Fan Fiction ❯ Prep and Punk ❯ Side Story: 'Leon and Cloud' ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts and the songs expect ‘Secrets and Lies Mix So Well’ aren’t mine. Don’t sue me! Thank you.

Author’s Note: Yay! The wonderful reviews! I love all of you! Keep reviewing and enjoy this side story about Cloud and Leon!

Warning: Mild/Strong language, violence, sexual situations, death, alcohol, drugs and so much sadness.

Enjoy!!

Note: This side story will be set before the concert and at the concert. Therefore, the first POV will be before the concert. So you know and don’t get confused. Also, there will be a repeat of the last chapter in this one when it comes time to Leon’s POV and after the concert. You will see what I mean then.

Music that represented this chapter:

‘No Giving Up’ by Crossfade -Cloud’s POV

‘Not Listening’ by Papa Roach - Leon’s POV

-blah- normal talking

-blah- flashbacks

-blah- phone conversations or used for emphasis

-blah- used for the music or to go into the next Character’s POV

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Prep and Punk: Side Story

‘Cloud and Leon’ Part 1

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-     The Broken Hearted   -0-0-0-0-0-0-   Once I trusted you…   -0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Blue eyes scanned the room with the type of boredom that could kill. Few people were actually doing their work, seeing how the substitute was just reading some type of magazine.

Porn, no doubt.

But he wouldn’t go there.

His gaze danced upon the many heads until it stopped at one…the one it always halted on. Whether it was from curiosity or…well…infatuation, Cloud had no idea why after all this time Squall ‘Leon’ Leonhart was such an interesting subject. Whether it was the way the past played out in their relationship or if it was because of the present, the blonde honestly did not know. Granted, Leon was always an interesting subject to think about since he never let anyone get into but other than that…the past was the past…even though it continued to stab Cloud inside.

The blonde reluctantly tore his gaze away to continue his work. Economics wasn’t the most interesting of classes, but did it really have to be…well…this boring?

His eyes once again lifted off the blank paper and trailed over towards the King of Punks in the front of the room. His black leather jacket hung from the back of the chair and the brunet was leaning over as if concentrating on his work. The tense muscles in his back were showed to all and Cloud could only stare.

That is until Leon lifted his head.

Just before the brunet turned to look around the room, Cloud focused back on his paper, holding his breath as he felt those mysterious eyes stop on him. Trying to appear nonchalant, the blonde picked up his pencil and answered question one.

The feeling of being stared at uplifted.

Cloud felt relief course through his veins. That was close.

“Hey, Cloudy” Rikku, who was sitting beside him, stole a glance at the blonde before smirking. “Can I ask you a question?”

The blonde merely shrugged his shoulders and went back to his work. He really did not want to answer any of the girl’s odd questions, but if the moment presented itself…what was he to do? Rikku would only bring attention towards them, and that would result in an embarrassing situation. One he did not want to be in.

“How are you feeling today?” Yes, most definitely odd. He had better think before he answered.

“Okay. Why?” His blue-eyed gaze looked up to spot the substitute, eyeing the magazine with a hungry gleam in his eyes. He let out a sigh and focused his attention on Rikku, arching a brow as she giggled.

“Alright.” She poked him on the thigh with her pencil and giggled again, this time more loudly. Cloud gave her a confused stare before turning his attention once again back to his work. Maybe she was still loopy from…well…he didn’t really know.

“How was your weekend?”

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, Rikku. What do you need?”

She bit her lip and it seemed she was contemplating the answer. When she looked up into his eyes, Cloud’s arched brow rose another centimeter. She brushed her braided hair back and smiled. “I was just wondering.”

That was weird coming from the most hyperactive girl in the school. It was weird because the girl acted as if she didn’t think for herself, but rather did things just for the hell of it.

Something was up, but he wouldn’t press her for the answer. It wasn’t that important.

So he let himself be wrapped up in the world of Economics. He finished the work in no time and found himself getting bored. He noticed the substitute still reading whatever the hell it was, so Cloud placed his earphone inside his ears and started his iPod. The song, ‘Under Pressure’ sung by The Used and My Chemical Romance, filled his brain and took him away from the silence of the classroom. The music calmed him, taking his mind from place to place.  

He looked outside. The rain pounded on the window as the tropical winds blew past palm trees lined up in a row. The flag atop the pole was whipping around crazily. Oddly, this sent a form of calming into his life. It was as if reality was put aside and nature showed him how brutal the world really was.

He should be grateful, but he was not.

He was still in pain and he was glad no one could see that. It would hurt his reputation and worse…it would hurt his friends. He could contain himself long enough to get ‘home’ and leave school behind.

At least for another day.

Leon would still be in his mind…wait…how did he suddenly appear in his thoughts?

Maybe it was because…no. He wouldn’t go there. Not today. Not when he was still at school. And most definitely not when he still had his sanity.  

From a side-glance, his blue pools detected movement and found it to be Leon…and he was moving towards him.

Cloud’s eyes widened as the slender, but muscular brunet stopped beside him, gave him a quick glance, and turned to ask Rikku a question.

Damn…the teenager was so close…Cloud could almost touch him.

But he wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t in his nature to do something as bold as that. Well…not now anyway, but if the smell of masculinity continued to waft through the air, the blonde didn’t know what he would do. Cloud turned down the music to listen to the conversation.

“I don’t know, Leon.” Rikku answered honestly. “Maybe Cloud would know?”

Cloud’s breath caught in his throat.

Leon shook his head and went back to his desk. Cloud’s heart dropped to his stomach. So much for that…  

The blonde let his thoughts drift inside him as the next song started to play. He turned it up so he could hear it. His eyes reverted back to the rain and how it was creating a mini swamp on the school campus. This reminded him of a day that had occurred many years ago.

The rain was pouring and Cloud could barely see in front of him. If it wasn’t for the hand that led him along the way, the blond was sure he would be lost right now. The warmth and love flowed through him as eyes of green turned to look back at him with a happy grin. The girl’s hair was damp and sticking to the front of her face. The broken umbrella was in her other hand, disregarded as they ran through the rain.

They were so happy, so free.

Only about twelve at the time, Cloud felt the love emitting from this girl that he had only met a few months ago. She had to be his miracle, his salvation and he wouldn’t trade this moment for the world.

She stopped at a house and pulled him from the rain to the sheltering porch top. He watched as the droplets of water slid off the roof and onto the steps that led towards the house. The soft pattering of the rain calmed him, but what calmed him more was the hand that still held his own.

He looked up to meet glowing green eyes. She had to be the most beautiful creature in the world and this coming from the boy that thought comic books were still cool, when in reality, everyone now collected baseball cards.

This coming from the boy that thought all girls were so intimidating. Yet, when he looked at this girl, she was like an angel. Even her voice had a certain melody to it.

“Are you alright Cloud?”

The way she said his name made him shiver. To think, someone could actually get inside the boy’s inner AND outer shell and make his soul feel warmth when otherwise it would feel only pain. All he could do was nod his head as unfamiliar feelings stirred inside his gut. This girl really was his salvation.

She giggled and led him to the door, but before she knocked, the door opened.

Inch by slow inch did the door creak open. Cloud’s breath caught in his throat at the intimidating sight.

He was dressed in jeans and an oversized t-shirt and he had short hair, cut in the style of the year. His gray eyes stared at the couple holding hands and softened as they stopped on the girl besides the blonde.

Why was Cloud so intrigued then? If he had know that Aerith was Squall’s sister, would he had still come with her? Would he have offered to walk her home even through the pouring rain if he knew that the coldest person stood in front of the doorway now glaring daggers at him?

What did he get himself into?

“Squall! I’m so glad you are home!” She let go of the blonde’s hand, much to Cloud’s dismay, and embraced her brother in a tight hug. Squall wrapped his lanky arms around her and focused his sheering gaze on the wet blonde. Cloud couldn’t move, breathe, but somehow his body reacted when Aerith moved back to give him a wet hug.

“Thank you, Cloud.” Her smile was bright, almost blinding him with its warmth. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

She waved to him before she walked into the house and disappeared behind her brother. When Cloud waved back, Squall’s glare intensified. The blonde let out a nervous chuckle before he turned away, ready to head back home.

Sure enough, something hit him in the back.

The blonde grimaced and whirled around, only to find a sleek umbrella at his feet. When Cloud searched for the owner, the door had closed.

Blinking with confusion, Cloud picked it up and turned, opening it up to walk back home.

Somehow, he knew someone was watching him…watching his every move…

But he did not look back as he ventured home.

Aerith…he wondered how she was doing…how she…no. He shouldn’t be thinking about her. It wasn’t healthy.

A poking to his thigh snapped him out of his thoughts. He rotated his head and glared at Rikku, who whimpered under his icy gaze. She held up her hands as if to surrender.

“Hey, hey! I was just going to ask you what song you were listening to…” She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck innocently. “Sorry! I’ll leave you alone.”

He felt sort of bad, but then again…Rikku could be annoying at times…

The bell rung.

Cloud waited until everyone left before heading out himself. He was just out the door when someone bumped into him. He watched as a blur of yellow fell to the floor. The King arched a brow.

“Ah, damn…” Cloud watched as Zell picked himself up and apologized. He rushed through the hall to catch up with someone.

But someone still remained.

Quistis.

She smiled and as wise as she was inclined her head before she walked off with a casual pace after her brother. Damn…she was still all knowing.

She was one of the people who actually knew the true story. The one story that could kill his reputation. His heart flipped as the reality hit him. Only three people really knew what happened…Quistis, Leon, and…of all the people that just had to be there Seifer.

The only one he really kept his eye on was that blonde cocky bastard because he knew Quistis was too smart to utter a single word and Leon wasn’t the most social of people. Even though the story would only represent itself as a myth to most people, he could not take a chance of it spreading. There was no way he could relive those memories ever.

