Drops of Jupiter
Chapter 2 – It's not always rainbows and butterflies.
Ships: Leon / Yuffie . Aerith / Cloud and . Sora / Kairi later on
PG-13 – Language, innuendo later on
Summary of Chapter 2:
LY, AC –Ooh, Squiffie.
Special Text:
"Blahblah".= Dialogue
'Blahblah' = Thoughts
Blahblah = Rinoa talking to Squall
[A/N: blah] = Author's notes that might just be around here and there.
Ages:
Aerith- 25
Cloud- 24
Squall- 26
Yuffie- 17
Cid- 35
A/N: Thanks a whole bunch to my precious reviewers:
ImmortalBreeze04: Aw, thanks! An update just for you!
Anime-Master7: Thanks! I know, I have this thing with rain/storms and Squall. It's like his theme.
gssff: Thanks...lol...I think...
Skeledude12: Aw, shucks, this is not that great though someday I wish it will be. I really like your fic! Just make it longer, and it'll be even greater! By the way, sorry to keep you waiting, but SoraKairi and CloudAerith won't be around until the next two chapters probably.
Deplora: Thank you! Thank you! Yep, I usually despise Rinoa, but I figured... Who better to mess with Squall's head? None other than his dead girlfriend, of course! Besides, she protects Yuffie. And 'coz you reviewed first for the 2nd chapter, you get a Squall plushie, absolutely free!
sora-doragon: Well, Cloud woke up! Thanks a bunch for reviewing!
DarkFlame666: Thanks!! Isn't Squallie just divine?
ShadowRogueakaSnowri: lol I've always wanted to put that specific line in one of my fan fictions...
Elvi-Rose: Thank you!! You know, honesty is the key. .
SkyKit: And you, the first ever reviewer, get a free plushie of your choice!
And everyone else gets a cute Squall keychain!!
I'll never leave you behind
or treat you unkind
and I know you'll understand
and with a tear in my eye
give me the sweetest goodbye
that I ever ever ever did receive
-Maroon 5, Sweetest Goodbye
"Cloud, I'm leaving tomorrow," Yuffie managed to say. Cloud looked away. Why now? He heard Leon stand up behind him. Cloud swept around and pointed an accusing finger at the gunblade wielder, who was now locked eyes with Yuffie.
"You... You bastard! Why?" Cloud asked quietly. Leon looked at him. He didn't mind if he got hit. He didn't mind if he got killed. Rinoa was screaming at him in his mind, berating him. He honestly thought he deserved it. He went way too far that time. Yuffie has always been there for him, and he pushed her away. She never meant any harm.
"Do you know how many years I searched for you guys? I wanted nothing but to be beside Aerith forever, with you and Yuffie arguing about some stupid thing, and Cid screaming at you for being so stupid. That's what I wanted. That's what I missed from way long ago. Ten years."
"That's what it's always been like. For ten years," Leon answered against his better judgment.
"But then you had to destroy it. You had to take what precious chance of all of us being together again...the chance of what I wanted, what I searched for all these years...and destroy it," The younger spat bitterly. "Don't you remember? You used to have fun! You used to be nice! You used to be my friend. The one I punched eleven years ago because I thought you had a thing for Aerith."
"That was Squall. This is the Leon who you punched because he drove your little ninja away. Squall was the one who got close to his friends. Too close. It resulted in the death of his girlfriend. There's no use dwelling on the past. The past is gone," Leon argued.
"Rinoa knows it's not your fault. The past is what brought you here!" Cloud snapped back.
"And here is what, exactly, genius? Here where Yuffie is leaving? Where you've returned but with no chance of being with all of us? Some past."
"Some warrior," Yuffie retorted acidly. "You have got to stop living in your past. You think you moved on, but you haven't." She turned on her heels and ran into the darkness. Cloud turned his attention back to Squall, and walked dangerously close to him. His eyes narrowed, and pointed at the older man's chest.
