Chapter 1

AN:Here is my first story I've actually written...like ever. Seriously. The idea became too much for my mind alone and I finally decided to morph it into some kind of something. Be warned of my poor vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, plots, sentence structure...need I go on?

I do wish for anyone who takes a chance with SAND to enjoy it. I wont be distraught if not, but I have some hope of bettering my writing and plot structure of this story as it goes on.

Think of this(as you will)as sort of test-run chapter. I'll see how it does and if anyone's interested enough I'll continue with it. How does one write these things called stories anyways?

OKAY! Just a couple more things before we start.

1. I DO NOT own anything from Disney, Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy, be it characters, names, places, etc.

2. Rated M for now. Language, maybe other stuff later on(HINT HINT). Swashbuckling, sword fighting, blood, and bandit-ism stuff? Is that all supposed to be rated mature?

3. I'm all for constructive criticism! Let me know if you enjoyed or not. *Whispering* Please don't make me cry

4. This chapter is more about a younger Leon and a few key events that will tie in with his future. In that case it could seem a little thrown together and confusing at parts. ENJOY!

Part One- The Beginning

"Whoaaa...whoaaaa." A man slowed his horse stopping before a small limp form huddled before him in the sand. A child?

Night had fallen, and it was becoming cold. It was dangerous, more so when night fell, as there were bandits and feral creatures that preferred moonlight rather than the sun. The man dismounted from his horse, giving it a reassuring pat and crouched beside the small body of the child. It was a boy no older than eight years or so, wearing tattered clothes and an ornate pendant with a golden lion.

"Boy, are you alright?" The man shook his shoulder, but no response. He quickly checked the boys neck for a pulse. A sigh of relief. Just unconscious.

"Dehydration and heat exhaustion most likely, but why were you out here alone?" He said out loud, but not to anyone in particular.

The horse started to grow restless, stomping the sand.

"Alright, alright, Pegasus. We will have to take him home. Can't just leave him to die." He picked the boy up, laying him carefully over the white horse and grabbing the reins.

"S'pose Myra will understand" He gave the reins a few tugs signalling his horse to follow.

Two blue eyes slowly opened to the unmistakable bright rays of the morning sun, blinking a few times.

Then came the realization of the foreign place. He was laying in a soft bed, it was warm and blankets had been tucked around him. He sat up, noticing he was wearing a freshly cleaned shirt, though too big. Examining his surroundings he realized he was in someones home. The room had a single small window, the source of the suns rays that woke him, and a door which was slightly ajar. Pretty simple in design with its wooden floor, and walls, and few decorations that adorned the walls. Not including the bed, the only other furniture was a little table set in the corner with what looked like a tray with water and the heel of some bread. A wooden chair had been pulled up beside it.

"Water" he thought.

The last the boy could recall was being so thirsty walking through the desert. Why had he been there? He recalled no memory of why.

He decided to get out of bed, uncovering his legs, and cautiously walked towards the tray with water. After all he still didn't know who exactly lived here, though he assumed they couldn't be all that bad for saving his life and leaving him food.

He gulped the water down and began on the bread, unaware of the slight creak of the door slowly opening.

"Hiya!" The bread fell to the floor and a loud scream echoed through the house

"Please forgive my daughter, just curious by nature. She's been a good help to my wife nursing you back to health the past two days." The boy could only nod, still embarrassed that the little girl had scared him so much to the point of screaming. Besides, the girl seemed not much younger than himself.

"I'm glad my husband found you on his way home from the city before something even worse happened to you."

"Um...thank you all for the kindness." Three faces stared back at him. The first, the excited face of the little girl with short, jet-black hair. The second, he presumed, was her father, also with the same jet-black hair, though tied back into a pony tail. Third and lastly was the affable mother. Small round face, long brown hair, and dark-brown eyes her daughter undoubtedly inherited.

"Oh! It's no hassle at all really, but what were you thinking being in the desert alone?! It's awfully dangerous out there you know, especially when the night falls" It was the mother who had said this in a worried, motherly, manner.

"Dehydration is a danger on its own." The man chimed in.