So without a moment’s hesitation, Cloud ventured towards his locker, while his broken heart lay inside his stomach…in pieces.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Impassive   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-   I thought you were my friend…   -0-0-0-0-0-0-  

Seeing as how EVERYONE wanted to piss him off today, Yuffie should have been no exception, but ever since he had developed a migraine in the past two second, the King of Punks wasn’t ready to deal with her annoying prodding today. Scratch that, he wasn’t ready to deal with her annoying prodding ANY day.

So when she hugged him from behind and did a dance around him, Leon was just slightly more agitated than he usually was. It was only to be expected.

“Squall! Squall!”

Leon cringed and shot a hand out to stop her from bouncing around. It rested on her shoulder, stopping her instantaneously. “Stop.”

She blinked, but then brushed off his hand and continued with her childish antics. Leon felt his brain cells popping from all the stress to his head. He finally decided to just push the girl away and walk to his next class.

Which Cloud was in…

The blonde just had to be in two of his four classes. It was like a curse. Half the day he would be free from his painful memories and the other half…they came back with a vengeance. The King of Punks didn’t even want to this about it.

However, he didn’t need to. Yuffie was in his class as well as Zell…both of these lame brains would be annoying him with combined force. Hopefully, Leon wouldn’t pop his lid like last Friday, but that was a whole other story entirely.

He noticed the few bodies in the classroom. Probably because there was still five minutes until the bell rang to signal class started. People were just heading back from lunch now.

Lunch…how he despised it. It was bad enough sitting with Zell and Yuffie while they threw food at each other and Riku being his usual self, got annoying at times, but the one thing that made him loath it so much was how everyone was always happy.

Why couldn’t he be happy too?

Granted, he was at one time. Before freshman year…but even that year turned out to be the most tragic one in his life. No, he needed to stop thinking about it. It would only make matters worse.

But, it still hurt so badly to think about it…

Damn Cloud…it was all his fault.

He sat in his desk and stared out the window, wishing the day would go faster. He didn’t necessarily want to go home, but he wanted away from this school. Too many memories were locked up here. The sooner the year was over the better. He didn’t know what he was going to do if he had to stay here longer than he was supposed to.

The bell rang signaling the beginning of class. Every student besides one or two was in their desk, ready for the last class of the day. Leon was probably the most eager of them all though he didn’t show it.

“Well, I see we don’t have everyone here.” The teacher, Mrs. Demma, pointed out, gazing at her class with mild enthusiasm. Her hands worked diligently, knitting a scarf or a blanket for her newborn niece. Honestly, Leon did not like her. She was outspoken, yelled constantly, and for some reason had a fascination with snail sex.

Don’t ask.

However, if Leon didn’t need the English credit, than he certainly wouldn’t be taking it. The only ones Demma actually liked were two juniors that always answered her questions. Since no one liked her, no one really gave a damn about her class. The only thing Leon did was pay attention and his work. The teacher knew not to call him out for he would not answer.

But she always loved to play with him…

“So, I was talking to my husband the other day.” Her husband was twenty years older than her and she had to be at least fifty or so. “About snail sex.”

The class groaned.

“What? Do you guys have a problem with that?” Her glare was pointed to Leon who was still staring out the window. “Leon. Pay attention.”

The brunet sighed and focused his attention on his teacher. She smirked at her accomplishment. Even though it wasn’t much. She was such a crazy bitch.

The brunet tuned her out as she continued on with her monologue about snail sex and her husband. Leon let his gaze swept around the room to rest on the very person he hated.

Cloud…

His gray pools were filled with fire, if not for only a moment. He would show no one any emotion. They didn’t deserve it. While he was pondering, the blonde locked his gaze onto him, causing Leon to shiver mentally. If only he had a chance to change things…maybe everything would be so different.

But that didn’t change the fact that Leon still hated what Cloud had done.

His mind wandered to the one memory he wanted to forget…forever.

They were sitting on the porch, enjoying their ice cream cones as the hot sun caused them to both sweat from the heat. The house wasn’t any cooler since the air conditioner had broken when their dad tried to turn it up. Stupid man…Squall would never understand him.

The two siblings just relaxed, reveling in each other’s presence. It had been a while since they could truly be alone seeing as how people liked to pull them apart so much. Squall stole a side-glance of his sister as she licked her vanilla ice cream slowly. A smile was present on her visage as her eyes were distant. He wondered what she was thinking about, but she giggled as she caught him staring.

“What’s up Squall?” Her voice had matured over the years. She was still his baby sister only more grown up. Squall’s heart clenched at the fact that she really was growing up, but they were never going to grow apart.

“Nothing.” He had said and smiled, continuing to eat his ice cream. There was a small, but comfortable silence that chilled Squall to the bone. It was as if Aerith understood that he just liked to sit here with her. She knew that he wasn’t social and she accepted that when most didn’t. She was a true sister, a true friend.

One of his only friends. But that changed nothing. He still loved her.

“I want to tell you something Squall.” She repositioned her body so she was facing directly at him. Her long legs were tucked under her pink skirt as she sat upon her knees and her white tank top revealed her pale skin. She rested her delicate hand upon his shoulder and smiled. “Zack and I are-”

Lo and behold there was Zack now.

“Hey sweetheart. Ready to go?”

Squall felt his heart being torn. He couldn’t believe his only sister had…a boyfriend.

He wanted to lunge at Zack. The bastard…

Zack had been one of Squall’s best friends until he had betrayed him and went around school telling everyone one of his deepest secrets. After that day, Squall wouldn’t even look at him let alone confront him. The boy was a traitor and now he was going out with his sister.

“Well, damn!” This coming from a twelve-year-old kid’s mouth was saying something. “Squall! It’s been awhile! How have you been?”

Squall stood and turned to his sister, ignoring the question. “Be careful.” He whispered, his heart clenched painfully as she nodded and left him to go to her new boyfriend.

“I will. I love you and tell Mom I’ll be home around six.”

Squall nodded obediently and sighed. What a day…

So the brunet sat alone on the porch, finishing up his ice cream. The sun was getting to him and he just wanted to go back inside. Without the comfort of his sister, there was no reason to be out here.

Just as he stood up, someone was running towards his house. Squall watched as Cloud raced up to the house, out of breath.

“Oh! Squall!” The blonde doubled over and gulped in the heated air outside. Cloud was sweating profusely and in his hand was a slip of paper, a note obviously. Squall arched his brow as the blonde straightened himself up. “Is Aerith here?”

Squall shook his head, masking his pain. “No.”

“Do you know when she’ll be back?”

Squall shrugged his shoulders and headed back into the house. Cloud followed. The house was just a bit cooler than outside and Squall let out a sigh of relief. The blonde beside him did the same.

“So what is that?” Squall asked, turning to face the blonde that was cooling off. Cloud blushed and slid the note in his pocket.

“Nothing…”

“Uh-huh.” Squall crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He wanted to ask again, but didn’t push it. What was the point? The blonde wouldn’t probably tell him anyway. He let his arms fall to his sides. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Water!” Cloud begged, fanning himself with his hand. “Please?”

After Squall was done serving the blonde his drink, he made his way up the stairs and to his room. Like always, Cloud followed.

“So where did she go?” Cloud questioned, finishing his glass of water in mere seconds. “Did she go shopping with your Mom?”

Squall shook his head and entered his room, closing the door once Cloud was inside. The brunet sighed and took a seat on his computer chair, while Cloud sat on his bed. The blonde’s spiky hair hung limp on the right side of his face from the heat and his blue eyes swirled with content.

The thought of his innocent sister in a relationship with Zack fueled his anger.

“No.” The brunet said, crossing his arms to his chest and leaning back in the chair. “She went out with Zack.”

Cloud jumped up at this. “Zack?! What is she doing with him?”

If Squall didn’t know better, he would have said Cloud was a little more concerned for Aerith than he really needed to be. The brunet shrugged the feeling off. “They are…” Squall swallowed. “…in a relationship now.”

“That bastard!” The blonde exclaimed, pacing to and fro in the brunet’s room. Squall was shocked that Cloud had cursed so openly. The blonde never did that, not even when he wanted to kill someone. “I can’t believe he did this to me!”

“To you?” Now Squall was interested and he knew he wanted to hear all about it. “What did he do?”

Cloud froze and shook his head. Squall was disappointed by the fact that the blonde wouldn’t tell him what was going on. He did have a right to know since it was his sister, but no one wanted to give him any answers. Strange…Cloud always spoke his mind, at least to Squall.

Then it dawned on him.

“You like Aerith, don’t you?” Anger rose in his voice as yet another person he trusted in his life was going to betray him.

Cloud didn’t answer at first, but with a shake of his head, he sighed. “No Squall. I don’t.”

Even though Squall wasn’t totally convinced, he nodded and accepted the answer the blonde gave him. It was better than him saying he did indeed like his sister. That would have been a nightmare.

But the smile on Cloud’s face didn’t quite reach his eyes as he talked to Squall. There was still something seriously wrong with him. Whether he would find out or not was a different matter entirely.

Leon was brought back into reality when someone poked his back. He turned to give Yuffie a pointed glare. She chuckled nervously and pointed towards the front of the class, where Mrs. Demma was yelling at him. Leon rolled his eyes and focused his attention back on his teacher.

“I can’t believe you don’t listen to anything I say!” She huffed and threw her half-made scarf down onto her desk when he just gave her a blank look. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Leon tensed. That phrase…

“Damn Leon, what the hell is wrong with you? No wonder they died…they couldn‘t stand the sight of you!”

Suddenly, a movement from his side made Leon turn to look.

Cloud was standing up, fist clenched to his sides as he gave Mrs. Demma an icy glare. “Ma’am…that’s enough…”

Mrs. Demma was furious now and as she redirected her anger onto Cloud, the whole class stared at him in awe.

