Disclaimer: not owned by me :D

Pairing: Leon x Cloud

To Capture a Cloud

By: yukuro

Leon never was quite sure how Cloud had ended up in Traverse Town that day. At that time, all he did was stand quietly at the side, observing the situation before him calmly while attempting to process all that was thrown at him. There were many things he was unsure of concerning Cloud's sudden appearance. All that Leon could remember at that time was Cloud's serious blue eyes and the fact that Aerith had cried when she saw him.

At that time, Aerith was so happy to see Cloud, she had immediately thrown her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek without thinking of what others might have thought. Yuffie too was excited to the point where she was jumping up and down with excited squeals. If Aerith had not been embracing Cloud at that time, Yuffie would have tackled him down. Both had forgotten to question how Cloud had gotten there or why he was there in the first place.

Somehow, as Leon watched them quietly from the side, he had noticed something odd in those glowing blue eyes. For someone with so many happy people to greet him, Cloud looked void of emotion even as he slowly brought a single arm up to Aerith's back to comfort her. When the blonde noticed Leon staring at him, he folded his blue eyes away behind his eyelids and turned his face slightly to the side. He really had nothing to say.

Flustered by her own sudden uncharacteristic outburst of raw emotion, Aerith embarrassedly separated herself from Cloud, quickly drying her tears. Oblivious to how empty Cloud looked, she worked up a smile for him before whispering, "You're alive… I'm so happy to see you, Cloud."

"That's right!" Yuffie butted in, grinning widely, "Aerith has always been thinking of you! Sometimes she even sulks about you when Squall's not watching!"

Then at that time again, Cloud's eyes met Leon's for a moment before Yuffie tugged on her former leader's arm impatiently. "Come on! You've got to come see Cid! He'll be so excited to see you! Maybe even more because you're all dressed up like Vincent…"

Leon continued to watch them passively as the two girls pushed the still silent Cloud along up to see Cid. Once the trio disappeared around the corner, Leon closed his eyes. Even though the world had turned dark behind his closed eyes, those blue eyes still shone in his mind. Still, something was off. Cloud was not himself and it was obvious through the dull emptiness in his eyes.

Eyes still closed, Leon turned to return to his home just as he heard Cid's incredibly loud exclamation of, "Spikey! You're alive!" ring throughout the district.

Leon had barely stepped into his house and taken a seat on his couch for a few minutes before Yuffie burst in with Aerith and Cloud behind her. The sudden self-invitation into his house made Leon raise a single one of his eyebrows. "Yes…?"

"We're looking for a place for Cloud to crash!" Yuffie exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm. "Even though I'm sure Aerith would be more than happy to let him stay with her, we figured it would be better if he stayed with another guy. Please, Squall?"

Eyes shifting from Yuffie's begging expression on his face to Aerith's brightly flushed face, Leon let out a tiny sigh before shrugging. "He can stay here with a complete stranger if he really wants to."

"Of course he does," Yuffie stated with a nod, ignoring the way Cloud's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "It's way better to stay with friends of friends than in that Heartless-infected hotel." With those final words, she waved to them and hooked her arm on Aerith's, dragging the older girl out of the house. "Good night!"

"'Friends,' huh?" Leon muttered to himself before lifting his eyes to examine Cloud who had remained rooted to the same spot he had been standing the entire time. "What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for someone," Cloud said quietly after a moment of mental debating. His eyes looked weary and yet still firm as they fixed themselves on Leon's face.

It was the first time Leon had heard Cloud speak and was slightly startled by the younger man's soft-spoken voice. Every word was soft and delicate, making Leon believe the man before him was still a troubled youth, still afraid of reveal his emotions. Breaking the connection between their eyes, Leon stood and turned towards his room. "You can sleep on the couch."

"I won't stay long," Cloud said quietly, still remaining in the same spot. "While I'm still looking for that person, I can't stay in one place too long."

"Maybe you should reconsider that a little," Leon stated simply as he walked into his room. "You'll end up making Aerith cry again."

Then without a sound, the lights switched off and the room plunged into darkness.

It felt uncomfortable sharing his living space with someone for Leon. Even so, he had let Cloud stay without a fight. When Leon woke up early in the morning as always and stepped out to find something to eat, he could hardly help but to notice Cloud was no longer there.

The sun had yet to rise and that meant the Heartless were still about. Leon had only slept for two or three hours at night, but he figured just that bit of time was already too much. He always went out to hunt the Heartless as soon as he woke up. This day however, someone had beaten him to it.

Just finishing off a Heartless with a swipe with his long sword, Cloud stood up straight, not bringing his eyes to meet Leon's. "Maybe just a little while," he muttered quietly. "I can't let Aerith cry too much. If you don't mind, that is…"

"Traverse Town is a refuge for people who are lost," Leon replied very simply and to the point. "Stay here until you feel you need to leave. You'll find the person you're searching for someday, but for now, how about working on finding your emotions again?"

Cloud blinked. He was not quite sure if that was a joke or not, but he found his face heating up with a tinge of embarrassment as he averted his gaze. Somehow, he felt as if he was being treated like a child. "Hmph."

