Double Post - 63 & 64

[december_sins]

Title: Breathe for Answers
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [063.] Pictures
Word Count: 4,485
Rating: R
Summary: Strong exhale. Soft inhale. Cycle. Repeat.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Kingdom Hearts whatsoever other than I am a super obsessive fangirl. It all belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I’ve accepted this, and you should, too.

Author’s Note: For anyone who may have lost track of the timeline like I did before I sat down and mapped it out, chapters 61 and 62 ended with Cloud and Riku on the same day. As Twilight Town Day Five opens, Leon is rushing back to Hollow Bastion. Just thought I ought to clarify that as the matter of a day is highly important at this crux of the story.



His hood was still down exposing a face that was not his own as Riku took the Way to the Dawn in hand and went outside. Night had fallen by now and the moon bathed the lawn with an ethereal, blue-tinged light that was so beautiful it could break your heart. As Riku stepped through this soft haze, his grip around the Keyblade’s hilt tightened and he turned his face upward toward the sky, eyes closed.

Strong exhale. Soft inhale. The rush of air through his nostrils carried the clean scent of a post-rainfall. Cycle. Repeat.

Riku opened his eyes, taking in the stars shining their own light and joining with the tragic beauty of the moon. He sighed, straightened his posture, and faced-forward, falling easily into a readied stance. The Way to the Dawn rose and slashed through the air.

Slice. Jab. Parry. Riku allowed his body to move on its own accord, fighting an invisible enemy that he didn’t dare to think might be himself. The motions were exacted with grace, flowing into one another like an intricately choreographed dance.

His new limbs did not move with the fluidity Riku once possessed, and so he closed his eyes and did it again. His grip on the Way to the Dawn eased as his wrist loosened, and the Keyblade became an extension of himself. It was impossible to tell if Riku wielded the weapon or if the weapon directed his movements. Slice. Jab. Strong exhale. Soft inhale. Cycle. Repeat.

The Way to the Dawn. The road to dawn. There had been a time when Riku stood in the light, languished in it and loved every second. What had the road to twilight been like? Riku could no longer remember. The road to darkness was much like its reversal. He was alone and empty working for a stranger he didn’t entirely trust for the life of his once-best friend. As Maleficent had kept things from him, DiZ refused to disclose his true objective in awakening Sora. At the end of that road to nightfall, Riku was reduced to a prisoner of his own making. He was trapped in his insecurities and defensive thought patterns. He was a prisoner in his own body, appearing to the world as himself, his voice remained, but unable to control the limbs. He could think, but couldn’t speak.

Riku thought he must have crossed the bridge over nightfall and toward the dawn the moment his heart fell into the realm of darkness, body separated and gone. For a few blissful months he was able to stay stagnant, not moving forward, but not moving backward either until the heart wrenching pain became too much to bear. Now that he was moving forward again, he was a prisoner of his own making. He was trapped in his penance for what he had done wrong on the other side of night. He was a prisoner in his own body, appearing to the world as Ansem, his voice gone, but able to control the limbs and speech.

In truth, everything about the two situations was the same. He was a prisoner either way, no more free with the control of action and words than he was when Ansem took over. Either way, only his thoughts remained sacred. Only his heart remained clinging to the light and longed to be reunited with wronged friends. His thoughts and heart coincided as they ached for Cloud’s touch, his embrace, and soft words of comfort that Riku never deserved.

Slash. Slice. Jab. Parry.

He could picture them all so clearly it ached deep within his chest and traveled to the hollow pit of his stomach. Riku choked on air and his fingers uncurled, dropped the Keyblade, but his knees hit the ground first. Back hunched, Riku pressed his face against the slick, dew-stained grass and pulled the hood over his head. With his palms spread Riku linked his fingers at the back of his neck and took a breath. Strong exhale. Soft inhale.

~*~

The following morning went as usual. Riku ignored the presence of his cell phone in the top drawer, not daring to even look at the display as he left his bedroom. DiZ was in the computer room when he arrived. Riku ate his breakfast and drank his coffee as Roxas went through his own morning procedure, showering and dressing before heading to meet Hayner, Pence, and Olette just before noon.

“He seems to remember falling off the station tower,” said DiZ. “His heart is so connected to Sora’s that Naminé can’t properly modify him anymore.”

Riku absently nodded. It didn’t matter. Sora’s restoration had climbed from seventy-nine to eighty-seven percent overnight. Soon enough Roxas would be gone-only a memory to the few who had known him.

Today Olette finally managed to convince the others that with only three days left of summer vacation they needed to complete the summer homework-an independent study assignment. Hayner’s resistance to this was a small comfort to Riku, because while Hayner literally wanted to wait until the last second, Riku would have had the assignment done ages ago. They were, at least, not that alike, and perhaps this meant that Riku did not sound as ridiculously moronic as Hayner, even if they did have other things in common. Roxas was troubled by the memory of falling off the station tower, even more troubled that his friends just shrugged it off.

“You wouldn’t be here if you did!” said Hayner.

“But man, that was a close one . . .” said Pence.

Riku hated to agree with him, but in a logical world (that wasn’t manipulated by some guy with a bandaged face) Hayner had a good point. Roxas remained moody, suggesting that they investigate the Dusks (not that he remembered they were Dusks) and all the strange things happening to him for the assignment. He grew moodier when Hayner shot it down, but then considerably brightened upon learning that his friends had somehow recruited the entire town into the investigation, which was planned for tomorrow. Roxas brightened so much, in fact, that they all had sea-salt ice cream again.

“Do they ever get sick of it?” said Riku.

“I don’t,” said DiZ.

Riku didn’t know how to argue with that. DiZ liking ice cream was weird in and of itself.

In the end they decided to investigate unusual stories about Twilight Town like steps counting differently going up and down which they called the seven wonders. Riku almost snorted. These so-called wonders were nothing more than Rai’s stupidity (how that boy put one foot in front of the other was beyond him), glitches in the Twilight Town system, and breaks between the system layers (entry points). It was going to be a dreadfully boring afternoon unless Organization XIII mixed things up. By this point Riku expected that they would.

On the train ride to the Sunset Residential District, Roxas noticed the absence of his Struggle Trophy crystal. His good mood was gone. Riku almost felt bad, but he’d get it back so . . . well . . . Okay. So Riku was a thief.

They arrived in the Sunset District and split up. Roxas and Pence went through the wonders together only to discover just what Riku had known. Rai couldn’t count, there were weird glitches, Dusks (disguised as Vivi and other things) were hanging around and Roxas had to fight them, but it wasn’t Axel and he called the Keyblade to himself, so even that wasn’t all that fascinating. Riku could hardly believe it was only a few days ago that he’d been panicking over only one Dusk in the alternate Twilight Town. DiZ didn’t even flinch when a shadow figure of Roxas stepped through a reflective curtain of water.

Wonder number six was all about a ghost train that you could see from Sunset Hill, so the foursome headed that way and waited. The train was said to be completely empty without a driver, conductor, passengers, or anything.

