Chapter 4
Leon and Valentine

Psycho!Dem: I wrote this chapter while on my camping trip. Seriously. In four days, I got this chapter and part of chapter five written. I accomplished a lot, and you should know by now that I don't own them. I also realized something funny. This long fic officially has more hits than my craptastic story 'Dexion or Zemyx?' That's funny to me.

Myde: That's what scares most people.

Psycho!Dem: Shut up! Or I'll sick Argentine on you.

Myde: Argentine?

Psycho!Dem: From the DN Angel Manga of course. (Needs to read volumes 12 & 13)

Myde: Okay, it's official. You're a nutcase.

Psycho!Dem: Do you want me to make that fic I was planning on writing?

Myde: Gods, please no. Just go on to the fic already.

Psycho!Dem: If you want to know what it's about, review or PM me in my profile. I'm grasping at straws here. Oh, and thanks to Yunie Tatlin and Knight of Dreams for reviewing chapter three. My internet access will be dubious at best for the next couple weeks, so don't expect chapters for a while.

When Myde first opened his eyes, every thing was bleary and unfocused. After blinking a few times, he noticed his skull felt like people were using jackhammers and trying to split his skull open. Then he felt his usual pressure on his shoulder blades. And then he noticed he wasn't alone. He could see someone-male-sitting in a chair, out of the corner of his eye. The man was staring at him.

"You're awake. Good," the man said; Myde figured the man to be younger than himself. "Are you able to talk?"

Myde blinked, then shifted to see the man a little better. He honestly didn't know if he could talk at all. It had been quite some time. "I…I think so."

"Then you'll be able to answer any questions I might have?" Myde nodded a hair. "What's your name?"

"Myde. Myde Valentine. How long was I out?"

"A week. Age and birth date?"

"A week? Figures. Last time I truly existed, I was twenty-four. On my home world, my birthday was March 12th . I'd have to say it's been a few years since I totally existed, so that means I'm twenty-seven or twenty-eight." Myde fell silent. While his headache was almost gone, the pressure in his shoulders was increasing.

"You're twenty eight?! You don't look it; I'd have said you were about the same age as Cloud." The man sounded surprised. Myde shrugged lightly.

Myde shifted so he could see his interrogator better. The man had shoulder length brown hair, stormy gray eyes and a scar that extended from above his left eyebrow to under his right eye, right across the bridge of his nose. He was also wearing leather. Lots of leather.

"I don't know your name," Myde said softly, while peering at the man intently.

"Call me Leon," he replied just as softly.

"Leon. Doesn't it mean lion?" He leaned back into the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"It does." Neither man said anymore, but they enjoyed the companionable silence.

Not long after, Myde asked Leon, "What happened to your arm?"

"There was an attack on the town by a group of wyverns. One of them tore my arm up and destroyed my gunblade. They said if I hadn't put my blade up in time, I would have either died of blood loss or shock," Leon explained. He held up his arm to show Myde how much damage had been caused.

Myde whistled. The bandages covered from Leon's wrist to his shoulder, and there were little patches of crimson over the whole thing. Myde had seen some nasty wounds in his Turk days, but this was bad. They were probably making him stay at the hospital until he regained most of his blood. Myde sat up and winced; he guessed that there was some bruising on his rib cage.

"Did you say your gunblade was destroyed?" Myde asked suddenly.

"Yes."

"Would you like a new one?"

"What are you asking?" Leon was suspicious. He had found out from Cloud that Myde was a Turk. He didn't say anything about anything else.

"I could make you a new gunblade. I'd just need supplies." Myde looked at Leon.

That was when Leon took a good look at Myde. His bangs partially covered one eye; he had a light dusting of freckles (really, really light) across the bridge of his nose. That's when Leon saw just how pale Myde's skin was and the black cloak he was wearing didn't help any, because Myde's skin was almost translucent. Myde had ebony hair that spiked at the ends and some parts rested on his shoulders. And Myde's eyes were different. Pale in color, they held violet, gold and green hues, but gray was the overall shade.

The door opened, startling both of them.

"Leon, Yuffie wanted to know what houses needed roofed. She's doing it because you can't." The person strode through the door. It was a woman with curly brown hair and wearing a pink dress.

"The houses on West Street, specifically Cloud and Riku's," Leon answered. "Myde was going to explain to me how he could make a new gunblade for me."

