Breaking Point
On the coldest night ever to befall Radiant Garden, not a soul could rest in peace. The winds of destruction howled through the streets, toppling the homes of the unwitting townsfolk. Their screams saturated the air with hopelessness. Despair claimed the children who watched their parents turn twisted and vile, corrupted by the taint long buried within their hearts. Sorrow filled the mothers and fathers who buried their children in still smoldering heaps of ash. Anger filled the warriors who powerlessly watched the town succumb to the emissaries of Darkness.
The once prosperous City of Light lay in ruins—a perfect abode for the Witch. Her face dyed with shades of envy and desire, she maneuvered through the rubble to the deserted castle. A bloodstained carpet led her to the throne of the deposed ruler, and the bodies of the fallen elevated her to its seat. With a sinister cackle, she crowned herself supreme mistress of the land and unleashed the full extent of her power against the survivors. Few escaped with their lives, and the ones who did would never know true peace.
Whenever he spent too long in solitude, Leon relived the horrors of his ultimate failure. He carried with him the torment of the dead as penance for his inability to save the ones who needed him most. After the fall of his homeland, the stalwart warrior swore an oath of perseverance. He fought countless battles against the Witch's armies, saving many from a frightful demise. But a long war takes its toll on even the most valiant of hearts. No man escapes unscathed from the deleterious hold of the battlefield.
Over time, Leon grew to care little for his wellbeing as he rushed to shield civilians from the Heartless. After years of fighting the emissaries of Darkness, the scar on his forehead became a minor blemish. Gashes and bruises of all sorts adorned his body, and several of his broken bones never mended properly. Three of his fingers grew crooked from broken knuckles, and his twice-shattered ribs made it hard for him to breath when resting supine.
No one dared question his heroism, but sometimes, when he spent nights alone staring up at the moon from his nook in the clocktower, Leon wondered how much longer he could tarry on. A dark, secret part festered deep within his heart whispering a dismal prayer. Fed by the endless pain and suffering bequeathed to him by life, the wish for death burgeoned until its parasitic roots grew to cripple his resolve.
On a night where Leon evaded his team for a moment of seclusion, the roots of despair bore thorns. It had been a week without reply from the Keyblade master, and Leon's dangerous dance with the Darkness poisoned his mind. Without the Keyblade, there was no hope. Leon would stand as the last line of defense against the Heartless. But for how long? His ailing body struggled to keep pace with the increased frequency of attacks...
"Help!"
The panicked cry snapped Leon free from his tumultuous thoughts. Standing tall, he turned his gaze to the streets below the Gizmo Shop where he saw a woman surrounded by Defenders. With an instinctive twirl of his wrist, he yanked the Gunblade free from its sheath and jumped down to rain hell on the Heartless. He killed one instantly and opened a path for escape.
"Go!" he ordered the woman as he parried an oncoming assault. The civilian fled to a nearby shelter, abandoning Leon to his fate. Four Defenders charged towards him in unison, and because their monstrous shields protected them from all head-on attacks, Leon could do little more than brace himself for the inevitable.
I knew a man a long time ago. He and I shared the same face, but we wanted different things. When I look in the mirror, I'm constantly reminded of his death. My name was meant to be one of rebirth, but the soldier's path has only one destination.
The Heartless stole so much from so many, and I was no exception. Death and destruction are as natural to me as air and water. I don't think I'll ever know a future free from such chaos.
I've come to accept the truth. If I'm destined to fall, then at least it's while saving another life. I have no regrets.
…No, wait. That's not true. What am I saying? Am I really going to die here? But what about...
"What do you mean we've lost contact?"
Leon was standing in the doorway of Cid's underground communications center. After going a few days without a report from Sora, the leader of the Traverse Town Resistance could do little else but stalk Cid as the engineer ran from one junk pile to the next trying to reconfigure his radio.
"It's the signal," Cid explained while fishing around his belly warmer for his trusty screwdriver. "My guess is they've gotten too close to Hollow Bastion. All the Heartless in the area are jamming the airwaves."
