Hello to all! :D Sorry this chapter took me a while to turn out. It was giving me fits XP But all is well, now, and the next chapter is almost done, too! ^-^

Special thanks goes to KMSaum for beta-ing this chapter :)

SuperSorrel007: Thank you for all your kind words! And I think I'm having more fun writing this than ya'll are reading it XD But I'm glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the prayers :)

NebraeExbaren: Lol Lea is a total creeper. He just...knows things *shifty eyes*. But we shall find Cloud soon! But it won't be for a few chapters ;_; Poor Cloudy. And thank you for the prayers!

Evil Stormsister: Hahaha that's about as gruesome of an image as my poor sheltered mind could conjure up XD But if you have ideas about how it could be more gruesome (and it doesn't make me gag lol) then be sure to tell me and I'll go back and see if I can make some changes ;) And next chapter, pretty sure you'll find out about Lea XD

KMSaum: Lol I have a lot to address here XD Um, well, the Nobodies' info came from the "official" KH wiki online and what little I could glean from the games. And maybe that's what was wrong with that chapter...I'll have to go back and look to see if I can change anything...after this is all done, of course. And I really do enjoy how Lea and Squall are total opposites XD makes them fun to write. And yeah, that bit of punctuation does help XD I'll just have to muster up the willpower to go back and change it now XDDD Lazy me. Finally, thank you for your prayers, and thank you so so so much for helping me out with this chapter! Can't wait 'till you update your fics :)

Enjoy! :D

Squall woke up late the next morning, groggy after the night he had had and eager to remedy that with coffee. He sat up slowly and glanced at the bed next to his.

Cloud was still gone.

Squall frowned at that. As far as he had gathered, Cloud wasn't one to stay out late, aside from the days they had night shift, nor was he an early riser. When they had no assignments in the mornings, he'd usually sleep until the early afternoon, much to Squall's dismay.

Maybe he had some kind of special assignment….

Squall shook the notion from his mind. He would just ask Irvine or Zell about it at lunch.

He took his time showering and grooming, then pulled out a clean set of clothes before making his way to the mess hall.

As usual, the hall was packed with loud, ravenous soldiers. The night shift crew, like himself, was arriving for their first meal, while the day shift was already on their second. He scanned the rows of tables for the familiar shock of spiky blond hair, but to no avail. He did, however, spy a familiar cowboy hat on the far side.

Squall loaded his tray and headed across the room. The table held mostly former Garden students and SeeDs, several of which greeted Squall with nods and smiles as he arrived and slid into an empty chair by Zell.

Zell, his mouth full of hot dog, said something.

Squall frowned. "What?"

"I think he said 'Morning, Squall'," Irvine supplied with a grin as he cut into his food. "I've tried to teach him manners, but it's hopeless," he sighed.

Zell began some kind of rant, but since his words were unintelligible, he was ignored. "Do you know where Cloud is?" Squall asked instead.

Irvine frowned. "He left shift early last night. Said something about having to check on something. Why? Did he not come in last night?"

Squall shook his head. "Haven't seen him at all."

"Which reminds," Zell said, after finally swallowing his food. "What did Ansem want last night?"

Should he tell them? Naturally it would be beneficial to have their opinions and their support, but not now, in a place with so many eyes and ears. After all, spying on Ansem's closest could be considered treason. "I'll tell you later," he said instead.

"Hey, Squall!"

Blast.

Laguna set his tray down beside him, with Selphie and Quistis on his other side and across the table. "How was patrol last night?" he asked, eagerly diving into his heaping portions of chocobo casserole.

"Fine," Squall replied irritably.

"See?" Selphie stage whispered to Laguna. "Told you he wasn't a morning person."

"It's not morning," Quistis said.

"He just woke up, so it still applies!"

Squall shot them a glare, but didn't comment. He was about to continue his conversation with Zell and Irvine before he was interrupted.

"We, how was your patrol last night?" Laguna asked the martial artist. "Any better than Squall's?"

Well, it was pointless to try to discuss anything with Laguna around. Honestly, did he ever shut up?

Squall finished the rest of his meal as quickly as he dared before excusing himself and leaving the room. He would see if General Fair knew anything about Cloud's whereabouts. If he was sent on a mission of some kind, Zack would know about it.

"Squall, wait up!"

Now what? He turned around to see Laguna hurrying down the hallway to catch up to him.

"What do you want?" Squall asked.

Laguna slowed and walked past him, as if encouraging Squall to keep walking. What was he doing? Squall fell into step beside him as they headed away from the noisy mess hall.

"I was just wondering how you're holding up," he said quietly, like he anticipated Squall's usual hostility on such topics.

