Disclaimer: I don't own KHII.

Note: Last chapter, kids! I really didn't want it to be, but school started and I have hardly any free time. I get about 4 hours a week to myself, and I'm sure you all understand that I have other things I'd like to do. It's been fun, maybe I'll have find dig up some time to add a one-shot sequel or something if I get any more reviews for this.

Thanks so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate all of them, it's really awesome to hear how much you've enjoyed this story.

Chapter Nine

"Just because you save someone, doesn't mean they'll be grateful."

"Tifa." He said quietly, watching her as she neatly folded the clothing previous hanging in her closet. She leaned down to put it into the duffel bag sitting on her bed, and he wondered if she was trying to make a point of ignoring him. He couldn't remember doing anything to upset her, but she was certainly up to something.

"Tifa." He said again, hoping that maybe this time she would at least be annoyed enough to respond.

She still didn't seem to notice him standing in the doorway to her bedroom, and shoved the remaining stack of shirts into her bag before yanking open a dresser drawer.

This was how he had found her this morning, when she failed to answer the door. He had let himself in and was greeted by the sight of her belongings sorted out into what she needed and what was staying in storage in Hollow Bastian.

"Tifa, what are you doing?" He asked calmly. It wasn't his place to try and stop her, but he couldn't fight the somewhat alarmed feeling rising up inside him at the thought that she would actually leave.

She finally sighed loudly and turned around, her hair sweeping gracefully around her. She gave him something between a glare and a desperate, pleading look and started picking out clothing from her dresser to take with her.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She said sharply. He couldn't tell if she was upset with him or herself now.

"It looks like you're going somewhere." He stated flatly, returning her dark, sideways glance with his own. He caught her irritated smile before she turned around, and stepped further into the room.

"I told you, I hate it here." She said to her duffel bag. It was nearly full of clothing, and he watched in amusement as she struggled to zip it up. Tifa turned and set the bag by her door, pausing for a moment in front of Leon before pulling a new bag out from under her bed.

"So you're leaving? Just like that?" He said quietly. If she really wanted to leave, he knew there wasn't anything he could do to change her mind. But maybe she didn't want to leave as much as she thought.

She paused over her bag, looking down at the few personal belongings she hadn't thrown away out of anger yet.

"I don't want to hurt anymore. I want to go somewhere and forget about it. Everything here is so painful, I just don't think I can do it." She whispered. Leon stared at her as she hurried to shove several more things in before sneaking in a bit more clothing and zipping up the bag. She moved across the room and grabbed the other bag before disappearing down the stairs.

Halfway down the street Leon caught up to her and took one of the bags. She eyed him for a moment, but he didn't seem too intent on stealing her luggage to keep her here.

"Tifa, almost everyone here has painful memories. A lot of people died when the city was overrun by heartless. A lot of families were broken, a lot of people suffered." He said gently. She looked up at him sadly.

"So why doesn't anyone move away?" Tifa asked quietly.

"Because it reminds them of all the happy memories they had, too. Memories of lost loved ones and the time they got to spend with them." He replied, his voice quiet and solemn.

Tifa was quiet for several minutes, thinking about what he'd said. She glanced up at him every few minutes, but he wasn't paying any attention to her. There was a distant look on his face, and she suddenly felt very selfish.

Cid's gummi hangar loomed into view up ahead. It really wasn't much, just a large shed that he parked gummi ships in to work on them, but he liked to call it the hangar to make it sound important. Leon followed her silently as she walked around the open door into the hangar. She waved to Cid as he looked up from the papers he was leaning over, and he hurried forward. He let out a gruff hello and gestured towards the large open landing space out behind the shed.

"Tifa, are you sure you want to do this?" He asked around his cigarette. Tifa gave him a shaky smile and nodded.

"I paid for the ship, didn't I?" She said confidently. He nodded, his face falling as he led them to the small ship she had requested. He gave her the keys and glanced between her and Leon for a moment.

"Are you goin' with her?" He asked Leon, his voice sounding a bit hopeful. If Leon was surprised by the suggestion, Tifa couldn't tell. Cid glanced between them again before nodding. "I see, ya didn't talk about it yet." She smiled gratefully as he stalked away across the yard to examine another gummi ship that looked like it needed some parts.

"Leon-"

"I can't Tifa." He said quickly, setting her bag down and reaching out to take her hand. His eyes were sad, but his face was calm. His head was bowed slightly, and she felt like she might actually cry.

"I know…" She said softly.

He pulled her into a hug, and she wiped her eyes carefully. He released her after a moment and made a point of stepping back a little far.

"You know, it's just… Everything hurts so much, I need some time to calm down and let go." She murmured. Leon nodded in understanding.

