Disclaimer: Still don't own anyone; Vincent is still part of FFVII and the forementioned, kind of all characters that Leon is seeing in those around him are from FFVIII; they might in their own way make their reappearance but not as much as it might seem
Chapter 3
As the lights in their own way faded away from the stage where Leon stood as the starring role; the lights were slowly rising upon a new stage and a singular player. Piled upon the stage was files upon files of patients, past and present as well as new ones that she was having to keep an eye on; some were mild compared to the others that were on plate. Why was she piled down with the crazy ones? Did she pissed someone off in a previous life that made her be stuck with some of these crazy cases or was it something that came with territory of being a Psychotherapist for the Hospital? She hadn't figured that answer out just yet and it seemed it was about to fall in her lap the minute her fingers tiredly ghosted over the new file that had fallen on her desk.
"Heh, what's it this time? Angsting teenager that couldn't deal or handle the pressure of living on another day in this stupid World? Girl lost her boyfriend and decided that she couldn't live without him?" her dainty fingers flipped the chart open and what she found staring at her was not what she was hoping for, "…Well, this is a nice change of pace."
Facing her was a picture of Leon and a written up history as far as Cid could work up from what he knew about Leon and everything he had ever told anyone about his past; it didn't seem like anything to her till she got to the part that said that the man had had another name before arriving in this World. Chalk up this case to a man with possible Dissociative Identity Disorder or multiple personalities in laymen's terms; then there was the information she was supplied that this hadn't been the first time he had attempted something like this. It seemed that after moving from Traverse Town to Hollow Bastion was finished, Cid had started to notice that Leon was looking about for the things that had gone missing from his room; Leon had been furious when Cid told him that Yuffie had brought the things to Aerith and Aerith asked Cid to dispose of the items. They had been put to good use as Cid had told Leon then and that sent a flag up to the woman; this was not a normal case. This man was truly troubled, especially if he had somehow managed to get his hands items worse then the original form of suicide attempt and had sent the man into a downward spiral that had put the Doctors into reviving the man, not once, not twice, but three times.
"Patient Leonhart is a new case that has fallen on my desk and from what I have been able to find out from the man that seems to be the young man's Father figure, it seems that Patient Leonhart is a troubled man," the woman stopped as she sighed away from the tape recorder in her hand, "I'm going to possibly suggest to the "Father" that if Leon is not better after the week long stay at the Rehab Center that it be seriously considered that heavier therapy be prescribed for Leon…and at best, that the young man be placed on Suicide Watch during his stay."
A soft knock seemed to interrupt the seemingly bored Psychotherapist, "The Doctor for Mr. Leonhart was wondering if you would come down and speak to Mr. Leonhart before his family shows up to speak to him…"
"I'm coming," the woman pushed her chair out as her long blonde hair draped about her shoulders; part of it was thrown back into half hearted attempted bun as she pushed the glasses back on her face, "Best to see what kind of person I'm dealing with…"
Yuffie was looking all over the Waiting Room as Aerith kept an eye on her to assure she didn't run off, Tifa was doing all she could to not reach and grab Yuffie herself and tell her to sit down. The girl's pacing was driving the woman up the walls, but Aerith's gaze now and again seemed to simmer things down, but Vincent was mostly anxious to see Cid. He had to see for himself that Cid wasn't banged up like he had told Vincent the night before on the phone. Cloud was being Cloud, hidden off in a corner of the Waiting Room that was vacant since the others had found reason to tell the Nurse at the Nurse's Station that they were fine, it was all in their heads. At least that was their tale, they just wanted as far away from Cloud as possible since he just oozed out charm.
"Vinnie, when can we see, Squall?" Yuffie bounced about in front of the man's face, "I'm bored and I want to see him!"
Vincent rolled his eyes for the thousandth time as it seemed, "First of all, his name is Leon, not Squall, you know that and should respect Leon's wishes, and secondly, settle down. We can't go in without Cid."
"Did I hear a certain Dark Angel say my name?" a grinning from ear to ear Cid walked in as he held his arms out for the man to gather into them, but Vincent wasn't having any of it, "Come on babe, I told you last night, I'm fine…I didn't get into any bang ups on the way here and I'm tired from sleeping in a not too comfortable chair beside Leon's bed last night…Not too much in the mood for the playing around game."
