The sight that greeted the three men when they reached the flight deck made Cloud tense up, Leon groan, and Cid say "Aw, shit…" again. A tremendous mechanical monster had torn its way up from the deck below via a large hangar entry nearby, tearing clear through the door. Leon glanced around quickly to make doubly sure the warning lights on the landing pad were activated. They were. He turned his grim blue eyes back to the matter at hand.
Colored a fading, rusty red, the mech moved on six crab-like legs that scuttled slowly back and forth. Its head was perched atop the main body like a big ovoid mass, with two huge pods attached on the left and right: twin cannons. Waving almost sinuously at the rear of the hulk was a thick, segmented, nasty looking tail with a large laser in the tip. But what had Cid swearing was the unmistakable symbol emblazoned on the front and two glowing yellow eyes. The thing was a Heartless!
"It's a Scorpion Mech!" Cloud yelled over the din. Reaching back over one shoulder, he drew his massive sword.
Leon raised his gunblade coolly. "Don't hold back."
"Fuck off, we know!" Cid sneered, satisfied to add his two munny's worth.
The trio took up positions around the giant Heartless, moving carefully so not to provoke it. It became a standoff as Heartless and heroes sized each other up. Leon had only encountered one of these before, and it had been nasty to deal with. Though slow, it had VERY durable armor and packed a LOT of heavy weapons. Leon pressed his lips together in an attempt to stave off the waves of fear rolling through his gut. Even Sora might find this thing hard...he thought.
Then the tension of the moment shifted. With a sudden creak of its joints the Scorpion Mech scuttled forwards and lunged at its closest target: Leon, its front claws spread in preparation to skewer him in a pincer maneuver. Leon jumped backwards with the grace of a lion, narrowly avoiding the sharp-tipped limbs. He looked up and scowled. Speaking of nasty, he thought savagely, messing with me or my friends gets my temper going.
The Scorpion Mech didn't seem too pleased with having its prey escape and was just winding up for a barrage of cannon fire when Cloud and Cid took matters into their own hands. Cloud rushed it from behind, swinging mightily. The heavy blow from his huge sword made the Heartless stagger forwards just as Cid thrust his spear, aiming for the joint of one of the thing's armored legs. A deep groan of pain and a splash of shadowy ichor proved the tactic had worked.
Cid guffawed and pumped a fist. "How's that fer a good-?"
GRRRNNN… The Heartless shifted ponderously and its tail rose. Cid's roguish grin dropped as a laser sight activated on the Heartless's head, roving around. Leon instantly caught wind of its tactic and yelled, "Get behind it!" The three of them dove under or around the machine as it tried to find a target, barely making it out of the way in time.
"Phew…" Cid wiped his brow in relief. "That was too close fer comfort…"
Leon glared at the elder man. "Don't get cocky!"
Cid scowled. "Don't git yer britches in a knot, smart $$! I know!" he retorted. He rushed the Mech head-on as it turned around and he sprang into the air, using a little magic—grudgingly learned—to boost his leap. "HEY, HEADS UP, YA SONUVABITCH!" he crowed. WHAM! The Heartless almost collapsed from the heavy jolt as Cid slammed his spear into a large dent he'd noticed earlier, smashing the thing's armor apart at the point of impact. The mech, sensing it now had a rider, immediately tried to throw him off, bucking like a six-legged bronco, but Cid hung on. "Yee-haaww!" Whipping out another stick of dynamite, Cid lit it and managed to stuff the explosive into the crack he'd made in the armor casing. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he whooped, and leapt clear not a moment too soon.
BOOM! A ball of fire blossomed on the right side of the mech's body, knocking it off-balance. Cloud took another heavy series of swings and knocked the monster back the other way with a final blow. Cid gave a cocky swipe at his nose in triumph, but the Heartless retaliated with an all-out assault.
Rounding on Cloud, it lunged forward with a roaring shriek of creaking metal and protesting armor, glowing black and red from the force of its fury. It came in slashing with its heavy front legs and caught Cloud head on before he could dodge. The blond ex-SOLDIER went flying towards the control center, stopped only when he hit a light pole that happened to be in his way. The blow knocked him out cold and buckled the light almost double. Leon winced and abruptly found the Heartless aiming its cannons dead at him.