“Is that the train . . .?” said Riku.

“The one that runs to Yen Sid’s Tower.”

Yen Sid was apparently King Mickey’s teacher and had a tower located in the same world as Twilight Town that could be reached by train. DiZ closed off the connection to Yen Sid’s Tower when replicating Twilight Town as he did with the beach and tried to erase the train, but a glitch in the system occasionally caused the train to flicker in and out of existence. Riku tried everything he could to make the train go away, but it was stubborn, so there Roxas, Pence, Olette, and Hayner sat, waiting for a train that, hopefully, wasn’t going to come.

As they sat and waited, they started talking about the beach again. This was starting to get pathetic.

Naminé walked into the computer room with lunch and handed brown paper bags to both DiZ and Riku. She paused behind the monitor and cocked her head.

“What’s going on?”

“Roxas, Olette, and the morons are waiting for the ghost train,” said Riku.

DiZ laughed.

“Naminé, do you think if I showed the train to Roxas, you could prevent the others from seeing?” said DiZ.

She nodded and shrugged.

“Sure.”

“Why would you show Roxas the train?” said Riku.

“Do it, Naminé,” said DiZ. He struck a few keys.

“Wait,” said Riku. “Why are you showing Roxas the train?”

The troublesome purple train came barreling down the tracks. Roxas noticed instantly, turning around the gripping the fence along Sunset Hill that overlooked the railway system.

“Look! It’s really true . . . And there’s really no one aboard! What’s the catch? There’s gotta be a catch, right?”

He was such the picture of Sora, thunderstruck and stunned, throwing his hands around in wonderment. He couldn’t conceal the amazed tone that lingered in every word of his astonishment. Hayner, Pence, and Olette only looked at each other in confusion.

“Then it’s real? Let’s go to the station!”

Roxas took off, forcing his friends to follow. Riku felt bad for him. Naminé had obviously completed that small task, but what Riku still didn’t understand . . . DiZ started pressing keys as Roxas ran. The train was still in the station when Roxas arrived, but then DiZ hit the final stroke as Roxas suggested they all go inside and stepped forward. With his back turned, DiZ deleted the image he had made readily available, and the purple train was left as it was before, a troublesome and random flickering glitch.

“What?” said Roxas, almost snapping at Hayner when his head turned back. For a second, Riku almost felt sympathy for Hayner, who clearly thought his best friend had lost his mind.

“Um . . . you’ll get hurt,” was the only explanation he offered.

When Roxas turned back, the train was gone, and moments later, another train pulled in.

“That could’ve been bad,” said Riku. “Why did you show him the train? He could’ve gotten hurt.”

“Thank you, Naminé. I think that should be all the high points of the day. He’s bound to head home soon. Keep an eye on him, Ansem.”

DiZ actually got up and left the computer room. Riku looked at Naminé.

“Why did he show Roxas the train? That was dangerous. Hayner . . . I’m actually thankful for Hayner right now.”

Naminé shrugged. Her eyes looked longingly at the images moving across the monitor.

“I don’t really understand DiZ. Maybe he thought he was being nice. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”

Riku huffed.

“Usually am. Just . . . and he was on me about mentioning Sora!”

Naminé squeezed his shoulder as he walked toward the computer, and then she turned to leave.

“I have things to do. I’ll talk to you later, all right?”

Riku shrugged.

“Sure.”

Naminé gave one last look to the monitors and turned away, her steps echoing down through the stairwell. Riku grumbled and opened the paper bag, pulling out a sandwich. It seemed Naminé visited a deli today. He picked up one half from the paper wrapping and sat back, watching Hayner force Roxas onto the train and the ride back to the Twilight Town Station. When they arrived, Hayner and the others were set on writing the paper, but Roxas was still stuck on the seven wonders, disappointed to stop after six. That ghost train really riled him up.

“But what about the last one-the seventh wonder?” said Roxas.

Hayner stomped his foot and stopped walking.

“Who cares?”

“I do. C’mon, Pence.”

Pence and Olette turned toward him, but Hayner walked away. Olette and Pence considered him briefly, and with a sigh, Pence confessed the seventh wonder to be at the haunted mansion-DiZ’s mansion. Roxas went alone, and Riku sat up, peering closer to the screen in case anything dangerous should come up. Roxas walked through the woods, up to the gate, and just stared. Nothing happened, and then all of a sudden Pence walked up behind him.

“You know something . . .” Roxas broke from his reverie, startled, almost jumping from his skin as he turned and cried out. Pence approached, walking closer. “We were gonna check the mansion out tomorrow. It is the most suspicious place.”

“Right . . .” said Roxas.

Pence stood beside him. Now they were both staring. Riku slumped back in his seat and took a large bite from his sandwich.

“Even Seifer’s gang was gonna help,” Pence continued.

“Seifer?”

“Yeah, Hayner asked him to.”

“So what’re we lookin’ for?”

“Well, they say there’s a girl who appears at the second floor window . . . even though no one’s lived here for years.”

“I’m willing to bet her name is Naminé,” said Riku, chuckling.

Roxas frowned and looked back at the building, and then his consciousness dimmed. His body remained in Twilight Town, still staring hard at the second floor windows, but his mind was in the white room. Riku’s heart seized as the graphs displaying the state of Roxas’s mind and heart sped up.

On one small monitor Roxas glanced around Naminé’s room (on the big monitor he looked up at the mansion in a staring contest with the window). All of Naminé’s drawings hung around the space. One of Kairi drew his attention, and he peered at it until Naminé’s voice sounded.

“Roxas . . .”

“Naminé?”

As he looked for the source of her voice (though his voice really didn’t have a corporeal source, either) his eyes landed on a drawing of Axel and himself.

“This is . . . me?” said Roxas. “. . . And Axel’s here, too.”

“You are best friends . . .”

“Very funny.”

“Don’t you want to know the truth about who you really are?”

“No one knows me better than me.”

“Of course . . .”

“But . . . I don’t get what’s been happening lately.”

His consciousness continued to travel around the room. Riku felt a flood of panic wash over him. He didn’t know what to do. DiZ would have found a way to stop their mental connection by now (or maybe it was a connection of heart), but Naminé was so determined that Roxas needed to know. She had contacted Roxas’s heart when she knew DiZ would be gone. Riku didn’t know what was right, and still wasn’t sure whether to let her speak her bit or not when Roxas’s attention fell to a drawing of Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

“You know these three, don’t you?” said Naminé.

“Yeah,” said Roxas. “Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They’re from the dreams.”

“About a year ago, some things happened and I had to take apart the memories chained together in Sora’s heart. But now . . . I’m putting them all back exactly the way they were. It’s taken me a long time, but pretty soon Sora will be his old self again. The process has been affecting you, too, Roxas.”

“You mean . . . the dreams?”

Roxas’s gaze began to drift around the room again.

