Chapter Five

Meeting of Heroes

It felt like Gera was floating in darkness for days, until, finally, he began to fall down. He looked around... and saw he was actually falling!

"Wh-wha!?"

He yelled out, pissed.

"Damn you, Voice! You didn't have to drop me from here!!!"

He flipped his body up right, now falling feet first, looking down at the new world he was in... Traverse Town... he was falling down into the 1st District. Then some Weavers appeared around him, which made him sigh.

"Oh, come on! Heartless here, too!?"

Yuffie was skipping down the District, close to the two lamp posts, humming to herself with her eyes closed, when she heard something from above.

"Damn you, Voice! You didn't have to drop me from here!!!"

She looked around, startled.

"Who's there?"

She blinked, then looked up... what she saw amazed her...

Gera took out his guns and shot at the first two Weavers, using the recoil of them to go back. He flipped back and dropped kicked one that was behind him, using the force of that kick to go up, still in a free fall. He pistol whipped another Weaver that was above him, then shot two that were under him. He flipped over and aimed at two more above and below him. He shot behind him to send himself forward, then stepped on a Weaver, jumping forward on it, then another, then another, like stepping stones. As soon as he reached the last one, the turned and shot one single bullet, which went through them all, being in a straight row. Then all of the rest of the Weavers, which was about two dozen, began to cover him, making a small ball of Heartless. For a second, it looked like Gera was dead. But, after a second, Gera began to spin, his body a blur, shooting as fast as he could, killing each and every one of those Weavers. He stopped himself spinning and continued his free fall, panting now. He still felt weak from his fight with Talon... and sighed.

"Damn... still in a free fall.... Voice! You're a bastard!"

"Haha."

"You're freaking laughing!!!!"

Yuffie was wide eyed.

"Wow... that guy... is good!"

She then saw that he was still in a free fall.

"Uh oh!"

She looked around, looking for something to catch his fall... but saw nothing....

"Leon! Are you here!? Please help!"

Gera had his arms crossed, thinking, when the Voice spoke up again.

"You know... if you concentrate your darkness on your back, you'll discover something about your body which you never knew..."

"Oh? What would that be?"

The Voice didn't answer. Gera sighed, irritated that he wouldn't answer. He closed his eyes, making his energy form on his back....

Suddenly, two giant angel wings, black and purple, shot out of his back, black feathers spreading everywhere. Gera gawked in shock...

I... have wings!?

His fall became slower and slower, till he was dropping at a gentle pace, not only about 10 feet from the ground. He gently landed on the ground, feathers slowly following him... then dropped to a knee. His wings went back into his back like they were never there. He felt drained from the fight from Talon, and then the fight just above him.

Yuffie couldn't move, too shocked. A guy, without a shirt, with burnt pants and boots, falling from no where? That has never happened before! She then saw the ingeries on him. She ran toward him and knelt beside him.
"Hey, winged guy, are you alright?"

Gera looked up at her with his dark purple eyes, making her start... he then passed out, leaning against her. All of what happened was just too much for him. Yuffie turned beat red from blushing, and jumped a bit when she heard a familiar voice.

"So... you called me over just to show me some muscular guy leaning against you?"

Yuffie turned to the guy who said that... Leon... he had his Gunblade over his shoulder, looking down at them from the top of the stairs. Yuffie somehow turned even more red.

"No! Come down here! He's hurt!"

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Gera was floating in darkness again, whips of it crawling on him. He slowly opened his eyes, then closed them, still tired. Echos of the darkness was quietly heard by him, keeping it from being too quiet, and was feeling very warm, snug. He chuckled.

"All I need now is a pillow to cling to and this would be perfect..."

At that moment, he felt like he was sinking slowly. Soon, he felt himself in a bed, under the covers with his head resting on a soft pillow. He kept his eyes closed.

Heh, at least I got that pillow...

He then heard a humming close to him, and felt someone sitting on the edge of the bed he was in. So, knowing someone was there, he slowly opened his eyes, trying to bring his eyes into focus....

He was in the Green Room in the Hotel, bandages all over his body and head. He looked down and saw someone who made his heart jump...

Mella...

Mella was sitting next to him, her legs crossed and was leaning back a little, still humming with a smile on her face, looking up at the ceiling. Despite his body aching, he lunged forward and brought her into a tight hug.