There it was again, the absent memories. An emptiness filled his head, no his entire being.

"I can't remember why. I-I don't think I know my...my name." It was strange, he had to have known his own name after all. Unusual yes, but most of all it horrified him, making his stomach tighten and turn in circles as if something had gone terribly wrong.

The man and woman looked at each other with similar expressions on their faces.

"Well...maybe this'll help..." the man momentarily left the room and came back with a pendant in hand, passing it over to the boy and saying, "You were wearing this when I found you. "

The boy took it gently in his hands, slowly looking it over. A silver pendant. The golden body of a fierce lion in its center. Engraved in fairly small (not unreadable) letters, was the name 'Leon.' It had all seemed so familiar but the memory would not surface despite all attempts of trying to recover them.

"Leon? I'm not sure, I don't remember this honestly."

"How about we call you that for now. I'll go out today and see if I can find your parents. They're surely worried about you. You are welcome to stay here until then." Parents? Were they out there searching for him, worried for his safety? Did he have parents?

The boy wondered if 'Leon' could possibly be his real name. For now it would have to do, he quite liked it in fact.

"Oh goodness, I almost forgot to introduce myself. How silly of me." The mother giggled.

"My name is Myra Divule, my husband Eraqus, and this is our daughter Yuffie. You're welcome to stay with us as long as it takes for us to return you to your home." She had said waving a hand toward each person around her. Yuffie all-the-while having an enormous grin.

At least he wouldn't have to go out on his own knowing nothing other than a name he wasn't even sure was his.

Eraqus left on his horse later on in the day, promising his best to find Leon's parents. They all waved as he disappeared down the dirt path and over a hill and out of their sight.

The rest of the day went on nicely with the ladies of the house, he was fed a good meal, talking with them cheerfully. He even played with Yuffie outside until the sun had set . It turned out she was only six, two years younger than himself, so they got along fairly well. At least he remembered a few simple things such as his age, though it hadn't been much.

It was late at night when Eraqus finally returned home. No news of his parents, but he had promised to do his utmost in finding them.

And he did keep his promise.

Five months passed and woefully they lost most hope of anyone coming to claim Leon. Though Eraqus kept searching. There was never any word of a lost boy.

Funny enough, Leon hadn't felt sad about it.

Leon age 10

Two years had passed.

Leon, now ten years old, had been taken in by the Divule family and becoming close enough to a son, and he truly was. Yuffie like a sister to him, and they called him 'Son' and he, thinking of them as 'Mother' and 'Father.'

Leon was always eager to listen of his fathers stories of their land and wondered if he had once lived among the many countries and cities in either the northern or southern continents.

They lived in a little yet comfortable home in the Pride-lands, the outskirts of a few busier towns. It was only a few hours travel to the Sea of Sand, the desert that stretched across the southern-most part of the continent, and home of the city of Agrabah. Traverse Town -a city marveled for its advancements in technology- was a few days travel to the north. The more tropical country of Radiant Garden to the north-east, settled directly on the border of the northern and southern continents. The far east home to the Atlantica Ocean, Twilight Town, and Destiny Islands. Eraqus claimed to only know very little of the north having spent the entirety of his life in the south.

Yuffie now shared a room with him. She had become somewhat of a best friend. Together they would read adventure stories, both hoping to one day travel and find an adventure of their own. Maybe even going all the way to the northern continent. She loved to make believe outrageous stories of where he had truly come from. But Leon still found himself laying awake late at night, turning his pendant in hand, wondering if any of her stories could be true.

He wondered of Eraqus mostly. The man being an enigma. On many occasions leaving home for days at a time, Myra never speaking of where he'd gone, and Eraqus returning silent and disappearing out to his forge to be alone.

He was a blacksmith and true master of his trade. He told them he was taught by his father and his father before him. He even brought them to help him work on occasion, despite Myra's protests of small children working under such dangerous conditions. Hard work was important to the man and he taught the meaning of it to his children.

" Proud work and a good heart is all a man really needs." Leon heard Eraqus speak of this more often than not. Always with emphasis on having a good heart.

