It was Saturday morning - the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Leon had reluctantly agreed to let Yuffie tag along with him to conduct a building inspection. Big mistake.
"Hey Squall, why won't you just let me do some of the house viewings? I'd make a great realtor!"
He scoffed at the younger girl, walking a few paces ahead of her as she skipped behind him.
"Don't call me that. And we're not making a profit off of these houses, Yuffie."
As head of the Restoration Committee, Leon had also took it upon himself to be the main port of call for new residents moving into the town; showing them their potential new homes and overseeing inspections of the buildings. On top of his already massive list of jobs it was hard work, and he appreciated all the help he could get - However, his ninja companion probably wasn't the best suited for the task at hand. Recently she'd been begging the others for a more important role in the committee, having grown tired of being demoted to patrolling the town every day to scout for trouble. She wanted something with a bit more purpose and responsibility. Leon scrunched his eyes up tight, knowing full well that Yuffie and responsibility didn't always mix together well.
Before long they had arrived at their destination, a small two-storey house on the outskirts that was going to be home to a new family of four. It was situated in the old part of town, where they had managed to salvage a lot of the old buildings and fix them up to the point of being habitable. Of course, they weren't as attractive and hardy as some of the newer houses that were being built in the town, but they did the job - providing they were structurally safe to live in, of course.
"Okay. How about you let me show them around the house, and you inspect the building for damage? I can totally manage that." She said excitedly. He turned to look at her, sighing. She was looking at him so pleadingly that it almost pained him to say no. Wouldn't hurt to let her try, just this once..
"Alright." He said finally, hands on hips. "Do you know what you need to do?"
She straightened up, sticking her chest out confidently.
"I just need to show them the house! All the rooms, the bathrooms, where the water tank is, the boiler.." She rambled on.
"And?.." Leon quizzed, garnering a suspicious look from Yuffie.
"Aaand….." She drawled, not really knowing what else to add to the list.
"You need to give them the contract, and most important of all tell them how much the rent is."
As much as he would like housing to be free, there was no option but to charge rent as a means of raising funds to go back into restoring the town. Radiant Garden had expanded rapidly in the past few months, with more amenities and facilities opening up alongside a greater influx of residents. It was fantastic to see; the world beginning to resemble the bustling place it once was - but it didn't come without cost, unfortunately. There was also the issue of there being no central government or rule in place, and so the Restoration Committee took place of that. They were the ones who organised much of the town's planning and implemented the decision making. A few times people had even referred to Leon as the Mayor, which he always felt weird about.
Yuffie slapped her head comedically. "Oh yeah. Duh."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of small footsteps pounding towards them, two young boys with short, dark red hair appearing before them. They stood wide eyed, shuffling awkwardly as they gazed up curiously at Leon and Yuffie. The two adults exchanged a confused glance, looking about to see where they had come from.
Suddenly, a woman with the same dark red hair came hurriedly round the corner, cradling an infant swaddled in blankets in her arms.
"Boys! What did I tell you about running ahead." She scolded, sounding out of breath as she walked towards them.
"Oh! Are you Mr. Leonhart?" She said a little flustered.
"You can call me Leon." He smiled. "I'm assuming you're Katiya?"
The burgundy haired woman nodded enthusiastically, the two curled tendrils of hair framing her face bouncing as she did so.
"Yes, and these are my boys, Juno and Vern."
Yuffie squatted down to their level, grinning as she held up her two palms towards them.
"Nice to meet ya! High five!"
One of the boys instantly smashed his tiny hand against hers enthusiastically, the other hiding behind his mother's legs, seeming suddenly shy.
"I'm Yuffie!" She beamed, springing back up to her feet.
"And today I'll be your trusty tour guide!"
The dark haired girl placed her hands on her hips proudly, shooting Leon a confident look.
"Well, shall we get to business?" She chirped. Leon gnawed his lip a little, nervous at the prospect of Yuffie doing his job. He nodded at her, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm going to go and check out the outside of the building, just to check for repairs." He said coolly.
"Yuffie will show you around the inside of the home, and discuss the contract with you - will see you in a bit."
With that he waved them off, offering a sympathetic smile to the woman and her children and a 'you've been warned' type of look to Yuffie.
"Well, shall we go and check out the inside of this fabulous abode?"
—
The inside of the house was anything but fabulous. Leftover tools lay strewn around, a broken and knackered wooden table that was missing a leg propped up against the wall in the corner. The cobwebs decorating the walls gently danced in the breeze from the doorway, a few spiders darting into the darkness as the light hit them.
Yuffie's face twisted, not expecting it to be in this state.
"It just needs a little work, that's all!" She blurted out, trying her best to sound chipper. She moved over to the broken table, wobbling it a little. "Just needs a little bit of TLC!"
The table suddenly gave way with the slight movement, one of the remaining legs snapping at the join and sending the whole thing crashing towards the floor. Laughing nervously, she noted the semi-worried expression on the woman's face. The two little boys were looking around apprehensively, hiding behind their mother's legs.
