Chapter 2: Friendship Troubles

After training, Sephiroth sat down in the same chair he sat hours prior and let his mind wander. He hurt Genesis during training and so far the Neosporin wasn't doing any help. It was pretty painful to accept the fact that he hurt his own comrade but Genesis wasn't willing to let Sephiroth apologize. Angeal was trying to sway Genesis's mind but so far no good. Knowing Angeal, though, he would probably give Sephiroth one of his famous lectures about dreams, honor, discipline, and then some.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Sephiroth's mind wandered to Haruka Gainsborough, the pretty girl he met that day. He wondered what she would say or do if she found out what he did. Her soft brown eyes looked nonjudgmental and gentle but would they remain that way if he told her of what he did to Genesis? He knew women—especially young women—would fly into a fury if men did something to trigger their anger, hence the term "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".

"Sephiroth," said Angeal as he approached the silver haired, "I tried to smooth things over with Genesis."

"How did it go?" asked Sephiroth, looking up at the former. "Is Genesis feeling well?"

Angeal hesitated before answering, "He was too mad to listen to me. He just went straight home." He bit his bottom lip like he knew something Sephiroth wouldn't want to hear. "He doesn't forgive you—well, that's what he said when he stormed off."

"I am sorry, Angeal," said Sephiroth dolefully. "If I only knew when to have stopped…"

Angeal broke him off by waving his hand. "It wasn't your fault, Sephiroth," he said calmly. "If it was anyone's fault, it should have been mine because we made a bet to see if one of us could beat you but Genesis wouldn't stop."

Sephiroth gave the man a pitying look but that didn't stop him from asking, "Are you here to give me a famous lecture?" A small wry smile spread on the general's lips but he remained serious.

Angeal crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, saying, "That reminds me. Sephiroth, people look up to us because of our wholesome actions. We can't shoot down someone else's dreams because that would only ruin them. As I've said before, honor can be quite a burden at times but we need to hone it and keep it in our hearts because it's what tells us what's right. Our self-discipline is what inspires people to join Shinra and defend Midgar. If we didn't have our honor, dreams, or discipline, we might as well be lost."

A grave, stern look filled Angeal's Mako-filled eyes before he smiled and said, "I didn't come here to lecture but I think you need to try and find Genesis and apologize."

"I would very much like to," said Sephiroth with a nod, "but knowing Genesis, he'd probably ignore me or just tell me to go away."

"Keep trying," said Angeal, crossing his arms again, "while I go train my not-yet-housebroken puppy." With that, Angeal turned and walked towards the training room again.

"Puppy?" questioned Sephiroth quietly. "I wasn't aware of Angeal getting a dog." With a shrug, he walked off towards the elevator that would lead him to the entrance of the building.

…

(Haruka's POV)

Aerith sent me to go shopping in Sector 8 but I didn't know what she wanted. I think she wanted me to have another run in with Senor Silver-haired but that wasn't bloody likely. Despite being a sweet, innocent girl, Aerith was a secret schemer and she was dead set on hooking her sister up with a man. As much she didn't like soldiers, she wanted me to be with a strong man who would protect me. Ever since Dad died at the hands of monsters in the slums, Aerith and Mom were dead set on pairing me with a strong man and that desire increased more after my house burned down.

As I shuffled through my thoughts, I bumped into someone who had a hard chest. He wore leather, I could tell, but there was something familiar about him. I was totally embarrassed that I bumped into a man (a woman wouldn't wear an open-chested jacket) like this. His scent was familiar because it was musky and pleasant; where had I smelled it before? Oh, right, Sephiroth wore a cologne scent that was identical. Then, that meant…

A low chuckle broke off my train of thoughts and I pulled myself back to look up into his face. If I didn't know better, I think he was laughing at me and I didn't blame him because I was in a strange position with him. Well, Aerith, I finally thought, you got your wish.

"Hello again, Miss Gainsborough," said Sephiroth with a polite grin. "I didn't expect to see you again. Where are you off to at breakneck speed?"

"Okay, first of all," I said, lifting up my finger in a reproving way, "call me Haruka; Ms. Gainsborough is my mother. Secondly, I'm off to the market to buy my sister something though I'm not sure what. And thirdly, it wasn't my intention to run into you again." God, I was such a bitch but that was just who I was.

