AUTHOR'S NOTE: Breaking news! I have finally finished exams! Please just hope I passed this time around (academic year ends now in South Africa). Anyway after being unable to write a chapter above 3000 words, I finally managed to come up with this monstrosity! Think of it as an apology for all the short chapters y'all have been getting! This chapter was originally a filler where I was just rambling but I think its become my favourite, overtaking chapter 14 (the Golden Saucer) and that's saying something! Funny how that happens right? Anyway I was shocked when a new reviewer My Number XIII pointed out that I had used Barret as two characters! I can't believe I didn't notice! I'll go rectify that as soon as I can and a big thank you to My Number XIII for bringing it to my attention and to the rest of my reviewers. As always please review!

XXX

Delinquents.

Everyone's had a run-in with a bunch of crazy "cool-kids" known commonly as delinquents. Y'know? The type of nut-jobs that usually drive flashy cars, speeding for the sake of it and blasting their music so loud, people in a different, undiscovered galaxy could hear it, just because they can. Usually hot-boxing the car, be it cigarettes or weed. Vandalising every church and community centre they come across.

There usually inspire two different schools of thought. One is the type used by wannabes and chumps. "Oh, I wanna be like them" or "I wish I could join that crew!" Stupid things.

The other is slightly more common. Usually employed by well-to-do's and rich kids down the street as well as the chess club participants. Usually they shake their heads in disgust.

Before moving on with the story, it seems a small background check of Cloud Strife is in order, despite being well into the story.

Born Cloud Eric Strife on August 19 1986 in the sleepy mountain town of Nibelheim. His father left him at age four and he spent the remainder of his childhood with his single mother. Cloud was a quiet, shy and meek little boy. He didn't often assossiate with his classmates at school with the exception of occassional scuffles. He was a straight A student, that earned a solid repution as a the resident nerd. Having few friends, he would never indulge in the basic experimentation common to growing teens. He was later accepted at Shinra University, but was unable to accept the full scholarship due to his unwillingness to board.

Looking at this brief overview that's astoundingly similar to a Wikipedia article, one can easily see why its deeply ironic that he found himself in a car with dilenquents.

To his surprise, Sephiroth did not drive superfast, instead kept a respectable pace, never once crossing the speed limit. No one was smoking, and he played no music.

"Where are we going?" Cloud asked again.

"Just for some fun," Kadaj said from his seat next to Sephiroth.

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

"How about one of you give me a straight answer!" Cloud snapped.

Yazoo chuckled. "We're going to a club for an hour or so."

Cloud shook his head, he knew what went down in clubs. And seeing as who he was with, he was sure it was going to be at least ten times worse.

Kadaj turned in his seat to look at Cloud. "Look Cloud. How about you just loosen up a little. We aren't going to cause any trouble or anything. Just have a night of fun. So stop being so fucking up tight!"

Cloud felt the verbal bitch-slap. Kadaj was right, he needed to stop being so tense. That didn't mean he fully trusted them, though.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Perfectly understandable," Sephiroth replied from the driver's seat. "Fuck, I wouldn't trust me if I were you."

"So like, aren't you guys gonna play music or anything?" Cloud asked.

Sephiroth looked a little surprised. "Sure, why not?"

"Uhh, Seph didn't you say not to play anything because you were scared to make Cloud uneasy?" Loz said.

"Loz you dumbshit!" Yazoo said, cuffing the larger man over the head.

Loz blinked stupidly.

Sephiroth pushed the radio button to shut the two up. Cloud nearly jumped in surprise at the music that came on.

It was orchestrated. A few big bangs. For some reason it seemed to resemble the psycho theme, only scarier. It put a strange image in Cloud's mind. Of an angel with one wing.

"What the fuck?" Cloud let out.

"Sorry about that," Kadaj said hurriedly. "That's Seph's stuff. Here this is better!"

This time Cloud decided he actually liked the song. It a was lively and uptempo synthesised number. It sounded almost alien.

Kadaj was watching Cloud's face with a smirk. "Like it? My friend Nobuo mixed it specially for us, its called J-E-N-O-V-A."

"I like it," Cloud said bobbing with it. "Sounds a bit like a video game."

"That's what I told him to make it sound like!" Sephiroth commented. "So Cloud, what kind of stuff do you listen to normally?"

"Uhm, pretty much anything that sounds good," Cloud said. "Generally downbeat hip-hop and R&B. That sort of thing."

