Title: 100 Steps To Somewhere

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Claim: Cloud/Riku

Theme: 018. Enemy

Word Count: 1,818

Rating: M

Summary: Just as one feud comes to a head, another conflict shows its face.

Disclaimer: The usual standard applies, okay? They aren't mine. I stole them and I will put them back where they belong when I'm done.

Author's Note: As I cut the previous prompt in half, I did the same to this one. Everything I intended to write here is chopped down and the rest will be in prompt 20. It requires some rearranging, but gets two more prompts out of the way, and hey, when you've got 100 to do, that's a small help.

Author's Note 2: I'm going to do an FST either somewhere around prompt 50, 75, or post it with the last segment. Anything that I feel fits the mood of the prompt I'm writing at the moment or fits the mood of the story is going to be on it. The only problem now is whether to do a small one, or a 100 track one, you know, since there are 100 prompts. Seems appropriate, I think. Now I just need to figure out graphics.

Step Eighteen: Lover and Enemy

Cloud leaned against the wall in the corridors behind the Lady and Tramp statue in the Third District of Traverse Town. He stared at the cell phone and swallowed the lump in his throat. Closing his eyes, he directed his face toward the sky.

Cigarette smoke drifted into his face—a smell he now associated with Riku—and Cloud sighed. He opened his eyes and glanced at Leon.

"I could only cover for you for so long. Aerith was going to look for you, but I told her you'd respond better if I did it."

"Did she say anything else?"

"Not really. Just smiled. I think she's happy we're talking more again."

Cloud nodded.

"She and Yuffie started asking a lot of questions. I just told them you're seeing someone, but things are too weird right now for you to say anything about it. Yuffie's in shock someone besides Zack would be crazy enough to date you. Aerith just asked if she should be worried. I told her no."

"Thanks."

"No problem. They expect you to keep things from them."

Cloud winced. He dropped his head back against the wall and shut his eyes.

"I don't like keeping things from them . . ."

"It's in your nature." Leon leaned against the wall next to him. "From the way you ran out of there, I guess you haven't heard from your boy in a while."

"Sora's in Hollow Bastion."

"Yeah. He mentioned he was headed in that direction next. Didn't know for sure, but from the coordinates . . ."

"Yeah, I figured it out, too, from what he told me in Olympus Coliseum."

"Hercules Cup. Did Riku show?" Cloud nodded. "So you got him to take a field trip for a few days. You were just with him, then?" Cloud nodded again. "Didn't hear from him since you dropped him off, huh?"

"No, but I figured it was because of Sora heading there. Still . . ."

"You were nervous. Is everything okay, or was your fear justified?"

"Nothing's ever okay. Things are just . . ."

"More screwed up every time you talk to him."

"Yeah."

"What's up now?"

"Well, Riku found out he was supposed to be the Keyblade master, but gave his heart over to darkness, so it went to Sora. Maleficent told him he needed to get the Keyblade to get Kairi's heart, so Riku decided to let the Keyblade choose. The thing is, though, Riku is very sensitive when it comes to Sora, so he acts like a jackass, and he ended up . . . well, he let the Keyblade choose, and it chose Riku, but, you know, he was a jackass, and now Sora's pissed off at him.

"I honestly thought that letting the Keyblade choose was a great idea, but Riku didn't go about it the right way at all. So now he has the Keyblade, and Maleficent told him that before he can get Kairi's heart, he's got to kill Sora. He refuses to kill him, but he's off to fight him, now. I mean, I half expect to get a call from him later tonight telling me he got carried away again and killed him."

"Sora?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think Riku's the type to get so hurt he'd actually kill him. Not to mention Sora's a damn fine fighter."

"But Riku's got the Keyblade, and both Donald and Goofy bailed on Sora because they have to follow it."

"That's messed up."

"Give me a cigarette."

"You don't smoke."

"I don't care."

Leon shrugged and passed Cloud a cigarette. He coughed on the first drag, a little on the second, and not at all after that.

"How do you feel about all this?" said Leon.

"I'm worried for him."

"Riku or Sora?"

"Riku."

"You don't really think he's going to kill Sora."

"No. I think he's going to lose the Keyblade."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"He feels really guilty about Kairi. Thinks it's his fault. He even thinks it's his fault that Sora is so stressed lately because he messed up the Keyblade thing. I think he's going to lose the Keyblade, and then I don't know what. That's going to mess him up, too. Cause Sora will beat him again. And then . . ."

"You don't think Sora will . . ."

"No. I don't think he's going to kill Riku, but I'm worried about his heart. Honestly, I wish he'd just cry. He's so hurt and so angry . . ."

"You think it'll get out enough emotion for him to make a clearer decision."

"Yeah."

"You really love that little fucker, don't you?"

"I think he's seriously misinterpreted, seriously insecure, and makes all the wrong decisions because he thinks with his heart instead of his head."

"Funny you say that since listening to your heart is supposed to be so damn important."

"Listening to your heart is important, but you have to balance it with rational thought. If he could do that, this mess wouldn't have started. Even if it had, it wouldn't be so bad, and if he could learn to do it now, maybe something could be salvaged."

