A/N: This is newer stuff than nine years ago! Like, written within the last eight months! Yay me?

Disclaimer: Random OC's are mine. Some are dantesdarkqueen's, some are Mystic's.

"Ms. Parker, I'll need to leave class a few minutes early since I'm on crutches again. Could you please dismiss someone with me to help with my books? Andi's next class is on the way to mine."

"Aw, of course, Ethan!" Ms. Parker answered, turning away from her Smartboard. She looked around the class, eyes landing on Andi. "Andria, you're all caught up on chemistry anyway, and your next class is on the way. Would you be so kind as to assist poor Ethan?"

Andi shot a death glare at Ethan before smiling at her teacher. "Of course, Ms. Parker," she answered.

"You are such a dear," Ms. Parker told her. "Now, everyone please open your laptops and go to today's assignment."

Andi activated her Smartwatch and spoke quietly into it. "Call the school and tell them I need to sign myself out in about twenty minutes, please. Teacher wants me to help Ethan to his next class."

A text came back from her mother instantly. Fuck that little shithead! Need out of the rest of the day or just for a quick coffee run?

"Coffee, thanks. Want me to bring you something?"

Ooh, yeah! White chocolate mocha frap, extra shot, with whip and chocolate drizzle. Thanks, Babe!

"Got it. See you in about thirty."

Andi bypassed the school's firewalls to place an online order to be ready at the coffee shop in 25 minutes. She'd sign out, head to the coffee shop, and then to the Shinra Building. She had gym next class period anyway, then lunch after. She'd come back for physics after that.

At exactly the twenty minute mark, the intercom buzzed. "Ms. Parker, would you please send Andria Fair to the office for check out? She'll be leaving campus."

Andi closed her laptop. "Oh no! Sorry, Ms. Parker," she said sincerely. "Someone else will have to help Ethan to his next class."

"Not a problem, Dear!" Ms. Parker said cheerfully. "See you tomorrow."

Andi walked past Ethan's desk. "Eat shit and die, Asshole," she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Walking to her locker, she placed her things inside, grabbing her purse. She signed herself out at the office and escaped into the blinding early fall sunshine. The two blocks to the coffee shop were covered in a few minutes. She took the time to text her friends that she'd be back after lunch and why she had left. Azrael was, as always, pissed at Ethan for even uttering her name.

"Jealous much, General?" She giggled as she paid for the coffee and headed toward the Shinra building.

Waving at the receptionist, she headed to the elevators to her mom's office floor. "Call Mom," she told her watch.

"Hey, Baby."

"Hey. Are you in IT or Amazon Land?"

"IT. Reno's hard drive crashed again. I swear this thing has chlamydia."

"Well, there goes my appetite."

"Mmm, it is lunch time, isn't it? Get up here and we'll get some food."

"In the elevator now. See you in about 15 seconds. Bye, love you."

"Love you."

The elevator dinged and Andi made her way to her mother's IT room. She scanned her eyes and entered the super cold domain of the tech wizard that was Kandi.

Her mom had kicked her heels off and was walking around in a pair of warm, fuzzy slippers, wrapped up in one of Rude's old University of Mideel hoodies.

"Shiva, it's always so cold in here," Andi grumbled, setting the iced coffees down away from the tech.

"Which is why I am bundled up in the bald guy's winter stuff," she chuckled. "There's more in the closet if you need one."

"Yeah, thanks," Andi answered. She opened the closet, searching for a warm garment. She looked through the hoodies, coming across an old SOLDIER sweater. "Hey, Mom?"

"Sup?"

Andi swallowed, pulling the sweater out of the closet, and turning toward her mother. "Mom, what's this?"

Kandi looked up from the tower she was tearing apart. Her eyes glistened slightly as she smiled. "That was your dad's," she answered softly, looking back down at the computer parts, and continuing to work. "It's warm. Why don't you wear that one?"

Andi looked at the blue and grey garment, lifting it to her nose and breathing in deeply. "Is this his cologne?"

Kandi looked up again. "Sure is," she told her. She gestured to her desk. "Look in the bottom drawer on the right."

Andria clutched the sweater to her chest and moved to her mom's desk, opening the indicated drawer. Blinking back tears, she pulled out a bottle of cologne.

"He left that in his desk," Kandi told her, still working on Reno's tower. "I found it after he—well, after, along with the sweater. I've kept them ever since."

Andria opened the bottle and took a long, deep breath in. She bit her lip and laughed softly. "Daddy must've smelt good."

