"For the tango, you and your partner must be very close together."

The teenaged students, already partnered up, watched as Cloud and Aeris displayed "the proper stance" of the tango.

"First," Cloud continued, "there must be no space between your stomachs or the top of your thighs."

Aeris moved closer to Cloud and pressed herself against him, visualizing his instructions. The pairs eagerly imitated their teachers.

"Boys, place your right hand under your partner's arm. Hold her other arm out with your left hand. Ladies, put your remaining hand on your partner's shoulder."

Henry, a student, cringed when his partner, Juusang, attempted to get closer to him. Juusang pulled him by arms, but he fought back with aggressively. Confused and annoyed, she continued to try to reel Henry in.

"What's the matter with you?" she whispered angrily. "Stomachs and thighs together!"

Tifa sat in a chair, watching the dance class. It was boring to her, watching a bunch of immature children learn fancy footwork. If there were little children, their mistakes would be funny...but as young adults, to Tifa, it was just plain annoying.

Cloud noticed Henry, struggling to get away from Juusang's grasps. Juusang kept on pulling Henry towards her, but by now, she was close to tears. Having glasses on made it more visible.

"Let's get those two separated for today," said Cloud.

Aeris nodded and walked over the couple. She walked between them, and sent Juusang to Cloud. Juusang slowly went to her other teacher, with her head down. She did not even look Cloud in the face. As they quickly positioned themselves in the tango stance, but Juusang continued to avoid eye contact.

"Forget about Henry for now," Cloud demanded. "I don't want any sour attitudes in this class."

Juusang faced her "sensei" and smiled weakly.

"Now boys," Cloud said aloud, "do not get too excited. And girls, do not become frightened."

The room was filled snickering and giggles.

"He's talking about you, Danny," said Laylia.

The whole dance class, including the teachers, went into hysterics. Danny freed one of his hands from his partner and playfully nudged a fist on his sister's arm; it was sooooo convenient that she was next to him.

Cloud, still recovering from laughing, said, "The top...ha-ha... of your thighs must be glued together...ha-ha... for perfect balance."

Cloud pulled Juusang closer, as if he was forcefully putting on a winter coat.

"That way," he continued, "this can easily be done."

Juusang held her breathe as her sensei walked forward with her in tow. Suddenly, Cloud pushed up his right leg, and she was instantly up a few feet in the air. Juusang felt her feet touch the floor again, and she back up, unable to figure out what happened. Murmuring and cheering filled the room. Even Tifa found it interesting.

"Ah, Juusang! No fair."

"Yeah, you make it look so easy..."

----------

"That is it for today. Barret will take you back to your school, so go home from there."

The storage room quickly cleared up, with all of the students following after Barret.

"Bye, Cloud-sensei!" Laylia shouted.

Henry walked past Cloud to head out the door, but Cloud put a hand over his shoulder.

"You are not going home yet," Cloud said. "We need to talk."

Resigned, Henry followed Cloud out the door, with Aeris close behind. Tifa, who had nothing else to do, went after them.

They entered the kitchen, and only one person stood at the stove, checking over the hot food. Henry saw Tifa standing in the corner and gasped.

"Isn't that Tifa Lockhart!" he cried.

"She's a look-alike," Cloud replied.

"But she looks exactly like Tifa Lockart, Cloud-sensei."

Cloud pulled on Henry's ear, causing him to yelp.

"She's a look-alike," Cloud repeated sternly.

Henry nodded and shut his mouth.

"How's it coming, Heather?"

Heather tucked half of her bangs behind an ear and turned around to see who was speaking.

"Coming along fine," she answered. "It'll be done in an hour."

"Make sure that you set up dinner for two in my dining room in my suite," Cloud commanded. "This young man and I have to have a man to man talk on his behavior."

"But I didn't"

Cloud silenced Henry with a stop sign hand gesture and a harsh, condemning glare in his eyes. Heather stared back and noticed the expression on his face.

"Uhooooooooh," Heather said childishly. This did not make the young dance student feel any better.

----------

Cloud escorted Aeris back to her red Porsche. She pulled her purse up closer before it could slide off of her arm.

"I know for sure that she is not a look-alike," Aeris said seriously. "Why is she rooming with you?"

"Can you keep a secret, Aeris?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"So can I."

Aeris scoffed at him in exasperation and shook her head at him in disbelief. She decided not to ask again.

"Are you sure I don't have to stay?" asked Aeris. "I've some input."

Aeris opened her car door and got in.

"Nah, this has to be between two males," Cloud insisted. "I know how to knock some sense into him."

Aeris closed the door and started the engine of the car. She rolled down the window and poked her head out.

"Well," she replied, "Good luck with him."

Cloud patted her shoulder and smiled.

"See you next Monday, Aeris."

