Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. These ditties are mine, as are Duke and McCallister. Off-brand fluff in this one, but not overly so. Enjoy!
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061 – Animal Rescue
"Almost…C'mere…" Leon stretched as far as he could, but the Dalmatian puppy just keened and backed further away.
How the dog had gotten up on the rocky ledge, seven feet off the ground, was beyond Leon, and it was being totally uncooperative in his efforts to get it down. Behind him, Tifa watched with folded arms, amused by the sight of Leon stretching just as far as he could, on tip toe even.
"I don't think it likes you." She snarked.
"Shut up." He grunted, "Come on." He snapped his fingers, trying to get the puppy to come to him.
The Dalmatian would have none of it and backed deeper into the ledge, nearly out of view. Leon fell back to his feet, glaring up at the puppy.
"Fine, you can just stay up there." He grumbled.
Tifa shook her head and walked over. "Just because Duke thinks you're a god doesn't mean the entire canine population does. Give me a leg up."
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm not giving YOU a leg up." She snapped.
Leon looked like he was choking on a sharp, colorful reproach, but he swallowed it and just knit his fingers together, making a platform for her. With a triumphant smirk, Tifa stepped into his hands and gripped his shoulder to steady herself, straightening and ending up at shoulder-level with the ledge.
The puppy yipped and shifted back and forth, sniffing at her and then curiously hopping toward her. Tifa lifted both hands out and coaxed the Dalmatian toward her, grabbing a hold of the puppy. Holding it with one arm against her shoulder, she slowly started to bend down. Her balance tipped and she grabbed the first thing that she could reach to steady herself: Leon's head.
He grunted and shifted his hold on her ankle to keep her upright until she could step out of his hands, back on solid ground with puppy in tow.
"Tada." She announced, holding the Dalmatian puppy like a trophy.
Leon rubbed the top of his head, looking unappreciative of the death grip she'd had on his hair. Tifa just laughed and turned to return the wayward child to Pongo and Perdita.
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062 – Resemblance
There was always that one crazy moment when you see something you know is impossible, but it's the only logical explanation. Leon hated that moment, but he found himself in one.
He walked into Tifa's office and damn nearly froze where he stood. That one crazy moment convinced him that it wasn't Tifa. Sitting back in her chair, legs crossed up on the corner of the desk, long dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, bright blue jacket wrapped around her. She looked like Rinoa, and part of him hated himself for thinking that.
She looked over at him when he stopped in the doorway. "Stuck in a Stop Spell or something?"
He blinked and snapped back to himself. "Er…no."
Tifa gave him an even look and lifted an eyebrow, "You okay?"
He had completely forgotten why he'd come into her office. "Sorry." He grunted, turning and leaving a very confused Tifa alone in her office.
"For what?" She called after him.
For thinking you're someone that you're not, he inwardly scolded himself, but didn't answer her.
..:-X-:..
063 - Tread
Tifa spread herself out on her front, dispersing her weight across the icy surface of the pond, stretching toward the hole where moments earlier the little girl had been. The high walls of the old castle dungeons felt like they were closing in around her, but at the same time they felt so far away and empty.
"Come on…come on…come on…" She pleaded out loud, her breath escaping in a fog.
For a moment, the black depths of the water only sloshed around the hole arrogantly. Then Leon broke the surface, the little girl clinging to him and shaking, whimpering. Tifa gasped in surprise and relief, reaching forward as far as she dared, lest her weight make the ice break further.
"Here." She said, directing Leon's cold-riddled attention to her.
Fighting the current of the water, he almost sank again but then had the girl in one arm, shoving his shoulder forward. The little girl cried out and tried to remain attached to him, but Tifa slipped her arms around the girl's chest and pulled her out of the water, shimmying backwards on the ice and away from the danger zone.
The girl was freaking out. Tifa would have been worried if she wasn't. She latched onto Tifa's dry warmth and sobbed into her shoulder, trembling all over from the trauma and the cold. She was soaked to the bone and already growing pale. Tifa looked around hastily and spotted Leon's jacket, which he'd somehow had the mind to discard before jumping into the water after the girl disappeared under the ice.
She snatched it up and wrapped it around the girl. It nearly swallowed her and wasn't thick enough for this kind of cold, but it was dry and it was warm. Tifa rubbed the girl's back and held her close, looking over to the hole. Leon had gotten a hold on the edge of the ice, but the cold was quickly sapping his strength and energy.
"You're okay. It's okay." She said in a litany to the child. "Oh, you're such a brave girl. Can you be brave for me?"
"N-no. Don't w-wan-na." The girl's teeth were chattering violently.
"I need you to be a big girl for me." Tifa set the girl down on the stone floor of the artificial pond shoreline. "I need you to stay here because I need to help him." She pointed to Leon.
The girl looked over and her eyes widened slightly. "Ok-k-kay-ay."
Tifa drew a careful breath, "I'll be right back. I promise."
Leaving the trembling girl on the safety of the stone floor, Tifa spread herself out again and scooted out toward the hole again. Leon had managed to get his elbows out of the water, and when he saw her, he waved her off.
"No, go back." He said hoarsely, jaw locked to keep his teeth from chattering.
She got within a foot of the hole and stopped to catch her breath. "When have I ever listened to you?" She offered a small smirk and held out her hands. "Come on."
He looked stubborn. "I'm fine. Get the girl out of here. I'll get—"
"Shut up and let me help you." She snapped, glaring at him.
He glared back for a few seconds before groaning in defeat, gripping one of her forearms. She clamped both hands around his forearms and started trying to back up. He twisted in the water, managing to get one leg out, using her weight as an anchor.
Tifa pulled his shoulder at the same time he pushed against the ice, and finally his center of gravity was out of the water and they both rolled away from the hole in the ice. Tifa felt her heart pounding in her ears as she glanced back at the shore. The little girl was watching with wide, fearful eyes.
"C-can you move?" Tifa looked back to Leon, who was gingerly shifting away from the edge of the hole.
"Define m-move." His teeth chattered out of his control now.
"All right, s-smarta-ass." She angled her body back toward the girl.
They managed to make their way across the ice and back toward the stone, finally leaving the surface of the pond behind. By then, adrenaline had ebbed, and they both nearly just collapsed beside the little girl. On their backs, chests heaving, they just lay there, basking in relief for a moment.
Then the little girl spoke up.
"Wh-what's a sm-smartass?"
