The stale darkness of the admittedly gaudy meeting room was dispelled somewhat by the light of a few well placed candles which littered the space's interior. In the center a massive, oval-shaped desk seated for thirteen was sparsely attended with only two of its number seated thus. Near the head of the table Zexion sat upright in his chair, ice blue eyes peering curious and attentive towards the room's other inhabitant. Seated across was the lounging, lazy figure of a man with a mane of red hair and glossy eyes or emerald.
"You're playing a dangerous game you know." Deft fingers rose to play at a few locks of his fiery hair. "As much as I love our chats you should know this isn't just a social call." Zexion blinked, then nodded in a grave manner. His seriousness seemed to clash with the lackadaisical nature displayed by his companion. "So, you're turning your back on the organization?" Axel's emerald hues swiveled away from the ceiling, centering on Zexion as he finally assumed a more upright posture.
It was quiet for a moment before Zexion answered. "I'm turning my back on his organization. Things in Lasbruck have gotten out of hand. If this is the sort of leadership we can expect, why continue to follow?" Lifting his right hand, the bookish youth motioned towards Axel with an open hand. "Besides, as you can see we already have what we need to break away."
With a frown, the assassin lifted his right hand and with a dexterous twist produced a small key complimented by a gold chain. "You mean this?" Axel followed this with something of an incredulous snort. "You know I'm the guy in the organization tasked with uncovering traitors right?" With a shake of his head and a knowing smile, Zexion responded in kind. "I'm fully aware, in fact, that's why I chose you in the first place. You're the least likely to be suspected as a turn-coat."
Finally Axel dropped his pretense of non-chalance, voice growing deathly serious. "And if I do flip, what can I expect in return? My loyalty isn't easily bought out." It was Zexion's turn to play at smug coolness. "I don't think that'll be a problem. Work with me and I'll tell you where he is." Axel's eyes narrowed to the point of daggers as the edges of his lips played at a frown. There was a tense moment of silence before he spoke. "Fine, I understand. I'll play along for now." Twisting the key over again in his hands, Axel continued. "So, if you've found this that must mean you know where the package is? Can I assume it was the one she was carrying?"
In a manner uncharacteristic to his normal coolness, it was Zexion's turn to stare in shock at Axel's revelation. "You sure do know how to pick 'em Zex'. I just really have to wonder if she's up to the task?"
As the light slowly returned to Yuffie's vision she was acutely aware of a stinging pain which throbbed at the back of her cranium. 'How long was I out?' The internal quip drifted perilously through her mind, independent thoughts playing at the edges of her barely conscious mind. It was only the clash of steel on steel, metal on raw metal which drew her from her reverie. In an instant her purple-tinged hues were drawn upwards to the sight of two figures dancing in the distance.
Sparks flew as two metallic implements bit into each other which a savage ferocity. Gathering herself up, Yuffie took a stand on one woobly leg, then two. It only took a few seconds for the weakness to subside, yet the throbbing pain in the back of her head remained. From where she was the runner could clearly distinguish that one of the figures was Leon. The swift and efficient motion with which he hefted his weapon, as well as its distinctive shape were instant give-aways. As for the other figure, Yuffie wasn't so sure.
The mysterious figure was cloaked all in black, in which appeared to be some sort of hooded cloak. The whole thing was as black as midnight and the stranger had his hood drawn up so as to conceal his face. No doubt this stranger was responsible for her injuries! The runner couldn't help but be indignant, despite the obvious danger, Who did he think he was!
Drawing the over-sized shuriken from her back, Yuffie lowered herself into a more centered, battle stance, before dashing forward into the fray.
With a minute twist of his wrist, Leon deftly maneuvered the hilt of his sword, working the blade upwards against the axis of his wrist. His second hand pulled back lightly against the end of the handle, providing the necessary leverage at the other end of the fulcrum. In a flash the blade sung upwards, its polished length for the briefest of moment's reflecting Leon's determined face back at him. But the blow was not to be. Just as quickly the stranger took a jumping, half-step back as Leon's sword filled the cavity in space he'd occupied just a moment before.
