Chapter 4:

Bonds

Some days after the terrifying attack, Cloud was back to work. Yes, it was proving to be a challenge trying to work his way through with just his left arm which happened to be his less dominant one, but he was managing. He could not afford to spend to many days without working, he needed to provide for Roxas and pay bills. Of course, Leon had lent Cloud his office so that Cloud would take care of the tedious paperwork and other tasks that were manageable with just one functioning arm. Cloud had to admit that his pride was a bit hurt, and that he felt pretty useless…He could just simply not believe that on his first day on the job the stupid creatures had to attack him and cause him such an annoying injury.

'Just Cloud Strife's luck' Cloud had sarcastically told himself quite a few times whilst rolling his eyes or shaking his head.

Leon had been pretty understanding and had accommodated Cloud as best he could so that the younger man could work….Cloud was really grateful. The man was not a bad person and Cloud was losing the initial uncomfortable feeling that he felt towards the older man being a person with powers of the heart. In fact, even in that short time he has met them, Cloud was beginning to think that all the staff in the shop were like a family….at times…he felt a bit…jealous. He would quickly push it aside or bury that desire -to belong to a family- deep within his heart.

The young man sat on Leon's chair, rummaging through countless papers that were scattered around the unorganized desk. Leon was a very organized person and contrary to what Cid believed, Cloud was too…to some extent at least. But in the face of dealing with tedious filing, Cloud had his own approach: An approach Leon had found peculiar and had not really minded as long as Cloud did the job right and would leave Leon's desk impeccable afterwards. Cloud hadn't failed on that so far.

Cloud clicked his tongue before letting out a groan, he ran a hand through his hair, holding his bangs back for several moments, then releasing them so they could fall back to their rightful place, then hid his face in his good hand as much he could. Just to give himself a few seconds to compose himself…His body still felt heavy and sluggish, he had a minor headache and wasn't really feeling in the best of moods. Then again that wasn't something new…still Cloud couldn't help but feel aggravated by it.

Cloud then heard a knock, and he lifted his gaze to find Leon leaning on the door frame

"You're here early" Leon said with just a hint of surprise, in the little time he has known Cloud, he had noted that the younger man was stubborn and was not very fond of falling behind on work.

"Ye-yeah…have quite a few things to catch up on." Cloud felt his head pound hard, with a wince and a short sigh, he started caressing his temples. Leon walked into the office and stopped in front of the desk

"I take it you still aren't feeling up to your full potential" Leon remarked in a casual tone and Cloud grunted in response.

Leon wanted to remind him that he had warned Cloud about still not being completely up to shape to return to work, therefor, to take it a bit easy. But Leon knew better than to nag at a grown adult, let alone at a man he barely knew. That, and Leon really did not enjoy 'nagging', it didn't suit him and it was not his thing…unless of course, the nagging was directed at Sora. So instead, Leon nodded pulling his lips to the side, he was picking up on Cloud's stress, there was a weary feel around Cloud that was making Leon himself feel a bit gloomy. He could feel just how drained Cloud was.

"Hey Strife, let me try something"

"Hn?" Cloud looked at Leon with a groggy frown, Leon started to rub his hands together as he made his way around the desk to stand beside Cloud. The younger man looked up at the older with a questioning look

"What are you-" the rest of the question died in his throat as he felt the older man's hands on each side of his head, thumbs massaging his temples. Cloud would have protested, but he felt that Leon's intention was to help…but most of all, it was the soothing feel those hands brought and the almost immediate relief that would wash away his worries…Cloud couldn't help but let his eyes shut close. The pounding on Cloud's head was subsiding, he could have sworn that the heaviness and tiredness that was inside him was literally being absolved from his body. Though small, a surge of energy was settling in instead. Cloud thought it strange that this felt familiar.

Leon on the other hand, saw the tense muscles on Cloud's body relax, the heavy air in the room lifted a bit. Cloud let out a low relieved hum, but seeing as the young man was lost in a relaxing trance, said young man had not noticed that he had. Leon smirked a little while shaking his head; it hit him that this was actually the first time he had seen such a gentle look on the younger man's features…so relaxed and solemnly peaceful, Leon had to admit to himself that he was finding Cloud rather handsome.

'this look suits him better' Leon could not stop the thought. When Leon felt that Cloud had relaxed enough, he stopped and retrieved his hands. It took a few moments for Cloud to get out of his trance and open his eyes again and Leon could have sworn that there had been a trace of disappointment on the delivery man.

"Better?" Leon asked with a soft small smile.

"What…did you…?" Cloud looked up at Leon in earnest confusion; his headache was gone, he no longer felt as tired as he had just a few moments ago. In addition, dare he admit it, he had really enjoyed Leon's touch…a part of him wanted more. Cloud mentally kicked himself for it, brushing it off as maybe just some sort of magic that the Leonhart in front of him had used.

"Energy healing. Negative thoughts produce negative energy that can affect your body. Your body is still recovering from the encounter with those spirits, they had drained a lot from you, which in part is why you might be feeling a bit sick. Your body is simply trying to catch up and recover the energy it had lost"

"So…you gave me some of your energy? is that it?" Cloud raised an eyebrow, only a small part of him was being sceptical.