It came, too, though Squall tried to rein it in. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, Squall." It was more of a plea than any kind of order. "You're not the same. You look…beaten. Like your light's gone."

Funny. That's exactly how he felt.

"You expect me to act the same?" he asked, his tone dark and dangerous, daring Laguna to accuse him further. "You go on like nothing's happened, but nothing's the same. It'll never be the same."

Laguna rounded on him, forcing Squall to stop in the middle of the hallway. "I know that, Squall, but I also know that you can't live like this. Even the others are saying you've been more distant than usual, like you were before you knew her. Just because she's gone you're shutting everyone out again."

Squall didn't say anything. Maybe his silence would convince Laguna to leave him alone. He didn't want to talk about this, not with him or anyone else.

"Squall, I know what it's like. When I lost Raine-"

"Don't compare my situation with yours," he snarled in such a tone that Laguna took a step back.

But in the same breath, Squall realized something that startled him: he and Laguna were the same.

Laguna had left Raine in Winhill to fulfill his duties in Esthar, never even hearing that his wife was sick until after her death, and only learning of Squall's existence seventeen years later.

Squall, in essence, had done the same thing. Throughout their marriage he and Rinoa had lived in the same suite at Garden, but they couldn't have been further apart. Squall had worked long hours, only making it home in time to tell her goodnight and waking up long before she did. They would have lunch together sometimes, but that was all Squall could ever manage to make time for. He could easily see how much she wanted him around, how lonely she was. He would even promise himself that he would take her out soon, just the two of them, or take a vacation together. He never did, though. For all intents and purposes, she died just as alone as Raine had.

And to make it all worse, his negligence had not only cost her life but the lives of millions. She had depended on him to be her strength, her protection. Her Knight.

For all of his beliefs that he and Laguna were nothing alike, all of his self-righteous indignities, he had been very wrong. He and Laguna were the same, only Squall's transgressions were far worse.

"We're just all really worried, Squall," Laguna said gently. "Rinoa brought something good out of you, you know? She wouldn't want you to lose it just because she's not here."

Squall couldn't say anything. He couldn't get words past the lump in his throat. Instead, he pushed past Laguna. It was like Laguna had put a hole in the dam that Squall had so carefully constructed around a portion of his mind; the portion that would rather have him crying like a child right now than forcing himself to carry forward. A flood of guilt washed over him, guilt and pain and sorrow. Thankfully, the older man didn't try to stop him. Squall couldn't talk about this now, not so soon and certainly not in light of this new discovery. If he tried now, he would drown in his guilt.

He had to find Cloud. He couldn't get lost in his own remorse and self-loathing. What if something had happened to him? A prank gone too far?

As much as he tried to force his mind off thoughts of Rinoa, her memory was always there, a flicker in the corner of his eye, a whisper in the breeze.

Find Cloud.

He continued down the hall, leaving Laguna behind and desperately trying to leave his memories behind with him.

He knocked on the door with a firm hand, eager to see Zack to both occupy his mind and put his fears at ease.

"Come in!" Zack's voice called brightly from the other side.

Squall opened the door but almost halted mid-step when he saw the occupants of the room. Zack sat in his desk with papers strewn haphazardly across its surface, along with a few personal items and a vase with a single yellow flower in it. Standing beside him was a man with acid-green eyes, sharp features and long silver hair. Sephiroth.

They locked eyes for a moment, each seeming to size the other up. Sephiroth's gaze held more of an aloof curiosity than anything, but Squall detected a subtle irritation beneath the casual look. Whatever they had been talking about, Sephiroth wasn't happy with being interrupted.

"Hey, Squall! What can I do for you?" Zack asked in his usual cheerful voice, kicking back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head.

Squall tore his gaze from Sephiroth's to respond. "I'm here to ask about Cloud."

Zack frowned in concern. "Cloud? What's wrong with him?"

So Zack didn't know. "I don't know. He didn't come back to the dorms last night."

"Cloud Strife was transferred."

Squall and Zack both turned to stare at Sephiroth, both equally surprised. "What are you talking about, Seph?" Zack asked in bewilderment.

The silver haired General turned to look out the window to the training grounds below. "I requested that Ansem allow him to be transferred," he informed in a deep baritone. "He is now under my command. You should be receiving the official notice within the day."

Squall was immediately suspicious. What would Sephiroth want with Cloud? Squall wasn't going to sugar coat it; Cloud was a bit of a wimp. He was far too gentle to make very far it in the military, and Squall wouldn't exactly call him an asset to anything. There was no reason for him to be transferred. Especially since all of his belongings were still in their room.

"May I speak with him?" Squall asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to make sure he didn't overlook anything.

