I rocked back and forth on my heels, looking calmly at the door in front of me. It was a nice door, I must say. There's a pineapple doorknocker on the front. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but Aerith got it for Cloud as a gag gift – his hair is rather gravity-defying like a pineapple's spines, after all – and since she gardens a lot, it fit her personality too. Not to mention that pineapples are a customary fruit of hospitality. Well, that's what they represent, and Aerith is one of the most welcoming people I know. I have no idea why that's what they mean, even though they do taste pretty good.

What confused me even more is that I had already knocked and I was still waiting outside in the fading twilight. Already light was shining through the quaint house's windows, a sure sign the couple was home, and the chimney was puffing out smoke gently in the warm breeze. I scuffed my feet a bit against the bricks of the path, my gaze catching on the flowers in the garden. Some had bloomed while I was gone and others had faded, already past their peak. With a sigh I once again bounced up the steps, knocking on the door again.

This time it was pulled open after only a minute or so, a stressed Aerith meeting my gaze with a curious glance.

"Yuffie!" she said loudly, voice relieved but also strained. Something was up, "You're back! Come in, please! You were gone for so long this time!"

I took off my pack as I entered the warmth of the house, slipping out of my slightly muddy shoes, "Yeah, well, I wasn't busy the entire time. I had a job down in Kisoz Cliffs after my delivery to Yemac-Til, and I got a few days off-"

I stopped my rambling when I noted that the house was in a slight disarray and the kitchen bustling with activity. Aerith had been cooking, as I suspected, but Cloud was also hurrying around, gathering things and muttering to himself in a very un-Cloud-like manner.

"Cloud?" I asked tentatively as Aerith dashed to the stove, "Err, are you okay?"

"Fine, Yuffie," he answered curtly, although I could tell he was trying to be nice and not take it out on me (whatever it was). Obviously he was a little stressed, and Aerith looked the same. "If you don't mind not bothering me for a bit, I'm about to leave on a mission soon, and-"

The blond stopped talking when he deposited everything he had picked up, stuffing the various items (from toothpaste and a small tub of black goop that I assumed was grease to a worn-looking pair of knitted green and red socks) in with haste. I stood in the doorway, feeling out of place, and sighed deeply. It always seemed like our missions intersected; whenever I was gone, he got leave, and whenever I had arrived home, he was leaving for a new assignment again. That was the life of warriors-for-hire, I suppose. I couldn't even begin to imagine the toll it took on Aerith.

Slightly agitated, I decided to leave the mercenary to finish and instead stalked into the kitchen, though my mood brightened when I remember what I had really wanted to talk to Aerith about.

"So," I began, my tone considerably more conversational and pleasant (and innocent), "Cid told me what was in that letter."

Aerith looked at me, sweeping her bangs aside while stirring a pot of delicious-smelling soup. "Is that so?"

"Yes," I said, emphasizing my words, "He told me that you guys knew this guy Squall! And you didn't tell me!"

"Leon," Cloud said rather automatically from the next room. I raised my eyebrows.

"What?"

"He's right," Aerith said mildly, sticking a finger in her mouth to sample her cooking, "He goes by Leon now."

Puzzled as I was, I just continued, "Anyways, Cid said that he moved to Lasbruck a while back and that you hadn't really been able to keep in touch with him."

Aerith nodded, "That pretty much sums it up. You know how much Cloud hates writing letters – he barely ever writes me, even away on a mission!"

"Yes, well," the blond in question grunted, "I didn't see you try sending him anything either."

"Oh, I did," Aerith said, a bit smugly, "I just gave up after he replied with three sentences. In each letter! Really. He's a stubborn ass when he really wants to be."

A sharp knock on the door drew my attention away from the conversation, and I thought I heard Cloud mutter something along the lines of 'Speaking of which...' before he picked up his bag and strapped on his sword, heading for the doorway.

"What?! You're leaving now?!" I said, sliding off the stool I had perched on and following him to the front door.

"Yes, Yuffie," Cloud said, and jerked the door open quite suddenly. Aerith had appeared by my side, setting a hand on my shoulder in comfort. I felt something tug at my heart seeing him stepping outside, but my blood ran cold at the second emotionless voice.

"Strife."

"Leonheart," Cloud said with equal passiveness. I rushed to the door, peeking outside in shock.