"Mella... I've found you... after all these years..."

Mella turned beat red, shocked from the hug.

"Ummm... I... uh.... I'm not Mella..."

Gera blinked, then brought the would-be Mella at arms length... Yuffie was in his arms, blushing.

"Umm... hi!"

Gera turned beat red, showing through his bandages, letting go of her.

"U-ummmm...."

He was staring at the bed, not really able to talk. After all, he DID just hug her like they were lovers...

"So, he's awake..."

Leon walked into the room, coming in from the door. He stood there, looking at Gera.

"You're the amazing man that killed over two dozen Weavers while free falling...?"

Gera blushed even more.

"Well... I'm not really that old... I'm only 16..."

Yuffie started, still blushing a bit herself.

"You're 16!? Dang, with that body, you look like someone who has worked out for 25 years!"

He blinked, looking down at himself. He grew a bit more muscular, but not too much, which perfectly matched his body. Something told him that nothing else was going to change all of a sudden on him.

"Th-thanks...I'm Gera, by the way..."

Leon shook his head.

"Anyway, Gera, what happened to you? You have been out cold for three days. Apparently, you finally felt a 'woman's touch' and was so releaved that you were knocked out."

"L-Leon! Will you stop that!?"

Yuffie stood up, blushing as much as Gera was.

"Well..."

He began to tell him his story, starting with when he fell into Destiny Islands. He told them about all of his friends, especially Sora, Riku, and Kairi. And then... he got to Talon... that he was a god that was the enemy of all of the good gods and wants to kill him, and the Heartless that destroyed his new home... the only thing he didn't tell was the Voice that has helped him.

Leon was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, while Yuffie sat in a chair, thinking to herself while listening. Leon spoke when Gera paused.

"So... you used only your guns to fight against this Talon?"

Gera shook his head.

"No, I used my main weapon."

He reach out with his right hand, then summoned his Keyblade, forming from a dark light. Both Leon and Yuffie jumped at the sight of it, wide eyed. Yuffie could barely speak.

"A.... another... Keyblade?"

Gera turned to Yuffie with a confused look on his face. Leon fixed his posture and spoke.

"Sora actually came here a day before you did. He also had the.... a Keyblade."

Gera nearly jumped out of bed, but stopped, feeling his body ache. He gripped his chest, feeling the muscles tighten.

"Sora... was here!?"

He nodded. He told Gera about Sora looking for his friends, willing to go look in all the dangerous areas of Traverse Town for them, and even fought against a Guard Armor with Donald and Goofy. Gera had to laugh a little.

"Well, that's Sora for ya. He sure will surprise you when you least expect it..."

He ran a hand through his hair, then looked under the blanket, noticing something.

"Ummm... where's my pants?"

Just then, he heard a door open, with Aerith walking in with a tray in her hands, which had three iced teas and plenty of bandages. Leon turned to her.

"Oh, Aerith. The boy finally woke up."

She turned to Leon, then over to Gera, giving a smile.

"Well, that's wonderful news."

Gera started to blush again from her smile. Her eyes had a very gentle glow to them.

"Umm... thank you... I'm... Gera... it's good to meet you, Aerith."

She nodded, still smiling. She walked over Leon and Yuffie, giving them two of the three drinks, then walked over to him and sat in a chair next to the bed. She placed the tray on a side table, then gave Gera the last cup.

"Here, you can have mine."

Gera blinked.

"Oh, no. I can't. It's your's, isn't it?"

Aerith brought it closer to him, still smiling.

"Yes, but I only made one so Leon and Yuffie didn't have to drink alone. Take it."

"O-o.k... thank you..."

He gently got the drink from her and looked at it, then at Leon and Yuffie... both had a cautious look on their faces about the drink.

That can't be a good sign...

But he knew he had to drink it, to be polite... hey, maybe it was just him being perinod... right?

He chugged down the tea, since he was thrusty. As soon as it was gone, Gera slapped the cup on the tray, bringing his other hand to his throat. He was barely able to speak as he was beginning to gag.

"What was.... in that.... tea...!?"

Aerith brought a finger to her mouth, thinking.