"I think we have one of those here," Kadaj said flipping through the tracks. "Yeah! Here we go!" He said triumphantly, stopping.

When I get up all in ya

We can hear the angels calling us

We can see the sunrise before us

And when I'm in the thang

I make the body sang

Wee-oo-wee-oo-wee

Wee-oo-wee-oo-wee

(Yeah)... Doing a buck in the latest drop

I got stopped by a lady cop

Ha Ha... she got me thinking I can date a cop

Ha Ha... cause her uniform pants are so tight

She read me my rights

She put me in the car, she cut off all the lights

She said I had the right to remain silent

Now I got her hollering sounding like a siren

Talkin' bout...

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Yea),

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Yea),

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Yea),

And I know she the law, and she know I'm the boss

And she know I get high! a-bove the law

And she know I'm raw, she know it from the street

And all she want me to do is fuck the police

Talkin' about...

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee,

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Yea),

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee... (Yea),

]

When I get up all in ya

We can hear the angels calling us (Yeah)

We can see the sunrise before us (Umm)

And when I'm in that thang, I'll make that body sang

I make it say...

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee,

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Yeah),

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee,

(Like a cop car)

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee,

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Yeah),

Wee Ooh Wee Ooh Wee (Hey)...

I'll make ya say...

"Yup, I love this one," Cloud agreed. "Mrs Officer!"

Sephiroth sniffed. "Not my thing."

"Guess its an acquired taste," Cloud said with a nervous laugh.

Sephiroth gave a scoff. "Probably."

"How far already Seph?" Loz whined, for a big guy his voice reached an unnaturally high pitch.

"Almost there," Sephiroth answered calmly.

"Don't cry Loz," Yazoo teased.

"I'm not crying!" Loz snapped.

Sephiroth made no response, but Kadaj slapped his forehead in exasperation. Evidently this happened pretty often.

Cloud was saved from Loz and Yazoo's bickering as Sephiroth pulled up and stepped out of the car.

The five of them piled out and followed Sephiroth to the door. Sephiroth went in, followed by Kadaj, then Yazoo.

Cloud was next, he stepped inside, then held the door open for Loz, who looked genuinely surprised at the gesture, but said nothing.

The first thing Cloud noticed was the club was bathed in a strong red light. It gave him a slight headache.

As he was walking, he felt something bump against him. He felt beer spill down his front.

"Watch where you're going bitch!" Some guy yelled.

Cloud shrugged, not in the least bit intimidated. "Sorry," he said shortly, preparing to turn away.

The guy, obviously drunk, was not giving up that easily. He grabbed a hold of Cloud's shoulder. "Pussy!"

Cloud's temper snapped. He turned and slugged him across the face, knocking him to the ground.

A girl's voice shrieked in shock. A bunch of the guys came forward menacingly. Cloud hesitated, but did not back down.

Before anyone knew what happened, two more guys were down. Loz stood towering over them, a manic grin on his face.

"Well done Loz, you big fuck!" Kadaj snapped. "Now we gotta split!"

"What? Why? They started it!" Cloud protested.

Yazoo appeared at his side. He didn't say anything, just pointed at the two burly bouncers that were approaching purposefully.

"There a problem here?" One asked.

"Actually, we were just leaving," Sephiroth said. He nodded at his companions and walked out.

"Well this is just great!" Kadaj moaned. "Gee thanks Loz and Cloud! Now we can't go back in!"

"Quit your whining Kadaj!" Yazoo said. "Bad enough we got kicked out, but now you have to go and bitch about it!"

"Fuck you!"

"Well fuck you back!"

"Both of you shut the fuck up!" Sephiroth commanded. It was amazing how he didn't have to shout, but both Yazoo and Kadaj did as he told. "Let's just get in the car."

They shuffled forward. Cloud noticed Loz lumbering forward.

"Loz!" He called after the big man.

"Yeah," he said turning around.

"Back in there," Cloud said jerking his head. "Not that I'm not gratefull, but..." He said slowly, unsure of the right words. "Why did you do that? I barely know you and you helped me out, why?"

Loz looked away, as if unsure. "You held the door open for me when we went in. No one's ever been that...nice to me."

Mystified, Cloud wordlessly followed Loz into the car.

Maybe he had misjudged.

XXX

"So what we got kicked out of the club? Fuck that shit! We got our own party!" Kadaj said enthusiastically.

Cloud was still having trouble getting his head around the fact that the night was nothing like what he expected. They had pulled up on the beach, which was deserted (it was 10 PM). Kadaj had happily opened up the truck, which contained a good few beers and a hookah pipe, which he quickly went to work setting up.

