Five Words Five Ways x 10: Lion, Wolf and Snake

by Idle Stripe

The local trio, dubbed 'The Royalty of Radiant Garden' by Yuffie, spanning growing up, Heartless attacks and visits all over the worlds. Hints of a threesome if you wish to see it that way.

-Five Words, Five Ways x 10: The Royalty of Radiant Garden-

-A series of 'Kingdom Hearts' drabbles centred on Leon, Cloud and Tora's relationship-

=^w^=

Jury:

Heartless of every shape and size surrounded them on all sides, with no obvious way of escape. Cloud tightly gripped the handle of First Tsurugi and glared at the glowing eyes in front of him. Leon pointed Lionheart at the Large Body in front of him and twisted it once. Tora spun her elbow blades around in her hands and smirked at her friends.

"Usual plan?" she asked.

"If you insist." Leon smirked back.

"Court adjourned." added Cloud as a powerful Aero attack blew away the first line of the Heartless defence.

Confident:

"This is embarrassing..."

"Tora, what the hell are you doing back there?"

"We were supposed to meet the Sultan ten minutes ago."

"Tell him I'm sick."

"That's your way of saying you hate your clothes, isn't it?"

"What is it with you and your body issues?"

"Guys, I look like I belong in the Sultan's harem, not like a Radiant Garden ambassador."

"What's wrong with it? I think it looks nice on you."

"Grab her, Cloud. We'll deal with it when we stop."

"I hate you both!"

"Love you too, Tora."

"Seconded."

Maximum:

Small shards of glass littered the floor of Ansem's Study, glass that didn't look like it belonged to the cover of a picture frame. Cloud carefully stepped over the mess and headed into the Computer Room, pausing when he saw the frames of several broken mirrors lining the halls. Each of them looked to be a cheap twenty-to-thirty-munny mirror, so whatever was going on down here could be just an experiment.

"Oh damn..." Blue eyes snapped up immediately, locking onto Tora's wide gold ones then on the hand that she was cradling. Small, deep cuts littered her knuckle, fragments of something glittering embedded in one or two of them.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked finally.

"Relieving some stress, and that's all you need to know." Tora replied, pushing past the blond to head into Ansem's Study. Cloud quickly grabbed at the magician's wrist, forcing her to look at him, then brought the wounded hand up to his eyes and examined it.

"What are you doing?" he asked again.

"I told you, I'm relieving stress," The grip on her wrist tightened, "Cloud, I'm not going to tell you anything, so let me go."

"Why have you been doing this to yourself?"

"It's better this way!" The magician wrenched her wrist from the blond's grip and glared at him, "When I can't take anymore I buy a cheap mirror, bring it down here and punch it until I bleed. I then heal my wounds and take the frames outside to be incinerated. It's my way of dealing with stress; in a sense, I'm beating myself up because that's all I see when I look in a mirror. I don't see someone with as much as what you or Leon have." Cloud let Tora take a few calming breaths before stepping forward and yanking her into a hug, pressing her face into his shoulder as a silent encouragement to cry.

And, in the silence of the corridor leading to the Computer Room, Tora did just that.

Answer:

It was hard to believe that Sora was the Keybearer some days; he fired questions like his mouth was a machine gun.

"Hey Leon, why do you have your scar on your face?"

"It's a reminder."

"Hey Cloud, why do you have your scar on your stomach?"

"It's a reminder."

"Hey Tora, why do you have your scar on your arm?"

"It's a reminder."

And that was the only answer he got.

Illusion:

During his time at the Coliseum, Cloud always slept with a pillow either side of him. It was his way of trying to remember the two other people in the photo with him that he'd taped above his bed.

Rapid:

When it came down to it, Tora had way more people skills than Leon and Cloud combined, something that Tifa took advantage of when she sent the three of them to Port Royal to pick up her liquor shipment because she didn't trust inter-world delivery. Tora knew just what to say to keep people interested, to turn people away from a fraud, and to keep the two swordsmen beside her when all they wanted to do was make a speedy exit for the Gummi Ship.

Or the closest tavern, whichever they were allowed to run to first.

Woman:

"Hey," Leon looked up at the blond beside him, "It's over." The brunet nodded and looked out over the Great Maw, where there wasn't a single Heartless or Nobody in sight. Turning, he followed Cloud back through the Bailey toward the Borough, where they knew Merlin and Aerith would be waiting to heal them of the battle.

