A/N: Sorry this was so long in the making, I kept scrapping what I had because it I didn't like how it came out or where it was taking the fic. I think I might've thrown something in frustration at one point, I dunno, nothing's broken so it's hard to tell…

A big Thank You to the three absolute darlings who reviewed the prologue, you really made my day so this chapter's for you 3

I should probably point out that I really can't write Cid, he ends up sounding like a cross between a Highlander and a Hillbilly or something –sweatdrops-

Chapter One

Twenty Years…

Wearing only his leather pants and a heavily wrinkled white shirt, Leon stood facing his bedroom window, his silver eyes staring unfocusedly out over the city where pillars of smoke could be seen rising from the sea of rooftops. Absent-mindedly he pinpointed Merlin's chimney, noting it had purple smoke billowing from it today before raising his eyes to stare up at the sky where fluffy clouds floated lazily in the early morning sun, still tinged a light pink from the dawn.

Twenty years…

He turned slowly and moved back to his bed, bare feet slapping against the cold stone floor. He sat down heavily, the bed creaking softly, staring indifferently down at his feet. It had been twenty years since he'd last lived in this castle. Twenty years since That Night, since his nightmare began. With the arrival of the Heartless and Maleficent, the nightmare had, mercifully, receded until it was only a bad memory.

And now it had started up again.

Leon laid a hand palm up on his thigh, curling the fingers slightly inwards as his vision blurred. He blinked rapidly to clear the sheen of tears before allowing his eyes to flutter close, lips parting on a melancholic sigh. He knew moving into the castle was probably what had triggered the nightmare's return. The only reason he'd set foot inside the insidious building was because it was the last public building requiring major repairs aside from the Bailey which they had postponed the repairs of, due to the Heartless who were slowly beginning to quieten down (Leon quietly rejoiced that fact). Merlin's was a good hour's walk from the castle so it was simply too time consuming (not to mentioned cramped, it was such a tiny space) to continue residing there. In hindsight it probably would've been better if he'd told the others that he'd simply deal with commuting to the castle from Merlin's every day. Then again, with his luck, simply spending time in the castle would trigger his nightmare. Leon sighed again.

He was so tired.

He loathed sleep; had come to almost fear it. He'd had too many nights where he'd woken up, voice hoarse from screaming, lungs burning, gasping for breath, his heart pounding in his ears as tears poured down his face. The worst nights were those when Aerith or Cid hadn't been able to wake him before Xehanort slid that knife into his chest, slipping under the skin as his screams rose in a crescendo of pain…

With a rough jerking movement, Leon pulled himself out of his thoughts, hands fisting on his lap as his eyes narrowed dangerously at an unseen enemy. There was a soft knock on the varnished wood of his bedroom door followed by a gentle call of 'breakfast' before the rapid clicking of boots on the all-too familiar marble of the corridor floor as Aerith hurried back downstairs to the kitchen.

Leon slowly stood up again, sweeping an agitated hand through his hair and exhaling loudly. Roughing shoving his feet into a pair of socks and then into his boots, he lifted his head to frown at his reflection in the small mirror resting on the set of drawers beside him, locking his eyes with that of his reflections.

The silver eyes gradually darkened. Golden eyes laughed haughtily at him as his image gradually melted away, Xehanort smirking impetuously at him from the within the mirror.

Leon hastily looked away.

XXX

The moment Leon half-stumbled into the dining room and took his seat placidly next to Cid, Cloud knew, even without the almost ritualistic scream that woke him at night, that he'd had another nightmare. If his count was correct, that made nine in just under a fortnight. He frowned at his cereal, tracking Leon's erratic movements from the corner of his eye.

Leon looked horrible. His crumpled shirt hung limply over his pants, the absence of belts and his leather jacket seemed to make him appear strangely vulnerable and almost delicate. Cloud could see multiple dark lines under those grey blood-shot eyes on a face that was pale and strained, tension tightening his jaw. When Leon spoke, an occurrence that was becoming rarer with each passing day, his voice was raspy and barely audible.

Cloud's eyebrows furrowed as Leon startled when Yuffie tapped him on the shoulder, grey eyes suddenly wild and darting about the room as he jumped off his seat. The action was setting warning bells off in Cloud's head. Leon never startled. Something was definitely wrong and Leon was starting to suffer from it physically.

