J u l i a
Chapter One
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D r e a m ?
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His lips twitched as he listened, whole heartedly, to the piano score that was playing on an old record player he had borrowed earlier that day. The sound was pleasant and harmonious. With muscled arms firmly tucked beneath his dark head, the young man relaxed his body as he lie on his bed. Memories of a past life began to fog his mind as the tune played in the background. Memories that were new to him, yet at the same time familiar. Soon his eyelids began to droop and then close completely. Stormy, blue eyes shut themselves out from the world and a small, content, smile played softly over his firm lips. The music slowly came to a stop and he slept with a relaxed expression upon his face.
uall . . .
Hn . . . ?
Squall . . .
. . . What?
"Squuaaaaall . . ."
Squall scowled lightly in his sleep and turned on his side. A soft, melodic, giggle floated gently to his ears, making a small half smile come to his lips.
"Squuuuaaaaaaaaaaaall!"
"Yuffie, not now, OK? I'm trying to sleep and it's Leon, by the way," he said tirely, burying his face into his pillow.
A small "Hmph" sounded throughout the room
"Pft! You must still be dreaming or something because my name is definately not Yuffie. And what's with this "Leon" get-up all the sudden?"
At this, Squall's stormy, blue eyes shot open with surprise and then shocked. The blood noticeably drained from his face once his eyes set on the owner of the voice.
"Wha . . . ? R-R-Rinoa!?" He croaked out.
Beautiful, smiling, brown eyes blinked down at him with mild bewilderment. Dark, streaked, shoulder length hair brushed the girls face and forehead as she cocked her head to the side.
Squall closed his eyes, thinking maybe it was a dream.
Yeah, he thought, this is a dream. All one stupid dream. Yuffie will soon come and pester me like she always does. Right?
He flinched and backed away when he suddenly felt the touch of something cool and warm on his forehead.
His eyes, now wide open, stared with mild shock into a pair of worried, brown eyes.
"Squall, are you OK? Should I get a doctor?" The girl asked concernly, while bitting worriedly at her plump, bottom lip.
Squally could only stare and then swallow. He grimaced when he found that his throat had gone dry. And then before either one of them could react or say anything, his eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp.
"Squall . . . ? Squall!"
Getting no response from the prone, young man, she turned on her heel and fled out the room--her eyes watering all the while. On her way out and down the hall, she bumped and stumble into students, who either scowled or looked on in confusion at the upset girl. Many tried to slow and stop her on her way for help, while others tried to ask her what was wrong. Paying no heed to those that surrounded her, she made her way to and through a gray and white hall. She only stopped briefly at the entrance of the doors that led into the room that was the Balamb Garden's infirmary. Just as she was beginning to rush in through the now open doors she collided into a short, stout looking woman, who grabbed on firmly to the upset girl's upper arms to steady them both from falling over.
"Whoa, there! Slow down--Rinoa!? Oh, my dear, what ever is the matter?" The woman questioned gently while taking in the young girl's tearful appearance.
"I-It's Sq-uall!" Rinao gasped out, almost to the point of hysterics, while clinging to the older woman. "H-He blacked-out in his room and I d-don't kno-ow wha-what's wrong!"
The older woman hushed the girl in a motherly fashion before firmly, but gently, prying the young woman's grip from her arms and clothing.
"Hey, calm down now. You hear? It won't do you any good, not even Squall, if you're in hysterics. Right?"
The woman smiled softly when she saw the girl nod. "Good," she responded gently. "Now why don't you go and lie yourself down on one of them cots there and I'll be right back. You said he was in his room, right?" Getting a slow nod in reply she hurriedly made her way down then out the hallway. Students everywhere were standing about and small murmurs of what just happened flowed from ear to ear.
Seeing this and the lack of activity, the older woman said in a stern voice, just loud enough to be heard above their quiet murmurs, "Don't you all have classes to attend?"
Some students bowed their head in shame, while others shrugged their shoulders before continuing on their way.
The woman sighed audibly to herself and shook her dark and graying head before, once again, hurriedly walking in the direction of the Garden's Dormitories.
Upon reaching the entrance to the dormitories, she pulled out a cardkey that was given to her on her day of employment. It was a key to practically every door within Garden and this included the student and SeeD dormitories. Though, in respect to the students and SeeD's privacy, it was used only for emergencies. And this, from what she could tell, was an emergency.
Passing all the dual bedrooms, which were only given to the cadets, she headed in the direction of the single rooms, which were given to the students who graduated into a full fledged SeeD.
She stopped in front of a door for just a few, short moments to catch her breath--it was a long walk--and slid the cardkey into the slot. The door slid open and she entered. Her dark eyes resting upon a prone figure that was the ever infamous Squall Leonhart.
