Author: Mistigri
E-mail: [email protected]
Pairing: Surprise! Leon(Squall)/?????
Rating: PG
Summary: Sora finds a mysterious stone...
Disclaimer: Not mine. No profit, no sue...please?
Notes; Technically AU (I still haven't got to Hollow Bastion:P). This is one idea with two endings. This is the nice one.
***
�That kid�s looking for you, by the way.�
Squall shrugged and picked up the books Cid had repaired for Aerith. �What for?�
�He�s got something to show you,� the mechanic explained. �I think he�s still around town somewhere if you wanna go look for him.�
Squall considered this. �I�ll be down in the waterway, training. You can tell him that if you see him.�
�Okay, have it your way,� said Cid, with a shake of his head. He watched Squall leave taking his own personal rain cloud with him. Now that was a guy who really needed something to cheer him up.
***
�Hey! Leon!�
Squall ignored the kid for as long as possible, up until he was right next to him.
�Cid said you had something to show me,� he didn�t even stop swinging his gunblade.
Now that Sora and his friends were close, Squall remembered he�d meant to buy some toffees. Anything to get that dog to shut its hot panting mouth for five minutes.
�Yeah!� Sora excitedly pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to Squall. �It�s a summon stone.�
�I know. You showed me the other one.�
Why did the kid have to pester him every time he found something new? Couldn�t he just get on with his quest? It wasn�t even as though Squall could help him; he hadn�t even managed to save his own world.
Sora continued. �The Fairy Godmother told me about it. Sometimes when a world is destroyed, there�s someone whose heart is too strong to be destroyed with it and that is what becomes the summon stone.�
So the kid had come to rub in the fact that Squall hadn�t known what the summon stone was. That didn�t bother Squall so much, but the way the boy explained things in that eager know-it-all way, he reminded Squall of someone. Someone he�d failed and lost.
�I showed her this one,� Sora carried on, �and she told me that it�s from your world.�
That got Squall�s attention. Sora had a summon from his world? �Have you used the stone already?�
�No, I thought I�d better come and see you first.�
�Good idea.� The kid had some sense at least. If the summon was a GF he might not be able to handle its power.
�So can we go find some Heartless and try it out?�
Squall nodded. �You better be careful.�
***
As they headed out of the waterway, Squall wondered who the summon stone would call forth. Ifrit? Shiva? They could do some serious damage against the Heartless. But Sora had said something about hearts. All the GFs Squall had encountered were powerful, but not really what he�d call big-hearted.
�Heads up!� Sora yelled as the first wave of Heartless manifested themselves. �I�m gonna use the stone!�
Squall drew his gunblade and resisted the urge to cut right through the shadows. He didn�t want the battle to be over before Sora could call the summon.
There was a blinding white flash and for a second, Squall thought he could see Garden. Then bathed in light and ready to attack, a figure appeared. Squall�s jaw dropped as he recognised him.
��Zell?�
�Friend of yours, Leon?� Sora grinned. �Don�t worry, we�ll take care of the Heartless, but you haven�t got much time.� He started attacking with his Keyblade.
�Hey, you heard the kid, baby!� Zell grabbed Squall by the hand and pulled him around a corner, away from the battle.
�Zell?� Squall was still dumbstruck. It really was Zell, exactly as he remembered him. Same sticky up blond hair, same grin that showed every one of his teeth. He was glowing faintly, the effect was pretty, but in a way, a painful reminder that Zell was a summon now.
�Yeah, /Leon/,� Zell winked. He seemed unfazed by the situation. Squall was there, nothing else mattered to him. �You made it off the planet okay then? What�s with the hair? I like it! Jeez, I didn�t know if you�d made it, I was really worried! Have you seen any of the others?�
Squall didn�t answer. He grabbed Zell and pulled him close. For a second, Zell was too surprised to respond. Then he realised this was really happening and wrapped his arms tightly round Squall. How long had it been? Either Squall had softened over time, or he had really missed Zell.
�I�m sorry,� Zell murmured. �I should�ve followed you. I got carried away fighting.�
�No, I�m the one who failed you all,� said Squall. �I shouldn�t have left.�
�There was nothing you could�ve done,� Zell pulled back a little to look into Squall�s eyes. �But this way, you�ve got a chance to restore our world. And meantimes, I get to be a GF!�
Squall kissed him. He loved him and missed him so much. Zell�s lips tingled with energy � he didn�t exist in any real physical sense, but it didn�t matter, he was still Zell.
Squall pushed him against the wall as though he could keep him there, as though if he held him tight enough, the magic wouldn�t end and Zell would never have to leave.
The blond stroked Squall�s hair off his face and smiled sadly.
�I know you can do it, Squall. Get our world back.�
He started to fade. Squall tried to touch him, but his fingers brushed only air. Zell was gone.
Sora rounded the corner and found Squall standing by the wall, his head low, his expression, as ever, unreadable.
�So, who was that?�
�Zell,� said Squall hollowly. �Zell Dincht.�
Sora smiled. �Here,� he held out the summon stone. �Take it. The fairy godmother will show you how to use it.�
Squall took it wordlessly. This stone, so small and cold, was all he had left of Zell. The fairy godmother had said it was his heart. It wasn�t how Squall imagined it.
Sora turned to leave, but Squall stopped him.
�Hey kid� Thanks.�
Sora grinned. �No problem. But now I so get to whup your ass at the Coliseum!�
***
Squall went to see the fairy godmother. She waved her wand and cast her spell so he could use the summon stone. Then Squall requested to use the training room for magic practise. Once Merlin had set the room up, Squall asked if he could be alone. The magician had heard what the Fairy Godmother had said about the stone and he�d seen the look in Squall�s eyes, so with a smile, he left.
Squall used the summon stone.
�Uh, I think the idea is I�m meant to help you fight the Heartless,� Zell pointed out, noticing the enemies he was supposed to be battling were somewhat wooden.
�We�ll fight later. First of all I need to check I still have a heart,� Squall pulled the blond close.
Zell grinned, �That�s okay, baby. I got it safe.