A/N: WOOO! 300 hits! I find this to be a heartwarming chapter, with just the right amount of humor and fluffy goodness (provided by pancakes). Thank you to all my readers/reviewers! You all rock!

Same disclamers as always.

How to be Human

Lesson Eight: How to Make and Eat Pancakes

Shera's (Cinder's) View:

I woke up to a strange buzzing noise right by my head. Looking around and not recognizing where I woke up but knowing I was safe, I decided to investigate the buzzing.

It came from the clock, I concluded. After examining the clock and pushing the buttons, in random order, it eventually stopped buzzing. I read the clock; it said 3:00 am.

Why would it go off so early?

I wondered this while I hopped out of the bed, not tired anymore. Then I remembered Master Zel. Was the alarm for him? If it was, he probably couldn't hear it from where he was sleeping. I decided to go wake him up.

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold from being out from under the warm blankets. I almost wanted to crawl back in and snuggle under them again. I had the best sleep ever last night. The sheets were so warm and soft and they smelled like a mix between roses and smoke.

I liked that smell.

I crept over to the wall and turned on the light switch, being momentarily blinded by the lights. I looked around the room, smiling slightly. There were random articles of clothes scattered on the floor, a few knives sticking out of the wall, books crammed into an overloaded book shelf, and, she noticed, the bed she slept in was on the floor instead of on a frame.

Leaving the light in the bedroom on, I walked out into the hallway and back towards the kitchen. It was then that I remembered that I was only wearing Master's shirt. I dashed back to my room quickly, wondering what I should do. My clothes were weeks old and dirty. I didn't want to put them on again, at least not without washing them first. I looked at what I had to work with. He basically had every item of clothing a man would need, but not a nine year old girl.

This was to be expected, though. I just needed to be imaginative. I dug through his clothes (I hoped he wouldn't mind) until I found an old pair of black shorts (I made sure they were shorts too) that would probably be too small on him now. They still came down to my ankles, but they would do. I looked through the shirt draw and found a very old shirt with holes in the sleeves and around the bottom. It swamped me, so I took it off and sat on the floor, trying to figure out what to do.

Why did I have to be so small anyway?

Then I caught sight of the pillow case.

Okay, I know I'm just grabbing for ideas…but…he wouldn't mind, right? I mean…he wouldn't want me walking around naked, I know that. So I took the pillow case, and, using one of the knives so handily impaled into the wall, cut a rough shirt out. Then I slipped it over my head and fastened the pants up with one of the belts I found on the floor.

Now I was ready, and ventured out into the hall again. I walked into the kitchen, and then continued to the room I hadn't been in yet. That's where I found Master sleeping, curled up on a couch under a bunch of random blankets and using his jacket and shirt for pillows. I instantly felt awful, because Master was uncomfortable and I wasn't. He'd probably slept badly and I'd had a great sleep.

I padded over to him and found myself staring again. The blankets had fallen away from his chest, leaving his upper body exposed. I saw, to my horror, that his chest had scars and scratches all over it. His arms and wrists were the same way, the purplish-blue scars set off by his pale skin. I shivered, trying to imagine what could have caused so much damage to Master Zel. It made me angry too. I almost wanted to hurt the things that had caused him pain.

But it was the totally innocent expression on his face that captivated me. He looked extremely peaceful when sleeping, not corrupted by the nightmares of reality. His lips were turned up in a small smile and he was breathing evenly and slowly.

He looks just like an angel…I decided, smiling. I couldn't get myself to wake him up, so I just watched him for awhile, holding back giggles when he muttered inaudibly to himself. Without thinking, I reached out and smoothed out his messy hair, surprised at how soft it was. Master Zel shifted slightly, leaning into my hand and nuzzling it.

"River…izzat you?" he muttered. I couldn't stop myself from giggling. Was River his crush? Was he dreaming about her right now?

Upon hearing me giggle, Master Zel's eyes shot open, staring at me for a minute. I was afraid he forgot who I was. But he blinked a few times and shook his head, as if trying to shake the sleep from his body.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"I think it is three thirty, Master Zel," I replied, smiling. He looked at me and nodded. Then he looked at me again, horrified expression on his face. He quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head, blush noticeable even in the lack of light.

"Heh…mornin' Cinder…how long've you been up, exactly?" he asked, getting up and stretching before going and turning on a light.

"Since three, Master Zel. The buzzing clock woke me up," I answered, jumping on the couch and snuggling up in the sheets Master had been sleeping in. Yup, there was the rose and smoke smell again. I smiled, burying my face in the sheets to get a better smell.

"Uh…what are you doing?" Zel asked, coming over to the couch again and watching me with one eyebrow raised. His hair was a mess and all disheveled. It looked like he had a baby chocobo on his head.

"The sheets smell good," I answered. When he didn't seem to understand, I explained. "They smell like roses and smoke…Like you, I think…It's a nice smell. I like it…" I smiled, but was surprised when Master Zel turned an even darker shade of crimson. Did I embarrass him?

"Okay then…" he said, running his hands through his hair and chuckling slightly. "Um…what exactly are you wearing, anyway?" I looked down at my makeshift clothing and blushed. I really did a horrible job.

"Uh…I didn't have any clothes so…I…um…just borrowed…um…a pair of shorts…" I said. He laughed when I stood up and showed him how long they were on me.