"…Captain," Vincent worked himself into the man's arms as he softly nuzzled his head under the man's rough chin as he felt Cid's arms wrap around his frame, "What is the status of Leon?"
Cid sighed as he ran one calloused hand through the man's hair, "He's stable; they had to pump his stomach last night after they revived him for the third umpteenth time. He's not really talkative to anyone…and they've got a therapist or some screw with your head Doctor coming down later to talk to Leon about what happened."
"Can we see him?" Yuffie bounced up and down on the balls of her feet behind Vincent as Tifa finally gave an exhausted chuckle at the sight as she and Aerith walked up to Cid; curious of the answer.
"Yeah, you can go see him, but I don't know how talkative he's going to be, because when I went by earlier to poke in on him, he was dozing asleep. Kid didn't sleep all that well last night," Cid relinquished his hold on Vincent slightly as he ran a hand across his tired face, "Just don't bring up last night to him or try and beat his face in like I know you're planning brat."
Yuffie puffed her cheeks out as she huffed past Cid, "No fun Old Man," she didn't hear the string of profanity that left the salty old man as she headed down the hall towards Leon's room with Tifa and a giggling Aerith in tow.
Aerith took one last look over her shoulder towards Cloud as she saw he was still in the corner, "…You going to come, Cloud?"
"…Just give me some time…"Cloud gruffly grunted as he kept his gaze directed somewhere around his boots.
Leon started to stir as the sounds of the door opening to his room and the smell was wafting under his nose; mentally, he had begun to nudge at his Guardian Force, but all he got was a movement of tail and a slight head lift. The thought of food, yet again, even if it was lunch time, didn't seem appealing to the animal and Leon shared the same feeling, both just wanted to sleep the rest of the day off. Nice wish that was interrupted by a burst of a familiar hyperactive Ninja's voice breaking into his room and throwing herself on him. Thankfully the Afternoon Nurse was gone by now and the same for the Lunch personnel that had left his lunch for him; he wouldn't have wanted them to see the dysfunctional family he had to live with and been tied to after his arrival on this World. Tifa and Aerith had to be enjoying watching the wild Ninja attack him as he tried to catch some rest, but all Yuffie wanted to do was nuzzle her head into his chest and fight back the sob in her voice that he cold hear in her voice.
But thank Gaia or someone for Big Sisters.
"Yuffie, give Leon sometime to wake up before you start attacking him in his sleep," Aerith seemed to giggle as Tifa pried the Ninja off a slowly stirring awake Leon, "How you feeling, Leon?"
How stupid did that sound just now was the thought that ran through Leon's mind as Aerith seemed to blush out of embarrassment, "That was stupid of me."
Tifa chuckled to herself as she seemed to grow quiet, "…Cloud came home after you had been taken off last night and let's just say he's kind of distancing himself for now, he feels bad about being the reason why you're here…"
"…Is he here at all?" Leon's face drew into a look of heartbreak as his bangs fell against his face; hiding it from the others, "Or is he ashamed to see me?"
"No, he's not ashamed of you, Leon," Aerith threw her arms around him, "He's just being…Cloud, he just needs a little bit of time to process all of this…"
"Then he is ashamed of me," Leon seemed to growl under his breath which meant that talking to the man was null and void right now.
Cid's grumbling could be heard as he slammed his fist against the doorway, "Stop your brooding, brat, just be glad the damn Chocobo head came at all, just give the kid sometime…He doesn't show emotion a lot."
"Captain, I think its best that we leave Leon to his own for now…" Vincent looked over his shoulder as he saw someone that had to be from the Psych Department coming towards their general direction, "And I'm sure Leon would like to get some rest…"
Thank the Gods above for Vincent Valentine, ex-Turk and expert marksmen that had found a companion and long term, hopefully for the rest of his known days, lover and self proclaimed husband in the old Airship Captain. Vincent seemed to be the only one that could rope the old Captain in whenever the man felt he needed to insert his final words on a situation or whenever the man said the seemingly wrong thing at the worse possible kind of time. Why Vincent was in love with the Captain was beyond him. He had come to know Vincent after things seemed to be going fine with Restoration when word had come from Halloween Town that it seemed a friendly face had heard about the Group's move and was on his way to Hollow Bastion. No one was sure or what Mayor Jack Skellington meant, but when Cid was working on fixing up the Computer that had been rigged up in the Main House of the Committee Building. He was sent into a tailspin of swearing and cursing after cracking his head under the hardtop keyboard of the computer, not to mention he had come up swinging at the person that had dared to draw their fingers slowly down his back.
