The main reason for delay on this chapter I have fondly come to recognise as the "Yuffie Dilemma." The dilemma is this: how exactly are Cloud and Leon going to explain this one. The solution to our Yuffie Dilemma came with this. From now on I am co-writing this fic with my sister. I'll be doing the actual writing but when it comes to storyline etc… she's the thinking monkey.
So at last … chapter three.
Breach Of Contract.
3. Solving the Yuffie Dilemma
Cloud stared past the fuming brunette to the beautiful girl dressed in pink who stood in the doorway blushing.
"AERIS!" he cried. So that was how Leon must have gotten his name. Amazing, Aeris here! Cloud thought she had died, long ago. But then as the Heartless moved between the worlds, consuming and destroying, time and space was running amok. It was no surprise that the world order had twisted so much that time was reversed. He was glad that she was alive, he had always liked her.
Aerith nodded and blushed deeper, her pale cheeks colouring red and Cloud remembered then the compromising position he was still in and blushed to match her.
Leon shuffled away and Cloud let him go, feeling completely embarrassed about being 'caught-in-the-act.' The shorter brunette girl followed Leon's movement with scowling eyes but Aerith continued to watch Cloud but made no move towards him.
"Um … I was just," Cloud began to mumble by way of explanation. "I mean, we were … um."
Cloud looked imploringly at Leon but he was too busy putting his shoes back on to notice. He looked at the short-haired girl and shrugged, blushing uncomfortably as she glared at him.
Leon finished fiddling with his shoes and stood up. He picked up a weapon that Cloud found particularly odd and made his way towards the door.
Cloud watched him go frantically. 'He isn't going to just leave like this is he? He can't leave me to sort out this mess!' he thought in a panic.
"Squall, EXPLAIN!" Yuffie demanded as Leon stepped closer.
Cloud's eyes widened in surprise as Leon simply pushed past her, an empty scowl on his face.
"My name's Leon," he said as Aerith moved out of his way.
The thud of his footsteps down the stairs was soon followed by the slam of the front door.
Both of the girls turned to Cloud who still lay on the bed. He reached one arm up to scratch his hair and sighed in embarrassment.
"Um… is he always like that?" Cloud asked the girls in confusion.
Yuffie wandered over, looking less livid now that Leon had left the building. She sighed and sat on the bed.
"What damn-right annoying? Yeah," she smiled at Cloud, the first bit of genuine warmth he had seen from her. "I'm Yuffie Kirasagi by the way. I'm sure we're going to get along just fine."
Squall Leonhart stomped his way grumpily across the Third District. What gave her the right to stick her nose into his personals. It was none of her business who he kissed. It was his house anyway, she was just a lodger. He could totally kick her out … but, he liked her. She was useful in a tight spot and … nice to be around. He knew he shouldn't have just walked out like that and left Cloud to explain. The blonde will probably hate him now. Shame, he was a marvelous kisser. Feelings, so complicated!
He sighed and stopped walking, looking around for some Heartless to dispose of. The area was clear. He sighed again, there were always plenty of Heartless when he /wasn't/ looking for them. Oh well, there's always the pub.
He turned on his heel and made his solemn way towards the main bar in the Third District.
Upon entering the building, he noticed with surprise that it was a quiet night. There was a young couple sat in the corner, a drunkard on the floor and sat at the bar, there was a man with cropped blonde hair, deep in discussion with the barman.
"So I told him if he wants a fucking navigation gummi block he can fucking go program it himself. Unless he gives me some proper munny I'm not about to waste my damn time screwing around with his system. Fucking cheap bastards in this dump."
Cid then.
Squall sat at the bar a few seats away from him, trying to remain inconspicuous.
Nothing got past Cid.
"Squall you stuck-up bastard, come and sit over here. Hey, you're looking worse than normal, what's your problem? Come on then! Spit it out."
"Vodka. Double," Leon instructed the barman as his attention was drawn towards him.
The barman poured the drink and pushed it across the bar to Leon who downed it expressionlessly.
Cid clambered over the two stools between them and repeated himself.
"Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall. I haven't got all fucking day. What's the problem Squall."
"It's Leon."
"Yeah yeah whatever. Like I care what your name is," Cid thought back to the first time he had demanded Leon's name. It wasn't a good memory.
Squall rolled his eyes and turned away. "If you don't care what my name is, you don't care what my problem is."
Cid growled angrily. "Fine, Leon," Cid sighed and took another swig from the metal tankard of ale before him. "Hey you know, that kid is back in town."
"Sora?" Leon asked gaining some semblance of interest.
"That's the one. Says he's now the master of some huge competition or something and is headed off that way to 'master' the next stage. Don't ask me what the kid's up to, he seems bloody mental if you ask me."
"Hmph," answered Leon. He liked Sora and thought that trying out the next phase of the tournament at the coliseum would be good for him.
Leon simply paid the barman and left. Cid watched him go.
'He keeps too many secrets that Squall Leonhart. Too many fucking secrets,' thought Cid. Little did he know that Squall wasn't one for mistruths or secrecy nor was he truly a dislikeable person. He just preferred to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself.
Leon wanted to be alone. Everyone in Traverse Town seemed to be on speaking terms with him or inclined to attempt to make him some sort of new friend. They were all in the same position, alone and afraid for their own worlds. However Traverse Town was comfortable and convenient. 'Perhaps they think I know something they don't,' he mused. 'The fact that I do leads nothing into it, I'm not going to be the cause of widespread panic. I mean honestly, our futures in the hands of some kid?' Sora had the same power to turn heads that Leon had, it was attention Leon despised and Sora wallowed in. They fought for the same cause but they fought with different perspectives. Leon certainly didn't want to be seen as any sort of leader (A/N: remember his constant moaning along these lines in FF8?)
