It seems that this pairing is not very popular. At first I was bit hesitant about them too but there are some fantastic fanfictions which has pulled me in to the Lefi/Tion ship. It's been absolute years since I've played Kingdom Hearts so apologies if there are any mistakes in regards to the game. I have played the Final Fantasy games however so I'm using my experience of that. As much as I stand by Cloti, I also support Strifehart. Those three are just brilliant characters and I applaud Tetsuya Nomura for them and everyone else who helped create them.

I was aiming for this to be a one shot but I have some more ideas and didn't get close to touching on their relationship/friendship soooo I guess it depends on what the readers think! To continue, or not? I have it as 'Completed' for now but if I feel like exploring this story further then that will change.

New

Muscles tensing, he slashed his gunblade up with one hand, deflecting his opponent's weapon as his other swung out to the side for balance. His challenger stumbled, shutting their eyes from the dizziness before eventually slumping down in defeat. Leon brought his gloved hand up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The battle had lasted mere minutes, and on a normal day Leon would have succeeded without losing any breath, but the thick clouds confining the hot air of the sun had everybody gasping.

Peering out from the corner of his eye, Leon was met with the reason for his accepting the challenge of a kid.

Her dark hair was tied up, messy and wild. Shorter wisps clung to the sweat drenched skin of her face and neck. Her attire, no doubt chosen on the basis of the stifling weather and the accessibility of her legs, left little to the imagination. He knew it was not intended for the gaze of men's pleasure, rather her need to keep in shape and train for the next patrol against the Heartless, but he could imagine how many eyes followed her on her way to the training centre.

The thought left a taste that was both bitter and green down his throat where it bubbled deep down his stomach.

He'd seen her in far less, anyhow, so why it affected him to the extent of needing the distraction of pounding a, what, twelve year old? Fourteen? However old the little shit was – Leon knew he was desperate.

Fists flew until he was dizzy and exhausted just from watching, her legs soaring high and hitting the abused bag with a sharp thwack. White fabric adhered to her toned abdomen, revealing a delicious patch of shimmering skin that Leon was sure tasted as good as it looked.

How glad he was that he had followed up on the initiative to set up a new and large training centre for the fighters.

It was a common joke that like Cloud, Leon was unflinchingly stoic and cold. While that was true, a mask he had created and used for so long, he had feelings and urges, he was just better at controlling them. Distractions.

Tifa Lockhart had a way of scrambling his mind.

A young girl with a braid cascading down her back ran up to the martial artist, halting her movement as she crouched down and pinched her nose. He had seen the girl a few times playing in the square with the other children and sometimes even shadowing Aerith. Her blue dress was replaced by a blue tank top and black shorts. Her hair was a light brown, caramel like her highlights, but the outfit itself dried his mouth and twisted his insides.

"Mr Leon," a voice called out from behind him. Leon turned to find the boy he was sparring with shifting on his feet, thrusting a bottle of water towards him.

"Thanks," he said, taking the proffered bottle and taking a large swig that almost emptied it, hoping the moisture would settle and cool him.

The kid unnerved him, too much like Cloud. The emotion in those too blue eyes spoke for the boy whose mouth wouldn't. Whenever the blonde swordsman was around the boy would light up like a Christmas tree, short lived and flamboyant. He would follow and copy him, stand up against an odd Heartless only for someone to jump in and save his arse. Cloud never stopped him, only huffing and grunting in the way only Cloud could pull off as speech. It angered Leon, that the boy would willingly endanger himself just for the recognition of one man who did not even offer such a treat to his childhood friend.

Looking down, he saw the boy watching Tifa and girl, now throwing her own punches at the bag that looked more superior against her petit build than when Tifa was effortlessly slapping it. His face held a blush, much of it hidden behind his wild brown hair, hair like his own.

