Disclaimer: Oh, I almost forgot! I'm not making these anymore. Think, people, and think hard about why I would be on a fan fiction site...because I'm only a fan! Hee hee...
Note: PLEASE REVIEW! It seems like I have been getting less and less reviews for my stories lately. Just because I have more than ten doesn't mean anything! *sniffle, sniffle*
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"Pass the mashed potatoes, please," Aerith asked politely to anyone willing to give her the bowl of steamy potatoes.
Cloud picked it up and passed it to her.
"Thank you, Cloud," Aerith said with a smile in a mechanical voice.
"Sure, Aerith," he said in the same way and grinned.
"Now, maybe Leon or Yuffie will please pass me the rolls?" Aerith asked.
Yuffie and Leon both reluctantly reached for the plate of roles at the same time and touched hands. They both reached away and turned from each other.
"Oh come on, what is going on?" Aerith asked. She looked pointedly from one to the other.
"LEON won't let me have the cat!" Yuffie burst out.
He shook his head. "And I have a good reason, too."
"And what's that?" Yuffie asked in a loud voice. "We'd all like to know!"
"My business is none of your business."
Cloud raised his eyebrows and started eating his roast beef.
"Let us try and talk this out in a sensible, adult fashion. Leon? Why do you not want Yuffie to have the cat?"
Squall slammed his fist onto the table. "Damnit! I can't keep anything here to myself can I?"
"No! We all live together! We are a team! We hide nothing from you!" Yuffie retorted.
Squall pushed back his chair and it fell over with a loud clank.
"That's it, I'm out of here," he growled. He stormed out of the room.
Cloud and Aerith watched him walk out of the room in surprise.
"What was that all about?" Cloud asked.
"I don't know…" Yuffie said. She stood up and ran after him.
"Yuffie—where are you going?"
"To find Squall!" she answered while running out the door.
Yuffie glanced around the hotel lobby, but he was no where in sight. She walked out into Second District and saw him walking towards the alley. She waved her hand high in the air and shouted, "Leon! Wait up!"
She burst into a sprint and tried to catch up with the quick paced Squall. She darted past Vanera's Armor and Weaponry shop. Vanera was outside the shop, taping a sign onto the window. She watched Yuffie with a bewildered expression.
"Yuffie?! Where are you going in such a hurry?!" Vanera asked.
But Yuffie didn't hear her. She pushed open the doors to the alley. She looked left and right but Squall wasn't in her eye range.
"Sq-Squall?" she whispered as loudly as she could. She didn't know why she was whispering; only that she felt tenseness in the air. She cautiously walked around some boxes and knelt on the ground. She peered over them.
"Stay away, Damien. This isn't your place, here. Drop your grudge already," came an angry voice.
"I will never stay away, Squall. Remember my letter? I stuck true to my word."
She furrowed her brows together. Damien…Damien…She had heard that name somewhere before!
"Oh!" she exclaimed. Her eyes widened and she realized her mistake. She clamped a hand over her mouth and ducked under the boxes.
"What was that?" Damien asked quickly.
"I didn't hear anything."
Yuffie relaxed. Of course! She had read a note addressed to Squall from Damien! It was a threat of some kind.
The sound of metal against metal resounded through the alley. Someone had drawn their sword. It must have been Damien, because Squall never kept it sheathed.
She glanced over the boxes again. Whoever Damien was, he was in the shadows. She only saw his tall, dark figure against the wall.
"You don't want to do this, Damien. Remember last time?" Squall reasoned.
"That was before. The past it behind us, Squallie."
Squallie? Who is this guy?
"Then why can't you give it up? You need to get help...I can help you."
"I've seen how you act. You never offer your help to anyone."
"Take it or leave it. I'm only offering once. I'm giving you a second chance, right now, to regain your dignity. You say no, I'll kill you and won't look back."
There was a pause, and only there breathing could be heard. Yuffie held her breath and waited for the answer.
"…Never."
There was a long slicing sound and a gun shot. A loud hissing moan rang in her ears like something she had never heard. It almost sounded human. She whimpered and covered her ears.
The sound stopped as quickly as it started. She opened her eyes and stood up onto her knees, the cold gravel digging into her skin. She bit her lip and tried to see into the darkness. Where had Squall gone?
