A/N: To be perfectly honest, I don't expect much from this (as it were, its just a one of many small ficlets that I used as a tool to get the creative juices flowing whenever I hit a snag in HUS). But I honestly felt that it was just sitting there twiddling its thumbs being unopened that I thought it was going to serve more use being on , having people reading it.

After all, a story just sitting around being unread is a story not worth writing. Or at least, I'm of the opinion that this is the case.

And trust me, a lot of things -some that are senstively written, some that are sweet, some that is of the KH variety and others that are of the Dissidia variety (ever since I bought the game and consequently got glued to it), and some I'm still finding hard to believe that I was THAT high on sugar that I wrote them- have been written due to mind-beavers building a dam in the River Creative within County Rosa's Brain and me having to demolish it (damn those mind-beavers!)

And you can probably tell that I'm pretty high of sugar right now with that piece of imagery.

Please read, and review if you feel compelled to. I won't write down a "reviews are my..." phrase because my sugar cravings will probably kick in (and my parents will kill me if I start midnight snacking).

It was kind of like taking a stray home when he thought about it. Something pretty harmless, and something that gave you the satisfaction that you've done something so good that you must be at least another step closer to Heaven when the time came to meet the maker. On the other hand, his logical side (the one that got him his promotion as a Detective Inspector) was yelling at him for being such a risk-taking idiot who was unfit to be a parent if he just took random hobos off the streets to his place.

Because, let's face it, he really was being a risk-taking idiot when he offered to take Leon to his place.

It was back when he was just part of the 'uniform' as a Sergeant. He pretty much had a charmed life really; steady job with a chance of being recommended into the CID despite being so young (twenty-one-years-old in fact), a nice apartment (one double bedroom, a sizeable kitchen and living room, a decent bathroom (compared to their last one) plus the nursery that he and his fiancée decorated with such care and devotion), an adoring fiancée, and one healthy bouncing baby. Not to mention all her 'aunts and uncles'. Yeah; that life could have been described as perfect.

Then the accident happened; he survived. Tifa didn't. That was two months before he met Leon. In those two months, he pretty much threw himself into his work, desperate to not think about the accident…or what Tifa looked like at the morgue when her corpse was pulled out as if she were some file; or just another cold case. Either way, he was a shadow of his former self, even though he tried to act cheerful and optimistic when asked if he was alright, and especially around his eighteen-month-old kid.

Of course, he didn't fool Cid. Or Yuffie. And that was how he found himself dragged to some bar (mercifully not Seventh Heaven; now that would've been unbearable).

"Fer fuck's sake Cloud just liven up!" Cid growled, forcing another beer into the spiky blond's hands. "And drink yer goddamn beer!"

Cloud very carefully pushed the pint glass away. "I'll pass thanks."

Yuffie looked over to him, her usual bubbly personality toned down. "We're worried. I mean ever since…it happened, you've been overworking yourself."

"I'm fine," Cloud reassured her; or at least, he tried to, but he knew Yuffie had some sort of sixth sense when it came to men hiding their feelings. "It's been rough, but I have to keep on living. Tifa wouldn't want me to mope about the apartment all day."

"Well, there's that, and then there's working yourself to the bone," Yuffie pointed out. "I mean, look at those bags under your eyes! You'd think you got punched or something!"

"Wow, do I look that unattractive?" Cloud sarcastically asked. Cid rolled his eyes, gulping down his fourth pint of the night.

"Well, yes!" Yuffie frowned. This elicited one slap to a forehead, and one groan of annoyance.

"Yuffie, d'ya think Cloud cares about how he fucking well looks?!"

"He should! He's not gonna work as well as he used to if he's so tired all the time!"

And thus another argument between the garage owner and his 'niece' erupted. Cloud just shook his head. Well, they said that they were uncle and niece but anyone who knew them would know that Yuffie decided that Cid was going to be her uncle on the basis that they lived close by and Cid got on well with her dad, Godo. This would be funny normally since Yuffie had only just graduated from high school and Cid was nearly two decades older than her; but the fact that she was only 18 and thusly shouldn't even really be in a bar that made it unfunny. The inner-policeman in him was itching to confiscate her fake ID.

