Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any characters from the Final Fantasy series

Dark: Ugh...I hate school.

Sora: You're not going to blame school for your long recess, are you?

Dark: Oh, of course not. Sorry for the almost four month absence, but I've been busy. Had to write a research paper, which I still have to redo, because apparently I have to be friggin' perfect at this public, ugly, broken down school. What does she mean I'm missing three sources? I have freakin' nine, last time I checked, all I needed was six. Bitch.

Sora: Get over it, you have until Friday to redo whatever you fucked up on.

Dark: Yeah, yeah, shut the hell up. Anyway, sorry folks, please Read and Review.

Chapter Six

Shattered Truth

A Loyal Subject

I'm…not quite sure what made me snap to my senses. All I remembered was taking off after Reno and Rude had seen me, ignoring how blurry everything had become as I ran. I'd only slowed down when I was a good distance away, holding back the sobs that threatened to come up. Naturally, he'd find me at my worst moment; then ask me the question that made me completely break down crying. The distant scent that was his cologne and just the comforting voice he had made me realize where I was; though, I'm not quite sure if that's what really made me remember what was going on.

Once my crying had slowed, I jerked in realization, one that Rufus obviously felt through his arms. When I tried to move away, his grip around me tightened. Anyone else would have said he was holding me in his embrace, where I knew he was just making sure I wouldn't run off again. Slowly, he lowered his arms, but kept a hand on my shoulder. My fingers uncurled from his shirt, sliding down to rest in my lap. Silence was shared, an uncomfortable one for me. Crying in front of my family was one thing; Rufus, my leader, was another.

"Elena…," his voice surprised me, causing me to look up at him quickly. Though it still held that soothing tone, there was an underlying question. I just watched him before taking a deep breath, beginning to stand. He got to his feet first, letting his hand fall from my shoulder.

"Can…we talk somewhere else?"
"It was Sora, wasn't it…"

I froze, having already turned towards his car. My eyes remained on the black windows and I could see the brilliant blue perfectly, Rufus just a little behind me with that look on his face that made it clear I couldn't lie to him. With a sigh, I faced him; my mouth opened, but nothing came out. It was like my heart wouldn't let me say it to him, even though my mind knew I had to. I sniffed and rubbed my nose with my sleeve, looking at the ground as I spoke. "Rufus…can…," I hesitated, swallowing past the lump in my throat, "…I please tell you some other time?"

Part of me was half-afraid to hear what he'd say. From what I knew, we hadn't ever disobeyed him. Not even when we were younger. I got a shock when he patted a hand on my shoulder, walking around to the drivers seat of his car. "Jump in. I'll give you a ride back home."

"Um…okay…" I watched him in dumbfounded wonder, though ran towards the car as the engine roared to life, slipping into the passenger seat. As I pulled the seat belt on, a part of me realized I would still have to tell him. All I'd done was prolong the fact I would need to. The thought made a vice grip my heart, but I ignored the feeling, watching as the scenery flashed by. When the time came, I'd just have to deal with it. How could I be useful to Rufus if…something caught my eye as we sped around the corner and I frowned. That had looked like…

"Hey…did Reno and Rude stay after school?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah. They said the two never showed up."
"…pull over."
"What?"
"Pull over!"

He jerked over to the side and I shot out of the car, barely managing to get the seat belt off in time. I'd never be able to mistake Tifa's beautiful hair or Scarlet's disgusting way of dressing. Distantly, I heard the car give a chirp as Rufus locked it, but I was all for making it in time. True, I'd get a lecture later, but helping out when my friends were being ripped off of a fair fight was more important.

"Elena! Where are you going?"
"Call Cloud…and the Neutrals!"

That got his attention. I rounded the corner and paused for only a moment before taking off again. Tifa was thrown on the ground as Scarlet grabbed her hair and yanked hard, the brunette having been the target to a dirty trick. Go figure; only the leader of those whores would play that foul. From the way Tifa was cursing, she probably had dirt in her eyes. A few of the other Sluts were gathered around, each giggling happily. One of the girls shouted though as I ran towards them, the one nearest me turning too late.