“Yes . . . You and Sora are connected. And . . . in order for Sora to become completely whole again . . . He needs you.”

Roxas landed on a drawing of he and Sora holding hands.

“Me? What for?”

“You hold half of what he is . . . He needs you, Roxas.”

“Naminé?”

There was a flash of blinding light, and then Roxas and Naminé were both there, corporeal, sitting on opposite ends of the long white table in her room. Riku took a deep breath and sat back, watching. Naminé thought he needed to know. Naminé was doing the restoration process. DiZ wasn’t here to stop anything, and so . . . Riku was just going to have to trust her judgment.

“Naminé . . . who are you?” said Roxas.

“I’m a witch with power over Sora’s memories and those around him.”

“A witch?”

Naminé shrugged a little.

“That’s what DiZ called me.”

“DiZ is an asshole,” said Riku.

Naminé’s expression grew forlorn as she dropped her eyes from Roxas’s gaze to the table.

“But I don’t know why I have this power . . .” she continued. “I just do. I’m not even sure there’s a right way for me to use it.”

“Hmm . . . I can’t help you there.”

Naminé smiled at him a little. Riku frowned. Roxas looked across to the drawing of Axel and him.

“It’s funny . . .” said Roxas. “Suddenly I feel like I don’t know myself at all . . . I guess I would like to know. What do you know about me . . . that I don’t?”

“You . . .” said Naminé. She dropped her head, looking sad and troubled. Riku’s frown deepened. “You were never supposed to exist, Roxas.”

“What . . .? How could you even say such a thing . . . even if it were true?”

“I’m sorry. I guess some things really are better left unsaid.”

The connection with Naminé dimmed, and then Pence was shaking Roxas from his staring contest with the window. They left the mansion, met up with Olette (who already completed their paper), and were off to the station to meet Hayner. He was eating sea-salt ice cream again, but Riku didn’t laugh about it. His thoughts were still with Naminé’s sad, troubled expression and Roxas’s words upon hearing the truth.

Riku stood and left the computer room.

~*~

“Why did you show him the train?”

Riku barged through the door on the first floor where he had first seen Naminé again since Castle Oblivion-the same room that DiZ spent all of his time outside the computer room in. He crossed the room and demanded the answer to the question he was trying to find all afternoon, and Roxas’s encounter with Naminé only fueled the fire. He was not going to be stupid and passive again, letting someone else call all the shots without any real explanation. This wasn’t even an ugly exchange of services, because DiZ wanted Sora awake.

DiZ looked up at Riku as he entered, nonplussed.

“Because he missed the trip to the beach.”

What kind of explanation was that?

“Hmph . . . that’s almost kind of you.”

“Now . . . what about you? Are the holes in your memory starting to fill in?”

“Yes . . . the haze is clearing.”

“The same thing is happening to everyone who had ties to Sora. Very soon, to them, he’ll be like a good friend who’s gone away for a year.”

Riku walked forward and sat in the armchair across DiZ. He steeled his nerves. If Naminé could do what she thought she was right, even if it pained her, then he had to know. Riku swallowed. DiZ asked him his true name; Riku deserved answers, too.

“I’ve waited, and now I want to know. What is it that you want?”

DiZ sighed and looked right in his eyes.

“Revenge.”

Riku’s heart seized. He tried to keep calm, but his fists clenched.

“Revenge. . .”

DiZ just brushed it off.

“Now, for the finishing touches. First, we must dispose of Naminé. She did a splendid job with Sora, but it’s high time she disappeared.” Riku moved forward, ready to fight because Naminé was his friends-she wasn’t just a Nobody, and DiZ said it himself that she wasn’t a normal Nobody. He wasn’t just going to dispose of someone, but DiZ continued. “Roxas isn’t the only one who was never meant to exist. Take care of it, Ansem.”

Riku’s heart pounded painfully in his chest. Somewhere downstairs the computer announced Sora’s restoration at ninety-seven percent.

~*~

His fingers curled and uncurled, poised in a loose fist as it hovered over the door to the white room. He knew he didn’t have to knock. Naminé would tell him so when she answered the door, but something about casually strolling in after what he’d seen with Roxas and that conversation with DiZ felt dirty and inappropriate. He let his hand fall, gently rasping against the wood. When Naminé appeared there, she offered him that same, sad smile she directed toward Roxas and motioned him inside. His eyes fell to the same drawings that captivated Roxas’s attention slightly over an hour ago.

“Naminé . . .” said Riku.

“Thank you,” she said. “For letting me speak to him. I didn’t know if you would, but I had to try.”

“Naminé . . .”

“I think I might have troubled him more. I . . . I can’t let him go like this.”

“Naminé, DiZ wants me to dispose of you. He just told me so.”

Her smile actually brightened a little and sat.

“Is that what’s troubling you? I could tell the second I saw your face something was wrong. I thought it was Roxas.”

Riku sighed. He dropped in a chair close to her.

“That’s bothering me, too.”

“I’ll make things okay for Roxas. Don’t worry about that. As for DiZ . . . I knew this would come. I have to go . . . once things are settled for Sora.”

“You can’t! I’ll . . . You’re my friend.”

Naminé patted his hand. The sadness in her eyes left a little and was replaced with mirth.

“And you’re mine. We’ll always be together, just not in the same way. It’s like Roxas with Sora. You’ll see him again in Sora, and he’ll be happy. Maybe a little sad-I think he’ll really miss Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He’ll probably miss Axel. I’ll miss this house-this room, but I won’t have to miss you, and you won’t have to miss me. I won’t disappear, Riku. I’m going to get to be whole again, too.”

“What do you mean? Who’s Nobody are you?”

Naminé giggled.

“Don’t you already know? In you heart?”

Riku stared at her, frowning.

“. . . It doesn’t make sense.”

“It will. I have something for you.”

Riku raised his eyebrows.

“Me?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Naminé flipped open her sketchbook and turned through a few pages. She stopped and then gently pried a page loose from the metal coil binding. “Here. You’ve been so great to have around here that I wanted to do something for you. Since you’re in touch with Sora’s heart, I can look into your memories, and . . . I know it’s not much . . .”

She passed the page over. Riku took it in his hands and looked down at the drawing. It was of him and Cloud back at the Coliseum during the Hades Cup. A small smile tugged at his lips.

“Do you like it?” said Naminé.

He looked up, took down the hood, and offered her a smile.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“I know things are hard for you right now, but they will get better. You’ll get back to way you were, and I don’t just mean the way you look.”

Riku stood up, stepped forward, and wrapped her in an embrace. She sighed in a sweet way and dropped her forehead against his chest.

“I am going to miss you until we meet again,” said Naminé.

“I don’t know how I’m going to get through this without you.”

“You’re going to draw on the strength and light inside you.”

“It’s easier to do when there’s someone just there for you.”

Naminé pulled back and tapped the drawing.

“There is something just there for you.”

Riku looked down at the page in his hands.

“I miss him.”