"I'm leaving," he said quietly, gesturing to the barman and then paying for the two relatively untouched drinks that Cid had forced him to buy. Yuffie and Cid barely noticed, still engrossed with their argument. "Get home safe you guys. And no drink driving Cid." Again, he was ignored. He just rolled his eyes and left, grabbing his trench coat and fastening it tightly. It was gonna rain tonight he heard; good thing he had one of those small umbrella's Tifa had persuaded him to carry around with him on day's where she swore it was going to pour.

The bar in question wasn't really too far away from his apartment so he decided to walk it until he had to use public transport (Cloud didn't see the point in owning a car since Radiant Garden's public transport system was rated highly by tourists and city dwellers alike). Hopefully, he had thought, it wouldn't come to that. He'd rather save that 500 munny.

By the time he walked the second block down to his apartment, he found himself opening his umbrella. It was raining. Very heavily.

It was by the time he reached the middle of block number 5 (a.k.a. Rising Falls Way) that he saw a huddled figure desperately trying to keep himself dry by hiding inside a large cardboard box that had been left on its side, though Cloud knew the poor wretch's attempt was going to be in vain; cardboard sagged when wet. Now he was faced with two options: either he could be a heartless stranger who stayed true to the phrase 'this is none of my business', or he could be a Good Samaritan but risk getting mugged/pick pocketed/assaulted/other criminal damage happen to him.

Cloud, fortunately or unfortunately depending on what the situation was, didn't have a callous bone in his body. He put his umbrella over the place, stopping the rain from further soaking the figure's cardboard lair. "That's not a great shelter for this weather y'know."

The figure's head peeked out to see who was standing outside its home. Shaggy chocolate brown hair, eyes that were the colour of a stormy sky and a scar that, rather than mar his appearance, made him very exotic looking. He must've only been fifteen at the very least. He had a terrible mistrustful frown on his face, though his eyes seemed to hide an underlying gratitude for the extra shield.

"What do you want?" he asked quietly, not coming out of his box. His voice sounded like it was still maturing, though it was huskily soft.

"Nothing," Cloud shrugged. He was pretty surprised at how well spoken the kid was, but his clothes looked like they had seen better days. He recognised the design of the shirt he was wearing; it was from the high street fashion label Wonderland. Yuffie had a period where she would rant and rave about how it was unfair that her dad wouldn't let her have the money to at least buy a decent pair of jeans from them. He had sympathy for Godo though; Wonderland was horrendously expensive considering the market they were aiming for. "You planning on going to a homeless shelter at some point?" He guessed he should at least offer the kid safe passage to one. His friend Aerith seemed to know every charity and shelter worth knowing about; she'd find the kid a good one.

"Thanks but no thanks," the kid snorted. "I feel safer here."

"The box is gonna collapse on you," Cloud pointed out. The boy paused, pursing his lips as he considered it.

"Fair point, but I'm gonna pass on the shelter." He then tried to make himself look pitiful. "But if you could spare some change for food, that would be really helpful."

"Nice try kid," Cloud smirked. He knew all the tricks 'hobos' and 'runaways' would use to extort money; his line of work often concerned paying them to relent information, plus, they made good street-ears. The kid's pitiful charade fell immediately.

"Then leave me alone," the kid grumbled, opting to go further into his box. "I'm not-"

A loud gurgle escaped at that point. The kid's face went bright red, clearly embarrassed that his tough guy image had been obliterated by his stomach. Cloud just shook his head. Well, the kid proved that he was more hungry and stubborn than desperate enough to break the law. "Hey, my place ain't too far. You could come over if you want."

"…you're not gonna ask me to have sex with you, right?" the kid bluntly asked. Cloud's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. That was the last thing he expected this kid to say.

"Kid, I'm as straight as a pole."

"Oh good." He got out of his box and stood to his full height which amounted to…

Not much. Maybe about five foot and five inches at most. What was clear was that he only barely managed to get higher than Cloud's chin. "Makes a nice change for once," the kid remarked, brushing away the dirt on his dark jeans as best as he could. He then picked up a bag that had been occupying the box with him, throwing it onto his shoulder and waiting patiently for the blond to lead.

