Chapter Ten: Hell's Gate – To The Promised Land
When Cloud was younger, he was known throughout his home town for his nightmares.
Not many people reach town infamy via dreams. After all, they're a private affair. Rarely does one recall their own dreams, let alone get the opportunity to share them with others.
Cloud didn't share his dreams, because he couldn't remember them. No, the reason he was infamous for his night terrors was because he'd wake up, disoriented and confused, miles away from home.
Nobody figured out how he managed to undo the locks in his house or travel so far into the mountains overnight, they just knew the little Strife boy did and it didn't sit well with the superstitious country town. The parents who'd be roped into searching for him would tell stories to their kids, who already had developed their own reasons for avoiding the weird blonde boy.
What they did know was that the nightmares were something horrific. After a few weeks of having to scour the countryside for him, with nothing working to keep him in the house, they set up watches to try and reign him in, block him off at the town's exits.
He wasn't a ghost, after all, and surely enough they did stop him, but the sight of nightmare-driven Cloud was one that was only spoken about in hushed whispers. He'd be found panicked and frenzied, his eyes wide open, trying to choke out a word, before his eyes with snap shut again and he'd stand there, sobbing and choking on thin air, trying and failing to find the word. The adults would have to forcefully drag him back as he kicked and screamed, trying to get out of their grasp and find whatever he was looking for.
He'd outgrown them eventually, whatever was triggering them buried somewhere in his consciousness. It'd happened again in his teenage years, but only for a week, and it hadn't happened since.
The thing was, that relapse, which happened while he was training with Angeal, had a trigger. A trigger he hadn't noticed or paid attention to, until it was too late to realize.
It'd been after he, Aerith and Zack had gone to see 'I Want to be Your Canary.'
It hadn't sunk in then, and his mind had always skipped over it, but now he knew. Now he remembered.
Squall.
Leon had unlocked the silver blockades at some stage during the night- obviously just in case Cloud had wanted to leave the house early, so when the nightmare took his mind, perhaps more violently than it used to, there was only a common household lock in his way; and to nightmare-driven Cloud, a common household lock was nothing.
Cloud's mind was full of a singular thought- he had to find him.
How? Where? No, no, didn't matter. Had to find him, had to, there wasn't a choice.
He was lucid only for short instances, where he'd trip, or hear loud noises, but other than that, he'd been completely consumed by the need to find someone he could barely remember. What did he look like? He couldn't even remember what colour his hair was.
Was it light? No, no, Squall had dark hair. Not black. Brown? Yes, brown! Squall's hair is brown. He had brown hair. He couldn't see anyone with brown hair here. He had to find him, where had he gone? Gone? Yes, he went…somewhere. But it was-
This train of thought would be closely followed by the blonde stopping, no matter where he was, making strangled sobbing noises and clawing at his hair, shaking his head back and forth.
The smell of flowers almost roused him, but his mind snapped back into delirium very quickly. Was he here? Squall liked flowers, didn't he? Yes. Squall liked flowers. Maybe he was here.
Crashing through the front door, he proceeded to begin scouring the house for someone, check behind every nook and cranny and generally making a right mess.
"Cloud?"
Cloud? Cloud is my name. What does this person want with me? I have to find Squall.
He looked over. He knew this girl. She smelt like flowers. Did she know Squall? Hm, hm.
"Is he here?" he asked, looking at her with wide, child-like eyes.
"Oh dear" she whispered, covering her mouth. The blonde hesitantly stepped toward her.
"Is he here?" he repeated. "Is he hiding? Does he not want to see me?"
Cloud wrung his hands, looking nervous. "I need to...I need to... I promised, I promised...will he be mad?"
The blonde gripped his hair, looking anxious. "I need to find him."
"Cloud, you have to wake up" she said gently, and he vigorously shook his head.
"He's close, but I...but I...I forgot. I forgot his face. I need to find him and...and..."
He choked, tugging on his hair and looking distraught.
"Not here...not here" he mumbled. "No, not here. He's somewhere."
"Cloud...you don't even remember who you're looking for" she said, trying to snap him out of it.
"But I do!" he exclaimed, his eyes glowing fervently. "I remember his name!"
The flower girl looked taken aback; this was a new development from the last time she'd seen this. Cloud had always been searching for a word (a name?) whenever this would happen, but he'd never remembered it.
"What is it?" she asked quietly.
"Squall!" he said proudly, and Aerith's eyes went wide, gripping her mouth for a few moments before releasing it, just to make sure she'd heard right. He couldn't really be looking for him, all this time? He'd been doing this since he was a child!
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and I have to find him. I have to find Squall. I have to. I promised..."
The blonde trailed off, getting more and more distraught and continuing to mumble to himself, before running back out Aerith's front door, too fast for Aerith to have a hope in stopping him.
He wasn't sure how far he wandered, but as noon approached, Cloud's moments of lucidity became more and more frequent. He'd lapse back into a proper sleep for a few seconds, before starting awake back into his dream-induced frenzy, only to fall asleep again. Eventually, the poor blonde snapped back into comprehension, finding himself lying in the middle of a dead-end alley, with torn socks and a throbbing headache.
"You have got to be kidding me" he muttered, blinking upward at the patchy sky above him. He couldn't remember what happened in his dream-state, but he knew the signs well enough to know that was what had just happened. He definitely hadn't drunk anything the night before, which would've been the only other explanation, and the sore, stiff limbs were indicative of moving around a lot.
He groaned, sitting up delicately to try and assess his situation. He patted down his clothing, finding a handful of change and a few notes. Not even close to enough for a taxi ride. His phone and his wallet had been removed prior to falling asleep at Leon's, as had his shoes. So he was somewhere in a mostly unfamiliar city, with no phone, no money, and no way to backtrack.