Leon smirked. A very, very small smirk of course.

As time passed slowly, somehow Cloud and Leon managed to tolerate each other. Before then had even realized, they had grown accustomed to being together everywhere. Whether it was hunting, staying in Leon's home, or with the others, they had grown used to each other's presence. Only a little more time passed before Leon invited Cloud to the Secret Waterway.

Yuffie was impressed, as she clearly made known to Cloud as he headed to meet Leon. "That place is like Squall's sanctuary," Yuffie commented as she walked with Cloud. "He doesn't usually just let anyone go there. I mean, it took a long enough time to get him to let Aerith down there, but you've only be here for a little while and… Well, I think maybe he likes you."

"I don't think he would have let me stay in his house if he hated me," Cloud muttered in his soft voice with the slightest bit of sarcasm. He did not intend to be rude to Yuffie, but his nerves felt jumpy with the way the girl was exaggerating how "personal" the waterway was to Leon.

Leon had been stoic, quiet, and serious every moment Cloud was in his presence. The blonde simply assumed it was his nature. It was hard to imagine Leon really opening up to anyone, let alone share his secret place with someone who was still really a stranger.

Yuffie pushed Cloud towards the waterway with a knowing smile and a wink that made Cloud want to wince. That meant either she was plotting something, or creating some other strange ideas in her head. Yuffie was always too obvious with the way she was thinking, Cloud thought as he waded through the water.

"You could have came from the stairs," Leon commented with some amusement in his voice as he noticed Cloud wading through the water with a bit of misery.

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Cloud muttered dryly as he seated himself on the ground near where Leon was practicing to dry his clothes. The red cloak was beginning to feel heavy, but the blonde simply wrung it out and left it as it was.

Satisfied with his drying clothes, Cloud directed his attention up at Leon, who was still practicing swing his sword by himself. The blonde was mesmerized by the other man's sleek, elegant moves. He was still absorbed in Leon's tactics when the other man spoke to him.

"Even though we've been together for a while, we're still strangers, aren't we, Strife?" Leon said off-handedly as he calmly swung his weapon around.

"There are hardly any people that can say I'm not a stranger," Cloud stated in a matter-of-factly tone. Resting his chin on his knees, he watched Leon from behind.

"I thought they were your friends," Leon went on, sure that Cloud knew who "they" were. "You care about Aerith, don't you?"

Cloud stiffened slightly for a moment. He remained immobile when Leon turned to face him. Relaxing slightly, Cloud redirected his gaze into the wall. "The last person I called a 'friend' became someone who is bent on killing me. Not that I feel differently."

"And Aerith?" Leon pressed. He really had no reason to be prying so much. In fact, he really was not fond of questioning and bonding himself, but there was really no explaining why he wanted to know.

"I suppose I did," Cloud muttered, glowing blue eyes still directed at the wall. An almost-smile appeared on his lips, but was hidden from Leon's view. "I did some pretty crazy things for her before."

"Like what?" the other man asked, sudden more curious. Somehow, this sounded interesting.

"Like dressing as a woman and letting a bunch of drunk men hit on me," Cloud mumbled, slightly embarrassed that he was talking about it to someone he hardly knew. He sank down to hide his embarrassment when Leon let out a quick snort of laughter.

"You must make a very pretty woman then," Leon teased, smirking as he did so. He felt unlike himself. It was out of character for him to be talking so much in the first place, but now teasing and laughing? His eyes glimmered with amusement as he watched Cloud shift in embarrassment. Then, he remembered. "What do you mean by you 'did'? Do you not care for her anymore?"

Cloud was silent before responding in an emotionless manner that reminded Leon of the way Cloud looked the first time he had arrived in Traverse Town. "I've been through a lot of things and I can't care for her the way I used to or the way she needs me to."

Silence setting between them, Leon shifted his gaze in the opposite direction of Cloud's. He was being nosy, he knew, but Cloud had not complained yet.

"Sorry," Cloud suddenly muttered, snapping Leon out of his trance. "Do you…like Aerith?"

Leon pondered the question for a moment before closing his eyes. "I guess I did before for a while. Even when I didn't know you, I could tell she was always thinking about someone. It's obvious now. I guess I just feel a bit bad for her now."

"This…is kind of nice," Cloud softly said suddenly, making Leon turn to glance at him. Sinking down a bit lower behind his red cloak to hide his embarrassment, he went on, "I never liked to talk to anyone before because I thought it would be uncomfortable. But with you, it's not that bad."

Before Leon could say a word in response, Aerith peeked at them from around the wall. She called out to them before completely walking over to where the two were. "Sorry to bother you two at a time like this," she began, eyes straying between the two slowly, "but Yuffie wanted me to call you two up so we can eat together."

Leon felt his lips turn in an awkward position. "Yuffie didn't cook…did she?"

"A little," Aerith giggled in response, making Leon frown further.

Both were surprised when Cloud burst out laughing. Leon glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow, but Aerith covered her widening smile with her hands as a few tears came into her eyes. "Cloud?"

