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(T-T)
KN: Thanks for your thoughts on the first chapter, everyone! I got done with the planning in this story with what's going to happen in each chapter after finishing this chapter. This…is going to be a long story…. I'm scared, but I swear that I will finish this.
Warnings: Eventual LeonXCloud. They take turns topping. Reno is in this story. Vincent won't be appearing this chapter. AU. Spoilers for all the games in the Kingdom Hearts series.
KN: I'm sorry it took me I don't even know how long to write this, but one of my friends is going through some trouble, so I needed to get this chapter out and stop being a ghost and support her. I'm sorry this chapter is crap and that you probably waited a long time to read it, but my friend needs me right now. I'll make up for my disappearance later.
(T-T)
Signing up for the Hades Cup is when he next sees Cloud, and the blond's in a much worse condition.
The swordsman's already tattered cape was in shreds, and his shirt isn't all that better, revealing scars and gashes that Yuffie would no doubt be asking about later – well, that is, if she wasn't too distracted by the worst of the man's wounds. Cloud wasn't bleeding, no, the scars looked too old and the gashes were shallow, but he looked absolutely exhausted. Eyes half-lidded, every breath forcibly slow, his figure trembling, on the verge of collapse – as if he had been carrying the whole world on his shoulders.
But the wound that had Yuffie panicking was the long tear near the area where the wing would meet skin all the way to the edge of the wing where the leathery part became more feathery-looking. It's not bleeding, but it's clearly very painful. Even then, Cloud appeared to be more ashamed of the wing itself than the wound it sustained.
When Leon and Yuffie had arrived, Cloud attempted to hide the demonic appendage. He was unsuccessful, of course, the tear hindering his ability to hide it under his cape quickly. Instead, all he could do was clench his fist tight enough to draw drops of blood from his palm and hold back a pained sound while Yuffie fled to his side. They didn't have any potions, unfortunately. Leon didn't check to make sure he had some, and Yuffie didn't think they'd need them because she could heal herself. Well, that, and "Leon, these tournaments are a joke! We won't get a scratch on us!" as Yuffie voiced to him when he asked why they didn't have any potions.
"Cloud, we have to stitch this up! Right away!" She's insisting. Her hand almost touches the wound when Cloud grabs it, the look on his face clearly spelling out 'Don'ttouchdon'ttouchdon'ttouch.' She pulls her hand away and looks up at him sadly. He turns away from her. "I don't have any thread or a needle, though…" she murmured as she looked down. She suddenly stands up and runs off. Leon is about to go after her when she calls back, "I'm going to find that goat, Phil! Leon, you stay there and make sure Cloud doesn't hurt himself!"
'I don't think he needs me to keep him from getting hurt more…' Leon thinks. He looks at Cloud, who can only offer him a blank look (though this is one tinged with pain) like his previous encounter. He has the urge to say something, and he's not sure why. Normally, silence is welcoming when compared to Yuffie's annoyingly happy cheers or Reno's sexually-loaded chatter or Cid's loud, angry cussing. Unfortunately, this silence was more uncomfortable than it'd be if they were talking. He has the urge to say something, but Yuffie's probably said all that needed to be said and more. It ends up being Cloud who breaks it, though, albeit barely.
"Don't…stare." he says even fainter than the way he spoke the last time they visited. He inhales slowly afterward through clenched teeth.
'It's a little hard not to.' Leon answers mentally. He didn't realize that it probably did look like he was staring until Cloud spoke up, but it was a little difficult not to. Looking at him like this, brought back down to earth instead of soaring in the sky with a blade in his hand, he looked so much more vulnerable now. Like the scrawny kid he used to be in Hollow Bastion. He wasn't sure if it was the torn wing that made him think that way or the fact that Cloud looked like he was doing all he could not to break right now.
