Author's Note:
So I got motivated this week and had some extra time so I decided to write another chapter. I know I haven't been focusing overly much on Yuffie and Leon but I wanted to try and set up some plot threads with the other characters for later. This chapter will be a return to the mostly Squiffie stuff. I'm going to be busy for the rest of the week and won't be able to get back to this until probably next Wednesday, with a slight chance that some work may be done Friday, so expect chapter 10 around that time.
Clarification:
The original author left the boy's (Sora, Roxas, Riku) ages pretty unclear, so I'm going to go ahead and clarify that they and Kairi are all 16 with Riku being 17. Those ages work well for my purposes and help set up a plot thread later on with some other characters.
With Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith all equipped for the journey the three companions set off on the road to Kisoz Cliffs. The journey from Viele Bahnen was becoming more familiar to Yuffie by the week, she was sure she'd seen that tree and those rock formations before! There venture had a decidedly upbeat tune to it despite Leon's dour personality making every attempt to put a damper on Yuffie and Aerith's excitement. For all his mysterious stoicism, Yuffie couldn't help but feel the urge to throttle him sometimes; talking to Leon was like trying to talk to a marble statue for all the grunts and nods you got in return.
The mostly silent mercenary seemed his most talkative at night when they were making camp. Aerith took care of the cooking, of course, while Leon handled the firewood and general tent setup. The whole affair left Yuffie with little to do other than tend the fire that Leon had started. The whole camping thing was turning out to be quite a new experience. For Yuffie, the road usually meant a constant, steady run until she reached her destination. However, with Aerith in tow, the pace of their trip had taken a severe hit. Despite the woman's fervent desire to see her dearly beloved again, her body wasn't cut out for rapid travel the way Yuffie and Leon's were. She needed the rest stops and Yuffie, for one, was happy to have them.
After a quick and scrumptious meal courtesy of Aerith, Yuffie laid herself back into the soft grass of the forest floor. Her eyes drifted up towards and the sky and through the bowing branches overhead she could make out the winking lights of many distant stars. Sometimes Yuffie wondered what it would be like to travel to one of the distant lights. For all her running from city to city, she liked to daydream about what kind of miraculous sights could await her if she managed to travel to those distant worlds. Yuffie was drawn away from her musings by the gentle sound of rustling tent flaps. Turning her head she could barely catch a glimpse of Aerith as she retired to her tent.
In the still of the night air, that left only Leon and herself. From her place on her back Yuffie watched him silently, waves of dying orange fire light dancing across his features in uneven but rhythmic motions. "Something wrong?" He hadn't bothered to look at her as he spoke, somehow, someway he'd known she'd been watching him. Pushing up into a seated position Yuffie shook her head quickly, voice filled with just a tinge of nervousness. "No, it's just. . ." Yuffie didn't bother finishing her sentence, she realized how futile the effort would be. Instead she did her best to act annoyed, crossing her arms against her chest in a huff. "Why do you always act like that? Wouldn't it kill you to have a bit of personality?"
Despite her best efforts at visualizing her displeasure, Leon seemed oblivious to the body language. That or he was actively ignoring it. "Smiles don't suit me." He said finally. By now Leon had taken up a nearby stick, prodding at the fire absently to keep the coals burning hot. He didn't seem likely to add anything further, so Yuffie decided to push a little. She decided to take a shot in the dark. "That must be why you changed your name, right Squall? Too many happy memories?" Yuffie rose to her feet, lightly dusting the bottoms of her pants. "You're right, smiles don't suit mercenaries."
And then it happened. Leon turned, a dangerous look in his eyes. Those chocolate hues burned with a raging intensity unlike Yuffie had seen before. She'd heard it said that the eyes were the window to the soul and at this moment Yuffie knew it was true. 'Now we're getting somewhere,' she thought smugly.
The remainder of the group's trip to Kisoz Cliffs continued in much the same manner as it had been, though with some changes. For her part Yuffie had taken this chance to up that amount of questions she aimed Leon's way and for Leon's part he did his best to ignore or deflect them. Aerith was caught in the middle and delighted a bit in joining their combined teasing of Leon.
It was the mid-afternoon of the fourth day when they finally arrived at the Kisoz settlement. In the streets the familiar bustle of busy villagers seemed common place to Yuffie and Leon, but for Aerith it was as if another world had opened up before her. For the flower peddler everything from the styles of dress to the accents were new to her and Aerith had to remind herself to stay focused on the task at hand. She'd only been outside of Viele Bahnen a few times in her life and this was possibly the biggest single settlement she'd seen in her life.
