Chapter 21: First Date

Once Reno had made sure his candidate was doing alright, he left her medical room and headed up to the offices. Here he ran into Rude on his way to the largest office on the floor, Veld's. They nodded at each other in greeting Reno giving him a look that said the younger Turk was okay. Rude nodded again in reply and the two made their way into the Commander's office.

As soon as they stepped through the door, they were greeted by the slightly impatient glances of the three other Turks and their commander. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Reno greeted as he took the nearest chair and spun it around so he was leaning over the back of it. "Had to see how the squirt was doing. So, what'd I miss?"

"We were just discussing the monster attack on Shinra," Veld told them. He got straight to business, pressing a button on his desk. The large monitor behind him clicked on. "This is footage from the different security cameras around Shinra during the start of the attack. It began at approximately 1500 hours when the executives were gathered for a meeting."

The Turks silently watched various clips of video showing monsters breaking out of the labs, prowling the halls, attempting to break into certain areas, attacking various employees, and taking out the cameras.

"There movement seems rather… systematic," Cissnei commented thoughtfully.

"Indeed, their behavior is not typical," Haruto agreed. "However, this may be because of the experiments performed on them prior."

"I do not believe that is the case," Tseng pointed out. Veld nodded his agreement and the image changed to that of the outside of the building. "These were taken simultaneously."

The group watched as monsters outside approached the building from different directions. While most headed for

the front door, the rest went around to the sides aiming for the cameras and the emergency staircase to the side.

"Huh, no wonder they were able to get all over the building so fast," Reno muttered out loud. "I mean, Hojo's toys I can understand but wild monsters? No way that's coincidental."

"Precisely," Veld agreed with a grave nod. "I think it is safe to assume this attack was indeed preordained. The exact goal of it is still unclear however, as well as the means."

"Wutains?" Rude questioned, unable to think of any other who could possibly be responsible.

"The Wutain people have been training monsters for centuries," Tseng acknowledged with a nod. "It is in their culture. However, I've never witnessed anything to this degree and it is highly improbable they were able to train every monster lurking in Midgar. Monsters are born wild and training them to do one's bidding takes much time and effort."

"No kidding," Reno grumbled. "But they have to be controlled by someone. There's no way they're smart enough to do that without any help."

"If we look at their movements it's easy to believe they were aiming for the Shinra line," Haruto pointed out. "Whoever was in control sent a monster powerful enough to deal severe damage to whoever happened to be on Rufus' protection detail as well as the young Shinra himself. At the same time, they had the remaining more powerful creatures make their way to the top heading for the meeting of department heads and the President himself. This person had to have known where each of them was and what their protection included to succeed in this seemingly futile attempt."

"They were also intelligent enough to make sure no evidence was left behind to show who was responsible," Tseng added. "Going through all the footage multiple times...I have still yet to come up with solid proof of anyone's guilt."

"How about around the shooting range after glasses showed up to help?" Reno suggested.

Everyone in the room looked at him. Obviously no one had expected to choose such a narrowed down time and location. "Any particular reason why?" Veld inquired.

"When I was in the infirmary talking to Aven, she said that she saw someone there," he explained.

"After I showed up," Haruto reiterated for clarification's sake.

Reno scratched the back of his head, a little reluctant to say the next part. "Well… she did say she saw it after getting hit with the bad breath attack. But still… it's worth looking into, isn't it?"

Veld inclined his head. "At this point, any lead is worth looking into." He pressed a button, switching to the camera footage of the shooting range..

They watched as Aven rushed down the stairs into the shooting range meeting up with a triumphant looking Rufus. Veld sped up the footage and they watched in fast forward as the two exchanged words and began fighting the Marlboro as it busted through the wall. Then the commander returned the footage to normal speed just as Aven was blasted by the bad breath attack and was knocked into the far wall followed quickly by Haruto coming in and slicing the monster in half.

At this point they focused in on the area near the exit that was far more open thanks to the monster breaking through it. As they watched, nothing came up out of the ordinary. No one passed by the area nor was there any other monsters spotted going by...nothing.

"I suppose it is to be expected," Haruto sighed in disappointment. "Neither I or Rufus spotted anything as we were leaving. It seems pretty clear she was far worse off at the time than either of us expected."

'Try telling HER that,' thought Reno in bemusement. She'd seemed so sure of herself too. But then, people under the influence of confusion were easily… well, confused. It's more than likely she'd been imagining it. He knew however she wouldn't see it that way.