Kandi chuckled. "Always," she agreed, setting her tools aside and closing the tower. She rose to her feet and took the bottle and smelled it. She closed her eyes and smiled. "Yep. Totally Zack." Capping it, she set it on her desk, running her fingers through the sweater. "You know what? You keep them." Ducking her nose into Rude's hoodie she breathed in. "I don't need them anymore."

Andi blinked. "Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly, shrugging she sweater on. She took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around herself. "I mean, I would love to, but if you—"

"Baby," Kandi told her, pressing their foreheads together. "They were your daddy's. They're filled with his hopes and dreams. They're yours now."

Violet eyes filled with tears. "Thanks, Mom."

Kandi nodded and moved to grab her coffee, switching her slippers out for her heels and Rude's hoodie for her uniform jacket. "Come on. I'm starving. Let's get lunch and then you get back to school, okay?"

Andria grabbed the bottle of cologne and her coffee. "Okay," she said, linking her arm through Kandi's. "Is Daddy Rude going to join us?"

Kandi shook her head. "He's on a mission out of town," she explained. "He'll be back tonight though. Just a short trip."

"Good," Andi said as they walked into the elevator. "I kinda love that guy."

Kandi grinned and hit the button for the floor to the cafeteria. "Yeah, me too."

Axys dropped her lunch tray on the table and sat next to Azrael. "Heya, General Hotstuff," she said with a wink.

"Sup, Ax," the silverette answered as he stuffed his sandwich in his face.

"Geez, doesn't your mom feed you?" She asked as Bryce and Kaya sat, Paulo just behind them. Marlene and Denzel were still in line but soon made their way over to the table as well.

Azrael laughed. "All the time," he answered. "She has a separate budget set up for my food. She says it's double what the rest of them eat, but I don't know. I'm just always hungry."

"Considering your genetics, it isn't unreasonable," Bryce told him. "Add to that, all of the working out you do, you burn a tremendous amount of calories daily."

Kaya tossed him a protein bar out of her lunch box. "Here, Az," she said cheerfully. "It's a meal replacement bar. It should help."

Azrael reached for it. "I don't want to take your food, Kaya," he told her.

The little healer giggled. "It's okay, I'm not hungry," she answered. "We made Costa del Solian in the food lab last period and we got to eat that. I'm stuffed!"

"Paulo, kiss your girl for me," Azrael grinned. "Thanks, Kaya. You're a sweetheart."

"Aw, thanks, General!" She said, blushing as Paulo kissed her cheek. "If you're still hungry after that, text Andi and ask her to bring you something when she comes back to school."

"Oh, good idea!" He said, taking out his phone. "Anyone else want anything?"

"No, she might get in trouble if she checks back in with a bunch of food and drinks," Denzel told them, tossing a grape into his mouth. "It'll look like she just went for a food run."

"Ah, true," Azrael said looking down at his phone. "One protein smoothie wouldn't be sus, would it?"

"Nah, go for it," Axys told him through a mouthful. "Andi'll talk her way out of it anyway if they say anything to her. Kid's got a squeaky clean rep for a reason."

"It'd be nice if we could go off campus for lunch," Marlene said, moving her peas around her tray. "I mean, some of the school's food isn't bad; but most of it, not so much."

Axys winked at Bryce. "Get on that, Prez," she smirked. "Open campus for lunch. Plus, I could get a midday cigarette break instead of feeling like I'm coming of my skin all afternoon."

Bryce arched an elegant blond eyebrow. "Interesting suggestion," he commented. "I'll draft up a document listing the pros and cons of the arrangement. I bet I could get it passed with the administration and the school board before winter."

"Man, that would be great!" Az exclaimed, crumbling up the protein bar wrapper. "I could get extra to eat before practice. The Mako in my blood stream just burns through everything."

Bryce was typing into his phone. "Beneficial for the school's athletes as well as local businesses," he nodded. "Barring the acceptance of an open campus, I could also propose using the courtyard as a food truck court."

Marlene beamed. "Can we get the taco truck?!" She asked excitedly. "The one that has the burrito bowls? Those are my favorite!"

"Of course," Bryce grinned at her. "We could invite all the restaurants to set up and have a rotating schedule."

"Still wouldn't get me my midday cigarette," Axys grumbled.

Bryce winked. "With all the smells coming from the food trucks, Red, no one would notice a single cigarette. You'd be outside with no smoke detectors in proximity to you. It would be fair and offered to the entire student body and staff, not just those with exemplary behavior. Inclusivity is key to getting this passed. We could offer it every other day so the cafeteria workers will still be employed. Plus, without the added pressure of producing a daily meal, they could focus on the quality and portion size of their new menu. Costs would be the same, so nothing would be added or taken away. It would simply improve student and staff satisfaction as well as benefit the local food vendors. The proposal would generate more revenue for the businesses as well as student council as we would ask them for a fair price for a vendor's fee. We could then turn around and use the funds from the fees for our Share Your Yuletide fundraiser."

