Yay, Chapter 4! I hope that you enjoy this one; I jump character POVs a few times throughout the chapter (it's also one of the longest I've written!), but hopefully it still flows decently! ^^;

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, I always love hearing your responses! So thank you DeNiSaY60, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, ramen-is-my-goddess, Bane-Dane, Shukakku the adorable raccoon, RealityInABottle, Aindel S. Druida, zoe chocobo, Shinimegami7, infinityinmirrors, ChibixLeon, Emerald Moonrose, FlurryDivider, Inedible Sushi, LoneBoy7, Velvet Chaos, CloudedMirror89, xLion-Heartx, ooXloveXoo582, Caithdean, and -xX Twilit Memories Xx-! You guys keep me going! :D

O

Chapter 4

Night had fallen, the neon lights glowing sickly in the darkness as Squall stepped out of his home, locking the door tightly behind him. Sora had pretty much recovered from his accident earlier that week although he wasn't quite back to his energetic self. However he claimed to be feeling alright so Squall let himself focus on his job. Which was where he was heading now.

Glancing back at his house, he couldn't help but worry about Sora as he got onto his motorcycle. He had only been out of the hospital for four nights and he wasn't quite himself. Then again, Sora had always been alright on his own before. Heaving a sigh, Squall shook his head and drew his helmet down over his head, throwing his duffle bag over his shoulder to keep it out of the way. He had to believe Sora would be fine.

Revving his bike to life, Squall rode it out of the alleyway and onto the street, heading toward the Third District. As he passed through the gates separating the neighborhoods, he couldn't help but notice how black the sky looked. With the glare from the halogen lighting, not a single star was visible. There were nights when he had been with SeeD where the sky had been so brightly lit by starlight that it had seemed blinding.

Finding himself at the seemingly-vacant house Zexion had repurposed, he parked his bike near-by. He was no longer afraid of having to make a quick getaway; ever since he had gotten to know his colleagues, he knew that they were skilled enough to kill him before he could reach the door. Speaking of the devils…

He found Riku loitering outside, clearly waiting for him to arrive, "Look who decided to finally come."

Squall huffed, pulling off his helmet as he glared halfheartedly at Riku, too used to his antics to be that upset, "I'm not late. What do you want?"

"I believe that you promised me a drink after work a few nights ago."

"I see, you misunderstood. What I meant to say was, 'Get out of my house and stop hitting on my brother you ass'."

"Then you should've just said that, 'cause now you owe me a drink."

Heaving a sigh, Squall rolled his eyes. He was tired of arguing with this brat. "Whatever."

Apparently knowing Squall enough to take this answer as a "yes" Riku smirked, "Good. And, by the way, you should tell that cute little brother of yours to keep his mouth shut about your personal info, Squall."

Squall gave Riku a hard stare, not missing a beat, "And if you ever speak about by brother or my personal information again I will kill you." And he meant it. He would do anything to protect Sora and he was just as deadly as either Riku or Zexion.

Perhaps sensing his seriousness, Riku just shrugged, an infuriating smirk still on his lips as he turned to head inside. Squall grudgingly followed him in, the two entering to find Zexion standing over a pile of bills stacked up on the table.

The man heard them come in and straightened up, raising an imperious eyebrow, "I had not realized that the two of you had grown so close as to be making plans for after work."

Realizing that he was being teased, Squall tossed his dufflebag onto the table, "I don't think 'close' is the right word."

Zexion observed the bag, waiting as Riku walked over and handed him a messenger bag before beginning to casually divide up the stacks of cash into three groups, "I do not care, just do not allow any after work activities to interfere with your competence on the job."

Squall scowled as he dropped down into one of the chairs set up around the table, "You did not just suggest that I have a thing for that brat."

"Don't worry Zex, Leon is not my type. He's just fun to play with."

Lifting his attention from the now money-filled bags, Zexion handed them each their bag, "I pity anyone who ever catches your eye Riku…"

Happily accepting his payment, Riku scoffed, "I feel more sorry for your 'catch'."

The sharp glare Zexion sent him would have pierced metal and, although Riku didn't continue on the subject, Squall had to admit his curiosity was peaked. Clearly Zexion had a lover that Riku knew about. It wasn't too surprising that the platinum blond would know about them, given that Riku and Zexion had known each other for a while, but Squall had trouble imagining what sort of person Zexion would choose to spend his life with.

Switching topics, Zexion cleared his throat, "Now that you have gotten your share of the last job, let us begin on the next."

Squall looked up from counting his take, "You already have another target lined up?"

Sparing Squall a glance as he walked over to a computer, Zexion nodded, "I prefer to work quickly. Idleness leads to sloppy work." Turning on the monitor, he pulled up a satellite image. Squall was unable to make the picture out from where he was sitting but knew that if it was something he needed to see, Zexion would call him over.