Cloud stepped back and the car was gone. He casually strolled back into the estate, whistling 'Moon River'. As soon as he set foot, Tifa was waiting impatiently.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"When is my training going to began?"

Cloud shook his head, chuckling, and tried to walk past her.

Tifa reached forward and established a good grip on Cloud's shoulder.

"Don't you ignore me!" she shrieked. "When are we starting?"

Cloud coolly took her hand and freed himself from her grasp.

"When engaging me in a conversation," he scolded, "you must address me by name first."

"I'm not calling you that, Cloud!"

"Who is this Cloud that you speak of?" he said teasingly.

Tifa smacked her head and slid her hand down to her chin. He looked Cloud straight in the eye.

"When are we starting, Cloud-sensei...?" she muttered.

Cloud patted Tifa's head as if she were a dog that just fetched a stick.

"All in good time, Miss Lockhart," he replied. "Relax."

Tifa shoved his hand away and walked off. She began to grumbling something about a stupid, blonde lunatic.

Cloud rubbed his hands together and proceeded to his suite.

"Okay, Henry. Let's talk."

----------

Henry picked at his salad and stared at it as if it were poison.

"Did you tell you parents that you would be coming home late?" asked Cloud.

"My parents won't be home for another three days," Henry replied. "They went on a business trip without me."

"I see."

To distract himself, Henry began to stuff the salad in his mouth.

"So," Cloud began. "It seems that you and Juusang are having a problem. Care to enlighten me?"

Henry averted his eyes to his plate in shame. He began to play with the salad.

"It's not really her," Henry replied. "It's at school."

"Oh."

----------

Meanwhile, Tifa sat with Marlene at the table, waiting for the main course to show up.

"What's the deal with the dance class?" asked Tifa. "Who are all of those teenagers?"

Marlene sipped at her sparkling apple cider.

"They're from Dr. Geneva Public High School," Marlene answered. "They're known as the 'school rejects'. They have detention from now until graduation. The dance class is their detention now."

"They didn't seem so bad in class."

"They were terrible when the class first began!" Marlene retorted. "They kept fooling around on the first day, and they barely even danced on the second."

"But why is Cloud even teaching them? Does even have the license to teach?"

"He earned a license back in South America," Marlene replied. "He's cool."

"But why is he teaching them?"

"Beat's me."

Tifa sipped at her sparkling cider, wishing that it were real champagne.

"And who is this Aeris girl anyway?" Tifa inquired. "Is that Cloud's girlfriend?"

"She wishes," Marlene retorted. "She's our friend."

"Nothing going on between them?"

"Never likely. Cloud already told me that she's not his type...too nice and mellow...he feels as if Aeris is his second sister."

"Lucky for her," Tifa muttered. She took another sip of the cider.

"You don't like my brother?" Marlene questioned.

"You're brother and I don't get along," Tifa replied.

"He's weird; isn't he?" Marlene replied.

Tifa stifled a laugh and nodded.

"Yep, he's a strange one..."

The main course came in the form of a thick soup. Heather and two other 'maids' served it and left the two females alone again.

"I wonder what Cloud and Henry are talking about," Marlene said.

----------

"Juusang," Henry continued, "Isn't exactly what you'd call the hottest female around to most of the guys...it's not that I think she's ugly or anything..."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem practicing the tango with her," Cloud interrupted. "She won't excite you or repulse you."

Cloud blew on the hot spoonful of soup.

"That's not the problem!"

"Then what is the problem?"

Henry leaned back on the chair and sighed in frustration.

"You know the tango stance?" Henry reminded. "With the thighs and stomachs touching?"

"Is something wrong with that?" Cloud asked.

"Hell yeah, there is!" Henry shouted. "If my friends back at school find out that I have the hots for Juusang, I'm screwed!"

Henry covered his mouth with his hand when he realized what he had said. Cloud simply sipped on his soup, and Henry did the same, to avoid talking.

"And you are willing to hurt Juusang's feelings for the approval of your friends?" Cloud inquired.

"YES...I mean no...I don't know..."

"It doesn't matter what the other guys think," Cloud said.

"Easy for you to say," Henry replied. "Is that what they believe on the planet that you're from?"

Cloud gawked at his student in surprise.

"I assure you that I'm an earthling," Cloud said.

"Whatever, Cloud-sensei."

Cloud put his spoon down.

"Listen, Henry, being a true man is learning to stand up for what you believe in and following your heart."

Cloud got up from his chair and walked as quietly as he could to the closed dining room door.

"And it seems..." Cloud whispered.

Cloud swiftly opened the door, and Tifa and Marlene ran away, realizing that they had been discovered.

"...that we have some eavesdroppers!"

----------

This chapter may seem pointless to you, but if you don't remember some of the things that happened...you'll be SORRY!

Mwahahahahahahahahahahahaha...