AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone! Well the last chapter was a bit of a shocker right? And here is the next one, which basically follows on from the last. I hate to say it, but it was kinda predictable what the outcome would be. Good news is that I plan to juggle not one, not two but THREE stories as soon as I finish this. That being: the sequel to this, the FFX fic I've been raving about for a while and another FFVII one that's still in the embryonic stages. Unfortunately I start final exams next week and failure is literally not an option (I'm already repeating four out of six courses, so if I fail even one, I'm out of university). So this is probably the last update you'll get from me for about a month! As always please review!

"Done."

Cat green eyes blinked in surprise.

"What? I've come here to tell you that I'll do it! Isn't that what you wanted?" Cloud said. The young man stood in a small cafe at around noon. He was cutting class, and his mom would fry his liver if she found out.

The silver haired man sitting at an outdoor table looked up with a smirk on his face.

"Well, that's great news!" He said.

"Yeah, yeah!" Cloud answered shortly. "When do I start?"

"Sit down, sit down," Sephiroth replied, indicating. "Order something to eat."

"I'd rather be going," Cloud said.

Sephiroth waved his response off and insisted. Cloud grudgingly pulled out a chair and sat down, fixing his gaze on the table. A young waitress appeared and asked what they would like.

Sephiroth smirked again and ordered a rump steak, and looked at Cloud.

"Well, what would you like? Its on me," he said.

"Nothing, thanks," came Cloud's passive response.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sephiroth said. "Just order something!"

"Fine," Cloud said giving in. "A burger," he said to the waitress.

She smiled and noted it down. "And something to drink?"

"Lemonade," Cloud answered.

Sephiroth's smirk widened. "I'll have an iced tea."

The waitress wandered off. Cloud gazed nervously around the place, trying to find something to look at besides the silver-haired man opposite him.

"Why so on edge?" Sephiroth asked him. "Relax yourself!"

"Sorry, but its pretty hard to be relaxed around people who do what you do," Cloud said, fighting the shake in his voice, forcing himself to look Sephiroth in the eye.

"My friend, I have been in this business for a very long time now," Sephiroth spoke calmly, ignoring the implied insult. "I didn't last this long without getting caught by being obvious."

"Yeah, but still..." Cloud replied.

"If anyone is calling attention to the two of us, its you. Anyone can spot a nervous face like that from a mile away," Sephiroth replied, reclining in his seat.

Neither of them spoke as their food and drinks were served.

"So, tell me about yourself," Sephiroth said after a while.

"Why are you so interested in me?" Cloud asked, managing to keep his voice casual.

A silver eyebrow quirked in response. "If you and I are to be doing business, I'd rather we have, if not a friendship, then at least a cordial relationship between us."

"What? You're not gonna threaten me or have me killed in case I rat on you?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth chuckled. "You've been watching too many teenage drug movies my friend. I don't operate like that. Let's just say, I'd rather know exactly who I'm dealing with on a personal, rather than a professional level."

Cloud shivered at the way he kept on making analogies to business. As if they were operatives of two major corporations instead of just a drug dealer and a potential seller.

"Why?" He said eventually.

"Because professional descisions are based on personality," came his reply.

In that moment, green eyes met blue, each challenging the other, neither willing to back down.

"You're thinking about this the wrong way," Sephiroth continued. "I'd like us to be more than a merchant and his extension, I think we should be friends at least."

Cloud didn't question this time. This Sephiroth would only raise more with every answer he gave. He only nodded in response.

"So, now are you going to tell me exactly what terms am I gonna be operating on?" Cloud asked eventually.

Sephiroth smirked once more. "Well, looks like you aren't willing to talk to me anymore. Another time maybe," he said dismissively, although his eyes gleamed. "It works very simply. I give you some Mako and you sell it in your territory. You get paid depending on how much you sell. If you use any yourself-"

"Trust me, I won't!" Cloud interupted.

"Then you pay for it, I monitor the stock I give you, so don't think about using and not selling," Sephiroth continued, as if he hadn't been cut off.

"So when do I start?"

"Right now."

XXX

"Like this?"

"No, harder," Tifa replied, as she stood watching.