He thought highly of him, even with his stern, hard working ways. He was still the kind man who had saved his life and loved his family more than anything.

Myra on the other hand was always kind and cheerful, sometimes too overly protective, but still like a saint in Leon's eyes. So she surely wasn't too keen on her husbands plan of taking the children to the very populated and bustling city of Agrabah to sell swords.

"Certainly not!" She had said at the first mention of it.

"That place is full of petty thieves and danger. Half the time those Tri-Sailors are owned by bandits!The place could be crawling with-"

"Myra, they will be fine. They're smart children. No harm will come to them when I can more than protect them on my own." Eventually Eraqus had convinced his wife. They would make the journey at dawn the next morning.

The trip took nearly five hours riding on the back of the wagon pulled by their white horse, Pegasus. Eventually passing through parts of the desert and leaving the viridescence of the Pride-lands. The land changing steadily and the heat becoming more harsh the closer to the desert they came.

It was now mid-day and Leon and Yuffie were exceptionally bored of staring at sand dunes for the past two hours. The sun was beating down on them now and Leon himself not being partial to the desert, was having an unpleasant time. Though their boredom was short-lived, and the fact of being so hot forgotten, as soon as the city became visible.

Leon looked up with amazement at the huge, towering, white walls. Far off you could see the tops of the palace domes rising to the sky, all golden and shining in the sun.

So this was Agrabah.

Though what had piqued his interest the most were the curious ships dotting the horizon, some closer to the city than others. He had never seen them in person but his father had told his children about them numerous times. Tri-Sailor ships created not only to race over the waves, but the land and sky as well, thus their name. Powered by tremendous engines that were concealed at the stern of the ship, created by the reputable minds of Traverse Town. The popular choice of travel amongst the pilots around the Sea of Sand being land or sky, and by sea for pilots off the Atlantician coast.

Myra having been so blase about the idea at first for the popularity of the Tri-Sailors with bandits. Merchant Tri-Sailor ships and caravans were often attacked by bandit Tri-Sailors out in the Sea of Sand.

Leon was amazed and looked on in awe with Yuffie, who in turn was equally impressed and hopping up and down in excitement. Eraqus laughing at their reaction of seeing a city for the first time in their lives.

They unhitched the cart, leaving both it and Ace at the stables a little ways from the gates of the city. His father helped a bundle of sheathed swords onto Leon's back and heaved the remaining onto his own, Yuffie being too small to carry any herself.

They were allowed through the gates once the guards had checked them over, both children following behind their father through the streets, still in a stupor. The city was beautiful and much more vivid and full of life than what they were used to out in the Pride-lands.

The buildings seemed to have been made of brick and sealed with white cement; most having been painted vibrant colors, turning the city into somewhat of a rainbow. Even the people dressed in loose, brightly-dyed clothes, very unlike the attire of the Pride-lands which were simple leather or cottons.

"Do you like Agrabah so far?" They both looked at their father smiling and nodding.

"Good! I usually wait in the eastern part of the bizarre for my clients." Eraqus would take on commissions from anyone close enough to where he could deliver them. Agrabah being one. Most customers claiming him to be a genius sword smith and never receiving a single complaint for his work. Leon agreed without a doubt, having watched Eraqus at work countless times creating the alluring works of art.

Yuffie and Leon grew restless roughly an hour into the wait. Sitting against a wall of a brightly painted building behind their father, who sat patiently in front of them on the small, blue and yellow woven rug, legs crossed. He had borrowed it from a friendly old merchant woman next to them.

Yuffie sighed in disappointment, turning to Leon.

"This is so boring!" Leon nodded in agreement at his sister huffing beside him. He picked at a loose string on his pants. He wasn't sure what he was expecting coming on the trip with their father, but sitting against a wall for hours wasn't really what he thought they would be doing.

"Daaad, how long do we have to wait here?" She rocked forward then backward with her hands on her knees.

"Patience Yuffie." Eraqus said only slightly turning his head her direction.

"Can't Leon and I at least look around the bizarre?" He seemed to ponder this for a moment and then nodded.

"I suppose you could, if you stay close to your brother. Also you cannot leave the bizarre. I mean it. And don't tell your mother about this. Last thing I need." He looked defeated.