My fist connected with her jaw, the girl, probably a Freshmen, screaming as she was thrown back into one of her friends. Someone smacked me across the face and I grabbed their wrist, yanking them to the ground. A swift kick to the side and they cried out, curling into a ball in the hope of not getting hit again. Scarlet had looked up from where she stood over Tifa, glaring at me now. "This is a fight between Tifa and I, not you and my followers."

"Fuck off, bitch. You play dirty and we'll play dirty."
"She didn't say anything about this being a fair fight."

"Typical of a slut. You're a dirty whore, so you fight like one." That comment obviously pissed her off, just a little. She stepped over Tifa, who was starting to get to her feet and made her way towards me. Her hand flew out, slapping me across the face and I punched her as hard as I could in the stomach, hearing her gasp and hunch over. Her hair was gripped suddenly by Tifa, the girl looking as mad as I'd ever seen her. She brought Scarlet back to her feet before kicking her across the face, the leader of the Sluts crumpling; if she had valued her beauty before, it was a damn shame it was ruined.

My hand went to my cheek and as I felt moisture at the corner of my lips with my thumb, I pulled the limb away; the tip of my thumb was crimson. That earned a frown from me, not that I could really comment on the split lip. Tifa hugged me suddenly, my eyes wide as I stared at her back and the building a few yards away. "Oh, Elena! You did awesome! Thanks for the help, babe."

She stepped away, smiling at me brightly. I blushed and looked away, shrugging. "It was nothing. My boss was giving me a ride home and I saw you fall down when Scarlet threw some dirt in your face. Only fair, right?"

"Boss?" Tifa looked past me to where Rufus was making his way over, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. "Oh, you mean Rufus…"

"Tifa, hope we arrived in time?"
"We? What we?"
"Well, I did drive her."
"Alright, I suppose I give you some credit."

I smiled as I watched them, though frowned as I saw one of the girls I'd knocked down getting up, making a move towards Rufus. With a curse, I shoved him out of the way. Tifa had moved only a few seconds after I had, but it still counted. Though Tifa smashed her fist into the girls cheek, she still managed to swing whatever she'd picked off the floor; I felt glass shatter on the back of my head and Rufus calling my name before everything faded to nothing.

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The Shin-Ra Leader

Elena, always someone who had an underlying power to her steps, a girl who never faced downward. Always looking ahead and not bothering to linger on the past unless it was to recall beloved memories. The little girl who had always tagged along with me and her cousins, almost biting Reno's arm off when he said girls should be inside, playing with dolls. A girl who…crumpled under the green glass that showered down from the back of her skull.

Without thinking, I swept down, my arm acting as support behind her shoulders to keep her from landing on the now glass covered gravel. "Elena?"

No response. I wasn't really expecting one, but I had to at least try before I gave up hope on her being conscious. With a shaking hand that I couldn't explain or maybe didn't want to, I tilted her head gently to the side, sliding my fingers lightly along the back of her head. When I felt nothing but her scalp and the soft blonde hair, I let a sigh leave me; at the very least, the bottle hadn't cut her when it shattered.

"Rufus…? Is she alright?"

I looked up, Tifa staring at me with worried eyes. Behind her, Scarlet was staring at Elena with wide eyes, just beginning to stand up. Slowly, I stood, my other arm sliding under her knees to carry her. "Scarlet."

The woman didn't turn her gaze from me, just staring at Elena. For the first time since I met her in middle school, I saw fear deep in her blue eyes. She knew that the Suits would be calling war. Damn right we would. "Scarlet."

Finally, she tore her gaze away from the girl in my arms, looking to me slowly. Satisfied I had her attention, I felt my eyes narrow in a glare, turning partially. "I do hope you realize that you're group just tried to lethally assault me."

"Rufus…" Her voice shook, forcing her to stop. She took a deep breath before standing, the girls that were in her group lingering back like cowering dogs; Scarlet tried again, though whatever she had to say wouldn't change my mind. "Rufus, please. Take it out on the girl who attempted to hurt you, but not on all of us."

"Why, Scarlet. Don't you remember the code of a group leader? What one member of the group does, everyone in the group does. See you at school." I began to walk back towards my car, Tifa jogging at first until she stood beside me, letting her eyes drift from where we were walking to Elena every so often. "Should I call the others?"

