A/N I'm writing this one very soon after my last update, though I'm not sure why. I'm still not sure on how I should make Cloud behave, but dumb seems a good way to go at the moment. I dunno, you tell me. Don't forget to post me your ideas on what you think should happen! I've also had a horrible revelation. At the rate I'm writing this, I'm likely to be past chapter 100 before we even get out of Midgar! Pray for my keyboard people.

Onto the story!

Disclaimer: You know it... I know it... but I'm gonna say it anyway. I don't own FF& and its various incarnations. I also don't own Windows 97, 3D pipes, or anything of Microsoft's. I do own the small pink hurricane, which might pop up later, I haven't decided.

Warning: don't read if you like Marlene. She takes a bit of punishment in this one. Poor kid

Chapter 7: The meeting, and the unfortunate youth

After Barret had stopped blowing away what precious little of the carriage they were stood on, and Wedge had excused himself to go to the toilet, there was an awed silence. They weren't amazed at Cloud in particular; just his pure dumb luck (well, Jessie was amazed with Cloud, but she doesn't really count) Cloud hadn't noticed. He was still trying to slow his heart down after his lucky escape.

"Damn foo', the hell did I tell 'bout that crap?" Barret finally piped up. "Doin all that flashy shit" Cloud decided to answer with stony silence, then, seeing Barret's point (he must have given them quite a scare) softened it to a more gravely texture, and then a fine sand.

"Whatever, all ya just get in here" He walked over to the entrance to the next car, and for no good reason, jumped through it.

Biggs walked over to Cloud. His stomach ache had now subsided, and the Mako was fully flushed from his body. "Hehe. Cloud...what the hell did we do back there? I can't remember any of it."

"Uhm...we went to a party Biggs...yeah that was it..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and you got laid" Cloud lied.

Strangely enough, Biggs accepted this, and moved to the next car, also jumping through the gap. Wedge now moved to the next car. He didn't say anything, just walked by shamefaced. Cloud wrinkled his nose as the pungent one shuffled past him. Oddly enough, he also jumped through the gap.

Jessie was the last one to approach.

"Say Cloud...thanks for picking me up back there. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't stop looking at that doll."

"Uh...that's ok..." Weirdo, thought Cloud.

That said, Jessie hopped to the next carriage. Why do they keep doing that Cloud said to himself. He couldn't see any reason not to, so he did the same. Unfortunately, the frame of the door was a little lower than Cloud had imagined. As he jumped, Cloud cracked his thick nut against the wood strut, and pivoted, flying feet first into the next carriage. His feet hit the back of a frail old lady's head, giving her severe brain trauma, and killing her instantly.

Several people looked up as they heard her body slump to the floor, then they returned their attention to their previous activities.

"Dumbass" Barret had watched, and snickered to himself. Unable to think of a reason why he should be greedy, he broke the snickers into pieces, and handed them out.

"Thanks" said Jessie, taking the chocolate. "Hey Cloud, you wanna watch this monitor with me?"

Cloud, who had absently mindedly plopped down on the floor beside the corpse, looked up from eating the candy. "Sure" he nodded. He walked over the body, and allowed Jessie to drool on his arm as they watched the monitor.

"See, it's the Windows 97 3D pipes screen saver. Isn't it cool? Cloud didn't reply. He was staring at the petty lines wriggle over the screen. The two morons continued to stare at the screen, drooling down their fronts, until half an hour had passed and the train stopped.

Leaping off the train, Barret assembled his team with a polite "Getcha damn asses over here" He told them to meet at the hideout, so they could discuss what to do next.

Cloud walked over to the small area of the slums where Tifa's bar lay. He saw it, the big pink neon sign announcing to everyone that this was the Seventh Heaven. A smaller fluorescent sign announced that you could buy two drinks, and get a third free. When this failed to entice the crowds, Tifa had opted to place a large picture of herself over the entire front of the establishment, showing a great deal of cleavage.

Business quadrupled overnight. The slums were well known for their sleaziness.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted, tearing it's way though the still night air. Several patrons fled out the bar, dragging a headless corpse with them; it appeared that Tifa had already welcomed Barret home. Barret himself walked out, to chat to a friend from the weapons shop.

Sighing, Cloud made his way towards the Western style swing doors of the bar. Stepping inside, he was immediately smothered under Tifa's generously sized chest. She had chosen to welcome Cloud back in a potentially life threatening manner. Namely, to hug him.

"Welcome back Cloud!" She beamed at him, as he picked himself up off the floor, gasping for air. Then remembering the flower, he took it out of his back pocket. It was now withered, brown and dry. He gave it to her anyway.

"Uh, thanks, you...shouldn't...have?"

"Ah, it was no big" Cloud shrugged

"No, I mean really, you shouldn't have. This thing looks like its diseased or something."

"Oh" She walked over and tossed the thing into the bin.

"So, how did it go? You didn't fight with Barret this time?"

"Uh, kinda"

"I thought so. You always get into fights with him. You're like a little kid."

Cloud just stared at his feet and shuffled his feet.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie then walked into the bar. Tifa spun around to greet them, knocking them to the floor.

"What the hell are you guys doing on the floor?"

"Urrrr......don't turn around that quickly again" Jessie groaned.

"Um, ok, sorry" said Tifa, helping them up.

Barret came in, and suddenly, a small pink hurricane wrapped itself around his legs, tripping him to the ground. "Papa!!" It said, before making its way out the door. Marlene then walked out the back room and asked "Has that weird hurricane gone away yet?"

Perplexed, Barret looked up from his place on the floor, with an expression that asked "what the hell just happened?!"

No one knew. Tifa explained that it was just a freak hurricane that had appeared, and by some strange property in the way its winds moved, it was able to say Papa.

Satisfied, Barret stood, only to be tripped by Marlene as she wrapped herself around hi legs shouting "Papa" Chuckling Barret put her on his shoulder, and then yelled to the room in general; "Get in here foo's! The meetings starting!"

With that, he walked over the pinball machine and attempted to press the secret switch which lowered it to the floor below. It was stuck.

"The hells wrong wit this thing?" he muttered. He slammed the button. Suddenly, the already rotten floorboards cracked under the combined force of the blow, and Barret's weight. Barret and Marlene were sent hurtling downward.

"Barret! Marlene! You okay?" Tifa rushed over to the hole.

Groans were all she heard, until Barret's gruff voice could be hard.

"I'm okay. Hey, where's Marlene. Ah well, get her later." He stood, revealing an extremely crushed Marlene. Dazed, Barret walked to the middle of the room and sat down.

Without looking, the rest of AVALANCHE jumped down, and five short yelps were heard. Barret suddenly noticed Marlene.

"Ah! There ya are. How did you get so dam' dusty" He picked her up, smacking her about a bit to free her off dust. He then propped her up n his shoulders, filing to notice that her eyes were crossed. She immediately fell off again.

Barret picked her up again, and this time, kept a hand up to steady her.

"Okay, foo's less begin."

Right, that's all the chapters reposted! Also, I need a favour offa you lot. I wonder if anyone could give me a quick list of some of the more popular Japanese speech I seem to be seeing everywhere. Suffixes like –chan –kun and other words like nasai and gomen would be much appreciated. Just stick them in a review, or better yet, email them to me. It would be much appreciated. Oh, and could someone fill me in on the importance of a beta reader, and what one is? Thanks!

Once im certain that people are actually reading this again (cough review cough), then ill start writing the next chapters. Til then, laters.