Cloud watched Roxas fall asleep. The boys' eyes slipped shut, then his shoulders relaxed and his breathing evened out, becoming slow and heavy.
As he began to mumble inaudible things, Cloud knew for sure that he was asleep. He smiled, his heart pounded hard against his chest at the sight of him.
He settled down, ready to drift off himself.
But a sudden flash of red shone through his lids. He cracked open an eye to find the sun had broken its first light over the blue hills. He groaned. "That was a long night…"
He sighed heavily and slid very carefully out from under Roxas and placed the small blondes head on his pillow.
He reached his hand down but pulled away, not wanting to wake him. Instead he bowed down and pressed a hesitant kiss to his cheek. He nervously checked to see if he had stirred the boy. Lucky he remained silent and unmoving.
He slunk quietly out of the house, stepping out into the chill morning street while stifling a yawn. He made his way down the street and he slipped a key from his pocket and slotted it into the door of the Restoration Committee house. Upon entering he powered up the old computer, lit a fire in the ash ridden threshold of the stone fireplace and then exited again, leaving the door unlocked. Back down the street he trod until he heard his name called out to him.
"Cloud!"
He turned to greet Leon. "Good Morning."
"And to you too. It's good to see that you're up this early and not sleeping in again." Leon said with a slight smile.
"Forgive me, my priorities have been elsewhere."
"I'm kidding, there's no need to be so formal with me."
Cloud shrugged. "I know."
"Where are you heading then?"
"I..." he had been planning to go to a high ledge above the canyon to watch the sunrise. "Just a walk. Do you need me for something?"
"I might do. Where's Roxas?"
"I let him sleep, he's only young and he needs it."
"Also have you seen Cid?"
Cloud remained silent, thinking of Roxas, mind ticking over.
"Cloud?"
"Me and Roxas." he started.
Leon frowned. "What's happened between you two?"
"Nothing, we just both... have acknowledged what we…" Cloud rolled his head away, keeping the heat from his cheeks. He didn't enjoy talking to Leon about this.
Leon sighed woefully."Cloud remember what I said-"
"I know. And remember what I said, I'd rather this hadn't of happened. He's so young."
"Yes, but despite what both of us have said... there shouldn't be any problem with this. Not if you're both sure."
"Sure of what?"
"Each other, I guess."
"Yeah..." Cloud keep his eyes away, slightly embarrassed.
"But let's not talk about this; it's none of my business really." Leon continued promptly. "Do you think you can give a little extra hand on clearing out a path in those dusty old hallways to Ansem's room? It's taking far too long at the moment and we could really use you to speed it up."
On the inside Cloud groaned. Not that it showed. "Yeah, anything to help out." he agreed.
"Thanks, I'll send Yuffie over as soon as she's up."
Cloud nodded and turned to walk back down the road. "I should've just forgotten about the committee house and left straight away." he muttered to himself. As he passed his own house he looked up to the top loft window and smiled and his heart gave a twinge.
-------------------------
Bright light burned behind his eyes. He stirred, turning over and rubbing his lids. "Ugggh." he groaned into the pillow. He raised his head of messy blonde locks, his shining blue eyes flicking around. He rolled onto his side and saw that there were two beds pressed together. Then a sweep of warmth burned in his stomach and swept over his skin. Roxas hugged a pillow and his cheeks turned rosy with smiles. "Cloud-aheh."
After quickly changing he headed out, wondering where Cloud could possibly be. He decided he should be a bit annoyed at Cloud for leaving him by himself, but he couldn't really bring himself to be. He walked through the small house and out the door with a bit of a spring in his step, he felt like running and skipping and spinning and laughing and singing all at the same time. But what he wanted more then all of that was to find Cloud. He quickly straightened his hair by combing his fingers through it outside the Restoration Committee house. Just the possibility of his allusive man being on the other side of the door twisted his stomach tightly. He turned the handle with bated breath and tried his best to sweep gracefully into the room. He cast a sidelong glance and flashed his teeth in a quick, confidant smirk. Though his efforts in charming the room went to waste. The purpose for is suave actions wasn't even there. "Where's Cloud?" he asked immediately, the chic look vanishing from his face.
Aerith looked up from the tablecloth she was smoothing over the table."Hello Roxas." he smiled.
"You're up pretty late." Leon said.
"Am I? What's the time?" he asked, blinking with a blank look.
Cid spun in his chair at the computer. "Half one! Some of us have been up at the crack of dawn!"
"Yeah and you're not one of them." Leon retaliated.
"Cloud's with Yuffie working away into Ansem's lab." Aerith said while the two men quarreled. "Lunch is very soon though so you should hurry along if you want to make it back for some food."
