ten songs meme, character: leon
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them
“I Know You're Out There Somewhere” by the Moody Blues
Leon didn't want to admit how much he missed his home. Traverse Town served them well enough, he supposed, but as any petulant 17 year old will, he kept comparing it with Radiant Garden. Unsurprisingly, it came up lacking. He worked hard, though, to get his people settled in. Cid, Aerith, Yuffie. Too many names were not on the list. Most notable among them, though, were Rinoa, Cloud, and Tifa, whom he had thought would escape.
At least, Cloud and Tifa. Rinoa had disappeared in the fighting. He couldn't remember when he'd lost track of her, but at first he'd been lost and heartbroken. He loved her. But she was first and foremost a sorceress, and bound to the protection of the royal family. After the smoke cleared, he had realized that she'd gone to the princess.
But Princess Kairi had no doubt died as well. Leon had fond memories of meeting the darling red haired girl. She had made him think that maybe someday he would want kids. Rinoa had laughed such a sweet laugh when he'd told her that. When he'd demanded to know why, she had replied with only a knowing smirk and moved on.
Rinoa. She'd been the first love of his life, and he would miss her desperately. She was why he took the black jacket he'd escaped in and had painted in a careful hand red wings on the back. Her wings, bloodstained by her death. When the jacket was complete, he discarded the name Squall Leonhart, and chose instead to be called Leon.
The last person in that world to say his name had been Rinoa. He wanted the name to die with her, because he'd failed to protect her.
“Moondance” by Nightwish
'Squall-
I hear that's not what you're calling yourself these days. That's quite too bad, because I think it suits you much better than “Leon”. I hope this letter finds you well. Sora and his friends tell me that you're back in Radiant Garden. I'd like to come and visit you. It's been a very long time, and I miss you. And I miss my home there.
I know you're wondering how I escaped. I opened a portal and took the princess. We escaped. I think you've met the princess, or at least heard about her from her boyfriends. (They are not dating, as I have forbidden her to formally date anyone until her entrance exams are out of the way.) I've been raising Kairi myself on a collection of little islands. I'm not sure I have the heart to uproot the girl and move her, especially not after everything she's gone through over the keyblade bearer.
I hope you'll understand. Write me a reply, please, I want to see you.
Kiss kiss,
Rinoa Heartily
“Deceiver of Fools” by Within Tempation
Leon raised his hand to grasp the handle of the keyblade, eyes shining and hand shaking. He hadn't dared hope that the keyblade would come to him, of all people, but there it was. It was exactly what he needed to save his friends, to restore Radiant Garden. It was too much to hope for.
It was a dream. As his hand reached the hilt the image disappeared, and he shot awake. He breathed heavily a few times before groaning and turning over. Again. The damned dream again. It was damned frustrating to know what he needed and be unable to seek it out. The keyblade chose it's own master. He couldn't force it to happen.
'And it never would.' some part of his mind whispered. He swallowed hard and sat up. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Out from under his blanket, the room was cold and chilled the sweat running down his chest and back. His hand flexed, aching as if he'd been clutching something too long.
“God's Song” by Cold
“By Hyne!” Rinoa sniffed. She hadn't changed much. She was a bit taller and looked less like a girl, more like a woman. Leon was glad to see that much. He offered a rare smile as she raced across the square to meet him. If he'd expected a demure handshake, he was wrong. She threw her arms around him and gave him a solid squeeze. “You got tall.” she commented as she looked up at him. He laughed a little.
“You got short.” he countered. She rolled her eyes and fluffed her hair. “Welcome home, Rinoa.”
She looked around with bright eyes. “It feels good to be home.”
“Learn to Be Still” by the Eagles
The restoration project was coming along. That was a polite way of saying that things were barely better than at a standstill. Exhausted, Leon sank down to sit on the edge of his bed. He slowly peeled out of his boots and tossed them one at a time to the side. The physical work wasn't the truly exhausting part. Or it wouldn't be, if he took things at a decent pace. But he hadn't been working at a normal pace.
