Chapter 5 is up! Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter; it was the most that I've ever received for any chapter of this story yet! They always encourage me to keep going, and I want to let you all know that I always really appreciate your feedback! You guys rock!! ^^

So thanks to Kichi Tsukima, Taryn Eithne, DeNiSaY60, Baciare, andhearts, RealityInABottle, b4k4 ch4n, CloudedMirror89, Sky Blossom, Emerald Moonrose, Shinimegami7, blackpantherwolf, HeartAngel, A-chan, Orchid Butterflies, Inedible Sushi, fenrir-ice-wolf, flammula, ramen-is-my-goddess, The Hollow Fairy Wolf, , Caithdean, Aindel S. Druida, Concise Complexity, Velvet Chaos, Bane-Dane, Yudis, and Shukakku the adorable raccoon! You guys are my heroes! ^^

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Chapter 5

Sitting at a round plastic table in the hospital cafeteria, Squall crouched over a cup of cheap coffee. It was his third cup in four hours but the caffeine was doing its job. He no longer felt as if he was about to pass out from exhaustion, although he found it harder and harder to sit still and wait for someone to come get him.

Hearing the click of high heels against the tile floor, Squall glanced over his shoulder to spot the receptionist walking over to him. The woman looked nervous and her expression made Squall's heart tighten. Did she have news about Sora? Had something happened? "Mr. Leonhart?"

Pushing his chair out, Squall made to stand up, the quick action making the woman jump, "Is Sora alright?"

"What? Oh, yes, your brother. Sora is doing fine. You, should be able to see him soon."

Squall's eyes narrowed, finding her behavior to be odd to say the least. Maybe she was having a stressful day, although the hospital had seen quiet to him. "How much longer do you think I'll have to wait?"

"Per-perhaps another hour or so, maybe an hour and a half."

Letting out a sigh, Squall ran his fingers through his hair, "Well, maybe I'll go out for a few minutes…I have to get more laundry detergent from the store, and Sora needed a new binder for school—"

He was startled as the woman interrupted him, "No! I mean, it would be best if you remained here, in case something happens. But if there is anything I can get for you…?"

"Um, no, I'll just go out again later." Nodding in relief, the receptionist took a few steps back before turning around and practically running back to her desk. Squall followed her with his eyes, his brows lowering in suspicion as she got on the phone with a glance back to where he was sitting. Very odd. She had a point, he shouldn't be going out when Sora could have some sort of complication…But she had seemed nervous, not about Sora's situation, but about Squall. They had only met once before so she would have no reason to be frightened of him…unless…

But how would she have figured it out? It was true he had paid Sora's hospital bills in cash but that in itself wasn't anything to be freaked out about. They had left the crime scene perfectly clean last night, not that it really mattered since the police wouldn't have his fingerprints or DNA on file anyway. The only thing they had taken off site was the mon—Shit. Did they somehow figure out that the money had been stolen? Was that even possible?

Eyes shifting back to the room, Squall suddenly felt as if he were in a cage instead of a cafeteria. The room was filled with windows but none of them actually opened and there was only one exit. If he left, he would have to go right passed the receptionist. But would he actually leave even if he were able to? He had already let Sora down once already by not being there for him when he had gotten sick, he couldn't leave him alone right now.

Picking up his coffee mug, Squall casually stood up and walked over to the beverage counter and poured himself another cup. Using his peripheral vision, he watched as the receptionist stood up a bit to keep an eye on him and a grim smile spread across his lips. So there was something going on. And it didn't bode well for him.

Moving over to stand by one of the windows, he chose a view that allowed him to look down at the streets outside. He kept his exterior expression absolutely calm while inside his brain was struggling to come up with an articulated thought.

Squall took a sip of coffee, just to give his body something to do, as he stood watch from his sentry post at the window, his eyes expertly trained on the world outside while he focused his hearing on what was happening inside the hospital. He was still waiting for news about Sora after all, although he was beginning to suspect that he wasn't going to be given the chance to see his brother.

His suspicions grew deeper as the minutes continued to tick by and no one approached him about Sora's condition. Surely he would've been stabilized by now, even considering how sick he was. His worst fears were confirmed when he caught sight of a car driving up to the hospital. It was a patrol car running its lights.

Apparently the receptionist had noticed too before she rose to her feet and hurried toward the main entrance. Recognizing his chance as it presented itself, Squall wiped off his cup with his sleeve and threw it into the trash. Running towards the cafeteria exit, he peeled around the corner and saw the receptionist rushing down to meet two police officers who had just gotten out of the patrol car. Seeing the cops remove their guns from their holsters, Squall let out a curse and ran for the back of the hospital where the patients were houses. He just wanted to see Sora before he went.

