A/N: Sorry sorry for the late update. Dramas going on in real life which I had to deal with. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you for reading and reviewing the story so far! I'm finally getting rid of the suspense.

Time to revisit 'Miss Cloud'! Thank you again, and please enjoy this chapter! Reviews very much appreciated because they feed my soul!

WARNING: One case of German that I am sure is badly translated. Crossdressing too (not that it appears to be a problem with you all!)

Being used to having eyes upon him, Cloud barely blinked when everyone stared at him. He couldn't help but smirk to himself when he watched the slack-jawed expressions of the pirate king and the commodore. His ruse had worked.

"What? Have I suddenly bewitched you both?" Cloud purred softly, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. With all the practiced grace he had managed to muster, he glided over to Leon's side, wrapping a gloved hand around his arm. He took great pains not to mention about just how un-pirate his captor was looking. Hell, now I can believe that he really is a duke. "So who is your friend, Leon?" he asked sweetly, looking over at last to the commodore in all his white and blue naval finery. Hmm… same scar.

Leon swallowed hard; he obviously didn't give Luxord and the maids enough credit because he was almost certain he was looking at a very statuesque lady. Cloud even had a décolletage to speak of! Cloud's hair (or to be precise his wig) had been pulled back into an elegant psyche knot, pearls threaded into the knot and blue ribbons tied around it. As for the empire-line dress he was wearing, it was a soft shade of blue satin with sprigged muslin, the neckline cut into a V which led to a tantalising view of the simulated cleavage, the sleeves covering his arms up to his wrists, where thin lace fingerless gloves attempted to hide masculine looking hands. The make-up used on Cloud helped to soften and round his face and make him look even more alluring. "This is Commodore Baron Seifer Almasy," he finally managed to get out, looking over to Seifer. He was still in shock.

"You're right, he does look like a buffoon," Cloud smirked a little. He looked at Seifer. "Enchanted to meet you. I am Claudia Leclair."

"Wh-What?" Seifer asked, looking very confused. Leon couldn't help but feel relieved that one of Seifer's weaknesses was languages.

"This is Claudia Leclair. My mistress."

"M-Mistress?" Seifer spluttered.

Leon, now fully in control of his face again, smirked imperiously. "Yes. Is there a problem?"

Seifer looked gormlessly between the pair, completely fooled. "Sh-She's Bastionite?"

"Yes. We're working on her Gardenian," Leon lied smoothly. Now that Seifer was completely hoodwinked into believing Cloud was a woman, he was starting to take an enjoyment in this. "Though I suppose all the Grande Dames in the Radiant City will be calling for my neck for doing something so indecent."

"He looks like he's just swallowed a fly," Cloud femininely tittered, his eyes glowing with mischief. "Should we entertain him a little more?"

"You have something in mind?" Leon asked softly.

"I've got one idea," Cloud replied, leaning up and capturing the pirate's lips. Both started grinning to themselves when Seifer in the background sounded like he was having a fit of apoplexy. "Good idea?"

"Hmm… I suppose I could give you that."

Seifer coughed loudly, clearing his throat and grabbing the pair's attention. "A-Anyway, I wanted to talk about that particular detail."

"Ah yes. That." Leon turned his attention back to Cloud. "Claudia dear, do you mind making sure the house staff have made all their preparations?"

"Oh I bet they can't wait to hear how well this has gone down," Cloud said, then kissed Leon's cheek in mock-affection. "Oh, and before I forget, your other guest has just arrived."

"How do you know?"

"Luxord has just heard. He sent Kairi to go confirm it since she staunchly refused to wear the dress."

"Alright. Thank you."

Cloud pulled away, gave Seifer a smile that made him go bright red in the face and then walked off to go find Luxord, his skirts swirling around behind him. Leon couldn't help himself but watch Cloud as he walked away, admiring the waggle of his hips.

Temptation to tear off dress to find out what exactly is being used to pad him out… rising… He forced himself out of his reverie and turned back to Seifer. "Well, would you like to converse about the Empress' order in that case?"

"Oh… uh yes," Seifer said, following the brunet into another room.

Cloud was finding it hard not to laugh out loud at the success he was having. That commodore's face was priceless! And Leon's… goodness, he wished it were possible to get a miniature painted of it so that he could look at it for always. He sighed as he turned into the drawing room where his siblings, Riku and Luxord were waiting. Cloud closed the door behind him. "That man got the shock of his life when I graced them with my presence," he chuckled, dropping the feminine husky voice he had adopted for 'Claudia'.

He frowned when Ven, Riku and Naminé released a sigh of relief. Luxord was just smiling smugly, pleased that the ruse had worked. "Are you really going to keep this up for the whole duration that the commodore is here?" Riku asked, clearly concerned. When he had been told about Cloud's cross-dressing plan, the Departurian had apparently been shocked to the core. To his credit though, he did not try to dissuade Cloud from it, saying only that he 'respected the decision'. That didn't mean he didn't have his doubts.

"Well, I've come this far. Would be stupid to back out now," Cloud replied, taking a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs close to the currently barren fireplace. "How long do you suppose he will stay here?"

