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...ne?
Notes: Technically AU. This is the evil twin of Heart's Desire 1. Not so nice.
***
�Hey Leon!� Sora bounded over to the gunblader who acknowledged his presence with a slight nod. �Look what I found!�
Squall glanced at what the boy was showing him. It was a green rock.
�It�s another summon stone,� Sora continued. �Y�know, like that other one I showed you.�
�Yeah. That�s great.� Squall carried on swinging his gunblade.
�It gets better,� said Sora. �I showed it to the Fairy Godmother and she says it�s from your world.�
That got Squall�s attention. �How does she know?�
Sora shrugged. �I dunno. I think she senses something from the stones, maybe. She�s a Fairy Godmother � she knows things.�
�Let me take a look.�
Squall examined the stone. It was small and flat and green. Somewhere deep inside it a yellow light flickered.
�Sometimes when the Heartless destroy a world,� said Sora, �there�s someone whose heart is too strong to be destroyed with it and it becomes a summon stone.�
Squall allowed himself a slight smile. He should have known. The stone had to be Seifer. There was no way he would have let the shadows beat him. And of all the places in the universe the stone could have ended up, it had found its way to Squall. It had to be fate.
�Have you used the stone yet?�
�No, I thought I�d come and see you first.�
�Good. Let�s go find some Heartless.�
Squall reluctantly gave the stone back to Sora. It was jade green, he noticed. The colour of Seifer�s eyes.
�Do you know who it might be?� Sora asked.
�His name is Seifer,� said Squall. �I should�ve known he wouldn�t give in, that he�d find a way to get back to me.�
�You guys share a paopu fruit or something?�
Squall ignored him. �He never gives up. No matter what. He was too strong and too proud to let them take his heart.�
It was proof, Squall realised. Seifer really did care for him. He survived the destruction of their world and found his way to his lover. The coldness he always showed Squall was just an act. Seifer�s heart had always seemed to Squall to be made of stone, and now that it really was, it merely showed that Squall had been wrong. He did love him.
Sora�s friends started yelling as the first Heartless appeared. Squall drew his gunblade.
�Use the stone!�
Sora did as he was told. There was a blinding flash of light, filled with images, sights Squall recognised from his world; the beach, Deling City, the Garden. Then a figure appeared, ready to attack. He spotted the gunblader and froze.
�Squall?�
The other man�s mouth was dry. He recognised the summon, but he could barely speak his name. ��.Zell.�
�We�ll take care of the Heartless!� Sora yelled, too busy fighting to see the look on Squall�s face. �You guys take cover and catch up!�
Zell grabbed Squall and dragged him around a corner, already starting to babble.
�Squall! I can�t believe it, I thought you�d died trying to get off the planet! Are you all right? How long�s it been? Love the hair! Any of the others make it?�
Squall bit back his disappointment. �I don�t think so.�
�I thought Selphie had maybe; something really weird happened to her, Irvine was going mad-�
�What about Seifer?� Squall asked. �Did you see what happened to him?�
�Seifer?� Zell looked confused for a second. �No, I dunno, I wasn�t really looking out for him; he definitely wasn�t looking out for me. I can�t believe I found you Squall. It has to be like, fate or something!�
�Yeah,� muttered Squall. �Cruel fate.�
�Huh?� Zell looked startled. Squall sighed.
�I�m sorry, I just thought you�d be Seifer, that�s all.�
�Oh�right,� Zell frowned. �So the rumours were true; you two really were��
Squall shrugged. �On and off.�
The disappointment showed in Zell�s face, but Squall was too absorbed in his own to notice.
�But he treated you like crap!� the blond said suddenly. �He just wanted you so he could give his ego a boost. He doesn�t care about you, you deserve better than him!�
Squall raised an eyebrow. �Like you?�
Zell blushed. �I�m not saying that. But at least I wouldn�t make you do things you didn�t want to do, I wouldn�t scar you for life like that bastard did!�
�You don�t know anything about me and Seifer,� said Squall. �If you did you�d know he loves me.�
�/I/ love you!� Zell blurted. �And I wouldn�t hurt you like he does. Squall, please, if you�d given me a chance�you don�t need Seifer, he doesn�t make you happy. I could. Just give me a chance.�
�Why? What do you think you could do better than Seifer?�
Zell hung his head, he realised the gunblader was not going to listen. �Fine. Do whatever makes you happy, Squall.�
The gunblader sighed. �Look, I�m sorry Zell, I just don�t think it would work.�
The blond had started to fade. The battle was over. He didn�t look up to say goodbye. Squall said nothing. He wished Sora hadn�t found the stone. He�d got his hopes up over seeing Seifer, then the disappointment had almost been like losing him again. It would probably be better if Sora kept the stone. Zell could help him.
Squall walked back to the square to find the others. Sora gave him an apologetic look.
�Leon, I�m sorry. I was gonna give this to you, but��
He held out the summon stone. It was broken.