"More or less. I did it a couple of times when I checked up on you in the hospital, but you were asleep everytime I did. It's easier to access your energy when you're relaxed"

'So that's why it felt familiar' Cloud concluded, slightly nodding to himself a few times as he rubbed his chin.

Cloud eye's then shifted to the side, looking at the papers that were strewn on the hardwood desk, thinking back on the hospital and the conversation. He thought back on how he had felt towards Leon, a bit of regret for his attitude made him think he owed the older man -someone that had saved his life- an apology.

"I'm sorry Leon"

Leon raised an eyebrow leaning back against the edge of the desk with his arms folded "For?"

"I…" Cloud sighed, frowning a little. "I think I was a bit…angry…and rude…."

"It's alright Cloud. I know, I've felt it."

The younger man had nodded to acknowledge the information, absently. Seconds later, his brain picked up the word of interest in the sentence.

"Wait…felt it?" Cloud directed a confused gaze up at Leon.

"Yes. I can pickup and absorb the emotions on other people's hearts. It's not something I do willingly, however. I'm only in control of how I manage them." Leon kept a casual on his whole demeanor, calmly delivering his explanation.

Cloud gave a short hum in response whilst returning to rummage through the papers, though he was not really focused on the task..

'So Leon can sense emotions….' then blonde man was not sure how to feel about that piece of information, but there was that part of him that part of him that ached…that part of him, that was reminded of Zack…

Leon saw how Cloud's features softened a bit into sadness, the air around them felt heavy and Leon felt his own expression softening just a little.

"Strife." the other's last name was left hanging in the air, Leon wanted to ask Cloud what was it that bothered him. Was it Heartinvokers in general? Did they do something to Cloud? Or was it something else entirely? Of course, the older man did not know how to word his curiosity without sounding intrusive. He was not one for prying into other people's lives, but Cloud's turmoil of emotions was grating on him.

'That's right…he can know what I'm feeling…' Cloud stopped going through the documents, he had an idea of what was going through his boss' mind. The patented stab to his heart and the heavy, sinking feeling pounced on him. The younger man's mind put up a protest when his lips decided to start an automatic response.

"I-I knew someone…someone dear to me was an Invoker like you…" Cloud's voice was small and a bit shaken, trailing off into contemplative silence, his thoughts drifting far away. Leon noted when Cloud started to absently fiddle with a silver ring that adorned his left ring finger and the negative emotions that went with it.

Leon needed to know nothing further, and knew better than to pry. An unexpected sympathy for Cloud latched on to him. In that short moment he could feel how Cloud's heart was grieving, there was a gap in it that was being filled with longing, covered by dark haze Leon could clearly picture in his mind. And it was rather saddening to him.

After the small silence, when Cloud noticed that he had unconsciously let his tongue slip, he cleared his throat and shifted in the chair and did what he did best; repressing and masking his feelings. So, he blurted out the first thing that he thought would divert the attention to casual conversation.

"Thank you again…for helping…" though Cloud meant his gratitude, he was finding it a bit difficult to understand why he was feeling so, casual and comfortable, even, around a man he has barely known. It's not like he could completely trust the man, nor consider him a friend, but he found Leon's presence…soothing.

"Like I said before: No problem, Strife."

At that same moment, they heard the sound of running footsteps accompanied by laughter. Sora and Roxas had stopped right in front of the entrance, settling down before they entered the office.

"Hi!" Sora grinned while panting, presumably from running

"Hey" Roxas greeted as well, letting out a puff that blew some strands of his bangs.

"What are you two up to, running around like that?" Leon asked putting his hands on his hips while raising an eyebrow suspiciously, certain, that the two boys were up to some mischief. Both Leon and Cloud had been impressed at how quickly the two teens had warmed up to each other.

"Oh, we're not running AROUND, we just ran from someone…that's all" Sora replied as matter-of-factly

"That, and we're a little late so…" Roxas added rubbing the back of his neck

"Well, don't run around like that…I don't want to hear Cid complaining of something broken or whatever" Cloud reprimanded in a low and calm tone but with a serious look on his face

"Yes sir!" Sora saluted like a soldier.

"Say Cloud, are u sure u're feelin' ok?" Roxas asked crossing his arms over his chest, rapidly changing the subject. The undertone in his question had a pinch of suggestion, Roxas knew that he would be treading on thin ice; he and Cloud had had a bit of friction earlier that morning. What had started as a normal act of concern on Roxas' part, rapidly escalated to a discussion between them yet again.

Cloud tensed a little at the question, he turned a serious look to his younger brother while pursing his lips as a warning. Seriously he could not believe that Roxas was bringing this up again and so out of nowhere too. It didn't help that Cloud had been plagued by nightmares again…Then again, Cloud remembered that he had left Roxas in the middle of his protest of concern…and his little brother was not one to be left unheard.

In response, the older Strife narrowed his eyes, his hands clenching the papers in them just a bit too hard "Yes, Roxas. We already talked about this."

Like expected, Roxas stood his ground, this time remaining calm and neutral, gracing Cloud with an impassive look and arms still folded.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Cloud sighed in exasperation, the scowl still in place.

