AN: Mmm, my first fanfic, so bear with me ^_^ I hope you enjoy it :D
-x- Chapter One -x-
People were rushing around, eager to see the so-called celebrities. They took no notice of the dazed teenager amongst them. She looked to be about 16, 17 at the most and had dark purple hair, it looked seemingly unnatural atop her tanned skin and blazing yellow eyes.
A gasp of awe rippled throughout the crowd, but as the girl was short, only 5'6", she couldn't see what had happened. Still wondering why there was such a large crowd, she turned to the left and spotted a young woman. The woman had a warm face, so the girl decided to try her luck, thus she tapped the woman's arm gently to get her attention.
Somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, the woman looked at the young one before responding, "what?"
Slightly shocked by the woman's less than inviting response, the girl hesitated before asking a simple question. "What's going on?"
"What!?" The woman practically yelled. "But you're here! How could you not know?"
The teen merely shrugged. "I've been wandering around for the past while and I guess I just found myself here."
"I assume you've heard of the Turks?" The woman asked, gesturing towards the centre of the crowd.
"Uh, yea. Aren't they those evil, heartless bastards that-" Bayley started, before she was cut off.
"That's how they were , but things are different now that Reeve has become president of ShinRa," the woman spoke as she brushed her honey coloured hair out of her face.
Oh! People don't hate them! Now I don't have to hide the- The teen's train of thought was disrupted as the woman poked her arm.
"Hello?" She waved her hand in front of Bayley's face. "You zoned out for a second there."
Bayley blinked out of her stupor and apologized. "Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes. So why are there so many people here?"
"The Turks agreed to do this promotion, fundraiser thing, so naturally many, many Midgarians showed up just to see the Turks. Speaking of which, I get to have dinner with them tonight! I'm the chosen news reporter.so excited!" The woman nearly squealed.
"Oh my Shiva!" Bayley gasped, her eyes wide in shock. "You are so friggin' lucky."
"Whatever happened to them being evil, heartless bastards?" The reporter smirked, holding back a giggle.
Turning an elegant shade of pink, Bayley grinned sheepishly. "Errr."
She smiled, "I understand. I had to hide the fact that I thought they were cool, everyone was either afraid of them, or hated them back before Meteor."
"Shame." Bayley agreed, shuffling her feet a bit.
"Where's your family? Normally, people don't see teens like you alone, especially in a city like Midgar." The woman spoke; her green eyes were concerned.
Bayley's face suddenly darkened, "I um, I lived in Costa del Sol. That is, before I left. And.yea."
Sensing that the younger girl didn't want to continue, the older woman decided to shy off the subject. "Oh, well you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Thanks." Bayley mumbled, thankful for the woman's quick change of conversation.
"Hey, I didn't catch your name," the woman smiled, holding her hand out.
Bayley took it and replied, "Bayley."
"I'm Kiera, the best reporter in Midgar!" She announced, holding her head high. Her voice was so cocky that it had to have been a joke. She smiled as the other girl laughed and went back to her normal voice. "So, why did you come to Midgar?"
"Not sure, something in the back of my mind directed me and told me where to go. Almost like an outside force was controlling me," she paused, "to an extent."
Kiera cocked her youthful head to the side, "Strange."
"Yes, very." Bayley agreed, her hand on her slim waist. "But it's stopped now, I don't know what it wants me to do next. I don't really know if that's, well, a good thing or not." Why am I telling this to her? She's a complete stranger.
"That is very weird. I sometimes get that feeling, but not strongly enough to change any decisions I've made or anything," replied the other girl; she received no response. Bayley was busy thinking, her eyes looking off at nothing. Brows furrowed, she pursed her lips.
"." Kiera coughed, her head cocked again as she looked at Bayley.
She snapped out of it, her eyes coming to a focus. "Huh? Did I zone out again?" Bayley scowled. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Kiera smiled warmly. "So, do you like one of them?"
"Who, what, huh?" The younger girl narrowed her eyes, a somewhat confused, yet shifty look upon her face.
Kiera put her hands on her slender hips. "Do you like one of the Turks?" She reiterated.
".Uh," Bayley paused. "Maybe."
Kiera grinned rather evilly, but in a whiny voice she asked, her words spoken quickly, as one. "Whowhowho!?"
"Not telling! Hmph," Bayley said as she looked away, seemingly snobby, but hiding a smile.
Kiera whispered something into Bayley's ear inaudibly which resulted in the latter flushing bright pink.
"I was right! " Kiera cackled; her green eyes were shimmering with unchecked happiness. "Man, I haven't laughed so much in days!"
"Neither have I," Bayley agreed. "I'm guessing you're the same?"
Surprised, the older woman blushed. "O-of course not!"
Bayley shrugged, "there's no need to lie." She seemed to be struggling not to break out into laughter but continued. "You know it. I know it. Hell, he probably even knows it, or rather he will after tonight." With that last retort, she winked one yellow eye. Wow, we're getting along so well. This is strange. I wonder, is this supposed to happen? I don't feel any kind of uneasiness when talking to her. Why do I trust her so much, so fast? Weird.
"Aww jeez, you figured me out!" Kiera stuck her tongue out and squinted her eyes in a playful way.
