Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Pairing: Leon/Cloud later on
Rating: For now, PG 13. Will rise up later
Summary: Everything has changed. Coping with reality was never easy for him, but Cloud is going to deal with all the changes the way he knows best – by running away. Tough for him, someone found a loophole.
Warning: Cid's potty mouth. Bit of angst, bit of stupidity. Maybe something else, I'm not certain.
Letters of Safe Distance
Chapter One: Little birdie flew the coop
Old habits die hard, it seemed. The blond swordsman had yet again left the place he and the people closest to him called home. He left them behind in an attempt to leave his worries behind as well. Worries that should not exist, his friends would say.
There were no more battles to be fought, no more opportunities to lose the ones he loved, no more sorrow or sadness. Only peace and relief – the fulfilment of all their dreams.
And yet, Cloud turned his back on them and ran away.
It was 7 A.M. and Aerith woke up in her comfy bed, bathed by a delightful wave of light. She got out of bed and got dressed in a matter of minutes. She stopped in front of the little desk that was right in front of her bed and smiled as she brushed a finger along a simple white frame which had a photograph of the entire gang. She recalled Yuffie's ecstatic demeanour, Tifa and Cid's giant grins, Sora, Donald and Goofy's cheers and the time they spent convincing both Leon and Cloud to join them. She thought they were so much alike, yet… different, if that was possible.
Putting that thought aside for the time being, the brunette sighed happily as she made her way down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everybody. Today would be another quiet and blissful day.
Cloud left a letter on the kitchen table. In it, he explained that he needed some time to think about the new life he led and the recent events. He also added that he had changed. Cloud wrote that this would be the last time he would run away, but that it was inevitable. This would be his way of dealing with the change that had occurred and making the transition between the man he was and the man he would be. He left the address to where he was staying so that he could stay in touch with the people he had temporarily abandoned once again, but he asked then not to go see him. Cloud did it to prove that he was changing as well; that he wasn't willing to leave them completely.
He planned it carefully. The blue-eyed warrior had already taken care of his accommodations – a cabin in the hills not too far away from where the others were – and he had packed enough provisions to last him for two months, at least. The final detail had been taken care of as well – he left the letter on the kitchen table because he knew the first one to wake up would be Aerith and that she would head immediately to the kitchen as soon as she did. She would be the one who would react best to the news. Cloud also knew the woman he saw as a sister would respect his wishes to be left alone.
Aerith entered the kitchen – the place she liked the most in Merlin's house. It had big windows with baby blue curtains which went nicely with the darker toned cabinets lined up on both sides of said windows. Beneath them was the sink, which was imbued on the wooden counter that was placed under the dark blue cabinets. It was made out of oak, the brunette supposed. All the needed appliances were on one of the sides, facing the pale yellow table in the middle of the kitchen. It was big enough so that everybody in the house could sit together and eat, and a vase with white lilies decorated the centre.
But that was not what caught her attention as she put on her apron - it was the folded piece of paper in which the words "From Cloud" stood out in black ink.
She read the letter and put it inside one of the pockets of her apron. Aerith wasn't surprised or confused – she had grown accustomed to this habit the swordsman had. For now, she would worry about breakfast and then explain to everybody why Cloud wouldn't be eating with them once again. After that, the young woman would find a way to deal with the situation.
The cabin was very nice. It had a slightly hidden path to the front door, that Cloud was sure would keep people from finding him. On the side of it, there was a small shed, in which the blond man managed to hide his motorcycle. The house itself was two stories high – below, a moderately sized room with a large green couch that seemed to be extremely comfortable facing a TV surrounded by DVD's of all genres (he instantly took a liking to this room), a medium sized kitchen, a laundry room, a bathroom and a room with all of its walls covered with bookshelves and a pair of bean chairs in the middle; above, two bedrooms (one he would be using, the other one he would leave as it was) and a bathroom. Having a job as a delivery boy sure had his benefits – how else would he have has access to a house like this one if not by collecting a favour from a costumer?
Cloud started putting away everything he brought with him. When he was done, it was already 11:30 A.M. The blond stood in the middle of the kitchen. He didn't exactly have any cooking skills, so he made himself a tuna sandwich, opened a bottle of beer and sat down in front of the TV. For now, it'll do.
Around 8:00 A.M., everybody living in Merlin's house was having breakfast. Yuffie was devouring a plate of pancakes and drinking a glass of orange juice (Aerith had insisted), Merlin was happily eating a bowl of oatmeal, Cid was eating leftovers from dinner, Leon was leaning against the counter, completely ignoring the chair in front of him, drinking his coffee black with a spoon of sugar, nothing more, just as he liked it and Tifa was munching on some biscuits and drinking black tea like Aerith, except she preferred to slowly eat some toast. They traded some words, until by 8:03 A.M., someone asked where "Cloudy" was. By 8:10 A.M., Aerith has finished explaining everything and Leon was heading towards the door, Tifa in tow, demanding to know where the other man was. Cid was stringing together a chain of unpleasant names, each one following the term "ungrateful", Merlin had left to "fetch something important", he said, and Yuffie has snatched a piece of paper and a pen and started writing up a list of ways to bring their blond friend back home. When the clock showed it was 8:25 A.M., Aerith has managed – with a good amount of pushing, convincing (blackmail), and gentle words (subtle blackmail) – to get everyone sitting at the kitchen table – Leon included this time. She then repeated what she had said just minutes ago, emphasising that Cloud didn't want to get dragged home or have any live interaction and that his wishes would be respected. "He said it's the last time he'll do this, so we'll just have to wait it out", the young yet responsible woman informed, a smile on her lips.
