Chapter One: Decisions

As the group sat around the small wooden table in Merlin's house they plotted their current course of action. Mickey himself had advised the group of them to continue on with their own lives as Sora was back with his friends but there was an unrest amongst the group of Radiant Garden Restoration Committee members. The group, comprised of Aerith, Leon, Yuffie, Cid, Merlin and now the YRP group was down by a member. Ever since Cloud had found his light and disappeared into the sky Aerith had not been seen.

Leon was the most taken back by this. He knew exactly where he was, spending an hour out of his day silently protecting her from the heartless as she stared intently into the point where Cloud and Sephiroth had disappeared in a bright light. Every day, without fail, he found her there. He watched as she became weaker. Mentally, she was gone. The light he had fallen in love with when he had first arrived had faded. The emerald green orbs were dulled, following the ground as she crossed past him without even a smile.. Without an expression on her face at all.

Every day he watched the events unfold. Her dress got looser, straps slipping from her shoulder as weight was shed. And everyday more and more color left her. Cid's voice finally broke him from his daze.

"We need ter find Cloud.. ter bring 'im back and beat his &#!!"

"We know that, old man! But how are we gonna follow him? Not even Tifa knew where he was," Yuffie yelled as she rose from the table to stare daggers at the old man.

A vein became painfully apparent on Cid's forehead. The group around them knew that if he wanted to he could lunge across the table and strangle the life out of Yuffie. But he didn't, lucky for Yuffie.

"I say we leave.. Follow Tifa." Paine floated towards the middle of the table, her arms crossed over her chest as they fell on Cid. "She knows where he went, right? If we follow her then we'll know where he's at.. But then again.."

Paine was cut off abruptly by Rikku flying into the middle of the table, using her head as a prop. "What about Sephiroth!? He's mean and he even tried to kill Sora just to warm up before Cloud and him fought! He's really strong. It's spooky!"

Paine shoved Rikku away, eyes constantly half-cocked. "Rikku, we won't be leaving. We're collecting tre—helping here. Merlin needs us." Her hand spanned out, skimming over Cid, Yuffie and Leon. "It'll have to be one of you three."

"I 'ave ter keep track of the defenses 'round 'ere plus.."

Yuffie piped up, the cheer in her voice making Leon shudder, "I'm too old! Yeah yeah, grandpaw. We know."

As the two become engrossed in another verbal fight Leon stood up slowly, half whispering a, "I'll go."

He was ignored. Rikku and Paine were now fighting about her leaning on her hair while Yuna tried to mediate. Somehow, an 'old #$!!!' had been thrown Merlin's way and he too was pulled into the fight. A yell broke through the group's fight, "I SAID I'LL GO!" All eyes had suddenly fallen onto him, the fighting suddenly silencing itself.

Yuffie was the first to break the silence, "But who's gonna patrol?"

"You're a big girl, aren't you? I've had you tagging along enough for you to pick up some skill."

"Yeah, but--.."

"I've got faith in you, Yuffie."

Cid grunted, dropping back into his chair before beginning to speak once more, "I'll need ter teach one of the townspeople how ter work Ansem's computer ter keep everything in line but #$&. Who will I use?"

"I've taught Luca how to. The computer girl who builds robots? She can take care of everything I did and more."

"Sounds like you've had this planned, Leon," Paine said with a bit of curiousity laced into those words.

With a shake of his head Leon pushed off from his place against the wall, "Cid, I want you to do some special repairs to my.. gummi ship." He narrowed those cold, gray orbs onto Cid. The old man should have known what he meant.

Cid's eyes lit up suddenly, "Y'mean I can work on yer R—.."

"Do it fast. Living quarters, guns and fix the..," he signaled with his arm, hinting to the fact that his 'gummi ship' had a massive grappler arm adorned to it's underbelly.

Cid was up in a start, rushing out of Merlin's house and completely out of sight. Rikku, with her horrendous ADD, followed after him as quick as she could, "What did the arm thing mean!?"

