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

AN: XP Yep, more edited chop job of the chapters of this. For my long time readers, enjoy the revised chapter. For the newer readers, enjoy. I'm slowly dragging things out, and also giving hints as to some of the character's pasts instead of leaving it on for the WAY later chapters. That I know most of my older readers who've been w/this since its start know what I'm talking about. To any new readers, well, I won't go into great detail. All I'll say is, someone reviewed one of the later Chapters and it was inquiring about backstory for Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. You'll understand why later on...just a fair heads up spoiler to my newer readers. Let's just say...Angeal meets up with an old "friend" who ends up nearly taking Angeal's life. Stay tuned for more editing. Slowly getting back on the horse about this as creativity strikes me. Especially since I'm here and there finishing up GMV (Gaming Music Video) Projects on my Hard Drive so...yeah. I'll get to the end of this tale eventually ^^;

Chapter 9

"Heh..." a sigh pursed out through Sephiroth's lips as he fingered his phone in his hands.

Light tapping of fingers could be felt inside of his inner conscious as his conscious stared towards the blinking monitor, "Do I need to start playing the Jeopardy theme or are you going to make up your mind?"

Sighing again, Sephiroth set his phone aside and closed out the program he had been using to write the short story. Running digits through his locks, he placed his head in his hands as he sat at the desk, "What am I doing? Seriously, what am I doing?"

"Um...you are...mentally beating yourself up over whether or not to call up the little blond and committing Writer's Suicide by going behind your Publisher's back?"

"Not helpful," sighing, Sephiroth pushed away from the desk to track down a drink, "All I wanted to do was get through the upcoming Book Tour for the so called 'Oh so wonderful masterpiece' I just turned into Raechel. With my sanity intact."

Sanity intact?

That was an understatement of the century at this time.

When the sense of realizing that no longer was he going to be able to chase skirts, not that he did to start, was gone. All sense of sensibility, and sanity. They went out the window like a gilded bird flying free from its cage. Sephiroth was only starting to realize this as he poured the amber liquid into a glass and sipped on it. Everything was falling apart.

More in the sense of all he knew.

It was all gone.

"...Why am I always the last person to realize what was right in front of me?"

The past has its ways of coming back to haunt us, especially during times that the mind is on a downward spiral. Too many times that he could count, Sephiroth had been given almost blantantly obvious hints that he wasn't as straight as he seemed. His College Roommate, a girl, as odd as it would seem to be. She had picked up on it and had made it obvious after the one fight that had caused them to have to part on uncertain terms. It would be awkward to have to try and find a new place to crash with the lack of available rooms. Once the Semester had closed out, they had parted. But as this stroll down memory lane continued on, there were other times it had been just as obvious when he had been around his High School chums.

Where were they these days?

For all he knew, Genesis was a raging queen...in prison.
Angeal was probably coping with what had happened that one night long ago and was hopefully with someone that had his heart in their hands. And was making him happy. If there was one person who deserved to be happy, it was Angeal. Especially given what had happened to change their trio like frienship. A gentle smile crossed Sephiroth's lips as he put the glass down. It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone else, especially get reaquainted with an old friend. He had thought he had spotted the man out of the corner of his eye during all the chaos at the Cafe. His wish that his old friend would find someone to own his heart seemed to had been answered by the raven haired youth at the man's side.

"It seems you've been thinking a lot about the past, and here I thought you had buried all of that..."the conscious spoke up, "But then again...what do I know? I'm just annoying little gay Jiminy Cricket in your ear."

Rolling his eyes, "Do you ever shut up?"

"Uh, I would if you would just call the kid! What's the harm in just calling the boy up?"

"Many things. But I think its best if I just take a few days to let him come down the cloud he's on from being around me...because I'm sure he's just as confused and overwhelemd as I am."

XXX

Angeal watched as Zack and Cloud talked amongst themselves; he had cringed when Zack screeched out loud like a girl when Cloud spilled the beans. It was bound to happen eventually. Watching the sight of his young love fawning over Cloud reminded him of a time in his youth when someone he had known had done just that. Except now, he was spending time in prison for assault charges. Images of a night he found drowning out of his mind now and again. The night he had met Zack in the bar; it had been the anniversary of when it had all happened. Hoping to ignore what was nagging at him with images of the fateful night with booze. It had seemed fate had meant to intervene for the better half of his sanity. Zack was nothing like that man who had all but destroyed his life and mental state.