He was just...standing there. Waiting, like any normal person would, but at the same time, my throat caught just seeing him again.

He looked almost exactly the same as the time I saw him before, minus the rain and the wind and the skilled assassin attacking my behind. When it was dry it was much more noticeable that his hair was a rich shade of brown, somewhere between milk chocolate and a darker color that reminded me of mahogany. It was shaggy but at the same time well-kept, looking just as silky as it had when it was wet. Now that I could see him more clearly, it did sort of look like a lion's mane, and with a jolt I recognized the familiar scar that ran diagonal across the bridge of his nose.

Before I could stop myself, "It's you!" flew out of my mouth and I was teetering precariously on the edge of the top step, barely noticing that I still had bare feet. His ice-like eyes flickered to me for a moment and I felt a shiver run through me despite the fact that it was early June.

I gulped, "I mean...uh..."

I could tell that his look was now skeptical, though barely a flicker of emotion passed over his face. He turned to Cloud, but I continued speaking.

"In Lasbruck," I said, fumbling with my words, "Err – I don't know, a couple weeks ago? The really rainy night! You, umm, saved me from that assassin-"

Once again I paused as his gaze raked over me, and I felt more defenseless than an accomplished Runner and member of the underground organization should. He nodded in what I assumed was recognition, his glance finally ending with his piercing eyes locked on mine.

I shrugged, suddenly losing the will to struggle with my mouth, "I just wanted to say thank you," I said softly, "So...thank you. I probably would have gotten my ass whipped if you hadn't shown up."

After what seemed like a forever of silence, he just nodded again and said, "Don't mention it." His voice sounded different, but maybe it was because he wasn't shouting over the booming thunder and the heavy downpour like he was last time. I felt myself nodding vaguely and I hovered by the doorway, watching him silently as Aerith and Cloud said their goodbyes. Soon enough the pair were leaving and they quickly faded in the cover of darkness. Aerith gently pushed me inside and went by me to return to the kitchen, a solemn look on her face. I leaned against the closed front door, blood rushing so loud I could hear it rather loudly in my ears. With a deep breath I regained my composure and followed Aerith into the kitchen.

I was barely able to sit I was so jumpy. Like a broken record, my mind replayed the sound of his voice over and over again, and in my mind's eye I could see his face perfectly, comparing it to when I had first met him.

"You seem rather lost in thought," Aerith commented, and I nodded like I was paying attention. She laughed softly and continued cooking, and before long I snapped out of my reverie when a plate of steaming cookies and a glass of milk were placed in front of me. Aerith sat across from me not a moment later, a steaming mug of tea cupped in her hands.

"Yuffie," the brown-haired woman chided gently, "You've come a long way. Eat something." She nudged the plate closer, sensing my reluctance.

I sighed, grabbing one and stuffing it into my mouth. In truth I was rather hungry, but there were so many things in my mind I didn't have time to think of eating. Even now my thoughts were swirling, and I swallowed and jammed another cookie in my mouth. Aerith's cooking is amazing. (A little comfort food never hurt anyone, I told myself.)

When I looked up, she had a small smile on her face as she rubbed her thumb along the lip of her mug, staring into the swirling tea.

"He'll be back," I said quietly, and she laughed lightly.

"I know, Yuf, I know," Aerith sighed again, "But you know how I always worry."

"That makes two of us," I joked, though even I knew that it wouldn't really lighten the mood. We sat in silence a little longer before I spoke up again, shuffling my feet awkwardly.

"I saw all my friends in Kisoz Cliffs while I was down there," I told her, feeling the need to fill the uncomfortable (and unusual) silence with something, "Everyone is doing okay. They're all really worried about me though. It's funny. You and Kairi really are alike."

"You always say that, Yuffie," Aerith chuckled, "I know you'd like for everyone to meet up, so why don't you to invite them to Autui's annual festival? It's coming up soon."

"I-what?!" I gaped at her, "The annual festival?! It's already- Why didn't I know about this!? Why doesn't anybody tell me these things?!"

"Yuffie, the festival is always in the beginning of June," Aerith said slowly, trying to suppress her laughter, "That would be the sixth month of the year. You know that the festival is the half-year celebration, that's the point!"

"I know, I know, you don't have to rub it in!" I said, scratching the back of my head, "I just didn't think it was coming up so quickly!"