"What'd you use for a shirt?" he asked. I looked at my toes, afraid to say. He looked closer at it and then burst out laughing again. "Is that the pillowcase? Wow, you're imaginative Cinder!" he praised, walking over and giving me a brief hug. "I'm not mad at you, okay? It's not your fault you don't have any clothing. We'll go shopping after work tonight, alright? I think I get paid today…" He patted me on the head and walked into the kitchen. I followed after him, feeling like a million gil. He'd praised me!

"What'cha want for breakfast? I'm afraid I need to get groceries, everything is kinda rotten…" he said. "Milk's still good, though…I bet I could make pancakes…do you like pancakes Cinder?" I stared at him, taking a seat in the same chair I'd used last night for dinner.

"Master, What's a pancake?" Zel spun around with a look of pure astonishment.

"What's a pancake? What's a pancake?! You don't know what a pancake is?! Oh my god! You poor deprived little girl! To not know what a pancake is…You must have pancakes!" he said, a grin of pure mischief on his face. He then spun back around to the refrigerator and began pulling out the necessary ingredients for these "pancakes." I smiled at his new found energy.

Zel suddenly stopped, staring at the clock above the stove. 4:00 a.m. it read (So it was later than I thought.) He sighed.

"I'll be late…" he said, as if he was pondering something. "But…well…Aw, to hell with it! I'll be late for the first time in my life, but I have a damn good reason. Cinder must experience the joys pancakes can offer!"

"Late for what, Master?" I couldn't imagine him giving something important up to make me breakfast. Especially because I should have been the one making breakfast anyway.

"Work. It's not that important, actually…" he said, smiling. "Princess will understand…"

"Princess?"

"Huh? Oh, that's my nickname for VP Lilith…she can be so spoiled sometimes…" he said, smiling. I smiled too. (I knew it! I knew she was a Princess!) Zel then went back to mixing and doing whatever he was doing to make breakfast.

"Can I help at all?" I offered, feeling bad for not doing anything.

"Yeah, can you set the table?" he asked, pointing to a stack of dishes-knives, forks, plates, cups, and napkins-to be put on the table. "Orange juice, butter and syrup-that's the clear brown stuff in the bottle-are in the fridge." I hopped down from my chair and carefully took the dishes, placing them on the table the way Master Kriev taught me. I hoped Master Zel wouldn't mind…I didn't know any other way to set a table. I then went to the refrigerator and found the butter and orange juice and put them on the table. Then I went back to hunt for the syrup, wondering what it was for. When I found it, the bottle that said "Maple Syrup" on the bottle, I went and set that on the table too.

Master Zel was almost done with breakfast when I got done setting the table. So I climbed back into the chair and watched him complete the process of making pancakes. He brought the skillet over and put three very fluffy "pancakes" on my plate and three on his.

"I don't think I can eat all of these," I confessed, looking at the tall stack of food.

"Heh, it's cool. Whatever you don't eat I probably will. This is my mom's old recipe, so if it's a little weird…well, it's supposed to be. My mom was a bit crazy…"

"Um…do you eat them plain?" I asked, looking at the steaming fluffy cakes and feeling my mouth water. They smelled good, at least.

"Oh, that's what the syrup's for. And the butter, if you like butter," Zel said. I watched him spread some butter on his pancakes before pouring syrup over top. He then passed me the syrup and I did the same. "Dig in," he said, smiling at me before beginning to eat. I smiled back and did the same.

And wow, was I surprised.

"What'cha think? Aren't they the greatest?" Zel asked, watching me eat. I nodded quickly, having never tasted something so good before. It was just the right mix of sweet and fluffy. "Aw, I knew it. No one can resist pancakes."

There it was again. Master's smile, the one that made his eyes light up, the one I really really liked.

Master's phone buzzed, scaring the both of us. He jumped up and started searching his pockets, finally finding it in his back pocket.

"Yo, Twitch here," he said, frowning at the voice on the phone. "What? Oh for Gaia's…look, I'm kinda busy. No, not like that, you perv! Say again? Dude, you're breaking up, seriously…Speak clearly damn it! Huh? Yeah, I'm coming in today? Over time? Are you kidding? I just spent a week living at the Shin-Ra building and you want me to…Look, I can't okay…No, it's not that…I'll explain later, really…" His frown deepened as he shut his phone and stuffed it in his back pocket.

"Is everything alright?" I asked, looking worried.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, everything's cool…My boss is just being an ass…pardon my Wutianese." I nodded. "I hate to ask this, but can you do the dishes? I kinda gots to go…" As if to support this, he hurriedly started getting dressed, rushing off to his bedroom, then to the bathroom, then back into the kitchen. I didn't mind doing the dishes and was finished with breakfast anyway.

"Hey, I'm leaving a list of phone numbers for you by the land line, okay? If you need anything, call me or the top three people on the list," he told me. I smiled and nodded, noticing he looked sad. "Look, I'm really sorry I have to leave you alone today. I'll try to get some time off soon, so we can hang out, kay? Call me if you need anything. I'll be home in about eight hours…you can eat anything in the fridge but the alcohol and make sure the stuff isn't rotting." He bent down and kissed my forehead, hugging me quickly again. "See ya, little Princess."

I hugged him back, reaching up and kissing his nose. He blushed again.

"Have a good day, Zel!" I said, smiling as he waved and rushed out the door.

It was hours after he left that I realized I hadn't called him "Master."

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review, if you can.