Before anyone could protest, Merlin stormed inside the house.
"I have an idea," – the old man chirped happily – "a coo-worthy idea!"
He was confronted with a series of looks, ranging from curious ones to blank stares and glares. That did nothing in the way of stopping him. Removing a medium sized cage from under his robes, he exclaimed:
"Met Chocobo and Moomba!"
Chocobo and Moomba were a pair of owls – the first of a pale yellow colour and a very bright orange beak and the latter of a reddish hue, displaying unruly feathers and a brown beak.
"They'll provide us with a means of communicating with Cloud. They'll both head to that address, one with a letter attached. One of them will stay there for Cloud to send us letters. Of course, he could very well use the one we send with our very own letter, but that'll make him have to wait until it gets back and what if he has important news to give us? This way, we'll prevent unnecessary worrying and we won't be going against Cloud's wishes. A win-win situation, as one would say." – The old and wise man explained.
Yuffie started clapping as soon as Merlin finished. Aerith and Tifa shared grins, Cid laughed and Leon had a small smile on his face, even if he would vehemently deny it if asked. This made communication with Cloud easy and quick – and the blond swordsman couldn't argue about it since they weren't going against what he wanted.
When the old wizard displayed a bunch of sheets of paper on the kitchen table, it seemed as if a smaller version of a global war had started. Thankfully, everyone got a sheet and the majority of them soon left the room, some tucking the piece of paper on their pockets in order to write something up later, others scouring on up to their own rooms to start immediately and one of them leaving it on the table so she could clean up after her "family" of sorts. Merlin barely managed to inform everyone that he would be sending the owls with or without their letters by 8 o'clock.
Dear Cloudy Chocobrains,
This is the amazing ninja Yuffie, honouring you with this letter.
(Do you feel honoured yet?)
A little birdie told me you up and left 'cause you felt like it. Is that true?
I mean, I know you left. Duh! But did you really leave just because you "couldn't stand the happy life" as you said?
Okay, maybe you didn't say that, but that was what you wanted to say, right?
(If it wasn't, now it is.)
I've always known you were the type that liked to vanish when things weren't going right for you, but you do know that we are always here for you, right? I mean, I admit that I'd probably make fun of you if ya told me you were angsty, but I'd help anyway! That's what friends are for, ya know?
Well, I don't have anything else to say, except that Aerith made pancakes for me today! Yay! (But she forced me to drink orange juice… Like hell I drank it!... Don't you go tell her that, 'k?)
Love the size of a giant cloud,
(The awesome) Yuffie
Dear Cloud,
I thank you for leaving the note.
It means a lot to us; it means you're changing. You've finally realized we suffer too when you leave. That makes me happy, that you've put us into your worries… maybe into your heart? I hope so. We all love you, even if some of us don't show it that often.
You are dear to us, like you've always been. Don't ever forget that, okay?
I've calmed everyone down as best as I could, as I supposed you wanted. It wasn't that hard, he have already gotten used to you leaving. I hope you are telling the truth when you say this will be the last time you'll do this.
Don't get mad, we have no intention of going after you. We just wanted to stay in touch, maybe help you adjusting to this new reality.
Today, I'll finish my letter here.
Hope to read from you,
Aerith Gainsborough
Hey, Cid here.
So, you disappeared again, eh?
What's it this time? Bad hair day? Mood swings? Got your period?
Ya gotta stop doing shit like this. What kind of a man does this, really?
Stop running away, will ya? Life's a bitch, deal with it. We all have. So, ya better get your ass over here as soon as possible, or I'm gonna head up there and beat ya up, then drag ya back home, you hear me?
Not making threats, making promises,
Cid
Dear Mister Strife,
This is your childhood friend, Tifa. Remember me?
Remember when we used to tell everything to each other? Do ya?
How about telling us face-to-face that you're gonna go away, uh?
I know that you deal with things differently than the rest of us, but Shiva! We're your family, Cloud! We're here for you! To talk and argue and fight and laugh and have fun and whatever there is left.
Just, come home quickly, will you? We're waiting for you, like we've always have.
Thanks for telling us where you are, so we can talk to you, even if it has to be by letter. And I hope you keep that promise, Cloud. The one where you say this is the last time.
Best wishes,
Tifa Lockhart
To Cloud Strife,
I do not accept you actions, even if they come from your fragilities.
I do not hope for your forgiveness and neither do I hope for you to change. I know that sometimes running away seems like the best option. I can understand that.
Even so, I do not understand why you can't deal with it in another way. In a way that would not make others suffer due to your actions, if possible.
Do not think I am angry, I simply do not know how to address you. We have no connection between us, which forces me to only express my opinion in the current situation.
Yours sincerely,
Leon
At the exact time Merlin had said he'd sent the owls, five letters were ready to be carried by them, alongside a note from him explaining what Cloud needed to do in order to take care of the birds and use them for communicating with them.
All that they could do for now was to hope the owls found their way to their target, wait for a reply that may or may not come from a friend and carry on with their jobs, duties and responsibilities while the friend they tried to contact ran away from his.
Don't know how this came about, but here it is. I hope you enjoyed reading and I thank you for taking the time to do so. Goodbye, until the next chapter.