First fanfic! W00T! :D This will be multi-chaptered, although how many, I'm not sure. It'll be done when it's finished, I guess. xD Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :)

** EDIT: The ending of this chapter has been rewritten. Those of you who've read this before that, you'll wanna check it out; there's been some semi-important changes. xD Now, then...Enjoy! :)

Chapter 1: Busted

"C'mon, Cloud! Just do it!"

"What if he catches me?"

"You'll be fine. Just don't forget to run. Okay, you ready? Go!"

Cloud stumbled forward as he was given a rough push from behind by his dark-haired companion. He threw a glare over his shoulder, directed at Zack, and ignored Reno's encouraging thumbs-up. He sighed and faced forward again, his stomach dropping at the sight of the big, creepy house towering over them in the darkness. He mentally cursed himself for agreeing to do this. 'It'll be fun,' they'd said. He scoffed at that.

"Yeah, real fun," he grumbled to himself as he took a couple hesitant steps forward. There were a few lights on in the house, making Cloud even more nervous. He took a deep breath and crouched down a bit, keeping to the darkest shadows. He eventually made it to the old, cracked stairs leading to the wooden deck, wincing at the creaks they emitted. When he reached the top of the stairs, he paused and stared at the door with nervous butterflies in his stomach. Soft light escaped through a part in the curtains behind one window, bathing a section of the porch in soft lamplight.

He swallowed thickly and gathered his courage. Just ring the doorbell, then get the hell outta here. Careful to avoid making any noise, Cloud slowly crept forward, towards the door.

Hidden behind low shrubbery, Reno and Zack watched Cloud's every movement with rapt attention. Zack was always urging the blonde to be more adventurous and daring, so what he was seeing proved to be very entertaining. A large grin was plastered across his face and a quick glance at Reno told him the redhead was also enjoying himself. An excited giggle escaped his throat and Reno snickered.

"He's taking forever," Zack whispered.

"I know! Kid needs to hurry the fuck up."

Cloud held his breath. Just do it. He raised an almost-shaking hand and put his finger to the small doorbell button, but right as he was about to push it, a noise from within the home caught his attention. It sounded like...a click? Cloud froze, eyes wide as he stared helplessly at the door...which was now opening.

"Oh, shit!" Zack looked on in astonishment as the front door of the house swung open and Cloud was suddenly drawn inside, door shutting behind him. His jaw dropped and Reno's eyes widened. They slowly looked at eachother.

"...Fuck."

X~x~X

Sephiroth hurriedly shut the door after pulling the little blonde inside the house. He held him up against the door, pinning his wrists above his head while his other hand covered the boy's protesting mouth. Wide, blue eyes stared up at him, fright clear in them. The blonde was making desperate, whimpering sounds, though muffled by Sephiroth's firm hand.

Sephiroth stared back calmly, a smirk curving his lips. The silver-haired man had waited that night, peeking out the windows every now and then in search of the annoying brats that would undoubtedly make their less-than-appreciated appearance. As expected, the two teenage trouble-makers had shown up, along with a new unfamiliar face. The little blonde had appeared nervous and a bit scared, leading Sephiroth to believe that his friends had most likely persuaded him into coming along. Perhaps, that was a good thing, Sephiroth thought mischievously, eyes shining.

When the boy's noises had quieted down some, Sephiroth uncovered his mouth and pressed his finger to the teen's lips. "Shh."

The youth nodded and Sephiroth took a step back, releasing the youth as he did so. When he felt that the boy wouldn't try to run, he calmly strode over to the window and moved the curtains slightly to glance outside. The other two were still in the bushes, apparently arguing with eachother. Perfect.

"You with them?" he asked, nodding to the window.

The deep, smooth voice brought Cloud out of whatever shock he was in. His heart began to race as he realized what had happened.

He'd been caught. Plain and simple.

Hopefully, this silver-haired man wasn't some sort of murderer and wouldn't kill Cloud over it. Catching the man's inquiring gaze, Cloud lowered his eyes ashamedly. "U-um..."

The way the teen guiltily lowered his head was answer enough. Sephiroth smirked. "Hmph. Thought so." Abandoning the window, Sephiroth strolled back over to the guilty teen, studying him. Now he was sure he hadn't seen the kid before. He would've recognized the wild blonde spikes and attractive face, no doubt. "Although...I can't recall seeing you. Have you come here before?"

Cloud quickly looked up, waving his hands in front of him. "N-no, sir!" he quickly denied, shaking his head. "They made me come here tonight, I didn't even want to."

"Really," Sephiroth drawled, tapping his finger against his chin as he stared at the blonde. Then, he smiled. "Well, in that case, perhaps you wouldn't mind doing me a little favor."

Wordlessly, Sephiroth turned on his heel and headed towards the living room, gesturing for his nervous 'guest' to follow.