"Of course! I'm psychic!" Bayley declared. She crossed her arms and winked, somewhat resembling Jeannie from I dream of Jeannie .
Kiera scoffed, "Oh yah. Well what am I thinking about right now then?"
"Well, that's obvious," Bayley paused, "RENO!"
The older girl sarcastically gasped, "Of course not."
"Know what I just realized?" Bayley asked after a moment of silence.
"No.what?"
The purple haired girl paused and then continued, "How well we're getting along. I mean, we just met, but it seems like I've known you for aeons!"
"I was thinking about that too, it does seem kind of strange though. Maybe it has to do with that dude in your head telling you what to do?" Kiera considered.
Bayley shrugged, "Maybe.but it's not just some guy saying 'go here, do this,' there isn't any words actually being spoken, more like a sense of yearning. It's hard to explain."
Nodding, Kiera was still confused. "Oh."
A moment of silence passed between to two newfound friends as they contemplated the meaning of all this. The stillness was only broken by an eruption of applause thundering throughout the auditorium.
"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Kiera asked; green eyes concerned.
Shaking her head, Bayley replied with a brisk, "no."
"I'd say you could stay at my hotel tonight, but I have to go to dinner with the Turks," as she spoke, her face became wrinkled with concentration and consideration. "Well, ah! You could come with me! I would, of course, have to pull a few strings, but it would probably work."
Yellow orbs widened with shock and happiness. "Oh Bahamut! Are you serious?" Bayley nearly shrieked in utter delight.
"Of course. Something tells me that this is the right thing to do, so I gotta trust it, and you." Kiera glanced down at her watch, "Aye, we only have 2 hours to get ready. We should probably go to my hotel room now."
Bayley was still in shock; she was beaming. "A-ah okay," she agreed as she snapped out of her stupor. Kiera smiled at her dazed companion and set off through the crowd towards the front door, followed closely by the other.
The girls gave one quick glance back and saw Reno's bright, red hair in the distance. Before their infatuations could conquer them, they rushed out the front doors, beaming.
In the bright sunlight, the girls could now see each other clearly. Bayley was wearing a very travel worn outfit, her black skirt had a rip up the side, as well as around the hem, and on her chest she adorned a black and red bustier. About her neck was a black choker ending in a long chain with a golden heart.
Kiera on the other hand was dressed fairly casually. She wore baggy jeans and a white tank top that fitted her toned body well. Her hair resembled that of a jar of honey being poured and was long; it bunched about her shoulders in a very feminine way. She appeared to be in her early twenties at the most, although her face seemed childlike and impish.
Above the girls, loomed the giant ShinRa HQ, which happened to house the convention centre on its main floor. Stretched out in front of them was Neo-Midgar. Its streets were busy and its sidewalks were crowded but overall it was much cleaner and inviting than Ancient Midgar.
"Hey, you never told me what made the Turks so famous!" Bayley suddenly shot at Kiera, her face contorted into confusion.
As if expecting the question, Kiera hardly flinched. "I'll explain back at the hotel, ok?"
"Alright," responded the red-haired girl, still gazing around at the huge city.
At one time, sunlight was rare to the people of Midgar, and even rarer to the people of the slums who lived directly below the wealthy citizens. Due to the old ShinRa's mako reactors draining the Planet's life source, the plants around the city withered away and the ground dried and cracked.
Although Ex-President, Rufus ShinRa, had met his demise upon the attack of Diamond WEAPON, President Reeve was inclined to keep the name "ShinRa" for reasons only known to him. With the loss of the president and the destruction of Ancient Midgar due to the Meteor incident, Reeve had been elected president unanimously. He had Neo-Midgar built from the rubble in less than 2 years, and it had continued to expand since then. Mako was no longer used for a source of power as Reeve had found new ways to provide electricity.
"We're almost there," Kiera announced as they turned down another street. The sun was still blazing contently although it was about time for it to rest.
After several minutes, the young woman stopped abruptly and turned towards a fancy looking building. "This is Neo-Midgar's finest, The Shiva Lounge," Kiera declared.
"Ooh." Bayley gawked at the entrance before being grabbed by the hand and pulled through the double doors.
The lobby had an ice theme, corresponding to its name, as Shiva was the Ice Goddess of the Planet. The floor seemed to be made of smoothened ice crystals and a large, sky blue, plush carpet was laid underneath a fancy set of two couches and a coffee table. Mounted on a pale blue wall, was a beautiful painting of Shiva herself.
Kiera waved to the blonde receptionist and continued to the elevator where she punched in the button. The young woman leaned against the wall opposite the lift, beside Bayley. Impatiently, the yellow-eyed girl started to gaze around at her surroundings. A royal blue plush carpet was covering the floor directly in front of the elevator. She instantly felt a twinge of guilt as her well-worn combat boots were caked with dry mud and all sorts of other outdoor filthiness. Feeling rather out of place, she shifted her weight uncomfortably.
Ding , the elevator's annoying bell sounded as it arrived. When Bayley had finally noticed, she found that Kiera was already waiting inside. Smiling sheepishly, she followed.
