The raven knew that it was never going to be easy. Every day he saw the same competitive stores, the same high prices, the same bargain deals. And every time, he knew that it would never end well. But, what he took into consideration about the whole ordeal was that, it's –self proclaiming– up to him to bring in the most customers and put the rest of the stores out of business. So, the raven knew what was going to happen, and he knew what he decided to put his... Rather helpless life on the line for –if he had a need for his life in the first place, but that doesn't matter– and found his way to the front door of his 2 year long job.
2 years is a lot to work at a place like this, you'd think by now that he'd quit, but no, he's actually a people-person. Which is –undeniably– something that you don't get often in the work-fields now a days.
This raven has spunk. He knows how to put up with people and still keep a grin on his face. This raven is an attraction to the people around him, and he somehow manages to draw in more customers –vultures being lied to– to come and look at the objects that they have in stock.
This raven is none other than the boy named Zack Fair, age 24, and the only man who manages to get young scavengers to come and buy products at his job. As the job is well... Working at a cash register –for the rest of his life– in a shopping district, selling clothes.
Zack inwardly sighed, jingling his keys around his finger with a low-tuned whistle. He walked over and dropped his bag next to the open space under the desk. "Welp. As per-usual, I seem to be the only person here on time. When I'm the laziest one that even works here." Zack mumbled somewhat unhappily. "Hey, boss! Are you here yet?!" He yelled, tilting his head back to where his boss's room would be located. After a few minutes of impatient waiting, he came to the realization –accepted the fact– that he's the only person that works diligently –to get his pay–.
By 8:12am, a co-worker of his came along. Ventus Strife, age 21, and the middle of the 3 Strife brothers that Zack oh so –loves– adores. Ventus was the only one who worked at the cheap-paying job, while the youngest brother was the only one that stayed in college, and the oldest brother did some type of work somewhere else. But, god, did Zack just adore the Strifes like they were his god –or something close to that– because all he wanted to do is just follow the middle brother home and see the other two –undeniably– sexy brothers wander around in some –possibly very fancy– unpredictable home.
Anywho, the blonde with the spunky hair, Ventus, grinned to his co-worker and made his way over to the cash-register. "So... Anyone else come here yet?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. "It looks pretty dead, not like it doesn't always look dead but... Y-yeah... Think you get the point?"
"I'm always the first person here, I don't get it. I really don't. I hate working, I hate being up, and I'm here. Bright and early every morning, I haven't been late. I don't know what's wrong with me." Zack said in such a cluster that Ventus almost couldn't understand –he basically didn't but who really cares?– and he just gave Zack a curt nod of silence.
"I... Have no idea what to do about that, yeah? Okay. Cool. We'll just wait here for some workers.."
So, they did. Waiting. Patiently. For someone, anyone to come.
No matter how much Zack wanted to see his co-worker's family, there was little-to-no way that he would be able to do such a thing without being complete buddy-buddy with Ventus.
God was that hard.
So hard.
"So... How's your morning going?" Zack questioned, shooting for some casual conversation.
Ventus shot him an 'are-you-freaking-kidding-me?' look and shrugged to the older man, "Pretty basic if you ask me. Cloud woke me up again by dumping cold water on my face. Roxas laughed, blah blah. Same thing over and over, they need a new routine." Ventus shivered as he shook his head. "Or I just need a new family. Do you live by yourself? Do you have family? Are they annoying? They're annoying aren't they? Why is there the neverending struggle of annoying people? This job is getting to me, I'm tired. I want to go home. I can't help myself anymore. I want to sleep. It's 8 fucking 30 in the morning and I'm standing here with my only friend doing nothing. Because people don't look for clothes in the brightest fucking morning of the day on a fucking Monday morning, noooo, they never do. They never do!" The blonde felt himself go on a rant, unable to stop himself from the bubbling anger. "I'm going to blow this popsicle stand."
Zack instantly looked out of one of the windows, for the near-by popsicle stand that –apparently– sold the Strife boys' favorite flavor ice cream, as well as Axels' –which happened to be the same thing– but of course Zack doesn't pay attention to those small facts.
Yeah right.
Zack pays attention to everything, he just comes off as an oblivious older male that doesn't listen. Or so they think.
The next person to come into the shop was none other than Axel Kasai, age 23 and a complete terror to the pair working at the cash-registers. His entry broke Zack and Ventus' train of thoughts, with his bright red hair pulled into a messy ponytail and him standing by the door taking off his shades. He stood at a pose that screamed fuck-yeah-I'm-awesome-bow-to-me, but the pair just stared. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to do much else with the cocky man. At 8:35am, the red-head found himself an hour late to work. Though, their boss hasn't even done as much as make a call for being out, or anything of the sort, Axel's never charged for latenesses. Sadly.
