Chapter Ten---I Know You Know

Axel was poking through the pantry before he had to go to work, looking for something that sounded mildly appealing amidst the array of canned tomato paste and lasagna noodles. God, was there nothing in this house?

With a large sigh, he made his way to the den where he figured his mom and dad to be. They were whispering. They never whispered unless it was something bad. Like the time his uncle Rude went to jail.

Quietly, he stood outside the door, listening. At first they'd gone quiet but then he heard the rustle of fabric. Reno sighed and Adora sniffled. Why was mom crying?

"Sora's birthday is next week. He'll be 17 Reno...can you believe it?" Axel assumed Reno had shook his head because he didn't answer her.

"Do you think we should tell him?" Axel froze. Tell Sora what? What in the bloody hell was going on? Reno sighed once more.

"He's 17 for gods' sake, Adora. What are we going to say? 'Hi son, for your 17 birthday we thought you'd like to know you're adopted. Actually, you're not adopted, we just found you on our doorstep one day?' That will go over real well. That and the fact we never showed him this." Axel stood in shock. Sora wasn't his brother. All the times they had yelled at each other and gotten into trouble and blamed it on the other had been a lie?

" I still don't think we should. You know how Sora is. He'd feel obligated to tell Leon." Axel nearly choked. Leon? What did Leon have to do with this?

"I don't think we should tell Sora, how would you feel? They kept Leon but left Sora on some strangers doorstep?" Adora was crying freely now and Axel backed away slowly. Back into the kitchen to stuff himself with god knows what. He had to find that picture.

"Sephiroth? Why are you here?" Sephiroth smiled slightly at the young man and sat down.

"I heard you hired two new models. I came to see what all the fuss is about. I hear they're exceptional." Leon smiled, picturing Riku's bare abs under his fingertips...

"Um..yes. They do very well. They should be here any moment. Axel and Sora will probably be late." Sephiroth nodded and followed Leon into the studio, said hello to Seifer and Cloud and proceed on.

Neither Leon nor Sephiroth were prepared for the absolute disaster that was to follow the boys' arrival to Bloodless.

Situations! Are irrelevant now,
she likes the way that I tease, I love the way that she breathes. Well I touched her ohhh, she touched my, ahhh.
It was the craziest thing. I love the girls who love to hate because they're just like me!
A certain girl, she took my hand and ran it up her thigh, she licked her lips and pulled my hand, I fall in love for a night! She can't behave and
I'm just a slave, don't worry
I'll be gone when the morning comes.

Sora danced along to the music on the radio, smiling and happy. Axel couldn't help but smile too. He loved it when Sora was happy. He smile faltered when he remembered the picture burning in his pocket. The one of Sora's real family.

"Hey Axel!!! I've got an idea! We should cheer Riku up! You remember that dream you had with a gallon of purple quicksand?" Axel got a mischievous glint in his green eyes.

Brother or no, their were partners in crime.

"I know you said they'd be late but it's been 15 minutes."Leon was glaring at the floor. Of all days to be late. They picked the one when the president of Bloodless decides to show up. The God's hated him. Except, they heard a commotion in the hallway.

As they went to investigate, Leon got a very bad feeling about this. Sephiroth opened the main doors at precisely the wrong moment. Leon saw it all in disasterous slow motion...

Axel and Sora were behind a group of chocobo's, whether they were chasing them or catching them he didn't know. Riku was running to get out of the way and right as Sephiroth opened the door Riku slammed into him, pulling him to the ground.

It was then that things got worse. Leon watched as the bucket above the door tipped. Purple goop splattered everywhere. Namely on Sephiroth's Armani suit. The one that probably cost more then FIVE of Leon's paycheck.

Axel and Sora stood a ways away, staring in horror. Riku slipped and fell trying to get up, wiping the purple mess from his eyes and looking up at Leon in embarrasment. Leon scowled and looked away. He didn't see the quiver on Riku's lips or the way he buried his head in his hands. Leon only saw the way that Sephiroth brushed the slime from his clothes, looked at Riku then to Axel and Sora and then turned to Leon.

'Here it comes. The end of my career. I'm so dead...'

What Leon didn't expect was the barrage of laughter that came from the silver haired man's lips. Sephiroth wasn't one for practical jokes. Axel stared, dumbfounded. He wasn't dead?! Sora looked kid of sheepish and ran to help the two up.

"Riku! I'm sorry, I just wanted to.."Riku yanked his arm away from Sora and refused to look at him. Leon was not happy about this. It would probably be assumed Riku was in on it. This was so not good. Seifer came running up.

"Riku! You're here! Where's Zexion?"

"I'm right here. Thank god for the bathroom." Zexion smirked at his brother from the hallway. But the anger in Riku's eyes bothered him. This wasn't going to be pretty.

"What the hell is going on here?!" The voice did not belong to Leon or even Riku.

It belonged to someone much worse.

A.n: Muwahhahaha cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!