Title: Vanilla part 10

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: LxC

Warnings: AU, romance, sap, fluff, humour, OOC-ness

Word count: 10545

Rating: R

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to lay claim to Cloud, I'm kinda scared of Leon's gunblade. So well, I don't own Kingdom Hearts and its character, and neither do I own the various Final Fantasies and their characters.

Note: This fic is inspired by the Japanese manga Eerie Queerie. And this fic's theme song is Gackt's Vanilla. /sniggers/

Summary: Cloud's only friend, Yuffie, had just died a few weeks ago. However, Yuffie can't move on to the next world and so she follows Cloud around in his daily life. And she just can't resist the opportunity to play the finest prank on Cloud by possessing his body and confessing to someone… LxC

If anyone had asked Cloud what a kiss felt just 4 months ago, he'd blink and crinkle his nose, scratch his head and look around for help before finally conceding that it probably felt good. After all, everyone kissed, on-screen, off-screen, in books, in real life… it would be weird if kissing didn't actually feel good.

And if anyone had asked Cloud what kisses meant to him, he'd no doubt scrunch up his face and point out that kisses were one of the most powerful tools at a romance novelist's disposal. It was something they loved abusing as a deus ex machine to force the plot along, or in cases where the leads were madly in love, a handy device to introduce fan service. Lots and lots of fan service, enough to generate waves upon waves of wild screaming and swooning from fan girls.

Now, however, if anyone asked him the same questions, he'd turn several pretty shades of red and render the red cosmetic blusher completely useless before sputtering nonsensical words that would be interrupted repeatedly by pauses and stammers. His lack of a coherent answer did not mean Cloud could not answer the question. No, of course not. It was just a matter of temporarily returning all he'd ever learn about English to his English teachers.

It was a completely different matter inside his head though.

After so many weeks of dating a boyfriend who was never stingy (one might even say he was overly generous) with physical affections, never let it be said that Cloud Strife did not even reach first base. In fact, sometimes he scared himself with how fast they were progressing towards the perfect homerun.

In Cloud's head, he could spew out analogies of how kisses felt with such speed and poetic license he thought he should be writing romance novels. A dime for a dozen analogies, he heard himself think. Moreover, as if that wasn't enough, Cloud thought he had enough experience that he could probably start categorizing kisses using something like the Dewey decimal system. Sweet kisses, angry kisses, tender kisses, rough kisses, chaste kisses, lingering kisses… He was quite sure he'd experienced them all.

After this afternoon, and in school of all places, Cloud could pat himself on the chest and add 'forced kisses' to his ever-growing list.

In that isolated and deserted corridor, witnessed by only the metal lockers and a humming fluorescent light, Seifer had pulled him into his arms and kissed him. Full on the lips. The world could have exploded under his feet at that moment and Cloud wouldn't have noticed.

Raising his fingers to his lips, he could still feel the tingling sensation that had already been there for the last few hours. His face was unbearably warm.

Sprawled out across his bed, Cloud let his hand fall back onto the mattress heavily and heaved another sigh. When he had finally internalized the idea that he was Leon's boyfriend and that they were dating for real, he'd not realized he'd signed himself up for an extra dose of drama and complicated relationships. Hell, while he had plenty to be dubious of, he had definitely not expected the drama to latch onto him with its killer teeth and refuse to let go.

Who in the world expected Mr. Seifer-I'm-better-than-all-of-you-Almasy to kiss them, anyway?

Cloud knew. He knew that Seifer was exceptionally nice towards him whilst treating everyone else like they were lower than the dirt on his boots. He knew Seifer seemed to actually smile at him but spared no one else from his arrogant smirks and cold stares. He knew Seifer treated him differently, had known from the first day when the other had helped him, chatted with him, and offered him his books.

Cloud knew all that. He'd just refused to acknowledge the possible special meaning behind those actions.

He snuck a glance at the translucent figure of his best friend currently hovering above his desk. Her face was a mixture of bewilderment and shock, her eyes wide and lips slightly opened. In fact, she looked as though words had escaped her and in their attempt to recapture all those lost phrases so she could curse and swear, her brain was so overtaxing itself that it was just a matter of time when it would break. Well, no surprises there.

"Yuffie?"

"…Yeah?"

"Why… Why do you think that happened?"

The almost dazed look she fixed him with, complete with an insistent tugging at the corner of her lips as though she was having a muscle ache, told him that she was more than just confused herself. Or maybe she was caught between anger and panic, rather than shock, because the moment Cloud finished his question, a murderous aura started to gather around her like clouds getting ready for a thunder storm.

"I'd wondered if this was going to happen. I'd hoped it would not happen. I'd almost /prayed/ that it would not happen. And for the longest time, I'd thought Seifer would never act on his feelings. I just never pinned him down as the type! He's like the cockiest guy I've ever met, and cocky guys don't just come up to people and kiss them!" she yelled as she flailed her arms wildly. Then as though on second thoughts, she added, "Okay, wait, maybe they do. Cocky guys do just up and kiss people they like. But no cocky guys do it like Seifer! Did you notice that he was blushing!?"

Cloud winced. If Yuffie thought that his mind was still functioning normally back then to even register anything other than the kiss, she was sorely mistaken.

"So you think he likes me too? I was kinda hoping it was just me…" he muttered softly.

She snorted. "Not bloody likely. It was really obvious he likes you since that time he cornered you after your conversation with Zell, but this kiss of his really just took the cake. Hell, he probably just stole an entire cart of whip cream to go with it too!"

"So there's no way around it? None at all?"

Yuffie shook her head slowly and defiantly, a pout ever present on her face.

At that, Cloud deflated like a balloon out of air and slumped further onto his bed, if it were possible. Suddenly feeling tired, he buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"I- I don't understand!" he exclaimed, letting his hands fall to the sides of his head. Somehow, he looked as though he was surrendering to an enemy neither of them could see but still loomed overhead. "Why does Seifer like me? I didn't even do anything for him! And it's not like we're especially close. Sure, I've known him since all those months ago, but we didn't even talk much after that. And even if we did spend an entire afternoon chatting, what did we chat about? D. H. Lawrence and his books. There's nothing that'd make him like me from that conversation. I… I just don't get it. And when did he start liking me? If it was all the way back then, why didn't he say anything?"