I hesitated before answering her. "Yeah. Call them. And can I put Elena in your car and have you follow me to my house? We'll meet up there."

"Sure. But wouldn't you want to take her?"
"I…have to call Tseng and them…so…"
"Oh. I understand. Don't want me to hear…that."

"Exactly. Tseng wouldn't be able to face you if you heard him show emotion." Tifa gave a light laugh, though I think it was more of a sob trying to be hidden. I didn't mention it. If she was overlooking my suddenly protective attitude towards Elena and her cousins, I wouldn't bring up that she was almost about to cry from seeing Elena down for the count.

Without another word, we walked towards Tifa's car, approximately a block away from mine. I slowly slid Elena into the passengers seat, watching her for a moment. In actuality, she appeared to be just sleeping. Her face was partially facing away from me, looking almost peaceful. It'd be a much better image if I hadn't seen her get smashed over the head. Closing the door softly, I gave a nod to Tifa, who climbed in the driver seat. I walked over towards her window, leaning against the top of the door. "You mind driving ahead?"

"Not at all. I remember where you live. Don't worry, I'll take care of Elena."

I shared with her one of my more rare smiles, patting the hood of the car before stepping back, watching as she drove off. With a sigh, I turned away, beginning the walk towards my car. Over and over, I repeated what I was going to tell Tseng. The second in command was actually a lot more worried over the members of his family then he let on; especially Elena, his youngest cousin. Just as I went over my words a fifth time, I looked at my reflection in the car door window and every thought I had stopped. Behind me, walking on the sidewalk across the street, was Sora Bandit. With Riku Prince.

Slowly, as if time had almost stopped, I turned to stare towards them. Neither noticed me, Sora blushing about something while Riku laughed happily. That's not what got my attention; the rebels hand was being lightly grasped by the jock's hand, Sora not seeming to struggle to remove it. Which would have been very easy. I could tell that even from where I stood. My mouth opened to shout something towards Sora, but I couldn't even gasp at what I was seeing.

So I closed my mouth and watched them round the corner, hands loose at my sides. Whatever had kept me from saying something plucked at my heart strings, a slight confusion taking me over. "Why would…of all people…and with him?"

"With who?"

I swung around, having been so locked up in my thoughts that I didn't notice Cloud pull up behind me until he had already parked his car. For a moment, I just stared blankly at him before shaking my head, clearing my throat. "Cloud…has Sora been seeing anyone? Like…well, anyone…special?"

He frowned lightly, his blue eyes glowing as he grew confused. "Um…no. Not that I know of. Why…?"

His confusion was quickly growing into suspicion. I knew that because his eyes were beginning to glow more so then usual. Which reminded me of the predicament he'd trusted to tell me at one point, but I'd ask him about that later; after all, it had been a few days since I had last asked him about Leon.

"It's just…never mind. I'll tell you some other time. Oh." It came to me now why he was even here. When Elena had told me to call Cloud, I had. Though I had been about to call the Neutrals, the fight had stabilized. "Tifa's alright. Scarlet was…distracted."

There was silence as Cloud studied me, though I didn't give him time to notice that I was worried. I turned away, ignoring whatever else he had to say. "Anyway, drive on to my house. Tifa drove Elena there. She was hurt."

"Elena was hurt? How bad?"
"She's unconscious. I need to call Tseng."

I stared at my reflection in the car door, a hand reaching into my pocket to retrieve my car keys. Cloud continued to watch me, the glow of his eyes apparent in the evening sky. "…Rufus, I…think I've decided what I'm going to do."

That…well, it surprised me, for one thing. I blinked and turned to look at him. He cleared his throat, being the one to turn away now. "With…Leon. I…well…"

"…you what?"

"…I think I'm going to try it. Even if it doesn't work. There's no way I'm going to pass up a good thing, even if it turns out to be bad later on. For now it's good."

I smiled, leaning on the car door now. "So…what made you reach this revelation?"

"Sora did. I asked him earlier today if he…well, if he would hate me. And he said that I shouldn't think on something like that…thinking about it will make me hesitate. Though…," he paused, frowning lightly as he looked towards me, "He said something weird. That he…had more in common with me then I knew."

