Author's Note: I know it's not the actual day yet, but this idea for a Valentine's Day one-shot has been in my head for a while now... I'm gonna say it's set DURING Kingdom Hearts II. Squiffie! Because I love Yuffie, and... c'mon, it's SQUALL. You can't deny him!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

last stand

He watched silently as the bright blue comforter rustled and wrinkled, then moved, revealing a grinning head with a slightly red nose. "Never thought you'd spend your Valentine's Day like this, didjya Squall?" Yuffie smiled up at him in silence, tugging the blanket around her as she turned onto her side, to face him as she sniffed softly.

"That's Leon... and no, I didn't. I didn't expect to celebrate it at all, actually. But, I guess if I had to, I'd rather it be this way." Leon replied quietly, showing a hint of a smile as he stood from his chair by Yuffie's bed, walking into the bathroom. He later returned with a damp, cool wash cloth, quietly instructing Yuffie to lay on her back as he placed it over her forehead. "I told you not to go out in that rainstorm..." he murmured quietly, almost to himself as he took in Yuffie's flushed appearance.

"Squall, there were PUDDLES. Like, huge ones! I love puddles! And the Heartless n' Nobodies don't come out in the rain. It was the perfect opportunity to get some quality exploring done." Yuffie replied simply, snuggling farther under the blankets as she gazed up at her longtime partner, and now lover. She didn't remember when it had happened exactly. All she knew was she came in to bother him in Ansem's study one day, and she ended up against the wall with his tongue down her throat.

"What are you thinking about?" Leon's voice broke her from her thoughts, and she turned, to find him watching her with a confused expression. He was back to sitting now, legs and arms crossed.

"Huh? Oh, nothin'. Just thinking about... what I should steal next! Nyuk nyuk nyuk." Yuffie snickered quietly as she beamed at him, drawing a sigh from the gunblade wielder.

"You're not going to steal anything, Yuffie. At least not for a while. The Heartless are getting stronger, more of them are swarming. Whenever Sora gets back... a battle will happen, and it'll be big... Cloud's here now though, he and I can take a lot of them, and if you team up with Aerieth, I'm sure you can-"

"STOP. Gawd Squall, you're like a broken record! That's like the fourth time today I've caught you plannin' for this huge battle. We'll get through it, plan or no plan. We've been through worse, and we're stronger now because of it... now go get me some ginger ale, slave." Yuffie pouted at him.

Leon stared over at her in silence, surprised stormy gray meeting stern violet, and slowly, he started to laugh. "Fine, Yuffie. Just try to get some rest, okay?" he smiled smally as he stood, walking out to fetch the incapacitated ninja her ginger ale. He returned to find her sleeping, understandable, as he had taken quite a while to get the drink, often getting lost in his own thoughts. Setting the glass quietly on the table by the bed, he reached down, to carefully tug the blanket around her completely, gloved hand brushing gently over her cheek. He hadn't realized how important Yuffie had become to him until she'd gotten hurt... It had sent him into a rage that Cloud had barely broken him out of.

With a gentle shake of his head, Leon leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the ninja's lips, before he turned to leave, shutting the door softly behind him. "Just get better, Yuffie... then I'll worry about the Heartless..." he murmured to the walls around him, turning to walk down the hall, and into his room, staring out the window at the night sky with a solemn expression. The fight was drawing closer. It would be all or nothing soon. Their final stand.

last stand

Author's Note: I wasn't sure how to end it... but I thought it was alright. Feedback greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism, no flames, preferably. I'm just glad I got around to writing something that ISN'T Yuffentine... even IF this one has Yuffie in it as well.