"I have backup too..."

Marie took out her whistle she retrieved from Midgard, playing a soft and mythical tune. Spirit gazed on in curiosity, his vision blurring from blood loss. When it finished the sky swirled in a vortex, and out of a massive portal came a mighty, winged lizard, what most would call a dragon. With a roar it swooped in, perching on the massive ship. Meanwhile, Klonoa stared up at the sky "So it's true... the mighty dragon exists... and Marie controls it..."
"Mizuya!" Marie pointed to Anima "Kulaya bi naroo! Kunai!"
It faced the creature, opening its mouth and a massive beam formed, spreading its wings. It launched a mighty attack, decimating the summoned monster as well as part of the ship, causing it to plummet through the sky. Marie quickly grabbed Spirit in midair, landing on the dragon's back.
"Hakura si mahu, kunai!" she pointed to Leo's airship, and it followed. Marie soon turned back to Spirit, almost unconscious from pain.

"I can't heal it all, but this will do for now." she said, raising her hands above his shoulder. A blue aura soon surrounded them, infusing energy into his wound, sealing it shut to stop the loss of blood. Spirit opened his eyes slowly, his surroundings coming back into focus.

"This will have to do... There's still some torn tissue that will have to heal on its own." Marie explained. She scratched the back of her head out of nervousness "And that blood may be tough to get out of your fur..."

"That's the last thing on my mind..." he raised his hand, taking hers "As long as you're safe..." he coughed, forcing out every word. Marie stroked his fur, causing him to purr.
"Rest easy, I'll protect you for now..." she said with a gentle hug "I won't let anything happen to you..."
He fell asleep in her arms, as she turned her head, looking upon the sky as the air around them both began to ripple, as if they were crossing through water. Soon Marie found herself in a land drenched in amber sunset, lifeless and falling apart.
"Now that I think of it... I know of this place, but never came here..." Marie said, closing her eyes. This realm seemed to bring out her deepest emotions, and a tear rolled down her cheek, causing her to smile "The sorrow... it's so beautiful... how the emotion of the broken souls cries out in this realm, yet at the same time rest easy... the spiritual energy..."

She snapped back to reality as Mizuya turned to Spirit, giving a deep throated growl.

"It's okay... He's not a Feina..." Marie said, still petting Spirit as he slept, forgetting she was speaking English, yet the dragon understood from her emotions. He soon awoke from his deep slumber, yawning slighty.

"Feeling better?"

Spirit nodded, his purring making it tough to talk. She hugged him gently, not wanting to hurt his shoulder.

"Well, this is it... The Kingdom of Sorrow." Marie explained. Spirit looked around, the sorrowful energy bringing back some old memories. She then pointed to a strange castle, pierced at the top of a winding path "That's where we'll find him..."

They soon came to a landing and Marie hopped off, letting the dragon rest. It nudged her as she said "Kuyoma Spirit, lujie?"
It turned to him, curling its tail around his body. It felt awkward for him, and he asked "What did you tell her to do?""Protect you..." she smiled "The worse that'll happen is she'll treat you like a hatchling..."
"Wait!" he tried to rise to his feet but the motherly reptilian beast had him in her gentle grip. She ran inside, seeing a crater in the middle of the room, a green being before her with ears as big as hers. His eyes were a red hue, deeply reflecting sorrow.
"I guess Klonoa hasn't made it yet..." he said in a soft voice, floating over to her. He landed before her, taking a closer look "Something about you seems familiar... the emotion deep in your heart..."
"?"
"It's sorrow..." he said "You hide something from the world..."
She gasped slightly in shock, her mood changing "Yes... I never told Spirit... that a great object of destruction lays in my heart... it happened just last night... and I can feel its power flow through me..."
"But..."
"I want it out, I can feel it taunt my inner minds... trying to taint my soul... no one has noticed, thankfully... if Zeetan was to find out..."
"Let's hope he doesn't..." he laid a hand on her chest, a glowing coming from it. She looked up, unsure of what to expect, but found a pain from her mind easing away.
"Do not worry, this will help you... it's isolating the power from the rest of your body..."
She could feel her vision blur and a pounding headache coming.
"But you need to adjust once again in this change of power..."
She tried to fight it off, but found it inevitable, the darkness surrounding her, her vision blurring. A dull headache formed, and everything went black. Soon Klonoa came in, alarmed at first to see his little sister blacked out, but relieved to see her fine.

"You must take her..." Sorrow said, lifting the small child "This world..."

Klonoa looked up confused, gasping.

"You were too late... they already took the elements... and this world will collapse soon..."

"No!"

"It's the truth... I'm sorry, Klonoa... you couldn't save this world, but please, save your friends..." he pointed to the one in his arms "She's counting on you, dream traveler..."

Klonoa solemnly nodded, turning around as darkness started filling the temple. He then came running out of the castle with Marie in his arms, fierce winds beginning to suck the kingdom inwards. The mighty gale awoke Spirit, as he stared on in worry and confusion.

"We didn't make it in time, and now the world is falling apart!" Klonoa quickly explained, placing Marie on the dragon's back "You must take care of my sister, I have to find my friends!"

Spirit nodded, taking Marie in his arms "I'll protect her with my life"

Mizuya took off and he held his love tightly, despite the fact he only had one usable arm. He then closed his eyes and cried, his tears landing on Marie's vest.

"Some Gaia I am... I have to protect the universe, but I can't even protect you..."