Sephiroth seemed to be surprised by my attitude as well with the look that clearly asked "is this girl PMSing?"

Aloud, he said quite diligently, "Believe me, Haruka, I didn't intend to run into you either. Actually, I was on my way to lunch. Would you like to join me?" He held out his elbow like he expected me to take it.

"Um, I think I have a few minutes to kill," I offered blandly, shrugging slightly, but I slipped my arm into his like how a married couple would.

Doth my eyes deceive me or was he smiling at me?

"Where do you usually eat?" I asked, trying to sound cool but failed miserably. Just because I wasn't a fangirl didn't mean I wasn't nervous about a "first date" thing.

"I'll show you," he answered, leading me down the path to LOVELESS Avenue. "It's one of my favorite restaurants."

Guess he wasn't telling me anymore. It was supposed to be a surprise, I bet, but I was still curious. I was about to ask him but lost my train of words when I saw the slightly melancholy expression on his face. I wanted to ask him if he was okay but I knew Sephiroth wasn't the "gut-spilling" type. From what I've read, Sephiroth was the silent guy who enjoyed his privacy and especially did not like girls asking about it.

"You look sad," I said without thinking. "Did something happen at work? Oh, no, did the paparazzi crowd you today?" I didn't mean to sound rude but Sephiroth had a good life and had no reason to be emo.

He chuckled at my joke and said in a light tone, "I'll tell you at lunch. You'll need to sit down before you hear this."

"Damn it, now you got me all curious." I pouted, letting my bottom lip slide out slightly. "How 'bout a hint? Please!"

My begging did not break his cold, soldier like persona but he did laugh at my childlike behavior. It felt weird because it felt like we were best friends even though we barely knew each other. I felt like I could trust Sephiroth with my deepest secrets because I knew he wouldn't tell anyone. Boy, I would never hear the end of it if Hikari found out about my "date" with Sephiroth.

…

When we sat down at a nice table, I noticed people were staring at us—mostly the women, really. I could tell they were jealous and I just wanted to slink away but my body froze up nervously. Sephiroth, who was too busy drinking his water, was absorbed with the menu but I could tell he was aware of the staring eyes as I was. Now, I was paranoid because the staring eyes didn't cease gazing. Maybe it was a bad idea to accept this invitation.

"S-so," I said to diffuse my paranoia, "what happened at work today? You looked pretty…distracted about something."

Sephiroth finally looked up at me with guarded eyes but answered, "I hurt Genesis today. We were training in the training room but I went too far with Genesis and I knew we should have stopped at some point but I got too caught up." It came out very rushed and erratic—something not like Sephiroth— but I could tell he was extremely worried about his friend.

"Have you tried to speak with Genesis?" I asked, cocking my head slightly in confusion. "Did you try to smooth things over with him?"

"He's pretty angry with me," stated Sephiroth, gazing at the menu again. "Granted, I would be too if I got harmed like that. I feel like it's my fault."

"Sephiroth," I said gently, touching his gloved hand lightly, "it wasn't your fault. It could have happened to anyone. Sure, Genesis might be mad at you and won't talk to you today but maybe tomorrow he'll forget what happened and you can apologize to him."

A true smile spread on his face and he gazed at me warmly enough to make my cheeks heat up. Stupid ass hormones, go away. Suddenly, I pulled my hand away and deliberately looked at my menu to decrease awkwardness. Were first dates always like this?

"See anything you want?" he asked flirtatiously and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Was he openly flirting with me? If he was, all of the girls in his fan clubs would have me at the top of their hit lists. Maybe that's why he was doing it; so they would leave him alone. I'd probably do the same thing if I were being swamped by fans.

"Um, nope," I answered suavely. "The burgers look nice, though; so does the delicious steak next to it…" I trailed off, nearly drooling at the thought of steak.

"Someone is a carnivore," stated Sephiroth like the Mister Obvious he was.

"Sorry," I apologized, catching myself. "I just love meat. I can't help it. We don't get a lot of it in the slums."

A look of mingled shock and curiosity flickered across Sephiroth's handsome face. "You live in the slums?" he asked, cocking his head slightly.

Oh, great, he was going to judge me like all the others did. "Yes," I said sharply, "yes I do but I'm not a savage like most people think. You upper platers think you're better than everyone else because of where you live. We slum dwellers get by just fine, in case you didn't know, so thanks for changing the subject!"