That earned a silent, utterly surprised, if not blank, stare from me. My eyes swung from where I stared at Cloud to where Riku and Sora had disappeared around the corner. Suddenly, I laughed, the sound surprising even me. The poor spiky headed blonde looked like I had sprouted a second head. "Oh…wow. Cloud, he most definitely has more in common with you then even you might realize."

He looked confused again, though I waved my hand. "Look, don't worry about it. I need to call Tseng. Drive onto my house…or do you want to deal with that other business first?"

"…I'm going to deal with Leon first…"
"Alright. See you later then."

I gave him a smile and slid into the car, closing the door behind me. After a moment, Cloud drove past, giving a light wave before taking off towards Leon's house. A hand ran through my hair and I sighed as I opened my phone, hitting the speed dial for Tseng's cell. "This day…has been so very dramatic."

-------------------------------------------------

An Independent Leader

"I think Elena getting hurt might've knocked a few screws loose from Rufus' head. He was laughing…I haven't seen him laugh in…well, hell. Years maybe?"

Alright, so I was talking to myself. Proof that I wasn't all there myself. But Rufus laughing was one thing I probably wouldn't forget about; I wonder if he's ticklish…

I pushed the thoughts on Rufus out of my head, sighing as I parked on the street in front of Leon's house. Truthfully, I had started feeling increasingly worse on the drive over here. Not like, sick worse, just anxiety. Something was gripping my heart, partially hoping he'd say yes while my brain was screaming for me to move on. I knew I had a job to the others in my group, but if Sora could forgive me, the others could as well. Or so I was telling myself. Tifa I knew would never hold this against me; ever since that day of the accident, she's noticed I'd been trying to distance myself from him. She knew me all too well sometimes.

Before I stepped out of the car, I made sure Leon was the only one here; his Mustang was in the drive way, alone in all it's partially beat up glory. Locking the car with a click on the button, I stepped past it towards the door that led into his light blue house. Despite the jokes around my group and the other 'lower' groups, most of the Jocks have fairly nice homes; Leon was one of these Jocks. Two stories with a wrap around porch, two swinging chairs on either side of the door, in front of large windows. From outside, I saw the sky blue curtains swaying in a gentle breeze, the window, I came to realize as I stepped closer, being open.

As I stood at his door, I thought of millions of excuses to turn around right now and forget this. My feet wouldn't budge, but neither would my hand, hovering over the wooden doorway. I felt the thumping of my heart growing louder in my ears, but as the door in front of my swung inward, I realized it wasn't my heart. It was Leon's footsteps. He'd apparently known I was there too, because he leaned against the door frame, the door held open with a foot. His cool, stormy gaze peered into my ever glowing ones, though I had to look away first. "Uh…h-hey…"

"Hello." His voice was just as cool as his eyes, making me want to curse him for being so damned calm. I looked back to him, letting my gaze look him up and down. Though I did try to make it look like I was sizing him up, I really just wanted a peek at what he was wearing. Grey sweat pants and a white sleeveless shirt, his feet bare, as were his arms. And pop went one of the restraints keeping my feet still. I let myself readjust my footing, raising an eyebrow now as I returned the cool gaze. "Well? Can I come in?"

He slid to the side so he stood against the door frame, meaning I'd either have to push him aside or shimmy my way past him. Guess which I chose? With an annoyed sigh that was very forced, I slid past him, a hand going to his shoulder so I could move without having to stumble. Yes, I did have a little mental parade at the feel of his bicep, but that I kept to myself. My face remained neutral, though my eyes were probably shimmering. Hell, that always happened when I was near someone who made me weak in the knees when I thought back to when they'd pinned me up against the wall.

His eyes stayed on me the entire time as I moved past him, only barely glancing towards the door to swing it closed. He leaned against the wooden object, me standing a good few feet away, returning his stare. Silence passed between us, one that I chose to inspect my new surroundings. In a light blue vase in the corner, white tulips grew undisturbed, making the room seem serene; peaceful even against the harsh tones of the sponged aqua marine paint. "Nice place…"

"Thank you. Now why'd you come over, Cloud?"