"Your past brought you to Yuffie, who is possibly the best thing that ever happened to you, but you push her away. It doesn't take an idiot to realize this, Leon," Cloud emphasized the last word before running off to find the ninja, leaving Leon to dwell on his words.
He walked slowly in the opposite direction. He began thinking for Rinoa.
Rin?
Wow, you haven't called me that for how long?
It didn't feel right.
And it feels right now?
No!
Wow, thanks...
No, I mean... it's not like that.
I know... It's been long. I'm sorry for butting into your head all the time.
It's all right. It gets lonely.
It's lonely because you want it to be lonely.
We've been over this before.
This isn't about you now, Leon. This is about the little girl from ten years ago who I considered my little sister. She's not little anymore.
Yes she is! She's just barely 17!
As I recall, when you were sixteen, we were together. You were a self proclaimed adult.
This is Yuffie, remember? The girl doesn't think.
The girl has a heart.
Are you saying I have no heart?
You do. You just think too much. You ignore what your gut tells you. You ignore instinct, and you rely on logic.
Yep, sounds about right.
It sounds really wrong.
Whatever. Yuffie can do what she wants.
What do you think she should do?
I KNOW she should stay.
What do you want her to do?
I want her to stay.
Why?
Dammit, are you some kind of shrink?
Well, guardian angels are all shrinks. No other career choice up here. So stop changing the subject. Why do you want her to stay?
Because she's young, and weak, and if the walls are down, the Heartless could be back.
So what, if you don't care?
Because she's not ready!
Because you won't be there to protect her?
Because she's too young! What if some stranger fakes a friendship and uses her?!
But you don't care. Remember, you can't continue caring. Isn't that what you said?
Yes, but this is Yuffie.
Why would she be different?
...
Ahh... I see what's going on here!!
What are you talking about?!
Squall groaned as he heard Rinoa's unmistakable giggle, cough, then full fledged laughter, sputtering out his name once in a while. He slapped his forehead.
Knowing fully well that Yuffie was hiding in the tree house near her old home, Cloud walked into the destroyed village in southern Bastion. Everything was in ruins; he still remembered the flames, the scent of blood, the sound of people screaming, kids running around, and Rinoa... He still saw her angelic face and body being sucked literally out of life, and when she was completely overthrown by the darkness, her heart plunging out of her body, hovering... and Squall's gunblade hitting the cold, hard ground with a clatter. He was sprayed by her now black blood, and he refused to leave her. The Gummi was being filled with the survivors, and Cloud pushed his comrade in, allowing himself to get sucked into the darkness as well. Then, well, Hades appeared. No more need to explain that.
He walked closer and closer to the center of the town, where Yuffie's old mansion once stood. Like a miracle, the tree in which he and Cid built a house for Yuffie's seventh birthday was still standing, even though the once bright orange leaves are gone to be replaced by lonely, dead branches, and the tree house was practically torn apart.
F L A S H B A C K
"Where are you taking me, Cid? I need to know!" The blindfolded birthday girl squealed as she was being carried piggyback by a snickering pilot.
"Well, why don't you see for yourself? And goddammit, stop kicking me," Cid put the girl down and pulled the blindfold off her head. She gasped as she took in her surroundings. The big tree she used to climb when she was little now had a magnificently built two story tree house, and the cherry blossoms blowing into the windows gave it a more dramatic effect.
"Kirei... (Beautiful)" She gasped. Cloud tied a pale yellow ribbon around the tree, smiling as he reached for Yuffie's hand.
"Come on. It's a gift, from me and Cid here. A private tree house. You have your own address now, you know," Cloud joked. Yuffie laughed nervously as she tenderly untied the yellow ribbon, 'inaugurating' her new house.
"Happy birthday, Yuff," Cid smiled and ruffled the girl's hair. Cloud gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before walking away, leaving Yuffie alone with her new tree house. Yuffie giggled for no good reason and, with complete disregard for the wooden ladder, jumped up to the tree house with her ninja grace. She gasped in surprise to find cute little chairs and tables that resembled a dining table, and almost shrieked when she went upstairs. There was a bamboo bed with a single pillow, and on the bedside table was a set of twenty five beautifully decorated sharp shuriken, and a yellow pouch to store them in.
