All right! Here's chapter 4, hooray! Thank you to all those who've reviewed so far for this story; you guys are great! Anyways... anybody wondering why this chapter was delayed for so long? Well, probably not, but in case you were, I have one word for you: hurricanes. I spent all my afternoons putting up shutters on all the windows of my house, being dragged to the store to buy crackers, putting patio furniture in the house, my electricity was out for days... you get my drift. Don't blame me, blame Mother Nature, she delayed this chapter! And school! Blame education; it's the enemy!

This is a relatively short chapter, because it's mostly transition... with a tasty hint of Squffie. The next one will be much longer, and hopefully posted much more promptly than this one.

Anyways...my blurb is done. Enjoy, and don't forget to review.

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Heartscape

Chapter 4: Listening to a White Wind

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Water drummed against the rocks and the ninja's back as she breathed hard as if the air wouldn't come to her. Yuffie growled in rage, and slammed her fist against the steamy water, as if it had been the creature that caused her pain.

She dunked herself under the frothy water and paddled towards the lip of the pool, still mentally cursing. Even the usually soothing mint-scented water did nothing for the rage that quaked inside her chest. The girl wrapped her small frame in a white towel, and pondered, thoughts flying in her mind like leaves in a tornado.

"...he'll be your husband..." Godo was still smiling, as though he didn't realize that he'd just cut out his daughter's heart.

"No..." The syllable escaped her lips in a puff of foggy breath; her hands clenching into fists as she stepped back.

"Don't be rude, now. You don't want to insult your fiancé, do you?" Raite glanced at her, his sharp red eyes piercing hers with calm frostiness.

Yuffie's wrath rushed from her mouth like a volcanic eruption. "I don't KNOW this guy! I met him, what, five minutes ago?!" She stabbed a finger at Raite, who didn't seem perturbed in the least. "And I REFUSE to be married off to some guy who I don't know!"

Silence weighed down the air like fog. Her father's eyes hardened as he stared at his fuming daughter, all trace of kindness fleeing. "I won't tolerate disobedience Yuffie. You will do what I tell you to do because I am your father and the leader of this village--"

"NO! You can't make me do anything, you bastard! All my life you've been tugging me around like I'm on strings! Well, this is where I draw the line! You can just forget it!"

"Yuffie!" her father barked after her retreating figure. The wolf leapt over the heads of the astonished crowd, paws silent on snow as she disappeared into the snowy twilight.

Yuffie slipped on a green halter top and yellow shorts, and wrapped her silver headband around her wet tresses. As her fingers brushed against the cool fabric, she thought of the mother she'd never known.

"No time to get all sentimental, Yuffie," the ninja reminded herself. "What it is time to do, though, is to think of a plan."

---

Squall sat with his back against a tree, his long legs stretched out in front of him. The lights of the village were distant twinkling fireflies on an ebony backdrop as the warrior absently stroked the blade of the weapon in his lap.

Shock had made him miss his chance at revenge. Crouched upon the roof of a house, he had heard the entire conversation between Yuffie and Godo. He wasn't sure what he felt worse about: the fact that she was being forced to marry someone she didn't know, or that he hadn't gotten the chance to kill Godo in the ensuing chaos... The lieutenant shook his head, and raked a gloved hand through his hair. Why does it matter what she does with herself? he roughly berated himself. She'll never talk to me again after I kill her father, anyways.

Seeking to distract himself, the young man cupped one palm and watched with intrigue as a small flame sparked to life in his hand. Ever since Yuffie had touched him the first night he had awoken in Avalanche, he'd realized he could now summon small flames through his hands. Squall had secretly nursed his tiny flames into smoldering fireballs, and was proud that he'd figured out how to do it on his own. The fighter smiled wanly as the small fire hopped and skipped across his fingers, creating a deep, tingling sensation in his flesh. He couldn't help but wonder whether Yuffie had intentionally given him power over fire.

So you can do magic now, huh?

Squall turned, startled, and looked into the blue-green orbs of Riku, who sat behind him, pristine white fur splattered in dark-hued shadow and glowing moonlight. Sora lay beside his friend, paws crossed almost demurely under his head.

"I didn't hear you," murmured Squall.

Riku offered him a wolfish grin. Human ears are pretty weak... either that or you're getting soft. He watched with interest as the boys stood, their forms shifting and blurring like smeared paints as the morphing fog enveloped and hid them. Coarse animal fur rippled into soft human hair and skin, fangs dwindled, and black nails whitened and retracted, leaving two human boys in front of him as the mist cleared.

"I'd like to learn how to do that," Squall said, shifting his sword onto the leafy ground. Riku smiled.

"It's not so hard to do," he replied. "We'll teach you how to do it, maybe."

They stepped to his side, perching beside him on the ledge. Squall eyed them suspiciously as Riku and Sora flanked him, giving the Shinra officer pointed looks.

"What?" he questioned, feeling the amiable mood dissipate.

"Well?" asked Riku, his aquamarine eyes intense.

