Begining Notes: Well this is my first ever story...I hope I did a good job, I'm not really super good at using this site so if I mess up don't kill me ^_^

Also un-betaed x.x I don't even know exactly how that works, but I'm very meticulous so I believe for this chapter I will be o.k.

So please enjoy.

Leon walked slowly through Radiant Gardens, surveying the expanse of concrete and metal that lay before him. People hurried from shop to shop, buying last-minute groceries before dashing off to their families to cook dinner. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, an inaudible sigh escaped his lips. How he sometimes wondered what it would be like to have someone to come home to other than his audacious partner, Yuffie. As sincere as the young Kunochi was, Leon often found her extended presence draining and more than slightly agitating. No one should be that happy all the time. However, who was he to curse her optimism?

He went down into the lab to check on the security system and make sure that it was functioning properly before going home. He jumped when a hand was placed gently on his shoulder.

"It's alright Leon; I'm here to take over."

Leon turned to see Aerith smiling up at him serenely, her jade eyes somehow slowing the frantic pace at which his mind was going. She waved him to the door, "Go rest, I'll make sure everything's exactly the same when you come back."

Leon nodded, shoulders slanted with fatigue, "Alright, see you in the morning…"

He unlocked the door to his apartment, finding a plate of food in the microwave from Yuffie which he heat up and ate, grateful that he wasn't the only decent cook of the group. The surprising silence meant she was already asleep and it wasn't before long Leon was longing for his bed. He picked up his plate, dumping the unfinished food into the trash before setting the plate in the sink. He climbed the stairs to his room and changed slowly. Finally climbing to bed, he fell asleep wit an empty feeling in his stomach, the monotony of life wearing down on him.

***

With a furious cry, Cloud brought his blade down on yet another heartless. The battles helped him forget about his troubles, and lately they were all he thought about.

"Damn it." He sighed, deeply annoyed at his own weakness. At that moment, he looked back at the city he so cautiously avoided. How many weeks had he been away? He couldn't remember. Though the rumbling of his stomach suggested it was time to go buy more food. He sheathed his blade and closed his eyes taking slow deep breaths. What was he afraid of? Why couldn't he go back? He frowned in concentration, trying to understand his fears, but gave up shortly after feeling his memories resurfacing.

"You're a damn coward Cloud Strife." His whisper barely audible, but the words rang in his ears. Not pressing into the thought further, he made his way to his "house" which was nothing more than a run-down shack rudely shoved into a corner of the surrounding cliffs. He peeled off his sweaty - and slightly bloodstained – clothes and started the shower. The luxury of hot water was a small price to pay for the seclusion he sought.

After drying and throwing on a fresh pair, Cloud flopped down on his cot staring at the ceiling. He sighed for about the zillionth time that day and reached underneath the cot to get the few bandages he had left. He needed to restock, that was clearly apparent. With his "training" sessions becoming longer and more reckless, he would need more bandages. Finishing the last of the gauze, he folded his hands behind his head, much to his immediate discomfort, and lay back on the cot staring at the old wooden planks barely holding up. He figured he'd been out for at least 12 hours, but time wasn't tracked well and he couldn't even be sure if it was a month or two since he'd been with in the city walls. His stomach growled angrily at him, but with no food, it was ignored. He'd return tomorrow, that much had been determined.

***

Cloud awoke to the sun's rays hitting his face as they filtered through the many gaps in the shack's walls. He opened his eyes, but quickly shut them as he was instantly blinded. With a grunt he pulled himself out of been and grabbed his duffel bag. Rummaging through the clothes he finally found a decently unharmed shirt and pants; he'd need clothes too. He went into the shower to grab a drink of water before strapping his blade to his belt.

By the time Cloud finally packed everything, merely a pillow into his already packed duffel bag, the sun had risen high enough that the light illuminated the entire valley. His growling stomach forced him to move faster.

"I'm going, I'm going." He murmured leaving the shack.

"But only for a day." He told himself turning towards the city. Just looking in its direction made him uneasy. Not only for the people he was bound to run into, but also because he knew he wasn't going to get away without confrontation.

By the time he reached the center of the valley, he surmised, it was two in the afternoon. In another hour he'd be on the other side. He paused, prolonging the inevitable, to survey the area. Heartless and nobodies were scattered about in small groupings, but none seemed close enough or interested in him. The ones closest were moving in, but as Cloud began to draw his blade they suddenly turned and rushed off towards the mouth of the valley.

"Something's up." He thought aloud running after them. It wasn't until he made it to the mouth did he figure out the commotion. Not but forty feet away were Yuffie and Leon battling their way through a small group of heartless and nobodies. He smirked in amusement before walking around them, not wanting any confrontations yet.

"ALRIGHT! Another heartless gets its cumupits at the hands of Leon!" Yuffie shouted joyously over Leon's latest kill.

"Is that necessary every time?" Leon questioned parrying an incoming attack.

"Yes, it always is! You gotta let loose a little! Have some fun!" She laughed as she threw her shuriken at a heartless who popped up behind Leon.

"Oh! Look! Isn't that Cloud?" Yuffie shouted pointing.