Even Leon was shocked.

“Who the hell are you to tell me that something is enough, eh?” She stood from her chair and stomped over to the phone, picking it up as if threatening to call the Principal down. “When Principal Sephiroth hears about this, young man, he is going to flip!”

Cloud stood his ground even after she made the call. Leon was thoroughly impressed…but that only lasted a moment.

“Hello Destiny High! It’s Tifa and Leblanc here to give you the day’s announcements!”

The class relaxed. Cloud sat back down and let his gaze fall to his paper. Any one in their right mind could see that he was embarrassed…but not Leon. He knew better.

Cloud was fuming. The blush on his cheeks was only because of what Mrs. Demma said. Leon didn’t know how to deal with that. They hadn’t talked for years and now the blonde was defending him…

The brunet actually felt something inside his chest grow heavy. Was that his heart? No…he must be feeling sick or something.

“Girls! Girls! Girls! Remember cheerleading tryouts this week! You have all week to prepare-” Why did Cloud do that? They weren’t friends anymore. Leon wouldn’t have defended him if Demma or any one else was screaming at him. So why do it to the coldest person in the school?

Leon was utterly confused, though he wouldn’t show it.

“It’s almost the end of the month and next month is rolling around! Remember, sign up for the Talent show or buy your tickets this week in the Cafeteria! Tickets will be sold during all lunches and now back to Leblanc!”

Ah…the Talent show. Leon stole a glance at Cloud, who was packing up his things in his silent manner. His brows were furrowed as if contemplating and he moved with s slow gracefulness that made Leon just stop and stare.

Then memories came back. Leon bit back his anger as he turned and stared out the window once more.

“You know Squall…” A hand rose to his forehead and brushed the hair back delicately. The brunet would have shivered if he weren’t trying to pretend he was asleep. The feel of skin against skin made Squall shiver mentally. It felt so good to be touched again, even though he did not like the person that was touching him. “I’ve always liked you…”

The brunet’s heart began to pound. Hopefully, the one petting him wouldn’t notice. This wasn’t fair at all. His sister…what would she think if she saw this happening. He wanted to lash out, to prevent them from being caught. He couldn’t betray her, no…

“I mean…Aerith is wonderful…really pretty and smart…” The person took in a deep breath and Squall could just see him smiling. “But she’s nothing like you…”

Why was this happening? Why did Squall attract someone he wasn’t even friends with? This wasn’t fair. Wake up, Squall. Now he are betraying his sister. The only person that he loved more than the whole world. The one that cared for him when he was hurt…the one that made him smile when he, otherwise, would be frowning.

“I mean…once I go train to be in SOLDIER…I might never come back…” A small sigh. “Maybe I should tell you that I like you…to your face, but then…you still hate me.”

Squall could concur with that. Yes, he did still hate Zack for betraying him by spilling his one of his more personal secrets and for having a relationship with his sister. Now his hatred for him was notched just a little higher. How could the boy cheat on Aerith? Who could cheat on Aerith? It was almost like it was a sin.

“I guess I’ll leave now…I just wanted to say goodbye.”

Hearing the ruffling of clothes, Squall opened his eyes to gaze into hazel. Black hair framed a perfect face as Zack pulled back, slightly stunned. Squall’s own gray-blue eyes widened. Was Zack going to kiss him?

No way.

“Squall! I-”

Squall slid out of his bed and glared at the black-haired teen. As he moved towards him with sure, slow steps, Zack back up until he hit the wall. He glanced once back at what trapped him and then gulped as a murderous gleam flashed in Squall’s eyes.

The brunet wanted to kill him. How could he betray Aerith?

“Look, I can explain!”

Squall positioned his hands on either side of Zack’s face and leaned in, glare intensifying. “How could you?”

Zack flinched. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say it to me…you should apologize to my sister.”

Zack let his gaze fall to the floor. “I didn’t know you were awake.”

Squall wanted to punch him. Where was all this rage coming from? It was so unlike him to be so mad. However, this was different. Aerith didn’t deserve to be treated like this. It wasn’t fair…

“Get out.”

But the door opened before Squall could move away.

“Hey Squall, I was wondering-” Two blue eyes widened as the gaze hit the pair in an awkward position. Squall blushed before pulling away. Zack just chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck in an attempt to appear innocent.

Cloud didn’t know what to say. “Umm…did I intrude on something? Because I can leave and-”

“No.” Squall interrupted, sending an icy glare over to Zack. “He was just leaving.”

“Oh…” Cloud muttered, blushing before he moved away so Zack could pass. The room remained silent. Another awkward moment. Squall just wanted to scream.

“Did you need something?” He asked, trying to rid the room of all the awkwardness. Cloud perked up and nodded.

“Yeah, I just talked to Tifa and she said-”

“Now to a very special announcement made by our very own Quistis Trepe!”

Leon was thrown at of his thoughts by the unexpected announcement. What was Quistis going to say? She never made announcements unless it was about some Science Fair or something similar. Hmmm…

When Leon looked over to Cloud, he looked equally perplexed. That was good. At least no one knew more than the other. His curiosity peaked when Quistis’s intellectual voice came through the intercom. The brunet leaned in to listen.

“Hello my fellow students. I would like to inform you of the concert that Club Oblivion is hosting. Our favorite band, ‘The Broken Hearts’ will be performing this Friday, so seeing you there would be a wonderful honor. Remember, this Friday at 8:00 p.m. Thank you.”

Leon whirled around to give Zell and Yuffie a confused look. All they could do was send the same kind back to him. The class erupted into chatter. Everyone continued to glance over at the band members with a new interest. Leon bit his lip and slumped further down in his seat so he wouldn’t be noticed as much. Yuffie and Zell were answering questions about where the club was, etc. Leon couldn’t believe that Quistis told the whole school, especially when they didn’t want Sephiroth, Riku’s overprotective uncle, to know of the concert. Good thing it wasn’t even close to Friday, but still Quistis…what was she thinking?

Mrs. Demma focused her attention on the three band members in the room. Her smirk was a little unsettling as she sat in her desk chair and continued with her knitting work. When she spoke, the whole class leaned in to listen. “So, you guys have a band, eh?”

Leon didn’t like where this was going, but before he could say anything, Yuffie and Zell nodded simultaneously. The brunet reverted his gaze down to his desk so he wouldn’t be able to see the calculating look in Demma’s eyes.

“Hmmm…interesting.” She said, hands working slowly with her knitting and she spoke no more. Leon cocked a brow at this. What was the crazy lady planning for them? There had to be something she wasn’t-

“Alright! That’s all the news! 2005 Seniors!”

All the seniors in the class began to file out before the bell rang. Mrs. Demma just smiled, keeping her eyes on her work. Leon shrugged his shoulders as he made his way towards his locker.

The mayhem that was already outside was…overwhelming!

“BROKEN HEARTS!”

What did Quistis get them into?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Broken Hearted   -0-0-0-0-0-0-   And then reality set in to show me who you really are   -0-0-0-0-0-0-  

Leon’s band was going to be at Club Oblivion?

The thought of it made Cloud tingle with both anticipation and grief. Tifa was going to take him this Friday. She promised him, even though he wanted nothing to do with clubs. He wasn’t that social anymore. Matter of fact…he really never was that social, especially not after he had lost so many friendships during Freshman year.

As he was walking to his locker, the King of Preps only gave a single moment of his time to watch the band members from his class get sandwiched in between fans galore. It was kind of funny, but the blonde wasn’t going to get himself into any more trouble. He had already let his temper slip with Mrs. Demma, which turned out to be a huge mess and hinted to the one person he didn’t want to care about that he still had some type of feelings for him.

Damn Leon…

It wasn’t necessarily the friendship they had lost, but more so the way they lost it. If maybe they were still on semi-talking terms…things might be just a little better in Cloud’s life. After all these years it was still hard not to have a best friend to talk to. It was still a fresh wound in his heart, though it was gradually closing. But Cloud knew…that if the memories continued to haunt him…it would never close. Ever.

He finally made his way to his locker and stumbled with the combination before opening it. Girly laughter drifted through the crowded hallway as two very attractive girls made their grand entrance.

The first of the two girls was a tall, barely clad blonde chatting about when she was doing something on this or that day. Cloud was paying too much attention, but he did give the girl next to the blonde, Tifa, a small smile. The pretty brunette waved her friend a farewell before heading over to Cloud. Her physically triumphant figure got more than a few lustful glances from random males, but she paid them no mind as she hugged Cloud from the side. Her long brown locks tickled the side of his cheek as she nuzzled his neck. If anyone just gave them a passing glance, they probably would have thought they had a serious relationship, but for the people that actually didn’t listen to gossip or were at least semi-close to him, Tifa was just a really good friend.

“Hey Cloud. How have you been?” Her brown eyes shimmered with happiness as the blonde gave her a small smile. Tifa has said that when he smiled it was contagious. Whether Cloud believed it was a different matter however. The brunette before him was just so optimistic that it sometimes scared him.

“I’m fine.” He replied quietly, causing Tifa to arch her brow. “I’m just a little worn out.”

Just as he said this, the crowd of adoring fans filed through their part of the hallway. Screams and whistling ricocheted off the walls as the band members tried to make a run for it. Tifa laughed, Cloud did not.

She focused her attention back to him when the crowd was leaving. “You okay?” She asked, eyes gleaming with a sort of sympathy. Cloud had only told her half of the story and that was all she needed to know to comfort him. She was the closest to a best friend as anyone could hope for, but she wasn’t like Leon.

No one was.

“Wanna go grab a bite to eat around six?” She said, rubbing her stomach to emphasize how hungry she really was. “I’m starving!”