Whipping around a corner just as he heard the main doors to the hospital open and the officers step inside the foyer, Squall kept running. Sora had been checked into the pediatrics ward, since he was technically still a kid, and all of the under-aged patients were kept in rooms off of three main hallways.

Checking the nametags on the doors as he ran by, Squall picked up the pace as he heard shouts echoing back from the lobby area. If the police thought that he would be easy to bring in, they were sadly mistaken. Catching himself as his boots skidded on the slick tiles, Squall rounded another corner, his eyes still watching as nametags flashed by; Sora Leonhart, Sora Leonhart, Sora Leonhart, where was he?

Hearing voices coming down from yet another corridor, Squall picked out his brother's from amidst the noise as the volume of the voices elevated into shouts. It sounded like Sora was arguing with some of the nurses, the teen's voice uncharacteristically sharp, "—t's going on? Why can't I see Squall?"

"I'm sorry Sora but he had to leave, he was called to work—"

"—You're lying! He has a night job!"

Refocusing his direction, Squall ran towards the sound, his eyes finally finding the name they were so desperately searching for: Sora Leonhart. The door was closed but he didn't even wait to see if it was locked, he didn't even slow down as he through his shoulder against it and slammed it open.

The nurse inside the room screamed in surprise and Sora sprang up in his hospital cot with wide eyes. Closing the door tightly behind him, Squall pushed his weight against it, scared that he would be caught before he could talk to his brother, "Sora, are you okay?"

"Squall! You're still here! They said you couldn't see me!" Sora was momentarily distracted as the nurse ran out of the room, "What's going on? Everyone started acting weird!"

"Are you okay?"

Squall heaved a breath as he finally calmed enough to get a good look at Sora. He was in a hospital gown and attached to an IV and a heart monitor but he was already looking better. The teen still looked clammy and flushed but the fact that he was able to sit up and speak in full sentences said a lot. "I, I'm fine, better anyway. Squall, what happened?"

"Sora," Taking another breath, Squall quickly walked over to Sora and grabbed his hand, "I need you to listen carefully to me." Sora nodded, his blue eyes confused but hardening a little at Squall's seriousness. "There's some things I haven't told you, about what I do, about what I've been doing."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I can't even begin to explain in time," hearing footsteps thundering down the hall towards them, Squall shook his head, barely able to think. How was he supposed to explain this to Sora? How could he explain to his little brother that he was about to be arrested? "Whatever happens, just, remember that I love you and that I would give my life to keep you safe."

"Squall, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Just, promise me."

"Okay, okay! I promise!" Tears started to prick at Sora's blue eyes, "Now tell me what's going on!"

"I—" Squall was interrupted as the door slammed open for the second time that day as an officer kicked the door in, both officers storming in with their guns drawn. Squall instantly threw himself in between the barrels of the cops' guns and Sora, his little brother's hand tightening on his own.

"Mr. Leonhart, you're under arrest! Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground!"

"Watch where you're waving those guns."

"Get down on the ground!"

Hearing Sora's heart monitor pick up behind him, Squall reluctantly let go of Sora and slowly raised his hands to put them behind his head, "Alright! I'll go quietly, so take it easy." To prove his point, Squall kneeled then lowered himself to the ground, his cheek pressing against the sanitized tile flooring. He could have easily escaped but not with Sora in the room. If he put up a struggle, Sora could get caught in the crossfire and that was not acceptable.

Seeing that he was indeed surrendering himself without a fight, the officers did relax just a little. Lowering their guns, one of the men crouched down beside Squall, the cop pressing his knee into Squall's back to make sure that he didn't try to escape as he snapped on a pair of handcuffs as the other man read him his rights. The only thing he caught was that they were from Twilight Town. The money must have been traceable then.

Squall's mind went blank after that until he felt a tug on his arms, "Come on, get up."

Obeying, Squall nearly jumped as Sora let out a shout, "Hey, wait a minute! Where are you taking him?"

The cops seemed surprised to, as if just noticing that the teen was in the room, the man that wasn't guiding Squall out of the room responding, "Twilight Town kid."

"What did he do?"

Squall looked away as the officer answered without missing a beat, "He's being brought in for questioning, under suspicion of money laundering, theft, and breaking and entering."

