Chapter 78: For Her, I Choose…

The last bell of the school year rings throughout the building, and with their tests sorted out and last bit of homework turned in, the students erupted into celebration and stampeded out for their well earned three month vacation.

The likes of Lunalei and the other teachers said their farewells to the principal and their students, with Lunalei relieved that she can put more time into her investigations. Albeit…she only had a week left until the Devil's deadline was due.

But it's not time to deal with her affairs. No no no.

This chapter is about Leo, and a certain songbird he's grown closely attached to…

As everyone filed out of the school in their little cliques and lines, Leo was joined by his strange band of friends.

Violet the ever-spunky punk.

Bang, the big but soft hearted jock.

And of course Lyra, the blind but passionately musically inclined optimist.

If he had to decide a role for himself, he'd be the patient but understanding straight man of the group. However…it's a role he's grown a little tired of, as he's found more people to associate with.

Violet took the lead of their little group, as is her nature, declaring with her fists swung high into the air, "WOO HOO! We're finally free! Let's kick off our first hour of summer planning our fun!"

Lyra giggled, "As much as I'd like to, I'm having a movie night with dad to celebrate the end of the school year. He'll be making a pizza."

Violet wagged her finger out, "Tell me he got over his olive kick."

Lyra nodded.

"Whew, thank heavens! Maybe I'll get to enjoy one the next time we hang out?"

Bang crossed his arms and grinned, "I bet he'll sprinkle some olives on just for you."

Violet stuck the tip of her tongue out, then chatted with him in a semi-antagonistic manner, "So what about you, testosterone man?"

Bang sighed, "Hate to break to ya all, but I'm gonna be busy with the football boys to get ready for next year."

He gestured his hands at his friends, "But if you need me, I'll make the time!"

Lyra nodded, "Sounds good. Try not to break anything."

Bang glanced at Leo, "As long as your crazy sis doesn't jump me, bro, I think I'll be fine."

"Haaa, you two…" Leo shook his head, acknowledging that he was at least being more joking than mean this time.

Violet then put her hands behind her head and stared at Leo, "That just leaves you, music maestro…"

Violet squinted as they made eye contact, and following a quick hum she smirked and decided, "Yeah, we're not compatible alone, are we?"

Leo shrugged with a smile, "Unfortunately, no."

"Dang…" Violet clicked her tongue, "Oh well, no biggie! We'll have plenty of time to hang out as a group later!"

A horn honking made Violet turn around to see a latino man riding up in a car. Leo recognized him as the man who arrested the vice principal a while back.

"Ah, that's my uncle! We're gonna go eat out at an enchilada place to celebrate!" She ran off, but not before turning and waving her friends farewell.

"Later!" She shouted.

"Bye, Violet!" Lyra shouted, then breathed a sigh of relief and faced Leo.

"So…" She brought her voice down to a whisper, "Want to come over to my place this weekend?"

Leo's mind felt fuzzy from this bold assault, "R-Really…? And that's alright with your dad?"

Lyra closed her eyes and sighed, "Leo, I can win him over. Our place is better conditioned for the summer than the deli too."

Leo knew she was saying "I want to hang out with you a lot more during the summer."

So he took the hint and told her, "Alright. Just message me the address and I'll be there around noon."

Lyra's face became flushed and after taking a deep breath to compose herself she smiled and nodded, "Y-Yeah. Looking forward to it! You'll LOVE my room."

Lyra then was picked up by her dad, leaving the obvious quarterback shaped elephant in the room looking down at Leo with interest.

Bang put it bluntly, "Bro, she's ready to kiss you."

Leo recoiled but composed himself quickly, "Y-You really think so?"

Bang gestured supportively, "Dude, she's throwing out so many signals she's her own four-way traffic stop."

The comparison was rather blunt, but correct. Leo could read those vibes coming off ever since the prom ended.

Was it because he had left her wanting by failing to deliver? Or was she just ready NOW?

In truth, he had dabbled with the idea of advancing their relationship like that for a while now. Debating on whether he actually loved her or not was pointless.

His feelings were as clear as the blue sky above.

What clouded him…was something more internal.

He clenched his fist against his chest and felt two hearts stirring: His own human heart, and the beating soul that channeled his Aurian powers throughout his body.

All throughout his life, he acknowledged but never needed to worry about that second heart. Now, it felt like an obstacle just waiting to ruin everything…because the gravity of his secret extended beyond his own life, but that of his entire family.

However…he'd been giving this a lot of thought lately, and about Lyra's condition.

Many times, his grandma Auris told him that the power of Aura is the power of life itself. The power to heal.

In theory, could that mean he could use his powers to heal Lyra's eyesight?