All he could do was nod as Cloud closed his locker and was pulled away by his friend. The remaining people in the hall didn’t give them the time of day as Tifa started to chat up a storm. A good thing was the weather was once again beautiful. Sighing, the blonde could only nod and try to keep up with her as she made her way to her car, which was a Black Mercedes. Her father owned one of the most high-class restaurants in the country and as a present for Tifa’s seventeenth birthday, he gave her the car. However, the car Cloud had gotten was bought with his own money, not someone else’s. No one was to know though. He was the King of Preps. Everyone thought everything was handed to him on a silver platter…were they ever wrong.

Tifa abandoned him for a moment to get into her car before she rolled down the window and spoke to him, smile never faltering. “Where to?”

Cloud only shrugged and got into his own car, reveling in the leather seating before he buckled himself into his seat and rolled down the window. “Where would you like to go?”

“Off to Daddy’s restaurant it is then, see ya then!” She grinned and shot him a thumbs up before automatically rolling down the windows. He nodded and started the car. Air flowed into the otherwise heated car and cooled in off after a minute or two. Music blared playing Papa Roach’s ‘Done With You’. Cloud liked this song only because it reminded him so much of the life he currently lived with. Papa Roach had to been his favorite band because they were so…awesome. Yes, the King of Preps listened to rock music and he damned liked it.

Because…he wasn’t always a Prep, but he wouldn’t get into that. Too painful.

I count the days that we have spent apart
I've got a bad liver and a broken heart

Cloud sighed as he put the car into reverse and headed home, thinking about dinner all the while. Her father’s restaurant was a little far from his house, but that did not matter. The less time he had the better. The blonde sung to the lyrics as they wailed out of the car’s stereo.

There’s no salvation in the comfort of you
I finally realized your tearing me apart

Leon was tearing him apart wasn’t he? Gah! How did Cloud get onto him again? It was as if the brunet was some sort of disease or something that affected his sanity. Pondering on that simple fact, Cloud almost forgot to stop at a red light. He slammed on the brakes and barely missed ramming into a car. He let out a relieved sigh and shook his head. He needed to clear his head. He couldn’t drive in this condition.

So, he changed the song. Thank God this was a mixed CD.

It's these substandard motels on the (lalalalala) corner of 4th and Freemont Street.
Appealing, only because they are just that un-appealing
Any practiced catholic would cross themselves upon entering.

Okay, so Panic! At The Disco was better than Papa Roach in the sense that their songs didn’t remind him of Leon. Not in one bit. Okay, all rock music reminded Cloud of Leon. Did this mean he was obsessed?

He tried to reassure himself that he wasn’t as he just turned off the music and listened to the movement of the car. This calmed him more than anyone would ever know.

He arrived home and just as he entered through the front door, the phone rang. Knowing how had already called him before even looking, Cloud picked up the phone and greeted Tifa one the other line. “Hello?”

“Cloud! I just wanted to see if you were home!” Cloud could just see Tifa grinning right now. “Just wanted to see if you got home alright.”

The blonde chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I haven’t killed myself in a car wreck yet, Tifa.”

She huffed on the other line and the blonde could have sworn she rolled her eyes. “Shut up. I was just worried. I’ll see you at six.”

“Yep.” With that, he hung up the phone.

He placed the phone back into its rightful place and sighed, running a hand through his spiky blonde hair. So, where was-

“Cloud? Is that you?”

The blonde walked into the living room and sighed. The man sitting on the couch in a red coat with one arm tucked inside it was sipping on some beer as Cloud entered. The eyes covered by sunglasses gave the blonde a once over then turned back to the television to watch some action movie.

When Auron spoke again, the blonde only heard half of the question, “-have a good day?”

Cloud nodded, numbly. “Yeah, I’m going out to dinner tonight with Tifa, alright?”

Auron just shrugged his shoulders and took another swing of beer. “Yeah, just be careful.”

“Will do.” Then the blonde left the living room and headed up the stairs. It was good to have someone that cared, even if he was doing it because he had to.

The story behind Auron was that he was a really good friend of his parents. Since he had never known his father, but loved his mother dearly, he had let the man care for him when his mother…yeah. When the event happened. Auron was a great guy and had plenty of money, but Cloud didn’t like to borrow from others, so the money really didn’t matter to the blonde. All that mattered was that he had shelter…it was all that he needed.

Because when he finished high school…Cloud was out of here.

Not that he didn’t like the place, on the contrary, he liked Auron’s company to an extent. But Cloud was ready to live his own life, not that he wasn’t already. He had taken care of himself for years. He was ready for the outside world.

Even though at one time…some else had a different opinion entirely.

“You know…” A hand ran through his hair delicately. “You really shouldn’t rely too much on yourself.” The hand continued to pet him with even strokes. “You could always rely on me.”

Cloud smiled and opened his eyes to gaze upon the girl of his dreams. “You know I couldn’t do that.” He wanted to tell her she didn’t deserve it, but then she would just argue with him and all he wanted right now was to lie in her arms and revel in her comforting touch.

She giggled before laying her head on top of his. “Cloud, you are so sweet.”

Cloud just grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her down so he could capture her lips in a kiss. She was shocked and first, but then returned it with full force. The blonde let out a little sigh and pulled back when he detected footsteps approaching.

“Hey Aerith…I was wondering-”

Cloud looked over to see Squall giving him a murderous glare. He still wasn’t used to his sister dating his best friend, but he let them. Squall had even told Cloud that he would have rather had Cloud dating Aerith than Zack.

But Cloud didn’t want to think about it. None of them have spoken about the raven-haired teen that left them a months ago. SOLIDER had accepted him, which was surprising since it was the hardest of the army to get into. Cloud had left for only a month before he came back, deciding life in the military just wasn’t for him. He would rather spend his life with Aerith anyway.

“Sorry.” Squall said, before turning. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

Cloud frowned. Something didn’t seem right with his best friend today. It was as if he was even gloomier than he usually was and that was saying something. Aerith felt this change of attitude too as he walked out of the room. She stood, giving Cloud a apologetic look before following her brother out the door.

It wasn’t till sometime later that his girlfriend came back into the room.

When the blonde heard the door close, he turned to present her with a smile, but it soon turned into a frown.

She was crying…

“Why are these memories resurfacing now? Can’t they just go away?” But Cloud knew better than that. His mind was too much in a jumble to let his haunting memories leave him, even if the King of Preps wished for it. It was sad that he couldn’t control his mind…

“Cloud…he’s dead…” She sniffled, hands covering her face as another sob escaped her. “Zack…”

The blonde’s eyes widened. “No…”

She nodded her head and fell to her knees, the blonde was there to catch her before she hurt herself. She withered his arms as he embraced her to give the most comfort he could. She clutched his shirt and shook her head as if denying the fact the her first true love was dead.

Cloud felt so helpless…

However, Squall reentered the room and knelt down beside his sister, giving her a worried look. “Come on, Aerith. Its alright.” When she lifted her head up to look at her brother, Cloud felt his heart drop. She looked like a wounded bird. Squall ran a hand through her hair and tucked a strand behind her ear. “Cloud and I are both here for you.”

Cloud was actually really surprised at how sympathetic his best friend was being considering how much he had hated Zack, though that was quite questionable. There was that time when the blonde found Zack backed up against the wall by Squall, but he shouldn’t be thinking about that. He had to think about his girlfriend right now.

But he still felt so helpless…and when glanced over to his girlfriend’s brother…he saw no emotion. Nothing.

Confused, Cloud blinked and he suddenly understood…

Squall was glad to see Zack dead. At least, it appeared that way when he spoke again, his voice was full of malice, though somehow Aerith didn‘t quite catch it.

“Its for the better he‘s gone.”

Cloud couldn’t believe his ears.

Cloud laid out his clothes for the dinner that night and then fell onto his bed gracefully. The memories were making him so tired…

The memories would subside soon. They always did, but today they seemed to come in extra strong, which was slightly surprising. However, Cloud didn’t dwell on it as he closed his eyes and saw peaceful darkness.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

  The Impassive -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-   I didn’t mean to hurt you…   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Once he set foot into the house, Leon was attacked by none other than Ellone. Her little hands wrapped around his legs to give him the biggest hug that she could muster. The brunet smiled and knelt down to gather the girl up into his arms. She seemed to enjoy it as giggling echoed through the whole house.

“Squall! How was school?”

Leon’s eyes softened on her and her pulled her into a tighter hug. “It was okay. How about you?”

And so she went on and on about how a little boy at school liked her and wanted to give her all these presents. Then she said something about playing at her friend’s house on Friday, which was a relief in a way. That meant he would go to the concert whether he liked it or not. No excuses this time. Oh well…it wasn’t really a big deal.

“-so then I was like, ‘Look Mike, I like you, but my big brother will kick your butt if you kiss me!’”

Oh how Ellone was right. Leon would kick some little boy’s ass if they dared touched the last thing that held the most precious value to him. If he lost Ellone, Leon didn’t know what he would do with himself. The thought scared him even though he hated that. He did not like having any weakness, but Ellone as a weakness couldn’t be helped. She was just too damn cute.

He wouldn’t lose another sister just because he wasn’t there to protect her. He wouldn’t…he couldn’t.

“-and then Jessica was like, ‘I want the ball Ellone!’ and then I gave it to her! Wasn’t I nice, Squall?”

Leon chuckled and entered the living room with her in his arms. She wiggled out of his grasp and raced to the couch, where she patted a spot beside her for him to sit. He complied and smiled.

“I think you’re the sweetest girl out there Ellone.” Leon repeated his earlier chuckle when she squealed with delight. “No one can compare to you.”

“Really? Not even Aer-”

His heart stopped. She wasn’t going to say her name…

“No Elle. No.”

She just shrugged and gave him a bear hug before leaving the room to go search for Laguna.

