A/N: Well, this is my first fanfic, so please be nice..? Heh. Well, uh, I guess read on. And I hope you like. Any complaints, please, feel free to rant them at me or something. But just know I tried.

Disclaimer: I, Jibs, own none of these characters- Squaresoft does! I, however, own all ideas expressed within this fanfic. So like, no copy my idea-ey...

Warning: Blood. Violence. Gore. All that R rated goodness. XD Though it starts out with some rather mild bloodshed. Ah wells.

Until We Fade

By Jibbers

Chapter One: It's That Which I Should Have Done

It was a cold night, the wind blew sparingly, shaking the leaves of the trees as it skimmed over them, dancing gleefully. The crescent moon hung somewhere in the darkened sky, but was hidden by the thin clouds, which uncovered the night star whenever they felt they should. And on this cold night, no one was around to help him. No one was to hear his cry in the dark.

The blade slipped from his fingers, landing with a forgotten thunk on the cement floor. The shadows couldn't hide the color of blood as it pooled from underneath the form of a young man; his attacker leaving quickly after, laughing shortly that the kid was a no-good, idiot punk.

Fear raced through him as he gasped, trying to push himself up, but his arms felt weaker than what they were, and he cried out as he hit the ground on the new wound. He whined softly as he finally managed to push himself up on to his knees, his gloved hand going to the gash that lined his middle. His frame shook as he fought back panicky cries. I've lost too much…He shuddered at the thought, reaching to the side, his hand meeting the cold bricks of the alley wall.

His breathing was sporadic, his eyes wide, teary, and his face had paled as he struggled to get up on to his feet. He pushed himself with a determination very rare now, and staggered from the alley, his breath puffed before his face as he moved through the cold night.

His heart thudded madly in his chest- he needed to get somewhere, but where could he go? Could I get there?... He shuddered again, gasping as he tipped to the side, his shoulder slamming into the building he walked by. He'd have to try…he couldn't- he wouldn't let them win.

And he kept on, until he couldn't move another inch without grasping his side and hording oxygen. Shivers rippled over his skin, making the ill feeling in his stomach worsen, making his knees buckle a bit. He dipped on the sidewalk, his knees meeting concrete again, his hands falling uselessly at his sides. But he growled low, forcing himself up. It was just his luck no one was there, to help or see him weak, he didn't care the reason. He stumbled on, leaning on the walls of whatever building he came across, his mind still wracked with the horror of the loss of blood and the tiredness that was seeping into every bit of him.

A light, one blinding light. It was ahead of him…He was almost there. A house with the porch light on. He knew who lived there, and his heart skipped at the thought of safety. Warmth, so much warmth would greet him- he only hoped he could make it.

Never noticing himself stumble up the stairs to the porch, he staggered to the door, rapping his bloodied knuckles on the wood weakly.

"Open…" the word came as a sharp, painful whisper. He squinted his eyes, making them regain focus as he cleared his throat desperately. His knocks weren't loud enough; his hand was sore and bruised.

"Open up…please…Open the door…" He grew frustrated with himself, with his tiredness, and slammed the side of his fist against the wood. From inside he heard clearly a set of swears and then loud foot falls.

His mind swam as the door was pulled open, more bright light hurting his eyes and making him sway as his support was lost. "Please…" he heard himself start as he fell forwards into a pair of welcoming arms, everything now swimming in an endless pool of darkness.

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Blood was practically everywhere. It covered his shirt, dazzled his shoes and accented his hair. The scent was foul, making Leon wretch as he lifted the unconscious man up and moved him inside. He staggered a bit, unaccustomed to another body's weight in his arms, and found his way to the first floor bath room.

One thing he kept in mind was that he didn't need blood all over his carpet.

He set the man in the tub, having no other space large enough and propped him up against the wall. A sound came from the stairs just outside the door as a woman stepped nonchalantly into the small room.

"Hey, do you know where I put my- Oh god!" She stopped in the door, her eyes widened and locked on the form occupying the tub.

"What happened?" Yuffie nearly screeched as she rushed to the tub, pulling the only clean towel from a hook on the wall as she did. She landed on her knees just beside the marble base and fumbled with the knobs inside, shoving her hand under the forthcoming water to grade it's worth.

"I don't know." He started, but when a glare was sent at him, he closed his moth.

