Skywalkers

10: Be My Savior

They had a week and a half of peace. During the day, they hung out with Sora and Kairi, listening to the younger two chatter and occasionally making comments. Cloud became an expert at throwing in little digs about the famous novelist Leon Heartilly, and Leon found out, to his extreme pleasure, that Cloud was ticklish just under his ribcage and that he could make the blond jump nearly a half a foot by pinching that spot as he walked past. Whenever Leon needed time to write, Kairi would kidnap Cloud and put him to work around the house. Sora was cute and sweet and she loved him, she proclaimed, but having someone tall and strong around was just fantastic. Leon would occasionally protest that he was tall and strong, too, but Kairi would just pat him on the head with a smile, remind him of his approaching deadline, and walk away, dragging Cloud by the hand behind her.

When Sora and Kairi went to classes or spent time with their own social circle, Leon and Cloud would practice sparring in the backyard. Leon had natural talent, but he needed discipline, and Cloud needed to work his body back to the point where it had been before he was injured. Crossing swords with Cloud was exhilarating, Leon found, although it surprised him to see the flickers of green return to the other's eyes as they fought.

"It's the nanotech," Cloud explained when Leon asked him about it. "Yours turn a bit green, too, although you obviously can't see it."

"You're kidding!"

"No. The green color signifies that a program is running. The fighting packages are involuntary programs, ones that mimic learned behavior. Their complexity level is pretty low. The Skywalker packages, however, are extremely complicated and need to be activated by thought which is why my eyes turn completely green when I use them."

"Then what about the green I see when you're aroused?"

Cloud flushed bright red at that and nearly dropped First Tsurugi. It took him several tries to stammer out, "There are sex packages as well."

Leon didn't mean to laugh, but he couldn't help himself. Cloud took it like a good sport for about half a minute; then he swung his sword at Leon's head.

During the day, even when Sora and Kairi weren't around, they continued to be simply good friends, but at night, they became devoted lovers and Leon would resume his quest to help Cloud get over his fears about love, sex, and intimacy. It became routine for them to say goodnight to Sora and Kairi, wander to their room without any visible hurry, and go inside and shut the door; then, at the small click that sounded when Leon flipped the lock, Cloud would pin him up against the wall and proceed to kiss him senseless. The blond tried more than once to pleasure Leon, but Leon always stopped him. "Until you can handle me touching you without first tensing and having to go through a process of calming down, until then, it's all about you." He even refused to take off any of his clothes while they made out, which annoyed Cloud to no end. But then Leon would drive away all arguments by making the blond incapable of coherent thought.

On the second night, Leon convinced Cloud to strip naked for him, and he spent almost an entire hour exploring the other man's body. The blond had so many scars, from battle and other equally unpleasant things, and Leon touched and kissed them all. On the third night, he replaced his hand with his mouth and found out that Cloud did in fact occasionally make noise when he came and that the sound was unbearably delicious. On the fourth night, the wing emerged, unbidden, and smacked Leon across the face as it appeared. Cloud sputtered apology after apology, but Leon was thrilled. He immediately started petting it, having wanted to touch it again ever since that first early morning. It was then he discovered that Cloud had lied: touching his wing was far more erotic to him than just running fingers through his hair, and in particular, the place where the wing joined his back drove him mad. Cloud came three times that night.

On the fifth night, Cloud did not tense when Leon touched him. When he realized he had conquered his involuntary reaction, the blond looked at Leon with a glint in his eye that made him swallow with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation. Before he knew what was happening, Leon found himself being stripped and thrown onto the bed by a one-winged angel who then proceeded to deep throat him until he came hard, biting his hand to keep from screaming aloud and alerting Sora and Kairi to their activities. On the sixth night, Cloud did not attack him; instead, the blond placed a hand on the one that had just locked the door, lifted his gaze, and said, "I love you, Leon." That night and each one following, they made love to each other before falling asleep, sated and content, in each other's arms. Not once did they speak of going "all the way"; they both knew that neither was ready for that.

The day after Cloud had made his confession, Leon sent an email to his editor. He enclosed the final four chapters of his novel and instructed him to announce that this book would be his last. He then opened up a new document on his computer and began an outline completely different from the ones he was used to making. He told no one about his new project, not even Cloud.

