Why must all the tests and papers come at once!? Well so far school is taking up a lot more of my time than I planned, but I'm trying to make the most of it, after all, school is very important.
Anyway I wanted to let you guys know that in two weeks I'll be heading a panel at ValleyCon if any of you are interested in coming out to check out the Con. This will be my second time giving this panel and I'm so excited to see if it goes as well as the last. Plus I have Con buddies this time so that should be interesting.
I really don't have much else to say right now other than that I am still working on this when I'm not doing school work or at work. So yes while the updates are very slow right now, they will keep coming. And right now if all else fails, I do plan to release the next chapter the night before the first day of ValleyCon, so hopefully the wait won't be quite as long this time.
Anyways, on to the new and long awaited chapter!
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything even though I wish I did
Warning: None for this chapter
Chapter 11
Time seems to speed up for Cloud as soon as those words leave the mouth of the crowned neko. It is simply impossible; there must be some mistake. How could someone like Leon possibly be royalty? And if Leon really is what this neko says he is, then why was he in Midgar of all places? None of this makes any sense to Cloud.
Cloud hardly feels the hand that slips into his remaining free hand and pulls him quickly away from the stares and hushed whispers from the curious audience of the throne room. The halls and rooms swirl in a mess of colors and confusion and Cloud is still trying to process this revelation about someone he once thought he knew.
He vaguely recognizes that they have finally come to a stop in a large comfortably furnished room. While the room is simple with a few soft chairs around a table and a couch leaning against a wall, it is still far more magnificent than Cloud feels comfortable being around. After taking it all in and seeing just how immaculate his surroundings really are, something in Cloud snaps and he releases Denzel's hand and turns to face Leon, barely contained anger dripping from every word.
"What the hell is going on here? Just what are we doing here, and why does everyone seem to think that you're the King or something like that?"
"Cloud, now's not the time – "
"No Leon, you've been avoiding telling me everything ever since you convinced me to leave Midgar with you. Now you had better explain what's going on, you've avoiding telling me so far, but I have a right to know. You at least owe me that much."
Leon pinches the bridge of his nose. "Now is not the time to explain everything to you." He holds up a hand to stop Cloud's protests. "But I swear to you Cloud, give me some time to get everything back into place and I will tell you anything you want to know. Anything."
Cloud lets out a loud frustrated sigh. "And what do you expect Denzel and I to do in the meantime?"
"How about a bath for starters." Cloud and Leon turn to stare at the woman who has just entered the room. Cloud's eyes narrow a bit as he recognizes her as the woman on the throne from earlier.
Leon extends a hand to her. "Aqua, it's good to see you again."
"You too, Squall. You were gone for so long and never sent us word to even know if you were alive or not. We were staring to lose hope that you were still alive somewhere." She pauses and turns to Cloud, giving him a small smile before turning back to Leon. "But none of that matters now. What does matter is that you are here, alive and well. And that you seem to have brought someone special back with you. And they too have brought someone with them."
Leon awkwardly clears this throat. "What are you talking about Aqua? This is Cloud; he's the only one that I was able to bring back with me from Midgar. The cub is Denzel. Demyx and Zexion are supposed to be the ones taking care of him, but for some reason he seems to like Cloud better."
"It's nice to meet you Cloud and Denzel. If you'd like, I can show you to our guest quarters and baths. I'm sure a hot bath and clean clothes after such a long journey is exactly what you need right now."
The offer is very tempting. Cloud would like nothing more than to finally be clean for the first time since his last morning with Genesis and Sephiroth. But at the same time, he needs answers from Leon, answers that the others seems to not want to part with.
A quiet yawn from Denzel makes Cloud's choice clear.
"I'll go with you for now." He turns back to Leon. "But you are going to explain everything, and I mean everything to me tomorrow. Do I make myself clear?"
Leon lets out a snort. "Just go take a bath Cloud."
…...
The bathroom that Aqua leads Cloud to is unlike anything he as ever seen before. The room he enters is styled more like a communal bathroom built to hand multiple people at once, however, it is divided into several large enclosed areas that give complete privacy if one desires, otherwise one side of the room holds large baths that have been built into the floor that have screens surrounding them and an open top so that communication between occupants is possible if desired.
As Cloud looks around, he fails to notice when Denzel's hand falls out of his own as Aqua leads the young neko over to one of the private bathing areas.
"Are you just going to stand there and let the water get cold?" Aqua's voice rings in the otherwise empty room. "I already started the water in the bath surrounded by the blue screens. I'd get in there if I were you."
Cloud looks around and finds the blue screens quickly, noting in the meantime that each tub is surrounded by screens of different colors. "Do you have Denzel with you?"
A soft chuckle rings across the bathroom tiles. "He seems to have had a big day so far, he's already asleep and he hasn't even finished his bath yet. Don't worry though I'll make sure he makes out of here clean and ready for bed."
Cloud gives a small, unseen smile as he enters the area behind the screens, the large size of the 'tub' surprising him. "Clean would be nice. Though I'm sure that we have anywhere to sleep yet."
"You worry too much Cloud, you always have. Terra has already arranged for you to be staying in your own quarters near Squall's while you stay here."
Cloud's brow furrows as he carefully undresses and removes the bandages on his hands, finding only smooth skin and perfectly regrown nails. "Who's Terra? And what do you mean I've always been like this. We've never met until now."
"Well Terra is my mate, and Squall's younger brother. Didn't Squall already tell you some of this?" Silence is the only answer she gets. "I see, he hasn't really changed I guess."
The silence remains for a minute before Aqua starts again, though much more quietly than before. "Do you really not remember me, Cloud?"
