Author's Note: Though I don't hate Celes x Locke coupling, I have a soft spot for Terra x Locke. If you're looking for more on TxL pairing, please read Lirillith's works.

This story takes place about a day or two before the final battle and how Locke and Terra feel about Stragos's omen that all things magical will disappear after defeating Kefka. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VI and all its characters are property of Squaresoft/Square Enix - not me : (

Codename: "Farewell Letter"
Terra x Locke

"What the hell is this?" a voice bit out as Terra locked her cabin door. She whirled around in surprise to find a dark shadow leaning against the opposite wall of her room. Before he even lit the lantern beside him, Terra knew who it was.

"...Locke..." she whispered. What was he doing here?

His eyes had a hard look as he marched over to her and shoved a piece of paper in her face.

"Well?" he growled.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but Terra soon recognized her own handwriting scrawled across the sheet of paper. Clarity dawned on her and she gasped, "How did you...?" She stopped midsentence and shook her head. This was Locke she was talking to; it was obvious how he found a letter in her locked bedroom.

"Th-That... That wasn't supposed to be opened yet..." she said quietly as she looked to meet Locke's gaze.

Locke's expression just grew darker, "You didn't answer my question yet - is this supposed to be some kind of joke?"

I wish it was, she wanted to say, but knew that would just make things worse.

She had never seen him this mad before. Terra turned away from the anger burning in his eyes.

No one was supposed to read that letter yet. Terra hoped no one would ever have to read it, but that seemed less and less likely the closer they drew to Kefka's Tower.

Terra had finally decided to write a "good-bye" letter after hearing everyone on the deck of the Falcon that afternoon. While everyone else was discussing their fight ahead above, Terra was preparing some tea down below. She was halfway up the stairs with a tray of tea for everyone to share when Celes's smooth voice drifted down to her.

"The Statues give the Espers the magical energy they need to live... If we destroy the Statues..." she trailed off.

Terra stopped in the middle of the stairs - out of sight from her friends above deck. As Celes's words sunk in, Terra knew where the conversation was heading; it was the same realization that had been keeping Terra wide awake the past few nights.

Edgar, his voice full of concern, asked what would happen once the Statues were destroyed.

From her spot on the stairs, Terra just managed to hear Stago's solemn answer, "The Espers... and magic too, will most definitely disappear from this world."

"And then..."

"What will happen to Terra...?" Celes asked quietly.

I wish I knew, Terra thought. Her eyes were glued to the tea tray; her thoughts were swimming with what she and now everyone else wondered.

Would a Half-Esper die along with the Full-Espers after the world was saved?

The clinking of porcelain broke Terra out of her trance. Her hands had started shaking violently, rattling the tea cups and other utensils together. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Terra looked up to the deck as she prepared to ascend the steps again, practically dropping the tea tray when her green eyes locked onto his grey ones.

Locke was at the top of the stairs, looking at her with a pained expression.

She realized that he knew she had overheard them talking just now.

Locke looked like he was about to say something, but Terra rushed up the steps before he got the chance, and masterfully maneuvered the tea tray past him without dropping anything.

Immediately she began to offer tea to everyone and was thankful that they were too shocked to say anything to her or realize that she had overheard them.

All except Locke, who scowled and walked down the steps to get below deck, and away from her.

Once Terra had finished handing out tea to everyone else, she excused herself and headed back into the Falcon as well. In a daze she walked to the kitchen and dumped the tea tray and serving utensils in the sink. She barely registered that a few minutes later she had entered her cabin. It wasn't until her head touched her pillow that she felt the tears that had been falling since she started heading back down the stairs.

She quickly swiped at her eyes. This wasn't the time to cry over something she couldn't change. She should be resting up for the final battle. She was going to save the world for heaven's sake!

But what will save me? she thought brokenly.

She sat up and pulled open a draw on her night table and took out some paper and a fountain pen. She had to keep herself busy. If she let her mind wander, she would just break down and be useless against Kefka.

So Terra had decided that she should think about what to tell her friends before going off to defeat Kefka... But the more she wrote, the more Terra realized that she wouldn't be able to tell them this without crying and becoming afraid, not to mention upsetting everyone else as well.

Instead, she began to write everyone a letter... Just in case she wouldn't be able to tell them how much they meant to her afterwards.

But now as Terra looked over the letter Locke was clutching in a death grip before her, she realized to her horror that it wasn't the letter she had addressed to everybody - it was the letter she had written to him.

"Did... did you read all of that?" she breathed, feeling her cheeks turn crimson.

His eyes never softened. His posture remained threatening.

"Yes."

She bowed her head in embarrassment. "...You really weren't supposed to read that yet..."

The words "I love you" jumped out at her when her eyes ran over the letter again.