He had to question how Cloud got injured this way, though. Leon recalled fighting on his own in matches in Olympus, but there was no way any opponent here could do this kind of damage. Especially not to Cloud if the last time Leon saw the blond fight was anything to go by. The heartless in Olympus weren't nearly as bad as the heartless in Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion, but it was possible that they could have gotten stronger after Sora sealed Hollow Bastion's keyhole…
But what kind of heartless did this to him? One he'd never seen before? Some of the scars on Cloud's abdomen were clearly too old to have been inflicted recently. The gashes and claw marks were fresh, but too shallow to put Cloud in the state he was in now. And then there was that long tear on the wing… It's still not bleeding, but there's no doubt that it hurts. It was going to require some patient and delicate work to fix that up without a potion. If Aerith were here, this wouldn't be a problem, but Cloud doesn't want to see her or anyone else for some reason.
"Your wing..." Leon says before he can stop himself. Cloud's blank look turns into a glare almost immediately.
'Nice going, Leon. Sooo good with words.'
"Let me stitch it up." He finishes, but Cloud's glare doesn't change. The blond seems angrier somehow, as if saying 'don't look down on me' or something to that effect. The top of the wing quivers slightly before it somewhat wraps around Cloud in an almost protective way while the lower half of the wing that was torn attempts to follow the top half, but ultimately stays where it is.
"That tear won't heal on its own."
No change.
"If you had a potion, you would have used it by now." It went without saying that Leon and Yuffie didn't have one either.
No change.
"If you knew the Cure spell, you would have used it by now." It went without saying that only Aerith had the magic cost and skill to utilize the Cure spell, and Yuffie's ability to heal only worked on herself.
No change.
"Do you really want Yuffie coming near you with a needle?"
Hesitance. A sigh. Reluctant resignation.
"Glad you see it my way." Leon almost smiled as he left to see if Yuffie got the necessary materials yet. Surprisingly, the girl was right outside the door with a sewing kit in her hands. She was looking down at the object, and she looked like she had been standing there for a while. "Why did Phil have a sewing kit on his hands?" She looked up, startled, until she realized it was just Leon talking to her.
"Huh…? Oh, no. Phil didn't give me this. A lady named Meg gave this to me, but…I…" She chewed on her lower lip a little bit before she threw on arm up in the air and flailed somewhat. "I don't know how to sew! That kind of stuff is what Aerith always did! Aghhhh!" Her arm then returned to the sewing kit in her hands. "I shouldn't have told Cloud I'd stitch his wing up; what if I hit an important vein or something?"
"Then give the kit to me." Leon answered as he reached a hand out. Yuffie raised a brow at this.
"I can't give it to you, Leon; you're a boy!" she protested. Leon gave her a blank look that said 'That affects my ability to sew?' "How would you know how to do something like this?"
"The orphanage." He says. Yuffie's not sure how that relates, but her eyes light up in recognition of the place he mentioned. Leon rarely talked about his past. "We were all taught because there wouldn't always be someone there to take care of us."
"Oh…" She looks down in an almost apologetic fashion. "All right." She hands him the sewing kit. Just before Leon can walk into the area, Yuffie speaks up again. "Hey, Leon…Cloud's kind of an idiot, you know. He's probably going to fight in the Hades Cup once his wing's stitched up, but I think he would have fought anyway even if it was torn up. He was like that when he was younger, you know… Doing whatever he wanted no matter how much it hurt him…well, so long as no one else got hurt too."
'What do you want me do about that? I'm not as close to him as you are, Yuffie; I don't think I can convince him not to fight with his injuries.' He plans to say, but Yuffie's not done yet.
"Can't you team up with him for the Hades Cup or something, Leon?" She asks. He wasn't expecting a proposal like that. "You're a strong fighter, you could keep him from doing something stupid and hurting himself, right?" She goes on more determinedly.
"I'm not letting you fight by yourself, Yuffie." He answers.
"Get off me! Help!" Yuffie looked like she was punching it, but the thing just seemed to shrug off her light blows. "Help!" The girl seemed to be in tears.
"I'm not going to!" she narrows her eyes and clenches her fists. "Reno said that the second gummi ship was ready to fly. When he gets here, I'm going to ask him to team up with me, so can't you partner up with Cloud to make sure he doesn't get hurt?"
