Author's Note: This was a challenge from a friend, and I'm not sure if it's gonna come out good or not, so I'm not going to continue unless my readers find the plot interesting. Please review to let me know what you like, and PM me if you have any suggestions. Enjoy the story's first chapter!

Name: Roxanne Knight
Age: 20
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 40 kg
Birthplace: Gongaga
Status: SOLDIER 2nd Class
Mentor: SOLDIER 1st Class Sephiroth

Appearance: shoulder-length burgundy hair with messy bangs framing her cheeks. Piercing green eyes with a slight aquamarine tone in them. Wears a purple turtleneck that ends slightly above her navel (something like the size of Tifa's shirt in Advent Children) and purple baggy pants, black boots with zippers at the front…in short, the same outfit as Zack – the SOLDIER 2nd Class uniform. Except, she has well-sized breasts and so the shirt bulges where it's supposed to. So, yeah.

Chapter 1
Unexpected Visit

'That was one tiring mission…' Zack groaned as he sat atop a random rock. He was on his way back to the camp from aforementioned tiring mission, and his entire body hurt like hell. It was also extremely cold at that time of the night, and that did nothing to help him get a move-on.

He sat with his face in his palms, almost falling asleep when, all of a sudden, an unexpected sound broke the silence. He immediately looked up, senses standing on end, as bright blue orbs scanned his surroundings.

Nothing.

He was about to crumple up into his previous position, but the same sound pierced the night again. Zack did not like the sound one bit. The black-haired SOLDIER got up forcefully and looked around behing the bushes and rocks, trying to locate the source of the commotion.

And he did.

His eyes widened, and the colour became electric blue, as if he had just received an electric shock.

"What the…?"

Zack Fair was, for once, left speechless at the sight before him.

I tossed and turned in my bed. It was indeed a very late hour, and having Sephiroth as a mentor just meant that I was more tired and in dire need of sleep/rest than most others. But I was in a deep sleep a few moments back. Why am I almost awake all of a sudden?

Wait, what was that noise? Someone was knocking – no, banging on my door frantically. I even heard my name being called out by whoever was threatening to knock down my front door. Who the hell was on my front porch at this time of the night?

"Roxanne! Damnit!" The voice growled. "Open the door, will ya?!"

Wait, I knew that voice! It was…horribly familiar.

I was fully awake by the time that realization sunk in. Oh god. Save me…

"Roxanne!"

I grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I picked up my coat from the bedside chair and threw it over my thin nightgown as I rushed out of my bedroom.

The pounding on the door was growing more frantic as another yell was heard. "ROXANNE!"

"I'm coming, damnit!" I yelled back as I entered my hall and opened the door. "Zack Fair, you better have a solid reason for waking me up at this goddamned hour."

An extremely cold gust of wind blew in as soon as I opened the door, making me hug my coat tightly to myself. I frowned deeply at my peer – a fellow SOLDIER 2nd Class, Zack Fair. The popular, flirtatious, cheerful and outgoing guy who annoyed me to no end. But the serious look plastered on his face at the moment gave me the creeps, and made my anger recede a bit. A bit only, mind you.

"Roxy. I need your help, big time," Zack said, in a panicked voice. Seriously, what was with the panicking?

I looked at him with confusion and annoyance in my eyes. "Okay, what do you need at this time of the night?" I asked, irritated.

"It's…" Zack started, just to shake his head and bringing in a secondary thought. "Umm…can I come inside, first?"

I glared. "Oh, sure. I'll let you into my house at – what – two-thirty in the morning because you're such an innocent guy looking for shelter."

"Hey!" Zack glared back. "You're not doubting my intentions, are you?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Of course I'm not! Because a guy who says he's taking you to lunch, but takes you to a bar instead and challenges you into a drinking competition so that you'd end up high and embarrass yourself in front of your and his mentors is sooo trustworthy."

Zack chuckled at the memory of the incident, before turning serious again. "Look, Roxy. I know you're probably pissed at me–"

"Pissed?!" I snarled at the ebony-haired guy. "Oh, you have no idea–"

"Okay, okay!" Zack held out his arms in front of him in a gesture of surrender. "I get the deal, all right? It's just…this–"

He stopped what he was saying and brought out a bundle from behind his back. As soon as he unwrapped the black cloth, I gasped.

"Get in, immediately!" I yelled, as he hurriedly scurried in and closed the door behind him. I rushed to turn on all the lights and heaters in my hall and lounge.

Zack transferred the black bundle onto the couch in the lounge and I turned on him.

"You idiot!" I slapped his head. I ignored his tiny 'ouch' at the impact and continued. "Where the hell did you get a baby from?"

Oh, yes. The bundle currently resting on my couch was basically a black cloth wrapping a baby. Albeit a beautiful one…but that's not the question! His parents could be worried sick! I bet they're looking for their darling child right this second as we talk!

Unless…

I threw off my coat and fished out my katana, seemingly from nowhere, and pointed it at Zack's throat. He immediately put his hands in the air and backed off.

"Whoa, whoa…Roxy!" No need to get so volatile on me!" Zack said in a low tone.