"Knowing the animosity between Commodore Almasy and His Excellency," Luxord started, "doubtless that the commodore will try to push his luck. I'm afraid His Excellency, while in possession of the patience of a saint, will probably use that time to plot some way to take the commodore's life."

"Take the commodore's life?" Ven exclaimed.

"Don't joke like that!" Naminé cried in horror.

"I'm afraid it's true my lady," Riku sighed. "His Excellency would gladly risk putting a noose around his neck if it meant he could rid himself and the world of Commodore Almasy."

"Ah, but knowing His Excellency, he'll have done it with the full intention of making it look like an accident or suicide," Luxord said, his smile not fading for a second. This alarmed Cloud; Luxord behaved as if such conduct was normal day-to-day happenings!

"Knowing His Excellency," Riku started, "he would have already have plotted the perfect crime by now."

What manner of man am I allowing myself to get close to?!

Captain Cid Highwind of the Shera was everything Roxas believed a pirate should look like. With a weather-beaten, hardened face, coarse sea-battered hair, distressed outfit and the omnipresence of a cheroot lodged firmly between tarnished teeth, Roxas couldn't help but stare in fascination. Far more intriguing was just how easily old seadog and 'young whelp' got along, with Axel and Cid conversing at length to each other while smoking. Roxas wished he could understand what was being said though… he almost wondered if they were bragging to each other about their latest accomplishments.

In the end though, his eyes always drifted back to Axel. His mind was still swimming over what had happened last night. Was it the rum talking? Or was it their honest feelings being realised? He wasn't sure… especially since Axel had very little to do with him so far this morning. Not that it bothered him… well… maybe it bothered him a little. Probably because he was now starting to consider what a life by Axel's side might be like. Definitely dangerous… but it would be my own choice and isn't that what I ultimately want? To choose just how to or whom with to spend my life and time? He couldn't be sure anymore. Maybe it was a good thing that they were spending time apart from each other.

He idly touched his lips, as if he'd feel that contact again. What would it be like if Axel's initial claims that I was his woman were true…?

"What's with the dazed look on your face?"

Roxas yelped and looked to his left, seeing that Zexion was seated next to him with his nose in a book. The man moved like a ghost! "N-Nothing," Roxas stammered. "Nothing at all."

Zexion hummed a bit, but he otherwise maintained a staunch disinterest. For a moment, Roxas was convinced that would be the end of it…

"Does 'nothing at all' include staring like a lost lamb at a certain red-haired pirate we both know?"

"Y-You noticed?!" Roxas squeaked; it also appeared that Zexion was almost psychotically observant if he had noticed that! Roxas had been so sure he wasn't being obvious…

"Any louder and you might attract Axel's attention," Zexion droned, his eyes flicking up over his book towards Axel. Roxas followed his gaze; Axel was looking over his shoulder with a questioning arch of his eyebrow. The young blond turned his gaze quickly to the floor, feeling his cheeks burning.

"Goodness, I thought the pair of you couldn't stand each other," Zexion drawled. Roxas scowled in annoyance. He could hear the smirk in Zexion's face. "What changed?"

What had changed? "I don't know," Roxas muttered. "It just… did." He didn't want to tell Zexion that it may have all started when he and Axel bonded over the similarities of their mothers… or that Axel had been the one to break whatever boundary they had put up for each other. Neither did he want to tell Zexion that he hadn't rejected him.

Zexion hummed lightly, his foot tapping against the deck in thought. "I suppose there is no logic to human desires when it concerns matters of the heart," he mused. "It's a complicated business after all." Zexion shut his book, but he turned his attentions to the island. "I wonder how Leon is doing with Commodore Almasy… hopefully he hasn't tried to kill him already."

That moment, Roxas was glad for the change of subject; he wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about his feelings towards Axel to anyone let alone to the man himself. "Why does Leon know a navy officer as high as the Commodore?"

"Doesn't hurt to have connections in high places," Zexion replied. "Especially if they happen to believe that Rex Pirata is Public Enemy Number One to their country."

Just how on earth has Leon managed to avoid capture in that case? Roxas wondered. Could be that the manor was just a front for civilised society, with the piracy going on in the shadows. Of course, Roxas hadn't even thought of it, having been obsessed with the notion of freedom and wanting to run away from the situation. "You're not really a pirate though, are you," Roxas murmured absently, his mind trying to take in all the information that he hadn't taken any time to think of in the past.

"No. Not really," Zexion replied. "I'm an academic. A scholar. Whatever you want to call me."

"Then why travel with a pirate?"

"Because a pirate knows the seas better than anyone else. Why not travel with their king?"

"But is he really their king?" Roxas asked. He found it hard to believe that pirates would answer to one man only.

"In times of crisis, he is their leader, and whether they like it or not the pirate lords made a blood oath to answer his summons if he should call upon them. He is not a lordly tyrant like the world will want to believe. He is…" Zexion paused and then chuckled dryly to himself. "Oh dear… I appear to have said too much."