"Ohh... about a half a cup of tea, a fourth of a cup of milk, an ounce of root beer, a table spoon of garlic pepper for some bite, salt, regular pepper, hot sauce, soy sauce, horse sauce, ketchup..."

She continued a long list, Leon and Yuffie giving a pitiful look at Gera, still choking.. Yuffie turned to Leon.

"Maybe we should have warned him..."

Leon nodded, pouring his drink in a plant next to him while Aerith wasn't looking. Yuffie tossed her drink out of an open window when she could...

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After about 20 minutes, and about two bottles of tumbs and a bottle of peptobismol, later, Gera layed back down in bed.

"Umm... thank you all... for taking care of me..."

Leon was leaning against a wall again, his arms crossed.

"Don't thank me, thank Yuffie and Aerith. They are the ones that took care of you."

Gera blushed a bit as he turned to Yuffie and Aerith.

"Well... thank you two, then... I guess I owe you two..."

Yuffie gave him a thumbs up, grinning. Aerith smiled, nodding.

"No thanks needed! You DID help us get rid of some pesty Heartless!"

Gera nodded, sighing.

"I hate having to stay in bed..."

Aerith walked over to him, checking his bandages.

"Well... since you're healing this quickly, you should be on your feet very soon."

He closed his eyes, wondering if healing this fast was one of his powers... Leon stood straight, a hand in his pocket.

"Well, we should leave him alone. The more he sleeps, the faster he'll recover."

Aerith went over to him, the empty tray in hand.

"I agree. Yuffie, let's let him rest."

As Leon and Aerith walk out, Yuffie skipped to the door, then called out to them.

"I'll be there in a minute, o.k?"

She closed the door, then locked it. Yuffie walked over to Gera and sat in the chair Aerith was in, close to him.

"So... who's this Mella?"

"I-da-um-uh-ermmmm..."

He turned beat red, remembering the hug he gave her. Yuffie grinned, poking his nose.

"Sooooooooooooooooooooo?"

Gera turned his head away, remembering both of his homes... his friends... realizing that Tidus, Sophie, and Wakka were probably dead, too... Yuffie saw the expression on his face. She turned away, understanding.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to..."

She got up and started to head for the door.

"Wait..."

Gera turned his head around to her... Yuffie turned to him, then sat back in the chair. He sat up, leaning his back against the wall... he closed his eyes, making sure he remembered everything correctly... then told her everything. He told her everything, his real home, about Mella, his school... his mother... even how he got his Keyblade and even about the Voice that spoke to him.

Yuffie listened quietly, her face blank.

"So... these... gods... just suddenly appeared in your world? And one of them wants you dead?"

Gera nodded slowly.

"He nearly killed me and Mella... and Jet was hurt by some sort of special attack from him... I remember Jet saying that it was a move that was forbidden by the Holy Father... I guess that's THE God... but..."

He brought a knee up close to his chest under the blanket.

"What has me worried... is that it took two gods, the god of Darkness and the god of Light, to make him result to destroying my world... if that's the case... then what chance do I, a regular teen, have?"

Yuffie gave him a smile. She patted his shoulder with her hand.

"Don't you worry. If you ever need help, just come back here, and we'll help ya!"

Gera blinked... her being able to say that without a second's hesitation meant a lot to him.

"But it's a god! He was able to destory a whole world! ANd even made the god of Darkness look like a fool!"

"So?"

She placed her hands on her hips.

"We are stronger then we look! So are you! And if that Voice or whatever is right about your power, then you should be able to handle yourself very soon!"

She started after she said that, shocked from the expression on Gera's face as a tear fell down his face. He jumped a bit, wipping it away.

"S-sorry. I... guess I just needed someone to say that to me..."

Yuffie smile to him again.

"It's alright... we all have lost our homes to the Heartless... Leon, Aerith, and I lost out homes, too... Cid saved us when it happened..."

"Cid?"

She gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Oh, you haven't met him. He owns a shop in the 1st District. You have to go there soon, anyway, for clothes. The ones you were wearing were... kind of ruined..."

Gera scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Yuffie stood up and went over to the door.

"Oh... by the way..."

She turned to him and winked.

"You're bigger then you look!"

She quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Gera tilted his head, then figured out what she meant. He turned beat red, so red that his face was steaming. He layed back down, quietly thinking to himself until he fell asleep...

End of Chapter Five