AN: That's right it's a quick update, but I had this chapter mostly finished ages ago ;) Anyways, Merry Christmas/[insert holiday name] everyone and have a safe and fun holiday!

Chapter 24: Forgotten Moments

Leona took it upon herself to watch over Lucas. He'd made it clear to everyone that he simply wanted to be left alone, but she simply could not. He slept in a separate hut from everyone else and for two days now she snuck up to the open entrance to look in on him. Every night she was presented with the same pitiful scene. His dreams were obviously filled with terror as he grimaced and moaned in his sleep. Unable to find a comfortable position, he tossed and turned at regular intervals-these were not restful sleeps. His coloring had not improved and he always appeared tired and in pain.

She gasped and then covered her mouth to mute her own noise when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned back and found herself looking at Zelos with two day's growth of hair about his chin, mouth, and jawline. He'd recovered well from Arcangela's debilitating attack. It was more than what she could say about Lucas...

"Zelos..." she managed to say. "W-what are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask the same thing of you," he replied smoothly with a brief grin, a crinkle on the corner of his mouth.

She didn't want to answer him. Then again, the answer seemed obvious as she looked away from the redhead to the not-so-silently suffering Lucas.

"I wish there was something I could do," she said instead.

Zelos sighed deeply and then came to stand beside her. "Sometimes there isn't much we can do. Don't blame yourself. The choices that Lucas made were his own."

Leona closed her eyes. "How can you stand there so...calmly? Lucas could have been any one of us. He was manipulated, used, and he believed he was doing the right thing-even now."

"You really believe that?" Zelos asked. "Do you think you could be manipulated by Arcangela?"

"Sleep deprivation can wreck havoc on the mind. Seeing the same message over and over again..."

"Yes, but you obviously have the capacity to use magic far more efficiently than Lucas could ever hope and probably without killing yourself. Arcangela had to go through a lot to prepare Lucas. She could have used you in the same way she used Lucas."

Leona looked over at the other wide-eyed. She never thought of it like that.

"Yet she focused on Lucas," Zelos continued, "Despite the effort it might take for him to perform those artes. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't...I don't know."

Zelos gave a light "Hm" before turning to leave. "Lucas would benefit from being around a person like you. He has a...difficult road ahead of him."

Leona watched the other leave and then turned back to the fitfully resting Lucas. She could only bear to watch for a few more minutes before she finally left to look in on her father. She dreaded the moment in which she'd see him again, awake. Assumingly, he'd be alright and then her life could return to normal.

She traversed to the hut which housed those who were under the influence of Lucas' spell. There was Mr. Lloyd, Uncle Genis, Aunt Presea, and her father all in separate beds since there was enough to spare. Lloyd looked the worst out of all them, his breathing short and quick-he seemed to have lost weight as well. His skin had a sickly green tinge to it. Hopefully her mother would be along soon...Uncle Genis and Aunt Presea appeared to be peacefully sleeping albeit they looked as stiff as cardboard. Finally she stopped on her father and stood by his bedside. His breathing was becoming more and more ragged in the same way as Lloyd, but he appeared healthy enough though his skin seemed a bit gray. She stared at him, willing him to wake up, but she knew it was a silly notion. Why should her father wake before anyone else and why on his own volition? She reached down and touched his hand and was taken aback by how cold they felt. She bent down to gently kiss his brow before deciding to leave them in peace and return to her bed.

It wasn't until the fourth day when her mother came back and she was quite exhausted. She reassured Leona that she was perfectly alright just a bit spent from the repetition of the complex spell. She further relayed to her that on the way back she went to check on Felix and noted that his condition had not changed and that his parents were understandably concerned, but taking good care of him. Leona's fists had clenched up subconsciously when she heard the news. When would they be through with Arcangela's schemes? And why was the one person other than her parents she had managed to connect with at some deeper level constantly unavailable to talk to? Felix probably knew her better than anyone else and yet she felt the farthest apart from him. If only she knew the whereabouts of Arcangela...

Raine promptly rested for the remainder of the day while Leona lollygagged around the small village.

