A/N: I am the first to admit this: this chapter was HARD to write. So much action *faint*. I guess I really wanted this to be one of those 'edge of your seats' chapters but action scenes are not my forte really (though I do try).

In other news, Mystery Project Alpha One is now out. It's entitled Arashi no Rakuen (lit. Garden of Storms). Have a look at it if you prefer reading historical fantasy over sci-fi fantasy. (and yes, it's a yaoi. I feel like I'm being a real one-trick pony at the moment) I'm praying that it's my next masterpiece.

So yes, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited or put on story alert. I'm going to try and update as quickly as possible but with the new term just around the corner and the amount of responsibilities I've undertaken, my reputation as a fast updater is looking to be pretty well shot now. Curse you life.

Please read, enjoy and review! For reviews are my chocolate and honeycomb tartlets!

Explosives banged around the place, small bursts of grey and red smoke spiralling up in great mushroom-shapes. Through the smokescreen, Zexion started throwing bombs like a madman, hoping that this would lure out Jafar from terrorising Leon and Cloud -if they were still alive that is.

"Demyx!" Zexion yelled, eyes roving onto the other side of the room for his partner.

The honey-blonde was dashing along with the wall to his side, guns going off and hitting their targets -Zexion's bombs- with deadly accuracy, a manic grin on his face. "Ya-hahahahahaha! Boom baby!"

Typically over-the-top as always, Zexion had thought. This was the dreaded 'Black Demyx'; colloquial, sadistic, maniacal and unpredictable, with a lust for combat and a penchant for chaos, this was the darker side to Demyx that the Leviathan tried to hide from everyone. A darker side that not even Zexion was entirely comfortable with, but he knew that Demyx was a coward at heart who wouldn't hurt a fly. For this mission, hesitation was not needed.

"Hey! Baby! Toss me a few more!" Demyx yelled, waving his handgun around.

"I'm not your baby!" Zexion snapped angrily, but complying with the Leviathan's demands. Within seconds bullets were triggering the bombs to explode in midair, creating an almighty racket that could wake even the dead. Or in this case, attract the attention of their target who was just appearing from behind the suspicious door. By this point, both were now just standing inspecting their handiwork, though Demyx looked about ready for another fight.

"More of you," Jafar sighed, the asp-head of his staff glowing again. "How wearisome…" A barrage of fireballs suddenly started firing out of the asp head. Demyx was quick to dodge, but the walkway Zexion was on took a direct hit, the metal leg melting away and collapsing under the weight. Zexion yelped, gripping onto the railing tightly.

"Zexion!" Demyx yelled, making a beeline towards him, flicking out his Bo staff. "Hang on!"

Zexion could see the next barrage coming though. Thinking it through as quickly as his mind could, he came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to put his trust into Demyx and let go; those fireballs were heading straight for him! Hoping to Hyne that he was making the right decision, he let go and used his legs to push himself off the collapsing walkway, thus avoiding Jafar's attack. He used the chance to throw a grenade straight at the sorcerer, watching the small metallic ball fly high in the air before being triggered by one of Jafar's stray fireballs.

He felt himself falling into a pair of familiar arms. "Gotcha!" Feet touched the ground; he looked up into that smirking face of the other Demyx. "Heh, since I saved the princess, does this mean I get a kiss as a reward?"

Zexion's response was immediate; he put a palm to Demyx's mouth before he interpreted his silence for something else. "Nice try, moron, but I'm no 'princess'."

"Aww c'mon, Zexy! Play along for once will ya?"

"Demyx! Burning ball of flame coming right at us!"

"Eh? Whoa!" Demyx sidestepped out of the way quickly, bringing the SeeD Agent along with him. "This guy doesn't know when to give up…"

"Demyx, hurt him," Zexion ordered. "And don't skimp on the damage."

"Got it," Demyx nodded, putting the smaller man down and putting his Bo staff away. His hands twitched lightly over the handles on his handguns. "Ya best keep your head down 'cuz bullets are gonna be flyin'!"

Leon felt his fingers fidgeting, not entirely happy with what the current situation was like for them. Jafar had clearly left to investigate what was causing the racket next door, yet Cloud had resolutely stayed still, refusing to budge until they had a proper plan developed.

