Perseverance
"I don't get him."
Aerith glanced at Sora for a moment before returning her attention to the man working so diligently in the canyon below. "What don't you get?"
"Leon's so driven to make this place perfect, better than it was before the Heartless. Why? Hollow Bastion isn't his world. I know his is gone like yours but he acts like this has always been his home."
"Home is different for everyone, Sora. For Leon, home is people not places. Everyone here is now his family. This is his home."
Sora thought about this for a moment. "Okay. I can totally see that. I feel a lot like that, too. I guess what I mean is, he's trying to take all of this on himself. It's like he only trusts himself to get it right. There are so many people here to help, a lot of them better qualified for some of this but he insists on doing it himself."
Aerith grasped her hands behind her back. "Well, Leon thinks he failed his last family. He took the loss of his world personally and he's determined to see that it never happens again."
The boy frowned. "But, there's nothing he could have done."
"He doesn't believe that." The woman spoke quietly. "He's convinced that there had to be something he could have done. It's that guilt that drives him."
Sora bit his lip. "It's sad, isn't it?"
"It is." She agreed, returning her attention below. "But it's better than how Cloud deals with his guilt."
Sora didn't know anything about that but he was unwilling to ask Aerith about it. Her voice had sounded so sad. He knew she worried about Cloud most of the time.
"Well, I guess the bright side is that he's doing something productive with it."
"Yes."
"I still admire his drive." Sora decided. "Everyone should have something to be dedicated to. I have mine and I use Leon as one of my examples."
"Example for what?" A quiet voice spoke behind them.
"We were discussing Leon's preservation to the rebuilding of Hollow Bastion." Aerith turned to face Cloud with a faint smile.
Cloud stepped forward and looked down. He snorted. "Leonheart's just a stubborn ass."
Sora sputtered. He knew Cloud could be blunt when he actually bothered to talk but that was just cold. "There's nothing wrong with being dedicated to something bigger than you."
Cloud flicked his eyes toward the boy. "I never said it was a bad thing."
"Then what did you-?"
Cloud walked to the side, heading down the narrow path that led to the worksite. "We all should be so devoted."
Aerith pursed her lips, fighting a small grin. Sora shook his head. "And I thought Leon's compliments were off-handed."
