Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHINGGGGG. *CRIES OFF INTO THE FAR DISTANCE*

Author's note: I AM SO SORRY. You can all kill me now and I wouldn't mind. I deserve it *cries*However, there is great news! I FINALLY UPDATED YAYY! I got a new job and life keeps on doubling me over, I swear, I think it hates me! Anyways, THANK YOU so so much to those who have supported this story even though I wrote it about 5 years ago? I think?

OFF TO THE STORY!

Popularity Feud

Chapter 19

Normal P.O.V

"You have got to be kidding me…"

"Yeah no shit."

Mako green and ocean blue eyes stared at each other with hate, disgust and most of all, the desire to kill each other. Granted, the silver haired man has promised his not-so-secret lover that he would refrain from strangling the man in front of him, even though his hands itched to do so. The blond man however, made such no promises to anyone and decided to lunge at him, Sephiroth quickly evaded the attack.

As he was about to attack again, someone grabbed his collar and held him back. He quickly turned around to see Tifa's chemistry professor with a frown on his face. Beside him was a woman he had never met before, she had silver hair, and pale skin. Unlike the man beside her she was grinning, almost from ear to ear.

"Now now, young Strife, you're not here for fights. You're on a retreat," Hojo reminded him. Cloud looked at him annoyingly then back at Sephiroth, who seemed to be looking somewhere else. He sighed heavily and yanked off his shirt from the supervisor of the trip.

"Whatever," he replied. "I thought this was a retreat for the Avalanche only," he glared at him but Hojo seemed unaffected by such tantrums.

"Well if you weren't so blinded by your hatred Mr. Strife, you could also see that not only are The Populars here but also The Turks as well." he pushed his glasses upwards causing it to reflect the sun's rays. "I don't see you strangling Mr. Shinra," he accused him with a smirk.

This peeved off Cloud and he averted his eyes from the teacher. He decided to remain quiet for the rest of the day because it seems like the world wants to be against him lately. He turned to Tifa and saw her staring at The Populars. Now that he thinks about it, she has been for a while and no one in The Avalanche seems to mind at all.

"Attention students!" Hojo yelled from a megaphone causing everyone to sharply turn their heads at him. He coughed for a few seconds before continuing. "Now you must all know why you're here, am I wrong?"

A collection of murmur passed but no one answered the question. Clearing his throat, Professor Hojo answered, "You're here because all of you no longer know how to behave as students."

"Outrageous!"

"What are you talking about old man?!"

"That ain't true yo!"

"Oh believe me, I wish it was just a nightmare and that the top students of the school are actually role models for the incomers… sadly, I was wrong!" He yelled. Everyone covered their ears from the cacophony created by the megaphone.

"In fact! The whole faculty has decided to strip all you from your positions!"

Gasps were heard and Hojo could see the fear in their eyes, even his son Sephiroth. He smirked at the sight and looked towards the Avalanche; they seemed to be deep in thought. He could understand, they are all scholarship paid students and the demands are greatly expected from them.

"However…" He paused, "this could be prevented if you all could get along, each and every one of you."

It was as if the fear has dissipated in an instant and all hell broke loose. Everyone was against the idea of being cozy with one another and shouts of anger were thrown not only towards him, but their fellow students. As they complained about each other's faults towards Hojo, they started insulting each other. The only ones that remained calm are, Sephiroth, Vincent, Yazoo, Rufus, Angeal, Tifa, and Tseng. Agitated Professor Hojo screamed in the megaphone, ordering them to stop and due to the loud noise, they complied.

"This is the reason why we are reconsidering the positions you have as student leaders!" He exclaimed and everyone could feel the shame and guilt washing down upon them.

"We all created this system to help students, not divide them into groups and see whether if they were acceptable or talented enough to be in one! You're creating a mess out of everything!"

"It's not our fault they keep on tormenting us!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Just last week they pranked almost half of our members. Whenever we walked through a door either a bucket of flour or water drop from above! We were soaked in water and flour the whole day!"

"Hahahah! Yeah I remember that! It was priceless yo! You should have seen your face!"

"Shut it Reno!" Yuffie barked at him, and he closed his mouth shut. Rude placed his hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"Not the right time, bro." he advised and Reno frowned, unwilling to play fair but if it was for the sake of his role in the student council, he would accept his defeat. He nodded his head and made peace with Yuffie. The handshake they had was an interesting one because it seemed normal at first glance but deep inside Reno was screaming murder at her for crushing his hand. He put on his charmingly fake smile and returned to his group.

