final fantasy vii and all its characters © squaresoft, inc.

To the Sky

chapter ten: don corneo

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"Now girls," the Corneo minion announced, "it's time to meet the Don."

Aeris walked slowly as she tried shifting her balance, taking small but swift glances to either of her sides. She knew she should have refused the order to change her attire to a better, decent one. She glanced down to the bottom of her gown. A pair red-laced sandals with sharp heels decorated her feet. Cocking an eyebrow, she began to worry about her previous clothes... and how difficult it was to walk with three-inch heels.

She turned to Tifa, who was biting her lower lip to distract the tension. It was clearly visible her steps were trembling, but not as hard as Yuffie's. The youngest of the three was sweating like mad, staring down at the golden porcelain tiles just to find a reflection of herself gawking nervously. The princess found this unlikely, for Yuffie was a crew of an infamous ship, she should have underwent more life-threatening experiences...

Perhaps, perverts were indeed better villains out of anything else.

Then stopped.

The young Corneo henchman stopped in front of a bronze metal-coated door, almost three times his height. Scanning at how it was designed, Aeris knew immediately this was the place she thought it was.

"On the other side of this door," the man exhaled, "is the Don himself."

.

"Ahh... it's you again."

"What do ya folks want... again?"

"Don't mind the matters, gentlemen," Cid grinned lightheartedly, resting his head by the metal fence for a closer look at the two fashionable guards of Corneo's mansion. "We've got a treat for you."

"Treat?" the first one recapped.

"Yeah," Barret replied, "somethin' for the Don!"

"For the Don?" the second man crooked his eyebrows in suspicion, eyes wandering about. The pair turned to search for a trace of a certain mercenary. "Hey, where did the chocobo head go?"

Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"Bah. Who cares 'bout 'em?" Barret shrugged. "He's still a kid, let 'em be."

"More importantly..." Cid announced.

"...behold." Vincent chained absentmindedly.

Then, a purple-dressed blond beauty began emerging from the background. She walked slowly to Vincent's side, whereas the two guards started gawking in distress. Eyes were scanning her distinct features. This woman was broad-shouldered, and she did not have much of a bust line. Denotes that resembled muscles were all over her arms. The lifted cheekbones too were a little too masculine, but still did not cease to show the color of her face. Truly a figure of a barbarian lady. The two men gulped at this part of the sighting.

Little did they know, it was the chocobo head.

"Whaddaya think? Ain't she a true beau?" Cid beamed ever-so proudly, patting the girl's shoulder. "Picked her up around the slums somewhere. A harsh one, which explains all these muscles."

Barret nodded. "'Might look a li'l dangerous, but she won't hurt a damn fly!"

Silence. Little by little, the two men's expression turned from gloomy to joyful.

Vincent secretly pouted at this.

Still caught in awe, the first man shook his head vigorously. "She truly is!" he strike in amusement, "The Don'll pay millions for such a girl!"

"Pay millions??" Cid looked puzzled. Something in his tone sounded as if he only half-believed. "Your boss must be a generous man!" he let out a fake compliment, "But we're giving her for free."

"FREE??" sparkling sapphire orbs glimmered in existence, "The Don will be most happy!"

"Such gratefulness must be paid back with the greatest deed!"

Both Barret and Vincent frowned. It was if the two Corneo underlings were showered by a glorious spotlight, leaving the other two on the side where everything was pitch black. Cid, though, tried to keep being content.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." he mused, "Just send him regards from me."

"Kind sirs!" the two bowed.

Vincent lifted an eyebrow. Barret shook his head with concern. "This Corneo fella does have morons as minions..."

"He sure does." Cid agreed, nodding his head approvingly. He turned to the young mistress, who gave a mixed expression of amuse and distress. "Hey Cloud! Now's the time!"

Cloud Strife honestly did not know how he agreed to accept the task. This was his first time he dressed up as the opposite sex, and he had officially stated he "hate every bit of it" by the first second. He had to spend his last three hours roving from shop to shop just to get a perfect clothing piece and a handful of accessories similar to the ones Tifa and Yuffie's had in their collections.

It was indeed hard to imagine why some people enjoyed cross-dressing. If he were a girl, he would sworn himself to invent a better efficient attire than that of a corset.

"What're you guys going to do once I'm in?" he asked in a disgusted face, "You can't leave me here."

"Don't worry," Cid crossed his arms, "we'll cover you up. Just yell out a shriek and we'll be comin' at ya."

