Disclaimer: We still don't own characters. Not Leon, not Cloud, not even Yuffie. (Not that neither of us could stand her cheerfullness.) They belong to Square Enix. And, we don't own the lyrics either. They're Breaking Benjamin's - the song is "Forget it".
Beta: Azrax (We're lacking words to thank you.)
A/N (Anae): So, looks like our boys can get along when they want to. Good for them. ^^ But past is something everyone us has, and everyone has scars. Both visible and invisible. Sometimes you should just keep your mouth shut, you know?
A/N (QttQ): Yet another chapter - hooray! Number four, already. c :
This time, we offer you guys a relaxing bath. Very soothing, isn't it?
...Now, honestly Leon, why did you have to go and ruin it with your questions?

Chapter IV: Question every answer

There's a place I see you follow me
Just a taste of all that might come to be
I'm alone but holding breath you can breathe
To question every answer counted

The bathing chamber had been abandoned years ago. They'd found it on a particularly busy day; an entire crowd of new fighters had entered the Coliseum, making it crowded and busy. The common spaces had been filled with people and - enjoying their privacy - both Cloud and Leon had been keen on washing the day's dirt off somewhere else.

The bathing chamber had been disgustingly filthy when they'd first stepped into it. The Coliseum was filled with rooms that had been left empty and unused - no one knew exactly how many halls the enormous building held. The two fighters, however, were stubborn. In a relatively short period of time, one of the large stone tubs was clean enough and the water mechanism working somewhat well. Never had a bath felt so gratifying.

After multiple times of usage, the bathing chamber had started to look rather welcoming. The stone tiles had been washed clean by water that flooded over the edges of the tub. The air had changed from heavy and stifling to a mix of scents that had their origins in soap. The whole space had come to life once someone had dared to step in again.

And alive it was. The water was sloshing softly, dribbling down along the outer side of the tub. The chamber was filled with quiet noises, hushed words of encouragement and want. The air was thick with groans and deep breaths, the scent of human passion lingering everywhere.

It had become a habit of theirs and they'd adapted it as naturally as breathing. After Cloud had left him in the midst of their quarrel, Leon had sought the blond out again. They'd finally gotten their match - and what a fight it had been. Both men had worked like never before, having found a partner who could actually offer a challenge. Once the swordfight had been over, they'd found themselves in a whole new battle, hands grasping at clothes like no tomorrow.

It was a way of relieving tension. Both Cloud and Leon needed to get physical from time to time, be it on the battlefield or in bed. Their situation was simple - it wasn't even a relationship, not in words. They simply understood one another and knew what was satisfactory.

They sparred. They fucked. And on some occasions, like this, they made love. Those moments were of the most rare kind. Both Cloud and Leon were so often pumped up with adrenaline from their sparring sessions, that patience was but a hindrance when they finally got to touch each other. From time to time, however, they found themselves in a more tender moment, spurred by something else than a battle.

They were a tangle of limbs in the hot water, hands sliding easily over slick, wet skin. Their lips were sealed together in heated, sloppy kisses, bodies rocking slowly beneath the surface, desperate for more than the caresses the water could provide. Cloud was gasping into Leon's mouth, the rhythm of his breathing alone enough for the brunette to know that frustration was starting to build up.

"Not enough." The murmured demand wasn't even needed, but the huskiness in Cloud's voice made Leon's fingers grip at the blonde's lower back just a tad tighter. One more kiss, filled with tugging teeth and probing tongues, and Leon was pulling Cloud flush against his body, earning himself a grateful bite to his lower lip. When the gunblader found a firm footing and pressed his palms against the underside of Cloud's thighs, the fair fighter clung to him with no other options at hand.

The deeper side of the tub provided Leon with exactly what he needed. He pushed Cloud against the edge of the tub, trapping the wanton body between himself and the smooth stone surface. Cloud was more than willing to keep his thighs around Leon's figure, already moving against the other man in an act of desire. The hot water surrounding them had brought a heated flush to their cheeks, and Leon reveled in how well it settled onto Cloud's pale features.

An especially harsh roll of hips against his and Leon's attention was guided back to the situation at hand. Cloud's eyes, no matter how lustful, were sharp and demanding. The blond wasn't going to ask for what he wanted, because he didn't need to. They had an understanding.

It was a silent agreement, but it wasn't love. Even if Leon was gentle as he prepared the blond fighter for what was to come, even if he sucked tenderly on Cloud's neck to distract him from any discomfort, he didn't do it out of love. Respect reigned between the two men - their interests were based on reason, not emotion.

And yet, it brought both men a fulfillment that was beyond rational when Leon finally pushed into the fighter's willing body. It was a feeling, that was something neither man could deny, but they kept quiet and concentrated on pleasing one another, quickly finding a rhythm they comfortably fell into.

The water slowed them down. Their couplings were often both fast and furious, but their surroundings forced them into a slower pace. Cloud's hands were on Leon's back, his shoulders, his chest - anywhere they could reach, they went, rubbing small circles of encouragement onto the slick skin. Leon's mouth was by Cloud's ear, each wave of hot air fanning against the blonde's neck, every single gasp loud and clear.