The confusion felt like a black hole, suddenly, and it was sucking everything out of Cloud. He couldn't think properly, couldn't understand anything, and there was a blanket of weariness that weighed heavily on him like the heaviest chain mail. It made him feel so… helpless. As eccentric as it was, Cloud hated himself for that. When he was still alone with only Yuffie to call his friend, he'd harboured hopes of getting secret admirers one day. People who'd tell him they liked him for being him and people who wanted a chance to get closer to him. But naïve little him had forgotten to factor in his own feelings, had ignored the possibility of not actually liking his secret admirer in the same way. If he'd known the helplessness that would come with such crushes and admiration, he'd have chastised himself severely for harbouring such silly dreams in the first place.

For once, Yuffie seemed to really ponder upon the problem instead of crossing her fingers and hoping for the problem to resolve itself. She sat at the edge of Cloud's desk, legs crossed, a hand supporting her chin, and bit her bottom lip. For a moment there, one could have been fooled into believing she was the female version of 'The Thinker' statue.

"You know how some people just need a push in the right direction before they actually do something?" she mumbled pensively, her voice gaining an awkward sort of confidence as she spoke. There was a glint in her eyes suddenly, realization dawning on her. "Maybe you dating Leon provided that push. As for when Seifer started liking you, that's not really important, is it?"

Cloud sighed, still lying supine on his bed and staring at the white-washed ceiling. "One Leon was enough. One Leon was enough to make me wonder what's so good about me."

"I could tell you a million things about what's so good about you and why I like you, but I wouldn't be able to answer why Seifer likes you. Only Seifer himself knows, and we sure as hell aren't going to ask him any time soon. And it's not like that guy has any close friends that we could try to rip information from. Otherwise, I could possess you and talk up to them, you know? Hey wait a sec."

Yuffie narrowed her eyes at a sudden thought, and a grin emerged victoriously. It was a grin that combined sheer wickedness and quick wits, and as one might say, signaled the arrival of the devil.

"You know what we can do? I could possess you," –she ignored Cloud's half-hearted groan that she'd already thrown the idea out into the open earlier- "and confront Seifer! And by 'confront' I don't mean we get all wimpy and just ask what's wrong with him. I say we march up to him and give him one tight slap! He deserves that for kissing you, especially when he knows you're already attached to Leon! Right! That's exactly what we'll do! I'll even get the body bag ready!" She pumped her fist in the air triumphantly like she'd found the solution for solving world poverty, on top of finding the means to combat global warming.

The absoluteness of her tone tripped off all the alarms and sirens inside Cloud's mind, and he bolted upright so fast Yuffie was surprised he didn't get whiplash.

"Yuffie!" he exclaimed, looking terribly, terribly scandalized. His eyes were wide and shining with indignation, and his jaw dropped with a frustrated huff. For a moment, he merely gurgled like a fish struggling to breathe out of water, his mouth opening and closing and then opening again. Finally, he looked back at his friend defiantly, a frown on his face.

"I'm not going to slap him. He's my friend! And why would we need body bags?"

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Friend? Well, as far as I know, friends don't go around forcing kisses on other friends."

"Friends don't go around slapping other friends either," he snapped, almost like a vicious crocodile. When he noticed that Yuffie was obviously not impressed, he sighed deeply and hung his head. "Despite what happened, Seifer's… Seifer's still a friend. I still want to be his friend. Don't you understand? Before everything happened, before you died and before I dated Leon, Seifer was one of the few people who talked to me for anything that was not school-related. And we really had fun, that afternoon in the bookstore, even though we've never done it again. But that afternoon… that afternoon was, really nice."

It really was. There was no denying that that afternoon had been one of the happiest afternoons he'd had in a very long time, and it meant something very special to him. For once, his happiness was not brought on by Yuffie, once his only and closest friend. Instead, he'd gotten to chat and laugh and get all excited together with a new friend, one who shared his passion for books. Even Yuffie could never understand the solace he found in those tiny lines upon lines of text, all woven together to encase him in a world of fantasy, overwhelming emotions and fantastical magic. He'd tried, once or twice, to indulge her and try to bring her into this private world of his, but Yuffie wasn't the type to read. She read when she had to, when she was cramming for exams, and other than that, books were a virtual stranger to her.

She just couldn't make herself enjoy reading, even for his sake.

And Cloud had once thought it was enough, to read alone and turn the implications of every action written in the book over in his mind by himself. Reading was his private, personal sport, and it was alright that he didn't have anyone to share it with.

But his belief of ten years was shattered much too easily with just that one afternoon. Discussing his favourite stories with Seifer had been invigorating. Chatting about the could-haves and the might-haves in the books was much too interesting to be done alone.

In his reverie, he never noticed how Yuffie's eyes darted to him as her body stiffened, almost as though she were afraid to move. It was as though the air around her had frozen and the chill was seeping into her, bit by bit, and the colour on her face faded away.

"He-Hey… Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… like him?"

"Hmm? I guess so… He was really nice to me that afternoon, and he still is. He hasn't exactly given me any reason to dislike him, you know? Well, maybe you could say there's the kiss, but… I dunno. I just… don't dislike him, even after that," he mumbled softly. The words had come to him naturally, without much need think, and when he sifted through the words again carefully, he nodded firmly. What he'd said was exactly how he felt, even if he couldn't explain it.

"Huh… So I guess you… really like him?"

"I guess…"

"Oh."

There was a stifling silence after that last soft utter from Yuffie, and Cloud frowned. Yuffie's reactions seemed… off, somehow. For all her talk about possessing his body so they could march right up to Seifer and slap him, she was being much too passive and quiet right now. In fact, as Cloud scrutinized her and she continued to stay in a world of her own and miss his intense gaze, he thought she looked like a child who was afraid to speak up and bring attention to herself again after having gotten a good dressing down for breaking her father's favourite vase.

"Yuffie?"

She gasped, eyes blinking wildly as she jerked upright. It took her a moment to notice her friend staring at her through narrowed eyes, and she replied warily, "Wh-what?"

"Are you alright?"

Yuffie tried to laugh, but it turned out to be more of a forceful choke. "What do you mean if I'm alright? Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"

Only idiots and the blind could be fooled by a lie so obvious, and Cloud was almost insulted that she thought he'd buy it.

"Don't lie to me, Yuff."

She winced and jerked away as though Cloud had punched her in the guts; that was a name Cloud never called her by just for fun. A deep frown so unlike her quirky self quickly emerged on her face, and she bit her bottom lip.

"I just… I just had a thought. It's silly though, so you don't have to worry yourself over it."

"I'll decide for myself if it's silly. Tell me what's bothering you."

