Disclaimer: Bloodily not mine.

A/N: Originally written as a second entry for the KH Drabble Challenge 'darkness'. This one had expanded itself into several interconnected drabbles about an alternative end to Radiant Garden, however. Apparently there is more mileage in torturing Squall/Leon than I realised when I first started writing this. We'll see where it goes, shall we?

Out of the Darkness

© Scribbler, June 2011.

1. Cid

Cid coughed into his fist. He sounded like he was hacking up a lung. It felt like it, too.

"Hello?" whimpered a thin, scared voice. A child's voice. "Is s-someone out th-there?"

He hated kids. He hated how small and vulnerable and needy they were. Still, he headed towards the whimper without hesitation. "Keep talkin', darlin'. Lemme find you."

"This way. We're… I'm over here."

He heard her correct herself and cursed. He'd seen those little shadow fuckers – Heartless, they were called – ripping people apart left, right and centre. No blood, which was a plus, but dead was still dead.

"This way?"

"Please. I'm scared."

He found her behind a pile of debris. This had been a bedroom. Now it looked like a battlefield. The mattress was overturned, the windows smashed and long lacy curtains billowed from the heat of the fire in the courtyard. The little girl stared at him with dark eyes. He noticed with surprise that, despite her tremulous voice, she wasn't crying.

"He tried to protect me." She gestured to the body beside her. "He came running in and chopped up those monsters, but then fell over and... didn't move again." She held her knees like she'd literally fall apart if she didn't.

The corpse wore a Royal Cadet uniform. He was bloody and facedown. Cid frowned. Blood and a body didn't mean dead today. Gingerly, he turned it over. A wet gasp confirmed his suspicions.

"He ain't dead, darlin', but we will be if'n we don't get outta here."

She stared at him. "But I'm not supposed to leave without my bodyguards." She ducked as if embarrassed. "It's a princess thing. I can take care of myself."

Cid had seen two Wutain men running this way. He also saw the Heartless get them. "They ain't comin'."

"How-"

"No time for pleasantries. You wanna live?"

She nodded.

"Then I'll getcha out."

"How?"

Smart question for a little kid. She couldn't be more than six or seven. He would've expected more screaming and snot. "Gummi Ship." He went to lift the Royal Cadet, but the boy groaned. "Hey, kid. you up for a lil' more heroism?"

The boy took his hands off his face. Cid sucked in a breath. A deep gouge ran diagonally across the teenager's nose and both eyes. His eyelids were just ragged, dangling flesh fringed with useless lashes. No way could he take two steps, let alone get to the hangar where Cid Highwind, Airforce Captain, planned to escape like a rat deserting a sinking ship.

Cid gulped. He couldn't leave the boy, but bringing him meant certain death. Yet the boy had defended the visiting Wutai princess and it had cost him his sight. Could Cid really demand he give up more?

A small hand gripped the boy's slick red palm. "Looks like I get to look out for you now, huh?" the princess said with false cheer. "I used to play-pretend I was a dog. It was a game. I woofed, begged and everything. Just pretend I'm your seeing-eye dog." She looked pleadingly at Cid. "So are we getting out of here or what?"

The boy turned towards Cid's mumble. His face was ghastly, but the way they accepted the situation, without question or pause for their own pain, and put their trust in him, shifted something inside Cid.

"Sure. I'll set the autopilot to take you outta this dump in thirty minutes."

"You're not coming with us?"

"Sure hope to, darlin', but first I'm gonna look for more survivors to take with us."

Cid Highwind was no coward. He would leave no children behind.

….