Main Pairings: Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, Axel/Roxas, Seifer/Zell

Minor, past, or implied pairings include: Squall/Rinoa, Irvine/Selphie, Squall/Irvine, Seifer/Squall, Seifer/Rinoa, Reno/Rude, Cloud/Zack, Cloud/Aerith, Cloud/Tifa, Vincent/Cloud, Axel/Demyx, Leon/Demyx, Reno/Cloud, Sephiroth/Cloud, Sephiroth/Leon, Reeve/Quistis, Riku/Roxas, Axel/Sora, Axel/Riku, Reno/Rufus, Cid (FFVII)/Edea, Saix/Xemnas, Vincent/Lucrecia, Xigbar/Demyx

I just wanted all of you to know what you're getting yourselves into. Lots of these pairings are crack and I know that. Any flames will be sent back to the reviewer tenfold. Please be nice. You were warned and flames have no excuses. Anyway, this story will be kept in as best character as I can possibly create. But, looking at these pairings, it is plain that most characters will be difficult to keep that way and still have their pairings. Obviously if you're a homophobe, this isn't the fanfic for you. Also, if you haven't played Dirge of Cerberus or seen Advent Children, you will be reading spoilers. And obviously Kingdom Hearts. Though I won't directly be pointing these things out. Reviews are severely appreciated; this work will hopefully be one of my best. Thanks in advance for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the plots, characters, or any other related paraphernalia pertaining to Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII, or Final Fantasy VIII. This will be the only Disclaimer I use BTW.

Summary: The gang at Hollow Bastion have on huge-ass problem - people keep appearing from nowhere. Not only that, but how do Cloud and Leon seem to know them? And, of course, there's trouble brewing - can our heroes stop the plot and keep their sanity before it's too late?

Characters Introduced: I don't want to give it away, but I introduce two characters from FFVIII and one from FFVII. If you've never played either game, don't worry. I'll try to explain the plots as best I can.

Oh, and for all your Kingdom Heart fans out there, yes, I know Seifer and Fuujin and Raijin are already in Twilight Town. But they're too kid-ish. I like the original version of them from FFVIII MUCH better. Thanks, but I don't need reminding :P

Oh, one last thing (Long enough intro? ) I have only just beaten FFVIII and I've played only KH and KH2 and beaten both. I've played FFVII, but have yet to beat it. If anyone has beaten it and would like to help me with supplied information concerning the background or anything of the game, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and Enjoy the fic!!

The Journeys of Final Fantasy: The Lion, The Wolf, and the Schizophrenics

Aerith ambled aimlessly toward Merlin's house, smiling serenely and hoping she wouldn't run into more Heartless. She never was a fan of fighting and those vicious creatures forced her into combat constantly. She then heard the sounds of a struggle a pain-filled groan reaching her ears.

Slightly worried and nervous, Aerith turned around the corner. A man lay on the ground, covered in scratches and hardly conscious. His hair reminded her of Cloud's: pointy and blond. On one entire side of his face she noticed a tattoo, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She approached him hesitantly, frowning slightly and placing a hand delicately on his cheek.

"Who's that, Aerith?" Yuffie's chipper voice superseded Aerith's thoughts.

"I think he's a lost traveler," Aerith murmured, looking back at Yuffie.

"He's hurt!" Yuffie finally noticed, running toward Aerith and the blond. "Let's get him to Merlin's house," Yuffie finished, turning around and running for help.

"I hope you like people," Aerith mused, smiling happily even though the unconscious blond couldn't see it.

An Hour or so Later

"He's waking up!" an excited voice yelled, Zell lazily opening his eyes.

Selphie? Zell thought wearily, wiping his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" a motherly voice asked, green eyes practically glowing with concern.

"Better I guess. Thanks for the help," Zell said, trying to sit up.

"That's good, but you shouldn't try to get up just yet," the nice brunette instructed, easing Zell back onto the bed.

"Where am I? And who are you people?" Zell asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh. You're in a place called Hollow Bastion. And my name is Aerith," Aerith tried to explain with a smile. "And that girl over there is Yuffie. She's a little loud," Aerith continued sheepishly, as though she shouldn't have made a comment about Yuffie's obvious talking problems. "And the man at the computer is Cid," Aerith finished, feeling his forehead for any signs of a fever.

"My name's Zell," Zell offered, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Nice to meet you, Zell," Aerith said, shaking hands with the exuberant blond.

"Aerith, I…," Leon's voice cut off as he noticed who occupied the sick bed after coming in from his work on the Bailey.

"SQUALL!!!! Buddy! I haven't seen you in ages! How've you been?" Zell asked all in one breath, his talking reminding Aerith of Yuffie to a degree.