"Whoa, Leon! You really need to switch to decaf." Yuffie innocently chirped, hands fisted on her hips as she rocked lightly on her heels, head tipping back to smile zealously up at the man, the corner of her eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Yuffie!" Cid's voice was a low, harsh rumble. As everyone turned to stare at him, Leon's head lowered, a shameful blush dusting his cheeks. The newspaper softly crinkled as Cid lowered it to glare witheringly at the ninja; Cloud could see telltale shadows beneath his eyes. "Back. Off."

Yuffie pouted, a retort forming on her lips when Aerith lightly clasped her shoulder soothing, offering a small smile before stepping beside Leon and firmly guiding him back into his chair. Once the tense brunet was seated, her hands fluttered up to his shoulders, gently kneading the rigid muscles there. She tilted her head slightly to the right so she could look over at Yuffie, her green eyes dulled by weariness, her voice warm with fondness. "Yuffie, please leave Leon alone for a bit? He's having a rough time."

Rough time. Cloud echoed silently, chewing thoughtfully on his cereal as he discreetly watched Leon relaxed under Aerith's hands from the corner of his eye. He knew Aerith well enough to know that 'rough time' was her way of saying 'a bloody horrible time'. He wasn't surprised. His room was in the same wing as Leon's, granted there were a good twenty rooms between them, the ones occupied by Aerith and Cid included. Cloud knew that every time Leon had a nightmare he woke up screaming. Twenty rooms did little to blot out the soul-piercing screams that could easily jolt Cloud out of his light sleep. The first few times it had happened they were still dealing with mass Heartless attacks; Cloud had instinctively grabbed the Buster Sword as he jolted awake and dashed out of his room. The first few times he'd crashed into Cid, also hurrying towards Leon's, who curtly assured him that everything was fine before sending the young man back to bed.

The fifth time Cloud had awoken to find himself hopelessly tangled in his sheets and delayed in his movements due to the time consumed wrestling for freedom from his sheets. By the time he arrived at Leon's, Cid and Aerith were already inside, low, hushed voices drifting from the partially closed door. Cloud had slowed down as he neared, peeping curiously through the small opening of the door at the scene inside. Cid was pacing the room, blonde hair unruly and nondescript pyjamas rumpled, muttering in a low biting voice, obscenity's occasionally making themselves heard, his hands alternately fisting and wringing themselves as he kept his worried gaze on the other pair. Leon was sitting up in bed, his thick blue duvet pooling around his lap, his torso twisted slightly towards Aerith, who knelt beside him, her brown hair curling around her face and cascading over her pink nightgown, bare arms wrapped tightly around Leon, her head bent close to his ear as she murmured soothingly. Cloud had to step back for a moment to pinch himself before looking in again. Leon was clinging to Aerith fearfully, light trembles racking his body and the breath coming in short, quick gasps between his lips. Cloud felt his expression twist in concern. When Leon raised his head to answer to one of Cid's mutters, he hastily stepped back again, heart twisting in his chest as he stifled a light gasp of surprise.

Leon was crying.

After that Cloud stayed away, remaining in his room whenever he was roused by Leon's scream. The image of tears streaming endlessly down Leon's pale and the utterly broken expression on the man's face was burned into his mind and tore at him a little more each time Leon had a nightmare as he heard the sounds of Aerith and Cid hurrying towards Leon's room. During the day he was careful not to let on that he was aware of the nightly occurrences though he thought he'd seen Aerith give him a worried, knowing look. His friendship with Leon was precarious but he liked to think that it was also a deep one despite the knowledge that it wouldn't take much to upset their relationship, so he knew that Leon wouldn't welcome interference and would hate for more people to know than he believed to already know. He also knew that Leon was an intellectual and would pick up on any odd behaviour on his part so he kept things normal as best he could. He carefully continued his daily quarrels and light banter with Leon, sparring with him and working alongside him in that familiar comfortable silence.

