End of an Era (Closed)

[Leon Loire]

In a historical perspective, one must ask themself: what does it feel like when the world you live in is no more? What happens when your way of living is suddenly completely changed, so far that, the writers of the world after will change the dates, the hours of your existence? What was it like for those before the Common Era? What was it like Before Christ?

In retrospect, they would feel the same as those who had no idea of the fate of Varron Academy; the students of that soon-to-fall hall had no consideration that by tomorrow, their home would be gone from a simple choice of words in another hall - their own city council.

Leon Loire, like all, had no foresight whatsoever to think that, at long last, something had finally come that could destroy Varron Academy.

Like everyone else, Leon Loire was proven a fool. There as, for being a fool, here he sat, in the same interrogation room as he had sat when he had supposedly lay waste to the seventh plaza of Varron City. For reasons suspected, but still unknown, Leon Loire was a suspect, a resource, a tool.

'I'm starting to wonder if the Police will pick me up every time a building lights on fire...'

Attempting to find any fragment of comfort in the worn down wooden chair nailed before the questioning table, Leon simply bode his time, knowing that soon enough, a pair of Police officers would tread in, their jackets off, their badges placed on a table just outside the door...

Instead, the metal-gray steel gate slid forward not to reveal a pair of drunken heaps of hate, but rather, a pair of clean cut, sharp-as-a-knife pillars of despise.

The one on the left was a United States military Sergeant; her commanding officer was Brigadier General Douglass Odine. As soon as the young man caught sight of the leader, he felt his spine yell out in fear, and his eyes widen into golf balls.

"YOU!"

Kicking his legs against the floor with the instinctual nature of hurdling the chair against the wall, the contraption only creaked in protest as a reply, simply resulting in Leon Loire pressing himself tightly to the back rest of the seat. As soon as the young man reacted, the escort flew her right hand toward the holster clipped to her hip, releasing the 9mm Beretta and flawlessly balancing its chamber toward Leon's center...

But of course, a quick motion from the older commander reminded her of the circumstances - whatever they were.

"Now now Alex, why act so hasty? It's only me." mocked the General, a subtly fake smile weakly curving across his chin, his eyes seeming to brighten like the core of a flame, "If I were here to hurt you..."

"Yeah, you'd have simply let her shoot me. I know." Leon lashed back, his violet gaze a pair of slits, his lips a tight line, "What the hell do you want? Clearly I'd be dead if you wanted that! So what, you want to..."

"Alexander Thompson, of all things I'd expect from you, disrespect to a mentor is not one of them."

"You're no mentor, and you certainly deserve nothing even similar to respect!"

"You see Sergeant? Isn't it clear he is losing his sanity?"

"Quite clearly sir."

"Yes indeed."

For a moment Leon Loire sat there, the only feeling in his mind being the command of his chest to inhale and exhale, the wave of his chest his only clear focus. He had expected an interrogation, he had expected two officers ready to send him to the hospital in exchange for "information", he even expected a few charges to let him rest in the cells that evening, but of all things Leon didn't expect was to see him again.

"What..."

"It's rather simple Alex, and I'm sure you'd love to hear it." Odine interrupted, knowing full-well that Leon didn't have the heart or the capacity at the moment to even continue his mental thought, "So then, I'll take my seat here... and there, we'll get started!"

So there they were: a highly right wing military General, and a young, passionate Liberal. Once mentor and pupil; now a puppet-master and its plaything.

"As you know, your precious allies in this group known to the public as 'Legion' has failed; their headquarters were destroyed just a few days ago, and now we find out that the little boys and girls who lit the match to their demise were these children known as the 'Hand of Fate'. Not only that, but those children have been raiding the headquarters of other smaller groups, and quickly began a Gang War on the streets that has so far been called 'the worst scene of teen violence in decades'. Now, what would you think that our beloved Government..."

"Your beloved friends in government, you should say." Leon quickly inserted, his eyes blaring on the old man's blurry face.

For the slightest second Odine was caught off guard; however, considering he expected such a lash to return, he forced himself to continue, "...would say when they saw this? 'Oh dear, the children don't like our ways, we should listen to them!'? No, quite the contrary; my 'friends' are wise. They decided that, no matter the harshness or the costs of my projects that you were so kind to bring to their attention, they now agree with me; the sacrifice of my resources is far less outweighed in compassion to the results!"

Leon felt his stomach drop at the old man's words. Agreement? Did that mean they were just going to let him go?! Free?!!

"No.... you're not serious..."

"My dear child, you should understand that in adulthood, in politics, and most importantly, in our honorable military, everything is serious. The Senator in charge of the CPS Committee faxed me the papers of apology just this afternoon! They, even better, have decided to increase the tax dollar flow into a certain project in question, and have asked me to guarantee the project's success as soon as possible..."

The old bastard didn't have to say which project it was; Leon Loire knew damn well what he meant. There were no possible words that could be spoken - even if Leon could speak. The thought of Odine's freedom, hell, his encouragement to continue his projects was the obvious symbol of what was to come. Leon could only press himself even closer to the draining, freezing chair - the feeling nearly equal to if he were strapped to the chair of death itself.

Grinning now with a pride of sick intent, General Odine stood himself up after several seconds of smelling the fear of his long-intended tool. For a moment more he merely stared back at Leon with the clear sense of victory, his eyes like fire, like brands.

"You can't win Leon Loire; no one can. This System is solid, and now, thanks to the selfish efforts of this Kvist, he has succeeded in destroying you. He has given me the excuse to bring you to me. Now, all it takes to end your pitiful rebellion-to-be is a simple injection, and your life... goes...blank..."

The grin grew wider, the fist just above the table clenching even tighter, before at last, an ironic laugh quickly left those rusted lips.

"But, left behind is a free slate for me to build my weapon against resistance! You will be the System's greatest asset, and its greatest symbol! You shall be its soul!"

With a final smirk and laugh, Odine began to stand from his chair to leave...

But something in Leon snapped; if he sat here, in simple shock, completely lacking in action, then he would lose everything he had: his friends, his home, his body, his personality, his very life; and yet, ironically out of all, he would be far from dead, simply a new person... with a freshly clean and gray soul.

'No... to hell with that!'

Quickly kicking himself out of the chair and into a standing posture, clenching his fists tightly, Leon Loire struck forward, his left hand arching toward the old man, intending to crack into his nose. It didn't matter if he missed or struck true, all that mattered was for the officer to gun him down. After all, death was a better fate then a lost soul and an unliving form.