She began to tremble before him, but Locke couldn't let her off just yet.

He turned the letter over so he could read it again and felt the same intense rage bubble up just like the first time he read it.

Contrary to Terra's belief, Locke hadn't broken into her room to find the letter.

When Celes had voiced her fears for Terra, Locke felt like his heart had been torn out all over again. He wanted to find the green-haired girl - make sure she was still all right - he was so shocked by Celes's omen, Locke feared the words alone would cause Terra to vanish.

But she was right in front of him - trembling on the stairs. She had heard everything.

Seeing Terra so vulnerable again hurt him more than he thought it should. He wanted to tell her it was all right, he was here. Instead, he nearly said, "Please don't leave me..."

But she had run right past him. He saw how she pretended that it didn't matter that she may not be here this time tomorrow, and he felt something inside him snap.

He went to his cabin and began beating the hell out of its thick walls.

Hurt. Why did she have to be the one to get hurt from all this? First the slave crown. Then her mysterious other half. And now this?!

His knuckles were bleeding through his fingerless gloves by the time he registered the searing pain.

"Why...?" he whispered to no one. Why does everything important to me have to be taken away?

He wrapped up his knuckles in some linen strips and pulled his gloves on over the makeshift bandages.

It had gotten pretty late; everyone was probably already eating dinner. When he passed by Terra's room he paused and decided to knock and make sure she was all right. There was no answer and Locke's eyes fell to the floor.

His eyebrows quirked up in curiosity; a slip of paper that was poking out from beneath the door had caught his eye. Quickly checking the hall to make sure no one saw, Locke picked up the sheet of paper and skimmed it.

He noticed two things instantly. It was written by Terra... and addressed to him.

Intrigued, Locke read the letter guilt-free, until the words started to sink in.

It was a letter that she had written in case she...

His hands started shaking violently. No, there had to be another explanation. How could she just quietly accept death like this?!

He was about to crumple the letter up when "I love you" appeared in very carefully written script.

Had he read that right? He checked it over slowly and saw she had indeed written it, and did not mean as a friend or brother.

Suddenly not feeling hungry, Locke pulled out a pin from his back pocket and broke into Terra's room. Inside he found a letter addressed to everyone folded neatly on her nightstand, but he guessed its contents immediately.

He knew he'd have to wait, but he wasn't feeling particularly patient right now. As the sky grew darker, so did Locke's mood. When Terra returned, Locke was practically seething. In retrospect, he wasn't even sure what he was mad at exactly; Terra's denial of her fears, or her refusal to come straight out and tell him.

"...Why did you decide to tell me in a farewell letter of all things..." he muttered.

Her eyes shot up at him in surprise, but his only narrowed in response.

"Were you serious about what you wrote in this?"

Her cheeks flushed and she quickly shook her head, "N-No, it's not what you think! I just... I just wrote whatever came to mind, I was kind of upset, so I wasn't thinking clearly..." She back up at him and whispered, "Please... Don't be angry..."

His eyes widened in shock. "Angry? Because you wrote that you l-"

"Please," she rushed on. "I don't want it to change anything between us... I figured you didn't feel the same, that's why I wasn't going to tell you, but... I couldn't bear the thought that you might never know..."

She felt his arms wrap around her. "Locke...?" she breathed.

He fingered the soft green curls falling down her back as he clutched her tight.

Terra had never been held this way before. She timidly leaned her head against his chest and felt his heart beat. She inhaled his light musky scent; always liking it better than those obnoxious colognes Edgar and Setzer wore not to mention the overpowering sweat of Sabin and Gau.

Her eyes began to fill with tears. This was an apology from Locke, wasn't it? A nice way of rejecting her.

But to her surprise he didn't let go, not even when she tried to gently pull away. When he did lean back, it was only enough so that he could place a loving kiss on the corner of her lips.

"Terra... I'll stay by you, no matter what," he promised.

She looked up at him and felt something warm in her chest. They were so close. And his eyes seemed to shine as he looked at her.

"...So you stay with me too. Don't let the fact that you're half-Esper make you forget that you're half-human too. Don't go anywhere without me."

Terra's eyes lit up at his words. That's right - she was half-human. There was a chance she would survive...

She felt a smile tug at her lips and nodded, "Okay. I'll stay here with you, Locke."

Slowly, he let his hands drift off her. He bent over to kiss her temple before whispering, "Goodnight," against her soft skin.

She smiled when she heard the door click after he closed it - she knew he had locked it for her - and began to prepare for bed before remembering that Locke still have her letter. But when she turned back to her door, Terra found it on the floor, already ripped in half. Smiling in understanding, she picked up the two halves of paper before walking to her window and letting the wind carry them away.

She had no need for a farewell letter anymore.