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Yuffie leaned against the outside wall of Merlin's house. She could feel the
hard brick pressing into her back, the unevenness of the surface lacking the
comfort she would have liked. One foot was raised and pushed into the
brick, while both hands tapped lightly against the rough façade. Her mind
was wrapped around this new problem. Two men in dark coats? An army of
nobodies? She had thought that Sora and Riku had defeated the Organization
when the link to the worlds closed. How were they back? The whole thing
made Yuffie's brain hurt.

She set her foot on the ground and tapped her gray boot lightly against the
soil. Her tight black shorts and matching top conformed perfectly to her
slender curvy body. Absentmindedly, she reached up and tugged against the
end of the black band tied around her forehead. Thinking wasn't her
strength. She was more of an action girl.

Letting go of the band, Yuffie pushed off the wall and began twirling her
crossed blade weapon around. She was skilled with the blade, and handling
it seemed to calm her some.

From outside of the house stepped Leon. In his fur-necked coat, white shirt

and black trousers that were his trademarks, along with his gunblade, the
scar-faced man spared a glance over at Yuffie before walking forward a few
more steps. His gunblade was holstered on his back, allowing him to quickly
grab it in case of need, not that he expected anything bad to come to
Radiant Garden. Still, he wouldn't be caught off guard. Never again.

The droopy chestnut hair that framed his face, along with the scar from
right cheek to above his left eye socket, made him quite striking. Usually a
somber expression graced his face, but recently he had been smiling more,
which gave his features a soft, gentle feel. He enjoyed smiling. It always
felt quite pleasant. Still, from the sounds of it all, there would be little
to smile about soon.

Subconsciously, he raised a hand to the metal animal framed on a metal link
around his neck. He wore it for protection of a sort, for he felt safer with
the mighty lion symbol protecting him, while providing him with courage.
Dropping his hand back from the item, he folded his arms and spun on his
heel. Looking directly at Yuffie, his eyes betraying little of his thoughts.
"What do you make of all that then, Yuffie?"

Yuffie lowered her weapon and turned to face Leon. Unlike him, her eyes
were awash with feeling. Hope, confusion, worried, and a the slight glint
of excitement all came together in the depths of her dark brown eyes. She
met his gaze and a small smile crossed her lips. "It seems that Organization
thirteen is back. It's the only explaination for men in dark black robes."
She smoothed out a wrinkle in her shorts as she spoke, "Mickey was their
enemy. Perhaps it's simply revenge?"

Yuffie took a few steps towards Leon, closing the gap between them. "You
always seem to have a better head for these things. What do you think is
going on?"

The young man tapped one of his feet idly while thinking of the question.
Looking down and to the right, closing his eyes momentarily, Leon decided
that now would be a good time to speculate. As the unofficial leader of the
Hollow Bastion Restoration Commitee, he had learned that sometimes sharing
his frame of mind with those around him could help them feel more at ease
with the situation, even if it did not come easily to him. "Could be
anything, really. Revenge is a good idea, but it always struck me that Sora
was the more prominent thorn in their side. Why they wouldn't go after him
is a mystery."

Beginning to pace slightly, Leon unfolded his arms and silently tapped his
chin in thought. Maybe this one would be a few levels down. Or maybe that
was just what they wanted him to think. "...Or maybe, they -are- after Sora.
They took Donald and Goofy, maybe to get Sora to come and rescue his
friends, and took King Mickey to take out one more thorn in their side, but
also to learn about the keyblade...Hmm..."

If truth be told, Leon really didn't enjoy thinking along those lines. It
ended up seeming as if he had a paranoia problem. Continuing his pacing, he
shrugged his shoulders lightly before flashing a smile to Yuffie. "Of
course, that's just a thought. From what I hear of their plans, they were
layered like that, but this attack seems too sloppily arranged for that to
be possible. Especially under a cunning leader. Maybe it was just a simple
show of force, as if to prove to us that they are still there."

With another feeble shrug, Leon allowed an exasperated expression to school
his features into the hardened mask he tended to wear. Best that, now things
are going to change, as many things stay alike as they can, he
thought."There are too many things it could be. By doing what we are doing,
we might be playing into their hands. We might be doing the right thing.
Either way, we aren't going to know until we see more moves from them. All I
have right now is speculation."