The one spot that he was most sensitive about and there was only person that knew that spot.
Vincent had spent the next week and a half locked up in the Captain's room getting "reacquainted" with his old flame which could've later been described as a long term vacation where all the men do was rediscover one another's bodies and working one another into pure ecstasy.
"Excuse me, but would this be," the blonde Doctor flipped opened the chart before looking out on the crowd around Leon, "Squall "Leon" Leonhart's room? Because I've already made enough mistakes this afternoon…"
If Leon wasn't already suffering from painful memories of those he had lost after the Morning Nurse that had resembled Rinoa had treated him that morning, then the Gods must really hate him to greet him with a woman that looked similar to his old Teacher back at Balamb Garden. She looked almost the spitting image of Quitis, aside from her demeanor; there was no one else that would have the same personality, attitude and quirks like here. Quitis had never been someone to mistake what room someone was in. Leon couldn't bring himself to answer to that question she had asked, but it was made worse as a Male Nurse walked by, grabbing her waist in which she slapped at him.
"I'm on duty right now, or have you forgotten, Aaron?" the woman glared at him in which the man seemed to give her a customary smirk and if he wasn't wearing a cowboy hat when he bowed out, Leon would've probably lost it, "I'm looking for Mr. Squall "Leon" Leonh---"
That's when he lost it, "You found the right room, miss…the man sitting there in the bed sobbing like a little child is Squall "Leon" Leonhart, but we all call him Leon…" Cid remarked as he ran a tired hand through his own locks as he watched Leon falling into utter turmoil.
Slowly but surely, Cloud was starting to become part of the landscaping of the Waiting Room with the still way he was leaned against the wall, eyes directed squarely at an interesting spot on his shoes. His shoes had been the first reason why Leon had even bothered to speak to him as it seemed or a reason to speak to him, but it hadn't been something friendly. Leon had become a fickle person over keeping the Committee House clean and picked up, especially when others came over to visit him and being the prude that he was; he didn't care for sharing a home with the others. And the others had respected the man's wishes, but Cloud, he had another approach towards the man. He liked to watch the man in a tizzy; he would tell himself that it let him glimpse at the side of Leon that just drew him to the man without the man consciously know he was flirting with a dangerous person. When Leon would get drawn into a tizzy and seem to flail about like a tizzy spun Chocobo, especially during times when it would rain; compared to most bird's that would just stop and stare at it and drown in it. The Chocobo would end up running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
Leon was just that, but he looked like someone was ordering him around to do other things while trying to juggle tens of thousands of other things. The man was just laughable like that and it took everything Cloud had time and time again to not laugh at the man out loud, but there was one time in particular that Cloud had pushed the man too far with the shoe issue. Leon had been quiet about trying to keep away from telling the man that he had told thousands of times again and again about not wearing his shoes into his home and if he refused to do that much, at least keep his feet off his furniture.
Cloud took it as a challenge.
Leon took it as a reason to throw the man out on his ass and get it through to him that he wanted just things to be respected, that's all.
The last time he had worn his shoes into the house; Leon had come after him, wielding Leonhart with threats of castration and changing the locks on his door to putting a scan system on it that would prevent his entrance. Cloud had managed one way or another to break Leon down till the point that it had become a common place when Cloud came over that Leon wouldn't rail on him about wearing his shoes in his house or on his furniture.
First, and probably last time he would let the man wear the damned things to bed.
A soft chuckle of remembrance crept up in Cloud's throat as he fought back a choking sob, "…He kicked me out of the house for a week and a half because of that…and I got back in after three days…"
The chuckle turned into a hysterical laughter that broke down into choking sobs as the man slid down along the wall as he covered his face with his gloved his hands; his entire body shaking and racked with emotions that he hadn't experienced in what seemed years. Leon had unconditionally loved the damned man and what did he do? He spits in his face in a sense of a silver lining through a note that told the man to not wait up for him on his venture back from his latest Mission.
