Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 1: Arrival

FORTY-ONE

Corneo's large bedroom was just as tacky and tasteless as the rest of his mansion. It was lit in red and pink with a huge canopied bed in the middle of it, complete with silk sheets and a purple comforter. Carpets covered the floor, and off to one side, the door to his private bathroom stood open. The headboard was solid gold and made into the shape of a writhing dragon, and a small table with a camera lying on it stood by the wall. What a sick, twisted creep.

He jumped onto the bed and leered at me. "Alone at last! Come on over and give daddy some sugar! Don't be shy! You're even cuter than I thought! I never get tired of looking at ya."

"Back off," I growled.

"Oh, yes!" Corneo laughed. "This kitten's got claws! I love it, baby! Now just stay right there!"

Scurrying off the bed, he went over to the side table, picked up the camera, and started taking pictures of me. I folded my arms across my chest and looked away, not the least bit surprised at what he was doing. Then I remembered Jessie had been here, too. My hands clenched into fists at the thought of Corneo drooling over her. He'd probably taken a bunch of pictures of her, too. Bastard.

"The hell are you doing?" I demanded.

He snickered. "Just a few pictures to preserve the moment. And to ensure you don't do anything inappropriate, like say 'no'. That wouldn't be a good idea. So don't worry your pretty head."

My eyes narrowed. "Asshole."

"Yes, give it to me!" Corneo crooned. "Praise me more! Don't stop! Tell me what a bad boy I am!"

"You depraved son of a bitch!" I snarled.

He took another picture. "Oh, now we're talkin'! Yes!"

Tossing the camera aside, Corneo ran back to the bed and jumped on, a hungry, eager grin on his face. Knowing that he'd surely looked at Jessie the same way only pissed me off even more. Only the fact that he had information we needed kept me from kicking his demented ass on the spot. But once we had it, all bets were off.

"Here I come!" Corneo cackled.

He leaped off the bed toward me, his arms out wide, but I saw him coming and sent him flying back into the headboard with a swift, high roundhouse kick. Corneo grunted at the impact as he slammed into it, and when he landed and shook himself off, he snarled, livid with rage as he charged at me on his hands and knees.

"Who the hell said you could do that, you bitch!?" he yelled. "Boys! Get in here and teach her some manners!"

Just then, the doors burst open behind me. I whirled around, but it was only Aerith and Tifa, back in their normal clothes and fully armed. Tifa had my things, and she handed them over with a relieved smile as soon as she saw me. Then she and Aerith turned their attention back to Corneo, their eyes hardening as they closed in.

Tifa smirked. "No one's coming to help you, Don. We had to teach your boys some manners, too."

"Go get changed, Cloud," Aerith said. "We'll watch him."

"What the—!?" Corneo sputtered.

I ducked into his bathroom while the girls kept a close eye on him. It didn't take very long for me to get out of that dress and back into my black merc's uniform. I took off the wig and high heels, cleaned off the makeup, and slid Buster into its usual place on my back, finally feeling like myself again. Then I opened the door and strode out. When I did, Corneo's eyes bulged in their sockets.

"A man!?" he gaped. "You tricked me! What's going on?"

Aerith spun her staff. "Shut up!"

"We'll be asking the questions," Tifa glared at him. "Like, why'd you send your men over to Sector 7 to look for Avalanche? Spill it, Corneo! Now! If you don't tell us..."