Hi, Venks here. First posted yaoi fic and I hope you enjoy!

-Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, if I did there would have been way more movie scenes!-

Sora wandered around Hollow Bastion, correction Radiant Garden, looking for a certain friend of his. A friend he needed more than anything right now.

It'd been over a year since he'd gone back home to Destiny Island with Riku and Kairi. He still saw Donald and Goofy occasionally but life had pretty much gone back to normal... Okay not really. He tried to get back into a life with no fighting but it didn't go so well.

Kairi had gone back to being the most popular girl in school when they'd all returned home. Meaning she didn't spend as much time with Sora and Riku as she had. And Riku seemed to be struggling like Sora to go back to a normal life but instead of trying to face it; the other boy shut himself off from everyone else. So things between Sora and his friends became strained; Riku and Kairi they weren't the same people that Sora had grown up with, though Sora knew the same could be said about him.

With all this going on at home, Sora had had to find a way to get away from it all. So he started sneaking away to Radiant Garden. He still had the Gummi Ship so he could make the trip. It just seemed that Destiny Islands didn't have anything useful for Sora to do. But here, that wasn't the case.

There was always something to be done in Radiant Garden and Sora was always willing to help out his friends. Sora often helped Aerith in the infirmary; his Curaga spell was helpful to say the least. He also helped Yuffie with just normal things to help out the townsfolk. But Sora was normally found working in Ansem's study with Leon.

Over the course of all Sora's adventures Leon had become one of Sora's closest friends. Sora had originally looked up to Leon as an older brother, since he always looking out for Sora. And Sora in return had always been there to help Leon, whenever Leon needed him.

But in the past year their relationship changed. The two of them had become closer than ever, Sora now spending more time here with Leon then he did at Destiny Island. Sora didn't quite know what his relationship with Leon was anymore. Yes they were still friends but there seemed to be something else going on.

"As long as he's still with me, I don't care." Sora said, thinking out loud. Sora leaned against one of the stonewalls that made up the bailey. He smiled slightly; remembering helping rebuild the wall after the Heartless destroyed it.

It was hard work but it had been fun, too. Tifa had still been around at the time and she helped out. While of course asking everyone if they'd seen her friend Cloud Strife. She'd work for a time then she'd go off and look for him, coming back to help again when she failed to find him. Aerith was always making sure everyone was okay and not pushing themselves too hard. Yuffie and Cid had been fun to watch. Every few minutes Sora had heard Cid explode at some comment Yuffie had made or vise versa. Merlin used his magic to help out and occasionally hit Cid in the head with a rock he was moving.

But his most fond memory was one of Leon and himself. They were taking a break, Aerith forced them, and Sora had started getting Leon to open up a little. Sora was proud that he'd gotten Leon to laugh at one of his jokes but hadn't been ready for the favor to be returned. Unfortunately for Sora, the moment Leon decided to tell the joke, he'd been drinking out of a water bottle. Sora had laughed so hard that he spit his water out, all over an unsuspecting Yuffie. Yuffie had drawn her shuriken and was going to send it at Sora when he hid behind Leon. Yuffie started pouting since she couldn't hit Sora now and Sora stuck out his tongue. Sora then looked up at Leon, expecting a look telling him to stop acting like a kid. But Leon was smiling instead. It wasn't one of his half smiles or smirks either. It was a genuine smile. Sora was surprised to be the cause of it but didn't complain, he just smiled right back.

Now that Sora thought about it, that was about the time they started getting closer. Leon had started talking while they worked together instead of letting Sora do all the talking. And if things went bad at home, Sora would always go to Leon first.

"So here you are." A voice said.

"Leon! How did you find me?" Sora asked turning to face his friend.

"Simple. This is your favorite spot Sora. If you're not with one of the others you're here."

"Forgot you knew that." Sora grinned sheepishly up at the older man.

"What brings you here? Running away from your homework again?" Leon asked with a slightly amused look.

"I only did that once!" Sora pouted, but suddenly his face fell and he looked away from Leon.

Leon looked at the boy in front of him. Sora was normally pretty happy when he was here. He only got like this when something went wrong back home.

"What's wrong Sora?" Concern laced Leon's voice.

"It's nothing. Just some really messed up things going on. Don't worry about it." Leon could hear that Sora was having problems keeping his emotions under control.

"Come on Sora, talk to me. Don't keep things bottled up."