Finally, the elevator reached the twenty-first floor. It gave another ding and let off the two excited girls. They walked down the hall, arriving at room 2105. Kiera brought out the keycard, slipped it into the slot and opened the door. Inside, the room was gorgeous. Ice blue, luxurious carpet adorned the floor and the walls sparkled with what looked to be little sapphires. The windows were tinted blue and the kitchenette's floors mimicked that of the lobby's.
"You can come in y'know," Kiera invited upon seeing her companion staring, mouth open, in awe at the room. Blinking out of her daze, Bayley nodded and walked inside, letting the door close behind her.
"I'm going to have a shower, so you can watch TV 'til I'm done. Then you can have one," Offered Kiera, before she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
Bayley nodded in response and seated herself upon the couch. She flicked on the TV and before the screen fully loaded up, she could tell it was coverage of the Turks' fundraiser by the sound. As the picture became clear, she saw a photo of the three Turks smiling at the camera; she felt her heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, the question arose to her mind again, what did the Turks do to gain such popularity? She resolved at once to ask Kiera as soon as possible. She turned up the volume and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. This may be a high-class hotel, but can't they at least have comfy couches? Before she could continue wondering about this, the TV disrupted her thoughts.
"Tonight, one lucky reporter from our very own station family will be spending dinner and the rest of this evening with the beloved Turks. We do hope Ms. Kiera Tangaard enjoys herself." The reporter announced.
Bayley mused out loud to herself, "That's us."
"And now to a message from the Turks," the reporter continued as the camera panned out to a smiling blonde haired girl: Elena.
"Thank you everyone for all of your support! We'd also like to thank President Reeve-" The crowd roared with applause, interrupting her. She continued, not in the least bothered, "-for giving us this beautiful city! We hope you choose to follow our footsteps and donate to this very special cause!" The crowd erupted once again with applause and cheers.
The camera zoomed out, showing the two male Turks on either side of Elena. All three were wearing their original blue suits; trademarks of the Turks. Reno's bright green eyes appeared slightly annoyed and he prodded her in the arm. "El' you talk too much, you should have let me do the speech."
Rude nervously eyed the camera but Reno only shrugged and continued, "You did a pretty shitty job too."
"Reno." Rude warned, his palm to his shaved forehead, unmistakably embarrassed.
Shocked, Elena's blue eyes widened and she took a step back before darkening her gaze. "Reno!" She shrieked, "We're on camera! And in front of hundreds of people!"
"Bad enough that I have to stay for this stupid thing," Reno mumbled to himself. He walked off the stage towards the back door, brushing a few stray strands of long red hair out of his face.
Elena growled, "Reno!" Her tone changed apologetically, "sorry about that, he's not usually like this." Her normally light face was flushed bright red. "How could he do this to us?" The ashamed woman quietly whispered to Rude.
"." The young woman expected this quiet response, so naturally she nodded and gave a weak smile to the audience. She stepped off the stage followed by her friend, before the camera panned back to the reporter on- scene.
"Ah, it seems that our friends are having a bit of trouble. We have no info on this right now, but we will keep you posted." The screen faded out to black, before going to a commercial. Bayley instinctively muted it, settling back and waiting for the coverage to return.
As a commercial for Costa del Sol appeared, Kiera opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom wearing a towel toga. "Nice!" Bayley smirked, pointing at the second towel. It was once wrapped around the former's head, and was now slipping off.
In response, Kiera stuck her tongue out and walked carefully to the separate bedroom. Before shutting the door, she poked her head out, "it's all yours."
The teen grinned and flicked off the TV. As she arrived at the bathroom, she turned around and closed the door. Upon hearing the satisfying click of the lock, she proceeded to begin her shower. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
"What was that all about?" Elena screeched at Reno once they were away from the general public. Fuming with anger, she jabbed him in the chest with her finger; her blue eyes seemed like they were on fire. "You. Are. So. Stupid!"
Reno plainly shrugged and started to leave, only to be pulled back by a tight grip on his shoulder. "Oh, you're not going anywhere , Mister," she growled, narrowing her eyes.
"El' please, you're making a bigger scene than Reno did," Rude pleaded, finally saying something.
Defeated, she dropped her hold on Reno and hung her head. Before leaving, Reno eyed her. "Besides El', the people love this stuff!" He grinned and pushed open the back door.
"How immature." Elena muttered, her face still hot and red. In an attempt to comfort her, Rude placed his hand gently upon her shoulder.
"El'." He whispered softly.
She looked up at him, eyes welling up with tears. "How could he do this to me!?" She wailed, throwing her small body against Rude, crying into his chest.
Quite taken aback, a shocked look came to his face, but it was soon conquered by a gentle one. He hesitantly put his arms around her and reassured her. "Reno, you idiot," he whispered mainly to himself rather than to anyone else. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
"Hope she's not crying again," Reno muttered to himself. "Girls are so strange; I wonder how anyone can understand them." As his near-glowing green eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed many women staring at him, but quickly look away, embarrassed, when he looked back at them.
Due to the heat, Reno rolled up his jacket and wrinkled dress shirt sleeves unevenly. "God, we really need different suits for the summer," he mused as he continued towards the front of New ShinRa. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked rather relaxed as he sauntered down the street.
