Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters.

AN: Around Chapter 12, you guys will get to find out what the heck was up with the kind of metaphorical and cryptic kind of storytelling that was going on regarding the other party, a.k.a Demyx and Zexion as to why neither one is answering their phones in this chapter when Roxas needs them for emotional support after hearing that something happened at Cloud and Leon's apartment...so...yeah. Still working on cranking on more and more of this, to hopefully wrap it up sooner or later instead of dragging it out needlessly and trying to write it out so I don't get reviews that gripe on "It doesn't seem to follow any particular school year calendar and blah blah blah"...That's another story in its own right as to why I'm trying to now wrap this up to end up with those kinds of reviews.

Remember folks. Its. FAN. FICTION. Not Fact. You can write it however you want, for all it could be...jump from like the first day of school and here it is months later, they're out dating then a few days later they're at one another's throats and turning into utter smut fest. So, yeah. Remember guys. ITS A WORK OF FAN WORK! Thank you and enjoy your reading ^^

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Chapter 10

Sirens started to tear on down the street as eyes started to look up and down the street at the sight of the Ambulance tearing down the street, "…Well, I wonder what that mess is about," Larxene snubbed her nose at the sight of the Ambulance going down the road, "Axel…what is it?"

"…I just got a text message from Roxas…"Axel solemnly remarked as he read through the message as he found himself pushing away from the table and heading off to a secluded spot of the Café.

"Axel?"

He waited for Roxas to pick up, what was the point of the cryptic message about Leon, Cloud, shooting, Ambulance, Hospital, just come, "…Roxas, if you get this, call me ba---"

"AXEL!" Roxas' voice came over the phone in a rush and a flurry of worry, "Wherever you are and whatever you doing, I don't give a damn at the moment if you are with her just get your ass over to Twilight General! It's Cloud…he's been shot and that's all my Mom will say…Just…I just…Just come to the Hospital…please."

Larxene watched the man pocket the phone as he headed for the payment counter to pay for their meal and headed for the car, "Axel…what was all of that about?"

"Family emergency…We've got to get to Twilight General…"Axel threw a tip on the table and headed for the car.

Roxas tried to dial up Demyx or even Zexion, but neither one were answering as Roxas walked into the Waiting Room of the Hospital Lobby as he waited for his Mom to find out anything as to where Leon was and how he wad doing, Hopefully he'll answer…I don't even know why I texted that asshole…I don't deserve him right now, but I guess…

"Roxas," Rinoa held back a sob in her throat as she called him out of his stupor, "They located Leon…he's in the Family Waiting…"

Hopefully you'll get back to me, Demyx…

"Dr. McKinley, please report to Exam Room 3, Dr. McKinley," soft footsteps quickened down the false like flooring of the Hospital as machines beeped, voices shouted around the man in the Exam Room as busy hands worked to save the man.

All the usual suspects were at the Hospital, but it wasn't because someone had landed the other in the hospital over something stupid, and it wasn't to welcome something happy into the world. Word was anything but happy as everyone scrambled into the Family Waiting Room where the friends found a disheveled Leon huddled over a cup of still warm and full cup of coffee. His face was anything but what it usually was; it was marked with tear stain track marks as well as soft claw marks and marks of a fight to save the man lying, unconscious in the Exam Room. Signs of a struggle seemed to be etched on his face as well as his shirt; it may not have been apparent that he had been hit by one of the screaming hot bees of pain that had come out of the pistol during the fight, but worrying about the slight blood stain on his right shoulder was not a priority to him a the moment. Having family and friends nearby right now was the only thing that was keeping him sane and keeping him from going into the Room and demanding that they save Cloud.

Rinoa came around the corner first as she found the man, "Leon…"

"Rinoa…" Leon stood up as he wrapped his arms around her tightly as he let a throat choking sob come out as he stifled it against her shoulder; he never wanted to cry in front of a woman or anyone ever, but this time; it was an exception.

Rinoa moved off of the man as she looked the man over, "…I…I didn't understand half of what you were saying when you called me frantically…what the Hell happened at your place?"

"…That…That…That psychotic bastard…I told the Judge that man should never had been released to the General public, but DOES ANY FUCKING APPOINTED OFFICIAL LIKE LISTEN WORTH A DAMN!?!"

"Leon, calm down, please…" Rinoa placed her hands around the man's biceps as to try and calm him, "…What happened to Cloud and you?"

Where could the man begin? It had all happened so fast…

"…Cloud was so wound up about Sephiroth pulling up alongside the bus stop where we had found Roxas that I nearly had to sedate the man myself, I even threatened him that I would take him to his see his Therapist to recommend a sedative if he didn't stop going off about the man…He seemed to calm down halfway to the house.

