Friendly Interactions

Title: Friendly Interaction-Prologue
Email: avicaedwards@aol.com
Category: AU(not necessarily, but it's Post Game)
Rating: G(I NEVER thought I'd write such a low rated fic...)
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Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 does not belong to me. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while....I'll give them back. ........After I'm done. *grins darkly*
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Tifa sighed as she threw a blouse across her room. The room was litered with clothes of all sorts...she didn't have a dress to her name. Folding her arms, she tried to think of at least one decent outfit that'd come close to being a dress.

'That cowboy outfit doesn't count....it's not even an dress....even if it was, it doesn't fit anymore. ........And that outfit I wore in front of Corneo does NOT count...I look like a tramp in that outfit...' Sighing helplessly, she rose from her seat on the floor and strode over to the door. 'I'll have to buy a dress.....but Rocket Town is so far.......I'll just have to settle for the dress shop here in Wutai...'

With that in mind, she slipped her feet into her sneakers and opened her door. Hopefully, the store wasn't too expensive. It wouldn't matter, since she had more than enough Gil to pay for a high priced dress.....but it's the principle of the thing. You shouldn't have to shell out a pile of money to look nice, right? A warm wind blue as she stepped through the door...the sky was more orange that earlier...it was starting to get late. Another two hours, and it'd be dark. 'I'd better hurry...'

A dress shop had opened, sometime after 'the war' in Wutai...behind the weapon's shop. She strolled towards the building, her pace faster than normal. 'If anything Reno must be wondering what I'd look like underneath the dress......but that's STILL not a reason why he'd ask me out like that......it doesn't make sense.....he's probably up to something...' She knew she couldn't make assumptions so early before meeting up with him. But from past encounters with Reno...she had all rights to be suspicious of him. ...But if that's the case...why is she still meeting up with him? Sure he called her beautiful...that was just a compliment. It was a compliment she had never received...but a compliment nonetheless. It was nothing to go insane over. But for some reason...it was enough to push her suspicions of the former Turk aside. Sure....Reno was attractive....beyond that. She had to admit...he was quite handsome. But that was STILL no reason to push herself to meet him like this...was it? She sighed and shook her head. 'I'm just confused...I just need to find out if he's up to anything...if not...it's okay. If he is.....I'll just hand him his ass. Just like I used to.'

She entered the weapon's store, and walked straight towards the rear of the building....there she noticed the wide array of dresses(or any feminine attire for that matter). 'I just might be able to find something...hopefully, I won't have to be measured...'

A small woman of about 30 ran up to her. "Welcome! What can I do for you!?" Tifa sweatdropped instantly.

'Damn she's hyper..' "I...I just need a dress..."

"What kind???" this 30 yr old redhead snapped happily. "Winter dress? Summer? Fall? Spring? Casual?? Intimate?? Formal????"

'PLEASE calm down before *I* calm you down...' "Casual...should be enough..."

"Alright!" she cheered...and reached into her pocket for a tape measure.

'DAMN IT!!!' Tifa roared mentally. 'I saw this shit coming a mile away...' she hissed as the woman wrapped...or tried...to wrap the tape measure around Tifa's breasts. The woman gasped and stepped away.

"I haven't seen anyone your size since two years ago!"

'You're pushing it lady...' "I just need a dress for a date." Tifa finally said flatly. "I don't need anything fancy....just nice."

"I see...hold on...I'll be right back!" she laughed and ran off. Tifa slapped a hand on her forehead as soon as she was far enough.

"Damn it...this fucking date had BETTER be worth this shit Reno..."

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He leaned against the railing of the brige, patiently waiting. He stared down at his reflection in the stream, often shattered by the small fish jumping in and out of the water.

'I wonder how she'll look.....she'll look pretty good in a dress...' Reno thought lowly...a small grin creased his face. 'Of course she would...she'll look good in just about anything.'

Reno always had a crush on Tifa, since that very first time he saw her in Sector 7. And since then, he always wanted to see her. ...And of course...he did. He saw her everytime they crossed paths. He clearly remembered the fluid motions of her body as she fought with him, each swing, kick, and blow an act of pure grace........in Reno's mind, of course. At first it was just a physical attraction....but now...he wasn't so sure anymore. ...He called several women beautiful...when he was drunk. He wasn't even feeling a buzz when he told Tifa that she was beautiful...maybe she really was. She was certainly attractive when he saw her earlier in the bar. Or maybe he was just flirting too hard for his own good. ...He sighed quietly. His patience was finally starting to wear thin when he looked at his watch; it was 9pm.

