Yep - I left this for a long time. I had no inspiration, motivation, or just basically any kind of encouragement for myself to continue for the time being. I'm pretty sure those who are reading my NightWalker fic are preeeeetty pissed off now by how long I've left it on Hiatus (awkward cough). Even though I mentioned continuing this from the first of June onwards - I felt guilty leaving it for so long. I have exams next week - but screw 'em. Whats one night with no study? I now have some artwork for my fic up on DeviantArt if you wish to see. I am called Daenis Farenheights and the link is visible on my profile. I have plans to continue Chapter 20 of Loz and Tifa's conversation and make it into a sub-plot of the SHM's lives - explaining a few things this fic does not. Also - WARNING! Little bit of Sappiness here and there. Or maybe everywhere - depends on my mood! I'm giving Cloud a little leeway here too - I'm starting to feel a little sorry for him now. There isn't going to be much action in this - just breakfasty ole' fun and maybe a bit of angst or something...
Hm... AVALANCHE during breakfast...
Now - my wonderful reviewers!
Mistress of the Shadows: (rubs head) Ow! LOL - ok, fair enough - I just simply think Yazoo looks like a more feminine version of Sephiroth! Heehee - and thank you for reviewing.
Raven Cactuar: Ah - cool (grins) I'll keep people posted about that Loz/Tifa fanfic idea I mentioned about above. I'm glad you show an interest, as its an unusual topic.
Thanks for reviewing!
Fire Gemron: Yazoo's character isn't really elaborated on the official sites other then being a mystery and being calm and such, sooo... I improvised? LOL. Thanks for reviewing!
Koluno1986: LOL, yeah, those two as friends is pretty strange, but I liked the idea (grins). Hopefully Vincent won't have to go to the trouble of kicking Cloudy's butt in though - he's got enough on his plate! Thanks for reviewing!
Divine Star: LOL - I'm glad your enjoying it.
As for the SHM and Cloud cooperating... um... they don't...? (sweatdrops). As for how far Loz and Tifa will go... well (smiles), you might have to wait awhile before I get my plans sorted about that continuation fic of the two. I'm still deciding many things about it, but one thing is for sure, (takes out microphone) I WILL MAKE EVERYONE VERY VERY SORRY FOR LOZ!
Loz: (stares)... um...
(coughs and puts down microphone)
Cloud: Fear my hair and its spikiness...
Thanks for reviewing!
labrat-seph: LOL (takes fork). Sorry I took so long to update. Again. (Sweatdrops). I hope you'll like this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
moogle: Shit - I'm really sorry I didn't mention you first time round! I was literally FLYING through all my reviews - ye gods I could've missed others as well (sweatdrops). And I had to edit! It wasn't very fair on you. Also - YOU ARE NOT ANNOYING! For the love of Gilgamish will you stop thinking you are! And... YazooxTifa...? No - its Loz and Tifa. (wonders about that)
Thanks for reviewing! And sorry again about that!
DevaGlenn: LOL - I'm flattered you gave up sleep to read this! (hugs) Thank you. Even printing it out really makes me feel very flattered (grins). Lol - I do that myself actually - though most are saved in my desktop folder. And we all have the tendency to kill printers with our neverending want of piccies (grins again). I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic! Thanks for reviewing!
ladygreensleevesd: Heehee - a bitchy Yazoo is a sexy Yazoo! (grins). And yeah... It came as a surprise even to myself when I rather liked Loz and Tifa as a couple together, as I'm not much of a fan for pairings either. I'd say the only straight pairing I adore are Integra Hellsing and Alucard from HELLSING. They're the ONLY pair - possibly next to one or two others I like. And yes - Cloud does need a fairly swift funt up the arse indeed - but I actually quite like him. I wanted to be realistic with this fic though, which is why he's acting like a complete bastard instead of the whole "I forgive you lot since its not really your fault" kinda thing. I'm trying to stick with the moody disposition thats very evident in Advent Children just so it'd be more... I dunno - closer to the story? Though this chapter's a little more light-hearted. Anyway - thanks for reviewing! And I'm sorry about the looooong wait!
