DISCLAIMER: Well frickin doo-dah, of course I don't own it!
Summary: Eight fates, four cars, and one accident was all it took. LY, AR, RS, CA
Chapter One.
Day One.
"Jesus, look at her," murmured one of the adjacent patients. "She looks worse than when I came here!"
Damn, that guy needed to keep his mouth shut. Leon Leonhart (a.k.a. Squall Leonhart) couldn't wait for that patient to get out. Day-in, day-out, he had to deal with that guy's incessant whining. It was so irritating--
"Nngghhh," the girl groaned. Her left cheek was stained with blood, her right cheek bruised. She had a concussion, as far as Leon knew, and possibly a few cracked ribs. It was one hell of an accident, and right now, it was a miracle that she had survived at all. "Where..."
Ah, the questions. She would probably panic, whining, 'Where am I? Take me back home! It hurts!'
"...the fuck am I?" ...Oooorrrr not.
"You're in the Traverse Hospital," Leon replied, pressing delicately on her ribs to see whether any were broken. When the girl had grabbed his hand and nearly broken it, he guessed there were a few.
"Traverse? What the fuck am I doing here?" Damn, she really loved that word, didn't she?
"Miss Kisaragi," he said, pushing the girl gently back down. She had risen and was now looking completely confused and hurt. "You were in a car accident."
It took a few minutes for that to register inside her head. Leon studied the girl: onyx eyes, ebony hair, soft, pouty lips--
Whoa. No thinking about that. She's what, nineteen?
The girl blinked. "Yuffie."
"Yuffie?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Is that your mom, or aunt, or what?"
"My name."
With those words spoken, she fell into blissful unconsciousness.
Ughhh...I feel like my head's been bashed in with an I-beam... Yuffie blinked, her eyes slowly opening. Six frickin times.
Above her, the face of an extremely handsome person hovered. Stormy, grey eyes stared back at her, and long, chestnut-brown hair framed his incredible eyes. A scar was slashed across his face, but instead of decreasing his allure, it added to it.
Needless to say, Yuffie Kisaragi found an extremely hot guy in front of her. So, her first reaction was--
"OH DEAR GOD DID I DIE?!" she suddenly yelped, sitting up as her ribs groaned in protest.
The man, whatever his name was, raised an eyebrow. She could imagine his thoughts now: She needs to go to the Happy House.
Ohhh, no. Yuffie wasn't going back to that place. HA! Just kidding. But the poor girl had been to therapy several times.
She swore that she didn't set the lab on fire, and yet, they never, ever believed her.
Oh, well. --But back to the situation at hand, Yuffie was currently sitting in a hospital bed, she realized, with a very hot doctor taking care of her. Score one for Yuff-aayy!
"No," the doctor said flatly, "you didn't." His voice was an uncomfortable monotone, with slight hints of attitude in it.
"Oh. Can I leave?" The doctor looked at her like she was insane.
"You have two broken ribs, a hairline fracture in your leg, you had a concussion, a bruise on your cheek and a dislocated shoulder which I popped back into place a while ago," the hot doctor of all murmured.
She stared at him. He let out a sigh.
"You were pretty banged up. Do you remember anything?"
"...Er...Define 'remember,'" Yuffie said confusedly. "I remember turning a corner, seeing blue eyes, and then crashing. Yup!"
"Oh, gawd, Leon, get her out of here! She's giving me a headache!" a whiny voice...whined...(Sorry about that, haha.)
Instantly she hated the voice. Yuffie turned around, seeing a pink-haired man on the hospital bed. "How 'bout I give you something else as well?" she threatened, glaring at him.
Leon raised an eyebrow. She was awfully energetic for just getting up. Currently, Yuffie was squinting at his name tag.
"What?" he asked, tired. He had been working in the hospital all day, dealt with Marluxia's incessant whining and Larxene's crazed sadism.
"No offense, dude, but who the hell names their kid 'Leon Leonhart?'" Yuffie asked, raising an eyebrow. By far, that was the most hilarious name she had ever heard.