Cloud just shook his head before setting off. Well, he was committed now. And if his wallet and the keys to his motorcycle did get stolen by this kid, that was his own fault. At least his conscious would be clear.

"Nice place," the kid commented when he was let into the apartment, looking around the place as he stepped in.

"Shoes off," Cloud ordered. "This place stays clean."

"Oh come on. My shoes aren't that dirty."

Cloud gave him his famous "warning look"; slitting his blue, green-flecked eyes and pursing his lips to a paper-thin line, arms twitching to move across his chest. The kid sighed, coming back to the front door and pushing his shoes off with his feet. Black converses; utterly filthy. "Thank you," Cloud quipped cheerfully, taking his own shoes off and stepping into the hallway. "Anything you want in particular?"

"I'll eat what I'm given," the kid replied, taking cautious steps into the place before procuring a place on the big leather sofa that stood proudly in the centre of the room, in front of a TV. He nestled a bit into it, but he didn't make a sound to suggest he was rather happy with this arrangement. Cloud could only assume that the kid was grateful.

"Let's see…" He poked his head into the fridge; leftovers from the takeout he got last night from Land of Dragons, baby food, some cut up fruit that he was trying to introduce Naminé to, few cold meats, even fewer cheeses (actually, cheddar was the only option), cartons of milk and juice.

He guessed the takeout was the safest option. He grabbed it, found a couple of plates to put the food on, then bunged them into the microwave one at a time. He checked the clock on the wall; nearly nine o'clock. He would have to pick up Naminé from next-door. "I have to go next-door for a moment," he called into the living room. The microwave pinged; the egg-fried rice was ready. He just put it on the table. "There's food on the table. You just go ahead and help yourself."

The brunet didn't really respond, not even moving from his spot on the sofa when Cloud went past him.

He assumed that the kid was probably still a bit mistrustful. After all, it was more normal for humans to ignore their fellow beings when they were down on their luck.

If there was anyone he swore must have been an angel, it would have to be his next-door neighbour, Aurora. The tall, elegant blonde had offered to care for Naminé when Cloud was struggling the first two weeks after losing Tifa, and since then they had become good friends. Despite this though, Cloud always felt like he was really taking advantage of Aurora's kindness. He wasn't too sure how to thank her though; these things didn't come easily to him.

He picked up Naminé carefully, trying his hardest not to wake up the sleeping baby. "Thanks for taking care of her," he whispered to Aurora. She just smiled, her crystalline blue eyes shimmering quietly.

"It's no problem. I'm just glad I can be of help."

"I feel like I'm stopping you from doing what you want."

"Its fine," Aurora chuckled, petting Naminé's baby soft blonde curls. "Besides, my aunts like to help out too."

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" Cloud joked.

"Well, they're all retired so having a baby to take care of is a big event for them."

Cloud smiled a little bit, patting Naminé's back when she made a faint whimper, hushing her quietly. "Thanks again. I'll just get her to bed."

"Sure," Aurora smiled. Cloud turned away, about to head for the front door. "Actually…" He turned back to face her. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner sometime."

"Ah," Cloud pursed his lips. Now this was something he was damn sure he wasn't ready for. But then again, this could be just a friendly invitation. "I'm not sure. I mean, I've got to find a babysitter for Naminé and-"

"Naminé could come with us," Aurora suggested. "I mean, I know you're busy, but it could be fun."

"I'll think about it." That was his usual get-out clause for these sort of situations. Only last week Cissinei, one of the Inspectors in his force, had asked him out, though to her credit she understood Cloud wasn't ready to socialise with the other sex. He appreciated the thought though.

"Just take it easy, OK Cloud?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

He left.

The smell of reheated prawn toast and satay chicken attacked his sense of smell when he came back into his apartment. He would have thought that the kid would either be still on the sofa or wolfing down what he had reheated so far. Seeing the kid operating the microwave had been something he never thought would happen.