"Anyone else that wants to voice out their complaints one by one?" Hojo sighed and looked at his wife for support. She smiled and comforted him by soothing circles on his back. He gave her a small smile and looked at the kids in front of them.

"Well for starters… what's the purpose of this retreat anyhow? I mean if it ain't for just us individually, and we got to share the damn –sorry for my language- place with these fuckers –again, sorry—then what are we suppos't to do? Sing kumbaya at a campfire?" Cid inquired while he lit his cigarette, he took a puff and blew the smoke. Hojo looked at him with an exhausted expression and walked towards him. Cid raised a brow as he saw the professor approach him.

"Now this everyone is one of the best questions I've heard today. As it pertains to the activity we're going to have for the next five days," he patted Cid on the back with a smile, took his cancer stick, dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. Once it was no longer burning he searched for the box in Cid's pockets and upon feeling it, he took it out and threw it in the trash.

"Hey what are ye doing! This is harassment!" Cid exclaimed. "I'll tell the faculty about this!"

"Well go ahead Mr. Highwind, you would get in trouble as well for smoking in a school retreat. Since it is a school retreat, you are not allowed to do illegal things as well. Such as lighting a cigarette," he gave him one of his creepy smiles and the blond man felt Goosebumps, and not the good kind. He turned around to face everyone.

"Now let this be a reminder to everyone! Just because we are no longer in school grounds, it does not mean you can do whatever you want. That includes violent fights, alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, sex, and harassment," "—but you just harassed me-" "—all actions will be recorded through the surveillance cameras located in every corner in every room except for the bedrooms and the bathrooms."

"Dude your father has a ton of rules," Genesis whispered to Sephiroth. The silver haired man turned his head to give him a look to which Genesis replied with a 'what'. Sephiroth shook his head and sighed.

"You dimwit, this is the Hojo vacation house…"

"OH YEAH! No wonder it looks familiar!" Genesis uttered. Everyone turned their gazes towards them and he sheepishly smiled. Sephiroth chuckled to himself but apparently the redhead next to him heard it.

"Tifa must be that good huh?" he whispered, causing Sephiroth to put up his walls of defense. Genesis could feel the tension immediately after saying that and laughed. He shook his head and gave him a friendly pat on the back before walking off towards Angeal and Zack. Sephiroth was left alone to his thoughts.

Jenova saw the exchange and wondered what has caused her son to tense up. She glared at the redhead before continuing what she was doing. Which was secretly taking pictures.

"Alright everybody!" Hojo exclaimed, he had decided that using the megaphone constantly would damage their ears so he asked one of the house keepers to put it away.

"In my hand are the lists of roommates for the remainder of the retreat. Now, I have taken into account those who cannot stand each other without clawing their eyes off. So! Please come forward as I call your name." Hojo begins reading the list.

ROOM 1

Rufus

Kadaj

Zack

Tseng

ROOM 2

Sephiroth

Cid

Barrett

Rude

ROOM 3

Cloud

Angeal

Genesis

Reno

ROOM 4

Vincent

Yazoo

ROOM 5

Tifa

Yuffie

Aerith

Elena

"That's it! You can all go towards you designated room for now and relax before the activities begin. All room will be located on the left hall accompanied by private bathrooms. There's a separate public bath on the right hall and the entrance to the beach is at the back. Please be aware that if in any case you are planning to escape, walls will erect at the border of the resort."

Hojo watched them walk away with their roommates. Everyone seemed to be fine with it, well fine is not exactly the right word to describe what their feeling. They have learned to accept the circumstance that they are currently in and might as well do what the faculty wishes. That is to spend a week together to develop a relationship which does not involve pranks or harm.

"Shall we retreat to our bedroom to freshen up, love?" Jenova took his hand in hers, looked at his eyes, and she could see the exhaustion from dealing with the kids. Why the board of education and faculty decided to entrust him this responsibility, she will never know. Hojo nodded and they sauntered off towards their room that they have always shared in the summer.

? P.O.V

"So… are you going to do it or not?"

"First of all Genesis, why did you have to pull me into a secluded area in my own home? Second… I don't know if I should," I looked to the side and recalled the conversation we had months ago.