"Fix it," came the leader's terse demand. His livid complexion accentuated his grouchy demeanor. The dark circles under his eyes gave him an almost ghoulish appearance. Creases had formed along his forehead from the countless hours he spent in contemplative thought, and wrinkles near his eyes trailed off to where veins bulged along his temples.
"Well what the heck do you think I'm trying to do here—learn the Macarena?" Cid retorted with a flick of his nose. He pulled out the Philips head and popped open the back of his radio. All the while, Leon continued to glare as if he could intimidate the gadget into fixing itself. "Would you just get out of here and let a man do his job? You're giving me the willies!"
Leon wanted to bark out some speech about being the man in charge and doing whatever he damn well pleased, but a hand came to rest on his shoulder and cooled his fiery tongue.
"Cid can handle this," said Aerith as she came up from behind Leon. "You believe in him, don't you?"
Her genteel words of reason sapped Leon of his strength to argue. He muttered a weak "whatever" as he shrugged his shoulder bare. Without another word, he backed out of the room and headed upstairs to the Accessory Shop proper.
"You'd best follow him," Cid said through lips clamped around a bunch of screws. "He's been acting wonky since that witch came to town. Now that Sora's off radar—"
"I know." Aerith held her rejected hand to her heart and sighed. "He'll never admit it, but he's stopped sleeping since Maleficent's surprise visit. Sora's disappearance is only making things worse."
"He's always taken the lion's share of the fight," Cid replied thoughtfully. He swapped out the radio's wiring. "It's not helping that the shadows are getting bigger by the day. Try talking some sense into that boy, would ya? Sometimes I think he forgets we're even here."
In agreement, Aerith left Cid to his work while she undertook her new mission.
Outside the shop, Yuffie was pressed up against the Item Shop waiting for Leon. When she spied him sulking around earlier, she wanted to throw a little bit of pep his way and lighten his load. But then a couple of kids wanted her help getting home, and a little old lady needed her to reinforce the bars on her windows. Before she knew it, Yuffie spent the whole day running around town performing odd jobs. But now she was free to focus on her weary friend, and she ambushed Leon the moment he descended the steps.
"Heya, Squall!" she shouted in her usual chipper way. "Wanna go check out the new karaoke machine the duck brothers just installed?"
Lacking the energy to engage in their usual banter, Leon offered a grunt in response as he walked towards the Third District. But the ninja girl wasn't going to give up without a fight.
"Oh come on, Squall! When was the last time you stopped to take a load off? You know, unwind a bit by having some fun?"
Fun? Leon thought. Every minute wasted is another heart stolen! He opened his mouth to rebuff her, but she preempted him.
"And no, that time you went to Roger's house to feed the puppies doesn't count!" Yuffie continued to blab, her feet on autopilot as she followed her leader. "It's like taking care of a hundred babies! Babies aren't relaxing; they cry and whine, and in your case, bark. I mean, what's a better way to relax than chilling with your friends singing showtu—"
The door to the Third District slammed smack into Yuffie's face. "Hey! What was that for?" she cried, nursing her sore, red nose. "There are nicer ways to say 'no' to a girl!"
On the other side of the door, Leon ran into a squad of Shadows preying on two children. He dispatched them with little effort and got the youngsters to safety, but contending with the Wyvern reinforcements gravely weakened him. Winded, he struggled to stand tall when the next wave flew down from the sky. One smacked him hard from behind, sending him tumbling into the claws of another. The Heartless cut into Leon's chest, drawing blood. The wounded warrior clutched at the open gash and fell to his knees.
The Wyverns circled around Leon like vultures, but their prey received a quick fix from a well-timed Cure spell and a sudden hail of shuriken covered his path of retreat.
"Maybe next time you won't slam a door in my face!" Yuffie scoffed as she and Aerith stepped up to double-team the Heartless. After securing Leon, she flipped into the air with her weapon extended and spun like a tornado to slash the Wyverns more than two dozen times each. Aerith finished them off by turning them to stone. Motionless and heavy, the Heartless fell out of the air and shattered into millions of pieces.
"That's one way to break their hearts," Yuffie snickered as she watched the freed hearts flutter into the night sky. But no one else recognized her humor. Leon crouched on the ground, his eyes wide as he heaved labored breaths. Aerith tried to steady him, but a loud ringing blocked out the sound of her voice. Darkness crept into Leon's blurred vision and he almost collapsed.
