Okay, I finally pulled myself to do this. I have way too many ideas in my head and the faster I can complete this the faster I can get them off my head! I haven't been doing much writing, lately...I'm really sorry, too. I was busy making icons (new thing I found out how to do) and I was trying to draw. By the way...please go to PingPong867's LiveJournal community, called SquffieLove! There are some cool icons there, story contests, and normal chat between Squffie lovers. It's fun!

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Terrorized

Chapter 6

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Leon grimly polished his Gunblade, sweat beads running down the side of his face. He had no clue what he was dealing with, no clue at all. The woman wasn't a normal woman, she didn't look anything like a human.

"Pass the grease," Cloud muttered and propped his sword against the table in the Green Room. Leon slid it over to him. "Thanks."

Sora sighed audibly from the corner of the room, playing with his Keyblade. He sat on the bed and flicked the chain around. "Why do you need to grease your weapons?"

"Because it makes them look shiny," Leon said sarcastically. He didn't have time to talk to Sora, or anyone else. He wanted complete silence so he could concentrate on preparing himself for tonight.

There was a soft knock on the door. Aerith opened it, carrying three sodas. "Would you boys like something to drink?" she asked softly, her eyes anxious and cast downwards.

"Thanks, Aerith," Cloud said, knowing that Leon would be angry for more interruption and decided to show Aerith he had appreciation for her thoughtfulness. He took the drink and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled and put a hand on Cloud's elbow.

"Sure, throw one over here!" Sora said, trying to be cheerful and fill the silence. Aerith tossed it over but her throw was a little short. It fell and rolled on the ground, hitting Sora's foot. He shrugged and picked it up, tapping on the lid.

"I wouldn't open that if I were—" Cloud said, but Sora had already popped the lid and brown fizzy liquid was spraying all over him. The way he wasn't trying to stop it made Cloud think he was trying to be funny for all their sakes. It was sad.

Aerith grabbed the pop out of Sora's hand and pulled it away. Sora grinned and wiped his face off with his hand. "Oh man, look what happened..."

Leon shook his head and continued to clean off the weapon.

The people I associate myself with, he thought.

====================

Yuffie opened her eyes and looked around. There was a small light on, just barely lighting up the room. It was empty again. And an ugly Heartless was pacing around the room, restless, and barely able to look at one thing for more than two seconds.

It noticed she had woken up. It bounced over to her and stared at her. She cringed. "Go away!" she whispered. It quivered like it was trying to resist the urge to attack her. She grabbed her pouch of shurikens but found it was empty. Yvonne probably took them. "Damn."

She pushed herself back up against the wall slowly. She still felt weak and her elbows were shaking with effort to move herself.

The Heartless finally left her bedside and continued pacing around the room faster than before. Yuffie sighed in relief and let her muscles relax. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She had never thought about it before...she was going to die tonight...only it was worse than when she had been dangling over the cliff. She hadn't had to wait for the time to hit midnight for her to die. She knew exactly when she was going to. It wasn't the same as knowing you'll die when you're old.

She didn't want to die before she got to say goodbye to her friends. Even if she wasn't important to them. They were the only people she had.

"That is pathetic," said a whispered voice right next to her ear, surprising her with the cold that brushed against her hair. Breath was supposed to be warm.

Yuffie turned to Yvonne, who was standing next to her bedside. "When did you get here?"

"It's a pity knowing what you're thinking," she continued on while ignoring Yuffie's question.

"Whatever..." she said coolly.

"You must come with me..." Yvonne said. "It's time."

"No!"

"Yes, come."

"I don't want to die!" she yelled at her with tears in her eyes. Yvonne sneered and started walking towards the door, and Yuffie automatically followed.

"Stop! I don't want to go!" Yuffie shouted. Her legs carried her at Yvonne's heels. Her mind control was too strong for her to resist. "Stop..." she said weakly.

"Your friends should be here in an hour," Yvonne said with a cruel laugh while bringing Yuffie across the stone islands in the water. "Maybe less."

Yuffie chose not to say anything. Tears streamed down her cheeks, making her eyes red and puffy.

Yvonne brought her to the middle of Third District and stopped in the middle. She turned around and gave her a penetrating stare. "You are to wait here."

Yuffie nodded. She could agree now, but as soon as she left she would bolt.

"Of course...there are some advantages of reading your mind," Yvonne said with a smirk and snapped her fingers. The mist left Yvonne and encircled Yuffie instead, filling her with coldness. She struggled to move but the mist held her still.

"See you," she said with another laugh before disappearing.

