Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. They are solely Square Enix possessions and er… and Disney in regards to KH. Too bad they don't like to share huh? … But beggars can't be choosers; so therefore, we can be satisfied with just burrowing them, without intent of making any profit out of this of course.

This is Shounen-Ai, Yaoi… Boy Love… er… Slash… M/M…

If you don't like such thing, then here is where the Back button becomes useful. Go ahead, click away. And I couldn't find a Beta, but I try not to make too many mistakes, but if you see one hiding around, you could just let me know.

Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter of this story! Your thoughts and inputs were very welcome.

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Storm Clouds

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Aerith had never been more annoyed at Leon than she was at that moment. After having the brunet get in her way from trying to figure out what was causing Cloud such pains, she was forced to physically remove Leon from the bedroom. She would have let him remain if he hadn't pushed his luck by asking too many questions in regards to the blonde's wellbeing.

After carrying a protesting Cloud to his bedroom, Cid was the second one to get kicked out. He was to blame it on his hovering. For one who acted so gruff, his sensitive side reared its head when he wasn't trying to keep up his façade.

The fact of the matter was that both males were forced to wait down in the living room.

Leon couldn't remember a day when he had seen his friend so debilitated. The last time he had heard the younger man cry out in pain was when they were both still little kids, and Cloud had tripped while running away from an angry Leon, falling and breaking his wrist.

The memory made Leon smile, forgetting for a moment the worry he had for the blonde's health. Cloud had been practicing his aim, using his own shoes as weapons. Leon had rounded the corner at a bad time, since the shoe failed to hit the tree, instead hitting his head. Cloud's eyes had widened in shock, and almost seeing steam come out of Leon's ears, made a run for it, remembering how he had been at the receiving end of one of the brunet's angry moments before.

Leon remembered how his anger had quickly melted away once he had heard Cloud crying.

"What you smiling about?" Cid asked, interrupting his train of thought.

The brunet quickly wiped the smile off his face, and turned to an angry blond who was sitting across him in the recliner.

"I wasn't smiling," he said, running a hand through his hair. "You must be seeing things Cid."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," Cid replied, but he let the matter drop, his own thoughts turning to one he consider one of his sons.

They both heard soft shuffling feet against the ceiling, and sighed at the same time.

"The kid never listens to reason," Cid began. "He should've listened to Aerith and stay still for a while."

Leon stared at the older man, automatically thinking back on the day.

"He seemed fine this morning," he said. "That bump on the head didn't seem too much of a big deal."

"It didn't? You sure made it seem like a big deal, smothering him like that," stated Cid, a chuckle escaping his lips.

The brunet felt a blush grace his cheeks, but quickly getting in the defensive.

"I did no such thing."

Cid snorted but didn't continue tempting the brunet, in which Leon was eternally grateful. But then an image came to Leon's head, and a recent one.

"Anyway, "he said. "I wasn't the one who decided that Cloud was in no position of walking all the way here, and then took it upon myself to baby him by carrying him."

The older man seemed close to jumping out of his seat and tackle Leon, but thought better of it.

"If I wouldn't have done it, you'd be next in line, so I have no idea what you're talkin' about Leon!" he shouted, knowing really well that if he hadn't stepped in to carry Cloud, Leon would have done so.

"Whoa, would you look at the steam!" Yuffie pointed out as she stood by the open doorway that connected the living room and the kitchen.

Both man turned to look at her, looking chastised. Yuffie bit on her lower lip to keep from breaking into a grin. Remembering that she had been upstairs while the men waited, they quickly stood and walked up to her.

"Is he alright now?" inquired Leon.

Yuffie nodded, sighing in relief herself. "Aerith didn't find anything wrong, and Merlin didn't either. They said it probably was because he didn't listen to her instructions on taking it easy for a few days."

"So nothing's broken?" asked Cid, whose relief was palpable.

"Nope," she replied. "Just Cloud being stubborn and not heeding the healer's orders."

