All Because of You: You leave right before my eyes
The sun had just disappeared beyond the edges of the city and sky grew black with the darkness of night. Street lamps came to life as sparks of light flickered within them. The lamps were the only source of illumination in the cold dark concrete jungle, where tall skyscrapers towered over the ground and blocked out the view of the night's sky to the urban dweller. A lonely black jeep was hidden beneath the shadows cast by the dull lights that lined the street. A red Ferrari turned into Cloud's street and easily found a parking space behind Leon's worn out jeep.
Leon unbuckled his seat belt and used a hand to pushed back the loose locks of hair from his face. Cloud had his head lowered, staring blankly at his hands that rested upon the steering wheel. Words that were left unspoken hung between the two men and all that could be heard in the intimate confines of the car was the low rumble of the air-conditioning. Separation was imminent, as they each had to take different paths.
The plan was for Leon to head for Traverse Town while Cloud went in the opposite direction, to Kingdom Court. If either of them were to find Riku and Sora, they would call each other via cell phone and keep an eye on the boys till the other arrives. A simple plan.
"You better go now." Cloud's voice was taut with pent up emotions he did not dare let go. This is silly, it's not as if we will never see each other again...
Leon hesitated before he nodded. He got out of Cloud's car and settled into his familiar jeep. After he started up the vehicle, he waited for a few seconds before steering the jeep into the centre of the street. As he drove on, he glanced into the rear view mirror and saw that Cloud was standing beside his car, looking straight at him. A sudden urge to be impulsive rose within Leon but he suppressed it. He could not stop driving now. He had to think about Sora and forget about the attractive blond with longing eyes and a sad smile. Driving all images of Cloud from his mind, Leon concentrated on the road. He had to find Sora first, and then he could think of Cloud.
XXXXXX
He didn't look back.
He titled his head back and gazed at the sky, or at least the part not blocked by cold buildings. Disappointment flooded Cloud's2 senses as he got back into his car and sank into the driver's seat. There were no stars tonight. It was just an expense of blackness, a perfect match to Clouds feelings.
Cloud wanted to stop Leon. He knew that things would be different between them once the boys have been found because then, there would be no more reason for them to be together. For the first time in his twenty-three years of living, Cloud had found someone truly special.
In the past, Cloud had never been able to commit to anyone because of the simple reason that 'it did not feel right'. Despite having been in various types of relationships, Cloud never found what he wanted. He was a romantic at heart and believed that there was someone special in this world that was destined to be with him. Even though he has only known Leon less than twenty-four hours, he knew. Cloud was already rapidly falling in love with this stranger.
Watching Leon disappear into the night scared Cloud. Just when Cloud had realised that Leon was the one he had been looking for, he was leaving.
XXXXXX
It was mid-morning when Riku walked into Kingdom Court's Royal gardens. The weather was a bit cool and there was a light breeze. The greenery was fantastic with flower patches immaculately arranged into intricate patterns and trees pruned to resemble recognizable mythical creatures. But Riku was not here to admire the flora, here was here to find Sora. Riku found him under the shade of a well-aged oak.
"Ice-cream for breakfast?"
Sora tore his gaze from his chocolate chip and vanilla ice cream and looked up to see Riku towering over him. Riku had to force himself not to laugh at the cream beard around Sora's cherry lips.
"Want some?" Sora said as he offered a spoonful of the cold desert to Riku but the sweet offer was declined.
Riku was curious so he asked, 'Why the sudden craving for icecream?"
Shrugging his narrow shoulders, Sora replied, "I always wanted to try having ice-cream for breakfast but my dad never let me have something like this in the mornings. He said it would upset my stomach. So when I wake up with a craving for ice cream, I get oatmeal instead." Sora's thoughts drifted as he continued, "I never liked oatmeal and I almost always refused to eat it when it was on the breakfast menu. However, the only kind of oatmeal that I can tolerate is the kind that my dad makes. He adds extra sugar and even marshmallows so that it was sweeter. Then he would make extra crispy toast for me to dip my oatmeal in."
"Interesting," Riku murmured.
Taking Riku's comment as encouragement, Sora carried on saying, "My dad has this knack for cooking. Even though he doesn't look like he could fry an egg, he could really whip up a good meal. My dad said that he learnt how to cook out of survival."
"..."
"He works in the military and they have to go for all these missions and all. My dad says that the food they serve at camps should come with a warning label because it tastes so bad!"
"..."
