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In the Moonlight

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A kid.

The Keyblade had chosen a kid.

"I can't believe the Keyblade chose a kid." If one knew Leon really well, they would have been able to detect the slightest bit of anger in his voice. His disbelief was more than obvious.

Cloud couldn't understand why Leon kept going on about the kid and his Keyblade. Sure, it was a little odd that such a powerful weapon had chosen a mere child, but it was still meant a possibility for peace. A return to normalcy. Who cared further than that?

"I mean... a kid for Hyne's sake."

While Cloud was glad Leon was speaking, he wished it was about something other than that.

"He only beat me because I went easy on him."

Why did he keep saying that? Who was he trying to convince? Himself or Cloud?

"In a real battle he'd never be able to take me."

Cloud continued to sit there quietly, his legs tucked beneath him. What could he possibly say to Leon? He had yet to understand the great significance of any of this.

Cloud had yet to meet the Key bearer. Yuffie had told him his name was Sora. "He's a good kid. Definitely spunky." Spunky was always a good thing as far as Yuffie was concerned.

"I'm going to bed." Leon said suddenly, standing up.

Cloud didn't even bother to try to stop him and get him to talk. If Leon wanted to talk, he'd talk. While Cloud may have not known Leon as well as some people might, he knew him well enough to know that now would not be a good time to mess with him.

Cloud sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. Tomorrow he was heading for the Coliseum. Battling always got out a lot of his frustrations that he otherwise would have just bottled up. He knew Leon and Yuffie were going as well. He'd always wanted to duel with Leon anyways. Who was he kidding? Frustrations aside, he just wanted an excuse to fight Leon. To see the brunette do his little 'dance of death' or whatever it was.

Cloud snickered at the thought. He was not in any way mocking Leon, but the thought was still amusing. Aeris had once told him that Leon considered fighting a dance. Cloud could understand that completely, but he still couldn't stop the images of Leon dancing from invading his brain.

Cloud would bet a million gil that Leon would be cute dancing. Although, he'd never say the words "Leon" and "cute" together out loud in a sentence. That was just begging for death and Cloud didn't care to die just yet.

He hoped tomorrow would help loosen Leon up. Maybe fighting had the same effect on him that it did Cloud.

Maybe then Cloud could try to drag the truth out of Leon.

He wasn't giving up that hope, as far-fetched as it was.


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Leon stared out at the sky. He didn't know whether he wanted to laugh or scream.

A kid.

The Keyblade had chosen a kid.

It was a thought that remained in Leon's head, refusing to allow him a moment of peace.

It wasn't that Leon wasn't happy that there was finally a realistic hope for an end to the Heartless, it was just that it was a kid.


A kid who would do what he had failed to.

"I have to find Riku."

"Who's Riku? Your boyfriend?"

Sora had just blushed at Yuffie's not-so-subtle question.

So, the boy wanted to save his boyfriend.

How sweet.

Leon sighed to himself. Sora probably would save this Riku. After all, he had the Keyblade. With the Keyblade, anything was possible.

So the kid would do what he had failed to do.


That's what it was all about, really. Leon had failed to protect Seifer, to protect his friends... but Sora wouldn't fail.

And he was just a kid.

How could a small child save the world when a grown man couldn't? For Leon, it was like kicking him while he was down.


"Yes. I failed to save them... so let's just go and have a kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet succeed."

Leon bit his lip at the thought. He knew he shouldn't be so angry and so bitter with Sora. Sora had not asked for any of this to happen. It wasn't Sora's fault that Leon's friends had vanished.

It was Leon's.

He sighed to himself and lowered his head into his hands. It was a guilt that he would never be able to cast aside. It was something he'd carry with him until the day he died.

Perhaps longer.


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"You look like you've had a rough night."

Cloud looked up at Yuffie in half annoyance. The dark-haired girl leaned over him, smiling broadly.

"Something go wrong?"

"Go away, Yuffie."

"Aw, turning into Leon now?" She sat down beside him and playfully poked him in the ribs. "C'mon now, tell Auntie Yuffie what's wrong."

Cloud sighed. He knew there was no getting rid of the girl. When she wanted to know something, she was more persistent than the Heartless.

"I just had to listen to Leon complain about Sora having the Keyblade... I mean... what's wrong with him anyways?"

Yuffie thought about this for a moment. To her, it was pretty obvious what was wrong, but she knew Leon wouldn't care for her telling anyone. Not that Leon had told her anything. Yuffie just happened to be a perceptive person. Either that, or a lot of other people were just blind.

"Well... how do you feel about Sora?"

Cloud shot her a confused look, not understanding what that question had to do with anything. He shrugged, "I don't know. Never met the boy. Although, if he's going to destroy the Heartless, more power to him."

Yuffie cocked her head to one side. "You aren't feeling the least bit insecure about him?"

Cloud snickered slightly. "Why in the hell would I feel insecure about a kid?"

Yuffie shrugged. "Because he's exactly that. A kid. A kid who just might save the worlds. Something the rest of us failed to do."

Yuffie shot Cloud one last careful glance and decided it was time to leave. Let him draw his own conclusions from that.

Cloud watched silently as she left the room. What had she meant by that? Why on earth would he be insecure about a kid? Seemed to him like it was getting upset over nothing. Saving the worlds was saving the worlds. As long as it was done, he didn't care. Besides, playing the hero was never something Cloud enjoyed.

"Wha... wait a minute... Yuffie?" Cloud jumped up from his seat. Of course. Yuffie hadn't asked that question for him, but for Leon. It was her way of letting him know what was bothering the brunette without actually telling him.

"Yuffie, where'd you go?" Cloud walked into the hallways, looking around for her.


What else did she know about the mysterious gunblader?

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Author's Notes: Ack! Sorry it took so long to update. My muses have run away from me! I promise to update sooner next time! Well, at least, I hope to... thanks for all the reviews, though! ^_^