The Borough

A matter of dealing with personal demons.

A/N: So this is a sequel to my other Cleon oneshot, The Bailey, but you don't really need to read that to understand this (not that I would be opposed if you checked it out, wink wink). In-Universe. Takes place during KH2.

Disclaimer: I've been writing KH fics since 2011 and I still don't own KH.

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For all the crap Cloud's been through in life, never had he felt as upset at something as he did at those blasted Heartless.

Months of work. Months of labor and repairs, and it took barely an hour for those stupid creatures to tear it all down.

Cloud once again found himself staring out over the rubble that was all that was left of the Bailey. He liked to think he'd made some rather nice memories with his new friends and his significant other at that Bailey. Sure, most of their time was spent rebuilding the ruins of the once luxurious city of light, or rather, roping Cloud into helping rebuild, but it was time well spent nonetheless. Those were fond memories, thoughts that Cloud would look back at for the rest of his life with a smile.

It was truly a shame to see it so easily blown away because this Organization thought they could just do whatever the hell they wanted. Cloud had half a mind to go after the black coats himself, but a part of him was always there to remind him that he had a duty to this city now. He'd stay to clean up the mess, and let the King, Sora and his crew clean up the Organization. Besides, Cloud had made sure to exact his retribution on any Heartless he had managed to get his hands on during the attack. The thought of such a grand battle, fighting back to back with Squall, the thrill of the fight running through his veins and the warmth in his chest at the thought of protecting those he cared about, had his fingers twitching toward his sword. Cloud wasn't much one for a fight, honestly. It was dirty business and brought back unfortunate memories of his service to Hades, but even he could admit that the battle during the Heartless attack had been more than worth the effort. With such feelings still fresh in his mind, fueling his anger towards the resulting destruction, Cloud knew it was dangerous to hang around the ruined Bailey. He'd likely end up doing something rash, and so soon after such a large scale battle, he'd be scolded more than once. Despite his cold exterior, Cloud wasn't exactly actively trying to earn his companions' ire.

Pulling his fingers from the hilt of his fusion blade, which, he noted, he had unconsciously grabbed, Cloud cast a final look at the ruins of the Bailey before turning back towards the city center.

Thankfully, the damage to the town itself was minimal. Most of the destruction had been centered in the restoration area, trailing up the path to the castle. The entire area was infested with Heartless, to the point that some even showed up in the Bailey, dangerously close to town. Hell, sometimes there were Heartless in the town, although thankfully never in the Marketplace where all the hustle and bustle was. Even more fortunately, whatever Heartless were in town were quickly eradicated either by the town's defense mechanism or the Restoration Committee themselves. And of course, Sora, Donald and Goofy when they were around. Speaking of…

Cloud jumped from the ledge of the stairs leading to the Bailey, touching down silently on the pathway. Checking his surroundings for any Heartless, he stood back up at no sign of a threat before heading over to Merlin's house. He doubted it was empty; at least three members of the Restoration Committee could usually be found hanging around. Merlin himself was there on occasion, but it wasn't unusual to find him missing, likely off on some magic endeavor. Those were the quiet days. No arguing between the old wizard and Cid. Not that Cid didn't find the time to instead argue with Yuffie over some nonexistent issue. Cloud was tempted to shake his head at the memory of her first suggestion to knock the castle down. According to Squall, she still apparently tried to suggest it from time to time. And Aerith, the third committee member who was likely to be hanging around Merlin's house, was taking a much needed break after all the excitement. Unfortunately, it usually meant she had to play mediator to all of the arguments plaguing that household, and Cloud could tell even she got tired of it. He wouldn't be surprised if he didn't find her inside, Aerith having possibly wandered off to the castle with Squall to figure out whatever was going on with Ansem's computer. Cloud figured he was better off avoiding getting involved. His luck with computers was never that great, although he knew better than to bang at it like a certain someone had. Again, Cloud found himself fighting not to shake his head at the memory of Squall telling him about the world inside Ansem's computer that Sora had accidentally transported himself to.

As for the boy himself, it seemed he and his crew were visiting for the day. Cloud hadn't paid much attention to what he was going on about –something about a book in Merlin's house– and he hadn't wanted to enter the house to find out, too worried about getting dragged into more work he didn't want to do by whoever was inside. Even now, Cloud found himself uninclined to go in, instead opting to lean against the wall and enjoy the alone time for a little while. It was blissfully silent in the area, no shouting from behind the door, no Heartless at Merlin's doorstep and, with the threat of Heartless in the town hanging over people's heads, no noisy children playing out in the pathway. Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, Cloud tipped his head back and relaxed for the first time in a while.

He couldn't think of the last time he had a peaceful moment such as this. Losing his world to the Heartless, losing his best friend (who was apparently searching for him now) in the midst of the chaos, facing down his darkness…only to lose him as well. Spending a length of time, too long, in Hades' service and being dragged off to Hollow Bastion to fix the mess that was left behind after its destruction. There had been no time to sit around; his entire world, entire existence, was fighting. He was more thankful than he could describe to have these moments now to simply lean against a wall and take a break. To let someone else do the heavy lifting for once.