Riku however seemed to know exactly what was on the computer with only a glance, "More Twilight Town, are you serious?"

Ignoring Riku, as he often did, Zexion continued on, "It is somewhat similar to our last heist except that this time the home may be occupied. It belongs to a couple who do business across the country and are doing rather well for themselves. While there will be no armed guards this time around, the couple has a security system, is known to keep guns in the house, and also has a dog they keep inside with them, which should make for an entertaining evening for you."

"A dog?" Squall straightened up, a frown on his face, "How are we supposed to get in undetected?"

"Please." Standing up, Riku sauntered over to stand behind Zexion, looking at their next hit, "Zexion, I thought you said that the next job was going to be a challenge."

"Ya, and how are you going to get passed the dog, throw it a piece of steak?"

"Sorry Leon, that only works in cartoons." Resting a hand on his hip, Riku regarded him nonchalantly, "Besides, the fact that a dog is there means that it will be an easy grab."

"How's that?"

Rolling his eyes, Riku slowed his voice as if he were dealing with a five-year-old, "Because Leon, if they have dogs, that means that they probably don't have motion censors installed. An alarm is easy to get passed, you just can't trigger any of the windows or doors."

"What about the dog?"

"Dogs only go after you if you're afraid. If they keep the dog inside it means it's not bred to be a vicious guard dog. If it doesn't smell any fear pheromones coming off of you, they won't even bark. We just get in, get what we need, and get out before the owners ever know the difference."

Squall didn't reply, not wanting to inflate Riku's ego any further. The man obviously had dealt with dogs before and was confident about what he was talking about. Turning his attention to Zexion instead, Squall voiced a question that had been bothering him for a while, "Who was your source on this one?"

Zexion paused in his typing before answering calmly, "Marluxia."

"That's the same guy who told us about the last place?"

"Correct."

"Are you sure we can trust him? None of us know if he's telling the truth and the only thing we know about the house is what he told us."

"I have worked with Marluxia for a while now. Although I can appreciate your concern, I would ask that you not question my methods, Leon."

Not appreciating the brush aside, Squall's frown deepened, "I think I have the right, since I'm putting my life on the line."

"Consider your life to be on the line if you do."

Riku laughed like a spoiled kid watching his sibling get punished and Squall had to fight to stay in his seat and not go beat the crap out of both of them. He was used to more respect than this.

As if sensing his mounting rage, Zexion finally turned around to face his employee, his face still expressionless, "I allow you to do your job as you wish and I expect the same freedom in response." Without waiting for a reply, he dove right into a new lecture, "Now, as to our next venture…we will spend the next few days planning out our routes of entry and escape. I expect you both to work together on it this time, and for both of you to have the blueprints of the mansion memorized down to the last electrical outlet, am I clear Riku?"

Rolling his eyes, Riku gave a lazy mock salute, "Crystal…"

Zexion eyed Riku for a few seconds longer before continuing, "Once again I will be working on the van. While our newest targets' do not have the most modern security system it will still need to be dealt with. I should be able to shut the system down for as long as you need to work this time. Instead of working quickly, your new objective will be to work silently. Once again, you will need to crack a safe, although I have been told that, instead of objects that need to be fenced, our targets keeps large amounts of money."

"Nice, we can go straight to the bank afterwards."

The news was good for Squall as well; if he was able to be paid on the day of the heist then he would feel a lot better about his finances since his bank account was nearing empty. With this thought in mind, he listened closer as Zexion began to speak again. The sooner he made more money the more confident he would feel that he would be able to provide the sort of care Sora deserved.

After that, the days passed quickly. Squall wasn't able to see much of Sora that week, working nights and using the daylight hours to sleep and exercise, determined to keep in peak physical shape. Not matter what he was doing though, he always made it home in time to make dinner and made sure that he spent at least an hour with his brother. During their time together, Sora seemed a little sad, almost tired. Squall knew he was getting lonely and prayed that the boy wasn't losing any sleep. Over the weekend, he would have to set aside an entire day to spend with him, maybe they could take the train to the beach…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Squall refocused his drifting thoughts. The night of their second job had arrived and he was currently sitting in the back of Zexion's van, Riku lazily lounging beside him as they waited to arrive at their destination. Back in Twilight Town, they had copied their old routine, arriving by train and meeting Zexion at the clock tower. Zexion had come in disguise, once again playing the part of a teenager as he drove them around.

Although he had only done one other robbery, it already seemed very familiar to Squall. As the van rumbled on, he and Riku mechanically changed into more suitable attire, prepped their weapons, and pulled on their headsets, Zexion's voice echoing over them after a few moments and interrupting the silence, "—We have arrive at the location. I am pulling around to the back of the estate. You decided to enter through the backyard, correct--?"