Zack was gentle, innocent, kind, and loving.

He had been a monster that wanted to get off. Not caring if he was hurt in the process or how Sephiroth would react to the two doing what they had done.
Looking at Cloud, he could see that Cloud was the worried, scared, and naive young man that Angeal had been when he had been called over to his place. Zack's excitement was overshadowing all of Cloud's emotions and worries.

"Zack," Angeal called out to the youth, as he waited for him to bring his attention onto Angeal, "Pup."

Cloud had to shake his friend before the ravenette turned his attentions on who was calling him, "Yes love cakes?"

Chuckles could be heard leaving Cloud's lips as he tried to divert his attention from looking at Angeal's blushing face, "Why don't you let up on Cloud for awhile? I'm sure he's got a million questions and I'm sure you're overwhelming him."

"Not at all! Its glad to know that if I walk through the Living Room in the nude I won't have to worry about Cloud being a little taken aback by it."

"...Zack. You do that even now. And I'll still be looking away because I'm not gonna be ruled by that thing between my legs. Compared to you."

Now, it was Angeal's turn to chuckle.

"Hmph. You're both against me now?"

"Not at all...I just...I need some time to adjust, and I guess get prepared for the rash of name calling...especially once...once..."

Zack sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I forgot about her. There's no doubt that its gonna get around that you're going after the same team now. Just what she needs to drag you down."

"Well, all I know is, gentlemen, we need to finish unpacking the apartment and get some dinner in this place," Angeal remarked as he draped his arms around the teen's shoulders, "So, Zack. You've got book duty with putting them on the shelves and keeping textbooks OFF the shelves. And Cloud, you get to direct."

"What?" Zack squawked as a box of books was placed in his arms, "When did you decide that?"

Another was placed on top of the one in his arms, "Just now. You're more quiet when you're stuck working."

XXX

"Call him, call him...call him...call him..."'

Sephiroth rolled his eyes as he put down his book, "You're not gonna shut up about him until I do that, right?"

"Right on the nose, sweetie...now. DO IT."

"You do know that I'm trying to avoid a restraining order, right?"

"Just call him up and tell him that you enjoyed the small encounter you two had at the Café today and would like to maybe talk a little more about it, as just two innocent strangers that share an interest in your work. Nothing too formal or informal, just, a chat."

It was easy enough to suggest such things, but to do it was a different story. But it seemed, he wasn't going to get any peace until he did it, "I guess…it could work," Sephiroth fingered the phone, debating whether or not listening to someone who wasn't there was the best thing to do, "Do you really think it's the best idea."

This was when it seemed to go, odd; "Darling, have I steered you wrong…yet? Hmmm? Name me one time yet that I have steered you wrong, I dare you to and I bet you can't think of a ONE."

"Well…" Sephiroth's face seemed to crack into an almost devilish smirk as to prove the alter ego wrong.

"OH COME ON! I haven't even done anything to help you just yet!"

"Get over yourself, I was kidding…" the soft teal green eyes in Sephiroth's head rolled back in a nonsensical fashion, "Geez, learn to chill."

The conscious took offense at the man's words and it was showing on his pouting, brooding face. The look upon the man's face seemed to remind Sephiroth of the blond, "Alright, I was in the wrong, but, do you have any idea how this could work by calling him up and seeing about all of this…especially asking him to help publish this project?"

Painted eyes rolled, "Like I've said, you won't know till you at least try…for all you know, the kid might be open to it. You never know…just call up the kid."

"…Well…" Sephiroth's fingers began to click over the keypad on the phone as he waited for the phone to ring and it rang and rang, "…Maybe he won't answer."

WHAP!

"Ow! What was that all about?"

"Have faith that he'll pick up!"

Sephiroth sighed as he listened to the phone ring till the sound of a voice mail reached his ears, "Heh, Hello, this Sephiroth Maximus...we ran into one another at the local Cafe earlier this afternoon over the book you left behind. I don't want this to come off sounding...weird. But, I was wondering if we could meet at the Cafe for some coffee sometime. Either way, here's my number..."

XXX

Cloud watched as Zack flopped across Angeal's lap on the sofa, "Work. Hard."

"You hardly did anything," Angeal remarked as he ran a hand through Zack's locks, "Oh come on, Pup, it couldn't have been that bad."

"Hmph. Says you, Slave Master."