Swearing, he tried to dodge, but it was too late. "UGH!" He staggered backwards. White-hot pain blossomed across his front as the monster fired a hail of energy bullets. Before Leon could even recover from that he found himself being targeted again. The Heartless spun towards him, sliding on its underbelly and viciously lashing out with its huge tail. A blast of its cannons as it came round again sent him flying, and his world inverted for a horrible second before he slammed headlong onto hard unforgiving ground, bleeding from several wounds.
"Kid!" Cid yelled. He heard the man's spear slamming into the Mech and the resulting groans and creaks of pain from the monster. He was too far away, though—at least twenty meters away. This thing's that strong…? Leon wondered dimly as he struggled over onto his front and hoisted his body up on shaking arms. He felt like a Behemoth had just stomped on him…followed by a train running him over. He had a horrible sinking feeling it was more than just a guess.
"Get back!" Leon groaned. He waved Cid off as the Heartless closed in again. Strife was still out of it, damn him. Groaning, his grip on his weapon shaking but still firm, Leon got to his feet. He raised the gunblade, ignoring the lancing pain in his shoulder. "Damn it…" He'd forgotten to stock up, foolishly believing he wouldn't need any healing items. All those years of always staying alert and prepared for anything these monsters can throw at me, he thought, and now I'm already in bad shape with nothing to heal myself with. Yuffie will never let me hear the end of it. His entire body throbbed and he gritted his teeth again. He tried to gather his magic to summon Griever, but he was exhausted and the energy needed would have killed him. "The old fashioned way, then…" he rasped. With a shout of rage he ran in and rained a hail of heavy blows that would have badly damaged a lesser monster. But with something this big and this armored, he only dealt minor hits. The Heartless seemed triumphant at the failure and knocked him back with a heavy blow to the midsection, eager to toy with him as it leveled its weapon pods at the leather-clad swordsman. Another barrage of gunfire thundered out, but this time Leon was able to recover in time. Gesturing quickly, he cast a barrier spell that sprang up around him, diverting the cannon fire. Taken by surprise, the monster stepped backwards.
"Well, how do you like THIS?!" Leon roared, already charging Revolver. The sizzling red energy shot out as he slammed his gunblade down to the ground in a hammer blow, activating the trigger. A red wave flew up and outwards in a line of pure destructive magic. When the explosion hit, it nearly blew the Heartless off its feet. Not bad…
As Leon got to his feet again, Cid ran up. "You okay?"
Leon started to say 'I'm fine' but then his sight wavered. He shut his eyes with a groan. Why did he feel so…weak? He tried to stay on his feet, but his legs wouldn't cooperate, dropping him to one knee on the deck. "Yeah…"
Cid snorted. "Don't bullshit me, Leon. Git yer bitchin' ass outta here!"
Leon's eyes refocused, but what he focused on made him gasp, and he raised his head in alarm. Behind Cid, the Heartless was readying its main laser—and the sights were locked dead on them both. "CID, LOOK OUT!" he roared, fatigue forgotten.
Cid whirled around and swore. "Oh, flyin' motherfu-!"
Too late. The Heartless—looking very battered and VERY angry-stabbed its legs into the metal deck. With an ominous hum the tail shot up and over its rear end much like its namesake's, the bulbous, pointed tip sizzling with energy. Leon squeezed his eyes shut just before the laser beam swept across a huge swath of the deck, leaving a sizzling trail of destruction in its wake. Fire and pain wracked his entire body as the explosion engulfed the three of them—Cid, Cloud and himself. Noise and agony were all he could register as another, different sound roared, but Leon's pain-drenched mind dismissed it, already overloaded by pain from the laser assault. Unnoticed by any of them was the Scorpion Mech, which suddenly staggered back as a barrage of heavy gunfire hit it from one side.
So this is how it ends… Leon thought as he fell forwards bonelessly. Shuddering, he barely found the strength to raise his head and open his eyes. He could smell scorched fabric. His leather jacket was smoking from the lingering heat.
Cid groaned from somewhere nearby, swearing in pain, but through the fog clouding his vision, Leon could make out a huge, blurry shape hovering in the air behind the Heartless, the gleam of bright red paint silhouetted in the light from below. The thundering noise continued, and now the Mech seemed to be taking a tremendous amount of hits, staggering drunkenly as flashes struck and sparked against its deteriorating armor.
