This is another chapter that I've had written for about five or six months. It took me a while to write, but I like it a lot…and it does pretty much wrap up the Locke and Rachel story. Yay! (Does this part of the game make anyone else cry? I weep like a baby every time!) It's not the longest chapter in the world, but it's long enough to get my point across and to have all the action that I wanted to occur. (I personally like the ending. Locke's too damn cute) Okay…here ya go!)

42. The Power Of The Phoenix

"There's Kohlingen!" Terra cried out above the wind as Locke looked where she pointed. "We'll be there within two minutes. Setzer'll probably land us a few feet away when we arrive."

Locke nodded and didn't say anything as he walked from the deck to the bridge of the airship, for he couldn't find it in him to speak. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Phoenix magicite and looked at it. Not only had it been several months since he had returned to Kohlingen, but it felt surreal to him that he had actually found a way to bring her back.

"You okay, man?" Sabin asked as he put his hand on Locke's shoulder. Without looking up from the magicite, he nodded. "You don't look it, but I guess I'm gonna take your word for it."

"Who's going with you into town, Locke?" Celes asked as she put her hands on a window sill and watched the world pass from underneath them, coming closer as Setzer brought the airship down to the ground.

"No one," he replied simply, wrapping his fingers around the magicite to protect it. He slowly brought his head up and saw that everyone was staring at him in disbelief. "What is it?"

Terra took a step forward and took it upon her to speak for the rest of the people on the bridge of the airship. "Locke, we haven't seen you in so long and now you want to run into town without the rest of us? What's going on?"

"I appreciate your concern, you guys, but I have to deal with this myself," he answered as the airship landed. "I believe that I've told you before that this is the one topic that I don't like talking about, so I would appreciate some privacy about it."

"Let him be," Edgar added with a nod toward Locke. Locke smiled in gratitude for he knew that Edgar was aware of the entire situation and knew how much it was eating away at him. "Go on, Locke."

"Please say that you want us to wait for you," Celes said quietly as she turned to him and brushed her hair out of her face. "Like Terra said, we just found you again. We don't want to lose you."

"I'll come back, don't worry," he reassured her and started to walk toward the dock of the airship. "This is just something that I need to deal with myself. I'll be back in a little while."

Everyone else nodded as he exited the airship and walked into town. The second that he knew he wasn't in view of everyone else, he practically ran to the Patriarch's house with the small stone in his hand, not thinking of anything else but his destination. Without knocking, he flung open the door to see the Patriarch sitting at his table, deeply reading a book. He calmly looked over at Locke, his eyes settling on the magicite that he was holding.

"I found it," Locke stated as he shoved the magicite into the old man's hands. Realizing that he still had his pack, he dropped it on the floor and waited for the Patriarch's reaction. The emotions running through him were a mixture of excitement and nervousness, for this is the day he waited for for over a year. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry, so he swallowed the lump in his throat to remain stoic. "I've…I've been searching for something and I finally found it."

"Is this what I've heard people whispering about lately? Is this…magicite?" Locke nodded and exhaled through his mouth as the Patriarch looked at the green gem and twirled it around his fingers. There was a frown on his face and Locke knew it was over the condition that the magicite was in. He handed the magicite back to Locke and rose to his feet. "Well, let's see what we can do about this. Follow me."

Locke felt his hands sweat as he followed the old man down the steps to where Rachel lay. He slowly walked over to her and knelt down next to the bed, holding in the tears that longed to flow out of his eyes. With a sniff, he gently brushed the side of her face with his fingertips, feeling the softness of her skin.

"Rachel, I'm here," he whispered as he held up the magicite. Although he knew she couldn't see it, he still wanted to talk to her. "I wasn't going to give up on you. I was going to do everything in my power, and I think I'm able to help you now."

"Well, are you gonna use it or not?" Locke whipped his head up at the Patriarch to see the small smile that was on his face. He knew that the man wasn't trying to rush Locke along, but wanted to see if the magicite would actually work. "Talking to her isn't going to help."

"Uh, yeah," Locke replied, slightly flustered as he closed his eyes and held up the magicite. He wasn't sure if he was going to have to say anything, but the magicite began to emit an eerie light, answering his question.

He watched the small light gradually grow, illuminating the entire room. Locke's pulse began to race, and then the light started to dim again, much like an ember of a fire.

"No!" Locke cried out at the magicite, almost as if he were scolding it. Clenching his fist around it, he shook his fist as he yelled. "Don't go out on me! Please! Do something!"