Before Leon even reached Odine, the officer did strike; but this thirty-some woman had not received her rank through personal favors it seemed. Instead, it was for a deadly reaction time and sharp-as-nails intelligence. Leon knew this later on from the blinding headache he had a few hours later. Feeling his body crash forward and harshly land across the rocky floor, all Leon Loire saw were two pairs of boots walk out, and two pairs of boots walk right back in...

*****

'Augh... that didn't work out like I hoped...'

About sixteen hours after having been mercilessly pistol whipped by Odine's body guard, Leon found himself laying sprawled across the small cushions of a cell bed. Ironically, while he preferred to be in such a position earlier, now all he hoped to be now was outside with the other Varronites... or a grave; that would work too.

Simply sitting back for a few minutes, trying to figure out a possibility to relieve himself of the headache that razed him, but to no avail. Finally, after a few more minutes of attempting to resist the migraine and the fear of his fate all at once, Leon decided it was better to sit up and over his bunk. That way, if his brain became nauseated from pain or disgust, then he'd go ahead and release the vomit without worsening himself.

Fortunately such sickness never came, but Leon had to admit that perhaps such a release would help his twirling stomach to keep focused rather than kill itself over emotions. For an hour or more (Leon couldn't tell, it seemed the Police had stolen his watch) the man sat there, pondering his end, wondering when Odine or his lackeys would come to take him and cuff him for another "interrogation."

After the endless wait of constant mindless thought and fear, the prison doors did open, and a pair of well paid shoes did walk down the hallway leading to his cell. Could it be them? Could it be the Priest? Perhaps Kazuki Shinato ready to bail him out?

Surprisingly, it was none of those ideas; instead, it was a complete stranger.

Strolling over by the cell and sighing, Leon took a long and calculated stare at the man that now analyzed him. The visitor wore a modest royal-blue suit, his maroon shoes shining from polish, the line of his pant leg crisp and barely mixing into the rest of the leg, his jacket lintless, his tie a vibrant navy. On his left side he wore a pin of some sort, and on the rim of his nose he wore golden glass frames, with lenses that circled his eyes perfectly. His hair was a natural brown, and his blue eyes were some of the brightest Leon had ever seen - not in the sense of a light blue, but that they seemed to just grab a person's attention.

"So you're Leon Loire huh? Wow, I expected no less from you." the stranger seemed to speak out with a confident enthusiasm, his tone light and friendly, as if he were attempting to cheer Loire up from his situation.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Loire reacted, clearly in no mood to accept such bad humor.

"Just a thought, that's all. The idea of such a vibrant and well spoken Liberal in prison? Makes it a bit historic in a sense. Just makes me wonder how Martin Luther King Junior was feeling when the southern oppressors threw him in prison for the demonstrations he led." the stranger seemed to carry another world of thought in his mind, as if he were seeing Leon from various perspectives.

"So if you're just thinking, what do you need me for? And with that, how do you know my personal preferences in....well, politics?"

The thoughts of his own seemed to spread simply, yet a moment later, the stranger held a smirk so dignified, even Leon couldn't help but feel at ease.

"Leon Loire, let's just say that... you have a friend from your past that, through their own experiences, has gained friends for you in higher places, and those friends know friends that argue and counter the friends of that old statue that seems intent on placing you in this cell forever."

'Friends of friends of friends...'

"Stop sounding like a Communist and get to the point." Leon replied, but in all honesty, there was a bit of a wry joke to the tone, adding a hint of humor with such a serious reaction.

The smirk held on the stranger, and the twenty-something man continued, "All I can say is that you're not alone. There are people in that Committee right now - and yes, that Committee - that will counter and combat against the arguments of fundamentalists as often as they can. These people, through their sources such as your friend, have discovered something of you, and wish to help you become what you desire - and in the process, completely counter the intentions of the good General Odine and his Conservative golf buddies."

Leon felt a sudden nostalgia of peace at the realization: this stranger, whoever he was or whatever his name, was trying to help him, trying to make something of him. His actions, whether selfish or selfless, were going to lead Leon out of his danger and onward towards safety.

Holding back his satisfaction and relief, Leon accepted a weak smile to rise on his lips, before continuing with his next question, "So what do you propose?"

The stranger smiled back, "Not propose my dear Liberal friend, what I invite. You see, you were not meant to be in this cell, it is just that certain parties in the higher places decided that they'd ignore the bribes of others so they could satisfy their own. You were not meant to be in this prison, but in another one. The fact is, however, that other cell is far larger, far more populated, and leads to a far briefer and less painful release date."

Leon stood up now, seeing the stranger pull out a pamphlet from his suit pocket and wave Loire to walk over. Taking the pamphlet in his hand and observing the cover, Leon instantly caught note of the brochure's title: Come to Hircine High!

"A school?" Leon honestly asked, caught off guard that of all alternatives, a fellow Liberal (at least, Leon was assuming the stranger was Liberal) would simply send him back into the system they both fought.

"Unfortunately, this is the best I've got right now. It turns out that after the Varron City Council decided to shut down the Academy... What, you didn't know? Oh, right... they just signed on that last night; my bad!" the stranger seemed perplexed at first by Leon's complete look of fear, and with an attempt at bad humor, tried to cheer up Leon.

He didn't.

As Leon found himself staring blankly at the man, he could only reply with a drawn back jaw, "It's gone, just like that?"

The man stood there staring back for a moment, before sighing and allowing the sympathy in his eyes to be absorbed by the younger man, "Yes Leon; it's gone. The Council discovered the FBI's takedown of Kvist's forces, and after realizing that their investigation against the city's corruption was clearly unstoppable, they decided to try and play into helping them. They closed the school down with the simple idea that 'Varron Academy was the source of the Gangs, and shutting it down would help stop them. The end.'"

But Leon wasn't listening... he couldn't believe it; Varron Academy... gone.

'The FBI? Is that where this all started? Damnit, what's going on?! This is all too much too soon!'

Letting his body fall back against the wall, Leon felt his legs slowly slide forward, allowing his rear to lightly land against the cement floor.

"Leon... damnit!" the stranger suddenly spoke out, "I know that school is important to you, believe me, I know. But we've got no time for moping or crying about it. Your life is at stake here, hell, the security and future of this nation is at stake. The Corporal Punishment System has been demoralizing and oppressing students like you and me for the past pair of decades. You're tired of it, I'm tired of it, we're all tired of it. You're a Liberal, so stop sitting there like an apathetic fool, get on your feet, and demand the change you want!" his voice, while comforting and eased before, had suddenly become a voice of command, of lead - yet it was positive, and almost heartening. In this man Leon saw himself; in this man Leon saw his future, his dreams.