"Meet me here in two hours or I will come looking for you. Trust me, you don't want that to happen."

Yuffie shot up from her place on the ground, her face beaming, and grabbed hold of Leon's hand, pulling him to his feet.

"We'll be safe!" They ran off, Yuffie dragging Leon behind her despite his protests.

Eraqus smiled and shook his head.

"Abu!Wait up!" A young boy in a purple vest and red fez chased after his pet monkey, quickly hiding behind a tall stack of crates as three guards walked by, swords in hand.

"Phew, that was close." He said peeking around the corner of a crate.

"What'cha manage to get us?" the monkey turned his head to the side and held out a loaf of bread.

"Alright!" He took the bread from Abu and split it in two, handing half to the monkey.

"Let's eat!"

" I's amazing isn't it Leon? " He nodded to his sister in agreement as she twirled in a circle, hands raised to the sky. The city was massive and the streets full of people.

Leon walked closely to his sister in order not to get separated from her in the hustle and bustle. There were so many people and hundreds of merchants stalls. Every merchant stand they stopped by seemed to have something different: flowers, dyes, perfumes, jewelry. Some things Leon recognized and some were very unfamiliar. Yuffie had currently brought them to a stall full of a variety of oddly shaped lamps. She bent over, hands on her hips, to inspect them closer.

A boy had been running out of an alley seeming to be in a rush. He hadn't seen Leon and ran right into him, making the pair fall onto the ground with a thud. Yuffie yelped in surprise.

"Are you al-wait is that a monkey?" Yuffie asked scrunching her nose, looking quizzically at the boys and monkey sprawled on the ground before her. The boy in the purple vest didn't say anything but gave them an apologetic look before quickly getting up and rushing away, monkey at his heels.

Three guards wielding scimitar-like blades came bursting out of the alley shouting after the boy and his pet.

"Stop those little thieves!" they had shouted. The boy turned and laughed. "It was just a snack guys!"

They ran off after him.

Yuffie hurriedly helped Leon off the ground. " Leon we have to do something! Those men have swords!"

He looked puzzled at first but didn't have time to answer. Yuffie ran off after the boy.

"Yuffie come back! We aren't supposed to leave the bizarre!" She hadn't heard him shouting after her. He groaned and rolled his eye running after her.

He really needed to catch his breath but if he stopped he would surely be caught by the guards.

"Pssst!Over here!" He looked around only to be grabbed suddenly by two pairs of hands. They pulled him into an alley, all-the-while struggling for release. He realized it was only the boy and girl he had run into in the bizarre.

"They're coming this way!" The girl squeaked. They all ducked behind a, small, garden wall, next to the alley just as the guards became visible.

"Where did that little street rat go?! I was sure he went this way!" One guard shouted.

Another had replied " Let's keep going, he's not here!" and the buff scimitar wielding men continued down the street.

They all sighed in relief.

"Thanks for that. I'd have been a goner for sure!"

"The names Aladdin, and this here is Abu." Abu bowed at the mention of his name making Yuffie giggle and pat his head.

Aladdin held out his hand, Yuffie shaking it first, showing her famous smile, and then Leon. Each introducing themselves. Aladdin was taller than the two and seemed to be a little older.

"Why were they chasing you anyways?" Leon inquired, wondering what he could have possibly done to be in such trouble. Aladdin gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.

"Well Abu here stole some bread." The monkey seemed angry at this and climbed his master, lighting hitting him on the head with his paw.

"Okay!Okay! He stole it for both of us! But you gotta eat to live!"

Leon and Yuffie were both confused by this, Leon asking, "what do you mean?"

Aladdin looked at them for a second before answering, " Well I'm an orphan. Abu and I live on the streets. Stealing is how we have to survive." At this reply Yuffie's smiling face turned into a frown. Aladdin waved his hands in front of him at the look on her face.

"Oh no! It's not always so bad. We only steal food when we're hungry and Abu and I found a little home where you can see the palace perfectly. Our own piece of paradise!" Abu gave a little sound in agreement.

