Chapter 4: A Day Off

Sephiroth looked up as a pantsuit-clad girl entered his office. "I thought today was your day off?"

"It is."

"Then why are you here and dressed for work?"

"Who takes a day off in their fourth month of employment? I just started, I don't need a break," Annya replied simply.

He tapped his monitor and smiled. "I have my entire schedule here. I can do without you for one day. You have made yourself obsolete. Besides, you deserve one. You have worked hard."

She raised an eyebrow. "You work hard. You don't take days off."

He had no rebuttal for that.

"Breakfast?" she asked, removing her usual plastic container and dishes from the bag.

"If I take a day off, will you take a day off?"

She sighed. "If you take a day off, I couldn't afford to take a day off because I would have to rearrange you schedule so we don't piss important people off."

He looked away from her and typed something quickly.

"What are you doing, Sephiroth?"

"You will see in about five seconds."

Five seconds later Zack entered the office. "Headed up as soon as I got your email."

"I need your help rearranging my schedule," the silver-haired man said.

Zack pointed to his sister. "I thought that was her job."

"All three of us are going to work on it so we can get it finished as quickly as possible. Then we will take the rest of the day off," he explained.

"And what about my schedule?" Zack asked.

Sephiroth looked him dead in the eye. "I don't care about your schedule."

"Thanks, Seph."

Annya laughed. "Don't worry, Zack. I'll fix yours too."

Between the three of them they were able to clear both Sephiroth's and Zack's schedule by ten.

"Now we can eat breakfast," Sephiroth said.

"Not mine," replied Annya, sounding a bit put out. "Pancakes don't taste good after this long."

"I'll eat 'em." Zack grabbed the plastic container.

"I was thinking we could go out," Sephiroth said.

"Sure, going out sounds great. I'm still gonna eat these. You don't throw away good Gongagan home cooking, Seph."

Annya just smiled as a disgusted Sephiroth proceeded to watch the Second Class shovel pancakes into his mouth. Sephiroth tore his eyes away from Zack to ask Annya where she'd like to eat.

"I don't really know Midgar enough to decide," she said.

"My choice then."

"Why not why choice?" Zack asked though a mouthful of pancake.

"Your choices are always wrong." He walked out the door leaving the Fairs behind.

Annya waited a good couple minutes to make sure Sephiroth was out of earshot then turned to her brother. "Why are you even friends with him? He's so mean to you that I'm actually starting to like him less."

Zack put a hand to his chest. "No, no, Little Sister. He doesn't mean it. And if he does, then he's an idiot for being willing to take a bullet for someone he hates so much."

"Has he ever actually taken a bullet for you before though?"

"Several bullets. And a few swords. And a bomb."

"Oh," was all she could say. She had meant a figurative bullet but a literal one was more than enough to assuage her worries.

"That's right. No need to allow it to dampen your crush."

"We should probably go after him." She rushed ahead and from down the hall she could still hear Zack laughing.

xXxXxXx

"I'm so disappointed." Zack looked sadly at his plate of pancakes. He had only taken one bite.

"Would you like my eggs?" Annya pushed her plate toward her brother.

Zack shook his head and said dramatically. "No, enjoy your food. It was the one who foolishly ordered pancakes thinking they might be as good as yours. This was my error and I must suffer for it."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes as he grabbed the syrup.

Annya smiled and thanked her brother for the compliment. This time she offered her french toast.

Sephiroth frowned. "Do not give him your food. You haven't eaten yet. He, however, ate a container of pancakes," Sephiroth said, pouring pour syrup onto his waffle.

Zack pouted but his attention was quickly grabbed by the General's Belgian waffle. "Syrup, whipped cream, and powdered sugar. That can't be good for you, Seph. That much sugar has got to react with the mako or something."

"I do not eat like this every meal. I will be fine."

Zack shrugged. "If you say so." He took a bite of the piece of french toast Annya had snuck on his plate while Sephiroth was replacing the syrup pitcher in the rack.

Sephiroth stopped mid-bite to stare at Zack eat the french toast. "I cannot believe you, Zachary."

"She gave it to me! She wouldn't have offered it if she'd really wanted it." A defiant bite of french toast followed.

Sephiroth glared at him and turned to Annya. "Would you like some of my waffle?"

"No, don't worry about it. I still have my eggs and sausage."

He transferred a quarter of his waffle to her plate anyway.

She smiled and thanked him cheerily letting him know he was free to take anything he wanted from her. Zack sniggered. She threw a sausage at him.

xXxXxXx

After breakfast the three of them ambled around Midgar with no goal in particular. It gave Annya a rare chance to explore her new home since neither of her two companions welcomed to idea of her wandering around Midgar alone. She didn't see what the big deal was; she saw plenty of women alone on the streets as she walked. She told them as much. They told her being raised a country girl made the difference.

She stopped abruptly, looking up at a large brightly lit building with a giant Marquee stating show times. "Wanna go see a movie?"