"Or we'd sneak in the storage room!" Barret added suggestively, "We'll guard ya up."

"Okay," Cloud spun around, facing the two eccentric guards who were now standing by the now-opened entrance, "wish me luck."

.

"Sir, I've brought you the girls."

Aeris, Tifa and Yuffie gazed intently around the new room. It was large and vast, with gold borders indicated on each edge of the heptagon-shaped room. On the center was another heptagon shape. A dining table. A dining table serving meals even Tifa could not afford to cook. On the other side of the table sat a stout man in leopard-skinned suits, grinning in all his glory through his gold-covered teeth.

Yuffie sulked at this.

"Very well! Very well!" the upperclassman--Don Corneo--applauded his own luck, "You may go now, Smithy!"

The underling bowed and left silently.

"Now ladies..." the Don testified with a grin. A wide grin. A grin Tifa found utterly disgusting. "I start to wonder if my boys have forgotten to order you to change your attires? Obviously you two look like one of them slum rebels! You don't happen to come from a savage bunch, d'you?"

The girls did not know how to reply this. They did not even know whether they should take it as a compliment or critique. Aeris knew Tifa and Yuffie refused to change their clothes due to several circumstances. Perhaps, that's the way of the rogues, she thought.

"Ohhh... not with the long faces..." Corneo chortled a laughter, which sounded too loud to be called a chortle, "Don't be shy! Have a seat!"

Gesturing awkwardly to here and there, Aeris sat on the middle chair, followed by Tifa and Yuffie at either of her sides. Hidden on the other side of her lips, her teeth clenched. Even such a smile would not fool her. She knew who she was up against with.

"Such scowl!" Corneo chanted dramatically, which the girls thought it was the worst of imitations. "No worries, my dear ladies... all will be treated well wherever you end up!"

Silence.

"Wherever you end up...?" Tifa recoiled, grasping tightly to either of her seat handles, "What does that supposed to mean?"

The Don paused, then guffawed heartily. Tifa was never any more distressed. Grinning slyly at the disrespected seventeen-year-old, Corneo enlightened, "My, I thought everyone has made it clear, that every one night in the week I would be given three choices of young girls, who one of them would be my special guest for the night."

"Yes, I know that," Tifa assured sternly, "but what do you mean by 'wherever you end up'?"

A pair of brows rose quizzically. The Don did not immediately answer. "Haven't you heard?" he frowned, "I choose one girl for the night, and the other two will be for my boys."

Aeris staggered. Tifa did not how to reply. She shook her head in disbelief and dispute. "But I thought--"

"Now, now, missy," Corneo gestured a hand, gently igniting a sign that stopped the teenager's words, "every girl that is sent to me is special, but I'm only taking one. Therefore, it would be waste if I let the other two go, so I would give them away to my boys, as I would do to you."

Aeris' face went white. Tifa mouthed a cry the Don refused to consider. Yuffie scowled in repulsion as she stood up, "You scum--"

The door opened.

Yuffie instinctively stopped her act as Aeris' hand caught the edge of her hip-length slacks, silently commanding her to sit back down. Neither of the three cared who was by Corneo's front door, although Aeris bothered to turn her head around. Secretly, she hoped it was someone she would call her lifesaver, but to her utter disappointment, it was just a lowly underling.

"Fool!" the Don snapped his head up, "I was just getting intimate!"

Tifa rolled her eyes exaggeratingly.

"My apologies, sir, but," the man inhaled hurriedly, "recently there's a fellow that kindly contributed us a woman as a gift!"

Don Corneo paused. Aeris' glittery green orbs ran back and forth from Corneo to his humble butler. Something inside her was curious of this new female stranger, although she was not as anxious as much as Yuffie was not. She knew this girl was nobody important, as they shared the same fate as nominees to Corneo's beauty slumber. She had to wonder why she felt a faint chill down her spine, though.

"A woman? Of what age?" Corneo stood up in joy. "Who is this fellow you met?"

"He didn't leave his name!" the man replied rather apologetically. "But I assure you, sir, he is one odd fellow."

Aeris furrowed.

"Odd?" Corneo raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How odd?"

The man thought for a moment, and answered, "I'm not sure... he seems like a normal one, 'though he cusses a lot, and he's got one big oaf and a gothic-looking man for company." he concluded, "Quite barbarous, but looking at how they give you such thing for free, I doubt they're with the rebels."