"So what now then?" Cissnei asked.

It was a harrowing situation, to have such a large assault against the company occur, and then have little to no leads or indications as to who or what could have caused it.

"Now, Tseng and I will look into the seeming lapse in security that allowed the escape of Hojo's experiments," Veld answered after a moment of thought. "Cissnei, I will need you to trace the path the wild monsters took back to their origin. Perhaps something will have been left behind that we can use. Haruto, I need you to return to the side of the department heads. They should still be in the conference room. Keep them safe until we've finished a thorough investigation. Reno, Rude, I want you to take Aven with you, as soon as she is feeling better, and investigate all of the other places that were hit. Perhaps we can determine a more concrete pattern."

All of the Turks saluted their commander and gave a hearty, "Yes, sir!"

After the meeting let out Reno grinned at Rude. "Well, at least we ain't responsible for clean up, right?"

Rude gave a grunting nod. They already had enough headaches to deal with.

"So, wanna get a drink while we wait for the doc to give the okay?" Reno asked heading for the elevator.

"We have work to do," Rude pointed out.

"Not until the squirt's back on her feet," the redhead replied with a mischievous grin. Rude shook his head but the look he returned said he was okay with that.

Reno pumped his fist in triumph before leading the way to the cafeteria. He knew they'd get in trouble for heading to the bars when they were supposed to be working so the cafeteria was the next best place.

An hour later, the two had picked up Aven from the medical ward and began exploring the entire building. They didn't come up with any big clues along the way and ended up reporting back with nothing. Aven kept her mouth shut during the entire exchange as she didn't want to increase the idea that she'd lost it.

After the attack of monsters, things slowly settled back into peaceful silence. Weeks passed without any upsets or signs of a threat. Rather than being a comfort, this set all the Turks on even greater edge. Each one of them knew their problems were far from over and that this was but the calm before a storm. And yet, for the executives, there was always time for the more pointless stuff.

That's what led to Aven being in one of the elevators at midday after a very long morning of patrol. She was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, but halfway through her shift she was called and told about a staff party/meeting that she was required to attend. Reaching over to the panel of buttons for each floor, she pushed the one nearest to the number she wanted and leaned against the wall hoping to get enough standing rest to not appear as exhausted when she arrived.

When the elevator stopped Aven stepped off and began wandering around. After five minutes, she wasn't sure where she was, but she was pretty sure it wasn't where she was supposed to be. She could only conclude she'd gotten off on the wrong floor. The hall looked fairly abandoned so there really wasn't any point sticking around. As she passed by a room with a 49 painted on the wall next to it, her attention was caught by a viewing screen outside.

Curious, she went to the viewing panel and saw there were three men. Although instead of a room, it looked like they were in Junon. A tall silver haired man was looking out at the sea from the nose of the infamous Shinra Mako canon. Meanwhile a ginger head and a dark haired man were kicking back, the former reading from a book.

"Huh," she thought looking at the screen. "They look rather nice." She glanced between the two standing in the background and concluded that they were very good looking. Then her eyes settled once more on the silver haired man and after a few moments she nearly leapt back in surprise. "That's...Oh my gosh that's Sephiroth! The hero of the Wutain War! The top of the top SOLDIER!"

Her heart skipped a few beats as her gaze stayed glued to the screen. She couldn't believe that she was seeing one of the biggest celebrities in Shinra. She got even more of a surprise when the ginger haired man pulled out a sword and approached Sephiroth starting an immediate battle. She watched in awe at the speed and power of the attacks. It was the most amazing display of power she'd ever seen in her life. The rumors about his strength were nothing in comparison to actually seeing the real thing in action. There were no words to describe the sheer thrill of seeing the traded blows, the attack that cut all the way through the cannon and the elegance of each movement.

The sound of a nearby door opening followed by footsteps jolted Aven out of her trance. Tseng had warned her not to wander around on this floor. As much as she wanted to see how the battle would play out she didn't want to end up in trouble with him again. So she quickly headed in the opposite direction, hoping it was the way back to the elevator. She rounded a corner and was happy to find she went the correct path. Going to the elevator doors she pressed the button and waited on bouncing feet.

When the doors opened she charged in inside and…

"WHOA!"

Aven ran head long into someone and almost fell backwards onto her butt. Thankfully a hand caught her arm and steadied her.

"Hey, slow down," a male voice said with a small laugh. "Where's the fire?"