"And since my dad is a very picky eater, he had to learn how to cook so that he wouldn't starve to death!"
"You miss him don't you?" asked Riku perceptively.
"Huh?" Sora was confused.
"Your dad," Riku explained further.
"Why... why would you think that?"
"In the past two minutes, you have mentioned your 'dad' six times."
Guilty as charged, but Sora was too stubborn to admit that he missed his father."Why don't I take you home? You father must be worried."
"Don't you want me anymore?"
Riku sat down next to Sora and took the other boy's hand into his own. Looking into the clear blue pools of Sora's eyes, Riku said, "How can I not want someone as adorable as you?" With his thumb, Riku wiped the cream off the corners of Sora's lips. "But, running away from our problems isn't a solution. I shouldn't have agreed to take you here in the first place."
Tears welled up in Sora's eyes at Riku's gentle gesture and words of regret. "I am sorry Riku! I shouldn't get you involved in my problems."
"No, I am glad I am the one you turned to when you were troubled. At least, I finally got the chance to meet you."
"Riku..."
"Hush, let me finish. I am glad that we got to spend this much time together. If you didn't decide to run away from home, I would never have had the courage to meet up with you. But... I think it is time for me to let you go, even if I don't want to."
Riku's thoughts flickered to the memories of the experiences he had shared with Sora in the past two days and he smiled. It was like a dream. Sora nodded and used a free hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. He knew that he had gone overboard running away from home together with Riku and it was time to make amends.
XXXXXX
The first thing that Cloud did when he found Riku sitting on a bench in the famed gardens of Kingdom Court was to heave a great sigh of relief. Instead of giving Riku a solid punch for creating so much trouble, as he had initially intended, Cloud enveloped the surprised boy in a tight hug.
Despite his seemingly nonchalance towards his brother's disappearance, Cloud had been really worried about his little kid brother. He knew Riku was more than capable of looking after himself but Cloud was still afraid that he would not be there to protect Riku from any danger, and thus fail in his duties as a loving older brother.
Their relationship was a pretty capricious one since their personalities and appearances were totally different. They would bicker over small, petty things like whose turn it is to buy milk or who was the one responsible for eating the last cookie. However, this did not mean that Cloud did not care for Riku.
In fact, it was Cloud who stood up to their mother and fought for the right to move out of their family home, taking Riku with him. If the two brothers had one thing in common, it was their mutual dislike of their mother. She had controlled Cloud for almost all his life and he did not want Riku to become just another pawn to be used by their mother to further the family business. Thus, to protect Riku, Cloud was nearly disowned by their mother. Thankfully, their older brother stepped in and saved them from becoming destitute. Laguna had given an upper class apartment to them and the Ferrari was a birthday gift to Cloud. (Laguna, a car fanatic, passed off his Ferrari to Cloud so that he could have an excuse to buy a new Porsche.)
Cloud's pride did not allow Laguna to provide for him and Riku more than he already did. Thus, he took up modeling jobs and other part-time jobs to earn money for their living expenses and Riku's college fees. For someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Cloud having to work constantly (and very willingly) just to make ends meet was a strange miracle.
Riku knew Cloud was doing all this for his sake and the guilt was killing him. Riku, who was still a freshman in college, felt indebted to his brother. He wanted to give up school so that he could help pay the household bills but Cloud would not hear any of it. All Cloud wanted was for Riku to get his degree and become independent (and free from their mother's evil clutches). Riku, on the other hand, wished he were able to free Cloud from the burden of working long hours just to make sure he was able to make it through college.
The reason why the brothers did not seem to agree with each other is because they were both too stubborn. Cloud would not let Riku sacrifice his education just to make the financial burden easier and Riku did not understand why Cloud would not let him do so.
Ironically, Cloud and Riku's relationship soured purely because of how much they cared for each other. In their little obstinate ways, they were actually thinking and concern about each other's well being. Perhaps, this was the wonder of brotherly love?
XXXXXX
"Excuse me?" A spunky brunette prodded Cloud's side. "I think Riku can't breathe."
Cloud released Riku and ruffled his little brother's silver hair saying, "I will deal with you once we get back home. Now, introduce me to the person you kidnapped."
Riku scowled, but there was a telltale blush dusted upon his pale skin and this betrayed his emotions. He would rather chop off his prized locks then let Cloud find out that Riku actually felt elated at his older brother's loving gesture. He could really feel that Cloud cared for him through that literally breathe-taking hug and it touched him deeply.
