Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)
Author's Note: Sixtieth Fanfic! And it's an AU one-shot...Written for 'KCVII'...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)
A long, thin shadow fell over her still form, suddenly blocking the warming rays of sunlight, that had previously been gently heating the metal material of the bench on which the brunette was sitting.
She wasn't entirely sure how long she'd been seated there, on that tired piece of furniture, whose ends were rusting, and the jet black paint that once covered its surface to smooth perfection, had begun to peel away and bits flaked off easily with the lightest amount of friction.
Though that didn't matter, what mattered was where it was, away from the buildings and the classrooms inside, away from the playground and away from prying eyes, its legs planted firmly upon the soft soil, that caused it ever so slightly to dent and sink beneath its surface, holding it there through wind and storm, and its shape camouflaged so impeccably by the various trees and bracken that littering the edges of the high-school's field.
The grass was especially green considering the fact that most days it was used to play many different, and many boisterous sports upon, and that no doubt took a toll on the plant life, but, that day, it seem to be flourishing, the middle and roots a deep emerald, whilst the tips were bright, and almost chartreuse in shade.
It probably had something to do with it being one of those glorious summer days, the sky a perfectly crystal clear blue, which seemed to shine it its beauty, and the only thing that distorted it was the fluffy, pale wisps of clouds, whose whiteness only seemed to add to the picturesque view, along with the burning sphere of fiery energy that hung among them, the only star immense enough to be seen during daylight hours.
Though if the young teen was being completely honest, she was too distracted and upset to appreciate or even notice the good weather, or the calming silence that was surrounding her like an invisible blanket, instead all she could think about was that moment she had witnessed, in the dusty place, with her blonde haired friend and that small, petite princess.
Her usually pale, smooth, porcelain skin, was now drenched in reflective trails, that flowed silently down her cheeks, while her deep red-tinted eyes stared at the ground beneath her feet, glazed over, only her mind seemed to be busy at work, replaying the words she'd heard, and the actions she'd seen.
Though the moment that darkened shape fell over her form, she snapped out of it, proceeding to lift her face up sharply, either not caring or not really aware that her staining tears were still evident, and instead shot a disinterested glare at the familiar, if unwanted cause of the shadow upon her private space.
He greeted her with his simple trademark, along with a supposedly charming smirk, curling at the corners of his lips, ''Yo.''
The young teen ran a nimble, slender hand through the top of his spiky, flame red locks, another trademark of his, before delving it back into his pocket, where in the opposite side, the other already resided.
He was slender, lanky even, especially compared to the brunette anyway, who was wondrously curvaceous, though not over weight in the slightest, just toned, and his hair was longer than hers, true, not at the top, but the ponytail that hung down his back, and brushed against the bottom of his spine, was a truly great thing to behold.
Reno... She nearly smiled in spite of herself, though not a happy, excited smile, but rather an amused, sarcastic smile, her mind flooding with information and memories involving the red head, whom, till today she'd never actually talked to one-on-one.
Of course she'd worked with him in group activities over her time at the high school, after all he had been in the same class as her throughout her teen years, though he had always been a person whom she'd avoided, not out of hate or dislike, but just out of coincidence.
He had always been a bit of a class clown slash school disruptor, a bit of a bad boy slash charming rogue, whom was constantly getting noticed, though he definitely wasn't part of the popular crowd, and he tented to sway towards solitude, seemingly enjoying his own company, which, in hindsight made people talk about him even more, always in hushed whispers, as though they were unsure if he was dangerous or not.
Tifa just huffed out an irritated sigh, obviously not intimated, though still expressing her uneasiness at his sudden presence, with the harshness of her tone, ''What do you want?''
Reno just shrugged his shoulders, a look of complete uncaring calm expressed upon his face, which received another sigh in response from the young woman seated in front of him.
''Well if you don't want anything, can you please just go away.''
There was a slight pause, in which the red head observed her quietly, as if trying to determine whether or not to push the conversation, while the brunette continued to glare at him, even though she knew he hadn't earned the right for her to do so.