"You two know each other?" Aerith and Yuffie asked simultaneously, looking from Zell to Leon.

"Of course. Squall's my best friend," Zell exclaimed proudly, grinning like an idiot.

"Zell? Is it really you?" Leon asked quietly.

"Of course it's really me…who else would I be?" Zell asked, confused.

Leon gave a small smile, and walked to Zell. "How'd you get here, Zell?" he then asked, sitting on the bed next to Zell.

"I'm…not sure. I don't really remember too much after we stopped Ultimecia," Zell explained, scratching his head.

"Ultimecia?" Aerith asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She tried to destroy the world using this time compression spell," Leon explained with a dismissive wave, not even bothering to look at Aerith while he talked.

"Oh. She was like Sephiroth then. And wait a minute. Did Zell just call you 'Squall'?" Aerith asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why wouldn't I?" Zell asked, pouting slightly.

"He makes everyone call him 'Leon' here," Yuffie explained, a bright smile gracing her features.

"Why?" Zell asked Leon, Leon's dark hair falling over his face.

"I wanted to forget the past, Zell," Leon answered quietly, turning his head to the side.

"Why would you want to forget something like that, Squall?," Zell demanded, giving him a hard look.

"I'm not going to talk about this now, Zell. Get better and then we'll talk about it," Leon stated flatly, getting up and walking towards the door of Merlin's house.

"Squall!!! Get back here! We're not done talking yet!" Zell yelled after him, trying to get up as Aerith and Yuffie restrained him.

"You can beat him up later," Yuffie assured him, "But right now you need rest." Zell grudgingly let the two ladies push him back to the bed as he began pouting again.

POV Shift

Blond spikes bounced as a leather-clad man made his way through the merchant district of Hollow Bastion. Where are you Sephiroth? Cloud wondered to himself, his face stoic as per normal. Not watching where he was going, Cloud bumped unceremoniously into a mysterious figure that was loitering around the Moogle's synthesis shop.

"Sorry," Cloud muttered, his head downcast.

"Cloud?" a deep voice asked, Cloud's head lifting to face the stranger who knew his name.

"Vincent? What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"I…don't know. All I remember is leaving Lucrecia after defeating Omega…Shelke… and then it's all a blur," the vampire-looking man responded quietly, his red eyes looking over Cloud.

"VINCENT!!!" Yuffie's excited voice yelled, Vincent resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't verbally respond, but inclined his head shortly as a sort of greeting.

Yuffie pouted; "That's all I get after not seeing you in forever?" Yuffie asked, playfully outraged.

"What is this place?" Vincent asked, ignoring Yuffie's question and looking around at the odd city that was Hollow Bastion.

"We aren't in Midgar anymore," Cloud muttered, his eyes narrowed. "We're in Hollow Bastion…and I bet Tifa, Aerith, and Cid would like to see you," Cloud finished, walking away from Yuffie and Vincent towards Merlin's house.

"They're here too?" Vincent asked, directing his gaze towards Wutai's notorious ninja.

"Yup. It's weird how only some of us got here," Yuffie responded, pouting lightly. "Hey! I was talking! Vincent!" Yuffie yelled, hurrying after Vincent as he followed Cloud after Cloud to Merlin's house.

Leon had just left Merlin's house when Cloud, Vincent, and Yuffie all approached. "Who's he?" Leon asked, gesturing towards the red-eyed man.

"This is Vincent," Yuffie volunteered, running up to Leon. "He's an old friend of ours, just like Zell is to you," Yuffie further explained, bouncing on the balls of her heels.

"Who's Zell?" Cloud asked, cutting in.

"Zell is from my old world. He was a friend of mine," Leon replied, eying Vincent with untrusting eyes. "Cloud, I need help fixing some of the damage down at the Bailey. Care to help?" Leon then asked, crossing his arms over his chest with darkened eyes.

Grunting lightly, Cloud inclined his head. "I'll see you both later then," Cloud said, saying goodbye to his friends. Cloud then followed after Leon, unaware of the bad mood that Leon had developed moments before finally reaching the set of stairs that led to the dilapidated Bailey. "What's falling apart so badly that you need my help in fixing it, eh, Leon?" Cloud asked, leaning against the stone structure with arms folded against his chest.

Leon stiffened, turning around to face the blond who looked annoyed. "I wanted to talk, Cloud," Leon started, eying him with his most businesslike face. "Don't you think it's more than just a coincidence that two people just seemingly appear out of thin air and both happen to know someone here?" Leon asked, furrowing his eyebrows with thought.

