A Dreamer's Knight

Chapter 39 - All's Well that Ends Well

The trip back to the Elsewhere was easy as compared to the rest of his night. The CPD looked more like a airplane hanger than a door by the time One was able to walk through with the Breath of Fire.

One took a moment to lock the Breath of Fire into one of the docking stations. He set the now-folded wings beside it. It had been a shame to damage the magnificent machine, but he'd fix it soon enough.

The Final Fantasy settled back into its dock, the power cables clamping onto the back with loud clangs. Once the final cable was in place, One hit the hatch release button and leapt out of the cockpit before the door had finished opening.

The moment his tek-boots hit hit the workshop floor, the door to the main floor banged open, revealing a worried-looking Luck. He barely had time to take off Headache as she ran to him, passing through Rebecca's hologram, much to the CIC's annoyance.

"One!" Luck said, grabbing his now-bare arms. "By the Creator, you did it! You actually did it! That's just ... wow!"

One looked at her. Everything he wanted to say seemed to cram into his throat at the same time.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her eyes as she put her hand on his cheek. "Are you hurt?"

After trying and failing to say anything for a few moments, he pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened, but she returned his kiss eagerly.

When they released, One said, "I really like you too, Luck. I know this has been long overdue, but ... but I just kept thinking about you and me and I think-"

He stopped, realizing that Luck wasn't listening to him. She was staring at the Breath of Fire, her eyes wide.

"One," she whispered, "Is that the Breath of Fire?"

"Uh, yeah," One said, "Its power core is damaged, so it won't be going anywhere. You were right, by the way; it was a pretty tough fight."

To One's surprise, she started to back away.

"Luck?" He asked, moving toward her.

She continued to back away, her face pale.

Concerned, One took her hand and asked, "What's wrong, Luck?"

A flash of fear crossed her face. No, fear wasn't the word; her expression was one of terror. Without a word, she slipped from his grasp and made a run for the nearest floor access door.

"Wait, Luck!" One caught her shoulder just before she slipped through the door and turned her around to face him. To his surprise, she was crying. One had never seen Luck cry before.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he asked, "What's wrong, Luck? Did ... did I do something wrong?"

Without warning, she threw her arms around him and kissed him.

He moved to hold her, but his hands closed around thin air. Luck was gone.

He stood there for a long moment, her warmth still on his skin, her scent in his nostrils, and the taste of her tears salty on his lips. Turning back to the Breath of Fire, One asked aloud, "What just happened?"

Shaking his head, he hurried to the door to the main part of his floor and nearly bowled over Two and Wong as they walked into the dreadnaught bay.

"Whoa!" Two said, putting his hands on One's shoulders, "Where's the fire, buddy?"

"Did Luck just come out of my floor?"

"You mean the pretty ginger lady who gives me candy?" Wong asked, perking up, "Yeah, she just appeared outside the door and ran past us. I think she was going for a plumber 'cause her face was leaking."