"Huh?" Aven looked up to see a tall male with hair as black as night and eyes like the clear blue sky. One quick look told her that he was in SOLDIER. "There… isn't a fire." Was all she could manage to say, thinking she was going to get in big trouble now for being some place she wasn't supposed to be.

The man stared at her for a moment or so before laughing at her response. "I meant where are you going in such a hurry?" he rephrased, a smile spread across his gentle face.

"Uh...down," Aven answered after a moment. She'd caught onto her mistake and was fighting the urge to blush because of her embarrassment. "I'm going to a party and got off on the wrong floor. Sorry, I know I probably shouldn't be here."

"You do realize Turks can pretty much go wherever they want right?" he asked her, amusement lacing his words.

"Yeah but...never mind," she muttered standing up to her full height...which didn't even reach his chin. Her eyes met his fully for the first time and his face showed slight surprise. "I'm late as it is so if you'll excuse me."

She made to step around him but he blocked her path. "Hey, wait a sec, I can't let a pretty girl like you get away without at least knowing your name."

Aven felt heat rush to her cheeks. It wasn't so much him calling her 'pretty' but the way he said it. It wasn't lecherous or ill intended at all. She carefully examined his face, but could find no threatening aspects to it.

"I'm Aven."

"Hmm, I like it," he decided. "Aven… you don't hear a name like that every day." He held his hand out. "My name's Zack."

The white haired girl took the offered hand and was surprised by how gentle the grip was.

"So, I'm currently off duty right now," he said when he released her hand. "Mind if I escort you to wherever it is you're going?"

Aven shook her head. "That's not necessary. I can…"

"Take care of yourself, right?" he finished for her. "I kind of figured. Honestly, I was just looking for an excuse to spend a little time with you."

She blushed again having never had anyone treat her like that before. Her eyes scanned his smiling face waiting for an answer and she quickly looked away turning even redder. "Uh...I guess it's okay," she finally murmured finding it difficult to look back at him.

Zack grinned at her answer and stepped back in the elevator enough to let her enter. "So which floor are you going to?" he asked calmly. She carefully glanced over at the buttons and took a little more time than before to push the right one. "Really...35? How in the world did you get onto this one?" She wordlessly pointed at the panel and he saw that the floor she'd stopped on was just below it. "Ah, that would do it. No worries though, I won't tell a soul."

She looked up at him again at this and smiled back gratefully. "Uh, thanks. It'd be a little embarrassing to admit that I made such a simple mistake. They'd never let me live it down."

"Hey, no problem. Happens to the best of us." The doors opened and Zack let her step out first before coming up beside her, shortening his stride to match her pace. "So how long have you been at Shinra for?"

"Since the beginning of the year," Aven answered.

"That long? Amazing I haven't seen you around before."

"Well, Shinra is a big place."

"Yeah, but you really stand out."

Aven stared at her moving feet, wondering if that was really such a good thing.

"Hey, squirt! About time you showed up."

Aven looked up to see Reno and Rude approaching from the other end of the hall.

"We were just about to send a search party," the red head commented. "Don't tell me you got lost again."

"N-no," Aven lied. "I was just…"

Reno glanced over at Zack and he grinned. "Ah, I see, so I guess we have Slick here to blame."

"Uh...no, I just met him on my way down and he asked if he could come along," Aven shot back in irritation.

"Yeah sure," Reno chuckled wrapping an arm around her neck and driving his knuckles into her scalp. "There's no way that's all that happened with as late as you are."

Aven forced her head out of his grip and glared at him. "Patrol took a bit longer than usual, okay," she declared in irritation. As much as she wanted to rub the fact that she saw Sephiroth train in his face, doing so would be admitting her getting off on the wrong floor...and being where she shouldn't have been. "So, what are you doing out here anyway? Is the party over or what?"

"Well, it's still going, but all the boring announcements have already been made so there's no reason for us to stick around. I wouldn't even have endured that had Rude not been such a stickler."

"You complain too much," Rude told him in reply.

"Am I in trouble?" Aven asked.

Reno ruffled her hair. "Yeah, Tseng is pissed and he says he's going to run you through level 42 in the training simulator."

"Wh-wha?" Aven stuttered in terror.

Rude smack Reno on the head. "Knock it off."

"Ow! Hey, it's not my fault she's so damn easy," Reno commented rubbing his smarting cranium.

"You're fine," Rude stated calmly. "It wasn't mandatory...we'll tell you what was said."

"Thanks Rude," Aven sighed with relief. "You really are the best."

