Anyways I love you guys for all your support and awesome reviews, so keep being awesome! And its my ma's birthday too, so I'm going to be spending time with her all day :)
Cloud sighed, glaring down at all the paper work on the desk in his room, then up at Xing who smiled down at him innocently. "Asshole." He grumbled, clicking on the end of his new favortive pen and getting to work on sorting out the bills.
"You're an angel kiddo!" Xing grinned, lounching himself on the low couch Cloud had bought with some of his share of the money Xing got from selling off the guns they kept from the train raid- and now his uncle was giving him the bills, compaining about how he was so busy as he sat idly on his ass.
"I swear I'll make all of you suffer..." He grumbled, wondering how he was going to force the man to do paperwork. Oh well, he could always do that later. "Have you ever thoought about making weapons instead of stealing them?"
He sent Cloud an inquisitive glance, before returning his gaze to the ceiling. "Of course I have kid. Carmen and Sally are my pride an joy." What he was refering to was his tripple barreled shotgun and Shelly's bayonetta and rifle, because apparently there was a diffrence other than how they tore complete limbs off.
"Then why not make more?"
"That, my dear nephew, has a simple answer; money." He sighed. "Too expensive and requires man power to mass produce that stuff- and unfortunately money is a bit tight since Corneo has been taking my territory."
"Why not just take it back?"
"Nah, I can't risk losing my boys." Xing shrugged, glancing back to Cloud. "And I won't risk loosing you."
"What 'bout me?" Shelly smiled, poking her head through the door.
"You're still recovering from withdrawl- and you're too expensive."
"Come on Xing- it was just one pair of boots." Her grin grew wider as she lifted said booted foot onto Cloud's desk.
"A six hundred Gil pair of boots, with an extra hundred for assecories." Cloud added with a frown. "Why do boot's even need assesories?"
"Woman thing?" Xing shrugged once more, sitting upright.
"But really Xing, you have two mako infused fighters on your side and you aren't using them." Shelly frowned, sititng down next to him. "We're your family, and I know there's risk but we wanna help."
"Plus I need money to open an account for reserch." Cloud chimed with a sheepish grin. "And one can not simply hack into Shinra databases without appropriate equipment."
"And I need more shoes." Shelly giggled, oblivious to the glare the other two gave her.
"Boss!" They heard a voice shout. "Nii-san, Oni-san! You guys need to see this!"
"The hell...?" Xing grumbled, Shelly and Cloud following him out into the hall and into the main room where a cluster of people sat around a sleeping woman. Taking a clsoer look Cloud found that she looked closer to his age, and dazed mako eyes where stariing into his absently.
"It's a girl!" Benny exclaimed, cleaning the scratches on her arms. "We found her in the gorbage piles- it looked like she fell straight from the plate."
"She looks like a SOLDIER!"
"She even has the uniform."
"But women can't join SOLDIER."
Cloud nelt by her side, a pleasent melody playing in the back of his head- desperate, he grabbed at it, frowning as it slipped through his fingers.
Jarred, Cloud looked around, surprised to learn he was no longer in his home; he sat on thick ice, snowflakes drifting onto the flowers that sprouted through the cracks in the ice- and in the distance he could hear a wolf howl.
"Weird."
Spinning around he saw her, smiling at him, snowflakes drifting onto her short mousy brown hair and her eyes. instead of the distinct mako blue, were now an intense green, wearing noting but a pinkish kind of coral over her breast and below her stomach like thick veins. She sat on a slab of ice, brighhtly colored coral and fishes right beneath her. "It looks so cold, but it's really warm."
It was warm, he noted.
"Where are we- and I'm not actually making you up am I?" She laughed, shaking her head. "And what are you wearing?"
Looking down at himself he noticed that his skin was significantly paler, snoflake like patterns along his flesh and ornate silver robes hanging low around his waist. staring downat his reflection he noted that there was a crown like piece of jerwely perched proudly on her defiant spikes. "I dunno, but at least I'm wearing actual clothes."
"Touche." She giggled. "My name is Alison Harrison- it rymes, I know."
"Cloud Strife."
She blinked in surprise. "Wow, now that's a name." She grinned. "You look like a troubled person... Pale as death too."
"And you look like a fish themed striper- and I've seen what those girls wear." He chuckled fondly, perching himself at the egde, dipping his feet into the cool water, smiling when fish immediately nibbled on his toes. "But I suppose my grammy would say some bullshit about all this being reflections of ourselves."
She laughed at that. "And I just thought it was because I like water."
"I'm fond of cold weather." He offered with a wry smile. "And they did call me the ice prince too."