"You can't just say that!" Roxas whined, but he soon cowered when he realised Axel -and several other pirates- looked at him as if he had just had a mad moment. Zexion's chuckle lingered though. Roxas couldn't help but feel peeved that his discomfort was giving the navigator such pleasure. "You can't just start explaining something like that and then stop when you think you've said too much…"

"I think you'll find that I can and I did," Zexion remarked. "Even so… it really isn't my place to give away too much. Where would the fun in knowing everything be?"

Roxas frowned heavily; he wasn't sure that he liked Zexion all that much now. He turned as he heard raucous laughing from Captain Highwind.

"Honestly Axel, you actually thought that bull's pizzle was goin' to work?"

Axel sighed. "It was the only thing I could think of at the time," he grumbled. Cid was finding Axel's 'woman' fiasco all too amusing to find any pity in his troubles with the kitten. "Besides, they left him alone after that so it sort of worked…"

"Well, don't come cryin' to me if it turns out he's getting' close to you in order to kill you later," Cid stated, shrugging his shoulders and puffing out a round smoke ring from his mouth before placing his cheroot firmly back in its place. Axel responded with an annoyed rise of his eyebrow, puffs of smoke rising up in steady rhythm from his pipe. As if the kitten could actually kill me.

"Anyways, you sure you know nothin' 'bout this plan of the Rex Pirata's?"

"If he's not sure it would work, he would never breathe a word of it to me," Axel replied. "You know what he's like. He's a strategist. If he doesn't think it'll work, he won't bother mentioning it."

"Sounds like he needed some form of support though," Cid pointed out. "Why else would he call me here?"

Axel had to give Cid that. For Leon to call up one of the oldest in their line of work here and not any of the pirate lords meant that Leon wanted an experienced seadog's approval. The lords had to answer Leon if he made the call for the Brethren Court, but they had the power to overturn any motion he could present to them. Having Cid Highwind on side might convince them to think again.

And if Highwind was on board, Teague would follow. Not a single pirate lord would dare to cross Captain Teague. Yes, this all sounded like Leon needing some very big guns to back him up. "You don't think Leon's…"

"Thought of somethin' crazy to be worthy of his own father? If he's bein' this cautious then I've no doubts." Cid took a large intake of cheroot smoke before blowing it out. "It's somethin' big. Somethin' he's going to need everyone on board."

Axel could only nod his head. Something big… had it something to do with those Strifes? He thought that Leon was going to go ahead with the trade though! That would mean that… Looks like Leon's inner paragon was appeased. Hyne dammit… He can't afford to be a gentleman!

He almost felt sorry for Leon's cousin; poor girl must be wondering where the devil her wayward rescuer was! He was going to have to talk to Leon about this. That La Coeur geezer didn't sound like the patient sort to him.

"So you're telling me that we've given you weeks and you still haven't made any headway?!"

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose, staving off his irritation with Seifer. "Must you scream?" Holy mother of… Can banshees be male? Seifer must be related to them…

"How can you be so calm at a time like this?! The Imperial Court can only be fooled into thinking Her Imperial Highness has simply taken ill for so long!"

"I can be calm because running around like headless chickens isn't going to help anyone, and for Hyne's sake I know that the Imperial Court isn't that vacuous." Leon stared hard at Seifer, causing the taller blond to shift uncomfortably. "The entire point of this venture was stealth, discretion and causing as little distress to the empire as possible. That I can do since I have more dealings with privateers than your run-off-the-mill navy captain. You on the other hand will cause a scene with far reaching consequences." His eyes flashed silver, asking Seifer silently if he was really that much of an idiot to not see that at all. "Ergo, if you want Her Imperial Highness delivered to you alive and unharmed than I need people like you to stop badgering me about it. Do you understand?"

"Well excuse me for questioning your methods when the next time I check up on you you've got some Bastionite slut fawning over you!"

Leon was finding it hard not to reach over and thwack Seifer across the face. "You should talk," he said coolly. "I haven't forgotten seeing you with one of the Seventh Paradise's barmaids while you were still engaged to Rinoa." The shade of red and annoyed twitch of Seifer's eyebrow caused Leon a twisted sense of pleasure. After all, he had made it his personal mission to make sure Rinoa's husband behaved himself, especially on this island.

It was underhanded even for him, but paying that barmaid to seduce Seifer had been one of this good ideas. He just had to make sure Seifer never found out. "You have no right to judge me," Leon continued. "What I do with Claudia has no bearing on you or the empire."

"If word gets out about her, there are going to be people who won't be too happy."

"I don't care much for the Grande Dames." When have I ever give a crap about what they think?

"It's not them Squall." Seifer's back straightened again. "It's the people. You may act like some hermit on the sea but you aren't that disconnected from society. You know what public opinion on Hollow Bastion is like."

You'll be pleased to know that 'Claudia' won't be hanging around long then… Or at least, Leon believed that. Cloud was… exceptional to go ahead with this cross-dressing plan of his and actually pull it off, but there was no man in the world that would be willing to make it a lifestyle choice. "Let them talk. I'm not afraid of them."

"How on earth can you not be afraid for the state of your reputation?"

