Author's Note: Okay people, here's chapter five. Once again, thank you to the reviewers.
VL: You gave me an interesting idea. I might have to play it out in the story. Thanks
Snowri: I hope your hand gets to feeling better.
Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Square and Disney do. How many times do I have to tell you? :)
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Chapter Five: Painful Memories
Leon ran down the hall of the hotel to the Green Room. Banging on the door, he bellowed, "Yuffie, I know you're in there. I need to talk to you." The door slowly opened to reveal a bedraggled Yuffie. She had a painfully large knot on her head to go along with her pale face. She looked up at Leon imploringly, begging, "Please, just go away. You're the cause of all my pain. Please, leave me alone."
"But Yuffie, I love you. Can't you see that? I need you. I can't go on without you," Leon pleaded.
"You're the cause of my pain," she repeated. "If you love me, then why do you treat me like this?" she asked as she closed the door in his face.
Beating on the door, Leon continued to yell,"Yuffie! Yuffie! YUFFIE!"
He felt the darkness overcoming the light of the hallway, causing him to still the beating of his fists on the door. He turned, only to find the hall darker than it had been a few moments before. He frantically looked around, seeing nothing in the ever growing darkness.
Suddenly, he saw yellow eyes appearing in the darkness, searching for him. Knowing it was the Heartless, Leon reached for his Gunblade. It wasn't there. He had nothing to fight with. He was alone in the hallway, surrounded by Heartless without a weapon.
"No," he screamed. "This can't be happening!"
He ran blindly down the hall, cursing himself for being a coward since only cowards ran away. But how was he supposed to fight without a weapon. He heard a door opening in the hall and heard her voice echoing down the hall.
"You're the cause of all my pain. Please, leave me alone."
"Hey, Leon, wake up! How do you expect to take care of the customers if you're asleep and drooling on the damn counter," Cid demanded.
"Wha–, it was only a dream!" Leon muttered, shaking himself awake, only to find that he was sitting on a hard stool with his head lying on the cool countertop of the Accessory Shop, with an angry Cid looming over him. Suddenly remembering his dream, he asked the first thing he could think of, "How's Yuffie?"
"Well, she's awake, but--" the Gummi pilot began. Leon didn't wait for the rest of the answer. He hobbled out the door as fast as his wounded leg would carry him. "Damn kid," Cid said. "Can't even wait for a man to finish his sentence." He lit a cigarette as he sat down on the stool, grimacing as he wiped up the puddle of drool on the counter with a paper towel.
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In the Green Room, Yuffie lay awake on the bed, trying to remember something, anything. She looked around when she heard the hallway door opening. Straining her neck to see who was coming in, she gasped. In the doorway stood a man with long brown hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was dressed in leather pants with what looked like four belts and a white shirt with a short-sleeved leather jacket over it. Damn, he's hot. Please let him be Leon, she silently prayed, I can deal with sharing a room with a man like him.
"Yuffie," he said quietly as he walked up to the bed where she lay. She noticed the angry look in his eyes as he viewed the bruise on her head. "Yuffie, are you okay? Cid said you were awake now, so I came to check on you."
"Um, yeah. I'm awake now. So, you're Leon right? Aerith told me we shared a room," giving him an unsure smile as she said this. She noticed a look of confusion come over his face. "I'm sorry. I thought you knew," she said softly. She felt like crying. Once again, he looked at her confusedly.
"Yuffie, what are you talking about? Of course I'm Leon, although that's the first time I've ever heard you call me by that name. Are you sure you're okay?" he questioned, looking down at her upturned face.
"I–," she began, breaking down before she could finish her sentence. Be brave Yuffie. Don't let him see you cry. Composing herself, she continued, "I have amnesia. I don't remember anything. All I know is that Aerith told me that I shared a room with a man named Leon, who appears to be you."
"What! Amnesia! Is that the best you could come up with? Come on Yuffie, enough with the jokes. I know you were mad at me yesterday, but this has gone far--" he yelled, but then stopped as he noticed the genuine tears overflowing from her eyes. Damn it, Leon. She really does have amnesia. And what a great first impression you've made on her! No wonder she hates you. "Yuffie, I'm sorry. I–, I thought you were playing a joke on me. Please forgive me," he begged.
Drawing a deep breath, Yuffie said, "It's okay. I must have been a terrible person if you think that I would play a joke on you, right?"
"No, Yuffie. You're not a terrible person. We just have our differences is all," he answered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "So, how are you feeling? Is there much pain?" he asked, remembering her voice from his dream earlier.
"Well, my head hurts and these scratches sting, but other than that I'm okay. I just feel so helpless without my memories. I don't know who I am, or who anyone else is. I hate this feeling," she cried.
"You always have, Yuffie, you always have," he whispered, remembering that, when she was seven, she claimed she would never be helpless again.
