Summary: He longed to be held in his only sister's arms just once. Maybe, this time, he would get the chance. Oneshot sibling fic between Leon and Rutee.
AN: I rarely write fics like this, but anyway, this is my celebration for the upcoming Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut (a remake of a remake Oo)! Leon shall live! HE SHALL LIVE! -pikohan'd- BTW, in Leon's dream here, I made up those lines. DON'T BE ANGRY OVER LINES YOU CAN'T RECOGNIZE, 'CAUSE NEVER WERE IN THE GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE :P
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Destiny. Namco does. If I DID own it, SxL would've been canon :P
Ephemeral... Yes, everything was just so ephemeral... This second, this moment, this land, and even this world, everything around was just so short-lived...
Those were the thoughts that lingered within Leon Magnus' tired mind as he watched his, "companions" check-in at the inn. He tried to deny it, but he has actually come to "like" this peculiar group of people. His whole fifteen years in his father's mansion wasn't really something he enjoyed, so being with these people was something new for him, something so fresh.
Leon sighed as he saw Stahn and Rutee fighting over something again. He couldn't help but smile inwardly at the two; they were probably fighting over something trivial, like the room arrangements.
The others just laughed as Rutee won over Stahn yet again. To see everyone smiling and laughing like this; he just wished it would last forever.
But he knew deep inside that he was just lying to himself...
"Hey, Leon!" Rutee called, making the dazed swordsman jump. "C'mon, let's get our rooms!"
As soon as Leon reached the front desk and joined the others, Stahn started, "So... It'll be Woodrow, Philia, and I in room 201..."
Leon stared at the other two, who were busy in a hearty conversation.
"So that means, Leon, Mary, and Rutee will be in room 202," Stahn finished. "Is everyone okay with-"
"Wait a second!" Leon suddenly protested, cutting Stahn off. "Why the heck am I with these two women?" he demanded.
"So?" Woodrow shrugged. "Philia's with us."
"That's not the point," he hissed. "Why this arrangement-"
"Oh, knock it off, you little runt!" Rutee laughed as she grabbed the boy by the neck. "I'm tired of keeping up with Stahn's friggin' snoring! You're a quiet one when asleep, right?"
"Don't touch me!" he hissed, as she broke away from Rutee's grasp. "And my sleeping habits are none of your concern!"
"So..." Stahn sighed. "Let's go."
"Wait!" Leon yelled. "Don't I even get a say in this?"
"Apparently, I don't..." Leon sighed as the three of them reached room 202. He sighed once again and entered the room after Rutee did. To his relief, the room had exactly three beds. He didn't know what he would do if he had to share a bed with even one of the two girls.
Shaking the horrid thought off, he approached the bed nearest the window and roughly slumped his stuff on to it, including Chaltier, who yelled out, "Hey!" in protest. He soon followed and buried his face on under a pilow, fatigue getting to him.
"You're not going to eat dinner, Leon?" he heard Rutee's voice ask. Leon opened his eyes to find Rutee sitting on the bed beside his.
Quickly hiding his face under the pillow once again, he mumbled, "Later."
He looked up in surprise when he felt a hand ruffling his hair. "WHAT are you doing?" he demanded.
Rutee laughed. "Aw, is the little baby too tired?"
"Stop that!" Leon hissed as he slapped her hand away. He could've tried to electrocute her, but he was too tired to even reach for the switch.
Rutee stuck her tongue out as she trodded out of the room together with Mary.
Leon stared at Rutee's retreating back until it went out of sight. Involuntarily, a small smile crept up his face. He wondered, if she knew of his identity, would she still treat her as such? Would they be able to live peacefully, as brother and sister?
"Young Master?"
Chaltier's sudden voice awakened him from his idiotic fantasy. He looked down at the Swordian, who asked, "Surely you'll eat supper, right Young Master?"
"O-of course..." he muttered as he rose from the bed. "Will you stay here?"
"Yes, I have nothing else to do," Chaltier replied.
Leon got up and slowly walked toward the door. Upon touching its cold doorknob, he realized: There was no way his fantasies would ever be fulfilled.