“He misses you, too.”

“How do you . . .?”

“He has ties to Sora, too.”

“Right.” Riku stared down at the drawing a little longer, and then turned halfway toward the door. “I think . . . I’m going to . . .”

“Go call him,” said Naminé, laughing. “And don’t be embarrassed. Fear and insecurity don’t help anyone.”

Riku nodded.

~*~

Carefully removing the Organization robe, Riku tossed it on a chair and moved to sit on the bed. He pulled the top drawer open and grabbed his phone, flipping it open. He had two missed calls. Riku pressed the keys, looking into the call log. Both calls were received from Cloud last night. There was one message.

It was the first time Cloud had really called since the World that Never Was.

Riku pressed a few more keys and held the phone to his ear, expecting the worst. That was the way it went. Just as things started to look up . . .

“Hey,” said Cloud, and Riku immediately felt the corners of his lips turn up at the sound of his lover’s voice. It had only been a few days, but it felt like eons. “I just called, but you didn’t answer, and then I called back so I guess you don’t have your phone on you or something. I just wanted to check in. Everyone’s starting to remember Sora so I guess that means things are going well on your end. I . . . I also have to talk to you about something. It’s kind of important. Don’t worry or anything, it’s not life-threatening, just give me a call when you get this message or when you get the time. I love you.” The frown that took over Riku’s face when Cloud spoke of an important conversation faded a little at the expression. Over the line, Cloud took a shaky breath. “I really do. I know I haven’t been calling much, and things are messed up right now, but . . . I love you more than anything. I . . . Call me okay? I’ll be waiting.”

The message ended. Riku took a shaky breath himself, closed out his voicemail, and found Cloud’s number in the contact menu.

Title: Of Irritation and Gush
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: [064.] Doors
Word Count: 6,378
Rating: R
Summary: Reno is a pain in the ass and Riku’s got nothing to worry about.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Kingdom Hearts whatsoever other than I am a super obsessive fangirl. It all belongs to Disney and Square Enix. I’ve accepted this, and you should, too.

Author’s Note: I accidentally typed Squall instead of Leon several times at the beginning of this story, only realized the slip up later, and giggled a little bit. This is not that interesting; it’s just been that kind of a happy day.



It was hours after Leon left. The dinner dishes were washed and put away. Denzel and Marlene were both in bed. There were a lot of distractions during the day between Tifa, the kids, and Vincent’s demands that Cloud help out with the delivery service that he hardly had time to realize Leon was gone. With Leon gone, it was just him and Zack. Cloud didn’t fully realize this until it was time to retire upstairs for the night.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” said Zack. “Leave the window open for me, okay?”

Cloud looked around the bedroom and nodded. It felt so empty. He had always been so comfortable around Zack, but this . . . Cloud closed his eyes when Zack shut the door behind him and headed for the bathroom. He could do this. It didn’t need to be this difficult. It was only now that he realized how valuable and relaxing Leon’s presence had really been.

Dropping on the bed Cloud leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Ordinarily he would entertain the idea of pretending to be asleep when Zack returned to avoid any tension. He might even call Leon and complain about how he had to come back, Sora be damned. Instead he leaned over the side and groped underneath the bed until his hand closed around his cell phone. Cloud glanced at the display and snickered.

He had forty-seven missed calls. All of them were from Reno.

“I really should call him back,” Cloud murmured to himself.

He almost felt bad in a way. Reno didn’t even know he’d taken the initiative to come to Gaea. It served him right, though. Reno was a pain in the ass. It was times like these that Cloud listened through all twenty-three messages that he wondered what had ever prompted him to sleep with Reno in the first place. No matter the circumstances saying that he had once had a relationship with Reno that was mostly rebound sex was embarrassing, especially if the person in question who knew this also happened to know Reno.

The messages kept cutting Reno off in the middle of sentences. The more Cloud deleted and the farther he got through them, the more Reno ended his sentences in ‘yo.’ He also sounded more desperate. Cloud chuckled as he deleted the last of them.

“Tomorrow, Reno. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Cloud glanced toward the door and frowned. Zack always took forever in the bathroom (SOLDIER never really managed to break him of this, either); he should have time. Navigating through the menus he went into his contact list and found Riku’s name. He knew he was resolved to have things calm down first, to talk to Reno and having something ready to tell, but there was a large void in his chest ever since the World that Never Was. He had to talk to Riku. It wasn’t something like Cloud to readily admit, but he missed him so much that it hurt. It couldn’t be ignored.

The phone rang seven times before Riku’s voicemail picked up. Cloud frowned. It was pretty late. Riku shouldn’t still be working on Roxas, or maybe he was. He flipped the phone shut and dialed again. The voicemail picked up for the second time. Cloud was starting to understand in a small way how Reno must feel.

“Hey, I just called, but you didn’t answer, and then I called back so I guess you don’t have your phone on you or something. I just wanted to check in.” Cloud paused. This wasn’t a conversation for voicemail. “Everyone’s starting to remember Sora so I guess that means things are going well on your end. I . . . I also have to talk to you about something. It’s kind of important. Don’t worry or anything, it’s not life-threatening, just give me a call when you get this message or when you get the time. I love you.”

Cloud took a breath and closed his eyes tight. His heart pounded hard in his chest. Shiva, he missed him.

“I really do. I know I haven’t been calling much, and things are messed up right now, but . . . I love you more than anything. I . . . Call me okay? I’ll be waiting.”

Cloud snapped the phone shut and stared at it for several seconds as if Riku were going to call him right back, but nothing happened. He dropped the phone over the side of the bed onto the floor and ran a shaky hand through his already disheveled blond hair. Call me back, he thought. Come on, Riku. I need you.

It was a scary feeling to need someone so much. Cloud was still mentally willing (praying?) for his phone to ring-so different from a few days when he was willing the opposite-when Zack walked in dressed in only loose pajama pants and squeezing water out of his hair. Cloud smirked.

“You’re supposed to do that in the bathroom. Now Tifa’s going to complain about you dripping all over the place.”

“Let her complain. It’s too steamy in there. I was overheating.”

“Shouldn’t the Mako make you less sensitive to heat?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they messed up with me.”

“Maybe. So I was thinking of calling Reno tomorrow and heading out to meet him and Rufus Shinra in Healen. Probably Rude, too, since Reno doesn’t go anywhere without his other half. Did you want to come along?”

Zack raised an eyebrow.

“Why would I go along?”

“I don’t know. I just thought you might want to help out on this Sephiroth-Kadaj and his gang thing. They’re harassing you, too, after all. Finish things off. You were there when it started.”

“What? Like we could fight side by side again or something?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

Zack smiled.

“I’d like that.”

Cloud tried to smile back. It felt so weak. Unfortunately, Zack noticed.

“If you don’t want me to . . .” said Zack.

“No, I do. I’d like it, too. We can finish things together-the way it should have been. I just . . . I don’t know. I don’t feel I have a whole lot to smile about these days.”

