A/N: Thanks to kage kitsune no yami and the guest who reviewed - people liking my story keeps me going! (:

This chapter just didn't wanna work with me. I did so much rewriting before I was finally satisfied with the content! Funny thing is, I knew exactly what I wanted to happen; it just took a while before I could put it down the way I wanted it to sound. But, anyway, here it is! I'm shifting the point of view for a bit; hope you'll like it!

Oh, another thing I just wanted to make a note of is the fact that I haven't yet played FFVIII, so if Seifer seems to differ from the depiction of him in the game, sorry 'bout that - I'm doing his character based entirely on his Kingdom Hearts appearances. Same goes for Leon.

/Yono.

Chapter 11: Fields of Honor

The mission was a success. AVALANCHE returned to their headquarters in Midgar in - for the first time since the awful night in the factory - a good mood. They had managed to cheat Shinra and his soldiers of supplies and stocked up their own basement at the same time. Biggs, Jesse, and Wedge would have been proud, and Biggs would without a doubt have brought out the alcohol within minutes.

However, even if there was finally a reason to rejoice, the rebels were not in the mood for a party. Instead, they got their goods down on the shelves where they belonged and gathered around for a quiet meal that Tifa prepared. Yuffie declared that she would leave early next morning to see what new information she could get for them and would not be back in at least a week, probably more. Then they all went to bed.

Riku woke up in the middle of the night and found it hard to fall asleep again. He lay in his bed for a while, thinking about the meeting with Leon. Had it been stupid, he wondered, to burst out their entire knowledge of the Darkness experiments to someone working for the government? On the other hand, Leon had seemed genuinely taken aback by his words. He obviously had not known. Would he report Riku's information to his superior, which could be dangerous for AVALANCHE because then Shinra would eventually learn how much they knew, or would he keep it to himself - and if he did, would he look into it or just let it go?

Riku sighed. He had not told any of the others about the encounter and he was not about to. They would find his outburst idiotic for sure.

He finally gave up on sleep and pulled on some clothes. Then he went downstairs and took the already so familiar way to the backyard. He remembered the last time he had been here. He had been grieving for Jesse, and for Biggs and Wedge. The time before that, Jesse had told him about how much she wished that she could see the stars. She had called the plate above for "the plate of misery". Now, looking up at it, Riku had to agree. That plate represented everything that was wrong with this country. The people of the slums could not see the stars because the rich people above wanted to live closer to them. And for what reason? None that he could think of. Being richer did not mean being closer to the stars, after all. People only fancied themselves better because they were living above others who had been less lucky in life.

Again, he missed Destiny Islands. The smell of the sea, the rustling of the wind in the palm trees, the clear blue sky ... He had long wanted to leave it behind to see the world. Now, he wondered why he had thought the world outside would be any better than home.

Sighing, he lied down on the sand and closed his eyes. Well, at least he had people around him that he could rely on, even have good times with. If he had to live like this, at least he did it in good company. He would protect them, even if they did not need protection much, because they had become friends. He still missed Sora and Kairi and the closeness of their friendship, but he would rather they did not get involved in this and stayed safe, out of harm's way, on the Islands. Then maybe one day he could return to them, when Shinra was down and the country finally at peace again.

Maybe one day he could return home.

o0o

The mess hall of the Kalm military base was noisy as always at this time of day. All around him, the tables were filled by men laughing, discussing, getting into arguments over one thing or another. Other men were standing in line at the serving desk, eager for the all-too-ordinary food that they got every day, three times a day. He was so used to this scenario that he automatically avoided the spilt sauce on the floor, moved through the masses with the usual grace of a trained soldier, and sat down next to his friends. One of them looked up at him as he did so, the short blond hair combed back neatly and the sober face still handsome even with a scar almost identical to Leon's on it.

"Hey there, lamer," he said. "You're late for dinner. Not that it's not understandable, what with the quality of the food they're serving here."

Leon smiled slightly at that comment. Seifer was a friend of his. They had served together as privates when they had first entered the military back at the Balamb Garden camp and stuck together for a long while after that. To be at the same base as him again made it feel almost as if it was the good old days.

"I just had to finish up a letter," he replied.

"To who?" Seifer inquired.

Leon did not reply, simply sent him another small smile, and Seifer let it go, knowing he would get nothing out of the man.