"Fitting." She giggled, absently stroking a small white whale that passed under her. "So you've done this weird telepathic communication thing before?"
"By accident, I guess." He shurgged, smiling at a baby whale that chirped happliy at him. "You're from a sounthern town aren't you?"
"How's ya guess?"
"You have a natural tan."
"Ah," She snickered. "So you must live in some desolate cold place where little boys freeze their toes off in the winters." She teased.
"Close, the blizzards only get real bad in the middle of winter, otherwise it's either fog, fog and snow, or more snow than fog. It's called Nibelheim- moutain town."
"Junon. Fishing village."
"Huh, that explains the fish."
"They're my distant ancestors." She swooned dramatically.
"I'm pretty sure amphibions are distant human ancestors."
She stuck her tounge out in repsonse. "You're no fun. And you're the second person to say that to me."
"Who was the first?"
She frowned, hugging her legs as a seal jumpped up onto the ice slab she sat on. "My... commander... I was in SOLDIER until they found out I was a woman."
"I don't think there's anything that specifically says women can't join SOLDIER."
"There isn't, but it wasn't like that creep Hojo cared." She snarled, ignoring the concerned whine the seal lion gave her.
"Hojo... you too?" Cloud frowned, wondering why this one man seemed to have a hand in so many people's misery.
She nodded, glowering down at her toes.
"Well... I know some people that want to make him pay too- and as often as I suspect by 'pay' they mean brutal murder I'm starting to understand why." Cloud scowled, sending a glare to the walrus that was trying to creep up on him. "When we wake up... you could join us. I kind of want to shut down Shinra anyways."
Sher perked up at that. "Are you part of AVALANCHE?"
He could help but grin as he replied; "No I'm just a normal yakuza."
"A what?"
"Wutain crime syndicate."
"Oh... well that's a first." She laughed, petting the seals that seemed ot be barking in relief. "By the way, that Walrus looks like he's about to sit on you."
"Huh, what-" Cloud wheazed as all the air left his lungs and dark blubber flilled his vison. "Damn it!" He rasped.
This was so not cool.
When Cloud woke, he was laying down in his futon, staring up at the ceiling when he heard a familar chuckle.
"Rise and shine sleepy head." Xing greeted with a relived smile. "I thought I lost you for a moment there."
"Where's Alison?"
"Alison?" Xing wrinkled his nose. "Who the hell is that?"
"Boss!" A Yakuza shouted, slamming the door open. "The girl woke up!"
"Alison." Cloud repeated, Xing's eyes widening in response.
"Cloud!" Alsion sighed in relief, leaning in the doorway. "Thank god, it wasn't just a dream."
"Alright- everyone without mako: leave!" Xing snapped, scattering the loitering yakuza as Shelly stepped in and closed the shoji door behind her. "Explain- now, before my head starts to hurt."
"I'd like to hear an explination as well." Vincent said, sitting nonchalantly on Cloud's couch.
"Holy cow- where did you come from!" Alison jumped, her eyes wide as she gaped at the former Turk.
"From the dead, now hurry up and tell me how you two know each other- and what was with that glowy shit you two did?" Xing snapped, while Alison looked visibly confused by his first statement.
"When I fell into the lake, I saw this... thing called Jenova." Cloud started slowly, watching as their expressions morphed into horror.
"You fucking saw that thing!?" Xing roared, balling his fist in rage.
"Oh god, Cloudy." Shelly sighed, sititng herself down next to VIncent. "Did you know this?" She asked him.
"Not specific details, but I have a vague idea of what occurred before I was awoken." Vincent aswered with a thoughtfull expression. "Did you both have a smillar occurrence as you did with Sephiroth?"
"Sephiroth!?" Alison gaped.
"Yeah, just give me a minuet to explain." He gave the ex-SOLDIER a sympathetic smile before he tunred back to the three adults. "I think Jenova's cells are... connecting us."
"Oh Levithan." Xing ran a hand over his face. "But how the hell did you two get thet freak's cells?"
"I think it was when Hojo..." Alison grimanced. "Experimented on me."
"Hojo." Vincent snarled, scowling vicously.
"Oh, baby." Shelly sighed, giving Alison a small hug. "It's alright; you're still you aren't you?" She soothed, and Alison visibly relaxed in her embrace.
"That doesn't explain how Cloud aquired his." Vincent mused, still scolwing as if he had tasted something bitter.
"Shit." Xing swore after a minuet of silence.
"I got them from my father... Didn't I?" Cloud inquired, slowly, testing the man's reaction.