Forcing himself up (although swaying a bit, all thanks to the headache) Leon regained his stance and looked right back at the stranger, "All right, if you say so... sir."

"Sir? The hell is that?" the man of Liberalism seemed a bit surprised by the response, and yet, not so much; after all, throughout all of this, it was clear he purposefully had held his identity, "What, you expect a mysterious stranger to tell you his name?"

"Well hell, you just uplifted me, I'd at least like to know who to thank." came back a slightly humored response from Leon.

Smiling at the thought, the man pulled out a key; inserting it into the cell door, turning, and unhinging the small object that kept Leon trapped, the man held the door open for his companion, then shut it behind him.

"So, what is it?"

"What's that?"

"Your name."

For a moment the stranger stood silent and unsure, yet a second later, he decided on his response. "For now, you can call me 'L.'"

The smirk on both their faces told the situation.

"You're not serious."

"I am quite serious in fact."

"You know how openly vague that is, considering the circumstances?"

"Leon, you don't even realize how much I'm laughing right now, do you?"

"Seriously, give me something to go on here."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, it's the first letter of my last name..."

"Oh yeah, REAL helpful."

"Hey, I try my best. Now come on, let's get going."

After forcing down a smirk, Leon watched "L" - 'Damnit, I am not calling him that...' - quickly lead onward towards the back of the cells, which led onward through a more silent section of the station. Quickly zipping past officers who had no understanding of why Leon was in the building itself, "L" pressed onward with as much swiftness as his dress shoes could muster, and Leon with as much power as his wounded head would contain.

Ignoring the fear of gunfire to suddenly pop above his head, Leon was relieved to find himself out in the alley streets, his leader just to his left. "Now, I've got a ride over here that will take you home; from there, you're on your own. But hold onto that brochure. It has your train ticket."

Leon nodded, not in the mood to question the circumstances, and pocketed the pamphlet in his coat pocket. Following the man out to the mouth of the path, he held his hand outward to aim Leon toward a small sedan parallel parked just ahead of them. "There's your ride; now get out of here, before the old hag realizes you're gone."

"You're not coming?" Leon questioned earnestly, a bit curious to discover more about the man.

"Unfortunately, no. I've got business to attend to down town, and I can't have those cheap fools seeing you. You've got to get home, get your things, and find a place to lay low for a while. Now, I'll be in touch - believe me, I will be."

Holding his hand out for a shake, Leon looked down for a moment in surprise, a second later however, the two hands were embraced in respect, and the two men nodded their goodbyes.

Opening the door, entering the car, and looking forward, Leon saw the gaze of an unknown driver questioning back at him.

"You ready to go? I've been told the place."

"Yeah, let's hit it. I've got a lot of things to clear up in less time then I probably think."

"Believe me when I say you're absolutely right."

[Leon Loire]

~One Week Later~

'Midnight silence...'

Once "L" had left him to be driven home, Leon began stressing life as if escaping a prison. Once the escort driver left him at his apartment, Leon quickly strode up the building stairs to his home. Twenty minutes later, two cases of clothing were packed and stashed in the trunk of his Mustang, and his apartment clerk helped pack an assortment of Leon's other properties - all in the middle of the night - which included his outdated computer, an assortment of entertainment devices, the two carrying cases for both the Lionheart[/color] and Izou[/color], and any other mediocre item that needed to come along with Loire. Within a record speed of two hours, Leon was ready to take off once again, and with a shake to the hand of his clerk and an advance in the monthly cost dropped upon his open palm, Leon Loire was gone.

Ironically enough, he wasn't leaving town; he was driving fifteen minutes due north, to Varron City's suburbia.

Pulling into a spotless concrete-grey drive way, exiting his car and quickly knocking on the door, Leon was greeted by a sight he needed to see all night. Grumbling to find her watch, the droopy eyed Azumi Philanaski quickly grabbed Leon by the shoulder, tossing him inside, and shutting the well painted door.

"Damnit Leon, it's three o' clock at night; do you realize that?" throwing both of her arms across her robed chest to both keep warm and prevent herself from presenting an inappropriate sight, Leon only sighed in apology, "I know Azumi, and I wish I could help avoiding this, but I just had a run in with the law..."

"What? Jacobs think you kill someone?" Azumi quickly quipped in modest honesty, expecting Leon to have gotten himself trapped in yet another circle of fire.

"No! Odine came back... and he's not against the government in this one..."

Quickly detailing the events of the station, from Odine's threat to "L's" meeting, Leon soon found Azumi's face to be full of contemplation and concern.

"Yes, if there was ever any time to be in fear, this is it." she finally spoke out, her black eyes hidden well behind that shield of hair and shadow, her thin fingers strongly crossing her lips and nose, "I'm glad you came. If there's any place that you're safe right now, it's with me."

Quickly tightening the noose across her robed waist again to keep her attire close to her form, Azumi passed Loire's watchful eye and began the path upstairs.

"But how do you know? Of all people to come to, I'm sure Odine knows I'd come here." Leon added, still looking out toward the street beyond, partly feeling the fear of suddenly seeing a Police cruiser - or worse: a Humvee.

"Believe me Leon, that's all you have right now. Besides, you're not the only one with protective friends." Azumi smirked at the young man with a faintly tired smile, then waved him upward, "Come on kid, I'll show you the room you'll be using for the next week. It's not much, but it'll last you."

Stepping upward, the creaks of the stairs minimal due to her naked feet, Leon quietly followed after, slightly frustrated by the noises his own boots left behind.

*****

"James, could you pass the butter?" requested the voice of a slightly half asleep adolescent known as Leon Loire. His stature was rather comical in appearance due to his laid back, subconscious manner; but then again, what wasn't so amusing about a teenager attempting to scarf down his food as if ready to die?

With a quick smirk and nod of sarcastic disappointment, Dr. James Philanaski picked up the butter dish and slid it to Leon Loire, who quickly nodded back with a gratified smile, sliced a small piece of the butter from its slab, and spread it tenderly across his new piece of toasted bread. With one quick move of his hand, Leon grabbed the cup of orange juice just beside him and swiftly gulped the entire glass down, clearing his voice and mouth - of course, without such intention.

"Kids these days..." obnoxiously spoke out James with a grin, eying Leon's confusion with amusement.

Blinking a few times before finally questioning, Leon couldn't help but enforce James' thought, "What?"

A moment later, the two men were joined by the older's wife and joy, and the younger's mentor and "adopted" sister: Dr. Azumi Philankaski.

"So, how are my two boys doing on this cold morning?" asked the good doctor with a smile, her right hand gently sliding the nearest chair backward, before comfortably sitting down and tucking forward; just a moment later, that same right hand was calmly darting toward her right, where her husband's left hand was carelessly holding a defenseless piece of bacon. With a quick steal and a flirty bite, the two shared a glance of loving joy.