What reputation was there to salvage when I'm hardly on the mainland and my family already has the reputation of being black sheep… "I just prefer to be an 'original'." Leon walked over to the drinks cabinet, pouring himself a generous portion of brandy (sadly his best which he thought was wasted on some lout like Almasy…) and the recommended serving for the commodore. "Either way, my standing in Gardenian Society is not the reason you came here. All I need is more time to retrieve Her Imperial Highness. I know where she is, I just need to formulate a way to reach her that isn't going to cause a full scale war with a certain country."

"…a certain country?" Seifer questioned. There was a very long pause; Leon swore he could hear the cogs grinding in his brain. He was up on his feet suddenly. "Hollow Bastion?! She's in Hollow Bastion?!"

Goodness… the ape has grown a brain! "Yes."

"That's where you picked that slut from!"

"That 'slut' as you so crudely called her-" Just you wait until I get my hands on your neck! "-and her family were being persecuted. She has no more love for it than you or me." Well… I better make sure Cloud's aware of this story.

"But why risk it?! Why help some wench you felt sorry for?!"

"…because she isn't my enemy." Leon thrust the crystal tumbler into Seifer's hand. "And the enemy of my enemy is my friend. She'll be useful to me." Well… he will.

Almasy gave him a doubtful look. "Unless you're going to use her as a decoy which might risk her hanging from her neck for being an imposter, I don't see how she's going to be of any use to you."

"And that's why I'm the one leading this mission and you're under strict orders not to even leave Gardenian waters," Leon smirked. "You have no creativity. Furthermore, can I expect you to not breathe a word of this to anyone?"

"…I don't want to cause a wide scale panic in the empire any more than you do."

"Good. Now… shall I expect you to stay the night here, or are your accommodations on the Crusader more to your taste?"

"I'll take my ship," Seifer growled. "I think we both can agree that the less time we spend together in the same building as each other, the better."

And safer in your case. "I think that might be one of the very few things we can agree upon."

She found it hard to not to stare at the state her older brother had willingly put himself in, vexed by how he could look so comfortable in a dress. She found all too strange… all too disconcerting that Cloud truly had fooled a man into thinking he really was a woman, and that Cloud had been the one to suggest this scheme.

Cloud's gaze was fixed upon the sea view, not having moved from his spot as he waited. She wondered what was going through her brother's mind… "Clo…" she paused as Cloud turned to her, shaking his head. It seemed that until he was certain the commodore was out of the manor and in town, he had to only answer to 'Claudia'. Naminé pursed her lips. "Is this… really alright?" she asked quietly.

"This had to be done," Cloud replied. "It would be too suspicious if Leon was housing us as we were. Pretending to be a mistress would take those Gardenian dogs off the scent."

"I know but… you could have hidden on the Ragnarok with Ven and Roxas. I mean, I wouldn't have-"

"No." Cloud's voice was firm. "No, I would never have allowed you to do this. This is the first time you ever left our home! You wouldn't know how on earth you're supposed to carry yourself around Leon to keep the ruse up!" He then took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry… I don't mean to get angry. I just… want to keep you and the twins safe."

"But to do something like this? You know that if you ever get found out you could face gaol or worse!" Naminé's eyes trembled as she tried not to let tears fall. "What if we have to go to the Gardenian mainland and you were caught?!"

"…I'm sure me and Leon would have figured a way to make sure that eventuality never came to pass," Cloud said softly. Naminé was taken aback by this answer. Did this mean… Cloud was giving Leon his trust? How… how did the pirate king manage to earn that? Naminé knew that Cloud had become such a suspicious man after his eighteenth birthday… she had seen that transformation herself. "Please just have a little faith in me. I haven't become so insane that the lunatic asylum might be an option."

"It's not that I don't believe in you, Cloud," Naminé said, standing up slowly. "It's just… that I'm scared for you. You keep on saying that you want to protect us, but… who is going to protect you?"

"I don't need protecting." Cloud stood up slowly from his spot. "Never have, never will, and the sooner people realise that, the better."

You can't fool me Cloud. You've defended yourself well and made sure no one could ever hurt you… but who's to say that you'll never crumble. Naminé watched Cloud as he moved to the door. Now though… I feel like you're about to falter after fighting for so long, and… and I don't know if I'm going to be strong enough to help you on my own. She heard the door close behind Cloud and the sounds of footfalls and swishing fabric fade away. I don't even think you would allow me or the twins to even try to help you if you did fall.

Aqua was starting to believe that her lug-headed adoptive brother of hers really was as thick as he was smart. Terra had still not talked to Ven. No doubt Terra had said something that was meant to push the blond away, but Terra coming back moping made her realise that maybe Ven was not as delicate as the doctor had believed. If anything, it sounded like Ven had the balls to talk back with a remark that was more frigidly sharp than anything Terra could come up with!

"Okay, remember to take your prescription before every meal," Aqua told the old man who had come for a chesty cough to be looked at. "I'll check up on you at the end of the week." She waved him off, but her mind was really thinking back to Terra. What on earth was she going to do with him?

