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Description
The storm had stopped by the time Leon dragged himself home. But by the time he made it to the front door it was morning. Cloud would be awake and able to help him get into his own bed. But along with it there would be many questions.

The pain was unbearable. And for once Leon actually knew what Cloud had went through. Luckily the bleeding had stopped half way through his endless journey, and the rain had cleaned away the blood from his legs. His knees were an endless purple bruise from when he collapsed on to the cobble stone due to exhaustion.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, placing his back against the cold, pale stone on the front side of the house. He steadied his breath before knocking on the wooden door to his left. His back was aching and all he could think about was lying in the soft, warm bed inside the house.

The door opened not a second later, revealing a frantic blonde with sea blue eyes. His eyes swiveled to the helpless brunette sitting on the ground with a pained look on his face.

"Leon!" Cloud rushed to the other's rescue, falling on to his knees to access the situation. He ran his hand over his cold cheek, feeling no source of warm from within. Cloud knew he needed to get him some warm, before hypothermia set it.

"Can you help me inside?" Squall tried to create come source of smile appear on his face to reassure the blonde, but it failed miserably.

Cloud pulled Leon's arm around his shoulder and used most of his strength to heave the man off the ground. The both slowly made their way into the heated house, Leon giving a sigh of relief when the warm air hit his numb skin.

Squall's aching feet dragged along the carpet until he was finally set on his bed. The man rolled over and placed his head on the soft pillow beneath it. "Ahh, thanks."

"Leon, what the Hell happened? I wake up and you're gone!" Cloud sat on the edge of the bed, turning his body to face the other. Leon had to be careful not to spill his guts.

"Sorry, Cloud. I had to take a shift of patrol." Leon rubbed his right eye, suddenly feeling the fatigue from the events that had taken place.

"You didn't tell me that." Cloud frowned, feeling left out. He thought he was well enough to take on a few heartless. If he had gone with Leon, this wouldn't have happened.

"Cloud you know I wouldn't have been able to leave the house with you knowing about it. You aren't well enough to be going into battle."

"Leon! You know—" He was cut off by the tired brunette.

"No. Your shoulder could be severely damaged. You need to rest." Cloud frowned, wrinkles forming between his eyebrows.

"How can I rest when I know you're getting attacked out there?! I just feel… so helpless." Cloud closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control himself. Leon saw where he was coming from. It was the same way he felt after he found out what happened to Cloud that night in the woods.

"I can handle this myself." Even so, Leon knew he had to do this on his own. If the blonde knew what was going on between him and that man he'd go insane.

"But you don't need to! I'm here, I can help. I care about you." There was a pain in Squall's chest. He needed to hold his ground, he couldn't confess now.

"This doesn't concern you." The pain in Cloud's face as he bit his bottom lip pained Leon to no end. If only he knew how much Leon was in love with him, how much he cared about him.

Cloud was right in front of him, but he felt so far away. If he reached out to touch him would he disappear? Would he run from the contact? Could Leon really pour out his heart to the other? If he did spill everything he's been bottling up over the many years, it didn't mean everything would go back to normal. Leon's fate with Sephiroth was sealed.

"Cloud… I'm…"

Cloud didn't let him finish. He turned his back on the brunette and walked out of the room, his soft sniffling was all that could be heard.

***

The weather turned gloomy. The clouds over head were a dark, sinister grey, leaving no sign of the blue sky behind it. The wind howled as it wrapped around the leaves on the trees, trying to pull them with it. Thunder could be heard from the distance, but the rain that should have gone along with it didn't appear.

Leon's mood matched the weather perfectly. After their spat, Cloud locked himself in his room, leaving Leon to fend for himself. By the end of the day, Leon left the house, making sure to tell Cloud he was feeling better and going out. But there was no response.

The realization that he had hurt the one he loved was too much. He needed to clear his head and the only way he could think to accomplish that was to get as far away from him as possible.

When he finally looked up from his feet, he realized he ended up miles away from where he started. The place was deserted, with bordered up houses and broken street lamps. Squall's eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden darker area, feeling something from the darkness watching him.

He scanned the area. Placing his hand on his sword handle, he inched forward, aware of the broken glass around his feet. The eerie feeling in the air made Leon uneasy, the darkness held no mercy to those who were unable to defend themselves.

Leon's eye squinted, as he tried to see anything in the pitch black. He noticed a small movement from the corner of his eye, but the question was if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Sephiroth."

A deep chuckle echoed from the dark just beyond Leon's reach. His sinister voice sent shivers down Squall's spine. This man so easily ruined two lives and still played with their minds, stealing everything that was theirs. How could one get away from such a man? Was there even any hope?

Sephiroth walked towards the brunette just enough to expose himself. A smirk crept onto his face as he took in the view of the man in front of him. He was exactly how he remembered.

"I was wondering how long you were going to make me wait." He flashed his white teeth in a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Leon gripped his sword handle tightly, readying himself for any quick movement of his opponent.

"I've come for you." In one swift movement, Sephiroth shifted next to Leon, quickly enough to leave Leon only seeing a blur of his silver strands. "Take your hand off your sword." Leon gritted his teeth as he slowly released his grip on his weapon. He heard Sephiroth chuckle next to him. "Good boy."

Squall yelped as his right wrist was grabbed and twisted behind his back. He struggled slightly, until he heard the clatter of his sword against the ground. Leon was no rendered defenseless and immobilized.

The brunette was slammed against the brick wall by his captor, seeing stars cross his vision. He yelped when Sephiroth placed one of his hands on Leon's neck, pinning his face to the rough building in front of him.