"What?" Squall repeated.

The brunette flopped back, gazing at the flickering stars from beneath thick bangs. "What're we gonna do?"

"About Yuffie," Riku added softly, pushing one hand through his pale mane. "About what happened today."

Squall tried not to flinch as he thought of slaughtering Godo and the expression that would be on her face when his Gunblade ripped his body in two. "What about it?" he snapped coldly, feeling slightly sick. "I'm not interfering. Her father can do as he wishes with her. As a captive in this place, it's none of my business." The man stood and brushed the leaves from his clothes, grasping the hilt of the Gunblade like a lifeline. His body felt like a strung bow, taut and angry.

Riku rolled to his feet in one motion, and gripped Squall's arm, suddenly aggressive. "Leon," he said, and the man turned his head to look at the white-haired boy, dark eyes blazing. He tried to wrench his arm away but Riku doggedly clutched harder.

"As a friend of Yuffie's, it's very much your business. Don't act like you don't care about her. Not now, not when we... when she... really needs you the most!" His words froze Squall's insides. Care...? Yes, he did care. When the hell had that happened? For such a long time, he'd only thought of himself. When had he slipped out of his laissez-faire attitude; his familiar façade of cold eyes?

Riku let go, sensing Squall's indecision. "She won't stay here," he said, his voice mellow with sadness. "Godo-sama won't be able to tie her down long enough to marry that guy. Yuffie'll do something crazy, like run off to the closest city. We can't go with her... Godo's men are watching everything we do. But they wouldn't suspect you." Riku locked eyes with his older male. "All the cities belong to Shinra. She won't last on her own."

"So you want me to go with her? No one will trust me either. They'll think I'm on Avalanche's side in this war."

Sora raised himself onto his elbows, bits of leaves falling from his brown locks. "Are you on our side?"

A pause, and then, "Does it even matter anymore?"

Riku let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "You'll go with her then?"

"As soon I take care of some unfinished business here."

"Business...?" Sora inquired, but Squall had already ambled off, brooding the situation he'd gotten himself into.

---

Yuffie crept towards her small house, slithering through the snow-peppered beds of grass and the shadows of magnolia trees that would bloom gold and pink in the spring. The ninja's lip curled down in anger as she watched one of her father's lackey pound noisily on the front door, and after a minute's, strolling briskly away.

"Bastard," she hissed after his retreating form. Prowling towards the back of the house, she stooped down and lifted the small flowerpot that graced the back door. Retrieving the spare key, she deftly unlocked and entered her abode.

The smell and warmth of fresh baked bread assaulted Yuffie's senses. Flipping the light switch, the ninja moved around the sparse Asian furnishings of her home to find Aerith in the kitchen, quietly closing the oven door. Tugging off the timeworn red mittens, the healer smiled at her younger friend.

"Aerith...?" Yuffie gawked.

"Sit down, sit down," she said, gesturing towards the squat, Japanese table in the living room. "The food's almost ready."

Yuffie crossed the cherry wood floor of the kitchen, and brushed aside the bead curtain that separated the rooms. Cloud knelt at the cluttered table, a book open in front of him and a cup of tea steaming nearby. He glanced up from his reading, face impassive like a statue's.

"Well, make yourself at home," she muttered, pushing a pile of magazines and a couple of stray shuriken off of the table.

"It's not necessary to tell me. I believe your tea biscuits are stale, by the way. I threw them out for you."

Aerith jaunted in, balancing a tray on each hand and one on her head. She arranged the platters of warm sweet bread, baked ham, and salad in front of them, along with plates and silverware.

"I thought you guys were going to Katakari as soon as Squ... I mean, Leon, got better," Yuffie began, jabbing the serving fork into a chunk of meat. She hadn't realized, in her fog of rage, how hungry she was.

"We were, but we decided to leave with the village leaders who were arriving with Godo." Aerith regarded the ninja, sympathy glowing in her intense green eyes. "Yuffie, I'm sorry."

"About what?" she played ignorance, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face as glared death at the table.

"About your engagement... Obviously, you're upset about it, and with good reason, but you have to remember that your father is just trying to keep the village's best interests in mind--"

"And that's all he's every cared about!"

"Yuffie... a leader must do what's best for everyone. A marriage between two prominent villages will strengthen the ties between allies and give Avalanche a better chance at winning the war."

"I understand that!" she yelled, her fragile patience snapping like a twig. "But did he tell me I was who I was marrying? Did he even think about informing me that I was getting married in the first place? No! He decides to beat around the bush and tell me today, in front of everyone, when he should have been telling me in the privacy of my own home! I didn't even get a say in my own engagement!"

She dropped the fork, head pounding with anger. Grabbing her equipment pack from its spot on the couch, the ninja stormed towards the door.

"Yuffie, where are you going?" asked Aerith, worry ringing in her clear voice. She too ignored the food in front of her.

"I've gotta get out of here before I snap and stab somebody."