"I see you've made yourself at home," Cloud smiled with amusement.

The kid jumped, looking over his shoulder with a straight face and a look in his eyes that almost looked like a dangerous glare. It softened when he saw the small person the blond was carrying.

"That's…"

"This is Naminé," Cloud explained. "I'm just going to put her to bed."

"You're her father?" The kid looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Why so surprised?"

"But you look so…young…"

"Why thank you for the compliment." Cloud headed over to the nursery, leaving the brunet in the kitchen to watch him in incredulity. He had to admit it that the kid only seemed to have neutral and negative expressions.

Would it have hurt him just to smile? For gratitude?

Then he thought that maybe he wasn't one to ask. Hadn't he been giving false smiles just to assure everyone he was alright, saving the only genuine smile he had for Naminé?

He kissed Namine's small forehead, earning a small grumpy sound at being disturbed. He shook his head, retreating quietly out of the room and back into the living room to his 'guest'. Said guest was sitting at the table, helping himself to food, though he kept one eye on the blond.

"Still think I'm going to take advantage of you?" Cloud asked.

"Not really, considering you have a baby," the kid replied. "But I've known people who'd 'take care' of a little kid regardless."

"You can trust me. Like I said, I'm straight and also, I'd be a bad cop if I did something like that."

"You're a cop too?!"

"Quiet," Cloud hissed. The brunet shrunk a bit, looking a little sheepish while muttering an apology.

"Anything else I should know about you?"

"Hmm, well, you know I'm a cop, I'm a single father, I'm twenty-one and I clearly can't cook since I'm surviving on takeaways. Don't think there's anything else you need to know." Cloud watched the kid's expression as the information sunk in. "Now…how about you? What's your name kid?"

"…it's Leon."

"Leon…" Cloud repeated it, nodding his head lightly. "What were you doing on the streets? You look like a good kid." To be completely honest with himself though, Cloud wondered where he got that scar from. Was he a runaway from an abusive household?

"…I'm gonna pass on the subject." Leon had looked away at that, averting his gaze towards the kitchen.

"Oh?" Cloud raised a brow. "And why's that?"

"It's not like I'm gonna talk to a cop willingly."

"What? You broke the law?" Cloud's eyes narrowed at that. The brunet looked uneasy.

"No. Nothing like that." He then shrugged. "I just don't trust cops. What's wrong with that?"

"Guess there isn't anything wrong with it," Cloud answered. "Were you let down by your local police force?" Leon shrugged, just returning to eating the food in front of him. Cloud noted that, for a hungry kid, he was almost painfully polite when it concerned table manners. It was almost like watching someone act from a script. "You're not gonna talk, are you?" Another shrug. "You're going to have to at some point."

"…whatever."

Cloud rolled his eyes, telling himself that Naminé might be like this in the future so he had to practice. He did pray that his tiny daughter wouldn't turn out to be like this at all.

"You got a place to go?" he asked carefully.

"Other than some cardboard box in the streets, no."

"Hmm…OK, then how long have you been on the streets?"

"Why would you wanna know?"

"I'm curious."

Leon looked at him, his grey-blue eyes considering over whether to divulge in what was clear to the blond was very sensitive information. More than that, Cloud had a feeling that the brunet didn't fully trust him; he came across as someone who didn't want social services getting involved, even if it was the right thing to do. He finally shrugged, turning away again. "Two weeks."

Cloud could only blink at that matter-of-fact statement, and how Leon didn't seem to care. He decided to press further. As gently as possible of course. "You ran away from home?" Another shrug, partnered with a grunt. Cloud took that to be a 'yes'. "Abusive?" Leon didn't respond to that one, just stubbornly looking away. "Your silence suggests that that's the case."

"It's none of your business," Leon growled, glaring at him with one eye.

"That where you got your scar from?" Cloud asked, ignoring Leon's warning. Once again, the kid chose to be silent, glaring at the blond in angered warning. Cloud sighed, guessing that he wasn't going to get any answers from him. He stood up and took the now empty plates away. "You can stay here if you want. I highly advise it though. This isn't the weather to be hanging around in cardboard boxes."

