Chapter 6:

The Path To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions

Four days Sora had spent on his trip to the hospital…Four. Long. Aggravating. Boring. Days. Emphasis on the boring. On the fifth day he had finally been sent home, but of course not without having Leon fuss over him. Although it was amusing to see his older brother worrying while trying to mask it with a stoic posture.

Honestly.

Leon was a worrywart sometimes and everyone who knew him knew it. Alas, there was nothing Sora could do other than just chuckle and simply go along, he, better than anyone knew that it was the only way to ease the protective adult.

During that time, Leon had asked Sora what had happened during his Invoking to have had him sent to the hospital. The young brunette had simply said that he had been ensnared by dark entities…Half a lie, if not, just an incomplete truth. Sora trusted Leon with all his heart, but he just simply didn't want to tell his brother that he had made contact with a parted heart… and just whom that parted heart was…at least not yet. If Sora said anything, he knew Leon would go into his overprotective brother mode and would prevent Sora from helping any further.

Sora couldn't help but frown a little at the thought…The heart he met was desperately trying to move on, and Sora was the only one whom could send it on its way to its final resting place. He could not afford having Leon stop him.

Because of this, Sora had kept the encounter a secret; and because of that, he couldn't sleep. The brunette teen had tossed and turned trying to get his body to relax to try to capture the elusive prey known as sleep.

Turning into every position available to him, he kept thinking back on the information that Roxas had revealed to him. His peer had opened up and talked about his and Cloud's complicated past…it upset Sora to see how hard Roxas had kept his emotions bottled up, but Sora said nothing and had only listened. That only added to his list of worries: The darkness would always try to find a way to destroy hearts. It tortured and consumed.

With a long tired sigh, the Heartinvoker flopped to his back, stretching his limbs to the sides and focusing his vision on the ceiling. Sora's mind kept bringing him back to that otherworldly encounter.

"So much anger and sadness…." a little nagging voice on the back of the teen's head told him that it was not his problem and that he shouldn't butt in…but his concern for Roxas was at the forefront of his mind. Vaguely, he wondered how he had come to consider Roxas almost like a brother so quickly. Sora recalled that he had felt a sort of kinship towards the other teen from the moment he had (literally) bumped into him. Also, as a Heartinvoker, Sora could not ignore the fact that there was a lingering heart that was unable to move on…cases like this could only end up badly…Something had to be done.

Sora pouted to himself and sat up on his bed, briefly looking around before reaching to the bottom drawer of his night table. From it, he took out a metronome and placed on top of the table then activated it.

TICK. TICK. TICK. TICK.

The rhythmic sound put an end to the silence of the room. Proceeding to look for his cell phone under his pillow, Sora browsed through the device and set an alarm that would go off in twenty minutes. A pang of guilt went through his conscious…If anything went wrong he could end up in hospital again…or worse; either of which would devastate Leon…

Sora shook his head.

'No. I'll be careful. Most times I have crossed over by accident. This time I'm doing it consciously' he convinced himself.

Setting the alarm, Sora laid on his back, tucking one hand under the other on top of his abdomen and closed his eyes. The young Invoker focused on the ticking of the metronome, synching his breathing on every four ticks. This caused for his breathing to become very slow and relaxed, gently feeling his chest rise and deflate, without letting his mind analyze it… His ears heard the ticking but didn't really listen to it. The sound became distant, bouncing in echoes off the corners of his head…

Opening his eyes again, he carefully rose to his feet. He was still in his room, yet it felt different. The air felt lighter but cold…the feeling of longing that he was already familiar with, hit him. There was one more sign that he needed to confirm for his success…

Turning in a semi-circle to look at his bed, he saw what he had been hoping to see: his own sleeping body. Only feeling vaguely strange from the sight, he was unfazed since he was used to waking up to seeing his own body, or on strange places with strange sights.

'Success' with a nod to himself, the fifthteen year old made his way to the door. Breathing in to brace himself when he touched the knob. A turn on the knob and casual push revealed a cold and empty void ahead, so unlike the comforting warm sunsets, beaches or plains he had countless of times visited in his dream-like travels. Time itself felt like it had shifted, before it felt as if it had ceased to exist all together…That was a feeling Sora never seemed to get used too. The incessant ticking of the metronome had long disappeared from his hearing, a low howl of wind taking its place and sucking the young teen in to the vacuum of the darkness ahead.

Sora swallowed hard and despite knowing that it was a risk he shouldn't be taking and that it was against his brother's warnings, with a flick of his wrist a swirling ray of light coursed through his palm and produced a sharp sound akin to a chime and a swoosh. The light materialized into an odd silver key that was half Sora's size, the handles were a pure gold and at the base was a hilt, painted in blue…

"Let's go, Keyblade…"

Tightly gripping his strange weapon, Sora stepped into the void, his senses on high alert for this was not a place where the living should dwell…it was the domain of the unknown into which few dared to venture willingly.

Everything was cold. Cloud felt that there was something wrong. An alarming feeling susurrated to him that there was peril somewhere near…. It was all so strange…The way his eyes perceived color was strange. They seemed dark and dim…everything seemed dull, gloomy shadows contoured the bizarre tones of grey. It made his eyes uncomfortable, briefly blurring his surroundings and he had to first squint, then rub his eyes…Everything still seemed unnaturally dark…

Cloud could feel an uneasiness gripping at his very core, as he noticed that he was walking by the familiar passageways of his home. Incertitude became his guide through the place he called home, striding on shaky legs with increasing breath. Cloud kept a steady pace….he passed by his little brother's room.

