Disclaimer: Disclaims shit. I own nothing but the plot here folks.

A/N: Here we learn a little more about some of Cloud's inner turmoil as he struggles to live with what he is and how it affects his daily life. It gets kinda mushy here; some relief is finally offered to our poor protagonist. Unfortunately this ended up being the introduction to an unintentional love triangle which I had really really wanted to avoid but seemed inevitable as thats just what my brain wanted to happen. The scenes went better with the romantic underlying on both ends and it just... I don't know. Don't hate me. ;3; I love both Loz and Squall's characters in here and I REALLY am not sure which way Cloud will end up going, if either. . As I said before, not really meant to be a romance but it just seemed good for character development. D: SORRY.

Arc one: Stealing Souls

Chapter Four

I was still leaning on the wall when Merlin returned. He gave Squall and I a curious glance before shaking his head. "I thought you'd have left by now lad."

A cheshire grin spread across my face. "We offered him a ride back."

"YOU offered him a ride in MY car." Zack's tone was just dripping with irritation. He gets so touchy during these times.

The tall brunette across from me folded his arms, turning on his natural stoic face again, "I told you it was unnecessary. If you don't mind I'd like to get going. Its a long run and I don't think I can stand much more of your boyfriend's charm."

If I'd have snorted any louder at the comment one would have thought me a pig, "He's NOT my boyfriend."

Again his eyes came hard in a scrutinizing stare first to myself then to Zack who seemed ever so delighted to be included yet again in our conversation. "You couldn't pay me to fuck 'em." The annoyed raven haired man stuck his tongue out to us before offering his middle finger as truce. I sighed heavily, Zack's childish pouts could last for hours if not days, he was going to give me a migraine I just knew it.

Merlin coughed lightly drawing our attentions back to him, "Well as much as I'm sure you're enjoying proper introductions it'd probably be best to send him off so we may start. Agreed Mr. Strife?"

Before I could answer Squall moved to the door. The thought of him leaving irked me but I really didn't have a good reason for him to stay. When he grabbed the handle I remembered the dream I had and what the man had said about the cub. There was a good chance he knew him and could help me save him.

"Wait!" I called, stumbling over to the door. I only made it about three steps before pain exploded in my leg causing me to cripple and fall. I hit the ground hard, landing on my abused rib cage. The pain was so incredible, I thought surely I would heave on the floor. Zack's laughter could be heard from the living room, Merlin's followed shortly after. Groaning in agony I attempted to lift myself, my arms wavered as the pain from my fall was still too devastating.

There was a sigh that was barely audible over the now fading chuckles and a sound of footsteps. An unfamiliar pair of boots came into view before I was lifted and set on my feet. Frosted mercury pools met mine and I flushed a little. I must be coming off as desperate for all the wrong reasons. When did I get so clumsy?

He stared patiently at me for a few moments before finally dropping his arms from me. I guess he deemed me stable enough to stand on my own for the time being. "I uh... Well what I have to talk to Merlin about may concern you as well. Or rather, one of your pard. Which as leader is just as good as having you directly involved..." I mentally slapped myself for my lack of class. A grade schooler could have explained that better.

His eyes sparkled with interest, "One of my pard? Do you know whom?"

I shook my head lightly, "No, I was hoping you'd help me identify them. I only saw their beast form."

Merlin's voice cut in, "Perhaps you should start from the beginning, Mr. Strife."

I nodded lightly, "Yeah that would be best. If you don't mind I'd like to sit before we start. My leg is fucking killing me."

The old man rolled his eyes and held out a small rounded bottom glass vial. A thick red fluid sloshed inside of it. "Quit your complaining and just drink the damn potion."

Tentatively I took it from his hand and held the vial into the light. The fluid glowed a bright deep red but was so thick I could not see through it. Merlin and his potions, they looked like the world's deadliest toxins. I arched an eyebrow to him, "What the hell did you put in this?"

He watched me grinning while I took the cork out and gave it a whiff. It certainty smelled pleasant enough, kinda like wildflowers and wine. "Oh not much different than the usual, just added something to improve the taste." I gave him a concerned look, which he of course waved off. "Stop being a child and drink it."

"You'll have to excuse my hesitation," I trusted Merlin, I knew the potion would heal me like it always had but his alterations to the recipes have had some... undesirable effects. I had to fight not to shudder at the thought of the last time. I'll never forgive him entirely for turning me into an alpaca.

"Relax you won't turn into anything... this time." Something about the way Merlin was grinning at me made me extremely nervous.

I raised the vial to my hesitant lips while squeezing the cork for some confidence. I threw my head back and downed the fluid. It moved in one motion, emptying its contents down my throat. Something thick and slimy made its way down my throat with the fluid and I almost gagged. The taste alone was awful but whatever went down with it felt like a slug. I coughed heavily and dropped the vial to the floor.