"Squall…"

Squall paused as he was being pushed out the door, "…Everything will be alright. Trust me."

"Okay." Squall had to look back at the firm response he received, "I trust you."

He couldn't help but smile. "Good."

Squall's smile flipped down into a frown as the cop holding him gave him a little shove to get him moving again. Squall allowed it, much more at peace with the situation now that he knew that his brother would be alright. He would have to get out of custody as soon as possible but Sora would be alright for a little while. Hopefully.

The police seemed surprised at how calm he was acting as they led him out of the hospital and into the back of their squad car but, for now, letting them take him in was the best option. He easily could have escaped, but what then? Become a wanted man and go on the run? No thank you. He wouldn't let himself do something like that to Sora who was still in high school and needed stability. Besides, if he went in, he would be able to find out just how much the Twilight Town police department knew about the robberies. Squall knew that he hadn't left any incriminating evidence at the crime scene, and neither had Riku, so they couldn't have much on them yet.

Remaining silent for the entire ride, Squall watched out the car window as the scenery flew passed as they drove toward the coast. After about an hour, he caught sight of the town's distinctive skyline, the clock tower stretching up from amongst the surrounding hills like some sort of lighthouse. It felt strange that this was how he was first going to see Twilight Town during the daytime hours. As they drove into town and made their way through the winding streets towards the city center, Squall watched the scenery. Twilight Town did look like a nice place, a good place to raise a family. No wonder all those rich people moved in.

The squad car stopped in front of an impressive looking stone building which Squall could only assume was the police station. His thoughts were confirmed when the officers got out of the car and went around to the back to collect their prisoner. Opening the door, one of the men reached in and grabbed onto Squall as if they thought he was going to try and escape, "Don't try anything funny, alright?"

Squall just gave the man a flat look and rose to his feet by his own power, not even struggling against the man's hold. If he had wanted to escape he would've done so when he was back in his hometown, not here where he knew absolutely no one. The cops seemed to be confused at the lack of a struggle but continued doing their job, walking Squall up the stone steps and into the government building.

The police station was humming with activity, men and woman working at their desks, typing, calling, searching through paperwork, hurrying across the room to speak with a colleague; Squall was impressed. They weren't wasting a single cent of the taxpayer's money.

There was a small burst of energy beside them and a boy hopped out from behind one of the desks and ran over. Squall had to blink twice as the blond reached them; he swore the kid had Sora's face. Not the coloring, and perhaps it was aged a little, but the two could have been brothers. Any sense of connection was broken as the boy, young man, stared up at him inquisitively, "Is that our guy?"

One of the officers behind Squall must have nodded, "That's right. He gave us a little run for our money at first but came pretty quietly all-in-all. He hasn't said a word since we put the cuffs on him though." Squall almost felt awkward as he was left out of the conversation. But really, he had nothing much to add at this point.

The boy frowned and stared at him for a moment longer with his blue eyes before nodding towards a hallway off to the side with his head, "Detective Strife's reserved Interrogation Room A. Go ahead and take him in when you're ready."

As if supervising, the blond waited nearby as the officers who had brought him in booked him. Squall wasn't familiar with the process but went along with everything easily as they took his fingerprints and searched him for any weapons, confiscating his wallet and keys in the process, promising that they would be returned to him upon his release. He hadn't been carrying his weapon thankfully but what they did find was the other half of the money he had gotten from the heist. Watching expressionless as they pulled out the small stack of cash from his jacket pocket and put it into a plastic evidence bag, Squall knew that he wasn't going to see that money again.

After watching the patrol officers begin to book the suspect, Roxas grabbed the envelope holding the man's keys and wallet and took off towards the door separating Cloud and Axel's office from the chaos of the main room. Yanking it open, Roxas poked his head inside to find his brother and Axel crowding over Cloud's desk as they tried to put together a good questions list. "Hey, they just brought our guy in and are booking him now! I told them to stick him in Interrogation A when they were done. I grabbed his ID too, thought you might want to do a search on him before you went in."

Cloud looked up, his neon blue eyes sparking like a wolf on a hunt, "Good job. Let me see it."

Roxas handed his brother the envelope then glanced over at Axel, a smile lighting up his face as he saw the redhead with a pair of reading glasses on his nose, a half-used cigarette in between his thin lips. "I didn't know you needed glasses Axel."

Axel faked a laugh and pulled the glasses off, "You try going through paperwork and reading files with ridiculously tiny print on the computer for ten hours straight, and tell me how your eyes are doing."