Paulo chuckled and shook his head. "Typical Bryce Shinra logic."

"Yeah, Brycie," Kaya giggled, laying her head on her cousin's shoulder. "You always think five steps ahead of everyone."

Bryce arched a blond eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He asked, taking a bite of his lunch. "I simply thought it through so the only possible outcome would be acceptance."

"Exactly," Denzel agreed. "Your thought process works in a way that if you think the answer will be 'no', you rework the situation to get the answer you want."

"Which is why the Prez never gets told 'no'," Axys smirked.

"Except by you, Ax," Azrael laughed, picking up his trash to throw away. The redhead glared at him, and he chuckled again. "I'm heading to weights early. See you guys at practice. Later, Girls."

"Bye, Az!" Kaya waved.

"Asshole," Axys muttered under her breath, flicking a pea off her tray and hitting Denzel in between the eyes.

"Can you not?" Denzel grumbled.

Axys narrowed her eyes and threw her uneaten chicken sandwich at him.

"Axys Sinclair!"

"Shit," she hissed, turning to look over her shoulder. "Yes, Ms. Velasquez?"

The assistant principal sighed heavily. "Please tell me you were not trying to start yet another food fight."

Aquamarine eyes rolled. "That was not my intention."

"Ms. Velasquez, she was simply sharing the rest of her food with Denzel," Bryce explained. "The portion sizes and quality of food the cafeteria provides are not conducive to the vast amount of student athletes we boast. In fact, we were just discussing how the school and area businesses would benefit from using the courtyard as a food truck court. If you have a moment, I would love to discuss this with you further."

Ms. Velasquez raised her eyebrows. "A food truck court?" She asked. "I would love to hear your ideas, Bryce."

The bell rang dismissing the students from lunch. Bryce gathered his things and went to take the assistant principal's side. "I have study hall this period," he explained. "Would it be permissible to visit with you now?"

"Of course," Ms. Velasquez nodded. "I'll be sure to inform your teacher of your whereabouts, so you are not marked absent."

"Thank you, Ms. Velasquez," he said, flashing a smile meant to charm. "I would love to brainstorm with you and get your thoughts on the subject. I believe your input will be integral to gaining board approval."

Paulo laughed as Bryce turned around and winked at them. "Smooth bastard," he said, tossing his trash away. He pointed to Axys. "You owe him for that one. He got you out of detention."

"This would have been my fifth offense this quarter, so he got me out of in school suspension," she agreed, tossing her uneaten lunch away and depositing her tray. "He's good. He'll do amazing things for Shinra and the Planet, won't he?"

"Brycie's the best," Kaya agreed, leaning into Paulo's side as he draped his arm over her shoulders. She waved at Marlene as she and Denzel headed away from them. "See you at practice, Mar!"

"Bye, Guys!" The little brunette called, punching her adopted brother in the arm. "Let's go, Denz!"

Paulo kissed Kaya on the cheek. "I'm off to weights," he said. "See you later. Love you."

"Love you!" Kaya giggled. She took Axys arm. "You know he's crazy about you."

"Yeah, but I couldn't do that to you, Kay," Axys teased. "Paulo is your guy."

Kaya pinched her arm. "I'm talking about Brycie," she laughed. "Gods, he's loved you since we were little!"

Axys grinned. "He's a sweet kid," she admitted. "It'd just be weird, you know? I plan to work for him in the future. I really don't think it'd be a good idea to be in a relationship with the guy that will one day be my boss. Besides, he's not really my type."

"Tall, blond, and buff? I thought that was exactly your type," Kaya teased. "Oh, wait. You like more of a silver blond, don't you?"

"The heart wants what it wants," Axys laughed. "But I can't do that to Andi. You girls are my best friends; so even though your boyfriends want me, I'll leave them alone."

The little healer laughed and squeezed Axys' arm. "Aren't you just the best," she squealed, smacking the redhead on the backside. "There is no way I could compete with this dumpy anyway."

Axys jumped as her butt was smacked again. "The hell!"

"Are we basking in Axys' perfect ass again?" Andria asked with a smirk, taking the redhead's other arm.