That was close…Leon would never be able to hear her name again without seeing the painful memories. If Ellone had said her name…he didn’t know what he would have done. It would have been total chaos.

The brunet leaned back into the couch and sighed. The silence washed over him. Now this was the sort of relaxation that he could live with. Yeah…

It had been a few months after Zack’s death. Aerith was still a wreck even though she tried to act so strong. He envied his sister. She had always been the strong of the two siblings, maybe not physically, but definitely mentally. She always had a smile on her face. She always tried making others happy.

Squall could never do that.

“Squall?”

It was dark and the moonlight spilled in from the open window. His walls were filled with posters of every band imaginable. Even though he was only fifteen, he had listen to almost every popular and unpopular band out there. That was all he was really interested in, it was all that he really cared about. Well, except his family of course. He loved them more than…all the music in the world combined. Nothing could ever change that.

Just looking at these pictures made him smile. Aerith was in here today just staring at them. She loved them all and said that it made his room the best in the house. Her favorite band was Papa Roach. When he asked her why, she replied with a simple, ‘Because Cloud let me listen to them!’

It kind of hurt that she never asked him to let her listen to his music. He would have gladly let her. Heck, he would have opened her with open arms to his musical world, but she said that she only liked them. She rather listen to Pop. That was fine. He still loved her with all of his heart.

His mother entered the room. With soft chestnut hair and beautiful pale skin, Raine was one of the most beautiful people Squall had ever laid eyes on. She was also the kindest, hence where Aerith got her personality from. She wore a simple white shirt with white pajama bottoms. To Squall, his mother looked like a teenager. So did his father though. Everyone in the household looked like they could have been siblings, which was kind of creepy.

“Yeah, Mom?” His voice was but a soft whisper that carried through the room like a little breeze. Raine smiled and made herself comfortable on his bed. She sighed and ran her soft hands through his silky strands so much like her own. Squall let his gaze roam, but gave in to the soft touch. Closing his eyes, his mother just sat there, petting him with such affection that it scared him. Made him weak. Weakness he did not like.

“Squall.” She smiled even though it went unseen by her son. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom.” It was so easy to say then. So easy to spill those wonderful words to make the world a much better place.

“Thank you for trying to cheer Aerith up.” She started, exhaling a deep sigh. “I know this is hard for her, its hard for all of us.” Squall stayed silent. “But you’re the one that makes Aerith’s day whether you know that or not.”

Squall did not know that, but he would not voice his thoughts.

“She really looks up to you.” Squall opened his eyes now, cocking a brow. “Don’t give me that look!” Raine giggled and hugged her son by the neck. “Seriously! She loves you with all her heart.”

Squall loved them too. He really did.

“Yeah, I love you guys too.” The brunet pulled his mother into a hug and basked in his mother’s presence.

Leon’s heart tightened. The only person he would say, ‘I love you’ to was Ellone. He dared not voice those words to anyone else. He never knew who would break his heart and who would cherish it. He had lost that ability to know long, long ago.

“I love her Squall…I really do.” His best friend spun around the room, laughing. Squall only shook his head.

“Whatever…”

“Oh come on! I knew you wouldn’t be happy with us being together, but you could show SOME emotion.” Cloud sighed, but then shrugged. “I guess you aren’t mad then. That’s always a good sign.”

Squall didn’t know what to feel anymore. He still wasn’t happy with Aerith and Cloud’s relationship, but at least the blonde also comforted Aerith. She needed all the comfort that she could get. Squall had no clue what it felt like to lose a first true love, but he could only imagine what she was going through.

“Whatever…” He repeated as the blonde continued to spun around the room. Squall was getting dizzy just watching him.

“Will you stop that?” The brunet finally snapped. Cloud stopped and his shoulders slumped. He stuck his tongue out at Squall before he sat on the brunet’s bed.

“You’re mean.”

Squall just shrugged. “Yeah, yeah.”

Cloud huffed, pouting. “Ass…”

“Maybe you should stop being a ditzy moron that follows and bothers me all the time.”

Cloud was about to shoot back a retort, but then shook his head. “Yeah, I guess I do bother you all the time.” The hurt look in Cloud’s eyes made the brunet besides him feel guilt.

Squall wanted to take it back, but he didn’t know exactly how.

“Hey Squall.” Laguna entered the room and presented his son with a warm smile. Leon gazed at him coldly. Laguna’s smile faltered just a tad. “Dinner is ready.”

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Broken Hearted   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-   But I can’t take back the past   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He arrived at the restaurant in record time as he found a decent parking spot beside Tifa. Turning the car off, getting out of it, and locking it behind him, Cloud followed Tifa into one of the nicest places he would ever be in.

Cloud stepped in front of Tifa to open the door for her and they both entered. The place smelt of Italian food. Waiters were busy serving people and trying not to run into each other at the same time. The brunette beside him made her way to the host chatting with an old couple about their seating. He stood tall, a least a foot over Cloud and had a balding head. He chuckled about something the old man said and then waved as they sat on a bench to wait their turn. He recognized the two teens quickly and smiled.

“Why hello Ms. Lockheart! A table for two, I presume?” She nodded and he continued, beaming. “Great, right this way!”

As they sat at the table a waiter asked what they would like. Tifa replied with ‘the usual’, which meant fettuccine alfredo with chicken. He just decided with a simple Caesar salad and spaghetti, which for him…was the usual. It was truly funny how many times he had been here. If it weren’t for Tifa, Cloud would never step into this place. Ever.

A tall man with long black hair strode over to their table. He had a red bandana that tried to pull back as much hair from the person’s perfect face as it could, but there was still strands that fell with a sort of elegance. He wore a black suit that accented his pale skin and he held a menu in his right hand. A small smile graced his lips as he greeted them.

“Hey Tifa.”

The girl opposite of the blonde squealed as she hopped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around the newcomer in a huge hug. Tifa grinned and as she pulled back, she hugged him again.

“I can’t believe you’re back, Vincent!” Her eyes twinkled with merriment as a smirk formed. “How has my big brother been?”

Vincent only shrugged and rested the menu on the table as Tifa sat back in her seat. “Culinary school was slightly boring, but I had enough fun to last me awhile.” When Tifa grinned wickedly, her older brother rolled his eyes. “Not that kind of fun.”

She giggled. “Yeah, my stiff of a brother having real fun? Its just too good to be true!”

Shrugging his shoulders again, Vincent turned his attention to Cloud. “Hey Cloud. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

Cloud nodded. “Yeah, a few years.”

Vincent shook his head. “Man, how have you been?” Then he added. “How’s Leon?”

The blonde froze. That’s right…Vincent was only a senior when Cloud was a freshman. He didn’t know the story either. The last time the raven-haired man saw the blonde he was the best of friends with Leon.

“Vincent…” Tifa started, but Cloud interrupted her.

“We aren’t friends anymore.” The blonde tried not to let his voice quiver. “Things happen like that.”

Vincent nodded his head, agreeing. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“Its alright. I guess it was for the better.”

The waiter arrived with their food and Vincent waved to them before heading back to work. The polite waiter served them their food and bid them to enjoy their meal before he also went back to work.

The silence was a bit awkward as Tifa dug into her food without blinking…or even breathing. Cloud knew of her appetite quite well, but some of the brunette’s closest friends still weren’t use to it after so long. Actually, the blonde liked the silence. He loved to hear the clinking of plates and the chattering of the happy people as they enjoyed their meals. It relaxed the blonde. He dreaded going home now.

“So…” Tifa began, stuffing some more noodles in her mouth. She swallowed. “Do you still want to go on Friday?”

The club…why did Leon have to be there on the day he was going? Well, Cloud didn’t have to go, but he didn’t want to be rude and let his only real friend down. Tifa was like a sister. He couldn’t just push her away too…like he did everyone else.

“Yeah.” He took a bite of his salad and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

“Alright.” She sounded unsure. “If you say so.”

Behind him, Cloud could hear a fire roaring in the back as the chefs cooked all the meals. The blonde’s heart stopped. His mind froze and he dropped his fork without being aware of it. No…he…

He couldn’t breath as the flames licked his exposed skin. The blonde boy let out a shrill cry and crawled over towards the body that lay discarded on the floor. Tears and the smoke around him blurred his vision. The heat…it was almost unbearable. His mother…she…

As Cloud grazed his mother’s body with his dirty fingertips, the blonde let out another cry, however, this one was full of grief. He wiped his eyes with his arm and shook his head as he saw the blood pooling around her lovely pale face and into her fair blonde hair. A growl bubbled in his throat as he took his mother’s dead body into his arms and picked her up. He shuffled out of the burning room and coughed as smoke started to fill his lungs.

Why was this happening?

“Cloud? Are you alright?”

One step then another as Cloud made his way down the flame covered stairs. Flames licked his clothes as he trudged his way down. Suddenly, the step that he had descended upon gave out, leaving him stuck.

The flames were closing in on them…

“Cloud?” Some shaking to his arm, before she spoke again. “Cloud!”

“Cloud! Cloud! Where are you?”

Cloud was going to die…he was going to die…what did he do to deserve this?

“Cloud Strife! Answer me!” Tifa’s voice was fading, fading into the sounds of people talking about his frozen form, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to care. “Cloud? Why are you crying?”

The blonde boy struggled as he pulled his foot out of the gaping hole. Losing his grip on his mother, both Cloud and the body tumbled down the stairs.

He knew he was supposed to die that day…he was supposed to burn with his mother.

More shaking. More voices asking if he was okay, but he couldn’t answer. His mouth was dry, Tifa was screaming in his ear, and all he could hear was the fire blazing behind him.

