Author's Notes: Hah! We're not out of the woods yet!

Now, I have an announcement for all contest participators: THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SEND IN YOUR FANART! I am going to stretch out my updates from here on out, but we only have a FEW CHAPTERS LEFT, so hurry up and send them in so I can announce the winner on the second-to-last chapter! Again, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! Send them in before the boat sets sail without you! To be fair, I will update with a stretch of about three or four days between each chapter, two at the minimum, to give you guys some more time.

Send them in, send them in! All artistic entries, send them in before the chance is gone!

P.S. - for all you fans, there is a cut extension to the bathroom scene at the end of this chapter in my LiveJournal. The link is at the bottom of the chapter.

Chapter 56

"Fire to the Flame"

Outside of the court room, distanced from the others who were present, Luxord paced back and forth, gritting his teeth madly. This was not good. He had been solely relying on Riku to crack under the pressure and admit to consent. If that was gone, he didn't know what he would do. He looked at Ansem, and could see the anger mounting in his eyes.

"Ansem, this is very hard for me because you didn't call any witnesses. We have no one to support your guilty statement..."

I did have someone! Ansem snarled, curling his fingers into hateful fists. But Sephiroth—fucking Sephiroth!—he refused to testify in my favor! That rotten bastard! He gives me the lawyer to do it and the money to cover it, but he won't even lift a finger when it comes to the important parts of the case!

"I'm sure that friend of yours who recommended me would have been able to help," Luxord mentioned (damn, just what Ansem had been thinking), "But since he's not here, it's too late for him to show up now."

Ansem slumped and ran his tense fingers back through his hair. He'd played a dangerous game, and now he was paying for it with his life. A life in prison. He wanted to believe there was another trump card in all this, but there wasn't. He swallowed hard.

I could switch my statement to "Guilty"...NO! He snapped his teeth. Never! I won't succumb to the pressure against a smart-mouthed brat! No one gets the best of me. NO ONE.

It was very strange, how Ansem worked. He decidedly refused to give up in his mind, even though in that same mind, he knew there was now no chance of winning. He disliked giving up the battle. Ansem wasn't the kind who would put up the white flag when they knew they were dead. He'd keep charging forward, even if it meant he would hit a brick wall.

Luxord patted his shoulder, already knowing the outcome. Ansem just growled and flicked his hand away. "I need some water," he grumbled.

"Did...did I do good?"

Sora hugged the taller one tightly and kissed his cheek. "You did great, Riku."

Riku breathed with great relief and wrapped his arms around Sora. "But I can still hear it. It's screaming at me now."

Sora looked up. "Does it make your head hurt?" He asked.

"A little..." Riku fondled the spikes of Sora's hair, "But it's bearable whenever I'm around you. Still irritating, though. I'm trying not to yell at it out loud..."

"We'll get you a therapist." Sora said, squeezing Riku's waist and looking up. "That's okay with you, right?"

"I guess so." He placed a kiss on the brunet's forehead. "If it's really necessary." He paused. "What about medicine?"

"We'll get that for you, too."

"Do you think it'll change me at all?"

Sora giggled. "Not besides making you a little more sane. But sanity is a good thing." He nuzzled against Riku's chest. "You've had enough of the insanity, I think...you need the change of pace."

Someone coughed beside them. It ended up being Tidus. "If you two lovebirds haven't noticed, your incessant cuddling is making everyone stare at you."

Riku grinned wolfishly, and hugged Sora tighter, almost possessively.

"Oh, let them stare," he boasted, "I've got the sanity of a hyena and the cutest, cuddliest boyfriend on earth. I like my boyfriend, dammit."

"R-Riku!" Sora whined, blushing deeply at the comment. Riku poked one of his apple-red cheeks.

"See? Isn't he adorable? Isn't he?" Riku nuzzled Sora's other cheek, making the brunet whimper again, as well as causing Tidus to laugh.

"Sora's soooo cute," Riku cooed, "He's cute enough to eat!"

