The Black Figure(Plot/Light)

[Aerith]

Don't You Dare Leave Again

The immediate threat had passed. Aerith took a moment to process their enemy's sudden disappearance as everyone's attacks connected with nothing but air. The pulse of the world had calmed, as well, though she could detect a faint beat of urgency in the undertones. She half-expected Heartless to come swarming out of the rubble, and when none did, she took it as a sign that either the man had been lying or that her faith in the strength of the light was well-placed.

Looking around at the damage, Aerith assessed the status of each of her allies. They would need healing, but she would have to tend to them later, when her full strength had returned. It was then that she noticed Cloud walking away from the scene. She had known he would do this. But she would not stand idly by this time. In a few seconds, she drew up behind him and stopped. "You're going to leave without saying goodbye?" She paused. "What if I wanted you to stay?"

[Yuffie]

Yuffie watched as the man disappeared and her shurikens just were heading for an empty space now, though they almost hit Cloud. "Ah! Sorry!" she yelled out at him. Then she fell to the ground, glad to be able to rest now. Though she didn't feel all that good. That guy had made a mess of the marketplace and they were possibly tainted with darkness now...

She didn't want to think about that though. She sat up and shook her head, trying not to think about it. It was then she noticed Cloud leaving. "H-hey! Wait a minute, Cloud!" she yelled over, scrambling to get up and catch up to him. Aerith had caught up to him first and was already telling him that he should stay.

Yuffie caught up with the two, stopping right next to Aerith. "You don't need to go off on your own all the time," she told him. She gathered he was bothered too by what that man had said. "Aren't you tired of that? We're all friends here aren't we? So why aren't you sticking around?"

[Cloud]

But...

Not too surprisingly, before Cloud could make it very far Aerith had caught up with him.  Of course she wasn't going to let him get away that easily.  "Aerith..." he turned around slowly, but kept his eyes on the ground, unable to look her in the eyes.  He didn't like the way she made it sound like he was being selfish.  It wasn't like he didn't want to stay... Him leaving was what was best for everyone.

It was then that Yuffie came running up, having not been far behind Aerith.  She was trying to convince him not to go as well.  Her questions just as difficult to answer as the ones previous  to them.  "Well-- yeah, it just..." he let out a deep sigh, looking up at the blue sky above them.  It looked so ironically peaceful, considering the violent battle that had just recently been going on beneath it.  "I don't want to be a burden." He wished things didn't have to be so complicated.

[Nothingness]

Live Together, Die Together

Leon put his gunblade away as soon as the man had vanished. He looked at the spot where the strange man had been for a few moments, his mind swarming with questions. "No...we'll answer them later. We need to focus on the matters at hand." As he turned around to check on the others, he saw Cloud starting to leave. He walked up to him and put his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere. We're all going to stick through this together. Even if what that man said is true, being together should be enough to hold the darkness back. There's no better light than the kind given off by friends."

[Cloud]

Well...

Cloud continued to stare into the sky as Leon walked over and placed his hand on his shoulder, listening to him silently as he spoke. Unlike Aerith and Yuffie, he wasn't simply asking him to stay, he was telling him to stay. How typical of him. And yet, he found it difficult to disagree with the commands given. Probably past habits, he supposed. When they had been little, Cloud had almost always gone along with what the older boy decided without much questioning whatever it was. Leon really had always been a born leader.

He brought his gaze back down, staring at the darkner haired swordsman in deep contimplation for a minute, before nodding. "Okay." he answered finally. He still wasn't entirely sure if staying was what was best for everyone, but he allowed himself to be persuaded anyway. It was three against one, after all. With such unfair numbers, he had no hope of getting away with leaving, even if it was what was best for everyon. But who knew, maybe in the end staying with his friends would prove to be a better decision than he had always thought.