Title: Drought

Disclaimer: I'm not well…and these people are not mine.

Chapter 8

Leon stormed into Hollow Bastion's Restoration committee HQ angrily. He marched past a concerned looking Aerith and Yuffie into the back room. He locked the door behind him and sunk his fist into the wooden frame with a satisfying thud. Try as he might, Leon couldn't keep his mind from wandering the hallways of speculation and to be honest, he wasn't really trying that hard.

Cloud Strife.

A hollow feeling in his gut throbbed painfully as a mental image sprung to mind. The ride back from the Coliseum had been awkward and strained, but it wasn't the distant manner Cloud had adopted. It wasn't the curt answers and aloof treatment he was receiving from the blonde. No, he was already very used to being treated like an insignificant object.

It was the sex.

A barely audible groan escaped his lips as Leon's wayward mind took him back to the too short time they had spent together. It was just a taste, he knew, of what the ex-Soldier had to offer, and that knowledge alone was enough to drive him mad with desire. Cloud was an expert lover. He was precise without being abrupt, teasing but not torturous.

Leon sank to the ground behind the door and rested his head against it, grateful for the support. What was it, he reflected despairingly, that made him so distant all of a sudden. No matter what arguments his mind made to the contrary, a small nagging part of it dropped insinuations of the worst. Was it his sex? Leon squeezed his eyes shut as the thought took hold and a new horror overcame him. Had he been so unresponsive that Strife could have taken insult from it? The thought seemed ludicrous and he dismissed it as soon as it announced itself. Could it possibly be the appearance of Braska? He frowned. To his knowledge, Cloud had never even met the summoner, so it couldn't possibly be that.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his musings. It was closely followed by Aerith's low voice asking him if she could come in. He suppressed a groan. It wasn't like him to lose his temper like this so it was only natural for them to be concerned. He slowly pulled himself to his feet. It was no use ignoring her; she was too damn persistent. He'd have to tell them something and it was better facing them sooner than later. Leon opened the door with a calculatedly blank look.

"You want something?" He asked as she pushed her way into the room. Aerith walked over to the desk at the corner of the room and sat on the corner. He shut the door and looked at her with a quizzical expression.

"Something's wrong." She stated matter-of-factly. Leon nodded with a small sigh. He leaned against the door frame.

"Of course; I haven't found Lionheart." He replied with a pointed look at the girl. She frowned at him in response.

"So? You've never overreacted like this for anything before." When Leon made no reply, she looked out the back window with a far away look as she continued.

"It's Strife isn't it." The mercenary made a mental note to inflict grievous harm upon Cid. To be fair, if Yuffie and Aerith teamed up, no man could stand in their way, but at the moment, he really wasn't in the mood to be fair to anyone.

"You know, I knew Zack before Cloud did."

Leon's eyes jerked upward before he could stop them. As if this were the confirmation she had been waiting for, Aerith nodded to herself with a mysterious smile.

"The experience was a most interesting one. He was stuck up, annoying, self absorbed, arrogant, confident and despite his amazing track record with Shinra, had the lowest amount of self esteem possible. When I met Cloud after he died, I wasn't very surprised to find out that they had been friends. I'm not sure if it's a trait that Shinra Soldiers pick up, or if it's just something unique to those two." Leon almost rolled his eyes. He was very interested in what she was saying, but didn't wish to appear that way.

"What does any of this have to do with me?"

"I'm getting there," she continued with a patient look. "You see, It's taken me a long time, but I now understand what it is that plagues Cloud." She paused. "Do you want to know Leon?" The mercenary glared daggers at the floor. This really wasn't any of his business, he thought, why the hell was Aerith telling him this?

"Well you're going to tell me or not?" He snapped.

"Cloud is afraid, desperately afraid, of his past. He is also frightened of the way people make him feel." Leon looked up blankly. Afraid of his past? His heart sank at the thought. Had he been that much in love with Zack? She didn't stop.

"He blames himself for everything he's lost so far. Zack dying, Shinra's evil, Sephiroth's betrayal, his world being consumed by darkness…everything. Everyone and everything that he's ever loved has betrayed and destroyed him. At first I thought him incapable of caring about anyone else, but now I know different."

Leon sighed. What she was saying made sense, but even so, what could he do? And why the hell did it matter anyway, he thought angrily. Cloud had used him for his own desires and then proceeded to pretend that he didn't exist. He looked up at Aerith suddenly.

"Wait. You know what now?" He asked. The girl gave him an exasperated look.

"It's no secret Leon."

He shook his head and pushed off the door. He opened it and gestured at her to leave. She shook her head and continued in a more urgent tone.

"Please Leon, listen to me. He may not show it, and he may seem like a selfish man at times, but believe what I'm saying. We've all seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one's looking. He devours you with his eyes. The last time you got injured in the coliseum he went on a killing streak for three days!" Leon glared at her openly now. She was only serving to make him angrier with every word she said.