"I kind of like them, they make you look smart for once." Hearing the phone ringing at his desk, Roxas let out a breath of air, "I need to go back, keep me posted, okay?"

Cloud waved him off then opened the envelope and dumped its contents on top of a pile of paperwork scattered across his desk. "Let's see what we've got here…" Snatching the wallet up, Cloud quickly checked its contents, "No driver's license, but there's a motorcycle license…" He pulled the card out and blinked at the small picture, the young man in the photograph staring back at him with stormy grey eyes.

Axel noticed the short pause and looked over his partner's shoulder, "Hey, he's a cutie."

Looking at the dates on the card, Cloud smirked, "This photo was taken four years ago. I doubt he looks the same…According to this he's twenty-six years old now. That's still pretty young for someone to develop all of the skills needed to pull off these robberies."

"Try running his name through the system and see if anything comes up."

Cloud nodded and quickly typed the name in. The police department had criminals from every part of the country entered into the database, although government workers were in it as well, all the way down to the custodian who worked in City Hall. Cloud was even in it, as was Axel. He had looked up Axel just for the heck of it; the guy had a rap sheet as long as Cloud's resume. He wasn't quite sure how Axel had managed to get a job at the station, but he must've known someone…The only problem with the system was is that it took a long time for the search engine to come up with a match because it had so many names to look through.

Letting out a sigh, Cloud turned to Axel, "So, after this, I'll go do the interview if you can stay here and keep looking through these files."

Axel scowled, "How is that fair?"

"It's fair because I'm the senior detective and because this is a very important case and I don't want you blowing it."

"How could I possibly mess up? I mean, we probably won't be able to hold the guy for more than a few hours legally!"

"Unless we can get a confession. Besides, in our last case you practically assaulted the guy and he turned out to be innocent."

"That was a fluke. Besides, the guy was an ass, he deserved it."

"That's irrelevant and I want to do this one right. I'll call you in if I need any help."

"Fine, whatever." Tilting the computer screen so that he could see it from his desk chair, Axel moodily leaned over, his chin resting on his hand as he watched the computer to continue to search through multitudes of faces. "Roxy and me'll get some burgers for lunch or something…"

Cloud rolled his eyes as Axel continued to pout, re-reading over his interview questions. His tactic was going to be pretty straight forward since he didn't know too much about their suspect. The plan was to get the guy to talk and, hopefully, to reveal a connection to Zexion and Riku. They had been researching Zexion and Riku for a few days now and hadn't come up with much. The two had files but the police had no evidence directly linking them to anything; the only thing linking Zexion and Riku to crimes were rumors from other criminals.

A "ping" came from the computer and Cloud was about to look over when Axel's head snapped up, his cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth as his jaw dropped, "Oh shit man."

"What?" Grabbing the screen, Cloud turned it back to face him and froze. Instead of the criminal rap sheet he had been expecting, something else entirely had popped up. It was a page from a section of the program that he had never seen before, the Federal Government's SeeD program. And right below the heading was a picture of Squall Leonhart, "He's a SeeD?"

Axel's brows shot up and he ground out his cigarette in the ash tray. "Well this just got really interesting."

Scrolling down the man's SeeD page, Cloud looked for any indication of who this man was and why he was now involved in crime. "Ah, look here…" Tapping on the screen, Cloud turned the screen again so that Axel could see the text written there, "Apparently he went AWOL, absent without leave, about a month ago. It says here he still has five months until his two-year contract is up but he left his unit and no one has heard from him since."

"Looks like we found him. What do we do?"

"Contact the higher ups, they should be able to figure out." Cloud glanced over at Axel, "Looks like you found something interesting to do while I'm busy."

"Yeah. Huh…" Axel stared at the page for a few moments longer before shaking his head, "Hey, seriously, you're going to have one heck of a time getting anything out of him if he's really a SeeD. Be careful too; he could probably kill you with a pencil shaving."

"I can handle myself."

"Have you ever met a SeeD before?"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "Have you?"

"Yeah, I don't really want to talk about it but basically they can kick some serious ass. They're the elite of the military, they've been bred to kill. I mean it, don't give this guy a chance to pull anything."

"You actually seem concerned."

"Yeah, 'cause I actually am concerned."

Cloud glanced at his partner to find Axel's green eyes completely serious which was really unusual. Nevertheless, he had a job to do and he wasn't going to be scared off by a title. Eyeing the perp's picture again, Cloud scanned his face. It was serious but he looked intelligent enough; maybe he could bargain with him. "Don't worry about me and worry about contacting the Chief instead. Ask what he wants us to do with the guy."