She stood up slowly and turned around. Squall was standing next to her.
"What are you doing here?" he growled in a deep, low voice.
"N-n-n-nothing, I just…just…"
"Get out of my sight!" he yelled in rage. Her eyes filled with tears and she ran out of the alley.
He stood a moment longer, watching her leave, and walked in the opposite direction, gripping his Gunblade over his shoulder.
~~~
Yuffie lay on her side in a long lacy white nightgown that was fresh from the dryer. Her hair was half wet and she smelled slightly of a fragrant soap. She gripped the sheets close to her body, her legs curled up to her stomach like how she used to lay when she was just a child.
A child…everything is so simple when you're a kid. So black and white. You have others to depend on that will be there for you always…you always know you have a warm bed…and have such a sense of security. She didn't have that…she never felt safe or especially happy anymore.
Her friends cared about her, so she tried to be happy like they expected of her. They wanted to believe she was happy. So she was.
Did they look down upon her as a child? As simply a little annoying bug that buzzed in their ears? Did they wonder why she had no friends of her own age…? It's not like it was her fault. She was always slightly older and slightly more mature than all of the others her age. She had to be strong and she grew up much faster than she had to, as she had told herself over and over.
Or was it simply self pity? Maybe she really was that worthless…
She closed her eyes. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear the pressure that beat down on her everyday. No one could realize that. They never would. She didn't understand why it was there, herself.
She heard the door open and heavy footsteps walking across the floor. She put a hand on her cheek and felt wetness. She just realized she had tears dripping out of her eyes.
She wiped them up and listened for Squall to do what he did every night. Put his Gunblade down, take off his boots, brush his teeth, and go to bed. Usually in the clothes he had worn. He was too tired every night to bother with pajamas.
He lay down on the bed without a blanket and turned off the lamp. She listened for a time; his steady breathing eventually growing softer until she was positive he was asleep. Only then did she relax.
She buried her head in her pillow, about to go to sleep, but a loud, sobbing cry violently escaped her mouth instead. A life time's worth of sobs suppressed to only silent tears to pretend she was okay tore out of her throat and into the pillow.
~~~
A little girl with short black hair and big hazel eyes walked down an empty hallway. She looked about five years old, and adorably sweet. Loud voices were coming from a doorway just up ahead.
She walked at a slow pace. Her mother had given her a new dress, a pink dress, and she hated both of those. But together, they were even worse. An older friend of hers always wore something like that. If she walked slow, then the dress wouldn't billow around her and give her the full effect of wearing a dress.
She stopped by the door and looked inside. It looked to be a bar. A long counter ran across the room with barstools pulled up next to them, filled with men young and old.
Two young guys stood by the door, looking a little out of place. They were too young to be drinking.
One had brown hair and blue eyes. He was tall and had the biggest weapon she had ever seen. He was fairly muscled and had a strong build. The other one was a little bit shorter, a little bit lankier, with a strange look that she couldn't put her finger on. He had golden red hair and strange yellow eyes. They both had angry looks on their faces.
"Stop this, Damien! Do you see yourself! You're doing things that are more and more dangerous to yourself and others around you! People are going to start finding out! They'll put two and two together, and things will change around you so fast you won't know what hit you."
"Shut up, Squall...or should I say Squallie? Can't take the heat, Squallie? I don't know why you carry around that weapon if you never use it, anymore. What happened to the good days where me and you both did it? We were a team"
"I pulled myself out when it got too dangerous, just like you should have done."
"No! What happened to you? A few months ago you would have been with me all the way, ready to get my back!"
Squall started to squeeze his weapon's blade harder.
"Getting you angry, Squallie? Guess some people only hear what—"
His sentence was cut short when Squall pushed him against the wall and held the weapon to his neck.
The little girl's eyes widened and she ran past the doorway. She bumped into someone. She fell backwards with an 'oof' and onto the floor.
"Yuffie! What are you doing over here? You aren't allowed down this way!" a pink clad girl scolded. She was older than her by a few years.
She grasped her hand and pulled the girl up.
"Wait until your mother hears about this. You know the rules!"
"But what were you doin' down hee-a?" the little girl asked with the typical child lisp.