Just when he was about to step away from his place on the bridge and walk off......there she was. She stood at the foot of the bridge, wearing a blue oriental-style dress that reached her knees. A gold embroidered dragon wound it's way around her body, the dress itself trimmed with the same golden material. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, held in place by a gold hair band. She smiled lightly, pushing her loose bangs behind her ear.

"Hey."

Reno drew in a long, silent breath. '...Well I'll be damned...' He was so caught up in staring at her....he had to force himself to walk towards her. His hands ached to just reach up and touch her...to see if this was actually the same Tifa that he ran into earlier today. If it really was Tifa, she'd grab his hand and throw him over her head. If it wasn't...then it couldn't be her. He had to find out.....he reached up to touch her face......and just as expected, she grabbed his hand with lighting reflexes. 'It's Tifa alright...' Reflexes were enough to say it was her. 'I'd better say something....'

"Hey Tifa....." he titled his head to the side. "...Looking VERY good I see. ...A dress suits you."

She looked away, her face a mild crimson. "Cut the crap." She released his hand, to toy with her hair mildly. "...So...here I am." she said, spreading her arms lightly to show herself. "...What next?"

"No no no...the question is...what do YOU want to do next...?" Reno said cooly, trying to play off his entrancement. He looked her up and down, his cerulean eyes begging for mof hof her. "...It's all you."

"Well......I...I don't know..." she muttered, looking away to avoid his gazing eyes. Tifa bit her lip, then looked up again...mildly forcing herself. "Let's walk around until I decide....."

'As long as I can be seen with you....' "Sure."

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"I didn't realize how small Wutai actually was..." Tifa whispered, as they stood from one of the extending hands of Da-Chao. A cool wind blew, carrying her upswept hair and bangs. Reno stood quietly with his hands jammed down into his pockets, watching her step onto the fingers. "...It's really pretty too...so peaceful..." She turned to the former Turk. "...I can see why you, Rude and Elena would come here so much....it's so relaxing here."

Reno laughed lightly, and shrugged his shoulders. "Wutai was Rude's favorite drinking spot. ...Elena just tagged along, because it was orders from Tseng."

"Hmm." She turned around, focusing her eyes on the view of Wutai. She held her left arm, taking a long drawn breath. "Reno...?"

"Hm?"

"....What's your real reason...for asking me out?"

Reno looked away, as if the answer was hidden among the rocky faces of the statue. To be honest...he didn't have a real reason. Sure, he wanted to talk to her, since he always had a crush on her. But there had to be another reason...t? Yt? You can't do anything, without a reason...right? He looked up at her, takiing a deep breath to prepare himself.

"Well...it's been a while since we saw each other, being enemies and all." he started, and stepped next to her. He looked out onto the small town, and the ocean in the distance. "...I suppose I asked you out to talk to you on a friendly level. ...I suppose I asked you out to make sure that YOU weren't up to anything. ......And I suppose...I asked you out here...to...see to it that you enjoy yourself." Tifa whipped around to face him. Reno shook his head. "...You seemed so downtrodden in the bar. ...Like you were lonely. So...I told you to come out, so we could talk. Maybe...you won't feel lonely after having someone to talk to you, ya know? Everyone needs someone to talk to, sometime in their life. ....And from what you told me...you needed someone to talk to."

"Well....if you put it that way...." she muttered softly, a light smile creasing her lips.

"She smiles...is it safe to say that you're in a good mood?" Reno teased mildly, grinning lecherously. Tifa laughed lightly, putting her hands on her hips.

"You never changed one bit, Reno...still the flirt, as usual." she said with a laugh....a laugh that vanished from her hearing, as she herself became engulfed in those crystal cerulean eyes. ...She began to wonder if this was really the same Reno she fought, time and time again. Of course, Reno flirted with her back then. He was notorious for it, six months ago. ...But now...he seemed different. That same suit he used to wear during his days in the Turks...was actually in proper order. Not loose and laid back, like he used to wear it. The shades on top of his head were gone, and so was that rod he always carried around. ...He looked...like an average person. A businessman even. Tifa shook her head lightly in realization of this...and folded her arms lightly. "...Or...maybe you have."