Two strong arms patted him down and pulled him out of the burning house. The cool air hit his skin with such ferocity that Cloud hissed in pain. His breathing was labored as he opened his blue eyes that were still blurred with tears. His mother…his home…all gone. It wasn’t fair…no…let him die too…he wanted to be with his mother…

“Mommy…”

“Cloud…̶ 1; He was pulled into two strong arms and Cloud looked up into two gray-blue pools before he saw darkness.

“Damn it, Strife! What the heck is wrong with you?”

Cloud snapped out of his daze to give Tifa a confused look. He swept his gaze around the room and breathed a sigh of relief. It was okay…everything was okay. There was nothing to worry about…nothing at all.

“Are you okay?” Tifa wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled back so she could wipe the tears away. He nodded and inhaled deeply. The past was the past…he needed to let it go…

“You sure he’s alright, Tifa?” Vincent knelt down by the blonde and offered him a glass of water, which he gladly excepted. “Is there anything I can do?”

Tifa’s smile came easily as her brown eyes focused on her brother. “No thanks, Vince. I got it covered.” Then she added to Cloud’s relief. “I think we should be heading out now.”

“Yeah.” Cloud agreed. He needed to get home, sort out his thoughts, and get some sleep. Too many memories haunted him today. He didn’t know how much more he could take. “Thanks…”

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Impassive   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-   I want to forgive you   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  

The next morning was the same as usual, so when he arrived at school…he wasn’t expecting to meet with a fan of girls huddling around him more than they usually did. He tried to maneuver through them, and with great skill managed to accomplish this great feat, even though he almost ran over a screaming fan in the process.

Quistis parked right next to him and as Seifer, Zell, and Riku got out, half if not most of the girls made their way towards them. The other band members enjoyed the attention where Leon did not. He did not like being around people, especially a big crowd of girls that were ready to start tearing their clothes off.

Sure, the band had fans before, but most of them were strictly from their music class. Every girl in school, or at least most of them, loved the band members without even noticed they were in a band. Now that they knew, it must have added as an extra appeal to them. Women were so hard to understand sometimes.

“Oh Leon! Can I have your necklace?” A screaming brunette asked through the throng of girls as she made her way over to him. Other girls asked similar questions, but more sensual…such as, ‘Leon, will you fuck me?’ or ‘Leon can I have your babies’ crazy womanly things like that.

Oh, Lord. What had Quistis gotten them into? It was like the attack of the crazy women!

“Follow me, Leon!” Zell beckoned him along by flailing his arms around. “Hurry!”

And he did just that.

Now he was sitting at lunch, chewing his sandwich rather slowly. Girl continued to come up to the table and start chatting with them as if the band knew them personally. Riku loved the attention, no. He craved the attention. Zell welcomed it also, but Seifer waved the girls off. It was most definitely odd considering that Seifer was the playboy of the whole school. Him rejecting anyone was a complete change of attitude. Truly odd…

“Squall?” A hand in his face distracted him from his thoughts. “Hey, Squall?”

Leon lashed out and gripped Yuffie’s hand within his own. “It’s Leon.” He snapped. His patience was fading quickly. If another person even dared to annoy him. Let’s just it wouldn’t be pretty…not in the least.

He wasn’t aware of the fact that he was hurting Yuffie until she let out a little whimper and started whacking his hand with her free one. “Let go! You’re hurting me!”

Leon dropped her hand as if it were on fire. “Sorry.”

She rubbed her aching wrists and glared at him before forgiving him with a shrug. “Its alright.”

At least she was so forgiving…if it had been him that was hurt.

Damn Cloud…why did you fucking do it?

He wanted to forgive the blonde, he really did, but it would never happen. Never.

“Hey Squall.” Squall let out a sigh of relief as Aerith’s wonderful voice rung into his ears. “I just wanted to tell you that Mom just left Cloud‘s house and we are here.”

He knew where there was. Zack’s grave site. It was a year ago that he had died. One year of haunting memories and a ocean of spilt tears from none other than his younger sister. His hatred for Zack accumulated over the years as he listened to his sister’s sobs of despair. As time went on, Squall knew how she felt.

Oh he knew…

A young girl name Garnet. She was perfect. Long black hair, a beautiful smile, and she had asked Squall out. Yeah, go figure. A whole three months of his life wasted on her. He actually felt love for someone other than his family for the first time…but then another came along.

Zidane.

The man that somehow swept her off her feet when she least expected it. Garnet had informed Squall that it was ‘true love’ when all along she had told Squall those very words.

‘I love you.’

How could he forget his first everything? First crush, first kiss, and more importantly first dump. Pathetic for Squall Leonhart.

“Okay…” He didn’t like the idea of her being out there at night, at least not without him, but what could he do? It wasn’t like he had any control over his sister. No one did. She was a free spirited girl and she always got her way. She wasn’t spoiled or anything, but she worked for everything she had, everything she gave. “Be careful…please.”

“We will!” She attempted to sound cheerful, even though Squall could hear through her fictitious moment. She knew that she didn’t have to lie to Squall, but she didn’t want him to worry, so he let it go this time. “Be home around ten or so.”

Then with another goodbye, the phone conversation ended.

Somehow, Squall had a pang of some foreign feeling in his stomach. There was nothing wrong, so why did his stomach feel sick?

Squall and his father stayed up that night, waiting for their two loved ones to get home.

They never did.

The phone rang around twelve thirty in the morning. Even though Laguna was half-asleep, Squall raced to the phone and answered it. “Hello?”

“Is Mr. Leonhart there?”

Squall handed the phone to his father and watched the expressions on his father’s face change as the conversation came to an end. For the first time in Squall’s life, he had seen his father, strong and humorous as he was…shed tears.

“They’re gone.”

That was when Squall regurgitated his entire dinner onto the carpeted floor.

This time Yuffie was smart even to get Zell to wave in his face instead. Since Leon didn’t want to obtain any extra attention, the brunet sighed and focused his attention onto his friends.

“So, I was thinking we would do the song-”

The King of Punks ran his gloved hand through his locks, before resting his chin in the palm of his hand. Slowly, the noise of the cafeteria faded and replace of it were echoes of his past coming back to disturb him.

The sirens nearly shattered his ear drums as the brunet pushed through the growing crowd of people. Glass was everywhere, blood was everywhere. The smell of burning gasoline and the fume of blood made Squall want to puke again, but he refrained. He had to be strong for so many people. So many people he knew and yet didn’t.

When he reached the site, Squall couldn’t believe his eyes.

The car was flipped, rammed into the light post and twisted to the side, hinting to which side it was hit on. There was only one car, since it was a hit and run. His heart stopped, his breathing stopped.

He could just see a delicate hand sprawled out of the vehicle.

His father beside him ran up to the police that were called to the scene asking how this happened. Squall couldn’t hear anything else. All of his sense were put on hold. How could this happen…his sister…his mother…they were gone.

The brunet ran to the scene without a moment of hesitation and was pulled back by two strong arms. He struggled to get out of the hold, but the policeman’s grip was incredibly strong. Squall let out a sobbing gasp as they began to pull the dead bodies out.

He fell to his knees. His shoulders quaked as he rested his head on the cold, hard ground. His hand pounded the said ground, trying to vent his sadness in the only way he could. Why was this happening? What did he do to deserve this? WHAT DID HE DO?!

Something warm brushed up against his side. However, he didn’t look at the newcomer. Just by the salty and masculine smell of him, the brunet knew that it was his best friend.

He finally lifted his head and turned to look at Cloud with a blurred vision. He was crying? Squall Leonhart, the coldest person alive (or so what people said) was shedding tears?

“Its all my fault.” Cloud continued to whisper, kneeling beside him so he could comfort his best friend. Squall could feel the smaller blonde shaking. “I should h-have never s-s-said it…why?”

Squall felt the same way. He felt like he had let it happen. His heart was broken, shattered to pieces like the glass before him. Suddenly, he felt a new rage. Whoever had done this to them was going to die…Squall would make sure of it.

“Why did I-I say it was a good idea to visit Zack’s grave? Why d-d-did I have to agree?”

Squall turned on his friend. He saw red as he heard those words. “W-What did you say?”

Cloud shook his head, covering his face with his hands. His shaking was caused by his choking sobs. “She asked…m-me if s-she s-s-s-hould go. I didn’t know this would happen Squall…I-I-”

Squall felt betrayed, even ashamed. His friend…no…his best friend actually let his sister go to some dead bastard’s grave at night? What was he thinking? Why did Cloud let her go? Why did Squall let her go? He would never forgive Cloud, never forgive himself.

The brunet’s eyes rolled back into his head and he fell back to the ground, only seeing darkness.

Leon snapped out of it when Zell started to poke his shoulder, screaming in his ear. “HELLO? EARTH TO LEON!”

The brunet stood and made his way out of the cafeteria, even though there was still twenty minutes left.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 The Broken Hearted   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-   But its impossible to forget   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  

The days rolled by without giving Cloud a chance to breathe. Everything went back to normal. People in fourth period forgot about the whole ‘standing-up-for-Leon’ stunt, except Mrs. Demma, who seemed to like to give extra homework to spite both the blonde and brunet before Friday came around. However, once it did, Mrs. Demma let the band members go before the announcements came on. Cloud sighed with relief. Not seeing Leon for awhile was a blessing. He would see him tonight. Cloud was going to make sure that he confronted his ex best friend. Maybe, just maybe, if the Prep could talk some sense into the brunet they could patch up their relationship and become friends again.

Or more…but that all depended solely on Leon, who wouldn’t even go near the King of Preps. It was sad how the situation on playing out, but what could Cloud do? It wasn’t in his control. None of it was.

Once the band members left, the teacher smiled and spoke to her class with a gentleness that startled Cloud. “So, who is going to the concert tonight?”

Almost everyone raised their hands besides Cloud, who slumped in his seat so he would not be seen. The teacher wasn’t paying attention and just nodded her head, finishing off the scarf she had started earlier in the week.