"That's right, sunshine. How long are we going to have to give you to shut down the security system?"

"—I will have it done before you even reach the house Riku, unless I decide to leave it on after that little comment—"

"Aw, you wouldn't do that to Leon, would you? Besides, you'd be the first one I'd rat out."

"—Good points, someday I will just have to kill you. But unfortunately I need you for the next few hours—" Squall almost jumped as the van doors were ripped open, Zexion's annoyed face peering in at them, "Get to work."

Not needing to be told twice, Squall hopped out of the car, Riku following before Zexion replaced them, taking up his station at the panel of the computers. The fence this time was only six feet high and made of wrought-iron: pretty, but providing perfect footholds for Riku and Squall. Quickly scaling the pathetic excuse for a barrier, they carefully began to make their way towards the lavish manor.

They had arrived in Twilight Town at dusk and by now the sun had completely disappeared, darkness shielding them as they moved through well-trimmed bushes. All but one of the windows were dark, Squall making out a figure moving around in what he assumed was the master bedroom, judging by the window's location. He glanced over to see that Riku had noticed it too, the man's teal eyes glinting dangerously. Squall hoped that the owners went to bed soon and stayed asleep; he knew that Riku wouldn't hesitate to use force to get what they came for.

Trying to stay as silent as possible in case the dog had been let outside, they slunk towards the home's brick exterior. Having gotten photos of the home, he and Riku had worked out exactly how they were going to get inside, Squall strangely proud at himself for coming up with such an ingenious method.

The house was old and well crafted, even the back door embellished with intricate paneling. Slinking up onto the deck, Squall and Riku waited in silence for a few minutes to see if they had been heard before examining their entrance into the home. After he was certain they hadn't been detected, Squall whispered into his headset, "Zexion, is the security system shut down?"

"—Yes, the main system as been deactivated—"

Hearing the news, Riku reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a paper-thin razor blade, passing it to Squall who immediately got to work. Gently scrapping off the thin layer of paint and sealant that coated the door, Squall slowly pushed the blade under one of the raised sections of the paneling. Most people didn't realize that a paneled door was not a solid piece of wood but instead many sections attached together. Working carefully, he slowly wedged the wooden bar up so that the nails wouldn't squeak as they were pulled out of the wood. He could feel Riku's impatience building but ignored him as he did the same to the other three edges of the door panel. They had discussed whether it would be easier to do it this way or to just break the door down but, since silence was necessary for the job to go smoothly, the slow steady method was decided upon.

Twenty minutes later Riku was just about throttle him when Squall leaned back, setting down the last edge of the panel, "Done…"

Pushing passed him, Riku wedged out the panel, the flat wooden board falling out easily now that it wasn't attached to anything, "It's about time! Gods, you didn't say it was going to take you hours!"

"Relax and shut up, we're in aren't we?"

"—Both of you shut up and get inside. You will have to go up the stairs and into the study—"

"We know." This time Riku took the lead, the young man already impatient and having actually looked at a map. Easily slipping through the square hole left in the door from the missing panel, Riku drew his gun and waited for Squall in what appeared to be a kitchen. Squall had a little more trouble getting in, his body broader and more muscular than his partner's, but eventually managed to crawl through without making too much noise.

Together they made their way through the house, Riku's footfalls silent and Squall's own nearly as quiet as they walked towards the stairs. Since they had entered in on the ground floor, they had to go up to the second in order to get to the safe that the owner of the house kept in his office. The main problem was that, according to the blueprints, the office was directly adjacent to the master bedroom.

Squall and Riku glanced at each other before slowly climbing the stairs, testing their weight on every step to avoid any unnecessary creaking. The sound of his heart beating filled Squall's ears as they crept towards their goal. As if sensing the tension, Zexion remained silent as well and Squall had to wonder if the blue haired man could see what they were doing even from the van.

Allowing himself to breathe as they stepped onto the second floor, Squall followed Riku to the office although his eyes were firmly glued to the door to their right. They had seen the light turn off in the master when they had been working on the door panel, and he prayed that it meant that the estate's occupants had gone to sleep.

Riku, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered in the slightest and walked over to the office door as if knowing that the house was empty. Finding the door unsurprisingly unlocked, Riku waved for Squall to follow him.

The room clearly belonged to a wealthy businessman, a modern, expensive-looking desk sitting in the middle of the room. On the walls were works of art and metal bookshelves lined with momentums and thick tomes. The safe was not immediately visible but they hadn't expected that to be the case.

Remembering their last job, both first checked behind all of the art. Not finding it behind any of the frames, Riku spoke up quietly, "I guess their a little smarter than the last guy. The safe location's not as obvious."