Sora sighed in defeat; he never was good at refusing Leon. "They're dead." Sora said dispassionately, still looking at the ground.

Leon wasn't following. "Who's dead?"

"Mom and dad. They're dead." Leon saw a tear hit the ground by Sora's feet.

"How'd it happen Sora?" Leon tried to figure things out.

"They died in a car crash. It was raining hard and they went off the road." Sora looked up at Leon, his blue eyes filled with tears. "It's my fault, Leon. I'm the one who killed them!"

Leon winced mentally at the pain he saw in Sora's eyes but couldn't see how it was Sora's fault. Bad weather could take out even the most experienced drivers, and Leon doubted that Sora had control over the weather. "Sora-" The smaller brunette cut him off.

"If I had been a better son, tried to figure out a different way to get by, not been so selfish, maybe they would still be alive. They were out looking for me. They were worried about me being out in that storm. I killed them Leon! Because of me they're gone!" With that Sora broke down crying, he couldn't keep it inside any longer. He let the tears flow freely down his face, not even trying to hide them from Leon anymore.

He was tired of acting. Acting like nothing bothered him. Like he was always strong. Like he didn't need help sometimes. But Sora needed to have someone there for him; someone that could give him strength when his ran out. He'd had Riku and Kairi but they weren't there for him, not anymore. It was them that expected him to act perfect. He didn't see Donald and Goofy enough for him to really lean on them either.

Leon.

Leon was there for him and had been for a while now. Sora realized that he could depend on the man to help him out. And so Sora just gave in.

Said man found himself with an armful of Keybearer. Sora buried his head in the Leon's chest and cried harder. Leon stood there for a second, too surprised at Sora's move but he soon got over it and pulled Sora closer.

"It'll be okay Sora. I'm right here." Leon whispered in Sora's ear.

"Leon?" The choked name came from somewhere near Leon's collarbone.

"Yeah Sora?" Leon asked, running his fingers through the boy's spikes to help calm him down.

"Promise you won't leave me."

The words made Leon's heart clench painfully, this was going to take a long time for Sora to heal. It had been a harsh blow to him. "I promise Sora. I won't leave you no matter what."

"Thank you." Was all Sora said before he went slack in Leon's hold.

"Sora!" Leon yelled, worried. He was relieved when he realized Sora had just worn himself out. He picked up the younger one and started walking towards his house.

--

As Leon neared his house he saw Yuffie come running at him.

"I saw Sora's Gummi Ship do you know where he is?" She didn't see Leon carrying Sora; she was too far away when she started talking. But she didn't give Leon a chance to respond because she finally noticed Sora. "What happened?!"

"He had a rough day back home. I have a feeling he might stay here in Radiant Garden for a while, until he can sort out everything."

"What kind of rough day? I mean Sora seems to be able to take on anything." Yuffie looked at the teen in Leon's arms with a concerned look.

"It's not my place to say. Sora will tell everyone when he's ready."

"Okay. Hey Leon, take care of him. He's special to all of us."

"I will." Yuffie nodded at his answer and left Leon to continue home.

He didn't bump into anyone lese on the way home and Leon was grateful. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, he was too worried about Sora. Leon put the boy down on the couch and checked to make sure Sora was doing all right. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully and Leon left to go set up the spare room for Sora.

Leon thought about what Yuffie had said, about how Sora could handle anything. Leon knew that wasn't the truth, not by a long shot. Sora was the kind of person who stood strong when he had a good group surrounding him. Such as Donald and Goofy. Sora had done so well because they were there always watching his back. Though it made Leon wonder if something else had happened back home. Sora had Riku and Kairi, didn't he? Something was definitely off between the three of them or Sora wouldn't have come to Radiant Garden as much as he did. Because the thing was Sora had a hard time facing things solo. Not necessarily when it came to combat but emotional issues where another story.

Just as Leon finished fixing up Sora's room when he heard a yell from the living room. Leon had his Gunblade out by the time he'd reached Sora ready to attack any intruder. But all he saw was Sora sitting on the couch. Relaxing his grip on the Gunblade, he walked over to Sora to see what was wrong.

"Sora?" The man called softly.

"Leon? Where are we?" Sora asked as he looked around.

"My house." Leon went over and sat beside Sora. "Now what caused you to shout?"

