Final Fantasy: Cross Dimensions

Chapter 16: Triangle of emotions

~~

The minute Cloud had heard that name, everything stopped.

Squall felt the drop in temperature and moved in front of Seifer, arm up protectively. "I can explain."

Cloud didn't move at all, his eyes still locked onto the much taller blonde.

Seifer looked down at Squall then Cloud, brow lifting in question when it seemed to dawn on him.

A disbelieving chuckle left him, his arrogant smirk gaining a warning glare from Squall and a- "Seifer..."

That's a lot of warnings coming from the brunet. That meant he really should keep his mouth shut. But he couldn't resist. "Is he the one you told about us?" Strife flinched at those words, his brows lowering into a murderous glare.

Now both were silently warning him. How fun.

Seifer, "Hey, I heard you labeled me ex-boyfriend!"

Cloud, "You forgot to add a piece of shit, to that."

"Oh-ho! Right, right. I can add that, sure. So what's that make you? Sloppy seconds chaser?" Almasy antagonized.

Both Squall and Seifer witnessed blue flash green and black pupils turned into thin slits. The blonde suddenly charged up when Squall met him midway, pulling his gunblade out and forcing the other to counter with his own.

Both clashed loudly, a temporary standoff until Cloud pressed further and Leonhart felt his feet skid back, but Squall wasn't about to allow himself to be pushed and summoned ice to seal his feet to the floor below, his grey eyes turning ice blue as Shiva's energy misted off of him.

Seifer was shocked speechless at how quick the mood went from anger to almost inevitable death in under a split minute. But then again. Little Leonhart always had that habit of escalating any situation. Even if he was not to blame for this one.

Squall, "calm. Down. Cloud. I said I can explain." He forewarned, the mist growing in thickness as the ice spread.

Strifes eyes were still that dangerous green, and leon would be lying if he said he felt no fear. He could feel it prickling up his spine and settle deeply into his mind. "Cloud."

The said blonde wasn't even looking at him anymore, his eyes on the broad man behind the brunet.

Leon, "Cloud!"

Growling, the blonde swiped the blade, and Leon lost his grip. His blade nearly touched the brunet who looked with wide eyes. Leonhart was only surprised for a moment, then his eyes narrowed and he blasted the blonde off the house stairs and into the ground below.

Reno, who was watching in surprise with Rude next to him ran to the now broken railway. "Whoa, Strife!?"

Leonhart didn't even bother with the observers before picking up his blade and jumping down where he blasted the blonde off.

Strife was on his knee, his blade in the floor as he looked down blankly. Then he looked to Leon. "Ex-pla-in." He dragged the word out, veins popping out of his arms and the top of his head, right over his temple.

Leon, noticing that the blonde calmed just a bit, relaxed his shoulders but did not lower his blade. "I already told you, he was under someone's influence when he did what he did. Don't hold it against him."

Cloud snapped up and Leonhart raised his blade again, stepping back carefully. "We ran into each other... He fell here with me. The sorceress is dead. He isn't controlled anymore. We came here to meet who found him. Those friends of yours I guess. We were talking to each other about what happened."