"W-what was in there?!" I asked in a demanding tone. Quite frankly I was scared of the answer. I could feel the healing potion start taking its effect on me. My leg wound burned as the skin enflamed, the healing process taking a drastic speed change. In a few minutes the scab would probably flake off.

Merlin laughed rich and hearty, which in turn fueled my fear. "Nothing you twit, just a gusano rojo. Its said they can boost your spirit after all!"

"Pffft... HAHAHAHA!" Zack's obnoxious laughter filled the room and I glared at him. He knew I didn't speak Spanish and the words meant nothing to me. I was surprised to hear a soft chuckle coming from Squall as well, seems like everyone knew what it was but me.

"Well what the fuck is that?!"

Zack had tears at the corners of his eyes when he decided to speak up, "He slipped you the 'worm' from his Mezcal bottle."

I almost gagged on the spot, he put a worm in the potion?! "Merlin!" I bellowed. The old man was laughing quite hysterically at me now. Now fully pissed off I threw the cork I was still holding at him and hit him in the face with it. It bounced off without scathing him, causing him to laugh harder.

I gritted my teeth as I staggered over to the couch, crossing my arms and pouting as I sat down. Zack teasingly stuck his tongue out at me. "Keep that in your mouth before I bite it off." I grumbled. Its not that I didn't take jokes well, I loved a good joke really. I just couldn't take Merlin's pranks well. I mean who the hell slips someone a grub soaked in potent liquor?!

Frustrated I growled as I dug my hands into my hair grabbing large tufts and pulling at the roots painfully. The combination of Zack and Merlin was enough to make me want to shoot someone... In the foot. I'm not a murderer, I just want to hurt them sometimes. I shot a deadly glare to Merlin who was still rosy in the cheeks from his hearty laugh, "Are you done now? I'd LOVE to get started so I can get the hell out of here."

Merlin smiled practically from ear to ear as he made his way over to his recliner happily polling down into it. Squall however, stayed at his post against the hallway wall. I sighed lightly, "You too Kitten, come on."

His eyes narrowed slightly, "I prefer to stand, Fenrir."

My eyebrow twitched in return, "Then please come to stand in the room with us, SQUALL."

He huffed lightly before uncrossing his arms and coming into the room standing opposite from our seating arrangement. From where he was now leaning I could keep him perfectly in view much to my pleasure and distraction. Why on earth he even listened to me I'll never be sure of. Seems like people obliged all my weird commands, it was kinda cool actually.

They were all watching me silently, awaiting the start of my tale. I took a deep breath and started from when I arrived on the last scene, leaving out Loz's shameless flirting and concentrating on describing the important stuff. The sense of foreboding on the door, the impenetrable darkness around the scene itself , the odd responses I gained from using my magick. When I reached that point I had to stop for a moment.

"Merlin, can you identify runes?"

He nodded lightly, "Most runes, yes. Need a pen and paper?"

"Yeah."

A quick snap of his fingers and a small notepad fell into my lap with a pen on it. I wondered vaguely if these were conjured or if he just moved them from his desk to here. I tapped the pen to my chin lightly in thought, trying to recall the shapes of the runes. My memory wasn't perfect but it was pretty good. Image in mind I scribbled lightly onto the pad, recreating the runes as best I could on the paper. Satisfied with the result I handed him the pad.

He looked it over for a moment, his hand stroking his beard idly. Squall even took a hovering peek at the pad before returning back to the wall. "Its crude," Merlin's voice came flat.

I scoffed at the statement, "I'm not art major, Merlin, deal with it."

He simply smiled while looking it over. "If I had to guess I would say its Northumbrian Futhark runes. Very old and very dead magick. I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with old Germanic tribal magick."

"Well after I touched it the magick... licked me, so to speak."

"Licked you?"

"Uh, yeah. Like it was tasting me. A black tentacle came out of it and touched my finger, after a second it retreated back into the rune. I don't have much experience with binding spells but it sure looked like one to me. A very particular one at that. This is where it starts to get weird though," I took a shuddering breath remembering the horrid dreams that plagued me and would probably continue to from the sounds of the evening.

I continued with my detailed recollection of the evening. When it came to the incident on the stairs Zack so lovingly voiced his opinion on my actions, though he seemed the only one upset about it. Both Merlin and Squall agreed with my course of action. Though once I told them that the pursuer had been a wererat all three of them gaped at me like fish out of water.

"Why would a wererat attack you?" Merlin asked.

"That's what I was asking myself when it happened. I honestly thought maybe someone had upped the bounty on my head and that someone got bold enough to collect. Honestly being unarmed and injured from the fall he would have killed me if not for the cub."

"Cub?" Squall's deep voice came quiet, his eyes dripping from curiosity.

I nodded with a smile, "Yeah. After the wererat hit me with a beam and knocked me out of the hall one of your pard came out of the hole in the ceiling and fought him. He saved my life."

"Did he kill the wererat?"

Something in his voice was almost anxious, his eyes were slightly narrowed, his brow itched to furrow, Squall was worried.