The teen's chest puffed with the deep breath he took, the set blue eyes rolling back as the slowly close "Must be a Strife thing" a blatant response, the tone just as impassive as the look on his face as those eyes opened again, burning with that little bit of defiance that was so characteristic of them.

Cloud gave a barely audible growl while shooting a glare towards Roxas, he hated when the younger Strife had him cornered. Truly, Cloud sometimes cursed the sharp senses Roxas possessed.

Sora shifted uncomfortably, swallowing hard at the intimidating face Cloud had. Leon on the other hand, was secretly admiring Roxas for having for 'having balls', as they say. Though he barely knew the Strife brothers, he had a strong suspicion that this friction between them was not normal. The way their emotions were colliding against each other was sending ripples of unease into the air and Leon felt the weight of it inside his chest. Leon exchanged a quick glance with Sora, whom seemed to have sensed the same thing. The gunblader clearing his throat said

"Hey, Roxas, I understand your concern. So, I have a suggestion: why don't you and Sora help around the office today? That way, no one gets over exerted, the job gets done more swiftly and we all go home happy." as he talked Leon walked towards the Strife brothers and placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. Sora nearly immediately felt the tension dissipate…he knew what his older brother was doing; Leon was absorbing them of their negative emotions.

Roxas was staring to smile a little, really liking the sound of Leon's suggestion. Cloud however wasn't sure if he should feel offended at how he was being treated if he were made out of glass. He frowned indignantly, looking down at his injured left arm

"Besides, Strife" Cloud looked up slowly, his eyebrows softening just a bit when he meet Leon's pointed look "I need you to come with me for some deliveries, I want to show you a few routes and things like that. I'm sure our brothers can take care of things here while we're gone."

Cloud 's frown completely disappeared then, he stared at Leon, blinking a little as he was thinking that perhaps he had misunderstood the older man's intentions. A very subtle rise of brown eyebrows let Cloud that he has indeed misunderstood Leon, with clarity, Cloud saw that Leon was trying to appease both his and Roxas' concerns.

"Yea! We can do that!" Sora eagerly assured in response to Leon's last statement, casually hooking his hands behind his head. "Right, Rox?"

"Oh, uh, yea. 'Course we can do that!" Roxas tried to reply just as assumingly.

Cloud looked from his brother to the Leonharts, still a bit unsure of what to answer. Ultimately, he yielded.

"Okay. I guess we'll leave you guys to it then." Cloud responded with just a trace of reluctance as he pushed the chair back and rose to his feet.

"Sora, you'll brief Roxas on everything, yes? How to organize the documents and all that?" Leon rose an eyebrow pointedly looking at his brother, hinting at Sora's occasional airheaded moments.

Getting the hint, Sora rolled his eyes annoyed "Yes dear brother, I will." he dismissed Leon with a few flicks of his hand. Leon smirked, turning on his heel to head out the door.

"I want my office spotless by the time we get back" the brunette man said without turning around.

"Sir yes, sir! We'll have it done in no time flat" Sora assured, saluting like a soldier again.

Despite the earlier situation and the tension from it, Cloud had to fight a little hard to repress the chuckle that threatened to escape. For whatever reason, he found the young Leonhart's energy contagious and perhaps even endearing, but Cloud kept telling himself he had to keep his stoic posture.

"Right. Off you go then" Cloud dismissed them with a nod of his head

The two teens scrambled behind the desk so they could start their appointed task. The two adult men walked out of the office, loaded the pickup truck (Cloud being limited to loading the more simple things), and hit the road.

Looking out the window, up towards the clear blue sky and the misty group of clouds above him, Cloud sighed and wondered why he kept acting and feeling so strange. Among those strange things was the fact that his motion sickness was pretty at bay, oddly enough. Thoughts fleeted, his mind going quiet as he kept his eyes fixed on the masses of condensed water he shared his name with. He heard Leon chuckle and looked at the man questioningly, Leon kept his eyes trained on the road, when he felt Cloud look at him he shook his head and said

"They've only known eachother for about a week and yet they seem to be getting along very well."

Cloud knew whom Leon was referring to, he blinked a few times before he turned to look outside again "…yea…so it seems…"

Leon's observation dawned realization on him; though he and Roxas have been having a lot of confrontation, Cloud did notice Roxas change in demeanor. The change wasn't very big, but it was there, it was just a matter of time before it grew. Roxas didn't really have any friends. The young Strife was always busy between his homeschooling lessons and helping Cloud around as much as he could and to add insult to injury, Roxas too had developed the same problem Cloud always had; not being able to socialize with others easily.

'Must be a Strife thing' his mind quoted the words Roxas had told him earlier. Cloud felt something warm settle deep inside of his heart…he felt…a genuine happiness, one he hadn't felt in a long while. Despite it all, it pleased him to see Roxas was acting more like a fifteen year old and was making friends…especially after all they have been through. It was a welcoming change.

'Perhaps moving to Radiant Gardens wasn't such a bad idea after all….'

"What's so funny?" Leon asked curious when he had first picked up on the subtle shift in Cloud, then saw the corner of the blonde man's lip turn up ever so slightly. The warm feeling he picked up from Cloud, made his own heart flutter.

