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Squall’s home was Radiant Garden. It was a beautiful world, as it was so aptly named. Everything about it felt peaceful, warm and inviting. Squall could walk the streets for hours as a child and not get bored, loving to explore every inch of it and find cool places to show his friends and family.
Soon enough, he had seen it all. He knew every street corner, every shop, every minute detail you could possibly describe, Squall knew it. He took much pride in his knowledge, always being able to answer questions about the world. His mom jokingly told him one day at dinner that he could probably impress Ansem the Wise with all of his knowledge. A determined look came to Squall’s face and he stood up, running out of the house to find the Lord and tell him all his knowledge. But his mom chased after him, yelling that he couldn’t just walk into the castle.
He pouted and went silent, upset that he couldn’t do such a thing. She smiled at him sheepishly, wrapping an arm around him and telling him that he could write a letter to Ansem the Wise though, and maybe he’d read it and be just as impressed.
He nodded and the determined look came back to his face. He marched back inside, ate the rest of his dinner swiftly and ran upstairs to write a letter to Ansem the Wise. He wrote so many pages he lost count and when his mom came into his room to wish him goodnight, he realized how long he spent working on his letter. His mom told him that she would mail it tomorrow and he protested, saying he needed more time to write. She shook her head at him, telling him to shorten it up and closed the door, saying goodnight. The boy grumbled, managing to shorten the letter to three pages.
His mom mailed it the next day and Squall sat patiently by the mailbox day after day, hoping that he would receive a letter in response. His mom kept telling him that the King was a very busy man and he might need some time before he gets to reading Squall’s letter.
Eventually though, a letter addressed to him came back and his eyes widened in excitement when his mom passed it to him. It was written neatly in black ink and Leon read it over and over again, a grin spreading across his face. He read it aloud to his mom, unable to break the smile as the words fell from his tongue.
“Dear Squall,
I was so pleased to receive your letter. I’m happy that you love this world as much as I do. It sounds like you really do know the ins and outs of Radiant Garden. Although, I bet there’s one place you haven’t seen yet:
The Castle.
I’ve attached my signature to this letter. Bring this with you to the castle sometime, and we can have a chat together over some tea.
Sincerely,
Ansem the Wise”
Squall would never forget the genuine shock on his mom’s face, followed by a giggle and a big hug from her, saying how happy she was for him. Eventually, his mother took him to the castle and he did meet the Sage, and they did have tea. He was nervous speaking to the older man, but also made sure he sounded confident like he always did. The Lord praised his maturity for his age, saying that he had the qualities of a brave warrior. He smiled in thanks, saying that when he grows up, he wanted to be a Royal Guard so that he can protect Radiant Garden no matter what.
Ansem told him that by the sounds of it, Squall would make a fine guard and he would love to have him when he was older.
And so, Squall worked hard, training so that one day he would impress the Lordship and achieve his dream of being a protector of Radiant Garden. He started with hand to hand combat and worked his way up to eventually being able to train with weapons (under supervision of course). When he was sixteen, he was already skilled with a gunblade (much to his mother’s horror), and was eager to enroll in the military.
He breezed through the training at the top of his division and was the youngest person to be accepted into the Royal Guard. It couldn’t have been more perfect; Everything he wanted as a child was becoming a reality before his eyes. He met Ansem the Wise again of course, who was so pleased to have him join them, complimenting the teen on his training and telling him how impressed he was with Squall’s skill.
That was one of the last happy moments Squall had felt in a very long time.
He was only a month into working as a Royal Guard when the Heartless attacked. He was at home and jolted awake when a loud crack of thunder pierced the sky. Squall ran to the window, shocked at the dark purple hue mixed with thick black smoke. He threw on a jacket and shoes, grabbing his gunblade and ran out the door, ignoring a cry of protest from his mother. Running down the streets, he saw that buildings were being destroyed by the creatures and when one of them spotted him, they all turned their attention to Squall and began charging at him. He didn’t back down, cutting them down in a panicked fury and watching more materialize from the ground. One managed to attack him, slashing it’s claw down his face and leaving a deep diagonal cut from his forehead to his cheek.
Squall doesn’t remember things very clearly after that, but the sight of his home being destroyed by the Heartless, the sounds of people screaming as their hearts were stolen, and the smell of oozing, thick darkness mixed with blood have been forever engraved into his mind like a twisted familiar memory.
When he comes to, he is lying against a streetlight in an alley. He blinks, looking around him with narrow eyes at the bright light, wondering for a moment if this is some kind of afterlife. But when he stands up shakily and his eyes begin to focus, he realizes he is indeed alive and he is somewhere unknown.
He sees other people around him, looking as disoriented as him. Some are panicked, walking around and calling out names of friends and family. One person comes up to him and asks if he’s seen a particular person. Squall shakes his head, unable to find his voice and watches the young girl walk away sadly.
The memories of the night start enveloping his mind and Squall feels a mixture of grief and anger start to consume him. He closes his eyes and grits his teeth, feeling shame wash over him in a wave. He shakes his head, opening his eyes and begins walking around the First District, trying to find anyone who can give him answers about what is going on. Eventually he realizes that no one in Traverse Town is really in charge of anything, and so many people are wandering the town in a panic.
A girl accidently walks into Squall as they both round a corner and she apologizes immediately, then gasps when she sees Squall’s wound, her hands coming to her mouth. He purses his lips, attempting to walk around her but she grabs his wrist, telling him to wait.
“You can’t leave a wound like that untreated.” She says. Squall rolls his eyes, mumbling that he’s fine before she presses her hand to his forehead, murmuring a Curaga spell. Squall’s eyes widen in surprise as his wound closes up, the dull throbbing of the wound disappearing within seconds.
She lowers her hand, smiling at his expression. “It scarred.” She says quietly.
Squall raises a hand to his face, feeling the thin skin of the new scar.
“Thank you.” He says sheepishly, suddenly feeling awkward.
The girl smiles at him. “Of course. I’m Aerith.”
“Squall.” He replies simply. She nods, glancing at him thoughtfully for a moment.
“I recognize you… were you a castle guard in Radiant Garden?” She asks.
Squall’s eyes widen, surprised to meet another survivor. He nods, not sure if it would be rude to say he doesn’t recognize her in the slightest.
“I used to sell flowers outside of the florist shop in the Central Square.” She explains.
Squall knows the one. He nods again, not saying anything in response. The corner of Aerith’s mouth goes up and she says that if he needs a place to stay for the night, her and a few other survivors from Radiant Garden are staying in an abandoned house down the street. He declines immediately, saying he can take care of himself.
“Oh, I’m sure you can.” She says sincerely, glancing at the gunblade by his side and smiling sadly. “But, surely you don’t want to be alone after…everything.” She finishes quietly, biting her lip. Squall's not sure if she doesn't say it because she's upset, or because the harsh reality of the situation hasn't fully sunk in.
Either way, he can’t help the pain in his heart at her words and clenches his fist. Actually, anytime he had issues being alone seemed to be the one thing that would help, but with no where to go and no one familiar around, he realizes how scary it can be to truly be alone. He hates accepting help, but he feels so low right now that it would be stupid to deny it and reject her again. So he swallows thickly and accepts her offer, following her back to the house silently.
Once they arrive, he eyes the old house skeptically. It’s two stories tall, with old stone walls and shingles missing in some areas of the roof. One of the windows is boarded up as well. He looks to Aerith next, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s all we have for now.” She says, walking up the steps of the porch and entering. The inside is worse than the outside, Squall’s eyes trying to adjust to the dark house. There’s a few candles and lanterns around to give a bit of light, but Squall can only assume it means there’s no working electricity. His eyes catch a missing floorboard and a hole in one of the walls. There’s various old furniture with dusty covers atop of them in the front room as well. He hears chatter further on in the house, and follows Aerith into a kitchen area with two others sitting at the old wooden dining table. They introduce themselves as Cid and Yuffie and Squall nods at them, introducing himself back. Aerith explains how they ran into each other, sitting at the table. Squall chooses to lean against the wall, crossing his arms and listening to their conversation.
“There were so many people wandering around the streets. I hope they’re all okay.” Aerith says, folding her hands on the table. Yuffie nods, the young teen pulling the blanket around her shoulders tighter.
