Author's Notes: So...combining summer vacation with boredom and the anticipation of another Kingdom Hearts game apparently spawns ideas. I must now struggle to push back my urges to write a "KH3 story" (gee, JOIN THE MASSES WHY DON'T I?) and make sure that when I do get to it, I struggle with my efforts to keep Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu moments to a minimum. (shudders) That is sooo difficult to do sometimes, especially with OC's, no matter how many guards and charms you put up to defeat the Mary-Sueness. It's likely my story probably follows along with what dozens of people have already been thinking, anyway. But this is aside from the fact that I had an argument with my boyfriend one time that should not still be bugging me. He says in his mind that Nobodies represent light. My response was that this was not true, and I asked him how he can possibly call Nobodies the light. No one has proven him wrong, he says.

Kingdom Hearts Universe Logic has PHYSICALLY STATED that Nobodies are NEITHER Light NOR Dark. They walk the IN-BETWEEN. Twilight! Riku's wielding! Incomplete! No ruling element! Does this ring any bells? Come on. Maybe I'm just too analytic, but that's the jist I'm getting, and it's what makes the most sense.

Anyway, there's my rant for the day.

I'm personally not at all satisfied with this chapter...urgh. I just don't like the argument here...it...it doesn't...flow right, you know? But sadly, there's not much I can do to fix it unless I want to butcher my own story. So, sadly, it's stuck this way. Hopefully it won't make the story lose too much punch, yes?

Chapter 41

"Jack Fell Down, and Jill Came After"

Tuesday, September Tenth

Nineteen Days Missing, and the Day of the Visit

This was it.

Today.

Grievers was visiting today.

Cloud fidgeted nervously in his seat, staring at the computer screen. He wasn't feeling at all settled with this. He was not only worried over Grievers coming to visit, but in the chaos of home, work, and Sephiroth combined (arrgh!), it had completely slipped his mind to tell Riku about Grievers coming to get him. Cloud had approached the teen earlier that day before all the kids had gone to school, and told him they had a special visit coming. That was as close as he got to telling him, "Hey, your foster agent's coming to take you back home today! Please don't freak out and have a relapse!".

Riku had given him a suspicious leer at the time, which made Cloud shudder despite himself and rush off to find something to do. Now here he sat in front of his computer, checking his e-mail and trying to calm his nerves. The inbox pinged spam, requests from other companies, feedback, blah, blah, blah...and another letter from Sephiroth. Cloud sighed. Doesn't he ever give up? He clicked on the letter to read it.

Then his face went white and his eyes shrank in his skull.

Ohhhh SHIT.

My Love,

I am coming over tomorrow on Tuesday to talk with you. I will arrive at two o'clock sharp. Be ready. This time, I would like answers.

- Sephiroth

Turning frantic, Cloud checked the clock, and it read one forty-five. He heard the nails screeching on the chalkboard of his mind, and he winced painfully before glaring death at the hand he'd used to pleasure himself the previous night.

You are a CURSE.

Cloud leapt up from his seat and began to madly pace his room in random patterns, actually able to conjur up the sight of him burning ditches into the floor. He bit on his thumbnail, hissing to himself. Sephiroth wanted to know about Riku and Sora—for whatever reason, with a look in his eyes Cloud didn't trust—and not only that, but Grievers was coming to get them. And Riku didn't know Grievers was coming. Cloud heard himself groaning as he sat down in his computer chair again after several minutes, and held his head in his hands, wailing distraintly.

Nothing else could make this day worse. Nothing. It was ruined.

Not knowing what else he could do, Cloud went to sit down on the living room couch, thinking of how many ways this day could go wrong after two o'clock arrived.

Leon looked down at the MapQuest directions he'd printed out from the Internet. According to what it said, he was driving to Burmecia into what was clearly white-collar territory. There were houses on this map big enough to span the pad of his thumb. And he's rich, too? What else hasn't he told me? He shrugged mentally, and turned on the next exit towards the city. He supposed he would find out when he got there.

Let's see; he's male...he's gay...he's rich...he has a boyfriend...what am I missing?

Leon couldn't quite put his finger on it, but ever since he'd been voicing Riddlez over chat windows, his voice had sounded very familiar. He knew he had heard it before (and restrained himself from saying so), but he just didn't know where. It seemed like the type of voice he would have heard somewhere very frequently, so surely he could place it to a name he'd heard also; but the name, as well as the face, totally escaped him.

Still...gay, and rich? That was usually a setup for disaster in the high-class societies. Leon wondered how he ever pulled it off. Probably just has a double-life or something, he thought. That's usually how these things play out.

He checked the digital clock on his radio as it cranked out a classic rock station. It read 2:02. He guessed that at the speed he was going, getting through the city and such, he may make it to Riddlez's house by about 2:30, perhaps three if the traffic was bad.

