A/N:
Yes I will spare you all and shut my mouth. Nevermind. Hopefully Mai will edit this majorly. I started this just a bit ago. I got back from a concert and IM TIRED. So it isn't at the normal humor level. Mai fix me! ^_^ PUN HA!
~Too Human Lately
~*~*~*~
Nadesiko stared at her friend both in awe, and jealousy. With her long hair tied up into a simple ponytail causing it to cascade down and frame her face with light chesnut waves of hair and the deep red-black Wutai-style dress that matched her tie-up red high heels, Lamirra was clearly going to be the bell of the ball. Especially with Reno as her date. She tried to look happy for her friend, but Lamirra could see right through her.
"Siko? What's up?"
Nadesiko sighed and grabbed the sides of her sleeves gently as the two girls headed out the door.
"Nothing really. I'm just thinking about how lucky you are."
Lamirra frowned.
"Spill."
"Well it's just that it's really awesome that you have a GORGEOUS boyfriend to go with. And I can't help but to be just a little jealous of you."
Lamirra hugged her friend with one arm.
"Hey you. Cheer up. First off, he's not my boyfriend, this is just for fun. Secondly, you have guys totally head over heals for you!"
Nadesiko looked at her friend with a lopsided grin.
"Oh yeah. Literally."
Both girls smiled as the memory of Rufus scrambling out of his car when he saw Nadesiko the night before crossed their minds. It was amusing to watch him as he ran up to Nadesiko with a childish expression asking if she felt well and if she would like to attend the ball with him; and it was hilarious when Nadesiko shut him down. Smiling Lamirra pointed to a small vehicle approaching them.
"That would be Reno."
"Oh yay...."
~*~*~*~
Rufus threw the tuxedo across the room.
"I SAID BLACK AND GREEN!"
Rude and Tseng quickly backed out of the room while Rufus hollered at the tailor. Rude looked at his boss with a worried expression.
"If he thinks he's gonna win Nadesiko over with that attitude he may as well have himself assassinated."
Tseng nodded in agreement before turning to Elena.
"Will you guys go get him the right tux? I'm going to attempt to calm him down."
Elena looked up at Rude who was about to enter the tailor shop. "Hey, why'd you decide to let Siko go to the ball on her own?"
Rude just turned and looked at Elena. "I couldn't find the right type of tranquilizer."
~*~*~*~
Nadesiko stared out the window at the stars as the car sped back towards Midgar. Reno sure had been nice to pick them up. She smiled lightly. She could see him offering to pick up Lamirra but in Nadesiko's mind she figured he only offered her a ride because she was Lamirra's friend. Reno's voice grabbed her attention.
"Hey Siko. You look great tonight. I bet guys are gonna be all over you. You need any help, you track me down." He gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Lamirra turned to face her friend.
"You gonna live?"
Nadeisko nodded.
"Yeah. Just gotta get used to this dress."
"Quick whining, you picked it out."
Nadesiko gave her friend a sour expression and then stuck out her tongue.
~*~*~*~
At the ball a crowd had gathered out side and Rufus was having a hard time getting to the front doors of the building. With a final push he looked up at Tseng.
"How goes it?"
"It goes well enough sir. Head on in."
~*~*~*~
Lamirra grabbed Nadesiko's hand and the girls followed closely behind Reno as they plowed to the front. Nadesiko felt a surge of energy as she passed a young woman. All she saw of her was a flash of chocolate brown hair in a loose ponytail, and then she had disappeared into the crowd.
~*~*~*~
Finally an hour later the ball had begun. Nadesiko stood off to the side of the stage were she could keep a close eye on Reno and Lamirra. Soft music sifted out of the speakers and couples began to sway to the music. Nadesiko began to feel sick so she slowly made her way towards the women's room. Sappy moments bugged her. She froze in her spot as Rufus barred her path, decked out in a form fitting emerald tuxedo with black trim. Refusing to look into his eyes she tried to push past him but he grabbed her shoulders gently.
"Dance with me?"
She sighed. She may not have liked him, but she wasn't going to make a fool of him. Besides, it wasn't like he could trick her into anything. She had only had two drinks.
"One dance, that's it."
~*~*~*~
Lamirra tapped Reno on the shoulder and pointed to the opposite side of the room where Nadesiko was dancing with Rufus. Reno blinked.
"WOW!"
