AN: Warning this chapter hasn't been beta-read yet. Read & review please^^

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters are still not mine.

X-x-x-x-x Chapter 2 – x-x-x-x-x-x

It was already dark as Cloud gave up. Apparently Leon didn't want to be found. The gunblade user had become quite skilled in hiding. Cloud ran his hand through his blond hair, watching the silent moon above.

Not a single gummi ship was missing. So he hadn't left Radiant Garden. But where could he be…

…and how should he explain this to the girls…

He walked through the empty streets towards Tifa's bar. A few buildings were still damaged and empty but the town would be back to its old glamour someday.

Maybe the whole world would if Leon set his sight on it, provided that he reemerged from his hiding place.

.

Cloud entered the bar and was greeted immediately by the girls. Loud music was turned down a bit. The bar was well filled. In a few years they would have to celebrate outside on the marketplace when the population increased further.

"Hey you're just in time…" Yuffie pounced on to the blond.

"Cloud? Where is Leon?"

Aerith asked worriedly. Cloud shook his head.

"Awww, but Cloudster, why did you leave him with his work?"

"You assume that I've found him. It seems as if he has hidden skills…."

in hiding.

Cloud added in his mind.

"So he did it again. I thought it was a strange coincidence." Merlin mumbled into his beard.

"What do you mean with strange coincidence?"

Yuffie got off Cloud's back and turned to the old sorcerer.

"Well… two years ago and also last year he disappeared on the 23rd August and this year, too. Could it be a kind of tradition of his native world?"

"That would be a very strange tradition. Who wants to be alone on his birthday?"

Tifa asked serving them their drinks.

"Well…" Cid grabbed a drink and toasted the not present birthday boy.

"To our hardworking leader, wherever he's hiding tonight. Cheers!"

.

Cloud sipped absently at his whiskey. He became terribly aware of his missing knowledge about a certain man. He knew the others well. They came all from the same world and had been friends before. Merlin was a queer card. He gave off an atmosphere that you didn't want to know too much about him. He was old, a sorcerer who often failed in his magic. But old mages had to be this way: plainly weird.

But Leon… they didn't know anything about him. His birthday was on 23rd of August. Yuffie had managed to screw this information out of the warrior on the first New Year's Eve they had celebrated together.

They knew nothing about his past, not even if Leon was his real name. And yet they had always known unconsciously to trust him. As cold and stoic he appeared he would do his best to protect his friends and whole Radiant Garden.

It had often seemed as if he had nothing else left to care about.

"Hey Cloudster, drink with us!"

Cloud sighed and put his thoughts aside. Later would be still time for thinking.

.

In the past two hours Cloud made sure that he hadn't drunk much. He wanted to look for Leon a last time before he went to bed without causing an accident.

The night was chilly despite being end of August. He looked at the marketplace, in the darkness of the back streets. After he was sure that Leon didn't hide in the shadows of the town he checked the outskirt area.

Cloud couldn't see any sign of Leon presence. Disappointed he returned to their home. When Merlin was right, Leon would reemerge in the morning, ready to face his plethora of work.

Cloud yawned and entered Merlin's house. It was quiet and dark. The other habitants of the building were either asleep or still at the party. He stopped shortly at the door next to his and peered inside. Leon's bed was unused. The room was clean and lacking its usual occupant. He shook his head. Slightly wondering why he even cared and why he was so obsessed with Leon that day, he went to bed.

.

The morning came faster than desirable. Even without looking outside he could tell it was raining cats and dogs. As he walked downstairs into the kitchen, Aerith greeted him.

"Good morning, Cloud. Do you want coffee?"

"Morning? It's nearly lunchtime." Cid muttered. Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Don't pretend, Cid. You're not up long either. It's just 9 o'clock."

Cloud took his cup and enjoyed his coffee.

"What's the agenda today?"

"We have to search for Leon. Something isn't right." Aerith stated her voice laced with concern.

"You're sure that he hasn't already started his day? His day off yesterday left a lot of work to do. Or…"

"He didn't come home!" Yuffie whined suddenly from the second floor.

"… or he pulled a Cloud?" Cid interposed.

Cloud glared at him. Yuffie walked into the kitchen.

"The bed is unused and my traps on door and window are still in place."

Sensing the danger of getting scolded by a scandalized Aerith, she added quickly.

"Just little paper strips which break when you open the door or window."

The silence which followed was oppressive.

"I think we all agree that Leon wouldn't leave this world without further notice, so where to start searching?"

"We should split the area. Cid, do you have a map?"

Cid left the kitchen and came back into the room only few minutes later with a large map. "We should hang it up somewhere. Leon uses it regularly."

The Restoration Committee decided how to divide the area and went searching. Each of them was armed with a cell phone and clad in waterproofed clothes.

.

Unbeknownst to them someone was lurking in the shadows right next to their home.

"Hm… so the lion is missing. Not the best day to stay outside somewhere."

He mused and looked up into the gray sky. Silver hair waved slightly in the oncoming wind. The man resolved his help would be needed. If Cloud didn't find him the day before with his mako senses they would need every help they could get. It would be a bonus for him and his intentions when he would be the one who saved the lion of Radiant Garden. He started the search as far away from Cloud as possible. He knew he could be quite soundless but the blond warrior had enhanced senses.

The ex-general wasn't in Radiant Garden to look for a fight with him. He scanned the area carefully checking each corner in the city. By lunchtime the whole population of Radiant Garden was alarmed that Leon was missing thanks to a certain loud ninja girl.

