are still reading this. Although I highly doubt that anyone would be reading this fic anymore. –shifty eyes- since it's just crap anyway. (Don't lie to me! You people hate this fic!) And I am really sorry about the cliff-hanger. -smiles-
Notes: As promised here are some notes to clear some of the stuff up.
The Ranks:
Yes, I placed this here so that every body has a clear picture on what each character's position in the army.
Hierarchies:
1. General of the army/ Presisdent/ Fuhrer – this would be President ShinRa's position
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1st Class SOLDIER
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2. General – Sephiroth's position or rank
3. Lieutenant General – no one has occupied this rank yet… for the time being.
4. Major General – Genesis
5. Brigadier General – Angeal
6. Colonel
7. Lieutenant Colonel – Zack (don't worry Zack! You're almost at the top!)
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2nd Class SOLDIER
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8. Major
9. Captain
10. 1st Lieutenant
11. 2nd Lieutenant
13. Chief Warrant officer 5
14. CW 4
15. CW 3
16. CW 2
17. Warrant Officer 1
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3rd Class SOLDIER
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18. Sergeant Major of the Army
19. Command Sergeant Major or Commander
20. Sergeant Major
21. First Sergeant
22. Master Sergeant
23. Sergeant First Class (not to be confused with SOLDIER 1st Class)
24. Staff Sergeant
25. Sergeant
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4th Class SOLDIER
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26. Corporal
27. Specialist
28. Private First Class (not to be confused with SOLDIER 1st Class)
29. Private E2 / Advanced Trooper level – Cloud Strife (Go Cloud!XD)
30. Private E1 / Trooper level
Be sure to take note that each class has its own dispatch units, meaning that there are still ordinary troopers or security guards per class. They're probably the ones that did not make the cut into SOLDIER or did not get any promotion. As for Cloud, he's still a student in Shinra and I think he's a third or a second year.
There, that pretty much sums it up. This is my version of the Shinra army so… I hope I'm not confusing anyone. XP I thank my friend, whythechickencrossedtheroad for the info. The 4th chappie is well on its way and it's already in the works.
If you guys need to ask me questions or tell me your reactions then please go right ahead and do so. I'm not stopping you. -points to the review button-