It took all their strength for Yuffie and Aerith to drag their vertiginous leader to the secret base. They each took one of his arms and hoisted him up the stairs and into the house where they rested him in an armchair. The Cure spell had only given him a brief patch job and burst of adrenaline, but the effects wore off too soon. Leon's body was too fatigued to recuperate through magical means.
While his friends applied first aid, Leon fidgeted in his seat. He fought against the healing hands that tried to remove his bloodied shirt and fell deaf to all pleas for cooperation. When it seemed like they would have to sedate him, Leon suddenly stopped moving. His breathing ceased as his wide, hazy eyes came to focus on a solitary point.
A little girl stood barefooted before him, dressed in a frayed dress with blood dripping like tears from her eyes.
Leon screamed.
What's the point of living if you're a failure? When you lose what's most important to you, your reason for being comes into question. I thought I could distance myself from my past, but its claws are never too far from the shadows. Like a vacuum, it tries to suck me back in, but there's always been a light to sever its hold on me.
That light is fading now...
Why have I resisted this feeling for so long? Maybe letting the darkness take me isn't such a bad thing. I'm not needed. This war's lost. I can't do this anymore.
I'm sorry...
Aerith ran out of the secret base, her panicked eyes darting in every direction. Guilt weighing heavy on her mind, she headed into the First District. After healing Leon's wounds and setting him to rest, she had left him unattended only for a moment to help a family of new residents secure some temporary housing. When she returned to the secret base, she found that Leon had absconded into the night. Trepidation creeping through her veins as she envisioned Leon prostrate and unconscious in the street, she pushed through her fatigue and rushed to get help.
Outside the cafe, she flagged Yuffie. "Have you seen Leon?" she asked, pulling her friend away from an old man who needed help finding his grandson.
"Isn't he sleeping in the chair?" Yuffie replied.
Aerith shook her head. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have left his side!"
"No time to be busting your own head over this. I'll go tell Cid—you check the Second District." After reassuring the old man that she would look for his grandson, Yuffie hightailed it to the Accessory Shop while Aerith rushed into the next district.
It didn't take long for her to see the mob of Heartless swarming the square. Four Defenders readied their shields and charged towards their target, but before they could collide, Aerith shouted an incantation. A protective barrier arose to rebuff the Heartless, and Aerith rushed to Leon's aid. The two stood back-to-back, and together, they defeated their foes. But when the battle was over, Leon collapsed to his knees using his Gunblade for a crutch.
Delirious and disoriented, the ailing man failed to comprehend what was happening. He could see Aerith kneel beside him, but her face blurred. She said something made unintelligible by the loud ringing in his ears, and when she put her arms around him, he allowed himself to lose consciousness.
When Leon next awoke, he again found himself resting in an armchair. Smacking his dry mouth, he groaned as he tried to move. Every muscle in his body howled in agony. It hurt to breathe, much less move. Regardless, he was determined to push through and get to his feet.
"What are you doing?"
Sitting at the table behind him, Aerith stood guard to make sure he wouldn't wander off again. She put down a flower arrangement that had kept her busy and went to Leon's side.
"There are Heartless..." the battered man struggled to say. It felt like a stack of cinderblocks was crushing his chest.
"You need rest," Aerith tried to reason, but Leon ignored her. He tried to force himself upright when Aerith put a hand to his bandaged chest and held him still. "What are you thinking?" she scolded, her voice rising. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Silence fell, and when Leon's eyes refused to meet hers, Aerith grew queasy at the revelation. "Oh my god." She clasped her hands over her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes. "You're looking for a place to die..."
Leon didn't answer.
"How did it come to this?" Aerith sniffled, brushing the moisture from the corner of her eyes with the palm of her hand. "This isn't like you! You've always been a fighter, Leon. You've protected us all for so long, and now you want to give up? Why?"
Gripping the arms of the chair with all his strength, Leon again tried to rise, but a sharp pain held him in place. "I'm tired," he eventually said with exasperated breath. "I'm tired of everything."