Cloud sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. They were in the gym. Weird, that Tifa was acting as his personal trainer insteas of the other way around. He was sure a bunch of muscle-headed cunts were gazing at them in wonder. What was a hottie like that doing with him?

He caught a couple of them flexing their muscles at her, which she promptly ignored. That's right bitches, he had thought. All that muscle and I'm the one who's dick she's sucking. I get to use the muscle that COUNTS!

Obviously, he didn't really mean that even in his private thoughts. He wasn't really the type of jerk to think of a girl like that. He respected Tifa! And after half an hour with her in the gym, he respected her a whole lot more.

There she was, wearing a tight fitting blue tank top that looked more like a sports bra meets speedo, bearing her midriff and a pair of black cycling shorts with her hair tied back. She looked sexy as hell, and Cloud, despite his efforts, could not blame the other men from ogling her.

At present, she was attempting to teach him to hit a punching bag. Seriously? What guy doesn't know how to hit a fucking punching bag?! Tifa, being the world-renowned martial artist, insisted on teaching Cloud do it PROPERLY.

"If you gonna do something, you might as well do it right! Or don't bother doing it at all," she had remarked as soon as she saw Cloud punch the bag.

"Keep hitting it like that and you'll break your wrist!" She quipped, after he tried again. "And then you won't even be able to get help from the right hand!"

"Why would I need the right hand when I've got you," Cloud said through his huffs and puffs.

"Because I'll be laughing too hard to give you any! And seeing as Mr Right Hand won't be able to help you out, you'll be screwed!"

"I don't really feel comfortable talking about masturbation with you! And how the fuck do you know about the Right Hand?" Cloud asked.

Tifa smirked. "You forget that I'm a girl that was raised by her single father. I think sometimes he forgot he was dealing with a little girl!"

"That's..."

"Sweet?" Tifa supplied hopefully. "Cute?"

"I was thinking more 'disturbing'," Cloud answered.

Tifa giggled. "Shut up! Poor guy didn't know any better! But we're drifting, this is how we do it!"

She stepped to the front, a weird look of determination on her face. Cloud was momentarily striken at the fire in her eyes.

"The trick is too keep you wrist firm and snap your elbow," she said demonstrating. "And this is important, don't punch AT the bag, punch THROUGH it!"

Cloud pitied the bag.

"Now you try!" Tifa said, bouncing on the spot.

"Okay," Cloud replied, somewhat uneasily.

He tried it a few times.

"Better," Tifa commented. "Still not 100%, but keep practising and eventually you'll get it!"

"Thanks, how about we call it a day then?" Cloud asked.

Tifa shrugged. "Why not? Wanna take a swim first?"

Cloud nodded. He was wearing a green, sleeveless top and black sweats.

Hand in hand they walked down to the change rooms and in fifteen minutes, he was ready and waiting in the gym's indoor pooldeck.

He waited, and waited. What the heck was she doing? After a further fifteen minutes, she finally walked towards him. She was wearing a red one piece, a change from her usual bikini, and had her towel around her waist like a sarong.

"Ready to get in?" She asked him.

"As of a half hour ago, yes," Cloud replied testily.

"Are you going to rant about how long I take to get ready?"

"Possibly."

"Fuck you," Tifa said, although her smile never faltered. Without further ado, she slipped on her swimming cap and hopped in.

Cloud put his own on, hating every moment of it. He hated that fucking cap! It pulled his hair like a bitch, not to mention it was incredibly tight due to the sheer volume of hair he possessed.

All the same he hopped in. No sooner had he begun adjusting to the water, than Tifa grabbed his cap and pulled it, stretching like an elastic band and let it go.

Needlessly Cloud was stung rather painfully on his ear.

"Owww, Tifa you bitch! That was uncalled for!" He said angrily.

His only answer was a laugh. In fury, he grabbed her around her waist and gave her a wedgie with her costume!

"Ouch! Now that hurt!" Tifa said, trying to pull it out without embarassing herself. "Okay, let's have a race!"

"Nah, my body's still aching from that workout!" Cloud complained.

"What if I make it worth your while?" Tifa asked, suggestively quirking her eyebrows.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

"You win, I flash you. I win," her eyes flicked downwards and she smiled. "I get to see your ass!"

"What? Can't I show you my dick instead?" Cloud yelped.