"Can you show us! I'd love to see the palace closer up!" Leon hit her lightly on the arm "Don't be rude Yuffie!"

"I don't mind. It's not every day someone helps a street rat. It's the least I could do to thank you."

Leon whispered out of the corner of his mouth in an irritated tone "But we weren't supposed to leave the bizarre, remember?" Yuffie saw his annoyed look but ignored it.

"Don't be such a spoilsport Leon!Let's go on an adventure!" She, Aladdin, and Abu all took off down the alley. Leon following behind begrudgingly.

Aladdin took them to his proclaimed 'paradise.' They climbed into an abandoned building, scaling the broken steps all the way to the top. Aladdin pulling back a worn curtain to reveal his cozy little home.

It was full of trinkets and small novelties. An old futon was pushed into one corner, the wooden floor broken in places, and a large window showing a spectacular view of the castle. Leon found it pleasant and homely for being so run-down. Yuffie had raced to the window instantly, eyes wide with amazement.

"Ahhh!It's really lovely!" Her hands were placed on the windows wide sill. The palace was humongous, golden tower tops glittering, tall white walls surrounding it, and you could even see little parts of the gardens over the tops of the walls.

"I always like to imagine what it would be like to live there. Their lives are probably perfect" Aladdin sighed and fell backward onto the futon making dust fly into the air.

"You guys can make yourselves at home."

They stayed and talked with Aladdin for a while. He told them more the city. Explaining the hostility between him and a certain group of guards, and of his life from as far back as he could remember. Leon and Yuffie sat around him listening intently, Abu in her lap.

Leon stood abruptly realizing how long they had been gone. He had hoped his father wasn't looking for them.

"Yuffie!We have to go!"

"Oh no, I forgot." She took Abu off of her lap, setting him on the ground, and stood up brushing her pants off.

"Thank you Aladdin, we had a wonderful time, but we promised our father we wouldn't leave the bizarre. We're going to be in trouble if we don't get back soon." Leon headed for the doorway, Yuffie behind him.

"You both saved me!It's the least I could do. Let me show you the way back so you don't get lost."

They all left Aladdin's little loft home and headed back toward the bizarre.

They weren't too late. Their father was currently rolling up the borrowed rug he had been sitting on. They stood down the street a ways with Aladdin and Abu.

Leon turned to say goodbye to their friend but saw he was staring intently at a girl with her face mostly covered. She was browsing a stall filled with flowers.

"Wow." Aladdin looked dazedly at the young girl.

"Maybe you could go talk to her?" Leon suggested. He looked up then, embarrassed.

"No, no I can't do that!" He was blushing.

"Oh come on, you obviously like her! Just go and say hello." Yuffie pushed on his shoulders in the girls direction.

"Um...I guess I can try." The boy took a few steps before stopping and turning back to them. Abu ran up his arm and sat on his shoulder.

"Thanks for everything. You've been kind to me when others haven't. If you find yourselves in Agrabah again, Know that you'll always have a friend in me." He smiled and waved, taking off in a jog toward the girl. Leon and Yuffie waving back shouting their goodbyes to him.

"See Leon, we even made it back in time! Wasn't it worth it?"

Leon sighed, he had to agree, they did have a great time on their little adventure today. It was much more of an excitement than the Pride-lands had to offer. He playfully shoved Yuffie in the shoulder.

"Hey!" She shouted and tried to shove him back, Leon evading her. He laughed and ran to their father, Yuffie tailing behind him

Leon ages 11-13

Eraqus, though an incredible blacksmith, was also gifted at a great many things Leon had discovered.

When he had turned eleven, his father decided Leon was old enough to learn more about the art of swords. He had called him to the yard one day, and handed him a wooden sword.

"S'good for any man to learn and fun when you get the hang of it."

Leon had taken to it well and found he really enjoyed the sense of empowerment holding a sword(even though his being wooden)gave him.

It was not so odd for a blacksmith to know his weapons; the unusual part being the beginnings of the teaching of martial-arts and how to use them hand in hand.

He had assumed his father stayed fit due to working his smithy, but martial-arts, proving to be an energetic sport, could possibly have been what kept the man in such health for his age.

