Hello everyone! Let me begin by saying KINGDOM HEARTS II IS ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVER! The graphics are so wonderful, Utada Hikaru does it again with her wonderful voice, and the plot is so twisty it's like tuning into General Hospital after missing it for the past month! I love it! Seifer even makes an appearance, so I don't feel so weird about putting him into a KH fic! Ah, life is good!

All right, we're winding down to the final stretch! Just a few more chapters left! (Thank goodness...) As for my wonderful reviewers, I really must say I appreciate your input, it makes the already enjoyable project of creating this thing even more thrilling. On with the thank you's! To anyone I've missed, I thank you as well.

Hanae da Firefly-Thankyou very much for your insight! Honestly, I'm not noticing any grammatical errors. Being one who can usually spot these things, I'm a bit baffled at your criticisms. I'm not saying you're wrong, but if you would include an example next time, fixing the problem would be a bit more doable. Paragraph spacing? Are you never satisfied? Hahaha! But seriously, I personally like the tight little cluster my spacings fall in, but I suppose to each his own! -

Losthimagain-Thank you for your review! Cloud has indeed taken the initiative. Bravo to him, ne? This story (as well as AcoV) has turned out more Shonen-Ai than Yaoi, but as long as the goal of finishing the whole story is reached, I'm very much satisfied!

Lilitha- Hello! Thank you for the review! I'm so glad you liked the chapter. As for Cloud's protectiveness, yeah, I rather like it too! Hmm, who will beat the crap out of Seifer? Maybe you'll find out in this chapter...

Valkyrie Wilde-Thankyou for the review! Is the story really that suspenseful? The idea to make Seifer the antagonist was a definite decision. From the first word in ACoV I knew it had to be him. I'm really glad you like it!

Angstluver- Hello there! Thank you for your response. Seifer does have a bad habit of ruining things, huh? Oh well, we must have conflict somewhere!

Al-Bhed Thief- Thank you for your review! I'm really glad you like my story so much!

Now that the thank-you's have been taken care of, let the story commence! I own nothing.


Cloud loosened his grip on Leon's shoulders and dropped his hands limply at his sides.

"...Ugh..."

"So...that' s what this is all about..." Seifer deducted calmly with a hint of amusement that Cloud wasn't too fond of. Then his expression changed. "You...bastard."

"I..."

"Ha," he chuckled, showing all of his teeth. In the waning light he looked almost vulpine."I should have known. I should have known!"

Cloud's voice was caught in his throat. He didn't know what to say or do, but he was especially worried about Leon, whom he didn't need to look at to see the expression of blatant terror painted across his face. He could tell he wanted nothing more than to bolt, but his feet were firmly planted in cement shoes.

Seifer began to close the distance between them, slow and lax. The swagger in his step offered a hint of casualty, but the way Leon tensed up at the advancement suggested something dark and dangerous.

Instinctively, Cloud stepped forward, protectively standing front of Leon, but the advancement continued. With each step, he could hear Leon's breath getting quicker and shorter. He wanted to hold him again, to calm him, but Cloud figured that wouldn't help at the moment.

As he approached, Seifer's gaze shifted from Cloud to Leon. Cloud could easily hold his ground, but the single notice he made toward Leon was more than enough to break the cement holding his feet. Before Seifer had gotten a yard away, he was running.

"Leon! Wait!" Cloud shouted, without response. His figure disappeared into the darkness not reached by the street lights. He was gone. Cloud rubbed his eyes in frustration. There was no telling what Leon was feeling then, although Cloud couldn't entirely rule out fear. With the few—yet effective—events that had transpired over the past few minutes, he couldn't blame Leon for running off.

They hadn't really gotten a chance to talk, and with the accession of the kiss—which hadn't been intended as a repellant—and Seifer, there was no immediate evidence that he would even see him again. In all his effort to make things better, Cloud may have aided in making things worse.

But then the sound of shuffling feet on the cobblestones brought Cloud back to what he was doing. Seifer was still standing in front of him, and the absence of Leon was not going to stop him from saying what he wanted to say.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Seifer started, with a bit more spite than curiosity. "I thought we were friends."