"Well, I'm doing better now that you're here, dear."

"That so? I'm sure the bite helped."

"That it did."

With a shared smile as well, the lady turned to her plate and grabbed a few pieces of meat to feed herself, but a quick reminder commanded her to question the sleeping youth on her relative left, "Leon, you're leaving for the west tomorrow, correct?"

"Seems so Doc." responded the careless teenager, letting his blue eyes doze on the pancake before him, contemplating whether to make it into a bacon burrito, or to avoid being stared at and following etiquette.

Being half asleep, and without a care, Leon grabbed the pancake, ignored the 'What are you doing?' question from Azumi, grabbed the bacon and inserted, rolled up, and bit.

"....Damn, that was an awesome idea!"

Sighing with a defeated nod, Azumi accepted her poured coffee with a happy 'thank you' to her James, then took a long sip. Placing the mug back on the table and sighing back the ease of the drink, Azumi stole a quick glance at her pupil, who was now looking right back at her.

They were thinking the exact same thing. Yet a second later, they turned away, returning to their meals in silence.

*****

About three hours later, Leon Loire was dressed and awake at last, his body quickly running down the stairs of the Philanaski home. Leon's attire composed of a tan overshirt, dark blue undershirt, rugged blue jeans, and chocolate brown boots, with the usual black gloves for warm and particular situations. In the nook of his left elbow hung Leon's leather trench coat, and in his right hand was his cell phone, which was currently pressed tightly to his ear in the midst of conversation.

"So, Lisa's been accepted? Good, I'm glad to know she's set then... What, you guys want me over now? Wait, her train's leaving today? What the hell, why so soon? I... yes, all right.... okay. I understand Derak. I'll be right over." And with that, Leon quickly shut his cell phone shut, the frustration of the situation clearly written across the line of his face.

'Why today? I was hoping to spend some time with her...'

Impatiently throwing the jacket over his shoulders and inserting the cell phone in his right pocket, Leon looked to Azumi just next to the front door with a small frown.

"What is it?" she quietly asked, her eyes looking at his appearance, and knowing full well of his intentions.

"You remember that friend of mine, Lisa Hughes?" Leon quickly commented, making sure his tan sleeves were not clustered in the jacket.

"The jazz player from your band? Yes, I remember her. Cute girl." the older woman replied without hurt or harm; there was no such connection between the mentor and pupil beyond respect and care of siblings, after all.

"That's the one. She's been accepted into a private school out in New York City, some private Arts place. The place's semester is supposedly starting on the same day as mine, but her dorms require her to move in within a few days, and Derak needs to go move himself into some studio he and the Blues have rushed to buy. Either way, they're stuck taking off now, and they asked me to come hang out with them and help with the packing."

Azumi forced herself to pull up a weak grin of understanding, but in truth, Leon knew that it was actually sympathy; the woman knew Leon's heart far better than most.

Now prepared, Leon stood there for a moment, looking into his mentor's brown eyes with an intense conviction. There was pain in his navy gaze, and there was sadness, but no matter what it took, he'd get past it.

At least, that's what he told himself now.

"I'll be back by tonight." he quickly said, and with a quick turn of the door knob, Leon was out of the building and out into the night.

[Leon Loire]

'Ding.'

With the sound of sliding metal, Leon Loire stepped out into the dark and slightly damp hallway of a seven floor apartment building in Varron City's eastern wing. His eyes were slightly closed, the ease of the shadows a strange comfort to viewable light. To his left was a long, boring path leading toward a turn; to the right, however, led an end. From what he'd been told, that end led to his destination.

Pivoting right and heading in said direction, Leon kept his eyes focused on the number of doors surrounding him. Counting up the numbers to try and remember which was the property of the Hughes siblings, Loire finally caught sight of the ordered number. Stopping himself and looking to the decaying old door, Leon frowned slightly at the thought of his good friends living in such a way.

'No wonder they never invited us over...'

Walking to the door and knocking the three consecutive alarms of his arrival, Leon found himself staring at the old molding door for a moment, then within an instant, his new focus was the face of Derak Hughes.

"Leon! Come in, come in..."

Opening the door completely and allowing his younger friend to pass through, Derak quickly shut the old thing behind them and turned on his heel to look to Leon with a genuine smile, "Thank you so much for coming bro', I need to ask a favor..."

Leon smirked at the typical ease of his friend and quickly replied back, "What, you need me to carry some couches, toss some TV's, and finally prove my skills are better than yours?"

With a smirk back, the black haired, hazel eyed Derak quickly laughed, before passing by Leon with a quick pat on his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll try to dethrone me on your first trip to the troupe's new hideaway, but for now, the favor is unfortunately much less graceful."

Waving Leon to follow him without even turning his head or stopping his stroll, the two men followed the main entrance way, passed the door leading into the kitchen, and entered the den. "You see, we've got so much stuff between the two of us that my old car is completely filled, and considering we're kind of broke now on paying for the down payment of the studio, I can't pay for movers. Would you mind..."

"Derak, you don't even need to ask. Just tell me what to take, and it's there." Leon smiled, looking to find the boxes and bags that would be his cargo.

Derak scratched his temple and quickly replied, pointing his hand to a door just on Leon's right, "Well actually, I do have a few boxes for you to take, but the majority of the favor is giving Lisa a ride."

Leon side-glanced him, a beat in his heart suddenly missing, "Oh?"

Derak nodded with a shy grin, and Leon felt a strange tingle up his spine, 'What's he getting at...'

"Su...sure Derak, I've got no problem driving Lisa. Most of my stuff is just in the trunk anyways. I can just throw her stuff in the back and..."

"Great! I really appreciate it. Yeah, my car's so packed right now..."

Laughing a bit before presenting another grin, Derak turned his heel to the kitchen door, "Well, Lisa says she'll be a while before she's ready - you know, packing and all that."

As Derak led Leon into the small kitchenette and prepared to pull out a jug of iced tea, Leon felt himself wondering of the suspicious attitude of Derak, "What, Lisa needs her door shut to pack her things?"

Derak sent a humorous glance to Leon before pouring the two their respective glasses of the drink, "You know how women can be, always so protective and secretive about their male friends seeing any undergarments. You understand."

Leon sent a consoling glance at his friend, and within seconds, Derak was placing down his glass and frowning, before giving Leon a hard stare and sigh, "Leo my man, she's hurtin'. Her eyes... that's proof enough to tell what's she going through right now."

'Just like what we're all feeling...'

