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"Because you remind me of her." He had growled at long last, tired of the girl's inane questions and remarks. Yuffie had gaped at him, mumbled something unintelligible and left the waterway.
The cave was silent now, only the sounds of churning water resonating on the man's ears. Sitting on the ground, back against the damp stone, Leon tilted back his head, eyes closed, letting his fingers uncurl from their steely grip on the gunblade.
Everything had felt so heavy, suddenly. His belts, his jacket, his weapon –Griever around his neck had felt doubly so. He had then shed every item, dropping them all on a neat pile nearby, where he could watch it all with detachment.
The silvery pendant seemed to wink at him from the top of the heap. A frown rippled through his smooth features; without everything that made him Leon, he was Squall again. He was 17 and she was there, laughing at him, mocking his seriousness, that damn stoicism.
"That's your only flaw," she had said, winking. "You can't smile."
Eventually, he had proven her wrong.
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