Reno and Cid had stayed behind in Traverse Town to look after Kairi when Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie had gone to Hollow Bastion. No one expected Reno to look after Kairi like she was his long lost little sister while he was helping Cid with maintaining both Sora's and their own gummi ships. In between keeping the heartless away and mechanic work, when would he have the time to get to Olympus?
And honestly, Reno? She really thought he'd be a good partner in the Hades Cup? Leon didn't doubt the red head's fighting ability because the man wasn't half bad in battle. Unbelievably fast at times, but he was more used to fighting with a partner at his side. That was all well and good if he was fighting alongside Leon, who could back him up, but Yuffie? Two fighters quick on their feet went down faster and didn't complement each other as well. That, and Reno didn't exactly get along with Yuffie.
"Reno can't protect yo-."
"Like I need protecting!" She almost sticks her tongue out. "Look, I know Reno's kind of lame sometimes, but I can fight and heal on my own. I'm probably going to win this whole tournament by myself!" She boasted with each of her fists touching her hips. "And when it comes down to it, I think Reno can do his job."
Just then, a thin, long, white rod had pierced through the creature before its limp body was lifted off Yuffie and electrocuted till it disappeared into purple and black wisps.
"All right, but I don't think I can convince Cloud to let me fight with him." He answered.
"You're fixing his wing, aren't you? Just remind him that he owes you, and he can't complain!" she offered with a bright smile before she left to see if Reno had arrived. Leon headed inside.
(T-T)
Soon, the only sound that could be heard in the room was Cloud's slow and shallow pants. Leon had the blond on his knees with his back turned to the older man. The winged swordsman rarely let out quiet sounds of protests as Leon went through with his task. He figured that Cloud might have built up some kind of tolerance to the pain, but the slight tremors that occasionally rocked the younger man's figure made him slow down a little.
"…ah…" a faint, reluctant sound escapes the blond on a particularly hard plunge. The gunblade wielder had been trying to be gentler. Cloud's wing was actually rather strong and light despite how delicate it felt when he touched it for the first time, but it must've been pretty sensitive for Cloud to make more noise than words he's spoken in the entirety of Leon's reunion with him. "Mmn…" Cloud bit back another sound that threatened to leave without his permission.
"If you try to relax, this might hurt less." He somewhat advises. One of his hands strays to Cloud's bare shoulder, gripping it lightly to steady the light trembling. The blond then makes a small noise of discomfort while Leon pulls it out for only seconds before sticking it back in.
"You sure you've done this before?" Cloud mumbles. He shivers a little when he hears Leon chuckle quietly.
"Not often." He answers. "But I'm willing to bet that I'm more decent than Yuffie, Reno, or Cid." The younger swordsman hums contentedly in agreement, and he appeared to finally relax somewhat. Leon's gaze raked down the blond's bare back, and he wondered if all those wounds really came from only heartless. Cloud was a bit thin too. Hadn't the man been eating right? The thought made Leon slow down his pace again.
The older swordsman was a bit surprised at how smoothly this was going, though.
-Some time earlier-
"Take your shirt off." He ordered. "Cape too." Cloud narrowed his eyes a bit at the order, but complied anyway. Leon set the kit down and opened it to see what he was working with. He was a little surprised that it wasn't one of those lacy cloth sewing kits; it was actually a medical kit with bandages and stitch threading that was almost the same shade as Cloud's wing. He had assumed Yuffie wouldn't know the difference, but it appeared whoever this 'Meg' lady was knew what she was handling.
When Leon turned around, Cloud had his cape off and folded neatly in front of him while the younger man's arms were crossed over his abdomen, hands at the hem of his shirt, slowly lifting it up to reveal his bare torso…and a scar that he hadn't expected.
But what was he supposed to expect from Cloud after everything he'd seen? On the lower right hand side of Cloud's back was a jagged splotch of white, a scar thick enough to show that Cloud had been stabbed by something. A claw or maybe a sword? He wasn't sure. That was probably another story for another day…that is, if Cloud would be willing to even tell him. He wasn't obligated to, and Leon had no right to ask.
