Author's Note: I'm sorry it has taken so long to update this story. But, well, with writer's block, another story taking me hostage, a 62 hours power outage, summer classes, and my dad's heart attack (he's better now), I haven't had much inspiration (or time) for this story. And, in fact, I'm just going to try and wing this chapter because I want to finish this story soon, like in the next few weeks or so. And I want to finish another story that I'm working on in about the same amount of time. All so I can rewrite my very first story during the last part of the summer. Yes, I'm insane.
Anyways, you don't want to read these author notes. You want to read the story. So, on with the show.
[Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Not even my precious Squall. SquareEnix owns him and they have refused to give him to me.]
Chapter Seven: Discretion
Leaning against the cold rock wall of the secret waterway where they trained, Yuffie looked down at the hand Leon had entwined with her own, his thumb gently massaging the top of her hand as he sat beside her. Yuffie sighed in contentment as she rested her head upon his strong shoulder, reveling in her realization that Leon did not hate her. Quite the opposite, in all actuality as his kiss had proved moments before. "So, uh... Leon, where do we go from here?" she asked nervously.
"What do you mean?" Leon questioned confusedly as he turned his head towards hers, finding his nose buried within her hair. Not that it bothered him, as he had quickly become accustomed to the scent of her orange blossom shampoo. In fact, it was a scent that he had learned to associate with the ninja, and only with her, during the past week. His enhanced senses picked up the aroma as soon as she walked in the room.
"I mean, up until a few minutes ago, I never even considered us having more than a mutual tolerance. And then, you have to turn my world upside down with that kiss." She lifted her head from his shoulder and let it loll against the stone wall behind her as she stared at the sun mural in the farthest reaches of the darkened cavern.
A low chuckle came from the blinded man as he remembered the circumstances of the kiss she was talking about. "If I remember correctly, Yuf, you kissed me," he whispered softly, moving his head so his lips were, he hoped, near her ear. "Besides, nothing's wrong with an upside down world."
Amazed that, though blinded, he could still find her ear to whisper in, Yuffie shuddered as his warm breath tickled her ear. "Well... you brought it up. I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't brought it up, so there." She stuck her tongue out at him from force of habit, forgetting that he couldn't see it.
"Yeah, but you liked it." Leon turned so his body was facing her and brought a hand up slowly, reaching out to touch her face. His hand, having found her, gently caressed a cheek as she leaned into his hand.
"How do you know that I liked it? Hm?" she inquired playfully as he continued to run his fingers along her face, as if trying to see her just from touch.
"I still have ears, Yuf. And believe me, you liked it," he answered, the sounds of her soft groan as their mouths met and the low whimper that escaped her when he pulled away still resounding in his mind. He leaned his head forward, meeting her forehead with his own. "Believe me, you liked it," he repeated, giving her one of his rare, genuine smiles that he saved for special occasions.
The sight of his face in front of her too tempting to resist, the ninja lifted her face slightly and brushed her lips chastely against his. "Okay, you win. I liked it," she murmured as their breath mingled between them. "But, you still haven't answered my question. Where do we go from here?"
Pulling away from her, Leon leaned against the cavern wall once more and bit his lip, his hand still holding onto hers tightly. "I don't know," he admitted, releasing a long drawn out sigh while thinking about the possible repercussions of his actions. After all, she was still only sixteen and he had just turned twenty-five. That fact alone was enough to elicit scorn from their acquaintances. Even the normally gentle Aerith might become apprehensive considering Yuffie's age and relative inexperience with such matters. "For now, we don't tell anyone. We don't let anyone know. Not even Aerith. Understand?" Leon said firmly.
"Okay... but... um... why?" Yuffie questioned as a frown planted itself upon her usually cheerful and upbeat countenance. The once happy idea of her newly budding relationship suddenly became a burden that seemed too heavy to carry. How could she be expected to keep something like this quiet when she felt like screaming it to the whole world?
"Yuffie, I might not still see you as sixteen years old, but the rest of the world does. And I don't think they would look too kindly upon me if they knew." He raised her hand to his mouth, giving her knuckles a gentle and caressing kiss. "Not even Aerith."
Before the ninja could respond to his just argument, Leon dropped her hand and jumped to his feet, putting a finger to his mouth to signal her to be quiet. Cupping her ear, Yuffie heard the sound of soft footsteps coming from the passageway to Merlin's house. Leon dropped his head and gave Yuffie a half-smile as he recognized the footsteps to be their pink-clad friend. "Speak of the devil," he whispered.
Aerith stepped out of the passageway and into the spacious cavern, a look of confusion marring her features as she noticed Yuffie sitting against the wall and Squall standing there. Her confusion soon became worried anger as she saw the Gunblade lying on the ground and Yuffie's pouch of shuriken attached to the ninja's waist. "What have you two been doing?" she asked tiredly as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
Yuffie nearly bursted out laughing as the most immediate answer to come to mind was 'kissing,' but she quickly stifled the laughter and put on a straight face. "Leon wanted to learn to fight while blind. So, here we are." She gestured grandly around the cavern with her hands, hoping the Flower Girl wouldn't kill her for putting Leon in possible danger.