The slam of the closing door resounded in the small house like a gunshot, heated and final.

---

She sloshed through the half-melted snow, sneakers squelching noisily as she marched away from her house. Touching her face, Yuffie realized that a single tear had slipped from her eye. Swiping it away with a furious curse, the brunette bolted through the trees and past the occasional lit house, running until exhaustion ate away the burning wrath and sorrow in her mind. Aerith and Cloud didn't understand. Riku and Sora were nowhere to be found. Where was a good friend when she needed one?

The steady rhythm of her feet slowed and stopped. As she bent over, panting lightly, Yuffie recognized the familiar wooden dwelling at which she'd arrived. Approaching the door, she peered into the darkened windows. He's probably asleep at this hour...

"You know... it's kind of rude to visit people unannounced so late at night. Normal people are usually asleep at this time." She whipped out the Conformer and spun, eyes dilated with surprise. Squall was sitting on a large flat rock, slowly rubbing two fingers across the scar

Yuffie joined him on the boulder, and for a while the two fighters sat side by side in companionable silence as a wind rattled the branches of the bare trees. Time ticked by, marked only by the swish of the breeze and the occasional hoot of a nearby owl. The warmth and closeness of their bodies reminded Squall of something he'd buried long ago. In the quiet comfort of the night, he studied her face. It was elfishly heart-shaped, with fine cheekbones and pale, smooth skin, her eyes like brown gems under dark, sweeping bangs. Feeling heat flush his face, he abruptly looked away. Now was not the time to be thinking about hormones. What's wrong with me lately?

Taking a quick glimpse of the Gunblade user's face, she saw that he looked pensive, cobalt eyes deep in thought.

"Squall?"

He seemed startled, then annoyed. "Don't call me that. What is it?"

"You look kinda stressed out. What's up?"

He twisted his head to look at her, and she bit back a gasp at the uncharacteristically benign expression on his face. "We have to leave. If not tonight, then soon."

"We?" she repeated, astonished.

"Yes," he said, jumping off of the rock and strolling forward before turning to face her again. "You. Me. We." She sensed his agitation and wondered what his problem was. "You're not going to leave Avalanche alone, are you? That's suicidal, considering the number of soldiers and monsters wandering around," he added.

"What's gotten you all chivalrous, all of a sudden?"

"Don't get me wrong. You're going to do something for me, in return." Yuffie felt herself blush at the intense look in his powerful blue eyes.

"H-hey! I'm not that kind of girl!"

Squall's eye twitched. "I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was I want you to teach me how to transform into an animal form."

The girl visibly relaxed, feeling an odd mixture of relief with a twinge of disappointment. "Huh? What happened to the whole anti-magic attitude?"

"It's a useful skill," he went on, ignoring her comment. "Is it difficult to learn?"

"Are you joking? It's going to take a few days to even get the basics of a technique like that. The first thing you'd have to do is visit the shrine of Hevan, which is only a few miles from the village gates... Hey! Are you listening to me?!"

The blue-eyed man turned to regard her, amusement flickering behind his stoic expression as he continued walking away. "What are you just standing there for? If you're going to teach me, then we're going to start tonight."

"Who's the teacher and who's the student here? I wanted to get some sleep, at least, before we start. Damn, Squall, slow down!"

"It's Leon," he remarked, his rapid steps not halting in the least.

She hurried after him, cursing the way her day was going.

---

It was about to get far worse.

Raite was leaning against the gates, a liminal shadow among shadows. Yuffie flinched at the silent probing of his ember red eyes, her hand straying instinctively toward the dangling leather shuriken pouch. Her fiancé flicked away the last ashes of a cigarette and walked towards them, seeming to glide.

"Good afternoon," he murmured, nodding politely to the pair.

The Gunblade glided from its sheath, its honed tip hovering only feet from the blond man. "Move," Squall hissed, the sight of Yuffie's fiance making his blood boil for a reason he didn't quite understand.

"You're being rude. Won't you pause to chat with me a while?"

"I'll only ask you one more time." The blade moved within inches from Raite's throat.

The leader of Crimson gave an unbothered glance to the Gunblade. "Don't be hasty," he said slowly, as if tasting his words. "It would be better for both of us if we were allies. We are, after all, bitter towards a mutual enemy. Is that not correct, Leonhart?"

The brunette started, sapphire eyes widening. His weapon lowered, if only slightly. "How did you know my name?"

"That pendant you're wearing. A certain mark of your kith."

Squall touched the cool steel of the lion head chain that graced his neck, the sole artifact from his tragically ended family. "What about it?" he asked, suspicion heavy in his voice.

Raite's eyebrows knitted in puzzlement. "You're from the Leonhart clan, are you not?"

The lieutenant smiled bitterly. "That's right, but if you're looking for any survivors, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm the last one left."

The blonde nodded thoughtfully. "Of course. The Leonhart clan was wiped out by Shinra twelve years ago."

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Bum bum bum! Oh, who was expecting that?! Anyone? Anyone? Leave a review!