For ten days, Leon lived in a state of near paradise. He felt truly happy for the first time in years. He smiled so much that Sora asked him more than once if he was sick, a question which always earned the little brunet a round of tickle torture. Better than Leon's own happiness, however, was the smile that Cloud gave him whenever their eyes met. Nearly all of the blond's fear had melted away; he rarely checked the PHS anymore. If not for their daily sparring matches and the presence of that wing that he loved so much, Leon could have easily believed that he had picked up his lover in the checkout line just as his brother and almost-sister-in-law surmised and that things like Skywalkers and alternate dimensions did not exist.

And yet, Leon knew in his heart that it could not last forever. The afternoon of the eleventh day proved him correct.

"When are you going to tell Sora about us?"

They stood in the backyard, resting after a bout of yardwork that Kairi had dumped on them. Leon leaned against a tall oak tree with crossed arms while Cloud stood in front of him, enjoying the breeze that ruffled his messy hair.

"How does never sound?" Leon answered Cloud's question with one of his own.

The blond snorted at him. "What? You ashamed of me?"

"No," Leon assured him with a smile. "I'll happily show you off to everyone in the world. Except Sora."

Cloud laughed at him. "Don't tell me you're afraid of getting teased by your little brother."

"You bet your ass I am. He's vicious."

Cloud laughed some more but stopped when Leon reached out for him and drew him close. He smirked, flicked his glance to the house to make sure no one was peeking out through the windows, and leaned forward to claim the lips that Leon was offering. Since his position against the tree made him the shorter one, Leon tilted his head and allowed Cloud to dominate him. It was an interesting dance, he thought as the blond invaded his mouth. The constant push and pull that they both did, neither one willing to relinquish control all the time. And yet, in spite of the delicate balance that their personalities forced them to maintain, they had yet to have any problems or even any awkwardness. Leon supposed it had to do with the love they felt for one another.

They kissed for several minutes before an unfamiliar voice stopped them.

"Well, isn't that a pretty sight?"

Cloud ripped his face away from Leon with a startled gasp. Briefly, Leon saw the flicker of recognition in his eyes before the blond turned his head away and towards the one who had spoken. Leon turned to look as well and saw a young man leaning against the far side of the nearby fence. He looked about Sora's age, certainly no older than twenty-one or twenty-two, and smiled at them with far too much innocence. He was undoubtedly a Skywalker. Leon could tell from the inhuman good-looks - a perfect, athletic body, a face far too beautiful to be called handsome, and soft-looking silver hair that brushed his shoulders and hung down into his shining green eyes. That and the wicked-looking black sword that rested against his thigh while his arms were crossed over the top rail of the fence.

To Leon's surprise, Cloud's hand planted itself on the tree next to his head and his body moved closer to Leon's as if in protection. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked at the stranger. "You," he growled.

"Me," the other replied with a grin. He tipped his head in a way that would have been flirtatious if not for the coldness in his eyes. "You've been a bad little puppet, Cloud. Brother is very unhappy."

A low hiss escaped through Cloud's clenched teeth, and Leon saw him reach for the sword that wasn't there. It was in the trunk of Leon's car along with his own. Very slowly, Leon began to ease the keys to his car out of his pocket; to distract the stranger, he asked, "How did you find us?"

The young man's eyes lit up with pride. "Ah yes, I suppose I should thank you for that. Imagine our surprise when, after searching for the puppet for so long, his fingerprint starts popping up on the path again, in and out of folds without any sort of pattern. The others, they all ran after the prints immediately, but I thought to myself, 'The puppet isn't stupid. His trail didn't just become faint; it went completely cold. And now he's jumping around again without trying to hide at all? I don't think so.' And then I remembered that Zack and Reno were looking for the puppet as well, so I followed their trail for the past few weeks." He grinned wickedly, all traces of innocence destroyed. "And I found it, Cloud. The very faint print in this fold. If you hadn't sent Zack and Reno around to place false trails, I'm sure Yazoo would have gotten to it first, but because you did, I get to take you home and keep Brother's gratitude all to myself."

The way the stranger kept calling Cloud "puppet" made Leon's blood boil, but he kept it in check for now. Gently, he nudged Cloud's thigh with his knee. When the blond threw a look his way, he tilted his head to the hand that held his keys. Cloud looked back to the stranger, but his hand came down from the side of the tree and slowly made its way to Leon's hand. The plan had been set: once the fighting started, Leon would keep the young man busy while Cloud got the swords. It was risky, but they had few options and Leon wasn't about to let Cloud get near their enemy without a weapon.

Cloud's hand closed around Leon's and squeezed gently before he removed the keys. "That explains how you got to this fold," he said to the young man still leaning on the fence, "but how did you get here?"