The blond made a curious little noise, and Leon's eyes snapped back up to see that he was having trouble getting the shirt off with his injured wing in the way. He walked up behind him to help and touched Cloud's wing for the first time. The younger man stiffened at the contact, and the gunbladesman was slightly worried that he may have made the tear hurt more. It felt fragile, but it was actually pretty strong. He could only wonder what was strong enough to cut into it like this.
Cloud turned his head a little to see Leon and his hands returned to the hem of his shirt again. Leon managed to ease the shirt off the injured wing but not without a few sounds of discomfort from the other swordsman. The brunet is a little surprised that the minor scratches on the lower area of his abdomen have already healed when he was sure they had been there earlier as Cloud was taking his shirt off. The shirt is folded neatly and put on the cape.
"Sit down." Leon ordered. The blond narrowed his eyes slightly and opts to sit on his calves instead, shins against the ground and a hand on each knee. The wing seems to twitch slightly at the movement, but is otherwise relaxed. The older man wants to question why Cloud was being so submissive, but at least it makes things easier.
He only hoped that it'd continue to be easy when he asked Cloud to consider his - Yuffie's team up idea.
-Back to present time-
After sewing the wound up completely, he ties off a knot, takes the extra thread in between his teeth, and tears it away. The younger man shivers a bit at the action, but says nothing. Leon's tempted to throw in a short 'you're welcome,' but he had other ideas.
"You're entering the Hades Cup." Leon states. No answer from Cloud. "After I just stitched up your wing." The blond raises a brow at that, but stays silent. "I'll be your partner." Cloud blinks at that before his eyes narrow.
"Need someone to hold your hand, Leonhart?" He asks. Leon blinks at that. Normally Cloud had been so quiet, and if he did speak, it was in a voice that sounded like it wasn't used to idle chatter. But the way Cloud had said that made it seem like he had been slinging words around like that for years, as if he was an expert on casual insults.
'And here I thought you had no bite whatsoever.' He thinks; the memory of a blond swordsman refusing to cry out as he neared his breaking point started to fade away from his mind. But then, if Cloud put it that way, it did sound like he was asking for help in the tournament. He should've said no to Yuffie even if she was being reasonable for once.
"I'm signed up on a team of two, and Yuffie bailed on me for Reno." That didn't make his situation sound any less pathetic considering a little girl ditched him for Reno. "It's either you or a heartless, and I'd sooner kill one of those things than fight alongside it."
"Then fight on your own." Cloud responded coldly. "You're a man, aren't you?" The younger swordsman appeared to look him up and down skeptically.
'Unstable and fragile… What was I thinking?' The palm of his hand met his forehead as he tried not to snap at the winged man's words. He was more mature than that, after all.
"Oh, like you've been…doing?" Leon then realized that Cloud probably had been fighting on his own for the past nine years. How Cloud managed to stay alive surrounded by heartless without anyone by his side was a mystery, and it certainly showed that Cloud probably could fare well fighting by himself, but it didn't mean that Leon had to or would leave him like that. Fighting alone was probably the reason Cloud got that wound in the first place. "I see how well that worked out." He gestured to the wing. "I fixed your wing, so be my partner. You owe me."
"I would've fought even if you hadn't fixed it, so I don't owe you anything." The still shirtless swordsman snapped.
'Well, so much for that card, Yuffie.' He sighed. 'Looks like you're not getting your wish, kid.' Cloud turned around to hold up what remained of his clothing. He put the shirt aside and frowned as he picked up what remained of his cape, the small almost sad sound that escaped him made Leon look up again.
"Don't tell me that's all you had." The gunbladesman was loathe to admit that he was starting to feel a little sorry for the other swordsman…again. This whole situation was upsetting. Though it seemed Cloud would be even more so if he knew he was being pitied.
"They let me use the bathhouse, but they don't give me anything else." Cloud explained without turning around. The image of Cloud hand washing his clothes in a bath tub while wearing nothing made Leon wonder why no other fighters seemed to suffer the same treatment. How was Phil managing these people? The blond carefully set down the torn cape and picked up the near shredded shirt. Leon walked up behind him and picked the damaged cape up, the middle and index finger of his right hand had a glow at the tips.
