Disclaimer: Don't own any FFVII characters. This is a completely AU story set in 2007 here in the US.

Apartment 102

Hello Neighbor

'Summer Ridge Apartments' the white letters on the dark grey building read. I got out of my red 2000 Ford Escort and proceeded up the S shaped sidewalk. I pushed open the glass door and stepped inside the main office. This was a small building set aside from the line of apartments that stretched down the street. There were only apartments on the first and second floors it seemed and I prayed silently that I could find one on the second floor because the worse thing in the world would be to have to listen to someone stomp around above you.

An older man with obviously dyed black hair sat at a desk zoned out looking at his computer screen. I cleared my throat after standing at the desk for a few minutes. He snapped out of his daze and quickly asked. "May I help you ma'am?"

"I'm here to see about the apartments you have open." I nervously put a piece of my black hair behind my ear. My cell phone made a bleep noise alerting me of a new text message. It could only be my boyfriend Trace asking if I had found the place and if I was going to be able to afford it. I've never been much of an independent person. I would be lost without someone keeping up with me. I stared at the man almost in a daze as he went on explaining what was open and which apartments are more expensive and why.

"Eight hundred and fifty a month!" I cried out interrupting him. He looked up at me like I was crazy or something. I come from a small town. Our apartments run about four to five hundred a month and they are pretty decent apartments. I cleared my throat and asked in a calmer voice. "Do you have anything cheaper? I only need one bedroom and one bathroom anyway."

"Ah…apartments 101 through 107 are five fifty a month. The occupant living in 102 has formed quite the reputation in these apartments. Because of this no one is willing to rent them out, and those who have haven't lived there for long."

I blinked before staring at the man in confusion. "Um…is he a criminal?"

"No, he has no criminal record. There are rumors of him possibly being some kind of vampire." The man paused to stroke his beard and chuckle. "Quite foolish, isn't it? But its definitely affect the choice of apartments here."

I sighed and looked down at my pink and white cell phone. 'How's the apartment situation looking, sweetheart.' The text read. Instead of texting back I just called him. I held up my index finger to the black haired man and he nodded. I turned away from the desk and waited to hear Trace's voice over the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey yeah…the apartments here are way expensive for my financial situation, but there are some for five fifty a month…"

"That's not bad, babe." He cut in.

I put my hand on my hip and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, but get this he says no one will live there because of the man living in apartment 102. He's supposed to be some kind of vampire or something."

"Vampire? Come on babe, that aint true. I'd say get it."

∞∞∞

My friend Rena and I walked up and down the stairs carrying box after box into my new apartment. Apartment 104… right across from this mystery vampire guy. This was the third day of moving and I hadn't seen or heard a single sound come from over there.

"Geez Amaya, I didn't know you had so many freakin clothes." Rena complained as she sat another box down in my new bedroom. Yesterday and the day before were the days to do most of the interior decorating. My room was royal blue and lime green. The curtains were striped blue and green, there was a blue rug in front of my small dresser, and the bedspread was lime green with blue polka dots on it. I hung my clothes up in the small closet that kept getting smaller and smaller as I looked around at all the boxes of clothes.

My living room was of course Asian styled for when my parents come and visit me. They've accused me several times of abandoning my Asian culture by trying to westernize my life. We do live in the United States, however, and by their choice. I sat a picture of my mother, father, and I up on the TV. Aren't we such a happy family? I faked a smile to myself and turned away from the picture. I heard a scream from outside my room. I rushed to the door to find Rena sitting on the floor with a box of my things lying on the floor with its top open and contents spilled out on the floor. I looked up only to catch apartment 102's door shutting.

Rena scrambled to pick up my things and ran past me into my new apartment, I followed her. She ran a shaky hand through her short black hair. Rena, like me had also come from an Asian background.

"What did you see?" I asked as we both sat down on my hand-me-down off white couch. She gave me a look of warning before saying anything.

"Are you sure you want to live across from that? Even if it is cheaper here… Amaya, he's scary."

I laughed. "What does he look like?"

"He had long black hair that was all jaggedy, his eyes were glowing red, and he has a GOLD CLAW FOR A HAND!!" I quickly jumped closer to her on the couch and covered her mouth.

"Shut up before he hears you." I was well aware that my door was still wide open. She pried my hand off of her mouth and stood up. She crept towards the door and quickly slammed it shut.

I carried the box of all my hair products, body washes, etc off to my bathroom and organized it all in the cabinet under the sink and behind the mirror. Tonight would be the first night I actually stayed here alone. After Rena's description of my new neighbor I was starting to get cold feet.

∞∞

I pulled the covers up over my head and tried my hardest to get to sleep.

..glowing red eyes...and a GOLD CLAW for a hand!!

I sat straight up in my bed and turned the light on. I slowly pulled back the covers revealing my silk black shorts and matching tank top. My hair was pulled up on top of my head in a messy bun. I walked out of my room and quickly scanned the rest of my small apartment. I then crept towards the door in the dark living room and peeked through the peep hole. I pressed my ear against the door and tried to listen and see if I could hear anything, but there wasn't a sound. I sighed and started to feel ridiculous about how scared I was. Just then I heard a door open and quickly shut. I ran to my door and snatched it open. I stuck my head out into the hallway only to catch a dark image turning the corner at the end. Part of me wanted to run down the hall and turn the corner to catch him, but the other terrified part of me pulled me back into that apartment and locked the door.

My first day of classes tomorrow is going to be hell… I thought to myself as I read the blue numbers of my digital alarm clock. I'm going to have to wake up in four hours…

∞∞

"Psst! Amaya!" Rena poked me in the arm with her pencil sending me into an upright position in my chair. I'm so tired… The professor carried on with his lecture not even noticing I had passed out on my desk. I tried to pick up where he was in my notes, but lost him and fell asleep again.

