Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they belong to Square Enix and Tetsuya Nomura.

AN: If you've read this through once with all the crappy writings that were originally in the fanfic, or you're just starting to read this. Thank you for taking the time to read this. For the ones that originally read this, hope you're enjoying the edited chapters of this. In that last one, the bold italicized part of the end of the chapter between Cloud and his Alter Persona of sorts, that was meant to be a kind of dream sequencing stand in for Sephiroth. So as to not confuse you guys. Other wise. Enjoy the story.

Chapter 6

Today had started out with a kamikaze of a ticking bomb that was waiting to drop on unsuspecting heads. It had started ticking off the moment Zack had made his remarks on the way to the Cafe. Everything had been a mixture of concussion caused delirium, sprinkled on top of a kamikaze mountain of utter disposition. Cloud wanted nothing more then to wake from this "dream turn nightmare". He wanted to come back to the world of reality. But even if he returned to the world of Reality; there would still be the element hanging around. The element that he was a downright, Barbara Streisand loving, musical watching, stereotypical gay man, new gay. Was there any such title or word for that? What was he suppose to do now, now that he realized those times back in Niblehiem; those times when he was the odd man out in sports. He realized why some of the guys on the basketball team in High School had an odd smirk on their face. It usually was after a game that they spent extra time patting him on the butt.

Why hadn't he realized it sooner?

Even if he had realized sooner, how would his Mom take to having a gay son?

He realized why he hadn't come to the realization sooner.

His mother would be all about lectures. And oh how she loved to lecture. It came with the fact she had been a Teacher and thought she shouldn't have to give up the role of teacher the moment she stepped over the threshold into her own home. It was her philosophy that you never stopped learning. Even if he had told his Mom he was gay; she could have turned into the dedicated Mother that determined to give him "safe gay sex tips". Embarassing enough without having her show her diagrams of how it was done and what to do to assure he didn't catch anything. It was hard enough that his Mom had given him the "Birds and the Bees" talk before he was even in Junior High.

Thankfully, he had held it all back till now.

As he stood in the alleyway, contemplating all that had happened. Everything was new, exciting, but scary.

How was he going to reveal to his friends and family that he was no longer the same Cloud?

If Zack had any say in it, he would just wave it off as, 'just because you're gay, doesn't mean you change that much!' Something that Cloud chuckled to himself as he imagined an adorned Zack, much like his subconscious. So he labeled the imaginary figure that had appeared to him. Zack would just stand there and tell him all of the things he would be now; no different then who he was now. A weight was lifting off his shoulders as he started to head for the car; the jingle of the car keys in his fingers bounced with his foot steps.

"…Okay, just…take it slow and easy, Cloud. Zack may think you're a freaking hypocrite. I know I put him down for going to down the highway to Hell of choices for his orientation, but…"Cloud rested his head on the top of the steering wheel as he tried to figure out the best way to get over the overly flippant, imaginary little Gay Man in his subconscious,"…On the other hand, he's going to start hanging all over you and asking what took you so long to get out of the closet and realize your true colors…"

It wasn't going to be easy, "Cloud, all I can tell you, as your inner Gay Man is this," the man placed his hand on Cloud's shoulder, "Its always easier to come out to your friends…that is a bigger hurdle then coming out to your family. Your friends at first may seem a little taken back and may keep their distance for a while, but, it'll get you ready for coming out to your family…"

The pep talk was needed, but it wasn't helping alleviate the bubbling feelings, "That's the thing…I'm going to go approach the guy that brought on all these feelings, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to contain myself without absolutely blurting out my revelation…"

"Oh sweetie, its never easy, anything you have to do with your life, be it coming out and telling that special someone you want to marry them to that first time you even suggest that you and that special girl in your life take the relationship a little farther. It'll all work out, but…" the figure's face appeared once again between the driver and passenger seats of Cloud's car, "You better get a move on to that Café before Mr. Tall, Silver, and Handsome gives up and your precious little book is lost forever in the hands of some absolute stranger."

xxx

Zack did everything but jump off the curb when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, "Hey, Zack's phone, what's up?"