"...w-wha?!" Out of the corner of his eye, he could swear he had seen, if even for a second, an amorphous black sphere of darkness, that was writhing along Roxas' room wall.

The thrumming in his chest increased and he took a step back "W..hat.."

He did a double take to be certain…the sphere was gone as all he could see was Roxas' empty walls in the twilight.. It still didn't feel right, his eyes searched and for a moment he could not place what was it that was wrong.

'Empty' the realization then suddenly hit him.

"But… where is the furniture..?" an anxious swallow and a lick of the lips, Cloud then turned his head to the side, down the hall, in the direction he had come from and everything was empty as well.

"Roxas?" he called, his voice cracking just a bit. "Fenrir?"

He waited. No voice replied with a 'what?' or 'coming' nor the quick scrapping of claws against tiles. The subconscious informed him that this was a dream. Cloud's heart gave one particular strong thrum; Gaia, even in his dream self he dreaded that this was one of his nightmares….

Cloud straightened his head to inspect the room again from the doorway; confused and feeling sick to his stomach. His head started to reel, literally feeling as if something was being sucked out of him. The feeling was the same as when he gotten attacked by the dark creatures. His left arm throbbed at the memory, the leftover scars tingling with recalled pain.

Once again he turned, this time towards the end of the hall that was supposed to lead to his room…All he found was a seemingly endless hallway. He leaned heavily against the wall trying to make sense of it all. The silence was shattered as he heard a faint voice, a soft disembodied whisper..

"Cl… .o…"

"Cl… ...d.."

"...!? Is.. That..?"

Cloud was startled by the sudden voice but was quickly reassured by the familiarity of it. He followed along the wall towards where he assumed the voice was coming from, a mild hope mixed in with worry swelling up his heart.

"Yo… .al.. ys… .ha… .yo…"

"C.. o… m… sp.. ke.. "

Cloud's eyes widened, mouth agape, almost sure of who was beckoning him. He ran through the passageway which didn't seem to want to end and as he did he could feel something warning him.. a primal fear trying to pull him to a stop and turn him the other way.

"hah.. Huff.. Hm.. When is this damn hall gonna end?!"

He shouted to himself, doing his best to ignore the creeping feeling, shaking off his doubts. The passageway kept stretching on, unnaturally so, until suddenly, he was blinded with light.

"Ack!?..! Wha..?"

Stopping dead on his tracks, he tried to block the light with his palm, while still trying to look at what was projecting it.

He felt terrified at first but as the light seemed to dim down, revealing itself, he felt compelled towards it.

"W-wha.. Za.." His voice was cut off by the figure wrapped in light

"Cl.. ud.. Lo… t… uo.."

The figure faced Cloud and tilted its head to the side, giving him a comforting smile. Cloud was entranced by the figure, mouth open, eyes wide…he was slowly taking steps closer towards it, feeling the forming of tears in his eyes.

"Wh.. re.. u.. h.. he…" Extending his hand toward Cloud, now looking at him.

Cloud swallowed hard, staring at the figure dumbfounded, getting even closer to it, ignoring the sinking feeling in his being..

The figure stood there, with eyes fixed on Cloud, and at an instance, it extended his hand out even further towards Cloud, and at the same time its left leg seemed to take a step back.

"Eve...re...no.. op..n't.."

Cloud was now standing at arm's length of the being, hesitantly reaching for the hand that was being offered to him.

"I-is...it you…?" Cloud whispered as his hand reached towards it. The hope and relief that Cloud had been feeling was suddenly shattered an replaced with the warning fear that his instincts had been trying to implement into him.

"….N….nn..ghr…..oo!" the strange entity growled.

Suddenly with a pained wail the figure's face cracked along its eyes and mouth, as if darkness itself was seeping out. Cloud`s words froze up in terror, gazing upon the creature, his entire body sending him panic signals, hand frozen in place.

"….ha…..ah….hah…...ha…." it`s head jerked to the side violently making a guttural bone crunch that made Cloud`s whole body wince and his stomach churned. It was looking at Cloud with eyes that would resemble a dark spinning void

"Co...me….l...et….m.m...mm...e..lo...ve..y..o.."

Cloud's face twisted in terror, his heart and mind in despair, body refusing to budge an inch, despite his instincts screaming and begging him to do so. The figure leaned in closer to Cloud, face to face, gazing into his horror stricken sky blue eyes; It lovingly caressed his cheek.

"Sta…..a…..a...y…...w..ith me….for…e…v...er"

Cloud was petrified as all he could do was stare into the abyss engaging him, its touch gnawing at his very being. The entity smiled maniacally...

Next thing, Cloud felt a sharp pain on the left side of his chest…a warm sensation ran down. It slithered, thick and heavy…sinisterly beckoning a cold to take over Cloud's whole body.

"...urk!.. gh...ah.." Cloud coughed and gagged, blood running down the corner of his mouth.

"He..h...heh…...mi...ne...now…."

"uhgk...Z…Za…?"

Cloud's vision started to slowly fade, feeling at peace released from all his fears, his last image being darkness descending upon him.

"….Spi...Clo…...im...di…..e..."

And just like that, Cloud shot up into a sitting position on his bed. Gasping desperately for breath, drenched in sweat.