"We don't have time for that!" Leon hissed, quickly checking that he still had the Odine Bracelet with him after all the trouble they had been put through. "The plan is to go out, slam the Odine Bracelet on him when he least expects it, then bring him in! We can't have a planned meeting in the middle of a battlefield!"

"If we go out swords waving we'll be sitting ducks," Cloud stated calmly, glaring at him with newly acquired grey eyes. "This man is dangerous and there's only two of us, and I doubt what's causing the commotion is a couple of ballistae. Besides, if he can take out this body with one hit, I can only imagine what could happen to you if you got on the wrong side of one of his attacks."

Leon frowned angrily, standing up. He had made his decision. "Thanks for the concern, but the mission and saving someone's life are more important."

"Don't you dare!" Cloud's hand grabbed onto Leon's arm, squeezing it tightly to stop him from leaving. "You'll get killed!"

"Sitting around waiting for an opening when innocent lives are at stake isn't going to complete our objective! Idiotic dog!" Leon stamped on Cloud's foot at that point, taking the chance to run and grab his fallen weapon. His footsteps echoed in the humming room, the sound of Mako being disturbed whenever he sped past ringing in his ears.

He grumbled, shaking the foot that had been stamped on before picking up the heavy weapon he wielded. Not what he was used to himself, but he figured it was better than nothing right now. That idiot… "Different body, slightly different personality, but just as hard-headed as my Cloud, if not more so." He followed after the brunet.

Demyx was getting frustrated; for every bullet he shot, Jafar seemed to somehow dodge or deflect them, and whenever he tried to get close, the Sorcerer just seemed to float out of reach. "Dammit already! Stay still!"

"Quite ironic hearing from a water snake like you," Jafar retorted; in the process, the left sleeve of Demyx's outfit had been burnt off, revealing his Leviathan's SOLDIER mark. Demyx hadn't flinched when it happened, but the blisters forming around his arm spoke volumes.

Zexion had been helping as best as he could, though he was starting to run out of 'ammo' and the SeeD Agent wasn't exactly the best in class when it came to athletics or hand-to-hand combat training. More like, he had been below average, but thankfully not at the bottom. He racked his brains for a more efficient way to take out the Sorcerer, but no idea or plan came to him. "How on earth do we defeat this guy…?"

"If we don't start coming up with a plan soon Zexy, this guy is gonna have barbecued snake and human for breakfast tomorrow!" Demyx yelled, bending over backwards in the nick of time as a fireball skimmed over him.

"I'm thinking! Don't rush me!" Zexion yowled, taking cover behind a pile of charred metallic crates. The only feasible plan was to get an Odine Bracelet on Jafar to subdue him, but said item was AWOL and it would be difficult to even get close to the Sorcerer. It would take a miracle… an incredibly huge miracle from Hyne.

Hyne had decided to give them a rather medium-sized one. At the sound of a battle cry that distinctly did not belong to Demyx, alternate persona or otherwise, snapped Zexion out of his panic-stricken thought processes.

"You again?-!" Jafar demanded. Zexion looked around the corner, seeing that Demyx was still a fair bit away but Jafar was sporting a frozen looking hand. Leon was merely a foot away from striking distance, his gunblade erect and humming from firing a Blizzard Bullet.

"That was for hitting Cloud in the back!" Leon came charging, gunblade screeching across the stone floor. Jafar's free hand was raised, the staff's head glowing once more, but Leon was quicker than the Sorcerer. With a solid whack, Jafar's staff went flying, landing on the floor with a clang. Jafar backed off quickly. "And that was for trying to use me as a puppet."

Demyx took the chance to strike, taking a running leap and bringing down his Bo Staff down on the Sorcerer. His weapon never made the contact that it so desperately sought for.

Zexion, from his hiding spot, felt his eyes widen in shock. A faint red glow had surrounded Demyx, the SOLDIER's limbs helplessly failing about, his face contorted in a look that was a combination of frustration, exertion and an inkling of pure terror. "H-Hey! My body's-"

"Let him go!" Leon charged, but he too was stopped with a mere look from Jafar, that same eerie red glow appearing around him.