I shook my head and he seemed to relax. I guess he wanted to preserve what innocence he could for his pard, very admirable.

"If not him then who killed it?"

Zack had a talent for making a good question sound dumb. It was one of the many reasons I had this love/hate friendship with him. "'Killing' would be a loose term, the rat was already dead. I merely separated the beast's soul from the inhabited body."

Squall perked at the statement, his eyes sparkled brightly. "That's a possibility?"

I hadn't really thought about the impact those words could have on him. Being a lycanthrope I'm sure the thought has crossed his mind once or twice of possibly eliminating the parasite soul. It pained me to have to disappoint him.

"I wouldn't take it too far... This is the first time I've done anything of the sort. I'm not sure that a lycanthrope would be able to survive that kind of damage. My goal was to stop him at all costs, I didn't know there was only one soul in there. Unfortunately Mickey's soul might have had a worse fate than being snared by a Drakan."

"Cloud, how did you summon a Drakan?" Merlin's eyes fixed on me in a harsh gaze. I slumped under it, trying to sink further into the couch. I flicked my eyes around the room before settling my gaze on my hands in my lap.

"You told me yourself you don't have the mana pool for summons."

"Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen you pull off a summon before."

I could feel Zack's eyes on me too. I didn't have to look up to know Squall was waiting for an answer as well.

"Cloud, don't tell..." Merlin started.

I sighed and hid my face in my palms. Here we go, "I used a life tap..."

The room was completely silent for several moments after the statement. It felt as if everyone was holding their breath. The air held a palpable tension.

Zack shifted uncomfortably beside me. When I turned to him he averted his gaze, a look of utter appall was prominent on his normally handsome face. He stayed silent as he stood and grabbed his keys off the table and made for the door.

"Zack, wait."

"Don't talk to me, Strife. Just don't say anything."

I hopped off the couch and closed the distance, putting a hand on his shoulder. At the touch he spun around and punched me in the jaw sending me staggering back a few feet. I gripped my wounded cheek as I met his heated stare.

"Don't fucking touch me! How could you! I should turn you in right now to the station, let them execute you for your crimes!" His face was red and seething with his anger. I'd never seen such feral fury in him before. For the first time, I was scared of my friend. Scared of what I just damaged maybe even lost due to my carelessness. He turned on his heel and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

I couldn't stop the emotion from welling up inside me. My eyes filled to the brim with tears that threatened to spill but I wouldn't allow the comfort. I knew what I had done was wrong. Blood magick was strictly forbidden and extremely illegal. Using it was an instant execution if you were caught.

"Well, I can't say he's wrong in his actions Strife. You erred in using blood magick." Merlin's haughty tone pushed my building emotions to the limit.

"So what? I fucked up, fine, throw your stones! But at least I have something to show for it! Was it so wrong of me to want to save him? Should I have just let him die in my stead? Oh how fucking heroic! What about Ienzo? Had I left him on the stair and leapt myself I wouldn't have ever been injured. He would have just died to the beast. Is that better? Is that the fucking result everyone wanted?! Well excuse me for having a better sense of morality than that. I'm SO sorry I tried and saved all our lives. Who knows how many others are safe now because of me and that cub? No one focuses on the good that came, only the ill that fueled it. I'm sorry I'm not a better mage, but I am not sorry that I was willing to give my life to save two others. If you can't see it for what it is then I'm afraid I need not seek any further console from you!"

Somewhere along the spiel the tears that had threatened to spill had finally done so. They left hot trails down my cheeks and gave a nasty headache. I didn't care anymore about trying to keep up my tough guy image; I was thoroughly pissed off. I slumped down the wall in the corridor and sat with my knees drawn up, I crossed my arms over the tops of my knees and buried my face into them just to cried harder. I didn't want to look up and see such condescending stares.

There was a soft rustling sound from the direction of the living room. I could hear Merlin softly murmuring something and feel a dramatic sigh of magick wash quickly over my skin. A soft pattering of feet sounded towards me and I buried my head down further. I really didn't want to see who was going to hit me this time.

I expected this kind of reaction from my coworkers and even the general public but not from my only best friend and close friend Merlin. I felt low; but I didn't feel wrong. No matter what light I looked at it in I couldn't find a way to see my actions as wrong. Maybe I was biased because I had already done the deed but if the alternative was to sacrifice someone else so that I could live or possibly still die... I just didn't see how I was wrong.

Something brushed against my hair, the act itself was so tender it was startling. I jolted, lifting my head from the confines of the nest I made in my arms and knees. I had been expecting many things; another screaming match, hitting, zapping, involuntary expulsion, but not this...

Squall stood before me in his panther form, his eyes still the same frosted mercury pools they had been before but now with the slightly elliptical shape that cat pupils had. My eyes were watered but the tears had slowed, it was hard to stay upset when I was looking at all that velveteen fur. A rough pink tongue flicked across my bruised cheek leaving a slight trail of saliva and disturbingly enough, eased the pain greatly. By the time the spit had dried my cheek didn't hurt anymore.