"I was just saying how glad I am that she's such a good friend and willing to leave our boyfriends to us even though she could snatch them up in a heartbeat," Kaya beamed. "Now if only she'd give the sweet, adorable, single President a chance…"

"Shiva's tits, Kaya, stop trying to set me up with Bryce!" Axys laughed. She turned to Andi. "Did you get Az's smoothie?"

"Of course," Andria said. "I saw him in the halls already and gave it to him. Here." She reached into her pockets and pulled out a Phoenix Fire and a bottled vanilla latte. "I figured you guys might need a caffeine boost as well."

Kaya squealed and took the latte. "Oh my gosh, Andi, you are the best!" She exclaimed. "I'm always afraid I'll fall asleep in physics."

Andria's jaw dropped. "How?!" She asked. "It is the most interesting class we have! Plus, we have a lab today!"

"Yikes, have fun, Nerds," Axys snickered, releasing her arms from their grasps. "I'm headed to art. See you after school."

"Bye, Ax," Kaya said, linking her arm through Andi's. She leaned against the other girl's side. "Don't you think Axys and Brycie would be good together?"

"You know Axys, though, Kaya," she told her. "She'll balk at anything that she's told to do. She only wants what she can't have."

Green eyes blinked then widened with understanding. "So, if Bryce is unavailable…"

"She could possibly start looking at him as more than a friend," Andria finished with a wink.

Kaya stopped at her locker, putting her lunch bag up and grabbing her laptop and physics binder. "How do we make Bryce unavailable?"

"He's Bryce Shinra," Andria told her. "He's a certified hottie. Plus, he's rich, gorgeous, smart, rich, funny, starting quarterback, rich, super nice, powerful, rich—"

"I don't know, Andi," Kaya protested, closing her locker, and leaning against it. "I mean, Brycie is my cousin. I don't want to set him up with someone who is going to use him because he's rich. He deserves so much more than that."

"I'm just saying it's bound to happen organically," Andria explained. "Homecoming is at the end of next month. Do you honestly think some of the other girls aren't going to ask him to go?"

Kaya pushed herself off her locker. "But will he even go with any of them?" She asked as they walked to class.

Andria sighed. "Probably not," she said. "He's got a type. Delinquent redheads with a mean streak. Come on. Let's get to class."

Miss Longlief had been promoted as the Head of the Art Department of the Shinra Educational Facility, and still served as a mentor to the advanced art students. Axys Sinclair had, and always would be, her favorite student. Moonflower made it a point to be present in all of Axys' classes.

Vacant eyes perused the content of the redhead's portfolio, pleased to see that though the content of her pieces had shifted in emotion from anger and violence to friendship and family, the passion remained.

"It appears there is a certain object of your affections, Axys," she told her with a knowing smile. "I can tell by the extreme detail you devote to his features."

Axys blushed, glancing at the picture Moonflower was critiquing. "Is it that obvious?"

"While all of the subjects are exceptional, it is noticeable to a trained eye that one is more favored above the others," Moonflower explained, flipping the page. "Have you decided on a piece to submit for the upcoming showcase?"

"Uh, yeah," Axys answered, scratching her nose. "I don't have it with me. It's a painting I did this weekend. Took me ten hours, but I love it."

"What is the subject?"

Axys sat down and flipped through her gallery, showing Moonflower the picture of Andria on the cliff. "I took this Saturday morning. I've worked an ethereal likeness of Andi's father into the piece. That's his sword and the place where he died."

"Do you have a title?" Moonflower asked.

The redhead gnawed at her thumbnail. "Almost Home," she whispered, blinking back the tears. "Zack got so close but died on the outskirts of Midgar. Andi doesn't know I've painted this. I'd like to give it to her as a gift after I've entered it."

Moonflower patted her hand, her own eyes filling with tears. "That is a lovely gesture, Axys," she said sweetly. "I'm sure she'll cherish it.

"I must admit, though I have loved every piece you have ever created, the absolute devotion you show to your friends in your work is much more palatable than the violence directed toward your enemies of your past pieces."

Axys grinned. "I guess I just realized that immortalizing those I love is more important than forever torturing the assholes of the world," she answered. "Plus, it kinda works as an alibi of sorts. I mean, if I painted someone's death and it happened, it's almost like I signed my signature and admitted guilt. Can't have that accountability in my future line of work."

Moonflower closed the portfolio. "Will you bring the painting in before next week so I can formally approve it?"

"Yeah, sure," Axys nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem. I'm at my mom's for the next two weeks, but I can swing by Daddy's and grab it."

"I look forward to seeing the finished piece. Your work is inspiring, my dear."

Axys grinned. "Thanks, Miss Longlief."

A/N: Seriously. Bryce is king.