His father demonstrated. Leon had watched on amazed that anyone could move with such grace and finesse. Leon himself became frustrated with it, countless times having fallen on his face, trying to do flips, or higher kicks. Yuffie watched sometimes while he practiced, laughing if he fell, but cheerful any time he landed his moves properly.

"Martial-arts aren't so strange in battle or in our land, I hope for you to never have to use them" he would say. Leon eventually gave up hope of the man ever telling him how he had learned the art to begin with.

Soon enough, even Yuffie took interest to having lessons. Myra being opposed to her learning at the beginning- Yuffie only being nine- but she eventually warmed up to the idea.

By the time Leon was thirteen, he had excelled at using his wooden sword, also growing to be a better martial-artist. He and Yuffie trained alongside each-other almost religiously and both were praised by their father for doing so well. Yuffie had taken to the martial-arts quicker than himself he had to admit.

Leon worked in the forge with his father more often now and traveled to the neighboring towns to deliver their creations. From time to time he and Yuffie even got to travel back to Agrabah, always sneaking off to see Aladdin. Sadly Aladdin hadn't seen the girl after the day in the bizarre.

Leon also found himself thinking less of his pendant as the years went by, deciding it best not to dwell on the past. Though he did always wear it beneath his shirt and against his chest. He had a family now, and if he had one before, they hadn't cared enough to come find him.

Eraqus was still as secretive as ever, though he did seem to vanish less often.

Leon's 14th Birthday

It was early in the morning when his father asked him to come outside.

"It's made of a lighter metal-" Eraqus tossed it hand to hand then continued. " so it's light even though it looks heavy. Still a little big for you, but you'll grow into it" He then tossed it in the air, catching it by the hilt and handed it to his son. His first real sword.

Leon took it proudly. It was a little awkward for his size, even though he wasn't so small anymore. Not too heavy. Eraqus' made it unique just for Leon's use. His father called it the 'Gunblade.' Called so, for the medium-length blade attached to a gun hilt.

Eraqus answered Leon's question before he had the chance to ask.

"Yes, the gun actually shoots real bullets, you don't get those just yet. Blade for close range and gun for longer range."

"I made this sheath, well harness really, especially for it too. It's a bigger sword so it will be easier to have on your back." He held out the leather harness with straps that would cross the chest, allowing for better reach of the sword. Leon took the harness from him. He was at a loss for words. Most swords like this would cost a fortune.

"You didn't have-" His father cut him off. "Hush, I don't want to hear it. I made this to fit your fighting form. Non-refundable."

"I hope for you to never have to use this my son. If you do, it's only ever for protecting others and yourself." Leon nodded at him and sheathed the beauty carefully. He hugged his father and thanked him for his gift.

"Come on now, Myra has breakfast waiting."

Leon had eaten the special breakfast Myra made him, kissed her on the cheek, and thanked her, making Yuffie come outside with him to show off his sword.

It was later in the afternoon when Eraqus decided to let the pair deliver a sword to a client in a town about an hours walk away. This would be Leon's first delivery on his own. Well with Yuffie too, but their father had always been there with them. It felt like an honor in a way.

They left on foot soon after, Leon carrying his new Gunblade on his back, commissioned sword in hand. They walked along a dirt path next to a shallow river, its water flowing with a relaxing rhythm. It would have been relaxing if his sister wasn't being so loud that is.

"I seriously can't believe you got a sword! It's not fair!" Yuffie was walking along the dirt path in front of him, arms flailing in anger. She stopped to let Leon catch up and in a more quiet tone said, "and it's so cool too."

"I know!" He was in a cheerful mood today compared to his usual serious self. It was his birthday after all and he probably had the coolest sword around.

"Well you don't have to be ruuude."

"It's my birthday and I can do...What. I. Want." He stuck his tongue out at his sister and she copied the action, both erupting into a fit of laughter.

The river eventually came to a little stone bridge that crossed over to the town where they delivered the sword to a tough, burly looking man, in which later Yuffie referred to as dreamy. Leon rolled his eyes at this. Girls would be girls.