Yuffie remained silent for a very long while, meeting his hard gaze with a pair of eyes that seemed much too innocent and apprehensive to be hers, locking and unlocking her fingers. Yuffie was one of the strongest and upbeat people Cloud knew, always telling him how she was going to forever seize the moment and live as she wished. It was almost disturbing to see her so unsure of herself.

Finally, just when Cloud was about to repeat his words, she hung her head as though defeated and started to mumble.

"I just… thought that maybe… I'd gotten you the wrong guy."

Cloud had ran through the possible reasons that could have gotten his friend upset, but never had he even once thought of what she said. Those words came as such a surprise that Cloud could only wonder if his ears were tricking him. "Huh?"

Yuffie was still biting her lip and playing with her fingers when she spoke, but the moment Cloud looked at her in sheer confusion, she broke down. It was as though Cloud's confusion had opened the floodgates, and the words just came gushing out of Yuffie's lips in a rush to be heard.

"It's just…! Cloud, if you don't like Seifer, you wouldn't still be siding him! You like him, right? And I know you like Leon and he likes you too, but… what if I'd gotten you the wrong guy? It could happen, right? I mean, I was in such a hurry to get you that special someone because I didn't know when I'd really be gone! I don't want you to be alone! I'd already known that Leon likes you, and I thought that with his popularity in school, you'd get to know more people too! So that's why I got you together with him! But if… but if you like Seifer more, then! Then I…!"

A clear sheen had gathered in her eyes by the time her voice choked, but she didn't seem like she was finished. Words refused to come to her, however, and she started to flail her arms in frustration.

"Yuffie."

Too caught up in her struggle for a proper explanation, she failed to register her name being called at first. It took Cloud two more tries to finally get her fleeting attention before she asked for a bit more time to gather her thoughts, and a final annoyed shout to get her to look at him again.

"Wh-what?"

"Would you listen to me before you jump to conclusions?" Cloud demanded with a huff. Once he was certain he'd gotten her to pay him more than a fraction's worth of attention, he ignored the warmth of his face and continued, "Yuffie… you didn't get the wrong guy."

Yuffie's hands were still buried in her hair from her own aggravated tousling, but she'd stopped. Instead, she turned to look at him, eyes wide with disbelief and mouth slightly open like a goldfish gaping for air and food at the same time. It was, for lack of a better word, adorable, though it also bothered on the edge of being comical.

Cloud simply smiled, with tinges of pink dusting his ears and the bridge of his nose. "You've never been wrong about me. Like the time when you told me I'd be able to get admitted into the school I wanted if I just put my mind to it, you were right. And that time when you told me I'd be able to make new friends at summer camp, you were right again. Well, I didn't manage to stay in touch with them, but I did make friends with the people there, so you were still right. You've always been right about me, and this time isn't an exception.

"You picked the right guy."

Yuffie only blinked at him owlishly, as though someone was offering to show her the way out of a maze she'd gotten herself into and finally, she realized that the exit was just so very close by. It had always been there, just a stone's throw away, and it'd taken someone else to point it out. All the tension in her tiny frame seemed to seep out all of a sudden, and she grinned widely. In an instant, she picked herself up again and with her arms akimbo, she laughed.

"That's true! I've never been wrong about the things around you! Why would this be an exception?" she asked haughtily, directing a sharp look at Cloud as though daring him to object.

He shook his head with fond exasperation. Obnoxious as she could be, there was no other way he'd like Yuffie to be. This was the Yuffie he'd known and came to love, after all.

A sudden ringing tone caught his attention, and Cloud quickly dug his cell phone out of his book bag that he'd dropped haphazardly by his bed earlier, when he'd gotten home. It was a text message from Leon, and for it to come so suddenly, right after he'd confessed his feelings for Leon aloud, it almost felt like Leon had heard him somehow. The idea made a blush erupt across his face again. But upon reading the message, he scrunched his face. Ignoring Yuffie's curious stares, he wondered how he was supposed to reply to his boyfriend's question of if he'd gotten home safely and if anything had happened on his way home.

Well, something /had/ happened, but Cloud didn't think it'd be a good idea to tell Leon or anyone about it. He wasn't even sure what exactly had happened and why it had. No, he wasn't going to tell anyone, least of all his boyfriend. He had a nagging feeling that the four horsemen of Apocalypse would be rounding the corner if he did.

With a soft sigh, he replied with a curt 'just got home' and set his phone on the nightstand. When it rang again, almost immediately after he'd put the phone down, he merely eyed it before lying down in bed and resting his eyes. The more he said, the more likely he was to say something he wasn't supposed to.

Yuffie cocked her head to the side. "Leon?"

The lack of response was answer enough. She floated across the room and crossed her legs over Cloud's headboard, almost wishing she was still alive so she could give her best friend a good kick.

"Finding it hard to face Leon now, huh? That's exactly why I suggested getting the body bag."

Without moving an inch from his comfortable position, Cloud replied coolly, "No body bags, Yuff. No blood either."

"Douche bag."

"It's called being a law-abiding citizen."

She snorted again, crossing her arms and looking at him with the eyes of a prankster. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that on top of being afflicted by the Ultimate Uke Syndrome-"

"The what!?"

"-You've also gotten infected with the 'Not willing to give up the forest for one tree' syndrome that strikes a lot of people after a while of dating. Basically, you think that just dating one guy a.k.a. Leon is not enough to give you an idea of how good you can have, and you want to try out more guys before settling down for real. It's also known as the 'not settling down for one fish in the ocean because there're so many of them' syndrome."

Cloud huffed and rolled his eyes, looking scandalized and insulted. He quickly buried his head under his pillow with a pained groan, knowing all too well from personal experience that it was safer that he shut up and just let the girl talk, for whatever he said would just add tinder to the mischievous flames burning behind her eyes.

Spearing a piece of the beef stir-fry almost viciously, Cloud really hoped that Yuffie would get the message and stop going on and on about his supposed illnesses, as she had for the past two hours. Granted, even the long-winded chatterbox had stopped when Cloud was called into the dining room for dinner, but there was no guarantee that she wouldn't start up again after that. In fact, if Cloud thought himself a little more pessimistic, he could just hear the racecar engine that was revving to go at the start of the race course.

After the fish-in-the-ocean analogy, she'd started comparing Leon and Seifer to everything, from insects to dinosaurs, from felines to household electrical appliances so she could, in her words, 'show how Leon was a much better choice than Seifer'. Unfortunately, Yuffie wasn't very good with analogies, metaphors and the finer points in English; she was, quite unfortunately for her teachers, the type who'd describe two lovers running into each other's arms as two high-speed trains that were heading for a collision, complete with malfunctioning brakes, rotten weather, and a pack of news-hungry reporters.

