Leana's Return

So in response to the hype for Tim's roleplay, I was reading through a bunch of old stuff that we did and happened across one section in particular. It was the point where my character, Ariel, was essentially brain blasted to unconsciousness which allowed Leana to return! Most of you know the story. I thought it was a great scene, so I took the posts that I made, and some including TK, and revised a lot of it to turn it into a story. Or a short. Whatever.

I hope it reads well. I think I did a good enough job, but I want to know what you guys think. I apologize in advance if it's repetitive because I know some of you have technically read the posts already, but it's different enough I think that it will warrant a read.

This essentially came to fruition because I felt that I didn't do my poor character enough justice. I'm way too attached to her, but hey. If it gets the creative juices flowing, who cares? Anyways, please enjoy!

Word Count: 2,941

Edit: Re-reading this, I feel like I didn't really capture the drama of the moment. I don't know, it seems to fall a little flat for me. As I was listening to a Two Steps From Hell CD, I heard one song in particular that, I feel, puts the drama into it. If you were looking for a specific part, the song is best alongside the part when Leana learns of the "time skip" and has that heart-wrenching, albeit short, conversation with Ariel.

Threnody-Two Steps From Hell

Fragility of the Mind Piece – Leana’s Return

Ariel's hand twitched for a moment before the rest of her stiff body started to move. She groaned softly as her head rolled to the side. Her arms slid back, her palms planting themselves firmly on the hard floor. Her legs bent, preparing to lift herself up off the ground. She slowly made it to her hands and knees when her joints locked briefly, pain flashing through her body. She grit her teeth then, with some effort, she managed to stand, wobbling ever so slightly on shaky legs. She slowly opened her eyes, hissing and bringing one arm up over her face. She wasn’t used to the light suddenly flooding her vision. When her eyes adjusted, she looked around, taking in her surroundings. The room was brightly lit, and she saw some of her old companions there as well. They all appeared slightly changed, as if something had happened to all of them in such a short time. Ariel pushed the thought out of her mind however. She lifted her arms over her head and stretched, yawning loudly and hearing quite a few joints crack.

"What a nap that was," she said out loud to herself in a voice thick with sleep, her arms falling back to her sides. Her eyes glimmered in the light and her lips twisted into
a tiny smirk.

'Damn, wait ‘til TK gets a load of this,' she thought to herself. With that, she exited the room, reminding herself to greet her friends after talking with TK.

"Ariel" walked through the empty hallways, wondering where her best friend would be. Apart from the room she just came from, there wasn’t a single person to be found. The still quiet unsettled her, the only thing breaking the silence being her quick footsteps. She looked around for the violet-haired girl, though stopped when she noticed a circular mirror hanging on the wall to her left. She almost walked right passed it, however something in her reflection caught her eye. What she saw shocked her.

"Holy shit..." she muttered, staring at herself with wide eyes. "Who…is this?" The girl, no, woman staring back at her was almost a stranger, save for the obvious fact that it was indeed herself that she was staring at. The physical features were all there: the deep brown eyes, dark hair, prominent cheekbones and thin-lipped mouth. In addition to those, however, her hair was longer and her skin was slightly more tanned. Her dark eyes seemed tired, her glasses had disappeared, and she wore dark clothes. She had also grown considerably taller.

The brunette couldn't help but lower her gaze to her body, at a complete loss for words. She twisted around, scrutinizing herself for other visible changes. She lifted her pant legs and saw slender, elongated legs. Flipping up her shirt briefly revealed a taut mid-section. Her eyes widened when she looked down her shirt and she gasped.
"Whoa! What about these!" she cried. Her hands flew to her chest and squeezed, amazed that her hands were not covering a flat chest, but a well-developed one.

“Ariel” was interrupted from her thoughts by the faint sound of voices coming from down the hall. She dropped her hands and took a few steps forward, the mysterious individuals finally coming into view, giving a body to each of the voices. She squinted, vaguely recognizing only one of the figures, the only woman of the trio. As the three people came closer, the woman stopped for a moment before a wide smile stretched across her face. "YOU'RE AWAKE!!!" she shrieked with joy.

“Ariel” stared at the strange yet familiar woman who called to her. She turned to face her and looked her up and down for a few moments, soaking in her appearance. Her brow furrowed in confusion; she only knew one person with violet hair like that… Then it dawned on her.

"TK!!!" she cried as she sprinted towards her and jumped on her best friend, sending them both toppling over. TK fell backwards, ignoring the impact on the ground as she laughed, "I'm glad you're awake!" She paused though, and stared into Ariel's eyes. They were much brighter, and she did find it strange that she was tackled to the ground; Ariel wasn't the assertive type. TK's grin grew wider.

"Oh shit,” she said, dragging out the words. “Don't tell me...LeeLee???" Leana grinned like the Cheshire Cat as she nodded vigorously.

"Damn straight," she said, flicking her best friend in the forehead. "Guess what? I have boobs now!!!" She started laughing hysterically and fell onto the floor, rolling around and holding her sides.