"Cloud, this is Sora. Sora this is my brother, Cloud."
"Nice to meet you Sora. Leo-...Your father is very worried about you." Cloud shook Sora's hand with a smile that faltered when he thought of Leon.
Sora was just about to speak when a fire attack shot past right in front of his face.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Cloud as the trio moved to avoid more attacks from the strange blobs of black that suddenly rose from the ground.
Cloud's Buster sword appeared just in time to fend off half a dozen black 'things' that attacked him. Riku and Sora stood back to back in defense stance as their Keyblades were summoned. No matter how many enemies they got rid of, more appeared to replace them. The trio was sorely outnumbered.
"Riku! Your brother needs a potion!" Sora shouted.
Riku nodded and tossed Cloud a potion to boost his fallen health points.
"I will use magic to distract the Heartless and I want you to run Sora!" Riku ordered.
But Cloud would not stand for any of this and overrode Riku's order, "Riku, you get Sora out of here, I can handle these creatures!"
Riku wanted to argue but Sora's health points were steadily decreasing. The brunette was still unable to use his new Keyblade well. He had to get Sora out of the battle before the younger boy suffered more injury.
"What are you waiting for?! GO!" Cloud shouted as he sliced two shadow creatures into two.
Without any more hesitation, Riku grabbed Sora by the waist and they ran out of the gardens. When the black creatures attempted to follow, Cloud blocked them and allowed the two boys to run to safety. But Cloud was only one man against more than a dozen strange creatures that just would not disappear regardless of how he sliced and diced. Cloud thought that he had finally defeated all the vicious little creatures when they suddenly disappeared but he should have known it was just too good to be true. In place of the tiny shadow creatures, was a large and stronger 'thing' that Cloud knew was far beyond his ability to defeat.
Just as Cloud saw his life flash before his eyes and anticipated a horrible death, the boss creature made a noise that sounded vaguely like a scream. Cloud opened his eyes to see Leon wielding his Gunblade with expert ease against the enemy.
"Catch!" Leon yelled as he tossed a bottle of mega-potion to Cloud. The blond gulped down the energy restoring liquid and felt the pain and exhaustion of fighting disappear.
Leon shot a lightning attack against the boss creature as Cloud regained his strength.
"I'll use another another magic attack to distract it while you attack it's chest. Understand?" Leon commanded.
"Right!"
Cloud could tell that Leon was more experienced in a combat situation and fully trusted his decisions. While Leon waited to release his magic attack, Cloud stood poise to play his part in this fight. Then it came: a large ice blast that stunned the enemy and Cloud took the opportunity to deal a heavy blow on the most vulnerable part of the creature. The injured creature roared and retaliated with a devastating attack that nearly wiping out Cloud's health points. Leon quickly moved forward and finished the enemy with a Vortex.
The enemy boss collapsed and disappeared. Cloud could almost hear the victory trumpets ringing in his ears. Exhilarated, the tired blond used the last of his energies to run up to Leon and throw himself around him.
"You did it!"
Leon smiled and responded by wrapping his arms around the battered blond.
"No, we did it."
Feeling Leon's warmth surrounding him, Cloud finally relaxed and passed out.
XXXXXX
"Do you think he is alright?"
"Don't worry, he won't die that easily. My brother isn't that weak."
"But... that injury looks really bad. It looks like it hurt."
"Humph. Cloud can handle the pain. But he will probably cry if the wound leaves a scar, especially when it is on his face."
"He has very smooth skin... hmm... no wonder he is model."
"You... think Cloud is good-looking?"
"Yeah, he is kinda hot."
"..."
"I like his hair."
"I don't look good with spikey hair."
"Huh?"
"I mean, don't you like... straight hair?"
"My dad has straight hair. A bit curled at the ends but still pretty straight."
"What about straight and very light blond, almost silver coloured hair?"
"Hmm... You mean like the kind old people have?"
"Old people?!"
"Riku! Where are you going? I was just joking about the hair."
"Really?""Yup, and I think you are hot too!""...""And very adorable when you get embarrassed like that.""Sora...""Ha... you are so fun to pl- RIKU! Your brother is waking up.""I'll go call your father."
Cloud woke up drowsily to find himself in an unfamiliar room. He was lying flat on his back against a soft mattress and there was a thin blanket covering him. The fire ignited within the small fireplace in one corner of the room radiated a soothing warmth throughout the room. Cloud's vision was blurred and all he could see were the swirling dots of the wallpaper covering the room's ceiling. Just before he was lured back into oblivion, he heard a childish voice call his name. It tugged at his consciousness and he fought to stay awake.