But now he wondered if maybe he should express some form of outward concern. Leon obviously wasn't getting enough sleep and he was barely eating. His clothes were starting to hang from his body, indicating a loss of weight. His face was beginning to look gaunt and he was so pale he nearly blended in with the white tiles of the wall behind him. His concentration was also being affected. At present his eyes kept glazing over and Tifa had to repeatedly snap her fingers in front of his face to regain his attention while she tried to discuss the day's tasks with him. Suddenly Tifa swivelled her gaze on Cloud, exasperation written clearly on her features. Cloud looked at her faintly sheepish. From the look on her face, she'd been trying to talk to him too.

"Cloud. Leon. Will you please pay attention?" She sighed heavily, resting her chin on her palm and slanting a reproving glace at Leon from the corner of her eye. "As I was saying to both of you; since the Heartless problem isn't so big anymore, Cid reckons we can finally start clearing the Bailey." She paused as Cid grunted his agreement; papers crinkling as he turned a page in his newspaper. She rolled her eyes and continued with a small, amused smile. "Since the rest of us are busy with repairs here, do you mind starting alone?"

"Not at all Tifa." Cloud answered quietly, absently slapping Yuffie's hand away as she attempted to pull his hair. He paused to glare at her and was answered with a sweet smile before shifting his gaze to where Leon was negligently playing with his food, clearly not hungry. "When Leon's ready, we'll head out."

Almost instantly, Leon pushed his plate away and rose from the table, wincing slightly when his chair scrapped noisily across the dark wood floor. "I'm ready. Let's go."

As Leon went upstairs to grab his coat and gunblade, Aerith hurried into the kitchen and came out with a black satchel, pressing its straps into Cloud's hand. "It's going to be hot today. There's a first aid kit just in case and I packed plenty of water and a good lunch for the both of you. Make sure you stop for breaks. Okay?"

"Okay." Cloud nodded, his fingers curled over the straps as he slung the satchel onto his shoulder. "We will."

Aerith smiled at him approvingly, her eyes regarding him solemnly before nodding. "Good. Be back in time for dinner. Watch out for Heartless."

"Always do." He nodded at the others as he patted Aerith's shoulder, swiftly moving to the entrance hall where he found Leon standing quietly in the middle of the room, staring at the broken staircase leading upstairs with a peculiar, faintly sick expression. Cloud frowned, opening his mouth to comment before snapping it again with a soft click. He silently chided himself for a moment before moving forward, coming to a stop a few feet away from Leon's right. "Ready to go Leon?"

Leon looked up. Cloud felt his breath hitch at just how tired and lifeless those grey eyes looked. Before he say or do anything, Leon looked away, moving towards the large stone doors with long strides. "Let's go."

XXX

Aerith hummed a lively tune as she diligently worked at repairing the library doors. Below, Cid could be heard faintly cursing as he repaired the fountain's pipes, sputtering when a small jet of water hit in the face, only to die out again. She giggled lightly, staring determinedly at the broken door handle as Cid sat back, wiping his face cantankerously.

"Aerith?" Cid called up to her, now leaning against the fountain tiredly. When she appeared from behind a column he gestured her over, frowning pensively, voice crisp and swift as he continued. "I think maybe we oughta move Leon out of the castle, maybe back ter Merlin's since he's working on the Bailey now."

Her shoulders slackened as inexplicable relief lightened her features. She sighed softly. "I was wondering how to bring that up with you. I think it's for the better." She admitted quietly, sitting down beside him and letting her hands fall to her lap. "Leon can't keep going on as he is. He…it's like he's fading Cid." Her voice trembled slightly, emerald eyes clouded over with anxiety as she peered up at the man.

"Fading." Cid repeated, testing the word carefully before giving a low grunt and rubbing his chin. "Aye. That's the word for it. With these fucking nightmares the idiot's not sleeping and he ain't eating –keeps slipping Yuffie his food when he thinks ol' Cid ain't looking, he does. He's getting all quiet again too damnit. We only just got him ter warm up again. Fading. Like yer said."

Aerith chewed on her lower lip. "We probably shouldn't have moved into the castle. There's so many memories here for him and not many of them are any good…but…he didn't oppose it." She trailed off weakly, smoothing her skirt out unnecessarily, her eyes blankly staring at the large vase situated against the wall. "I…we really should've seen it coming now that I think about it. He really shouldn't stay here and I really shouldn't have let him come."