"Zack…it's Cloud…"

"Cloud! Hey, where are you? You said you'd be here already and it's been 20 minutes…"

Cloud ran his hand through his hair as the figure in the passenger seat admired his fingernails and fixed pieces of his wardrobe, "…Would you believe a little old lady versus a big mouthed gorilla blocked the intersection and I had to take a Detour?"

Even if Zack couldn't see it, Cloud was sheepishly grinning, "Did you at least capture it on your cell for me to watch later?"

"Zack…" Angeal leered at the man with all seriousness as Zack turned and gave the man a simple, childish face as he turned back to the phone.

"Either way, you're on your way back now, aren't you?"

"…Yeah, but I've got to talk to someone at the Café…"

"Whatever just come back and pick us up…My feet are killing me…"

"Alright, alright, I'm on my way…" with that, the phone clicked closed as Cloud started to pick through the 'Recent Calls' part of his phone to find the unknown number.

The figure in the Passenger seat watched Cloud nibble on his lower lip, "I thought you called your…Oh…" the figure's voice drawled out as he sat back and watched the teen go into auto-pilot.

xxx

Sephiroth looked at his watch, wondering if this Cloud person was worth his time to wait for him or just leave a note for the boy with his Publisher/Editor. But sicking Raechel on an unsuspecting young man was not worht ruining the young fan. He was going to give the boy five more minutes before he left the book with Raechel, and a note that held his number to reach him at. The more time he spent at the Cafe, the more time he was taking away from getting matters in order for the Book Tour. And it was also time away from Raechel that he didn't have any other time ouf ot the year. Waiting on others to show up was a trait he had inherited from Raechel. And it was a trait she had developed as a child from watching her Mother waiting for her Father.
The only thing he didn't inherit from her was her harsh way of criticizing people. It was apparent as he saw the number that light up on the screen of his cell phone; a ghost of a smile began to cross the lips.

"…Hello?"

Cloud seemed a little taken back by the answer he got on the other end of the line as the alternative ego sat waiting for the befuddled and nervous about speaking blond to finally open his mouth, "…It's Cloud Strife…"

"Ah, Mr. Strife," Sephiroth acted the part of the unworried, waiting holder of a lost item for the one seeking it, but it was played too well and it was making the air about the phone call feel tighter then it needed to be, "I was getting worried that you had forgotten about your book…I would feel sorry if I didn't return it to you…"

He was trying hard to not hyperventilate at the image of the man sitting in a Café chair, with those long silver locks trailing down the back of the chair as an almost shoujo manga image was painted around the man, eyes transfixed on the phone while waiting for the next word to hear from the befuddled and cage rattled caller, but Cloud's mind almost made him scream when the odd alternative form touched his arm.

"Sweetie, you've got to calm down, your heart is racing like a jack rabbit on Speed…just calm down, getting worked up over this guy isn't going to help you any…" the figure took his hand off Cloud's arm as he watched Cloud take up the phone again.

"Sorry about worrying you…I got sidetracked because it seems that a little old lady fighting a guy twice her size is something that tends to draw a lot of attention…"Cloud softly chuckled, but it sounded forced which made his alternative ego just empathetic roll his eyes at how hard Cloud was trying, "Traffic was a mess."

Sephiroth's voice came over the phone, rich and inviting but there was a soft chuckle to it, a chuckle that sounded more like he was humoring the trying too hard blond, "I can imagine it was…"

The two talked on the phone for a little while longer and before Cloud knew it; he was back at the Café, staring up at the sight of Zack and Angeal watching with a look of why was the guy still on his phone and when did he develop the talent to unlock the car doors without even looking at the door lock button.

"Hey," Zack waved a hand in front of Cloud's face which seemed to snap him out of it, "You going to hang up the phone and drive?"