Turning back to Terra's desk, Aqua's blue and white skirts swished about her ankles; she just couldn't get on with these clothes… even her old Departurian garbs were more comfortable than all this fabric wafting about her legs. "Terra, can't you even at least go and apologise to the poor boy," Aqua chided in their native language. Terra just let out a grunt. "You know that you definitely deserved whatever it was that Ven said to you. So swallow your damned pride and apologise!"

"It's better that he distances himself from us," Terra said stubbornly. "We're going to hand him over to that wretched governor anyway. Why should we even create an attachment?"

"But you did, whether you meant to or not." Aqua put her hands on Terra's shoulders, leaning over his head so that she could see his immoveable face. "You've pushed him away to protect yourself Terra. I'm not stupid. You've done that in the past."

"Have not."

"You tried to push Leon and Axel away." This was only answered with another grunt. "Even when they had saved our lives you still tried to push them away, because it was easier to not trust them."

"…they were pirates…"

"And we have become pirates," Aqua replied. "Do you remember why? Not because Leon promised us anything, but because we felt indebted to him." She then smiled. "You could have left it when you got that bullet out of Leon's shoulder, or when you tended to Axel after his stint in gaol. You could have left it at that when Leon himself had been caught back in Port Royal. But you didn't. You stayed."

"Aqua… please…"

"Terra, it's been seven years since then. We have never set foot back in the Land of Departure, and there was nothing we could have done back then. We got lucky… no, Hyne decided it wasn't our time to die."

"What is your point Aqua…"

"My point is that there is a reason for everything, and that there are things just beyond our control. If you keep holding onto them, you'll never be able to move on." Aqua pulled away from Terra. "Maybe it'll be a few days, a few weeks or even a few months or years until we may be forced to turn our backs on Ven, but would you really be happy to leave things as they were?"

"…no…" Terra murmured.

"Then why punish yourself further with this foolishness?" Aqua sighed a little bit. "…if you think there hasn't been a day where I wondered if things could be different, you're dead wrong. Even so, I know our father wouldn't have wanted you or me to agonise over what could be. He didn't give his life for us to mope around and make nothing of ourselves."

"Then what did he give his life for then?!" Terra cried out.

"For us to live on for the sake of others," Aqua answered without even a moment's hesitation. "We found our place in the world when our home was taken away from us; let's never waste this life we were given to the ghosts of our past." Normally… she would have reached over and squeezed his shoulder, but Aqua felt that this wasn't the time for it. Terra needed to work out of this dark hole he was stuck in by himself. He had to. "I'm going to go talk to him when Almasy's gone. Tell him everything."

"You can't," Terra growled, looking over his shoulder with a frown.

"Yes I can since you never will," Aqua retorted. "So unless you want to beat me to it, Ven is and will know what happened to us." She hitched up her skirts, snarling in agitation at the ridiculous amount of fabric she had to deal with. "I am not dealing with your moping or stupidity anymore!"

"Aqua!"

Leon watched the retreating back of his carriage trundle past the gateway and down the road back to town, carrying the idiot back to his beloved Crusader. Good riddance, he had thought. Now he could get back to the task at hand without Almasy's nose snuffling about where it didn't belong. First things first though, he better make sure the Strife's knew the details emerging from their new backstory. If Almasy came back and wanted to hear a story about the "Leclairs", they needed to know all the facts and come up with their own versions of the fabrication.

Then onwards to Highwind. The old coot must have been growing impatient with waiting for him. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the presence of his 'mistress'. "So… I think we may have fooled him."

"For now," Cloud replied. "Though I hope this doesn't become a regular occurrence."

"Only if we have more visitors from mainland or we have to go to the mainland," Leon replied, looking over to him. "Both I doubt heavily since I make a point of not mingling with the ton."

"Too much of a pirate to enjoy the aristocratic fun and games?" Cloud asked.

"Something like that," Leon said. He couldn't help but stare though. It was just so… Cloud was just so intriguing. Cloud's spontaneous willingness to gamble with such a hare-brained idea had rekindled a fascination in the pirate as he saw the Bastionite in a completely different light. Cloud's sapphire gaze turned to him, their eyes locking with each other for a moment. It only clicked now that Cloud had kissed him earlier. Again. I don't know if I should feel emasculated that he was the one to make the move or not. They exchanged wry smiles with each other; Leon wondered if Cloud had been thinking about what they had done to make their false relationship believable. "So, Cloud… I have to say I can see why some would say… you know…"

"That I was born into the wrong gender," Cloud said, his smile faltering a little. "It was funny though… I surprised myself by just how easily it had come. Guess I really am my mother's son."

"What your mother was had no bearing by the sheer bloody-mindedness and bravery you showed by going with that plan of yours," Leon assured him. "I think I can understand how much this meant to you."

The silence fell between them. There it was again… that strange atmosphere had begun to hang over them again and Leon was just so aware of Cloud being so near him. And as it turned out… it seemed that Cloud was feeling it too. His cheeks, painted like any respectable lady's, had gone a brighter shade of pink and he suddenly looked way. "L-Look. I only did it to make the relationship believable! So don't get any ideas!"