"Fine. Get outta here."

Grabbing his questions sheet, a tape recorder, a notebook, and a pen, Cloud stood up, "If you do end up going out for lunch, grab me something will you?"

"What do you want?"

"I don't know, have Roxas figure it out."

Walking out of the room, he made his way through the main offices, waving a bit to Roxas as he passed by his brother's desk. He saw the officers who had been sent to pick up the suspect and nodded to them, "Jefferson, Hernandez, how did it go?"

"Just fine. We put him in room A and cuffed one wrist to the table. He's being pretty relaxed about the whole thing so hopefully he won't be too much of a handful."

"Good. You guys on break?"

Hernandez shook his head, "No, we're off for today. Our shift ended half an hour ago."

"Thanks for working overtime then. See you guys tomorrow."

Continuing on, Cloud walked down the hall towards where the Interrogation rooms were and found room A without even having to look up, knocking only once before stepping into the room. The room itself was sparse, furnished only with a table and four chairs, one of them currently occupied.

Cloud blinked as he caught sight of his possible perp for the first time. He didn't look much like either his license or his SeeD photo anymore. His hair was longer, and there was a large scar crossing over his face. It must've been a nasty wound when it was fresh. He had also gotten stronger, apparently having put on at least ten extra pounds of muscle since the pictures were taken.

Not deterred, Cloud took a seat across from the man, his eyes quickly checking to make sure that he was still cuffed to one of the table legs. "Mr. Squall Leonhart? I assume you know why you're here?"

He looked up to find the man, Squall, meeting his eyes evenly. Just like the picture, his eyes were an entrancing gray but they had hardened into a cold steel. "I have an idea."

Tearing his gaze away, Cloud placed the tape recorder on the tabletop, "Well then, let's just get right to it. For your information, this conversation will be recorded. You have a right to an attorney at any time and if you cannot afford one the city will assign you an attorney. Would you like us to do so?"

The man across from him leaned back in his chair and shook his head, "I don't need one. Get to your questions."

"For the record, you are Squall Leonhart, correct?"

"That's right. And who would you be?"

"I'm Detective Cloud Strife of the Twilight Town Police Department and I have been assigned to your case. You seem like an intelligent man, so I'll cut right to the chase. You have been brought in for questioning for laundering money that was stolen last night from a residence here in Twilight Town. Were you aware that the money you were using was stolen?"

Leonhart didn't say anything, just stared at him with a blank expression. Frowning, Cloud pressed on undeterred, "One could take your silence as an admission of guilt."

"It's my right to remain silent if I want. I haven't admitted to anything."

"Why were you carrying such large sums of money on your person, all of which was stolen from said residence last night?" Again he was met with silence and Cloud moved on to the next question, skipping down to the bigger questions, "Were you involved in the robbery last night during which the money you had on your person was stolen?"

Leonhart barely even blinked and Cloud slammed his notebook onto the tabletop, "Mr. Leonhart, I am warning you that it would be in your best interest to talk. You seem like a smart guy, so allow me to explain something to you. If you were involved in the robberies, if you give us the names of the people you're working with you could get a much lighter sentence. Cut a deal with us and you could get away with probation instead of having to go to jail.

"Thanks for the warning."

"Listen, Squall, we looked you up. We know you were SeeD, so I get that you're protecting your comrades, but you're working with criminals now. If you have any sense of justice, tell us who you're working with."

Leonhart looked thoughtful for a moment before he sat up, the arm that wasn't cuffed to the table leg resting on the table as he leaned forward, "Detective Strife, was it? You were right about one thing. I am smart, smart enough to figure out that if you had anything on me, or any activities I may or may not be involving myself in, you wouldn't be asking me these questions. All you have on me is the money."

"So you admit to knowing that you were carrying stolen money?"

"I'll admit that you just told me so."

Cloud narrowed his eyes, "Don't play games with me. You knew that money was stolen, you just didn't know that it was traceable!"

"If you know so much then why am I even here?"

Cloud crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. This was the most frustrating man he had ever dealt with. Sure, he'd had suspects who wouldn't talk before but he'd never dealt with any who were so absolutely unemotional throughout the ordeal. Leonhart was the absolute picture of security; he didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that he was cuffed to a table. When suspects showed emotion, they allowed for interrogators to dig into a soft point to try and get their perp to snap and start talking but Leonhart hadn't given him a single hint of discomfort. "I don't get it…you're young, skilled, smart, good-looking, why would you lower yourself so far as theft and breaking and entering?"