'Not getting away that easily.' The warrior's inner monologue was muted as he stepped forward, rushing to fill the previously created gap. If the antagonistic stranger was looking for a reprieve he was going to be sorely mistaken. Leon's blade clashed against two spiked, circular weapons the two men continued to circle one another, each looking for an opening to exploit. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut and despite his previous battlefield experience Leon could feel the tiniest beads of sweat beginning to play at his brow. It'd been a long time since he'd faced someone this good.
A nano-second before he lunged in for another attack the brunette's eyes caught site of another figure playing at the edge of his vision. It was the runner girl he'd been assigned to, 'Osprey' right? Leon was critical in his estimation of her abilities, after all, she'd been knocked off guard and out before she could even alert him to her danger. Still, to have made it so far in the organization she must have had some fighting ability? It was time to find out.
Leaning back, the over confident stranger threw one of the strange weapons, chakrams, over his shoulder. If he hadn't been wearing a hood the duo could have sworn he was grinning. "Well, that was a good warm-up at least." With his other hand a beckoning finger motioned forward mockingly, the motion was combined with an amused laugh. "Come 'ere, I'll make it all stop." Leon lunged in, trading a couple more blows with the stranger before being forced back by a hard kick to the chest. He recovered quickly, sliding to a stop next to the runner he was supposed to protect. It was now or never.
Despite their lack of previous work experience together, the duo leapt into action as one. Leon's gunblade danced along rote lines, each practiced swing executed perfectly from memory. The stranger dodged and weaved about, but Leon could feel the gap in their abilities closing. From the side a hail of shuriken released at the perfect moment from the little runner threw his opponent off guard. Forced to choose between a counter-strike and deflecting a horde of sharp pointy-bits, the stranger chose the latter; it was a fatal mistake. The instant of inattention Leon was provided was enough for him to close the distance.
Both of the swordsman's strong hands gripped his weapon as he leveled it directly in front of him. With easy efficiency his fore-finger found the trigger just as the tip of his blade was leveled with the distracted stranger's chest. "Dodge this." Beneath the dark of the hood Leon could see a tiny flash of light that could only be realization leaking into his opponent's eyes. With an uncharacteristic smirk Leon pulled the trigger.
The gunblade's oiled chamber rotated, magical ammunition readied as the weapon's hammer was drawn back and released. For Leon, it was like a cannon going off in his hands, his feet forced back in the dirt by the intense recoil of the weapon. His arms bent slightly as the tip of the weapon rose up to help bleed off some of the incredible kick-back. The stranger wasn't so lucky though. From the gunblade's tip a massive fireball sailed the few necessary feet to reach its target. There was nowhere to go: it was point blank range.
The fireball caught the stranger square in the chest, lifting him completely off of his feet and throwing him like a rag-doll across the rooftop. There wasn't any flashy mid-air recovery this time either, just the sound of limp meat smacking against hard roof-tiles. Lowering his weapon Leon let out an unconscious breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. It'd been a long time since he'd done that, he'd forgotten how good it felt. Still, the mysterious figure wasn't to be subdued quite yet. As astonishment spread across Leon and Yuffie's faces the figure rose again, although this time without his usual non-chalant swagger. "No way. . ." Yuffie couldn't help but let the peep escape her lips. The stranger had a single hand pressed against his chest, obviously to provide a bit of pressure for his gaping wound.
"Well. . . that was quite the show." The stranger got the words out after a moment of struggling, finally rising to his feet. Leon maintained his composure but Yuffie couldn't hide her dumbfounded expression. This guy had just taken a fireball full blast to the center of his chest, what was he even made out of!? When Leon spoke, it was in his usual, cool tone, albeit this time with a bit more of an edge on it. "You're not like the hired hands, what do you want?"
Despite his grievous injuries the stranger could help but patronize the swordsman, it was in his nature after all. "You're right, I'm not concerned with you, you're just a small fry. I'm here for the runner." The stranger's words hit Yuffie like a bucket of ice water, all this was over her? Confusion was the next in a long train of emotions, after all, the most intense drama she'd played a part in up into this point was being a maid of honor at Aerith's wedding and that certainly didn't compare to life-or-death struggles. It was melodramatic even.