"Pitiful really," Jafar sighed, using his hands to force the pair into a dance-like fight between them. Demyx's alternate personality had suddenly given way to his original, his yelps echoing at the same time their weapons clashed. "I thought White SeeDs would be more of a challenge than your small gang of idiots."

"Unhand them Sorcerer!" a new voice bellowed. Zexion saw that it was the Fenrir model running for them, sword raised to swipe at the Sorcerer's fragile neck.

"Don't come closer!" Leon yelled at the SOLDIER. At the sudden jerk, Zexion noticed a small ring of gold had bounced onto the floor and was rolling towards him, clattering onto the floor, its small Materia stones glimmering in the dim light. Moments later, the boots on Cloud's feet skidded alongside.

"Cloud," Zexion hissed for his attention. Cloud's eye jerked to the side to look at him. "It looks like Jafar can only control two at a time easily. Keep him busy for me."

"What are you going to do?" Cloud asked; his voice was low but very even.

"Never mind me. Just make sure you have his attention." Zexion grabbed the bracelet. Yes, as long as Jafar couldn't see him coming from behind, Zexion had a chance of snapping that bracelet onto his wrist. Once it was on the Sorcerer was as good as a sitting duck. "Get going!"

"Understood," Cloud answered, running forward just in time to defend against a hit from Demyx. The Leviathan model ricocheted off the sword, landing in a heap on the floor only to be forced to stand again; he looked like he was still struggling to take control of his own body. Zexion just waited, eyes waiting for a chance to run, hand very slowly undoing the clasp of the bracelet.

Cloud -or maybe one should really say Squall- was finding himself to be in a bit of a pickle. Although the strength of his new body was thousands times better than any of the previous bodies he had resided in as well as his original form, he just couldn't get along with the hunkering weapon this strange new vessel fought with. Defending was not the issue; it was finding the momentum to get the weapon to strike out which was the problem. And as the frustration mounted, Squall only found himself growing angrier and more annoyed at the weapon.

–Surely there must be a better way, he thought. But no matter how hard he tried, it seemed that he was more or less taking advantage of the body's fast reflexes rather than the weapon itself. He eyed Leon's gunblade with envy; now there was a weapon he had more practice with. It was like his old sword with the exotic curved hilt back when he was alive; swift, precise and with more room for manoeuvre and, on the rare occasion, for error. More to the point though, it was just so much lighter than the hunk of metal he was lumbering about with. As he screeched to a halt after a particularly nasty push from the two struggling puppets, Squall made a small discovery while fumbling to keep a hold of the greatsword.

There was a small trigger at the base of the large hilt. When he pressed hard enough, it shed at least six different parts of the blade to reveal the smaller, more wieldy main blade underneath. "Now that's more like it…" It wasn't the usual knight sword he had hoped for, but this was much better than what he had been dealing with.

"Cloud!" Leon's voice yelled. Squall only lifted up the sword with a hand, totally unfazed by the resonance vibrating in his hand. Less mass and area, less room for error indeed; in complete form, the vibrations were enough to send judders down his spine. This was merely a tickle.

Couldn't be said the same for Leon though. The look on his face spoke volumes as he was practically tossed aside with a mere flick of Squall's wrist.

Yes, he actually rather liked this body. Maybe his luck was finally turning around.

Now the man called Demyx who looked surprisingly similar to a certain bard he knew was forced to attack. Again, Squall merely parried the attack with an ease only found in an accomplished warrior.

That or Jafar's puppetry was quite easy to foresee now that he hadn't the extra weight to carry. "Your art is within the casting of magicks, not in the control of mere marionettes."

"And I have clearly misjudged you. My mistake." Demyx and Leon were forced back to their feet. The mental exhaustion was taking their toll, their bodies falling more and more under the Sorcerer's control. "I shall make sure to kill you thoroughly so to stop you from being a thorn in my side."

And that was when Zexion made his move. Quickly as his feet could carry him, and as silently as he could possibly tread, the Hacker SeeD Agent grabbed Jafar's wrist and slammed the Odine Bracelet on, wincing as the screech left the Sorcerer's emaciated lips. The SeeD and the SOLDIER fell in an exhausted heap, though Leon was immediately caught by the Fenrir model. Demyx gathered his breath, his whole body was shaking.