Zack frowned and sat on the end of his bed. He gently nudged one of Cloud’s legs until Cloud just rolled his eyes, lifted his leg, and dropped one foot in Zack’s lap. His fingers immediately fell to his heel and rubbed circles there with his thumb.

“Things’ll work out for you, Spiky. You’ve been through too much for them not to.”

“I know. I . . . I called him, but he’s not answering. I’m afraid I’m going to lose him.”

“Things are really that bad?”

“They aren’t bad. He’s . . . he’s having a hard time, and I’m not much help, you know?” Cloud sighed and shook his head. “Maybe I’m overacting. He just means a lot to me.”

“I can tell.”

“I’m sorry about everything. This isn’t fair to you, either.”

Zack frowned.

“Stop apologizing. It’s getting old. I know you’re sorry. I’m sorry, too. It just happened. I told you to get on with your life if it did. No one is at fault here.”

“I know. I just feel bad and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Zack’s fingers moved into the arch of his foot.

“Knock it off and relax. It’ll make things a thousand times easier on me.”

“Just like that?”

Zack laughed.

“Yes. Just like that.”

“I want you to know that feels really freaking good. No one does shit like this for me anymore.”

“What? You’re pretty little Sephiroth clone doesn’t rub your feet for you?”

“No, but I don’t really ask, either. He probably would if I did.”

“At least you’ve got that.”

Cloud snorted. Zack arched an eyebrow.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking you could ask Tifa.”

“Heh. I’ll take my chances asking Sephiroth first. There’s always Marlene. She loves me.”

“Yeah. Hey, there’s always Leon. He needs to get laid.”

“I think if anyone was going to be rubbing anyone’s feet in that relationship, I’d be doing it to him. Besides, what makes you think that would lead to sex?”

Cloud snorted and shrugged.

“Oh, I don’t know, Zack. Because it always used to? This’ll probably be the first time it doesn’t end in sex.”

Zack snorted and moved to Cloud’s other foot.

“Touché. That was a very astute observation for you.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you really think Squally would let me fuck him?”

Cloud laughed.

“Not if you call him Squally.”

“I don’t know. I think at this point he’s in no position to turn down sex from anyone.”

“Except maybe Yuffie.”

“I like Yuffie! What’s will all the Yuffie bashing? She was my girl.”

“Her and Aerith.”

“Yeah, but Aerith is a ball-buster.”

“And Yuffie’s not?”

“Good point. So’s Tifa. Where are all those girls that are supposed to be made of sugar and spice and everything nice?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s there, but you only get to see it after they bust your balls. Look at Tifa with Vincent.”

“I know! Doesn’t it make you want to projectile vomit?”

“A little, yeah.”

“I don’t know. I think everyone turns a little gushy when they’re in love, though. I was pretty spun out on you. You’re disgustingly sweet about your mini-Sephiroth.”

“He’s nothing like Sephiroth, Zack. I mean, yeah, they kind of resemble each other, but . . . He’s just nothing like Sephiroth.”

“What? You mean he’s not a psychotic mass-murderer with mommy issues?” said Zack in mock amazement. He laughed. “I know, okay? I’m just coping. Leave me be.”

“Okay . . .”

Cloud really did smile this time as Zack dropped his foot and leaned back. Then he started laughing, which prompted Zack into laughter as well.

“Why are we laughing?” said Zack.

“I’m just picturing Leon gushy.”

Zack howled.

“Poor Squally. He leaves us to our own devices and all we do is harass him in his absence.”

“He’d expect no less of us.”

“You’re right. Wouldn’t want to disappoint him. Keep laughing and try to imagine him calling someone his snuggle bunny.”

~*~

Cloud called Reno around ten in the morning the following day after checking his phone to find no return call from Riku. They arranged to meet in Healen after a long, melodramatic verbal bashing that subsided a little when Cloud told him he was already in Edge. It subsided further when Cloud relayed the Zack Dropped from the Lifestream Incident and promised to bring him along.

After lunch, Zack and Cloud said goodbye to Tifa, Vincent, Marlene, and Denzel. They walked out to the garage where the bikes were waiting.

“Let me fill you in thus far about Kadaj and his gang,” said Zack. “They’re trouble. Like I said, I think they have something to do with Jenova and Sephiroth. They keep calling me brother, which probably has to do with the Jenova cells . . .”

“Mother,” said Cloud in his best interpretation of Sephiroth.

“That’s not funny. It’s Kadaj’s favorite word. There are three of them. Loz is the big, masculine-looking one. He cries easy. Yazoo is the overtly effeminate-looking one. He always speaks as if he’s stoned. Kadaj is the one who can’t keep his mouth shut. He’s the crazy-sounding one.”

“Gotcha. They’re fucking weird and a lot of trouble.”

“That’s basically the gist. Let’s hope we don’t run into them out there. You got First Tsurugi?”

“All seven pieces.”

“All right, then. Let’s rock this shit.”

Cloud snorted and rolled his eyes as he strapped on his goggles and mounted Fenrir. They rode from Edge toward the large hill overlooking Midgar (where Zack had died) and the Wilds. Cloud and Zack sped along side by side. As they traveled by the hill, Zack brought his bike in closer.

“Cloud!” Zack screamed, and motioned his head toward the hill. Cloud looked up to see three silver-haired figures silhouetted against the blinding sunlight. Two of the figures ran off and got on bikes themselves, speeding down the hill. His eyes narrowed.

“Kadaj?!” Cloud yelled back over the sounds of the engines. Zack nodded.

“And here they come! It’s Loz and Yazoo! Get ready for a fight!”

Cloud nodded. Zack pulled the Buster sword from where it was harnessed to his back. Cloud reached toward his own harness and pulled out what he assembled earlier that morning of First Tsurugi. The wind rushed past his face as they rode on in the direction Tifa pointed to as Healen. Loz and Yazoo, however, were fast and they caught up, pulling next to either side of Cloud and Zack.

“Where’s Mother?” screamed the one closest to Cloud. He raised his weapon, and Cloud snuck a glance. Big, masculine-looking one. Must have been Loz.

Cloud didn’t think the blow would come so fast. The attack hit him hard and he swerved, almost colliding into Zack, who swerved himself and almost took the girly one-Yazoo, he figured-out. Cloud frowned and looked to Zack. Where’s Mother? He supposed he meant Jenova considering what Zack, Tifa, Reno, and even Rufus Shinra must be theorizing, but what was that supposed to mean? Jenova was supposed to be long gone, and if that thing wasn’t, Cloud didn’t know what made them think he or Zack would even know where to find it. It wasn’t like they cared.

“We know you hid her, Brother,” said Yazoo.

Zack slowed down and dropped back as Yazoo leaned in for an attack. Cloud followed suit, swerving away from Loz, dropping back, and staying just ahead of Zack. His heart was racing. The monsters that crawled around this area weren’t helping, and as Loz leaned his bike in front of Cloud’s, he had to swipe at and take one out. His goggles went flying.