====================

Leon paced around the room, bumping into a table leg and spilling the half empty soda cans onto the ground. Aerith fumbled with a rag to clean it up, her hands shaking. It was almost time to go and get Yuffie back.

"Aerith, just leave it," Cloud said quickly.

"No...I'll clean it up," she said and wiped at the stained carpet. She pulled back up when she had gotten out the most of it and sat on the bed, clasping her hands in her lap and pulling her elbows in to hide the evidence of her shivering.

Cloud sighed. "Ready, Leonheart?"

Leon's grasp on the handle of his weapon tightened. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Sora?"

"Yeah! Let's take that thing head on and show her what we're made of!" Sora said enthusiastically.

"Then let's go."

They walked towards the door, Aerith at their heels. Once they got outside the hotel, Aerith continued to follow them. Cloud turned around and gently held her back.

"Aerith, stay here. We'll be back soon."

Hopefully...Leon thought.

"No, I want to go, too! I have to see Yuffie."

"You're not going. You have to stay here where it's safe."

"No! I can't take it. What if you die, Cloud? I want to be there to hold your hand! What if Yuffie dies? I want to say something to her; I want to be there to tell her it's all right!" she shouted, tears clouding her vision.

"Come on, then," Leon said crossly. Aerith's eyes widened.

"Really?" she said incredulously.

"If you're going, then move."

"Leon, I don't think—" Cloud started.

"Come on, Strife." Leon walked a few strides ahead of them, looking tense. He stopped in front of the doorway to Third District.

"How will we get in?" Aerith asked timidly.

"I don't know," Cloud said honestly, placing a hand on the door and knocking on it. He continued knocking along the door until the sound that came back sounded different. "This is hollower than the other parts of the door. Maybe we can cut it open."

"It won't work. The door is too thick even if hollow," Leon said grimly.

"Well we have to try something," Aerith said with a sigh. She went up to the doorknob and turned it. The door swung open. She took a step back, her mouth gaping open. "How...?"

"I thought it was locked!" Sora said in surprise.

"Who the hell cares? Let's just get Yuffie and get out of here," Leon said with a scowl and stepped forward into the district.

====================

Yuffie moaned and opened her eyes. She could hardly stand, and the mist was all that was holding her up. She just wanted to die, maybe make it easier on everybody. It would be so much easier than having to stand here, and to go through all of this. It just wasn't fair.

Who said life was fair? echoed a voice in her head. Squall's voice.

"Squall..." she whispered. A movement out of the corner of her eye broke her out of her reverie. It looked like...

"Squall?" she whispered, shaking her head. And Sora, Cloud, and...Aerith? "What?"

Yuffie stared at Leon and their eyes connected. She broke into a sob and wished the mist would let her go, just let her run to them. She struggled to move in vain.

"Yuffie!" Aerith cried and ran towards her. Before she got close to her, a swooping figure snatched Aerith around the waist and flew her over back to the little group, screaming the whole way. She dropped her on the ground and fell with a thud and a sickening crack.

Cloud bent over her, anger and worry in his eyes. He checked her pulse and looked into the sky, searching for the figure. "What the hell was that?"

Sora jumped forward, holding his Keyblade in front of him. "I'm going to get Yuffie, then we can get out of here!"

He darted forward, keeping his eyes set and determined on Yuffie. She shook her head frantically and tried to yell for him to stop but the mist stopped her.

Yvonne reappeared in front of Sora, blocking him and making him run into her and fall back on the ground. "Maleficent," he hissed.

"You. You.The boy I've wanted to see all along," she said gleefully, snapping her fingers. The mist left Yuffie and covered Yvonne's. Yuffie stumbled, trying to balance, but her legs weren't strong enough, and she collapsed.

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Leon watched Yuffie collapse in a heap on the floor when the mist released her. He furrowed his eyebrows and edged towards a building, watching the woman and Sora exchange words. He tried to keep out of sight as he got near to her. He knelt down.

"Yuffie...can you walk?" he asked softly when he realized she wasn't knocked out, but struggling to get up. She shook her head. He put a hand under her chin and lifted her head. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I messed up..." she whispered. He didn't understand what she meant, but there was no time for him to ask. He put an arm under her knees and around her waist and lifted her slowly.

"Going somewhere?" whispered a cool woman's voice. She seemed to appear out of thin air in front of Leon and Yuffie, who whimpered when she saw her. "I will need her for my sacrifice to the darkness."

Yvonne reached out to grab Yuffie. Leon pulled her away. "Go back to the hole where you came from," he growled.