''Ok.'' His answer surprised Tifa immensely, though she tried her best to hide it, but she seemed unable to stop her gaze from following his form, as he strode past her, continuing on his chosen path, which she had supposedly disrupted with her presence.
He was barely a metre from her when the distinctive ring sounded from the ominous building down, past the field, and across the playground, the drilling, high pitched, droning bell, signalling to each and every student that a new class was about to begin, and warning them of how little time they had to get there.
Tifa had just been in a free period, but unluckily now, she had double art, and though she loved the subject, she really wasn't in the mood for anything right now, not least being in a room containing the blonde and palette knives.
Sighing, she began pushing herself up, and away from the bench, residing herself to her dreaded fate, and was about to stroll across the field, when she noticed the red head was still walking in the same direction, away from the field, and away from the school, even though, she knew for a fact, he was a one of the members of her art class.
''You're going the wrong way.''
''No I'm not.''
''But...we've got art class...and unless you've received some psychic vision that we're doing some kind of 'city study', then...we're meant to go to the classroom...''
He stopped now and turned around to face her, his expression slightly bothered, though his voice had definite hints of cocky arrogance, as if she should know better than to ask such pointless questions, ''I'm not going.''
''You're bunking off?'' The moment the question left her lips, she mentally cursed herself for being so stupid, of course he was, he was like that, though after she'd recovered from her vocal slip, she was overwhelmed with a need to state the obvious, believing it was somehow her job to deter him from his rule breaking, ''You'll get into trouble...''
The left side of his mouth quirked ever so slightly at her comment, his insides squirming with an adoring amusement, and soon another arrogant smirk played across his lips, his voice hinted with cheeky sarcasm, ''Oh dear...''
Tifa's eyebrow raised automatically, and after giving a small shaking of the head, she began on her way again, though soon found herself halted in place, when five, strong fingers wrapped themselves around one of her swaying wrists.
Before she could shout out or react in anyway, the brunette was twisted on the spot, being forced, not uncomfortably, to face the young teen whom had somehow managed to silently catch up to her.
His hand remained locked onto hers, as if he feared she'd run off if he lessened his grip even the slightest amount, and when he spoke his eyes were sparkling, though his voice remained steady and confident, ''Come with me.''
Tifa scowled both in disapprovement and disbelieve at the red head's sudden and rather unexpected offer, and when answering him, she only spoke two words of blank refusal, though there was a hint of curiosity lingering in the undertones, ''No. Way.''
''Why not?'' There was the smallest of smiles upon his lips, his tone not so much demanding, but lightly playful.
The brunette's gaze faltered, her eyes focusing on anything but the red head's own aquamarine orbs, her mind suddenly washed of all coherent reasoning, and her mouth was popping like a fish's, only managing to get out a nervously shaky, desperately stuttered, ''Be...because...''
Reno smile turned once again into a smirk, though this one was somewhat kinder, and when he spoke, his voice was noticeably softer, ''Come on...you look like you could use a break.''
Tifa stared at him for a few moments before swiftly nodding her head, seemingly acting on impulse, and before she knew it, she was strolling along with the red head, away from the hustle and bustle of the teen filled classrooms, and towards the small wood which grew down, past the field.
Perfectly sculpted shapes of white gold light danced upon the woodland floor, like snowflakes in a giant kaleidoscope that was being held above the tree top canopy of leaves, while the darkened patches of bark and soil crunched oh so satisfyingly under her feet.
What am I doing here...? The young teen brushed a few strands of her dark, lengthy locks away from the corners of her face and tucked them firmly behind her ear, the silence which was passing between her and the red head not so much uncomfortable, but definitely surreal in the sense of them even being in each other's company.
From the moment they'd passed through the gate and over that invisible threshold into the wood, the brunette had been racking her brain for a reason as to why she'd agreed to skip a class, to spend time with someone she hardly knew.