Vindina: LOL - yes, actually thats quite an accurate description of the two's relationship. I mean, both are very skilled fighters, yet - despite their opposing sides they share an equal ground. Very well spotted! Although - I wouldn't say they... hated each other, its just the awkwardness of different sides, and with Loz being Sephiroth's younger brother too. Heh heh - I wouldn't exactly be... thrilled with my father's killer's brother being under the same roof as myself! Thanks for reviewing!
Yuka-san: Aaaand it took forever to get here (sweatdrops) Sorry! Thanks for reviewing!
FinalFantasyFangirl: I like your name! Lol - yeah, I quite like the two together as well, but their relationship won't go much further in this fic. My continuation will elaborate more on them - so I hope you'll read that! Thanks for reviewing!
Hollowed Shame: LOL - aren't we all? Thanks for reviewing!
Iarrod: And I'm sorry you had to wait for a long time! Hope you like this chapter and thanks for reviewing!
Tomboy: LOL - so am I. I'm pretty short as well, though I'd say Kadaj would get a lot more grief considering how muchuas taller his brothers are, heehee. I'm also flattered that you stayed up reading that much of my fic! Thanks (grins) Thanks for reviewing!
LastCetra: ROTL! No - no CloTi in this one, even though I like the pairing, me likey LozTi better! (whoa - LozTi? Strange...). Thanks for reviewing!
ffwarrioress: LOL - methinks your the only one who feels sorry for Cloud as the rest seem to want his arse kicked for being such a bastard! Heehee
Cloud: Thats because your TYPING me as a bastard!
Me: Its for the fic dammit!
Cloud: Yeeeesh! I'm not THAT bad! I save Kadaj in the movie don't I?
Me: We don't know if you were the one that KILLED him moron!
Cloud: Oh... Oh yeah... (looks around) Shit.
(in case you've no idea what I'm on about - go to - theres new scans of Cloud carrying Kadaj -and its very, very cool indeedys...)
Cloud: (sighs) At least someone cares...
Thanks for reviewing!
JinMunSuen: LOL - and here it is, in allll its lateness! Heehee - hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
The Advent Child
Cloud yawned loudly as he trudged downstairs, rubbing one eye with his gloved hand, the other leaning on the banister of the stairs. He was feeling a little lightheaded - but, he felt, perhaps, that today might be a little better then yesterday.
But Zack's words played in his mind.
"Its up to you, Cloud." Zack continued, "I can't convince you of otherwise. All I'm asking for you to do is not give up, to not give Jenova the advantage she's looking for. Don't hate Sephiroth's brothers for who they are."
"Don't hate them for who they are..." Cloud murmured to himself, "..."
"DENZEEEEL! Wait for me!" a familiar shrill voice called from upstairs, and Cloud just barely caught said boy running downstairs with so much energy he hadn't seen in him before before Denzel tripped and fell into Cloud's arms - nearly knocking the short male back, while Marlene bounded down the stairs after him.
"Sorry!" Denzel laughed, hugging the slightly dazed blonde. The change in the eleven year old was astonishing. His hair wasn't thin and stringy like it used to be anymore, and there was vibrant colour in his cheeks. His eyes shone just like a child's should.
...Kadaj healed them, didn't he?
But... how?
Cloud chuckled a little, lowering the boy onto the ground, "No running in the house - ok?"
Marlene looked up at Cloud, then at Denzel, then back up at Cloud again - her eyes thoughtful.
"Is Cloud still sick?" She asked after a moment of decisivness, "Denzel was never able to run so fast before without falling or running out of breath or spending days in bed..."