"You know, you've been sending an awful lot of letters lately," he remarked as he began cutting up the meat on his plate. "One might start to think you've got something going on."

Leon frowned at that. Hopefully, what Seifer was suggesting was only that others might believe he had a girl to whom he was writing. He knew there had been nothing in his behavior to give away anything about the actual reasons he was spending so much time on his own. Ever since Riku had told him a couple of weeks ago what the rebel group was really fighting to do he had been trying to find out whether or not the boy had spoken the truth or simply made up a lie that was convincing enough for Leon to let him go. However, the information he wanted was not easy to get to and he had to be extremely careful, because if it really was true it was for certain that Shinra would not want the information to be known.

He shrugged.

"Let "one" think what he will," he said. "Maybe I just have a lot of acquaintances I'd like to keep in touch with. I've served with a lot of different people in different places by now. You should know what that's like."

Seifer accepted that reply with a silent smile and did not ask any further questions. Leon quickly took this chance to change the subject to the work at hand, hoping Seifer's curiosity had been satisfied for now. The danger of researching Riku's words while serving with his old friend was that Seifer was brighter than most of the others around here and quick to catch on to something. However, Leon would not let that stop him. If Seifer found out what he was doing, well, he would have to deal with it. But till then, he would continue looking into this matter of the Shinra Department.

o0o

When he had first requested a day of leave, Leon had been fully aware that it might take some time before it was approved. Now that the day had finally come where he could go into the city in civilian clothes, he felt somewhat unprepared. Through carefully approaching people he thought might be able to help him get the information he wanted he had finally been able to arrange a meeting with a man who claimed that he could offer him what he needed against a fair price. Walking through the city of Kalm he wondered what he would do if the man turned out to be even less honorable than expected.

Kalm was a relatively quiet city, yet even here there were the good part of town and the bad part of town. Heading for the latter, Leon put his hands in his pockets and tried to look as much as possible like he belonged here, thanking years of military training for his ability to make his face inscrutable.

He pushed open the door to the inn and stepped inside. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was five minutes to one and thereby to the appointed meeting time. He had not been told what to look for because the informant had required a description of him instead - for safety reasons, the man had written - and so, Leon sat down at the table at the furthest corner of the place, ordered a mild drink, and waited. Five minutes later, an elderly man entered the inn and looked around searchingly. Leon almost expected him to come sit by his table, but the man seemed to find whoever he was looking for at another table where he was greeted by what must be his friends.

Ten more minutes passed and Leon was starting to think the informant would not show. He sighed inwardly. He had really hoped that this day would bring final proof or rejection of Riku's words; they had been bothering him ever since their encounter in the forest outside the base. Riku had said he would stop Shinra, even if it cost him his life. Having seen his protectiveness of his friends back on Destiny Islands, Leon had a feeling he would only be ready to cast away the chance to see them again if the cause really was worth it.

Of course, it was highly possible that the rebel group had told him a false story and the so-called proof he had spoken off had been a lie. If that was the case, well, Leon felt like he had to find the kid and stop him from doing anything stupider than what he had done so far. He had really liked Riku; it would not be fair to let him be judged a rebel because of a lie.

"Is this seat taken?" The voice of a woman sounded and Leon looked up in surprise. She was quite beautiful, dressed in a simple black dress and a jacket. Her cobber red hair was wavy and resting neatly on her shoulders and she was smiling. Leon noticed, however, that the smile was not quite reaching her brown eyes.

"Actually," he replied, "I'm waiting for someone."

"Well," her smile widened, "that would be me, soldier. I recognized you by the scar. I'm Shuriken."

He blinked, taken aback, when she spoke the name of the - he had supposed - man with whom he had been writing about the information. As she slipped down onto the seat next to him she laughed a little at the expression on his face.

"You were expecting a man," she said, more of a statement than a question.

"I have to admit that I was," Leon replied, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"That's alright. They always are. That's part of why I'm so good at this; I never let my gender slip before I meet with the person. You'll have to excuse my being late," she added. "I had to check that you really had come alone. It seems you were sincere, though."

He smiled wryly. She was clever, that much was clear. Also, she was a professional, at least at this, checking the truth of his words before accepting them at face value. He had to hand it to her; he was impressed compared to what he had expected. Sitting beside the informant now, his thoughts prior to the meeting seemed awfully rude.