Shifting his weight, Squall looked around the room, "Well it's somewhere in here…" If he were rich, where would he hide his cash?

Hearing their conversation and sensing the problem, Zexion's voice echoed through their headsets, "—Look for anything that seems out of the ordinary. The safe is undoubtedly still hidden either behind or within something—"

Muttering under his breath, Riku began to search the desk area as Squall scanned the area. There wasn't any other furniture in the room besides the desk and the desk chair, excepting the bookcases against the wall. There was however an area rug. Crouching down, Squall holstered his gun so that he would have both hands free and carefully rolled the rug up. He'd read of people hiding things under floor boards before and it wouldn't be a bad spot.

But he was wrong. The hardwood under the rug looked as if it hadn't been touched in years, shellac coating the whole room without any flaws in the layer. No one had been pulling up any of these boards recently.

"Leon…"

Looking up, Squall frowned as he found Riku's eyes on him, a strange glint in the man's eyes, "What? I thought it might be under here—"

"Don't move."

"What..?" Squall's voice caught in his throat as Riku slowly lowered his gun so that it was pointed at him, "Riku, what the hell--?"

"Behind you."

Confused as to what had captured Riku's attention so completely, Squall cautiously glanced over his shoulder, freezing as he realized what it was. Behind him, in the doorway, was the family dog, its body already hunkering down into a defensive stance.

Keeping his eyes on the large animal, Squall heard Riku's calmed voice reached his ears, "Leon, take it easy, it's getting tense because of you. Relax or else it'll bark." Walking passed Squall, Riku lowered his gun and strolled over to the dog as if it was his family pet, going so far as to slowly reach out a hand to pat it on the head. "Hey boy, don't mind us, we'll be done soon…"

Much to Squall's shock, the dog did indeed seem to relax at the silver-haired man's touch, its tail even beginning to wag. Being careful not to get the animal too excited, Riku stepped away to restart his search. As the dog tilted his head, curious as to what these uninvited guests were doing, Squall forced himself to calm down and continue about his business. "How'd you do that?"

"Like I said before, a dog will only start barking if it thinks you're causing trouble. If you act like you're supposed to be here, most of them don't have a problem."

Squall had to admit that Riku was a professional. Not only that, but he had managed to charm a nervous dog into submission with just a touch. It was impressive, and he had to grudgingly admit it; "Nice job…"

"Obviously. Now let's find that stupid safe so we can get out of here."

Continually glancing back at the dog in the doorway, Squall tried to refocus on the task at hand. Right, he was looking for a safe…Rolling the rug back out, he surveyed the room again. If he were the one with the money, where would he hide his safe? Getting into the mind of his enemy was something that his was familiar with. Given that the man kept a safe filled with money in his office in the first place, it was clear that he didn't trust formal banks much. Such a cautious, paranoid man would probably keep his safe in a place where he could glance at it frequently, probably at eye level then and somewhere that would be visible when he sat at the desk. That meant it had to be somewhere in the walls…

Walking over to the bookcases, Squall ran his fingers over the book bindings, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The safe must be hidden behind some of the books…or, maybe…His fingers paused as they ran over the edge of the metal shelves, finding an almost invisible hinge.

So that was it. Almost like something from a movie. "Riku…found something."

Riku looked up and made his way over as Squall pulled experimentally on the bookshelf, "Ya? What is it?"

After one more tug, the bookcase budged, turning a bit on its hinge as Squall gave a smug smirk, "Hinged bookcase."

Riku paused for a minute before smiling back, "Cool."

"Give me a hand, the books are weighting it down."

With both of their strength combined, they managed to force the bookcase open enough to expose the wall behind. Sure enough, the safe was embedded within it. Squeezing in between the wall and the backside of the bookcase, Riku got to work. Squall was left to keep an eye on the dog and an ear out for its owners.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Riku finally dialed in the last number; the safe had been more advanced than the one they had last dealt with and it had nothing for Squall's nerves. He had started jumping at every little noise, his gun drawn but, luckily for everyone involved, wisely keeping his finger off of the trigger as he stood watch. As Riku slowly swung the safe open to make sure it didn't squeak, he pulled a fabric bag from inside his coat. From where Squall was standing he could just see into the safe, his eyes widening as he saw stacks and stacks of bills.

Unfolding the bag, Riku began to grab money in fistfuls, expertly emptying the open safe in less than a minute. Lashing up the bag, he passed it to Squall and squeezed out from behind the bookcase. Spending a few minutes to reach back, close the safe, and push the bookshelf back into place to clean up the scene, Riku and Squall strolled passed the dog and hurried down the stairs as quickly as they could while remaining silent.

