Cure Narrative 23: Too Late...?
Season: Heartcatch
Character: Baron Salamander, Olivier/ Loup-Garou
Summary: It's never too late to show that you love someone...
Italics: thoughts
Bold+Italics: flashbacks
"It's not like that... it's too late," he aimed his staff at Loup-Garou's abdomen and blasted him away, "Too bad..."
Baron Salamander didn't know if Loup-Garou could hear him, but as the child looked back at him, he muttered, "Forgive me."
He watched Loup-Garou morph into a werewolf upon landing, "Can you see it? The seal is weakening. The stone prison that caged me for so many hundreds of years," he turned around to go to his prison to unleash his powers, "Destroy this place, that's all you need to do."
Loup-Garou howled like a wolf. At that moment, Salamander felt a nauseous sensation in his stomach, something that felt like... guilt.
He shook off the feeling. It's too late, I've come too far...
He entered the alternate dimension that imprisoned him for more than four centuries. He raised his staff to stomp it onto the ground, only to stop in midair.
"At the very least, my world has you in it! Ever since the day we made the promise, you've always been there! Even if I have to use my powers, I will stop you! Father!"
Salamander gritted his teeth and proceeded, a huge magic circle expanded from the tip of his staff.
"PRECURE SILVER FORTE WAVE!" He heard, the next thing he knew was that Cure Sunshine and Cure Moonlight was standing in front of him.
He couldn't move away from the magic circle, but the fight started nonetheless.
"Why do you have to live this way?!"
"There has to be a way you can live with Olivier!"
"It's not too late to start now! Why can't you change?!"
Cure Moonlight thrusted her tact at him. He caught it in his left hand which started crumbling. The Cures were stunned so he took the chance to blast Moonlight away.
"There's no way to live together! From the start, my only companions are solitude and hatred!" He yelled, and yet something inside him told him that wasn't true.
Even if I want to, I can't go back now...
"He's going to be alone anyway, there's no need to deliberately tell him."
Salamander transformed into a giant dragon, towering over the Precures and Loup-Garou.
He had thought that unleashing his power would be enough to destroy the world, he didn't account for Precures, nor how strong they were.
It wasn't an easy fight for either side, but the Cures were victorious. They defeated him, and turned him back to his man form.
He thought that was supposed to be the end of everything. But no.
He heard the sound of crying, it woke him, and he saw Loup-Garou next to him. He had never seen the child so sad before.
It all became clear to him then, he can't leave. Not even the heavens would let him leave. He needed to make amends for the six years he used Loup-Garou, he needed to learn emotions other than hate, he needed to be by that boy's side along the way, he couldn't leave him.
"You see, I want a papa and a mama."
What Loup-Garou said six years ago, Salamander didn't give it much thought, he just gave a half-hearted reply to get Loup-Garou to follow him. But now, looking back, maybe he was changing bit by bit, maybe he did feel something towards the little boy...
"Annoying Precures, next time I'll win for sure," Salamander cursed weakly.
Loup-Garou laughed, he knew the Baron was just saying that, he knew the Baron was just too prideful to admit that he wanted to thank the Cures. He took out the Baron's crystal, it shattered and got blown away by the wind. "Let's go travelling again," Loup-Garou said.
There were no more excuses. Salamander was given a second chance, his body was repaired, he no longer had his powers (and even if he did he will not win anyway:P), he had no more excuses to leave the kid alone.
I'm not cut out to be a father no matter how you look at it. He sighed, but then he looked at the laughing child and shrugged. But well, if he likes me, I must be doing something right.
He used his left hand to pat Loup-Garou's head, "Yeah, of course, son."
End of Chapter 23