Disclaimer: Same as usual!
A/n: I did a little bit of tweaking on the past couple of chapters, so if you're interested in re-reading them for fun or whatever, feel free to check them out. The plot didn't change at all, it was mostly fixes to grammatical errors, repetition, and just making things sound better. Hope you like it. Thanks for reading and/or reviewing!
Zack was trying his best to conjure up some "errands" to do when he heard Tifa descending the stairs. He didn't really need to do anything today; he just thought he should keep her company. Marlene's words rang through his head even as he drifted off into a half-sober sleep last night:
"...You're here, aren't you?"
He didn't want to let the bright-eyed little girl down.
"Well," he thought to himself, "I guess it wouldn't kill me to go to the store and get a couple of things. I don't really need them but since I'll be out anyway..."
"Are you ready to go?"
Tifa stood in the doorway, her hair wet and shining, dressed in her usual black, knee-length shorts and Converse. Her customary vest was missing today. Zack couldn't help but smile when he looked at her. She looked a lot younger this way for some reason. Her long, dark hair stood out against the whiteness of her shirt. It was a casual, relaxed Tifa that had seldom been seen for a while now.
"You bet. Hey, where we headed to first?"
"The Wall Market. There are a few things there that I need to pick up and drop off."
The Wall Market was no longer a slummy pseudo-shopping center reeking of pee and unwashed bodies. It had been relocated and rebuilt a little outside the city of Edge. There were still some places that had been made exactly the same as a sort of monument to its predecessor. The Honeybee Inn towered over most of the other buildings; its flashing lights and neon signs served as a beacon to deviants for miles around. Mr. Hayashi still ran a little dress shop, and Aniki and his crew still had a gym where they challenged all comers to squat competitions. Of course there was also that kind-of dive-y restaurant that served some pretty good Korean BBQ plates. But it was a sign of the times that computer stores, auto repair shops, jewelers, boutiques, and all kinds of other fashionable places to spend money, had also begun to crop up in the shopping epicenter.
"Did you want to take my bike?"
"That would be fun, but I have some stuff I have to deliver, so I thought it would be better if we took the van."
"Deliver?" Zack frowned. "I thought that was Cloud's job. After all, it is named 'STRIFE Delivery Service', isn't it?"
Tifa stiffened and a tic developed in her jaw as she tried to calmly explain why Mister Strife himself couldn't do it.
"He said that he was...busy...today. So he asked if I could do him a favor and take a shipment of vegetables over to Mrs. Kang. She's the lady who runs the restaurant there."
The blue-eyed brunette knew better than to push this subject any further.
"Alright then, where are these vegetables? I can't have you carrying them all by yourself."
About a half hour later the pair were finally on their way to Wall Market. Lifting all those crates of vegetables had been a good workout for Zack. He didn't realize how out of shape he had become until he noticed that for every two crates he managed to put in the truck, Tifa was able to handle three. A slightly awkward silence started the one-hour drive, but was soon replaced by Zack's energetic questioning.
"I was just thinking --"
"That's not a good sign..."
"Hey!! Anyway, I was thinkin' about how we really don't know much about each other. I wanna get to know you. You're my friend now, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"So shouldn't we know something about one another?"
"Like what?"
"Just the basics. You know...what your favorite color is. Your favorite food. That kind of stuff."
"Blue. Italian."
"Blue. Anything that tastes good. Favorite drink?"
"Hmm. Water, I suppose."
"Lemonade. If you could go on vacation anywhere on Gaia, where would it be?"
"I actually don't mind where I'm at right now. Although, I suppose that villa in Costa Del Sol could use a little occupancy once in a while."
"Costa Del Sol..." The name rang clear in his head as though he should have remembered it. There were flashes of things that felt like he had only dreamed them up. But he wasn't ready to tell anyone just yet that since he had come out of stasis there were things here and there that he didn't recall as well as others.
"How about you?"
"Midgar."
Tifa frowned. "Some vacation. Those are just ruins now."
"I know. But there's something there that calls to me still. I can't explain it."
"I understand. Your favorite band?"
"The Black Mages."
And so upon arriving at the Wall Market, both Zack and Tifa could recite superficial biographies about each other.
Zack Fair is a 26 year old ex-SOLDIER with blue eyes and black hair, from Gongaga. He will eat anything tasty, but is partial to drinking lemonade. His favorite band is The Black Mages and he prefers rock to most other genres of music, despite liking all of them to some extent. He likes to play guitar, but isn't necessarily good at it. His favorite smell is the ocean. He dislikes unnecessary conflict, physics, and oranges. He likes the color blue and wants to someday take an extended visit to Midgar.
Tifa Lockheart is a 22 year old bartender with chocolate brown eyes and dark brown hair from Nibelheim. She really likes Italian food and prefers water to any other beverage. Her favorite band is YRP. Her musical tastes also run the gamut of genres. In her spare time she likes to spar to keep in shape, or learn how to cook new things or make new drinks to keep her bar up-to-date. She likes the smell of certain colognes and gasoline. She dislikes solitude, bugs and tomatoes. Her favorite color is also blue, and she wants to vacation in Costa Del Sol sometime in the near future.
Tifa got out of the truck and let Mrs. Kang know that she was here to deliver the vegetables. The little old lady followed her back to the truck and was startled to find Zack already beginning to unload the crates.
"Oh my. Is this your new boyfriend?"
"No," Tifa said, blushing. "This is my friend --"
"Zack Fair. Nice to meet you!"
"My, what a nice young man. This one's a keeper!"
Zack's eyebrows shot up as Tifa blushed profusely and covered her face with her hands.
"So...Uh...where do you want me to put these?"
"Come, I'll show you. And please, stay for lunch! It's the least I could do for you!"
Continuing to load the vegetables onto the handcart Mr. Kang had brought out to his wife, Zack grinned surreptitiously at the color of Tifa's face.
After all; red was quite flattering on her.