"Aah, no!" Sora cried, as the other wrapped his arms around his shoulders and grinned at him.

"I could just take a big chomp out of him, like this—aaah!" Riku opened his mouth and tried to bite Sora's ear and jaw. The brunet laughed and pushed the other off of him.

"Don't eat me!" He giggled.

"The sight of you two, I swear." Tidus shook his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Riku glared suddenly, though at no one in particular.

"Shut up," he snarled.

Tidus paused. "What?"

"Not you, the Voice."

The blond blinked owlishly. "...Aah. Well then."

"I've had all the craziness I can stand for one day!" Roxas moaned, leaning on the arm of the bench he was sitting in. "I'm hungryyy. I want a snack or something. Can't we leave the court house and get some grub?"

"I think they want us to stay here," Tidus replied. "But once this is over, we'll get a bite to eat, all four of us. How's that sound?"

"It sounds like a double date." Riku snickered. Roxas shot up.

"You know the two of us aren't gay!" He snapped.

"Oh, I know...but I love to see that look on your face."

Roxas pouted and crossed his arms. Tidus pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and Sora eyed it with a tilted head.

"Who are you calling, Tidus?"

"Leon. I want to tell him how the case is going."

Sora got a cat-like smile on his face. "You mean that we're kicking Ansem's ass?"

Tidus laughed. "More or less." He held the cell phone up to his ear. "Hey, when he picks up, do you guys want to talk to him?"

"Yeah, why not?" The brunet glanced at Riku. "Do you wanna do that, Riku?"

Riku shook his head, shrugging. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

He was feeling quite peaceful like this, actually. He could still smell a little of Cloud's cologne on him. Not surprising; he was lying right next to him.

"This is the sixth time, you know."

Leon groaned. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't remind me. We've been at it like rabbits. That reminds me, shouldn't you be too tired to talk?"

Cloud smirked. "Shouldn't you?"

Leon sighed. Admittedly, it wasn't consecutive (thank God—he couldn't imagine fucking Cloud six times in a row), but they had been having sex an awful lot since that first date. This was definitely walking a line that made him feel a little uneasy. How could he know if it wasn't just his body that attracted Cloud, or that it was just Cloud's that attracted him?

Then again, why had he spent this much time with him?

Because the sex is good, of course, he thought. That didn't necessarily mean the dates were terrible, though. The last couple of times they went somewhere, it had been nice. Whenever it fell silent, neither of them bothered to bring up a topic, and would sometimes just sit and soak up the enjoyment of quiet company. One time it was quiet for too long, though, and Cloud suddenly moved over and they made out in the park. Lots of eyes staring at them that one time.

"Do you feel awkward?"

Leon blinked and peered up. "Excuse me?"

"I was asking if you feel awkward."

The brunet paused, breathing deeply, staring into Cloud's eyes. "Well...yeah, a little."

Cloud turned his eyes away, playing his fingers through his golden hair. "Well, think about it this way: we never saw each other's faces when we first met, but we knew each other's aliases. Over three years, we've been chatting and chatting, going on and on, spilling our guts about things we wouldn't normally tell others."

Leon cocked an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. I understandably left a few important things out." Cloud huffed, seeing that look Leon gave him. "But what I mean is this: by the time we finally did meet face-to-face, it was like we already knew each other like best friends." He snuggled a little closer, and pressed his cheek against Leon's chest. "Don't you think it's natural that we'd want to make that last leap over the fence right away?"

Leon didn't respond. Instead, he reluctantly returned the cuddling embrace, keeping his thoughts to himself. Cloud sighed, and pushed him over onto his back, tilting his head and giving him a cocky smirk.

"Maybe you'll feel better with that big ego of yours if I just simplify things and say I don't regret it," he stated. Leon blinked.

"Nothing...?"

"Not a damn bit." Cloud nibbled on the other's jawline. "Now c'mere. I'm feeling especially rowdy this morning."