"Myde? Oh, you mean him. I'm Aerith Gainesboro. How are you feeling?" she asked Myde.

"I have a slight headache, bruised ribs, and my shoulder blades are sore, but I know why both are occurring, so you don't have to worry," Myde replied easily. It wasn't the whole truth, but enough so that he wouldn't have anyone worrying about him.

"Well I'll leave you two alone so you can continue your conversation. Leon, I'll be back later to change your bandages; Myde, try to gets some sleep. I'll see the two of you later." She left, leaving the two men alone.

"So, explain to me how you're going to make a new gunblade."

"I came from a family of gun makers. I've been making and designing guns since I was a kid. I do believe that I'm able to make a gunblade." Myde shrugged then stretched. He noticed he was still in Demyx's Organization XIII cloak. "Uh…Do you think you could help me?"

He slid off of the bed, silently pleading. The cloak was too small for him.

Wordlessly, Leon stood up and grabbed Myde's wrist, holding the cloak's sleeve; Myde slid his arm out and gave an involuntary gasp and stilled when Leon accidentally brushed his hand along Myde's shoulder blade.

"You okay?" Leon must have heard Myde's gasp.

"Yeah. That area's just sensitive that's all. I'm fine." Myde tried to pass off the gasp as sensitive shoulders, and Leon made a noncommittal noise. But both of them knew that wasn't true. There had to be more to that gasp than overactive nerve endings.

'Well, well, well. It looks like he'd make some noise, doesn't it Leon?' asked a little voice that sounded suspiciously like Cloud.

'Shut up, now. I'm not in the mood to deal with you.' Leon growled.

'Fine. I know when I'm unwanted. Just so you know, it's cold, dark and lonely back here. I need some company.'

'Leave. I'll deal with your needs later.'

The two managed to get the cloak off Myde without any more problems; Leon saw what Myde looked like under the thick leather cloak. Taller and more lithe than most people, Myde had a graceful build. He looked more like a musician than an assassin.

"Cloud told us about who he had thought you were. It turns out he was right. He said you were a Turk," Leon said, suddenly looking away.

"That's the third time you've mentioned him. Who is Cloud?" Myde asked. He knew he had seen Aerith before, but he saw her die. No one could survive a sword to the heart. He knew no one here, wherever here was. Myde sat down on the bed and looked at Leon.

"Cloud Strife: Unbelievably spiky blond hair, glowing blue eyes, mercenary and has a thing for jailbait." Leon sat down on the bed next to Myde.

"Jailbait? Explain, now."

"The kid's not even seventeen. They've been at it like rabbit's since he was sixteen."

"Jailbait," Myde agreed. They talked about nothing for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

When Aerith came to change Leon's bandages that evening, she found them leaning against each other, asleep. She smiled, swiftly changed the bandages on Leon's arm, and, remembering that Myde had said that his shoulder blades were sore, looked and gasped.

What she saw was something no normal human should have.

Psycho!Dem: (auctioning off pics of Leon and Myde asleep) SOLD, to the spiky haired blond and emo-looking bluenette. That's 50 bucks, please and thank you. (Escapes)

(Myde and Leon load guns (Scylla and Griever respectively))

Myde: Authoress hunting?

Leon: Agreed.

(They leave)

Psycho!Dem: They gone? Good. Cliffhanger!! Muahahahahah. IF you can guess what was being hidden, you get an e-cake and a chapter dedicated to you if you can figure out who got the pictures. (It's really obvious)

Axel: (Randomly appears. He was at the auction.) You shouldn't do this to them.

Psycho!Dem: The opportunity presented itself, so how could I resist? Gotta go, and remember, reviews equal my undying gratitude, unless they're flames. Then, you die a horribly painful death. BYE!!

Leon: Where'd she go? Axel, do the preview.

Axel: Fine. Aerith finds out about Myde's secret, & he swears her to secrecy. Plus, Mansex gets it in his head to find out what happened to Demyx (recall chapter one) and sends out three members to find him. Happy?

Leon: Yes.

End of chapter, and goes to work on chapter five!

Edit: I recently realized that the Turk!Myde plot bunny was spawned by Jediempress. Reno said in one of her Words of Power fics that Demyx should have been a Turk. So blame her. Don't be mad.