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 Shounen-Ai, Yaoi… Boy Love… er… Slash… M/M…
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.
It has been forever since I last updated, I've been soooo busy, but I'm back now, and I appreciate and love every single review that found their way into this story. I thank you all.
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Storm Clouds
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A low soothing humming sound penetrated his sleep, and amid an empty blackness behind closed eyelids, it created an image, an image of blue waters expanding wide and far, the foams of the waves smoothly caressing the sandy beach, while seagulls roamed the cloudless skies.
There was peace there that was unfamiliar to him, but which awakened a deep desire. A desire to sit on the sandy shores and stare at the sea, in hopes to get it engraved in his memory before it all disappeared. He was aware that it would fade away at any given moment… for he knew it to be a dream.
The waves calmed his spirit; their movements were mesmerizing and captivated his eyes to their own motions. In the background, the humming suddenly became too loud, disrupting his surroundings, making everything look distorted and unpleasant.
Slowly, everything faded away until there was naught but the darkness and the soft droning voice.
Leon opened his eyes to the barely lit room, the droning tune he had heard was meant to soothe heartache, he supposed, but the fact that he was still able to hear it while awake was quite disturbing. Sitting up quickly, he looked about his room, he saw his blond friend on the other side of the room, asleep. As the brunet realized that the noise was in fact, not coming from Cloud, he jumped out of the bed and grabbed the gunblade that was perched against his bed, quickly holding it up while trying to locate where the sound was coming from.
He was suddenly startled when he realized that the sound had stopped, and he held his breath for a few seconds to assure himself that it was in fact very silent in the room. When he began to think that it was all in his head along with the fear it had caused, he leaned his gunblade against the nearest wall as he quickly walked up to Cloud and shook him in hopes to wake him.
"Cloud?" he called when the blond only shifted in his sleep. Leon shook him harder and didn't stop until the blond opened his eyes and turned toward him.
Blinking away the haziness caused by sleep, Cloud noticed the look of alarm in the brunet's eyes and quickly sat up, unable to take his eyes off Leon.
"Leon, what's the matter?" he asked, and noticed the brunet compose himself before shaking his head.
"Nothing, just that you've been sleeping too much," he lied, not wanting to admit that he wanted someone awake to accompany him in the current hours of darkness. He might have been imagining the soft sound, but it still managed to shake him off badly.
Cloud covered a yawn, and looked toward the window, making a disapproving face when he noticed it was still dark outside.
"Don't think it's too early just because the sun hasn't risen yet, you're not that bad off that you need constant sleep," Leon said before Cloud had a chance to complain. "You really are becoming far too lazy Cloud."
A sneer was already on the blonde's lips as Leon grinned wickedly.
"Now wake up and smell the coffee," said Leon, who was already feeling the fear ebbing away, the slight push he received from the blond got him chuckling lightly.
"I don't smell any coffee, and that certainly tells me that is not even 4 o'clock yet."
"Stop being such a baby, you're acting like a woman, complaining about not getting enough of her beauty sleep."
Blue eyes narrowed dangerously before pouted lips ruined the dangerous moment. Leon shakily got to his feet, but quickly took a deep breath and let it out in a huff, while Cloud threw aside his sheets.
But the blond stopped his movements as he suddenly turned his head and stared hard at Leon's bed. The brunet had taken two steps before he noticed the heated gaze of Cloud directed at his side of the room. Frowning, Leon also looked in the same direction that Cloud had been staring at; the uneasy feeling he suddenly felt was enough to make him turn his gaze away, looking instead at his blond companion.
"Cloud, let's get out of here."
Cloud blinked a few times before standing up and following the brunet out of the door.
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Cid was waiting for him outside of the house after the oddly quiet breakfast. The silence that had accompanied them at the table was almost painful, and Leon didn't understand why everyone beside him and Cloud were acting so strangely. He would have demanded to know what was going on, but his mind was in other matters, in matters that concerned his own sanity in regards to the happenings of that early morning.
He almost bumped into the older man as soon as he walked outside. A cigarette hanging from his lips, and arms crossed in front of his chest, Cid looked at the brunet over, and seemingly coming to a decision, took him by the elbow and began leading Leon away from the house.
Not fighting the grip, and the fact that he was being led like a child, Leon followed calmly. Somewhere in the back of his mind was a fading memory, but one that made him shiver if he tried to think on it too much.