"Back off." Leon's reply was curt and menacing. Not a man to mince words he was straight to the point, once again leveling his rather significant weapon into a defensive position. This development seemed to amuse the cloaked figure. "Relax lover boy, just here to ask a few questions." At this latest statement the duo was more than incredulous, he'd just tried to cut them limb from limb and now he was acting as cheery as a summer's day.
"You, runner." Yuffie perked up. "A little while ago you delivered a package to Sector Gamma. I want to know what was inside and where its headed now." Shock dawned on Yuffie's features, how could he have known about the package. Only the organization knew, that and the man who'd—then it hit her like a lightning bolt. Shock turned into realization, then into annoyance. "You're the one who was after me before, aren't you." The figure replied, "Pretty quick for a delivery girl, well, you got lucky that time. Now, the box?" It was clear the stranger wouldn't divert from this line of questioning so Yuffie answered curtly. She adopted an indignant tone to match her ruffled appearance. He'd nearly killed her all for this? "It was a trade agreement between two of the industrial houses. The organization didn't tell me the particulars." Normally it wouldn't been against her training to reveal the nature of her delivery, but the agreement was sure to be common knowledge by now anyway; she'd made the delivery more than a week ago. "Lies then? Well, I suppose I should've expected as much." The stranger hefted his weapons again, assuming a battle stance once more before suddenly stopping.
As the whole scene between the three of them had been developing the sounds of distant fighting had begun to fade away. By now they'd died down to the occasional, clank of steel or moaning of injured warriors. From beneath his hood the stranger's eyes seemed to have been drawn to an item in the distance. Cautiously the dynamic duo turned away from their erstwhile enemy to look at the area where he was gazing. From atop one of the higher parapets a giant flag had been erected bearing the arms of one of Lasbruck's noble houses. The raising of the standard signaled success in the field, it was obvious the fighting had reached its conclusion: one of the noble houses had won.
"Sorry boys and girls, looks like our showdown is going to have to wait." The reluctant tone in which the stranger spoke denoted his desire to continue the fight, but there appeared to be circumstances beyond his control which were forcing him to pursue a different course of action. "Try not to get into too much trouble." A sardonic smirk could be seen beneath the veil of his hood, a parting gift as the stranger took a few steps back. Finally he reached the edge of the roof, dropping down backwards as he stepped off, vanishing beneath the lip of the roof's tiles.
With the stranger's passing both remaining combatants let out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Relaxing the slightest iota, Leon allowed the tip of his weapon to drop, metallic point playing gently against the rigid black shingles. There was silence between them for a moment, then Leon spoke. "Friend of yours?" Yuffie's eyes turned to the confident swordsman, unsure for a moment how to respond. For a second she thought she sensed a bit of sarcasm but it was so far buried beneath his icy exterior she couldn't be sure. "More like a stalker, what was with his attitude?" The further into the sentence Yuffie got the more exasperated she became. By the end she'd lifted both hands, waving them gently in the air to put a point on her question. "Dunno', we should head back though, the party's over." The swordsman's single sentence reply put Yuffie into even more of a huff. They'd just had a near death experience! The least he could do was acknowledge it'd almost been the end for both of them. But no, instead Leon just turned, once again showing his back to her before setting off towards the organization's secret entryway. Yuffie didn't have time to remain indignant for long; he was a fast walker. "Hey! Wait up!"
The debriefing at the organization went by quickly enough. There was no paperwork associated with this assignment which was just as well with Yuffie. After all, she hated doing paper work. After the debriefing both of them were released from the building and sent back out into the no longer smoldering rubble of a broken city. The fighting had by now finally died down and the regular citizens had begun to come back out to pick up the pieces. Husbands and wives managed surveyed broken store fronts as little children picked up the pieces. It wasn't a very pretty site, but it surely could have been much worse. Most of the more grizzly battlefield leftovers had already been removed from the streets.
As Yuffie continued her walk down the main thoroughfare and towards Lasbruck's massive open gates she took a moment to regard her companion. This was the first time she'd really had a chance to look at him without her nerves or the fear of sudden death drawing her attention away. For all her looking Leon's face could've been etched from stone, the man was a steel trap of emotions: nothing got out. Still, from her experiences so far she knew there was a modicum of personality buried deep down in there. She'd seen it first hand after all!
