Come Home

Description: Inspired by the Ashika Sakura story of the same name. A single night's mistake separated them for six years. When chance throws them back together, it will take more than love to heal the wounds and bring them home. Cleon, Soriku, AkuRoku, Zemyx, and Yuffietine.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square-Enix. This should be nothing new to anyone.

A/N: So apparently Cloud has two birthdays based on what source you use. I'm going to use today as the real one since I don't want to make you guys wait another eight days. So, happy birthday, Cloud!

This final chapter is dedicated to Aindel S. Druida, another reviewer and friend who has been with me for years. The last section is entirely her fault and just goes to show that I do listen to you guys. :) Thanks, Aindel. Enjoy.


End Part 4: Cloud and Leon

March:

Cloud woke slowly, dreams clinging to his mind even as it struggled into consciousness. Gradually, he became aware of the sunlight slipping through the shades and into his eyes and the warm bulk that lay beside him. At first he assumed that the dog had crawled onto the bed with him - again - but then memories began to resurface, growing clearer as dreams continued to fade. Slowly, taking great care not to wake the man in bed with him, Cloud rolled over to look at Leon.

The brunet man was sleeping soundly, his hands folded neatly over his stomach as he lay on his back. The sight made Cloud smirk slightly. He distinctly remembered Leon lying like that when they had both fallen asleep. The man hadn't shifted all night, something that Cloud, who had the tendency to toss and turn, could hardly believe was possible. It made him wonder if Leon always slept like an immovable rock or if the exhaustion from the previous night had simply knocked him out cold.

Cloud caught his breath gently as he realized that this would be a mystery he would be allowed to solve. His years of regret and pain and, more recently, his months of waiting and hoping were now over. He and Leon were boyfriends, lovers, reconciled. If not for the definite aches and pains he was feeling this morning - and in odd places, too; why did his neck hurt so much? - he almost would have thought it had all been a dream.

Supporting his head with the hand on one crooked elbow, Cloud let his eyes wander appreciatively over Leon's sleeping form. Sheets covered pretty much everything below the shoulders, but Cloud wasn't interested in seeing skin as much as he was in simply basking in the other man's presence. Eventually, they would have to get up and face the day. Sora and Roxas would come back at some point and demand details that he wasn't about to give, and Tifa had said something yesterday about doing lunch before she and Zack flew back home. Now, however, time was standing still. Leon was here for him to enjoy, his lips slightly parted as he breathed evenly, his hair splayed out on the pillow and mixing with the sunlight that was making its slow trek across the room. Part of Cloud wanted to lean over and kiss the other man awake, but a larger part of him was far too afraid of doing anything to lose this perfect moment. So he stayed where he was.

The more he gazed at Leon, however, the more he realized that this was indeed a perfect moment. Right now, his new life was beginning. He had suffered and he had waited, but now, with the reentrance of Leon into his life, he had love, family, and peace. He finally had everything that he had ever wanted. Everything. And that realization caused a fluttering of pain to erupt in his heart in spite of his desire to keep it at bay. Against his will, different memories arose within his mind and called out to be considered. Memories of green eyes gazing at him in guilt and sadness. Of words that she spoke so often, that it wasn't fair for her to have everything she wanted at the cost of his happiness. Almost fearfully, Cloud felt his own guilt begin to build. He had happiness now, yes, but at the cost of her life. Even knowing that she would want him to be happy did little to ease the pain. And it had been the same with her, he remembered. He had more than once told her to simply enjoy what she had, to stop feeling responsible over things in the past, but she had been unable to get rid of her guilt completely.

Lying there, gazing at Leon, Cloud finally understood what she had felt and why it had been so hard to let go. Yet, he realized, he would be a hypocrite if he didn't at least try to take his own advice. Life had been extremely unfair to his sweet, beautiful wife, but there was nothing he could do about it and no longer any way he could help her. He had been given the opportunity for a second chance, had fought for it, and had won it. He would never forget the woman who had been the mother of his children, but it was time to leave the guilt behind. Everything that he ever wanted lay before him, and even though it came with a price, he was going to take it and cherish it with everything he possessed.

Gently, so as not to wake him, Cloud laid his head down on Leon's broad chest and allowed himself to shed slow, silent tears in memory of Aerith for the last time.

xXx

June:

Leon climbed the stairs to Highwind Engineers with a feeling rather like trepidation in his stomach. He had certainly been to the office before, but this would be the first time he arrived without Cloud knowing he was coming. While he didn't think his boyfriend would mind, there was always the chance that the surprise would ruffle the blond's feathers enough that he would be in trouble for a while. Cloud never stayed mad at him for long, but still, it was better if he could avoid the fight in the first place.