Zack's eyebrow raised at the red-headed annoyance and rolled his eyes –unknowingly– as the male made his way and tossed his unneeded bag behind the cash register desk. "Did you see Riku on your way here? Or am I going to have to suffer with you today?"
"Riku's stopping by somewhere to get a drink. I think we should sell food, we'd get more business." Axel replied, shrugging as he browsed –with the intention of probably buying something later– through all the clothes in-front of him. "Whaddaya' think? We could definitely get more business in the mornings so it won't be so empty and shit."
"No way." Zack shook his head, "I'm the only person who gets here on time, or did you forget? The breakfast rush starts at like, 7, which happens to be the time where I'm coming in to get ready for work, then wait hours for you guys to show up to actually do your jobs."
"Oh! Idea!" Ventus piped up to say his first thing since Axel walked in, "This place should be... More than just one thing, don't-cha-think?"
Zack felt like the two were working together, everyday, to just somehow annoy him. He was never so testy, –he's rather easygoing– grins are always seen on the boy's face, but for the past 2 years, he's been getting angrier and angrier with the people that he works with. Then again, the only person that gives him any type of mental problem is Axel, anyways. And well, their boss that honestly shouldn't be a boss. Some dude named Wakka, who managed to have the money to somehow make a store of his own to sell clothes. But honestly Zack knew that this was a stupid job, that still had such a god damn good pay, when he realized that Wakka only wanted to make the store for swimwear. As if the people here only goes for swimming. Sure, he'd like to go swimming every now and then, but they don't live where he used to live, so it's different. Completely different. People want actual clothes, regular clothes, Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall clothes. Not... Swimming, what type of clothes would people sanely come and buy swimming clothes for?
Yet somehow, for the past 2 years, Zack stayed, working for Wakka, who only gave Axel free discounts and listened to him when he wanted to complain. In the unfair environment that was plastered into the ground the moment he walks into the clothing store every morning, just to get paid at the end of the week. Every week.
And yet, somehow, for the past 2 years, Zack's kept his pent-up frustration, not wanting to quit.
Today though, today's going to be much different from those past 2 years. Things are changing, and Zack's not going to deal with it anymore.
"I'm leaving." Zack stated, clearly not wanting to be in the clothing store anymore.
"Waddaya' mean?" Axel asked, looking up from his browsing that he started 20 minutes ago.
"I mean, I'm quitting. I'm finding another job."
"Can I come with?" Ventus questioned, "I'm only here for the easy cash." Zack shrugged, looking at the middle Strife. "We should work at a restaurant though, with your good looks, Zack, customers would come crawling to the doors."
"It's because of me that we seem to get service in this damn place too." Zack frowned and picked up his bookbag. "We can look around for some place to start workin' at, of course. It's almost 9am, and I officially have no job." Zack proclaimed, walking to the door, leaving the key to the store on the counter for his boss –Wakka– to come and pick up when he decides that he wants to get to his job. "You comin' with, Axel?" Zack questioned, half-hoping that the red-head's annoying attitude will subside for them to actually get some work done.
"I want to work at Dunkin Donuts." Axel insisted, catching the bag that Ventus tossed to him and made his way to the front door with his co-workers. "Or I mean like, something stupid like Taco Bell or something."
"Fast food joints aren't my thing." Zack shook his head, "I'd rather put my looks to good use." He pointed out, shutting the door behind the three of them and giving one last look to the job that he finally decided to give up, after 2 years of wasting his life.
2. Fucking. Years.
2 years wasted out of his life.
Then finally, after 2 fucking years, he decided to give up his useless job to search for something that most likely pays less, but it gets better customer service then what he had to deal with before.
"You should be a singer, or a model. Zackary." Ventus piped, a cheerful grin plastered on his face in an attempt to make Zack feel better.
"Singing... Nah, I'm not one for singing... Modeling is just disgusting, and didn't I tell you not to call me Zackary? No one calls me Zackary..." Zack sighed at the –rather unused– name given to him. "What about an amusement park? Or... A G-karting place? Or...–"
"You could actually go to college and learn something, then look for some type of part-time job at a grocery store or some shit."
"Coffee house?" Zack was still offering, ignoring the new voice that came in. Though, he did acknowledge the fact that Riku found his way over to the trio who stood like lost puppies in front of their old job building. "Nah, Coffee house is too cliché for good-looking people such as ourselves. Hey Riku. What about we do something like turn into secret service agents or something cool?!"
"Yeah... Secret Service Agents– Oh hey Riku!" Ventus only just now waved to his silver-haired friend who was holding an iced latte and a small bag filled with unknown goodies. "What's up? Do you have an idea of where we're going to go and work next?"
