Disclaimer – I don't own FF7

Coeurl

By Crimson Skies

Chapter Ten – The Good Old Days

"How's the view?"

"Awesome!"

"I still don't think this is a good idea…"

"Come on! You've got better balance than I do and I made it just fine!" Reno reassured his partner. "We've known each other for over a year now and you still don't trust me. You wound me…" the redhead sighed in mock sadness.

"…if anything happens, it's your fault," Cloud declared finally. Reno grinned in triumph.

He eyed the narrow beam warily. Below an excited crowd was roaring in anticipation. Cloud guessed that the fighters had just entered the arena. From where he stood, he couldn't really see anything. Too many metal beams and wires blocked his view. Which, of course, was why Reno had crawled out farther onto one of the beams in order to obtain a better view from directly over the arena. The building itself was a rundown Shinra warehouse from before the plate was built. It had been converted into a clinic and later an arena. In Cloud's opinion it was rather ironic. A building belonging to Shinra turned into a place of healing independent of Shinra, transformed into a place of blood and battle that was barely on Shinra's side of legal. Then again, Shinra's definition of legal was a rather vague line subject to change.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Cloud started out on the beam. Reno was right when he said Cloud had good balance. He quickly found a seat next to his friend in the center. The view really was better. They could see straight down into the pit where the two fighters faced each other. Still, Cloud had a bad feeling about what he and Reno were doing. They didn't have the money to pay for something like admittance, but Reno had wanted to see the fights very badly. Privately, Cloud admitted to wanting to watch as well. The only people he'd seen fight with any kind of skill so far had been Vincent and the Wutaians. It wasn't surprising considering that Vincent and Cloud had mostly tried to keep to themselves and avoid contact with too many people.

Sighing, he decided to focus on the fight. If they were caught, then that was that. He'd deal with it if it happened. And he'd conveniently blame Reno. It was just the way their relationship worked. Leaving never really crossed his mind.

Below him the fight had begun. He observed the opponents with a critical eye. The first was a tall brunette wielding a sword in one hand and a knife in the other. The second fighter had long black hair and was using a spear. From what he could see, the second fighter was going to win. He carried himself better and effortlessly blocked the other's attacks. It seemed to Cloud that he was waiting for his opponent to wear himself down.

"Who do you think will win?" Reno inquired, seeing the look on Cloud's face.

"The man with the spear," Cloud replied. Still, both fighters had made quite a few mistakes, but it was still only the amateur rounds. And Cloud knew that it was one thing to analyze a fight, and another thing entirely to participate.

"I think I agree," Reno said hastily as the brunette stumbled. It appeared that the sword swinger did not have much stamina.

"Indeed," Cloud snorted. Reno was good with the technological stuff Cloud wouldn't touch and could nearly rival the blonde in matters of stealth. The redhead also had an excellent grasp of long-term strategy and preparation. Cloud had more of a tendency to plan things on the go and for the near future, relying on his instincts quite a bit. However Reno did sometimes rush into things without utilizing his talent, creating problems for them on more than one occasion. And Reno had yet to beat Cloud in a fight. Not to say that Reno was useless in a fight. He could definitely hold his own. Especially since the two boys had started training together. Reno just didn't have the same kind of training or ability that Cloud did. All in all, they balanced each other out well.

The roars of the crowd caused his attention to return to the arena. Apparently the man with the spear had won. It had been a predictable fight, so Cloud's mind had wandered. The next ones were sure to be more interesting. At least, he hoped so. He anxiously awaited the arrival of the next fighters.

Battle after battle was conducted before their eyes. Usually both fighters lived and walked away to nurse their wounds or collect their prize. Some, however, wouldn't ever be rising again. Many of the fighters avoided using lethal attacks, however. If they killed all their opponents, who would they fight? And if they couldn't fight, how would they earn their pay? Cloud was a bit disturbed the crowd's nonchalant attitude towards death, but it wasn't something he hadn't seen before. People who considered battle to be entertainment didn't care much for the competitors' welfare. Still, the blond cringed every time a body was carried off the stage.

In any case, seeing all the fighting was making Cloud twitchy. That was natural. The unnatural part of him loved combat, ached for a fight. But Vincent had taught him how to control that side of him. The last thing Cloud wanted to do was something stupid. Especially something that would disappoint the gunner. Charging into a battle needlessly would certainly disappoint him. He would have to do something soon, though, as he didn't always have complete control over his feral side.

"Reno, I'm going back now," Cloud announced.

"You're going to miss some awesome fights. The experienced fighters have just started," Reno responded automatically, not turning his head from the current skirmish.

"…that's the point," Cloud said softly. His tone caught Reno's attention. The redhead studied the blond, immediately noting his dilated pupils and clenched jaw. Reno knew the signs. He'd seen it before.

"I understand," Reno assured him. "Will you be back late?"

Cloud nodded. "I'm going to hunt down some monsters."

"Right. I won't wait then."