"It's none of your business," Leon snapped. "Now lie back." She complied, but before he left--
"...What got jammed up his ass?"
A smirk found its way to his lips. She was interesting.
Day Two.
She wasn't so bad. Leon blinked as the girl rambled on. She had a nice voice: slightly high-pitched, but not high-pitched like Kairi's squeal. Smooth and confident, like Riku's, only not cocky as hell.
Leon had been right: the girl was interesting. Yuffie Kisaragi, age nineteen, was an orphan with no remaining family. She had been on her way to pick up a friend of hers, when three other cars slammed into hers simultaneously.
"Oh no! I need to call Cid!" she said suddenly, jolted out of her conversation. Despite the fact that he honestly thought he didn't care, Leon asked,
"Your boyfriend?"
A look of pure disgust crossed her face. "Cid? CID?! Dude, Cid's old enough to be my dad. Please don't suggest that. Ever. Ever. In your entire life." Leon chuckled. "Promise?"
She was so strange, but it was a nice break from all the other patients that always seemed to whine and drown in self-pity.
"Promise," he replied.
Day Four.
Oh, dear gawd, she's missing, Leon thought with horror as he practically threw his clipboard down and immediately went out to go check for her. What's wrong with me?! he suddenly thought. She might have gotten transferred! Just because she's not in here, I shouldn't panic automatically, he scolded himself. Although...
If she really had transferred, the least she could've done was say 'thank you,' or 'see ya.'
Slightly knowing Yuffie, it would've been a hyperactive one at that.
But, I mean, it's not like Leon really cared, was it?
...WAS IT?!
Leon pushed all thoughts out of his mind as he saw Yuffie slip into the next ward. Crazy girl. He walked over to it swiftly. As Leon was about to yank her out of there, he saw a bunch of the patients laughing and clapping.
Strange. This ward was full of the 'drowning in self-pity' type. They never laughed, clapped, or even smiled. Hell, they never even talked. This was certainly a first.
"Thank you all for listening, bwahahaha! Remember, you've just been visited by the Great Ninja Yuffie!"
Great Ninja Yuffie? What the hell?
More laughter. Yuffie gave a wave, and walked out, only to see Leon, with his arms crossed.
"Ohhh. Hiya, Leon!" she said, grinning cheekily. He gave a sharp sigh.
"Yuffie, you shouldn't be out walking yet. You still have a week or two to recover."
"Aw, c'mon, Leon m'dear. It's only a little fun. And I was out looking for you in the first place!"
A strange little candle lit inside his heart as Leon found himself raising an eyebrow. "Why?"
Yuffie shrugged. "I got bored. And then I wandered into the wrong wards because I couldn't find my way back. But..." she lowered her voice. "Those people seemed really sad, so...yeah. I guess I just kind of made a routine to go along with. Sorry!"
She wasn't sorry. But it didn't really matter.
He remained silent as they walked back to her ward. For some reason, Leon found himself realizing that Yuffie went up to her shoulder. If she stood on her tippy-toes, he could bend down just enough to kiss--
Leon's eyes widened. Okay, too far! Here he was, Leon Leonhart, age twenty-eight, thinking about how a nineteen-year-old's height perfectly suited him.
"...at me are you?" Yuffie's voice drifted to his ears as Leon turned towards her.
"What?"
"You're not mad at me, are you?" she asked again, her hands fidgeting with her hospital gown. Why would she care in the first place?
He smiled. The first-ever Leon Leonhart smile. All because of her.
"No. I'm not."
Two hours afterwards, Yuffie's originally good health took a turn for the worse.
"A high fever," the nurse said, "but that's it, Dr. Leonhart."
"Thanks, Namine," he murmured, giving a sigh as Yuffie's eyes blinked open blearily.
"L...eo...n?"
"Aa," he said, "open your mouth."
"Why?" she asked weakly.