Cloud folded his arms, "...um - kind of Marlene, but, its nothing to worry about. "
"You always say that to Tifa - but you don't anymore." Marlene replied, her hands behind her back. Her shoe dug into the floorboard a little, and her small smile held a little secret,"But I think she's got someone else to say that to her now!"
Cloud raised an eyebrow, "What ... do you mean?"
Marlene only grinned, tapped her nose and exclaimed, "Thats for me to know and for you to find out!"
Denzel covered his mouth with both hands, muffling a snigger before the two fled to the kitchens.
Cloud stared after them, clueless.
Seventh Heaven was a lot more noisy then it had ever been - with children talking excitedly amongst one another as they sat around a large table - some sitting on counters while others were playing on the floor. Never, had Tifa seen so much life in all of them. And she didn't mind the somewhat extra work cut out for her that morning.
"Could you pass that pan over here please?"
"Sure," Loz replied, handing it over, "but - are you seriously going to cook for
everyone- here? As well as the AVALANCHE group?"Theres so many!"
She laughed, "I'm used to it, trust me! And besides - whats an extra three people?"
Loz paused for a moment, only to smile and went back to making toast for the kids.
Cloud stood in the doorway - somewhat taken aback, and he suddenly felt lightheaded again. He leaned against the doorframe for a moment, until he felt a pair of small hands tug at his pants leg.
"Cloudy? You still tired?" a small four year old girl asked. Cloud blinked down at her.
Wasn't... she was bedridden ever since I brought her here? And - now she's standing?
"Ha ha - yeah, I'm still tired Raine - " He knelt to look at her properly, "By Gaia - I've never seen you standing before!"
She grinned, "Tifa showed me where you hung my picture of you! You didn't forget about it at all!"
He shook his head, "Never did - now - get some breakfast, I have to talk to Tifa."
She ran to join the rest of the group, and Cloud slowly stood back up. Hm, he didn't feel as bad now...
"Good morning Cloud." Tifa smiled, "Tea?"
He nodded, "Please... "
He looked around the kitchen, catching a glance at Loz before the silver-haired man turned his head back to the toasters. He was wearing a loose-white t-shirt along with his usual black pants and boots, but unarmed and without the jacket - he looked... a little less intimdating.
And... why was he helping Tifa with the kids?
Well - less work for her he supposed.
"Here you go, " Tifa handed him a mug, "Want to take a seat? I'd watch it though - the kids are like wild animals!"
He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face "It was never this noisy before, was it?"
Her lips stretched into a thin smile, "No - it wasn't. It..." She looked over at the table, chuckling slightly when Loz was hounded by five small ones wanting toast now and not in a minute! - "Its... amazing, isn't it? Almost like they were never ill in the first place."
Cloud took a small sip, and felt a great relief at the steam in his face and the hot liquid down his throat, "True..."
"Does anyone else want toast before thses guys decide to take over the kitchen!" Loz half-grinned, two plates of toast in his hands while both legs were pulled at by the five attackers below. A wave of hands and cries of "Me me!" rose, and Loz raised an eyebrow at Tifa, ignoring Cloud's prescence.
"Do you even have enough bread for all these little guys?"
She laughed and headed towards him, tugging one boy's shirt to move him out of the way, "C'mon, let him through! Theres plenty for everyone!"
Loz stepped over the river of children and made his way towards the table, only to pull his arms back as soon as he set the plates of toast down when lots of hands dove in for the kill. Or just the toast.
"Nearly lost an arm there - " Loz shook his left hand, coming to stand by Tifa, "Well - if you want any more help, let me know."
She nodded, and could feel Cloud's peircing gaze on the back of her head, "Thanks - I'll get down to frying while you get your brothers, is that ok?"
"You...sure they won't mind?" Loz nodded towards Cloud, "Or moreso, him."
"Don't hate Sephiroth's brothers for who they are."
Cloud looked at him, his face neutral, and simply shrugged, "Whatever suits..."