"Oh, Squall," she sighed, "what have you gotten yourself into this time?"
Not expecting an answer, she moved and settled near the edge of the bed and put a hand on his forehead. He was cool to the touch and he didn't seem to be running a fever. She then took out a miniture flashlight that she always carried around, no matter where she went, and leaned over his body to gently lift open an eyelid. She flashed the light beneath and around his iris, making sure there was no abnormalities and then reached down to take his pulse. It was faint, but was beating in a strong and steady rhythm. His breathing was normal and everything appeared to be fine and dandy. She grunted and turned to leave. She had to make sure the boy's girlfriend wasn't killing herself with hysterics. But just as she was heading out his room, she heard a fainted murmuring coming from the bed and soon found that is was a kind of mantra.
". . . dreaming . . . Yuffie . . . have . . . to be . . . dreaming . . ."
She frowned upon hearing this. Knowing Squall, ever since he was first enrolled in Garden around the age of five or six, she knew that this was strange and out of character of him. Instead of heading out the door, she pulled out the chair from under his desk and settled herself down. She decided to wait until he woke up and then get some answers.
Ten minutes had rolled by when she heard a deep-throated groan come from the bed. Slowly, stormy blue eyes opened and blinked a few times for focus.
"Yuffie . . . ? Aerith? . . . Cloud?" He muttered groggily. He tried to sit up but found himself being pushed back down on the bed with firm, gentle hands.
"Hey, take it easy, eh? Don't move too fast," said a deep, feminine voice.
The room was brightly lit from the afternoon sunlight, making it hurt to get his eyes to focus on the person before him and also the sudden frowned that now settled itself upon the middle-aged woman's forehead. The voice was female, but was not either Yuffie or Aerith, which made him frown. But for some strange reason, he recognized it and had a feeling he could trust this person. So taking the woman's advice, he lied back down.
"Where's Yuffie, Aerith and Cloud?" He asked or more like commanded. He had an arm draped over his eyes so he still couldn't see who he was speaking to.
"Who? Yuffie, Aerith and Cloud?" The woman asked a bit taken aback. She frowned even more before saying, "Why, Commander Leonhart, there's no one by those names here."
That did it. Squall stiffen noticably and then lifted his stormy eyes to the middle-aged woman sitting before him.
"Commander!? What gives you the bloody right to call me "Commander"!?" He growled, beginning to position his self into a sitting position. The older woman could only stare and gape dumbfounded at the young man before her. Never in all her years had anyone spoke to her in such a way. Especially Squall.
"Commander Squall Leonhart was destroyed years ago! Along with his friends, what family he had, his home and his life! It's Leon, got it!? Just Leon and nothing but Leon. OK!? Now, tell me," he said in an eerily calm voice, "where are my friends Yuffie, Aerith and Cloud?"
What!? What's going on here? She thought to herself. The doctor could only sit there and continue watching him with wide, beyond shocked, eyes.
After finding her voice she stammered, "B-but, Commander!"
Squall's scowl darkened.
"Er, . . . Leon," the name felt strange to her lips, but she continued on, "You are the commanding officer on Garden and you are Squall Leonhart! We're in Garden as I spea--"
She stopped suddenly when she realized that he was staring at her with a blank eyes and a pale complexion.
"Garden . . . Balamb," he said in an expressionless voice, "But . . . wasn't it . . ."
His eyes widened in diameter and his voice trembled with his next words.
". . . my friends...everyone...Garden...they're here? Alive? Rin?" He asked in that same empty voice.
The good doctor, not wanting him to go off on her again, only nodded in answer.
Squall pulled his legs up to his chest and began to shake violently. He buried his head within the folds of his arms and let tears, he'd been holding back for years, to finally come out. There were no heart wrenching sobs or cries. Just tears. He lifted his head and just stared blankly at his damp arms. Then a sudden warm feeling ingulfed him and, like a child would to its mother, he buried himself in it.
For the first in a long time, she didn't know what to do. She had seen many strange and unusual things in her lifetime, but never something like this. Nothing compared. She just sat there in silence and watched as he curled him self into a ball and begin to shake. But when he lifted his blank, tearful, eyes, her motherly instincts took over and, positioning herself next to the boy, pulled him into a warm embrace. Though, she never had children of her own, she considered all the students and SeeDs within Balamb Garden her own and didn't think of them less.
A soft smile came to her lips as she thought, Hyne, I know just about each and every one of them since they were little things running around and making trouble where ever they went. And Squall . . . , she sighed while brushing back a lock of his short hair, Squall is definately no exception.
