Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Thank Goodness for Reality! ❯ From Bad... to Worse! ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

IMPORTANT Stuff: Squaresoft owns Final Fantasy VII . AU story with some OOC-ness...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


Thank Goodness for Reality!

written by K-chan

Episode Four: From Bad... to Worse!


Aeris was running around her room, getting ready for the dinner at Elena's house, but she still had the problem of deciding which dress she should wear. If only she could've gotten her friend's advice before she left. She would even turn to her brother if he was home, but he wouldn't be for another hour or so. She held up a long, khaki skirt with a pink blouse against her as she posed in front of the oblong mirror.

She frowned and laid it on her bed. She looked at another outfit which consisted of a white shirt beneath a dark-red floral dress. Since it was a dinner, a darker color was probably more suitable for the setting. She sighed at having finalize that decision and began to untie the ribbon from her hair for a better style.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Anyway moving to a different scene, Ifalna was in her home, looking through some papers happily, while in the background, smoke was rising from the oven. Unfortunately, she was so immersed in what she was reading, she still didn't realize it, so the maids came running into the kitchen and put out the burnt roast. They decided it was best not to inform the lady of the house of the little mishap and quickly left to order some Wutaian cuisine.

Ifalna finished her tea and stood up, with her eyes still glued on the papers. She left the kitchen and headed down the hallway towards the family room. When the front door opened, she looked up and smiled as her husband stepped inside.


<< DOCTOR HOJO: Umm, let's leave his first name out of this... but he is a doctor, living in their big house in the suburbs with his wife, while his children were in the city for schooling. He has been quite reclusive ever since his argument with his son. >>


"Welcome home, dear," Ifalna said, giving Hojo a kiss on the cheek. He just grumbled something inaudiable and dropped his briefcase and coat in a chair. She raised an eyebrow at him, tilting her head to the side slightly, "A bad day at work, dear?"

"Just exhausting," he explained, "The same flu case with patient after patient. You would probably THINK they'd go get a shot when we advertise it."

"Oh sillie!" she giggled, hooking her arm with his, and lead him into the family room. She showed him what she had been reading and said, "Well I've got everything planned out for the party next week. All our friends are invited and the neighbors too, even the ones that live we don't know and never talked to, and some of your clients too, like Mister Shinra."

Hojo made a face that looked like he was a trapped rat in a laboratory cage. "But Ifalna," he said, "That's a lot of people for just my birthday. I didn't want a party in the first place, but since you insisted..." He shook his head, regretting to having ever brought it up. Just a quiet dinner with his family would be fine, but his family meant that his daughter AND son would be with them. He still hadn't patched up with his son and didn't plan to any time soon.

"Oh, I'm sure our house can fit a thousand people!" she chirped. She sat him down on the couch as she continued with her list, "I'll have to talk to Aeris and Sephiroth later. They said they would bring some friends from school, but I don't know how many."

He adjusted his glasses and folded his arms across his chest in a semi-pout. "So HE's really coming too," he stated.

"Hmm?" She looked at him. "Of course, dear! When has Sephiroth ever missed your birthday! But really, you two should just let it go! So what if he wanted to study finance and not medicine?! It's still a good career direction!"

"But don't you see?!" he raised his voice, standing up with his arms flung forward, "Every generation of the Hojos has been dedicated to medicine! My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, and ME! He should've continued the family tradition!"

She blinked at him, "But dear, what does the family tradition have anything to do with Sephiroth coming to your birthday party?"

He frowned, falling back onto the couch, and pouted like a child, "What if I don't want him to come?"

She giggled and pinched his cheek, "You're so cute, dear, but come now, don't be that way." She stood up and then sniffed the air, "What is that smell? Something burnt? Oh, the chicken must be done then. Mika? Haru?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Exhausted, Sephiroth dragged his half-dead corpse into the apartment, expecting the place to be well-lit and his sister to be there, but it was dark and empty. "Aeris?" he called, turning on the lights, but no answer came as he dropped his things onto the couch. He walked to her room and opened the door, finding Yuffie's cat sleeping peacefully on his sister's bed. He shook the confusion aside and went to the kitchen, where he found a note from Aeris's taped to the refrigerator door.

"Great," he sighed, "Just me and a tub of ice cream." He slapped his forehead at the dumb sentence and cursed himself for being around women too much, but it couldn't be helped when his job involved being with women--though he could do without the snobby, gossiping, bitchy ones.

He checked in the refrigerator for anything that Aeris hadn't eaten yet and was unlucky to find some carrots, whip cream, apple juice, bread, and something that looked like month-old cheese hidden in the back. He carefully reached for it, taking it from its place, and threw it in the trash, wondering how in the world was that left there. He opened the freezer, praying for a frozen TV dinner since he wasn't in the mood to cook, but found Aeris's vanilla fudge swirl ice cream invaded. He frowned, knowing that Aeris wasn't supposed to eat that without him. He shut the freezer door with a quiet slam and turned around, pouting.

So, what in hell could he make with those ingredients? Something disgusting, that's for sure. It looked at his watch, and it wasn't too late to go out to the grocery store. He grabbed his jacket, but before he could leave, the phone rang. This was becoming not his day... Alone... and starving...

"Hello," he answered.

"Yo, Seph!" came the cheery voice he immediately recognized, "Waaazuuuuuup, man!!"


<< ZACK RILEY: A young man who enjoys life and lives it to its fullest, though he should get serious and focus on his future. He tends to be annoying at times, but a good guy overall. And he seems to have an eye for his best friend's sister too. >>


"What do you want, Zack?" he sighed.

"Oh yeah, wanna hang out tonight? I called earlier, but no one picked up. Where's my girl? Don't tell me you locked her away?!!! Oh my fair maiden, Aeris, star-crossed lovers are we... to be separated by your evil brother..."

"Cut the crap," Sephiroth growled, "One, Aeris is out for dinner. Two, she's not your girlfriend and will never be as long as I live. Three, you need more acting lessons."

"Okay, man, whatever," Zack chuckled, "Anyway come out to Seventh Heaven, all right? Cloud and the others are already here."

"Fine," he sighed, "I have nothing better to do." He hung up and dragged himself out there, wondering how in the world Zack ever became his best friend.


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Uuh, Zack never had a surname, huh? Anyway I borrowed "Riley" from HenryCH's fanficcie, Dissfigured Lattice--which, I think, is a good retelling of the FFVII game. I just like how it sounds together since I couldn't come up with anything that good. =^-^=