It had turned into some sort of ceremony with all the adults and youths in attendance and Lucas notably missing. They couldn't all fit in the hut and Raine wanted some space so she demanded that everyone stay outside. Clearly her mother was a bit agitated, her pregnancy becoming more and more apparent. Even Leona wasn't excluded from her mood-swings. She waited outside along with the rest of them.

An eternity seemed to pass, but in reality it had only taken Raine a little over twenty minutes to despell them. Leona didn't expect the results to be immediate and suspected that she'd have to wait longer-suddenly she heard her mother cry out and just like that she was running in, her mind automatically thinking the worst had happened. Please don't hurt her father...

She found her mother not in any physical pain, but crying nonetheless and her father sitting up perfectly fine, but with perhaps one of the most confused expressions she'd ever witnessed on his face before. Without even thinking twice, she came to her and hugged her. Perhaps it was another mood-swing overtaking her. Maybe she was simply overjoyed to have Regal back, but something told her as she held her tearful mother that those tears were not of happiness.

Something felt odd about the whole thing. Her mother was crying and her father had yet to lift a finger do anything about it. It was possible he was still a bit disoriented, but still. Leona glanced back at the man. He seemed concerned, but not in his usual fashion.

The others had joined her now: Sheena, Zelos, the twins, Cathe, Cecil, Ludovic, and Colette.

"Dad?" Leona asked despite herself, "Are you alright? Why is she crying?"

"What did you...call me?" he asked strangely as if everything was foreign to him.

"Dad," Leona repeated.

He looked from the crying woman to her and then shook his head slowly. "This must be some elaborate dream..."

"What are you talking about?" Leona asked.

"Leona," her mother finally managed through her tears, "He doesn't...he doesn't remember us at all."

"What?" Leona said sharply and then looked back to him quickly. "You know who I am, Dad, right?" In a tone that suggested that the answer was obvious.

"No, I'm sorry, I don't. Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else."

"No, I think I'd know my dad when I see him and you're him. Do you even know where you are?" Leona asked.

Regal looked about the hut and then his eyes passed over the assortment of people there. His eyes returned to her. "I'm sorry, I don't. I've never been here before."

"Never?" Sheena blurted out. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Ah, well, it is difficult to say. Everything is so...cloudy."

"Then do you know your name?" Colette asked.

He turned to the concerned looking blonde woman. "Yes, of course."

Everyone waited for him to confirm this by saying it and it took him a moment to realize that this was the case

"Regal Bryant. It's the name I've had for as long as I can remember."

Now everyone made noises of relief which clearly amused him from the expression he wore. Leona kept looking at him hoping that he would return her gaze with a knowing one. There was a heavy air of despondency that was beginning to take over her the longer she thought about the situation. What if he always remained this way? What if she'd lost her father the moment the spell was cast upon him? What of the unborn child?

Her mother pulled away from her and straightened herself up-she'd recovered somewhat, but her eyes were still red-rimmed.

"Perhaps it will take some time for things to begin to make more sense to you," Raine said. "After all, Lucas changed you a bit more drastically than the others. If the spell can be lifted, then I'm sure in time your memories would return as well."

"I do hope so," he replied as he looked at the half-elf. "I'm sorry for-

"No," Raine said interrupting him. "Stop apologizing for something you have no control over-you do that too much. It won't make the situation any less painful. I think it would be a good idea if I simply...gave you some space."

Raine left abruptly and they parted the way to let her through. It did seem as if her father had wanted to say something, but then decided to keep it to himself for the time being. The others took a page out of Raine's book and asked him no further questions. Besides, the other three were beginning to wake up as well.

Leona pretended to have all her attentions on the other three as well. Colette and the children were particularly glad for Lloyd-he came to after her Uncle and Aunt. Leona gave them polite smiles so that she could appear welcoming, but her mind was elsewhere. She knew they would be fine-her mother had seen to it. After performing the same ritual so many times, Leona assumed her mother to be an expert by then. Leona knew already that they would not suffer the same memory lapses. She remembered the murderous look in her father's eyes-they had turned him into a completely different person, into a person she could not even fathom him being. The others were luckier. Lucas wasn't given the chance to do such a cruel thing to them.