"Honestly, Coffee houses do seem very cliché but... They get paid, I gotta admit. Or.. Well. We can work at Dunkin Donuts, but that requires a uniform, I don't like... Uniforms.–"
"Why does it have to be a Coffee house? Why can't we work at a bakery?" Ventus questioned, earning an agreeing nod from Axel.
"Do you know how to cook sweets?" Zack questioned rather quickly, earning a nod and an agreeing finger from Riku.
"Bakeries make money too..." Axel tried to defend the good idea.
"Oh! Another idea!" Ventus grinned once more, "A bar! The Seventh Heaven bar! A family friend is the boss there, so we're sure to get some jobs that way!"
Zack gave a skeptical look but, if it's a friend of the Strife's, they're a friend of his.
And so, just an hour or so later, the group found themselves looking at the –eventually– new job in front of them, waiting inside The Seventh Heaven bar.
"You've said enough for both of us,
So don't try to deny it,
And some things are better left unsaid,
But I can't keep this quiet.~
Well I'm not one to hold a grudge
And hide it from the surface,
'Cause every single thing I've ever held against you has a purpose!
You're good at starting problems for the hell of it,
But our difference is that I don't use my past to make me feel relevant!" Zack sung along to the song playing that only he could hear. His earbuds plugged into his ears, and he felt himself headbanging to one of his favorite genres of music. Though it was like those generic Emo-kid songs when they can't find their way, he couldn't give two shits. It was catchy, and hell, music made him feel so alive.
It was now, a year later, that Zack Fair, now at the age of 25, sat on the stool in front of the bar's front desk. The cosy shack, or... Bar, as people insist to call it, gained 4 new workers just 1 mere year ago. As well as a now happy boss, that shockingly, Zack was familiar with. Tifa, just about 24 years of age now, and an old schoolmate with Zack and Aerith. Though she was more Aerith's friend, Tifa definitely did know how to take care of herself. But he was sure eventually, this place would become flooded, and she wouldn't be able to take care of it as well as she can anything else. So, he was glad when Ventus offered for them to work there to help her out, and he was sure as hell ecstatic to see an old friend again.
Tifa, on the other hand, after having to deal with Zack's random singing for a year, while the shop opened early in the mornings, –6:30am because of early morning joggers, late-nighters, or College students that have really early classes and need to finish work before getting to their classes– she was unsure if she was still sane, listening to him every single day. Singing something different. It has yet to be the same song, and if it was, she definitely didn't notice.
"Hey, Zack." Tifa called for her old raven-haired friend. The raven paused his music and pulled out his earphones to listen to his boss, "So, The Seventh Heaven Bar has to be renovated, like... We're going to have to make the building bigger, and... Even though we have the money I... Don't know how we should expand it? Should there be a second floor? A bottom floor? Or... Like... Something just to spread it from side to side? That type of thing.."
Zack thought for a moment, before looking up to the ceiling, "You should probably ask everyone else who works here first, but, I'd go for a second floor. You should make like, 7 floors, elevators, and at each floor something different was sold? That type of thing?"
"Um... What type of things would I sell that would be different on each floor?"
"Like, the top floor should be for the bar, like, y'know The Seventh Heaven Bar type thing. The 6th floor should be... Either a resting place, or a food place. OH! Fancy restaurant is the 6th floor, okay?! 5th floor has to be a sweets shop, because you know, drunk people should eat sweets, definitely."
"Uh... Liquor and sweets do not work well together..." Tifa pointed out.
"Hush and let me speak woman!" Zack shooshed his boss and went back to thinking, "So the 5th floor has to be sweets. The 4th floor should be... Aerith's flower shop. 3rd floor can be spent looking at clothes, the 2nd floor should be the morning coffee shop. And the bar should be the night time bar, y'know?"
"So what about the first floor?"
"This 'ol place right here? The elevator floor, we're gonna have loads of business, so we need elevators all on the sides! So that people can get to their designated floor. Like.. 1 elevator for each floor, and not just having like 2 different elevators that go up to each floor, and blah, y'know?" Zack continued to spew his idea out to his long-term friend.
"I... Think I'm going to need more money if we go through with this.."
"Gotcha!" Zack chuckled, patting his friend and giving her a thumbs up as she walked away. "We're gonna need a lot of workers, like 2 or 3 for each floor! So look for hiring people!"
"Yeah, yeah.."