"Do you have the information you said you could get for me?" he asked, getting down to business. After all, that was what he was here for.

"Of course," she replied calmly. "But before I hand it to you I'd like to ask you a question."

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you want it?"

Surprised once again - he definitely had not expected the informant to ask such questions; rather, he had been pretty sure he would have gotten some weird speech about the content and how they should definitely fight against Shinra and so on - he considered for a while how to answer it.

"You know from our correspondence that I'm a soldier," he began slowly, "and I'm supposed to be fighting for what the government believes in. That's what I intend to do, as long as it's a good cause, like keeping peace in the country. However, a friend of mine recently told me that the cause may not be as good as I thought it was. I guess I'd like to know what I'm fighting for so I can decide whether or not it's the right side I'm doing it on."

She took in his words in silence, her face as unreadable as he knew his own was. He wondered where she had learned to keep this calm, this sense of being professional, and was perfectly aware that he would never get an answer, even if he asked her. After a while, she pulled out an envelope from an inner pocket in her jacket and put it on the table.

"This is what you were looking for," she declared. "Read it and decide for yourself whether or not it's something worth supporting. I don't believe it is, but every person has his or her own opinions so I won't presume to be the one who knows best."

She turned her eyes to meet his and continued,

"If, however, you decide that you need to join the other side of this battle, contact me again. I might know someone who would be interested in meeting you then."

With that being said, she stood and left the inn. Leon watched her go, suddenly wondering whether that mysterious woman was part of the rebel group too, or at least a contact of theirs. Her parting words, at least, had given him the clear impression of it.

He picked up the envelope, hid it under his jacket, and left the inn as well, intending to find a secluded place to read it. He could not risk taking it back to base in case someone - most likely Seifer - decided to look through his stuff to see what it was he was hiding. Leon had to walk for a while before he finally found an alley with no people nearby; Kalm was not that big a city and so, the growing number of inhabitants did not have much space to scatter on. He checked once more that no one was watching, then pulled out the envelope and carefully opened it.

As he looked through the papers, he could feel his mood change for worse. This ... Even after thinking Riku's words through and looking into the matter, Leon finally admitted to himself that he had not really believed what the kid had said could be true. But this ... The documents bore the official government stamp. There were bank receipts showing huge amounts transferred from Shinra to a person named Hojo, the same name Riku had mentioned as the professor conducting the experiments in the Shinra Departments, the doings of which had turned out to be classified information. Furthermore, there were a few lab reports written on results of tests, though much of it was written in so scientific a language that Leon had a hard time understanding what it said. The worst part were the pictures also included in the envelope; pictures of people on surgery tables, people hooked up to huge containers of a weird, dark fluid, and people huddling in a corner of what must be a prisoner cell, its walls all white. It was horrifying, and it must be top secret. Leon wondered how Shuriken had even managed to get her hands on this.

Going through the last pictures, which was apparently taken outside a facility, Leon suddenly noticed a face he knew. He held the picture up closer for a better look, then put it inside his pocket. The rest of the information he knew he must destroy. If he was discovered carrying it, he would definitely be seen as a threat and he was not about to let himself be caught now that he had discovered that Shinra's side really was the wrong one to be on. Riku had been right.

o0o

He contacted Shuriken again, but weeks went by before he got a reply. Finally, when he had almost given her up for lost, possibly captured or killed by someone from the government who had found out about her doings, he received a letter with nothing but a date and a place. Leon applied for another day of leave and was granted it because his superior knew he rarely requested one and was a very respected soldier on the base.

"So you've decided you'd like to make a move against the government, then?" Shuriken asked when they met up at the inn again.

He'd had a feeling she was going to ask him that and had considered his answer already.

"I have. I also happen to know that there's a rebel group called AVALANCHE fighting against the government. Are you a part of it?"

She narrowed her eyes a little, gazing at him for a long while before she replied. When she did, her voice was guarded, he noticed, though he doubted many others would. Through his military training he had learned to recognize certain signs a person might emit when under pressure or in situations in which they did not feel completely secure.

"No," she said at last. "I'm not. But I might know someone who is. Why are you asking?"