“I hope all of our friends are okay too.” The black-haired girl says sadly. Aerith reaches out to rest her hand on Yuffie’s arm, assuring her they’re probably just lost right now and they’ll go out looking for them tomorrow. She gives Aerith a weak smile and nods.
“I’ll try to get the electricity workin’ in here tomorrow then.” Cid adds, stretching his arms above his head. Squall wonders what he should do, seeing as sitting in this beat up house wasn’t going to achieve anything productive. He stares off, not realizing the other three are glancing at him.
When he realizes they’re all watching him, he frowns at them in question.
“He totally spaced out there for a second.” Yuffie says, giggling slightly.
Aerith nods. “He did that earlier too. I think he’s a bit of a brooder.”
Squall’s frown turns into a scowl, rolling his eyes and the two girls laugh quietly to themselves. Why were they talking about him like he wasn’t there?
“Aw, don’t worry about it Squall, they’re just teasin’ now.” Cid says, chewing on a toothpick. “Come on over, have a seat.”
He debates just ignoring them, but eventually pushes himself off the wall and sits in an empty chair between Yuffie and Cid. He listens to them chat some more, only speaking when someone addresses him specifically. He’s never been much of a talker, so his responses are short and to the point. Shortly enough, Yuffie is yawning and Aerith says they should all get some sleep for the night. Squall and Cid get their own rooms, while Aerith and Yuffie share the last available one. Squall isn’t too impressed with the dusty looking mattress in the room, but he sighs, falling back onto it with a bounce and is unable to get his mind to rest enough to sleep for more than a few hours.
He gets up around six, bored of laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. He grabs the few blankets available in his room and walks downstairs as quietly as he can, exiting the front door and making his way to the main street in the First District. Most people are gone at this point, having found a place to stay. But there’s some kids sitting in a group, unsure of what is going on and where to go. Squall grits his teeth, deciding that if no one else is going to step up to the plate, he was going to have to be the one.
He gives the spare blankets to them, and then turns around, walking into a nearby shop to buy some food. He doesn’t have much munny on him, but is able to buy a little bit of food and passes it out to the children. He asks the kids if they have anywhere to go and they shake their heads, each of them looking upset. Squall looks away, promising that he’ll find them somewhere to stay that day. He doesn’t like the way their eyes light up and how they thank him, saying he’s the only person to help them since arriving.
The teenager does his best to assure them he’ll come back and wanders the streets of the First District to find some shelter for them.
As he’s walking, he hears Yuffie calling for him down the street. He turns, glancing boredly at the ninja who is accompanied by Aerith.
“Squall! You missed breakfast.” The black-haired teen chirps.
Squall purses his lips, muttering that he wasn’t hungry anyway. Yuffie shrugs, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a muffin wrapped in paper. She gives it to him, insisting he should eat something and he rolls his eyes, grabbing it and taking a bite to shut her up.
“What are you doing?” Aerith asks him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Squall crosses his arms, looking away and closing his eyes. “There were some kids in the main street who didn’t have anywhere to stay. Trying to find something for them.”
He doesn’t see the girls smile at each other, before Aerith speaks up again. “Oh, that’s wonderful Squall. We’ll help too then.”
Squall shakes his head, waving a hand dismissively. “Not necessary, I’m fine.”
“Aw, come on Squall! The more help the better!” Yuffie chirps.
He really doesn’t like the way Yuffie has no concept of how loud she is and slumps his shoulders, muttering a ‘whatever’ and turning back, hearing them follow.
Eventually they do find another abandoned house. It’s in better shape than the one they’re staying in, which he’s happy about. He wasn’t exactly hoping to get the kids in a beat-up, haunted looking house. Aerith and Yuffie praise him again, telling him it’s great that he’s helping others.
By the end of the day, they’ve got the small house cleaned out and in decent shape. They return to the First District, gathering the children and getting them settled in the house. The kids’ eyes light up when he returns, and they cheer in joy when he tells them he’s found something for them. Yuffie laughs when one of the young girls runs up to Squall, hugging his middle and running up the steps of the house. He watches their eyes glint with excitement as they explore the house, claiming rooms and Squall hears them laughing loudly together.
He wonders if it’s safe to leave them by themselves, but Aerith assures him they’ll be fine, considering they were on the streets earlier. He nods slowly, his mouth quirking up slightly as the children run back outside in the front yard to play tag.
That night, the four of them sit back around the wooden table, discussing future plans for Traverse Town. Cid was able to restore the power back to their house, so thankfully they don’t have to sit in the dark tonight. As Squall stirs in sugar and cream into his coffee, he listens to Aerith and Cid discuss the other two closed off districts in town.
“I heard it’s ‘cuz Heartless have been appearing in those areas too often for it to be safe.” Cid explains, chewing on a toothpick.
“It’s a shame. We could definitely use the space for everyone.” Aerith says.
“I’ll go check it out sometime this week and see what I can do about it.” Squall mutters, returning to the table and taking a sip of his coffee.
“You sure that’s such a great idea? Those Heartless…they’re relentless.” Cid says, his voice lowering towards the end. Squall looks up at the older man, sensing the uncertainty and fear in his tone. Aerith lowers her head is agreeance, and Yuffie bites her lips, her face outlined in worry.
Squall pauses, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. He swallows thickly, staring at the table and feeling the dread creep up his back again. Was there even a point in trying to play the role of protector anymore? He spent so much time proclaiming he would keep Radiant Garden safe from any kind of threat, yet here he was, stranded on a foreign world with other survivors of the attack, unsure if there even was a way to return home. He was no guardian; he failed to protect his mom, the castle and his world.
He slams his coffee mug down on the table hard, catching the other three’s attention and stands up, walking towards the door.
“Squall, where are you going?” Aerith asks.
“I need some fresh air. Don’t wait up.” He says, grabbing his jacket and gunblade and stalking out the door. The three exchange unsure glances, but say nothing in protest.
Squall walks the streets of the First District for a long time, trying to learn as much as he can about the layout of their temporary residence. As he walks he thinks back to when he used to explore Radiant Garden as a child. That world and this one couldn’t have been more different. Radiant Garden was always brightly lit, the streets strewn with greenery and flowers always in bloom. In Traverse Town, the skies are always dark, and the streets are poorly lit with flickering street lamps. Alleys are filled with wooden crates and debris, and there are many abandoned and partially destroyed houses. It makes him wonder how bad Radiant Garden must look, and it brings an ache into his heart.
As he walks by an alley, he notices a stack of crates blocking it off from a different entrance. At first Squall dismisses it, until he hears the sound of glass shattering followed by a loud yell coming from the other side of it. He breaks out into a run towards the crates, shuffling them enough so he can get by. When he’s past them, he looks around and sees nothing indicating anything out of the ordinary. Another yell brings his attention upwards at a large hotel to his right. Over the balcony, a teenage boy is pressing his back against the railing, staring at a large Heartless that walks towards him slowly, the creature’s body twitching as it moves.
Squall moves quickly, drawing his gunblade and aiming for the Heartless. He pulls the trigger as its claw raises to slash at the boy, the bullet catching it in the side of the head and making the creature drop with a loud thud before its body dissipates into black smoke.
The teenager stares at where the Heartless was, panting heavily before turning his head around to locate the source of the gunshot. When Squall meets his gaze, he can see how brightly blue the teen’s eyes are even though the streets are dark.
“Are you hurt?” He calls.
The teenager nods. “It got my ankle.” He says back.
Squall looks around him, not seeing any usable doors to get through. He frowns at another window, deciding it’s his only option.
“Stay there.” He commands. “I’ll be up in a second.”
The teenager nods, staring at Squall thoughtfully before he sits down on the balcony to rest his foot. Squall turns back to the window, using the butt of his gunblade to break it swiftly. Glass shatters everywhere, and he carefully moves himself inside, squinting in the dark room. When he’s sure there’s no Heartless around, he walks inside further, finding stairs and making his way to the second floor. Squall sees the door to the room ripped off by its hinges, his eyes widening in surprise at the damage. He walks inside, seeing the room is trashed. There are claw marks on the walls and floor, along with shattered glass and a broken chair. The sheets from the bed are strewn about and a pillow lies destroyed, feathers all around the bed.
He walks towards the balcony, seeing the teenager holding his ankle and breathing shallowly. He looks to be a bit younger than him, maybe a couple years if he guessed. His hair is bright blond and spiky, and as he kneels down to inspect the wound their eyes meet and Squall feels entranced by the sapphire blues. He stares a second too long and has to tear his gaze downward, purposely focusing on the large claw marks across the blond's ankle. The wound is torn through his pants and deep into his skin. He pulls the fabric away gently, seeing all of the blood trickling down his skin.