He put his head in his hands and let out a few muffled curse words. Could this honestly get any worse?
A familiar yet nauseating sense of foreboding washed over him and he jumped to his feet. That was not the thought to be having while Sephiroth was in town. For some reason, the silver-haired man had taken a particular…'shine' to the blonde, and now seemed to seek any and every way to make his life a living hell. Cloud had never understood why; despite their now opposing edges of the spectrum, with Sephiroth on the hunter's most-wanted list and Cloud amongst their ranks, he'd never actually done anything personal to the man. He, however, had burnt down half of his home town, killed his mother, orchestrated the hunting down of Zack, and now nearly caused Leon to have a breakdown in the middle of Gold Saucer.
For some reason the last one had him bristling more than the others did. Well, they were old scars; Zack's death was a year ago, and Cloud always strove to move forward as best he could. But the look on Leon's face…
Cloud felt his eyebrow twitch a bit, before brushing off his arms, almost in an attempt to brush away the anger swelling up inside his chest, that made him almost want to track down the silver-haired bastard and make him pay. If there was one person who was guaranteed to get a rise out of the normally even-tempered blonde, it was Sephiroth.
He let out a long sigh, turning on his heel to head out of the alleyway, ignoring the sharp throb of his heel. Clearly he'd been walking around for a while.
He found himself on a mostly empty, very unfamiliar street. Cars rolled past infrequently, and most of the shops were closed. Which was extremely strange for a Saturday, Cloud noted. Unless it wasn't still Saturday. That'd be the longest he'd ever spent in a dream-state, but with the fact they'd randomly cropped up again after all this time, he honestly wouldn't be surprised.
The blonde turned left, rubbing slightly knotty hair. Why had this happened again? The last time he'd done this he was still in his teens. He'd really, honestly thought he'd outgrown them, but then again his migraines were back, too. What was this, Revenge of the Childhood Illnesses? If he wasn't careful he'd be hospitalized for those heart problems again.
Oh well, could be worse.
He sighed lengthily, rubbing his arms again. Despite the sun's presence the morning wasn't particularly warm, and besides that, the foreboding he had felt earlier hadn't left him. In fact, it was almost getting worse. Creeping up over his skin like a slimy parasite, making him paranoid and anxious.
Hopefully, Leon would've just called Aerith and asked where he'd gone. Or maybe just think he'd left. Honestly, he just hoped the younger man hadn't been stupid and come out looking for him. False alarms were one thing, but just getting that kind of reaction meant he was close. He didn't want Leon to end up in a situation he regretted because of Cloud's stupid night terrors.
The blonde drew in a deep breath, before stopping in his tracks. He could've sworn he just smelt Aerith's flowers, but he knew for a fact he wasn't anywhere near her house. Which meant the only explanation was...
The blonde moved swiftly up to the next opening in the street, peering inside.
Aerith was standing still, her head bowed and her hands clasped together, as though she was praying. Despite her surroundings, she seemed almost peaceful.
He went to call out her name, but felt the word become lodged in his throat, the foreboding from earlier climaxing into an intense wave of dread. The air seemed to fill with tar, making it hard to move, to breathe, to even think, as the situation came crashing down on Cloud's head like a tidal wave.
He'd heard him before he'd seen him. The rustle of leathers, the swish of impossibly long hair. And then the glint of a blade, sweeping downwards and cutting through the air while the blonde felt rooted to the spot, trying to cry out, warn her, do something.
But this was in slow motion. The moment he'd seen her to the moment Sephiroth had dropped out of the sky was no more than a few split seconds. He was trapped in this moment of perfect clarity and the inability to act, watching, unable to intervene.
The word didn't leave his mouth until the blade sliced through her abdomen, cutting through the pink and making it blossom with red. With one smooth, horrifying movement, Sephiroth flicked the blade sideward, and her body went limp on the blade, sliding forward and collapsing in a heap.
He'd severed her spinal cord.
"Aerith!" he shouted, his voice hoarse and desperate as he ran over to her, picking up her limp form and cradling it in his arms. The red on her clothes and staining his hands almost seemed to glow, his vision blurring with tears he was struggling to hold back. Her eyes were closed, her ribbon having come undone and sending the waves of chocolatey brown spilling across the asphalt.
"You'll never hear her voice again, Cloud" Sephiroth said from above him, his voice full of triumph. "Never see her smile, or laugh, or get angry. Does it make you mad, Cloud? Doesn't it make your blood boil?"
"Is that what you want from me?!" Cloud hissed, glaring at him.
"If you are yet to realize what I want from you, then you are still just as naive and blind as the first day I met you."
Cloud was about to stand, to stop this tirade, stop his arrogant gloating over the death of a friend, another voice pierced the air.
"Sephiroth!"
The silver-haired man looked up with seconds to spare as an angry black, red and silver blur smashed into him with the force of a bullet train, giving him the barest moment to block with the Masamune. He staggered backward as the figure grounded his stance, readying his gunblade.
Leon.
"Ah. So the Guardian makes his appearance" Sephiroth cooed, his hair flicking in the breeze. The brunette growled in retort, gloved hands tightening on the hilt of his gunblade.
"You'll pay" he hissed, and Sephiroth chuckled.
"Perhaps" he said. "But don't you have more important matters to attend to?"
He smirked, gesturing forward with his free hand. "Or perhaps you haven't realized just yet. Just sample the air for a moment; don't you think it's tantalizing? After all, kind faeborn blood is the most potent one can find."
"Oh no" both Cloud and Leon breathed at the same time, and with the same painful smirk, the man vanished into a cloud of dust and feathers, just as Leon fell to his knees, trying to use his sword to hold himself up.
Although a stab of reluctance echoed through him, a part of him knew he had to help Leon, no matter what. Gently easing her body down and wiping his hands off the best he could, the blonde hurried over to Leon's side.