Loz gave him a thin smile before leaving the kitchen, and Tifa knew what was coming next, so she waited in silence for Cloud's accusing voice to hit her ears.
But he walked past her without a word, sipping more tea.
"So - " Tifa asked, and wringed the dirty white apron in her hands, "You want toast... or anything? Barret requested a fry-up, so did Cid..." then she lifted a finger to her lips in thought, "Yuffie wanted pancakes..."
"Tifa?"
She froze, and looked at him.
The young man's face was soft, and his eyes were half-closed with sleep.
"Isn't it great?" he turned his head to the food fued, " To see them all like this."
The dark-haired Neibelheim girl blinked twice before she could catch his meaning, "Uh - yeah! Yes, it is - I didn't think I'd ever see the table so full."
"None were found dead?" Cloud continued to look at the table.
Tifa's face softened as well, "No - not this morning... and, " she walked towards him, laying a hand on his shoulder, "... maybe we mightn't ever again."
"Its horrible - I wake up only to find another child dead from Geostigma, and morning after morning I wake up with dread in my heart that we've lost another overnight."
There were tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away. The situation still felt a bit awkward, so she didn't want to appear weak.
"Life in the slums was... kinda the same. Someone stabbed from being mugged for what little they had, people sleeping in a pile of rubble only to die of the cold. We saw a lot of death when we ran from Kalm Town and started living in Midgar."
He shuffled his large body a little, clasping his hands on his knees, "We didn't think such a horrible place existed - nor why Sephiroth would work for a company that caused all this poverty. I..."
His head looked up at the navy sky, and was silent for a long moment, seemingly after forgetting what he was going to say, "hm... I've never had the time to look at the stars before."
Then he blinked, "What was I saying before...?"
"You... were going to say something else...about...?"
"Tifa?"
She looked over at the table, "So, you don't mind if they eat with us?"
He shrugged again, and his voice was a little more sterner, "I don't mind."
Cloud could feel her smile, even if he wasn't looking at her.
Then Marlene asked him to pass the butter.
The room was dark as the curtains were drawn, but the built man could see two human sized bundles on the beds, possibly buried under piles of sheets. One moved and sat up, rubbing his eyes as Loz stepped in.
"You guys up yet?"
Yazoo yawned loudly, stretching sharply until the muscles in his back popped and he let out a long sigh, "How long has it been since we slept in a decent bed?"
Loz shrugged, "Breakfast's getting ready downstairs, you coming?"
Yazoo blinked at him, suddenly wide awake, "We're eating with them?"
"They don't mind - well, Cloud doesn - " Loz began.
" - That blondy boy can kiss my ass if he even so much as squeaks when I'm eating!" Yazoo stated as he stood up, clad only in black pants and a black, loose open shirt.
"Just don't turn it into a food fight - please Yazoo." Loz sighed, scratching his head irritably. The slim man began buttoning his shirt, "If he starts it - I'll stab him with a fork."
"Ok - fight, but without blood! Its bad enough they could've come after us in our sleep!"
"You were safe - you were with that girl!" Yazoo grinned, laying a hand on his hip and the other pointing at Loz teasingly, "Didn't hear you come back 'til late! And normally you're never up this early to wake us."
The older sibling felt a slight headache creep over him and he rubbed his temple gently, "Please wake Kadaj - I'm starving... and get dressed - "
Yazoo huffed, annoyed that Loz wasn't going to defend himself and fail miserably, "Fine, fine..."
As Loz left, Yazoo shook the smaller form still lying in bed, "Kad - wakey wakey, we're getting breakfast, and no I'm not lying this time."
The teen looked up at him with tired eyes, "I'm... not hungry Yazoo... " he laid his head back down into the pillows, "I think I'll stay... here."
Yazoo sat down, his face sincere, "I won't let him say anything to you, and if he utters just one word - "
"You'll stab him with a fork, I know..." came the muffled reply, "No - I'll stay here... "
"If... thats what you want - ok. I'll bring something up for you later, alright?"
