March 23rd

When the sun woke up so did Leon. It shone in and he felt the heat on his back. A soft wind blew his hair and he felt totally at peace. He had never woken up in such a good mood before. As he saw the sleeping figure lie next to him he wanted nothing more then for it to last forever. He reached his hand out and with the tip of his forefinger traced the outline of the markings.

How could I do this to her? He thought, what did she do to deserve this?

She murmured and shifted. He smiled and then gently leant forward and kissed her softly. He pushed himself away and saw her open her eyes. But then she lifted her arms and pulled him down for another kiss. When they separated he looked into her amber eyes,

"How are you feeling?" he asked quietly

"A lot better…" she started to sit up but winced in pain "still a bit sore though"

Leon held onto her arms and gently slid her up the pillow, propping them against the head rest. She turned her head and looked out of the window,

"I don't remember the last time we watched the sunrise together…"

Leon nodded and followed her gaze. Despite being a prisoner in a dreary castle the sunrise still looked as beautiful as always,

….maybe he thought, because I'm with the one person I know makes everything beautiful…

He closed his eyes to once again breathe her scent, then as if automatically he slipped down the pillows and lifted her arms. She turned back and understood what he was doing. He then leant on her using her breast as a cushion and gently rested his arm over her stomach. She then held onto him and stroked his hair with her spare hand.

"We always used to lie like this, didn't we?" Rinoa sighed

"Its one of the things I missed most, we'd just spend all day like this and pretend the outside world didn't exist…"

"Right now to me it doesn't"

They stayed like that until the sun was fairly high in the sky,

"…umm…Rinoa…" he started going red "any chance you have a bathroom in here?"

She laughed and pointed to a door to her left,

"Through there,"

He stood up and left the room uncomfortably. When he returned Rinoa was trying to reach into her bed-side draw. She was grunted and at an awkward angle. He quickly ran over and made her sit comfortable,

"Easy, you shouldn't be moving like that,"

"Sorry, you know how well I follow rules," she grinned

"What did you want?"

"Open it and inside should be a key,"

He did so and produced the key.

"I want you to keep that…over the next few days there's no way I can get up. Come and stay the nights with me," she gave him a smile which he returned as he put the key in his pocket "Don't worry that's my spare…I'll still have one,"

He nodded and looked behind him at the sun.

"I think I better go back, it's almost breakfast time and if they see I'm missing we might get in trouble,"

Rinoa nodded trying not to let the disappointment show. He leaned forward and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"Is there anything you need before I leave?" he asked

"Umm…" Now it was her turn to go red "Could you…help me get to the bathroom?"

X-X-X

"Okay people this isn't good," Tifa had gathered everyone around a table "Leon's been missing for exactly twenty days now and we have no clues except that he followed a hooded figure through a portal,"

"We've had no word from Sora either," Aerith sighed "He's been travelling all over and says he hasn't seem him at all,"

"Well then why don't we go look for him," Cloud grunted leaning against the wall

"Because we wouldn't know where to begin…at least when Sora's travelling it doesn't go out of his way," Aerith rested on her hand as she stirred a spoon in her tea

Everyone heard the door open and immediately looked in high hopes. When Yuffie stood there everyone sighed and turned away,

"Gee thanks," She closed the door and shook her head "I've looked all over and no sign of him again. I even went as far as the Dark Depths"

She placed her hands on her hips and went over to Cid's computer. She started pounding in keys and brought up the video of when they saw Leon disappear.

"Yuffie, ge' off my compu'er!"

"Screw you!"

Everyone was shocked by her outburst.

"Yuffie, are you ok?" Aerith asked

The ninja stayed staring at the screen. Small sobs were heard and her body hic-up'd,

"I don't want to lose another one Aer, we lost too many already. Its not fair if he goes too," She wiped her eyes "So many off them are missing and…and-"

"Yuffie stop!" Tifa ran forward "Rewind the tape…now slow it…there! Freeze!"

The picture had stopped as the cloaked figure turned around and her back was shown. Two white wings similar to Leon's jackets were seen, glowing under the street light.

"You don't think that's…?"

The three girls looked at each other,

"Nah!"

X-X-X

"So…the only reason she refuses to talk to us is because she has markings?" the others had gathered around Leon asking him of his night before.

"Yeah, I don't know exactly but she thinks she's some kind of monster,"

"Do they look bad?" Ellone had curled herself into a ball like a child being told a bedtime story

"No, she's still beautiful. But she believes she's protecting us all by not interfacing," He sighed and stood from the bed "But she's still the same…nothing's really changed"

"Didn't she say she was like that because she was away from you?" Quistis was plaiting her hair, Leon nodded, "then surely with you seeing her every night they might disappear. When Edea was no longer possessed by Ultimecia went and back to Matron hers disappeared,"

"Yeah, exactly I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she's back to normal," Zell raised his fist in triumph

"I hope so…" Leon looked toward her room. He heard the main door go and Pebble and Isis came in with a bundle of medical equipment.

"…so it's true then?" Isis was having trouble holding the equipment

"Yes, apparently Sora returned to Radiant Garden just an hour or so ago. It turns out Angel wasn't the only one who got injured…"

Pebble pulled up the curtain and entered.

Leon was quiet. He wasn't sure how to feel about it all. Sora was his friend and Rinoa was his wife. Of course he'd pick Rinoa over anyone else any day but he didn't like the thought of his friends being hurt. Lucky for Sora, Leon knew Aerith could easily cure any wound.

All was quiet in the cell for a while until they heard a loud crash from Rinoa's room and Leon shoot off his bed instantly and ran to the bars. They heard her yell,

"OWWWWWW!"

"Please, Miss, you have to stay still otherwise it will hurt even more"

"ARRGGHHH, what is that stuff?!"

"It's just a small herbal recipe to clean your wound"

"Clean it?! More like make it worse! Ouch!"

Leon put a hand to his chest and tried to steady his breathing. He found it amazing how much he worried about her and how much he wants to protect her over even the smallest things.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!! Get off of me!"

"We're almost finished-"

Pebble's voice was cut off by a loud crash and suddenly she flew out of Rinoa's room and smacked into the wall. Isis followed quickly; a scratch oozing blood from her cheek.

"Pebble, are you alright?" Isis pulled her friend up and steadied her

"What-"

"I TOLD YOU TO GET OFF OF ME!"

Leon turned his gaze to the curtain where Rinoa was standing and he was shocked. She was only wearing her knickers and had a wrap around her bust. Her long hair was falling in front of her and she was standing slightly wearing. There was no bandage on her wound and where she had moved it started to pour blood. Her face was completely uncovered but this time it was different to how Leon had seen it the night before.

Her markings were a lot more vibrant and noticeable and her eyes shone completely gold. Her lip was snarled and Leon could see her canines were sharpened and longer. Behind her she bore a pair of wings but they were no longer the glistening white they used to be. They were almost completely black except for a small area at the top which still was the original colour. Her breathing was heavy and she was holding onto the wall whilst pushing the curtain aside.

"Never…disobey me again!"

The fear and shock in her maid's eyes said this was all new to them. Leon and the others were now along the bars next to each other looking as eye-widened as ever. Rinoa stumbled down a step and glared at her servants. She lost her balance and fell forward. Before she hit the floor though a dark portal appeared and a few heartless entered blocking her fall. They then gently rested her down on the floor as she'd past out with pain.

Everyone remained silent watching her. Slowly Isis left Pebble on her own and tip toed over to Rinoa. She turned her over and Leon saw her markings fade back to the way he saw them last night. Isis went into her pocket and pulled out a whistle, she blew it and after a couple of moments two male Zorics entered the chamber and carried the sorceress back into her bedroom; Isis following them. When the males returned they picked Pebble from the floor and took her away.

It was another ten to twenty minutes before Isis appeared. She looked slightly flustered and she had a small plaster on her cheek. As she was walking past Leon ran to the bar and grabbed her arm; making her yelp in shock.

"Is she alright?" he asked still not letting go

"She's resting, but now it might take longer for her to recover,"

"What happened to her?" Ellone walked over next to Leon

"I'm not…she's never…" Tears started forming in Isis's eyes "I'm sorry, it was all such a shock. One minute Pebble was dressing her wounds and next thing I know she was flying across the room. Miss Angel…she even through her lamp at me and then her face started to change and her eyes began to glow…I never knew she could be seen with such hatred. And she's never attacked us before…she…she…I'm sorry" Tears started streaking down her face. Leon loosened his grip and removed his hand. Like he predicted Isis ran away and out of the door; covering her face.

He spared no time at all burying his hand in his pocket and brining out the iron key. He ran over to the cell door but was pulled back by Zell and Irvine.

"No man, if you get caught you may never see her again," Zell was struggling against the knight's adrenaline

"I don't care…I need to know if she's alright,"

"What she needs right now is rest and…you know Rinoa…she won't want people seeing her like that…"

"Well sometimes…what she wants isn't always the best!"

And that was it; the small little comment that caused Zell, one of Squall Leonhart's best friends to snap. Using all the strength he could muster he pulled Leon away from the bars, and initially Irvine, and punched him right in the jaw. Leon fell to the floor with a thump and grabbed his jaw in pain. Looking at Zell he wasn't sure whether to be angry or upset.

"Don't ever think you're always right!" Zell pointed his finger right at Leon "Not ever!"

"Zell…" Quistis slowly walked over to him but he stepped away.

"I told her to wait in the infirmary and I promised her I'd be back. She thought it was be best to come with me but I knew it would be safer for her to hide. But they found her and I was too late. I arrived and…she was surrounded. They killed her…and I saw them steal her heart away…" He leant in his arms against the wall "…the heart that I loved more than my own…"

Leon got off the floor and put his hand on Zell's back but he shoved it off and faced him with tears in his eyes and his face full of anger,

"And all because I thought I was right! It made me lose her! But do what you want Squall…just don't come crying to me when you've lost the one you'd die for just because of a little mistake"

He pushed Leon away and stormed into the bathroom.

"He's right Squall,"

Leon turned to the sound of Irvine's voice.

"When Radiant Garden was being destroyed portals were lying everywhere, most of them opened by Cloud and Rin, but Maleficent had planted fake ones around to lure us into them. Selphie and I came across two. I said the left, she said the right. You know how she was, last thing I remember she was pulling her hand away from mine and telling me to follow her," For the first time in the weeks he'd been there, Leon noticed Irvine's right hand was always covered in a glove "I promised myself I wouldn't let another touch this hand until I was reunited with her. She was right; she went through the correct portal and ending up in a safe place…despite not being able to remember anything. I was about to follow her but it closed. So I took my chances and entered the left one, praying to Hyne I would end up in the same place as her. But it didn't, I ended up here. For three years I didn't know what had happened to her, at least Zell had the knowledge. You must know what it's like not knowing. Zell will never get Viola back. I doubt I'll ever manage to see Selphie again, but you, Squall; you have every opportunity in the world. But you just have to know which ones to take and which ones to pass; you might not get another chance…"

Irvine then walked over to his bed and, for another first Leon had seen, he pulled his beloved cow-boy hat from under the bed and put it over his face as he lied on his bed. Leon sighed and looked to the girls. They gave him a sympathetic look and with a small nod Leon walked over to his bed to wait for lights off, and another chance to see his wife.