TK grinned and laughed along with her, "And an ass as well!" She winked. Leana calmed down enough and sighed happily as she lay on the floor. TK’s expression then morphed into a serious one, shifting the mood as well.

"I’m sorry LeeLee, but we're kinda in a bad situation right now. I really am happy to see you, but we will have plenty of time to catch up later," TK sighed, sounding exhausted. Leana looked up at her with wide, confused eyes.

‘She looks so innocent like that…’ TK thought. She held her best friend warmly. "I'm so glad you're back, LeeLee... Ari and I missed you so much..." she whispered. TK stood straight and pulled her best friend up as well. The two men behind her were watching the scene before them curiously. Leana peeked over TK’s shoulder at the two of them, her eyes studying their faces. TK noticed this and turned to face her companions.

“Oh, almost forgot…” she muttered. She turned back towards Ariel and gestured with her hands towards one of the men, the blonde one.

"LeeLee, this is Udo Weber. He kinda wandered over to us so I'm getting ready to send him back to Indianapolis.” Leana nodded then looked to the man beside him. “This is Videor Xagon, my boyfriend,” TK introduced, gesturing to him. Videor smiled at Leana and she returned it, if somewhat half-heartedly.

“I'm jus’ gonna go check up on Mother,” TK continued, sounding annoyed. “She did well to come back to life in a child's body, knowing damn well children are my weakness… Her name is Grace. Samuel is here to-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second there, TK,” Leana interrupted, her hands waving around wildly. “Your mother?” TK sighed in exasperation.

“Yes, LeeLee. My mother. Look, I can’t really explain everything to you right now. When I have a second we’ll talk, ‘k?” she said. “We are currently trying to head to France to talk to Samantha about transferring my black blood out of Alevon and back into my body; a transfusion if you will. I'm hoping he'll cooperate." The dark-skinned woman let out another sigh before taking a deep breath. "So, yeah… We're a bit in a pickle at the moment.”

Leana stared at her best friend with a dumbfounded expression. Leana couldn’t possibly explain how lost she was. Why did TK need to reclaim the black blood? She knew it was necessary to save Alevon’s life earlier, and that’s why he had it, but what use did she have for it now? Another thing Leana couldn’t believe was that TK’s mother was alive. How was that possible? They had killed her just… Wait, exactly how long ago was it? Leana’s face scrunched up in thought, her arms crossing over her chest.

“Something wrong, LeeLee?” her best friend asked carefully.

“It’s just… Your mother. We killed her, right? Or at least, we were on the way to kill her…” Leana trailed off. Her memories of that time were fuzzy, and she wracked her brains in an effort to remember everything. TK winced.

“Yes, we did kill her…” TK answered slowly. She glanced behind her at her two associates and motioned for them to continue on. They both looked at each other and shrugged though Videor looked a little uneasy. They started walking, and the two friends only continued when they were both out of earshot.

“So how can she be alive right now? Or this fast at least?” she asked, a confused look in her normally bright eyes. She looked at the ground and ran a hand through her long hair, pausing briefly as she was not used to the length. TK fidgeted nervously.

“I'm not sure about the details concerning how it happened, but as for the when..." She couldn’t finish her sentence. She glanced at Leana, trying to gauge a reaction.
Leana looked extremely uncomfortable in this situation. Her gaze fell to the ground, as if the answers to her problems were somehow hidden within the cracks of the floor. She swallowed and glanced back up at her closest and most trusted friend. That’s when it hit her. TK looked older. Tired. She looked as if Hell itself chewed her up and spit her out. Did she have more scars on her? Or was that just Leana’s imagination? Her lips trembled.

"T-TK..." Leana started timidly, almost fearful. "How long ago did we defeat the Woman?" TK was silent. Leana balled her hands into fists. “Answer me, dammit.”

TK bit her lip, afraid to answer. She cleared her throat in an attempt to sound confident, but the words almost died in her throat, “A long time ago…” She risked a glance at her friend, who was shaking her head in disbelief. The girl then asked, “How
long…?” TK took a deep breath.

"You are currently ten years in the future...” she answered softly. “That’s how long you’ve been gone. That’s how long we've missed you.” Leana took a few steps backward, shocked at the news.

'Ten...years...?'

She shook her head slowly. There was no way, no way that it was ten years in the future. It just wasn’t possible. What had happened during that time? What had happened to Ariel? To TK? To her friends? Her head started pounding and she gasped at the pain.

"What the hell..." she managed to say through clenched teeth. She placed a hand on her forehead and leaned against the wall. She couldn't believe how much her head hurt.

TK was at a loss for what to do or say. Leana’s shoulders shook slightly, unable to accept the reality of things. TK reached out a hand to comfort her, but it was slapped away.

“Leana-” she started, but she was ignored. Leana felt sick and bolted past the woman she felt she almost didn’t know anymore. She attempted to look for a way out, feeling as if she was suffocating. She spotted an elevator and ran towards it, jamming the button repeatedly in hopes that it would open faster. When it did, she strode in and leaned against the wall in pain. When the elevator finally began its ascent, it seemed like an eternity until it reached the top. Every second the pain in her head continued to increase, each throb more painful than the last. Leana stumbled out, going outside and running until she couldn't possibly run anymore. So focused was she on just running that she wasn’t aware of her surroundings, or the fact that she wandered so far away from the base that she was in the middle of the forest. She sniffed loudly, eyes frantically darting around the area.