"Thank you." he nodded, walking out.
He scolded himself for acting stupidly. Then he began laughing. He didn't know he had it in him to act alluring in order to impress anyone. The idea amused him.
Roxas then opened a portal in front of him and stepped through.
---
"Yuffie?"
"Yeah?"
"What's the time."
"1:25. Do you think we should head back for lunch now?"
"Yeah, come on."
---
Roxas stepped out in the first long corridor of the catacomb of halls. He paced through the place, being stopped by many blocks of rubble, He started to call out. "Cloud!?" But he never got a reply. He huffed, spinning on his heels and heading back. Perhaps if he hurried he could catch up to them on their way back. He navigated his way back out and stepped onto the large metal ramp. He walked up onto the platform that sat on the side of the castle and over looked the blue canyon. He crossed the length of the large metal structure. But then an unexpected voice sounded behind him. "Clou-...oh."
He turned his head over his shoulder.
"What do we have here?" the voice spoke again.
Roxas looked over to the person who was studying him. A tall man with strange black clothes. The most amazing sheet of sweeping silver hair whipped all down his back in the light breeze, while a long trail of it sat on each side on his thin face. A long black, flaring cloak and straps across his bare chest completed his rather sinister, but admittedly breath-taking look. Piercing acid eyes burned him even from a distance. "Hello..? What did you say about Cloud?" he asked the strange man.
"You look like him."
"A-and...Where did you come from?"
The man didn't answer, instead just stared through him. 'Uch. This guy is so... Creepy... I want to get closer but I also want to run... I can't do anything...I can't even move…'
"You know Cloud, boy?" the man asked, his voice was smooth like a wave of velvet that rolled over his skin, leaving Goosebumps in its wake. He became even more unsettled.
"C-Cloud? Uhmm..." 'Cloud where are you?'
The daunting man shifted, moving towards him. He turned to circle around him, studying him from all angles. He gave him a wide birth as he paced around him like a vulture. But he still felt close, far too close.
Roxas suddenly gapped as his eyes rested on the sword that sat at the mans belt. His eyes followed it for six...eight...ten...twelve feet.
Now he suddenly knew. The weapon that he carried, the talk of Cloud and the unnerving feelings that persistently plagued him…
"Sephiroth." The word that spilled from his very own mouth chilled his bones.
"Ah." the look on Sephiroth's face was a pleased one. "So you must know Cloud."
Roxas was overwhelmed with cold dread. How he wanted to be strong, how he wanted to stand up to Cloud's great enemy and speak confidant words into his face. He knew he never could. Instead he concentrated on keeping his face as straight as possible, but it was not easy while he also had to keep his eyes on Sephiroth's every move.
Roxas painfully remembered the sight of Cloud's body, sliced and bloodied. Such a strong man, reduced to a bleeding mess. He shook his head, attempting to dispel the image from his head. It didn't work. He stared in fear at the sword that had done that to his friend. It was unsheathed, bright and clean in the morning sun... for now.
His head snapped up to Sephiroth's pale face, suddenly realizing the man had stopped his pacing. His frightening green eyes thinned on him and began to roam all over his body, every inch of him drunken into acid wells. He felt sick; he hated people staring all over him. He always did.
"You're so quiet." A long smirk stretched up his gaunt cheeks. "What did Cloud tell you about me that's making you so frightened?"
Roxas's didn't deny his fear. "W-what do you want?"
"Me? I'd like for you to deliver a message to your friend Cloud for me."
Roxas finally felt his legs shift under him, stepping away.
Sephiroth watched his feet and instantly touched a hand to his swords hilt. In the spilt second it took for Roxas to start to frantically turn, Sephiroth crouched down and shot forwards.
The boy threw his arms up in front of him, his two keyblades materializing in his hands faster then they ever had before.
There was a loud clash and it took all of Roxas's strength to keep the blades clenched in his fingers."What's this?" the daunting man said, arching a slender eyebrow at his keyblades. Roxas looked down and saw the hilt of Sephiroth's massively long sword was pressed against his blades.
"W-what?" the panic stricken expression on his face twitched when a drip of sweat rolled into his brow. "Why did you attack with the handle?!"
Sephiroth ignored him."Tell Cloud, if he waits too long, people will start dying."
Roxas hardly felt the grip on his arm before the crack and the surge of pain that swept into it. Before he could do anything a sheet of blood that rippled into small drops flew out in front of his eyes. The second he could distinguish where all the pain and blood was coming from he felt the hard hilt dig far into him. It felt as if it was going to tear right through his skin, and he flew back into the ground.
He hit the floor at the same time his keybaldes did, he knocked his head hard on the metal platform.