He didn't like this. Didn't like hearing what was going on upstairs. And Cloud had told him a visitor was coming, with this odd tone in his voice that Riku suspected meant something was going to happen, and that he—Riku—would probably not like it. This didn't sit well with him. Eavesdropping at the edge of the basement stairs, he could hear Cloud pleading with his guest (whom Riku had deduced as his boyfriend) about something. Sometimes they passed by the stairs, yet he remained hidden, though he himself was still able to see flashes of Cloud's golden tresses and the insanely long grayed hair of his lover.

So, Model Man likes older men, Riku mused. He briefly saw the man's face, and he looked at least ten years older, if not twenty. City people are crazy.

"...I just want to know why you're so fussy over them in the first place!" That was Cloud. "I don't understand, Sephiroth. All you ever want to hear about are those boys. Can't you please tell me what's going on first?"

"Fine," sighed the other impatiently, "I'll tell you. I have a friend who's looking for them, and he wants to know where they are."

"A friend? What do you mean, a friend?"

"It's as I've said. I have a friend who's looking for Riku and Sora."

Sora passed by at this point and stopped, head swiveling around like an owl's. "He said what now?"

Now Riku could feel the blood in his body run cold. He paled, his caribbean eyes turning glassy and weak of will. He knew this feeling all too well, and it scared him. He heard this dodge-bush speak in conversations whenever Ansem...when he referred to...them.

"I don't see why you'd think I'm keeping them here."

"Cloud, my love, you keep all lost children here. I'm surprised you don't own your own third-world country."

Riku clenched his teeth, to hide his trembling. He thought he would break out in a sweat. No, not now! He can't come back! God, three weeks, three weeks and everything was perfect! Why does it all have to be ruined now? He scuttled back from the stairs, bumping into Sora, his skin cold from fear. Sora could sense his relapse, and he was instantly worried.

"Not only that, if you hadn't been keeping them here, you would have told me who the kids were on the spot, even if I don't usually care about them."

Cloud said nothing to this, because he likely knew it was true. But now both boys could hear the anger in his voice.

"You still didn't answer my question! Who is your friend? What are you trying to do?"

"Riku?" Riku felt Sora's hands squeeze his arm. "Riku...are you okay?"

They missed what name Sephiroth had hissed to Cloud upstairs, but from the outraged response, Riku knew immediately who it was.

"You're friends with that—that pedophile? You're supporting a rapist? I can't believe you! What happened to the man I fell in love with?"

"I'm just trying to lend a hand, here. It's not like I'm going to take the poor kid to him. The mother's got a restraining order, for God's sake."

"YOU SUPPORT HIM!" Was the enraged scream that followed. Then Sephiroth yelled something so loud that it scared Sora and he pulled Riku back from the stairs. Riku stumbled along with no will of his own. He fell flat on the carpet, and clutched at his stomach like he was going to throw up, because that was exactly how he felt. There was a friend of Ansem's in this house—that was almost as bad as Ansem himself!

"Riku, what's going on?" Asked Sora. Riku didn't answer. He whimpered slightly, but that was it. Sora shook him. "Riku?" Riku grabbed his hair like he was going to tear it out. Sora required no help in figuring out what was going on—seeing Riku do a retrograde in his mind was all he needed. He gave the teen a hug, rocking him in his arms.

"Calm down. Sshh...come on..."

Riku mumbled something under his breath that sounded like "Ansem", but it could have been anything else related. He was too scared to be angry, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Riku was downright pissed. Cloud had never told him about this, and now someone was coming to pick him up...

Oh God, what if it's Ansem?

Cloud grit his teeth. Sephiroth was supporting that bastard. He turned around and started to storm for the door. There was no way he was going to let him stay here.

"Cloud, where are you going?"

"Wrong," Cloud hissed. "You're leaving!"

Sephiroth snapped back, "I'm not going anywhere! Let me know where the boys are, then I'll leave!" Cloud wheeled around on his feet and glared death at him.

"How dare you keep asking me the same damn thing! I'm not answering to you, Sephiroth! You're not going to force anything out of me!"

"Cloud, if you don't tell me where they are..."

"You'll what?" The blond snarled. He straightened his shoulders, daring Sephiroth to keep going. Instead of growling his threats, Sephiroth only narrowed his eyes. Cloud hissed and opened the door, but then blinked face-to-face with a tall brunet donning stormy grey eyes. And he blinked right back.

"...Uhh...Riddlez...?"

Cloud paled. Sephiroth was hovering immediately, leering over the blond's shoulder. "Cloud, who is this ruffian?"

Grievers wasn't happy at that. He shot sparks. Cloud swallowed hard.

"Th-This is..."

"Wait a minute—Riddlez, you're Cloud Strife?" The man blinked at him in amazement. "You're a model?"