Bang hit him with a rhythmic series of finger snaps before his face to break his concentration, "Yo, bro! You doing alright?"

Leo shook his head and timidly rubbed the back of his hair, "Sorry about that…"

Bang crossed his arms and chuckled, "You dreaming of the kiss already?"

Leo gave him a strange glance and he backed off with his hands raised, "S-Sorry, wrong call?"

Leo curled his bottom lip and murmured, "Not…exactly."

"I need to get home. Sorry to cut you short, Bang."

"Eh, not a problem, dude. You've got my number," He held his fist up and grinned, "If you need me, you got me."

Leo bumped knuckles with him and the quarterback said humbly, "Honestly, I've felt a lot better ever since I started hanging out with you."

Leo wouldn't forget that sentiment as he drove back home, but for the most part his mind was focusing on what to do with Lyra.

He had one day to prepare for what could potentially make or break their relationship…and he needed a hundred more.

Once home he took his things into his room and barely reacted to his dad saying "Hello" to him from the couch.

It was only one the way back down the hall that his dad spooked him from around the corner, putting on a fake cowboy accent, "Now hol' up there pardner. We 'ere don't take kindly to guests comin' in without sayin' 'Hello' back."

He then put on his fatherly smile and stepped back with a chuckle.

Leo blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, "S-Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"Aaah, was it a rough last day at school?" His dad then jumped to conclusions, recoiling with a hiss, "...Dooooon't tell me you got bad grades, cause your mom would have something to say about that!"

Leo shook his head, "No, I passed."

His dad hung his head and exhaled.

"...It's about Lyra."

His dad rose and snapped his fingers confidently, "That would've been my second guess."

Leo walked past him and did his paces while building up to his dilemma, "She invited me to come over to her house finally."

"That so?" His dad gave a wily smirk, hiding his thoughts way better than Bang did.

Leo nodded and started to gesture his hands around slowly, "I've known her for a while now, so this feels like a pretty big step in our relationship."

"Of course, of course." His dad nodded along, leaning against the support.

"But…she's done a lot for me. A…lot a lot. I feel a lot less hesitant to do certain things than I did before. And now…"

When Leo chose to pause, he probably should've known better given his dad's jovial nature.

"...She's not asking you to take DRUGS, is she?!"

Leo turned to him and the joke bounced right off his determined expression. His dad's chuckling quieted down until it was completely silent, and Leo made the declaration of his life.

"I…I want to tell her that I'm an Aurian."

He could see his dad's skin lose color in real time. His expression stuck on utter shock, until he firmly slanted his brows down, pinched his nose, and hung forward with a sigh, "L-Leo, uuuugh…"

He then swiftly rose back up and twirled his hand around, "Y-You're not serious, are you? Cause like…ok."

"To be blunt, I expected this kind of hiccup from Serra, not you." His dad's remark really hammered in the level of trust and responsibility Leo was giving up to follow what his heart wanted.

But he did not relent. His dad was a reasonable man.

"I AM serious, dad."

And he watched his dad's eyelids droop, his shoulders hanging low as he crossed his arms and let out a big long sigh, "...Leo, stop and think about the consequences for a moment. Twenty years…that's how much peace we've given you kids by not being frivolous with our secrets."

"And you want to blow that open for love?"

"Aren't relationships built on trust and respect?" Leo argued.

"Of course, but this is on a WHOLE other level than say…committing adultery."

Leo grit his teeth, "She deserves to know everything about me."

"Within REASON, Leo. No, seriously. Maybe you've forgotten, but you, your sister and your mom aren't the only Aurians down here. Open this pandora's box and you're opening up a bunch of Aurians or their descendants to be hunted down and abused for their powers."

Leo stuttered in shock, "Y-You're acting like I'm going to tell the world…!"

Mew shrugged his hands out, "It may not start out that way, but do you know Lyra enough to trust she can keep your secret?"

Leo stumbled on his resolve, and his mind started to fray. That he even called that into question hurt him, made him…upset.

But he aimed that frustration not internally, but at his dad, "You're being unreasonable. Are you telling me if you never married mom, you would've kept your secret hidden from someone else?"

"T-That…!" His dad grit his teeth and glanced the other way.

"...We're not speaking in terms of 'what-ifs', Leo!" He struck back swift and unrelenting, "People like us are better off remaining a secret."

Leo hung his head and what he said next, he felt came unconsciously, "So it's fine to abuse our powers. Just as long as we aren't caught."

Mew raised his brows and murmured, "Excuse me?"

"Alura uses her powers all the time for her stage performances." Leo pointed out, staring his father dead center in the face.

Mew clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, "So what, she's a whole problem in of itself."

"Uncle Riku definitely uses his powers to help save lives."