Aeris blinked. She suddenly wished the threesome were none other than her friends. But where is Cloud?

"Barbarous?" Corneo raised another brow. "You don't say... they're folks of these girls?"

Dull eyes flashed about. "I hope not."

Somewhat dumbfounded, Corneo took it as a jibe. "Very well," he huffed, "send her in."

The servant bowed, and opened the door wide, where behind it stood the uninvited guest. In an instant, the Don's expression turned from dreary to delighted. It was no surprise, of course. Women were always his mood-maker. Tifa and Yuffie did not bother to face the door, for they made an assumption it was a random whore a man in black picked up in Sector One. Aeris, though, right after she exchanged glances with this newcomer, she immediately hoped her two friends would glance back.

Even after being covered by layers of makeup and womanly fabrics, if it was not for Yuffie, Cloud Strife would never had been found out.

"O, glory!" the Don hastily went to Cloud's side, who was secretly pouting in distress, and examined the boy's feminine face. "What a babe! Young man, I'm tripling your salary!"

It was if a heavenly light had transcended. "Yessir!"

Strange how this pervert had a split-personality that constantly changed.

"Now mademoiselle," Corneo kindly gestured, "if you would please take a seat..."

Cloud glanced around. He can visibly see a mock expression from Aeris, and gritted his teeth at this. He had to wonder why Tifa and Yuffie did not bother to look at him, though. But he did not mind, that would spare laughs from the two giggly girls. So he sat beside Yuffie and--

--regretted that he ever sat next to her in such a spurious disguise. Yuffie, a master of costumes and camouflage, would laugh at him.

And she did.

"What is it, Yuffie?" Tifa turned her head around finally, and stopped dead. Her jaw slightly opened. Something inside her stomach was tickling. She mouthed, "Cloud?"

Oh, boy. So much for getting away from massive humiliation.

"What's so funny, ladies?"

Cloud's head snapped up. Where did the psycho 'yee-haw'ing pedophile go?

"Anyway," the Don circled around table, taking careful, steady glances at each of any one of them, "shall we?"

Aeris gulped, she felt a jump on her stomach, and she knew the others felt just the same. She was not surprised that Cloud did not show any hint of someone being nervous. After all, it was predictable that the mercenary would not be the choice of the night, due to his obvious features that shown those of a man. It seemed as if the Don was not interested to muscular women either.

Cloud recapped, "'Shall we'?"

Yuffie swung a knuckle faintly on the blonde's shoulder, signifying an upcoming threat.

"Now," the Don leaned forward, resting his body on the top of his large, sausage fingers which were balanced on the table. A grin suppressed maliciously, showing a hint of jeopardy, "who shall it be?"

The old man lifted his legs and crouched on the table, looking at all the world like a frog readying its prey by a lotus leaf, the tongue was ready to fire. He bobbed his head toward Tifa, who let out a gasp. The first thing his eyes were peered at were inevitably her inflatable breasts. Even Cloud had to gawk at them at their reunion three years ago. For all he knew, Tifa had the flattest chest of all the girls in his town.

Yet, the Don seemed to ignore those. Instead, he started scanning Aeris, who tried covering her face with loose locks. Cloud had almost forgotten the brunette was a world-class hunt. A royal princess of the Terrenians. Her face must had been more familiar than any one else.

So the Don overlooked her, and started examining a shivered Yuffie. Thank God he's an idiot. Little did Cloud know, Yuffie had always been a bait whenever Cid's crew were aiming a perverted target. But the poor rogue was never used to it. No wonder she hated it whenever she witnessed a wedding between a successful politician and a fourteen-year-old.

But the Don's expression did not change one bit, and before he realized, it was Cloud's turn of examination. As Yuffie sighed in relief, Cloud tried his best not to show any masculine tinge. Every time Corneo bobbed his head to either of his sides, he turned his head to the other. Not forgetting the weird stench this pervert had...

"It's DECIDED!"

Cloud's chair almost jumped.

"Uh-oh," he heard Yuffie muttered.

Corneo raised a thumb triumphantly, "The special guest of the night would be--"

The girls closed their eyes.

"--this tough-looking one!"

Silence ensued.

Cloud saw the girls exchanged quizzical glances, and literally gawked at him as if they had seen a ghost. Don Corneo was grinning, the widest grin he had seen tonight, and it was admittedly disgusting. He wondered if the girl Corneo meant as 'tough-looking' was Tifa, as she had the hardest fists he ever saw. That was, until he saw the tip of Corneo's finger...