As they stepped inside the Committee house, Yuffie thought it would be a great idea to tackle Leon. "Leon! You're alright! I knew you would be!" she cried. Pushing the ninja off him, the brunet awkwardly patted her on the head.

"It's good to see you're alright too, Yuffie," he said, glaring at Cloud's amused face, "Have you seen Aerith anywhere?" The healer herself appeared as if by magic, a smile on her face as she Cured the two swordsmen.

"We made a new friend while we were fighting," she said casually, looking at Yuffie, "She said she knew the two of you." Both swordsmen exchanged a look; oh boy, were they in for it...

"She also said that she knew Merlin, which Merlin confirmed by sending her to the Library for a spell book or something. She should be back soon." added Yuffie.

"Make 'soon' now and honey, I'm home." Cloud and Leon turned around when they heard the familiar-yet-not voice, their eyes widening when they saw the young woman standing behind them wearing black and green, but having the same hair and eyes as someone from their memory.

"Hey, Tora!" The ninja waved cheerily, but before she could say anything else Aerith dragged her away.

"Tora?" Leon gasped, "No...you can't be...Tora was just a girl..."

"Funny what eight years does to you..." the woman muttered darkly.

Monochrome:

Sora had drawn a picture and given it to her last time he was here, but now as Tora lazily stared at the three images on the paper she suddenly got an idea. Sitting up from her post on patrol, she pulled a pencil from her vest pocket and began to scribble three designs beside each of the images that the Keyblade wielder had drawn.

Beside the crown she'd drawn a smaller version of Griever, beside the Heartless insignia she'd drawn a smaller version of the wolf's-head brooch, and beside the Nobody insignia she'd drawn a smaller version of Nagi, Atrophy's creator goddess.

"Light...Darkness...and Existence. Wow, what a monochromatic group we are," Tora held up her drawings and compared them synoptically, "There's no room for colour; it's either black, white or any shade of grey. But why?"

The silence of the Bailey gave no comment.

Pride:

SMACK. SMACK. "Help him!" Aerith cried, looking down at Cloud and Tora on the floor, "He's seriously hurt!"

"You think we haven't tried?" Cloud replied, "Because we have."

"I do not want to relive that." Tora added. Aerith put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"So...this is all a pride thing?" she asked sternly.

"Not so much ours as his," the magician corrected, "You know Leon; it takes a lot for him to swallow his ego and admit that he needs help because he's used to doing so much on his own. The last thing we said to him before he walked away was that we'd be here if he-" The door to Merlin's house opened and a shaky Leon stood there, grasping at the doorframe for support.

Aerith blinked. "You were right." she breathed as the blond stood up and caught the brunet before he hit the floor.

"Aerith, will you help us?" he asked. She nodded silently and followed Cloud and Tora toward the bedrooms.

Proof:

There were no secrets between the three of them; it was as if they could just look at each other and know what had the other so down. Tifa remarked that it was because they spent so much time in each other's presence, but they knew that the reason lay deep in their hearts...their testament to survival in this crazy, messed-up world.

Pattern:

Yuffie stared, wide-eyed, at the long stripe of a bruise than ran over all three backs. "What happened?" she asked. Leon hissed as he turned his head.

"Fat Bandit in Agrabah," he replied through gritted teeth, "We were facing the wrong way."

"I can see that. Why does it go down?" The ninja ran a cold hand over the dark mark, which began at Cloud's shoulder and ended at Tora's lower back. All three of them hissed.

"Don't do that." the blond growled.

"Come on guys, it's just a bruise." Yuffie scoffed, reaching forward again. A Thunder bolt dropped in front of her, and she jumped back.

"Yuffie, all three of us have sensitive backs," Tora said, "This is hurting us more than you think." Aerith entered at that point, halting all questions from the ninja and whistling at the pattern the bruise made on their skin.

"I'll be gentle." she said, smiling.

Learning:

"HELP US!"

The tigress with the green ring around her tail lifted her head and glanced out at the Savannah, spying a chocolate brown and a gold lion being chased by a stampeding rhinoceros, which was being chased by a stampede of wildebeest. She yawned and replaced her head on top of her paws.

Nala looked down at the tigress. "Aren't you going to help your friends?" she asked.

"When they learn that pissing off the locals will get them into trouble." replied Tora.

Chasing:

They were each chasing a shadow that distanced itself from them whenever they got too close to it, but they knew that as long as they could run together then that shadow would stop.