Yep, she decided, today was officially the best day of her life. Little did she know that today was the day her home would be taken away from her, and Cloud would disappear.
SIX YEARS LATER IN THE RED ROOM OF THE HOTEL IN TRAVERSE TOWN
"Yuffie?" A familiar voice called. Then she heard a clanking of chains. The young ninja turned around and saw the edge of Squall's head through the nearly open door. He drew back. "You decent?
"Yep. Hey Squallie!"
"Squall," He corrected as he opened the door. "I got you something. A couple of things, actually."
Yuffie smiled sheepishly. She really didn't expect Squall to give her anything. They were never that close, what they had was a hate-hate relationship. Even though Squall saved her butt countless times.
"You didn't have to if you didn't want to, you know."
"Nah, it's alright. I just thought it'd be special, being your thirteenth birthday and all," The twenty two year old man reached into the bag he brought with him, and pulled out the first item, a pale yellow scarf.
"Wow..." She breathed. Then she spun it around her neck, loving the soft, silky fabric. "It's so pretty."
"And this-" Squall carefully pulled out a small white gold rapier with a blood red case, encrusted with a single diamond and Leon's griever sign dangling with a black string. Yuffie's eyes widened. "It was mine, till I began training with the gunblade."
"A rapier...? It's beautiful. Are you sure you wanna give me this?" Yuffie asked nervously as she tenderly touched the handle. In one swift motion, the trained ninja swiftly pulled the blade out in one liquid motion. She began swiping at an invisible enemy, amazed by how light and sharp it was.
"Yes, of course," Squall nodded. "Be careful with it. Use it wisely. Don't pull it out unless you absolutely have to. Don't use it unless you run out of shuriken. It's always good to have one other thing to surprise your enemy with, and-"
Before he could finish, Yuffie threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.
E N D F L A S H B A C K
Cloud wiped his gloved hand across his face futilely, unable to dry it. His once spiked hair was now a straight yellow mop on his head. He called out to the ninja.
"Yufs, I know you're here somewhere. You gotta come out sometime," He yelled in the rain. He groaned as he ran his hand through his soggy hair, attempting to pull it back. He failed, miserably. He looked up to see the seventeen year old standing on the only solid part of the tree house, the floor of the first level. She looked like she was in a trance. Cloud jumped up to reach her, and stood beside her small frame.
"So why are you really leaving, Yuffie?" He asked quietly. Yuffie ignored him. Nope, she ain't gonna crack. Not now. She hid it for a long time, and no one is ever going to-
"Ya love him."
Wait, what?! What the- How-
"Ya wanna huug him."
Shut the-
"Ya wanna kiss him, love him, and cuddle with-"
"Shut up, Cloud, you know that's not true," Yuffie answered, ignoring Cloud's childish remarks. Cloud snickered, she got all mature. He definitely struck a nerve. He's close to the truth now. IF Yuffie were anything, she was a horrible liar.
"Come on, Yuffie, I know you do. Aerith knows. Cid knows. And in the half a day I observed you, I knew immediately."
Yuffie's eyes widened. What?!
"What?!" She asked in disgust. "Cloud, I don't know what you're talking about. I do not love him!"
"Unbelievable! You don't know yourself. Or you're too proud to believe in what you feel. You're a lot like him in a way, you know."
"No way!" Yuffie shook her head vigorously. Cloud sighed and put his hands on her shoulders, his face starting to grow serious.
"Look, Yuffie. You can do whatever you want. You can leave. But please, just don't forget, that the one thing you want and need might be right under your nose, and you're too stubborn to even know it. And one more thing. The walls are down, but possibly not for long. They might go up again, and you could be in another world...and if you begin realizing what you need, he- sorry- it might be gone forever."