Stupid move.
Stupid man.
Stupid everything.
"…I'm sorry, Leon…I'm so sorry…"
Leon woke up shortly after the others had left the room, he had all but forgotten what had happened before his groggy wake up from a medication induced sleep; he had lost it with the simple show of cockiness from a Male Nurse to his Psychotherapist. The man had lost it to the point that he had started screaming, wailing, thrashing, and nearly destroyed the room and damned near ripped his I.V. out to the point that his family and friends had to be escorted out of the room. At first he was thrashing then the next thing he knew; he had someone holding him down while a silver tipped syringe was lodged into his bicep which slowly sedated him. His eyes had grown heavier and heavier with each passing drip of the sedative. Gargled as it may have been, Leon had been able to make out some of the words that were said as his "family" was let out and all he could see was a fuzzy image of his hand. He had been reaching out for someone as they were escorted out; Cid and Vincent were told the extent of what was going to happen and the last image Leon had before the sedative took him under was the image of Yuffie. Yuffie was in tears and had clung to Tifa's side as Aerith simply ran his hands through Yuffie's hair, attempting to quiet the young woman, but yet again, like at home. She had simply passed out from lack of energy left to cry her tears anymore for the man; she was lifted into Tifa's arms as Aerith placed an arm around Cid's while Vincent took his other arm.
Leon had completely drifted off by that point and by the time he had awoken; he had found that his wrists had been bound to the sides with sheepskin like restraints and the same could be said for his ankles. A chuckle of nervousness, kind of a defense mechanism of sorts, came from Leon's heavy lips as he looked over to find the Therapist still standing nearby. At the ready for another round of "Sedate the Unruly Patient".
"Glad to see your return to the world of the semi-sane, Mr. Leonhart," her pen clicked as she sat down at his bedside, "…I'm Dr. Taylor, the Psychotherapist for this Hospital and from what I've heard from your odd little family is that you have some deep rooted issues from your past…"
"From what I heard from your "Father"; it seems that you had it pretty rough before you came here, something about that you used to be a pretty big time warrior of sorts in your own World and like the others, you lost your World to the Darkness and Heartless…"
Leon could only sit and listen to her speculate as he simply nodded to her words.
So far, so good, "I'm not here to judge, I'm only here to find out what happened to you last night and possibly discover why you did what you did to yourself…I'll understand if you have your reasons, but, I only want to help, as do the other Doctors you may be speaking with shortly."
"…There was just nothing to left for. The only person I thought cared a damn about me decided to sugar coat it with a heavy layer of silver lining in a letter he left on my bedside to break up with me instead of facing me and telling me he wanted out, end of story," Leon bitterly spit out as he watched the Therapist scribbling some notes on her tablet, "Listen, can you just sign me off as just some angsting teenager that just decided that maybe experimenting with death would be fun and send me on my way with some happy pills and just some planned up Therapy sessions that I'll probably end up not going to and just become another statistic of teenage suicide?"
This was serious, "Mr. Leonhart," she began as she moved her glasses down her face as she began to speak seriously to Leon, "If I did that for every angsting suicide teenager that passed through these doors, I would've been out of a job after the first case of repeat offender. And I rather enjoy having a paycheck to cash and still be to eat everyday so I can die happily of either old age or in the arms of a man that comes my way to marry me and make me blissfully happy."
Leon could tell she wasn't going to let up, "I'm sorry, but just from what you said, I'm going to have to follow through with my orders to have you admitted to the Rehabilitation Center for further evaluation and watching."
"Wait," there was an air of panic in Leon's voice; he knew all too well what that place was, they were going to lock him away because they thought he was a harm to himself and possibly others and would possibly harm himself again, "…If I promise to not do it again and clean up my act, go to some counseling sessions and discuss and work it out with him, will you revoke those orders?"
"…I'm sorry, Mr. Leonhart, but as I said…If I let that happen with every case that came through here, I wouldn't be a Doctor still," her footsteps could be heard heading towards the room's door, "Your "Father" has already signed the papers and there is one stipulation to placing you in the Rehabilitation Center; if there is no significant change seen within the first week that you are within its walls, further time may be tacked on to your stay."
Betrayed.
Hurt.
Lost.