"I understand... it's hard, leaving Varron Academy behind, especially when you've been here for so long..."

Derak nodded silently, sipping a gulp of the ice cold liquid; a moment later, however, he had no choice but to react, "I never wanted her to be acquainted here, I never wanted her to even come..."

For a moment Leon just sat there, staring at the table in front of him, yet after a few sips and a long though, Leon had to respond as well, "None of us ever desire to come here Derak... none of us."

"So why is it so hard to let go?" Derak suddenly snapped in impatience, a flare of his brow rising on his forehead.

Leon merely ignored his anger, and kept sipping, "The worst can be loved as much as the best Derak. Even Varron is a home, whether we like it or not."

It was strange that Leon was so calm about a situation, especially since he himself had been dreading over the change for the past week. Perhaps he wasn't over the loss, it was merely that it was his turn to play the understanding figure, and allow a friend to be the one to vent.

Sighing deeply and standing up, Derak took one last gulp from his cup, watched it thoroughly, dried it spotless and inserted it into a box beside Loire.

"That's one of the things to go with you; make sure to place your own glass in there, okay?"

Leon side glanced him with a weak smile, "Will do man."

Derak looked down to the worthless piece of cardboard and sided, "Amazing, so many memories, and yet it all ends up in a simple box, just to be moved away..."

The two men sat silently for a brief bit, before Derak finally decided that his leave was inevitable; although Leon had to admit, the older man did seem to act rather nervous about something. Was it distrust, or anxiety?

"Well Leon, I'm heading out. I'll see you at the station; block 14?"

The younger man nodded, and within a few seconds, his ears caught the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway, and then, a closed door.

Sighing his own anxieties away, Leon quickly finished his own glass, followed Darak's procedure of preparation, and lightly placed the glass into the box, before closing it shut and picking it up. Finding a small roller to stack various boxes upon, Leon placed the cardboard square on top, and let it sit - idle.

For about fifteen minutes, Leon Loire felt as if he were that simple square, sitting by without an act to play upon, his past now becoming memories, even if he desired them to still be his present...

*****

Eventually, Leon felt a flair of impatience rise in him. What was taking Lisa so long? She had been packing her things for the past twenty minutes, surely she was ready?

Breathing out the emotion and instead deciding to knock on her door, Leon turned on his booted heel to prepare his check on her...

To find the door open wide and out of sight, to be replaced by the head shorter girl herself.

"Leon...Hey." suddenly she greeted, her lips small and shy, her eyes rather sad and shined from dampness. Her posture was an act, her persona telling her to try and play her part of the strong independent jazz girl, but in truth, she was as saddened as the rest, and her time alone had forced that fact on her with a hard tear.

Leon was already caught off guard by her sudden arrival; it didn't help things that she appeared as sad physically as he felt privately.

And in the back of Leon's mind, he openly admitted that the outfit didn't help either. He was utterly speechless to see the mahogany haired girl with her beloved calf-high heel leather boots, a torso turtleneck with separate sleeves, and that plaid skirt...

"Don't you think it's a bit cold for that Lise?" Leon eventually questioned, a comforting smile spreading across his face, his eyes forced upon hers.

For a moment she only looked at him with solemn silence, then smiled back, "I've got my reasons. It's my favorite skirt after all, and if I'm leaving this city one way or another, I'd like it to be in rebellion all the way."

Leon grinned at her own spiritual strength, and opened his right hand out for her to step forward and grant it to pass over her shoulders, "That's my Lisa!"

The girl smiled with a laugh, but for some reason she shook at his words. What was wrong? Did she have something against him? Did she blame him?

Passing through the apartment relatively quick, Lisa reached the door and dropped the two bags of clothing at her feet. Reaching into the closet just next to the entrance door, she pulled out her maroon cloth jacket and slid it across her arms. Waiting on Leon to join her with the standing roller, the two stood at the door; an eerie silence shared between them.

For a moment Lisa looked back at the home and released a shaky sigh, but with a firm pat on her shoulder from Leon, she seemed all right. She smiled for him, and nodded, "Let's... get going, shall we?"

Opening the door for her, Leon and Lisa passed through the apartment door, shut it, and left the place for good. Pacing down the path toward the elevator, the two found that it was waiting for them; entering through and pressing the button for the lobby floor, Loire watched as the metallic doors shut before him again.

For a few seconds the old contraption slowly inched downward, passing by the sixth, fifth, four floor... it seemed that eternity was attempting to force something on them.

Eventually, it seemed that Lisa Hughes caught on to that "something."

Within the corner of his eye, Leon watched surprisingly as Lisa Hughes place down her two rather light bags, then commence in slowly slipping her jacket off. For a moment Leon felt the need to ask her what was wrong, but since it was possible she needed to itch a shoulder or something of the sort...

Leon was completely off; slowly, and without eye contact, Lisa stepped to the elevator control switch, and with a hesitant hand, firmly pressed her palm against the 'Emergency stop' key.

Leon couldn't just ignore that, "Lisa, what are you..."

Yet soon he found himself speechless, as the girl turned on the high heel of her leather boots, and placed her sensual eyes upon the curious navy gaze of her interest. Without a possible word or action, Lisa Hughes stepped forward, quickly cutting down the distance between she and he, and teasingly wrapped her warm warms behind Leon's neck, her chest to his, her lips just inches from his own breath.

For a few moments - that felt like eternity, of course - the pair of youth merely stood there, one with eyes of deep desire, the other completely exasperated. There were no words that could describe the sudden warming torture that gripped Leon Loire's heart; at last, it seemed, he knew that someone cared for him. And yet, with that all said, what was he to do with it? She wasn't commanding him, or advancing on him anymore than the embrace... she was simply waiting...

'Damnit all, what's a man to do?'

Eventually, however, Leon felt that warming breath of femininity reach closer to his own lips, and soon the two were so close that Leon could feel the flesh of Lisa's soft nose. Eventually became then, just then became now, and at last, Leon Loire leaned forward, and found his own lips against Lisa Hughes.

The two held each other, Lisa's arms warming Leon's neck, his own hands caressing her slightly expressed hips. He felt her silky hair against his harmed scar, now healing from the compassion endowed to him. Her legs, so arousing and manipulative, toyed and pressed against his own, at times inching her chest even tighter to his own.

Soon enough Leon felt Lisa's arms slowly retract as their tongues met, and her nimble fingers quickly contacted against the hidden flesh of his arms underneath the overshirt, and within seconds the girl had the tan fabric sliding down his arms.

With his own shirt now gone, with only one more garment preventing his bare chest from the cold of the elevator - yet the warmth of her aura - the embrace became more intense, his hands quickly returning to her hips, and then rubbing upward, ignoring the shirt, yet lifting farther...