Lucas... she thought to herself with unabashed anger.

She knew anger itself was not a good thing to have, but it was difficult to ignore or quell. Besides, hadn't she been concerned for his health before? Hadn't she felt sorry for his manipulation? But still...Why did you do this? Why did you never ask yourself if you were really doing the right thing? How could you trust some stranger so wholeheartedly? It was mind-boggling. The kind of unconditional trust that Lucas had given to the woman no matter how manipulative she could be remained puzzling in her mind. She'd never been in that position so she supposed she'd never fully understand.

She watched her father out the corner of her eye. He eventually climbed off the bed and exited the hut and nobody but her seemed to notice. It was then that Lloyd proclaimed that he was starving and for once her uncle was in agreement with him for something. Clearly everyone else was in a good mood as they laughed at their antics. Leona, on her part, gave a brief smile.

Their good mood began to rub her the wrong way. She wanted to feel sad and she wanted to do so on her own. She parted from the group as well and found a place behind the hut where she could peacefully wallow in her despondency. She hadn't known how much time had passed until Eros interrupted her tranquility.

"So there you are. Hiding right under our noses."

Leona didn't even bother looking at him. "Did you want something?"

"Ah, so formal!" he said stepping closer to her. "Dance with me, perhaps I can change your sadness into happiness."

"Sorry, I don't feel like being 'swept off my feet' and there's no music to dance to," Leona said quickly. She wished he would leave her be.

"I didn't come here to do that and music isn't required," he answered crisply.

Leona finally looked at him to see if, in fact, he still had the same effect on her as he had in the past. Unfortunately, she'd grown used to his appearance and his eyes lacked the inhuman sparkle from before. Pretty though they were, they were also mundane, no more astonishing than than the greenness of grass. He held his hand out to her and she finally took it.

She found herself not being held intimately, but in a formal, classical way. She was no stranger to this sort of dancing.

"Just follow my lead," Eros said when she was unclear as to where to start.

That is exactly what she did. Where his feet went she followed until there was strangely enough some sort of rhythm she could follow. She could imagine some slow, mellow song they were dancing to.

"This is silly," she said after a moment, a smile somehow making its way to her face. "But I suppose we're doing quite well without music."

"See there, I knew I could make you smile."

She had to hold back her laugh so that his point wouldn't be made so easily, resulting in an even bigger smile much to her annoyance.

"Just shut-up and let me enjoy this moment," she said looking away from his face.

"Oh? Are you enjoying yourself?"

She didn't bother with an answer, but it was obvious nonetheless. She wouldn't say that she was being swept off her feet, but it was something like that. She wanted to be close to someone, anyone, but her parents weren't exactly the ideal candidates nor was Eros for that matter. He was, however, available. She didn't feel like contemplating the other's motives or the consequences of opting to hold him closer to her, her arms on his shoulders now. She thought his hesitance odd as he tentatively let his arms come across her back. Eventually she let her head lay upon his chest, she noted that he was the perfect height for such things. She wanted to feel what she assumed would be his slow, calming heartbeats, but they were nowhere near. In fact, it felt more frantic than anything else. Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked back up at him concerned. She realized suddenly that his cheeks were quite rosy. Oh, he's blushing...did I do something I shouldn't have? He must have read her concerned expression and spoke before she could say a word.

"Leona...you're being so forward."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be...Does this mean you won't hold me like this anymore?"

"W-well-" he began

I should probably just stop...

"Please, don't stop," she interrupted him.

But today I feel a bit selfish...

She laid her head back down upon him, basking in his warmth, guiltily but with pleasure. They had ceased any pretense of dancing and they were simply standing there. And then a thought came to her mind that would not go away. She closed her eyes but it whispered in the back of her mind and eventually she was overcome with curiosity. She listened to his rapid heartbeats for a while longer and then looked up at him, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Yes," he implored.

