Author's Notes: Okay, here is my attempt to update before I lose my muse for the story again. I know it isn't as good as the other two chapters, but please understand that after a year of almost no recreational writing, I am rather rusty. Also, I think I picked up a bit of the Desperate Housewives writing style in the latter half of the chapter. Why? I have no idea. But the opening and closing monologue for that series is awesome anyway so no problems. :P

Most of this chapter focuses on explaining a little more of the relatively unexplored storyline of the fanfic so far. So, even if this isn't amazingly awesome, you have pretty much the whole background on Leon and Cloud's characterization, whether it is fully explained or not.

ANYWAYS, have fun reading and please please review because I really do need the inspiration and motivation to finish off what I started. xD

The moon hung low in the velvet sky. Stars dotted the open canvas of midnight blue, shimmering in the endless expanse above like a polished lapis lazuli. Soft beams of pale moonlight caressed the ground, illuminating everything from total darkness. Bastion City gleamed in the distance, it's skyscrapers aglow with busy city life.

Cloud sat on the soft grass, feeling the light that was barely there glowing on his skin and the tall blades of grass tickle his hands as he propped himself up. He gazed up at the sky, observing something that stretched far beyond his simple existence. There wasn't a noise to be heard; the world slept soundly at that moment, reminding Cloud that he, too, should be sleeping fitfully with everyone else.

The young boy sighed and closed his eyes. It was a long day for him. His body ached and he grimaced slightly at the pain, managing to keep most of his emotions behind a blank mask. He turned his head to gaze back at the house, which had small pricks of stark sterile light pouring out from the windows. The house, for the most part, was shadowed by a thick cloak of darkness and he could only make out slight ridges and shapes where the moonlight defined the angles of his abode.

A part of him yearned for a normal life that seemed to be just beyond his fingertips--the part of him that was still so young and so full of hope and dreams--but he buried any part of him that childishly treasured the idea of a perfect home with loving parents in a warm, sickeningly happy existence. He spared a moment to consider that, despite all his daydreaming, despite how many times he fled, it would never be a reality. It was pointless, he realized, trying to chase the remnants of a desperate desire that would apparently never be brought to fruition. Cloud rubbed his arms gently, mindful of the aches as his hands brushed against tender flesh, feeling suffocated by his troubles.

Yet no matter how hard reality hit him, there was still a small part of him that was certain that he could still make it, refusing to die out no matter how much he fought to convince himself otherwise.

It was then that he decided to make the long trek back to Traverse Town. Though he was still uncertain about the direction he would have to take, he'd had enough practice in the recent days to be able to navigate his way back to Leon's house. There, at least, Cloud would be able to hide from everything--at least for a little while.

Cloud licked his lips, nervousness beginning to creep up as he gazed at the long, empty, and maliciously dark road that he knew to be the direction of Traverse Town. He looked back at the comforting halo of light that surrounded the house, then to the unknown abyss that stretched before him.

It would be a long time until the morning rays peeked around the horizon, offering safety and security to ease his discomfort and uncertainty. Cloud stood up with finality, forcing himself to trudge along the road. He moved away from the light and the safety and the comfort, plunging himself into the darkness for yet another attempt to reach out for something to make his life whole again.

~*~*~*~

Leon stared, surprised and bemused, at the young blond that was, for the third time, sheepishly scuffing his shoes on Leon's doorstep, his hardened eyes only slightly lowered in what was undeniably an attempt to appeal to Leon through submission.

"I need a place to crash for a bit." Cloud slowly met Leon's gaze, and though he still held his head high with arrogance, his eyes pleaded for something that could never be voiced through words or reflected through the constant expression of indifference he wore on his face. Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" He asked, standing firmly against the door-frame. The boy shrugged, remaining quiet. He looked guardedly into Leon's piercing gaze, and they stood in silence, holding out relentlessly against each other.

"I want an answer kiddo," Leon spoke. He cast a glance over at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall, which read four thirty in the morning. The sky had lightened slightly to a calm blue with pastel yellows lining the horizon, heralding the arrival of a new day. Cloud held strong, his thin mouth unmoving.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Leon finally asked. He wanted to avoid asking that question because if the blond suddenly decided to spill some kind of heart-wrenching sob-story of harm and neglect or some kind of other painfully uncomfortable sap, Leon would be required by law to report him to the police and he'd get tangled in the web of politics that would ensue. To Leon's relief, the blond shook his head.

"I'm not in trouble," he mumbled quietly. Leon could see Cloud was giving in. The blond had finally registered that if Leon was to offer up any hospitality, he'd have to cooperate. He hid a smirk at his tiny victory.

"How about I make a deal with you?" Cloud offered after a labored moment of silence. Leon knew the kid was struggling to answer, but he could see the resilience and glimmer of hostility leaving the startlingly deep blue eyes. He decided to give him a break.

"What's the deal?" He asked.

"I'll tell you what you want to know if you tell me why you don't call yourself Squall," Cloud answered. Leon's brows knitted into a frown and he glared at the boy standing before him.

"That is absolutely ridiculous. Why should I have to tell you that when you're the one asking me to let you into my house?" Leon replied to the comment, his voice heavy with incredulity and indignation so thick that it was nearly tangible. Cloud shrugged again.