"Your mother sent me to find you and I knew where you probably went," she replied in a calm but firm voice.
The child was pulled forward. She spared a glance over her shoulder and saw the boy with dark hair walking out of the bar, looking angry.
~~~
Yuffie opened her eyes slowly, the impact of the dream hitting her. It wasn't just a dream...it was a memory. She remembered that day, now. Her mother made her wear a horrifying dress and that's the first time she saw Squall up close.
She felt a small smile spreading across her lips despite herself. She was partially happy that she remembered, but also sad. When she left Hollow Bastion, she slowly made new memories and pushed all of the painful ones behind her. She slowly forgot them all...now they were hazy around the edges or completely forgotten.
The bedside next to her was empty. Squall was always up before her. She didn't know how he did it. She could hardly open her eyes most of the time.
She picked up a pair of khaki shorts from her drawer and took off her nightgown. She pulled the shorts on and started rifling through Squall's closet.
She grinned with pleasure just imagining his reaction. When she was younger and just arrived at Hollow Bastion with Squall, Aerith, and Cid, she and Aerith were caught in a fire and lost all of their clothes when they were still living and sleeping in the alley. Squall had to lend them his clothing.
She had loved wearing his shirts that were two or three sizes too big for her. They were comfortable and smelled like him. She felt...safer, somehow. Hopefully he wouldn't get angry...she wouldn't be able to take it. She just wanted to apologize.
She pulled out a white T-shirt and put it on over her shorts. The T-shirt went past her shorts to her knees. She tucked in the front side so the back still hung out like a tail.
She attached her belt onto her waist and skipped out of the room, feeling joyous for discovering who Damien was and remembering one slightly happy memory.
The streets in Second District were more crowded than usual. She leaned over the side and looked down, and instantly felt dizzy. Not too long ago, she had fallen onto the hard cement and was in a coma. Ever since she felt nauseous around the same spot.
Still, she steadied herself and looked at the people. There was a surprising number...what was going on? She noticed a bunch of stands with merchants yelling out to people as they passed by.
She bit her lip. It was the Killmania Festival already? (A/N: I think in like the second or third chapter Ashton explained a story involving the Killmanian War. More information will up in oncoming chapters, I believe.) It seemed like it just came a couple of months ago.
With even more energy, she ran as fast as she could down to the main floor of Second District. The Killmania Festival was her favorite part of the year. It was a commemoration for those who died in the infamous Killmanian War, as well as the veterans who served and still living lives.
Since she first came to Traverse Town, everyone traveled far and wide to see the amazing sights and buy from the most renowned merchants in the world, who set up their stands in the very early morning before anyone is up. It took up all three districts and lasted for three days, because the war lasted for three years.
With a large smile on her face, she jumped from stand to stand, admiring the beautiful trinkets and fragrant flowers. Some stands had hot foods and beverages. She stopped in front of a hot dog stand and shoved her hands into her pockets for some Munny.
She pulled out some pocket lint, three buttons, two pennies, a pin, a sticker, scrap papers, a pocket flashlight, a stick of gum, a picture of Aerith, Cloud, Cid, her, and an annoyed looking Squall, a hair band...
Ten minutes later, there was a long line of people waiting for hot dogs and the hot dog man was tapping his foot impatiently.
Yuffie simpered (A/N: Yes, not supposed to be whimpered, it's a new word a learned!) and finally pulled out three Munny gems. She gave them to the man and got a hot dog in exchange.
She walked away, holding the steamy hot dog in hand.
"Eh, Lady! Ya forgot yer pocket stuff!" she heard a voice yell. Without looking back, she waved her hand as if to say, "Keep it."
She bit into her hot dog and chewed fiercely. She was half-starved from not eating much yesterday. She traveled to the other stands and stopped, awe struck, in front of a jewelry and figurine stand.
There was a gorgeous necklace featured on a black velvet stand that glimmered proudly in the middle of all of the others. It was a thin strand of silver, delicate looking, with an equally delicate ring strung to it.
She completely forgot her hot dog and dropped it into a waste basket nearby. In a rush, she walked over to the stand and stared at the necklace. The ring was engraved with intertwined ovals. It sparkled, despite the dreariness of Traverse Town.
The merchant nodded at her. He was about in his upper forties.
