Author's Note: Hey! So we're on the second-to-last scene of stuff that happens before the epilogue in All the Pieces. However, 'Scene 5' AKA the Hollow Bastion scene is too long for one chapter, so it gets two. The scene after this will be the Riku and Namine and Riku's mother scene, which I will write. I just... need time lol. Midterms. They are... meh.
Also! Axel hasn't quite met Kuin yet. This is a day or two before that. SO! After running into her, he has a better idea of what he's going to be doing. Just saying. At least, that's what he's telling me right now. I haven't explored it all that much yet in the sequel. It'll happen.
And, now, for the scene that started as Aqua, Terra and Ven crashing in Hollow Bastion for the night which turned very quickly into... this.
(Just for the record, I am using the name Squall for Leon semi-interchangeably in this scene. It comes from my FFVIII playing. That, and I think Rinoa and Quistis would call him Squall anyway, regardless. And he'd let them, because of who they are to him.)
And, enough of my rambling... read and enjoy!
"Stop staring at me like I've grown a second head!"
xx
"Aerith," Tifa called when they entered the house. "Do you think there would be enough room for Aqua, Terra and Ven to stay for the night?"
Aerith frowned, thinking. "Well, Quistis and Zell are staying in the bunk beds in the guest room and I had figured Rinoa would take the cot in that room. I hadn't quite placed Cloud yet…"
If Cloud was offended by this, he didn't say anything.
"If it's too much of a problem," Aqua began. "We can find someplace else."
"No, no," Aerith said, shushing her. "I'll figure it out. Merlin!"
Merlin appeared in the center of the room.
"Yes? What is it?" he asked.
"Do you have a place for a few people to sleep at your place?"
"Not particularly, madam…"
Aerith frowned.
"But perhaps I could take a couple of people and conjure up some cots in the room upstairs," he added hastily.
Aerith smiled.
"Can' yeh just 'conjure up' anothe' room?" Cid asked.
"I can only conjure something that already exists, for your information," Merlin barked, straightening his glasses.
"But you can take a couple of people?" Aerith asked. "We appear to have an overflow."
"I can take two."
"Ven and I will come," Terra offered.
"But I'm not tired!" Ven complained.
"That's what you get for sleeping for so many years," Terra teased.
Ven frowned.
Aerith was still thinking about the three people that were lacking beds.
"Rinoa can sleep in my bed," Leon offered, speaking up for the first time. "I'll take the floor somewhere."
"You don't have to!" Rinoa protested.
He shrugged.
"There's enough couches," Cloud said. "He and I can sleep down here."
"Good, because I wasn' about teh offer up my bed," Cid said.
"Then that just leaves Tifa," Aerith mused, ignoring Cid.
"I can sleep on the floor," Tifa said. "It's no different than what I've been doing for the past several months."
"No, no," Aerith protested. "You can have my bed."
"Aerith, I couldn't…"
"I insist…"
"No, I'll be fine…"
"Tifa, it really isn't going to be a problem…"
"I'm serious…"
"Oh my gosh everyone, just stop arguing! One of you take my bed!" Yuffie shouted. "I'll hang from the rafters or something. Anything to get you to stop trying to out-courteous each other."
Everyone looked at Yuffie in shock.
"You just offered up your bed," Cloud mused.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm sick of the arguing. Bo—Tifa can have it."
After a couple of seconds, she added:
"Stop staring at me like I've grown a second head!"
"If I had known it was going to be a problem…" Quistis began.
"Hush," Aerith said. "There is room for everyone. Who wants pie?"
Even though no one was hungry, Cloud, Leon, Cid and Tifa immediately raised their hands. Aqua, Terra and Ven raised their hands as well.
"I'd like some pie," Yuffie said.
"Pie sounds nice," Rinoa added.
"Got any hotdogs?" Zell asked.
Quistis elbowed him in the gut for that.
Aerith went into the kitchen to grab pie. Merlin set to making sure there were enough chairs around the table.
"So where am I sleeping?" Aqua asked. "I missed that part."
"The third bed in the guest room," Quistis said. "I'm Quistis, and you are?"
"I'm Aqua, and these are my friends Ven and Terra."
Terra and Ven waved.
"The blonde over there is Zell," Quistis said. "And that's Rinoa over there."
