Author's Quickie: AH! The second chapter is finally out! Sorry guys, I was preoccupied with Project Trinity for a while [posted chapter 10 of that, check it out!]. Anyway, on this continues... [Heck, you might even consider this a "prequel" of sorts...]

Astray

Chapter Two:

Alone in the Dark

What the hell just happened? she found herself thinking. Her glance traveled to the rather stoic-looking Goth-dressed man walking in front of her a few paces away. After the man [who, she was disappointed to find out, was not him,] had saved her and taken a good look at her, he immediately let out an expletive so loud, she was sure the other side of town had heard it. Then he walked away, without a second glance, leaving her to stare in bewilderment. After more than a moment's hesitation, she trailed slowly after him.

He couldn't stop cursing at himself; what an idiot he was! Getting all worked up to save someone that was not Rinoa. Leon punched the wall in his anger as he passed, leaving a gaping hole the size of his fist in the cement. He could barely hear the stifled gasp of the girl behind him, and grimaced wearily.

What the hell was he doing? That was the problem. It was just, for a couple of minutes, there was such a surge of hope in his heart--that all his worries and troubles would fly away as soon as he saw Rinoa, only to have it snatched away the moment he thought his problems were over--by this girl! His conscience chided him for being so thick-headed, but for the moment he couldn't help but feel utter distaste for her.

"Sorry," Aerith apologized, not quite knowing why she was and hating him for it.

"Tch." He kicked an empty soda can down the gutter, his sour mood still unabated. "What for? You didn't do anything." Though his words meant well, there was that bitter edge that made everything seem false.

Aerith could feel her anger rising quickly; why was this man taking it out on her? She was thankful, really, that he had come to save her, but that was no pretense to be rude. "You're right," she said heatedly, "I didn't do anything. Now would you stop treating me like a criminal, please?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she quickly clamped a hand over it. What was she saying? Ugh. What a nuisance. She had been planning to drop by, take a quick look or two in this district, and move on; instead, she was trailing after this strange man like some stray puppy that had been kicked.

"...sorry," he mumbled, ashamed at being scolded--and scolded rightly. He sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. I'm moping around again. That won't do. "So...Cid said you were looking for someone. Who is he? Maybe I can help."

She blinked; who was Cid? Seeing her blank look, Leon added, "The owner of the bar. The middle-aged guy you were talking to." Cocking her head, she regarded him seriously. Why would he care? Wait, he had blue eyes... Oh. That made sense why he was so angry when he had gotten a good look at her; he must have thought she was someone else. "Are you looking for someone, too?" she asked quietly, choosing to sidestep his question.

Leon jerked, faintly irritated that his emotions were so easily read. "Yeah," he answered simply. Then he frowned; he was asking the questions here, not the other way around. "So who were you looking for?"

She shrugged, the thick fabric of the cloak sitting heavily on her shoulders. "Someone I got separated from when...when my world was destroyed." It was the truth, but not the whole truth.

"Same here." They walked onwards, with no destination in mind. He decided to find out a little more about this strange girl's past. "So how did you get here, anyway?"

"No clue. After the first explosion, I blanked out. I found myself on these streets after I woke, probably a few hours after. I've been wandering around ever since." Aerith swallowed painfully; god, talking about the past was hard, especially when it was still so fresh, barely a year. She glanced at him, thinking that, somewhere, she had seen him before. It puzzled her. "What about you?"

He gave her a cynical smile. "Aren't all survivor stories alike?" he asked cryptically, digging his hands into his pockets. There descended a silence that was not wholly welcome. Leon blew out a breath, and continued grudgingly, "After my world fell, I got...transported? Shipped? Whatever the right word is, I was in Traverse Town the next thing I knew, and the gang back there gave me as much of a warm welcome as they tried to give to you."

Aerith shivered, rubbing her arms to generate some mild heat. "That's terrible. How long ago was that? You weren't a kid then, were you?"

Leon shook his head, and they turned the corner into District Two. "It was just a year ago."

"Really? My world was destroyed a year ago, too." Something was nagging her. Something she just couldn't quite put a finger on... "What world did you come from?" she asked suddenly. It seemed strange, to ask a stranger these questions before even asking his name, but she had to know...

He stared at her, surprised by her urgency. "Hallow..."

"Bastion...?" she finished, her suspicions confirmed. His eyes widened, then contracted.

"Yeah. How'd you know...?" Leon took a closer look, and found himself remembering. Right. He remembered her from Hallow Bastion, even though it was only once or twice that he had seen her. They never had been in much of the same social circles, anyway. Hallow Bastion had been...busier then. "I remember you."

"Me too. But I never knew your name." Where were they headed, anyway? District two seemed abandoned, dark and forbidding with all its creepy shadows. Leon pointed down the cobblestone pathway, at the...sewer? She sent him a raised eyebrow. Sighing, he took her by the hand and, knocking down the sewer grate with one kick, led her inside.

"I think I'm assuming correctly that you don't have a place to stay?" he said, letting go when they arrived at more cobblestone-laid ground after waddling past the sewage water.

She turned to face him with a steely glint in her eye. "You do. What about it?"

"You can stay here. It's safe enough, and I've already stocked some things here." He turned to leave, sending her into a frenzy.

"Hey, wait!" she rambled, angry that he was ditching her here in this desolate place, "You're going to leave me alone here? Are you serious! I don't even know your name!" A bewildering non-sequitir that had slipped out, surprising even her. Defiantly she jutted her chin out. It didn't matter. Imagine, the nerve of this guy! she thought furiously.

And, to her eternal disappointment, he wasn't even interested in listening, instead concentrating on walking away. "Hey-!" she began again heatedly, but he turned back to look at her, his face impassive.

"You can call me...Leon."

"Eh..." she flushed, not really expecting....expecting any response at all. "I...I'm Aerith. Nice...to meet you." And she bowed, trying to hide the redness in her cheeks. Shit. She was crying again, for no reason. Shakily she brought up a hand to wipe the tears away, trembling simply because the future seemed so uncertain.

"As I said," he told her, almost out of the gate, "You can stay here for the moment. I'll be back again."

"A-alright," she answered, a bit miserably. Could she trust him? Could she trust anyone? She wanted to. She was tired of everything. Settling down would be a welcome change, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? "Come back soon," she whispered, her voice trailing off in the empty silence. "Don't leave me alone."