"I'm sorry. As far as I know, I've never met you before now."
"So you really don't remember then. We were kennelmates back in Nibelheim for a winter." Cloud becomes perfectly still at her words. "You were really young then, maybe only two or three at the time, seems you hair is still as wild now as it was then." She chuckles and then pauses as she collects her thoughts. "Do you remember that really cold winter when some of the heaters stopped working?"
Cloud thinks hard at this, he has tried so hard to try to not bring up his memories from his time in the kennels, but something tells him that this is important. "That was the winter when they moved everyone out of the separate blocks into a more contained area. The pens were larger, but there were at least seven or eight of us in each one."
"That's right. It's also the first winter you had away from your mother. You were the youngest in that pen while I was one of the oldest for most of our time there. I remember being the one to take care of you the most since the others didn't want to. On the day that we were all put back in our normal blocks you held my hand until they pulled you away." Aqua laughs. "I had never seen a cub so mad before, I wonder if that scratch you gave one of the guards ever healed properly."
Cloud gives a snort. "I don't remember much, but I think I defiantly would remember something like that."
"You were young then. We both were." Silence fills the space once again. "Cloud, how long has it been? When were you finally able to leave that place? Did you find Squall there?"
Silence reigns once again until Aqua believes that Cloud will not be giving her an answer. But before she can open her mouth she gets a reply. "Just over a year. I've been out of that place for just over a year. But I didn't meet Leon there. I met him in Midgar."
"Midgar?" Surprise is evident in her voice. "What were you doing there?"
"I was a gift for General Sephiroth and Commander Genesis. Those two are probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. They gave me a home, and took care of me. It was almost like we were an odd type of family." Cloud releases a reluctant sigh. "But that was all taken away because of Leon. I don't know why I agreed to follow him here, it wasn't worth it."
"Don't say things like that Cloud, it may not seem like it now, but you'll be better off here than you could ever be with them. Here you are free. You can do what you want, be who you want to be, who you are meant to be." She pauses, her voice hardly above a whisper. "Here you have a mate who is willing risk his life to bring you here. Isn't that at least worth something?"
"I don't have a mate."
The shocked silence only lasts a few seconds. "But aren't you and Squall –"
"Leon is no one but the one who brought me here against my will."
"So the two of you aren't –"
"No, nothing like that."
A giggle suddenly breaks free from Aqua. "So the two of you are fighting right now, is that it?"
"We are not fighting. Leon just as a stick up his ass is all." Cloud pauses. "He still hasn't told me why we are here. But I guess if what you say is true, then that answer should be pretty obvious. His family is here, he's a goddam prince here, but why he hasn't returned sooner is beyond me."
"Well knowing Squall, he would want to bring as many people back with him as possible. Even if it meant sticking around for a few more years just to help even just one more neko gain their freedom. That's what he did for you Cloud; he waited until you could come with him so that you could both come here together to be free. That should be worth something to you."
Cloud remains silent, his mind trying to process what Aqua has just told him, that maybe, just maybe Leon did have a reason to bring him out here.
Cloud finishes the rest of his bath in silence, only breaking that silence only to thank Aqua for the set of new dry clothes that have been set just outside the screens for him. The clothes are a bit large on him, but not uncomfortably, or indecently so. Once he is dressed he steps out from behind the screens to see Aqua waiting for him with a sleeping Denzel in her arms.
Cloud reaches out and takes Denzel from Aqua and settles him in his arms before nodding to Aqua that they are ready to leave. Aqua turns and leaves the grand bathroom with Cloud trailing closely behind.
The walk to Cloud's room is a quiet affair as Aqua only speaks to point out their location and various landmarks in the hallways to help Cloud find his way around later. Despite her best efforts, it does not take long for Cloud to forget most of what she has told him on their walk.
Eventually Aqua stops outside a single white door. "This will be your room for as long as you decide to stay here. If you need anything Leon's room is the next door down across the hall, the gray door. Or if he's not there, you can find Terra or myself in the room at the end of the hall, just look for the golden door."
As she turns to leave, Cloud reaches out and gently grabs her arm. "Thank you Aqua."
Aqua turns and smiles back at him. "That's what friends do for each other. Besides, it was nice to see you again. I hope that you decide to stay for a while. It would be nice to be able to catch up some more."
A small smile graces Cloud's lips. "I'd like that."
After Aqua leaves, Cloud opens the door to the room that he will be sharing with Denzel, the sight of the room leaves him speechless. The room is larger than any bedroom Cloud has ever seen before. Though the floors are hard stones underfoot, heat radiates from them easing his tired feet. In the center of the room stands a large bed that could easily fit three or four people with room to spare. The bed is covered with dark gray bedding that is extremely soft to the touch.
Cloud pulls back the covers on the left side of the bed and gently sets Denzel down. A ghost of a smile threatens to become larger as Cloud watches a smile grace Denzel's face as the cub settles into his spot on the giant bed.
Satisfied that the cub is comfortable for now, Cloud makes his way over to the other side of the bed. He pulls back the covers and climbs in, his mind going blank as he sinks into the most comfortable bed he has ever encountered.
It does not take long for him to settle in, and when he does he can feel sleep immediately begin to creep up upon him. As that sleep begins to overtake him, Cloud wonders that if today was really as eventful as it has felt, then what will tomorrow be like?
Well there you go, a bit about Cloud's past (more to be revealed in the future), and something to look forward to next time.
Thank you again to all my wonderful readers who have stayed with me for so long as well as to all my new readers who are just finding my works for the first time. If it weren't for you guys I would have given up writing a long time ago. So all your wonderful watches, favorites, and reviews really do mean a lot to me. Thank you, thank you so much for your support.
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