The warrior spun on his heel slightly, facing sideways on to Yuffie now. His
eyeline aimed upwards, clearly indicating that he was looking at the sky. It
was now that his eyes betrayed an emotion - Sadness. He had not had a normal
life, no, and he may even have enjoye this life more, but now that he had a
choice...having it torn away from him was harder than he would have liked.
"No matter what it is, it doesn't look good. An army of nobodies marches out
of nowhere and captures three of the most powerful individuals we have ever
met, from the Disney Castle no less. I'm more concerned with what we can
actually do about it, I guess."

Yuffie stepped up beside Leon and placed a hand softly on the sleeve of his
arm. "I know Mickey was a thorn in their side, but they used Sora to obtain
their means. Could they need him again for something? Could they have
taken the King and his friends knowing that it would prompt Sora into
action? They are good questions Leon. But they all lead us to the same
place. --- Sora. The key is Sora. He's always been the key." She laughed
slightly at the thought, "The Key. The Keyblade's Chosen. Who knows what
other doors that kid will open."

Her eyes traced the outline of leon's face. His features were etched in
sadness, and Yuffie could see the strain of years of battles in the scars on
his face. She felt a tug at her heart. He was obviously taking the events
harder than the rest of them, and she wondered if perhaps he'd had a closer
relationship to the King or Sora than the rest of them. Or perhaps it was
his tendency to shoulder the worry and responsibility for the group. He was
their leader for a reason.

She turned her attention towards the sky and leaned slightly against him, as
though providing some silent moral support. "Whatever it is, you know we
can't turn a blind eye. Sora would never stand for letting his friends rot
away in some Organization dungeon, and we couldn't live with ourselves
either if we let it happen. Even if it means fighting them for the rest of
our lives, we have no choice."

The support did not go unmissed, but Leon was never exactly one to voice his
feelings. He had been like that for as long as he could remember, a man who
calculated risks and possibilities without letting emotions run his
decisions, or cloud his judgement. Of course, this did not mean he did not
have emotion. Allowing a smile to creep onto his face, Leon turned his head
towards Yuffie. "There is always a choice, Yuffie. The one we have is one
we've answered many times before, though. As you say, we can't turn a blind
eye and would be unable to live with ourselves if we did nothing. But
knowing that is what makes the choice seem nonexistant. It is still there,
but we know we cannot choose one of the options."

An icy chill ran down his back, sending a shiver down his spine. When had he
become so philosophical? Maybe it was all the time for thinking this peace,
however temporary, had given him. That was what worried him, for to
overthink things was to end up questioning decisions or choices. Which in
turn led to self doubt. He couldn't afford to walk that road. Not now. Not
ever. He needed something to keep his mind off thinking. "So, think you're
still sharp enough to take on any Nobody or Heartless that wanders in our
path?"

Yuffie tilted her head back to look up at Leon and teased, "Just because
you're too busy using your brain, doesn't mean I've lost my touch at
combat." One hand still gripped her star-like weapon. "Fighting is a part
of me. It's part of you. Perhaps we have no choice because the darkness and
the battle will seek us out as much as we live to seek it out. I won't lie,
Leon. There is a deep yearning in my soul for battle."

Then she laughed, "Come on. Stop being so serious. Everything will work out
in the end, so you might as well lighten up and have a little fun along the
way." She squeezed his cheeks. "You were never very good at that."

Waving away Yuffie from her "savage cheek attack", Leon inwardly rejoiced at
how stubbornly optimistic she remained. They seemed to be very different,
but that almost served to reinforce each other. His seriousness helped
Yuffie think more things through, while her calm, bubbly nature seemed to
remind him that getting too hung up on being in control and serious could
result in having little to no fun. "Being serious is what keeps me on track,
Yuffie. Doesn't mean I don't have a bit of fun every now and again though. I
just prefer quieter ways to have fun."

He didn't exactly dislike the idea of having a little more proactive fun,
but that just didn't seem to be something that really interested him.
Recently, he had been reading any book that he could get his hands on, while
keeping his training with the gunblade up to scratch. Reaching up, the
swordsman brushed a few stray strands of hair from his eyes. It was a
distracting measure, to give him time to banish the feelings that threatened
to surface in his eyes. He was enjoying simply talking, but it was starting
to make his mind ponder a few things, so he decided to centre on the
mission. "I wonder if Cid has started on the Gummi ship yet? We need to get
in contact with everyone as soon as we can."

Yuffie took a few steps back at Leon's hand waving prompting and grinned.
She could see she'd flustered him, if even only slightly, and it pleased her
to know that she could evoke emotion from the amazingly stoic man. At his
suggestion, she looked towards the attachment to Merlin's house that now
temporarily served as their 'gummi garage'. The stone building had a low
sloping roof and large door. She was certain that Cid would be inside
grumbling about the substandard working conditions. The thought brought a
snicker to her lips.

