The title of this chapter is from my FAVORITE Final Fantasy piece of all time...and it's from this Final Fantasy. It's first played when Terra wakes up in Arvis' house in the beginning of the game...and then it's played a few other times. (It's actually played at the part of the game that I write about in chapter 19 in case you were curious!) This was a very hard chapter to write as well...but there is one exchange in here that is honestly one of my favorites in the fic. I put a rough draft of it in my livejournal a few months back--I wrote this in the beginning of April--but I changed some stuff around...not what was said because I LOVE what is said...but just some descriptions and stuff. Okay, another thing that is rather amusing...the character of Xane was created because of this chapter. I needed someone to have the conversation with Locke and the end of this chapter--if you're a hardcore VI fan, you'll understand what part I'm talking about--so I created Xane. I never knew how big of a role he would end up playing in this fic though. Well, there is ONE other reason, but that will be explained in a later chapter and I'll discuss it then. I love the way my little muse works sometimes!

23. Awakening

It's been three days…Locke thought, gently holding Rachel's frail hand in his own. He watched her closely, looking for some sign that she might wake up. She was lying so still that if it weren't for her chest gently rising as she breathed, one would assume she were dead. Her face was pale, and her normally rosy pink lips were almost as pale as her face. It had looked like death was knocking at her door, just waiting for the young girl to let him in.

Locke reached over to grab the cloth that was in a bowl next to him. The bowl contained steaming hot water, and he constantly was dipping the cloth in the water then placing the damp cloth on Rachel's forehead. There was a bruise there from where she landed on a rock from the fall, and he was hoping that the warm cloth would make the swelling go down.

Since the fall three days previous, Locke hadn't left her side except to shower. Even when he was in the shower, he quickly washed his body then went out to sit by her again. He placed a chair next to her bed and waited for her to wake up, hearing the clock tick away the minutes that seemed to last as long as days. His face could've been compared to hers; pale from not sleeping since the night before the accident. Dark circles were under his eyes and a large mug of coffee sat on the dresser next to him.

He longed for her to flutter her eyes open and smile at him again, but the doctor said he wasn't sure if she would ever wake up. "The longer it lasts, the less likely it is…" The doctor told Locke and Rachel's father with an apologetic sigh when he first visited them. The doctor assumed it was brain damage and was surprised that she was in the condition she was. Locke even heard the man mumble, "She's damn lucky to be alive…"

Locke knew that Vaughn and Xane were both probably worried sick, for Locke never was away for this long on a hunt. If they knew that I took Rachel with me, they would be even more livid…He thought as he shifted his weight in the small wooden chair. I should've tried to contact them to inform them that I'm alive, but they'll understand when she wakes up and I come back…

He sighed at his own thoughts, doubting them as they crossed his mind. The sound of her screams as she fell through the old bridge echoed in his mind non-stop, almost as if the entire thing happened in slow motion. I never should've taken her along…

His nervous hands found their way to the crown of his head to follow the habit of fixing his bandana. Of course, when his hands met his hair, the bandana wasn't there. It was tied around Rachel's upper arm to stop the bleeding, for a rock badly scraped her arm from the fall. When the doctor cleaned the wound, he handed the bandana back to Locke, but Locke requested to keep it on her. The doctor was confused, but abided the young man's wishes anyway.

"Why are you still here, boy?" Locke slightly jumped as he heard the rough voice of the Baron VanLente standing from the kitchen. It was the first thing he had said to Locke since the doctor left. Hearing the Baron yelling at him that day, blaming the entire situation on him struck hard in Locke's heart. Locke knew that it could've been him lying unconscious, but it wasn't. Rachel heard the crack of the wood and pushed him to safety. As many times as Locke clarified the story, Baron believed in his own mind that Locke pushed her down to her fate.

"I'm waiting for her to wake up," Locke replied, his voice soft and reserved. He was surprised that the Baron simply stormed off to a different side of the house and let Locke stay by Rachel's side. He was slightly afraid that the man would've kicked him out, but he thanked his lucky stars that he was still able to stay here, despite the Baron's feelings of hatred toward Locke.

