After having their lunch, which consisted of simple but energy-boosting food, Riku and Yuffie make their way to the Bailey to do the latter half of their assignment, and meet up with Leon and Aerith.

Yuffie calls out a bit suddenly, "Hey, Riku."

"Yeah?"

"Is something on your mind? I mean, yeah, of course there is, but do you need to talk about it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The sparring match."

"Huh? What does that have to do with it?"

"It was the reason why you lost. Something heavy is on your mind, and you don't know what to do about it, so it's distracting you. I was told you tend to be a bit of a trash-talker during sparring matches, but I saw none of that. No trash-talking at all! Reminded me too much of Leon."

But before Riku can even process what Yuffie's said, she spots Leon and Aerith and runs off to greet them. "Hey, Leon! Hey, Aerith! Riku and I are here and ready to go! Where do you need us?"

"Just in time. Over here." Leon motions for Riku and Yuffie to move in closer, and points at a narrow chokepoint within the Ravine Trail, not too far away from where the repairs have been taking place. "I need you in the front with me, while Yuffie covers us from the back. Aerith will support us from the walls."

"We figured that if we concentrated our attention on one spot all the Heartless would need to pass through, it would eliminate the need for us to spread out! So we can all watch out for one another," adds Aerith.

"We go in fifteen minutes," Leon says matter-of-factly before walking off. Yuffie immediately goes to trail after him, unwittingly announcing her departure with a sneeze.

"Is Leon alright? He's even quieter than usual," Riku inquires as he approaches Aerith. "Thanks for the lunch, by the way."

"Oh, him? He just feels shy because of the state you saw him in this morning. It was no problem, by the way," she reassures him. "What happened to Yuffie's cloak, also? I heard that sneeze."

"Oh yeah, she gave it to my friend who is staying at the Castle. Her name is Naminé, I don't know if you know her, but she didn't have anything warm of her own."

"That's sweet of her. She was warned about catching a cold, though. Anyway, ready to go?"

"Yeah."


CONTINUE