"C'mon, I'll show you the way to Kairi's house!" Yuffie beamed, happy at the long awaited possibility of her two friends finally meeting.
The three moved through the streets in a hustled blur, reaching Kairi's house in a matter of minutes. Yuffie delivered a few well-aimed wraps on the door with her fist and not long after a young teenager with rose-tinted hair answered the door. She smiled when she recognized Yuffie's face and quickly hurried them all in to the small house.
"You must have ran the whole way from Viele Bahnen, I wasn't expecting you for another week!" Kairi did her best to contain her excitement, but it was very noticeable bubbling over. "I know you're anxious to see Cloud. He's been resting up in the guest room, it's the one at the end of the hall." Kairi motioned easily towards the aforementioned room, before turning to take a seat on a nearby chair. She was certainly ready to hear about her friend's latest adventure, but understood that despite her excitement the tales could wait until after her friend's reunion.
Yuffie and Aerith moved quickly to the guest room, Aerith going first to open the door a crack. Leon hung back a ways, not necessarily interested in involving himself too deeply with the emotional spectacle.
As the two woman made their way into the darkened room, a figure lay on a bed by the far while, eyes gazing blankly up towards the ceiling as a few tiny rays of light spilled through the blinds of an adjacent window. Their presence didn't seem to illicit much a response from the figure, but they could tell from his open eyes that he was awake.
"Cloud?" Aerith's voice came out hesitantly, but with a firmness that belied her underlying conviction. It was her voice that broke the figure from his trance, glossed blue eyes regaining a bit of their focus as he turned to face them. The movement was evidently an effort, as it brought on a wince of pain for his troubles. This was all Aerith needed to see and without any further pleasantries she rushed to his side, dropping to her knees beside the bed.
Yuffie remained where she was by the door, marveling grimly at the state of Cloud's being. The blankets were only pulled up about half way, but from the many bandages that covered his body she was sure he'd been involved in a fierce battle. Cloud and Aerith exchanged silent words from the bedside, Aerith smiling through barely held-back tears as Cloud gave her his usual reassuring grin. It was a touching moment and Yuffie had no intention of ruining it by charging in. She was just as anxious to hear about Cloud's condition, but her concern for her friends demanded she give them a little privacy. Closing the door quietly, Yuffie retreated back into the hallway without so much as a word.
When Yuffie returned to the kitchen table where Kairi and Leon were seated, Leon was the first to speak. He didn't bother with the pleasantries and spoke his query bluntly. "How bad is it?" Although Kairi was the one who'd patched the mercenary up, in Leon's assessment Yuffie seemed the better qualified individual to rate battlefield readiness. "Not good. Whoever it was put him down for the count." Her words had a small but distinct effect on the other swordsman and when Leon looked away she could almost make out concern in his eyes. But the emotion was quashed just as quickly as it had sprouted; Squall worried about his friends, Leon did what it took to get the job done.
Deep down Leon suffocated the momentary trace of concern for Cloud's wellbeing and when he looked back at Yuffie he was all business again. Still, the sight had not escaped her eyes and he could see in Yuffie's shocked eyes just how much she had learned from his moment of weakness.
"If that's true, then it isn't safe to stay here. We don't know who did this and they may have targeted Cloud because of his connection to you." Leon's words hurt deep down in Yuffie's heart. The thought that one of her friends may have gotten hurt because of her organization work stung to the core. It was now that Kairi choose to speak up. A silent observed until this point in the conversation, the younger teenager drew their attention with her question. "So you're saying that Yuffie's in danger?" A barely hidden tone of worry laced her voice. "Is it something to do with your work?" Pleading eyes turned to Yuffie and she was just about to make a response when Leon cut her off and probably smartly so. "It's best if you don't know about it. Involving more people would just put you at risk too."
Kairi looked as though she were about to make another protestation, but Yuffie spoke first. "I know you're worried Kairi, but you can trust me. I've got it handled." Yuffie finished this with a confident wink. Kairi seemed unconvinced, but let the issue drop. It didn't seem like arguing further was going to do any good.
The rest of the day seemed to go by in something of a daze. Aerith had remained with Cloud in the room for the better part of the afternoon and so Yuffie had contented herself with making small talk with Kairi. The two sat on the teenager's back porch, watching the ruckus coming from the square off the adjoining street.
It had been only an hour or two after Yuffie arrived that the boys: Sora, Roxas, and Riku, arrived that the house to inquire after her. Their questions had lasted long after setting sights on Leon and Riku was the first of the three to challenge him to a friendly sparing match.