"Huh? What do you mean??" Reno asked, frowning mildly in question. Tifa shrugged, and walked past him.

"Well...for one thing, that suit...you were always so laid back." she stopped in her tracks. "That white shirt would be hanging out, that tie would be loose, and that jacket would be too big. But..." she turned around, her brown eyes meeting his cerulean eyes. "...Now...you're more...clean cut. ...Your image changed some. ........I almost didn't recognize you."

Reno looked down and smiled. 'A compliment deserves another in return I guess.' No one's told him that at all. ...He's been seen as a local alcoholic since the Sephiroth incident. Hopping from bar to bar to bar. But...this....this erased all that alcohol he was drinking, and had already drank . He might be under the influence now...but who's to say later?

"...I try. ...You never did tell me earlier today...what was really up between you and Cloud." Reno said half-flatly. Tifa looked away...Reno craned his neck, to look directly in her face. "...What? Did I say something wrong..?"

"No..." she whispered. She looked up, narrowing her eyes mildly. "...Just thinking about him bothers me. ...Ever since that war 6 months ago, all he thinks about is...is 'her'. Sure, she helped save the planet and all....but she's dead!" She folded her arms, the glare on her face not changing the least. "Who in the world would have tons of flowers shipped to someone's resting place?? It's crazy....it's like he's obsessed with her..."

"Sounds to me you didn't like her too much."

"...She was cool and all.......but she was always trying to pull Cloud away fre." e." she grumbled and turned around. Her head dropped slightly. "...And when Cait Sith told our fortunes in Temple of the Ancients...and said that they were a perfect match...I couldn't stand it. I didn't have anything to say after Sephiroth and the Black Materia appeared.....and I sure as hell didn't say anything when Cloud went crazy and started to attack her. If anyone else wasn't there...........I would've let him kill her. But being watched and all...I jumped down and intervened. ....You can say I was jealous of her. You can say I hated her. ....You can say whatever you want." She looked up, pushing her bangs behind her ear. "....I just didn't want her to take him from me. ....But it was nothing but a damn failed effort. In the end, he became totally enchanted with her. 'Let's go meet her.' That's what he said in the Northern Crater. ...I pasted on a smile and said 'Yes...Let's go.' I only went to her grave ONCE.....he's still going. All his attention is directed to her not me. You'd think childhood friends would get most of the attention but that's a damn lie. .........Fucking bastard."

"...Sounds like he's got issues."

"You don't know the half of it."

There was a long, lingering silence between the two after Tifa's.'co.'confession'. It wasn't a comfortable silence, since the pair began to fidget constantly. Reno sighed quietly...he hated long, silent periods.

"...Tifa. Let's make a deal."

'I knew he was up to something, that coniving little-'

"...Stay in Wutai...and I'll TRY to talk some sense into Cloud for you."

She turned around, her mouth open in shock. She was cut off before she could say anything.

"And if that doesn't work..........I'll give you all the attention you'll ever want."

'He has got to be shitting me...'

"Reno...." Tifa shook her head lightly. "...I...Are you sure you want to do this...? I mean...we hardly know anything about each other......and Cloud will probably kill you on sight-"

"Relax! ...He's already got too much on his mind to even worry about me." Reno laughed. "He's too busy visiting dead people...remember?"

"That's harsh...but it's true..."

"So...what do you say?"

Tifa bit her lip and looked down...should she accept his offer? What if he was still up to something? ...He could be plotting against her in some way....using this flattery as a way to draw her in. But then again....it....seemed totally harmless. This whole date seemed harmless. And he hadn't made a single move towards her at all. So......it couldn't hurt....right? .....It's not like Cloud paid much attention to her anyway...he was too busy, running around with the remaining Shinra forces and delivering flowers to Aeris' grave to even notice her. ....She looked up and nodded lightly.

"...Deal." She frowned sharply. "Under one condition."

Reno waited in silence, ready to hear whatever she was going to say. Tifa sighed lightly, placing a hand on her chest.

"...If I find out...that this is nothing more than a cheap game....the deal is off."

Reno grinned lightly, shaking his head just the same. "I'll assure you Tif'....it's no game."