---
Link for full version in Artist's Comments

Description
The storm had stopped by the time Leon dragged himself home. But by the time he made it to the front door it was morning. Cloud would be awake and able to help him get into his own bed. But along with it there would be many questions.

The pain was unbearable. And for once Leon actually knew what Cloud had went through. Luckily the bleeding had stopped half way through his endless journey, and the rain had cleaned away the blood from his legs. His knees were an endless purple bruise from when he collapsed on to the cobble stone due to exhaustion.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, placing his back against the cold, pale stone on the front side of the house. He steadied his breath before knocking on the wooden door to his left. His back was aching and all he could think about was lying in the soft, warm bed inside the house.

The door opened not a second later, revealing a frantic blonde with sea blue eyes. His eyes swiveled to the helpless brunette sitting on the ground with a pained look on his face.

"Leon!" Cloud rushed to the other's rescue, falling on to his knees to access the situation. He ran his hand over his cold cheek, feeling no source of warm from within. Cloud knew he needed to get him some warm, before hypothermia set it.

"Can you help me inside?" Squall tried to create come source of smile appear on his face to reassure the blonde, but it failed miserably.

Cloud pulled Leon's arm around his shoulder and used most of his strength to heave the man off the ground. The both slowly made their way into the heated house, Leon giving a sigh of relief when the warm air hit his numb skin.

Squall's aching feet dragged along the carpet until he was finally set on his bed. The man rolled over and placed his head on the soft pillow beneath it. "Ahh, thanks."

"Leon, what the Hell happened? I wake up and you're gone!" Cloud sat on the edge of the bed, turning his body to face the other. Leon had to be careful not to spill his guts.

"Sorry, Cloud. I had to take a shift of patrol." Leon rubbed his right eye, suddenly feeling the fatigue from the events that had taken place.

"You didn't tell me that." Cloud frowned, feeling left out. He thought he was well enough to take on a few heartless. If he had gone with Leon, this wouldn't have happened.

"Cloud you know I wouldn't have been able to leave the house with you knowing about it. You aren't well enough to be going into battle."

"Leon! You know—" He was cut off by the tired brunette.

"No. Your shoulder could be severely damaged. You need to rest." Cloud frowned, wrinkles forming between his eyebrows.

"How can I rest when I know you're getting attacked out there?! I just feel… so helpless." Cloud closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control himself. Leon saw where he was coming from. It was the same way he felt after he found out what happened to Cloud that night in the woods.

"I can handle this myself." Even so, Leon knew he had to do this on his own. If the blonde knew what was going on between him and that man he'd go insane.

"But you don't need to! I'm here, I can help. I care about you." There was a pain in Squall's chest. He needed to hold his ground, he couldn't confess now.

"This doesn't concern you." The pain in Cloud's face as he bit his bottom lip pained Leon to no end. If only he knew how much Leon was in love with him, how much he cared about him.

Cloud was right in front of him, but he felt so far away. If he reached out to touch him would he disappear? Would he run from the contact? Could Leon really pour out his heart to the other? If he did spill everything he's been bottling up over the many years, it didn't mean everything would go back to normal. Leon's fate with Sephiroth was sealed.

"Cloud… I'm…"

Cloud didn't let him finish. He turned his back on the brunette and walked out of the room, his soft sniffling was all that could be heard.

***

The weather turned gloomy. The clouds over head were a dark, sinister grey, leaving no sign of the blue sky behind it. The wind howled as it wrapped around the leaves on the trees, trying to pull them with it. Thunder could be heard from the distance, but the rain that should have gone along with it didn't appear.

Leon's mood matched the weather perfectly. After their spat, Cloud locked himself in his room, leaving Leon to fend for himself. By the end of the day, Leon left the house, making sure to tell Cloud he was feeling better and going out. But there was no response.

The realization that he had hurt the one he loved was too much. He needed to clear his head and the only way he could think to accomplish that was to get as far away from him as possible.

When he finally looked up from his feet, he realized he ended up miles away from where he started. The place was deserted, with bordered up houses and broken street lamps. Squall's eyes quickly adjusted to the sudden darker area, feeling something from the darkness watching him.

He scanned the area. Placing his hand on his sword handle, he inched forward, aware of the broken glass around his feet. The eerie feeling in the air made Leon uneasy, the darkness held no mercy to those who were unable to defend themselves.

Leon's eye squinted, as he tried to see anything in the pitch black. He noticed a small movement from the corner of his eye, but the question was if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"Sephiroth."

A deep chuckle echoed from the dark just beyond Leon's reach. His sinister voice sent shivers down Squall's spine. This man so easily ruined two lives and still played with their minds, stealing everything that was theirs. How could one get away from such a man? Was there even any hope?

Sephiroth walked towards the brunette just enough to expose himself. A smirk crept onto his face as he took in the view of the man in front of him. He was exactly how he remembered.

"I was wondering how long you were going to make me wait." He flashed his white teeth in a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Leon gripped his sword handle tightly, readying himself for any quick movement of his opponent.

"I've come for you." In one swift movement, Sephiroth shifted next to Leon, quickly enough to leave Leon only seeing a blur of his silver strands. "Take your hand off your sword." Leon gritted his teeth as he slowly released his grip on his weapon. He heard Sephiroth chuckle next to him. "Good boy."

Squall yelped as his right wrist was grabbed and twisted behind his back. He struggled slightly, until he heard the clatter of his sword against the ground. Leon was no rendered defenseless and immobilized.

The brunette was slammed against the brick wall by his captor, seeing stars cross his vision. He yelped when Sephiroth placed one of his hands on Leon's neck, pinning his face to the rough building in front of him.

---
Link for full version in Artist's Comments