"Don't they look great?"
"Rufus reaches down any further and he isn't gonna to have those hands attached anymore."
Lamirra giggled.
"Oh, aren't we getting protective?"
Reno only growled in response. He had quickly grown fond of Nadesiko and her warring ways. In a sense he viewed her as a sister, and he didn't want to see some creep taking advantage of her; even if that creep WAS the president of Shinra. Shaking his head he turned his attention back to his date. Nadesiko could take care of herself well enough. Lamirra poked Reno's nose with a finger and stuck out her tongue.
"Relax Reno. Rufus may be a creep, but Siko can handle herself."
Reno just sighed and wrapped his arms wrapped loosely around her waist as they danced.
~*~*~*~
Nadesiko began to slowly feel the effects of the drinks from earlier as she danced with Rufus. She had to admit it was kind of cute how he acted so childish around her. Quite often since she had met him when he tried to talk to her she noticed his voice would always be quiet and he had a hard time making eye contact, as if he had never in his life had any experience with women.
'He could use some lessons from Reno.'
She looked up at his eyes and smiled softly, deciding to give him a chance.
"You seem confused."
Rufus' face turned a light red and he shrugged.
"Honestly I was expecting another blow to the head when I asked you to dance."
"So how come you asked?"
"'Cause..." he paused. How was he supposed to respond? Suddenly he felt a tug on his arm as Nadesiko began to drag him to the balcony.
"Come on. We can talk out here."
~*~*~*~
Reno looked at Lamirra as the song slowed to the end.
"Their going onto the balcony."
Lamirra's eyes widened. "What is that moron up to?"
Reno smirked. May as well get a good scoop while they tried to spy on the two. He winked at Lamirra and led the way to the second floor where they could stand below the balcony and listen to everything.
Reno looked back at his date.
"So Lamirra. What brings you to Midgar?"
"Hmm?" she looked up at him with quizzical eyes. "Whaddaya mean?"
"I know you guys don't live here, so why Midgar? Why would choose Midgar over a nicer city, like Kalm or even Junon?"
Right then, at that moment, Lamirra almost told Reno everything. Just the look in his eyes made her want to tell him everything she knew. To keep from saying any of those things, Lamirra bit the inside of her cheeks until she drew blood. Reno was fairly troubled by her strange silence. Giving him a false grin, she looked up. "Great jobs of course! What else? Neither Kalm or Junon have the head of Shinra Incorperated at its center!" then she laughed jovially and waved off his question.
Reno just stared down at her. "Obviously you came here to learn how to lie well too?"
Again, she flapped a hand at him. "Ahahahahaha! Reno, you're so funny! I'll be right back, I gotta go to the lady's room! Don't dance with anyone else now, okay?" she winked and turned to walk back inside of the ball room to wash out the bitter taste of blood in her mouth.
~*~*~*~
Rufus stood in front of Nadesiko as they talked. He was rather confused by her sudden welcoming personality.
"Nadesiko, are you feeling okay?"
She smiled and leaned against the railing beside him. To be honest she was asking herself the same question.
"Siko, ok? It's Siko. And of course I'm okay. I just wanted to talk. I'm not big on dancing."
Deciding to give the benefit of the doubt he assumed she was drunk, which in this case he was actually correct, and stood with comfort beside her. Silence passed between the two as they stared up at the plate above them. Nadesiko groaned in disgust.
"Do you ever get to see the sky?"
Rufus was taken aback by her question.
"Only when I travel."
She sighed and looked over at him.
"Are you happy with who you are?"
Rufus stared at her with utter confusion. What was she getting at? She took his hand and forced him to stare her in the eyes.
"What you do...are you happy with it? Are you happy with the person you are?"
Rufus stood for a moment and shook his head.
"Of course. What are you getting at?"
He had to admit he even doubted his answer as it came out shaky and stuttered. She hung her head and didn't answer him. After a moment she sighed.
"You know. It's amazing. Being outside. Away from the plates. Where we can see the sky and watch the chocobo's run in fields. Don't you ever miss that stuff? Or did you ever get to see it?"
Once again Rufus was taken aback. Was she trying to mess with his head? What was he suddenly feeling as sweat began to break out on his forehead and he felt his heart rise into his throat. He froze as she laughed lightly.