Eventually.

Help:

"So how long have you been carrying this around?"

"And answer honestly, because we all know what happens when you lie and we tell Aerith about it."

"Long enough."

"Not good enough, Cloud."

"Hold him down, will you Leon? I think I've got something here that will make him change his mind."

"I thought you two were supposed to help me."

"You're not co-operating."

"We were given orders to help you. In order for that to happen, you need to help us."

"Help me..."

Scream:

"GET THAT AWAY FROM ME!"

"You'd think Cloud would be used to Tifa asking him to put on another dress. From the stories I've heard he made quite the attractive woman."

"I've seen the photos."

Grief:

Squall may have become Leon when he arrived in Traverse Town, but Squall's memories still resided in Leon's mind...memories that made him cry himself to sleep every night for the first few months, no matter if Aerith or Yuffie hugged him until he fell asleep.

He'd lost two of his closest friends to the Darkness in different circumstances. He had every right to cry.

Margin:

Sky blue, with a thick leather belt around the middle. Long kimono-style sleeves and slits up each leg to allow for freedom during a fight. Black stockings and knee-high sky blue boots. Sky blue hood and green elbow blades. Robe, boots and belt accented by violet lining.

"Oh wow, it still fits! I thought I'd be way too tall and too...er...endowed for it anymore!"

"That's because I've magically altered it for you, my dear. Yen Sid needs to be impressed by you."

"Do you really think I stand a shot, Merlin?"

"Of course." As the two magic users continued their talk the Restoration Committee entered the house and froze, their eyes all on Tora.

"Hey guys," she said, beaming, "Yen Sid's coming to perform a review on my magic. Do you think this is pushing boundaries a bit?" Stepping forward, the robe swished against her legs as she walked.

"It looks good on you, Tora." Tifa said finally.

"But is it a bit risqué? I mean, it's been nearly ten years since I wore it and although Merlin altered it I still feel a little exposed..."

"No!" Leon said quickly, "You're fine. Honestly."

Thread:

Merlin's eyes missed nothing, especially not the finest of strings that tied the two swordsmen and the magician together in a fateful circle. It glimmered with the purest of white lights, interspersed with black patches that represented the Darkness within Cloud and Tora. It was a rather gorgeous thread, and the wizard was glad that Fate had woven it and not Time; Time was easily broken, but Fate lasted forever.

Fuss:

One thing Tora hated more than being pitied was being fussed over, especially when she returned from an outing looking like she'd been dragged through the Underworld by Cerberus because he was bored. Aerith was the worst, brushing invisible dirt from her clothing even after the worst of it had been scrubbed away. Tifa would jump in next, forcing food and drink on her when she wasn't hungry, then Yuffie would start with the round of Twenty Questions. Cid would ask follow-up questions that weren't so bad, but then came the tongue-lashing for being careless. Merlin said nothing but he knew; the look in his eyes said so.

Cloud and Leon, on the other hand, waited until after everyone was done to look after Tora. They never said anything; just took her home, made sure she was settled in, then went back to Merlin's to wait for the loud curses that meant she was in pain.

Treasure:

The fire crackled in front of Cloud as he stared blankly into its depths, a small pile of round orbs sitting in his belongings at his feet. Stars dotted the skies of the Land of Dragons above, the odd small cloud floating past every so often. Both Tora and Leon were fast asleep; the magician on Cloud's left shoulder and the Gunblade wielder on his right.

Tora had fallen asleep first, having exhausted herself casting spells that kept back Mulan's reported Heartless hordes to the Summit and healing whatever injuries her two friends may have sustained. Orange and black hair hung over her right shoulder, the tips tickling the rocky ground and falling out of the ponytail she had pulled it into. Her head had been against the stony wall, but the blond had moved it to his shoulder a few minutes ago for fear that she'd wake up with a sore neck; a grumpy magician was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

Leon had joined her in the Land of Nod a few minutes later, his injuries too much for him to keep awake through. Bruises that hadn't been healed littered his available skin, his jacket off and being used by Tora to keep her arms warm; he didn't mind the cold. His head had naturally lolled onto Cloud's shoulder as he fell into a deep sleep, finally peaceful for the night.