"Leon" he breathed, and the man looked up, his expression pained. His eyes were flickering between blue and red, the pupil of his eye moving between the rounded shape of safety and the slitted form that spelt nothing but insanity.
"You should...take her and run" he gasped, his free hand placed over his heart as he winced, shuddering. "I'm going...I can't stop it this time..."
"I'm not going anywhere" Cloud retorted. "You can't expect me to just leave you out here, knowing you're going to end up with a death warrant on your head if I do."
"I couldn't live myself if I hurt you" Leon growled. "Cloud, please-"
He drew in a deep gasp before snarling loudly, his eyes flashing glowing red for a few seconds as the grip on his gunblade wavered and he fell to his hands and knees.
"Cloud" he said, his voice dropping into a nearly indiscernible whisper . "I can't... I can't do this."
Cloud's chest clenched up painfully, aching to provide Leon with some kind of comfort. He had to do something. He had to get Leon home, but he couldn't just leave Aerith here like that...
As though someone was actually listening to his prayers for once, footsteps echoed through the alley, and Cloud looked up to see Vanitas run in, looking around with a petrified expression on his face.
"Take care of her, please" Cloud begged. "I need to...I need to help Leon. Please."
Vanitas's eyes went wide, before he swallowed and nodded. "I'll do what I can" he said.
The blonde nodded. "Her blood...it's potent to vampires. Keep her away from the others if you can."
He nodded, and Cloud turned back to Leon.
"Last night all over again, huh?" he asked, and Leon grimaced at him. Cloud gave him a sympathetic look, before tugging his shirt off.
"What are you doing?" Leon breathed, looking a bit terrified, before Cloud wrapped the cloth around Leon's face.
"Smell enough like me?" he asked, as he lifted the brunette to his feet, picking up the gunblade along with him.
"You're a genius" Leon sighed, leaning into Cloud's form, as they staggered out of the alleyway. Cloud's heart twanged uncomfortably at leaving Aerith behind, but there was no way he was leaving Leon's side.
Leon's car wasn't too far away, and Leon stopped.
"Put me in the boot" he said firmly, and Cloud scoffed at him.
"If you think I'm going to agree to that, you really have lost your mind."
"Cloud, it's safer if I-"
"I'm not interested in your reasoning" Cloud said, pulling out Leon's keys and shoving the gunblade wielder into the passenger's side, before moving around to the driver's side and getting in, shutting the door with a loud clunk.
"You're a moron!" Leon snapped angry, tugging the shirt down enough so he could glare at him. His eyes now had a permanent purple tinge, giving him an eerie, otherworldly quality.
"I know" Cloud murmured, turning his eyes downward as he started up the car, driving in what he hoped was the direction to Leon's apartment. The man beside him had taken to pressing the shirt closer to his face, closing his eyes as he did so, his breathing heavy and ragged.
Thankfully Cloud's instincts had steered him right, leading toward familiar territory. It wasn't long until they were at Leon's apartment, the blonde parking in the closest spot to the stairs before jumping out of the car.
Leon's muscles tensed the moment he stepped out of the car, even with the shirt around his face. "I- I can smell all t-the people here" he stammered, and Cloud tightened his grip against the other man.
"Just hold on for a little longer, alright?" Cloud implored desperately. "Just up these stairs."
Leon said nothing, but Cloud began leading him up the stairs anyway, moving both as carefully and as quickly as he could. By the time they reached Leon's landing, the brunette was letting out a combined growl and hiss sound, flexing his fingers uncomfortably. Closer inspection showed the leather was constraining claws that were nigh-fully formed, and the fabric was being pushed to its limit.
The moment they reached the front door Cloud jammed the key in the hole, shoving the door open with perhaps a little too much force and pulling Leon inside. He closed it, hitting the red button, causing the silver shutters to descend.
"Wait here" Cloud said sharply, pushing the brunette into the couch and tugging his gloves off, to at least relieve him of that pressure. He let out an appreciative growl, and Cloud was quickly striding toward the kitchen, throwing open the fridge and pushing aside carefully-placed food items to reach the blood bags in the back.
He grabbed out the larger ones, moving back into the lounge and almost throwing one to Leon.
He basically leapt at it, landing on the floor with a large thunk, before ripping the corner off with his teeth. He placed his mouth over the hole and began drinking noisily, letting out an exhausted and relieved growl as his body curled toward it, the tension in his body beginning to ease. Cloud let out a long breath of air he hadn't realized he was holding, feeling the barest amount of relief wash over him. At least he knew that this first part wasn't going to end up with a death warrant on Leon's head.
It's pretty obvious how hunting works; something is complained about or considered dangerous, it's hunted down. Some creatures get a 'chance' to defend their actions. Vampires, though? Once one got the taste of hunting down human blood properly, the itch never really went away. If Cloud had just left Leon out there, there was no doubt he would've hunted down what he needed and become a 'threat'; and right now, the last thing he needed was to lose him.
He sat down heavily on the couch as the brunette reached for the second bag, which he'd left on the table.
Aerith.
He felt terrible for having to leave Vanitas there with her like that, but honestly…Aerith would probably understand why he'd done what he'd done. If he hadn't done something for Leon, the blonde wouldn't have put a haunting past her. As much as he would've liked to take care of her body and bring it home safely, he couldn't prioritise the dead over the living, and that was the choice he'd been left with. At least this way, Leon had a hope of surviving.
It didn't feel quite real yet, though. He suspected the gravity would sink in eventually, but right now he felt…kind of numb. Angry at Sephiroth, yes, but that anger was more directed at the fact he'd set Leon off properly than anything else. The terrified look in Leon's eyes would be one thing that'd join Cloud in his nightmares.