She had his best interests at heart?

Bullshit!

Yuffie was just one who didn't like giving up any opportunities to annoy the hell out of him.

Especially when she /knew/ that Cloud wasn't going to leave Leon. She /knew/ that nothing short of a meteor would pry him away from Leon. She was the one who'd practically forced him into Leon's arms and coerced him to admit his true feelings to himself. How could she not know? Of course she did. It was impossible that she didn't. And after that little episode in his room earlier, Cloud was certain Yuffie had reaffirmed her status as an ace matchmaker. It almost made him regret his choice of words of how she was never wrong with the things around him.

But… he did understand why she'd reacted the way she did earlier, to some extent.

Cloud, if you don't like Seifer, you wouldn't still be siding him!

What /did/ he feel towards Seifer, anyway?

Platonic friendship? Or perhaps something deeper than that, or even something more?

Shock aside, why hadn't he at least shoved away Seifer for that kiss, unexpected as it was? And though it was not a kiss Cloud would like to reenact any time soon, or in fact, any time at all, why hadn't he felt repulsed? The little bit of goose bumps he'd gotten didn't exactly give him the feeling of disgust he'd expected it to come with. Before everything had started, before Leon had entered the picture, Cloud couldn't even imagine kissing someone else, much less another guy. Just the thought was enough to make him turn tail and run. Even now, even after sharing so many kisses with his boyfriend, it was still difficult to visualize himself kissing another person. Leon was different, he was in another league altogether as far as Cloud was concerned, so he allowed himself to lower his defenses for Leon.

So why couldn't he get mad at Seifer? The blond wasn't in the league Leon was. Nobody was. But to be completely honest, Cloud wasn't sure where that man belonged either.

Just why?

It was at that moment when Cloud heard the clatter of cutlery on the table, the sound exceptionally loud in the otherwise quiet room. He raised his head curiously, his fork stuck in his mouth where it had been feeding the piece of beef into earlier. Somewhere out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Yuffie drifting closer.

Eleanor was looking at him with a deep frown on her face, her arms folded on the table and her cutlery placed neatly beside her plate of food.

"Honey, did something happen? You've been so inattentive since getting home from school."

His mother had always been able to read him so well.

"…Not really."

"Is it Leon? Did you two have an argument again? Don't try to lie to me now; you two were acting so strange that night when he was over here for dinner I'd have to be blind and deaf to not pick up all the bad vibes."

While Yuffie snickered, Cloud barely suppressed the wince that was threatening to surface. He seriously hadn't thought it was so obvious, though on hind side, the almost stuck-up way he had refused Leon's help in the kitchen when the brunet offered must have been a dead giveaway. Quickly, he tried to think of an explanation.

Eleanor beat him to the punch.

"Really now honey, as cute as it can be, playing hard to get and all, it's not all that helpful in building a long term relationship with your boyfriend, you know?"

It was no surprise that Cloud dropped his fork, or that Yuffie choked on her own spit. In the record time where she'd managed to clear her throat and attempt to shake Cloud with mutters of disbelief, Cloud was still blinking with a slack jaw.

Something in his expression must have clued Eleanor into his inability to form any coherent sentences, so she added with an indignant huff, "What? Did you think I wouldn't know? If you two had wanted to keep it a secret, you certainly should have been more hush hush about it. I mean, the spectacular hickey on your neck was a major clue that my boy was dating someone, and try as Leon might, there was no way I could have missed the way he was grinning. He kinda reminded me of a wolf with his prey in sight, you know? Of course, I've had my suspicions since that day when Leon was ill and stayed over, because I saw you two cuddling on the couch when I came down to get a glass of water. And honey? Love might be blind, but our neighbours certainly aren't."

The blond gulped.

"They saw you and Leon kissing on our front porch."

Cloud thought he was going to go down into the annals of history as the first human to actually die of embarrassment. In a split-second, his mind came up with at least seven escape routes and the shortest possible ways to dig a hole, with and without a shovel, and bury himself before he could spontaneously combust. Might as well save the undertakers the trouble of digging his grave too, he thought.

Eleanor started to laugh.

"Aw, honey! Did you really, really, really think I wouldn't be able to tell? Don't worry, I'm fine with it! I may not have known Leon for long, but from what I can tell, he seems to be an awfully nice boy. Does he treat you well?"

At that, Cloud blushed hotly. His blush intensified when Eleanor looked at him expectantly and gestured for him to continue. He barely registered Yuffie's comment that he had a mother whose cool factor had already gone off the meter of the coolest mother ever.

"He's… pretty nice."

"How nice? Nice as in will prepare romantic dates and pamper you, or nice as in knows where to kiss and touch you?"

"MUM!"

Her laughter was as hearty as ever. "Promise me you'll use protection, okay?"

He sputtered for a moment before reverting to his all-purpose protest. "MUM!" It did nothing to dampen her jovial spirits. If anything, it seemed to amuse her further as she giggled like a conniving sprite.

"Oh honey, as your mother, I want you to know this. In any romantic relationship, you must always, always let your boyfriend wear the pants. Let him think he's wearing the pants, but you should always be the one controlling the zipper."

Yuffie snorted her chuckles. "Damn right she is, Cloud! Makes perfect sense too, since it means you get to be the one who decides when Leon gets laid."

Whoever thought that talking about a problem or a previously hidden relationship was cathartic was mad. At least for Cloud's case, talking about such issues only meant providing the two women in the house with the perfect ammunition, and also handing them the paint on a silver platter so they could paint the target markings on his body.

Lowering his head to hide the blush that had no doubt erupted on his face again, he stuffed his face with the beef stir-fry.

"So…"

He ate faster, hoping that his mother would take the cue and stop talking to him. His mind also started taking action, willing itself to be psychic so he could send out brainwaves and trick his mother into forgetting the conversation had ever taken place. He was sure that he was going to die if he got teased any more; at the very least, he was going to lose all feeling in his body because all his blood would surely be rushing to his face and staying there like it was a holiday resort. Again.

But Eleanor wasn't afraid of such things, for she was a nurse and she was damn good at her job. Temporary numbness was no big deal, especially not when it was due to embarrassment.

"Are you happy? With him?"

