Chapter Text
The growing intensity of nerves had you unsettled as you made your way up to the briefing room on the forty-ninth floor. Within your three years of working for Shinra, you had never once been summoned for a meeting with the director. Your mouth felt particularly dry as you anxiously sunk your teeth into your bottom lip. The spiralling thoughts had you rattled, contemplating your actions of the past week and over thinking the minuscule possibility of being discharged from SOLDIER. Your stomach churned as you continued to agonise over the reason for the conference, all the while nervously toying with a loose strand of frayed material from your clothing. Advancing closer to the office door you pulled at the tightened neck of your top, feeling as though you were stifled for breath. As was deemed mandatory, you wore the basic Second Class uniform; the full ensemble consisting of a navy ribbed sleeveless turtle neck, loose baggy trousers, supported by a large leather belt and taut suspenders. Not the most feminine articles of clothing, but they complimented your figure well nonetheless.
As you approached the office door you could slightly overhear the muffled male voices from inside. Apprehensively, you placed your hand upon the door handle, yet stopped yourself from entering. Instead you decided to lean in and listen to what was being said while giving yourself additional time to prepare for the worst. (What harm could there be in delaying the inevitable?) Unexpectedly, the sound of an assertive voice seductively whispered next to your ear.
“My dear, have you not yet mastered the art of door opening? You wrap your hand around it, tug, twist and pull… I can even demonstrate it for you if you’d prefer.”
You instinctively jumped out of your skin. Unsteadily, you spun around to be faced with a remarkably tall, imposing man dressed in an all black SOLDIER uniform. The majority of which was obscured by a lengthy, extravagant red coat with black spaulders. His unique, slender facial features were undeniably feminine, exuding immense charm and allure. However his distinctive, fiery auburn hair, mako eyes and defined jawline had you recognise him almost instantly. Reminiscing upon the stories you had once heard, you identified the man as the infamous First Class SOLDIER, Genesis Rhapsodos. He was renowned in the barracks for his dramatic and slightly flamboyant nature. Apparently, he had a notable reputation for being a rather beguiling flirt. Conscious of your flustered state, you fumbled as you tried to think of a witty comeback.
“Of course I know how to open a door! I was just —”
“Or perhaps you might have been eavesdropping?” He abruptly implied.
Of course, he saw straight through you. He paused for a moment, then took a step back.
“I must admit, it’s rather odd seeing such an enticing woman wearing a SOLDIER uniform. However...” His slender index finger settled lightly against his shapely lips as he scrutinisingly eyed you up and down. “It’s definitely something I could easily become accustomed to.”
Intentionally, he gave you a cocky smirk while leaning in closer to your face; overtly taking advantage of the situation. Your face blushed a light shade of pink as you turned your head sharply in the opposite direction, evading his gaze.
Before you had the chance to retaliate or utter a disgruntled response, the door you were leaning against suddenly opened. The unexpected movement provided you with no time to react, causing you to stumble and fall awkwardly into the person stood at the other side of the door. You steadily looked up at a towering male figure with long white tresses and a set of sharp, glowing, cat-like eyes. His blank, stern expression felt like daggers piercing, harshly into your skin. Your hands pressed firmly up against his chest, clutching at his leather jacket, preventing yourself from tumbling to the floor. He was seemingly unsympathetic towards your clumsy display. Regrettably you recognised who he was immediately. Regaining your composure, you promptly stood up straight and saluted apologetically.
“I am so incredibly sorry, Sir! I honestly didn’t mean to —”
“You’re both late.” He interrupted firmly, rolling his eyes and curtly stalking back into the room.
Still in slight disbelief of what had happened, you turned to see Genesis stifling a small snigger under his breath, before motioning his hand towards the open doorway.
“Ladies first.” He said suavely continuing to leer.
As you entered the overly spacious room you felt everyone’s eyes intently on you. You couldn’t help but quickly glance over at Sephiroth, still in awe of his presence. Your heart fluttered unwittingly as his gaze met your own for a split second. Lazard Deusericus, the leading director of SOLDIER division was the first to issue a formal greeting as his voice caught your attention.
“Ah good, you’re both finally here! Genesis, fashionably late as per usual I see.”
The director sat behind an oversized desk at the centre of the room. Upon the wall behind him was a large, overstated screen which bore the Shinra company logo. Notably he was a prim and proper looking man, dressed in a formal navy pinstripe blazer, a purple neck tie, white gloves and silver framed glasses. His golden blonde hair was strikingly comparable to sunlight, cascading down to his shoulders, framing his chiseled face.
“What can I say, I like to make a grand entrance.” Genesis replied as he dramatically traipsed into the room, closing the door behind him. He gave Sephiroth a knowing look before perching himself at the edge of the desk.
