Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Thank Goodness for Reality! ❯ As Far As Dinners Go! ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

IMPORTANT Stuff: Squaresoft owns Final Fantasy VII . La-di-da!

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Thank Goodness for Reality!

written by K-chan

Episode Six: As Far As Dinners Go!


I'm coming out so you better get this party started...
I'm coming out so you better get this party started...
Get this party started on a Saturday night.
Everybody's waitin' for me to arrive,
Sendin' out the message to all of my friends.
We'll be lookin' flashy in my Mercedes-Benz.
I got lotsa style like my gold diamond rings.
I can go for miles if ya know what I mean.
I'm coming out so you better get this party started...
I'm coming out so you better get this party started...

The music boomed in the background as Sephiroth stepped into the night club bar of 'Seventh Heaven', where his friends usually hang out. He could see Zack on the stage with a microphone in hand, already making a fool of himself as he goofed up the loud, obnoxious song. Sephiroth knew he was in imminent doom when his crazy friend saw him and waved him up to the stage. He shook his head, refusing to make a fool of himself or bring attention to himself.

Unfortunately, Zack wasn't going to give up so easily, so he ran off the stage right for Sephiroth and dragged him up there. Several hollering and whistles from both sexes indicated fans or spectators, who just wanted to be amused or they were drunk.

I'm coming out so you better get this party started...
I'm coming out so you better get this party started...

Zack continued to sing while Sephiroth just walked off the stage and sat at the bar, where Cloud was laughing his head off. "Haha, you should've seen yourself, Seph," the blonde laughed.


<< CLOUD STRIFE: Zack's almost identical cousin, but no where close to being an idiot or clown, but he's almost there if he hangs around Zack too much. A friendly guy, enjoys having fun around his friends, but tends to recluse when with strangers. If you're catching on, he also attends Midgar U., just transferred there for his second year. >>


Sephiroth frowned at the blonde, "I'm surprised he didn't drag YOU up there." Cloud shrugged and glanced back at Zack, who finished the song and took a few bows to his fans. He chuckled, amazed at his cousin's popularity. Sephiroth watched his friend too, knowing well what a flirt he was with the ladies, but he smiled, recalling how Zack was always shot down every time he pulled one of his moves on his sister. Zack practically grew up with the Hojo siblings, so Aeris knew rather well. But still, Sephiroth would keep any guy away from his sister as long as he could, and he had been doing a good job of it too.

"Hey, Sephy!" greeted an attractive, brunette barmaid.


<< TIFA LOCKHEART: Student by day and barmaid by night. Although she dresses a bit showy, but it's for the big tips, so don't get her wrong. She's a good girl, who needs the money for schooling, but is still looking for 'Mister Right' and apparently, she has eyes for a certain blonde... >>


"Is that the usual for you," she asked. He nodded, and she went to mix the drink for him. When she came back, she leaned close to the two of them, whispering, "Have you guys heard the news?" They blinked at her. "Guess not. But word on campus has it that Loveless made a pass at a student!"

"You mean, Scarlet Loveless in the Finance Department?!" Cloud gasped.

"Yep, the one and only." Sephiroth didn't seem surprised as he sipped his drink, but Cloud just recently came to Midgar University so he wasn't familiar with the usual gossip on campus, which mostly involved Scarlet shopping around among the professors and students. Tifa continued, "But get this, the student was Reno! M.U.'s most infamous PLAYER!"

"But Reno really shot her down!" she indicated by slamming her hands onto the counter, "Calling her an old hag!" She laughed when Cloud just stared at her, "Well she deserved it! She's such a slut."

"Man, I hope I don't cross her path," Cloud said nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "I can't stand pushy women like her." He suddenly lurched forward, knocking over his drink, while Sephiroth just merely moved to the next stool when Zack purposely bumped into them. Tifa cleaned up the mess and handed a towel to Cloud to dry his face.

"WHACHA GUYS TALKIN' ABOUT?!" Zack asked excitedly, plopping down on the stool Sephiroth was sitting on until he moved.

"Nothing much," his cousin answered, and then everything was quiet again as Tifa went to serve her other customers.

Zack glanced at Cloud, then to Sephiroth, then to Cloud, then to Sephiroth... until his head started hurting, but neither said another word, just sipping their drinks. He tugged on his hair in frustration, "You guys suck! We're supposed to be having fun, but you're sittin' here like your butts are glued to the seats! Where's your energy, excitement?!!"

"You drained it out of me," the blonde replied dryly, "getting us kicked out of that lingerie shoppe... and never to return..." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the information while the earlier events finally dawned on Cloud, and he turned to Zack, confused. "And just WHY were we there anyway? I don't have a girlfriend, and I'm certainly NOT a cross-dresser."