Cid stopped at the entrance of the Bailey, inhaling deep on his cigarette before throwing it away.
"Want to tell me what this is about, old man?" the brunet inquired, not knowing what needed to be said that Cid obviously didn't want the girls to hear.
"What can you tell me about last night, kiddo? It was downright creepy for once, and if you do that shit to me again, I'm afraid I will have to make you regret it. Now tell me what the hell happened back there."
Either Cid had woken from a dream and believed he was in it still, or Leon was dreaming and listening to the dream-Cid talking nonsense. Crossing his own arms in front of him to hide the pinch he had given himself to make sure who was the one dreaming, the brunet leaned against the hard wall, looking at the blond in confusion.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he told his friend. Mentally going back to the previous day, wondering what it was that Cid meant.
"Last night, in your room," Cid said, and he missed the widening of Leon's eyes as the brunet thought hard on things that he would do in the privacy of his own bedroom. Did Cid catch him having a weird embarrassing dream… or worse?
"I uh… I wasn't doing anything," he defended himself.
"What? You call kneeling in front of a window, unresponsive and looking like you were looking in the depth of hell, then passing out and having Cloud screaming like he was being butchered nothing?!" Cid screamed, quite frustrated by his younger companion.
Leon straightened out, looking at the blond intently, and feeling a sort of dread building in his stomach. A recollection of staring out of the window into the darkness outside was only fleeing, but it was suddenly veiled by the thought of the soft humming he had heard that morning.
"Cloud was being butchered?!" The words left without any logical thought, because he had seen the blond that morning, and the thought that someone could've gone through Leon's defenses and managed to get the blond was just impossible.
Receiving a hard look from Cid, and berating himself a second later, Leon lowered his head while he covered his eyes with one hand.
"Never mind…but Cid… those things you've said, I don't remember those things ever happening. Are you sure you are completely awake?" he asked, and the hard look on the blond man intensified.
"We were all there; we were alerted by Cloud's screams. We then rush in there and see him trashing about and you're just… kneeling there, as if you were terrified…"
A long silence followed, where both men were deep in thought. The hard look on Cid's face gave away to concern, while Leon tried, without avail to recall anything from the night before. After a while, Cid snorted, taking out another cigarette and lighting it.
"Maybe you were both having bad dreams, eh? I mean, people don't usually remember bad nightmares… night terrors," comforted Cid, because it was just easier to blame it on that. Leon smirked, believing in the older man. Night terrors were a common thing once upon a time, when they were all younger, when the world had played them a bad game and they were too young to make sense of it all.
Breathing sighs of relief, both man followed the path of the Bailey, toward a castle that needed to be finished.
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Having placed aside Cid's words in order to concentrate on his job, Leon wondered why the small town was too quiet so early in the afternoon. Usually the place was crowded with children playing some game or other and neighbors would be sharing good conversations with one another. It was tea time, and the lack of people walking toward their houses for the mid break was unfamiliar.
He would have to make his way home if he knew what was good for him. Nobody was allowed to forego Cid's tea time, and it wasn't a good idea to make him angry over such seemingly trivial matter.
Ready to act out his thoughts, Leon smiled slightly as he noticed the old wizard Merlin walking toward him; obviously in good humor for the soft smile he was sporting. Leon nodded in greeting as the white bearded man stood in front of him.
"Good afternoon Merlin, on your way to join us for tea?"
Merlin's smile disappeared and he began shuffling his feet, something Leon never remembered seeing.
"Oh dear, this old memory of mine is becoming a problem. I forgot all about the tea, I guess thinking too much would put simple things as tea in the back of your head and make it stay there," Merlin explained, looking a bit troubled and guilty. "I was actually on my way to see Mr. McDuck, he left me a note saying he needed to speak to me urgently, and if I am correct, he must've perfected the sea-salt ice cream, and is just letting this old man be the first one to have a taste of it."
The image of Yuffie pulling Merlin's hat as she tried to stop the mage from entering the ice cream shop came out of nowhere, and Leon had to pretend to clear his throat in order not to smile too widely, or Merlin would suspect he wasn't thinking nice thoughts.
"Then let me not stop you Merlin, I know how important ice cream can be to certain people," Leon cleared his throat again, but decided not to do it again when Merlin began giving him concerned looks. "Merlin, do you have any idea why the place is so quiet today? I have been making rounds, but I don't see anything suspicious that would make the citizens stay indoors and so quiet."