“(Y/N), it’s good to finally meet face to face. It seems you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Genesis, and of course I’m sure you already know of our General.” Lazard gestured towards Sephiroth who had his arms folded curtly and appeared intent on avoiding your gaze.
You could hardly call it a pleasure where Genesis was concerned, however being within the same confines of a room with such illustrious figures was daunting to say the least. Sephiroth was a prominent figure in Midgar; being the proudly distinguished poster boy for Shinra’s recruitment scheme. Growing up, he had been your absolute hero. Like many others, you idolised the man for his heroics, in addition to his exceedingly good looks. He had upheld the role of teenage heartthrob for many. Admittedly, you would be lying if you said you had never had his picture proudly pinned upon your bedroom wall.
At the opposite side of the room you acknowledged two other males with the shared basic SOLDIER fatigues and dark, raven hair.
“This is First Class Soldier Angeal Hewley…” Lazard announced, grabbing your attention once again.
Angeal stepped towards you turning his steady frown into a warm, welcoming smile. He extended his hand, offering a firm, hearty handshake.
“A pleasure to meet you (Y/N).” He smiled.
(Well at least one of the Firsts had the decency to show some manners!)
“…and I take it you’re already familiar with Second Class Soldier Zack Fair.”
On numerous occasions you and Zack had been assigned the same missions together. Over the years you had steadily built up a good rapport, and even considered him the brother you never had… or occasionally never wanted.
Before Lazard spoke he readjusted his glasses, aptly pushing the silver framed spectacles up the slim bridge of his nose. “Now you both must be eagerly wondering why I’ve called you here.” (Finally an explanation that was going to put you out of your ongoing misery!) “Due to your continuous dedication, hard work and promising display of talent, you have both been nominated as upcoming candidates for First Class.”
At first you could hardly believe it! Your heart raced with excitement and your mind was reeling. Becoming a First Class Soldier had been your lifelong goal! If it wasn’t for the presence of your superiors, then you would have happily danced around and screamed with joy. Zack on the other hand lacked any form of discretion, with his reaction being a thrilled outburst of excitedly jumping up and down.
Lazard smirked at Zack’s gush of joyful energy, “I shall also be assigning you both a place to live here at the Shinra building.” He explained, leaning his elbows onto the desk. “Your new apartment should be ready to move into by the end of the day. A considerable improvement from the barracks, if you ask me.”
Zack’s eyes grew even wider, unable to suppress his excitement. “Looks like we’re gonna be roomies huh, (Y/N)!”
You beamed back at him in delight, almost unable to contain your excitement.
“Indeed you are, but first there’s the additional matter of you each being assigned a mentor. Now originally I was going to choose for you, but I thought it best for you to decide this amongst yourselves.” Lazard continued, leaning back in his chair as he intently watched the reactions of the First Classes.
Genesis was the first to respond with a short chuckle as he pushed himself from the desk, traipsing over to the opposite side of the room. Being the incredibly outspoken person he was, he happily voiced his opinion on the matter.
“Well this ought to be interesting! I have far more important things to do than babysit a Second… but if I had to choose, I certainly know which one I would pick.” He focused his attention upon you, giving a wide smirk and a sly wink.
Angeal chimed in, “As always you’re using something other than your head to make decisions for you.”
Sephiroth on the other hand stood stoically in silence, no doubt protesting inwardly at the whole arrangement.
Angeal promptly moved in front of both you and Zack, arms crossed, as he considered his words carefully. “In order to make this kind of decision I think a few questions need to be answered. So tell me… why do you both want to become First Class Soldiers? What motivates you?”
While you thought carefully about the posed question, eagerly Zack was the first to answer.
“Actually, I don’t just want to become a First Class Soldier… I want to become a hero! One who is worthy and inspires people, also… I’m not sure if this is true but I heard First Class get a discount at the sky view lounge, and access to special inventory items?”
Lazard gave a short chuckle in response, trying to hide his amusement with the back of his hand. “Well unattainable dreams are the best kind.” He chuckled.
“Uh, thanks?” Zack replied, tilting his head to the side like a confused pup.
“A hero has to have dreams and honour Zack!” Angeal scolded. “You’ll do well to remember that. Now what about you (Y/N)?” He asked, turning his attention towards you.
You lowered your gaze in thought. “Honestly… its something I’ve always wanted since I was young. As a Second Class, I feel that I’ve reached my peak and learnt all that I can. I only strive to improve and hone my skills further!” You felt your heart race exponentially as you answered his question.
He nodded in acknowledgement then began to pace back and forth as he continued his line of intense questioning. “The role of a First can be incredibly tough, and your training is not going to be easy. A SOLDIER First Class performs above and beyond the call of duty at all times. Are you prepared to push yourselves past your limits?”
“I will do whatever it takes!” Zack replied with complete and utter certainty.