"I didn't know it was such a difficult question to answer," Cloud said. He held himself in a manner that told Leon he didn't really care otherwise. "It was just an offer. You're asking me to tell you a lot of personal information I don't want to talk about so I figured asking why I can't call you by your first name wouldn't be too much." Leon looked at Cloud for a long moment, considering his words.

"I don't like the name. You of all people should understand that, Cloud," Leon said carefully. "There. I answered your question, now answer mine." Cloud smirked.

"You're lying. Why should I say anything?"

"Because you're the one asking to come into my home," Leon answered pointedly, a humored expression that was almost completely undetectable etching itself across his face. "And you know what? I gotta get ready for work. You need to go home now, and until you learn to compromise, actually compromise, I'm not obliged to help you out." Leon continued to stand in the door-frame, watching as Cloud's eyes quickly lost the childlike, imploring quality he was so accustomed to seeing in his students and return to observant mistrust. He continued to watch as the blond turned around and left.

~*~*~*~

Leon was a creature of habit. He drank black coffee in the early morning hours, and he graded a ceaseless amount of schoolwork with religious routine. He would spend his days in a monotonous bore, taking small pleasures in the eventful way his life occurred on a day-to-day basis. And all the while, through his predictable daily lifestyle, he thought about Rinoa.

He thought about the way her chestnut hair had blond highlights that sparkled like gold in the sunlight, and the way she smelled of apples after she took her morning shower. He thought about the way she seemed to fit so perfectly into his arms and how she would tell Squall about her dreams for the future while he lovingly nodded to everything she suggested, adoring her and loving her in his own quiet ways. He thought about how they liked to go on long strolls together, appreciating the natural majesty of the environment and how it was all so stunning because they were in love, and to them, everything was somehow more beautiful because of it.

He thought about the the fading colors of the sunset sky, and how beautiful the twilight appeared because love makes all things beautiful. He thought about the strong scent of the eucalyptus trees during their stroll, and how Rinoa liked to coo over the array of flowers in their neighbors' gardens and how beautiful it was, because everything was just oh-so-beautiful when two people were in love like they were. And he thought about the crosswalk, with the blinking white figure that signaled them to walk across the busy street. He thought about the speeding car that failed to stop as it took a left-hand turn, it's driver intoxicated, and how warm Rinoa's delicate hand was as he held it in his own and oh just how beautiful she was because everything is so beautiful when you're in love with a person like Rinoa. He thought about her gentle smile and how it reached her warm chocolate eyes, and the sudden honking of a horn and how everything went black as the hard metal of a car slammed into them and how his last thought was just how devastatingly beautiful that woman was.

He thought about how he managed to sit up, his head whirling and his ears suddenly ringing and an agonizing pain shooting through his arm and his head and God he was bleeding so badly and he thought about the moment where he struggled to stand up, stumbling over to the figure lying a few feet away from him as the driver got out of the car to see if they were okay as he dialed an ambulance. He thought about the blood pooled around the rich chestnut hair with the blond highlights that sparkled like gold in the sunlight, and how her warm chocolate eyes stared forward, unmoving and peculiarly blank, and how she didn't respond to his voice no matter how times he frantically called her name and shook her shoulder even though she should have responded to him because she couldn't be dead--no, even though her body was angled so strangely and there was just so much blood, they were in love and they were going to have a beautiful life together because everything is just so beautiful and perfect when two people are in love like Squall and Rinoa were.

And every night Leon would try to forget. Every night he failed. Every night, Leon was in pain and no matter how much he tried destroy any semblance of emotion so he couldn't hurt anymore, he remembered so he tried even harder to forget. That was Leon's routine. Leon was a creature of habit, and that is how his life went, day by day.

However, Leon's day wasn't going according to plan.

Leon went through his routine of dark coffee, lazy students, endless assignments, and a numbed sense of pain in the back of his mind, but his thoughts were not of Rinoa; instead, they were of a certain blond-haired kid who had asked for help in the unspoken language of the determined, silent, and apathetic (something Leon knew very well), and how he had turned him down. He knew Rinoa would be so disappointed in him. He wondered if Cloud was alright, though he was convinced he could take care of himself. He wondered if he really would have told him why he kept showing up at his doorstep.

Leon was consumed with curiosity--so much so that he didn't even miss his daily ritual of agonizing over the loss of Rinoa, his fiancee.

Leon was still thinking about Cloud when he parked into the driveway after a long day at work. When he made it to the front door, though, Leon suddenly thought he really shouldn't be surprised by this anymore.

Cloud was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, next to the door. He made no move to even look at Leon--he knew he saw him. He waited for an answer.

Leon stood for a bit, letting the silence hang. His face was unreadable, though his eyes were moving, calculating something Cloud would never know. Leon sighed. Finally--

"Whatever."

Leon entered his house, leaving the door wide open. Cloud took the invitation and followed after the brunet, shutting the door behind him.

Yeah. So there it is. Originally, Rinoa and Squall's history together wasn't even decided on when I started writing the skeleton of the story. However I was hit by a car at a crosswalk in May so I thought to myself, that would make a pretty awesomely dramatic plotpoint.

LOL. I'm just mulling this over in my head as I type and I realize how incredibly dorky that sounds to take inspiration for a fanfiction from that kind of experience. Seriously, what a nerd I am. I almost lose my life and all I can think about is how great that would be in a fanfic.

....LOL.

...Yeah I'll shut up now.