"Thanks Kitten," I sniffled lightly. He exhaled slowly, a low purring sound emitting from his throat as he head-butted me. He rubbed his cheeks against mine in several of these purring head-butts, I couldn't help but smile as his long whiskers tickled my cheeks.

He sat resting on his forepaws with his tail around me. Hesitantly I reached a hand out to scratch behind his ears. His large eyes closed and he chuffed in appreciation, those odd purring sounds resonating like a small chainsaw every time he exhaled. It was extremely comforting, I felt a lot better. I brought my stray hand to scratch under his chin in which he gave a very large cat grin to.

Before long I found myself smiling at him, the tears all but gone from my eyes. He seemed to notice this as well, "For the record, I don't believe you were wrong in your actions." His voice was strained on that tongue. It was almost hard to decipher what he was saying. Like many were's he had trouble with pronouncing certain sounds.

I dropped my hand from his chin and rested it on my knee, "Thanks, glad someone's on my side."

Something flicked in his eyes, another subtle change of emotions I assumed. "I am sorry I misjudged you. I went by your reputation and I feared for my people; I didn't realize you had such a strong human side."

"Yeah its probably my worst trait."

"I disagree," he said sharply. Those cool eyes held such a depth to them, he could say anything right now and I would believe it. "Humanity is very desirable. Your ability to make difficult decisions shows strength of character. Even though you know people will dislike you for it, you still make the right choice. There is nothing wrong with that. If I recall correctly, wasn't it you who said there is no shame in being who you are?"

"Yeah," I flushed heavily, was he really paying that much attention even after I hurt him? I know I wouldn't have been; I would have just stared daggers until they left or I got a chance to kill 'em. This man Squall... he really is something else.

Unconsciously I touched a hand to my cheek, grazing over where Zack had hit me. When the flesh didn't sting when I pressed into it I gazed at Squall curiously, "My cheek doesn't hurt."

"As it shouldn't."

"... Why?"

He exhaled sharply, making a slight chuffing sound, the closest you could get to a sigh in that form I assumed. "Lycanthrope tongue's heal. Its safe on humans as long as its not an open wound."

"That contagious?"

He gave another sharp exhale, his eyes glimmered with humor, "No, that tempting."

Ah right, the whole eating people thing.

"Only blood truly contaminates. Scratches are less likely but bites are also common polluters; saliva can carry the disease but its passed through the immune system easier. Its usually resisted at from that source."

"Hn. Well that takes some of the fun out. I guess that would make you the romantic type?"

The deadpan stare he gave me was priceless. I slapped a hand to my forehead and groaned lightly to myself. I had really meant to say that in my mind. Even there, it was inexcusable. I peeked through my fingers to find him still staring at me, a small twinkle in his eye. Yeah, he looked amused.

I cleared my throat lightly, trying to fight down the flush on my cheeks. "So do you think you could help me find the cub?"

He blinked a few times, I guessed to steady his own thoughts. "You never did say why you needed to find him."

I sighed heavily, "Well I was hoping I could speak to Merlin further about this but it seems he and Zack have had enough of me today. But honestly I need help, I can't do this one alone."

He nodded and sat in front of me, his full attention on me.

"While I was unconscious a man contacted me. He confessed to being related to the murders but because he's already a spirit I really can't do much about it. Someone is helping him on this side but I have no inkling as to whom. He said he was collecting souls to pay a debt. If I had to guess I'd say he was trying to return to the side of the living. He's going after lycans because the animal spirit counts as a separate soul. He offered to exchange my life and soul for everyone else. I didn't believe for a second that he would actually stop the killing so I declined of course but then he said he'd go after those important to me and the cub. He made it clear he was going to pick two people next time. He wants me to choose who lives and who dies. I'm not sure how much of it was a dream but I'm just not willing to bank on it."

When I looked to Squall again I could see how tense he was. His claws were flexed and digging into the hardwood floor. His eyes were a murderous fury of silver, hardly any blue left in them.

His voice came strained and hissed, "I will see to my pard's safety. What did he look like?"

I shook my head, "A vague description at best, I only saw his beast form and it was dark. He seemed drastically smaller than you in size and frame, the only thing that stood out aside from his size was his eyes. They were the same hue as mine."

His pupils dilated and his muscles twitched under the skin, "I know who it is, I'll see to his safety."

"Stay out of the shadows... ok? Keep the lights on... Please call me if anything happens. Do you need another business card?"

"No; I kept yours."

"Ooh, I'm flattered." I gave a weak smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. Again something akin to a grin crossed his face. I mentally pat myself on the back for my success.

"Since your friend left you how are you going to get back to town?"

"Ah... I was going to beg Merlin for a teleport or..." I patted myself down, feeling my pockets were empty I sighed. "... or walk since my wallet is apparently in Zack's car."

He chuffed lightly, an amused sound came from low in his throat. "I could give you a ride."

