Emotions Falling Apart
YK2
Disclaimer: I own nada except the plot.
Summary: Yuffie is leaving, but emotions get in the way and she and Leon admit their feelings. SQUFFIE ALERT!
"I hate you."
Blue eyes looked up from the newspaper he had been trying to read and rested on the twenty-year-old ninja in front of him. Though tears still cascaded down her cheeks, she stood as tall as her 5' 2" frame would allow. Her hurricane romanced eyes stared intently into his own icy cold crystalline blue eyes.
"What?" he inquired, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I hated you," she repeated as firmly as before, her voice still raspy and full of emotion. Had she not been wearing the same outfit that she had worn nearly every day since they'd arrived in Traverse Town - Those short khaki shorts, that green halter top, the khaki leg-warmers, trademark orange sneakers, fingerless gloves, and that silly yellow scarf - he may not have believed his own ears.
In one tiny hand, she clutched an old shoe box, in theother, her suitcase. "Squall Leonheart, you are a coward! An honest-to-the-deities coward! You won't face your own damn fears of the past, but ridicule my fears of the past! Fucking hypocrite!"
She turned on her heel and walked to the bed, setting the box of photos on the mattress they had shared for thirteen years. Swallowing hard, she turned to walk out of the door, only to find her way blocked by the leather clad man,
"Yuffie, I-"
She stared up at him with stormy navy blue eyes. "You, what, Squall? Hate to see me go, but good riddance all the same? Will throw a party two seconds after I'm gone?" She sniffed and switched the suitcase to her left hand.
Leon shook his head, unsure of how to apologize. Sure, Yuffie had threatened to leave before, but he had been sure that she was bluffing. Was she really going to go this time? "Where will you go?" he asked finally, unable to say or do anything else.
A dry humorless chuckle tumbled from her parted pink lips, causing him to visibly wince at the fake sound. "What's it matter, huh? As long as this brat's outta your hair, it's all good, right? No more 'Great Ninja Yuffie' to deal with. Hell, you might get a decent night's sleep. So, move, Leon," she snarled with an emphasis on his adopted name.
"Yuffie, you-"
"I, what, Squall!?" she screeched irritatedly. "Am going to miss your constant ridicules? Sorry, but I don't think so. Besides, if I ever need insulted, I'll bring up the memory of every single one you've ever used on me."
He took a timid step toward her, leaving scarcely an inch between their bodies. "Did I... Did I hurt you... That much?"
She looked up at him, the light reflecting off of her tears to make it look as if there was glitter upon her ivory cheeks. "Yeah, Squall," she said in a voice much smaller than she had previously used, "You did. And to think that I loved you once..."
Looking down at th ground, more tears slipped from the storm clouds that her eyes possessed. A rough, calloused hand cupped her chin, a thumb gently wiping away the tears that leaked from her left eye. He lifted her head and looked into those storm kissed blue eyes.
"You... Loved me?" The answer was unspoken, hanging in the air between them. "I... You... Can't... But..."
She pulled away from him as he stuttered. ""Dammit, Squall!" He looked at her in utter confusion. "You got me off subject and made me re-think everything and now I'm so fucking confused!" She flopped in a chair, dropping her suitcase on the floor, and buried her face in her hands.
After a moment, Leon knelt next to her, pulling her hands into his and looking up into those perfect stormy orbs. "Give me another chance, Yuff." She sniffed and stared at him in disbelief. He was asking her for another chance? "Maybe... Maybe we could work something out And maybe we could... Go out to dinner or something."
The ninja blinked in confusion. Did he just ask her out!? He was, like, nine years older than her! But, still and all, he did only look 21. "That would be nice," she said with a gentle smile. "But-"
"I promise, Yuffie, that I'll stop the insults," he added before she could finish her sentence.
A sly grin fell upon her her elf-like features. "That's a nice bonus, but I was only going to make you promise to face your fears."
A grimace crossed the man's handsome face. "Yuff-"
"Just," she cut in quickly, "Just try... It's hard. Believe me, I know. I had a family, friends, a pet, a guy that I liked a lot and was really close to. But they're gone."