"Well, you shouldn't be here." The man's voice was deeper and more gruff than usual and Locke turned to face him. Much like himself, he looked exhausted and worn out. As Locke continued to look at the older man, he saw that he held a wrinkled newspaper in his hand. It was the newspaper from several days ago that the Baron had been reading and rereading over and over again. He sat at the kitchen table, and although Locke could hear the pages turn every so often, he knew that no words were being absorbed.

"What if she wakes up…" he trailed off, his voice choking up as he fought back tears. "I don't want her to wake up all alone and realize that I'm not here. I don't want her to think that I gave up on her and just left."

"She won't be alone," the Baron told Locke as he put the newspaper down on the table and walked over to where Rachel was laying. His eyes burned with hatred as he stared down the younger man, towering over him for he was standing up. "She'll have me. She'll always have me. I'm all she needs."

Locke looked down at Rachel's hand again and felt the tears building up. He shook his head and stroked her cheek with his fingertips. "Baron, I know that you don't like me, and that's fine. I honestly don't give a damn. But this isn't about what you feel. This is about Rachel. For her sake, I won't leave her."

"Fine," he snapped as he stormed off toward the kitchen and put the coffee mug that was on the table in the sink. He more or less dropped it, so it made a loud clattering noise as it hit the metal. Locke was surprised that it didn't shatter. "Then do me a favor. I need to run to the item shop quickly, so stay here with her."

"I told you, I will not leave her," Locke reassured the Baron, enunciating every word. The older man huffed as he walked over to him and pointed with his finger.

"I will be back in twenty minutes," he informed the younger man as he put on his coat. "Hopefully sooner, but may the goddesses help me if you do anything wrong."

Locke didn't even dignify the Baron's threat with a response; he simply looked down at Rachel and felt a tear fall down his cheek. The Baron slammed the door behind him, causing Locke to jump slightly. He stood up and walked to window and when he saw that the Baron was out of sight, he walked back up to Rachel and kissed her gently on the lips.

Tears that had remained dammed behind his eyelids now streamed freely as he reached into his pocket for the ring that he hid. When the accident happened, he didn't even think about removing it until he noticed it when the doctor was examining her. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain the engagement to the Baron yet without Rachel telling him herself, so he slipped the ring off unnoticed. After turning the tiny golden band around in his fingers a few times, he lifted up Rachel's left hand and slid the ring on her finger.

"Rachel, please," he pleaded quietly, holding her hand to his lips and kissing it. Her skin felt papery thin as he gently brushed his lips over it. "You need to wake up. I'm nothing without you."

As he looked at her, he could hear the birds singing outside. He wanted to run to the door and scream at them for intruding on the moment, but he didn't find it in him to move. Using the back of his hand, he wiped his tears away, realizing that no amount of tears was going to wake her up.

"Pull yourself together, Locke Cole," he said to himself with a sniff. He shook his head then placed his chin in the palm of his hand. With a grimace, he felt his facial hair tickle his hand. He hated not shaving, but he knew it would take away precious moments of the day. Moments where she might wake up…

Looking out the window, he felt himself zone out from fatigue. He felt his eyelids growing heavy, but before they shut he felt her fingers twitch in his grasp. He dropped her hand in surprise, then moved so he could look at her face. Her eyelids trembled, as if they were asking to be opened.

"Rachel!" He cried as he gently stroked her hair. "Are you awake? Come on, Rachel! Wake up! Come back to me, please…"

The seconds slowly ticked by as Rachel blinked her eyes open and looked toward Locke. His tears of grief suddenly turned to tears of joy as her eyes locked with his. His smile lit up the whole room as he wrapped her in his arms tightly around her.

To his surprise, instead of reciprocating the embrace, she let out a frightened scream and pushed him away. He blinked in confusion, slightly backing away from her so she could have some room and try stand up on wobbly legs. She placed her hand against her forehead and made a pained face.

"Rachel…" He started as he once again reached out for her. Instead of saying anything back to him, her eyes widened in fright and she slightly faltered backward.

"Who are you?" Locke wasn't sure what his reaction should be to her question, so he laughed out of fright.