We pulled up into the driveway and he looked may way…he seemed calm and he just began apologizing all over the place…it took all I had to not just kiss him hard and tell it was alright, but…when we started up the stairs…that's when he…"

Leon seemed to drift off as his mind let him drift back to the terrifying moments that had lead up to the latest predicament…

"…Cloud, for the last time, please…please, stop apologizing for earlier…it's over…he's gone and we're sa---"Leon hoped it was over as he opened the front door open as sitting in a recliner chair in line with the front door, "…Cloud…back up…slowly, don't make a scene, just run when I tell you to run…"

Sitting smug and happy like a Cheshire cat was the silver haired demon of their dreams but of Cloud's nightmares in their home and in line of their line of vision, "Well, well, well…if it isn't my favorite little pet, Cloud Strife…" the man's face showed a small glimmer of teeth as he seemed to shift forward, "…Hello kitten…miss me?"

"…I'm not your kitten!" Cloud snapped feverishly as Leon placed an arm out to hold the man back, "How in the Hell did you find where I was?"

"…Come on, Cloud," the man held up a strip of a piece of Cloud's clothing across his nose as he let out a shaky moan as his body was wracked with a lust for the man, "…You aren't that hard to track down, given that you have a very unique scent…"

Leon fought back a growl of anger towards the man as he worked his other hand into his pocket, slowly calling 911 and putting it on speaker phone, "I want you out of my house…effective immediately…I'm not above calling the cops on you…"

"Go ahead…call them, Leonhart, but…"the man produced a pistol as he aimed it at the two men, "…I'm afraid you're going to need more then the cops when I'm done with you both…"

Words out of anger had rung out until the sounds of scrambling feet, shouts of fear as a shot rang out and yet another set of rounds went off as the running sets of feet scrambled to avoid getting hit by the rounds until a scream shouted out into the dark night.

"LEON! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"NO!"

"I SAID GET OUT OF HE---!"

Sounds of wood cracking with the sounds of what could only be thought of as being a rocket exploding, but it wasn't; the object that the sound had connected and collided with was now lying on the floor of the small apartment. Silence fell throughout the apartment again until a scream ripped through the night, alerting the rest of the apartment complex; if the building wasn't awake yet, it was now as phone's started ringing off the hook.

"…If you had just listened to me…this wouldn't have happened….Cloud," Sephiroth took his leave as he stepped over broken glass, and past Cloud, "Have fun with your corpse…Leon…"

"…And…that's what's happened thus far…"Leon ran his hand across his face as he leaned his head back against the wall, "…Gaia…I…I'm the one to blame…"

"No, no you aren't Squall Leonhart…"Rinoa grabbed the man as she brought his gaze back to hers, "…Don't you even think of blaming yourself…you aren't to blame…No one could've seen this happening…don't you ever blame yourself again."

Hours seemed to drag on like a torturous and sadistic game of wait until word came that Cloud was starting to stir; the severity of the accident wasn't readable yet and there was no signs or warning signs that there was anything permanent at this time. At first, Roxas seemed to distant himself from Axel, but as the hours had started to wear on and on, and Larxene had realized she wasn't getting home anytime soon; she resided to hanging out in the Ambulance bay to smoke. Roxas had attempted to stay awake as long as the hours had dragged on waiting on word about Cloud, but there wasn't anyway to avoid sleep.
"Hnmh…Mnh…I'm fine…"Roxas tried to pry the man away from him, but that long, distant, old feeling of heat from the man's fingers as they draped themselves around Roxas' shoulders, holding him against his shoulder, "…Axel…what about…"

Axel softly ran his fingers through the boy's golden locks, forgetting about the fact that another blond was out in the Ambulance bay, probably wishing they could leave already, "…Just sleep, Roxy…its been a long day and its going to be a long night…"

"…A…Axel…"it wasn't too long before Roxas found himself asleep against the man's shoulder, softly mumbling something as Axel leaned his ear down against the boy's lips to hear him, "…I love…you…Axel…"

"…Love you too, little man…"a heartbreaking held itself back in his throat as he tried to push it to the back of his throat, "…Love you too…and always will…even if some she-devil, blonde vixen tries to split us apart…"

Roxas was half asleep as he leaned against Axel, as much as he wanted to hate the man for the intrusion of the young woman, who was standing outside on the Ambulance bay smoking a cigarette; he couldn't help but settle it for now but when everything was said and done after all this, he was still going to avoid him. As tired as he was; he couldn't help but think that the sight of something red on Leon's shirt was an illusion of his sleep deprivation, but as he opened his eyes wider to get a better view; he could see Leon was slightly pale and the blood was starting to go down further on his shirt.

He was soaked through, "Leon…your shirt is…Oh god!"