"Sorry," Cloud gasped between chokes of laughter. His blue eyes glowed more as he attempted to keep his laughter to a minimum. "Leon just looks so funny when he's pouting."

"Pouting?" Leon repeated with surprise, even though it was rather nice to see a smile on Cloud's usually stern face. Promptly walking over to the blonde to roughly muss his hair, which actually only made Cloud laugh more, Leon grumbled, "Who pouts, Strife?"

Aerith watched them quietly from the side with a small smile on her face. It was not until she was walking alone with Leon after Cloud went to find drier clothes to wear did Aerith speak to Leon again. "It's been so long since I've seen Cloud smile," she said with a gentle smile. "I'm so happy."

The pity Leon felt for the girl grew considerably at that moment. Doing his best to sound as if he knew nothing about the matter, he commented, "You like him a lot, don't you?"

The girl paused for a moment before replying softly, "Yes, I do. But you know," clasping her hands together behind her back and gazing up at the sky, Aerith smiled almost painfully, "I already understand his feelings. I've always wanted to be the one that makes him smile, but I only end up giving him trouble. I'm glad you can make Cloud laugh," she went on, bringing her smile back down to direct at Leon. "He likes you and I really am glad. He always did have trouble making friends."

"Friends, huh?" Leon repeated slowly, digesting the words with thought. He had never thought of lit that way before. Of course he thought of Cloud as his companion or partner, but he was not quite sure if they were friends. Like Cloud, Leon himself was not particularly good at making friends either. Even though he knew this, Leon could not help but to like Cloud. Before he could stop himself, he felt a tiny smile quirk on his lips. Titling his face down to hide his smile from Aerith, he muttered, "We had better get going."

Time seemed to pass more quickly than Leon had ever thought was possible. The days and hours melted together until he was unable to distinguish one day from the next. Everyday Leon and Cloud would fight back to back, learning each other's moves and when to protect and cover each other. At home, they learned a little about each other's habits as they moved about the house. Everyday they learned something new about each other.

Cloud was always exhausted when night approached, Leon noticed. He figured the blonde was not completely used to the unusual hours of Traverse Town yet and simply let the sleepy blonde fall onto the couch and sleep whenever he wanted. It was funny the way Leon was beginning to feel whenever he watched Cloud peacefully nap without motion or sound. If it were not for the even rising and falling of his chest, Leon would have thought Cloud was dead.

Even as he bustled about his house, Leon's eyes would still occasionally stray to where Cloud was sleeping to examine him. Cloud looked younger when he was asleep; it was as if he shed a year or two of defensive walls when his eyes fluttered closed. Silently, Leon crept over to where Cloud lay and squatted to examine him more closely. His features were soft and delicate, giving the impression that he could possibly break if held too tightly.

Leon resisted the nagging urge to touch his face and rose with a slightly embarrassed and slightly angry expression. It annoyed him how vulnerable he felt before Cloud's gentle sleeping face. Tossing his jacket at Cloud's faintly shivering shoulders, Leon narrowed his eyes and scowled quietly at a wall, "What the hell have done to me, Strife?"

Silently in the dark as Leon stormed into his room with confused emotions, Cloud continued to sleep peacefully, completely oblivious to it all.

There are and will always be many unexplained things circulating the worlds. Ideas, emotions, dreams, all things that not every can understand. Whether it may be painful eyes shut to it all or pure confusion, some things will never be completely explained. The reason? It is because all people secretly fear the unknown.

When Cloud woke up the next morning, he was warm. It was strange and foreign to him to feel so comfortable when his eyes first open. It was the first time since he was a child he woke up in warmth. As he sat up slowly, Leon's jacket slid down into his lap and Cloud blinked at it.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Leon said sarcastically from the other side of the room with his arms crossed. Roughly, he ran a hand through his hair and turned his face away to avoid Cloud's piercing blue eyes. "I was just about to find a prince to wake you up."

"Very funny," Cloud mumbled, a slight flush on his face as Leon strode across the room to meet him. Ducking his head to hide his embarrassment, Cloud held out Leon's jacket, feeling his face heat up further. "Ah…this… T-Thanks."

Leon stared down at the top of the other man's spiky blonde head before taking his jacket lightly. Letting out a small sigh, he brought his hand down on Cloud's head before muttering, "It's your fault for being stupid enough to let yourself freeze to death while you're sleeping."

And with that hand on top of his head, somehow Cloud felt warm again. Somehow, he could tell that it was the beginning of many more warm mornings to come. However, once within the warmth, it became harder to notice the frosty bits of darkness nipping away at the edges.

Tsuzuku.

A/N: Ever since I played Kingdom Hearts, I've been dying to write this pairing. :D I never really thought about crossing Final Fantasy games, but I completely fell in love with Cloud and Squall—or rather, Leon (XD)—again. Eep. Well, whatever works. Yay. Oh, and I'm sorry if this chapter makes it seem as if both Leon and Cloud are a bit too into Aerith. -.-; I don't particularly like her, actually. I'm pretty sure this is the only chapter like this. Eep.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Please look forward to the next. :D