"Leon," she began tentatively, twisting the bed sheets in her hands, "I feel so stupid. I mean, amnesia's a strange thing. I can remember what something like a table or chair is and what they're used for, but I can't recall anything about my life. I guess I need to start out with some basic facts, like my age. So, Leon, could you tell me how old I am? And when my birthday is?"
Sighing, "Yuffie, don't feel stupid. It's not your fault you can't remember. But, for the record, you're eighteen and your birthday is November 20." (A/N: I think I read in another fic that this is her birthday)
"Thanks, Leon. I have one other question to ask. What do I look like? Can you tell me that? I mean, I can't even remember."
"I'll do better than tell you, I'll take you to a mirror." Looking at her injured body, he asked, "Do you think you can walk?"
"Maybe." Yuffie sat up, causing the room to spin uncontrollably. Putting a hand on her head, she said, "Um, if you help me, I think I can make it. How far is it to the mirror?"
Helping her up, Leon replied, "Just across the room. It isn't far." He put his arm around her waist and let her lean on him until she was stable enough to move her legs.
They began walking slowly, but Yuffie noticed Leon limping slightly. Looking up at him, she asked, "What's wrong with your leg?"
Not knowing what to say, Leon bit his lip and said, "Um..., I had an accident yesterday. I did something stupid and it backfired on me. But don't worry, I'll be okay."
Yuffie nodded, and looked ahead at the mirror. She grimaced when she saw herself. "Wow, I must have really taken a beating. Just look at the bruise on my head. I knew it was there, because I accidentally touched it earlier, but I didn't realize how bad it was." Stepping away from Leon, she gingerly touched it again, and winced. "Yikes! It still hurts just as bad too."
Leon saw her starting to sway and reached out to grab her. "Be careful! You're going to fall!"
"I'll be fine. Besides, I need to get back to walking on my own anyways." Then, she playfully asked, "Are you always this protective of me, Leon?"
"Well...I–uh..." he began.
"Never mind, just forget I asked." Looking at her blood-stained clothes in the mirror, she said, "Man, I bet these clothes will never come clean. Maybe I should change. Um, Leon, where do I keep my clothes?"
He pointed towards the dresser and said, "Top two drawers."
She slowly walked over to the dresser, stumbling occasionally as she went. She reached the dresser and pulled open the top drawer. "Hmm, well, I found my underwear," she laughed. Pulling some out, she shut the drawer and opened the next. "And here's my shirts and shorts. Okay, um, Leon, where's the bathroom? I would really like to take a shower."
"It's right there," he said as he pointed her in the right direction. "Are you sure you'll be okay in there by yourself?"
"Well, Leon, I don't think I need you in there with me."
Blushing, Leon explained, "I meant, do you want me to get Aerith to sit in there with you?"
"No, I'll be fine. I'm feeling better every minute. The room's even stopped spinning," she laughed, surprising herself with the laughter. How can you laugh Yuffie, she asked herself, when you can't remember anything?
Leon watched her walk into the bathroom, but before she shut the door he yelled, "If you need some help, just holler and I'll send in Aerith."
"Okay, but I don't think anything will happen," she said as the door closed.
Leon walked back to the bed and was about to lay down, when he noticed all the blood on the sheets from her wounds. Sighing, he opted for the chair next to the bed instead, too tired to change the bloody sheets. Just before he fell asleep, he heard the water in the shower begin to run.
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Aerith walked into the Green Room to find Leon dozing in the chair, and Yuffie no where in sight. Hearing the water running in the bathroom, she decided that the ninja must be taking a shower. Looking at the bed, she noticed the stained sheets and determined that they should be changed. But first, she would have to move Leon because his chair was too close to the bed for her to get to it.
"Leon, I need you to move," she said, gently shaking his shoulder.
"I don't wanna get up," he mumbled tiredly.
"Leon, if you just get up for a few minutes, then I can make the bed and you can go to sleep on it instead of the chair," she explained.
"Huh? Oh, Aerith it's you," he said as he rubbed his hand over his face, trying to wake up. Remembering Yuffie's condition, he looked up at Aerith accusingly. "You said Yuffie would be alright. But she's not. She doesn't know anything. She didn't even know how old she was."
"Leon, I said she was going to make it. Besides, her memory will come back eventually," she replied, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as well as him.
Aerith gently pushed Leon out of the way so she could change the once white bed sheets with the pale green sheets she had found in the closet. Just as she had finished tucking in the last corner, she heard Yuffie come out of the bathroom.
"Yuffie, are you feeling better?" the Flower Girl asked, noting that she looked a lot more like her old self. "You look a lot better."
