In the Line of Duty (Final Fantasy VI, Leo/Celes, PG-13)

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Title: In the Line of Duty
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied sex
Word count: 911
Prompt: Final Fantasy VI, Leo/Celes: self-control - "just a matter of discipline"
A/N: This prompt is for February 12. I apologize for its tardiness.


She'd noticed him long before she'd known him, studied him as he'd led cadets--detachments set to guard her and Kefka--into and out of the Magicite Research Facility. He'd watched her from the corner of his eye, curious, but never afraid like the others. It wasn't until he'd actually been assigned to train her that she'd realized that General Leo was an incredible man.

She learned quickly under his tutelage, a surprising prodigy with the sword in addition to the magic skills that now came naturally. But, still they kept her confined. She never was sure whether they feared she'd be stolen by rebels or that she'd attempt to free herself. She had no place to go, no family or friends that she remembered. She owed her entire allegiance to the Empire and the home they'd given her, but still they held her as if she was a common prisoner.

It came as a surprise when Leo appeared at the facility more frequently, often just to talk in between their training sessions. At first, he came as soon as the research technicians left for the night, bringing her books and treats, and presents from the outside. She wondered if she'd ever visit the places he told her about in such vivid detail. With stories of rebellion seeping in through various sources, she feared the world she'd never known would be changed forever before she ever got the chance to see it.

As the time passed, their training sessions grew longer and more brutal, all the while reports of rebels were on the rise. When Kefka announced he was leading troops from the capital city to destroy rebel strongholds, Celes knew her time was coming, that she'd see action soon.

The night before her first assignment, Leo snuck through the heavy guard to see her, bearing a single flower and a book embossed in gold. The flower's fragrance brought a smile to her lips and eased her mind just a little. He watched her as she flipped through the gilt-edged pages, pages devoid of words.

"They're all blank." Her eyes rose to his in question.

"That's your book," he said, closing her hands around it. "It's your story to tell." The smile that had ghosted his lips brightened his face. "You're special, you're unique, and you're going to be seeing the world for the first time. Write down your thoughts, your impressions; remember your wonder." The smile vanished. "It's only a matter of time before you lose that wonder, Celes. With each battle, each death, we seem to lose a little more of our humanity, a little more of the wonder we once felt."

"What are they like, these rebels?" she asked. "And why do they destroy our world?"

He shifted uneasily beside her. "Everyone has a different point of view these days. Who am I to say who's right and who's wrong?"

"You sound like you think..."

"I do what I'm told regarding the rebels. No more, no less." He captured her closest hand. "You'd do well to remember that. Otherwise, you'll end up like Kefka."

Celes' nose wrinkled in disgust. She'd heard how he liked to roust villagers and kill them, both soldiers and innocents alike. She'd even heard rumors that he'd killed some of his own men, but she'd known him well once. It was difficult to imagine him behaving like that.

"How do you kill people?" she asked. She'd never thought of it before, but tomorrow, she might kill for the first time.

"It's just a matter of discipline," he said, brushing back her waves of blond hair. "Like anything else, you'll learn it in time."

"Do you like it?" It wasn't like she hadn't smelled spilt blood or seen the wounded as they carried them in. None of it frightened her, but she wondered how she'd feel when she spilled blood herself.

For a moment, his gaze grew distant and his bottom lip trembled. He forced a smile and some of the horror vanished from his face. "I like being here with you a lot more," he whispered, squeezing her hand. "What about..." He took the book and the flower from her and set them aside. "We could lie together one more time before we have to say good-bye."

"You make it sound like we won't ever see each other again," she said, easing into his embrace.

"One never knows what the day brings, my love...especially when one is at war."

Their lips met with the fiery passion she'd come to anticipate, but she didn't miss the desperation in his hands as he pawed at her clothes, couldn't explain her own sense of need as she freed him from his. When they joined, it was with anger that brought tears to Leo's eyes and a loneliness that already ached in her heart.

They collapsed together amidst the tangle of blankets on her bed, wrapped in one another's arms. And while their trembling quieted and their breathing settled, he held her, kissed her gently, and whispered a quiet, "I love you, Celes. Don't let them change you. Don't let them make you something you're not."

Then he did something he'd never done and they would probably never have the chance to do again. Settling into the warmth of her bed, he pulled the blankets up over them, and until the wee hours of the morning, they slept, lost in one another's love.