"Sure. I haven't seen a movie actually in a theatre since, well, your first time, Seph," Zack said.

Sephiroth gave a noncommittal grunt.

"That means 'yes'," he translated for his sister's sake.

She looked at the silver-haired man, still unsure. He nodded once. With the go ahead, she followed Zack into the theatre. Sephiroth trailed behind them.

"Can I choose the movie?" Zack asked excitedly.

"I don't mind. Sephiroth?"

"That's fine." He looked apprehensive.

"You all right?" she asked him.

"I am fine."

She didn't believe him. Her face said as much.

Zack watched the exchange unfold before announcing he had finished getting the tickets and they were in auditorium four.

xXxXxXx

Zack edged along his chosen row of seats, Sephiroth and Annya right behind him, trying to get to the center. He plopped down happily in the exact middle of the row. Annya took her seat as well.

Sephiroth took an inordinate amount of time taking his seat between them. He lowered the seat with his foot, and after studying it for a minute, decided it was safe. However, he wouldn't touch the seat with his hands so he ended up doing a sort of butt shimmy to get in the seat. It attracted a lot of stares from the other patrons.

Once the General was seated, Zack stood back up. "I'm going to go get popcorn."

"We just ate," Annya said.

"Popcorn!" was his only reply as he bolted out of the theater.

Once Zack was out of sight she turned to her other companion. "What happened last time you were in a theatre?"

Sephiroth looked uncomfortable.

"Zack couldn't have done anything that bad."

"Zack did not do anything. I sat in..." he could finish his sentence. He didn't want to think about it.

"A bodily fluid of some sort?"

A single nod.

She paused. "Was it gender specific?"

Another nod.

"Please, do not laugh at me," he said so quietly she almost didn't hear.

The plea was enough to quell the laugh in her throat. She instead settled for saying, "Well, at least the chances of it happening again are small."

He just nodded slowly, eyes glazing over. She decided she needed to change the subject.

"So what movie do you think Zack chose?" she asked.

Her voice brought him back into the present but her hadn't heard what she'd asked. "Come again?"

She repeated her question.

He looked at her, considering for a moment. Zack was obviously doing everything in his power to set him up with the girl. He would be surprised if the Second Class ever returned from getting popcorn. "Whatever horror movie is out right now, I expect."

"I guess— "

He never found out what she guessed because she yelled and took a wild swing behind her.

Zack had popped up from the row behind them placing a hand on Annya's shoulder. He had dodged her swing but the popcorn had not been so lucky.

"Bahamut, Zack! Why would you do that?" she asked, angrily.

The Second Class salvaged what he could of his buttery snack and gracefully jumped over the back of his seat. "I thought you'd grab, Sephiroth."

She rolled her eyes. "He doesn't like being touched without warning."

Sephiroth truly appreciated the thought but he couldn't get a word in to let her know.

"I don't like being hit without warning! You still tried it," Zack countered.

"It was a reflex. And it was your own fault anyway," she said.

"She is right, Zack," Sephiroth finally interjected.

Fortunately, the previews started before popcorn could be thrown and friendships dashed upon the kernels.

Not one movie from the previews interested Sephiroth. He just wanted the movie to start so he could see what Zack had chosen for their fate. The opening sequence revealed it to be a crime drama. Zack wasn't planning anything devious after all.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Zack turned to him and said, "Warning."

Before he could ask what his friend meant, he felt a soft thud against his right arm. He looked over to find Annya had fallen asleep against his side. He looked back to Zack for help just to find the man grinning at the screen. He had the sneaking suspicion that the grin had nothing to do with the movie since the screen currently depicted a woman begging the killer to take her instead of her child.

"Zack," he whispered. "Why is she sleeping?"

"She thinks crime dramas are boring."

"Then why would you choose— nevermind. What do I do?"

"Wake her up if it bothers you."

He glanced at the sleeping girl. She looked quite content. "I do not wish to wake her up."

Zack shrugged. "Then let her sleep and you watch the movie."

Sephiroth sighed. He reached over with his left hand and adjusted any metal parts on his coat that might be making her uncomfortable then settled down to finish the movie.

xXxXxXx

Annya woke up to her brother right in her face calling her name.

"Mornin' Ay! Welcome back."

"Where are we?" she asked, confused.

"The movie theatre. You fell asleep."

She rubbed her eyes. "Why'd you pick that movie? It was so boring."

"Seph seemed to like it."

"What are you talking about? Sephiroth isn't here." She froze. Her brain caught up with her. She was in a theater in Midgar not Gongaga. And she couldn't be leaning on Zack because he was in front of her.

She up righted herself with an apology. "Sorry, Seph!"

He cut her off before she could correct herself. "Do not worry about it, Ay."

She looked shocked for a moment before smiling warmly at him.

Zack pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "What a touching moment."

Annya laughed and Zack joined her.

Sephiroth smiled but neither one noticed.