Xing let out a breath of defeat, sitting down on Vincent's other side with a scowl. "Yeah, I remeber the fucker joking about how he was half alien or something like that... I never thought he was serious."
"It's possible." Vincent nodded. "I also recall him telling me of an ancient ritual his ancestors had done two thousand years ago... though at the time, regrettably, I refused to take him seriously."
"What the heck did I just walk into?" Alison sighed, rubbing her temples.
"One, big fucked up family with a lot of parent issues?" Shelly offered, once again oblivious to the two sets of eyes glaring at her.
"Oh, I'd fit right in." She remarked dryly, shaking her head.
"If I may ask, how exactly did you fall into Hojo's... care?" Vincent said with a scowl.
"I'm guessing you're the guy who wants to kill him then." She laughed weakly, staring down at her feet. "I... pretened to be a guy to get into SOLDIER, since they wouldn't let me join because I was a girl. And they found out on the day of my mako injections... so professor creep gave me a 'dishonorably discharge' and started..." She shuddered.
"I'm going to murder him." Vincent told her with unmoving emotion. "Very slowly and painfully. You're welcome to watch."
"No offense to any of your guys," She turned to Cloud, "But you've got some scary friends, buddy."
"They're my family- actually I'm not too sure about Vincent, cause he mostly just hangs around and broods." Cloud teased, casuing the man to roll his red eyes.
"I suppose I would not pay too much mind if you consider me family by some extent." He admitted.
"Awe, Vincent's gone soft." Xing teased, elbowing the man playfully.
"On the contrary, I can become very hard."
"Oh my gods."
"Ew." Alison cringed, while Cloud send the man a blushing glare.
"Nobody needed to know that."
"Too much information."
"I think I'm going to be sick."
"Drama queens." Vincent huffed with anorther roll of his eyes.
"Did you just make a joke?" Xing balked, his mouth hanging open in shock.
"Well this is awkward." Shelly mumbled, rising from her seat. "You want to go shopping?"
"NO!"
"Was I asking you?"
Alison sent a warry glance to Xing who was already compalining about how much his wallet would be significantly emptier while Cloud scrambled to finsih the bills that were still on his desk.
They were weird, Alison deciced, but they kind of reminded her of her family back home.
"Choco?" Alison sent Shelly a dubious look as the woman shuffled through varous clothes on the rack in a store on wall market.
"Yeah, casue your skin looks so smooth and yummy- like chocolate!" Was her chirpy reply. What went on in that woman's mind?
It was weird, looking at dresses after she spent so long gushing over cars and G-bikes with her squad members back at HQ. Though none of them knew her secret she still felt they had a stronger connection than she did than the harsh girls back in small little Junon village.
"Blue looks nice on you." Shelly nodded, holding up a sleeveless hoodie with bunny ears fashioned onto the hood. "And Cloud will absoluetly love the 'wittle' bunny ears." She cooed, giving Alison another hug.
Alison blsuhed, accepting the hood with a small thank you. "I'm not sure if I'm trying to impress him, but he seems nice."
"Oh, he's a sarcastic little brat who thinks he can shoulder other people's pain- even if they don't ask." She laughed. "It works, but for some reason he thinks he has to carry the weight of the world."
"That sounds nice." She mused, thinking back to the other cadets she met. None of them seemed even remotely similar to the blonde in anyway- and she could shove most to the male population into catergories in an instant. "I mean, it sounds nice of him to do that."
"It is, but I'd wish he wouldn't." Shelly sighed. "There are just some things he can't do, and other things people need to do on their own... though I think he know's that."
"Then why would he keep doing it?"
Shelly gave her a solemn smile, picking up a pair of boots roughly her size. "He want's to try honey, I bet he thinks if he doesn't try he'll be no better than the scum who purposfully hurt others."
"Okay, I guess that makes sense, but what's with all those weird guys that hang around and call me oni-san?"
Shelly laughed, hugging her close once more and kissing her forehead. "Oh, honey you're a riot, didn't Cloud tell you they're yakuza." She whsipered the word, as if it were some kind of secret.
"So all those people...?"
"Yep, gangsters. Every single one."
"And you're...?"
"Oh, god no." She snickered, waving her hand dismissivly, picking out a pair of gloves. "I'm a mercenary- technically so is Xing, but he's their boss."
"Wow... that's pretty impressive."Alison sighed. "Maybe I should've become a mercenary instead."
"It's hard work darling." Shelly frowned, shaking her head. "Bad too- pays good once you make a name for yourself, but still does stuff to your head. I didn't get this mako the normal way, ya know."