"Mend." He whispered while the cape slowly gathered its threads and repaired itself. Cloud looked at him curiously, eyes widened, and took the now whole again cape away to better see the condition for himself.
"How...?" the blond asked quietly.
'You're welcome.' Leon kept to himself. "Low cost spell. Only works on clothing." He explained as he picked up the ruined shirt. "Mend." He whispered again. Once the shirt had repaired itself, he handed it back to Cloud. "I don't like relying on magic for every little thing, but since there are no cloth patches here, I can't repair it on my own. Just don't expect me to do this again." Even with the wing stitched up, the younger swordsman still needed a little help getting the shirt back on.
"…I'll be your partner in the Hades Cup." Cloud said quietly as he carefully put the cape on.
'That's it?' He supposed that he might as well take whatever it was he was getting anyway. It was then that Leon noticed how the ends of the cape were still singed even when his mend spell should've fixed that. Was the cape naturally created like that? Was burned clothing a fashion trend? Either way, Cloud didn't seem too bothered by it.
"You'd better not slow me down." Cloud added as he started to exit the room.
"Think that giant deadweight you swing around would slow you down first." Leon quipped as he started to follow. Cloud turned and narrowed his eyes at him as they flashed dangerously. The older man wondered if Cloud's eyes had always glowed like that.
"I can't fight without this 'deadweight,' and that's more than I can say for you." He answered before turning around again and leaving.
'Nice going, Leon. You probably hit a sore spot…' he thought to himself. Well, it wasn't like he was friends with the man, and he wasn't planning on becoming one either.
(T-T)
If there was one thing Leon would admit today, it would be that Cloud was stronger than he expected.
Sure, he had told himself that before when he first saw Cloud, but it only started to hit home now that he could see him up close. That battle hardened stare, the way he held his blade, and how sparks danced around him spoke volumes of his fighting experience. He wondered if that Cloud he saw earlier biting back any sound that escaped was really the same Cloud that glided from his side and tore through Heartless like butter. Then again, this was only around the fortieth seed, so they still weren't all that strong.
"Firaga." He blasted one of those big, round heartless when it tripped over its own feet. He still wasn't sure how that was physically possible, but he wasn't complaining. After finishing off another heartless, he turned to see Cloud landing back on the ground from his flight. He looked as if he wasn't injured in the first place, the stitches in his wing practically invisible and not tearing. He found that fairly odd since he wasn't that good at sewing. Sure he was better than most save for Aerith, but there was no way it was strong enough to hold wounds like those with the way Cloud fought.
Yuffie was right…he never thought the day would come when she was… Cloud didn't stop. While Leon had kept a steady pace to keep himself from tiring, Cloud fought like a storm. As if he had forgotten he was still only human and had limits like everyone else. It was only a matter of time before he crashed.
Not that he cared about the man personally. Yuffie and Aerith and maybe Cid would be heartbroken if the man died. He killed the last heartless of the match, and returned to the stands with Cloud, trying to convince himself that he wasn't utterly fascinated with the blond to an obsessively observant detail. It was kind of creepy once he realized most of his thoughts had been occupied with the younger man.
The tournament reached a bit of a standstill when Sora's opponent was running late. It was convenient as it provided a little break for Cloud. Since Sora was here, it'd be a good way to get some payback for his battle in the Pegasus Cup (Sora's victory in the Pegasus Cup was a fluke anyway) Cloud didn't need to be tired on top of having a stitched wing if they were going to beat this kid and his trinity. And…Leon was a little interested in seeing how much Sora improved since their last bout. He was also curious to see who Sora's opponent was as heartless appeared instantaneously, so the fighter had to be something other than that.
"And now… Let's welcome our next contestant onto the stage…Yuffie! Kisa! Ragiiiii!" the announcer's voice boomed.
'Yu…what?' Leon blinked. 'Where's Reno?' His eyes searched the stage, but he couldn't find a single glimpse of red. She shouldn't be entering this tournament by herself. And yet there she was, all on her own, that confident little smirk of hers shining brighter than her giant shuriken. 'Ugh…' His palm met his forehead.