From their seats on the porch the two girls watched the commotion. It had taken little more than a minute for Leon to get the upper hand on Riku and judging by the mercenaries' lazy sword swings he wasn't giving it even close to his full effort. So then Sora and Roxas had decided to join in, turning the friendly match into an all ou brawl.
In the center of square Leon moved easily from left to right, precise footwork maneuvering him in between the arcs of the boys three wooden swords. At times when movement wasn't enough a quick turn of his wrist brought his own wood weapon forward, easily deflecting blows and thrusts by the teens. Every now and again he decided to retaliate, landing a soft smack on the arm or leg. Of the three Riku seemed to be faring the best, with Sora close behind. About half-way through the fight Roxas seemed to give up, deciding the tussle wasn't worth his full effort.
The commotion carried on into the early evening, but which time all three boys were fully exhausted. Leon had come out of the exchange no worse for the wear, although sporting one or two tiny bruises from errant lucky hits.
During the scuffle Kairi had spent time explaining how some miner's had discovered Cloud on the lower mountainside and how she'd agreed to take him in. Yuffie was only half-listening, with her mind more focused on the quandary of the Organization plots she'd somehow gotten herself caught up in. It was only when Kairi was finished preparing dinner that the three friends finally saw Aerith leaving the guest room.
She seemed to be wearing her normal cheery expression again, undoubtedly relieved after seeing Cloud doing well in his recovery. The friends exchanged a few words and Kairi passed two helpings of the soup she'd prepared to Aerith, who thanked her and departed once again for the guest room. Kairi, Yuffie, and Leon at together at the kitchen table, passing comments every now and again now that the mood had lightened up. After dinner Kairi cleaned the dishes and advised her two guests of the sleeping arrangements. "It looks like Cloud and Aerith have taken the guest room, so that just leaves the couch. I'm sorry but you're going to have to share somehow." Yuffie was about to protest but thought better of it. Yuffie couldn't count the number of times she'd crashed in Kairi's guest room, passing one night on the couch wouldn't kill her. "I'll see you both in the morning," was all the teenager said as she vanished into her own room, shutting the door.
So that left Yuffie and Leon sitting on opposite ends of the couch staring at one another. Yuffie was the first to speak, "You know a gentlemen would let the lady take the couch and sleep on the floor." Leon responded in his usual, pragmatic tone. "A gentlemen who needs his rest to protect you, hence the couch." The arguing continued for a while but neither side was willing to budge. Eventually they decided on sharing the couch, which each having their own end. Unfortunately the blanket Kairi had given them wasn't large enough to fit two people and eventually the necessity for warmth won out.
When Yuffie awoke the next morning she could feel something moving underneath her. It was a gentle rhythmic rise and fall. Opening her eyes, she was shock, but silently so; to find that in the night she and Leon had become entangled with one another in a mass of limbs. It took some doing to extricate herself, but she managed to do so silently and, more importantly, without waking the sleeping mercenary beneath her.
Rising into a seated position, her bottom rested on Leon's chest as she wrapped the blanket around her, stealing its warmth for herself. In the morning light she could finally see his expression had changed. In sleep, all the tightness of his normally grim features had drained away, leaving only the restful relaxation of unconsciousness. 'So there is a man under there after all, not just a stone wall'. Unable to help herself, Yuffie reached out. A single finger traced the edge of Leon's jawline, its tip finally coming to rest gently against his lips. The movement must have awoken some part of him, because at that moment his brows furrowed again as if in worry. Then it came, one word, a name.
"Rinoa."
He breathed it out in such a whisper that it was barely audible, but for Yuffie it was if she'd been struck by a lightening bolt. Instantly her hand recoiled and the gravity of the situation sank in. She wasn't a kid anymore and she shouldn't be playing games like this, especially with a man like Leon. Especially if he had someone else. Pulling her hands to her chest Yuffie let out a silent sigh, hurting in ways she hadn't realized she could before. Had she really become so attached? No, it was just a flight of fancy was all, a crush, that had to be it.
Yuffie drew herself off of her erstwhile companion and towards one of the nearby sitting chairs, selfishly keeping the blanket she'd stolen. Right now she didn't feel like Leon deserved to have it back. It was childish, she knew, but she deserved a bit of revenge after what had just happened.
About ten minutes later Kairi woke up, rising with the sun and ready to start breakfast preparation. She was a little stunned to find Yuffie already up, after all, she did usually sleep in. Still, the company was nice while she took to the task of preparing food and the two chatted a bit until the other woke up.