Within seconds, the two had allowed themselves to delve farther than their friendship had ever been.... they were inching further away from simple laughs and innocent jokes... they were now brimming on naming the other 'lover'.

Yet finally, with his hands just inching from her chest, her navel clearly in view, her eyes now opening to expect him looking back with equal desire, Lisa Hughes was surprised to find his comforting touch to halt, and his eyes to depict sudden fear.

Slowly pulling his hands away from Lisa's warm body, Leon Loire quickly stepped back, colliding his chilled back against the slight carpeting of the elevator, and finding his eyes focusing on the face of the girl he wished to love... yet could not help but flash about a pair of others. Allowing his weak knees to collapse, Leon's own prevention from collapsing was the pressure of his spine to the wall, and his form slowly inched downward, the loss of such an easing touch now seeming forever gone.

A few seconds later Leon found the questioning stare of Lisa just beside him, her right hand firmly gripping his right shoulder as if he were ready to collapse, her posture held up by the stance of her two knees. Leon wasn't sure how to respond to her, and expecting a desperate plea of explanation, Leon waited for a demand, hoping it'd buy him time to truly figure out just how to tell her.

Yet the question never came - at least, vocally. Instead, her deep brown eyes continued to stare in desperation, hoping to see what she had done to frighten him.

Such a stare only made Loire feel even more guilty for his uncontrollable feelings. His throat dry and tight from the image of the two faces, the two pairs of eyes, the two souls... Leon Loire finally returned Lisa's watchful eye and, with a reluctance, spat out his pain.

"I'm sorry... I just, I just... can't...."

For several moments the two - again - merely sat together, in silent ponder; except this time, it was not lust that pressured them, but pained loss of it.

As Lisa Hughes found her brown eyes looking over the fogged sight of the man she cared for, the man she had been ready to lay with, Loire knew she felt the stinging bite of why he had turned away. After all, it was a clear sign of abandonment, just as before.

'No, I won't let that happen again! I'll explain to her why...'

But in truth, Leon wasn't terribly sure what had prevented him to continue. Then again, perhaps he did, it was just too much to handle.

Finally turning his eyes to glaze back at the girl who leaned onto him, he apologized, "I'm sorry Lisa, I just don't think I'm ready."

The girl's frown seemed to deepen a small bit, and her eyes drop down as well, "Ready? What, are you still in love with... her?"

Leon dropped his own eyes as well, away from Lisa's direct gaze, "I'm not sure to be honest, but when I had both of them staring back at me..."

"Both? What, you mean... Jaina too?" Lisa suddenly questioned, her left hand quickly gripping on Loire's right shoulder, her hair following forward toward Leon's face as she leaned in closer, the scent of her breath and perfume reviving him.

Leon looked back to her, a frown still cheeked on his lips, "Yes. As soon as I felt myself growing closer to you, I saw my past... and I suppose what I always thought would be my future. I don't understand it! I've been aiming to find myself with someone else, someone I can truly care about, and yet when you finally show me that I'm not alone for once, I turn back! Why... why does she haunt me... why does the other as well?"

Leon felt himself press the soft cushion of his hair farther into the carpeted wall, but found Lisa to lean inward, pressing her nose into the right side of his own, her forward angling against his; her eyes were shut, and her lips were lightly panting. She was seemingly frustrated, but also understanding... somehow.

"Did you really expect two years would force that kind of emotion out of you Leon Loire? I confess, I suspected you still felt for them - but honestly, with all the things going on, and the chance of finally losing you, I couldn't hold back what I felt anymore... I had to let you know. If I didn't..."

Leon felt his right arm slowly wrap around Lisa's shoulder again, allowing her to slip toward the left and lean against Loire; the two sat still again, her head now on his shoulder, his own skull lightly pressing on her mahogany hair. "I know Lisa, I just wish I had discovered it earlier..."

"Just explain one thing to me," Lisa quickly requested, "If you're in such love with Karyuudo, then why don't you be with her?"

Leon felt a shiver run up him, and Lisa's answer seemed to come through, "So I'm not the only one that brings the faces to your eyes?"

Looking to Leon's face, her statement was confirmed.

"It just scares me... seeing those emerald eyes staring right back at me... then turning jade as soon as I even think of my feelings for her. I can't help it! I can't let her go!"

"So why not go after her, try to save her? How do you know she isn't the same..." Lisa quickly followed Leon's speech, but was cut off by a reply.

"She's different... very different. Something's changed in her, as if the Jaina Schaffen I knew has simply morphed into another persona. I... I wasn't in love with that woman; I was in love with her. Odine... the bastard must have.... changed her."

Another set of silent moments, and Leon felt a sigh leave both their lips in a flow of human breath; of course, Lisa had to try and ease back the tension, "So, I assume you'll see her face every time you kiss a girl?"

Leon felt his head with defeat, "Seems so."

In truth, Leon felt it was merely a matter he had to deal with; to overcome emotions, however, was a strangely difficult feat for a man that had felt much of it.

'I abandoned her, and he twisted her into... that. It's my fault, and perhaps I fear touching the lips of another woman because of that failure, or that fear of failing again.'

Letting his head lean toward Lisa's cheek, Leon couldn't help but feel that same fear... yet through brief suppression, slowly dulled it.

"Lisa... I'm sorry."

The girl raised her eyes in an angle, subtly pushing Leon's face backward to allow the two to stare at one another. The girl seemed upset - as expected - yet quickly seemed to pull up a fake smile, allowing her disappointment to ease back a moment. "There's no need Leon, and you should know that. I can't blame you for the mistakes you've made in a time I didn't know you. All I can do is cope."

Leon dropped his shoulders a bit, surprisingly upset by her understanding; in all honesty, a bit of punishment may help his issues better, "I don't want this, I want..."

"I know Leon." she quickly cut back, her voice still at ease, her voice like a melody, "But you'll have your chance with Kira. Don't forget that."

Leon Loire felt his heart suddenly rise in beat; what was she saying? "Lisa, if you were to come with me, then you know, without a doubt, I wouldn't just betray what you've given me." His eyes were transfixed, knowing what the girl's choice would be, but demanding an answer, an explanation.

She only looked back, a bit defeated in her own choice already set in stone, "If only I could Leon, but of course... I was invited to Demoore, not Hircine. It's my destiny, and Hircine is now yours. It's taking you home Leon... don't fight it!"