The Patriarch took a few steps closer to Locke and put his hand on his shoulder to console him. "You have to realize that that thing is probably over a thousand years old, and apparently wasn't taken care of in the way that it should've been." Locke nodded and bowed his head in disappointment. "If only the magicite didn't bear those deep cracks. If you ask me, I think you've been wasting your time, young man!"

"Yeah." He kept his eyes on her and reached into one of his pockets. Pulling out the ring that he had kept with him since the day he brought her to the patriarch, he carefully slid it on her finger and kissed her hand. "Rachel, I'm so sorry. I…I won't give up though! I'll keep looking! I will find another way to bring you back! I don't care if it's the last thing that I do, but I have to prove to you that—"

Before he was able to finish his sentence, the magicite flashed a blinding light throughout the room. Locke jumped in surprise, letting the magicite leave his hand and float above Rachel. His breathing was rapid as the magicite continued to blink and then sent a ray of magical energy into Rachel's body.

"Rachel!" He cried out, shielding his eyes from the light.

"Uwaaaa!" The Patriarch screamed as he ducked behind the headboard of the bed that Rachel was lying in. "Get down! The power is too great! The magicite's gonna shatter!"

Instead of running for cover, Locke simply bowed his head. "I don't care. If it shatters, I hope it kills me in the process. If I can't find anything to bring her back, life isn't—"

"Locke…"

Locke whipped his head back up to see the owner of the voice and almost cried when he saw Rachel flutter her eyes open. Although he opened his mouth to say something, nothing came out. Tears formed in his eyes as she turned her head and looked at him in the eyes.

"Locke, is it really you?" Locke nodded his head as a small smile crept on her face. Her beautiful eyes blinked as she gazed up at him, then her entire body convulsed as she let out a sickening cough.

"Rachel!" Locke exclaimed, his eyes widening. Avoiding the magicite that was hovering in the air, he put his hands on her shoulders and sat down on the bed next to her to be closer to her. As quickly as she started to cough, she stopped and continued to smile. Locke put his hand over his heart then moved his head to give her a kiss.

Before his lips were able to meet hers, she lifted up a hand and placed her finger over them, confusing him. "Locke…I've dreamed of seeing you."

"I'm here, Rachel," he squeaked out as her finger moved from his lips to the side of his face. Holding in his tears, he felt her palm cup his cheek and she brushed his face with her fingers. "I'll always be here."

She let out a breathy sigh and Locke could tell that it was labored. "It's been so long since I've seen you. I wanted to hear your voice."

"Rachel…" Locke finally let a tear escape one of his eyes and it trickled down his cheek and over Rachel's fingers before it hit his shirt.

"Why are you crying?" She asked him as he shook his head and smiled. "Please don't cry."

Instead of replying to her, he lifted his own hand up and placed it over hers. Her small hand felt so frail in his own, reminding him of what happened after the bridge accident. Again she coughed, moving her hand away from his and placing it on her own chest.

"The Phoenix has given me so little time," she explained as another tear escaped Locke's eyes. "I have to leave again soon…"

"What?" He asked, his voice full of panic as he brushed her hair with his fingers. "Rachel, no!"

"But I have something I must tell you…" Locke bowed his head again and let her continue speaking. "Locke, with you I was so happy. In the instant that the accident occurred, I thought only of you…and the joy you brought me."

Locke shook his head and without looking up at her, he muttered, "Rachel, I failed you. I should've stayed by your side and I didn't. I'm so sorry."

"No, no," she whispered, tilting his head up with her forefinger again. Her speech was slowing down as she began to run out of energy, the phoenix clearly fading away. "Stop thinking that. You did everything that you could. Thank you, Locke. I'll never forget you…"

At the end of her sentence, her eyes started to roll to the back of her head and she closed her eyes. With a gasp, Locke stood up and ran to the other side of the bed out of panic. "Rachel!"

Even though she didn't open her eyes or her mouth, her voice echoed throughout the room, carried around by the power of the phoenix. "I have to go now…I'll always love you. You must now cast off the anguish you've been harboring inside for so long." Locke listened without saying a word, nodding occasionally and letting the tears slowly cascade down his face. "Today I set your heart free. You must learn to love yourself again, and regain your self respect."

The white light that was still emitting from the magicite started to turn a pale shade of orange and surrounded both Rachel and Locke. Locke frantically looked around and saw that Rachel was starting to rise off of the bed and into the air. He tried to grab for her, but his hand rushed right through her, causing him to gasp.

"Phoenix! Be reborn again!" Her voice echoed louder, almost turning into a supernatural sounding shriek, sending a shiver up Locke's spine. A strong gust of wind came out of nowhere and whipped his hair and clothing around, even though they were indoors and no windows were open. The pages in the books that were in the basement fluttered around and several of the herbs that surrounded the room fell over, the vases breaking as they hit the floor. "And give your power…to Locke!"