Sora closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch. "I just had a nightmare. I get them every now and then because of all the things I've seen fighting."

"What was this one about?"

"A bunch of different things. Like seeing Riku get swallowed by the darkness and I wasn't able to stop it. Also seeing a Soldier Heartless steal a man's heart right in front of me. I'm used to seeing those memories though. This time I saw my parents. They were all banged up and bloody from the crash. They told me that I should have never left home to begin with. That I shouldn't have ever used the Keyblade. That if I hadn't they would still be alive because I would have been home instead of here." Tears escaped from Sora's still closed eyes. "They told me I was selfish to think only of myself and not of what they felt every time I left. And it was wrong to put my friends here before my family." Sora's voice cracked as he talked and Leon could see that it was tearing the boy up.

"Sora, look at me." Watery blue eyes locked with reassuring darker blue/gray ones. "That wasn't really them. It was a nightmare nothing more. You didn't have a choice about the Keyblade, you know that. It chose you and that was something you couldn't change. And Sora, you are not selfish. The reason you come here is to help others out, to be useful. You couldn't do that back home you told me so yourself."

"But if I had been home-"

"Sora what were you doing the day it happened?" Leon asked the boy.

"I was helping Aerith."

"Helping her do what?" Sora looked at Leon confused, trying to figure out what Leon's point was.

"I was helping her heal the people that had been hurt when that crane fell over."

"Exactly. Aerith is talented but that was a task she couldn't have done by herself. So instead of you sitting at home watching the rain fall, you were doing what comes naturally to you. Which is saving people."

"I wasn't able to save my own parents though…" Sora suddenly got frustrated and he summoned his Keyblade. "What good is this thing if I can't even help the people I love?!"

Leon was surprised. One was because Sora had never blamed his Keyblade for any of the things that had happened to him. Second was what key chain he had attached to his sword. It was Sleeping Lion; the key chain Leon had given him over a year ago.

Why Sleeping Lion? The man knew that Sora had far stronger chains, such as the Ultima and Oblivion key chains. So why use the one Leon gave him? Leon wanted to know.

"Sora why are you using the key chain I gave you? I know you have more powerful ones."

Sora seemed surprised at the sudden change in subjects. "I just do. I'm not sure when I started using it again. And I don't really even know why, but for some reason it just feels… right."

Leon couldn't explain it, but Sora's answer gave him a "warm and fuzzy feeling", as Yuffie would call it. He smiled at Sora, and for the first time since Sora told Leon what had happened, Sora smiled back. It was shaky but a smile nonetheless.

"Come on let's fix something to eat." Leon said as he got up from the couch.

"FOOD!" Sora glomped Leon in his excitement. Leon looked down at the teen and couldn't help but smile again. He could get so easily distracted by something as simple as a meal yet he had spent two years of his life focusing only on saving his friends.

"You should smile more often Leon; you look a little closer to your age." Sora's comment interrupted Leon's thoughts.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're too serious all the time and you should lighten up. Besides, smiling makes you look younger."

"That explains why you look thirteen when you smile." Leon teased as he ruffled Sora's messy hair.

"Yep and… HEY!"

Leon managed to get Sora off him before his words had sunk in because as soon as the words hit, Sora started chasing Leon. Who of course took off running to get away from the Keyblade Master.

"Leon get back here! I'm so going to hurt you!"

Leon turned his head enough so Sora could see he was smirking, which made Sora run even faster.

As the pair ran by the couch for the third time, Leon made a fatal mistake. He turned around to see how far Sora was behind him. Well that slowed him down just enough that Sora was able to tackle him to the ground.

"I pant do not pant look thirteen pant when pant I smile." Sora was severely out of breath, Leon's house was pretty big and Leon had practically given him the grand tour of it, twice, while they were running.

"Fine." Leon was also slightly out of breath but it was more from being slammed into the floor than from running. "You don't look thirteen; you look like a twelve year old."

"Leon!" Sora yelled at him.

"What's all the commotion?" Someone said from the door. Both Sora and Leon looked to see Cid and Aerith.

"Oh Sora! I didn't know you were here." Aerith paused, like she was trying to figure out how to phrase something.

Cid said it for her. "Why the heck are sitting on top of Leon, kid?"