'Stabbed!' was the only word his mind managed in alarm.

A frantic hand rose to his chest to search for wounds…but found nothing. His breath eased just a little at the realization. Cloud looked at his own chest in both relief and confusion…it still throbbed painfully. With a wince scrunching his face, Cloud rubbed the aching spot, but the pain persisted.

'Zack…why…why did he…?' The images of his nightmare replayed with vigor, tossing his heart into a sinking pressure of anger, confusion and sorrow. The world around him spun distorted in a slight haze, his stomach twisted. There was a persistent and painful pound on his head, strong enough to make him feel as if the pain itself was hacking a way out of his skull.

Why would he dream of Zack killing him?

Was that really him?

Did Zack…hate him?

Always a contrite person, Cloud drowned in his memories of the past, giving way to a vile anger he was not sure to who or what direct it to just to get rid of it…

Once a little more composed (as much as he could manage), the young man choose to take a very long and warm bath…at least it eased his muscles and the inexplicable pain in his chest…just a little.

Inside his own room, Roxas was sitting on his desk going through his homework. Lately, he has been finding it difficult to focus on his studies. Ever since he had revealed that to Sora at the hospital just a few days back…

One would think that opening to someone would have brought him at least some relief. Instead, opening up the old wounds had brought an insatiable unease; an old guilt had reared its ugly face.

"I never thought I'd be able to talk about that with anyone other than Zack….did I do the right thing?..."

Dispirited, Roxas let out a very long sigh. Fenrir was sitting down on the floor, while his big head rested atop the adolescent's lap. Sensing the distress, the dog whined, Roxas reached down with his free hand to pet the canine's head, affectionately rubbing the furry pointy ears.

Cloud was walking by and heard his sigh, he stopped at the doorway and looked at Roxas the similarity brought up the images of his dream. Cloud closed his eyes and dispelled the images out of his head. Despite being disheartened and shaken by his own torments, he leaned on the door frame with arms across his chest

"What's the matter?"

Startled, both Roxas and Fenrir flinched. Fenrir perked his ears while Roxas turned around faking a small smile. Roxas immediately noticed that his brother didn't look too well….and there was only one way a conversation with Cloud in this state would end…Nevertheless, Roxas hoped that Cloud would lend him his ear. He wanted guidance, somebody he could talk to…

"Cred. Oui clynat sa, man."

"Sorry 'bout that…Couldn't help but feel that sigh, are you alright?" he responded with a blank expression and a dull but somewhat curious tone.

"I was just thinking 'bout…Stuff…" Roxas hated the dull and cold treatment from his brother, and despite his best efforts of not showing it, his tone had still come out dejected.

Cloud looked at him, silently studying and inspecting his little brother's demeanor, confused about what could possibly have the young Strife feeling so down. Cloud took a tentative but abrupt step forward. The young teen flinched instinctively, his mind processed the movement as a sign that Cloud was going to be mad at him for some unknown reason. Cloud blinked in confusion at his brother's reaction.

"Hey…are you sure you're okay?" at that moment some concern did show on the older brother's features, placing a hand on Roxas' shoulder, trying to control the involuntary shaking in his own body.

"Oh, umm…Ye-yea…fro oui ycg?" there was a clear hint of nervousness on the young teen, whom turned his chair around to face Cloud while petting his canine companion.

"Well, you seem a bit jumpy" Cloud replied taking his hand off Roxas' shoulder, the stoic mask retuning to its place.

Roxas had unconsciously frowned at the floor a bit saddened. Cloud couldn't help but stare back at him and wonder what was going through the young mind. Fenrir whined again looking up at Roxas.

"Ed'c ug" Roxas assured that he was all right even though it was a lie…Not that he enjoyed doing so…he wanted to open up to Cloud, just like he did in the past….How he missed that Cloud…if only he could help him more. He missed having the person of his admiration, the person he trusted with his life…he missed his brother…the trust he once had in the man, was hanging on a very delicate thread. Cloud on the other hand, searched the younger face, that far off part of him was yelling at him to do something, anything….still, Cloud drew a blank. It was that same helplessness that always made him feel that he wasn't fit to even help himself…

A short silence filled the room until Roxas spoke.

"What 'bout u? U seem a little more out of it than usual." Roxas had kept his voice level and calm, though he could not keep the concern out of his features.

For once, Cloud didn't feel that defensive urge to close himself off and walk away. He felt, in fact, tired; nothing, at all. After he silently sighed he moved to sit at the edge of Roxas' bed, the mattress creaking a little under the adult's weight. Roxas spun his chair around to face Cloud, he shifted his body into a position where he straddled said chair; his chin coming to rest on his hands that gripped the top part of the chair's back.

Cloud kept his head low, hunched forward with his hands dangling between his legs, remaining quiet. Roxas contemplated him for a little while until a thought hit him, making him pucker his lips and whip his head back and look at the open book on his desk.

"Hey, Cloud"

Cloud slowly rose his head to look at him in silent response.

"Wanna help me study for a bit? You know, just like old times! I'm readin' this very interesting stuff 'bout the history of this city." he spoke with a smile across his face.

A moment of consideration as the memories the request caused almost made him say yes, the thing was that he just felt so drained. Even if something was telling him over and over that yes, spend time with your brother, like each time Cloud couldn't help but coil at the idea. He could not feel it and even so, that only made him feel worse.