"I'm sorry President. It's just I wonder if you realize you are killing off the people and their sense of being by making them live in these terrible conditions. Being under the plate...it's depressing."
Rufus frowned.
"What do you mean? Living in Midgar is the best we can do for these people!"
Nadesiko let his hand drop away from her as she turned away from him. Rufus sighed. Once more he found himself doubting his answers.
~*~*~*~
Reno stared at the ground as he listened to Nadesiko's words. She certainly was a deep person. So that was what she hid under that happy-go-lucky stay-the-hell-away-from-me attitude. He looked up at Lamirra who was busy staring out over a small section of Midgar. He wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Your friend, she thinks a lot doesn't she?"
"More than you can imagine Reno. More than you need to imagine."
Reno stayed silent as he stared up at the plate.
'I bet we'd all be screwed if all women were this intelligent...'
~*~*~*~
Rufus sighed; he wanted to know more about this woman who captivated him so. Nadesiko's head shot up.
"Go inside Rufus. Lock the doors. Something is coming."
Her dark eyes flashed a bright red and she kneeled to the ground with a low growl. Rufus stood stubbornly beside her. There was no way was he just going to leave her by herself.
"I'm not going anywhere."
~*~*~*~
Lamirra dashed back from the women's room to Reno. She held a huge broadsword in one hand and two daggers in the other and had changed back into her usual clothing.
'Damn, she's got some muscles to be able to carry a broadsword in one hand.'
When he saw the urgency on her face, he pulled out a gun and his electric nightstick.
"What's up?"
Lamirra bent over to catch her breath. "There's a dragon closing in on Midgar and some bastard ate all of the chessmen cookies!"
Reno gave her a blank stare. "So you're gonna kill both the dragon AND the guy who ate all the cookies?"
"Kill em? I'll mutilate them both!"
With a shout, she burst through the two front doors to face the beast outside of the city. Reno ran after her, grinning.
'Well, at least she won't figure out who got the cookies.' he snickered as he pulled a buttery cookie and munched on it happily.
A/N:
Argh, I HATE puns Rachel! -_- You did that on purpose. Well, I did "fix" it (NO PUN, HA) a bit, so we'll see how it comes out. I have to go do my home work soo....later!
~Mai
Yes I will spare you all and shut my mouth. Nevermind. Hopefully Mai will edit this majorly. I started this just a bit ago. I got back from a concert and IM TIRED. So it isn't at the normal humor level. Mai fix me! ^_^ PUN HA!
~Too Human Lately
~*~*~*~
Nadesiko stared at her friend both in awe, and jealousy. With her long hair tied up into a simple ponytail causing it to cascade down and frame her face with light chesnut waves of hair and the deep red-black Wutai-style dress that matched her tie-up red high heels, Lamirra was clearly going to be the bell of the ball. Especially with Reno as her date. She tried to look happy for her friend, but Lamirra could see right through her.
"Siko? What's up?"
Nadesiko sighed and grabbed the sides of her sleeves gently as the two girls headed out the door.
"Nothing really. I'm just thinking about how lucky you are."
Lamirra frowned.
"Spill."
"Well it's just that it's really awesome that you have a GORGEOUS boyfriend to go with. And I can't help but to be just a little jealous of you."
Lamirra hugged her friend with one arm.
"Hey you. Cheer up. First off, he's not my boyfriend, this is just for fun. Secondly, you have guys totally head over heals for you!"
Nadesiko looked at her friend with a lopsided grin.
"Oh yeah. Literally."
Both girls smiled as the memory of Rufus scrambling out of his car when he saw Nadesiko the night before crossed their minds. It was amusing to watch him as he ran up to Nadesiko with a childish expression asking if she felt well and if she would like to attend the ball with him; and it was hilarious when Nadesiko shut him down. Smiling Lamirra pointed to a small vehicle approaching them.
"That would be Reno."
"Oh yay...."
~*~*~*~
Rufus threw the tuxedo across the room.
"I SAID BLACK AND GREEN!"
Rude and Tseng quickly backed out of the room while Rufus hollered at the tailor. Rude looked at his boss with a worried expression.
"If he thinks he's gonna win Nadesiko over with that attitude he may as well have himself assassinated."
Tseng nodded in agreement before turning to Elena.
"Will you guys go get him the right tux? I'm going to attempt to calm him down."