Zell appeared to be too busy swatting flies to notice, but Rinoa waved.
If Aqua found the wings odd, she did not mention.
xx
Cloud and Leon both ended up sitting on overturned crates. Rinoa and Quistis were sharing a small bench. Merlin sat in a floating armchair and Aerith never once actually sat down, even though Cid must have offered her his chair seven times.
"So, why do you have wings?" Ven asked Rinoa.
Rinoa's wings fluttered at their mention and managed to almost knock over Zell, who was sitting on the other side of Quistis.
"It's always, me, isn't it?" he asked through a mouthful of pie.
"She's magic," Leon said with a grin.
"Nu-uh!" Ven said, not believing it.
"Well, it's true," Rinoa said. "I'm a Sorceress. And where I come from, that job entails wings."
"No way!" Ven said. "Can you fly?"
Rinoa nodded.
"Wicked!"
"I'm very good with magic," Aqua said. "What does a Sorceress mean?"
"You should see her Berserk-cast," Zell said. "It's wicked scary."
"You should see Squall and her fight alongside each other," Quistis said. "It's unbelievable."
"Remember that one time with the Ultima weapon?" Rinoa asked, looking at Squall.
Squall laughed. He remembered it all right.
"Wait, so Leon fights?" Cloud teased.
Rinoa frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. Leon just punched him.
Tifa smiled. A teasing Cloud was much better than a moody one. Even Leon seemed to be in a better mood with the addition of Rinoa.
"You'll have to show me sometime," Aqua said with a small laugh.
"Well, if there are still Heartless around, it'll happen," Leon said.
"Wouldn't destroying Xehanort…" Yuffie began.
"You're kiddin' right?" Cid said. "The Heartless'll never stop. And if it's nah Heartless, it'll be somethin' else."
"One day," Leon said wistfully. "This'll be restored."
"It will go quickly if we all help," Aerith said.
"That's what we're here for," Rinoa said.
"Really?" Leon asked. "Because I was going to find…"
She smiled. "One step ahead of you!"
"We might be able to stay and help…" Aqua began.
"Nonsense," Aerith said. "You have your own journeys ahead of you."
"But," Leon said. "If we ever need you, we'll let you know."
"Restoration continues tomorrow!" Cid announced. "And we'll get a heckova lot more dun without Xehanort interferin'."
"Don't feel guilty," Aerith told Terra, before he even really had a chance to process what Cid had meant. He figured it out though and frowned. Aerith gave him a look and he made his mouth make some other shape than a frown.
"So what all is the restoration entailing right now?" Tifa asked, looking over at Cid.
"Clearin' out monsters, buildin' back the broken stuff, makin' the place nice and shiny," Cid replied.
"Do you have scheduled times, or is it just whenever?" Rinoa asked.
"Usually, it's dependent on the Heartless," Leon replied.
"Guys," Cloud said, his voice soft.
"Yes, Cloud?" Aerith asked.
"About the Heartless…"
He nodded towards the window.
"You have got teh be kiddin' me!" Cid shouted. "We just cleared up at Castle Oblivion and now look what we've gotta deal with!"
"How many are there?" Aerith asked.
"A lot," Yuffie said, having been the one to jump up and look out the window.
"I'll get my cannon," Cid grumbled. "Cloud, Leon, help me."
Both men got up to help Cid.
"We never made it to the Keyblade Graveyard," Terra said quietly.
"You didn' get yer weapon?" Cid asked. "Fine, you help me. Leon, go help yer girlfrien'."
Leon didn't need to be told twice.
xx
Yuffie was the first out the door, followed closely by Ven. Tifa followed her, sliding her gloves on as she did so. Rinoa followed after, her blaster edge clicking into place. Quistis and Zell were next, Quistis pulling out her whip and Zell taking a couple of practice punches. Aerith went next, Leon following after her, trying to catch up to Rinoa.
Aqua hung back, looking at Merlin.
"Do you fight?" she asked.
"No, no, my dear. Cid says it's best if I don't. Besides, those blasted Heartless don't respond well to my type of magic."
"Your type of magic?" Aqua asked.
"I don't fight with magic, I use it to aid my circumstance, nothing more."
"All right then," Aqua said, ducking out as well.