"I wonder how that stupid dinner crap is gonna go. I bet we're gonna be stuck with some old, boring hag for hours. Man, being famous ain't easy." He sighed to himself.
Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the events that happened only moments before, in the convention centre. A slight feeling of guilt bubbled its way throughout his body and he shivered to rid himself of it. "Shit, I wonder why she gets so offended?" He asked himself aloud.
As he arrived at the double door entrance to the Shiva Lounge, he began to contemplate why Reeve had insisted that they stay in a hotel. They did, of course, have their own apartments. I guess it's just 'cause they want us to feel special or something , he mused. Or maybe it's because our apartments are way the hell on the other side of Midgar. He shrugged and pushed open the doors, allowing himself inside.
The receptionist at the desk nearly melted when Reno waved at her, but she managed to compose herself before she fell off her chair. She managed a smile and looked down, pretending to examine papers as her face started flushing.
Reno, with an ever-inflating ego, only noticed the attention he received from strangers on the street. Most girls, who actually knew him, immediately avoided the man, annoyed by his cocky attitude. The few that didn't were scared away by him continuously hitting on them. Of course Reno hardly noticed those girls. The only negative attention he actually perceived was from Elena, as it was a next to constant thing.
Casually, he strolled to the elevator, pushed the button and leaned against the wall. "Why the hell do these goddamn elevators take so friggin' long?" He impatiently asked to no one in particular.
As the elevator arrived, he plunged his hands into his pockets and walked inside. He waited a moment, wondering why the elevator wasn't moving. "Aw shit," he muttered, realizing that he hadn't pushed the button for his floor. He gave the button labeled "21" a light prod and leaned against the wall again.
A full two minutes later, the elevator halted abruptly and Reno lazily walked out and continued to his room - 2108. He sighed and pulled his keycard out from his pocket. He roughly pushed it into the slot and opened the door.
The room was clean, surprisingly. It was evident that the cleaning lady had come during the time he was out. "She's wasting her time." he sniggered, knowing that by this time tomorrow his room would be unbelievably messy again, despite his half-assed attempts at staying clean.
He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the couch. "What the hell?" Reno glowered upon noticing that the remote was nowhere to be seen. Too lazy to be bothered to look for it, he lied down. Instantly, his eyelids began to droop and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Bayley stepped out of the shower, smiling to herself. "It feels nice to be clean again," she sighed. Wrapping a towel around herself, she admired her cleanliness one last time before stepping out into the main room.
"You can wear whatever you want," Kiera offered, now wearing a black knee length skirt and a light pink tube top.
Nodding, Bayley continued to the separate bedroom and closed the door. She searched in the closet for something suitable and pulled out a light blue halter dress. The front came low enough to show cleavage, but it wasn't too revealing. The bottom of the dress just reached knee length but it slanted upwards to about mid-thigh. She wrapped a towel around her forehead and hair, and opened the door.
"Wow, that dress looks great on you," Kiera smiled warmly at her friend before continuing to brush out her honey hair.
Bayley giggled and replied, "Thanks." She sat down beside Kiera and roughly threw the towel off her head towards the bathroom. Kiera handed her the brush and went to do her makeup in the bathroom.
The brush fought maliciously with the tangled hair, but quickly became victorious. Soon, the mop of tangles was lying flat, defeated. When Kiera returned from the bathroom, her makeup was done beautifully. A creamy white shadow accented the bright green of her eyes and a pink gloss coated her pouty lips. Taking Kiera's place in the bathroom, Bayley heard a familiar voice talking to itself as it went past their door.
She chose a dark grey shadow and smudged it onto her eyelids, giving them a rather smoky feel. Picking up the mascara, she lightly ran it through her lashes. She batted her eyes seducingly at the mirror, giggled, and then applied some lip-gloss.
"Are you almost done in there? We should probably leave soon, we're supposed to be there in 40 minutes, and we still have to convince security to let you in." Kiera called from the main room, her voice sounded eager but not too pushy.
A muffled squeak came from the bathroom and Kiera looked quizzically towards the door. It opened and out stepped her companion, looking stunning. "Whoa. You look a lot different. S'amazing."
"T-thanks," Bayley blushed as she calmly walked out of the bathroom. "Should I just wear my boots?"
Kiera shook her head, "Look at them! They're filthy! You can borrow some of mine as well. We want you looking your best for Reno, don't we?" She smiled and winked an ethereal green eye.
"Okay!" The girl smiled as her friend went into the closet beside the door. She returned with two pairs of shoes; high-heeled sandals and knee- high boots.
Kiera tossed the sandals to Bayley and bent down to put her own boots on. "You can wear those, I hope they fit."
The girl caught the sandals with ease and also leaned down to fasten them to her feet. "They do."
"Good. Shall we go?" Kiera suggested, tying the last bow on her boot. She straightened up and opened the door, ushering Bayley out.
As they started to walk down the hall, they heard yelling behind them, something that vaguely sounded like Reno . They both paused, but upon hearing a door slam and someone walking behind them. They continued, oblivious to who was walking behind them. Perhaps it was a good thing that they didn't know at first who it was; perhaps it was the mysterious force stopping the girls from looking back, but of course they soon found out.
