I have no idea where this came from. It just hit me last night and I just needed to get it out which resulted in me staying up all night writing it. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The song is Best Days of Your Life by Kellie Pickler.
You are cordially invited to celebrate
The wedding of
Rinoa Heartilly
And
Squall Leonhart
On Saturday afternoon
July 24th
At four o'clock
At the Chapel in the Castle
Followed by a reception in the Garden
Leon stood in front of his window looking down at Radiant Garden. He saw people milling around and going about their business. How he envied them. He wished he could be one of those people whose to do list simply consisted of getting items in the marketplace. He so desperately wished he could be training in the Rising Falls like he would normally be, given any other day. But today wasn't any other day.
Looking down at the lawn of the castle he saw people running around frantically. Moving flowers from here to there, pushing in chairs, straightening the table cloths, checking that everything was the way it should be, relaxing for a minute, then checking again, fussing over something, then checking one more time and realizing something was wrong and promptly freaking out. Leon shook his head. He didn't understand why people made this out to be such a big day. Sure, he was getting married but did it really need this much preparation? He would've preferred a simpler, quieter ceremony with only his closest friends present. But that wasn't the way Rinoa wanted it. She wanted a big production. She wanted, no, needed, a big wedding, with the works and about half the towns' population in attendance.
He shook his head once more just as there was a knock on his door. He told whoever it was to go away. He wasn't in the mood to have company at the moment but that didn't stop the flower girl from entering anyway.
"Leon, that's no way to behave on your wedding day," chastised the younger woman. "Anyway, I just wanted to check in and make sure you're alright."
"I'm fine."
"Oh, good. Everything's fine downstairs. Everything's going smoothly so don't you worry about that," Aerith gave a nervous laugh. Leon simply raised his eyebrow in response. He turned to face the mirror and tied his bowtie.
He ignored Aerith's mumbling in the background. Until he heard Yuffie's name.
"What?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Leon. I'm just talking to myself. You know me."
"What did you say about Yuffie?"
"Oh. Well, we had her go into town to get some more bouquets. Just to be on the safe side! But she hasn't gotten back. I'm sure everything's okay, though. You know Yuf, she's always late."
Leon's eyes narrowed at the flower girl. Aerith mistook his reaction for fear of the bouquets. "Really, the flowers are just for back up! We have everything in place, though. So don't you worry," Aerith assured him.
Leon ignored her and his thoughts drifted to the ninja. He wondered where she was and if she was alright. His frustrations flared up at the thought of him being stuck in the castle when he could've, should've, been out there with her, making sure she didn't get herself into trouble, or worse, hurt. Another knock on the door brought his attention to the present.
Cloud stuck his head in the door and told Aerith that Yuffie had finally returned with the flowers. Aerith gasped and said that she had to go check on them and do whatever it was she was going to do with them. Leon didn't care. He was only relieved that the ninja, his ninja, was back safe and sound.
He stared at Yuffie standing at the Rising Falls. Just standing there and looking. He didn't know what she was looking at or if she was even looking at anything at all. It seemed like she was deep in thought about something and he wished he knew what she was thinking. But he had a feeling that he did know. What he didn't know was how she felt about it. He didn't know because he wouldn't tell her. He approached her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him, without moving a muscle.
It always took him aback when she did that. He always wondered how she always knew it was him without even looking or him having said anything. "I knew you'd be here."
"That doesn't explain why you're here."
He thought to himself, doesn't it? "We need to talk."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"Yuffie."
"What, Leon?" she whirled around and spat his name like it was venom. "What do you want to talk about? How you're world was made whole again when she came back? How you never thought you could ever be so happy again? That now, you believe in miracles? Or maybe, it's that what we had was nothing. It meant nothing to you and it was stupid and it never should've happened, blah, blah, blah. Or were you going to ask me to never tell her about the things we did. No actually, to ask would be too nice, you'd demand for me to never speak a work of it again. Or did you come here to tell me that you're going back to her? Well, newsflash, Leon, I know it was nothing, I know it shouldn't have happened and Merlin knows I've done my fair share of stupid things but I know that this was by far the stupidest. And don't you worry, I won't tell a soul. It'll be our dirty little secret." She walked past him but then stopped and added, "And I knew you were going to go back. I always knew it. After all, you two are meant to be."