Then she shook her head, instantly growing cold feet. What was she thinking, wanting to ask someone to do such an intimate thing? She realized suddenly that no one would stop her or admonish her. She could do whatever she pleased and it would be for her benefit and her benefit alone.

"Tell me," he said with subtle desperation. "You can tell me anything."

She sighed. "I was just wondering what it would feel like to be kissed."

"There's only one way to find out," he said, his mouth curving a bit into a smile.

"But," she said looking away, "I don't want you to take it the wrong way; I don't-" She quieted when he moved to place an index finger on her lips.

Before long she felt herself in a full-on kiss. It didn't last for too long, she pulled back when she felt she had her fill. She pulled away from him as well and he took his arms from around her so that she could do as much.

"Well?" he asked her after a moment when she was completely mute.

"It was pleasant and strange. The romance novels oversell it. But it's also...exactly how I imagined it would be."

Eros grinned at the other. "I think it would be better if I took that as a compliment."

"Take it as you will," she said with a shrug. She had simply told him what she thought without regard to anyone else.

"But," he began, his voice became a bit quieter, "You won't know how it really feels unless it's with someone you're actually attracted to, someone you want with every fiber of your being."

"Is it possible to want someone that badly?" she asked.

"Of course," he said with a smile. "It happens all the time."

"Even to you?" Leona asked.

"Even to me," he said with a laugh, "But apparently only with girls that are utterly unattainable."

She looked at him questionably.

"Believe it or not, I did come here for a reason other than cheering you up," he said completely changing the subject. "Mom and Colette, just put the finishing touches on a great big feast they managed to put together on short notice and-

"Hey! You better not be trying to do anything funny!" Cecil's angry voice cut in from a short distance.

Leona hadn't even heard her approach.

"Speak of the devil," Eros said aloud.

Her golden hazel eyes seemed trained on Eros, he was likely the target for all her aggression at the moment.

"You've been out for a while and Mom said to come back quickly. We're all waiting for you and Dad's gonna starve to death, I swear!"

"Sorry! I was just-

"No, no more talking. There's no telling what that vile tongue of yours could trick someone into doing."

Cecil was practically dragging him along before he could get a word in edgewise and Leona followed with laughter on her face.

Leona was warm and full after all the food and people. She felt she had loosened up quite a bit and joined in on the conversation several times. Her mother had been there as well in better spirits than before. Regal was nowhere to be found and later her mother said that he had chosen to take his food elsewhere. Her mother seemed more understanding than she. Leona supposed having to deal with an entire room of strangers would have been trying especially since they all apparently knew more about him than he did himself. She'd been thrust into that situation not too long ago, but perhaps the circumstances were different.

The adults lollygagged at the table, but she eventually excused herself being the last one around her age still there. Everyone else was off doing who knows what, but Leona simply wanted to see her father. She hadn't seen him since he'd left the hut. She found him quickly enough in the living room having just finished off his own plate. He truly did savor his food at every meal. Everyone else had been done long ago. It was always something her mother couldn't resist picking at him about at the dinner table. Of course, that didn't stop him from doing it. She smiled inwardly.

"Regal?" Leona said drawing his attention when she was close enough. She'd decided she would address him this way until such time he remembered her.

He tensed up a little when she said his name and in fact, he appeared startled when he looked at her. Perhaps she'd caught him in the middle of something.

"Oh, hello. Have you been standing there long?"

She shook her head no. "I just...wanted to see how you were doing."

"You wanted to see if I remembered you," he said with a gentle smile.

Leona wondered if she was truly that transparent to him or if he was simply really good at guessing things right. "I hadn't seen you in a while. I just thought..."

"Would you like to sit down?" he asked her politely.

Leona moved closer to the couch he'd been sitting on and then after another brief moment sat down beside him. It was a couch long enough to fit three people and she sat the furthest from him with her hands placed in her lap. She'd become a bit nervous. She hadn't thought everything through when she so desperately wanted to see how he was doing. What exactly would she say to him? She'd long since known that she was no good at making someone else feel better, at least not consciously. Should I say something? she wondered as the silence grew between them. Then Leona felt his eyes on her and she considered returning his gaze.