"Oh, I will, quite soon," she said smoothly, taking hold of Yuffie and successfully pulling her away. The mist brushed around his skin and he immediately felt a cold, yet burning sensation on his skin. He stumbled back and looked at Yvonne in surprise, who was carelessly dropping Yuffie onto the ground. She moved aside and he could see Sora sprawled on the ground, unconscious or dead, his Keyblade still in hand.

"I don't need to kill you unless you make things difficult for me," she hissed, and approached him, touching his temple with a long, white finger.

He reached for his Gunblade and swung it back, and before she could react, her arm was severed and hanging on the ground, her stump of an arm spilling Heartless blood. She screamed inhumanly and jumped onto him, her one hand wrapping over his neck. He was pushed backwards into the wall while she squeezed the air out of him.

"Squall!" Yuffie screeched. She was sitting up and staring at him with shiny, tearful eyes. She started dragging herself over to him. He tried to shake his head, his eyes watering. Yvonne grinned and tightened her grip.

Yuffie grabbed Yvonne's ankle and buried her nails and teeth into her calf, another scream coming from the pale woman. She loosened her grip and Leon fell onto the ground, gripping his neck.

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"Get off me, you retched—evil—!" Yvonne shrieked, but refrained from hitting Yuffie.

"How dare you hurt my friends!" she screamed at her.

"Move out of the way, Yuffie!" Cloud yelled, bringing himself away from Aerith and holding his sword up. Yvonne laughed and held her hand up, releasing a ball of dark matter that hit Cloud in the stomach, pushing him backwards and toppling on top of Aerith.

She turned back to Leon who had started to stand up, pale in the face. "Time to die."

Yuffie's eyes widened. If he died, it would be all her fault. Her eyes darted wildly around, looking for something, anything, to help her. Her heart beat hard in her chest. Then she saw it.

She reached out to grab Leon's Gunblade, and held it up. "If you touch him, Yvonne, I'll kill myself with this Gunblade!" she shouted. Yvonne turned around from Leon, her face distorted with rage, then she laughed.

"I highly doubt you will end up killing your own, precious self," Yvonne said coldly, but she looked uncertain.

"Oh—" Yuffie choked on her words but continued. "Oh yes I will!"

Leon shook his head, looking at Yuffie like she was crazy. Strong hands encircled her waist and pulled her back.

"Cloud let me go!" she screeched. Once Yvonne realized Cloud wouldn't let Yuffie kill herself she turned back to finish Leon off.

"No!" she screamed and plunged the Gunblade into her stomach. Yvonne dropped Leon and screamed. The mist shattered and Yvonne collapsed onto the ground, still screaming. Yuffie giggled weakly. Cloud gripped her harder.

"Yuffie!" Leon and Cloud yelled at the same time.

Yvonne floated off the spot on the ground and a small orb rose out of her chest, pulsating. Yuffie watched wearily, and felt herself slipping.

White wisps of smoke escaped orb. "The hearts she stole..." Yuffie whispered before everything grew black around the edges. She vaguely saw a wolf-like wisp floating above her.

Live...

Arcanine?

"Yuffie...Yuffie..." Leon said, shaking her shoulder. Yuffie opened her eyes. She was dead...dead...

"What...?" she whispered, looking around. Sora, Cloud, Aerith, and Leon were leaning over her, looking concerned. "What?" she repeated before flinging her arms around Leon's neck, sobbing into his shoulder.

She let him go and looked down at her stomach. Her clothes were bloodied and ripped. "Why aren't I dead?"

Aerith started to cry, then shook her head. "A dog..."

"A dog...?"

"A dog saved you...you were dying—bleeding—and it kind of...made it stop," she said like she couldn't believe it.

"Arcanine..."

"What?"

"Nothing. You guys...I'm sorry. I didn't believe you loved me; I thought you hated me," Yuffie said sheepishly. "So I went with Yvonne but everything went all wrong. I'm sorry."

"Oh Yuffie," Aerith whispered and hugged Yuffie. "We just wanted to protect you."

"I know..."

"Let's go home."

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Aerith and Cloud entered the hotel, looking exhausted. Yuffie paused and grabbed Leon's wrist, who had been silent the rest of the way home.

"I'm sorry," Yuffie said quickly.

"For what?"

"Being stupid."

"Everyone acts stupid."

"Even you?"

"Yeah..."

Yuffie smiled and grabbed Leon's neck and kissed him hard on the lips, blushing but not stopping.

He put a hand on her waist and another on her arm and kissed her back, then pulled away. "What was that for?"

"Just because."

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The end! I was so anxious to get this dang story done...I am so relieved its over! I hated it! Ugh! I wrote it terrible, too...probably because I didn't like it. Ahh well... review please and look out for my next stories.