Naturally, he'd get right down to business. I didn't answer immediately, trying to go over what I'd been planning on saying. Now that I was actually here, I was at a lose for words. With a sigh that proved I was truly lost at this point, I decided to just wing it. Maybe it would be better if it came from the moment? Doubtful, but it worked in those horrid romance movies. "Look, about last night…when you came to see me. I wanted to tell you -"

"You don't have to tell anyone about it."

"Tell you that…wait what?" My eyes opened wide as I stared at him. Leon wasn't looking at me, instead having turned to stare at the vase across the room with the white tulips. I suddenly wondered; was Leon a dog to Seifer? He'd purposely sought me out, not caring what his leader would think. That didn't have any qualities of the dog. In a way, he belonged more to my group then Seifer's.

"If…you choose me, I won't make it public. Unless you'd want to. I understand that a lot of people look up to you and if you're enemies found out you were seeing a jock, they might harass you. So…you don't have to tell. We could be…discreet." He finally turned to look to me, looking a little unsure. Obviously this was quite a speech he was spewing; one that I wasn't sure I was hearing correctly.

I smiled then, a hand running through my hair, drawing the spikes out of my face. "You know, I'd actually come over here to you that I did choose you. But…keeping it a secret would help us both out."

He remained silent for quite a few minutes; from shock maybe, but I couldn't be sure. Then he closed the distance between us, my back meeting the wall for the second time in two days. For a moment, all we did was stare at each other from a few inches away, though Leon rose an eyebrow curiously. My hand reached up to slide up his shoulder, to the back of his head. Slowly, I pushed his lips down to mine, eyes closing as the sweet press took my breath away.

His hands slid down my shoulders, skimming along my sides in such a slow pace that I squirmed. No, I wasn't ticklish, but even the non-ticklish would get jumpy when someone was being so slow. Especially when they were beginning to grow in an obvious state of arousal. With a small nip to my lower lip, I gasped, opening my mouth for him. His tongue slid into my mouth, not invited, but not entirely unwanted either, mind you.

I jerked in his grasp when he slid a hand back up, thumb brushing over my nipple and a breathless laugh, the mere passing of air with a sound, left him. That earned a frown from me and I walked forward, my foot going behind his to make sure he lost his balance. He cursed, the only thing keeping him from falling painfully being my hold on his hands. Which was no small effort. The arms in my muscles were very shown as I managed to control his weight, but just barely.

With deliberate pause, I lowered him onto the floor, lowering myself onto him so I straddled his hips. He pushed up onto his elbows, a slight smirk having formed on his lips. "Since when did you get so dominant?"

"Eh…since I stopped second-guessing myself." Which actually wasn't true. Even now, my brain was screaming at me. Why was I doing this? Alright, I was rebellious, but to rebel against my own group? What the hell was I thinking? Which was just the thing; I wasn't thinking. Though I had a feeling that Sora had acquired his wisdom from someone else, he'd still given it to me. So I couldn't entirely throw them away. After all, if Sora was trying to follow them, shouldn't I?

"Ah…so, you're still having doubts about this?"
"Partially. But now even to make me want to stop."
"I see. Do you have anywhere to go today?
"…a little later on. One of the sluts went too far in a fight…"

He frowned, though I didn't want to talk at the moment. I knew that I couldn't just blow off Rufus, especially when he was so worried about Elena. He tried so hard to hide the fact he was worried, I couldn't tell him he was failing miserably at looking calm and collected. I pressed my lips to Leon's, hands balanced on either side of him. Slowly, he lowered himself back onto the carpeted floor, hands sliding along my sides again, though they didn't stop at my hips this time. His hands just barely stopped at my lower waist, his finger tops just barely brushing my ass.

My hands transported the weight to my elbows, hands gripping his hair as we deepened the kiss. His hands had started to slide up my back, shirt being pulled up by his arms. Compared to him, I must've felt cold. Against my back, his hands were like fire, something that was quickly beginning to effect me. The shirt that I had been wearing ended up pooled next to us, my hands beginning to pull at Leon's as well before he hip-thrusted me to the side.

I yelped at the feeling; one, because he was aroused and two, he fucking hip-thrusted me off him. Not a 'hello, will you please move?', but a 'bitch, get off' movement. And what's more, when I tried to sit up, he pushed me back down onto the carpet. I glared at him, but he put a finger over his lips, wiggling a figure for me to follow him. With a blank stare as his answer, he rolled his eyes, doing a crouch walk across the floor. With a sigh, I followed and once I was behind the couch, I understood his wanted to relocate.