Mew looked back at him and seemed to be getting nervous, "Y-Yes, but he does it subtly enough that technically, he's still following the rules."

Leo brandished his finger out, "YOU use your powers for travel convenience!"

Mew shook and tightened his arms against his chest, "...This isn't just about trust, is it?"

Leo pulled back a little on the aggression and took a deep breath. This was so mentally taxing…

"I…I want to believe I can use my aura to give her back her eyesight."

Mew took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "...I think it's time we had a talk about our powers and the world at large."

Leo, quite bluntly, told him, "I know what you're going to say. But our powers could help and heal so many more people."

Mew passively shrugged his hands out and sighed, "And then humanity becomes too reliant on their problems being solved by 'gods'. Perfect peace only leads to perfect stagnation. And we as a species have SO much further to go."

There was nothing wrong with what his father was proposing. His faith, his reasoning, he spoke nothing that Leo hated…

EXCEPT…because it stood in the way of HIS wants, he did.

Leo grit his teeth and felt his fist begin to tighten against his hip, causing his dad to peek a glance at him and remark, "Leo. You need to calm yourself, and back down."

Leo pulled from deep inside and proclaimed at the top of his lungs, "I won't, dad! I LOVE HER! And I want what's best for her!"

He took a swing at his dad only for him to catch it against his left palm like he didn't even move at all.

Leo looked at what he had done and started to sweat, backing away with his whole body trembling.

His dad cracked a smile and then quietly laughed at himself, "Heh heh heh, sometimes it's boring being the hero all the time."

Leo was completely confused.

His dad crossed his arms and relaxed his posture, "I may be your father, but I'm not owed your respect on everything I say. So…good on you for standing your ground, Leo."

Leo murmured, "T-This was a test?"

His dad shrugged, "A bit impromptu, but yeah."

"Thoooough, now that you brought it up, if I may…" His dad smiled warmly, putting him at ease, "You don't need powers to save lives. Just a little courage, and a lot of compassion."

"And I'm sure you've been giving her plenty of both."

He then closed his eyes and remarked, "That said, my point still stands on the secrecy. It's just too risky."

Leo hung back with a dejected look on his face, and Mew gave his sympathies, "Sorry, bud."

"...No, I-I'm sorry for losing my temper like that."

Mew rubbed the back of his head and giggled, "You're apologizing after I praised you for it? Sheesh…"

Leo then looked at his dad and, having finally calmed himself down, asked him, "But…I'm curious. If something were to happen that'd force us to use our powers…"

Mew said firmly, "I'd be the first one on the frontline. You can count on that."

Despite how comfortably the conversation ended, it was not as though it was easy to relax in the house after that.

And Leo still believed telling the truth was the right call to make. But…if he was going to go that far, he needed to make sure that his suspicions were correct.

And for that…he'd need back-up.

While he was getting ready for dinner in the bathroom, he quickly sent a text to his grandma Auris expressing the urgency of her advice, and that he'd prefer to meet her in person.

She responded not long after, and they set up a meeting place in town.

Leo was able to get through dinner and after helping to clean the dishes, he put something light on and headed outside, disguising his deceit as him going shopping for a few ingredients for breakfast tomorrow.

And it's not like he wasn't going to. But first, he needed to talk with his grandma, who waited for him in the parking lot with an unexpected tagalong: Shina.

"Hey you!" She waved her hand his way.

Auris answered the quickly forming bewilderment on his face, "She needed something to do, so I had her tag-a-long."

Shina giggled, "Geez mom, you make me sound like a pest."

Auris glanced over her shoulder, "Hardly. I like your company."

Auris then crossed her arms under her chest and walked closer to Leo, whispering to his ear, "Plus, it'll be less suspicious if I'm talking to you with someone else around."

Leo agreed with a light nod, and as his grandma backed away she remarked, "So, judging from the context of your message, you don't want your father to know we're having this conversation."

Leo nodded again.

Auris waved her hand out, "Say no more. There's none whose lips are more sealed than mine."

Shina playfully whispered, "Ain't that the truth."

Auris paid her no heed beyond a cursory glance, and then gestured to Leo, "Did you just eat? Want to go get an ice cream?"

Leo smiled, "I'll pass. But we should probably head somewhere less busy."

Auris' expression stiffened a little and after nodding at his suggestion, the three of them made their way out of this parking lot and over to a nearby park. This late in the day, there was barely anyone around.

The three found a nice bench and table, with Shina enjoying an ice cream pop she bought along the way.

Auris folded her hands under her chin and leaned forward, "So…what seems to be the problem?"

Leo remarked, "I won't bore you with the circumstances. Just tell me…is it possible for our aura to cure blindness?"

Shina paused mid-lick and glanced at her mom, who was in the midst of closing her eyes and humming deep in thought.

