Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. They are solely Square Enix possessions and er… and Disney in regards to KH. Too bad they don't like to share huh? … But beggars can't be choosers; so therefore, we can be satisfied with just burrowing them, without intent of making any profit out of this of course.

This is my first fan-fiction. And I decided to give it a go with Kingdom Hearts. What had always inspired me to do so was the plain possibility of many of the guys being paired with other guys!! Ok, by that statement, I also state that this fiction is total Shounen Ai, Yaoi.

If you don't like such thing, then here is where the Back button becomes useful. Go ahead, click away. And I couldn't find a Beta, but I try not to make too many mistakes, but if you see one hiding around, you could just let me know.

And please, enjoy… this is what this website is all about… unleashing your imagination. So er… This site is close to be a free country! You can do whatever you wish…er… write whatever you wish.

I wrote overlong, my apologies… on with the story. Er… before that, one more thing. I would like to thank many writers for their inspiration, Xanthos Samurai, Hanae da Firefly and Sorceress Fantasia… along many others. Their writings are magnificent.

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Storm Clouds

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Chapter 1

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Squall Leonheart, or Leon as he preferred to be called, didn't really understand the difference between an angry woman and a wild beast at that exact moment. The brunet did nothing but stared at the pacing woman, while she swung her fists in every direction at an invisible foe, yelling at the top of her lungs and black long hair swinging the other way.

Because of the unexpected act of rage, he had forgotten what had gotten her in such a state in the first place, though he remembered having to step aside when she began screaming, and keeping a lookout for her flinging fists. They were down by the entrance of the Castle, and he turned his gaze from the ebony haired woman to look around him. The members of the committee were all present.

Aerith stared wide eyed at the wild female, apparently not sure if she wanted to try and close the distance to comfort her friend, or give her time until she calmed down. Cid had his arms crossed in front of him, a cigarette hanging from his lips, the sneer he had on his face was not exactly readable, since Leon was not sure if the blond was angry along with Tifa, or he was angry at her from keeping him away from the new shipment of Gummi Blocks.

Yuffie's mind wasn't involved in the situation at all, what gave it away was the fact that she kept looking behind her, then at her watch. As far as Leon knew, the thief, and in other instances, the ninja, didn't want to miss the opening of the Ice Cream parlor, since Scrooge McDuck mentioned that he came up with a new flavor.

The short wizard, Merlin, had his eyes closed, but there was no doubt in Leon's mind that he was listening closely to every word that came out of Tifa's mouth. Leon also understood that the wizard was a very busy old man, and so, he didn't blame him for trying to keep his composure intact instead of blowing up himself.

Cloud was sitting down on the concrete floor, crossed legged and looking at the cracks, Leon supposed. The blond didn't seem interested at all at what was taking place, just as he himself.

Leon sighed as he felt the comings of a headache; he pinched the bridge of his nose and growled low in his throat.

"…and the worst part is, is that none of you seem to be concern about it!" Tifa yelled, clearly angry at that fact.

Oh yes, Leon remembered now. Bringing his hand down from his face, Leon carefully approached Tifa while managing to dodge a hand, and none too tenderly, gripped her shoulder and spun her around.

Tifa, surprised at the handling and more so coming from Leon, stopped her words abruptly, and stared.

"Tifa," he began.

The occupants of the current space straightened up a little more, glad at the interference.

"You're angry, and in effect, you're on the verge of angering us all," he said. "You have your job to do, just as we all do. We have a limited amount of manpower, and so, as much as we wish to, things can only go so fast. The north wall will mostly collapse soon; I would like it to collapse alone, than have it fall on our heads."

"But…" Tifa started, wanting to get her point across.

"And because of the danger it poses us," Leon interrupted. "It is the reason why I will leave it alone. It matters not if that section is the one you want as your own."

Yuffie, wanting to end it quicker and make a run for it, nodded her head and gave them the thumps up. "Yeah Tifa, there are many other rooms in the Castle you can use, so why the big deal?"

"I want the north section because I say so!" Tifa shouted. "It is part of the Castle, why would you all just let it come to its own destruction?"

Leon sighed again, and looked at everyone present. "I already expressed my concerns about it Tifa, the end. Now everyone, get back to your stations. We have wasted most of the morning already."