"Remember to stick in groups," Leon said.
"We know," Yuffie groaned.
"Neoshadows?" Aerith said. "We haven't seen those around here in a while…"
"It's not just Neoshadows," Yuffie called back.
It was a swarm of Neoshadows, Soldiers, Guardians and there were a few Phantomtails; with more Heartless appearing.
"Where did all of them come from?" Tifa asked.
"Darkness expelling itself," Cloud called, carrying Cid's cannon pretty much all by himself. Cid was frowning at him.
"Everyone git clear!" Cid shouted.
"Split up!" Tifa said.
So they did.
"Terra!" Aqua shouted before running off with Aerith and Rinoa.
She summoned a second Keyblade, Master Eraqus' Keyblade, and tossed it to him. He caught it—it felt very light in his hand.
He was about to go join up with one of the groups when Cid stopped him.
"I may be able to clear out haf-a-dozen Heartless at once, but I need someone to cover my back!"
"I'll stay too," Cloud said.
Terra shrugged and slashed down a Neoshadow.
"Charging!" Cid shouted.
xx
Yuffie, having been the first to charge out of the house, had gotten the farthest into the Heartless. Ven was right behind her. Quistis slid through the Heartless to catch up with them. She had an instinct to look after the younger ones.
Yuffie and Ven had been doing pretty good on their own, until they came across a patch of Emerald Blues.
"No fair!" Yuffie shouted, going to pick up her fallen shuriken. "Those ones use Aero."
Quistis set a Scan onto the Heartless.
Yuffie stomped over to her fallen weapon and retrieved it, chucking it again. The Emerald Blue was just annoying enough to send a gust of Aero at it and make it clatter to the ground, again.
"Stupid thing!" she growled.
"Use Fire," Quistis said. "It will work the best."
"Got it!" Ven said. He charged up a Fire Surge and killed a couple of the Emerald Blues simultaneously.
"I don't have any Fire Materia on me!" Yuffie growled.
Quistis laughed to herself.
"But, I do have Ifrit!" she exclaimed.
"That would work," Quistis said. She snapped her whip at some nearby Poison Plants that had emerged. One snap of her whip stunned each Poison Plant she hit. Ven chucked his Keyblade to kill them. Then Ifrit showed up and they all moved out of the way.
"I must say though," Quistis said. "Summoning Ifrit might have been overkill."
Yuffie frowned her, but held her tongue. Mostly because she had yet to come up with a good nickname for Quistis.
xx
Leon was slightly anxious. He was over here with Cid and Rinoa was over there with Aerith and Aqua. Granted, it wasn't like he thought she'd hurt herself, and he trusted her over there with Aerith way more than he'd trust her with Yuffie or Cid.
And it was Cid's fault anyway that he wasn't over there anyway. He sighed and began working his way over. He ended up having to stop by Tifa and Zell though.
"Yuffie's wasted no time in summoning, has she?" Tifa mused, looking over at Ifrit as he was killing Heartless.
"I have Carbuncle junctioned," Zell muttered. "He's not going to do me any good."
Leon laughed. "Sounds like that's your problem."
Zell sighed and punched a Soldier. It tottered around a bit until Zell punched it in the face. Then it died.
"Hey, Leon, do you think you could give me a bit of a boost?" Tifa asked, eyeing an Air Pirate that was looming over them, waiting to attack.
Leon put his gunblade to the ground, indicating for Tifa to step onto it. She did so and he lifted the blade up, giving her the boost.
She flew up into the air and round-housed the Air Pirate. It fell to the ground and disappeared into a puff of darkness. She landed lightly on her feet.
"I wish I could do that," Zell complained. "But I'd just fall flat on my face."
"It's all in the knees when you land," Tifa told him.
"We've got quite the variety of Heartless," Leon mused, taking out some Neoshadows.
"Cloud did say it was darkness dispelling itself," Tifa replied.
"That's a lot of darkness," Zell said.
"Xehanort's gone," Leon said. "All these Heartless were probably hanging around him. Then, when Sora and his friends took him down…"
"Then this should be temporary," Tifa said, punching a Guardian.
Leon merely grunted in response, casting Aero on the nearest Phantomtail. It warped away and Leon growled.
"Yuffie needs to take care of those," he muttered.