Cloud raised his head slowly, spoon still in his mouth as redness crept up his face again like a precocious child tiptoeing to peer over the window. He tried to read deeper into her question, in case she was going to suggest something atrocious like protection and was just gathering the material. He felt relief flooding into him when he saw the little crease in her brows and her lips tightening.

His hand was still holding onto his spoon when he nodded shyly. The spoon, he thought, was like the one he'd shared with Leon the other day at the ice cream parlor. Sweet, tender feelings welled up in him.

"Yeah."

He did not notice Yuffie's wide grin, looking like a self-satisfied cupid who'd done a magnificent job and was waiting for Aphrodite's praise.

He did, however, pick up on his mother's relieved sigh. Her shoulders drooped as though a tremendous weight had been lifted, and the sparkle that had been shining in her younger days reappeared in the corner of her eyes, making her seem younger than she really was.

"How long have you been going out with him?"

"A few weeks," he replied, then on a childish whim that wanted to tell his mother that her son had managed to ensnare the heart of an eligible bachelor so very thoroughly, he added, "But he's liked me for quite some time even before that. He just didn't know what to say to me."

Eleanor nodded eagerly, encouraging him.

"So, I confessed to him. Just… walked up to him in class one day, and told him… that I knew, and that I… felt the same way," his voice tapered off at the end, becoming softer and softer until it was no less inaudible than a mosquito's buzz. Apart from a nagging feeling at the back of his mind, Cloud had almost forgotten about Yuffie's possession and subsequent confession. But for all purposes and intents, it already felt like he had been the one who'd confessed to Leon.

"And we started going out after that. Leon's been… really attentive to me."

"Have you met his family yet?"

Cloud's jaw slackened a bit.

"N- No. It's a bit too early for that. And his family's almost always away. His father's always traveling around for his work, and his sister lives in the university dorms," he said uneasily, feeling like something was missing. Quickly, he continued, "But I've been to his house! Once. They live pretty far away from us." And thank god for that, he told himself. Had they lived any closer, Eleanor would surely wheedle the address out of him and pay them a very sudden visit with cookies for Leon's family and a bag of condoms for Leon. He shuddered mentally at the thought.

Eleanor smiled. "Good, good. It's good that you've found someone. I was getting a little worried about why my little Cloud was still alone when I've raised him so prettily. I was starting to think I'd done something wrong."

Yuffie guffawed. "Raised prettily? You sound like a poodle at one of those dog competitions, you know?"

Cloud prided himself on his self-control that he'd managed to not even glare at his recalcitrant friend.

Unaware of the undercurrents between her son and Yuffie, Eleanor asked, "So what's going on between you two? Lover's spat? It's not something big, is it? Or is it about the hickey that night?"

"…Maybe?" he said cautiously.

Beside him, Yuffie nodded astutely. "Right, keep your mum on that. It's not a good idea to tell her about Seifer, trust me. Knowing your mum, she'd grab her rolling pin, head to school and beat Seifer to within an inch of his life. Or maybe she won't even be patient enough to wait for school tomorrow and just go down to Seifer's house to cudgel the snot out of him right now." Upon that, they looked at each other (or in Cloud's case, snuck a glance), and promptly shivered. Years as Eleanor Strife's son and neighbour had taught them that the rolling pin was probably the least dangerous thing she could dig out in a moment's notice once her maternal instincts kicked in full power.

Thankfully, she bought the bait eagerly.

"Oh you're such a prude, Cloud!" Eleanor exclaimed teasingly, completely ignoring her son's bewildered protests. "It's just a hickey, so don't be so hard on Leon. Unless he did something else? Well, as long as you use protection, I'm sure you'll be fine. And don't forget the lubricant."

For the second time within the day, Cloud could hear the concrete walls beckoning his forehead for a nice smash. What was with all the females he knew?

Out of so many of Eleanor's colleagues, Nurse Gillian had always been the one Cloud liked best. She was gentle and sweet, and every time Cloud visited her, she'd offer him a piece of his favourite candy, pat his head and ask him kindly how his day had gone. If it had gone badly, she'd gather him into his arms and hug him, just like his mother. She always came through for Cloud, and that was one of the reasons why he liked her so much.

Another reason why Cloud adored her so was because she and Eleanor always took over each other's shifts if they couldn't make it to work, and tonight, Gillian's son couldn't have gotten the flu at a more opportune time. Cloud made a mental note to send Gillian and her son a basket of fruits as he waved goodbye to his mother, who now had to take over Gillian's graveyard shift. As much as he loved his mother, there was really a limit to how much teasing he could take.

She waved back to him, gesturing for him to get back into the house. He would have done so, except that was when a familiar-looking car suddenly pulled up on the road. Yuffie chortled and pointed out that Cloud was never meant to get a moment of peace that night as Leon stepped out of the car.

Before Cloud could respond to her (not that he knew how to except agree with her, and that was something he knew wasn't a very smart move), Eleanor positively squealed and in a few big strides, cornered Leon against his car. Instinctively, Cloud ran towards them. Yuffie was a step faster; the moment she'd seen Leon step out of his car, she'd shot out to catch the latest episode of mother-in-law versus son-in-law like it was some sitcom. She positively squealed at Eleanor's response.

"Oh Cloud, you're such a sneak! You didn't even tell your mother that someone's coming over to keep you company!" she teased good-naturedly, yelling over her shoulders. Then she turned towards Leon with a face-splitting smile. "It's good that you're here though! Well, take care of my honey for me, will you? And remember to treat him nicely," she finished with a knowing wink.

Leon blinked, then the surprise melted away to reveal a matching grin. "Of course, Eleanor. Always."

Her smile widened, if it was possible, apparently pleased by the answer, and patted him lightly on the shoulders. "Well then, see you boys tomorrow," Eleanor said, and after throwing her son, who'd just gotten to their side almost in a panic, one last meaningful gaze, she continued walking down the street to catch her bus. Cloud watched her until her silhouette disappeared into the night.

Now left in silence, Cloud turned back to look at his boyfriend warily. "What… what did mum say to you?"

"Just what a mother would say to their son's boyfriends," Leon replied simply, reaching out to take Cloud's hand and lead him into the house. "You have a wonderful mother, you know that?"

Yuffie snickered. "How true. I always did love your mum."

Cloud did not have the chance to ask her what exactly she meant by that and what his mother had said to Leon before they got inside the house and Leon closed the door behind them, making sure to lock it. Once the lock clicked, Cloud was pulled up into a tight embrace that left their bodies flushed up one another's. His breath hitched when Leon pressed a short, chaste kiss against his forehead.

