Disclaimer: I do not claim any of the Final Fantasy 7 characters.

Hey. This is the shorter piece of this two piece so... be ready for bigger reading in the ending chapter. Anyways, I reposted this again cause I noticed an error and some things I wanted to change (the way Reno talks pretty much). None of the changes are major.

Review. Please?


Hot Chocolate.

The snow crunched beneath her feet. Struggling with her dozen shopping bags, Tifa could only comfort herself with the idea that there was some hot chocolate at home calling her name. Sweet, tempting hot chocolate.

Stopping for a moment, she opened her bags one by one, checking that she hadn't forgotten anyone.

Gourmet chocolates and aged wine for Vincent.

A bright red 'Ms. Claus' lingerie for Yuffie; last Tifa had heard, that girl had snagged herself a boyfriend.

Sweater and socks for Barrett, a stuffed hippopotamus and a slinky for Marlene.

Unreasonably expensive cigars and a box to put them in for Cid.

An interesting hardcover book for Nanaki.

A new PDA for Reeve and a Christmas hat to put on Cait Sith though the robot had not been in use since the meteor.

Last, yet most importantly, was a pair of boots and small keychain for Cloud. She would have gotten him more but she knew he could only carry so much on his journey to revive Aeris.

He had said he would be stopping by around noon tomorrow for the party she was planning. Everyone was showing up.

Smiling to herself, Lockheart didn't pay attention to where she was walking, suddenly a man bumped into her sending most of her bags into the air and her falling onto the ground.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Tifa remained rubbing her sore forehead.

He made a few paces before turning back around. "Lockheart?"

Looking up with her palm still on her head, her brain easily registered his crimson hair, the two scars (or perhaps they tattoos?) on his cheekbones and his hunched figure.

"Reno." She replied curtly. Brushing off the snow from her clothes, she began to pick up her bags.

The ex-Turk sauntered over, still with a smirk plastered to his lips. She blinked as he waved a familiar black wallet in her face as she was kneeling to pick up her things. "I wouldn't've took it if I knew it was you."

She snatched it from his fingers and replaced it back into her pocket. Scowling at the ground, she began to pick up her many scattered things. Damn Turk.

And as soon as she reached over to grab Yuffie's bag, a pale hand snagged it away from her reach. Next, he, surprisingly and slightly alarming, offered his free hand to her as she kneeled in the frothy white dust.

The martial artist, instead, slapped his hand away and got up on her own. "Give me that back, Turk, that cost me a lot of cash."

"Baby, I can't let a pretty lady like you carry all these bags on yer own." He took another bag, this time it was Marlene's gifts, and began walking ahead of her with both bags in hand.

"Hey! Come back here! Do you think I'm just going to let you steal my stuff-"

"I'm not stealing. I'm helpin' ya carry all this shit home." Flinging his fiery hair over his shoulder, he looked over to her and smirked. "Coming?"

She ran towards to him, ready to kill. But he smacked her over with Yuffie's bag before she could swiftly kick him in the balls. Still unstable from the many presents she was holding, she easily tipped over and landed clumsily onto the ground once more.

"You! You!" She pounded at the dirt beneath the fluffy snow in her tantrum. "Give those back, you asshole!"

Brushing herself off for the second time in the last few minutes, she attempted to take her things back from the taunting redhead.

Only he held them far above his head and she was only a mere five foot four. A few fruitless hops later, she paused and looked into his eyes, which, in fact, were glittering with amusement.

She gave him a bitter smile before sending a fist into his gut.


You know you want to review. It's so tempting it burns your loins.