The dog trotted down after them, watching inquisitively as Squall and Riku crawled back through the hole in the backdoor, passing the bag between them as they went. Putting the panel back into place, Squall grabbed the wooden sticks he had pulled off earlier and returned them to their places, pushing the nails back into their original holes just enough to make sure that they wouldn't fall right back off again.

Seeing that he was done, Riku grinned into his mic, "Alright Zex, start up the van, we're on our way."

"—I was beginning to wonder. Hurry up, we have been here too long as it is—"

"Alright, alright. Keep your pants on, we'll be there in a second."

Riku and Squall took a lot less time getting back to the van than they had spent making their way sneaking toward the house. Zexion was waiting for them on the other side of the fence with the back of the van opened and waiting for them to jump in. As Riku leapt for the top of the fence, Squall threw the bag full of money over to Zexion who just barely managed to catch it, the small man stumbling under the sudden weight as Riku landed beside him. Following his partner, Squall quickly scaled the fence and climbed into the back of the van. Zexion followed his accomplices, handing the heavy bag back to them as he huffed, "It seems that you made out rather well…Were the inhabitant altered to your presence or did you manage to remain undetected?"

Riku frowned as he pulled off his leather gloves, "What do you think? Of course no one saw us, unless the dog counts."

"It did not give you any problems then I assume?"

Squall glanced back at Riku before smirking, "You didn't tell me Riku was a dog whisperer."

Zexion raised his brows, "Yes, well, I suppose he is able to relate to animals on their own level."

"Just because I can go into a room with a dog and not freak out, unlike some people, Zexion, doesn't mean you should be jealous of my skill." Zexion narrowed his eyes and Riku smirked, "By the way, weren't you the one who said we were taking too long? How about you get us out of here?"

Scowling, Zexion bit back, "Then make yourself useful for once and split up the take. Leon, make sure he does not cheat us out of anything, I would not put it past him."

Axel flicked the ash off of his cigarette before lifting it back to his lips, the sunset-filled sky now a deep red as he and Cloud strolled down one of Twilight Town's back alleys. Although Twilight Town was rather picturesque, it too had its share of rough-necks and hooligans, otherwise fondly known to the two as "informants". They were looking for such a man right now; his name was Setzer, a rather flamboyant looking guy who ran a slightly less than honest casino. While he didn't seem to be participating in any illegal activity himself, besides scamming people out of their money, he did seem to know a lot of Twilight Town's small crime community. It was rumored that he would fence stolen items for thieves but the police had nothing to hold him on, plus he continued to earn their good favor by giving the reliable tips.

Cloud spotted Setzer first, relaxing against a wall in what was commonly known as the Sandlot. The man met his eyes and waved them over casually, not worried about being seen speaking to the detectives since they were in street clothes, working undercover. They nodded to each other as they drew closer, Axel leaning against the wall next to the gambler as Cloud stood in front of him, "Good to see that you could make it Setzer."

"My pleasure, always happy to help out the boys in blue. You were pretty vague when you called."

Blowing out a small cloud of smoke, Axel spoke up, "Got assigned a new case, a robbery at the Richard's place. You hear about it?"

Setzer stared a moment at the redhead and Cloud couldn't blame him. His partner was anything than subtle and even Cloud couldn't help but be a little surprised every time he saw Axel out of the office. At work, Axel would tie his hair back but when he was in casual he spiked it back, his lanky frame emphasized by the jeans and hooded jacket he was wearing. Basically he looked like a punk. Cloud had chosen to be a little more subtle, wearing a dark turtleneck sweater with straight legged jeans. "I believe I read about it in the paper."

"Ya? You hear anything about it from any if your clients?"

Shrugging, Setzer crossed his arms, "I may be able to remember something, but I can't quite recall…"

Sighing, Cloud reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. This was all part of the game and everyone there knew it. Handing the man a small stack of bills, Cloud put his wallet back, "For your troubles. How's your memory doing now?"

"How strange, memories seem to be returning to me." Tucking his payment into his pocket, Setzer looked back up at the blond detective, "A few men came into my casino a few days ago and headed straight to the bar. They were fairly low-brown, not very intelligent and began to talk after a few drinks. I was working that night and happened to overhear their conversation. It seems as if they weren't involved but seemed to be annoyed that some competition had arrived back on the scene from a short hiatus. They seemed to think that he was responsible for the Richard's robbery."

Axel frowned, "Don't suppose you'd happen to have a name for us?"

"They just called him Riku."

"Riku? No last name?"

"Not that I heard."

Cloud committed the name to memory, "Do you have an idea about where we can get more information on this Riku guy?"

"I've heard his name come up once or twice before during the year…there are some thugs who probably have more information for you who I know frequent the Concourse. If I were you, I would talk to them."

