Faithless Memories

Why Purple?

Chapter 18

Living alone took Kris some getting used to. She had not had as much privacy since she woke up to Zack's face so many years ago. She quickly found she didn't like it that much either. There were many times that Zack got on her nerves, but it was more often that she found she had something she wanted to share and couldn't because he wasn't there. Just getting to visit took a lot of coordination. He had one day a week off, but it was always one of the days she had to work.

It took him some figuring out how to get time in the evenings a couple days a week just so he could keep her up to date with how things were going. It helped that he managed to get a phone for them both. His was a perk of working for Shinra, and he was able to get one for Kris at a discount since she was family.

It was during his first real visit that he gave her some exciting news. They had just sat down to a home-cooked meal, and Zack was trying to talk and eat at the same time. Kris had to scold him about it twice. The second time he swallowed and gave her a grin. "I'm sorry, it's just that I don't have much time and I really wanted to share."

She laughed at his enthusiasm, but still reprimanded him. "Well, pick one or the other. You eat fast enough that I shouldn't need to see your food while you're at it."

He had taken another bite while she was talking but waited until he swallowed to answer. "Fine, but you'll never believe what I heard today! I have good news!"

Kris didn't need to do more than raise a brow before he launched into his tale. "Well, I was talking to 'Geal today, and he told me that it shouldn't take much for me to make Second with how I made Soldier. I need to go on a few missions with him and prove that I can keep my cool under pressure. If I can, then we'll be living it up in Sector 5! Isn't that great!"

Kris laughed again, but she nodded. "Yes, I'll admit that I miss your face."

He chuckled at her but had already started eating again. He was on his third helping, so she started cleaning her own stuff off the table. When she came back for the rest, he glared at her. "I'm not done yet!"

She laughed and backed up with her hands in the air. "It's all yours if you want it. I promise not to touch it until you say it's alright."

He nodded once and started to take another bite but stopped and nearly started vibrating in his seat. "Oh, oh, there was something else too."

She shook her head at his enthusiasm. Whatever it was, he was even more excited then he was about his other news. She didn't need to prompt him to continue. "I ran into a couple of the guys that were in the group I tried out with. I didn't realize it, but most people that try out for Soldier have to go through a six-week class before they are given these brutal tests. I don't think any of those guys were accepted. The two I talked with were in the infantry now."

Kris sat back down and gave him a deadpan look. "There was a reason I told you that you didn't have anything to worry about."

His eyebrows nearly went into his hairline. "You knew that already!?"

She shook her head with a smile. "No, but that does sound more like what I was expecting. I have a feeling that since Commander Hewley took a personal interest in you that you were able to bypass all that. I was convinced I was right when you told me it was the General that did your assessment. I imagine that most of the time, he is too busy to be worried about a cadet."

Zack's food was all but forgotten as he looked at her with awe. "Wow! I hadn't thought about it like that. Does that mean I did even better than I thought I did?"

Kris stood again and ruffled his hair as she grabbed the empty dishes. "I'm pretty sure it does, but don't let it go to your head. If you want to keep impressing them, you'll need to stay focused. The thing about going above and beyond is that you have to keep doing it if you want to get ahead."