Hello! I know, it has been a while since the late update, I'm sorry. University kept me busy, and I wrote a lot of other things...But not Memories. I'm sorry about that. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, through.

Disclaimer: Tales of Xillia belongs to Bandai Namco Games.

Chapter 12

Back at Home

The travel until Leronde was long and peaceful, as peaceful as it could be when there were families who were on the boat too. Leo looked at the horizon. In front of him, it was only the blue of the sea and the white of the birds. He looked at this spectacle absently, thinking about the last events.

He had betrayed his father. It was a strange thing, something really bad, but he didn't feel sorry for that action. On the contrary, he was glad; it was like he was free of a tyrannical man, but it sounded true; cruel but true. His father never wanted him to leave Trigleph; when Leia and he had left it the first time, it was a miracle. Now that he was in Rieze Maxia, miracle wasn't a word strong enough.

Leo smiled and Leia's picture appeared on his mind. He liked her very much. She made his life happier than before, and just for that, he was grateful. She was his first friend and, sometimes, he wondered if she was only a friend. He thought that she was like a sister, then, but still, it bothered him. She wasn't either his sister or his friend. It was something else, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was frustrating.

The young boy sighed. It was even more frustrating knowing that he couldn't help Leia. She was in big pain, he knew it, but he couldn't help her. She didn't say a thing about what she felt, except for when she had shouted against Alvin. He had tried to kill her. He clenched his fists. Every time he thought about what he heard in Alvin's room, he was angry. He had tried to kill Leia but missed her fortunately; yet the young girl cared for that man. Leo didn't know what happened between and would probably never know. He didn't have the right to judge Alvin, even though he wanted to punch him. He hated violence, and this will scared him.

Eventually, he decided to come back inside his room. He slept in the same room as Alvin; Leia had wanted to sleep there, saying that she could heal him if there was a problem, but a young girl couldn't sleep with an elder man, right? When he entered, Alvin was sitting on his bed, looking by the porthole. He looked emotionless and probably in deep thought. Leo sat down on his bed and it creaked. Alvin turned his face towards him and they looked at each other for a while.

"How was it?" Alvin asked with a neutral face.

He knew that Alvin tried to be friendly. He only remembered before he had met Leia and her friends, and he probably thought that by talking with everyone, something would come back. When they had entered the cabin the first time, he had asked if he knew Leo before his amnesia, and he had looked relieved when the young boy had said 'no'.

"Beautiful." Leo answered. "It is the first time that I see the sea."

Alvin nodded and looked back by the porthole. Leo prevented a sigh. Their conversation never lasted long, and he didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing. Probably both of the answer. Suddenly, Alvin looked back at him and said:

"I can feel it."

"What?" Leo answered.

"You don't like me."

The young boy raised his eyes and wanted to answer but he was at loss of words. Alvin was true. He didn't like him.

"It's true. But I don't hate you neither."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He muttered.

It was a lie, he knew why, and the elder man seemed to know it too.

"Liar."

"I…don't know."

"I can understand why Leia hates me, even if I don't remember. But I don't understand why you don't like me. We barely know each other."

Alvin sounded a little bit childish. Was it because of his amnesia? But it was the first time he looked like that.

"It's because I don't know that I don't like and hate you." He began. "It's also because I don't understand why Leia cares for you when it seems that you had done something bad to her."

To his surprise, Alvin nodded and sighed:

"I don't understand either. She's too good to care about bad people like me." He said, looking by the porthole. "But yet…I don't know. I feel glad to have her by my side."

Leo lied on his bed without answering. He didn't understand too.

"I wonder if I have to apologize…"

"It would be rude without knowing what you did."

"…Yeah, you're right."

It was the last thing they said until the end of the travel.

"Leia!"

"Mom! Dad!"

Leia didn't have the time to say anything more that her father took her in his arms. She thought that he tried to kill her as he was hugging her strongly.

"Dad, you're strangling me…"

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man said, stopping.

Then, he looked at all the people and smiled to the elder of the three.

"Alvin! It's good to see you too."