"Huh? What?" Cloud turned a surprised gaze towards Leon. They had come to a stop at a red light, Leon leaned back against the seat, and after he looked to the side, at Cloud, with one hand as he pointed at Cloud's face.

"You were smiling" Leon formed a half warm smile of his own.

"No I wasn-…..was I?" Cloud looked up at Leon, whose smile only seemed to re enforce that small warm feeling he was already feeling and perhaps even made it grow just a little bigger.

"It was small…but it was there" Leon nodded, his smile turning now to a more cool and collected one. The action made Cloud's heart skip a faint beat. Gaia, he even swore that he felt a soft flush settle over him. Cloud had to look away from the gunblader….had he kept looking, he felt like he would not be able to contain a smile.…apparently it was true what people said: Smiles were contagious after all.

"It's nothing…I'm…just glad Roxas is making friends…"

Leon pursed his lips in thought as he nodded slightly to himself returning his gaze ahead of him just as the light changed to green.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Leon continued as he smirked stealing a quick glance out of the corner of his eyes, trying to get a view of Cloud's face. Cloud only turned his face further to the side, avoiding at all costs, any attempt of scrutiny from the man. Leon, however managed to catch the slight trace of pink on Cloud's cheek.

"I am not, Leonhart." he replied dryly

"Have you forgotten I can pick up on other people's emotions, Strife?" Leon couldn't help but to smirk further, as he felt the younger man's embarrassment now get tainted with a bit of nervousness and annoyance. Honestly speaking, teasing Cloud was pretty…amusing.

"Have YOU forgotten we have work to do? and A LOT of it, mind you" Cloud bit back turning a sharp gaze towards his companion trying to look, and subsequently, come off as intimidating, taking advantage of Leon's 'gift'

Leon however, threw his head back in laughter, not the slightest bit intimidated by the delivery man's futile display. Instead, he found the man's feisty demeanor rather…charming. Coming to another stop Leon looked at Cloud smugly. Both men leaned a bit close; a steely gaze brewing with curiosity and stern resolve, searching into that gentle but deeply troubled look that was reflected in that soothing blue and subtle hints of green.

"I have fought countless monsters and dealt with rather intimidating things…It'll take more than a grouchy face to intimidate me, Mr. Sunshine." Leon said in a cool and somewhat teasing tone, although in the back of his mind he was seriously wondering where the playful demeanor was coming from.

Though he was still frowning at the man, Cloud felt helpless against those optics stirring something he couldn't name. What he did knew was that it caused him a strong desire to look away while at the same time not being able to bring himself to do it.

"Don't you have a road that requires your attention?"

Leon snorted though the small smug smile was still there when he started to put the vehicle in motion again. "Whatever."

Cloud stared at him for a little longer before he turned to look outside the window again, this time he leaned his back against his seat, bringing his left hand over the cast on his right arm to caress it idly

'Why am I…feeling like this?'

For a moment his heart was feeling light, his mind replayed the image of Leon smiling at him; It reminded him of how Zack used to do it . Even though it would have been a sad one, another smile threatened to adorn his face, but he quickly suppressed it, he felt like he shouldn't smile but his features were fighting to betray him.

'It's been a while….since I last…felt this light hearted….' he mused. It had felt rather nice, Zack used to smile and tease him like that too…

Zack's smile…that beautiful, bright smile that could melt even the coldest of ice…

Whatever little fragments of any warm feelings were just that; fragments, they had vanished as soon as they had come. However, he couldn't deny that a distant part of him wanted to remember what it was like to be his old self again….vaguely he recalled the dream he had had just before he woke up in the hospital.

Zack's words: "Please don't be sad anymore…Search for the light, Cloud…"

But how could he? He felt alone...incomplete… At that moment Cloud didn't even care if Leon had been aware of his feelings or not. Cloud was just grateful that if Leon had sensed something he had remained silent and respected Cloud's privacy.

Suddenly Cloud felt his head spin and a small unpleasant churning inside his stomach as his motion sickness began to ail him…

By the end of the day, Leon returned to a very neatly organized office. He was very pleased with young assistants' work. They were closing the workshop and getting ready to head back home, each member of the team taking care of a specific task.

"Man, I hate doing this crap!" she protested when she finished counting a stash of money for the tally at the cash registers.

"It's ok Yuffie, we'll finish soon" Aerith tried to cheer the younger woman as she did some calculations of her own tally.

"Wanna switch? you can take out the trash and order the books alphabetically and I'll do the tally" Sora suggested as he peeked his head over one of the bookshelves on one side of the store.

"Hah! no thanks squirty, I'd rather keep countin'" Yuffie sneered, Sora blew some bangs of his face and pouted. He then disappeared behind the shelve again grumbling, Cid walked in from the garage along with Leon, both had heard the protests.

"Sheesh, don' complain' so much, ya whiney pipsqueaks! Yer gettin' paid for it" Cid remarked.

"Doesn't mean we have to like it…" Yuffie murmured with a pout.

"The less ya talk, the quicker ya get it done" Cid argued, completely ignoring Yuffie's protests.

"Shit! I have to start again! Stop distracting me Cid!" Yuffie groaned when she lost count, Cid only smirked.

"So, squirt" Cid now directed his attention to Leon, whom was organizing some things on the counter behind the register desk.