The moment he opened the door, Watts perked up with his customary blinding smile. "Hello, sir!" he chirruped. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Leonhart, sir!"

Leon resisted the urge to scowl and managed to turn the expression into something resembling a smile instead. It wasn't that he didn't like Watts; he vaguely remembered the man from his high school days when the guy worked for the school paper. But the man was just so cheerful. It almost made Leon sick to his stomach.

"Hey," he replied as disinterestedly as he could. "Is Cloud in?"

"Yes, sir! He's in his office, sir. Just there in the back."

Leon nodded and would have thanked the secretary if a string of loud and extremely virulent cursing hadn't erupted from a different office. "Strife!" the voice yelled once it had finished damning everything in existence. "Check your email! Now!"

"The hell, Xig?" Leon heard his boyfriend respond. "What happened?"

The door to an office slammed open, and Cloud's project manager appeared. Leon had met him on a previous visit to the office, but that time he hadn't looked like he could set the world on fire with just his one-eyed gaze. "Just do it!" he ordered as he approached Cloud's office with purpose.

After a brief moment's hesitation, Leon decided to follow Xigbar into Cloud's office. To hear the engineer talk, stuff like this happened all the time, and he wasn't about to just stand there at the reception desk like an idiot. However, just as he was about to step into the entranceway of the door, his boyfriend spoke again, prompting him to believe that perhaps today's crisis was a tad more upsetting than usual.

"What the … ? Idiots! Fucking idiots! Are they shitting us? They can't possibly be that stupid!"

"No, apparently they can," Xigbar replied wryly.

"Shit. Cid is going to murder them for this!" Leon heard a chair scrape across the floor, and suddenly there was Cloud, looking furious as he nearly ran straight into him. "Leon?" he asked once he had recovered. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Leon replied as he watched Cloud's boss push by them both, presumably on the hunt for Cloud's other boss, "I was wondering if you were free for lunch."

This was Cloud-and-Leon-speak for "I wanted to see you and spend some time with you," which the blond knew well. Unfortunately, the sad smile on Cloud's face told Leon what his answer would be before he said anything. "I'm sorry, Leon. Today's not a good day. Although, truthfully, if you had been here five minutes earlier, I would have said yes. But now …" Blue eyes suddenly widened, and a second later, Leon found himself being dragged into Cloud's office by the arm. "Look at this!" the angry engineer demanded of him, pointing at his computer screen. "Look! Can you believe this?"

Leon dutifully looked at the pictures that were open on Cloud's computer, but to him it just looked like a bunch of line drawings and some photos of holes in the ground. "Cloud," he admitted after a minute, "I have no idea what I'm looking at."

"Okay, look," his boyfriend explained as he slid into his desk chair again. "We were hired to design this large tent for the university, something that they could bring out for events that would be flexible enough to put away when they weren't using it but would also have permanent fixtures in the ground that they could attach it to. So we designed it, no problem, but then, just now, I got this." He pointed at the photos with a disgusted sneer on his face. "Those stupid contractors started building the supports before we finished the specs, and they didn't even follow the specs we had already given them! Look at this! These are completely in the wrong places, and this one isn't even facing the right direction!"

Leon looked again, but again all he saw was holes in the ground. He trusted Cloud to know what he was talking about, though, so he gave a little non-committal grunt of possible support. "And because of this, you can't go to lunch?" he verified.

Cloud sighed. "I wish I could, but no, it wouldn't be a good idea. I need to get working on a solution to this, fast."

Leon grunted again and turned away, yet before he could go more than a few steps, a hand was on his arm, holding him in place. The eyes that looked at him were slightly nervous but they were also determined, as if their owner wanted him to know that he was more than ready to fight if necessary. Leon smiled. Cloud was worried that he was about to pull what Selphie had dubbed a "Whatever fit" and leave in a frustrated huff. He would have felt disappointed in his boyfriend if he hadn't done just that once before and for the exact same reason. It had been a long time ago, and they had both come a long way since, but memories were hard to shake sometimes.

If they had been in private, he might have offered some comforting words and promises. Since they weren't, he merely said, "How about I go get take-out and bring it back?"

The smile Cloud gave him was positively dazzling. "That would be great. Thanks, Le-"

"Jesus H. fucking-Christ on a shit-stick! Can't those mother-fuckers do anything right? And where the fuck is Strife? STRIFE!"

