Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Left Behind ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 5

“Riku, are you sure you want to do this?” asked Kairi worriedly, watching Riku toss his supplies onto the raft. “I really don’t think it’s gonna work. It didn’t exactly work the first time around, remember?”

“We never actually tried the raft last time, remember? Besides, what choice do we have, Kairi?” asked Riku heatedly, tightening the ropes one last time. “It’s been two weeks sent we sent that message, and we haven’t heard from King Mickey at all. Who knows if he even got our letter? Messages in a bottle aren’t exactly the most reliable form of communication. Aren’t you worried about Sora at all?”

“Of course, I am, Riku. But we should have faith that our friends are doing their best to help,” said Kairi softly. “I’m sure King Mickey is doing everything he can to help Sora.” She looked at the sky and prayed for that to be true. Suddenly a flash of light streaked across the sky, heading directly towards them. “Riku, did you see that?”

“See what?” asked Riku distractedly, checking the raft to make sure he had everything he needed.

“There’s something headed straight for us,” said Kairi urgently, pulling on Riku’s arm to get his attention. “Look!”

Riku looked in the direction Kairi indicated just in time to see the gummi ship materialize over the water. The little ship then shot forward and landed in the sand mere feet from them. “A gummi ship? Maybe it’s Sora,” said Riku eagerly.

The ship opened and a very familiar duck waddled down the stairs. “Kairi, Riku, the king sent us to fetch you. He and Leon went to rescue Sora and wants us to meet him in Hollow Bastion.”

“I think you mean Radiant Garden, Donald,” said Goofy, coming up behind the duck. “Hey guys.”

“So Sora’s alright?” asked Riku eagerly. He was almost desperate to find his friend, feeling an overwhelming guilt for Sora’s current plight. If only he had made sure Sora was with them before sealing the door.

“I’m sure he must be with King Mickey and Leon there to help him,” said Goofy reassuringly. “Now come on. We’ve gotta get goin’.”

Riku and Kairi followed Goofy and Donald onto the gummi ship, eager to see their friend again.

Leon watched Aerith hurry from her bedroom, tears streaming down her face, and silently cursed this whole situation. He felt bad for Aerith and Cloud because it had taken them so long to get to this point only to have everything ripped away by an unfortunate turn of events. However, that didn't excuse the way Cloud had treated Sora since they'd left that horrible world. Leon just wished that he could have arrived earlier and won the tournament. That way he could have saved Sora, and Cloud and Aerith could still be together. He ignored the tiny voice in the back of his mind whispering the real reason he wanted to win that tournament. He’d always had a certain fascination for the teen keyblade wielder, and that fascination had only grown with the teen’s growing maturity.

"Is he still in the bath?" asked Yuffie worriedly, suddenly appearing at Leon's elbow and startling him out of his thoughts. "It's been an awful long time, hasn't it? You don't think he drowned, do you?"

"No, I'm sure he's alright," said Leon calmly. "Why don't you go check on Aerith? She's pretty upset right now."

"I can imagine," said Yuffie somberly. “What happened to him, Squall? He’s not the same kid I remember.”

“I don’t know what all he’s been through the last two weeks,” said Leon gravely. “We’ll just have to help him through this as best we can.”

Yuffie nodded and disappeared as silently as she had appeared.

Cloud suddenly stormed out of Aerith's bedroom and caught sight of Leon. Stalking up to the brunette, he demanded, "Where's Sora?"

Leon raised an eyebrow at Cloud's tone and didn't say anything, merely nodding back towards the bathroom door. Cloud started to barge into the bathroom, but Leon blocked his way. "He's taking a bath, Cloud. You should give him a little privacy."

"It's not like I haven't seen it all before. After all, my dick was up his ass just a few hours ago," said Cloud crudely, wanting to take his bad mood out on someone. Before he could say another word, though, Leon reared back and punched him in the jaw. Stumbling back a few steps and rubbing his sore jaw, Cloud glared at the brunette. "What the hell was that for?"