What?
That huge shape hovering over the landing center… Was it…a Gummi ship? And that thundering was cannon fire.
"Wha…?" he managed to gasp. The Heartless let out a deep mechanical groan and exploded in a ball of flames, shaking the deck. Barely conscious, Leon managed to roll onto his side, lifting his torso on one elbow and supporting himself with his other arm, struggling to see what had intervened. But he couldn't make it out for certain. As he finally collapsed onto his back, he saw the stars over him vanish as that huge shadow descended with a deep rumbling of rocket engines. Rockets…Leon thought. So…maybe it's a friend…
He barely heard the hiss of an exit ramp descending. As the blackness clouding his vision to edge inwards, he thought, for the briefest instant, that he heard someone he knew calling his name.
"…Squall!"
…I must be…losing it…Leon barely managed to think, before he slipped into the blackness and knew nothing more.
The huge shape that Leon had glimpsed was not a Gummi ship. But it was by no means an illusion. The gigantic draconian airship known as the Ragnarok was what the gunblade specialist had glimpsed. Painted a still-sizzling crimson red, it easily dwarfed Cid's battered Highwind and had been years ahead of its time when it was built. But in this case, the humongous airship had barely managed to arrive in time.
When she'd seen the huge machine-like monster fire what had to be a blazing hot laser across a swath of decking, Rinoa Heartilly had cried out in pain. She'd felt the pain of one of the warriors lying in the laser's path-quite literally. Immediately, she'd leapt to the gunnery station to stop the hurt she'd felt when the laser hit. Zell—good old Zell—had brought the ship in like a pro while she'd blown the giant creature to smithereens. It had been rather satisfying, doing that.
When the Ragnarok had only just landed, she was already dashing down the opening exit ramp, leaping to the ground and running with all the speed she possessed towards the scarred aftermath of the battle she'd interrupted.
She was just drawing near when she called his name. "Squall!"
The three figures lying on the deck were all in bad shape, but Rinoa only had eyes for the one lying on his back. Only one person had ever worn that jacket and wielded that still-gleaming gunblade lying on the ground nearby.
Squall Leonheart.
As she drew close enough to see him clearly, she slowed. Her dark brown eyes—almost black, still gleaming with spirit—roved over the young man she was approaching. Her sweet face—a little older and all the more pretty for it-was framed by her long black hair, which wafted behind her in a flowing trail. She still dressed primarily in blue and black, and her outfit was more or less identical to the one she'd worn at 17.
Slowing to a brisk walk, Rinoa came up beside him out of the lingering smoke, knelt, and gently gathered him up in her arms, cradling his shoulders and head in her lap. He didn't move. She saw immediately how he'd changed. Most noticeable was his hair. It was longer and fuller, having grown down to just below the base of his neck in the back and grown out considerably on the sides. His face had become a bit leaner and more grown-up with the years, but it was also less harsh than it used to be. He was taller, too, and his outfit had changed slightly to suit his needs. But several things—the scar on his face chief among them, but also his overall attire: the fur-collared leather jacket, the belts crisscrossing his waist, his black, zippered pants and leather gloves—those hadn't changed much at all since the day she'd last seen him.
As she stroked his face, trying to wake him up and running her fingers through his hair as she did, a horrible possibility crossed her mind. Her wistful, tender expression faded away to be replaced by a worried frown. Could it be that…? She shook him gently. He didn't respond.
"Squall…?" This time she said it softly, as fear clutched at her heart.
No response. He didn't even seem to be breathing. For a seemingly eternal moment, she stayed there, cradling him, in the middle of a battered, battle-scarred airstation, in shock, gazing at his seemingly sleeping face and utterly lost on what to do. She moved her hand and felt his chest for that telltale throb-the strong, stubborn heart of a lion he held inside...but found nothing.
Rinoa's fist tightened on his sleeve as the hope she'd held faded into the abyss. She looked away, unable to bear it. It can't be… her mind cried out. Not Squall! Not again, after all this time…
Her face crumpled. With a broken sob she buried her face in his shoulder. Come back!
