The gentle golden overtones of early evening deepened into the lavender dusk that served as Midgar's version of night. Aeris and Reno walked slowly through the streets as the city emptied of busy workers. Streetlights winked on, throwing hazy impressionistic illumination over the darkened streets. A light snow started to fall, downy flakes floating lazily from the heavens to meet the ground. Aeris turned her face up, letting the flakes kiss her skin gently.

"It's a beautiful night...."

"Eh...." Reno grunted noncommittally, cigarette hanging from his mouth, "Hey.... I'm hungry. Get somethin' to eat with me...."

"No...."

"Come on.....I hate eating alone. I'll take you to the best place in this part of town.... Cygnus.... you can't pass up Cygnus!"

Aeris glowered at him, "Yes I can... and what am I going to eat there? A five Gil milk shake? I can't possibly afford it. No thanks....."

Reno smiled as if he had a sudden epiphany, "I'm buying... Don't even try to say no. It's my birthday present to you, so it'd be rude if you refuse...."

"How did...."

"It's in your file," he said, grinning from ear to ear, "Come on, just say yes. You know I won't stop buggin' you till you do....."

She relented, albeit grudgingly, "Fine....."

They walked in relative silence towards their destination. Coming upon a large and fancy looking restaurant. It was decorated in retro-chic, the main restaurant looking like some kind of horrible lounge. There was also a nice section with little booths and a neat looking lunch counter set up. Reno entered first, chatting up the Maître d'. Aeris felt very out of place in the restaurant. Everyone else was dressed very nicely, their clothes costing more than she made in a week. Probably made of silks and satins, while she sat there with a worn cotton dress. Even Reno fit in better than she. His garb as a Turk wasn't exactly evening formal, but it was more appropriate than her simple dress.

Reno procured a table, looking back and smiling at Aeris. She returned it weakly. The Maître d' showed them to the diner section, where Reno took a seat in one of the booths. He sat down, immediately picking up the menu to order.  Aeris followed suit, consciously aware of the stares she got as she entered. She just wanted this day to end. She picked up a menu, glumly looking at the menu. Jeesh, everything's overpriced...I hate this kind of place... she bemoaned inwardly.

Reno looked up from his menu, noticing the troubled look on Aeris's face, "So, what's going on with you? You haven't been yourself...I mean, by now you'd be yelling at me about how expensive this place is..." She said nothing, looking at him with those incredible green eyes, "Is it about that creepy guy?" She nodded, "Hey, tell me what he looks like, and I'll beat him senseless. Nobody messes with my Chica but me."

"No and No..... and I'm not your Chica..." 

"Yes, you are...You're like a little sis to me. So whatcha gonna order? I'm thinkin' 'bout the steak..."

"It's so expensive..."

"So what!!! ...Remember, I'm paying..." he paused, handing her a medium sized package, "This is for you.... Happy Birthday."

"Hey, I thought dinner was my present..." She said, reluctantly taking the package.

"You argue too much...Open the damn present."

She carefully peeled back the colorful paper surrounding the box, folding it and setting it next to her. Taking as much care with the box, she opened it as well. Pushing back the tissue paper, Aeris drew out a small silver cylinder. She turned the thing over in her hands, looking at Reno with confusion.

"What is it?"

"It's a staff...retractable, so you can hide it on ya...and if someone wants to start some shit, push that button and VIOLA...a staff with which to beat your enemies senseless." He smiled, pointing at a small button on the side of it with cigarette in hand.

"Thank you.... but I don't know how to use something like this...I'm not sure if I need it."

He scowled this time, "Course ya do...What with the creepy guy and all. A young pretty girl like you needs something to beat off thugs with. And don't worry 'bout how to use it. I'll stop by your church sometime and give ya pointers. Plus, when I bought it, it came with a basic Materia starter set.... Fire, Lighting, and Cure...So bein' an ancient and all.... big with the magic, you don't even have to use it as a weapon...See, I'm thinkin'"

She laughed, "Yeah.... Okay.... Thanks. I suppose it'll come in handy."

The waitress came up to take their order, taking Reno's first then Aeris. She wrote down quickly, giving Aeris another one of the many odd stares she'd gotten this evening. Before she left he asked for a newspaper, she nodded and left. Returning a few minutes later with their drinks and a newspaper for Reno. He took it with a nod, rustling the pages as he looked for the sports section. Sipping his coffee and pretending to read, he looked over at Aeris again. He'd really like to find out who that guy was, it bothered him. Her status as an Ancient wasn't widely known, but there are ways for the wrong people to find out those kinds of things.

"So seriously, tell me about this guy...Call me concerned..."

She sighed, "It's nothing......don't worry about it."

"You always do that... Don't worry, it's nothing you'd understand...Bullshit. If you haven't noticed this city is a shit pile, filled with criminals and god knows what. The only thing keepin' people in line is fear, and even then that don't amount to much. I'm worried for you...Besides, I might not understand.... probably more Ancient crap that only you get, but least I can listen. You can't just bottle your shit up.... ya feelin' me?"

Another long and heavy sigh came from her, "Reno.... do you believe in fate?"

