Faithless Memories

Becoming a Soldier

Chapter 17

Zack couldn't remember ever being more nervous then he was at that moment. Angeal had taken him to a small lounge-like area to wait while he went to talk to whoever would be making the decisions. His nerves finally got the best of him, and he started doing squats to help burn off some of the nervous energy. He had lost count of how many he had done by the time the door finally swished open. He was caught off guard by who walked in and had stopped halfway up again.

When he finally caught sight of Angeal's grin, he stood hurriedly and saluted. "General Sephiroth!"

The tall, silver-haired man was looking at him with a blank face. Zack had to swallow the nerves that were even worse than before. He could also feel his palms start to sweat, but he forced himself to stand still at attention.

It was several moments before Sephiroth finally stepped forward and held out his hand. "I have heard a lot about you. Angeal seems to think you make a good candidate for my troops. What do you believe?"

Zack took the offered handshake and was thankful that they were both wearing gloves. It still took him several tries before he could finally make his voice work. This was ten times worse than when he first met Angeal. Even though he had been nervous then, Angeal just seemed to give off a calming aura that helped him forget his nerves. The General, on the other hand, was intimidation incarnate.

When Sephiroth's gaze started to cool, Zack finally jumped to try to keep from making a bad impression. "I agree with him, sir. I know I am still unproven, but I have worked hard for years to be able to get to this point. I believe I deserve the chance to prove it."

Sephiroth raised one brow at the boy's sudden confidence. Despite his initial nerves, he certainly seemed to know exactly what he wanted. That wasn't a bad trait for a Soldier to have. He gave the boy a nod and motioned for them both to follow him. He had to hide his own smile when Angeal shot him a grin. He doubted the boy had seen it, as it was easy to tell he was still nervous. He didn't hold it against him. So far, he was doing better than 90 percent of the potential candidates since he was still on his feet.

He led them to one of the smaller training rooms. It was one that he knew Zack would be familiar with since it was where Angeal spent most of their training hours. He was gratified to see that the familiar surroundings helped ease the boy's nerves. Although he doubted it would last for long given what he was about to say.

Zack jumped back to attention when Sephiroth turned to him again. He had to lock his knees into place at what was said. "If you believe you have what it takes, do you think you can stand against me for five minutes?"

Zack had broken out into a cold sweat at that question. Going against the best of the best for any amount of time was terrifying. Before he lost it, though, Angeal caught his eye and gave him a slight nod. That was all Zack needed to remember that he had come too far to quit now. Despite the situation, he grinned as he answered. "Sir, I believe you could have me down in less than ten seconds if you really wanted to. However, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't get right back up. I wouldn't go down without a fight."

Kris' constant reminders to never give up played through his head as he stood and waited for a response. His grin widened slightly when the General nodded and grabbed one of the practice swords. He then indicated for Zack to grab one as well. "Let's see if you can back that up. I will not use my full strength, as you are unenhanced, but do not expect this to be easy."

Zack was so anxious he wasn't sure if he would be able to hold the sword he picked up. When he took up one of the stances Angeal had taught him and saw a familiar spark in the General's eyes, he was reminded of the first time he had started sparring with Kris. Even though he was hopeless back then, she expected him to do his best, and he eventually got good enough that he could at least keep up most of the time. No matter how scary the General was, he couldn't think of failing, or he was already done for. His grip firmed, and he grinned when Sephiroth finally lunged at him.