"Shit," Cloud hissed, not even bothering to look at the other man before dashing off to answer Highwind's less-than-average summons. Leon just shook his head in bemusement and began wandering back out towards the front desk again. On days like this, he truly was grateful that all he did for a living was sell books.

xXx

August:

It was strange, Cloud thought as he let his eyes roam around the table. Growing up, he had never been that good at making friends. He had really only had Zack, Tifa, and Aerith in high school and then Vincent and eventually Yuffie in college. These four, however, had welcomed him so readily and so immediately and all in spite of his shared history with their own dear friend. He couldn't help feeling comfortable with them, like he had always been meant to be one of them. Like he belonged.

"Muaaa-aaah," Selphie whined piteously as she stared at her husband's wineglass. "It's not fair. Can't I have a sip? Just a little one?"

"No, dear," Irvine replied with an easy smile. "It's not good for the baby. You know that."

"But we're celebrating Squall's and Cloud's birthdays! A little one isn't going to hurt."

"Never knew you were such a lush, Selph," Leon commented from Cloud's left side.

The pretty and rather pregnant brunette stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not a lush! I just like to celebrate is all."

"And you need alcohol to celebrate? Are you planning on teaching Angela this as well?"

"Oh, shut up. Stop being mean to me."

"You know," Emily cut in gently before the squabbling could get any worse, "it really is nice that you could join us tonight, Cloud. That seat next to Leon really has been empty for too long." She smiled at him, and Cloud couldn't help but smile back. She reminded him a bit of Aerith with her quiet voice and her ability to keep her rowdy other half in check.

"Yeah, seriously," said other half added. "Although I have to admit that the two of you having your birthdays within two weeks of each other is beyond cute, bordering on embarrassing. I mean, come on."

Leon rolled his eyes, but Cloud could feel the way the brunet's hand tightened on his own in embarrassment. "Like that's our fault, Zell. If you want to complain, complain to our parents."

"Have you met Squall's parents yet, Cloud?" Selphie asked, leaning forward over the table in her eagerness. Her eyes positively twinkled.

"No," he answered with a smirk, "but I've heard stories."

"Yeah," Zell commented as Selphie broke out into giggles. "Raine and Ellone are totally sweet and I'm sure they'll love you to death, but Laguna is a bit bizarre."

"He's a moron."

"Now, Squally, you shouldn't say that about your own daddy."

"I had to live with him for eighteen years. I'll say whatever the hell I like."

"Hey," Irvine suddenly cut in, sounding more serious than usual, "that's the third time she's called you 'Squall' and you haven't snapped at her once." He tilted his head and examined Leon with a critical gaze. Carefully, he asked, "We all know you changed your name because you lost Cloud. Now that you have him again, are you changing it back?"

Surprised, Cloud sucked in a breath and turned wide eyes to his boyfriend. When Selphie noticed his expression, she asked, "What? You didn't know?"

No, Cloud hadn't known. He had wondered, of course, when they had first started speaking to each other again, why the man he had known as Squall was now going by another name. At that time, however, he had known that their relationship was far too fragile to pry. And by the time they had become comfortable enough with each other that he could have asked, he had become used to the name and no longer thought twice about it. Now that he knew the truth, that Squall had become Leon because of him, he didn't know what to do or say.

Leon had been staring at the tabletop ever since Irvine had asked his question although by what Cloud could tell from his profile, he didn't seem upset. The hand he held continued to grip his fingers lightly and made no move to pull away. When he lifted his head a moment later and scanned the table, meeting the gazes of his friends who were patiently waiting, his eyes were slightly hesitant but calm.

"For years, you all have been telling me that changing my name was just a form of running away, and I guess in the beginning it was. But as time went on, 'Leon' became less like a shield for me to hide behind and more like just a different part of myself. I rather like who I've become, and just because I have Cloud now doesn't mean I'm ready to go back to the me I left behind. So …" He faltered a bit, eyes lowering, but paused only briefly before pressing on. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that part of me is Squall and part of me is Leon, and while I prefer Leon, I'll answer to both."

No one spoke for a long minute, but even without looking around the table, Cloud could feel the smiles of support that the others were giving his boyfriend. As for him, he tenderly lifted the hand he held and, when gray eyes turned to meet his, pressed his lips softly against the back of the other man's hand. Leon rolled his eyes at him lightly, but he also smiled.