Frustrated, he wondered: 'Why can't just I do it? Have I really turned that cold?'

"No Rox…sorry…"

Cloud knew Roxas tried to hide it, there was a very clear flash of disillusionment in those young eyes; It made Cloud feel sad, it actually hurt to get his brother's spirit down, but again, Cloud would see it as hypocritical if he did something that didn't come from his heart.

Not showing his disappointment, Roxas smiled again "Well..hm…how about…we go get something to eat? Sora and Yuffie have told me of quite some good places we could go"

No, he couldn't bear to look at another disappointed look, he shook his head and stood up turning his back on Roxas and making his way towards the door. Behind him, Roxas looked incredulous, here he was trying to cheer him up a little, or at least making an attempt at doing so….That was not Roxas' only reasoning however, he also wanted to spend time with his brother. It was that simple, nothing more nothing less.

"Really Cloud? is this how u're gonna be?"

"I'm sorry Rox-"

"It's always sorry!" Roxas stood up a bit infuriated from his chair, squaring his body, tension evident on his shoulders. The abrupt action caused Fenrir to whine and hide under Roxas' desk. Cloud had paused at the door way, gripping the frame with a hand, still refusing to face Roxas.

"Rox.. " He almost pleaded clawing lightly at the door frame. What he wanted to avoid the most was about to happen again, Cloud was going to disappoint his little brother one more time.

"No! Don't Rox Me! You're always doing this!" Roxas took a moment to breathe trying to keep his frustration subdued, running a hand through his hair then sighing.

"Why are you like this with me? Have I done something wrong, Cloud?" behind the level voice there had been a small plea that Cloud purposely ignored. He did not know how to answer that, he had no idea how to deal with this situation; what to say, what to do.

Frustration bubbled in his stomach, Cloud's body tensed up fully, his hand slipping limply from the grip it previously had, a cold stinging pain, spread throughout his chest area and refused to leave. His skin started to get a bit red and hot.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows slightly his lips just parted a bit as he searched the signs of his brother's anger. Cloud's eyes were fixed on the floor, remaining silent, a fist clenched tightly as an attempt to control the wave of uncomfortable emotions assailing him. Closing his eyes and hanging his head low, Roxas decided to let his anger fizzle, the tired sigh slumped tense shoulders. He opened his eyes again, features crinkled into a soft frown.

"Nevermind Cloud…just…forget it..." he paused for a long moment before he added "It's what you do best anyways…."

Those words hurt, a menacing scowl was directed at the one who spoke them. Walking to stand before him, Cloud towered over the smaller teen. Fixing the intimidating gaze into Roxas, Cloud said through a quivering voice.

"Roxas… what did you meant by that?"

Fear made Roxas back away until his back made contact with the edge of the desk; the fear seeped through old wounds they had worked so hard to patch up years ago. Roxas tried hard not to think about it, shutting away the images before they could paint anything on his mind.

"Why should I tell you….you won't listen…." despite the faint shaking on his legs, Roxas kept his voice stern while maintaining it at a regular level.

Cloud kept still until he realized what he was doing: It felt as if there was something ominous looming behind him. His head felt empty yet it pounded heavily. A little confused, the young man was shocked at the fact that he had seemingly lost control over his actions for a moment; It was actually quite unsettling especially as the sinister feeling loomed heavier. Cloud sighed sharply rubbing at his temples, trying to control himself as his posture returned to normal.

Neither brother knew what to say or do for the next few minutes.

"I'm….I gotta study…" Roxas sat on his chair and turned it around to face his desk again, completely ignoring Cloud.

"I…Rox…hm..you…do that" Cloud was at a loss for words so indeed he did what Roxas had accused him of earlier: Forgetting. Or more as the little voice in his head was saying: running away. Just when he was about to exit the room, without turning around Cloud added

"I'm…going out for a bit…I'll bring you something to eat…"

Roxas did not answer nor did he turn back until Cloud walked away.

When he turned a bit to look behind him, at the spot where Cloud had stood, a strong emotional pain squeezed his insides. How he wished Zack was alive, the man always had good advice for both him and Cloud…Roxas groaned folding his arms which fell heavily against the hard surface, his head following suit and landing atop the appendages.

Roxas searched his memories, looking for the wisdom he has been taught by the man; If he were Zack…what would he do? What would he say?. Despite himself, his head decided to bring up the image of Zack pecking Cloud on the lips

"Yuck" he said through a chuckle "That's definitely somethin' Zack would do"

But the image was still in his head, he saw in it the small yet bright smile his brighter had then….He compared to the Cloud from the present. Then his memories shifted to the night Cloud was attacked…and the nightmares…

When Roxas wondered if Cloud could get attacked by dark beings again, that's when he thought of Leon. That thought lead him to think about the times he has seen Cloud and Leon together; that was followed up by the out of nowhere realization that Cloud…he seemed to be more calm around the brunette man. Perhaps he could talk to Leon? Somehow Roxas felt like he could really trust the gunblader. However the idea was discarded as he remembered that he has already asked Leon to help Cloud….Roxas couldn't ask more of the man, so Roxas just rambled on his thoughts, not realizing when he fell into the arms of a soothing afternoon nap.

Cloud needed to blow off steam, a lot of it. He realized that he had been unintentionally trying to pick a fight with Roxas in order to release stress. He felt enraged with himself…Roxas was a good kid…so why did he behave like that with Roxas? Cloud could never find the answer and that irked his already sour mood even more.