"So how was your day? I'm sorry I didn't manage to drive you home today, but I didn't want you to wait until my meeting was over. The meeting was a waste of time, in my opinion; we didn't actually get much done, considering the amount of time we spent on it. And I had to go looking for one of our members, since the bastard was late for over half an hour."

It was strange, how the affectionate, gentle tone of Leon's voice was a sharp contrast to how chilly Cloud was feeling. Somehow, Cloud just knew that the missing member Leon was talking about was the same one who'd cornered him that afternoon, despite the lack of a name. Standing in Leon's loving embrace, hearing Leon's tender voice, and leaning into Leon's warm chest, the brunet was all that was stopping him from jumping away in guilt.

He extracted himself out of Leon's arms gingerly, backing away just enough so he could look at his boyfriend.

"So what made you visit?"

Leon blinked in surprise. "You didn't get my text message? I told you I was coming over tonight."

"You did? I must have forgotten…" Cloud laughed nervously. It had to be the second text message Leon had sent earlier, the same one he'd neglected to read because he didn't want to.

The memory of Seifer's kiss was still fresh in his mind.

"You forgot? Then…" the brunet breathed, lowering his lips and cupping Cloud's cheeks, "let me remind you."

Feeling Leon's warm breath tickling his face, Cloud almost closed his eyes. He loved Leon's kisses. He loved how the man always made him feel so cherished with a little peck of his lips and a little caress of his cheeks. He loved how Leon loved him so much.

So, despite acting unwilling sometimes, Cloud would never turn away from Leon's kisses.

But the memory of that stilled moment from that afternoon gushed back to him like a tidal wave at Leon's proximity. In his mind's eye, Seifer's face, those normally icy eyes had melted, that air of arrogance had faded away, and the perpetual proud smirk had been replaced by uncertainty… all that, was superimposed over Leon's features. To all of Cloud's senses and perception, the person leaning in was Seifer, the same Seifer who had kissed him just that afternoon.

Heart nearly leaping out of his throat, Cloud's hands moved quickly to shove the other away even as he jumped back.

Leon, entirely unprepared, stumbled backwards until he hit the door. When he finally realized what had happened, he looked up, eyes wide and blinking. "Cloud?"

Seeing the confusion and hurt in those eyes was what made Cloud comprehend what he'd done. "I… I'm sorry! I just… Leon, you don't just do that so suddenly!" he protested weakly, his face burning fiercely in both shame and guilt. "I…! I'm sorry!" Suddenly unable to meet Leon's eyes anymore, he turned tail and sprinted to the stairs, quickly running up, his hurried footsteps thumping loudly against the wooden staircase like the lumbered steps of a giant.

"O…oi! Cloud!" Yuffie yelled. Without sparing a look at Leon, she shot up the stairs after her friend. When she got there, Cloud was already leaning over the basin and splashing water onto his face as though a man possessed. The water splattered everywhere like an artist's wild experimentation with his tubes of paint; it ended up on the mirror, the basin, the walls, and had she been alive, her as well. She waited patiently, and it took a while for Cloud to stop and grab his towel to dry himself off.

When she was sure he wouldn't take flight again, she prodded, "So… what happened?"

He bit his bottom lip, pausing in his actions. Eyes darting out of the bathroom uneasily, and even though there was no one outside, his stance did not relax a bit as he slowly replied, "…I saw Seifer's face."

She winced. "So he scarred you this badly, huh? We have to think of some way to deal with him, seriously. At least tell him that you're not interested." Her eyes narrowed sharply. "You're not, are you?"

"Are you mad? No! Which part of 'just a friend' do you not get?"

"Well, we can talk about this later. Right now, Leon must be wondering what set you off like that so you'd better march yourself down there right now to explain to him. Just tell him… what your mum told you about using protection. If he's really as gentlemanly as we think, he'll know why you reacted that way. And if he leers, then it's time to put all that kendo I've taught you to good use."

Luckily, there was no need to pull out Yuffie's bamboo sword. Upon hearing Eleanor's playful advice, the brunet's face promptly erupted into blush so red the girl blithely suggested that maybe he'd burst a vein and needed a trip to the emergency room in the hospital. But she was forced to eat her words when Leon, after a moment's silence, mumbled that he'd remember that piece of advice.

Cloud nearly threw him out of the house for that.

With as much practice as Leon had for placating his boyfriend, however, it was not a surprise to any of them that Leon eventually ended up sleeping in Cloud's room again that night, though Cloud still insisted on making him sleep on a mattress on his bedroom floor. It almost annoyed the blond (and amused Yuffie) when Leon agreed to that contentedly, smiling that silly smile of his.

It was in the middle of the night that Cloud crawled out of his bed, after tossing and turning repeatedly when sleep refused to come. Gingerly, he sidestepped Leon, pausing for a moment to smile at the lightly snoring brunet who mumbled his name even in the depths of slumber, and got out of the room, mindful to shut the door behind him as softly as he could.

Trudging downstairs, he did not bother turning on the lights and merely slumped into the living room sofa, softly sighing.

"I knew you'd be unable to sleep tonight."

Cloud sighed again, louder this time. Without looking up, he answered, "And I knew you'd come down to meet me, Yuffie. I figured you were loitering downstairs when I didn't see your legs sticking out of my closet. Speaking of which, why do you always sleep inside my closet?"

The girl shrugged as she floated closer to the sofa, her translucent form more ethereal than usual under the moonlight that peeked in through a partially-opened curtain. She looked like something that'd walked straight out of a fairytale. "I use your pile of folded clothes for a pillow. Feels better that way, even though I can't touch them," she said.

He nodded absently. They fell into silence almost naturally, and the only sounds that permeated the night were the mating calls of crickets and the occasional sharp shrieks of cats, followed by the sound of metal trash cans tumbling over.

Yuffie studied him intently, one hand propping her chin with the other thrown carelessly across her stomach.

It took Cloud a while to clear his throat and talk about the topic they were both waiting for the other to start.

"Yuffie, do you think… Seifer's just confused?"

Yuffie's lips twisted skeptically. "Somehow, I don't think so. Seifer just looked kinda shifty this afternoon, not confused. In fact, come to think of it, he reminds me of how Leon used to look every time I told him to confess to you. You know, like how he wants to confess his feelings to the person he likes but still hasn't exactly mustered up the guts for it yet? Yeah, that's how Seifer looked like." Leon would probably take insult if he ever heard about her observations, and even Yuffie herself found it strange to compare the two rivals like this, but there was just no denying the flighty stance, the pursed lips and darting eyes that they shared in that instance. She probably would have found more similarities had Cloud not interrupted.