Cloud looked down at his hands, where he could see that his two friends had unconsciously twined his fingers with theirs. His right hand blended with Leon's black glove, the only thing distinguishing the two was the fact that Leon's glove ended at his wrist. Cloud's left hand stood out against Tora's hand, the green wristband separating hand from arm and contrasting against the black. The blond allowed himself a small smile and lifted their joined hands, placing both sets in his lap and looking up at the night sky.

The orbs at his feet were nothing compared to the two treasures he sat in between.

Silly:

It looked rather silly, to see the three people Sora looked up to for help curled up against one of the walls in Ansem's Study fast asleep. Leon was the one sitting straight, Cloud and Tora curled up on either side of him, Cloud with his head on the brunet's shoulder, Tora with her head on the brunet's lap. Books and pieces of paper littered them all, some sticking stubbornly to their exposed skin. Sora smiled gently and left the study, deliberately forgetting Yuffie's evidence that they were the ones who 'ruled' Radiant Garden.

He failed to notice that they were all holding hands.

Magic:

Only once had Cloud tried to fire a spell – a Fire spell, to be precise – and only once had he needed to.

"You see why I'm the magician? Maybe if you concentrated your efforts on aiming instead of power you wouldn't have set the eaves above the Moogles' shop on fire."

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

"If the Moogles don't catch you, Leon will."

"Right."

Choice:

Jumping over a malfunctioning defence mechanism, Leon tore through the Restoration Site mowing down the Heartless in his way. Storm grey eyes looked straight ahead, his pace quickening when he saw the flash of orange and black disappearing into the Corridors.

"Tora!" The magician stopped when she heard her name, turning around to face the brunet.

"I was sent here by Cid to keep the Corridors clear," she said automatically, "What is it?"

"You forgot something."

"What would that be?" Leon immediately stretched out his hand, her Marker resting comfortably in the centre of his palm. Tora gasped softly, bringing her hands to her mouth as he clipped it to her belt loop and stepped back.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"I chose to," he replied, "like you chose not to let us know that you were helping King Mickey when you handed your Marker to Merlin." The magician smiled and stepped aside, the Corridors dark and foreboding.

"Go. Your business is more important than mine," she said, "Besides, I promised someone I'd see them in the Postern when he arrived." Quickly hugging the brunet, she dashed outside. Leon watched her go, then turned and began running to the Computer Room to meet Aerith.

Twin:

Twilight Town hadn't been on the list of 'Places to Visit to Find Aerith a Birthday Present', but they went anyway.

"TORA!" A black and orange and red blur knocked the magician to the ground the minute she stepped off the train to Sunset Terrace, laughing and squeezing the life out of her. Tora coughed and carefully pushed the blur off her chest, which turned out to be a young man the same age as her with similar hair, eyes, and a red jacket on over jeans and a white sleeveless shirt.

"I'm glad to see you too," she said, then caught the jealous vibes from behind her, "Oh, this is Leon and Cloud, my bodyguards."

"You serious?" The man examined the two swordsmen, "Oh, they're like your posse. I get it now."

"Only you."

"You are staying for a while this time, right? Mum was annoyed you left without picking up her spaghetti sauce recipe."

"Yes, I'm staying here for a while. We're shopping for a friend's birthday."

"While this reunion is touching," Cloud interjected before the conversation could continue, "I'm sure my comrade and I would like to know who you are and why you're knocking Tora off her feet." Tora rolled her eyes, then looked at the young man.

"He's been doing that for years." she said.

"What?" asked Leon.

"You mean she hasn't told you?" the man said, smiling much like the magician beside him, "I'm Ryu Altona, Tora's twin brother." THUMP. THUMP.

Tora blinked. "I can't wait to introduce them to Mum..." she said.

Present:

The skies of Radiant Garden slowly lightened as the magic slowly filtered back into the world, falling all around town and landing on that which had been affected by the Darkness. Leon watched as everything slowly began restoring itself to its former glory, but he noticed that there was still a lot of work for the Restoration Committee to do and that made him a little happy.

"I'm beginning to think that you don't really want to be seen with anyone anymore," Tora's voice filtered through the Bailey, "You keep disappearing." Stepping up beside the brunet, Leon also noticed that she'd brought Cloud with her, the blond staring out to the sky as well.

"I've been thinking." Leon said finally.

"Don't hurt yourself." Cloud said absently. Tora bit back a giggle.

"Funny. I've been thinking about Sora, how he defeated the Darkness and restored the worlds to a future they can look forward to." All three of them were now staring out to the sky, where the magic began to wane as it was all returned. There was silence for a long period of time, then the magician suddenly whacked the brunet warrior on the arm.