He gasped deeply, trying hard to draw breath back into his winded frame. And then steps… he could hear every step that Sephiroth made towards him in the cold metal. He didn't want to feel fear, anymore of it and he would be sick. Anymore terror and he'd start to wish for his own death. So he shut out his emotions, refusing to succumb to them and went into true Nobody mode. In one deep, shaky breath he forced himself into an empty void. Everything inside him stopped and he went blank.
Roxas attempted to bring his normal breathing back, but every breath hitched hard in his chest as he tried.
He made to move his arm, but its bones were shattered. He tired to move the other one, but the deep cut up the length of the forearm limited its movements to painful twitches. He gave up and let the arm lay in blood that pooled from the wound. The warm crimson turned cold against the metal. He couldn't think of any words worth speaking, he couldn't think of anything.
Sephiroth stood over him, shadows stretched menacingly over his face. "Don't die on me now."
The velvety voice caressed his soul but he remained silent.
He turned his head when he felt something wet seep through the clothes on his side. Red soaked into the fabric. With some struggle he lifted his arm from the puddled blood and turned it to inspect the cut. "That's not good." he said, staring with much scrutiny at the flowing wrist. It felt hot and it pulsated with pain. He did his best to ignore it.
As he moved his legs Sephiroth pointed his swords tip at his knee. "Please don't stand for me. I think its better that you're just found here."
Roxas dropped his arm and pressed his fingers into the metal ground beside him. The floor turned to black and swirls of darkness curled up out of the ground.
"But I think its best I take my leave." he said the best he could with a winded body, avoiding Sephiroth's toxic eyes. He knew that if he looked into them, emotions would flow back. He quickly kicked the thin blade away and pushed his foot into the ground to flip himself over into the portal.
______________
For a while he lay on the smooth stones that paved the street, the portal he had conjured up evaporating around him. He was a mere meter from the house of the Restoration Committee and he could hear the chattering voices within. 'They must be having lunch.' He thought blankly 'I am hungry now that I think about it.'
He lay there, calmly thinking more things to himself. His mind was ticking slowly, repetitively, blankly, emotionlessly. Like a real Nobody. He felt a new pool of red liquid seep into his side again and still he didn't move. 'I shouldn't really disturb them during they're nice lunch.' He cast a glance to the deep gash up his forearm and the blood, shinning under the mid day sun. 'They'd lose their appetites.'
He listened to their calm chatter. Mostly Yuffie boasting and laughing loudly while a few gruff comments came from Cid. Sometimes a kind remark from Aerith. Until…
"How long ago did he leave?"
"Clou-!" the gasped word refused to be sucked down, stopping abruptly in his chest and making him choke. But upon hearing the muffled voice a rush of yearning had hit him. He had to see Cloud, to be with him and tell him how afraid he was, how much pain he was in, how happy he was to be in his arms and how much he loved him. At least that's how the scene played out in his head.
He drew in a breath as far as it would go in his pained gut and shouted. "CLOU-D!" he coughed into the pavement, his body violently rejecting the yell.
He heard chair legs groan against the floor as someone stood up.
"Was that…" Yuffie's voice trailed off inside the house.
He tried again. "CLO-AUH!" his chest resisted again and more painful chokes followed. It ached low down in his chest, above his stomach where Sephiroth's hilt had dug in.
There were fast footsteps coming to him now and he looked up, a breeze from the swinging door hitting his face.
Two pairs of identical eyes connected. Cloud stood, frozen and yet starting to shake. His lips parted as his mouth slowly dropped a little.
Roxas felt his lids burn and his vision blur. The entirety of the situation had sunk into him and he had to blink away tears. He'd never imagined, when Cloud first told him about Sephiroth, just how frightening he was. Just one look had endued so much terror into him. He hadn't been able to think of anything but the fear as those smirking eyes burrowed into his core.
Though the longer he stared at Cloud, the more it all seemed to wash away.
"Cloud?" Aerith said from somewhere behind him. "What is it?"
Roxas saw all the color had been drained from the mans face. "Hel-"he clutched his stomach. "-elp. Help."
This seemed to snap Cloud out of his frozen stare. He dropped to the ground and crouched over Roxas. A knee sat by ether side of his pale body.
Cloud's warm hands spread out on ether side of his face. He felt so safe and he smiled. He closed his eyes and just leaned a cheek into one hand.
"Roxas! No don't close your eyes!" he practically shouted. Roxas's eyes flew open. He'd never heard Cloud so distressed. "I'm fine…" his winded frame had trouble drawing breath in. "… your hands are just so nice."
Cloud smiled, glad to hear that Roxas was okay despite how bad he looked. "What happened?"