Alison nearly stumbled when she heard that- she had heard of mako based cdrugs in the infanrty, and read that anyone with them in their possesion would immediatly be explelled and dishonrably discharged from any military duty. "Really?"
"M'hm, Cloudy's made some stuff for me to help stablize my mako, but the withdrals still hurt like hell." She scowled darkly. "Then it's a nightmare; feeling everything but not having any control over your own body. There's convolsions that make you wish you were dead, and cold sweats colder than Shiva's domain istelf- and then everyhting turns hotter than one of Ifrits nine hells while your praying to whatever god for a little mercy; and that's only when the symtoms are mild."
Alison shuddered, wondering why she had ever bought into Shinra's proprganda and trusted it enough to go work for a department that worked so closely with the substance- what had she been thinking?
"Ah, don't worry darling- your mako is probaly more stable than Cloud's since he fell into a mako spring, of all places."
Alison's jaw dropped. "A mako spring?" She heard horror stories of people just dying from the stuff from minor exposure- and he survived falling into an entire spring of it?
"Granted it was tightly condensed, and his body absorbed most of it he was still rendered catonic for two weeks." Shelly musued thoughtfully as she walked over to the old man sitting at the chashier.
"I didn't even know mako had a density property!" She sputtered, wondering what exactly she had walked into once more.
"Oh neither did we- it must've have been real old for that to happen." Shelly giggled as if it was nothing.
"Isn't that more dangerous!?"
"I guess it would be more potent."
Alison sighed, adjusting the shopping bag on her arm as they walked past the various stands littered outside the shops of wall market. "What's that back there?" She inquired, pointing to the large mansion towards the back of the sector wall.
"The Don's mansion- he's why we're here, actually." Shelly giggled. "Cloudy came up with a great plan, and he and his goons getting in the way."
"You're not going to kill them are you?" Alison balked.
"No- of course not!" She snorted as if it was the most ridiclous thing she ever heard. "We're recruiting!"
"What?" Alison blinked.
"Rule of the slums; power in numbers." Shelly grinned madly. "Working men are always better than dead men- it takes more than just brute stregnth and weapons to be a top dog here, honey."
"Huh." Alison nodded, "What are the other rules then?"
"Ask Xing- he loves to give lectures about that stuff." She snickered, leading her into a building that appeared to be a makeshift weapon's store. "Take a look around honey- get anything you like."
Alison took a breath, ignoring the eyes on her as he approached a swords rack, inspecting the blades that looked a little flismy with a forwn. Drrifting about- she froze when something caught her eyes- and to her surprise it was a lagre wooden mallet, taller and larger than her head she took it into her hands, wincing when the rouch wood rubbed at her hand and gave it an experimental swing.
It felt nice.
"You sure are full of surprises, honey." Shelly giggled, reguarding her fondly. "Jeff, we'll take this one."
"Three thousand."
"Ot's just a peice of wood." Shelly scoffed, sudenly cold. "My rifle is worth evry single peice of garbage here, and you want to charge three thousand?" She hiffed, and the mna- Jeff's nostril's flared.
"Two thouand."
"One thousand."
"Fiteen hundred."
"One thousand."
"Twelve hundred- and that's as low as I'm going to go." Jeff snarled.
"Well honey, why didn't you just say so." Shelly prurred, forking over the gil with a cold smile and struting out the door, Alison sheepishly flowing her.
"Wow- that was amazing." She breathed.
"Rule number three," Shelly winked, "Drive a bargin."
She was definintely going to ask Xing about those rules when she got back.
When they did return with a great deal of wandering around Cloud's room- wich doubled as his 'office and research space' was their first stop. "Find something intresting." He set down the black pen he was using and leaned back in his chair- suddenly seeming so much older.
"There's four guys by the gym, six by the honey bee in, three by the clothes shop, four by the materia shop and eight at the inn, with a mansion with a security guard staton at the front with tow lookouts on front balcony's- none at the side though." Shelly quickly explained, leaving Alison in bewilderment.
Wow, Shelly certainly knew what she was doing...
"Hmm... any other entry points?" Cloud rubbed his chin thoughtfully, reminding Alison of those bad guys who did the exact same thing in cheesy action films the guys made her watch.
"Possibly a basemnet, but too much garbage is in the way so I can't tell if there's a window."
"Probally not." Cloud sighed. "Corneo is know for his love for girls and torture." He scowled. "If he's torturing people, it's probaly in the basement."
"How do you figure?"
"Come on Shelly, don't you watch horror moivies." Cloud drawled with a wry smile. "The freaky stuff is always in the basement."