Elena looked up at Rude who was about to enter the tailor shop. "Hey, why'd you decide to let Siko go to the ball on her own?"
Rude just turned and looked at Elena. "I couldn't find the right type of tranquilizer."
~*~*~*~
Nadesiko stared out the window at the stars as the car sped back towards Midgar. Reno sure had been nice to pick them up. She smiled lightly. She could see him offering to pick up Lamirra but in Nadesiko's mind she figured he only offered her a ride because she was Lamirra's friend. Reno's voice grabbed her attention.
"Hey Siko. You look great tonight. I bet guys are gonna be all over you. You need any help, you track me down." He gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Lamirra turned to face her friend.
"You gonna live?"
Nadeisko nodded.
"Yeah. Just gotta get used to this dress."
"Quick whining, you picked it out."
Nadesiko gave her friend a sour expression and then stuck out her tongue.
~*~*~*~
At the ball a crowd had gathered out side and Rufus was having a hard time getting to the front doors of the building. With a final push he looked up at Tseng.
"How goes it?"
"It goes well enough sir. Head on in."
~*~*~*~
Lamirra grabbed Nadesiko's hand and the girls followed closely behind Reno as they plowed to the front. Nadesiko felt a surge of energy as she passed a young woman. All she saw of her was a flash of chocolate brown hair in a loose ponytail, and then she had disappeared into the crowd.
~*~*~*~
Finally an hour later the ball had begun. Nadesiko stood off to the side of the stage were she could keep a close eye on Reno and Lamirra. Soft music sifted out of the speakers and couples began to sway to the music. Nadesiko began to feel sick so she slowly made her way towards the women's room. Sappy moments bugged her. She froze in her spot as Rufus barred her path, decked out in a form fitting emerald tuxedo with black trim. Refusing to look into his eyes she tried to push past him but he grabbed her shoulders gently.
"Dance with me?"
She sighed. She may not have liked him, but she wasn't going to make a fool of him. Besides, it wasn't like he could trick her into anything. She had only had two drinks.
"One dance, that's it."
~*~*~*~
Lamirra tapped Reno on the shoulder and pointed to the opposite side of the room where Nadesiko was dancing with Rufus. Reno blinked.
"WOW!"
"Don't they look great?"
"Rufus reaches down any further and he isn't gonna to have those hands attached anymore."
Lamirra giggled.
"Oh, aren't we getting protective?"
Reno only growled in response. He had quickly grown fond of Nadesiko and her warring ways. In a sense he viewed her as a sister, and he didn't want to see some creep taking advantage of her; even if that creep WAS the president of Shinra. Shaking his head he turned his attention back to his date. Nadesiko could take care of herself well enough. Lamirra poked Reno's nose with a finger and stuck out her tongue.
"Relax Reno. Rufus may be a creep, but Siko can handle herself."
Reno just sighed and wrapped his arms wrapped loosely around her waist as they danced.
~*~*~*~
Nadesiko began to slowly feel the effects of the drinks from earlier as she danced with Rufus. She had to admit it was kind of cute how he acted so childish around her. Quite often since she had met him when he tried to talk to her she noticed his voice would always be quiet and he had a hard time making eye contact, as if he had never in his life had any experience with women.
'He could use some lessons from Reno.'
She looked up at his eyes and smiled softly, deciding to give him a chance.
"You seem confused."
Rufus' face turned a light red and he shrugged.
"Honestly I was expecting another blow to the head when I asked you to dance."
"So how come you asked?"
"'Cause..." he paused. How was he supposed to respond? Suddenly he felt a tug on his arm as Nadesiko began to drag him to the balcony.
"Come on. We can talk out here."
~*~*~*~
Reno looked at Lamirra as the song slowed to the end.
"Their going onto the balcony."
Lamirra's eyes widened. "What is that moron up to?"
Reno smirked. May as well get a good scoop while they tried to spy on the two. He winked at Lamirra and led the way to the second floor where they could stand below the balcony and listen to everything.
Reno looked back at his date.
"So Lamirra. What brings you to Midgar?"
"Hmm?" she looked up at him with quizzical eyes. "Whaddaya mean?"
"I know you guys don't live here, so why Midgar? Why would choose Midgar over a nicer city, like Kalm or even Junon?"