"Goddamnit Aerith I don't care!" He snapped at the girl. "All he does is look. He uses me from afar and then ignores everything I say to him. Cloud Strife is the most unfeeling man I've ever met. If I didn't already know him, I'd swear he was still working for Hades. That man," he stressed on the word 'man' bitterly, "doesn't even know I exist. To him, I'm just another pretty face. If he's so in love with the past that perfect-Soldier-Zack means more to him than anything else, that's fine by me, because I don't give a shit about him."

Aerith shook her head sadly. If she was disturbed by his outburst, she didn't show it. "And I don't believe you Leon." She walked over to the open door. "He needs you, and unless I'm very mistaken, you feel the same way about him." She left the room quickly, leaving Leon strained and more confused than ever.

Xxx

What the hell was I thinking? A blonde man with a large sword thought as he walked toward The Black Pearl. His head was a tumultuous mass of thoughts, and chaotic emotions. Stupid Leon, allowing him to have his wicked way. If he thought he wanted the mercenary before, Cloud was downright horny now. His satisfaction hadn't even lasted the day, and now he ached for more contact. He shook his head hastily trying to clear it. Frustration was building quickly to a dangerous level and he knew that he had to fix it as soon as possible. Even now, he was dangerously close to losing himself. That had never happened before, he thought furiously as he recalled the moment when he had almost lost control of the animal inside him.

What was it about Leon that burned him up inside? For that one moment, Leon had looked at him without recognition. What was it, and why was it happening now, when he was so confused about everything that was happening. There was one person with the answers, and he was going to get them. Traverse Town was deserted at night. Even as early as it was, it seemed as soon as the sun went down, the inhabitants of the small town disappeared into their homes. It was natural, he supposed, for people that lived in a place forever haunted by the heartless. His head began aching and he stopped thinking.

The Black Pearl was also deserted as its inhabitants had obviously preferred the town's small bar to their own quarters. So it was that Cloud found it a simple matter of boarding the ship. The deck was deserted but the moment he set foot upon the wooden boards, he knew he was being observed. Very well, he thought, there was nothing for it till the person decided to show himself. He made his way to the helm and leaned on the rail casually to wait.

It didn't take long.

Almost as soon as Cloud relaxed, a figure emerged from the darkness at his right.

"It took you long enough. I thought you'd come to me for that idiot." Cloud ignored his statement.

"Are you responsible for this Kadaj?" He asked tonelessly. The cloaked figure laughed a little at his words.

"Responsible for what precisely nii-san?" He gestured to the ship as he pulled back the cowl from his face. "You mean the dear captain and his misadventure? No. my only interest here is you." Cloud stared at him. Nii-san? What the hell was he talking about?

"Why did you call me that?" He growled in response. "And what is your interest in me?"

Kadaj gave him a winning smile. "Why, because you are dear brother. You and I are part of the same." Cloud's headache was beginning to get worse.

"Don't fuck with me Kadaj. Explain yourself." The silver haired man threw his head back and a loud raucous laugh escaped his mouth into the night air.

"Forgive me, but I love hearing beautiful people swear. What I mean, is that you have with in your blood, Jenova's memnetic legacy." At the look on the ex-Soldier's face, he added, "tell me, do you remember Sephiroth?"

Cloud's buster blade was out before he knew it. His body moved on its own, slashing toward Kadaj's neck. It was met with a dull clang as the other man responded in like time, unsheathing his own weapon. The other man leapt backwards and raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Now, now Nii-san, it's a little premature for that. And I was so hoping you would accept my invitation."

Strife fought to calm himself. "What are you saying? I don't understand." He spat out.

"You will, brother. My reunion must have you."

"I would rather fuck your katana than have anything to do with you." Cloud retorted. The strange hold this man had on him was returning again. It felt the same as when he had first met him outside the coliseum. A dizziness was overtaking his senses and his vision was slowly beginning to fade. Kadaj gave him a strange look and made a mocking bow in departure.

"I will remember that. Till next time Cloud."

"You're not going anywhere just yet." The blond added before the image could fade completely. He struggled to focus on the silver haired image. "You have…something to return." He managed as his eyelids suddenly felt heavy. Through the haze of his vision he could barely discern a flash of metal from the other man. Something heavy fell at his feet but not for the life of him could he remember what it was supposed to be. Confused, he looked down.

Leon's gunblade lay at his feet, glinting in the moonlight. Cloud swayed on his feet as a sudden pain in his left arm forced a small sound to escape his lips. His own weapon fell to the deck with a dull clang as his fingers suddenly felt numb. Strife dropped to one knee and quickly ripped the sleeve off his arm. The skin underneath looked darkened and was throbbing with pain. He grit his teeth as another wave of anguish washed over his limbs but even the ex-soldier couldn't take the intensity and collapsed to the wooden deck clutching his arm. In the last moment before he blacked out, a soft voice in his head whispered to him.

"You see Cloud, it has already begun."

xxx

(AN: gasp I wrote a chapter! Strange because I have an Econ test tmrw…wait what was I saying..? Ah right! Read Wild Days by me because I want you too please..? and review if its not too much trouble…aaaaaaaaaand…I know there was something else…oh yeah, review this chapter pretty please…

Tidus What's our goal?

Wakka 100 reviews ya!

I think I put too much…strange-Aerithness-stuff in this chapter. If so, lemme know willya. Later.)