KINGDOM HEARTS

THE WANDERER


Rejection


Cloud looked around the room he had been shown to, it was small and cramped. The bed had a single tattered blanket on it and pillow that seemed to be missing the majority of its feathers. It had been two days since they had arrived at

Moenia Of Umbra, and the only eventful thing that had happened was Zidane's attempt to get Morrdinn to release his wife, Garnet. They had all learned an interesting fact then. Morrdinn had revealed that this was not the true Moenia of Umbra, in order to get there you had to know who you were inside. Therefore they had not met the terms of Garnet's release, yet.

Suddenly the door opened and Cloud whirled to see Xerron there. He was releived, for a moment he was afraid he would have to deal with Zidane or something. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the guys company, he just had a bit to much on

his mind lately. He was releived though, when Sephiroth had departed the day before for reasons Morrdinn either would not, or could not, reveal.

"Hey goldy-locks, long time no see." Xerron said in his normal cocky tone.

"Whatever." Cloud said with a dismissive wave.

"Come on, Morrdinn has a present for you." Xerron saidas he turned to leave. Cloud frowned, what could Morrdinn possibly have for him. His curiosity caught, he followed Xerron. The rouge led him deeper into the castle then he had ever gone

before. "You know, we should have a rematch sometime. You can't really consider our contest in the station a proper fight." Xerron said after awhile.

"No thanks." Cloud said coldly.

"If you say so." Xerron said as he stopped. He opened a creaky door to the left then stepped aside and said "Go on in, i'm not allowed inside." Xerron said annoyed. Cloud smirked and went in, frowning as the door closed. Regardless of how

well he had been treated here, he could not forget the Order of Darkness's previous attacks against him, still he didn't really have a choice at the moment.

"Ah, how nice of you to come." Morrdinn said from where he stood. He was standing next to what looked like a pool of water in the floor, only there were several colors swirling in the water. The rest of the room was just bare stone.

"Why am i here?" Cloud demanded as he stepped forward.

"You wish to know the fate of your friends from Radiant Garden, i can help you do that. I can even let you speak with them." Morrdinn said in a drawl.

"How, and why?" Cloud asked.

"With this pool, just envision who you want to see, and step in. You can come back anytime by saying my name, when you do i will hear you and transport you back." Morrdinn explained.

Cloud considered this as he stepped forward, then as an afterthought he said "If you are lying to me, i will come back here and butcher you."

"Sephiroth was right, the darkness has a stronger hold on you than you think." Morrdinn said with a twisted smirk. Cloud snarled and stepped into the pool.

He dropped out of the air and found himself standing in the hanger of an airship. He recognized it, it was the highwinds cargo area. He saw all his freinds, Cid, Leon, Tifa, Yuffie, Aeris, all sitting around a box atop which lay some blueprints.

"And thats how we can upgrade the weapons to fight our way back into the Garden!" Cid was saying as he puffed on his cigerate.

"Guys." Cloud said catching all of their attention.

"$#!! Where the hell did you come from!?" Cid exclaimed in suprise while everyone else rushed over to greet there friend.

"We thought you were killed!" Aeris exclaimed as she latched onto him.

"I'm fine." Cloud said as a smile spread over his face.

"You gave us all a big scare!" Yuffie said in excitement.

"How are you here?" Leon asked calmly, though you couldn't miss the glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

'I'm not really sure." Cloud said with a shrug as Aeris stepped back.

"What happened to you?" Leon asked while Tifa hung back.

"I was attacked by Sephiroth!" Cloud said angrily.

"I thought he was dead!" Tifa exclaimed.

"No, he was the one who let the heartless into our world." Cloud growled as he clenched his teeth. Leon frowned as he began to notice something.

"Why!?" Cid said from his spot. "Why the $#$ would that $#$ jackass $$#$ do that!?" Cid ranted.

"I don't know, maybe he thought he had something to gain i guess. How am i supposed to know why he did what he did!?" Cloud demanded.

"There is an aura of darkness around you." Leon stated suddenly.

"Sephiroth's fault, he trapped me in some sort of feild and i was suffocating! The only way to escape alive was to let the darkness fill me, but i am in control not the darkness!!" Cloud said as he took a step back.

"I'm sorry, but if what you say about Sephiroth is ture then those with darkness are a threat. I don't want to fight you, but we must take you into custody." Leon said, his hand slipping towards the hilt of his gunblade.

"What!? NO!!!!! I have to much to do! There is still work i must complete!" Cloud said raising his right hand to the hilt of his blade.

"Stop it!!" Aeris demanded.

"I see where Leon is going with this, it won't be permenant kid, just til we can remove the darkness." Cid said reaching for his spear.

"NO!! I need it for now, so i can travel between worlds!" Cloud declared.

"Were headed back to the Garden, we plan to take it back." Tifa said.

"You won't succed, i saw how many enemies are there, what you saw and fought was nothing compared to what the enemy can throw at you!" Cloud warned.

"Regardless, we have to take you into custody!" Leon demanded.

Cloud frowned, then his wing came out and he said "Try it." He hoped Leon would back off, but it did not seem likely. Leon sighed then drew his blade and attacked, Cloud yanked his blade from his back and met the blow head on with a brutal

crash and a spray of sparks. For several moments they shoved against each other, then chanelling some of his wings power he forced Leon back. The older boy moved back and shifted his gunblade and lunged under Cloud's defenses with a quick thrust, but the blond twisted to the side and cast and angry glance downward. That blow could have seriously harmed him if he had been one second slower, a surge of rage poured through him and he swung his sword down at

Leon's head, but he twisted and raised his gunblade in a desperate defense.

The two blades struggled against each other with sparks flying from there blades. "Cloud stop..." Leon said in a strained tone as his arms began to shake with the effort of holding Cloud back. Normally they would be even, but that wing was

gave Cloud a huge advantadge. With a growl Cloud forced himself to calm down, but he did not let up. Instead he stopped pushing down on his friend and pushed up into him flinging him from his feet and across the room where he slammed hard into the far wall with enough force to rupture some of the wiring causing a spray of fire and sparks to burst forth. Cloud was disguisted when a feeling of satisfaction rushed through him as Leon was jolted into unconciousness by

the elcricity causing him to drop his blade and fall limply to the floor.

Cloud lifted into the air as Cid attempted a thrust from behind, but the second he was in the air he was forced to dodge Yuffie's shuriken. Emotional pain ripped through him as he realized what he was doing, fighting his friends. With a sad sigh

he said "Morrdinn." Then with a flash of light, he was back in the bare room with the pool. H fell to his knees, and cried.