"Hm. I see what you mean. But what are we supposed to see? Sephiroth hasn't been making a nuisance of himself any more than normal lately, and even Organization XIII has been quiet. Besides, can you honestly tell me that you haven't wanted to see your friends? And anyway, you could use some time off. Aerith and Yuffie worry that you work yourself too hard," Cloud then explained, his eyes deep.

Leon sighed, running a gloved-finger through his hair; "I guess it isn't worth my breath telling them not to worry. But I know my limits," Leon explained, shaking a loose hair out of his face.

"Can I ask you something, Leon?" Cloud asked, lifting his head to meet the brunet's gaze.

"I may not answer, but go ahead," Leon answered vaguely, meeting the blond's gaze with shielded eyes.

"How did you get your scar?" Cloud asked, Leon taking a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh, I could tell you that," an arrogant voice filled the Bailey, Leon and Cloud's heads turning in the direction of the intruder.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked coldly, eying the other man with hostile eyes.

"Seifer. How the hell did you get here?" Leon asked pointedly, eying him.

"Hell if I know. First I was in Balamb with Rai and Fuu, and the next thing I know, I'm here with you and this other idiot," Seifer smirked, giving an explanation.

Leon sighed; "Come on. We have a lot to talk about," Leon told him, walking out of the Bailey and back towards the town.

"Who made you boss, Leonhart? I kinda like this place. Reminds me of the orphanage," Seifer said, looking around the run-down Bailey with nostalgia.

"I never thought you'd be one for nostalgia, Seifer," Leon commented dryly, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Seifer's cheeks flushed scarlet; "And where's your princess? Still protecting her are you?" Seifer sneered, Cloud's confused face turning to Leon's angry one.

"Don't you dare mention her again, Seifer," Leon glared menacingly, getting up in Seifer's face and jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Yeah, or what?" Seifer rolled his eyes, shoving Leon's finger away with mild annoyance.

"Or else I'll kill you," Leon answered dangerously, his eyes flashing. Leon then turned on his heel and began walking towards Merlin's house again, his boots making more noise than normal on the hard ground.

Seifer and Cloud exchanged glances before Cloud turned to follow Leon and Seifer followed suit.

Back at Merlin's House

"You and Leon actually did that?!" Yuffie exclaimed, Zell nodding avidly.

"Yeah. The damn sorceresses were always a pain in the ass," Zell said with a smile, Yuffie nodding and giggling silently to herself.

"So how've ya been, Vincent?" Cid asked, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips as he eyed the other man with interest.

"Well, I've been-,"Vincent's voice got cut off as angry voices yelled outside the doors of Merlin's house.

Merlin's door opened with a loud 'bang' as Cloud, Leon, and another angry blond walked in, not noticing the other occupants stare at them with interest and annoyance.

"Chicken Wuss!" Seifer yelled, noticing Zell lying in the bed.

"SEIFER! SHUT UP," Zell roared, glaring at the smug blond.

"Another friend of yours, Leon?" Aerith's voice filtered to his ears, a soft hand landing on his shoulder.

Leon rubbed his temples; "I guess it depends on what you mean by friend, Aerith," Leon explained, Seifer's eyebrow lifting slightly.

"Ah, Squall, I'm hurt," Seifer said mockingly, a hand to his chest.

"Quite the motley bunch," Vincent spoke up, Cloud nodding his head in agreement.

"Seifer is it?" Aerith asked gently, the blond looking to her and nodding.

"Well, I suppose you know Leon and Zell then," Aerith said, a confused looking coming over Seifer's features.

"Leon? Who the hell is that?" Seifer asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh. I forget. Squall to you, but he makes everyone else here call him Leon," Aerith explained, glancing sidelong to Yuffie as she whispered something into Cid's ear; he then abruptly burst into a fit of giggles which he hardly suppressed, given his cigarette.

Seifer's eyebrows shot up, giving Squall a 'what-the-hell' look. "Anyway, I'm Aerith, those two are Yuffie and Cid, and that's Vincent and Cloud," Aerith named everyone, Seifer nodding his head slowly and not caring to memorize the names he had just been given.

"Where's Tifa? I thought you said she'd be here," Vincent stated, noticing the brunette had been the one missing.

"I don't know. I thought she'd be back by now. . .,"Aerith's voice trailed off, biting her lip.

Almost as if on cue, a knock at the door reverberated into the room.

Thanks for reading! I have no idea when I'll get on the next chapter, but this took me forever in and of itself . Anyway, reviews are GREATLY appreciated and encouraged. Oh, and I'm sorry about the cliff-hanger! The more reviews I get, the quicker I update? ;P Thanks in advance! Hope you enjoyed it 8D

One final note: I would greatly appreciate a beta for my work. I pride myself on proper grammar and spelling, but sometimes Spell-Check and my eyesight don't pick things up. Drop me a line if you're interested!