"Me?" he squeaked.

The Don victoriously nodded.

"W-Wait a minute, I mean," he cleared his throat and readjusted his voice, "please wait a moment!"

Aeris was quite taken to Cloud's talent of voice acting. He had successfully imitated her voice and fooled the Terrenian queen. Even with a slightly hoarse voice, what he did was very impressive.

"Ohhh... what is it, love?" Corneo caught Cloud's hand, which seemed so small compared to his. "I love it when chicks play hard to get!"

Cloud fought back, but further attempts were useless. "No!" his manly voice accidentally went out in a screech, "You don't want me, REALLY!"

The Don looked slightly offended. "Oh?" he tested, "Why not?"

"Ummm," Cloud stammered, eyes hovering to every point of the room. He had a minor thought he looked utterly helpless in front of the other three. "well..."

"C'mon now!" Corneo started pulling the younger man's arm. "No time to waste!"

"Whoa!"

In an immediate, Don Corneo lifted Cloud's body up to his shoulder. The old man beamed in glory, chanting merrily, "Now to our bed of roses..."

"H-HEY!" Cloud shrieked on top of his lungs as Corneo kicked the door open, singing joyously by the corridor, being gazed upon by the Don's depraved underlings. "Lemme go!"

Tifa promptly went for the door, alerted, "Cloud!"

"Boys!" Corneo chimed aloud, "You can take the rest!"

Cloud's head bobbled. "What!?"

"Hey!" Tifa clenched her fists. "You can't do that!"

"Wah!" a man in glittery gold suit suddenly snatched Yuffie's arm. "Getta way from me, ya big galoot!"

Cloud started throwing his fists on Corneo's back, fighting for freedom. The girls seemed awfully miserable if compared to him. In the midst of men in suits, the three were crowded like ants to sugar. To his dismay, Corneo seemed impenetrable to his blows, even though none knew Cloud was a man. Perhaps, most of this politician's victims did the same, that the Don was almost invulnerable to punches on his back.

"You..." Cloud tried another blow of punches. "Don't touch them!"

BANG!

The Don went paralyzed, as he stared at the small crack on the wall, where inside a bullet peeped among the surface.

"Alrighty," a gravelly voice triggered, "I'll take that gift back."

Faint mist began emerging around the main hall, as the door boy realized the entrance was wide opened. Rising through the mist were three shadowy figures, stepping slowly into the scene with guarded arms. On the facade was a tip of a revolver, aimed neatly to the direction of the crack on the wall. Upon reappearing, a smirk came first.

"Cid!" Tifa calmed down, somewhat smiling in joy. "Barret! Vincent!"

"Intruders!" Corneo fumed. "Get 'em, boys!" he ordered.

"B-But, sir," a man stuttered, eyes attached on the size of Barret's mechanical arm, "th-they're armed!"

SMACK!

"Shuddup, scumbag!" Yuffie landed her foot after giving the servant a clean kick. "It's your fault for messing with us in the first place!"

POW! BONK! SLAM! THUMP! SMASH!

"And looks like none of you are much of an opponent either." Tifa stretched her arms, beaming in victory. Surrounding her were scattered, beaten men in disfigured composure.

Cid mused absently, "Looks like you guys can handle it after all!"

"But why do I have to be in this plot?" Vincent's eyes flashed monotonously, "What a waste of time."

"Stop bein' such a stuck-up!" Barret retorted, "Sometimes ya gotta throw yer pride as a hunter!"

Gazing unpleasantly at the sight of his flattened army, Don Corneo went mortified. "Y-You!" his face went bleak, "You've defeated all my men!" fists clenched, he gritted his teeth, "You'll pay for this..."

Then unconsciously released his grip to Cloud and dropped him. "Ow!"

"Come," the Don commanded, "BRIKIN!"

Faint sounds of giant footsteps ensued.

"What's that?" Tifa spun worriedly.

"I dunno," Cid took a silver spear from one of Corneo's exhibited knight statues, "but I don't think we're gonna like it."

"Cloud!" Aeris knelt down before the mercenary's head. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but," wiping the thick makeup away, the blonde motioned a hand around his corset, "this thing's killing me..."

CRASH!