He glances back in the room, standing up and walking over to one of the sheets and ripping a piece of it off to use as a makeshift bandage.
“That will have to do for now. There’s a girl back in the First District who can take care of the rest.” He mumbles, wrapping the cloth around the wound and tying it tightly.
The teenager gulps, nodding and releasing a held breath. Squall looks at him in surprise, shoulders relaxing when he sees the fear in the younger boy’s eyes.
“Is there anyone else in here?” He asks.
The boy shakes his head. “I don’t think so. I didn’t hear anyone else.”
Squall frowns, but continues nonetheless. “How long have you been here?”
“A day or two maybe? I think…my world was destroyed. I don’t remember much.” The blond says, eyes casting downwards.
Squall pauses, unsure of how to comfort the teen. “Where were you from?”
“Radiant Garden.” He answers quietly.
Squall closes his eyes, heart aching along with the boy’s.
“Me too.” The older teen says.
The blond looks up at Squall, his eyes uncertain. “So…was it destroyed?”
The grey-eyed teen nods slowly, resting a hand on the boy’s ankle gently. The blond sighs, closing his eyes and not saying anything else. Squall sees a tear roll down the teen’s cheek slowly.
He glances away again, standing up and turning around. “Can you walk?”
The teen wipes his face hastily, shifting to attempt to stand. “I-I think so.” He tries, steadying himself. He limps slowly and Squall shakes his head at the teen, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to help him.
“Take your time.” He says.
The boy nods. “Thanks. For… protecting me back there.”
Squall’s jaw tenses, and the pessimist inside of his head laughs bitterly at being praised for protecting. He knows the teen means no harm, but his words make Squall’s shoulders tense and he releases a short breath, telling him it was nothing.
“I’m Cloud by the way.” The teen continues.
They’ve made it outside of the hotel, and Squall continues to hold onto Cloud’s shoulder, steadying him as they walk back to the First District. He glances at the shorter teen, the thoughts of everything over the past couple days rushing through his head. He can’t push away the guilt, the weight of it plaguing his mind heavily. This was just one person he let down, and if he hadn’t been in the right place at the right time, the teen would have lost his heart like the thousands of others on his home. Squall was a failure. He was not worthy of being called a protector, a warrior or a Royal Guard.
And so, Squall looks ahead of them, his eyes hardening as he casts away his past self, unable to try and convince himself he will ever be the same person he was back in Radiant Garden.
“Call me Leon.”
When they return to the house, Aerith and Cid are still at the table. Aerith’s eyes widen when she sees Cloud, and she runs over to him, enveloping him in a tight embrace. He hugs her back, closing his eyes and exhaling shakily.
Leon excuses himself, saying he’s going to go back to the hotel to check for any other people. Cid protests this time, telling him he needs to rest for now and he can continue searching in the morning. Leon scoffs, shaking his head and exiting the house without a word.
He patrols the entire night, even as his eyes grow heavy and his body pleas for rest. He doesn’t find any other survivors, but manages to explore both the Second and Third Districts entirely. He cuts down dozens of Heartless mercilessly as they appear, his screams echoing in the night as he fights. He loses track of how many he destroys, and only when he’s walking in the Second District and hears the loud bells of the clock ringing does he realize it’s six in the morning.
It’s the final straw on his back that causes him to collapse and he has to lean against a wall, closing his eyes for just a second. Using the last of his strength, he stands up and makes his way slowly back to the First District. Just as he’s past the doors, his vision goes blurry and his head feels light.
He loses consciousness.
When he wakes up again, he’s in his bedroom. Aerith sits in a chair next to the bed reading a book. She looks up when he shifts into a sitting position, placing her bookmark in the page and closing the novel.
“Oh, you’re up.” She says.
Leon stretches his neck to the side, rubbing at the sore muscle. He grunts in response, eyes scanning the room and noticing Cloud is sitting on the ground across from the bed, leaning against the wall and staring at him.
“I’ll go grab you some tea.” Aerith says, standing and walking to the door. Leon protests, saying it’s not necessary, but sighs when she continues walking out the door and closing it softly behind her. He looks over to Cloud again, seeing the teen’s mouth open as if he was about to say something, but is interrupted when the door slams open. Yuffie stands in the doorway, her hands on her hips.
“Squall! What were you thinking last night!? Patrolling the Second District on your own, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” She yells, pointing a finger at him angrily.
Leon winces at her yelling, glaring at the girl when she’s finished. “It’s Leon. And that’s enough Yuffie, the whole town can hear you right now.” He says, not bothering to mention that he also patrolled the Third District.
The short girl furrows her eyebrows at him, grumbling and stalking towards the bed. She turns the chair around and sits backwards in it, crossing her arms over the back.
“What were you doing!? You know we aren’t supposed to go there.” She says, lowering her voice just under a scream. Aerith enters the room with a cup of tea, passing it to Leon and standing next to Yuffie with her hands folded in front of her. Leon isn’t sure which is worse; Yuffie yelling into his ear, or Aerith’s silent gaze asking him to explain.
“I had to make sure no one else was out there. And there was lots of area to explore.” He mutters.
Yuffie rests her chin over her arms, pouting. “Look, Squall-” She rolls her eyes at his expression. “Leon. It’s fine that you wanted to go help find survivors. But… it’s not safe to go out on your own.” She nearly whispers, eyes casting downward.
Leon mutters a ‘whatever’, missing the sad expressions on Yuffie and Aerith’s faces. Neither of them say anything else, both walking out and closing the door behind them quietly. Leon looks up at Cloud and sees the teenager is still staring at him.
They hold each other’s gaze for what feels like a long time, neither breaking the silence. At first Leon feels hostile, waiting for Cloud to make a fuss over him too. But it never comes and Cloud turns to look out the window, his enticing eyes studying the sky. Leon feels his gaze follow, staring out at the dark sky covered in stars. His shoulders relax without him realizing and he feels comfortable in their silence, Cloud’s presence calming him down.
“I know how to fight.” The blond teenager says quietly.
Leon stares at him across the room, narrowing his eyes in confusion as the silence is broken.
“It’s just-” Cloud pauses, scratching the back of his head, glancing away. “I mean… next time you go out. I can come with you. That way they don’t get worried.”
The older brunet stares blankly at Cloud. “No, you can’t.”
The blond’s eyebrows furrow slightly. “Why not? Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I can’t-”
Leon scowls at Cloud. “Did you hit your head last night too? Look at your foot, you can’t fight right now.”
The blond blinks, eyes flickering down to his ankle. “Oh, yea. But after it heals I can-“
“Thanks, but no thanks.” Leon says, standing up and grabbing his jacket. He walks towards the door, opening it and glancing at Cloud. The blond stares at him for a moment before shaking his head and lowering his eyes to the side.
“You can have that bed if you want.” Leon comments. Cloud nods, hobbling over to it and laying down on his back, facing away from the older teen.
Leon turns back around and exits the room, closing the door quietly behind him and walks to the children’s house to check up on them.
A few weeks later, Leon is deep into work, spending his time repairing their house. Cid helps him some days, and others he explores the town, trying to gather gummi parts to build them a ship. Yuffie and Aerith work closer with the community, helping distribute food to people and offering all the help they can. They tell Leon that a they’ve seen more people arrive to Traverse Town since they arrived and are unable to find anywhere to sleep at night. Leon knows he’s seen more vacated houses around the First District, but much like their place originally was, most are without power and in bad shape. So Leon decides he’ll spend his days working on the houses to help the other lost survivors in town.
Cloud’s injury has healed fully within a month, so he begins helping Leon with repairs on houses. He appreciates the younger teens help, especially considering he works in silence just like him. They work well together and within six months they’ve fully repaired several houses. People are overjoyed, thanking him endlessly for his hard work and kindness. He always brushes their praise off, even when Yuffie teases him about it and says he needs to learn how to respond to thanks. She then follows that up with a comment about how he also needs to take time off and relax for once. He rolls his eyes at her, ignoring the shorter girl.