"So he seriously likes me, huh…?" Cloud muttered. When he noticed Yuffie staring at him with her patented blank look that was actually not so blank underneath it all, he smiled painfully. "Well, a guy can hope, right?"

She tried to hit him, rolling her eyes when she failed to even make his hair flutter. Shaking her head at the unfairness of it all, she asked, "So what are you going to do about him? You've shot down my idea of getting a body bag, so I'm out of ideas."

Cloud stared at her for a moment. Yuffie was already dead, her translucent body as good as proof had he not remembered being at the hospital and seeing her mangled body. Yet…

He closed his eyes, clenching his fists. He had already decided, hadn't he? He was going to help Yuffie move on. She was going to find a way to move on to the next world one day, and gods help him, Cloud was not going to become a burden. He was not going to drag her down anymore.

"I'm going to talk to Seifer."

Yuffie's eyes widened. "Talk?"

"I'm going to talk to Seifer, and tell him straight, that I can't accept his feelings." I can't be indecisive anymore.

"It's not going to be easy to get through to him, you know?" she remarked tersely, her arms crossed.

Cloud nodded in acknowledgement. "I know, but I have to do it. Seifer has the right to know, and I have to do this." I will show you, Yuffie, that I'm not a kid that needs your protection anymore.

"Well… if you're sure…"

"I am." You can move on. You don't have to worry about me.

She smirked, nodding in return.

"Then there's only one thing left to do: corner Seifer somewhere and tell him the truth, and pray that Leon never finds out about this or someone's going to need a trip to your mum's workplace."

Cloud chuckled. "Yuffie, you never change!" He chuckled louder when the girl giggled and replied quite plainly that she was fine the way she was, to which Cloud could only agree. He could never imagine his friend as someone less cheeky and with less of a prankster's streak in her.

"Cloud?"

The abrupt calling of his name by someone that was supposed to be upstairs made Cloud's blood run cold, and he twisted around in the sofa, only to see Leon's silhouette at the bottom of the stairs, just a few steps away from the living room. Though it was dark and the lights were off, Cloud knew, somehow, that Leon was staring at him. He cursed himself inwardly. How could he have not noticed his boyfriend so close to him? Just how much had Leon heard?

Leon started towards him, and when the light peeking in from the open curtain struck upon him, Cloud could see his shock, those wide, disbelieving eyes and that slack jaw. Words were difficult to come at that sight.

"Le-Leon? Why…? When?"

In spite of his questions, Cloud secretly hoped that he was just seeing things, or that he was dreaming. Leon wasn't there, he prayed silently. But even in the dark, he thought he saw Leon shaking his head, and his throat ran dry. With each step the brunet took towards him, he felt their hearts gaining distance.

"I woke up earlier, and I didn't see you in bed, so I came looking for you. Cloud…" –Leon knitted his brows- "were you… talking to someone?"

"O-of course not! I'm the only one here! I just, I just couldn't sleep so I came downstairs." As he spoke, his heart hammered so loudly Cloud feared that it'd betrayed him. Beside him, Cloud thought he could feel Yuffie holding her breath.

And then Leon was beside them, sliding into the sofa just beside Cloud. "I thought… I thought I heard you call her name."

Cloud swallowed. "No, I was alone. I was just… talking to myself," he lied, almost shakily, unable to meet Leon's eyes. What was he supposed to tell Leon if he asked, if he really probed? He'd yet to explain his reaction to Naminé's picture, and now this! What was Leon going to think?

He'd think that Cloud was an oddball, or perhaps even insane enough to hallucinate and hear voices, but that was already the best case scenario Cloud could think of. What if Leon believed him, believed that maybe Yuffie was still around them, somehow? Bit by bit, slowly but surely, Leon would learn the truth behind Cloud's confession. He'd know that Cloud's confession had been fake, and that Cloud had never meant for it to happen. He'd know that everything they shared right now had stemmed from a lie, a farce, a possession.

…What was Leon supposed to think?

What would Leon think!?

To his surprise, he felt warm arms wrap around his body, and he was pulled up against a broad chest that he was already so familiar with. When he lifted his head, he only saw a heartbreaking love and sympathy in Leon's eyes. Suddenly, relief rushed into him.

"Leon?"

"It's alright, Cloud. It's normal that you miss her. You don't have to be afraid about missing her. We all do. Me, Riku, Aeris, Tidus… All of us miss her too. But…" –he tightened his embrace- "I'll be here for you, as you have been for me. We won't be alone. And she won't have to be, either," Leon whispered, as though if he spoke any louder, this moment in time would shatter and evaporate into non-existence. "Let's visit her tomorrow."

"Squally-Wally… you're such a sap, but you won't even say my name anymore."

Cloud heard Yuffie say, her voice trembling and choking, but he couldn't remember what his own response to Leon's soothing words was. He only remembered feeling incredibly warm and safe, and it made him sleepy. How long they spent leaning into each other on the couch, Cloud did not know. Later, the walk back upstairs and into his room were, in his mind, only a series of steps where he moved his tired feet and Leon led.

It felt like forever and an instant, the journey, and then he was back in bed, curled up against Leon. The wall was just behind him, trapping him where he was. A thought stood out inside his mind, as obvious as a splash of white against a black canvas: Leon didn't want him wandering off again. Leon was trying to protect him.

Suddenly, all his worries this afternoon and thereafter felt so insignificant. Leon was with him, after all.

He dredged up a smile, closed his eyes, and his lips moved, but he barely heard his own voice.

"Leon, why do you love me? Out of so many people in this world, why did you pick me?"

Perhaps it was his imagination, but he thought he heard Leon's voice speaking to him. It was soft and quiet and so very warm, and Cloud liked the way it made him feel.

"Because you gave me your vanilla ice cream."

Cloud never replied, for as soon as those words trailed off, he was already caught up in a deep sleep. In his dreams, he saw a younger Yuffie and a younger him running down his corridor, wearing matching jackets that Yuffie's mother had bought them. He also saw an older Seifer walking by, patting his shoulder as he did and not looking back.

But most of all, he saw an older Leon holding out a hand for him, smiling, and never letting go.

"Leon! I promise you I'll be fine! Just give me a few minutes alone with Yuffie! And then I'll call you over so you can talk to her too, okay?"