I looked him over, he was fairly large; he could probably carry me easily. If he stood bipedal he would easily be around eight feet tall (243cm). He looked more like a small horse than a cat. Before I knew it I was nodding to him, accepting his offer.

"I'll be a moment, wait here."

I nodded again and did as I was told. I stayed in my position, still sitting with my knees drawn up as he made his way to the living room again. The same rush of magick washed over me, a small glimpse of him shifting caught my view before I averted my gaze. I was no peeping tom!

The familiar rustle of clothes could be heard as I fought with myself to keep my eyes trained on the floor in front of me. If he was going to carry me I could not pop a chubby. I would not make this awkward!

"You all set?"

At the sound of his voice my head snapped up and in that moment, I regretted the motion. He was strolling towards me with his shirt slung over his shoulder and his pants unfastened. That teasing glimpse of gunmetal from before was now proudly in full view along with an impressive span of rippling muscles as he came toward me. Though his face was blank and stoic his eyes revealed a hint of something else... smugness?

I had to bite my lip and peel my gaze away from him to avoid my breath hitching. He was incredibly striking; unfortunately my body agreed with what it was seeing. I had to avert my gaze again, this time not soon enough to avoid the discomfort forming in my pants. I had to pinch myself on the underside of my arm hard to dispel it.

"Yeah I'm good... lets go." I didn't look up again until after I heard the rustle of his shirt and the zip of his pants. I'm now convinced this this man is the devil. I mean that was just cruel...

Upon stepping outside Squall stooped on the door step and eyed me from over his shoulder, "Get on."

I quirked my eyebrow at him, "Seriously?"

"Would you prefer the cradle method?"

"No-no, this is fine..."

He watched me with a coy smile as I sauntered over to him. It was a nice change for someone to be kind to me. I was overcome by the urge to leap onto his back like a child. I wonder how he'd react to that? I grinned devilishly to him before pouncing onto him, locking my arms around his neck and my legs tightly around his waist. "Forward, march!"

He gave a light chuckle and a soft shake of his head. His arms locked around my legs and he straightened, hefting me up further. "Hold on tight."

Not going to lie it was pretty fun being run through the forest lining the roads. Or maybe that was me just enjoying getting to feel him pressed flush against me, heh. It took about half an hour to get back to the northern skirts of town where he finally put me down. For carrying all that my weight and running as fast as he did, it was impressive he wasn't sweating. Lycanthropes were really amazing.

"Thanks for the lift, kitten." I tossed him a cheesy smile.

He gave me an odd look, "You gonna be okay out here?"

"I'll be fine, I'll probably call someone as soon as you go. I need to get my bike back... Call me as soon as you have him somewhere safe otherwise I'll come looking for you two."

He nodded lightly, "Alright. Thank you... for being what we need."

I cocked my head to the side. "Hn?"

"Its nothing; I'll call you later."

With that he took off. He was out of sight in a matter of seconds, amazing how fast he could move! He must have been going slow for my sake when he carried me, I don't think I could have handled that kind of velocity.

I was fortunate that I had my work cell on my hip, though my personal one was probably still in Zack's car. I hummed a short tune as I scrolled through the list of contacts until I came to the one I needed. I'd had this number in here for years, I wonder what he'll think since this is my first time calling it?

It took until the fifth ring for the owner to pick up, their voice came uncertain over the line. "Cloud?"

"The one and only. Good afternoon, Loz." I couldn't fight the smile from playing across my lips. I was having a much better day after talking with Squall. The fact that Loz had an extremely good phone voice just added to my delight.

"... Are you okay...?"

"Fine, totally fine." There was an audible sigh of relief from the other side of the line. My smile brightened further, I found myself really liking this sensitive side of him. "I was hoping if its not too much trouble that maybe I can get a ride?"

"What's your twenty?

"Uh," For some reason I didn't want to just blurt out, 'I'm in a back alley on the skirts of town'. I wasn't sure how he'd take that considering the last events that took place around here. "Sec," I ran to the beginning of the alley back to the streets. A quick look at the buildings surrounding gave me a landmark, "Uh... I'm by the bakery on the north-westside, heading towards the swamp."

"Which bakery?"

I groaned lightly. Loz practically exclusively patrolled the north side. He knew damn well which bakery it was without me giving the name. I sighed into the phone knowing he just wanted to hear me say the title, "Sweet Treat's Lovin' From the Oven..."

"I'll be there in ten minutes, stick around out front." There was a hint of amusement in his tone. Who would have thought that Loz could have a little sadist in him?

Sure enough he was true to his word, if not a little early. Though I was a bit baffled when he pulled up his personal vehicle. I quirked an eyebrow as I hopped into the passenger side of his black Mercedes. "Is this an E-class?"

He merely smiled and nodded, "A W212, do you like it?"

"Yeah its very nice. This is definitely one of the nicest vehicles I've been in."

His smile broadened, spreading warmly across his face, "Maybe there will be more occasions for you to ride in it."