Sephiroth lifted his hands up slightly in a pacifying manner. "My apologies," he said sincerely. "I didn't mean to offend you. I've never really seen people from the slums myself. I think they fear me."

"Well, no shit, Sherlock," I said before I could think. "You carry a seven foot long fricking sword and you have this tendency to scare people."

"Very funny, Haruka," he said, arching an elegant eyebrow at me. "Just order your food before I decide to use that sword on you." I knew he was teasing but he sounded serious.

"You wouldn't dare," I hissed, bending forward to get all close in his face.

"Try me," he countered, following my suit.

I gave up on the staring match because he would probably win anyway and sank into a pout. Why did he have to be so damn convincing? Was this how he got vacation time? Stupid, damn soldier.

The star struck waitress walked up to us shakily, staring at Sephiroth with a strange glow in her eyes that made me roll mine. What was it with women and Sephiroth? Sure, he was hot with his lovely hair and dreamy eyes; he was built very nicely and don't get me started on that hot voice of his. Okay, I probably should shut up before I said something I'd regret.

Conspicuously, the waitress flipped her shoulder length blond hair over her shoulder and gave Sephiroth a flirty eye. "What can I get for you today, Mr. Sephiroth?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing to me. "You can go first, Haruka."

"I would like a steak please," I said nervously, not liking the evil eye she gave me, "and that's all."

"Sure," she said coldly, writing the order down on her notepad before turning to Sephiroth in her flirty manner again. "And you, Mister Sephiroth?"

"I'll take a tri-tip steak and some French fries for the side, please," he said, handing her both of our menus.

"Of course, sir," she said huskily, deliberately brushing her breasts against his shoulder as she collected the menus. "Your food will be ready soon." With a flick of her hair, she turned on her heel and walked away.

"Oh, puh-lease," I snorted, rolling my eyes in an irritated way. "Did you see her? 'And you, Mister Sephiroth?'" I mimicked her poison-sweet tone. "Ugh. Seriously, girls are such hoes when it comes to cute guys."

"I don't know if that was a statement or a comment," joked Sephiroth, smiling at me kindly. "Her attitude was the most irritating. Women like that only like me for my looks and my heroics, most likely, but not for myself. That's what turns me off the most."

Hold the phone, when did we start talking about what turned us off or on? "Can we change the subject before I lose my appetite?" I asked loudly. "Geez, that's so gross."

"Sorry," said Sephiroth, "I just feel so…normal around you, I guess. It's nice to have a girl who doesn't look at me like that." He subtly pointed to the girls who gave him the goo-goo eyes from the other tables.

"You're welcome," I replied kindly. "I kinda feel bad for you, though. How do you take them? I can hardly take being crowded by ten people. You have to be around about seven times more than I do."

"It gets easy after a while," he replied. "I guess I just forget that they exist. If I wanted more friends, I would choose the ones that like me as I am, not for my abilities."

"Well, I don't like your abilities," I offered lightly. "In fact, I hate them. That's why we're in this stupid goo-goo eyed mess."

"Just keep smiling and we may get through this," noted Sephiroth as our food was brought out to us.

I gave him a smile as I dug into my food and basically pigged out.

…

"Ahhh," I sighed as we walked back near the Shinra building. "That food was super delicious. Thanks again, Sephiroth, you're really kind."

"Of course, Haruka," he said, smiling in turn. "It was nice to talk with you. Here," he gave me a small paper with his number on it, "call me if you get the chance so we can talk more."

"Thanks," I said, blushing again. "It's nice to have a soldier friend. Well, I guess I should be on my way. I took up too much of your time already and Aer is probably wondering where her items are." I detached myself from Sephiroth to begin my journey back to the slums.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?" asked Sephiroth in a concerned tone. "It's no trouble."

"No, no," I said, shaking my head. "Really, I'll be fine. See you soon, Sephiroth." I waved at him as we went our separate ways.

I smiled as I walked, thinking, Well, I guess it wasn't too bad of a first date.

A/N: Cute, bonding chapter! I hope you all like because I spent a lot of time on it! This is just how Sephiroth is like when he is away from the rigid work of Shinra! Please read and review!