"Of course you don't know. How could you since you refuse to watch out for him?" She growled, practically talking to herself as she soaked the towel and leaned over the tub to clean the man of the caking blood. "Would you hold him up for me?" She asked, tugging on the thick black shirt the blonde wore.

"Yeah…" was all he said as he pulled him up by the shoulders, keeping him sitting upright as the woman fused over the bloody spots until she growled at the shirt and demanded that it be removed. "He's bleeding underneath and I can't get to it- why'd you put him in the tub?" She turned on Leon, making him falter, his grip on the blonde's shoulders loosening, letting him slide back into the dirty water.

"Squall!" She shrieked, pulling her patient back up before he drowned.

He didn't say anything, just stared blankly at Cloud; the older mans' face was bruising on one side and was bloody on the other. Leon's face showed nothing, his eyes simply dark and brooding. He moved up from the floor, wiping his hands on his pants, shaking his head some.

"Where are you going?" she cried, looking panicky.

He simply turned, walking from the bathroom. "Got somethin' to do."

He moved through his living room, picking up a black, leather jacket from the couch and pulling his arm through the sleeve as he reached the door. A large mirror hung on the wall by the door, greeting any person who came in, and bidding farewell to those who left with their 'happy' image. Leon took a glance at himself, not bothering to move the scowl that had formed on his lips as he'd left the bathroom. He looked angry, he needed to check that. Look calm, he told himself. Wont work otherwise.

With a final glance over his form; everything was in check; he twisted the door knob and pushed the door open, stepping into the crisp fall air. He looked his part, and now it was time to play it.

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"You…want me to do what, now?" The voice was slithery, filled with something dangerous. He sat in a plain chair, one leg crossed over the other, his hands crossed pointedly in his lap. His silver hair was pulled back into a smart braid, and it left his cold blue eyes in full view. They were settled on Leon's, staring into his eyes with such intensity that Leon was tempted to squirm out of that sight. But he kept himself calm, standing firmly in the place he'd been standing, his head up, eyes level with the tall man he was presently having a meeting with.

"I didn't stutter, Sephiroth," there was a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Sephiroth gave an amused smile, nodding his head. As he did so, a few men proceeded into the room.

"Tell you what, Mr. Leon; I'll do this for you. I will not lay another finger on Cloud," as he said this, he lifted a hand, and waggled a white-gloved finger. "And if I do, and of course, you have proof of any kind, I shall personally see to it that his whole record with us is, shall we say, erased?" The amused smile was still plastered to his face as he gave his offer to the tall brunette before him.

He loved the look in Leon's dark eyes, loved how they were suppressed, holding back all hints of emotion the young man might have. A wonder to see him broken, thought the silver-haired man as he lifted a wine glass from the small table beside him.

Leon had had the nerve to actually waltz into his night club, to force his way into the back rooms madespecifically for Sephiroth and his men, and had requested- no, demanded- and audience. Though, Leon had used much cruder terms. At least Sephiroth could see the whole ordeal would be...interesting.

He sat back in the chair, resting his elbows on the arms of it and setting his clasped hands on the tip of his chin after setting his glass back down. "Now, this can be done two ways, Mr. Leon. Two ways. The first of which would be that Cloud pay off any and all debts he may have. Is that clear?"

Leon remained silent.

"Yes, quite," said Sephiroth. "Now the second thing," he grinned, "would simply be that Cloud be fully and totally punished. For all the damage he's caused, of course. A tit for a tat, correct? Eye for an"

"I get it." Grunted Leon, his dark eyes had narrowed on the finely dressed man before him. "What damage?"

"What? Puh- where should I start?" He tilted his head, light glittering across his pale face as he moved his cold eyes off Leon for a moment. "We have a list, actually. Would you like to see it?"

"No. How much to 'pay off' his debt?" He asked, his was getting annoyed fast. Why hadn't he just done what Yuffie had said months ago and monitored Cloud in his actions? Now he was probably dead in his bathroom.

Cloud...

The thought made him swallow hard, making an audible sound. It caught Sephiroth's attention.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Leon? Do you need a glass of water?" He waved his held up hand.

"No." Leon turned, ready to leave. He only needed to ask one more thing. "When do you want the payment?"

Once again, Sephiroth was smiling, highly amused. "Oh, any time before New Years'."

New Years. He had three months. That wasn't long enough, Leon's eyes narrowed on the floor as he thought, a furrow in his brows.