On his right, Zack slashed at the monsters while leaning around Yazoo and Loz. Cloud raised First Tsurugi to block an attack coming from Loz slightly ahead and to the left, and as they weapons collided a horrible pain seared, burning up through his left arm as if in his bones. Cloud hissed, wincing, and then all of a sudden Loz and Yazoo dropped back and withdrew. Yazoo signaled to the monsters to back off. Zack pointed to the hill where the only one who remained-Kadaj-was signaling Loz and Yazoo back to him. He stared at Cloud. Cloud stared back.

~*~

Cloud agreed to meet with Reno at Rufus Shinra’s lodge in Healen. It was located in a thick wood of trees past a signpost reading “Healen Lodge/Geostigma Sanatorium/In love of silence.” Zack and Cloud passed to the one lodge with its door wide open (the way he would know it was Rufus Shinra’s lodge). Cloud killed the engine and Zack removed his goggles, climbing off his bike.

“What the hell was that back there?” said Cloud. “That was Kadaj and his crew?”

“Yeah. They’ve got those monsters out there under their control.”

“What did he mean ‘Where’s Mother?’ and they know we ‘hid her’?”

“How am I supposed to know? I’ve been dead.”

Cloud sighed. He moved to dismount and winced, gripping his left arm in pain. Zack frowned.

“What is it?”

“I think it’s that bruise from the kids the other day. It burns like hell.”

Cloud removed his hand from where he gripped his arm to look at the spot. It was larger than before, darker-almost black now instead of the blackish-purple it had been. Zack frowned.

“You said it burns?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That’s . . . If I didn’t know better . . .”

“What?”

“Geostigma. It’s supposed to burn. I don’t know how you’d get it so fast, though, or why. Tifa thinks I don’t have it because of being in the Lifestream, but you . . . You helped the planet, didn’t you?”

Cloud frowned and looked down at the bruised spot on his arm. Sephiroth was still alive, and Cloud had depended on it. The planet took care of the Heartless. The planet stopped Meteor. Maybe Zack had a loose definition of the word, but Cloud wouldn’t exactly say he helped the planet at all.

“I don’t know. Let’s just go see what the hell Reno’s been so adamant calling about.”

Zack shrugged and nodded. They walked up the stairs to the lodge and entered. Cloud saw Reno right away, instantaneously recognizable by his wild, red hair. Zack stepped to the side, and Reno swiftly turned as they entered, striking out. First Tsurugi met the blow before Reno ever seemed to notice what had happened. Cloud stepped back, taking the defense. Zack sniggered as Reno grinned, pulled back, and plunged forward. Cloud took a casual step out of the way, and the inertia from the blow sent Reno straight outside. Zack’s laughter increased when Cloud shut the door and leaned back against it. A knock sounded.

“Okay, so you’re good,” said Reno.

Cloud locked the door.

“That’s a pleasant greeting,” said Zack.

“What can I say?” said Cloud. “They love me here.”

The door leading into the next room opened and Rude stepped through. He readied his weapon as well.

“Yeah, Rude, lookin’ sharp!” cried Reno from outside the window.

“You’re an idiot,” said Zack.

Rude’s gaze passed from Cloud to Zack to Reno’s head peeking in through the window. His body relaxed.

“Good,” said a voice from the next room. “You fight like the SOLDIER you once were.”

Rude looked toward the door and raised his hands, yielding. A man clad from head to foot in cloth emerged from the room in an electric wheelchair. Only his right hand was exposed, covered in Geostigma welts.

“Rufus Shinra,” said Zack.

“Do I feel sorry for you,” said Cloud, directing his attention to Rude.

Rude looked away. Rufus nodded toward Zack.

“Fair.”

“What do you want?” said Zack. “I’m under the impression Reno could be arrested for harassment with the way he’s been calling Cloud.”

Rufus cleared his throat.

“The day of the explosion, I-”

“What do you want from us?” said Cloud. Zack’s eyes briefly flitted to him but his expression remained stoic and unmoved.

“I managed to get out of the building-”

“What’s the deal with Kadaj and his gang?”

“-before it colla-”

“I’m leaving.”

Cloud turned to the door. Zack took a step after him. Rufus sighed.

“We need your assistance, Cloud. You, too, if you’re willing to offer it, Fair.”

Cloud sighed. He met Zack’s eye for a second and nodded. Cloud turned back toward Rufus Shinra in his pathetic, sorry state and leaned against the door again.

“What if I’m not interested?”

“I acknowledge that Shinra owes the planet a lot. It goes without saying that my company and I are the ones who put the world in the sorry state it’s in. Therefore, it’s our responsibility to set things right.”

Reno rapped on the window.

“I’m still out here . . .?”

“As a first step, we have commenced an investigation in Sephiroth’s wake,” said Rufus, ignoring Reno’s plea. Zack looked toward the window and rapped back on it.

“Yup, at the Northern Cave!” said Reno.

“What do you think we found?” said Rufus. “Nothing. Nothing at all. You can relax.”

Zack sniggered.

“It probably helps that Sephiroth isn’t dead, or didn’t you get that memo?”

Cloud shifted his footing. He saw Rufus’s fingers clench.

“Sephiroth has been defeated.”

“Not for good. Cloud will tell you that.”

“What happened at the cave?” said Cloud.

Rufus paused.

“Not all went as planned. We were interrupted . . . by the same three who attacked you two. Kadaj and his gang. It seems he doesn’t want us finishing what we started.”

“What does that have to do with us?” said Zack.

“You’re our buddies, aren’t ya?” called Reno.

Cloud kicked the door with his heel.

“Kadaj’s group is young and violent,” said Rufus. “As dangerous as they come. That’s why we decided it might be in our best interest to hire a little muscle.”

“And you think it has something to do with Sephiroth,” said Zack. “Isn’t that right?”

“There are . . . resemblances.”

“Not interested,” said Cloud. “I can take care of Sephiroth on my own. I don’t need any meddling from Shinra. Kadaj and his gang are all yours.”

“You’re all we have. You’re ex-SOLDIERs, aren’t you?”

“Not of my own accord,” said Cloud. “I’m not working with darkness anymore.”

“SOLDIERs killed me,” said Zack.

They turned to leave, but then Cloud turned back.

“What’s this stuff about Mother?”

“Why, did Kadaj say something to you?” said Rufus. “No surprise. There are plenty of kids who miss their mothers.”

“Bullshit,” said Zack.

“True, it is one of the resemblances, but it’s the world we live in. I hear there are orphans living with your friends, aren’t there? Think about it ... Don’t you want to put smiles back on their faces? All we want in the end ... is to rebuild our world.”

Zack frowned. Cloud met his eyes.

“C’mon, Cloud,” said Reno. “Think about it. Together we can rebuild Shinra!”

Any remorseful feelings Cloud might have had disappeared. Zack walked right for the door and waited as Cloud unlocked it.