"Aye Captain!" Yuffie said cheerfully, glad that it was all over.

With her last words, Yuffie ran toward the market place. Taking that as a cue, everyone began to move. Merlin made his way out of the entrance to return home with Aerith, Cid walked inside the Castle, mumbling about senseless conversations. Tifa stood there, but after a moment of inner battle, she nodded briskly and walked into the Castle. Leon saw her go before he shouldered his gunblade, getting ready to scan the area for any hidden threats.

Cloud walked up to Leon, his lips turning into a small smile.

"She certainly made her thoughts clear," he said. Leon grunted in reply as they faced each other. He wasn't happy that Tifa decided to be so verbal about it, but he hoped that he was clear enough on what it meant for them to work in the north section of the Castle.

"She looked convinced?" Leon asked, hoping against hope that he managed to convince the stubborn young woman.

Cloud took a moment to think of an answer, they were all aware how hard headed Tifa could be once she's made up her mind.

"You tried your best." Cloud murmured, feeling sympathy for Leon.

Leon raised his eyebrows and turned away, sighing dejectedly. The answer Cloud provided was expected, it was very hard to convince Tifa of anything. But there were things more important to do at the moment.

"Whatever."

They both walked side by side, alert and ready for anything that might come at them.

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The brick house was shared by the six younglings, as Merlin would put it. It was very comfortable and cozy, but at the same time, a bit too crowded for Leon's taste. The first floor consisted of the living room, a bathroom and the kitchen, while the second floor contained the three bedrooms and the extra bathroom, and finally, the little attic.

Cid had gotten a room of his own, being the oldest of them all. He was lucky to have his own privacy whenever he wished. Aerith and Tifa shared a room, as Yuffie decided to make her little space in the attic, a big relief that it was for the older women, since Yuffie was too disorganized. Leon and Cloud shared a room. They have been doing so for so many years in different places, they had grown accustomed to it.

If Leon was to be honest about it, he would admit to having missed his younger friend when he was away after having joined the darkness. They had been best of buddies since their elementary years, and having him gone for so long, only made Leon come to recently appreciate the presence of the younger man.

After buying the necessary items that he would need to finish a small project that he kept hidden under the bed, Leon made his way out of the market place toward home, where he was sure a tasty dinner awaited him.

The street lamps illuminated the way, creating shadows where the light failed to shine through. The weight of his gunblade on his side was a comforting feeling, and tucking his newly acquired items inside his jacket, he began taking extra, faster steps toward his destination.

It had been a long day, and the thought of spending the remaining of that day with those he considered his family, motivated him into breaking into a jog. He would stop a few feet before entering the house to compose himself and pretend he wasn't almost running to get home of course, since it wouldn't do his image any good if the others found out about his strong feelings toward them.

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The first thing Leon noticed as he opened the door was the lack of lighting. Usually at the present hour, the house would have been full of activity. Cid would usually be watching the reruns of the day's Blitzball game; Yuffie would be siding with the other team and would cheer them throughout the two hour competition just to annoy Cid. Tifa and Aerith would have been taking care of supper, while keeping an exciting conversation going. And Cloud, as it was his habit of doing so, would be sitting on the window sill by the window, looking at the outside world, sulking.

But that night, everything was dark and silent, and he couldn't help the shift of attitude within him. He was quickly on alert, not trusting what existed within the darkness. Leon readied his gunblade, while walking sideways and reaching out a hand for the light switch. Once clicked, no light came from the bulbs. Taking a deep breath, he thought of calling out for his companions, but he didn't want to alert anyone that didn't supposed to be there to his presence.

But concern for the others won over.

"Aerith, Cid?" he called, and anxiously waited for some sort of answer. There was a small shuffle close by, and he instantly tensed and waited for any signs of approach.

"Leon?" came a voice from the dark. The voice was soft and tired, but he recognized it anyway.

"Cloud, what's going on? Why is it dark?" Leon asked, wanting to know as much as possible of their current situation.

Another shuffle, and soon he could hear soft footsteps getting closer to him, until he felt a hand on his arm. All the tenseness flew his body, and he sighed with relief.

"Cid is out fixing the problem," Cloud began explaining, voice soft and weary. "There was a blackout, but apparently only minor, since it didn't include the neighbors."