-x- Chapter One -x-
People were rushing around, eager to see the so-called celebrities. They took no notice of the dazed teenager amongst them. She looked to be about 16, 17 at the most and had dark purple hair, it looked seemingly unnatural atop her tanned skin and blazing yellow eyes.
A gasp of awe rippled throughout the crowd, but as the girl was short, only 5'6", she couldn't see what had happened. Still wondering why there was such a large crowd, she turned to the left and spotted a young woman. The woman had a warm face, so the girl decided to try her luck, thus she tapped the woman's arm gently to get her attention.
Somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, the woman looked at the young one before responding, "what?"
Slightly shocked by the woman's less than inviting response, the girl hesitated before asking a simple question. "What's going on?"
"What!?" The woman practically yelled. "But you're here! How could you not know?"
The teen merely shrugged. "I've been wandering around for the past while and I guess I just found myself here."
"I assume you've heard of the Turks?" The woman asked, gesturing towards the centre of the crowd.
"Uh, yea. Aren't they those evil, heartless bastards that-" Bayley started, before she was cut off.
"That's how they were , but things are different now that Reeve has become president of ShinRa," the woman spoke as she brushed her honey coloured hair out of her face.
Oh! People don't hate them! Now I don't have to hide the- The teen's train of thought was disrupted as the woman poked her arm.
"Hello?" She waved her hand in front of Bayley's face. "You zoned out for a second there."
Bayley blinked out of her stupor and apologized. "Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes. So why are there so many people here?"
"The Turks agreed to do this promotion, fundraiser thing, so naturally many, many Midgarians showed up just to see the Turks. Speaking of which, I get to have dinner with them tonight! I'm the chosen news reporter.so excited!" The woman nearly squealed.
"Oh my Shiva!" Bayley gasped, her eyes wide in shock. "You are so friggin' lucky."
"Whatever happened to them being evil, heartless bastards?" The reporter smirked, holding back a giggle.
Turning an elegant shade of pink, Bayley grinned sheepishly. "Errr."
She smiled, "I understand. I had to hide the fact that I thought they were cool, everyone was either afraid of them, or hated them back before Meteor."
"Shame." Bayley agreed, shuffling her feet a bit.
"Where's your family? Normally, people don't see teens like you alone, especially in a city like Midgar." The woman spoke; her green eyes were concerned.
Bayley's face suddenly darkened, "I um, I lived in Costa del Sol. That is, before I left. And.yea."
Sensing that the younger girl didn't want to continue, the older woman decided to shy off the subject. "Oh, well you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
"Thanks." Bayley mumbled, thankful for the woman's quick change of conversation.
"Hey, I didn't catch your name," the woman smiled, holding her hand out.
Bayley took it and replied, "Bayley."
"I'm Kiera, the best reporter in Midgar!" She announced, holding her head high. Her voice was so cocky that it had to have been a joke. She smiled as the other girl laughed and went back to her normal voice. "So, why did you come to Midgar?"
"Not sure, something in the back of my mind directed me and told me where to go. Almost like an outside force was controlling me," she paused, "to an extent."
Kiera cocked her youthful head to the side, "Strange."
"Yes, very." Bayley agreed, her hand on her slim waist. "But it's stopped now, I don't know what it wants me to do next. I don't really know if that's, well, a good thing or not." Why am I telling this to her? She's a complete stranger.
"That is very weird. I sometimes get that feeling, but not strongly enough to change any decisions I've made or anything," replied the other girl; she received no response. Bayley was busy thinking, her eyes looking off at nothing. Brows furrowed, she pursed her lips.
"." Kiera coughed, her head cocked again as she looked at Bayley.
She snapped out of it, her eyes coming to a focus. "Huh? Did I zone out again?" Bayley scowled. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Kiera smiled warmly. "So, do you like one of them?"
"Who, what, huh?" The younger girl narrowed her eyes, a somewhat confused, yet shifty look upon her face.
Kiera put her hands on her slender hips. "Do you like one of the Turks?" She reiterated.
".Uh," Bayley paused. "Maybe."
Kiera grinned rather evilly, but in a whiny voice she asked, her words spoken quickly, as one. "Whowhowho!?"
"Not telling! Hmph," Bayley said as she looked away, seemingly snobby, but hiding a smile.
Kiera whispered something into Bayley's ear inaudibly which resulted in the latter flushing bright pink.
"I was right! " Kiera cackled; her green eyes were shimmering with unchecked happiness. "Man, I haven't laughed so much in days!"
"Neither have I," Bayley agreed. "I'm guessing you're the same?"
Surprised, the older woman blushed. "O-of course not!"
Bayley shrugged, "there's no need to lie." She seemed to be struggling not to break out into laughter but continued. "You know it. I know it. Hell, he probably even knows it, or rather he will after tonight." With that last retort, she winked one yellow eye. Wow, we're getting along so well. This is strange. I wonder, is this supposed to happen? I don't feel any kind of uneasiness when talking to her. Why do I trust her so much, so fast? Weird.
"Aww jeez, you figured me out!" Kiera stuck her tongue out and squinted her eyes in a playful way.
