Chapter Text
Actually, that wasn’t exactly true—I just wanted to escape the situation. Still, it was too tempting to grab my phone again while getting dressed, taking a shower, and eating breakfast. Somehow I resisted the urge each time.
By the time I arrived at the training center, Sephiroth was already waiting for me. My trip had taken longer than usual due to an accident on the road caused by fallen rocks.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said, catching my breath.
"Not your fault, don't worry," he nodded, and I was glad he was understanding—unlike some people I'd encountered before. We jumped into the session right after. Today’s training was a continuation of the last, only this time, with even bigger monsters. None of them moved to attack, but Sephiroth wanted me to feel how long it would take—a beginner like me—to take them down.
It indeed was a grueling task, measured by how much my muscles hurt after the hundreds of sword thrusts and by how hot I felt afterwards and during the training.
When I finally struck down the largest monster I’d faced so far—a dragon—I glanced at Sephiroth. He gave me an amused look, one eyebrow slightly raised.
I hesitated, suddenly unsure of myself. “Something wrong?” I asked, my voice smaller than I intended, feeling like I was giving him that 'kicked puppy dog'-look.
“No, nothing at all,” he replied, his lips curling into a faint smirk. “Actually, you’re the first to defeat all of them in such a short time. I have to say, you’re really talented.”
My eyes widened considerably at the compliment. “Are... you serious? I mean, I'm just a beginner...”
He stepped closer, resting a hand on my shoulder. “I’m not joking. I watched every move you made. You’ve got a natural instinct for fighting. You’ll go far here in ShinRa.”
His words washed over me like a warm summer rain, leaving me speechless. “Th-thank you, Sir...” I managed to stammer, my heart pounding in my chest. 'Was I really good? I thought I was just following my instincts and what little experience I had...'
“Well,” he continued, stepping back toward his bench, “I haven’t seen much of you yet, but what I’ve seen looks promising. Of course, there are areas to improve, but nothing we can’t fix.” He picked up the timetable, scanning it briefly.
“Alright,” I said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh, looks like I have a free slot for you tomorrow,” he said, glancing up. “One of my students is out sick. Same time as before—two o’clock?”
“Yes, absolutely,” I said, nodding eagerly.
“Okay, see you then.” He waved and disappeared through the door on the opposite side of my dressing room.
Today was a good day. Walking home that evening, I couldn’t stop smiling. The grin on my face was so wide that a few passersby gave me odd looks, but I didn’t care.
As soon as I collapsed onto my dorm bed, I felt the urge to message Sephiroth.
*This morning it was too cold, but during training, it was way too hot...*
A few minutes later, I heard the familiar buzzing.
*Then the jacket was probably too much.*, he replied.
I blinked. Had I even noticed I’d brought a jacket? At least now I knew he paid more attention to his surroundings than I did. So I messaged back: *Even without the jacket, it still was too hot :/*
While waiting for a reply, I grabbed my notes to study in bed, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to review for a while.
Then his next message came through: *Ok... but going out naked would have been a little bad, I suppose ;)*
I nearly choked on my morning coffee. Mock-feigning outrage, I shot back: *Whyy? Are you saying no one would want to see that :/ :D* I added a grinning face after the angry one at the end of my sentence to make sure he knew I was joking. I indeed had a big grin on my slightly red face.
His reply made my blush deepen: *Ha ha, you're funny... Oh, no, on the contrary—there’d probably be a lot of training accidents because no one would pay attention anymore :) ;)*
I stared at the screen, my heart racing. *True that... humm.* As much as I felt like continuing this, there were just too many alarm bells in my head ringing telling me not to push him too far. Thus, I added: *I better go back to studying :)* I was blushing brightly by now, not sure if it was a compliment or not. All of sudden, I felt the immense need to thank Zack.
*Hey, you wanna hang out again later tonight? At your app.* I messaged him. After a moment’s hesitation, I added, *... and thanks.* I hoped he’d understand what I meant. Writing something like "Thanks for bringing Sephiroth closer to me" would’ve been way too awkward.