"No....the only person who decides what happens in my life is me...Do you?"

She looked at him sadly, and nodded, "Reno, what if you knew what was going to happen to you? Like, if.... at a certain time and place, you knew you were going to die... and who was going to kill you...What would you do?"

"At this point, this is all just hypothetical, right?" He waited, and she nodded again, "Well.... If I knew the guy who was gonna wack me...I'd find him and shoot the mother fucker in the back of the head." This drew a disapproving look from Aeris, to which he smiled sheepishly, "...but that ain't you...You'd probably just give him a hug and a cookie...Sorry, my advice is bad...Please continue..."

"I'm not sure if I should..." She paused, frowning in mock-irritation, realizing that it was good to at least get it off her chest, "...I had this dream. It's Ancient crap, as you so eloquently put it...In the dream; I saw the exact moment of my death.......... Right down to the last detail, how it felt...everything..."

Reno took a sip of coffee and thought for a moment, "Hmm..... So.... It's like that one slasher movie with the guy with the claws and the killing in your sleep. I thought that if you died in your sleep then you die in real life..."

 "Honestly, everything you know about life comes from the movies, doesn't it?" He shrugged his shoulders with a goofy grin, Aeris rolled her eyes, "NO, you don't...at least in mine I don't. Anyway...In my dream, I was murdered...I saw the face of my killer...I knew him...The guy who I saw in my dream is the same guy who came to buy flowers today..."

"The creepy guy?" He interrupted, his eyes narrowing, a dangerous light glinting in their depths, "What does he look like, for real. I don't believe in fate, and I don't know that I believe in your dreams...but if you think he'll hurt you, I'll hurt him first...free of charge."

Aeris shook her head, "It's okay...You don't have to..."

"No, I want to know...what does the cock sucker look like...."

"Tall, pale...probably a SOLDIER...he had Mako eyes...um...His hair was white, and he had these bangs that..." Aeris paused to look at Reno, whose eyes had gone wide, "What?"

He said nothing, holding up a finger while he shuffled through the newspaper. Lighting on the page he was looking for, he held it up to Aeris. A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she looked at the picture in front of her.

"Is that him?" She nodded, "Sweet fucking crispy, Girl...Do you live under a rock? You dreamed that Sephiroth, THE General Sephiroth.... is going to kill you! I'm not gonna call you crazy, but I have to say it is pretty weird."

She frowned, a passing look of hurt flickering across her face, "General Sephiroth? Never heard of him...but I do know what I saw. When I dream like that it always comes true...and that's the man I saw in my dream, the man who killed me....or is going to....."

"Well, true or not.... I'd hate to go up against him. Youngest General in Shinra history...He's one cold bastard. Tseng's met him...says he makes the Turks look like warm fuzzy bunnies. Let me tell you, I don't like killin' people.... none of us do, that's why we drink...But this guy, the killin' don't seem to bother him...Tseng seyz the guy's emotionless, just kills without even thinkin' about it...no hesitation.... he just kills...Scared the shit outta him... That's sayin' something. Tseng's one tough mother fucker... nuthin' scares him, 'cept our dear General." He paused, noting that the story had an unintended effect on Aeris. She was white as a sheet, her eyes widened into large saucers, "....... Now, all that's real impressive and fuckin' ass scary ...but I think if Sephiroth really wanted you dead, you'd damn sure be there already.....He's a soldier, not a murder.....even if he his creepy."

"Well, I didn't say he'd do it now.....It's far in the future....." She pouted defensively, her brow knitting with worry.

"Hmmmm......Well, if you're worried I'll stick around. Escort ya to your train, and how 'bout tomorrow I meet ya at your church. Keep an eye on ya..... Though, I still don't understand. Most girls in a thirty mile radius would be creaming their shorts if the Great General Sephiroth wanted their ass....."

Aeris didn't reply, looking up as the waitress came and gave them their food.  She ate her food quietly, listening to Reno chatter on about the most mundane of things. He didn't seem to mind that she wasn't contributing much. In the end it didn't matter, it's not like he'd understand what she'd have to say. Humans were disconnected from the world, never hearing its cries. As a Cetra, she was intimately connected, the web of life constantly surrounding her. Knowing what made everything around her, from people to the rocks to the buildings to plants, right down to the fiber of her own being. She could hear the planet's cries, feel its pain.....and to not have anyone to share it with was worse than death to her. At least she felt just a little better and the food was good, even though it was much too expensive in Aeris's eyes. She even got to try her very first five Gil milk shake, and she had to say it was worth what was spent. After the meal, Reno walked her over to the train station, saying good-bye as she got in. He watched her safely seated in the train, until it took off and sped through the darkened streets. He too was troubled. Why was the General of the entire Shinra armed forces snooping around, looking to do....whatever it was he wanted to do with Aeris? Had they finally got tired of him screwing up and assigned someone else the job? Reno hoped for Aeris's sake that they hadn't. Both he and Tseng had agreed to screw up as much as possible when it came to her. She was too sweet a kid to land into the hands of a freak like Hojo.