“Finally awake huh? Did you know that you were asleep for 150 years?! I am not Alex; I am actually his great great grandson! We live in a society where we are slaves to an evil robot empire!!! BOW TO THE ROBOT OVERLORD!!!”
…
“I don’t understand why you sleep so much if you drink so much coffee.”
…
“Finally awake, sleeping beauty?”
…
Leon spent the past few hours digging a grave for Alex with his bare hands. His hands were callused, sore, and began bleeding. His face and clothes were dirty and his body was covered with sweat. Fatigue and pain ran throughout his whole body but he kept digging. The whole forest was silent that night, as if it was mourning for Alex.
“I’ve officially lost everything…” Leon said as he gently placed Alex’s body in the grave. “Goodbye my friend. You won’t have to deal with the crap the world gives any longer. Rest well.”
-------------------
Morning struck and Leon didn’t get any sleep that night. He just kept walking around aimlessly, despite his heavy stress and fatigue. His legs finally gave up and he collapsed face first onto the ground. He lied there lifelessly until his stomach rumbled with hunger.
“Damn it shut up. I know I need to eat.” Leon said to his stomach. There wasn’t anything edible around him until he heard some rustling near him—a snake was slithering up the tree next to him. Leon took out his knife and threw it at the snake’s head, instantly killing it. “Time to put those survival skills to use.” Leon thought to himself. He gathered some dried leaves, took out a lighter and started a small bonfire. He skewered the snake on a sharp stick and began roasting it on the flames. He took a bite and the silence of the forest was broken by a loud crunch.
“Hm, this ain’t so bad on an empty stomach.” Leon commented.
After eating Leon continued walking. His mind was in complete disarray; his thoughts focused only on Rhapsody’s kidnapping and Alex’s and Vaulken’s deaths. He longed for a drink, but there were no bodies of water around—that is until he heard the splashing of water to the west of him. He ran frantically towards the direction of the water but to his disappointment he arrived at a beach.
“Goddamn, I can’t drink saltwater. I give up…there’s no point anymore…” Leon said as he fainted near the ocean’s shore. The waves carried his body into the ocean and he floated away.
-------------------
“Hey mister, are you okay?” asked a small child.
“I think he’s dead.” said another child.
“Hey, what are you two doing over here?” asked a pink-haired girl. She noticed Leon’s lifeless body on the sand. “Oh my God, are you alright?! Quick, get Kira and Athrun…we have to take this man inside!”
-------------------
“Oh Leon, thank you so much! I thought everyone forgot about my birthday.” Rhapsody said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Really…this means so much to me.”
Leon blushed and smiled. “I’m glad that I could make you happy.”
“Come on inside, we’ll have this cake together.”
Suddenly that happy image disappeared and a scene with Rhapsody lying dead and bleeding on the floor flashed through Leon’s mind.
“NO!!!” Leon yelled.
“So you’re just going to sit there and wallow in self-pity?” said a familiar voice. Leon looked up and saw that it was Commander Vaulken. “Pathetic. I know I didn’t teach you to be like this.”
“I…I just…”
“Don’t you remember what I told you? I told you I was going to haunt you for the rest of your life if you let anything happen to Rhapsody. Do you really want to hear my yelling and nagging every moment you’re asleep?”
“Hell no. I don’t want to deal with that crap anymore.”
“You’re lucky I’m dead, or else I’d smack you right now. I’m going to ask you again…are you going to just sit there like a pathetic fool, or are you going to save the girl you love?”
“I’m going to save her…I can’t imagine life without her.”
“Good. Now wake up and get to it you lazy bum.”
Leon woke up and found himself lying in a relatively large bed in an unfamiliar room. He looked at his hands and noticed that they were wrapped in bandages. The bed he was on had fluffy pink pillows and matching silk sheets.
“Where the hell am I?” Leon thought to himself.
“Hello! Hello!” said Haro as he bounced into the room. A lovely, pink-haired, and blue-eyed girl with a gold hairpin walked in the room with a cup of tea.
“Oh my God…Lacus Clyne…” said Leon.
“Haha, I see you’re finally awake. You’re one lucky person. If those children didn’t discover your body on the beach, you wouldn’t be sitting here on my bed talking to me.” said Lacus in a gentle voice. “Here, have some tea.”
Leon took the cup and drank. “So this is where the songstress of ZAFT has been these past few years.”
“Yup. I’ve been so happy here, caring for the orphans with everyone.”
“By everyone you mean…?”
“So is Leon awake yet?” asked Athrun as he walked into the room. Kira, Cagalli, and Andrew Waltfield followed after him.
“A…Athrun Zala? Andrew Waltfield? A…and Princess Cagalli?! What the heck?!”
“Should I be insulted that he doesn’t know who I am?” Kira asked jokingly.
“I’m just surprised to see so many familiar faces in one spot.” Leon replied.
“Oh? How do you know everyone here?”
“Well, I used to fight alongside Athrun and Andrew back when I was with ZAFT. I knew Lacus because of her popularity and importance to ZAFT. And I came to know Princess Cagalli when I defected from ZAFT and lived in Orb.”
“It’s good to see you again, Leon.” said Andrew.
“Likewise.”
“I have to ask, how’s Rhapsody doing?”
Leon had a dismal look on his face. “…she was captured by Blue Cosmos…”
“Oh dear…I’m so sorry for asking.”
“It’s alright, you didn’t know.”
“You’re friends with Alexander Dena, correct? I haven’t seen him in so long. How’s he doing?” Cagalli asked.