“That’s nice.” Then the class erupted into fits of chatter that left Cloud to contemplate on how he was going to get Leon alone. There had to be a way to do it. The King of Preps had really never seen him alone. There was only that one time…that one time when he found Leon in his room…

When Cloud entered through the front door, his ears detected screams coming from upstairs. His heart was pounding as he raced up those exact stairs and followed the cries of pain. When he stopped the horror of the scene made him rooted to the spot.

Squall was in his room, screaming at each on of his posters as he ripped them from the wall. His hands were bleeding and cut up. Cloud guessed from ripping up the posters. The room had paper bits scattered all around and they were tipped with red liquid. This had to be Squall’s blood. Cloud watched as the brunet pulled on his short locks of hair and he noticed the tears descending down his deep blue pools.

The story was that his eyes turned blue when he was sad or angry. Now that Cloud saw this for himself, he was scared. Not scared of Squall, but scared for him.

The brunet must have sensed the blonde standing there watching him and turned to face him. His eyes were indeed very blue and his bottom lip trembled. Then it dawned on the blonde.

It had been one week since Aerith and Raine’s death.

No wonder Squall was acting the way he was. He was tearing up the posters because Aerith used to love them. Now, Cloud knew that Squall wanted everything that reminded of them out of his life.

Cloud could feel his pain.

“You…” The brunet hissed before advancing on him. Cloud’s eyes widened as the brunet grabbed him by the neck and dragged him into the room. The blonde couldn’t breath as Squall slammed all of his weight onto his chest. “Fucker!”

Cloud was frightened. Truly frightened now as Squall punched him again, but this time in the face. The blonde felt the blood run down his nose and into his mouth where he tasted the metallic substance. “Squall?”

“You let her die! Its all your fucking fault!”

“No Squall! I didn’t know that-”

Then the brunet’s lip twitched and he rolled off of the blonde, pointing towards his door. “Get out…”

“But Squall!”

“GET OUT!!”

And the blonde rushed out of the room.

It wasn’t the last they talked to each other, but Cloud had to deal with so many people the next day after that incident. Friends that were semi-close to him offered him comfort where Leon did not. His best friend shut him out. Cloud was the only one that knew the real story. He was the only one that knew the real truth.

Quistis and Seifer only knew most of it. Cloud was there to witness it all. Maybe that was why Leon pushed him away so much. Maybe he was afraid of someone actually explaining to him that it was no one’s fault. That Aerith and Raine were in a much better place now.

Maybe he knew Cloud was the only one that could REALLY comfort him in any shape or form.

So when Tifa and Leblanc called for the seniors to leave, Cloud bolted out of the class, heading to his locker. He needed to talk to Leon again. This shunning couldn’t go on forever. Cloud still wanted to get his story in, where as Leon wouldn’t hear it. It wasn’t fair…Leon wasn’t the only one that lost someone important in his life.

Cloud had lost more than just his first love and his best friend’s mother that treated him like a son. The Prep had also lost his identity, since he was pushed away and decided to go with the Preps, who welcomed him with open arms but only when promised them he was rich. Leon had made sure that the Punks never welcomed them into their group again.

No one commented. No one cared.

But the most important thing he had lost was his best friend. After three years of being away from his ex best friend, it was time to call it quits. He needed to hear Leon’s voice again because the weirdest thing happened after he had lost that special relationship.

He started having feelings for him.

Cloud knew it was wrong and he knew it would never be, but he didn’t know how to deal with it. He had gone out with Tifa once, but they knew it wouldn’t work so they decided on friendship. Other than that, the Prep just couldn’t stand to hurt anyone else. If he couldn’t have Leon…he would have no one.

Tifa appeared behind him and hugged him. He tensed for only a moment before relaxing. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as he pushed his books and followed her outside.

“Alright! I’ll see you around six, okay?”

Cloud nodded and departed her company to drive home. Once he arrived, Auron was there to greet him at the door. The blonde wondered what was going on, but shrugged it off as his foster father just gave him a smile.

“I wanted to give you something before you left.” Cloud’s brow rose. “Here.”

Auron handed him some rolled money, which Cloud refused automatically. “I don’t want it.”

“Just take it.” The older man continued, before he stepped out the door and headed over to his motorcycle. “Remember to unroll it.” Then he left Cloud as he sped away to go do God knows what. Cloud closed the door behind him and arched a brow as a key appeared.

“What is this?” The blonde made his way through the house and dropped his book bag on the couch. He paused as he looked out into his backyard. “No fucking way.”

There on the soft, green grass was a sleek black motorcycle gleaming in the dulling rays of the sun. A lock was dangling from the left handle and two helmets were sitting side-by-side on the leather seat. The blonde did a double take as he ventured outside to take a look at it. His eyes spotted a note in between the helmets. It read:

‘Alright, kid. Here’s your graduation present. I know its early, but deal.’

Cloud read it over once more before he crumbled it up in his hands and threw it behind him. Well…this was unexpected. Very unexpected.

And as he studied the motorcycle some more, he knew this thing had to cost some cold hard cash. Some SERIOUS cash. He picked up the blue one of the two helmets and put it on. It fit perfectly. Damn…he owned Auron a whole shit load now. Great, just fucking great. Why did the guy have to be so nice?

He could just hear the phone in the background.

After getting it and talking to Tifa for a little while, Cloud went back outside and just stared at his present. There was still a few hours left before he had to go to the club. Actually, the King was going to take Tifa since she insisted that he ride his new bike. The blonde had only shrugged it off and agreed. Tifa would be drunk as hell after she was done. She wouldn’t be able to drive home, so what better why to show off his new motorcycle than by riding it to a club?

Yeah, wasn’t the best idea, but he really had no choice. Tifa always won…every time. Not that he argued with her. Nope, not at all. He just didn’t have in him to argue anymore.

The time flew by without Cloud noticing as he watched some television, got dressed and had a test drive of the new motorcycle. He laughed when his cell phone started to ring.

I wanna be free from this ball and chain and
Be free from this life of pain and
Be free from this ball and chain
I wanna be free from you

He flipped his phone on and positioned it on his neck so he could both ride and talk at the same time. “What’s up, Tif?”

The brunette girl on the other line was anxious to see his new motorcycle. “Hurry up! I wanna see it!”

Cloud chuckled and came to a stop at a red light. “I’ll be there in five, okay?”

“No, but I guess I’ll have to live with it.”

“See ya in a few, Tifa.” And he flipped it to a close as the light turned green.

He arrived at Tifa’s house, picked her up, and reached the club in record time. Since he left around six, they showed up at the club around seven thirty (after Tifa insisted that they get a bite to eat). He was glad too because their seemed to be a long line to get in. He parked and set his helmets onto the seat before locking everything up. Good thing Auron was smart enough to leave a lock. He had to thank the older man when he got back home.

Tifa sighed and stretched her limbs before handing her helmet to let him lock it up. “Damn that was fun!”

Cloud nodded and locked her helmet up too. “Yeah, it was.”

Tifa smirked as she noticed all the people waiting. “I’m so glad Daddy knows the man that owns the place.”

Cloud arched a brow at this. “Really? Who?”

Tifa grinned and took his hand, leading him towards the huge bouncer. “Everyone calls him Red XIII. He’s really nice, but he looks like a wild cat. Its pretty funny though. Him and my Daddy are like the best of friends.” She sighed and shrugged. “Go figure.”

Cloud smiled. Her dad was on the crazy side, but that’s why the Prep liked him. He was fun to be around.

“Hey, Rude!” The bouncer looked up as she approached him. “I haven’t seen you in a while!” When he gave her a silent nod, her smile broadened. “How’s everything?”

He just shrugged and opened the door for her to be let in. Tifa flashed him a little wave and then pulled Cloud inside with her. The moment the blonde stepped into the club…he was overwhelmed by all the noise, the smells, and definitely the dancing.

“Let’s go dance, Cloud!” She continued to drag him along until they were in the middle of all of sweat dancers. She swayed her hips in a provocative manner and then gripped his hips within her fingertips. “Come on!” She yelled over the music. “Dance!” Then she moved his hips in time with the beat until he did this on his own successfully. The brunette let out a twinkling laugh. “That’s it!”

So they danced like that for what it seemed like hours until both were separated from each other and dancing with other people. Cloud finally fought his way out of the dance floor and towards the bar.

The first thing he noticed was two people hugging each other, but when he got a closer look it was really Leon and Sora. The blonde was slightly jealous as Sora glanced up with sad eyes to the older brunet and let out what looked to be a sniffle. He stood rooted to the spot as he watched Leon lead Sora towards the stage.

They were walking closer towards him.

He looked for a way out and made his way back into the dance floor and through the crowd until he was far away from the stage. He sighed and wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand. How was he going to confront Leon if he ran away from him?

He would do it after the concert. That would be more convenient for them both. It gave Cloud time to sort out his emotions and it gave Leon enough time to finish the concert on a good note.

Alright, that was the plan! Perfect…

Abruptly, the lights went out.

Cloud reverted his gaze towards the stage. He saw Riku and he heard him talking, but the words just didn’t comprehend in his brain. However, what did was the wailing of a guitar through the darkness. The King’s heart clenched in his chest. Leon…

The way he played ’Griever’ made real professions look ashamed. The brunet played from his heart. He wasn’t some robot needed for a band…he actually made the band. Sure, Riku was okay when he started to play and made Leon back off a bit, but he had nothing compared to what the King of Punks could muster.

“Do I have to hurt you?

Do I have to spread the lies?

Do I have to leave you here?

Leave you here to die?”

That song…it reminded him so much of Leon. It was true, even though it didn’t like to think about it like that.

And as the song came to a close, Cloud made his way towards the bar where he ordered some mixed drink that the woman (which Cloud found out was named Lulu) presented him with. He departed for the tables that were empty and he took a seat, watching the concert from a far.