"That's a special necklace. It has to do with the Killmanian War, too, which is why I have it."
"Why is it special?" she asked, still stunned.
"During the War, soldiers lived far away from family and friends. So, Ashton Melvnik, a young soldier, sent his lover a necklace with a little note. It said, "This is a love necklace. The intertwined ovals mean everlasting love. Always hold onto it and you'll have a piece of me with you, even if I leave this world." The idea appealed to everyone else, and a lot of the soldiers sent their loved ones necklaces like these, all different, but they all had the intertwined circles. It was said that when Ashton's wife was killed, she was holding the necklace and smiling."
Yuffie nodded vigorously. She remembered Ashton...he had helped her when she had been down that rainy night...she was in his debt. It was extraordinary that she had met and talked to a legendary man.
"That's so interesting!" Yuffie exclaimed.
"Yes. But what is even more interesting is this is Ashton's necklace."
"Wow..."
"It's 2,563 Munny gems."
Yuffie's jaw dropped. How expensive! Her eyes were cast to her feet.
"Well...thanks for the story."
"You're not going to buy it, most likely someone else will take it if you don't."
She bit her lip. She did have the money, but she was saving it up so she could, maybe, one day move out of the hotel into her own apartment. But no, she couldn't blow it...
"No thanks," she said with a downhearted smile. The man scratched his head and shrugged.
"Suit yourself..."
Yuffie stuffed her hands into her pocket and walked away, rather reluctantly.
"Yuffie! Yuffie...over here!" Aerith shouted through the crowd. She looked left and right and finally spotted Aerith grasping onto Cloud's arm, looking extremely happy and excited.
Yuffie ran up to them with a smile on her face.
"I forgot about the Festival! You guys never said anything to remind me."
"We thought you knew," Aerith replied. She smiled widely. "Let's go see the games in First District! Cloud and I were riding the rides in Third District but he got sick, so he wanted to see the games."
She glanced at Cloud with a grin. "Lookin' a little green in the face, actually, Cloud," Yuffie remarked.
Cloud rolled his eyes and let go of Aerith's arm.
"I told her I get sick on spinning rides."
They started walking forward to the door. She hesitated.
"But where's Squall?"
Cloud and Aerith exchanged glances.
"We haven't seen him all day," Cloud answered. Aerith nodded and a piece of chestnut hair fell in front of her green eyes. She actually had her hair down today, released from its braided confines. She looked...well, radiant.
Yuffie put a hand on her hip. "Haven't seen him? And you didn't go look for him?"
They exchanged glances again and looked back at her.
"What do you know that I don't know?" she asked.
Aerith fingered her hair nervously.
"Aerith, you can never tell a lie. Just tell me."
Cloud looked from Yuffie to Aerith and crossed his arms. "I knew she would spill...I knew it..."
"He told us he needed to think things out and deal with some things. And not to tell you, because you would go and find him," Aerith said with a sigh. She grabbed Yuffie's hand and started to pull her through the crowd.
Yuffie trailed behind, Aerith's grip on her hand squeezing her like iron. She was stronger than she thought.
The games were splattered all over, video games near one corner, dart throws in another, and a whole bunch of other games spread out everywhere. Food was being served in the café and little children were running around everywhere.
"What should we play first?" Aerith asked in an excited voice.
"Oh dear God, and I was just recovering from the ache of last year's Festival, Aerith. You get too excited," Cloud moaned.
"I can't help it!" Aerith said in a strained voice. She was moving the trigger of a video game and clicking the little red button on top, trying to maneuver the little airship on the screen to the right direction.
Yuffie giggled. "I never saw you at the Festival, last time, Aerith. I had to stay home because I had a cold."
Aerith's eyes were glazed over and all words from the outside world were blocked out. Cloud, meanwhile, had discovered the delights of ice-cream stands.
Yuffie fingered her belt and watched the two for a few moments longer. She pushed herself into a large crowd of people and hid herself from view.
She had a weird feeling. She had to find Squall...but she didn't know why. It just seemed strange to her that he would disappear somewhere on such an exciting time. But then again...maybe the idea of so many people stressed him out. Yet...last year it seemed like he had enjoyed the excitement.