"Don't you dare treat Sora like that," hissed Leon furiously. "He is not some little whore that you can play with however you like. That boy has done too much for us for you to treat him like that. He’s risked his life time and time again for us, and he deserves at least your respect."

Cloud's earlier anger bled quickly away. Leon was right. He started to apologise but a sound coming from the bathroom drew his attention. It sounded like someone crying. He started towards the door only to find that Leon had already entered the bathroom and pulled Sora into his lap, crooning soothingly to the sobbing boy. Sora burrowed deeper into Leon’s embrace, clinging tightly to the other man’s neck. Cloud felt another jolt of jealousy at the tender way Leon held Sora. Sora was his, not Leon’s. He flinched, though, when he heard Sora's whispered, "He should have left me behind, too." He hadn't realised just how much Sora blamed himself for this mess until just now.

Cloud grabbed a towel and carefully wrapped it around Sora before lifting the teen into his arms. He felt a pain in his chest when Sora immediately tensed in his arms, subtly trying to move away from the blonde. Sora slowly relaxed, though, when Cloud just continued to hold him gently, leaning wearily against his master’s chest. It was heartbreaking to see the normally vibrant teen so acquiescent to his current state. Cloud could still remember the near catatonic state Sora had been in when he had won the tournament. There's no telling what the teen was forced to endure during the two weeks he'd been held captive.

“I’m so sorry, Cloud,” whispered Sora sadly.

“It’s not your fault, Sora,” said Cloud gently, carrying Sora to his bedroom and placing him on the bed. “I’m sorry that I made you feel that it was.”

"I don't blame you for any part of this, Cloud," said Sora. "If you hadn't had to save me from Xanthus, you and Aerith would still be together."

"And if Riku hadn't sealed the door, leaving you in that world in the first place, I wouldn't have had to save you. So really, it's more Riku's fault than yours," said Cloud reasonably. "Do you still blame him for leaving you behind?"

"Not anymore," said Sora softly. "I think you were right. Riku wouldn't have deliberately left me behind. He's my best friend, and he's always looked out for me. He's demonstrated that several times over these past few years, even immersing himself in darkness and assuming his enemy's face to keep me safe. I can't blame him for this anymore."

"And I can't blame you for the very same reason. You needed help, and I truly believe that even if I had known what would happen as a result, I still would have done the same thing," said Cloud seriously. As soon as the words left his mouth, Cloud recognised the truth in the statement. Ever since they had first met, Sora had been the one that had given him hope that he would someday find his light. The teen had also made him believe that he hadn't been completely consumed by the darkness in his heart.

"Thanks, Cloud," said Sora, stifling a yawn with his hand and blinking sleepily. The restless nap in the bath had done nothing more than to exhaust him even more. Sora hadn't had a decent night's sleep in two weeks, and it was finally catching up with him.

"Hey, don't fall asleep, yet. I need to find you some clothes to sleep in," said Cloud quickly, trying to keep Sora awake a little longer.

Leon watched the scene unnoticed from the doorway the entire time. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Sora was opening up to Cloud so quickly, but he wasn't really that surprised. Sora was the most open, loving, and forgiving person he'd ever met. "Here, you left these," he said, walking into the room with the clothes Yuffie had left in the bathroom for Sora to wear. "They're mine, so they'll probably be a bit too big, but I imagine they'll do for now."

Cloud looked at the clothes in Leon's hands and balked at the thought of Sora wearing the other man's clothes. "I've got some extra clothes he can wear. He doesn't need those," he said harshly, ignoring the knowing look Leon gave him.

The irrational surge of possessiveness caught Cloud by surprise. Why did it matter if Sora wore Leon's clothes? Cloud was beginning to think that the spell on Sora's collar had more to it than Xanthus had told them. Why else would he be so possessive of the cute teen? And why else would it annoy the hell out of him to know that Leon was enamoured with his Sora, too? Wait! Too? Since when was he enamoured with Sora? He loved Aerith, not Sora.