For the remaining time before field training, I grabbed some lunch from the cafeteria and tried to recall what Sephiroth had told me to improve last time.
“Hmmm... I need to work on my speed, focus more during combat... And let's not even talk about my Materia usage,” I muttered under my breath. The mental checklist weighed me down, and I almost wanted to flop onto my bed right then and there.
Still, I reminded myself that I had time. Based on my theoretical knowledge, I was already closer to being exam-ready than most of the other new recruits. Well, except for Kunsel—he was practically a genius when it came to this matter.
Thanks to that, my stress levels were pretty manageable, especially after what had happened earlier.
I went to the field training as usual, Sephiroth commented on how this time we would try the martial arts or unarmed style fight—the one I had trained with Kunsel the other day.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, a tiny Cloud was doing a victory pose, but the reality of having a real opponent quickly shut him down.
Sephiroth began with some basic explanations and asked me to demonstrate any moves I already knew, starting with hand and arm strikes. I stepped forward, trying my best to replicate the stances Kunsel had shown me.
Almost immediately, Sephiroth started correcting me.
He adjusted my footing, straightened my posture, and even repositioned my arms. I was bracing myself for a wave of criticism, but to my surprise, he gave me a few compliments too.
“You’re already above average in terms of knowledge,” he said after a few corrections.
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a mix of pride and embarrassment. “We trained this yesterday,” I admitted. “But I’ve only read about these techniques before, so I’m not that good yet...”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Sephiroth said firmly. Without warning, he swung his arm toward my stomach.
I barely managed to block in time.
“See? You’ve got some natural talent,” he remarked.
Before I could respond, he shifted his weight and swept his leg under mine.
I hit the ground with a thud, landing ungracefully on my backside before sprawling flat on my back.
Sephiroth loomed over me, miming a stab with his hand like it was Masamune.
“Don’t let yourself get distracted. In a real fight, that could cost you your life—or someone else’s,” he said, offering me a hand.
I let him pull me up, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. “Got it. Sorry.”
We ran through the same move again. This time, he aimed for my throat. I dodged his attack, leaping out of reach just as his legs moved to trip me again.
Instead of letting him sweep me, I lunged forward, throwing him off balance.
He hadn't expected that – and as a result, we both landed on the floor. He was on his back with me half sitting and half lying on top of him.
He stared at me, his expression more confused than annoyed.
“Okaaay... That’s one way to handle the situation,” he said, and I noticed the faintest twitch of amusement at the corners of his mouth.
Heat rushed to my face. I must’ve looked like a confused puppy—one that still wasn’t moving.
“Next time,” Sephiroth continued, rolling to the side to dislodge me, “try to follow what you’ve learned. Improvisation can work, but it’s risky. An enemy could throw you off or have a weapon—like a knife—or even claws. You’d be vulnerable in this position.”
He raised his hand again, miming another stab for emphasis.
Suddenly hyper-aware of our position, I noticed how he cheekily ignored the fact that I had basically jumped on top of him... by accident of course. My face felt hotter all of a sudden.
'Way to make an ass out of yourself again, Strife', my inner voice muttered. Meanwhile, the General helped by explaining the lesson again.
When we tried the move again, I managed to execute it properly. By the third attempt, I was getting the hang of it, and we moved on to other unarmed combat basics.
To my surprise, Sephiroth praised me multiple times during the session, likely to keep me from dwelling on my earlier mistake. I soaked up every word, grateful for the encouragement.
When the lesson ended way too fast for my liking, I almost felt disappointed.
“As for the next lesson...” Sephiroth began as I finished getting dressed. “Today’s Saturday... I’m not sure yet, so I’ll message you. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” I said with a smile.
“And don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve worked with far worse SOLDIERs,” he added.
I couldn’t help but grin at his attempt to reassure me. It must’ve been contagious because I caught the faintest ghost of a smile tugging at his lips as well.