Leon breathed in and he ran a hand through his dark hair. He didn't notice anything strange on his way home, and he certainly didn't noticed Cid outside.

"And the girls?" Leon inquired.

"In their rooms, they have a battery operated television. Seems that there was a girly movie they wanted to see," Cloud replied, amusement coating his words.

At this, Leon snorted. Girls were weird like that, he guessed. Cloud's hand was still on his arm, and he took it into his own to lead Cloud out of the house, if Cid was outside with a problem, Leon wanted to provide help.

"Let's see how Cid is coming along then," advised Leon, sheathing his gunblade, but as he pulled on Cloud's hand, he felt a tug of resistance.

"Why?" came the haughty question.

"Because he might finish faster if he has some help, why else?" Leon replied, all knowing like.

He pulled with more force, but Cloud didn't seem to budge.

"I'd just rather stay here, Leon."

"Nonsense… come on Cloud, since when are you so lazy? Taking your time with this darkness to sulk more?"

There was a snort from Cloud, and this time when Leon pulled, the other didn't fight it and slowly followed Leon to the exit, since only the light from outside that streamed through the window was their only lamp.

"I don't sulk," Cloud stated moments later.

"Whatever."

Walking outside they made their way to the side of the house, where they found Cid smoking a cigarette while switching a couple of wires here and there in the circuit breaker.

"Cid," Leon called.

The unexpected company startled the older male, and he turned around to look at the direction of the new comers.

"What the hell Leon, can't you warn a man before giving him a heart attack?!" he yelled, not liking being caught off guard.

The pilot turned back around to continue with his job, mumbling low. But his hands suddenly stopped their work as he looked back at Leon, then behind him to the other young man.

"I thought you were sleepin'," he said.

Cloud shrugged without giving a reply, but Leon looked back at him with a questioning gaze. Cid chuckled in remembrance, shaking his head.

"That was a bad hit you took to your head, Aerith will be furious with you if she sees you out here." He commented.

Leon's intense gazed was fixed on Cloud, unconsciously taking a step closer to the blond, worry behind the angry eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

Cloud was stopped from taking a step back by Leon's hand grabbing his arm.

"You're hurt?"

"No…" Cloud lied, not liking the worry he sensed from the brunet.

"Fell off the ladder, and was knocked senseless," At his own words, Cid started laughing while thinking back of the day's happenings. Cloud unconsciously raised a hand to the back of his head, where brunet's hand followed.

"Leon, please…" he began.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" The anger behind Leon's words were softened by the attention he was giving to Cloud, and the blond did his best not to blush, thanking the night time for its cover.

Leon felt the bump in the back of his friend's head, sighing irritably.

"You should've been more careful Cloud," he said angrily. "How many times are you to injure yourself?"

"It was nothing Leon, just a fall," Cloud tried to soothe the brunet.

"Either way, you should be more careful. Things…" His words were interrupted by a loud crash followed by loud yells and a shriek that came from the left, on the road to the market. Cid stood quickly and along with the two youngest ones, stared into the night.

"We should check it out…You didn't find anything suspicious while making your rounds did you Leon?" he asked.

"I didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to check," Leon responded, suspiciously.

Cloud was the first to move, but he was suddenly brought to a stop by a strong grip on his arm. He looked back to find Leon looking at him with an annoying face.

"You should wait inside, Cid and I can take a look," Leon told him.

"That is out of the question Leon."

Cid went ahead first, grabbing his Venus Gospel spear he had leaning on the wall of the house, Cloud made to follow again, but Leon's grip tightened.

"Get back inside now, that's an order," The glare that Leon gave him at that moment made him hesitate to follow Cid. Leon let go of his arm, while hurrying after the old man.

Cloud stared, not knowing if he should go against Leon's orders or do as he said. He took a step to follow his teammates, until the realization that he didn't carry his sword with him registered in his brain. He decided to heed Leon's command, only because he didn't carry a weapon, nothing else. He stopped his thoughts about easily running back inside the house for it, and then being able to catch up with them.

He turned to walk back into the house when he heard loud footsteps coming from within, probably the girls rushing down after hearing the noise from outside, he thought. He would keep himself alert though, just in case he heard any signs of the guys needing help.

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To be continued…