R E T U R N I N G H O M E

Squall Leonhart

&

Yuffie Kisaragi

Note: This whole chapter is set in the past/flashback

The four Radiant Garden natives were at a stone stairwell in district one. They had arrived at this new world not too long ago with Cid, who had ordered them to stay put until explored this new world…Traverse Town as the people here called it. The older man left with a few other survivors that Squall didn't recognize. There were only a handful of them that Cid managed to scoop up in his gummi ship and fly off to safety with. Cloud, Aeris, Yuffie, and he were the few lucky ones.

"What…what were those things?" Aeris asked.

At first Squall believed that she was asking a general question until he realized she was staring straight at him. He shifted his weight uncomfortably until he realized that she wasn't just asking anyone…she was asking him. She was scared…and she did little to hide it. Her emerald in her eyes seemed shattered and her folded hands hovered shakily over her chest.

What is going to happen now? Why was she asking him? He didn't know any more than she did. He didn't know what was happening when Radiant Garden was over taken by shadows…those things that clawed their way through front door and walls…and people. He still felt the heat of the battle on the nape of his neck. The sound of chaos was still ringing in his ears. The blood from his newfound scar on his brow was still warm and drying on his lips

He glanced over to the others who looked as bad as he was. Cloud had suffered multiple wounds that were now bandaged with what little material they could find. The flower girls dress was tattered and torn at the hem, covered with blood and dirt. The ninja's bandana hung loosely around her neck. New cuts and bruises piled atop her old ones from previous rough housing. Yuffie was never a girly girl…

Every time he looked at them he felt a heavy weight in his chest. It was the same feeling he felt whenever he lost in a fight. It was the same feeling he felt when he told Yuffie to go away. It was the same feeling he felt when he told Aeris he didn't like the lemonade she made…

Guilt.

He looked at the flower girl who was about to cry. He felt an invisible string wrapped around his heart that began to tug. Then he looked at the little ninja. She was only five…at the time. He was only ten. And none of them could make sense of what was happening.

"I…I don't know…" was the lame answer he gave her. It was honest but not what she wanted to hear and he knew that. There it was again…

Guilt

He couldn't take it. He needed to do better.

There was a look of disappointment in the flower girl's eyes as she nodded and backed away taking a place next to Cloud.

"I'm sorry…" he added maybe a little too late.

"It's okay…" she said offering one of her famous Aeris smiles. It was the same one that was so sincere and hid no malice behind it. Except that same smile was broken and would take a long time before it could heal.

"Do you think the monsters are here too?" Yuffie asked eyeing each shadowed corner cautiously.

"Probably not…and if they are you don't have to worry," Cloud replied. His small hand gripped the hilt of his sword that was too big for his child sized frame and his mako eyes burned with determination way beyond his years.

Aeris glanced at Cloud and looked at him with an understanding sadness. "Cloud…"

"But…what if they are?" the young girl insisted breaking any uncomfortable silence.

"If there were we probably would've seen them by now…" he encouraged, settling her fears.

The young girl just replied with a soft 'oh' as if it all made sense to her now.

Across the way Cloud gave Squall a curt nod and just like that they shared a silent agreement. They would protect them. They would do better next time. Next time they would be prepared. Both of them weren't going to let this happen again.

With that thought in mind Squall glanced at the weapon in his hand; the same one which tip barely dragged along the floor as he walked. Its silver color gleamed in the twilight light as the griever keychain hung from the hilt. Like Cloud, both of them seemed too small to wield such a powerful weapon: Cloud with his buster sword and Squall with his gunblade. However both of them held on to their swords with such bravery that a ten year old shouldn't know.

"Squall. Squall. Squall," Yuffie beckoned to him until she received his attention again. She had one arm wrapped around his leg while the other pulled on his hand.

The SeeD cadet raised a hand to his forehead. He let out a soft sigh and finally gave in to the ninja's demands. "Yes?" he asked. His eyes gave her a questioning look that gave her a queue to speak.