But Zexion had no time to escape, for Jafar's bony hand had latched itself around his pale neck, squeezing it as if it were a mere soft fruit bursting with juice. The Odine Bracelet's many Materia eyes were furiously aglow, red light flickering the more power and energy they consumed. "You wretched-!" Jafar began.

"Zexion!" Demyx screamed, finding a second wind and charging, his previous cowardice forgotten. Jafar, with what little magic power he had to spare, used to send the Leviathan model flying. The Fenrir model just about managed to get himself and the SeeD out of harm's way. Zexion's neck was squeezed on tighter.

"I'll start with you first then, since you're so eager to die," Jafar seethed. Zexion gurgled, his mouth opening as it gaped in the struggle for air, his already pale face tinged with purple and his indigo eyes watering. His hands that were once struggling to remove the Sorcerer from strangling him were now beginning to fall away. His eyes just managed to look over to Demyx, who was lying there helpless. He mouthed something, between struggled sounds.

"…Be…ast…Mo…de…n…ow…"

The Leviathan knew what his partner meant; it was a risky move, once saved for absolute emergencies since the last time he did it, he almost destroyed half the lab he was being experimented on in and severely injured two lab assistants and a scientist.

But this was as an emergency as good as any. He closed his eyes, and opened them, a hideous snarl coming from his mouth.

When Leon came around, he was greeted with the sound of bones cracking. For a moment, he thought it was Cloud transforming. Just as he was about to yell at Cloud to stop, he realised that the blond was looking straight forward with a horrified expression. He turned…and saw it was Demyx undergoing the transformation. His spine had cracked and elongated, the ridge sticking out from under the skin-tight clothing as if it belonged to a reptilian creature. His already strange hairstyle began to lengthen, and his finger nails had grown into sharp razor-blade like claws. It was when he opened his mouth, stared straight at the Sorcerer with a serpentine glare that Leon realised where Cloud's horror had come from.

Demyx's once gentle-featured face was now home to a pair of ice blue slit-pupil eyes and a dislocating jaw that carried a pair of long, white, poison-dripping fangs and an extended, slim forked tongue.

–Was this what Zexion had disappeared to Balamb for?-!

He watched as the Leviathan model, mouth open and claws ready, hurtled towards the Sorcerer. With a swift needle-like move, the Leviathan had pierced the stomach of the Sorcerer who had been too slow to move away. Zexion fell into a crumpled, puffing mess, his whole body giving way to fatigue and oxygen depravation. Demyx however seemed to have entirely forgotten about him.

"I'm gonna make you suffer like you never would believe," his reptilian voice hissed, a hint of glee tingeing his words.

"A snake can be charmed," Jafar grunted, once more using the limited power he now had to push the Leviathan away. "But what would happen if the charmer were to be killed by the very snake he controlled?" Zexion's limp form began to move on its own, a faint red glow surrounding his limbs. Leon's eyes widened in shock. –No! That Odine Bracelet… it's only limited his power by a fraction!

Demyx's face contorted into rage. "How dare you!" He charged, only to screech to a halt when his claws stopped mere millimetres from the vulnerable flesh of Zexion's stomach; the now mindless puppet stood in front of the Sorcerer, protecting him, his head hung low. "Zexion…"

"Are you willing to take such a risk, snake?" Jafar asked tauntingly. "Will you really kill your charmer in order to fulfil the mission give to you?"

"Leon…" Cloud whispered, "If you have an idea, this would be a good time to say."

Leon just shook his head. "I…I don't have one…" –There has to be a way…

"If Zexion and Demyx are going to become a hindrance, then maybe-"

"If you dare finish that sentence, I'll cut your balls off."

"But there's no other way." Cloud's face was a picture of pure unflappable logic. However, Leon was beyond his usual composure.

"This is why SOLDIERs are so damn idiotic sometimes!" Leon pulled away, grabbing his gunblade tightly into his hand and started slowly making his way over. Demyx looked over his shoulder, his slit pupils contracting considerably.