The group paused, and gaped at the vast opening on the wall. The first object in sight was a massive blade halted in front of a gigantic figure. It resembled the look of a knight in shining armor, except it was giant and mechanical and generated by steam. As the mist began to fade, from the leaks of its large headpiece, a red vibrant light flashed sharply, hovering around and about.

Secretly trembling, Yuffie stumbled, "It's so... big..."

"And what the #&#'s flashin' from it's helmet!?" Barret barked.

"Damn," Cid pulled back his spear, "I never agreed on getting into this much trouble..."

"Everybody," Cloud shouted, "RUN!"

The party immediately sprinted to the other side of the corridor where it brought them to the eastern wing of the mansion. Every now and then, Cloud would fortuitously step on his gown and trip, or Aeris would tumble over her high-heeled sandals. Cloud would had change his attire, but despite the Brikin's speed, there was no time. The princess, though, had kicked her shoes off and was running in bare feet.

But then, as the hallways of artistic statues and pictures ended, the group ran into a large painting of--none other than--the Don himself.

"How ugly..." Yuffie murmured in disgust.

"Now's not the time for nonsense!" Cloud screeched in all his glory of a crossdresser's manner. "We gotta find another way out before it finds us!"

"But it's a dead end!" Tifa remarked worriedly.

Barret muttered a curse.

"You ought to do it fast," Vincent readied his beloved pistol, reloading its contents with another set of ammunition Cloud was yet to discover, "because it's already blocking our way."

"Blocking our way!?"

Cloud turned to face the eye of the Brikin's giant blade. It was so huge that, even when automaton was not near him, its sword can easily reach him and slice him to pieces. It was scary, of course, how Midgar had invented such monstrous thing, and how a landlord like Corneo had it for himself.

"Damn!" he started reaching his back, as if his sword were there, "Where's my sword!?"

"Here!" Barret drew a smaller kind of the Brikin's weapon, "Ya outta bring it yerself next time, kid."

"Yeah," Cloud pulled his sword out of its glove, "thanks."

"Cloud!" he suddenly heard Tifa cried, "Behind you!"

"Whoa!"

A giant metal arm swung on top of his head, making contact with the wall as it turned from solid to scatter.

"Looking dangerous there," Cid gave a mock expression, "if ya can't fight with a dress then don't push it!"

"What do you care..." Cloud sneered. That was, before he caught a glimpse of another metal arm swinging to a certain brunette's direction. He alarmed, "Aeris, WATCH OUT!"

The princess gasped. In a matter of seconds, she quickly crouched to the corner of the hall, just a few inches beside the chaotic view of a massive mechanical knuckle and a destroyed piece of art. The painting of the Don was ruined.

Aeris coughed. Her hand was slapping into mid air as the filth of the destruction began to vanish.

"Aeris!" Cloud rushed to her side, holding tightly to her shoulders, "Are you okay?"

"Cloud!" Yuffie called, "Look!"

The mercenary promptly turned his head to the direction of Yuffie's index finger. Revealed on the back of the shattered masterpiece was a dark hidden stairway. Cloud furrowed his brows, he can barely see the stairs were made of stones, and it was a completely different place compared to that of this mansion. Faded scents of water and soil transpired gradually. It was an exit.

"A secret passage?"

"Hurry!" Cid demanded, "Hurry and get in before it gets us!"

Disregarding Aeris dim coughs, Cloud faced at the Brikin. Apparently, it was attempting to readjust itself, as both of its arms were still frantically attached to what they destroyed. As steam began fuming here and there, again, the glaring red laser started flashing about. It was preparing from another pursuit.

"Yeah," Cloud pulled Aeris up, "let's go!"

As Cid called the two once more, Cloud and Aeris began running through the staircase.

To her surprise, her feet--though they were bare--were not tired at all. Perhaps, it was because they were heading downwards, but she chose not to think of it. In fact, Aeris was more interested to know how long and deep these stairs were, so she peeped by the end of the banister and looked down. At a glimpse, it seemed almost endless. It was as if this stairway was a road to the center of Gaia.

But as the stairs came to an end, so did her imagination.

"It's so dark in here..." she heard Cloud said.

"Wah!" a voice squealed in the dark, "I can't see anything!"

"Calm down, Yuffie!" Tifa demanded gently.

Then after a little tinge of fire--woosh--the rock-strewn passageway instantly showed its structural outlines. They saw Vincent by the nearby flame torch, blowing off a small fire on the tip of a small wooden stick.