It was probably something trivial. It was probably something only a five year old would ask, like when will we be able to go back home. Or I'm hungry. Or I have to go to the bathroom…or something along those minor lines. Except…nothing could have prepared him for what she was going to ask next.

"What ship are Mommy and Daddy on?"

It was something only a five year old would ask.

He looked at Aeris and Cloud for help but all he received were blank, broken, and sorrowful stares. Yuffie tugged on his arm again looking up at him with a look that broke his heart.

"Oh Yuffie…" he heard Aeris begin but Squall abruptly stopped her.

The young ninja was looking at him and only him. She was asking him and no one else. Squall frowned he pried her small arms off his leg and knelt down to her eye level. Holding her hands he looked at her questioning eyes. He took a moment to think of the words to say…what does a ten year old say to a five year old asking when they'd see their parents again?

"Yuffie…"

"When are the other ships coming?" Yuffie interrupted.

Squall inwardly winced as her words cut into him but Yuffie's inquisitive eyes urged him to push on. "Your Mom and Dad aren't coming…here…"

"What do you mean? Where are they going? What ship are they on?"

"…" For a moment Squall knelt there silently as Yuffie stared at him with a blank expression.

"They're on a ship…that's going somewhere different. It's a special ship and they're going somewhere we can't go."

Yuffie's gaze wavered as she looked down at the grown…the stairs…the stars…anything but his grey eyes. "Mommy and Daddy aren't coming here…" she repeated almost asking one more time.

Squall solemnly shook his head.

The brunette male nodded as he the young girl trying to make sense of the situation. "Oh…"

After a silent moment the young girl stared straight into the older boy's blue eyes. Her sudden actions almost caught the boy off guard. "Are you going to have to go away too?"

It was a serious question that deserved a serious answer.

Again Squall shook his head and did something very out of character for the young boy. He pulled the little ninja into a tight embrace and shook his head.

"No I'm going to stay with you…"

The older man mumbled something incoherent possibly even to himself. It had been several hours since they landed in this…Traverse Town as the people called it. Cid, the pilot had rounded up all the survivors he could find and led them to this world. He still wasn't sure if he did the right thing. Letting out a large sigh he walked the halls of the single hotel in district two. Or was it three? He couldn't remember. Not that it mattered all that much to him.

All of the people who escaped Radiant garden were spread out to different rooms. However there were four of them…he kept a very watchful eye on. He made his way over to the red room where two of the youngest survivors were kept. Originally he had planned for the boys to stay in one room and the girls to stay in another while he had a room across the hall.

Now Cid wasn't very good with kids but he decided to check on them before he retreated to his own room. Going to the boy's room first he quietly turned the knob afraid of waking the inhabitants inside. They had been through enough and the last thing they needed was to be startled in their sleep.

The pilot opened the door just so that enough light shine through. His eyes squinted to adjust to the darkness trying to make sense of what he saw. He expected to see two boys: Squall and Cloud sleeping soundly in their separate beds. Except that wasn't the case. Instead he saw four small bodies sleeping vertically on two beds pushed together.

It took him a while to recognize all their sleeping faces but he could have guessed who the two girls in the middle were. The sight almost…just maybe brought the smallest of smiles on the pilot's face.

There, on the two beds pushed together were Cloud, Aeris, Yuffie and Squall. The two boys were sleeping on the ends while the girls slept in the middle. The blonde had his arm casually draped over the flower girl. And while the little ninja hugged onto Squall's arm like a teddy bear the young boy seemed to be hogging all the blankets.

From the hallway he heard them all breathing steadily in their deep slumbers. He let out a deep sigh cursing whoever it was that bestowed such a tragedy on these children. They all slept there soundly and serene if only for one night. Cid shook his head and smiled while quietly closing the door.

Scratching the back of his head he began to walk towards his room. And he realized that they would be okay because they were together.

"Brats…" he said laughing softly to himself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts

Yay. So I finally updated! Since the last two chapters were Clouffie I decided to make this chapter a Squffie. Kind of a slow chapter...but I hope you guys still like it!