"What the-"

"The Darkness can never be truly defeated, Leon! Light cannot exist without shadow, just like shadow cannot exist without a light to create it." She shook her head, "Haven't I been through that lesson with you?"

"Uh...no." replied the blond.

Tora clapped her hands. "Well, there's no better time like the present. Come on guys, ice-cream on me." Linking arms with the two swordsmen, the magician led them out of the Bailey into the Marketplace, and into a new future.

Hero:

"If, for any reason, these two should not be joined in holy matrimony-"

"Do you seriously have to ask?" Everyone in the wedding party turned to the start of the aisle, where Tora stood with her elbow blades out and a frown on her face. Both grooms flinched.

"O...kay then, speak ma'am." the celebrant said.

"Thank you, I think I will. Good people of the Forbidden City, the two grooms in front of you are both gay and they're already married to each other." The entire party gasped, "They didn't want to tell anyone because they were ashamed of what everyone else might think. The only place they are really accepted is Radiant Garden." For added emphasis, she twirled her weapons once. The celebrant gulped and waved his hand, dispelling the ceremony and letting the two grooms make a break for it with the magician toward Sora's Gummi Ship.

"Gay and already married?" asked Leon when they were safely aboard.

"I did have others, but I doubt you guys would like to be blood-sucking hell demons." Tora replied.

"And your third?" Cloud asked.

"You were both related to me and I was there to drag you home so you could marry girls from your childhood." The swordsmen shared a look as Sora took off from the Land of Dragons. Being gay suddenly didn't sound all that bad...

Irritation:

The door to the Committee house slammed open and Tora stormed in, grabbing Leon and Cloud by their collars and dragging them outside into the Borough.

"That was a little harsh," Leon pulled his collar away from his throat, "Why did you do that?"

"Why did I do that, you ask? Well, I had a lovely chat with one of the local boys that works for Cid today, and he told me that he'd love to take me out for coffee sometime, only there are two things stopping him."

Cloud blinked. "And they are..."

"You two!" the magician exploded, making the swordsmen flinch, "I'd love to be able to go out with a guy for coffee or dinner or something without them being paranoid that you two are going to dismember him at the end of it! I'd love to be able to have a normal talk with Aerith or the fairies about my latest relationship endeavours, but every guy in Radiant Garden doesn't want to invoke the wrath of you two!"

"How are we stopping you from pursuing a relationship?" Leon looked at Cloud, hiding the blatant shock that they'd been found out. Cloud just shrugged.

"This boy I was talking to - Milo, his name was; mechanical scientist – said that when he was talking to me he kept seeing a pair of blue eyes peeking around the corner of the garage. And the other day when I caught up with him in the Marketplace he said he'd bumped into some tall brunet in leather no less than three times!" Tora took a breath to calm herself down, then spied Aerith behind Leon heading toward them, "Aerith! Cloud and Leon are stopping me from being able to date other guys!" As the healer's green eyes rounded on the two swordsmen, both Cloud and Leon let only one thought cross their minds:

'Shit...'

Triangle:

Leon was the Warrior of the three of them, with his quick combinations and basic magic manipulation. He covered up for his comrades' weaknesses by being swift and punishing with his attacks.

Cloud was the Guardian of the three of them, with his large sword and impressive swordplay skills with said blade. He covered up for his comrades' weaknesses by being resistant to magic thanks to the mako.

Tora was the Mystic of the three of them, with her unparalleled magic manipulation and fast reflexes. She covered up for her comrades' weakness by defending them at a long range so she could shoot down their enemies.

Committee:

"No."

"No."

"No."

"Come on guys, just one tournament? Please?"

Structure:

Tora would initiate the first attack, casting the first spell of the battle to give Leon and Cloud a patch of ground to leap in and deliver their attacks. Cloud would often cause the greatest damage with his follow-up attack, the shockwaves he created knocking Heartless and ally alike off their feet. Leon would often be on clean-up, picking up the few Heartless that were not defeated by Tora's magic or Cloud's power attacks. Then, when the battle was over, the three of them would head back to Merlin's house for something to eat and another battle; this one with Yuffie over who would get the plush recliner by the tea table.

Whistle:

"Do you think we should get him a whistle or something for his birthday?" Tora asked Cloud as they watched Leon move about the Restoration Site, occasionally barking out orders to everyone around.