"Sounds good!" Irvine finally announced, breaking the silence. Grinning broadly, he lifted his wineglass and declared, "A toast to the birthday boys. To our new bosom buddy Cloud and our old friend Squeon of the split personality. May they both have many happy returns."

"Don't call me that!"

"Can I call you Leelee then?"

"No."

"Now tell me, what does Angie have that I don't?"

"Innocence, dear. And how am I supposed to toast if I don't have anything to toast with? Come on, Irvy, let me have a sip. Pleeeease?"

"But Selphie, you have a soda right there."

"Stay out of it, Emmy, hon. Trust me. Just stay out of it."

As the friendly bickering continued and gradually escalated, Cloud just took hold of his own drink, brought it to his lips, and smiled.

xXx

December:

The car pulled to a gentle stop in the driveway, and Leon shifted the gear into park. Rather than exit immediately, he took a moment to simply sit and gaze at the house while enjoying the warm air flowing over his hands from the heater. This was his house now. Sometimes he still couldn't believe it. True, his name wasn't on the mortgage, but he made contributions to the payments and all of his mail was being forwarded here now. Most importantly, his family was here. That's what truly made it home.

Someone inside must have seen or heard the car, for the front door opened and both Sora and Roxas stuck their heads out. Grinning at their enthusiasm, Leon shut off the car and exited. He decided the majority of his things could wait in the trunk, removing only what was in the backseat before making his way to the door and the two boys he now loved like his own sons. They watched him excitedly, Roxas holding the door and Sora holding the dog as he passed through and went into the dining room to put his precious cargo down on the table. Gently, he pushed back the sunshade of the carseat and pulled the blankets down just a little.

His tiny two-week-old daughter continued to sleep.

"Oh my God!" Sora whisper-screamed from a few steps behind him. "She's sooooooo cute! I wanna hold her so bad."

"Yeah," Roxas replied in an equally quiet voice. "But she's sleeping right now, Sora. You'll have to wait."

"I know, I know," his brother whined. Then, to Leon he asked, "What's her name?"

Leon inhaled slowly. He had been experiencing the most amazing feeling of calm ever since taking the baby from her birth mother's arms. It thrilled him as much as it frightened him. He had held Angela when she had only been a day old, Paige as well, yet neither of them had produced this feeling in him. It was deep and full and serene, like a wide body of still water. It was a love unlike any he had ever known before, a knowledge that he would do anything, give anything for the sake of the happiness of this little child in front of him.

"Her name is Xion," he said.

A pair of arms slipped around him as Cloud came up behind him and rested his chin on Leon's shoulder. "She's beautiful," he observed.

"Yeah," Leon replied. He leaned back into his lover's embrace and smiled down at the brunet boy who was dancing from foot to foot with uncontrollable energy. "You look like you're going to burst, Sora."

The boy turned on him with a mixed expression of anger and disappointment. "It isn't fair," he proclaimed. "You've been gone a month, first so you could be there when she was born and then to get through all the adoption paperwork. We've been patiently waiting that whole time, and now she's here and we can't hold her? It's just not fair!"

"Patiently?" Cloud laughed lightly. "Roxas might have been waiting patiently, but you sure weren't."

"Dad!"

"All right, Sora," Leon said, smiling down at him. "Go sit down in the other room and I'll bring her to you."

Sora let out a restrained whoop and sped off, Roxas and Destiny following at a slower pace. Once they had gone, Leon tried to step forward but found himself stopped by the arms that had yet to let go. He smiled at Cloud's unwillingness to part with him. It had been a long month.

"Could you get my stuff out of the trunk for me?" he asked, digging in one pocket for his keys. "Just my briefcase and the diaper bag should be enough for now. I can get the suitcase later."

His lover sighed, but his hands detached from each other and one lifted up to take the keys. "Sure," he said, then his voice turned playful as he added, "I won't do it for free, though."

Smirking, Leon turned and caught the other's lips in a brief but searing kiss. "How's that for a down-payment?" he asked huskily once he had pulled away.

Cloud laughed breathlessly as he stepped back and began making his way toward the door. "It'll do," he called back over his shoulder. "For now."

Having only been a father for two weeks, Leon hadn't yet mastered the art of getting Xion out of her carseat without waking her up. Therefore, it was a very awake and slightly cranky baby he placed into Sora's waiting arms. The boy didn't seem to care in the slightest. With an enormous grin on his face, he immediately began rocking and lightly bouncing the baby, and the goo-goo noises started soon after. Xion just stared at him like he was completely insane, rather how she stared at Leon on a regular basis.