Eventually Aerith starts saying he should take at least a day off as well. So in order to appease them, he sighs after they pester about it again one night at dinner and says he’ll take one day off from working. Yuffie cheers in appreciation, saying they should have a party to celebrate all of their progress they’ve made so far. Leon eyes her skeptically, glancing at Aerith who gives him an encouraging smile.
“Come on, Squall-” Yuffie starts.
“Leon.” He corrects quietly.
Yuffie ignores him, continuing. “We’ve all been working so hard these past months. Let’s have something to show for it.”
He closes his eyes, still unchanged.
“What’s the point of working hard to make this place into a better home for everyone if we can’t even celebrate how far we’ve come?” She asks.
Leon winces when she says the word home. As if this place could ever be considered a home.
“Enough, Yuffie. This conversation wasn’t above having a party. It was about me taking a day off. And I already agreed.” He says sternly.
“But Squall-” She tries.
“It’s Leon!” He roars, banging a fist against the wall loudly. She jumps, her eyes widening at the outburst. She stares at his angry expression and then her eyes lower to the ground.
Leon stares at her, his face still twisted in an expression of anger and pain. He breathes quietly, aware of his outburst and brings a hand to his face, exhaling slowly. He hears a sniffle from Yuffie and the young girl walks upstairs towards her bedroom quietly, closing the door behind her with a soft click. Leon swallows thickly, dropping his hand and standing still. The other three say nothing, a thick tension present in the air. Leon swallows, not meeting anyone’s gaze and exits the house as fast as he can.
He stalks down the streets, instinctively walking towards the children’s house. When he arrives, he stands in front of it with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He glances at the makeshift basketball net he built for them last week. The kids were overjoyed, spending hours playing with it.
He doesn’t realize he’s been standing in front of the house unmoving for some time until he hears footsteps approaching him. He looks up, seeing Cloud pause next to him, the teenager’s gaze fixed on the house. Neither of them say anything, Leon’s anger still radiating off of him.
“This is the kid’s house, right?” Cloud finally asks.
Leon nods, not looking at the younger blond.
“When Aerith told me you were the one who took care of them, I was surprised.” Cloud continues.
Leon turns to stare at him, unable to keep the anger in his eyes at Cloud’s soft gaze. He’s come to learn that sometimes being around Cloud makes him feel odd. It’s hard to explain, but he feels like he doesn’t need to stack his walls around the younger teen. He nods at him, blinking and looking down at the ground.
Cloud walks towards the net, picking up the basketball and dribbling it casually. Leon watches him walk a distance away before he shoots the ball, missing the net and bouncing off the backboard. The blond runs to grab the ball again, returning and taking another shot. He curses quietly when it hits the rim and bounces off again. Cloud looks back at Leon, smiling sheepishly.
“Basketball was never my thing anyway.” The blond says, shrugging.
Leon smirks slightly, rolling his eyes and walks to pick up the basketball. He stands where Cloud was, taking the shot swiftly and watching it sink into the net with ease.
Cloud purses his lips at him, his eyes unimpressed. “Well alright then, Mr. Perfect.”
Leon scoffs quietly, jogging to get the ball and stand back in front of the net. “Come here, I’ll show you.”
The blond gives him a surprised look but complies, standing next to him and accepting the ball. He lifts it above his head, getting ready to shoot.
“Tuck your elbows in.” Leon says, tapping Cloud’s elbow. The blond brings them closer towards his body.
“And this time, follow through with the shot. Extend your arm fully as you throw it.” The brunet explains quietly. He looks down at Cloud, seeing the blond’s eyes narrow in thought as he focuses. He thinks back to the other day when Yuffie was grumbling about how unfair it was that Cloud had such long and beautiful eyelashes. He’s not sure about the “unfair” part, but standing close next to him he can’t help but agree that his eyelashes make his eyes stand out more than they already do.
Cloud shoots the ball a moment later, bringing Leon out of his head and the blond lets out a cry of surprise when it lands through the hoop.
“Nothing to it.” Leon says quietly. The blond grins at him, running to grab the ball and take more shots. Leon looks up to the house when he hears the door open and some of the children come running out.
“Leon! What are you doing here?” One of them asks.
Leon scratches the back of his head. “Just checking up on you guys.” He lies. Cloud’s eyes glint and he smiles knowingly at the brunet. Leon looks away, his heartbeat fluttering slightly.
“You already came by earlier though!” Another cries.
“Alright, I was just double checking. Get back inside.” Leon says gruffly. The kids giggle but comply, saying goodnight and closing the door.
When he turns back to Cloud, the shorter teen is grinning cheekily at him.
Leon rolls his eyes. “What?” He says, unimpressed.
Cloud shakes his head, dropping the basketball. “Nothing.”
A silence comes over them again, and Leon bites the inside of his cheek, feeling like he should say something.
“You were in the military back in Radiant Garden, right?” Cloud asks.
Leon crosses his arms, not expecting that kind of a question. “How do you know that?”
“Cid told me.” The blond answers.
The older teen shrugs, slightly annoyed that they talk about him. “Yea. I was.”
“I wanted to join when I was old enough.” Cloud says, his eyes looking both hopeful and defeated at the same time.
Leon bites his lip, thinking back to when he was so excited about joining the military. He hasn’t done a lot of thinking about his life in Radiant Garden lately, preferring to forget about the memories and focus on rebuilding Traverse Town until they find out if it’s even possible to return home.
But he can’t help thinking back to training and being accepted into the Royal Guard. Meeting Ansem the Wise, telling his mom about his opportunity to become a castle guard. It all comes back to him, making his chest feel tight. He wants to tell Cloud everything; about how he loved Radiant Garden with all his heart, met Ansem the Wise after he sent him a letter as a child, and worked so hard to prove himself as a warrior. But the words won’t come and he is left clenching a fist, unable to speak.
Cloud doesn’t pester him further though, or judge his tenseness. He just stands next to him, unbothered and unchanged. He glances at Leon and the older teen holds his gaze, unable to look away from his eyes. Leon knows it’s weird to think about the teenager the way he does sometimes, but Cloud’s ocean eyes draw him in, finding a way to read him without saying a word. Eventually, Leon relaxes again, his gaze softening and he takes a breath, shaking his head.
“I shouldn’t have yelled at Yuffie.” He says, running a hand through his hair.
“She probably needs to hear that.” Cloud responds quietly, staring up at the older teen. Leon sighs, nodding and the two begin to walk back to the house together. Cid and Aerith sit at the kitchen table when they arrive, pausing their conversation when the two enter.
“Is she still in there?” Leon asks right away, nodding at the bedroom door upstairs. Aerith nods slowly, and Leon walks towards it, not bothering to knock.
Yuffie sits on the bed, her knees pulled tightly to her chest and looks up when the door opens. She frowns at him, telling him to go away and looks back down. Leon has to really restrain himself from rolling his eyes at her drama. He pulls out the chair sitting at the small desk and places it in front of the bed, sitting patiently.
Eventually, she looks up at him again, and her eyes are less angry. He can tell she’s still upset though, her eyes glassy.
“I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with you back there. I’m sorry Yuffie.” He says quietly. She stares at him thoughtfully, chewing on her lip.
“You mean it?” She asks.
He really, really has to resist rolling his eyes, instead nodding slightly.
She lowers her legs, shifting forward slightly on the mattress. “And…the party?” She asks, a sense of hope in her tone.
Leon closes his eyes, bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Yes. You can have a party.” He mutters.
This causes Yuffie to actually shriek in joy, pumping her fist in the air and jumping off of the bed. Leon covers his ears, standing up and telling her to be quiet. Her expression is unchanged by his tone and she jumps over to him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He blinks, staring down at her.
“Thanks a bunch Leon.” She muffles into his shoulder.
He grunts in response, patting her on the back and telling her not to go overboard. She runs out of the room, then out of the house, yelling that she has to go buy decorations.
He stares at the open front door unimpressed, and walks back downstairs to close it. He enters the kitchen, seeing Aerith giggling slightly with Cloud and Cid. This time, he really can’t help but roll his eyes.
The next day Yuffie kicks everyone out of the house, saying she needs to get everything set up for their party later in the evening. She tells them to all come back at five o’clock and then slams the door in their faces, running back into the house. Leon stares at the door unimpressed, but sighs and turns around, walking down the steps of the house. Aerith suggests they go for to a café for some coffee. The three agree and they set off, chatting casually. Eventually, Leon excuses himself, saying he’s going to go check up on the children. Cid reminds him to be home for five and they wave him off, ordering some food.