"Ain't yer fault, we know who's ter blame for this." Cid grunted. "Have a word with him Aerith. Tell him ter spend some nights over at Merlin's. You go with him and see if he still has nightmares. If he does, so help me I'll drag him ter therapy meself." Cid paused with an angry huff, digging around in his pockets before extracting a packet of cigarettes and a lighter with flourish. "I need to see the old loon after lunch anyway; want to move the computer out of his house before his bloody magic fucks it up. I'll let 'im know he's got houseguests for a while."

XXX

"What's with you?"

Cloud straightened up from where he'd bent to pick up a large chunk of stone and leaned against the wall, casually resting on his arms and raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "That's my question for you, Leon."

"You've been staring at me." Leon frowned petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head. He stared up at Cloud from behind the locks of hair that'd slipped over with face with dark, probing eyes.

"Obviously." Cloud retorted, fixing Leon with an unwavering stare, lips twisting into a frown. "Something's wrong with you Leon and I want to know what."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Get back to work and stop slacking, Strife." Leon scoffed, a defensive tone in his voice, his grey eyes flashed warningly as he turned and moved towards a large pile of broken wall needed to be blasted into smaller, manoeuvrable pieces.

Cloud's frown deepened, his eyebrows furrowing as he pushed himself off the wall and quickly grabbed Leon by the elbow, turning him around and clutching his shoulders tightly. He moved closer as he stared determinedly at the other man. "I think you do know what I'm talking about, Leon." Cloud spoke quietly, his voice calm and firm. "You haven't been sleeping or eating right since we moved into the castle. Damnit! What the hell scared you this badly, Squall Leonhart?"

Leon froze, his eyes widening, the pupils dilating as his lips parted on a silent gasp. He trembled slightly.

His tiny body was under the table, pressed against the wall, hands covering his mouth to stifle his sobs as footsteps echoed in the small parlour. 'SquallSquall. Come out, come out…wherever you where. You can't hide from me…Squall.'

His eyes went glassy as he swallowed thickly, the blood rushing from his face as small beads of sweat broke out along his forehead. His trembling increased. "Let me go." He rasped.

'You can't hide Squall.' Wicked golden eyes gleamed as a tanned hand grasped his ankle, pulling him forward. 'I found you.'

Cloud loosened his grip, staring incredulously at Leon. "What the hell?" He whispered stepping back slightly. "Leon?"

"Let me go." Leon whispered, desperation entered his voice and Cloud could almost taste the fear emanating from the brunet.

'Come Squall. It'll only hurt for a while.' The knife…dear god…that knife.

As Leon blanched further and started to hyperventilate, Cloud brought his hand down across his face. "Snap out of it Leon!"

Leon gasped, stumbling forward. Cloud instinctively grasped his shoulders, steadying him. Shaking fingers fisted his vest as Leon rested his sweat soaked forehead on Cloud's shoulder, breathing coming in small shuddering gasps, eyes watery and quivering as Leon made a visible effort to hold back the tears.

Cloud looked down at him, his blue eyes wide and bewildered, mouth forming a silent 'O'. He patted a trembling shoulder, cringing just slightly when Leon flinched and moved to pull away. "Easy, easy." Cloud murmured, moving his hand to brush the mess of hair out of Leon's face. "It's just me Leon, it's just Cloud. Come on. It's okay."

Slowly Leon relaxed, his body slumping into Cloud's warmth as strong, reassuring arms wrapped around him, threading through his hair. A soothing voice tickled his ear as his head rested on a toned shoulder. He wasn't really aware of anything, just that the pain was gone and that this person had stopped it.

Cloud looked down at worriedly. Leon's eyes were still fearful and unfocused. "Leon?" He called softly. Leon sighed quietly, nestling closer. Cloud hummed faintly in amusement shaking the other gently, speaking loudly. "Come on; let's get out of the sun. You need to tell me what that was about."

The words were like a bucket of cold water thrown at Leon. He startled violently, wrenching himself out of Cloud's embrace, his eyes returning to that wild state as he stared at Cloud disbelieving for a moment before making an odd strangled sound and tearing out of the excavation site.

To Be Continued

-sorry if it's a little short, I didn't really want to add more, I like that ending. R&R