Well that was a really long week . . . Yeah ok I know that was more like three months I'm so sorry for not updating sooner I've had a few complications along way. I know you don't want to hear it so I'll just leave it at that. Though if anyone knows a good way to get over a crush really fast that would be great. Let's just say I've fallen head over heels and now I can't get up. Please send help.

As it is now break I do hope to update a bit more before the next semester begins, I will just say that my goal is to get through about 8 more chapters, but I cannot say for sure if I will make it.

Well now I should let you begin the new chapter that (most) of you have waited so patiently for. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything

Warning: Poor Cloud


Chapter 12

Cloud's deep dreamless sleep is interrupted by two small hands pulling at his cheeks and a young voice telling him to wake up. He willed the realm of sleep to return, but the cries of the child eventually drowned out the thought.

He cracks his eyes open and soon a head of messy brown curls fills his vision. "You sleep too much," came the slightly impatient voice of a child who has been awake for a while. "I'm hungry, let's get something to eat."

Denzel jumps off the bed and starts pulling at Cloud's arm to make him get up. Cloud gives one last longing thought to sleep and grudgingly pushes himself off of the inviting bed. He gives the room a quick look over, trying to remember everything from last night that led him to such an extravagant place. When the memories come rushing forward, he nearly staggers back at them. Despite what he is seeing now before his eyes, knowing that what he thought was a very strange dream was actually the reality of the previous night makes his head spin with the implications.

Cloud shakes his head to try to rid himself of the memories so that he can focus on the here and now, and more importantly, finding breakfast for the young cub that is impatiently pulling him towards the door.

When Cloud opens the door he is nearly run over by a streak of red that darts into the room.

Before Cloud has time to react a second streak of red runs into the room shrieking after the first.

Loud giggles and tiny high-pitched growls begin to fill the room as the two red streaks continue to chase and antagonize each other. Cloud moves to step back into the room to find out exactly what just ran past him but stops as one of the streaks runs up to Denzel.

The streak turns out to be a cub with the brightest red hair that Cloud has ever seen on anyone except for Reno. Two bright green eyes sweep past him and remain fixed on Denzel as a hand quickly shoots out from the redheaded cub and taps Denzel on the arm.

"Tag, you're it."

The redheaded cub runs shrieking back into the room and Denzel laughs and begins chasing him. Cloud reaches to stop Denzel, but the cub is just too fast for him and manages to slip out of his grasp.

The cubs continue to chase each other for a few more moments before the door is thrown open and a very angry woman barges into the room. "Axel! Lea! Just what do you think you're doing? Come here right now."

Silence suddenly fills the air at her words. A few harsh whispers fly from underneath the bed, but they are soon silenced by the glare from the woman sent their way. Eventually small sounds of shuffling begin and three cubs begin to emerge one by one from under the bed.

Once the three of them are out, they hang their heads and start shuffling over to Cloud and the loud woman. "Who's this?" The woman asks at the sight of Denzel with the two redheads.

Cloud figures that now is the time to make his presence known to the woman. "His name is Denzel, and he's with me."

The woman turns to Cloud now, as though she had not even realized that he was in the room before. Wine red eyes give him a curious but cautious look over as jet-black ears twitch nervously from beneath matching hair. "I have known every neko and human that has ever stayed in this castle for the last several years and yet I have never seen you before. Who are you and why are you in the rooms reserved only for royal family members?"

Cloud stares at her, stunned for a moment, before even tries to answer her as calmly as possible. "My name is Cloud. Denzel and I are in this room because that is where Queen Aqua told us to stay last night after we arrived with L – Prince Leon – "

"You came here with Squall? Then why is Aqua having you stay here? Wouldn't you be more comfortable with your mate?" Her brow furrows for a moment in consideration. She takes a closer look at Cloud, squinting occasionally before he begins to growl softly at her.

"That bastard is not my mate."

The woman's serious expression suddenly cracks as a smile creeps through. "I like you. Anyone who isn't afraid to insult Squall like that is a friend in my book." She extends her hand to Cloud. "My name's Tifa, and these two," she gestures to the two redheaded cubs that are trying to sneak out of the room behind her, "are Axel and Lea, my boys."

Cloud gently takes her hand and shakes it. A sharp stabbing pain suddenly resonates from his hand and up his arm with the action, but he tries not to so much as flinch at the pain.

However it seems that Tifa is not even paying his face any attention as she is looking at her own hand while turning Cloud's extended hand with her other. A thin black substance drips down her hand and is covering the side of Cloud's.

A flash of fear fills her eyes before she looks up at Cloud. "What is this?" He slowly shakes his head in response.

Tifa grabs Cloud's hand and starts dragging him out of the room and into the hall. She wastes no time as she hurries to the gray door. She knocks harshly and repeatedly for a few moments before realizing that she is unlikely to receive a response. She drags Cloud further down the hall to the golden doors and only has to knock once before a very tired looking Aqua opens the door.