"That's what happens to people when they don't sleep," Aerith contended. "You're human like the rest of us, but lately, you've been running around like a machine! Why didn't you let us help you?"
"How could I?" Leon shouted, surprising himself with the sudden outburst. All the pent up rage he had held within him for such a long time popped like the cap off a pressure cooker. The tension began to dissipate and the cinderblocks fell from his chest.
"How could I...?" he said more softly. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head toward the ceiling. In the darkness, he could see the bloodied girl. A tear streamed down his face. "I don't ever want to lose anyone precious again."
Her mouth agape, Aerith kneeled down and took Leon's hands in hers. "You know you'll never lose me."
Grief and guilt warped and twisted the reassuring statement. Instead of easing his fear, Aerith's words rekindled the wounded warrior's anger. Gritting his teeth, Leon slipped his hands free and forced his weight into the arms of the chair. Through raw rage, he managed to heave himself upright, and with a feral roar, he threw himself at the table in hopes of ricocheting towards the door. But that half-baked plan backfired. The table flipped over, sending the flower arrangement crashing into a puddle of water and broken glass. Writhing on the ground, Leon gasped for air. The pressure on his lungs sent sharp pulses of pain shooting throughout his body. Aerith tried to help him sit upright, but he kept resisting her.
"Is this how you want to go, Leon?" she grunted as she struggled to lift him by the arm. "You want to suffocate on the floor? Are you that desperate to leave us all behind?" After a long, laborious effort, she hoisted Leon and leaned him against the overturned table's circular foundation. Both of them ragged and sore, they took a long pause to recompose themselves.
Too heavy to move, Leon's arms lay flat at his sides while his legs rested outstretched. He looked like a mummy with almost every inch of his skin covered in bandages. Aerith sat next to him, her dress cut in multiple areas and adorned with splotchy stains. Neither one ventured to look in the other's direction; one was drowning in sorrow while the other wrestled with a living nightmare.
"I'm sorry," Leon growled after a time.
"When did you stop trusting me...?" Aerith whispered, dejected.
After a small pause with which to gather his last reserve of courage, Leon turned his head to look at Aerith. "We've been fighting the Heartless for what—eight years now? I never had the time to think about the old days or what happened to start all of this. But when Maleficent showed up in town, I..."
It felt like a ball had gotten lodged in Leon's throat, cutting him off in mid-sentence. But as with everything else in his life, he pushed through the pain. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Ellone. I see her and I remember the big brother who failed to save his sister." He took a moment to close his red, stinging eyes. "And that's why I..."
Before he could continue, Aerith shushed him with a finger to his lips. "It's okay," she said, "I understand. You don't need to waste your energy."
Eyes still sore, Leon ventured to gaze at the woman who had always been right by his side through his many trials and tribulations. She understood his every grunt and growl, and she healed his every scrape and bruise. Every step he took, she followed pace, and at that moment, staring into her empathetic eyes, Leon could see the light again. But more importantly, he realized that it had never left him.
With a faint smile, the mended man again dared to move his mangled body. He slid his cold fingers to intertwine with hers. With that little warmth, he was able to close his eyes and bid farewell to the phantom.
Hours later, the door to the secret base opened and Yuffie came running inside. "Guys, come quick! It's—" She stopped and noticed Leon fast asleep in Aerith's arms.
"What is it?" Aerith asked in a hushed tone.
It took Yuffie a moment to snap her focus away from the cozy scene and reply. "It's Sora!" she finally said, still loud and exuberant despite using her "in-door" voice.
"Cid managed to fix the radio?"
"Nope, even better!" Yuffie stepped out of the doorway, giving clear view to the outside where Sora, Donald, Goofy and a mysterious girl awaited entry.
"Sorry it took us so long," Sora apologized. But when he caught sight of Leon, he jumped in a panic. "Oh no! Is Leon okay?"
Aerith just smiled. Everything was going to be fine.
A/N: This fic was a request from a friend who's always supported me and my works. He wanted a love story between Leon and Aerith, and well, I don't really do romance, so it kind of turned into a hellish nightmare for the two "lovebirds" lol.