Seeing that Leon had almost made his way through the third bag, the blonde stood and went back to the kitchen, a bit slower than the first time as he pulled out the rest of the blood bags. Seeing that Leon still had some half-eaten tins of tomato soup in the fridge made Cloud's stomach gurgle furiously at him; he hadn't eaten since Aerith's dinner the night before.
She'd never do that again.
The blonde swallowed, pushing the thought away as he pulled out the rest of the blood and the fresher can of soup, setting the latter down on the bench and bringing the former out to Leon. The first few litres had done Leon some good; there was more comprehension in his eyes now, and he murmured a small, hoarse 'thanks' as Cloud passed him the rest, before spinning on his heel and beginning to prepare his own food.
He was in the middle of warming the soup when he wondered if Leon would've preferred if he heated up his food, too. His…'natural' food source was warm-blooded, right?
"Do you want me to warm some of that up for you?" Cloud asked, peering over the counter top to Leon, who gave him a strange look.
"Don't make a fuss over it…" he muttered, and the blonde rolled his eyes, walking back out into the lounge and picking up some of it, knowing that sort of response was a Leon-version of 'yes'.
Cloud pulled out another pot and warmed the blood gently, along with his own soup. He was careful to monitor which was which- the colour made them almost indiscernible from each other- before getting out two bowls and pouring the red liquid into both.
He passed over Leon's, before getting out a soup spoon for his own. The brunette didn't ask for a spoon, just sipped directly from the bowl instead, a pensive look on his face.
They ate in complete silence for a little while, the only sound being the quiet slurps each of them would make at random intervals.
Leon swallowed, looking between Cloud and his bowl of blood, his nose scrunching up slightly before he let out a long sigh.
"Doesn't this bother you at all?" he asked finally, and Cloud raised his eyebrows.
"Should it?"
"Yes. No. I don't know, Cloud, I'm drinking blood in front of you and not only are you completely unfazed, you're drinking tomato soup."
Cloud shrugged. It really didn't bother him, as much as it probably should. Well, it wasn't like he really lived a normal life. Vampirism, demons, monsters, the Organization, that was 'normal' for him. Honestly, he'd probably be more perturbed if he sat down for a normal family dinner. Even when his mother had been alive, his father was either hunting or on Organization business, so a normal dinner was just him and his mother at the dinner table, and Cloud would always be left there for an hour or so after she'd finished because their household had a rule of 'can't leave the table until your plate is clear' - which had been extremely painful for him.
"This is probably as normal as my life gets" he finally said, and Leon raised his eyebrows.
"Family dinners?" he asked quietly. "Don't families sit down and eat dinner together?"
"Dad was never home" said Cloud with a shrug. "And once my mum died, everything we actually did together- i.e church- we stopped doing. I'm lucky to see him once a week."
"Oh" Leon murmured, and Cloud sighed.
"I guess you wouldn't have seen your dad much either."
Leon's face scrunched up a bit again, his eyes turning sideward. "My parents died when I was four."
Cloud winced slightly. Dammit, sensitive territory. But Leon didn't seem as phased, and in fact he continued talking.
"Besides, my dad wasn't the vampire."
Cloud choked on thin air, looking horrified. "How the hell does that work?!"
"Wish I knew. I don't think she did, either. But my mother was a vampire, not my dad. Those I've asked say the fact she was able to carry a child is probably why I was born a half-breed."
A numb feeling washed over Cloud for a second, and something clicked, his mind returning to the first proper conversation he'd had with Leon.
Killed a vampire and her husband.
When was it? About fifteen, sixteen years ago?
"Aris killed your parents" Cloud said numbly, and Leon blinked at him, before sighing and nodding slightly.
Well, that definitely explained Leon's mistrust in the man, but then why-
Cloud's thoughts were cut off as he realized Leon was swaying dangerously. The blonde scooted around the counter, moving to support him.
"Are you alright?" Cloud asked, and the brunette nodded, leaning his head against Cloud's.
"Sleepy" he mumbled, before rubbing his cheek against the top of Cloud's head.
"Ah, it is the middle of the day" reasoned Cloud, and Leon shook his head.
"Blood is soporific" he muttered. "And I suppose that, too."
Cloud nodded, gently helping Leon into his bedroom and easing the taller man into his bed. As he went to move away, Leon clasped onto his clothing.
"Hm?" Cloud murmured, and Leon swallowed.
"Uh" he tried to start, before sighing and letting Cloud go, curling into his covers, a slightly upset look on his face.
"I'll be here when you wake up, alright?" Cloud said. "I'm not going until I'm sure you're ok."
"...Thank you."
The blonde gave him a small smile, before leaving the bedroom.
The blonde busied himself with tidying the small living room and kitchen, cleaning up the discarded blood bags and washing up their dishes. He gave everything a wipe down before attempting to find something to entertain himself.
A bookshelf in the lounge's corner revealed Cloud's suspicions from earlier that week were spot on; mystery and romance novels lined the shelves, but the bottom row also contained classic fantasy novels. Glancing over the blurbs told the blonde he really wasn't in the mood for reading, and with a long sigh he turned and sat down on the couch instead. Unfortunately the tv didn't seem to have a remote, and it was one of those models where the switch to turn it on was hidden deep within Narnia. He suspected Leon only owned the thing for once-off entertainment ventures.
Like Scooby-Doo.
He purposefully searched for and found Leon's DVD case, finding exactly what he was looking for. There were more Scooby-Doo DVDs and VHSs than Cloud could be arsed to count, but they were accompanied by some odd films; old, black and white VHSs that looked to be in...German? Cloud knew some fragments of German (the Strife bloodline had a strong Nordic origin line, though the height had been lost somewhere in the generations, to Cloud's dismay), but not enough to make out the blurbs fully. Did Leon speak German? He knew 'Irae' was Latin, but he was also fully aware Leon was using an alias.