"You have a high fever. I need to give you medication," Leon said, resisting the urge to rub his temple. The girl was so strange. Why else would he ask her to open her mouth?
Heh heh heh... the darker, more perverted side of his mind grinned widely.
Leon ignored it as Yuffie took the pills, swallowing them with water as a bead of sweat rolled down her face. Leon turned to the side, pulling out a towel, and began to wipe her face. Why?
He honestly had no clue.
"Thanks," she breathed with a smile as her eyes fluttered and closed.
Some part of his mind screamed, 'ANYTHING FOR YOU!'
The more calm side, the side that dominated Leon, gave a tiny smile. "It's my job," he murmured. Of course, Yuffie was already asleep at this point, and basically tuned out everything that Leon had said.
Still...
He was telling himself that more than her anyway.
Day Seven.
"BWAHAHAHA! I BEAT YOU AT CARDS! WHAT NOW?!" she declared, jumping up and hopping around. It was hard to believe that three days ago, this was the same girl lying in the bed, weak from a fever.
Leon gave a sigh. "Yuffie, we're not playing 'Go Fish,' we're playing poker, remember?"
How, exactly, did the mighty Leon Leonhart get coerced into this game? Hn. Easy.
"Leon! I'm bored! Play a game with me!"
"...No."
"Pleeeaaassseee? Some doctor told me you're on your break right now and I'm really bored and Marluxia's annoying me and I really want to play cards with you, pleeeeaaassseee?"
"...Fine."
He just couldn't tell her no.
"Hey, Leon?" she said suddenly, sitting in front of him as the doctor raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Are you okay? You're zoning out, kinda," Yuffie said, waving a hand in front of his face. He shook his head slightly, rubbing his temple.
"Just tired."
"Maybe you should take a break," she murmured worriedly.
"That eager to get rid of me?" he asked, a slight teasing tone in his voice. He wasn't prepared for the rush of emotion that the girl gave.
"Of course not! I like having you here!" Yuffie said, her eyes wide. "I'm just worried! 'Cause you were spacing out yesterday, and-and..."
"I was joking, Yuffie," Leon assured disbelievingly. "Well, my shift is off. Go to sleep, alright?"
"Aa!" she said, and pranced back into her bed as she fell asleep instantly.
That night, as Leon lay in his bed, the words of the nineteen-year-old, self-proclaimed 'Great Ninja Yuffie' came back into his head.
"Of course not! I like having you here!"
He let out a groan, massaging his forehead.
"She's starting to get to me."
Day Ten.
"So Leon Leonhart is seriously your real name?" Yuffie looked dumbfounded.
"Yes, Yuffie, Leon Leonhart is my real name. Now will you lie back so I can check you?" Leon groaned for the tenth time.
"No offense, but your parents are pretty whacked up to be calling you 'Leon Leonhart,'" she said seriously. "Why won't you tell me your real name?"
He was starting to lose his patience. "It is my real name, Yuffie!" he snapped. Yuffie's face fell as she lay back obediently, sticking out her arm as Leon measured the pulse. However, during his check, he noticed that the girl was pouting. An adorable, innocent pout. Guild welled in his stomach as Leon gave a sigh, putting down her hand and rubbing his forehead again. Ever since she came to the hospital, he seemed to be doing that more often.
"Squall." Yuffie turned towards him with a raised eyebrow. "My real name is Squall Leonhart," he muttered, a blush slowly rising. It was such a weird name.
"Squall?" Yuffie repeated. Leon braced himself for the brilliant laughter that would follow next, only to have it never come. Instead, the girl smiled widely. "I LIKE IT! Squall...like the storm, right? Hehe. Suits you perfectly!" Leon raised an eyebrow. This was the first.
"From now on, I'm going to call you Squall!" she declared.
There were two reasons why he didn't like his name:
1. As stated earlier before, it sounded strange.
2. Rinoa had always called him 'Squall.'
But as he saw the girl grin cheekily, and then poke him in the cheek, a small smile came up to his face once again.