Right then, at that moment, Lamirra almost told Reno everything. Just the look in his eyes made her want to tell him everything she knew. To keep from saying any of those things, Lamirra bit the inside of her cheeks until she drew blood. Reno was fairly troubled by her strange silence. Giving him a false grin, she looked up. "Great jobs of course! What else? Neither Kalm or Junon have the head of Shinra Incorperated at its center!" then she laughed jovially and waved off his question.
Reno just stared down at her. "Obviously you came here to learn how to lie well too?"
Again, she flapped a hand at him. "Ahahahahaha! Reno, you're so funny! I'll be right back, I gotta go to the lady's room! Don't dance with anyone else now, okay?" she winked and turned to walk back inside of the ball room to wash out the bitter taste of blood in her mouth.
~*~*~*~
Rufus stood in front of Nadesiko as they talked. He was rather confused by her sudden welcoming personality.
"Nadesiko, are you feeling okay?"
She smiled and leaned against the railing beside him. To be honest she was asking herself the same question.
"Siko, ok? It's Siko. And of course I'm okay. I just wanted to talk. I'm not big on dancing."
Deciding to give the benefit of the doubt he assumed she was drunk, which in this case he was actually correct, and stood with comfort beside her. Silence passed between the two as they stared up at the plate above them. Nadesiko groaned in disgust.
"Do you ever get to see the sky?"
Rufus was taken aback by her question.
"Only when I travel."
She sighed and looked over at him.
"Are you happy with who you are?"
Rufus stared at her with utter confusion. What was she getting at? She took his hand and forced him to stare her in the eyes.
"What you do...are you happy with it? Are you happy with the person you are?"
Rufus stood for a moment and shook his head.
"Of course. What are you getting at?"
He had to admit he even doubted his answer as it came out shaky and stuttered. She hung her head and didn't answer him. After a moment she sighed.
"You know. It's amazing. Being outside. Away from the plates. Where we can see the sky and watch the chocobo's run in fields. Don't you ever miss that stuff? Or did you ever get to see it?"
Once again Rufus was taken aback. Was she trying to mess with his head? What was he suddenly feeling as sweat began to break out on his forehead and he felt his heart rise into his throat. He froze as she laughed lightly.
"I'm sorry President. It's just I wonder if you realize you are killing off the people and their sense of being by making them live in these terrible conditions. Being under the plate...it's depressing."
Rufus frowned.
"What do you mean? Living in Midgar is the best we can do for these people!"
Nadesiko let his hand drop away from her as she turned away from him. Rufus sighed. Once more he found himself doubting his answers.
~*~*~*~
Reno stared at the ground as he listened to Nadesiko's words. She certainly was a deep person. So that was what she hid under that happy-go-lucky stay-the-hell-away-from-me attitude. He looked up at Lamirra who was busy staring out over a small section of Midgar. He wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Your friend, she thinks a lot doesn't she?"
"More than you can imagine Reno. More than you need to imagine."
Reno stayed silent as he stared up at the plate.
'I bet we'd all be screwed if all women were this intelligent...'
~*~*~*~
Rufus sighed; he wanted to know more about this woman who captivated him so. Nadesiko's head shot up.
"Go inside Rufus. Lock the doors. Something is coming."
Her dark eyes flashed a bright red and she kneeled to the ground with a low growl. Rufus stood stubbornly beside her. There was no way was he just going to leave her by herself.
"I'm not going anywhere."
~*~*~*~
Lamirra dashed back from the women's room to Reno. She held a huge broadsword in one hand and two daggers in the other and had changed back into her usual clothing.
'Damn, she's got some muscles to be able to carry a broadsword in one hand.'
When he saw the urgency on her face, he pulled out a gun and his electric nightstick.
"What's up?"
Lamirra bent over to catch her breath. "There's a dragon closing in on Midgar and some bastard ate all of the chessmen cookies!"
Reno gave her a blank stare. "So you're gonna kill both the dragon AND the guy who ate all the cookies?"
"Kill em? I'll mutilate them both!"
With a shout, she burst through the two front doors to face the beast outside of the city. Reno ran after her, grinning.
'Well, at least she won't figure out who got the cookies.' he snickered as he pulled a buttery cookie and munched on it happily.
A/N:
Argh, I HATE puns Rachel! -_- You did that on purpose. Well, I did "fix" it (NO PUN, HA) a bit, so we'll see how it comes out. I have to go do my home work soo....later!
~Mai