.

Cloud sighed and put his cell phone away. About every 30minutes he got a call from one of the others. By now nearly all of the citizens of Radiant Garden were out and about, wanting to help. He had known that Leon was well liked and admired but he hadn't expected this. But they could use it. Here in the city a lot of buildings were still vacant and haywire. Above all the outskirts of the town were accident prone. If Leon was trapped in one of the ruins, they would have to be very careful to prevent a structural collapse. Cloud hoped that the rain hadn't caused even more problems.

.

Finally the sky cleared up and the sun came out. The nicer weather made it easier to walk around and search for the missing warrior. Sephiroth stepped out of the city and headed over to the Bailey and the Cristal Fissure, trying to find a sign. The rain had probably washed away any possible sign, cleaning the already difficult area.

Wait.

There.

Sephiroth stopped in his track and walked a few steps back. Something lay between the crystals of the Fissure. Carefully he plucked the white and black fibers out of the bluish crystal. The lead was small. He was not even certain if Leon wore the jacket with the white fur but there was a path, well hidden in the mountain.

An hour later Sephiroth was still following the small path when it suddenly led into a wide, open space. The crystals reached here high into the sky, enclosing the ruins which were hidden deep in the Fissure. The building in the middle had collapsed. Small strings of smoke indicated that there had been a fire lately that the rain hadn't doused completely yet.

Adrenaline was pumped through his veins caused by a really bad foreboding. His senses worked flat out. He heard raindrops falling into larger puddle. Old wood crunched inside of the old building. Maybe it had been a factory once. The crystals around the building split the light of the sun and reflected it. Sephiroth stepped over the debris gracefully.

A harsh scrunch echoed through the valley. He hadn't seen the plastic device through all the rubble. It was a cell phone that had seen better days even before he had stepped on it. It looked as if it had been smashed against something. The ex-general took the mobile from the ground and put it into his pocket. Obviously it wouldn't work anymore.

"Leon." Sephiroth called through the valley. He waited and listened patiently. As only silence answered him his eyes scanned the area again.

.

"Leon!"

Sephiroth ran to the building. Right in front of the collapsed wall a gunblade lay broken on the ground. Like the wind the silver haired man searched for its owner. Leon would never left his gunblade at a place like this without reason. He pushed debris aside while listening to his surroundings. A few moments later he saw black leather through the rubble. Sephiroth worked quickly and lifted wood and stone off the lying figure until he could pull him out. Calm hands took off their gloves and felt for the pulse.

Leon was wet and cold but he breathed and his heart beat. Although it was faint, he was still alive.

"Leon….Leon" The older man slapped the unconscious one lightly. No reaction. He cursed inwardly and checked for injuries. Leon was bruised and cut but nothing was broken. None of his injuries seemed to be life threatening and yet he was out cold.

Sephiroth took off his own coat and wrapped his charge in it, hoping he would warm up a bit. Hypothermia was nothing to be treated lightly.

"Don't dare to die on me!" he whispered into the brunet's ear.

Lifting Leon up into his arms, he headed briskly back to Merlin's house. The ex-general wondered briefly why Leon was cold but didn't show any sigh of a fever or another disease.

Where he had needed over an hour to reach the ruins, he overcame the distance in less than the half of time. Although he had to be careful not to aggravate potential injuries, he moved fast forward.

.

A draft was the only warning he got. Sephiroth sidestepped gracefully the incoming attack.

"Sephiroth" Cloud sneered preparing his next blow.

"Cloud." He greeted calmly. "I'm not here to fight"

"A likely story!"

Sephiroth didn't roll his eyes even if he wanted to. Instead he narrowed his eyes.

"I found someone in a ruin in the Crystal Fissure. I'm sure you want him healthy and not dying from hypothermia or any kind of inner injuries."

Cloud stopped his attack mid-way as he noticed the bundle that was wrapped in his darkness' coat.

His eyes widened, noticing who exactly Sephiroth was holding.

"LEON!"

"Believing me now?" He asked emotionlessly.

"Shit…"

Cloud struggled with himself. He didn't want to trust the ex-general, but he had found Leon.

"Both of you stop fooling around. Quick, please take him inside!" Aerith interrupted.

"But we can't..."

"Right now we can!"

.

Just a few moments later Aerith had checked on Leon and he had been put into his bed.

"He will be fine. He's unconscious and probably exhausted but he wasn't hurt seriously and although he was cold and wet, he didn't catch a fever. What has happened Sephiroth? Did you two fight?"

She turned around to face the silver haired man warily. He stood next to the door, leaning on the wall his arms crossed in front of his chest. Cloud was right across the room next to the window. His posture wasn't as calm as Sephiroth's, keeping a close eye on the other.

He sighed impalpably.

"No, and I won't explain anything until Leon hasn't woken up yet. I found him lying unconsciously under the debris of an old factory end of story. I'm not foolish enough to think you would buy something like "I don't want to be evil anymore. I switched sides." So for now it has to be adequate that I left my swords in your custody. "

"Ok then make yourself useful and help as long as Leon will be out cold, to prove your good intentions."

"Don't be foolish, ninja-girl. None of you would want to work with me. That's why I'm waiting for your leader. He has more sense of diplomacy."

"Well, in that case. You're going to play nurse."

x-x-x-x-x chapter 2 end x-x-x-x-x