I gave a small smile of my own, "We'll see. Alright Silver-Fox, let's get me back my bike please."

He gave a light turn of his head to me, still mostly focused on the road but just far enough that I could see his eyebrow arch in question. "Silver-Fox?"

"Yeah, thats your nickname from now on."

His deep masculine laughter filled the confines of the car, "Alright then I guess you'd have to be a Chocobo."

I scoffed, "No, see that won't work."

"I didn't complain about my nickname."

"Because your's is awesome."

"What's wrong with the one I gave you?"

"Tch. Chocobos aren't cool or sexy, there for the nickname will not work."

We came to a stop at a red light and gave me a lingering stare. His emerald eyes pierced mine and I found myself shifting under that look. "I happen to find Chocobos very cool and alluring." The seriousness in his tone only served to make the statement more ludicrous.

I flushed lightly at the comment, alluring, truly?

"Besides, your argument's invalid, you look like a chocobo."

I openly gaped at him, "I do NOT look like a giant bird!"

"The resemblance is uncanny, truthfully I'd think you were a hatchling if you stood among them."

I feigned hurt, clasping my hand over my heart and sighing dramatically, "Remember that shot you ever had with me? Yeah its gone."

"No; I believe its still there."

"Tch, you would say that. Apparently you missed it go out the window across the rooftops and far away." I stuck my tongue out teasingly at him, though his focus was on the road ahead of us. For a few moments everything felt so very normal. Since he had picked me up I hadn't even thought about all the things troubling me. No worries about the case or the consequences of my involvement, just normalcy.

Unfortunately this served as a timely reminder for the conversation I needed to have with him. There was still the ever present danger, lurking in the shadows of the night. Tonight/early tomorrow would prove to possibly change all our lives. I wasn't sure how much I should flirt with the possibility of a date with someone who could possibly not live to see the rising sun. The thought saddened me greatly, I couldn't help but visibly deflate.

"What's wrong...?"

Loz's soft tone caught me slightly off-guard. I was still getting used to seeing the less professional side of him. It both warmed me and hurt me- I wasn't sure what this conversation was going to do to us. Luckily we were only a few minutes from the lot, I'd have my bike soon and wouldn't have to worry so much about the awkwardness of close confines.

"Before I woke up I had an awful dream."

"Ah, you seemed to be having a few of those while you were out."

I peered at him, my curious crystalline blue eyes slightly narrowed, "How do you know that?"

"Because I went to see you." His voice was the normal cool, nonchalant tone he normally used on duty. So matter-of-fact.

A prominent blush spread over my cheeks, my pulse raced in my chest. "You came to see me...?"

He gave a slight curl of the lips as he pulled into a parking space in front of the lot. After killing the ignition he pivoted in his seat to face me fully. "Of course I did." A large pale hand covered my own giving a light squeeze. "I was worried about you, Choco."

I must have been a couple different shades of red up to my ears. I wasn't exactly used to people caring so much about, except for Zack. He was being so very endearing and I honestly didn't feel like I deserved it. "Thank you... but... Why?" A deep rooted bitterness welled within me and I couldn't stop it from taking its hold.

"Hn?"

"Why do you care so god damn much?" I was trembling lightly. My emotions were storming inside me, coming back in full force from before.

"Someone has to worry about you, Cloud. I just choose to do it because I care about you."

So many people hated me, truly hated me, for what I do. His brothers were no exception. That I could understand, but I couldn't possibly fathom his affection. How could he manage to favor me when every one tells him otherwise? Why would he want anything to do with me?

"Cloud..." His hand squeezed mine again and his eyes shimmered with tears that threatened to spill, they were dazzling just like that. He used his free arm to pull me into a soft embrace, a sweet kiss graced my temple and I sniffled myself. "I think you've more than earned the right to be loved. You do so much, things I know no one else can bear. That night in the library you showed me just who you really were: a man of honor. How could anyone not desire you?"

I cried tears of my own then as he held me. They streamed down my cheeks baring everything I felt in that moment. A wash of happiness, desire to be loved, acceptance, and finally despair. I didn't deserve this, that I knew. But what I couldn't pin point was wether I didn't deserve the affection or wether I didn't deserve the pain of denying myself the pleasure he was offering.

It just wasn't fair. Here I had someone willing to offer me everything I needed and I couldn't take it. I couldn't bring him into the madness that was my life. But wasn't it too late for that? Wasn't he already a part of my nightmare? Facilier had made it clear his intent, how could I possibly entertain the thought of falling for someone whom I just had a hand in murdering? Was I really that fucked up?

His strong hand worked at my back, rubbing soothing circles in it as we cried. He was so beautifully expressive... When I finally broke away from the embrace, my tears were still flowing. Loz's hand stayed on my back while he moved his other from my hand to my cheek. Idly he thumbed at the streams that cascaded down.

"I don't..." I started.

"You do deserve it. You deserve more than anyone else a chance to be happy, Cloud."