"No..." he heard a voice before him, as the dragon flew through a vortex of blue. When it cleared away he found himself in some natural paradise in the sky, and looked over to see Ranoke before him, perched on the dragon's back.
"She didn't get hurt... she is only tired, that's all..." she smiled, laying a hand on Spirit, somehow solid "I believe she couldn't be in any better hands than yours..."
"But what about all the times Zeetan got her?" he said, still sorrowful."She endured the pain because your heart gives her strength, I can tell... she's chosen a kind young lad to be with..." she said with a smile "I will always watch over my daughter, and I hope you will too..."
He nodded, hugging Marie tightly as Mizuya made her landing before a lake, crystal clear that stretched on towards a mountain. Above the mountains three spires pierced the sky, and nothing could be seen beyond that except calm, cloudy skies. To the west laid a grassy plain that stretched on forever, and to his right was a cave, filled with crystals. Marie suddenly woke up, staring sleepily at Spirit.

"How did we get to Blue Haven?" She asked, apparently familiar with the area.

"Mizuya took us as Lunatea fell..."

"You mean... It's gone?"

Spirit nodded. Marie frowned, remembering how much fun she had there.

"Lunatea can be restored... If the dark one is destroyed." Marie turned to this voice, seeing Ranoke standing before her. Without thinking, she jumped out of Spirit's arms and hugged her mother who returned the embrace, then looked up at Spirit. "The waters here have healing properties. It could help treat the rest of your shoulder."

Marie noticed and took his hand, leading him over to the shallow waters as she cupped her hands around it, lifting it out of the lake. A soft blue aura came from her wrists to her fingers and she pressed it against his wound, causing every last bit of pain to ease away. He moved his shoulder around, stiff from being limp, then used it to grab her in a sudden hug. She giggled and smiled, returning the warm embrace, blushing up as she did so.
After a few minutes, a figure approached in the distance, dark yet familiar. Marie's ears perked and she let go of Spirit to yell "Daddy!"
She ran over to the dark god to embrace him with an eager wagging tail, closer and closer. Just as she approached him he raised his fist and backhanded her with such force that she fell to the side, a bruise on her cheek.

"D-daddy?" she stuttered, curling her tail around her legs as a sudden glare pierced her very soul. He smirked "The Leie you knew is gone! I am now a messenger of Zeetan!"
Spirit recognized the symbol on his head, the exact same as Luce's. Marie's surrogate father lifted her by the shirt, bringing her face level with his.
"A message from Zeetan; he knows your secret, child, and he's going to get that final materia! When he does everyone will perish and die, leaving him and his followers!"
Every word was spoken harshly with great force as he continued "But he'll spare you, to torture everyday for an eternity as a punishment for all those you couldn't save! You couldn't save me, you couldn't save your mother!"
"No!" she struggled against his grip with tear-streamed eyes as he yelled in her face "And you can't save that pesky Gaia, or anyone else! Accept your fate!"
Her eyes reflected terror and fear, when a blade suddenly went through his chest, emitting a light. He dropped Marie and fell to the ground, Spirit standing behind him with the Ultima.

The Symbol on Leie's head began to crack apart, eventually shattering into green fragments that disappeared in puffs of black fire.

"What... Happened..." He moaned, still regaining consciousness.

"The mark was destroyed... Does that mean..." Spirit thought. Leie then realized what must have happened and hugged Marie tightly.

"I'm so sorry! I let him trick me!" he sobbed. She was still shaken from everything, her mind not able to grasp all that had happened. Just then, she felt the familiar sensation of Spirit's hand upon her head. Marie turned around quickly and cried into his chest. He petted her softly as tears streamed down his cheeks saying, "It's okay... I'm here for you..."

"I-I can't believe I punched her..." a few hours later, Leie sat by the water's edge with his love, staring into the water. Ranoke laid a hand upon his shoulder, and smiled, saying "It's ok, look..."
She turned around and pointed at Marie asleep in Spirit's arms. Though she calmed down long ago, he didn't want to let go of her, and soon he found himself becoming tired as well. Leie smiled "I thought she would be too scared to love since Alex's death long ago, I feel proud she's found such a caring person to be with..."
Spirit hummed a tranquile tune in her ear, and he felt a rumble against his chest from purring. He laid his back against Mizuya who became affectionate towards him, causing him to fall sleep.

"Yeah... you're right..." Leie smiled and put an arm around Ranoke "Well... I think it's best we get them home..."

"Yeah..."

Spirit woke up the next day in his bedroom, the dragon gone, but Marie stayed, lying by him. She had her head against his chest, and openned her eyes, staring up at him.
"This sound... I never noticed it before..." she said with a smile.
"?"
"A gentle thump from your chest..."
"Ah, it's a heart beat... you know? It's a sign that I'm still alive, if the heart keeps going..."
She sat up and shook her head "I don't have one of those... does that mean my heart isn't working, or it's not there?"

Spirit smiled at her. "It probably just works different for deities. Besides, a physical heart isn't the same as the one in your soul."

Marie cocked her head in confusion.

"This one may keep me alive, but it's not what makes me love you."

She smiled from this, giving Spirit a tiny kiss on the cheek. Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside, causing the floor to shake.

"What was that!" Spirit exclaimed. Everyone heard it, and rushed out to see what had happened. A massive robot army stood outside, demolishing the landscape.

"What the heck is going on!" Sora gasped.

"You there!" a voice called out. Soon, a man in a flying vehicle hovered in. He was heavy set, with a red mustache below his beady eyes "You're intruding on the future site of the Eggman Empire!"