Author's Note: Hm...I don't really have much to say up here. Guess I'll just leave notes to some of the reviewers. By the way, all of y'all's (yes, I said 'y'all') reviews are making me so extremely and unbelievably happy. Seriously, you have no idea how ecstatic I get when I get the reviews. So, I will say 'Thank you' right now to all of y'all. (yep, I said 'y'all' again...what can I say, I live in East Texas)
I'm gonna have to admit that I'm having trouble not skipping all these back-story chapters right now and getting back to the present, but, I have to have these chapters in here. You'll understand later, believe me. I think there's only gonna be maybe 1-2 more chapters in the past after this one, then I'll get back to Yuffie's current mess.
Oh, and we're going to pretend they have TV in Kingdom Hearts.
Note to HamstaMasta: *shudders* I remember the days of sine, cosine, and tangent....I'm never going back again.
Note to October Breeze: You have no idea how happy your review made me. Seriously. I'm glad that my stories are able to have that effect on people.
Note to Vulpes Lapis: Of course Squall is quite romantic. I'm writing this, after all. And I can force him to do whatever I want. ^_~ Mwuhaha.......You know, I think I've lost my mind.
Note to pingpong867: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THE LINK TO THAT WEBSITE!!!! Now, I can go there and read about Squall ALL the time! And look at pictures of Squall ALL the time! hehe...okay, so I'm obsessed with him.
[Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them. None of them, not even my Squallikins.]
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Chapter Four
Yuffie rolled over for what seemed like the hundredth time, trying to get comfortable so she could fall asleep. But, between the thoughts of the chaste kiss Leon had given her and the one she had given in return and lying in a strange bed in a strange room, sleep refused to come to her. "Face it, Yuf," she muttered as she sat up, "you're used to sharing a bed." And she was right. Without Leon on the other side, the bed felt uneven somehow, as though it might tip over and dump her on the floor at any time.
Climbing out of the bed, she padded over to the connecting door, sparing a quick glance at the clock on her way. As it was nearly midnight and the day had been busy, Yuffie assumed she would be able to crawl into the Green Room's bed without Leon ever waking. She eased the door open slowly, cringing when she heard it make a loud creak, and entered the Green Room, shutting the door slowly behind her.
"Who's there?" a very tired and sleepy sounding Leon mumbled from the bed across the room.
"Cinderella's lonely," she whispered, remembering their conversation at the dance earlier in the evening. "Can I sleep with you?" She had been creeping closer to the bed the whole time so that when she asked the last part, she was standing right over him.
In reply, Leon scooted over, giving her the side she normally slept on, the side closest to the wall. With no choice but to climb over him, she eased her way across the bed and slid beneath the sheets, close enough to him to feel his warmth, yet far enough away to not be actually touching him. "Thank you," she murmured as she felt sleep begin to take her.
"No problem, Yuf. I was kinda lonely, too," he muttered as he rolled over, half-asleep.
Hours later, Leon jerked awake to sobs wracking a still-sleeping Yuffie and her calling out 'Squall' in a heart-wrenching manner. Reaching over to her, he gently shook her awake, whispering her name. Her eyes fluttered open and darted around the room before focusing on him. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.
Sniffling, she shook her head. "I don't know. I had a bad dream," she mumbled. "But, I can't remember it." The tears kept streaming down her face. "I just remember the emotions of it."
Leon pulled her against his chest, soothingly rubbing small circles on her back. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured into her soft black hair as her weeping subsided and she drifted off to sleep again, still in his arms.
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Yuffie awoke alone in the bed to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom with a vague dream-like recollection of Leon pulling her into his arms during the night. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and yawned just as the bathroom door opened, revealing her fully-dressed roommate. She gave him a confused look. "Squ-er-Leon, was it a dream, or did I...um...sleep in your arms?" she asked as a faint pink blush spread across her cheeks as she realized the implications if he told her it was just a dream.
"Little of both, maybe... dream and reality," he said quietly as he turned his back to her and looked out the window of the hotel room. Shaking his head after a moment of contemplation, he faced her to find her still sitting in the bed, lost in her own thoughts. "Yuffie?"
"Hm?" She jerked her head up as his voice brought her out of the reverie she had fallen into.
"C'mon, get up. We've got to clean up the mess from the reception." He walked to the door, stopping with his hand on the doorknob as he glanced over at her again. "I'll meet you at the Third District with some breakfast, okay?"
She nodded, watching him from her position in the bed until the door shut behind him. Sighing loudly, she fell back on the bed and smiled dreamily. "I slept in his arms," she whispered in disbelief.
The door opened again, Leon's head peeking in at her. "And don't go back to sleep!" he told her sternly when he saw that she was lying down again.
"Yes sir!" she replied as she jumped out of the bed and mock-saluted him in her pajamas as he closed the door once again. After he left, she went to the dresser, about to pull out her normal green halter-top and khaki shorts when she remembered the conversation from the night before. Thinking for a moment, she decided it was time for her to start dressing a little differently, a little older perhaps. Shutting the drawer, she opened the closet and reached into the back where she kept the clothes she seldom wore. She pulled out a pair of hip hugger blue jeans and a green shirt that allowed only small space of her midriff to be bare.
