Fanfic - FFVII - The Tale of SOLDIER Boy and the Flower Girl (provisional title)

[sanctum_c]

This grew out of another conversation with raaj, and a pre-Crisis Core take on Zack and Aeris' relationship, how it started, why it started and how ultimately things were between them. The gist of the idea is that Zack's relationship with Aeris starts as far less then romance and more a cunning ploy to diminish Aeris' anti-Shinra stance, and hopefully peacefully bring her back in their fold. Which is going to read as pretty anti-Zerith for now (and I have no issues with the pairing), but we'll see where it goes. And despite my outright ignoring of Crisis Core, Cissnei is still around, Angeal is likely to show up - and after reading The Fifth Act - even Genesis might put in an appearance (though both of them will lose any Jenova project connections - they will be simply other First Class SOLDIERS)

This also needs a new title as Zack the Spy is terrible, but I have no idea what to call it yet and need some way to reference this...


"This really is the most boring assignment we get each week." Reno peered through binoculars down onto plaza of Sector Eight. Their quarry, Aeris Gainsborough was standing on the roadside beside Goblin's Bar trying to catch the eye of passersby as they hurried through the darkened evening. "I mean, she never does anything, no one tries anything on with her, we just sit here and watch her try to hawk flowers."

"Would making you carry the rifle around with you help make it interesting?" Rude muttered blowing on the cartoon of noodles he was eating from.

"No. Well, maybe. It's just... Remember when she started doing this? Before we found out she was an ace with a quarterstaff? We'd spend whole evenings peering down a sniper scope at everyone who even went near her. And that was back before she used to wave at us. How embarassing is that? We try to lurk on street corners and she waves at us on her way past."

Rude grunted. There was little to add. Familiarity with their quarry had necessitated taking up increasingly more remote stations to keep an eye on her. Even then Rude couldn't quite shake the notion she still knew they were there. Somehow.

"And our names!" Reno continued. "How did she find those out?"

"Just be glad she never tells anyone." Rude spoke between bites of food.

"As far as we know. Could be the entire slum knows the inner structure of the Turks."

"...what good would that do?"

Reno was silent a moment. "Well, if any of those anti-Shinra lunatics get hold of that knowledge..."

"...yes?"

Reno scowled, eyes still fixed on the flower girl. "There'd be able to kidnap Tseng. Who'd probably convinced them to kill themselves well before they could begin breaking him."

"Right."

They were silent for a moment. "How much longer do we have?"

"Until she gets on a train. You know that."

Reno did. It was part of why he hated this detail so much. The girl could prove unexpectedly tenacious and wait out all manner of weather to try and sell those flowers to everyone and anyone. She was growing them somehow; that much Reno had managed to glean from the extremely tight-lipped Tseng. And that was presumably why the company was wasting good money on them keeping any threats away from her.

"At least Cissnei has the slum detail. I hate waiting for a chopper down there." Rude nodded in response, neither noticing or caring that Reno was still watching from their vantage point. He sighed.

"Reno. We have this conversation every time we watch her."

"I know! That's part of why this is so boring. I-" He broke off, eyes widening. "I know that guy..."

Rude continued eating. "He bothering the mark?"

"No... he's buying a flower."

Rude allowed himself a brief smile. "Good for her. It's been-" He consulted the log. "-a week since her last one."

"Who cares about that? He's flirting with her!"

"Big deal. Usually she just bops 'em on the head when they get too forward."

"Not this one she won't. He's a SOLDIER."

Rude dropped the noodles and peered over the wall through his own binoculars. Sure enough the flower girl was chatting happily to a black-haired man in a SOLDIER uniform. "She's just talking to him Reno. She just wants to make a sale."

"No!" Reno was oddly excited now. "She already made the sale, and she's still going. She's flirting back."

"...Reno. Can you read lips?"

"Screw lips! Just look at the body-language!"

Rude let out a sigh. This at least was familiar ground. "Not everything is like your soap-operas. Besides, he's-"

Reno scowled but didn't look away. "It's not just soap-operas. I think they like each other."