And for the first time since he'd known Yuffie, he watched her walk away. Away from him.
'Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met till you were making me cry
And it's just too bad you've already had the best days
The best days of your life
Ain't it a shame
A shame that every time you hear my name
Brought up in a casual conversation
You can't think straight?
"We are gathered here today to unite Rinoa Heartilly and Squall Leonhart in holy matrimony."
Leon was standing at the altar in the chapel in front of a priest and a couple hundred people. Rinoa was gripping his hands. He looked down at them and then into her eyes. Brown orbs, full to the brim with happiness, stared back at him. Oh, but how he ached for those lively, excited, quite mischievous purple orbs. He scanned the crowd for them.
Just before he was sure that they weren't there he found them. They were almost unrecognizable. Sure, they were still purple. But they were empty. The owner of said eyes stood in the back next to one of the hallways. Yuffie was standing in the shadows but her eyes, even though empty, were still bright enough to spot from a mile away. He stared at her and felt her pain.
Leon smirked as he watched Yuffie squeal and run out into the street. She looked up into the sky and twirled around and around.
"Come on, Squall! The rain feels wonderful," she yelled to him.
His only response was, "It's Leon."
She rolled her eyes and continued to run and dance around in the rain. After a few more minutes of watching her, Leon decided it was time to go. He approached her and began to drag her back into the castle. "Come on, Yuf. It's cold out here."
"Aw, don't be such a party pooper, Squall! Let's stay out here for just a little while longer."
"Leon. And no. Yuf, you're going to get sick. And I'm not going to take care of you if you do."
"I don't get sick! I'm the great ninja Yuffie! I'm too tough to get sick."
"I'm sure. But I'm not taking any chances. Come on."
Leon dragged her up the stairs and they silently agreed that it would be Yuffie's room they'd be staying in for the night. There was no need for sneaking around since the rest of the Bastion's residents were already deep in slumber.
Their lips met upon the quiet click of the doors' lock. They stumbled around in the darkness as they tried to escape the confines of their damp clothes. The back of Yuffie's knees hit the edge of the bed and she tugged Leon down with her. Together they fell into the solace of ecstasy.
And ain't it sad
You can't forget about what we had
Take a look at her and do you like what you see
Or do you wish it was me?
I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met to the very last night
And it's just too bad you've already had the best days
The best days of your life
Leon woke up to violent tremors coming from the other side of the bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and squinted at the quivering lump underneath the blanket. Upon closer inspection he saw a dark mop of hair peeking out from the top of the blanket. He lifted the covers and saw Yuffie rolled up into a ball, her teeth chattering. She looked up into his eyes and gave him an impish grin. "Squall, I think the world's coming to an end."
He blinked, "Leon. What?"
"It turns out that there may be a possibility that the great ninja Yuffie does get sick. At least a little. And the only way that can happen is if the world's ending. I mean we both know I'd never get sick otherwise. Either that or the ice age is coming."
Leon rolled his eyes, "Of course. Aren't you glad you listened to me and came in when you did?"
"Not really. Cause I mean now that the world's ending and all I should've really stayed out there and had more fun. I should've done other fun things. I should be doing it now."
Leon rolled his eyes again, "Yuffie, go to sleep."
"I can't, Squall. I'm too cold!"
"Come here," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. He decided to let the Squall thing go just this once.
"Squall?"
"Hm?"
"You lied to me."
"What're you talking about?"
"You said if I got sick you wouldn't take care of me. You are. I think the world really is ending.."
"Yuffie. Sleep."
Leon was brought back into the present when he saw a tear escape Rinoa's eye. He realized that they were tears of happiness. She was happy that this was happening, that they were together again. She really believed that they were meant to be together. At one point he did too. Now, he wasn't so sure.
Rinoa held tightly onto his hand as they walked through the marketplace. She was talking about something. He wasn't sure what. He stopped listening to her an hour ago. Suddenly, his ears perked up when he heard Yuffie's name. He tuned in to what she was saying.