Not that Cloud looked forward to saddling his friends with the restoration work, if anything he was glad it gave him something to do. He didn't disappear for hours at a time to get out of the rebuilding (mostly), he simply enjoyed the freedom he now had at his fingertips. It was nice to have the option to say no, and not be looked down upon for it. And despite their odd quirks, his new found friends were kind and understanding people. He was thankful, more than anything, to have them at his back. And as for another certain someone…Cloud couldn't complain about the special sort of bond they had formed. He wasn't sure what to make of it at first, having not been used to having such feelings for another person, and he could tell Squall felt the same. Yet in the end, they made it work. He didn't even mind finally revealing their relationship to the others…well, scratch that, letting Aerith reveal their relationship to the others. Aside from the friendly teasing, the whole of them had been just as accepting as ever. Amusingly enough, Merlin hadn't been present for the reveal and seemed to have not caught on. Neither had Sora and his crew, but…that didn't surprise Cloud much.

He was happy with what he had either way. If no one in the world knew, or if everyone in the world knew, Cloud wouldn't care. Because finally he let himself be happy. A dark place in his mind, however, constantly polluted his thoughts, reminded him that it was all pointless. That he was letting himself get distracted from the real end goal. What did it matter that Cloud found a place to belong…when he was still out there. He, who Cloud spent the last few years of his life searching for. And true, Cloud had been distracted. Finding friends, helping in the restoration, taking the time out to relax, building a relationship… None of it mattered in the end when he would reappear and take it all away. Cloud had to find him first; had to stop him.

"That's not a very welcoming look on your face."

Startled, Cloud stiffened before quickly relaxing as he looked up. He was met with the amused faces of Squall and Aerith, both having likely just gotten back from the castle. Aerith sent them both a coy grin as she headed up the steps to Merlin's door.

"I'll leave you two alone then," she giggled before stepping inside. Cid's obnoxious shout of "get a room, the both o' ya" from inside followed her as the front door was shut. It was promptly ignored.

Squall moved to stand next to Cloud, leaning back against the wall as well.

"Munny for your thoughts?" he asked.

Cloud shrugged.

"Not much I haven't already told you."

"Ah."

Squall knew everything. He knew about the life Cloud led after their world was destroyed, he knew about the fighting he's endured, and he knew about the biggest fight to come. Cloud told him everything the night they made their formerly known "thing" an official relationship. He wanted Squall to know exactly what he was getting into. Squall listened quietly, did not judge, and by the end of it he bore the weight of Cloud's trust, of Cloud's life, and did not complain even once. It was more than Cloud could ever ask a person.

The two of them looked out over the Borough, taking in the moment. Cloud implanted every image into his memory. These, too, were moments he would forever think back on in happiness. The calm feeling of simply being with someone, of having them beside him. Gods, was he terrified to lose it.

"Y'know…" he started. Squall blinked at him, surprised that he actually started a conversation. For Cloud, doing so was relatively rare.

"When all this is over, I'd think I'd like to live in this area."

"All this?" Squall inquired.

"The Organization, the Heartless…all of it. Even…" Cloud trailed off. Squall knew what he meant.

"I see. Any reason this area in particular?"

"Well, it's right next to the Committee base—" Squall's snort cut him off.

"I thought you wanted to avoid the noise."

"And yet you still hang around here when you're not up at that scrap-heap castle," Cloud retorted. Squall nodded along in agreement, though they both knew Cloud's words wouldn't change anything. Still…

"True. Well then, how about we take a walk. You know, something other than 'hanging around here'."

Squall tipped his head in the direction of the Marketplace, and the two of them pushed off from the wall to do exactly as he had suggested.

"A house in the Borough then, huh?" Squall asked, though his words sounded more like a statement then anything.

"Yeah. As I was saying before I was interrupted," A pointed glare was sent Squall's way, to which he simply chuckled. "It's near the Committee, it's just by the Marketplace, and we're pretty capable of keeping the danger off the streets."

"I heard a 'we' in there."

Cloud shrugged.

"I could use a roommate."

Squall was silent for a moment, before his lips quirked up.

"I accept."

The glance he sent Cloud was soft. Cloud knew from that look that he would never have been turned down.

"Although, if you want me to be your roommate, you're gonna need to fix that habit of wandering off."

"You make me sound like some lost dog."

"Sometimes I wonder—" he was cut off by Cloud shoving him, bursting into laughter at his own teasing. Cloud found himself smiling as well, though not particularly because of the jab. It was simply nice to hear Squall laughing. He used to do so far too rarely.

"If anyone's lost, it's the kid. Here we are fighting grand battles against thousands of Heartless and now he's running around inside a book." Cloud snorted, all too ready to shift the attention away from himself.

"Actually, he's not," Leon replied.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, whatever business he had with that magic book was finished pretty quickly. Aerith said he had walked her up to the Postern before turning back and heading towards the Great Maw. That was a while back."

"…Huh. Wonder what he's up to now, then."

Squall shrugged.

"He's not quite as lost as you think. Aerith said he looked pretty determined. I'd assume it's something important."