Merlin's eyes lit up and his smile came back to his face. "Today they are broadcasting the first film of Loveless, and I'm sure our neighbors wouldn't like to miss that. Funny how people could be so willing to miss a great day just for a boring film… Now when I was a little boy…"
"I'm sorry to interrupt Merlin, I have to get going. I'll see you later."
Merlin pouted very un-mage-like and began to walk in the other direction from the one Leon had just taken. From experience, the brunet knew how unfortunate it was to be at the receiving end of Merlin when he got talking about one of his childhood tales. Besides being dreadfully long, he would claim it to be horrible and cruel.
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He spotted Aerith watering the daisies on the side of the house, who smiled as she looked up and noticed Leon walking toward her.
"Busy day?" he asked, knowing that while he was out patrolling the streets, the others would be busy doing things around the place.
"Not really, Yuffie and Tifa just got back from the castle and they are preparing tea, and Cid and Cloud should be on their way. Before that we were just clearing up some debris after you left us."
Leon nodded to himself as he thought about the words, but quickly made his way inside the house as he heard a shriek, at the same time unsheathing his sword, Aerith following behind.
When they entered the house; they were startled as something white and big jumped in front of them, Leon almost took a swing at it but realized that it was Yuffie as she backed away shaking herself and murmuring curses. Tifa walked up beside them chuckling and looking very mischievous, Aerith looked at the floor covered in white flour footprints, and then turned her gaze toward a flour covered teenage girl.
"What is going on here?" Leon asked, relieved that everything was alright, somewhat, but angry that he had been alarmed.
Yuffie was almost in tears, but she bit her lip and pointed at Tifa. "She dumped the flour bag over me for no reason!"
Tifa gasped, throwing a too innocent look toward Leon and Aerith. "I didn't do anything; she bumped into it on her own."
"I am not that clumsy!" cried Yuffie, hating the way the flour was getting into her eyes and mouth. "You are too old to be acting like a little girl Tifa."
"Yuffie…" Aerith tried to interrupt, but Yuffie pointed again at Tifa.
"Now the tea is ruined!"
It was comical how a few words could freeze a group of people.
"What happened to my tea?"
It was worse when those words would reach the ears of a tea lover walking in that specific moment into the house. The four of them turned slowly toward the door, only to see a confused Cid, and a surprised Cloud who was looking intently at Yuffie.
"And what the hell happened to you?" Cid motioned over to Yuffie.
Tifa quickly intervened, getting in front of Cid and smiling sweetly. "There was an accident in the kitchen, and unfortunately, some flour managed to get into the tea while we weren't looking. Yuffie was just there at the wrong moment and time… you know her…"
"Well, somebody better clean this mess, and get me some damn tea! I didn't come all the way here to listen to crap, and there's no way I'm going back out there without some tea in my system… now if you all have been standing here doing nothing while the house was falling apart," The youngsters looked at each other, knowing they couldn't interrupt Cid until he was done. "That means that you weren't planning to do something about it."
When there was nothing else forthcoming, Leon opened his mouth to try to explain the reason why they didn't have time to do anything about it since it just happened. But before anything was out of his mouth, Cid began to talk again.
"Tifa, sweep the floor!" he shouted, not appreciating young people standing still while there was so much to do. "Yuffie, go bathe, Aerith you will mop and Cloud, make me some tea!"
Cloud gaped and looked at Cid. "I wasn't even here… why would I have to pay for something they did?"
Cid turned to Cloud and sneered. "Are you going against my orders?"
"But Cid… I wasn't even here…"
"You weren't, but you managed to piss me off by almost running me over with that damn bulldozer, now get to work you slug!"
"But you didn't assign Leon anything!"
"Cloud?" Cid looked almost lethal. "If you complain about it one more time, you wouldn't only do my tea, but I will give Tifa and Aerith a break, and you will take care of their tasks… is that clear?"
Cloud sighed annoyingly.
"How old are you again? Only little kids would complain about chores… seriously."
And with that, Cid walked up the stairs, having no doubt that his orders will be followed. The five others stood looking after him, Cloud looking miserable. Leon smirked looking around at everyone.