It killed him that Sora was out there fighting, and he couldn't help in any real way. Sure, Sora had Donald and Goofy. But Leon wanted to be in the thick of things, with gunblade in hand. He wanted that adrenaline, that ache, that knowledge that he was helping to shape the new world in a very real way.
He wasn't part of the fight. He had his work here. He had responsibilities here.
And yet he felt the guilt of staying here in relative safety, working whilst Sora risked his life for all worlds.
“It should be me... not Sora.”
“Bless the Child” by Nightwish
Ellone smiled and knelt down to better hug the little boy with such soulful blue eyes. They were gray blue, and so rare. They were the sort of eyes that could be like a misty dawn or a storm over the sea. Ellone, always wise for her year, had always wondered which they would be. Squall wrapped his arms around his big sister's neck and gave her a squeeze.
“Sis, play ball?” Squall asked. Ellone hugged Squall and then nodded.
“Okay, we can play.” She set him back down and Squall raced ahead the few steps to pick up the blue ball he liked so well. Blue was his favorite color, as with most boys his age. He didn't even get the first throw in, though, before the sky darkened with a shadow and Elle felt a chill down her back.
“Are you Ellone?”
“Sis?”
Ellone looked at the scary man and darted to Squall, hugging him close. It didn't matter, though. She was drug away from her baby brother. She watched in horror as someone kicked him down. He was crying hard the last look she had of him. He was sobbing her name.
“Squall!” She bellowed. But she was already being forced into a car and taken away.
“No Compliance” by Delain
It felt strange to be fighting back to back with Cloud of all people. Cloud, who had claimed not to care about how things in Radiant Garden turned out. He was tempted to point that out, actually, but in this particular moment he needed the help. He wouldn't admit that, though.
“Think you can manage?” he jibed perhaps a bit sarcastically. He studied the various heartless around him, and hoped this was the worst of it. He thought of Aerith and Tifa and Yuffie and wondered how they were fairing.
“Well, it might be tough if one more shows up...” Cloud remarked.
“Then that'll have to be the one that I take care of.” he said with a smirk.
“Family System” by Chevelle
Family was something you chose. Leon had never known his parents, but he'd had Ellone at the orphanage. She was his big sister, the most family he'd ever had. Even after she was taken away, she'd lived on in him. He'd lived on in the things she'd taught him.
As he'd gotten older, he'd gathered a harem of sisters. Aerith, Yuffie, Tifa. The lot of them became kin. Not like Ellone was, but quite close to him.
He'd never had a brother his age, though. Cloud was his best friend, but never his brother. That distinction was why their eventual hook up wasn't far too weird to handle in Leon's opinion.
Four sisters later, Leon realized that he'd adopted one more member of his family: Sora. The keyblade bearer became his younger brother, and Leon took that position very seriously. From helping Sora in any way he could on his journey to advising him how best to tell Riku that Sora wanted to pursue a relationship... Leon cherished his little brother. He cherished all of his family.
“Sunlight” by DJ Sammy
Leon was far more the morning person than Cloud was. Alternatively, Cloud was more a night owl. However, that meant in the early morning hours, Leon was the one lying awake and watching his boyfriend sleep. A smile creased Leon's face as his eyes traced the edges of Cloud's face that were somehow softer when he slept. When fear and tension didn't crease his brow, Cloud looked much younger and far more innocent.
Leon brushed a kiss at the corner of Cloud's eye, but the sleeping blonde did not respond at first. When he did, he turned to look up at Leon with squinted eyes.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
“Fuck you, Leon.” Cloud muttered and turned over, pulling a pillow over his head. Leon laughed.
“Savin' Me” by Nickelback
It was a fight, yes, but it was really all of the things that they'd wanted to say for so long.
“You don't know what it's like to be a prisoner to your own darkness!”
“You don't know what it means to fight!”
The final straw. Cloud's eyes narrowed, and Leon looked far too stoic for his own good. Aerith watched discretely from a distance, and recognized the warning signs of both parties. She knew both Cloud and Leon well enough to know that this wasn't a small deal for either.
“You know what, I don't think this is even worth it!” Cloud snapped finally.
“I don't think you're worth saving.” Leon said darkly.
Aerith gasped.
