Miki's Mommy

Rating: G
Category: AU
Pairing(s): Zack/Sephiroth
Warnings:
Summary: The new principal finally gets to meet Miki’s mommy.
Notes: Just a wee plot bunny that would not go away. Miki’s age in this fic is about six, so it’s set in the time Seph got pregnant with Sephira and Zack was recovering from an especially bad delivery.

Mr. Banner really was a very decent man. He was kind, intelligent, and had become an elementary school teacher for all the right reasons. He honestly liked children, and took a great deal of pleasure in seeing to their education and well-being. Every child in his school had everything they needed for a proper education, from books to a library to a music programme to a hot lunch programme. If he suspected abuse, he called in the proper authorities. His school had the best playground, the finest teachers available, the latest text books, and if the school could not pay for something, he found a way to get the money. He was an exemplary principal and educator, and took great pride in his position in the community. Mr. Banner, however, would be the first to admit that he did have a weakness, and it was inadvertently fed by his position as an educator.

Women.

Day after day, beautiful women of all shapes, sizes and colours arrived by the score; tall women, short women, fat women, thin women, buxom women, curvy women…. They all showed up to drop their baby buntings off in his school, and if some of them had a few minutes to spare for the charming new principal, who was he to argue? Mr. Banner was proving less popular with the daddies in the area than the mommies, but when all was said and done no one could argue he was the best principal that the tiny village had ever seen. However there was just one mommy in the tiny school he had yet to meet; Miki Fair’s mommy.

He knew she had one. He heard her talk about her mommy often enough, though some of what he heard was a little confusing. But then Miki was a very lively child with an active imagination, and it was possible she was just getting things confused in her mind. For one thing, Mr. Banner very much doubted that Miki’s mommy had wings, no matter what she said about the elaborate hair piece she wore.

He was working at his desk in his office when he heard the phone in the next room ring. It was answered by the receptionist, and he was half-listening to the conversation, when he caught something that definitely got his full attention.

“So her mother will be coming to pick up Miki? All right Mr. Fair, thanks for letting us know. I’ll let Miss Wiltshire know someone else will be in for her. Hope you feel better soon.”

The receptionist hung up. Mr. Banner was there in an instant, trying to look casual.

“So that was Zack Fair?” he asked innocently.

She smiled slightly. “Yes it was, he was letting us know he can’t come to pick up Miki, so her mother will be coming to get her.”

“Oh,” he said, still trying to sound innocent. “And how will we know the esteemed Mrs. Fair?”

“Mrs…?” She gave him an odd look, then realization filled her brown eyes, and she grinned. “Oh that’s right, you’ve only been here a few months, you haven’t met Miki’s mother!”

“No, sadly, I haven’t been that fortunate. You know I like to meet the parents of all my children.”

“Uh huh,” said Mrs. Walters dryly. “Well you will have no trouble whatsoever spotting Miki’s Mommy. Just look for the seven foot platinum blonde wearing a lot of black leather.”

His jaw dropped. “Seven feet? Blonde?”

“With big green eyes and the longest eyelashes you ever saw. A really rare beauty. I only met Mommy once. It leaves a lasting impression. Did I mention the thigh high leather boots?”

He closed his eyes, picturing full breasts and a mini skirt, long legs wrapped in leather. It was almost enough to bring a man to his knees just thinking about it. Oh great goddess Gaia, for the bounty you have bestowed upon your loyal subject, thank you.

Mr. Banner glanced at the wall clock. Ten minutes until school was out, and no child in the building wanted those ten minutes to pass more than he did. At three PM promptly he was down the hall and standing in Miss Wiltshire’s class, watching the children get ready for to leave for the day. He spied a little girl with wild black hair looking expectantly out the window and walked over to her. Miki kept peering outside.

“I don’t see Daddy!” she said, clearly puzzled.

“That’s because your Mommy is coming today,” said Mr. Banner.

“Oh! Yeah that makes sense, Daddy was sayin’ just this morning that he felt like somebody squished a grape and popped all the guts out.”

Mr. Banner raised an eyebrow at the comment, then looked to Miss Wiltshire as she approached.

“You haven’t met Miki’s family yet have you?” she asked.

Why did he have the feeling the people around here all knew something that he didn’t?

“Well I have met her father, and I have met her baby brother Akira, but her mother seems a little more elusive.”

Miss Wiltshire grinned. “And you just had to come meet this person.”

He drew himself up and straightened his tie. “I’m sure I have no idea at all what you are inferring, Miss Wiltshire.”

“Uh huh.”