"See you tomorrow," Cloud said, rising to his feet slowly to maintain his balance. Fate had never been kind to Cloud, and it chose this moment to mess with him once again. A miscast fire spell spiraled towards the ceiling. It was several feet away, but Cloud, with a well-deserved fear of fire, backed up instinctively…right off the beam. His body twisted mid-air to right itself before it reached the ground twenty feet below. He managed to land in an upright crouch. Unfortunately, Reno, who had reached out to catch him, fell on top of him. And so they lay sprawled in the middle of the arena between two veteran fighters. The crowd was unnaturally still. Suddenly, Cloud didn't feel like fighting anymore though it looked like he might have to.

"Reno! Get off me!" Cloud grunted from where his face was smashed against the dirt.

"I'm trying! Geez!" Reno snapped as he tried to gather his bearings. Thankfully for him, Cloud had broken his fall. The spectators watched them scramble to their feet, still not sure what to think. Cloud scanned the crowd slowly, becoming more nervous as he noticed angry security hurrying towards them.

"This is your fault you know. I told you this was a bad idea," he hissed at Reno from the corner of his mouth.

"You're the one who fell."

Cloud glared. Reno flinched. The crowd stared. The security yelled. The fighters watched with faint amusement. Cloud grasped the hilt of his dagger nervously.

Twenty minutes later

"Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I mention that this was your fault?"

"Yeah Cloud, you did. That's seven times now."

"Oh good. I wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten." Cloud glared at the door of their prison. After he'd been knocked out, Reno had surrendered. After he'd regained consciousness, the redhead had informed him of their situation. They were locked in an empty storage room, which happened to have no windows.

"Quit glaring!" Reno snapped.

"You can't even see me!"

"But you're glaring."

"No at you, at the door," Cloud corrected.

"Be happy. You can at least see the door. I'm stuck in almost total darkness," Reno told him. "You know, if it weren't for that ridiculous fear of fire, we wouldn't be in this situation."

"Yeah, but there's a good reason for that. And whose idea was it that we sneak in and watch from the beams in the first place?"

Reno stared balefully in Cloud's general direction.

"It's not me you're glaring at you know. That's an old practice dummy. What did it ever do to you?" Cloud scolded. He really wasn't in a good mood. This place was too damp and it was making his fur…skin…crawl.

"It exists, and that's bad enough."

"So, did I mention this was your fault…?"

"Eight."

"What?"

"Times. Eight times you've mentioned that."

"Oh. You mean eight times I've mentioned that this is your fault? Which it is, by the way…"

"…nine."

COEURLBYCRIMSONSKIESCHAPTERTENTHEGOODOLDDAYS

"General Sephiroth, my dear friend!" Zack began as he approached the General.

"No."

"But I didn't even ask yet!" Zack complained.

"…"

"So, I was thinking…"

"No," the General quickly cut him off.

"Damn it! Just let me ask the question!" he whined.

"I'm not letting you off early to visit your girlfriend."

"…that's not what I was going to ask…"

"Right."

ENDCHAPTERTEN

So what do you think? Sorry about the wait. I haven't had a chance to do any writing until now. This chapter's a bit short, but I've already started working on the next, so it should be out soon enough. Sooner if I get plenty of reviews. Hint hint. My brain is now fragged. Officially.

Cendrillo – Poor Sephiroth indeed. Evil guys never get any breaks, do they? Reno and Cloud get themselves in lots of trouble. It certainly makes things more interesting. (Grins evilly) This chapter was a little sloppy, I have to admit, but it was the best I could do with the restraint on time I was working under. Oh well. Hope you did well on your finals! Oh, and I'm glad you also found my portrayal of Vincent as being realistic.

Crystaline-Dragon – I'm so very glad I didn't shock too many people with Vincent's outburst. Many things will indeed change in this story. The possibilities are endless. I can't wait to see where it goes either.

Kaoru - Thank you very much for reviewing. Sorry this chapter wasn't out sooner.

rei- You're right, it'll be awhile yet before Sephiroth and Cloud meet. But I do already have an idea concerning that and it should be interesting. Things may get complicated very soon.

SarsMortis – I, personally, can't wait to see AC! Ever since I found out about it I've been waiting. It should be interesting, and will probably provide much food for fanfiction too. Of course Vincent survived. I can't go killing him so early in the story! He's far too cool.

Kiki-sama– I hope this chapter was good as well, though I think I mentioned before that I thought it was a little sloppy. In any case, Vincent will survive, but he won't have an easy time of it.

rurouniturtle– "Dear sweet oro-ing bobbit!" …MWAHAHAHAHA. That certainly is original. Glad you like it so much. I hope this chapter was out fast enough. I have enough trouble with dust bunnies, so I hardly need the mutant variety. Hojo, however, seems to be plagued by mutant bunnies. I had nothing to do with it. I swear…(cough)

azure – Glad you like it. Thanks much for the review.