He'd have to ask him later or something.
The blonde sighed, stowing the films back in their correct positions and sitting down on the couch, wrapping himself in the blanket still lying there from the night before.
Aerith.
Cloud looked around for his phone, finding it on the table and checking his messages.
From: Sora
"Lea's taking over the investigation, and...her body's in the morgue. Seems like Shinra's getting involved, it's all over the news, if you haven't seen it yet. Lea wants a statement from you and Leon, but Riku said you'll probably be awhile. Are you holding up alright? I heard Aerith was really close to the both of you...Sorry. Hard to express that through a text, but you haven't answered my calls, so..."
Cloud sighed, snuggling deeper into the blanket. A statement, huh? How would he explain how he'd ended up there? Even he didn't really know. And he suspected that Aerith and Leon were there because they were looking for him, but he couldn't be sure of that.
He sighed again, pressing his nose into the fluffy blanket, his chest aching with the thought of Aerith. How was he supposed to deal with this? How was Leon going to deal with this?
He wasn't sure how, but the thoughts and his physical and emotional exhaustion nursed Cloud back to sleep.
The nightmares started again. Old feelings of guilt, of loss, culminating into that need to find him. The one he'd lost, the one he'd let go and it was his fault.
Squall.
But rather than finding himself running out the door, a pair of strong arms wound themselves around him, smoothing his hair. He whimpered, struggling a bit, as this was not the first time someone had tried to impede in his search, tried to stop him from looking.
"It's alright. I'm here."
Squall.
He immediately reached out and wrapped his arms around the other in grip that would've been uncomfortable for anyone else, pressing his face into the other's shirt, pulling the other as close as he could and inhaling deeply.
"I looked everywhere" he mumbled, sighing lengthily.
"I'm sorry."
The nigh-incoherent blonde shook his head. "No, it was my fault. I promised..."
"Shh."
He sighed again, contently, as he went back to smoothing his hair, placing a chaste kiss on his forehead as Cloud drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Cloud woke up to a cold, unwelcome feeling washing over him. He wasn't quite sure when he'd become so acutely aware of the atmosphere in Leon's house- or around Leon, for that matter, but it was there and it was incredibly unpleasant. It was like some kind of ghostly hand was nudging him to go out the door and leave the place behind; and it wasn't going to welcome him back, either.
Blinking blearily, a quick glance proved that this feeling was not a figment of sleep or his imagination in general. His wallet, phone and keys were neatly stacked on the table, and his shoes were placed together and sitting underneath the table. Sighing, he rubbed his hair, sitting up and pulling the blanket off, his blue eyes searching for the apartment's other occupant.
Leon was in the kitchen, his back turned to Cloud, resonating aloofness like never before. He seemed to be fiddling around with pots and the like- probably prepping himself breakfast.
"Axel called" he said, somehow immediately realizing that Cloud was awake. "You need to write a statement. I'd suggest heading back to Aris's, doing your rounds, and going to the police station in the morning."
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what time is it?"
"About 12:30. A-M. You fell asleep around one this afternoon."
Cloud's brow furrowed. Had he really slept all day? Dammit…like his sleeping pattern wasn't screwed up enough. At least he hadn't run out on nightmare fuel again, but judging by Leon's attitude, the brunette wished he did.
"Are you going to be alright?" Cloud asked, and Leon made a loud scoffing sound.
"I can take care of myself" he snapped, a little too sharply. Cloud's mouth pursed into a hard line, his eyes narrowing in the direction of the back currently facing him.
"Yeah, I'm sure you can" Cloud said, his tone equally icy, as he stood up, pocketing his belongings and pulling on his shoes. "Just like you got home perfectly fucking fine on your own the last two nights in a row, right?"
"Whatever" Leon hissed, folding his arms. Cloud snorted, shoving his heel straight into the boot and marching over to the door.
"Don't bother coming to check up on me, either."
Cloud's fist clenched, and he spun around, taking a deep breath to keep his tone even. "What the hell has gotten into you, Leon?"
"Nothing has gotten into me, Strife" the brunette hissed, spinning around. "We're too fucking dependant on one another, and it needs to stop right now. Space is the only solution."
"How am I dependant on you?"Cloud growled lowly. "Last I checked, you're the one saying my scent's the thing calming you down."
Leon scoffed at him again, turning his back. "I don't need you. I don't need anyone."
The blonde swallowed, ignoring the sharp, clenching pain that statement brought and pretending it didn't mean anything. He and Leon were barely friends, after all. Why did this matter so much? Why did the idea of leaving him hurt so much he physically felt it?
"You're lying."
The statement hung in the air, because it was said with such conviction and calmness that it caught the brunette completely off-guard. Cloud knew; no-one ever accused him of lying like this. No-one called him on his bullshit, because Leon would just clam up and not talk to you again, tell you 'you're wrong' and proceed to block out your existence.
But without even really being fully confident in it, Cloud knew, somehow, that Leon's normal reaction was not the one he was going to get, and the stun was what Cloud needed.
"If you didn't need anyone, then you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't live in a city, surrounded by people, nor would you bother. You don't need to bother."
"You don't know anything" Leon eventually said. "I don't want your companionship, your camaraderie, any of it. It's worthless to me."
"Then why are you here?" Cloud accused. "Why bother with them? Why bother even thinking about companionship or anything?"
Cloud stepped toward the counter, staring daggers into Leon's turned back. "I know you're full of shit, because I've met those who really don't want that. They don't see a person, they see food. Do you see me and Rinoa as food, Leon, or are you talking out of your ass?"
"Fuck you."
Cloud grimaced, an annoyed smirk gracing his face. "That's your response?"
