BU - RE - SU

By Tenshi no Ai

(C) Square Enix

IV. -Blessed-

-0-

"Come on, don't be afraid. Try it."

With a hesitance that was inappropriate coming from a beast such as the holy dragon, Reis accepted the holy stone and the satchel from Beowulf's hands, the items easily fitting between her massive jaws. She glanced at him, her large rose-pink eyes glimmering with what he imagined was hope before she turned and lumbered away into the crumbling Nelveska Temple. He watched her go, his heartbeat increasing with each step until she disappeared into the temple's depths. Finally, after years of searching, he had managed to find both her as well as the Cancer stone that could, presumably, restore her to her true form.

Hopefully.

The weather was mild on the island north of Ivalice, yet he could distinctly feel beads of sweat trickle down the palm of his hands inside his gloves. This is it, he thought, ignoring his body's nervous responses as an odd churning began in the pit of his stomach, this is where everything converges. Reis will be cured, she has to be.

She had to be. He couldn't allow himself to think any differently, to even imagine settling for a life with the enchanted version of his love. Certainly the dragon was Reis, he had known it as soon as he had laid eyes on her in the depths of Goland's colliery, but it wasn't her. He hadn't fallen in love with a monster all those years ago, but rather a beautiful, brilliant human. What she was in now was just a prison, one that might have been his now if it weren't for her intervention.

He would've accepted it. She should've never had to suffer for his sake. But it was going to be alright now.

It had to be.

The seconds ticked by, agonizingly slow, a dying man's crawl. His heartbeat was unsteady as he watched the maw of the dilapidated stone building for anything that could assure him that everything was going to be fine. To calm himself, if only slightly, he tried to conjure her image in his mind. It was something he had done constantly throughout his hunting career, a meditation focus to enforce the belief that all the bruises and scratches and the many near-death experiences were worth it because it would all lead to her someday. However, the years had washed out her image from vibrant oils to faded watercolors in his mind.

Her eyes were caramel, her smile a pretty, pale pink. These stood out in his mind because her emotions were easiest to read in her eyes--that and he was fond of sweets--and her lips had always been indescribably kissable. Next was her golden hair, darker than his own, a shade that went well with her light skin tone. She liked to keep it shorter than he preferred, only because he liked how it had twisted behind her slender figure. Her limbs were long and proportional to her taller-than-average height, her skin soft and practically begging to be caressed for long periods of time. And if he tried he could just about recall her voice, that sweet siren's song that had lured him so many years ago. Soon...soon he would hear her, see her as she truly was once again.

Beowulf smiled.

Light exploded from the temple, forcing him to raise his arm to shield his eyes. The magical glow soon petered out, leaving him to stare in astonishment at the entrance to the sanctuary. Does that...is it done? That's it, isn't it? Is she alright? She's cured...right? So many thoughts like these raced through his mind as he unconsciously clenched his hands into tight fists. God, she has to be...

She had to be restored. It was the only acceptable outcome. Only a cruel deity would deny salvation for the woman whose only sin was to give up her God-given humanity to save him. He had heard the story about Rafa Galthana's miraculous use of the zodiac stone to resurrect her brother; surely Reis could have her humanity returned to her...

There's no other outcome, he reminded himself. Not after six years. She'll come out in just a few moments wearing those clothes I bought for her years ago but never could summon up enough courage to give her, and she'll smile. That's all I want.

Just another chance.

The dragon was only his love ensorcelled. It was only a cell that trapped the Reis he had known, the Reis that he wanted to share his life with. It held the girl who had shyly peeked behind a wall while he went about the business of saving her luggage, it bound within it the woman who had accepted him and his faults and loved him even more for them. If she remained a dragon, he would care for her, but to see her constantly suffering in such a form would be hell. He would have to see the intelligence shining in her eyes and know that there might never be a cure for her, that there was nothing else he could do.

For the rest of his life, he would have to live up to the fact that he had failed her.

No. That wasn't what was going to happen. She was going to come out any moment with a smile on her face and everything was going to be alright. There was no more Buremonda, no more killing for the sake of the Church, only him and her and the rest of their lives together. That was what was going to happen!

It had to.

He heard a scraping noise from inside the temple, but his eyesight could not pierce the darkness to determine her shape. All he could do was wait for the emergence of the lady...or the dragon.

-End to Blessed-

I've always liked the short story 'The Lady or the Tiger', and thought that the concept was especially fitting for this cutscene. Sure we all know what happens (hence the story name), but it's still interesting to see it from Beowulf's viewpoint. Two things: No, this series is not done, not by a longshot. Also, I pushed the contest deadline back by two weeks. I have one entry in via email, so let's see some more!

Reviewers!

Hm...well, TobyKikami, while I'm sure you've figured this out by now, I'll just say that Beowulf was wrapping his cape around himself. See, look:
(At Zirekile Falls. Again.)
Mustadio: Geez, it's freakin' hot here! Ramza, why can't we go swimming? (notices Beo) The hell? Beo, what's wrong with you?
Beowulf: (straight-faced) I'm cold.
Mustadio: ...You're really weird, y'know that?

Hello once again, raitei! I'm glad you like my earlier works as well as this one. Get excited as much as you want, it's a great compliment. :)

Yo, TruebornChaos. Heh, well, in-game Beo is very smitten (especially with a line like, "She means more to me than life itself."). Revenge may be great, but don't you think she's going to get back at him for that? It's a vicious cycle...
My job right now is at a clothing store. The job I'd love to get is as a teacher's aide, but the process of getting hired is longer. I just like the idea of sitting down for more than 30 minutes out of 7-8 hours a day.

Hey, Evil Mina. Ack, romance novelist? I've read exactly one romance novel...bloody thing scared me witless. I guess that proves your point, though.
Hey, you gotta admit, that story's scenario was very plausible. Beowulf is just a victim! Glad you enjoyed it so much.
Nah, 3 is about the 3 months between Ch. 2 and 3. If only I could write it soon.

Uh, Solitary Confinement...you do mean 'tendency towards drama and angst', right? The way you wrote it made me sound like some emo kid. Gah. Anyway, glad you liked it.