A Christmas to Remember
Women with a long braid, and a pink jacket made her way through the streets, watching as the depressed people walked home. The Sector 13 Mako Reactor had been shut down today leaving. Thousands without jobs, and no way to feed their families over the holidays. It was Christmas Eve.
"Rufus Shinra is such a cruel man to lay off people on Christmas Eve." Said the girl as she shuddered from the cold, and walked a bit faster to her church.
The girl started to sing Christmas carols, to raise her spirits, as she walked swiftly towards her flowers.
"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth…" She sang as she entered the doorway to the old church, forgotten in the slums.
"Sorry, I didn't bring any teeth, but if you really want that, I guess, I'll just go back and return this necklace, and go punch out some guys teeth" Said a voice, as the door closed revealing a man with jet black hair.
"ZACK!" The girl shouted with glee, as she ran up to him and gave him a hug.
"OOF! Happy to see me I see…" Zack says as he hugs her back.
"I thought you said you wouldn't be back for Christmas." She responded.
"Guess, I was wrong… So how are you Aerith" He asked.
"Good!" She replied.
"How have the flowers been selling?" He asked her. "How's the wagon, holding up?" He added, as he smiled and hugged her again.
"Fine, just fine… I have just missed you" She said with a smile as he hugged her.
"O! Almost forgot" He says as he pulls out a small rectangular box wrapped in plaid bright green wrapping paper. "This is for you" He said with a blush as he handed her the box.
"Zack! You didn't have to get me anything." She said as she took the box.
"Well, I had Cissinei help me pick it out…. And my other friend... He wants to be a SOLDIER too, but I don't think he has the right stuff." He said as he shook his head'
" O…" She said sadly.
"Well, open it!" He said cheerfully.
Aerith started to carefully take off the wrapping paper.
"O... Come on Aerith open it! The suspense is killing me" He said dramatically.
Aerith giggled at his outburst, so impatient like a child. She then ripped the paper off to reveal a white shiny box. She carefully opened it to find a silver chain with an attachment to hold materia.
"Oh! Zack!" She exclaimed as she gazed at it awe struck.
"I thought you could use it to show off that pretty materia your mother left you, I mean I know you said it does nothing, so I thought,….." He stuttered, but stopped as Aerith kissed him on the lips.
"I Love it!" She said, as she took it out of the box carefully and started to put it on.
"Also… I was wondering… "He said. " See this friend of mine is all alone for Christmas, and he invited me out for some drinks, but I told him no, and he realized why I said that and said to bring you along too. So I was wondering if you wanted to go, I mean we don't have to but…" He said as pacing and rubbing the back of his head.
"It's fine Zack, when do we meet your friend?" She asked as she tried to place her Mother's materia in the necklace.
"Here let me help you" He said as he started to mess with the necklace.
A blond spiky man in a SOLDIER 1st class Uniform walked into a bar and sat down at a stool.
"Hi, what will it be?" Said a girl with dark brown hair that hung almost down to her waist. Her back turned to him as she was doing the dishes.
"I was wondering if you guys were open tonight." The blond man said.
"Sorry, we are closing in an hour..." She said.
The Blond man let his head fall on the bar counter. "Why is every bar closed tonight?" He said, as he moved his head onto his arms.
"Here I'll get you something on the house, you seem like your having a hard time, what will it be?" She said trying to cheer him up.
"Margarita on the rocks please." He mumbled.
She began fixing his drink, and when she was done walked over to him and put it down in front of him. "There ya, go. Hope that helps." She said trying her best to be cheerful.
"Thank you." He said as he lifted his head up from his arms, then gasped at the women who was serving him. "TIFA!" He shouted.
"Cloud…" Tifa. Responded with an awestruck look. "Is that really you?" she said.
"Yea... Yeah! It's me!" He said smiling. In return she smiled back, then leaning forward like she was going to kiss him, she instead smacked him with enough brute force that it caused his head to hit the counter, and make an embarrassing thunk noise.
"Where have you been? What you think you can just up and disappear one day from our town!" She said screaming. As he rubbed his head recovering, and moved his mouth to say something he was drowned out by her ongoing yelling. So as it might prove dangerous for him if he didn't, he decided he might as well listen. "I mean, what do you think you can just waltz right back to us, and we take you back! After us looking for you and afraid that Shin-Ra had taken you for experiments! We stormed the sector you know! Looking for you! And ya know what happened! We got our butts kicked! And all for you… and now you're here in a SOLDIER uniform! From Shin-Ra no less!" She exclaimed and started to pant from lack of breath.
"Look. Tifa I'm... I' really sorry." He said, looking at her pleadingly.
'Ugh!' She thought 'Why does he have to use those charming blue eyes on me! WHY!'
"FINE! You're forgiven!" She said with a huff. "But you're coming to our Christmas party tonight!" She said remembering how cloud hated parties.
"But… I have plans with my friend…" He stuttered, afraid of the seriously pissed off girl in front of him who was able to, and wouldn't hesitate to break his arm.
"Then bring em' along! The More the merrier!" She said snidely.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Cloud thought...
"So just meet you at a bar called 7th Heaven?" Zack said into his phone.
"Yes" Said the voice on the other end of the phone. "And Zack. Please don't be late..." The Voice pleaded.
"Don't worry well be their at 10." He said with a snicker, as Aerith looked at him confused.
"But I thought you said..." She was cut off by the man on the other side of the phone calling yelling.
"NO! ZACK I SAID EIGHT! EIGHT P.M.!!!" The man on the other side of the phone yelled, making the phone speakers vibrate, and resulting in Zack losing much of his hearing, and making him pull the phone away from his ear.
"Okay, okay, Spiky calm down, I get it." Zack said as he cautiously put the phone to his ear again.