He ends up spending the day with the kids, playing basketball with them and making lunch for them. They play board games and only until he glances up at one of the clocks in the small house he realizes he’s almost late. He jumps up, telling the kids he’s got somewhere to be.
The groan at him leaving during the middle of a game, but he promises them they’ll play again tomorrow. They nod, smiling and hugging him before he leaves.
He runs the way back, panting when he stands in front of the door and giving himself a second to catch himself. He frowns when he enters the house only to be met with a bunch of helium balloons floating around the room, along with party streamers taped to the wall and he hears music playing from their radio. He glances over at the kitchen table, spotting Cloud, Cid and Aerith sitting with party hats on. Cid has a party horn in his mouth and blows it as Leon enters. Yuffie cheers in excitement.
“Finally, you’re here!” She says, running over to him and slipping the party hat on. When she turns back around he takes it off, frowning and walking towards the table.
“I thought I said to not go overboard.” He mumbles, pushing a balloon out of his way.
Yuffie laughs, finishing up preparing the food. “Oops. Couldn’t help it Leon! I just got so excited!” She exclaims.
Leon sits next to Cid, not bothering to try and argue. The short girl comes back with a tray of food, setting it on the table. There are different salads, pastas and even a few sliders. Leon eyes up the food, feeling his stomach growl.
“This looks amazing Yuffie!” Aerith says.
The black-haired teen grins cheekily, her face blushing happily. “Thank you! I spent all day working on it. Now, everyone dig in!”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Cid says, reaching for the sliders.
As they fill their plates and eat way too much food, Leon glances around the table. He watches his friends laugh along and talk with each other, smiles on their faces. He feels at peace for the first time in awhile, a warmth circling his heart and making him smile ever so slightly.
After they’re finished, Yuffie says that she made dessert as well and Cloud’s eyes visibly light up. Aerith giggles, explaining that Cloud has quite the sweet tooth. The blond denies it, but as soon as the slice of chocolate cake appears in front of him, he eyes it up eagerly and devours it within a minute. Cloud looks up at Leon from across the table when his fork hits the empty plate, blinking and licking some icing off of the corner of his mouth. Leon’s mouth quirks up into a small smirk at the teen and he blinks when a flash from the side catches his attention. Yuffie smiles sheepishly at him, lowering her camera.
“Gotta document the good times!” She chirps when he glares at her. Leon can’t really be mad about it, unable to deny her words. So he tells Yuffie to put a timer on the camera and have them gather around the table for another photo with all of them in it. She blinks at him, unsure if he’s serious for a second or not before her eyes light up and she rests the camera on the counter, angling it towards the table.
When everything is focused, she pushes the timer and runs over to them, sitting between Aerith and Cid. Leon does his best to offer a small smile, and rubs his eyes after the flash goes off, not liking the bright light.
The rest of the night is spent with smiles and laughing, the five of them turning up the music and playing cards. Cid walks towards the fridge, opening it and pulling out cans of beer and coolers. He brings them to the table, setting them out for everyone to take one. None of the other four make a move, eyeing the drinks warily.
“You know none of us are legal, right?” Leon asks.
Cid scoffs. “You bunch are more grown up than most grown-ups I know today. You’ve all worked so hard these past months and Yuffie’s right- we need to celebrate our accomplishments. That way we know we’ve been doing something right.” He says, grabbing a beer and popping the tab off.
Aerith is the first to react, shrugging in agreement and reaching for a cooler. Cloud and Yuffie stare at her in surprise, Cloud’s mouth hanging open as she cracks the tab off. The other three eventually cave as well, grabbing a drink and then Aerith holds her can in the air.
“I’d like to toast to us.” She says.
Yuffie cheers, holding her can in the air as well. “Yea, we deserve it!” She adds.
Cid raises his can next. “These past months have been a shit show. But with you guys, it’s been easier to deal with.” He says.
Cloud raises his can afterwards. “As long as we have each other, we can handle anything.” He says quietly.
They all glance at Leon next, waiting for him to add something in. He stares at them stubbornly, uncomfortable with being so open.
“Come on Leon!” Yuffie encourages. “Just say whatever comes to mind.”
He looks around the table at his friends, who were more like his family if he was truly honest with himself, and rests his gaze on Cloud. The blond offers him a small smile, his eyes becoming half-lidded as he stares at Leon with such warmth and fondness.
He raises his glass, glancing at the table. “You guys get me through the hard days.” He mumbles, his face warming up.
Each one of them lights up happily, clinking their cans against one another’s and cheering. They all take a drink and resume playing their big game of Go Fish (Cid insisted they play poker, but Yuffie complained that she didn’t feel like trying to learn it and Go Fish was the only other game everyone knew).
When it’s past midnight, Leon is tired and buzzed, having a few other drinks as they play. He’s pretty sure it’s the alcohol (he would never openly admit otherwise) that makes him feel at ease and happy. It makes his heart feel whole, being around people he cared for and enjoying the little moments. And while they were currently still stuck in an abandoned house in a world that was still foreign to him, in that moment Leon felt like he could call it his home.
As the next two years pass and stars begin to fade in the sky, Leon feels a looming presence of darkness growing around them. He’s not sure what it means, or what’s going to happen, but he knows some of the others feel the same way. Sometimes he catches Aerith staring out the window of their house, her expression falling anytime she sees a star blink out.
Leon also notices it affecting Cloud, the teen becoming more isolated and quiet as he matures. He sees it in the way Cloud’s sapphire eyes become glazed over at times, as if he’s being possessed, or in a deep trance. If Leon is truthful, he’d say it worries him. But he knows Cloud doesn’t need him pestering him about it like Aerith does. So he chooses not to saying anything as time continues.
Cid opens up an Accessory shop that is fairly successful, allowing him to move into his own space on the second floor. Leon thinks that maybe he should consider fixing up a place in the Second or Third District, deciding that after this long, he’s fairly certain he won’t be leaving Traverse Town anytime soon.
When he brings it up at dinner one night, Aerith nods at him, agreeing that Leon should have his own space. Yuffie chirps that she heard about a recently vacated house around the corner from them.
When he looks to Cloud next, the blond is silent and staring down at his food. Leon notices the dazed look return to his eyes and it makes him bite his lip, ready to open his mouth and ask what’s been bugging the blond lately.
But before he can, Cloud looks up at him. “You’ve spent all your time here helping give homes to others. It’s time you do that for yourself.” He says simply.
Leon blinks, surprised that Cloud said something so heartfelt. At the same time, there’s something hollow present in his tone. He nods nonetheless and cleans up their dishes.
Cid stops by shortly after dinner to inform Leon that he’s just finished their latest Gummi Ship model, and it’s ready to be tested out. The brunet nods and thanks him, informing him that they’ll go for a test drive in the morning. Cid agrees, telling him the location of the ship and excuses himself, waving to the rest of the group.
Yuffie rests her elbows on the table, holding her chin with her hands. “Wow, that’s so exciting Squall! Are you guys going to explore different worlds?”
Leon nods, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “That’s the plan. We’re hoping to find something nearby. Something that gives us more answers about the different worlds.”
The black-haired girl nods, grinning. “I’m so jealous. I wish I could come.” She coos.
“Yuffie, you told me you were afraid of planes.” Aerith says, sipping her tea.
“Well, yea! But a Gummi Ship is different…right?” She asks, looking at them all. Leon raises an eyebrow, Cloud shrugs slightly and Aerith shakes her head, giggling.
“Still.” She continues, walking up to the window and staring at the sky. “I bet it’d be so cool, flying around to different worlds.”
Leon glances at her, then sees Cloud staring out the window thoughtfully as well. The blond turns around a moment later, blinking and staring at Leon. The brunet thinks he sees a flicker of doubt on Cloud’s face before the younger teen looks away, walking to sit at the table.
That night, he wakes up when the front door clicks shut. He rises up, looking around and not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Leon tosses the blankets to the side, standing up and feeling something bad in his gut. He slips on his shoes and grab his jacket hastily, making his way out of the house.
He runs down the street, rounding the corner and seeing Cloud slip past the world exit doors. Leon’s breath hitches in his throat for a second before he realizes what Cloud is doing and he breaks out into a run again to try and stop him. When he reaches the doors, the Gummi Ship’s engine roars to life. Cloud looks up as Leon spots the ship, their eyes meeting each other’s.