"We're not anymore."

"Obviously not." His voice was underscored with mockery. "But, what I'd like to know is...why you did this to us."

"Me? Sorry, but this was you."

"Bull." He spat. "You're the one who started hanging around with that pans—"

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to Leon badly."

"What?"

"You heard what I said."

"Huh" He snorted. " You used to not care what I called him."

"Things change."

"Clearly so."

The wind blew around them as the sides paused to sum up the other. Cloud stood with an air of confidence. Before, when he had spoken to Seifer, he was timid, and a bit reluctant to tell him how he felt. Now though, with the strength of his anger and compassion he felt for Leon, he wasn't afraid to have the confrontation, but rather anxious to have the whole thing over and done with so he would be able to concentrate on the more important matter of his roommate.

Seifer was not so much fueled with confidence, but rather anger and jealousy—the latter of the two he was a bit reluctant to admit. He despised Cloud for throwing away their bond so comfortably, and even more so disgusted with the individual who caused him to do it. He had always known Cloud to be so easily swayed by other opinions. That was how he had gotten Cloud to do many of the deeds—good and bad—they had done back in their childhood. Seifer secretly liked having such an impact on a person.

Be it deciding his actions or changing his opinions and ideas Seifer had enjoyed it, and since Cloud could be manipulated without difficulty most of the time, he had plenty of opportunities to utilize his prowess. Now however, with the addition of Leon, his control was being reflected back at him, and of course, he didn't approve of it.

"Why?" He demanded.

"Why what?"

"Why him, huh? You must really hate me to go so low."

"I don't have to answer to you." Cloud said cooly.

"Anyone would have been better. I would have been better."

Unphased, Cloud replied, "I disagree."


In the sporadic breezes of the chilly night, Leon stood against a tree in the courtyard. He hadn't gone home, as he knew that would have been the first place Cloud would have gone had he been following him. However, since he had not, Leon was stuck in the dark, in the cold, and completely alone.

It was now that Leon almost wished that Cloud had followed him. Although he would have appreciated his solitude earlier, now it was as unwelcome as Seifer's appearance, not fifteen minutes before. It wasn't so much out of loneliness that he wanted Cloud's presence, but more so because he wanted to interrogate him.

Not for a second had Leon forgotten about that kiss. He could still feel it on his lips, easily distinguished so because it was the only warm place in his entire physical being not yet attacked by the cold night. As if the thought were a summons, he was pelted with another icy breeze.

He pulled his coat tighter around himself. Had it not happened to him, he would have easily thought it was the climax to some romance novel missing only the leg flip, the white horse, and the unrealistically happy ending. However, unbelievable as it was, it had happened, and Leon hadn't found himself displeased.

He wanted to know why Cloud had kissed him; a reasonable question. Was it some feeling Cloud had kept hidden for all these months...or maybe years? Was it just some sporadic notion equivalent to the whims of the hero in that romance novel? Did Cloud know Seifer was standing there and do it to make him angry?

The wind whipped at his face again. He could hear pieces of conversation in the distance right near the dorms. Since he hadn't quite recuperated from earlier's chase, he hadn't gotten very far away, so if he strained his ears and if the wind wasn't blowing hard, then he could hear indistinguishable breaths of conversation. Though indistinguishable, it was unmistakably Cloud and Seifer going at it.

Earlier he would have thought the two were conspiring against him again—in fact, earlier he did think that the two were conspiring against him. Now though, especially after the way Cloud was following him around after he specifically asked him to leave—not something one would normally associated with acts of kindness...but here it applied—and after that connotative kiss, Leon knew Cloud was someone he could trust.

He smiled to himself. It was time to head back to the dorms. Of course, unless he took the back way, he would run into Cloud and Seifer...not something he particularly wanted to do.

The back way then.

As he made his way across the grass, and Compiling all the thoughts together, he thought Cloud's reason for kissing him...

Though he would have liked to milk Cloud for it later on,

He didn't need a reason.

And the mental smile was on his lips.