Loz tossed him a beer, Cloud settled himself on the soft white sand, and stared at the ocean, while he sipped at it. It was dark and quiet, with only the soft light of a small fire Sephiroth had set up. Cloud felt totally at peace, despite his earlier reservations. The wind was blowing perfectly. He closed his eyes, just listening to waves crash against the shore. He opened his eyes and caught sight of the moon shining majestically above the ocean, causing the dark water to glitter in the silvery moonlight.

He realised at that moment, the night need something else. He was really missing Tifa. He wanted her here with him! But how was he going to get to her?

"Uhm, Seph," Cloud began. "Can you do me a favour?"

He wasn't even sure if Sephiroth would appreciate him using that nickname, it seemed to be reserved for the other three.

"Yeah?"

"Well, its a really beautiful night out and I was wondering if you could..."

Cloud was cut off as he felt a thud as Sephiroth's car keys landed on his lap. He looked at the silver-haired man in surprise.

Sephiroth stood up from the fire, dusting his hands, with a smile on his face. "Go and get your girlfriend Cloud."

Cloud looked blankly at the keys in his hand. "You serious? I was gonna ask you to drive and pick her up with me!"

"Yeah well, I trust you," Sephiroth said, waving it off.

Mollified, Cloud got to his feet and walked to the car, Kadaj hurriedly removed the hookah and closed the trunk.

As he got inside, he heard Loz whine. "How come you never let ME drive your car Seph?"

"Because, unlike Cloud, you have little hand-eye co-ordination and no brains whatsoever!"

XXX

"Hello Tifa? You home?"

"The fuck Cloud? I just got into bed and you decide to come calling?" Tifa sounded extremely tired, and when Tifa got tired, she got moody.

"Well, anyway a couple of friends and I are on the beach right now. And...its really sorta romantic and shit, so do you wanna come?"

Silence

"Where are you right now?" Tifa asked.

"Outside your place."

"Okay fuck, gimme a minute then come to my room window."

Cloud grunted in response as Tifa hung up. He got out of Sephiroth's car and walked into the garden. Tifa's room was upstairs and her window faced the yard. He saw no trees near her window, he wondered how the fuck did she plan on getting out.

He heard faint shuffling and soon the window opened. Tifa appeared and smiled.

A smirk worked its way across Cloud's face. He bent down on one knee and raised his arms outward.

"If you didn't look so gay with that pose, I'd probably be touched Romeo," Tifa whispered, as she pulled herself onto the window sill. She managed to close it and sat with her legs hanging off the edge.

"Uhm Tifa?" Cloud said, a thought suddenly occuring to him. "How exactly do you plan on getting out? There's no trees, and your house isn't bricked."

Tifa smirked. "Easy, I'm going to jump and you're going to catch me!"

"What!?" Cloud yelped. "Tifa are you fucking insane?!"

Tifa gave a nervous giggle. "Probably. Now shut up and catch me, while I still have the nerve to do it!"

"No, no, no!"

"Too late!" Tifa said brightly, before jumping off neatly.

Cloud gave a startled yelp as over one hundred pounds of buxom brunette hit him, knocking his wind clean out.

They fell into a tangled heap of limbs and hair, both breathing heavily.

"I," Cloud said between pants. "Cannot belive you just did that!"

Tifa gave a laugh. Evidently she was almost hysterical from the adrenaline rush. "Oh come on! At least you can tell your grandkids about your psycho girlfriend!"

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Cloud replied, he made to pull himself to his feet, but Tifa held him down, then straddled him.

"What are you-" he was silenced as Tifa put her finger on his lips. Wisps of her long dark hair had fallen past her face and trickled on to his face. He caught sight of her full, pink lips, slightly parted as she continued to breath heavily.

Without further delay, she leaned down and kissed him. He felt his hands curl around her back as he returned the kiss. He let one comb the back of her neck, holding her close, as she clutched his face.

"Hey, we gotta get going," Cloud said, as their lips brushed again.

"Why?" Tifa asked huskily.

"Well, I kinda got my friend's car," Cloud replied.

"Okay," she nodded with a smile and stood up, before reaching out a hand to let him stand.

"Smooth ride," she said, as they stepped in. "Who's car is this?"

"My friend Seph's," Cloud answered. "You know him?"

"Nope, may have heard of him, but I don't remember," Tifa said as Cloud turned on the engine. "Well this is a change!"