He can’t seem to find his voice, staring into Cloud’s eyes with his mouth hung open in shock. The blond’s eyes are desperate, staring at him with such emotion and uncertainty that if he calls the teenager’s name, he’d probably stop and come back. But Leon stands there, unable to speak and tell the blond to stop. It’s like there’s something holding him back, preventing him from talking Cloud down.
The blond lowers his eyes, closing them for a moment before he jerks his head up, grabbing the wheel of the gummi ship and launching himself off the ground.
Leon stands still, staring up at the night sky until he finally grasps the fact that Cloud is gone. And not just, gone into another room, or gone down the street. He's gone into the unknown. Leon brings his fist to his mouth, closing his eyes and feeling his temper beginning to spike. He tries to keep himself calm but before he knows it, he’s running through the doors of the Second District, gunblade in hand and eyes burning with pain and anger.
When the first Heartless appears from the ground, he lets out a furious roar and charges.
Eventually, Leon returns home, clothes tattered and dirty. He’s got a few minor wounds from the Heartless, claw marks on the back of his shoulder and on his arm. Dried sweat covers his body in a thin layer, his skin feeling hot and clammy.
“Leon?” Aerith calls, walking towards the front door. She gasps when she sees him, her hands covering her mouth. It reminds Leon of the first time they met. Yuffie runs in behind her seconds later, her eyes widening at his appearance.
“What happened? Are you okay? I couldn’t find you or Cloud-” Aerith starts.
“He’s gone.” Leon says quietly, unable to meet her eyes.
“What?” Yuffie asks quietly, shock in her tone.
Leon brings a hand to his face. “He left. Took the gummi ship.” He chokes out.
Neither of them say anything. Aerith turns and walks to the window, staring at the sky.
“W-well, where did he go?” Yuffie asks shakily.
“I don’t know Yuffie! Do you think I would be here right now if I-” Leon pauses mid-yell, seeing tears stream down the black-haired girl’s face. He bites his lip, closing his eyes and sighing. “I’m sorry Yuffie. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” He says quietly, trying to calm himself down.
She nods at him, wiping her face quickly and waving her arm dismissively. “No, it’s fine. I-I just don’t understand…”
Leon swallows thickly, trying to find the right words to say. But saying it out loud is harder than he thinks, and he’s left standing there with his mouth open slightly.
“I think it’s the darkness.” Aerith says quietly, still staring out the window. She brings her hand to her chest, over her heart. “His heart is struggling with it.”
Leon doesn’t know much about the Heartless or the Darkness, but something in the way Aerith says it resonates with him.
The three are left in silence, an aura of grief and sadness already building itself in the air. Leon eventually goes back to his room, sitting on the edge of his bed for hours and berating himself for not saying anything when he saw the blond in the ship. Or for not saying anything to him when he begun to notice the changes in Cloud.
He feels like he did the day he lost his home.
Leon decides the night that Cloud left that he would stay in the house with Aerith and Yuffie for fear that he might build an ice castle around his heart and push everyone away if he isolates himself in an empty house. He doesn’t have to explain that to the girls though. They are all left with a noticeable hole in their lives, each of them sharing the same pain.
As the weeks go by, Leon’s heart keeps the thoughts of Cloud in the back of his mind, locked far deep inside of him. There’s an unspoken acceptance that bringing up Cloud in front of Leon isn’t a good idea, otherwise he tends to lose his temper and storm off.
Leon dedicates most of his time to building another gummi ship with Cid (who had a colourful choice of words when he found out Cloud stole his ship). They’re able to build one within a couple months and they spend weeks searching for Cloud on different worlds. They never find him, but they manage to find other refugees who have lost their worlds, and bring them to Traverse Town to give them a safe haven. With each trip resulting in Cloud nowhere to be found, Leon’s hope diminishes slowly. In its place, a layer of grief plants itself as the years go by, continuously reminding him of his inability to set things right no matter how hard he tries.
One day he meets a boy named Sora who wields the key he’s heard so much about in recent years. He’s not impressed with his skill, skeptical that him of all people is the chosen one. But the kid’s determined, and has such a cheeky grin that he somehow manages to worm his way into Leon’s heart.
Before he leaves on his adventure with Donald and Goofy, Leon catches Sora as he’s leaving the world and call the teen’s name. Sora looks up at him in question, telling Donald and Goofy he’ll just be a second.
He runs up to Leon, asking what’s up and Leon closes his eyes. He knows it’s a long shot, but seeing the kid get so confident about finding his lost friends sparks something in him.
“On your travels, if you see a guy called Cloud, let me know.” He says.
Sora tilts his head to the side. “Who’s that?”
Leon crosses his arms. “A…friend. He left here long ago and none of us have seen him since.”
“Oh.” Sora says sadly. “Well, sure I’ll keep an eye out. What’s he look like?” The boy asks.
“Spiky blond hair. Bright blue eyes.” Leon answers quickly.
Sora nods, smiling at Leon and telling him he’ll come back immediately if he finds him. The side of Leon’s mouth quirks upwards, and he thanks the boy quietly, watching the energetic brunet run back to the ship and wave goodbye to him, grinning brightly. Leon waves back, wishing them good luck softly.
Since Sora’s appearance, things in Traverse Town have begun to pick up again. Heartless appear much more often in the Second and Third Districts, forcing them to evacuate the few people who live there. The creatures have destroyed most of the progress they’ve made in the Third District, leaving areas in bad shape. On top of that, Leon can’t stop thinking about the damn dalmatians that are scattered over the worlds, hoping that Sora would find all of them and return them safely.
When he enters the Dalmatians house one morning to feed Pongo and Perdy and sees three puppies running around the front room, his eyes widen in surprise. The puppies look up at him as he enters, their attention focusing on him and they begin running at him, barking excitedly.
He scoops one up immediately, unable to hide the grin on his face as the puppy’s tail wags back and forth and it tries to lick his face. He holds the puppy close to him, stroking it and closing his eyes. The next thing he knows the front door is swinging open and Yuffie charges in with Cid behind her.
“I heard that some of the puppies were-“ She stops, staring at Leon cuddling one of the puppies while the other two jump around him excitedly.
Cid immediately turns around and walks out, closing the door behind him. A few seconds later, Leon faintly hears the man howling in laughter. He narrows his eyes, grimacing at the door and then at Yuffie, who is blushing and covering her face.
“I’m sorry Squall,” the girl starts, fanning her face. “But that is just so cute! And you can’t look intimidating holding that cute puppy.” She adds, grinning.
“Leon.” He huffs out, setting the puppy down and walking further into the house to feed the dogs.
Eventually Cid returns, and while Leon would never disrespect the older man, he was close to cursing him out the third time the blond started laughing about it again. The three of them spend the day with the new puppies, playing with them and giving them lots of attention.
Taking care of the puppies becomes a big part of Leon’s daily routine, making sure that he visits them twice a day to feed them, give them lots of play time and exercise. He’s accepted that Yuffie and Cid will forever tease him about it, calling him a big softie. He still rolls his eyes every time they say it, even though he’s beginning to believe it slightly too.
A month later, twenty-seven more of the puppies have been returned. Leon decides that it’s easiest if he stays at the house to care for the dogs, seeing as their owners are still nowhere to be found. Yuffie giggles about it, still not done with her teasing. Aerith tells Leon it’s a good idea, and she’s happy he’s so passionate about caring for them. He closes his eyes, sipping his tea and ignoring their fussing as the girls continue to chatter.
That night when he walks into the Dalmatians house, he’s surprised to see Sora laying on the ground, giggling as a bunch of puppies surround him, licking at him and wagging their tails.
“Oh! Leon!” He says, sitting up and holding onto one of the puppies. Some of the others bark at Leon, running at him excitedly. He kneels down, patting them.
“Didn’t expect to see you here. Where’s Donald and Goofy?” Leon says.
Sora pats the puppy’s head as it tries to chew on his necklace, oblivious to its naughty behaviour. “They’re at Cid’s shop, upgrading the gummi ship. Cid said you’d be here.” He explains.
Leon nods, walking towards a wall and leaning against it. “So why were you looking for me?”
“I met Cloud!” Sora chirps excitedly.
The brunet’s eyes widen in shock. “You did?” He asks quietly.