Holy shit, what was he doing? Comparing the kid to Cloud was one thing, but to himself? That was unusual. Doing that created a link to Cloud that Leon would rather burn than ever contemplate. Even with Tifa he had only spoken to her a few times, hardly enough to construct a friendship. Hell, the first words she had ever said to him were over the whereabouts of the blond swordsman. Aerith and Yuffie had moments of verbal diarrhoea – Yuffie being more deliberate to piss him off – but they were co-workers and focused on getting the job done more than comparing him to their old companion. Cid was just Cid. The man would cuss out Leon for brooding but grin and proclaim him the sunshine version of Cloud.

Brown vs blond.

Grey vs blue.

Tall vs short.

It was something he had subconsciously doing. He hated it. He was better than that. He was better than him.

Gulping down the remaining water, he crushed the plastic bottle and flung it behind him. It hit the wall, the noise attracting the attention of a dark haired beauty that was not his dark haired goddess. She murmured words to the little girl then crossed the room to him.

"Hello, Denzel," she said to the boy, ruffling his hair.

"Hi, Tifa," he replied, head bowing down.

"Marlene could do with a bit of help over there. Why don't you go and keep her form right? It's exactly what I taught you the other day."

"I don't know…"

She squatted, lifting his face with her long, nimble fingers. "Come on, I know you can do it. You're strong and smart." Noticing he was not going to budge, she tried a new tactic. "Marlene needs you, Denzel. Don't abandon her."

Slowly, he nodded his head, and with a grin from Tifa the boy ran off. Marlene greeted him enthusiastically, punching with more gusto only for Denzel to reign her in and position her correctly, gently.

"You make it a habit to litter?" she asked, hands on her hips and eyebrow arched. It put emphasis on her plentiful assets.

Scrunched nose, narrowed chocolate eyes, pouted lips. She stood up, so close to him that he could smell the sweet citrus of her hair. The streak in her hair catching the light, falling into her face. She was beautiful, even with the flowers scattered on the floor and the glass shattered like a broken kaleidoscope.

"There's no bin," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There is in the changing room."

"That's an inconvenient trip to make when I'm in the middle of something."

"And what is it you were doing, exactly, seeing as Denzel was just standing there like your shadow?" she quipped. Her foot didn't tap restlessly like hers did.

His own brow quirked. "You watching me?"

"As much as you were me."

"Denzel won't make the same mistakes as him."

Stormy blue eyes met cerise irises. What was she seeing? Not a strong commander. Not a knight. Not a lost soul. Just a shell, broken and haphazardly stitched and empty. No, not empty, but filled with useless junk that would be better off in the hands of the Heartless.

Leon was never a man of many words, always thinking but never knowing how to put them into words. It was rare for him to blurt out whatever entered his mind, but he felt the need to say something about the boy and the way Tifa pushed him away from Cloud's footsteps. Once upon a time it may have been endearing, seeing the boy so inspired and awed by his hero. Now, it was pitiful. He was saved from the pain of Tifa's stare when Marlene yelled out for the woman.

"You going to work soon?" she asked, already stepping away but still watching him.

He nodded, remembering the piles of paperwork waiting for him. He could already hear the reports and blueprints jeering at him.

The last thing he saw before leaving for the shower was Tifa swinging little Marlene up in the air until she landed on her back, hands hooked under her knees to ensure her safety. Denzel stood off to the side, unsure of what to do with himself until Marlene plucked something from his pocket. A "hey!" was heard as Denzel chased the girls, running loops around the others training and disturbing their concentrations.

Leaving the room with a towel over his shoulder, Leon thought of how he had never seen Tifa with such a genuine and carefree smile brightening up her face. The curve of her lips and glinting of her teeth melted away her fierce stare and hardened eyes, blowing out whatever was in her mind when she was fighting out her pain. He wasn't thinking about her strong, long legs, or her firm yet curvy body, or her hair that was even messier. It allowed him a glimpse of the real Tifa, the Tifa before the Heartless and the Nobodies and the misery of Cloud's obsession with a silver haired ex-SOLDIER.

But that was all it was – a glimpse. Now that his curiosity was piqued he wanted to know more. She was new and refreshing and a puzzle with pieces jumbled but not lost.

He liked that, really liked that.