"Oh come on Yazoo! All you need to do is dress up as a girl and catch Cloud's attention!" He half yelled/whispered. I swear, one day I'm going to punch his stupid face. Sighing I nodded in defeat, knowing that he would not stop pestering me unless I complied. I looked up at him and saw him beam with delight.

"Great! See, Yazoo? I knew we would see eye to eye!" He grinned. I rolled my eyes and stared at him, telling him to go away. He didn't seem to understand what I'm trying to say so I shoved him out of the way and walked down towards my room, or the room I'll be sharing with Vincent.

"I'll need your measurements soon though! Getting female outfits are tough!" he exclaimed, making me turn sharply towards him and give him a glare that said SHUT THE F*** UP. He rubbed the back of his head and sheepishly said sorry. I gave him one last glare before leaving. I swear to whatever is powerful in the world, that one day, not only am I going to punch him, but I will probably kill him.

I stared at the door in front of me and sighed heavily. Well here goes to whatever peace making my father plans on doing. Thankfully the person I'm sharing the room is bearable at least, if it were Reno or another Turk, I would rather sleep in my own quarters. Well Rude and Rufus are bearable Turks as well…. come to think of it, they all are, except for that redhead.

I wonder what makes these redheads I know so annoying. Surely it's not from their hair color or anything. Maybe it was the way they were brought up, or rather how they want to be brought up. Shaking my head, I turned the knob and told myself that it is not the time for thinking about other things, but to concentrate on this week's activities.

"Hello," the guy in front of me casually said as he lay on the bed with a book open. He barely looked at me as he did so. Maybe it was just instincts? After all, he seemed to be captured with this book of his.

"Hello, are you finding the beds comfortable?" I asked as I sat on my bed and looked around. There are two single beds that are separated by a bedside table. Frames hung above each bed, a mirror hung on the wall parallel to the frames with a drawer underneath it. Adjacent to the entrance is the door for the bathroom. Next to my bed is a bookshelf, stacked with books that I have almost finished.

"Yes, they are quite comfortable, thanks to your family's exquisite taste," he said, finally looking up. He placed his book on his chest.

"Well thank you, we tend to get the best in this eccentric family," I replied. "It's a medium firm mattress; it's supposed to be good for your back."

"Ah, of course, you're never too young to get back problems." He said jokingly to which I quietly chuckled. He might seem like a stoic and lonely guy but it seems that there is more to what the surface shows.

"Well with all this chaos going on, who wouldn't?" I replied as I stood up to procure a book to read as well. It's a good way to kill time. Not that his company is terrible, it's pretty good actually. After taking, The Great Gatsby, I settled myself on my bed in the same position Vincent has. I fluffed my pillows before leaning on them to make more comfortable.

"That's true; hopefully this retreat will help loosen a few knots." I couldn't find an answer to what he had said, so I nodded my head and opened my book. Smelling the scent of before reading the first page, the scent of books always delighted me, especially unopened ones.

Vincent's P.O.V

I looked at the man on the bed not too far from mine and wondered how in the world is he related to his brothers. He seems calm and secretive. Well Sephiroth is a calm and secretive person too, but there is something off with him. Something that he is hiding from everyone and I cannot put my finger on it. The small talk we had was pleasant and the only progress I have in this retreat of ours. Now I can't help but wonder, which secrets will be revealed here?

Could it be the love that has been hidden for a long time?

Or could there be another one that I have yet to uncover?

I looked at my book, it seems like a morbid book to read at the start of this retreat but the story will always be one of my favourites. I continued off to where I was in "The Death of a Salesman".

Normal P.O.V

"Well girls, here we are Room 5," Tifa said out loud with the girls right behind her. She used the key and turned the knob. The décor of the room was surely a sight to see. Aerith and Elena squealed at the sight, loving it to bits. Yuffie however…

"UGH!" she makes fake barfing noises, "This looks like someone threw up everything girly in it."

Inside were two ivory queen sized canopy beds with a bed side table next to it. Just like in the other room there was a mirror hanging across the beds with a mahogany clothes drawer underneath. There is a round carpet in the middle and a chandelier on top. Yuffie fully expressed her distaste with the room, seeing it as sexist and generalizing women as a whole.

Jenova appeared behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to shriek. Yuffie feared for her life as if she saw a ghost. The older woman gave her a small yet creepy smile and a charming smile to the others.