She remembered when he first enrolled in Garden and became a cadet, training to become a SeeD, and how, on that very day, he discovered his first rival--Seifer Almasy. The two would always spring into a fight whenever they seemed to cross paths with one another. And usually, because of the scrapes, busted lips, bloody noses, heh, you name it, she, Doctor Kadowaki of Balamb Garden, would come and tend their wounds. Though Squall, most of the time, never initiated any of their fights unless provoked by Seifer. Seifer was always the bully and was a nuisance to other students and instructors, but she knew that he was just like that to mostly draw attention to himself. He was a lonely kid with few friends, just like Squall had been and became even moresome when he became the Soceresses Edea's and then Ultimecia's knight. Everyone hated him then. Everyone but his two loyal companions who would, by any means, follow him to the end of the world--Raijin and Fuujin. Which had actually almost happened. She cringed inwardily and pushed those last thoughts to the farthest reaches of her mind. The past was the past. Last she heard, Seifer and his posse were trying to make a new living in Fisherman's Horizon. And she hope to Hyne, that they were and bade them well. Like she said, everyone within garden was her children. She smirked. Even the bad ones.
Deep, soft breathing reached her ears and slowly, without disturbing, she pulled away from the now slumbering teen. He sighed in his sleep and turned once she lied him back down onto his bed. After pulling the blankets up and around his shoulders, she turned to leave.
"Better page Cid and tell him Squall's not going to be working this week," she told herself while locking Squall's room door and then heading back to the infirmary.
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"Squaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall!!" Sang a cheerful voice from down one of the many hallways of Hollow Bastion. Then in a mockingly, deep voice, "That's Leon!" A small fit of giggles soon followed.
Soon the door to a farely good sized bedchamber burst open and a girl, soon-to-be eighteen, bounced through. She chuckled quietly to herself while tip-toing to the double bed that was currently being occupied by her comrade in arms--Squall. She refrained from laughing and kept her giggles to herself, when she witnessed a rare smile on his lips.
This will be a great one to share with Aerith and Cloud later, she thought. Then outloud, "Well . . . maybe not Cloud, but Aerith for sure!"
She quickly clamped a hand over her month at her outburst, but then stopped and grinned impishly when she remembered her original intent and mission: waking up the lion from it's den.
The girl inwardily winced when she remembered what happened the last time she was "assigned" this same exact mission by Cloud. She'd nearly lost her head back then by Squall's gunblade. With this in mind and not wanting to indure the same fate over again, she moved toward her target with caution.
Although, she had to admit, she kind of regretted having to wake him up. He was all sweet and peaceful looking. But ever since Cloud came back, next to Leon, he too was the leader around this joint. So whatever they both said was practically law. She didn't mind it, since they were all friends, but sometimes this irritated and annoyed her beyond reason. Both him and Aerith were closer to her in age, yet they always seem to toss things her way. She grumbled lightly to herself about having do stuff for the others just because she happened to be the youngest of the group. She was a ninja, damn it! No. Not just a ninja, but the GREATEST FEMALE NINJA EVER! And therefore should be treated as one! That's what she thought anyway.
She leaned close enough to "Leon's" head and yelled at the top of her lungs, "SQUALL! GET YOU'RE LAZY ASS UP AND MOVING, BOY!!"
Nothing. He was unfazed. The idiot even kept the smile on his face and it appeared to get slightly bigger.
The girl Yuffie, took it as an insult and then challenge.
Growling, she climb up and then over the slumbering Squall, boots on and all, and pushed herself up to stand on the bed. She did a mock somersault before once again standing on the bed. Then with a leap into the air, she began to jump and bounce all over. She became frustrated when he didn't wake up suddenly to lop her head off. Not that she wanted that, mind you. Then to let it all out (her frustration), hair flying and everything, she jumped one last time. She gasp out loud when the force of her jump suddenly bounced Leon's body off the bed and to the floor with a loud THUMP. She was so nervous and frightened at the same time that she began to bounce from feet to feet and then bit her bottom lip so hard that it drew drops of blood.
"Yuffie! What was that? Did you wake Leon?" Came a cool, deep voice from down the hall. Then it was soon followed by heavy footsteps and metal clanging together.
"Oh no!" Yuffie gasped to herself quietly with wide eyes. If Squall didn't kill her before Cloud reached the door, she knew the half-demon would gladly do it himself.
Jumping off the bed, she tried with all her might to pick Leon up and toss him on the bed. This only ended up with her half-sprawled across his chest and her face and lips in the area between where the neck and shoulder connected. Her face became hot and flushed within a single heartbeat.
"Yuffie, I asked you--What are you doing?" Came a slightly surprised, curious and amused voice from the doorway. "I told you to wake him up, not molest him in his sleep."
Yuffie's face was now on fire. She then rounded on the older man and stomped her foot indignantly.
"I was not, NOT, molesting him in his sleep!" She huffed, nostils flaring.