His emerald eyes shimmered and glittered. Loz brought his hand from my back to cup my face and pulled me in. His lips met mine in a smooth fashion, the taste of my tears washed over our locked lips. Those soft lips took mine in a kiss so painfully sweet and tender, filling me with emotions I hadn't been sure I could feel until now. It was everything I could have wanted, both tender and passionate. It just made me despair further; it was just so fucking unfair.

When we finally parted he thumbed over my still tingling lips with sparkling eyes. "I just wish you would let me do that for you."

I loosed a shuddering breath, "I can't. I can't do that to you."

"You can't do that to me or yourself?"

"You- both. I'm not sure truly... I just... My life is so fucked up, I can't put you in that kind of danger constantly. I... I've already done too much."

"You've done nothing."

"... Thats not entirely true. Because of me you're already endangered."

A soft smile played on his lips, "I'm a law enforcement personal, when am I not in danger?"

I shook my head violently, my blond locks swayed with the motion. "No; not like this. This is something I don't think I can stop."

"You'll find a way; you always do."

I couldn't keep the dumbfounded look off my face, "How can you be so sure? I just admitted to not knowing what to do."

He chuckled softly and fixed me with deep kind eyes, "You told me once to let you protect me and you did. I believe that you will stay true to your word."

"What if I don't? What if I can't?!" I wanted to cry some more but by this point the tears had stopped and wouldn't return. Some part of me was bothered by being denied the comfort of something so very human.

"Then I trust you to do the right thing," His lips sought mine again, hovering just a few painful centimeters away from pushing mine. I could taste his sweet minty breath on my tongue, feel the pushes of his words against my parted lips. "... and I could never be disappointed in you for that."

Something inside me broke with those words, like they were some great enchantment. Perhaps they were, because I would never know why they affected me the way they did. But in that moment, I had to show him everything he was making me feel. It was all so new to me and I wanted him to share it all with me. I seized his lips with mine, pushing flush against him in an almost brutally searing kiss. My hands found their way to his shoulder and his silver locks, squeezing and pulling him as to close every space between us.

I poured everything I had into that kiss, my budding affection, my happiness, despair, relief, fear for what the future held, and the most potent of all- my need to be loved and accepted. I took advantage of his sharp inhalation to probe his mouth with my tongue.

When his own soft muscle reached out for mine, I all but devoured his kiss. I drank his taste and his muffled moans like the sweetest nectar. My blood was racing, pulse thundering in my chest, and most interesting of all- my magick was flaring. Every touch of tongue came more electrified, like a pleasant static shock that sent tingles throughout the body.

Loz's body was getting more responsive to the feel of my magick rolling over him. All my ministrations were mirrored from my body to his; every sensation was shared. When my tongue grazed the roof of his mouth I could feel the slow stroke like a hand somewhere deeper and lower in me; when I suckled on his tongue in my mouth it was like teasing hot breaths over my member. His moans became more prominent and a sense of pride filled me knowing I could elicit these sounds from him.

"Cl-Cloud..." His hands planted on my shoulders and gently guided me away. "Too close..." His breath was panting heavily, face as flushed as mine felt.

"Wasn't that the point...?"

"No... I mean too close." His voice was husky and his face seemed to burn a deeper shade of red.

I couldn't help but follow his eyes as he flicked them downward to his lap. I found myself blushing deeper as well at the bulge he had in his pants, a weeping stain had formed at the tip of it. "S-sorry... I should have contained my magick better."

"No, its okay," His hands feel from my shoulders and came to rest in his lap, perfectly censoring the damages I caused. When he met my gaze again his eyes held a curious glint,"If that was just a kiss I'm stoked to see what the full experience is like."

A hearty chortle erupted from my throat, "I'll leave that to your imagination, Silver Fox."

"Believe me there'll be a lot of that later..."

What should have been deviously suggestive instead served as a painful reminder as to what we had yet to discuss; I couldn't delay it any longer. It disturbed me greatly to have to take this moment from him and myself. What I had just given was more than I'd let myself have in the past few years and it had ended too soon. It would serve as a bittersweet reminder as to the human luxuries I can no longer afford.

"I need you to come with me tonight."

"What's going on?"

I loosed a heavy sigh and ran a hand through my unruly hair. I concentrated on my voice to make sure the tone held the seriousness I wanted to portray, "I need to keep an eye on you to ensure you're alright. But there is one other at danger and it would be best to keep you two together."

"Does anyone know about this?"

"Sort of; Zack does but he's kinda pissed at me right now. I don't think he'd be of much assistance..." I let my voice trail off, the event had not gone the way I wanted. I really hoped he would get over it, we would have to work together eventually.

Much to my displeasure Loz caught onto my distress, "I didn't realize he could get angry. Why would he be upset with you?"

"Long story, tell you another time." The look he gave me told me he saw through the defense. I sighed again, "Alright I don't know if I will ever really tell you. It is because of this case but its nothing that affects it."

He seemed solemn, it was clear he wasn't thrilled about the situation but he was respectful enough to let it go. Bully for him. "What's the next move?"