"You look just like her," Regal began.

Now Leona was looking at him though with a questioning expression.

He must have caught on to her silent "Who?". "Just like my mother," he expounded.

Leona realized at that moment that she hadn't the slightest clue what her grandmother looked like not on her father's side and certainly not on her mother's. Family in general seemed like some deep dark secret; the topic had never once been broached with either of her parents. Now it seemed, she need only look in a mirror and know at least the appearance of one grandparent.

"I wouldn't know," Leona said as the other continued to gaze at her. "You never talk about her or anyone like that, Regal."

"Please, you don't have to refer to me like that."

"Are you okay with me calling you 'Dad'-do you remember-

"No, it's just painfully obvious to me that you are who you say you are and I'm sure it must be awkward for you."

"I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"It's alright, really," he reassured her.

"You're not just saying that just to be nice, are you? I'm perfectly fine with not calling you that."

"We're going around in circles," he said with a small grin. "Neither one of us wants to make the other feel uncomfortable." He looked away from her after a moment. "Your grandmother was a gentle, kind soul. She saw the world differently than most. I aspired to be just like her."

That explains a lot about his personality, she thought to herself.

"But I'm afraid I fell short in my pursuit," he continued.

"What do you mean? I think your mother would have been proud of you."

"You're far too kind," he said shaking his head. "I followed in my father's footsteps and I didn't have the strength to turn away from that path. From the moment I was born, I was groomed to take over my father's position in the company that he founded. I was told the story over and over again how much work he had put into the company, how he started from the very bottom and made it into the prosperous empire it is today by his own wit and ingenuity. Of course, he embellished the details-no one becomes that successful without help from others, but as a boy I believed every word. I wanted to impress him and I wanted to become perfect in all the capacities he asked of me. Yet, I fell short of that as well."

"Once again, Dad, I see no reason why he'd have any problems with how you've ran the company thus far. I may not know a lot about the business, but I've never heard a bad word about it."

"Is that so?" Regal asked curiously.

"From my understanding," she replied.

"When I first took the reigns from my father, it seemed I could do nothing right. Everyday, my father would be there to tell me what I did wrong."

"Your father sounds like a real charmer," Leona said with a frown.

"He was," Regal replied, leaving Leona wondering if he'd caught her sarcasm. "To the outside world, he could talk anyone into doing anything. He was well-loved by quite a few people."

"And by you, I assume?"

"The moment I found out my father had passed away I was...relieved and then I felt guilty for feeling that way. My life up until that point had been scripted out for me. There were no decisions of my own to make. I didn't cry at the funeral and I never felt the need to do so even when I visited his grave from time to time. Perhaps it was sad that he died in general, but I can't deny how sweet freedom actually felt like."

"And what about your mother? Is she still alive?" Leona asked, hope clearly in her tone.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not. She died before my father."

Leona was surprised by this. She would have liked to meet such a woman.

"She was like a flower, trapped in a tiny container with no holes. She wilted and then died, the cause of her death unknown. I went to go check on her one day when I noticed I hadn't seen her in awhile and she laid in her bed, stiffened, ice cold and beginning to smell..."

Leona's face scrunched up imagining what that must have been like walking into that kind of scene. "Dad! Why was she left alone for so long?" Then immediately she felt guilty about her tone. These were things that happened in the past and he had had a long time to regret and mourn. There was a pained look on his face.

"By that time, I spent less and less time with her. She was almost always in the house and yet I could go for days not seeing her. Our last meeting was cut short because I simply was too 'busy' with my studies. She died because she was lonely and miserable. Father had her on a short leash. He was a paranoid man who kept her hidden from the world. He had also wanted more children from her, but for one reason or another it never happened and he had had to suffice with just me. He wanted children not because he loved them but because then his legacy would be made more secure. If something befell me, then there would be some other person to take my place.

"She couldn't go very far from the house and whenever she tried, my father would grow beyond jealous when other men would so much as glance in her general direction."