"My name is Sora," he told those dark eyes, "and I'm going to be your favorite babysitter in the whole world, yes I am!"

"God, Sora, give me a break," Roxas griped, but he was smiling all the same.

Leon had to admit that his chest hurt a little at the sight of them. He had never thought that he would be allowed to experience this sense of family. Growing up, his family had been loving, but their relations had been slightly strained, due in no small part to himself. Then, as time went on, he had watched his friends all form families for themselves, but he, by choice, had remained alone with his painful memories. To see these three children in front of him now, knowing that he was one of a pair who was responsible for them, it made his heart ache in a way that was incredibly powerful yet soothingly gentle.

The sound of the door opening signaled Cloud's return, so Leon went to help him. He took the diaper bag first, placing it on the table by Xion's carseat, then lifted the briefcase strap from his lover's shoulder. While Cloud took a moment to watch his sons interact with the baby, Leon opened the case and extracted several sheets of paper, clipped together into two packets, and a small box. The box he slid into his pocket; the papers he used to get Cloud's attention by tapping him on the shoulder.

"What's this?" Cloud asked.

"Something for you," he replied.

His expression confused, Cloud nevertheless took the packets and began to read the top sheet. Less than a minute later, he gasped sharply, wide blue eyes snapping up to meet Leon's steady gray gaze. Brokenly, overcome with emotion, he whispered, "Is this what I think it is?"

Sora and Roxas had looked up at their father's sudden intake of breath, and now they both leaned forward in their seats in their worry. "What?" Roxas demanded. "What is it, Dad?"

Never taking his eyes off of the man he loved, Leon answered, "It's paperwork that grants your father full legal rights as Xion's co-guardian. Basically, it'll mean that he'll be her father as well. The second packet grants the same rights to me for the two of you, as long as it's all right with you, that is. You two are old enough that we should take your wishes into account."

"Of course it's all right with us!"

"Geez, Leon, you had to ask?"

"You've been our 'other Dad' for months now. We didn't need a piece of paper for that."

Leon smiled at their beaming faces with genuine gratitude. "Thanks, you two." Shifting his eyes back to Cloud, he said, "That leaves me with just one more thing for you."

"Another surprise?" the other man joked, trying to laugh. "I'm not sure my poor heart can take it."

"This is the last one, I promise." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the box. As he opened it and carefully removed one of the two silver promise rings inside, he said, "I just thought that since we're going to commit to sharing our children, we might as well commit to sharing the rest of our lives as well." Smiling, he offered the ring to Cloud who had a hand over his mouth in a valiant attempt to keep his emotions in check.

Instantly, Sora and Roxas were on their feet, bubbling over with excitement, although Leon was pleased to see that Sora hadn't forgotten he was holding a baby and kept his movements under control.

"He says yes! He says yes!"

"Of course he says yes! Take the ring, Dad! Take it!"

"Excuse me," their father said with mock-irritation, "I am perfectly capable of accepting my own marriage proposal, if you don't mind." Then, his expression softened and he turned to Leon with a smile. "And of course, I accept."

"Good," Leon murmured and slipped the ring onto Cloud's finger. As their children watched, Cloud took the other ring and did the same for Leon.

"Now kiss the bride!"

"Which one's the bride?"

"Who cares? Just kiss already."

Leon and Cloud both laughed, then did as they were told.

End "Come Home"


A/N: A huge thank you to Shinimegami7 for drawing a picture for me way back of Leon and Xion. Every time I felt a little tired of this story, I popped on over to dA to look at it and remind myself what I was working towards. Thank you also to MadeInHolland who drew a lovely picture of Cloud in this story's honor. Both pics are now linked via my profile.

Well, if you've been reading me enough, you know that this is the part where I thank all of my reviewers individually. This time, however, there are over two hundred and fifty of you, and that's just how many I reached before I decided to stop counting. So rather than put a huge block of text here, let me just say this: thank you, each and every one of you. Hitting a thousand reviews was absolutely thrilling, yet more important to me was hearing everyone's thoughts, feelings, and predictions about this story. My favorite part of being a writer is connecting with other people, and I truly do appreciate every review. I know I say it constantly in my replies, but it's true.

So now that the story that I've been working on for two years is over, I'll be moving on to the loose ends I've left in various places, including my original writing. As for you guys, please go on to the next "chapter" for one last surprise.

My best for all of you.

- Karai