"That part was easy," he replied with a shrug. "All I had to do was ask the neighbor. 'Excuse me, madam, but I'm looking for a good friend of mine who was visiting your neighbor. Do you know where they are now? At his brother's house? Oh, I see. Where is that exactly? Thank you so much, madam, I really do appreciate all your help.' Oh, she was so happy to help such a polite and handsome young man such as I."

To Leon's surprise, Cloud growled dangerously. "I don't care if you are brainwashed and as much a victim as I am," he snarled. "If you hurt Dr. Kadowaki, I will tear you apart."

"Brainwashed?" the other laughed. "Silly, silly puppet. Serving Brother is an honor. I live for his approval."

"I know you do," Cloud whispered, and Leon could hear the pain in his voice.

The other had not heard. He sighed, "Brother's been so very sad without his puppet to play with. To think that I'll be the one to bring the smile back to his face. Me. The youngest. The one the others look down on." His eyes flashed with a mixture of past anger and future hope. They latched hungrily onto the blond, and he declared, "You're coming home, Cloud. Now."

"Sorry," Cloud replied casually, "but I don't think so." Quickly, he pressed a kiss to Leon's mouth and then pulled back and whispered, "Please, don't die." The next second, he was gone, flying across the grass towards the car.

The silver-haired stranger growled and, taking hold of his sword, leapt the fence in a single, easy jump. Leon was ready for him, though, and before he could land, Leon had slammed into him, gripping the wrist that held the sword firmly so that the other couldn't slash at him. They hit the ground hard, but Leon kept his hold. Snarling like a wild thing, the young man wrestled with Leon, throwing punches and kicks at him which Leon blocked as best he could. This close to the other, he noticed to his shock that the young man's green eyes were slitted like a snake. And something about the shape of the stranger's face seemed familiar to him, like a distant memory hidden at the back of his mind.

"Leon!" Cloud cried, his voice approaching once more.

At the unvoiced direction, Leon let the stranger go, pushing away into a backwards leap and flipping mid-air to sail over Cloud as the blond rushed at the young man. He landed next to the Gunblade which Cloud had stuck in the ground on his way past. As he pulled it out, he heard the clash of the other two's blades signal the beginning of their battle, and he wasted no time in joining them. He and Cloud had never discussed combined strategies - all their sparring had been against each other, not together against a third opponent - but Leon felt the familiar pinging in his muscles as previously unused programs began to activate. Apparently, Zack had thought of everything. Cloud's movements suddenly became second nature to him, and he flowed into the other's tactics as if he had always fought side-by-side with his lover.

The stranger was an excellent fighter, far better than either of them alone. He had a wild agility that saved him more than once, and he seemed to be dancing rather than fighting as he flipped and turned. Every time Leon saw an opening, the black sword appeared before he could complete his strike, and several times, he saw it coming for him with only seconds to spare. Cloud seemed to be faring better, but even he couldn't break through the other's defenses.

Without warning, the back door flew open. "Squall! Cloud!" Sora cried as he and Kairi ran out into the yard.

"Stay back!" Cloud ordered. Surprisingly, Sora did as he was told. He and Kairi hung back by the door and watched in horror as the battle progressed.

After several more minutes of fighting, Leon managed to connect with the stranger's sword and hold it just long enough to give Cloud an opening. The silver-haired man sprang away from Cloud's thrust, but the edge of Cloud's sword managed to slice open a sizeable cut along their opponent's leg before he could get completely out of the way. The young man flipped a good distance away and paused, clutching his leg and snarling at them. His pretty face had contorted terribly, and his slitted eyes flashed like lightning.

"I've had enough!" he cried. "I'm ending this right now!"

His eyes glowed brilliant emerald green.

"Shit," Cloud commented.

Six white wings, three on each side, erupted from the stranger's back. From her place near the house, Kairi screamed.

"Are we in trouble?" Leon asked quietly.

"Yeah," Cloud replied in a similar tone.

Now airborne, the stranger looked down at them and sneered. He lifted his weapon into an attack pose and then, without warning or preamble, dove directly at Leon. The Gunblade, which moments before had felt so light and fluid, suddenly was far too heavy and slow to be able to block the way Leon wanted it to. Or perhaps it was simply his mind that was too slow to keep up with the stranger's wicked attacks as they sliced at him mercilessly. That black sword was everywhere, and it took everything Leon had just to defend himself. Cloud attempted to come to his rescue, but the young man sent him flying with a kick to the stomach. Leon wanted to call out to his lover, but he couldn't spare the breath or concentration. A cut opened up on his arm, and then another on his cheek. Still the attacks kept coming and didn't stop or even slow down.