"And do remember, Mr. Leon. It's a quarter million that needs to be paid." His voice was unnervingly chipper.

A quarter million! Leons' heart shot in to his throat; he choked back a gasp of surprise. How could Cloudmanage that amount in damages?

But he could honestly say, he was impressed. Though he wasn't about to.

He shook his head slightly, and moved out of the room, pushing into a crowd of dancing people. Strobe lights twirled, sending cascades of starry light all over the dance floor that Leon found himself pushing through. He'd done it before, but now the people seemed hell-bent on blocking him from the exit door. He growled as he was pushed slightly into walking near the large speakers that throbbed music into the room. He winced as the bass shook through his body, pounding in his head, making his heart skip with it.

He hated loud noise- he hated dancing. Now he pushed people carefully out of his way, finally finding the door he wanted and escaping back into the cool darkness he'd come from.

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Yuffie had spent the last three hours nursing Clouds' wound, pressing the wet, now ruined-by-blood towel against it to clean it, then when she'd gotten his shirt off, and retrieved a much drier towel, she dried the place and bandaged it with the only wrap she could find.

Where Leon had gone, she had no idea. She could only think of Cloud at the moment, the thought of him dying making her tremble. He was a good person, he didn't deserve to die. Whoever had done this…She clenched her fists, watching with anger steaming off her as Clouds' breathing evened. He finally looked like he was sleeping well.

Sleeping well. Yuffie panicked, reaching over to his throat, pressing two fingers against the side of his neck to find the pulse there.

Where is it? Where is it! Here…here…good. He was alive; she was just being paranoid.

"When Squall gets back I'm so gonna kill him." She stated to herself.

"I'd like it if you didn't."

His voice made her jump with surprise. She turned to see him standing in the doorway. "Where did you go?" she cried, flailing an arm.

"Is he alright?" He was avoiding the question. His eyes were locked on Cloud, taking in the light blue-ish yellow marks all over his face, neck, shoulders and chest- his eyes then found the bloodstained bandages around his stomach.

"Yes, he'll be fine. Just has to sleep it off. Hey, mind getting him out of the tub?" She looked up, her face looking worn, her eyes a bit puffy as if she'd been crying when he was gone.

Leon just nodded. "Yeah, I'll get him." He went to the tub, sliding his arms underneath Clouds' form and lifted him up. His eyes widened a bit as he staggered, but regaining his composure, he moved out of the bathroom and headed to the stairs.

He carried Cloud up to the guest room, which was all the way down the hall, and, leaning against the door some, he twisted the knob and pushed itopen. The room felt a bit stiff as he wondered in, turning awkwardly as he did to avoid a misplaced chair. Cloud made a noise as Leon set him on the bed, his hand moving subconsciously to his stomach, then slipping back to lie beside him on the covers.

Leon blinked a moment, and then tugged the comforter gently from underneath Cloud, pulling it over him after it was successfully cleared of his body. He stood over Cloud for a long while, just watching the older man breath, listening as his breath came out with a slight wheezing sound. He stroked the bruised cheek, then traced his fingers to his temple, then over his forehead.

"I'll do what I should have done now…" he whispered, making this his soft promise to the unconscious Cloud. No one will touch him again.

No one…

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Sadly, Sephiroth had other plans. His tipped his wine glass slightly, the gold liquid moving with its holder. "What do you say, Mr. Almasy? How do you like the idea of…a little reunion?"

The man he was speaking to stood in the shadows just behind the chair. He'd been there through the whole conversation with Squall. No. It was Leon now. Leon… his eyes narrowed on the back of his employers' head.

"Sounds like a plan." He couldn't help the smile that spilled over his lips. He hadn't thought Squall was still around, that his heart hadn't been consumed. He'd thought he, of all people, would fall with his love. Guess I was wrong, he sneered quietly. It was a chance for revenge.

"Hold on to your grudge, Mr. Almasy." Sephiroth's warning voice snapped the young man from his thoughts. "Do not act upon that when we go. There will be a time for you, you shall see." Sephiroth sipped the wine, smiling after he set the glass down.

"But in the mean time," he waved his now free hand, and the men who'd filled the room when Leon was there immediately left, as if they'd been told prior what to do.

"We shall see how well he takes to a being a babysitter." He blinked, lifting his glass. "Hm, I wonder what year this is?..." He then turned his attention to the wine bottle.