Sora nods, giving Leon a grin. “At the Olympus Coliseum! He was caught up with some bad guy called Hades… but we set him straight.” The boy finishes, giving him a thumbs up.
Leon’s not really sure what the hell ‘setting him straight’ entails, but his throat feels tight and his thoughts begin to swarm his mind in a haze. He jerks his head up when Sora calls his name.
“Everything alright?” The younger brunet asks, tilting his head to the side.
“Uh...” Leon clears his throat. “Um, yes.” He wants to ask if Sora mentioned them to him, or if Cloud said anything about them. But it seems so cliché and desperate.
“I told him about you guys.” Sora says, kissing the top of the puppy’s head before setting it down. He looks at Leon, smiling sadly. It doesn’t make Leon feel hopeful.
“He said he misses you all. But he’s on a journey to battle his darkness.” Sora says, his smile dropping.
Leon glances at the ground, nodding slowly. It’s enough as an explanation as he’s going to get for now. He thanks Sora for doing him the favour and waves the boy off, the spiky-haired brunet saying they can’t stay long but they’ll visit again shortly.
His dreams that night are filled with memories of him and Cloud, snippets replaying in his mind and overlapping. He dreams of the night he met the blond, the young teen’s eyes filled with fear after he found him wounded on the hotel balcony. He dreams of them shooting hoops at the children’s house, and him helping Cloud work on his shots.
But mainly, he dreams of the night Cloud left. He’s had that memory play in his dreams many times prior to this and sometimes Leon wakes up in a frantic, his heart beating wildly and his chest heaving. Tonight though, he calls out for Cloud in his dream and begs him to come back. He apologizes for not speaking up and being stupid and prideful. The blond stares at him hard, before shaking his head and mouthing goodbye.
Leon jerks awake, grasping at his chest and feeling his heart beat rapidly. He gets out of bed, checking the clock next to him and sitting up. It’s just past five, and he knows his body won’t let him fall back asleep right now. He runs a hand through his hair, pausing at the edge of the bed before he stands up swiftly, stalking into the bathroom. Once he’s dressed and ready, having fed the dogs as quick as he can, he dashes out the door and runs towards the First District. He opens the large doors, slipping by and running to the gummi ship. He pauses inside, wondering if this is a good idea. But a bigger part of him tells him overthinking has done him no use in the past and he needs to be honest with himself.
So he exhales, starting the gummi ship and flying to the Coliseum. In a few hours he’s arrives, beginning to feel his adrenaline spike. When he lands the gummi ship at the gates he exhales lowly, exiting the ship swiftly and heading towards the training grounds.
As the arena becomes visible, he sees lots of different obstacles set up. There’s no sign of anyone in the area though, causing him to frown and cross his arms. He sighs dejectedly, turning around and beginning to walk back to the gummi ship. He was too late. Cloud must have left for another world already.
As he’s exiting the lobby doors and walking down the steps, he hears his name called.
Leon pauses mid-step, turning his head to the right and sees him leaning against one of the tall pillars. It’s Cloud, staring at him with eyes that are much colder than Leon last remembers. Part of his face is covered by a dark red scarf, the rest of him dressed in dark clothing and armour. He’s even taller now, and carries a large sword.
None of these things really register with Leon at first though, the sound of his heart beating against his chest in deep thumps being the only thing he can process. They have one of their staring moments like they used to, but Leon’s sure his face is full of a mixture of different emotions. Then suddenly, his body is moving on its own, walking towards Cloud.
The blond’s expression is unchanged as he approaches, his icy eyes piercing Leon’s. Thoughts are swarming around Leon’s head in different directions and he opens his mouth to let them all out but Cloud beats him to it.
“What are you doing here?” The blond asks quietly, but Leon can hear the bite in his tone.
He pauses, closing his mouth and biting his lip, looking away. “Sora told me you were here.” The brunet answers.
Cloud doesn’t say anything at first, bringing Leon’s gaze back to his. He notices the blond narrow his eyes, his stare turning into a defensive glare.
“And?” Cloud asks dismissively.
The question takes him aback, and he furrows his eyebrows. “I wanted to see you for myself.”
They stare at each other in silence again, until Cloud speaks up again. “Why?”
“To let you know, we’re waiting for you when you’re ready to come back.” Leon manages to get out, even though his throat is tight and it’s not what he really wants to tell Cloud.
He wants to tell him it’s because they all miss him and they (mainly him) won’t ever be able to heal fully until Cloud is with them again. He wants to tell him it’s because Leon needed to make sure he was really still alive and Sora didn’t confuse him for someone else. He wants to tell him it’s because he needs Cloud to know that he’s sorry for taking this long to find him and god just please come home.
Something flickers over Cloud’s gaze and it makes Leon stare at him hopefully, like the blond knows what he is thinking. Cloud finally looks to the ground in thought.
“I promise I will.” He says quietly, looking up at Leon again. The brunet swallows, seeing the blond’s gaze soften and hold him just like it used to years ago. It makes his heart ache painfully, thinking of the times they had together in the past.
But at the same time, it brings a small smile to his face, feeling like this is the Cloud he’s always known.
It’s hard for him to watch Cloud walk away, because it means accepting the uncertainty of what will happen now. Cloud might come home tomorrow and he might never come home ever again. And standing there, watching the blond leave to face his demons puts his heart to the biggest test yet. He wants to be selfish, to tell Cloud to come home with him. But he knows he can’t, because the blond needs to find his own path and Leon can’t will himself to put his wants above Cloud’s needs.
The trip home is long and bittersweet, leaving Leon feeling exhausted. When he enters the Dalmatians house, Aerith is sitting in the kitchen, sipping tea and reading a novel at the table.
She looks up as he enters, closing the book and smiling gently at him. Leon can tell her eyes are searching his, already noticing something off. She’s always so intuitive.
“Leon,” she says quietly, nodding at him. He nods back, trying his best not to give anything else away.
“Something you need?” He asks, reaching into the cupboard to get a glass.
She pauses for a moment. “Not particularly. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Leon walks to the sink, turning on the tap and putting the cup under it. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” He asks, watching the water collect in his glass.
“Well, you were absent from our meeting at the Small House today.” She says simply. He freezes, blinking when the water overflows the cup and spills onto his hands. He clenches his jaw, turning the sink off and pouring out the excess water. He completely forgot about it after finding out about Cloud and has no way to get out of this.
He sighs, taking a drink of the water and not being able to face Aerith as he says it.
“I saw Cloud today.”
He’s met with silence, which he expects. She does speak up eventually.
“Was he...okay?” She asks, her voice quiet.
Leon closes his eyes. “Yea. He’s still battling the darkness, but he’s going to be fine.” He says, only half-believing himself.
He looks over to her, and her head hangs low, staring at her hands folded in her lap. Leon stares at her nervously, never seeing the brunette look so upset. She’s always the optimist, so seeing her like this makes him unsure how he’s supposed to comfort her.
“Excuse me Leon, I think I need to go home now.” She says, keeping her eyes low and standing up. Leon swallows thickly. He knows she’s leaving because her getting upset will make him uncomfortable.
“No Aerith, stay. You can talk to me.” He says, walking to the table and sitting across from her. “I can’t promise I’ll know what to say to help, but…I’ll try.” He says, watching her eyes meet his.
She nods at him, closing her eyes and smiling softly. “Thank you, Leon.”
He nods back at her, watching her sit down and tuck some of her hair behind her ear.
“Can you tell me what happened?” She asks, biting her lip.
Leon inhales, and proceeds to retell their conversation word for word. When he’s finished, she’s smiling sadly at him, her eyes watering.
“Oh, Leon. That must have been hard to say.” She says.
Leon looks up at her and regrets it immediately, his heart pained from her sadness. He gulps, shaking his head.
“No, it’s the only thing I could say.” He responds.
She rests her hand on his wrist, smiling at him. “I don’t know if I could have done the same. I think I would have begged him to come home.”
Leon smiles lightly back at her, feeling a little more relaxed. “I almost did at first. But seeing him made me realize he’s not ready to come home yet.”
Aerith’s eyes become warmer and she looks down, shaking her head. Leon quirks an eyebrow, wondering if he said something wrong.
“Sorry, it’s just.” She pauses, pulling her hand back. “You’ve grown so much Leon. Even if you don’t think you have.”
Leon looks to the side, uncomfortable with her praise. She places a hand above her heart, staring at the table and smiling faintly. “I know now. I know Cloud’s going to come back to us soon.” She says.