She thought for a while that maybe it some subconscious kind of vain attempt at getting back at the blonde, whom she now felt the most teasing desire to make jealous, or maybe it was just her rebellious side finally emerging from the cage in which it had been locked in, deep within her.
And then there was the reason as to why Reno had asked her to join him; did he want something from her? Did he have some sort of hidden agenda?...It was hard to tell with him, his eyes seemed able to rid themselves of any revealing emotions, making him completely unreadable.
Tifa let out a forced sigh, making sure it was loud enough to bring the red head's attention around to her and slowly swung her arms behind in one smooth motion, clasping her hands together, holding them in place against her lower back, ''So, I know why I'm out here, but...why are you?''
Reno responded almost immediately, as if uncomfortable at the question being asked of him, ''Just didn't feel like going to class.''
There was a definite huff of unimpressed amusement from the brunette, before she raised her head so as to view the leaf canopy which hovered above her, and muttered, with more than a hint of a smirk playing across her lips, ''That's a bit of a stupid reason...''
''Yeah I know.''
Her face lost its smirk, and gained an completely knowing expression, her voice much reflecting her perception, ''And it's a lie...''
The brunette turned her crimson tinted gaze upon Reno, whom in turn cocked his head to the side slightly, though kept his eyes fixed on the path in front of him, and smiled dryly, ''Damn...must be losing my touch.''
''No...I'm just clever.'' Tifa couldn't withhold a small smug smile that spread over her pale pink lips with a delighted ease.
The red head observed this really quite charming display and raised an eyebrow, not out of disgust or dislike, but rather out of surprise at her sudden burst of confidence; it suited her.
Choosing to completely avoid the fact he still hadn't really answered her question, the red head instead allowed his own curiosity to take control, ''Why were you crying?''
''What?'' Tifa hadn't expected that at all, and his tone had sounded so calm and serious; it rocked her.
Reno didn't fail to notice the expression of confused shock, playing upon the brunette's young, warmingly pretty face, ''You were crying...on the bench.''
''It was nothing.'' The tiny, cloaking cough she gave after her statement, as well as the quiet, un-surety that filled her tone did nothing to convince the red head, whom this time raised an eyebrow out of mellow amusement.
''And you called me a liar...''
Before she could offer him a witty retort or explanation, she found herself being over taken by the red head, who proceeded to stroll over to a small patch of especially hard, smooth soil, and plonked himself down, in one swift, light motion.
Tifa stood rooted to the spot for more than was comfortable, her mind and body feeling awfully confused as to what action she was next meant to perform, though luckily for her, the red head soon directed her to the spot next to him with a slow pat of the hand.
She didn't automatically run over to him, after all she wasn't his lap dog, or pet, though in hindsight the way he had directed her was no so much a command but more a suggestion, and after a few moments of wavering, the brunette took a few tentative steps closer and eventually lowered her form down to his level, laying her legs comfortably in front of her, so they were curled slightly to the side.
The spot which Reno had chosen, seemed to have been designed specifically for the purpose of being used as a peaceful seating space, the air especially clear and fragrant, no doubt due to the patches of beautifully colourful flowers the lined the edges of the soil, their pollinated centres adding even more shade variations, and the small steam that ran along in front of them, the water crystal clear, apart from the odd rock partials flowing below the surface, and the gentle yet rhythmic splashing creating a sense of quiet harmony.
The red head glanced over at Tifa, who had remained silent since his last statement, and quickly shifted his gaze back to the steam, the thoughtful look on her face not going unnoticed, making him come to the conclusion that it would be best not to push her on the subject, and instead let her decide whether to tell him or not, after all he hardly knew her, but then again, sometimes talking to strangers was better than talking to friends; they tended to be more honest.