"It seems you're the only one getting 'the ideas' so to speak," Leon pointed out. He was quick to dodge a fist that had full intention of making contact with his nose. "My! So violent!"

"I ought to strangle you with your cravat!" Leon tried hard not to laugh, his arms catching Cloud and pulling him close, trapping his arms that still threatened to fly at him while at the same time feeling just how padded out Cloud was. He made a mental note to give the maids that helped Cloud create his 'Claudia' persona extra pay; Cloud's chest extension felt so plush yet firm pressed against his chest. However… it just wasn't the same, knowing that the real body was underneath it all, waiting to be discovered. "Let me go you cretin! Blackguard! Arse! Bastard!"

"Pirate," Leon breathed back in retort, causing Cloud to fall silent. Leon could have sworn as he realised why; their faces were only inches apart from each other again. This was getting ridiculous. He slowly released Cloud from his hold. "Anyway…" he coughed, "we should get back inside. There are things we will have to discuss before I go down to the Shera."

"Like what?"

"Like what sort of background the Leclairs have. Oh, by the way, I rescued you and your siblings from persecution at the hands of your own people. No need to thank me darling." Leon barely dodged another wallop; Cloud didn't like not being in control of his own plans either as it so happened. Neither did he like being referred to as 'darling'. "Are all Bastionite women this barbaric?"

"You haven't seen barbaric yet you conceited oaf!"

As night fell, Cloud, Ven and Naminé managed to cobble together a family history for their Leclair counterparts.

Claudia Leclair was a woman who fell on hard times, doing everything she could to support her two brothers and sister who at the time was very sickly. Unfortunately for her, it was a case of 'wrong place, wrong time' as she walked home from her late night job as an orange seller. She was attacked only yards away from her front doorstep by a drunkard and she did the only thing she could do and fought back hard, managing to scare the man off but the next day he was back with an arrest warrant; it turned out he was one of those bourgeoisie sons that had some significant influence, meaning that Claudia stood no chance of justice. It so happened that on the day that she was sure she was going to lose her life for assaulting a man of higher rank of her and wrongly accused for attempted theft, Leon had paid off the police to release her after seeing her very public shaming and took her and her siblings under his wing. As a result, Claudia and Leon had come to an arrangement; her and her family's protection in return for her body and mind. Considering her new elevated status, she would have been a fool to snub it. In short, she was an opportunist.

Not too complicated and believable, with plenty of room for the new Leclair family to add detail provided that they all were aware of those little embellishments. Which meant that Naminé and Ven could talk to the commodore should he decide to surprise them with an interrogation. As for Cloud, he had decided to follow after Leon to the bay where the Ragnarok and the Shera were docked.

Cloud, now back in his normal clothes and his face wiped clean of the deceptive makeup, looked at Leon in puzzlement. The pirate king had ditched his ducal clothing, favouring a tatty looking black frock coat which hung off his shoulders, the arms flapping about uselessly, black pantaloons stuffed into weathered beaten up leather boots and his white shirt from earlier had the first three buttons undone, revealing a silver pendant with a lion's head staked on top of a blade-like cross hanging from a silvery chain. Cloud found it almost difficult to believe that the Rex Pirata and the Duke of Destiny Islands were the same person! Had it not been for the unique scar across Leon's nose, Cloud might really have thought that man that had been with the commodore earlier today was an entirely different being. "Ready to go?" Leon asked, having given up with little resistance when Cloud insisted upon going with him.

"I am," Cloud replied. Leon pushed himself from the stairwell.

"Good. Come along then." Rather than go through the front door like Cloud had expected, Leon instead moved towards the kitchen.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see for yourself." Leon pushed the door open; inside, the kitchen staff were bustling about, looking up and bowing their heads to their employer. "Frei stehen," Leon said dismissively to them, striding over to where a sooty carpet was. Long ago it may have been a prized piece of weaving in an Agrabahan home, but its best days were long past with blackened and worn out threads from life in the kitchens. Two men pulled it back, revealing a wooden trap door underneath. They pulled this up. Cloud was startled to see that it seemed to descend into some cavern. "Well, come on then Cloud. Watch your step."

Leon descended down the stairs, but stopped and looked at a short portly man that appeared to be the cook. "Achten Sie darauf, daß wenn Commodore Almasy entscheidet, indem in Überraschung, dass er sagte, dass ich mich damit beschäftigt mit meiner Herrin."

"Ja, Ihre Exzellenz."

Leon nodded his head and resumed his progress. Cloud looked down… then he took a tentative step down the rickety wooden steps, bending down to avoid getting his head hit as the door was closed after him. In the darkness, Cloud could hear the sound of water dripping in slow, steady rhythms. The air smelt damp and chilly; the echoes reverberated throughout his entire being. What a strange world this was…

A light burst in that moment, and Leon's face was illuminated; he was holding a rusting lantern up to his face. "Stay close Cloud," he said. "These tunnels are too easy to get lost in."

"What is this place?"

"Subterranean caves. They run under the island. They were very useful to evacuate civilians if the town was ever under attack."