Somehow, Cloud seemed eeirly right.
"So we shake their faith and reel them in, right?" Shelly snorted, rolling her eyes at Cloud's antics.
"Exactly." Cloud smile tunred a little more gueniine, and his gaze shifted to Alison. "Nice choice."
Dumbly, she looked back and forth between the blonde and her oversize mallet. "Oh! Uh- thank you."
Shelly squealed, digging through a shopping bag and pulling out the blue hoodie. "And isn't this just adorable! I think it really suits Choco!"
"Its cute..." Cloud said- though he looked distant. "Bunnies..." He muttered.
What was with that reaction?
"Why don't you change." Shelly leaned close, whispering into her ear; "there's someone he has to see again- they used to play with bunnies together."
Understanding dawned, and she sent a curious look to Cloud, who looked as if her were caught so deep in his thoughts he wouldn't come out and it was... scary.
"I-I'll go get changed then." She stuttered, leaving the room and walking to her room.
She really had no buisness with these people, she realized solemnly. Hugging her clothes a little closer to her chest she frowned, because it was too bad too, they all seemed like nice people, but she just didn't fit.
"Hey!"
"Ah!" She snapped her head up, to see Xing looking down at her- when did he get in front of her!?- with a brow raised questioningly. "Oh, um sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" He snorted. "You didn't do nothin'- unlike that bastard." He sent a playful glare to Vincent who looked back at him with bemusement.
"I simply stated that if you were more resposible you would have no trouble convincing Shelly to budget appropriately." He said cooly, hiding his smirk in the collar of his cloak.
"Shut up ya smug idiot." Xing grumbled. "Well it looks like she only went to wall market." He mused, glancing down at the clothes in Alison's arms. "What did ya two do?"
Hesitantly, she debated weather or not to tell Xing what she knew, so instead she only said; "Umm... we talked about boys."
"Huh?" Xing blinked in bewilderment. "Really?"
"They are you women after all." Vincent said, though he only seemed half convinced.
"Oh and she said to ask you somehting about the rules of the slums, or somehting like that."
Xing's demenour changed almost instantly, andhe practically glowed as he smiled down at her like a child in a candy store. "Really!?"
"Yeah b-but I have to go change and meet up with her so..."
Xing actually pouted, his entire body slumped over as he ran a hand though his unruly hair. "I guess I can wait till later..." He grumbled.
"Never mind that; what of our little competition at the shooting range?"
"I will beat you!" He declared, dashing off past her.
"What is Cloud planning?"
Alison nearly stumbled as she was about to take a step. "Huh?"
Vincent gave her a peculiar glance, before rasing a hand that was... completly metal. "This is what happend to me after years of experimentation under Hojo- believe me when I say that I would do anything for Cloud to never experiance this misery; now, tell me what he is planning?"
"I don't know a lot but..." She admitted softly, suddenly feeling very greatful she had been cast aside and neglected. "Soemthing to do about 'shaking the faith' of Corneo's men."
Vincent didn't say anything except disappear from sight, leaving Alison hoping she made the right choice as she entered her room to change.
When she managed to find her way back with the help of some guy named Benny Cloud was stilll sitting at his desk except he way laying his head down on it while Shelly laughed hytsterically, while she was curious what happened, she had a feeling she'd end up like Cloud if she did ask.
The blonde glanced up and Alison blushed feeling him shamelessly checking her out. "You do look cute."
"Thank you!" She stuttered, wincing at how pathetic that sounded.
But he gave her a small smile, easing her nerves as she decided to make herself comfortable on his couch. "So, how would you feel if I suggested you become a yakuza?"
Alison's eyes widened, stopping herself from replying she carefully thought it over. While the prospect of becoming a criminal didn't seem at all that appealing, she still had nowhere to go back to- enspecially after she had run away, stealing her bother's clothes and cutting her hair, and there were pople like her; so it didn't seem at all that lonely.
She still barely knew them but... they just... were something she wanted to be apart of.
"I'd have a question." She admitted shyly. If he said no to this she had no choice to refuse.
"Shoot."
Here I go.
"I'll get paid enough to buy my own chocolate, right?"
Cloud blinked, his eyes widening comiclally before he leaned over and exploded into a fit of uncontrolable laughter.
"I'm serious!"
"Yes," He breathed, grinning widely. "You can get all the Chocolate you want Choco."
She knew without a doubt, she was absolutly blushing.
AN: We're baking a cake, bakomg a cake for a special birthday girl~... And now I'm signing... *sigh*.
Anyways thanks for reading~