"It's okay, Aerith. We're fine and I didn't get hurt," the Gunblade wielder added to Yuffie's short explanation. "I was just tired to feeling so helpless all the time." The image of Yuffie falling helplessly to the onslaught of the Heartless from his dream of the night before came back to his mind. "I want to fight."
"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of it, am I?" Aerith asked after a moment's hesitation spent staring at the two fighters. At Yuffie's wide grin and Leon's curt 'no,' the Flower Girl shook her head in surrender and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I can only heal so much with my magic. You both know that I can't heal broken bones. And, I apparently can't do anything for eye wounds either."
"We'll be fine, Aerith," Yuffie reassured, jumping up from her seat upon the cold, stone floor and grabbing the older girl's hand. "Now, you run along and let me and Squall train, okay?" The ninja gave her friend what she hoped was an innocent look, not immediately realizing that the name 'Squall,' instead of 'Leon,' had slipped out.
Aerith waited patiently for a moment before replying, expecting Leon's usual reprimand for the use of his given name. When it didn't come, she narrowed her bright green eyes suspiciously and eyed both of her friends. "Um... okay. I'll be leaving now," she mumbled as she walked to the water's edge, hiking her pink dress up to avoid ruining it with the green slime.
Yuffie waited a few minutes after Aerith had left her sight before she approached Leon, taking his hand in hers and turning it palm side up, tracing the lines with her finger. "Do you think we pulled it off?" she whispered in a conspiratorial tone, looking up into his face and squinting her eyes as if trying to see past the bandages that covered his icy blue pools.
"She suspects something." The tone of Aerith's voice and the brief pause she employed before answering her friend was enough for Leon to justify his statement.
Leon's simple statement caused the ninja to smile as she dropped his hand and shook her head in exasperation. "Of course she suspects something. And it's your fault," she said as she poked a finger in his chest.
"How is it my fault, pray tell?" Leon inquired as he grabbed the offending finger that still poked his chest.
"I called you Squall and you didn't correct me. You always correct me." Before he could answer, Yuffie grabbed his arm, wrapping both hands around it and pulled him towards the cavern entrance. "Anyways, it's kinda cold in here. Let's go for a walk or something. Anything. Please?"
"Alright, alright. Just hand me the Gunblade first," he told her, feeling her release his arm and place the hilt of his weapon within his outstretched hand. "We'll go on a walk, okay?" Instead of answering, the ninja latched onto his arm again. The sudden noise of the growling of her stomach reminded Leon of their skipped breakfast, prompting him to ask, "or lunch? How about some lunch?"
Giggling, Yuffie clutched her stomach with one hand as they began to walk through the green water. "You read my mind, er.. stomach. Hm... your hearing really has improved."
"Yuffie, your stomach was growling loud enough for deaf man to hear."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"It's not funny, Yuffie," Leon growled good-naturedly for what seemed, to him, to be at least the fifteenth time in the last ten minutes. As they left the café, he brushed at the glob of ketchup he felt upon his shirt with the paper napkin he had swiped on the way out.
Walking behind him, the ninja kept biting the inside of her cheek in an attempt to stop the laughter that threatened to bubble out. "But it is funny, Leon. I mean, come on!" she exclaimed, reaching for his hand to guide him safely out the doors and away from the pole he nearly hit. "You're always so meticulous when you eat. And now..." she trailed off as another laugh trickled out her throat.
Leon dropped the soiled napkin on the ground, not caring that he was littering. "Just take me back to the hotel so I can change shirts, alright?" Right at this moment, he wished dearly for the walking stick Yuffie had purchased him only a week before. However, the ninja had brought up a valid point about it's usage: if he didn't have it with him, she had a good excuse to hold his hand. After all, he was blind and no one wanted their beloved Gunblade wielder to go around falling into holes, she pointed out.
"Okay, okay. To the hotel." Yuffie pulled him to the left, forcing him to walk up the stairs in front of Cid's Accessory Shop. "Too bad Cid's not here to see this," she muttered half to herself as she remembered that the shop owner had taken his Gummi ship to Hollow Bastion, to check on Sora. That was two weeks ago, before Leon's accident with the Red Nocturne.
"I really don't think he would be able to help me, Yuf," Leon grumbled as he felt the girl pull him across the cobblestone and into the alleyway behind the pilot's shop.
"I know, but he would get a kick out of it." Remembering the once open manhole where Leon had fallen, Yuffie treaded carefully with the Gunblade wielder in tow, keeping her eyes open for any other obstacles that might hamper their return trip to the hotel.