It doesn't sound so bad when she says it.
Day Thirteen.
He admitted to it. Yes, he felt feelings for her. But Yuffie was nineteen and he was twenty-eight.
However, judging from Yuffie's not-so-normal reactions, she probably wouldn't care.
Then came the question: Did she like him?
Leon sighed. Today was her release date. Today was the day that he would no longer see the perky ray of sunshine that had entered his life so quickly.
Today was the day that Yuffie Kisaragi would be gone.
He hated today.
"If you'll just sign here," Namine said with a smile, "then you'll get to leave!"
"THANKS, NAMI!" Yuffie cheered, tackling the nurse with a hug before grinning. "I'll come visit you sometime! You and Selphie and Kairi! And we'll all go out for pizza!"
Namine gave a smile, her delicate blond hair falling around her face. "Aa. Bye, Yuffie!" she said with another smile.
"Oh! WAIT!" she suddenly shouted, as if her life depended on it. "Where's Squall?"
Namine looked confused. "Oh. You mean Dr. Leonhart. He's in the cafeteria."
"HMPH! The meanie wasn't even going to come and say goodbye to me? HA! I'll show him a piece of my mind!" Yuffie declared, and made a beeline for the cafeteria.
Namine watched the ray of sunshine with a slight smile and a slight shake of her head. "That girl is so crazy..."
Leon felt a little guilty for not going to say goodbye to Yuffie. He would miss her, after all--the 'ninja' made quite an impact on his life. He was so sick of this place, so sick of everything, when she came strolling in--or being wheeled in on a stretcher--and declared that he was her new best friend. The usually stoic, antisocial Leon was now transformed--by her, mind you--into the able-to-smile 'Squallie.'
And as much as he hated that nickname, he endured it. Why? Because Yuffie gave it to him.
It was strange how his mind suddenly started working, really.
Leon blinked, about to take a drink from his water when he felt someone flick him on the back of the head. "Masaki," he hissed, turning around as Leon shot Riku--or at least, he assumed it was Riku--a glare. Imagine his surprise to see a radiant Yuffie, fists on her hips, tapping her foot expectantly. "Yuffie?" he said, clearly confused.
"Jerk! You didn't even come to say goodbye?" she yelled, poking him.
"Er..."
"You suck! I was waiting for you out in the lobby, but nooooo, Mr. Sunshine here decides to go to the cafeteria and completely forget about the fact that his most favoritest patient is getting out today!" huffed the girl. She brushed stray ebony bangs out of her eyes as she glared at him. "You suck!" she repeated, declaring it. She began to ramble on.
"..." Leon stared at her disbelievingly. She was a little too open with her feelings.
But hey, Leon had issues too! For instance, right now, instead of paying all of his attention to Yuffie's words, a little part of him kept straying to look at her lips, which were fixated in a pout.
"..."
"SO, in conclusion," the ninja girl finished, "you SUCK."
Leon blinked. "Goodbye, Yuffie," he said half-heartedly. I don't want you to leave.
Yuffie raised an eyebrow, and then gave him a bright smile, as if the sun itself was grinning down at him. She tackled him in a hug, her arms encircling his neck as she laughed. Pulling back (to Leon's disappointment), Yuffie pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down her address on it. "And just in case if I get in trouble again, you are coming over tomorrow night to have pizza with me!"
"I am?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"You are," she confirmed.
Before she left, Leon's lips twitched upwards in a smile. "I'll let myself know."
"You do that, Squall."
So, he said goodbye.
But hey, there was always tomorrow, right?
End of Squiffie part. Next is AkuRoku!
I'm sorry if it wasn't that good! T.T I tried really hard to cram a lot of stuff into a short thingie...thing...-sweatdrop- so yeah, it might've come out rushed. Sorry! Hehe. But, uh, basically this is about certain characters getting hospitalized, and then meeting their perfect person...Kinda like a bunch of one-shots, actually...-thoughtful look- meh.