"That's awful!" Leona said unable to hold in her emotion. "Couldn't she have...you know, divorced him? Find some other place to stay?"

"Things were different back then. She had come from poverty and had no support other than my father. It would have been difficult for her to make a decent living on her own. She had no formal education and my father kept it that way. A divorced woman would have been looked down upon especially if it did not appear outwardly that it was warranted. People can see physical abuse, but the emotional kind is only seen by those closest. No one would have understood."

Leona looked to the wooden floor of Sheena and Zelos's house. "I think I know why you never told me this story before."

"Why is that?" Regal asked.

"It's depressing."

"Oh, well..." he said quietly, "It wasn't all bad. One tends to focus on the negative before the positive in hindsight. I don't remember feeling sad all the time. There was always so much to learn, so many people to meet, so many things I had to do right. I was more restless than anything else and I was too young to realize everything happening around me. I did not completely grasp the meaning of my mother's death or my father's overbearing ways. Those were the only parents I had and the environment had always been that way for better or worse. How could I become sad over something that was simply the norm? But I would never wish that kind of childhood on anyone especially not for my own daughter."

His eyes were on her again. She turned and then smiled at him. "Don't worry, that's not what happened with me at all. In fact, I aspire to be just like you."

"Just like me?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't sell yourself short. Besides, you haven't remembered everything yet. A lot must have happened since then. You met all these other people. You went on-well, I suppose I'm saying too much. It would be better if you recalled on your own. But...a lot has happened, life-changing events I suspect."

"I suspect as well. They seem like kind people who know each other well. I couldn't picture myself fitting in so well into such a group. How would I have met them? What would have been the circumstances?"

"Even I don't know the full story to that. I just know what happened during that time. I suppose it was the only part of your life you felt was worth retelling."

"It's all rather intriguing," he said with a sigh, sitting back on the couch, "But I think I've done enough reminiscing for one night. That's where my clear memories stop and everything else becomes foggy. I know that there's much more, but..." he trailed as he closed his eyes either in exhaustion or contemplation. She supposed it was the former when he stifled a yawn.

Either way, she knew she'd reached the end of the conversation indicated by his silence. She heard another sound in the living room. When she looked up and saw her mother, Leona wondered how long the other had been there.

"I had no idea you were so good at getting people to talk," her mother said in low tones so that she wouldn't disturb her father. "He's never said as much to me. I think talking things out will help him recover his memories."

Leona was surprised to hear this. It seemed she wasn't the only one left in the dark when it came to family. Even between her parents it was left as an untouched topic. She left with her mother out of the room as the day was drawing to a close.

She felt better about her predicament now. Even without his complete memories, he still felt like the same person and it wasn't as if he disliked her. She believed that slowly he would regain his memories. Only time would tell and Leona was more than willing to help him along the way. But more than that, Leona felt that questions about her family would soon be answered. Though he still seemed the same, this person seemed more willing to reveal things about himself. Perhaps this entire incident was a blessing in the skies.

Leona stepped outside of the house as she felt restless that night. Looking up at the sky, she noted the fullness of the moon and the brightness of the stars. In a traditional village such as this, these features were much easier to see. Even without the streetlamps, the night wasn't nearly as dark as she expected it would be. The temperature was perfect-a reminder that summer was finally coming to a close and her schooling would start once again.

She felt older somehow; wiser. All in one summer, she had contributed to the world's continued peace. No one at school would believe her if she ever retold the story. However, that wouldn't stop her from writing about it in detail when the obligatory "What did you do during Summer" prompt came up in English. She grinned to herself. The old Leona would not have wanted to rock the boat and keep things to herself, but those thoughts no longer held her back. If she'd learned anything this summer it was that truth was still truth, even if no one believed it and a lie was still a lie even if one believe it.

AN: Just wanted to let everyone know that I've already started on "Season 2" or "Part 2" or whatever it is of this story. I'm pretty excited since I've decided I'm going to be using multiple POVs as opposed to just focusing on one person. Gives me more room to give everyone including the original ToS characters more involvement.