"I saw that already!" Tifa replied brightly.

"I saw you tits before!" Cloud protested.

"Well," Tifa said thoughtfully. "They are looking kinda sexy in this costume!"

That did it. "Fine," Cloud conceded. He was a good three to four inches taller than her, what were the odds of her winning.

Before he had time to get ready, Tifa took off. He sputtered in protest, but sped after Tifa, who was moving pretty fast, with long, sure strokes.

He managed to catch her, as they neared the wall. Evidently, Tifa wasn't above playing dirty. She grabbed him about his waist and tugged.

The race turned into an aquan wrestle match. Cloud was surprised yet again at how strong Tifa was. Easily holding her own against the much larger man. Eventually, Tifa managed to touch the wall with her hand before he did.

"You cheated!" Cloud accused in outraged.

"All's fair in love and war," Tifa quipped. "And this is a bit of both! Now its time to face your punishment!"

Defeat was punishment enough, Cloud inwardly grumbled. Sneaky bitch.

"Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh!"

XXX

Cloud gulped. He was nowhere near ready for this! He took a step forward towards the guy smoking on the street corner.

It was about eight at night. The streets were dark and empty, apart from the lonely looking guy on the corner. He hesitated once more, before closing his eyes.

"Think of Ma, you have to do this," he whispered to himself. The sound of his own voice strengthened his resolve.

"Hey," he said approaching the man.

The guy took a puff and gazed at him from the corner of his eye, but made no reply.

Cloud was momentarily taken aback. His first attempted hadn't worked. Time to try a new tactic.

"You got a light?" He asked, pulling out a cigarette. He momentarily wondered if the man could see the tell-tale lump of a lighter in his jeans pocket.

Still not saying anything, the man reached into his jacket and pulled out a zippo and handed it to Cloud.

"Thanks," Cloud said. The man grunted in response. He lit his cigarette and handed it back.

He took a deep drag, he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Great night out," he tried once more.

Two brown eyes looked at him in irritation and the man made to move.

"Hey man! Don't leave!" He said quickly.

"You're right! Why should I be the one to leave?" The man replied. "Fuck off bitch, I don't swing that way!"

Great, not only did the man think he was weird, but he also thought he was gay.

"Hey I don't either!" Cloud snapped. Losing his temper now would not be a good idea. "But I have something that might interest you!"

The man stopped and gazed at Cloud questioningly. He answered the look with a hard stare of his own.

"What might that be?" He said, exhaling a column of smoke.

"Mako," Cloud replied, deciding his best bet was to be blunt. "Pure and powdered. So, what's your name?"

The man took another drag. "Reeve," he replied.

Cloud couldn't help but smirk. "James," he said, extending his hand.

"So how much we talking here?" Reeve asked.

"How much you want?" Cloud answered, his confidence rising and the smirk he wore was very similar to Sephiroth's.

Reeve looked a bit put off by that. He looked around nervously.

Cloud, now assured that he was in control, began haggling.

XXX

No sooner had Reeve walked off than Cloud heard his phone vibrate. He looked around suspiciously before answering. It was a dodgy neighbourhood.

"Well, well done, Cloud! You're a natural," came a sneering voice.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud breathed angrily, still swinging his head aroud.

He heard a laugh come from the other end. "Relax, no one's around you right now."

"You're having me followed?" Cloud hissed in outrage.

"Did you honestly expect me to trust you so easily?" Sephiroth sounded both surprised and amused.

"Well, that's definitely the feel you gave off!"

"That was the plan," Sephiroth's voice almost purred. "Well anyway, I'd like to congratulate you on your first sale, keep up the good work!"

The line went dead.

XXX

AUTHOR'S NOTE: for once I don't really have much to say in this A/N. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I know this fic is taking a HUGE turn for the darker. And its only gonna get worse. But I still have a lot more planned, so I think we are going to have between 30 to 40 chapters! And that's not even including the sequel! Unfortunately I know I'm gonna get a MAJOR block as I'll be dribbling for filler material (its the bane of my existance) and I hate skipping large amounts of time! Anyway, I would highly appreciate any reviews! So for now bye, I need to go and study parametric curve sketching and download whatever Bob Marley and the Wailers albums I don't have! Cheers!