“Not interested,” said Cloud.

“Yeah,” said Zack. “What he said.”

Cloud strode out of the house and Zack followed, passing Reno on the way to their bikes.

~*~

“Can you believe the nerve of that guy?” said Cloud.

“I know!” said Zack. “He calls you there to rebuild Shinra? And he doesn’t even have the decency to tell us what he really thinks about Kadaj. He completely shot down the obvious Mother problem. There’s something going on. They must have found something at the Northern Cave.”

“You think?”

“Reno was spilling all the wrong beans. Has to be.”

“I didn’t even want to help Rufus Shinra. I only came because of Sephiroth and Reno said more than he should have. I thought he’d be more of a help.”

“Well, you did lock him outside. Couldn’t help much from there.”

“Sure he could have. He just wasn’t inventive enough.”

“You have issues with Reno.”

“We dated for a brief time after you died. He was my heavy rebound. I begrudge him for every irritating second.”

“I know. Tifa told me it was the highest form of self-abuse you’ve ever taken.”

Cloud snickered.

“She would say something like that, but the funny thing is she dated him, too.”

“Well I am not working for Rufus Shinra but I’ll work with Rude and Reno. I have no problem there as long as they’re honest. Shinra is out.”

“I agree.”

“Did you see Rufus Shinra’s hand?”

Cloud sniggered.

“Oh, yeah. Man, the planet is really pissed off at him.”

“I know, and that was just his hand. Can you imagine what’s under all that cloth? This opens a lot of doors, though. I wonder what they found at the Northern Cave.”

“Don’t know.”

As they sat there pondering in the bedroom, Cloud cell phone went off. He grumbled.

“If it’s Reno I’m going to rip his head off and shit down his neck,” said Cloud.

Zack sniggered.

“If it’s Reno, tell him I’m available for my rebound fuck now. He can have us both.”

“Come now. I had him. You think I’d let him fuck me?”

“You were the seme? But you’re such the uke!”

“Nope. That was just you, dear.”

Cloud grabbed his phone from the floor and glanced at the display. His stomach tied in knots as his smile fell.

“It’s Riku.”

Zack stopped sniggering. That sad, distant look crept back into his eyes.

“Go ahead. Answer it. I’ll go downstairs.”

Cloud bit his lip and nodded. He flipped the phone open as Zack stood before it went to voicemail.

“Hey,” said Cloud.

“Hey,” said Riku. “I got your message. I’m calling. You said it was important . . .?”

“Let me know when you’re done, okay?” said Zack. “I’m going for a drink.”

Cloud nodded.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” said Riku. “Who was that? I heard a voice.”

“That’s kind of what I need to talk to you about.”

Cloud got off the bed and walked to the door Zack just vacated, shutting it and turning the lock.

“Was it Vincent?”

“No . . . What’s the last thing I told you?”

Riku was silent for a few seconds.

“That much has happened, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

Riku sighed.

“You called Leon.”

“But why did I tell you I called Leon?”

There was another long pause.

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t tell you everything. I . . . Don’t be upset, okay? I just wasn’t ready to tell you, and now . . .”

“I thought you said I wasn’t supposed to worry.”

“I did. You shouldn’t. It’s just . . .” Cloud sighed. “It’s important. Or not really . . . it’s big.”

“How big?”

“Big enough that you’re going to freak out.”

“You said I didn’t have to worry! This sounds like I should!”

“Calm down, Ri. I said you’re going to freak out. It doesn’t mean you should.”

Riku sighed.

“What’s going on?”

“That was Zack.”

“Zack . . .?”

“Zack. Zack Fair. My formerly dead ex-boyfriend, Zack.”

Riku said nothing. Cloud sighed.

“He was here at Tifa’s when I got here,” said Cloud. “As Tifa and Zack tell it, after the Lifestream took out all the Heartless it started chucking out dead people and Zack was one of them. I didn’t tell you before because I was kind of in shock, and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to assure you that it wouldn’t affect us in the state I was in.”

“So what you’re telling me is your boyfriend . . .”

“Ex-boyfriend.”

“He was only your ex-boyfriend because he died.”

“And now he’s my ex-boyfriend because I’m over him. Listen, Ri, just . . . hear me out.”

“. . . Okay. Go on.”

There a terse tone to his voice that made the muscles in Cloud shoulders, back, and neck pull taut.

“Zack was here when I got here, and I lost it. I was in shock. To make matters worse, Zack doesn’t remember being dead, so it’s an abrupt end for him, and Tifa’s determined to see us back together. I called Leon because I was worried about how you were going to take it and I felt bad just flat out telling Zack that I still care about him, but I’m not in love with him anymore. Leon was here for a few days to help me get my head together, but he headed back to Hollow Bastion when we started remembering Sora.”

“You’re not convincing me, Cloud.”

“I’m not in love with him anymore.” Cloud said these words slowly and controlled. “It’s true that he wants us to get back together, and Tifa wants to see us together, but I want to be with you. I’m in love with you. Now that he’s back I’m more assured than ever that you mean so much more to me than he ever did. I want you. I love you. I miss you so much it hurts.”

There was a soft sound on the other end. Cloud frowned.

“Ri . . . Are you crying?”

“No.”

“Riku . . .?”

“This is just perfect, isn’t it? I’m not exactly in a position for a relationship right now looking the way I do, and then the love of your life who’s supposed to be dead just comes walking back in. It’s like fate.”

“It’s not fate, Riku. It’s Shinra pissing off the planet. It’s unusual, and I’m happy he’s back. I care about him, but he’s my friend. I don’t want to be with him.”

“You say that now, but what about later when I still look like this. I mean . . . I love you, too, but . . . I’m not me anymore. I’m not . . .”

Cloud frowned. He dropped to the bed.

“What’s been going on over there, Ri? This doesn’t sound like you.”

“Of course it doesn’t. I’m fucking Ansem.”

“What . . .?”

“DiZ. He wanted to know my true name. I told him it was Ansem. I . . . Naminé . . . Roxas . . . Sora’s almost completely restored, but . . . it’s a disaster here, Cloud. I want to go home, and I don’t even mean Destiny Islands. I want to go there, too, but . . . I miss you so much.”

“Ri, it’s okay. Tell me what’s going on.”

“And you’re going to run off with Zack because you were in love with him and I’m a mess . . .”

“I’m not going to run off with Zack. I don’t care if you look like Ansem for the rest of your life; I’m going to be with you.”

“I care! I don’t want to be like this for the rest of my life! I don’t want you to be with me like this. You should just . . . It’s just too perfect. You should be with Zack.”

“It would only be perfect if I wanted Zack, which I don’t. You won’t be like this the rest of your life; I’m just saying that if you were, I’d be with you anyway. I’m not giving you up so don’t try to push me away. We promised, remember?”

There was another soft, stifled sound. Cloud’s frown deepened.

“Yeah. I remember, but . . .”