"What the fuck is going on?!" she screamed. Leana eventually broke down and cried; something she hadn't done in a long time. She slid against a tree and slunk to the ground, bringing her knees to her chest and tightly wrapping her arms around her legs. The sheer agony she felt in her head was almost enough to completely break her. She had never experienced a migraine like this and it was scaring her.

"Gah, why won't this pain go away?!" she cried as she gritted her teeth.

'It hurts, does it?' a dark voice suddenly said to her.

Leana froze.

"What... W-Who are you?" she whispered, standing up immediately and looking around, eyes wide like those of a caged animal.

'The only other voice in your head. Who else would it be?' the voice answered, the hurt and anger all too evident in its response.

Leana swallowed as she shakily whispered, "Ariel?" There was a long pause as she heard the voice answer, 'Yes.' Leana stared at a tree blankly, shocked to hear her other's voice in her head. She asked out loud, "But...how is this possible? Whenever I'm in control I can't hear you!"

'I don't know what's happening, but you're back now. That's all that matters.' The voice, Ariel’s voice, now sounded a little softer.

Leana sniffed as the tears started flowing freely again. "Ariel..." she sobbed, her voice thick. However the pain returned and she cried out, completely unprepared for it. She pulled at her hair and groaned loudly. Her arms jerked every which way and her back straightened of its own accord.

"What's...what's happening?" Leana choked out, desperately trying to control her arms. She was eventually hit hard in the face, and the pain exploded in her head. She cried out as her left leg gave out and she fell to one knee. Then she received a response.

'I'm taking the body back, Leana. You disappear for ten years and you suddenly show up again? No, I can't accept that. You will come out when I say so.' Ariel’s voice was cold.

"B-But I-" Leana couldn't finish her sentence as her body started jerking violently again, her arms flailing and her back twisting as she fought for control. One arm was thrown on the ground roughly as she attempted to keep it still. Her fingers dug into the soft earth and pulled up a handful of grass. Leana could feel her heels digging into the ground in defiance. It was a losing battle though. She yelled out in pain and then lied still, hot tears streaming down her face not only in defeat, but in sorrow as the magnitude of what happened came crashing down on her. She then murmured a very soft, "I'm sorry," hoping that Ariel would accept her apology. However, inside her head was quiet. She didn't have the strength to stand up so she simply lied there, looking up at the sky, apologizing over and over again. It was all she was able to do.

--

Ariel opened her eyes and squinted in the light, groaning at the soreness in her back. Lying on the cold, hard ground wasn't comfortable at all, though she had no one to blame but herself for that. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the trees beside her, not moving a muscle. The forest was all but silent, save for a few birds chirping nearby. Everything else was still. She swallowed.

'Leana?'

There was silence for a long time before Ariel heard her other half reply.

'I'm here...'

Ariel paused for a moment. 'What happened?'

'I...I honestly don't know. I just went to sleep and woke up now.' Leana sounded frightened.

Ariel said nothing for a while. Leana’s unexpected disappearance still pained her greatly, and she was confused and angry at her for it. But, Leana had returned, though for reasons unknown. The brunette felt like she was being torn in two, her dark feelings wanting her to stay angry at her other, while the lighter side wanted her to just be thankful Leana had finally returned. It was enough to bring another painful headache, and Ariel cradled her head in her hands. She was suddenly reminded of the issues at hand, and resolved to talk to her other half later; there were more important things to worry about now.

'We should go, Leana. We will figure this out later.'

She slowly stood up, and took a step forward, though she almost fell over and grabbed onto a tree for balance. Her strength had not fully returned, and she still felt disoriented.

Ariel slowly walked through the tiny forest and back to the base, for once not thinking about anything, instead focusing on returning to the base in one piece. Leana was quiet and said nothing. She sighed and tried to increase her speed, but tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground painfully. Groaning to herself, she eventually found enough strength to return to her feet.

Ariel had at last returned to the elevator and went inside, pressing the button that would take her down. She waited patiently for it, and soon enough found herself once again inside the base. She walked down the hallway, now not needing to support herself on the wall. The frail-looking woman felt extremely drained, physically and mentally, from that emotional ordeal. She paused for a moment and decided that the best course of action was to sleep. She had just woken up from some state of unconsciousness, but that was also while Leana was aware and somewhat in control. Ariel herself needed to rest.

Nodding slightly to herself, she slowly trudged down the hallway into an empty room on the left. She opened the door and leaned against it, closing it slowly. She exhaled and closed her eyes, pushing away from the door and collapsing onto the bed. She felt too uncomfortable in her dishevelled clothing and ignored it for a time, but she already knew it would prevent her from finding sleep. With a sigh she sat up and slowly peeled off the pieces of her filthy attire one by one. Satisfied, she lay down slowly and sunk into the soft mattress, pulling the covers up to her shoulder. She fell asleep almost instantly.