okay. Since my work schedule is getting more erratic than a three legged chicken at an Octoberfest dance, I'm throwing these chapters up now before anything happens. I know, I know, ya'll wanted to wait until late tonight. Sorry. Jianre - yep. Reno surprised me too. But he's here now and intent on staying so what's a girl to do? and... no group hug would be complete without Zack, right? I'll be working with my boss tonight but I'll try to get your latest chapters reviewed. Reno's been busy apparently. Jini! how you make me grin like an idiot with your reviews. Yes, Cloud tries to be a gentleman but sometimes he's just too male. I'm sure Tifa will forgive him ;) I see Aerith as pure evil but delighted to be so. The writers that make her innocent and bland really do her a disservice I think. Glad you approve. And chapter 83 is for you. Mush away. OCV - glad I'm keeping you happy. And sure I've got a social life too. My other friends just occassionally have to listen to me gush on and on about fictional characters and story ideas is all - lol. Hey, love a writer, put up with the controlled schitzophrenia, right? And, Peeka-chan is my beta (Aw-some!) and we just exhange chapters and corrections through the email on our own. It seemed easier than involving ffnet. Vanillia Raindrop - welcome, welcome! Cold drinks are in the fridge and we might even have some leftover cake from Peeka-chan's party last week ;) Glad you're enjoying and thanks for giving the story a chance. We've come a long way and a LOT further than I'd ever expected but it's fun, so why not? Iskra - hope the final went well! We'll have cake and ice cream for you too - any excuse to party. And yeah, my Clouds and their showers. lol demonegg - aaaaand - here's Cissinei. Your writer/reader instincts were right. and - you know I just couldn't resist the blue dress ;) falynn - oh... dear. All the happiness tipped you off about the upcoming angst, eh? Let's just say, after I drop chapter 95 in a couple of weeks on all of my readers I'm going to disappear into a bunker somewhere and hide under a bed. Just sayin! Glad you're enjoying and yep, Cid's a trip and hey, someone needed to be sacrificed to Yuffie's dancing queen. writer! - hugs or cookies, whichever you prefer. The DETAILS! I love the details you put in your reviews. I couldn't resist remembering/describing the rooms at the Haunted Hotel. I really couldn't. And I'm so glad you're enjoying/approving of the way the different characters are coming across. Sometimes I feel bad for not giving Cid, Barret, etc. enough screen time so I'm glad that when they do show up to play they do well. oceanee - reviews for every chapter! And so full of details too! My happy little writer heart pulses along merrily. I can't decide who's more trouble for Tifa - Aerith or Marlene - lol. They both keep her honest at least ;) Dis - lol. I don't remember how the question came up either but you've mentioned in my reviews at least that you're male (usually when you're egging Cloud on). Intelligent reviews are always shared about ;) and - there ya go. Right hook to Reno's jaw. Though... not quite the way you'd expected. I think you'll approve though. Fairheartstrife - YAH!! I'm glad you had fun along with everyone else. Though - wow, the next dozen or so chapters are going to be rough on you. don't worry though - I'm keeping the mush and no one can take that away from us! skykhanhunter - glad you liked! Zack's a trip and writes himself most of the time. Frankly, none of the characters really listen to me anymore. Makes for a more interesting story anyway ;) akuma - LOL - don't worry, I have not lost my love of cliffhangers. But I think we're safe for the next couple of weeks. Glad you're along for the ride. I think Tifa will help you chase Reno with that big stick. Peeka-chan! now you are finally free and I missed you last week but the reviews made me very, very happy. I figure Aerith is the instigator but you know Shera's just been waiting to break out and be bad. Tae - hee! well, cloud's got priorities ;) We like him that way. mc - welcome to the dark side :) :'D - let the good times roll. The entire group is so intent on each other's business, aren't they? It's fun to write when they're all being devious about getting the different couples together. vxlunaxv - Tifa and Cloud have something weird going on with showers. Still haven't figured it out but... zi-lang - how you were missed!! Oh so much! Can't even tell you. But welcome back, welcome back! We need to throw another party I think! Ice cream cake and root beer all around, yo!! No t-rexs invited ;) and now... on with the show...
Chapter 81: Turks
Tifa was suddenly on her feet and Cloud was letting go of her with one hand to reach for the sword he wasn't wearing on his back, eyes narrowing down into instantaneous, electric aqua. Tifa had no such issues and just as Reno was grinning and asking:
"So, didja miss me, yo?"
She was swinging a fist with all the force of her entire body behind it in an uppercut that she'd perfected on dozens of monsters. She was a lot stronger and better trained now than she'd been in the slums of Midgar and it actually sent Reno up and backward into a nearby table. Without her gloves on, it had hurt but she regretted not having the gloves on more because the gloves had hard, pointy things built into the knuckles of them thanks to Cloud's constant upgrades. It didn't matter. She was still going to kick his ass. She was in the process of lunging forward to do just that, when a woman called out:
"Wait!"
Even that wouldn't have stopped her but Cloud's hand on her shoulder did. A petite red headed woman with short ringlet curls to her shoulders darted in front of Reno as he shook his head and pulled himself to his feet. Tifa recognized her too.
"Cissnei – "
"We're not here for that," the red head held up her hands in their fingerless gloves. Face sincere. "We're really not."
"What? Not here to get your teeth knocked in for trying to kill my family?"
For once, Tifa wasn't feeling like the diplomatic member of the party and she didn't unclench her fists or drop out of her fighting stance. She might be in a short skirt but that wasn't going to stop her from kicking them all into next week.