Leon looked to Yuffie who seemed a bit upset before taking something that had been hanging against his back and dropping it onto the table infront of her. The new model of shuriken had glowing blue points, his pendant in the middle. A little present had always been enough to break Yuffie out of a depressing mood. She squealed, grabbing it quickly as Yuna's eyes narrowed, "You had treasure like THA--.." Paine had suddenly silenced her, hand slipping over the fairy's mouth before they both fluttered away.

His rounds began shortly, anyways. It would dispel the aura that had formed around with another hero of Radiant Garden disappearing off into the sunset. "Merlin, conjure me up a plate of food. I'll stop by Aerith's house.."

The wizard nodded, pulling his wand from his light blue robes and swishing it viciously before a nice 3-meal course had appeared and floated behind Leon: A salad, a nice fish dinner and a piece of cake to finish it all up. He gave Leon a smile who only returned a nod before heading out the door towards Aerith's small house in the distance.

As he walked his thoughts flooded back to her and Cloud. He was always cold.. he was always distance. Cloud was Leon, just with a bigger weapon. In some ways, Leon almost looked up to Cloud. The man had the embodiment of darkness to fight. Leon only had the darkness that tossed and turned underneath the flesh. Consuming what little light he had left. But then there was Aerith.

She had shown him nothing but compassion from the day he had fallen into Traverse Town, broken and battered. She had spent countless night healing and resuscitating him before he dedicated himself to her. To the people who had taken him in and protected him.

As he found himself closer to Aerith's house, his thoughts faded. His mind flustered, running through what he was going to say relentlessly so he didn't mess anything up in front of her. His dam cracked whenever in her presence. The waters sweeping him away. He had to carefully plot out every word he said else look like a fool.

His fist tapped against her door gently before he allowed himself in. His eyes shot through the small, flower decorated living room to the kitchen where he saw Aerith's back. Her bones.. her sadness. "Aerith, I brought you over dinner."

She turned around to him, those dying eyes falling onto his own before she cracked a very weak smile. "Thank you.. Will you sit with me for a little bit?"

He wasn't one to say no.. He needed to talk to her anyways. As Leon crossed the threshold of her home to the other side of the table the food fell into place before Aerith. Not a fork was raised though.

The two of them sat in silence for a while before Leon finally spoke, "I'm going to find him, Aerith. Him and Sephiroth and I'll help.."

Leon knew that Cloud had his light on his side but maybe that wasn't enough? He'd have come back for Aerith.. If Leon was Cloud, he sure as hell would have.

Aerith's soft voice finally cracked through, "Leon.."

He hushed her gently, looking across the table into the eyes. Even if they were a bit faded and cold, he still knew that they were her's and that was all that mattered to him. "I'll bring him back for you, Aerith. I don't want to watch you suffer."

She looked as if she was about to cry before he stood up, realizing he had let too much flood past his dam of emotions. He had revealed that he cared.. The cold lion wasn't supposed to let anyone know that he was like this.

She stood up, moving to him before drawing her hands around his waist, pushing her head into that soft, fur collar of his. The sobs picked up as he stood there, hesitating for a moment before drawing his arms around her. "I miss him, Leon.. I can't bear to think of what might happen to him."

Leon felt a part of him die off during that hug. Even with his emotions sent so well, even with him being the only one there all there was was that caring for an ungrateful bastard.. Aerith didn't know that Tifa had given Cloud her light.. She didn't know that he had left with that addition in his power. But despite how much Leon hurt, he wouldn't tell her. He could never be that cold.

As the hug and Leon's heart broke he slid off his ring, the lion's head shining in the light that flooded Aerith's kitchen. "I can't do it alone, Aerith." He took Aerith's hand, opening it slowly before setting the ring into her palm, "But I'll make you a deal.."

"What's this for, Leon?"

"I want you to get stronger, Aerith. I want you to face this like we face an invasion of heartless. I want you to grow from this.."

He moved towards the doors of her house, casting a large shadow into Aerith's kitchen, "I'll give you my light, Aerith.." The shadow disappeared, Leon's voice trailing off into the distance, "If you'll give me yours."