[ x ]FRIEND to see updates
[ x ] comments are love
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them
“I Know You're Out There Somewhere” by the Moody Blues
Leon didn't want to admit how much he missed his home. Traverse Town served them well enough, he supposed, but as any petulant 17 year old will, he kept comparing it with Radiant Garden. Unsurprisingly, it came up lacking. He worked hard, though, to get his people settled in. Cid, Aerith, Yuffie. Too many names were not on the list. Most notable among them, though, were Rinoa, Cloud, and Tifa, whom he had thought would escape.
At least, Cloud and Tifa. Rinoa had disappeared in the fighting. He couldn't remember when he'd lost track of her, but at first he'd been lost and heartbroken. He loved her. But she was first and foremost a sorceress, and bound to the protection of the royal family. After the smoke cleared, he had realized that she'd gone to the princess.
But Princess Kairi had no doubt died as well. Leon had fond memories of meeting the darling red haired girl. She had made him think that maybe someday he would want kids. Rinoa had laughed such a sweet laugh when he'd told her that. When he'd demanded to know why, she had replied with only a knowing smirk and moved on.
Rinoa. She'd been the first love of his life, and he would miss her desperately. She was why he took the black jacket he'd escaped in and had painted in a careful hand red wings on the back. Her wings, bloodstained by her death. When the jacket was complete, he discarded the name Squall Leonhart, and chose instead to be called Leon.
The last person in that world to say his name had been Rinoa. He wanted the name to die with her, because he'd failed to protect her.
“Moondance” by Nightwish
'Squall-
I hear that's not what you're calling yourself these days. That's quite too bad, because I think it suits you much better than “Leon”. I hope this letter finds you well. Sora and his friends tell me that you're back in Radiant Garden. I'd like to come and visit you. It's been a very long time, and I miss you. And I miss my home there.
I know you're wondering how I escaped. I opened a portal and took the princess. We escaped. I think you've met the princess, or at least heard about her from her boyfriends. (They are not dating, as I have forbidden her to formally date anyone until her entrance exams are out of the way.) I've been raising Kairi myself on a collection of little islands. I'm not sure I have the heart to uproot the girl and move her, especially not after everything she's gone through over the keyblade bearer.
I hope you'll understand. Write me a reply, please, I want to see you.
Kiss kiss,
Rinoa Heartily
“Deceiver of Fools” by Within Tempation
Leon raised his hand to grasp the handle of the keyblade, eyes shining and hand shaking. He hadn't dared hope that the keyblade would come to him, of all people, but there it was. It was exactly what he needed to save his friends, to restore Radiant Garden. It was too much to hope for.
It was a dream. As his hand reached the hilt the image disappeared, and he shot awake. He breathed heavily a few times before groaning and turning over. Again. The damned dream again. It was damned frustrating to know what he needed and be unable to seek it out. The keyblade chose it's own master. He couldn't force it to happen.
'And it never would.' some part of his mind whispered. He swallowed hard and sat up. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a sigh and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Out from under his blanket, the room was cold and chilled the sweat running down his chest and back. His hand flexed, aching as if he'd been clutching something too long.
“God's Song” by Cold
“By Hyne!” Rinoa sniffed. She hadn't changed much. She was a bit taller and looked less like a girl, more like a woman. Leon was glad to see that much. He offered a rare smile as she raced across the square to meet him. If he'd expected a demure handshake, he was wrong. She threw her arms around him and gave him a solid squeeze. “You got tall.” she commented as she looked up at him. He laughed a little.
“You got short.” he countered. She rolled her eyes and fluffed her hair. “Welcome home, Rinoa.”
She looked around with bright eyes. “It feels good to be home.”
“Learn to Be Still” by the Eagles
The restoration project was coming along. That was a polite way of saying that things were barely better than at a standstill. Exhausted, Leon sank down to sit on the edge of his bed. He slowly peeled out of his boots and tossed them one at a time to the side. The physical work wasn't the truly exhausting part. Or it wouldn't be, if he took things at a decent pace. But he hadn't been working at a normal pace.
It killed him that Sora was out there fighting, and he couldn't help in any real way. Sure, Sora had Donald and Goofy. But Leon wanted to be in the thick of things, with gunblade in hand. He wanted that adrenaline, that ache, that knowledge that he was helping to shape the new world in a very real way.