Yuffie stood just outside the bathroom, towel drying her hair, being careful to avoid the painful bruise on her temple. "Yeah, the shower helped a lot. Although Leon here didn't want me to in there alone." She looked around the room and noticed the Gunblade Leon had propped against the wall when he had returned. "Wow, what is that thing?" she asked, pointing at it.
Leon furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her. "It's called a Gunblade. It's my weapon. I got it for my sixteenth birthday."
"Which was...?" Yuffie inquired curiously.
"Eleven years ago," he replied, holding the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
"So, that makes you twenty-seven, then, right?"
"Yes, why do you ask?" Leon looked at her confusedly.
"Um..., no reason, just trying to bring back some memories," she managed to falter out. Damn, Yuffie thought, he's too old for me. Wait a minute! Why am I even thinking about that right now, when my memory is completely gone? I need to focus on recovering my memories before I think about anything else.
"Um, Yuffie, maybe you better try not to strain your mind too much. I just know you're memory will come back when you're ready to remember," Aerith said soothingly.
"I just can't help it," Yuffie murmured. "I just need something to grasp onto."
"I know, Yuffie. But, if you're not ready to remember, then it will only make it worse," the pink clad woman explained.
It was at this moment that Cloud walked into the Green Room from the Red Room through the connecting door. Yuffie stared at the spikey-haired blue-eyed blond, trying to remember what Aerith said his name was.
"Hey Yuffie," he said cheerfully, "you look a lot better. How're ya feeling?"
"Um, a lot better. You're Cid, right?" she questioned, biting her lip.
"Cid?! Aerith did you tell her that I'm Cid?" he asked, looking at the Flower Girl. Turning back to Yuffie, he continued, more gently, "No, I'm Cloud. I've known you since you were six, when Aerith used to babysit you."
"Aerith, you used to babysit me? But..., you don't look that much older than me. How could you have babysat me?" Yuffie questioned, looking at Aerith.
Aerith laughed. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment, I guess. I'm twenty-five, seven years older than you. When I was thirteen, your parents offered me a babysitting job, so I took it."
"My parents? Where are my parents? Shouldn't they be here with me?" Yuffie wondered, confusion sweeping over her face. She looked around the room and noticed that no one would look her in the eye. "They're dead, aren't they?" The look on their faces confirmed that she was right. She walked over to the bed and sat down, covering her face with her hands. "I guess I should be sadder than I am, but I'm not. I guess it doesn't hurt as much because I don't remember them." Uncovering her face, she looked at Leon and demanded, "Tell me what happened to them. I need to know."
Aerith looked at Yuffie and began, "Yuffie, I don't think now--" but she was cut off by a look from Cloud that said they couldn't put the truth on hold forever.
Leon walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Well..." he started, "eleven years ago, we didn't live on this world. We lived in a place called Hollow Bastion. It was ruled by a man named Ansem, who everyone thought was very wise; however, his heart became poisoned and he created a horde of monsters."
"The Heartless?" Yuffie interrupted.
"Yeah. Wait a minute...how did you know that?" Leon asked surprised, hope filling his eyes.
"Aerith mentioned them earlier, but didn't explain what they were. But the look in her eye was enough to let me know that they were horrible," she explained.
"Well, anyway. Ansem disappeared and the Heartless took over our world. We managed to survive by getting in the last Gummi ship, which was piloted by Cid, and left Hollow Bastion. As far as I know, we are the only survivors from our world," he finished, trying to block out the pain from his memories. He looked down at the girl sitting next to him and saw the sadness in her eyes. He wrenched his eyes away, unable to view the emotions overcoming her face. Raising his head, he noticed that Aerith had turned to Cloud, holding his shirt while she silently cried into his chest. Cloud simply held her, rubbing small circles in her back.
Yuffie looked up at the people surrounding her, noticing their sadness from the recollections. She stood up and softly said, "I'm sorry that I made you remember. I didn't want to make anyone sad. I just needed to know my past so I can try and remember myself."
Composing herself, Aerith left Cloud's embrace to walk over and hug Yuffie. "I know, Yuffie, I know. I just hate to remember what happened that day. I've tried for years to block that memory, but I can't. It's not you're fault that I'm an emotional mess," she said smiling.
"Hey guys, it's nearly six, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. I haven't had anything since breakfast. Why don't we go to the café and get some grub?" Cloud said, after looking at the clock on the wall.
Laughing, Leon said, "Strife, do you ever think about anything other than your stomach?"
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Author's Note: Well, what do you think? I might have another chapter up later this evening, but I don't know. I've been neglecting my studies since I started this story. :) Oh, well. It should be finished this weekend. I know where I'm going with this, it's just a matter of getting it on paper. By the way, just so you know, this story is interrupting my sleep as well. Every time I was nearly asleep last time, another idea for a scene would pop into my head. Anyways, enough rambling. Read and Review, please.