He nodded, standing slowly and pulling her up with him. "I had friends... But no family and no girlfriend or fiancee. Rinoa dumed me six weeks before the Heartless attacked... For Seifer, of all people. Hell, I couldn't save any of them though. Zell, Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine... Selphie..." He shuddered and closed his eyes, trying to remember each of their faces. A solitary tear slipped from his closed eyes, only to be brushed away by Yuffie's delicate little hand. She placed a hand on his cheek, the other on his well-chiseled chest and felt his arms wrap around her waist.
"You would've gotten along great with Selphie," he said after a long moment, his eyes slowly opening to look down at her. "She was short and hyper and so flippin' happy-go-lucky all the damn time! Her best friend and not-so-secret stalker was Irvine Kinneas, the biggest flirt ever known to mankind. He had light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and always dressed like a cowboy. Chaps and all!" Yuffie closed her stormy orbs as he painted a mental picture for her.
"Zell was short with short spiky blonde hair and a tattoo on the left side of his face. He was always swinging at imaginary enemies, hence he earned the nick name 'Chicken-wuss' from Seifer. Seifer was my rival over practically everything. From gunblades to teachers... To Rinoa. He had a scar that ran opposite of mine. He got his from me and i got mine from him."
Yuffie opened her eyes and looked up at him, a small smile on her pretty face. "See? Fell better now, doncha?"
The normally stoic man smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, a little. So, what were your friends like?"
She nodded, deciding that it was only fair for her to tell him about her past since he told her about his. "Okay... Let's see here... There's Aerith, whom you know. And Cloud Strife, the spiky-headed jerk that we saw at the tournament at the Colliseum. Uh... Tifa Lockheart was Aerith's rival, because they both like Cloud. She was a little taller than me, very busty, and had long dark hair and maroon eyes.
"Of course, you know the ole man Cid, but my other... er... 'Fatherly figure' was BArret Wallace. He was older than Cid and had a daughter, Marlene, who was his best friend's, but he adopted her. Nanaki, AKA Red XIII, AKA Red, wasa giant red cat-dog-like-thing with fire at the end of his tail. He was, like, super smart!"
"He talked?" Leon asked, now holding Yuffie to him, her cheek resting on his chest.
"Yup," she replied cheerily. "Cait Sith was a robot that Cid and Barret had their friend Reeve make us to play with. I, of course, was the youngest, so they really made him for me. He was cool, though, and had his own personality. Then, there was Vinnie. I had nick names for every. Like, Cloud was Blondie; Tifa was Boobs; Aerith was Flower Child... Vincent Valentine was Vinnie. Yeah, he was awesome and, even though he was a little older than me, he was always there for. I don't think he ever talked to the others. He was kinda like you, ya know?" she asked, looking up at the man whose arms she was enveloped in. "Cold, quiet, but really a nice guy once you got to know him... Let's see.. OH! There was Sephiroth.. You remember the freaky guy with long silver hair at the tournaments? Well, he was Cloud's rival. They fought over EVERYTHING!"
A sigh caused her body to heave, then she rested her forehead against the man's chest. It was nice, being so close to him.
"Are you hungry?" he asked quietly.
She lifted her head to look up at him. "Yeah, I think I could use a cheeseburger from the cafe... On someone else's tab, of course!"
He smiled and they separated. As he opened the door, she stopped and dug her toe into the floor a little. "Uh, Leon? I lied."
He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "About what?"
"Two things," she replied softly. "One: I don't hate you." He smiled at her, grateful for that lie. "Two: I didn't love you once," she paused upon looking up and seeing his pained expression. "Because... I still do."
-FIN-
YK2: Yeah, that was pure boredom whilst having the flu. Sorry it's so short, but, once again, I have the flu and got really bored.
Surka: Not too bad, but it could have been better.
Dracon: Whatever... She kept me up all night with her gagging. I need... Sleep... ZzZzZzZz
YK2: Yeah, I'll let you all stop reading this, now. Please review!