Miki suddenly went tearing into the hall. “Mommy! Come in and meet my teacher.”

There was silence. Mr. Banner looked in Miki’s direction, but only saw the child in the hall, not the person she was addressing. He did not hear anything either, but Miki rolled her eyes with much drama.

“You’re not gonna step on anybody, Mommy. Hi Mrs. Walters! Mommy this is Mrs. Walters. She works in the office. Oh and this is Mrs. Benson, she teaches pottery. Mrs. Benson this is my mommy.”

Miss Wiltshire laughed quietly. “Well come on, Mr. Banner, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Oh, just a matter of curiosity, didn’t you used to work for Shinra?”

“Well yes, as a matter of fact. But I didn’t do much, mostly I followed that idiot Hojo around and recorded his notes for him. Awful job. Hated it. Best day of my life was the day I quit.”

“But you were down in the labs.”

“Oh yes. Terrible place. I was in the house in Nibelheim too, briefly. Why do you ask?”

“No reason. Just curious.”

Miss Wiltshire stepped into the hallway, and moments later Mr. Banner was there as well, looking at a waterfall of very long hair against a background of black leather. Miki was holding the leggy blonde’s hand, gazing up, eyes shining, happy to have a chance to show her mother off to her favourite teachers. She spied Mr. Banner, and tugged her mother’s hand.

“Mommy this is my principal, Mr. Banner.”

Banner waited with breathless anticipation as the tall figure turned. Then he froze, and his stomach clenched.

Oh. Shit.

There was no doubt in the least that the tall blonde recognized him. The way he froze and stiffened, eyes narrowing…. Oh yeah. He recognized him all right. Sephiroth seemed to loom taller, green eyes burning into the principal’s skull. He huffed ever so quietly, and Banner cringed, dead certain he saw steam.

“Hi,” he managed. “Uh… long time no see. Um… you’re looking… well…”

“You….” Sephiroth intoned, teeth barred.

“Oh great,” said Miki. “Here come the wings.”

Mr. Banner seemed to shrink into the floor as the wings unfurled, and Sephiroth growled very, very quietly. Banner began to shake.

“I would like to point out that all I did was take notes…”

“Just following orders, were we?” Sephiroth’s voice was very soft, laden with implication. Banner swore he saw fangs.

“I was an assistant! All I did was take notes! And I quit that job! Ask anyone! I even filed a complaint! Nobody did anything but I filed it…. Oh please don’t rip my head off….”

Miki crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Mommy I have to work here.”

The gigantic wings fanned once, spanning the width of the hall, the breeze they stirred up causing the art on the wall by the students to sway and flutter. Then they slowly closed and dematerialized. Sephiroth looked to his daughter.

“Ready to go?”

“I just gotta grab my coat. Can we stop for ice cream? And not the organic stuff you eat in front of Daddy but real ice cream.”

“If you like.”

Miki ran off to get her coat. Sephiroth turned back to Mr. Banner, staring down at him, feline pupils briefly snapping open. Then Miki emerged from the cloak room and took his hand.

“I’m ready to go, Mommy. See you tomorrow Mr. Banner! Bye Miss Wiltshire!”

Banner watched as the little girl skipped off, followed by seven feet of looming death, his coat and hair swaying. When the child and her mother were gone, he sat down hard and gracelessly on the floor, one hand clutching his heart. Mrs. Walters, Mrs. Benson, and Miss Wiltshire gathered around him, gazing down at him with amusement.

“So was she everything you dreamed she would be?” Miss Wiltshire asked.

Mr. Banner pointed weakly with his free hand, gesturing in the direction Miki had gone. “That was Sephiroth.”

The women nodded.

“He… he lives here?”

“Right on that hill behind town,” said Mrs. Walters.

“He’s her mother?”

“Shinra technology at its finest!” said Miss Wiltshire, smiling. “Oh next week the mother of Miki’s little relatives will be popping by, would you like to meet her too?”

He looked up hopefully. “What’s her name?”

“Vincent.”

He rolled his eyes, then slowly stood up, gathering his dignity as the women snickered.

“Well, ladies, I’m very glad you enjoyed your little joke. Now if you don’t mind…. I have to return to my office and schedule an appointment with the area superintendant to ensure all the teachers have their proper credentials and are following approved teaching methods and procedure.”

The smiled dropped off their faces, and their jaws hung. Mr. Banner walked away, a faint smile on his lips. When he was far enough away he was certain he would not be heard he muttered aloud to himself; “That’ll larn ya not to scare the hell out of the guy in charge.”