Leon groaned. "It's getting closer to noon..."

"Not really," Cloud purred, nipping Leon's earlobe.

"Ngh. Shouldn't you be moving in with your friends...?"

"Mmm, I could move in with you..."

The brunet's heart stopped. "What did you say?"

Then the tune to Nightwish's "Walking in the Air" started jingling. Leon cursed, nudging against Cloud. "Okay, get off."

"Ignore it..." the words were more of a statement than a plea, and Cloud ground against Leon's hips. The brunet grunted, and snapped his teeth tight. I will not get hard. I will not get hard. Oh fuck, I'm getting hard.

"Cloud, my phone—"

"Is it really that important?"

"Yes." Leon growled. "That's Tidus' ringtone."

A sigh. "Alright..." the blond let him squirm out from underneath so that he could bend over the bed and pull the thing out of his jeans pocket and flip it open. Settling down on the bed again, Leon cradled the phone to his ear.

"I'm a little busy. What do you want?"

"Busy doing what? Aren't you off today?" Tidus wondered. Leon sighed, and looked over at Cloud, then back at the ceiling.

"I have a guest over, Tidus."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought you might like to know how Riku's case is going."

Blinking, Leon sat up on one elbow. "Is he doing okay?"

"Doing just fine. Why don't you talk to him yourself? Here, I'll hand you over." Leon nodded on his end of the line, and there was a moment of pause before the voice had changed, and he knew who it was.

"Hey..."

"Riku." Leon sat up a little more. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess."

"How is the case?"

"I just testified," Riku replied. Leon nodded again.

"Did you tell the whole truth?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way." Riku paused. "And I noticed that Ansem didn't have any witnesses with him. It's his sole word against ours. Tidus, Roxas, and Sora testified, too."

Leon, had he the hyperactive notion and not an ounce of sense left in his body, would have dropped the phone and started jumping up and down, dancing on the bed, screaming, "Yes! Yes! Yes! That bastard's going to jail! How do you like THAT, Ansem?" ...But, he did have some sense in him, and Leon was not the hyperactive type. So instead, a very wily grin crossed his face, and he gripped the cell phone tighter.

"That's great, Riku." He said calmly.

"I know. I've got this big rush of something running through me. I've never felt so great in my entire life, I swear. I'm almost scared that it's gonna crumble all around me."

"Well, it won't," Leon assured him. "I promise. You watch. When you go back into that court room, the Jury's gonna pin him guilty as sin. Keep your chin up."

"Yeah, you're right," Riku replied, sounding a little more confident. "...You know, Sora and the others are saying I should get some medicine and a therapist."

Leon blinked. "Medicine? Therapist?" The therapist he could understand, but... "What for?"

"Tidus and the others think I'm schizophrenic. I guess they're right. I keep hearing voices in my head. I have been ever since Ansem's taken me in."

Leon sighed. Well, shit, no wonder. So Ansem didn't just fuck him up physically, but mentally, too. God, he hoped that bastard got raped a million times and then died a rotten death. He deserved it for what he did. Not just to Riku, but to all those other poor kids, too. I hope he doesn't forget to drop the soap, Leon thought.

"...And...Leon?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"Well...I know that...you didn't see me very much, but..."

The brunet cocked his head in another direction. Cloud watched him with his chin in one hand, tapping his jawline with his pinky finger.

"...I realize that two years ago when I talked to you, you might not have been able to do much. But...I was scared, and...when I wrote that message to you, it just made me feel a little better."

Leon smiled slightly, chuckling. "So you still remember that...do you know how long it took me to scrub that off? My stomach was raw."

Riku laughed lightly. "Yeah. Well...I just...I want to thank you."

He was confused. "Thank me? Thank me for what?" Leon shook his head. "I don't think it's necessary for you to thank me, Riku."

