"Tired already?"

"Hn."

Leon grinned, the tips of his canine teeth peeking from his upper lip.

Cloud swung his blade around as Leon lifted his gunblade in his right arm.

"Omnislash!"

"Lion heart!"

The Shadow faded to ash and vapour, and Leon posed with a victory sign, winking at Cloud. The blond rolled his eyes.

"What?" The brunette slid the gunblade back into its sheath, enjoying the faint whisper of steel.

Cloud wrinkled his nose slightly, and frowned when Leon's forehead bumped into his. "Don't be such a grumpy-"

"Speak for yourself!" Selphie popped out from behind a bush, and Cloud shoved Leon aside with a sudden violent jerk.

"Hey there Selphie." Leon turned to her, wincing at the bright yellow dress that she still wore. Travelling over to this world had changed her a lot, had changed all of them, but a sense of relief had glided over the dull ache in the back of his mind when he had learnt that she still retained some of her memories from the life that they had shared before.

"Hi Squ- Leon!" She stretched to the tip of her toes. "Training?"

"Yea. What are you doing, sneaking around?"

"Am not sneaking! I was looking for you!"

"Why?"

"You'll never guess!" She waved her arm in a frenzied blur. "Come!"

"What? Why?" Leon could sense a wave of boredom creeping up on Cloud as the latter shifted from foot to foot, a carefully neutral look sliding onto his face.

"Just come!" The girl's voice was as shrill as ever.

Leon half-turned to Cloud but the blond had already started walking away. He watched the blond's back for a second, and returned a stony gaze to the tiny girl. She shrivelled on the spot. "Fine. Let's go. It had better be good."

mmm

Leon kicked aside a branch as they trampled through the woodlot. "Where the heck are we going?"

"Twilight Town."

"What?"

"Just follow me!"

They crawled through a hole in the wall, and Leon looked up the pale sky, evening light dusting the cobblestone streets with a layer of glitter.

He followed the girl as she broke into a run, darting down narrow alleys and alongside neat rows of houses. Their footsteps rang hollow on stone, and the noise from Selphie's feet slapping against the ground was sucked up into the oozing silence of the town.

"Duck!" She seized his arm and yanked him behind a crate. He stumbled, nearly crushing her but he steadied himself in time, shooting her glare. She smiled, "That's more like the Squall I know."

"Shut up." He crouched down beside her, squeezing her into the corner.

"Hey! Meanie!"

He raised an eyebrow as she opened her mouth to protest further, but clapped a hand over his mouth even though he wasn't going to say anything, and pointed to the town square.

"Look!" She drew out an exaggerated hiss as he wrenched her hand from his mouth, and peered over the top of the crate.

He blinked, and then blinked again. They looked almost completely different, definitely, but he could recognize that soft white hair, chocolate dark skin, Carbuncle-stained eyes anywhere. Fujin, Rajin… and Seifer.

"See! I found them!" Selphie was triumphant, as if she had just succeeded in a quest, completed a mission.

Leon didn't hear her. He kept his eyes trained on the trio walking across the town square, straining his ears to catch their conversation. Something in his chest clenched tight; their voices were the same, albeit a little younger, a little smoother.

"I sure kicked their ass!"

"AFFIRMATIVE."

"You were awesome, ya know!"

Selphie leapt over the crate and ran over to them. "Hey guys!"

Leon slammed the palm of his hand between his eyes.

"WHO?"

"Whoa! Whatca want, ya know!"

"Who the hell are you?"

Selphie skidded to a stop, her grin fading. "You don't know me?"

"Of course not, twerp! Why would we!" Seifer eyed the skipping rope slung at Selphie's waist. "What, you wanna fight? You better not mess with me!"

"Yea, ya know! Seifer's great!"

"AFFIRMATIVE!"

"Why would I want to fight you!" Selphie pouted , crossing her arms across her chest. She tilted her head to the side. "You really don't remember me?"

Seifer frowned, a crinkled formed in his forehead. "Do you… deliver messages?"

"No! But close enough!" Selphie's laughter tinkled lightly. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Squ-Leon! Come out!"

Leon sighed, rising from behind the crate. He felt a little relieved, a little disappointed that they didn't, couldn't remember.

Seifer stiffened. "Squall?"

Leon froze.

"WHO?"

"You know him, Seifer? Who is he, ya know?"

Four puzzled faces peered up at him from slightly above waist level.

"Urm… of course I don't!" Seifer's face had flushed red, and he frowned, the scar between his eyes puckering.

Fujin narrowed her eyes. "SCAR."

"Huh? Oh yea, hey, he's got a scar that's exactly like yours, ya know!"

"It's not EXACTLY the same!" Seifer snapped. He pulled out a foam blade, shoulders hunched from the presence of threat.

Leon turned his face away, forced a low chuckle. "Yea, it's not exactly the same."

"Yea! And I don't know you!" Seifer took a step forward, confused, and then a step back. "Get lost!"

Leon swallowed, managed a shrug. "I don't know you either." He started to walk away. "See ya, kids."

"I'm not a kid!" Seifer yelled at his retreating back.

Leon bit his lower lip, hard enough to summon the swell of a copper taste. Seifer's indignant screech hummed in the recess of his memory. "Even now, you're still saying the same thing."

mmm

"I'm home." Leon leaned his gunblade by the door and slid his jacket from his shoulder, leather creaking.

Cloud grunted, glaring at the newspaper held in front of his face.

"Selphie found this other world."

Cloud looked up, eyes widening, head tilting to the side. Leon watched the blond bangs slide over crystal eyes, hiding them, and smiled. "Travelling there was interesting, to say the least. The crazy girl hijacked a Gummi Ship." He barked a short laugh. "Just like she did to the Rag-"

Leon paused. "Nevermind."

"What world?"

"Twilight town. Peaceful, quiet place. Surreal." Leon rattled off a few adjectives.

"Hn." Cloud returned to his newspaper.

"Ah, whatever." Leon headed to the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?"

Cloud lowered his newspaper. "I…"

Leon grabbed a frying pan off the shelf and pulled open the refrigerator door. "Hm?"

"Nibelheim had really good fried fish…"

Leon glanced over his shoulder. "I'll try my best."

Cloud graced him with a faint smile, and Leon laughed. It was moments like these that he collected, stored away, coated the old ones with, used to weigh the past down.

For moments like this, he was reminded why starting anew hadn't been a bad idea at all.