In the midst of her grief, a shockwave of magical power burst out of her in a great flash of light that lit up the night. Even Radiant Garden's castle towers gleamed in the distant flash. A few glowing feathers flew up on the breeze the flash stirred up, wafting across the rocky landscape and over the town. Even Rinoa was awed by her own involuntary magic, lifting her head to gaze at the glow that still suffused the air and the magical feathers slowly drifting on the evening breeze. Without Rinoa's notice, several of those feathers drifted down onto the man in her arms...and sank into his very body, leaving only a faint glimmer behind.
That changed in an instant
A faint noise made her look down-the sound of air rasping suddenly down a throat. Unable to believe it, Rinoa watched as deep, serious blue eyes flickered open...and found hers.
"Ri…" His voice. Still low and vivid like a lion's growl, still with that very slight sardonic edge, but it was barely audible. He paused to find it. "…Rinoa?"
Whatever shock or sorrow Rinoa might have felt a second ago was gone now. With a radiant expression blooming on her face and sobbing tears of joy, she pulled him close and buried her face in his jacket again. "Squall!"
He tensed, not quite sure what to do.
Rinoa didn't care. "I'm right here."
"Rinoa…?" The uncertainty in his voice made her look up. Having regained his strength slightly, he tried to rise, so she helped him sit up. "Am I…dead?" he asked carefully. He apparently still needed to check.
Shaking her head, smiling and still weeping for joy, she found his face with her hand and cupped his cheek. "Didn't you get my letter?"
He looked at her, as a child would if seeking comfort and reassurance from a parent. Rinoa tilted her head and smiled at him in the way she knew he loved. Finally, he replied. "Yeah…I did."
Almost in a trance, he reached up and gripped the hand cupping his cheek. His eyes held the question he didn't want to voice: Is this real? But then he froze. What if…? The thought flashed across his face; most would have missed it. But he turned serious in the blink of an eye. "Are you really Rinoa Heartilly?" he asked, his voice sharp. The young woman—maybe her, maybe not—looked completely shocked.
"What? Squall, I…"
A faint smile showed despite his suspicion. "Show me your wings, then, angel."
Rinoa's bewildered look softened, and she smiled as she understood. A faint golden-white glow began to emanate from her and two glowing angel wings materialized on her back, flaring open with a faint whoosh of air. Their combined span was easily four or five meters. Then they vanished, and Leon knew for sure that this was Rinoa. He could barely bring himself to believe it. Almost eleven years without her, and here she was. A little older and dressed just a little bit different, but it was her.
His angel.
Rinoa.
A sound-almost a moaned sob-filled with combined relief, love, and joy escaped him. Without warning he sat upright, gathered her up and swept her into a tight hug as he almost leapt to his feet, spinning her round and round. Laughing and crying all at once, Rinoa let out a laugh from the vertigo and excitement before he slowed down. She gasped for breath for a brief moment and looked down at the face that had kept her going for what had seemed like forever. "We made a promise, remember?" she murmured.
A genuine smile lit his face, and he set her down for a second, reached up, and caught one of the still-drifting feathers. "How can I ever forget?" he replied, gazing at her. Then he pulled her close again. "Gods, angel, I missed you…"
"I missed you, too…" she replied softly.
A moment later he ducked his head and looked away, pulling back. "I'm sorry…"
Rinoa tilted her head and shifted her feet, twining her hands together behind her back to taking on a catty, wondering pose. "Sorry for what, Squall?" she asked, almost teasing.
Leon sighed. "For not being fast enough to save you. I…I couldn't…" He trailed off, choking on his words.
Rinoa shook her head slightly. He still didn't know how to let go of failures. "I can take care of myself, you know," she replied. He flinched slightly as she put a hand on his arm. "I'm a big girl, remember?"
"I don't want you to get hurt." He kept his gaze averted.
"Silly… You haven't changed much, have you? You're still…" she waved her hands aimlessly, "…bottling everything up inside." Leon looked up at her. It was her most endearing trait, that one: her ability to be silly and naïve, and still see past all his shields into his heart. Leon smiled. Rinoa tilted her head in confusion. "What?"
"You are so…"
"Sweet? Cute? Amazing?" she said, smiling impishly.
"All of the above, Rin." Leon pulled her into a hug. "I missed you so much." The two of them just held each other for a while.
For an eternal instant, all was right with the world.