I huffed with anger boiling in my veins. The irresponsible idiot with dysfunctional brains.

"You bastard!" I yelled at the flirty SOLDIER. "Who'd you knock up now, huh?"

"I…wait, what?" Zack's eyebrow twitched before his eyes widened over the blunt accusation. "Hey, I did no such thing! I'd never knock up some random woman!"

"Yeah, and you're sooo believable when it comes to women…" I snorted. "You probably saw some hot chick, chatted her up since most of these Miss Hotts' these days are amazingly dense, and so you laid her easily!"

Zack looked at me like I'd gone crazy.

"Look, Roxanne…I didn't lay any babes, okay?" Zack said slowly, as if trying to make a particularly persistent five-year old understand that the earth was round, not flat.

"Don't believe it," I snapped back. "You laid someone consciously and ditched that chick. You got her pregnant, and she shows up before you after she's had your child, insisting that you bear the expenses of the kid."

Zack looked convinced that I'd gone off my rocker.

He grabbed my arms and looked into my eyes, shaking me violently simultaneously.

"Come back to your senses, Roxy!" Zack said. I shook him off.

"For your kind information, Roxy, I just flirt with women. Otherwise, I'm completely harmless, okay?" Zack defended himself. "Besides, I found the kid in the hedges."

I gave him a look so skeptic, it could execute. Zack gulped.

"Look, Rox! You're my friend! I wouldn't be afraid to tell you if I managed to actually knock someone up!" he said. "I can prove it, too! This note came with the kid."

We stood in awkward silence for a few long seconds as I stared at the letter Zack held out to me.

"…you tell me this after all that hassle?" I asked in monotone.

"Heh…" Zack rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It was fun to see you get worked up!"

I frowned as I snatched the letter from him in a single sweep. Uncurling the crumpled up letter, I read it out aloud.

"Abandoned child. Finder, please take this child under your wing. This young baby girl is just five months old, so she won't need mother's milk. Please, save her life." I finished in an angry tone.

"I didn't know what to do…" said Zack, collapsing onto my soft-leather loveseat, stretching his legs over one arm rest while he leaned his back against the other. "…and I couldn't just leave the little guy lying there among the rocks, that too in such a cold weather! Poor thing would've died!"

I crumpled the note into a ball and threw it over my shoulder as I rolled my eyes at the well-built guy comfortably lounging on my sofa.

"So, it's Saint Fair now, huh. Change your first name to Zachary or some shit like that; sound more saintly," I growled, putting down my katana onto a single couch and lifting my coat off the floor. "In any case, you found the kid, so he's your business. Don't burden me with any more work; I already got my plate overloaded by Sephy. So, congratulations on stepping into fatherhood and lastly, good luck at trying to become a first class SOLDIER and daddy at the same time."

Zack sat up straight as I started to retreat into my bedroom. But before he could even open his mouth, we heard a loud cry. Cue an eye-roll from me.

"Roxanne, I brought the kid to you 'cause I don't know the first thing about handling one!" Zack nearly wailed. "You're the only girl in the vicinity, so I thought you'd be able to…umm, well… sort of 'analyze' the 'situation'…" Zack finished, making air quotations wherever necessary.

"Well, then you thought wrong, didn't you?" I said, matter-of-factly. "Don't you recall why I'm in SOLDIER in the first place? Because my mum kicked me out of my own home due to my lack of sense at being a woman. Basically common sense, as she puts it."

"…oh, right…nearly forgot about that…" Zack rubbed the back of his neck, with a strained smile on his lips. "Well, common sense is the thing that most people lack…"

I glared.

Zack looked at the child cradled in his arms. "…umm, the kid's still crying, though…thought about reminding you 'cause you seem far too distracted…"

I glared again.

"Oh, screw this…" I couldn't take the crying anymore. There you go, Roxanne. You're about to make a move that you'll regret forever, a voice screamed inside my head. And I've had more than enough experiences regarding Zack that these voices work for my own good.

I went over to Zack and snatched the baby out of his ten tone arms, cradling it the child close to myself.

"Hush, goddamnit, you baby…" I screamed in a whisper. Zack chuckled.

"Roxy, do babies get cardiac arrests?" I raised a confused eyebrow at his question as I continued to rock the baby. "Because, if they did, that tone would surely help."

I glared yet again. That shut him up.

A few minutes later, the baby finally stopped crying and fell asleep. Zack and I heaved sighs of relief in unison.

"Here," I handed the kid over to Zack, who looked like he was handling particularly brittle glass. It was kind of cute, actually. "Don't bother me any further. And at any rate, the kid's five months old and can live off baby food. So, basically, the assistance of a woman is not absolutely necessary for you…"

I turned and headed for my bedroom.

"Oh, and as you leave with your bundle of joy, turn off all the lights and heaters, and remember to lock the door behind you."

I had already entered my room and locked the door when another loud cry issued from my lounge. It was followed by a loud yell of "Roxanne!"

I chuckled humourlessly. "Did I just ask Zack Fair to take care of a child? He's a pathetic baby himself."

A/N: Soooo? Good, bad, what? review and let me know if this is a story you want to read any further!