Straddling his bike and revving the engine to life, the delivery man opted for solitude and ride off his anger. In his hurry he had forgotten to take his helmet, so he wore his goggles instead. Images of the awful nightmare still flashing through his mind. The imagery had deeply perturbed him, his fraught heart still beat achingly inside his tight chest…Cloud felt like he could just suffocate, and the not so helpful, nagging voice of his head admonished him for taking it all out on Roxas yet again…

The afternoon breeze threaded it's chilly touch through his scalp, feeling as if the wind itself had fingers and was gently massaging him. Thankful for the almost empty streets, the young man kept a neutral speed on his mighty machine, he tilted his head up to greedily breathe in the current of air, to then release it. The air in Radiant Gardens was definitely much more cleaner than the one back at Midgar, it felt surreal.

The city itself felt unearthly to him…he now understood why Cid had so insistently talked him into moving here. It wasn't a perfect city, sure it could be loud as one would expect a city to be, but it wasn't exactly a concrete jungle. With its lush gardens, trees and fountain courts; old fashioned buildings well preserved and untouched by time, while the modern ones did not overshadow their ancestors; the city was a perfect balance between modernity and history.

Cloud considered to take himself up at the offer of exploring his new home, something he has been keeping a mental note of ever since he got here about a month ago. Barely had he began to wander in his leisurely ride when a strange pull tugged at his chest. It was not an uncomfortable pull, thinking to himself about it, he described more as a gentle tug. What he couldn't describe was how he imagined as if something was calling to him. There was no clear voice in his head nor in his ears, only the desire to follow his gut…

Cloud recalled that similar things used to happen with Zack.

That made him come to a slow stop at a fork: He knew that the path to the left lead him into a less busy part of town. The one to the right, he did not know. His gut told him to go right, but he purposely tried to challenge the feeling and go left. Cloud had barely began on the path to the left when he came to stop again. A glance was thrown over his shoulder to contemplate the other path. It drew him in, he literally felt as if the air was pulling him and he could not bring himself to ignore it.

Cloud huffed, turned his motor bike around and headed in that direction. Eventually, he was lead towards the very heart of the city. The area where the city's length of life was clearly prominent, the very air emanated all of its history. Streets were mostly narrow and adorned with cobblestone that sometimes formed different patterns and shapes. Houses were well kept while still preserving their ancient architecture. And above it all was the ancient castle…

Cloud discretely gaped as he slowly rode by to contemplate the magnificent structure.

'Roxas would've loved to see this' he absently thought.

A little further down, the young man found a spot where he could park his bike securely and got off, settling his goggles on his forehead. Maybe walking a bit could help him with ill effects of a so far, bad day. Though in truth, the luring feeling was turning stronger, compelling him with little 'nudges' towards a destination that was unclear to him.

Walking through paths and alleys around houses, Cloud looked and looked, searching to wherever it was his intuition was leading him. Any other person would've given up and walked the other way, things relating to the spiritual aspect of the heart, gut feelings, sixth senses and al that kind of stuff was usually considered unnatural; it was ignored by most common folk. Cloud however, having had Zack, a Heartinvoker, a person attuned to these kinds of things, knew better than that. So, following was not his problem…it was that he was getting a little frustrated at the fact that he was wandering aimlessly.

That was until he was standing in the middle of an abandoned plaza; moss and grass seeping through the cobble stone on the floor. Batches of flowers growing about and up ahead was stone wall with an arched entryway. Cloud at it, the feeling in his gut powered the slightly increased thrumming of his heart.

Almost unconsciously, Cloud approached; Moss seeped through the wall as well, the gate was rusty and worn, creaking in protest of its old age as he pushed it open. Wincing from how the screech pierced into his ears, Cloud opened it only far enough for him to squeeze in. He entered into a sort of hall, following the cobblestone path and at each side of the path was a cavity filled with a gentle stream of water that cascaded from the walls. Cloud stared at his own reflection in the clear water as he walked by. Once he reached the other end, he exited to one of the most gorgeous places he has ever seen.

A wide open space, surrounded by what it seemed like a lake. As far as Cloud could tell, the floor on which he stood closely resembled the shape of a star

"What an odd shape for a floor…" Cloud mumbled to himself as his eyes travelled to the rest of his surroundings: Four large rectangular batches of flowers decorated the odd garden, two at each side. There was moss crawling on certain parts of the concrete bench that framed the whole space and in the middle of it stood a large concrete fountain.

The hidden garden made Cloud feel warm inside the further he walked into it. Cloud dove a pale hand into the fountain, briefly flinching at the contact with the frigid liquid. After a moment, the water actually felt good enough for him to dive his second hand. He rubbed them together under the water then scooped up some of it to bathe his forearm, his skin prickling a little with the chilly touch.

Cloud rounded the fountain to see what was behind it, as he did he found some items he had not expected to find: A white shirt neatly folded and set atop another folded piece of clothing that seemed to be a jacket. On the floor, a pair of boots and socks stuffed in them. He knew those…

Slowly he looked to his side and just a few feet away, standing in the middle of the surface of the water, was a familiar man…

"Leon…" he whispered to himself, the sight of the man immediately washed an unexpected relief over him. The tugging in his chest had settled into a fluttering beating under his chest. He was drawn to move closer, standing right on the edge of the apparent lake.