"Leon, you're just going to get caught too!" But the SeeD remained silent, twirling his gunblade in his hand and eyeing Jafar hard. The Sorcerer, understandably smug, just shook his head.

"Truly I thought SOLDIERs were the mere animals, but it appears SeeDs are just as capable at committing horrendous acts." Leon was getting closer. "Do you really mean to kill me? You know that your friend is currently acting as an unwilling shield. If you try to make a direct hit, it will be he who is killed in my stead." Leon didn't even flinch, stopping for a moment and raising his gunblade up. Jafar smirked lightly. "I wonder if your friend knows this callous side to you."

"Trust me; he knows just how heartless I can be…" He rushed, looking like he was going to gut Zexion in order to get through to Jafar, the Sorcerer throwing the unconscious SeeD forward like some steel shield. However, Leon was known for being light on his feet back in Esthar Garden; he jumped to the side of Zexion once he was certain the little man was not going to get in the way, skidding straight past the Sorcerer. His gunblade was thrust forward, dripping wet with a splattering of blood.

"H-How…" Jafar stammered.

"Just a hit of the side is enough to kill a person if you do it correctly," the SeeD Commando responded, flicking the loose blood off his weapon; it splattered across the floor like a modern painting. He heard a thump.

"Zexion!" Demyx's voice cried. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw the still bestial Leviathan holding Zexion tightly to his chest, eyes wide in shock of what had happened. Cloud was standing now, looking just as shocked. Leon now turned fully, walking towards the Sorcerer.

"Can't say this was the easiest mission I've ever done, can't say I enjoyed it either, but I can say that I'm going to do a very thorough job of dispatching you." He had a pretty maniacal grin on his face. "Only fair since you promised you'd do the same to me." The tip of his gunblade skimmed along the floor, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. The Sorcerer, gripping his weeping side, glared at the stalking SeeD.

Like a lion shadowing its prey, Leon finally pounced upon the man, fire in his eyes and excitement pumping his blood. Jafar's hand raised up to the SeeD's neck as the gunblade plunged into the Sorcerer's chest, squeezing in a last ditch attempt to protect himself. But it was what happened next that surprised everyone in the room.

The combating pair began glowing; Jafar an angry, fiery red glittering with motes of sand grains, and Leon a faint hue of blue-white. The Odine Bracelet was now radiating angrily, shaking and rattling on Jafar's bony wrist, looking to explode at any second.

Cloud moved suddenly. "Leon!"

The blast had taken them all off guard. In a blinding white light and after a large "bang!" the scene was thus: Demyx had thrown himself over Zexion, a tight ball protecting the still unconscious SeeD Agent; Cloud had been forced to his knees, an arm protecting his eyes and the sword supporting the SOLDIER's weight. Jafar was on the floor, the mangled form withered away and drained of life, while Leon was sprawled on the floor just a few metres away, breathing heavily and looking at his hands as if they were incredibly strange and new to him.

Cloud was immediately at Leon's side. But the SOLDIER, the real Fenrir that was still unconscious and not the pretender that still held possession of the body, would never really know what would happen. For the SeeD Captain would never tell just how Jafar's body had shrivelled up before him and how he felt a painful electrical-like surge assail his form. He never thought it would happen to him, never even thought it to be possible, but Jafar had proven him wrong.

Leon had unwillingly become a new Sorcerer to take his place.

It seemed odd now that it was all over. After sneaking back into their hotel with the help of Aladdin and his colleagues, said group tending to their injuries, news came back of finding the accused Sorcerer 'murdered' in his warehouse, only for the authorities to discover the Nobody storehouse moments later.

Zexion had come around after the news made the headlines. Demyx, now in human form once more, had not left his side, sometimes muttering how it was his fault that Zexion was hurt. The little hacker had assured him it wasn't his fault, and to 'piss off' he kept on insisting that it was. It had the desired effect; the Leviathan muted his guilt.

It had been Leon that was struggling. Unbeknown to Zexion and the two SOLDIERs, Leon had grabbed the chance to take the Odine Bracelet while no one was looking. Fear of being found out what had happened to him and the drive to keep his career as a SeeD had forced him to such an action, unknowing if the bracelet would contain his newly acquired powers effectively. For now, he hid it under the long sleeve of his shirt, hoping no one would notice.