"…the sofa would be nice…"

Cloud nodded his head, coming back into the living-come-dining area once he had placed the plates in the kitchen sink. "I'll get it made up for you. But…" he then put on his most disarming smile that he could muster. "There's a catch."

Leon looked at him, almost as if fearing for the worst. "Don't tell me you…"

"Bath." Cloud pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "My sofa, and the rest of my apartment, stays clean." Call it picking up a habit from his late-fiancée, but he realised the he really did appreciate Tifa's obsessive tendencies about keeping a clean home even though he teased her about it back when she was…alive. He mentally shook away the images from his head, knowing that talking about Tifa was just as sensitive a subject as Leon's running away from his home situation was.

The brunet was still eyeing him suspiciously. "That's the only catch?"

"How many times do I have to reassure you that I'm as straight as straight can be?"

"Just checking." Leon stalked off into the direction Cloud's finger was pointing, from time to time checking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed. Cloud had only gone as far as his bedroom door.

"Towels are in there. Just shout if you need something."

"Don't count on it."

Cloud just shook his head as he watched the kid escape into the bathroom, not really expecting Leon to stick around for very long. He had a good speculation that the brunet was going to sleep light and wake early in order to leave with little fuss being made. It was best that he just let him get on with it.

After all, Leon had made it painfully clear that he didn't fully trust him.

It was a surprise to Cloud when he found Leon rooting around the kitchen cabinets the next morning. Even more surprising was how much Leon was cursing whenever he accidentally made a loud sound.

Good thing Naminé was too young to understand, and even better that she was still fast asleep miraculously.

"Do you need some help?"

"Sh---!" Leon covered his mouth immediately, looking at Cloud as if he had just been caught red-handed stealing from the cookie-jar. Cloud just raised an eyebrow. What had Leon been doing?

"You weren't trying to be sneaky now, were you?"

Leon just gave him a hard look before once again stubbornly looking away. "I was just looking around for food before I go."

"So you're not sticking around then."

"I'm not gonna stay for longer than I should do."

"You can't stay on the streets forever," Cloud pointed out, "especially if you're so unwilling to at least go to a soup kitchen."

"Why are you so worried about me? We only met yesterday. We have nothing to do with each other."

"It's because you're just a kid." Leon seemed to flinch at that. "Maybe it's because I'm a parent, or maybe it's the inner cop that's reacting, but if a kid has a possible chance of getting himself into trouble, naturally I'm going to worry."

"…you won't stop until you know I'm gonna be OK, are you?"

"Sorry Leon," Cloud chuckled. "At least give me some closure."

"Fine. Whatever." Leon glared at him, not in the least bit happy about having to accept help. And from a cop no less. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm guessing a foster care home is out of the question, as is a youth hostel since I'm sure you've heard horror stories about those…"

"So…?"

"Well, I think I have a place that you can't find fault with."

It was nearly two months later when Cloud came across Leon again. The last time he saw him, Cloud had managed to convince Leon to go and stay in a children's sanctuary (a.k.a. orphanage) at the Saint Firion's Convent. Aerith did a lot of community work there for the Sisters that ran the sanctuary, so naturally she managed to get Leon a place to stay there. Cloud had dropped him off; he almost smiled at how Leon warmed up to Mother Edea Krammer with near-immediacy.

Yes, he had thought to himself, Leon can trust the people here. They won't hurt him. They won't do anything he's scared of to him.

And so two months passed, and Cloud nearly all but forgot about him, having penned him down as just another kid that needed help. Naminé became twenty months-old; he did go for that dinner with Aurora (happily, they didn't get involved, but became firmer friends), and he got promoted after all his hard work in the uniform to the Criminal Investigations Department as a Trainee Detective Constable. But still, he felt like his smile was never really genuine even though his dream was being realised.

Regardless though, he soldiered on. And it was that second month that their paths once more crossed.

Cloud had been waiting around with a select group of the higher ups and DCs, waiting around for the information on the next case. One of his mentors though, Jack Sparrow, was having his morning tipple before his partner, Will Turner, came in.