Leon had his eyes closed, a light blue, glistening, misty energy gently flickered in a cupped hand. A familiar sword on his other hand. Though Cloud not expected to find him here, what he was about to witness, was going to truly take his breath away…

The Gunblader was shirtless, exposing a tanned, broad chest only adorned by the silver lion head pendant Leon always wore. Legs clad in loose long black pants. The setting sun behind the older man painted the tan skin with a soft hue between orange and yellow. The silky chocolate hair looked like it glistened under the sparkling light, while other parts contrasted with a dark brown that almost looked black…

Lights and shadows where seductively caressing Leon's body, masterfully crafting the toned muscles in his abdomen and arms as they moved gently like a flowing stream. Leon held his blade in a horizontal position at chest level, he hovered the hand that held the aura over the silver body. The frigid looking energy embraced the sword, gently enveloping it with a misty blanket.

A bare foot shifted in a semi circle to gracefully shift the Invoker's body, the sword-less arm moved in a gentle flow, palm facing the sky. The arm holding the sword followed. Leon moved in gentle flowing moves, eyes remained closed throughout the whole time. His bare feet barely moved him out of his spot, allowing the man's muscled body to shift in elegant, fluid gestures.

To Cloud, it looked like if Leon was locked in a slow, peaceful dance. The silver blade's edges were almost invisible under the brilliant pale yellow that engulfed them. It felt so unreal and looked so majestic in its shine

Cloud was gaping, barely even blinking…it looked so…peaceful. The welcoming vibe drew Cloud in, for it absorbed all the ill-temper that was poisoning him…The ambience soothed him. Just when he thought it couldn't look more mesmerizing, in a swiftly fluid movement, Leon swung the tip of his blade over the aqueous surface. As he lifted the blade from the swing, a thin thread of ice started to crystallize the water, following the path the blade had drawn. By shifting his right foot in a semi circle again, Leon directed the crystallizing water to thread a wide circle around him. He then, slowly twirled his blade in one hand above his head in three circles, lowering it on the fourth whilst bending on one knee. The icy circle broke into pieces of shimmering blocks of ice, sending a wave of cold air that gusted through Cloud's golden locks and expulsing dusty, tiny pieces into the air. The particles glittered around the diamond shaped ice, falling gently all around Leon before silently disappearing.

The Heartinvoker twirled his majestic blade in front of him while slowly rising to his feet again, the ice crawled upon the water's surface, swirling around the gunblader…

Cloud had never seen anyone use magic like that before…The atmosphere around was filled with peace. The solitary silence offered the mind clarity. A beautifully painted sunset ahead kissed the body with its glowing gentle warmth, with the breezy wind working in harmony to soothe a troubled soul.

'So beautiful…' Yet again, the dark haze in Cloud's heart was chased away by this man…this strange, soothing presence of a human being.

In what felt like a crescendo, Leon hefted and swung his sword above his head in a sharp movement. In response, the diamond shapes bursted with their pale blue auras. With his free hand Leon clawed a handful of the ghostly energy, redirecting it to dance along with his own moves. Leon mixed his meditative motions with sharp but graceful strikes. Arms masterfully wielding the weapon, feet elegantly readjusting from graceful stepping and moderate twists to jab and swing the steely object. At the end, Leon sharply flicked his hand closed into a fist in front of his face. The ice magic gathered some feet above his head, the blocks of ice crashed into one another shattering into tiny particles of icy dust.

Leon took a deep breath holding his sword at chest level in a horizontal position again. The brunette had been suffocated by powerful dark emotions, that, though familiar, had crawled onto him out of nowhere. He had decided to take a moment to himself to meditate. With the meditation done, his mind was calmly pounding back into thought, and re-awakening Leon's senses.

That's when he became alerted to the presence looming behind him. Turning to look over his shoulder, just a few feet away, he saw Cloud, whose mouth was still slightly agape and eyes were studying Leon's half naked form and the blade that radiantly glimmered under the dying rays of the sun.

"Strife?"

The blonde shook his head to snap out of his reverie. Though only half of his mind was able to ignore the amazing imagery he just witnessed.

"That was amazing…." Cloud whispered, it was the only thing his mouth was willing to say, even when his mind was complementing with just more than the word 'amazing'. No, Cloud thought that it had been breathtakingly beautiful. It had filled him with harmony, pouring serenity into his core.

Leon blinked a few times, then his eyebrows crinkled a little as he half smiled a bit bashfully.

"Thanks. I guess?" He walked out of the water's surface and strode towards the fountain, where he had left the upper parts of his clothing neatly folded, while Cloud followed.

"So-sorry, if I interrupted…" Cloud's tone was low, he bowed his head apologetically. Leon felt moved, Cloud's humble and contrite demeanor really rubbed off on him as an endearing quality.

"No, no. Don't worry about it. Though, how DID you find this place?…people don't come here. Except for me." Leon rested the gunblade on top of the fountain so that he could put on his white t-shirt, followed by his parka jacket, not knowing that Cloud's gaze (with his head still slightly bent) had been discretely contemplating his toned torso.

The Strife darted his eyes towards the blade when the white fabric had covered the attractive body. He swallowed the small lump in his throat and spoke:

"I-I'm not really sure…I guess I was just sorta…drawn here...somehow" Cloud's eyes remained fixed on the weapon

"Drawn, you say?" Leon coked his eyebrow

"That's what it felt like."