Tifa wastes no time with formalities. She lifts up Cloud's wet hand, "He needs to see Vexen right away." With one quick look Aqua nods her head.

"Tifa, I'll take him down to see Vexen, but would you mind watching Denzel for Cloud in the meantime? I know your hands are a bit full as it is, but it would only be for a few hours." Aqua's voice is light but strained, a twinge of fear seems to escape unchecked.

"I'll be heading out into town today, but Demyx and Zexion are supposed to be watching my cubs for me while I'm gone. Would it be ok if I dropped Denzel off with them until I get back?"

Aqua speaks before Cloud can even open his mouth. "That should be just fine. I'll leave you to your duties then." She slips out of the room and gently takes Cloud's other hand and begins leading him into the maze of hallways.

….

Cloud sat fidgeting on an exam table as a strange man with light blond hair and a white lab coat looked him over and began taking his vitals. The doctor did not say much but simply did his job occasionally telling or asking Cloud to do something for him.

Though when they had first arrived in the hospital wing of the castle Aqua had insisted that the doctor take a look at his hand first, the doctor said that since he had no information whatsoever about Cloud, he would have to start from the basics and work his way to the more immediate symptoms before he could allow himself to make any kind diagnosis.

So despite his wariness of the situation, Cloud has been following the doctor's orders exactly. When Vexen orders him to remove his shirt, Cloud does not let the sigh of annoyance he feels escape.

Vexen takes a few notes but stops and places a gloved hand on the left side of Cloud's chest. "Have you been experiencing any pain in this general area anytime in the last few days?" Though the question is asked calmly, it does nothing to help alleviate any nervous reaction from Cloud.

"Maybe a little at most, but nothing to really worry about." Cloud struggles to keep his voice calm while his instincts are screaming at him to panic and demand answers from the doctor immediately.

"That's good then, it's just a sign that your Mark is coming in. Now as long as your intended mate does not touch that area for the next few days you shouldn't even notice when the Mark has fully appeared. However, it your mate manages to touch it prematurely it may cause the process to speed up and you will defiantly feel the resulting pain." Vexen continues with his observations before he finally addresses Cloud's hand.

"I'm going to take a small sample of this liquid and run a few simple tests to find out if my current suspicions are correct. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes." He takes a clean glass slide out of a drawer and carefully runs it over the wet skin of Cloud's hand. He then carefully takes the slide out of the room with him, making sure to close the door quietly behind him.

Cloud turns to Aqua, a hit of red dusting his cheeks as he asks her what he feels is a personal question. "What exactly does having a Mark mean? Does it do anything?"

Aqua surprises him by giving him a smile. "Your mark helps to define who you are as a person. In the past when a person's mark was a clan or family Mark so that they could remember their roots even as the world changed. Eventually it changed to represent an aspect of a neko's personality or their destiny."

"Destiny?"

"No one quite knows how it works but when a neko fully develops their Mark it means that they are ready to find their mate. A neko's Mark will always be in a mirrored place from that of their mate's Mark. It is only when an intended mate touches the Mark does a neko become fully aware of who exactly their mate is. And when the two Marks of intended mates touch it seals the bond allowing them to become a mated pair." She pauses her own cheeks brightening at some of her own thoughts. "Cloud, when you find your intended mate you'll know it and that is why it controls your destiny. Because it allows you to find the one who can help you reach your fullest potential, just as you can help them reach theirs."

Cloud and Aqua fall silent, letting Aqua's words sink in fully. However, Cloud's thoughts are interrupted when Vexen enters the room once more, a grim look upon his face.

"Well it is as I thought it would be. It seems that you are showing early signs of Geostigma, especially on your left hand." Cloud unconsciously pulls that hand closer to himself as if to try to hide it. "Unfortunately there is nothing I can do for you. While Geostigma has been around for many years, there still is no cure."

Tears prick the corners of Cloud's eyes. He has heard of and seen Geostigma before. Back in the kennels it was uncommon but not unheard of for some of the cubs to begin to show signs of the disease. But since there was no cure, those infected were quickly removed from the kennels so that they could not infect others and after the brief crack of a rifle from outside, were never mentioned again.

Geostigma is a death sentence.

Vexen senses Cloud's panic and quickly tries to alleviate it some. "Now the good news is that it is still in the earliest stages and as long as the infected area is kept clean, it will take a very long time for it to spread. That means Cloud, that you still have many years, many good years left before you before the Geostigma becomes too serious. That means that you have no reason to let it hold you back. It's not contagious, and there is no known way for it to spread to others except if a mother passes it to her cubs in utero, but as that should not be a worry for you right now you should go and make the best of your life."

"How – how many years?"