Leon's worries were greatly eased, and he turned to head upstairs to give Cloud a well deserved lecture. But Yuffie stopped him as he took the first step, grinning evilly as if she knew something he did not.

"You can't bother him, he's asleep," she added smugly. "So I suggest you stay clear or deal with both Aerith and Merlin."

The brunet raised an eyebrow, questioning the young girl.

"And what best way to stay clear of them than both of you big guys treating me to lunch at the market… I'm famished."

At her words, both men felt their stomach grumble, realizing that they hadn't eaten since breakfast. For once, agreeing with the ninja, they walked out of the house looking forward to filling up their bellies.

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They decided to eat at 'Wedge's Diner' which was adjacent to the accessory shop in the market place. The place was known for its exquisite Chocobo eggs, but also for its not so good service. Yuffie hurried to take the table by the large window, always wanting to be in contact with the outside, while Leon and Cid followed at a slower pace.

Leon noticed a slight commotion coming from one of the corners of the diner. A group of unfamiliar men had a table of their own, but were arguing with one another, and by the looks of it, they were trying to do it as silently as possible. The six men wore dark clothing, and looked to be on their middle years, probably as old as Cid. Two of them wore thick glasses, and they were all bald headed.

The brunet didn't like to see too many strangers in his town, especially when no one had told him about the newcomers. From beside him, Cid grumbled, having seen the same sight as the younger man.

The thief gave out the menus once they sat, patting her stomach as it reminded her that it needed foodstuff to break down. Cid lighted his first cigarette since leaving the construction site, as one of the waiters walked up to their table.

"Are you guys ready to order?" the black haired young man asked, a red bandana keeping his hair out of his face.

"Can you let us settle down first? Cid asked. "We just got here."

Looking at the strangers from his seat, Leon turned to the waiter, giving him a hard look.

"Who are those men Biggs?"

"What men?" the waiter asked.

"They're sitting at the corner."

Biggs turned quickly before turning again to face Leon.

"They say they are travelers. A bunch of loonies if you ask me, they didn't say much but were asking for the mayor."

"Did they say where they came from?" asked Cid.

"Nope, but unfortunately I'm not your spy but your waiter, so if you all please just order so I can get the hell out of here," complained Biggs, who had slouched at the thought of staying longer at his job place.

"Damn, and I thought Jesse was moody," whispered Yuffie, who eyed the waiter with a sarcastic smirk.

Because the thought of grating on Biggs' nerves was enjoyable, Cid and Yuffie took their time and went through the entire menu selection before finally deciding what to order. By the time Biggs left with their orders, he was ready to decapitate the cook, just for the sake of releasing some tension.

The strangers had gone silent, drinking from their cups and seemingly deep in thought. But more so was Leon, who wanted to learn more of those men. Not many strangers visited their town, and the last time it had happened, it only brought trouble.

"Hey Leon, you look like you could use something sweet to melt down that sour look on your face," Yuffie unknowingly interrupted his train of thoughts. Leon turned his gaze to the young girl, who was giggling and pointing at him.

"Whatever."

"Where's our damn food?!" exclaimed Cid, who was looking toward Biggs, while the latter did his best not to turn around and give the older man the finger.

Leon didn't bother to mention that they had just placed their orders. The exclamation managed to get unwanted attention, for Leon noticed that the six men on the corner turned their eyes toward them. One of them caught Leon's gaze, and the brunet growled low in his throat when he received an intense glare.

The men shared last words and stood, walking out of the diner. The atmosphere quickly grew less tensed to all the costumers present, and that's where Leon noticed the lack of cheer and laughter that usually accompanied the place when he first walked in, when at once, the residents began talking and sharing tales of mirth.

The brunet watched the men cross the plaza through the window; they walked very close together and looked around the market as if they were searching for something. He turned away from the sight as Biggs brought them their drinks, ignoring the questions that Cid was throwing him in regards to his food. Leon took hold of his drink; a sudden image of Cloud smiling at him entered his thoughts, and unconsciously brought a smile to his own face.