"Yea?" Leon responded without diverting his attention from his current task.

"How it'd go with spiky? Did he gave ya a hard time?" Cid was still smirking, purposely putting the teasing undertone on his statement. The older man really entertained the idea of the two stubborn men trying to work together, he could imagine the scenarios. Cid saw Leon's shoulders heave in a silent sigh, giving the older of the two all the answer he needed.

"All have to say is, you call ME a stubborn man?" Leon responded and Cid just bursted into laughter.

After the short banter they had shared Cloud had closed himself off and had a moment of brooding which Leon had completely respected. Later on however they had shared another moment of banter and small arguments over mundane things such as directions or the 'right way' to do things. The situation made Leon note that he shared quite a few things in common with Cloud, such as both being stubborn men. Another little peculiar thing Leon had found was that Cloud had motion sickness… they had had to stop for a little so Cloud could compose himself. Oddly, Leon had found that little detail endearing somehow. Of course, he would keep that sentiment to himself.

"Think ya met yer match?!" Sora shouted all the way from where he was, Yuffie and Aerith snorted while Cid laughed.

"I think the guy has me beat, actually…" Leon mumbled to himself

They all took some jibes aimed at Leon, whom had no choice but stay in the line of fire and take them, reminding himself that he will have his own chance of getting back at all of them. Their light hearted moment was abruptly interrupted by muffled shouting, they all directed their gaze towards the closed door to Leon's office, where Cloud and Roxas were doing some paperwork. They could clearly discern the back and forth that was going between the Strife brothers, their shouts were heated and loaded with anger. Leon suddenly felt the anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach, and the hurt gnawing away at his chest, the feelings were so overwhelming that he felt the need to clutch his chest while slightly leaning on the counter. Leon was fighting hard to block of the foreign emotions.

The door to the office suddenly swung open, slamming against the wall, and bouncing back a bit with the force of the impact.

"Vunkad ed Cloud! Can't even talk to you about anything anymore! I'm outta here!" Roxas stormed across and out of the shop, without so much as sparing a gaze to any of his shocked colleagues.

Cloud seemed to have had the intention to go after him, but stopped cold on his tracks right on the door frame of the office when he noticed the shocked and confused pointed looks he was getting. Cloud was assaulted by shame and guilt that was then quickly replaced by anger, he turned around to walk back into the office. They all exchanged looks, unsure on how react.

"What got into them all of a sudden?" Aerith asked with a saddened expression, though the question was more of a rhetorical one.

Cid grunted with a serious look ruffling his own hair, holding just enough concern.

"Leon…" Sora spoke tentatively, his brows furrowed in worry. Leon looked at his brother with a contemplative frown, he immediately understood the question Sora had implied in the way he had called his name.

"Go" Leon said and without a second thought, Sora bolted out of the shop and into the streets to look for Roxas.

The afternoon was chilly, the way the cold air prickled his skin made Sora surmise that the temperature was well in the seventies. Despite that fact, the streets were busy as ever, stampedes of people walking on the sidewalks and cars busying the streets, overriding any silence with their honking and engine roars; good old Radiant Gardens. The teen had to squeeze between people here and there with a continuous use of the words 'sorry' or 'excuse me' when he did. Sora was beginning to think that Roxas had headed in another direction when he found no sight of him, he stopped to look at his surroundings to see if he could spot the fellow teen.

Just a few feet ahead, he spotted the young Strife waiting to cross the street that lead up to the market area nearest to the historical castle and the city's biggest gardens.

"Roxas!" Sora called as he dashed towards him. Roxas turned a surprised look over his shoulder as Sora approached.

"Sora? " Roxas turned around to look at the spiky haired brunette whom let out a puff of air once he stopped in front of Roxas.

"I was beginning to think I wouldn't catch up to you" Sora said through another puff, while placing his hands on his hips.

Roxas crinkled his face in regret, his posture slumping a little when he hid his hands inside his pockets.

"I-I wanted to…see if you would be ok" Sora's tone was low and soft, indicating his uncertainty. Roxas stared at him through half lidded eyes and slightly knitted eyebrows as he felt the heated anger stir, his ears felt warm and there was a heaviness in his heart. But the anger wasn't directed at Sora.

"I'm sorry….you guys had to see that…and to be honest…no, I'm not ok and I don't think I will be…" Roxas sharply turned his head to the side. Sora noted the words came out of Roxas' mouth with a bit of venomous frustration

'Of course he wouldn't be, Sora you idiot' Sora's inner voice scolded him, considering whether this had been a good idea or not. However, being how he was, the empathy he would easily feel for others encouraged him to make his next question:

"Do you…wanna talk about it? It's ok if you don't though"

Roxas considered it for a few moments, he didn't have the problem of opening up to others like Cloud had, but it's not like he went about, dumping his problems on to just anyone and everyone. It was when he felt that his chest was too constricted. Sora emanated an air of trust worthiness, and if Roxas was honest with himself, he really felt like he needed to vent…

"…Cloud…we, weren't always like this…" Roxas began, Sora pulled his lips to the side and began to walk slowly as Roxas followed.