"Wow...I knew you could be harsh on your comrades Reno but that was a bit much don't you think?" Zack asked shaking his head. "She looks like she's had it rough tonight."

"She knows I'm just joking," Reno said waving off his comment. "Besides, as our youngest member, she needs the most breaking in. Being the pet and all…"

"I'm not a pet," Aven snapped. "And I'm 16 now, thank you very much."

"Hey, me too!" Zack exclaimed as if it was the greatest discovery in the world.

"Really?!" Aven asked startled as she looked up at him. He certainly looked much older than that. "You...don't look it."

"Haha...neither do you," he replied pleased by her response. "Say, how about I take you out sometime? Maybe grab some dinner, see a play or something."

"Like a...date?" Aven asked nervously. She wanted to know for sure what was all implied if she accepted or declined.

"Exactly, and if you like it enough we can go out on another date," he answered easily.

Aven blinked a little on the surprised side of things and looked to Reno and Rude who both seemed surprised as well...though she could only guess with the bald Turk.

"Seriously? She's just a kid man," Reno spoke up before Aven could give her answer. "And you ain't exactly the kind of guy that we should trust her with."

"And you are?" Zack shot back raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, you're definitely old enough to decide on your own and it's not like I'm a dinosaur in comparison like Reno is. So how about it?"

Aven released a small laugh at Zack's shot to Reno. "Well…" She'd never been on a date before, so she really didn't know what to expect. Then again, maybe it would be like with Justin. Just casual conversation and getting to know each other. She could handle that much, and Zack seemed like a really nice guy in spite of what Reno said. "Okay. Yeah, sounds great."

"Great!" Zack said with a small fist pump. "So… I'll pick you up at 7 tonight? You live in the dorms right?"

"Uh, yeah," Aven said with a nod.

"Alright, I'll see you then," Zack said. He flashed her one last smile before taking off.

"Christ on a pogo stick," Reno muttered shaking his head. "Guy knows how to get around."

"You're one to talk," Rude commented.

"Yeah, but I at least have enough sense to leave the clueless kids alone," Reno replied. He placed a firm hand on Aven's head as he continued. "Anyway, you be careful got it...don't go buyin' in to everything that guy says."

"Don't let him give you anything to drink," Rude added.

"What? Why not?" Aven asked confused. She didn't see what all the concern was about.

"Kid...one of these day's I'll teach you about the wonders of a rufie," Reno told her rubbing her hair before walking off.

"A what?" Reno didn't answer so she turned to Rude. "What's a rufie?"

Rude pushed his sunglasses up his nose. "Some other time."

Aven groaned. "Why do you guys always treat me like a little kid?"

"Cuz, you look it and you act it," Reno called back. "Oh, by the way, if the guy tries anything funny, just pop him one right in the face. He'll get the hint."

Aven immediately thought back on her encounter with the guy at Don Corneo's. Well, at least she had that much down. She sighed and shook her head. She was beginning to think that no matter how much time had passed and how much she accomplished as a Turk, she'd never lose the title of the kid. She watched Reno step onto the elevator just as a hand gripped her shoulder. She looked up to see Rude standing there with an encouraging air.

"You need to rest before he comes," he stated calmly.

She smiled and nodded allowing him to steer her into the elevator and ride it up to their floor before sinking into the couch in the TK room.

Hours later, after taking a nap and showering, Aven was going through her closet for something to wear. Not like she really had much to choose from. The most she had were shirts and denim pants. She settled on a light blue top and a pair of jeans that were just a tad on the long side for her. She really wasn't sure how most girls prepared for dates. She didn't have any make up or fancy hair clips girls put in their hair. Figuring she should at least make some attempt, she tied her hair up in twin ponytails. After looking at herself in the mirror, she was more or less satisfied.

Right on time, there was a knock on her door and she answered it promptly.

When she pulled the door open, she found Zack standing there with a big grin on his face, and a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Beyond that he looked pretty much the same as he had before. "Hey," she greeted smiling up at him. "So...where are we going for dinner?"

"You'll see," Zack told her his smile growing. "You look really cute by the way. I like the way you put your hair up." Aven blushed heavily at this and quickly stepped out of the room. "Oh, these are for you." He held the bouquet out to her and she sheepishly accepted it.

"Thanks..." she murmured nervously. "So...uh, shall we go?"

After leaving the flowers in her room and locking up, she followed Zack to the elevator. They exited the building and Zack led the way down the street where they entered the Sector 8 district.

"I think you'll like this place," Zack told her. "I've been here a few times and they've got some really good food."