"I see you've got guests, Mr. Strife," Sephiroth's voice broke the phone as the sound of a chair scraping was heard, "I could meet you outside the Café and hand you back your book so you can get your guests back home…"

Cloud flew into an almost panic and was thinking over the idea of breaking Zack's wrist if he continued to wave his hand in front of his face, "N-No…It's fine, I'll just ask one of my guests to drive my car back, I don't mind riding the bus back to my apartment…"

Zack looked over the passenger seat at Angeal with a look of absolute stun, what was going on with Cloud? When the last time they had seen the guy he was a frazzled mess, ready to murder Zack back at the apartment for some remark he had made in regards to the duties and how much had been done on bringing stuff into the apartment, to a mess of screaming, 'I like toast!' at some guy he didn't even know that he had started approaching then had taken off running like a mad man. What had happened to Cloud in the time he had ditched them at the Café for the hour and a half that they had been there? It came simply as Cloud turned off the car and tossed the car keys at Zack as Cloud got out of the car, never once removing the cell phone from his ear as he walked towards the patio where he had found the man that afternoon.

"What the hell was that all about?" Zack looked over at Angeal as the man got out and stole the keys from Zack and positioned himself into the driver's seat.

Angeal placed the car into drive and headed for the apartment, "I don't know, Pup, but I'm sure he can do it without our help…And it's none of your business but what is your business is getting some rest before class tomorrow morning."

"Aw, you're no fun, Angeal…"

xxx

Sephiroth and Cloud's conversation seemed to escalate; Cloud felt like he had known this man forever, it was strange; he had never opened this much with someone especially in one single phone call, "Well, I think I see you, Mr. Strife…" the call was ended as the phone was closed.

Cloud stood frozen in place as he saw the man moving towards him, feet were screaming to the mind to run and forget about that frilly little fairy that had put into his head that Cloud was no longer one of those straight as an arrow statistic but something else was there, binding and gagging those feet that wanted to run. The heart was speaking for the scared, frightened, scatterbrained mind as something soothing seemed to drape itself over Cloud, whispering comforting words into his ears.

It'll be alright…maybe he's not what you think he is…he could be interested in you…and he could only be interested in a simple friendship with you…give him a chance…

"…I want to believe that, but…" Cloud's knees were beginning to knock, even as he placed his hands on them to stop their knocking, "…I'm scared out of my mind."

Just have faith…have faith and it will work out…

Do or die time that was all it was now as Cloud found himself a few feet away from Sephiroth, "Mr. Strife, I assume?"

Cloud faintly nodded, "Y-Yes."

"I think you meant to take this with you when you left here in such a rush," Sephiroth turned the book over and over in his hands as he seemed to admired it, "You know, I've never really had a chance to really admire my own work. Quite amazing, don't you think? You write something, submit for publishing and then you never get to see a copy of the finished product unless it's being shoved in my face by some unruly fan."

Sephiroth seemed to continue to talk on and on and all Cloud could do was just nod and agree with everything the man was saying, "I'm sorry for the random outburst when I approached you earlier today…I don't know what came over me…"

"It's alright…"Sephiroth waved the remark off as he seemed to become intrigued by the way Cloud seemed to look unconsciously cute, but at the same time, remain serious about what he was talking about, "I've heard stranger things before, from 'I think you're the best thing alive' to 'Will you marry me?' while down on bended on knee and ready to shackle themselves to me."

Cloud could only lightly chuckle, "I guess its all in a day's work for a man with your charming good looks."

"Why Mr. Strife…" Sephiroth seemed to had locked in on Cloud's words right then and there as he leaned in close against Cloud's face, "Are you hitting on me?"

"N-No! Whatever gave you that impression?" Cloud was headed into a tailspin and anyone that could've seen him right now, the mere image would have looked one of those cartoonish chibi animation cartoons. Where the spazzing figure was desperately trying to get out of a situation that they had planted themselves into, almost comical was the word for the situation.