"Well as long as you don't find a way to get yourself killed prematurely I would estimate that you have about five years left, maybe even a little bit longer. Plenty of time to still live." Vexen hesitates, not wanting to raise Cloud's hopes too high. "Besides, five years is still a long time, and who knows, by then there might even be a cure."

Cloud solemnly nods his head before standing. "Thank you for you diagnosis." Cloud walks to the door and exits quickly his head filled with what he feels is a death sentence.

He doesn't hear the footsteps that follow him, nor does he notice where exactly he is going. Tears spill over and flood his vision, forcing him to stop before he manages to hurt himself without that vital sense. He collapses against a stonewall as sobs begin to wrack his frame.

A hand places itself gently in his hair and he unconsciously leans into it. It doesn't move and no words are spoken as the tears are allowed to escape and all of the fear and anxiety built up over the last few weeks is allowed to escape as well.

It takes a while, but eventually the tears begin to cease and Cloud is able to gather his wits about him once more. He looks up at the owner of the hand that is on his head and a small wave of gratitude fills him to see Aqua looking at him with the tenderness of a mother.

He turns away from her while muttering "Thank you."

The hand is removed from his head. "Come on, let's go find Terra and Leon, I'm sure that they are wondering where you disappeared to."

Cloud gives a small snort of laughter and lifts himself off of the ground before following Aqua once more.

….

They make it down two hallways before Cloud notices that something is wrong with Aqua. As they walk her breaths become shorter and soon she is panting with the effort to simply stand. Cloud goes to ask her what is wrong, but before he can she collapses into his arms.

He struggles to maneuver her into a comfortable position before he starts shouting down the hallways for help. When no one comes he carefully lifts Aqua and starts trying to open doors in the hallway to find somewhere to let her stay peacefully while he goes looking for help.

He struggles to find an open room and when he does manage to find one several minutes later he cannot believe his luck to find a bed in the small room. He quickly sets Aqua down and tries to make her as comfortable as she grits her teeth against

Cloud quickly searches the room for anything that help ease her pain or maybe help him find a way of contacting someone to come and help her better than he can.

"Cloud," Aqua calls weakly from the bed. Cloud rushes over and knees beside her. "Here, take this." She places a small phone in his hand. "I need you to call Terra for me." Cloud quickly nods his agreement.

It takes him a moment to figure out how to work the small phone but less than a second after he starts a call to Terra, the other end is answered. "This isn't like you Aqua, has something happened that I should know about?"

" . . . Something's wrong with Aqua. I don't know how but I think she's hurt."

There is silence for a moment. "Who is this? How do you have Aqua's personal phone? Tell me exactly what has happened to my mate!"

"Cloud, give me my phone for a moment." Cloud hands it over without protest. "Terra, I need you to find Vexen and have him come the servants quarters just off from the gardens."

"Aqua, I need to know what's going on!" The sound of running rings in the background signaling that Terra is following Aqua's instructions.

"It's – " Aqua's voice is cut off as she struggles to contain a heavy groan of pain. The bed suddenly becomes soaked beneath her and she can hear Cloud muttering, "What is that?" off to the side. "Terra, it's time. The cubs are coming, now."

"But you're not due yet!" Panic fills Terra's voice.

"I don't think they know that. Just get here as soon as possible. I'll have Cloud keep the line open incase anything happens before you arrive with Vexen." She hands the small phone back to Cloud just as another wave of pain shoots up her spine.

Cloud says nothing but simply stands and watches, feeling helpless that he can do nothing to help her. At one point he offers her his hand in support, but as soon as she grabs it in a bone-crushing grip he regrets his action.

After a couple of minutes the rushing sound of multiple footsteps echo outside the door. Vexen enters the room first and quickly shoos Cloud away from the bed. He begins his work quickly and soon ignores everyone else except Aqua.

Terra rushes in soon afterward, panic evident on his face as he enters the room. He stops for a moment upon seeing Cloud. "Thank you" is all he says as he hurries over to his mate and quickly takes her hand as Cloud had moments before.

A hand slips into Cloud's and guides him out of the room. Cloud does not resist and lets the familiar warmth calm his anxious nerves.

A coat is thrown over his shoulders, though Cloud cannot remember them shaking nor does he know if they shake from nerves or cold. A hand tilts his chin up and his eyes meet stormy silver.

"It's alright." Cloud is pulled closer to Leon and for a moment he feels like a cub being held by Sephiroth once again. Only once his face is face is pushed into Leon's chest, a feeling unlike anything he has ever felt before wells up in his own chest.

Feelings of safety and belonging, joy, and hope shine brightly while others like family and pride seem to squeeze his heart. As more and more feelings threaten to overwhelm him one thought flickers through his mind.

Mate


Well there you go, a new chapter and another one in the works! And soon one of the scenes I can't wait to write will be ready!

Anyways now I must leave you all until hopefully next week, or until the new chapter is actually done.

Please remember to support your local author by leaving a comment, question, or review below!