"Huh…interesting." The Invoker hummed as he sat down to put on his socks

"What were you doin'?" Cloud inquired partially inattentive, had he been paying full attention, he would have appeared as curious as he was. But at the moment, the strange gunblade was snatching his awareness.

"I was meditating. I wasn't feeling too well…"

"Having a bad day too?"

"Sort of…. Since I absorb the sentiments of the people around me, these emotions keep piling up. I need to cleanse myself of them from time to time, so I come here and release all that negative energy."

Cloud hummed in acknowledgement, although only part of him was actually listening…he stared at the silver blade, he kept a neutral look on his face that was nothing but inquisitive. An unexpected twitch raked through his arm; his hand unconsciously clenched when he felt an imaginary hilt in his palm.

The blonde man turned towards it, an unexpected excitement steadily rising the beat under his chest. Cloud looked at his own reflection on the well polished, silvery surface. He ran leisurely finger tips across the smooth surface, starting from the point, down the body and finally stopping to trace the pattern of the winged lion that was near the hilt…fingers followed the tribal imprint slowly…carefully…not missing a single detail. Sky blue eyes trailed down towards the black hilt, the only thing on his mind was how beautiful the blade was….and how it felt….familiar? He vaguely wondered why would it feel so familiar to him.

Cloud's hand hovered down towards the hilt, lingering there just a few inches above but not really touching it. A heat settled right in the middle of his hand causing a slight tremble, fingers moderately curled…

Leon had just silently stared at Cloud admiring the Gunblade. He reached up to the blonde man, lightly startling the latter when he touched his shoulder. Cloud jumped a little as he turned astonished towards Leon.

"Sorry…I was just…" Cloud gaped as if trying to come up with an apology retracting his hand by lowering to his side and hiding it behind his back. In Leon's eyes, Cloud looked like a little boy about to get in trouble. Leon held back his chuckle.

"It's ok Cloud…do you like it? The gunblade?"

"It is a beautiful sword." he huffed with a small smirk "Sometimes I wish I had one of my own."

Leon smiled at the other's wish as he brought up his foot to put his sock on "So you like swords then?"

"…Yea…I always have. I don't know why but…they make me feel…strong, I guess? I don't know how to explain it" the younger man lightly brushed his fingers over the polished surface again.

Leon puckered his lips while nodding to himself as he slipped his feet into his boots…Cloud and swords. The image that came to his head seemed fitting and oddly enough, a little sense of friendly rivalry gripped him. Leon entertained the thoughts of crossing blades with Cloud, his heart jumped a little in excitement.

"Do all Invokers have weapons?" came the sudden question that broke the images on Leon's head.

"So they say. I mean, I guess they do."

Cloud lifted an eyebrow turning to look at the other man "You guess?"

The answer didn't come until after a pause as Leon looked at the horizon through squinted eyes. The man pulled his lips to a side and proceeded to slip each foot into its respective boot.

"Apparently…. there's not many of us…I haven't met any other Heartinvokers other than Sora…What I know comes from what I've heard and from stories and myths...So I know little about what we are or what's really our purpose."

Cloud hummed crossing his arms over his chest "Come to think of it….there wasn't that many back in Midgar…But then again Invokers had no freedom there…No one would like to live like that…" Cloud suddenly scowled, bitter words faded into a resentful grumble.

"What do you mean?"

"….You see, back in Midgar, Invokers were used for military purposes. There was little tolerance for Heartinvokers. They needed to be kept under strict rules and close surveillance….They were used as tools. Punished and…executed…if they were to step out of line…" the bitterness in the explanation could only be expressed by someone who's had close experience with the matter. Cloud's eyes fell upon the silver hoop around his finger.

Leon noticed. He just nodded, letting Cloud know that he wasn't going to force anything out of him that he did not wish to share. Leon just put two and two together: It had been much clear to him that Cloud's lover had been a Heartinvoker, and by this new information, it seemed their relationship had not been an easy one...And the way Cloud spoke…so resentful…bitter…Leon did not what to think or imagine what must have happened to the man.

Being so in tune with Cloud's sentiments, a part of Leon tugged the strings on his heart and he wanted to ease the other's pain...but how could he? It didn't seem right in his head...still, at the same time, he couldn't fathom the idea of ignoring it. After all, not only did he felt for Cloud, he had also told Roxas that he would try and help Cloud….somehow. It was difficult and the gunblader did not know what to think and wasn't sure of what he was feeling. For the moment, Leon settled with just guarding his thoughts thus continuing with the more casual side of the topic.

"They say that…each Heartinvoker is supposed to have a special weapon. It's supposed to come from their heart. Some weapons will only obey their assigned Invoker, or so they say. Heck, if you try to wield Sora's, it will only appear back on Sora's hand…it won't even let you touch it"

"Really?..." the blonde man's low tone was drawled in awe, his blue eyes held the shimmer of excitement. Cloud shot a quick glance at the Gunblade then looked back at Leon asking

"What…'bout yours?"

"Hm. Why don't you try it out" Leon nodded towards his weapon with a playful smirk.

"What? But I've never wielded a weapon before…"

"Just try it" Leon encouraged nodding towards the weapon again, keeping a playful tone.