"Who gave you the fucking right to turn around and say that I'm full of shit?" Leon snapped, spinning back around as his eyes flashed red. "You don't fucking understand. Everyone leaves, Strife. Everyone leaves and everyone dies. And I've watched it happen already and I'm not even at half a human fucking lifespan yet."
"Who says you're gonna live a vampire lifespan?" Cloud retorted.
"Half-breeds don't-"
"I don't give a shit about your title. Didn't you call Zack a son of a bitch? Why else, if not for the fact he died, when werewolves don't age?"
Leon stiffened, not expecting to be caught out so obviously, his eyes sparking electrically with terror. For an instant Cloud felt terrible for getting under his skin like this, but at the same time he'd become determined. He felt…drawn to Leon, and even outside of that, the man intrigued him. And he was not, repeat, not going to let him run away like he seemed so determined to do.
"How can you be so flippant, when Aerith just died?" he eventually asked, his eyes becoming sharp once more. "Did she mean nothing to you? You act like you care, but when the chips are thrown down you're just as apathetic as any vampire."
Cloud suppressed the wince. The calm tone dug deeper than Leon's anger, managing to pierce at many of Cloud's weaknesses. No, he wasn't apathetic. He was just...terrible at expressing that kind of pain.
"I…" he said, his voice becoming small as he floundered for a response. "I don't like to dwell on my losses."
"She died yesterday" Leon hissed.
"And I'm still here" Cloud murmured. "You're still here. I can't bring her back, Leon. I can't bring any of them back. You think I don't want my mother back? Or Zack? Or Aerith? There's always going to be an emptiness where they were that I can't do anything about. But I can…I can honour their memory by not dwelling on what took them from me, but what made them create a place in my heart in the first place."
"And yet, you still run, screaming a name you don't remember, looking for a face you wouldn't know even if it was looking right at you. Maybe you do move on from some things, Strife, but others; others are marred onto your skin, losses you can't escape. And they're all like that, for me."
Cloud's brow furrowed at him for a moment, before exhaling. "I don't want to live in the past. That nightmare…I thought I was done with it. I've never understood it, or why it does what it does to me. And honestly…I wish it didn't. I know…I'm fully aware that if I was able to move on, nothing that happened yesterday would've happened like it did. But I can't…do anything about it."
He hung his head. "You're right, I wouldn't know him even if he was staring me directly in the face, and I don't even remember. I was a kid, at least I think I was."
Leon looked at him for a few moments. The brunette had deflated, now. He seemed…a bit defeated, almost. Closer to resigned. He understood Cloud's position, even if he failed to be able to stand there himself. Eventually, though, the look faded, replaced with a stern sort of curiosity.
"Don't you think that's a little suspect?" he finally said, and Cloud's head snapped up, blinking.
"What?"
Leon sighed, rubbing his hair, as though he was trying to find the best way to breach a complicated subject. "We don't just forget like that. At least, if they were important enough to leave that kind of impression, you would've at least remembered their name at first. Before you ask- Aerith gave me a rundown. So…I think you didn't just forget."
"…What?"
"I think you were made to forget, Cloud."
The blonde froze, blinking owlishly as a wave of cold flooded his veins. Made to forget. There were several methods to do that, but one was reliable- magick. Certain people could block out or change memories with magick. It was dangerous, and risky, and very, very few people could pull it off.
And Cloud knew one such person.
"My father" he whispered, and Leon's eyes sharpened into solid ice.
"He can alter memories?"
"It's his job" Cloud said, threading his fingers into his hair. "That's what he does in the Organization. He changes people's memories, eases trauma. I never paid it much mind because it all seemed ridiculous to me. But…fuck."
"You're a Strife, you should really have come to expect this kind of stuff by now. Have you seen your cousin, seriously?"
Cloud rubbed his eye with his palm, frustration ebbing just below the surface as he walked over to the couch and sat back down. "I never considered it."
"I think that's how it works" Leon murmured, stepping out from behind the counter to lean on the wall, facing Cloud. "If you dig at it, the wall will crumble. So the memories are closed off, and you don't even realize they're gone. Or you're not supposed to, I presume. You did, but that's probably your blood at work."
"Strife blood to the rescue" he muttered dully. "Only when I dreamed…and I suppose that makes sense. Every time I touch that memory barrier, it sets the nightmares off."
"If your father does this for a living…it's probably very strong magick. If you're going to attempt to unravel it, you need to go very slowly. Large upsets could cause permanent damage."
"Yeah…so far, I know his name. And I think he was brunette."
Leon nodded slowly, rubbing his forehead. "Maybe focus on the circumstances, next."
"It was my fault, I know that much" Cloud muttered, folding his arms. "But…gah, it's really just a wall of grey. It's hard to explain."
"I think I can sympathise" he murmured quietly, turning his eyes down. "Though if your nightmares are getting this bad, you may want to be careful with how you approach it."
Cloud made a small noise of agreement, just as someone knocked on the door.
"…At 1am?" Cloud asked slowly, as Leon's eyes narrowed in the direction of the door, something flickering onto his face that Cloud didn't like. It took him a few moments, but he slowly realized that it was a predatory look. Clearly, some part- a quite raw, rather newly unrestrained part- had come to the conclusion that the interrupter may be human, and it had set said newly-unrestrained side of Leon off. And that was not a good thing, for the person behind the door or Leon.
"I'll deal with this" Cloud said carefully, standing up. Leon looked a little peeved for a few moments, before sighing, going back to the kitchen. He extracted a jar full of a thick, reddish paste from the fridge, before turning toward the bedroom. He noticed Cloud's slightly wary look at the jar, giving him an irritated snort.
"Blood roses" he said shortly, before disappearing into his bedroom.
The blonde exhaled, watching the brunette unwaveringly as he stepped inside the room, swallowing a lump lurking in his throat.