There was a long, awkward moment of silence before Tifa managed to organize her thoughts.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I guess I was just hoping I could talk myself out of it and forget about it. I didn't even tell Yuffie…" Her voice cracked slightly and Leon took her hand again.

"It's alright, she'll understand." He said quietly.

Tifa sighed heavily. "Before I go, I really wanted to tell you… I think I love you, but I'm so broken up about Cloud still that I just don't know. I don't know if I do, I don't know if I'm alright with it, I don't even know if I want to be in love ever again. But the time I had with you was really great, I haven't been that happy in a long time. Thank you for helping me so much. I'm so sorry things are turning out this way…" She was starting to tear up once again and paused to wipe up her face a bit and lean in to give Leon a rushed kiss.

She reached down and grabbed her bags, turning sharply and marching over to the door of the gummi ship. She turned back and smiled over at him again.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me, Leon? You could use an adventure." She said hopefully.

Leon sighed gently, bowing his head and letting his lips part, trying to figure out just what it was he wanted.

x:X:x

"Hey, where's Tifa?" Yuffie asked sharply as Leon walked into the room. He gave her a dark, deeply pained glare and ignored her. He shuffled through a stack of papers before finding the one he was looking for and rushing back out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" Yuffie looked up at Aerith as she watched the doorway worriedly. "He's been obsessed with work for the past two days straight! What happened to Tifa?"

Aerith looked back down at the young ninja and sighed. No one had had the heart to tell her.

"Yuffie, Tifa left town again." She said quickly, closing her eyes slightly at the thought of how torn up both her and Leon must be.

"What?!" Yuffie shrieked, dropping the book she'd been looking through. "She didn't even say anything to me! What happened? Did they get in a nasty fight?" She rushed over to Aerith, who suddenly looked very alarmed.

"No one knows, really. Cid didn't say anything until she'd already left, and Leon hasn't really talked at all." She said miserably.

Yuffie leaned back against the wall in shock. "Poor Leon… Do you think she'll ever come back?" She looked up at the older woman with wide, hurt eyes.

Aerith shook her head. "Of course she'll come back eventually, but none of us did much to deserve her company…"

x:X:x

"Hey Leon."

He looked up to see Cloud walking toward him, barely illuminated in the darkness. It was well past midnight, and Leon was sitting on the city wall, watching the stars.

"Cloud." He acknowledged the man tiredly with a short nod of his head. The man invited himself to sit down beside Leon and they watched the sky silently for a while.

Cloud broke the silence first, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry for how I acted about you and Tifa…" He said quietly. Leon's gaze fell down to the horizon as he listened. "She's not a little kid, I shouldn't have tried to treat her like she was. Maybe if I hadn't she would have stayed." He shifted slightly and glanced over at Leon. "I never wanted to chase her off like that…"

Leon could hear the regret in his voice, and he knew that if it was light enough, there would be a hint of pain in his eyes.

"Would you go after her?" Cloud asked quietly. Leon thought about it for a moment. "I bet I could track her down. Despite what you probably think, I do know her pretty well."

Leon finally shook his head. "No, I don't think that's what she wanted."

Cloud smiled. "No, but maybe that's what it takes to get her attention. She has a strong mind, you really have to struggle with her. I think that's why I could never be with her. It seems pretty ironic now, she always used to know what was best for me and try to tell me what to do with my life." He sighed gently, as if sifting through his memories was getting too tiresome.

"She'll come back." He said reassuringly. He got up from his seat beside Leon and walked several feet down the road. "I'm not really sure what she's up to, but when she figures things out she'll come back."

x:X:x

Once again, it was well past midnight. The sun was nowhere near rising, but any moment now it might start thinking about it. Leon was leaning against the thick stone wall around the city, hidden from view behind a row of stores and small shops. There was a light glow from the perpetual lights shining on the town square, and things were just bright enough that he could see.

He was taping light sips from a bottle of her favorite vodka. He wasn't usually one to drink alone, if at all, but the night seemed to call for it.

Soft footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up from his spot on the ground. He couldn't really say he was surprised to see her, though his heart did skip a beat when she crouched down and say beside him. They were quiet for a moment, unable to meet the other's gaze. He finally offered her the bottle, and she let out a soft laugh.

"I told you not to let me drink anymore." She whispered, giving him a playful grin.

Leon bowed his head, staring down at the ground. "What are you doing here, Tifa?" He asked gruffly. A soft, almost musical giggle reached his ears and then she hummed happily.

"I'm keeping you company, because you're so lonely you're becoming an alcoholic." She said with a smile, tilting her head to one side and gesturing towards the bottle he had placed on the ground in front of her.