"Of course! I'm psychic!" Bayley declared. She crossed her arms and winked, somewhat resembling Jeannie from I dream of Jeannie .
Kiera scoffed, "Oh yah. Well what am I thinking about right now then?"
"Well, that's obvious," Bayley paused, "RENO!"
The older girl sarcastically gasped, "Of course not."
"Know what I just realized?" Bayley asked after a moment of silence.
"No.what?"
The purple haired girl paused and then continued, "How well we're getting along. I mean, we just met, but it seems like I've known you for aeons!"
"I was thinking about that too, it does seem kind of strange though. Maybe it has to do with that dude in your head telling you what to do?" Kiera considered.
Bayley shrugged, "Maybe.but it's not just some guy saying 'go here, do this,' there isn't any words actually being spoken, more like a sense of yearning. It's hard to explain."
Nodding, Kiera was still confused. "Oh."
A moment of silence passed between to two newfound friends as they contemplated the meaning of all this. The stillness was only broken by an eruption of applause thundering throughout the auditorium.
"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Kiera asked; green eyes concerned.
Shaking her head, Bayley replied with a brisk, "no."
"I'd say you could stay at my hotel tonight, but I have to go to dinner with the Turks," as she spoke, her face became wrinkled with concentration and consideration. "Well, ah! You could come with me! I would, of course, have to pull a few strings, but it would probably work."
Yellow orbs widened with shock and happiness. "Oh Bahamut! Are you serious?" Bayley nearly shrieked in utter delight.
"Of course. Something tells me that this is the right thing to do, so I gotta trust it, and you." Kiera glanced down at her watch, "Aye, we only have 2 hours to get ready. We should probably go to my hotel room now."
Bayley was still in shock; she was beaming. "A-ah okay," she agreed as she snapped out of her stupor. Kiera smiled at her dazed companion and set off through the crowd towards the front door, followed closely by the other.
The girls gave one quick glance back and saw Reno's bright, red hair in the distance. Before their infatuations could conquer them, they rushed out the front doors, beaming.
In the bright sunlight, the girls could now see each other clearly. Bayley was wearing a very travel worn outfit, her black skirt had a rip up the side, as well as around the hem, and on her chest she adorned a black and red bustier. About her neck was a black choker ending in a long chain with a golden heart.
Kiera on the other hand was dressed fairly casually. She wore baggy jeans and a white tank top that fitted her toned body well. Her hair resembled that of a jar of honey being poured and was long; it bunched about her shoulders in a very feminine way. She appeared to be in her early twenties at the most, although her face seemed childlike and impish.
Above the girls, loomed the giant ShinRa HQ, which happened to house the convention centre on its main floor. Stretched out in front of them was Neo-Midgar. Its streets were busy and its sidewalks were crowded but overall it was much cleaner and inviting than Ancient Midgar.
"Hey, you never told me what made the Turks so famous!" Bayley suddenly shot at Kiera, her face contorted into confusion.
As if expecting the question, Kiera hardly flinched. "I'll explain back at the hotel, ok?"
"Alright," responded the red-haired girl, still gazing around at the huge city.
At one time, sunlight was rare to the people of Midgar, and even rarer to the people of the slums who lived directly below the wealthy citizens. Due to the old ShinRa's mako reactors draining the Planet's life source, the plants around the city withered away and the ground dried and cracked.
Although Ex-President, Rufus ShinRa, had met his demise upon the attack of Diamond WEAPON, President Reeve was inclined to keep the name "ShinRa" for reasons only known to him. With the loss of the president and the destruction of Ancient Midgar due to the Meteor incident, Reeve had been elected president unanimously. He had Neo-Midgar built from the rubble in less than 2 years, and it had continued to expand since then. Mako was no longer used for a source of power as Reeve had found new ways to provide electricity.
"We're almost there," Kiera announced as they turned down another street. The sun was still blazing contently although it was about time for it to rest.
After several minutes, the young woman stopped abruptly and turned towards a fancy looking building. "This is Neo-Midgar's finest, The Shiva Lounge," Kiera declared.
"Ooh." Bayley gawked at the entrance before being grabbed by the hand and pulled through the double doors.
The lobby had an ice theme, corresponding to its name, as Shiva was the Ice Goddess of the Planet. The floor seemed to be made of smoothened ice crystals and a large, sky blue, plush carpet was laid underneath a fancy set of two couches and a coffee table. Mounted on a pale blue wall, was a beautiful painting of Shiva herself.
Kiera waved to the blonde receptionist and continued to the elevator where she punched in the button. The young woman leaned against the wall opposite the lift, beside Bayley. Impatiently, the yellow-eyed girl started to gaze around at her surroundings. A royal blue plush carpet was covering the floor directly in front of the elevator. She instantly felt a twinge of guilt as her well-worn combat boots were caked with dry mud and all sorts of other outdoor filthiness. Feeling rather out of place, she shifted her weight uncomfortably.
Ding , the elevator's annoying bell sounded as it arrived. When Bayley had finally noticed, she found that Kiera was already waiting inside. Smiling sheepishly, she followed.