Kadaj nodded a little, but said nothing more as Yazoo pulled his boots on and left the room quietly, unbeknowst to the crimson caped man standing there only moments ago before retreating downstairs.
"Isn't Kadaj coming down?" Loz asked quietly to Yazoo who was helping himself to pancakes like a glutton, very much like Yuffie - so both shared a silent and mutual agreement that the pancakes were theirs, and theirs alone.
Not much of a fancy eater, Loz had a bowl of simple cereal and toast. If Kadaj had been there - he would've eaten anything, even out of their own plates.
"No - he said he wasn't hungry, and he looked tired, so I left him alone." Yazoo replied, taking a mouthfull of pancake.
The rest of AVALANCHE felt slightly perplexed, minus Tifa, who simply busied herself with cooking, while Vincent stood over near her with a mug of black coffee, RedXIII lying at his feet, and Cloud just looked like he didn't give a shit as he read the newspaper. Cait Sith was off being repaired somewhere by Reeve.
"Mr. Loz!" a small voice called, and the man barely had enough time to swallow another spoonful of cereal before Marlene was climbing onto his lap. Cloud glanced at Barret over the paper, but the huge man just looked at Loz without any kind of emotion and resumed talking with Cid.
"Good morning!" She hugged his thick neck, "Did Tifa make that breakfast you like yet?"
Tifa's back stiffened, and she knew even more pairs of eyes were on her, "Marlene, "Mr.Loz" is happy with what he has - don't bug him."
" Tifa has enough people to cook for - Its alright - " Loz forced a smile, only for it to drop very slowly at the sight of everyone looking at both of them. Even Yazoo was staring, eyebrows raised and a "Oh, I get it," look on his face.
"...What? What'd I say?" Loz looked at them, blinking.
"Well - I knew one day she'd go after someone..." Cid struggled to hide his sniggering while biting down his ciggarette. Vincent sipped his coffee - though he couldn't taste it much. The heat of the steam felt good though.
Red opened his remaining eye to glance at the pilot, swishing the firey tip of his tail a little before closing it.
The rest of the morning consisted of knowing glances at both a very confused Loz and a tomato red Tifa, Cloud giving her a smile and a raised eyebrow - which was met with a wet rag in his face, and with that warning, AVALANCHE left the two fighters alone lest they get more then a damp cloth in their faces.
Vincent was the only one who was brave enough to give the faintest of smiles into his coffee mug.
It was early evening - but Kadaj just sat there on the bed, staring at the window. Yazoo had left him a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice, but neither had been touched.
Both of his brothers were downstairs with AVALANCHE - possibly discussing the riddance of Geostigma - and Jenova.
The light that managed to break through the curtains threads left a very dull light in the room, and Kadaj felt the urge to open them, not wanting this darkness.
But he didn't move - and drawing his knees up, he rested his head against them - and cried.
This is going to be updated LIKE CRAZEEE now that school is no more - whoo! (boogies). Okay - this was pure, utter, sap - but I liked it I guess. I wanted to elaborate more on Vincent and the rest of AVALANCHE as I'm beginning to make them look like background props or something - but its very difficult to try and add them into everything. There's going to be more focus on Kadaj now - since this story was originally meant to be about him - but, oh well... got carried away I guess (laughs).
There will be... about, four, maybe, just maybe five more chapters - but I'm thinking of three, depending on where this is going, especially when this chapter was fairly long.
If you have seen the new Advent Children scans of Cloud carrying Kadaj, possibly saving him, I'm after starting something of the aftermath of their battle in the new trailer. Its just Kadaj, waking up and finding himself within the house of the enemy (and something else, but lets not get into that - LOL). I'll be putting it up on my DeviantArt page with art first, then, depending on how much I get done, I'll have it submitted here.
Ja Ne, peoples.
Daenis TooShy