Cloud wanted to fling his arms out and slap him, but he settled for turning around in half-circles like a frantic mother and making little noises. Sephiroth crossed his arms.

"Sir, how do you know Cloud?"

Cloud threw a distressed, pleading expression to Grievers, and Grievers didn't listen. "I'm Leon Striker. Cloud and I are friends."

"Friends?"

Leon nodded. "Yes, and I came by to pick up someone."

Sephiroth frowned. "To pick up Cloud?"

The blond shrank back and wished he could vanish. Things couldn't get any worse. He could even hear Riku's silent wails at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, he's keeping two boys here for me. Riku and Sora."

Cloud wanted to shrink back and die. He stepped away, looking pained. Sephiroth glanced at him, and then sneered.

"Ah. Those two. So you were hiding them..."

Cloud could see the confusion on Leon's face. He quickly grabbed him and yanked him into the house, and shut the door.

"Seph, your wanting to tell that friend of yours where they are just proves—"

"Nothing." Sephiroth put his hands on his hips. "I'm surprised you didn't trust me, Cloud."

"And what if he suddenly came by and took them?" snapped the blond. "What then? I'm supposed to think you had nothing to do with it?"

Leon stared at the argument, watching it progress but taking no part.

"You're not helping."

"You're not helping, either!"

"I wasn't going to have anything to do with them—besides—!"

"The more you talk, the more your story falls apart! You're such a bad liar!" Cloud clenched his fists. "You might as well stop talking!" He shook his head, arms flying up. "I don't even know you anymore!" By this point, it was clear Sephiroth was running out of ways to win this, so he bit his lip and settled for changing his angle.

"Cloud, listen to me..."

Cloud hissed, fretful, stressed and upset. "Forget it!" he snarled. "Get out—right now!" He opened the door again and pointed outside. "Out! I have a guest, Sephiroth! I think it'd be best if you took some time off around here."

Leon coiled back half a step, and Sephiroth's eyes widened for a moment. Then, after several seconds, he glared.

"No, perhaps you should take time off," he snarled, before storming out the door and pulling it shut forcefully in his tread.

Cloud braced himself on the door when Sephiroth was gone, head bowed. He had to take several deep breaths to calm down, and silence ensued, except for the fearful whimpers of Riku at the bottom of the basement stairs.

Leon tilted his head and leaned in cautiously, saying, "You going to be okay?"

Cloud just nodded his head, pointing to the basement. "Boys are downstairs," he murmured. Leon didn't ask questions. He didn't need to be told who Sephiroth was in terms of how they were related; he could tell it must have been Cloud's boyfriend. And that Cloud was getting very stressed. So he went over to the basement, and descended the stairs to find Sora hugging the silvery-haired teen who had written backwards on his stomach two years ago.

Sora wasn't sure who he was, but he must have been surprised, because he looked at Leon with a face of great relief. Leon sighed. Must've thought I was going to be someone scary by what was going on upstairs.

Leon crouched down and gently put a hand on Riku's head. Riku flung his arm out instantly, beating it away, glaring. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH M—" Stopping when he saw it was Leon. His face was just a little bit tear-streaked. Leon put his hand on Riku's head again.

"It's all right." He whispered, "I'm not Ansem."

This must have been news worthy of a Hallelujah chorus to Riku, because in the next instant he flung himself into Leon's arms and squeezed him, a sigh of relief and pure joy escaping him. "Leon!" he cried. The brunet draped an arm around Riku, and Sora still kept his hands around one of Riku's arms. He and Leon faced each other at the same moment.

"I'm Leon Striker, his foster agent."

Sora beamed. "Foster agent? That means you can help us, right?"

But then the older brunet frowned, and shook his head. "Well...I'm not sure. But I can certainly try." He stroked Riku's back, petting him almost. "His mother did most of the work already..."

Riku blinked away his tears. "Mom?" he wondered. He said it with awe. "Mom...what did Mom do?"

"She filed a complaint in court. Ansem is being sued for sexual abuse-slash-child abuse and negligence. She said something about remembering she could see your ribs..."

Riku got a crooked smile on his face, and laughed for the first time that day. "It's because I never took all of his meals. I hated him so much. I hated that house! You don't know how much I wanted to get away..."

"Yes, I do," Leon said, raising an eyebrow. "You took his car and sped out of the driveway to the next city. I think that's proof enough, isn't it?"

Author's Notes: P.S. - I'd just like all of you to know yet again how much you've done for me and how great it is that you guys love this story so much, and that I encourage you to continue reading - and that I love you all SOOOO much for staying with me! Thank you, thank you, thank you, reviewers! You guys are a totally awesome audience! This is by far the longest story I've ever written. My last big project was Enigmatic Man, but that only ended after 28 chapters. This story has now reached almost twice that amount, and I have you guys to thank! So don't poof on me, there's TONS of stuff ahead that I guarantee you won't want to miss!