'Liar,' his subconscious whispered. 'You loved Aerith out of habit because she was a reminder of your past. Sora, on the other hand, has been a constant presence in your thoughts since he beat you at Olympus Coliseum over two years ago.'

“Sora, you’ll be happy to know that King Mickey sent your friends, Donald and Goofy, to get Riku and Kairi to bring them here. They should be here in a couple of hours,” said Leon quietly. “Riku’s the one who told us that your were in trouble. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive the message until late yesterday afternoon and arrived in that world too late to prevent your current situation.”

“Yes, Leon’s upset that he’s not in my place right now,” muttered Cloud softly, glaring at the other man.

Sora hadn’t heard the muttered comment, but Leon heard it quite clearly. “You know, for someone so in love with someone else, you sure are awfully possessive and jealous of little Sora,” Leon whispered to Cloud.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Squall,” hissed Cloud angrily.

“Uh, Cloud?” asked Sora tentatively, seeing the angry glower on the blonde’s face. “May I get dressed now? I want to see Riku and Kairi when they arrive.”

“No,” snapped Cloud, causing Sora to flinch away from him. Cloud’s face immediately softened at the teen’s reaction. “You need to sleep. You can see them tomorrow.” Turning back to Leon, he gestured imperiously to the door. “It’s late, Leon, and we would like to go to bed.”

“Good night, Sora,” said Leon quietly, stepping out of the room and closing the door.

The gummi ship finally landed in Hollow Bastion an hour later. Donald and Goofy lead the other two to Merlin’s house where they were met by Leon and Yuffie. Kairi and Riku stared curiously at the others. Sora had talked about them a lot, but they had never officially met.

“Where’s Sora?” asked Goofy cheerfully.

“He’s sleeping,” said Leon calmly.

“Is he alright?” asked Kairi worriedly. “Was he hurt in any way?”

“He’s fine, guys. Good lord is that boy fine these days,” said Yuffie with a playful leer.

Kairi immediately blushed and said, “He is, isn’t he?”

“Oh man, I got to see him in a pair of ti-ny shorts and nothing else. I almost had a nosebleed,” gushed Yuffie dramatically, thinking about the sight she’d walked in on earlier that evening. “It certainly made me want to hide the clothes I’d brought for him to wear.”

“Yuffie, that’s quite enough,” said Leon sternly. “Kairi will be staying with you, so why don’t you show her to your room?”

“Okay,” she said brightly, grabbing Kairi’s arm. “We can talk some more on the way. Right, Kairi?” With another grin, Yuffie bounced towards her room, dragging a bemused Kairi behind her.

“Riku, right?” said Leon evenly. “You’ll be sharing a room with me for the duration of your stay. If you’ll just follow me.”

“Why can’t I stay with Sora?” asked Riku suspiciously. “What are you hiding from me?”

“It’s not my place to tell you, Riku,” said Leon. “You’ll see Sora in the morning. I’m sure he’ll tell you what’s going on then.”

“Fine,” said Riku reluctantly. “But I will find out tomorrow, so don’t even think of keeping Sora away from me.”

“Cloud, are you alright?” asked Sora softly. Cloud had done nothing but pace the floor restlessly, muttering softly to himself, since Leon had left, and Sora was getting a little worried.

“Stay away from Leon, Sora,” said Cloud abruptly. “I don’t want you near him. Do you understand me, Sora?”

“Y-yes,” said Sora, staring at Cloud in confusion. Why would Cloud order him to stay away from Leon? Sora thought the two were friends. Why the sudden change? “Are you two having a fight?”

“You could say that,” mumbled Cloud, stripping out of his clothes and climbing into bed. He noticed that Sora was still wearing his towel, so he pulled the towel off the teen and tossed it to the floor. He then settled onto his side, facing away from Sora. “Go to sleep, Sora.”

Sora, blushing fiercely at the sight of Cloud’s naked body and his own nakedness, quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep within minutes. Once Sora was asleep, Cloud turned over and carefully pulled the brunette into his arms. Feeling the warm, comfortable weight against his chest, Cloud fell in to the first peaceful sleep he’d had in years.