"YUFFIE!" he suddenly yelled, making the blond and the magician share a look.

"A lion's roar can be heard for miles," Cloud replied simply, "Let's get him a new earring or something instead."

Say:

For a group of powerful fighters, Aerith sighed mentally, they sure could have some childish arguments.

"Whose idea was it to go to the Great Maw, anyway?"

"The same person who said that there was nothing out there!"

"They're Heartless! They're like Yuffie; one minute they're not there, the next minute they're everywhere!"

"You were supposed to be honest when you reported back!"

"That's not fair; you hardly ever give a report!"

"And on top of that, you never go out to the Great Maw!"

'He-said-she-said' had never been so extreme.

Air:

"I miss the surface."

"Concur."

"Shut up, you two. We're here for a break, so suck it up and follow me." Leon and Cloud exchanged a look, then looked down at the scaly fins that had been created when their legs fused as they entered the Atlantica oceans. Tora was right at home in the warm waters, flipping her glowing green fins around with practiced grace and attracting nearby fish and octopus to say hello before swimming away.

"Tora..." the blond whined slightly, "My fins hurt."

"You said that about the four paws when we visited Simba and his family last week." The magician sighed, "Alright, we'll stay here for a while and I'll teach you guys how to swim." Reaching out, Tora gently grabbed the closest fin – Leon's storm grey one – and showed the swordsmen how to flip the fin up and down so that they propelled through the water. Many of the sea animals on nearby coral and rocks stopped to have a giggle, the two men rolling their eyes at every sound they heard.

"You guys swim like an injured octopus," Tora said, looking at the octopus that was about to squirt ink in her eyes, "Oh, like you've never seen yourself swim with a sore tentacle?" The octopus sank back onto the rock with a pout, and Leon folded his arms.

"Why exactly are we here, Tora? You were a little vague on details before we left." he said, Cloud raising an eyebrow in inquisition. The magician smirked suddenly.

"Last time I was here, I signed the three of us up to be backup dancers for Sebastian's next performance. I'm so glad I taught you how to swim." Giving a grin, she turned and swam toward the palace in the distance.

Cloud suddenly gripped First Tsurugi. "Before or after?" he asked.

"After. Think of Sebastian." Leon replied as they slowly followed Tora.

Motive:

A flurry of black feathers appeared in front of Tora, the Heartless she had been fighting defeated with a sweep of a long, thin sword. The feathers cleared to reveal a man with several black wings, a black and red coat and long silver hair, piercing green eyes finishing off the look.

He turned to face the magician. "This is not your fight." he said. Tora frowned.

"The hell it's not! Move out of my way or I'll make you!" she said, holding her weapons out in a fighting stance. The man smirked at her and raised his own sword, pointing it at her exposed throat.

"Do you possess the same strength Cloud does?" he asked. Tora relaxed a little, blinking at the man's question.

"You know Cloud?" she asked, "Is he here?"

The man nodded. "I intend to show him how to live with the Darkness that is in his heart, and return him to it." There was a CLANG, and the long sword was pushed away, the point to the stony ground. Tora threw her weapons away and stepped closer to him, her face shining with a determination that the man had only seen in one other person.

"Can you feel my Darkness?" she asked. The man let his eyes widen as he felt the Darkness in the magician pulse once, and nodded.

"Then know that no-one can truly return to Darkness when we are all blessed with enough to keep us in the balance. Just like I can sense your Light." Collecting her weapons, Tora fled the Dark Depths before the man could strike a blow. When she reached the Crystal Fissure she bashed her head against the rock wall.

She didn't even know that man's name...

Sealing:

"Don't tell me you're still on your 'Royalty' gig," Tifa sighed as she served another drink to Yuffie, "You know we don't buy it."

"But think about it!" Yuffie waved her drink in the air, "Leon's the head of the Restoration Committee so that makes him the law-maker, Cloud's the muscle so that makes him the law-maker's right-hand man, and Tora's the diplomat so that makes her the law-maker's advisor." Tifa put a hand to her chin and thought about the ninja's words, some of them ringing true...

"Alright, let's say I do believe you. What proof do you have?" The martial artist was curious to see how far the ninja had come with this. Yuffie slapped her glass on the bar as Leon entered, heading straight for the girls and ordering a bottle of red wine.

"What's this for, special occasion?" Tifa asked.