"Don't say that. It's very necessary. I saw it...the way you looked at him, I knew that you knew, too. At first I was mad, and I even hated you a little, because I thought, 'Why did he send me here? Why did he give me to HIM?' But I guess you just wanted to keep your job...and after a while, I forgave you. You took care of me at the foster home, too. I can't forget that. And—"

"Okay, that's enough."

"No, you brought me back to my mother, too! I'm living with her now, and I have you in part to thank. You didn't do much, Leon...but you did something. You know?"

"...Yeah."

"Anyway. I guess Tidus wants his phone back, he's got his hands on his hips like a woman and he's giving me this really cross stare. So I'll talk to you later."

Leon nodded his head. "Alright. Sounds good. Take care, Riku."

"You too." Riku paused for a couple of seconds. "Oh, and...take care of your blondie friend, too."

Leon's eyes became saucer-cup sized and he coiled back sharply from the phone, holding it at arm's length. What the HELL? How did he KNOW that? He cast a wary glance over at Cloud, who blinked owlishly.

"Is there something on my face?"

"...No...it's nothing..." Leon cradled the phone to his ear again. "Tidus? You there?"

"Yeah, I am now. But hey, I gotta go, alright?"

"Sure."

"Have fun with your guest, okay? Sorry for interrupting!"

Leon groaned, suppressing a blush. "Don't worry about it..."

"Okay, wish us luck!" Tidus bid him farewell and hung up the phone, and Leon did the same. This time, though, he switched the phone off and plopped it down on his bedside table. Then he rolled over, to Cloud, who immediately attached to him again with his arm slung lazily over Leon's side.

"How come you looked at me like that? What did he say?"

"Nothing important." Leon sighed. "They were telling me about the case against Ansem. It sounds like they're going to win."

"Really? Good. I hope that bastard drops the soap."

Leon smirked. Really? That's what I was thinking.

Cloud purred and nuzzled against Leon's neck, burying his face into the curve of it and nibbling the flesh. "So...now that the phone call's done..."

Leon sighed. "Alright, fine. You already got me interested, anyway..."

"Oh, don't be such a stickler. You know you like it." Cloud smiled and placed a careful open-mouthed kiss on Leon's neck, his tongue pressing against the skin before his lips closed and kissed it. "But I wanna try something different this time." He trailed his hand down Leon's front and squeezed the brunet's hardening shaft under the covers, making him groan.

"I wanna be top this time."

Leon blinked at him. And he said flatly, "Surely, you're joking."

"No joke." Cloud turned him over, looking into Leon's eyes very seriously. "You're gonna be my bitch this time."

"Oh, hell no." Leon growled. "Roll over. I'm the fucker, and you're the fuckee, and there's no way I'm going to be topped by you."

"Yeah? You wanna make a bet on that?" Cloud asked, grinning. "I dated a guy once in college who said the same thing, and do you know what happened? After some very well-planned coaxing and teasing, I had him begging for it."

"Yes, well, it's not happening here." Leon growled, turning them over to pin Cloud to the bed. Cloud snickered and shoved him to the covers again, and Leon snarled.

"Cloud, I'm serious!"

"And so am I, so you'd better remember my name, because you'll be screaming it later."

Leon opened his mouth to say something, but the blond started to stroke him and practically eating his neck (but doing a very good job of it, damn him), and instead of protesting, he just gave a weak groan. Cloud smirked.

"See?"

Leon sighed, but it was out of pleasure this time, and not argument. "You're not topping me," he muttered.

"You're gonna eat your words, Leon Striker." Cloud said with a wolfish grin. He squeezed Leon in his hand and gave a sharp jerk, making his partner hiss.

"Damn it!"

"I learn fast." The blond murmured into his ear. "I already know a lot of what you like. So now it's just time to find out what you like on the receiving end..."

"Oh, so I glared at you like a woman, huh?" Tidus crossed his arms. "You're such a jerk sometimes, Riku."

"Heh, heh, heh. But it's true..." Riku squeezed his arm around Sora's waist. "Anyway, I'm gonna go freshen up. I'm still feeling shaky after that testimony. A little water might help." Riku glanced at Sora and ruffled his hair, smiling at him as he began to walk away.