Cloud nodded and Axel straightened up, "I guess we'll go check it out then. Thanks for the help, buddy."

Setzer nodded back, "Nice doing business with you gentlemen."

Walking away, Axel blew out another breath of smoke, "Well, that was somewhat useful."

Cloud glanced over at his partner as he slid on a pair of sunglasses to block the glare of the setting sun, "It's the first real lead we've gotten in the case so far. This Riku might be one of the three reported perps from the report."

"So…we goin' down to the Concourse then?" The Underground Concourse was probably the roughest part of Twilight Town. Although it still didn't match areas of Dark City or Midgar as far as crime rates or violence, if a man wasn't careful he could find himself in some trouble. While neither of the detectives were armed Cloud wasn't too worried; both of the men could handle themselves pretty well in a fight. Not that he was expecting one.

"Of course we're going."

"I figured as much…Can we grab a bite to eat first?"

Cloud smirked, "I told you to eat before we left. We're on the clock now so you'll just have to wait."

"Then let's hurry up and get this over with!"

It didn't take them long to work their way down into the concourse, the underground waterways linking up most areas of the city. The entrances could be hard to find if you didn't know where to look but everyone in the Twilight Town Police Department was familiar with all of them, a map set up on the wall in the office with all the passageways drawn out. If a crime happened, like a mugging or a theft, it was likely to happen near one of the entrances to the Concourse and if the criminal managed to escape they always ran into the Concourse to try and elude the cops.

Glancing around to take in his surroundings, Cloud pulled the sunglasses off as they left daylight behind them and descended into the concrete labyrinth. Axel continued on beside him and Cloud had the sneaking suspicion that the man felt rather at home.

After a few minutes of wandering they stumbled across a small band of n'er-do-wells smoking something undoubtedly illegal as they stood huddled together in a circle. Clearing his throat, Cloud lifted his head and watched as all of the thugs slowly spun around, probably thinking that they looked menacing. They weren't actually that impressive.

Never one to beat around the bush, Axel stepped forward and got straight to the point, "Hey, we've got some questions for you. Anyone here ever hear of a guy named 'Riku'?"

The scruffy men eyed them for a moment before one of them spoke up, "Who's askin'?"

"Uh, we are? Listen, do you know anything or not?"

The thug who seemed to be the leader of the group stepped forward, his stance suggesting that he was more than ready to pick a fight, "I don't like your tone, punk. How about you get outta here while you're still able to walk?"

Rolling his eyes at the threat, Cloud whipped out his detective's badge, "Maybe this will change your mind. Tell us what you know about Riku and we won't arrest the lot of you for illegal drug usage."

The mood in the room immediately changed, the leader shifting back a step defensively, "You're cops?"

"Close enough. Now, don't make me repeat myself. What do you know?"

The druggie glanced back at his companions for help but, when none of them spoke up, heaved a deep sigh, "Alright! Don't know much, never met the guy, but rumor down here's that he's some hotshot who decided to go into the burglar business…"

"What did he do before that?"

"Dunno, some say he was some kind of assassin or somethin'…"

Cloud glanced back at Axel in surprise and the redhead piped up with another question before their source lost his nerve and stopped talking, "Is he know for working alone, or does he have a partner."

"I heard he's workin' with this one guy…what's his name, weird name. Ah yeh, that's right, Zexion? That it."

Making a mental note of the name, Cloud retook control of the interrogation, "Zexion? What do you know about him?"

"Not much. Everyone's heard his name but he keeps a low profile. Supposedly he's crazy smart. They both seem crazy. Heard a lotta people end up dead around them when they get too close."

Seeing a change come over the man's face, Cloud had done enough interrogations in his life to know that the man was finished talking and had scared himself into silence. They now had two out of three names and if these guys were telling the truth Zexion and Riku were pretty big players in the Twilight Town crime scene and were likely to have files back at the station. "Thanks for your help. And the next time we catch you down here, we'll be writing you up for drug possession. Just a warning…" Catching Axel's eye, Cloud nodded towards the exit, "Come on, let's get out of here."

By the time Squall had arrived back in Traverse Town, the sun was threatening to reappear on the eastern horizon. They had spent an extra hour or so splitting up the money in the back of the van once they drove away from the estate and then Zexion had made him and Riku walk back to the train station with their pockets laden down with hundreds.

Parking his bike in the alleyway, Squall tried to remain as quiet as possible so as to not wake up the neighbors. According to his cell phone it was nearly 5 in the morning, much too early, or late, to be out. As he stepped into his house he wasn't surprised to find the lights on in the front room, since Sora always left them on for him; he didn't want anything more than to fall onto his bed and sleep for about ten hours.