"Geez Maya, are you ok?" Rena asked as we walked passed the court yard of the college campus. A guy with crazy long hair and ripped up jeans skated by us on a skate board.

"Yeah, I just didn't get much sleep last night. You had me pretty freaked after your description of my neighbor." I tugged at my short skirt as I watched a guy walk past me licking his lips.

"I wasn't exaggerating. Although I only screamed because his door shot open so fast and he was just like…there like bam!"

I laughed as I pushed the door open to the cafeteria. Rena and I saw no need to leave the campus since our next class was in an hour. With the traffic it would take an hour to get to the nearest restaurant and back. The food here seemed good enough. I got a big slice of pepperoni pizza while Rena settled for a hot dog and a bag of chips.

∞∞

I got home that night at around seven thirty. I walked over to the main office to speak with the manager of the apartments again about my neighbor. If I'm going to get any sleep at all I've got to find out more about him.

To my surprise, an older woman sat at the desk instead of the man with dyed black hair. She smiled sweetly before asking if she could help me. I smiled back.

"Uh…I just wanted to ask a few more questions about the man living in apartment 102." I took a seat on the couch in the room as the older woman came out from behind the desk.

"Ah… the girl George told me about." She muttered to herself. "Oh well Mr. Valentine is a rumored vampire. A few people have said they've seen him fly out of his window in a form of some kind of huge bat like creature with wings."

"Have you ever met him?" My curiosity took a huge leap upon hearing more about him.

"On very few occasions. He usually slips his rent under the door the night before its due date so George and I never see get to see him. I met him many many years ago when he first moved here. It has been more than twenty years I'd say. He was leaving as I was coming and I asked him how he liked it here and he replied with a 'hmph' and brushed past me. No one knows his story…" she let out a dreamy sigh and returned to her spot behind the desk.

"So he's like an older guy?"

"The last time a person said they saw him they said he appeared to be in his late twenties, but his birth date is 1947 which would make him sixty."

"My friend saw him yesterday…she said he had a gold claw for a hand…"

"Yes, dear, but I do believe that is only a gauntlet." She smiled at me again. I decided not to take up anymore of her time and take my leave. So it's Mr. Valentine…

∞∞

Three weeks flew by and I still hadn't seen or heard anything from this mysterious neighbor of apartment 102. I was starting to think this wasn't so bad. As long as I keep myself busy and stay gone all the time what are the odds that I will ever have to run into him? I'm only going to live here for two years anyway and then I'm guaranteed a spot at the company I've always dreamed of working for. Thanks to my Aunt…

I was on my way back to my apartment carrying a stack of book so tall I could barely see over them. I stopped by the library at the college and picked up a few books for my studying along with a few books on vampires which is how I accumulated such a load. As soon as I made it up the stairs and around the corner I picked up my pace as the corner of one of the books start to stab my arm painfully. All of a sudden I hit something that I could have sworn was a wall, but I knew I was in the middle of the hall that was impossible. My books flew out of my arms and scattered all over the floor. I bent down to pick them up without even looking at what had blocked my path. I then took note of two black, leather pointed shoes in front of me. I then noticed golden digits inches from mind on one of the vampire books. I swallowed hard before raising my eyes any further. Glowing red orbs met mine. My breath was caught in my throat and I couldn't find any words to say or the strength to move my hand. The golden claw grasped the book and took it out from underneath my hand. I watched those red eyes scan the cover briefly before picking up the rest of my books and putting them in a pile for me. I sat on the floor still in a trance. I was frozen with fear, shock, and I suddenly had a weird feeling of sympathy for this man. He was obviously not the bad guy everyone was trying to make him out to be. He just picked up all my books for me although it was me who ran into him.

"Th...th...Thank you." I finally managed as we both stood and faced each other. He did have long black slightly messy hair. He wore a black bandana that covered his forehead and came down to his eyebrows. It was the end of the summer and still quite hot, yet he wore a long sleeved black shirt and black pants with a chain hanging from them. He looked down at the books and back at me suspiciously. His eyebrows lowered and he glared at me with those red orbs that I was sure would haunt me for the rest of my time living here. Great! Now he knows I think he's a vampire! That's what he is isn't he? Before I could think of anything else to say he turned and put his ungloved hand on his door handle.

"Wait!" I yelled, but as soon as I turned around I saw the door closing and heard the click of him locking it. I unlocked my door and opened it before trying to pick up the stack of books again. Once I was safely inside of my apartment will all my books intact. I plopped down on the couch and briefly reflected over what just happened. He wasn't that scary. And yeah…sixty years old?! I think not. Mr. Valentine didn't look a day over twenty-five or six. After sitting there thinking for a while, I made up my mind that I should probably be reading the books for my classes. I read for a solid hour before getting a phone call from Trace.

After talking with him for and hour and a half over what I should do to feel more comfortable in my apartment. His only words of comfort were: "If he does anything to ya babe, I'll beat his ass."

This man may have been rather slim, but he was over six feet tall. Trace stood at a slightly chubby 5'8. Once I got off the phone with Trace I decided to take a more peaceful approach. I dug around in my boxes of odds and ends that I hadn't found places for yet and found some post its. I wrote a simple note that read:

Mr. Valentine,

I guess you know you've got yourself a new neighbor. My name is Amaya Arai. Nice to meet you.

I quietly opened my door and tip toed across the hall and gently stuck the hot pink post it on Mr. Valentine's door. People don't consider how lonely a person like him must be. I've been accused of being 'too kind' in the past. I silently prayed that this effort of getting to know my neighbor wouldn't turn out to be another bad decision of where I spread my kindness.