"Not that much. Look he's walking away. And even then-"

Rude felt Reno's arm grab his wrist. "Keep watching her! Is she looking after him?"

"...no."

"Come on... come on..." They watched in silence for a moment. "Yes!" Reno punched the air. "He's looking back at her. That means he's interested. What's she doing?"

"...looking in the exact opposite direction."

"Ah, come on you two. I know you like. No, no, no! Keep looking at her!"

"Huh."

"Is she looking at him?"

"Yep."

"Aw, they were so close! So amazingly close!"

"He's not looking back anymore?"

"He was so close!"

"So...?"

"So, that was almost a perfect romantic scene..."

Ruse snorted. "Yeah, flower girl meets SOLDIER boy in this city one evening, she sells him a flower and they go their separate ways. Real romantic."

Reno finally raised his eyes from the binoculars. "Rude, Rude, Rude. You just don't understand how these things work. We just witnessed a budding romance."

"Fabulous. You think flower girl should hook up with SOLDIER boy? Flower girl who hates us and anything to do with the company? Flower girl that Tseng has been promising for years to deliver to the science department. Not to mention that particular SOLDIER boy has been the centre of a betting pool you've been running for months now."

"It wouldn't have to be if anyone believed me that he really is dating Cissnei."

"She won't comment on it."

"True, but neither will she deny it. And to me that says she has something to hide. A flat out denial would shut me right up."

"...sorry? You'd spend every waking hour prying into her love-life if she denied anything."

"...maybe. But there is something going on between Zack and Ciss."

"...and Zack and flower girl according to you. Hey, she's on the move. Looks like she's heading home." He tracked her as she began walking across the plaza, noting that she glanced in the direction of the departed Zack once more. Rude thumbed a number on his PHS.

"Cissnei? Yeah, she's en route. ETA thirty to forty-five minutes. Oh and you might like to know-"

Reno smacked the phone out of his hand. "Shut up," he hissed as he retrieved the phone. "Yo, Ciss. Yeah he's okay. Well, mostly. Cracked his head on the floor when he stood up too quickly. He did! Rude's a lot clumsier when you're not around you know. So; got any plans-" Reno grinned and tossed the phone back to Rude. "She hung up."

"You don't think she should know that you think her theoretical boyfriend has a thing for the mark?"

"No. Or not yet. That gave me an idea..."

"Please tell me you're not match-making again."

"Of a sort. Remember that Tseng wants her brought in voluntarily right?"

"...right."

"And currently she hates the Shinra company with a passion."

"I think we can safely assume she remembers what happened when her mother got her out."

"Well, that's enough to make anyone touchy. What we need to do is give her a new reason to trust the company, show her we turned over a new leaf."

"Have we?"

"How should I know? I don't know what cretin decided to shoot her mother - I didn't even work for this outfit back then."

Rude mused in silence. Neither had he. Reno continued. "Part of why we keep an eye on her is to find a way to get her back into the company. The president is really keen for her induction."

Rude figured he was already at the conclusion. "So you're going to suggest to Tseng that we request the assistance of SOLDIER rather then just leaving them to Wutai to seduce-"

"Seduce might be a bit of a stronger reaction, but it'd help-"

Rude carried on. "-a flower seller in order to deliver her willing into the Shinra family."

"Rude, its like you read my mind."

Rude finally lowered the binoculars. "She's on the train."

"So what do you think?"

Rude mused for a moment before replying. "I think you have been watching too many of your soap operas."

"Ye of little faith. I bet you if I can prove that Cissnei and Zack have something going on, I can convinced Tseng to consider my plan."

Rude had so many questions, but one easily bubbled to the top. "...without asking Zack directly or getting Cissnei to admit anything, how you going to prove anything?"

Reno's grin widened. "Notice what Zack purchased?"

"Yeah, a flower."

"I bet you our next takeout that that same flower will have found it's way onto Cissnei's desk by the time we get back."

"... you're on."