"Come on! Hyaaaaa!"
Leon looked up in response to the sudden childish battle cry and set his eyes upon Sora and his animal allies dueling with some heartless. The spunky, brown haired boy had a new keychain and as a result, his keyblade had a longer reach. He was fighting with carefree ease and accuracy. His friends Donald and Goofy backed him up with fire attacks.
Sora spun round to vanquish the heartless behind him as Donald and Goofy simultaneously cast spells on a lone (and vulnerable) shadow and effectively killing it twice.
Leon was immediately aware of his cue and leapt in front of the three, destroying the last heartless solider with a wide, powerful sweep of his gunblade.
"Oh, hi Leon," Sora said with a smile, swinging his gunblade over his shoulder.
"New keyblade?" Leon mumbled in reply.
Sora grinned and held it out for Leon to inspect.
"Ah-hyuk yeah! Came all the way from the jungle," answered Goofy un-necessarily.
Donald frowned and Sora scratched his head. "Uh yeah, we kinda crashed."
Leon rolled his eyes and started to walk away. "Probably for the better you don't tell me any more about it. Come on, I need to introduce you to someone."
Leon led the way back to the house. He had decided to introduce Sora and Cloud, so that Cloud could better understand the enormity of the battle they were facing.
"Yeah so then, I asked him why he wasn't talking and get this, he didn't say anything. So then I asked him if he could talk. And he didn't say anything then either. It wasn't until Cid had the balls to demand what his name was that we even got anything out of him," Yuffie continued in between peals of laughter. "And then, you wouldn't believe what he said then right."
Cloud smiled and shrugged. Yuffie could really talk! She seemed to have calmed down now as well, after she had returned from her short shopping trip. Also it was great to see Aerith again, the girl was much quieter than her ninja friend but the entire room seemed to brighten in her presence.
"Okay so Cid goes "Who the fuck are you. Speak quickly or you're dead." And Leon goes "None of your business!"" Yuffie almost fell of the bed laughing. "He didn't even seem to care that Cid was more or less shoving that spear up his nose."
"It was blunt," answered a sudden low voice from through Yuffie's laughter. "Sora this is Cloud, Cloud, Sora."
Cloud's eyes widened. The kid and the talking duck and the talking dog! So it wasn't a hallucination. Cloud was relieved that he didn't have to fear so much for his sanity any longer.
"Did you find your light?" Cloud asked Sora, recalling the conversation on the steps of the coliseum.
Sora observed his feet. "No, not yet." Kairi was still a million miles away. "Did you find yours?"
"Did I have one?" Cloud sighed. "Yes," he looked up at Leon. "Yes I think I did."
Cloud looked at Leon with wide blue eyes and Leon looked back. Cloud was still beautiful, it hadn't been a dream. Now he sat there, uncomfortably leaning away from the wound on his side. The wing was held in a relaxed position, comfortably folded behind him.
"You can sit up," Leon observed, breaking the silence and immediately feeling stupid for it.
"Yes, Yuffie lent me some munny and bought a hi-potion. It healed it a bit. It's still not perfect though."
'But you are,' thought Leon then closed his eyes and opened them again, looking away. 'Stupid thoughts, why don't you just shut up?'
Cloud gazed at Leon who was staring at the floor intently. What was wrong with this guy? He felt so wonderful, earlier, in Cloud's arms as they kissed. Now he was cold as a snowman. Was Leon really always like this? Why? He had wanted to ask Aerith and Yuffie but the conversation had turned into Yuffie's jokes about Leon's inability to communicate. The only alternative was to ask Leon himself.
Aerith stood and took Yuffie's hand. "I think it would be a good idea to show Sora the gizmo shop now Yuff."
"Huh, what?" Yuffie asked with a slight blush as the other girl took her hand. "Ah, yeah alright." She shot a fuming glare at Leon as she was led from the room. Leon just completely ignored her. He moved to shut the door after the party of five had left the room.
Cloud sat and watched him thoughtfully. It wasn't going to happen again was it, Leon hated him now. Was it all just some sort of spur-of-the-moment mistake?
Cloud cleared his throat and caught Leon's attention.
"Was it just … well I mean … do you regret it now?"
Leon looked towards Cloud. The blonde looked utterly insecure, shifting the weight from one leg to the other and staring at the floor.
Leon didn't know what to say. Yes he did regret it. It was stupid, to randomly molest a beautiful but heavily wounded stranger. Yes, he regretted it, he had messed with this guy's head.
He hadn't felt like this before, even with Rinoa, (A/N: lol the closest word to Rinoa in the spell-check is Rhino) when he had been too uncomfortable to understand what he had been feeling. Rinoa was gone now and nothing could change that, she was gone forever.
Yes, Leon regretted kissing Cloud, what he had done was crazy. He wanted to walk out, charter the first gummi ship he could find and fly away.
But yet more than anything, he wanted to take this man into his arms and kiss him again like there would be no dawn to the lost worlds. So that was what he did.
There we go, after far too long BoC is updated! Thanks for all reviews, particularly the nagging ones that demanded I update. Well! Someone has to motivate me! So I would like to dedicate this chapter to that one reviewer who emailed me (not through the reviewing system) and ordered me to kick my arse into gear and complete this chapter! *tips hat*
Just a final note: the FF7 players amongst you are probably wondering why I decided that Yuffie doesn't know Cloud. Well the reason for this is …. This storyline works better that way, honest!