Knowing it would be no use assuring her of his good intentions he answered the question as truthfully as he dared. They might be on the same side as far as they knew, but they were also both professional enough not to trust each other, and each other's intentions, simply because of that. Hell, for all he knew she might be from the government after all, and as far as she knew he might well be a military spy hoping to finally catch the infamous rebel group.

"You remember the friend I told you about?" She nodded and he continued, "Well, that friend has joined the rebels. We met by chance, which is when he told me about the doings of the government. I need to find him and let him know I believe him. Also, there's something else he should know. Based on the pictures you gave me, the Department have gotten their hands on someone he knows."

This seemed to convince her of his sincerity better than anything else he had said so far.

"I'll set up a meeting with a contact of mine," she told him. "She calls herself Little Wutai. Make sure to show up because she never stays in the same town for long."

o0o

Less than a week later he found himself in the middle of the town square during the busiest hours of day. The inhabitants of Kalm were milling around, taking care of their business and hardly noticing the lone man sitting at the bench where - according to Shuriken's letter - he was supposed to meet someone at one thirty PM. Once again he did not know what to look for, except for the fact that it must be a woman. He checked his watch once more. Still five minutes to go.

He remembered the look Seifer had sent him that very morning before he left for the town and repressed a grimace. The man knew him too well; even if Leon tried to conceal it as best he could, it seemed Seifer had caught on to the knowledge that something was wrong. Well, there was nothing to be done about it; if necessary, Leon would just have to mislead him. It would be no use telling his friend that all these days off was due to a girl because he had a feeling Seifer would not believe him. Also, he could not risk the truth, at least not until he had some evidence that was more substantial than the single picture he had kept from Shuriken's files. Maybe he should have kept a bit more of the content; however, that would have been even more dangerous than Seifer's eagle-eyeswatching him. If the higher-ups found out about his recent meetings they would definitely report him to Shinra's people and he would be of no use to anyone stuck in a prison cell or an interrogation room somewhere.

He checked his watch again. One thirty-three. When would Shuriken's contact get here?

That was when a voice sounded from the bench behind his.

"Don't turn around."

It was a girl, by the sound of it, possibly even a young one. Slightly surprised at that, Leon replied.

"Who are you?"

"They call me Little Wutai. Shuriken sent me. Now, be warned - she told me you seemed trustworthy, but try and turn around and I will push the trigger of the gun that is right now aimed at your guts. Just so you don't try anything funny."

Leon felt pretty certain he would be fully capable of handling the situation if he chose to do so. However, that was not why he was here. There would be no point in picking a fight with the one who might be able to tell Riku what had happened.

"I won't. You're part of AVALANCHE, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Affirmative. Though I fail to see how that's relevant since I'm not taking you there. You're a soldier."

"Maybe I've seen the light," he replied, then grimaced at his own words and continued, "It's relevant for me. I need to get a message to someone in your group."

"Who?"

"Guy named Riku."

This made her oddly silent for a while. It was awfully tempting to turn around and check whether she was still there, but Leon did not move a muscle. After a long period of nothing but quiet, the girl spoke again, her voice betraying that she was clearly suspicious of his words.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I've found out one of his friends is being kept at the Shinra Department."

An ugly swearword escaped her in a hiss.

"What proof do you have?" she asked harshly. "I doubt you just suddenly walked in there and noticed. And how do you know Riku anyway? I don't remember him mentioning he knew a soldier!"

"We met on Destiny Islands," Leon explained. "I was injured; he and his friends helped me recover."

"And you, what, paid back his helpfulness by selling off one of his friends?"

He sighed inwardly and bade himself patience. Of course she would think that, being a rebel; he knew they tended to be more than hostile towards anyone or anything connected to the government or the military. Quite rightly, too, because AVALANCHE were some of the most wanted people in the whole country due to their open resistance against Shinra. There was no reason why this girl should believe his words at face value even the slightest bit. He knew that, yet somehow arguing with her made him feel like he was just about to lose his otherwise very sturdypatience.

"I didn't," he replied. "But when I asked Shuriken to provide me with proof about the doings of the Department, one of the things she gave me was this."

He took out the only picture he had kept from the envelope and handed it to the girl. She took it and he guessed she must be studying it in the silence that once again settled.