Finally, the elevator reached the twenty-first floor. It gave another ding and let off the two excited girls. They walked down the hall, arriving at room 2105. Kiera brought out the keycard, slipped it into the slot and opened the door. Inside, the room was gorgeous. Ice blue, luxurious carpet adorned the floor and the walls sparkled with what looked to be little sapphires. The windows were tinted blue and the kitchenette's floors mimicked that of the lobby's.
"You can come in y'know," Kiera invited upon seeing her companion staring, mouth open, in awe at the room. Blinking out of her daze, Bayley nodded and walked inside, letting the door close behind her.
"I'm going to have a shower, so you can watch TV 'til I'm done. Then you can have one," Offered Kiera, before she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
Bayley nodded in response and seated herself upon the couch. She flicked on the TV and before the screen fully loaded up, she could tell it was coverage of the Turks' fundraiser by the sound. As the picture became clear, she saw a photo of the three Turks smiling at the camera; she felt her heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, the question arose to her mind again, what did the Turks do to gain such popularity? She resolved at once to ask Kiera as soon as possible. She turned up the volume and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. This may be a high-class hotel, but can't they at least have comfy couches? Before she could continue wondering about this, the TV disrupted her thoughts.
"Tonight, one lucky reporter from our very own station family will be spending dinner and the rest of this evening with the beloved Turks. We do hope Ms. Kiera Tangaard enjoys herself." The reporter announced.
Bayley mused out loud to herself, "That's us."
"And now to a message from the Turks," the reporter continued as the camera panned out to a smiling blonde haired girl: Elena.
"Thank you everyone for all of your support! We'd also like to thank President Reeve-" The crowd roared with applause, interrupting her. She continued, not in the least bothered, "-for giving us this beautiful city! We hope you choose to follow our footsteps and donate to this very special cause!" The crowd erupted once again with applause and cheers.
The camera zoomed out, showing the two male Turks on either side of Elena. All three were wearing their original blue suits; trademarks of the Turks. Reno's bright green eyes appeared slightly annoyed and he prodded her in the arm. "El' you talk too much, you should have let me do the speech."
Rude nervously eyed the camera but Reno only shrugged and continued, "You did a pretty shitty job too."
"Reno." Rude warned, his palm to his shaved forehead, unmistakably embarrassed.
Shocked, Elena's blue eyes widened and she took a step back before darkening her gaze. "Reno!" She shrieked, "We're on camera! And in front of hundreds of people!"
"Bad enough that I have to stay for this stupid thing," Reno mumbled to himself. He walked off the stage towards the back door, brushing a few stray strands of long red hair out of his face.
Elena growled, "Reno!" Her tone changed apologetically, "sorry about that, he's not usually like this." Her normally light face was flushed bright red. "How could he do this to us?" The ashamed woman quietly whispered to Rude.
"." The young woman expected this quiet response, so naturally she nodded and gave a weak smile to the audience. She stepped off the stage followed by her friend, before the camera panned back to the reporter on- scene.
"Ah, it seems that our friends are having a bit of trouble. We have no info on this right now, but we will keep you posted." The screen faded out to black, before going to a commercial. Bayley instinctively muted it, settling back and waiting for the coverage to return.
As a commercial for Costa del Sol appeared, Kiera opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom wearing a towel toga. "Nice!" Bayley smirked, pointing at the second towel. It was once wrapped around the former's head, and was now slipping off.
In response, Kiera stuck her tongue out and walked carefully to the separate bedroom. Before shutting the door, she poked her head out, "it's all yours."
The teen grinned and flicked off the TV. As she arrived at the bathroom, she turned around and closed the door. Upon hearing the satisfying click of the lock, she proceeded to begin her shower. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
"What was that all about?" Elena screeched at Reno once they were away from the general public. Fuming with anger, she jabbed him in the chest with her finger; her blue eyes seemed like they were on fire. "You. Are. So. Stupid!"
Reno plainly shrugged and started to leave, only to be pulled back by a tight grip on his shoulder. "Oh, you're not going anywhere , Mister," she growled, narrowing her eyes.
"El' please, you're making a bigger scene than Reno did," Rude pleaded, finally saying something.
Defeated, she dropped her hold on Reno and hung her head. Before leaving, Reno eyed her. "Besides El', the people love this stuff!" He grinned and pushed open the back door.
"How immature." Elena muttered, her face still hot and red. In an attempt to comfort her, Rude placed his hand gently upon her shoulder.
"El'." He whispered softly.
She looked up at him, eyes welling up with tears. "How could he do this to me!?" She wailed, throwing her small body against Rude, crying into his chest.
Quite taken aback, a shocked look came to his face, but it was soon conquered by a gentle one. He hesitantly put his arms around her and reassured her. "Reno, you idiot," he whispered mainly to himself rather than to anyone else. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
"Hope she's not crying again," Reno muttered to himself. "Girls are so strange; I wonder how anyone can understand them." As his near-glowing green eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed many women staring at him, but quickly look away, embarrassed, when he looked back at them.
Due to the heat, Reno rolled up his jacket and wrinkled dress shirt sleeves unevenly. "God, we really need different suits for the summer," he mused as he continued towards the front of New ShinRa. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he looked rather relaxed as he sauntered down the street.