Alvin tilted his head and Leia bitted her lips.

"Dad, Mom, Alvin has an amnesia."

She saw her mother frowning and his father said with a big smile:

"Then he just needs a good punch in the head!"

"Dad, no!"

"I'm sure that your mother can do it!"

"Yes yes, I can!"

"I said no!"

Alvin and Leo had their eyes big opened and looked scared. She sighed and came near them.

"So hm…Alvin, Leo, I introduce you my parents. Dad, Mom, there are Leo and…Well, you already know Alvin…"

Her parents greeted the two people and, after a little conversation, the five of them entered the hotel. Leia showed Alvin's room and Leo's room. She let them unpacking their luggages – not that they had a lot – and went down the stairs. Then, she entered the kitchen when she met her father, already preparing the dinner.

"Do you want help?" She asked, wanted to do something.

"It's fine, it'll be ready soon." His father answered.

She sighed and sat down in front of the little table there was in the kitchen. Before everything, her parents and she would sit down there and ate, talking about the rumors of the day. Leronde was a little city and everyone was known. Sometimes, Jude came eat with them, and they laughed a lot, like a true family.

She went out of her mind when her mother entered the kitchen and sat down in front of her, worried.

"So, how did that happen?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Alvin's amnesia."

Leia opened her mouth, trying to find a lie. She couldn't say that she had been in a spying mission and that Alvin had lost his memories because of her. Fortunately, she found one quickly.

"He fell from the stairs."

It wasn't the better lie that she could produce but for now, it was okay. Or she hoped so.

"He fell from the stairs…" Her mother repeated. "It's stupid." She continued, screwing up her eyes.

"Yeah well it's Alvin we're talking about."

Her mother seemed to like her answer as she nodded and continued:

"Are you fine?"

"Why not?"

"Leia, please, don't play dumb. You know what I mean. It's something difficult to be forgotten by a close friend."

A close friend? The young girl thought. Are we even friends? Yes, they were, she decided. They weren't as close as before, but at least, they were friends.

"It's difficult, yes…" She answered eventually. "And that's true that I was near to punch him but now…Now I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Her mother insisted, touching her cheeks.

"Yes."

It wasn't a lie and it wasn't true either. Leia didn't know what she felt about that, or how she had to feel. So, for now, she was just 'fine'. Nothing more and nothing less.

"And what about this Leo? Who is he?" Her father asked, looking at her. "Your boyfriend?"

He looked angry and suspicious. She raised her eyes and answered:

"No."

"You always said 'no' when we talked about Jude, but everyone knew that you were in lo—"

"Mom! Stop it!"

A blush grew on her cheeks and she wanted to hide under the table or even inside her room. Her parents laughed and her blush grew bigger.

"It's not fun at all!"

She wanted to say another thing but at the same time, someone entered. It was Alvin and Leo and her parents invited them to sit down with them. Then, with a big applause from his wife and his daughter, Leia's father put the dinner on the table.

She stood in front of the hotel door, looking at the sky. It was a good night, with a lot of stars. It felt good to being back at home and she was glad. She missed her parents. She wondered how it would be when she would get wed; she would miss her parents but she wouldn't live in Leronde, except if her husband wanted it.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she heard the door being opened and she turned to see Alvin.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey."

He came near her quietly and they didn't say a thing for a long time. Then, when Leia decided to come back in her room, Alvin spoke.

"I'm sorry to not remember."

She looked at him, astonished, and she sighed deeply.

"It's not your fault, it's mine."

"Through I think that it's bad to not remember about you and what happened."

"And I'm feeling bad to not have let you talking about it before your amnesia." She shrugged.

Silence surrounded them but soon Alvin destroyed it:

"I'll remember it and we'll be able to talk about it. It's a promise."

Leia looked at him and then smiled. Showing her pinkie, she said:

"Yeah well, don't push yourself."

He laughed and he did the pinkie promise. Now, he only had to remember everything. It would be difficult, Leia knew it, but she knew too that Alvin wasn't alone. She was there, as well as their other friends, and if they could save the world, then they could help an amnesiac.