"Thought you said Yuffie ditched you for Reno." Cloud said quietly. The brunet narrowed his eyes and frowned as he took his hand away.
"She told me she would team up with Reno." He answered pointedly. Cloud gave him a blank look, raised a brow, lowered it, blinked, and then turned away from the older man.
"You were stupid for believing her." The blond said just as quietly. Leon didn't know how he could refute that. In all honesty, he probably should've seen it coming.
"She still shouldn't be fighting by herself…" The gunbladesman muttered. Tournament heartless would be stopped before they could devour their opponent's hearts, but Leon still didn't trust them to obey that rule when fighting against Yuffie. And even if Yuffie didn't fight heartless, she still could've been attacked by that massive dog, Cerberus.
"She'll be fine." Cloud assured him, though Leon felt anything but. "She's only fighting Sora. It could be worse." And the brunet did feel better with that kind of information, admittedly. Though, he wasn't sure why Cloud would try to reassure him. There was no real incentive for it.
"And our winner is…Sora, Donald, and Goofy!" the announcer's voice declared cheerily. Leon watched in disbelief as Yuffie shook herself out of her dazed state. The only expression on her face was a single, indignant pout.
'…how did she lose so quickly?' Leon thought to himself. 'Either Sora got stronger, or Yuffie got…weaker? Did she not follow my training regimen? … Well, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't.'
"She's gotten stronger…" Cloud seemed to say absentmindedly. The older swordsman stared at him in surprise. Yuffie liked to follow Cloud around a lot back in Hollow Bastion, but he had always assumed that Yuffie's friendship with Cloud was one-sided. But then, he wasn't exactly close with either of them, and Cloud seemed to tolerate her more than push her away.
"She's not the only one." Leon thought aloud as he watched Yuffie hand Sora a shield and a smile before she ran off the stage. "Can't wait to see how much." He unconsciously gripped the hilt of his gunblade.
(T-T)
Well, this day was just full of surprises, now wasn't it?
The Sora he had fought back in the Pegasus Cup was not the same Sora he was fighting now. The Sora he was fighting now learned how to block. And the Sora he was fighting now learned how to block well. He swung his gunblade once overhead, then again from an angle, and then horizontally only to have Sora block that, push it back, and hit Leon squarely in the chest.
'That didn't hurt.' The older swordsman denied mentally as he shot a Firaga spell. This gave him a little distance before he charged in again and swung his gunblade overhead again. This time, Sora rolled out of the way and shot him with a Blizzard spell.
Leon hated the cold. It didn't have much of an effect on him, most spells didn't, but it managed to distract him. Sora raised his keyblade the same way he'd seen Cloud raise his sword, a dangerous glint coming off the tip of the blade. The kid rushed him, landing blows as he dashed past him several times. Trying to keep up with Sora's movements was enough to get Leon dizzy.
The palm of his hand pressed against his forehead as he tried to regain his bearings. A flash of red and yellow and black flew past him before an arc of gray and white seemed to hit Sora. Was it just Leon or were there also little sparks of lightning bolts and…stars? Was that what those were? Leon shook his head and snapped out of it as Cloud's boots met the ground again, eyes narrowed and blade raised.
Sora pointed his keyblade skyward, like he was expecting to be struck by lightning. Leon knew all too well what that meant and charged in with his gunblade overhead.
"Thunder!" That was not Sora's voice. That was the duck that was behind him and Cloud. Huh, Leon had no idea his gunblade made such a good lightning rod… Slightly stunned, he could still see that Sora had used that opportunity to finish his Cure spell while Cloud turned his attention back to Sora's trinity.
'How does a kid with so little stamina last this long?' Leon thought as he extended his gunblade.
"All right, now I'm angry." He growled before he leapt forward again. The punk kid jumped, landed on the edge of his blade, and throws his keyblade at him. Multiple times. Did Sora even use that thing to cut stuff? The blunt chunk of metal was more likely to give Leon a concussion than make him bleed externally.