Yuffie nodded.
"It's settled then. I'm leaving tomorrow."
Squall sighed. He dreaded having to go back to his room and talk to Yuffie, but he knew it had to be done sooner or later. Rinoa was still laughing in his head, the reason for which he couldn't figure out for the life of him. 'Will you just shut up for a minute?!' He inwardly groaned as she just laughed harder. He finally opened the door. Yuffie was folding up all her clothes, a 'towel turban' on her head. She was sniffling. Then she sneezed twice in a row. Squall flinched.
'She's sick. She can't leave if she's sick.'
"What do you think you're doing?!" Squall hissed as he snatched the black sweater from her hands. She glared at him and snatched it back.
"What do you think you're doing?! What the hell, LEON, I'm trying to pack here, since you can't wait for me to leave," Yuffie snapped. Men! Ugh!
Rinoa burst out laughing all over again.
"You can't leave if you're sick!" Squall said calmly, ignoring her last comment and grabbing the sweater away from her again. Yuffie snorted and gave him a look that said-
"Well, shit. Too fucking bad."
She tried to get her sweater back but Squall just held it firmly in his hands.
"You're going to get it wrinkly! Give it back!"
"I don't GIVE a crap. You can't leave! You're not ready!
"What, you think I'm a kid? Leon, when you were 17, you had Rinoa. But is that right for me? No! Because you've chased away every single suitor I've had with your huge sword!"
"I never did that!"
"Don't you remember Julian?"
"He was girly."
"Eric?"
"Weak!"
"Jordan? Jordan was fine! He was smart, sweet, and strong enough to protect me!" Squall snorted.
"Is that why he ran away screaming like a girl?" Yuffie groaned exasperatedly.
"You nicked both sides of his neck! Leon, what do you have against me being happy?"
"I have nothing against it."
"Well, you chased away every guy who was brave enough to admit having feelings for me, you insult me day in day out, and now, you're trying to block my one way out to happiness! This is my only way out to a new life! Do you hate me this much?!"
"I don't hate you!"
"Well I do. Besides, you never cared for me. So why would it matter if I dated a 'weak' or 'girly' or a perfectly normal guy?! Unless all you care about is making my life a living hell! You know what. Forget it. Now give it back!"
F L A S H B A C K
four years ago, Christmas Eve
Yuffie sighed and struggled to finish braiding black and silver pieces of string together- She was making Squall a string bracelet- Aerith taught her how to make one, and they looked really pretty when Aerith made them.
"Yatta!(Alright!!)" She yelped happily as she tied the final knot together. Taking a small wooden bead, she strung it in. Finally, the finishing touch.
Yuffie searched in her pouch for the tiny silver ring(that opened and closed) Cid made her. It had Griever engraved on it, and she had planned on making it the clasp; a last touch to Squall's bracelet. Ah, she found it. The ninja clasp the two beads together using the tiny ring, and securing the ring with the bracelet; unity. It's what it stood for. That was what Aerith said, two beads and a clasp form a bond. She doubted if it was true. She took a long velvet box and placed the bracelet on it. As if on cue, Squall came in.
"Yuffie, did you see my jacket?"
Yuffie shook her head and timidly tried to hide the box.
"What's this?" He asked, a smirk forming on his face. Yuffie was hiding something. The warrior glanced at Yuffie before snatching the box form her hands. He knew it was childish, but he liked to see her squirm.
"No, Squall, give it back!"
"Who's it for?"
Yuffie sighed.
"It's for you. I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but..."
"Sorry."
"No it's okay... You can open it now if you want. I know it's rubbish."
Squall glanced at the girl before opening the box. Something flickered behind his eyes, perhaps a hint of a smile?
"Did you make this?"
"Yeah, you can...toss it...if you want, I wouldn't mind," Yuffie said, her quivering voice betraying her words. Squall stared at her.
"Are you kidding? No, of course not. I like it a lot. Thanks, Yuffie."
