Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

A/N: Leon hasn't shown up much in the story for a while… now it's his turn for the spotlight! I've missed him, so I'm glad he's back. There's a little boy who appears in this chapter, can anyone guess who he is? I'm sure his friend will give the answer away.

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Ch. 04
For Breaking Your Heart

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I opened the front door of my house to leave, but just when the door swung open even just a little it abruptly stopped with a thump. Astonished, I peeked through and saw Leon standing on the front porch. He was rubbing his forehead. From the looks of it, he had probably been standing there for a while waiting. I laughed.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" I hadn't seen him for what seemed to be ages. I really did miss him.

He regained his posture. "I was just wondering if you had the time to go for a walk with me."

"Of course." He seemed in much better spirits than from the last couple of days. It seemed he was avoiding me, and I was afraid he was upset about something. I once had even asked him about it but he avoided my question and stumbled in his words. Right now, there was an air of calm and I walked beside him without worry.

"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" I asked.

"Yes, but…" he looked at the ground. I instantly knew that he wanted to talk about something that shouldn't be pursued. I still tried to get him to talk.

"But what?"

"I don't think I should be talking about it though."

"Maybe you're right." I had a feeling it would be something I didn't want to talk about either. But if we didn't talk about it, it'd leave us with regrets. "How long have you been wanting to talk to me?"

"For a while."

"I see." We reached the marketplace. Because it was a little after twelve, there were a lot of people out talking and laughing or finishing up errands. Leon looked so gloomy. I could almost see a gray cloud hanging atop him. The thought made me laugh, and he looked at me with curious eyes. I've always liked the way his eyes would light up.

"For now, let's just enjoy ourselves." I suggested. "We haven't had a chance like this for a while after all."

He looked at me, blinking. Apparently he was a bit out of it or just wasn't prepared to have a good time today. I motioned for him to follow. He looked unsure but followed me as I walked over to the new stalls that were recently built. They were selling candy and children's toys. Many children crowded around them, all begging their parents to buy them something. I noticed a little boy standing by himself away from the crowd. He looked like he wanted to take a look at the wondrous toys and candy, but he couldn't possibly squeeze through the group of people. I walked over to the boy and leaned down so I was face to face with him.

"Are you alone?" I asked.

His chestnut colored hair obscured his eyes, but when he looked up at me I was surprised by how blue his eyes were. They stood out in deep contrast to his pale skin. He looked back down, his hands nervously clenched into fists, and nodded.

"Why don't I get you something?"

He stared at me. I can sense Leon who was standing a ways behind me. He didn't like big crowds either. I took the little boy's hand and with him in front, I easily found my way to the front of the booth. The woman running the booth instantly recognized me and gave me a warm welcome. After exchanging greetings, I bought five sugar sticks and led the boy away from the crowd. Leon was still patiently waiting nearby, his arms uncrossed and relaxed.

I bent down and handed the boy four of the sugar sticks. His eyes were so big and cute that I quietly giggled. In a quiet voice he said, "Um, thank you, Miss."

"You're welcome."

He noticed that I was still holding onto one of the extra sugar sticks and asked curiously, "Who's that for?"

I smiled and looked over to Leon. "This one's for him." Leon raised an eyebrow. He couldn't hear what we were talking about, but he knew that we were whispering about him.

The little boy laughed. He was so sweet when he was out of his little shell.

"Are you done?" Leon asked, approaching us.

"Yes, we're done here." I replied.

"Thank you again, Miss. I'll never forget this." Said the boy with a bow. He smiled once more before turning to leave. In that small boy's body was surely a strong young man. It reminded me of when Leon was that boy's age.

"Who was that?" Leon asked, looking at the boy.

"I don't know. I didn't get the chance to ask his name." I regretted that the thought didn't cross my mind, but I'm sure we'll meet again. I looked back at the boy, and he was now with a friend. She was a cute little girl with brown hair tied into a braid. The boy handed her two of the sugar sticks. With smiles on their faces, they walked away together.

Leon and I took a seat at the staircases. When I took a look at Leon, his eyes looked so far away. To get his attention, I stuck the sugar stick in his face.

"What…?" he stared at it, cross-eyed.

I gave it to him. The sugar stick looked too small for his hands that I giggled. He bit off a little of the end and chewed.

"Is it good?" I asked.

He made a sour face. "It's too sweet."

"Is it?" I giggled.

He looked at the sugar stick then back to me. There was a glint in his eyes. Utterly unexpected, he moved the sugar stick close to my mouth. "Want to try some?"

I felt myself blushing. "W-what?"

He smiled, which was the first time that day. He was still holding out the sugar stick, but wasn't inclining that I take it. I leaned closer to him until the sugar stick was a couple centimeters from my mouth. Its sweet scent reached my nose as I took a bite. It was very sweet, but I could barley notice as I looked into Leon's eyes. It was like a moment of sweet bliss.

"How was it?" Leon asked.

"I-it's too sweet." I managed to say.

"Should we just get rid of it?"

"But I paid for it."

"Then we'll both just have to finish it, won't we?" He smiled as he took another bite out of the sugar stick. I was really happy to be with him now. But then a pit of emptiness formed at the bottom of my gut, reminding me that Leon still had something he wanted to talk to me about. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to remind him. Or did he change his mind about wanting to talk to me about it and decided to wait another day? I wasn't too sure if we'd ever have time for it again. Leon read my mind well. "Are you worried?" he asked. I nodded.

"Not just worried, but afraid." I hugged my legs. "Will I have the strength to hear you out?"

"If anyone has the strength, it's you."

I just realized that the marketplace was quieter than before. Although the sun was still burning brightly in the sky and everyone was still around, most of the children had gone off to play in a different area while the women had time to themselves to whisper about the latest gossip and the men laughing loudly.

"Tifa." Leon called me back. "Will you listen to me?"

I reluctantly nodded. The happiness I felt before had drifted away, and all that was left were the doubts that I thought had disappeared. Leon took a deep breath, the sugar stick he was holding was almost done but he didn't finish it. He began, "It's been hard for me to cope with everything since Cloud came back, especially with my feelings. To be completely honest with you, I lost hope."

The marketplace was now quiet since everyone was out for lunch. But even if they were all still here, the noise wouldn't make a difference because all I could hear was Leon's voice and the sound of my beating heart.

"That time when I walked away from you… it was because I saw you with him. I don't know what came over me. I just wanted to get away as far as I could. I guess I was a coward because I was afraid. Actually, it's something I've always been afraid of for the last three months." He stared at the sugar stick in his hands. "I was afraid… that Cloud would come back and that… you'd go back to him."

I turned away. It was no secret about how I felt about Cloud, but just the fact that Leon was fully aware of how I felt for him made everything more awkward.

"During the past few days, I always caught you two together. And I realized that's how you two would look like… without me."

My head shot up. I stared at him, hurt and upset. "How can… you say that…?"

"I was probably just there to be the bridge between you two. I was hoping for too much." He stood, and reflexively I did the same. "Cloud really seems to love you, I know he'll be good for you."

"But…!" I felt myself urging to grab his arm, but I didn't. "Leon, why?"

"Because it's best for you." his toneless voice terrified me. He didn't sound like himself. "Stay with Cloud. I can't give you what he can." He began walking away. I stared at his back, unable to move.

"Leon, stop!" I unconsciously screamed.

And he stopped, but only to say, "Don't give up this chance to be with him."

And before he disappeared completely, I saw him throw away the last of the sugar stick into the garbage can.