"You heard Cid, you all have work to do," he began to turn toward the living room, but suddenly he was assaulted a few times by white powder. He turned to see where the attack was coming from, only to see Aerith, Tifa and Cloud with hands dirtied with flour and malicious smiles forming in their faces.
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Leon did his best not to smirk too much while they all sat on the dining table, drinking tea while sharing the day's events. Yuffie seemed to have forgotten about the earlier incident, while Tifa and Aerith seemed to remember it quite clearly, but not wanting to laugh too loud. Cloud was not very happy, since the frown was still plastered on his fair face after brewing the tea.
Cid had begun to lecture them again about home cleanliness and tea responsibilities, though the youngster weren't really bothered by it, they had heard it dozens of times already.
The brunet was glad that the atmosphere was not the same as that one in the morning time, when they were having a quiet breakfast that had seemed to drag on forever.
"Anyway, I won't have a place tonight at the table, I will be going out for dinner with Shera, so no need to wait for me," the older man said, a little blush staining his cheeks when Leon decided to wolf-whistle and the girls began to giggle.
"What? Can't I have some fun now and then? Maybe you all should take your elder's example and enjoy life instead of having to work all day then stay indoors all night. It's not healthy."
Cloud eyed Cid suspiciously before asking the question that had everyone staring at Cid for an answer.
"Are you planning to marry her, Cid?"
Cid lower his tea cup, while gazing at Cloud and looking into the eyes that clearly told him what the young blond thought of the idea.
Leon noticed that the question held a bit of accusation, as if Cloud would not be happy if that was the case. The brunet thought better of it, and realized that he wasn't looking forward to having the woman being part of their lives. He hated to sound selfish, but it was always the seven of them, if he included Merlin, and their lives have been good so far.
Aerith cleared her throat, while wiping her lips with a napkin.
"Cloud, I hardly think that it's any of our business what Cid plans to do with his personal life," she rebuffed him softly.
"Aren't we part of his personal life? I'm only curious as to what he wants to do… it's just a question Aerith."
Yuffie looked in between her elders, sensing the tenseness in the air. Tifa smiled warmly at Cid, but the blond man wasn't comforted. He felt uncomfortable, as if someone was aiming some headlights over him, just waiting for his answer.
"Listen here kids, and listen to me good," he started, everyone's eyes were on him now, and though the girls seemed to be happy at the idea of him marrying, he knew otherwise. "Matters not what happens in the future, you are my family. And that's what should really matter; I'm not leaving any of you, just as I know you won't be leaving this old man. Now, Cloud, I hope you understand that, and believe me," though his gaze was on Cloud, he said this for all of them.
The sincerity and emotions that Cloud saw in Cid's eyes were enough to bring a smile to his face, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
"I believe you Cid."
"Good, now bring me some more tea!"
With those words, the tension was broken, and Leon felt gentle warmth spread through him, and he couldn't help but chuckle, silently thankful and relieved by Cid's answer. Before Cloud made a grab for the empty ceramic tea pot, a loud cracking sound made its way into the air, before the red pot exploded into pieces, with such force that sent ceramic all around in the air.
Leon felt the tiny stabbing pieces hitting his face, and with a cry of alarm, tried his best to shield his face with his hands, while everyone around him did the same.
After the shattering moment, everyone froze, not understanding what had happened. Leon noticed everyone staring at the center of the table, and he also noticed that all of them had tiny cuts on their faces that bled a little, he had no doubt that he looked the same.
Yuffie brought her hand to her face, before Aerith stopped her with a shout.
"Don't! None of you touch anything; pieces of the tea pot could still be implanted there, just… just…"
Cid looked furious, he stood up while slamming his hands on the table, hissing a second later when he managed to get more small pieces of the pot on his palms.
"Who did it? Who cast the spell?!" he shouted, as he looked from one to another, noticing the shock expressions in each face, suddenly concerned when he saw them all on the verge of fear.
Leon held his hand when he began feeling the tremors, because even though he wasn't sure what caused the pot to blow, he had felt a presence along with them for a moment, and it wasn't pleasant. Tifa then had rushed toward Yuffie to check her for some more damage, and Aerith joined her a second later.
The brunet turned his gaze away and landed on Cloud, who was silent and pale. Leon turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder, to see Cid looking at him and gazing at Cloud with worry.
"You alright kid?" he asked.
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To be continued
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