Again, silence; the two sat there, pressed against one another, their eyes never leaving its caring pair. Hughes found her arms again wrapped around Loire's neck and shoulders, and quickly leaned her nose inward, flirting her lips near his, "This could be our last chance for an entire year to be together Leon... so it could be now... or then."

Leon felt his hands inching forward toward the girl's waist yet again... yet as his eyes watched over the girl's caring eyes, they suddenly blazed a bright shade of jade, and he quickly felt his hands stop frozen. Staring there for a moment, watching those eyes stare back...

At last, Leon merely grunted off the anxiety and pressed himself forward, his hands quickly reaching out to hover over both Lisa's chin and hip, his own lips quickly tapping onto her waiting breath, and for what felt to be a lasting bliss of eternity, Loire shared the first truly passionate kiss he had been granted in more than two years. The fear seemed to yell in his ears, as if some terrible poltergeist watched over his sins, his betrayals, and attempted to strike him back; but it failed, only encouraging Leon to hold on to the woman of his embrace.

At last, Leon and Lisa calmly released their lips from another, and the two quickly eased out breaths of euphoria and lack of oxygen. The two stared at each other with small grins, and within a few seconds, Leon pressed himself up, his left hand sliding up Lisa's arm and lightly laying underneath her hand.

"Perhaps we'll save that for my return trip... I feel it'd make a fine way of showing you, that when this year is over, I'll be ready to be yours at last... Lisa Hughes."

The girl blushed with a great grin at the thought of such romance, and pulled herself up with the man to become her love, "It's a deal then! I'll be to my school..."

"I'll be to mine."

"And we'll finalize the deal by year's end?" the girl seemed to smile with obvious excitement, the sarcasm of such a 'deal' giving the sign of her heightened emotions.

Leon only grinned back, his right hand now at her side, "Done deal my lady." Leon leaned forward, pressed the elevator emergency button back, and leaning back toward the girl held in his arm. The ease of the realization, the ease of knowing what lay before him... it nearly replaced the fate that could occur by the rise of the warm summer, the possibility of having to face Jaina once again, and somehow overcome his feelings for Kira Karyuudo...

Nearly, yet of course, far from completely.

[Leon Loire]

"All aboard for Train number three! All aboard!"

"Lisa, you have everything?"

"Yes! It's all here! Leon, come on, hurry up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

With the two Hughes siblings waiting on the edge of the platform, their watchful eyes keeping close attention to the man and his boxes of objects behind him, Leon Loire kept pace to keep up with the two. Nearly all of their possessions were now stashed away on the train, and all that remained was the roller of small boxes to install, and everything the Hughes owned would be with them.

Catching up with the departing, Leon quickly released a pant of loss breath, and passed the device to his friend Derak, "There you go man, it's all yours."

"Thanks Leon, I appreciate it." Derak winked with a happy smirk, then noted the look in Lisa's eye, "Oh... well I better get this on board; I'll let you two say your goodbyes."

"Derak, wait!" Leon quickly yelled, rushing up to his friend, forcing him to turn around, "What, you think I'll let you leave me behind without a hug bro?"

The man smiled sincerely, "Yeah, I should have expected. You were always like a brother after all."

Leon and Derak gracefully entwine their palms, sharing a strong and friendly shake of hands, before leaning forward and giving the other an easy embrace, "Don't forget me Leon Loire, whatever you do."

Leon let a smile rise up his cheeks, a bit of comfort at the thought, "No need; I'll be back in no time; mark my words. Besides..." Leon sent a quick glance to the waiting girl behind him, "I've got more than a band to come back to now."

Derak looked at Leon with a victorious smile, "I'm glad to see she confessed to you; I'm even happier you returned the feelings. It makes me feel much better about your time away from each other, that's for sure."

Looking to the door of the train and sighing, Derak sends one last nod to his good jazzy friend, "Goodbye for now Leon, I hope to see you back soon."

Leon nodded back, "There are no goodbyes in this world Derak Hughes, only 'see you later.'" His friend seemed to lighten by the thought, and with a brief wave, Derak Hughes was finding himself on the train, and away from Loire's sight.

With a laugh and a quick step, Leon was happy to hear the clang of a happy heel behind him, "Well, now that his prying eyes are out of the way..."

Quickly turning to find Hughes clasping onto his chest, the two found themselves staring at one another, with smiles upon both their faces, "So, this is 'see you later' then?" remarked the beautiful girl, her brown sight seeming to warm Leon's cheeks to a temperature that combat the chill of the evening.

"That it is my dear, that it is." Leon quietly spoke back, his hands around Lisa's hips once again, a bit surprised to see her arms already held behind his neck, "But don't worry; I'll mail you, message you, phone you... whatever is necessary. I'll be there."

The girl only held her smirk, and seemed already intent with the promise they made together, "That's all great and swell, but in the end, as long as I have you here again by year's end, that is all that really matters. So promise me something Leon Loire..."

Leon felt a bit of fear rise in his neck, only increasing the distraught he had felt at continuing to see that emerald set of eyes glaring back above Lisa's own sight.

"Anything." he barely mustered to spell out.

"Come back alive."

The three words were so simple, nearly as much as the classic set of three that such a couple always thought, yet always feared to say until one fateful day. So simple... yet, like their companion, so easy to speak, yet so difficult to comprehend.

"I know you'll meet them again soon, I know that. I know you'll face him, blade to blade as always, and at least last time I was here to make sure you made it through. I know you never thought of it, but I never came to you in the Hospital for a reason..."

Leon's ears felt as if they'd perk at the sudden memory, "Oh? I forgot about that actually."

The girl smiled in relief, but continued, "I didn't come because I feared what I'd find. I can't stand the thought of your death, I just can't! Just like, I'm sure, you'd fear mine as well. So please Leon... please... when you meet him again, when you meet her again, don't think of the need for vengeance; think of me."

Leon felt his eyelids fall down comfortably over his sight, and a second later, he replied to Lisa Hughes with another kiss; not too long by any means, but truly something to get the point across.

"That answer your question, my dear?"

The girl only smiled back and tilted her head, "Sort of, but considering I don't have the time to listen to one of your poetic paraphrases, I'll assume you kiss for the simple and complex things both, 'k?"

Leon smiled, before shrugging in joke, "As long as the point's across." Leaning back and giving one final glance to the girl, Leon sighed with an ease, "I think it's time you better head out."

The girl's own smile stayed, but her shoulders lay down. They both dreaded this time, but knew it was necessary to move on. Leaning high up and forward, Lisa Hughes embraced the man she cared for, holding her head and chest tightly to his.

"I'll be there Leon Loire.... I promise."

"...Understood" he reacted, a bit of a small lump rising in his thread, as she was clearly beginning to gain one as well. Yet both fought back, and a few seconds later their embrace helped fight the sorrow.

