Love is Like a Rose - Chapter 5: While You Were Sleeping


Aerith twirled a wisp of her honey-colored hair around her index finger. She always did that when she was worried or nervous. And lately, she had been doing a lot of worrying. She couldn't find the words to comfort Leon. "Leon, have you considered telling Yuffie about this and not me?" Aerith asked.

Leon stood up and began to pace. "Do you realize how dumb that would be? 'Yuffie, I can't stop thinking you about ever since Cloud came back. I just thought I'd tell you'," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Aerith sighed. "I really don't know what to tell you. Follow your heart."

"You sound like a fortune cookie," he grumbled.

"I'm just trying to help," she replied impatiently. Her eyes landed on Yuffie's unconscious form once more. Yuffie's dress was wrinkled and her sandals lay on the floor at the foot of her bed. Aerith furrowed her brow. "Hey, did you ever find out why Yuffie changed her style all of a sudden?"

Leon stopped walking. "No. I couldn't get it out of her. She claimed she 'wanted a change'." He paused before asking, "Why?"

"I think I have a bit of an idea why Yuffie's been acting so strange lately."

"Really?"

Aerith nodded. "But I can't tell you, well, not until I'm a little more certain about this."

Leon groaned. He felt the migraine returning with full power. He held a hand to his forehead and rubbed it gingerly.

"Why were you guys fighting like that anyway? That wasn't a spar; more like a battle of life-or-death," Aerith commented. "What got you both so ticked off?"

Leon stopped pacing and plopped himself back into his chair beside Yuffie's bed. He looked at Yuffie, who still lay unconscious, then at Aerith, who was leaning forward, trying to hold his gaze. He looked at the floor and began tracing a pattern in the tile with the toe of his shoe. "Nothing really...just showing off, I guess."

Aerith wasn't convinced. "Leon, you should know better than to lie to me. That mask may fool other people, but it doesn't fool me."

Leon still refused to meet her eyes. "You told him," he said softly.

"Told him what?"

"About me...you, us."

Aerith shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, I, uh, see. And how did this trigger a lethal battle?"

"You wouldn't understand," he spat harshly.

"Try me."

"Not once, but twice, I've lost the girl to the other guy. The 'hero' or the 'good guy', if you will. It's hell, sitting next to the person you want so badly, but can never have."

Aerith was shocked by his words. It was then she realized that there was so much that Leon never told anyone. "Leon--"

He held up a hand. "Don't. Things will just get more confusing."

"But I can't do this. I'm the only thing standing between you and Cloud from tearing each other limb from limb. It doesn't have to be like that if you both could just forgive each other."

"Forgive each other? This isn't something you get over in a few days."

"You have no idea what it feels like being caught in the middle. I can't be the messenger. If you guys can't forgive each other for the sake of communication, at least do it for me."

Leon didn't answer. He let his gaze settle on Yuffie again. Even when she was unconscious, she seemed to radiate a kind of aura no one else had. Her smiles were the kinds that made your day brighter; her personality never failed to make you smile. Yuffie had an inner beauty that melted the edges of his cold heart. It seemed he had been chasing the wrong light all along. It had been standing right in front of him the entire time, waiting to be noticed.

How could he not have seen it?

Leon let out a strangled moan of exasperation. "It's because of me Yuffie's been acting like this, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"She wants to get my attention, doesn't she?"

Aerith looked thoughtfully at Yuffie, then back to Leon. She nodded and said, "I was thinking along those same lines also. It seems to me Yuffie has a slight, er, crush on you. Which explains why she wouldn't look up from her plate all breakfast and was unusually quiet."

"That's...a problem. I don't think I can ever bring myself to feeling like that aboutanyone. At least, not anytime soon."

Aerith nodded. She knew that feeling all too well. "Do me a favor?"

"Okay."

"Don't lead her on."

