Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

A/N: Back to Leon! This is when things start heating up, (finally)! The chapter title was taken by lyrics of a song too. I don't know who the singer or song name is though.

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05. Every Ounce of Confidence

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Leon was frustrated. Not just with Cloud, but with himself too. He had let Tifa get hurt and Aerith had almost gotten into trouble after the surprise attack from the Nobodies. He felt like an idiot. Aerith didn't seem at all troubled by it. In fact, she acted as if nothing happened at all. It made things more difficult for Leon to apologize to her. Apologizing to Tifa wasn't easy either. But when he did, Tifa just smiled saying, "It's alright." But was it really alright?

Leon approached the doorstep to Tifa's house the second time that day. Yuffie also resided there. No one trusted Yuffie when it came to living alone, so she stayed with Tifa. When he knocked, Yuffie opened the door quickly. "You!" she pointed her finger at him. "Where's Cloud?"

Leon shrugged. Yuffie was disappointed with his answer. "You were supposed to bring him back here!" Leon pushed his way past her. "I'm not going to bring anyone back here." He said coldly. He heard Yuffie bang the door shut from behind him. The next thing he knew, she was standing in front of him with her arms folded.

"What now?" He asked, although he knew he wouldn't like the answer. It was sometimes better to just let Yuffie have her way though.

"You need to get your problems together too!" She sounded like she knew what Leon was going through. But how would she know? Leon sighed. "What about it?"

"You and Cloud have got a lot of nerve making Aerith worry over you two!"

Leon blinked. "What?"

"Aerith is really worried about you two." Yuffie sounded calmer now, but her voice was still loud. "You both have been confusing her a lot for the past few days, and it's getting on my nerves too! Can you two not see that, or are you just telling yourselves everything's okay?"

Leon said nothing. Yuffie spoke some truth, so he couldn't say anything to back up his thoughts or feelings. She continued, "Aerith has also been really sad too. And I don't like seeing her like that. Not just Aerith, Tifa too!" Yuffie unfolded her arms. "I really like Tifa and Aerith. So don't you dare think about hurting them!"

"…I won't." Leon said, though he wasn't too sure himself. Yuffie stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "I'm going to see Tifa now." This time, Yuffie let him pass.

Walking through the hallway, he found the door to Tifa's room wide open and he walked inside. She was sitting on a chair by an open window. The cool draft felt nice as it circulated the room. Tifa glanced at Leon as he walked in, then returned her attention outside the window.

"You're back." She said. "Where's Cloud?"

"Cloud isn't here."

"I see." She gave him a small smile. "Was he not listening to you?"

"Somewhat."

Tifa chuckled. "I guess… he didn't want to listen to someone. He maybe wanted someone to listen to him." Leon stared at her. "I suppose you're right." He agreed. He sometimes felt the same way. "You two are so much alike, yet so different." Tifa said. "But maybe your differences can help you."

"I'm not too sure about that."

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If there was one thing Aerith was good at, it was tracking down Leon and Cloud. No matter where they went, she always managed to find them. Usually when she did, she never asked them to go back with her. It was normal for either one to disappear for days on end somewhere in Hallow Bastion. This was one of those days. Leon had spent an entire day in Ansem's Study doing nothing in particular. He just sat on the ground, leaning his back against the wall staring at the ceiling. The silence was interrupted by a knock on the door, then it quietly opened.

Aerith peeked inside, trying to catch of glimpse of either Cloud or Leon. When she saw Leon sitting on the ground, she smiled and walked in, closing the door. Leon sat up straight as Aerith got down on her knees so she was facing him. "Is anything wrong?" Leon asked. She shook her head. "No. It's just that…"

He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Aerith leaned on her hand. "You never got to tell me what you were going to say that time." Leon opened his mouth, but no words came out. Aerith giggled. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"…Do you want to know?" Leon spoke before realizing what he was saying. Aerith looked at him curiously. "If it's alright with you, then yes." She said. Leon looked away saying, "I don't know if you'll see me the same if I tell you." Aerith only laughed. Looking at her, Leon wondered if she would really still see him the same afterwards. She sat down next to him, her shoulder only a couple inches away from his own.

She closed her eyes and spoke aloud. "No matter what mood you may be in and no matter what happens, I'll always accept you."

Leon gulped, which was unusual even to himself. Something wanted to burst out from him, another wanted to stay inside and be hidden. It was driving him crazy. "I…" he muttered. Come on. Just tell her! He thought. Feeling his face turning pink of embarrassment, he hung his head down so Aerith wouldn't see. The room was quiet for a long while. Leon uttered her name with all his strength, "Aerith…"

"Yes?" Her eyes practically burned a hole in him as they watched his every move.