"I was wrong. You don't just really love that little fucker, you're crazy about him."

"I'm so worried."

"Why don't you come inside? Get distracted a little. Pass some time before he calls you back."

Cloud nodded and followed Leon down the ramp, around the wall, and up the stairs to the small house.

"What do we owe this visit to?" said Yuffie, as Cloud and Leon entered.

"I just thought I'd drop by. See how everyone was doing," said Cloud.

"Short visit. Run out the second you walk in."

"I know Yuffie's scary, but she isn't that bad," said Leon.

"It was you he was running from, Squall," said Yuffie. "He gets sick in the stomach every time someone calls you Leon. Just like the rest of us."

"Yeah," said Cloud. "What's with Leon Leonheart, anyway?"

"You know what it's about," said Leon. He looked to Yuffie. "And don't call me that name."

"Don't listen to them," said Aerith. "It's great to have you here. I've missed you."

Cloud fidgeted as she smiled at him and placed a gentle touch on his knuckles. He brushed them against his shirt.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you," said Cloud, looking to Leon and Yuffie. "The both of you."

"What's up?" said Leon.

"Hades issued a new challenge for the Olympus Coliseum arena. Fifty seed challenge. I wondered if maybe you wanted to participate."

"All three of us together? Thought you said it's unfair."

"Letting Sora compete is unfair," said Cloud. Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon chuckled. "I don't know. We just had fun the last time. Maybe Yuffie can go on by herself so you don't hold her back again."

"Yeah, because it was my fault we lost," said Leon, looking to Yuffie.

"I practiced, okay?" said Yuffie. "All you wanted to do was hang out with Cloud."

"They're becoming close again," said Aerith. "I think it's great."

"Why don't you two fight together, then," said Yuffie. "I don't need you. I'll get farther without you two slowpokes."

"Might be fun," said Leon. "When's it going to be?"

"Next couple of weeks," said Cloud. "I'll give you a call. Should I sign you both up?"

"I'm always up for a good brawl," said Yuffie, punching the air with her fists.

"Yeah," said Leon. "Put Yuffie down on her own and we'll go into it together. Show her who held whom back."

"All right," said Cloud. He laughed. "It's a deal, then."

"It's actually funny you should bring up Olympus Coliseum. I heard something about the arena from one of the travelers that came through here a couple days ago."

"What's that?"

"Well, apparently there were two fighters that were so amazing during preliminaries they'll be fighting just on their own. I believe that satyr is calling them the Gold and Platinum matches."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Anyone who wants to compete against them and finished the preliminaries can go for it, but he's advising that it isn't a good idea if you haven't placed fairly high in a match. They're supposed to be tough."

"Sounds like a challenge. Could be fun."

"That's not what I'm getting at." Leon stared pointedly at Cloud. "The competitor for the Platinum Match is supposed to be extremely difficult—practically unbeatable. Guy I talked to said he's got long, silver hair and fights with an abnormally long sword."

It took several seconds for this information to arrange itself in Cloud's thought process; Riku was temporarily pushed aside.

"Sephiroth."

"Who else could it be?"

"Looks like he found you," said Aerith.

"You said anyone could compete, right?" said Cloud.

"Anyone," said Leon. "I bet he's hiding in Olympus Coliseum or a world nearby, waiting for this match . . ."

"And waiting for me to come to him."

"Exactly. So when you go back to Olympus Coliseum, you should start training. Hard. And when you face him, beat him until you have nothing left to give."

Cloud nodded.

It figured. Just as the feud between Sora and Riku came to the point of fighting, Sephiroth poked his head out of hiding.

"Maybe I should head back earlier than planned. Looks like I've got a lot of training to do. I mean, I'd like to visit . . ."

"This is what you left to do in the first place," said Aerith. "Spend the night here and go in the morning. Sephiroth will be there when you get back."

"Train for the Hades Cup," said Leon. "Use it as practice. As soon as it gets closer to the Cup, Yuffie and I will join you out there."

"I'll come to cheer for you, too."

"See? Even Aerith is going to come. We'll make sure you're ready to take on Sephiroth."

Cloud nodded and sunk onto the bed. He dropped his head into his hands. Sephiroth and Riku. Two silver-haired males in his life that meant very different things, and at the moment, caused him a great deal of worry. He didn't know what to wish for more—Sephiroth's defeat or Riku's safety. Both things were so monumental, and Cloud hoped that both would manifest.

The last time he'd faced the battle between lover and enemy, the lover died. Riku was so much more than Zack ever was, and Cloud would be damned if he lost both battles this time. He worried the edge of the pocket his cell phone rested in. When he looked up to meet Leon's eyes, he saw his own sadness and concern reflected.

----------0----------

Cloud was on the Gummi ship somewhere between Traverse Town and Olympus Coliseum the following day when his cell phone rang again. It was Leon's, not Riku's, name on the Caller ID.

Yeah, so I wrote this right after I posted the last one, so I have nothing new to say.

It's been, like, three hours.

I'd love me some feedback. My stats tell me there are readers out there.

Heh.

I'm tired so until. . .well, tomorrow.