And then, the stranger held the Gunblade with his own sword in a locking of blades that made Leon's arms start to shake. From over the top of that black metal, green eyes gleamed at him. "I'm going to kill you," the stranger whispered joyfully. "And then I'm going to take the puppet back to Brother, and together we'll feast on him." His tongue slipped out of his mouth and glided over his lips in a slow, sickening circle. He chuckled at the expression on Leon's face. "Don't like that thought, do you? Should I take you back with us? Should I let you watch?"

Crying out with effort, Leon pushed the other man away and swung at him in a last ditch attempt to win against this unbeatable monster. Instead, he found himself disarmed as the black sword clashed against his with so much strength that Leon simply could not hold on. The force of the other's blow sent him stumbling backwards, and he fell to the ground painfully.

"I guess not," his opponent laughed at him. "A shame. Oh well. Good-bye." He lifted the sword above his head.

"Squall!" Sora screamed. He began running towards Leon in desperation.

"No, Sora!" Leon yelled. "Stay back!"

The sword paused in its downward arc. The silver-haired stranger blinked, his eyes glazing over. But then he shook his head violently and raised the sword a second time.

"Squall!" Sora fell in front of Leon and threw his arms about his neck.

"No, Sora, get away!"

Not listening, Sora turned and threw his arms out to either side, shielding Leon with his body. "Don't, please! Don't hurt my brother," he pleaded.

The stranger stared at him, frozen. His face had blanked out in shock. Slowly, his lips began to move, and he whispered, "… So … ra … ?" The sword tumbled out of his slackened grip to the ground.

Sora's arms came down. He stared up at the silver-haired man in front of him. "… Riku?"

"What?" Leon cried in shock, but when he looked up at the young man again, he saw it. The shape of that face, the angle of the nose and the curve of the eyes. They matched the picture of Sora's childhood friend who had disappeared without a trace almost thirteen years ago.

"Riku!" Sora cried. Kairi ran forward and cried out as well when she saw the other's face.

"So … ra …" Riku stammered. He took a shaky step backwards. "Kai … ri …" His body began to tremble and jerk, and his eyes grew wide and frightened.

"Don't touch him!" Cloud cried as Sora rose to his feet and took a step forward. "But keep talking to him. Sora, Kairi! Talk to him! Keep him here with us!"

Sora looked over his shoulder to give Cloud a nod, and Leon was shocked to see tears in his little brother's eyes. "Riku," he began, turning back to the shaking young man, "I'm so glad to see you. I can't believe you're actually here. I knew I'd see you again, though. I always believed I would. Everyone else told us to give up, told us you were dead, but Kairi and I never stopped believing that we'd see you again. We never gave up for a second, did we Kairi?"

"No, we didn't." She walked up beside him and took his arm. They both smiled at Riku through their tears. "Not for one second."

Riku was now positively quaking, and his breath came in jerky gasps that squeaked when he inhaled. As he watched the suffering young man, Leon couldn't help but think of a sci-fi movie robot seconds before it malfunctioned and/or exploded. Considering the amount of machines Riku undoubtedly had in his system, Leon could only pray that the comparison proved to be wrong.

"So … ra …" Riku said one last time. And then he threw back his head and screamed. Green light erupted from his skin and encased him in a minor whirlwind that tossed his long hair above his head and sent his cries spiraling up to the skies.

"Yes!" Cloud cried to everyone's surprise. He pushed past them, PHS in hand, and stood as close as the green tornado would allow. His eyes stayed glued to the screen in his hands while he murmured, "Come on, kid. You can do it. Come on."

Leon finally got to his feet like everyone else. He rushed over to Cloud and demanded, "What's going on? Cloud, what's happening to him?"

"He's rejecting the program!" Cloud announced excitedly. "He's purging it from his system! I knew it. I knew if any of them were going to be able to do it, he would."

Leon took a look at the PHS, but as usual the images on the screen made no sense to him, so he shifted his eyes to Riku. The young man's eyes stared at the sky, the green light flaring wildly inside them as he fought the nanomachines. His mouth hung open as he continued to scream endlessly, far longer than a single breath would allow. The wings behind him whipped back and forth from the force of the winds, and Leon could have sworn he saw their edges begin to blur and fade.