"Come on, let's go find out how he's doing. Perhaps we can even lend a
hand. I'm sure he'd appreciate that and we'd be far more productive helping
than just standing out here." Yuffie turned to Leon, an enthusiastic smile
plastered on her face. She nodded her head, then headed for the garage.

With a slight shrug, Leon interlocked his fingers, resting both his hands on
the back of his neck as he moved towards the garage. A wry grim placed
itself upon his face, a very rare occurance to Leon, but it seemed to soften
his features a little. "Might as well. Though I guess I was hoping some
crisis would happen to make me avoid having to face Cid. You know, an
endless stream of heartless, or some as yet unseen version made just to
destroy us. I'd take that over his fiery wrath anyday."

Opening the door, then gesturing for Yuffie to follow him, Leon silently
made his way towards the heart of the makeshift Gummi workshop, where he
found Cid. Waving to get the older man's attention, Leon took up position
leaning against a nearby wall with arms folded over his chest. Idly, he
gestured towards Yuffie before looking at the mechanic. "Hey Cid. Me and
Yuffie were just wondering wheter you wanted a hand fixing the gummi ship.
Especially if it involved lifting something -really- heavy. Yuffie seemed to
be rather ecstatic at that thought." Another wry grin rose to his face.
Maybe, just maybe, Yuffie's nature had sparked a streak of mischief in the
stoic warrior...

"You two couldn't have come at a better time!" Cid exclaimed at the
sight of the youths as he turned back from his workbench that housed
myriad of tools. "I'm just about to lower the entire engine into the
ship. Could use two good hands...or four."

The tall blonde man crossed the floor to the ship, which occupied the
dead center of the make-shift shop. All around the perimeter of the
expanse, countertops jutted out from the walls, housing hundreds of hand
tools, vices, saws and anything else that might tickle a mechanic's
fancy. From the tops of the counters to the bottom of the ceiling hung
even more mechanical paraphernalia on nails embedded in the wood, giving
the impression of how a medieval torture chamber might appear in the
peak of its use.

The gummi ship rested on blocks, like a redneck's truck without tires.
Its gutted shell remained opened for all to peek inside and note the
spilled innards of wires and metal plating not yet bolted into
position. The exterior blocks glowed in pastels and whites, creating a
sense of purity and cleanliness uncommon in the midst of its
surroundings. The cockpit hatch stood open, yawning as a great river
beast just before a midday slumber.

Cid sighed heavily. "Can't do squat around here without something
getting in the way!" he complained as he swatted away at the minute, but
annoying insects. Cid wrinkled his nose a bit, in obvious aggravation
at his surroundings. He quickly dusted off the bottom of his black
boots with a spare rag.

Taking his position above the open cockpit hatch on the nose of the
ship, Cid pulled on the heavy metal pulley, drawing the pristine engine
along from where it had hung over the countertop.

"Leon, I need you on the left wing. Yuffie, take the right. And dust
your boots before you step up. This ship didn't stay white on its own,"
Cid snorted as he drew out two clean rags from the cockpit and threw one
in each of their direction.

"So, we going to do this or what?" Cid added, letting the toothpick
stick out of his expressionless mouth like a professor's pointer on the
chalkboard. However, his eyes twinkled, betraying his excitement at the
near completion of his latest masterpiece. Of course, having somebody
there listing as he bragged about the vessel helped boost his excitement
all the more.

Yuffie rolled her eyes at Leon's comment. "If I could lift something really
heavy right now, I'd pick you up and throw you back out the door!" she shot
back at him, trying to act angry. Her tone betrayed her; the hint of
teasing overlaying the words gave the obvious impression that Yuffie was
pleased at the smile, however small, that her bubbly attitude had evoked in
Leon. Trying to ignore him, she turned her attention to Cid as he barked
orders at the pair.

At his question, she put down her weapons to keep them from getting in her
way and picked up a rag off the work bench. She lightly dusted off the
bottom of her shoes, before stepping onto the right wing of the gummi ship.
A smirk appeared on her face as she chucked the rag at Leon's head.
"Alright Cid," She said, turned her attention back in his direction. "My
two good hands are ready to go. What do you need me to do?