"Rachel!" Locke yelled over the wind as the orange glow grew so brightly that it transformed Rachel into a large bird; the phoenix. He watched in horror as the bird let out a screech and flew away, disappearing into thin air.

The wind died down and the room returned to the normal color again, the only noise from a few rustling pages settling down. His gaze remained on the ceiling, still in disbelief that she disappeared right in front of his eyes and he wasn't able to do anything about it.

The Patriarch stood up from where he was hiding, startling Locke in the process. He leaped backward and placed his hand over his heart. "Goddesses, you scared the shit out of me."

"My apologies," the old man stated, his face completely pale. He looked down at the bed to see the small, green magicite lying on the white sheets, so he bent over to pick it up. Locke watched his every move, then held out his hand to take it back. "I suppose you'll want this."

"Yeah," Locke muttered as he looked at it, running his fingers over the large cracks. "I…Yeah. Just…yeah."

With a chuckle, the patriarch put his hand on Locke's shoulder. "Well, you said that you were going to find a way to bring her back and you did. Are you going to be all right?"

Locke nodded and attempted a smile as he continued to inspect the stone. "I think I just need to get out of here for a little while. Thank you…so much." Locke reached into his pockets and grabbed out several gold pieces. "I believe I owe you these for taking care of her for so long."

"Nonsense," the patriarch said, closing Locke's fist over the money and gently pushing his hand away from him. "I did all that I could. I just wish I could've done more."

Raising his eyebrows, he put the gold back in his pockets and started to walk back up the stairs. When he got about halfway, he turned again to look at the bed that Rachel had laid in for over a year. He let out an exhale and walked the rest of the way up, almost running into Celes.

"Locke…" She said slowly as she looked down at the floor. She was the only one in the Patriarch's house and he could tell that she was uncomfortable disobeying his wishes to be alone. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I had to know what was going on with you. I was so worried."

"Now you know," he replied simply as he put the magicite into his pocket. "There was nothing to be worried about."

"I'm sorry," she said as she took a few steps closer to where he was standing. He lifted his head up, yet didn't look at her. Her apology wasn't for being worried, it was for the entire situation of what he went through.

"Thanks," he replied as he kept his eyes fixated on the wall so he wouldn't have to face her. "I'm okay. Yeah. I'm-I'm okay."

She dug the toe of her shoe into the floor, tracing the grain of the wood. "Are you sure? I mean, it looks like you've been crying and that's not really the universal sign of being okay."

"Honestly, I feel lighter than air." He exhaled and realized that he was telling the truth. "I feel like the world has been lifted off my shoulders and I can breathe again. It's funny, really. She was right. I have been harboring my anguish inside of me for so long that I forgot what it's like to actually live and be myself. I think it's about time that I…find myself again."

"Well, since you said that you'll protect me, I guess it's only fair that I look after you and assist you in your self exploration," Celes explained with a giggle. Locke looked at her over his shoulder and had to smile back at her, raising his eyebrows. "That wasn't me trying to come on to you, but I guess it came out that way. I was just trying to help."

"Thanks, but from here on, I'll be all right." His trademark smirk returned to his face as he opened the door and inhaled the warm spring air. With an exhale, he turned back toward Celes and pointed toward the direction of where the Falcon was. "Let's go! We have places to be and asses to kick!"

"Yay!" She cheered with a little jump as she chased after him and they ran through the streets of Kohlingen. Without warning, Locke stopped dead in his tracks and turned back toward the Patriarch's house. "What's up?"

"Shit, hold on!" He saw her blink in confusion before he bolted back to the house, grabbed his pack, then ran back out toward her.

"Um, what is it?" She asked as he winked at her and opened the bag to show her several items, armor, and weapons. "Okay, I see. But, what are they?"

"The treasures of the Phoenix Cave!" He explained as he handed her a Flame Shield. "I know that you're a closet pyromaniac, so I'll let you have this one."

"Gee thanks," she replied facetiously as she took the shield and looked at it. "That's very sweet of you though."

"Well, I didn't do it intentionally, but since you're right here, I figured I would try to be a gentleman." She made a face at him and he returned it. "If you don't want it, I do, so make up your mind now, woman."

"I think you're finding yourself, all right," she retorted in response of his playful manner. "But it's okay. You're more fun this way."

"You better believe it!" He tossed his hair in the wind then faced the direction of the entrance of town again. "Right, let's move out! We have an appointment with Kefka!"