When the Light Returned, by Phoenix Pinion
Disclaimer – I own nothing but the story idea, and this is not meant for profit! Please don't sue
Her booted feet made hardly a sound as she quietly trotted through the hallways of Hollow Bastion, clutching a few flowers in her hand. Quite a large chunk of time had passed since Sora had sealed the Heartless inside of Kingdom Hearts and freed the many worlds from their grasp; maybe, say, one and a half years? An easy smile lit up her pretty features as she stepped inside of a portal and let it carry her to the library. That Sora – he had willingly bore the hardship of being the Keyblade Master, and had fought valiantly alongside King Mickey's trusted servants, Donald and Goofy, to vanquish the Heartless and set everything right again. She actually remembered exactly what his facial expression was when he was told by Leon of his enormous responsibility – at first he was stunned, then grudgingly acceptant. Yes, she did have a lot of respect for that boy. She also missed his quick smile and almost clumsy speech; she hoped he would visit Hollow Bastion, if it were ever possible.
The library was crowded, as usual, and she cheerfully greeted all of her comrades; Yuffie, on the left; Leon on the right. However, she stopped at Leon, flashing him her smile and pirouetting a bit…well, as much as one could pirouette while wearing a pink dress and those heavy boots. Placing the flowers in his hand, she curled his fingers around them and giggled as his eyes lit up. "We did it, Leon," she cried, "Hollow Bastion is back to normal again!"
"Mostly for your efforts, Aerith," he murmured back, feeling her tense up a bit as his arms gently circled her waist. She sighed against his shoulder. Leon loved her dearly; she knew that for sure after he had confessed as they cleaned up their world. She knew his exact words, and they now echoed in her mind: 'Aerith…one day, as I worked beside you to help return Hollow Bastion to itself, I looked at the stars…and I saw your face. And right then I knew, just knew, that my feelings for you are true…I…I love you, Aerith.' And she loved him too…as more of a good friend, however, maybe a brother. She just didn't feel for him like he did her: another person totally and completely occupied her heart. If only she knew where he was.
"Aaaw, don't be getting too friendly over there, Lee!" Yuffie shouted - laughing openly as Leon blushed and quickly let go of Aerith - before turning to a martial arts book again. General laughs went around the library as Aerith turned from Leon, grabbed her favorite book from a table nearby – The Art of Growing – and started idly flipping through it. Leon stayed where he was, leaning lightly against a bookshelf.
Suddenly everything stopped. She could feel something different in the air; something slightly anxious, a little worried, though all very…
Oh, God. It's him, it's him, I know it's him…!
But didn't he…? And wasn't he…? And what about that time when he…?
Who cares, who cares, because it's him, him, he's back!
Her thoughts stayed all a jumble as she stared at the hibiscus picture in her book (The first flower I gave to him…?) and started to quietly shake. She felt his presence, the presence that had first attracted her to him in the slums, the presence that she had yearned for all these years…
The book had fallen, unheeded, from her quivering hands, and finally she dared to look up from that shiny floor. He stood there, looking very awkward, very embarrassed, and ready to flee at any given time, with his blonde hair spiked as she had always remembered it, his eyes just as startlingly green as she had always remembered them, and that aura about him as she had always remembered. Elation moved her feet to him, slowly walking,
No need to run, he won't go anywhere, oh, God, it's him…
and finally stopping in front of him. She stared at his eyes, too old for his age, yet madly happy to see her.
"Oh…Cloud…" Her arms flew around him as her excitement burst into the embrace; those arms which hesitantly, timidly denied all other touches, waiting for his, his one touch that could make everything better and the world not seem so bleak anymore and…and…
"Aerith…" Cloud mumbled, a little surprised at her openness, as his hands awkwardly moved to the small of her back. He gulped, then burst out, stupidly, obviously, to the girl who lightly cried on his muscular chest, "I…I came back."
"C…Cloud," was all she was able to brokenly whisper, overwhelmed by how much she had missed the guy, and how much she loved him for coming back, and how happy she was for him coming back. She did not notice the way that Leon's hands had clenched the flowers that she had just minutes ago put in his hands so tightly that the stems had broken in half under his fingers, or the moistness in his eyes that refused to trail down his cheeks. All she saw was him…
"Cloud…I missed you."
~To Be Continued
Author's Notes - Oh, God, I've been wanting to say 'To Be Continued' for such a long time! I've been writing one-shots lately, so now I'm glad that I'm finally delving into a little plot development! I can't wait to see how this little story turns out to end. It's gonna get long, I figure, and I must say I'm pretty proud of this first chapter. A little short, I know, but I like the way it delves into Aerith's mind and is very repetitive to get the point across. I apologize if you don't like this writing style.
And yes, I know that I used the word him many times grammatically incorrect, but I didn't want to ruin the flow by using he in a few places and him in others. So don't bitch about this little fact if you flame me.
This is just a prologue type chapter, sorry for its shortness. If that's even a word. Anyway, I like where this story is going, and I am for sure going to continue it. Worthless comes after this one. ^_^
Oh, yeah, and I also apologize for using italics so much. I'm just seeing if my little theory is correct (and it is, it is!), and I won't put so many italicized words in the next chapter. Expect the next chapter very soon! ~PP