As he raised the glass to his lips, his eyes once again turned their sight to the outside. To Leon's surprise and utter shock, there were eyes trained on him from across the plaza. The six strangers were staring at him from where they stood, and the hard stare made the brunet shift nervously, though holding their unnerving stares.

He felt an odd feeling building up from deep inside, an unfamiliar feeling until the sense of it made him drop the glass he was holding, and recoiled back, almost falling off his chair, fighting off a scream that wanted to snake itself from inside him.

Cid stood from his chair, reaching out his hands to stop Leon from toppling over while Yuffie fought with herself to make sense of what her reaction should be. When Leon was once again safe on his seat, the young lady decided that the best course of action was getting into a loud laughing fit. Leon ignored her and abruptly turned his head to look out to the streets for those men, but he saw them not.

"You alright kiddo?"

He nodded without thinking, because even though there were no signs of those men, he still felt the absolute terror that had taken over him seconds before.

"You got juice all over you Leon, you look like a wet chick," joked Yuffie, giggling still. Her giggles were cut off suddenly in shock, when Leon looked at her, and started to giggle fearfully, with no real mirth but that of nervousness.

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That feeling of horror diminished while the brunet sat in the company of Tifa and Cid, who with him were watching silly cartoons. In a world where danger and other dreads had existed for so long, the household unconsciously had taken up to watching amusing things to take them away from all the horrors and happening of their own town.

Leon tried very hard to concentrate on the cartoons, but unable to explain what had happened earlier in the diner was hard to not think of. When they had gotten back from the diner, bringing with them extra orders of food for the others, he had quickly made his way to his bedroom, to look in on Cloud.

While staring at his sleeping companion, the brunet had forgotten for the moment the horror he just lived through. It was short lived when he walked out of the room. He had felt eyes on him on his way down the steps, he had felt them as he sat down in front of the television, and he had felt them as he spend time with his friends.

His head would turn toward the window, having felt something out there, but every time it was in vain. He didn't see anything suspicious looking through the window, but when darkness was close to descent on them, the feeling grew weaker, until he forgot about it and was finally able to enjoy the show.

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Leon sat down on the floor, back leaning against the side of his bed. Night had fallen, and all he could do was keep staring at his sleeping companion. The blond was sleeping on his side, face toward Leon, oblivious to eyes of his friend on him.

There was just something about a sleeping Cloud that always made Leon protective of the blond, but that had tripled with the events of that day at the site. Though looking as the world's most innocent child while deep in slumber, his friend looked too vulnerable, and that was something that Leon didn't like to see, because once he saw it, he'd start wanting to protect the man from all danger. Not that it was a bad thing, for the fact that he wanted to keep safe all of his friends, but the feelings that came afterward in regards to Cloud were a bit too odd for the brunet, feelings that he didn't like to give too much thought about.

For now, he'll blame it on the brotherly love he felt for the blond, since he had three sisters, and so, the feelings were divided into the three girls, but he only had one brother, and so he figured that the feelings to be more stronger if it was only given to one.

He snapped out from his reverie as the figure he had his eyes upon shifted, getting on his back. The pained groan that followed had Leon sitting beside the blond in a flash. Though wanting to let Cloud get some rest, the brunet wanted for him to wake, if only to tell him how he felt.

Another small groan had Leon holding Cloud's hands in his, wanting to provide comfort however possible.

The brunet smiled at the contented sigh that escaped his friend, somehow knowing that the small gesture was being appreciated in the depth of his unconsciousness. Letting out a sigh of his own, he lowered his head to place a light kiss on Cloud's brow, hoping that it would be appreciated as well.

