A/N: Yes, that's right, I'm starting another collection. I realized that my WOTD ones were all canon universe-ish so I decided I wanted to try my hand at more AU stuff. So yeah, I got 50 words from a random word generator as prompts and I'm going to try to limit these to around 500 words. Hope you like!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all characters within belong to Square Enix. I just manipulate them into various situations to amuse myself. I make no monetary profit from this. (If only...)

ANOTHER LIFETIME

#23: Stealing
Summary: He wasn't about to let her get away with taking what was his.
Word Count: 458

The mission was supposed to be simple. Get in, get the files, and get out. It was routine, something he could have done in his sleep. Or rather, something he should have been able to do in his sleep.

As it was however, he doubted he was going to get much sleep at all tonight, especially considering how he'd managed to let that slip of a girl steal the files from his very hands. Who knows how long it'll take to track her down now.

...Not that she could be considered just a slip of a girl. Oh no, she was most definitely all woman.

His cheeks warmed at the memory of her pliant figure pressed into him as they hid from the guards, their bodies melding together in the dark to avoid detection. He'd only been able to catch the briefest glimpse of her dark wine eyes behind the full face mask that she wore, but they glittered with all the seductive power of a siren's song. Her hair was caught in a tight bun, though a few soft tendrils had freed themselves during their earlier tussle. His imagination wandered to what it would feel like to run his fingers through the full silky length of it or maybe even to bury his nose in that alluring little niche behind her ear...

A triumphant yell coursing through his earpiece broke him from his quickly degenerating thoughts. "Yes! We got a signal. Good job remembering to stick a tracker on her, Spiky!"

Cloud ignored the heat in his face when he remembered just where he'd placed the tracker. He'd be lucky if the thief didn't slap him silly when she realized that the "innocent" slip of his hand wasn't quite so innocent, though whether she'd be more angry at having had a tracker placed on her unawares or at how low down her back his hand had oh so conveniently slipped, he couldn't say.

"Though ya know, we wouldn't have to bother with all this if you'd just managed to get it right the first time."

"Shut up and tell me the coordinates Yuffie."

"I can't do both, Spiky," chirped the all-too cheerful voice in his ear.

"Just give me the damn coordinates!"

"Someone's a little touchy. She's hot huh?" Cloud's silence told her everything. Yuffie snickered. "You're not too far behind. She's about three blocks north and one east of you."

Cloud grunted his acknowledgment before breaking into a faster run. He'd be damned if he let her get away with this. Nobody takes what is his without proper payment. As for what the proper payment would be…He didn't bother trying to hide the smirk.

A name and number would work nicely. Dinner would be even better.