Chapter Ten: Questions

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sadly enough.

Training with Leon, Cloud quickly learned, was hard. However, Cloud wasn't – to his surprise and Leon's satisfaction – bad with a sword. Leon, however, was better, and the advantage of speed. That night, as the two of them stumbled home (well, Cloud stumbled – Leon just sort of slouched), the blond thought back to the earlier events of the day.

"Hey, Leon?" The brunet grunted to show that he was listening. "What d'you think Vincent meant, when he said he remembered Cid? I mean, Cid seemed to know him… and then there was Chaos. I wonder what happened to him."

Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair. He seemed to pause before speaking in a tone of voice that almost made it sound like he was joking. "Do you believe in past lives, Cloud? Maybe they knew each other. As for Chaos, I have no idea; maybe you should as Vincent. Discreetly."

Even though it had been a rhetorical question, Cloud found himself answering quietly. "I didn't. Now I'm not so sure, not with the dreams…"

Leon turned to look at him sharply. "What was that?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. Let's get going, I'm tired… you're a slave-driver, you know that, right?" Hurrying back to the house, Cloud missed Leon's intense stare.

--

That night, after Cloud was asleep, Leon crept down to the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to find Merlin there, pouring over one of his massive books. Cid was there, too, brewing a cup of tea and looking tired but happier than Leon had ever seen him. "How's Vincent?"

"Fine. He knows 'bout Chaos' little chat, but doesn't know the details. He's resting up now; those four demons messed up th' transition more than I'd like, but he'll be fine. He's strong. Merlin's lookin' for any clues, but Vin's a special case, so it ain't goin' well." Rubbing the back of his neck, Cid paused before asking "How'd training with Spikey go?"

"Good. He's got talent; almost cut me in two a few times," Leon admitted, though mentally added that with a sword that size it was hard not to. He then shot a look at Merlin, who was watching him over his glasses. "About Cloud… I think we have a problem."

--

Cloud woke up the next morning only to be ambushed by Yuffie. He thought about yelling, only to realize that Aerith and Tifa were waiting for him, Cid and Vincent were in the hangar, and Leon was in town. Having been barricaded in Aerith and Yuffie's shared room and seated on the bed, Cloud resigned himself to his fate.

"So, Cloud," Aerith started in her innocent voice, the effect of which ruined by the glint in her eyes, Yuffie's giggling, and Tifa standing guard in front of the door with her arms crossed. "How have you been?"

Cloud swallowed nervously. They were all scary on their own, but the three of them combined? "I've been fine."

"Good, good. We have a few questions for you, it won't take long."

"And I get to play with your hair!" Yuffie chimed in, already examining it from behind him.

"You'll behave, won't you, Cloud?" Tifa added, giving him a look that made it very clear that he would be in quite a bit of pain, either physical or mental, if he didn't.

"Of course he will," Aerith said sweetly, taking a seat across from him. "Now, Cloud. What do you think about Leon?"

Cloud blinked. "He's okay, I guess… when he's not being such a hard-ass." Aerith gave him a look, and Cloud decided to elaborate. "He's a good guy, better than I thought at first. He's a hard worker – you can tell he cares about this place a lot, and about the people who live here. Leon… keeps people calm when they're in the middle of panicking, he's just kind of got that aura about him." Wincing as Yuffie pulled on a bit of his hair, Cloud missed Aerith's slight grin.

"And?"

"He's patient enough to teach, but only just. He's strong, and really good with his gunblade." Cloud paused for a minute, thinking about Leon's fighting stance. He had great biceps, and you could see the fierce determination in his smoky gray eyes when he wanted to do some damage. It drew him in, made him want to study the other man, made him want to…

At Aerith's soft giggling, Cloud realized he'd been staring off into space. "So, you like him, huh?" Before Cloud could answer, she quickly added "As more than a friend."

Cloud shut his mouth, shocked. "Wha…?"

From behind him, Yuffie bounced off the bed. "Finished! Oh, Cloud, you look so cute with bows in your hair!"

Effectively distracted, Cloud missed the knowing look between Aerith and Tifa as he chased Yuffie around the room.