Right after dinner, everyone wanted to stay at the pub and talk about things, but not Leon. The young man quickly went up back to his room, and immediately fell asleep.
And after that dream he just had, he sort of wish he didn't...
"She'll die if you don't follow my orders, Emilio."
The sound of that cold voice literally made Leon turn in his sleep.
"It's all right Leon... Mother will always be here..."
"No..." he choked as his hands clutched against the sheets.
"Sis! No! Sis, don't leave me!"
"No more..." he begged, unconsciously burying his face under the pillow.
"Emilio, enough. You don't have to suffer like this... Not for me..."
"LEON!"
"WAH!"
Leon quickly buried his face in his hands as soon as he shot up from the bed, sweat dripping down his forehead. Again, the same, horrible dream haunted him, a dream that would always remind him of the fate he bound himself to...
"Leon, you okay?"
Leon looked up and saw Rutee looming over him with, to his surprise, a concerened look on her face. So... it was her voice that saved him from that horrid nightmare. It was her...
"Hey!" Rutee called, waving a hand in front of his pale face. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Wh-what?" Leon asked, still a bit dazed.
Rutee sighed as she sat beside him. "You were moaning and thrashing in your sleep," she informed him.
Leon raised a brow. "Thrashing?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Okay, fine, you were moving around too much," she sighed. Gesturing towards Chal, she added, "And that guy wasn't much of a help either."
Leon turned to see his Swordian Chaltier leaning against the wall. He tried not to laugh when he heard faint snoring sounds from the sentient sword...
"Anyway," Rutee started, leaning closer. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"
"I..."
He wanted to tell her... He wanted to tell her about the dreams he would always have... About how he had called her in his nightmares...
"It's none of your business," he hissed, looking away.
"You little-"
"I appreciate the fact that you woke me up," he cut in. "But that's it. Now go to sleep." And with that, he slumped himself back on the bed, and covered himself under the blanket.
"I'd expect a thanks," Rutee muttered. She just shrugged it off and returned to her bed.
Leon lifted the covers from his face, but he still didn't dare to look back at her. Silently, he whispered, "Thank you..."
Leon woke up early that morning. For some strange reason, that second shut-eye gave him such a peaceful dream. He dreamt... He dreamt of a family... His family, together... Within a peaceful garden of flowers. He was there, but a small child, running around the flowers as his sister chased him. His mother was there, quietly reading a book under a tree, while his father continously teased her.
A family... that's all he ever wanted...
"I better get to breakfast..." he muttered as he got up... Or rather, tried to get up. As soon as he tried to set his feet on the floor, he felt a heavy pressure stop from doing so... As if, something was actually on him.
His eyes lazily shifted towards that something that was stopping him from getting up.
"An arm..." he muttered as he stared at the, well, the arm.
It didn't take him long to suddenly widen his eyes at the sight. "What the?" he demanded as he looked towards where the hand connected itself. He almost yelled out in surprise.
"R-Rutee..." he muttered, staring at the sleeping girl who was beside him, her arms wrapped around him. "What the hell..."
Shaking the trivial thoughts away, he tried to wake her up. "Shh! Hey! Rutee! Wake up!" he hissed as he struggled to break away from her arms.
The girl merely shifted and mumbled some incomprehensible words before falling back asleep, only making her grip tighter around her.
"Damn it..." Leon hissed as he slumped his head back onto his pillow. "Maybe I should just wait for her to wake up..." he sighed. Maybe he'd fall asleep as well.
During that short time, many trivial thoughts that he had already forgotten came swimming back into his mind... Did his sister ever hold him in her arms? Did she ever show him such love, such warmth? Did she ever care to comfort him whenever he would get nightmares when they were children?
A small chuckle escaped his lips. Knowing Rutee's current personality, there was no way she would have done such a thing...
Looking at Rutee one last time, he smiled and let his eyes close. This was probably the only time his sister ever held him in her arms... He felt happy, to have obtained this chance...
AN: My first Destiny fic... so yeah, crappy, I know.