"Well? Will you invite your friends up here?"

I hesitated; it was only in a few days. "No," I said finally, "It's too short notice for such a long journey. I can do it in about a day and a half, but I'm trained to go long distances. I run most of the way, and I don't have to carry the things they'd need to bring – spare clothes, festival costumes, food for the journey-"

Aerith nodded, "True, true. You're right. Still, maybe next time you get down there you should bring some of Autui's famous festival dishes down there. I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

I grinned, taking another cookie while Aerith sipped her tea.

"It won't be the same without Cloud here, though," I mentioned, and my gardener friend nodded.

"It was rather unfortunate that he had to go at this time, especially because of the festival. But since Leon's with him, I know he'll be okay."

I paused, cookie halfway to my mouth, and I looked at Aerith with round eyes.

"What do you know about him?" I asked tentatively.

"There's not much more to tell, Yuffie," she smiled, "Leon has always been a little-"

"Antisocial?"

"I suppose you could call it that. He just doesn't open up to people very quickly."

"No kidding," I murmured dryly, polishing off the third cookie with some milk, "We're gonna go to the festival together this year, right?"

"Of course!" Aerith's mood brightened, "It's a tradition! Since you mentioned it, we probably need to go shopping for a new costume for you, right?"

I groaned – only Aerith could switch the topic to shopping that quickly. It was too late to stop her, though, and she continued talking about the latest fashions and styles for the festival and all the fun we would have. I ended up staying the night in the guest room (or as Cloud put it, my second bedroom) and I quickly fell asleep from my long journey. In a few ways I was glad that Aerith let me stay over; sometimes it's nice just to be near other people. My brain buzzed with excitement as I drifted into unconsciousness, filled with the thoughts of the upcoming festival.

"Aerith, come on! We're gonna be LATE!" I whined.

"Calm down, Yuffie!" the gardener called, voice muffled by the door that separated us, "The festival lasts all night, there's no way we could be late!"

I huffed and muttered under my breath, "At the rate you're going, we'll be lucky to get there at dawn!"

"I heard that!"

I couldn't fight back the smile that appeared on my lips at Aerith's response. The two days we had spent together getting ready for the festival had re-ignited our long friendship. Well, more accurately, it strengthened our sisterly bond. I honestly couldn't be happier that things were getting back to normal.

"Are you done yet?" I asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yuffie!" Aerith sighed in exasperation, cracking the door open, "I'm almost done, but-"

"But?" I echoed, giving her a Look.

She rolled her eyes irritably at my impatience, "Will you tie my sash? I can't do it myself."

"Fine, fine," I said, pushing the door open the rest of the way and entering the room. The brown-haired woman stuck out her arms on either side, giving me enough room to wrap the obi sash around her waist. I went to work knotting it in the back, and Aerith set her arms down gently, the sleeves of her kimono brushing softly against my fingers. Finally I finished, and I stepped back to look over my friend's choice of festival wear.

After dragging me back and forth across Autui, we had finally chosen our traditional costumes for the festival. In celebration of half of the year gone by, Autui's annual festival was always in June and the entire city got caught up in decorations and celebrations. As we passed through the streets yesterday and the day before, colorful lanterns were already being strung up across the streets and hung on buildings. I swear, there was a haze above the city from all of the cooking in preparation.

Aerith had chosen a traditional kimono in a fresh, pale spring green that faded in and out to white. Embroidered on the hem and at intervals were light purple and white water lilies and shining green lily pads, with petals sewn delicately around them. Her obi was white and lavender, and I slipped around to her front to finish tying the gold braided rope in a simple knot.

"There. Can we go now?"

"Yes, Yuffie," she said, overly patient, "Now we can go."

She smiled radiantly, tucking a few stray strands from her bangs back behind her ears. The rest of her hair was out of its usual single braid and instead hung in two intricate braids that she tied with white ribbons. Straightening her hair so that one braid hung down in front of each shoulder, she smiled into the mirror and turned towards me.

"All right!" I cried, punching one fist into the air.

Aerith chuckled at my eagerness, following behind me at a slower pace to the front door. We slipped on our sandals over our tabi socks and headed out towards Autui.

"I can smell it already!" I grinned, taking a deep breath and picking up my speed.

"Yuffie," Aerith called out warningly, "Don't go too fast! You can move faster that I can, but you aren't going to leave me behind!"