Sucking up his guts, Leon tried to control his quivering voice, "There's a feeling I've had that's been weighing me down lately… and I'm hoping you'll be able to take a little of it away, even if by listening." His blue eyes met hers. She didn't blink, though her eyes reflected wonder and confusion. "What is it?" she asked, as if to stop Leon from moving any closer than they already were.

Suddenly, Leon felt something give in and he lost his confidence. He didn't know if he was going to go through with it. What would she think? How would she react? He turned away. "I-I'm sorry." He said, feeling like a coward. Aerith put a gentle hand on his arm, and said soothingly, "No, there's nothing to apologize for. Come on, you shouldn't look away." Leon looked back at her, afraid that his eyes might betray his feelings.

"This probably wasn't a good time. I understand." She stood and leaned down close to him, smiling as if nothing bothered her. "Let's go."

Leon rose to his feet and stared after her as she walked out, her head held high. He wondered how she could battle with all the confusion she was facing without letting her strong façade slip. When he followed after her, she was waiting for him in the corridors. They walked out together. Once they reached the postern, Leon blurted, "I'm sorry." Aerith shook her head. "There's nothing to apologize for, remember?"

"But, I…" he exhaled to keep himself from apologizing again. Aerith walked over to the edge of the postern and took in the scenery. She motioned for Leon to join her. Hesitantly, he walked over to her side.

"It's easier to breathe when there's a lot of space." She said casually. Leon just stared down below. From where they stood, they could see the sun sinking behind the castle. It was getting dark, but Leon wasn't worried about that. Aerith didn't seem the least bit worried either. She fiddled with her bangs, twisting them between her fingers. "I remember," she said as if to herself but everyone. "When we were little, Yuffie used to be afraid of the dark."

Leon couldn't help smiling, which was for the first time that day. "Yeah." He said. "She always used to follow you or Tifa during the night."

Aerith laughed. "Remember when Yuffie and I got lost in the corridors?"

"I remember that." Chuckled Leon.

"She was practically in tears! We were lucky that you found us before we wandered any further away."

Leon smiled. "Yuffie looked like she was holding onto your hand pretty tight."

"Well, she was holding onto my hand tightly than most would."

They both laughed. Looking at Aerith now and reflecting on the past, Leon realized that she's grown into a strong, vibrant woman. It was funny to him that when they were growing up innocently, they were at the exact same place laughing together. And now, many years later, they're at the same place doing the same thing. The only difference was that Leon never thought he'd end up seeing her more than just a friend. However, when they first met he always had a strange feeling for her. He just didn't realize what it was until now.

"Yuffie's grown though." Aerith continued. "She's not afraid to walk alone in the dark anymore. I can barley remember the last time she asked to hold my hand." Aerith closed her eyes, reminiscing. Leon glanced her way, then said, "I remember the time when you and I got lost in the bailey. You were holding onto my hand tighter than most would too."

"I can't believe you still remember that! Oh…" She blushed, embarrassed.

"How could I forget?" chuckled Leon. "I also remember it was during the time when the moon was being hidden by clouds. I couldn't see anything much."

"But you looked so sure of yourself."

"…I didn't want you to be afraid." Leon felt his face flush, but kept on a straight face and looked ahead. He could feel Aerith smile and even hear it in her voice.

"I didn't feel a bit afraid when I was with you." She said. "Thank you for keeping me safe."

Leon remembered how her small hand felt in his. Though she looked quite fragile, she had quite a grip! But by how tightly she grasped onto his hand told him that she needed him more than anything at the time. Thinking of the past, Leon found himself unconsciously staring at her face and into her eyes. His mouth opened and words spilled out without his consent, "Aerith, I…" he began, unable to control what he was saying. She only looked back, not knowing what he was feeling.

"I've always wanted to tell you that I…" his words caught at his throat, but he forced them out with all his might. "I-I've always loved you…" He felt his voice trail off. Aerith blinked, shocked at his unexpected words. There was a moment of awkward silence, finally she spoke, "How so?"

"I'm sorry if it's so sudden, but…" Leon didn't know how to explain after blurting his feelings out to her like that.

"How long have you felt this way?" her voice sounded as soothing as ever. Not the least bit quavered or angry.

"…For as long as I remember." Leon replied. "Does it bother you?" He wondered if he wanted to know the answer or not. Suddenly he felt Aerith tug gently on his arm. "Of course not." She answered. And he knew it was true. It showed in her smile and everything she did. But there was something that still bothered him.

"Let's go home." Tugging his arm, she led the way back to Merlin's house. The sun was long gone, and a full moon was out. They had delayed for quite a while already. As they walked home together, Aerith eventually let go of his arm and walked beside him. Though they didn't hold hands, Aerith looked safe and content and didn't seem to have any intention of grabbing his hand out of fear of the dark any time soon.

What bothered Leon that night was if it was really alright to love her.

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A/N: It was difficult to write this chapter! I'm not good at love confessions.