"What is?" Cloud asked, as he reversed out of her driveway.

"Usually I'm the one driving!" Tifa said.

Cloud chuckled. "I guess maybe, for once I think our relationship should be a little normal."

"Why would you say that?"

"No reason. Hey don't get me wrong! I think we have the perfect relationship right now. I mean, a lot of people can point at how odd we are, like I get that we're a mismatch, but I like how dysfunctional we are?" He said.

Tifa gave him a look. "Cloud...what makes you think we're a mismatch?"

"Its pretty obvious," Cloud replied evasively.

Tifa, however, was not willing to drop it. "No seriously, tell me!"

Cloud sighed. "Tifa, you're one of the most drop-dead gorgeous girls I've ever seen. You're smart, you got a great sense of humour. I guess everyone sort of expects you to be with someone macho, dashing, filthy-rich kinda guy. Someone like...like-"

"Genesis?" Tifa supplied.

"Yeah, someone like Genesis. Not someone like me," Cloud said, turning from her.

"Yeah you're right Cloud," Tifa said looking out the window. "I did have a macho, dashing, filthy-rich kinda guy and I suppose if I wanted, I could have another."

Cloud fought to keep his eyes on the road, instead of looking down.

"But," Tifa was still talking. "I don't want that. I want you. Out of all the other guys around I chose you, Cloud. All that means absolutely nothing if I don't have a connection like the one we have. Besides that. There's so much to you that you don't see Cloud."

"Yeah?" Cloud scoffed. "Like what?"

"Well, the abs are a bonus," she said with a coy smile, earning her one from Cloud.

XXX

"Hey look!" Loz shouted with a laugh. "Here comes loverboy!"

Cloud grinned sheepishly as he walked hand-in-hand with Tifa to the group.

"So aren't you gonna introduce us?" Kadaj asked with a mischievious smile.

Cloud blushed. "Tifa, this is Kadaj and Loz, Yazoo's over there and this is Sephiroth."

They all smiled as Tifa shook hands with them.

"So like, what's everyone doing?" Cloud asked.

"Kadaj is smoking the pipe, Yazoo and I were just chilling by the fire," Loz explained. "I'm not really sure what Seph's up to."

Tifa gave Cloud a smile and went to sit with Kadaj, who had quickly relocated the hookah to the trunk of the car.

Cloud went to sit with Seph by the fire. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Sephiroth replied.

"Thanks."

"What for?" Sephiroth asked him.

"Well, for everything. Inviting me, giving me the car to bring Tifa over, all of that," Cloud said, then dropped his gaze. "What I'm really trying to say is...I'm sorry for acting the way I did earlier."

Sephiroth chuckled. "Don't sweat it Cloud, you're one of us now."

Cloud felt a strange warmth rise up inside him as he went and sat near Tifa and Kadaj.

Tifa gave a small shiver, she was only wearing a skirt and thin top.

"Here," Cloud said, giving her his jacket.

"You sure love you're tanks, Cloud," Tifa said with a smile. Cloud gave her a shy smile.

"Well, now that Cloud's back and he brought Tifa along, how about we bring out the stuff," Sephiroth said walking towards them.

Like flies to honey, the others quickly approached, as Sephiroth pulled out a bunch of needles and handed them around.

To Cloud's surprise, Tifa barely even flinched as Seph handed her one, and injected herself almost immediately. He followed suit and felt the sensation rising within him.

"Let's go for a walk," he suddenly said to Tifa.

"Yeah, I'll come with you!" Loz said, before Yazoo hit him over the head.

Cloud grinned and took Tifa's hand as he led her across the deserted beach, listening to voice of the crashing ocean.

XXX

AUTHOR'S NOTE: again I'm amazed at how well this turned out. This chapter affected me, big time. Like I ended up calling my ex at 2 A.M. We spoke and sorted a lot of shit out, but I don't wanna get into that coz I don't wanna be someone that overshares (even though I probably do a lot). I honestly had no idea where this chapter was headed, then I read the reviews for the last and decided to do something completely unexpected! Remember in the original story, Cloud trusted and hero-worshipped Seph and I guess I wanted something similar in this fic, so that's why nothing too hardcore happened. Also I like to appreciate the little things, like how Loz did with Cloud opening the door. The Remnants were damn difficult to write for let me tell you! I kept on mixing up who was supposed to say what, but I guess its because I'm used to using three characters max per scene and now I had six!

Anyway please read and review!