I stopped and waited for her to catch up, excited by the sun setting and the sky slowly turning orange and red. Soon enough the lanterns would be lit, and I couldn't wait to get into the city.

We started walking again at a good pace, and we chatted quietly about the night to come. The city quickly came into view, people coming from all directions and the streets already bustling with people. Aerith smiled.

She looked thoughtfully at me for a moment, and I raised my eyebrows.

"What?"

The brown-haired woman laughed, "Nothing, nothing, Yuf. I was just thinking that your festival costume looks good in the sunset."

"All thanks to you," I said jokingly, although Aerith had helped me pick something out. In the end I had chosen something simple that wouldn't make me stand out too much but still 'accented my features' or whatever Aerith called it. My kimono wasn't exactly traditional, as it stopped a few inches above my knees and showed a bit more of my thin legs than would have been considered acceptable when the festival first began several hundred years ago. It was pure white with bright red-orange tiger lilies clustered here and there on the sleeves and body of the kimono. My obi was white layered on red, so only the edges of the bright color accented the flowers.

"I'm serious," Aerith said with another smile, "It was the right choice."

"Says the woman who spent the better part of two days picking stuff out for us to wear," I replied, but a smile worked its way back onto my face. We spent the rest of the way into the city mildly bantering and laughing.

The streets were filled as we strolled along, all sorts of delicious scents from the food stalls washing over us. Overhead the sky was darkening and the sun had just set, orange-red still on the horizon, but the light was fading quickly.

Suddenly everyone gasped, and I looked around with awe. Lanterns began turning on one by one until they were all lit, casting bright colors all over the crowd. Laughter filled the air and I breathed in the excitement.

"About time," Aerith commented, and I nodded.

"Let's get something to eat before the parades begin, okay?" I asked, and when Aerith agreed we weaved through the crowd to the food stalls. Already I could hear drums and people singing, a sure sign that a parade was around the corner. As expected, Aerith and I were soon wrapped up in the festivities, celebrating late into the night.

I awoke to sunlight streaming through my (second) bedroom's windows, my hair rumpled from sleep. Reluctantly I rolled over, still tired and sore from a night of dancing and singing and eating, and I noted that I still had on my kimono, though it was wrinkled and would need to be washed. I sighed. No use trying to fall back asleep now that I was awake.

I slipped out of my festival clothes and redressed in my normal attire, leaving the garment folded on the bed. Aerith still wasn't up yet when I entered the kitchen, so I wrote her a quick note and headed out. My legs were tired but I needed a good stretch, and walking in the clear morning air was what my fuzzy head needed.

Shutting the front door behind me, I paused to sniff Aerith's flowers in the warm breeze. Everything seemed alive today, but my spirit was dampened from the late night.

It was more than that, and I knew it. Still, I lied to myself as I walked along, heading back towards the larger city. It didn't help one bit, though, because as I strolled my mind wandered more than my feet did.

The festival had been a great way to get my mind off things, but now I couldn't escape them. My thoughts still lingered on Squa- Leon, I reminded myself, and my recent missions. It had been several days since I had been given leave, and I wondered how long it would be until I was allowed to start working again. It gave me something to do, sure, but staying in one place too long made me restless.

My feet had unconsciously led me through the city I grew up in, and quite suddenly I realized where I was headed. The alleyways looked much less menacing with the clear sky above and the remnants of the late night festivities still strewn about.

I stopped when I reached the door, my subconscious destination, and frowned when I noticed the sheet of paper tacked to the front. I stepped closer.

"To all who pass through here of our business:

In celebration of Autui's annual festival, this office shall be closed three days before and three days after. All assignments will be distributed upon reopening. If you are from another city and have business here, return to the office you came from and paperwork shall be done there. If you are looking for work, go to another city. If you are the resident bird, you have been assigned a week of mandatory relaxation courtesy of your buddy Z. Congratulations!?"

I finished reading the sheet out loud and frowned in disbelief. A week of no work!? How would I survive?! Still, I couldn't complain as it was an order. A ridiculous one, but an order. I turned on my heel, stalking back through the way I came and heading towards the marketplace. It looked as if I'd be spending a week with Aerith, and we'd need more food. Wouldn't hurt as a bribe, either. Anything for her to make me more cookies and keep my mind off of the unbearable boredom and anxiety.