"Rachel, it's me! Locke!" He exclaimed as he pointed to himself. She shook her head and closed her eyes, her hand still on her forehead. "You…do remember right?"

"I…" She started as she put her hand against the wall to stabilize herself. Locke waited eagerly for her to go on as she looked at the floor. After a minute of silence and Locke worrying, she looked at him and said quietly, "I can't remember anything…"

"What?" He exclaimed rather loudly, frightening her even more. His heart was racing, hands began to sweat, and started to feel weak. "What…What do you mean?"

"I don't remember anything," she repeated as she looked up at him. "What are you doing here?"

No…no no no…He thought as he walked over to his chair and sat in it. This isn't happening…This can't be happening…Fighting back tears, he stood back up and walked over to her. With every step that he took toward her, she backed away closer to the wall. "Rachel, please don't be scared."

"How do you know my name?" She asked, her voice wavering as she continued to walk further away from Locke. She let out a yelp when her back met the wall.

He stopped walking toward her and bowed his head. He wasn't trying to frighten her, he was just trying to hold her in his arms again. "You don't know who I am? Or what happened the other day? Or, goddesses, what has happened between you and I? Nothing?" She shook her head and brought her left hand up to her forehead again. As she did, the sunlight that was pouring in the window caught the diamond and made it sparkle. He felt his heart sink.

"I'm sorry…" She apologized as she used her hand to place a stray tendril of hair behind her ear.

In almost a whisper, he said, "Do…me a favor. Look at your left hand." She lifted up her left hand to see the ring, and gasped when she did.

"What's this?" She asked, not looking up at him. Locke knew that she knew it was an engagement ring, but the fact that she didn't remember that it was from him tore him apart.

"You told me 'yes,' Rachel," he reminded her as she closely inspected the ring. "You want to get married on a beautiful spring day on the beach. 'The sooner the better,' you told me. Although I asked your hand in marriage only four days ago, you told me that you had a perfect vision of what you wanted in your mind; including me next to you for the rest of your life."

"I…I'm sorry," she apologized again, her eyes filling up with tears as he tried to spark her memory. "I just don't remember…"

Instead of stopping like he could tell she wanted him to, he continued. However, now his voice was more desperate and not as kind. "You wanted me to take you treasure hunting with me, so after you begged me for a year, I gave in. We went into a cave and the bridge…" he paused as he saw the memory play back in his mind. After a shaky inhale, he resumed his story. "The bridge started to collapse and you pushed me to safety. I saw you fall and I jumped after you, but I was too late. You were lying so still on the floor. So still…I couldn't do anything for you. I wanted to, but I just couldn't—Goddesses! Don't you remember anything?"

"I'm sorry!" She cried out, instantly calming him down. He didn't realize that he was shouting at her until he heard his voice echoing in the house, so he looked away from her in shame. For a reason that Locke couldn't find, she slowly walked over to him and placed her hand on his arm, trying to turn him in her direction. "I wish I could remember."

He sighed and slowly looked up at her. Although she was so near to him, he knew he couldn't hold her close anymore. As he looked into her eyes, he could tell that she didn't know who he was, and the thought killed him inside. It was just her nature to be a caring person, and seeing him so worked up about something she didn't understood was enough reason for her to try to console him. Turning his eyes away again, he quietly said, "I wish I could forget."

The front door flew open, causing both Rachel and Locke to whip their heads over toward the Baron. The Baron saw Rachel awake, and his hand flew to his heart. His eyes closed and Locke could see the shimmer of tears forming around his eyelashes.

"Rachel…" Still in his coat, he walked over to her and reached his arms out. "Thank the goddesses, you're all right."

"Daddy," she exhaled as she fell into his arms, crying once she reached his chest.

Locke's breathing began to race even more when he realized that it was only her short term memory that was damaged, not her long term memory. She doesn't know who I am…He repeated in his head as he looked down and felt the tears well up again.

"Rachel, I was so worried," the Baron explained as he ran his hand up and down Rachel's back. "Locke and I didn't leave your side."