Finally; an emotional response. Leonhart blinked then leaned back as well, his gaze falling to the side for the first time. Cloud gave him a few minutes to respond, his patience returning as he realized he was finally getting some where. When he finally answered, the soldier's voice was gruff, "If you found out I was with SeeD then you probably know I deserted." Cloud gave a quick nod as he slowly picked up his notebook and pen, his motions freezing as Leonhart looked back up at him, "Detective Strife, did you go to college?"

"Of course."

Cloud was almost startled as Leonhart scoffed, an annoyed expression passing over the stoic man's face, disappearing nearly as quickly as it had come. "Do you know how hard it is for someone who deserted, with no higher education, in a failing economy like Traverse Town's, to find a job?"

Cloud rolled his eyes, "You can't tell me that's your excuse. Unemployment? SeeD said you've been missing for a little less than a month. You can't want me to feel sorry for you if you're able to burn through money that fast—"

Leonhart interrupted him, early signs of a scowl flickering through his eyes, "Do you know how much one night in the hospital costs?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know how much a doctor's visit costs? Or medication?"

Cloud frowned, suspecting where this was going. It hadn't been what he was expecting, "I couldn't say that I do."

"It costs a lot. Do you know how much money a high school graduate, military dropout can make, working fifty hours a week doing the roughest manual labor available? Not enough. And jobs like that aren't even available in Traverse Town. If someone in that position were to be offered a large sum of money, they'd be a fool not to take it."

It sounded like Leonhart had a dependant that he was caring for, with all the talk of hospitals they were probably pretty sick too. Come to think of it, Leonhart had been picked up for spending the stolen money at a hospital. They obviously had some major background checking to do after this interview as over. "So you're saying that someone offered you some money?"

Leonhart settled back into silence and Cloud sighed. He had thought that they were getting somewhere. "So…why did you abandon SeeD?"

"Because I had to."

"Was there some moral conflict or emergency back home?"

"There was no moral conflict."

So maybe there had been some sort of emergency, perhaps even concerning the sick dependant he had in Traverse Town. Tapping his pen against the pad of paper he was holding in his lap, Cloud finally let out another sigh. It was clear he wasn't going to get any information about the case from Leonhart. Being SeeD, it was doubtful that he would let his guard down enough to let a detail slip like most of the suspects they brought in. Legally, they couldn't hold him after they had finished the interrogation without any supporting evidence or a warrant for his arrest. They would have to let him go, even though he knew the man sitting across from him was guilty. The adrenaline he had been feeling all morning drained away and he reached up and turned off the tape recorder, A small smirk spreading across his lips as he shook his head, "You know, my partner warned me about you, being a SeeD and all, but you were probably one of the calmest, docile men that I've ever interviewed…"

The comment brought a frown to Leonhart's lips, "I don't see any benefit in escaping right now."

"So you think you could?"

"Easily."

"Oh yeah?" Never one to back down from a challenge, and not liking the condescending glance Leonhart had thrown his way, Cloud stood up. Grabbing a slim key from his pocket, Cloud bent down and unlocked the handcuff keeping Leonhart attached to the table. The interview was over anyway, so it's not like they had a right to hold him any longer. "Let's see if you can get past me, just for kicks."

Leonhart eyed him dubiously, like he thought he was being led into a trap, "You won't charge me for assault or anything?"

"This is just between us." Cloud wanted to prove to himself, and Axel, that he could handle himself. Hopefully he would able to show Leonhart that he wasn't all talk as well. He had years of martial arts training under his belt and kept himself fit, and was certainly no pushover. "I want to see what I'm dealing with."

"And what do you want me to do?"

"Go ahead and try to subdue me."

"Alright."

Cloud's only warning was the chair flying back as Leonhart sprang to his feet, the man whipping him around, knocking his feet out from underneath him, and slamming his chest down against the table with his arms locked behind his back before Cloud even had time to breath. Wide eyed, Cloud gasped for air as he was pressed against the wooden tabletop, Leonhart pinning him there with the weight of his body, the other's breath tickling the back of his neck as he spoke, "Got you."

"H-how…?"

"You learn a few things in the field." Leonhart relaxed his grip and released Cloud, the blond bracing himself against the table as he regained his balance, scowling as the ex-SeeD spoke up again, "You didn't do to badly though. I saw you react as soon as I did. You just weren't quick enough."

