----

"Time passes by so quick that we don't take the time to look at what passed."

----

Chapter 3: Enemy by Fault

Yuffie shifted uncomfortably in her chair listening to the teacher talk. She didn't even dare to pay attention. Like usual. Her thoughts were too centered on what happened that day at the festival.

"Psst, Yuffie, what did she say our homework was?" asked Kairi. Kairi was the one flirting with Sora at the festival. Ever since that day she and Yuffie started to talk…a lot. They had more in common then they thought. Heck, they even had classes together and they didn't even know it.

"You think I was paying attention?" she whispered back to her. They quietly laughed.

"Hey, do you like Leon? I saw you two talking at the fall festival last weekend." Kairi nudged her on the shoulder and winked. "Huh?"

"Yeah…riiight." Kairi kept looking straight at her waiting for an answer but Yuffie only looked away. Who she liked was her own business, in truth, she didn't even know herself.

Yuffie sighed and slumped down in her chair. Nothing ever went her way, scratch that, nothing ever did go her way. She doubted she would even be able to face Leon when she got back to the dorm later in the evening. But Yuffie promised Kairi that she'd go shopping with her after school. Lucky for her she had a few hours to spare until she had to face him in her doom. Wait, their dorm. She still wasn't use to the fact that she was sharing it.

Getting tired of watching the teacher, Yuffie looked behind her to see what the other students were doing. Half of them weren't even awake, and she didn't blame them, she was thinking of falling asleep herself. But one person caught her eye, and the thing they were doing really pissed her off.

Cloud was flicking her off. Of all the things he could do, he flicked her off. Growing more angry by the second she stood up and stomped over to Cloud's desk completely ignoring the fact that class was still in session.

"What the hell is that for?" she screamed out at him while pounding her fists on the desk in attempt to show him how mad she was. "Spiky, seriously, that was overrated! You're such a dip shit!"

"You're the one who acts like a child," Cloud stated plain and simple. Yuffie tried to punch him but he swiftly moved his other hand on top of hers and punched her in the face with his other. Small amounts of blood started to fall from her lip. "Weak, you can't even defend yourself."

"Want to bet on that?" she asked mockingly. Using her sleeve she wiped the blood off of her lip.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, how many times do I have to tell you to sit down and listen!" The teacher scolded her. "To the office, now!" She pointed to the door.

"Fine," she mumbled as she gathered her things. Kairi gave her a sympathetic look but Yuffie rolled her eyes and pointed at Cloud while acting like she was shooting herself with a gun.

"Yuffie, stop fooling around. Cloud, I need to talk to you after class." She continued her lecture acting like none of that ever happened. Only one word could describe Yuffie's hate for all this, bullshit. She yelled at Cloud, screamed at Yuffie, let Cloud get away without punishment, and sent Yuffie to the office. Was it just her imagination or was this getting a little old by now?

Yuffie left the room and stared at the ground as she continued on to the office for the second, or was it the third time this year? She couldn't remember, but it seemed like the millionth time in the past two days. Maybe it was more? She didn't know, but it well seemed like she was always blamed for everything when half the time she wasn't the one who got violent first.

Yuffie stopped by her locker and gathered her things up that she would need after school. She had a feeling she'd be in the office for the rest of the day. This is what ended up happening to her all of last year. Except the reason she went wasn't because of Cloud.

Cloud…what an idiot.

Her mind still couldn't comprehend what made her get up like that and yell at him. Normally she would have just turned around and act like she never saw it. But for some reason she just had to do it. And she did.

"Why is it always me?" Yuffie lifted her head up and sighed.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She saw Axel approaching her with a serious look across his features. "You need to get away. Now." He empathized the word now.

"This again?" Yuffie asked annoyed. "Your always telling me to watch out and so far nothing, may I repeat, nothing has happened." She pushed her way past him and continued on her way. "Get a life, you need one."

But she found herself not being able to move forward, something grabbed onto her wrist keeping her from going. "Axel, I told you-" but her words were cut short with a fist collided with her stomach and she could feel something being forced into her mouth. The world around her was starting to spin and she could barely stand up. "Who?" She fell to the floor, her eyelids becoming heavy.

"Why are you doing this?" She could hear Axel ask.

"For both of your sakes." She couldn't point out who the voice belonged to, but it sounded so familiar. Before her eyes completely closed she saw Axel fall to the ground with a loud thump.

----

Yuffie didn't open her eyes, but she could feel the pain of something digging into her hands making some sort of liquid fall down. The pain was unbearable. The worst part, she couldn't even move. It was as if she was tied down by some invisible force.

"Yuffie, are you awake?" She could tell it was Axel's voice, but made no move to reply still feeling quite dizzy. Her head was pounding with some kind of pain, maybe a headache. She didn't know but didn't ponder on it anymore either. It hurt too much.

Her eyes slowly opened to see what kind of situation she was in. Next to her lie Axel, his hands tied tightly together by a rope, his feet also tied the same way. She then looked down at her own feet and saw the same thing she saw on Axel's. Turning her head around she also saw her hands tied, but the pressure put on her skin made it swell and start to bleed.