You raised your head high as you began to feel a slight increase in confidence. “Most of my life has been tough, but it hasn’t broken me yet! I’m definitely not one to give up so easily!”
Lazard was quick to comment as he rummaged through the papers upon his desk. “Ah yes, in your files it says you grew up underneath the plate… I must say that it’s admirable to see how far you’ve come.”
You nodded back at him as an expression of thanks.
Angeal turned to Sephiroth, who for the entire duration of the meeting had stayed silent and seemingly disinterested. “Sephiroth, your input could be helpful here.”
The statuesque man shrugged with indifference as he stubbornly kept his arms folded, promptly looking away in the opposite direction.
“You’re in one of your usual moods, I see.” Angeal sighed, running the palm of his hand down his face. He gave both Sephiroth and Genesis an icy glare out of clear exasperation.
“Excuse us for a moment.” He nodded, beckoning both Sephiroth and Genesis into the corner of the room.
The three Firsts gathered out of earshot; their ongoing discussion of quiet whispers had both you and Zack on pins. Every so often they would peer back over to you before quickly returning to their heated debate. It was blatantly obvious that neither of them could settle on an agreement. At one point you even noticed a coin being tossed into the air. Their subsequent game of rock, paper scissors also did not fill you with confidence. You highly suspected that they were either loathed to mentor you or deliberately intent on dissuading you of your ambitions. Seemingly coming to some form of conclusion, they eventually walked back over to the centre of the room.
“After much deliberation and careful decision making…” (The careful decision making of that one Gil piece certainly felt like a reassurance!) “…we’ve decided that I shall be mentoring Zack. So by default, Sephiroth will be mentoring (Y/N).” Angeal concluded.
In utter shock, your eyes widened and your jaw literally dropped after hearing those words. Only in your wildest dreams could you have envisioned this unlikely moment. You felt yourself frozen on the spot, spacing out in disbelief and blissfully unaware of the voices around you.
Lazard clasped his hands together, prompting you back from your dumbfounded state. “Excellent! Then you’ll both be given six months of training. During that time your mentors will assess and evaluate your capabilities. If they believe you have what it takes, then there’s no doubt that you’ll be promoted to First.” Lazard’s gaze fell upon Genesis, who for the most part appeared more interested in reading his book. “I had also hoped that on the odd occasion Sephiroth or Angeal is called away on urgent duty, Genesis might step in for materia training.”
At the mention of his name, Genesis lowered his book slowly, peering over the pages. His face a disgruntled scowl. “As I have stated previously, I have far more pressing matters to attend to!”
Angeal glowered at him in annoyance. “Oh really, like what?… Reading LOVELESS for the one-hundredth time?”
“You simply lack class and aptitude to appreciate such fine literature… and it’s one hundred and tenth time… do get your facts straight!” Genesis snapped, abruptly slamming the book shut. “Now if that’s all you wish of me, I shall be taking my leave. For even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return.” As if he were desperately seeking some form of applause or standing ovation, he dramatically exited the room, leaving his centre stage.
You had considered the stories you’d heard about Mr Rhapsodos to be nothing other than over exaggerated rumours. However after meeting him for the first time you now firmly believed every single one of them. Initially, you had even attributed his melodramatic nature to be an act for your own benefit.
“Is he always like that?” You asked, as the question loomed at the forefront of your mind.
“Unfortunately... yes. I doubt his parents gave him enough attention growing up, but you get used to it, I can assure you.” Angeal replied.
“We all know how stubborn Mr Rhapsodos can be. Unfortunately it can’t be helped. Now, if there are no further questions and everyone is happy with this arrangement then I do believe this meeting is adjourned.” Lazard gathered up his files, placing them into an orderly pile, while once again repositioning his spectacles.
You stood there awkwardly as Zack and Angeal were leaving the room.
Zack bounced with each step he took, no doubt excited and eager to get a head start on his training. “I’ll see ya later at our new apartment roomie! I’m calling the biggest room though, okay?”
“Sure, you can have the big room!” You chuckled. “I’ll see you later!”
“I’ll hold you to that!” He playfully saluted you as he left.
You could not help but smile at his boundless enthusiasm. The noticeable look upon Angeal’s face said it all… he had his work cut out for him! Getting Zack to focus was going to be no easy task. Nonetheless, your contentment was cut short as Sephiroth approached you from across the room.
As he sauntered over, your heart began to flutter.
“Follow me.” He ordered curtly.
Evidently, his bluntness was something that would take some getting used to. You trailed behind him leaving the room; Lazard giving you a friendly reassuring smile and nod on your way out.
As he led you towards the elevator, you were shrouded in a stone cold silence that felt almost deafening. Clearing your throat, you faltered, nervously building up the courage to speak.
“So… where are we going, Sir?” Your voice trembled.
“The company training room. I need to see for myself what exactly you are capable of.”