Like you did to me? The thought ran through his head bitterly. Leon nodded and let his eyes slide shut. He vaguely wondered if and when anything would go right in his life for once. And he vaguely realized that it probably wouldn't. His hands unconsciously clenched themselves into fists. If the Heartless had never taken over Hollow Bastion, if Ansem hadn't tried to exploit the powers of the darkness, if he had never lost Rinoa in the first place, none of this would be happening. He was never a touchy feely person who shared his thoughts and emotions. After losing Rinoa, Leon found that it was hard to open up to the world when the world was closed. So he became stoic, "The Rock-with-no-personality," Yuffie sometimes joked. Ah, Yuffie. She always somehow invaded his thoughts.

Leon started as the Infirmary door burst open. Cloud rushed into the room, followed by an old woman that Leon guessed was the nurse. "What took you so long?" he heard himself ask.

"Got lost in the halls," was Cloud's curt reply.

The nurse hurried over to Yuffie and began to treat her wound. "This is why little girls shouldn't be playing with weapons," the nurse muttered to herself. "Swords were not made for children."

Aerith hoped that Yuffie was still asleep. Otherwise Yuffie would throw a tantrum and throw her shrukiens at the old woman until old woman apologized for calling her a "little girl". Aerith smiled at the thought, chuckling quietly.

Meanwhile, Leon was glaring suspciously at Cloud. He knew Cloud was lying. The four of them knew the castle like the back of their hands. That's when Leon noticed Cloud clutching his side and trembling violently. His mako-tinted eyes were filled with pain, and blood seeped through his fingers. "Aerith, Cloud's hurt," Leon informed. After looking at him a bit more closely, he added, "I'm surprised he made it back at all."

Aerith rushed over to Cloud. "What's wrong?"

Cloud glared at Leon. "Nothing. I'll be okay."

"'Nothing'? You're bleeding!" Aerith exclaimed.

"You're not gonna leave here without her trying to help you," Leon said. "So you might as well give up now."

Aerith gingerly touched the injury. It was going to take advanced magic for her to cure this, and she hadn't used such magic in a long time. Maybe she should just bandage it and hope for the best..."OW!" Cloud howled. "What the hell are you doing? That hurt," he complained.

"Quit complaining," Aerith replied, gathering mental strength to perform magic. She closed her eyes and began the healing spell.

Cloud felt a sort of tingling sensation numb his body. It was warm and reassuring, and it stopped the agonizing pain from shooting up and down his spine. He felt his ribs start to mend itself. Cloud sighed softly and shut his eyes. Suddenly, the tingling sensation stopped. Cloud opened his eyes and saw Aerith breathing heavily. Sweat had begun to bead up on her forehead as she breathed deeply. "Aerith?" Cloud asked tentatively. When she didn't answer, he took her by the shoulders and shook her gently. "Aerith!" he called, louder this time.

"I thought I could heal you," Aerith answered, her voice hardly above a whisper. Her knees were weak and shaky, and Aerith found it hard just to keep her eyes open.

Leon frowned. "Advanced magic? You haven't done that in years! Every time you attempted it, you wound up in the Infirmary for days."

"I thought I could do it..." she trailed off as her knees gave out.

Cloud caught her and helped her into a chair. "You could've killed yourself!"

"But you needed help--"

"But nothing. I'm gonna be all right. A little sore for the next week, but fine nonetheless. Leon packs quite a punch." Cloud looked at the russet haired man with those mysterious sapphire orbs. He sighed quietly. "Leon--"

"Whatever. You don't need to apologize," Leon interrupted, dismissing the subject with a wave of his hand. "I'm no more or less guilty than you are."

Cloud nodded, and an unspoken agreement was made between the two men. "So no more beating each other up?" Aerith asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Well..." Leon's voice trailed off.

"For now," Cloud finished, grinning slightly at Leon.

Things could've been worse, Leon realized. He was on speaking terms with one of his closest friends, he had finally forgiven Aerith, and at last he had a bit of peace, even if it was just until Yuffie woke up.

"You witch! I wonder why they would even call you a nurse! A nurse is someone who helps people, not impairs them for life!"

"Why, if you weren't injured--"

"I'd slit your throat!" Yuffie cut in, her anger increasing by the second.

There goes my peace, Leon thought sourly. It had lasted a few, precious seconds, but life would lose its spark if everything were always peaceful. Leon, Cloud, and Aerith shared a smile. Yuffie was awake.