"I wonder how that stupid dinner crap is gonna go. I bet we're gonna be stuck with some old, boring hag for hours. Man, being famous ain't easy." He sighed to himself.
Suddenly, his mind flashed back to the events that happened only moments before, in the convention centre. A slight feeling of guilt bubbled its way throughout his body and he shivered to rid himself of it. "Shit, I wonder why she gets so offended?" He asked himself aloud.
As he arrived at the double door entrance to the Shiva Lounge, he began to contemplate why Reeve had insisted that they stay in a hotel. They did, of course, have their own apartments. I guess it's just 'cause they want us to feel special or something , he mused. Or maybe it's because our apartments are way the hell on the other side of Midgar. He shrugged and pushed open the doors, allowing himself inside.
The receptionist at the desk nearly melted when Reno waved at her, but she managed to compose herself before she fell off her chair. She managed a smile and looked down, pretending to examine papers as her face started flushing.
Reno, with an ever-inflating ego, only noticed the attention he received from strangers on the street. Most girls, who actually knew him, immediately avoided the man, annoyed by his cocky attitude. The few that didn't were scared away by him continuously hitting on them. Of course Reno hardly noticed those girls. The only negative attention he actually perceived was from Elena, as it was a next to constant thing.
Casually, he strolled to the elevator, pushed the button and leaned against the wall. "Why the hell do these goddamn elevators take so friggin' long?" He impatiently asked to no one in particular.
As the elevator arrived, he plunged his hands into his pockets and walked inside. He waited a moment, wondering why the elevator wasn't moving. "Aw shit," he muttered, realizing that he hadn't pushed the button for his floor. He gave the button labeled "21" a light prod and leaned against the wall again.
A full two minutes later, the elevator halted abruptly and Reno lazily walked out and continued to his room - 2108. He sighed and pulled his keycard out from his pocket. He roughly pushed it into the slot and opened the door.
The room was clean, surprisingly. It was evident that the cleaning lady had come during the time he was out. "She's wasting her time." he sniggered, knowing that by this time tomorrow his room would be unbelievably messy again, despite his half-assed attempts at staying clean.
He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the couch. "What the hell?" Reno glowered upon noticing that the remote was nowhere to be seen. Too lazy to be bothered to look for it, he lied down. Instantly, his eyelids began to droop and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
Bayley stepped out of the shower, smiling to herself. "It feels nice to be clean again," she sighed. Wrapping a towel around herself, she admired her cleanliness one last time before stepping out into the main room.
"You can wear whatever you want," Kiera offered, now wearing a black knee length skirt and a light pink tube top.
Nodding, Bayley continued to the separate bedroom and closed the door. She searched in the closet for something suitable and pulled out a light blue halter dress. The front came low enough to show cleavage, but it wasn't too revealing. The bottom of the dress just reached knee length but it slanted upwards to about mid-thigh. She wrapped a towel around her forehead and hair, and opened the door.
"Wow, that dress looks great on you," Kiera smiled warmly at her friend before continuing to brush out her honey hair.
Bayley giggled and replied, "Thanks." She sat down beside Kiera and roughly threw the towel off her head towards the bathroom. Kiera handed her the brush and went to do her makeup in the bathroom.
The brush fought maliciously with the tangled hair, but quickly became victorious. Soon, the mop of tangles was lying flat, defeated. When Kiera returned from the bathroom, her makeup was done beautifully. A creamy white shadow accented the bright green of her eyes and a pink gloss coated her pouty lips. Taking Kiera's place in the bathroom, Bayley heard a familiar voice talking to itself as it went past their door.
She chose a dark grey shadow and smudged it onto her eyelids, giving them a rather smoky feel. Picking up the mascara, she lightly ran it through her lashes. She batted her eyes seducingly at the mirror, giggled, and then applied some lip-gloss.
"Are you almost done in there? We should probably leave soon, we're supposed to be there in 40 minutes, and we still have to convince security to let you in." Kiera called from the main room, her voice sounded eager but not too pushy.
A muffled squeak came from the bathroom and Kiera looked quizzically towards the door. It opened and out stepped her companion, looking stunning. "Whoa. You look a lot different. S'amazing."
"T-thanks," Bayley blushed as she calmly walked out of the bathroom. "Should I just wear my boots?"
Kiera shook her head, "Look at them! They're filthy! You can borrow some of mine as well. We want you looking your best for Reno, don't we?" She smiled and winked an ethereal green eye.
"Okay!" The girl smiled as her friend went into the closet beside the door. She returned with two pairs of shoes; high-heeled sandals and knee- high boots.
Kiera tossed the sandals to Bayley and bent down to put her own boots on. "You can wear those, I hope they fit."
The girl caught the sandals with ease and also leaned down to fasten them to her feet. "They do."
"Good. Shall we go?" Kiera suggested, tying the last bow on her boot. She straightened up and opened the door, ushering Bayley out.
As they started to walk down the hall, they heard yelling behind them, something that vaguely sounded like Reno . They both paused, but upon hearing a door slam and someone walking behind them. They continued, oblivious to who was walking behind them. Perhaps it was a good thing that they didn't know at first who it was; perhaps it was the mysterious force stopping the girls from looking back, but of course they soon found out.