"I'm afraid that's impossible," Sephiroth replied, once again turning back around to meet Squall's gaze. Squall didn't like what he saw in those icy green eyes. "Strife has been moved to an outpost on the other side of Radiant Garden. If you want to speak with him, you will have to talk with Lord Ansem." Something in his voice told Squall that that would be a pointless endeavor.

Maybe Lea was on to something after all.

"Thank you, sirs," Squall said in a neutral tone. An outpost on the other side of Radiant Garden, he said? Well, Squall didn't need official permission to take a ride through town in his downtime, did he? He would like to see this outpost for himself.

Squall half expected it by now, so it came as no real surprise when another chocobo soon joined his as he rode through the street.

"Didn't I tell you there was something funny going on?" Lea asked. Once again he wore his red sweater and boots and allowed his long spiky mane to hang freely behind him.

Where did he get all of this information? "I believe you," Squall said. "I'm going to check out this outpost of theirs and find Cloud."

"Did you ever think to consider that maybe Sephy was lying?" Lea asked as he maneuvered his chocobo around a throng of children running through the streets.

"Of course he's lying."

That seemed to confuse him. "So why are we headed there, again?"

"Because I need to know what he's lying about."

Lea laughed aloud, startling Squall and a few pedestrians around them. "Well, then, let's find out."

Lea took them to an old rundown facility in a seemingly deserted section of the town. They rode around the building to get a feel for the area and hopefully discover an easy way in. Unfortunately, they found that it was completely enclosed by a twenty-foot stone fence and sported coiled barbed wire along the top to discourage climbers. Getting in was going to be a pain.

They tethered their chocobos a few blocks away to avoid detection and to get a better look around the area. Most of the other buildings around them were stone warehouses with missing shingles on the roofs and broken windows. Not a soul was in sight, which Squall found both comforting and unnerving.

"What's that smell?" Squall asked, referring to the strange, pungent odor that seemed to permeate the air.

"They call it Mako," Lea explained.

"What is it?" Squall asked as he examined the wall. A painted sign on it claimed the building was a military facility and property of the ruler Ansem.

"It's derived from the life force of the planet, or so they say. I know they used to use it in their soldiers about fifty years ago, but it's been banned because of some…nasty side effects. Mostly mental instability, personality changes, things like that. Doesn't seem like the stink of it ever fades, either," Lea added as an afterthought. He turned his gaze up the wall. "Looks like we're in for a swell time."

"The gate's locked up. Do you know another way in?" Squall asked.

Lea grinned. "Of course I do. This way, please," he said in a chipper voice meant to sound like a tour guide. Squall grimaced before following him around the building.

Lea lead him to a section of wall with what appeared to be a watchtower just on the other side of it. Ventilation shafts protruded slightly about halfway up the wall. They were easily large enough for an average-sized man to get into, but they were still over ten feet above their heads. Why was nothing ever easy?

"Great," Squall muttered. "How do we get up there?" he asked Lea as the redhead looked around the area.

"Patience, Squally," Lea chastised absently. Just when Squall thought the man was becoming bearable.

"Don't call me that," Squall growled, also surveying the area for something to help them get up there. His eyes fell on a length of woven rope that was wrapped around a pipe on a nearby building. He wasn't sure if it had a function or if it was just for decorative purposes, but since the building appeared abandoned, he didn't have much of a problem cutting it free with his gunblade and unwinding it.

"Nicely done, Squall," Lea commented, snatching the materiel from Squall's gloved hand. Squall scowled but didn't say anything as the redhead tied a noose on the end and roped the shaft in one try like some kind of professional chocobo wrangler. That was…somewhat impressive.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Squall asked casually as Lea secured the rope.

"Like I said, I break in the royal chocobos," he grinned.

"You said you were the chef."

Lea paused a moment in thought, then shrugged. "Close enough." He glanced up to view his work. "Looks safe. Guess it's only fair that I go first this time, hmm?"

Squall watched as the taller man wrapped his hands around the rope and began to hoist himself up. When he reached the shaft, he gripped the rope tightly with his left hand and with the other pulled a long knife that had been hidden somewhere on his person. In one quick move, he pried the grate off and sent it sailing down. Right over Squall's head.

Squall just managed to spin out of the way before it smashed to the ground. He sent an accusing glare upward at Lea, who only laughed before sliding through the opening he had made.

Squall muttered under his breath as he grabbed the swinging rope and began to pull himself up in Lea's wake. He was halfway up when he heard the scream.

*gasps* what was that? What happened? Is that Lea screaming?

Guess you have to wait until next chapter to find out XD

Lol I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am ^-^ Please review, and have a fantabulous week next week! :) To all Americans: Happy Fourth! Everyone else can have a happy fourth, too, by the way ;)

God Bless,

-RainFlame