"I'll be back before the half hour's up, okay?"

Sora blinked after him for a moment, thinking. Why had Riku smiled at him like that? He thought...and thought...Ohhhhh, he realized, it suddenly dawning on him.

Sora rocked back and forth on his toes with his hands in his pockets before he began to walk off in the same direction. "I gotta go, guys. I'll be back in a minute."

Tidus and Roxas stared at him. Roxas put his hands on his hips.

"Should we tell them how obvious it is...?"

"Leave them alone," Tidus sighed, smiling and shaking his head. "They just want some alone time. Can't really get that in this hallway, with all the people around."

It was pretty easy finding his way to the boy's bathroom, so when he got there, Sora strutted in and absently started playing with his tie. Riku was at one of the sinks, the cuffs of his suit undone to roll up the sleeves and splash his face with cold water. He turned off the faucet, sighing, and snatched a paper towel to dab his face dry. He glanced over when he was done.

"Oh, so you got my message," he murmured, smirking. "I was afraid you'd be too dense to get that one."

"Hey! Don't insult me!" Sora growled, pouting adorably as he often did. "I'm not that innocent. I knew what you meant..."

"I'll bet you had to think about it, though."

Sora opened his mouth to argue, but closed it when he realized Riku was right. The boy smiled at him and ruffled his hair, kissing his forehead.

"Don't worry, Sora, it's not a bad thing. I think it's cute. That's why I love it."

The brunet huffed, crossing his arms. "I guess." He looked up at Riku. "But why did you want us to be in here, anyway?"

Riku paused for a while, and then he broke out into laughter behind his hand. "I was mistaken. Maybe you really are that innocent."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!" Sora whined. "Man, Riku, cut it out! You're being vague! Like you usually do when you think something to yourself."

Riku laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's fine, don't worry. I guess it's better to show than tell, so..." he hooked his fingers into the ring of the tie around Sora's neck, and began to draw him back into one of the bathroom stalls, "...follow me."

"Wha...?" Sora was leaning forward as he was pulled. "Riku...what are you doing?"

The silver-haired teen closed the door to the stall behind the both of them, and then locked it, and pushed down the toilet seat. "Sit down," he whispered, pushing Sora back.

"S-Si—wait a minute—!" As the wheels turned in the brunet's head, he finally began to catch up, and now his face was turning red. "Here?" He hissed quietly. "Now?"

"Yes, here, now." Riku forced Sora to sit and nuzzled his cheek against the other's. "I just wanna give you a little something..."

"G-Give what, now?" Sora stuttered. Riku began to stroke him through his suit, making him blush even redder. "R-Riku, come on, please...it's a public bathroom!"

"So?"

"What if somebody comes in?"

Riku began to softly sink to his knees, and rubbed his nose and lips against Sora's groin. The brunet drew in a sharp gasp and gripped the sides of the cold porcelain he was sitting on. "Rikuuu...!"

"If someone walks in, you can just be quiet."

"E-Easy for you to say!" Squeaked the teen. "W-What about the mess?"

Riku grinned. "Mess? There won't be a mess."

"But—aah..." Against his better judgement, Sora elicited a soft groan when Riku breathed hotly on his groin through the cloth, and undid the zipper with his teeth—his teeth, dammit! Curse the bastard for being so sexy, he grumbled mentally. His ears and neck joined his cheeks in the flush-red frenzy, and he chewed on his bottom lip.

"Riku..."

"Just trust me, Sora," Riku whispered, undoing the stubborn buttons of the brunet's dress pants by hand, and tugging down the front of his underwear to free his half-hard shaft. "You'll like this."

Sora groaned. "Oh, gawd." How the hell do you get me to agree to everything you say?

Author's Notes: The link to my LiveJournal, just take out the spaces and you should be fine: (http/ kujazlilmage. livejournal. com)Enjoy the smut!