And it worked, as after a few more minutes had pasted, the brunette's lips parted and she took in a slightly shaky breath before proceeding with the confession that both hurt her feelings and her pride, ''It was just...my friend...my best friend...Cloud...he...well I saw him...'' She lowered her gaze to her hands which her clasped in front of her, her fingers nervously playing with each other, ''I was in the library to pick up a book on Greek Mythology...I needed to do some extra research for my essay for Ancient History...and...I was scanning my eyes over one of the shelves, and I heard a girl's voice...and I recognised it...after all only the Princess can emit that high pitched giggle of hers...and I'm not one for eavesdropping...but then I heard him...my heart was beating so fast...I couldn't really concentrate on what they were saying...but they were definitely enjoying each other's company...no doubt about that...'' She took another deep breath, ''After a while they went quite...and that's when I shifted the books apart...just enough for me to see if they'd gone...but they hadn't...'' A small sniff threatened it present itself, but she held it back forcefully, ''They were so wrapped up in each other they didn't even notice the gasp that escaped my lips...I was so shocked...I just...I just ran...''
She paused for the briefest of moments before turning her gaze closer to the red head, but still not meeting his own, ''It's just that...I loved him for so long...and he never noticed...he didn't choose me...I just feel like I've wasted my energies on trying desperately to keep something that...I never had in the first place...but I felt like I did...and now I've lost it...in every way...''
The slump of her figure, and the nestling of her hands in the fabric of her skirt signalled to Reno that she'd finished, and that it was his turn to give her some kind of response, preferably advice, rather than mockery, but if she was being honest, her mind felt so weakened by the days events, that she'd take any input that he was willingly to give her.
That being said, his response wasn't what she had been expecting, ''Get over it.'
She blinked several times as her mind absorbed, and processed his words, her lips mouthing the words back at him with both confusion and a hint of insulted annoyance, ''Get over it...?''
Reno let out a small chuckle, realising that his words may not have been the best choice, and deciding quickly to explain before he got a fist to the face; Tifa was known for being a remarkable martial artist, ''What I mean is; he's obviously either a jerk, or an idiot, but which ever is right...it doesn't matter now...you've got to push on and...get over it...because today, well it was a stepping stone...a wake up call...you know now that you've been wasting your time...and now you don't have to any more...you can move on...'' He suddenly noticed the look of pure amazement on her face and found himself growing uncomfortable, deciding to end his speech with a rather childish, if very amusing; ''Plus Strife is just a blonde spiky haired Chocobo...'' which in turn, received a light hearted giggle from the brunette who proceeded to playfully hit him on the shoulder, obviously not registering how much effort she was putting in to it, and soon the red head found himself hurtling froward into the steam of cold flowing water.
Tifa clasped her hands over her mouth in apologetic shock and she proceeded to mutter many variations of 'sorry' whist helping the red head out of the steam and up to her level once again.
He didn't seem annoyed, in fact he seemed quite amused, and before long he had fallen pray to a fit of deep laughter, which Tifa was quick to join him in, and when the red head pulled out his ponytail to give a shake of his wet locks, an even more elated scream of strange, childish pleasure was produced by the brunette's beautifully pale pink lips as the chilly water hit her soft skin.
''Feeling better now?''
She halted her laughter with a few deep breaths, and flashed him a warm smile, which shined with honest gratitude, ''Much...thank you.''
''Good...you're much prettier when you smile.'' And with that, he gave a quick quirk of the neck, signalling it was time to head back, and as the brunette fell into step beside him, it felt natural, and when her hand brushed against his as it swung in motion, she couldn't help but notice who much closer their bodies had become.
When they got to the gate, the brunette sighed in gentle, if slightly amused apprehension, ''We are so gunna get detention.''
Reno slowly linked his hand in hers, and proceeded to help her over the planks of wood which divided them from the field, with that beautifully charming smirk playing upon his thin lips, ''As long as you're with me, I'm sure you'll be able to bear it...''
A/N= Hope it's ok! And I'm so sorry it took me so long to get out...Eurovision distracted me last night...it's absolute crap...but also so entertaining! And then I couldn't get to sleep till like...6 in the morning...and then I had a series of very strange...very scare inducing nightmares which eventually made me get up at 9...so yeah...I tell you my sleeping patterns gone crazy lately...it's 4.15 here! And I still can't sleep...it's mad I tell you!