'Dammit.' Leon thought as he collapsed to his knees. Well, that did it. He was out of the match now. Through tired eyes, he managed to make out the unconscious bodies of Goofy and Donald in the corner of the arena. Cloud had his wing spread, eyes narrowed, sparks of lightning dancing around him as he slowly ascended into the air again.
The brutal way the blond slashed at Sora should not have looked as graceful – and dare he think beautiful – as it should have to Leon's weary eyes. A small, glowing, yellow thing was floating near Sora, or maybe those were stars he was seeing? Either way, it seemed like it was occasionally throwing white dust at the keyblade-user. Was that why Sora had managed to last so long?
Cloud's onslaught of cuts ended rather anti-climatically as he gently landed back on the arena floor. This might have been the dizziness talking, but Leon was rather sure that Cloud had at least two or three more finishing slices before the blond relented. And he had been obsessively observing the other swordsman earlier, so he was pretty sure he was right.
And now Sora was glowing. Leon was also pretty sure dizziness was not supposed to have this effect on people. The keyblade master took a step back before he began a series of slashes that was too quick for the oldest swordsman here to follow. Cloud should've been able to dodge that, honestly.
After fighting alongside the blond, this display was rather disappointing. What happened to all the flying Cloud did earlier? Had he been more exhausted than Leon noticed? Well, the brunet kind of doubted that. Cloud fought like the kind of warrior who would crawl through broken glass if it meant he could win the match. And yet, none of that perseverance showed as the winged swordsman had slowly collapsed to his knees as well.
Wait. Wait a minute. Did…did Cloud hold back the entire time?!
(T-T)
Cloud had held back. Leon was sure of it now. There was simply no other explanation for it. Letting himself get taken out like that… He would question it later, though. Right now, he had to attend to the victor.
"Here." The gunblade wielder said as he handed the keyblade wielder his lionheart keychain. Sora gave him a wide smile as he pocketed it. Leon had to admit that he felt just a little bit proud of the younger brunet.
"Thanks, Leon!" he blinked before he turned his attention to Cloud and walked over to him. "I've gotten stronger, huh?" Cloud almost looked amused.
"Keep getting stronger." The older swordsman advised. "Otherwise you'll lose to that friend of yours." Leon found it strange that the two seemed to be on friendly terms. Then again, Sora was pretty special when it came to forging relationships with people, regardless of how cold they were.
"I bet I'm stronger than him already." Sora crossed his arms and smiled. His arms returned to his side, and he gave Cloud a different kind of look. "Have you found your light yet?"
'Light?' The gunblade wielder thought to himself. He hadn't expected Sora to ask a question like that. What kind of conversations did a keyblade wielder have with a Coliseum combatant?
"Next match is coming up." Cloud avoided the question, any semblance to amusement disappeared without a trace. "Don't start slacking off now." He joined Leon and left the stage.
(T-T)
Leon leaned against a wall in the small room outside of the Coliseum to wait for Yuffie. Cloud had moved to the opposite wall, that same blank look still adorning the blond's face like a mask. The older swordsman frowned a bit at the distance, though he wasn't sure if he should have been annoyed or grateful. Was Cloud taking extra steps to avoid him on purpose? Why did Leon think he should be offended since the silence should have been comforting? Instead, it's awkward as it hangs in the air.
"Hey!" The brunet hadn't meant to make it sound as harsh as it did. It manages to catch Cloud's attention as the younger swordsman turned to face him, eyes a dull glow to that same blank look. "You held back during that match." It shouldn't have sounded as accusatory as it did since it was exactly what happened. Cloud's eyes narrowed the slightest fraction as his blank look showed some hint of boredom.
"Weren't you?" The blond blinked almost prettily, in something that resembled amusement.
"Of course." The gunbladesman lied. Sora really had improved, not just in timing blocks or mastering techniques, but in speed as well. Though he would never admit that he had lost while trying his hardest. That would've been pathetic. "There's no real challenge in going all out against a kid, his dog, and that duck with the temper anyway."