He wasn't part of the fight. He had his work here. He had responsibilities here.
And yet he felt the guilt of staying here in relative safety, working whilst Sora risked his life for all worlds.
“It should be me... not Sora.”
“Bless the Child” by Nightwish
Ellone smiled and knelt down to better hug the little boy with such soulful blue eyes. They were gray blue, and so rare. They were the sort of eyes that could be like a misty dawn or a storm over the sea. Ellone, always wise for her year, had always wondered which they would be. Squall wrapped his arms around his big sister's neck and gave her a squeeze.
“Sis, play ball?” Squall asked. Ellone hugged Squall and then nodded.
“Okay, we can play.” She set him back down and Squall raced ahead the few steps to pick up the blue ball he liked so well. Blue was his favorite color, as with most boys his age. He didn't even get the first throw in, though, before the sky darkened with a shadow and Elle felt a chill down her back.
“Are you Ellone?”
“Sis?”
Ellone looked at the scary man and darted to Squall, hugging him close. It didn't matter, though. She was drug away from her baby brother. She watched in horror as someone kicked him down. He was crying hard the last look she had of him. He was sobbing her name.
“Squall!” She bellowed. But she was already being forced into a car and taken away.
“No Compliance” by Delain
It felt strange to be fighting back to back with Cloud of all people. Cloud, who had claimed not to care about how things in Radiant Garden turned out. He was tempted to point that out, actually, but in this particular moment he needed the help. He wouldn't admit that, though.
“Think you can manage?” he jibed perhaps a bit sarcastically. He studied the various heartless around him, and hoped this was the worst of it. He thought of Aerith and Tifa and Yuffie and wondered how they were fairing.
“Well, it might be tough if one more shows up...” Cloud remarked.
“Then that'll have to be the one that I take care of.” he said with a smirk.
“Family System” by Chevelle
Family was something you chose. Leon had never known his parents, but he'd had Ellone at the orphanage. She was his big sister, the most family he'd ever had. Even after she was taken away, she'd lived on in him. He'd lived on in the things she'd taught him.
As he'd gotten older, he'd gathered a harem of sisters. Aerith, Yuffie, Tifa. The lot of them became kin. Not like Ellone was, but quite close to him.
He'd never had a brother his age, though. Cloud was his best friend, but never his brother. That distinction was why their eventual hook up wasn't far too weird to handle in Leon's opinion.
Four sisters later, Leon realized that he'd adopted one more member of his family: Sora. The keyblade bearer became his younger brother, and Leon took that position very seriously. From helping Sora in any way he could on his journey to advising him how best to tell Riku that Sora wanted to pursue a relationship... Leon cherished his little brother. He cherished all of his family.
“Sunlight” by DJ Sammy
Leon was far more the morning person than Cloud was. Alternatively, Cloud was more a night owl. However, that meant in the early morning hours, Leon was the one lying awake and watching his boyfriend sleep. A smile creased Leon's face as his eyes traced the edges of Cloud's face that were somehow softer when he slept. When fear and tension didn't crease his brow, Cloud looked much younger and far more innocent.
Leon brushed a kiss at the corner of Cloud's eye, but the sleeping blonde did not respond at first. When he did, he turned to look up at Leon with squinted eyes.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
“Fuck you, Leon.” Cloud muttered and turned over, pulling a pillow over his head. Leon laughed.
“Savin' Me” by Nickelback
It was a fight, yes, but it was really all of the things that they'd wanted to say for so long.
“You don't know what it's like to be a prisoner to your own darkness!”
“You don't know what it means to fight!”
The final straw. Cloud's eyes narrowed, and Leon looked far too stoic for his own good. Aerith watched discretely from a distance, and recognized the warning signs of both parties. She knew both Cloud and Leon well enough to know that this wasn't a small deal for either.
“You know what, I don't think this is even worth it!” Cloud snapped finally.
“I don't think you're worth saving.” Leon said darkly.
Aerith gasped.
[ x ]FRIEND to see updates
[ x ] comments are love