"Squall? Oh, yoo-hoo." Scarlet's voice? Why the hell would she be coming to Leon's house?

I threw him a questioning look and he shook his head, just listening. Silence was met before the doorbell was rang. "Squall, I see your car here! Who else is here with you?" Still no answer from him, not that I could blame him. "Fine, play your game. I will catch you when you aren't expecting it."

The click of her heels faded away, the sound of an engine being heard before Leon sighed loudly, shaking his head. "The woman can't leave me in peace…"

"Why was…Scarlet at your house?"
"It's a dare between her and Seifer."
"…oh, that's gross."
"You have no idea…"

I stood and stretched, a pop being heard from my back. Leon looked up from where he sat on the floor, raising an eyebrow up to me curiously. "What, you leaving?"

When he asked, I hesitated; surely, the others would have assembled by now. "…I think I might have too. To check on Elena…"

"Elena…wait. Elena Turk was the one who got hurt?"
"How the hell do you know that? You weren't there."
"Scarlet told Seifer and he called me."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"…you stopped me from saying anything."

Oh yeah, so I had. If things were already getting spread, then that meant the war had gotten under way. A sigh left me and I seated myself next to him again. "Well, crap. Guess we won't be seeing much of each other."

"Actually, I'm not involved."

I looked to him with a frown. "Not involved?"

"No…" The way he said that, it was obvious there was more to this then he was letting on. I leaned over, my frown deepening. "Leon…why are you not involved?"

There was silence before he glanced to me, looking unhappy. "Seifer said he…was going to get a condition from Rufus so that it's only between them and the Suits. Or, if he meets the condition well enough, there is no problem. The sluts will agree to whatever punishment is given them."

"He must've really twisted Scarlet's arm if she agreed to that…"

"Oh, you have no idea…"

"But…what's the condition?" He didn't say anything, but that just made it more apparent they weren't good. I raised a hand and titled his head to face me, a frown on my face. "Leon, what's the condition?"

"…a member of each group will have to…well," he frowned, struggling for the right word. "…a member from the Rebels, the Suits and the Neutrals will have to work for the jocks for an undecided amount of time. And it has to be equal to the main four in the Jocks."

Something inside froze as I realized what he was saying. "…he chose Sora as one of them, didn't he?"

Leon nodded slowly. "He chose Sora, Elena, Tifa and…well, you."

Dark: (gasp) Oh, whatever will happen?

Sora: You're a non-talent hack. What the hell?My POVwasn't in there once! I'm one of the main main characters.

Dark: You and Riku took up almost all of the last chapter, I can switch from time to time. So shut up before I get Seifer molestar you. (giggle)

Sora: ...why does that amuse you?

Dark: It means 'to bother' in Spanish. Molestar. You know, like Molester? Like, how it...you know what, nevermind, you have no funny bones. Anyway, onto your reviews.

Serenity Cathedral: Yay! I feel happy, even if I loose my fan base. Which I might've considered I made them wait four months almost. Anyway, here's you update!

KittyBlue: If you felt sorry in the last chapter, you'll be bawling if you read this one. Ha - Riku being a perv. is what makes him so popular. Leon and Cloud will probably take a bit longer to adapt to a relationship though. Their both a seme, technically - XD

Promise: ...an update!

Largo-sensei: Score! I got cookies and fluffy bunnies! I tried the stuff Freshmen year. Was fun, but twice was enough for me. Almost got in trouble, so I drew the line at any more 'giggly time'.

Mandeth: ...you're gonna make me cry, sweetheart. Holy crap, that pokes at emotional heart strings. Anyway, thank you! It's sort of getting hard to keep producing them, with so much crap going on right not. When it comes to Tifa and Cloud, their relationship just seems so pure. Even in the game, Final Fantasy 7 and in Advent Children, it was just uncomplicated. She wanted to be there for him and doesn't care if he won't return her feelings. Makes me happy seeing those two as friends, if nothing more. Hope this chapter isn't too angsty...

darkangel36: heh - yep, crazy. Hope you like this chapter!