"Mommy, I don't want to live with spiders." Juno whined, his small balled up fists grabbing at her green skirt anxiously.
The front room was pretty small, but had enough space for a couch and a coffee table in front of the old looking fireplace that adorned the left wall.
"Come on, let's go check out the rest of the house." The ninja said as she made her way towards the archway connecting the living room to the kitchen, motioning with her hand for them to follow.
—
The kitchen was in even more of a sorry state than the last room, with even more debris scattered on the floors and surfaces with dirt covering the walls. The tiled floor, which she presumed was once a nice shade of blue, was dingy, broken and littered with cracks. Some bits were even loose, the tip of her boot wobbling a corner of tile.
"You've got space for a little fridge and a stove." Yuffie smiled, pointing to the gaps between the old wooden kitchen counters. "And space for a nice dinner table over there, good enough for a family meal!"
Katiya smiled at her, sensing Yuffie was trying her earnest to be positive. She was right anyway, it wasn't really that bad. It did just need a little TLC.
"It would be so nice to finally all sit and eat a meal together." She smiled wistfully.
"We've not had a proper home for so long that I've forgotten what it's really like."
Sensing the sadness in her voice, Yuffie opened her mouth to speak.
"Where have you travelled from?"
"We've been displaced for a few years now, but originally I come from a place called Juniper Valley.. but in the end the entire world was overtaken by darkness, and we had to flee. We lost everything."
Yuffie's stomach dropped, knowing the pain she was experiencing all too well. She placed a hand on her shoulder sympathetically, frowning.
"I'm so sorry." She said quietly. "I went through the same."
"You did?" Katiya said, a little taken a back. She shouldn't have been so surprised, seeing as how it seemed to be a fairly common occurrence ever since the Heartless had rapidly grown out of control.
"Yeah.. Me and Leon, we grew up here until the day the Heartless attacked and took over. They destroyed everything! I lost my home too, and my family. Fortunately we were rescued by this random guy, who flew us away to safety in his ship. If it weren't for him.. we'd have been toast."
Sadness stung the usually cheerful girl's eyes as bits and pieces of the past flashed before her eyes. She looked up to meet Katiya's gaze.
"I think we've all lost something, here." She said as she patted her shoulder, her eyes soft.
The older woman smiled back at her and nodded.
"I just want the boys to finally have a better childhood.. and for this little one to have a future." She said, nudging her head down towards the baby cradled in her arms. He lay fast asleep, blissfully unaware of everything going on around him. Yuffie remarked at how chubby his cheeks were, and how he shared the same thick burgundy curls as his mother.
"Well don't you worry, this place is great now! And only getting better by the day. My friend Aerith helps out at the day care, so they'll be in great hands!"
—
Holding the tape measure flat against the wall, Leon measured the length of a huge crack that snaked up its side. That will need fixing. He was relieved, the outside of the house was looking in pretty good order apart from a few cracks here and there. No major work needed to be carried out, and from his experience he could tell that it seemed safe to be in.
He heard laughter coming from inside the house, his mind jumping to the conclusion that Yuffie was probably playing pranks on the poor family and so he went inside to check up on them. To his surprise, the woman was gleefully scribbling her name at the bottom of the clipboard, Yuffie having shown her the contract just like he had asked. Spying Leon as he entered the room, her face lit up.
"Sold!" She exclaimed happily, looking smug.
Katiya seemed happy, the two boys now excitedly running after each other in the living room.
"Thank you, it's great." She turned to face him. "It needs a little fixing up but it's absolutely perfect for me and my boys."
She then turned to Yuffie. "And thank you!" she continued.
He was impressed, she'd actually done it.
—
Katiya and the boys had bid their farewell, returning to the guest house where they were currently staying whilst they waited for their new accommodation to be ready. Everything was signed and now all there was to do was tidy up the place. The two stood outside the house, Leon fumbling with the keys as he double checked he'd locked the door securely.
"Why do you doubt me so much, Squall?" Yuffie asked, hurt in her voice. Hearing her like that rather caught him off guard and he suddenly felt quite guilty.
"It's Leon." He automatically retaliated harshly before pausing to soften his tone. He sighed.
"I'm sorry for doubting you."
That apology was like music to her ears, a rare sound coming out of Leon's mouth. She made a mental note to savour this moment.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"
Leon rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what she was doing.
"I'm sorry, Yuffie."
She smirked, arms folded across her chest. Maybe this was finally enough to persuade him that she was capable of handling a little more responsibility.
"Welp, looks like I'm Radiants Garden's newest real estate agent!" She chuckled, slapping him forcefully on the back.
"Now how about us two hard workers go and grab a well deserved drink at Tifa's?"
Leon rubbed his forehead, throwing her a tired look before shoving the house keys in his jacket pocket.
"Only if you're buying."
The pair walked side by side as they headed in the direction of Seventh Heaven, Yuffie humming happily to herself the entire way.
"Hey, Squall. How about I come help out on the building site with you and Cid tomorrow?"
Leon sighed, attempting to stifle a chuckle.
"We'll see.. And that's Leon, to you."