But his eyes were only focused on Leon.

The way his long hair cascaded down his shoulders and stuck to his sweat forehead made Cloud tilt his head in awe. The King’s eyes were closed as if contemplating or basking in the music surrounding them. The blonde felt his heart pound as he opened his eyes and looked straight into the crowd…and stopped at him.

Cloud knew for a fact that Leon wouldn’t be able to see him from the distance that was between them, but it still made him blush as Leon stared at him. What was he thinking? He was probably wondering who was the blonde person that continued to stare at him.

Yeah, that was it. Leon definitely couldn’t see him.

“Calm down Cloud…” He told himself, sighing with reprieve as Leon moved his gaze away and closed his eyes again.

“Its all your fault…”

It wasn’t Cloud’s fault for his girlfriend’s death. He couldn’t control it…

“Fucker…”

That had been his name for a long time, eh? All through freshman year…after Aerith’s death that is…the Punks just loved to call him that. Even though Leon was quiet and such, one simple little asshole had spread the rumors around. That person being Seifer.

“You shouldn’t blame Seifer, Cloud. It was your fault after all.”

“But I didn’t do anything Squall! Why are you blaming me on something that’s not even my fault? And since when have you been friends with Seifer?!”

“Its Leon…” The brunette hissed.

Yeah, Cloud was still pissed about the whole situation, especially when everyone in the school started to call him a ‘pot head’, but he wasn’t as mad as he used to be. Everyone deserved another chance…even though Leon didn’t seem to think so.

“So how’s the pot smoking, Cloud?”

The blonde glared at Seifer as he laughed at Cloud for trying to hide what he tried to hide from everyone. Didn’t they know that it was relaxing to him? Didn’t they know it took the pain away from his crazy ass life?

It took away the pain of seeing his mother die before his very eyes.

“Fuck off…” The blonde prep hissed and tried to walk away, but Seifer pinned him to the wall and grinned.

“Hmmm…you’re stoned as hell, eh?” He chuckled before he spoke again. “Wait till I tell Puberty Boy…”

“You wouldn’t”

But he had…he even went beyond that and told the whole school. Cloud still hated the bastard for it, but forgave like he did with so many others.

“Thanks everyone! You guys were awesome!”

That was it…the concert was over. At least for the ‘Broken Hearts’ anyway. Cloud watched as the band exited the stage from the back.

This was his chance…he was going to make Leon understand tonight. Whether Leon would forgive and forget…well the King of Preps would have to cross his fingers and hope for the best.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Impassive   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-   It hurts to let you go   -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-  

The adrenaline he felt after the concert was overwhelming and he had to take a seat before he collapsed. Seifer handed him a glass of something before heading over towards the bar with Zell tagging along with him. If Quistis ever found that Zell was drinking…Seifer was as good as dead. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.

He took a large gulp of the fruity substance and sighed as the cool bitterness traveled down his throat. Yeah, alcohol was what he definitely needed. He could even feel it numb his senses now. Damn…whatever Seifer gave him was some pretty strong ass stuff. Perfect.

Damn, he needed to stand up or something. He couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. He rather stand and get away from all the people.

So he made his way through the backstage and discovered a spot where it was totally isolated. He leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes.

The hard wall that he supported his back on felt wonderful for some reason…it was as if the pain in his back weakened all his internal wounds…if only for that split moment. It was just long enough to lift his heavy heart, so it could let out a single beat.

He raked a blistered hand through his long chestnut locks and sighed. This night was finally over. No more music for awhile. Wondering if there was any ice around for his hand, Leon let his arm fall back to his side as he pushed himself from the wall. He felt a blister pop and a new trickling feeling as blood slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.

He sighed again.

Ears detecting footsteps, Leon found himself turning to walk away, until a familiar voice called out to him.

It couldn’t be…

“Leon?”

The said King spun around to meet with the newcomer. His eyes widened, surprise shimmering in them. But his facial expression quickly changed as the person in front of him smiled.

“I just wanted to let you know you were great.” The blonde scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous chuckle. “Man, we haven’t talked in a while…”

And we won’t talk for a while more…

As he was turning to leave, Leon heard a soft gasp and before he knew it the King had an firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him from escaping. As Leon gradually whirled around, he caught the anger and hurt swimming in eyes of a deep blue. They almost seemed to look guilty, but Leon had to look away. He would not get caught up in drama again.

“Why don’t you say something?” Concern was laced in the smaller blonde’s tone. A small frown replaced any trace of a smile. “I just trying to compliment you…” There was a short pause before he added. “I guess you really are still mad at me…”

Silence.

“Will you ever let go of the past?”

Leon’s mind was screaming. He wanted to lash out at the person bothering him, but kept everything inside. He would not lose his temper. That was the last thing he ever wanted to do again.

“Cloud, let me go.”

The King of Preps tightened his grip and glared into gray-blue pools. They were blank, emotionless, and this pissed off the blonde more than any words could ever harm him. He wanted to scream, to rant until the stubborn male listened to him. But it didn’t seem like that was going to happen…

Leon really did mean every word that he had said…so long ago.

“Get out of my life, Cloud! This is all your fault…”

Tears…so many of them were shed that day. Tears that were filled with hate.

“I didn’t mean to Squall…I didn’t know that-”

“Fuck you!”

Why did it have to happen? Why did the stupid Prep even think that it could work out? Why did he think that even once?

Cloud growled, shaking his head. So much for stoicism…he just couldn’t contain himself around Leon. It was as if so many emotions exploded in his head. So many that wanted to be set free to let his heart beat normally again.

“Please…listen to me.”

Leon shoved the blonde away, causing the other teenager to almost trip over his feet. He would not tolerate this nonsense. Not after what had happened…

“Leon…”

“Don’t talk to me, Cloud…”

Then the blonde did something unexpected.

He pushed Leon onto the wall…

…and brought their lips together in a gentle kiss.

Leon couldn’t breath. So many emotions…they were stabbing his heart. It hurt…

Leon pushed the other male away and touched his tingling lips, eyes more blank and distant than ever before. Cloud exhaled a few staccato breaths and watched as the guitarist quickly walked away.

His heart was hammering and he struggled to breathe. Why did Cloud do that? Why couldn’t he just leave the past where it belonged?

“Leon…I love you!”

No…no one loved Leon. He was unlovable and besides…everyone Leon truly loved was gone. Dead. He would never be able to love again.

“Go away Cloud…what’s done is done.”

“I DIDN’T EVEN DO ANYTHING, YOU BASTARD!”

Leon turned on the blonde who was fuming inside and out. His hands were fisted at his side and he was giving Leon the most hateful glare the brunet had ever seen directed at him. Leon needed for Cloud to hate him. He wanted Cloud to hate him, couldn’t the blonde see?

Silence.

They were at Leon’s house. His father was out with Ellone taking her clothes shopping. The brunet was glad. He didn’t want any of them to start worrying about him and his problems. One problem being Cloud.

“Its over Cloud. Done. Leave me alone.”

The Prep shook his head and slammed his hand against the wall. “How could you pick Seifer over me? How is he a better friend than the one you’ve known for years, YEARS LEON!”

Leon knew it hurt Cloud and it had always hurt to let him go, but he could not change the past. What was done was done. Their relationship would never be anything, could never be anything. Why didn’t the blonde understand that?

Their lips met for a clumsy kiss. Leon tried to push the blonde away, but Cloud would not give in. The brunet knew that the Prep wanted to make things better, but it could never be. So he pushed him roughly away and growled.

“That’s enough…”

“But I just want to make things better and-”

The Punk pushed Cloud out the door and shook his head as the blonde spun around to try to get back inside. Tears made his blue eyes sparkle and if Leon had a little more compassion in his heart, he would have let the blonde stay.

But he didn’t…it was lost long, long ago.

“Good bye Cloud.”

And the door was shut.

Leon sighed and stopped his fleeing to lean against the wall. His body slid to the ground in a heap as his breathing became labored.

What was happening to him?

Just before he fainted, Leon heard someone cursing before lifting him up into their arms.

“Damn it Puberty Boy. What have you done to yourself now?”

Then all was dark.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0- The Broken Hearted   -0-0-0-0-0-0-   But its for the better…so goodbye.   -0-0-0-0-0-0-  

The blonde’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach.

Things might never change…

No…he wasn’t prepared to lose more than he already had. He was going to fight for what he wanted.

Even if it involved a very stubborn Leon.

Cloud made his way back to the main area of the club. He exhaled a stressful sigh as he pushed through people just to get back to the bar. When he got there, he discovered Tifa talking with Lulu and waving her arms around exasperatedly. The King of Preps could already tell she was drunk.

“Hey Cloud!” She slurred and reached for him before she fell out of her stool. “Wanna dance?”

“How about we go home?”

And so as he dragged her out of the club, he gave it once last look and stopped cold.

Was that Sora kissing Riku?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Done. I know that was a lot to process, so if you have to read it again. Go ahead. I hoped you guys liked it, cause I certainly loved writing it! WHOO! Alright, so a few notes before you review :D.

One: I do not own any of the songs presented in this chapter besides ‘Secrets and Lies Mix So Well’, which was the song Riku sang for the concert.

Two: Yes, there is still a VERY big twist coming up in the chapter. Keep in mind, it might not necessarily be about Leon and Cloud…or Sora and Riku for that matter. Oooh am I mean or what?

Three: Yes, Cloud had a smoking problem and Leon has a drinking problem. That’s what happens when you have fucked up lives…so sad.

Four: Leon was very…emotional in this chapter, so was Cloud. Now that you know, you people can inject that into your blood stream and try to retain the information. I know it was a lot, but trust me…there will be loads more.

Five: Please take the time to…REVIEW!! REVIEW!! REVIEW!!