Dark (Raileon One Shot)

Dark

The roaring storm and wind crashing in his face did not do him much favor as he tried to regain his senses. The tolls and ringing of thousands of bells in his head bashed against his skull with every distant howl that came his way, and the warm, sticky liquid trickling down his palm sunk his heart further down his already heaving chest.

He bought his shaking hand up to his lips. The unmistakable metallic taste of blood told him everything he needed to know. Overcome with panic, he tried to spring up -- only to fall back down with a grunt. His eyes darted all over, looking for Hop, Gloria, Charizard, anyone. He didn't quite understand what had just happened, but he needed to make sure Hop and his friend Gloria were okay. He knew Charizard would keep them safe, he trusted his partner to protect them. But the pit of anxiety within him threatened to drag him deeper into its abyss with each passing moment.

With his vision swimming, he tried his best to at least sit up and try to find them, but to no avail. The throbbing in his limbs and the quite possible concussion left him confined to this spot of crushed metal debris, --  in which, he'd figured, -- he must've landed. 

So he laid there, in a pool of his own blood, helpless and exhausted. What a disgrace. 

He was the Champion. He needed to be strong! What was he doing, laying on a pile of shrapnel, unable to get up? But no matter how much he'd pushed, his body refused to move. 

Eternatus could still be here. Hop and Gloria might have been in danger. What if Eternatus beat them? Injured them? Or worse? He couldn't stay here. He needed to help them. He needed to protect his brother, his friend, the region! So why couldn't he just get up?!

Tears dusted his eyes, blurring his vision more than it already was. What a terrible brother he was, he thought, and an even worse Champion. How absent he was when those he loved needed him. The reek of blood and smoke swirled his brain, just as the crimson-red storm clouds swirled in the black sky above him. He really was no better than Rose.

His head fell to the side. So, this is how things will end, he thought. Too bad it took him so long to realize what a horrible person he'd been to everyone.  And now, he'll die bearing this regret. 

His eyes fluttered shut and he let the darkness consume him.

***

"L...e.."

"Lee..."

"Leon..?"

Leon grunted softly, as he was being gently nudged awake.

"Lee?" A voice called out to him. It sounded so far, and distant, as if it would take miles and miles for him to reach it.

"Lee..? Please..." The voice whispered, broken and utterly defeated. If Leon focused hard enough, as much as his shaken up brain would allow, he could hear the voice taking shaking breaths. It sounded as if it were crying.

He groggily tried to move his left side. Nothing happened. It wouldn't budge, as if he were shackled and his limbs were full of lead. 

He tried focusing on the sound. His eyes refused to open, so he found himself concentrating on the faint sobs of whoever was beside him. The ringing in his ears hadn't completely subsided, but the tolling bells had quieted down to a chime, and the throbbing had gone to a rhythmic pulse. 

One if his hands fell to his side. He gently pressed it to the ground, feeling a cold, smooth steel surface. His fingers vibrated with the light hum coming from somewhere deep down. 

Eternatus? Was it still here? Down below, ready to swallow him whole...

"Lee?!" The voice cried out. The soft sobs had given way to cries of sorrow and desperation, setting off a louder ring in Leon's ears. "Leon, please! C'mon, ya gotta wake up! Please..!"

Suddenly, arms materialized from the abyss, engulfing his whole body. They gripped him tight, crushing his broken figure in a death grip. 

"C'mon! You can push through this, I know you can!" Hands, warm and rough, clutched his bleeding face. He felt a rain of tears gently falling on his sunken cheeks. Whose tears..?

"Goddamit! C'mon, Lee..!"

The voice sounded so familiar...But Leon couldn't yet figure it out. He felt his consciousness slipping away again, as he went limp in the sturdy arms that tried so hard to hold on to him. To make him hold on.

"Leon?! Fuck!" The person roared wretchedly. "I never should've let you handle this all alone! That motherfucker is gonna pay for this!"

Alone? He's not alone. Someone is with him, right here. Escorting him to the gates of hereafter.

The person hadn't said anything afterwards. Instead, the arms that held him carefully lowered him to the unrelenting metal floor. Then, a shaking hand followed, delicately brushing some damp locks from Leon's sore forehead. Arceus, how heavenly this touch felt. Soft fingers moved from his forehead to his unruly purple hair, tousling it, smoothing out the tangled, sweaty curls.

Had the person given up on trying to save him? Had they too, accepted his inevitable death? Right now, he didn't care. All he cared about was the angelic sensation, that helped him, barely, to stay here.

He tried hard, to hang onto the sweet touch, his lifeline from sinking back down into the dark. The warmth of the person's hands, the roughness of the skin...it was all so familiar. All too familiar...

His eyes snapped open.

"R-raihan..?" Leon wheezed, weakened from his sudden outburst.

"Lee!" Raihan cried out, his hands releasing Leon's hair. "Thank Arceus you're alive!"

Raihan wiped his own face with the back of his fist, before gently pulling Leon into an embrace. 

"Holy fucking hell...You scared the shit outta me, mate..." He whispered, pressing his head into the crook of Leon's neck.

Leon didn't say anything. What was there to say? Raihan was here. He was with him. And if Raihan was here, that means the kids were safe, he was safe, and everything was okay.

Suddenly, without warning, Leon's head was lifted by the back of his neck, and his cracked lips met Raihan's. 

A warmth washed over him. So strong, so powerful, as if an electric current had been sent through his entire body, charging him to his fullest, sparking life in his dying self. Leon leaned into the kiss, allowing Raihan to spread a tingling sensation to his every nerve. 

But it was over as quickly as it had begun. They parted, and Leon was left gasping for breath, the sweetness still lingering in his mouth. 

"It's okay, Lee." Raihan murmured, his voice uncharacteristically cracking. "Help is on the way. You'll be okay."

Grunting, Leon forced his hands to move, clutching Raihan's wrist in a vice grip. He needed to know if Hop and Gloria were okay. "Where..."

"They're safe." Raihan assured him, stroking Leon's hands. "And so are you. They beat it. They beat Eternatus. And the ambulance is coming."

They were okay. Hop was okay. He was okay. Everything is going to be alright, he thought. It'll be okay. 

"Stay strong for me, Champ." Raihan whispered. 

In the moment, Leon felt anything but strong. But Hop and Gloria were in safety. Eternatus was defeated, so the region is saved, too. It wasn't him who saved it, but it was okay. He still felt shitty, but he doesn't need to worry anymore.

"Stay strong."

It didn't matter. Everything was alright. The Darkest Day is no more.

Leon let his body fall limp. His eyelids slid shut. His deed was done.

So he let himself slip back into the darkness.