Minutes passed in silence, the rest of his companions having gone to bed. The thought of going to sleep was tempting, but he was too comfortable where he sat, though that feeling suddenly disappeared as he felt a familiar chill throughout his body, making the hairs on his arm stand on end. His gaze abruptly turned to the window, and as he gently let go of Cloud's hands, he quickly stood and started walking toward it until the strong feeling of terror grew within him and made him stop half way.

He felt his legs shake uncontrollably; he fought the feeling of fleeing, unable to take his eyes off the window. Behind him he became aware that Cloud had started tossing in his sleep, mumbling meaningless words.

He could hear a buzz in his ear, and suddenly his legs couldn't stand their own shaking and the brunet found himself on his knees, eyes still glued to the window, a fear so strong that it brought tears to his eyes.

Leon opened his mouth to scream, but no sound was uttered. He slowly raised his hands to cover his ears from the buzzing, but to no avail, the sound was still there. Leon heard terrifying screams, knew where they came from, but he was frozen in place and couldn't reach his friend.

Then there were footsteps, and the sound of the door bursting open. Loud voices filtered through his mind, shouting and questioning. Then someone was shaking him by the shoulders, but his eyes were locked on the darkness outside, and he couldn't turn away. He could still hear Cloud screaming, and then the buzz got louder, creating an odd blackness in the corners of his vision before everything died away, leaving him in a void darker than the darkness outside.

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He felt arms around him, holding him close, and heard a heart beating besides his own. A strange coldness was leaving his body as his eyes fluttered open.

The sudden light made Leon winced, and he was aware of hushed voices around him, and felt frustration at not being able to make them out. Everything cleared slowly, until he was staring at a pair of light blue eyes, and could smell the cologne that the man holding him refused to stop using, even after so many years.

"Leon, talk to me, say something!" Cid pleaded, worried evident in his eyes, and voice trembling.

"Ci… Cid," Leon stammered, weakly. There were a couple of sighs, and he tiredly looked around him to see Yuffie and Tifa next to them. Yuffie wiped teary eyes, and laughed out of relief.

"What happened?" he asked, feeling lost.

"You blacked out for a couple of seconds," explained Tifa. "But… I don't know…" He saw her tremble, fisting her hands and looking behind her.

"Ok, enough, let's get you off the floor kiddo," Cid advised, easily supporting the brunet as they made their way to his bed. Leon then saw Aerith, sitting beside a breathless Cloud, who seemed to be asleep. Her eyes were meeting his, and he could tell that she was scared.

Leon didn't miss the strange look that passed between Aerith and Cid, but his mind then turned to the panting blond, whose face looked paler than Leon could remember.

He had been beside the blond before, he recalled. How he got away from him was a mystery, but he was sure that his friend wasn't as he now was.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked Aerith. Before Aerith could respond, Cid interfered by patting the young man on the shoulder.

"Nothing, why don't you just relax," he said, but the brunet didn't seem convinced.

"What's wrong with him?" he demanded. "He wasn't like this before, what's wrong with him?" Then, as a sudden afterthought, he realized that his room was too crowded. "What are you all doing here?" he asked, his voice becoming harsher when he didn't receive any answers.

Aerith then smiled sweetly at him, and he felt himself relaxed seeing it. She cleared her throat, and running her hand across Cloud's brow for a last time, and she straightened up.

"He had a nightmare it seems, and the noise drew us here. He is fine now, he didn't wake."

Leon felt hands pushing him down on the bed, and he looked at Cid, who was giving him a strained smile.

"It's pretty darn late too, next time you both want to freak the hell out of us, just give us a warning eh?" Cid commented. "Now close your eyes and we'll talk some more in the light of day."

The thought sat well with Leon, for some unknown reason, he wanted the daylight. And if the daylight came faster if he did close his eyes, then better yet. There was a distant memory, of something in the darkness, but it was fleeting and unclear. When he lay comfortably on top of his bed, he noticed that he was more tired than he expected.

The brunet was asleep soon after, not aware when the others left to catch on some sleep.

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TBC