E N D F L A S H B A C K
"Give it back, Leon," Yuffie sighed.
"Leon."
Rinoa snorted.
"What?!" Yuffie asked incredulously. Squall, realizing his mistake, hissed at himself.
"Sorry, force of habit."
It was officially the day that Yuffie would leave. He was standing outside in the balcony at midnight, wearing nothing but a pair of black silk pajama pants and his black gloves. The storm had stopped, to be replaced by a gentle wind that blew his hair back. Aerith threw a fit when she found out Yuffie was leaving, and Cloud tried to calm her. He just barely succeeded, while staying alive. Rinoa, for some reason, shut up.
Squall didn't know why he felt so strongly against Yuffie leaving. He should be happy; Yuffie was the one who pestered him every single day.
"Well I do!"
What did that mean? She hated him? He always knew she didn't have any warm feelings for him, but for her to actually say it to his face... He definitely crossed some kind of line. Yuffie was eccentric, sure, proud, definitely... but she was kind. She knew how to stop herself from insulting a person. As a matter of fact, it was usually Squall who insulted, not Yuffie. Yuffie was just always there, and he took everything out on her.
Squall was sleepy, but he couldn't fall asleep. Because if he did, when he wakes up, Yuffie would be boarding her Gummi.
He didn't know if he was scared for her or not, but he couldn't let her leave. She was too young. Too innocent. She's never seen a person die, nor has she killed another human being. Hell, when he was seventeen, he killed many men twice his age.
He stared into the moonlight, drifting into a conscious dream. He felt two slender, white arms wrap around his naked waist. Turning around, the first thing he saw was a pair of sleepy dark gray eyes. Her hair was short, tied back with a silver headband. He leaned in to kiss her.
Then he woke up.
"What the hell was that...?" He whispered in half horror, half fascination. He clutched his hair and began rapidly trying to remember the face of the girl. She looked slightly like Rinoa, with short hair, darker...what the fuck. It was Yuffie.
"What the hell was what?" asked a small voice behind him. She was half asleep, but coherent. The last person Squall wanted to see right now.
"It's nothing, Yuffie. Just...a...a good dream."
Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else
"Tell me," Yuffie demanded softly. She stood next to him, trying to keep her eyes off his chest. Damn.
"No, I can't."
Yuffie, for once, didn't argue. She remained quiet.
"I can't stop you, can I," Squall said. Yuffie shook her head. He didn't think so.
"No, I hate this place."
"Before you leave-"
"Oh God, this isn't some random confession of love, is it?" Yuffie joked nervously.
"Oh, no. Of course not. I just wanted to tell you that I never meant to hurt you."
I drove for miles and miles
And wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow
I want more
"It's not because of you that I'm leaving. I thought about this for a long time," She clarified. Squall didn't answer. After a while, he decided to ask the question tugging at his brain for the past day.
"Did I ever hurt you?"
"What do you think...?" Yuffie spat. She looked away.
"I'm sorry," He whispered.
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved
Yuffie turned to face him. He was still a full head taller than her, and it kind of made her uncomfortable, staring up at his eyes. Usually cold, blue eyes now had a hint of apology. Maybe he was serious.
"I'm sorry," He repeated.
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore
Before he knew what he was doing, Squall held Yuffie close to him, muttering an apology that should have been said a long time ago.
"I'm still leaving."
"I know."
It's not always rainbows and butterflies
its compromise that moves us along
my heart is full and my door's always open
you can come anytime you want
Squall watched Yuffie walk back inside the room, and then took his left glove off. He let the moon shine on the black and silver bracelet he got from a very special girl so many years ago.
He loved her.
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved
And She will be loved
And She will be loved
I know where you hide
Alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
She will be loved (repeated)
Please don't try so hard to say good bye.
A/N: Oh my God! I am so happy with this chapter. By the way, the song I used is She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. Listen to it. It's the best. And sorry if that bracelet thing was so confusing. I just couldn't describe a girl making a bracelet.
Review please!