"I heard that the room isn't to your liking? Should prepare a new one?" She asked, feigning a sad tone. Before Yuffie could reply to her seemingly obvious question, Tifa placed her hand on her mouth.

"Oh no, Mrs. Hojo, the room is lovely. Our friend here is being quite rude with what she's saying," Tifa said in response and Yuffie was still disagreeing with her even though all her words turned into mush. The brunette glared at her friend and smiled back to the owner of the villa.

"Oh that's good then, I spent so much time decorating this room. I have no female children you see and I couldn't force my children to wear female clothing, or decorate their room like this," she sighed. "All I have are hormonal boys and one of them has a bad temper as well, just like you, sweetie." She turned to Yuffie and bopped the tip of her nose with her index finger. She turned around and waved goodbye before leaving the girls to themselves.

When she left, Tifa dropped her saliva coated hand and wiped it on Yuffie's shirt. Elena and Aerith started unpacking their luggage and placed it in their corresponding drawers. Tifa, however, wasn't happy with Yuffie's display. Her friend cowered in fear from another lecture but it never came. All she did was glare at her with anger in her eyes. This was worse, Yuffie thought.

After they finished unpacking and settling into their room, they started talking. Yuffie and Tifa decided to share a bed while Aerith and Elena shared the other one. Aerith hugged a pillow, Tifa laid down on her side, Elena sat casually on the edge on the bed while Yuffie sprawled on her bed.

"So! Let's play truth or dare," Elena suggested with smile. Yuffie bolted up and sat upright.

"Truth or dare? Isn't this a little bit too early?" She asked unbelieving. Everyone else except for her seemed to be up for it.

"I don't see why not, it seems like a good ice breaker." Aerith said with a sincere smile.

"What happens in Room 5 stays in Room 5," Tifa added and everyone nodded their head. Yuffie agreed to the game they were about to play. Hopefully nothing too personal comes up, she thought.

After a few minutes later of knowing more about each other, things did get a tad bit personal.

"So Tifa, what's the deal with you and Mr. I'm-so-cool Sephiroth?" Elena inquired with curiosity in her eyes. The victim almost spat out her drink upon hearing the question.

"W-What?" She asked, "What makes you think that there's a thing between me and him?"

"Well I've noticed that both of you kept staring at each other at the assembly earlier…" Elena said as she brought her pillow –which she took during the past hour—closer to her face. Everyone looked at her, waiting for a response, Aerith and Yuffie already knew the answer. Admitting it just confirms their not-so secret relationship.

"Well since one of our rules is to keep things confidential…" she gulped. "Sephiroth and I are dating."

Elena threw her pillow to the side out of shock and surprise. Her eyes widened upon hearing the news. Tifa was unsure if it was a good idea telling her but it was a must. After all they are playing Truth or Dare.

"Are you for real?" She said, a bit of Reno's lingo in her sentence. "Wow, I can't even—I can't process this. You and him? Really? Wow…"

"Is it that bad?" Tifa asked, a bit sad by her reaction. Elena noticed her sadness and calmed herself before returning to her previous position.

"No no! I thought it was just gossip you know…"

"Gossip?" All three asked, the blonde suddenly felt small.

"You know, that the hottest people in school would one day be together. I didn't know it would totally happen," She replied as she brought the pillow closer.

"Oh…" Tifa replied, half blushing at what the people thought of them. She also brought a pillow closer to hide her face.

Aerith turned to Yuffie, and Yuffie didn't like what was coming next.

"So Yuffie… Truth or Dare?"

"OH HELL NO. HELL TO THE FUCKING NO."

"Why not?" They asked.

"Why not?! I AM NOT GOING TO KADAJ'S ROOM IN A SAILOR OUTFIT AND GO PEW PEW KACHOO, WITH HEART THINGS TO HIM." She declined with her hands positioned to an X. Everyone forced her to do it, threatening her to lock her in the room for the rest of the day without any means of food at all. After accepting her defeat and her pride stripped away from her. She was finally dressed in a sailor outfit, how they were able to get it, she will never know.

*SNAP*

"Hey! Pictures weren't part of the deal!" She reached for Tifa's phone, but the other woman was quick to hide it. She gave her a grin and ushered her out of the room. Upon leaving the room, she felt even more exposed and she head out to do her stupid dare. Note to self, DON'T PICK DARE.