"Hn." Was all that came from Cloud before he turned to look at anything that wasn't Leon again. The brunet frowned at the idea of the younger swordsman smirking behind that cape of his.
"Ughhhh!" So Yuffie finally made it out of the Coliseum after all? Leon turned to find the little ninja fuming as she marched up towards them with her fists balled. "I put all my munny on you guys winning, but you just had to go and lose, didn't you?!"
"…you wasted your munny on a bet?" Leon frowned at the thought. Was it just him or could he hear Cloud almost chuckling quietly? He turned to look at the blond, but the other swordsman continued to look bored as usual. He turned back to Yuffie as she resumed her complaints.
"I was making a lot, you know! You guys had been pretty unstoppable up until you hit Sora, Donald, and Goofy. It was probably a bad idea to bet it all, but if you had won, I could've afforded all those new chains and bangles the accessory shop was selling." Yuffie pouted.
'Well, it was your fault you lost it all, not ours…' Leon silently fumed. And it was Cloud's fault that they had lost in the first place. Though, he wouldn't really admit that they should've gone all out against Sora.
"I guess your wing hurt more than I thought, huh Cloud?" The little ninja tilted her head to try to look at the folded appendage. Cloud seemed to allow it as he made no move to cover up what little was showing. "I can understand why you lost, but that doesn't excuse you, Leon!" She pointed at him accusingly. "I thought you were totally capable of beating a duck, a dog, and a kid!"
"Didn't you lose too?" Leon should have known better than to ask.
"Hey, I was being ganged up on!" Yuffie attempted to reason. "You at least had Cloud even if he was a little handicapped." She huffed superiorly.
"Yuffie." Leon narrowed his eyes at her, annoyance rising.
"Yeah, yeah. 'Don't fight by yourself, Yuffie.' I know!" Yuffie all but stuck her tongue out defiantly. "I'm still in one piece, though. Isn't that all that matters?" She put her hands on her hips. "And besides, I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie, so I would've been okay either way!"
"It was still dangerous." Leon pointed out. "But since we're both out of the tournament now, we should head home. Aerith will be glad if we assist her in looking through Ansem's research." Yuffie made a face of disgust at that idea. She never did care for reading intellectual findings…
"Oh yeah! Cloud!" Yuffie nearly bounced towards him in her excitement, aversion to the prospect of reading things she didn't care for disappeared in an instant. "We're not in Traverse Town anymore, so when you finally decide to show up, head to Hollow Bastion, all right? That's where we are right now because Sora sealed the keyhole there."
"All right." Cloud answered quietly.
"Cid and Aerith and maybe Reno would be really really happy to see you, you know." Yuffie said in her own quiet voice. It wasn't nearly as quiet as Cloud's, but it was quieter than Yuffie's normal speaking voice. "Hollow Bastion's our home too." He placed a hand on her head, the one without the claw. Leon was surprised at the effort. Cloud and Yuffie really must have been good friends before Hollow Bastion's fall, but he couldn't seem to remember what they were like as kids.
"I'll be there, Yuffie." He seemed to try to assure her before his arm returned to his side. "Just not right now."
"Okay…" Yuffie relented as she followed Leon to the gummi ship.
Cloud watched her retreating back almost wistfully before his eyes hardened again, and he turned back to the Coliseum. There were still stronger opponents that he would need to face.
(T-T)
KN: Hi. I'm KN.
Wing kinks anonymous: Hi, KN.
KN: I…I have a wing kink… And KHII Cloud kind of disappointed me because he doesn't have one anymore, so I'm having as much fun as I can while he still has it.
To answer some questions, Reno will play a part in this story. I can't say what it is, but I do have a reason for putting him in Traverse Town. And…well, I've never really cared much for the Turks in FFVII. Except for Tseng. I love Tseng. And maybe Cissnei and Rude, but Reno's not a character I think too fondly of. But like I said earlier, there's a reason it has to be Reno and no one else. Thanks for being the first to review, Rhea!
Considering you guys waited more than a year for this chapter to come out, I don't think I need to say that it'll be a while till the next chapter's written. It won't take another year, though.