"We were very close" Roxas continued "Heck, Cloud has raised me almost my whole life! We trusted each other with our lives, and we would share just about anything" Roxas' had spoken with a lot at fondness as he smiled a little, until his voice turned discouraged and he looked somber once again "…But now…we can barely talk to each other without ending up in a fight…" Roxas paused for a few moments, his eyebrows were softly furrowed and though his eyes were directed at the ground, they looked forlornly to a past that seemed to have not been that long ago, yet it felt so distant.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking"

"Zack…he was my brother's childhood friend and fiancé…he…passed away a year ago."

"Ohh…I see" Sora drawled as he crossed his arms over his chest and his mind made all the connections

"Mmhm…I want to help him but…I just don't know what to do Sora. Zack was family to us…Cloud and I didn't really have one growing up. Cloud barely sleeps, barely eats…I'm worried…" Roxas eyes welled up with a few tears, he sniffled and paused for a moment to hold back the tears, Sora's heart sank.

"Cloud… he's been more than my older brother. He's been my teacher, my friend and even a parent figure. He's done so much for me and it angers me so much that I can't do shit for him back…He is all I have left…I'm afraid of what could happen if this keeps up…"

Roxas then scowled at nothing in particular, saying the next words in a mix of spite and worry. They both went silent, Sora was waiting to see if Roxas would say anything else but when the other didn't, Sora made the question that was burning bright in his mind.

"What do you mean Roxas?" he had a strong suspicion of what Roxas had meant, but he had to check…there was no way Roxas could be that aware.

"I'm no Heartinvoker, but I know enough 'bout the darkness to know what it does. I know it takes advantage an' manifests in different ways so it can consume u….An' I think that's what's happenin' to Cloud…" he kicked a stone with a sharp expression on his face, Sora could the signs of anger in the teen as patches of red started to flush the fair skin.

"You seem to know an awful lot…most people don't know that much about Heartinvokers or the darkness…" a suspicious look was directed at Roxas, the tonality of the statement was clearly meant to hide a question within it. Roxas answered without hesitation

"Zack was an Heartinvoker….he taught me these things, so that I could be careful."

The Leonhart widened his eyes blinking at Roxas "That explains why you weren't bothered when Leon told you he could Invoke."

Roxas simply nodded, his eyes glued to the street ahead of them. Sora looked ahead too, he searched the unsettling feeling that had shook him a little at the information of Zack also being an Invoker.

"I don't think Cloud would give in so easily" Sora started, trying to pick up on the conversation again and ignore the little prodding in his chest "I mean, his heart is struggling, but that's a sign that part of it is still fighting. Most people I've seen would have given up by now…."

Sora's choice of words made Roxas stop abruptly, Sora stop just a few steps ahead and looked back confused at Roxas.

Roxas crinkled his facial features in question "His heart? How can you tell?"

"I, uh….can 'see' into other people's hearts…either from the living….or the dead. I can communicate with them too...and use magic" the brunette teen rubbed the back of his neck looking a bit unsure.

"So that means…"

"Yea. I'm a Heartinvoker too…"

Roxas' jaw dropped and eyes widened "U too Sora?"

Sora nodded smiling a little bit.

"How come you didn't tell me before?" Roxas crossed his arms over his chest his voice sounding a bit indignant which earned a chuckle from Sora.

"Well, you never really asked. And it's not something you just go announcing to everyone….or at least that's what Leon says."

"Point taken. But anyways, where's ur weapon? U have one too, right?"

"Oh, ummm…" Sora rubbed one of his upper arms as his eyes searched the floor "I can't use it….much"

"Oh, you can't?" the blonde tilted his head a just a little while his expression seemed both curious and worried.

"Leon…he…prohibited me from Invoking unless really necessary…"

"Let me guess…to protect you from other people?"

"Sort of…See, when I 'Invoke' -use my powers-, it takes an unusual toll on me. It puts extra strain on my heart and body….it can kill me." As Sora spoke his eyes had narrowed at the floor, his arms had come to fold across his chest and his voice had held a tone of frustration with a little disdain. Roxas frowned in wonder, that was uncharacteristic of his friend.

"Hm. Seems like you and Leon are very close, huh?" Roxas couldn't help but feel a small pang of envy, though his own mind chided him for being envious of his friend.

"We are, but he can be a real pain in the behind. Sometimes, I have better luck 'talking to a wall', to quote him"

"Stubborn?" Roxas smirked just a little, sympathizing with Sora.

"You have no idea" Sora rolled his eyes drawling his words to emphasize his annoyance as they both started to walk again.

"Actually, I think I do. Sounds just like Cloud…" Roxas smirked as memories flashed through his head. There was a long heavy and sort of awkward pause, the air in the space between them felt dense all of a sudden. Roxas put his hand inside his pockets and hunched a bit forward as a forlorn took over his features yet again.

"I want my brother back…" Roxas had meant it to just a thought for himself, but his mouth betrayed him and uttered his sentiments in a wavering low plea. Sora understood Roxas very well; Leon had been in something similar, once…Sora remembered how worried and frightened he had been back then….

'Wait a minute…Leon…that's right!' Sora's mind exclaimed, the conversation he had had with his brother at the fountain court repeated itself in his head. He knew he had seen something; his heart was telling him that both men could help each other….