"Useful in getting pirates away if they were on the run too?"

"Can't deny that I've once or twice helped a pirate escape with these tunnels." Leon's hand took a hold of Cloud's; the pirate ignored the indignant exclamation. "It's slippery underfoot. Best to hold tight to my hand just in case."

"Why?"

"Because I know where those slippery places are," Leon replied. Cloud wondered about that; after all, Leon had kept his face resolutely looking forward as they moved deeper into the tunnels. You're just finding an excuse to hold onto me so that I don't go running off. Just as he thought that, he suddenly lost his footing. Leon acted quickly, suddenly pulling Cloud flush against his chest and keeping an arm firmly around his waist. Cloud froze in Leon's hold. "Are you okay? Did warn you."

"I'm fine, just let-" Cloud looked up at Leon to tell him to let go, but the words faltered. The light of the lantern was being held nowhere close to Leon's face but somehow he could tell Leon was staring at him. Cloud finally found his strength and his voice after he got that strange sensation in his chest again. "We really need to stop getting into that position."

"Right…" Leon released him, pulling the lantern back up and turning towards the path they needed to take. "We're wasting time."

Cloud followed Leon silently, letting the pirate take his hand whenever the floor became slick or they had deep, fast flowing streams to cross. Their footsteps echoed, offbeat to the steady rhythm of the water droplets dripping from the ceiling, and the war dram-like beating of Cloud's heart.

This is getting ridiculous…

Leon had heard the raucous hullaballoo before he even saw the cave mouth leading towards the hidden cove, releasing a sigh of relief as the silhouettes of the Ragnarok and the Shera came into view under the little natural light that evening. He turned back to check that Cloud was still with him; the Bastionite noble appeared beside him. Leon found the transition from man to woman and back to man still a little intriguing and bewildering, especially now that Cloud had decided to keep his outfit simple with one of his pristine shirts, beige breeches and tall boots.

He decided that he rather preferred Cloud as a man. Though why, Leon couldn't be certain. "You know… Highwind's crew are probably more badly behaved than mine," Leon stated. He took out a dagger he had secreted within the pocket of his great coat. "You might want to hold onto this just in case. Don't kill them though."

"Why are you giving me this?"

"You trust me enough to dress up as a woman in order to fool Almasy. It's only right that I trust you enough not to kill me while my back is turned." Besides… this entire alliance has to be built upon trust. How can we work together if we both doubt each other at every turn?

He heard Cloud move up behind him; their fingers brushed against each other as the knife was passed between them. "What if I did end up killing you?"

"Well… that will be my own fault. And you'll probably join me later once my crew gets their hands on you."

"Hmm… point taken," Cloud answered, sliding the knife into the belt loop of his breeches. Leon at this point started to wave his lantern; three times quickly side to side, two times slowly up and down. He continued this motion. "What are you doing?" Cloud asked.

"Signalling Axel or whoever is on watch on deck to send a dinghy over. We'll row over to the Ragnarok if Highwind is there."

"And if he isn't?"

"Shera it is then." Leon stopped when he noticed a responding signal on board the Ragnarok. Two slow side to side movements, one up and down movement that was quick followed by another that was slow. "Dinghy's coming."

"'Bout time he turned up," Cid Highwind growled, looking a bit agitated for being kept waiting for so long. Axel also knew that Highwind was probably annoyed because Zexion had been on a very lucky winning streak in their game of vingt-et-un; to be fair, Zexion could probably outplay Luxord if he tried very hard, and Luxord was a brilliant card player. Highwind, who had the most expressive creases Axel had ever seen on a face, was terrible at hiding if he had a bad hand or not.

"Well, the Rex Pirata's a busy man," Axel replied smoothly. "After all, he's making sure we pirates don't hang by our necks by keeping the Empire sweet."

"Yeah, by making sure those privateer orders are handed out like sweets when it suits them best," Highwind growled; Cid made no bones what his feelings towards the Empire were. Axel, being a cast off, didn't have much love for it either, but neither did he think it was wrong of the Empire to use pirates for their own needs. As long as none of his shipmates were being killed or strung up like poppets, Axel didn't care if he flew under the Empress' colours for a little bit.

For some reason, Roxas' face sprang to mind, causing Axel to grimace. Oh now there was an image he hadn't wanted to imagine, so he forced himself to take his mind away from the coarse rope that had threatened to wrap around Roxas' neck. That's not a fate he should even risk… I need to keep my distance. "Cid, say what you will, but its keeping at least a few ports safe for us pirates. There aren't many places a pirate can feel safe these days what with the world becoming smaller the more some pencil pushers map it."

"Let's not forget pirate hunters, political insecurities, mercantile interests in military power and whatnot. What happened to the days when a man just went by the sweat of his brow and the direction of the wind to take him along?"

"They died back when you were a whelp, way before I was born you old geezer." Cid was right though. The era of the pirates was coming close to the end. Axel just hoped he would die an old age before seeing it come to its conclusion. "You should consider retiring y'know."