With an exhausted sigh, Cloud walked over to the front door. He disabled the silver barriers, before opening the door a crack. He was met with the sight of flaming red hair, and a quick glance over told him this was Lea rather than Reno.
"Yo" he said, as Cloud eased the door open more. He raised his eyebrows, looking a bit curious.
"...If you're busy, I'll come back tomorrow morning."
"Huh?" Cloud asked, raising a single golden eyebrow.
"...Your shirt is on inside out."
"What?" said the blonde, glancing across his shoulder to see the exposed overlocked edges and looking a bit confused, scratching his head. Leon must've put the shirt back on, because he'd fallen asleep without it. He coloured slightly at the idea of Leon dressing him, but dismissed the thought sharply before turning to Lea, shaking his head.
"No, I just put it on like this. What is it?"
"I figured you'd be awake at the moment, and since I am too, I was hoping I could get that statement off you now."
"Oh" said Cloud, remembering Sora's text. "Well...alright. Got a pen?"
"Don't you have a pen?"
"This is Leon's house, like I know where the pens are" Cloud huffed in retort, folding his arms. Lea sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Please don't make this day any harder on me."
"Do I look like I've had an easy day?" Cloud said, and Lea muttered something, before exhaling loudly.
"Look, can you just let me in?" He asked shortly. "It's friggin cold out here and I've had a long damn day. I've been filing paperwork for the last six fucking hours and I have a splitting headache. If I don't get something productive out of this trip I'm setting your house on fire, kid."
"It's not my house. And don't call me kid."
"Ok, I'll set you on fire" Lea growled, and Cloud rolled his eyes and let the other into the room, going to look for a pen.
He rifled through the cupboards as Lea sat on the couch, pulling out a Manila folder and rifling through his documents.
"How'd you meet grumpy, anyway?" he asked, pulling out a sheet with 'Witness Statement' across the top of the paper, as Cloud found a cup full of pens.
"My dad sent me down here to help out with the recruitment drive."
"Oh. Why?"
"He's Aristotle's brother. What, don't you know him? He's in the Organization too."
Lea raised his eyebrows, thinking. "Might've seen him. Yeah, he looks pretty similar to you, right?"
"A bit. His hair goes up like this" Cloud said, making a half circle motion with his hand. "His face is a bit rounder...and he's going grey. He's more a silvery blonde now."
"Ah. Yeah. I know who you're talking about now" he said. "Might have to introduce myself if they decide to show up here, which is more than likely. No offense, but he's always kind of creeped me out...the memory thing is scary, y'know?"
"I know" Cloud muttered, tugging the statement off of Lea and beginning to scrawl down any details he could remember, explaining he was prone to sleepwalking and the others had most likely been looking for him. He checked it over a few times, making sure he hadn't missed any details, before handing it back to the red-head.
"Leon's not feeling great, so you'll have to wait for his" he said, running his fingers through his hair. Lea sighed, reading over the statement with a brooding expression.
"Mhm, I figured. The kid's always like that. Spose this is a bit more serious though?"
"Not my place to tell you" said Cloud, shaking his head, and Lea chuckled.
"You're an odd one from that bunch he calls friends. Kinda refreshing."
Cloud shrugged, and Lea stood up, heading for the door. Cloud followed him, opening it up as he stored his papers away, letting out another sigh that always closely followed by a tired yawn.
"Well, better go file this and cross reference it with Vanitas's. Gotta get Riku to teach him how to write properly."
The blonde made a small grumpy sound, before Lea yawned again. Cloud raised his eyebrows, suddenly curious.
"How'd you know me n' Leon would be awake?" he asked, and instantly regretted inquiring, his stomach sinking as his brain came to its own conclusion.
"Huh? Well, I figured since you're dhampirs-"
Twitch, twitch. His eyebrow was going to fall off at this rate.
"I'm not" he said lowly, folding his arms, and the red-head's eyebrows shot upward.
"Really?"
"Oh my god" Cloud exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "No! I'm not a fuckin' vampire! Stop asking!"
He span on his heel and shut the door with as much force as he could muster. There was an ominous crunching and creaking sound but he ignored it, pushing the red button again.
"Leon, can I ask you something?" Cloud called.
"What?"
The blonde walked over to the brunette's bedroom door. "Do I smell like a vampire?"
"If you did, I would've pointed it out by now" Leon stated, sticking his head out the door, looking a bit irritated by the question. "Why? Did Lea say something?"
"He thought I was a dhampir."
Leon raised an eyebrow, almost looking mildly amused. "Doesn't he know your dad?"
"Apparently not" Cloud huffed, folding his arms, and Leon sighed, walking back into his bedroom. Cloud followed cautiously, standing at the doorway.
"I haven't figured out if you're gutsy, or just plain stupid, hanging around me" Leon muttered, rubbing his hair with his hand.
"A little of both."
Leon snorted, before letting out a long sigh, glancing toward the blonde with a sad expression on his face. "Sorry...about earlier."
"I sort of understand why, I suppose."
"If you think it's because I'm afraid of hurting you...yeah, a little bit. But that's not the real reason."
Cloud raised his eyebrows, not expecting the response. "Then what?"
Leon sighed again, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm..."
He shook his head, sitting down on his bed and putting his head in his hands. "This is stupid, ridiculous. I'm ridiculous."
Cloud blinked a few times, not exactly sure what to say. He was searching for something to break the stifling silence when Leon looked up and focused on his eyes, the stormy blues shifting turbulently.
"I..." he started, before making a large gulping sound. "I'm...I don't want you to go."
Cloud's expression morphed into confusion. "You...certainly don't act like it."
"Not...just from here. In general" he muttered. "I don't want to watch you slip through my fingers, too, and it's so stupid and I hate myself for it because I shouldn't be so attached after two weeks."