Once dressed, she looked at the clock and realized that she had taken longer than she expected and that Leon had probably thought she had gone back to bed. Quickly running a brush through her tangled hair and slipping a pair of shoes on, she ran out the door and to the Third District, apologizing to the few people she nearly collided into in her haste.
In the Third District, she found Leon under the tent and at one of the tables, a box of donuts and two cups of coffee in front of him. Looking up as he heard footsteps, he blinked a few times when he noticed the different attire Yuffie had worn. "What are you wearing?" he asked before he could stop himself.
Yuffie rolled her eyes as she sat down across from him and grabbed a chocolate donut from the box. "I think people call them 'clothes,' Squall," she said sarcastically before taking a bite.
"Leon," he muttered, ignoring the sarcasm and taking a drink of the bitter black liquid. Keeping his head lowered slightly, he watched her through the screen of russet hair that fell over his eyes as she daintily tore the donut into small bites before placing them in her mouth. "Ready?" he inquired when he noticed she was done.
"It's now or never." Pushing her chair away from the table, she stood up. "So, when will the other people get here?"
"What other people, Yuffie?"
"The other people that are going to help clean up."
Taking a deep breath before answering, Leon looked her directly in the eye. "There are no other people. The caterers aren't coming for their stuff until the trash is cleaned out. It's just you and me," he told her, listening to her groan in disgust. "So, I suggest we get started."
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Having finally finished picking up the trash after spending nearly the whole day cleaning, Yuffie and Leon leaned against the wall and watched the caterers take the tent down and carry the tables and chairs away. Leon looked down at his watch, seeing it was almost five o'clock. "How about dinner, Yuf?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"Sounds great." Pushing herself away from the wall, she started towards the First District when Leon pulled her back.
"No, not the café. How about that new Italian restaurant in the Second District?"
Yuffie's eyes widened in surprise. "Um...Leon, that restaurant's supposed to be kinda expensive," she told him, worried because she didn't have much cash on hand.
"Don't worry. My treat." Looking down, he realized that they both were filthy. "But, maybe we should go clean up first," he suggested.
Laughing, Yuffie agreed. "Yeah, I don't think they'd let us in looking and smelling like garbage." They silently made their way to the hotel, Yuffie deciding to take her shower in the Red Room while Leon took his in the Green Room to save time.
Once out of the shower, she slipped on the knee-length black skirt and blue silk blouse she had found in the back of her closet. Eyeing her reflection in the full-length mirror in the Red Room, she came to the conclusion that the two simple colors worked well together to create a simple, yet sophisticated look. As she was fastening the straps of her sandals, a knock on the door signaled the Leon was waiting for her. "Come in," she called.
He walked into the room wearing his normal clothes: black pants, white t-shirt, and leather jacket. "Ready?" he asked, offering his arm to her when she stood up from the bed where she had sat to put her shoes on.
"Um...yeah," she muttered as she eyed his offered arm warily before slipping her arm through it. They walked in silence the short distance from the hotel to the new restaurant which was surprisingly not busy. And they ate their dinner in relative silence, both of them apparently having other matters on their mind.
"You okay, Yuf?" Leon questioned as they left the restaurant and strolled through the Second District on the way back to the hotel. "You seem awfully quiet tonight."
Biting her lip, she decided she had to ask him what had been on her mind throughout dinner. She stopped walking and turned him around to face her. "Squall, is this a date?" she asked bluntly.
Instead of answering, Leon took her by surprise when he pulled her to him and brought his mouth down to hers in a heated kiss, one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her neck, keeping her head in place. As the kiss deepened, Yuffie felt her knees begin to tremble and she clutched his jacket with one hand while the other looped around his neck to keep her from falling.
Breaking away to breathe, she leaned her head against his chest, her ear pressed over his heart which was beating almost as furiously as hers. He softly stroked her back with the hand that had been on the back of her neck while keeping the other firmly on her waist. "First real kiss, huh?" he whispered into her hair.
Still breathless, she nodded her head gently while he shifted her position to where she could lean against his shoulder as they walked into the hotel. "Squall, you never answered. Is this a date?" she asked again when they reached the Green Room's door.
He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her still leaning against him. "Do I need to do it again?" he said softly as he gently pushed her into the room and shut the door behind them.
Turning around, she put an arm around his neck. "That would be nice," she murmured as he lowered his mouth to hers again, this time the kiss more gentle and less fervent than before. Yuffie pulled away momentarily, then hesitantly started the kiss again, this time taking control of it herself. His arms tightened around her, encouraging her to deepen the kiss.
Slipping away from him, Yuffie grabbed a pair of her flannel pajamas and went into the bathroom to change. When she emerged, she found Leon propped up against the headboard, mindlessly flipping through the channels on the TV. She climbed across the bed and up to where he was sitting, nestling up against him while he placed an arm around her that he absently rubbed up and down her arm. "I just realized something," Yuffie began, looking up at him.
"What?"
"I've called you 'Squall' twice tonight, and you never corrected me."
He kissed the top of her head. "I gave up."
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Author's Note: I was going to add a little more, but a friend *cough* VL *cough* liked where it ended here, so I'll put it in the next chapter....it works better like that anyways. So, read and review.