A couple of people gave her stares as she shoved past them rudely. She stared back at them and ran through the crowds until she got to the alley. Maybe Squall was talking to Damien again...he was there last time.
With soft, quiet steps that belonged to none other than The Greatest Female Ninja Ever, she ducked behind the boxes and peeked over the top. She drooped in disappointment. Squall wasn't there.
"Squall...I mean Leon...where are you?" she whispered to herself.
She noticed the opening of the Waterway was dark, and the bars were raised. She kicked off her shoes and socks, then carefully lowered herself into the knee high water. She trudged through the murky coldness that seemed to have gunk at the bottom that sucked at her toes.
She twisted her face into a look of disgust and walked through the water until it was chest high. It swished around her and echoed on the walls, announcing her presence. She stopped abruptly and listened for any noises.
A finger traced the back of her neck and made her hair rise. She whirled around as fast as she could in the thick water, expecting Squall.
A hand covered her mouth and cut off her shriek. The man held her in a tight grip. He pulled her head back onto his chest while still holding her mouth, but he did so with a tender touch.
Yuffie's eyes widened as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings better. She saw golden red hair and a lanky figure. And the strangest golden eyes...
He let go of her mouth and traced a finger down her arm. She was too frightened to say anything.
Snap out of it! What am I doing?
She threw her hand back and brought it down as hard as she could onto his cheek. With amazing reflexes, he grabbed her wrist an inch away from his face.
"Not so fast," he whispered huskily into her ear.
"L-Let go of me..." she said in a whimper.
"But I can't..."
Yuffie's heart was beating fast. Was he going to rape her? He sounded odd. Maybe he was going to rape her and then kill her. Her remains would sink to the bottom of the floor...be sucked into the murky slime of the Waterway...
"NO!" she shouted loudly. She threw her hand back, his guard down, and punched his face. He fell backwards into the water with a loud splash and angrily surfaced for air, a look of malevolent rage on his face.
She dove into the water and swam furiously to the dirt land covered in stones. Without making the mistake of looking behind her, she resurfaced and pulled herself onto the dirt.
She gasped for air and wildly looked around. He was gone. Damien...it had to be him. He seemed so familiar to her...not just from her dream, but from somewhere else.
Her clothes clung to her skin and made her shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked backward until she hit the wall. She sunk down to the floor, gripping herself.
She leaned her head against the wall and heard a clank. She screamed and jumped to her feet.
"I'm not afraid of you...come out and we'll really fight!" she said in a shakier voice than she had hoped.
"...Yuffie..."
"Leon?" she asked shrilly. Her head turned to the direction of his voice and spotted him in the opposite corner, his head lowered.
She walked over to him, each step she took allowing her to see him more clearly.
He had claw marks all over his arms and face. His shirt was ripped in numerous places. A long gash was cut across his arm, leaking blood all over the floor.
She dropped onto her knees next to him.
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing..."
"Nothing?!" she shrieked. "Stop lying!"
He didn't say anything. He took off his shirt and wrapped it onto his arm, bandaging the cut. Yuffie's eye was drawn to his chest, which rose and fell with his breath. She flushed and forced herself to look away.
He stood up slowly and picked up his Gunblade with his good hand. She stood up and tried to pull the Gunblade from him.
"No, you can't just get up and leave! Forget yesterday! I'm sorry for spying on you, okay? Sit down, right now!"
He started forward, about to step into the water back to the entrance. She darted forward and grabbed his arm.
"Listen to me—"
"I will not listen to you. Stay out of this!" he snapped.
Yuffie took an involuntary step backward and touched her cheek like she had been slapped.
"Don't do this to me..." she whispered. He lowered himself into the water. He started forward at a slow pace, his face expressionless as the dirty water hit his cut.
Her shoulders shook as she let her tears fall freely, something she hadn't allowed herself to do in front of anyone for years.
"Squall! Come back here!" she shouted in a shaking voice.
He didn't look back or acknowledge her presence. She pressed herself against a wall and lowered herself onto the dirt, crying softly into her arms.
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I am finally done! I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'm aiming for a lot of reviews, folks! By the way, I changed my name from "October Girl" to "October Breeze" and updated my profile. I'm not sure if it's been switched yet from when I last checked.
Well give me your feedback!!!