Zack chuckled, "Hey, I only went there 'cause Seph told me a birthday party was coming up, so I thought my girl would like something sexy--" And he promptly got kick off the stool.

"Give it up already, Riley," Sephiroth growled. "If you had bought lingerie to the party, my father might think the wrong idea." Cloud blinked as Zack climbed back into his seat. "It's HIS birthday, not Aeris's."

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Meanwhile, Aeris stood next to Elena as everyone was being seated properly with Shinra at the head. Elena sat to her father's left with Aeris while Tseng sat across from the brunette, leaving an empty seat beside him. "Where's Rufus?" the old man asked his daughter, who just shrugged.

Immediately after that question, Rufus appeared, smiling smuggly. He noted where Aeris was sitting and looked at Tseng, "Do you mind if we exchange seats, Tseng? I'm sure you and father have more to talk about, and I would like to get to know Miss Hojo better." Tseng didn't have a problem with that, but he looked to his boss to see if that was all right. Shinra just nodded for his approval, and the two young men switched their spots all the while the girls were just staring speechless. Rufus sat down and sent a smirk in his sister's direction, promptly receiving a frown from her.

During the meal, several topics were brought up, mostly chatting about the classes and life at Midgar University. It seemed like a usual dinner setting, but beneath it all--literally--something else was happening. Aeris stopped in the middle of her sentence and stared straight ahead at a smiling Rufus. Shinra looked at her, waiting for her to finish, "Aeris, are you all right?"

"Hmm?" She looked at the man, "Oh I-I'm fine. I just can't really say how the rest of the semester will be with the new professor. I heard she was very nice."

"If you asked around and got the same answer about the professor, then there's not a problem," Elena said, "Unlike my psychology prof. He is a major ass--I mean, we have like two outside projects and three papers to write." Thank goodness Elena cut in and took over when she did because Aeris glanced back at Rufus, nervously. He was still staring at her while everyone else was focused on Elena's little rant about her psychology class.

Aeris tensed up again as she felt something brushing up against her leg. She stared wide-eyed at the blonde man, wondering what the hell was wrong with him! She dropped her fork onto her plate and pushed her chair back, drawing attention on her again. She flushed a slight pink, "Excuse me for a bit." She stood up and prepared to leave the dining room.

"Don't get lost now," Elena teased.

"I'll try not to," Aeris joked, "but I'll give you a call if that happens." She recalled the little tour she had earlier and eventually found the bathroom. She stepped in and closed the door behind, breathing heavily. "What is wrong with him?" she asked aloud, walking over to the sink. She turned on the water and let it run for a bit. "He's giving me the creeps... and all these funny feelings..." She let her hands play under the cool water, and the sound of the running water gradually calmed her down (for some strange reason). She sighed, turning it off, and reached for the towel to dry her hands, but when she did, the door opened.

"Seriously, Elena," she said, thinking it was her friend, "did you really think I'd get lost?"

"No," came the familiar masculine voice. Aeris turned around to face Rufus, who closed the door and locked it. "But let her think that."

She smiled nervously, backing up against the wall with towel in hand, "Umm... if you needed the bathroom, then I'll just leave..." She slowly inched her way towards the door, where he remained guarding.

"Really, Aeris," he said smoothly, "you don't have to be nervous around me." He made a move towards her, so she retreated to where she had stood before, but she had no where else to go after that. Rufus stood in front of her, leaning one hand against the wall while the other touched her face. "Like I said before, I just want to get to know you better."

She looked at him straight in the eyes, showing disappointment in them, "But you didn't have to make it in HERE."

"You're right about that, but we need our privacy, right?"

That made her angry, and she pushed him back, causing him to falter in surprise. "Before I came here, I had been worried about your father thinking I was plain to be friends with Elena, but now, I think I should've been worried about YOU. I don't care what you're planning to do or thinking, but get it through your head that I'm not like any of those other girls. Just because you look good and have money, doesn't mean a thing to me." She brushed passed him, with anger still on her face, and all Rufus could do was watch her leave. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden feistiness, quite impressed at this new challenge.


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Sorrie sorrie, I've been listening to Pink's song all week!! Gaaah! And it was like a PERFECT opening to this new episode. Imagine Sephy singing that with Zack! *LOL* But really, isn't RuRu SO naughty??! I like him this way, and I also like how Aeris is not taking crap and talking back! You go, girl! Heh heh.

Umm anyway, no RoT this week 'cause I'm still wondering what to do next with the Rufus-Aeris-Cloud triangle thingie... I don't want them to fight over her yet... I mean, they need to find the others AND get off the islands... and GET to Costa del Sol, ne? Please be patient--I'll try to get it out next weekend. (I already have a paper to work on... at least, research-wise.) =O.o=