"She's still so young! I understand that she's the youngest of all of us but I would've thought that she would've grown up at least a little due to the circumstances. But I guess I was wrong. She still acts like she did when she was six years old." Leon glared at the ground in front of him. She had no right to talk about Yuffie like that. She didn't even know her! His temper spiked and he fought to control it.
"You know just the other night at dinner I saw her hiding her broccoli in her napkin. Really? She's twenty years old for crying out loud!" Leon's temper wavered and the corners of his lips curled up a tiny bit. He saw her tuck them away, too. In fact, he's seen her do that for the past fourteen years. She just hated broccoli with a passion.
And does she know
Know about the times you used to hold me
Wrapped me in your arms and how you told me
I'd be the only one?
I heard about
Yeah, someone told me once when you were out
She went a little crazy, ran her mouth about me
Ain't jealousy funny?
The first few years after the invasion were the hardest. They were all only teenagers at the time and to know that their home planet, where their friends and family lived, had been attacked and destroyed was a hard thing to bear. Leon mostly blamed himself. He should've been stronger, he should've fought harder, he should've done this, and he should've done that. The thoughts plagued his fifteen year old mind.
He was too busy blaming himself for the things he didn't do that he couldn't be bothered with anything else. He didn't care about anything else but restoring his home planet. It never occurred to him that it was just as hard on the others as it was for him. That it was harder on one particular girl.
Yuffie was only six when the heartless invaded Radiant Garden. Aerith was babysitting her during the invasion and thankfully they hadn't been separated. Aerith and Yuffie had ended up getting on Cid's ship. The ship that Leon had later on found himself waking up in.
He remembered waking up with big purple orbs staring down at him. He found out that Yuffie was actually the reason he was still alive. She saw him get attacked by the heartless and she was the one who notified the others. He owed her his life and yet he treated her like crap.
He was always too busy to play with her, or read her a bedtime story and tuck her into bed when she was younger. He was always short with her when he was forced to train with her and become her fighting partner when she was a teenager. Their relationship was always a mere toleration of each other. Until one fight made him realize otherwise.
Dozens of heartless surrounded them in the Third District of Traverse Town. He was swinging left and right and suddenly he saw a flash of thunder in his peripheral vision and he heard Yuffie scream. He turned around just in time to see her be blown back a few feet from the yellow opera that attacked her. He saw that she was unconscious and that a bouncywild heartless was getting ready to shoot her with a dark orb. He ran towards her and reached her just as the orb did. Her body convulsed as he was thrown back. He jumped towards her, lifted her up and for the first time ever, ran away from a fight.
He took her back to the hotel and banged on Aerith's door until she finally opened it. He laid Yuffie on the bed and watched Aerith heal her. Pacing the floor, he couldn't help but blame himself and think of all the things that he should've done. Glancing at Yuffie's form, he felt like ripping his hair out. He'd lost his home world, most of his friends and family. These were the only people he had left. He'd be damned if he lost Yuffie, too.
It was then that he realized how much he'd come to care about the young ninja. He realized how important she'd become in his life. She was always there, often pestering him but also there for comfort. She was the one constant thing in his life.
It also dawned on him how much she'd grown up. Even when she was younger she was there to comfort everyone else no matter what the problem was. She had the most reason to be miserable, her whole life was taken away from her at such a young age but she was always happy. She was the one that was always there to cheer you up. She was the person that would rather make someone else happy then herself.
And even though she constantly annoyed him he realized that he's grown accustomed to it. His life wouldn't be the same without it. Without her.
"Aerith, tell me she's going to be okay."
Aerith mumbled a few more healing spells over Yuffie's body before she finally turned around, her face filled with concern.
"I think she will be. I've healed her as much as I can but I think she'll be fine. Right now she just needs to rest. She's been through a lot."
Yuffie slept for three days straight.
Leon sat by her bedside for three days straight.
He and Aerith were worried but there wasn't much else they could do but wait. Finally, in the middle of the fourth night Yuffie regained consciousness. Leon's entire body flooded with relief and before he knew what he was doing he'd grabbed her to him and hugged her tightly.
'Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met to the very last night
And it's just too bad you've already had the best days
The best days of your
Life with me was a fairytale love
I was head over heels till you threw away us
And it's just too bad you've already had the best days
The best days of your life
Leon walked up to the library and hesitated. He heard rustling coming from around the corner. He took a deep breath and turned the corner. There was a variety of books on the desk and one that she had opened in front of her that she was flipping through. Suddenly the rustling stopped. She knew he was there.
She turned around and stared at him. It'd been three months since he'd been anywhere near her, alone. Three months since Rinoa had come back. Three months that they'd been together. Three months that Yuffie hadn't spoken to him.
She waited for him to speak so he did. He didn't waste any time and got straight to the point, "Rinoa and I are getting married." He expected her to at least show surprise in some way. Her face stayed emotionless. He waited for her to say something, anything. She didn't.
"I just thought I should let you know," he added. He silently begged her to say something, anything. She didn't.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked her.
"Congratulations," she said and promptly slammed the book shut and for the second time since he'd know her, she walked away. Away from him.
"If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold you peace."
Leon felt Rinoa hold her breath. He looked back into the crowd and met her eyes. They were emotionless. It hurt him deeply how much she's changed in the last few months. He'd rather she screamed and yelled and threw a tantrum than have her be empty inside. He silently begged her to say something, anything. She didn't.
No one did.
"If there are no objections let us carry on. Do you, Squall, take this woman, to be your lawfully wedded wife to love and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
"I do."
"And do you, Rinoa, take this man, to be your lawfully wedded husband to love and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
"I do."
I heard you're gonna get married, have a nice little family
Live out my dreams with someone new
But I've been told that a cheater is always a cheater
So I've got my pride and she's got you'
Cause I'll be there in the back of your mind
From the day we met till you were making me cry
And it's just too bad you've already had the best days
The best days of your life
Yuffie didn't show up to dinner that night. He thought about her throughout the whole meal and stared at her unoccupied seat. He saw Aerith stealing glances at her seat too. Everyone knew that Yuffie never missed a meal. If she did, something was wrong.
Leon knew that Aerith had been aware of Yuffie's change in mood and that she'd tried reaching out to the ninja to no avail. She was worried about Yuffie but she was giving her space. She knew that if Yuffie wanted her to know she would and she only hoped that day was coming.
Leon lay awake in his bed at three in the morning. Sleep eluded him while thoughts of Yuffie swirled in his mind. Finally, he decided to check on her.
He went down the hallway that went to her room and stood by her silently. He listened for any signs of consciousness beyond the door. After a while, he heard a whimper followed by muffled sobs. He felt his heart clench. His arms ached to hold her. His lips ached to feel hers, His skin ached to touch hers.
He wished he could go in there and tell her everything, explain to her why he was doing this. But he couldn't. He wished he could tell her that if she'd just ask him to leave Rinoa and stay with her he would. But he couldn't. He wished he would tell her that everything would be alright. But he couldn't.
He'd made his decision and so had she.
She didn't know that she could change his mind with just one word. He didn't know that she let him go because she thought he deserved better than her.
Of your life, oh, oh yeah
You're gonna think of me
You're gonna think of me in your life
Oh, oh yeah
It's a shame, it's a shame
It's a shame, it's a shame
It's a shame, it's a shame
"You may now kiss the bride!"
Leon kissed Rinoa. The guests cheered. They walked back down the aisle.
Icy blue orbs met purple ones, one more time.
Yuffie smiled a small smile as a tear cascaded down her cheek. She bowed her head and stepped back into the darkness of the hallway behind her.
For the third time since Leon had known Yuffie, he watched her walk away. Away from him. A tear darted down his cheek.
They both walk away. Away from each other.
Holy crap. That was depressing. It tore my heart into pieces having to write a sad ending cause I'm a sucker for a happy ending but I really wanted to write an angst story for some reason. Anyway, I hope it made sense and that you enjoyed it! Also, this is a one shot songfic! There will be no sequel. Please review! They make me happy! No flames please! They make me sad. If it completely sucks then please lie to me.