He put his head in his hands for a few moments, before running his fingers through his hair, looking frustrated and lost. Cloud swallowed, not sure what to say, but his heart was rapidly thumping against his ribcage, almost feeling like it was attempting to escape and jump into Leon's hands. Honestly, he was attached, too. He cared about him, more than he should for how long they'd known each other.
Leon swallowed, rubbing his eye with his palm, before whispering something under his breath.
"Cloud" he murmured, glancing downward and looking anxious. He swallowed, before letting out a small, nervous sigh.
To Cloud's surprise, the reclusive brunette reached out and took Cloud's hand. Though the gesture was small, it had immensity that staggered Cloud, a nervous lump developing in his throat.
"I just...Aerith was my sister. And I...I've..."
He looked so fragile in that moment, grasping for a way to explain what he meant, as the gears in Cloud's mine ticked over and finally explained, properly.
All his family had died, before he was even twenty-five. He had his friends, yes, but somehow, Cloud had, in their brief time together, become just as important. He was too modest to say more so, but perhaps it was a fair assumption, given the broken look on Leon's face.
And he was scared of losing him, like he had with everyone else. So scared of watching him die like everyone else had that he'd tried to push him away, afraid of the pain his loss would bring. Cloud's heart thumped louder, swelling with affection he couldn't explain for the other man. Not breaking their hands, Cloud sat down on the bed, gently bringing the other into a hug. Leon gratefully eased into it, resting his forehead on Cloud's shoulder, thankful for the blonde having ended his desperate attempts to explain.
"Like I said, I'm staying until I know you're ok. I didn't specify vampirism, you know."
Leon let out a quiet sigh. "You're a mother hen."
The blonde scoffed. "I doubt you'd want it any other way."
Leon sighed again, but the comment caused the brunette to curl in closer, burying his nose in the crook of the blonde's neck. He made a small, contented noise, gently unclasping his hands and winding his arms loosely around Cloud's torso.
"I didn't take you for the clingy type" Cloud murmured, though he couldn't help lean his own head against Leon's, wrapping his arms around him, breathing in the scent of peachy shampoo and the crisp scent that was distinctly Leon's. It was like a storm, almost, or the moments before one, where the air is crackling electrically and full of the smell of rain. Yes...it was easier to say that Leon smelt like a storm.
He knew they were prolonging this to a distinctly non-friendship place, but Leon just felt so warm and right. It was cheesy and stupid, but a lot of things about their relationship could be described like that.
"Aren't you supposed to be a bit colder than normal?" Cloud inquired, and Leon let out a breathy laugh against his neck that sent tingles down Cloud's spine.
"Some of the normal rules don't apply to me. Like sunlight...and I think that branches into body temperature. Besides, vampires aren't that cold anyway. Their skin is just a bit cooler than the average human, nothing noticeable."
"I see" Cloud murmured quietly.
Leon made a small 'hn' sound, going quiet for a moment, before sighing. "Cloud, why are you so scared of becoming a vampire?"
The blonde blinked a few times, raising his eyebrows. "What, would you rather I was-"
"No, of course not" Leon said indignantly, sitting up a bit so he could look at Cloud, their hands still resting on one another. "I...I just wonder why."
Cloud sighed, swallowing a bit. "Well... Simply put, I don't like the idea of being a puppet. Even if it's...a part of me, the idea of not being in control, that's what terrifies me."
"Then why do you drink?" Leon asked quizzically, raising an eyebrow.
"Then I've made the choice to lose control, y'know?" Cloud said, looking awkward. "I mean...I know that most vampires have a good handle on it, but...I just don't like the idea."
"Fair enough" the brunette said with a shrug. "To be honest...I'm used to the idea, even if I don't like it. To me it's...just something that I have to deal with. I've always known, so I'm prepared for those moments."
Cloud nodded, before looking at the hands on Leon's shoulders, and becoming acutely aware that Leon's hands were on his hips.
"We're doing a really bad job at keeping this strictly platonic" he murmured, a smirk playing across his lips.
Leon made another 'hn' sound, that failed to convey his thoughts on the matter, before moving back into hugging Cloud, his forehead back on his shoulder.
"We're going to have to find something to do, because I'm not tired and I doubt you are."
"Scooby-Doo" Cloud suggested slyly, and Leon went quiet.
"Did you go through my DVDs?"
"Maybe" said Cloud, smirking. "But I'd already guessed."
"Guessed, huh" he murmured. "K. Spose you know what my favorite colour is, too?"
"That one I haven't figured out. I know it's not red, black or white."
Leon went quiet again. "Hm. Take a stab in the dark."
The blonde pondered it for a moment, thinking carefully. "Maybe...orange?"
Leon was silent for a few moments, before he looked up, a slightly sad smirk on his face that Cloud didn't quite understand.
"You really do know me" he said, and Cloud raised his eyebrows.
"I guess?"
"Don't worry about it. If you want to have a shower, feel free to grab some of my clothes" he said, standing up. "I'm gonna go make some dinner, so long as you're fine with tomato soup."
"I'm not really hungry" Cloud murmured.
"Tomato soup it is" Leon said, and the blonde chucked a pillow at him. The quiet smile on Leon's face at the response was one Cloud had never seen before, and had yet to realize it was one reserved just for him and him alone.
A/N: Sorry for the late update! I got caught up with school and few other things, as well as getting majorly blocked on Chapter Eleven. I'm debating as to whether or not it's time for an official reveal for a few things, so I've re-written the chapters ending a few times. Basically, we're getting to the end of the story and I'm struggling with how quickly to tie everything together.
Again, sorry for keeping you waiting! Please read and review, it's so great to hear from you guys, truly!
Ho-hum, did I tell you what Chapter Eleven is titled?
'The Key of Destiny'.
Is it super-obvious yet? ^^;