"Nah. Once a seadog, always a seadog." Cid puffed a smoke ring. "Besides, haven't got much left other than the old girl over there." He nodded towards his beloved brigantine; Axel had to admit that the 'old girl' was still looking as beautiful as ever as Cid made sure it was forever in good condition even while sailing. "She's me darlin' now and I'm loath to part with 'er."

Axel couldn't help but smile; how Cid's ship came to be christened with its name was a sad story, but it had spoken volumes of the seadog's devotion to his sadly late wife. As a result, Captain Highwind had wandered the seas, rarely making port or berth at any place and even more rarely leaving the ship to go on land. Honestly, one would think that he was a new Davy Jones reborn. "Hey Axel… got someone special?"

"I don't do old geezers Cid," Axel replied.

"Wiseass," Cid chuckled. "Listen to your elder for once in your life. He's about to give you a pearl of wisdom."

"I'll believe it when I hear it."

"Clean your ears out in that case. You don't want to miss this." Axel laughed, turning to face Cid and leaning against the railings. Oh this was going to be- "If you find someone you care enough that you'd kill to protect them, then for the love of god don't ever let them go or let them out of your sight." Axel was nearly floored by this. "I don't mean family. That's a given. I mean someone that can become family. Because goddamn I wish I had someone to tell me that. I would never have left Shera alone for a second if I had."

Something struck a chord inside Axel at that. It also made his question himself, especially with the revelation of his attraction to the kitten. Was he really doing the right thing? True that what he felt towards Roxas was much different from what it had been from the beginning, but did that warrant him to throw caution to the wind? Even defy Leon if he ordered for the trade to go ahead? Risk his own captain's cousin just to protect Roxas?!

I don't like this feeling… its making me think of ideas that even I'm thinking are too reckless. "I… see," he managed to get out. He turned his head quickly back to the water, seeing that the dinghy was now heading back to them in double quick time. Leon must have threatened the bilge water below deck to get them to row that fast.

At least he was finally going to learn just what Leon planned to do with their little predicament.

Her name was Ellone. Well, to be absolutely correct her name was Crown Princess Ellone of the Imperial House of Weiss, Imperial Highness of the Radiant Garden Empire (otherwise known as 'Her Imperial Highness', 'Most Radiant Highness', etc. etc.), and currently she was in a bit of a predicament.

Alright, she was in a worst case scenario that would make a damsel in distress character from those fashionable Gothic novels blush in shame, and she was hating every minute of it. Not that she would like it anyway but you got some silly girls who would fantasise of this sort of thing; you know, evil governor/lord/general villain threatening their noble virginity and purity of spirit, followed by the valiant golden haired hero astride his gleaming white steed crashing through stained glass windows to come to fair maiden's rescue. Oh that just annoyed her. Ellone Weiss was many things but damsel-in-distress was not one of them. She made a point of at least leaving sizeable bruises on any man that tried to move her about or talking back to her captor with impunity. Who the hell did they think she was?! Some brainless court lady that needed a man to control her incredible wealth once she inherited it?! As if!

As she sat there fuming, she glared angrily at the sea, waiting for Leon's ship to appear on the horizon. She was going to shoot him if he did go through with this ridiculous trade off of La Coeur's, then she'd kill herself in shame but not after taking him down with her!

"Okay… calm yourself down Ellone," she scolded herself, pulling the green shawl around herself more tightly. "This is Leon we're talking about. If there is anyone in the world that can outplay La Coeur, it's him." She started pacing up and down her small room; she was becoming bored with the scenery. She knew that the room was ten wide strides of her legs long and eight across, that there was only one small window, it felt cramped because it had two large pieces of furniture (the wardrobe and the bed) and that it felt damn cold because there was nothing to keep out the draught. Not even a carpet. Hardly fitting conditions for an Imperial prisoner, she had snorted in distaste. Oh well, not like she could have expected brilliant accommodations to begin with. She should feel… lucky she supposed. She sat down on the bed; lumpy mattress. Wonderful. "I wonder if there was a way to escape…" Ellone murmured, rather disliking the waiting for rescue more than anything else. Surely her cousin didn't expect her to sit around anticipating his arrival. Though, knowing Leon, he probably was hoping for that.

She did know her cousin well enough to know that he was very controlling at best, if not a perfectionist. She sat up straight when she heard voices, straining her ears to hear. Thank goodness Bastionite was a requirement for royalty.

"You heard this? Looks like we're setting sail tomorrow with the girl."

"Boss is finally going to make a move? How's he gonna get into contact with that pirate king?"

"Boss'll find a way. Man though, will I be glad to get outta these uniforms! How do those preening peacocks even wear it?! It's so stiff and uncomfortable and this standing collar is making my ears hurt!"

"Oh stop complaining and just be glad we don't have to keep this charade up for much longer. Boss only did this because he wants that pirate dead."

Ellone covered her mouth to supress a gasp. Oh no! Egad here she was worrying about whether or not Leon would do something so despicable and she hadn't considered that actually she was just bait! Leon could be sailing straight into a trap! Right, sorry Leon but I can't wait around!

Time to put some sailing knots he had taught her into good practice! Those bed sheets didn't turn into ropes by themselves after all!