"Huh?" Sora then looked at the position he and Leon were in. Sora was straddling Leon's hips and he had his hands pinning down Leon's shoulders. "Oh well uh you see um…"

"I told Sora he looked thirteen when he smiled and he got mad at me. He then chased me around the house until I made a mistake and he tackled me. He just hasn't bothered to let me up yet." Leon smirked again at Sora, who glared. Well, as much as Sora could glare, which is more of a pout than a glare.

"Just for that, I'm not moving!" Sora told Leon as he settled into a more comfortable position. That turned out to be Sora's mistake. He'd let up off Leon's shoulders meaning Leon had better movement now…

"Don't be so sure about that." Leon knew Sora well enough by now to know that the boy was very, very ticklish. Especially his sides.

"Leon!" Sora yelped as the older man started to tickle him. "Leon that's not fair!" Sora said between fits of laughter.

Leon managed to tickle Sora so he rolled off him but he didn't let up. He kept tickling the smaller brunette till he was crying because he was laughing so hard.

"What was that about you not moving?" Leon asked as he leaned over slightly and rested his forehead against Sora's. Oddly enough, Leon found the position to be rather comfortable. Which wasn't expected, seeing how he tended to avoid most physical contact.

Blue eyes full of light opened to look at Leon. "Alright I admit I moved, but that was kinda of cheap Leon." Sora whined.

Leon chuckled at the statement. "All's fair in love and war my friend."

"If you say so." Sora seemed skeptical but he just shrugged his shoulders and in turn bumped his nose gently against Leon's. Sora also found the gesture came naturally to him and he liked knowing Leon was right there.

"Leon? Sora?" Aerith asked.

The two on the floor looked at each other for a moment before it clicked that they weren't alone. They got to their feet, Leon helping Sora up, and looked apologetic for ignoring the other two. But neither Sora nor Leon could figure out why they suddenly missed having the other so close to them.

"What brings you guys over here?"

"Yuffie told us you had a guest and that we should come by and say hello." Aerith explained.

"What a waste of a trip, and I was beating Merlin at chess too." Cid complained.

"You play chess?!" both Sora and Leon asked.

"Is that really so hard to believe?" Cid growled at the two.

"Yes." Again they answered at the same time. Leon and Sora smiled at one another for their timing. Well Sora smiled, Leon smirked.

Aerith noticed the change in her friends. She'd rarely seen Leon let his guard down enough to just have fun. And his smiles were few and far between. But for somehow Sora got Leon to loosen up. Sora also seemed to have lowered his defense around the Gunblader as well. He looked like nothing could bring him down as long as Leon was there. Aerith was happy that both of them had found someone that they could just be themselves around.

"Come on Cid, you want to get back to that chess game don't you?"

"See ya guys later!" Cid yelled as he ran out the door.

"Before you leave drop by and give us a visit okay?" Aerith asked. She failed to see the pain that flashed briefly in Sora's eyes; he quickly covered it up with a goofy grin.

"Sure thing Aerith." He waved good-bye to the woman as she left.

Aerith may not have noticed the pain in Sora's eyes, but Leon did.

"Sora come here. We need to talk." Sora visible paled and Leon cursed his phrasing. So to try and fix it Leon went to Sora and did the last thing Sora expected, Leon pulled him into an embrace.

Sora noticed that Leon smelled of leather and something else that he couldn't figure out. He'd been too upset the first time and too ticked off the second time he was this close to Leon to notice what the man smelled like. But he found it comforting so he leaned in closer to Leon, not really thinking about it.

Leon was a little surprised at Sora's action but didn't protest. "Sora I need to know what you plan on doing. Are you going to back to your island?"

Sora thought about all the painful memories that were there and if he was ready to face them. He wasn't and may never be. "I don't want to go back. But it's the only place I can go I guess. I mean I have to live there."

"Why?" Sora felt the question more than heard it. "Why do you have to live there? Sora it's not the only place you can go."

"What do you mean?"

"Why not live here at Radiant Garden? You spend most of your time here anyway."

"I have nowhere to stay though…"

Leon sighed, sometimes the answers were staring him right in the face and the boy never saw them. "What about staying here with me? You know I have the room and I wouldn't mind the company."

"Really?! You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. I like having you around; things always seem to brighten up."

"Thanks Leon. This means a lot to me."

Leon just nodded. "Now let's go get that food."

-That's it for chapter 1, let me know what you think. Constructive criticism, ideas, and comments are welcome; flames will be laughed at then ignored-