"Hey…Roxas?"

"Hn?"

"Did you know that Heartinvokers had different abilities?" the tone was lazy, to Roxas it was obvious there was some point Sora wanted to make so he played along

"Ye? I know that" his answer made Sora smirk, thought the teen pretended to be thoughtful

"Um…my brother, he…has this…ability, of his that's really…interesting. He's very, what's that word?, Attuned to others' feelings…" Sora hooked his hands behind his head in a nonchalant manner, drawling a lot of his words so as to draw out Roxas' interest. The young Strife slowly turned a quizzical gaze towards the brunette teen, though, Sora had his eyes closed in a smirk.

"Where are you going with this Sora?"

"Well, I was told once that we Heartinvokers have this…innate instinct to help/protect others' hearts…How more strong would that be for someone who can feel other hearts, I wonder?" Sora still kept his pose and demeanor, Roxas' eyes widened slightly when his mind caught up to Sora's suggestion. Roxas then let out a half smile while turning to look in front of him once again. Sora was devious.

"Thanks" Roxas said through a warm smile.

"Should we head back then?" he responded with a sly grin.

With the store now closed, Leon and Cloud stood outside, waiting for their respective little brothers. Leon leaned a shoulder casually on the door frame, arms were languidly folded over his chest and a leg crossed over the other leaving his body in a slight angle. The awkward and uncomfortable silence that had strewn between them made the older of the two, keep staring down the street as much as possible. Leon would only avert his gaze from the street to stare at any random passerby's, cars…anything but the blonde man in front of him, but it was proving to be quite the difficult task with each passing moment, especially when he could still feel the mix of anger, self loathing and embarrassment that composed every part of Cloud's heart at the moment. When the urge came too much to resist, he turned his head to look at the sulking man as discretely as possible. Leon watched as Cloud leant against his motorcycle, as his chest slightly rose up and down rhythmically with his breathing; how his arms were folded across his chest similar to him, though Cloud's looked stiff and tense. The younger man had his head bent down and although his blonde bangs curtained most of his face, Leon could tell he had his eyes closed as his brows were knitted together in anger and reflection.

At some point during the whole time they had been standing there, Leon had considered to at least attempt a short conversation with Cloud. But engaging in, or rather starting a conversation was something he didn't consider to be his best forte, yet he was willing to try…anything to alleviate the pressuring, thick heavy silence. That type of silence, he did not like.

'Hyne, Sora…where the hell are you?' The older man sighed, ducking his head to run a hand through his silky hair, praying Sora would get there already. Leon turned to look down the street again, to his relief, he saw the familiar figures of Sora and Roxas approaching. Leon pushed away from where he was leaning , the movement seemed to have brought Cloud out of his own musings. The latter first looked at Leon then turned his head to look where Leon was looking.

"Hey! We're back!" Sora greeted when they were close enough.

"About time." Leon responded casually, masking his relief. Cloud remained silent, in the same sulking position he had been, scowling through half lidded eyes.

"Sorry about that, sir. We just went for a walk" Roxas apologized rubbing one of his arms while ducking his head a bit in respect.

"It's ok Roxas. Don't worry about it." Leon offered the teen a calm half smile to emphasize his words.

Cloud was starting to get too uncomfortable, the shame of having had a fight with Roxas in their presence was gnawing at his chest. To top it off, the casual, friendly attitude that the Leonhart was showing towards Roxas was getting to him…maybe it was the remorse of how things were going on between Roxas and himself as of late.

"Roxas." he called in a low dour, grave tone. The apologetic face that the younger Strife had offered Leon, morphed into a scowl as he turned to look at the older Strife. Cloud seemed to have ignored it and simply added

"Let's go." Cloud pushed from away from his bike and turned around to fetch Roxas a helmet.

"I need to talk to Leon first" Roxas' response held only the slightest hint of defiance in it. Cloud looked at him over his shoulder in a light glower. He was about to question what was it that he wanted to talk to Leon about, when his mind decided that at the moment he was not really in the mood to care for such a trivial thing.

"Make it quick" Cloud ordered a little roughly.

Roxas pretty much ignored his brother's bad temper, grabbed one of Leon's wrists and pulled Leon a few feet away from Cloud and Sora. Leon looked down at Roxas with a confused and somewhat alarmed look, then back at Sora. The rigid feel around them was pretty uncomfortable. There was a small silence, Leon watched as Roxas rubbed his upper arm and kept his head hung low in solemnity.

"What's on your mind?" Leon's face softened to a more concerned look, his brows slightly furrowed.

A bit more of hesitation "Well…it's 'bout Cloud…"

"What about him?" Leon quirked an eyebrow, now he didn't know whether to be interested or worried.

"He…needs help. Heartinvokers can help people that are gettin' attacked by darkness…" Roxas paused, strongly considering if he should just back off on his decision

"And?" Leon drawled the word softly in an encouraging, curious manner.

"….Sora told me you were very skilled…I was wondering if…If you could help…Cloud…"

Leon hummed in thought while crossing his arms over his chest, not taking his eyes off Roxas. He really gave the boy's request some thought. Leon had helped some people heal before but for some reason he thought that Cloud was…different. It was one of those strange feelings that one could not easily explain or pinpoint what it really was. He sighed.