"Business, Teef," Reno was rubbing his jaw as he came to stand, sensibly, behind Cissnei.
"Do they look like 'business'?" Tifa snapped it as she gestured at her siblings. "Do they, Reno? Because they look like little kids to me! My kids, you son of a bitch!"
"Our kids," Cloud corrected, voice so calm it was terrifying. "Get out."
"Cloud – " Cissnei stopped herself from extending her hand. His hand stayed on Tifa's shoulder and his voice stayed low and flat.
"Out. Before I kill you."
The delicate woman took an involuntary step backward and Tifa saw the pain on her face and in her eyes. She understood – and if it had been anything else – she might have felt empathy. But they'd tried to kill her family and while she didn't take Cissnei's part in it personally – she defiantly took Rude and Reno's part in it very, very personally.
"Hey, I get it. Bad guys, yo." Reno was wiggling his jaw with his fingers. "But this is about bigger bad guys. Like Sephiroth."
Tifa felt Cloud go very still next to her but she also felt the coiling control and knew it wasn't because he was standing down.
"Better make it fast then," Zack's voice spoke and it sounded just as angry as Cloud's controlled voice had implied. "'Cause from where I'm standing, you're still due for us taking turns pounding your heads into the floor."
"Zack… " Cissnei's eyes were broken and coming up to stand next to Tifa, he shook his head.
"Not interested, Cissnei. You knew I was a fake and you never told me." The last four words were so full of pain and anger that it hurt Tifa's heart to hear it. "All that time you pretended to be my friend and you never told me. As if what you'd done to Tifa wasn't bad enough. Have you met her brother and sister? Her dad? What about all those people who didn't make it off of the Plate or out of Sector Seven in time? How can you even sleep at night?"
"Booze," Reno answered at the same time Cissnei answered:
"I don't."
The mixed confession, for just a moment, stilled the angry team in front of them. Cid picked up on things a little bit slower than everyone else.
"These are the fuckers that dropped the Plate and tried to kill me!?" he asked.
"Look, man, hate us or don't," Reno was being diplomatic. "Point is we've got bigger fish to fry, yo. You work with us, we put off arresting you for blowing shit up."
It was probably the wrong thing to say because everyone in the front line tensed and it was more that it was an excuse to get into the fight than because they were worried about being taken in. At the moment, the Turks were outnumbered. Cissnei held up her hands.
"Stop. Please. Everyone." Her eyes found Cloud's. "Please."
"Be specific," his emotionless voice answered and Cissnei's eyes flickered with hurt before she straightened.
"All right. President Shinra has agreed to put all previous warrants regarding your group on hold for the duration of our mission. While you operate with the Turks and the Shinra Corporation in hunting down and removing the threat of Sephiroth, ex-general of SOLDIER, no actions will be taken against you. The agreement depends on your cooperation with Shinra during the time period specified and is subject to renegotiation after the goals of the mission have been reached."
"No." Cloud's answer was immediate and final and he didn't even have to look at the others. He straightened from his fighting stance and started to turn away from the Turks. "Let's go."
"Wait!" Cissnei stepped forward and she caught at Cloud's arm with her hand. His head turned and he looked down at her. "Please, don't do this, Strife. Please don't. Take the deal."
"You should listen to her, Blondie," Reno warned and Cloud's blue eyes shifted to puncture the man with his look.
"Why? We already know what we're doing. We know where we're going. We'll take care of Sephiroth ourselves. And then we'll come take care of you." There was something very final and cold in his statement even though his voice didn't change at all and Tifa wondered what had changed for Cloud. He'd been opposed to Shinra before but now – now there was something unbending about it. Something final.
"I didn't want it to be this way," Cissnei told him and her own voice was cold in reaction to his. She held up a little black item in her hand and it was a cell phone.
"Go ahead," her voice was calm and Tifa felt herself tensing. There wasn't a burst of sudden soldiers or an explosion though. Instead:
"Hello? Well, I really don't know what you want me to say. Hello?"
"Mom!" Aerith sprang forward with a stricken noise and Cissnei stepped back from the woman, phone still held open.
"Aerith! Oh, baby, it's so good to hear you. Are you eating well? You just ignore these ratty men in their pompous suits and you go do – "
Cissnei snapped the cell phone shut and looked calmly at the group. For a long moment, there was utter silence. Even the music had been turned off at some point.
"You – horrible people!" It burst out of Aerith. Even furious she couldn't bring herself to curse but having Aerith call someone horrible was just as foul somehow. "She's just a little old lady!"
"A little old broad that was harboring the last Ancient as well as fugitives from Shinra justice, yo," Reno inserted and Tifa reached over to the table next to her and threw a glass at him before she even thought about it. "Hey!" he raised his arms to deflect it and it broke. Zack scratched at the back of his head and then rolled his neck and shoulders.
"So we kill them and then go save Mom?" he asked conversationally. Reno stayed where he was because he thought Zack was joking but Cissnei apparently knew him well enough to know he wasn't because she took a step back. Cloud looked over at Aerith who was looking at him with her heart in her eyes, her fists clenched and shaking at her sides and then he turned his head to look at Leon, who nodded. Cloud leaned down and scooped up Marlene in his arms and his eyes met Denzel's. The boy immediately scooted closer to take his other hand.
"Come on," Cloud's voice was inflectionless. He turned and headed for the door and the rest of the team followed him. Over his shoulder he commented to the Turks standing behind. "You can tag along. Just don't get in the way."