"Hukg-ah…Sorry breathing is hard…" he croaked. "But before you get all worked up just remember that I'm okay… Hgkuk…ah…ugh…it was… Sephiroth."
"What?!" Cloud yelled, one hand balling into a fist and slamming down next to Roxas's head.
"No don't get angry…ah-" still he choked. "…I don't want you to be angry I just want you t- ahughk…"
Cloud dipped down close to him, their foreheads touched together. "Want me to what?" he whispered.
"Want you to be with me." He breathed, leaning up to brush their cheeks together. He felt Cloud's cheek getting hot against his. He closed his eyes. "I was so scared…" he quietly admitted.
"It's okay now…"
"Yeah." He gasped sharply. "Can I get healed now?"
"Oh-oh! Yeah, sorry." He jumped up. Roxas saw that only Aerith stood outside of the door. She had ushered everyone else back inside, letting him and Cloud have their little moment. Roxas blushed.
"Aerith, we have plenty of potions I trust?" Cloud said, suddenly turning serious. Roxas smiled up at the man.
"Of course." She nodded.
"Okay, Roxas." Cloud started, kneeling down just by his side. "Where does it hurt?"
The boy raised an eyebrow at the vast amount of blood still dripping from his drained arm. "Uhmm… I'm gonna have to say my arm hurts."
The blonde man chuckled. "How about you just tell us what happened."
"Well… he attacked but I blocked. And…bu-…But then he broke my arm, I could hardly tell it was happening. I just felt his hands on my arm and then snap…" his breath grew shorter and shorter.
"So he just snapped your arms with his hands?" Aerith asked sympathetically.
"I think so…it was so fast I couldn't tell what was going on. Then he cut my arm like this and…" he paused to strain for more breaths.
"Roxas…" Cloud held a pained look on his face, eyes saddened.
"I'm winded… After he ruined my arms he shoved his swords handle into me."
"Into your chest?" Aerith asked.
"Yep…"
Cloud nodded. "Where abouts?"
Roxas put his fingers on the tender skin.
"We'll check it out in a few hours once it's bruised, then we can tell how bad it is." Aerith said, turning to go inside to fetch a potion.
He could hear everyone stand up and ask questions the second she was through the door.
"How did you get away?"
He looked up. The look on Cloud's face concerned him. "Portal."
Aerith slipped back through the door. "Okay." she said, kneeling down, her long hair sweeping against the ground. She uncorked a potion with her delicate hands. "What's wrong Cloud?" she suddenly asked. It seemed the tense look on his face troubled Aerith as well.
"What if this doesn't work? When Sephiroth injured me he made sure I couldn't get healed again… what if he used the same technique with Roxas?"
"We'll just have to find out."
Roxas watched carefully as she poured a stream of the glittering liquid onto his arm. He could feel the wound heal up under the blood that covered it.
"Better?" the woman chimed.
"Yeah, thanks."
"If your arm is broken then this should be more painful. Sorry Roxas."
The second arm was doused in potion. This time he felt something shift within it, he winced. The broken bones scraped against each other and Roxas had to suppress a yell. He sighed when it suddenly stopped.
"Do you think it's worth giving him some for his winded chest?" Cloud inquired.
"I'm not sure…"
"A potion wouldn't cure it, would it? It's just cramped up muscles."
Aerith nodded. "That's true. It's best we wait for his diaphragm to relax its self."
"Damn, I was looking forward to breathing properly again." Roxas muttered.
"Don't complain." Cloud tried to smile. He reached down a hand and Roxas grabbed it. He heaved the boy up and pulled him against his chest.
"I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this."
Roxas tried his hardest not to rasp. "Not at all…"
After those exchanges of words Cloud quickly stepped away. "The others deserve to see that you're okay." He said, guiding him through the door.
Cid and Yuffie sat around the table, lunch set out before them. The warm room looked strangely empty.
"Roxas!" Yuffie jumped out of her chair.
"Yer a lucky kid." Cid said.
"Suppose." He shrugged.
"I think you might want swap your clothes." Aerith stood by him and took some of his stained shirt between her fingers. He almost wanted to stop her, her pristine skin looked so undeserving of filthy blood.
He nodded but said nothing.
"You a'right?" Cid said. "Yer as pale as a sheet."
Yuffie rolled her light brown eyes. "Well what do you expect? All his blood is on his shirt!"
"Try to show some consideration to the poor boy!"
"Hey I-"
"It's okay guys." Roxas intervened. "I just wanna…" he cast a glance to the door. "Go get changed and forget about this."
"Go on then boy."
"Cloud?" his small voice reached out to the man.
"I'm right behind you."
"That's good." Roxas said easing open the creaking door.
He felt cold.