Her sincerity envelopes him and he believes it just as much as her as soon as she says it.
And eventually, Cloud does come back.
After Maleficent is defeated by Sora and the boy informs them of his journey to Hollow Bastian, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith and himself travel to the world as soon as they can. Arriving at the bottom of the Rising Falls and staring up at the castle feels surreal to Leon, and his eyes are wide as plates and he surveys the area around him. He almost can’t believe this is the remains of what Radiant Garden once was. When they actually set foot on the castle and enter the building, Leon feels a whirlwind of emotions inside of him.
Memories of his past come to his mind, the memories of Squall. It’s weird, like he’s viewing himself from a different perspective. He doesn’t know if he’s very similar to the person he once was, but standing here now brings a sense of nostalgia and he smiles when the others enter the castle and stare around it in awe.
“Wow, this is so amazing! I’ve never been in such a big place!” Yuffie says, running around the front hall.
“Yuffie stay on guard, there still might be Heartless around here.” Leon says, scanning the room for any suspicious activity.
“You got it Leon!” She says, pumping a fist in the air.
After they’ve made their way through the castle they meet up with Sora and wish him well as he nears his final battle with Ansem. Leon’s a little scared for the young teen, feeling bad that he has to go through all of this so young. But the kid’s still smiling as always, running around without a care in the world.
They decide to stay in Hollow Bastian for the night, sleeping in the library. It kind of reminds Leon of the first night they spent together in Traverse Town, sitting around the old, wooden table in the dark. Tonight, they scramble all the furniture they can find together to form makeshift beds, and they eat some of the food Aerith packed in her basket case they decided to stay longer.
The four of them chat happily together, recalling memories of their past in Radiant Garden. It makes Leon happy, seeing his friend’s all so overjoyed to be home. They know it’s not in good shape, but they also know that if they work together, they can make their home what it once was. Maybe even something better.
Soon enough his friends fall asleep in their makeshift beds and Leon is left unable to sleep. He knows why, but it feels wrong to admit it. He should be happier than he is. He’s back in Radiant Garden with his friends and he knows they’re going to rebuild it from the ground up. But part of him feels like he can’t fully enjoy being back without Cloud. He imagined that as they would all return together, the group going through so much over the years.
So it leaves Leon with a cloudy head and he decides to grab a book in the large library and sit at the table, reading it under the small lamp. After about an hour he’s still not tired, so he closes the large book and stands up, stretching and beginning to walk around the castle. When he’s seen enough and there are no threats of any Heartless left in the castle, he makes his way to the exit, wanting to go stand out on one of the balconies.
As he’s returning from the Castle Chapel, he hears the doors at the front of the Entrance Hall opening. Leon presses himself against the wall, sneaking low towards the balcony to try and see who it is.
The familiar spiky blond hair is enough to tell him right away and he stands up sharply, staring down at Cloud. The blond’s eyes catch his movement and he glances up at him, staring back intently. Leon swallows thickly, taken aback and at a loss for words in case this was some sleep-deprived hallucination. But then Cloud speaks.
“I always wanted to see the inside of the castle as a kid.” He says quietly, but Leon hears every word like he’s next to him.
“I got to do that once,” Leon responds without thinking. He scratches the back of his head anxiously when Cloud gives him a puzzled look. “I wrote a letter to Ansem when I was young, and he wrote me back, saying I could visit.” The brunet clarifies.
Leon sees a small smile on the blond’s face and starts walking down the steps towards Cloud.
“Are the others sleeping?” He asks.
Leon nods at him. “In the library. I was going to head out to the balcony.”
“I’ll join you.” The blond says quietly.
“Sure.” Leon says casually, but he’s unable to hide his smile. Him and Cloud walk close enough together that their shoulders brush a few times. When they step out onto the balcony, the night is calm and peaceful. A light wind brushes through Leon’s hair and he runs a hand through it, deciding that soon he’s going to cut it. It’s getting too long at this point.
Cloud pauses in front of the railing, leaning his arms overtop of it and staring out into the sky. Leon stands behind him, watching the blond with a soft gaze. This felt right. This felt like home.
He walks next to Cloud, staring out over the railing at the Rising Falls.
“How did you know where to find us?” Leon asks.
“I went to Traverse Town first and ran into Merlin. He told me.” The blond answers.
The brunet nods, hoping that Merlin remembered to feed the Dalmatians while they were away. Cloud stares up at him, asking him what’s wrong.
He doesn’t realize his eyebrows are furrowed and he’s frowning until Cloud’s voice startles him. He taps his finger on the railing, wondering if he should be honest.
“There’s these...dalmatian puppies in Traverse Town I take care of and I was just hoping that old wizard...remembered to feed them.” Leon says, gritting it out and trailing off at the end as he purposely looked away.
The blond let’s out a quiet snicker and Leon turns his head to him, narrowing his eyes half-annoyed. Cloud’s got an eyebrow raised at him, smirking slightly.
“You are such a mother hen.” The blond teases.
Leon huffs, looking back over towards the sky. “That’s not true.”
Cloud laughs lightly. “Sure.” He says. “But puppies huh? This I’ve got to see.” The blond murmurs.
Leon gulps, speaking before his mind catches up to him. “When we bring everyone over from Traverse Town, you will.” He says.
Cloud blinks at him, his eyes slightly widened. Leon looks down, his face warming. “If you’re staying, that is.” He adds quietly.
The blond turns to face him. “I am. I want to help rebuild Radiant Garden.” He says confidently.
Leon blinks, staring out at the dark night again. A small smile comes to his face. “Good. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”
Cloud nods, and they both say nothing else, staring over the balcony at the night sky. The silence is comforting, Cloud’s presence enough to make Leon feel relaxed.
“Yuffie and Aerith are going to cry when they see you.” The brunet says after some time.
Cloud closes his eyes, shaking his head. “You don’t think they’ll be mad?”
“No.” Leon says immediately. “They’ll just be happy you're back and alive.”
The blond gulps, nodding. Leon reaches a hand out, resting it on his shoulder. Cloud looks at his hand, then at the brunet. His eyes are wide and anxious.
“No one’s mad about you leaving Cloud.” He says quietly. “Well, Cid was mad that you stole his ship. But I’m sure he didn’t hold a grudge.”
The blond quirks his mouth up, a short breath coming from him in amusement. He looks over the balcony again for a moment. “Not even you?” He asks quietly, his eyes half-lidded.
Leon stares at him, dropping his hand from the blond’s shoulder. “I…don’t think I was ever angry with you.” He explains quietly. “Just angry with the situation.”
Cloud nods, not meeting Leon’s gaze. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
The brunet frowns slightly. “Don’t apologize. What matters is you’re here now.”
“You’ve changed.” Cloud says, smiling slightly. Leon crosses his arms, looking away embarrassed.
“So have you.” The brunet counters. Cloud laughs lightly, catching Leon’s attention.
“That was the same though. The pose and everything.” The blond explains.
Leon rolls his eyes, smiling slightly and resting his arms over the balcony again, glancing down at the Rising Falls. He exhales quietly, his eyes closing halfway as he stares over the horizon. He sees the light of dawn approaching, hues of orange, red and yellow beginning to form. It brings hope to his heart, seeing the rise of a new day in the horizon. It’s the start of a new beginning.
He looks at Cloud, watching as the light illuminates his face. The way the sunlight catches his golden spikes makes Leon want to reach out and touch them, but he stays still and catches the blond’s eyes when Cloud turns to stare at him again.
Leon doesn’t try to look away, even though the way Cloud is looking at him makes his heart beat fast. His eyes are soft and welcoming, like they used to be when they were young. There’s a sense of maturity and still a bit of sharpness in them now, but Leon still feels the same way he used to, staring into them like he’s being lulled into a state of peace and warmth.
It makes Leon think that maybe a home isn't just a house, and a house isn't just a home. It's not a place you've lived in your whole life, or even a world. It's got to be something more than that. Maybe a home is a person (or the people) you surround yourself with who makes you feel most loved. Who makes your heart full of happiness and warmth.
And when Cloud reaches for his hand and threads their fingers together softly, the rays of the sunrise making him look like he’s an ethereal being, Leon knows it deep in his heart to be true. He smiles at Cloud softly, stepping closer to him and tilting his head to the side to press his lips gently against the blond’s.