Chapter 4 - Of Squall and Leon

Kairi stepped out of the ship into the blinding afternoon sun. Cloud had parked the gummi ship near the woods that bordered the Balamb Gardens. A short hike found them at the gates of the gigantic military academy. Cloud scratched his head.
“Fancy place Leon lives in, eh?”
Kairi shook her head and smiled. They proceeded through the main gate and up the steps leading to the commons area. Students made their way through the various hallways, not giving the strange duo a second thought. Kairi quickly made her way around to the farthest end of the commons area, which held a hallway leading to the dormitories. Kairi found Squall’s room, Cloud in tow, and opened the door. Squall sat on his bunk, polishing his Gunblade.
“I figured you’d be back,” he said.
“I’m flattered that you have so much faith in me, Squall,” Kairi replied, grinning.
“Who’s Squall?” Cloud asked.
“I am,” Squall said, standing.
“You told me your name was Leon,” Cloud said, narrowing his eyes. Squall shrugged.
“I was being pursued by the Heartless. What were my other choices?”
Cloud huffed and leaned against a wall. Kairi shook her head smiling and turned to Squall. “We need your help,” she said.
Squall hefted his Gunblade onto his shoulder. “Did you meet Sora in Midgar?” Squall said.
Kairi opened her mouth and nodded. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess,” Squall said, shrugging. Kairi eyed Squall suspiciously but nodded, and turned to leave.
“I guess this makes us the new Trinity,” Squall said. Cloud looked at him. Kairi thought for a moment.
“Yeah...it does,” she said, smiling. Suddenly her Keyblade appeared in her hand. It glowed blue and escaped her grasp to hang in midair. It spun for a moment, then returned to Kairi’s hand.
“The new Trinity...I like that,” Kairi said, staring at her blade.

* * * *

The sky parted as the gummi ship came in to land. Cloud steered the craft onto a large grassy plain and settled it down about a half an hour’s walk from the gates of Midgar.
“So, we need to find the Keyhole for Fantasy World Seven?” Squall asked. Kairi nodded. “What makes you think it’s in Midgar? Isn’t that a little obvious?”
“Too obvious. They’re expecting us to overlook it,” Cloud said. Squall narrowed his eyes but said nothing. The trio climbed out of the gummi ship and walked to Midgar. When they got a little ways in, they noticed something strange.
“Notice those signs? They say ‘Hail to the Black Army, long live Lord Barabas.’ What do you suppose that means?” Kairi asked.
“I don’t know...” Squall replied.
“You got me, but they’re everywhere,” Cloud said.
Suddenly a hand rested on Kairi’s shoulder. She started to turn but a familiar voice said, “Stop. Don’t turn. Just listen. Close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Just do it!”
Kairi obliged, and suddenly, she felt as if her stomach dropped at a fast rate. She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn’t. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then, as fast as it had happened, it stopped. Kairi’s eyes flew open and she gasped. Quickly spinning around, she faced the mysterious person. The young man had medium-length brown hair styled similar to Squall’s. He wore a long black trenchcoat adorned with several chains and necklaces. Around his neck was a leather band, and attached to the band was a thin fishnet shirt. His pants had several areas where they could be zipped off, and he had about seven chains on each side.
“Who are you?” Kairi demanded. The young man smiled.
“You don’t recognize me?”
Kairi studied the man closer. Suddenly, she realized...
“Sora...?”
Sora nodded. Kairi stared open-mouthed, unable to speak or move. She simply made a series of high-pitched squeaks. Sora waited until she could speak.
“Why...?”
“Because I am a wanted man. You’ve seen the signs, I’m sure, promoting the Black Army and Lord Barabas?”
Kairi nodded blankly.
“The Black Army refers to the Heartless. Barabas now controls them. I tried to break into his castle, but they found me. I managed to escape, but not before they could identify me. I had to change my whole appearance. I also gave myself a new name.”
“And it is?”
“Leon.” Sora smiled.
Kairi managed a weak smile.
“So whenever you speak to me in public, refer to me as Leon. Squall already knows about this, but Cloud doesn’t. You’ll tell him for me, won’t you?”
Kairi nodded. Suddenly, unable to contain herself, she rushed forward and embraced Sora.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she said. Sora returned her embrace, and whispered,
“I’ve missed you as well.”

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