Cloud laughed at the girl while walking up to her and giving her a small pat on the head.
"Ease up, dragon. I was only joking."
WHAT!? How dare the chocobo bastard say such a thing to me! Don't I get any respect around here!? She stood there huffing and puffing with agitation, glaring billions upon billions of shurikens into the half-demon's back. He was now looking Leon over and paid no heed to the girl's "Glare of Death" behind him. Finally, he stood back and glanced at her with a worried glint in his eyes, all the while still maintaining that cold, hard expression of his. Sometimes Yuffie found it hard to differentiate him from being serious or not. But by the look in his eyes, she knew that this time he was serious.
"What?" She asked, a bit put off from the sudden look of worry, when he had less than a minute ago teased her and laughed.
"Yuffie, before I came in, how exactly did you try waking him up?" He asked.
The girl in question danced from foot to foot, and just from that, Cloud knew immediately that she was afraid or nervous about something. It was a trait that had yet to abandon her from her years as a child. This particular trait got her into a lot of trouble when she tried to hide or lie about something.
"Yuffie. Answer the question," he said sternly.
"All I did was jump on the bed! How was I s'posed to know that he'd go flying off!?" She said, sticking out her lower lip in a pout and crossing her arms over her chest.
Cloud sighed wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand. Then turning back to the prone from of his comrade, he said, "Yuffie, go get Aerith."
Yuffie gaped and was about to question why when Cloud said in a clipped tone, "Now. Yuffie."
Stomping her foot and turning with an angry pout she headed off to find the Flower Girl, Aerith. She didn't have to go very far. For just as she exited Leon's bedchamber, Aerith stepped out from her own, which was just a couple doors down from her current position.
"Hi, Yuffie!" She called cheerfully to the younger girl. Upon seeing the pout on the girl's face, however, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Cloud," Yuffie grumbled out, "Squall's room. Now."
Aerith raised an eyebrow at Yuffie but didn't question further. Out from the hallway and into the Squall's room she went.
Upon entering, she furrowed her brows worriedly and rushed to Cloud's side.
"What happend!?" She asked while slowly inspecting Leon's body for clues.
"From what Yuffie told me, she was jumping on the bed to wake him up and the force from the jumps bounced him off the bed. And this," he gingerly touched the side of Leon's head where a large knot was beginning to form, "is what I found when I came in. Must've hit his head upon impact with the floor."
He moved away from the bed to let Aerith take over. Soon a warm light radiated off her body and into the palm of her hand. Brows furrowed with concentration and eyes closed, she released the energy from her hand and onto Leon's head. Slowly, but surely, the knot began to go down.
"T-there!" Aerith gasped out. She wavered faintly on her feet and soon lost conciousness completely. Cloud caught her in time and gently cradled the woman in his arms.
Yuffie, who had been watching from the doorway, asked worriedly, "Is she alright, Cloud?"
"She's fine," he replied gruffly while making his way out the door with the woman in his arms and down the hall to the Flower Girl's chamber.
"Aww . . . ," Yuffie kicked an imaginary pebble at her foot and sighed sadly. She was ashamed of herself and new that Cloud was mad at her for causing Aerith's current condition. SHE was the one who had to get Leon injured. And SHE was the cause of Aerith's condition. If it hadn't been for HER, Aerith wouldn't be lying unconcious in her room from using too much energy.
Her expression turned into a scowl.
But wasn't it HIS damn fault for not waking up? Wasn't he injured because HE had made her mad by keeping that stupid smile on his face? The start of everything was HIS fault. Yuffie was just a pawn in HIS game.
Yuffie nodded in satisfaction with her new revelation. Her mouth suddenly widened with a jaw cracking yawn. Yuffie blinked her eyes sleepily in surprise. She hadn't known that she was so tired! Maybe it was the all the energy she put into trying to wake the lion.
Then deciding that a nice nap would do her some good, she walked wearily over to the bed that Leon occupied. And like before, only with different intentions, crawled over his form and lay parallel to him. She knew Leon wouldn't mind her being there, remembering sleepily how they used to share a bed back in Traverse Town. And besides, she was too tired to make it to her own room. With another yawn, she closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.
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D i s c l a i m e r s a n d C o p y r i g h t s
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Julia the piano score NOT the story, Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy characters, settings and anything/everything, EXCEPT FOR the plot and storyline of THIS PARTICULAR STORY/FANFICTION TITLED 'JULIA', is and copyrighted to their respectful owners of Squaresoft, Square-Enix, Nobou Uematsu, Disney and any other who have any rightful claim. Original characters, that may come into play, settings, plot, storyline and this story/fanfiction is copyright and claimed by J.Watson aka Natsu/Natsumi.