The place he took her to was a cute little diner that was literally called "The Usual Place". Once they were seated in a booth, Aven ordered hot chocolate while Zack requested root beer.

"So, I gotta ask," Zack said getting the conversation ball rolling. "What made you want to be a Turk? From what I hear it's not exactly a job people are lining up for."

"Well...I have to admit it's not exactly glamorous," Aven said taking a sip from her cocoa. "But it's what I've been wanting to do since I was a kid. I'm just living out my dream."

"Your dream?" Zack repeated in surprise. "Well...I'd say that it's weird but I don't really have any room to talk. It's been my dream to join SOLDIER. So I guess we're both living them out."

"Hehe yeah we are," Aven laughed in agreement. She smiled widely at him before taking another sip and Zack couldn't help but think she was really cute when she laughed. "So...if you're a SOLDIER...then do you know Sephiroth?"

"I don't think there's a single person in Shinra who doesn't know about him," Zack said with a small laugh. "I can't really say I know him very well personally. He usually keeps pretty busy, and even when he's not he keeps to himself as far as I know. Now, I do happen to be friends with another first class SOLDIER, Angeal."

"Really?" Aven asked curiously. "What does he look like?"

"Big guy, dark hair, and really stern," Zack described. "He tends to give me a really hard time, but he's cool."

Aven wondered if he was one of the three she saw in the simulator earlier. "Does he have a really big sword?"

"Yep, and usually hangs around with Genesis and Sephiroth," he answered with a big grin. "The three of them are really good friends too."

"So I was right, that was Angreal...and the ginger must be Genesis," she thought in excitement. She grinned in triumph at the thought and almost squealed when she thought about having seen Sephiroth and his two good friends in a training session. She quickly got herself under control though and was sure Zack hadn't noticed as their food had arrived.

"Hmm...looks fantastic!" Zack said excitedly as he picked up his fork and began to dig in.

Aven took a bite of the hamburger she had ordered and she had to admit it was probably one of the best burgers she'd ever tried. "Wow, this IS good."

"Told you, didn't I?"

Zack finished his meal before Aven and went ahead to order desert for them. "You wanna share an ice cream sundae?"

She swallowed the hunk of burger she'd been chewing on. "Yes please."

"By the way, I don't think you told me where you're from," he said once the order was placed.

"Um…" Crap, what to say? "No where special. It's a pretty small place out in the middle of nowhere."

"Trying to keep it secret right?" he asked with a small laugh. "I get it. I come from a small town as well. Gongaga...ever been there?"

"Yeah," she answered surprised. He was a lot closer to where she used to live than she thought. "You don't seem like a country boy. Still have family out there?"

"Yeah, my mom and dad," Zack answered with a shrug. "What about you? Any family?"

Aven looked at her now empty plate and bit her lip. "No...I don't have a family," she answered after a moment. "Not outside the Turks anyway."

Zack got the brief expression of someone who accidentally knocked over a chair during a eulogy. He wasn't sure how to recover the conversation so he just dropped it. Thankfully the ice cream came shortly after.

Once the desert was finished off and the two left the diner, Aven seemed to be in a better mood.

"The night's still pretty young," Zack said, checking his watch. He looked down at Aven. "Anywhere else you'd like to go? Oh, I know! How about we hit the bar?"

"But we're underage," Aven reminded him.

"No problem, I look older than I am. Plus, I'm a SOLDIER who's going to tell me no?" he answered with a laugh.

"Uh...I don't know, I've never had any alcohol before," Aven told him seriously. "I sort of promised Rude that he could get me my first drink."

"You don't have to get anything with alcohol in it," Zack pointed out not wanting to lose just yet. "We'll have a bit of fun and then we'll go."

Aven thought it over a little more. "Well... if there's no alcohol involved... then I guess it's okay."

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you while you're in there," Zack assured her.

"Thanks but like I said, I can take care of myself." Even while Aven said this she remembered the embarrassing predicament she'd landed herself in on her mission with Reno and how he ended up having to save her. She already promised herself she would become stronger no matter what. She didn't want to have to rely on others to rescue her.

"Right, of course," Zack said before taking her by the hand. "Come on, let's go."

Aven felt her heart skip a beat at the suddenly hand contact. She wasn't sure why she was reacting so oddly. He was just holding her hand. That's all.

CM: Daw, how cute. Fluff to balance out the drama. What oh what could possibly go wrong? :D Hope you enjoyed and thanks to you reviewers for the support!