"Well, grab that side of the engine. Don't worry about getting y'er hands
dirty. This engine is brand new and hasn't had the chance to get greased
yet," Cid started as he looked over at Yuffie. The massive hunk of
metalwork hung from the chains of the support like a dream chandelier in a
mechanic's house. Cid eyed the contraption, having no fear that the weight
might snap the beams above. He had, in fact, welded the entire mechanism
together and had faith in his own handiwork.

Cid realized something was missing as the engine swung gently from the
ceiling. "Hey, Leon, you plan on participating?" the old man sarcastically
remarked, waiting for Leon to assume his position on the wing of the craft
for further instruction. "We need to get hoppin' and get this mass of
gummis into the air."

Snatching the cloth rag from the air, as if the empty space were trying to
retain the small item, Leon quickly dusted down the bottom of his strong
boots, before climbing up to the left wing of the mechanical abomination
that Cid called a Gummi Ship. While he had never disliked technology, or the
use of Gummi Ships, he never particularly liked seeing the working of
either. If it worked, he could use it. If not, then he couldn't. It seemed
like such an unnatural thing to continuously repair and renew something,
despite how many times before now that Cid had spoken to him about it in
terms of viewing it as injuries to a human body, or an illness, and that
such things as "healing" the problem was natural. That and that even were it
not, Leon had still had to have been healed by "Cure" before now, which in
itself wasn't natural by that thinking. Still, something about the wiring of
machines struck him as a little wrong, like looking at the veins of an open
cut.

Still, personal feelings and reservations aside, he needed to help build the
thing. It wasn't time to reflect on things like that. Grabbing his side of
the large engine without so much as a word to either of the others, Leon
spared a glance at Cid. "Where are we going to put this, then?" He wanted it
done as quickly as possible, since to delay would mean less time preparing
for what was to come. Though his naturally calm exterior did not show these
concerns.

"It's going to be real easy. Just slide it down, like this," Cid said, as
he lowered the pulley with one hand and guided the engine with the other.
"You two need to pull on it and have it settle right through the open
cockpit and rest on the floor." As he spoke,
he kept lowering the mechanism above, shoving the heavy metal engine away
from him.

"It's going to be tricky until we get it through the mouth of the cockpit.
Just make sure we don't scrape any edges." Of course, Cid had no doubt that
either Yuffie or Leon would fail in this easy task, but as a concerned
parent, he always worried about the slightest scratch finding its way on the
skin of the ship.

"Now then," Cid coaxed as he kept lowering the heart of the vessel deeper
and deeper into the form-fitting cavity. "Gently...gently...gently..." he
cooed, as the engine finally settled into place with a slight "errr" noise,
metal grating against more metal. The ship remain still, even with the
added weight due to the support from the blocks below.

"Excellent!" Cid exclaimed, obviously happy at their accomplishments. "Now,
all's I gotta do is wire it all together and it'll be finished. Come back
in about three hours. You'll have your ship ready!" he grinned as he hopped
down from the nose of the vessel and quickly assembled his own little
package of specialty tools.

With a quick strut back, Cid jumped into the empty cockpit, feverishly
working at connecting the heart to the shell, and breathing life into the
machine. "Just a few more hours and the seats 'ill be in and y'all can be
on yer way."

Yuffie stepped off the gummi wing and brushed her hands together. The engine
had been perfectly clean, but the action felt natural after completing what
was normally considered a dirty task. "Glad we could help Cid! Any
progress that gets us closer to Sora is good progress."

She headed to where she had put down her weapon, then decided that since
she'd be back in a few hours, the garage was a decent storage place for it.
Instead, she glanced at Leon, and her eyes fell on the small wall clock
behind him. She gasped softly, and headed for the door, "Leon, I promised
Tifa I'd meet her in the marketplace. I don't want to be late. By the way,
I kinda signed you up for 'go-get-Cloud-from-the-castle" duty. Hope you
don't mind!" Before he could even protest she scrambled out the door.

Allowing himself a sigh of vexation, Leon got the inkling that he had kinda
brought this on himself. Misery loves company, after all, and Cloud seemed
to be a little...obsessive recently. What exactly did she expect him to do,
if even Tifa couldn't get through to him?

Oh well, no matter. There wasn't much longer until they could be on their
way to Destiny Isles, to get Sora. Then, presumably, they would be on their
way into yet another life-threatening struggle, battling endless amounts of
heartless and nobodies, that eventually ended up with a face-off against
someone wishing to chance the world for their own benefit, usually Ansem, or
Xehanort, or...whatever his name was. And somehow, that seemed less daunting
than having to be a recipient of Cloud's cold demeanour...