Cloud scrambled after the man, watching as ridiculously long, silver hair swayed behind him. He followed him into a large, well-furnished living room, glancing around curiously. When the man stopped and seated himself on a comfortable-looking couch, Cloud remembered his words. He stood before him and eyed him warily. "A-and that would be...?"

Sephiroth caught the look and laughed light-heartedly, waving a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going to rape you or anything." The teen blushed at that. Sephiroth chuckled and gestured for him to take a seat on the chair across from the couch. When he was settled, Sephiroth began to explain.

"Your friends out there have been visiting this house for a couple weeks now, ringing the doorbell at night and then running off." He looked exasperated as he said, "Every week. It's becoming quite bothersome."

Cloud nodded understandingly, then shrugged slightly. "What do you want me to do?"

Sephiroth smiled at him. "I want to teach them a lesson. You'll be my accomplice."

"...Uh, okay," Cloud hesitantly agreed, becoming a little suspicious. He hoped he wouldn't have to kill his friends...

Sephiroth sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Here's what we'll do..."

X~x~X

Cloud had listened intently to the silver-haired man's plan, nodding and occasionally offering his own thoughts and opinion. He was relieved when he found that their plan didn't consist of murdering Zack and Reno, and was extremely pleased with what they had finally come up with.

"So," Sephiroth sighed, sitting back and tilting his head at Cloud. "Think you can pull it off?"

Cloud nodded with a small smile. "Easy enough." This'll be fun...

"It'll have to be convincing," Sephiroth advised.

"I can manage that," came the confident reply.

Sephiroth smiled approvingly. "Good." Standing, the silver-haired man strode back into the first room, Cloud in tow. He paced over to the window and peeked outside.

"Do you live around here-" Sephiroth frowned and looked at the other, realizing that he had yet to ask the boy's name. "I'm sorry. What is your name?"

"Cloud Strife, sir. And yes, only a few blocks away." Cloud was feeling considerably less nervous around the other man now that they had talked a bit. He was actually quite nice and Cloud was happy to be helping him out. Besides, it'd do his dumb friends good to have some sense scared into them...

Sephiroth nodded and gazed back out the window, spotting two heads of red and black spikes peeking out from above the bushes. "They're still out there," he said, half to himself. "Obviously waiting for you... I'm Sephiroth, by the way."

Hell of a name, Cloud thought.

The silver-haired man placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder and lead him into the kitchen. Once there, Sephiroth halted at the entrance to a very dark, empty hall. At the very end of it was a single, wooden door, leading to the backyard. Sephiroth pointed to it and said to Cloud,
"Exit through there; you'll come out from behind the house this way. You know what to do?"

Cloud nodded and licked his lips. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll be right behind you." Sephiroth glanced down at the boy. "Don't call me 'sir'," he added with a smirk.

"Heh, sorry," Cloud apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Habit..."

"Hmph. They'll probably take you home..." Sephiroth looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he asked, somewhat unexpectedly, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Cloud blinked and thought for a second. "Uh...nothing, really."

"Would you mind paying me another visit?"

Cloud looked surprised, but nodded. "I-I can."

Sephiroth was pleased with that. "Good. I'd like to hear about how our little plan worked." Plus...he wouldn't mind seeing little Cloud again. Kid was fun. "If all goes well, I'll even reward you. How's that?"

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth and shyly smiled, nodding slightly. "That'll work."

"Alright. Three o'clock?"

"Sure."

"Okay," Sephiroth smiled and released Cloud's shoulder. An impish smile curved Sephiroth's lips as he gestured towards the door and asked, "Ready?"

Cloud gave his own evil little smile and stepped forward. "Definitely."

"Oh, wait," Sephiroth said, catching the teen's shoulder. When Cloud faced him with a quizzical look, Sephiroth traded his devilish smile for a soft one. "Thank you. I really appreciate your help."

Cloud returned the smile, somewhat shyly. "No problem, sir. I'm, uh...sorry, by the way."

Confused, Sephiroth tilted his head. "For?"

"My friends and I," he clarified. "You know, ringing your doorbell..." He meant it, too. Sephiroth seemed like a really nice, friendly guy, and he felt bad for bothering him.

Sephiroth shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad you were with them tonight, in fact." He grinned at Cloud, "You're my long-awaited solution."

Cloud couldn't help the slight blush that heated his cheeks. "Uh, thanks, I guess. I'll, um, see you tomorrow then."

"Alright." Sephiroth faced the door again. "Now, get ready..."

Cloud giggled in excited anticipation of what they were about to do. He placed his hand on the doorknob and started the countdown. "One..."

Sephiroth laughed. "Two..."

"Three!" Then, they were off.

X~x~X

Reno and Zack are in for a shocking surprise...:) Heehee... Keep an eye out for the next update, it's coming soon(; Review please, and I'll see you all soon~! :)