The sentence infuriated Locke, for it seemed as though the Baron was supportive of Locke staying there, even though he knew that the Baron hated it. "Now, wait just a second—"

"Locke? Who's that?" She asked as her eyes moved toward Locke. "Oh, him?"

The Baron's face fell as his gaze shot daggers at Locke. Locke looked away in shame as he saw his pale face turn a bright shade of red from anger. He didn't like to feel chastised, especially by the Baron, but he knew that he was about to get yelled at.

"You!" He screamed as he moved Rachel to the side and grabbed Locke by the arm. Forcefully, he dragged Locke to the door, opened it, and threw him outside. Locke wasn't sure how he managed to land on his feet, but he was thankful that he did.

"I'm twenty-four years old!" He screamed back at the Baron. "You can't treat me like this!"

"I can treat you however the hell I want!" He grabbed Locke's coat off of the coat rack and threw it at him. "Get outta here! It's your fault she's lost her memory!"

"Wait a minute!" He challenged back as he could see Rachel peeking over her father's shoulder. He saw the ring sparkle in the sunlight and just couldn't take it anymore. "She said 'Yes!' We were gonna—"

Locke trailed off as Rachel moved in front of the Baron and looked at him. The look in her eyes was one that she had never given him before; it was cold and distant. "Go! I don't know who you are, but ever since you came here, my daddy has been upset!"

Before Locke could protest, she walked back in the house and slammed the door. It was as if she was slamming the door on his heart. He took a step forward, but stopped and looked down at the ground.

"I figured I'd find you here." Locke whipped his head up and turned around to see Xane standing about twenty feet away, leaning against the side of the weapon and armor shop. He was inspecting his sword and sheathed it when he knew he had Locke's attention. "Vaughn and I have been worried about you, you know. I didn't expect to see that though. What happened?"

"She…Her memory…" Locke stuttered as he felt a tear stream down his cheek. He watched it as it hit the ground, making a small puddle in the dirt. There were so many words bottled up inside of him, yet he couldn't figure out how to say any of them. It was if he had forgotten the skills to speak. "She…"

"Did Rachel lose her memory?" He asked quietly. With a sniff, Locke nodded his head. "Oh, Locke. What happened?"

"She and I went on a…walk," Locke began, speaking in an almost inaudible tone. "We arrived on a bridge…and it started to break under my feet…" Trailing off, he shook his head. After a pause, he closed his eyes and continued. "She pushed me to safety, but…she fell. When she woke up today, she didn't remember me. She…doesn't remember anything. She doesn't know who I am, why I was with her… Nothing. It was as if…nothing had ever happened between us. Like I was nothing but a total stranger to her."

Xane walked closer to Locke and put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Locke, I'm so sorry. I really don't know what to say."

"I don't know what to do," he replied, not taking his eyes off of the ground. "I don't want to leave her. I…can't leave her." He looked up at his friend and saw the empathetic look on his face. "You don't know what I'm going through so don't give me that look."

"Locke, you're not going to want me to say this, but I think you'd best leave Rachel alone. She's going to have to make a new start of it." Locke glared at Xane, who only sighed.

Continuing the glare, he asked, "Are you nuts?"

"Locke…you know I'm right about this," Xane continued as Locke shook his head in disagreement. "Listen to me. Your being here doesn't help."

"You're crazy!" Locke interrupted, shrugging Xane's hand off of his shoulder. "What do you know? What she needs is me!"

"What she needs…is some time," he said back, trying to remain calm so he wouldn't excite Locke anymore. "What you need is to calm down and think logically. You have to understand that she's probably so confused right now, and there's nothing you can do to make it better. If you stay here, her confusion level would only rise, causing more complications in her healing process."

Locke knew he was right, so with a defeated sigh asked, "What should I do?"

With a gentle smile, Xane put his hand back on Locke's shoulder. "My advice? Go back to the hideout. It's better if you're there."

"I don't want to believe you." His response was harsh, but Xane expected it.

"There's nothing you can do here now unless you want the Baron to kick your ass," Xane said, not letting his smile fade. "Come on. Vaughn's waiting for us anyway."

With a shaky sigh, Locke nodded his head and looked back up at the VanLente house one final time before walking out of Kohlingen with Xane.