Feeling the darkness of the alley creep over his skin and not sensing anyone else in the area, Leon guided Yuffie to the brick wall, pressing her against the rough, cool surface. "Are we alone?" he finally asked, deciding it might be best if someone who could actually see confirmed his suspicions.
Yuffie scarcely uttered the word 'yes' before Leon leaned down, kissing first her forehead then her nose on his blind quest for her lips. Helping him along, she gently tilted her face upwards to give him better access to her mouth while one of her hands wrapped itself around his neck and the other rested on his chest, covering the offensive ketchup stain.
A sudden crash to Yuffie's left caused the two to break away, apprehension written on both their faces. The ninja slowly drew her arm from around Leon's neck as he backed away, both of them looking towards the crate which had tumbled from atop the stack. "Hello?" Yuffie called quietly as she walked to the fallen wooden crate, one hand holding onto Leon's as he walked behind her.
As they neared the crate, Leon's ears picked up the sound of a low growl and he quickly pulled Yuffie back to him. "Didn't you hear that?" he whispered she stumbled backwards and fell against his chest.
"Hear what?" she asked softly in confusion as she lifted her head to gaze at him.
"Something growled." Feeling her trying to pull away in order to check the disturbance, Leon wrapped an arm around her waist, effectively holding her in place. "Where do you think you're going? It could be dangerous!"
"Squall, I have to see what it was," the ninja explained in exasperation as she pried his arm from around her. "And I have shuriken, so don't worry." Not giving him a chance to object, Yuffie quickly and quietly started for the crate again, this time with her hand at the ready to grab shuriken if the situation called for it.
Leon slowly took a few steps forward, dragging his feet to watch out for obstacles and reaching his arm out blindly in front of him to grab the ninja. "Yuffie, wait," he rasped as he shuffled a few more steps in the dark alley.
Yuffie, having reached the crate, rolled her eyes and laughed when she saw what it was they were so afraid of. Behind the large wooden box sat a black cat, his eyes glowing bright yellow in the darkened alley. And on the ground in front of him, between his paws, to be exact, lay a wounded dove helplessly flapping its wings in an attempt to escape its captor. "Squall, it's a cat and a bird," she loudly called as she shooed the feline away from the wounded bird.
"We were scared of a damn cat and bird?" the Gunblade wielder mumbled in disbelief as he stopped trying to reach Yuffie. "You've got to be kidding me."
"No, it's a cat and bird. Well, it was a cat and bird. Now it's just a bird." Yuffie bent over and carefully picked the snowy dove up in her hands, cradling it to her chest as she walked back towards Leon. Examining it, she noticed that its tail feathers were missing, probably lying on the ground near where the cat had been. "And it's hurt, Squall."
"It's Leon," he said as he heard her near him.
"Sure, you correct me now, but you couldn't when Aerith was around," Yuffie grumbled as she tried to adjust her hold on the bird so she could both carry it and take Leon's hand to guide him back to the hotel. Finding that task to be impossible, she came up with another idea. "Leon, put your hand on my shoulder or something."
"Why?" Leon questioned as he reached out and found the ninja's shoulder as she walked beneath his hand. Firmly grasping it, he followed her as she slowly made her way down the alley and towards what he hoped was the hotel.
"Because, I have the dove in my arms," she replied matter of factly, as though it were the obvious answer and that Leon, though blinded, should know exactly why she couldn't hold his hand.
Inwardly groaning, Leon threw his head back. "Yuffie, the hotel has a 'no pets' policy, remember?"
Yuffie abruptly stopped walking, causing the man behind her to bump into her back and nearly knock her down. She turned around to face him, the dove cooing in her arms and trying to get away. "I know that. But, he's hurt and we can't just leave him to die out here."
"Yuffie, it's the circle of life. The survival of the fittest. The weak fall to the stronger. It's nature."
Grinding her teeth together in annoyance, the ninja rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yes, I know all that. But, sometimes the stronger help the weaker. And sometimes the 'fittest' become the not so 'fittest.' I mean, when you were blinded, I didn't just leave you there, saying, 'it's the circle of life, survival of the fittest,' now did I?"
Leon lowered his head and sighed in defeat, realizing how true the girl's words were. "Okay, you win. But, we'll have to hide the dove from the hotel manager. You know how much he likes to stick to the rules."
Grinning because she actually won an argument against Leon, Yuffie stood on tip-toe to give him a peck on the cheek before starting back for the hotel after instructing her partner to place his hand upon her shoulder again. "Don't worry, Leon. Yoshi won't make a peep," she told him in reassurance.
"Yoshi?"
"Yeah, that's the dove's name."
Author's Note: Well, there ya have it. Actually, I didn't plan on the dove thing. It just kinda happened. Anyways, review the chapter for me and I'll try to have another out in a few days.