“…he was recently killed in action…”
Cagalli’s expression saddened. “I see you’ve been through a lot…you should rest now. We’ll ask questions about your situation when you’re feeling better. If you’re hungry come downstairs and we’ll make you something.”
“Thank you.”
“Poor guy…I hope he can feel better soon.” Lacus thought to herself as she left her room.
Leon sighed and looked at the beach scenery out of the window to the left of him. The sun shined brightly on the ocean’s surface and seagulls flew above the sand looking for food.
“I can forget all my troubles if I stay here…” Leon thought to himself.
-------------------
Night fell and Leon decided to take a walk on the beach. The children slept peacefully in their beds, Athrun and Cagalli were having a conversation on the front porch, Andy was with them drinking a cup of coffee, and Kira and Lacus were on the balcony. The moon reflected brightly on the ocean’s surface and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the waves flowing onto the sand. Leon sat down on the shore and took the time to relax a little.
“If only you were here with me, Rhap. I’m so sorry…for allowing you to get captured. I broke my promise…that I would always protect you. I’m such a fool.” Leon thought to himself as he closed his eyes.
“Didn’t I tell you to get off your lazy butt and do something about it? What happened to the strong-willed and stubborn Leon I knew?” said Vaulken.
Leon was awakened by Vaulken’s nagging. He stood up and shook off the sand in his hair.
“The old man won’t leave me alone…”
Leon looked back towards the house and noticed that Lacus was singing a song.
“Beneath a veil so cold,
You deeply sleep, all alone
The melody of prayer; on the lonely fields,
A little light shined
I watched as you dreamed
You laughed like a child
So dear, and yet so far -
That is the promise of our future
That one day, on a green morning,
One day, we will make it there
Because in this wintered sky
We still believe
Fields of Hope…”
“Such a beautiful song…” Leon commented.
“What are you doing out here all alone, Leon?” asked Athrun.
“Just wondering what a guy who has lost everything should do…”
The two sat down on the beach and looked out into the ocean. Athrun let out a sigh and addressed Leon.
“You know, I was in the same situation as you. I once thought that my life was meaningless, and I wanted to run away from it all. I thought that I had lost everything, but I realized that I was wrong. I still had friends who supported me despite the sins I’ve committed. Cagalli, Kira, Lacus, all of them helped me. If you want get the back the things you’ve lost, you’re going to have to do something about it and not just sit around doing nothing. I know you Leon and I’ve never seen you act this way. You were the one that always did something when things were looking grim. You have a strong spirit Leon; you need to continue using it. I hate to see a strong person like you in a slump.”
“Thanks Athrun.”
-------------------
The sun rose and Leon woke up early for once. Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli went to the market while Lacus stayed home and watched the kids. Andy was down in the basement, experimenting with a new coffee blend. The sign on the door read “DO NOT DISTURB. IMPORTANT WORK IN PROGRESS.” Leon came down the stairs with some of the orphans, who were excited to see him.
“Come on Uncle Leon! Come play with us!” said one of the orphans. A group of them were clinging on to Leon, who was trying to come down the stairs without tripping.
“Hey, come on now guys. Mr. Sieghart is still injured. Don’t be so rough with him!” said Lacus.
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Leon said with a smile. “Come on kids, let’s go outside and play a game.”
“Yay!!!” yelled all the kids as they ran out the door.
“I’m so sorry to make you do this Leon. But since everyone went out to the market and Mr. Waltfield got another one of his 'coffee inspirations' I needed some help watching the kids.”
“Nah, it’s no problem. I need to repay you guys for taking me in.”
“Come on Uncle Leon! Everyone’s waiting for you!” said a little girl.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
Leon ran outside with the children and played a game of tag with them. As he was running around chasing the children on the beach, he thought about Rhapsody again. Athrun’s words ran through his mind.
“You have a strong spirit Leon; you need to continue using it.”
“What am I doing here…she’s waiting for me…” Leon thought to himself. The children noticed that he wasn’t in the smiling mood he was in before.
“What’s wrong Uncle Leon?” asked one of the children.
“I can’t stay here…I need to go.”
“No…don’t leave us!”
“I’m sorry. But there’s someone important to me that I have to rescue.”
-------------------
“Let’s see, Lacus said she also needed some potatoes…” said Kira.
“Hey guys, come take a look at this.” said Athrun, pointing to a news broadcast on a nearby screen.
“Recently, acts of terrorism have surfaced. The most devastating result is here, at the Atlas base. Chairman Landon’s body has not yet been discovered, so it is assumed that he is still alive. Upon further investigation we have discovered signs of Blue Cosmos. We hope that the Chairman is okay and that Blue Cosmos does not have him hostage.”
“Oh no…we have to tell Leon!” said Cagalli.
-------------------
“Miss Lacus, I’m sorry but I’ll have to take my leave. I need to go back to Atlas.” said Leon.
“You can’t, your hands are still injured!” replied Lacus.
Kira, Cagalli, and Athrun came running into the house, short of breath.
“Leon, bad news! Atlas has been destroyed and the Chairman is missing!” said Kira.
“What?!”
“Turn on the TV and change it to channel 7.”
Leon turned on the news broadcast, which was still showing the devastated Atlas base. Atlas’ Eagle mobile suits were ripped apart by beam swords and lasers. Buildings were in ruin and beyond repair. All of the soldiers lied dead on the floor. In the distance he spotted Rhapsody’s painting, which amazingly survived the attack. Rhapsody’s smiling face appeared in Leon’s mind again.
“…we are still searching for any signs of the Chairman. We would like to remind our viewers to stay calm and that this situation will be put under control.”
“Miss Cagalli, can you arrange a transport ship for me? I’m going to Morgenroete…” said Leon.