Making his way toward his bedroom, Squall paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he turned the corner and saw the bathroom door cracked open with light spilling out from the inside. "Sora…?"

"Mnn…Sq-Squall."

Dropping his coat, Squall ran for the bathroom, hearing the sound of vomiting just as he reached the door. Throwing himself into the room, he found Sora crouching over the toilet, the poor boy pale and trembling. "Sora! What happened!"

The teen was drenched in sweat and panting for breath as he coughed into the water. Reaching a hand out, Squall pressed his palm to Sora's forehead and felt a raging fever, "Ngh, I, I think I-I caught some-something at…school."

Grabbing a hand towel Squall soaked it in cold water at the sink before sitting down. "Come here." Squall pulled Sora into his lap while making sure to keep the boy's head near the toilet seat in case he got sick again. Sora leaned back against him and Squall pressed the towel to the boy's head, a soft whimper escaping his little brother as he continued to shiver. A thick wave of guilt crashed down on Squall and he clutched Sora tighter. He hadn't been there when Sora had needed him.

"Sora, take it easy. You'll be alright." Rubbing Sora's back comfortingly, Squall couldn't help but think about how fragile Sora felt in his arms. He felt sick again and the thought of Sora relapsing sent a shock of terror through him.

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, Squall found the phone number the doctor had given him the last time they were at the hospital and dialed, the fact that it was so early not even entering in his mind. "Hello? This is Squall Leonhart, Sora's brother."

A sleepy voice answered back, the doctor clearly having been roused from slumber, "Ah, yes…Squall, what can I do for you?"

"It's Sora." Squall winced as Sora lurched forward to vomit again, "I just got home from work and found him vomiting and feverish."

The doctor now sounded fully awake, "You need to bring him into the hospital. It sounds like the flu but with Sora's compromised immune system it could be very serious if he doesn't get some medical attention. My shift doesn't start until eight this morning but I'll try to make it there early. In the meantime the doctors there should take good care of him. I'll call the hospital and tell them to send an ambulance so we can start getting fluids into him."

"Alright, is there anything I can do?"

"Get him ready to leave and try to keep his fever down until the ambulance gets there."

"Understood." Hanging up, Squall lifted Sora up and placed him on the ground beside him, "Hey Sor, we're going to have to go back to the hospital."

"N-no, I'm 'lright…"

"Then just go along with it for my sake, okay?" Squall pushed himself to his feet and walked towards the door, "I'm going to go get you a sweatshirt."

"Squall…"

Feet stalling at the plaintive sound, Squall glanced back over his shoulder, "What is it?"

"…Sorry."

A small, sad smile worked its way onto Squall's face and he retraced his steps, walking back over to Sora to plant a light kiss on the top of his head, combing through Sora's sweat-covered hair with his fingers. "Not your fault." Standing back up, he made it to the door this time as Sora remained hanging over the toilet, "I'll be right back."

The ambulance arrived not too long after Squall had called Sora's doctor, the EMTs getting straight to work and putting an IV into Sora's arm to pump some liquid back into his system. Squall followed the ambulance on his bike, the sunrise just breaking through the horizon as they arrived at the hospital. Catching back up with Sora as they unloaded him, Squall had just enough time to tell him not to worry before Sora was whisked away by some nurses. As they took Sora off to gods knew where, one of the nurses turned to him with an understanding smile, "Don't worry sir, we will alert you once all the procedures are over."

"How long will that be?"

"I can't say for certain, but we will do our best to hurry. Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"What? No, of course not. I need to be here."

"Why don't you visit our cafeteria or have a seat in our waiting room then? It might be good if you were able to sit for a while." Seeing Squall's confused face, the nurse clarified, "You look a little tired, if you don't mind me saying so. If you'll excuse me…"

Nodding as she slipped away, Squall stood where he was for a few more minutes. The truth was that he was tired, really tired but sleeping was definitely not an option. He couldn't believe that Sora was already back in the hospital.

Making his way down towards the more general area of the hospital, Squall almost missed the sound of someone calling his name, "--onhart!...Mr. Leonhart!"

Whipping around, Squall saw a man jogging towards him, after a few seconds recognizing him to be Sora's doctor. The man took a minute to catch his breathe as he caught up with Squall, adjusting his glasses on his nose as he straightened up, "Sorry, I didn't hear you calling."

"That's alright. You've undoubtedly had a long night. I just got here a moment ago, I assume they brought Sora in?"

"Yeah, they have him one of the back rooms."

"Good, I'll go check in and see how he's doing then."

Seeing that the doctor was about to leave, Squall stepped forward, wanting more answers, "Wait! Sora was fine when I left him last night! How did he get so sick?"