"Well, you see Roxas…to heal his heart…These kinds of things affect mind, body and soul, one affects the other. I can guide Cloud, but it is really up to him…there's only so much I can do."

Roxas rubbed his arm again, this time biting his bottom lip, clearly Leon knew that he wanted to ask something he was unsure of. But then, after a small silence

"…will you help him?" he looked up at Leon with pleading eyes even if a part of him was feeling bad for using Leon's ability to his advantage. He just didn't know what to do the only other person that could have dispelled Cloud's darkness was gone. But if Leon said no, Roxas would be crushed but he would try not to insist…Sora had warned that Leon could try to block him off.

"I don't know-"

"I'll pay you anything! I don't know what else to do! I'd do anything at this point. And I know Cloud is a stranger to you but please…please…I don't want to lose Cloud too…I can't…"

Roxas' voice cracked at the end of his plea, the rim of his eyes turned red in a clear indication that tears were forming in them. While Roxas seemed to share the solemn, somber and defiant personality traits with Cloud, Leon also noted that it seemed Roxas was much more carefree and extroverted when letting others know his emotions and thoughts whenever necessary. Cloud seemed more shy and introverted in that aspect. Leon noted that the poor teen was desperate, and thought he didn't know the details of what have the Strife brothers been through, he could easily tell just how affected by everything Roxas was and how much he needed Cloud…and Cloud needed Roxas. The sentiments were so pure, Leon's brotherly instinct that has been well honed with Sora, kicked in and it was tugging at his heart seeing Roxas struggle to keep himself from falling apart. Going so far as to even plead a stranger for help.

"No, Roxas…Look, what I was going to say is that I could try. But it's also up to Cloud, I can show him and advice him…But I can't force him into anything, therefor there's no guarantee…"

"I don't care!" Roxas said a bit too hastily. "Just…please…" Roxas humbly lowered his head gently shaking it. Leon gave a thought before replying

"I'll see what I can do…and don't worry, I won't charge you anything, I wasn't planning to anyways"

Roxas' head shot up, eyes wide in both disbelief and relief

"U'll really help him?!"

"I said I would try" Leon corrected, but Roxas didn't seem to care for he grabbed Leon's hand and arm into a few strong shakes of gratitude before throwing himself over the adult and gave him a quick but strong hug.

"Thank you, thank you so much!"

Leon couldn't resist the chuckle that escaped him when he nodded in reply, the way the blonde teen's face lit up reminded him much of Sora. Roxas let go of Leon and thanked him one last time before running off. He watched as both Strife brothers mounted the bike and said their good nights to Sora before the engine of the bike roared to life. Cloud revved up the engine and then drove off, the rumbling sound getting swallowed by the rest of the city sounds as the two Strifes rode off into the streets.

Leon stood, watching even after Cloud and Roxas were out of sight. Sora ran up to Leon, when he stood beside him, he looked up at Leon's thoughtful face and said

"So? did he ask?" Sora inquired a bit eager

"So you did suggest him to ask me. And, yes, he did"

Sora chuckled sheepishly "Sooo…you'll help them, right? I mean, you pretty much have been helping them already…"

"Yes Sora, I will try. Why are you so eager in me helping them?"

"I told you once already remember? The day after we first visited Cloud after he got attacked. I told you I saw something in your hearts"

"Again with that, Sor? I told you it didn't mean anything."

"I'm telling you! I did see it!"

"But you don't know what it is" Leon drawled arching an eyebrow, testing Sora

"No. Not exactly...It could be anything…Besides, we can't just ignore someone that's getting attacked by them" Sora reminded Leon pouting at him a little.

Leon took a deep breath through his nose, his chest visibly puffed and deflated with the action; he was agreeing with Sora's words. Also, certainly, Leon could not deny that he had been feeling oddly drawn to the somber man that was Cloud Strife, something that was pretty uncharacteristic of him.

"Whatever." he said in defeat, pinching the bridge of his nose as he started walking. Sora scoffed with a half smile while shaking his head before he followed after Leon.

'Whatever indeed' Sora repeated in his thoughts.

A Heart's Passage:

To you, the caring, noble heart that has been carefully guarded…

Would you heed my call, or rather, would you heed the call of a wounded heart?

A wounded heart that wants to seek others, but it is so afraid of losing what it seeks.

That heart. I'm sure you've felt it.

A heart that is gentle but wilful, yet it is so humble and contrite.

That heart…it has been burdened and fractured.

I was its constant guide and protector,

but now that my heart is in an near unreachable place…

I cannot guide it and that heart has lost its way again.

You, the stalwart and discerning heart.

It seems like you could understand that misguided heart and perhaps,

it can complement you, in return.

You, the heart that was once unreachable but it is now resolute.

Though I never met you, I feel like I can trust you with this favor:

Please…Please heal the heart that is Cloud Strife.

A/n: OK guys! I had too think A LOT and make a lot of research for this chapter, a reason why it took so long. I had to organize my thoughts and I noticed that the improvising thing wasn't really working for me, I had a lot of ideas and I was deviating from the original intent of the story. I had to take a break and really think and consider where I want to go.