“No ‘buts’. I’m not giving you up. Got it?”

“. . . Got it.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

There was a long pause.

“It’s horrible. I haven’t even had time to think about how I’m going to make things up to Leon because I’m too busy running after Roxas for DiZ. DiZ wants me to ‘dispose’ of Naminé, and she’s all okay with this because she’s just a Nobody and if she disappears, she’ll be whole again, but I don’t want her to disappear. She’s my friend. Roxas is no happier about going back to Sora than he was in the World that Never Was, though at least he’s less violent about it. He’s not supposed to know anything, but Naminé was determined that he had to hear it, and now that he has he’s really upset. Organization XIII found their way into the system so I’ve been chasing around Nobodies. I finally found out DiZ’s real goal is revenge, I didn’t get to go to the beach, I’m trapped inside this body that isn’t mine, Leon hates me, and now your dead ex-boyfriend isn’t dead anymore.”

Cloud’s eyes widened as his eyebrows rose. He blinked.

“Okay. Leon doesn’t hate you. Zack is no threat to you, and one day I plan on introducing you to further prove it. I can’t comment on anything else except it will get better. Keep your head up.”

“I miss you,” said Riku. His voice sounded almost desperate. “I want to be with you. I want you to hug me. I want a hug.”

“Riku, remember when all the bad stuff was going on with Maleficent?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“No.”

“. . . Yeah. Why?”

“Remember how you just kept going because you saw the end goal?”

“I messed that up.”

“You couldn’t know what Maleficent was really up to. Whatever DiZ’s motive is, it isn’t against Sora. If anything, it sounds like he wants revenge against Organization XIII. You can’t help with revenge. That’s his issue, but it doesn’t get in the way of your goal so it doesn’t matter. As far as Naminé, if she’s happy about getting to be whole again, then you need to let her go. If you need a friend, I’m always here for you. Forever. And Leon doesn’t hate you, so you have him, too. Roxas is needed to be part of Sora, and it’s only natural if you feel bad about taking away his life since Sora was your best friend, but he’ll be whole, too, just like Naminé says.”

Riku sighed.

“I know. And I won’t look like this forever, right?”

Cloud smiled.

“I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me, too, right now, but we’ll pull through this together, and I promise that the next time I see you-Ansem-looking or not-I will give you the biggest hug you’ve ever gotten.”

Riku laughed a little.

“Okay. You won’t let me go until I’m ready?”

“I’m never letting you go, but literally speaking, no. I’ll hold you until you’re ready to let go.”

“. . . Okay.”

“I miss you, too.”

“I’m still not happy about your dead ex-boyfriend being undead.”

“You have nothing to worry about. We’re sharing a room, but there are two beds, and I’ve been very firm about letting him know that we are not getting back together. I’ve told him a bit about you. Oh . . . heh . . . I kind of told Leon about the Ansem-looking thing.”

“. . . What?”

“Yeah. Well, he wanted to know about your voice, and I know you were going to tell him anyway, so I thought it was better if he had time to process it before he heard it from you. I also thought it might take a little strain off of you-no pressure to tell him, and no extreme initial reaction.”

Riku sighed.

“I guess you’re right. I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.”

“So no pressure. Leon knows, and he doesn’t look at you differently except perhaps think that you’re far stronger than he ever thought. I also want to let you know that I’ve let go the last of my jealousy about your friendship with Leon.”

“Really?”

There was a hint of amusement in his tone. It made Cloud smile.

“Yeah. I finally realized that Leon was just profoundly lonely and I’ve decided I need to get him laid. I’ve recruited Zack in this mission, and you can feel free to join. By the way, Zack calls Leon ‘Squally,’ so if you ever hear anything about a Squally . . .”

“You’re trying to get Leon laid now?”

“. . . Zack’s been a bad influence.”

“You’re having a really good time, aren’t you?”

Cloud snorted.

“Absolutely not. I’ve been having a terrible time. We just use humor to keep from going insane. Zack’s especially good at it because he’s got an astoundingly good memory for someone who can’t remember being dead. You know how back in Hollow Bastion Yuffie is our easy target?”

“Yeah.”

“Leon is Zack’s easy target.”

“You saying that makes me want to like him, and I don’t want to like him, Cloud. I want to be threatened, and hate him, and not ever have good feelings about him.”

“You have nothing to worry about. One day you’re going to meet him, and I get the bad feeling that after the initial hostility you’ll become the best of friends, get Sora in on it, and the three of you will rip Leon and me to shreds.”

“What’s going on with Sephiroth?”

“Don’t know. I got attacked by Kadaj’s gang today, though. Me and Zack went to meet up with Reno, and we got attacked, and then Rufus Shinra wanted us to be the muscle behind rebuilding Shinra. He also lied out his ass about not thinking Kadaj and Sephiroth were connected. It’s a bunch of bull.”

“Sounds it.”

“I don’t know. I’m thinking about meeting with Reno and Rude privately.”

“Rude is Reno’s partner, right?”

“Yep. You’re starting to get it.”

“Starting to. Well . . . I really should get to bed. Sora’s almost at one-hundred percent, and I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’ll call you when it’s all over, though, and let you know. I just wanted to hear your voice and find out what was so important.”

“Don’t stress about it. I’m going to ask you to marry me when you finish school. Zack is not part of our plan except maybe be the first asshole to makes jokes about our age difference at the wedding.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. That’s what we promised.”

“No, it’s not. Homosexuals can’t get married. You’re asking me for a commitment ceremony.”

“Maybe they can’t get married on Destiny Islands, but it’s perfectly legal in Hollow Bastion.”

“. . . Are you serious?”

“No, of course not. There are just gay couples running rampant, no one thinks it’s weird, and gays and straights can coexist at the same club without any problems. Homosexuality is totally an issue on Hollow Bastion.”

“That was sarcasm.”

“Yes, it was.”

“So . . . you mean . . .?”

“If you wanted to move to Hollow Bastion after you finish school . . . yeah. We could if you wanted me to ask you for that instead.”

“Is that what you want?”

“I just practically told you it is.”

“. . . Okay. Then . . . yeah. I want you to ask me that.”

“Okay. Good. Then you have nothing to worry about with Zack, and I will call you more often to check in just so you can know how much I miss you, how much I love you, and how gushy I’ve become over you.”

“Okay. I’d like that.”

Cloud could hear the smile in his voice. He grinned.

“Me too. Now get to bed. Who knows what tragedy awaits tomorrow? You’ll want to be well-rested.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Goodnight.”

Cloud smiled.

“Night. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“. . . I’m holding you to that.”

“I figured you would.”

“Until tomorrow, then. Night.”

Cloud couldn’t help the grin even if it felt like it was breaking his face.

“Night.”

The line disconnected and Cloud snapped his phone shut, staring at it for several seconds before he headed for the door to retrieve a possibly drunk Zack. He tried to unscrew the smile, but it refused to move.

( Prompt Table) for previous installments. 064/100 Complete.