The brunet shook his head. "No, it's a gift for Belle. She's visiting tomorrow and Tora suggested that we get her something that she can share with the Beast. Cloud's already organised for her to borrow some of our library's books." As he left, Yuffie turned a raised eyebrow to Tifa.

"See what I mean?" she asked. And Tifa certainly did.

Freedom:

There was a small alcove near the Bailey, underneath the broken steps leading to the Restoration Site, big enough for three teenagers to crawl into to escape their training and be themselves. It was always equipped with water, non-perishable food and candles, as well as a raised patch of hardened dirt that served as a table for cards or pieces of paper with notes scrawled all over it. Leon discovered it one day after coming back from checking Tron, the alcove near-perfectly kept after nearly ten years of idleness. Smiling a little, he crouched down and pulled out a small scroll of paper – the first one he could reach – and unrolled it.

'Let this area signal our freedom, our sanctuary from the tough times we're facing. And when we become swordsmen and magicians, let's meet back here and keep the tradition alive.'

"Those were the days..." the brunet sighed nostalgically.

Energy:

"WOOHOO!"

Yuffie bounced all over the room, knocking over whatever obstacles happened to be in her way at the time – piles of books, tables and chairs, even people. Jumping past Aerith and effectively knocking the healer into a seat, she hopped onto a table and bounced on the spot for a few seconds before leaping toward Tora, whom she'd spotted walking through the door. The magician let out a loud squawk and jumped backward, the spell books she'd found for Merlin falling to the ground with a loud THUMP.

She was lucky Leon had caught her before she hit the ground or else the ninja would find herself with hell to pay.

"That," breathed Tora, pointing at the still-hyperactive ninja, "is the last time Yuffie drinks an Elixir."

Lifestyle:

They were paranoid; there was no other word for it. Tora found that out the first day she met them.

"What do you guys think I am, some kind of princess?"

"You were about to be attacked by that Heartless and you weren't moving!"

"Are you alright, by the way?"

"I've got bruises from two swordsmen who have steel for brains...yeah, I'm alright. My name's Tora and I'm a magician."

"I'm Squall."

"Cloud."

"By the way, where was that thing you said was going to attack me?"

"It was right...it's gone!"

"That's Heartless for you."

Safe:

It was an odd feeling, having two swordsmen near-shadow you whenever something bad had happened in case it happened again or it happened to you, but Tora had grown accustomed to it. Many of the townspeople hadn't, partly because they were often sent scathing looks whenever they got too close to the magician, and partly because they knew what the two swordsmen could do to them. At the end of the day, it was nice to go home and know that nothing was going to jump out and attack you, and that's what Tora loved about her swordsmen.

They made her feel safe, just like she made them feel.

Past:

A photograph.

One photograph was all that Cloud had to remind him of what had been...but two people standing in front of him reminded him of what was to be.

Hope:

Namine laid down her sketch pad and stared at the picture she'd drawn, a memory she'd seen when the strange-haired girl with gold eyes helped her out of her confinements for a day. On the page was a rough sketch of the same girl – wearing something different to the black cloak she had no choice but to wear – standing behind two males, one standing in the light and one standing in the darkness.

It was almost a portrait of an older Sora with his two friends.

"I'll never forget you...thank you." she whispered, closing the sketch pad and looking out the window of her room, a new hope in her non-existent heart.

Fix:

Twisted metal and broken pieces of machinery sat in the muddy ground of the Graveyard, the moon glinting off the metal eerily. Leon twisted his rounded ears back when he smelt the grease and oil that meant it was one of Dr. Finklestein's experiments gone wrong and growled in his throat, making Tora jump beside him.

"Could you give us some warning before you do that again?" she asked, reaching up to pat the snakes atop her head, "Much as you are the king of the jungle."

"Are you seriously going to keep that up?" the brunet replied, reaching for the closest piece of metal and yanking it out of the ground. The entire pile quivered rather dangerously, then clanked down in front of them with loud bangs, clangs and the odd screech of pain or two.

The snakes atop Tora's head hissed at Leon. "Great, now we need to fix this, too." she sighed, rubbing a bruised arm.

"I don't suppose I can apologise my way out of this one?" Leon asked.

"Not unless you get in here and start lugging the heavier pieces of machinery to another pile for Dr. Finklestein."

"Fine..."

Guideline:

"We're going to get into big trouble if we're caught out here. We're not supposed to be here!"

"Come on Tora, we come here all the time to explore. Right, Cloud?"

"Uh-huh. It's alright, Tora. Really."