"...Leo, I'm not here to support you against your father's authority."

Leo wasn't…entirely surprised, but the disappointment hit him harder than usual, "...So you think the same way as he does?"

Auris opened her eyes with a mature and warm look, "It's just the way things are. The consequences of a foolish girl making a foolish decision many, many years ago…"

Shina interjected with a hint of excitement in her voice, "But if you're trying to go around Mew this must be a very, very special person to you."

"...She is. Her name is Lyra. And ever since she's entered my life I've never felt more of a desire to be…bolder with my decisions."

Auris smiled, "Indeed. This IS pretty bold."

Shina smiled, "I think it's sweeeeet."

Auris then sighed and rested one hand against the side of her face, "In truth, I'm unsure of the validity of your idea. Aurians don't regularly tend to suffer physical inflictions like that. And if it happened far in the past…the books have long since been burned."

Leo urged, "There has to be SOMETHING."

Auris hummed for a bit, "In theory, it should work as long as she still has her eyes, as you'd be stimulating the cells to regenerate."

Shina leaned back and let out a more forceful, energetic hum, "Saaaay, mom, didn't you tell me about one of the Sages from your generation who was blind?"

Auris was quick to correct her, "Blindfolded."

"Ah, right, my b." Shina then stuck her tongue out and laughed.

Leo's curiosity was piqued though, "I don't think that changes much, does it? That Sage would've had to be able to see somehow, right?"

Auris smiled, "That is correct. Unlike a human, our eyelids act as a second lens, which allows us to see the world through aura."

"...Then in theory, if someone were to channel aura into another person's eyelids, they would be able to see like we do?"

Shina nodded, "I don't see why not!"

"Now hold on a second there," Auris raised her hand, "Don't go encouraging him to try an untested hypothesis."

Shina kept her cool and stated, "Would it be better if I said I had a really strong gut feeling it'll work?"

Auris raised a brow in a humorous fashion and then closed her eyes with a sigh, "I swear, too much of those Whiter boys rubbed off on the both of you."

Auris looked Leo straight on and murmured, "It's not just the truth getting out that I'm worried about here. While you have trained yourself to use aura and refine your control, healing with it is a much more precise technique."

"One wrong move, and the cells in a person's body would regenerate too rapidly and cause a tumor to grow."

Leo didn't even want to think about how that would look with the eyes especially.

Shina remarked, "I think you should go with your second idea, Leo."

Leo nodded, "I can't think of any consequences beyond me looking like a fool for trying."

Shina pumped her fist, "And if you can stomach that, you're good to go!"

"Ahem," Auris coughed, "There's still the matter of secrecy here."

Shina flinched, but then calmly remarked, "I didn't forget."

Auris gave her a questionable look.

"Grandma," Leo kept speaking respectably, "...I'm willing to take the risk. I trust her more than anyone to keep this secret."

He held his ground and looked deep into her eyes. She quivered, and let out a jolly good laugh, "My my, you really are determined. Haaa…"

"But don't let love put an end to your dreams."

Leo nodded, "I won't. If anything, she's taught me to love music more than I ever did."

He then raised the hand his bracelet was on and rubbed it, "After years of believing I had to love it simply because of my chosen Drive…"

Auris raised her brows and let out a long, perturbed sigh, with Shina gently remarking, "Leo…"

"I see now," Auris looked disgruntled, "You've had this noose around your neck all your life, and only now it's begun to unravel."

She then laid a hand on her head and groaned, "Had I known sooner I would've said something…"

"The will of the Aura may pick a Drive that thinks will befit your nature, but that's not a hard guideline of who you will be growing up."

"Yeah I mean…" Shina gestured at her own bracelet, "Look at me. Gunslinger. Valkyrie. Do those sound like life professions to ya?"

Auris reached out and held his hands softly, "Whether known or unknown, the future is for us to decide."

She then gave his hand a light pat on top and backed away.

And hearing that made Leo feel a little elevated, lighter even, "Th-That's a relief. But…I'm glad I came to love music in my own, true way eventually."

Auris then closed her eyes and made her final remark as she got off the bench, "Children should be allowed a little irresponsibility every now and then. So do what your heart says, so long as you recognize the consequences that may follow…"

"...This won't be a mistake. I swear it."

Auris smiled, and Shina leaned in with her fists pumped, "I'm rooting for ya, Leo! Sorry I couldn't be of any help."

As the two left, Leo was ready to go home when Auris shouted, "Don't forget to go shopping!"

Leo flinched, and then returned back to the store to take care of business.

When he got back home, all that was left was to lie in bed for the night and think about tomorrow.

It will be a very restless night…

Next Time: My Gift To You