"Cloud? Can you hear me?" Sora asked with concern laced into his words.
He slowly tilted his head towards the voice that called out to him. "Who... is it?"
Sora smiled brightly, glad that Cloud had regain consciousness, "Sora. Riku's... friend."
Cloud had just enough strength to reply with a weak, "Oh."
"I want to thank you for saving me from the Heartless." Sora explained further when a perplexed look reflected Cloud's confusion, "Those black creatures that attacked us in the gardens. They are called the Heartless."
Just as Sora was about to launch into his description about the dark creatures, Leon stepped into the room with Riku close behind.
"Dad!"
Leon held a finger to his lips, cautioning his son to kept his voice down. Sora responded by immediately pursing his lips together. Leon grabbed a wooden chair leaning against the room wall and swivelled it to face the bed Cloud was resting on before sitting down. Taking Sora's hand into his own, Riku pulled the younger boy towards him and led him out of the room. The adults need to talk.
XXXXXX
Upon seeing the bandage on Cloud's pale face, Leon felt his chest tighten. It was the same feeling that he got when Sora came home with a bruised knee or a cut elbow. The injured blond's eyes were half opened, and it pained Leon to see Cloud in such a sorry state. Fair locks fell free from Cloud's gelled hairdo and created shadows about his face. Leon instinctively reached forth to push the distracting locks away from Cloud's visage.
Feeling Leon's gentle touch, Cloud felt a jolt of surprise that jerked him out of his stupor. Uncontrollably, Cloud's dry lips curved into a smile and Leon smiled along with him. Perhaps it was Leon's presence, or it could have been the fact that the drowsy medicine was wearing off, but Cloud felt less lethargic and struggled to get into an upright position. Leon gently helped the injured Cloud up into a sitting position.
Cloud murmured his thanks before an uncomfortable silence came between the two. Looking away from Leon, Cloud stared at the golden flames dancing in the hearth. As his mind cleared, images of Leon's departure flooded his mind as well as the recent memories of a certain boy with naturally spikey hair thanking him with a cheery grin. Sora had been found. This fact rang through Cloud's mind and he realized that there was finally nothing holding him and Leon together anymore.
Previously, there were partners. They had to work together closely to find Riku and Sora. However, now that their task has come to an end, their relationship had degenerated back into that of mere acquaintances. This was what Cloud felt and the reason why he could not bear to look Leon straight in the eye.
Yet, if Cloud had the courage to face Leon, he would have seen that the expression on Leon's face reflected the uncontainable wealth of feelings he held for the skittish blond.
Leon hesitated before taking Cloud's hands into his own. He was not wearing cumbersome gloves and his bare fingers caressed the skin across Cloud's palms. Cloud torn his gaze from the orange flames and found a more dangerous blue fire burning within Leon's eyes.
This time, it was Leon who broke the silence.
"I only lasted ten-minutes before I turned the jeep around to follow you. Somehow, I just couldn't let you go... ..."
Cloud remained wide-eyed and silent as he tried to take in what Leon was trying to say.
"When I got here, I didn't know where to look. I was not searching for Sora. I was looking for you. When Sora called to say you were in trouble, I panicked. I ran until I saw you standing in the gardens, trying your best to defeat the enemy. I never thought that it was possible for something so serious to happen within such a short span of time. I should have said this before, but I was too dense to notice... that I was already too involved with you. "Leon smiled uncertainly as he was unsure about what Cloud felt for him and waited to see how the blond would respond.
Tears fell from the corners of emotional eyes and Leon moved closer to thumb away the pearls that contained pure happiness from Cloud's face. Cloud could not speak because of the joy he felt at finally getting the words that he had been longing for.
"We don't have to end here. Do we?"
"Oh Leon..."
He did not need to say anything else, since Leon understood exactly what Cloud was trying to say.
Pulling the blond gently into his arms, Leon whispered, "I think I am falling for you."
He allowed himself to be cradled in Leon's strong embrace. Cloud closed his eyes, blissfully contented to hear Leon's declaration.
"Don't worry. I am falling with you."
XXXXXX
Sora sat on a stone ledge, his head on Riku's shoulder. Together, they were watching the sunset.
"I can't believe that your brother likes my dad."
"Your father seems to like Cloud too."
"Ya... Maybe that is why I didn't get a lashing from him. We unwittingly played matchmaker didn't we?"