Yuffie knew Leon was one of the organizations most capable mercenaries, she also knew that she was one of their most capable runners. After the story presented to her organizations superiors they all agreed that from now on, if she was going to continue taking missions of high importance, she was going to need some protection. The combination of effective field personnel seemed like a good match to the management; everyone was expendable, but it didn't hurt to have a runner who could make the journey to Kisoz Cliffs in two days in their collective pocket.
As they passed the giant wooden gates Yuffie ran a few steps ahead, stopping to lift both arms above her head, stretching them out in an absent manner. With all the chaos caused by the uprising in Lasbruck it was going to be a few days at the least before anything new came down the delivery pipeline. That meant there was really only one destination for them: Viele Bahnen. Smiling, Yuffie closed her eyes. She could almost smell Aerith's sweet cooking, imaging all the goodies that would be prepared for their return, most of all the cookies!
"Don't go getting an empty head." Leon's crushed gravel voice snapped the girl back to reality, dragging her kicking and screaming away from her imaginary feast. "He'll be back, and next time I doubt a little flag waving is going to get rid of him." Quick as a flash Yuffie was at his side, her balled fist bouncing playfully off his muscular bicep in a light-hearted jab. "That's what I have you for right?" Suddenly her playful tone changed. Lifting her hand up to cover half her face, Yuffie summoned up her best, most serious expression. "You're right. Danger could be lurking around every turn, we have to stay sharp." Yuffie dropped the expression almost immediately afterwards. Although it could use a bit of work, she had to admit her Leon impression was coming along nicely. For all of this the runner received in turn first a quirked eyebrow, then an intense scowl as Leon recognized the facsimile of his own mannerisms. For anyone else the gaze would have been wilting, but for Yuffie she just brushed it off. She'd already seen his concerned side back when he was defending her against the mystery maniac, there was no taking it back now. "To Aerith's!" This was followed by Yuffie pointing forward down the road. Leon could only sigh, this assignment was going to be more tiresome than he'd originally thought.
It took the better part of the day for the two of them to reach the outskirts of Viele Bahnen. By then the crisp orange rays of the setting sun had already begun to play at the edges of the horizon. Up ahead Yuffie had stopped to stretch and take in the scenery. She was used to these kinds of trips; running was her profession after all. For a runner who'd seen the trail more times than she could count, Yuffie was sure she could've kept this pace up forever. Not so for Leon. Yuffie had already had to reduce her speed for him a few times today. As strong as he was with sword in hand, hiking didn't seem to be the mercenary's forte. He was built for cutting things in half with a giant sword, not running a marathon. It was all the same to Yuffie. Her pace wasn't significantly delayed and it was actually nice to have a second to take in the scenery instead of watching it whoosh by at lightning speed.
Finally the two arrived at Aerith's house. Leon had been here a few times before, but his last visit had been more of a business venture so he hung back, waiting for Yuffie to do the talking. The young girl was happy to oblige him. Yuffie gave the center of the door a few curt wrapts with the back of her knuckle, before letting herself in. "Aerith, I'm back!" Yuffie's cheerful voice seemed to die in her throat. As soon as she stepped inside she could tell something was off.
The usual glow accompanied Aerith's serene complexion, the glow she seemed to fill the house with had vanished leaving only the gloomy half-darkness. It didn't take long to locate the woman, Aerith was sitting at the kitchen's center table, somewhat sluggish to respond. As Yuffie stepped in further, Aerith seemed to snap out of whatever trance had held her. "Oh, Yuffie. . ." Her voice trailed off. Then, all in a flood the emotion seemed to come out. The older woman rushed over to Yuffie, throwing both hands around the younger girl's neck. There weren't any tears but Yuffie could've sworn she was on the verge. "Aerith what's going on?"
The older woman took a moment to compose herself, finally looking straight into Yuffie's eyes as her reply came. "Cloud hasn't come back." It didn't take a telepath to sense the worry in her voice, it was all genuine. "He was supposed to be home days ago but I haven't heard anything, not even a letter. I thought he might have been at Cid's so I sent one special delivery. The replay came today, Cid hasn't seen him in over a month." Aerith's words brought the gravity of the situation home. Yuffie could feel her stomach tightening. This was the beginning of something really bad.