Now, with Zack's idea, –from not too long ago– Tifa put The Seventh Heaven Bar into renovations, and booked out a second building for the workers to... well.. Work and continue making money so that their new building can be completed. It'll take a few months, with all the different things that Zack mentioned to place in the bar, but none of the other workers seemed to have minded. And the plan was thus put into action. They were currently working in a small building that worked half as a morning shop for a quick meal and a drink, and at night the same old classic bar that Tifa loved so much. It wasn't too far a walk from the original Seventh Heaven Bar location, since it's just about 5 or so minutes extra to walk down the road, it was still very noticeable, and in the matter of hours, the building flooded with people.
Tifa grinned at all of the people putting her four trusty workers to work. Though she knew that she would need a hell of a lot more help then just this, her first call was going to go to Aerith. Then... An old friend of hers.
Ventus casually took an order from one of the women staring at him with a sheepish smile. She didn't seem to know what she wanted to drink, –or eat for that matter– and Ventus decided to ease her struggle by offering her one of their finest beverages that she seemed to agree with. Soon after, she seemed to struggle with a type of food that she wanted to eat, and Ventus eventually offered up a meal that he thought would suit her nicely. With her agreement, –and payment– he smiled and told her her order would be ready in just a bit, sending her to one of the open seats to wait, and a waiter would be right out with her order.
Zack and Ventus worked the kitchen and the cash register, sometimes, –since there are two cash registers– Axel would assist Ventus if one order takes too long and so forth. Riku would work in the back until enough orders are done, so that he can go and make a round or two, serving the patient customers.
This is how the service went for a good week or so, until Tifa decided to bring in extra help, some new friends and people who applied for a job –which they shouldn't be placed to work until the Seventh Heaven Bar is back up and running, but Tifa figured the 4 boys needed help– and eventually introduced the helpers.
Kairi Kasai, age 19. The youngest of the Kasai family, and Axel's little sister. Namine Mujaki, age 19, and the younger sister of the third worker, Xion Mujaki, age 19, but fraternal twins. Despite the feminine looks of Xion, she was... indeed a boy. Though, Kairi was the oldest out if the three, there was no doubt that Xion was the most mature.
Tifa informed the boys that these three would be working every other day, and only in the mornings and early afternoons, since their classes start in the evenings for now. Once the original building opens back up, they'll be working full-time on the 3rd floor –The Clothing floor– and they'll be staying to themselves and keeping the clothes up to par with what people of all ages look and shop at reasonable prices.
But for now, these three are going to be working as the waiter/waitresses while the four boys do what they have to do in the kitchen, and at the register.
"Thanks for all the extra you've been searching for, Tifa." Zack thanked his dear friend with a huge grin. "We should be pretty damn good until the building is back in order."
"Yeah... And I'm hoping to get another friend to help us once it's up." Tifa mumbled, pulling up a chair to sit next to the cash-register occupied by Zack. "You'd love it, really."
"Who are you trying to get? Aerith? I thought she said yes by now."
"Aerith? Oh, she's not who I'm talking about. Aerith agreed before I can even finish saying what I needed to say. The only problem is her getting to and from here."
"I can drive her, no biggie." Zack waved his hand all kinds of directions, brushing off the mild problem Aerith seems to always have, transportation. "I go to visit her sometimes still anyways, it'd be nice to be able to work with her again."
"Yeppers!" Tifa grinned, "But that's still not who I want here."
"Who do you want here?"
"You're not allowed to know!" Tifa chuckled to herself, causing Ventus to awkwardly chuckle at the cash register just a foot away. Zack raised an eyebrow, honestly curious of what she was talking about, but he figured he wasn't going to get a proper answer for a while, so he should just drop it.
"Okay, Tif. Thanks for that curiosity bump." Zack eventually mumbled, earning a happy nod from his friend.
Tifa casually nodded and stood, looking at the building that was going to come into use for the next few months. Oh! I can't wait to see what's going to happen next!
I'm not gonna make this story a really long one, just to let you know from the start. It's supposed to be one of my many short and sweet fanfictions, just to be able to get writing ideas out. I have my main story that I want to focus on, but for right now, I just wanna write other stories, for people that have different tastes from my regular Dynasty Warriors stuff. And so, here I am.
Also, yeah, I did make Xion a boy for this, since my first impression of Xion was a guy anyways. I'd prefer her as a guy to be honest with you, people might challenge me with that, but if you don't like it... I'm not gonna force you to read it, you don't have to. So! Here I am, and here you are, the people faithful enough to want to keep reading. This story should update pretty quickly, and I should be done the whole thing before February –It's gonna be a really short story– or something of that sort. I just needed to get the Kingdom Hearts stories rolling again. I'm pretty sure I have two –or three– other stories that needs updating. I'll get on those eventually.
Until next time, everyone! Happy reading, and a Merry Christmas to you!