Brushing the other man off, Cloud stumbled back to his feet, shaken but determined not to show it. The man was fast enough, and strong enough, that he could have easily broken out of custody at any time. He had wanted to be brought it, or at least had not been taken completely against his will. Cloud had never had a suspect like that either. "The interview is over."

"You're not going to keep me here?"

"No, not today. You can return to Traverse Town, but don't leave town. If you try to run, you'll just make life harder for yourself."

Cloud detected the hint of a smirk on Leonhart's face before the man turned to the door, but it was hard to tell. The man's poker face was just constructed too well, "I don't plan on running."

Leonharts's hand was practically on the doorknob when the Interrogation Room door whipped open and Axel barged into the small room. Leonhart stumbled back in surprise as the redhead quickly took in the situation, "Cloud, get him back in cuffs!"

With a sharp shake of his head, Cloud frowned at Axel's entrance, "This interview's over. We have no cause to hold him—"

"--Yeah we do." Interrupting his partner, Axel didn't wait for Cloud to act and stepped forward to slap a second pair of cuffs around Leonhart's wrists much to their suspect's annoyance. "Just got word back from the boss; he says we need to keep Mr. Leonhart here until he gets in contact with his SeeD unit commander. Apparently desertion is a federal offense. Who knew?"

From the lack of surprise on Leonhart's face it was clear that the soldier knew. Letting out a breath at the sudden turn of events, Cloud nodded, "Alright. Looks like you'll be staying with us a little longer Leonhart. Go ahead and put him into the holding cell for now. From what I can tell he isn't going to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Cloud met Leonhart's eyes and the man gave a short nod. Although he clearly wasn't happy with the situation, he allowed Axel to lead him away, back towards the main office. The holding cell was just at the beginning of the hall, a small room with a cot, a sink, and a toilet for the police to temporarily hold prisoners in while they waited for more information, etc. The room was completely enclosed save for a small window in the door at eye level that allowed the police to check in on their suspects without needing to open the door. Since it the room was currently unoccupied, it seemed like a waste of time to have to drive Leonhart all the way to the actual jail just to have to bring him back if the man was released.

Cloud went back to the office where Axel met up with him a few minutes later, the redheaded detective closing the door behind him as he stepped inside. "That was quick. Roxy and I didn't even have time to run to the store for something to eat."

"He didn't have too much to say."

"Not a big talker, huh? Did you get anything?"

"Nothing related to the case, except maybe a motive."

"What's up?"

"It sounded like he came back to take care of someone who's sick. He didn't give me a lot to work with, but we definitely need to check him out some more to see if we can connect him to something bigger."

"So you definitely think he's involved then?"

"Yeah, I'm positive he has something to do with it, probably the third man mentioned in the report from that first robbery."

"Let me guess, we can't prove it though."

"Right."

Axel sighed, "Perfect…"

Cloud sat back down at his desk, "He had the money but it would be too easy for him to explain it away. The money could've already been circulated back into the public or someone could have randomly just handed him a wad of cash on the streets when they realized it was traceable."

"Right, 'cause that makes sense."

"It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not; it's 'innocent until proven guilty', and you know how hard it is for us to get a warrant from the D.A. If there's obvious way he could escape conviction, we won't get that warrant."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Axel eyed Cloud as the blond got straight back to work on his computer. "You know, I thought you'd be more excited that we were able to keep the guy for a little longer, considering how psyched up you were this morning about calling me in here after I'd only had four hours of sleep."

Cloud leaned his head against his hand, falling silent for a few seconds, "…He wasn't the usual type of guy we bring in."

"What do you mean?"

"Usually they're stupid, or angry, or just plain crazy, but he was…I dunno, he seemed like he's supposed to be on our team."

Axel stared at Cloud before a smug smile broke across his face, "Cloud, are you connecting with our perp on an emotional level? Cold-hearted you?"

"I don't think so."

"Good, because it will only get messy if you do, since we're the ones who're going to have to put him behind bars."

"I know."

Throwing himself back into his work, trying to regain the zealous fervor that had seemed to overtake him earlier, Cloud was barely aware of the passing of time until his stomach began to complain. Pushing his chair back, Cloud scratched the back of his head, "Hey Ax, I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want to come?"

Having put his reading glasses on to go through more paperwork, Axel blinked up at him through the frames, "I'm like right in the middle of this article. Just pick up something for me."

"What can I get you?"

"I dunno, something edible, whatever. I'm not picky. And get me like a soda or something too, or a energy drink. Something with more caffeine and sugar than liquid."