"Heeeey! Cloooooud!!" Her ear splitting cry made Cloud roll his eyes, as if he wanted to be near that!

"Aww! He's ignoring me!" Yuffie pouted.

"Well how about focusing on the battle instead?" Leon grunted pushing off a nobody.

"Oh! I almost forgot about you!"

"Thanks."

Leon rolled his eyes as he round housed a dusk into another as it charged. Both fell into a heap which Leon proceeded to pierce with his blade.

"Brace yourself!" Yuffie shouted, barely giving time to steady himself before she hopped onto his shoulders, using the momentum to become airborne and take out some wasp-like heartless with her shuriken.

"A little more warning next time." Leon said, side-swiping a heartless, pivoting, and blocking another.

"Sorry!" Yuffie apologized, "I get caught up in the moment sometimes!"

She back flipped to get out of the way of a dusk, but a vicious tremor erupting from the ground caused her to loose balance and fall. She quickly got up and prepared to defend but the dusk was gone, as were the other attackers.

"What just happened?" She asked cautiously looking around.

"On your guard!" Leon shouted as another tremor struck revealing its source. A large hoard of heartless tore through the ground.

"What is this?" Leon asked as they began to converge to form a massive heartless.

"We got this!" Yuffie grinned running up to Leon's side.

"I'm not too sure about that." Leon corrected as they both watched the surrounding nobodies also converging, but into smaller groups, to form a sword and shield.

"Well here we go!" Yuffie shouted as she rushed the heartless, but as she drew close it side swiped her into the cliff side knocking her completely unconscious.

"No! Yuffie!" Leon shouted leaping after her and blocking the second strike on his partner.

"A little help Cloud?!"

"Well will we do for now?"

Leon looked over quickly to see Aerith and Tifa running up to them.

"Tifa you help Leon!" Aerith called out as she rushed to Yuffie's side.

"No need to tell me twice!" She shouted back putting on her gloves. She nodded to Leon and the two charged the heartless managing to force it back to give Aerith some breathing room to heal Yuffie.

"Cloud! Some assistance?!" Tifa shouted, but it wasn't necessary, the moment the heartless appeared Cloud was sprinting the vast distance between them and by the time she had called out he was already there. He wasted no time and launched himself at the heartless managing to cut into it, but not significantly damage it.

"You got a plan?" Leon questioned icily as he loaded bullets into the blade.

"Aim for the shield and sword, they must have a weak point." Tifa offered trying to stop any team fighting.

"Alright lets go!" Leon shouted firing at the shield, but the heartless suddenly raised its arm and in a flash knocked Leon and Tifa back. Cloud rolled away and prepared to strike again but realized the creatures intentions.

"Aerith! MOVE!" He shouted before leaping in front of her and Yuffie deflecting the giant sword with his own. The Heartless began pushing against Cloud pushing him back. Leon reached Aerith and the two carried Yuffie out of the way. Cloud pushed back on the blade before strafing to the side causing the heartless to stumble. Tifa and Leon rushed over preparing to fight. However, something peculiar caught Tifa's eye.

"Hey Leon look at the shield! The center is moving! I think if we aim there we can break it!"

"Get me a clean shot!" He shouted as Cloud and Tifa took off for the heartless. Cloud went straight for the offensive, slashing at the heartless only to be blocked. Tifa used this to jump onto the arm of the shield. It was swaying far too much, but she was ready.

"Ready Leon?!" She called out tensing for her strike.

"Go!" He shouted and in one quick move Tifa kicked the arm down causing the shield to dig into the ground and stick. Leon fired and struck the shield's weak point dead on causing it to burst into flames. As it did the shield exploded causing the heartless to flail wildly and sliced a deep gash into Cloud's right arm. The damage was severe and he dropped his blade. Leon rushed over to support Cloud as he fell.

"This isn't over yet!" He shouted as the heartless collided with the cliff face.

"Aerith! Heal Cloud!" Tifa shouted as the heartless slammed into the cliff face again unable to regain balance. The top started to crack and large pieces broke off careening for Leon and Cloud. Tifa fell back covering her eyes as dust was thrown up in a violent whirlwind. As it cleared she saw Leon and Cloud just out of the rubble. Leon was crouched next to Cloud as he lay in his arms.

"He's lost so much blood already." Leon motioned to Aerith and she rushed over.

"Well that doesn't look right…" She whispered.

"How bad is it?" Tifa asked.

"Looks like the muscles have been cut into and a lot of nerve damage, maybe even some tendons….We are going to need some serious healing magic if he wants to use his arm again." Leon replied.

"Imf right her ya know…" Cloud argued weakly barely able to stay awake and form a coherent sentence.

"Aerith at least stop him from loosing all his blood then we can move him somewhere safe…Leon grab Yuffie!"

Cloud watched as Leon picked him up and stared into his eyes before everything went dark.

Why did he look so scared?

End Notes: Well there is the first! Whoa! It was quite the endeavor for my slow butt. Anyway please review! I'd love to know what you thought! Not to harsh that goes without saying, but still I ask for a generous amount of leniency. =D

Special Thanks to my friend Bri who contributed some of her amazingness into this chappy. ^_^ She is the cheese to my macaroni!