"Well, I guess we're done, how about we go out for a bite to eat?" Cloud inquired as he saw the thunder cloud that crossed Zack's face, "What?"

Zack didn't have to say much, "...If we are going anywhere out to eat, you'll get to drive so that I don't ditch you guys again. I promise."

"That's a compromise I can handle!" Zack beamed as he scrambled off Angeal's lap and went to get ready to head out.

"You sure you ready to let him behind the wheel of your car, Cloud?" Angeal inquired as he watched the Pup get ready, "You do remember what he did the last time he got behind a car."

"...I know all too well. That video is still up on the internet from that Amusement Park that's banned us. Believe me. I know."

XXX

Hanging up, Sephiroth put the phone aside, "Well? What happened?"

"You should be able to realize what happened...He probably has his phone off or is busy ignoring any calls to his phone. I got his voicemail inbox."

"Heh...Oh well...Maybe he'll call back..."

"Maybe, but I guess that means I've got the rest of the evening to make out plans how to propose this short story to people...and the kid before you start bitching."

It had been awhile since Sephiroth had sat down to compose up a business plan, let alone, anything related to Publishing. He had left those details up to those who had a knack for such things. Raechel had a knack for it and was damn good at it. And she proved it time and time again. Even the young woman at one time he had had been seeing during his College years; she had been a Major in Literary Publishing. Where she was today was beyond him as he slowly typed away at the keyboard. Each keystroke was a challenge in hopes that he didn't type up the wrong thing for proposing this story to any Publisher. There weren't that many known Publishing Companies that were responsible for publishing such works. At least, not that he knew of. Before everything that had happened in less then twenty four hours, he never thought about such things. A search began about the Internet for someone that would take him without knowing who he was. Particularly, given the line of work that he wrote in. Didn't need the press taking wind of the fact that the most well known romance novelist for housewives had turned gay.

"Heh..." Sephiroth sighed as he gave up after realizing that most of the Publishing companies he found dealt more in the hardcore writings of homosexual literature, "I give up...Maybe its not meant to be."

Sighing, his conscious leaned against the man's inner walls of his mind, "Heh...well, there is the other option, sweetie. He's short, blond, and rather cute."

"He's still an option, but we won't know till he calls back."

XXX

Zack and Angeal had started for the car, leaving Cloud to find his jacket among his things. In the midst of the search, his phone felt out of his pants pocket onto the floor with a clatter, "Huh?"

"You have...one...new message," the pre-recorded voice on the phone spoke as Cloud played through the process of listening to the voice message left on his phone,

"Heh, Hello, this Sephiroth Maximus...we ran into one another at the local Cafe earlier this afternoon over the book you left behind. I don't want this to come off sounding...weird. But, I was wondering if we could meet at the Cafe for some coffee sometime. Either way, here's my number..."

"End of messages."

It was awkward silence.

The phone in his hand felt foreign, almost as if it was a snake in his hand. The message played over and over in his head like a bad message that someone had left after a bad accident. How had the man gotten a hold of his phone number? Frantically, he abandoned the search for his jacket, and began the search for the book from earlier that day. He turned it upside down and inside out, even flipping through the pages. Not a single sign of the wrapper with his number on it should the book go missing. The strange author that he had only met that day had stolen an item of his. Was he going to start stalking him now?

"Sweetie, you're shaking. What's wrong?"

"He called me."

"And? What's the social convention of things say to do?"

Silence.

"Sweetie?"

"...He wants to meet me for coffee..."

"Oh?"

Things like this never happened to him. They never happened. The opportunities always were turned around and were far different. He usually end up with mud on his face, face down in the mud hole, or crammed into a locker with a sign around his neck. But this seemed different. It was as if, fate, had decided to be kind to him. Even if it had a twisted sense of humor by revealing to him that he had been gay longer then he realized. But it seemed, fate was giving him a break with this phone call message.

"I think...I'm gonna sleep on it and give him my answer when I'm ready to do so...this isn't something to just jump into without thinking about it first," Cloud responded as he closed his phone, pocketed it and reached out for his coat, "For now, I'm going to go out and enjoy my evening with my friends. And...you need to go into hibernation for the rest of the night. I'd rather enjoy my evening without some voice nagging me."

Making a gesture to symbolize he understood, the little man conscious went silent.

I just hope I make the right decision...I don't want to end up hurt like...like she did to me...The heart doesn't forget past hurts...hopefully. The heart can get past that hurt so I can be happy...