The two had crossed into the Marketplace and down into the former fountain courtyard by this point. Despite that, Cloud was itching to turn back, curious as to what could have diverted Sora's attention from his journey and the search for his friend. After all, he reasoned to himself, if it truly was important than it wasn't so far-fetched to get the committee involved. They were the protectors of Radiant Garden at this point.

"Hey."

Cloud found himself looking directly into Squall's eyes. They were narrowed, and anyone who didn't know Squall better would think he was annoyed. Cloud, however, immediately recognized the worry in them.

"I'm sure whatever it is, he can handle it."

Ah. It wasn't worry for the kid then. If there was one thing Squall was best at, it was reading Cloud like an open book. And Cloud knew fully well that Squall was thinking along the same lines as he...

Cloud's search might just be coming to an end soon.

Almost as if summoned by their words, Squall and Cloud turned at the sound of Sora's voice. From the top of the stairs leading into the Borough he came running, Donald and Goofy in tow. Cloud felt relief flood through him at the sight, thankful that the kid was okay. If his suspicions were correct, he might have just gotten out of what was likely the most intense battle of his life. And this was the same boy who took on a thousand Heartless by himself.

Bustling down the stairs, and tripping on one of them (typical), he made a beeline for the two, only stopping before them to catch his breath.

"Cloud, there you ar—oh, Hey Leon!"

Squall raised his eyebrows at Cloud before turning back to greet Sora, leading Cloud to roll his eyes. It wasn't that Cloud wanted to disrespect Squall's wishes to be called by another name. It's simply that he felt he didn't need it. Squall is who he is. He never went away, not when Radiant Garden was destroyed, and certainly not now. That young boy who watched his world's destruction stood back up on his two feet and went to work. He trained himself to fight, he set up a base in Traverse Town, and he took the first opportunity he could to hop a gummi ship back to the ruins of this world and fix it. 'Leon' was created to separate himself from who he once was, but it was Squall Leonhart who cast away his weakness and tried. Squall Leonhart didn't practically fall into despair. Squall Leonhart didn't land himself in the service of the God of the Underworld. Squall Leonhart wasn't hiding from his past, he was working for his future. There's no reason Squall Leonhart ever had to make way for 'Leon'. If anyone should have changed their name, Cloud should have.

"Hey man, you okay?"

Cloud looked up again at the worried expressions on Sora and Squall's faces. Even Donald, who had started tapping his webbed foot impatiently, stopped to send Cloud a cautious glance. Having not even realized he had looked away, lost in thought, he simply nodded.

"I'm fine. So you're heading out again?" he sighed.

Sora nodded at that. "Yeah, we've got a few more worlds that need our help and some loose ends to tie up. Plus, we still gotta find the Organization's home world, and Riku, so we'll be focusing on that once we leave. But, before we go…"

Cloud raised an eyebrow as Sora looked out back towards the direction of the Borough and what was beyond.

"Before you go…?" Squall prompted.

Turned back to the two of them, Sora scratched at the back of his head with a worried look.

"Sephiroth's looking for you," he told Cloud. "He's in the Dark Depths."

The pulse of dread that spread through Cloud's body was quickly pushed back, replaced with anticipation. He was ready for this. He'd been ready for this.

"I see. So I guess it's time we settled this," Cloud responded quietly, more to himself than to Sora. The Keyblade wielder nodded anyway before he and his crew bounded off, back in the direction they came from.

Cloud watched after him, a solemn feeling building in his chest. Squall, he noticed in his peripheral, was watching him closely, his face portraying Cloud's feelings. He realized it the same time Cloud did. It was time.

"He's waiting for me." Cloud spoke up, expressing both of their silent thoughts.

"You have to go."

"Yeah."

Squall sighed, the skin between his eyebrows crinkling with frustration. He didn't bother to fix the expression. Cloud wanted him to. He didn't want to leave him with such a look on his face. Reaching out, he smoothed the crinkle out, leaning over to place a chaste kiss to the other's forehead. Not usually one for sappy goodbyes, Cloud felt this one was warranted. He had a feeling of what he was about to walk into. And he doubted he would be coming back from it. Not easily, at least.

Yet another sigh left Squall's lips as he lay his head atop Cloud's, taking his time to enjoy their close proximity. All too soon, he pulled away. The furrowed brow was gone, but his eyes spoke volumes to Cloud. They spoke of promises. They spoke of love. They spoke of a future. They told Cloud everything he needed to hear. So when Squall spoke next, his words brought comfort instead of pain.

"Go then. But when this is all over…"

Come back to me.

Nodding, Cloud turned away, prepared to face his inner demons. He did not feel alone.

He'll never let go of the darkness.

He doesn't have to. He just needs someone to surround him with light.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: A little more serious and a little less fluffy this time around, but I guess that's to be expected when in Cloud's thoughts.

A couple things: I know Cloud cut a deal with Hades. But considering how Hades basically manipulates people into doing what he wants through these so-called "deals", Cloud considers it more of being in service to him. And yeah, for the sake of the story, a few little things were changed around when Sora finds Cloud to tell him about Sephiroth.

Anyway, it took me over a year to finally get around to writing this sequel but I like how it turned out, and I hope you lovely readers enjoyed it as well.