"I'll take it to him," she stated at last, "see what he has to say about it. However, just FYI, I'm not sure I like that he's been around a government soldier. Of course, if you've really, you know, seen the light or whatever you called it, maybe it's forgivable. But you better stay on our good side, or it could get messy! If you need to talk to me again, write Shuriken - she'll tell you when I'm in town or how to contact me. I'll let Riku know you said hi - what's your name?"

It was the first time he'd been asked that; Shuriken had accepted that they both used names that were only covers and it felt a bit insecure to have someone like Little Wutai asking him about it in such a direct way. However, she clearly did not trust him; to be fair, he would have been skeptical too in her situation so he supposed it was fair enough that she asked. It could be considered a token of his goodwill if he gave up his name.

"It's Leon," he replied. "That's what Riku will know me as, anyway."

"Leon." It sounded more like a memo to herself than an acknowledgement of the fact that he had actually told her. "Okay. I'll tell him I've talked to you. Maybe I'll see you at some point; if not, well, watch your back! The business of going against Shinra," this she added in a low voice as if to make absolutely sure that no one around them would hear, even if the people who were passing by seemed too busy to notice a pair of strangers having a conversation back to back, "is dangerous. You never know who to trust. If you decide to stay in the military despite everything you know, it's especially risky, so keep your mouth shut tight, soldier! Anyway, count to ten, then you can look if you want to."

He did as he was told and by the time he turned around she had already disappeared into the crowd. There was no way to tell whom it had been, even if she was still visible which he highly doubted. Even if she had not emitted the same degree of professionalism as Shuriken had, there was no doubt this girl knew how to do her business. If she really was as young as she had sounded, he had to admit he was just the slightest bit impressed.

He cast one more glance at the crowd around him. Then he got up and walked back towards the Kalm base. For now, he would stay on duty and see what happened while he looked into this matter some more. Maybe, working from the inside, he would be able to eventually provide the rebels with useful information about military movements. It was a matter to be considered, however, because he did not want to endanger the friends he had made during his time as a soldier. Before he made a final decision as to whether he should really help the rebels the way he might be able to, he would need to find something that could convince his friends that Shinra was not worth obeying, evidence even better than what Shuriken had provided him with because documents and pictures could all be falsely made. The reason he himself had chosen to trust it was partly due to Riku's words and partly due to the fact that he had recognized Sora on one of the pictures. He hoped that AVALANCHE would be able to help the kid out of the clutches of whoever this Hojo was.

And in regards to Seifer ... Well, that was a matter to be dealt with when it really became a problem. For now, Leon had a feeling he would be able to keep him in the dark, at least for a while.

o0o

As Yuffie made her way back towards Midgar, the conversation she'd had with Leon kept popping up in her mind. Of course, she usually went over any information she had gotten after a meet-up with an informant but this had been different – for one thing, guy was a soldier. Of course, she had taken advantage of the information they sometimes provided unknowingly often enough, but Yuffie had never thought she would see the day where soldiers began turning their backs to the power they served. They were cowards; they wouldn't dare. But this Leon guy? Obviously not of ordinary making. She sort of had to admit to herself that she found it pretty damn cool. If he did not turn out to be a spy or something.

Shuriken had seemed pretty convinced he was sincere, though, when she had called to let Yuffie know she had someone who would like to meet her. The ninja girl still had no idea why, but then again, she could rarely figure the woman out. Yuffie had been introduced to her by Cloud a couple months after the blonde had first joined AVALANCHE and yet she still didn't know from where the man knew her, what their relationship had been, and who the woman actually was. Hell, she didn't even know Shuriken's real name.

But then again, Shuriken did not know Yuffie's name either. They had both been perfectly comfortable sticking to codenames because – as Shuriken had put it – names could be dangerous, both to know and to give up. The ninja spy had never met anyone seeming as professional about the spy business as the red-haired woman, which annoyed Yuffie to bits. She herself had been at it since the fall of Wutai, yet she came nowhere near to Shuriken's level. The mere thought of it made her pout.

Anyway. The information.

She entered Midgar in plain sight. It wasn't dangerous for her because not even the Turks knew her face and even less her connection to AVALANCHE. She had been careful about that. Lately, however – or, more precisely, since the deaths of Wedge, Jesse, and Biggs – she had felt a new need to be part of the missions the rebels were still determined to carry out.