"I get my bike, a quick stop at my apartment, and then we wait. Until Squall calls me and confirms the other's safety we're not going anywhere."

"Who's Squall?" His voice held a certain curiosity that could only be associated with a twinge of jealousy. The slight furrow of his brow and narrowing of his eyes helped to confirm the budding emotion.

"Squall is the head of the pack, so to speak, that the other potential victim belongs to. Works quite a bit in our favor to have someone who can actually assist like this."

He nodded lightly, accepting the answer. "Grab your bike, I need to get something from the station before we head out. Meet back in ten?"

"Plenty of time."

Fortunate that I had given Zack a copy of the key to my bike. Whenever I got hurt he always moved it back to the station lot for me to avoid towing hassles. He was oddly considerate like that. It had only taken me three minutes to locate it in the packed lot. Which was good because I got to spend some time to make sure the passenger pillion was well adjusted.

By the time Loz had finally reemerged from the building I was already waiting on the curb for him. He smiled brightly at me and held up my helmet like some great trophy, I couldn't help but chuckle at his display.

"You're holding it upside down, Loz."

He flashed a toothy grin to me, "I know." He gingerly walked over, presenting it as if it were on a silver platter. I smiled warmly before taking it into my own hands, though truthfully I was just going to hand it right back. I didn't have a spare helmet on me; if he was going to ride he needed to wear it. I felt confident enough to take my own life and noggin into account but no one wants a hurt passenger.

The silver haired man just continued to smile at me, the simple notion was just so charming. "Look inside."

I cocked my head lightly to the side sending him a curious look before obliging. Sure enough something was nestled inside at the bottom of the helmet, little bits of light was glinting off a smooth surface. Tentatively I plucked the item from its confines and scrutinized at it under the afternoon sun. Carbon fiber graphite colored frame, polarized elliptical lens, subtly high quality goggles.

I must have been silent for too long in my awe at the gift for I could see him fidgeting out of the corner of my eye. When he finally spoke his tone held an endearing nervous excitement, "I meant to give you those to you when you came back to work. I remember you saying last year how much you hate the heat and how your helmet makes it worse. I thought you might like something more simplistic and freeing..."

"Wow..." I was truly almost at a loss of words, it was just so amazingly thoughtful. "This is perfect and truly considerate... Surprisingly spot on in my tastes. Thank you, Loz."

He gave a half smile and a shrug.

I tossed him my helmet and a wolfish grin, "Ever ridden a bike before?" I wasted no time strapping on my goggles and nestling it in between my blond spokes. They sat very comfortably over my twinkling baby blues.

He returned my grin as he caught it easily. "Once or twice, I'm sure I'll remember how it feels when I'm behind you." He chuckled to himself as he slid the helmet on and strapped it.

I on the other hand was busy trying to drag my jaw off the floor and back in place. A prominent flush had spread like a wildfire across my cheeks, I had to fight to remain collected. Really, it seemed like Loz was two different people at times. One side of him was this ridiculously emotional yet endearing man; the other was this shameless lecher. It was dizzying to keep up with him.

I shook my head lightly and peered at him through the tinted glass of my goggles, "Hurry up and mount so we be off. There is much to do before nightfall."

The bob of the helmet was the only indication he had heard me, though soon after he was making his way over. With a casual swing of his leg he mounted the bike with a practiced ease. Soon he had his arms wound around me with his chin resting near my shoulder.

Grinning to myself I gave his leg a light pat before starting up my bike again. His grip tightened around me as I switched gears. A little sadistic part of me enjoyed the way he'd scoot closer when I weaved between cars on the road. It was worth it, though it made stopping incredibly difficult; too close meant the likelihood of smashing your nuts into the gas tank was over 95%. It is not a pleasant feeling.

By the time we had arrived at my apartment building he had all but pushed me into his lap, a feeling I enjoyed a little more than I probably should have. I slid my goggles up to rest in the crest of my hair before pivoting to tap on the shield of my helmet, "Hey, we're here, c'mon."

I gave him a light nudge with my backside earning a light squeeze of his hands on my hips before he slid gracefully off the bike. When the helmet finally came off I couldn't help but envy his lack of helmet hair; it looked the same as when it went on. The benefits of it being short and well groomed I supposed.

"So why DID we come here?"

"A little read and review and packing. Lots and lots of packing."

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what I was going to fight. So naturally, I wasn't sure what I would need to bring or if any of it would make a difference. The fading hours of daylight were bringing a lot of possibilities to light, most of which weren't good. The only thing that was an absolute was that tonight my life was going to be irreversibly changed one way or another. I just prayed that I could save them.

Closing A/N: Next chapter will be the last for this arc. I am planning on it being a longer chapter than what I have been previously posting. Not sure when it'll be up, probably in like two weeks so bear with me. Comments are like food, so I'd like to thank the few people that have commented here and kept me from starving. Thank you all for your continued support!