"You know, that isn't exactly what I call being a good role model Jack," Cloud droned.

"I run on rum. I neeeeeeed rum," Jack drawled, stroking one the braids dangling from his chin. Jack was not one of your usual Detective Constables…no, he was an eccentric with his wild braided hair, dark eyes and slouchy appearance. There was something rather debonair about him though, which meant he was a huge hit with the ladies.

A hand shot out and grabbed Jack's hipflask before he could get anymore rum out of it. "You're going to damage your liver if you continue like that," Will sighed, looking like he was on the verge of a migraine. Most likely caused by Jack.

"Rummmm!" Jack moaned, helplessly flailing to try and get it back. Will just lifted it higher.

"No rum," he said firmly, then nodded to Cloud. "Sorry for being late. He wasn't embarrassing himself was he?"

"Nah. You got here in time before he got worse."

"Oh good." That was when the Deputy Superintendent, Barret Wallace, came in.

"Alright everyone, settle down. We got ourselves a few cases to worry about." He started putting up pictures on the glass board. "Two murders, one rape and…ah, one crime that has a count of burglary, assault and kidnapping. Whoever's with the newbie is getting this one."

"If there's a count of kidnapping, shouldn't you give that to Missing Persons Department?" Will questioned. He was the type that wanted things done correctly. Jack called him a perfectionist.

"If only it were that simple, but we were requested specifically by the victims to take control of the kidnappings too." He put up one last picture…and Cloud nearly choked on the coffee he was sipping.

It was Leon. Barret then wrote a word in big capital letters over him and two other boys: "KIDNAPPED". A heavy lump sunk into Cloud's stomach as he looked at the rest of the pictures. Jack appeared to have noticed.

"What's up? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"If only," Cloud muttered.

"Here you are," the tall dark woman smiled, putting down a cup full of tea before taking a seat across from the blond with her own.

"Thanks," Cloud responded, taking a small sip. He never really liked tea. But he could stomach it. He looked over to the woman; Mother Edea had a large bandage on her forehead that was just visible under her nun's headdress. She had been one of the lucky ones; one of her Sisters was currently in hospital recovering from head injuries. "Do you think you could tell me…what happened?" he asked gently.

She nodded quietly. For the long pause between spoken words, Cloud could here children playing outside in the courtyard, but he knew they weren't blissfully ignorant. Three of their number was gone. "It all happened so fast. It had only been two hours since we put the children to bed, and we were in the middle of evening prayers. Then these men came bursting in waving about guns and telling us to stay where we were." She paused again to take a long calming drink of her tea. "Of course, Sister Rikku wasn't having any of it so she immediately confronted them. Poor, stupid girl. She gets whacked across the head by one of the candle sticks they stole."

Cloud put a comforting hand over Mother Edea's, silently encouraging her to continue. She nodded her head, pursing her lips as she forced herself to remember the events that happened that night. "Leon must have heard what was going on. So must have Tidus and Riku. They came down wielding whatever they could get their hands on and start screaming at them. I…I really thought those men were going to shoot them."

"Keep going," Cloud whispered. He needed to know…how they were kidnapped.

"They didn't take them seriously…so the children were disarmed so quickly. They knocked out Tidus and then started dragging them all off. They said that they would kill the children if we moved."

Cloud nodded his head. Now to find out some small details. "Can you tell me how many men were there?"

"About five. I couldn't see any of their faces."

"Anything characteristic about them? Limps? Any sign of hair colour? Anything?"

"They were all wearing hoods…but, I did see something of a lock of hair…"

"Colour?"

"Pink."

"Pink?"

"Yes. Pink as a rose. I'm guessing that that man was very young."

"Alright," Cloud nodded, finishing off his tea. "If there's anything else you can remember, contact the station."

"Detective," Edea started, "please don't feel guilty about what happened to Leon." Cloud paused from standing, wondering how she had figured out how he was feeling. "No one could have seen this happening."

"Still doesn't mean I have the right not to feel responsible for this." He slid his jacket onto his shoulders, sighing quietly as he made to leave. "I let him down. Now I've got to find him to make amends."