"He probably got the flu or some other illness, most likely from another child at his school." Squall nodded; Sora had mentioned that, "The problem is that Sora's immune system is practically nonexistent due to his lingering Lukemia and the medication…not to mention the extra medication we gave him when he came in a few days ago. Because of all that, he was able to get very sick very quickly. Usually the flu isn't too much to worry about with a boy Sora's age but if he didn't receive attention he very well might have died from it. As it is, I will probably advise that he stay here for at least four days, maybe five, so that we can keep him under observation."

Squall just nodded again, unable to respond any other way. Whatever was best for Sora. In the back of his mind though, he couldn't help to think about the bill he was going to get. His bank account was really low right now, practically empty since he had paid all of the bills for the month…Wait. Squall swallowed before reaching into his jacket pocket. His share of tonight's robbery was still in his pocket. He might just be able to afford this after all.

No longer afraid to do so, Squall walked down to the receptionist who seemed to recognize him from the other day. "Aren't you're that Leonhart boy's brother?"

"Yes ma'm. They just brought him back in for more treatment."

"Just a moment sir…" The woman typed something into her computer and after a moment turned back to him, "It looks like Dr. Jensen just filed the paperwork a second ago. Sora is scheduled to be kept here for four nights. Would you like to pay now or after Sora is released?"

"I'll pay now." He wanted to make sure that he had enough to cover this.

"Alright Mr. Leonhart…here is the bill." The receptionist printed off a receipt and as she handed it to him his eyes widened a little. Well, there went about half of his most recent paycheck… "Will you be paying with a check or with a credit card?"

"Um, cash actually." The woman blinked up at Squall as if he had spoken a different language and he realized just how weird that was. Who had that much cash on them? "I, just got paid when I got home and hadn't had time to go to the bank yet."

"Oh…" Still eyeing him suspiciously, she watched as Squall pulled a few large bills out of his pocket, keeping most of it hidden so that she didn't think that he was a drug dealer or something. "Well, thank you, sir."

"I'm going to go to the cafeteria," he really needed a cup of coffee, "so is there a way you can let me know when I can see my brother?"

"Of course, we'll send someone to let you know."

"Thank you."

Ring

Ring

Jerking up into a sitting position, Cloud floundered for a moment before reaching blinding out towards the noise, his fingers finally finding his cell. Wiping his hand across his face, he glared down at the paperwork he had fallen asleep on top of and flipped his phone open, "Hello?"

"Cloud? What the hell is wrong with your voice?"

"Roxas…"

Sighing, Cloud leaned back against his couch as Roxas let out a scandalized huff, "Were you sleeping? Do you even know what time it is?"

Glancing over at his TV, Cloud frowned, "Eleven twenty-seven a.m.?"

"Well, why aren't you at the office?! Where's Axel?"

"We were out until three last night Rox, relax. I'm not surprised he hasn't shown up yet. What are you so excited about?"

"We just got a huge break in the case!"

"What?" Springing onto his feet, Cloud immediately began to gather his things, "What happened?"

"Another robbery was reported, same sort of M.O. But this time they messed up!"

"What did they do? Fingerprints? DNA?"

"No, they left the crime scene pristine. In fact, the owners of the home didn't even realize that they had been robbed until the husband went to withdraw some money from the safe."

Cloud frowned as he hopped a bit to try and pull a sock on, "Then what happened?"

"It turns out that all the money was traceable and someone already cashed some of it in!"

"That was quick."

"Apparently our perp used it to pay for something at a hospital in Traverse Town of all places. The hospital went to turn it into the bank where they noticed and sent a alert to us!"

"Do we still know the location of the suspect?"

"Yeah! We called the hospital and they said the guy was still there so we just sent a squad car to go pick him up! If everything goes right, they should be back in three hours with him, unless traffic is bad on the highway."

"Alright." Pulling his socks back off, Cloud held the phone up to his ear with his shoulder as unbuttoned his pants and began to shimmy them off, "Give half an hour to shower and grab something to eat and I'll get over to the station to prepare some questions. Do me a favor and call Axel's house for me, knowing him he won't have his cell phone on…I know I have his number somewhere around here…"

"Don't worry, I have it."

Walking into the bathroom in his undershirt and boxers, Cloud reached in and got the shower started so that it would at least be lukewarm by the time he jumped in, "Why do have his home phone?"

"I do consider him a friend you know."

"Since when?"

"Hey, he's not always a perverted ass."

"He's not?"

"Shut up and take your shower Cloud."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you at the office." Hearing a sharp "click" as Roxas hung up, Cloud smirked. He loved his little brother, really, but it was fun to harass him sometimes. However, he had to wonder how close Roxas and Axel had gotten while he wasn't paying attention. Oh well, he had bigger things to worry about. They had apparently located one of their suspects. Today was going to be a very good day.