Regardless, Cloud started looking around for hints of further moves. Faintly but surely, he heard sounds of another massive destruction by the Brikin, but it did not look like it would fit through the narrow stairway. As he started walking deeper to the darker parts of the room, he could had sworn he heard voices of--

"Chocobos?"

Stood in front of him were three royal-crested chocobos with a rather large vessel bind around their necks and shoulders. Playfully, the harmless animals were poking each other with glee. Perhaps, due to the dullness and darkness of this secret hideaway, these creatures tried to kill their time by nudging their pointy nostrils. They were just chocobos, after all.

"A boat?" Tifa leaned forward to peep the dusty seats of the yacht. "Is this some kind of secret path to a certain place?"

"I wonder where it's takin' us." Barret pondered.

"And they're blue chocobos too!" Yuffie tickled one of them on the ear, which was greeted warmly with a lighthearted "kweh!"

Cid took a peep down over the edge of the pebbly platform. "Well, whaddaya know," he smirked weakly, "they're standing on water."

"Princess," Vincent's eyes peered at a wondering Aeris, "do you know something about this?"

Aeris cupped her chin with her palm. "Not exactly," she contemplated, "but in big cities like Midgar and Nibelheim, several upperclassmen such as Don Corneo have secret passages in their homes that usually lead to the castle. I may be wrong, but this might be one of them."

"Well," Cid deliberated, "it's not impossible. Besides, it's not like we've got any other place to go." he shrugged, "If we go back now, that Brikin thing's gonna chuck our heads off."

"He's right." Cloud remarked, "Let's go!"

-tbc-

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a/n:
Finally... UPDATED!!! So I guess I'm late by one day... but anyway, happy new year 2005!!! (w00t) Not to mention, this is our 10th chapter!! Such way to celebrate the first day of the new year... Hope the best for all of you in this new enchanted set of 365 days! (hugz everybody 'til they're bright 'n blue)

Anyway, I'm so sorry for not being able to update as fast as I should be... If you've read my waffles, you would've know, but if you don't then... sadly, I've deleted it. prohibits non-story uploads. Bah. But anyway, as a compliment--although it's not much--I've changed the format of the story. I'll apply it to older chapters as well. Line breaks are starting to get annoying.

BTW, before you yell at me, yes, Corneo's character is a little OOC. But really, I hate dirty-old-men-type-of-characters so much that I think it's a stereotype. So instead of your typical perverted pedophile, I made Corneo a character with a split personality... and I guess you've seen it. Y'know, one time he's normal and all, then the next minute he's all "Yee-haw--" (mass sweatdropping)

Also, before you yell at me, the underground chocobo vessel is somehow inspired by the Gargan Roo. And yeah, I know that Corneo's pet is supposedly Rapps (and not a robot), but I never really like winged creatures, so sue me. BTW, the robot Brikin is actually from the manga MAR. I wanted something to look like Alexander but I'm VERY short in names.

Last time, I forgot to answer your reviews. So yeah, here I am!

Okami no hanyou: I'm so sorry for not being able to be the kind of writer who writes fast... Bah. I know. I'm a big slacker. But anyway, thanks for being faithful as you've been! (hugz) Hopefully, the next one wouldn't be such a time-killer. Keep your fingers crossed! Also Happy Saturnalia to you too!

BTW, regarding your FF8 question, I used to play FF8 a long time ago, until I got stuck in Disc 3 where I realized I was so underleveled (meeeep).

Ex-Soldier 1: I didn't realize my story is funny so, thanks for having the time to laugh and gag with it!

TBM: Really... I have absolutely no idea the last chapter was funny. Basically when I try to write a humor fic, it'd turn corny. This fic isn't, and it made people laugh, now that's something interesting.

Ahhhh... those words... blame the Thesaurus for providing them. Sometimes I'm just so out of inspiration that I seek help from others... (gibberishgibberish)

WildfireDreams: WAH! Not another laughing reader!! (feeling somehow overstressed) Looks like I could write myself a humor fic...

Videl: That review was soooo comforting. Your words encouraged me! Thanks a lot! (hugz tight)

First off, if this really is your most favorite Cleris AU fic in the net then you must be crazy. For all I know, most people insisted the best Cleris AU fic in the net is my friend Krishna Faye's When Luck Runs Out (which happens to be my fave too.) Secondly, I don't really think my writing is that good, but if you think so then, that'd be my pleasure!

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this story! I'm not sure this fic would cast colors to your Xmas break but... again, thanks so much!