Riku nodded.
"If they start going out... that means we get to see each other a lot more often right?"
"I hope so."
"I never saw him look at anyone that way...'
"...?"
"The way my dad looks at Cloud."
"What about it?"
"It reminds me of what I see when you look at me."
XXXXXX
When Cloud removed the bandage from his face, he saw that the wound had healed but it left a faint pink slash in its wake. He sighed and walked away from the mirror.
Picking up his favourite red jacket, Cloud put it on as he headed towards Riku's room. Without knocking, Cloud swung the door open and walked into his brother's bedroom. Riku was busy packing the last of his things into the cardboard boxes provided by the moving company.
"Aren't you done yet?" Cloud asked impatiently.
Riku did not bother to look up when he answered, "Unlike you, I pack everything neatly and don't just throw in anything that will fit."
Cloud pouted, then reached out to mess up Riku's sliver hair. Riku yelped and jumped away. Cloud smiled.
"You better hurry up then, the movers will be here in the afternoon."
Riku replied blankly, "Whatever..."
Sora surprised Riku and Cloud when he strolled into the room.
"I hitched a ride with my dad," explained Sora. "I'm here to help you pack."
"Leon's here already?" Cloud asked excitedly.
Sora nodded. "My dad is waiting downstairs for you."
Eager to see Leon again, Cloud muttered a quick good-bye before he made his exit. Riku watched his brother leave before he turned to Sora and said, "I am almost done. Take a seat."
Sora took up the offer and sat down onto Riku's bed. He watched as Riku taped up a cardboard box and used a thick black marker to write notes about its contents. Riku frowned when he made a spelling mistake.
"You look so adorable when you are serious."
Riku felt his cheeks turn pink. The brunette had this ability of making him feel embarrassed with his blunt remarks.
"I can't wait to share a room with you!"
"..."
XXXXXX
Cloud left Riku to his last minute packing and was about to leave his apartment to greet Leon when he saw a familiar redhead walking towards him.
"Hey Cloud!" called Kairi.
"Hiya!"
"I heard you are moving..."
"Yup, the movers will be over at three."
"So soon?"
Cloud shrugged his shoulders as he said, "The lease is almost up and we can't afford to renew the contract."
"Oh..."
"Well, I am going go meet up with my boyfriend now."
Kairi could not keep her curiosity to herself, "You boyfriend? Is he that sexy brunette that..."
Cloud nodded his head and flashed Kairi a grin. "He's my new room mate."
Kairi's blue eyes sparkled with interest as she questioned further, "Room mate? Does he have a kid or something?"
"Leon's place is pretty big and Sora is more than thrilled at having Riku moving over too."
"That is so cool!"
Cloud laughed, amused by the girl's adorable response.
"Well, I have got to go."
"Bye then!"
"See you around!"
XXXXXX
Leon watched Cloud get into his jeep and noticed that the white bandage was missing. "Has it been two weeks already?"
"Yup."
"It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?" asked Leon.
"Nah, it just itches like crazy. I hope the scar fades." Cloud complained to Leon's listening ear.
Cupping the blond's chin with his hand, Leon titled Cloud's head to the side and examined the light-pink scar.
"There won't be a scar if you keep that itch at bay." Leon said. Pointing to an angry slash across his own forehead, Leon continued, "Even if there is a scar, it won't be as bad as this."
Leon started up the jeep and steered it onto the main road.
"I love your scar."
"...?"
"I think I love everything about you."
The jeep screeched into a stop.
"I love you Leon."
The End... or is it?
Dcal's note: Hee... how, did you like it? This story is finally over. Leon and Cloud got together! Yay! There are some things that I just want to clarify... Cloud and Riku are really brothers in this alternate universe. Both were born into wealthy family. The reason they dislike their mother, is because her life revolves around her career and uses her sons as investments. Thus, to break free from their mother's control, Cloud confronted his mother and left home, taking Riku with him.
Leon is actually Sora's uncle. When Sora's mother, Leon's elder sister, died together with her husband in a car crash, Leon was the next of kin. This happened when Sora was really young and thus instead of calling Leon 'Uncle', Sora calls Leon 'Dad'.
This universe is kind of like a mix between the worlds of the KH Game with elements of the real world.
Oh well. I am glad I finally wrapped this up. Maybe I will write a sequel to this in the future... but the focus would be on Riku and Sora this time... I think they are longing to appear more than just in italics...