Leon looked every bit the petulant child he was acting like, a frown marring his features like it was permanently etched there and he had a downturn of his lips to go with it.

As he had promised the night before, Leon had driven them both to the graveyard where Yuffie was buried first thing in the morning, but apart from it being a gesture of letting go for Cloud, Cloud had a sinking feeling in his stomach that Leon had watched too much television drama and was going to the do the clichéd 'I'll take care of him in your place' line in front of Yuffie's grave. While it sounded nice in theory, in reality, the woman was just floating behind them.

Cloud wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep a straight face if Yuffie suddenly decided to act all maternal-like and tease Leon while the man was trying to get her to entrust her best friend to him.

"Leon. It's just going to be a few minutes. Just stay in the car, and I'll be right there," he said, pointing a little ways over at the white marble that had been styled and carved into Yuffie's tombstone. "See? You can see me from here. And I'll call you over in a bit."

It would be better for his health if he got a few minutes alone with the mischievous spirit first.

Thankfully, Leon conceded.

"Call me when you're done. I haven't visited her in a while myself."

"I'll be quick," Cloud promised, and then he was gone, making a beeline for his intended destination. He didn't check to see if Yuffie, who'd been lounging in Leon's backseat, was following, but there was no need to. In a blur of colours, the girl was already calling out for him to check out her 'cool resting place and wait, why are there flowers'. He darted over quickly.

True to her word, sitting quietly before her tombstone was a fresh bouquet of blue roses, the colours still bright and unsullied. The long white ribbon that held them together fluttered lightly when a breeze visited.

Cloud frowned. "Blue roses? Why blue roses?" he murmured, kneeling down to set down the bouquet of fresh white lilies he'd bought earlier. Juxtaposed, his bouquet didn't look any fresher than the blue roses.

"It's my favourite, blue roses," Yuffie answered nonchalantly, floating closer to the ground to appreciate the flowers better.

"Eh!? You never told me! You didn't even say anything when I got white lilies!"

She stuck out a tongue. "And you call yourself my best friend. What kind of best friends don't know their best friend's favourite flowers?" She ignored Cloud's mumbled reply of 'one who was never told', instead choosing to reach out to touch the flowers. Her fingers hovered above the petals, sometimes passing through them, but for all intents and purposes, it looked like Yuffie could just touch them.

"I wonder who left it here. There aren't many people who know my favourite flowers, especially since my best friend," she spat the last two words out vilely, glaring at him, before continuing, "doesn't know either. It can't be my parents; I just visited them two nights ago, and they're still two towns away. It's obviously not you, and since it's not my anniversary yet, it's probably not anyone from school either. As far as I know, they've already bought enough flowers to drown me during my wake."

"Since it's someone who knows your favourite flowers, just keep going down that track. You should figure out a couple names that way," Cloud suggested, straightening his back.

Yuffie averted her gaze, pouting as she did, and hummed under her breath. Several times, her eyes lit up for a second before dimming, and she was back to the drawing table. Then, she gasped and she almost jumped. Cloud was about to ask her who it was when she deflated all of a sudden, placing a curious finger on her lips.

"No… it can't be him. He's not even here anymore…"

"Yuffie?"

At the sound of her name, she turned back to Cloud, and she smiled with a shrug.

"I've no idea! But well, you know, pretty girls get all sorts of secret admirers everywhere! Maybe this came from one of them? I don't really care right now. Not like there's anything I can do about it anyway," she remarked casually. When Cloud's suspicious eyes did not go away, she pouted. "Don't worry about this. Shouldn't you worry about your precious boyfriend? I think I see him looking our way, and boy must he be cursing the lack of a pair of binoculars." She giggled.

"Very funny, Yuff," Cloud deadpanned. "I'm going over to call him over. You just stay here."

As Leon got out of his car eagerly to meet Cloud halfway, Yuffie turned back to the blue roses.

"You know what my favourite flower is? It's blue roses. /Blue/ roses. It has to be blue."

"Why blue?"

"Because the other colours are yucky!"

"Really? I thought most girls liked red roses."

"Red roses are for normal girls. Special ones like me deserve blue roses."

"…"

"Come to think of it, there's a flower shop around the corner. Get me a blue rose bouquet, will you?"

"What's the occasion?"

"Because I feel like receiving blue roses today! Do girls like me need a special occasion to get flowers?"

"…I don't know what to do with you, Yuffie."

"Love me! What else? Ha ha ha!"

Yuffie shook her head almost violently, hoping to clear those memories. It had been so many years before, when he'd still been living in Radiant Garden. But he'd left so long ago, and as much as she'd wanted, they never managed to keep in touch.

Did he still remember her? Did he still remember the way she always tried to cling onto him and tease him and ask him to love her, before laughing loudly and brushing it off as a joke when he did not reply? Did he still remember her favourite flowers, the ones she'd suddenly decided on when she was walking down the street with him?

She felt her heart sink.

-tbc-

Teaser for next chapter: In which Cloud visits again, Leon shares a childhood memory of a friend he'd once made and vanilla ice cream, Laguna and Ellone teases the couple, Seifer doesn't give up, and Yuffie tags along for the ride.

A/N: This chapter was really difficult to write. While writing the first draft, I got so unhappy with it that I stopped writing the fic for a few months because I couldn't get everything to flow, and RL was making a lot of demands on my time too. So basically that was 6000 plus words scrapped, and I rewrote most of it. I'm still not completely satisfied with this draft, but I'd have to revise the entire fic if I want to make this chapter better.

If you couldn't tell what was giving me problems, it's Seifer. Or more appropriately, the situation with Seifer and Cloud. I do have it all planned out, so now I'm just figuring out how to get from point A to point C. Point B is where you guys come in. Tell me what you think probably should happen or might happen! What do you think about the relationship between Seifer and Cloud? How serious is Seifer? Possible reactions from Leon, if he finds out? Carnage will be accepted. XDDD

Whether you have any words to say about the situation with Seifer or not, please remember to comment and review if you've enjoyed this chappie! XD

On the topic of reviews, if you're the 900th reviewer, please PM me and I'll write you a drabble of your choice. If you're the 1000th reviewer, please also PM me and I'll write you a one-shot. XD This is to thank you for your support! I'll be looking forward to seeing your PMs!

P.S. I recently posted a new Zack/Cloud fic and a Lavi/Kanda (DGM) fic, so if you're fans of those pairings/series, please do read and review too! Thanx!