It was evening now as they headed home, Yuffie skipping along, most likely daydreaming of the man back in town. The air was warm, but it had become windy and the trees swayed in the breeze.

Leon looked up. The sky was dark.

"Yuffie we better hurry home, it's going to storm soon." As soon as he had said it the sky lit up with a giant flash of lightning, followed by a boom of thunder.

The two broke into a run as the rain-drops started falling.

By now the ground was flooded. Leon and Yuffie both soaked, and freezing, ran up the back path to their home. They passed Pegasus who was whinnying in his stable. Frightened by the loud cracks of thunder booming in the sky.

But why did he have the sickening feeling something was wrong. He could hear it then, shouting over the loudness of the storm. Leon darted ahead of his sister, his feet squelching through the mud.

Reaching the front of the house, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There was his mother laying incredibly still on the ground not a yard away. Beautiful hair coated in mud and her dress stained red. Dark-brown eyes closed. A hooded figure stood next to her body wiping a menacing, bloody, blade onto its black coat. All while laughing.

Leon stared with his eyes wide in shock. His mouth opened but he could say nothing.

He hadn't noticed the five other sinister figures to his side.

The figure in front of him finally spoke, a man by his voice. "We've found you."

His body was frozen, and the figures advanced, all drawing their swords.

A scream finally shook him out of his trance. Yuffie was beside him, kneeling in the mud sobbing and horrified.

"You aren't going to touch him!" It was his father, bloody sword in hand. Leon noticing two black-cloaked bodies laying dead on the ground below him. Eraqus, sword drawn, ran in front of his son and daughter, shielding them.

"You are foolish Eraqus. Step aside, we only want the boy. The woman was an unfortunate...situation." It was a different figure who had said this, also being male.

" Leon!Listen to me now!" Leon instantly turned to look him in the eyes. He had a feeling he knew what his father was going to say.

Eraqus whispered to him, barely audible over the rain.

"You take you sister, get on Pegasus, and ride to Traverse Town. Don't stop. Find Cid." They held eye contact for a moment before his father turned back to the men before them.

"Go! Now!" Leon did as he was told, grabbing Yuffie, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, out of the mud. As soon as they started running the black figures began striking swords with their father.

"Don't let him get away!"

There was no time to saddle him. Leon helped Yuffie onto Pegasus, opening the stables gate, and quickly climbing on after her.

He could still hear the clashing of metal on metal.

"Hya!Hya!" He clicked his boots against Pegasus' side making the horse break out in a run down the muddy path. He grabbed his mane, leaning over Yuffie, shielding her from the rain.

Two cloaked figures ran after them with an eerie speed, though soon falling behind and out of sight.

Leon all the while staring straight ahead.

Nine years later

"Leon" was that his mother calling his name?

"LEON!" He shot up from his sleep, panting. He was shirtless but still hot and sweating. A silver pendant with and golden lion dangled around his neck and down across his tan chest. Dark-brown eyes stared into his blue ones, a hand on his shoulder.

"That dream again, huh?"Sighing, he ran a hand through his long, unruly, brown hair. It was always the same dream that haunted his sleep, painted in the back of his mind like a picture, and starving him of any rest he'd hope of having.

"Yeah. You know not to wake me up, so what is it Yuffie?" He was annoyed.

"No need to be Mr. Cranky Pants. There's a problem..." More annoyed. He closed his eyes, running his forefinger across the scar starting between his eyebrows and running right below his left eye.

"What kind of problem would that be?"He looked at his sister through one blue eye.

" We kinda found someone in the desert. Sora insisted on bringing him on-board." Leon got up from his bed, not bothering to put a shirt on, and strapped his Gunblade to his back.

"Goddamn Sora thinks he has to save everybody." Leon ascended the ramp leading to the upper deck, fuming and swearing under his breath. Something along the lines of 'stupid fucking Sora and his stupid fucking principles.' Yuffie laughed and followed her brother onto the deck.

That was Leon for you. The ever so ruthless pilot of the Swift Storm, the most impressive Tri-Sailor ever built, and leader of the infamous bandit crew of Desolo.