He was quiet, considering her words for a few long minutes. Was it really that bad? She had only been gone for a few weeks…

"Don't kid yourself, Leon, I've been gone for six months." He looked up sharply at her and she smiled calmly in reply. He watched her suspiciously, glancing between her and the untouched vodka bottle next to his feet.

"You're not really here, are you?" He said in disappointment. She sighed lightly.

"No, of course not." Her voice was low and sad, and he couldn't help but look up at her.

"What do I need to do? Why can't I just get on with my life?" He said almost desperately, throwing his hands out to the sides. Tifa smiled absently.

"Come on, what do you really think?" She laughed and Leon cursed softly under his breath.

"First of all, why don't you wake up?" She added gently, leaning forward. He watched with wide eyes as she bent down and kissed him, her lips as cold as ice for one shocking moment.

"Leon!"

He shot up from where he'd fallen asleep, leaned over the table in what was now only Yuffie's apartment. Looking around in surprised disappointment, he noticed Yuffie standing over him with a worried expression on her face.

"Leon, this has got to stop! Look at what you're doing to yourself! I thought you were dead when I came home last night, with you passed out on my kitchen table!" Yuffie was waving an empty vodka bottle in his face, finally slamming it down on the table and sighing.

"I have never seen you like this, Leon, you're really starting to scare me." She said gently. His eyes finally managed to focus, and he couldn't miss the worry etched on her face. He stared at her in dazed confusion for a few moments, and she finally sighed and shook her head, turning on her heel and marching out the door.

He leaned back and brushed a hand through his hair, cursing gently under his breath once again.

x:X:x

It was raining softly, pattering down on rooftops and splashing into small puddles. It brought with it the cold, crisp scent of a rainstorm, much needed since the past few weeks had been too dry. People hurried back and forth down the dimly lit streets, the sun sinking low in the sky despite it being close to three in the afternoon. Days in Traverse Town were usually short, something she found herself cherishing in contrast to the bright days of her home.

Small droplets of water landed gently on her skin, and she looked up to enjoy the feel of the rain on her face. The air was still and slightly muggy, and she sighed contentedly as the rain began to clear the atmosphere. Nodding a quick goodbye to the woman just inside the window, she started along the sparsely populated streets. Most of the townspeople had already run for shelter from the rain, leaving the streets nearly empty for the children escaping their parents to play in the puddles.

Tifa smiled to herself as she walked by a group of boys, taking turns jumping and splashing in a pool of water being fed by the gutters of a nearby house. She continued down the street, her shoes splashing quietly in the shallow standing water.

The usual hum of the town was drowned out by the sound of rain, and she couldn't help but smile to herself as she walked along. A light orange glow colored the buildings around her as the sun began to set, a few beams of dying sunshine still breaking through the scattered clouds. Gentle grey storm clouds were illuminated a bright pink, and beyond them she could still see traces of blue sky gradually turning darker as stars glittered to life. Another perfect day, beautiful in the unsavory weather.

The streets were nearly void of people as she finally came around the corner of a building and through the doors to the second district. It was growing steadily darker, and she nodded a greeting as a woman hurried past with a smile, tugging along a complaining child.

It began to rain harder, and she paused to pull her hood up over her head, finally having enough of the refreshing rain. She had just turned down an alleyway when she noticed a dark form looming up ahead, almost hidden in the shadows of the buildings around them. Her footsteps faltered for a moment, and she wondered if maybe she should turn back. Shaking her head, she dismissed the idea and continued down the alley.

She hadn't gotten far before she stepped in a puddle, and the splash echoed between the buildings until the figure turned and noticed her there. Hugging her arms around herself, she picked up her pace, refusing to look up from the ground as she hurried down the alley.

Just as she brushed past the dark form lurking in the shadows, loud, scuffling footsteps caught her attention, and a hand fell heavily on her arm. Tifa spun around with a startled gasp, ready to retaliate. Her automatically clenched fist relaxed in midair, and he caught her hand as she stared up at him in surprise.

"Leon…"

The End

A/n: And there you have it. Let your imagination do the work from here! The last half of this chapter was a lot of fun to write, but this is the third revision. Hell, this isn't even the original ending for this story, but I got so many reviews from people expressing much love for Leon and Tifa, I just couldn't bring myself to end it the way I was originally going to; with Tifa leaving and Leon getting on with his life without her. Much like Paradise Kiss, love is not always a good enough reason to stay with someone. But it is in this story, cuz that's what I felt like putting in. One again I'd like to thank all of the people who reviewed, I would list your names here but I'm just so damn lazy. Much love, everyone! If you keep an eye on my deviantART, you might catch some fanart sketches soon. If I can find them.