"I don't believe you. We could easily fall and break our necks here, not to mention that my father would have a fit if he found out I left town."

"He'll relax when we tell him we were with you. What's up there?"

"Nothing, just a bunch of broken glass."

"We are so going to get into trouble for this..."

"How do you know that?"

"She's a magician, Squall; magicians always stick to the rules."

Fantasy:

Gone were the days of childish dreaming about sticking together and growing old, sharing laughter and pain, fighting side by side no matter what the battle. Leon had shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind when he arrived in Traverse Town, merely playing them off as the product of an over-stimulated imagination when he was growing up and training to be who he was today.

Looking at his situation now, with Cloud and Tora back by his sides, he realised that perhaps there was some merit to a childish fantasy after all.

Spiritual:

"We all pray for the conflict between Light and Darkness to end..." whispered Tora as she stared up at the stained glass windows of the chapel, Leon and Cloud either side of her.

"We all pray for those we love to return to us..." added the blond.

"We all pray for time to heal what it has done to our hearts..." finished the brunet.

Inevitable:

Leon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Cloud closed his eyes and turned his head.

Tora folded her arms and clicked her tongue.

The fairies were in for it.

Faith:

Cloud had been gone for two weeks, and it was getting harder and harder for Leon and Tora to hide the holes in their hearts. Gripping his Marker in his hand, storm grey eyes looked down at the blue point of the triangle, but it didn't give off any form of life to indicate that the blond was still out there.

"He'll be back," Tora said firmly beside the brunet, "I know he will."

"You have a lot of faith in him." Leon said. The magician looked up at him.

"Cloud always said that he'd come back, no matter how far he went away. As long as he's out there, I know he'll stay true to his word..." The magician's Marker was held up to the light of the dying sun, "like he always does." The brunet nodded, wrapped the woman in a hug, and silently prayed to the faiths that the blond would return home soon.

Anguish:

The screams of those lost when the Heartless attacked still haunted his nightmares, something that Leon know he wouldn't be able to shake all that easily. But that wasn't what bothered him the most about those dreams.

It was the two familiar voices that cried out his name that he was powerless to save.

"Squall!"

"Help us, Squall! Please!"

All he wanted to do was scream out loud in pain knowing that he did nothing to help them.

Arrow:

"What did you do?" Cloud asked the figure stuck in the rock wall of the Castle Gate. There was a muffled answer, interspersed with Leon hacking at the rock with his Gunblade.

"Wait a few minutes and I'll get you out, Tora." he said, letting loose a Fire attack just above the hole Tora was stuck in. Rubble fell around the three of them, a muffled squeal coming from inside the wall followed by a loud cursing session both swordsmen were glad the wall muffled.

"That was a bad idea..." Leon pulled back his Gunblade and looked at the blond, "Should we try just pulling her out?"

"Whoa, she still stuck?" Yuffie waltzed up to the three and inspected the magician, "Yep, still stuck. You know, she really shouldn't have dropped that case of rum Tifa asked her to move."

"Burning Arrow?" Cloud's eyes went wide.

"Burning Arrow." the ninja replied.

Hell:

"You signed me up for a Coliseum tournament?" Tora flashed dangerous gold eyes at the blond swordsman she'd known since she was thirteen, half-daring him to answer her question. Cloud gave her a shove forward, effectively causing her to introduce her face to the dusty ground of the Coliseum lobby.

"It was either you or Yuffie, and I've already spent time with Yuffie here," he replied, "Besides, Leon said you needed a break."

"Yeah, a break from fighting! I swear, one of these days I'm going to-"

"You must be here for the tournament." Both Radiant Garden residents looked over at Phil, who had just walked into the lobby. The satyr checked over his chart and nodded once, "Yep, you guys are good to go. Just enter through there and Herc'll show you to your rooms." Before Tora could make a protest Cloud dragged her outside to the arena where Hercules was waiting for them.

"Welcome to the Coliseum," he said, smiling down at the magician, "I hope you enjoy your stay."

"This is going to be a long week..." sighed Tora.

Cloud fought back a smirk. "Come on, let's get settled in then I'll show you around. Knowing our luck, Phil's already dropped off our training schedule."

"Again: this is going to be a long week..."

=^w^=

DISCLAIMER: The disclaimer applies to the characters and settings of the 'Kingdom Hearts' series – Disney and SquareEnix – and Tora Altona – me.