"Sure."

Stepping out of the room, Cloud waved Roxas over and the two brothers quickly left the building to go to a small convenience store a few buildings down.

Shielding his eyes from the sun, Roxas glanced up at the cloud-spotted sky, "Today would be a great day for skateboarding, the weather's perfect. Maybe I can call Hayner up and we can go out tomorrow."

"You have tomorrow off?"

"Yeah, and you know I'm sleeping in 'til noon. This week has been crazy."

"Tell me about it."

Grabbing a few sandwiches and drinks, Cloud was about to pay for their food before realizing that Leonhart probably hadn't eaten anything since this morning. Grabbing an extra sandwich and soda, Cloud paid for the lot and hustled Roxas back out the door. Complaining about the short length of their "break" Roxas's mood lifted only a little as Cloud shoved two sandwiches and drinks into his hands and told him to share with Axel, "Why, what are you going to do?"

"I've got a suspect in the holding cell I need to feed."

"It's like you're talking about a dog."

"It'd be bad press if we let someone pass out from hunger or dehydration inside the station."

"I guess." Roxas shrugged as they walked back into the police department, the smaller blonde's mood souring as he stepped back into the main office, "I'm really looking forward to having tomorrow off…"

"Stop bragging. And before you give Axel his food, get his money for the food first."

"Stingy much?"

"No, smart. You need the food as a bargaining chip; afterwards he'll just brush you off and say he'll pay you later."

Roxas smirked and split off from his brother to go back towards the detectives' offices while Cloud continued down towards the holding cell. When he got there he wasn't too surprised to find Leonhart sitting quietly on the cot, staring blankly at the wall across from him with his brooding gray eyes. Cloud was pretty sure that the man's arms would be crossed over his chest if they hadn't been cuffed together.

Knocking on the door as a warning, Cloud pushed it open and stepped inside. If Leonhart was surprised to see him, the man didn't show it. Cloud tossed him one of the sandwiches he was holding and Leonhart caught it easily, raising a brow questioningly at the plastic wrapped sub, "What is this?"

"Lunch." Walking over, Cloud set a bottle of water on the ground next to the cot, "I didn't know what you liked so I just ordered a double of mine."

"It looks fine…" His voice trailed off before he tilted his head to look up at Cloud, "How long can they keep me here?"

Cloud blinked then leaned up against the wall, "Legally we can keep you here until we get in contact with the commander of your SeeD unit."

Leonhart let out a sigh, bringing his hands up to massage his forehead, "A while then…"

Seeing the man's mind beginning to drift, Cloud frowned thoughtfully, "We usually don't keep suspects here in the station for more than twenty-four hours but, if you behave yourself you might be able to stay in here instead of getting shipped over to the penitentiary. It might be a good time to contact a lawyer too—"

"—I don't need a lawyer." Cloud finally saw an emotion, a hint of frustration, flicker onto Leonhart's face. Reigning himself back in, the man let out another short sigh, "I'm not interested in causing trouble for the moment either."

Cloud gazed at him for a moment before shaking his head, "I've never seen a prisoner be so calm in a situation like this."

A grim smile played across Leonhart's lips at the remark and he looked back up, "I'd like to think I'm a little different from the guys you usually keep in here."

Cloud didn't say anything; Leonhart was definitely out of the ordinary. Just the way he carried himself was enough to place him miles above the usual low-life that they shoved into the holding cell. He was a different species of criminal all together. But Cloud had known that he would be, knew everyone involved in this case would be, from the second he had flipped open the file about the first robbery. It had been the challenge that he had been waiting for ever since he had moved to the quiet Twilight Town. It was probably going to be one of the most important cases of his career.

As the silence between them began to stretch, Cloud excused himself, leaving Leonhart alone to eat. Locking the door to the holding cell behind him, Cloud made his way back to his office where he found Axel and Roxas nearly finished with their sandwiches. Looking up from his lunch, Axel leaned his chin on his hand, "So, how's our criminal doing?"

"He seems strangely alright with the situation."

Roxas frowned, "Weird." Grabbing his soda, he took a large gulp, "Does that mean he's innocent? A guilty guy would probably be freaking out right now because he'd been caught, right?"

Cloud shook his head as he sat down at his desk and unwrapped his sandwich, "I don't think so…I think he's ready for whatever happens next."

Stealing a bit of Roxas's soda while the blond was distracted, Axel glanced over at Cloud, "And what's going to happen next?"

"I don't know."