"Listen to you!" Seifer was yelling now. "What you're saying is absolutely ridiculous!"

" Look, I don't have time for this... I have to go find—"

"You have to go find Leon, right? What, is he going to die if you don't find him before the stroke of midnight?"

" Hey, shut up!"

"And then you're going to go crazy with guilt that you didn't fulfill your mission as the reliable prince?"

"I said shut up!"

"But no, you're better than that. You'll probably find him and live happily ever after."

"Hey! Would you give it a rest already? Just get over yourself and... stay away from me."

Seifer tilted his head back with exaggerated interest. Cloud was beginning to lose his composure, and he was curious as to how far he could push it. "Stay away from you? A short time ago, you couldn't stand to be away from me. You wouldn't last long without me; you need me."

"Things have changed, as I said."

"...Yeah, well, I'm not sure I like the change." He stepped forward, now enough to see the blue of Cloud's eyes spark in annoyance.

"I don't really care if you like it or not." He was struggling now, to keep from losing control of himself. Seifer fed off of it.

"Yes you do. You always care. Only now you just care about Leon."

"You have no idea."

"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me then?" His eyes narrowed. "What else have you two been up to?" He leaned forward a little, half expecting Cloud to step back. He didn't though. He was stiff with choler.

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Do I smell scandal?"

"I don't smell anything."

Seifer smirked, his eyes flickered with wickedness. He could feel that Cloud was seconds away from snapping. "I don't like what he's done to you. He's changed you. I'll kill him."

Then Cloud's eyes glowed a ferocity that Seifer was not at all used to seeing.

"You keep your filthy hands away from him, do you understand me! If you come near him ever again, I'll—"

He had gotten what he wanted, as unexpectedly shocking as it was, he had gotten a rise out of Cloud. Smiling deviously, he pressed on."You'll what?" Trying to hide his surprise at Cloud's outburst, he turned his face up in disgust. "Cloud, I never would have believed it. You've gone completely insane, and there's no help for you. Leon's taken over your pathetic little mind."

"Don't talk about my insanity until you look at yourself!" He spat

"I'm perfectly sane. I can see what that prick has done to you. Maybe I should kill him. Do you think his control over you will disappear?"

Cloud was shaking with rage now, barely able to keep himself from slugging Seifer right in the jaw. "I don't understand how you can talk about Leon without falling to the ground calling out in sorrow for your guilt! After what you've done to him I can't believe you have the gall to face him, me, or the world and not feel as though your wicked heart has been ripped from your body!"

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He snorted, "And what have I done that's so much worse than what everyone else does to that son-of-a-bi–"

Cloud gripped Seifer's collar, his knuckles turning white. "You raped him, you sick bastard! You raped him and don't even remember it because you were too drunk to realize it!"

An anxious silence hung in the air. Seifer could feel Cloud's breath hitting his face and was momentarily fearful, but he wouldn't let Cloud see it. He stared into Cloud's furious eyes. The thrill of riling Cloud up was far too much to bear. As surprising as the news was, he couldn't control himself and carefully chanced a cocky grin.

"...So what?"

He watched with a mixture of interest and reverence as Cloud's eyes widened in bewilderment.

"What?"

"So what?" He gambled a chuckle. "I don't care. He deserved it then...if what you say is true." His eyes snaked with sinister amusement. The Appalled expression on Cloud's face, was almost irresistibly disporting. Seifer chuckled again, with increasing confidence. "I'm glad it was me. At least he's not so perfect now. I get the credit to defacing him. Thanks for telling me."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. He dropped one hand from Seifer's collar and brought it up to his chin. "I don't need you anymore...you're the one who obviously needs me."He brought his fist back, "...and as for Leon," He hissed "I don't even want to hear is name in your voice."

With that, his fist connected to Seifer's face with a frightening crack and his had snapped backward. Cloud dropped him to the ground without so much as a snort and wiped the bit of blood from his knuckles. Seifer would wake up eventually, but at the moment he didn't care at all.

The important thing at that moment was to find Leon.

Ah, dramatic, ne? Please review!