"Whaddya want, Yuf?" he growled, and Yuffie pushed me forward.
"She wantsta see Cloud. Can we borrow your Gummi Ship to go to the Olympus Coliseum?" she asked, and Cid looked at me curiously.
"Sure looks like Cloud. Sure you ain't a sibling or somethin'?" he questioned, and I shrugged.
"She doesn't know, Cid, but she wants to see him." Squall interjected, and I was grateful for him. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I felt my face grow hot.
"I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, seeing him would help me remember..." I muttered, crossing my arms and looking towards the ground.
"Welp, ya act like Cloud, all right... yeah, go ahead, take the ship. But it better be in one piece when I get it back!" Cid pointed a finger at Yuffie. She laughed and waved her hand.
"Thanks a billion, Cid! Let's go, guys!" she whooped, and we followed her eagerly to what she kept calling the "hangar". When we reached the red, cube-like ship, Squall held a hand in front of Yuffie.
"I'll take her. The ship's too small for all of us, neither you nor Aerith can drive, and I need to see Cloud. Got that?" Yuffie pouted then sighed.
"All right, Squall..." she moaned, and I giggled. Squall stuck a hand on the small of my back and pushed me toward the ship.
"D'you really need to talk to Cloud, or do you not want any backseat drivers?" I asked when I saw we were alone. He laughed.
"Both." Squall said simply.
"Uhm... Squall...?" I started, but stopped when his face turned stony.
"Leon." he muttered. "I don't know why they still call me Squall. That's the old me, the one that ran away from Radiant Gardens and the Darkness."
The next five minutes were silent until Leon sighed. "My old name was Squall Leonhart. I used to live in Radiant Gardens until the Darkness came. I chickened out and ran. I haven't seen my family since...
They're gone with the Darkness, I guess. What happened to you?" he asked me suddenly. I felt my face grow red under his brown eyed gaze.
"Ermm... well, as far back as I remember was..." I fell silent, wondering whether or not to tell him about my encounter with Cloud. "... was being in Radiant Gardens when I woke up." Leon looked at me closely.
"Did you live there when the Darkness came? 'Cause I don't remember you..." he asked, and I shook my head.
"I dunno why I ended up there... I remember waking up, finding these in an abandoned clothing shop, and running into these little... shadow... things..." I jerked forward as Leon shot the brake.
"Shadows? Those were the Heartless!" he yelled, facing forward still. I cocked my head to the side, my mouth agape.
"Heart... less?" I repeated slowly, my hand travelling to the back of my neck. I felt stupid, as if I should've known, but Leon started up the ship again and took a deep breath.
"The Heartless are the abandoned hearts of those who have succumbbed to the power of the Darkness. Everyone has a bit of darkness in there somewhere. No one knows what happens to the empty shells the Heartless have come out of, but Cid, Merlin, King Mickey, and Ansem the Wise are trying to figure out.
We're trying to help. That's why we helped Goofy, Donald, and Sora find each other. Sora's the Keeper of the Keyblade, which is said to be able to close the Door to Darkness and get rid of the Heartless. Maybe you could help..." Leon finished. My mouth was open again, but I was saved by the coliseum looming in front of us.
"Oh, look! Is that the Olympus Coliseum?" I giggled nervously, pointing ahead. Leon nodded and turned the ship toward it.
We had just walked through the door when we saw a tall, blonde man being followed by a little spiky-haired kid, a tripping, armour clad "knight", and I waddling magician. The kid caught up to the blonde, who I supposed was Cloud by how I was compared to him.
"Don't give up. I'm searching, too." he said. Cloud smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"...For your light? Don't lose sight of it." he said. The boy and his friends nodded and ran toward another door, halfway across the large coliseum. Cloud was just about to walk out the door when Leon and I stopped him.
"Squall... pleasure to see you again. Who's your friend?" he muttered, smiling toward the ground.
"It's Leon now, Strife. And we don't know who she is. We were hoping you might; she looks a lot like you." He sounded bitter while explainging this. Cloud's eyes darted towards me, and I smiled and waved.
"Hello!" I chirped up, trying to sound as cheerful as possible in the hostile environment the two were creating. Cloud shot a curious glance at me.
"Erm... hullo..." he said warily, and outstretched a hand. I took it and shook eagerly. "And what's your name?"
"I dunno!" I sang, stretching. "We honestly thought you would know, considering that Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, and him-" I jabbed a finger in Leon's chest. "... told me that I look a lot like you." He laughed, not an amused laugh, no, the same, harsh laugh I'd heard from Leon.
"Well, I'm sorry to say I can't help you there." he said, sincerely apologetic. He looked into my eyes, and I was shocked by the blue. "Well, your eyes, they look the same colour as mine. We might be related."
"Off to get Sephiroth?" Leon asked suddenly. I had a feeling I had missed something...
"Well, Squall," Cloud sneered, "it's taken you long enough to care." The hatred between the two was kind of... unsettling for me. It felt as if there was an argument going on inside of me.
"I told you not to call me that." Leon replied. It didn't sound scornful, though. He sounded more... upset. "Squall's gone now, Cloud. It's Leon."
"Whatever. I'm done here, I'm off." Cloud retorted, brushing in between us. "Good luck, Blondie. You'll need it with Leonhart on your side." The scowl on Leon's face was unnerving, and I placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
"Well, whoever you are, you're obviously not like him." Leon said finally. I hoped he was right.