That night, whilst packing them both ready for their flight in the morning, Leon realised that Cloud was watching him. He tried to ignore it, but that piercing gaze made him feel uncomfortable.

"Are you really as fine as you claim to be?" Cloud finally asked. Leon frowned; he hadn't questioned yet, but Cloud's language had suddenly become very elevated. Almost too elevated.

"…No. Not really," Leon finally answered, halting his actions to look at his hands. It just didn't make any sense. When he was tested for Sorcerer power alongside his cousin, he was totally normal, ordinary, not an inkling of potential in his body. So… "How… no, why did that happen?" He dropped his hands. –It couldn't happen to me. If I really had potential, Matron would have said…right?

"Is it about what happened with Jafar?"

"Partially."

"That explosion?"

"Completely."

"And the light surrounding you both?"

"Definitely."

"Want my opinion?"

"Something tells me I'm going to get it anyway."

"Maybe you always had it." Leon turned around to face the SOLDIER. The blond's grey (–Huh?) eyes were holding his gaze steadily. "And it's woken up now because you needed it."

Leon scoffed lightly. "Need it. What could I possibly need it for?" Maybe he was feeling bitter about all that had happened, but Sorcerer power was the last thing he needed.

"You'll find out soon enough. There's a reason why you have it now."

Leon frowned. –Yes, because the bastard forced me to have it. Rather than saying out loud like he wanted to, he was more interested in what was going on with Cloud. This was not the Fenrir he was used to. In fact, the Fenrir he was used to would be all over him, getting all concerned and rather foolishly being affectionate.

And, rather aggravatingly, Leon missed that Cloud. "Who are you and what have you done to Cloud?" The question itself seemed harmless enough; the answer was unexpected.

The blond closed the distance between them so that they were staring eye to eye, bodies just barely brushing against each other, effectively trapping the brunet between him and the bed. Leon's hand instinctively went up to push Cloud away by the chest, but the Fenrir model quickly caught it and raised it up above his head, surprising the SeeD. An indignant yelp escaped him when he was pulled into Cloud's chest, the blond's other hand immediately wrapping around the small of his back.

"Clou- mmf!"

Leon went completely rigid, unable to push or pull away as he felt warm lips upon his own. The soft blond spikes tickled his cheek lightly, the hold around him becoming just that tiniest bit more possessive. Overpowered, overwhelmed, and unable to escape, the brunet to his horror felt his knees begin to buckle and his body begin to warm in the embarrassment and surprised excitement in being kissed like this, as if it yearned for it… or remembered it from a long time ago, a time that he could no longer remember. His free hand tried to thump the blond to get him to let go, but it seemed that his strength failed him because he didn't even flinch. For a moment, Leon was terrified that Cloud was actually going to rape him this time.

Mercifully, the blond pulled away, letting go of the brunet. His expression was stiff, but there was a small nostalgic yet sorrowful look in his eyes. "I'm a ghost," Cloud replied, before turning away and walking towards the door. "I'm going to take a walk in the grounds."

The door closed. Leon just stared blankly at it, his fingers slowly reaching up to his lips. Not bruised, but swollen enough that they tingled in a hunger and longing for more. He felt his cheeks burn lightly, wondering just what on earth had happened then. Why did he… why couldn't he… why wasn't he…

He growled in aggravation, shaking his head roughly to get rid of whatever thoughts he had in his mind. He'd yell at Cloud later, when he got back. The stupid dog was probably in heat again. –You know that isn't true. And you know that if he was, Cloud would have had you pinned to the bed by this point and you'd be kneeing him in the groin.

"Shut up," he grumbled at his conscience. "He's just a stupid dog… just a stupid dog."

So why was it that… act of indecency reminded him so much of a memory he was having trouble forming in his mind's eye. Why was the name Seifer echoing in his head? Was there something he had forgotten? Something important he should have still remembered… He shook his head roughly again. "Thinking is not getting me anywhere. Pack, pack," he told himself.

And as such, he promptly forgot about it. For now.