"That's it," Cloud encouraged him. "Keep going. Come on, Riku. No, no, no, don't let up! You're almost done. Just a bit more. Come on, come on …"

Everyone but Cloud cried out in surprise when the six white wings behind Riku exploded. As they did, the green tornado burst, sending furious winds whipping all through the backyard, white feathers traveling along on their backs. Leon threw his arms over his face to keep from being blinded by the assault. When the winds died down and he judged it safe again, he lowered his arms to find Cloud kneeling on the ground with Riku's head in his lap. The young man now had two normal, black Skywalker wings lying limply behind him.

Sora and Kairi, taking Cloud's example to mean they could now touch Riku, ran to him and each took one of the young man's hands. At a slower pace, Leon knelt down next to Cloud who was still watching Riku's progress on his PHS. "Is he okay?" he asked.

Cloud didn't answer. His brow had pulled down worriedly, and his eyes stayed fixed on the information on the screen. Leon's anxiety grew as he watched his lover, and when Cloud began murmuring, "No, no, no …" under his breath, Leon felt his heart clench in fear. Suddenly, Cloud yelled, "Shit!" and began pushing buttons like mad. "Sora! Kairi!" he ordered. "Get back! Leon, hold him down!"

Leon didn't see why he needed to hold down an unconscious man, but he did as Cloud demanded without question. Sora scooted away for him, and Leon took his place, grabbing firmly onto both of Riku's arms. As Leon watched in horrified fascination, Cloud flipped open the top of his PHS, revealing a syringe-like attachment, and without hesitation, plunged the tip into Riku's upper arm. One button press later, and Leon was nearly thrown off by the violent spasms that shook the younger man. Riku gasped loudly and his eyes shot open. Although they were still green, the pupils had returned to a normal rounded shape.

Riku stared at Leon for a heartbeat; then his hands were gripping Leon's arms so hard he had to concentrate on his breathing to keep from crying out. "Cloud!" Riku demanded. "Where's Cloud?"

"I'm right here," Cloud replied kindly, leaning a bit forward so Riku could see his face.

Riku released Leon and stared up at Cloud, upside down, for several long moments. His eyes filled with tears. "Cloud …" he tried. "I … I …"

"It's okay, Riku," Cloud interrupted softly. "I always knew that you, at least, didn't want to."

At that, Riku broke down. He threw his hands over his face and sobbed. "Oh my god, oh my god," he wailed. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Cloud carefully pulled the other young man up a bit so that he could hold him as he cried. As soon as Cloud had wrapped him in his arms, Riku grabbed onto his shirt like it was the only thing keeping him alive and cried even harder. Leon could only sit by in confusion as Riku begged for forgiveness for unknown sins and Cloud gave it willingly.

Once Riku had calmed down enough to speak, he whispered, "Cloud, kill me. I deserve it after all I've done to you."

A punch of nausea hit Leon full-force in the stomach. His mind went back to the night that Cloud had shared his horrible history. He had not gone into details, but he had mentioned that occasionally Sephiroth would invite his "brothers" to join in on Cloud's torture and abuse. The memory of Riku's face while still brainwashed and the expression the young man now wore confirmed it.

"Please," Riku continued in an empty voice. "I don't want to live anymore, and if anyone is going to do it, it should be you."

But Cloud just smiled and ran his hand along the top of Riku's head. "Don't say that. Everything's all right now. You're free."

"I don't want to be free," Riku replied, tears streaming down his face again. "I want to die."

"I know," Cloud said. He pulled the young man closer to him and rested his cheek against his head. "I know you do. But, believe it or not, it's possible for broken-down souls like you and me to find happiness once we've been given the freedom to look for it."

"Happiness," Riku echoed. "I don't deserve happiness."

"Funny," Cloud replied immediately, "that's just what I thought. But I got it anyway." He shifted his gaze to Leon and smiled. The love in that smile made Leon feel as if his chest were contracting and expanding at the same time. He reached out to Cloud and touched the hand that rested on Riku's shoulder; Cloud turned it so that Leon's fingers could slip beneath it and then closed his own fingers against them.

"Leon?"

He looked up to find Kairi standing over him, her expression serious but not upset. Sora stood a few paces behind her, equally subdued.

"That story you told about Cloud being from another dimension …" She fixed her pretty blue eyes on his with a kind of resigned strength. "That wasn't just a story, was it?"

"No," Leon answered. "It wasn't."

She took a breath, shutting her eyes briefly, and then looked at the both of them. "Let's go inside then," she suggested. "Riku needs rest, and the four of us need to talk."

Leon nodded and got to his feet. He helped Cloud stand with Riku still in his arms, and the five of them left the backyard together and returned to the house.