~~~Reader's POV~~~

"Just go, Leon." I begged, "I want you to be happy. If finding your friends is what will make you happy, then get out there and look for them."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not going to look for five people that I haven't seen in two years. How will I know what they look like? How would I find Garden? There are too many questions that don't have answers. I'm not leaving Hollow Bastion."

"I understand your point, but if you did find them... wouldn't it be worth the trouble?"

"I don't want to leave you guys either." Leon added.

Truth was, I didn't want him to leave either. I was worried he'd forget about us, about me, once he left. Perhaps not immediately, but when he found them, I knew our friendship would likely fade. I could hear him talking in his sleep about some girl named Rinoa. He openly cried about her not being here by his side or vice versa when he thought no one was around. But, I was willing to put aside my happiness in favor of his own.

"You can write to us." I said, "Go on, Leon. It's not like we'll ever forget you, right guys?"

"No way! We'll never forget our best fighter." Yuffie cheered

"Of course not." Aerith agreed

"Go for it." Cid

"See?" I asked.

~~~~Leon's POV~~~~

Believe me, I saw. It was killing me not seeing my friends from Garden, Rinoa especially. But, it was like someone was poking my heart with a hot metal rod to see my current friends encouraging me like this. When I looked at everyone's smiling faces, my eyes lingered on the one who was a sister to me. I couldn't help but notice that her smile was a little forced. Did she truly want me to go? The others seemed sincere enough. I pinched the bridge of my nose, thinking. Finally, I took one more look around and made a choice.

~~~~Reader's POV~~~~

"I want to go find my friends, but…"

I waited for the rest of his reply.

"I also don't want to leave you guys behind. So, if I do go, do you guys promise to write back?"

"Of course!" Everyone said.

Leon smiled.

'He's smiling? I know what his decision is then.'

"Okay then. I'll go."

I stepped forward.

"Promise you won't forget about us?" I asked.

"Promise." Leon replied with a small smile.

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This is dedicated to WishingDreamer5, without whom this story would still be buried and long forgotten.

Review please. Reviews mean a happier me. A happier me could mean more stories.

I wrote this story two or three years ago, and it was my pride and joy. When I reread it, I realized that it SUCKED. There where spelling mistakes (partly my fault, mostly the fault of the website I had it posted on. Quizilla refuses to accept the edited version.), grammar mistakes, unnecessary sentences, and at that point in time, I couldn't figure out how to incorporate the reader into the story without putting a name. So, I just put this: _.

I didn't want to change too much of the way the story was written because, in a sense, I wanted to keep in mind how much I've improved. I still think it kind of sucks, but I'm posting it as a memo to myself. If you want to read a better story of mine, go to my profile. I have two other stories there. One is complete, and the other is a work in progress. (Shameless self-promotion. ;-))