She got on the train and found a seat as it moved toward the Sector 5 slums. From there, she made her way through the markets and the more criminal areas of Sector 6 until she reached Sector 7. With lighter steps now – it was always great to come back to so familiar ground –she went into a trot until finally she reached the 7th Heaven bar.

o0o

More than a month had passed since the success at the military base. Since then, AVALANCHE had kept busy, striking three small targets just to keep Shinra on edge. Hopefully, he would take it the right way and understand that the rebels would not stay put even if they had been face to face once more with death. Cloud still found himself waking up sometimes in the night, thinking of leaving the others behind and disappear somewhere he could be certain he would not be a threat to them eventually, but every time this happened, the image of Tifa in his mind made him stay. He knew it was irrational, and still that small part of him hoped that maybe someday, someday he would deserve that little bit of happiness her smile always gave him.

Everyday life had returned to the degree of normality they could expect in a situation like theirs. At one point, they had all gone to Aerith's church where her flowers still bloomed in the middle of it, as though she was still there, tending to them. There, they had performed their own little memorial service for Jesse, Wedge, and Biggs. Tifa had been crying silently, and Barret had turned away to disguise the tears on his cheeks because, as he had once said, "real men don't cry". Cloud had felt hollow inside, remembering not only the three, but also the painful memories of Aerith and of Zack... and of Nibelheim. Everything seemed so very long ago and yet so clear in his mind.

Yuffie had called to tell them she was finally in a reception area again after having been at the outskirts and travelling through the wastelands. She was on her way back and would probably be there shortly. A mix of curiosity and alertness had been peaked in Cloud at her tone when she had said she had some news and now he found himself just waiting for her to show up with that huge, goofy smile of hers.

He had barely thought it when the back door was slammed open and the light steps of the ninja accompanied by her yell of "I'm back!" sounded. A moment later, Yuffie appeared in the doorway to the living room and looked around.

"Great," she exclaimed, "everyone's here! I'll get straight to the point, then!"

She launched herself into the couch and seemed to be eagerly waiting for someone to ask her to continue. When no one did, however, she made a pouty face and sighed before she began her story.

"Okay, so I had a meeting with a very unusual informant..." she said, stopping for a second as if to draw out the dramatic tension before adding, "... in Kalm. This guy I met with? He was a soldier!"

This time, she got her reaction. Barret stood up so fast he almost tripped; he quickly straightened himself and uttered a resounding,

"WHAT?"

"I know, right?" Yuffie replied, leaning forward till she sat on the very edge of her seat. "Seems he was sincerely questioning his employers and we all know that never happens! At least it's the first I've seen of it. Anyway, to move on, this guy had been seeking some information about the Shinra Department and he'd spoken to a contact of mine who'd sent him to me because he said he had something he needed to tell us."

"A soldier?" Barret huffed angrily. "What tha hell could a soldier have to say that'd be of any interest to..."

"Just let her finish!" Riku snapped, and Cloud suddenly realized the boy had gone incredibly tense. He frowned. Why would this news affect Riku this much? A horrible notion crossed Cloud's mind as the words manifested themselves – was there a connection between their latest member and the military after all? And if so, what kind?

Barret's face showed a strange mix of astonishment and anger at the boy's harsh tone but he shut up and nodded at Yuffie for her to go on. The ninja smiled and continued.

"Well, my contact had showed him some of the pictures and documents and stuff that prove what Shinra's up to and apparently, the guy had noticed something – or rather, someone – on one of them that he thought we – or more specifically, Riku – would like to know about."

At this, all eyes in the room turned abruptly towards Riku who barely seemed to notice. He was staring at Yuffie, lips tight and eyes suddenly so full of worry that Cloud wasn't sure what to expect.

"The soldier's name," the boy managed to force out. "What was it?"

"He said you'd know him as Leon," Yuffie replied. Then she got up and went to his chair, taking out a picture from an inner pocket and handing it to Riku as she continued, "He wanted you to know that this friend of yours has been taken by the Shinra Department."

As Riku accepted the photograph, Cloud noticed how his hands shook slightly, and the moment he laid eyes on it, the boy's face turned pale as death. For a long while everything was silent, as if every single person in the room were holding their breaths. The sound of a name coming from Riku was the first thing to break the silence.

"Sora ..."