Final Fantasy VII Fan Fiction

Professional Relationship

By Kraven Ergeist

Elena felt bad. She could tell that turning Reno down had really hit him hard. She had nothing against him – if she'd known he carried a torch for her years ago, she might have said yes. But that was then, and things had changed. Things had changed, while Reno apparently hadn't.

As much as Elena depended on Reno for his boldness in the line of duty, he was still too much of a kid inside. They were years beyond the academy, hanging around with someone like Reno was what she would have done back in her college years. It would have been fun, big fun. But that was then, and things had changed.

Now, Elena had known Reno long enough to know he wasn't gong anywhere in life. He had no real aspirations, no goal for the future, no desire for family, nothing. Even if she were still interested, it wouldn't have gone anywhere.

Elena straightened her collar in front of her mirror. That wasn't the life she was looking for. She was planning on going somewhere. Which was exactly what she was doing.

One day at a time.

It was the morning after Reno had approached her, and another day on the job. Elena had long since gotten over the unisex attire that both men and women wore in the Turks. She hadn't really minded – she looked pretty good in a three-piece. As fit as some of the other men she worked with were, she could easily say that some of the men didn't look half bad either.

Elena smiled in the mirror, applying just a touch of lipstick so as not to look drab.

Not half bad at all.

She strode easily to the office and signed in, waving hi to the director, who waved back and smiled. She sat down in her seat, and logged onto the system, taking a moment to stretch her arms and back.

Two more days will the weekend…

She kicked her shoes off under the desk and opened up her most recent file on her computer. A cart wheeled by and a sizable stack of papers was piled lazily onto her desk.

She groaned. Two more days…

She began sorting them all into various piles, furrowing her brow at the occasional notice that wasn't even within her jurisdiction. She sighed, opening her drawer for a pen, when something caught her eye.

"Hey Maki?" she said out loud. "Who are the flowers from?"

The woman sitting at the desk nearest hers raised an eyebrow. "Flowers?"

Elena nodded, removing a bundle of gardenias. "They were sitting here in my drawer, just waiting for me. There's no name, just a note that says 'I'll be seeing you.'"

Maki made a face. "Ooh, a secret admirer?"

Elena blushed. "Oh, shush, Maki! I'm too tomboyish to be anyone's secret love!"

Obviously, this was not the case for Reno. There went that theory.

Maki kept poking fun at the blonde, and Elena was sure that she wasn't going to get any work done that day, when the director walked by, and Maki instantly quit yapping.

"Hello, Maki. How's the Fort Condor case coming?"

The brunette sat up, a slight blush on her face. "Oh, very good, sir! Just finishing it up as we speak!"

Elena sighed. Maki had had a crush on the director for years now, and to this day had refused to act on it. If the woman didn't stop acting like a total flibbertigibbet around him, Elena swore she would-

"And Elena," the director stepped over to her desk. "I want that report on the Sephiroth Remnants on my desk by lunchtime, okay?"

Elena smiled at him. "Understood, Senpai."

Tseng smiled back.

"I'll be seeing you."

As he walked away, Elena caught him throwing a suspect glance down at the open drawer where her flowers had come from. It took a moment to process, but as soon as Director Tseng was out of earshot, Elena gave up on work altogether.

Could he have…?

Elena closed the drawer, feeling her heart begin drum in her chest.

Slow down, she said to herself. Don't get ahead of yourself. This is Tseng we're talking about. He's got a more reasonable head on his shoulders than anyone you know. He is the last person in the world who would try to initiate a relationship within the workplace. Besides, there's no way it could be that perfect!

Though Maki had been quite overt in her…ah…'admiration,' Elena had kept hers tightly bottled up. Almost four years working together, she had never let her feelings get the better of her, never been in a desperate situation where she thought she'd never see him again, and spilled her heart out for him…nothing.

But that smile…

Oh, why did his eyes have to be so damn captivating?

It was later, much later, when she finally brought her promised work to his office, and more importantly, when she'd finally gathered her wits about her.

"Here you are, sir," she said, not letting even a hint of emotion show through. Just as she always did…

The director put his caller on hold and put the receiver down, taking the papers she had brought and began shuffling through them. "Oh, very good."

Elena nodded. "Yes sir. And thank you for the flowers by the way."

Tseng continued shuffling through them. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Elena almost gasped, when she saw the discrete smile on his face.

The little…

"I'm sorry, sir," Elena smiled, wryly. "My mistake."

Tseng looked back up at her, this time the smile was clearly evident. "Honestly, why would I ever give you flowers?"

Elena bit her lip. What kind of game was he playing?

"I don't know, sir…" she muttered. "Why would you give me flowers?"

Tseng put down his papers. "Well, for starters, you're my most trusted member of all the Turks. You've shown nothing but devotion and loyalty ever since we've started working together. You've demonstrated your competence in the field through in and throughout. You've saved my life, and the lives your comrades on numerous counts…"

Tseng closed his eyes in a smile.

"…And quite frankly Elena, you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

This time, Elena could not contain her gasp. "Senpai!"

He smiled up at her. "I admire your reslience, Elena. After all these years, you've held back your hand."

Elena blinked in disbelief. "How could you have...?"

Tseng smiled, glad to be right. "To put it bluntly, I'm interested. Very interested. But Elena…don't let this affect our professional relationship…I'll understand if you don't think it's appropriate, but I –"

"Tseng?"

The black haired man blinked, not used to being interrupted, and certainly not used to Elena calling him by his first name.

"Yes?"

Elena glanced around the small office space. "Your office door has a lock, right?"

Tseng paused for a moment, before standing, his piercing gaze never leaving Elena's. She felt her heart begin to pound as he pushed his chair in and stepped around the desk to her.

He seized her by the waist, leaning his face dangerously close to hers.

"Why…yes it does…"