Author's note: Its two in the morning and this makes perfect sense, which means, it probably does not. In addition, this site moved around a couple sentences when I added the pagebreak. I think I fixed it all, but I make no promises. I hope you enjoy it anyway and thank you for reading.

Cloud gave the boy a moment before he stepped out onto the balcony after him. The teen was standing oddly, with his palms pressed into his eyes and his elbows sticking out slightly. Then the boy ran his hands through his long, silver hair and took a few deeps breaths.

The azure-eyed man reached out when the teen dropped, but withdrew his hand when he realised there was still a fair amount of control to the action. Riku curled one leg under himself and rested an elbow on the other, raised knee, with his hand on his forehead and his face downcast. His slender form was trembling slightly and Cloud could not guess which emotion or emotions were causing it.

It looked as though the teen were simultaneously breaking down and pulling himself together.

The spiky-haired man knew it was a stupid question, but he could not think of anything else to say; "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Riku's voice was soft, but surprisingly steady. The teen shifted his arm to rest on his knee casually and raised his head enough to gaze at the horizon.

Cloud stepped forward and kneeled beside the boy. "I'm sorry. I guess that was too much for you."

The turquoise-eyed boy shook his head. "It's what I wanted, I just…" He shook his head again.

Sensing that the teen was not going to be going back inside anytime soon, the ex-SOLDIER adjusted himself into a more comfortable position and placed a hand on the boy's back. "I know better than you do…I should have taken more time."

"It's okay," assured the silver-haired boy. He finally glanced at the blonde man. "I'm alright."

Cloud nodded and both turned their gazes to the stars for a moment. "You know, it all actually started before that," commented the spiky-haired man, taking another glance at the teen beside him. "I think it was just happening gradually enough that he was able to handle it…then Genesis hit him with everything at once and it was all over. Zack once said that he thought Sephiroth's mind went into overload and she used that opportunity to move in."

Riku nodded slowly, "So there were signs that it was happening to him…before he lost it?"

"Yeah," the azure-eyed man looked over what could be seen of the town from his balcony and in the poor light of the evening. He still wasn't sure why the teen suddenly wanted to know about his father's downfall…or why the boy had come to him for this. "I only really knew him from a distance then, and not until after he had already started changing, but Zack said there were times when it was like he just wasn't himself. Later on, he would have episodes where he couldn't remember brief periods or would suddenly have these violent impulses that he couldn't explain."

The silver-haired boy nodded again, still staring at the sky with a distant look to his eyes. Then he abruptly dropped his gaze and spoke monotonously. "If you ever catch me doing something like that, kill me."

Cloud's attention immediately snapped onto the boy again. "You're serious…" It was not a question so much as a request for elaboration.

"I don't want to become what he is," stated the turquoise-eyed teen evenly. "And I don't mean to sound arrogant, but each of the others either lacks the power to destroy me or care about me too much to really try. This world has suffered enough…it can't handle two Sephiroths, especially if one is a Keybearer."

The spiky-haired man stared at the boy's half-hidden profile for a moment before frowning. "What makes you think I'm any different from the others?"

Riku looked at the ex-SOLDIER through his bangs. "You've defeated him before…and the others will support you. Even if they can't…you're more powerful than you think. You can take me."

"First of all, I think you're forgetting that your father still isn't dead yet," commented Cloud. "And that wasn't what I meant anyway. What makes you think that I don't care about you?"

The silvered teen turned to look at Cloud fully, his expression was blank and his eyes were lost. "I thought…you …Don't you hate me?"

The man and the boy stared at each other in shock for a moment before Cloud realised he needed to answer. "I hate him, not you. I've never hated you. You aren't like him…you're caring and you're stronger."

A silver eyebrow arched; "Actually from what Sora's said, he could probably wipe the floor with me…"

"I don't mean like that," stated the azure-eyed man. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I mean…you never gave in. He did…we all respected him, I idolised him, Zack and your mother loved him, and he had you, but when the time came, he still gave in."

"That's why you hate him?" Riku asked quietly. He met the ex-SOLDIER's eyes again. "So…do you actually like me?"

The spiky-haired man smirked and rubbed the teen's back slowly as he turned to look at the stars again. "I've always liked you…that's why I've stayed away from you. I usually tend to be more of a burden than any help to those I care for."

"No one thinks of you as a burden," stated the turquoise-eyed boy levelly, even as he began to relax into the man's ministrations slightly. "You're the only one who thinks that…Zack complains about it fairly often actually."

Cloud snorted. "That doesn't surprise me…"

The silvered teen glanced at the azure-eyed man again. "So as a friend then…if I ever do give in, will you make sure I can't hurt them?"

The ex-SOLDIER nodded, not looking at the teen and hoping that the fact that the boy was so persistent meant that he never would have to fulfil the promise; then he felt something soft and cool placed on the hand that was lying idly on his lap, and glanced down to see Riku's hand over his own.

The turquoise-eyed boy squeezed Cloud's hand gently and smiled slightly when the man turned his hand to squeeze back. "Thanks Cloud…for all of this."

The azure-eyed man looked at the silver-haired boy again. "Why did you come to me tonight? There are others who could have probably explained all of this better, you know."

Riku made a sound that Cloud could not identify as he looked down again. "Because I knew I could count on you to help me the way I needed to be helped, and not the way anyone else who could answer me would want to."

The spiky-haired man blinked in confusion, "Even though you thought I hated you?" the silvered teen simply nodded before raising his face again to gaze at the night's sky.

The ex-SOLDIER searched the visible features of the boy's face before nodding once to himself and then turning to look out into the night with a resolved expression. If someone, whom he considered as powerful as the once-great Sephiroth and as caring as Zack could have that kind of faith in him, then perhaps he was not the failure he believed himself to be. Moreover, if Riku was going to count on him regardless, then he certainly was not to going to let the boy down.

Cloud smiled slightly as he felt slender fingers intertwine with his just before he tightened his own grip.