They worked together towards a glorious end, both men growing more frantic in their need. Cloud was pushing against the edge of the tub to get as close to Leon as possible, not minding the way the stone felt against his bare skin. Leon had to keep reminding himself to loosen his grip over and over again. He didn't want to leave bruises onto the creamy thighs, not when they - for once - were free of wounds.

It was with a torturous slowness that Leon and Cloud built up the pleasure in their bodies, finally reaching the point where neither one of them could stand it anymore. With a stifled, hoarse cry, the two fighters let go and surrendered to a sensation of ecstasy, clinging to each other like drowning men.

Both Cloud and Leon had come to notice that soaking in the hot water after a round of good sex was something that should've been more widely appreciated. They'd learned to enjoy each other's company during moments when they did nothing; such as now, with both men seated on the shoal side of the tub, thoroughly relaxed.

That was when Leon's eyes started tracing along the marks on Cloud's skin. He ignored the blooming love bites, and concentrated on the faded, almost invisible patterns instead. Aware of what they were and having a good number of his own, Leon found no shame in examining Cloud's body so openly. After all, each scar told a different story - each scar was a door to the quiet fighter's past.

Blue eyes followed Leon's stormy ones as they roamed over his body. The warrior offered no words of discomfort as hand joined the search eyes had began, not even when the movement stopped, having found an almost faded scar on his right side. The touch was gentle, alike to the blue-grey storm that captured blue sky. "Who?"

It wasn't in Leon's nature to ask, so he generally didn't. He usually wasn't even interested, but this one rare time, he was curious. The eyes, he had so many times drowned in, remained emotionless as he was answered by just one word. One name.

"Sephiroth."

Cloud broke the eye contact, deciding to follow other's path of search-find-ask-game he was playing. Pale fingers stopped to rest on brunette's abdomen, caressing a scar there. The eyes moved, meeting the others. "This?"

The answer was a shrug. Leon himself couldn't recall when and where he had gotten that; he just vaguely remembered the pain of your stomach being sliced, the fear of your own entrails flooding out. "From some mission. When I was in SeeD."

"SeeD?"

"Elite mercenary force."

The younger man nodded, not wanting or caring to push further of which Leon was silently grateful. He certainly had no interested in sharing his past with someone - even if that someone was a man he respected. Yet the brunette was relieved to find next scar, one he had come across many times earlier as his hands had slid across the blonde's bare back. Leon didn't mouth his question, he had no need to - Cloud could read him well enough.

"Sephiroth."

Before the gunblader could process the emotions behind the well-hidden tone and think the way the body trapped between him and wall tensed, he felt fingers slide across his face, gently brushing his most visible scar. "A training duel", he choked out. It hadn't been just any training duel. That day had changed everything, the way he and Seifer had treated each other since - what they became in the future.

Leon shook his head, rapidly chasing the ghost of his past away. The look in Cloud's eyes was almost apologetic as the blond drew his hand back, dropping it on the other's side, pale fingers touching the exposed flesh - still unwilling to let go of the warmth.

It wasn't until then that the gunblader noticed one, almost invisible scar on the other's chest. It was so small - as if a narrow blade had cut through the skin. Without thinking anything in particular, Leon's hand moved on Cloud's backside just to find the spot where the blade had pierced the skin there. Not a word was said, but the brunette's hand was back on warrior's chest, palm pressed on top of the scar.

Cloud's posture was rigid, his gaze fixed on the water to avert the other fighter's eyes, and as much as he tried to hide it, Leon could hear the pain, sadness and bitterness, maybe even fear, dripping on his voice as he spoke. "Sephiroth."

Sephiroth. That one person seemed to have inflicted something on Cloud, something that would never go away. Leon wanted to know what had that man done and why, but he didn't ask. It wasn't his place to do so. After all, what were they? Sparring and fucking partners, nothing else.

Once again younger warrior brought him back to this moment, hands roaming across still moist skin. Gripping Leon's hip, Cloud drew himself closer, pressing their bodies back together. With a roll of his hips, Cloud erupted moan from normally quiet man and silenced him with breath-taking kiss.

Leon answered the kiss the same ferocity it was given - biting, teeth clacking. Neither of them had any more matches today, both men had had only a few this morning, which gave them opportunity to spend some more quality time in this bathing chamber. Even if it was nowhere near to love, for some reason, today they didn't hurry. Maybe it was due to silence of the chamber and the way warm water wrapped around them. Or maybe it was just today - atmosphere that lingered between them. But whatever it was, even in his foggy mind, as Leon pinned Cloud on the wall, their tongues continuing the battle they had started, Leon knew that all of this - it was just a diversion. Not to fulfill their need of physical contact - it had been solved already - but to kept the thoughts out of the scars, and possibly most importantly, away from this Sephiroth.

It was a fact - a fact that shouldn't have mattered as much it did.