Yuffie managed to get back inside the room in one piece. Kadaj was about to kill her after pulling that stunt inside his room with the other guys around. Even if they weren't around, he would have still killed her. Upon knowing that she was in danger, she sprinted towards her safe haven and closed the door. She glared at the girls in front of her with humiliation and anger in her eyes.

"NEVER AGAIN." She said before running off towards the bathroom.

Tifa, Aerith and Elena felt bad for what they did and tried to console her from the other side. With Yuffie constantly telling them to leave her alone, they looked at each other and complied. They wouldn't leave the room until she felt better though, because it was their fault that she was in this mess.

A few hours later, it was already evening and Hojo called everyone to the dining room. After hearing there was food, Yuffie left the bathroom with puffy red eyes, the girls pleaded for forgiveness and after a while she forgave them. Just because she forgave doesn't mean she will forget.

Everyone gathered around the table and there was a seating chart as well. Hojo waited for them to argue about the arrangements but no one dared to open their mouth. He was pleased that they were starting to get along or accept the facts that they will be doing this for a whole week. After being seated, food was served and everyone except the Hojos' mouth watered at the sight.

Sephiroth stole glances at Tifa and she did the same but this went noticed by her roommates who were secretly eyeing the both of them. The dinner was pretty calm and everyone was stuffed, some still had space for desert while the other refused. Hojo called everyone's attention by tapping his knife on his glass and called the itinerary for tomorrow.

"Tomorrow, we will all be spending the rest of the morning at the beach, everyone has to go. If there's any problems as to why you cannot go, please inform me and we will create a shaded spot for you. Other than that, it is mandatory. Lunch will be served around 12:30 AM, and at 2:00 PM you must be ready for icebreaker activities, at 5:00 PM you are allowed to go rest in your rooms. 7:00 PM we will have dinner/Karaoke night in the entertainment room. Again, it is mandatory so everyone should go. We will be picking the pairs to sing certain songs, if you do not know the song, we will pick another one until you both know the song. After everyone has taken their turns according to our liking, you may freely sing any song that you so wish with the remainder of the time. At 10:00 PM, will be bedtime, no lights should be on after 11:00 PM."

"If you have any complaints, I suggest you voice it now." Hojo looked around and all he saw were exhausted and sleepy teenagers waiting for the comfort of their bed. He smiled and bid them all good night. Everyone slowly got up and went their separate ways, except for two people. Hojo decided to leave them alone and walked towards his bedroom with Jenova right behind him.

"I guess this is all the time we can get," mako green eyes met wine colored ones.

"I guess so, it would be hard sneaking out with eyes and ears everywhere around us," she replied, giving him a small smile. He returned her with one of his own.

"Having fun?" He asked, never leaving his spot, but he wished he were there right next to her.

"Mmm… define fun," she chuckled, looking softly at him, the only thing keeping them apart is the distance, table, dishes, and of course the feud.

"Wanting to kill each other that seems like the right definition of fun" He replied with a low chuckle. Tifa couldn't help but laugh at his response. She shook her head and looked around.

"If that were fun, I'd rather be bored." She stuck her tongue at him. After a few minutes of silence and enjoying each other's company, they both decided it's time to hit the hay. Their roommates might get curious as to where they were.

Tifa left first but blew a kiss towards his direction before leaving. Sephiroth, knowing how corny it could be, caught the kiss and placed it on his chest. They both ended up snickering at what they were doing. Sephiroth waved goodbye as he watched her walk away. A man with short brown hair and a scar that was diagonally created on his face approached him.

"Everything to your liking?"

"Yes, everything was excellent. Sorry father couldn't be here to personally thank you for the food." Sephiroth bowed and the man in his mid twenties shook his head.

"No, it's fine. Seeing the happy faces makes it all worthwhile. I shall get the cleaning ladies to fix this place up."

"Yes, please. Thank you." Sephiroth nodded before walking away.

The man wondered why the girl looked so familiar. Very familiar. Perhaps they have crossed paths before. Maybe during his stay here as the family's chief, he will soon remember. For now, he must do his job and dilly dally later on.

A/N: ALRIGHT YOU CAN KILL ME NOW! Not enough fluff? Yeah I know D; Well I hope you all liked it and I left a little Easter egg too ;O Even though Easter passed like months ago XD

If any of you are Disney fans, then you can also check out my other story called "In a Different Life"! And no, I didn't forget about Popularity Feud because of that, I both neglected them D;