"Where are we?" Yuffie tried to untie the rope that were holding her hands behind her back, but to no avail. They were tied too tightly for her to remove. She looked towards Axel waiting for some kind of answer. Something to raise her hopes up that they'd be okay.

He shifted so his body was facing her. "You don't remember what happened?"

She shook her head. "My head still hurts."

"He must have drugged you." She tilted her head, clearly confused. "I remember someone forcing something down my mouth but-"

"I'll explain." He fiddled with the rope around his hands trying to break it free but gave up and sighed. "The person who attacked us was Sephiroth. Seifer can't punch that hard." He took a deep breath and continued. "I don't know why myself, but I overheard him and Seifer talking about getting you back for when you knocked them out."

"I didn't do that!" she defended herself. "Squall did!"

"Heh, telling me won't get you anywhere." He continued to mess with the ropes until loud footsteps appeared at the door. Yuffie's body stiffened at the noise. "Be quiet and follow my lead if you want to make it out of here alive." She nodded slightly and kept her attention to the door that was slowly opening.

"Look whose awake, the traitor and the outcast." It was the last person she wanted to see.

"Seifer, why are we here?" Yuffie asked, malice lacing her every word. She was overly pissed off.

"Why?" He came up to Yuffie and kneeled down by her. "Do you know how many times you humiliated me?" He then stood up and walked over to Axel. "And you betrayed me." He took out a pocket knife and ran it along his finger, blood lightly falling down his finger.

"You've gone too far this time, Seifer."

"Maybe…maybe not." Just as he was about to say more the door was busted down and the least person Yuffie expected, Leon, stood standing there.

He flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Where's Sephiroth?" He walked over to Seifer.

"He hasn't come yet." He shrugged his shoulders and turned towards the two. "But what did he want us to do with Yuffie and Axel?"

"I don't know."

"Leon…what are you doing here!" Yuffie asked angrily. "And with him." She said nudging her head towards Seifer. If anything, she was confused.

He didn't answer her, he only stared off blankly into the distance.

"What now? Strife didn't follow you did he?"

"Cloud…what the hell is going on!" she cursed, all in the while trying to break free.

Seifer approached her and smirked. "All in time, my dear Yuffie."

"Shut up, asshole!" But before she could make another statement she found herself being slapped hard in the face. Her cheek started to burn like no other. "Wha--?"

"Bitch, I didn't say you could bad mouth me."

She was about to make a comeback, but decided against it. She was completely useless in this situation and there was no point in getting worked up. It's not like she could do anything anyway but sit and watch the events unfold before her; like in a book.

"Leon…why did you betray me - no, us?" Yuffie found herself asking. She could feel a tug at her heart as she waited impatiently for an answer.

Why…?

"Betray?" He laughed.

"What's so funny? I don't find it funny at all!" Tears were brimming her eyes and she could barely see through her blurry eyes. "The festival…a lie. LIES!" She didn't care that she almost admitted how she felt. All she wanted was the truth, but she knew that he wouldn't tell her that. He was stubborn, like herself.

"Lies? What lies?" he walked towards her and kneeled down beside her. "I was only playing my part."

"Your part…your PART? Is this a game to you!"

"Yuffie, calm down," she heard Axel say. Calm down, oh how she wish she could. But she couldn't, not after Leon lied to her about everything. Just like Cloud…

"I never cared about you anyway…your just another preppy bastard…" Her words came laced with venom. "You--"

"Yuffie!" Hearing the call of her name she looked over to the door to see Cloud. His features were slightly altered to an angry look when he gazed upon her. The anger wasn't forced at her, it was forced on the two who kept her there.

"Leonhart, how did Cloud find this place?" Seifer inquired.

He didn't answer.

"Leonhart?"

"C-Cloud?" Her voice became shaky. Why was he here, of all people, why Cloud? The person who ignored her and her friends for years all of a sudden appears and is here to save her. "Why are…you here?"

"I want to be forgiven." Not even looking back to see her reaction he charged towards Leon and Seifer at full speed, ready to fight.

"What…I'm confused!" Yuffie screamed. She put her hands to her head shook it in confusion. "Why…after all those years…why now…" her voice was barely above a whisper.

"No time to worry about that now." It was Axel. "Let me untie you."

"Axel…why?" She looked straight up at him as he undid the rope around her legs.

"I don't know." At that moment they both looked toward the three fighting. "I just…don't know."

----

Ugh. Ignore the shitty chapter. I was not in the mood to write this at all for some reason. I wrote it once, then it somehow got DELETED and I did not feel like rewriting it. So here it is…enjoy…if that's possible. Also I was joking about the squffie. I'm not sure who the couple shall be. It can go anywhere from here.

Sorry about that.

Chapter 5: You Promised…

Promises are made to be broken, that's what someone thinks a least. Is it possible to go on living knowing everything you lived for is for naught?

someone