At last letting go, Leon held his hands on Lisa's shoulders and kissed her forehead, feeling her left hand lightly hook onto his wrist. A moment later he pulled back, and looked upon her.

"See you soon, Lisa Hughes."

The girl only looked up, a beautiful gaze of saddened departure hidden behind those glowing eyes.

"Right back at you, Leon Loire."

With a slow release, the two parted, Lisa Hughes walking toward the train door, Leon standing still, watching the girl take her place on the path to her new home. Twisting back to see him one last time for the new year, Lisa simply watched him, waiting for the train door to snap them from other... for a time.

At last, the contraption did it's work, and slowly, Lisa Hughes was slowly disappearing from sight.

Both whispered in their breaths, however, their lips reading the other, "Goodbye[/color]."

And then, she was gone.

Leon Loire kept his eyes glaring on the position that Lisa Hughes formerly stood watching back, however; something had replaced it. Another form - one of his past.

A 'ghost' of Jaina Schaffen.

She merely stood there, a black drab of mourning silk soaking her tall and striking body, her gaze of emerald even more piercing than the glow of a ring upon her finger...

Leon only watched in rock-struck fear, those navy eyes analyzing the form that should seem translucent, yet appeared so solid, so real...

No words spoke through those soft red lips, but crystal white tears spired down from the jeweled eyes. The flowing black gown, the soothing beige flesh, the speechless red lips, the river of crystal tear and the glowing emerald gaze: it all made to be the woman Leon Loire once loved, the woman Leon Loire still seemed to love.

But no matter; she was gone, dead... abandoned.

'I'm sorry Jaina, truly so... I left you behind, expecting to save you... and all I brought in my stead was death... to you... to Chris...'

The figure seemed to react to Leon's dread, and with the reach of it's right hand, the bright aura of the ring upon her finger now illuminated that waiting hand.

The ring... and it's guardian... a lion...

'It can't be... when the hell did she have that?'

Ignoring the strange object and continuing the fight, Leon tightened his glare, resisting the fear and chill of his body with all the muster Lisa Hughes had given him.

'I abandoned you Jaina, and for that I deserve judgment. But no matter what you and... Seifer will say or do...[/color]'

The ghost began to shutter now, it's form waving, it's eyes darkening...

'I will not let my sins hold me back, and I will not let my sins resist the actions I do for my nation now. I will continue my life, fight my own battles, and find the love a being needs to live, because I will not allow what you've become bring torment and grief to my soul![/color]'

Within an instant, the wave became a blur, the blur a wind, and the wind a new form, one nearly identical to Jaina Schaffen, yet far folder, far darker. It's form, once draped in a simple mourning gown, was now robed in an elegant royal robe of void black, its material far from the bright glow of Schaffen's form; its eyes were no longer enlightening but poisonous, the sullen jade glinting with bloodlust; the chest was no longer hidden but cleaved through a 'v', giving the figure a lustful trap of weak minded men; the fingers were etched in black glove, yet in between those knuckles were flowing opal blades, their icy air chilling the area beneath them; and in between the chest of that form lay the lion ring on a chain, its former splendor of silver now as black as the garment. Standing there, high heels seeming to give the form more height, glared back a Sorceress, a demon: Lady Shayna, the body of the dead Schaffen.

No words spoken, yet instead of those tears, those red lips, appeared crisp white skin, and oily black lips; the lips never moved, save for a smile so frightening even a braved warrior would be struck in fear.

As Leon Loire was then.

At once the man felt his fear rise, the appearance of this figure extremely familiar. It had been an entire year, but the wound deep inside his chest could never forget...

"Shayna! Do you heard my words?" cried out the desperate form, "Leave me! I have my own life now, and I will not allow you to command it!"

The form merely held its smirk, and began to raise its right hand into an arced form, the jade gaze holding upon Loire...

"You will not command me now Shayna! My life is mine, and..."

"Mine."

Suddenly Leon felt body freeze, his heart stop, and his soul chill out in warmth; a voice not of feminity, but powerful age and influence, seemed to speak as if it were directly behind Leon...

'Odine...'

"You know what must be done my lady; destroy him!"

Leon watched without resolve, without reaction as the arced hand came downward through the air, curving its mighty blades toward Leon Loire...

"Fear is with me... but I resist it! Even if death, I will defy you.... AAUGH!"

The pain... the pain! Within a blink, the world around Leon began to shake and curve, his own form suddenly losing strength and collapsing to earth, his knees barely supporting him, his hands to his chest, to his heart.

'Damnit, it's just my psyche faking characters... so why is this pain here?' Loire questioned himself, a struggling breath attempting to refresh air, yet failed. The agony was too much, the pressure too torturous...

Yet then, within a few more moments, the suffering dissipated, leaving Loire to collapse onto the concrete below, his face sweating, his hands pressed tightly to the earth. The world around was different: still dark, still cold, yet detailed, familiar...

'It's gone... the nightmare's over...'

Forcing himself to stand up, Leon realized that no one came to his aid; perplexed, he realized that the platform was abandoned, left to the rats until a new transport arrived at station. The local region was still loud and lively, considering the station itself still had at least nineteen other platforms for trains to arrive and spill outward.

The evening stars were now nearly blanketing the twilight skies, and the sun was quickly setting to the west; with the sudden realization, Leon Loire quickly wiped off his sleeves and darted off.

Tomorrow morning he would be leaving for San Francisco, but tonight one final goodbye was truly necessary...

*****

There, in the horizon of the sunlight, the bright ball of fire to its west, with the city to its south, lay a campus that Leon Loire had grown particularly accustomed to.

Varron Academy.

Standing near the fountain, his feet set stationary, Leon Loire squinted his gaze to the glowing panes of the school's forgotten halls, its clocktower now forever frozen at midnight - or noon. The moon lay dormant in the sky, its light a bare sliver from a new darkness - a new day.

"So ends an era, and begins anew..." Leon quietly murmured, his eyes scanning over the new bone yard, "But if none of my friends or fellows will remember you, dear lady Varron, know that I will... now, and forever."

Sighing a bit, Loire let the wonder slip past his mind, forcing himself to turn. With a whip of his heel and a right hand to his temple, Leon allowed a smirk to ride his lips as he gave a final salute to his old home.

"So long, Varron Academy. I'm off to Hircine High; wish me luck, will ya?"

And with a quiet nod, Leon Loire tread down the path to the parking lot, and found himself at Azumi Philanaski's home a few minutes later, ready to spend the last hours of his time in Varron City with his mentor, and then alone.

**End of Varron**