Unloved.
All of these feelings were coursing at a million miles per hour throughout his mind as he ground his teeth bitterly together and his fists clenched till his fingernails had almost gouged into the palm of his hands; tears slowly streaming. It was the same cycle. Betrayal by the ones he thought cared about him only to have it turn on him to where he ended up in a place worse then where he was, alone and frightened of someone else would further the punishment and pain. Hurt that no one was willing to hear him out and let him try and fix himself as he had time and time again had done without their interference, but even without their assistance and interference; he had ended up hurt. Lost was a feeling that he knew all the time. Lost in his thoughts, lost in the World, lost in a World that wasn't even his and no one he had known was here which made the feeling of being lost even worst. Unloved, a feeling he had known until Rinoa and then he had felt it again once she had left him to help assure the possible stop of the end of their World.
It was just happening all over again.
But in a different World and time and by different people's hands.
The Therapist's words of discussing the course of treatment seemed far off and distance to him; everything felt that way. A side effect of her sedative she had injected him with moments before he had come out of it and had to hear the verdict she was handing down now? No, it couldn't be a side effect, but then yet, it could've been, but why did it have to hurt so much?
"Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find a man by the name of Squall "Leon" Leonhart?" Cloud asked the lady at the Nurse's Station, "I'm hoping I can see him."
"I'm sorry sir, but only immediate family and unless you've got proof of relation to the patient, I can't permit you to see the patient," the Nurse simply turned from him as she went back to what she had been doing before Cloud had walked up.
He was losing his chance to see the man he had wronged, "Please, I just need to see him for five minutes…"
"Sir, I told you already…"
"I know you did, but please…this could be a matter of life and death!" Cloud slammed his hand on the counter.
"Sir, please calm down before I call Security," the fire in Cloud's eyes was not going to deter her from staring him down.
"I don't care if you call them! I just need to see my boyfriend before you assholes lock him up away from me!"
Aerith heard the sounds of an argument going on at the Nurse's Station as she wandered away from the dysfunctional family, "…Cloud."
"Aerith, please tell this kind woman that I just want to see Leon!" Cloud was shaking at this point as he saw Aerith walking up, "I just want to see him once before you guys send him away!"
"Sweetie, where do you come up with that idea?" Aerith could read the fright in Cloud's eyes, "Leon is just going to another Hospital for help…they can't cure him here, they need to take him to somewhere that can heal him to the Leon we all know and love…"
"BUT I WANT TO SEE HIM BEFORE THEY DO THAT! I NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR DOING THIS TO HIM! I WANT HIM TO KNOW I STILL LOVE HIM IF HE DIES IN THAT PLACE!" Cloud's roaring screams filled the hall and was drawing attention to the others in the other rooms as they poked their heads out to see what was the cause of the commotion, "Please Aerith, please, please, make her let me see him…I can't leave here till I see hi---"
Security was on either side of a wheelchair that was moving, slowly down behind them; it was as if Leon was in mere slow motion with the Therapist at the side of it all. Leon was less of the man he was that the others knew as he was being wheeled out to the waiting car outside to drive him to the Rehabilitation Center; Tifa held onto an unconscious Yuffie while Vincent consoled his Mate. Not a single eye among the dysfunctional and disgruntled family was dry as they watched the broken man with the tear stained face that was Leon leaving them. Cloud all but howled out as he ran to catch the men, but Security had been put in place around Leon should something like this happen as the man was tackled to the floor. Mournfully, Griever, within Leon's mere soul was roaring, whining and crying for Leon to speak up and say something to Cloud; just watching another Guardian Force crying and nearly running over others to get him was tearing apart. Leon ignored all of his Guardian's pleas and cries of distress; if that was how it was going to be, Griever was going to go into submission and become a recluse; if Leon wanted him…He could deal without him. Fenrir was howling mournfully as it started to dig and paw at the walls of Cloud's very heart and soul, but when it saw that his Host was no longer fighting due to being injected into submission; it too recoil into seclusion and became a recluse.
"…Le…o…n…" the final words drifted from Cloud's lips as the sedative took hold and the lights of the stage of this tale of woe and drama blared in its brightest as the doors to Leon's exit for this act flowed in and then closed off of the stage as the lights closed off in Cloud's mind.