Cloud turned his head to look at Revolver and took a breath through his nose. He contemplated it for a short while and Leon just waited with his arms folded on his chest, the playful smirk still there. Cloud turned completely, hovering his hand over the hilt like he had done moments before.

He encircled his fingers around it; a thrill ran up his arm to throb in the middle of his chest. Cloud lifted the sword with one hand first and held it up in front of him, before he had to use his other hand to hold it as well. His eyes followed the length of the blade up to the tip, then angled it getting into what seemed like a fighting stance: his legs apart, with his left foot in front, holding the sword at waist level. Cloud's eyes were glued to the majestic weapon he held…his body had gone into position almost instinctively. Having a sword in his hand just felt so right to him….revelling at the amazing feel it sent through his body. While also, the weight of burden made him a bit uneasy…

Leon carefully assessed the reaction, the wonder, the foreboding, the curiosity. Leon felt it and he was curious himself as to why it had caused those feelings within Cloud.

"Is it heavy?" Leon asked when he noted the light tremble on Cloud's thin arms, though he was not sure if such trembling was from thrill or not being used to the weapon's weight. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

"A little" Cloud was still looking at the sword, his tone had been low in awe.

This time, Leon could not hold back the small laugh as he thought of Cloud as a little boy that had just been given a new toy. "You really like swords"

Cloud was snapped out of his admiration, the awed face replaced with a slightly troubled face. "Is that obvious?"

"Sort of." Leon huffed smiling as he stood up from where he was sitting.

"Sorry." He handed the sword back to its rightful master

Leon took Revolver and twirled it once, holding it at chest level vertically and looked at it "You don't need to be." He looked back at Cloud and smiled again "Besides, I think, it actually kinda suits you"

After a huff, Cloud offered a very short, reserved smile. Leon eyed him, and a thought suddenly came to his mind.

"Hmm… say, would you like to learn? To use a sword that is"

"What? me? but I…" Cloud trailed off into silence, pondering the question a little bit more serious than he should have. Closing his eyes he sighed before answering with a half-hearted excused:

"I don't know….I mean…Not sure if I'll be any good…and I'm not a Heartinvoker"

"You'll never know 'til you try. You don't need to be an Invoker to wield a weapon…well, 'normal' types of weapons anyways. Take away the magic and…intricate design and it's not really all that different"

Cloud mused at the thought and scratched the back of his head, his lips parted but only silence rolled out of them. After a short while, he sighed, moderately hung his head, mentally considering the offer.

"Well…I guess I could give it a shot…"

"All right. We'll use this spot, since it's solitary and private. We can start next week"

"O-k…" Cloud still seemed unsure of himself. But Leon was certain that Cloud would enjoy himself once their soon to be lessons started. For the moment, he wanted to spend some more time with Cloud.

"In the meantime. Care to join me to grab something to eat?" Leon offered as he started to walk.

Cloud thought about it for a moment, weighing his options. He was still upset with what happened earlier with Roxas...In contrast, being around Leon was quite alleviating…maybe he could use the extra distraction. Cloud would take advantage of the trip and order the take-out he promised Roxas…

"Lead the way" was the casual response, and he followed after his elder.

Leon tried to ignore the leap his heart gave when Cloud accepted and tried to contain the smile that was fighting to settle on his features.

A Heart's Passage:

"Do you hate him?"

The infinite darkness spoke in its sinister slither. I remained silent…sure I am angry…but…

"You do, don't you?" they sneered

"N-noo…I…"

"Liar!...We can see it in your heart…heh…heh…"

"Leave me alone! I love Cloud! I-"

"Oh. do you now?"

"Yes…I want him to heal…"

"He's dragging you down, just like he always has…"

"I…we…."

No…I always wanted what was best for Spike…and Spike jr.

"You can't deny it, can you? He needs to be punished"

"You won't hurt him!"

"You'll be one of us….come…join us"

"I can't…I won't….Cloud…please…"

I feel the darkness creeping into me, it threatens to rip me apart….But I can't let that happen…Roxas…Cloud…I need to make sure they are all right.

…

I'm feeling a presence approaching….It's calling to me….it's light is familiar….the voices snarl and threaten me not to follow it.

But the familiar voice temporarily shuts the voices of my 'companions'…good riddance….I continue to follow the call…

Who's this?...Wait a minute….

"It's you…" I say with relief once I finally recognize who this presence is.

….

"Please stop fighting…you deserve a good rest…" the warm presence tells me….

But how can I?...I can't go yet…Not until I know they are ok…..

I'm sorry Cloud….I should've been stronger…..Gods I'm so sorry…

A/n: Boy took me a while didn't it? I had crazy double shifts at work, you know, Holiday season and all that. But anyways, here it is! I apologize for any typos and any mistakes, if you find any, feel free to point them out, seeing as I was kinda in a rush to upload this one given to how much it has been since I uploaded chap 5 (Sorry!). But hopefully chap 7 won't take me long, specially since I pretty much have the overall idea for it.

Anyways, Happy belated Holidays and New Years! ^^

Fun Fact/ for reference: The scene of Leon meditating was greatly inspired by the 'Yuna dance' scene from FF10 and from the Kung Fu Panda 2 scenes when Po meditates with the water drop (I LOVE that scene!) and the location were he is meditating is known as 'Outter Gardens' a location from the Radiant Gardens in Birth By Sleep. Also, there's a few Al Bhed words here, if you wish to know exactly what they are saying you can check it out here: