Disclaimer: We own neither characters nor the lyrics. The latter belongs to Atrium, the song is "Slave to your past".
Beta: Azrax (Thank you.)
A/N (Anae):Now, a huge applause to QttQ. She did such awesome work with this chapter, especially with Yuffie. She's a character that I can't take on, but QttQ can. She's awesome. 3
Thanks for comments so far and hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
A/N (QttQ):This chapter. Oh God.
I was never a fan of Yuffie in any way, and then I volunteered to write her. It was such a huge mistake. :'D
I hope you guys can still enjoy this little discussion. Do I sense a dive deeper into the plot? Perhaps, perhaps.

Chapter V : Your past

The days, they go on
and the roads are so long
You're a slave to your past,
a slave to your past

Leon wasn't a man who dwelled in unnecessary things. He preferred to leave things behind, to push them aside and concentrate on the moment. The gunblader had enough baggage to take down a normal man, enough memories and experiences to haunt him for the rest of his life. Had he lingered in them, he would never have been able to move on, to take a step towards an actual future. Sure, sometimes even Leon's past came back to haunt him, but the brunette had learned not to let it bother him too much.

Cloud's past, however, wasn't as easy to ignore. Leon tried, he truly did - he concentrated on the days ahead of him, on the battles yet to be won - but his mind was working against him. When he stood on the battlefield, wiping off the blood from his gunblade, he wondered whether the scar he had left behind would resemble the one on Cloud's chest. When he watched the blond fight his way through the ranks, he wondered if any of his opponents were as strong as Sephiroth. As much as Leon tried, he just couldn't make himself forget.

Cloud's face had been so guarded, his voice so full of stifled emotions. Even if the blond was careful not to show his true thoughts and feelings, the state Leon had seen him in had been something completely different. Whoever this Sephiroth person was, he made Cloud most uncomfortable. Moreover, the fact that he made Cloud uncomfortable, made Leon even more so.

Sephiroth occupied Leon's thoughts day in and day out. That was a partial reason to the lack of awareness that lingered around Leon during a walk around the town, away from the Colisseum for a change. Due to the brunette's state, he didn't notice the shadow that followed him, moving from one alley to another, melting into the scenery. When Leon finally sensed someone's presence, it was far too late.

Before Leon could even blink, he was on the ground. A blade was pressed against his neck, a weight settled onto his back, keeping him from getting up. The man tensed, his fingers twitching. He'd left his gunblade at the Colisseum - he was unarmed. He was going to have to beat this opponent by hand; a robber, probably, some pick-pocket who didn't know who he'd attacked. If he could only-

"Squally-boy! Long time, no see!"

"…Yuffie?"

Leon could feel the weight shifting and the blade was pulled away from his skin. Within seconds, he was on his feet again, facing the chirpy female ninja who was beaming up at him like no tomorrow.

"I got you there, Squall! See how much better I've gotten!"

"…Whatever."

The ninja just shrugged it off and smiled widely at Leon in her usual manner. They had been friends for ages and even if Yuffie sometimes tested his patience, Leon held her very dear. Yuffie was aware of his past and background, which made Leon value the petite ninja rather greatly. Now, however, she seemed to be aware of Leon's present activities, as well.

"Were you thinking about Cloud?" She cooed, tucking away her knife and giggling at Leon's puzzled, somewhat surprised look. "I've seen you two together. You make a nice couple."

"Couple?"

"Whatever you say, I think you guys look good together!"

"We're not a couple. We're acquaintances."

"Oh, shut your mouth. I think it's great that you've made Cloud think about something else than Sephiroth for a change. I mean, the things he did to Cloud-"

Yuffie grimaced and swallowed, glancing around her on the street, as if expecting to see no one else but Sephiroth appear around the corner. For once, her eternally gleeful spirits had been changed to something wary and frightened as she gave a full-body shudder, trying to shrug off the feeling of pure disgust that had taken over her.

"Really, Leon." Yuffie folded her arms over her chest, her usual grin slowly returning onto her face. "You and Cloud are good for each other. You're happier, he's happier, and Sephiroth is out of the game."

That name made Leon's expression darken immediately. It had been on his mind constantly and now it wasn't coming out of Cloud's mouth. It was time to find out what the story behind the name was.

"Sephiroth." Yuffie was slightly startled by the tone of Leon's voice - its severity and coldness, and the hint of frustration that tinted the word. "Tell me more about him."

"I'd rather not." Yuffie gave a nervous little laugh. "I'm sure you've heard enough from Cloud, already. Let's just skip the unpleasant subject and talk about something else, okay?"

"No." Leon's words were firm, final. "Spill it, Yuffie."

That was when Yuffie realised the size of her mistake. She took a step back and her laughter turned into a slightly frightened gurgle in her throat. Her eyes moved from Leon's eyes to the street and back, calculating her escape routes.

"Cloud didn't tell you-" She inhaled. "-did he?"

Yuffie turned around and ran. Or tried to run - it was Yuffie's turn to end up on the ground. She let out a shrill shriek when Leon simply sat on her back, holding her down. She kicked and trashed around, but the gunblader stood his ground and kept her down, knowing that the ninja wasn't truly hurting, but rather bothered by the situation she was in.

"Who is he, Yuffie?"

"I'm not the one you should be asking." Yuffie was doing her best to get out of Leon's grip, but the brunette proved out to be much stronger than she'd believed.

"You know Cloud won't say anything." Leon's voice was gruff as he stated the fact.

"Then you shouldn't pry!"

"Just tell me, Yuffie. It isn't that hard." To emphasise his point, Leon pressed his knee against the ninja's back, applying pressure. It wasn't even close to pain, but poor Yuffie was so frightened, that she broke in an instant.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"

Immediately, Leon eased up on the weight he was putting on the girl, letting her breathe. After a few deep breaths, she spoke, her voice quiet and careful.

"I don't know all the details." She said, laying very still in Leon's grip. "But I know what he caused."

The mere tone of her voice made disgust crawl through Leon's system.

"What did he do?"

"He hurt Cloud."

The blond's body was covered in scars. Leon had only dared to ask about a few, but what if they had all been caused by the feared, terrifying Sephiroth? The man had left visible, physical marks that would never face away, but had he left mental imprints, as well?

"How?"

"They battled."

"And?"

"And Cloud fought Sephiroth and killed him. Twice."

The phrase left Leon speechless for a moment. His curiosity got the better of him, however, and he pushed the details aside to concentrate on the more important questions.

"Why?"

"Sephiroth-" Yuffie grit her teeth. "-used him."

Pain. Fear. Shame. Had Sephiroth tortured Cloud?

"Used him?"

"Yeah." Yuffie's voice was broken, and as she spoke, it morphed into a mere whisper. "In all kinds of ways."

The words echoed in Leon's mind in the most horrible way. Mental images flashed in front of his eyes, his body frozen with gruesome hatred towards Sephiroth. What had he done to Cloud? Why? What had their relationship been? Leon was confused, angry, frustrated and still not satisfied with the answer Yuffie had given him.

The few seconds it took for Leon to get himself together again were enough for the ninja to react. Before the gunblader could react, Yuffie had slithered her way out of his grip and climbed to her feet. In an instant, she was escaping, running like never before, afraid of Leon's questions and the answers she wasn't supposed to be giving away.

Leon cursed and slammed his fist into the ground when he realized what had happened. Exhaling deeply, the brunette tried to collect himself and his thoughts. He'd found out more about Sephiroth than he might've wanted to know, and far too little to be satisfied. The gunblader was aware of what he had to do, but the thought wasn't pleasant in any way. Confronting Cloud would not be easy, especially after how the blond had reacted last time, and after what Leon had found out just now.

And yet, Leon knew there was no way to avoid it. This was something he wouldn't be able to forget, something he had to face. He would make Cloud face it with him, no matter what it took. And perhaps, through the brave, blond warrior, Leon would eventually be able to face Sephiroth.